Bman's Blues Report

I just had the opportunity to review the newest release, Slide Rules , from Jay Gordon's Blues Venom and it is really hot. Opening with Dripping Blues , a smoky, 12 bar number, Gordon is right there on the end of the limb with his flame thrower on full. This guy plays guitar like we all love to drive, foot on the gas...wide open. His vocals are really in the style of Steve Marriott (a great thing) and his slide touch is firm and full. Backed by Sharon Butcher on bass and Tom Parham on drums this is a solid opener. Another super slide number, Pain , is a solid showcase for Gordon and his slide guitar. Think Rod Price (Foghat) or Kim Simmonds (Savoy Brown) for tone and sound. This guy definitely has it. Kicking it into gear, Lost In Time is a great rocker with more super slide work by Gordon. I don't want to make this seem like a one man band because the rhythm section is really solid but Gordon really does light it up. Very cool. Flipping over to an electric boogie, Lucky ...

I just received the newest release, Woodchoppers Ball , from Jay Gordon and Blues Venom and it's smokin'! This is not traditional blues by any means but hot smoking blues rock with screaming guitar! Opening with The Stinger , Jay Gordon is right on it, ripping the guts out of everything in sight with his blistering guitar solos. This is the rockin'est edge of blues you're likely to hear. Hobo Hilton really cranks with a nice slow pace. Gordon turns on the flame thrower at a blink of an eye backed by Sharon Butcher on bass, Rich Wenzel on B3, and Ric Daly on drums. Gordon and Wenzel trade solos making this an extremely tight track. Excellent! Chainsaw Boogie really kind of tells it all in the title with a great British style rockin' boogie and Gordon flashing his guitar like a whirling chainsaw. Backed up by Butcher on vocals, Gordon lets the slide rip as well (Think Foghat). Very cool! Another track with some really cool slide work is Stranger Blues . Rich Gor...