Bman's Blues Report: Walter Trout

Showing posts with label Walter Trout. Show all posts

Wednesday, February 24, 2016

Provogue Records artist: Supersonic Blues Machine - West Of Flushing South Of Frisco - New Release Review

I just received the newest release, West of Flushing South of Frisco, from Supersonic Blues Machine and it's a smokin' cool release. Featuring the leadership of Lance Lopez (guitar and vocal), Kenny Aronoff (drums and percussion) and Fabrizzio Grossi (bass, Hammond and vocals) this band is cooking. Opening with Miracle Man, a southern influenced blues rocker, the band is really off to a great start complimented by Jimmy Z Zavala on harp, Serge Simic on acoustic guitar, Garrett Hollbrock on lap steel and Francis Bentez and Andrea Grossi on backing vocals. Next up is I Ain't Fallin Again, a sophisticated rocker with a cool back beat and a solid drive. Billy F Gibbons leads the way on vocal and guitar on Running Whiskey a straight up rocker with a definite Gibbons flavor. Remedy, features Warren Haynes and his influence is immediately noticed with a warm, laid back feel. Trading lead riffs and vocals with Lopez, Haynes doesn't dominate the track at all and it actually feels a bit like a cool Marshall Tucker influence with new wind in it's sails. Bone Bucket Blues is a great boogie with Paulo Verdone on lead guitar with Lopez on lead vocal and guitar. This track is hot with Jimmy Z's harp work as icing. Let It Be is a cool soul rocker track with some of Lopez's best vocals on the release. I particularly like Grossi's bass work on this track complimented by Hammond work by Sam Lusting and a solid solo from Lopez. Very nice! That's My Way features Chris Duarte on some flaming hot guitar riffs joined by Lopez on lead guitar and vocal and also featuring some tight bass work from Grossi. Ain't No Love (In The Heart of the City) is one of my favorite tracks on the release with particularly strong vocals from Lopez and strong backing vocal support from Francis and Andrea. Excellent! Nightmares and Dreams takes a heavier swagger and rightly so with guitar monster Eric Gales joining. Lopez, Francis and Andrea handle the vocals really nicely and with a rock solid bottom from Aronoff and lively bass by Grossi, this track is propelled by the guitar pyrotechnics of Lopez and Gales. Can't Take It No More has an almost Wishbone Ash feel with twin guitar leads courtesy of Lopez and Walter Trout. Trading lead vocals and Pink Floyd backing vocals by Francis and Andrea, this track is super. This is a really nice stack up with Trout and Lopez. It isn't as much a slug fest as it is a choreographed joust. Very nice! Whiskey Time is a 2 plus extended jam excerpt from Running Whiskey. You like guitars... this is cool! The king of the melodic blues guitar players, Robben Ford shares center stage for ballad, Let's Call It A Day. Lopez is in the left channel and Ford in the right channel, playing melodically along with Lopez's smooth vocals on this top selected radio track. Wrapping the release is Watchagonnado, a funky track with a super groove. Grossi sets a really nice bottom and Francis and Andrea highlight Lopez's super vocals. Phil Parlapiano adds a grat funky Hammond set and Lopez's guitar riffs really make this the best track on the release. Very cool!

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Thursday, October 29, 2015

Provogue Records artist: Walter Trout - Battle Scars - New Release Review

I just received the newest release, Battle Scars, from Walter Trout, and if has a definite mellowing and maturation but keeps the fire. Opening with Almost Gone, a blues based rocker with a feel of Led Zep blended with Aerosmith. Rock solid drumming from Michael Leasure and rich vocal harmonies along with harp overtones balance out Trouts flaming hot guitar riffs. Great opener! Omaha opens with romping tom tom work and Trout singing almost in a field of smoke. An onslaught of guitar enters with high dynamic quality and then disappears as quickly as it came. Nice rocker. Throw out some funk and Trout is doing the boogaloo on Tomorrow Seems So Far Away. I really can't describe how it's different but I like Trout's vocals more than earlier seeming more smooth and hearty. A real nice harp solo grounded by Sammy Avila on keys and Johnny Griparic on bass creates a solid mix. Ballad, Please Take Me Home, is so creamy it could be the Eagles. Nicely blended vocals and solid guitar accompaniment enriched by the key work of Avila gives this track extremely solid radio potential. You want to know if Trout lays it out..of course he does but in a more controlled melodic bluesy fashion. Perfect radio track. Butt kicker Playin' Hideaway has all of the flare that you would expect from Billy G track. Trout's vocals are unmistakable and Leasure's drumming is solid. I really like Trout's alternate approach to guitar soloing on this track, fresh, but unmistakably Trout. Haunted By The Night has an interesting guitar interlude on it with cool volume swells. Trout has always used his share of swells but these feel particularly haunting like I've only experienced listening to the great Roy Buchanan. Interesting track. Rocker, Fly Away, features really developed vocal lines with nicely blended harmonies and a definite hook. Trout takes his strat on a spin but as in any great band, it's the drums that make it fly and Leasure is rock solid. Move On is another solid rocker and another track with much more developed melody and vocal lines. I particularly like Trout's guitar soloing on this track taking it on a nice ride without going over the edge. Slipping on the slide and getting a little funky again, Trout leads My Ship Came In. Avila's organ work against Trout's rhythm guitar work sets the stage. Again harp work takes a lead and Trout spills out some haunting guitar swells before kicking it open and letting it all out. Great rocker! One of my favorite tracks on the release, Cold, Cold Ground, is a hot lumbering blues. You want to hear Trout grip it and rip it...here you go! What initially attracted me to Trout wasn't his fast fingering or explosive riffs but his ability to lay down highly emotional guitar phrases and squeeze great tone. This is the track! Excellent! Wrapping the release is cowboy style ballad, Gonna Live Again. Without sounding cliche, it has the renewed sound of a man on a new train. His vocals are distinctively Trout, with his voice sounding more familiar against a style that is almost foreign to my expectancy. I like it! This is a different kind of release from Walter and one that definitely deserves exploration!

Monday, September 28, 2015

Blues, Rock & Metal Guitar Slingers Salute Legend Jeff Beck On A Newly Reissued Collection!

Blues, Rock & Metal Guitar Slingers Salute Legend Jeff Beck On A Newly Reissued Collection!

Includes performances by Def Leppard’s Phil Collen, Mötley Crüe’s Mick Mars, Toto’s Steve Lukather, and blues icon Walter Trout plus George Lynch, Jake E. Lee and more!

Los Angeles, CA - Some of the world’s finest guitarists offer a master class in the arduous art and subtle science of playing Jeff Beck songs on Jeffology: A Guitar Chronicle, a collection of extraordinary cover versions of Beck’s best-known songs, played with all the fevered intensity and dynamic skill these virtuosos could muster. The album will be reissued with all new artwork by Deadline Music this October 2.

Founding member of platinum selling UK hard rockers Def Leppard, Phil Collen, offers a stunning and emotional interpretation of the gorgeous ballad “Cause We’ve Ended As Lovers,” while blues man Walter Trout burns the house down with his rendition of “Blues Deluxe.” Former Ozzy axeman Jake E. Lee takes listeners on a face-melting ride through the blazing stunner “Rice Pudding” and main Crüe man Mick Mars provides the brilliant album closer. Each performer brings their own unique guitar playing personalities to these compositions pulled from a wide range of Beck’s career, showcasing both Beck’s under-heralded accessibility as well as his inimitable stylistic panache. Guitar players of all stripes and skill levels will find plenty here to hone their chops on, while Beck fans the world over will not want to miss this thoroughly satisfying listening experience!

Track List

1. New Ways / Train Train - Warren DeMartini

2. Led Boots - Vivian Campbell

3. Heart Full Of Soul - Paul Gilbert

4. Cause We’ve Ended As Lovers - Phil Collen

5. Blues Deluxe - Walter Trout

6. Headed For Backstage Pass - Bruce Bouillet

7. People Get Ready - George Lynch

8. Rice Pudding - Jake E. Lee

9. Shapes Of Things - Stevie Salas

10. Behind The Veil - Steve Lukather

11. Happenings Ten Years Time Ago - Mick Mars

Wednesday, September 9, 2015

Final California Beer Festival of the Year - in Ventura, 3 Days of Cheer!

FINAL CALIFORNIA BEER FESTIVAL OF THE YEAR,

IN VENTURA, IS NOW - 3 DAYS OF CHEER!

Friday, Sept. 18/Saturday, Sept. 19/Sunday, Sept. 20

New This Year: Friday's "Brew With A View" Invitational

(Food & Beer Pairing), beginning 5:30 p.m. at City Hall

Saturday: Craft Beer Beer Heaven (12:30 p.m.; Beer Sampling

from 1 p.m. to 4:30 p.m.) - World's Best Craft Beers!

Sunday: California Blues & Brews Festival: (11 a.m to 6 p.m.) - Featuring the Triumphant Return of Guitar Legend Walter Trout plus other Top-Name National and Regional Acts!

(Ventura, CA) - The final and premiere California Beer Festival of 2015 promises to be the biggest, as this year it expands to three big days - Friday, September 18, Saturday, September 19, and Sunday, September 20, at Mission Park, 185 E. Santa Clara St., in Ventura. Tickets priced as follows: 3-Day VIP Pass, $149.; 2-Day General Admission Pass, $69.; Friday's Food & Pairing Competition, $60.; Saturday VIP Early-Bird Experience Craft Beer Heaven, $80.; Saturday's Craft Beer Heaven, General Admission, $55.; Designated Driver tickets (Saturday only), $25.; Sunday's Blues & Brews Festival (only), $30. Info: (805) 628-9588. Buy tickets now at:

http://www.eventbrite.com/e/california-beer-festival-ventura-sept-18th-19th-20th-tickets-16885537096?ref=ebtnebtckt.

In keeping with the yearly tradition, a portion of the proceeds from each day benefit the Gen Giammanco Foundation, a non-profit organization that provides financial support to student athletes to assist in their pursuit of both scholastic and athletic success in Ventura County.

Friday, September 18: BREW WITH A VIEW INVITATIONAL

Start your California Beer Festival weekend off at Brew with a View Invitational! Takes place Friday, September 18 at 5:30 pm, at City Hall overlooking Downtown Ventura. Five Brewmasters will be paired up separately with five Gourmet Chefs, all competing for your pallet and vote (for Best Food and Beer Paring). Live music by the Ross Harper Band and dance crowd favorites, Ventura's own, The Bomb. This VIP event includes food samples, beer, live music and (1) CBF souvenir pint glass. Must be 21 years of age or older to attend.

Saturday, September 19: CRAFT BEER HEAVEN

Saturday's Craft Beer Heaven (12:30-5:00 p.m.; VIP Session begins at 11:30 a.m.; Beer Sampling 1:00-4:00 p.m.) ends Ventura County Beer Week and is one of the largest yearly beer festivals in the state. With over 140 craft beers on tap, it's a great place to come sample amazing craft beer from all over the world. Come experience Craft Beer Heaven with beers on tap, food trucks and live music throughout the day. Live music by The Midnight Band; Orgone, L.A.-based septet whose genre-bending music blends elements of Funk, Soul, Afro/Disco, Boogie, and Afrobeat; and The Bomb. This is a chance to expand your mind and educate yourself on new and old styles of craft beer. Space is very limited; must be 21 years or older to attend.

Orgone, popular L.A.-based septet whose genre-bending music blends elements of Funk, Soul, Afro/Disco, Boogie, and Afrobeat, perform on Saturday at Craft Beer Heaven from 2:15-3:30 p.m.

On Saturday at Craft Beer Heaven, sample such fine beers and food from Eureka! Restaurant Group; Telegraph Brewing Company; Mendocino Brewing Company; Colorado Brewing company; Lagunitas Brewing Company; Surf Brewery; Angel City Brewery; Einstok Beer Co.; Woodchuck Cider; Firestone Walker Brewing Co.; Enegren Brewing Co.; Chaucer Cellars; Cerveza Mexicali Beer; Pizza Port Brewing Co.; Allagash Brewing Co.; St. Killian Importing; The Lab Brewing Company; Figueroa Mountain Brewing Company; Mike's Hard Lemonade; Palm Breeze; Ace Cider; Barrel House 101; Wolf Creek; Westlake Brewing; Stone Brewing Co.

Guitarist extraordinaire Walter Trout (pictured), now fully recovered from last year's liver transplant, headlines Sunday's Blues & Brews Festival, performing from 4:45-6:00 p.m.

Sunday, September 20: BLUES & BREWS FESTIVAL

Sunday's Blues & Brews Festival traditionally closes out the three-day California Beer Festival and each year features full sets by some of the biggest names in the Blues world, as well as the genre's rising stars.

Headlining this year is Southern California-based, popular guitarist-vocalist, Walter Trout, now fully recovered from last year's liver transplant, back on tour, and set to release a new album, Battle Scars, in October. Also performing: Mingo Fishtrap, from Austin, Texas, whose jam-tastic music deftly blends blues with soul, R&B, and funk; the legendary Booker T Jones, multi-instrumentalist, songwriter, record producer and arranger, best known as the frontman of the band, Booker T. & The M.G.'s (known for hits like "Green Onions", "Hang 'Em High", and "Time Is Tight", among many others); and Mr. Sipp, known as the "Mississippi Blues Child" who's a 2014 International Blues Challenge winner, and recently cast in the James Brown bio-pic, Get On Up. Two Ventura acts - The Bomb (dance-funk-party faves) and Michael John & the Bottom Line - fronted by Ventura County Blues Society president, Michael John, and his son, guitarist Mikey Mo - round out Sunday's stellar lineup.

Booker T. Jones - called "the living legend of the Hammond B3 organ" and past leader of famed soul ensemble, Booker T. & The M.G.'s - is a Sunday headliner at the Blues & Brews Festival, performing from 2:20-3:30 p.m.