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I started a quest to find terrific blues music and incredible musicianship when I was just a little kid. I also have a tremendous appreciation of fine musical instruments and equipment. One of my greatest joys all of my life was sharing my finds with my friends. I'm now publishing my journey. I hope that you come along!
I just had the opportunity to review the most recent release, Feeling Fine, by Marshall Lawrence and it's a solid rocker. Opening with title track, Feeling Fine, Lawrence on lead vocal and guitar is joined by Zach Daniel Robertson on bass, Alan Beveridge on drums and Andrew Glover on keys, the band has nice vocal harmonies somewhat similar to Good Rats. Country/blues flavored rocker, Ida Mae, has a cool shuffle spine and aggressive guitar lead and tight drums reminding me a bit of Molly Hatchet. Blues number, Blues Still Got Me has a great 12 bar feel. Grinding guitar lead gives this track a definite edge making it one of my favorites on the release. Bluesy ballad, Help Me Find My Way Home, has strong radio appeal with a nice melody, modest but interesting guitar lead and well balanced backing. Latin flavored, Keep On Walking, features Lawrence on slide guitar and he sets a nice groove. With tight drum riffs and a solid bass line, this is a great lead into the release closer, Dirty Dishes. Blues rocker with a cool backbeat, not only gives up a good foot stomper but also has nice guitar lead and some of Lawrence's best vocals.
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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TO APPEAR ON NPR'S MOUNTAIN STAGE New
CD, The High Cost Of Low Living, Debuted At #3 On The Billboard Blues Chart
Nick Moss's muscular, electric energy combines jaw-dropping
guitar, gruff, soulful vocals and impassioned songwriting. Gruenling is a
contemporary harmonica master...impressive, genuine and fresh-sounding.
--Living Blues
The Nick Moss Band Featuring Dennis Gruenling,
whose newly-released Alligator Records debut CD The High Cost Of Low Living entered the Billboard Blues Chart at
#3, recently recorded a live performance for NPR's celebrated music show, Mountain Stage. Over 240
NPR member stations around the country will begin airing the program this
Friday, March 30. Air times and stations can be found here.
The
High Cost Of Low Living is already
earning rave reviews, as are the band's must-see live shows. The album is a
tour de force of the classic Chicago blues ensemble sound that world class
guitarist/vocalist Moss and master harmonicist/vocalist Gruenling know, live
and love. AllMusic
says, "The album makes the case for the vitality of old-fashioned Chicago
electric blues in the 21st century."
The High Cost Of Low
Living is no recycling of old songs. Moss wrote eight memorable new
originals and Gruenling wrote two, all deeply rooted in the blues tradition
with a touch of old school rock ‘n’ roll. Produced by guitarist Kid Andersen
and Moss and recorded at Rancho de Rhythm in Elgin, Illinois, the album is a
joyous sonic blast of pure blues power.
With the release of The High Cost Of Low Living,
The Nick Moss Band
Featuring Dennis Gruenling will do what they do best: barnstorm
the globe, bringing their muscular, high-energy show to clubs, concert halls,
roadhouses and festival stages night after night. It is a show that is not to
be missed. Current tour dates can be found here.
According to Moss, “I’m a shy person, but when the band and I get on stage, the
music takes over. We can’t hold back and the energy just comes pouring out. We
get carried away and the audience gets carried away with us.”
Webb Wilder
& the Beatnecks Set to Unleash Some Powerful Stuff! April 27 on
Album of Previously-Unreleased Tracks Recorded from 1985-1993 Via Landslide
Records
NASHVILLE,
TN - Landslide Records is excited to announce an April 27 street date for its
next release, Powerful Stuff!, by veteran rock and rollers, Webb
Wilder and the Beatnecks. Since 1985, Wilder and his cohorts have been
cranking out their own brand of rootsy Rock and ROLL throughout the USA and the
world. The band’s energy and intensity is well exemplified by the heretofore
unreleased, vintage tracks contained on Powerful Stuff! A potent
mixture of roots rock, Americana, blues, and British influences, the album
primarily features the “original” Beatnecks: Wilder on lead vocals and guitar;
Donny “The Twangler” Roberts, guitar and vocals; Denny “Cletus” Blakely, bass
and vocals; and Jimmy Lester, drums.
Special
guests featured on these rare, unissued tracks include the legendary Al Kooper
on organ, acclaimed guitarist David Grissom (Joe Ely, John Mellencamp and
Storyville), and renowned bass player Willie Weeks (Eric Clapton, Gregg
Allman).
Webb
Wilder and the Beatnecks will perform at the official CD release party for Powerful
Stuff! on Sunday, April 29, starting at 7 PM at Nashville’s Exit/In, a venue
where several of the tracks on the new CD were originally recorded live in
1986. The current band lineup includes Webb Wilder – guitar, vocals; Jimmy
Lester – drums; Tom Comet – bass; and Bob Williams - guitar.
Powerful
Stuff!
presents timeless live and studio tracks produced by R.S. “Bobby” Field, a
founding member of The Beatnecks. Recorded between 1985 and 1993, the material
is split equally between original songs and distinctive cover renditions, all
of which inexplicably escaped release back in the day.
The
title track, “Powerful Stuff,” written by Field, is an unreleased Beatnecks
original that stayed in the can after The Fabulous Thunderbirds picked it up
and made it one of their biggest hits. Other original tunes appearing for
the first time include “New Day,” a prescient and timely composition by Webb
and Terry Anderson, and a popular concert favorite, “Animal Lover.” The band
adds its own distinctive flair to raucous covers of songs by Levi and the
Rockats, Sam and Dave, Johnny Paycheck, Little Richard, and Tina Turner.
“‘Lost
In The Shuffle,’ a tune on the new album, kind of suggests what happened to
those tracks,” said Wilder, who is thrilled to finally see them available for
his “loving public” and beyond. Compiled and remixed (where possible) by Wilder
and George “The Tone Chaperone” Bradfute at his Tone Chaparral studio in
Madison, Tennessee, Powerful Stuff! was culled from dozens of
recordings that had been carefully stored in a Nashville facility for over 30 years.
A
native of Hattiesburg, Mississippi, and a member of the Mississippi Music Hall
of Fame, Wilder and his friend since junior high, Bobby Field (producer for
several earlier records), crafted their signature brand of
"Mid-Atlantic" (British and American) rock and roll into their often
double-time tunes which separated Wilder’s music from the pack and boasted
classic influences from both sides of the pond. The band’s 1986 debut album, It
Came from Nashville, a brazenly rocking bar-band rave-up that’s also
available from Landslide Records, was recently named one of the top 50 all-time
best Southern Rock albums by Paste Magazine.
Webb
Wilder & The Beatnecks, Powerful Stuff! Track List
1)
Make That Move (S. Preston)
2) New Day (W. Wilder, T. Anderson)
3) No Great Shakes (R. Field, W. Wilder)
4) Lost In The Shuffle (R. Field, M. Smith)
5) Powerful Stuff (R. Field)
6) Ain’t That A Lot Of Love (H. Banks, W. Parker)
7) Wild About You Baby (B. Shad)
8) Animal Lover (R. Field)
9) Nutbush City Limits (T. Turner)
10) High Rollin’ (R. Field)
11) Catbird Seat (S. Forbert)
12) Hey Mae (D. Kershaw, R. Kershaw)
13) Revenooer Man (J. Paycheck)
14) Is This All There Is? (R. Field)
15} Dead and Starting To Cool (R. Field)
16) Lucille (R. Penniman, A. Collins)
Tracks
1-3 recorded at Sanctuary Sound, Nashville, July, 1993, Produced by Mike
Musmanno and Webb Wilder
Track
4 recorded at Sixteenth Avenue Sound, Nashville, March, 1991, Produced by R. S.
Field
Track
5 recorded live at Mountain Stage, Charleston, WV, May 15, 1988
Track
6 recorded at Nightingale Studios, Nashville, circa 1989, produced by R.S.
Field
Track
7 recorded live at 1313 Club, Charlotte, NC, September 18, 1991
Track
8 recorded at Treasure Isle Recorders, Nashville, March 10, 1988, produced by
R.S. Field
Tracks
9, 12, 13, 15, 16 recorded live at the Exit/In, Nashville, March 14, 1986 by
Johnny Rosen/Fanta Sound, produced by R.S. Field
Track
10 recorded at The Masters Touch, Nashville, 1985, produced by R. S. Field
Tracks
11, 14 recorded live at Oklahoma City Museum of Art, June 24, 1989
PERSONNEL:
Webb
Wilder – Lead Vocals, Guitars
Jimmy Lester – Drums (Tracks 1-9, 11-16)
Donny “The Twangler” Roberts – Guitar, Vocals (Tracks 1-3, 5-16)
Denny “Cletus” Blakely – Bass, Vocals (Tracks 5,8,9, 11-16)
Kelley Looney – Bass, (Tracks 1-3)
Rich Ruth – Bass (Track 7)
Billy Prince – Bass (Track 10)
R.S. Field – Drums (Track 10), Guitar (Track 4)
Scott Baggett – Bass (Track 4)
Al Kooper – Organ (Track 4)
Gary “El Bujo” Gazaway – Trumpet (Track 4)
Jim Hoke – Tenor and Baritone Sax (Tracks 4, 6)
Hugh Garraway – Sax (Track 6)
David Grissom – Guitar, Track 6)
Willie Weeks – Bass (Track 6)
Wally Wilson – Piano (Track 10)
I just had the opportunity to review the most recent release, Toby Arrives, from Koch Marshall Trio and I really like it! Opening with loose shuffle and title track, Toby Arrives, Greg Koch on guitar, Dylan Koch on drums and Toby Lee Marshall on Hammond set the corner stone for this latest release. This is a tight trio with feature strength all round. Funk Meat has a rich bottom provided by Marshall's organ and Greg's funky guitar lead is nicely enhanced by Dylan's tight drumming. Heed The Boogaloo has a driving bass line similar to a Manzarek riff setting a strong foundation for Greg to dig in with adventurous and nicely flowing guitar lead. His float from rock to jazz influenced lead is very nice. One of my favorite tracks on the release is jazz rock fusion endeavor, Mysterioso, with understated bass and organ lines and a beautiful exploration in chorded melody by Greg and East Indian influenced bending/slide. Very nice. Marshall takes the helm for a solid ride on organ as well with Greg playing primarily bass lines and Dylan's tight drums support. Quick paced shuffle, Enter The Rats, is really snappy with pace that would satisfy Gatemouth Brown. Greg's solos are fluid and inspired and Marshall's Hammond lead is really nice. Boogie Yourself Drade is a hot track with driving bass lines and foot stomping guitar lead. Marshall starts low with poise before building to a real frenzy on Hammond leading to the final summation by the trio. Excellent! Wrapping the release is Sin Repent Repeat with hot slide work played vocal style for melody. Powerful Hammond work supplementing Greg and a great beat by Dylan make this an excellent closer for a really 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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I just had the opportunity to review the most recent live release, Backstage Pass, from Ghost Town Blues Band and it's a good party. Opening with the Beatles, Come Together, Matt Isbell leads this hill-country take of the British pop classic which is more morphed with the addition of Suavo Jones on trombone and Kevin Houston on sax. With it's driving beat by Preston McEwen on drums, romping bass line compliments Matt Karner, Tim Stanek on keys and Taylor Orr and Isbell on guitars, this track which weaves through Norwegian Wood and Whole Lotta Love is a great opener. new Orleans flavored, Tip Of My Hat has a great feel and Stanek's piano work is tops. A salty sax solo by Houston is up first and I'm always a sucker for trombone work and Jones lays it all out. Givin' It All Away is a funky horn heavy track with solid sax work and Betts like guitar riffs giving the track an Allman like feel. A well developed trombone solo by Jones really sets this track apart. Boogie woogie track, Big Shirley is horn heavy and has super rock 'n' roll guitar riffs, even venturing off into Led Zep's "Rock and Roll" but the spotlight here is on the super piano work of Stanek. Very nice. A new, laid back take on the Allman's Whipping Post is actually quite fresh but does progress into a full blown 15+ minute blues rock jam with B3, rolling bass lines and adventurous guitar jazz/rock leads. Very cool. The Meter's, I Get High, has a terrific groove and the band rides high for almost 10 minutes exploring solo and dual guitar leads and Lou Reed. Smoking! Shuffle track, One More Whiskey is certain to be a crowd favorite with it's bouncy beat and sing along chorus. Wrapping the release is Robert Randolph's I Need More Love giving the entire crew a chance to stretch starting with a dynamic solo by Jones, followed by Houston. Blending a bit of Spencer Davis/Winwood in, Stanek takes the track full swing. Isbell and Orr tear it loose a bit and then Karner steps out on bass, followed by McEwen on drums. Isbell blows harp starting the final onslaught, making this a powerful sliding closer for a super new 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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I just had the opportunity to review the most recent release, The Mutual Admiration Society, from Sterling Ball, John Ferraro and Jim Cox and it's got a cool vibe. Opening with Jesse Winchester's Payday Song, an instrumental featuring Ball on guitar and bass, Ferraro on drums and Cox on clavinet. a simple rock shuffle, a cool opener. The In Crowd, is jazzed up instrumental version of Billy Page's 60's hit and features Steve Morse giving it his country flavored jazz lead. Nice. Sonny Boy Williamson's Checkin' Up On My Baby has up tempo beat and is the stripped down 3 some featuring snappy riffs from Ball and organ by Cox. Ball's driving bass line is king on Big Joe William's Baby Please Don't Go and Steve Lukather does a real nice job with modern blurred guitar work to compliment the rock style take. Roy Head's Treat Her Right has a detuned (less HP) feel with it's swinging shuffle. Cox is featured on piano and organ and Ball lays in a fluid guitar solo. Chuck Berry's Memphis gets just a slight country twist with Brad Hayman on bass and lead guitar by Ball. One of my favorites. Buck Owen's Cryin' Time is full boat country featuring Albert Lee trading lead guitar with Ball and featuring Dave Stone on bass, Jeremy Moyers on steel guitar and some terrific piano lead by Cox. Very nice. One of the most outrageous tracks on the release is Disney Medley featuring John Petrucci on lead guitar. There's nothing quite like hearing Wish Upon A Star, Zip-A-Dee-Doo-Dah, Baroque Hoedown and It's A Small World played over a jazz beat with high speed triplets, electric squeal, dive bombs and the like. Adventurous. Hank William's Hey Good Lookin' features Albert Lee and settles into a nice, two stepping groove with Lee and Ball leading the way on electric guitar solos and Jeremy Moyers on steel guitar. Another of my favorites on the release. Wrapping the release is a cool Latin jazz original, Strip Mall Gourmet. Kicked back and smooth, Jay Graydon shows his stuff and nicely so. With Ball on bass, Ferraro on drums and Cox on keys and organ, this is a terrific closer for 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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I just had the opportunity to review the most recent self titled release, Victor Wainwright and The Train and it's rockin. Wainwright on lead vocal and keys pushes a nice duel with guitarist Pat Harrington, on Healing, backed by Billy Dean on drums and Terrance Grayson on bass. Also adding a nice bit of oomph are Mark Earley on sax and Doug Woolverton on trumpet. Nice opener. Train is a hot boogie woogie track with Wainwright really driving hard on vocal and piano. Woolverton and Earley fill nicely and Reba Russell's vocals are super. Excellent track. Soulful, Dull Your Shine is a really nice track that puts me in mind of D'Angelo with a suspenseful approach to the song and super vocals. Also of particular note on this track is a sweet guitar solo by Greg Gumpel. Blues with a distinct R&B feel, Thank You Lucille, is possibly my favorite track on release featuring some of Wainwright's best vocals on the release and Monster Mike Welch handling the lead guitar spot, backed by Reba Russell, Nick Black and Patricia Ann Dees on vocal. Boogie Depression is another driving boogie with super piano and excellent slide work by Harrington. Nice! Foot stompin rocker, Righteous really gets that tent revival feeling going with a solid bottom, powerful vocal by Wainwright, super slide work by Harrington, and vocal backing by Russell. Very cool. Rocking boogie, I'll Start Tomorrow is a real mover with cooking piano and organ, tight drums, a great sax solo by Earley and punchy trumpet work by Woolverton. Another track with strong slide lead by Harrington is Sunshine. His slide work is inspired and fat, soaring into the music nicely. A track, seemingly built around his excellent slide lead, a real keeper. Wrapping the release is gospel styled, That's Love To Me, with it's rich melody, organ and soulful vocals by Wainwright. Subtle but nice acoustic guitar by Jeff Jensen adds nicely and solid lead guitar by Harrington adds depth for an excellent closer to a really strong 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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I just had the opportunity to review the newest release, It's Lovin' I Guarantee from Gus Spenos and it's jumping. Opening with title track, It's Lovin' I Guarantee, Spenos leads the way on vocal and tenor sax. Backed by Wycliffe Gordon on trombone, Corey Wilcox on trombone, Freddie Hendrix on trumpet, Tatum Greenblatt on trumpet, Walter Blanding on tenor sax, Bruce Williams on alto sax, Jason Marshall on bari sax, Chris Burger on bass, Cecil Brooks III on drums and Brad Williams on guitar, these guys are really moving. Fool's Blues is a sassy swing number with some real nice sax and trombone solos. With trumpets firing, Every Tic's Got A Toc has a great feel. Spenos lays down some stylized sax work and Hendrix hits the trumpet solos full on. I really like Williams' tight guitar riffs on Livin' Is A Crime and again Hendrix shines on trumpet. Sax work on Lil' Dog is fast and fluid making it one of my favorites on the release. Wrapping the release is full blazing horns on Got Myself A Diamond with all saxs pumping. Marshall and Hendrix trade solos and backing vocals by Wincey Terry-Bryant, Audrey Shakir and Renee Collins Georges cap it off.
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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San Francisco’s
Finest Male/Female Duet-Fronted Band Delivers the Goods with Soul and Style on
Their
Third Album
SAN FRANCISCO, CA – Veteran blues vocalists Cathy Lemons and Phil Berkowitz,
aka The Lucky Losers, deliver a soulful ‘60s retro sound on their third CD, Blind
Spot, coming May 18 on Dirty Cat Records, distributed through CD Baby.
Watch a
video about recording the new CD here:
Recorded
at award-winning Greaseland Studios (John Nemeth, Wee Willie Walker, Billy
Price) in San Jose, California, Blind Spot continues The Lucky
Losers’ long-standing relationship with acclaimed producer/engineer, Kid
Andersen. Bringing back the lost art of the vocal duet, the album is solely
comprised of original material created by Cathy Lemons and Phil Berkowitz
alongside their illustrious and multi-talented songwriting partner, Danny Caron
(Charles Brown). Blind Spot features scintillating musical
contributions from six-time Blues Music Award nominated guitarist, Kid
Andersen, International Bluegrass Music Association Momentum Award winning
violinist Annie Staninec (Rod Stewart), 2018 BMA nominated saxophonist, Nancy
Wright, and guitarist Laura Chavez (Nikki Hill), who was listed as one of
the “Top 50 Sensational Female Guitarists” by Guitar Play Magazine.
Vocalist/harmonica
master Phil Berkowitz says about the recording sessions: “Cathy, Kid and I are
all on the same page musically. And Kid has an intuitive understanding of our
creative vision. When people hear this album, they will be reminded of Willie
Mitchell's Hi Records, as well as Stax. We love singers like Ann Peebles and
O.V. Wright. We went to great lengths to make our album sound like it came from
that late ‘60s and early ‘70s era. We were going for that warm, live, Memphis
sound with all that great, spontaneous ensemble playing. We also drew heavily from
early ‘70s psychedelic soul. When you hear ‘Alligator Baptism,’ for example,
artists like Curtis Mayfield might come to mind. You will hear all the
percussion, the horns, the harmonies, the street-wise stories, etc. But that is
just one facet of our diverse style. We also love electric Americana pioneers
like J.J. Cale, The Band and Bob Dylan. But we are blues artists at heart—Cathy
and I—so you will hear plenty of blues in the mix. We brought in marvelous Bay
Area players, and we blended these styles together.”
Blind
Spot is a road warrior’s tale. The
album is a primal call to awareness in the eye of an irresistible storm. Caught
between hope and catastrophe, The Lucky Losers take a fearless ride into the
unknown, witnessing the good, bad, and ugly of contemporary America through a
fractured rear-view mirror. Traveling through a winding soundscape of modern
blues, vintage R&B, and Americana, Blind Spot presents
unvarnished testimony to the fragile and fleeting state of our world. From the
redemptive embrace of love in “The River,” to the erosion of human dignity in
“Alligator Baptism,” to the “do or die” determination of “Take the Long Road”
and “It’s Never Too Early,” The Lucky Losers express the challenges they face
as they try to maintain a firm grasp on the wheel.
“Phil
and I have travelled some of the loneliest highways in America to bring our
music to the people,” says Cathy Lemons. “And in all those travels what we see
is a kind of distraction everywhere--almost to the point of madness. I feel so
overwhelmed by all this information pouring in from my phone, from the news,
from tragic headlines. Now that can be a funny or it can be deadly. For
example, in a song we wrote called ‘You Left it Behind,’ we talk about losing
our wallets, our keys, our passports, our clothes--on the road. But on the
other side of the slapstick comedy there is the dark side. ‘Last Ride’ is about
the mass shootings, the natural disasters, and all the divisiveness we are
seeing right now in America. This album is about this separation from real
experience--seeing life through a screen.”
The Lucky Losers are hitting the road across the country to
tour in support of Blind Spot Cathy Lemons - vocals/percussion;
Phil Berkowitz - vocals/harmonica; Ian Lamson – guitar (who toured with Elvin
Bishop and plays on the album); Robby Yamilov – bass; and Jon Otis - drums (son
of the legendary Johnny Otis).
I just had the opportunity to review the most recent release, They Call Me Mud, from Mud Morganfield and it's got deep soul roots. Opening with title track, They Call Me Mud, Mud Morganfield, son of the great Muddy Waters shows his own take on the blues with a funky R&B twist. A high stepper with punchy horns by Phil Perkins on trumpet and Michael Jackson on sax this is a cool opener. On 48 Days, a soulful blues number Muds vocals are compelling and stylistic guitar riffs by Billy Flynn add real pepper. Mud's vocals on Cheatin' is Cheatin' coupled with E.G. McDaniel's bass work puts one in mind of the great Curtis Mayfield and his quiet soul wailing. Very nice. Muddy's Howling Wolf is definitely straight out of dad's catalog with traditional vocal styling, strong harp from Studebaker John and super Muddy slide emulation by Billy Flynn. Excellent! Another smooth R&B track and one of my favorites on the release is Who Loves You with Lashunda Williams on backing vocals. Smooth styling and just the right amount of rhythm makes this a strong contender for radio play. Shuffle track, Rough Around The Edge has a real nice feel with smart brass work by Perkins and a super bass work by McDaniel leading to real nice piano soloing by Sumito Ariyo Ariyoshi. Flynn gives he guitar a nice ride, paired with Studebaker John for one of the coolest jams on the release. Wrapping the recording is Mud's Groove, a cool War like smooth track featuring Billy Branch on harp and Bryant "T" Parker on percussion. This isn't the sound that I would immediately associate with the name Morganfield, but I like it!
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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I just had the opportunity to review the most recent release, James Rivah, from The Bush League and it's a powerhouse. Opening with River's Edge, JohnJayson Cecil really digs deep for a rawthentic blues experience driven by Royce Folks on bass, Wynton Davis on drums and Brad Moss on guitar. Excellent! Mississippi Fred McDowell's Kokomo Me Baby is a romping boogie with rocking vocals, drums and guitar with a solid bass line. Neo soul track, Say Yes has a soulful pace and vocals with solid bass and Jeremy Powell on keys. Very nice. Muddy Water's Catfish Blues gets a real nice work over maintaining the original blues feel but with modern vocals and a rockier rhythm line. Stinging guitar work by Moss gives it a crisp edge. Hearse has a powerful blues/neo soul feel with sounds reminiscent of Living Color, D'Angelo and more primitive blues which is really becoming a trademark for The Bush League. Very nice. Stretched boogie, Moonshine, has an unusual gait with cool piano work and a lumbering bass line. Wrapping the release is high energy, What's Wrong With You, with power organ, snappy drums and wide open guitars. JohnJay pushes the band to get the power and Folks pushes the bottom for a powerful 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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I just had the opportunity to review the most recent release, The Ice Queen, from Sue Foley and I think it may be her best yet. Opening with Come To Me with Charlie Sexton joining on vocal and slide guitar, Foley adds a little funk to her already bluesy deal with Chris Maresh on bass, Chris Layton on drums and Kyle Thompson on maracas. Run has a country 2 step feel and Foley really drives this one with her ambitious guitar rhythm. Slow blues and title track, The Ice Queen, shows Foley at her purest with George rains on drums and Billy Horton on bass. Her riffs are right off a Hooker release and her vocals are simple and direct. Very nice. Shuffle track, The Lucky Ones features Jimmie Vaughan trading lead vocal and guitar riffs. With the addition of Mike Flanigin or organ, the track has an additional dimension and Foley's guitar riffs play nicely against Vaughan's. Billy Gibbons joins on Fool's Golds and his vocals really work great with Foley's. his solo work is always distinctive and effortless giving this track a nice sparkle. Blues ballad, If I Have Forsaken You is the strongest melodic track on the release giving it solid radio potential and Vaughan's distinctive playing style and tone shine. An updated cover of Bessie Smith's Send Me To the 'Lectric Chair is cool and fun. With Spanish and classical influences, The Dance highlight's Foley's acoustic guitar proficiency and also adds nicely to the overall texture of the release. Wrapping the release is Carter family's Cannonball Blues, again only Foley on acoustic guitar and vocal. This is a real nice closer for a totally enjoyable 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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Victor Wainwright & The Train On U.S./Canadian Tour
In Support of New Self-Titled Album (Ruf Records)
Perform Locally with The Train Horn Section: THE BANK &
BLUES
Thursday/Friday, March 29/30
(Record Release Party Both Nights)
(Daytona, FL) - Multiple award-winning
boogie-woogie blues pianist-vocalist Victor Wainwright kicks off his 2018 U.S./Canada
Spring/Summer Tour in support of just-released album Victor Wainwright
& the Train (Ruf Records), with a Record Release Party at The Bank & Blues,
701 Main St., two big nights, Thursday, March 29 and Friday, March 30.
Showtime: 9:00pm each night. Tickets: $48., Reserved Tickets (include new
CD); $38., (General Admission) each night. Info: (386)
252-9877 or visit https://daytonabeachmainstreet.com/venue/the-bank-blues-club/.
Also joining Wainwright and his band onstage: Star horn players, Doug
Woolverton (trumpet) and Mark Earley (alto, baritone sax).
~Victor Wainwright: What The Media Is Saying~
"Wainwright serves as an electrifying guide to a good
time-spinning tales, telling his listeners how to beat the blues, and
meticulously conjuring raw soul and energy out of his acoustic piano. He
displays a sharp sense of humor and a knack for storytelling... every
track is
brilliant."
LIVING BLUES
"Victor Wainwright is a world champion piano player,
two times over! Not only is Victor one of the greatest blues piano
players in the business, he’s also a world class-entertainer and
vocalist."
BLUES REVUE
“Savannah, GA native Victor Wainwright is all about
boogie-woogie piano, deep soul, and a voice that recalls Dr. John at his
best. He is a blues star, a tremendous player.”
CHICAGO BLUES GUIDE
"Victor Wainwright, winner of this year's Pinetop
Perkins Award at the BMA's, is a force to be reckoned with on a piano. He
IS honky-tonk and boogie, with a dose of rolling thunder. Wainwright's
playing is simply beautiful madness."
It had to be a train. The name of Victor
Wainwright's new band - and the sleeve image of their debut album - is
also the most fitting of metaphors. In music folklore, the train might
have associations with the freight-hopping bluesmen of yore, but with
this restless boogie-woogie innovator stoking the furnace, this latest
project is a charging locomotive - surging forward, crashing through
boundaries of genre, sweeping up fresh sounds and clattering headlong
past the doubters.
As the man himself hollers in the ivory-pounding
title track: "If you wanna boogie get aboard this train/Get yourself
a ticket or get out of the way..." At a sweet-spot in his career,
where most established stars would rest on their laurels, Victor
Wainwright & The Train instead rips up all that has gone before. The
twelve tracks are originals in every sense, written by Wainwright,
pricking up ears in a sterile music industry and stretching the concept
of roots in bold directions.
"I wanted to write this new music mostly on my
own," Wainwright explains, "as it was coming and speaking to
me. I believe that for roots music to grow, and reach out to new
audiences, we have to push it forward." The result is an album that
walks a tightrope between scholarly respect and anarchic irreverence.
You'll hear Wainwright twist boogie-woogie tradition on barrelhouse
thrillers like "Healing" and "Boogie Depression,"
both driven by his visceral piano style. But you'll also hear him
fearlessly explore the gamut of genre, from the Latin flavours and New
Orleans horns of "Wiltshire Grave," to the mellow
near-psychedelia of "Sunshine." It's a musical cocktail served
up by Wainwright's inimitable gravel-flecked vocal.
His words can be hilarious, as on "I'll Start
Tomorrow," on which he postpones his doctor's clean-living advice.
But they can also be heartfelt, on the gospel-tinged kiss-off of
"That's Love To Me". "I've tried to write songs that
remind us to love ourselves," explains Wainwright. "It doesn't
matter who voted for who, what your religion is, who you love..." On
this white-knuckle ride, only The Train could keep the material on the
tracks. "I ended up with a hit-squad of downright amazing musicians
that shared my curiosity for all corners of the roots genre. We wanted to
capture how we feel performing, right smack-dab on this record, and I
believe we've done that. Now I just try to keep up."
In truth, Wainwright has always been an artist that
sets the pace. Born into a musical family in Savannah, Georgia, the
formative influence of his father's vocals and grandfather's rolling
boogie-woogie piano compelled him into a life of music. By 2005, he'd
announced his talent with solo debut, Piana' From Savannah, while
his central role in Southern Hospitality and partnership with Stephen
Dees in WildRoots has seen him ignite stages and stereos for over a
decade. Among his numerous accolades: In 2013 and 2014, Wainwright won
the 'Pinetop Perkins Piano Player of the Year' at the Blues Music Awards.
Also in 2013, his collaborative album, Easy Livin' , made the Top
10 in the U.S. Billboard Top Blues Album Chart.
"Looking back on your career is a tough thing to
do," he says. "Challenges are many, and frequent, but when you
get it together, it can also be extremely rewarding." A man of many
talents, Wainwright is a composer, producer, vocalist, piano player and
award-winning entertainer. A long-standing leader of the boogie-woogie
pack, he could refer you to his BMA and Blues Blast trophies, or a
catalog that has repeatedly hijacked the Billboard Top 10. But rather
than dine out on past glories, this questing artist would rather you
joined him for the ride ahead. "Of course, I still have songs on
this album that are just about kicking ass and taking names, like The
Train," he laughs. "But if you listen to the lyrics, what I'm
really saying is, we got to get on the train and move forward
together."
Victor Wainwright & The Train - Upcoming Live
Shows & Special Events
March 29/30 (Thur./Fri.) THE BANK AND BLUES
Daytona Beach, FL
March 31
(Sat.)
BRADFORDVILLE BLUES CLUB
Tallahassee, FL
April 1/2 (Sun./Mon.)
PARADISE BAR &
GRILL
Pensacola Beach FL
April 3
(Tues.)
BLUE BAMBOO ARTS
CTR.
Winter Park, FL
April 4
(Wed.)
ENGLEWOODS ON DEARBORN Englewood, FL
April 5
(Thur.)
BUCKINGHAM BLUES
BAR
Ft. Myers, FL
April 6
(Fri.)
THE BLUE
ROOSTER
Sarasota, FL
April 7
(Sat.)
FUNKY
BISCUIT
Boca Raton, FL
April 8
(Sun.)
SPRINGING THE
BLUES
Jacksonville Bch FL
April 18
(Wed.)
CANADIAN CORPS UNIT 44 HALL Thorhold, Ontario
April 20
(Fri.)
SALLE PROMUTEL ASSURANCE Montmagny Que
April 21
(Sat.)
SALLE
SAGUENAY
Saguenay, Que
April 23
(Mon.)
ROCKLAND
PUB
Rockland, ME
April 26
(Thur.)
LA
BASOCHE
Gatineu, Que
April 27
(Fri.)
SALLE SANCTUAIRE DE ST. JAX Monteal, Que
April 28
(Sat.)
LA
BASOCHE
Gatineu, Que
May 24
(Thur.)
TRALF
Buffalo, NY
May 25
(Fri.)
RUSTY
RAIL
Mifflinburg, PA
May 26
(Sat.)
MADAMS
ORGAN
Washington, CD
May 27
(Sun.)
ROOSTER WALK MUSIC & ARTS FEST Martinsville, VA
June 9
(Sat.)
GREELEY BLUES JAM FESTIVAL Greeley, CO
June 23
(Sat.)
RIVERFRONT BLUES FESTIVAL
Ft. Smith, AR
July 2
(Mon.)
NANTUCKET
DEAMLAND
Nantucket, MA
July 4
(Wed.)
BLUES IN THE
BARN
Kingfield, ME
July 5
(Thur.)
MUSIC
SERIES
Norwich, ME
July 10/11 (Tues./Wed.) MONT-TREMBLANT
BLUES
Mont-Tremblant Que
July 13
(Fri.)
KALAMAZOO BLUES FESTIVAL Kalamazoo,
MI
July 14
(Sat.)
LIGHTHOUSE BLUES FESTIVAL
Kincardine, Ontario
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