Trance Blues Festival artist: Otis Taylor - Fantasizing About Being Black - New Release Review

I just had the opportunity to review the most recent release, Fantasizing About Being Black, by Otis Taylor and it is his most interesting, innovative and creative release to date. Opening with Twelve String Mile, Taylor is joined by Jerry Douglas on lap guitar, Larry Thompson on drums, Todd Edmunds and Ron Miles on cornet to create a fusion of Mali blues and jazz. This is a really cool woven tapestry of sounds and colors that has a familiarity yet a uniqueness. Another track with free fusion feel, Walk On Water has a driving folk groove but a loose jazziness creating mystery. Very cool. With a mystical overtone, Hands On Your Stomach is a driving rocker with vocal phrasing like John Lee Hooker. Brandon Niederauer creates a terrific electric wall in balance with Taylor's unsettling vocals. With a really cool groove, Jump Jelly Belly tells the tale of General Jack Watson and his cargo load. Just wild. Flat out in your face blues, Tripping On This, features Taylor on electric banjo and shows just how deep today's blues can be and maintain continuity. Excellent! Another super blues track with contemporary form is Jump Out Of Line. Taylor has a cool, natural delivery giving the track freedom. Wrapping the release is Jump To Mexico, a sensitive ballad featuring beautiful lap work by Douglas. A super conclusion to a really special 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”

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Proper Records artist: Chilli Willi and the Red Hot Peppers - Real Sharp - New Release review

I just had the opportunity to review the most recent release, Real Sharp - A Thrilling 2 CD Anthology, from Chilli Willi and the Red Hot Peppers and it's a cool blend of country, rock, folk and blues. If you haven't heard of Chili Willi, you may be in for a real treat. The band was at the forefront of bridging all of these genres of music with sounds of Eagles, Dead, New Grass Revival, Gram Parsons, Flying Burritos, Asleep At The Wheel, Old And In The Way and many others, this band really has it. This release contains all of the music from King of the Robot Rhythm, Bongos Over Balham, I'll Be Home plus previously unreleased recording of Papa and Mama Had Love. Also included are 24 pages of liner notes, photos and unique artwork. The Ballad Of Chilli Willi is a super bluegrass track showcasing the instrumental talents of Phillip Snake Finger Lithman on guitar, fiddle, mandolin and vocal and Martin Stone on guitar and vocal this track is perfect new bluegrass. Drunken Sunken Redneck Blues is a cool folk blues in the vein of the Dead. With a twist of humor and backed by Nick Lowe on bass and Billy Rankin on drums, this track is pure. On traditional track Get Your Gauge Up Let Your Love Come Down is really solid blues in the style of Memphis Minnie. Happy You has the vocal blending and sorrowful sound of pure country. A Page In History has a more modern approach and could easily have been cut yesterday. It may be one of my favorite tracks on the release with strong vocals and lead bass lines with a melody not unlike the Band.  Truck Drivin' Girl is a cool bluegrass rocker. This track is a lot of fun with Lithman and Stone blending nicely. Choo-Coo Ch' Boogie gets a real nice ride with plenty of swing and lap steel. Very cool! Breathe A Little has a cool jazz component with that 40's flare. Snappy guitar riffs by Lithman really stand out on this one. We Get Along really has that country/rock folk sound that was the trademark of the Dead for so many years.  Traditional track, Just Like The Devil is a great R&B track with smoking vocals. With it's boogie beat and Paul Riley's bass line, this is another of my release favorites. A strong country vein and blended vocals makes for a really memorable track in I'll Be Home with slick lap steep work by Lithman. A straight up cover of Robert Johnson's Walkin' Blues is cool with it's rock edge and powerful harp by Will Stallibrass. A high strung rendition of Six Days On The Road shows the diesel power that was this band. Very cool. Pinball Boogie has great style and with swinging vocals and lap steel, is really cooking. Wrapping the release is Johnny Guitar Watson Posin' Yeah, a real time stamp for R&B. This track is so cool it's frosty. A super way to close a cool 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”

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Banditos announce new album + premiere new single "Fine Fine Day"

BANDITOS ANNOUNCE NEW ALBUM VISIONLAND + PREMIERE NEW SONG “FINE FINE DAY” +ALBUM AVAILABLE FOR PRE-ORDER +PLUS, BAND ANNOUNCES SXSW SHOWS

For much of the last two years, the Banditos have been on the road, relentlessly showcasing their critically acclaimed 2015 self-titled debut album. In late 2016, the six bandmates hunkered down at Plum Creek Sound Studios and democratically poured out sonic influences and emotionally charged personal experiences for their new album Visionland. The pre-order link is here: https://www.bloodshotrecords.com/album/visionland In celebration of the announcement, Banditos have launched the album’s first single “Fine Fine Day”: https://soundcloud.com/bshq/fine-fine-day-by-banditos Produced by Israel Nash and Ted Young, the Birmingham/Nashville-based group’s second full-length - out on June 23 - has one foot firmly planted in reality as the other tip-toes in and out of mental complexities, self-perception and altered-state illusions. The results are revealing, exhilarating and profound. The album-titled track reveals these defining, cohesive thematic intricacies. “Visionland” is named after the defunct $60 million theme park that was built in the late ‘90s near some of the band members’ childhood homes in Bessemer, Alabama. The park was shut down after only five years and the schizophrenic glimmer of hope it offered local residents connects to a greater overlying optimism for life present at the album’s core, an eerily relevant theme in contemporary complex times. Jeff Salter’s sweeping guitar strums swell at the song’s intro, lifting through the murky haze into the warm and sunny clarity of a duet between singer Mary Beth Richardson and singer/guitarist Corey Parsons. Banditos will be performing music from Visionland all over Austin at this week’s SXSW: https://www.bloodshotrecords.com/tours-events/8827 The members of Banditos first met playing in various punk and rock ‘n’ roll projects around Birmingham at D.I.Y., all-ages venues. In 2010, Parsons and Stephen Pierce (banjo/vocals) began busking around town and were soon asked to perform at their favorite local bar. Without a full band they invited friends Randy Wade (drums), Salter (guitar), and Richardson to join them. Danny Vines (bass) joined the band later. The group has been praised by NPR (“Three vocalists, a wicked guitarist who also plays pedal steel, a banjo, an upright bass and a hot-footed drummer guarantee that every song they play is stuffed with crazy rhythms and melodic energy.”), Rolling Stone (“Equal parts alt-country twang and garage rock bang...recalling everything from ZZ Top's greasy boogie to the Alabama Shakes' coed soul”), and Garden & Gun (“These six keyed-up twentysomethings mix a hodgepodge of sounds. Sometimes it’s barroom country backed by a rogue kazoo, and other times it’s a chicken-picking version of slow-burning soul behind the Janis Joplin–esque wail of Mary Beth Richardson”). They have performed across the world supporting acts like St. Paul and the Broken Bones, Blackberry Smoke and Old 97’s, and notably at prominent events like Newport Folk Festival, Hangout Fest, and Rachael Ray’s Feedback.

Brody Buster Wins 2017 IBC "Best Harmonica Player"

BRODY BUSTER WINS "BEST HARMONICA PLAYER" AT 2017 IBC, FINISHES SECOND IN "BEST SOLO/DUO" CATEGORY

(FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE) - Brody Buster took home "Best Harmonica Player" at the 2017 IBC (International Blues Challenge) on February 4 at the Orpheum Theatre in Memphis, TN, beating out a very competitive field of talented music acts. The Lawrence, KS resident, who fronts Brody Buster's One Man Band as well as the Brody Buster Trio, also won second place in the "Best Solo/Duo" category at the IBC, where he was representing the Kansas City Blues Society.     "Winning best harmonica player is great, but winning second place in the solo/duo category is also important to me," states Buster. "I have been playing harmonica my whole life but for to place second in solo act category is huge for me because I have only been doing this One Man Band thing for about three years. My guitar playing and my drumming have come along way in three years. I think winning these awards will help my career, but more than anything I think winning these awards validated all the hype from when I was a kid, 'I am no longer a novelty sideshow oh wow look at this kid' act. Now I am appreciated among real musicians, and after doing this for twenty-five years it feels good!". Brody Buster - Some Background   Brody Buster's unique and extensive experiences in the music industry have been a bit of awhirlwind, to say the least. As a tow-headed 9 year old, Buster was heralded by Blues legend BB King – who made the pronouncement after pulling Buster onstage during the midst of a full house at a sold out concert- as “one of the greatest harmonica players of our time, despite his age, believe it or not.”  ​   Since those days of sitting in with BB King and appearing on Entertainment Tonight and The Tonight Show with Jay Leno as a young phenomenon, Brody has grown into a formidable front man, band leader and songwriter in his own right. Over the past few years, since forming The Brody Buster Band, his continued development as a vocalist, guitarist and writer have earned him his deserved, and still growing reputation as one of Kansas City's “Can’t Miss” live acts.   Brody traveled to the International Blues Competition in Memphis this February 2017, as Brody Buster's One-Man Band, representing the Kansas City Blues Society after sweeping through the local blues qualifying competitions to earn the crown of Kansas City’s representative in the solo/duo category. He went on to capture first place in the "Best Harmonica Player" competition while finishing as the runner-up in the "Best Solo/Duo" category, resulting in recent multiple offers to perform at Blues festivals throughout the U.S.     Brody Buster’s One Man Band performs regularly around the Kansas City Metro vicinity, with weekly residences at The Westport Saloon, The Inter Continental Hotel, and The Brick- in addition to a monthly show at The Jazz. The Brody Buster Band also continues to play shows both locally and regionally. ​   The Brody Buster Band are a hard-charging blues rock trio consisting of Jimmy Lacy on bass, Colby Earleywine on drums, and Brody Buster on guitar, harmonica and vocals. They burst onto the Kansas City blues and rock scene in 2011 with their full band release of originals on Will Die Young, (October 2011). Together with last year’s release of his Brody Buster’s One Man Band, (March 2016), Buster has evolved as much as his music, growing into a cutting-edge, relevant and ascendant solo and ensemble act, with an unlimited future ahead.              Brody Buster's One Man Band Wins "Best Harmonica Player" at 2017 IBC Finals

The Music of Nashville artist: Beth Garner - Snake Farm - New Release review

I just had the opportunity to review the most recent release, Snake Farm, from Beth Garner and it's a cool blues rocker. Opening with cool, funk laden blues track, Alright By Me (Mr. Fisher), Beth Garner shows influences of gospel, rock, funk, blues and soul at least with a terrific track. Playing lush lead and slide as well as lead vocals, Garner is a talented young lady. With Wes Little on snappy drums, Rory Hoffman on bari sax, Steve Forrest on bass and Angela Primm and Gale Mayes on backing vocals, this is a tight unit. Very nice! Backroads Freddie has a gravely throaty ZZ Top like droning guitar rhythm growl. With a lively drum part and solid bass work, Garner riffs away with some nice Texas style guitar blues lead.  Drop Down has deep roots in delta blues with lead vocal/guitar duet and rich backing vocals. Elmore James influenced track, Used To Be is the hot blues rocker on the track with some of Garner's best vocals and hot slide work. With a tight bottom this track sails. Ramblin' Man has an exceptional bass line, a James Brown like drum snap and Dickey Betts like slide riffs. Yeah, this track is a mover. Title track, Snake Farm, was written by Ray Wylie Hubbard and has a swampy feel with nice guitar overtones. I really like Forrest's cool bass work, the over the top drumming of Little and really casual spoken lyric pace or Garner. Very cool actually! Wrapping the release is Wish I Was, a solid blues rocker with a blend of Muddy Waters and Junior Wells rolled into a modern theme. Garner takes this driving rocker right down the middle of blues highway with a fat slide lead and and a Stevie Wonder pace. Nice conclusion to a really nice 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”

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Big Bill Morganfield - Bloodstains On The Wall - New Release Review

I just had the opportunity to review the most recent release, Bloodstains On The Wall from Big Bill Morganfield and it's outstanding! Opening with a solid Muddy like track, Lost Without Love, shows deep soul and excellent vocals with nice guitar riffs by Morganfield, Colin Linden, Chuck Cotton, Eddie Taylor Jr,  bass by Bill "Mookie" Brill, and drums by Grant Clifton. On Willie Dixon track, I Don't Know Why, Steve Guyger adds real nice harp work and Bob Margolin tips in on guitar. Barton Szopinski really dazzles the keyboards on When You Lose Someone You Love, and Big Bill's slide work is raw and rowdy. Excellent! Boogie track, Help Someone really rolls again with the piano strength of Szopinski and the Mofo Party Band on backing especially John Clifton on harp and Grant Clifton on bass. Nice! Another slow and rudimentary blues right out of the Mud catalog is title track, Blood Stains On The Wall. Augie Meyers sits in on piano with Taylor, Linden and Cotton on guitar, Doc Malone on harp and Brill on bass. Willie Dixon's I Am The Blues is another favorite on the release featuring a brilliant guitar solo Bill Clifton and dazzling and super piano work by Szopinski. With a big strut, Jimmy McCracklin's Help The Bear rolls in with Szopinski on piano and John Clifton on harp. Super nice. Wrapping the release is Hold Me Baby, a really eccentric track that is so perfect a conclusion of this release. It not only has all of the components on early blues but has modern sounds that I have a difficult time describing. It is a really cool track and a great closer.

  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”

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Thornetta Davis - Honest Woman - New Release Review

I just had the opportunity to review the most recent release, Honest Woman, from Thornetta Davis, and it is a fine mix of blues, R&B, soul, gospel, country and rock. Opening with I Gotta Sang The Blues, Thornetta Davis shows strong blues influences in this R&B rolling number with Kim Wilson on harp, Brett Lucas on guitar, James Simonson on bass, Phillip J Hale on keys and Todd Glass on drums. With a cool uptown blues feel, That Don't Appease Me has super guitar vamps and backing vocals under Davis' solid lead. With a funky feel, Set Me Free has a super bass line by Kerry Clark and stinging guitar soloing by Larry McCray over drumming by Steve McCray. One of my favorite tracks on the release this track not only features some of my favorite lead vocals but also rich backing vocals by Alvin Waddles, Lori Waddles, Kiara Thomas, Kevin Stewart, Chandra Lewis, Amani Henry and Diana L Davis. With a cool New Orleans swing, I Need A Whole Lotta Lovin To Satisfy Me, has a super feel and Davis' vocals are top notch. Trumpet by James O'Donnell and trombone by John Paxton add flavor and the drum work by Glass, percussion by James Anderson and nice keys by Phillip J Hale add a lot of spice. Soulful, I'd Rather Be Alone draws from Davis' soul and has real gospel feel. Lucas sets off with a crisp guitar solo punctuating a really nice track. On I Believe  (Everything Gonna Be Alright), Davis blends R&B, country and blues for a cool track with backing full vocals by Kennie Byrum, Carl Porter and Rodger Sims and nice slide work by Lucas.  On Sister Friends Indeed, Davis parlays a boogie beat into a delta style blues track fusion. Very cool. With big band like swing and gospel roots, Get Up And Dance Away Your Blues is another of my favorites with big time feel. Paul Carey adds a nice guitar solo and Marcus Belgrave's trumpet work adds a great top to the overall super vocals on this track. Funky Johnny Guitar Watson styling blended with modern neo soul vocals make this one of the best tracks on the release. Horn work including sax work by Dave McMurray and trumpet work by John Douglas really gives the track extra warmth and gives Lucas' guitar work more sting. Very nice. Title track, Honest Woman, has all of the components for a super radio track. With it's solid vocals, warm melody and tight instrumentals it should see cross playing across genres.  Wrapping the release is Feels Like Religion, a driving funky rocker with a plucky bass line by Simonson and with Stevie Wonder like tempo, this track with it's hot guitar solo by Lucas, keys by Haile and gospel like backing vocals by Crystal Matthews, Andre Delano, Diane Marie Mathis, Anna Wilhelm, Lynnette Smith, Juliaette Hamilton and Davis raises the roof!

  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”

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DEEP-SOUL ACT DURAND JONES & THE INDICATIONS PERFORM 6 SXSW SHOWS NEXT WEEK!

DURAND JONES & THE INDICATIONS' MAKE A CHANGE TOUR ARRIVES IN AUSTIN NEXT WEEK FOR 6 SXSW SHOWS AND MAKES AN EARLY APPEARANCE IN TOWN THIS SAT. FOR AN ANTONE'S SHOW WITH ALOE BLACC & WHITNEY!

CLICK HERE TO CHECK OUT DURAND JONES & THE INDICATIONS' "MAKE A CHANGE" VIDEO

"Back in July when Durand Jones & The Indications debut album was released, we had no idea what the world would think,” explains Terry Cole from Colemine Records. "After all, the record, albeit finely crafted, was conceived in a dingy Indiana basement on a shoestring budget of 452 dollars and 11 cents (we kept receipts). They didn't have ‘buzz.' They didn't have a following. They didn't have the measured flash of more polished operations. But as the final mixes spun off of the master reel, we knew what they did have was one remarkable soul record. To our delight, the record was a smash and their no-frills LP continues to fly off the shelves."

Now, by popular demand, Durand Jones & his mighty Indications are hitting the road on their first U.S. tour. They've already sold out the first two shows of this tour in NYC and Chicago, so don't sleep — go out and catch them in your city.

DURAND JONES & THE INDICATIONS’ 2017 MAKE A CHANGE TOUR DATES:
3/8 - Nashville, TN - The Basement
3/9 - Dothan, AL - KBC on Foster
3/10 - Birmingham, AL - Seasick Records

3/11 - Austin, TX - Capital One House at Antone’s w/ Aloe Blacc & Whitney - 9:00pm

3/12 - Houston, TX  - Under The Volcano
3/13 - Dallas, TX - The Rustic
3/14  - San Antonio, TX- Limelight

3/15 - SXSW Austin, TX - End of an Ear Records - 2:00pm

3/15 - SXSW Austin, TX - Celebration by Beardbrand at Rattle Inn - 5:00pm

3/16 - SXSW Austin, TX - Southwest Invasion at Whole Foods - 11:00am

3/16 - SXSW Austin, TX - Miles Davis House at Waller Ballroom - 12:45pm

3/16 - SXSW Austin, TX - Waterloo Records - 5:00pm

3/16 - SXSW Austin, TX - Secretly Group Party at Barracuda - 11:00pm

3/17 - Lawrence, KS - The Replay Lounge
3/18 - St. Louis, MO - The Bootleg at Atomic Cowboy

In honor of this tour, Colemine Records has pressed up a new limited 7" vinyl 45 featuring cuts from their debut album. The politically poignant and fiercely funky "Make A Change" is backed with the lowrider anthem "Is It Any Wonder" featuring drummer Aaron Frazer's silvery falsetto. Click here to order. 

Durand Jones & The Indications' debut album is out now on vinyl LP, CD, cassette and digital formats. Click here to order.

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HERE'S WHAT PEOPLE HAVE BEEN SAYING ABOUT DURAND JONES AND THE INDICATIONS:

“Durand Jones singing is a rare combination of purity and power—unlike his Daptone forefathers, Jones hasn’t endured decades of smoky bars and tough breaks. Though sonic comparisons to Charles Bradley and Lee Fields are unavoidable, Jones’s youth and DIY ambition make him stand out against the overarching narrative of rediscovery that has become all too familiar. These aren’t middle-aged session guys in fedoras propping up an aged belter long since fossilized on a dusty 45. It’s a band that writes compelling original material and turns out ultrafun, dance-filled performances at the club. If, like many folks, you’re missing the panache and energy of the late Sharon Jones, this Jones will definitely fill the void.” - CHICAGO READER

“A young singer with a classic sound, Louisiana native Durand Jones aims to fill the Charles Bradley-shaped hole in your heart.” - AUSTIN AMERICAN-STATESMAN

“Easily one of the best deep soul albums we've heard in years.” - DUSTY GROOVE

“Album of The Year”  Rock Pop & Soul - SOMETHING ELSE REVIEWS

“Durand Jones has the wail of Alabama Shakes’ Brittany Howard, the nostalgic toe-popping vibes of Leon Bridges and a record to compete with both.” - THE OBSERVER

“Durand Jones and the Indications hearken back to a time when soul was recorded, performed, and (if possible) heard live.”  - POPMATTERS

"The album is beautifully produced... Jones absolutely dominates the songs with his powerful, soulful and ever-evolving voice.” - SPILL MAGAZINE

“…a phenomenal debut and modern soul record.” - EASY STREET RECORDS

“ … a very sharp debut album… a total gem.” - THE VINYL DISTRICT

Geoff Achison new video

A cool first look at Geoff Achison's new video, High Wire.

Enjoy!

Veteran Canadian Radio Host Holger Petersen Set for SXSW Book Signing on Friday March 17th from 4:00 - 4:30 PM at On-Site Barnes & Noble Book Store Inside Austin Convention Centre (for SXSW registrants)

Veteran Canadian Radio Host Holger Petersen Set for SXSW Book Signing on Friday March 17th from 4:00 - 4:30 PM at On-Site Barnes & Noble Book Store Inside Austin Convention Centre (for SXSW registrants)

Talking Music 2: Blues and Roots Music Mavericks Is Second Book of Musical Conversations Published by Insomniac Press

EDMONTON, AB - Holger Petersen, the amiable host of CBC Radio’s “Saturday Night Blues” in Canada for 30 years (which also airs on SiriusXM channel 169 in the U.S.), will be on-hand for a special SXSW book signing event on Friday, March 17 from 4:00-4:30 PM at the Austin Convention Centre.  Petersen will be signing copies of his latest book of interviews published by Insomniac Press, Talking Music 2: Blues and Roots Music Mavericks. The signing will take place at the Barnes & Noble SXSW on-site book store and is open for SXSW registrants only.

QUICK FACTS

What: Talking Music 2: Blues and Roots Music Mavericks, a second collection of conversations with musicians, published by Insomniac Press.

Who: Radio host and record company head Holger Petersen talks music and life with more than 25 musicians, singers, songwriters and guitar heroes.

More: Available in bookstores and at Amazon; $19.95 in Canada and U.S., £9.95 in the UK.

466 pps, soft cover, illustrated.

Talking Music 2: Blues and Roots Music Mavericks — includes 25 in-depth conversations with a variety of roots music artists who have made significant impacts on popular music, ranging from American artists B.B. King to Steve Miller, Wanda Jackson, Solomon Burke, Townes Van Zandt, Dan Hicks, Charlie Musselwhite, Ronnie Earl and Bill Medley of the Righteous Brothers.

Canadian artists are certainly not ignored — larger-than-life personalities David Clayton-Thomas and Ronnie Hawkins describe the early days of Toronto’s pop music scene, and influential guitarists David Wilcox and Amos Garrett (together) offer insights from their lengthy careers.

THE BACK STORY

While Holger Petersen’s best known for his blues-based radio programs, he’s just as interested in artists who work in other roots music genres — Cajun musicians Zachary Richard and Bobby Charles, Allen Toussaint, Sam The Sham, Van Dyke Parks, Rory Block, Mose Allison, Billy Boy Arnold, UK singers Maggie Bell and Maddy Prior (together), guitarists James Burton and Albert Lee (together) and songwriters Chip Taylor, Dan Penn/Spooner Oldham (together) and Tony Joe White are among those whose interviews are included.

Each of the conversations is introduced by Petersen’s personal recollections of the artists he’s meeting, and the book’s foreword is contributed by Grammy-winning musicologist Rob Bowman.

As Bowman explains, “Talking Music 2 is an important collection, as interviews with the majority of the artists included are not common and certainly do not get included in question- and-answer format interview anthologies such as this.

“The strength of these interviews is Petersen’s conversational tone and the ease he has with the artists he is talking to.”

In addition to his ongoing 30-year run at CBC, Petersen has hosted “Natch’l Blues” on the Alberta radio network CKUA since 1969. He estimates that he’s done well over 3,000 interviews — and the conversations in Talking Music 2 were originally recorded for his radio programs, or at side-stages at folk festivals.

QUICK FACTS ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Holger Petersen heads up Stony Plain Records, Canada’s longest running independent record label, which is celebrating over 40 years of continuous operation. He’s a member of the Order of Canada and the recipient of two honorary Doctor of Letters degrees for his contributions to music. In addition, Petersen was a founder of the world-renowned Edmonton Folk Festival and recipient of the Keeping the Blues Alive Award from The Blues Foundation.

“Many of the artists I’ve talked to are no longer with us,” he says, “but they seem to come to life again in these conversations. Some of them may not be well known to a wide public, but every one of them has made significant contributions to roots music. And this book — like Talking Music 1 — honors the music they’ve given to the world.”

Lectro Fine Records artist: Kathy & The Kilowatts - Let's Do This Thing - New Release Review

I just had the opportunity to review the most recent release, Let's Do This Thing, from Kathy & The Kilowatts and it's a mix of  rock and roll, country and blues with a taste of Chrissy Hines.   Opening with title track, Let's Do This Thing, Kathy establishes a firm footing in rock with Bill Monster Jones on guitar, Dylan Cavaliere on bass and Richard Ross on drums. With a dose of blues thrown in on Call Me Mrs. Blues, Kathy shows a strong bluesy vocal flair with Jeff Botta on bass and Nina Singh on drums and Jones on guitar. Talking Out My Head has a cool Jimmy Reed feel and Kathy's somewhat country vocal styling gives it a rural Americana sound. Read 'Em and Weep has a low slung blues feel with nice guitar work and backing vocals by Jones. With it's solid guitar riff, One Lie Leads To Another, has a solid hook, with clean guitar phrasing and some of the best vocals on the release.  Easy acoustic ballad, I Want To, is one of my favorite tracks on the release with quiet vocals and subdued acoustic backing.  With a modified Bo Diddley beat, Exception to the Rule is another of my favorites on the release showing a different level of cool. Bluesy ballad, These Lonely Hours could easily get play on blues or country stations with solid melody and vocals. Wrapping the release is high energy, Loveaholic, a country rocker that has a lot of Johnny Cash style. Thumping bass and Les Paul like guitar riffs make this track and excellent closer for this solid 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”

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CPL Records artist: Corey Ledet & His Zydeco Band- Standing On Faith - New release review

I just had the opportunity to review the most recent release, Standing on Faith, from Corey Ledet & His Zydeco Band and it's a cool blend of R&B, soul, reggae and blues. Opening with Clintonesque/ Prince Intro, you got a funky beat, synthesized vocals and keys by Ledet on Accordion, drums and vocals, Jesse Delgizzi on guitar, bass and moog and Cecil Green on keys. Zydeco track, Push Me Away has a cool rhythm and catchy melody. Funk infused, Love Never Felt So Good is a cool mix of accordion and top notch bass riffs over basic drum rhythm, guitar and keys. A pure dance track. With a smooth vocal line, Take Me There is a real nice radio track showing memorable melody, a solid bass line and smooth lead vocals. Breaking out on zydeco track, New York City, Ledet really gets the band hopping with bird calls and snappy drumming over his accordion and driving bass line. Cool. One of my favorite tracks on the release is A Good Day, a reggae style track with nice R&B style vocals. A healthy dose of accordion maintains the theme of the release but this track is really almost pure R&B with really nice backing vocals. Wrapping the release is Street Light, that has a pure mix of Michael Jackson like pop R&B with Zydeco twists and cool bass riffs. A track that could easily see a lot of airplay. A good closer for an solid 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”

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Texas Blues Rocker Touring Florida This Month

Three Show Dates - Three Cities Not one but three separate show dates in the Sunshine state starting with Tallahassee then Spring Hill and then closing out in Tampa.

March 16th - The Junction at Monroe - Tallahassee

March 17th - Marker 48 Brewing - Spring Hill

March 18th - Ferg's Live - Tampa

Seeing is believing - click and experience The Ally Venable Band

Learn more about Ally - click here

Toto Announce Itinerary For Summer Tour Of The U.S.

TOTO ANNOUNCE ITINERARY FOR "AN EVENING WITH" SUMMER TOUR OF THE U.S.

First Set Of U.S. Summer Dates For 2017 Announced

Tickets On Sale This Week

Tickets & VIP Available Via: www.totoofficial.com

Los Angeles, CA --- Multi-Grammy Award winning band TOTO has announced the first set of dates for their Summer U.S. tour, which will begin on June 2^nd in Lake Charles, LA.  The shows are billed as "An Evening With Toto” and their performances will feature repertoire for their latest studio album XIV, classic hits, and both band and fan favorites from their vast catalog in performances that will stage two hours of music.  Last summer, Toto embarked their first U.S. headline run in over a decade.

The core Toto members, Steve Lukather, David Paich, Steve Porcaro, Joseph Williams will be joined by Lenny Castro (percussion), Shannon Forest (drums), Shem von Schroeck (bass), Warren Ham (saxophone, vocals).   Guitarist Steve Lukather shares, “We had such a great time last summer that we wanted to regroup and hit some cities we didn’t get to last time.  Always a thrill to bring our full show around the country.”

Few ensembles in the history of recorded music have individually or collectively had a larger imprint on pop culture than the members of Toto.  As individuals, the band members can be heard on an astonishing 5000 albums that together amass a sales history of a half a billion albums.  Amongst these recordings, NARAS applauded the performances with more than 200 Grammy nominations and were inducted in to the Musicians Hall Of Fame in 2009.

With close to 40 years together and literally thousands of credits, including the biggest selling album of all time: Michael Jackson’s Thriller, and accolades to their names, TOTO remains one of the top selling touring and recording acts in the world. They are the benchmark by which many artists base their sound and production, and they continue to transcend the standards set by the entire music community, being simply synonymous with musical credibility.  Their repertoire continues to be current via high profile usage on broadcast television.  They are pop culture, and are one of the few 70’s bands that have endured the changing trends and styles to a career enjoy a multi-generational fan base.

In 2015, Toto released their first new studio album in ten years – TOTO XIV. The album exhibited world-class musicianship, masterful arrangements, topical lyrical commentary, and melodies that the collective talents of Lukather, Paich, Porcaro, Williams and their assembled band-mates brought to life.  It debuted Top 10 in nine countries around the world and became their most successful album since 1988 in the U.S. and UK. 

In 2016 they released the Blu-Ray/DVD title Live At Montreux which quickly charted Top Five or better around the globe as well. With the band’s 40^th Anniversary coming up in 2018, TOTO has major plans in the works to celebrate their enduring career. 

TOTO 2017 SUMMER TOUR

6/2/17                Lake Charles, LA                     Golden Nugget Lake Charles-Grand Event Center

6/3/17                Biloxi, MS                               Hard Rock Hotel and Casino-Hard Rock Live

6/4/17               Chattanooga, TN                      Tivoli Theatre

6/6/17               Durham, NC                            The Carolina Theatre

6/7/17              Charlotte, NC                           Knight Theater

6/10/17            Rama, ON                                Casino Rama-Entertainment Centre

6/13/17            Greensburg, PA                        Palace Theatre

6/14/17            Annapolis, MD                         Maryland Hall for the Creative Arts

6/16/17            Easton, PA                               State Theatre Center for the Arts

6/17/17            Lincoln, RI                              Twin River Casino

6/18/17            Wilkes-Barre, PA                     The F.M. Kirby Center for the Performing Arts

6/20/17            Torrington, CT                        Warner Theatre

6/21/17            Morristown, NJ                         Mayo Performing Arts Center

6/23/17            Peekskill, NY                           Paramount Hudson Valley

6/24/17            Waterloo, NY                           Del Lago Resort and Casino-The Vine

6/25/17            Derry, NH                                Tupelo Music Hall

6/28/17            Saint Charles, IL                      The Arcada Theatre

7/1/17              Salina, KS                                Stiefel Theatre for the Performing Arts

More Dates To Be Announced

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