Bman's Blues Report

I just had the opportunity to review the most recent release, Tony Holiday's Porch Sessions and I really like it. Vocalist and harmonica player, Tony Holiday has put together a great release here with a who's who of the blues business. Opening with Pick-Pocket Fingers a cool shuffle track Holiday on lead vocal is joined by James Harman on harmonica, Kid Ramos on guitar, Landon Stone on guitar and Kid Andersen on bass, this is a cool opener. John Primer steps in on lead vocal and guitar on They Call Me John Primer with featured harp work by Bob Corritore and Holiday and Joel Meza Jr. on drums. I always love Primer's slide style and Corritore has beautiful tone. Very nice. An easy, funky track, A Woman Named Trouble , showcases John Nemeth and Jake Friel with Holiday on vocal and harmonica. This is a funky funky track with a great bass line by Anderson. Excellent! Mitch Kashmar and Ronnie Shellist join Holiday for Three Way Party and slower but soulful guitar and ha...

We all see ordinary talent in shows around town but there are a few bands that will draw me out late at night every time they tour because of their artistry and Rockin' Johnny is definitely one. When I saw that he was playing the Rhythm Room, definitely the best place to see a band in Phoenix, I made it a date. The club was packed and I sat in the corner because I arrived just before the show started but I wouldn't miss it. Johnny came on stage carrying his classic Emperor and his classic tone. He did a short set, maybe 6 or 8 tracks and he didn't take a note to get on track. He was hitting on 12 cylinders from note one. I don't know if you've seen Johnny, but this is a guy who is all about style. He isn't Jeff Beck who wrote every trick in the books, nor Joe Bonamassa who plays every Jeff Beck and Eric Clapton riff. This is a pure Chicago blues guy who has been around the block and has assembled some absolutely terrific old style riffs that he applies at j...

I just had the opportunity to review the most recent release, Dos Hombres Wanted , from Rockin' Johnny and Quique Gomez and it's classic Chicago blues with a spin. Opening with Burgin original, Your Charm Won't Help You , old style with Johnny on lead vocal and his understated but wild guitar playing, Quique Gomez on classic harp, Eric Przygocki on bass, Stephen Dougherty on drums and Christian Dozler on piano. Excellent opener. A strong, slower blues Robert Jr Lockwood track, Funny But True , is up next and Gomez has the lead spot on vocal. Burgin plays out richer jazz style riffs and hands the floor to Gomez who really milks his harp for juice. Very nice. Burgin's Ain't No High Roller has a cool rock beat and Gomez rides high on the harp and with Dozzler on accordion and Burgin's steady hand on guitar this track hits a nice slot. Another classic Chicago style track, Everybody Loves My Baby is a great work out track for both Burgin and Gomez. Burgin has...

I just had the opportunity to review the most recent release (releasing today), Don't Let The Devil Ride! , from Bob Corritore & Friends and it's super. Opening with Willie Buck's shuffle track, Went Home This Morning , Bob Corritore on harp joins up with Willie Buck on lead vocal, Mojo Mark on guitar, Troy Sandow on bass and Brian Fahey on drums for a solid opener. On Little Walter's Tell Me Mama , Oscar Wilson is on lead vocal and Corritore lays out a real nice harp solo with Priimetime Smith on guitar, Henry Grey on piano and Johnny Rapp on guitar. Alabama Mike has the lead on Laundromat Blues and with really expressive lower octave work from Corritore, particularly nice soloing from Atkinson on guitar and strong piano work from Welch making this one of my favorites on the release. Corritore original, Fork In The Road , features Oscar Wilson on vocal, with Henry Grey on piano and Johnny Rapp on guitar with Corritore in in mostly a strong supportive role cho...

I saw a great show at the Rhythm Room , the premiere blues club in Phoenix, last week and it was great. The Rhythm Room is a real Phoenix landmark that took over where the mason Jar left off. That's where I last saw Albert King. At the Rhythm Room I've seen a number of super shows and artists including Johnny Winter, Joe Bonamassa and Jimbo Mathus. I moved a while back and live outside of the city now. It makes it a lot tougher to see a mid week show, but when I heard that Rockin' Johnny was playing town, I knew I was going to be there. I've seen Johnny a number of times both on his own and with Tail Dragger.  I remember seeing him on film a number of years ago where he was playing backup player and just with a few riffs, he stood out and got my attention. Now with a number of his own excellent releases under his belt, Rockin' Johnny puts on one hell of a show! He pulls from his most recent release Neoprene Fedora  as well as a few other terrific releas...

Rockin' Johnny Burgin July and Aug Cali Dates: It's great to be back in California after a fun tour in Sweden with Aki and some great shows in the Midwest and at The Chicago Blues Festival..  The shot above is by Franky Bruneel and was taken at the Mary Lane show at the Fest-- what a great time!  Here are the upcoming Cali and road dates for the next couple of months: Today, Fri, July 7 : Smoking Pig BBQ, Fremont, 9-12 This Sat, July 8: Mission St BBQ, Santa Cruz, 6-8 w Andy Santana This Sat, July 8 : Joe's Place, Boulder Creek, 9-12 Thurs, July 13: American Legion Post 474, Half Moon Bay 7-10 Fri, July 14: Poor House Bistro, San Jose Sat, July 15: Solis Winery, Gilroy 1-4 Sat, July 15: Hopmon...

I just had the opportunity to review the most recent release, Neoprene Fedora , from Rockin' Johnny Burgin and it's spectacular! I've had the pleasure to review a few Rockin' Johnny releases and also to see him in person and I gotta say, there aren't too many players out there right now that I'd rather see. (Check here to see my recent interview with RJB) . He is inventive, his guitar work is clean and distinctive, his vocals are cool and he's music is a lot of fun. Opening with the title track, Neoprene Fedora , Burgin hits the strip running with a 50's style blues surfer with great great vibrato, and cool phrasing. The Latin beat and the shimmery guitar soloing is out of sight and Nancy Wright 's sax work is hot and heavy. Excellent! Joining Burgin are Kid Andersen on guitar, Bob Welsh on guitar, June Core on drums and Chris Matheos on bass. On Guitar King Burgin swings back into his Chicago roots and I really like his vocals. Aki Kumar...

"Neoprene Fedora" Rockin' Johnny Burgin CD release and tour!    Rockin' Johnny's new CD is OUT and available at all shows and at CD Baby .  "Neoprene Fedora" documents Johnny's move to California after a long and illustrious career in Chicago.  Like his previous effort, "Greetings from Greaseland", this CD shows a true Chi-Cali blues summit going on!  This time around, he's written 11 originals ranging from surf to zydeco to gut-bucket blues.  There's a great mix of talent on this disc: BMA nominees and winners like Kid Andersen on guitar, piano and the recording console, drummers Stephen Dougherty and June Core (Charlie Musselwhite, Little Charley and the Nightcats), guest vocalist Alabama Mike, and ...

Bman: Hi Johnny, Haven’t seen you in a while. I'm really sorry that I missed your show in Phoenix. I was in Europe and just got back. One show I really wanted to see. How did it go? RJB: I had a great show in Phoenix. " Bob Corritore and " Dave Riley sat in.  I had a great bassist from Alburquerque, J.D. Sipe , and Brian Fahey from The Paladains on drums.  I hadn't played with him since a tour in Europe three or so years ago with Mud Morganfield and Taildragger . Bman: Wow. That must have been a great show! Damn. I really wanted to see you. Are you coming back again this year? RJB: I hope to be back in October. Bman: Great! I should be  good then. I don't think I have anything planned for October. Last I heard you were in Europe with Aki Kumar . I love Europe. How did the tour go? Where were you? RJB: I left for Europe on Halloween, and got back at Christmas.  The first two weeks of the tour were with Aki Kumar and o...

Bob Corritore, one of the top Chicago blues harp players on the planet today and owner of the Rhythm Room in Phoenix, AZ brought a terrific concert to town last night and I was fortunate enough to be in attendance. Corritore, a native of Chicago moved to Arizona over 30 years ago and is such a part of the blues music fabric here that he is sometimes taken for granted by locals. Making routine appearances here around his own recording and touring schedule he often becomes a complimentary musician to guests in his own house. His instrumental release, Taboo is certainly one of the best contemporary blues harp releases that I have heard. Last night, hosting a great group of Chicago musicians, Corritore took the stage with Eddie Taylor Jr. (guitar and lead vocal),Illinois Slim (guitar) and Brian Fahey (drums). This was a terrific set of straight up Chicago blues showing just how good Taylor is both as a lead singer and blues guitarist and giving Corritore the opportunity to...

I just received the newest release, Greetings from Greaseland , California by Rockin' Johnny Burgin and it's spectacular! I received a lot of new releases each month with a lot of blues tracks but these are so fine! Rockin' Johnny, along with Aki Kumar (harp), Kid Andersen, Vance Ehlers (bass) and June Core (drums) have really hit it here. Opening with Love Me Like I Want it features Johnny on lead vocals and guitar with Kumar on harp is an excellent shuffle with Johnny's trademark guitar style out in the front. Did I say this track was super? Hip Linkchain's Cold Chills has that funky blues beat and Ehlers and Core set up the essential groove. Johnny has that raw looseness on guitar that is so lost from blues records today that he owns it. Excellent! She's A Hit , a conventional sauntering 12 bar track, shows Johnny's sure feel for vocal delivery in Chicago style. Sit back and listen to his expressive riffs. This man is flying! Robert Jr Lockwood'...

I just received the newest release, Greetings from Greaseland , California by Rockin' Johnny Burgin and it's spectacular! I received a lot of new releases each month with a lot of blues tracks but these are so fine! Rockin' Johnny, along with Aki Kumar (harp), Kid Andersen, Vance Ehlers (bass) and June Core (drums) have really hit it here. Opening with Love Me Like I Want it features Johnny on lead vocals and guitar with Kumar on harp is an excellent shuffle with Johnny's trademark guitar style out in the front. Did I say this track was super? Hip Linkchain's Cold Chills has that funky blues beat and Ehlers and Core set up the essential groove. Johnny has that raw looseness on guitar that is so lost from blues records today that he owns it. Excellent! She's A Hit , a conventional sauntering 12 bar track, shows Johnny's sure feel for vocal delivery in Chicago style. Sit back and listen to his expressive riffs. This man is flying! Robert Jr Lockwood'...

I just received the newest release, Cell Phone Man , by Willie Buck . This release sounds really fresh but it fits like an old glove. This new release is a mixture of new tracks written by Buck and some old classics written by Muddy Waters among others. The release opens with Doin' Good And Bad At The Same Time , a contemporary Chicago style blues track. Buck is backed by Rockin' Johnny Burgin (lead guitar), Rick Kreher (rhythm guitar), John Sefner (bass), Steve Bass (drums), Barrelhouse Chuck (piano) and harp men Bharath Rajakumar and Martin Lang. Darling I Miss You So , the classic Ted Taylor track is right on the spot with crisp riffs by Burgin. Muddy Waters' Strange Woman has a beautifully slow pace which provides plenty of space for Bucks' gritty blues voice, Rajakumar's soulful harp work and tasty guitar tweaks from Burgin. Each featured artist takes a turn showing their stuff, you find yourself just closing your eyes and letting it in. Excellent! Cell Pho...

The concert begins with Wolf's Louise and Dragger and the band are tearing it up. This is an authentic Chicago blues club with an authentic Chicago blues band playing! Louise shows great guitar solos by Rockin' Johnny Burgin and Kevin Shanahan as well as well as great harp work by Martin Lang. Next up is Big Joe Williams's Baby Please Don't Go . Dragger works the crowd as the band stays tight. Shanahan plays a cool older looking worn red 335 and Johnny what looks to be a tobacco burst Epi Emperor. Johnny plays particularly articulate licks and Lang's harp riffs are right on target. The video and sound quality is strong and you can almost smell the inside of this club (if you've ever been in a club like this). There's a dart board behind the drummer and stains on the ceiling tiles. The walls have the 4x8 luan mahogany paneling that was popular in the 60's running both horizontal and vertical. The walls are painted red elsewhere and you can see the insid...