Bman's Blues Report

     NEWS FROM THE VIZZTONE LABEL GROUP VizzTone is proud to welcome a new artist to the family with this slammin' new album ! MIKEY JUNIOR TRAVELING SOUTH What is the future of the blues?  Who will lead the charge? Well, for blues fans in the Northeast United States, that question is routinely answered every night Mikey Junior hits the stage. His infectious personality and absolute command of his medium leave little doubt the blues is in good hands. Self-taught from his impressive collection of blues vinyl, Mikey was a full time musician before he graduated high-school. By the time he was in his early twenties, seasoned players were taking notice and it wasn’t long before one blues society after another scrambled to get him to their stage. Before long, Mikey was a staple of the summer blues circuit on the East Coast. So it came as no surprise that his newest r...

I just received the newest release (March 25, 2014), Traveling South , and it's great! Opening with Traveling South, Mikey Junior shows that he's got a great voice for the blues and absolutely great harp chops and tone to match. A stripped down track with emphases on drums by Michael Bram this track has a dark sound and guitarists Dave Gross and Dean Shot and Mikey on harp really make the best of it! Excellent! Nobody Does It Like It Like Me has a nice lumbering pace driven mostly by Matt Raymond on bass. This is old school blues with emphases on vocal and harp... but that is old school...not old! It's really nice! Morning On My Way opens with tom tom beat and guitar riffs. Mikey's vocals are really super and his harp work paired with the sparing use of crisp guitar inserts it mighty fine. Mill Tavern has a great pace with just the right amount of syncopation that gives New Orleans music it's flair but with harp and guitar instead of horns. Jeremy Baum adds re...