BLUES MATTERS!
PO Box 4820, STOKE ON TRENT, ST3 4PU
EDITOR-IN-CHIEF/OWNER:
Iain Patience: editor@bluesmatters.com
ALBUM REVIEW EDITOR/OWNER: Stephen Harrison: reviews@bluesmatters.com
For more news, reviews, interviews and our advertising rate card, please visit www.bluesmatters.com bluesmattersmagazine BluesMattersMag
bluesmattersmagazine
Contributing Writers:
John Angus
Tim Arnold
Roy Bainton
Adrian Blacklee
Eddy Bonte (Bel)
Colin Campbell
Laura Carbone
Norman Darwen
Paul Davies
Dave Drury
Ben Elliott
Stuart A. Hamilton
Stephen Harrison
Trevor Hodgett
Barry Hopwood
Andy Hughes
Rowland Jones
Adam Kennedy
Jean Knappitt
Brian Kramer
Ben McNair
David Osler
Contributing Photographers:
Arnie Goodman, Adam Kennedy, Laura Carbone plus others credited on page.
ADVERTISING ENQUIRIES: ads@bluesmatters.com
DESIGN & WEBSITE MANAGER: design@bluesmatters.com
Subscription Blues Matters: www.bluesmatters.com/subscribe
Iain Patience
Dom Pipkin
Darrell Sage
Glenn Sargeant
Dave Scott
Graeme Scott
Andy Snipper
Dave Stone
Don Wilcock
Dani Wilde
Steve Yourglivch
Original material in this magazine is © the authors. Reproduction may only be made with prior Editor consent and provided that acknowledgement is given of source and copy sent to the editorial address. Care is taken to ensure contents of this magazine are accurate, but the publishers do not accept any responsibility for errors that may occur, or views expressed editorially. All rights reserved. No parts of this magazine may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system or transmitted in any form or by any means electronic, mechanical, photocopying recording or otherwise without prior permission of the editor.
Submissions: Readers are invited to submit articles, letters and photographs for publication. The publishers reserve the right to amend any submissions and cannot accept responsibility for loss or damage. Please note: Once submitted material becomes the intellectual property of Blues Matters (2) Ltd and can only later be withdrawn from publication at the expediency of Blues Matters (2) Ltd. Advertisements: Whilst responsible care is taken in accepting advertisements, if in doubt readers should make their own enquiries. The publisher cannot accept any responsibility for any resulting unsatisfactory transactions, nor shall they be liable for any loss or damage to any person acting on information contained in this publication. We will however investigate complaints.
BLUES MATTERS (2) LTD: COMPANY NUMBER 13895727
GET YOUR COPY BY SUBSCRIBING BLUESMATTERS. COM/SUBSCRIBE
FEATURES & REGULARS
06: THRILL BLUES FESTIVAL
10: HERLIN GUITARS
14: ILLUSTRATED BLUES
16: THE CROSSROADS
20: RECORD ROUND-UP
22: BLUE BLOODS
INTERVIEWS
26: JONO MANSON
28: ANA POPOVIC
30: BLUES CRUISE
36: CASH BOX KINGS
38: ARIELLE
40: EDDIE 9V
42: ALLY VENABLE
46: SAM HUBER
48: EAMONN MCCORMACK
50: BLOOD BROTHERS
I was honored when Boris Hrepić, the director of The Thrill Blues Festival in Croatia asked me to come and play at the very first Acoustic Music Stage at the 5th Edition of the festival in 2022.
I must say that at first I was a bit worried about this as I know that Acoustic Blues is often seen as the poor little brother of the Blues Scene in Europe because a solo acoustic bluesman doesn’t have the same audience impact as a full-blown, electric blues band with bass and drums, with blues-rock rhythms......... a situation that many acoustic blues players found themselves in the 1970‘s British Blues scene. So, many acoustic blues performers (myself included) found ourselves playing in the vibrant Folk Club circuit, where acoustic music was played for
lovers of Roots Music and we left the electric guys to do their own thing.
It was only natural that the Acoustic Music Scene would have its own Festivals .... Cambridge Folk Festival in England is one of the biggest in Europe, but I saw Buddy Guy playing there when I played there in the 1990‘s. So Blues was ever present at Folk Festivals. Even Glastonbury Festival has many acoustic stages as well as its main stage. Many Blues and other festivals in UK - and particularly in France over the last 20 years - now have a mix of acoustic and electric performers.
So, yea, knowing this I was concerned that what I had to offer wouldn’t be taken seriously .... bu,t Heh ... I was wrong! I must say in the 45 years that I have been playing,,Thrill was by far the best organised festival I have ever played at. The stage was superb, with a seriously excellent sound and stage crew. I can tell you that getting the EQ right on an acoustic guitar is not an easy thing, but
these guys got it. The onstage sound was immense and I could hear everthing I was playing in crystal clear, well balanced clarity. After the show people told me that the out front sound was also excellent and full, so for sound and stage 100!
But it wasn’t just the sound and stage that was great, all the organisers and staff were welcoming and friendly and did everything they could to make our stay in this beautiful Croatian town on the river as comfortable as could be. Both my partner, Jackie, and I felt that we were not just visitors and performers, but also part of a family, and this I think will be my everlasting memory of this wonderful Festival of Blues.
It was really great to be a part of the first ever Acoustic concert at Thrill and I sincerely hope that in festivals to come there will be more acoustic nights like this because, in the end, like in the beginning, that’s where the blues started. Acoustic !
“An
that rewards repeat listening”
- BLUES MATTERS
The UK Blues Federation are delighted to announce that Marshall Amplification have agreed to be the main sponsors of The UK Blues Awards in 2023.
Henceforth the Awards will be referred to as The UK Blues Awards presented by The UK Blues Federation in association with Marshall The UK Blues Awards are being held on 13th April this year at Bush Hall in Shepherd Bush London. Marshall and The UK Blues Federation are ideal partners - in fact we’d go so far as to say that it’s a match made in heaven! Since the introduction of the JTM45 in 1962 and the subsequent introduction of the Bluesbreaker, Marshall have been a constant in the UK Blues fraternity. From the smallest clubs to international festival stages invariably the Marshall name would be seen on the stage. Now with the launch of the Marshall Live Agency and the state of the art recording studio and live venue in Bletchley they continue to push forwards and champion new music. Indeed Terry Marshall has individually sponsored the ‘Jules Fothergill Young Artist of The Year Award’ since The UK Blues Awards began! The UK Blues Federation are looking forward to a long and growing relationship with all sides of Marshall and plans are already afoot for future collaborations.
Got an image and a story of you meeting one of the stars of the blues? Send it into design@bluesmatters.com and you may just find your mugshot in the next issue of Blues Matters!
With regret and sadness the family have announced the passing of bluesman Victor Brox, a name synonymous with ‘legendary’. The past tense is novel, and may take some getting used to. Victor marked his significant birthdays with a gig – his fiftieth was celebrated with an all-day festival at Band on the Wall in his native Manchester, and his eightieth birthday party was a public concert at the Carlton Club, also in Manchester. It might be said that his first twenty-five years generated enough music and stories to sustain him for the rest of his life.
The singer, keyboard player and trumpet player was born on May 5, 1941, and recorded ‘I’ve Got the World in a Jug’ with Annette Reis in 1965. Legend and rumour intrude from the start. Was it the first British blues 45, and was Jimmy Page on guitar? The use of Annette’s maiden name was mysterious because she and Victor were already married. Earlier he had acted as guide to the 1963 Blues and Gospel Caravan when the troupe arrived in Manchester. The Granada TV ‘Chorltonville’ broadcast was their only scheduled appearance, and so Victor found Sonny Boy Williamson, Muddy Waters, Big Joe Williams, Willie Dixon and Lonnie Johnson an informal gig at Chick’s Bossa Nova, a low dive opposite Victoria Station (since demolished). Upon returning from an extended stay in Ibiza he formed the Blues Train, and backed visiting US artists like Little Walter and Screaming Jay Hawkins, attracting a following of their own with their anarchic, freewheeling performances.
A move to London in 1966 at the invitation of Alexis Korner resulted in a residency as a duo at Les Cousins. Victor made more determined efforts to hit the big time with the Aynsley Dunbar Retaliation, whose four album legacy, represents the best of Brox on record. Jimi Hendrix called Victor his “favourite white voice”. He sang the role of the high priest Caiaphas on the original recording of Jesus Christ Superstar; Annette was
longest serving blues band. Victor opened the Australian outback to live blues with a succession of gruelling annual tours in the nineties, a baptism of fire for singer daughter Kyla. He returned to Manchester in 2005 to look after his mother. She died a few months later, aged 95.
Such are the broad contours of the life and career. The details from Victor himself depart from the detached, fact-based rigour of the standard biography. Victor was an inveterate self-mythologiser and a colourful raconteur with a flair for the surreal. The braggadocio was matched by self-deprecating wit, giving the impression of noble, heroic failure. He and Nico, it seems, met as part of Joseph Heller’s circle in Ibiza on the cusp of the sixties and became lovers. The acquaintance was renewed much later when Victor received a phone call from Nico, an honorary Mancunian, asking if he could score her some smack. The loss of his handwritten treatise on prehistoric music, destroyed in a controlled explosion as a suspicious object at Gatwick Airport, was a grievous blow.
My wife and I were fortunate enough to meet and speak to Joe Bonamassa on the 2019 Blues Cruise in the Med.
George Galloway
‘the maid by the fire’. Victor went on to play on albums by Graham Bond (Holy Magick), Dr John (Sun, Moon, Roots and Herbs) and Peter Bardens (eponymous) and released Rollin’ Back, credited to Annette and Victor Brox, in 1974. The latter contained selections from Victor’s jinxed rock opera, Hieronymus Bosch. In the eighties he co-led the band Mainsqueeze with Dick Heckstall-Smith and composed the children’s musicals The Book of Dreams and Dr Seuss: The Musical, with the latter receiving a production at The Old Vic Theatre. His time in Dordogne galvanised the blues scene in the south of France, and he became a proud member of Art 314, France’s
It was at Uluru (Ayers Rock), the most sacred of Aboriginal dreaming sites, that Victor received a telepathic communication. Relaxed, and in a state bordering on trance,Victor clearly heard his ex-father in law say, “Over there you have the shallow water, but over here we have the deep. And now I must go into the deep water for my bones are very dry.”
That’s a poignant statement, as a familiar corporeal presence makes the transition to pure spirit. Or you can remember Victor from May 2021, at the Carlton Club, singing ‘Papa Was a Rolling Stone’ with daughters Ginie, Anna, Buffy and Kyla (son Sam was absent), grandson Shea Coates and the next generation of Brox musicians. It’s an allegory of reconciliation from the most allegorical of white blues singers. He will be much missed.
Mike ButlerIn this loving tribute to Harlem’s Savoy Ballroom, 3-Time Grammy winning music legend Taj Mahal explores his roots with an album of classic songs from the R&B swing jazz big band era and beyond.
Includes “Gee Baby, Ain’t I Good To You”, “Mood Indigo”, & “Stompin’ At The Savoy”
AVAILABLE APRIL 28
Jim Herlin, from Stockholm is primarily an acoustic player, lover, appreciator and builder, but his admiration for his heroes like the eminent slide master Ry Cooder urged his vision to create an instrument that was more than familiar in the hands of acoustic players but gives you the ability to dial-in vintage electric guitar tones with his use of customized pickups.
An instrument grounded in acoustic guitar sensibilities, with electric guitar reach.
Jim states; “As an acoustic folk musician, Old-timey, bluegrass and Hawaiian fingerpicker, my relationship to electric guitars has been rather mixed, I was always uncomfortable being plugged in with my onboard piezo. Numerous times I ended up at venues with my expensive acoustic howling at the speakers, or having to sit exactly still while playing
in front of some microphone.”
His choice of woods is very purposeful and knowledgeable giving bell-like resonance, even unplugged. You believe that the body must be semi hollow or chambered, but it isn’t.
Jim adds; “Is there a type of wood that could meet up with my wishes? I want big vibrations, quick response/attack and a slightly shorter sustain, I want the entire guitar to vibrate like an acoustic guitar.
A solid body guitar that will by natural causes be far more resistant to feedback than any acoustic guitar and will meet the needs of most blues and jazz venues with ease.
For body wood I chose Western Red Cedar, light weight, stiff and it even smells nice.
For the neck I started experimenting with Scandinavian birch, its easy to find high quality birch and even some curly wood here in Sweden, a lightweight hardwood makes excellent tone wood.
I saw no reason to import expensive (near extinction) tropical wood if I can find highly vibrant curly birch just down the road.”
Compact, reminiscent of a vintage Harmony Stratotone, but doesn’t feel “small” against the body, with a sexier, balanced contour.
Jim; “The birth of the Arbolito; Since my late teens I’ve been fiddling/ruining/repairing/ restoring guitars and stringed instruments for friends and their friends.
About 6 years ago during a turning point in my life I ended up working professionally with guitar building and repairs. While
producing electric guitars in someone else’s name, my experiences from playing acoustic music came to my mind; what would it take to cure my unwilling attitude towards electric guitars? what is the difference?”
For Blues based music, it is simply a superb player. You can fingerpick on it Delta style and easily slip into a Chicago shuffle with the flick of a finger. Add a bit of overdrive, and get your Blues/Rock boogie, without losing any of the inherent harmonic resonance. Plus It rings beautifully for delicately fingerpicked ballads.
I first encountered this particular build about a year ago when Jim posted a few pics as he was preparing to display at the Great Scandinavian Guitar Show and immediately felt a bit smitten.
I quickly sent him a message to arrange trying one out and he graciously brought it to me at the end of my weekly Stockholm gig. I plugged in & within seconds I found myself wanted to fall in love with the way I play Blues all over again.
We then discussed creating one specific to suit my needs, which was extremely easy because Jim knows the music, the instruments, the players.
He responds to unique possibilities like a kid opening a present on Christmas morning, eager to explore and try anything to fulfill a playable end result.
And the result in my case was beyond expectations.
Jim ; “For a while I was searching for info
about oak wood in instrument building, I found close to nothing written about it, I decided to ask Brian Kramer if he would consider an oak fretboard on his custom order, if I promise to make him a new neck if it doesn’t work out. That day Brian and I wrote Herlin history.
The oak turned out to work very well on a solid body guitar, the lower weight compared to the typical rosewood, ebony or maple, seem to set the vibrations free to travel up the neck, it makes the entire guitar to come alive.”
It took me a lifetime to acquire and understand the kinds of guitars I wanted and needed for professional use as well as for inspiration. I am no stranger to vintage Gibson’s, Fender’s, National resonators. However after my first time on stage with the Herlin Guitar, it’s the only one I am compelled to grab and want to bring out the door for my band gigs. I’ve tried but the others
just go back in the case after stroking side by side for a few seconds.
Notable roots/Blues players like Kevin Brown and Eric Bibb are added to the list of pro artists who now own Herlin’s guitars. Eric, currently on an extensive two-month tour in Australia, plays his custom Herlin on stage every show. If that doesn’t speak for itself, then I don’t know what does.
When talking to Eric about his new Arbolito & our shared fondness, he stated; “It’s a bit of a life-changer. A new sound, but not so far away from my acoustic sound. Easier to play, so I’m a new player overnight!”
“The combination of the humbucking and the piezo pickups, fine design and craftsmanship and attention to detail gives Jim Herlin’s guitar a unique, warm sound perfect for an acoustic fingerpicker like me.”
Jim; “Building a solid body electric does allow some creative freedom, it was time for some soul searching. With my background playing guitars and ukuleles around 100 years of age, electric guitars often appear hard and heavy in comparison, with shiny metal parts and a high gloss finish. I´ve done some crazy repairs in my days, restoring antique Mexican and Hawaiian instruments I often had to make new parts by hand. I already knew how to make Hawaiian rope bindings so why not use my superpower on my own creation? While working with colorizing and painting the guitars, the idea just came to me, a love relationship between my musical influences and my homeland. A mixture of Hawaiian rope bindings and Scandinavian traditional “Allmogens-painting”, by using earthy soft colours and then gently scraping them off to reveal the wood grain.”
There’s an old joke, not unfamiliar to us guitar players suffering from what we call Guitar Acquisition Syndrome; “How many guitars does a guitarist really need? Just one more...”
Herlin’s Guitars could be the “one more” that puts an end to GAS.
…Unless it’s one more Herlin!
As far as pivotal albums in my Blues consuming youth, Muddy Waters Folk Singer has to be in the top five.
A concept from Chess records, taking advantage of Muddy’s advent and success at the Newport Folk Festival and also riding the folk boom.
Muddy’s only all acoustic release on Chess from 1964 features Willie Dixon on upright bass, and a very young Buddy Guy also on acoustic archtop (as well as Clifton James tastefully on drums/brushes).
It’s simply a sublime record, sparsely played with lots of breath between the players. Every note hits you full on, communicating a wisdom of the blues that reaches back to Muddy’s first sessions for Alan Lomax when he recorded him for Library Of Congress in ‘42, the catalyst for Muddy to move to Chicago after hearing his voice and guitar for
the first time ever on record.
Buddy Guy was virtually unknown and just starting to establish himself on the Chicago scene and Muddy took him under his wing, urging the Chess brothers against his judgment to take a chance on him. The chemistry is magic and we get a profoundly reserved, yet powerful performance by Buddy throughout.
When I first met Buddy back in the 80s, at New York’s Lone Star Cafe, of all things for some reason I brought with me was my copy of this album and when I showed Buddy, he fondly held it, recalling that Muddy gave him a big chance to be on this session, saying that Muddy was kind, generous but stern with him. He then said “You know, I never got a copy of this album and probably haven’t heard it since that time”. So, without hesitation I gave him my copy (from a used record store and out of print at that time), which
sort-of surprised him, rather than the usual fan asking him to sign a record for them. I also presented Buddy as a gift an acrylic painting I did of him.
I personally think the version of Long Distance Call on this album is the absolute definitive release Muddy’s laid down, however every track is a gem.
So, for me to create this illustration of Muddy, Buddy & Willie depicted from that session is to extract an ingrained piece of deep blues that has undeniably become a part of me and continually brings me great comfort and joy.
The title of the album can be a slightly misleading, but a famous quote comes to mind when Big Bill Broonzy was asked in an interview if Blues was folk music?
Bill coyly replied, “I guess all songs is folk songs, I never heard no horses sing ‘em”.
“Ask the lord for mercy, help poor Bob if you please” These are amongst the best know blues lyrics of all time. They are also perhaps the most heart-wrenching and desperate lyrics of a bluesman, begging the lord for salvation and redemption. The myth, legend, or truth of this most well-known blues tune has been well-documented over the last century. Robert Johnson wrote this song in 1936 and recorded it on the Vocalion label in November of the same year. But, this is where the mystery, or myth begins. According to some bluesmen and writers of the time, Johnson had started playing this song as part of his repertoire around 1932, some four years beforehand. But if the story of Johnson’s recordings in 1936 and 1937 in The Gunter Hotel, San Antonio, and also in Dallas, Texas is to be believed, Johnson had written all 29 songs within the space of a few months. So, this is where the legend of Cross Road Blues may have started.
It has been the stuff of blues folklore about the meaning of the song, did he sell his soul to the devil at the crossroads, an intersection of Highway 61 & 49? According to folklore, Johnson had been a mere novice guitar player for many years, nowhere near the expertise of his contemporaries, Son House and Willie Brown. The name Willie Brown features in the lyrics, but to what purpose, was he in such desperation that he wanted redemption for himself, was he also begging Willie Brown to help him? Son House was the big name blues artist around the Mississippi Delta at the turn of the 1930s a very accomplished guitarist and singer. As of all bluesmen of the time, he played hard and lived hard, often succumbing to the perils of booze and loose women. Willie Brown was also of the same mold, but nowhere near as famous or gifted as Son House.
These two artists would often play at juke joints around the Delta, and further afield, Son House being the main attraction. Robert Johnson had known Willie Brown for several years before this, he knew Son House by reputation only. During the early 30s, Robert Johnson had begun his career as a blues
artist, travelling from town to town, playing on street corners, at weddings, anywhere he could make a dollar performing popular tunes of the day, even Irish lullabies when asked. However, he was not in high demand due to his inexperience with the guitar and not as yet writing his own material. Along the way, he met Johnny Shines, another very accom- plished bluesman, they hitch-hiked across the country, playing anywhere that they could. But even with this constant travelling and performing, Robert was still way down the pecking order of blues artists of the time.
Son House and Willie Brown started to play juke joints together on a more regular basis drawing bigger audiences, which led to them earning decent money. Robert by now had made his way back to Hazelhurst, Mississippi, the place of his birth, and had caught a couple of gigs by his two peers. Even though Robert knew that he did not have the style, flair, or craft of these guys, this did not sway him from wanting to perform with them. He constantly asked to join them, and they flatly refused to give any of their stage time to a very average player. But in-between
sets, they did relent and allow Robert to get up on stage to play a couple of numbers whilst they took a well-earned break. This however did not bode well, for Robert or Son House and Willie Brown. The crowd was not forthcoming with generosity towards this young raw upstart, indeed people in the crowd would say to Son House, “ get that boy off, he’s just noising everybody” In other words, he sounds terrible, and we don’t want to hear anymore.
As you can imagine, no aspiring blues artist wants to hear that, and Robert was no exception, he wanted to play like Son House and Willie Brown, but that was not on the horizon. Robert then disappeared to who knows where, no one had heard anything about him, seen him, or heard him play. This is where the story of Cross Road Blues starts to gather momentum, the seed for the
myth and legend. As I stated earlier, there are conflicting rumours as to when Robert first performed Cross Road Blues, was it around 1932 as has been suggested, or was it at the recordings in Texas some six years later? What is known is that Robert came back after about a year a very different blues artist, one that turned the world of blues music on its head. Once again, he sought out Son House and Willie Brown at a juke joint, and the same thing occurred, Robert wanted to sit in, but they once again refused, allowing, once again, a short intermission slot whilst they took a break. What happened next is the next part of the Cross Road Blues story.
Son House and Willie Brown watched young Robert play as they had never seen anyone play and sing before. And this time they noticed something different with Robert’s guitar, he was now playing a seven-string guitar as opposed to a standard six-string guitar. This had never been seen or heard before, how did he manage it, how had he become so talented in such a short space of time? Everyone watching Robert that night knew that they were witnessing some sort of phenomenon, almost unworldly. Robert Johnson’s life and career changed from that very night, another question for the myth. This is when the story of the Crossroads began to gather pace. Many people around
The Mississippi Delta believed in some sort of occult happenings, some were sacred, a blessing, a safety, and some were the work of the devil.
It had long been rumoured that if you were to visit a particular Crosroad intersection at midnight, the devil would come to you and give you a gift, a treasure, something to behold, but that carried a very hefty price, your soul. Another tale was that if you wanted to learn how to play the blues, you had to sit on top of a gravestone in a cemetery at midnight, this was largely the story that a young bluesman at the time, Ike Zimmerman, liked to put around. Some people claim that it was sin-fact Zimmerman who taught Johnson everything he knew, but this is highly speculative, Johnny Shines, when asked about Zimmerman replied, “ who”? So, the lyrics of the song that Johnson himself had written now become the basis for the real story.
“I went down to the crossroads, tried to flag a ride” why go to the crossroads to hitch a ride? Where was he planning on going? If the crossroads held this occultist power, why try to leave? Many people try to debunk the crossroads story as local hearsay, just a good story. Johnson became as good as he did through sheer practice, after all, practice does make perfect. But in the space of twelve months, does anyone become that good? People will get better with practice over years, and they will become better players, but this was something completely different. Nobody had ever played a seven-string guitar before, the speed of his fingers, the tone, the ability to make it sound like two guitarists were playing at the same time. This is unheard of, in-fact since he died in 1938, nobody has been able to replicate what Johnson played exactly as he played it. Many guitarist practice day in and day out for many hours over many years and still can’t get anywhere close to what Johnson did. Even great players such as Eric Clapton, Jimmy Page, Muddy Waters, B. B. King, and Stevie Ray Vaughan all admit they can play nothing like Robert Johnson, no matter how they have tried.
Something happened to Robert Johnson somewhere, this was not just practice, according to bluesmen at the time, his voice had changed beyond recognition, Son House even remarked that at the time Johnson left to travel god knows where for a year, his fingers had grown, he used to have short fingers, now they were considerably longer, this was a fully grown man, not a young boy. How does that happen? Even though Johnson had come back to be the greatest blues artist of all time, the greatest guitarist, the greatest singer, the greatest songwriter, telling all manner of tales relating to the devil and hell, and being constantly afraid, he was still a man in turmoil. This is noticeable in his lyrics,
I for one think that whatever happened at the crossroads, in his 29 songs he was actually writing his own obituary. He knew that he was on borrowed time, he knew that he was not going to make old bones. The debt had to be paid.
He died in excruciating agony in 1938, his drinking and womanizing becoming his downfall. He was poisoned by a jealous juke joint owner, taking three tortuous days to die, some say he howled at the moon towards the end. It would take another twenty-three years before the world became acquainted with the work of Robert Johnson. Alan Lomax, a well-known music producer had heard about Johnson and tried to get him to perform at Carnegie Hall, New York, but he sadly died before Lomax could contact him. In 1961, Columbia Records released an album entitled, King Of The Delta Blues Singers. It brought to the world’s attention the greatest blues artist of all time. Bands like The Rolling Stones, The Yardbirds, Cream, and Led Zeppelin all covered Robert Johnson’s songs in one form or another. Cream released their version of Cross Road Blues, called simply Crossroads. It began another trip down the mysterious path of The Delta.
There is however another twist in the tale of Cross Road Blues. I was fortunate enough to interview a very well-known blues legend a couple of times and we chatted at length about Johnson. This blues legend now resides in Clarksdale, Mississippi, where the story began, I’m not going to name him, that would not be fair, but I will add, that this person has been around the blues scene for six decades, in and around The Delta, so he can speak with authority. Where the famous sign now stands, this is supposed to be the intersection of Highway 61 & 49 the actual crossroad. This blues legend told me that if that story is true about Robert visiting the crossroad and selling his soul to the devil, the crossroad intersection that Johnson was actually singing about, is further on down the road!! Now, is this true? Another thing to contemplate about the meaning of the song does it mean an actual crossroads. Or does it imply something spiritual within us? Which path do we take in life? No song in history has ever challenged people’s perspective as much as Cross Road Blues. I firmly believe that Robert Johnson did have an episode at “The Crossroads” I have found nothing else that can explain his change in style, his change in ability, his change in skill, and his craftsmanship. Something made Robert Johnson go from almost obscurity to becoming the greatest blues artist of all time. The answer lies in Clarksdale, Mississippi. We may never know whether it be myth, legend, or the truth. But the answer is there somewhere.
On March 6th, 2013 the music world mourned the unexpected death of Alvin Lee at the age of 68 following routine hospital surgery. Alvin was one of the world’s most respected and talented guitarists throughout his long and successful career as front man of Ten Years After and subsequently as a solo artist with his own musicians.
The outpouring of grief from his fans and the accolades he received from his peers across the whole blues and rock spectrum in the days after his passing, together with his continued popularity over the past decade, confirm the global esteem in which he is held.
Queen’s Sir Brian May wrote: ‘Alvin was a legendary and influential guitarist and a very nice bloke. His speed and dexterity…were scary and exciting. He was daring enough to play and sing close to his limit every time. As a man off-stage his persona was modest and gentle. On stage – a giant who will be missed greatly.’ Joe Bonamassa posted a clip of Alvin’s vintage guitar playing on social media and commented: ‘Another hero gone this week, this is a very sad night.’ Kenny Wayne Shepherd referred to Alvin as, ‘One of the greatest guitar players ever.’ Black Sabbath’s Tommy Iommi described Alvin as ‘a brilliant guitarist who inspired me in the early days but more importantly he was a good friend.’
American Gospel Music Hall of Fame inductee Mylon LeFevre, who teamed up with Alvin for On The Road To Freedom and is now a Christian Evangelist Minister, called Alvin, ‘A good man with a good heart; he was honest, creative, intelligent, kind and loyal. He was a rock superstar.’ Added to these sentiments is the fact that Alvin was also a close friend of, and music collaborator with, The Beatles’ George Harrison. George brought Ringo and Paul to The Rainbow Theatre in London to watch Alvin perform with his new band in 1974. TYA bassist Leo remembers Alvin with particular fondness. ‘I still haven’t really taken it in. I feel very sad because he was like a brother and we shared so many great experiences together that nothing can take away. I miss him very much. He was an inspiration for a generation of guitar players. Keep on rockin’ Alvin!’
Alvin was steeped in the blues from an early
age as his first influences were his dad’s rare collection of jazz and blues 78s. He explains, ‘My dad Sam was an avid jazz and blues collector and he and my mum Doris both played the guitar so I was brought up listening to Leadbelly and Big Bill Broonzy.’ The 1969 Woodstock Festival in New York State was the ultimate tribute to, and triumph for, Alvin who was one of the first popular musicians to promote universal peace and love, the ethos of this rock extravaganza which both changed the world and the role of youth in society. The spirit of Woodstock with its very special sense of freedom generated by the hippie counter culture of the late 60s stayed with Alvin throughout his life. His incendiary performance in front of an audience of around half a million propelled Alvin to superstardom, gaining a reputation as ’Captain Speedfingers’ and the ‘fastest guitarist in the west.’ When the smash hit documentary of the festival was released the following year. Alvin’s reputation as an iconic axe man was preserved for posterity on film, specifically his adrenalin-fueled vintage blues and rock and roll extravaganza “I’m Going Home”. Not only that, his distinctive red Gibson E-335 adorned with a peace symbol sticker and dancing hippie man motif made ‘Big Red’ almost as famous as its owner. With constant practise and listening to a wide range of influences throughout his career, Alvin would develop into a skillful, versatile guitarist of immense intricacy and subtlety who could play a variety of genres.
It surprises most aficionados who saw him play that Alvin never achieved the world-
class status that he deserved. This did not appear to faze him as he was more concerned about the opinions of his genuine, knowledgeable fans than to just follow the paths of the high profile popular bands of the time. From the outset it was never part of Alvin’s plan to become a rock or pop star, to be famous and to earn a fortune. Rather he maintained the integrity of his music and remained true to his roots. However, he was pleased when Gibson nominated him as the greatest ever exponent of its ES 335 model ahead of such luminaries as Chuck Berry, Eric Clapton and B.B. King. Even more surprising is that Alvin’s immense feeling for the blues was not universally recognised despite virtuosic tracks such as “The Bluest Blues” featuring George Harrison on slide, a work of pure genius. Alvin described it as one of George’s best ever solos: ‘It is a masterpiece, so sensitive, and this made me play more sensitively. He created such a tender, melodic sound and this inspired me to change my approach too.’
Since 2013, the unparalleled devotion of Alvin’s family has ensured that his legacy is perpetuated for future generations. Evi Lee works tirelessly to keep the official website and Facebook page continuously updated and to oversee new content and releases. It is a lesser-known fact about Alvin is that he was also acknowledged as an exceptionally talented recording engineer, mixer and producer for whom a home studio was always a priority. Alvin’s daughter Jasmin and her mother Suzanne perpetuate this important legacy as joint owners and managing direc-
tors of Dean Street Studios in Soho, London, one of the world’s most renowned recording venues.
The increasing respect and recognition from across the world since he passed away is a tribute to what Alvin achieved in his lifetime. He really did try to change the world through the his timeless and classic music, his love of the environment and promotion of peace, his lyrics ‘World pollution is no solution’ and ‘Stop the war’ of poignant relevance today. Alvin’s music transcends his mortality and will be remembered and enjoyed for many decades to come thanks to the devotion and dedication of his precious family and loyal fan base. It is reassuring that until the end, Alvin was still composing, recording and playing great music and, above all, closing in on his ideal of freedom.
In his last interview with Blues Matters!
Alvin spoke about the blues:
‘When I was 12 years old and living at home, I heard two people talking downstairs at about two in the morning so I went to investigate and there’s my dad drinking whisky with Big Bill Broonzy – he had brought him back from the show in Nottingham he had gone to see! So the music was around me all the time and seeped into my brain and fibres; thank goodness he wasn’t playing
James Last. I figured for a white guy to sing and play the blues you have to write and sing about what is personal to you. As much as I like to sing about getting the freight train from Mississippi to Chicago I have never done it. I can imagine the situation but the blues to me is generally real thoughts which go through my mind, like in “Motel Blues” and “The Bluest Blues”. The blues is a way of getting melancholy moments out of your system. It is better than taking it out on your friends and pets.’ Good music is still there but the motivation now is to be a pop star whereas in the 60s the motivation was to be a musician. That romanticism to be a working musician and to lead a musician’s life was more intriguing to me than being a rock star.’
And finally, the tributes from Alvin’s close family...
Evi: ‘Alvin and I were very devoted to each
other and his sudden passing made my whole world collapse. While we lived together he was constantly honing his craft to meet his own extremely high standards, always exploring new ways to create beautiful music and to paint. I feel very blessed and am forever grateful for many happy years together. It is a great honour to share the responsibility of continuing to bring his musical heritage into the world for old and new fans alike.’
Jasmin: ‘My dad was my greatest fan, and I was his. Nothing will ever fill the void of losing the most loving and amazing man in my life. But I have a legacy to look after and it fills with me with joy to be able to preserve Alvin Lee the artist and share this all with his grandson.’
Suzanne: ‘A truly great musician and one of the best guitarists ever: an insightful, intelligent, artistic and creative soul. I was fortunate enough to spend over 20 years with this amazing man and it is so important that our beautiful daughter Jasmin and her son Jaxon are here to carry on his incredible legacy. Alvin, much loved and still missed every day.’
Alvin Lee, 19th December 1944 to 6th March 2013 - RIP
‘The past is never dead, it is not even past.’ William Faulkner
My dad was my greatest fan
The Healer has become one of the most important blues albums of modern times. Originally released in 1989, and this may seem a strange thing to say, but towards the end of his illustrious career in blues music, John Lee Hooker gave us this timeless piece of music together with some of his closest and dearest friends. For some reason, The Healer was out of production for ten years, it had been pulled out of circulation, this is one the best albums of the latter part of the twentieth century. I digress, it was re-released and has since gained even wider recognition. Seven out of the ten songs see John Lee joined by fellow blues artists, each bringing something different to the table. This is not just a random bunch of people thinking, hey, let’s go play with John Lee. This is a bunch of blues luminaries that revel in the chance to play alongside one of the greatest blues artists of all time. One of my favourite tracks on the album is, That’s Alright, the hairs on the back of my neck stand up every time I hear this song, it’s magical, pure blues magic. The last three songs on side two feature John Lee alone, his trademark tapping with his shoes taking pride of place, put that with him playing a National guitar, and you get the picture. The Healer, a landmark blues album.
Side 1
• The Healer with Carlos Santana
• I’m In The Mood with Bonnie Raitt
• Baby Lee with Robert Cray
• Think Twice Before You Go with Los Lobos
Side 2
• Sally Mae with George Thoroughgood
• That’s Alright with Charlie Musselwhite
• Rockin’ Chair
• My Dream
• No Substitute
In 2022, Burnin’ celebrated its 60th birthday. So they have re-released the album, and I’m jolly glad that they did. This was the album that bought John Lee Hooker to the attention of a much wider audience that he had enjoyed since he cut his first album in 1949. It still took another thirteen years before he began to get the acclaim he so richly deserved. It had been a long struggle for Jogn Lee to establish himself within the blues community, he’d taken menial jobs until his first album was released. In 1962 Burnin’ changed his life forever. Side 1, track 1 Boom Boom, without doubt, is the most-played John Lee tune, and the most recognizable. It has been featured in many documentaries and most famously in the original Blues Brothers movie. But Burnin’ is so much more than an album that gave us Boom Boom, it’s an album that gave John Lee an international stage, and a new audience at a time when blues music and blues artists were in somewhat of a decline. Many of the blues artists of the 40s and 50s had convened in the UK and Europe where a newer audience lay in wait. Lost A Good Girl and Blues Before Sunrise, are in my opinion better songs and better portray John Lee than Boom Boom. Both songs allowed him to put more of himself onto the album, this was a new era, a new beginning. The impact on the blues world, and that of the yet-to-emerge rock bands such as The Rolling Stones, The Yardbirds, and Cream is still as important today as it was back then. These bands heard this album, and it helped to shape their careers thus they created another breed of blues musicians such as Joe Bonamassa. I wonder just how many blues artists this album has influenced. It’s one of those albums that will still be played a hundred years from now. And so it should be.
Side 1
• Boom Boom
• Process
• Lost A Good Girl
• A New Leaf
• Blues Before Sunrise
• Let’s Make It
Side 2
• I Got A Letter
• Thelma
• Drug Store Woman
• Keep Your Hands To Yourself
• What Do You Say
Blues icon Walter Trout will be coming back to the UK in May for an eleven-date tour, beginning at the Phoenix Arts Centre in Exeter on 9th May and will call through Birmingham, Holmfirth, Sunderland, Glasgow, Liverpool, Cambridge, Ilkley, Gateshead, Manchester and will finish at the Islington Assembly Hall in London on 21st May. Support comes from Alastair Greene.
In August last year, Trout released his 30th solo album, Ride, to critical acclaim, including reaching #2 in Classic Rock magazine’s “Blues Albums of 2022”. As long-standing Trout fans know, the Golden State has been the bluesman’s home for 47 years. Trout joined John Mayall’s Bluesbreakers line-up in ’85, before embarking on an acclaimed solo career from ’89 onwards. But before that came his chaotic, self-destructive years as a jobbing lead guitarist, whether for revered-but-tricky blues pioneers like John Lee Hooker and Big Mama Thornton, or an unhinged tenure in an ’80s Canned Heat line-up controlled by the Hell’s Angels.
Trout’s well-documented excess in this era was darker than a young rock star cutting loose. It could all be traced back to his troubled childhood in New Jersey, he explains, where an unstable stepfather – himself the victim of shocking cruelty as a prisoner of war – was a terrifying presence. As ‘Ride’ took form, such memories couldn’t help but flavor the music. “This album is obviously what I was going through mentally and emotionally,” he considers. “All I did was express it. I spent a lot of time crying, because I would dig down into my emotional core. I want my songs to have some sort of truth to them.” Some memories that Trout examines on ‘Ride’ are long-distant but eternally poignant.
Walter Trout is the beating heart of the modern blues rock scene. Respected by the old guard. Revered by the young guns. Adored by the fans who shake his hand after the show each night, and after five decades in the game, Trout remains a talismanic figure.
Trout will be 72 years old when he lands in Exeter on this tour and as a live powerhouse, he still retains that furiosity and fire in his belly to make every singe performance one to remember.
09 May – Phoenix Arts Centre, Exeter
10 May – Town Hall, Birmingham
12 May – Picturedrome, Holmfirth
13 May – The Fire Station, Sunderland
14 May – Oran Mor, Glasgow
16 May – Epstein Theatre, Liverpool
17 May – Junction, Cambridge
18 May – Kings Hall, Ilkley
19 May – Sage, Gateshead
20 May – Academy 2, Manchester
21 May – Islington Assembly Hall, London
“Ladies and gentlemen…how about a nice, warm round of applause to welcome the world’s greatest blues singer, the King of the Blues, B.B. King!”
Those words introduce what many music lovers feel is one of the best live albums ever recorded. The Gibson Custom Shop is proud to commemorate this landmark album and the legendary artist behind it with the B.B. King “Live at the Regal” ES-335. It recreates the unique 1959 ES-335 that B.B. used at the time, which was custom-ordered with an Argentine Grey sunburst finish, a Bigsby® vibrato, and a Varitone switch. It also features Grover® “Milk Bottle” Rotomatic® tuners, pearl dots to cover the stop bar holes, and nitrocellulose dot inlays on the rosewood fretboard. The hardware and nitrocellulose lacquer finish has been expertly aged by the Murphy Lab. Only 100 of these very special guitars have been handcrafted by the expert luthiers and craftspeople of the Gibson Custom Shop in Nashville, Tennessee. A Custom Shop Lifton™ hardshell case and certificate of authenticity are also included.
The Indiana outfit The Cold Stares has released ‘Voices,’ their explosive new full-length album, out now via Mascot Records. Self-produced by the band and recorded almost entirely over the course of just two days with engineer Mark Needham (Taj Mahal, The Killers, Imagine Dragons, Walk the Moon, Fleetwood Mac), ‘Voices’ stands as The Cold Stares’ most mature, eclectic collection yet, balancing gritty muscle and tender emotion in equal measure. To celebrate the release, the band has shared a live performance video for the album’s latest single “Got No Right,” an upbeat jam about not being able to leave a bad relationship for all the right reasons.
The band have announced that they will be headlining the Phoenix Stage at the Maid of Stone Festival, Maidstone along with shows at The Bourne Music Club, Sittingbourne and 1865, Southampton from 19-23 July. They will also be playing shows across Europe in May and June. Tickets are availabe from www.thecoldstares.com
The Cold Stares release their new full-length album ‘Voices’
California-based musician Dean M Collins is on verge of releasing a new album ‘Land Where The Wishes Come True,’ dropping on June 16th, 2023. Featuring an exciting and entertaining blend of Country Music, Americana, and Bluegrass, the singer-songwriter reflects on his eventful life as a Kentucky farmer’s son, Delta Air Lines captain and former U.S. Navy pilot, as well as a family man and musician. He is supported by renowned guest musicians who altogether have received more than 60 Grammy Awards. Kenny Aronoff’s (e.g. Johnny Cash, John Mellencamp, Lady Gaga) dynamic drumming provides the foundation along with bassist James LoMenzo (e.g. White Lion, Black Label Society, Megadeth), while Smokin’ Brett Resnick (e.g. Kacey Musgraves, Brookes & Dunn) gives the songs his own accents with the pedal steel guitar. The same applies to Justin Moses’ (e.g. Garth Brooks, Brad Paisley, Peter Frampton) harmonic dobro, mandolin and banjo playing, as well as Michael Cleveland’s (e.g. Béla Fleck, Flamekeeper, Alison Kraus) filigree playing of the bluegrass fiddle and Jimmy Zavala’s (e.g. Eurythmics, Bon Jovi, Tom Petty, Jeff Beck) brilliant harmonica playing.
Through this project’s broad expe-
rience and musical class, the album unfolds a detailed sound cosmos of Country Music, Americana and Bluegrass, which also features Pop accents and references to musical greats such as R.E.M. and Paul McCartney. Recorded by Dave Jenkins and Ralph Cacciurri (e.g. Glenn Frey, Coldplay, Ludacris) at Uncommon Studios LA and Parhelion Studios, several of the 13 songs were mixed and produced with Collins’ longtime friend and musical companion Thom Russo (e.g. Michael Jackson, Johnny Cash, Macy Gray) in Los Angeles, whose skillful production brought together the manifold inspirations and influences. Gavin Lurssen, who has already refined albums by the Foo Fighters, Robert Plant or the Game Of Thrones soundtrack, is responsible for the mastering. Together with Collins’ vocals, they all provide a clear and inviting sound that turns the album with meaningful lyrics into an extraordinary Country Music masterpiece. Three singles will be pre-released to shorten the waiting time until the album. Kick-off is on 03/02/2023, with the release of the title track as the first single, along with a splendid music video bringing the meaning of the lyrics to life in expressive imagery.
From the Netherlands, Hein Meijer aka Little Boogie Boy has been playing with blues greats since the early 90s, including John Primer, who gave him his moniker when sneaking into Chicago blues clubs whilst underage. Performing not only with his own Little Boogie Boy Blues Band but also as a sideman to many well-known US musicians, Hein’s infectious brand of “happy blues” continues to spread around Europe. From England, Roger C. Wade on harmonica and vocals has been active for over thirty years in various formations. Rooted firmly in the footsteps of Big and Little Walter, George Smith and Sonny Boy, Roger is not only a consummate blues harmonica player, but also a uniquely powerful performer that never fails to entertain an audience. From Germany, Chris Rannenberg on piano and vocals is one of the few living pianists that learned in person from the greats and carries on the tradition of blues a la Blind John Davis, Sunnyland Slim, Walter Davis and Otis Spann. It simply does not get better than this in the world of
blues piano and Chris is a central pillar in the European Blues Aces.
The Finnish bassist and guitarist Jaska Prepula has been a stalwart of the European Blues scene for many years and regularly tours with a whole host of musicians from Europe and the US. Jaska is a leading practitioner of traditional and swinging blues, in not only the Tomi Leino Trio but he is also on speed dial for numerous other combos throughout Scandinavia. Based in Denmark, drummer Mikko Peltola is unique in his approach to blues drumming. Always fresh, dynamic and with that Fred Below swing, Mikko has been the driving force for many visiting musicians from the US over the years and lays down an irresistible blues beat. The European Blues Aces. Five musicians, five countries, one simple aim - to offer top quality, no-frills traditional blues that is so seldom heard in European clubs and at festivals nowadays. If you are looking for something special, from leading European musicians, look no further. The blues is back.
Consummate Rogues are a UK-based Rhythm and Blues band, made up of some of London’s top session musicians. As well as the deep-rooted influence of blues, country and Americana on their music, there are also traces of classic British pop music within their sound, creating an unconventional and unique flavour. Formed in 2021 by Sax and Keys player, Chris Rand, Consummate Rogues are a band which feeds off the new wave of Rock ‘n’ Roll, blending blues with Southern Rock and swampy New Orleans grooves. Over the last year Consummate Rogues have performed at some iconic venues, including Ronnie Scott’s, The Green Note, The 100 Club and Ain’t Noting But The Blues Bar. They play as a duo or four piece. They have recently appeared at the 2023 UK Rock and Blues Festival and will be heading to Romania in March for their first European tour.
They do not have anything recorded yet, what they focus on is gigging . Chris wanted to put a band together but not to be a studio band. “We build a sound and repertoire then go into the studio and record. By then we hopefully would build a core fan base who want to see us live”, Chris is a regular fixture on London’s Jazz and Blues scene, and has worked with some of the top UK blues and roots artists, including: Charlie Watts, Mick Taylor, Nine Below Zero, Bad Manners, Squeeze, James Hunter Six and the Ben Waters Band. Chris also runs record label Lunaria and has a band The Gathering, playing mostly jazz music, although his musical palette is eclectic with Consummate Rogues. They are presently working on a new album, so future looking good. His wife came up with the band name, they were always up to mischief but also being true to the cause of being a full time jobbing musician. Chris is from Swanage and did a Music degree then played in many bands, that influence his music, now lives in London. He always was interested in big band sounds like Duke Ellington. But it was seeing Jools holland’s Rhythm and Blues Orchestra that seemed the catalyst. That inspired him to be a jobbing musician and make a career. He later played with Jools on stage. He also plays piano this started when playing in Ben Waters band. His piano playing was influenced by the likes of Chas Hodges, his mentor. Growing up in Dorset he was exposed to many musical genres including folk.
With a ‘new’ album, on Colemine Records, due out, Fred Davis takes a bow with a word from an admirer:
“Fred Davis was a legend, but only in my living room. There was always music around my house, but as a teenager, I started digging deeper and deeper into the blues records in my Dad’s collection. That was when I started to get the Fred Davis story in fits and starts. Fred could play like T-Bone Walker and sang in a high, keen voice like J.B. Lenoir, he said. He used to front a jump band in Kansas City, before something went down that sent him to prison at Leavenworth. In the summer of 1967, he ended up working alongside my Dad at Harco, the Cleveland factory where my grandfather was an executive. They became friends, bonding over the B.B. King and Bobby Bland records blaring from the AM radio on the factory floor. Fred taught my Dad the rudiments of blues guitar, but his style. Instead of barring with his first finger, he wrapped his thumb around the back of the neck. That left his other fingers free to create big, ringing voicings that imitated the Kansas City horn sections he heard in his youth. Fred could play up and down the neck and, even when he played and sang just by himself, he sounded like a full band. Or, at least, so the legend went. These were only foggy memories from thirty years previous, passed down from a father to a son.
But then we found the tape. A quarter inch reel in a plain white cardboard box, hiding on a shelf in the attic. My Dad explained how it came to exist: He found some friends (acquaintances really) who had a band and some equipment. They setup in my grandparents living room where the upright piano was, and he invited Fred over to record some of his songs with the band backing him up. Invited him over, to play loud music, in his boss’s living room. Sounds like something I would have done. The idea was that maybe if there were some recordings of Fred that he could use them to get booked on the nascent college blues-revival circuit, but it wasn’t to be. We found a place nearby that could dub the tape and put it on a CD for us. When we finally got the transfer back, the legend became real. Fred really COULD sing like J.B. Lenoir and play like T-Bone Walker. He really DID have his own style. And that style had now been passed on to me. Without even realizing it, I had learned to play like Fred Davis. Even now, when I sit down to play the guitar or write a song and I wrap my thumb around the neck, I’m playing like he did.
With this music now professionally transferred and remastered, I can only hope that Fred Davis can finally receive the acclaim that he deserves; that he never received in his lifetime. The legend can finally go behind the confines of my living room and, with any luck, to the whole world.”
Marc Broussard hails from Louisiana down in the Southern States of the USA. It’s a place where they take life nice and easy, and no-one bothers getting over-excited about things that really don’t matter very much at all.
One such thing they don’t pay too much of a mind to down there, is putting music in boxes. Whatever you play, soul, rock, boogie, blues, you are entirely welcome to mix it up with anything else that takes your fancy, and no-one going to get all bent out of shape about sticking a name on your style for you.
Of course, if you really feel you need to have something to call the style of music that Marc Broussard has been putting out for a few years now, then why not ‘Louisiana Soul’? That’ll do for now, while Marc and I get down to discussing more important matters related to his new album release – more of that shortly.
The beginning is always a very good place to start, when talking to a musician about his career, it breaks the ice just nicely, and we can get a feel of where Marc has been, which is always a big help in thinking about where he is now, and where he’s going next.
“My father is a very successful musician here in Louisiana,” says Marc, speaking of his dad Ted Broussard who is a Louisiana Hall Of Fame inductee as a guitarist, and one-time member of local legends in those parts, The Boogie Kinds.
“Dad recognised when I was around fiveand-a-half, that I could sing and hold a tune. I was singing Johnny B Goode over and over again after I saw Michael J Fox singing it in Back To The Future. My dad brought a print-out of the lyrics home the next day, I’m not sure why, I couldn’t read them too well! But I memorised the song, and he played and I sang, and he had me up on
stage with him the next weekend.”
“I would go out with him on weekends when he played bar gigs. Some of them allowed kids in, so that was OK, I’d get up on stage and sing Johnny B Goode and maybe some Otis Redding songs, and I’d help him carry the gear in and out.”
“When I was around sixteen, he brought me along to the local Songwriters Night. There was a real nice little bar down in Lafayette called The Side Bar, and they had this little
atrium where people could set up and play. Pretty soon we caught the owner’s ear, and he had us down for some Friday night sessions.”
“There’s a concert season down here in the spring and in the fall, called Downtown Live, and all the downtown bars take the overspill bands and crowds and we played shows late on a Friday night. We played everything we knew from Otis Redding to Kenny Loggins, and that was where and how I learned my craft as a vocalist. I was on stage at an age where I was too young to know what ‘social anxiety’ was, I’ve always felt right at home on a stage playing music to folks.”
So, you go from playing bar gigs locally, and then you graduate to being a professional musician. At some point the penny has to drop that you are good enough to do this for your job, so how did that feel?
“Well, playing alongside my dad, and checking out most of the musicians around the area where I live, it seemed to me that the way it was, was that musicians had a job, and they played music evenings and weekends. So, I figured I would get a job to support my family when I had one, and then play my music evenings and weekends like my dad and all his friends did. It was only when I was on tour opening for Maroon Five in 2002, that it actually dawned on me that I was going to be able to be a musician, and not have another job as well, this was going to be my job. It’s really funny because even how, we meet parents of our children’s friends, and they are amazed that I am a professional musician, and that’s actually what I do. They say to my wife, Is that all Marc does? Really? And the answer is yes, it is.”
Marc has been a successful musician at a high level for a large part of his career. He has had TV slots on shows like Tonight With Jay Leno, and Jimmy Kimel Live! They are probably the equivalent of our Jonathan Ross and Graham Norton
shows over in the UK.
“Well, I had major label representation for a large part of my career, and they do the promotion hustle that gets me onto shows like that. Now I am not on a major label, those opportunities don’t crop up like they used to.”
Your new album, SOS 4: Blues For Your Soul, is a philanthropic project, in collaboration with the production and contribution team of Joe Bonamassa and Josh Smith. It’s an admirable notion, to give to people who are less fortunate, but you are still a working musician with a family to support, so is it hard to work out the financial division to fit both sides of the equation?
“No, not at all. When I was signed to major labels, I saw a fraction of the revenues that my albums and singles generated by my music. Now, as an independent, that all comes to me. So instead of the money being used to keep lights on for twenty-four hours a day in some record company office block in New York or Los Angeles, it goes to families who actually need that electricity to light and heat their homes.”
“Management was dead set against it at first, but now they are completely on board. What you never had, you don’t miss, and now the money that never came to me, goes to people who actually need it far more. The bigger advantages of being independent is that I can release more albums, and I can do more albums like this one, respect to the major artists and songs I have always loved.”
For any musician who writes songs, the choices for an album are a tough call. Not everything you want can make the cut, and making those difficult decisions are a process every musician and band has to go through. For Marc, he shared the load, and embraced the opinions of has band members, and of course, his highly regarded producers.
“I always ask the band, my management, and the producers, to send me a song list of their choices. I must say that for this album, I leaned pretty heavily on Josh Smith’s choices, in fact, I wonder if he chose those songs knowing they would be my choices as well. I’ll have to ask him. Blues is a style I love, but it’s not something that is my major go-to as an artist. I’m more Stevie Wonder than Bobby Blue Bland, more Donny Hathaway than BB King, but I was convinced that this selection of songs was something I should put out, and I am really really pleased that I did it.”
“Covering Little Milton and other artists of his calibre was a massive challenge for me. It’s not the technical side of things, I could
pretty much put my technique on cruise control, it was concentrating on getting the emotion and the feel right. Actually conveying what it’s like to be in jail, in the song, was the hardest aspect of the recordings, but I found it hugely satisfying to be challenged like that, and rise to it to make the album.”
“For me, covering songs by such hugely successful and respected artists is a bit like the scenario where someone like Solomon Burke or Stevie Wonder has just done a set, and someone says, There’s a white boy back there wanting to have a go on your tunes, why don’t you let him step-up and let’s see what he can do. If Al Green hears me singing Love And Happiness”, and wonders who it is, I will be very, very happy with that!”
What do you sing in a karaoke bar on a Saturday night with your friends?
“You know, I always used to try and impress everyone when I sang in public, but I know now that impressing them for the sake of it doesn’t really mean anything at all. On a Saturday night in a bar, I’ll take on a real old country classic and ham it right up, maybe let a few tears go, just to make my friends laugh. That’s good fun.”
Going back to the album, different producers and collaborators work in different ways, each as individual as the artist or band they are working with. And Messrs Bonamassa and Smith are no exception, as Marc explains.
“They are both incredibly gifted at what they do, which is different. Josh is really good at communicating his requirements and his opinions. He doesn’t try and fluff everyone up, he will demand the best, and when you are working with the best musicians, like Joe, then that’s a wonderful experience. Everyone is on their game, and Josh makes sure they get the very best take each and every time, and that makes for a great final result.”
Finally, Marc, are you coming over to the UK?
“I would love to come back, we have been to London a few times, but I’d like to make it to some other regions in the UK. We have a date in The Netherlands booked, and we have a blank week either side of it, so I will be asking our booking agent if he can look into maybe getting us some UK dates, it would up be wonderful to bring the new album out and play it on stage for all you folks over there.”
Let’s keep our eyes open people, Marc Brossard is the real deal, don’t miss a chance to see him and the boys cook it up, if they get here.
Jono Manson originally kicked-off his musical career playing the dirty dives – his words – around New York City as a relative kid; Now based at the completely opposite end of the USA, in New Mexico, he laughs when I suggest he could hardly be further from his starting point: “Well, yea! I guess that’s right but it all works for me and that’s what matters.”
Manson is no newcomer to the business, with around ten albums already behind him and a recording studio facility, ‘Kitchen Sink Studio’ where he works from home in Santa Fe with many acclaimed US artists, garnering Grammy nominations along the musical byway.
‘Stars Enough to Guide Me’, on Blue Rose Music Records, is his latest solo release, and an album featuring some true greats including Grammy winner John Popper and roots/folk singer-songwriting legend, Eliza Gilkysen in the varied mix. This is an album that wriggles and twists whenever an attempt is made to pigeon-hole the genres covered. It’s a genuinely wonderful offering featuring blues, country, soul, funk, rock and Americana. For my money, it’s probably going to be one of the best albums of 2023 – it really is that good! Manson wrote the material and plays guitar throughout, with vocals that more than hold-up to the light.
The songs on Stars Enough To Guide Me are diverse and genre-bending, drawing on roots, rock, soul, and country traditions as they paint vivid portraits of resilient characters standing tall in the face of time’s relentless march, and Manson’s performances are similarly determined, delivered with a passion and conviction that’s as honest as it is empathetic.
Manson comes from the rougher end of the New York Punk-rock and post-punk music scene where he played dives and bars of every colour and size making his way forward at every possible opportunity. Then, as his reputation grew and his career rolled forward, he became un unexpected ‘star.’ From his early days playing New York’s Nightingale, a venue that proved a springboard to success for bands as diverse as Blues Traveler and The Spin Doctors, he moved on into production with credits including Warren Haynes now behind him. Then a turn of the unexpected happened, and Manson became a ‘hit’ in Italy, as he explains with a laugh:
“ In the late nineties, well mid-nineties, I had an album that came out on a large label in the States and – before the internet age when everybody can discover everybody – it made its way over to Europe, to Italy! I got a typed letter in the mail from a disc-jockey in a small town in Piedmonte saying he was
playing this record of mine, that he really loved it and he’d read in a fanzine I had some other music out and he asked how much money he would have to ‘throw out at me’ to get it. I saw an opportunity there, so instead of asking him to send money I sent him a stack of CDs, wrote him a letter asking if he knew any independent record companies in Italy could he please pass it on. Then a coupla months later I got a Fax from a label up in the north saying they had my record and would like to release it! They brought me over to Turin and one thing led to another and I began going out there to perform and I think maybe nine or ten of my albums have been released on labels there in Italy!”
Manson warms to the theme, adding: “And I got to meet lots of musicians out there. You know how it is in Europe; there are all those bands trying to play like American music and bands, to sound like them – some with greater success than others. And then they have their own strong musical traditions because the culture is so diverse, and so I started working as a producer with a lot of Italian rock bands and singer-songwriters. I’m just about to go over again to produce a record for an Italian band I’ve worked with in the past. It’s just been wonderful; I’ve learned the language and this has been going for twenty-five years now and it’s just wonderful. It’s been a great musical adventure, but that’s how life is!”
With a near-lifetime in the business, Manson is often nudged for helpful advice by newcomers: “Youngsters ask me what I can offer – I have a recording studio here and work with all sorts – some old crusty veterans and some new ones, and when they ask for advice, especially navigating the music business today, which is just insane – the one thing I always say is be prepared for your path to be so far away from what you envisioned at the beginning! Be ready to take those unexpected paths, that’s part of being lucky. Be ready when those opportunities rise and follow them, even if they take you in a completely different direction form your originally intended way.”
We share a laugh about the inexplicable, at times, music business before turning to his preferences as a producer these days and how it sits in his thoughts as a performer. Manson immediately confirms he loves
production work almost as much as performance:
“I do, you know. It’s gratifying – admittedly in a different way from making your own music. But it fulfils similar needs for creativity, the process. I will say that as I get older – I’m about to be 62, so I’m not old but I’m not young either – I do notice that when you’re younger working in the studio long hours, when you’re young fifteen hours in the studio just evaporates and you don’t feel it really. Now, I get home after a day in there and my ears are ringing, my back’s hurting, but I still love it and also now with a twelve-year old daughter and family being a producer allows me to work and not be on the road! So, there’s a practical aspect to it. It’s a different kind of satisfaction but when I produce records for others I treat it as if it’s my own. I am first and foremost a musician, so I treat it, the record, as if it’s my own, with the same care. But I will add that I find it way easier to produce a record for, say you, than it is for my own!”
“My friend Eric Amble, he’s on my new record, he’s a very accomplished producer but when it comes to his own records he always gets someone else to produce it! He says, ‘self-producing is like self-dentistry! There are some things you just shouldn’t do.’ And he has a point, I think,” he adds with another laugh.
Looking at the new recording, Stars Enough to Guide Me, it’s clear Manson likes to move freely around the musical world, with a broad-brush approach to both his writing and style: “Yea,” he agrees. “Certainly, my music has always – even in the early bar bands I was in growing up in New York we played when I started professionally in the1970s and early 80s, there was a thirst for live music – nobody wanted to hear cover bands, so I was lucky, I guess. They all wanted to hear original music! On the heels of the whole punk-rock thing and explosion of newwave music there was an explosion of live venues; every little bar had live music. So we had plenty of opportunities to play our stuff and at the time as long as you were half-way good at it you could get away with playing whatever you wanted. People were very open. I started out from the beginning just exploring, really just playing whatever felt good. With the band on any given set we’d go
from funk to rockabilly to soul, blues, to, like, every genre! Nowadays, much of what I do falls under the umbrella of what they call America na, a term that back then wasn’t being used.”
“I try to strike a balance – I don’t know how much of it is conscious really – but striking a balance between stuff that is introspective and intimate. Music can generally do a number of things – and one of the most salient things it can do is ei ther help us provoke thought or it can help us forget! And I think both things are equally important these days! So, to be able to have a record that both has songs that are autobiographical or introspective, that speak about the human condition in a way that makes people think they can under stand and relate to it is fine, then there’s stuff that’s clearly just for fun. It’s just as important to have that mix of emotions and fun. I think it’s not a conscious thing I do but it just winds up that way,” he again laughs with the thought.
“Luckily nobody’s ever expected me to be the ‘new anybody’ so I’ve managed to circumnavigate that particular hurdle. But I will tell you that because of some music combinations and relations I’ve had, I’ve been sometimes put into categories that I don’t necessarily fit into! For example, John Popper from Blues Traveller is on my record and we have a long, long history of collaborating on various projects, as a dear old friend of mine these last thirty-five years. Because of my associ ation with him and his band I sometimes get locked-into the Jam Band world. My music is not that, but that’s just how it goes! Some of the Jam Band kids lock into me cause they see my name in credits on albums with Blues Traveller! Some of them become fans while some of them become confused!”
Guitar supremo Ana Popovic is preparing to unveil her new studio album on May 5th.
The artist’s latest offering came together during COVID times. Whilst we all have tales about the pandemic, Ana’s story is incredible. She survived breast cancer after undergoing 14 chemotherapy sessions. The result of her journey is her new album “Power.” The new album is produced by Ana and her musical director and bassist, Buthel.
But how does Ana feel about her latest album in the build-up to the release? “I’m definitely excited. I’m not releasing albums every year or every half a year. So, it’s a big happening in someone’s life,” she says. “We’ve wanted to prolong this release. We wanted to have enough lead time to release some music videos and to just get the ball rolling. It’s so hard to get attention nowadays. It’s like anybody releasing a record, the day after its old news.”
The artist is looking forward to having new material to perform during her live shows. “I think this one is such fresh material, something I haven’t done before. I’m really putting a lot of effort in those background vocals, and those vocals and the church feeling from the gospel side of it. So, it’s just going to be too much fun to play it live. And that’s really what I’m looking forward to,” she says. “I’ve started playing the songs already and I just love the new material. For someone like me who has been touring for 20 years, every record brings a new sound. But this one, I feel it’s been enough time in between the last studio record, and it’s definitely bringing the new sound that I needed.”
One thing that immediately grabs your attention is the striking album cover. “Power” symbolizes unity. The album cover art depicts two holding hands, black and white. “My opinion has always been I’m playing music that was started as black music back in the States. We benefited so long from playing their music and using their talent. I’m thinking, okay, let’s acknowledge this is a white and black sound,” says Popovic.
“The unity has brought so much great music to the world and not only music, movies or whatever art you are talking about. And I think that it’s time to acknowledge that, and just embrace it, and just love it. Let’s have unity and less racism all over the world, to begin with. And then let’s start tackling other problems in politics and everything else.”
The album cover is poetic, poignant, and thought-provoking. “I wanted it to be a timeless image. I wanted it to come across as really strong. I was always a fan of timeless covers of LPs like Dark Side of the Moon and stuff like that,” she says. “You don’t even need a title; you don’t need the name of the band. You’re going to see that image, and you might not even be a fan of their music. But thirty years later, everybody’s going to tell you that’s Dark Side of the Moon. You might not even know the songs on it, but that’s something I wanted. Ana adds: “That image should associate people with power. If you work together, if you can stand in other people’s shoes, if you can value other people, even if they’re from different backgrounds and different upbringing - that’s power. That’s going to bring power to the world.”
Ana’s critical illness and circumstances tested her devotion to making music. “It’s not the time when you usually expect somebody to sit down and write these wonderful songs. You’re not going to find a single song that talks about what I’ve been through, I didn’t want a pity party,” she says. “I just wanted to come as like, Okay, this is art. And this is maybe the last record I’m going to do. I don’t know what’s going to happen next. Maybe I’ll do some more records, maybe not. But at that particular time, if this is the last 11 songs that I’m going to put out for now, and maybe for some longer time, what are the songs going to sound like.”
The artist’s love for music was a driving force behind the release. “The bottom line is, we have so much joy in what we do. And this is somebody who has been on the road for 20 years. People ask me how do you do it. How do you wake up and go to the airport, and you have these long flights? Man, I love everything about it. I still do. Everything is so exciting,” confirms Ana. “I have many hobbies in my life. I love interior design. I love design. I love painting. I love drumming. But there’s this one thing
that just lights me up. And that’s music. And that’s songwriting. And me going on stage and having a moment with my audience in different cities of the world. So, we came from it that, like, man, we just love what we do. And let’s just serve it to the world.”
Music was a powerful vehicle to get Ana Popovic through the tough times she found herself in. “I’ve never witnessed first-hand how much music can really empower you until this time. Seriously, I’ve never been this low. And it has never lifted me up this much as just really working every day on your sound on new songs and playing guitar,” she says. “No matter how weak you are, or your voice doesn’t sound the same, you’ve just got to keep pushing. It’s the best tip I can give. People get this kind of news every day, all over the globe. If I can give you a tip – it’s like, hang on to what your passion is. That’s going to pull you through.”
Moving forward, Ana Popovic has more new material on the horizon. There are songs from the Power sessions that didn’t make it onto the album but will contribute to the artist’s follow-up release. “There’s a lot of songs we didn’t put on there. They’re even mastered. They just didn’t make the record. I didn’t want to overload it. I wanted to leave something for the next one. I wanted it to be a great set of songs with nothing sticking out. Nothing crazy,” confirms Ana. “I think this record is nicely rounded up, and eleven songs was just a good choice. We left some. We have plans to get together and finish the rest of the songs. They’re almost done. We just need to produce and mix them.” Ana adds that she has: “A lot of shows. People responded to the story and to the record, and I guess they want to hear the new sound. So, they’re coming in every day. We have, I think, 50 shows before summer even starts.” Popovic concludes: “So yeah, more concerts and more recordings and hopefully a new record soon.”
With the Keeping the Blues Alive Mediterranian cruise now sailing into sight on the horizon, Blues Matters spoke to some of the artists looking forward to taking part in the fun. Ireland’s Dom Martin, US blues queen Vanessa Collier and our own When Rivers Meet all outlined their excitement at being part of the package in August;
How do you feel about hitting the stage on the Blues Cruise, as a part of the renowned US Legendary Blues Cruise operation?
“Well, honestly, I’m still pinching myself about it. It was such a surprise to me and I cannot wait to get going, get up there on those stages and play my heart out, make beautiful music with my friends and give all my attention to the people who have made it all possible, the supporters. They really keep the flames burning for blues music and are the real rock stars. It’s an absolute privilege to be on the cruise and I’m feeling very good about it. I really can’t wait!“
What do you hope to gain from this novel exposure?
“I haven’t really thought about it that way yet and mostly I just want to enjoy it and be in that moment. I guess though it’ll be beneficial to be in front of the top blues fans in Europe and some industry professionals who’ll
appreciate what I do and help me towards my next career level. I turned pro a few years back so it’s what I need to do, get to the very top so I can support my family and then be able to help other talented artists on the way up. Things like this don’t happen very often to people where I come from so I guess I just need to enjoy it!”
“I’d love to meet Joe for a few words and talk guitars and amps as I just live that stuff! Can’t wait also to watch all the artists doing their thing. I’ve never been on a cruise and never been to the places we’re going to! I’ve only dreamed about that type of trip…. a lot! I’ve never done anything quite like this.
Will you be recording your gigs for possible release at a later date?
“If I can somehow get a good record ing of the shows, then yes, I would love to get something together for a live LP. It would be a missed opportu nity not to. Failing that I will be record ing it from my phone just to listen back on from time to time for the memories. Tell my kids “hey listen to this. This is me and my friends on the cruise all those years ago,” and they’ll probably say something like “yeah, good for you Dad.. . can I go now?” Haha”
How did this booking come about?
“There are a few factors here. Over the lockdowns JB hosted online events for the KTBA charity, helping musicians that are
struggling. A very noble thing to do, I admire that! I was very lucky and really happy to be part of the 2022 KTBA Streamathon. After that his team put me on quite a few of his Spotify playlists (I was happily shocked at this and very grateful) so I think the attention in booking me for something started with that. I maybe just happened to be on the radar when the bookings started for the cruise and it all lined up perfectly. These things are a word-of-mouth kind of thing too.”
“Music life is like that in general though, it certainly helps if someone drops your name in the right place and I’m very grateful to anyone who has done that for me. I don’t really
be do a jam with fellow artists. We’re only doing three performances this gives us more chance to meet people and fans in a relaxed environment. Don’t get the chance to talk a lot with people at Festivals in general at venues. On the cruise we’re going to three separate cities but staying on the same platform! We have to change our set list for each performance we do on the cruise. We don’t want people to see the same show three times, that’s about the main difference in preparing for these types of shows. There was a big jamming session the last time, I got to play with the likes of Sue Foley and Jimmy Vivino, Keb Mo and obviously Joe Bonamassa, Shemekia Copeland, the whole thing.”
cruise, never seen them live. I had a friend who sang with them when she left College. I’m excited to be on this line up, it’s all good, particularly looking forward also to seeing the British acts, Cinelli Brothers and Dom Martin. It’s great to be playing live again after the pandemic, we brought out a live album, miss the connection with the audiences. I’m getting back into the creative process and getting inspiration for songwriting.”
The three sets we will be playing on the cruise will be different but if folk have missed one of our performances we will probably keep one song in. I like to vary things, that’s the challenge to vary the set. You work so hard to fill that 75 to 90 minute
KTBA Cruise 2019 by Will Byington
they have a different energy, from note one. Joe Bonamassa does very well with having separate artist areas so you don’t tend to get overwhelmed, there are peaceful places to go to on board. A lot of people who come on these cruises spread the word of the blues and the great artists they have found, it helps the music scene generally. Also on Bonamassa cruises there are younger audiences - that helps.”
How do you feel about hitting the stage on the Blues Cruise, as a part of the renowned US Legendary Blues Cruise operation?
“It’s such an incredible honour to be performing alongside so many amazing artists on the Blue Cruise. It’s something we’ve wanted to do for years, and it feels honestly
quite surreal that we now can do it. We can’t wait! We’re sure the atmosphere on the boat is going to be incredible, so many likeminded people together enjoying music. We’re sure it’s going to be the highlight of our year.”
“Everyone who buys a ticket for this cruise is a passionate music fan, so it’s a huge opportunity to perform our music to people who maybe have never heard of us before and discover our music from the cruise. We’re also excited as it’s a great opportunity to soak up inspiration from other artists on the ship.”
Will you be recording your gigs for possible release at a later date?
To be honest we haven’t thought about recording the gigs yet, it’s such a cool idea and on our headline tour last year we recorded lots of the dates and did release a live album and DVD. We originally recorded the gigs,
it’s great to listen back to recordings to analyse your own performance, but it would be also great to release the recordings for other people to enjoy.
How did this booking come about?
“We were very vocal and public about the fact we would love to be included on the Blues Cruise and we’re very grateful that the offer came our way. It’s something that we’ve wanted to do for years.“
“It sounds like so much fun and we’re sure the atmosphere at these jams is electric and we can’t wait to be both an audience member and performer. It’s going to be epic!”
And with such an outpouring of sheer delight in the mix, our Steve Harrison turned for a last word to the Cruise’s main-mover, Jeff Cuella, a guy with bags of experience in this popular event management game:
Cruiseing with the Blues
The Blues Cruise at the moment covers The Caribbean and The Mediterranean. The Caribbean cruise has been going for several years, whereas the Med Blues Cruise is somewhat in its infancy. The main idea behind these two cruises is KTBA, Keeping The Blues Alive.
Joe Bonamassa and his manager, Roy Weisman, are the main organizers of both cruises.
It shows Joe’s longstanding commitment
IT’S ALL ABOUT THE PASSION
to helping to keep the blues alive and growing year after year. There are a host of blues artists and bands that play on board, some well-established artists, and lots of new and up-coming artists. Jeff Cuella is Vice-President of Sixthman, the actual ship organizers with a huge fleet of cruise liners in their portfolio. I asked him how he became involved.
“My tenure with Sixthman is relatively new, I joined in 2021, I’ve not sailed with our Mediterranean event yet, but I have sailed with one of our USA voyages. We’ve had a relationship with Joe and the Keeping The Blues Alive team for about nine years now, this will be our third Mediterranean cruise in 2023. Having lived in Memphis and Chicago, I’ve become a huge blues fan, and getting on board with Sixthman allows me to enjoy not just the cruise, but I get to see all of these amazing blues artists while I’m working, it’s a perfect fit for me.”
“Joe is the figurehead to it all and that’s what helps all of this to be so special, but for me, what really makes the difference, is you feel the blues all the way to your core. It makes no difference whether you are an American if you are British or from an EU country, none of this matters, it’s one of those genres that translates regardless of language because it is a feeling more than anything else. And what better person to lead that charge than Joe with his energy of keeping the blues alive? It’s a non-profit thing, it focuses on blues in education music in schools and taking that energy from the kids all the way up to the superstars of blues music,” Jeff explains.
Joe Bonamassa has a passion for blues music, and other blues artists. He is not alone in this particular quest either. All the bands and artists that play on the blues cruises are just as committed to blues music. What the blues cruises do, as was mentioned earlier, is provide a step-up for aspiring artists, giving kids an opportunity in school to learn more about music, and not just blues music.
“No matter where you are in the world, Chicago, or Liverpool, you are always competing with other venues, and festivals, whereas on a ship you can be 60 feet away from one stage, 200 feet from another stage, a passage from another stage, that’s the beauty of having everything in one place, you are always close to a stage, you live there, you sleep there, you breathe it all in, everyone is feeling the same thing, and then walk a few steps to feel it some more, your whole tribe is doing the same thing. I think it breaks down barriers that other events do not. This has helped us to expand into Europe from
During our chat, Jeff mentions feeling the blues. Inn my opinion, you don’t just like blues music. You don’t just say, ‘oh I like that song’; to fully understand the blues, to fully understand blues music, you have to feel it. It’s something inside of you that touches your soul, a feeling like no other. Jeff has this same feeling, as does Joe, and any other blues artist. That is why this project works so well. It’s not all about profit.
“Our teams focus on how do we bring this event to life, how do we do what the fans want us to do. Over the past nine years or so, there is a synergy to what we do, there is a collaboration to what we do. We are experts in how to execute things, how do we think about programming? How do we pull all of this together? There are lots of conversations right at the beginning of all of this. There is a lot more to it than just putting Joe Bonamassa on the stage. Maybe introducing a whisky-tasting event, a beer-tasting event, or even down to a kind of guitar petting zoo where people can come along and strum the guitar. The secret sauce is our teams getting together, coming up with new ideas, offering the fans a white glove experience, giving more than just lip service, and making them feel special at a special event. On top of all the music and services that we offer, we are fundamentally taking our fans to some fabulous locations, beautiful places that they may have never been to before.”
Whoever came up with the lightbulb moment, the concept that this could work, for me, is a genius. Things could have gone spectacularly wrong from the off. It could have been dead in the water ( no pun intended ) after the first outing. That is why everyone needs to be singing from the same hymn sheet, creating new ideas and new fun things to bring to the table. It’s a highly complex organization, but these guys have pulled it off time and time again.
Last word goes to Jeff: “It’s all about the passion of the fans, the passion of us as organizers, but most importantly, the passion of the musicians. That’s why Joe Bonamassa is the perfect guy to work with.”
Keeping
At
year, and this year Joe is going to be part of that for a couple of the shows. It was as simple as that, I mentioned to him about my blues festival, and he said, done, I’m in, it was that simple. He asked me to be a part of the blues cruise. Obviously, I’m right in there. That’s how these things should be done, between the artists, no management, no labels, no PR, let the creative people get on with creating.”
It’s refreshing to hear this from someone as well respected as Kenny i, I’ve long been an advocate of letting artists control their own albums and gigs, and tours, with no outside pressure from anyone. I often find that if any problems occur between people such as myself and an artist in trying to set things up, it’s usually because someone in between thinks that everything has to involve them or nothing gets done.
I had the chance to chat with one of the other main artists appearing on the cruise, Kenny Wayne Shepherd, just recently to ask what first alerted him to the blues cruise.
“Well we’ve done it before. We did it once with Joe in the US, and we’ve done it once with Joe in the Mediterranean, all pre-covid of course. Joe and I have been friends for a really long time, he and I have been hanging out a lot together recently and doing things together. I think it happened very casually, a simple conversation where Joe and I briefly talked about it, and I’m pretty sure that Joe’s manager Roy (Weisman) and my dad chatted about it, so it all came together quite easily.”
The gist of what Kenny was saying is that things like this can be organized quite easily without people in-between getting in the way and causing problems that don’t or should not exist in the first place.
“I recently moved to Nashville, and Joe has a place in Nashville. So, when we are both in town we often meet up with a few more guys, hang out smoke cigars, and then all kinds of things happen. I’m doing a blues festival here in the US that we launched last
“People sometimes throw egos in a situation where egos don’t need to be, it’s always so much easier when you have creative people doing creative things. The other thing is, in both of our careers we are not out to prove anything to each other, or anyone else, we’re just out to have some fun and help the bands. It’s nice to be at a point in your career, where that is the priority. We’ve all been doing this long enough to have seen it all, so let’s just go out and play. It’s not very often that you get to see this many great acts in one place without having to travel so many distances to do so. Joe and Roy always put on a stellar line-up of musicians, so there are never any disappointments. Another big thing for me personally is, I get the chance to watch these other bands and artists properly, I can watch their whole set, because usually if we do have the chance to be at one another’s gigs, we are usually just passing through, we don’t get the time to watch a full set of someone’s
These blues cruises, both the Mediterranean and the US, have proved to be extremely successful in helping to Keep The Blues Alive, which is of course the main reason to do it. I was interested to know how Kenny feels that the blues are doing in general, is it as strong as ever, and is it getting stronger with bigger audiences?
“I’ll tell you what, this is something I’m old enough to have seen happen more than once in my lifetime. You measure things differently now. You used to measure success in this industry by how many records you sell, where your single is at on the charts, but that whole thing has changed. Iits not all about album sales or streams. The best way to judge success is how many rear ends are sitting in the seats at concerts. There are two cycles that I’ve witnessed for myself. Blues music is steady, it’s been around for a hundred years, the same could be said about rock music or whatever. This stuff is timeless music, there is always an audience for it, but you’ll see an upsurge in whatever popular music is considered to be the mainstream of the time. It can get saturated, everything sounds the same, and it’s hard to tell the difference. People will then start to look for something else. Right now, I would consider it very healthy. We started our tour a bit earlier this year, but virtually every gig that we have done has been sold out. When that kind of thing happens, it’s because people are looking for that stuff, they are looking for this kind of music. The more successful we are, the more successful every other blues artist will be, and that’s the best that we can hope for.”
By and large, the blues is alive and wellever-evolving, turning new people onto the genre. Having been around for a hundred years, it seems like the blues is getting stronger. A part of that is down to events like the blues cruise. Long may it continue.
From Clarksdale, the birthplace of the blues, to a Mediterranean blues cruise taking in Greece and Croatia, there can be no doubting that blues music travels far and wide. With a prominent slot on the Keeping Blues Alive At Sea III Mediterranean Cruise bill, so does Christone ‘Kingfish’ Ingram. This 2022 Grammy Award winning – for Best Contemporary Blues Album 662 - twenty-threeyear-old blues whiz-kid has journeyed far in his short time as a professional musician.
A life on the ocean wave with music as blue as the azure Mediterranean waters, he is near the top of a well-stocked bill of bands and artists. This is testament to the faith placed in him as the future of blues music. As an emerging new wave blues artist, Christone’s sound spills over into the blues rock territory and, when it comes his time to play, this cruise ship will surely be rocking from starboard to port. Blues Matters enquires how much this protege of Clarksdale, Mississippi is looking forward to playing the Mediterranean: “Well, I’m very excited, man. This has been my first-time cruising while also being overseas if that makes sense. We did Joe’s cruise over here and we had a lot of fun and just to be around musicians and the atmosphere man, this is going to be great vibe. I’m really looking forward to it”, beams an enthusiastic Christine on our zoom call from Los Angeles. He expands upon why he is in the ‘city of angels’ “I’m currently here seeking out producers and what not trying to get the next record started”, reveals ‘Kingfish’ as he catches up with his present recording and songwriting schedule with new music on the go? “Most definitely. We already have songs in the vault from the 662 to sessions. We actually have enough songs for a whole new album, but it’s best to just keep adding to it.” From the present and looking to the near future, I ask if there is anyone he would like to jam with on the cruise bill? “Oh, yeah, man. Most definitely! Blackberry Smoke are on there and I’m a really big fan of those guys. I would like to jam with them and just see them live.” No stranger to playing with his heroes, Christone has jammed with the undoubted international maven of modern blues music Joe Bonamassa as he tells me: “Yeah, the first time I did this cruise back in 2020, I had the pleasure of being part of the All-Star Jam with him and it was really cool. When we did rehearsal, he let me play his ‘59 Les Paul which was really dope,” chuckles a content Christone at this memory. As he will be playing his full ninety-minute set during
the cruise. this near full ship is in for a treat. Being on board this floating blues school with a company of fellow elite musicians, Ingram is relishing the opportunity to absorb the craft of his fellow players: “I feel like you can learn from any and everybody. I have friends in the business that I borrow a little bit from sometimes.”
Reeling back the years a little, I’m curious to know about the origins of his ‘Kingfish’ nickname: “When I went to The Delta Blues Museum Of Arts And Education, the teachers there gave the kids in the class nicknames that we took as stage names. They named me ‘Kingfish’ and that came from an old sitcom Amos ‘n’ Andy - George ‘Kingfish’ Stevens was played by comic actor Tim Moore in the show - and I kept it as the ‘King’ reminds me of BB and the ‘Fish’ of Muddy Waters, so I have my little blues meaning.” Christone’s musical curiosity goes way back to an early age as he explains: “I had interest in music and guitar when I was three or so. I did pick it up around that time - I just didn’t learn - but when I got serious, I would say I was around the age of eight when I started playing bass in the in the Delta Museum Programme. I switched to guitar to when I was about twelve or thirteen and those were the times that I got the serious will to learn it” His fluency took a while to emerge as he says: “With me starting off as a bass player, I didn’t know chords. And whenever I would solo, I would only play the four strings on the on the top or bottom, whatever you want to call it, not utilising those two high strings. So, I had to go into that route.” Nevertheless, listening to his blues guitar peers helped him along his path of learning as he reveals to me: “I was listening heavily to Buddy Guy at the time. I was just learning all the different styles of the blues. A lot of the rock stuff I play now I didn’t know at the time. It was Buddy and Muddy...” All this rubbed off nicely as Christone played shows with The Delta Blues Museum Band but also...”I got my first paying gig when I was probably ten maybe twelve years old. Somewhere around there.
I was playing bass for this hill country blues band in town and I’m playing juke joints from like six to
one in the morning.” It was not long after this point that he realised he was becoming proficient on the guitar: “I noticed my solos started to be different when I started to play more with the high strings and using chords and I figured out I was sounding like the guys that I liked.” Christone, as everybody knows, went on to tour with Buddy Guy who complimented him by guesting on Ingram’s Fresh Out single: “Anytime I’ve been around Mr. Guy has always been great vibes. He’s always giving me advice and being a mentor for me. It’s a feeling that there’s just no words to put together how I feel about Mr. Guy being in my career. It’s a beautiful thing for sure.” There’s was a deep respect between apprentice and master on their then tour as Christone shares with me: “He was indirectly showing me licks if that makes sense. Like, for me, watching him on stage and he doesn’t know. But that’s how he teaches me like that indirectly,” Christone continues, “Anytime I’ve been on tour with Mr. Guy, each night I’ve learned something different from how he commands the crowd, how he phrases words, how he sings, he just has the crowd in the palm of his hand. And that’s what I try, for the lack of a better term, to mimic in my sets.”
Christone’s profile in the UK was raised when he was invited to open for The Rolling Stones at their BST Hyde Park Show as he recalls: “Man, I don’t know the story behind it. Just one day, my manager called me to say
The Cash Box Kings are a powerful, no-nonsense Old-School Chicago Blues band usually comprising six wonderful musicians. Their two mainstays are vocalist Oscar “Mr 43rd Street” Wilson and harmonica ace and vocalist Joe Nosek ( Founder of the band in 2001). Over twenty years apart age-wise and from differing musical heritages, in
around his Scottish and Irish ancestry in his DNA. We talk all things haggis. His mother made a version of this, she called it hash. Joe joined and his grandmother was Scottish, his grandfather played bagpipes; even wore the kilt in New Orleans, that’s another story… small world indeed! Anyway, this added spice to the ongoing conversation!
How did these two musicians meet? Well, their musical backgrounds are quite different. Oscar explains: “My father was a blues musician. He passed away two months before I was born and my mother always played blues music around the house. She would do a fish fry and have some blues people over to the house. Honey Boy Edwards, Junior Wells, Otis Big Smokey Smothers, Elmore James, they came over on a Friday. Lightning Hopkins was playing all the time. I always loved music, when my friends were playing on these Fridays I was listening to the music. It wasn’t my intention to be a musician, it was an accident. I played in High School bands, but it wasn’t my goal to end up a blues musician. It was divine intervention! My first real blues band is The Cash
Oscar continues: “I had moved to Janesville, Wisconsin. My son encouraged me to move there to the ‘land of milk and honey.’ My girls went to Chicago, I went to Wisconsin. One day I was bored and saw this blues jam advertised at Janesville VFW organised by Travis Koopman of the Cash Box Kings. He came to my table and introduced himself. I said I sang and played harmonica. I went up onstage and we slayed the joint! I came back the next week, same happened. He asked what I wanted to do and I said play at Buddy Guy’s Legends. A fortnight later I met Joe and them at Buddy Guy’s in Chicago, that’s where I met Joe and the rest of the band. It wasn’t all sweet at first. I was the outside entity, they didn’t know me, but we were meant to be together. I’ve been with them since, we’re a match made in heaven!”
Joe’s background is different, he explains: “I’ve been playing harmonica for thirty-five years. I started out playing piano, trumpet, saxophone and guitar. I wanted to be Bob Dylan or Neil Young. I loved old blues and jazz. Nine years old, I checked out these records at local library. I listened to my Dad’s
found out about Muddy Waters and Howlin’ Wolf at the library also. When I heard Little Walter, I had to learn what he was doing and leave Bob Dylan behind. As a teenager I moved to the Chicago area and sneaked into Blues Bars to catch James Cotton, Jimmy Rogers and Sunnyland Slim. Seeing them onstage was life altering. I had to figure out what they were doing. I don’t have a direct line to this culture, but the music hit me deep inside, it overtook me. I set out on guitar and harmonica to find out how they did what they were doing. Then interactions like meeting Kenny Smith. My band then was more rock blues. It trained me into how to lead a band but not musically what I had my heart set on. We opened for Billy Boy Arnold once, Kenny was on drums. I told him I wanted to start an old school blues band around the Chess era of tunes. He liked this music as well and was interested. That night I also met Travis Koopman. Oscar is someone who would learn any instrument you put in his hand, he has the blues, it’s natural. At that night at Buddy’s, he did three songs and got three standing ovations. Travis had left the country before we got Oscar. He was one of our main songwriter-guitarist and singer. Oscar came at the right time. He learned everything with the band then we wanted him to write songs. Now, everything we write is co-written with Oscar! That has become a great collaboration, we’re musical soulmates.”
We talk about the present Chicago blues scene and reflect on when they first started playing Chicago Clubs. Joe reflects: “It’s different to thirty years ago, there was blues played all nights. You’d see guys that played on Chess records, likes of Willie Dixon. Au-
play blues rock, back then was the real-deal blues players. Probably the only one left is Buddy Guy.”
We turn to consider the making of the new album, Oscar’s Motel. The origins come from time-related Covid and Zoom calls. Joe continues: Down On The South Side- Every character in this tune is a real person. Oscar knows them all! I had a list of characters, and we wrote this upbeat song. For this album, we didn’t want it to be political, we feel passionate about a lot of things, we have an obligation as artists to use our voice to things that are wrong but with the exception of Nobody Called It the Blues; Oscar explains, this was a different song but with different elements - we changed it to make it sound a Cash Box Kings song. The writing was awesome. We wanted this song to reflect tradition, the closing has a gospel flavour. Joe adds: there are too many blues people who think the genre started in 1964 in England. It didn’t. It’s important in an era where you see blues fans posting ignorant things on the internet about blues history. Oscar and Cameron Webb capture the essence of the blues on this song. We felt we wanted to make an album to help put people’s troubles behind.
Oscar talks about the cover tune, Please Have Mercy – “I heard this song but couldn’t find it to listen. Joe is a blues historian, he’d never heard of it, nor Bruce Iglauer. It caught my attention. It’s a good song. It’s sung raw and full of emotion. We laugh about the cheeky tune, I Can’t Stand You.
Oscar continues: “This was to do with Covid. Deitra Farr and me were using social media a lot and our conversations became a soap
not one you want to bring home to your mother! Oscar’s Hotel was a hotel in the neighbourhood and this stuff always went on, a true story. Usual writing process is with guitar and notebook, now it’s new technology like Zoom and Google Drive!”
We discuss the role of blues music to today’s generation. Oscar reflects: “ I’m older than Joe. When you listened to the radio growing up, you heard all kinds of music on one station. People are not hearing it and if they can’t perceive it then…In my house there’s always music on and my children know what the blues is even though they listen to hip hop as well. It must be brought back to regular radio and put on television.”
Joe agrees and chimes in: “You hardly hear blues on mainstream radio. Funny how an unknown singer like Bonnie Raitt won a Grammy last week in front of Beyonce. She heard blues music when it was popular. I look out at the audiences and see very few younger than me. When people hear the blues genre, a lot of people are impacted by it. My brother came to a Festival recently and exclaimed he thought it was a rock festival because your band was the only band that played blues! Trying to put the spotlight on traditional blues music is important. I’m heartened to see young African American musicians take up this style, the likes of Kingfish and Marquis Knox. That gives me hope for the future. With Bonnie Raitt winning the Grammy, it may open people’s ears to roots and traditional blues music.”
Discussion goes onto what happens on the road and extolling a story proved to be quite difficult, but Joe told his best Oscar story: “Oscar knows every song ever recorded. He is a human juke box. One night we walked into a hotel lobby in Memphis. Tony Joe White was sitting with his son. Oscar comes up and says ‘I love you Tony Joe’, and Oscar sang an acapella version of Did Somebody Make A Fool Out Of You. He sang the whole song to him and Tony Joe White just had a grin from ear to ear. It was one of the coolest things I’ve ever seen. Another story was the first time we met Bobby Rush. Oscar worked as a dry cleaner in Chicago. He cleaned fur coats. He said to Bobby he cleaned his, that purple mink coat. Here is a guy who has come from cleaning Bobby Rush’s coats to now being side by side at a Blues Awards ceremony and treating him like a peer, that’s cool!”
Last word goes to Oscar to the Blues Matters reading public “Keep it bluesy!”
For further information see website: www.cashboxkings.com
American singer songwriter and virtuoso guitarist Arielle has a new release entitled ‘73, inspired by the decade, it pulls together many musical influences to blend a Classic Rock feel - a time capsule for the era.
An award-winning performer, Arielle has played worldwide, kicking off on guitar at a young age. Recent events have seen her collaborate with Queen guitarist Brian May who has designed custom-built instruments for her.
Now she returns to the fray with a new release, playing her new BMG Arielle signature guitar - with a cherry red finish, what else! Her recordings have an organic feeling, using analogue straight to tape. I caught up with her for a chat recently. We talked guitars, music, her Volkswagen Bay-Window Bus, trees and, of course, the new release ’73, while she worked the promotional bandwagon in Norwich.
Arielle outlines her background like this: “Well, I started training in music when I was five years old. I was in a choir. I got my first guitar at age ten and was inspired to play the guitar because I saw a video of Brian May from Queen. I graduated early from High School then went to Music School in Hollywood. I actually met Brian May when I was at High School. He asked me to play with the folk for We Will Rock You, I was eighteen then and moved to London to do that, also studied Music there as well. I played guitar for other artists such as CeeLo Green. Then after being in London for a while, I moved to Los Angeles, then Nashville. I connected with Eric Johnson there and he invited me on tour with his band! Then I got to do some work with Vince Gill. In the meantime, I made some albums of my own. I also helped build my guitar the Two Tone in 2006. This was because I walked to School and did not know which guitar to bring as I played so many styles. Now we have the Brian May Guitar, a kind of hybrid of his guitar and mine. I have been doing this a long time. I have blues influences for sure. There’s a blues song on my new album but I tend to be more classic rock with a twenty-first century feel. All rock has blues in it as a basis.”
When asked if she always hoped to be a musician, she says: “I don’t know if it was something that I wanted to do, more than it was something that would happen. I never had a thought I’d be a rock star, it was just something I always did. Through the years I have considered quitting a lot. When you love something, especially music, it doesn’t have to always make sense. If
you love something you stick with it. Both my parents are Doctors, no real musical heritage as such. I had been touring around the world even before I touched a guitar, I’d be six when I started touring in a choir. With a guitar, I’d be thirteen or fourteen years old. I opened up for Sammy Hagar and Night Ranger. It was very cool. I played gigs in front of hundreds of people before this one, not in front of four thousand. That was the most I’d played in front of. I remember being not nervous at all. When you’re doing choir music you cannot hide behind much. But with the band I didn’t feel nervous, I felt happy and comfortable there. Stage nerves came later in my musical career, I’d cry and shake. All through College I had bad stage fright, anyone who knows me from back then knew I had bad nerves! I know how to deal with that now.”
And so, what influences were at work? I ask: “My parents were born in the 40’s. I grew up listening to a lot of Doo Wop, Jazz, American songbook stuff and Opera. I am classically trained. In my teens I was introduced to rock music, Queen and the likes. Then I listened to metal. I was truly lucky to get to Music School, it helped me so much to be around incredibly talented people. Then I listened to country, funk and Motown all sort of neat stuff as long as there was a guitar in there somewhere! When I was six, I watched a video Queen Live at Wembley and I was in such awe at Brian May I asked my parents to get me a guitar. At the time they said, ‘Girls don’t play guitar.’ I got my first guitar on my tenth birthday. I had a teacher who was a songwriter. He taught me how to write songs, this went hand in hand with playing guitar.”
Now, with many years behind her, she sums up her position succinctly: “ I’ve paid my dues, I used to have a residency at the Cat Club owned by Slim Jim Phantom of the Stray Cats. The venue is not there anymore but I played there and all over The Sunset Strip, played a lot in London. In my twenties, I was on the road for eight or nine months of the year, did a lot of dates with Eric Johnson. Once you get comfortable you lose nerves and start to be creative. I would be nervous and introverted. There’s a stage Me and the all the other time Me. So much in a live performance is visual. I go all out performing. Lots of colours, I put a lot into my and the band’s image. This also includes gear and backdrops.”
What about working with Queen”s legendary guitarist, I next ask: “He is a mentor, I’ve known him since 2007 and I’ve grown up
with him in so many ways. He’s someone I got to work with on a professional level but someone I relate to on a personal level. I’ve played with him onstage and got to build a guitar with him. One of the coolest memories ever was I got to see Jeff Beck and Eric Clapton with Brian. Jeff Beck was opening for Clapton at the O2 Arena. I was watching them, whilst sitting with Brian May. Something I’ll always remember. My best advice musically has been not to overplay. As a guitar player that’s the best advice. Most people are listening for a song and if you want to be a shredder that’s fine, there’s a niche for that but you have to do what the song goes like. It doesn’t always equate to being the best guitar player or showing off everything you can do in that one song. Don’t see other people as better than you but as an inspiration. If you put people up on pedestals there becomes a belief you can’t get to where they are. I can’t be Chet Atkins, but I can be the best version of me which is okay in my world. I step up to the challenge of working with the likes of Brian May. You have to have enough confidence or insanity! Sometimes I felt embarrassed to hang out with the likes of Eric Johnson, but I worked on this and am a better person for it. The blues is so culturally important, it’s hard to find authentic music that was so raw and full emotion. The essence of blues has gone away nowadays for me. I don’t listen to any new blues. There is a special place in my heart for true blues.”
We talk about her new release, ’73, what the recording process was and her thoughts:
“I don’t use many pedals so I use high end products to record. We didn’t use tape like the previous album but all was done live with no click! I’m directing the band in real time and there was no editing. I only used one pedal on one song. Hardly any overdubs, it’s a natural organic sounding album. Even the solos I put together. We didn’t have set structures, it’s a live album sounding recording. We recorded in January last year but Covid knocked the process behind a few weeks. Overall, it took five months to make. The music took a month and a half. We used Bubble Studio in Austin Texas, small, but it has an analogue console and the right gear, not digital. I typically do words and melody first, then tempo, key and mess about, then lyrics are last. Some songs write themselves, ’73 was similar. Usually chord progression, melody and lastly lyrics. And what might lie ahead?: “ I’m going to focus less on full albums and think more about bringing out some singles as if they were an
Colin Campbell Andrew McMeekin
Eddie 9V (Volt) is the moniker for lead singer, multi-instrumentalist and songwriter, Brooks Mason. He put everything into being a musician from age fifteen and has never looked back. His music rooted in blues; soul funk you name it hearkens the listener to the sound of previous generations. He has a new release, Capricorn, named after the famous Studio in Macon, Georgia the Birthplace of Southern Rock where The Allman Brothers, Percy Sledge, and Marshall Tucker recorded albums. He also recorded his new release there, capturing a moment in time. Blues Matters caught up with him before another touring schedule was undertaken, this time The Legendary Rhythm and Blues Cruise in the Eastern Caribbean.:
“I’ve been in all types of bands, from folk groups to Metal groups. We were in a band doing regional tours and needed something to do to make money. We decided to do covers and found out realistically we were
playing blues music. These places paid 500 to 800 bucks, that felt like the lottery to us. We needed a finished product to sell at these events, that’s how my first album, Left My Home in Memphis, originated. It was a snowball effect from there. I let Tinsley Ellis hear this and he said it was good. I want to keep musicians listening to my stuff that’s very important. Eddie 9 Volt took over a job. We got a lot of buzz in local blues community. Then Ruf Records came in after the pandemic. We’ve gone from Barbeque Joints to playing the Fillmore soon, it’s pretty crazy.”
“We didn’t have a huge musical family background, My dad’s an Electrician, he showed us AC/DC and all that music of the time. Six years old I got a guitar with a little speaker in it and I was hooked. He tuned open so I played that way. I did a talent show in fifth grade and played guitar and this impressed all the girls, hey that’s why we joined this business! The hottest girl in the school wanted my autograph, it was great. I got my High School Diploma but dropped out. I needed to convince my mum to do this to
focus on weekday gigs. I got to focus on my music. I was playing Fat Jacks Club in Georgia mostly. We played every Wednesday, and they paid us in barbeque! We played blues and covers, Lynyrd Skynyrd. In 2015 we got our first Manager; he told us to start writing and playing original music. That was the best advice I got at that point. He was a radio promoter in the 90s. I was sixteen and playing some Indie music. We pulled from all styles of music, we played in Nashville and four hours a night. As a bar band you had to change the set and music all the time. That taught us how to put in our 10,000 hours and then some! I remember being fifteen and playing bars. I embraced the nightlife. My mum was worried, she thought I was on “A one way ticket to Hell”. My Grandparents and my dad were very supportive of my music playing. Uncle Brian was also an influence, he enjoyed it, I’d play Wipe Out on the drums and the family would go wild. Technically guitar was my first instrument but then went to the drums which I wanted to play. My buddy, who was a drummer, said we needed an hour of material and that was when I started singing
Colin Campbell Charla Harveyin front of 100 people in this tiny Club. That was the biggest drug I’ve ever taken in my life! Self-taught on guitar and drums. I got a bass drum microphone, plugged it through speakers. I don’t know how the neighbours did not call the Police! You have to follow the voice in your head. By the time you’ve managed to master the sound of that moment, it’s already moved on to other sounds. You get further in life if you do what others are not doing.
The Eddie 9V recording process is very organic, as Brooks explains:.
“It always was, we did not have a budget to stick to. We would go to the Studio, but we didn’t have the money. Our first album was recorded through two microphones, a condenser microphone and a dynamic one. I remember my first recording endeavour covering a Beatles song, I’ll have to dig it out sometime. We’ve done loads of demos, it’s my brother who does all the technical stuff. Little Black Flies was recorded in two days. I wanted to do a record, but the pandemic came. I was sick of doing live streams. I got the band to sit in a room and hit record. It was done with a few microphones and some old amps. There was nothing done more than three takes.”
“With this kind of music, like Capricorn, I didn’t want to play shuffles all the time. I listened to a lot of Muscle Shoals recordings
and Memphis sounds and Georgia. I told the band just let’s play like it’s 1969 - and that’s the process. A lot of tunes I play into my phone. It’s whatever spurs the moment that makes the tune.”
Capricorn, his new album was recorded at Capricorn Studios in Macon Georgia. He explains how this came to be:
“Capricorn used to be empty in the 2000s, but Mercer University bought the studio. It’s getting a lot of artists. I did an interview in the region and, Charles, one of the MCs, took me to the studios. When I walked through the doors it was like wearing a cloak of history. This place is not too modernised. I like that. I was shown the desk where Duane Allman had put out his cigarette. We got in touch with them; they gave us a good rate so we went in and had four or five songs recorded there. The whole album was not recorded fully there. It was a party atmosphere, I brought eleven musicians from Atlanta and they were all doing this for free. The ingredients for a good recording session is simple, - beer and pizza! I used to listen to Fleetwood Mac, the blues sessions. Peter Green is my favourite guitarist of all time. Most people see the first minute of the intro and skip this, I enjoyed this as much as the music. That’s why there’s wee snippets on the new album.”
“I like to put a fictional story on my albums,
about going into the Bayou and having a party! The groove came first. Like all the songs we ever do. I do them, then forget them, these things take time. It’s usually a two-year process. Already writing on a new album. When I’m home, I’ll write as much as possible. Have to like touring, we love it more now. We get Hotel rooms now, this makes me feel we’ve made it! “
“I’ll be in the Bahamas this time next week doing the Legendary Blues Cruise. Looking forward to that, we’re only doing four gigs! It’s more for the fans than the artists. It’s the connection. Looking forward to seeing GA 20 and others. Might challenge some people to Blackjack. You’ve got to treat your fans right; you won’t have a career if you’re nasty. A lot of musicians think they can do everything yourself. I need to use Agents and other influential people. I don’t label myself; I just want to be an artist. I love Neil Young. I think I’ll do an album next based on his Harvest record.”
Looking further ahead, he adds: “Keep your hat on tight! There’s a whole bunch of touring to do. We need to fan the flames of this record! We’re hopefully doing a UK tour. I’m excited about travelling the world and playing my music!”
For more information see website: www.eddie9volt.com
Texan Blues rock guitarist, singer, and songwriter Ally Venable has made her musical presence known all around the world since the release of a debut album when she was sixteen years old. Now, with her fifth solo release, Real Gone, she continues on her quest, sharing her talent, with an album full of human emotion and a new take on the blues genre. Here she speaks with Blues Matters about the new release, working with her blues idol Buddy Guy and other topics.
With such a youthful debut, I suggest that maybe music is in her DNA:
“It is just part of me. I’ve always been able to sing since I was small. I started playing guitar for my friends and family at first. I grew to love and connect with it really well. It helped me cope with things, even now. It’s a gift that God gave me and I’m really grateful for it. My parents are not musicians but music lovers. They exposed me to a lot of musical styles. It was not just one genre I gravitated to. I discovered who Stevie Ray Vaughan was and that got me into playing blues music. When I heard him, I thought well maybe I could do that. That’s my goal in my music, to expose people who don’t know a lot about blues music. Listening to my music will be their gateway into finding out about this genre, as Stevie did that for me. I love travelling on the road, meeting people and people who like my music. I just want to play! Don’t know what I’d be without being a musician. My advice to others starting out would be not to be afraid and just do it! I’m always learning something new with music and production.”
“The guitar is a really expressive instrument. I approach it with all my energy. That’s why I play. I’m pretty much self-taught but also learned from other guitar players. My influences range from Buddy Guy, Stevie Ray Vaughan and other musicians within our blues community - Eric Gales, Joe Bonamassa, people like that are very inspiring. I’ve played with Christone Kingfish Ingram - he’s great, I respect him. I met him when we were both fifteen years old. Also, like Brandon Taz Niederauer!,” she adds.
She explains how Buddy Guy played a role in her development:
“I was talking with Buddy Guy when I was in Chicago and he said ‘Keep going Ally, you never know what’s going to happen. It’s going to be hard this business, you just never know where you’re going to be.’ I’ve played with him and even do a song with him on the new album. Honoured to be around him and
have his support. Blues music is the heart of all music and still and will matter!”
Ally turns to her latest release with a rundown on the contents, inspirations and processes:
“This was recorded in Ocean Way Studio in Nashville, Tom Hambridge was the producer and I’m so excited about this. It’s the best album I’ve brought out so far. Tom and I wrote this album in two days, it was effortless. Writing songs is the best part of doing any album. When I write, I like to write about something happening in my life and this may relate to someone listening to the song. Buddy Guy made the producing happen. I was touring with, him he got Tom on board. I will be part of Buddy’s last tour; I’m excited about this. There will also be a Blues Caravan tour this year with Asley Sherlock and Will Jacobs. I still converse with Ina Forsman she’s great. The album is not too rock and not too blues - it has a specific sound. This was all a part of the production process and putting ballads in as well.”
“Real Gone - Rich, came up with this one. It’s an old term for someone who’s a real bad ass! It’s a double meaning because I’m on the road touring and stuff. It showcases me so I can play my guitar to a good rocking beat. It has a catchy riff. I love my band they’re amazing (Isaac Pulido on drums and EJ Bedford on bass guitar) They’re from the Austin area I met them through other musicians.”
“Going Home - Tommy on keyboards from Houston is great on this. Vocals are improving by touring a lot. We recorded this when I was touring. We played at the Experience Hendrix Show in Austin recently, that was such fun! I got to meet so many good musicians like Eric Johnson, he’s great.”
“Texas Louisiana - A song with the great Buddy Guy. It was his idea. It’s a passing the torch kind of song. We’re both from the South, me East Texas him, Louisiana. We have a similar attitude. It was a dream to make music with him, crazy to meet him and play with him! His presence is awesome.”
“Blues Is My Best Friend - This has a 1-4-5 chord structure, very bluesy. It’s fun, acoustic guitar. Tom brought this in. Down home blues, something I could sing over. We’ve played a couple of songs from the album live in Chicago, they went down well.”
“Justifying - This is a Buddy Guy tune; it was one of the first ones of his I ever played. I
wanted this on the record and did!”
“Any Fool Should Know - Great horn arrangement on this. I wanted a New Orleans feel on this one. It’s emotional for me this one. I immediately fell in love with this one. I wanted horns on this, it adds another texture to the song.”
“Kick Your Ass - Sometimes people need this, it’s about a girl getting back at her boyfriend, a fun song.”
“Gone So Long - One of my favourites. We all evolve and grow. It is about coming back somewhere after being gone so long. This also applies figuratively.”
“Don’t Lose Me - Very funky, horn section, great song to play live. Another fun tune.”
“Hold My Ground - This is about someone finding how to stand their ground to be who you are and keep going, that type of thing.”
“Broken And Blu e- Joe Bonamassa is on this one. He’s a friend and played on the top of this song. I had to learn his solo too. A song about self-reflection.”
“Two Wrongs - About not losing your head and standing your ground. A fun shuffle on this. Used my Gibson for most the tracks, also my Strat. When writing I use my acoustic guitar.”
“The live vibe from the tracks we have played has been incredibly positive,” she says with a grin.
Given the blues rock genre is predominantly male orientated, I ask for Ally’s thoughts on this:
“There’s good and bad. A lot of people say she’s getting attention just because she’s a woman. There’s truth to that but with that, people will see me less seriously. I just be myself; you can’t please everyone. I know there are a lot of people who like what I’m doing and am appreciative of people who support me. That’s what keeps me going! Demographics of my crowd are older but online they are younger. Over time more younger people will follow hopefully. Live streaming has helped my profile and the podcast helped. So many people thank me for doing that during the pandemic, it was something that every Sunday people could look forward to. It keeps the connection going.
Social media is important in selling music and at concerts. You have to put an image to what people are listening to. That is ever
Colin Cambell Tino Sielandevolving, I like to change my stage image and stagecraft as well. How we present is part of it all. I love connecting with people on stage. My alter ego is unleashed onstage.”
Looking to the future, Ally adds:
“I have my own tour, one with Buddy Guy, then one with Kenny Wayne Shepherd, and the Ruf Records Blues Caravan Tour. Looking forward to these events. I meet some great players locally and being part of the Austin scene. Just want to keep playing music with my band. Going to Canada with Colin James was interesting; the audiences were a bit different but they all love my music. I enjoy being on tour. I get a schedule, something I don’t do at home. I don’t see it as work, I enjoy it and am passionate about playing music. Hopefully, get over to the UK with the band sometime, lots of fans there. I need to get something sorted!”
For more information see website: allyvenableband.com
03 JUN LONDON PALLADIUM LONDON
06 JUN BOURNEMOUTH PAVILION BOURNEMOUTH
07 JUN OXFORD NEW THEATRE OXFORD
09 JUN GATESHEAD SAGE GATESHEAD
11 JUN ROYAL CONCERT HALL GLASGOW
14 JUN BRIDGEWATER HALL MANCHESTER
15 JUN SYMPHONY HALL BIRMINGHAM JOOLS
KENNY
JO
14 APR TEMPERANCE LEAMINGTON SPA
15 APR THE ILL REPUTE BRISTON
16 APR THE JAZZ CAFE BISHOPS CLEEVE
ALBERT LEE
10 MAY BOISDALE OF CANARY WHARF LONDON
12 OCT BACKSTAGE @ GREEN HOTEL KINROSS
15 OCT BACKSTAGE @ GREEN HOTEL KINROSS
20 OCT CHELMSFORD SOCIAL CLUB CHELMSFORD
CONNOR SELBY
11 APR TEMPERANCE LEAMINGTON SPA
20 APR THE EEL PIE CLUB TWICKENHAM
27 APR CHELTENHAM JAZZ FESTIVAL 2023 CHELTENHAM
06 MAY BOROUGH BLUES CLUB CWMBRAN
12 MAY THE MUSICIAN LEICESTER
13 MAY STOCKTON RHYTHM AND ROCK STOCKTON-ON-TEES
14 MAY GULLIVERS MANCHESTER
16 MAY AMAZING GRACE LONDON
SAMANTHA FISH
19 OCT THE FIRE STATION SUNDERLAND
20 OCT BARROWLANDS GLASGOW
21 OCT O2 RITZ MANCHESTER
22 OCT SWX BRISTOL
24 OCT BARBICAN YORK
25 OCT JUNCTION CAMBRIDGE
26 OCT O2 ACADEMY BOURNEMOUTH
27 OCT DE LA WARR PAVILION BEXHILL
28 OCT O2 INSTITUTE BIRMINGHAM
ALL INFORMATION CORRECT AT THE TIME OF GOING TO PRINT. PLEASE CHECK WITH THE VENUES BEFORE TRAVELLING OR BOOKING HOTELS
Now you don’t normally associate the blues, jazz, soul, or funk with a Scandinavian country, Finland, for example. But you would be wrong, indeed, Scandinavia has had a large following for all these genres for many a long year.
Mix Scandinavia and New York, what do you have? Sam Huber. I was fortunate to catch a gig last year featuring Sam Huber and The True Groove All-Stars (more of them later).
“I’m in Helsinki right now where the weather is not as it normally would be at this time of year - it’s raining and damp, more like England - nowhere near as much snow and freezing temperatures as we would normally expect. Climate change is hitting us as well.”
Sam goes on to explain his graduation into music which had me a touch surprised, if I’m being honest:
“The Beatles were the first thing I remember hearing which came from my mother, along with Jimi Hendrix and Pink Floyd. That was what she would listen to, and then I started taking private lessons in classical piano at the age of about nine which lasted until I was eighteen. I had a really good teacher at that time, she told me that as a young guy, I wouldn’t want to be playing Mozart all the time, so she taught me boogie-woogie piano, so that was how I learned to play rock and roll on the piano. It was very important to me and happened at exactly the right time.”
This led Sam into the Finnish music scene where he discovered local Finnish bands and cut his teeth watching and playing with them whenever possible.
“They would be playing Dr. Feelgood’s stuff which then allowed me to stumble upon
punk and new-wave music that was very popular at the time in Finland. That opened the floodgates to reggae, funk, and soul which I’ve stayed with for most of my life. In 1994, I was in a funk band called Eternal Erection which lasted until 2018 when we decided we didn’t want to continue with the band any longer. We’d done a festival towards the end and watched a guy who had two amazing black backing singers from New York and they contacted us and told us they really liked our gig, all the funk stuff, and said they were interested in doing some stuff with us. Sadly, we lost contact with them! Fast-forward twenty years, and I team up with The True Groove All-Stars and it was like the things we’d discussed with these guys beforehand.”
Sam continues: “Today, the blues and jazz festivals are still as strong as they were
many years ago, which is very comforting. Denmark, Sweden, and Finland all have a large following of people interested in roots music. It’s not all England and America shining the musical torch at these things. There are strong foundations that are very good to hear, especially when the countries involved are not the first names one would think of.” The contact Sam had with the guys from New York might not have produced anything at the time, but it did light the way for Sam to finally hit America where he teamed up with Tomas Doncker.
“I fell in love with New York from the first time I visited in about 2001. I’d always had a feeling I would play there one day, only in a small club; but I knew deep down that I would play in New York. Then in 2016, I went to New York for my birthday and stayed for three months, that was the maximum time that I could stay with my visa. It was a kind of, it’s now or never, I had to get my foot in the door of the music scene somehow. Through a Finnish contact, I happened to meet Tomas (True Groove All-Stars.) I’d heard of him, and luckily he’d heard of me. Straight away we clicked, we spoke the same language of music, and we started working about a week after we met.”
What Sam had said regarding immediately clicking with Tomas was very similar to when I first interviewed Tomas for Blues Matters, I felt as though I’d known him all of my life after we’d been chatting for five minutes, and he said the same thing about me. Instant karma? Who knows. Sam and Tomas perform together regularly, in America, England, and Finland with the True Groove guys. It’s a very upbeat fun, lively performance, Sam is like a whirling dervish at times, so full of energy.
“I love performing anywhere, I’m also an actor, so that brings out the theatrical side of me at gigs. My favourite thing is the interaction with the audience. I love to make music, there is no point in making songs just for yourself, so I love to perform. I was in the theatre in Finland from 1987-1991. Back then, I was an actor and music was my hobby, but now it’s the other war around. As I said, I’ve been involved with music since I was nine years old.”
When I saw Sam and The True Groove AllStars performing last year, one thing that I noticed was Sam’s accent when he sang was way closer to American than it was to Finnish. He sounded like he’d been in America, and New York especially, all of his life. I was eager to find if that was something he was aware of, had someone else mentioned this to him before?
“I think my accent has become more Amer-
ican over the years, mainly because of the amount of time that I have stayed there, but also because I listen to a lot of American music, roots music, blues, jazz, and soul, so I guess it’s rubbed off on me and will always be with me. At school, we were taught English as our second language, but it was taught in a British accent by the teacher, not British with a Finnish accent, so I think that’s why I sing in the manner that I do. The more time I spend in New York, the more I sound American rather than European. The music that I make fits the style of an American accent.”
Singing and playing funk, soul, and blues would make any person’s accent sound the way Sams does, it’s got more depth to it than say, rock, or pop music, which produce far different sounds and vocal ranges. And country music would shape your accent in a totally different way, even though that could be classed as roots music.
“The first stuff that I did with Tomas was kind of traditional rock, mixed with soul and R ‘n’ B, and then David Bowie died and suddenly there were lots of Bowie influences flying around. Bowie had always been a big influence, he had a lot of soul going on, especially during his Thin White Duke period. It’s a strange thing because when we were in a young band back in Finland we tried to sound like we were from New York, when I spoke to the audience in-between songs I tried to sound like I was from New York. Then, when I finally got to New York, I found I was getting a lot of European influences in my music, the main one being David Bowie.”
One of Sam’s albums is Up And Down, made with The True Groove All-Stars team. It’s two albums, the Up part of the album is soul, and the Down part of the album is funk. I have played it numerous times and, again, you feel the energy of the band - you can almost feel the performance coming right out of the album.
“It’s my version of soul and my version of funk, but it’s more targeted, more narrowed down. The albums that I had done before had many mixed styles, but Tomas and I decided we wanted to make a themed album of both soul and funk. I’d done a lot of funk stuff before, but I’d never done anything like soul before. When I get the idea of a song, I always have one instrument that I am composing with, so in the soul thing, it seemed only natural that I should use my piano. I find that there are more harmonies from the piano, whereas, with the funk side of things, my choice of instrument is the bass, the electric bass is a better foundation. On the Up part of the album is a blues song called Hot Summer Burning which fits very well on the album.”
It’s clear to see the collaboration between Sam And TTGAS is a very productive one. It’s like a taut string, the sharing of ideas, the bond that exists between Tomas and Sam is of pure admiration for each other, and each other’s work. I want to see them develop more and produce more great songs and albums together. One of my favourite tracks on Up and Down is It’s A Shame, written by Stevie Wonder and Syreeta Wright.
“It’s one of my favourite songs. it was actually Tomas’s idea to put that on the album. I was really scared about doing it because the original is so good. I was thinking, how can my version of this song be any good, would I have the balls to do it? I’ve tried a few of Stevie Wobder’s songs before, they are really tricky, and the melodies are very hard, but you have to try and learn. I had to sing it an octave lower because I am a baritone and he is a tenor, so I had to sing it lower, otherwise, it would not sound good at all.”
The project with The True Groove All-Stars is, I’m happy to say, a long-term project. There is a new album coming out shortly, and several UK dates in the summer, plus a live EP containing three new songs and a couple of older songs, all recorded live. Sam Huber is as energetic a guy that I have ever seen and met, he’s infectious. This shows in his music most of all, so if you want to know what all the fuss is about, buy a couple of albums, and get to a gig this year. Dates and venues are yet to be announced.
Your brand new self-titled album is out now. How did you want to approach this new record?
From the get go! I knew it was going to be diverse, because I had some song ideas in my head and little sketches and riff ideas on guitar and I knew, some were going to come out dark, hard and heavey, some bluesy, some funky and some folky - Celtic. I though first maybe its a bit too diverse but, Hell, that’s the way I play and write so it’s very much my style and that also brought myself, my managment and label team to all agree that it should then be my self-titled album with my newish logo on the front cover. So as one jounalist said it does exactly what it says on the tin. A mixture of styles but still keeping I guess a Celtic Irish blues rock tread throughout.
Opener ‘Living Hell’ is an atmospheric piece with this soaring guitar. What guitar and pedals/ effects did you use on the track?
I have a brand new two amp guitar rig. One old style tube plexy and the other, a Hughes and Kettner BS200 transister amp, So the mixture of the old with the new. I used a 30 year old Epiphone Les Paul custom through a Dyna Comp, Guyatone PS-015 overdrive and a Klon pedal via a Eventide H9 Max effect pedal set at Dark Matter. We also used a unique mixing up method developed by Austian Sound expert and Deeflex designer, Hoovi.
Then you have this respectful punchy rock tune ‘Hats Off To Lemmy”. Did you ever meet Lemmy/Motorhead?
Sadl, I never did meet Lemmy or even see Mötorhead peform but I have always been a fan. I believe Lemmy was authenic and a true rocker in that he lived his persona. it was him. After a photo shoot for a magazine, you were sure Lemmy would not change his cloths into a Polo shirt and hop into a Ferrari and drive off to the golfclub. He was like an outlaw biker and he stuck to his guns and lived for Rock n’ Roll. So that’s why I basically wrote a tribute to him. I have some friends who knew him and worked with him and I did tour Ireland once with
Brian “Robbo” Robertson as my guest and he had very funny stories about his time as guitarist in Mötorhead.
The quality of the musicianship and slick production on this album is very impressive. Who is on here with you?
I have a great young band with Max JungPoppe on drums and Edgar Karg on bass and also foot-keys which we use on. It actually turns a Power trio into a four-piece at times. Originaly developed by Getty Lee of Rush. It’s the modern Foot Keys version. My last album Storyteller did great so we used the same producer, Arne Wiegand. He’s quite a well know German producer. What many people love about Arne is he knows the right measure to keep the feeling and emotion of a recording and mix it in a modern way without losing the authenic feel.
Who/What is the inspiration for ‘Lady Lindy’?
Of couse it’s about the great aviator and pioneer Amelia Earhart. She was before her time and the first women to fly the Atlantic ocean at a time when Women did not even wear trousers never mind fly a plane solo. Aviation always fasinated me ever since my Father showed me the beach in Galway where Alcock and Brown landed. Then I read about the Wright brothers but Amelia’s story is the most interesting and sadly she went missing after almost finishing flying around the World.
How do you look after your voice?
I quit smoking 34 years ago. Plus in the last ten years or so. I dont drink alkohol on the road unless I have a day off following etc then I may have a few beers. I started drinking tea a few years ago and that helps instead of coffee all day. Plus I’m always singing at low volume, songs I like during the day and at home as I’m doing something as mundane as washing the dishes. I always work towards singing better all the time. It’s a thing that can deveople as you get older and look after yourself.
The emotive ‘Living In The Now’
includes this lush acoustic guitar. It reminds me of Neil Young at times? Was this a difficult song/ album to write?
Quite easy. I had just bought an old Ibanez 12 string acoustic guitar and I was reading an Eckart Tolle book “The Power of Now” and sometimes when I’m working out in the gym I listen to old interviews with Alan Watts. So I quess I was on a search for meaning and living in the now and simply put it into a song. In deed, there certainly is Neil Young influence as Neil is one of my all time heroes.
In terms of touring this release, what are your plans? Anything in the UK on the cards?
We are looking soon at UK dates and a possible showcase in London. But later in the year, as we are quite busy touring over in Europe I have not toured the UK since myself and the great Joanna Connor toured there together back in 2021. Also looking forward to touring the USA as the new album is released there and I have not toured there for many years.
‘Letter To My Son’ is a real highlight for me as it showcases everything you can do. Have you actually written the letter in question?
No in fact I never did get to write a letter, but I did think of doing so. However for now my son will have to be content with the little letter within my song. He just turned six a couple of weeks ago and I just wanted to point him in the right loving direction, because lets face it, there is enough greed, rasism and hatred in the world today so the newer generations have to be more compasionate in general.
‘Social Media Blues’ is this relateable groove and incorporating the notification sounds was so clever. Would you say you have cut back on your phone usage since writing this song?
Well for the fun of the song I did exaggerate my addiction a wee bit. However I do spend
too much time on the smart phone, and always planning to cut back. So hopefully I do. But there’s a hell of a problem out there, especially among the young teens.
What makes Eamonn McCormack happy and what makes you unhappy?
I have two beautiful Children and I actually started late with the kids thing. I was fifty when I have my first born a beautiful daughter. They make me happy. I’ve become very fit and that’s cool at my age. Especailly in the business I’m in. Music in general makes me feel great and as John Lee Hooker said “Blues is a healer” I believe that. I love writing and recording but live performing is my favorite.
I think a couple of things that make me unhappy are covered in this album. In ‘Living Hell’ My anger at the corrupt gun business that are to blame both directly and indirectly for guns on the streets of Teen gangs to school shootings and from Drug wars to Child Soldiers and Puppet Armies and so in. Also in “Angel of Love” I address my fear of Nuclear War which is a real treat today. Dispite all that I am hopeful and postive for a better future for us all and the next generation.
Have you both had similar influences on your musical career?
Mike Zito and Albert Castiglia are real Blood Brothers in a living and working environment. Musically their chemistry on and off stage is the key element.
Now they have joined forces to create a special album release of eleven songs called Blood Brothers, produced by Joe Bonamassa and Josh Smith. They have recently been touring with this collaboration and took time out to speak to Blues Matters.
AC: I’d been hearing Mike’s name being mentioned around the mid 2000’s. I remem-ber Springfield, MO, promoter Monte Lorts raving about him to me at a gig. I got to meet him around 2008 at The Back Room in Boca Raton, FL. My wife and I went down to see him play. He was very gracious and kind to us. Ever since then, we’d run into each other on the road or whenever he’d be back in town. I can’t remember the first time we jammed. It’s been so long and we’ve done so many gigs and casual jams together since I’ve known him.
MZ: I met Albert years ago in Florida at a club I was playing. I remember seeing him play live at the North Atlantic Blues Fest in 2012 or 2013 and was really blown away by his fiery guitar playing.
AC: I was laid up with covid around January 2021. It kicked my ass for months. I never felt quite right that year. In the Spring while I was going through that, Mike ap-proached me about doing a series of dates in the Midwest with Joanna Connor to support Mike’s Chuck Berry tribute album. I dragged my ass out of bed, did the dates and slowly started to feel better. The shows were well received to the point where Roger Nabor of The Legendary Rhythm Blues Cruise asked us along with Tito Jack-son to be a part of his October 2021 cruise. That went extremely well. After that eve-rybody went their own way. Shortly after the cruise, Mike called me and said he worked out a tour for us with our agency (Intrepid Artists) and called it “Blood Broth-ers”. I said OK! Why wouldn’t I? The shows in 2021 with him were kick ass. I was feeling physically better as time went on and the B.B 2022 tour would coincide with our CDs that were going to be released. Mike’s been looking out for me for over fif-teen years and ever since his sobriety, there’s been nothing he hasn’t done that’s not been successful. We have a deep trust in one another. It was destined to succeed. There you have it. Mike definitely has more to add to the back story.
MZ: We have become very close friends over the years and we look out for each other, like brothers. We always played together and it just seemed like we should do for real this year.
AC: Absolutely! We’re similar in age and grew up listening to the same things. How else do a couple of middle-class white boys get into blues. It starts with hard rock and classic rock and then we find our way to the blues and our lives change. As similar as we are, we are still able to surprise each other with stuff that we may have missed along the way in our lives. It’s great sharing music with him.
MZ: Yes, I think for the most part we do. We listened to a lot of the same guitarists and bands growing up. But Albert has a deep catalogue of blues. I might have more country or rock in my playing - that’s why it works so well.
What has been your best advice musically and from whom?
AC: The advice that Junior Wells gave me when I joined his band comes to mind. We were on The Ultimate Rhythm and Blues Cruise sailing out of Miami, FL, in 1997. He told me he expected me to have my own band someday and instructed me to keep my mouth shut, open my ears and learn from everyone in the band. I found it quite enlightening because we had a nine-piece band and there were little factions within the band that didn’t have Junior’s best interests and were undermining him. In spite of that, he still wanted me to learn from them because he felt they could offer me a lot of insight due to the fact that they were so much more
experienced than I at that level. That advice got me to thinking about the big picture and how important it is. That advice has carried me ever since it was offered to me.
MZ: Walter Trout told me 20 years ago, it’s not over unless you quit.
What keeps you motivated to be a musician?
AC: The thought of having a desk job.
MZ- My peers, my band mates, other inspiring musicians. The never-ending search for the best song, the best tone, the best note.
Have both of you got the work to family relations ratio balanced?
AC: We do the best we can. It is difficult but having a supportive family helps.
MZ: I am lucky to have a wife that is my partner in life, in our record label and in my career. We manage it together and these days we have the options of when to work and when to stay home.
Are you both similar personalities off stage than onstage?
AC: I am. I don’t know about Zito.
MZ: Yes, absolutely. Albert is ALWAYS ALBERT
How would you describe your musical styles?
AC: I am all about Chicago Blues and Rock & Roll.
MZ: Albert is a real trade and true Chicago Blues musician with rock n roll in his heart. I think I am a little more all over the place. I like a lot of music and if the song is good, I like it.
Having seen you play live onstage together you both have a certain chemistry, can you define this?
AC: I think we’re two guys who grew up listening to the same stuff who walked into each other’s lives at the right time. It shows onstage.
MZ: It just works, I can’t really describe how it works, it just does. We listen to each other and let each other use our strengths to better the group as a whole.
What does the blues genre mean to both of you?
AC: Everything. It’s why I have the life I have. I owe everything to the blues. I will continue to support it and spread its word until the day I die.
MZ: It means a LOT to me. It’s something I have had in my heart for a very long time. It’s my favourite music and I love it.
How do you keep the blues alive for a young generation?
AC: By helping them when they need it or ask for it in any way shape or form. Paying it forward. The smallest acts of kindness can change a life. That’s how it worked for me and that’s how I’m going to do it for others that want this life
MZ: Play Muddy Waters for them every chance you get.
Talk about the album, the production, recording process, studio and getting people like Joe Bonamassa interested in the project, how long did it take to make?
AC: It took about ten days. The process was unlike anything I’ve ever been a part of. We built everything from Josh Smith’s acoustic guitar, a click track and our vocals. Once we start with those three elements, the rest of the band comes in. Mike can probably elaborate more on it.
MZ: Joe has been a friend for years and so has Josh. We love what those guys are doing and it’s always fun when we can all get together. When we decided we would make an album together, it just made sense to call the other two Blood Brothers to come join us. Josh and Joe are a great team, and they were excited to help us make this album. We spent about ten days in the studio total. We recorded almost all of the tracks live, but then did vocals and some solos. The album went to Nashville then and they added some horns, backing vocals and extra parts.
There is an eclectic feel to some of the tracks, some ballads, rock and roll upbeat tunes, is there a theme?
AC: We just create. I have no control over where the creative winds take me. MZ: The theme is Albert and myself and the guys in the band. We played what we love and made sure it was different from what we might normally do on our own. I think ‘us together’ is the theme.
Have you a specific song writing process?
AC: Nope. Sometimes the lyrics come first, sometimes it’s the music. In the case of “A Thousand Heartaches”, I wrote the lyrics first, then went to my tape recorder and some music that I had recorded months prior that fit with them.
MZ: Get up early and drink coffee, start writing
Who chose the songs to cover and why, Tooth And Nail and My Business in particular?
AC: Tinsley Ellis offered us “Tooth And Nail” and I wanted to do it the moment I heard the demo. To me, it’s a classic Southern blues rock song and that’s right up my alley. Thank you, Tins!
MZ: Tooth and Nail was given to us by Tinsley Ellis for the album and I was hell bent on doing this John Hiatt song cause it’s badass. We wanted to do the BEST songs we could for this album. We really didn’t care who wrote them.
Can you talk about other songs on the album?
Hey Sweet Mama - Simple duet vocals with exchanging guitars
In My Soul – A song of the anguish I dealt with after learning of my wife’s cancer last year. Have all the songs been road tested yet?
AC: Yes. We recently did a two-week tour of the midwestern U.S and we did all the songs. They were very well received. It felt great!
MZ: YES, they have - and they rock.
What does success in life or work mean to both of you?
AC: Being able to support your family by doing what you love, plain and simple.
MZ: Continuing to play music for a living and having a happy home life.
What are your plans for the immediate future and beyond?
AC: Tour until the money runs out!
MZ: TOUR THIS BAND, SELL THIS RECORD
Do either of you have a philosophy in life that you adhere to?
AC: Yes, don’t be a dick, & live and let live!
MZ: ‘Leave your ego, play the music, love the people’ - Luther Allison
Final words for Blues Matters Magazine-reading public?
AC: I love the U.K and can’t wait to see you all in October!
MZ: We are excited to come to the UK this fall with the full Blood Brothers group and play this new music for you!
BIG BLUE RECORDS
33
The inside sleeve of this CD shows the timeline of The Cadillac Kings, from their inception in 1999 right up to 2023. Despite the personnel changes there is a strong sense of consistency and continuity. This even permeates down to the sleeve artwork, instantly recognisable as the band’s house-style. Vocalist/ slide guitarist, harp blower and main composer Mike Thomas is the leader throughout, employing members of some of the UK’s leading and most authentic blues and roots bands of the last three decades or so, bands like The James Hunter Band, Otis Grand and Paul Lamb’s Kingsnakes. Note too that the band make efforts to play for both hard-core blues lovers and for dancers, recalling the music’s original purpose, and ensuring that this album is a wonderful experience. Doubtin’ Thomas makes a strong, loping opener, with some spikey guitar work and there is a nice play on Mike’s surname. This attention to the lyrics and a sometimes humorous (and often pointed) approach is one of the band’s trademarks, listen to It Ain’t Smart for another excellent example, or the strutting title track. These guys rock too (not to be confused with blues-rock) as on the Chuck Berry styled Betty Lou Broke Outa Jail or the Little Richard flavoured Too Much Stuff but don’t get the idea these guys are hidebound purists. The set’s only slow number, Memphis Slim’s Beer Drinkin’ Woman has fine accordion from Tim Penn, which turns this from a Chicago blues performance into a Clifton Chenier flavoured zydeco item, a style that also came to mind on Don & Dewey’s powerful Farmer John. Think maybe somebody like The Fabulous Thunderbirds crossed with some of the best West Coast blues revival acts, and you might begin to get an idea of just how accomplished and entertaining these guys are.
DARREN PRESTONBarbara Blue has the mantle of being the Reigning Queen Of Beale Street and on her new release nobody can doubt this. All different styles here, soul, blues R&B even Americana on these thirteen songs. As the title implies this is a homage to Muscle Shoals and it was recorded at in Northern Alabama there produced by Jim Gaines. She is backed by a superb band including drummer Bernard Purdie, David Hood on bass and Clayton Ivey on keyboards amongst others. The opener, The Shoals is an introduction to the music of this genre that grabs the listener by their soul. Nutthouse Blues is a slow blues number sung with gusto about the studio where the set was recorded, full of groove. Tell Mama is a horn section delight with great harmonies and rhythm. Jimmy Hughes’ Steal Aw to her vocal delivery. ay shows a tender side. Severed, leans towards a country feel on this well-crafted tune full of emotion. Curse Of Beauty is full of soul some dark vocals here. Lost Young Love is the highlight, a hauntingly beautiful ballad. Slide man is a romp of a tune showing her sassy side full of double entendres and slide guitar playing. Too Far continues the slow tempo, then bring on the funk with Nothing Lasts Forever. Never Stopped Loving You is another broken-hearted ballad. Then the band excels in the haunting ethereal gospel tune Song Of The River. Last tune is Trail Of Tears and this just captures the essence of the release with some great slide chords, a song about treatment of native Americans. A release to cherish, astounding.
Delmark
Many a pitfall, heading towards an ignominious obliv-
ion, awaits the offspring of a famous parent, especially if that parent has a legendary status in the same genre of music that they pursue. However, as Muddy’s eldest son, Mud Morganfield has never needed to concern himself with such trifles as he’s inherited the blues gene of excellence from his illustrious father, Muddy Waters. As proof, Portrait begins with Mud putting his faith into his musical passion on the gospel blues album opener Praise Him. Following which he delightfully buries himself in the grease of the blues across Portrait’s fourteen tracks. With half of this album’s songs written by himself, Mud has a voice not indistinguishable from his famous father’s tone on his first album for the highly respected Delmark label. A racy cover of Short Dressed Woman then a deep soulful take on Son Of The Seventh Son reveal both sides of Mud’s musical coin. Mixing the fun with the serious. The fun continues with the self-penned Love To Flirt and Catfishing as Mud’s voice arrestingly translates these songs narratives. Backing up his voice with his bass pumping out notes in all the right places, Morganfield excels on Billy Flynn’s Money (Can’t Buy You Everything) and his father’s You Can’t Lose What You Ain’t Never Had. Yet, it’s his own compositions Midnight Lover and Blues In My Shoes that catch the ear. Finishing up on the much loved but questionable blues standard Good Morning Little School Girl adds more pause for thought on an excellent Portrait of Mud Morganfield.
PAUL DAVIESFounding members of The Eric Street band Dennis and Neil have collaborated on 12 albums, Neil has not played on, but recorded and co-produced the last couple of these albums and still records with Dennis as
a formidable duo. Following the success of Half & Half and Higher Ground they have just released their third album Testify, with Dennis on Vocals and Neil supplying Guitars, Keyboards, programming and production. Anyone familiar with the two previous albums will appreciate the hoarse vocals of Dennis and distinctive guitar styling of Neil on these new original songs about life as they see it living here in the UK. Opening number Baby Baby is a keyboard and guitar driven tale of wanting another chance. Well Well will soon have you moving with its foot stomping groove, a delta blues with some wonderful acoustic guitar work including a soaring guitar solo. Title track I Wanna Testify is another upbeat blues, over a driving beat and slide guitar Dennis wails that he has tried the normal life, but singing the blues is what he lives for. Next is I Paid The Price, a sprawling atmospheric tale of betrayal featuring some excellent guitar breaks, this is followed by Leave It All Behind, a foot stomping blues rocker with a pulsating beat and blistering guitar riffs. You’re Gonna Know My Name, a rockier blues containing some grittier guitar riffs on this tale of seeking remembrance, while the enjoyable foot stomping Find A New Friend, is driven along by a solid rhythmic beat that is enhanced by some rather nifty slide guitar work. Closing the album in fine style with some superb finger picking guitar the acoustic version of Leave It All Behind, Dennis and Neil have once again upped their game for an album that delivers on all fronts
Along with many other American Blues artists, Chick Willis was brought over to Europe by Big Bear Records, in fact he did four tours of the UK & Europe, and they finally got him into a studio in August 1997
Atlantic Highway Records
British blues guitarist and songwriter Andrew Riverstone is a seasoned professional who honed his music and production skills as a session guitarist at London studios Including Abbey Road. This, his fifth solo album was mainly recorded at his studio in Buckinghamshire, utilising vintage preamps and instruments to add warmth to the production. The album consists of ten original songs with Andrew on vocals, guitar, bass, keyboards, garden spade, drums and percussion and Clare Lucas vocals on track six. The album starts with the title track Pushing Against The Flow, this tale of a relationship breakup is a driving blues rocker told over some fine guitar riffing. White Flag Burning, is a protest song with a good foot stomping rhythm and gritty guitar riffs with a hint of southern rock. The tale of a con man follows with He’s The Richest Man, a driving swing blues with some sterling stinging guitar work, before slowing the tempo down for Into The Storm (Beaches Of Pentewan) a tender remembrance of the tragic loss of the Darlywyne which sailed from Falmouth, Cornwall in 1966, a song that builds with emotion and intensity from Andrew’s equally expressive vocals and guitar playing. Then Andrew reveals his humorous side with the steady percussive rhythm and grooving guitar riffs on the wry Back In The Cool House. A fine tribute to super fan Jesus Jellet follows on the African percussion beat of Here Comes The Shakerman, the hauntingly beautiful instrumental Ancient Valley Of The Rocks that follows evokes powerful imagery. Out On The Money Go Round has a good driving African percussion rhythm interlaced with restrained guitar solos giving this a funkier sound. the toe tapping rhythm beat and percussion leaves space for Andrew’s smooth vocals and melodic guitar on the closing swing blues of Shades Of Blue (Highwire). This album shows Andrew’s all-round prowess as a quality multi-instrumentalist, totally enjoyable and highly recommended.
SHIRL
the New Orleans bounce and funk of Every Day Is A Good Day. It’s an album full of little delights and one for all Blues lovers to get their teeth into.
to record this little gem. Backed up by a stunning band of Tony Ashton on Hammond and piano, Roger Inniss on bass and Alan ‘Sticky’ Wickett on drums, this shows off Willis’ vocal prowess but also his superb skills on guitar. The album was recorded at Mike Vernon’s Chipping Norton studios and produced by Jim Simpson. I have to say, on first listen, the album is immediately something I was comfortable and familiar with. It could have been recorded any time from the late sixties onwards. There is nothing here that you or I haven’t heard a
million times but. But it has a joyous feel to it, the feel of four consummate musicians enjoying themselves and the groove that can only be found when the players are comfortable with each other. The album was recorded in two days, and it has that live feel to it, everything immediate and in its place.
11 originals by Willis and two covers, the title track written by Ed Jones and Voodoo Woman by Lavelle White, but they all feel like originals. Favourite for me is the dark and intense Come Back Home with some terrific Hammond from Tony Ashton and also
Boston based trio with a live album recorded in Ohio featuring their raw, rough and ready, energetic attack on a few choice covers and some band originals. Although the band have only been together around three years the members have learnt their trade well playing with the likes of Charlie Musselwhite, James Cotton and John Hammond. The powerful opening track I Cry For You hits a groove straight away with rowdy vocals and raucous guitar work. Little Walter’s bluesy My Baby’s Sweeter features sly vocals and a crowd-pleasing machine-gun guitar solo. The crowd are already onside, and the band feed off their energy. Guitarist/vocalist Pat Faherty takes a no-nonsense rabble-rousing approach and Matt Stubbs guitar is straight ahead, no frills with minimum use of effects. The band tear into Lonely Soul with drummer Tim Carman leading the charge to the finish. The rowdy slow blues I Let Someone In is followed by the Louisiana flavoured Dry Run a loping, swampy number. The rocking Double Gettin’ is followed by My Soul a hot, jumping opus featuring some juddering whammy bar salvos. The pace drops a little for a cover of Lloyd Price’s classic late 50’s R&B hit Just Because. The original Hold It One More Time is a blistering race to the finish and then we get a slinky cover of an early Bo Diddley number Crackin’ Up featuring emotive vocals and a shimmering guitar solo. The party closes with the rocking By My Lonesome with the crowd roaring their approval. The spirited, raucous approach
Independent
Following on from her successful Analog Girl In a Digital World release featuring her own Two Tone built guitar and signature guitar via BMG Guitars, here she explores the 70s decade on this eleven track album. Her band features, Devin North on bass guitar and Michael Davila on drums with associated keyboards from Joe Listrom on two tracks also Adam Peri on synthesisers and Loren Gold on piano on That’s Just Lonely. It opens with an undertone of Brian May hooks on The Dulcet. Somewhere Slow, opens with a chunky rock beat, a very catchy tune Arielle’s vocals matching her undoubted technical ability on guitar, an upbeat tune about fast living. The title track ’73 opens with incendiary lap steel solo then explodes into a stomping singalong tune full of bluesy tones. Goes Without Saying slows tempo on this love song. The Way You Look At Me is full on Texan blues with strong vocals a great arrangement. Weakness For You has a country feel, a summer song full of hope. On the instrumental, Kalypso, she excels with guitar riffs and adds funk to the rhythm.
I Need An Angel brings a pastel shade to the colour of the release, a cry for help, vocal range soars through the tune. That’s Just Lonely is a wonderfully built tune full of layers of intricacy. The Other Side is another pacy rocky tune with Celtic flavour. The David Gates tune If, is next, very emotional take on this strippeddown acoustic, raw. Final tune is, Wherever We Go From Here, another well written tune, a solid finish a song of reflection. Highly recommended, Arielle is a talented singer songwriter, one for playing loud.
Arielle is a talented singer songwriter, one for playing loud”
and power and passion of this bunch is a real winner. I look forward to hearing more from them in the future.
DAVE DRURY
Provogue/Mascot
The British blues scene is blessed with a recent intake of young blues artists establishing themselves and quickly maturing into this everlasting genre. Enter triple-winning Young Blues Artist of the Year blues singer-guitarist Connor Selby who has his self-titled 2021 album re-issued on the prestigious Provogue/Mascot label with four deeply engaging bonus tracks that make this album well worth buying again. Hailing from the county of Essex, following his peripatetic former years in Connecticut and Dubai, it’s Selby’s remarkably mature vocals that grab attention initially. There’s a hint of Ray Charles, and Bobby ‘Blue’ Bland even, in his deep timbre delivery that will serve him extremely well as he undeniably progresses in his career. Then there’s the exquisite lead guitar phrasing that reminds me of primetime Eric Clapton and BB King.
However, this would mean little without a strong grip on the full range of blues stylings and Selby has these firmly in hand. There’s the slow-burn horn-powered feel of I Can’t Let Go and Falling In Love Again with warm washes of Hammond Organ and cool-as-blue-ice musicianship from the Masterlink house band. Selby’s judicious selection of hot guitar licks proves he isn’t no copycat as this blues cat seems to have it all and top producer Stefan Redtenbacher deftly mixes these musical ingredients without overcooking them. Standout track, Emily, exudes dramatic blues-rock class as does the balladlike precision of The Man I Ought To Be and the gospel tinged Hear My Prayer. Although his lyrics err towards the tropes of documenting broken relationships and sorrowful ruminations, his songwriting and musical execution are joyously superb. It’s no surprise that he is supporting Beth Hart on her Spring UK tour. Connor Selby is already a superstar in all but name and I’d wager my collection of original blues records that Selby will join this pantheon of blues artists before his time is done. Connor Selby is the real deal.
PAUL DAVIESThis particular set of songs was recorded between 2017-2020 from what can only be described as one of the finest back-catalogues and blues history vaults in the business. I refer to Bob Corritore, of course. Throughout his illustrious career as one of the blue’s finest exponents of the harmonica, Corritore has become the most sought-after guy on the scene. What Vizztone have done is unearth classic blues tunes from yesteryear and breathed new life into them. Jimi “Primetime” Smith is the son of the very influential blueswoman, Johnnie Mae Dunson. He began his recording career at the tender age of eight, after hanging around blues stalwarts such as Jimmy Reed, Hubert Sumlin, and Eddie Taylor. The title track, I Got The World In A Jug, was written by his mother, Johnnie Mae Dunson, a fine tune to start with, may I add. Jimi plays guitar and does the vocals on all tracks, alongside Corritore who plays harmonica on all the tracks. Love Her With A Feeling (Freddie King) is a slightly more mellow and softer version than the original, but don’t let that put you off, these two guys give this song the eloquence and respect that it rightly deserves. Every time an album like this drops through my door from Vizztone, I know that I’m in for a treat, and this album is no exception. Soul Food, with brilliant backing vocals from Celia King, and Eboni McDonald respectively, is a joy. So full of life and happiness, if you question what this song is about, just refer back to
the title. Walkin’ brings you back down to the blues with a bang. Nothing happy nor upbeat about it, this is the blues told in a tune, the way the blues should be told. I have enjoyed this album immensely, I sincerely hope that having found a formula that works as well as this does, Vizztone produces more of the same in the future.
STEPHEN HARRISONLike most artists Gabe has been bringing out singles initially to promote this six track album. Of these, Toxic Fear is definitely a heady mix of blues rock flavour possibly more to the rock genre but infectious, with great lyrics and heavy sound, many layers to this song as to the whole album. Certainly, on the title track, Face The Feeling he opens up about some personal mental health issues, a theme to the whole release, it could be, a very dark soundtrack to this one, it’s all in the rhythm section here. Vocals are crisp on this high energy track, lots of good riffs and catchy chorus with a message to all, very cathartic. In This Moment is a slower number but still infused with good tones, well produced, a reflective tune about being in the moment and moving forward emotionally. Judge And Jury is an upbeat tune, catchy groove to this one, a swampy blues tune that has a great beat, a real crowd pleaser and the chord progression is interesting, a well-crafted song. Not Alone is back to high energy rock, Gabe getting in touch with feelings of anxiety and empowerment to more vulnerable listeners set to a thunderous backbeat. The Search , again deals with human emotion and feelings, even philosophies, deep context, masked with pulsating rhythm. Gabe’s vocals are distinctive and unique with his own style, direct and powerful deliveries throughout these tunes
to a rocky backbeat. Highly recommended, well-crafted songs.
Looking at the cover of the album I got the instant feeling of a guy wandering from town to town in the MidWest, USA, a gunslinger, a man with no name, a drifter. The first track, Promised Land at just 1.27 minutes long, reaffirms my initial thoughts. Jim plays the guitar, harmonica, and percussion, setting the tale of what is to come. The title track brings the band firmly into play, and Jim’s vocals seem to get better and better as the song gathers pace. If there is a better blues/ rock guitarist within this sceptered isle of ours, I’ll eat my hat. The theme that I envisaged of the lonesome guy going from town to town is now firmly rooted in my mind. Following the amazing success of Ballad Of A Prodigal Son could well have been too difficult a task, but not only has he followed it with this album but he’s also gone way beyond it. Now to achieve this proves beyond any doubt the songwriting chops of Jim Kirkpatrick, add to that the best guitarist around at the moment, and having a band as tight as these guys are. The album doesn’t only contain blistering blues/ rock tracks, and straight blues, it also has its mellow moments that come in the form of The Journey Home. A sentimental ballad with the tenderest lyrics, this actually had me at a brief serene moment that was totally unexpected. There are so many good things about this album that you will discover for yourself, just remember who told you about it first. Apart from his usual band members, Jim has had a few guests join in the proceedings, John ‘ Rhino’ Edwards (Status Quo), Sarah Miller, and Scott Ralph who provide
TURTLEDOVE RECORDS
London-based California ex-pat Guy Tortora turns in a strong set of singer-songwriter soft rock, with sufficient blues influences to merit a review in this publication. Sonically and lyrically, we are in Dylan/ Young/Browne territory here, with tracks built around intelligent lyrics and fingerstyle acoustic and electric guitar work. This includes some frequently deft slide playing, of the tasteful lick variety rather than full-on Dust My Broom barnstorming. Of the two covers, the folkie rendition of The Drifters’ Under The Boardwalk comes off surprisingly well, thanks to the sheer chutzpah of the reinvention, which even includes an accordion solo. I also liked Tortora’s take on the Grateful Dead’s New Speedway Boogie, which stays close to the vibe of the original.
But it’s the original compositions that bring home this album’s bacon. The opener, High Tide Deep Water, reworks an instantly familiar piano riff that probably harks back to a soul single before building up to a harmonica break. Flower Street and Koffeeville are both wistful evocations of homesickness, remembered girlfriends and a lonesome kind of lovin’. Withered On The Vine is a decent stab at a minor blues, while instrumental closer Goodnight & Good Luck is pleasant enough. But undoubted highlight of the CD is Pearl, a celebration of finding true love when you weren’t expecting it. It’s a great song. But any visions of Johanna that conquer you mind while listening to it will not be accidental.
DAVID OSLERfuelled psychedelic groove, which is terrific. Up next, Don’t Let Me Down glides lazily along the banks of a warm river with nice Hammond organ and sweet slide work. I almost defy you to associate the way Teresa tackles Happy To Dance With You with the original. It is completely different and right out of Stax studios dripping Soul. A fine Blues rendition is brought to the fore on Oh Darling highlighting searing vocals, organ and very fine guitar. Back to the streets of Philadelphia or Detroit for You’ve Got To Hide Your Love Away. By no means fillers, Everybody’s Got Something To Hide Except Me And My Monkey You Won’t See Me and No Reply are in there as well. The Album closes out with, for me, an outstanding take on Harrison’s Think For Yourself done here in a shuffle style. This is an excellent album.
GULF COAST RECORDS
MARTIN
Cable Car Records
backing vocals and horn arrangements respectively. Heaven Above, it could well have come straight from Heaven, for me, this is the finest tune that Jim has composed, a barnstormer of a song. Even at this very early point in the calendar, this is the album of the year, no question about it. I’m sure you are all aware of what you find at the end of the rainbow, a pot of gold. No, you’ll find Dead Man Walking.
STEPHEN HARRISON
BLUE HEART
Aaargh!!! Oh no, not another The Beatles cover album surely! To be honest
I was not looking forward to putting this on at all. Considering how often this particular body of work has been plundered, and either tenderly appreciated, deified in countless styles or simply mangled and destroyed there can’t be any new way left to get into the cannon of Lennon, McCartney, Harrison and Starr. Well blow me down Teresa and her band, The Rhythm Tramps, succeeded in proving me well wrong. I liked this a lot. Freshness abounds throughout with a gumbo of styles creating a very enjoyable ten-track listen. It is not Blues, in say a Chicago or Mississippi Delta way, but that does not matter. From the stomping barrelhouse piano led opener Ticket To Ride, followed by Taxman drenched in a late San Francisco drug
This is Eric Demmer’s debut release, usually he is known as a sideman saxophone player having played with the likes of Clarence Gatemouth Brown and Tito Jackson in recent times. Here he is lead singer and saxophone player on most of these twelve tracks recorded in Houston Texas. His band consists of, Jerre Jackson on drums, Barry Seelen on keyboards, Hugo Rodriguez on guitar, and Dennis Delfino on bass guitar. There is also a backing horn section The Grooveland Horns and some special guests. An assorted mix of tunes with some blues tones and a lot of funk start with the horn punctuated funky tune Don’t Talk To Me. Eric sings well in a growling raw vocal adding texture to the songs and his saxophone playing is such a joy. She’s So Fine is spoken at first and then the band comes in with a Latino feel throughout, John Del Toro Richardson has lead guitar
Experienced German bluesman returns with his latest collection of twelve self-penned songs infused with blues, soul, and funk. Freischlader plays all the instruments himself except for Hammond organ and Fender Rhodes by Moritz Fuhrhop. Opener Free is a blues-rocker which builds to a fiery crescendo featuring layers of guitar and organ over a funky bassline as Freischlader asks “Will you let me be free?”. Aware Of things is a dense rocker that opens with a burst of speedy guitar licks as Freischlader proclaims “I Wanna Know What Tomorrow Brings”. Turn Back The Clock is a walking pace groover with a funky bassline and then Rule The World Is a choppy rhythmic number featuring impassioned vocals. The beautiful soul infused ballad Lost Souls is a real highlight. The material is highly personal and well-crafted with excellent playing and production throughout and the songs are delivered with conviction. An infusion of funk lights up Old Life Back with its toe-tapping groove and wahwah guitar solo.
The Question is a lengthy, big production, Gary Moore inspired, slow blues featuring emotive vocals and searing guitar. The closing gospel inspired Hands Of Jesus weighs in at 13 minutes with heartfelt, almost reverent vocals “Let the way of the light bring truth to your heart” all topped off with a spectacular but tasteful guitar solo. Clocking in at 74 minutes this album gives Freischlader the chance to display all the skills in his repertoire covering rock, blues, funk and ballads and it should appeal to many.
“PUSHING AGAINST THE FLOW ”
The material is highly personal and well-crafted
Philippe Margotin-David Sinclair
This book covers more or less everything from the “Swingin” 60s London to the mad ’70s, and crazy 80s, and the style, fashion, and culture that helped London become musically and culturally as important as anywhere in the world. The foreword, written by David Sinclair, begins, as you would expect in the early 60s, reminiscing about his introduction to the music and culture that would help shape the world. His first memory was of hearing a Chuck Berry tune on a kid’s Saturday morning show, and then he discovered what changed many lives in the UK, pirate radio, Radio Caroline, and Big L, to name but two.
What follows are some of the finest photos that I have ever seen in a music book, full colour, black and white, both as mesmerizing as the other. There are written notes and soundbites to accompany the pics, it is a walk through musical history from the 60s onwards. In his introduction, Philippe Margotin uses a short but very telling quote from Elvis Presley. I have had this opinion for many years, some people are uncomfortable or oblivious to the fact, but Presley knew “ A lot of people seem to think I started this business. But Rock “ N” Roll was here a long time before I came along. Nobody can sing that kind of music like coloured people. Let’s face it: I can’t sing like Fats Domino can. I know that”.
in this adding great tone. Mike Zito does vocals on the wistful Will It Ever Be the Same, saxophone solo breaks the song and is so powerful. What Was I Thinking, another funky tune with a spoken narrative about a relationship gone wrong. I’m A Guitar Player is an upbeat fun tune, again Eric blasting his saxophone his actual axe he proclaims. I’m Alright is a rocking blues tune delivered well. Start It All Again changes the releases tempo on this ballad. Last track, Have You Ever Loved A Woman has a pacy funky rhythm finishing off a very accomplished release.
COLIN CAMPBELL
Independent
Authentic, prodigious, pioneering, all these adjectives and more apply to this amazing musician. Singer songwriter and multi-instrumentalist, very hard to classify his music style although there are elements of blues, he has a firm rock base. On his new project, he goes all organic again with producing a very eclectic twelve track release. He puts his heart and soul into every well-crafted tune, sonically his guitar playing reaches amazing levels. Here he is on vocals, organ, guitar with Derek Randell on vocals and bass guitar and drummer Darren Lee. Jack Hutchinson helps vocally on the first track I Swear, a heavy rock anthem. Born To Me has an acoustic lead opening to a musical spectacular, the slide is king here. The Preacher is another rocky in your face floor filler. Jack Hutchinson also appears on the only song not written by Mike, Be With You Tonight.
Never a truer word has been spoken about the music of the latter 20th century. Elvis watched and copied what he had seen growing up, around Memphis. Starting the book with that quote from Elvis tells me everything that I need to know about the author. The book charts such things as Stones v Beatles, not in a rivalry capacity as some would have you believe, but as two exceptional bands, with different outlooks, influences, and approaches to music, as well as great friends, who sometimes sang and played on each other’s records.
Other chapters include Rhythm “N” Blues, Mods, Guitar Heroes, Prog Rock, Heavy Metal, and last but not least, Pub Rock. I found this book to be informative, thought-provoking, and a big ball of fun. It’s not just about artists and bands, it’s about culture fashion, and an awakening of a mass of people. If you want a trip down memory lane, and a darn good coffee-table read, look no further than this book.
STEPHEN HARRISONYou can fancy singing or playing the blues for years and probably never get around to grabbing the mic and giving it a go. Well, here’s a woman in her 40s who took to the stage in 2011 and fulfilled her ambition, and judging by this album, recorded in 2022 at Baltimore’s 38 North Studios, her vast experience in that first decade playing with her own band, Triple Shot, then Blues Deluxe and Shakedown, has laid the foundations for a vibrant and exciting act with her own band. This is a very satisfying, busy record with some terrific arrangements; for example, Gayle’s clear, powerful vocals are buoyed up on songs like In The Deep Dark Night by some stirring guitar work by Sol Turk and the gutsy Beltway Horns. All of the dozen tracks here feature Gayle in the composer credits, and the variety of blues and R&B styles covers everything, even with background vocals from the Voices of Faith of the First Baptist Church of Baltimore. The meaningful Waiting in the Shadows, for example, has been beautifully produced and it’s follow-up, Break, floats on a rolling cloud of musician-
There is also a duet he sings with Jess Hayes called Never No More a melodic slower number mixing acoustic and electric guitar support, a definite highlight. Lyrically bitingly political a sneering delivery. Last track, Kicks Like A Mule, does what it says from the opening bass line to a stomping backbeat then full on guitar at the bridge of the song, again some visceral lyrics and superb riffs. Cool Water has a real swagger to it and infectious beat, all in the rhythm here. A full throttle no holds barred musical extravaganza, play it loud and enjoy.
COLIN CAMPBELLship and a blend of backing vocals and truly swinging band arrangements. This record is the perfect giant billboard proclaiming just how indefatigable the blues still is in the 21st century. It rocks, it rolls and if anything should make you put Gayle Harrod in your diary if this outfit graces your neck of the woods. Terrific production, breath-taking playing and arrangements, and a woman who drives the blues with all the control and determination of a Texas trucker. Quality and inspired talent, that’s Gayle Harrod.
ROY BAINTONBLUE HOUSE RECORDS
This album is a story of temptation, addiction, and
redemption. Before you think it is a depressing album, think again. It’s the story of excess and wild times on the road told through song. Danny was a member of Mama’s Pride back in the early 70s, a very successful band, so successful, that Ronnie Van Zandt wanted to produce the band’s third album, and invited them on to the second leg of an American tour with Skynryd. Sadly a plane crash put pay to that. So, history lesson number one is over, lesson two, hitting the road and living the rock and roll lifestyle finally took its toll on Danny. He overcame his addictions to booze and cocaine, this is a reflection of what he went through and how he has dealt with it all. The title track opens the album with more than a hint of an uplifting vibe, a great song reaching out to literally
A full throttle no holds barred musical extravaganza
covers more or less everything from the “Swingin” 60s London to the mad ’70s, and the crazy 80s
everybody who has had similar problems. Don’t for one minute think that this is a do-as-I-say kind of album. It’s more of a don’t do what I did kind of album done very well with the help of some fine musicians. Don’t Find My Blues, is a musical tour of America that has given Danny his musical influences, St. Louis, Memphis, New Orleans, and everywhere in between. These are the places that had a profound musical effect on him in his early days of touring and playing. Soul, gospel, and blues all feature heavily on the album, amen to that says I, stories of faith and retribution, done very cleverly. Goodbye Jack Daniels opens with the line, goodbye Jack Daniels and the powder from Peru, I think you will know what this song is all about. I think that is one of the best lines I’ve heard in a long time. Danny’s voice fits easily into the genres that I have mentioned, effortlessly portraying his feelings, both good and bad. This is by no means a preaching album, just real-life experiences told in songs from the blues and gospel. If you feel like you need something uplifting, spiritual, and downright great music, then this album is right up your alley. Take a step forwards and see for yourselves.
You have to go back to 1967-68 to delve into the inspiration behind the making of this album. The inspiration for the album, and indeed the cover, came from Big Pink, the house that was used by Bob Dylan, and subsequently straight after his Bobness left, it was then used by The Band, who released their seminal album, Music From Big Pink. Situated just outside of Woodstock, Upstate New York. It has once again become a symbol of great music. Featuring blues classics as well as original
tunes, Basement Blues does what it says on the tin. The opening tune, Precious Lord has been covered by a few artists, most notably, Elvis Presley and Eric Clapton. A gospel-type tune, with an earthy blues tone, is not what you would expect an opening song to be, but it works so well here. Fabrizio is joined by Guy Davies, and Ronnie Earl, as well as Enrico Polverai on some of the tracks. Some are true blues classics, such as Little Red Rooster and John The Revelator, where Poggi is joined by Gath Hudson ( former keyboard player with The Band ) others are studio outtakes and live recordings, Black Coffee, Midnight Train, and Boogie For John Lee Hooker, being among them. There are no overdubs, no fancy production techniques, just blues as blues can be. Apart from vocals, Fabrizio shows his skills on harmonica and guitar, the harmonica being the operative instrument, when doing a blues tune, it’s kind of obeying the law to throw in the harmonica as much as possible. If you want a no-nonsense blues album, no frills just blues in its most simple form, then look no further than Basement Blues. Big Pink is still having an impact on great music to this day.
STEPHEN HARRISON
SEAN TAYLOR SONGS
When this album arrived at my desk for a possible review for the mag, I must admit that I wasn’t expecting this kind of album. Let me clarify that when I receive a live album for review, I, like most folk tend to expect a get-up-and-go type of song, in your face from the off. Number 49 changed that perception immediately.
Sean Taylor delivers the song effortlessly alongside the double bass and percussion, gently easing the song in, and slowly pulling the listener closer. Then he strikes up the harmonica, still with the laid-back
approach, but now with a more menacing edge. I was impressed from the off with this album, with blues, folk, and Americana all finding their way into this brilliant set of live music. I found the concept of the album to be something of a storytelling album, not just a bunch of songs by a very talented artist. This Is England exemplifies the storytelling part, it covers everything that is currently going on in this country right now, good and bad. Don’t be fooled into thinking that this is an al-
Smoke Tone Records
David Biondo is a harmonica player from Colorado. This project is the culmination of six years of work with producer and co-writer of some songs, Jason Hickman, and features a range of styles across over 70 minutes of music, all original bar one cover. Several songs have a spoken vocal style as Dave recounts a series of observations, many in extended versions, some running to ten minutes. The longest track is entitled Damn That Ticket – Ticket To The Blues and recounts in detail how Dave was wrongly given a speeding ticket, how he made his case for innocence in the court and how the judge acquitted him, in total running to 11.13: many listeners will have given up caring well before the end! The sole cover, The Doors’ Riders On The Storm, is instructive as Dave’s vocals do have some similarity to Jim Morrison’s.
The rhythm section of Dwight Thompson and Dewey Steele are particularly effective throughout, guitarist Wayne Hammerstadt adds some effective and restrained guitar and pianist Bryant Jones is excellent; Dave’s harp work tends to add colour to the songs, rather than being the dominant instrument but his declamatory vocal style does tend to jar after a few tracks. The band keeps things interesting, setting a late-night jazz feel on Claire-Starbright, hitting a good (and appropriate!) jungle rhythm on Tarzan And Jane and blending Mexican and Caribbean styles on My Boat’s Got A Hole In It (Dave putting on a pretty convincing Pirate voice here!), while Bryant Jones’ piano work adds a classic Springsteen feel to tracks like Rat Mobile. What about blues, you might ask?
The title track references the genre but is far closer to The Doors, probably the closest is Dave’s Blues, a slow blues with another of Dave’s semi-spoken narratives or the ten minute semi-acoustic closer On Down The River which again rather outstays its welcome.
bum of dour songs on some kind of mission, this album covers genres and topics through exquisite vocals and lyrics. Texas Boogie is pretty self-explanatory, a great acoustic tune with this wonderful three-piece band in perfect harmony. The album twists and turns from each genre, every song becomes a gem. You’ll Never Walk Alone, (yes that one) is as far removed from the original football anthem and tune from the movie, Carousel, as you could imagine. It takes some balls to deliver this tune the way that Sean Taylor delivers it. Superb arrangement. I have come to love this album, because of the different ways of telling a story. Sean Taylor is a truly gifted musician and songwriter, and of that, there is no doubt. Recorded live at the Hop Barn, Sean Taylor Band Live is one for lovers of more than just blues. It goes a lot further than that.
CORNELIUS CHAPEL RECORDS
For a guy who has been around the New Orleans music scene for around 50 years, he is not exactly an instantly recognizable name. Except if you speak to the thousands who have flocked to see his band The Top Notes either headlining or playing support to some of the top stars to come out of NO over the
Ruf Records
Texan singer songwriter, vocalist and phenomenal guitarist Ally Venable has brought out an eclectic blues rock driven album with many twists and variations of style. Here on these twelve tracks make this her best release to date. Recorded at Ocean Way Studio, Nashville, she got Tom Hambridge to produce, and the results are stunning. Helped by band members, Isaac Pulido on drums and EJ Bedford on bass guitar, they storm through the opening track Real Gone, catchy riffs a rocky beat sets the tone for more. Texas Louisiana features a duet with Buddy Guy, the idea was his and the interplay here is amazing, a song from the deep South indeed very catchy. Blues Is My Best Friend having an earthy blues tone with a more Chicago approach to this one. Justifying is a Buddy Guy tune given a heavy rock vibe to this Ally’s vocals sweet and snarly and a superb guitar riff. Loving the horn arrangement to Any Fool Should Know, giving this a New Orleans feel, slow and sultry.
brought
Kick Your Ass, does what it says in the lyrics about the narrator just having enough of the partner. Gone So Long slows the tempo down on this ballad of reflection on how people evolve and move on. Don’t Lose Me brings some funk to the music style, a fun tune. Hold My Ground is a slow rocking tune about standing your ground, underlying bass line is infectious. Broken And Blue features Joe Bonamassa on this stunning track, best song on this release lots of layers, just full-on emotion throughout. Final tune is Two Wrongs full of Texan shuffle. Highly recommended, no fillers.
COLIN CAMPBELLtime. The overall tone of this album is very bright, lots in the high ranges and not so much in the bass layer, it all has a rather ‘tinny’ sound. However, the music under the sheen is wonderful. It has the feel of classic New Orleans funk crossed with certain elements of Creed Taylor jazz, classic era soul and Wilson Pickett style dance music, very danceable but also with lots of layers to interpret and get your groove to. The production is by Branson Tew and Matt Patton who also played bass and drums on the album. Jimbo Mathus plays keys and leads the band and Vincent is responsible for vocals and guitar. Of the ten tracks on offer here, there really isn’t a duffer. From the opening Body Shop the music has a bounce and a snap to it that gets asses off of chairs and waving in the wind. Vincent’s vocals have a strong Louisiana accent but he has a great sense of the rhythms of words and his guitar playing has a great sense of pace. My favourite track is Mr. Good Daddy which pulls in all of the different strands in a Womack-esque horns and strings soul blast. Definitely one of the better albums I’ve heard for a while.
ANDY SNIPPER
Three guys led by JD SIMO on guitar with Adam Abrashoff on drums and Todd Bolden on bass lead us into an album of only five songs, but these are guitar driven tunes that hit your ears with a pleasing delight. With a total running time of forty minutes, they are well crafted and played with great ease, there are covers on here like Mississippi Fred McDowell’s Mortgage my Soul, very hypnotic in its sound, and John Coltrane’s Afro Blue, both are done to a very high standard and show off the boys natural ability and love for said songs. JD makes the sultry
Afro Blue sound his own making his guitar sing like an mutated Hammond organ from a sixties spy film. As we get onto the third song Missy’s Strut, we enter the funky realm of seventies guitar and I’m shocked that we are only on the third song, I don’t mean that as an insult, more that there’s so much going on its hard to think only three players are on the album. When How Can a Poor Man Stand Such Times starts, a cover of Blind Alfred Reeds song, it becomes my personal favourite on the album, done with aplomb. Nashville guitarists take note, this is by no means a short album because the songs get you involved with their hypnosis of sound especially on Higher Plane Part Two where the guitar becomes part of your soul. A very pleasing and eclectic album that will make you think, if this is twenty first century blues, I like it. The songs get you involved with the hypnosis of sound.
BARRY BLUES BARN HOPWOODNIC ALLEN MUSIC FEDERATION
Jewel Brown first recorded in the 1950’s and sang with Louis Armstrong in the 1960’s. In the 1970’s she abandoned music and pursued a successful career outside music. However, in recent years she has started to perform again and, at age 85, this disc marks her debut as a songwriter, rather than just an interpreter. Jewel wrote seven of these songs with producer Nic Allen (Joe Sample’s long-time musical director) and there are three covers. There are a lot of musicians involved, many of the songs featuring horns, keys, percussionists and backing vocalists. The opening song is Jerry (Harry Belafonte/Lord Burgess), a long-time feature of Jewel’s live shows. This version features Rads Krusaders, a five piece with sax and
trumpet, plus Live! In The Clutch who add four more horns! There is a Latin edge to the rhythm, lots of horns and an impressive vocal performance. In complete contrast Pain And Glory is a spoken word piece with acapella vocal backing that explores Jewel’s enduring faith. Hand percussion and shakers open Why Did You Do That which develops into a jazzy tune with great bass work pushing the tune along. Which Way Is Up adds a funky edge to the album and Nitches and Glitches is a slower tune, Jewel sharing her frustrations with her guy, and I Love Sunshine, Even More Rainy Nights is a soul-jazz outing. Song Of The Dreamer was written by Jewel’s ex-husband Eddie Curtis, a song she often used to perform and originally a hit for Johnnie Ray in 1955; this updated version has lush horns, a slinky rhythm and a great vocal. The easy swinging On The Road is all cool jazz and a little scatting before the album closes with the pleasingly up-tempo swinger How Did It Go, Jewel turning an unsatisfactory guy away from her door. If you like some jazzy touches to your blues, you will enjoy this one.
JOHN MITCHELLAin’t Giving Up is the fifteenth album that Chris Duarte has recorded. And, it’s the first time in twenty-two years that he has teamed up with Dennis Herring, his old guitar partner. The album is a bit of a rarity, as it was recorded straight off the floor, with no heavy overdubs, no over-egging the pudding. What I do like about this album is the mix of genres, blues, blues/rock, country, R “N” B, and even a bit of rockabilly thrown in for good measure. The album opens with, Nobody But You, which encompasses blues/blues rock and some good old Texas Shuffle. As I mentioned earlier, the album was recorded straight
out an eclectic blues rock driven album with many twists and variations
Alligator Records
If you are looking for traditional Chicago blues played by an excellent band, look no further than the Cash Box Kings, they are an amazingly talented band with a feeling for the blues genre. Here are eleven tracks homed in this style that will get you up dancing and also make you reflect. Co-led by Oscar Wilson on vocals and Joe Nosek on blistering harmonica tones, they are the beating heart of this band. They have Billy Flynn on guitar, drummer extraordinaire Kenny Smith, Lee Kanehira on keyboards and bass guitarist John Lauler and a host of special guests including Deitra Farr on I Can’t Stand You, a soap opera set to music so funny. John Nemeth sings vocals on the upbeat fun track, I Want What Chaz Has. Oscar’s Motel starts the album, a place based on fact with some real characters, all the fun of a live production here great opener. Please Have Mercy is a favourite cover tune, a slow blues ballad. Close your eyes and you’re in Chicago, listening to Down On The Southside, the groove and rhythms pour over the listener. Stand out track is, Nobody Called It The Blues which has opening chords steeped in traditional blues call and response and finishes with a gospel edge. They capture the essence of blues on this track, just stunningly emotional.
Crackers are Newcastle’s seasoned veterans of the festival circuit, and when it comes to versatility in their various developed styles, the Crackers have always thoroughly entertained over the years. Their foundations were really in the folk camp, but these circus tent rebels can deliver on many fronts. It’s always pertinent when penning a Blues Matters CD review to ask ‘is this really a blues album’? On first listening, you’d be more inclined to dub this a slightly folktinged rock album. But by the time you get to track 3, Bad Habit, you’re reminded that the blues is an insistent virus and the Crackers have caught it well. Yet talking of viruses, as with the pandemic’s effect on many live acts, this outfit suffered a viral slap-down when Covid kicked off and in what would have turned out to be a big year for the band, they suffered a setback. However, judging by this collection of ten fine songs they’re back on the rails heading to
ArtisteXclusive Records
Hot Little Mess has a New Orleans vibe to it also. She Dropped The Axe On Me has an infectious beat. They finish with Ride Santa Ride, full on rhythm and blues. There is everything here to make the listener just smile and see the blues genre can be fun, a phenome nal release.
off the floor, so it has the rawness, that few albums these days have. The beauty of recording like this is, you get the feel of a live performance, the vocals have that rare thing, what you see is what you get, or in this case, what you hear is how you are intended to, warts and all. Can Opener is a wonderful instrumental, the fact that Chris and Dennis have not played together for over two decades, merely adds to the enjoyment of this tune. In my mind, this started out as a studio jam session, then developed into this rocking boogie that puts a smile on your face. The most enjoyable thing about this album for me is the interaction of the genres, I know that they
are all close musical cousins if you like, but when you have the ability to weave and knit them all together as Chris and his buddies have done here, then that makes this album stand out among the common herd. I hope that more artists and bands record albums like this in the future, not all the time, but just enough to give old school musos like me some thing else to cheer about.
PARK LANE RECORDS
Holy Moley and The
Ana Popovic returns with her latest studio album Power. The album came together during troubled times for the artist. Although many musicians have a COVID tale to tell, Ana’s story is remarkable. Whilst battling breast cancer, the guitarist extraordinaire worked on the album whilst undergoing chemotherapy. Travelling between LA and Amsterdam to undergo treatment the guitar great worked on the album along with her bass player and musical director Buthel. The striking album cover of the release depicting two holding hands, black and white is powerful indeed. And promotes unity within both music and the world. For her latest offering, Popovic continues to push her sound. Funky blues opener Rise Up grabs the listener’s attention at the top of the release. Whilst Power Over Me has so much soul. Ana’s fiery vocals and riffs are coupled with scorching Saxophone licks which add a wonderful texture to the track. Whilst Ana’s incendiary guitar solo mid-track is worth the price of the album alone. Doing This features a Latin rhythm, which is reminiscent of Santana in places but is incredibly effective. The song ebbs and flows with an up-tempo beat. Whilst the sweet sounds of Luv’n Touch switch things up whereby the artist takes a slightly gentler approach which gives way to allow more emphasis on Popovic’s beautiful voice. Recipe Is Romance follows a similar formula. Ana turns up the funk during the groove-laden Queen of the Pack. With a raging bass line and an infectious melody, the song is one of the highlights of the album mid-way through the release. Up-tempo rocker Strong Taste will inevitably be a live favourite due to its foot-stomping beat and danceable melody. There is plenty of fiery guitar playing from Popovic throughout the release but none more so than during the rather smouldering Flicker and Flame. Power concludes with the gospel-tinged number Turn My Luck. Ana’s latest offering takes the listener on a musical journey from start to finish. The album features many layers which are elegantly peeled away for the listener as the release progresses. Chinese philosopher Lao Tzu is quoted as saying “Mastering others is strength. Mastering yourself is true power.” And that sentiment certainly rings true with Ana
ADAM KENNEDYthe blues genre can be fun, a phenomenal release!
trip to Austin, Texas in 2022 they were inspired by big skies and long roads and all their influences, from Bob Dylan to Carole King via Jack White’s rugged riffing have been finely matured through Newcastle’s Blank Studios. No, it isn’t high octane blues all the way, but tracks as powerful as Hot Rod and Like A River supplemented by the atmospheric Give Me A Hammer would be enough to confirm that this is a force to be reckoned with. An intriguing, moody, mature and interesting band well
worth following, Newcastle can be proud.
ROY BAINTONACROBAT RECORDS
This double album features two of the great R&B/Soul voices from the classic
Independent
“This is a rock and roll blues album” it says on the sleeve, and there is a fine dedication to the memory of BM’s Alan Pearce, so these guys’ hearts are definitely in the right place. Their music certainly is too - mostly rough and tough, driving blues, occupying a space somewhere between Junior Kimbrough, Nine Below Zero, The Rolling Stones (that’s the early 60s version), and Muddy Waters.
The opener has a kind of Canned Heat tinged Hill Country boogie feel, with excellent harp work by Eduardo Allen, top-notch vocal and guitar by leader Nick Scrase and a cracking rhythm section. It sets the pattern for the album very well, from the Bo Diddley beat My Malaise to the spooky Americana of the closing track, The Lonesome Crow. The subject matter is strong too - that aforementioned opener is Highway 61 (running from New Orleans up through Mississippi and onwards, in case you didn’t know) and there is The Ballad Of Ragtime Texas about the vintage blues songster Henry Thomas.
These contrast with the likes of Night Bus - buses in the blues are usually Greyhounds, but this most certainly isn’t - and North Street Blues, about Bristol, where this muscular four-piece is based. Then there are more generic blues (subject-wise, at least) like the grooving Rattlesnake Blues and the stomping title track, but each track is different and unfailingly interesting and enjoyable.
Since this set was released, the band have increased their fan-base (deservedly so!) and become a five piece - so let’s have a follow-up soon, please. But this will do extremely nicely for now.
late 50’s and early 60’s era with an extensive 57 tracks. Both Jerry Butler and Curtis Mayfield graced The Impressions with their song writing skills and vocal talents. Opener I Need Your Love is a ballad featuring deep soul vocals set against tinkling piano and crooning backing vocals. Don’t Leave Me is more of an up-tempo dance number featuring call and response style backing vocals. Those deep mellow tones sound fabulous on the jaunty Find Another Girl and everyone will recognise the Johnny Mercer/Henry Mancini big hit Moon River. Eat your heart out Andy Williams! However, the standout track for me on CD1 is the huge hit For Your Precious Love which was much covered and featured on an American import Soul/R&B compilation vinyl album from the early 60’s which is still in my collection. This was an unusual song as it has no chorus but with Butler on lead vocal and with Mayfield and the other Impressions adding doo-wop style backing it soars into the stratosphere. CD2 opens with Isle Of Sirens an appropriately eerie sounding opus which is followed by the string laden pop song Chi Town. The Latin flavoured Gypsy Woman was another big hit and Curtis Mayfield wrote and sang this one. The sweet tones of Mayfield feature again on the self-penned Can’t you See. Honking saxes lead a big band sound on After The Laughter but the soothing jazzy standard September Song calms things down. What a great song! My favourite track on CD2 is the heart wrenching Bacharach/David barnstormer Make It Easy On Yourself which builds to an incredible climax and was a huge worldwide hit. This is an excellent collection of material from an important era in the development of early Soul/R&B music.
DAVE DRURYThis duo Jonny Miller & Heather Read hail from the Western Canada and have been an item for around four years with Beautiful Thing their sophomore album. If I were to say that there is nothing really new here in the way of style that would be a great disservice to the effort and skills contained herein. Instead listening to the content is more akin to wrapping yourself into one of your favourite jumpers. So warm, comfortable and well known that you have to concentrate hard and not just let it wash over you. Written by the duo and recorded in various studios in Vancouver, Toronto and Nashville for your bucks you get twelve original tracks with their vocals and guitars augmented by a core band of drums, bass, keyboards and guitars. As I listen to this album in truth there is an absence of what we look for in a Blues album. However what it lacks in Blues it more than makes up for with a vibe similar to that which was coming out of certain areas in California back in the early days of the singer songwriter era. Americana best sums up Beautiful Thing both as a track and an album. With titles like Calgary Skyline, Oklahoma Or Arkansas, Behind The Sun, Just Before The Dawn or Song For A Tree you can just imagine the mellow feel throughout. So, by no means a bad album, it’s just that for me it lacks the drive and energy to get me up and about, shaking myself out that old jumper.
GREENWAVE MUSIC
harmonica. And that has led him here, to his debut album, backed by some of the finest musicians of his acquaintance. It would be easy to write off this collection as a simple vanity project, a fan indulged by his friends trying to write and record in the footsteps of his harmonica heroes Magic Dick, Paul Butterfield and others. But that would be to ignore a genuine talent, not only as a harp player, but also vocalist and composer. The feel of the entire project is captured in the title track – rooted in the single-chord structure of classic Chicago Blues, the song showcases Avery’s unique vocal style and as expected, his peerless harmonica work. Malibu Burnin’ is a twelve-bar nailed by the overriding sound of Johnny Morgan’s drums. The slow sinuous harp decorating Jelly Jelly demonstrates that Avery has a large and natural talent for his instrument, possibly the second-most expressive instrument after the guitar, in the blues cannon. The sparse guitar and echoed vocals hark back to the most popular format of blues recordings, but there is still a freshness and vitality to be found in the composition and execution of the song. Blind Owl Boogie takes off at a ferocious clip, destined to be a live favourite if we are ever fortunate enough to see Douglas take his combo out on the road. On How Long Can This Last?
& QUIET MUSICDouglas Avery has lived a fascinating life. Beginning as a West Coast high school teenager playing local gigs, he became a surf fanatic, and then surf photographer, before moving into sports and fashion photography, before developing an abiding passion for blues
A muscular horn section underlines Avery’s vocal which harks back to the early Mick Jagger who we should not forget, was back then, and remains today, a formidable harpist. This is a rare example of someone who has spent a lifetime in one profession, and now developed another out of his passion for his music of choice, and is absolutely deserving of the proper attention of blues music fans in general, and vintage Rolling Stones lovers in particular.
ANDY HUGHESNORMAN DARWEN
each track is different and unfailingly interesting and enjoyable
J & R Adventures/Provogue
Any new album that Joe Bonamassa releases are a big event, when it is a live album, It’s an even bigger event because Joe Bonamassa is probably the biggest draw on the blues/ rock circuit today. The studio album Time Clocks was released in 2021, Tales Of Time is the live performance of that album in its entirety. Recorded at the famed Red Rocks Amphitheatre in Colorado, Tales Of Time is one of the most enjoyable Joe Bonamassa live albums I’ve ever heard. Ten tracks of sheer delight start with, Notches. Against the jaw-dropping landscape of the Colorado sky, Joe Bonamassa strikes a beautiful Gibson Les Paul into life, goosebumps from the off. For many years, Joe has been labeled as the finest blues and blues/rock guitarist around, on this performance, it is very hard to disagree with that line of thinking. The ever-present keyboard wizard, Reece Wynans is a joy to behold, as I must say are the rest of the band. Josh Smith (guitar ) and Calvin Turner (bass ) Lemar Carter (drums ) with the three amazing backing vocalists that have become an almost permanent fixture, Jade MacRae, Danielle De Andrea, and Mahalia Barnes bringing sublime accompaniment with their soulful singing. Minds Eye was and is probably my favourite track on Time Clocks, this live rendition is mind-blowing. It’s not just the songs that are magnificent, it’s also the tightness of the band, and the atmosphere that Red Rocks seems to have on whoever plays there. Joe Bonamassa is now a bonafide band leader in every sense of the word, as well as becoming a very accomplished songwriter. Eric Clapton has made The Royal Albert Hall his spiritual home for many years now, I can see that happening at Red Rocks with Joe Bonamassa. Time Clocks took me to a place that I didn’t think was possible, an almost serene state of mind. Bonamassa has this ability, a consummate professional, a great player, and a great singer/songwriter. This is borne out in Tales Of Time, a magnificent live album from a man who seems capable of doing stuff like this in his sleep. Treat yourself to this moment in time, Joe Bonamassa shows us the way.
STEPHEN HARRISONSecond album of raw, exciting, no-nonsense blues from this West Country pair featuring multi-instrumentalist Dave Allen on guitar and vocals and Lucy Piper on drums. The ever-industrious Dave has found a gem of a partner here with Lucy on drums as she intuitively accompanies his vocals and guitar. We open with title track We
to you). Slinky electric guitar makes an appearance on the Jimmy Reed style romp of It Makes No Difference. My personal favourite track here is the swampy The Last Straw Going Down featuring ominously slithering slide guitar and keening vocals set against clattering drums. If you’re looking for the real deal in old-timey feelgood blues, you’ll find it here on the Devon/Dorset border. The pace slows for the caustic slow blues Worth The Time Of Day as Dave spins his tale of broken promises. Going Down To Boogie Town hustles by before the wistful Did You Ever poses many questions. The album closes with a live performance of the frantic Money Money Money featuring a lively drum solo from Lucy and, I kid you not, a tap-dancing solo from Dave. Amazing stuff and great fun.
DAVE DRURY
John L Clark Jr.
Can Talk In Person Blues featuring Dave hollerin’ and pickin’ backed up by Lucy’s steady backbeat. Sweet Disposition finds Dave yearning for “sugar baby late at night” and pickin’ out a fine guitar solo. The lively He’s Going To Let You Down fairly scoots along and even features some crazy scat vocalising! The steady paced Stop Your Virtue Signals may be a modern piece of phraseology but the sound is pure Mississippi Delta. The jaunty Trying To Fool Me Round is followed by the funky declaration I Should Of Never (listened
For their new release Harlem Lake, Dutch winners of the European Blues Challenge 2022 have divided the thirteen tracks between two different concerts and line ups, Culemborg Blues Festival and Better get Hit Festival. The nucleus of the band is; Janne Timmer is vocalist and keyboard player, Dave Warmerdam on organ and keyboards, Sonny Ray Van Den Berg guitarist, Benjamin Torbijn on drums and bass player, Kjelt Heikop with added horn section and backing vocals. The River opens this amazing live experience, clear vocals, horn section overlaying bottleneck guitar, backbeat also thundering. Ann Peebles’ Beware is given a funky feel, vocals delivered so well, funky groove throughout. Whiskey Drinking Woman slows the tempo on this barrelhouse blues tune, a crowd pleaser. Deaf And Blind another original, exemplifies the big band sound, all encapsulating keyboard and organ make this stunning. Guide Me
There have been many books written about the “Blues” The Delta, Chicago Blues, Memphis, New Orleans, and so on. But, a book about how the “Blues” became entertainment in the 1920s, is extremely rare. This book however attempts to put the matter straight by going to the very beginnings of Tin Pan Alley, and blues artists, many of whom were women, and how they became the pioneers of the blues as we know them today. Folk songs, rag-time, boogie, all of these types of songs had been within the blues genre, but as we all know, in the early 1900s black singers were at the very bottom of the totem pole, and it took decades before that would become any different. This book sheds light, even delving into the racial slurs that were commonplace around this time, times that we may not want to recognize, times that we may want to forget, but times that unfortunately were the norm. The book highlights phrases such as “coon songs” that were attributed to what these artists were producing. Artists such as Ma Rainey, Bessie Smith, Trixie Smith, Ethel Waters, and Mary Stafford. In the first chapter, the book focuses on events as far back as The American Civil War as blues singers of the day told tales about through song, the slave trade, and subsequent hardships and intolerance that quickly followed.
As the book progresses through the early 20s we begin to see how black blues artists were treated, this is nothing new, racism has rightly been at the forefront of disgust and horror, but to read about such things in such detail is sometimes still a shock to the system. What this book does is tell the truth, sometimes uncomfortable, sometimes shocking, but we get a glimpse of what life was really like. On the flip side, however, is the fascinating in-depth stories of these early blues pioneers that helped shape the world of blues music. “Yonder Come The Blues” “ Crazy Blues” “ Lost Your Head Blues”, and “It’s Tight Like That” are all varying chapters that allow us to peep inside this often cruel and traumatic time that sadly defines just how bad things were. The old black-and-white images of artists that adorn this publication are fantastic, some I’ve never seen before, and that is what excites me about this book. Yes, we all know the blues, some more than others, this book goes further and deeper, explaining in more detail the plight, and rise of black blues artists. I found this book a fascinating read, an insight into another side of the blues, that few get to hear about. If you read one book relating to blues music this year, make sure it’s this one.
STEPHEN HARRISONI found this book a fascinating read
Home slows the pace, great harmonies on this, Janne’s vocals superb. I Wish I Could Go Running keeps the groove going, full on blues here with infectious beat throughout. Another original, Please Watch My Bag is slow dirty blues with aplomb full of rhythm and the horn section adds layers to this. It’s Got To Get Better has a rocky swagger. That’s How Strong My Love Is, is a true highlight sung with such emotion just a stunning blues ballad. Their version of The Letter is quite amazing full of powerful playing and rapturous playing. I Won’t Complain slows the pace on another
ballad which grows through the song, so many layers.
Don’t Change Horses, the Tower Of Power song mixes funk and blues, the band rocking now just a treat.
Final tune Jack In The Box keeps the powerful pace going, full of keyboard interludes, groove, audience participation, memorable performance from a highly polished band destined for a great future.
COLIN CAMPBELL
Independent
I had the pleasure of seeing Eamonn a while back when he was supporting Joanna Connor which led t a good chat after the gig. So it was nice to get the album and relive the music that I heard that night. The opening track, Living Hell is a dark, brooding, almost hurtful song about the desperation and torment of drug addiction. Sadly this is a familiar tale, McCormack deals with it with great lyrics and a mean guitar. Hats Off To Lemmy does not need any explanation at all, a tale of the rocker from Motorhead, his lifestyle, and philosophies make this song a hard-rocking, full-on metal extravaganza. Eamonn McCormack plays rock, and blues/rock in the simplest of ways, with no drama over-egging the pudding, just straight in-your-face blues/rock. Lady Lindy reminds me of a mid-seventies type of rock, the guitar is sweet and precise, almost with a virtuoso quality, with no shredding, just sweet guitar all the way through.
The album switches in-between genres, and the simplicity of the songs, especially the lyrics, is what this album portrays. It doesn’t need to be complicated, just good. And that’s what this album is. If I were to pick a standout track, it would be Social Media Blues, again, something that we can all equate to. My advice is this, listen to this album, and let it take you to where you need to be, you’ll feel yourself drifting along, rocking out, and feeling the blues. Can’t get much better than that.
You can fancy singing or playing the blues for years and probably never get around to grabbing the mic and giving it a go. Well, here’s a woman in her 40s who took to the stage in 2011 and fulfilled her ambition, and judging by this album, recorded in 2022 at Baltimore’s 38 North Studios, her vast experience in that first decade playing with her own band, Triple Shot, then Blues Deluxe and Shakedown, has laid the foundations for a vibrant and exciting act with her own band. This is a very satisfying, busy record with some terrific arrangements; for example, Gayle’s clear, powerful vocals are buoyed up on songs like In The Deep Dark Night by some stirring guitar work by Stan Turk and the gutsy Beltway Horns. All of the dozen tracks here feature Gayle in the composer credits, and the variety of blues and R&B styles covers everything, even with background vocals from the Voices of Faith of the First Baptist Church of Baltimore. The meaningful Waiting in the Shadows, for example, has been beautifully produced and it’s follow-up, Break, floats on a rolling cloud of musicianship and a blend of backing vocals and truly swinging band arrangements. This record is the perfect giant billboard proclaiming just how indefatigable the blues still is in the 21st century. It rocks, it rolls and if anything should make you put Gayle Harrod in your diary if this outfit graces your neck of the woods. Terrific production, breath-taking playing and arrangements, and a woman who drives the blues with all the control and determination of a Texas trucker. Quality and inspired talent, that’s Gayle Harrod.
ROY BAINTONSEB & JESS
ROCK N BLUES VOL. 1
ROCK N STONE
A “one man band duo”?
Well, that’s what Sebastien “Seb” Plante and Jessyka “Jess” Lapierre actually are, with Jess on vocals and Seb singing, playing guitar, harp and drums. They may be based in Canada, and French speaking (though English singing), but on the evidence of this six track, twenty-one minutes long CD EP, in some respects the sound is grounded in the early 60s UK blues revival, full of energy, enthusiasm and no small amount of skill. Or maybe that’s just the repertoire that makes me think that, the title is certainly spot on, as they open with a nicely downhome sounding cover of Jimmy Reed’s Babe What You Want Me To Do (sic) before they up the tempo with Chuck Berry’s classic Roll Over Beethoven. The Love Accord is an original composition as the couple pledge their love to each other, no, it’s not a mawkish ballad, but another raw, stomping piece of downhome blues! At Last is a ballad though, a sultry R’n’B ballad, originally recorded by Glenn Miller (yes, that one) it was covered it 1960 by Etta James, the most likely inspiration for this cover, though as this is Canada, maybe Celine Dion’s version might also have had some say in the matter. Slim Harpo’s boogie monster ‘Shake Your Hips’ is done full justice, and then some, before the end comes all too soon with Ray Charles’ ‘Hit The Road Jack’, with , unlikely though it seems, Jess channelling her inner Margie Hendryx. It makes an impressive end to an impressive, totally enjoyable release.
NORMAN DARWENK.K. Hammond is a new name to me. Until this album arrived, I had no idea who she was. Well, that has just changed. I was fortunate enough to receive a copy of the album on a wonderful swamp-
like green vinyl. Keep that thought in your head. K.K. Hammond is a bit of a hermit, living alone in the woods of southern England. Her passion has two main objectives, the blues, and Resonator guitars. Now as any blues fan knows, Resonator guitars are somewhat heavily linked with blues music. I adore the sound of a Resonator, it immediately puts you in a blues frame of mind. Anyway, to the album, the first track on side 1, Swamp Thing, sets the tone for the album. The Delta, the spiritual home of the blues, is surrounded by miles upon miles of swamp land, this covers most of what the album is all about. Lyrically, this is one of the finest compositions that I’ve heard in a very long time. Her voice is soft, sweet, and with a hint of a drawl, perfect for the songs and guitar alike. Apart from the title track, Death Roll Blues (ft David & The Devil ), there are no other musicians or singers on the album. Every song has a haunting, mystical, but peaceful aura about it. It may seem from some of the titles that the album is dour and downbeat, but nothing could be further from the truth. The album explains everything that the blues is, warts and all. Some of the lyrics are very clever and delivered in a way that you don’t see all that often. In The Dirty South is basically the complete history of the blues in one song. Simple, truthful, and so good. In fact, as I listen to each song, it’s like being at blues school, yes we all know about the blues and what it stands for, its place in the world, and history lessons all wrapped up on one remarkable album. I mentioned earlier that this is the first time K. K. Hammond has come to my attention. After this, her name will be on everyone’s lips, you heard it here first. Get this album, and be in on the ground floor of a new voice in blues.
STEPHEN HARRISONSTEPHEN HARRISON
listen to this album, and let it take you to where you need to be
Independent
Blue Mountain Tribe is not a band for re-inventing the wheel. The album is heavy on guitar, harmonica, boogie woogie rock rhythms and Hammond Organ. Although they are not an epoch changing act, they do what they do well, with slow brooding blues, and fast upbeat rock. With Robin Hairston on Harmonica, Caleb Hairston on Guitar, and Pat Mata on drums and percussion, and Jeff Cooper on Bass, the album also features a revolving door of guitarists, singers and the talented flute player Steven Rushingwind on the more ambient tracks, such as the Pink Floyd aping Serenity adding something unexpected to the album. Hey Baby has a John Lee Hooker riff, with Hammond Organ pushed to the fore, and Stronghold is a strong bluesy rocker with plenty of squealing, expressive slide guitar from Jim Wilson.
Pray for Our Planet is a more earthy warning, with two bass players and sanctified Hammond Organ. Poor Man Blues and Mountain Man Blues are as their titles suggests Blues boogie numbers with Robert Johnson slide guitar figures powering the groove. The title track Oh Great Warrior is another strong rocker, owing something to the prog rock tendencies of Deep Purple, with its 4/4 backbeat and sing along chorus. The album finishes with Sacred Flowers, a slow, deep blues, with plenty of wah-wah guitar, vocal chants and flute, adding something ethereal to the soundscape. This is an album that rewards repeat listening and offers something a bit unusual under its well-worn grooves and ideas.
BEN MACNAIRACROBAT RECORDS
This double album features two of the great R&B/Soul voices from the classic late 50’s and early 60’s era with an extensive 57 tracks. Both Jerry Butler and Curtis Mayfield graced The Impressions with their song writing skills and vocal talents. Opener I Need Your Love is a ballad featuring deep soul vocals set against tinkling piano and crooning backing vocals. Don’t Leave Me is more of an up-tempo dance number featuring call
and response style backing vocals. Those deep mellow tones sound fabulous on the jaunty Find Another Girl and everyone will recognise the Johnny Mercer/Henry Mancini big hit Moon River. Eat your heart out Andy Williams! However, the standout track for me on CD1 is the huge hit For Your Precious Love which was much covered and featured on an American import Soul/R&B compilation vinyl album from the early 60’s which is still in my collection. This was an unusual song as it has no chorus but with Butler on lead vocal and with Mayfield and the other Impressions adding doo-wop style backing it
soars into the stratosphere. CD2 opens with Isle Of Sirens an appropriately eerie sounding opus which is followed by the string laden pop song Chi Town. The Latin flavoured Gypsy Woman was another big hit and Curtis Mayfield wrote and sang this one. The sweet tones of Mayfield feature again on the self-penned Can’t you See. Honking saxes lead a big band sound on After The Laughter but the soothing jazzy standard September Song calms things down. What a great song! My favourite track on CD2 is the heart wrenching Bacharach/David barnstormer Make It Easy On Yourself which builds to an incredible climax and was a huge worldwide hit. This is an excellent collection of material from an important era in the development of early Soul/R&B music.
DAVE DRURYThe Bluematics are basically Pete and Sue Boulter with a variety of top-class guest musicians from the cream of London’s session players. Pete provides harmonica and most of the vocals while Sue plays bass and sings on two of the tracks included. The top guitarists involved are Davide Mazzantini, Oliver Darling, Manny Fizzotti and
Pete Farrugia who all get to appear on three tracks each and are all seasoned players with reputations to match.
Felipe Amorim provides most of the drums with Jason Reay stepping in on three tracks. The music is all covers bar one and the feel is unashamedly 50s and 60s blues, mostly Chicago style. I’ve been lucky enough to see these guys live at Ain’t Nothin’ But The Blues Bar in Soho and they get the audience up and jumping having a good time. The album starts with the title track, originally performed by Nick Gravenites and it sets the tone for the album, vocals to the fore, the band tight and respectful to the song. Can’t Be Satisfied (Muddy Waters) follows and is a real foot tapper. Pete’s original, That Girl Christine is next. A groovy blues with a nice country vibe, it stands up well alongside the other tracks here. Going Away Baby by Sonny Boy really hits the mark, great playing by Manny Fizzotti complimenting super harp by Pete. Going To German is a cover of jug band legend Gus Cannon and features Sue on vocals.
Manny provides crisp guitar on the next two tracks, Mike Monster Morgan’s Ain’t Worried No More and Who’s Been Talking, the Howlin’ Wolf classic. The first of these is slightly longer than most on the album and the extra space gives Pete the opportunity to shine vocally. Lonely Lonely Nights (Earl King)
is nicely slow paced with Oliver Darling providing authentic guitar parts. Sue is back on vocals for the Roscoe Gordon tune, Just A Little Bit. Oliver again on guitar giving it a rock n roll edge. The Lazy Lester song If You Think I Lost You is given a bluesy ska vibe that really works. Junior Wells track, You Sure Look Good has a proper Chicago feel going through it, top harp playing again and Pete Farrugia on top form. The old Bill Broonzy number Key To The Highway closes the album with Pete giving a sadness to the vocal that works well. All in all, an album that showcases what the band is about, I highly recommend seeing them live if you get the chance.
STEVE YOURGLIVCHWRITE ANSWER RECORDS
If you’re reading this review then chances are that you are a fan of Blues music and if you are, you would of no doubt heard of the Blues bender that happens in Vegas on a regular basis. Well, the reason for that is because there is a thriving Blues scene in the gambling capital of the world, and they are putting out some first class stuff that harkens back to every classic that’s been before. This is attention grabbing music, with
Independent
If you’ve shared a stage at one time with Joe Bonamassa, grew up as a lad in Waltham, Massachusetts playing classical violin, then succumbed to the lure of the guitar aged 11, then sooner or later you’ll be lighting up on the blues radar screen. It’s glimmering brightly here. Rosenbloom’s been called ‘a guitarist’s guitarist’ but important as that is, there’s more to this artist than fretboard magic. This is a distinctive voice and Seth’s a canny curator of songs. He kicks off this nicely packaged CD with the title As The Crow Flies written by that gritty Southern blues scribe, Tony Joe White. Rosenbloom’s voice is strident and precise, and when it comes to a full-bodied guitar work-out, the long solo on Did You Try to Break My Heart will leave you in no doubt that he knows his way around a Fender Strat. On Isaac Hayes’ Can’t Trust Your Neighbour he holds back and gives us a beautiful, club flavoured performance where the heartfelt lyrics are punctuated by some stinging guitar sounds.
to admit that albums by various artists are not usually my thing but these guys are brilliant at what they do. They spark an interest in one or more artist and they represent a community, a spirit, a good time and that is what we all need. Hard times and sadness never sounded so good.
JEFFERSON
FLOATING WORLD
Ronnie Earl’s middle-finger message I Wish you Could See Me Now chugs along like a midnight train and then once again there’s that blistering, confident guitar underpinned by Bruce Bears keyboards and Mark Telxeria’s solid drumming. There’s a nice T-Bone Walker swing ambience to Ain’t Nothing Wrong and on the moody slow blues, composed by Seth, Give Me The Ring Back, he’s well into Jimmy Vaughan territory, with the band as laid back as a Clarksville front porch on a Saturday afternoon. When that guitar once again bursts through like a crawling king snake, you know you’re in the presence of a true bluesman. He’s already been to the UK, so let’s hope Seth Rosenbloom makes a return trip.
ROY BAINTONa vast array of talent on display here on this compilation cd; there’s screaming guitars, ear piercing organs, triumphant trumpets, sexy saxophones and more, all rolled up into new/old classics. This album starts with the very aptly named Blues Bender by Leon Blue and the tables are set, ten different artists of very high standards and very good names like Moaning Blacksnakes, Monk, The Po’boys and Boyz in the Parking Lot. Each artists do two songs on this twenty-tune album and by the third song I was
armchair dancing and looking at booking flights to Vegas. This is sunny afternoon beer drinking stuff, this is what I love about the Blues, hard times and sadness never sounded so good. Over seventy minutes long it can be put on the player and left to its own devices and you will not be bored especially on track six and seven by Junior Brantly and the Shuffle-Aires who throw Sonny Boy Williamsons, Don’t Start Me Talking and Juke Joint Blues where the old favourite mouth organ comes alive, I’ll be the first
Jefferson Starship celebrated the 40th anniversary of Woodstock by performing a set of songs played by Jefferson Airplane at the famed festival. By this time only Paul Kantner remained from the 1969 incarnation of the Airplane, but you can certainly hear the spirit of the original band on this set. Of course, Grace Slick’s unique vocals are impossible to replace, but Cathy Richardson acquits herself well, albeit in rather more ‘rock chick’ style than Grace! Cathy features on several songs, notably the sprawling Eskimo Blue Day, a song well ahead of its time in its views on the ecology of the planet. The other band members are David Freiberg on vocals, Slick Aguilar on lead guitar, Chris Smith on keys, Jeff Pevar on bass and Donny Baldwin on drums. The key Airplane songs of the period are present and correct, Somebody To Love being an early highlight. There are a few imperfections in the recording (live at Del Mar Showgrounds, CA, 12 June 2009), notably a nasty bit of feedback in the middle of Eskimo Blue Day, but despite that it is a worthy addition to the catalogue and there are few sounds as stirring as these guys when the harmonies and instrumentation take flight. The set includes two tunes associated with the Grateful Dead (who also performed at Woodstock), whose one-time pianist Tom
Constanten joins the band for those tracks. You can hear Tom’s piano OK but, unfortunately, the vocals on Garcia/Hunter’s Deal are very uneven. Things improve slightly towards the end of the track and the issues seem to have been resolved by I Know You Rider which chugs along pleasantly in a country-rock vein. The set concludes with two Airplane classics: a pulsating version of White Rabbit, dramatic guitar and swirling keyboards providing the ideal backdrop for Cathy’s powerful vocals; Volunteers was the sole track by the Airplane that appeared on the original Woodstock soundtrack album. Introduced laconically by Kantner as “a little dance song”, it is one of the great songs of the era and terrific to hear the band in full flight to close the set on a high.
JOHN MITCHELLDEGUELLO RECORDS
The title of the album could not be better suited. It’s largely what this album is all about. Throughout his illustrious career that has spawned nine albums, Jeff Pitchell has toured with and alongside some of the biggest names in blues and blues/rock. Clarence Clemmons, The Allman Brothers, Kenny Wayne Shepherd, and the king of them all, B.B. King. To have that on your CV proves beyond doubt that you are anything but an outstanding artist in your own right. There are quite a few collaborators on this album, Rick Derringer and Duane Betts to name just two. Eye For An Eye, written by Pitchell, has all the hallmarks of his life on the road. Gutsy, bluesy, and full of life, Pitchell demonstrating how he became the winner of the guitarist of the year in Connecticut at the tender age of 15.
Prisoner Of Love ft, Jay Geils is a homage to rock and roll, rhythm and blues, and boogie all rolled into one. If this was being played
live, the whole room would be up and shaking what their mamas gave them. The album is jam-packed with friends and contemporaries, and it’s patently obvious that they all enjoy the company and musicianship of Jeff Pitchell. He’s a troubadour in the true sense of the word, a man of the world, a musicians musician. Because of his long career as a solo artist and as a collaborator in both studio and live settings, this is what makes this album work on every level. All Night Long with Duane Betts for company puts me in mind of travelling down an empty road in America, the sun shining, just you and the road with this song blaring from the stereo. And who better than Duane Betts for a co-pilot? The title track is an old Robert Cray song and has Claudette King for company. Claudette takes most of the vocal duties on this song, and what an amazing job she does. I really like this album a lot, I’m certain that you will come to the same conclusion.
When a band comes along with an album such as this, not the first album of theirs I might add, you look through the personnel of the band. When you find that the founder member is none other than Leo Lyons, remember, he was part of the band, Ten Years After, which played one of the greatest sets at Woodstock, you realize that you should take this band seriously. Ok, serious hat on, this is a mighty fine album from start to finish. Officially ten tracks, with two bonus tracks, The Story So Far is letting you know what this band is all about. The opening track, The Smoke has a rocky edge, simple, but very effective. Vocal duties are taken by Joe Gooch who is also responsible for guitar duties, he makes a grand job of both these tasks. Nine
heartfelt lyrics are punctuated by some stinging guitar sounds
of the tracks are by Gooch, Lyons, and Fred Koller. One cover that appears on the album has been covered by more bands than I care to mention, Good Morning Little Schoolgirl, originally penned by Sonny Boy Williamson. Ten Years after could be suggested that they made this their signature tune, there was far more to them than just this one song. The Yardbirds also could fall into that category. Hundred Seventy Split is carrying on with their version of the blues classic, done here in a live recording. Love Like A Man and I’m Going Home were written by Leo’s former bandmate from Ten Years
After, Alvin Lee. Tw fine songs, both recorded live, full of energy, bringing rock, blues/rock, and rock “n” roll together. Add to this a medley of rock “n “ roll classics, and what you have is a full-on jam blasting out the very foundations of popular music. This album mixes experience with youth, is brilliantly produced, and leaves the listener wanting more.
The blues runs rich and deep through the veins of Umberto Porcaro like words through a stick of (blues) rock. And just as memorable. Hailing from the beautiful island of Sicily, Porcaro is equipped with a guitar tone as lush and blue as the sea that laps along its dreamy sandy shores. He is proof of how far blues music travels to touch the hearts of all living souls. Even if most songs weave magic around three or so chords, the blues knows no boundaries. Take Me Home is a sophisticated eleven-song chronicle of loss, pain, joy and pleasure poignantly dedicated to Umberto’s recently deceased father. With chopping Hammond organ, purring bass and swinging drums, Porcaro lets his
creamy guitar tone rip as he sings Run Into My World. It’s worth noting that ten of these eleven tracks are selfpenned with the final track instrumental, Mountain Cheese, penned by his superb Hammond man Giulio Campagnolo. This record’s exquisite production brings out the musical flavours as Out Of The Storm and It’s My Pleasure To Play The Blues - featuring Lurrie Bell - and Don’t Push Me reveal tasty individual musical nuances delivered by all players. With this sumptuous run of songs comes the serenity of ballads Don’t Bring Me Down, Rollin Down Below and the smouldering You Was. It’s clear that much time and thought has been taken into the recording and mixing of all instrumentation. The sound of the Hammond is particularly striking in how it affects these songs to create a cool and classy affair.
Forza Umberto Porcaro! PAUL DAVIESLANDSLIDE RECORDS
This is Damon’s ninth solo release and for this one he recorded it live at St Petersburg Florida and captures the essence of his singer song writing abilities and wonderful guitar work. His band, Justin Headley on drums and bass guitarist Chuck Riley and Damon are joined onstage by Jason Ricci on harmonica, Eddie Right on guitar and Dan Signor on keyboards. Ten songs, open with It Came Out Of Nowhere, a mellow upbeat tune setting the tone for the night, keyboards mix with backing guitar, the band are only warming up. The Guitar, from his acclaimed Alafia Moon album is tremendous a slow burning tune with Damon telling the tale. I’ve Been Low bringing bluesy tones to his soulful vocals to an excellent backbeat. Some Things Change has a wonderful Texan shuffle,
Jason Ricci adding harmonica tones to the swampy atmospheric tune. Don’t Feel Like Going There has a reggae laid back style with a swagger. Taxman rocks the tone, blistering introduction then settles to a mellow vibe. Up The Line, the Little Walter tune is given the Louisiana treatment here with added spice peppered by keyboard and harmonica, feelgood tune turning into a jam, superb. Fruit Stand Lady from his Devil Got His Way release is full of slow burning slide, another upbeat tune. Tempo changes on the slow country blues ballad Old Fools. Bar Stools And Me is mesmeric in song structure appreciated by a rapt audience, stunning version. Last song, Sugar Shack is clear crisp and raw guitar then explodes into a fun filled tune, a dance floor filler. A fantastic live release highly recommended for all blues lovers.
You might not be familiar with The 2:19, they are a relatively young band from Belfast, and I believe this is their second album. No Smoke No Fire bursts out of the speakers and immediately demands attention. Chris Chalmers vocals perfectly suits the blues rock style with the emphasis on blues. I think its guest John McCullough providing Hammond bubbling in the background to this lifting it to another level. Turn Out The Lights is next, not the Bernie Tormé track of the same name but a classy original. Hey Carolina starts off with an almost country vibe, Chris vocals ringing out ably supported by the band, love Andrei Marinescu harp on this. Some superb backing vocals on the outro to this too really adding class. Best Suit is next, a real authentic blues with a feel-good vibe, sounds like the band had a lot of fun recording this. The band rock things up
again on Ready To Go, twin guitars Paul Wilkinson and Ady Young on top form and rhythm section Marty Young (bass) and drummer Monty Sneddon superb, as they are throughout the album. The Reach follows hard on its heels and shuffles in with style making you bop along. Super guitar in this and I think Mr McCullough is in there too, my promo copy doesn’t give who guests on what. Radio Smiles is next, a lovely lolling song of lament, avoiding
the usual cliches lyrically, a very well written song that sticks in the memory. Broken Harmony Blues has a piano opening before Chris vocals come in and then we have a female vocal harmonising, Amy Montgomery possibly? It’s a lovely song regardless showing the versatility of the musicians here. Contrasting that Seven Wonders starts with rocky guitar and Chris delivers the Dylanesque lyrics wonderfully well. The title track brings the album to its
KTBA Records
Marc Brossard is a rightly revered white soul vocalist who has brought his distinctive vocal skills to several highly rated releases on major record labels, leading to prestigious slots of mainstream American TV shows. Now working as an independent artist, Marc has teamed up with legendary producers Joe Bonamassa and Josh Smith for the philanthropic project in support of the ‘Keeping The Blues Alive’ set-up. Brossard candidly admits that he is more at home with the soul sounds, but that blues is something close to his heart, and he was keen to amalgamate the two on this release. Broussard has a truly wonderful soul voice, as evidenced on the Lou Rawls cut, I’d Rather Drink Muddy Water. It’s clearly well within his comfort zone, and his vocal capacity, and it rolls out of the speakers with the smooth effortless appeal of a glass of Southern Comfort.
High peak on an all-round all-thriller-no-filler set has to be John Lee Hooker’s venerable I Asked For Water, with the band on full throttle to provide a bed of impeccable blues for Broussard’s vocal to lie on comfortably. It’s as though the sheer respect for the artist and the song shifted everyone involved up to an even higher gear, and it’s a fine example of the gift of interpretation which Marc Broussard has made his life’s work, and on which his highly successful career is based. Broussard shows himself a worthy contender to have his original composition When Will I Let Her Go featuring tasteful orchestral backing, with a typical signature solo embellishment from Joe Bonamassa. The finest vocal performance from Brossard has to be the Little Milton gem That’s What Love Will Make You Do, where Brossard does not allow his clear and genuine respect for the master overshadow his own excellent gritty and full-on romp through this classic of the genre. You can buy this record knowing that enjoying this fabulous collection is also aiding the less fortunate, a proverbial win-win situation. ANDY
HUGHESa rightly revered white soul vocalist
climax, strumming guitars and soulful vocals before the track slowly builds, bv’s adding panoramic vastness, the guitar ever so slightly becoming more urgent. I highly recommend checking this band out, they reminded me of The Hoax in many ways. I will certainly be following their progress with interest.
STEVE YOURGLIVCHRHOMBUS RECORDS
It’s not very often that you come across a nine-piece band, but that is exactly what we have on offer here. This Southern California-based band has individually been around the musical block a few times. Some of the band members have performed with Ray Charles, Etta James, Clarence “Gatemouth” Brown, and Elvin Bishop. So there is plenty of blues talent laying at this table. Nine of the tracks are written by Steve Zelman who also provides vocals and guitar. She Moves Me is a jump, swing, and blues tune that suits a band of this size perfectly. The horns contribute much to the ambiance of the song, a lively cheery way to open an album. The mood is reflected in much the same way with several other songs on the album, with boogie joining the fray alongside the aforementioned genres. There are also blues tunes, reminding us all that is in fact the blues that binds this whole project together. Time Of Day personifies this mood so well, if an alien landed on earth and wanted to know what blues music was all about, you could not go far wrong in pointing them in the direction of this song. A truly brilliant blues track with the added passion of a band of this size and caliber. The two covers on the album, She’s Murder (James Cotton ) and Her Mind Is Gone (Professor Longhair ) are performed so well, that if these two stalwarts
of the blues are listening, they will be mighty pleased with the result. Keeping a nine-piece band all on the same page, writing-wise, and recording-wise, is no mean feat, Steve Zelaman has excelled with the overall outcome of this album. The only thing that would make this album a little better, is a nice single-malt whisky as you sink back and let the album wash over you.
STEPHEN HARRISONPINETOPS RECORDS
What it says on the tin. After getting on for three decades on the gig circuit, veteran British keys merchant Daniel Smith would probably be a rich man if he had a quid for every time somebody has compared him to Jools Holland. But that remains the obvious reference point, and not necessarily to Smith’s detriment, either. He can tickle the ivories just as mellifluously as his more famous colleague, and in all of the styles specified in the title of this, his 19th album. Most of what you get is pretty standard fare, but livened up by some guest appearances. These include saxophonist Alan Barnes, a big deal in British jazz, and Alan Glen, perhaps best known for his involvement in the early 1990s incarnation of Nine Below Zero. Highlights include Chicago stomper Kiss You Quick, featuring vocalist Jaelee Small. If you need a Dr John, New Orleans-flavoured instrumental Crescent City Crescendo will sort you out, while Luna De Miel and El Arte Del Amor are jazz pieces with earworm factor, the titles presumably reflecting his marriage to a Spanish partner. The Time Has Now Come is the most conventional blues track on the album. As the band leader, Smith is very much the star of the show and perhaps he could have allowed the other musicians more room.
But this is fine stuff for fans of the genre.
The story as to how this album came into being would not be better made up! For the full story see a letter from Eli “Paperboy” Reed, the short version is Fred jammed n Eli’s front room with his own father and other musician friends and a quarter inch reel was made. This reel went into a box until unearthed by Eli many years later. In homage to his father’s story, a legacy for the family of Fred and his musician friends and because of the influence this man had on Eli, the reel was transferred and remastered for all to hear. As Eli’s father had said, Fred really did sing like J.B. Lenoir and Fred really did play the guitar like T-Bone Walker, but with a style all his own. Eleven tracks on the album this album is all pure class. To imagine it was borne from a group of friends jamming in a front room seems at odds with the big sound these guys could make. Talented musicians all. Occasionally sounding like a 60’s edged blues story and others, the acoustic Midnight Falling, creates a 50’s Savannah swamp feel, all close and sweaty and raw. Piano Boogie is just that. Boogie woogie on the old Joanna. Euclid Avenue, all big sound. Loud Proud and full of talent and expression, the guitar is King and Fred and his friends are being heard…Eli “Paperboy” Reed brought this reel to life and it deserves to be heard, not just because this is a great album of musicians and friends making great music but because, it’s a brilliant blues album.
JEAN KNAPPITTAustin Walkin’ Cane is little short of a US blues powerhouse, the kind of guy who makes his presence felt onstage as a striking soloist. Having met and seen him play live, I can attest to his powerful delivery and deep understanding of the music that fires him, old-school blues. Here with a new album, Muscle Shoals, we have Cane working his fiery butt off. His voice is always truly inspiring, gruff and gravelly with an astonishing range and purpose that just shines out here at every turn of every track. Accompanying himself, as usual, with his resonator guitar, Cane turns out a mixture of mostly self-penned songs that smack of the Delta with cool slide-work and a support band that knows just how to boogie. There
Stony Plain Records
are acoustic tracks - which I think is where Cane is at his best – and some electric offerings included in this 11-track album, recorded as might be expected at the legendary Alabama Muscle Shoals Studios – often seen as the ‘home’ of good soulful blues music. Based in Cleveland, Ohio, Cane has been recording for many years now and Muscle Shoals is definitely his best album to date. This is music that is true to the genre and yet also innovative and boundary-pushing when needed. In short, an artist and album well worthy of critical acclaim and further exploration and discovery.
IAIN PATIENCEAnything new – or old, for that matter – coming from the great Taj Mahal is bound to be interesting and attractive to most blues-lovers. Savoy, on Canadian label, Stony Plain, is no exception to this general tenet. Indeed, in many ways this is of greater interest than usual. Coming hot on the heels of a recent Grammy win where he was again partnered with his old buddy, Ry Cooder, Taj is on remarkably novel ground here, with a batch of mostly old jazz-soul standards reflecting his love of early 1920s/30s US ballroom swing music. This is music to dance to, and mirrors the material played across the USA at dancehalls throughout the era and later with the Savoy title itself coming from an old, now defunct, dancehall in New York’s Harlem district.
Blues diva Maria Muldaur weighs in here with helping vocal support but for the most part this is just Taj with a gripping, gravelly, rasping voice, cool guitar-work and a great support band rippling throughout the album. Anyone who likes Taj Mahal, light jazz and blues will be in love with this one from to off. It’s a brave release from a guy who’s truly done it all over the course of his lengthy career and thanks must go to Stony Plain and its creator, Holger Peterson, who co-produces here, for the desire and demand to get this album out in the first place.
a gripping, gravelly, rasping voice, cool guitar-work
