For The Sake Of Song artist: Patrick Coman - Tree Of Life - New Release Review

I just had the opportunity to review the most recent release, Tree Of Life, from Patrick Coman and I really like it! Opening with Heartbeat, a rangy, bluesy, somber song Patrick Coman, singer/songwriter/guitarist sets a certain mood. Joined by Peter Parcek on lead guitar, Marco Giovino on drums, Tom West on keys and Joe Klompus on bass, a great opener. Good advice on stripped down rocker, Don't Reach, Coman blends early British, punk, rock, folk and a lot of other sounds to get this really cool sound. A loose but fluid guitar solo by Parcek kicks the track nicely. With a twist of cha cha and a real nice bari guitar solo and cool female vocal harmonies by Abbie Barrett and Kylie Harris. The Judge has a real Johnny Cash spank. Coman's vocals are loose and cool and Parcek's guitar work is perfect. Super! Another track with a cool country rock twang is 9-5ers with a real country style guitar solo and drums ... and get this...tuba (nice job Neal Pawley). One of my favorite tracks on the release is title track, Tree of Life with an underlying country flavor, surreal guitar sounds and nice tom tom style. Excellent! Another cool rocker, Chelsea Street has just the right rock vibe with a solid guitar riff, strong vocals and prominent snare beat up front. This is a great track. An interesting interpretation of Leon Russell's, Magic Mirror with a monotone vocal line is surprisingly refreshing. Changing the melody pretty much in entirety is really a bold move and quite successful with glistening guitar soloing crowning this work. Excellent! Keep My Soul is another strong track with what I can only call lazy vocals which are really effective. Parcek's guitar work does a lot to give the track just the right cohesion and Pawley, Klompus and Giovino are spotless. Wrapping the release is a folksy kind of track, Let It Ring. Basically Coman on vocal and acoustic guitar with basic keyboard backing this spartan track is an excellent closer for an excellent release! 

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Powerful Soul Ensemble Samantha Martin & Delta Sugar Set to Release Sophomore Recording

Powerful Soul Ensemble Samantha Martin & Delta Sugar Set to Release Sophomore Recording

Run To Me out April 27 followed by hometown CD launch party April 28 at the Horseshoe Tavern in Toronto Watch/Share new live video for "All Night Long" here

For Immediate Release: March 29, 2018 (Toronto,ON) - Toronto-based Samantha Martin & Delta Sugar’s latest recording, entitled Run to Me, is scheduled for release on April 27, 2018. Produced by Darcy Yates (bassist for Bahamas), the new album explores the full range of the vicissitudes of love: desire, betrayal and, at times, emotional and sexual satisfaction. The lyrics are incisive, the melodies are constantly arresting and the harmonies and arrangements call up the best of the soul sounds of Stax Records and such contemporary artists as Leon Bridges, Sharon Jones, and Lee Fields. Samantha Martin and Delta Sugar’s debut release, 2015’s Send the Nightingale, was a stripped- down affair consisting of Martin, her two co-singers Sherie and Stacie, and guitarist Mikey McCallum. For Run to Me, Martin elected to record her emotionally wrought material with an expanded band, augmenting the core of Delta Sugar’s gospel-infused harmonies with a full rhythm section, piano, organ and an ever-so-soulful horn section. Send the Nightingale was a stunning achievement which garnered four Maple Blues nominations in 2016, was regularly featured on the CBC, topped the blues charts on Stingray radio and propelled the group onto the stages of all the major Canadian festivals and clubs coast to coast. Subsequent to the album’s release, Martin has been nominated three years in a row as Female Vocalist of the Year at the Maple Blues Awards. Continuing to build on the group’s steamrolling momentum, in the fall of 2017, Samantha Martin and Delta Sugar were selected by a panel of blues experts to represent Toronto at the International Blues Challenge in Memphis, a platform that has served to launch any number of careers in both Europe and the United States. While Martin is a powerhouse unto herself, the vocal alchemy of Delta Sugar is not the work of a single talent. In combination with what she likes to term her “co-vocalists,” Sherie Marshall and newest full-time member Mwansa Mwansa, the vocal blend Delta Sugar produces is pure, unadulterated gospel-tinged, neuron-tingling magic where the sum is even richer than the already soul-melting parts. After performing 130 high energy “soul revue” style shows in the US and Canada in 2017, and buzz-worthy showcases at both Americana (Sept. 2017) and at The International Blues Challenge in Memphis (Jan. 2018) – Samantha is now building her European fan base with two full-length European tours scheduled before February 2019. The live show is a torrid force of nature, taking audiences to emotional peaks while leaving them stunned with pin-you-against-the-wall power.   samanthamartinmusic.com | gypsysoulentertainment.com   Samantha Martin & Delta Sugar CD Release Party Saturday, April 28 The Horseshoe Tavern 370 Queen Street West, Toronto, ON Doors at 8:00 p.m. Show at 9:00 p.m. with Dani Nash and The Honeyrunners  Advance tickets $15 available at ticketfly.com / $20 at the door

DELVON LAMARR ORGAN TRIO HIT THE ROAD FOR U.S. TOUR | NEW LP #1 ALBUM ON BILLBOARD'S CONTEMPORARY JAZZ CHART!

INSTRUMENTAL SOUL/JAZZ ACT DELVON LAMARR ORGAN TRIO KICK-OFF THEIR 2018 U.S. TOUR DATES IN APRIL IN SUPPORT OF THEIR RECENTLY RELEASED ALBUM "CLOSE BUT NO CIGAR”

DLO3'S "CLOSE BUT NO CIGAR” JUST DEBUTED AT #1 LAST WEEK ON BILLBOARD’S CONTEMPORARY JAZZ CHART, AS WELL AS LANDING AT #3 ON THEIR JAZZ CHART AND #20 ON THEIR HEATSEEKERS CHART!

CLICK HERE TO LISTEN TO DELVON LAMARR ORGAN TRIO'S "CLOSE BUT NO CIGAR" VIA SPOTIFY

COLEMINE RECORDS TO RELEASE A VERY LIMITED RED VINYL PRESSING OF "DELVON LAMARR ORGAN TRIO LIVE AT KEXP!" ON RECORD STORE DAY!

DELVON LAMARR ORGAN TRIO 2018 TOUR DATES

Apr 02 Earshot Jazz Festival - Seattle, WA

Apr 12 Sonic Boom Records - Seattle, WA

Apr 14 Dakota Jazz Club - Minneapolis, MN

Apr 15 Vaudeville Mews - Des Moines, IA

Apr 16 Reggie’s, Chicago, IL

Apr 18 Rockwood Music Hall Stage 2 - New York, NY

Apr 19 Funk N Waffles - Syracuse, NY

Apr 20 Beachland Tavern - Cleveland, OH

Apr 21 Plaid Room Records - Loveland, OH

May 18 Blue Note Napa - Napa, CA

May 20 Joshua Tree Music Festival - Joshua Tree, CA

Jun 07 River Fest - Wichita, KS

Jun 22 Vancouver International Jazz Festival - Vancouver, Canada

Jul 05 High Sierra Festival - Quincy, CA

Jul 06 High Sierra Festival - Quincy, CA

Jul 14 Saint Paul Soul Jazz Festival - Saint-Paul-Trois-Châteaux, France

Aug 02 Battery Park City’s River & Blues Series - New York, NY

Aug 03 Shalin Liu Performance Center - Rockport, MA

Aug 11 San Jose Summer Jazz Festival - Downtown San Jose, CA

Aug 30 The Refectory - Columbus, OH

Sep 02 Detroit Jazz Festival - Harper Woods, MI

Sep 23 Monterey Jazz Festival - Monterey, CA

(additional dates to be announced soon)

Delvon Lamarr Organ Trio (photo credit: Jean-Paul Builes)

  

After years of playing in bands that inevitably fell apart, as bands so often do, keyboard player Delvon Lamarr landed in a different kind of group: one founded by his wife and manager, Amy Novo. She created the Delvon Lamarr Organ Trio so her husband could fully focus on the things he does best: writing and playing music.

With a deep soul backbone augmented by jazz, rhythm & blues and rock ’n’ roll, the Seattle trio — Lamarr on B-3 organ, Jimmy James on guitar and David McGraw on drums — evokes a classic instrumental sound with a fresh, virtuosic sensibility all its own on debut LP Close But No Cigar. The band put out the album independently in 2016, and Colemine Records gives it a wide release in March.

All three musicians knew each other from the local soul scene. When Novo founded the Delvon Lamarr Organ Trio in 2015, Lamarr asked McGraw if he was interested in joining the band. After playing for a year with another guitarist in the group, Lamarr invited James to sit in as a substitute one night at the trio’s regular Tuesday gig, and he never left. That’s when the band truly found its sound. “We had chemistry right out of the gate, and that doesn’t always happen,” Lamarr says.

In fact, the keyboardist and guitarist say they’re constantly engaged in a game of name-that-tune, throwing in licks from obscure soul or rhythm & blues tunes and seeing where the other takes it, while McGraw sits back in the pocket and keeps things moving. “It puts you on the edge of your seat, like, I don’t know what’s going to happen here,” James says. “It’s like going out into the middle of the forest with nothing, and there’s bears and wolves all around, and seeing if you can make it out.”

Their chemistry stems from each musician’s unique abilities. James describes McGraw as having “that rare soul sound. He’s got this light touch, but it still tells you, ‘I’m here.’ You feel it.” Meanwhile, Lamarr holds down basslines on the organ that are so vivid that audience members sometimes ask where the bass player is. “His left hand is second to none,” James says. “He’s got that, but he’s also got this wild approach. He goes for it, and he’s fearless about it.”

Though James is more modest about his own abilities — “I mostly just go for what I feel,” he says — his bandmates complete the picture. “When Jimmy joined the band, everybody who was a regular at that club said, ‘That’s it: that’s the band right there,’” Lamarr says.

Lineup thus complete, the Delvon Lamarr Organ Trio spent those Tuesday night sets honing its sound, often creating songs onstage in the middle of gigs. “It gave us a lot of freedom to explore,” says McGraw, who also plays with James in the local soul band the True Loves. “So much of the songwriting, and our ability to improv together, came from those live shows.”

The Delvon Lamarr Organ Trio recorded Close But No Cigar soon after James joined the band. “Those originals came together pretty quickly, and we were still kind of learning them when we went in to record the record,” McGraw says. While Novo handles the business end of the group (and others that Lamarr plays in), the musicians have logged countless hours onstage together, resulting in a trio that’s tighter than ever. In addition to the tunes on Close But No Cigar, they have a stockpile of new material they’re looking forward to taking on the road and, by the end of the year, recording for a second album.

“It means a lot to me that people dig what we do,” Lamarr says. “I just want people to feel it, basically. So far, it seems to be going pretty well.”

Delvon Lamarr Organ Trio’s Close But No Cigar is out now on vinyl, CD, cassette, digital and streaming formats via Colemine Records. Click here to order. 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Delvon Lamarr Organ Trio
Live at KEXP!
(red vinyl limited to 1750 copies for Record Store Day)

"I've got to give credit where credit is due on this one," admits Colemine Records co-owner Terry Cole. "Pressing this up for RSD was my brother Bob's idea. We had just signed the group for their first LP and he called me one night and said, 'I think I just had my one good idea for the year.' This fiery live performance at KEXP of this Seattle organ trio is right on the heels on their debut LP. Channeling groups like Booker T & The MGs, The Meters, and Soulive, this is straight up funky organ soul jazz here! Mastered for vinyl by JJ Golden, this set will set your turntable on fire!! We should also note this is the first full KEXP session to be pressed on vinyl." Here are the YouTube videos you can check out:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jhicDUgXyNg https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tNO71hgto7c

Marshall Lawrence - Feeling Fine - New Release Review

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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The Nick Moss Band Featuring Dennis Gruenling To Appear On NPR's Mountain Stage

THE NICK MOSS BAND FEATURING DENNIS GRUENLING

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 21^st 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

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)

Mascot Label Group artist: Koch Marshall Trio - Toby Arrives - New Release Review

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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Ghost Town Blues Band - Backstage Pass - New Release Review

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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Mascot Label Group artists: Sterling Ball - John Ferraro - Jim Cox: The Mutual Admiration Society - New Release Review

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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Ruf Records artist: Victor Wainwright and The Train - New Release Review

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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Gus Spenos - It's Lovin' I Guarantee - New Release Review

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. 

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The Lucky Losers Deal Winning CD, "Blind Spot," on May 18 from Dirty Cat Records

The Lucky Losers Deal Winning CD, Blind Spot, on

May 18 from Dirty Cat Records

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).

The Lucky Losers Tour Dates

Thursday, April 12, Flagstaff Brewing Company, Flagstaff, AZ

Friday, April 13, The Rhythm Room, Phoenix, AZ

Saturday, April 14, The Raven Cafe, Prescott, AZ

Sunday, April 15, House of Bards, Tucson, AZ

Tuesday, April 17, Cowgirl BBQ, Santa Fe, NM

Wednesday, April 18, Santa Fe Brewing Company Santa Fe, NM

Thursday, April 19, Funky Door, Lubbock, TX

Friday, April 20, Keys Lounge, (w/Ally Venable Band), Fort Worth, TX

Saturday, April 21, Kingfish, Fayetteville, AR

Sunday, April 22, Huey’s Midtown, Memphis, TN

Tuesday April 24, The Local, Nashville, TN

Wednesday, April 25, Lafayette’s, Memphis, TN

Saturday, April 28, Blind Willie’s, Atlanta, GA

Sunday, April 29, Daniel Day Gallery, Birmingham, AL

Tuesday, May 1, Natalie's Coal Fired Pizza and Live Music, Columbus, OH

Thursday, May 3, Slippery Noodle, Indianapolis, IN

Saturday, May 5, Buddy Guy’s Legends, Chicago, IL

Sunday, May 6, Smoke Daddy BBQ (Wrigleyville Location), Chicago, IL

Tuesday, May 8, BB’s Jazz and Soups, St. Louis, MO

Wednesday, May 9, Nathan P. Murphy's, Springfield, MO

Thursday, May 10, The Jazz Depot at The Oklahoma Jazz Hall Of Fame, Tulsa, OK

Friday, May 11, Puebla Tacos Y Tequileria, Norman, OK

Saturday, May 12, The Shamrock, Wichita, KS

Sunday, May 13, Lincoln’s Roadhouse, Denver, CO