Blue Groove artists: Hans Theessink & Terry Evans - True & Blue - New Release review

I just received the newest release, True & Blue, from Hans Theessink  & Terry Evans and it handles the roots of blues with modern sophistication. Opening with Demons, an easy paced country blues, Theessink leads the way on vocal with light harmonies by Evans. Traditional, Mother Earth, has a more soulful delta feel with excellent acoustic guitar work. Both Theessink and Evans work the lead vocals as well as harmonies. Very smooth guitar solos on this track make it one of my favorites. Fast paced Glory of Love is a great finger picked number with smoothly blended vocals. Gotta Keep Movin' features nice acoustic slide work and Evans on lead vocals. Very nice! Vicksburg Is My Home, a slow 12 bar number, again features Evans on lead vocals. This is a very traditional style track and very effective. Ledbelly's Bourgeois Blues, done a long time ago again by Ry Cooder is another of my favorites. A great strut feel and aggressive slide work coupled by Theessink on harp make this track a standout! Don't Let The Green Grass Fool You is a story telling track with a lesson. Low key vocals and the contrast of finger picked guitar with harp and slide make this track a crowd favorite. Aggressive slide work opens Robert Johnson's Cross Road Blues featuring Evans on lead vocals. Solid almost rowdy vocals and diligent slide work are hot! Chuck Berry's Maybellene keeps it's original pace by delivered with a country acoustic flair. Theessink and Evans really get the crowd tuned up on this track with extensive guitar work. Very nice! Theessink opens Delta Time with a harp solo and his solid vocal work. Evans on rhythm guitar and backing vocal rounds out the track. Evans takes the lead on J.B. Lenoir's, Talk To Your Daughter and it has a nice boogie feel. Stinging guitar solos on this track and warm vocal blending give it a different feel altogether from other covers that I've heard. Quiet ballad, Shelter From The Storm featuring Theessink on lead vocal has an almost spiritual feel. Boogie track, I Need Money, opens with a rockin guitar rhythm and Theessink on harp. Evans and Theessink trade lead vocal parts as well as slick guitar riffs. back to a country blues for the closer, Tears Are Rolling has a great pace with hot finger picking and Evans trading lead vocals with Theessink. This performance was recorded live in Vienna and the crowd obviously loved it.

 If you want to listen to the blues, but want to keep the level down and the intensity up, this could be your first choice. “Like” Bman’s Facebook page. I use Facebook to spread the word about my blog (Now with translation in over 50 languages). I will not hit you with 50 posts a day. I will not relay senseless nonsense. I use it only to draw attention to some of the key posts on my blog each day. In this way I can get out the word on new talent, venues and blues happenings! - click Here Get Facebook support for your favorite band or venue - click HERE

 

JL Fulks - Live in Studio 101/Heading Back To Memphis - New Release Reviews

I just received two new EP releases, Live in Studio 101 and Heading Back To Memphis from JL Fulks and they are quite good. Live in Studio 101 opens with shuffle track, Before I Go Insane. With it's Freddie King feel and tight riffs, this is a nice opener. Joining Fulks who handily manages guitar and vocals, is Jim Kinder on drums, Chris Reynolds on rhythm guitar and Ron Calese on bass. Twang Thang is a breezy blues rocker instrumental. With just a pinch of country riffs this has style. On slow blues track, I Believe In Love, Fulks really shows his chops on guitar. Clocking in at over 9 minutes, Fulks does an excellent job of making the time fly with inventive riff after inventive riff. Very nice! On instrumental funky/jazz track, Watch Yourself, Fulks and crew get a nice groove going showing another facet of Fulks repertoire.

 His second EP, Heading Back To Memphis, shows a bit more maturity with more fully crafted tracks. Opening with title track, Heading Back To Memphis, Fulks is joined by Rockin' Jake on harp, Ian Jones on drums and Ken Burgner on bass. A cool 12 bar number, this track has a nice bite of Chicago and some cool solo riffs from Fulks and Jake. Moonshine Blues has a swampy feel with Fulks on slide with reverb. A heavy overtone gives this track a hot texture. Possibly his best yet! Wrapping the release is Back To You, a rock n roller with a Chuck Berry/Alvin Lee feel. Another well written track, I'm looking forward to hear more from Fulks.

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Jimbo Mathus & the Annunaki Playboys Live at The Raven Cafe in Prescott, Arizona

I caught wind that Jimbo Mathus was playing a show about 2 hours north of my home and I hightailed it to Prescott, AZ. I know that this doesn't seem like much of an effort but you got to know, I listen to new music every day, OK ...lets say 250-300 new releases yearly and for me to drive very far to see a show.... it better be damn good. Well, Jimbo Mathus never disappoints and yes, it was damn good! I arrived in Prescott just in time to get a seat and a beer before the Captain hit the stage to a standing crowd only performance. I was not one of the 500 million people who knew Mathus from his Squirrel Nut Zippers band and was delighted to find this guy through his association with Buddy Guy. The truth is I went to see Buddy Guy with a fellow guitar player and who watches the opening act . We were sitting there jawing away and waiting on Buddy Guy and I said to my buddy..."who is this guy?". Jimbo Mathus was the opening act and that day back in like 2001 was the day I found Mathus. He not only had the opening act, but he also played in Guys band. He knocked me out then and he knocks me out now. Jimbo's music is strongly rooted in the people, with heart. His passion for the music is genuine and his love and appreciation of his audience is obvious. Mathus played 3 sets beginning at around 8 and ending at Midnight. He did take 2 short breaks to catch his breath and sell a few t shirts, albums and CD's.

 I'm not great at taking notes but I do have some recollection of detail. His first set was laden nicely with tracks from his newest release Blue Healer, which is terrific by the way. I know that he played the title track, Blue Healer (above), which is one of my 2 favorites from the release as well as Coyote (below- which is the other). He also played Old Earl which is one of his story telling tracks. If you don't know Mathus' story telling, you are missing the boat. Mathus, like all of the true great performers, not only can get around on his instrument (I think he plays about everything) but can captivate his audience with clever tales. Old Earl is the one from the Blue Healer release.

 When I go to a concert, I really don't go as a reporter but as a part of the audience so forgive me for just enjoying the concert. I know that he played Shoot Out The Lights, a hot rocker, Tallatchie, a rural feeling song that I really love and one that I want to ask Mathus about later. It has one clever line that I will always remember... "Can't see you no more, newspapers say I sing". Excellent! Fire In The Canebreak, a swampy funk rocker along the lines of Little Feat, Tennessee Walker Mare, Aces and 8's, a tex mex track and Shine Like A Diamond.

His second set was really geared to audience participation with a Chuck Berry track, some R&B, Lowell Folsom's Tramp which was recorded by Mathus and Guy 15 years ago. Mathus played guitar with reckless abandon, something that I rarely see anyone but Buddy Guy do...superb! He also did real nice versions of Guitar Slim's, Things That I Used To Do and Hank Williams', Hey Good Looking. At my request he did one of my favorite country ballads, Fallen Angel. Mathus has a unique ability to take you somewhere that you want to be through his music. Another crowd favorite was John Fogerty's Stuck In Lodi. Whether it's blues, country, R&B, rock... this man has been there and he does it with intention. Raven Cafe employees were kind enough to clear a few tables for some tiny dancers near the stage and the crowd had a blast. I can't say that Mathus' music is for everyone. What I can say is, I don't get paid to do this. I do it because I love it. I go to see who I want to see, and when I see something terrific, I try to tell my friends. Well friends, this guy captures the soul of the blues in whatever he does. What does that mean? Listen to Skip James, early JL Hooker, Son House. These were men who believed in what they were doing. They liked to make a little money along the way, but they were playing real music, without the polish and all of the processing. Jimbo Mathus is the real deal. Go see him without expectations that he will blow you away on guitar. He can, he may... but go there to see a real artist perform his craft. You can thank me later!

The Annunaki Playboys are  Eric "Carlos San Pedro" Carlton - keys, Stuart "StuBaby" Cole - bass, Scott "Pako" Goolsby - guitar and Alex "Youngblood" Holeman - drums.

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Butter & Bacon Records artist: Voo Davis - Midnight Mist - New Release Review

I just received the newest release, Midnight Mist, from Voo Davis and it's hitting on all 12 cylinders! Opening with When I Get Back To You, Davis is on track and laying down an easy to love melody along the lines of the early Doobies but with flashing hot guitar riffs poking from north, south, east and west. Nicely crafted, Davis' multiple guitar lines compliments themselves and the track nicely and his vocals are great as always. Title track Midnight Mist, is strongly melodic with clean articulate acoustic guitar work. Strong slide guitar work from Davis highlights this track with it's almost Marshall Tucker or John Mayer like warmth. My Love hammers it's way out of the gate with a driving guitar (Davis) and drum (Craig Borchers)combo topped with hot harp work from Calvin Conway. This is exactly what I liked about Voo Davis the first time I heard him. Strong, stripped down in your face blues rock. Excellent! Cajun Sun has an infectious guitar rhythm and Louisiana rhythm with hot slide riffs over the top. Very nice! Riverside Blues is a soothing track with a catchy melody. It's super how Davis can take a simple melody, sing his guts out and rip quietly behind the scene on his slide without making it overbearing... a very cool quality. Southern funk infused Low Hangin' Fruit has a great groove. Davis' vocals on this track are some of the best on the release teased along by Conway and Davis in addition to resonator work hits Lowell George flavored slide work on electric. Excellent! Howling Out Your Name is the most highly produced track on the release reminding me of some of the tracks done by Plant and Page in 1969 (without the hindrance of Plant's annoying vocals). Find Me A Backbone has a real raw country blues feel with wound out electric guitar sounds and rudimentary drum beats. This is a simple but possibly the coolest track on the release. Excellent! Nothing Changed At All is a nicely crafted track with a smooth sophistication. Music In The Streets has a quick funky tempo with a really slick guitar lead. You Gotta Wait has a strong R&B feel. A well structured track highlighting Davis' soulful vocals and tight drums by Borchers and B3 by Michael Burkart. Davis has great feel for lead guitar and adds just the right amount without making the track feel overburdened. Laughing Out Loud is a simple but nicely executed ballad. A quiet blend of slide guitar, acoustic guitar and vocals makes this a particularly nice track. Void has a feel of early country folk music. With acoustic guitar, piano and vocal accompaniment, this is a track that should see a bit of radio play. You Wanna Know Why almost has a cat Stevens like vocal and a familiar Clapton riff that is repeated throughout the track as garnish. Davis finally cuts loose on his electric guitar for an extended and adventurous guitar solo. A simple rocker this is another track that could easily see broad appeal.

 “Like” Bman’s Facebook page. I use Facebook to spread the word about my blog (Now with translation in over 50 languages). I will not hit you with 50 posts a day. I will not relay senseless nonsense. I use it only to draw attention to some of the key posts on my blog each day. In this way I can get out the word on new talent, venues and blues happenings! - click Here Get Facebook support for your favorite band or venue - click HERE

 

BB King has passed. - My thoughts and prayers are with his family

LAS VEGAS (AP) — B.B. King, whose scorching guitar licks and heartfelt vocals made him the idol of generations of musicians and fans while earning him the nickname King of the Blues, died late Thursday at home in Las Vegas. He as 89.
His attorney, Brent Bryson, told The Associated Press that King died peacefully in his sleep at 9:40 p.m. PDT.
Bryson said funeral arrangements were being made.
Although he had continued to perform well into his 80s, the 15-time Grammy winner suffered from diabetes and had been in declining health during the past year. He collapsed during a concert in Chicago last October, later blaming dehydration and exhaustion. He had been in hospice care at his Las Vegas home.
For most of a career spanning nearly 70 years, Riley B. King was not only the undisputed king of the blues but a mentor to scores of guitarists, who included Eric Clapton, Otis Rush, Buddy Guy, Jimi Hendrix, John Mayall and Keith Richards. He recorded more than 50 albums and toured the world well into his 80s, often performing 250 or more concerts a year.
King played a Gibson guitar he affectionately called Lucille with a style that included beautifully crafted single-string runs punctuated by loud chords, subtle vibratos and bent notes.
The result could bring chills to an audience, no more so than when King used it to full effect on his signature song, "The Thrill is Gone." He would make his guitar shout and cry in anguish as he told the tale of forsaken love, then end with a guttural shouting of the final lines: "Now that it's all over, all I can do is wish you well."

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His style was unusual. King didn't like to sing and play at the same time, so he developed a call-and-response between him and Lucille.
"Sometimes I just think that there are more things to be said, to make the audience understand what I'm trying to do more," King told The Associated Press in 2006. "When I'm singing, I don't want you to just hear the melody. I want you to relive the story, because most of the songs have pretty good storytelling."
A preacher uncle taught him to play, and he honed his technique in abject poverty in the Mississippi Delta, the birthplace of the blues.
"I've always tried to defend the idea that the blues doesn't have to be sung by a person who comes from Mississippi, as I did," he said in the 1988 book "Off the Record: An Oral History of Popular Music."
"People all over the world have problems," he said. "And as long as people have problems, the blues can never die."
Fellow travelers who took King up on that theory included Clapton, the British-born blues-rocker who collaborated with him on "Riding With the King," a best-seller that won a Grammy in 2000 for best traditional blues album.
Still, the Delta's influence was undeniable. King began picking cotton on tenant farms around Indianola, Mississippi, before he was a teenager, being paid as little as 35 cents for every 100 pounds, and was still working off sharecropping debts after he got out of the Army during World War Two.
"He goes back far enough to remember the sound of field hollers and the cornerstone blues figures, like Charley Patton and Robert Johnson," ZZ Top guitarist Billy Gibbons once told Rolling Stone magazine.
King got his start in radio with a gospel quartet in Mississippi, but soon moved to Memphis, Tennessee, where a job as a disc jockey at WDIA gave him access to a wide range of recordings. He studied the great blues and jazz guitarists, including Django Reinhardt and T-Bone Walker, and played live music a few minutes each day as the "Beale Street Blues Boy," later shortened to B.B.
Through his broadcasts and live performances, he quickly built up a following in the black community, and recorded his first R&B hit, "Three O'Clock Blues," in 1951.
He began to break through to white audiences, particularly young rock fans, in the 1960s with albums like "Live at the Regal," which would later be declared a historic sound recording worthy of preservation by the Library of Congress' National Recording Registry.
He further expanded his audience with a 1968 appearance at the Newport Folk Festival and when he opened shows for the Rolling Stones in 1969.
  King was inducted into the Blues Foundation Hall of Fame in 1984, the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1987 and received the Songwriters Hall of Fame Lifetime Achievement Award in 1990. He received the Presidential Medal of Freedom from President George W. Bush, gave a guitar to Pope John Paul II and had President Barack Obama sing along to his "Sweet Home Chicago."
Other Grammys included best male rhythm 'n' blues performance in 1971 for "The Thrill Is Gone," best ethnic or traditional recording in 1982 for "There Must Be a Better World Somewhere" and best traditional blues recording or album several times. His final Grammy came in 2009 for best blues album for "One Kind Favor."
Through it all, King modestly insisted he was simply maintaining a tradition.
"I'm just one who carried the baton because it was started long before me," he told the AP in 2008.
Born Riley B. King on Sept. 16, 1925, on a tenant farm near Itta Bena, Mississippi, King was raised by his grandmother after his parents separated and his mother died. He worked as a sharecropper for five years in Kilmichael, an even smaller town, until his father found him and took him back to Indianola.
"I was a regular hand when I was 7. I picked cotton. I drove tractors. Children grew up not thinking that this is what they must do. We thought this was the thing to do to help your family," he said.
When the weather was bad and he couldn't work in the cotton fields, he walked 10 miles to a one-room school before dropping out in the 10th grade.
After he broke through as a musician, it appeared King might never stop performing. When he wasn't recording, he toured the world relentlessly, playing 342 one-nighters in 1956. In 1989, he spent 300 days on the road. After he turned 80, he vowed he would cut back, and he did, somewhat, to about 100 shows a year.
He had 15 biological and adopted children. Family members say 11 survive.
———
Associated Press writer John Rogers in Los Angeles contributed to this report.  

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”

 

Mayday! Larry "Fuzzy" Knight's Blowin Smoke Rhythm & Blues Revue Back at Harvelle's

                                                

    Mayday! Larry "Fuzzy" Knight's Blowin' Smoke Rhythm & Blues Revue Featuring The Fabulous Smokettes Back At Harvelle's

Saturday,  May 23, 2015 from 9:30 p.m.-1:30 a.m.

  (Santa Monica, CA) - Mayday! Larry "Fuzzy" Knight's Blowin' Smoke Rhythm & Blues Revue featuring The Fabulous Smokettes, return to Harvelle's, 1432 4th St., in Santa Monica, on Saturday, May 23. Admission is $10. 9:30pm-1 am. Info: (310) 395-1676 or http://santamonica.harvelles.com .

  Knight, a longtime seminal figure in the blues/R&B/soul music scene with a career that streches back several decades, proudly fronts the same eleven-piece ensemble he first started in southern California back in 1995 (the band just celebrated their 20th anniversary in March).

BLOWIN' SMOKE RHYTHM & BLUES REVUE

AND LARRY "FUZZY" KNIGHT IN THE NEWS

   Bandleader Larry "Fuzzy" Knight is interviewed by blues writer Monte Adkinson is an impressive three-page spread in the May-June 2015 issue of Florida's Suncoast News, viewable here.

Blowin' Smoke was feted in the April 2015 issue of national publication, Music Connection (above).

Blowin' Smoke performing live at the California Strawberry Festival

Do You Remember Where You Were & What You Were Doing In 1995, The Year Blowin' Smoke First Formed & Started Playing Live in SoCal?

  Two decades ago - 1995, to be exact - a gallon of gasoline was $1.09, a dozen eggs were 87 cents, postage stamps were 32 cents each, and the average cost of a new car was $15,500.00. Also that year, longtime Southern California musician Larry "Fuzzy" Knight formed the Blowin' Smoke Rhythm & Blues Revue, a unique, multi-instrumental band with a big lineup and an even larger sound, augmented by three superb female vocalists collectively known as The Smokettes.  Their debut album "Beyond The Blues Horizon" was hailed by the L.A. Times, L.A. Weekly, Music Connection and more for it's smart blend of blues, R&B, and soul, utilization of a rich-sounding horn ensemble and of course, those ever-present Smokettes on vocals.

  Two decades later, much has changed (especially those aforementioned prices!). but one thing has remained constant - Knight and Blowin' Smoke are still going strong, entertaining audiences at festivals and better nightclubs throughout the Southland, often accompanied onstage by renowned guest musicians. "Blowin' Smoke conveys a welcome reminder to all people with a beating heart that putting a full horn section in front of a smoking rhythm section, then layering three charismatic and powerful vocalists on top of that - all live and at the same time - is music at its most enriching," writes MUSIC CONNECTION. "Bandleader Larry "Fuzzy" Knight reminds all of us in the modern technological era that real people with real instruments and real personalities are playing music that hits the gut and forces the knees to bend."

  Knight - whose impressive musical resume' includes a decade-plus stint as bassist for one of the great SoCal bands to emerge from the psychedelic era of the Sixties, Spirit - recently announced the addition of a new member to the Blowin’ Smoke lineup, Don Preston.  Preston is a former original member of Frank Zappa’s Mothers of Invention and co-founder of the “GrandMothers”, of which he recorded a total of thirty-plus albums.

  

                            www.blowinsmokeband.com              https://www.facebook.com/blowinsmokeband

Larry "Fuzzy" Knight Interview - Orange County Blues Society

Beyond The Blues Horizon - CD Review (BMans Blues Report)

Live Show Review - Los Angeles Beat

Larry "Fuzzy" Knight Feature - The Argonaut

Spin Doctors Pour A 3-Finger Whiskey Shot with Songs From The Road DVD/CD - Out on June 23rd

Spin Doctors Pour A 3-Finger Whiskey Shot

Offers Fans A Toast With Songs From The Road DVD/CD

Out June 23^rd on the Award-winning Ruf Records Series

“…rocks like a rodeo bull on amphetamines and had my blood pumping from the first few chords. “  - No Depression

Atlanta, GA – Ruf Records recording artist Spin Doctors pay their old blues bar band tab with a June 23^rd release called Songs From The Road, a live DVD/CD out on the label’s award winning series. The ever-popular band from the 90s had radio hits, million plus album sales and a Rolling Stone magazine cover but they always focused on their live performances. Filmed live at Harmonie Club in Bonn, Germany, this was a perfect setting to capture a dynamite set from a band that has made it their business to blow off the roof.

“We get up onstage and we turn it on,” says Spin Doctors vocalist Chris Barron. “We play our hearts out.”

Stop the man on the street and he might tell you the Spin Doctors are the million-selling legends behind hits like “Two Princes” and “Little Miss Can’t Be Wrong”. Ask a longer-term, harder-core fan, though, and they’ll remind you that Chris Barron, Aaron Comess (drums), Eric Schenkman (guitar) and Mark White (bass) came up playing for their lives on the sharp-end of the New York blues circuit.

“Those blues clubs were our bread and butter in the late-’80s,” says Aaron, “and people loved that we stretched out and jammed out.” - Mark White

The NYC scene took no prisoners. As such, when hysteria hit – around the time of 1991’s Pocket Full Of Kryptonite album – the lineup was already a stingingly tight live draw. Over the next quarter-century, fashion moved on, but the Docs’ talent for rocket-fuelling killer original songs onstage has only grown with age. And with 2013’s restorative If The River Was Whiskey album giving their catalogue a blues-flavored adrenalin shot, there’s never been a better time to catch them live. “I think a lot of people might come out and see us based on the hits,” says Aaron. “But then they get there and they’re like, ‘Holy shit, these guys have a whole other thing that I didn’t know about.’”

“Christopher Barron proves to be a funny, crowd-pleasing frontman…” -Allmusic.com

Ruf’s popular Songs For The Road live series has always been driven by the concept of capturing a band as they sound from the front row, and with this latest two-disc CD/DVD release, all the stops were duly pulled out in terms of production. Recorded live at the Harmonie club in Bonn, Germany, on October 17th, 2013, you can almost feel the gust of the speakers, the hot bounce of the crowd and the buzz crackle through the venue as much-loved studio material is twisted into bold new shapes. “Aaron, Eric and Chris are the most amazing improvisers I’ve ever played with in my life,” says Mark. “It’s almost like we’re four jet fighters, and we’ve all got each other’s backs.”

"We just all had the same sense of rhythm, and there was a feeling that it was more than four guys playing," he said. "That always felt like magic.” – Chris Barron to NY Times (2005)

More than production values, though, Songs From The Road is about the songs with the Doctors chasing through a set list that runs the gamut of genre and vintage. Naturally, there’s a healthy slug of Kryptonite-era material (alongside the aforementioned über-hits, look out for early fan favorites like “What Time Is It?” and “Jimmy Olsen’s Blues”). But you’ll also find the track listing rooted squarely in the here-and-now, with Whiskey cuts including “Some Other Man Instead”, “About A Train”, “Scotch And Water Blues” – plus the song that Chris deems the best he’s ever written, “Sweetest Portion”. “Our tunes are not a drag to play live,” notes Eric. “It feels seamless from the stage, like any of the new tunes can sit with any one of the Kryptonite songs. We can do any of them.” 

“Their  sound  hasn’t  aged  a  bit:  it  still  reflects fondness  for  the  honky-tonk  lurch  of  the  Rolling  Stones,  the  psychedelic  reach  of Jimi  Hendrix  and  the  rubberized  funk  of  the  Red  Hot  Chili  Peppers.” – New York Times

So pull up a ringside seat at the rebirth of the Spin Doctors. This is Songs From The Road; no smoke, no mirrors. They come armed with their best material yet, they are still playing for their lives. They are just an honest band; “Some bands, you go and see 25 years later and they’re just up there going through the motions,” says Aaron. “But I think because everybody is so serious about their craft, to me, we sound better than ever. We sound world-class now, I think.”

Stream A Song: “What Time Is It?

https://soundcloud.com/jill-kettles/spin-doctots-what-time-is-it/s-aJQxV

2015 Tour Dates:

5/23/15          Reserve Casino & Hotel                                                   Central City, CO

7/04/15          House Of Blues/Kissimmee Lakefront Park                  Kissimmee, FL

7/24/15          Friday Night Live Series                                                    Rutland, VT 

8/01/15          Fremont Street Experience                                             Las Vegas, NV

8/08/15          FolsomFest in Rodeo Park                                               Folsom, CA

8/21/15          Craft Brew At The Zoo                                                      Powell, OH

9/05/15          Guild Hall                                                                                 East Hampton, NY

Painted Rock Records artist: Amy Hart - Live At The Mayne Stage - New release review

I just received the newest release, Live At The Mayne Stage, from Amy Hart and it a soft and rocky blues performance. Opening with In The Zone, Amy plays guitar and performs lead vocals backed by Wally Hoffmann on bass, PT Gazell on harp, Gene Bush on dobro and Matt McDowell on drums. An easy 12 bar blues format gives Gazell a good format to lay in some real nice harp riffs, Hart to show she has taste and flair on guitar and Bush to slide through a few of his own. Nice opener. Blues At The Top Of The Word opens with some cool slide work from Bush and Hart sits down in the groove vocally. Get Ready has a light taste of back beat under the blues rock feel. Primarily a pop track with a good melody, this track has solid instrumentation with quick riffs from Gazell, Hart and Bush. Put Me Back digs a funkier beat but with a "Crossroads" backbone. An understated slide solo from Bush and a cool solo from Gazell as well are nice compliments to Hart's strongvocal performance. Eased down to a country stroll, Blue Eyed Blues has an easy country swing feel. Gazell and Bush add nicely to the overall cohesive feel of the track. Ribcage has a nice blend of Texas blues and pop. Hoffman's bass line adds nicely to this track with Bush and Gazell creating the icing on Hart's solid vocals. Red Dress Blues has a solid R&B style with an understated Buddy Guy feel. Get The Girls Dancin' has a funky rhythm with slide guitar call and response with Hart's vocals. Bluesy ballad, Even Country Gets The Blues opens with a really syrupy silde intro. Hart takes this opportunity to really showcase her vocals and does a nice job. I particularly like solos from both Gazell and Bush on this track which aren't flashy but fleshy. Congratulations, another track with it's feet in R&B, may be my favorite on the release with just the right amount of beat, bite and blues. Rich Ass Daddy is a country 2 stepper with a bluesy feel. With it's standard 12 bard setup, Bush and Gazell each get their turns up front. Wrapping the release is You Drive Me, a blues rocker. Bush takes a fat slide solo on this track and Hart steps up with a little guitar flash of her own.

 “Like” Bman’s Facebook page. I use Facebook to spread the word about my blog (Now with translation in over 50 languages). I will not hit you with 50 posts a day. I will not relay senseless nonsense. I use it only to draw attention to some of the key posts on my blog each day. In this way I can get out the word on new talent, venues and blues happenings! - click Here Get Facebook support for your favorite band or venue - click HERE

 

VizzTone Label Group artists: The Texas Horns - Blues Gotta Holda Me - New Release review

I just received the newest release (May 19, 2015), Blues Gotta Holda Me, from the Texas Horns and it's a hot one! Mark "Kaz" Kazanoff, John Mills and Al Gomez kick out the windows on opener track Soul Strut, a cool shuffle just pumped with fat sax work and trumpet highlights. An instrumental track, this one has a great groove and despite the press, features really cool guitar work from guitar wizard Anson Funderburgh. Next up is Go On Fool with it's New Orleans strut. Marcia Ball leads the way on piano and vocal. Thirties track, You're Driving Me Crazy, features Kaz on vocals and huge swing style horn solos from Kaz, Al and John. Nick Connolly on piano and Roscoe Beck on bass round out the band. They ain't playing around! Straight up, horns in your face rock on Kick Me Again features a great thick bari solo from Mills as well as Derek O'Brien with a ripping guitar solo and Danny Levin on piano. W.C. Clark takes front and center vocals on shuffle track, Cold Blooded Lover. Rich horn work envelopes this track but O'Brien on guitar and Kaz on harp do rips some really nice solos as well. Percy Mayfield's Lost Mind lays back in the groove featuring Kaz on vocals. Kaz lays out a real sweet tenor solo and Gomez works the mute really nicely on his trumpet with a sassy solo of his own. Earl King's Sing, Sing, Sing again visits the New Orleans flavor and this time with more of a Dixieland approach. Barry "Frosty" Smith's drumming on this track really gives it the extra punch. Kaz lays down a nice tenor solo and Connolly rolls the piano down the road like he owns it. Hot charger Rippin' and Trippin' is a horn mans delight. These guys really do rip it on this track with a featured solo by Kaz on tenor backed by Danny Levin on piano and Ronnie James on bass. Title track, Blues Gotta Holda Me is a real rock and roller with Kaz on vocal leading the way chased by the entire horn section. Johnny Nicholas hammers out a great piano solo and Gomez and Kaz each rip great lines of their own. Curtis Mayfield's People Get Ready shows a healthy blend of horn work with Mills on bari, Gomez on trumpet, and Kaz on tenor all taking sweet solos. Roscoe's bass solo is a particularly pleasant surprise as well. Fleecie Moore's Caldonia plays right into the hands of a band with this kind of horsepower. Kaz takes the vocal lead with strong piano backing from Connolly. Gomez on trumpet, Mills on Bari and kaz on tenor all take righteous solos making this one of the hottest tracks on the release. Breaking back to some southern soul, Home Cooking sounds just like the title. You can smell it on the stove simmering. The horns balanced nicely against Connolly on B3 this track grooves. Kaz steps up with a tenor solo followed by Gomez on trumpet and Mills on tenor. Smokin'! Wrapping the release is beach blanket rocking Spanky's Twist. These guys drive it home on this track with a great solo from Connolly on B3, Kaz on tenor, O'Brien on guitar, Miulls on bari and Gomez on trumpet. Excellent conclusion to a horn soaked extravaganza!

 “Like” Bman’s Facebook page. I use Facebook to spread the word about my blog (Now with translation in over 50 languages). I will not hit you with 50 posts a day. I will not relay senseless nonsense. I use it only to draw attention to some of the key posts on my blog each day. In this way I can get out the word on new talent, venues and blues happenings! - click Here Get Facebook support for your favorite band or venue - click HERE

Sorry , could not find an appropriate video. here's Kaz.

Yonder Mountain String Band Announces New Band Member Line-Up!

Yonder Mountain String Band
Announces New Band Member Line-Up Featuring
Violinist Allie Kral and Mandolinist Jacob Jolliff

Boulder, CO -- Tuesday, May 12, 2015 -- Embarking on the June 16, 2015 release of their latest full-length studio album, Black Sheep (Frog Pad Records), Yonder Mountain String Band (YMSB) officially announces today its new band member line-up moving forward, which features the additions of violinist Allie Kral and mandolin virtuoso Jacob Jolliff. Joining founding members Adam Aijala (guitar, vocals), Dave Johnston (banjo, vocals) and Ben Kaufmann (bass, vocals), Kral and Jolliff have been touring with YMSB over the past year and appear on Black Sheep. Black Sheep marks the first time in Yonder's history that they're utilizing, throughout an entire record, the conventional five-piece instrumental arsenal of bluegrass introduced in the 1940s: guitar, mandolin, banjo, fiddle and bass. YMSB is available for interviews upon request.

Jolliff is an award-winning mandolinist (First Place, The National Mandolin Championship 2012, Walnut Valley Festival, Winfield, KS), and was a longtime member of the Americana band, Joy Kills Sorrow. He's performed with many of today's most distinguished mandolin players, including Ronnie McCoury, Chris Thile, Sam Bush, and David Grisman. Kral is well-known as the former fiddle player for Cornmeal (2003 - 2013), and she's worked alongside various notable artists such as Warren Haynes, moe., and Railroad Earth. With the addition of these two standout musicians, YMSB sets forth on its new path of re-exhibiting itself and broadening its parameters.

"Just months ago, we were playing music for the first time together," says Allie Kral. "We were getting to know one another and 'testing the waters' so to speak. What we found was that we have the dedication and the drive to practice all day long, the hearts to hang out together as friends, and the souls to play together on that stage. I'm equally blessed and humbled to become a member of Yonder Mountain String Band, and forever a Kinfolk."

Jacob Jolliff adds, "It's been such an honor and a privilege to perform with Yonder Mountain String Band for the last year. I'm so grateful to the band for the opportunity, and to the fans for being so welcoming. I'm excited to continue to spend time with these great people, and push each other to make better and better music!"

"Playing with Jake and Allie, working with them in the studio, and traveling with them has been a real blast," says Dave Johnston. "I couldn't have anticipated how they have simultaneously provided a host of great possibilities and potential for Yonder Mountain while at the same time fitting in with our vibe. They are truly part of our Yonder family and I welcome the days to come."

It's apparent that Black Sheep is the work of a new Yonder Mountain String Band. While it's immediately recognizable as YMSB music, there's undeniably a raw aesthetic to the studio tracks -- a sense of daring is embedded in both the instrumental interaction between these five singular musicians and in the lyrical content of each song. With the band's 17th anniversary coming this summer, YMSB continues to redefine bluegrass music as they expand the traditional acoustic genre beyond its previously established boundaries by steadily pushing the envelope into the realms of rock n' roll and improvisation.

Commencing in May 2015 and running throughout the rest of the year, YMSB performs at premier music festivals and venues, including Dear Jerry: Celebrating the Music of Jerry Garcia (May 14: Merriweather Post Pavilion, Columbia, MD), Summer Camp Festival (May 22 - 24: Chillicothe, IL), Rooster Walk Music & Arts Festival (May 23: Axton, VA), Blue Ox Festival (June 11 - 13: Eau Claire, WI), Telluride Bluegrass Festival (June 17 - 20: Telluride, CO), Electric Forest (June 28: Rothbury, MI), Brooklyn Bowl (July 7: Brooklyn, NY), All Good Music Festival (July 11: Summit Point, WV), Mountain Sol Festival (July 12: Felton, CA), Northwest String Summit (July 16 - 19: North Plains, OR), Hinterland Music Festival (August 1: Des Moines, IA), Red Rocks Amphitheatre (August 21: Morrison, CO), Hangtown Halloween (October 22 - 24: Placerville, CA), Strings & Sol (Dec. 10 - 14: Puerto Morelos, Mexico), and many others!

House Concert, Festival, Blues Club

Earlier this month, Marc and I attended the Blues Music Awards in Memphis, TN.  We had a wonderful time catching up with old friends and making new ones.  We visited Stax Museum and the National Civil Rights Museum, peeked inside the new Blues Hall of Fame, and the highlight of my trip was singing with EG Kight and her wonderful band at the BMA's, what a thrill.  Also that week, I reconnected with a good pal, Jesse Finkelstein of Blues Radio International. Here's a video clip of a recording with BRI: HERE    Upcoming Shows and Events Friday, May 15 @ 7pm 4th Floor Blues Club 923 N. E. Street Richmond Indiana (765) 966-3614 or 800-966-3614 Price: $15 Lisa opens for Jeffrey Smith Hypnotist - - - - - - - - - - - -  May 22-24 Fur Peace Ranch  Guitar Camp with Jorma Kaukonan & Guy Davis - - - - - - - - - - - -  Saturday, May 30th Oxford Wine, Art, &  Food Fest  Uptown in the Park.  Schedule of Events: 2-3:15 Serenity Fisher & The Cardboard Hearts w/ Michael G Ronstadt 3:30-5pm Anachrorhythms w/Frank Fitch 5:15-6:30 Wing Walkers w/Doug Hamilton 6:45-8pm Flawless w/Dawn Boson 8:30-10pm Lisa Biales "Belle of the Blues" Band w/Bill Littleford, Noah Cope, Dave Mackey  Find out more:  HERE - - - - - - - - - - - -  Wednesday, June 24th from 7-9pm Lisa Biales Band Hump Day Concert Series at the Gazenbo @Voice of America Metro Parks 7850 VOA Metro Park Drive West Chester, OH Free, bring a lawn chair or blanket. If it rains, we'll be in the lodge by the gazebo. - - - - - - - - - - - -  Saturday, June 27  Big Song Music House Presents! Ronstadt Generations Doors open at 7pm for potluck and mingling.  $20 donation gets you in the door. Seating is limited.  Check out a tune we recorded together: HERE Please reply to this email to save yourself a seat! - - - - - - - - - - - -  Thursday, July 30 from 7-9:30pm  Oxford Summer Music Festival Lisa Biales "Belle of the Blues Band" Bring a lawn chair and enjoy Oxford's long tradition of  Thursday night music in the uptown park.

Cream boxed set to be released on heavyweight vinyl / May 18 on USM

Cream Albums To Be Re-Released In Full 180gm Heavyweight Vinyl Boxed-Set

May 18th On USM



USM are pleased to announce the release of the band's complete studio and live albums between 1966 - 1972.

Cream were a 1960s British Rock Supergroup Power Trio consisting of bassist/singer Jack Bruce, drummer Ginger Baker, and guitarist/singer Eric Clapton. Their sound was characterised by a hybrid of blues rock, hard rock and psychedelic rock, combining psychedelia-themed lyrics, Eric Clapton's blues guitar playing, Jack Bruce's operatice voice and prominent bass playing and Ginger Baker's jazz-influenced drumming.

Cream's music included songs based on traditional blues such as "Crossroads" and "Spoonful", and modern blues such as "Born Under a Bad Sign", as well as more eccentric songs such as "Strange Brew", "Tales Of Brave Ulysses" and "Toad". Their third album (included in this set), Wheels of Fire, was the world's first platinum-selling double album.

The full set includes "Fresh Cream" (1LP), "Disraeli Gears" (1LP), "Wheels Of Fire" (2LP), "Goodbye" (1LP), and live albums "Live Cream" (1LP), and "Live Cream Volume II" (1LP).

Larry Campbell & Teresa Williams announce headlining tour + 2-month Jackson Browne run

LARRY CAMPBELL AND TERESA WILLIAMS ANNOUNCE HEADLINING TOUR AND TWO-MONTH RUN WITH JACKSON BROWNE Jackson Browne: "I'm thrilled to be touring with... these longtime favorites of mine. We played together at Levon Helm's Midnight Ramble a few years ago, and I've been waiting for the chance to play with them again ever since." Emmylou Harris: "Transcendent" Self-titled debut out June 23 on Red House  After decades of marriage and seven years working closely with Levon Helm, Grammy-winning producer Larry Campbell and his wife, singer Teresa Williams, will be releasing their eponymous debut album on June 23 on Red House.  Emmylou Harris recently said of the duo, "The music Larry and Teresa make when they sing together is truly transcendent." And Larry and Teresa will bring that music on the road with a headlining tour in July that includes dates in Chicago (7/15) and Nashville (7/22-23), followed by a two-month run with Jackson Browne in the fall, both as the opening act and playing in his band. These tours come in addition to the couple's already-announced NYC show on May 18 at City Winery and run with Hot Tuna in July. See complete dates below. The album is available for pre-order now HERE. The Wall Street Journal praised the "vintage Muscle Shoals groove" of the couple's debut album (out June 23) last month. Listen to opening track "Surrender to Love" here:http://on.wsj.com/1xyRU5a Peer Praise for 'Larry Campbell and Teresa Williams':"The music Larry and Teresa make when they sing together is truly transcendent, with the blend of their voices on songs that are always deeply moving." – Emmylou Harris "Larry Campbell is like a musical iceberg. Not that he's cold in any way at all. He's as hot a player as anyone walking. It's just that the magnitude of his musicianship is not on view all at the same time. Most of it is out of sight until he decides to do something else. The songs that he does with his wife Teresa are beautiful. If there is anything missing in what he brings, she supplies it. She's a rare talent. I'm sorry, but I just can't put into words how I feel about what they do." - David Bromberg "There is a feeling of being amongst friends that share a love for the heritage of great music. Larry and Teresa embody all that is natural and heartfelt. They sing with a passion that is at once timeless and fresh. They own this music and have an obvious deep respect for the roots from which it came." - Bill Payne (Little Feat) Larry Campbell and Teresa Williams Tour Dates:* w/ Hot Tuna ! w/ Jackson Browne 5/18 - New York, NY @ City Winery 6/06-7 - Hunter, NY @ Mountain Jam Fest 6/12 - Marlboro, NY @ Falcon 6/13 - Amagansett, NY @ Stephen Talkhouse 6/26 - Saratoga Springs, NY @ Caffe Lena 6/27 - Katonah, NY @ Caramoor Roots Fest 7/10 - Plymouth, NH @ Flying Monkey * 7/11 - Beverly, MA @ Cabot Theater * 7/12 - Truro, MA @ Payomet PAC * 7/15 - Evanston, IL @ The Space 7/16 - Milwaukee, WI @ Shank Hall 7/17 - Madison, WI @ High Noon Saloon 7/18 - Minneapolis, MN @ Cedar Center 7/19 - Cedar Rapids, IA @ CSPS 7/21 - St Louis, MO @ Off Broadway 7/22 - Nashville, TN @ Music City Roots 7/23 - Nashville, TN @ City Winery 7/24 - Asheville, NC @ Grey Eagle 7/25 – Raleigh, NC @ Southland Ballroom 7/26 – Charleston, WV @ Mountain Stage 9/05 - Highland Park, IL @ Ravina Festival ! 9/06 - Rochester Hills, MI@ Meadow Brook Music Festival ! 9/10-15 – Arlington, VA @ Lockn' Festival 9/15 - Port Chester, NY @ The Capitol Theatre ! 9/16 - Port Chester, NY @ The Capitol Theatre ! 9/18 - Boston, MA @ Blue Hills Bank Pavilion ! 9/19 - Bethel, NY @ Bethel Woods Center for the Arts ! 9/21 - Red Bank, NJ @ Count Basie Theatre ! 9/22 - Red Bank, NJ @ Count Basie Theatre ! 9/24 - Morristown, NJ @ Mayo Performing Arts Center ! 9/25 - Brooklyn, NY @ Kings Theatre ! 9/27 - Reading, PA @ Santander Performing Arts Center ! 10/07 - Durham, NC @ Durham PAC ! 10/08 - Greenville, SC @ Peace Center ! 10/10 - Atlanta, GA @ Chastain ! 10/11 - Nashville, TN @ Riverfront Amphitheater ! 10/14 - Birmingham, AL @ Alabama Theatre ! 10/15 - New Orleans, LA @ Saenger Theatre ! 10/17 - Rogers, AR @ Walmart Amphitheater ! 10/18 - Tulsa, OK @ Brady Theatre ! 10/20 - San Antonio, TX @ Majestic Theatre ! 10/21 - Austin, TX @ Bass Concert Hall ! 10/23 - Houston, TX @ Bayou Theatre ! 10/24 - Thackerville, OK @ Winstar Casino ! 10/27 - Tucson, AZ @ Music Hall! 10/28 - Phoenix, AZ @ Arizona State Fair !