Bman's Blues Report

I just had the opportunity to review the most recent release, Apocalipstick , from the Harpoonist & The Axe Murder and it's a fine mix of  cool music. Opening with pop rocker, Get Ready , Shawn Hall on vocal and harmonica teams up again with Matthew Rogers on guitar, bass and synth to create their latest endeavor. Fool Forever , has a hook almost sounding like the R&B Stones stuff. This track with it's vocal blending and guitar forward sound has strong commercial potential. I'm Back has a really nice tremolo guitar intro leading into a synthesized zone before breaking into a solid melody. These guys have really matured from their last release with intricately woven instrumentals giving the track significant appeal to a more sophisticated audience. With John Raham on drums and Geoff Hilhorst on organ, this track is hot. Very nice. A country/gospel influenced track, Pretty Please is high energy with traces to early rock n roll and latter influences of Cheap Tr...

  QUEBEC BLUES ARTISTS SWEEP MAPLE BLUES AWARDS The Paul DesLauriers Band and Angel Forrest win multiple awards The fast-paced performance rich gala featured a moving memorial tribute to the late John Mays (Fathead), Brian Cober and past Blues With A Feeling Award Winner Bob Walsh (January 23, 2017) Toronto, ON – Canadian blues artists from coast-to-coast were honoured by their peers at the 20th Annual Maple Blues Awards gala in Toronto last night as a crowd of blues lovers gathered to celebrate Canadian blues at Koerner Hall.   Quebec blues artists swept the awards with honours going to trio The Paul DesLauriers Band who won Entertainer of the Year, Electric Act of the Year, Drummer of the Year for Sam Harrisson , and Bassist of the Year for Greg Morency . Blues belter Angel Forrest took home three awards including Female Vocalist of the Year, Recording/Producer of the Year and Songwriter of the Year...

I just had the opportunity to review the most recent release, A Real Fine Mess , from The Harpoonist & The Axe Murderer and it's clever and entertaining. Opening with Black and Blue , a poppy track with roots in the blues but with modern feel and almost a Sting like quality. Do Whatcha has a cool stripped down Willie Dixon kind of sound with a cool blues guitar riff by Matthew Rogers (who also plays drums) and crying harp by Shawn Hall (who also sings and plays bass). Tea For Two almost has a calliope feel but with a light funky rhythm. Nice! Mama's In The Backseat has a country rock feel driven mostly but a thumping rhythm guitar. Hall goes apes**t on the harp making it quite a cool track. Closer To Death has a strong funky beat and a super blues harp sound. Feel Me Now has a lot of strong airplay characteristics with a bit of Journey mixed with R&B and a rock twist. Interesting. Don't Make'em Like They Used To has a feel of the Black keys if they we...

A Real Fine Mess set for release on June 17th       “With a name like The Harpoonist and The Axe Murderer , you might be forgiven for thinking that the Vancouver-based duo is some sort of concept group based on a hypothetical love story between Captain Ahab and Lizzie Borden.” (Chris Oke, Yukon News) In reality, Shawn ‘The Harpoonist’ Hall and Matthew ‘The Axe Murderer’ Rogers evoke much more than just grisly nautical imagery. Armed with a sack of harmonicas, a mess of foot percussion, and a road-worn Telecaster, the duo kick out raw and primal blues in the tradition of a ‘decades-deep blues style’ (Scott Brown, What’s up Yukon), while infusing the genre with a jolt of renewed energy. Scheduled for release June 17 , their new album, A Real Fine Mess , explores complicated dichotomies. Like how one’s life can appear successful on one hand, yet be clouded by doubt and struggles on the other and how all that is celebrated hangs in t...

The Harpoonist & The Axe Murderer Breakout at BreakOut West Vancouver’s edgy blues duo The Harpoonist & The Axe Murderer have ended the summer season on a high note with their participation in The BreakOut West Festival held in Regina last weekend with a nomination for Blues Recording of the Year at the Western Canadian Music Awards and several showcase performances. Though the award went to another popular BC blues artist, David Gogo, The Harpoonist & The Axe Murderer's high-energy and original brand of blues caused quite a buzz amongst attendees at the festival. “I’ve never seen a band command such energy from an audience so early in their career.  The energy coming from the stage was undeniable…it was brilliant” -Liam Killeen, Coalition Music "I got a very pleasant surprise when I caught The Harpoonist & The Axe Murderer. I was blown away by their dynamic & crowd pleasing set. I'm certainly kee...

The Harpoonist & The Axe Murderer Roll With The Punches For Immediate Release: September 13, 2012; (Stratford, Ontario) – Vancouver’s edgy blues duo The Harpoonist & The Axe Murderer are not known for sticking to conventionality – their modern take on blues and roots music has been described as “‘blues that gets you in the crotch” and their dedication to preserving and promoting the blues has helped introduce the genre to younger fans all over the country. Their recent CD release Checkered Past has been earning rave reviews and extensive airplay across North America since its release. “Checkered Past draws heavily from traditional blues avenues, but there’s some room for progression here as well Checkered Past is a great opportunity to hear The Harpoonist and the Axe Murderer relentlessly carve out their own territory in a sea of familiar faces. They prove their point.” (Review by Tyler Quiring, Blues Rock Review) Now, The Harpoonist & The Axe Mur...

I have just been listening to the newest release, Checkered Past , by The Harpoonist & The Axe Murderer . My first thought when I picked up this disc was that the name was too clever HARPoonist (harmonica) AXE murderer (guitar) and although I really like thought provoking music... I was a bit concerned. Well, this is a clever recording and not in a bad way. It is actually quite interesting. There are few tracks on the cd that sounds like conventional blues... but in my mind that means original. The tales are all there... just not as obvious and not hidden behind a "clever" veil. This is a 2 piece band made up of Vancouver natives Shawn Hall (harp, vocals and bass) and Matthew Rogers (guitar, drums, keyboards, bass, backing vocals). The recording opens with Shake It , an original track with elements of the most primitive blues and rock a billy. The harp is strong over the vocals and rhythmic setup. Quite cool. Wake Up , another original has it's roots loosely in States...