Bman's Blues Report

I just received the newest release, Live Music Is Better from Jon Spear Band and it's a rocker. Opening with Devil's Highway the band shows it's spunk with Dara James on lead guitar and vocals, Jon Spear on rhythm guitar, bass by Andy Burdetsky and drums by John Stubblefield. Michael McDonald and Robben Ford's, Nothing To Nobody has a real nice R&B feel with James' vocals hitting spot on. Special guest Adrian Duke on B3 adds a nice touch and guitar solos by James and Spear are slick. Shake Your Boogie is a great track with a cool walking bass line under the track and harp by James. Spear takes the lead on vocal and guitar and spikes it. Special guest Haywood Giles lays down a hot sax solo and Duke jams the piano. Hot! Before The Bullets Fly has a cool Albert King rhythm and James' vocals are cool. Spears and James share lead guitar duty on this one giving it a cool kick. Classic funk track, Sissy Strut is up next and the guys do get down. James a...

I just received the newest release, Didn't See This Coming , by The Bush League and it's another smoker! Like their first release, ”Can of Gas and a Match” this release is gritty, raw and bluesy. This release is live and gives The Bush League a chance to stretch out a bit and I think that it pays off in spades. Opening with Hearse , a rambling blues with trace clues to Govt Mule, this track has a really nice underlying bass line by Royce Folks, super vocals by JohnJay Cecil and wild frenzied guitar work by Michael Burgess and Brad Moss over a stiff drum rhythm by Wynton Davis. Real nice! Bringing the pace (but not the heat) down, Show You Off has has a real nice swagger with a woven tapestry of guitar, drums and bass carrying the vocals on a chariot. With an increase in intensity as the track grows, the band is really getting the crowd sweaty. Lowell Folsom's Tramp , one of the great underrated tracks of our time fits nicely into the set. Shelly Thiss joins the band ...

I just received the newest release, Moon Over Main Street , from Blues Condition and they have put together quite an enjoyable release. Opening with Done Somebody Wrong , an old Elmore James track made popular by the Allmans but with more of an early british sound, this track sounds fresh. One of my favorite tracks on the release, Don't She Look Good , is a old NRBQ track and has that great snappy rock feel. Excellent! Tampa Red track, It Hurts Me Too , gets a bit of a R&B blues flavor and I think that it really takes on a new feel. Most every serious blues band has covered this track but I think that this particular arrangement is just different. Lucky Star , written by Larry Benade, lead singer and guitar player, backed by Bruce Thomas on vocal and bass and Kenny Gott on drums has a rockin' country feel. Robert Johnson's If I Had Posession Over Judgement Day gets a Muddy Waters, Rollin' and Tumblin' feel and Benade rides the slide nicely. Willie Dixon trac...

I just received the newest release, Rain or Shine , from George Taylor and it's a solid package or honest American music. Opening with Goodnight , an easy going country rock track featuring Taylor on guitar and vocal, Justin Douglas on bass, Blake Lange on percussion and judy Reynolds on fiddle. The Hard Way has a strong sip of country western and a sober chaser. With a waltz like pace, this track has a certain clarity that is lacking in most of the music that I typically hear. Nice. Railroad Song features Douglas on dobro and Taylor on guitar, harp and vocal. A folksy track, it is soothing and catchy. What Am I Gonna Say? is a serious ballad with simple acoustic guitar accompaniment. On Scenery , paints a story is words with color and texture. Only Blue is a classic country track with Douglas on steel guitar and Taylor adding some real nice harp over his heartfelt vocals. Breakin' In Boots has some of the grittiest guitar work on the release and an almost rock style cus...

I just received the newest release (May 17,2014), Hard Landing ,from Planet Full Of Blues and it's a lot of fun. Opening with Big Mouth , a shuffling rock track, lead singer and guitar player Johnny Ray Light takes control. Ron Dameron plucks a cool bass line and Brock Howe keeps the bottom tight on drums. So Special is a bluesy easy going track with warm shimmery guitar chords. Mashed Potatoes and Gravy has a strong tie to older Chicago blues with classic guitar riffs. Light bursts loose with a nice guitar rumble on this track as well as driving the track with Reed like melody. Open Your Eyes has a R&B rhythm and a catchy melody allowing Light the opportunity to step up with some stinging guitar solos to compliment his vocals. Busboy has a funky back beat and crisp Texas style guitar riffs. I Had A Dream is a slow bluesy ballad with a smart meoldy. Light uses the pace nicely to ease out a sympathetic guitar solo along with rich guitar chords which enhance the basis of ...

The  River City Blues Society of Virginia  is proud to announce the second annual  Parkfest Blues Festival  on Saturday, May 3, 2014, at  Pocahontas State Park  in Chesterfield County, VA The Festival begins with In Layman Terms and The UnXpected – a new generation of blues musicians   The music will continue with the RCBS Band Entry to the 2014 IBC, Herbie D and the Dangermen .    Local favorites representing the Ellersoul Record Label come together for your enjoyment as the Ellersoul Blues and Soul Revue.    Moreland and Arbuckle , from Wichita, Kansas are sure to amaze the crowd as the three piece band tears up the stage. It is no wonder that their album, 7 Cities, is a top blues album. If you have not seen them before, you won’t forget them after their set.    The evening will end with Albert Cummings . When it comes to blues guitar, C...

Born in Virginia, Tevis was exposed to Blues music at an early age. Due to his African-American heritage, and his love for the music, he is compelled to continue the traditions of his people. He has been playing music for 18 years and has played the blues for more than 10 years. Tevis is inspired to keep true to the traditions and techniques of the musicians of yesterday for an authentic experience, while at the same time accenting his own original flare and interpretations, placing himself among the many original blues musicians of the past 80 years. His songwriting coincides with the traditions of yesterday, which keeps an authentic flow from song to song, weather it be his own material, or an old traditional tune. This is where he shines as an artist, being more than a re-creator of the old, he is a contributor to the new in the vein of yesterday. Tevis Hodge Jr now resides in Portland, Oregon where he performs with various band configurations, and as a solo act in the Portland ar...

Pete Whitcher Passes Away   Our thoughts and prayers are with Pete's family and friends Junior Ray "Pete" Whitcher of Pittsylvania County, Virginia, passed away on July 15th, we were saddened to hear. Pete was a Music Maker artist for close to twelve years, a talented musician who preferred to stay in his home county. MMRF Founder Tim Duffy met Pete through a friend of the Foundation, Tony Young. Pete was a farm assistant, working many years on the land, and knew some great old country Blues. Tim documented Pete's talent, and MMRF assisted Pete throughout the past years with our Musician Sustenance Program. In 2011 MMRF was provide Pete with an electric guitar from a generous donor.   Through traveling was not for him, we know Pete's music will live on through all that knew ...