Mar-Apr 2013 CBS Newsletter

March-April 2013

Field of Blues Festival is a Reality We did it! The Inaugural Field of Blues Festival is approved and in planning! We so far have raised $2,255 from 37 donors on Kickstarter and $2,850 from Sponsors and other sources, exceeding the minimum of $2,000 on each that we had targeted to start our planning! This gives us enough solvency and funds to start the ball moving to getting the festival planned and ready to hold on June 22, 2013!

The festival will be held at Aviators Stadium. You might remember it as the River-

hawks, but they changed names on January 27th to the Rockford Aviators. The fest will be held on the field, with lawn chair seating on the grass and stadium seating on a first come, first served basis. Tickets are all General Admission and will be $10 in advance and $15 at the door.

Tickets are on sale now on line or via mail order.

The lineup for the festival is also set and it is a dandy!

Our headline act is Lil’ Ed and the Blues Imperials. Ed will once again bring his raucous and electrifying brand

Keeping the of blues to Rockford for fans to appreciate. A special act will present Muddy versus The Wolf, a 60th Anniversary Delmark Records Special.

Willie Buck who hearkens back to Muddy Waters’ band and Tail Dragger who hearkens back to Howlin’ Wolf’s band will appear together backed by the Rockin’ Johnny Burgin Band. This will be a wild and fun set!

Dave Weld and the Imperial Flames return once again to the Forest City, bringing their down and dirty style of blues to the stage. Dave and Lil’ Ed both were schooled

by J.B. Hutto and have deep roots into Chicago’s original West and Southside blues.

Toronzo Cannon will also be appearing with his funk-filled blues that everyone will enjoy.

Aaron Williams and the HooDoo from Madison will appear with their infectious and hot brand of high energy blues will make everyone want to get up and dance.

Opening the day are our good friends The Flaming Mudcats. This is a big treat– these four guys are touring the US for the first time and we’ve got them! They are the hottest blues band in New Zealand and Rockford will learn to appreciate them and adopt them as their own.

We are exited to be able to pull this off. Thanks so much to all who stepped forward to help get this moving and to the Rockford Aviators for allowing the blues to invade their ball park!

Blues Alive 2013 FOB Facts June 22, 2013 11:0OAM to 11:00 PM Aviators Stadium in Loves Park Bring a Lawn Chair and Sit on Field or in the Stands 12 PM: Flaming Mudcats 1:30 PM: Aaron Williams and the HooDoo 3 PM: Dave Weld and the Imperial Flames 5 PM: Toronzo Cannon 7 PM: Willie Buck, Tail Dragger and Rockin’ Johnny 9 PM: Lil’ Ed and the Blues Imperials Steve Ditzell acoustic blues between acts Cigar box guitar demos and building presentations $10 advanced seats $15 at gate Parking $2 No outside food or drinks No pets Inside this issue: News Music Reviews Playlist, Shows Membership Application Upcoming Events

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Crossroads Blues Society Newsletter

Page 2

Blues in the Schools and Benefit News Sunday, January 27th came and so did the ice storm. Our Hurricane Sandy and Blues HOF Capital Fund Drive Fundraiser was cancelled as were the BITS programs for Monday, the 28th since the band was coming down from blizzard like conditions in Wisconsin. The BITS programs for Washington and Haskell Elementary Schools were rescheduled with Reverend Raven and the Chain Smokin’ Altar Boys and Westside Andy Linderman.

BITS with Bryan Lee and the Blues Power Band were scheduled for Monday, February 11th so we moved the benefit to be in conjunction with the evening show at Byron Middle School Theater. We knew we were taking a bit of a chance and attendance was not as good as a weekend event could have been, but we still turned out 40 people for the event and raised $635 for Hurricane Sandy Relief. $500 for our 2013 pledge to the Blues HOF Capital Campaign will be paid through our regular Crossroads funds.

Our events have had some hitches here in 2013– Bryan Lee wound up hospitalized for pneumonia on Saturday prior to the BITS and evening show. The show must go on and the Blues Power Band of Brent Johnson on guitar, John Perkins on drums and Nick Hern on bass. Local 13 year old harp player Justin Gates joined the band on stage for a few songs and impressed the crowd and band. Bryan is back out of the hospital and on the road, and he remains in our prayers and good wishes!

Brent, John and Nick kicked some serious butt and laid down a couple of sets of great blues for us. They also got BITS done at Winnebago’s McNair Elementary in the AM and Byron Middle School in the PM, bringing our totals to 110 BITS programs for 33,000 students since May 2002.

Music Reviews On My Mind/In My Heart Jesse Dee Alligator Records www.jessedee.com 11 tracks Okay, I must say right up front and to all to hear that when I saw this album and thought, “What the hell is Iglauer up to now? This kid is from New England and looks like he’s having a poofed up bad big hair day. What are they thinking” That’s what I get for judging a book by it’s cover.

I was headed out right after getting the CD to review, so I threw it in the car CD player for a listen. I listened to it three time through and have listened to it a lot more since then. My wife said to me in the car that day, “This really is a good CD. Who is it?” I answered simply, “Jesse Dee.” “Wow, what a great singer! He sounds a lot like Curtis Salgado. I like this a lot!”

She’s right. It’s a damn good CD and he does sound a little like Curtis. This Iglauer guy is smart like a fox!

Dee sings and plays guitar. Johnny Trama also fill sin on guitar on 5 cuts. Jim Larkin on bass and Matt “Pie” Beaulieu om drums offer up a solid backline.

Hammond and B3 are handled aptly by Eli Winderman and Steve Moss does the piano work. Another half dozen guys fill in on horns and percussive stuff and others do backing vocals and appear here and there; it’s a big cast but they all play together and put on a superb show! Dee wrote or co-wrote everything served up here. It’s sort of like Curtis Salgado being back by Room Full of Blues gone wild. I really enjoyed this one.

The CD opens to the title track, a jumping and swinging song with him hitting a Cab Calloway-like stride in the vocals. The band swings and Dee floats vocally along with them. It is impressive. The horns and brass blare away, the drummer takes charge from time to time, but it is Dee who runs the show. I was sold on the initial listen based on this song, and another ten that are equally good remained to be heard.

He can growl down low and hit the high notes; “No Matter Where I Am” follows with more great swinging sounds. “Fussin’ And Fightin’” blends a little reggae into the

swing and Dee nails it. His vocals are expressive and soulful again and again. “I Won’t Forget About You” is perhaps a little more Sam Cooke in style, with Dee swinging and jiving. “Tell Me (Before It’s Too Late)” starts mellow and Dee builds into a passionate delivery, asking his woman what’s on her mind and to “Tell Me (Before It’s Too Late).”

Rachel Price joins Dee on the early 60’s sound of “From The Start;” it could be a King/Geffen tune. Price’s and Dee’s duet hearkens to that era and the band makes the feeling complete. Dee hits some sweet high notes on “The Only Remedy” as he croons to his lover that, “your love is the only remedy.” “What’s A Boy Like Me To Do?” continues in that vein. The temp is taken way down but he is just so soulful and pure sounding. He wants to leave but can’t; his confusion over his wanting to both love and leave is powerfully expressed.

“Sweet Tooth” has nice retro guitar and organ intro and Dee goes into a surfswing mode. Well done! “Boundary Line” goes back down in tempo as Dee lays out a beautiful and soulful ballad for us. He finishes with the swinging “Stay Strong,” a nice jump blues cut. It’s just a powerfully great set of tunes top to bottom, delivered to perfection.

If you like to swing, if you like to hear someone sing with their heart and soul and if you like someone to totally bare their emotions in their music, then you will love this CD (as I did). If you had to label him I’d have to say that Dee is a new generation of white R&B and soul singer.

Labels do not matter; this CD is a selfcontained party. You will want to dance and sing along more and more with each listen. This is a fantastic effort (really his second CD, his first being a self released one in 2008) and he has a very bright future! Jesse Dee is the real deal. If you like Sam Cooke, Al Green, Curtis Salgado you’ll like this guy, too. Bad hair day or not, let me repeat that Jesse Dee is the real deal. Very highly recommended!

Reviewed by Steve Jones

March-April 2013 My World is Gone Otis Taylor Telarc International www.otistaylor.com 13 tracks I remember 1987 when George Harrison released his third #1 hit, “Got My Mind Set On You,” the cover of the 1962 James Ray song written by Rudy Clark. The music “press” commented that Harrison had finally recorded a song someone could dance to. The critics made such a big deal about it and it irked me to no end; I loved the quiet Beatle’s music, it’s meaning and it’s spirituality. Why did he need to produce music people in clubs could dance to when his music has so much meaning?

As my wife and I recently were listening to Otis Taylor’s thirteenth album release together, I thought back to those days in 1987 and said to her, “Gee, no one would ever say this music could be danced to.” Otis Taylor and his trance blues style of music might be danceable to some people, but certainly not those who shake their proverbial money makers in front of blues festival and clubs stages. However, it does not lessen what Taylor gives us. His music is interesting, provocative, socially adroit and always topical.

Here on “My World Is Gone” he takes on the plight of the Native American. Joined by his friend Mato Nanji from the band Indigenous, Taylor was floored by Nanji’s comment that, “My world is gone,” a reference to the Nakota Nations’ demise. He produced this album in response to that comment and Nanji play s guitar on half a dozen tracks and also sings bit here and there.

The album begins with the title track. Taylor, Nanji, and Harris are joined by Larry Thompson on drums, Todd Edmunds on bass and Shawn Starski on guitar. The thoughtful song alternates the lead vocals between Taylor and Nanji, who bemuse the loss of the Nakota Nation. Nanji’s lead guitar adds punch to the mix and the occasional wail of Starski’s electric guitar echoes hauntingly. Harris’ fiddle is a constant thread, beautifully running like a river throughout the cut. Simple lyrics, the traditional repetitiveness of a Taylor song trying to make a point and they succeed. Taylor, Nanji and Thompson take a more minimalistic approach on the second track as Taylor sings of the Navajo man who says he “Lost My Horse.” Nanji’s lead guitar is driving and intense while Taylor adds mandolin and slide while Thompson beats out a furious groove. After two tracks I was pretty much emotionally spent. Wow!

Page 3 Taylor’s banjo and Ron Miles cornet are featured next on “Huckleberry Blues;” the banjo plucks out a distinctive line as the cornet (Ron Miles) flutters emotionally. It is a really nice track. “Sand Creek Massacre Mourning” tells a tale of the Navajo and Arapaho Indian massacre at the hands of Colonel John Chivington and his men on November 29, 1864. Brian Juan’s organ is introduced here and with Miles’ cornet they provide a funeral-like sound in the background of Taylors’ singing and strumming on top of a military-like marching drum beat. More powerful and emotional music is on display for us here. A more traditional electric blues sound is next on “The Wind Comes In.” Nanji’s lead is impressive and Taylors’ counterpoint on banjo is a striking contrast. “Blue Rain in Africa” tells the story of the sacred and mystical white buffalo as seen on television in the story tellers’ youth. Nanji, Taylor, and Starski add electric guitar to the mix and the duet by Nanji and Taylor is well done. “Never Been to the Reservation” tells the story of the rich man who escaped traditional live and has never experienced the hardships of reservation life. Juan’s organ and Nanji’s guitar drive this one as Taylor blurts out the minimalistic story.

On “Girl Friend’s House” Taylor plucks and moans as he catches his wife in a same sex relationship and then wants to join in. “Jae Jae Waltz” is a simple Americanastyled tune of a widow being courted.

Ever amazing us with wild topics, “Gangster and Istatoz Chauffer” gives us the story of an Indian woman with cats who chauffeurs a wealthy gangster. He loves the chauffer but she does not share his feelings.

“Coming With Crosses” is the story of a mother’s murder by Klansmen who came in the night, as Taylor sings, to “murder his mama.” Taylor returns on fiddle to help hauntingly build this one up and then slowly draw it to a sad conclusion. “Green Apples” gives us some cool guitar work and Taylor sings of green apples and lemonade in the morning and red apples and champagne at night. These are part of his recipe to being treated right. Miles’ cornet speaks to us here along with Taylor’s voice. The album concludes with “Sit Across your Table,” a jumpy, swinging cut where Taylor joyfully sings how happy he is to see his wife sitting across the table from him every day. Three big electric guitar solos are treats here as this amazing album concludes.

Taylor was born in Chicago and moved to Colorado after his uncle was shot to death. Not a very downtrodden sort of guy, Taylor remains upbeat despite the “heaviness” of the topics of so much of his music. He joking notes that he is good at dark tones and says "I'd just like to make

enough money to buy a Porsche." Joining Taylor on this album and frequently during live performances is another local Chicago favorite, Anne Harris. Her ethereal fiddle sounds add to Taylor’s trances and give the listener chills. I saw them at Buddy Guy’s a couple of years ago doing a version of “Hey Joe” and my skin still prickles at the thought of them doing that cover; it was obviously a memorable performance!!! If I have any complaints about this album it would only be to feature Anne on more songs!

Taylors’ fans will gobble this new release up; it is another profound set of statements in Taylors’ inimitable style. Anyone new to Taylor can learn to appreciate the deep roots of his music as it relates to early blues and music from West Africa; hear the listener is also treated to a blending of Native American traditions into the beats and harmonies of Taylors work. I loved this CD; Taylor has hit another home run with this “lucky thirteenth” release!

Reviewed by Steve Jones Lorenzo Menzerschmidt Lorenzo Menzerschmidt Self Released www.facebook.com/ lorenzomenzerschmidt 11 tracks Lorenzo Menzerschmidt? Who dat? Well, it’s really Victor DeLorenzo on drums, percussion and vocalessence, Tony Menzer on bass and backing vocals and “Lost Jim” Ohlschmidt in guitar and lead vocals. This debut album of six originals and 5 covers is full of blues, rockabilly, swing and other influences. Led by Oldschmidt, produced by DeLorenzo and promoted my Menzer, these Wisconsonites range from humorous to serious, but always interesting.

Jim penned the original tunes and they are pretty darn good. From the opening fun lyrics of “I’m A Mess” to the closing “Since My Baby Left This Town” the tunes are well crafted and solid. The former addressed the singer’s life and it’s problems while the latter bemoans the loss of his woman; topics we’ve heard in many a blues song but given a fresh approach here. “29’s a Good Road” is a rockabilly number and sort of Wisconsin travelogue of places and roads to travel.

Ohlschmidt picks out some nice guitar here.

“Check The Gage” also rocks and stays with the travel theme.

Always on the lookout for a different sort of cover, “Johnny B. Goode” get a down continued

Crossroads Blues Society Newsletter

Page 4 ...continued tempo, swing treatment in a minor key– very cool. Dylan’s “It Takes A Lot To Laugh, It Takes A Train To Cry” on the National Resophonic screams for an iced tea and a front porch to sit on.

This is a fun CD; traditional blues, a little rockabilly and a whole lot of good music.

The guys take their craft seriously, even when the topic is more tongue in cheek.

This was a very enjoyable debut album and I hope to catch up with these guys to hear more soon!

Reviewed by Steve Jones Drink Drank Drunk Andy T – Nick Nixon Band Delta Groove Music Inc. www.andytband.com 12 tracks/47:51 Delta groove Music has just released the Andy T – Nick Nixon Band new CD “Drink Drank Drunk”. Andy T.(Talamantez) and James “Nick” Nixon finally came together for this recording after many years of them both playing and performing the blues with many other groups. This CD was produced by the legendary guitarist/performer Anson Funderburgh,who also joins the band on guitar on four of the twelve tracks. This recording also features a strong group of musicians playing on various tunes on drums, bass, saxophone, piano and a harmonica on one track. You can go to the web-site for more info on the group for this recording.

Also check out Andy T. and Nick Nixon's acoustic video version of “No End Of The Blues”.

Andy T. brings his solid precise style of guitar playing to the forefront on this CD as his influences from Albert Collins, Muddy Waters, Otis Rush and BB King are showcased. It is apparent that he paid attention to them as he developed his own strong unique sound and tone in his playing. Nick Nixon brings his his powerful, heartfelt vocals into the mix of things as he enhances every tune on the CD with his soulful and sometimes primal guttural sound. Also there a the gospel quality to his singing that yanks at your ear. The joining of these two artist on this recording is really a strong match that enhance the feeling of this fine blues CD. Of the twelve songs on this CD four were penned by Andy T. or Nick Nixon and the rest are strong cover tunes that were really done superbly. This list of tunes is really a good mix that showcase the talent of these two artist. “Midnight Hour” starts out with Andy T. leading ino the song with guitar preparing the stage for Nick's vocals. From

the start, we become aware that Nixon is truly a powerful blues singer. Andy takes the stage with some guitar soloing that is strong while not going over the top as some guitar players choose to do. Ron Jones blows some fine sax into the mix of things making this tune a big opening track. Taking the trip into the slow blues with “Don't Touch Me ( I'm gonna hit the highway)” makes the statement that Andy and Nick know what the blues are all about. This is a favorite for my ears as Christian Dozzler is present on piano behind Andy's guitar line and the vocals of Nick.

“Have You Seen My Monkey”(written by Andy T.), is a solid Cajun influenced tune with interesting lyrics plus the addition of Dozzler jumping in with his accordion and piano. This is another strong tune that also brings out strong guitar solos from Andy T. Drink Drank Drunk takes the blues road that more recording should do. This recording is solidly entrenched in the genre as it should be. Andy T. and Nick Nixon are a a mix of two blues artist that should keep doing what they have done with “Drink Drank Drunk”. With the fine group of musicians included on the CD this is a great example of what blues should be.

Reviewed by Harmonica Joe Poluyanskis Pleasure King Michael Locke & The Repeat Offenders Bong Sao Music BMI CD Baby and Amazon 6 Tracks Michael Locke hails originally from Florida where he began playing guitar at the age of seven. His dad was a jazz enthusiast, exposing him to jazz legends like Lester Young, Count Basie, Sonny Rollins, Coleman Hawkins, Joe Pass, Wes Montgomery, John Coltrane, Miles Davis, and Sonny Stitt. His mentors were American jazz guitar player Joseph Louis Diorio and bop jazz trumpeter, flugelhornist, flautist, saxophonist, and composer Ira Sullivan. As a jazz guitar student at the University of Miami, Michael discovered that blues could offer a better avenue of self expression.

After moving to San Francisco in the early 90's, he teamed up with bluesman Johnny Nitro who supported him in developing his own blues guitar style and also in setting up his own blues trio.

Over the years, Locke has played his own brand of raw, high-powered blues guitar across the United States, opening for blues legends like B.B. King, The Fabulous Thunderbirds, W.C. Clark, Coco Montoya, Sonny Rhodes, Walter Trout, Ben E. King, Del Shannon, Little Anthony, Jimmy Johnson,

Otis Rush, and Chuck Berry. He and his band, The Repeat Offenders, are now based out of Germantown, Ohio where they have created a large fan base regionally in the state of Ohio. Currently backing Michael Locke on vocals and guitar are Stephen Keith on drums, James Higgins on bass, and Da'Rosa Richardson on keyboards.

Their latest release is Pleasure King is a live recording from the blues venue The Ohio Express in Dayton, Ohio where Michael Locke & The Repeat Offenders play frequently. This all to short live blues set is loaded with solid musicianship from the entire band. The disc is a superb blend of blues, rock, funk, and jazz so addictive that it will never leave your media player! I have been fortunate enough to sample all of Michael's music only to find it absolutely riveting. Pleasure King opens with Michael's own title track "Pleasure King," recreating the guitar style of the late great Freddy King, simmering it with a little Steve Ray Vaughan. You will find yourself completely immersed after listening to the first song. If that is not enough to totally captivate his audience, the follow-up, a rendition of the Willie Dixon tune "Too Many Cooks," is a blend of guitar solos with superb use of the whammy bar creating a haunting sound, some funky rhythm guitar, a Latin beat by Stephen Keith on drums, and jazz infused keyboards by Da'Rosa Richardson. At times it sounds like Ronnie Earl and Wes Montgomery could be standing along side of Michael with their axes in hand. Locke's experience and versatility is prevalent as he tears into Albert King's "I Get Evil" SRV style. Switching gears, the band does "Honky Tonk," the rhythm and blues instrumental classic written by Billy Butler, Bill Doggett, Clifford Scott, and Shep Shepherd.

I think "The King Of The Blues," Riley B. King, would be honored to be there to hear his classic tune "You Done Lost Your Good Thing Now" delivered live by Michael Locke & The Repeat Offenders. The band completes the set with the song "Sick And Tired" written by Chris Kenner and Dave Bartholomew in 1957. On this classic blues number, James Higgins lays down a rockin' groove on bass, along with Stephen Keith on drums, in support of Locke's explosive guitar solos and Richardson's honky tonk piano solos.

Listening to Michael Locke & The Repeat Offenders live will leave you exhausted. My only regret with this CD is the fact that I could not be there to experience this worldclass show. Buying the CD is next best thing, leaving you hungry for more! You will be hard pressed to find a blues band that sets the bar this high. They are a band you could listen to live all night long.

Review by Rick Davis

March-April 2013 Deal With It 4 Jacks Eller Soul Records www.ellersoul records.com 12 tracks/41:20 “Deal With It” is 4 Jacks new release from Eller Soul Records and a good one it is!

This CD features a new band that is only new to the music scene as far as this recording goes. This group consists of four hot musicians/blues artist that have been around for years on their own in the blues world. Leading this group is the awesome Texas guitarist Anson Funderburgh. We all know him as the front man of the Rockets for over thirty years. Big Joe Maher brings his strong vocals and drums into the mix as well as his ability to write a bunch of great tunes. Filling the two remaining spots of 4 Jacks are Kevin McKendree on piano and B3 while Steve Mackey holds up the bass line. This is really one solid a mix of musicians for a CD. The opening track, “Deal With It”, is a strong instrumental that features outstanding guitar solos from Anson Funderburg (always did like the name) while showcasing Kevin McKendree wailing away on the B3. Maher runs the drum line in the back as Steve Mackey brings along the bass line. This tune is a neat way to introduce us to this very talented band and also opens up our mind as to what is in store for us on the rest of this recording.

“Have Ourselves A Time” is one of those jump, swing type songs that gets the people up and dancing. It is a real treat to be introduced to Big Joe’s vocals on this song. This man sings the lyrics with much feeling, joy and emotion as he pounds out the drum beat. Funderburgh lays out some strong guitar riffs as McKendree plunks away on his piano. It can’t get much better than this. “Ansonmypants”, just by the name, is another song that has to be listened to.

McKendree is showcased again on the piano doing “She Ain’t Worth A Dime”.

This twelve bar blues tune with great lyrics and vocals from Big Joe is another top tune on “Deal With It”. “Thunder And Lightning” picks up the pace of the music and just screams the blue at you with Anson’s guitar solos, Big Joe’s lyrics and vocals as Kevin hammers away on the piano keys. Maher’s drum line, as well as Mackey’s bass work, is also strongly present. This is a powerful tune that gets you into a blues mode.

Page 5 4 Jacks has packed twelve solid blues tunes into “Deal With It”. Although being only 41 minutes in duration, this CD gets your attention right from the start and keeps holding you until the very end. To me “Deal With It” is CD is a real winner and 4 Jacks should just keep going down the road of the blues as they have down with this recording.

Reviewed by Harmonica Joe Poluyanskis

Editors Note Late printing of this edition did not allow us to tell you that Reverend Raven and Westside Andy did a BITS makeup.

Wednesday night 3/13 they were at the Adriatic to a packed house and then were at Harlem Middle School and Haskell Elementary School the following day. Crossroads members got in free.

61 49 The Mike Eldred Trio Rip Cat Records www.mikeeldred trio.com 13 tracks/47:52 "61 49", named after the legendary crossroads in Clarksdale, Mississippi, was originally released on May 10, 2011 on the small Zoho Roots label. The L.A. Times called it one of the Ten Best Albums of 2011 while Downbeat Magazine gave it a three-and-a-half star review. Reissued in January, 2013 on the Rip Cat Records label, the studio-recorded album is clear and crisp with slightly over three-quarters of an hour of eclectic rock, gospel, boogie and blues.

Mike Eldred, previously a member of Lee Rocker's band, wrote all 13 tracks, a testimony to his creative songwriting skills. His vocals and lyrics range from the gospel-like "Don't Go Down There" where he is joined by the Emmanuel Church Gospel Choir to "She's a Rocket" and "Jimmy, Jimmy" in Jerry Lee Lewis style with Ike Turner on piano. His plaintive guitar solo in "Ruby's Blues" contrasts with his boogie licks in "Jake's Boogie". "This Old Train" combines the Latin-style of Los Lobas guitarist Cesar Rosas with Eldred's crystal clear vocals and first guitar. Elvis' guitarist, Scotty Moore, plays second guitar in boogie style on "Ms. Gayle's Chicken House".

The Mike Eldred Trio is Mike Eldred on guitar and vocals, John Bazz bass and Jerry Angel drums. All tracks were written

by Mike Eldred. Special Guests include Ike Turner on piano, Kid Ramos, Scotty Moore and Cesar Rosas on guitar, Riley Osborn on B3 Organ and Jeff Turmes on baritone sax. Although this album may not be “blues” enough for purists, the vibrant energy of each well-crafted track kept me happily replaying the album over and over. Highly recommended.

Reviewed by Diana Mandell

Bobby Messano was also at Mary’s Place on Friday, March 15th. Bobby will be one of our featured bands at the 4th Annual Byron Crossroads Blues Festival. He’s toured with his own band and the likes of superstars like Stevie Winwood– this guy is the real deal an he put on another fantastic show!

Crossroads Blues Society Newsletter

Page 6 Live At Kingston Mines Nick And The Ovorols Self Released www.nickandthe ovorols.com 8 Tracks The Chicago-based blues band Nick and the Ovorols is establishing a strong fan base in the Chicago area, as they have performed regularly at the legendary Kingston Mines. The Chicago landmark has been a venue for world-renowned artists like Muddy Waters, B.B. King, Buddy Guy, Mick Jagger, Bob Dylan, David Bowie, Robert Plant, Stevie Ray Vaughan, and contemporary artists like Eddie Clearwater, Joanna Connor, Sugar Blue, and Studebaker John just to name a few.

Nick Peraino is certainly in good company as this rising star has now been added to the list of celebrities. After listening to his CDs or attending a live show, you will understand why he is gaining notoriety in a city known for it's blues legends. Nick moved to the "windy city" from New England to study music in 1998. After finishing college, he toured the Midwest from 20032004 with his band Nick Peraino and Blue Moon Risin' releasing his debut album Noisy Picks and Humbars in 2005. He also started touring with Joanna Connor in 2005, playing nationally and locally at Chicago’s Buddy Guy's Legends, Kingston Mines, and The House of Blues. In 2009 Nick was selected by Grammy Award winning blues artist Sugar Blue to join him on a two week tour of Europe to perform in a number of showcase events.

Nick decided in 2011 to once again become a band leader and this time formed his current group Nick and the Ovorols. As a result of establishing a residence at Kingston Mines from December of 2011 to April of 2012, they decided to release the album Live at Kingston Mines from one of their Wednesday night shows. Nick handles vocals and guitar with Carlos Showers also on guitar, Vic Jackson on bass, and Lance Lewis on drums. They open the show with the Mack Rice tune "Cadillac Assembly Line," injecting one of the funkiest rhythm guitar grooves along with one the most electrifying guitar performances I have ever heard in a live show. The only similar version was done

by Stacy Mitchart. With Jackson on bass and Lewis on drums, the opening tune is a hard act to follow until Nick explodes with his superb slide guitar expertise on the Nick Peraino hard drivin' roadhouse blues number "Chitown Via Greyhound." On a modified rendition of the Elmore James tune "Dust My Broom," Nick shows his

versatility with this great new arrangement. The band takes that funky groove and energy to whole new level on the Barry White hit "It's Ecstasy When You Lay Down Next to Me" written by Ekundayo Paris and Nelson Pigford. The band excelled on the 1965 R&B single "People Get Ready" done by the The Impressions and written by Curtis Mayfield. Adding to his accomplishments, Peraino creates a more contemporary arrangement of the TBone Walker classic "T-Bone Boogie." On the Sam Cooke original "Somebody Have Mercy," Nick performs a more traditional blues version like Luther "Guitar Jr." Johnson. The band concludes the set with "Me and My Guitar" by Leon Russell and Chuck Blackwell, reminiscent of Freddie King in his prime. Nick's red hot guitar licks and the band's funky rhythm section make this a night to remember at Doc Pellegrino's Kingston Mines.

After listening to this award winning performance by a very progressive new blues band, Nick and The Overols is a force to be reckoned with. You can add this one to your collection as soon as possible.

Review by Rick Davis Dr. DuPree’s Love Shop Stevie DuPree & The Delta Flyers Soulbilly Music Group www.thedeltaflyers.com 12 Tracks The Delta Flyers started as acoustic duo, playing traditional Delta Blues and incorporating different blues styles into their repertoire. Joining the group later on were Stevie DuPree and songwriter/guitarist Travis Stephenson forming the current group. Their 2007 release On The Levee Road earned the group a trip to the 24th annual International Blues Challenge held in January of 2008 in Memphis to represent the Houston Blues Society. In 2008, the group wrapped up a successful tour of the Southeastern United States with a sold out show in Nashville, Tennessee and an opportunity to attend the 2nd Annual T.A.G. Bluesfest in Mentone, Alabama.

Stevie DuPree & The Delta Flyers will keep you on the edge of your seat from beginning to end with their new CD Dr. DuPree’s Love Shop. This is the fourth CD that the group has released. It is a CD loaded with guest artists like Alice Stewart and Lisa Tingle on lead vocals, Nick Con-

nolly and Marcia Bell on keys, Mark "Kaz" Kazanoff, John Mills, and Al Gomez of The Texas Horns, and Derek O'Brien on slide guitar. This is in addition to the core group comprised of Steve DuPree on vocals, Travis Stephenson on guitar, Quentin Calva on bass and Steve Bundrick on drums. This should give you an indication of the musical expertise assembled for the release of this new CD. The album opens with guitar drivin' shuffle "Broke Up" with a hint of John Fogerty style guitar riffs looming throughout. This is also one of many tracks with superb slide guitar work. Marcia Ball is brought onto the scene along with the fabulous horn section of the The Texas Horns and Stevie DuPree's gritty vocals for the New Orleans flavored "First Dance." After the explosive intro by The Texas Horns, Alice Stewart and Lisa Tingle along with DuPree deliver the soulful vocals on "Dr. DuPree’s Love Shop." Superlative harp solos from Kazanoff and fiery guitar licks engulf the tune "St. Paul's Bottoms." They slow things down for the ballad "Angel Of Mercy," featuring the soulful guitar solos of Travis Stephenson and the harsh, rough, husky vocals that only DuPree can provide. The spicy soulbilly music label provides the foundation for the tune "Soulbilly Music," mixed with gospel background vocals. According to DuPree the ingredients are simple "you take a roadhouse boogie and a taste of New Orleans and stir in some Texas mojo and a cup of ju ju beans." "Ain’t Gonna Be Your Dog" delivers some of the hottest slide guitar by Stephenson on the entire album. The entire band lays down a steady groove on the juke joint classic "It's My Life." The slow ballad "The Witness Tree," offering brilliant sax solos, could be a page from the Neil Young songbook. His use of the old mule as a metaphor in the New Orleans tune "That Ol' Mule" expresses DuPree's lighter side. "Lucky Seven" almost conveys an Allman Brothers Southern rock sound throughout the song. The concluding song "A Hard Act To Follow" opens with a Procol Harum style intro and then takes a dramatic about face with an explosive Texas Horns entrance, followed by a high energy finale.

This studio CD would indeed be a hard act to follow with it's all-star cast of award winning R&B, gospel, funk, Cajin, and blues collectively on one CD. You owe it to yourself to pick this one up to enjoy.

Review by Rick Davis

March-April 2013 Live At Legends Buddy Guy RCA Records www.buddyguy.net 11 tracks/ 54:42 Buddy Guy's, “Live At Legends”, released by RCA Records, is chuck full of real blues. This recording contains 7 tunes recorded in 2010 at Buddy Guy's Legends and 3 more songs recorded in 2010 as “Living Proof” was being made. Also included is a foul mouth introduction called track one. This live recording is a great example of what the blues are about. Buddy Guy is a blues artist that for 50 years has truly withstood the test of time. Most of us can quickly recognize his style of guitar playing and his vocals. Buddy's vocal range can go from nasty and gnarly right into soft and emotional. This is a blues quality that a lot of singers do not achieve.

Do not expect to find any earth shattering new blues breakthrough on this CD, as it is not necessary. Do expect to hear Buddy Guy and his band sucking you into the world of blues that is performed really well.

Buddy has a way of controlling his audience with his great dynamics with both his guitar playing and vocals. His stage presence almost is visible while you listen to the CD. His fans are also grabbed up into the mood of the music as they sing along and shout out while he performs. This is why we need to keep live music shows going on as they have for years. By surrounding himself with great blues artist, as he has for all these year, Buddy will keep these kinds of shows going on.

Buddy Guy and the band take us on a blues adventure as they do tunes that we all know and love, such as “Best Damn Fool”, “Manish Boy” and “I Just Want To Make Love To You”. Having fun with other great blues guitarist's styles we get to hear Buddy do his take on “Boom Boom/ Strange Brew” and “Voodoo Chile/ Sunshine Of Your Love”, I take this to be his way of paying tribute to other greats of the blues. “Skin Deep”, written by Buddy Guy, is a slow blues, social commentary tune that does get us to think of the world that we are in. Guy takes his time with this song and lets his emotions flow with the lyrics. His guitar solo on this track is truly the blues. This is one of those songs that we should listen to and also take to heart.

Some people may say, of this CD, this has been done before and that it is just more Buddy Guy performing live at the Legends.

So what? Buddy is an iconic blues artist that after 50 years and as many re-

Page 7 cordings, I am glad to be able to hear another live CD that preserves his showmanship and great talent. He is one of the true standards for Chicago style blues and listening to Buddy Guy “Live At Legends” is one hour well spent.

Reviewed by Harmonica Joe Poluyanskis Down Home Blues Bryce Janey Self Produced www.thejaneys.com 12 Tracks At the age of 13, Bryce Janey began performing in the blues-rock trio the Janey's. They performed on the same stage with legends like Buddy Guy, Delbert McClinton, Blues Traveler, Johnny Winter, Elvin Bishop, and Koko Taylor.

While still a part of the group, he also began a solo career, releasing his first CD in 1995. Since then, he has released 8 more including his latest CD Down Home Blues.

I had the privilege to see Bryce play his acoustic set at the Redstone Room in Davenport, Iowa as a warm-up artist for the Kansas City group Trampled Under Foot.

During the live performance, he included several songs from his new acoustic release Down Home Blues. Bryce is known more for his earlier explosive electric guitar, blues/rock style achieving rave reviews in publications like Blues Access magazine, Blues Revue, and Living Blues. It was a real pleasure to hear Janey's versatility of playing the electric blues on his 2001 live CD and his current live acoustic, delta blues style expressed on his latest CD. He opens with the two raw, knee slapping original tunes "My Little Baby" and "Sara Mae." He goes deep into blues roots with his rendition of Willie Dixon's "Little Red Rooster." Bryce plays superb slide guitar using what sounds like a National Steel on this tune and another original "Country Fever." He also plays a Gibson LG-1 acoustic guitar and a Kay stand-up bass on this unaccompanied album. He returns to that traditional acoustic sound on the original "Dust Off The Bottle" and the Big Bill Broozy classic "Long Tall Mama."

Bryce then slows it down with the Muddy Waters song "She's 19 Years Old." The remaining tunes are all originals starting with the tribute to America titled "Made In The U.S.A." The follow up is another slow blues tune "Heal The Night." The tempo then picks up with the boogie style tune "Gonna Feel Alright." "Gamblin' Man's Blues," originally from the album Practice What You Preach, is this time done acoustically with the roots coming from the deep South. That deep down Mississippi delta slide guitar can again be heard on the title

track "Down Home Blues," music that Bryce assures us will sooth our souls.

Down Home Blues will take you back to where it all started, delivering county blues at it's finest. This studio CD is equally matched to his live performance which will take you back in time. If you have the good fortune to attend his live acoustic show, you will want to sample Down Home Blues to set the stage.

Review by Rick Davis Advice from a father to a son Scott Ramminger Arbor Lane Music www.scotraminger.com 10 tracks Scott Ramminger is a Washington DC resident who originally hails from Huntsville. Alabama. Heavily influenced by New Orleans music, he originally discovered the blues through the Allman Brothers Band. Here we have 10 original tracks recorded partly in New Orleans and partly in Washington, DC; all of it has the spice of NOLA with a good bit of funk thrown on top.

The CD starts off with a big barrelhouse boogie woogie piano solo on “I Really Love Your Smile.” Ramminger enters, sings up a storm and plays his saxes, but the Tornkanowsky piano solos really sell this cut. “Funkier Than Him” takes us down that street; Ramminger is solid and the guitar and keys along with the McRary Sisters really funk it up. “This Town Has Seen The Last of Me” switches gears to rockabilly as Scott can’ wait to get out of town, Nice sax solo followed by a piano solo, too! He sings a duet with Regina McCrary in “The Other Man’s Shoes,” a jazzy and funky slow tune featuring Shane Theriot’s guitar work. The title trackis a cool boogie woogie led by Ramminger’s baritone sax and vocals. He lays out some tips a younger man might need to hear. The trumpet and trombone work here make this very New Orleans.

“I’ve Got A Funny Feeling” is a soulful cut, smoothly navigated by Ramminger and the band. “Magic In The Music” offers a slow groove and describes how on Saturday night the magic in the music performed will beat any drug and make up for all the rest of the week’s problems. The tenor and organ solos are pretty sweet. We have a little more up tempo with “More Than One Favor.” The ice cream store has more than one flavor and his desire to continued

Page 8 ...continued sample more than one puts him at odds with his woman. Ramminger goes to church with “Must Be True” as Tommy Lepson’s organ goes all church like; Lepson is adept on keys and I enjoyed him as well as I did Torkanowsky. The lyrics, unlike the organ work, are not church-like.

He sings tongue in cheek that if you see it on the internet it must be true.

“Sometimes You Race The Devil” closes it out; it’s a mix of funk and blues with the organ and sax stirring up a gumbo of flavors. The final three tracks were the DC recordings and featured Dave Chapell on guitar, who stands out as well as Mssr.

Theriot on the NOLA tracks.

I’d not heard of Ramminger’s work before and this served as a super introduction to it. Funky, Big Easy styling, smooth vocals and killer sax with two superb sets of backing musicians. What is not to like here? Well worth a listen!

Reviewed by Steve Jones Live At The 55 Arts Club Berlin Berlin The Lucky Peterson Band Blackbird Music http:// www.luckytamband.com (3DVD/2CD) Growing up and performing in his father's nightclub, The Governor's Inn, offered opportunities for Lucky Peterson that few people experience.

Bluesman James Peterson would book fellow bluesmen like the late great Willie Dixon to perform at his nightclub in Buffalo, New York. After Dixon mentored the five year old Lucky Peterson, he later made appearances on The Tonight Show, The Ed Sullivan Show, and What's My Line?. The United States watched Peterson at a young age sing "1-2-3-4", a cover version of "Please, Please, Please" by the late great James Brown. It was about the same time period that he recorded his first album Our Future: 5 Year Old Lucky Peterson for Today/Perception Records and then performed on the television program Soul in March of 1972.

As a teen, he studied at the Buffalo Academy for Visual and Performing Arts and at the same time backing artists like Etta James, Bobby "Blue" Bland, and Little Milton. Over the years, he has performed blues, R & B, and gospel and released many albums on several different labels.

Crossroads Blues Society Newsletter In the past, I have had the pleasure to see Lucky Peterson, his wife Tamara, and even his father James on a few occasions. His latest CD/DVD release Live At The 55 Arts Club Berlin goes beyond all expectations of a live performance. The project was initiated and produced by Andreas Hommelsheim, the owner of the 55 Arts Club in March of 2012. Having performed live blues for forty years and making over 300 appearances on albums, this is first time he has been recorded live. In the few times that I have seen the current The Lucky Peterson Band, I have never seen a show quite like this one. Both sets are on individual CDs and DVDs. The first set on CD and DVD opens with Lucky's own tune "I'm Back Again" moving right into the Martin Grebb song "Smooth Sailing" with Lucky exploding on the B-3, Shawn Kellerman providing a funky rhythm guitar, and laying down a steady groove is the rhythm section consisting of Tim Waites on bass and Raul Valdes on drums. The soulful vocals and keyboard of Peterson will touch your soul on the Ray LaMontagne R & B classic "Trouble."

Towards the end, Lucky straps on his stunning white axe only to transition into a show stopping blues medley of "Hide Away, "Mary Had A Little Lamb," "I Wonder Why," and "Little Red Rooster." As they segue right into Willie Dixon's "You Shook Me," the stunning Tamara Peterson works her way through the crowd captivating them as she takes the stage. Shortly after, she directs the band into the high-powered funky "Knocking" with Kellerman making it funky on guitar and Lucky ripping into the keyboards once again. Tamara switches into her self-penned gospel sounding "How Do I, Why Do I" with the Petersons trading soulful vocals as Kellerman moves into a soul-burning wah wah guitar solo.

Tamara's "I Don't Like You But I Love You" turns into a medley with Lucky sliding in with "Woke Up This Morning." They keep the love song theme going with Lucky's " Been So Long" as he expresses his lighter side by creating background vocals on the keyboard. Their bantering during the song climaxes with another fiery blues solo by Kellerman on guitar, Lucky finishing on keyboards, and Tamara taking her blues vocals to another level.

Next on the set list is the funky, R&B, original tune "I Wanna Know What Good Love Is." They conclude the first set with an original shuffle "Lost The Right," bringing Lucky center stage on guitar and once again bantering with Tamara on vocals.

The second set opens with a hard drivin' Rico McFarland blues song "Giving Me The Blues." They keep the blues rockin' with the Johnny "Guitar" Watson tune "Ta' Ta' You" featuring a blistering Kellerman guitar solo only to do an immediate about face by bringing it way down and then raising the energy level again and again.

The blues portion of the show continues with the Clarence Carter, George Jackson tune "It Ain't Safe." The band continues with a tribute to some of the past blues legends by doing the band's own renditions of classics like Willie Dixon's "Get Ready," and Howlin' Wolf's "Whose Been Talking?." Lucky leaves the B-3 once again to strap on his guitar and finish with some slide guitar, setting himself up for a spectacular slide display on Robert Johnson's "I Believe I'll Dust My Broom," showing the audience his versatility. He finishes his slide guitar by playing a medley of "I'm Gonna Build Myself A Cave," "Walking Blues," and Jimmy Rogers's "The World Is In A tangle." Still playing slide guitar, he calls Tamara back to the stage for a blues drenched rendition of the Prince song "Kiss." Her hot and steamy tune "Last Night You Left" builds to a powerful ending reminiscent of a Tina Turner performance. Her silky, sultry vocals on the Lemuel Humes song "Ain't Nobody Like You" complements Lucky's vocals perfectly, with an added Tim Waites' 5string bass solo. They end the concert real funky with Tamara's "Real Music" and a strong finish by the entire band.

The third DVD features the members of the band in a short performance. The trio absolutely tears it up on four numbers with again Tim Waites on bass, Shawn Kellerman on guitar and vocals, and Raul Valdes on drums. They open with the Matt "Guitar" Murphy tune "Boogie Thang," continue with the A.C. Williams song "Pretty Woman" made famous by legends like Albert Collins and Gary Moore, "Love Of Mine" a Jimmy Lee Land aka Buddy Ace number, and an original tune by Shawn himself entitled "Big Time." The next segment is behind the scenes with the whole band rehearsing for the show, followed by a short interview with Lucky and Tamara.

On the Live At The 55 Arts Club Berlin CD/DVD package, The Lucky Peterson band, along with Tamara Peterson, deliver a world class performance unequaled anywhere. You won't find a better show!

They have been labeled as a contemporary Ike and Tina Turner.

Review by Rick Davis

Crossroads Blues Society Newsletter The Rusty Wright Band Live On Backstage Pass Rusty Wright Band Sadson Music Check on Facebook 10 Tracks Michigan guitarists Rusty and Laurie Wright assembled what has become a dynamite blues band in 2004, opening for Lynyrd Skynyrd on their second performance. Their opening set gained them a standing ovation, impressing Lynyrd Skynyrd guitarist Rickey Medlocke. Since the inception, they have gone from being popular locally to being recognized internationally, performing at international shows on four continents. It has been the band's goal to follow Muddy Water's advice in taking the music where you find it and then take it a little farther. They have since met that goal and gone even farther with the release of their forth CD and now a their new live DVD. In 2006 their debut album Ain't No Good Life was a huge success and named one of the year's top five albums by Midnight Special Blues Radio in Paris, France.

Their second release Playin' with Fire in 2009 hit the regional Roots Music Report Blues Chart top ten, top ten rankings in Europe, and received air time on Sirius/ XM's B.B. King's Bluesville. In July of 2010 they toured commercially through Italy with the late great Alligator recording artist Michael Burks. The following year they released Live Fire, a compilation of live recordings collected over several years. January of 2013 was the release date for their latest CD This, That & the Other Thing.

The Rusty Wright Band, with their blues and southern rock style, have shared the stage and billing with not only Michael Burks and Lynyrd Skynyrd but also legends like the late Etta James, Johnny Winter, Edgar Winter, Charlie Musselwhite, Leslie West & Mountain, Bettye Lavette, Walter Trout, Coco Montoya, Mark Farner of Grand Funk Railroad, and contemporary artists like Kenny Wayne Shepherd, Janiva Magness, Zac Harmon, Ronnie Baker Brooks, Blessid Union of Souls, Slaughter, Nick Moss, and many others. They are one of the most sought after blues groups in their home state of Michigan.

Early last year was highlighted by their national television debut on WKAR's Backstage Pass, the syndicated PBS music program produced on the campus of

Page 9 Michigan State University. Prior to the show, former Grand Funk Railroad bassist Dennis Bellinger joined the group, replacing longtime bassist Andrew Barancik.

Rounding out the group with Rusty and Laurie on vocals and guitar are Dave Brahce on keyboards and Peter Haist on drums. Rusty Wright Band Live on Backstage Pass opens with "World Upside Down," capturing the explosive lead guitar of Rusty and the powerful rhythm guitar of Laurie, complimented with their incredible vocals. With a funky intro, it doesn't take Rusty long to rip into his high voltage guitar riffs on the tune "Ain't from Mississippi." The powerful performance continues, showcasing this all-star band on tracks "Man On Fire" and "Pretty Little Lies." Man on fire is an accurate description of Rusty as he tears it up on guitar.

His slide and leads are superb on "Pretty Little Lies" with some Allman Brothers echoing in his vocals and guitar.

Throughout the performance there are short interview segments with the band vocalizing their thoughts about music in general. They slow things down with "How Blue Are You" only to pick it up on "Do It Again." On "Messin' round" Laurie takes center stage with her stellar vocals with Rusty complimenting both on vocals and guitar. The next ballad tells of the "Last Days Of Whitney Malone" featuring this time Dave Brahce and Rusty trading licks on lead guitar and Laurie playing rhythm guitar. "Hell On My Heels," the only instrumental, opens with a lot of fire from Rusty as he explodes on guitar. The live show concludes with "Whole Lotta Rosie" influenced by Rusty's gospel background playing with his mom's gospel band as a teen.

He finishes this song with his superb guitar licks reminiscent of that Southern rock guitar style of Steve Gaines, Gary Rossington, and Allen Collins of Lynyrd Skynyrd.

The DVD was filmed with high quality sound and picture. They are Michigan's premier southern rock and blues band.

The entire band displayed an award winning performance on this live public television show!

Review by Rick Davis My Turn Lisa Cee Rip Cat Records www.lisacee.com 14 tracks The inaugural release for this blues, rock, roots and soul singing woman is a good

one. Hailing from Southern California, Lisa Cee has led the house band at the Gibson and Fender Guitar Lodge at the Sundance Film Festival and now has worked with Rip Cat to release her first album. Interstingly, it features an old picture of Lisa on the cover in a gogo cage in a zebra striped outfit and fishnets, so I was not sure what was going to be inside.

Lisa wrote nine of the songs for this CD. There is an interesting mix of new and old here and the covers are slick, eclectic and pretty cool. “White Rabbit” has Cee taking it to a new place; she replaced the guitar lead with horns and gives a great vocal performance. “Good-Bye Baby” gets revamped quote sweetly in a boogie woogie style. “I’ll Take You There” features an acoustic guitar intro and lead with a sultry performance by Cee. 60’s soul tune “What Good Am I” (Mickey Champion) opens the CD as a jumping blues tune with a great vocal performance.

Cee notes that she is on a journey to express herself with her songs here. It’s not like some of her live sets where she comes our with six shooters blazing; Cee is working to blend her vocals and backing into a whole and I’d hae to say she did a good job. The first we get to here is “Fire In The Sky,” where she blends her voice with some cool guitar licks by he r band mate BR Million. Blues ballads like “Lost You” show her emotions and the pain of grief and loss of friends. “Fire” funks it up with a great groove and horn solo by Ron Dziubla. She takes a rootsy, country turn with “My Turn” while “Right Man” featured producer Johnny Mastro with some wicked harp work and Cee belting out about how her “right man” treats her so well. “Stop Tryin’” features Cee soulfully wailing while “Cold Hearted Woman” has Cee telling us to stay away or we’ll get burned. “Evil Mind is another funk tune where Cee shows her stuff. She closes with an acoustic number, Already Free.”

More great lyrics and some cello make this even more poignant. and haunting I’m sold– I liked this CD. Not having seen her live, I have nothing to contrast her studio performance with, but suffice it to say there is a lot of depth, meaning and feeling in her work. I was impressed with the songs, her performances and the cast of characters supporting her. Mike Hightower and Allbert Treagnier Jr. are the bass and drum backline and those who stop in for a song of two also do a great job. A very nice first effort by this California blues woman!

Reviewed by Steve Jones

March-April 2013

Page 10 Harvey Mandel and the Snake Crew Harvey Mandel and the Snake Crew Self Released www.harvey mandel.com 14 tracks Harvey Mandel is a rocking guitar wizard who runs the gamut of styles on this CD with him and a bunch of friends having a great time. The blues plays a part in this mix, which includes a variety of rock styles, with and without vocals. The CD offers up these musical styles individually and sometimes blended together, which is what Mandel usually does for us on his albums.

Norton Buffalo and Mandel penned and played on several cuts which are more in the blues end of the spectrum. “Have You Seen My Baby” is an excellent cut, with Buffalo growling out the vocals, Mandellaying out his licks and Elvin Bishop sneaking into the mix with some nice slide. I loved the track. They follow it with another blues cut, this time written by Mandel and drummer Michael Borbridge.

It’s a cool instrumental with Buffalo chugging on his harp and the team playing a cool groove. It is called“Train Wreck,” but there is no damage done musically; another fun cut. Nick Gravenites sings the next song and also co-wrote it with Mandel and Borbridge. “So Far So Good” adds Barry Goldberg with his funked up sounding keyboards blended with Mandel’s guitar as the band shuffles and jives together for another winner.

Rick Kellogg’s vocal and harp on “Everybody Wants to Go To Heaven” is an expressive and soulfully poignant slow blues. Pete Sears on piano adds really nice rolling sounds throughout and Mandel puts a knife in your heart on the guitar solo. “Layin’ Around Here With The Blues” is a Mandel/Buffalo/Borbridge offering with Norton being quite expressive on vocals and harp. Bishop’s lide is also here and it’s really cooly layer over Mandel’s guitar, Buffalo’s harp and vocal and Howard Wales organ work. Nice solos by all involved here. Marcy Levy is featured on vocal on three cuts and helped pen them two. “Set In Stone” is perhaps the bluesiest of the three and she gives it her all on vocals. Sears on organ is also hot here. “Land of the Free” and “It Is What It Is” are also some nicely done cuts by Levy.

Harder, far out rocking with a sometimes country twinge is here, too. Carlos Reyes adds his violin with “Twizzle Zing” and the closing wild cut called “Free Flow II” which mix jazzy rocking sounds with a country flair on the first piece and then go more into a fusion jazz sound on the latter.

Two instrumentals; they certainly are not blues but are interesting. “I Had A Life” is one the big, driving rock cuts that remind me of the Doobie Brothers sound. “Baby Batter II” is Mandel in his Santana mode, congas and keys adding that Latin punch to this instrumental.

It’s a fun CD and I enjoyed listening to it.

The cast of characters is huge; 20 people appear on the CD along with Mandel. If you like your blues mixed up with many styles of rock you’ll certainly enjoy this CD, too.

Reviewed by Steve Jones Another review of...

Dr. DuPree’s Love Shop Stevie DuPree & The Delta Flyers Soulbilly Music Group www.thedeltaflyers.com 12 tracks Betsie Brown and Blind Racoon have got to stop sending us stuff like this to reviewI just want to listen to it over and over again! It’s another great CD by lead singer Stevie and guitar player Travis Stephenson. With Quentin “Q” Calva on bass and Steve Bundrick on drums, these guys blend blues and bluegrass with a little Cajun and country music into a wonderful set of tunes. Marcia Ball plays piano on one track, Mark Kaz Kazanoff adds tenor sax, harp, harmonies and percussion, Nick Connelly is on keys, and the Texas Horn of Kaz on tenor, John Mills on baritone and Al Gomez on trumpet also add their spark to the set. DuPree has a hand in the writing of each song here.

The album opens with the jumping cut “Broke Up.” Derek O’Brien adds slide and it makes for a great sounding performance. DuPree howls and the band cuts a groove and the guitars wail. It’s a nice piece to set the stage for the rest of the album. “First Dance” follows, a bit of a swing/jump tune with Ball on the piano.

The horns add their sound to the mix, too.

It’s nicely done with the keys being tickled so prettily and the horns blazing oh so well. Up next is the title track. Alice Stewart sings the lead with help from Lisa Tin-

gle and Stevie. Stephenson gets funky on the guitar and then Kaz blows a mean horn solo. At this point I was completely sold and the next nine tracks did nothing to dispel the good feelings.

“St. Paul’s Bottoms” is a big up-tempo tune about the former Ledbetter Heights area of Shreveport. Harp and guitar solos abound- well done! They take it way down next with “Angel of Mercy” and DuPree wails how his Angel of Mercy from the red light district gets him through the night. The boys then get into a groove with “Soulbilly Music” and how it’s uplifting power makes everything alright. Then “Ain’t Gonna Be Your Dog” gets us up and dancing. DuPree sings of his relationship reprieve and Stephenson wails on slide.

“It’s My Life” gives us DuPree’s take on life. Despite being “pitched high and tight” he’s happy with his life as he and the band swing and pick through this song showing us that he finer things in life pale to having a decent ride with your radio playing loud and your baby by your side.

Connelly lays down a nice keyboard solo here, too. DuPree then testifies on “The Witness Tree” in this scaled down piece with just him and the piano starting off.

The band comes in soulfully after a minute or so as Stevie pledges his lover with his girl “under the old witness tree.” The tenor sax solo complements the vocals here with its’ own beautiful testimony.

“The Old Mule” pops and percolates with some nice harp work and a cool lyrics as DuPree delivers another great performance; he’s not gonna be some girl’s old mule. “Lucky Seven” is a rockabilly track where DuPree likens his lifes’ successes to rolling a lucky seven the hard way.

Stephenson sounds a little like Dickey Betts here on the guitars he layers in.

Connelly takes us to church on the organ as the final track opens, but then it transforms into a love song about a hot number who DuPree is ready to follow around the world. The organ solo is huge and the band gets into a great groove.

This is a great album. I loved it from start to finish and just enjoyed the heck out of it. DuPree and Stephenson are masters at reaching out, grabbing you and keeping you listening. This is their best effort yet and I highly recommend it!

Reviewed by Steve Jones

Crossroads Blues Society Newsletter Get Up! Ben Harper with Charlie Musselwhite Stax Records www.benharper.com www.charlie musselwhite.com 10 tracks "Get Up!" is the 12th studio album for Ben Harper. Two-time 2005 Grammy winner for Best Pop Instrumental Performance and Best Traditional Soul Gospel Album, Harper began playing guitar as a child growing up in California where his grandparents owned a music store frequented by the likes of Leonard Cohen and Taj Mahal. Influenced by musicians like Robert Johnson and Bob Marley, Harper combines song writing, vocals and guitar instrumentals to create a mix of blues, gospel and R&B. He owns and plays three Weissenborn guitars manufactured in the 1920's and 1930's. The signature of these lap slide guitars is their hollow neck body chamber which runs the entire length of the body. Harper is also an activist whose well-organized website contains links to numerous environmental and social responsibility networks.

Charlie Musselwhite, a six-time Grammy nominee, 14-time W.C. Handy Award winner and Blues Hall of Fame inductee, has recorded over 20 albums since 1967 as well as guested on many more before collaborating with Harper on "Get Up!". Born in Mississippi, Musselwhite spent most of his childhood in Memphis. He moved to Chicago as a young man, soaking up the blues scene there. Eventually he moved to California where he and Harper recorded sessions together and performed a dozen live concerts. They were encouraged to collaborate by fellow musician John Lee Hooker after both joined Hooker for a 1997 session. The result of that encouragement is "Get Up!" Joining Harper and Musselwhite in the band are Jason Mozersky on guitar, Jesse Ingalls on bass and keyboards and Jordan Richardson on drums. Harper wrote or co -wrote each track on the CD. "Get Up!" is musically diverse, with powerful, often dark lyrics attesting to the pair's first-hand encounters with heartbreak and heartache. As Musselwhite points out, "These songs are all from the heart, more so than from the head. More than just music, they are reflections of life." In "You Found Another Lover (I Lost Another Friend)", Harper sings "I may lie to my

Page 11 heart, but my heart never lies to me." while Musselwhite's harmonica croons in sweet and yearning harmony. "We Can't End This Way" is a plea for unity between the "haves" and the "have-nots". "I Ride At Dawn" was written in honor of a friend's Navy Seal son with Harper's signature Weissenborn slide guitar leading the battle. This album is a serious two thumbs up and should not be missed.

Reviewed by Diane Mandell Stone Blue Willie May Booman Music www.williemay music.com 10 tracks/37:10 This is the 12th album out of 13 for Willie May. The Buffalo, NY area native and his original band members (Ron Kain - guitar, Tom Corsi - bass, Randy Corsi - drums) have played together since the band formed in 1984. May has performed on stage with a host of musicians such as Buddy Guy, Chris Duarte, James Cotton, Alvin Lee, Steppenwolf, Bachman Turner Overdrive, Otis Clay, Edgar and Johnny Winter, and The Climax Blues Band, among others. May has played thousands of venues including Attica Prison. He has written all the songs on this CD. The album is a nice mix of blues, jazz, country, and rock. "Stranger In My House" is a blues-jazz number about the breakdown of a love relationship featuring Ken Parker on sax. May's distinct gravelly voice laments "I got a stranger in my house where my baby used to be." Another track, "Where Did We Go Wrong" is a hill country-flavored tune featuring the guitar-pickin' twang of Carl Eddy. "Showtime" is another jazzy number featuring Ken Parker on sax and Ken Parker on harmonica. One of the best tracks is "So Long Ago" with May singing about loss and moving on with lyrics like "I don't look back anymore...that was so long ago." Another album definitely worth a serious listen.

Reviewed by Diane Mandell

The Town Crier Robert 'Top' Thomas WildRoots Records Facebook.com/ RobertTopThomas 13 tracks/42:57 This album is New Smyrna Beach, Florida native, Robert 'Top' Thomas' first solo album endeavor. Thomas has toured and recorded with the likes of Noble 'Thin Man' Watts, Lazy Lester, Bill 'Sauce Boss' Wharton, and Alex Taylor since he was 13. Thomas was also a founding member of Smokehouse, recording four albums on the King Snake Records label in the 1990's to define Florida Swamp Blues as a distinctive genre in the world of blues. Twelve of the 13 tracks were written for the disc project with album producer Stephen Dees noted most often. The third track, "The Same Thing Could Happen to You" is the only tune composed for another project. Previously written by Jerry West and recorded by first -generation swamp blues musician, Lazy Lester, Thomas' vocal interpretation is similar and Thomas notes his thanks to Lester on the cd liner for inspiring him to make this album.

"The Town Crier" is a compilation of down and dirty delta swamp blues. Thomas' voice is gritty and gruff yet clear enough to carry the album's simple short stories. Good guitar riffs are ample throughout. The instrumental "Yeehaw Junction" has tenor sax and harmonica complementing the riff. Stephen Dees' "Bad Seed" has Thomas grinding out the words, "Why do you water your garden with the tears of the broken hearted?". "Blues Grass" and "What's the Matter Ma" croon about hard economic times. "Sugar Shop" is one of my favorite tracks with Wainwright's boogie piano accompanying Thomas' guitar riffs and gravel vocals. Another favorite is the title track, "The Town Crier" with great piano and smoky harmonica. "Lazy Little Daisy" is a humorous number about a deadbeat spouse. I recommend listening to this album more than once as it will definitely grow on you. Two thumbs up.

Reviewed by Diane Mandell

March-April 2013

Page 12 There's a Time Doug MacLeod Reference Recordings www.doug-macleod.com www.reference recordings.com 13 tracks/58:09 Over his thirty year career, Doug MacLeod has consistently honored the lessons he learned from legends like Big Joe Turner, Eddie “Cleanhead” Vinson and George “Harmonica” Smith. MacLeod's original songs take a hard, honest, and often humorous look at world as he sees it. His heartfelt tales are delivered with his masterful storytelling skills, consistently connecting with listeners on deep emotional levels while his immaculate phrasing on a bevy of guitars creates a rich backdrop for his riveting vocals. Nominated for numerous Blues Music awards, including “Acoustic Artist of the Year”, MacLeod is firmly established as one of the reigning masters of the acoustic genre.

On his latest release, he changes course a bit by adding long-time associate Denny Croy on bass and the renown Jimi Bott on drums, both men adding rich rhythmic textures to the proceedings. MacLeod switches between his personally handcrafted National M-1 Reso-phonic he calls “Moon”, his older Gibson C-100 “Little Bit” acoustic, a National “O” called “Owl” and a borrowed 12 string National El Trovador.

The recording was done live in the recording studio by Grammy-winning engineer Keith Johnson, who is known for his ability to capture and accurately recreate the magic of a live performance. MacLeod admits that he initially had some hesitation about this method of recording but the trio quickly settled into a relaxed comfort zone based on their years of playing together.

The result is a sonically superior recording that articulates each note from Bott's subtle use of his drumsticks to the notes that ring out of the leader's guitar.

Highlights abound, starting with “Black Nights”, a worrying blues about nightfall and the intense feelings it conjures up. “Run With the Devil” is a descriptive portrait of a man from MacLeod's past who “..played music with a cross-eyed mind.”. The talking blues is set up by sharp slide licks on 'Owl'.

MacLeod paints another vivid picture on “St. Elmo's Room and Pool”, making you feel right at home at a neighborhood joint that offers” ..a fine selection of real cheap blues” in addition to a variety of illegal entertainment options. On “I'll be Walking On”, he delicately picks on 'Moon' while his voice rises in a mournful cry as love fades. The shimmering tones of the 12 string El Trova-

dor compliment MacLeod's voice as he slips into the falsetto range on “The Up Song”, delivering a positive message about the power of hope.

MacLeod's wry sense of humor gets a workout on “My Inlaws Are Outlaws” over a light, swinging groove while he takes dead aim at the self-absorbed on “The Entitled Few”, calling out those who ignore the suffering all around them. Another stand-out track revisits a street-corner debate MacLeod had with a zealous ”Christian” over the merits of Biblical scripture and who will receive salvation. “A Ticket Out” is a gentle ballad relating how regret eats away at you when the time comes to end a relationship. On “Rosa Lee”, MacLeod wrings some razor-sharp slide licks from 'Moon' and you can hear how the three musicians are in perfect sync.

Croy's bass provides powerful foundation on “East Carolina Woman” as the singer expounds on another relationship that left him with a troubled mind. The emotionallycharged rendition of “The Night on Devil's Road” reaffirms MacLeod's mastery as a storyteller. The haunting “Ghost” closes the disc with hair-raising cries and a hypnotic guitar line.

Doug MacLeod has earned the many accolades and honors that have come his way in recent years. He continues to find creative ways to rework the blues traditions, honoring the legacies of the legends he learned from. Keeping in mind that he has over twenty recordings to his credit, There's a Time might be his best yet. He takes us into the darkness, then pulls us out, offering a glimmer of hope that some day we can make the world a better place. Until then, be thankful that we have him around to continue to guide us to look at the world with brand new eyes. This one come highly recommended!

Reviewed by Mark Thompson Long Walk Home Kevin Selfe Delta Groove Music, Inc www.kevinselfe.com www.deltagroove music.com 11 tracks/50:11 A move to Portland, OR six years ago has really paid off for guitarist Kevin Selfe.

Along with his band, the Tornadoes, Self quickly became a fixture on the Northwest scene, winning a number of area blues music awards and capturing plenty of accolades for his Playing the Game release.

With the backing of the Delta Groove label, Selfe is looking to reach a larger national – and international – audience.

Selfe plays guitar and handles the lead vocals. He also wrote all of the songs and served as the Producer for the project, using the studio that drummer Jimi Bott built in his home. Allen Markels is the other half of the strong rhythm section. Veteran Gene Taylor appears on four tracks on piano. The same tracks are bolstered by a horn section comprised of Joe McCarthy on trumpet, Chris Mercer on tenor sax and Brad Ulrich on baritone sax.

There is plenty to like, starting with Selfe's commanding performance on “Mama Didn't Raise No Fool”. Doug James' honking baritone sax props up the low end, Steve Kerins fills out the arrangement on piano and Mitch Kashmar blows a memorable acoustic chromatic harp solo. But it is the leader's brawny voice and gut-bucket guitar that make the biggest impression. Tracks like “Duct Tape on My Soul” and “Moving Day Blues” show display a strong T-Bone Walker influence, robust horn charts and smooth vocals. The later track is another highlight as Selfe's penetrating guitar licks ride the riffing horn section, building the slow blues to a cathartic finish.

Bott lays down a swinging shuffle beat on “Walking Funny” as Taylor rocks the 88's.

The horns get to stretch out a bit on “Second Box on the Left” as Selfe's deep voice articulates the hard times that befell him after losing his job. Selfe plays acoustic slide on a resonator guitar on “The Blues is My Home”, singing with unerring frankness about the music he loves. The frantic “Last Crossroads” is less effective in the acoustic format despite Bott's sure-handed work.

Despite Selfe's spirited efforts, the track is weaker lyrically than the rest of the program and fails to impress.

Selfe regains his footing on “Dancing Girl”, utilizing a guitar lick from “Lonely Avenue” to set-up another solo full of cascading runs up and down the guitar neck. He generates a raw, menacing electric slide tone on “Midnight Creeper” as Bott once again kicks things into gear. Kerin's piano propels the first half of the closing track, “Put Me Back in Jail”, before Selfe tears it up on slide on a tune that reworks “Give Me Back My Wig”.

One listen to this recording will make it clear that Kevin Selfe is a very talented musician. At times the disc could use a bit more greasy textures as some arrangements are spot-on recreations of music of by-gone eras. But Selfe avoids cliches, demonstrates his versatility and ends up with a recording that warrants your consideration. We will be hearing a lot more from him down the road.

Reviewed by Mark Thompson

Crossroads Blues Society Newsletter

Top Blues Releases February 2013 Sunday Morning Blues WKGL-FM 96.7 The Eagle Rockford, IL Otis Taylor / My World Is Gone / Telarc Teeny Tucker / Voodoo to Do You / TeBo Al Miller / …In Between Time / Delmark Hadden Sayers / Rolling Soul / Blue Corn Music Jesse Dee / On My Mind/In My Heart / Alligator Joe Filisko & Eric Noden / Missing Train Blues / Filisko-Noden The James Hunter Six / Minute

by Minute / Fantasy Magic Slim & The Teardrops / Bad Boy / Blind Pig Dave Weld and the Imperial Flames / Burnin' Love / Delmark This list is submitted to Living Blues Magazine for inclusion in the February 2013 National Radio Chart. This list is compiled from actual radio air play statistics. WKGL-FM broadcasts 2 hours of blues per week.

Rich Gordon Sunday Morning Blues WKGL-FM 96.7 The Eagle 3901 Brendenwood Road Rockford, IL 61107

Crossroads Blues Society Officers and Board Members Contact Info President: Steve Jones Vice-President: Karl Dahlin Secretary: Bonnie Fox Treasurer: Al McNary Board of Directors: Denny Barker Rick Davis Rich Gordon Bob Haendler Terry Keller

sub_insignia@yahoo.com baile12@t6wireless.com bonitafx@gmail.com agm22@hotmail.com harkthebark@mchsi.com rick_davis_937@comcast.net usblue5@aol.com rhaendler@comcast.net terry@markpack.com

Page 13

www.thebluesblast.com The free internet blues magazine!

Byron Blues Fest Ready to Go Mark your calendars– Saturday, August 24th will be the date for 4th Annual Byron Crossroads Blues Festival. We had a small financial setback where one of our top sponsors lost funding to support community programs, but with a lot of leg work we have replaced that sponsorship with new backers and things are looking bright and rosy to make this another successful event. New sponsors are: McDonalds of Byron (Gold) OSF Saint Anthony Medical Center (Gold) Spahn and Rose Lumber Company (Silver) Rahn Family Wellness (Bronze) Returning sponsors who have already committed to our event: UAW Local 1268 (Platinum) King Blacktop (Gold) Miller Electric (Silver) Area Rental/ Joe Geraghty (Silver) Headlining this year’s even are the Nighthawks.

41 years experience has not slowed this band down. They can still rock it out and get their blues on with the best of them.

Mark Wenner on harp and vocals leads the band as he has since its’ inception.

The lineup listed below is a great one. We also will have a Joe Filisko harp workshop and Dave Specter guitar workshop’ both will be free with admission.

This will be another super event featuring some fine acts. Tickets go on sale soon– stay tuned!

Also, there are many volunteer opportunities available. Contact Steve Jones or Bonnie Fox for details.

Crossroads Blues Society P.O. Box 722 Freeport, IL 61032 On the web at: www.crossroadsbluessociety.com/ Our blogs: News: http://crossroadsbluessociety. blogspot.com/ Music Reviews: http://crossroadsreviews.blogspot.com/ Email us at: sub_insignia@yahoo.com

Keeping the Blues Alive Blues on Local Radio WNIJ - 89.5 FM Friday evenings from 9 PM to midnight with Jerald Fitzpatrick Saturday afternoons from 1 to 4 PM with Patrick Sheehan Saturday evenings from 9 PM to midnight with David James The Eagle - 96.7 FM Sunday Morning Blues 6 AM to 8 AM with Rich Gordon

Blues News and Upcoming Events We are bringing the blues to the schools and to the Northern Illinois area in a big way. Lots of great shows and programs are planned!

Monday April 8th we have Rob Tomaro for BITS. Rob is a jazz and blues player who just happens to also conduct the Beloit and Janesville Symphony, BITS programs at Washington Elementary and St. Bernadette’s School will be followed by a show at the Just Goods Listening room at 7 PM. Free for members and students, $5 for all others.

Navy Band Horizon is tentatively set for Armed Forces Day at the American Legion in Byron on May 18th at 6 PM. This is titled our Red, White and Blues Celebration and admission is free. Barring economic fallout from the

sequestration and fiscal cliff, this show will go on!

We are also excited to bring Ana Popavic to the Adriatic for her first ever visit to Rockford.

Friday, May 24th is the date with the show starting at 9 PM. Tickets for that will be $20 in advance, $25 at the door.

Stay tuned– there may be even more!

Membership Application www.crossroadsbluesociety.com Yes! I’d love to be a part of the Crossroads Blues Society!

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Please cut out or copy and mail this form and payment to: Crossroads Blues Society Bring this to P.O. Box 722 our next meeting Freeport, IL 61032 and get a free CD!