Bman's Blues Report

I just received the newest self titled release from The Golden Novak Band , made up of Brian Golden on guitar and vocal, Jess Novak on vocal, guitar and violin, Nick Andrews on drums, Randy Heuer on percussion, Paul Puzzullo on bass and Mark Nanni on keys. Opening with Let It Shine , a moving rocker with a contagious back beat and screaming lead guitar, what's not to like? Rat A Tat is up next with a catchy free San Francisco sound but a definite pop feel. Lead vocal by Novak is strong and Nanni on keys bridges the track between Andrews and Golden's guitar work. Quiet ballad, Chasing , has solid melodic bones and with well meshed vocal harmonies and floating violin accompaniment. The Phone has a cool Spanish feel with nice nylon string and electric guitar work by Golden and well balanced violin work as well as seductive vocals from Novak. Very nice! Hands On has a cool funky rhythm and Novak has a laid back vocal delivery. Andrews plays it straight up with solid drumming g...

DEANNA BOGART INVITED TO PERFORM AT SIRIUSXM's' FIRST BLUESVILLE FESTIVAL Blind Pig recording artist Deanna Bogart has been invited to perform at the first ever Bluesville Festival, which will take place on Tuesday, November 11th at the SiriusXM Radio studios in Washington, D.C.  Also on the bill are Buddy Guy, Tommy Castro, Shemekia Copeland, Eden Brent, Victor Wainwright, and Quinn Sullivan. The unique event will be taped in front of a live audience on Tuesday, November 11th and broadcast on the satellite radio's "B.B. King's Bluesville" channel once per day on Friday, Saturday, and Sunday (November 14,15, & 16). Bogart's most recent release, Just A Wish Away... , has earned high praise: " Deanna Bogart has become one of the greatest musicians and songwriters working in America today. It is not just her playing, but her songwriting that has matured to the point of greatness.  All of this adds up to Just A W...

Raise The Ruf for 20 Years of Music: From the juke joints to world stages This label offers only the best for fans A Special double CD out on November 11 th Atlanta, GA – Ruf Records celebrates its 20 th Anniversary on November 11th with a double CD release of tunes from the first line up in 1994 to the current roster in 2014. This German label started as a dream for Thomas Ruf, after he got completely smitten with the Blues. Artists have come and gone from this small but all label, but with Thomas’ vision, the drive is still there to present the best. Ruf Records is distributed by Allegro worldwide through all various digital downloads and retail stores. After 120 releases or more, Grammy nominations, a lot of Blues Music Awards winners and at least a thousand miles traveled; Thomas Ruf has arrived at a milestone. A Guy Name Ruf – “Roof” like the roof over your head: As anything in life, you get the idea when you are not thinking, it c...

I just received the newest release, Until After Then , from Tommy Talton and it is a mixed bag of cool tunes. Opening with title track, Until After Then , Talton creates an almost Steely Dan like pop jazz feel with Matt Slocum on organ, Frankie Nattola on bass and David Keith on drums joining Talton on guitar and vocal. Real Sugar has a super Al Green like R&B strut. Kevin Holly adds a cool wah wah guitar, Billy Earheart electric piano, David Hood bass, Bill Stewart drums but it is the cool sax work of Brad Guin and trumpet work by Ken Watters added to Talton's vocals that pushes this one over the top for me. Nice! Mr. Love is an easy rocker which actually reminds me quite a bit of Joe Walsh when he plays it mellow. Another cool track. That Distant Light has a super sweet Paul McCartney like melody. Talton continues to show his versatility as both a songwriter and singer. My, O, My again has a McCartney kind of sound with a quiet beauty. Talton does show a little slide ...

I just received the newest release, Songs From The Road from Dana Fuchs and it's quite dynamic. Recorded Live at Highline Ballroon in New York City, Fuchs opens with Bliss Avenue . Fuchs hits the stage hard with a dramatic vocal entrance and a stinging tele solo from Jon Diamond really turned my head. Next up is Handful Too Many , a track showing a lot of commercial potential with a pinch of country and warm backing from Elaine Caswell, Nicki Richards and Bettie Sussman (The Screaming Sirens). Livin' On Sunday is a really cool track with a funky revival back beat. The "Screaming Sirens" really give it that extra edge and may be one of my favorite tracks on the release. How Did Things Get This Way really has a Stones feel and Fuch's "Pearl" like vocals shine through. Diamond is again hitting the frets hard this time on Les Paul but this track is a hard driven rocker. R&B track So Hard To Move is a really nice ballad and both the solid bass work...

Mark T. Small Wins “Acoustic Blues Album of the Year” Award at 2014 Blues Blast Magazine Awards Show CHAMPAIGN, IL – Blues singer/guitarist Mark T. Small won the “Acoustic Blues Album of the Year” award at the 2014 Blues Blast Magazine Awards Ceremonies, held October 23 at the Fluid Events Center in Champaign, Illinois. Small also performed during the gala held to honor blues music artists and CD releases for the year. "It was an honor to be part of such a fine event and be associated with such a fantastic publication,” said Mark T. Small. “Winning the award was the icing on the cake.” The Somerset, Massachusetts-based artist garnered the recognition for his January, 2014, release, Smokin’ Blues , on the Lead Foot Music label imprint. The dozen tracks on Smokin’ Blues , Small’s fourth CD,   solidified his place as an emerging master of the guitar, whose styles range from Delta and Chicago blues to the intricate, flatpicking style from his early days in “Ne...

BOOK ONLINE: www.thegigcartel.com 24 HR BOX OFFICE: 0844 478 0898 PLANET ROCK PRESALE – WEDNESDAY 12th NOVEMBER GENERAL ONSALE – FRIDAY 14th NOVEMBER Photo Credit: © 255 Photography Hot on the heels of rave reviews from his recent October 2014 UK tour dates, five-time Grammy-nominated and multi-platinum-selling blues/rock guitarist Kenny Wayne Shepherd returns to the UK for a follow-up tour in April 2015 , including a major headline concert at the London Shepherd’s Bush Empire on Wednesday 15th April . Planet Rock will host a 48-hour ticket presale from Wednesday 12th November . Tickets go on sale to the general public on Friday 14th November via the 24 hour ticket box office: 0844 478 0898 , or book online from www.thegigcartel.com . Photo Credit: © Adam Kennedy The UK tour will include Salisbury City Hall (Friday 10 April), Holmfirth Picturedrome (Saturday 11 April), Glasgow o2 ABC (Sunday 12 April), Aberdeen Lemon Tree (...

This November: Hamilton teaches two "Beginner Blues Harmonica" workshops in Walla Walla WA and Boise ID! CLICK HERE to learn more! Dallas/Ft. Worth TX: the world famous J&J Blues has re-opened as the RIVER RUN ROADHOUSE ! See our Nov. 21 performance below... 11/8/14 Kemah TX Jackie's Brickhouse (Rusted Avenue opens @ 8:30pm) 9pm 11/15/14 Walla Walla WA Beginner Blues Harmonica Workshop (part 1) 3pm - 6pm CLICK HERE FOR MORE INFO 11/16/14 Walla Walla WA Beginner Blues Harmonica Workshop (part 2) 3pm - 6pm CLICK HERE FOR MORE INFO 11/17/14 Boise/Nampa ID Beginner Blues Harmonica Workshop (part 1) 6pm - 9pm CLICK HERE FOR MORE INFO 11/18/14 Boise/Nampa ID Beginner Blues Harmonica Workshop (part 2) 6pm - 9pm CLICK HERE FOR MORE INFO 11/21/14 Ft. Worth TX River Run Roadhouse (Formerly J&J Blues) 9pm 11/22/14 Hitchcock TX Mister Calvin's 9:30pm 409-354-9844 11/23/14 Houston TX McGonigel's Mucky Duck 6pm - 8...

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, Cryin' Mercy , from Altered Five Blues Band and it's smokey hot! Opening with the slinky Demon Woman , Jeff Taylor leads the way on lead vocals and Mark Solveson lays down a real nice bass line. Jeff Schroedl really steps out on guitar and Scott Schroedl on drums and Raymond Tevich rounds out the band on keys. I'm In Deep is a cool shuffle track and this time it's Tevich that steps out with a cool key solo. Jeff Schroedl isn't far behind smoking the fretboard. Very nice! R&B ballad, Find My Wings , meets all of the criteria for a top player on the airwaves and even includes a smooth melodic guitar solo accompanying Taylor on his vocal outro. Very cool! Stay Outta My Business has a funky twist on the blues with a cool bass line. Jeff S. shows just how versatile his bag of tricks is with a really tasty solo on this number over the keyboard backing of Tevich. Counterfeit Lover is another prime radio style track with mostly s...

I just received the newest release, Live from Sabrina Weeks & Swing Cat Bounce and it's easy and fun. Opening with Bad Boys , Weeks, joined by Mike Hilliard on lead guitar, Ed Hilliard on drums, Terry Strudwick on bass and Bill White on rhythm guitar, set the pace for a pop country blues concert. Jimmy Dee has a boogie line but roots in country. A two step melody with cool guitar riffs from Hilliard makes this a release favorite. Slide Over Here has a slinky feel and Weeks vocals are top notch. Roll It throws a bit of funk into the mix and I particularly like Ed Hilliard's snappy drum riffs. Mike Hilliard takes a longer guitar solo on this track and although compressed in sound, it does rip! Happy Home is a straight up shuffle led by Mike Hilliard. Weeks gets a rock n roll feel going and Mike H. takes it a step further with stinging riffs. On Randy Newman's You Can Leave Your Hat On , the band puts a bit of funk on the original arrangement and it had a fresh feel...

JW-JONES RELEASE MAKES BILLBOARD CHART! Belmont Boulevard debuts at #9 on sales chart   Belmont Boulevard , the new Blind Pig release from Canadian guitarist and songwriter JW-Jones , debuted at #9 on the Billboard blues sales chart this week. JW & Jamie & Laura's Excellent Adventure... JW and his band, Jamie Holmes on drums and Laura Greenberg on bass, are currently touring the U.S. in support of the album.   So far it's been an eventful tour: In Sacramento, California, local favorite Little Charlie Baty came down to the Torch Club and sat in with JW's band. Said Charlie, "Catch them if you can - they are an impressive band of young Canadian blues performers."   In Southern California, labelmate Jimmy Vivino, bandleader of The Basic Cable Band on the Conan TV show, jammed with JW's band at the Maui Sugar Mill in Tarzana. To watch video, click HERE . The next day, JW and his bandmates attended a ...

Whitey Morgan and the 78’s Announce New Album Born, Raised & LIVE From Flint , Out On 12/2/14 Exclusive Premiere of Lead Single “Buick City” Launched By PopMatters + Whitey Morgan and the 78’s ( https://www.bloodshotrecords.com/artist/whitey-morgan-and-78s ) will release a new album Born, Raised & LIVE From Flint on December 2 nd via Bloodshot Records (pre-order available here: https://www.bloodshotrecords.com/album/born-raised-live-flint ). This is Whitey & Co.’s first album since 2010. PopMatters announced the album details, and is currently premiering the lead track, “Buick City”: http://www.popmatters.com/post/187756-whitey-morgan-announces-new-live-lp-offers-up-audio-of-buick-city-pr/ Embed code for “Buick City”: <iframe width="100%" height="450" scrolling="no" frameborder="no" src="https://w.soundcloud.com/player/?url=https%3A//api.soundcloud.com/tracks/174727803%3Fsecret_token%...

Canada's National Blues Awards Land in Toronto, Montreal, Vancouver, Ottawa and Hamilton Maple Blues Award Nominations Led by MonkeyJunk, Downchild and Steve Hill (October 30, 2014) Toronto, ON - The Toronto Blues Society will be celebrating the 18th annual Maple Blues Awards by honouring nationally and internationally recognized Canadian blues artists from across the country on January 19th, 2015.  Toronto artists lead with twenty seven nominations, followed by Montreal (15), Vancouver (9), Ottawa (8) and Hamilton (7). Ottawa’s MonkeyJunk and Toronto’s Downchild each received five nominations followed by Montreal’s Steve Hill with four. There are plenty of other acts each with multiple nominations including Fathead, Raoul & the Big Time , The 24 th Street Wailers , Brandon Isaak, Steve Strongman and Harrison Kennedy. Quebec blues artists are well represented with nominations for Jordan Officer, Angel...