Bman's Blues Report

I just had the opportunity to review the most recent release, Twist The Knife , from the 44's and it's hot! Opening with excellent, original instrumental track, Cutting Deep , the band holds a tight blues rally while lead guitar player, Johnny Main tears it up. Excellent style and chops makes this one of the coolest new tracks I've heard this year. With Eric Von Herzen on harp, Mike Hightower on bass, Gary Ferguson on drums and Junior Watson on guitar, this is a massive opener. On Howlin' Wollf''s Howlin' , Main sings with a raspy, Wolf like voice and rolls immediately into a nice long guitar solo, also nicely worked over by Von Herzen on harmonica. Very cool. On Morganfield's Champagne and Reefer , Main sings soulfully and Von Herzen really has nice tone with an excellent harp solo. Very cool. Doyle Bramhall II's Rosie is up next with it's swampy drive and droning lower end. Main really takes advantage of this primal feel with wailing guita...

I just had the opportunity to review the most recent release, In The Middle Of Nowhere , from John Clifton and it's quite good. Opening with the excellent, I'm Leaving You Baby , with it's firm Chicago romp style. John Clifton, former leader of MoFo Party Band, has his own gig and on lead vocal and harp, this gig is hopping. Backed by Scott Abeyta on guitar, Jake Finney on bass, Edward Fritz on drums, Bartek Szopinski on piano and John Shafer on tambourine and cowbell this band is tight. On shuffle track, If It Ain't Me , Clifton is howling on harp and his vocals are vibrant. I particularly like Szopinski's piano work and the fluid guitar soloing of Abeyta on this track. Very cool. Cool Spot In Hell is a good name for a laid back jazzy track in the middle of a hot set. Abeyta lays in some really nice lead runs and Szopinski's phrasing is terrific leading up to Clifton's own lush harp scape. Very nice. Four Years Ago is a great driving blues track with...

I just had the opportunity to review the most recent self titled release, Johnny & Jaalene and it's quite good. Opening with Phil Spector's Baby I Love You , Johnny Ramos, son of blues guitar player Kid Ramos and super 16 year old singer, Jaalene DeLeon, breathe fresh air into this 60's classic with solid vocals instrumentation and a great mix. Eddie Cochran's rockabilly tune Teenage Cutie has plenty of spark and tight guitar riffs giving it real oomph. 50's French tune, Let It Be Me , popularized in the US by the Everly Brothers is a real standout here with excellent vocal blending and clear, crisp guitar accompaniment. Lalo Guerrero's Los Chuco Suave is a natural here with excellent Latin styling and accordion by Jesus Cuevas. Excellent! Another huge 60's classic, Rosie (Hamlin) and the Original's Angel Baby is done with little alteration and is a perfect showcase for the purity of DeLeon's voice. featuring a nice sax solo by Ron Dziubl...

I just had the opportunity to review the most recent release, Live from the 805 , from Alastair Greene and it's a real rocker (and a double live rocker to boot)! Opening with blues rocker, The Sweetest Honey , Alastair Greene uses classic rock riffs to propel his band into orbit. Backed by Jim Rankin on bass and Austin Beede on drums, these guys are really rocking with excellent guitar soloing by Greene. On boogie track, Big Bad Wolf , Greene's strat has a classic grind and his vocal paired with Rankin are very cool with a ZZ Top edge.  With plenty of swagger and excellent guitar blues bends, 3 Bullets has a great feel. This track is made for Greene's guitar style, really bringing out his tight yet raw attack. Very cool. With a Bo Diddley riff and super fat slide guitar Greene gets a great groove going on Say What You Want . His slide finesse is nicely coupled with his solid vocals and the bands tight bottom. Another track with a cool feel is Love So Strong . Setting ...

I just had the opportunity to review the most recent release, Nightlife , from John Clifton and it's solid gold blues. Opening with Charlie Musselwhite's Strange Land , John Clifton on lead vocal, harp and guitar, joined by Scott Abeyta on guitar, Matt Moulton on bass, John Shafer on drums and Brian Szopinski on piano set a solid old style groove. Lee Moses' excellent soul number, Sad About It is up next and Clifton's really plays it to the hilt. The band really sits on this one making it one of my favorites on the release. Little Walter's Long As I Have You is another top track with excellent vocals, super harp and excellent guitar soloing by Abeyta. Very nice. Cool original track, Swamp Dump has a smooth Latin blues feel with a nice tandem harp/guitar melody and easy rhythm. Jump track, How About That is an excellent instrumental with a driving bass line fluid lead guitar work along the lines of Gatemouth Brown and hot harp work leading the way. Very cool...

I just had the opportunity to review the most recent release, Dream Train , from Alastair Greene and it's a smokin' rocker. Opening with title track, Dream Train , Greene on lead vocal and guitar, joined by Jim Rankin on bass and Austin Beede on drums really hit the road hard including fiery slide work by Greene. Big Bad Wolf is a great boogie rocker with grinding guitar rhythm and slashing solos. Excellent! Billy Gibbons penned, Nome Zayne   has a heavy bottom and cool pinched guitar harmonics. One of my favorite tracks on the release is blues ballad, Another Lie , featuring features Walter Trout on guitar and Mike Finnigan on organ and some of the best Greene guitar riffs on tape in a while. Excellent! Acoustic instrumental, Song For Rufus , shows Greene's guitar virtuosity with serious intent. An exceptional piece of recording and playing. Dare Devil is a cool 12 bar number with a nice solo from Dennis Gruenling on harp, Mike Finnigan on organ and of course Greene o...

I just received the newest release, Above The Fold , from Blue Lunch and it's lush! Opening with Ain't Trying To Kill Nobody , a cool groove with cool guitar work from Bob Frank and hot sax work from Chris Burge. With a cool story on vocals Frank makes for a cool track. On more laid back jazz track,  One Fine Day , Burge is joined by Bob Michael on trombone and Mike Rubin on trumpet for some real nice solo work. Pete London lays down cool harp work and Mike Sands on piano with Ramond DeForest on bass and Scott Flowers on drums make this a tight instrumental. Very nice! On boogie track The Long Game , London gets the chance to really blow out his harp and Frank takes a nice stretch on the fretboard. On swing track, Everybody's On The Phone , these guys really set a super groove with great harp work and solid vocals. Sands steps up with a cool piano solo coaxed along by the horn section. Excellent! On bluesy ballad, Woman I Bleed , the band pulls a nice contrast between a...

I just received the newest release (February 18, 2014), The Blue Lunch Special, from Blue Lunch . This is a compilation release but the debut on Rip Cat. A selection of hot tracks from previous releases spanning 15 years opens with Sideswiped , a cool rocker with hot horns from Keith McKelley (sax), Mike Rubin (trumpet), and Bob Michael (trombone), cool keys from Mike Sands and stinging guitar from Bob Frank. Cold Day Down Below has a real New Orleans style with luscious piano work from Sands. Nicely blended vocals from Pete London, Frank and bassist Raymond DeForest is tight over a Chuck Berry (Almost Grown) like delivery. Jump track Skin Bones and Hair really moves and a tight horn (sax by Frank Tischler) section compliments super vocals from Frank who also takes a really tasty guitar solo on this number. Cuttin Out is another jump style track with authentic backing vocals and vocal / guitar/ horn exchange. Tim Longfellow handles piano and Scott Flowers handles drums on this n...

I just received the newest release, Sweet Revival , by Gino Matteo and it's quite interesting. Matteo, a So Cal based singer songwriter has put together 9 new tracks using his own unique style and voice. Opening with Here Comes The Lord , Matteo blends rock ballad with gospel and tops it off with clean guitar riffs and warm backing vocals for a overall cool track. Pulpit In The Graveyard takes clues from southern rock and Matteo really shows that his melody writing is up to his vocal talents. Coming Clean features Jason Ricci on harp and on a country rockin track Trevor Monks really holds down the bottom on drums with James Breker on bass. A nice groove and a great feel in vocal delivery from Matteo with great backing vocals from Jade Bennett, Steve Delgado and Sherri Pruitt. A unique approach to soloing is the key that binds the funk to the bottom on this track actually sounding more like Govt Mule than any other band I can think of. Take A Chance On Me opens with some reall...

I just received the newest release, Elvis Unleaded , from Mike Eldred Trio and it's a real rocker. Eldred (vocal and guitar), John Bazz (Bass) and Jerry Angel (drums)breathe new life into music from my dad's generation. Opening with one of my least favorite Elvis tracks ever, Burning Love , Eldred makes it sound fresh and plays a stirring guitar solo to boot. Up next is I Feel So Bad , which I have always identified with Little Milton and Foghat. I can't hear Elvis in it at all (which is good) and this is a true rocker and a great track. Rip It Up , another track that I identify more with Bill Haley or Little Richard is another great track. Eldred really works the rockabilly riffs on this track and the band is hot and tight. Gene Taylor plays some hot piano riffs on this track as well. Don't , more of a traditional ballad is nicely presented with authentic 50's style vocal backing. Bossa Nova Baby definitely has an Elvis sound.... like Eddie Murphy said, Elvis coul...

I just received the new release, Nasty Habit from Ron Dziubla and it's far out! I mean it's far out! This is a time machine musical trip with a man and his sax. Opening with Fine Time, Dziubla shows what sexy sax sounds like. An instrumental track when Dziubla isn't blowing the doors off, James Intveld is playing some mighty fine guitar riffs. Second up is Loose , a sax driven surf tune backed by Sam Bolle on bass and Pete Curry on drums. Get out your board moon doggie! (Stilladog ... check this one out! It's got your name on it!) Moan is a seductive sax ballad with some real grinding tone. Dziubla really groans this one out pulling out really great sounds. Featuring a nice light guitar solo this track could easily be a soundtrack from a 50's TV show. Slapped , another surf like rocker, showing hot sax riffs not seen on a blues record in such a collection in years. This track is also complimented by great guitar work from Intveld. The title track, Nasty Habit ,c...

I just received the debut release, My Turn , by Lisa Cee and there are some hot riffs in here! The recording opens with a blues rocker, What Good Am I , along the lines of Messin' With the Kid. This track, featuring Cee vocal talents with heavy influence of R&B, gets the listener energized and ready for what's to come. Fire In The Sky has a funky beat and BR Millon takes a real nice guitar solo displaying great tone. Ron Dzuibla pushes up the bottom with his sax on this track. Lost You , a soulful bluesy ballad is up next giving Cee a great opportunity to lay it all out there and she does a really nice job. Scott Abeyta and Millon play some real soulful guitar riffs on this track. Good-Bye Baby has a solid Texas boogie style and again Abeyta and Millon team up to play some really hot guitar riffs. Fire is a really funky track with Dzuibla adding some over the top sax riffs on a cooking bass track laid down by Mike Hightower. My Turn is a quiet ballad with minimal accom...

POUR YOURSELF A GLASS OF ALLIGATOR WINE! (ANAHEIM, ORANGE COUNTY, USA!) K.K. Martin Takes the blood out of an alligator, Takes the left eye out a fish,  Takes the skin off of a frog,  mixes it all up in a dish and gets his  Newest Video Release: Alligator Wine KK Martin is a blues guitarist, singer and songwriter in the true spirit of the Mississippi Delta. He is a musicians musician, a true Delta Blues Artist. Weaned on Jimmie Rodgers, Hank Williams, Robert Johnson, Blind Lemon Jefferson and a host of others who influenced his mom and dad and the music they played all their lives. Alligator Wine is the newest video release from his recently remastered Rip Cat Records CD, Naked Blues II    Alligator Wine About 3 Sunz Consulting and Management We are a Social Media/Website Management and Music Consultation Service. K.K. Martin is one of the clients whose career we manage. ...

Something amazing happens the moment you witness a White Boy James show. You’ll either: Tap your toes maniacally. Dance until the soles burn off your shoes. Or both. Having just completed their second album, Whiteboy James and the Blues Express are a detonative force to be reckoned with. Since reuniting in 2006 after a five year absence, the crew has reestablished themselves as the legendary band they were during the Southern California blues explosion of the ’80s and ’90s. Whiteboy James brings a mesmerizing, driving and sonic stage presence to the table. Combine that with three gifted, well-seasoned musicians…and chances are, chairs at one of their shows simply won’t be necessary. James Page was born in Compton, California and spent most of his formative years bouncing around sunny Southern California. As a youngster, he listened to whatever music he could get his hands on. But his musical influences changed radically when he first heard his uncle’s Deep South rhythm & blues a...

Los Angeles, Calif.--The Rip Cat Records slogan “ Our Cats Rip! ” is spot-on, especially now that the world-class roots-rock band The Blasters has joined the label. At a time when the rosters of most blues labels are filled with well-meaning but jaded, uninspired musicians, Scott Abeyta’s young label thrives with artists that explode with creative energy. Showcasing many of the best musicians in Southern California, Rip Cat had a fine 2011--superlative releases, extensive radio play and print/cyberspace media coverage, great public response-- and the momentum has carried over into 2012. The Blasters— singer-guitarist Phil Alvin, guitarist Keith Wyatt, bassist John Bazz, drummer Bill Bateman--have recorded their first album since 2005 and it will be released May 17th. The Mighty Mojo Prophets , leading advocates of West Coast jump-blues, have been nominated for a prestigious Blues Music Award in the “Best New Artist” category. The 44s have their second album “American...