Blues Guitar Virtuoso Eric Gales To Perform With Lauryn Hill On The Tonight Show With Jimmy Fallon!

 

Blues Guitar Virtuoso Eric Gales To Perform With Lauryn Hill On The Tonight Show With Jimmy Fallon!

 

Los Angeles, CA - Superstar guitarist Eric Gales will be performing live with one of the most celebrated artists in modern R&B, ex-Fugee Lauryn Hill, on The Tonight Show With Jimmy Fallon this July 30. The duo will perform “Feeling Good,” their collaboration for the Nina Simone tribute album Nina Revisited, which accompanies the release of a brand new Netflix exclusive documentary about the late singer called What Happened, Miss Simone? This is not the first time that these two talents have worked together - Hill tapped Gales to help her record studio tracks for her as yet unreleased follow-up album to the blockbuster The Miseducation Of Lauryn Hill. Meanwhile, Gales’ own solo album Good For Sumthin’, released in October of last year, has been highly praised, and a new live CD/DVD recorded at The Viper Room is due to be released by the end of the year. Gales will also embark on a massive world tour taking him to India, Germany, and Sweden beginning at the end of this month. See below for dates.

 

Eric Gales came to national prominence in 1991 when he won Guitar World’s Best New Talent award. A brilliantly dynamic performer, Gales started releasing solo albums and wowing audiences in 2001 with a style and sound that frequently reminds listeners of the late great Jimi Hendrix, whose upside down Fender Strat playing Gales emulates. No wonder then that Gales was asked to headline the extremely popular Experience Hendrix Tour joining a line-up that includes a true who’s who of guitar masters including Eric Johnson and Zakk Wylde both of whom make guest appearances on Good For Sumthin’. Look for more releases from this extraordinary performer on Cleopatra Records!

 

ERIC GALES WORLD TOUR

07/31/15 - Blues On The Chippewa Festival (at Memorial Park) - Durand, WI

08/01/15 - Famous Dave’s - Calhoun Square - Minneapolis, MN

08/07/15 - Heritage Music BluesFest - Wheeling, WV

09/26/15 - Treme Blues & Jazz Club - Islip, NY

10/08/15 - New Delhi, India

10/09/15 - Mumbai (Bombay), India

10/10/15 - Bangalore, India

10/21/15 - Rubigen, Switzerland - Mühle Hunziken

10/22/15 - Munich, Germany - Rattlesnake Saloon

10/23/15 - Remchingen, Germany - Kulturhalle 

10/24/15 - Dortmund, Germany - Piano 

10/25/15 - Weert, Netherlands - De Bosuil 

10/27/15 - Bremen,Germany - Meisenfrei 

10/29/15 - Göttingen, Germany - MUSA 

10/30/15 - Isernhagen, Germany - Blues Garage 

10/31/15 - Schwerin, Germany - Speicher 

11/02/15 - Fürth, Germany - Kofferfabrik 

11/04/15 - Frauental, Austria - Blue Garage 

11/05/15 - Vienna, Austria - Reigen 

11/06/15 - Reichenbach/Vogtland, Germany - Bergkeller 

11/07/15 - Berlin, Germany - Quasimodo 

11/09/15 - Odense, Denmark - Vollsmose Kulturhus 

11/14/15 - Sala, Sweden - Rockland 

 

CLEOPATRA RECORDS, Inc.

11041 Santa Monica Blvd #703

Los Angeles CA 90025

www.CleopatraRecords.com

Mississippi Fever - 300 Miles To Memphis - New release review

I just received the newest release, 300 Miles To Memphis, from Mississippi Fever and it's entertaining. Opening with funky, Feel Like Superman; guitarist, lead vocalist, Brent Barker kicks on the wah wah pedal and with supporting organ work from Steve Grimes; solid bass work from Ted May and tight drums from Tom May puts me in mind of a little Mahogany Rush. Very cool. A modern electric interpretation of Robert Johnson's Traveling Riverside Blues is up next and Barker takes a nice stretch on lead guitar actually bringing to mind Clapton's style. A real nice bass line by May is the trick on Steal Away Your Love. Barker's crisp acoustic guitar soloing on this track is a nice juxtaposition to the overall heavy feel of the track. One of my favorite tracks on the release, Downtown Train, has a real nice bass/drum bottom setting a solid platform for minimalistic vocal and guitar work by Barker. With the inclusion of a thin no nonsense guitar solo over absolute basics, I feel the track sounds a bit like early Black Keys which I feel is their best work. Till The Sunrise is an uptempo blues rocker sounding like a fusion of early Savoy Brown (vocals) and Robin Trower (rhythm). Again, a general stripped feeling brings the Keys into thought but this track has something special with super bass riffs from May. Another of my favorites is Black Dress with a real nice funky blues groove and a recurrent slick guitar riff. With it's warm melody and super groove this may be the breakout track for the release. Slow blues number Out All Night, has Tom and Ted May setting the stage for some of the most compelling vocal work on the release. Barker has a unique quality to his voice and paired with his guitar capabilities, they set this track on fire! Morganfield influenced and country styled, 300 Miles to Memphis has a acoustic picked flavor complimented nicely by Brandon Santini on harp. The Devil's Got You Now is a contemporary blues rocker which feels a lot like Savoy Brown from the early 70's. I happen to really like that band and this is a cool track with a cool rock beat and extended guitar soloing. What's not to like? Wrapping the release is ZZ Top's blues rock classic, Jesus Just Left Chicago. The basic arrangement on this track is mostly unchanged but Barker takes his guitar for a real nice walk throwing down some mighty licks and Rick Steff does a nice job on keys. Nice wrap to a fun release.  

If you support live Blues acts, up and coming Blues talents and want to learn more about Blues news and Fathers of the Blues, Like ---Bman’s Blues Report--- Facebook Page! I’m looking for great talent and trying to grow the audience for your favorites band! -  ”LIKE”

 

JULY 24 rel-MUDDY WATERS 100 w/Johnny Winter, John Primer, Gary Clark Jr., Keb' Mo', Derek Trucks

                                                                                                                                                
 MUDDY WATERS 100 featuring
 JOHN PRIMER, GARY CLARK, JR., JOHNNY WINTER, JAMES COTTON, KEB' MO', DEREK TRUCKS, SHEMEKIA COPELAND, BOB MARGOLIN
                                                                                                                                                    

"Primer is a terrific singer; strong, strutting and just enough like his mentor Muddy to make these songs authentic but not a mirror image. The performances are spirited without a dud in all 15. And, perhaps most impressively, the sumptuous hardcover package with 48 heavy stock pages of rare photos and a beautifully penned essay from veteran music writer Robert Gordon is the definition of classy." (American Songwriter)

"a worthy tribute and a must for anyone who’s ever appreciated Waters’ sweeping influence. Meaning everybody." (Gatehouse Newspapers)

Chicago, IL - Raisin' Music Records proudly announces the release of "MUDDY WATERS 100" on JULY 24, 2015.

This officially authorized centennial tribute to Muddy Waters, "MUDDY WATERS 100" is a once-in-a-lifetime CD that celebrates, commemorates and contributes to the musical legacy of this American icon. Produced by 2X Grammy nominated producer Larry Skoller ("Heritage Blues Orchestra"/ "Chicago Blues: A Living History"), the CD is contained in a collectible CD-sized hard-cover book with 48 pages illustrated with black and white photography by some of the greatest photographers of Muddy's time. Also included is an original essay by Robert Gordon, Grammy-winning author of the definitive Muddy Waters biography "Can't Be Satisfied - The Life and Times of Muddy Waters".

"MUDDY WATERS 100" includes 15 newly recorded tracks featuring Muddy Waters Band alumni and many of today's most preeminent American blues and roots artists including JOHN PRIMER, GARY CLARK JR., JAMES COTTON, KEB' MO', JOHNNY WINTER, DEREK TRUCKS, BOB MARGOLIN, BILLY BRANCH and SHEMEKIA COPELAND backed by some of the greatest musicians on the Chicago blues scene including The Living History Band featuring Kenny "Beedy Eyes" Smith (drums -- son of longtime Muddy drummer Willie 'Big Eyes' Smith), Johnny Iguana (keyboards), Felton Crews (bass) and Billy Flynn (guitar).



Vocalist/guitarist JOHN PRIMER, who played with Muddy until his death in 1983, is recognized as one of today's most crucial keepers of the Chicago blues flame. For "MUDDY WATERS 100", Primer gives a deeply personal tribute to the man he knew so very well. Other distinguished Muddy Waters alumni on this recording include harmonica legend JAMES COTTON and guitarist BOB MARGOLIN (who played alongside Muddy for 7 years and was very close to the man and his music. The late great blues guitarist/producer JOHNNY WINTER played on the song "I'm Ready" for this album just a few weeks before he passed away in July 2014. ("I'm Ready" is the title track from Muddy's Grammy-winning album produced by Winter back in 1978 -- one of two albums that Winter produced for Muddy in the late '70s. Cotton & Margolin also played on the Winter-produced "I'm Ready" album). Along with Muddy alumni, this gathering of some of the most preeminent blues and roots artists of today makes this tribute truly a landmark celebration. Billy Branch, Gary Clark, Jr., Shemekia Copeland, Keb Mo' and Derek Trucks embody the spirit of this project: that for a tradition to survive, it must be passed on through generations and must remain in a constant state of evolution by redefining itself in a contemporary context. By pushing the boundaries of this music, as Muddy did in his time, and with their own original voices and stories, these artists are helping to give the blues its future.

It could be argued that Muddy Waters has had more influence on the sound of American popular music than any other single artist of the 20th century. "MUDDY WATERS 100" is a centennial celebration of his musical legacy, his iconic sound and his immeasurable contribution to and influence on American music. Driven by a deep respect for this master of the blues and for the blues traditions that spawned his talent, "MUDDY WATERS 100" tributes the past, embraces the present and recognizes the bright future of the blues for which Muddy paved the way. In the spirit of his legacy, "MUDDY WATERS 100" puts the spotlight on the inextricable mix of old and new school that Muddy left in his wake. The newly recorded songs on this album represent the various periods and styles of Muddy's musical path, from his 1941 recordings on Stovall plantation in Mississippi to his arrival in Chicago and subsequent evolution during the 1940s and 1950s, including his pioneering electric guitar sound at the Chess Records studios. By design, this album has not taken a strictly archival approach in its treatments of Muddy's songs. Some tracks are handled traditionally; there are also contemporary treatments and new arrangements that focus on today's sounds. Whether it be rock, pop, rap, hip-hop, the tube electronics of the earliest five-watt amplifiers or digital samples, drum loops and electronica -- in one way or another these sounds all lead back to Muddy Waters.

"Muddy Waters would be a hundred years old today…The whole story of the blues can be heard, felt, and learned in the life of Muddy Waters…Born April 4, 1915…in the soggy part of Rolling Fork, Mississippi, this mannish boy would soon move north in the delta with his grandmother to Stovall Farms, near where the train lines crossed in Clarksdale, and from there to Chicago. He absorbed the rhythm and feel of the south until it was part of his bones, electrifying that sound in the industrial north. His 1958 trip to England planted ideas there that would awaken America to its indigenous sounds. Muddy's music ignited a cultural revolution...from the brutal and fertile fields of Mississippi, he changed the world. The tiller of the soil became the definer of a nation, the symbol of freedom. Muddy's achievement is emblematic of American democracy, the ultimate triumph of the dirt farmer, bringing respect to the disrespected. He did it with his guitar and with his voice, touching emotions that touched traditions. A century has passed, but we are still building on the foundation that Muddy Waters established, his sound and style still going strong. His influence is everywhere around us." (from Robert Gordon's liner notes essay)

www.muddywaters100.com

Number 7 Records artist: Jay Stollman with Debbie Davies - Room For One More - New Release Review

I just received the newest release, Room For One More, from Jay Stollman with Debbie Davies and it's a romper. Opening with Walter Trout's Ride 'Til I'm Satisfied with Johnny Mennonna on bass and Tommy Nagy on drums drive a hard beat and with swagger to spare, Stollman on vocal and Debbie Davies on lead guitar blaze a great track. I'm Done is a straight up rocker with solid vocals from Stollman and includes some real nice slide work from Andy Abel and super keys from Matt Zeiner. Johnny Winter's Tired Of Tryin' has a heap of Johnnny's feel in it and remnants from Muddy Waters. I really like Stollman's vocals on this track and paired with Kevan Totoian on harp and Davies on lead guitar a regular Chicago style treat. Luther Johnson' Lonesome In My Bedroom is a terrific track showing the best of Stollman, Davies and Zeiner. A great slower blues track, Stollman has nice feel and Davies really gets a hold on the fretboard and rips some of her nicest lines that I have heard in a while. Very cool! Eddie Miller's, I'd rather Be Drinking Muddy Water takes a really nice shuffle and standout walking bass line by Scott Spray lays a super foundation for Davies to step out. This is a really nice showcase of her work and something that I'm really pleased to be presenting. Sam Cooke's A Change Is Gonna Come is a track that measures a vocalist's depth and I can say Stollman holds his own in a fine rendition of this classic. Backed by Zeiner on organ and dressed by a nicely articulated guitar solo from Jeremy Goldsmith this track really hums. Jr Walker track, Pucker Up Buttercup has that great 60's funk feel with Scott Spray hammering the bass and Davies laying in some fine blues riffs punching it up. Chuck Berry's Back To Memphis has it's distinctive Berry feel and Davies gets the double stops just right. Stollman leads the way and Zeiner on piano and organ rids high on a tight bass line by Spray. Rockin! Tumble has a real cool Latin blues feel and Davies gets a couple of really cool sounds riffing out on this number. Organ work by Zeiner creates great feel and Stollman sits nicely in the groove. Possibly my favorite track on the release. Can't Slow Down is a straight on rocker (like Don Nix's Goin' Down) and this band is up to the task. Andy Abel on lead and slide guitar joined by Spray on bass and Nagy on drums makes this a tight little rocker. Lonnie Johnson's Another Night To Cry gets a cool, slinky makeover with Abel just laying back in the pocket, counter punching with nice guitar riffs. Stollman has a unique quality to his voice making it somewhat addicting. It's cool when he does something really difficult because you see his strength. Climbing out like a tarantula after his prey, Abel steps up and devours the solo on this track. Nice! Country funk is the story on Devil In Disguise with a bit of an Elvin Bishop feel. Totoian is back on harp, paired with Davies, Spray and Nagy. A crisp little number gives Totoian a nice spot to show his stuff and Davies rips a nice hole in it herself. Love it! A bit of Louisiana funk on Love Me & Leave Me features a nice story telling posture by Stollman and spot on piano work by Zeiner. Davies is really hitting the line on this release and this track is no exception, complimented nicely by slide work by Abel giving it an almost George/Barrere/Payne/Hayward feel. Excellent! Wrapping the release is title track, Room For One More, a soulful acoustic number. Stollman gets one more chance to show his super vocals backed by warm acoustic slide work of Abel. This is a tight release and one well worth checking out!  

If you support live Blues acts, up and coming Blues talents and want to learn more about Blues news and Fathers of the Blues, Like ---Bman’s Blues Report--- Facebook Page! I’m looking for great talent and trying to grow the audience for your favorites band! -  ”LIKE”

 

Bobby Bare Jr. Consequence of Sound Song Premiere | Live Album Soundtrack out 7/31

BOBBY BARE JR - “THE BEGINNING OF THE END” 

CONSEQUENCE OF SOUND PREMIERE

Don’t Follow Me (I’m Lost) Original Motion Picture Soundtrack out digitally on 7/31

Bloodshot Records is proud to release the soundtrack to the Bobby Bare Jr. documentary Don’t Follow Me (I’m Lost). The album will be released through digital retailers and via a limited edition screen printed poster with digital download code. Pre-orders are available now. The lone studio recording on the live collection, a previously unreleased track titled “The Beginning of the End,” is streaming on Consequence of Sound.

Back in 2010 and 2011, visionary, charismatic singer/songwriter and musician’s musician Bobby Bare Jr. was followed on tour by a film crew led by filmmaker William Miller. What resulted is Don’t Follow Me (I’m Lost), a touching, funny, and genuine rock doc about the struggles of maintaining a modestly successful touring career (which is a hell of a task in and of itself) whilst remaining a loving family man back in his hometown of Nashville. The film, which features appearances and commentary by Justin Townes Earle, My Morning Jacket, Hayes Carll, Bobby Bare Sr., and more, was released in a limited capacity in 2012, and then in 2014 screened in theaters and clubs in major U.S. cities, including a stint at Austin’s South By Southwest music festival. It is now widely released online (Hulu, iTunes, Amazon, Vimeo, etc.) and on DVD.

What also resulted from those months of documenting Bobby Bare Jr. on the road is a film soundtrack, consisting of some of Bobby Bare Jr.’s most energetic and sonically sharp live performances put to tape. Don’t Follow Me (I’m Lost) Original Motion Picture Soundtrack includes new versions of fan-favorites and deep cuts from Bobby’s classic Bloodshot albums like The Longest Meow and From the End of Your Leash, as well as songs from his 2010 Thirty Tigers album A Storm, A Tree, My Mother’s Head.  Recorded at beloved venues like Portland, OR’s Crystal Ballroom, Chapel Hill, NC’s Local 506, and Nashville’s The Basement, these songs span the genre-busting gamut that Bobby is known to trample, while evoking many of the emotions felt by viewers of the documentary - love, heartbreak, joy, homesickness, anticipation, despair, and hope.

Crooked Eye Tommy CD Release Party August 7 in Carpinteria

                                                                 

  CROOKED EYE TOMMY RELEASES DEBUT CD, BUTTERFLIES & SNAKES;

  ELEVEN MEMORABLE SONGS IN THE BLUES GENRE FROM VENTURA    COUNTY GUITARIST-SINGER-SONGWRITER, TOMMY MARSH

CD RELEASE PARTY & DEBUT CONCERT at Plaza Playhouse Theater

Friday, August 7 - 7:30 p.m.

  

   (Carpinteria, CA) - Crooked Eye Tommy releases their debut effort, Butterflies & Snakes, marking the occasion with a CD Release Party and Debut Concert at the Plaza Playhouse Theater, 4916 Carpinteria Ave., Friday, August 7. Showtime is 7:30 p.m. Tickets $25. (includes CD); $30. (includes commemorative piece of album artwork and CD). Info: (805) 684-6380 or http://crookedeyetommy.com/calendar/. Buy tickets at: http://www.eventbrite.com/e/crooked-eye-tommy-butterflies-snakes-debut-concert-tickets-16946668943.

   Crooked Eye Tommy also performs at the 1st Annual Ojai Blues Festival along with the Alastair Greene Band, Deb Ryder, and Shawn Jones at the Ojai Arts Center, 113 S. Montgomery St. in Ojai, on Saturday, August 15. Showtime is 4 p.m. Tickets $25. available here: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/ojai-bluesfest-tickets-17742088063.

ABOUT BUTTERFLIES & SNAKES (AND) CROOKED EYE TOMMY

  Butterflies & Snakes are eleven memorable tunes penned by Crooked Eye Tommy front-person and band namesake Tommy Marsh and Tommy's brother, guitarist-vocalist, Paddy Marsh (who also plays in the band). Other C.E.T. members: Glade Rasmussen, bass; Tony Cicero, drums; Jimmy Calire, saxophone/piano/Hammond B3. 

 The album's title track, a tasty down-home blues ditty entitled 'Crooked Eye Tommy,' "is sort of an autobiography", states Tommy. "I wrote it when we decided to name the band Crooked Eye Tommy. I was born with two lazy eyes, so the imagined discussion between a nurse and onlookers in the classic baby window at the hospital was a cool way to illustrate the way people can be  cruel without even thinking about it." Rocking blues number, 'Time Will Tell' is "the source of the album's name," states Marsh. "The second verse talks about the duality of women:

             Women are made of butterflies, butterflies and snakes

         Trying to please a woman can give a good man the shakes

   

   Time Will Tell "also talks about the duality of men as well in the first verse...and the dreams we all have (as musicians) to rise to the pinnacle of our profession - and how in each case, time is the equalizer and the test by which these are all proven out." The tune "shows the direction the band is taking with a more Southern hard blues feel", concludes Marsh. 'Somebody's Got To Pay' is a sexy Blues shuffle where Marsh laments in song, "the way the world is today, somebody's got to pay." He explains: "I wrote this song while dealing with a tax issue...I was very frustrated with the whole government and how no matter who is in office, it's always about who has the money." Dancing blues dittie 'Love Divine' is about "the relationships we have made along the way before we leave this world, they are the only real wealth that goes with us."

  Crooked Eye Tommy proudly represented the Santa Barbara Blues Society at the 2014 International Blues Challenge when they erupted onto the Southern California Blues Scene after reaching the Semifinals of this illustrious annual competition held in Memphis. For the last several years, Marsh has hosted a weekly Ventura County Blues Society-sponsored Jam Session featuring some of the biggest Blues artists on the SoCal music scene.

   Featuring scorching performances and original music firmly rooted in traditional blues, which feels familiar but somehow new, Tommy Marsh’s considerable songwriting, vocal and guitar skills have made him a Ventura County favorite. Capitalizing on local talent, Tommy and his brother Paddy Marsh invited the legendary Jimmy Calire on sax and the deeply-grooved, driving rhythm section of Tony Cicero on drums and Glade Rasmussen on bass to join the effort. The result is an irresistible alchemy of veteran experience, raw talent and enthralling original material. Listen and feel what a Crooked Eye can do.

                        

http://crookedeyetommy.com/

https://www.facebook.com/CrookedEyeTommy

Robert Zott - Baroque Blues Vol. 1 - New Release review

I just received the newest release, Baroque Blues Vol. 1, from Robert Zott and it is quite adventurous to say the least. I first need to say that I don't often get works that are literally pieces of art to be experienced and less resemble conventional music, but I do welcome new experiences. There are parts of this release that have familiar themes and passages and others that defy my description. Opening with I'm Just Me, the most musical track on the release, finds Zott singing through a nautical singing tube along with minimal acoustical guitar, electronics and Morse code. This track sounds like it could be from my favorite David Bowie (Ziggy Stardust) era and I must say, I really like it. Next up is an interpretation of Willie Dixon's Red Rooster. Now this is a really loose interpretation with electric guitar and basic bass and percussion for atmosphere with dog barks and rooster crows, supplemented by random thoughts. Interesting at the least! Timepiece is a melodic instrumental with finely picked electric guitar over rhythm with minor soundscape additions. It is almost like a transition song between movements of a play. If I Could Rule The World is a spoken work piece. The more that you listen to it the more interesting it becomes. It is posed as a comparative to Alan Lomax's documentaries of toasting in Juke Joints as shown in The Land Where The Blues Began. Title track, Baroque Blues, is a peculiar pop melody sung partially in falsetto. Sung through a nautilus seashell used as a loudspeaker it has it's own sound. Eased by background vocals, acoustic guitar and miscellaneous tones and sounds (some possibly reversed) it is a composition to be experienced... not danced to :). Walk In The Park is an eccentric track with unmetered waves of sound presented as the carrier for the music. Twinkling tones from a 12 movement music box constructed from a black box flight recorder chimes the tones familiar from commercial travel. Zott has succeeded in stretching my listening to a different orbit for at least a short time. This recording is ultra clean and clear having been direct recorded in a bathroom with a single microphone and using pro tools.

  If you support live Blues acts, up and coming Blues talents and want to learn more about Blues news and Fathers of the Blues, Like ---Bman’s Blues Report--- Facebook Page! I’m looking for great talent and trying to grow the audience for your favorites band! -  ”LIKE”