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Video available to listen to the cd!
- 3 new pledges
Thursday, April 12, 2012
Mayne Stage/ Act One Pub Newsletter 4.11.12
Sundown Blues - Daddy Stovepipe
Johnny Watson (April 12, 1867 - November 1, 1963) was an African American blues singer, guitarist and harmonica player, best known for his recordings under the name Daddy Stovepipe. Watson also recorded as Jimmy Watson, Sunny Jim and Rev. Alfred Pitts. He may have been the earliest-born blues performer to record.
Many of his recordings were jug band duets with his wife, Sarah Watson, who was usually credited as Mississippi Sarah.
Watson was born in Mobile, Alabama. His career began before 1900 in Mexico as a twelve-string guitarist in early mariachi bands. He then established himself as an entertainer with the Rabbit's Foot Minstrels touring around the southern states.
By the 1920s, he was working as a one-man band on Maxwell Street in Chicago, where he acquired the name "Daddy Stovepipe" from the characteristic top hat he wore. He first recorded in 1924, in Richmond, Indiana, recording "Sundown Blues" which is regarded as one of the most primitive blues on record. In 1927 he made more recordings, this time in Birmingham, Alabama for Gennett Records, as one half of the duo "Sunny Jim and Whistlin' Joe".
He made more recordings back in Chicago in 1931 for the Vocalion label with his wife, "Mississippi Sarah", a singer and jug player. The couple's humorous banter made their recordings unique. They recorded together again in 1935 for Bluebird Records, by which time they were living in Greenville, Mississippi, but Sarah's death in 1937 sent her husband back out on the road.[2] He then worked for a while around Texas, playing in cajun bands and, again, with Mexican mariachi bands.
By 1948 he had returned to work as a street musician in Chicago, and was recorded in 1960, aged 93, with his repertoire having widened to include traditional popular music tunes such as "The Tennessee Waltz".[5] He died in Chicago in 1963, from bronchial pneumonia after a gall bladder operation, aged 96.
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FALLIN' BACK INTO THE BLUE- MILLER ANDERSON BAND
Miller Anderson (born 12 April 1945, Houston, Renfrewshire, Scotland) is a UK based blues guitarist and singer.
Apart from pursuing his own solo career, he was a member of the Keef Hartley Band. Other groups Anderson has been associated with are; the Spencer Davis Group, Broken Glass, The Dukes, Savoy Brown, T.Rex and Chicken Shack. In early 2006, he joined The British Blues Quintet with Maggie Bell, Zoot Money, Colin Hodgkinson and Colin Allen.
If you like what I’m doing, Like ---Bman’s Blues Report--- Facebook Page! I’m looking for great talent and trying to grow the audience for your favorites band! - ”LIKE”
Fishing Blues -Brint Anderson
More than forty years have passed since Brint Anderson first led his own band, The Shades. They played local teen centers and parties in his hometown of Natchez, Mississippi and the surrounding area throughout his adolescence. It was during this time that he found a love for the indigenous Blues of the area. Local Bluesman Papa George Lightfoot was Brint’s earliest inspiration; they met when Papa George was playing harmonica and spoons for a supermarket’s grand opening and radio broadcast. From that point, it was a natural progression to learn the music of other Mississippi greats such as Elmore James, Robert Johnson, Muddy Waters, Howlin’ Wolf, and B. B. King.
In the seventies, after a couple of years in the mostly stale atmosphere of a college music curriculum, Brint returned to Natchez to join the band Blue John that played six nights a week at a local watering hole. This was more of the musical training he needed as the band learned and played the songs of B. B., Albert, and Freddie King, the Allman Brothers, Little Feat and other popular rock groups of the day. It was during this time that Brint began playing slide guitar on a regular basis. He also learned the finger-picking styles of Mississippi John Hurt and Taj Mahal. Of note, the band once featured the deep sultry voice of Cassandra Wilson, a Mississippi native who went on to fame and fortune when she left the band for New York. Blue John remained together for eight years until Brint was encouraged by old friends in Austin, Texas to move there and become part of the scene.
click for larger size image In Austin, Brint formed his band Coupe de Ville. They were a six-piece unit with percussion and horns and played the funky, syncopated styles of New Orleans R & B as well as Little Feat and their own compositions. There was one release by the band which featured Brint’s songs Blue Feelin’ and Mississippi Music. Coupe de Ville played many shows with Stevie Ray Vaughan, The Fabulous Thunderbirds and other popular bands of the Austin scene. However, the most important connections for Brint were when the band played with the Neville Brothers and Dr. John. Coupe became Dr. John’s backing band whenever he passed through Texas playing dates in Austin and Houston and a few in Lafayette, Louisiana. This experience later led to Brint moving to New Orleans permanently. Other artists Coupe backed during this time were Stanley Clark, John Lee Hooker, Elvin Bishop, Albert Collins and Screamin’ Jay Hawkins.
In 1992, Brint packed up and headed for New Orleans. With the connections he had made with Dr. John and the Nevilles, it wasn’t long before he was working with many of the legends of this cradle of American music. His first break was securing the guitar position in George Porter, Jr’s Runnin’ Pardners, a position he held for fifteen years. During this run with Porter, he recorded on five releases and one live video called Things Ain’t What They Used To Be. His song Sweetness was featured on Porter’s Funk and Go Nuts. Through the gig with Runnin’ Pardners, Brint had the opportunity to back other greats such as Art Neville, The Radiators, Johnny Adams, Earl King, Snooks Eaglin, Eddie Bo and Henry Butler.
Brint Anderson Band was formed in the early nineties. He won the Abita beer Blues competition in ’93 at Mid City “Rock N Bowl”, received an award for best New Orleans R & B band from offBeat magazine in ’97, and was the house band for Levon Helm of The Band and Levon’s short-lived club on Decatur Street. Brint has released four CD’s of his own…1995’s Homage To Elmore, a tribute to Elmore James, 1997’s I Knew This Would Happen, the first release on his own Toulouse Records, the 2000 release Notes From Clarksdale, a live acoustic Blues recording from Hopson farm in Clarksdale, and his latest solo acoustic CD, simply self-titled.
Brint continues to perform solo, with his band, as guitarist for Joe Krown’s Organ Combo or Trio (the trio released Old Friends in 2007),
If you like what I’m doing, Like ---Bman’s Blues Report--- Facebook Page! I’m looking for great talent and trying to grow the audience for your favorites band! - ”LIKE”
Pledge Music - Born Electric New and fresh contemporary blues
- 1% of target
- 5 Pledges
- 22 days left
Born Electric
New and fresh contemporary blues records, with international special guests Robben Ford, Carl Verheyen & David Garfield
Hello, I’m Davide Pannozzo.
I’m from Italy, but I’m moving in London in few weeks. What I’m trying to do is raise funding to finalize this album, my first solo album, produced by me and recorded in Italy in July 2011. Many international special guests have played on it: Robben Ford, David Garfield, Carl Verheyen & Pippo Guarnera.
The recording and mixing process is completely done. The recording and mixing process is completely done. Now I need funding to do some video clips for the singles and launch a campaign for radio air play. "
I’ve made available some special items and experiences for you – you will see a list on the right hand side of this page so just pick the item you want and it will be yours! I will also be donating a portion of funds raised to Emergency, a charity which offers free of charge and high quality heath care to war and poverty victims.
I hope you’ll come on this journey with me. It will be fun!
Thank you!
Davide
Vuoi ascoltare Born Electric e gli straordinari ospiti (Robben Ford, Carl Verheyen, David Garfield, Pippo Guarnera) in anteprima? Credi nella mia musica e vuoi diventarne parte attiva? Adesso puoi farlo attraverso l’iniziativa promossa dal sito www.pledgemusic.com!
Con Pledge Music potrai acquistare e scaricare il disco una settimana prima dell’uscita! Un’anteprima irresistibile per i fan più impazienti, per quelli che staranno ardendo dalla curiosità di conoscere nota per nota il solo di Robben, piuttosto che di Carl, David o Pippo. Prima ancora che il disco arrivi nei negozi, potrà già essere nel tuo portatile. Come fare? Semplice: basta cliccare qui a destra, e scegliere le opzioni acquistabili! Volete il cd autografato da me medesimo? Ebbene, magie di internet, potremo fare anche questo e molto altro, come organizzare concerti o lezioni private!
Sapete bene quanto difficile sia sostenere e promuovere un progetto: un disco è il risultato di anni d’intenso e appassionato lavoro, una porta spalancata sui propri pensieri e le proprie sperimentazioni. Per questo motivo, e poiché so quanto difficile sia remare contro eppure andare avanti, con Born Electric sostengo – e sosterrai anche tu con il tuo contributo – Emergency. Da anni, l’associazione umanitaria di Gino Strada offre cure mediche gratuite alle vittime di guerra e della povertà in Afghanistan, Cambogia, Iraq, Sierra Leone, Italia, e ovunque ce ne sia bisogno. Credo fortemente nell’opera fondamentale dei migliaia di medici e volontari che animano l’organizzazione, e attraverso questa iniziativa voglio sostenere concretamente, oltre che idealmente, i progetti di Emergency. Facciamolo insieme.
Charity
10% of funds
10% of all money raised will go to Emergency.
Activity
Born Electric is out (almost)! ;-)
- 1 new pledge
Hello World!
- Pledged along with 1 other
Project Launched
If you like what I’m doing, Like ---Bman’s Blues Report--- Facebook Page! I’m looking for great talent and trying to grow the audience for your favorites band! - ”LIKE”
Music Maker at Shakori Hills April 21st!
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Mario Van Peebles' film 
The 
DON'T LET MY BABY RIDE - ISAAC SCOTT
Isaac Scott, a blues guitarist and singer was well known on the Seattle music scene and in such venues as the San Francisco Jazz Festival. His left foot and right leg were amputated in 1987 because of the diabetes.
Despite the physical handicaps, Scott kept performing in a wheelchair--a black one to match his customary cowboy hat, pants and shirt.
Credited with helping to build the Seattle blues sound, Scott retained tinges of the down-home blues from his native Arkansas. His music combined blues with elements of gospel and soul.
Scott, whose father was a railroad man, grew up in Portland, Ore., where he was exposed to both gospel and blues. He taught himself to play piano and guitar and began his career performing with gospel groups.
He toured the West Coast with one, the Five Blind Boys of Mississippi.
But from 1974 on, Scott concentrated on blues and became something of a founding legend for the groups and clubs that flourished along Seattle's First Avenue.
If you like what I’m doing, Like ---Bman’s Blues Report--- Facebook Page! I’m looking for great talent and trying to grow the audience for your favorites band! - ”LIKE”
Wednesday, April 11, 2012
Help Me - Little Mack Simmons with the Blues Special Band
Little Mack Simmons December 1998 with Blues Special Band: Roberto Porzio & Omar Itcovici (guitars), Fernando Tejero (keyboards), Mauro Diana (bass), Adrian Flores (drums)
Little Mack Simmons (January 25, 1933 — October 24, 2000) was an African American, Chicago blues harmonica player, singer and songwriter.Malcolm Simmons was born in Twist, Arkansas. In his youth he befriended James Cotton, and they grew up learning to play the harmonica. Simmons relocated to St. Louis, Missouri, at the age of 18 and worked on the railroad. At this time Simmons made his stage debut with Robert Nighthawk.
In 1954 he moved again to Chicago, put together his own backing band, and had a five year residency at Cadillac Baby's. He commenced recording in 1959, issuing records on a number of labels including Chess.
In the late 1950s and early 1960s Simmons recorded several more obscure singles, often simply billed as Little Mack (or Mac). Simmons went on to provide the opportunity for others talents to be seen. He owned and managed Chicago's Zodiac Lounge from the mid to late 1960s. In addition, he owned a recording studio and recorded on his own labels, PM Records and Simmons Records. Simmons left the music industry at that time for the ministry, and was rarely heard in 30 years, notwithstanding an album he recorded in 1975 in Paris, France.
His return to blues music arrived with High & Lonesome (1995), which was an early success for St. George Records, an independent record label. Simmons' energetic style, accompanied by Studebaker John, belied his years. Come Back to Me Baby (1996), with featured sidemen John Primer, Willie Kent and Jake Dawson (guitarist) was also well received.
Simmons died in October 2000, of colon cancer, in his adopted hometown of Chicago, at the age of 67
If you like what I’m doing, Like ---Bman’s Blues Report--- Facebook Page! I’m looking for great talent and trying to grow the audience for your favorites band! - ”LIKE”
NO SOLID STATE - White Dress
This is a pretty cool band. Check them out!
Guitar and Vocals : Arum Rae
Drums : G-FaCE
Guitar and everything else : Basin Alders
If you like what I’m doing, Like ---Bman’s Blues Report--- Facebook Page! I’m looking for great talent and trying to grow the audience for your favorites band! - ”LIKE”
Trouble Makin' Man - Eric Guitar Davis and the Troublemakers
Eric Davis was born to Dorothy Walker and world renowned drummer Bobby Davis. At the age of five, Eric began to follow in his Dad’s footsteps as a drummer. By the age of ten young Eric Davis could be found playing drums in Chicago’s hottest blues clubs, such as The Legendary Checkerboard Lounge and Theresa’s lounge behind Legendary greats such as ,The late Jr. Wells, Lefty Dizz, Buddy Guy, BB King,B.B. Odom,Tyrone Davis and many more. One day when Eric “da Drummer” Davis was hanging out at the legendary Checkerboard lounge on 43rd street after school he asked a local blues bass man, “Flash” to teach him how to play bass. Buddy Guy, overhearing the conversation from behind the bar told Eric that “in order to get all the girls” you have to play this, and handed Eric his old beat up Fender guitar,and showed Eric his first chord…..Fast forward almost 30 years later and you have Eric Guitar Davis! Who has become a powerful and important part of the blues with the great potentials of becoming part of history before his time…..Eric is a very emotional performer that has the natural ability to command attention from his audience,with every soulful note he cleverly sings accompanied by very intense guitar notes thats definietly let’s you know that this guy is the”Real Deal” …In 2007 Eric debuts with his first C.D titled:”Here Comes Trouble”!Which has sold over 15,000 copies world wide…Since Eric’s debut in 2007 Eric has Toured Europe 3 times with The Luca Giordono Band in cities such as Italy,Rome,Milan,Pescara.Naples….just to name a few…Eric has also been to Countries such as Lithuania,Lativa,…..In which Eric has now become a International Demand.Eric can be found in Chicago playing the Hottest Blues clubs such as Buddy Guys Legends,Blues On Halsted,The Kingston Mines and The House Of Blues,when he’s not on the road touring where he frequently plays Indiana.Ohio,Tennessee,Minnessota,Missouri,Michigan,,,to name a few…Eric’s much anticipated new C.D’The Days Of My Life”will be out Spring of 2011.Eric has also shared the stage with Greats such as Buddy Guy,B.B King,Tyrone Davis,CoCo Taylor,Billy Branch,Ronnie Baker Brooks,Big James and The Chicago Playboys,Little Ed and the Blues Imperials,Booker T and The MGs,Lefty Dizz,Chico Banks,Lurrie Bell,Nick Moss and many many more.Eric truly deserves the right to be considered one of the remaining roots from the tree…A Show Not To Miss!
If you like what I’m doing, Like ---Bman’s Blues Report--- Facebook Page! I’m looking for great talent and trying to grow the audience for your favorites band! - ”LIKE”
MeloDuende Weissenborn Guitar
Sebastien Dreyer and Jeremy Sachoux, childhood friends started MeloDuende Guitars. Manufacture of electrical guitar in France. These guitars are made of aluminum and sound really cool. I'd love to get my hands on one.... stay posted!
If you like what I’m doing, Like ---Bman’s Blues Report--- Facebook Page! I’m looking for great talent and trying to grow the audience for your favorites band! - ”LIKE”
Delmark Records artist: Tail Dragger - Live at Rooster's Lounge
The concert begins with Wolf's Louise and Dragger and the band are tearing it up. This is an authentic Chicago blues club with an authentic Chicago blues band playing! Louise shows great guitar solos by Rockin' Johnny Burgin and Kevin Shanahan as well as well as great harp work by Martin Lang. Next up is Big Joe Williams's Baby Please Don't Go. Dragger works the crowd as the band stays tight. Shanahan plays a cool older looking worn red 335 and Johnny what looks to be a tobacco burst Epi Emperor. Johnny plays particularly articulate licks and Lang's harp riffs are right on target. The video and sound quality is strong and you can almost smell the inside of this club (if you've ever been in a club like this). There's a dart board behind the drummer and stains on the ceiling tiles. The walls have the 4x8 luan mahogany paneling that was popular in the 60's running both horizontal and vertical. The walls are painted red elsewhere and you can see the inside of the toilet from the stage. This is the real deal. She's Worryin' Me, a Dragger original, finds Dragger crawlin on the floor and some nice raw slide riffs from Shanahan. Johnny takes a nice soulful solo and pulls some particularly cool vibrato bends out of his bag of guitar tricks. Stop Lying, another Dragger original, gives Lang the opportunity to lay down some nice harp riffs and Shanahan again some cool slide riffs. The entire band including Todd Fackler on Bass and Rob Lorenz on drums are tight. Keep It To Yourself, an old Sonny Boy Williamson tune, puts Dragger right in the crowd and gives Lang the opportunity to shine again. Johnny squeezes out some fluid runs that are brief but tasty. Be Careful, another Dragger original, gives the band another opportunity to play a slow number and again Shanahan steps up with some beefy playing. His style isn't scorching fast... it's deep and telling. I love his use of trem bends in contrast to Johnny's articulate blues run solos. Wander, another Dragger original, finds Jimmy Dawkins replacing Shanahan onstage. On Bought Me A New Home, another Dragger original, Johnny takes an extended solo and so does Shanahan. The style difference between these two men parallel Bloomfield and Bishop in Butterfield's band of a few decades ago. Each has his unique style and they are complimentary to each other behind a traditional Chicago blues band. Ooh Baby Hold Me, an old Wolf song, finds the crowd dancing and Dragger charming the women. John Lee Hooker's I'm In The Mood is next up and Johnny pulls out some old Hooker riffs on his guitar. Dragger even changes the timing on the song a few times as Hooker was know to do often when not overproduced. I like the authentic feel of this song in particular especially in Dragger and Johnny's presentations. Everything Gonna Be Alright, a Little Walter tune, is next up. Johnny uses a trill stroke to play the basic melody throughout and it gives the song a real great feel. Last Up Is Little Walter's Blues With A Feeling. Lang gets his harp talking right off of the bat. Dragger shows some of his best vocals on this last song and the band is tight.There is also some story telling by Dragger as a bonus track which gives you some insight into his life and history.
If you like what I’m doing, Like ---Bman’s Blues Report--- Facebook Page! I’m looking for great talent and trying to grow the audience for your favorites band! - ”LIKE”
New Film and Music Project Focuses on Mississippi Juke Joints
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If you like what I’m doing, Like ---Bman’s Blues Report--- Facebook Page! I’m looking for great talent and trying to grow the audience for your favorites band! - ”LIKE”
BROTHER DEGE OFFERS FREE "WEHYAH" MP3 / LIVE @ NEW ORLEANS JAZZ FEST MAY 6TH!
BROTHER DEGE OFFERS FANS FREE DOWNLOAD OF HIS NEW SONG "WEHYAH" FROM HIS FORTHCOMING SOPHOMORE ALBUM "HOW TO KILL A HORSE"
CONFIRMED PERFORMANCE AT THIS YEAR'S NEW ORLEANS JAZZ & HERITAGE FESTIVAL MAY 6TH!
[Brother Dege - photo credit: Paul Kieu]
If Robert Johnson were alive…he’d be stealing licks from this cat.
Louisiana born and raised Brother Dege (aka Dege Legg – Louisiana born, swampland mad genius, and also frontman for the Lafayette, LA-based rock band Santeria) is one of the best kept secrets in the Deep South – a writer, musician, artist, and a one-man band, pushing the resonator and slide guitar into the 21st century like some mad lovechild of Robert Johnson and Lou Reed. Mixing the traditional slide playing of the Mississippi Delta Blues masters (Son House, Blind Willie Johnson, Bukka White) with the post-modern expressionism of Sonic Youth, along with some world-class songwriting, Brother Dege’s songs veer from haunted slide-guitar scapes to raw, Delta blues barn burners that take the listener on a trip into the south’s swampy rural past and the great unknown of the future. His previous critically-acclaimed full-length album Folk Songs of the American Longhair was voted one of the top blues and roots albums of 2010 in Europe and the U.S., and his song "Hard Row To Hoe" from this album was also used as the opening theme song for Discovery Channel's popular show After The Catch last year
Dege is currently on a strange roll: working in a homeless shelter (file under: “Gnarly Career Moves”), recording songs for his new album How To Kill A Horse in an empty warehouse, and disappearing for days in the backwoods of his native Louisiana.
Brother Dege will once again be pulled from his reclusive environs to perform at the 2012 New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival on May 6th [11:20am at The Blues Tent] along with other acts that day such as Foo Fighters, Bonnie Raitt, Sharon Jones & The Dap-Kings, as well as fellow Louisiana legends like The Preservation Hall Jazz Band, The Wild Magnolias, Rebirth Brass Band, Kermit Ruffins and many others.
Brother Dege will also be releasing his new song "Wehyah" digitally through iTunes, CDBaby and other online music shops on Tuesday, April 17th.
[Brother Dege's "Wehyah" single cover art: Brian C. Miller Richard]
HERE'S WHAT PEOPLE HAVE BEEN SAYING ABOUT BROTHER DEGE:
“[Four Stars] In lesser hands all this might easily sound contrived, but instead it’s genuinely powerful and compelling stuff. 'The Girl Who Wept Stones' and 'Dead & Gone' might have been ripped from the Son House songbook, though the seven-minute epic 'House of the Dying Sun' is the real keeper.” – UNCUT
“Dege Legg is the Robert Johnson of the 21st century.” - ROOTSVILLE
“Both ancient and modern, like an indie rock cover of something Lomax may have recorded a hundred years ago.” – BLOGCRITICS
“Fans of slide guitar, Southern gothic, or plain old rock & roll attitude need to run, not walk, and check out Brother Dege ASAP. Brother Dege is a case study in how one guy with a steel guitar and minimal accompaniment can out-rock a roomful of electric bombast, given the right songs, the right skills, and the right voice. Brother Dege has‘em all.” – POPMATTERS
“Brother Dege brings the ghosts of kudzu-covered swamp rats to life in your speakers. Find the darkest spot in your backyard, light some candles and turn it up.” – THE BIG TAKEOVER
“Those willing to step into the Brother Dege abyss will likely reap its rewards.” – OFFBEAT MAGAZINE
Nighthawks Leader Mark Wenner Undergoes Successful Heart Bypass Operation
THE NIGHTHAWKS LEADER, MARK WENNER, UNDERGOES SUCCESSFUL HEART BYPASS SURGERY & EXPECTED TO MAKE A COMPLETE RECOVERY
BAND POSTPONES A SERIES OF DATES FOR NEXT SIX WEEKS, BUT NIGHTHAWKS EXPECTED BACK OUT ON THE ROAD END OF MAY
WASHINGTON, DC – Seminal American roots music band The Nighthawks have announced that their founding leader, Mark Wenner, has undergone successful heart
bypass surgery and is expected to make a complete recovery. Because of the operation, Mark will stay off the road for approximately six weeks while he recovers, and the band has postponed the affected dates. The Nighthawks are expected to resume touring the end of May or early June.
Mark Wenner’s condition was diagnosed on Monday, April 9 when he went in for an angiogram/angioplasty and doctors discovered he needed the bypass operation, which was done the following day. Because they caught it early, the doctors feel very confident that his prognosis for a full recovery is excellent.
The Nighthawks debut CD for Severn Records, Damn Good Time, is scheduled for release on May 15, and the band had already scheduled a number of shows around the country to support its release. Damn Good Time is the follow-up to The Nighthawks’ Last Train to Bluesville, which garnered the band its first-ever Blues Music Award from the Blues Foundation as Acoustic Blues Album of the Year in May 2011.
Singer/harmonica player Mark Wenner is the founder of The Nighthawks, whose members also include guitarist Paul Bell, bassist Johnny Castle and drummer Mark Stutso. The new CD features a number of originals and cover songs ranging from blues and soul to rock and rhythm and blues.
Fans can keep track of Mark Wenner’s recovery by visiting the band’s website at www.thenighthawks.com or their Facebook page, where they can also send him get-well wishes: http://www.facebook.com/pages/The-Nighthawks/366038142091
If you like what I’m doing, Like ---Bman’s Blues Report--- Facebook Page! I’m looking for great talent and trying to grow the audience for your favorites band! - ”LIKE”
Rip Cat Records artist: The 44's - Americana - New Release Review
The new 44's cd, Americana, is gonna hit the air on April 17 and it's a winner. The opening track, Hanging Tree, is a raw boogie that will be hard to top. Overdriven tube amps, harp, grinding voice... are you kidding me? Cocaine gets right onto the groove with Chicago style harp and the loping guitar rhythm. Tex Nakamura isn't at all shy with his harp and plays like a seasoned vet. Dixie is an uptempo track again with strong harp work and vocals by Johnny Main. She's Poison conjures up the image of a dark smoky bar in Chicago. There are some great guitar riffs by Johnny Main as well as guest Kid Ramos. Pleading My Case is right out of Elmore James bag of tricks and Ramos screams away on guitar with a thick juicy slide. It's a great track! Mr. Operator is the first song that is down and dirty and the guitar intro is really beefy. This is a strong track and has just the right amount of reverb and presence to stick the guitar right in your face for punctuation. Really nice chops. About 3 and a half minutes into the song there are some pinched harmonics on the bottom which I rarely hear anyone do that are very effective and is topped off with some cool whammy effects. Slip Slidn' Thang is another track featuring some cool slide work with a really thick warm feel. This is another track that is just sweet. 99 to Life takes you deep into Chicago and a strong track to show off Nakamura's feel on the harp and he does just that! Main plays some nice riffs at the end of the track that push you right up to the ending riff with Ramos. Hard Times is an acoustic number and really effective. Primarily harp, voice, acoustic guitar and brushes. Just a great feel. The 44's do a cover of Wolf's Mr. Highway Man and do it justice. Tasty guitar riffs are throughout the track and it's peppered with harp. The set is wrapped up by Hold On, one of the longer tracks on the recording giving each player a chance to show a bit including special guest Ron Dziubla on horns. This is a great ending track with both players getting guitar space that keeps you wanting more. I also want to mention that the other key players in the band are Mike Turturro on bass and J.R. Lozano on Drums. I think that this is a really strong effort. This is real blues Chicago style with a contemporary flare. I really like it!
If you like what I’m doing, Like ---Bman’s Blues Report--- Facebook Page! I’m looking for great talent and trying to grow the audience for your favorites band! - ”LIKE”
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