Bman's Blues Report

I just received the newest release, Bluesin' Around , from Donald Ray Johnson and Gas Blues Band and it's a different approach to the blues. Opening with BB King track, Bad Luck , Donald Ray Johnson gets the shuffle going leading on vocals and joined by Gaspard Ossikian on guitar, Pierre Cayla on guitar, Philippe Scemama on bass and Yannick Urbani on drums. The solid horn work of Samuel Dumont on sax and Nicolas Gardel on trumpet add to the original King feel and Daniel Antoine on Hammond super charges it. Joe Louis Walker's Bluesifyin' is up next and Johnson hit's his stride on vocals. With firm bass work by Scemama and tight guitar riffs from Gas and Cayla, this track hits the mark. Willie Dixon's Ain't Superstitious gets a cool remake with a rolling bass riff and altered guitar riff. This is one of my favorite tracks on the release clean guitar riffs and blues intentions. Philip Walker's Ninety Proof is a super slow blues with horn backing. An...

BUTCH TRUCKS AND THE FREIGHT TRAIN LAUNCH SECOND ANNUAL HOLIDAY TOUR; FEATURING FOUNDING ALLMAN BROTHERS' DRUMMER, BUTCH TRUCKS; HIGH-PROFILE BANDMATES DAMON FOWLER, BUTCH KATZ, MATT WALKER, GARRETT DAWSON, & HEATHER GILLIS, ROUND OUT GROUP  Perform Locally: TERRA FERMATA - Tuesday, December 27        (Stuart, FL) - Butch Trucks , founding member of legendary Southern rock band the Allman Brothers, launches his Second Annual Holiday Tour with Butch Trucks and The Freight Train , with a show at Terra Fermata , 26 SE 6th St., Tuesday, December 27. Showtime: 9:00 pm; Tickets: $25.00. Info: (772) 286-5252 or http://terrafermata.com /. Complete Itinerary at bottom.                                       ...

Blues Legend Popa Chubby Releases New Album “The Catfish” Popa Chubby Is The Catfish.  Popa Chubby sits alone at the river's edge, guitar in hand he serenades the waters knowing if the song is sweet and the wind is right The Catfish will bite. Music is the bait, music is the water of life and Popa Chubby swims deeply in the swelling tides. Popa Chubby Is The Catfish. But Who Is The Catfish?  The road is long and goes on forever, the minnows and guppies must bow to the big fish. His guitar strings are the line that reaches to the deepest part of the soul. Many rivers to cross, the Catfish knows he is the boss. The king! Le Roi! The Mac Daddy! Fat, elusive, badass, too smart for the nets of those who would try to label him. The songs, stronger then ever, paint pictures , tell stories, of love, of life, of women and of the world. The music soaring to new heights. Fearless, brave, loud.  Says Popa Chubby, “This recording is dedicated to you. You inspir...

THREE-TIME GRAMMY NOMINEE RUTHIE FOSTER TRANSFORMS SORROW INTO CAREER-DEFINING SOUL/BLUES/GOSPEL/ROCK OPUS JOY COMES BACK , RELEASING MARCH 24 ON BLUE CORN MUSIC Derek Trucks, Willie Weeks, Joe Vitale, Warren Hood among guests on songs by Chris Stapleton, Mississippi John Hurt, Stevie Wonder and even Black Sabbath AUSTIN, Texas — In the tightknit musical community of Austin, Texas, it’s tough to get away with posturing. You either bring it, or you don’t. If you do, word gets around. Praises are sung. And one day, you find yourself duetting with Bonnie Raitt, or standing onstage with the Allman Brothers at New York’s Beacon Theater and trading verses with Susan Tedeschi. You might even wind up getting n...

Roots Singer/Guitarist Beth Garner Slithers the Blues on New CD, Snake Farm , Coming Feb. 24 on The Music of Nashville Label, Via CEN/RED Distribution NASHVILLE, TN – Nashville-based roots singer/guitarist Beth Garner announces a February 24 release date for her new CD, Snake Farm , on The Music of Nashville imprint, via CEN/RED Distribution, a division of Sony Music. Snake Farm features mostly original songs written or co-written by Beth Garner, with the exception of the title track, authored by Texas country legend Ray Wylie Hubbard. Beth Garner’s music on the new album showcases her soulful singing, with its roots firmly in blues, gospel and soul with rock ‘n roll flourishes, as well as her scintillating axe work that alternately smokes and sizzles on standard and slide guitar. Recorded mostly live at Slack Key Studios in Woodbine, Tennessee, Snake Farm was produced by Garner and Randy Kohrs. The backing band features Rory Hoffman (sax, keyboards and rhythm guit...

Run Begins In Johnson’s Home Town Of Austin, Texas on January 15 Austin, TX – Eric Johnson will hit the road next month in support of his first acoustic solo album titled  EJ .  Thirty years after his breakthrough solo release 'Tones' brought him national recognition, the new release showcases nine original compositions and four covers.  Johnson shares, "Ever since I was young, I've played piano and acoustic guitar in my private life.  This type of music has always been a part of me, but I never showcased it on any kind of bigger level, like a full acoustic record. With EJ, I just decided to be more honest with myself and everybody, and show more of my personal side."   Johnson, long known for his painstaking approach to making records, used a much more immediate attack for the self-produced EJ. "Almost all of that material was cut live," Johnson explains. "Some of the songs I actually sang and played at the same time - just live in the st...

ELVIN BISHOP'S BIG FUN TRIO SET FOR FEBRUARY 10 RELEASE Deceptively loose but always tight…the raspy chuckle in Bishop’s singing and the sharp sting of his guitar are forceful and fresh, enduring and fun.     --Fresh Air, NPR I love these guys; Bob and Willy are great musicians. With a trio there’s no place to hide – you’ve got to be pourin’ everything you got right out front, totally goin’ for it all the time. If you’ve got some real good musicians who are willing and able to do that, you’ve got something that will move people. And it’s fun!     --Elvin Bishop Rock And Roll Hall Of Famer and blues master Elvin Bishop – along with his friends, guitarist/pianist Bob Welsh and percussionist/vocalist Willy Jordan – unleashes his latest musical mixture,  Elvin Bishop's Big Fun Trio (AL 4973) on Friday, February 10, 2017. Bishop told The San Jose Mercury News , “Every time I pick up the guitar, something ne...