The Groove: Sep-Oct 2016

The Crossroads Blues Society Newsletter

The

GROOVE

Blues Festival Draws 2,500!!!

Reverend Peyton’s Big Damn Band delighted the crowd!

photo by Rick Davis

500 more people were in their seats or on their feet. Ghost Town Blues Band came on at 4 PM 2016 Crossroads and by the time they finished Blues Festival Results close to 2,000 people had to be  Attendance was about there. More came in as Tad Rob2,500 inson’s set progressed and 40 minutes into Reverend Peyton’s  Advanced ticket sales Big Damn Band’s set the last new were close to 1,800 fans entered the park. About  Sales at the gate were 2,500 blues fans came out for this over 300 spectacular event, by far our best  About 400 volunteers, effort yet. We had some big ones sponsors & other ticket in the past but the setting and recipients attended talent were both great top to bot 280 tee shirts were sold/ tom and this one was certainly the best one yet! distributed continued on page 2

It’s all over. The build up seemed immense. Twelve months of planning and preparing, all for about 10 hours of music. But what great music and what a great time it was!

The crowd built rapidly as the gates opened at 11 AM. By the time The Flaming Mudcats took the stage a good thousand or more had descended from the parking lot to listen. As Joanna Connor began her set, perhaps

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  Ghost Town Blues Band was on fire!

Blues Challenge October 9 It’s time for our 2016 Crossroads Blues Challenge. This year the challenge will be Sunday, October 9th at the Grand Avenue Pub in Beloit, WI. The application form is on page 5. Start time is currently 3 PM but could change, based on the number of competing acts. Registration fee is $25 per act.

The registration sheet is on

SeptemberOctober 2016

page 5. The winning band and solo/duo act will represent Crossroads at the 2017 International Blues Challenge which will be January 31-February 4, 2017. The International Showcase will open the event on January 31 with competition rounds February 1-4 in venues located on historic Beale Street in Memphis, Tennessee.

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The beer wagons were close to being depleted!

Prior year fest tee shirts sold out 29 types of beer and wine were offered for sale Two Hardtime Cigar Box Guitars were raffled off (one was a surprise extra!)

28 new and renewing members signed up for Crossroads Festival attendees from as far away as Arizona, Louisiana, Colorado and Missouri attended (that we know of) Reverend Peyton caught 6 small mouth bass It did not rain (a first for our Lyran Park fests!)

Inside this issue: News 1-9,11,26-33 Music Reviews 10-25 Playlist, Members 33 Membership Application 33 Upcoming Events 34

The Groove- Crossroads Blues Society Newsletter

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2016 Festival Draws Huge Crowd want more. I am sure she and her band will be back in Rockford soon!.

The Ghost Town Blues Band got a huge reaction from the crowd with their music and performance. They marched in New Orleans style which had the crowd cheering from the start. They were on fire all afternoon and gave their all in an outstanding set of music. Matt Isbell fronted the band and played guitar, cigar box guitar and even some trombone. Preston McEwen on the drums and Matt Karner on the bass guitar as backline and rhythm section Trombonist Suavo Jones, keyboardist Jeremy Powell and lead guitar player Taylor Orr make up one of the finest young bands in the blues world. Local music fans were asking when they’d be back– they killed it in their first performance in Rockford!

Ghost Town Blues Band

Tad Robinson was a fan favorite as he sang and played great harp!

photo by Rick Davis

Continued from page 1...

The hungry fans were well fed by the food vendors offering BBQ, Italian Beef and Sausage, Bourbon Glazed Pork and Chicken, Mexican Foods, Gelato, Ice Cream and Italain Ice. Two or three of the food vendors ran out of food during the last set. The Beer Garden volunteers hustled case after case of beer from the party wagons into the ice tubs from start to finish. The huge assortment of beer sold like crazy as thirsty fans sampled from the 29 selections of regular and craft beers and wines to their delight.

The Flaming Mudcats were spot on as they opened the day. Craig Bracken on

harp and vocals was impressive. Doug Bygrave on guitar really impressed the crowd. The backline of Ian Thomson on drums and Sean McCarthy on bass were solid and carried the groove and set a great backdrop for a superb set!

Joanna Connor had not played Rockford for over ten years. Her set reminded fans how much she was missed– she is the empress of the slide guitar! What an amazing lady- she is one of the best slide guitar player in the world. Her band of Anthony Palmer on guitar, Lance Lewis on bass and James Carter on drums also impressed the crowd and made them

Joanna Connor stunned the crowd with her fiery slide!

The ever soulful and suave Tad Robinson and his band offered up stunning set of tunes ranging from suave and subdued to raucous and rocking. Tad’s vocals and harp were exceptional as he gave the crowd a performance to remember. Paul Holdman on guitar and vocals is a super musician and vocalist in his own right.

Jeff Chapin on drums and David Murray on the bass are a great backline and maintained the flow for a fantastic set.

Chris Cameron (Hambone) on the keys offered up several exceptional solos and filled in nicely the whole set. Tad and the band are consummate professionals and we can’t wait to have them back again! continued on page 6

New Zealand’s Flaming Mudcats were fantastic!

September-October 2016

u o y k n Tha r u o l l a to ! s r o s n spo

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The Groove- Crossroads Blues Society Newsletter

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Bryan Lee at Sinnissippi Park

Saturday, July 16th was the second big installment in Crossroads’ 2016 Summer of Fun with the great Bryan Lee at Sinnissippi Park’s band shell in Rockford. The Braille Blues Daddy has been on the road for 60 years now and shows little sign he can’t deliver the goods– he played for close to two hours straight through!

Lee played many of his great original songs which delighted the crowd. His inspired performance got the crowd on their feet and when the show was over everyone was up and crying for more.

The 2011 BMA recipient was on fire all night long.

Bryan called up Justin “Boots” Gates to play an encore with him on harmonica.

They jammed together and everyone stayed on their feet!

Justin opened the evening with a solo performance that captivated the crowd.

The 16 year old is a fantastic performer with a solid repertoire and some great licks on both guitar and harp!

Performing with the Braille Blues Daddy were Dave Kasik on bass, Lars Hansen on drums and Tommy Wachs on guitar. T They hail from Wisconsin and are playing with Bryan during this two month Midwest tour. An impressive back line and some

great guitar work were done by these guys– well done!

A crowd of about 200 fans were there to enjoy the show. Thanks to AnJan’s Eats for catering and Prairie Street Brewhouse for providing beverages. About $600 was raised for Crossroad’s Blues in the Schools program via donations and tee shirt sales. Thank you to all who donated to the cause and thanks again to everyone who came out for one of he hottest shows of the summer!

Next up in the Summer of Fun is our 7th annual blues festival on August 27th. This shaping up to be our biggest one yet!

September-October 2016

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Few Festivals Can Top This Selection of Beers and Wines!!!

Thank you to our #1 financial sponsor!

Crossroads Blues Society presents the 2016 Crossroads Blues Challenge Entry Form must be submitted with $25 entry fee by 9/30/16 Mail to Crossroads Blues Society PO Box 840 Byron, IL 61010 Band Name _____________________________________________ Band Member ____________________ Instrument _____________ Crossroads Blues Society Officers and Board Members Contact Info

Band Member ____________________ Instrument _____________ Band Member ____________________ Instrument _____________

President: Steve Jones sub_insignia@yahoo.com

Band Member ____________________ Instrument _____________

Vice-President: Bill Graw williamjgraw@gmail.com

Band Member ____________________ Instrument _____________

Secretary: Bonnie Fox bonitafx@gmail.com

Band Member ____________________ Instrument _____________

Treasurer: Terry Keller terry@markpack.com

Band Member ____________________ Instrument _____________

Board of Directors:

Band Member ____________________ Instrument _____________

Denny Barker harkthebark@mchsi.com

Contact Information:

Rick Davis rick_davis_937@comcast.net

Band Leader ________________________________________

Bob Haendler rhaendler@comcast.net

Phone _____________________

Ken Pearson cntrylivng@aol.com

Other Contact _______________________________________

Rick Hein mrrickhein@sbcglobal.net

Phone: _____________________ Email: _____________________

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The Groove- Crossroads Blues Society Newsletter

Continued from page 2...

Headlining the event was the hot Reverend Peyton’s Big Damn Band. Reverend Peyton entertained the crowd with his guitar, cigar box guitar and vocals. The Big Damn Band is the Rev’s wife Breezy Peyton on washboard, bass drum and backing vocals and Ben Bussell on drums, bucket, percussion and backing vocals. The Peyton’s keep the crowd engaged with their music and antics, giving big eyed stares and making faces as they play their hill country blues. It was a night many, many people will remember!

In between acts we had Birddog and Beck entertaining in the Pavilion. Ken Olufs on harmonica and Warren Beck on keys comprise the duo who won our 2015 Crossroads Blues Challenge and represented us in Memphis at the 2015 IBC. Dan Phelps sat in with them several times on guitar and cigar box guitar. He was demonstrating the Hardtime Cigar Box Guitars throughout the day; based on the reception he got, Birddog and Beck might be doing trio work in the future with him!

Speaking of Hardtime Guitars, thanks go to them for raffling off another guitar on behalf of our Blues in the Schools (BITS) program.

We raised almost $400 with their help and our thanks go to them again. They have donated guitars to raffle off for many years at our fests. This year they surprised the participants in the raffle and gave away a second guitar!

Our primary financial sponsor was the Rockford Area Arts Council. As a Platinum Sponsor they donated $1,000 which helped us to cover many of the early costs in executing this festival. They have supported our fests and our BITS programs for 14 years. Their logo is right there on our shirts (see page 3 for the shirt back and sponsors) and their logo is featured on page 5; it represents so much to the music and arts community!

Thank you so much to them and all of the great staff at the RAAC! Gold financial sponsors at the $500 were Byron Bank, Intren Utility Solutions, and Woodman’s Markets. The money they donated went to our down payments and early printing costs. We thank them so much for their generosity! Michel and Brian Williams donated a Thrivent Action Grant to us and helped pay some of our ticket printing and TV advertising costs. Our thanks go out to them and Thrivent Financial!

Silver Sponsors donated $200 and above.

They were Joe & Jeanette Geraghty, Bill & Pamela Graw, Steve & Annette Jones, Jack Kozuszko & Bonnie Fox, Plumbers & Pipefitters U.A. Local 23, Rockford Bank and Trust, and Woodward, Inc. These sponsors helped us immensely!

A huge crowd built throughout the afternoon and evening!

Our Bronze level financial sponsors were Casey’s, Kiwanis of Byron, Ric & Donna Douglas, Camille Einoder, Jim & Sallie Krebs, Mark & Cindi Nelson,, Ken Pearson, Rockford Heating & Air Conditioning, Norm & Piera Sagon, SMART Solutions, Inc., Spahn & Rose Lumber, UAW Local 1761 and the White Eagle Club. Our thanks go out to them, too.

Our in-kind sponsors are also vital to our cause. Media sponsors helped at many levels. On the Platinum side we have WIFR-23, our local CBS television affiliate who help with ads, PSAs and production. We made gains in presales and same day sales and I think television was worth the investment.

On the radio we have a commercial and noncommercial partner. The Eagle 96.7 FM helped us on the commercial side while WNIJ 89.5 FM helped on the public radio side. Each did promos and ticket giveaways which helped get the word out– thank you so much them for their support these past 7 years and hopefully for many more!

Gold sponsors were led by Blues Blast Magazine, the great weekly on-line blues magazine and host of the Blues Blast Music Awards in Champaign on September 23rd.

Blues Blast and Bob Kieser have also supported us from the start. Chicago Blues Guide is another great on-line supporter and their ads also helped a bunch. Thanks to them and Editor Linda Cain! WDCB Radio also helped via Hambone’s Blues Show (Thursday’s at 10 PM). The Rock River Times is Rockford’s best newspaper to find out what is really happening in town politically and culturally. Thanks to Frank Shier and the staff for their ads! Underground Printing gave us another great deal on shirts and Lamonica Beverages printed hundreds of poster and ads of various sizes that we got to display all over. Lastly, our thanks go to

photo by Rick Davis

our favorite hotel, the Blackhawk Trails Lodge on IL-2 outside Byron. They may be small (6 rooms) but Bekki and Don are huge supporters and donated some rooms for our bands. We thank them as do our New Zealand friends The Flaming Mudcats who enjoyed their stay there!

It takes more than money and services to make a festival successful. Our thanks go to the many volunteers from Crossroads and the Lyran Society who helped make this event a huge success. About 100 people were involved in planning, set up, execution and tear down. We owe each and every one of you so much for your dedication!

Our vendors AnJan’s Eats, Smokehouse BBQ, Juan’s Mexian Food and Frank Riding’s Italian Beef/Sausage and Ice Creams offered great food at reasonable prices.

Thanks to them, too! And thanks to Wild Bill, Culture Shock and Cindy’s Purses, our three retail vendors!

Thanks to the bands and sound team for making the music and making the music sound so good! Kudos to all of you!

5 bands, a duo act, 29 kinds of beer and wine, so many great kinds of food; what more could we ask for? Well, the coolest venue for outdoor music in Rockford! Lyran Park is a superb venue! A natural amphitheater, on the banks of the Kishwaukee River, it sounds and looks great. Thanks to the Lyran Society for keeping the park up and maintaining it as such a great venue!

What’s next? Well, year number 8 will be held on August 26th, same location! Stay tuned for our next festival and all the great shows and events in between!

September-October 2016

On the Road with Mark Dvorak In many ways, folk singers serve as the soul of white America. Many of us Baby Boomers grew up in the folk revival era and heard songs of laborers and workers that were immortalized by the likes of musicians like Pete Seeger. Folk was so popular in the mainstream; the good musicians receiving so many accolades and the bad being dissed in absentia like the scene from Animal House where John Belushi smashes the guitar on the stairway.

Anyway, good folk singers are like gold.

People who can move me via the inner fabric of Western European culture transplanted to the soil of the heartland of America expressing the plight of the everyman. Folk music, like the blues, emanates from the human soul.

Mark Dvorak is man who is a superb folk musician that I finally met several years ago. He also does a great program on The Life and Times of the Great Lead Belly. Lead Belly was an icon. He wrote and adapted so many great American songs, both in blues and folk styles. The man who wrote this program and performs is Mark Dvorak, , a great singer, songwriter, guitar and banjo player, teacher and an overall wonderful human being. I was moved to write this after having Mark, along with local actor David Causey, perform his Lead Belly program for many schools in Rockford Illinois; I spent many days with him listening to his music and talking with him. I also read his book and listened to all of his CDs that I could get my hands on (both old and new) at his shows.

Mark lives in Riverside, Illinois alongside the Des Plaines River. He teaches at Chicago’s Old Town School of Music. He has performed in almost all 50 states and has travelled to Finland, Canada and Ireland to perform. He has almost a dozen and a half albums to his credit with many fine covers and original songs. We chatted face to face and also emailed back and forth.

CBS: Mark, how did you get your idea for the Lead Belly program?

Page 7 MD: There was a time in the 1980s when I became totally immersed in music. Like my friends, we were into all kinds of stuff, but the music I wanted play and sing was more like folk music. Blues, too. I loved Bob Dylan, as did a lot of people. And Woody Guthrie too. Bob’s song, “Song for Woody,” on his first Columbia LP was beautiful. I learned later that he used an old Woody Guthrie tune for the melody, but the fourth verse sang like an invitation to me: “Here’s to Cisco and Sonny and Lead Belly too…”

I had heard the name “Lead Belly” before, almost like a myth, like John Henry, or Paul Bunyan. I made it my business to find out who Cisco was, and Sonny, and of course Lead Belly. Cisco was Cisco Houston, one of Woody’s traveling partners, who sang in a distinct, clear baritone. Cisco didn’t write many songs, but he knew hundreds, and knew how to sing them. I still love his old Folkways LPs. His cowboy song, “Zebra Dun” is a favorite.

He also made a very nice record for Vanguard in the late 1950s.

Sonny was Sonny Terry. Sonny Terry and Brownie McGhee met in New York City in the 1930s. Each of them were close to Lead Belly, and each of them an important artist in their own right. Sonny was an electric, powerful performer, but I fell in love with Brownie’s warm voice and guitar style. He could be brawny and eloquent at the very same time. My first real guitar was a Martin D-18, purchased in large part, because that was the model Brownie played. A Chicago folk singer named Fred Holstein, also played a D-18. Somehow I thought I would mange to bridge the gap between Fred’s tender and straightforward approach, and Brownie’s worldly blues savvy, by playing the same model Martin.

In those days, all recorded music was on LP. I purchased the only Lead Belly record the local store had in stock. It was the one he made later in his life on Capitol. My first impression wasn’t favorable. I could hardly understand his words. It was swingy and smoky, and I guess I just wasn’t ready for it. I did love the sound of his

guitar though, so low and mysterious. The bass tones rattled me. I may have been afraid of it.

The more I read, the more I learned. Bob Dylan called Pete Seeger “a saint” in the 1972 biography by Anthony Scaduto, Bob Dylan. Like Lead, I had heard Seeger’s name in the background. One of our neighbors came over and gave me an old Weaver’s record when she heard I began plucking a banjo, and later, I got “The Weavers at Carnegie Hall,” a live recording made on Christmas Eve, 1955.

That record gave me something that would last. I’m still not certain what it is, but I am working on it.

Well, Pete and The Weavers were popular. They sold records. They were politically involved in a time in American history when music had a direct impact on social attitudes and circumstances. Pete and The Weavers carried Woody’s music and Lead Belly’s - to the next generation of listeners, and the next generation of performers. They were an authentic introduction to Lead Belly, much the same way (and around the same time) Elvis shook his hips and sang African-American influenced Rock and Roll on the Ed Sullivan Show.

Pete regarded Lead Belly, and Woody Guthrie as two of the most important American folk artists, and I took him at his word. There was a time when I loved Woody Guthrie’s “Dust Bowl Ballads” more than eating. His plain, straightforward singing. His beautiful command of language and image; all zeroed in on a subject much of American was afraid to talk about, yet he addressed it in listenable, entertaining terms. Just brilliant.

The Groove- Crossroads Blues Society Newsletter

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Lead Belly was a tougher nut to crack.

Still in the times when LP was the only way to listen to music, I guess cassettes were available, but you couldn’t get the real good stuff yet on cassette. I saved my money and began collecting Lead Belly records. A guy named Michael Cooney used to write for a folk song magazine, Sing Out! Pete also wrote for Sing Out! and I read their columns every issue. Michael one time wrote about how great the four-LP set “Lead Belly’s Last Sessions” was. He wrote that Lead Belly never sold a lot of records in his time, and that the “Last Sessions” solved the mystery as to why.

In the days of 78 rpm records, the artist had to get it done in like, three minutes.

The technology wouldn’t allow for anything longer. A jazz disc jockey in New York named Fred Ramsey had come across one of the first reel-to-reel tape recorders. This was around 1948. He knew Lead Belly’s health was failing, and he also knew Lead was masterful in setting up a song; clueing his listeners in to what the song was about. He was a great story-teller and raconteur. Fred knew this also, and knew once the reel-to-reel was turned on Lead Belly could do what he did, and it would all be captured.

By the mid-1980s I was struggling to keep up. I was learning to be a teacher, still working a night job. A group of friends and I were trying to organize a grass roots organization to present and promote the kind of music we wanted to be a apart of. I remember being tired all the time, from working at night, trying to practice and read and write during the day, and dealing with paying the rent and so forth. I was laying on the floor one Sunday afternoon, pretty much feeling sorry for myself. By then I had acquired all four LPs of “Last Sessions.” In the days when an LP cost seven or eight dollars, Folkways LPs were always higher. Those records cost around nine or ten dollars apiece, but I wound up scratching up the money and I wound up getting them all.

So I put on “Last Sessions” wondering what I was going to do. Wondering about the mystery of Lead Belly, and the world from where he came. It’s a beautiful thing, the way he talks about his songs. The whole thing was recorded in an apartment in New York. There was only a small gathering of friends and family present. People asked him questions, and he is very at ease responding to them. His beautiful guitar is so in tune. His playing is tight and energetic and so f****** cool.

believe him to be a very thoughtful man.

There are people who disagree with this, but that is what I believe.

So I’m lying there on the floor. I’ve got a two pillows under my head, propped up against the front of the little sofa in my apartment. It’s spring but still cool, and I’ve got a blanket over my legs. On the record someone asks Huddie for “Fannin Street,” and he starts talking about it. He says “Oh yes. Fanin Street,” really emphasizing the ‘F’ in Fannin. And then he goes on to tell the story of Fannin Street. Fannin and Douglas Streets in old Shreveport were at the heart of the red light district.

Huddie’s uncle once played piano down there at different places, and occasionally young Huddie accompanied him to work. I read a story somewhere where his uncle said to his nephew, seated beside him on the piano bench, “Boy, you keep your eyes on the keyboard.”

Huddie knew Fred was in radio and recording. When he saw the new reel-to-reel tape recorder, I believe he also knew this was a chance, maybe the last chance to reach out through this new technology. I believe Huddie knew on that afternoon, whatever he sang into Fred’s recorder, would one day land all over the world, including places like the tiny front room of my apartment in Brookfield, Illinois. Huddie sang the chorus again, “Follow me down…” I sat up.

On the recording Lead Belly describes how to find Fannin Street. “You head down Texas Avenue until you come to a big church - it’s a new church. Then you head down the hill.” And then he started up on his guitar and began singing, “Follow me down, follow me down…”

I do not mind admitting that at that time, on that afternoon, I felt like Huddie was singing to me; down in the dumps, wrapped in my blanket, wondering what to do with myself. “Follow me down,” sang Lead Belly.

I learned later that Huddie’s parents were landowners in northwest Louisiana, which I think was fairly rare in the times that they lived.

Huddie was a bright boy with an innate musical gift. Also he could read and write.

For Lead Belly to have survived as well as he did, he must’ve been very aware, and I

When Fred Ramsay invited Huddie and his wife, Martha Promise to dinner in his apartment, and to see his new reel-to-reel tape recorder, Huddie was just fifty-nine years old. He was also sick with Lou Gerhig’s disease, a degenerative neurological disease. Huddie had to be carried up the stairs in his wheelchair - five flights!

After that it was “Lead Belly this and Lead Belly that.” I tried to tune my Martin down to match his low-tuning on last sessions. I tried to transpose his songs, playing the same guitar positions that would be five tones higher on my six string. Sometimes the guitar part worked, sometimes not.

When I sang his words, I sometimes felt like an impostor. Other times it felt a little closer to home. But I started drinking in Lead Belly’s music. I’m not sure I could say exactly why. At that time in my life, it made sense. It made the most sense. I was trying be a performer, and early on I learned it’s pretty deep water. I began looking for new material, and a new attitude. I looked first down the avenues I already knew. Lead Belly, Woody, Pete, and others.

September-October 2016

Page 9 Most people, including the archive spell it ‘Leadbelly.’ Later, I would learn from Lead Belly’s niece, Ms. Tiny Robinson, that Lead Belly always spelled it with two words. The family preferred it to be spelled with two words. It was a way of possibly distinguishing the source of published materials.

I came to the feeling that Huddie had given so much. I had come to admire his eternal cool, and the utmost respect other musicians gave to him. He always looked great in photographs, and hearing him talk and sing and play on “Last Sessions,” I gleaned a sense of Huddie as a human being. I loved hearing him laugh on that recording. I loved how his voice and character was one thing when singing a dance song, and then it changed when he sang a blues. It changed again when he sang a spiritual and waqs different again on a cowboy song or while telling a funny story.

He is in command on that record. And it all touched me in a very deep place.

By 1990, I had made enough to afford a car that was used, but relatively new. It was Ford Bronco II with only 11,000 miles on it. One of the things that had been in the back of my mind was to find Lead Belly’s grave, wherever he was laid to rest, and lay some roses on it. I felt that action might close a circle of sorts. It might allow me to continue growing as a working artist and teacher, and permit me to look deeper to find my own authentic voice. Perhaps one day I might even be able to write the same sorts of songs Lead Belly wrote.

So finally I had a hole in my schedule of about six days. I drove down to Memphis the first day, and on to Shreveport, Louisiana by mid-afternoon the next. I got a hotel and found the Shreveport Library. I asked the reference librarian if they had any material on Lead Belly and she had never heard of a musician by such a name. She called over one of her colleagues who knew more about music. And she directed me to the microfilm files.

There was some sort of search system, where I was able to find news articles on microfilm referencing Lead Belly’s name.

made. After months of thinking about it and working on it, the thing got published in the Old Town School of Folk Music newsletter. It was a long piece and I was originally unhappy about the edits made. It was also published by Sean Killeen in “The Lead Belly Letter,” a newsletter on all things Lead Belly. Sean was interested in collecting enough information to write a conclusive biography.

I found an article - I still have it - from the 1970s when a gravestone was finally placed on Lead Belly’s resting spot behind Shiloh Baptist Church, out in the country west of Shreveport. It’s a very nice church, and Lead Belly’s resting spot is right back there. I took a rubbing of his gravestone (which has since been replaced) and did lay some roses on his grave. One for me, one for a friend, and one for Huddie.

When I got home my poor head was full of Lead Belly. I had a Martin D28-12 string and tuned it down to where Lead Belly was playing on “Last Sessions.” That poor guitar. It wouldn’t stay in tune at all, as it was not designed for that gauge of strings, nor the tension. On certain days it did okay, but largely it was a struggle to study from record and tape, Lead Belly’s guitar style.

A fellow named Scot Witt of Lisle, Illinois read the piece and liked it. Scot happened to be the news director at WDCB radio, College of DuPage, Glen Ellyn, Illinois.

Scot also hosted the folk radio program on the station, “Folk Festival,” and was a good supporter of the local folk scene.

Scot loved Lead Belly’s music, just as I did, and was interested in how the piece came to be. I wound up sending him the unedited version, and after a little discussion, we met for two weekend recording sessions, and recorded, “Lead Belly’s Legacy,” a ninety minute audio documentary. Scot had me read the narrative, which was punctuated by recorded versions of Lead Belly’s songs. Also interspersed was an interview with Tiny Robinson and a man named Sean Killeen. Scot, being connected to the national public radio news network made the cassette recording of our presentation available to all of North America. One hundred-sixty stations picked it up from Alaska to Arizona to New Hampshire. In 1993, the show was nominated for, and won a Peter Lisagor Award for Journalsim.

For better or worse, Lead Belly had become a large presence in my life. I had always worked at writing, and one day I remembered the opening lines to Robert Penn Warren’s All the King’s Men. I read that book when I was nineteen, and I loved it. I still love it. It’s about a fictional character Willie Stark, who would become governor of Louisiana. The book is an allegory for Huey P. Long, the actual governor of Louisiana who was assassinated in 1935, when Lead Belly was already in New York.

Upon recording “Lead Belly’s Legacy” for WDCB, it occurred to me that it might be worth a try to present the same narrative as a live performance. It wasn’t until 2008 that my friend Suzanne Strom worked it up. By then I had acquired a replica of Lead Belly’s old Stella 12-stiring. It was made by Ralph Bown in York, England from the original Stella plans that he was able to obtain. He substituted some wood on top and sides. But it plays beautifully, and has that open, ladder-braced sound I first heard on “Last Sessions.”

The opening line reads, “To get there…” and I typed it out with the memory of my trip to Lead Belly’s grave firmly in mind, and the whole thing poured out in an hour and a half. It was still in rough form and I showed it to a writer friend of mine, who had already published some poems and short stories. She was kind, but dismissive. I guess I learned a lot about writing on that piece. I was determined to figure out what the structural problems were and what grammatical changes needed to be

When Ron Holm heard me perform a couple of Lead Belly songs at Just Goods, he connected to Dorothy Page Turner, and David Causey. We re-edit the script to make it more appropriate for grade school -level listeners. We’re really happy to be telling Lead Belly’s story to young people, and singing his songs with them.

Steve Jones tells more about Mark’s career in our next issue...

The Groove- Crossroads Blues Society Newsletter

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Music Reviews (Live) The River City Sessions Jeff Jensen Jeff Jensen Music http:// jeffjensenband.com/ 13 Tracks This is a bit different than some live CDs. It was recorded live in Ardent Studios in Memphis with a crowd of fans in attendance. Jeff Jensen’s recorded works go back to 2007. He recorded 3 albums with Brandon Santini while issuing 4 prior discs of his own. He originally was from California, and is now living in Memphis. In 2011 Jeff was searching for direction and followed an urge to Memphis and his pace has been swift ever since. On stage he is backed up by Bill Riffino on bass and Robinson Bridgeforth on drums. Leo Goff gave a fine introduction for the band on track 1. The performance contains 8 originals and 3 older favorites. The music is full of various types of roots music.

After a nice introduction, the band breaks into the classic T-Bone Shuffle. In this cut you hear Jensen’s stinging guitar right out front. This song is often recorded, but this version has a good bounce to it. “Make It Through” has a southern blues rock/funk feel to it. Bill Ruffino keeps it tight with his bass. I like “Empty Bottles”. It is a country blues/rock tune, with a fine solo in the middle. The crowd enjoyed it too. Any song titled “J.J. Boogie” must have high octane. This is a pretty good instrumental tune.

On “Find Myself All Alone”, the band takes on a slow, but powerful blues ballad. The vocals and tune remind me a bit of David Bromberg. I find “Brunette Woman” to be a pretty fine blues rock tune. The feel is tight, and the band stays in the groove very well, while there is some killer guitar licks from Jensen. The second instrumental on the CD is “Elephant Blue”. This tune is out there a bit…maybe a bit like some of the jazzier Danny Gatton tracks.

It is pretty good overall. Jensen reaches into the music mixed bag, and pulls out a Tom Waits tune called “Heart Attack And Vine”. The song is mournful and a slower tune. Jensen plays some nice guitar on this one.

The tune “Can't Believe We're Through” gets a jazzier treatment, and stretches out to 8:42 on the clock. It may be a bit long, but overall the band does well with this.

After introducing the band, Jensen takes on a slow ballad called “Ash And Bone”.

The vocals are not as good I might like, but that is my ear. There could be some higher notes hit. The disc closes out with the warhorse “All Along The Watchtower”.

This version has a jazzier feel to the intro, and less of a power guitar feel than with Mr. Hendrix’s version. They play the song and not try to be guitar heroes here, though at over 9 minutes it is a little much.

The live crowd enjoyed it.

Jeff Jensen put on a good show here. I lean it more to the Americana/Rock side of music. There is some blues feel, but I would not recall this show later on as a blues show. There is nothing really broken here. I think this comes across better if you saw/heard it live rather than just heard it live. This is a good band, and I think their success will continue to rise.

Their next studio recording will really tell the future. I hope they keep building on their success.

Reviewed by Mark Nelson Relentless Paul DesLauriers Band Big Toe Productions www.pauldeslauriersband.com 10 songs/53 minutes Based in Montreal, the Paul DesLauriers Band is a tight, threepiece power blues group who just missed walking away with the 2016 International Blues Challenge championship, finishing the worldwide competition in second place to the Los Angeles-based Delgado Brothers and 117 other acts in the band category.

Led by DesLauriers, a gifted guitarist and vocalist who also adds piano and theremin – the electronic instrument best known for its use on The Twilight Zone TV show, the trio also includes 2105 Maple Blues Award bass player of the year Greg Morency, who doubles on conventional four-string and unusual eight-string instruments, as well as Sam Harrisson, a threetime Maple Blues nominee, Canada’s equivalent of the Blues Music Award, as percussionist of the year.

DesLauriers is an Ontario native who cofounded Black Cat Bone, one of the top rock bands North Of The Border in the ’90s. He’s recorded with Bryan Lee and

Dawn Tyler Watson, Canada’s queen of the blues. Harrisson is the all-time record holder for the prestigious Lys Blues Awards, the province of Quebec’s top honor, a statuette Paul has captured five times in addition to his two Maple Blues honors.

The band made their recording debut in 2013 with Enter The Gate, a joint project with sitar master Anwar Khurshid, which fused blues with classical Indian music.

The current disc is a follow-up to a selftitled 2014 album that immediately rocketed to the top of the iTunes Canada blues chart. Their music blends rock with straight-ahead blues in a style reminiscent of such ’70s English groups as Humble Pie, Savoy Brown and Foghat. But they take the music to another level via modern stylings and attack that’s pretty much free of clichés.

DesLauriers and partner Alec McElcheran composed the lyrics and the entire band created the charts for the 10 originals on this one. “Stewtro Rock (Just Got Back)” kicks off with an ascending scale before a powerful single-note run before it picks up steam into a driving blues-rocker as it professes “no more drivin’ blind/On an open road.” It concludes with guitar pyrotechnics. The aural texture changes into a much milder boogie for “I’m Your Man” and heats up again for “Ten Feet Tall” before “Still Under My Skin” comes across with a funky swamp-blues feel.

Next up, “Wipes Away Your Sin” is a blues -rock ballad with a medium-tempo, syncopated military beat about fighting off tears in a lonely hotel room after the breakup of a relationship. The theme continues in the bluesy “Up In The Air” before the ensemble bursts out of the gate with “We Just Might,” a rapid-paced boogie of hope as a new relationship gets underway. “If I Still Had You,” a burning eight-minute blues, follows before the funky, two-part “Gonna Make You Move” uses clever lyrical sexual double entendre to bring the set to a close.

Sure, there’s a little shredding going on here, but not much, and it’s taut and well under control. This is one tight, powerful band that deserves a listen, especially if your tastes run to blues-rock. Available through iTunes, Amazon or directly through the band website.

Reviewed by Marty Gunther

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September-October 2016 Ready Or Not Dennis Gruenling VizzTone Label Group/ Backbender Records www.dennisgruenling.com 13 songs/48 minutes World-class harmonica player Dennis Gruenling swings from the lip and his longtime musical partners Doug Deming & The Jewel Tones swing from the hip as they deliver this tasty, all-original collection of modern jump blues that comes complete with the unmistakable feel of the ‘40s heyday of jump and early rock ’n’ roll.

A self-taught musician and sought-after instructor who’s played professionally since the mid-’90s with six previous records as a leader to his credit, Dennis takes a major leap of faith with this one, conquering his own insecurities and providing vocals for the very first time under the guidance of producer Steve Conti, who’s worked previously with the New York Dolls, Willy De Ville and Company Of Wolves. If he was nervous behind the mike, it doesn’t show. He doesn’t have a five-octave range. Few folks do. But his voice is pleasant, and his timing impeccable.

Based in New Jersey, where he hosts “Blues & The Beat” on WFDU-FM and deals in vintage microphones, Gruenling also spends time in the Tampa Bay area of Florida, where Deming and upright and acoustic bass player Andrew Gohman, are based. Mike Bram, a member of Dennis’ Jump Time band, provides percussion. Rounding out the sound are keyboard player Dave Keyes, sax player Doug Sasfai, upright bassist Matt Raymond, multi-instrumentalist Dave Gross, who provided backing vocals, and Conti, who adds acoustic guitar on one cut in addition to providing backing vocals and rhythm.

All of the material on Ready Or Not was captured live the old-fashioned way – on two-inch audio tape at Atomic Sound in Brooklyn, N.Y., and during a blizzard. Gruenling plays Hohner harmonicas exclusively, customized by Richard Sleigh and Joe Filisko, two of the best harp technicians in the world today. He’s on chromatic 270 Deluxe and Super 64X models for most of the set, varying his sound with occasional breaks on diatonic Marine Bands and Crossover models, too.

Gruenling and the drummer trade rapidfire beats and runs to kick off the rocker, “Knockin’ My Knees,” which finds the

singer “thinkin’ ’bout the birds and bees” as his knees display nervous lust for a pretty lady. It’s a catchy dance number that would have been perfect for a high school hop in the ’60s. Solos from Deming and Gruenling are both powerful and all too brief. The boogie “Missing Person” refers to a woman who’s changed so much, she’s almost unrecognizable. Dennis’ harp hook drives the song forward, aided by rapid triples from Bram that are high in mix.

The title cut, “Ready Or Not,” is another light, pleasant rocker accompanied by handclaps that warns a lady that he’s on the way for romance. Dennis’ chromatic solo is as sweet as his lyrical message.

He delivers advice to keep control of your temper to succeed in what you do in “Simmer Down,” an uptempo blues with a syncopated beat, before drawing your attention to a lady who loves to dance, but has two left feet in “Little Sugar.” It has a Texas roadhouse feel.

Next up, the tongue-in-cheek jump tune “If You Wanna Rock (You Gotta Have That Roll)” suggests that women are only interested in a man with a large bankroll. It features stellar guitar work from Deming, and will have folks rushing to the dance floor. It precedes a loping, bluesy warning that you’d better be “Ready To Burn” if you choose to pursue a certain lady because she’ll definitely torch you because there’s no way to escape.

Grueling’s talents on the chromatic are on full display for the rapid-fire instrumental “Rockin’ With The Rev” before he delivers four different on romance. “Won’t You Come Back” is delivered from the point of desperation a man feels when he fears a relationship is over but the only emotion he seems able to express is rage, “Open The Door” describes a guy who can’t hold back his desire any more, “Think Twice” warns a wrong-doing woman that she could soon be gone while “Give Me Back My Heart” is someone who can’t believe the angel he fell for is such a thief. A minor key instrumental, “Count Chromatic,” brings the set to a close.

Available through most online retailers or directly from the label, Ready Or Not proves beyond a doubt that Dennis can hold his own as a singer in addition to being one heck of a harp player. Strongly recommended.

Reviewed by Marty Gunther

The Blues Return to the BMO Harris Bank Center and Ice Hogs Friday Pregame Shows For the third straight season there will be pregame music events featuring blues and blues rock artists playing from 5:15 to 6:45 PM prior to each Friday home game for the AHL Hockey Affiliate Rockford Ice Hogs. The season kicks off with music at the Blues Flame Lounge on October 28th with the first Friday home game. Local band Recently Paroled with play their high energy, rocking blues to the great crowds that come out for music prior to these Friday games. Music will be featured prior to each Friday home game this season, nine dates in all:         

28-Oct 25-Nov 2-Dec 30-Dec 13-Jan 27-Jan 17-Feb 3-Mar 31-Mar

Admission to the shows is free with a ticket to the game. Check out the schedule and get info for these events here: http://icehogs.com/tickets/Blues-FlameFridays/ and go out for some great music and hockey!

Page 12 Naked…In Your Face Eddie Turner & Trouble Twins 7-14 Productions www.eddiedevilboy.com 9 songs/76 minutes Veteran guitar player Eddie Turner has done just about everything in a musical career that began in the early '70s. But this CD, recorded at the Blues Can on the Canadian plains in Calgary, is his first attempt at a live recording ever.

Born in Cuba, raised in Chicago, based in Denver and known as “The Devil Boy,” Eddie picked up the guitar at age 12, developing a hauntingly rhythmic playing style that fuses the Windy City sound with his Afro-Cuban roots, enhanced with psychedelia. After moving to Colorado, he joined Mother Earth, the backup band for the legendary Tracy Nelson, the Grammy nominee who was a fixture in the San Francisco music scene of the late ‘60s.

Stints with two other prominent bands – Zephyr and the Legendary 4-nikators – followed before he joined Otis Taylor’s band in 1995, recording five CDs with the trance music master and helping to establish his easily identifiable sound. His first venture as a solo artist on Northern Blues, 2005’s Rise, earned Eddie a Blues Music Award nomination for Best New Artist. Subsequent releases were equally well-received.

Turner produced this lengthy album himself, backed in a power blues trio setting, aided by Denver-based bassist Anna Lisa Hughes, who also provides vocals on several cuts, and Kelly Kruse, a member of Adele & The Krusers and a powerful female percussionist who’s one of the most in-demand drummers north of the border. With only nine tunes – two covers, four written by Eddie and one by Kruse, the disc puts Turner’s guitar stylings on display throughout.

“Jody” opens the set. It’s an Eddie original that threatens to send a mistreating lover back to the title character, a figure that appeared often in the '70s. It’s a solid soul-blues standard with a repetitive lyrical hook that’s slightly hampered by the initial sound quality, which, like the name of the venue, is a little tinny to start. Fortunately, the issue disappears rapidly as the disc progresses. Hughes takes over for her own song, “Mistreated,” next. It’s a slow-burning blues that gives Eddie plenty of space to stretch out over its eight-plus minute run.

Two more Turner originals -- “So Many Roads,” about the end of relationship, and “Rise,” a trippy plea for racial equality – stretch out for a combined 20 minutes. The latter features an extended bass solo. Written

by Nick Gravenites and made popular by bandmate Paul Butterfield as well as Janis Joplin, “Buried Alive In The Blues” is up next, delivered by Kelly, before Eddie’s “Blues Fall Down Like Rain,” not to be confused with a Kenny Neal tune with a different, but similar, title.

The Groove- Crossroads Blues Society Newsletter The familiar “Don’t Let Me Be Misunderstood” -- written for Nina Simone, a '60s hit for The Animals and the shortest song in the set at just under five minutes – follows with Anna Lisa on vocals before another 20 minutes of trance-inducing guitar pyrotechnics follow in the two songs -- “Dangerous” and “Secret” – that conclude the set.

Cunningham on percussion, Chris Stephenson, a former member of Joe “King” Currasco And The Crowns, on keyboards, Colin John on lap steel, resonator and baritone guitars as well as baby sitar and Eric Hughes on harmonica. Reba Russell and Tullie Brae provide backing vocals, as does Deb Landolt, who’s featured on one cut.

If you’re seeking a shredder, look elsewhere.

Eddie’s a true crowd pleaser with a style that harkens back to Jimi Hendrix at his bluesy best -- burning, searing licks that are both unforced and unrushed with Windy City overtones. There are several passages on Naked…In Your Face that are guaranteed to transcend geezers like me back to the psychedelic era in a lightning stroke. Turn this album up loud for best effect. The only thing that’s missing is a strong dose of LSD. Pick it up through iTunes if you’d like to share the experience.

An uptempo riff on resonator and rapid military beat kicks off “Baby Face Louise.” It’s a sprightly love song about a woman who couldn’t be matched if you searched worldwide. Hughes’ harp runs are brief, but sweet as he and John propel the song forward. The sound slows for the cover tune, “Taylor Made Blues,” which describes life in a small town.

Mick’s rich baritone vocals indicate he’s in absolutely no hurry as he waits for the sun to come out as Jensen shines on six-string. He no longer has “truck with the city./Can’t stand bein’ in a crowd./Yeah, you might find good people there/But it’s too damn loud.”

Reviewed by Marty Gunther Taylor Made Blues Mick Kolassa Swing Suit Records www.mimsmick.com 12 songs/49 minutes Mick Kolassa is one of the most beloved figured in the blues, and for good reason. As he did with his previous album, Ghosts Of The Riverside Hotel, the singer, acoustic guitarist and tunesmith is donating 100 per cent of the net proceeds of this CD to the Handy Artists Relief Trust, which aides bluesmen in distress and is better known as the HART Fund, and Generation Blues, an outreach program for young musicians, both by the Blues Foundation, where he’s also on the board of directors.

But this is not simply a charity production for Kolassa, known as “Michissippi Mick” because he hails from Michigan but is now based in Mississippi. He enjoyed a successful career in the pharmaceutical industry and now works as a consultant to the industry, but his true love – as always – has been the blues and the people who support it, both on stage and off, and he's paying it forward.

Named the tiny hamlet where he now lives not far from Oxford, Taylor Made Blues is produced by Jeff Jensen, one of the true young talents in the blues. The nine originals and three covers it contains touches on everything from front-porch country blues to soul with a homey feel as well as just about everything in between. Each well-crafted song delivers words of wisdom, all with deep feel.

Several top talents contributed to the project, including guest appearances by Victor Wainwright, the current Blues Music Association Entertainer Of The Year, and guitarist Mr. Sipp, billed under his Christian name, Castro Coleman, and the BMA current trophy winner for album by a new artist.

The lineup includes Jensen on acoustic and electric guitars, Bill Ruffino on bass, James

A reworking of Graham Nash’s “Prison Song” – a haunting farewell from a friend who’s about to go behind bars for selling marijuana – gets new references about its legality in Colorado and Oregon. It precedes the original “I’m Getting Late,” a humorous take on playing multiple gigs on the same day and partying too hard at an advanced age. It’s delivered atop a stop-time beat with Wainwright in full control on the keys.

The funk is delivered full-force in “In The Day,” which harkens back to the ’60s with references to Howdy Doody and Shirley Temple as it insists “the past you’re dreamin’ ’bout is a lie” before Kolassa doffs his cap to salute blues musicians and fans alike in “With Friends Like Mine” atop an island beat. Stephenson’s slow-paced piano shines during a cover of Townes Van Zandt’s somber “Lungs,” about chasing false dreams, before John’s lap steel and Landolt’s accompanying vocal drive the uptempo “Keep A Goin,” a message to fight through adversity.

“Left Too Soon,” about the sudden loss of a friend and associated regret about things left unsaid other things not done, precedes a cover of the Temptations’ Motown classic “Can’t Get Next To You,” delivered with blueeyed soul feel. “My Hurry Done Broke” revisits the aging theme, this time focused on being in the path of a younger person on the sidewalk who’s in a rush to pass, before another song of loss, “Raul Was My Friend,” concludes the set.

This is a beautiful album on many levels. It’s a labor of love that pays forward gifts received from the blues and the folks that create it while delivering straightforward, homespun messages about life in general that might seem superficial to some, but relate to others on a much deeper level. Available through Amazon, iTunes and CDBaby, it’s highly recommended.

Reviewed by Marty Gunther

September-October 2016 Tangled In Layman Terms Self-produced www.3inlaymanterms.com 9 songs/37 minutes In Layman Terms are a family band from Williamsburg, Va., that features Cole Layman, an 18-year-old, on lead guitar and his 15-year-old sister Logan on electric bass and vocals, and they simply smoke.

Like Trampled Under Foot, the popular brothers-and-sister act from Kansas City who enjoyed a 10-year run before going off on their own and having reunion concerts, Logan and Cole are the children of a musician, in this case their mother Sandy. Both kids are multi-instrumentalists. They developed their skills in their basement before sitting in on pro jams, forming a true band and venturing out on their own with mom on the skins and dad Doug running the sound board.

They’ve made quite a name for themselves since debuting five years ago. In addition to participating at the past four International Blues Challenges, they’ve also performed at the legendary Ground Zero club in Clarksdale, Miss., the Rum Boogie in Memphis and the Time Out Pub in Portland, Maine, as well as festivals in Texas and Chicago.

A recent high school graduate, Cole will be attending Berklee School Of Music in Boston in the fall. He’s an accomplished jazz stylist, too, although his primary inspiration comes from Jimi Hendrix and many of the more recent blues-rock stylists who’ve followed in his footsteps. A rising sophomore at Warhill High School, Logan doubles on guitar and upright bass when she’s not competing as a member of the cross country team. Her vocal prowess has earned her honors as 2015 Rising Artist Of The Year from Veer Magazine, a regional entertainment publication.

They’ve also appeared in the pages of Guitar Player Magazine, too.

Depending on the gig, they work as a duo, a trio with Sandy on washboard and drums or as a full band with keyboards, horn section and their CD producer/ mentor Ron Lowder Jr. replacing Mom on percussion. Tangled finds them in the latter format, backed by keyboard player Brian Kloppenburg as well as Ron Lowder Sr. (tenor sax), Rick Thomasson and Mike Wholley (trumpet), Russ Robertson (trombone) and Jack Campbell (harmonica), all of whom have limited

Page 13 roles as Logan and Cole carry the big load.

Wynans is on keys for all but one cut where Scott Saunders fills in.

Seven of the nine tunes are originals, written by the Laymans or Holly Montgomery, a former Los Angeles-based session bass player/songwriter who now calls the District Of Columbia home. From the first notes of “Tangled,” the self-penned opener, it’s clear that the siblings are musically mature far beyond their age – and the subject matter is, too. It’s a funky number that Cole kicks off with a guitar run before Logan takes over to sing praise of a lover moves as she states she’d rather be “tangled up than free than in a world without you.” She’s a powerful vocalist whose alto remains in a comfortable range throughout.

Eubanks opens with the original cut “all Blues to Me and follows it up with an equally energetic “Stop That Grinning’,” a Skeeter Brandon cut. Eubanks shouts his way through both. The first is a straight up blues rocker while the cover is honkytonk blues rock. Both are a lot of fun and feature lots of guitar. Mato Nanji’s “Blues All Morning” is a more understated tune but they keep the beat fairly brisk and keep things moving. The guitar solos again well and here we get a little more taste of the organ. Willie Dixon’s “I Just Wanna Make Love To You” gets a driving ZZ Top sort of beat to throb and bob as Eubanks blazes through this one. More big, fuzzy guitar and a rockabilly sound make this fun. “My Baby’s Gone” gets what seemed to me a slight tempo boost (as if Los Lobos didn’t make it fast enough) and a sense of urgency to the lyrics as Eubanks blasts through that one well and Saunders provides the keys here.

The pace slows for the soulful “Fake It ‘Til I Make It,” a vow to succeed with good intent despite the song title. Cole fires out of the blocks on six-string for the first time for an extended soaring single-note midtune solo. “Don’t Even Try” follows. It’s a Montgomery-penned blues-rocker that warns not to push the duo around for the way they play or the way they sound. The medium-tempo walking blues “Heartbroken” deals with being left in the lurch by a lover before the ballad “I’m Not Ready” continues the theme, this time by stating reluctance to settle down.

A cover of the Howlin’ Wolf classic “Smokestack Lightning” features the Laymans in stripped-down form with Cole delivering a crisp guitar lead atop a simple rhythm pattern and Logan howling in a way that would make the Wolf proud. The medium-fast shuffle “Won’t Let It” precedes the rocker “Karma” before a cover of Janis Joplin’s “Move Over” concludes the set.

Available through all major retailers, Tangled is a sensational debut by pair of very talented teens. It’ll be interesting to see what they accomplish down the line.

Reviewed by Marty Gunther Sugar Me Sammy Eubanks Underworld Records SammyEubanksLive.com 10 tracks Sammy Eubanks was born in California and now calls the Pacific Northwest his home. His style is what I’d call honky-tonk blues shouting, belting out his songs with gusto. He plays guitar and sings, Bob Britt and Matt Hauer are also on guitar, Chris Kimmerer plays drums, and Reese

The original title track begins the second half og the album. The tempo drops way down (for these guys) but Eubanks still gives it some oomph as he sings and the beat still drives to get you on your feet.

The guitars prevail again, making it another big number. “No Excuse for the Blues” is a D.K. Stewart song, another NW Blues stalwart. It has a Delbert McClinton sort of feel to it and Delbert is a major influence for Sammy. His vocals again are cool and over the top. They go acoustic to start with on “Born To Love You,” a Mark Collie tune. The slide is sweet here. Country meets rockabilly, and it’s done well. The volume goes up for Don Robey’s “”It’s My Life Baby.” The approach here is not like Junior Wells’ Eubanks gives it edge and volume and lots of guitar, making it more like a rockabilly ballad than blues. Nice piano work here on this cut. Things conclude with the original “I’m Gonna Leave You,” a song about a lover who threatens to leave if he doesn't come home. Shouting blues and up front guitar sell this one.

If you like rocking blues with a rockabilly flair and big, vocals, this will trip your trigger. Eubanks has won accolades three times as best vocalist from the Washington Blues Society and seven times from the Inland Empire Blues Society. He’s got a huge set of pipes, the songs pretty much have driving beats and the CD is just a lot of fun!

Reviewed by Steve Jones

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The Groove- Crossroads Blues Society Newsletter

Roo’d Awakening Anthony Rosano and the Conqueroos Self Released www.conqueroos.com/ 10 tracks

tar that builds and builds ion itself and lead into the finale, “Maureen.” A screaming hot blues rocker that puts a nice finishing touch on the live album. It concludes with a whirling dervish of frenzied stuff– I’d love to see these guys live!

Anthony Rosano and the Conqueroos are a Hampton Roads, Virginia, band with a great rocking blues style a la artists and like Mike Zito. Wailing guitar, horns a cool groove and some clean and impressive vocals make these guys an outstanding collection of musicians. Recorded live at the Broadberry in Richmond, Virginia, the band exudes energy and takes you for a fantastic ride!

The band has an Indiegogo campaign to help pay for their new CD. Not only does their rocking style remind me of Mike Zito; he happens to be producing their upcoming studio CD! www.indiegogo.com/ projects/the-conqueroos-roo-o-producedby-mike-zito--2#/ is the site for the campaign if you are interested. This live album is the band’s second effort and the upcoming Zito-produced will be their third.

Anthony Rosano is the lead singer and guitar player. He formed the band in 2012 and they are two-time finalists at the IBC. Scott Smith is on drums, Paul Warren is on bass and a recent addition to the band was Jeremy “J.B.” Bustillos on horn and harp. Many of our local blues fans might remember J.B. who was in the Great Lakes Navy Band and also participated in our 2014 blues challenge. Now stationed in Norfolk, he is also a part of this great band.

I like these guys a lot. If you like your blues toward the rock side with a modern and edgy sound then go no further. Available for download on their web site for a donation to the cause!

They open with “The Bottom,’ a dark and driving blues rocker. The guitar and horn work grab the listener. “Mercury” is a straight up blues with a huge and cool distorted harp accompaniment and solo.

Rosano also blasts out a big solo and sings about cruising in his old Mercury.

“Never Make Your Move” is a solid, midtempo blues with a gutsy set of vocals with nice guitar and sax (that’s pretty much a given throughout!). “Flash That Smile” opens to drums and chicken scratching and becomes a darker Southern rocking sort of blues that reminds me a little of Dickie Betts. More grit and charm with some pretty slide work! They offer a new cut next, “Love Got A Hold of Me.” Jeremy gives a nice sax solo to get things rolling and then Anthony gets into the vocals. His guitar solo is huge, too.

Breathy and cool stuff.

“Feel Worse” is some deeply blue stuff that opens with a little testimony and then breaks into the rocking blues attack with J.B. blowing gritty, dirty harp in this song about the after effects of drinkin’ whiskey.

Huge riffs and guttural guitar and harp sell this one. “Sneakin’ Sally” takes things down a notch in a suave blues rocker.

“Devil’s Hand” gives us another taste of the beautiful harp as Anthony sings about his evil woman. “Love at the Crossroads” is a bluesy rock ballad with harp and gui-

Reviewed by Steve Jones Alligator Records 45th Anniversary Collection Alligator Records 37 Tracks In 1971, Bruce Iglauer who had joined the staff at Delmark Records, decided to venture out on his own and record Hound Dog Taylor & The House Rockers, after Delmark declined the opportunity. By recording the group, he was on his way to creating Alligator Records in 1971. Before his success with his independent blues record label, he was a co-founder of Living Blues magazine in 1970, which is still in existence today. After leaving Delmark, Iglauer continued to make recordings on his new label of Big Walter Horton, Son Seals, Fenton Robinson, Koko Taylor, Albert Collins, Lonnie Brooks and many others. In 1975 Koko Taylor's I Got What It Takes was the first Alligator album to be nominated for a Grammy. 1982 was a milestone for Alligator Records with it's first Grammy for Clifton Chenier's I'm Here! Alligator recordings by Hound Dog Taylor, Fenton Robinson, Albert Collins, Johnny Winter, Roy Buchanan, Clarence "Gatemouth" Brown, James Cotton, Charlie Musselwhite, Luther Allison, Shemekia Copeland, Roomful of Blues, Marcia Ball, Buckwheat Zydeco, and others have all been nominated for Grammys. Other Grammy winners include Showdown! by Albert Collins, Robert

Cray, and Johnny Copeland for Best Blues Recording of 1985. In 2009, Buckwheat Zydeco's Lay Your Burden Down won a Grammy for Best Blues Cajun or Zydeco Recording.

In 2016, Bruce Igaluer is still the leader in the music industry that he was in 1971. In his 45 year history, Iglauer continues his vision of taking new blues artists to the top. That history can be celebrated on the new double album The Alligator Records 45th Anniversary Collection. With over 158 minutes of the music dedicated to legendary blues artists at the height of their career, this new 2-CD collection captures both the early traditional blues artists as well as the new aspiring young blues artist of today. Along with this superb collection of blues, is a 24 page booklet that opens with a message from the owner of Alligator Records himself, Bruce Iglauer.

The contemporary artists included in the collection are Selwyn Birchwood, Toronzo Cannon, Shemekia Copeland, Moreland & Arbuckle and Jarekus Singleton. The new artists that are interwoven with new artists include legendary artists like Curtis Salgado, Rick Estrin & The Nightcats, Joe Louis Walker, Delbert McClinton, Anders Osborne, The Holmes Brothers, Guitar Shorty, JJ Grey & Mofro, Ann Rabson and Roomful Of Blues just to name a few.

The entire comprehensive list includes blues artists Lil' Ed & the Blues Imperials, Son Seals, Shemekia Copeland, Elvin Bishop, Toronzo Cannon, Charlie Musselwhite, Marcia ball, Tommy Castro & the Painkillers, Carey and Lurrie Bell, Koko Taylor, Selwyn Birchwood, Rick Estrin & the Nightcats, Joe Louis Walker, Lee Rocker, Moreland & Arbuckle, Jimmy Johnson, Delbert McClinton, Hound dog Taylor & The Houserockers , Anders Osborne, and Mavis Staples on CD 1.

CD 2 features James Cotton with Joe Bonamassa, Albert Collins, JJ Grey & Mofro, Jarekus Singleton, Michael "Iron Man" Burks, Roomful of Blues, Lazy Lester, Johnny Winter, Curtis Salgado, The Kentucky Headhunters with Johnnie Johnson, Billy Boy Arnold, Ann Rabson, Smokin' Joe Kubek & Bnois King, Guitar Shorty, AC Reed with Bonnie Raitt, Luther Allison, and The Holmes Brothers.

With Bruce Iglauer's vision for the future, we can only wonder what the 50th Anniversary will bring. Congratulations Bruce for keeping the blues headed in the right direction for 45 years.

Reviewed by Rick Davis

September-October 2016 You're The One! Smilin' Bobby Self Released https:// www.facebook.com/ Smilin.Bobby.Smith/ 9 tracks Smilin' Bobby and the Hidden Charms have released a great album featuring this West Side Chicago guitar legend. Bobby Smith turned 77 years young on Sunday, July 17th. His infectious smile gives us an idea where his knickname came from; his stinging guitar make for an exciting performance! These original and cover tracks showcase what this under appreciated and mostly unrecognized guitar wizard is all about. He writes songs and performs with an attitude that tells us his life is ruled by that continual smile. Warren Lathan joins him on bass, Myron Katz on drums and BK Read plays rhythm guitar.

I had heard of Smilin' Bobby but had never seen him before this year. I have missed out on an artist who puts on a great show, writes cool songs and who is a great guitar player. He approaches the six strings with restraint and takes his music seriously. He picks out a lead as neatly as anyone, sings with great emotion and just puts on a great show. I am sorry to have missed him all these years and wanted to help get the word out so others can enjoy this fine artist. The tracks do not follow the listed order on the cover (which only lists seven songs). The nine tracks here appear to be a re-release of his album "Big Legged Woman" (minus one track and another looks to be renamed) or updated versions of 9 of that album’s songs..

Bobby creates a great West Side groove as the album begins with a super instrumental cut which is "Bobby's Strut" which may also be entitled "The Scamp." A sublime guitar picker, Bobby is smooth and refined in his style, layering his lead over the steady riffs of the rhythm guitar and back line beat. This instrumental shows us the man can play! "I Didn't Know" has a shuffling boogie beat as Bobby expresses his distress over a woman that does not treat him right. A beautiful and sublime guitar solo in the middle and end of the track really lets us know what we've missed- he's the real deal on this Howlin' Wolf cut."Cold, Cold Feeling" is a sultry slower blues by Jessie Mae Robinson that hearkens to the smoky days in crowded clubs on Chicago's West Side. "You're The One" picks up the beat a bit as he sings his own song about the woman who stole his heart. He picks out another set of slick solos and tells us about how he gives his woman what she wants, when she wants it and where she wants it. "Big Legged Woman" is a cool cut where he

Page 15 tells us of his woman and why she's the one she wants. A funky beat and a great story here in this one.

Bobby testifies to us and bemoans about what happens after being out with the boys for an extended period. "Gotta Leave This Woman" is an up tempo original piece that Smith tells us he's got to get out of this relationship. "Little By Little" is a neat cut; a great shuffle that Bobby sells with vocals and guitar; he tells us how "little by little" and "bit by bit" how he's getting won over in what appears to be a one way relationship. "You Don't Love Me" gives us his take on the Willie Cobbs classic; a bouncing beat and shouted lyrics make this a charmer. He finishes up with "Mind Your Own Business" where he tells his woman to leave him alone in no uncertain terms.

Bobby is a great, old school musician who is also a charming man, an entertaining musician and a bubbly and effervescent human being. His attitude is off a much younger man who has life ahead of him; here we have a man happy with whom he is, knows his place in the cosmos and enjoying what he does. Bobby travels the world singing his blues and spreading a personal non-religious Gospel of happiness. God bless him—he is a great person whom I am happy to have made the acquaintance; I hope to keep it going as long as I can!

Reviewed by Steve Jones

In Any Town The Lucky Losers Dirty Cat Records www.theluckylosers.com 11 tracks The duo of Cathy Lemons and Phil Berkowitz make up the front portion of the Lucky Losers, a San Francisco Bay area blues band recording together on Dirty Cat Records. Both Lemon and Berkowitz share the microphone on vocals and Phil lends assistance with some very nice harp work too. Kid Anderson helped them produce this album at his Greaseland Studios in San Jose. The CD features nine original cuts and a pair of interesting covers. Joining them on the CD are Chris Burns on keys, Marvin Greene on guitar, Tim Wagar on bass and Robi Bean on drums. A plethora of great guest artists appear throughout the CD. “So High” opens things up. It’s a love song praising the spirit of a love that lasts forever. More rock than blues, the song is up tempo and uplifting. Berkowitz gies a

nice solo on harp and Kid Anderson appears on lead guitar here, too. “It Ain’t Enough” follows; it evokes a gospel-ly sort of sultry sound. Johnny Cash’s “Jackson” is next, with the Bay Area duo going country. “Don’t Let ‘Em See Ya Cry” takes us deep into the blues for the first time on the CD. This one is greasy and cool as Lemon takes the lead and the band adds horns for some cool depth. Burns continues to burn it up on keys, doing some nice piano work here. “Blind Man in the Dark” returns to a mid tempo rocking groove with Phil in lead. Nice sax solo here (Terry Hanck makes an appearance).

“Can’t Change Ya” is a rocking sort of cut with Lemon and Berkowitz swapping leads. Greene’s guitar solo is solid here as is Berkowitz’ on harp.

“Still Enough Time to Cry” has Phil up front in a bouncy and fun song with more good piano, guitar and harp solos. “Give Me a Sign” opens with some wah wah/ reverbed guitar by Jeff Jensen and Lemons’ also with some reverb on the vocals.

It’s an interesting cut with a primal beat and nicely distorted harp. Anderson returns to lead guitar in the ballad title track.

His subdued solo fits the tone of the song well. Lemons wails about her being tired of being told what to do by people offering useless help. The song has a country tinge and shows Lemon at her best. Berkowitz offers up “Devil’s Dream” next, a psychedelic and demonic take on the blues. Interesting stuff! The album closes to Bobby Charles’ “Small Town Talk,” a cut he co-wrote with The Band’s Phil Danko. The whistling is intact from the original; Phil and Cathy approach it as a duo with some interesting accompaniment making things a little slicker but still cool.

This is a fun album with some bluesy moments. If you want straight up, traditional blues this may not be for you. If you want something original with a blue tinge and a country and rock feel and a very slick production then by all means try this one out!

The artists perform with feeling and give it their all.

Reviewed by Steve Jones

Page 16 Baptist Town Mike Eldred Great Western Recording Company 13 Tracks In the heart of Greenwood Mississippi, lies one of Greenwood’s oldest African American neighborhoods. In Baptist Town, one of the communities where African American workers settled, life revolved around cotton plantations, gins, compresses, and oil mills in the 1800's. Blues and gospel music flourished in Baptist Town, where blues legends Robert Johnson, and David "Honeyboy" Edwards could be heard performing at Three Forks juke joint, along with Sonny Boy Williamson No. 2 (Rice Miller). The list of blues and gospel groups coming from communities in Greenwood includes artists past and present.

The fact that Baptist Town and surrounding areas were so rich in roots music, it's history was motivation for Mike Eldred to record his latest release titled, Baptist Town. Eldred's new tribute to roots music is a musical masterpiece dedicated to the music that is a significant part of American culture. There is still existing racism and poverty in the South, as Eldred directs our attention to this age old problem in his lyrics.

Baptist Town features The Mike Eldred Trio with Mike Eldred on guitar and vocals, Jerry Angel on drums and percussion, and John Bazz on upright and electric bass.

Mike Eldred, with a "Hunder Dollar Bill" in hand, takes you on a fast-pace, hardcharging night on the town. John "Big Nick" Samora adds a special tone on harmonica that is a perfect fit for this tune. With Jarvis and Tracy Jernigan supporting Mike with background vocals on "Papa Legba," they create an ambience reminiscent of the tired moans that echoed from the field hollers.

With this tune, he depicts the dark side of human nature. Distressed voices introduce the tune "Somebody Been Runnin’," a spiritual with the Emmanuel Church Inspirational Choir, featuring choir members Vicki Dove and Michael Buccowich on background vocals. The track depicts the final days of Robert Johnson, leading up to his death in Baptist Town in 1938. Who could be chanting "Run Devil Run," a tune that features Eldred on a resonator and James Pennebaker on mandolin. One can only wonder if the devil was hot on the heals of Robert Johnson in this tune. John Mayer creates a solemn electric guitar and lap steel background sound on the country ballad "Roadside Shrine," a tale reminiscent of past. "Bess" takes listeners deep into the Mississippi bayou with David Hidalgo’s accordion accompaniment on this hill country tune with a Cajun twist. Deep within the

The Groove- Crossroads Blues Society Newsletter walls of Mississippi State Penitentiary, awaits the torture of "Black Annie," one of the dark reality tunes on the album. You can almost hear the cries, as the three foot whip would tear the flesh of prisoners, inhumane punishment which was just an extension of the slavery in the South. "Hoodoo Man" establishes a slow steady rhythm and rich slide guitar, typical of the Delta blues.

"Sugar Shake" is hard pulsating dance tune that you would hear streaming from the walls of a delta juke joint in the 30's. With a driving rhythm section and distorted guitar, Eldred explains in so many words, his intent in the song "Kill My Woman." The title track "Baptist Town" features the familiar guitar sound of the legendary Robert Cray, a musical vignette of the hatred and poverty, typical of the small neighborhood outside of Greenwood, Mississippi. The Mike Eldred Trio creates a different twist on the Beatles hit "Can't Buy Me Love," geared for this collection of deep, dark Mississippi Delta blues. What better way to complete this historical puzzle than to feature the original gospel tune "You're Always There" with once again, a rousing performance from the Emmanuel Church Inspirational Choir background vocals.

Baptist Town is more that a special blues album. It weaves strands of contemporary blues music into a historical account that defines American culture, originating in the South. The musical legacy left by the early blues artists is spelled out in the well written lyrics created from Mike Eldred's research and travel to the Mississippi Delta surrounding Baptist Town. The album reflects all of the intense emotional issues that enveloped the Southern tradition and still exist today.

Baptist Town is a great addition to any blues collection.

Reviewed by Rick Davis Sounds Like The Blues To Me Jeff Chaz JCP Records http:// www.jeffchazblues.com/ 12 Tracks Jeff Chaz is originally from Lake Charles, LA, but spent time in California and Memphis before settling into New Orleans. He has been a fixture in The French Quarter for the last 20 years or so. He is a guitarist, and song writer. I believe this is his 6th release overall, with the first being Tired Of Being Lonely released in 2001. Jeff wrote or co-wrote all of the tunes on this release.

He is backed by Doug Therrien (bass), John Autin (keys), A. J. Pittman (trumpet) and Ward Smith (sax). The drums are held down by Doug Belote, Allyn Robinson and Willie Panker on different cuts. There is a

New Orleans feel with the horns but the recording pulls from several blues styles especially Memphis and B. B. King.

The opening cut “Sounds Like The Blues To Me” has a bit of 70’s blues rock in it, with a more modern blues vocal. A funky beat treats our ears on “Make Love To You In The Sand”. The horns add a great deal.

Some B.B. King guitar licks carry the tune.

It cannot get more of a blues topic than ‘hitchhiking in the rain after my baby kicked me out’. Chaz is out front on this one with guitar and vocals. The slow tune also lets John Autin show off his piano. “Hitchhiking In The Rain” is a good tune. The pace picks up on “I Am The Blues”. This one has a bit more R&B feel to it.

“You Look So Good To Me” provides the listener with a great soul vibe. The horn section and the organ work will get people up and dancing. With a title like “Mysterious, Exotic Lady” one would think of the carnival side show or maybe a store front on Bourbon Street. It has a jazzier feel to it, with maybe a hint of the Atlanta Rhythm Section and maybe a hint of Robert Cray. I would have gotten the guitar work much more in front in the mix. On “I'm Goin' After Moby Dick In A Rowboat” I like the words, and the overall track R&B feel. Certainly you get a think big feel from it! I like the Omar and The Howlers feel to” Four In The Morning”. The rooster sounds add to the mid tempo tune.

A definite slower swamp pop feel brings out the best in “Will You Be Mine”. It is a nice change of pace for the CD. I‘d love to hear Aaron Neville singing this one! Chaz brings out a nice shuffle next with “Walkin' With My Baby”. The mix is better on this one. The bass sticks out and is not buried by the fine guitar work on this one. The lone instrumental tune is “The Mt Vernon Blues”. This one leans a bit to blues rock, and carries your attention until the end. The whole band gets a chance to step out on this one.

The closing track is a stretched out long blues track called “You're Bound To Get Us Both Hung”. Certainly the title is bluesy, and at 8:41 there is plenty of time to tell the story. The styling brings a bit of David Bromberg to mind. The story telling vocals and stinging guitar work for me.

Jeff Chaz really stepped up on this one. He brought in many blues styles and mixed them up in a good way on this disc. The playing here is very good, but the ability to tell stories is Jeff’s big plus. All these years holding court in French Quarter bars helped him hone this craft. Currently he is holding down a gig Tuesday - Sunday, 12:30pm 7:00PM @ Jazz Café. If you get to town, please check him out. This is a CD all blues lovers might want to check out.

Reviewed by Mark Nelson

September-October 2016 Monkey Brain Sean Pinchin Factor http://seanpinchin.ca/ 8 Tracks The new release by Toronto guitar player Sean Pinchin is called Monkey Brain. Overall this is 6th release including one EP. His last CD called Rustbucket was released in 2013. I gathered a Maple Blues Award Best New Artist nomination in 2014 for that work.

Rob Szabo is the producer on this release, and added keyboards, backing vocals and percussion to the release. Mark McIntyre handled the bass, while Adam Werner handled the drums. Overall the CD is a bit short at 30 minutes, but it does pack a wallop.

The music is not as easy to judge by the cover. Pinchin has an acoustic on his lap, and this is electric music.

On the opening cut “Monkey Brain” the first few notes jump out like a bluesy tune from Led Zeppelin. There is solid support by the bass/drum combo of McIntyre and Werner.

Pinchin’s slide work is very good, and not overdone. “Can't Stand It” comes out firing on all cylinders. This is an up tempo blues rock tune with more solid guitar. The repetitive ‘I Can’t Stand It’ lyric is almost too much, but as a shorter tune (2:49) it gets by.

On “Charity Case” the tone changes to a slower tune of part hill country part swamp blues. This one contains more blues than the first 2 tracks. It is louder and more bombastic in the recording. “Hard Luck” is a rock track that is pretty good. There is a bit of ZZ Top here, but a bit of modern feel to it.

Pinchin’s vocals are very clear on this one.

Things start out slower on “Living In The Past”, but then take off in a hill country beat after that. Emma-Lee adds some backing vocals on this one. I like this track. The track “Goin' Hobo” is a bit different. This tune is a more modern swamp blues style.

The feel is certainly from the south…a bit of gumbo blues, hint of gospel and catchy chorus. Well played without anything getting overwhelming. Pinchin grabs his resonator guitar on “Monsters”. It would be an interesting country blues instrumental track.

Closing out the CD is the powerful “Get Burned”. This track treads a bit closer to over the top playing, but it slides back to a better controlled tune. Fans of the White Stripes and Lighnin’ Malcom will like this one.

It’s not all blues for sure. This CD is roots music and is rocking. Pichin’s guitar work is very good. His voice is not what you would call great but it fits his music very well. This is a veteran player delivering a very solid effort. The packaging is nice. The music is clear and crisp. If you like lots of roots mu-

Page 17 sic and guitar in you musical stew, then you will enjoy this one. Canada keeps putting out some good music. The support that the musicians get really help out.

Reviewed by Mark Nelson Goin’ Down to Alabama The Muscle Shoals Sessions Howard “Guitar” Luedtke False Dogs Records www.Howard Luedke.com 12 tracks Rarely do I get very excited over an album of mostly covers. 11 of the 12 tracks here are covers; one, lonely original song. But the cover songs have lives of their own here. Howard Luedke is an old hippie sort of guy. He plays a mean guitar with some wicked slide work. He is able to transform these into his own, relying on his interpretation rather than the originals for inspiration.

So here we go…

The premise for this album is a childhood dream of Luedke’s. In 1964 he got his first guitar and his first copy of Tavis Wammack’s 45 RPM record of his instrumental “Scratchy.” Wammack is known as “The Fastest Guitar Player in the South.” Howard knew little of him until his wife discovered Travis had 13 CDs and a book in 2013 and offered some or all of them up to Luedke for his birthday. He was floored. Until then, a few copies of the 45 came in and out of Luedke’s life. A boorowed and lost copy refound. An ebay purchased copy. When the Cds came he finally figured out who Wammack was (and that he was white; he was living under the misconception Wammack was a “big, black man” as described by a friend of a friend with the 45 back in 1965).

Luedke contacts Wammack, they arrange a meeting and recording session at the legendary Muscle Shoals with Wammack as a session man. The story is fully described in the CD booklet. Suffice it to say the two hit it off and create some amazing music together. The players are Donnie Gullett on bass, Jan Gullett guitar, Rogr Clark drums, Jim Whitehead on keys, Wayne Chaney on percussion, and “Bad Brad” Guin on sax.

Luedke does guitar, slide, lap steel and lead vocals while Wammack does guitar, slide, harp and backing vocals.

The session recording begins with “Born Under a Bad Sign” with sax and la steel sliding as introduction to this in a new way.

Countrified and country fried blues and it tastes good. Great solos on the sax and lap

steel, clean and good vocals and a vocal cacophony behind Luedke make for a great start.Ripoff Raskolnikov’s “Blues won’t Quit Me” follows, a song Howard discovered touring in Austria and Germany with his wife Deb and Clyde Stubblefield. A great, rocking rendition! The Gospel song “That’s How Strong My Love Is” is next. Recorded in one take, Luedke was moved and does a fantastic and soulful job on thie Gospel tune he did not know was a Gospel tune until he recorded it. “Mercy, Mercy, Mercy” is a swinging rendition with mega sax work that carries things along with Luedke’s vocals.

And his ever-present guitar helps a bit, too.

Smiley Lewis’ “I’m Comin’ Down With the Blues” has a tick of an up tempo to it and a cool piano tinkle as backbeat that makes this different. The sax work also shines with the guitar solos. “Mean Old Lonesome Train” is an old Otis Hicks and J. West tune recorded on Excello by Lightnin’ Slim in 1957. Clean harp work, a lazy slide guitar sound and western approach make this one new and different. Well done!

“My Generation” does not sound like the Who; this rendition is laid back and has a long instrumental intro with sweet guitar work and slide. Another different and cool cover! Luedke reworks “King Creole” into Wammacks’ “Fire Fly” beat with lots of guitar solos trading back and forth. When “The Last Time” came on the first time I listened I knew the song but was confused; then I said, “Hell, this is a Stones song. Totally reworked and Luedkefied. “That’s How Strong My Love Is,” “Mercy, Mercy, Mercy” and this all were on the Stones’ 1965 album Out Of Our Heads and Luedke rearranges and makes them his own after a 50 year love affair with them.

Travis Wammack’s “Keep On Running” is the lone Wammack cover. This is typical southern rock a la the Allman Brothers, Marshall Tucker or the like. Two guitars wailing and country like lyrics about running down the road. But it’s cool. And he harp in there is also well placed. The title track is also a romping southern rocker with three guitar players going at it. The sax blows hard to good effect; this is a really fun rocker with Chuck Berry styled licks and more licks and more licks. Johnny Winter’s “Mean Town Blues” closes the session. Texas blues rock at it’s best. Guitars, slides, lots of strings vibrating and bent. A nice tribute to Mr. Winter.

Is it blues? Partly. Is it good? Definitely.

The guys and gals sound like they are having fun playing and they are doing ti up their way. Familiar songs? Sure, but they really put a great spin on things. Gear headed guitar lovers will cherish this. Pedal to the metal fun!

Reviewed by Steve Jones

The Groove- Crossroads Blues Society Newsletter

Page 18 Kansas City Gold Stormcellar with Millage Gilbert, Danny Cox, D.C. Bellamy and Ron Teamer Self Released www.stormcellar.com.au/ 16 tracks– 12 songs Storm cellar, according to Wikipedia, is a “type of underground bunker designed to protect the occupants from violent severe weather, particularly tornadoes.” On the other hand, Stormcellar is an Australian blues and roots band from Sydney that is very much above ground and offers up a non-violent but very uplifting style of music that will get you out of your comfort zone and up dancing the night away!

Many of our readers will remember Stormcellar from one of their four trips to visit us in the Midwest. In 2013 they played our postfestival volunteer party in Byron, In 2014 they opened our Crossroads Blues Festival at Lyran Park. In 2015 they followed Jimmy Nick at the festival and this year as we go to publication they are in town with a private show and perhaps more for our listening pleasure coming up!

Stormcellar is Michael Barry (MJEB) on vocals and harp, Jo Fitzgerald on vocals, Paul “Mr. Wizard” Read on slide guitar, Michael “Rosie” Rosenthal on electric guitar, Theo Wanders on drums and Bill Williams on bass. Last year they wound up hunkering down in Kansas City, both purposefully and due to the indiscretions of their financial institution’s errors, so they went into the studio to work with several old school blues men from the K.C. area and turned out an extraordinary album of great music that sweetly blends their blues with the blues of these somewhat underappreciated but fantastic K.C. artists.

Millage Gilbert came to K.C. from Mississippi in 1962 and has been a fixture in their blues scene for decades. He has played King Biscuit, Mississippi Valley and other blues fests and has toured the Midwest and even France. Danny Cox hails from Cincinnati and moved to K.C .in the 1960’s. He is another local fixture and has written the music and lyrics for a play about Negro League baseball called “Fair Play;” he also starred in the play when it opened in 2012.

D.C. Bellamy is probably the most noteworthy of the K.C. group. He’s been there since 2000 after a guitar career in Chicago working as sideman to people like Betty Everett, Donny Hathaway, Gene "Duke of Earl" Chandler, and Brook Benton. He is also half brother to Curtis Mayfield and grew up as part of a very musical family. Lastly, Ron Teamer and his band are another fixture in music in K.C. and they have won the K.C. Blues Challenge twice (2004 and 2005). These guys are the real deal!

Gilbert and the Band start us off with “Last Man Standing,” an original cut by the Band The guitar stings and Gilbert’s vocals deliver this double entendre fill song convincingly.

“Chalk Angels” features Barry in the lead with guitar by Rosie, am uplifting and driving cut commemorating Tamir Rice, whose young life was cut off far too soon in Cleveland back in 2014. Danny Cox gives us a rousing protest soul blues cut called “We The People” that was written in the style of the 1960’s and would have made a great song for the Bernie Sanders campaign had he been able to usurp the Democrat’s machine. I was painting my protest sign by the end of the track… Jo is featured next in the love song “You Can’t Push Me Away.” This is a lovely tune and she does an amazing job. Bellamy joins in with her for a verse and the boys from the band are in superb support here. Another great song!

Teamer’s “Day By Day” follows with he in the lead and Jo backing him in another moving piece. Gilbert follows this up with another stinging cut entitled “Didn’t Say Goodbye.”

Barry is featured in “Sweet Mama Told Me” and he gives an inspired performance on vocals and harp; Rosie shines on his solo, too. MJEB also follows that up with “Nobody Knows Better Than Me,” a sweet and soulful ballad with nice slide by Mr. Wizard. The first of two covers in “As The Years Go Passing By.” Millage Gilbert turns in another superb and gutsy performance, embracing this standard convincingly. Lots of great guitar work is in there, too, and Barry punctuates things well with a tastefully done ethereal harp. The Band gives us “Don’t You Know Who I Am” next with Barry out on a cool limb vocally, Rosie and Mr. Wozard ringing and stinging on guitar and slide as Theo and Bill give us a Rhumba to enjoy. “Cummins Prison Farm (Born in Missouri) is the second cover, done up oh-sowell by Gilbert and the Band. Lots more great guitar here, folks, and some greasy harp, too! The Band concludes with “Hey Child,” an airy and spooky sort of tune with a huge bass line driving it. Barry’s harp and vocals are spot on and the fuzzed up guitar lends a psychedelic edge to the cut. A great finale to an exceptional CD!

Reverend Peyton (Rick Davis)

I’ve heard the Sydney Blues community think these guys aren’t bluesy enough for them. Well, if they get through this without changing their minds then I don’t know what they could have been listening to. The Band has played a mix of fantastic roots music over the years; this is raw and emotional blues done authentically and with exceptional musicianship. I loved this CD and most highly recommend it to all blues and music lovers!

Reviewed by Steve Jones

Paul Holdman from Tad Robinson’s Band (Rick Davis)

September-October 2016 Live At Knuckleheads Vol 1 The Nick Schnebelen Band Vizztone www.nickschnebelenkc.com 12 tracks/50 minutes Live At Rosa’s Lounge Omar Coleman Delmark www.omarcoleman.com 10 tracks; 62 minutes Live At The Kessler Jim Suhler & Monkey Beat Underworld www.jimsuhler.com 16 tracks; 70 minutes These new live albums come from three acts with very different histories but all with some common features: apart from some occasional audience clapping at the end of a song, one would never think that they are live recordings, such is the high quality of the sound; all three are also recorded on home turf at venues with which the bands are familiar and comfortable.

Former Trampled Under Foot guitarist Nick Schnebelen’s new band is recorded in Kansas City. Nick shares guitar and vocal duties with Heather Newman, with Joe Voye on drums and Cliff Moore on bass. The album opens with the high tempo swing of “I’m Goin’”, Nick playing some great guitar, Heather providing some good backing vocals on the chorus.

Heather takes over for a trio of songs: “Willie James” takes us down to Alabama on an upbeat tune about an old bluesman; “Crazy” is the Gnarls Barkley song and “Desperate Heart” is a ballad punctuated by some fine guitar stylings from Nick.

Heather’s voice recalls another KC resident, Samantha Fish, who also made some of her earliest appearances with TUF. Nick is back at the mike for “Break Of Day” which has considerable resemblance to “Walkin’ Blues”, both lyrically and musically, and stays in place for “Bad Disposition” in which Nick claims to “feel real mean” with appropriately moody guitar. Heather takes us through “Tailgate Swing” as Nick switches to slide on a catchy country blues piece before “Who Will Comfort Me” takes the pace down for a touch of gospel. The album closes with four covers of very different styles: Nick takes the mike for Willie Dixon’s “Spoonful” with good choral support from Heather and plenty of fine guitar; the 50’s

Page 19 instrumental hit “Sleepwalk” shows a completely different side to Nick’s playing; the rather strange choice of Dolly Parton’s “Jolene” is given a fairly straight-ahead reading before the band closes with an exciting take on “New Orleans”, the old Freddy Cannon hit, Nick building up a head of steam on slide. The only real criticism of this CD is that there are no songwriting credits given so it is this reviewer’s assumption that, other than the covers, the songs on which Heather leads are hers and those that Nick leads on are his. Apart from that omission this is a good debut from Nick’s new band – should we expect Vol 2 soon?

Omar Coleman’s debut for Delmark last year created quite a stir and the company has followed it up very quickly with a live album recorded across three sessions at Omar’s regular Tuesday night at Rosa’s Lounge in Chicago. Pete Galanis on guitar, Neal O’Hara on keys, Marty Binder on drums and either Ari Seder or Dave Forte on bass provide very experienced backing behind Omar and the songs are often stretched to allow plenty of solo space.

Strong versions of Junior Wells’ “Snatch It Back And Hold It” (merged with Johnnie Taylor’s “Wall To Wall”) and Willie Dixon’s “I’m Ready” make for a strong opening section before Omar shows plenty of his harp skills on the autobiographical “Born And Raised”, the title track and first of several cuts from that first Delmark outing.

Pete uses a lot of wah-wah through the album, fitting with the generally funky style that Omar favours but, for this reviewer, the howling solo on “Born And Raised” goes a little over the top. Omar gives us some rock and roll on “Slow Down Baby” with a much more enjoyable solo from Pete and plenty of pumping piano from Neal and a second dose of Johnnie Taylor on “Jody’s Got Your Girl And Gone” blended with his own “Sit Down Baby” which certainly meets Omar’s description of liking “our blues with a dose of funk”.

“Raspberry Wine” has a funky yet jazzy feel with Neal switching to organ and another original “Lucky Man” keeps the funk quotient high. The soul/blues ballad “One Request” has some lovely harp work in place of what could have been a horn section on a studio version, Omar singing well of his aspirations for the child he hopes to have with this lady. One of the originators of the funky style was Rufus Thomas and his “Give Me The Green Light” is relentlessly rhythmic before Omar closes as he began by covering another tune from Junior Wells’ repertoire, “Two Headed Woman” which races along with plenty of country blues influences, espe-

cially in Pete’s guitar work, the whole recalling “Mojo”, especially in the rhythm section’s work. Those who like plenty of funk in their blues will enjoy this one!

Jim Suhler is probably best known for his work with George Thorogood & The Destroyers but he and his band Monkey Beat have been together for quite some time and this live disc, recorded in Dallas, blends songs from four previous studio albums with two new songs in an all original program. “I Declare” finds pianist Sean Phares twinkling the ivories on a rocking opener and is paired with another cut from Jim’s last album Panther Burn, the moody “Across The Brazos” on which Sean’s accordion effect keys gives the tune a real Tex-Mex border feel. Jim rocks out superbly on the new song “Doin’ The Best I Can” on which he confesses that “I can’t play like BB King, when I try I break a string” but proves that he is a fine slide player here as the rhythm section of Beau Chadwell on drums and Chris Alexander on bass work hard. Things get a little heavier with “Tijuana Bible”, an interesting song about illustrated sex manuals before a series of quieter melodic tunes begins with the instrumental “My Morning Prayer” which segues into the catchy and attractive “Déjà Blue” with Jim playing some fine lead over more of Sean’s accordion keys.

On “Texassippi” Jim extols the qualities of his home area with some fine acoustic picking, segues first into the introspective instrumental “Reverie”, then into the contrasting “Sunday Drunk” which builds into an intense rocker about excessive alcohol consumption (though Jim does not sound at all apologetic!) Beau sets the pace on “Devil In Me” with plenty of slide from Jim, as there is on “Panther Burn”, a homage to a small Mississippi town. The final four songs are a real rocking slide tune in “Scattergun”, the naggingly catchy tribute to Lighting Hopkins, “Po’ Lightnin’”, the almost gospel feel of “Prayin’ For Rain” and an extended boogie tune “Restless Soul” which incorporates “Bullfrog Blues”, with appropriate reference to Rory Gallagher. A definite must-buy for fans of slide guitar-driven blues and, for this reviewer, the best of this trio of live discs.

Reviewed by John Mitchell

The Groove- Crossroads Blues Society Newsletter

Page 20 Illogical Optimism Reverend Freakchild Treated and Released Records www.treatedandreleasedrecords.com 3 CDs/15, 12 and 8 tracks Living Blues called him irreverent. I must say I agree. They called him enthusiastic for the blues. I agree he’s enthusiastic.

The style is not usually the blues nor would it fall into any real style. The music is weird.

The musicianship and playing abilities are evident. The approach and attempts are just out there. I am no purist. I grew up with Zappa. I still guffaw at Firesign Theater. I understand that being out there can be cool. But it also can be a flop and this I’d call a flop, too.

Disc 1 is labeled “Odds, Ends and Other Amazingness” featuring songs from a recent session and some from the vault.

It begins with John Lennon’s “Imagine” and I’d imagine if John heard this he’d not be too happy. He destroys classics like “All Along the Watchtower,” “See That My Grave is Kept Clean,” and even the Beatles “Yer Blues.” It’s not even laughable.

Disc 2 is entitled “Everything is New” is a set of re-mixes and re-re-mixes of “All I Got is Now.” Some of it would be considered humorous but I don’t think humor was intended.

Discs 3 is “Kairos,” all new acoustic country blues done by Ramblin’ Jennings. It’s rambling and it’s acoustic with wildly blown harp and guitar strummed at an uneven pace while Jennings yells out most of the lyrics. He often (I think usually is better) sounds to be drunk or in pain or both. Jennings is supposedly a preacher from Florida. I really don’t care.

I see no reason to buy this. The first two CDs are well played but badly and conceived made music. The third CD is poorly played and badly conceived and made music. If there is an audience out there for this it would have t be family relations of the artists because there is no other reason to purchase this. If you want to be amazed at what some people are willing to produce and/or to promote, then it might be worth a listen, but please take it out of the library and don’t waste any money on this.

Reviewed by Steve Jones

Parade Bill Phillippe Self Released BillPhillippeMusic.com 11 tracks

sal vocal delivery style to the point it really detracts from the song and seems almost a put-on. The album concludes with “Take It With Me,”.a Tom Watts song that is almost passable in it’s depression.

Somber and depressing are two words that aptly depict this CD. Bill Philppe is a San Francisco-based artist with a very nasal vocal style. His take on music is odd and dark. The playing is interesting as he and the band blend the guitar, clarinet, upright bass, accordion with his vocals into a mélange of darkness and depression.

Phillppe does the vocals and guitar. Ivor Holloway is interesting on clarinet. Swen Hendrickson plays bass while Glenn Hartman is on accordion. Each seems to do well with their instruments, playing to Phillippe’s style. But Phillippe’s vocals are not my cup of tea nor is his approach to music.

“The Blues Come Callin’ (Home)” is an odd number where Phillippe’s voice blends with clarinet, bass and accordion in a very strange manner. “Proper Sorrow” is another odd and depressing number as in “14th Street.” “If I Should Lose My Mind” continues in that vein. “Solitude/A Kinder Voice” is a reflective cut , but it, too, continues in the somber and depressing vein. I did not recognize “Solitude” as a Duke Ellington cut until I read the liner notes. “Everything I Have is Grey” is next and at this point I’m hoping Phillippe’s home is devoid of sharp objects.

“Parade” is the most upbeat of the tunes as Phillippe sings how life can be looked as a a parade passing by. “Tonite” is a dark-sounding folk ballad and musically is ok. “Little Zion” clearly features the guitar, the first time it is not blended into the mélange. Again we have a depressing and dark cut. “Red Beret” accentuates his na-

The album has moments of hope that are usually quickly dashed. Perhaps this was therapeutic for Bill to create. I hope so because after listening I may have to sign up for some therapy. Not recommended.

Reviewed by Steve Jones

September-October 2016 From Roadhouse to Your House– Live!

The Terry Hanck Band TVR Music/Vizztone Label Grpup www.terryhanck.net 13 tracks This is a fun lie CD produced by Terry Hank and Kid Andersen. It was recorded at the California State Fair in July, 2015 and mixed in Andersen’s Greaseland Studio. Terry is on vocals and plays tenor sax, Johnny “Cat” Soubrand is on guitar and vocals, Butch Cousins is on drums and vocals, Tim Wagar is on bass and Jimmy Pugh is the special guest on keys, a member of Terry’s old Berkely band The Rats..

“Good Good Rockin’ Goin’ On” opens the CD and showcases each member of the band. Hanck blows his sax through the roof, Soubrand wails on guitar, and Pugh lays it out on the keys while the backline is solid. “Flatfoot Sam” is an old Oscar Wills cut with plenty of horn and Terry revives it nicely as the band creates a great boogie woogie beat and interplay supporting his sax work. “Junior’s Walk” is an original tribute to Junior Walker and features more mean horn by Terry. The band is tight in support. “Whatcha' Gonna Do When Your Baby Leaves You” is a 1958 Chuck Willis cut that Terry struts and strolls through.

Sax and guitar solos and a little testifying to the crowd spice this up nicely. The original “Smilin’ Through My Tears” is a slow, rocking blues that hearkens back to the days of sock hops and dancing all night. This cut would have been a favourite of the guys and gals slow as they danced into the wee morning hours. The cover of “I Don’t Love You No More” by Jimmy Norman that was a big sax vut back in the day with some cool baritone sax. Hanck replaces that with his tenor and gives a convincingly cool rendition.

The piano solo and work is also fun, and then the guitar joins the fray for more fun.

Louis Jordan’s “Ain’t That Just Like a Woman” gets a superb cover as Hanck and company jump and jove as few can.

The Tyrone Davis cut “Can I Change My Mind” from the 1960’s gets covered well as the band gets a little mellow as they swing through this old, great song. Then we get to hear Dave Specter’s “Octivatin’” which is a fine instrumental from his Spectified album. The guitar work does justice to Specter’s cut and Hanck’s horn takes it over the top. “Live To Love” is an original that follows and it’s another nice jump number that is sweet and so is Cla-

Page 21 rence Carter’s “Slip Away;” Hanck delivers the goods on originals and covers!

Hanck and Company complete the set with Hanck’s “Cupid Must Be Stupid,” a fine original that Hanck has done in the past wit many a great artist is support.

Huge guitar and sax solos and just great playing by all involved make this special.

I loved this CD. Anyone wanting to hear great sax work with superb originals and fine covers and any lover of jump blues needs to get this fine live album. Kudos to Hanck and Anderson for making it sound good and kudos to Terry and the Ban for a fine performance!

Reviewed by Steve Jones The Blues Are Knockin' Markey Blue Soul Sound Records 10 Tracks Markey Blue was formed in an unusual fashion in Nashville, with two people coming from diverse backgrounds. Jeanette Markey's career came as a Las Vegas showgirl, stand up comedian, and actress, while Ric Latina come from a musical career as a studio musician and guitarist, touring top country bands out of Memphis.

After teaming up as a duo and performing in local clubs, the two artists found a certain magic with their songwriting and an exceptional ability to perform together.

After assembling top musicians, they began their journey down blue's highway.

The Blues Are Knockin' is the group's second blues release, as the follow up to their debut album Hey Hey. With the release of this second album, the Nashville team of vocalist Jeanette Markey and guitarist Ric Latina have set the bar high with their pair of dynamic, well written and arranged albums. The group seems to have this electrifying magic unequaled by any other contemporary blues band. With the deep, soulful vocals of Markey and Ric's hypnotic slide and electric guitar solos, Markey Blue is starting to open many doors in today's blues scene.

The Blues Are Knockin' is an album that you just can't listen to and shelve. It is one of those album that you just can't listen to enough. The more you hear Markey's alluring vocals and Ric's guitar prowess, the more the more it captures your soul.

The album opens with Ric's stinging slide guitar and Markey emotional vocals on "I'll Wait For You." They both strut their stuff

with the soulful tune "That Ain't Good Enough." The passion of Markey's vocals and Ric's note bending performance will get your heart pounding on this original.

"Cold Outside" heats up rather quickly with a superbly arranged horn section, some bewitching vocals, and guitar solos that strike like a bolt of lightning. With a slow, big city beat, driven by the rhythm section, Markey will keep your pulse racing as she warns her listeners that "Cash Is Always King." That takes us to the title track that is one of the most passionate tunes I have heard this year. For me, "The Blues Are Knockin'" could be "song of the year" on any genre list. It is my pick for the best written and performed tune in 2016.

Once again in my opinion, the only other tune that could match this one was the blues tune "Still Got The Blues" by the late great Gary Moore in 1990. The album continues laying down a track with an underlying funky beat, "Be My Train," a splendid tribute to Little Milton. The party continues with a special tribute, Markey Blue style, to the "king of the blues," with their own "Lay Down Lucille" for the late great BB King. With the wise choice of these words of wisdom Markey, reminds us that she is "Nobody's Fool." Markey will melt your heart with her vocals on the tune "Me Missing You." They return to a soulfully penetrating blues track "Worries" to complete this sophomore studio album.

This album will leave you speechless. I have never seen a group climb the ladder as quickly as Markey Blue. The Blues Are Knockin' will grip and hold your soul forever!

This a script is perfectly written for this dynamic duo. Ric's guitar phrasing and Markey's incredible vocals team up to create a blues powerhouse.

Reviewed by Rick Davis

The Groove- Crossroads Blues Society Newsletter

Page 22 The World Moves On The Hitman Blues Band Nerus Records www.hitmanbluesband.com 13 tracks/64 minutes

A Little Too Late Travis Green Self-Released www.travisgreenmusic.com 10 tracks; 34 minutes

The Hitman Blues Band comes from New York and this is their sixth album release since 2000. Bandleader Russell ‘Hitman’ Alexander wrote all bar one song, plays guitar and handles lead vocals with solid backing from the band: Kevin Bents on keys, Mikey Vitale on tenor and Nick Clifford on baritone saxes, Guy La Fontaine on drums, Mike Porter on bass and B/V’s and Nancy Hampton and Joanne Alexander on B/V’s; Neil Alexander adds harp to one track and Michael Snyder the bari solo on one cut.

Another day, another Kid Andersen production from his Greaseland Studio in San José, CA. Kid produced, mixed and arranged the album and also plays guitar alongside fellow Nightcat Jason Hansen on drums, Randy Bermudes on bass, Jim Pugh on keys; Nancy Wright adds sax to some tracks and Lisa Leuschner Andersen and Courtney Knott are on backing vocals – something of a West Coast ‘dream team’. The guy they are backing here, Travis Green from Austin, Texas, wrote all the material here but little of it is blues. The title track opens with some great rock and roll piano/guitar from Jim and Kid, Travis sounding a little like fellow Texan Buddy Holly and the band finds its country groove on the breakup song “Please Don’t Cry”. There is more of an Rn’B feel to “Everybody Knows” courtesy of Nancy’s rasping sax and Jim’s organ, as Travis declaims that “everyone knows you’re a bitch at heart”, obviously a poor choice in that darkened bar! “The Only One” has more blues content with Kid’s gentle chords adding to the sad ‘lost love’ lyrics before “Keep You Off My Mind” heads back to the country with a Mavericks-style tune with plenty of twangy guitar from Kid. The opening of “Damage Done” sounds like a Spaghetti Western with Jason’s rim work and echoey electric guitar double-tracked over acoustic chords, a song asking for forgiveness with particularly good b/v’s from the girls. Nancy’s sax is heavily featured on the rocking “Caroline” and with Jim’s rocking piano this was probably my favourite cut on the album. Travis sounds more serious on “Road Runs Cold”, a slower tune with more echoey guitar and keys giving a moody feel to one of those ‘watch out for the twists ahead’ songs. “Salt And Sand” finds Travis “heading back to the Southlands”, Kid and Jim again combining well on slide and organ to give the tune the appropriate feel. The relatively short album concludes with the straight country of “Don’t Forget”.

Five tunes have been reprised from the first two Hitman albums, re-mixed, remastered and horns added. They all sound excellent, from the cool jazz arrangement on “Catch-22 Blues” (with Russell’s late father Ray on vibes and Bernard ‘Pretty’ Purdie on drums) to one of Russell’s best songs, the gorgeous ballad “Angel In The Shadows”, a song which would have graced Bobby Bland’s songbook.

Russell’s lyrics are a strong suit throughout, from the serious relationship discussions in “Two Minute Warning” to the put-down humour of “Hammer Down” (“Don’t kiss me, baby, I don’t know where those lips have been”) and the sardonic “That’s What It’s Like To Be A Man”. The new songs are right up there with the older tunes, Russell showing us his slide skills on the opener “Bad Bad Man” and on “Jenny Goodbye” which rocks out with a fine baritone solo from Michael Snyder at its centre. “Moving On” takes a solid blues guitar riff and embellishes it with organ stabs, slide overdubs and horn accents before “Two Trains Running” rattles along for over six minutes, allowing solo space to most band members including pounding piano, sax and guitar solos. “Don’t Tempt Me” returns to the theme of temptation, Russell “barely holding on” against what girls offer him, the piano and guitar breaks a model of rocking Rn’B style. Equally rocking is the extended cover of “Hoochie Coochie Man” which is driven along by Russell’s rhythm work and provides solo spots for both tenor and bari sax players, piano and Russell’s lead work.

Russell is also an accomplished balladeer, as is demonstrated on the title cut “The World Moves On”, an emotional song about getting older which again features the horns to advantage. “I’m All About You” has a soul ballad feel with good work from the piano, horns and backing vocalists. Fine musicianship and strong song writing make for a winning formula – Recommended!

Reviewed by John Mitchell

So, not much blues here but some wellplayed music in a mainly country vein – an enjoyable album if you are not committed to a 100% blues diet.

Reviewed by John Mitchell House Party At Big Jons Big Jon Atkinson & Bob Corritore Delta Groove Music http:// deltagrooveproductions.com/ 16 Tracks

Over the last few years I have heard about Big Jon Atkinson. I listened to his work on his 2 previous solo CDs (Boogie With You Baby & Back Down South) and with the Silver Kings in 2013 releases Tough Times and The Elgins and Silver Kings Vol 3. He is a young guy (born in 1988) with historical music running thru his veins. Kim Wilson was an early mentor, using his guitar work in The Blues Allstars. With his home base at his studio in San Diego, Big Jon continues to cause a stir with his music. He partnered up on this release with the veteran harp master Bob Corritore. Bob migrated to Phoenix from Chicago in 1981 and operates The Rhythm Room in that city. He has made several of his own recordings, and collaborated on CDs with the likes of Henry Gray, John Primer, Dave Riley, Kid Ramos and Taildragger.

Troy Sandow covers the bass, with a myriad of guests covers other spots in the recordings. The combination of established talent and new young talent should be interesting for all blues lovers. There are 6 originals from the duo, and some interesting covers.

The opening cut is an Atkinson original “Goin' Back To Tennessee”. This tune is a real revisiting of old electric style blues. Brian Fahey hits the opening drum strike and we are neck deep into the blues on this one.

“Here Comes My Baby” continues the fine set of songs. This is a Corritore original.

Malachi Johnson handles the sticks on this one. Things grind sown to a slower pace on the Atkinson original “It Wasn’t Easy”. Atkinson and fellow guitarist Danny Michel blend in well with Corritore’s stinging harp fills. The Lightnin’ Slim tune “She's My Crazy Little Baby” is a fine cover. Bob’s harp soars on this swamp blues tune. The guys go to church on the Charles B. Johnson tune “At The Meeting”. Dave Riley handles the vocals and plays guitar on the slow gospel tune.

Alabama Mike handles the vocals on Lightnin’ Hopkins tune “Mojo Hand”. Certainly the tune has the feel of the original Texas blues.

Tomcat Courtney (in his 80’s) sings and plays guitar on his tune “Mojo In My Bread”.

The band lays back on this slower tune and let the vocals shine. It will remind you of Muddy. Corritore brings us another original with “Mad About It”. This is a high octane blues cut. Atkinson returns to the vocals on this one. I like the next cover “Empty Bedroom” from Sonny Boy Williamson II. The vocals are very good by Atkinson, and Corritore’s harp holds up well the master Sonny Boy! I have always liked the Slim Harpo’s Excello style. The guys do justice to Harpo’s “I'm Gonna Miss You Like The Devil” and it’s slow swampy harmonica work. Willie Buck provides the vocals on his tune “You Want Me To Trust You”. This is good Chicago blues.

Dave Riley returns on his own tune “Mississippi Plow”. This has a Delta feel

September-October 2016 with Riley singing and playing guitar. The feel on “El Centro” written by Bob Corritore is real throwback to the 60’s blues style. It is an instrumental with the harp the big feature. Slim Harpo’s classic ”I'm A King Bee” get reworked with Willie Buck doing the singing. This one is fine, though does not turn this oft played tune into anything really new. On “Somebody Done Changed The Lock On My Door” Alabama Mike returns on guitar and vocals. It is a slow grinding blues tune from the great Champion Jack Dupree (then named Lightning Junior on and old 78 rpm in 1955). Atkinson’s own tune “My Feelings Won't Be Hurt” closes out this CD. It has Chicago roots, and is well done.

Overall you get a LOT of music on this CD. The styles spread from the Chicago roots to Texas, the swamp, gospel and the Delta.

The interaction of these two performers holds up. There is a bit of choppiness with 4 different guest vocalists singing on 7 of the 16 tunes. They were good though.

This one should be for all blues lovers.

There are songs for the old times blues, harp lovers, Chicago centric lovers and enough guitar for the blues rock fans. I like it and will give it many more plays. I hope all of you get to hear it.

Reviewed by Mark Nelson Ergo Sum (Therefore I Am) Mike Sponza with Ian Siegal, Featuring Dana Gillespie EPOPS Music www.mikesponza.com 8 Tracks

Page 23 isfied without greed. It makes a pretty good tune. “Carpe Diem” (Seize The Day) is a fast hill country delta blues tune, with some fine brass added. It is also based upon Horace Satire 1.6. It is about being content with life and enjoying it, as it flies by fast.

Marcus Valerius Martialis provides the basis for the 3rd track. This Roman poet’s words are set to a slower rock love ballad, with Kuzel’s sax adding some nice fills.

“The Thin Line” is sung by Dana Gillespie.

It talks of the ‘thin line between love and hate’. It is a slow sultry jazzy tune that is well done. Gaius Valerius Catullus provided the original poem.

The 5th cut is “See How The Man”. This funky tune has spoken lyric vocals, and some tight arrangements. The poem comes from Giovenale. I like the cut “Poor Boy”. It is a blues shuffle with nice slide work by Siegal. It comes from Horace Satire 8. Things get a bit swampy on “Kiss Me”. The tune is a blues shuffle with nice slide work by Siegal. It comes from Horace Satire 5 provides the inspiration for this pretty good tune. For the final cut, Siegal creates a fine Otis Redding type tune.

Horace Satire 5 provides the inspiration to this great soulful tune.

I gotta give this CD an A for creativity.

They also used many types of blues music to support the ancient words, and present them in a modern way. This uniting of words from centuries ago show that life is still about ‘love, friendship, politics, family..’.

Maybe our much more complex world can learn from the past. In the meantime give this a listen. You get a daily double of good blues and Roman poetry.

Reviewed by Mark Nelson

Mike Sponza comes to us from Italy, with his 8th release (including one with Bob Margolin). He has collaborated with many worldwide artists in his past releases. This release sets ancient poems to modern blues music. Very unique I would say, I have to admire his unique approach. On this release, Ian Siegal joins in on vocals and guitar, along with Dana Gillespie providing vocals. The remainder of the band includes Mauro Tolot (bass), Dean Ross (piano/organ), Rob Cass (backing vocals/ percussion) and Moreno Buttinar (drums).

There is a brass section featuring Matej Kuzel (tenor sax) and Chris Storr (trumpet).

Seven of the eight cuts were written by Sponza and Ian Siegal. The 8th was by Sponza and Dana Gillespie.

The opening cut is “Modus In Rebus”, based upon a work by Horace Satire 1.1.

This has been turned into some fine blues rock. The words discuss the desire for greed, and the understanding of being sat-

Heavy Days Katy Guillen & The Girls Vizztone http:// kgandthegirls.com/ 10 Tracks This is the 3rd release for Katy Guillen & The Girls. The previous releases included a Band camp EP ...and then there were three in 2012 and their first full length CD 2014’s Katy Guillen & The Girls. Guillen also released a CD in 2012 with drummer Go-GO Ray called When I Get Away. Hailing from Kansas City this 3 piece band utilizes blues with a heavy set of rock riffs to set their style. The band earned a finalist spot in the 2014 International Blues Challenge. Whether playing on tour or at their home town clubs, this band is building a following. Nine of the ten cuts are originals. Katy Guillen sings and plays guitar, and is joined by Claire Adams (bass,

vocals) and Stephanie Williams (drums, percussion).

The opening cut “Driving To Wake Up” hits a bit of a Georgia Satellites riff to start and stays strong through the whole cut including a real up tempo section at the end. On the title cut “Heavy Days” Stephanie Williams pounds out the drums on a solid blues rock tune. It is a pretty good tune, with some good harmony later in the tune. “Waking Up From You” explores the pop side of the band, not really any blues here, but the rock it out during the tune.

On “Don't Need Anyone”, Guillen’s guitar is strong and tough. The band keeps a nice edge to this tune, with a good solo. There is a blues underpinning on the tune, and a bit of Chrissie Hynde in the vocal delivery.

“During “The Load” the bass and drums are the stars. It’s a rocking tune which stays original to their skills and abilities.

“Humbucker” is another blues rocker that rally showcases the playing abilities of the entire group. It is in your face in a good way. I hear a bit of The Pretenders in this one. There are some keyboards added to “Cold Was The Night” by “Shinetop” Sedovic. The song has a modern R&B feel to it with strong guitar. The keyboard adds to the tune.

For “Can't Live Here Anymore” we get an all out rock song. It assaults your ears in a nice way, but tough. The trio really pours it out on this one. Again, there is not much of any blues to it. The lone cover is “Baby Please Don't Go” from Big Joe Williams.

This song has been covered many times, but not quite like this. They set fire to this song, mixing strong guitar work, excellent vocals and a rocking feel, while still retaining the original blues feel underneath it. Of all things a trombone by Ryan Heinlein shows up on the last track “Pulling Up From The Grooves”. It has a Frenchman Street New Orleans feel to it. Guillen really shows her pipes on this one. It has a slower feel, but not down to an acoustic level.

I see why they are a growing live act. For some blues lovers, there may not be enough blues here. This one rocks with some blues, classic and alternative rock with some pop tossed into it to make a fine musical salad. I am impressed with the musicianship and vocals of all 3 members.

They really hold it together well. Signing with Vizztone will increase their exposure.

For those of who have not seen this band, go see them and somewhere along the way grab this CD. For those of who are open to rock with your blues, grab the first CD also.

I bet you will play them both quite a few times.

Reviewed by Mark Nelson

The Groove- Crossroads Blues Society Newsletter

Page 24 Blue Skies Matty T. Wall Hipsterdumpster Records www.mattytwall.com 10 Tracks From Perth, Australia Matty T. Wall brings us his debut CD to enjoy. He is backed

by Jasper Miller (Drums), Stephen Walker (Bass), Gordon Cant (Organ) and Deli Rowe (Backup Vocals). Wall is the guitar player and vocalist, and is building a good reputation with his fretwork. This CD has 7 originals and 3 covers. Overall the packaging is very nice, and it is a truly independent release. Part of this was recorded in New York and the rest in Australia.

The opener is “Burnin’ Up, Burnin’ Down”, and it has a revved up car engine as the opening sound, followed by Wall’s blistering guitar. I like the drummer Jasper Miller on this high energy blues rock track.

The first cover is Keb’ Mo’s “Am I Wrong”.

The band puts in some higher octane than Keb’ did, but they stay pretty true to the original. Things slow down on “Love Gone Away”. It is a solid blues rock ballad. It reminds me a bit of Gary Moore. It is a twisting love lost blues tune. Up next is the instrumental “Scorcher”. The title fits the tune. Wall really showcases his talented fingers on this one.

The title cut “Blue Skies” is not as guitar centered than the other tunes, but is quite a lovely tune. Rock radio could pick this up…maybe even a good soundtrack tune.

“This is Real” is a solid slower soulful tune. Gordon Cant puts some tasty organ on tape for this one. Jimi Hendrix’s “Voodoo Chile” is the second cover on the disc. It is an extended version, timing in at 11:44. Wall chose to do this one differently and that is a plus with this often covered tune. The organ and backing vocals add to the tune. Overall it is pretty good.

Wall heads back to the 70’s with “Broken Heart Tattoo”. It mixes up some blues, rock and jazz to make a solid tune. His vocal style on this one is a bit like George Thorogood, and his guitar is powerful too.

A second instrumental is called “Smile”. It is a cheery bright jazz influences tune, maybe with a bit of Pink Floyd tossed in.

The closing tune is the Robert Johnson tune “Hellhound On My Trail”. The opening is the sound of a powerful rain shower.

Wall then rolls into the song on an acoustic guitar, showing a nice touch. The song then builds with Miller’s strong percussion until from its crescendo it falls back to the

rain shower. It is quite a nice way to end a CD. Overall this is a pretty good freshman effort. I like the touches on the covers, and that it is not just guitar hero stuff.

Wall entered the blues by tracking back from rock back to its blues roots. I hope he brings his music over to the States soon, people would love to hear this live.

From this starting point I hope we get more music from Wall in the near future and for decades to come.

Reviewed by Mark Nelson Mid Century Modern Al Basile Sweetspot Records www.albasile.com 13 Tracks For his 13th solo disc, the veteran Al Basile brings his long time collaborator Duke Robillard back as producer and occasional guest guitar player. During his career he has played with Roomful of Blues, Eddie “Cleanhead” Vinson, Joe Turner and Duke Robillard. He started Sweetspot Records in 1998. Additionally he has been a full time teacher too.

Basile wrote all of the songs on this release. The music intersects blues and R&B. Basile sings and plays his cornet.

He is joined by Brad Hallen on bass, Rick Lataille & Doug James handle the saxophones, Mark Teixeira on the drums, Bruce Bears (Keys) and ‘Monster’ Mike Welch on guitar.

The opening cut is “Keep Your Love, Where's My Money!”. It was inspired by a Slim Harpo tune called I Need Your Money. I like the singing and the horns on this mid tempo New Orleans influenced tune. “Like You Or Despise You” is up next. It continues in the same R&B vein.

Welch provides some tasty guitar work on this one. Bass player Brad Hallen lays down a great line on “Midnight Blue Persuasion”.

This one is more soulful, and the brass work is very good.

The 4th tune is an R&B song ” Tickle My Mule”. It has fun lyrics and Welch again shines on guitar. “I've Got To Have Meat (with Every Meal) takes us back to Louis Jordan swinging R&B. This one is killer!

I hear a Stax fell in “Like A Woman, Like A Man”. Albert King could have done this horn

filled blues tune. Duke Robillard did the middle solo on this tune. On “Blank Dog” we get an earful of horn filled Chicago blues. Mark Teixeira really lays down the drum line on this one. The music slips into a 50’s stroll tune called “Carry These Blues”. I like the lyrics on this cut, like ‘I got the fast acting blues for a man in a hurry’. Up next, Basile visits a B.B. King style blues with “No Truth To The Rumor”.

Bruce Bears adds some nice keyboards to this mellow tune.

“Listen To The Elders” is a real throwback tune. I’d call it west coast early blues with the fine horn work on it. It gets its feel from Buddy Johnson’s “A Pretty Girl (A Cadillac and Some Money”). On the 11th track, Basile conjures up a slower soul tune called “Night Crossing”. It is OK, but not as attention grabbing as some of the other tunes. “Big Trees Falling” picks up the pace with a more modern R&B feel to it. Basile pays homage to people who influenced him, and how they are fewer and fewer of them around. On the final cut, Robillard rejoins on guitar. The song is “Lie Under The House With Me”. It is a fine song about summer love. The horn work is quite good on this one. It’s a fine closing tune for the CD. Basile knows how to write great tunes and has been doing it for such a long time. He knows how to write good lyrics and spin them into music that meets at the crossroads of blues and R&B. These songs were put together in a 14 day span of time. This is mostly vintage type material, but there is a clean modern feel to it. I enjoyed this disc, and I think there is something here for all blues fans. The great backing band and the always fine producer Duke Robillard deserve their kudos for their efforts on this fine CD. Everyone give this a listen.

Reviewed by Mark Nelson

September-October 2016 Blues Heart Attack Jeremiah Johnson Band Connor Ray Music www.jeremiahjohnsonband.com 12 Tracks St. Louis was the home base for the Jeremiah Johnson (named after the movie character), but he moved to Houston in 1999. Ten years later he was back in St. Louis. Blues Heart Attack is the 4th recording in 6 years for the band. Their bookings certainly revolve around their home area, and the region around it. The band recorded all original material for this release. Jerimiah Johnson (vocals, guitar) is the band leader. He is joined on this recording by Jeff Girardier (bass, backing vocals) and Benet Schaffer (drums).

Other contributors are Nathan Hershey (B3, Wurlitzer, and piano), Tom “Papa Ray” Ray (harp) and Frank Bauer (sax and backing vocals).

The opening track is called “Mind Reader”. It is a blues rocker, with some fine organ and guitar solo near the end.

On “Room of Fools” the band dips back t some 70’s blues rock with “Room Of Fools”. There is some Humble Pie in the vocals and the tune. I like this one. The band goes a bit of a different way with the jazzier “Flat Line”. The title of the CD comes from this tune. Frank Bauer adds a nice sax fill to support Johnson’s jazzy guitar work. The music goes back to the 50’s with the rocking “Get it in the Middle”.

Nathan Hershey gets his boogie-woogie piano going on this one. Your toe will be tapping or dancing!

We get some slower southern blues and soul on” Summertime”. This is a cool tune with fine production work. We get an ear full of southern blues rock on “Skip That Stone”. The Allman’s and some old time revival music were an influence on this one. There are several nice solos on this one. “Talk Too Much” is the 7th cut.

Frank Bauer provides the fine sax work on this roadhouse blues number. The combination of the B3, sax and guitar playin’ the funk provides the back drop for “Sun Shine Through”. It is complete with some rooster guitar licks.

On the 9th track “Southern Drawl”, the band plays some country rock. This is a pretty good tune. It is a slower tune about life and things that are important. Previously this song was included on 2011’s Brand Spank'n Blue. I like the updated version over the flute influenced older version. You can’t show off your southern

Page 25 influences with a bit of the Crescent City.

“Everybody Party” fits right into New Orleans musically and one of the city’s favorite pastimes. It has some second-line and a bit “My Toot Toot” without the scrub board or accordion. “Here We Go Again” is a slow blues rock, with a bit of Jeff Beck guitar thrown in. I feel they were very sincere on this one, but it did not grab my ear as well as other tunes. I am not sure Johnson’s voice fits this tune really well.

For the final cut, the music takes off again.

“Its Been Hard” is horn driven blues rock of a modern vein. Guitar work is hard and fast but not overwhelming. He is playing notes that belong, not just to see how many he can cram in. The band is in control on this one.

Certainly Jeremiah Johnson Band hit the differences in the blues circuit on this well rounded CD. The playing is pretty good.

Vocals miss the mark on occasion, but not enough to chase you away from the fine work. It is very passionate and would go over well in a live setting. If you go back to 2010’s Ninth & Russell, the guitar was the overall centerpiece, and the music was much harder. It is great to see a maturing on the sound here. This is good modern blues rock and if that appeals to your ear, go grab this one.

Reviewed by Mark Nelson No Glass Shoes Ally Venable Band Connor Ray Music www.allyvenable.com 8 Tracks This is the debut CD for Ally Venable and her band. She and the band are out of east Texas. Ally plays guitar and sings. The rest of the band includes Bobby Wallace (lead guitar and keyboards), Zach Terry (bass) and Elijah Owings (drums). Special guests include producer Steve Krase (harp), and Randy Wall (keys). Venable wrote 5 of the 8 tunes, and rewrote the music for one of the covers. Local dates have been performed. Venable was also named East Texas Female Blues Guitarist of the Year for the last 2 years. I’ll let you in on one more fact at the end of the review. So on to the music!

The opening cut is “Trainwreck”. This is a hard driving blues rocker. The guitar work is fine, and not overwhelming. I like the title track “No Glass Shoes” with it’s up front vocals and clean production. It is more a rocker (reminds me of Rachel

Sweet) than blues, but a pretty good tune.

Few Texas blues rock bands could show record and not show a bit of ZZ Top/John Lee Hooker. “Woke Up This Morning” is that cut for this band. This one misses the mark a bit. Ally’s voice seems a bit strained to handle the tune. “Wise Man” is a blues rocker, with a few nice touches with the added keyboard.

The first cover is the Junior Wells classic “Messin' With The Kid”. This is a decent cover, with kudos for the funky break at about 2/3 of the song. Chicago blues is well represented on “Too Much Too Soon”. Steve Krase adds his harp on this tune. For “Downhearted Blues” Ally and the band put new music to the lyrics from Alberta Hunter tune. It is a blues rock tune, with some harp added in for extra seasoning. The closer is a cover of Bonnie Raitt’s “Love Me Like A Man” . Steve Krase and Randy Wall add there fine playing to this tune. This is a pretty good version of this tune. Instrumental work on this tune is quite good.

Overall the CD is fine. The group seems to play well and Venable’s vocals do well enough for an initial release. In the opening I promised an additional fact. Ally is only 17 as she makes this recording. Her voice will grow with age, practice and doing live shows. Experience will pay off. I hope her passion for blues stays strong.

If it does, she will create more and better work in the future. This is a good start.

Let’s hope we hear her 4th or 5th CD in about 7 years. It might be a pretty good one.

Reviewed by Mark Nelson

Birddog and Beck between acts

The Groove- Crossroads Blues Society Newsletter

Page 26

Crossroads Shows and Events July and August 2016

Justin Gates with Bryan Lee at Sinnissippi Park

Doug Deming and Dennis Gruenling and the Jeweltones at Fiora’s in Geneva

Paul Filipowicz at the Hope and Anchor

Smilin’ Bobby at the Lyran Club

Guitar Ronnie at Blues on Chicago in Freeport

Cash Box Kings at Blues on Chicago in Freeport

September-October 2016

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Trinadora Roots at All Saints Church in Byron

Glenn Kaiser at the Blues Bonfire in Byron

Scotty and the Bad Boys at the Lyran Club (Bob Haendler)

New Savages at the Hope and Anchor

Memphis Kings at Boundaries, Beloit WI (Rick Davis)

Danielle Nicole at Anderson Gardens (Rick Davis)

Bobby Messano in Mt. Morris (Rick Davis)

The Groove- Crossroads Blues Society Newsletter

Page 28

Jimmys in Mt. Morris (Rick Davis)

Shawn Holt and the Tear Drops at MVBF

Jim Suhler and Laura Rain at MVBF

Cash Box Kings at Mississippi Valley BF

Toronzo Cannon at Mississippi Valley BF (Rick Davis)

Joseph “Smokey” Holman from Tweed Funk at MVBF

Maddie B at Wuakesha BF (Rick Davis)

September-October 2016

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Big Bull Falls Festival in Wausau, WI (photos by Christine Phillips)

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The Groove- Crossroads Blues Society Newsletter

September-October 2016

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The Groove- Crossroads Blues Society Newsletter

More from the Crossroads Blues Festival (Rick Davis)

September-October 2016 Top Blues Releases July and August 2016 Sunday Morning Blues WKGL-FM 96.7 The Eagle Rockford, IL July Dennis Gruenling featuring Doug Deming & The Jewel Tones / Ready or Not / Vizztone - BackBender Honey Island Swamp Band / Demolition Day / Ruf Lucky Peterson / Long Nights / JSP Blue Moon Marquee / Gypsy Blues / Self Produced Robert "Lil' Poochie" Watson & Hezekiah Early / Natchez Burnin' / Broke & Hungry Professor Longhair / Live in Chicago / Orleans The Lucky Losers / In Any Town / Dirty Cat The Terry Hanck Band / From the Roadhouse to Your House - Live! / TVR - Vizztone Aaron Neville / Apache / Tell It Sammy Eubanks / Sugar Me / UnderWorld Markley Blue / The Blues Are Knockin' / SoulOSound Barrelhouse Chuck / Remembering the Masters / The Sirens Records Erwin Helfer / Last Call / The Sirens Records Joe Bonamassa / Blues of Desperation / J&R Adventures Rick Estrin and the Nightcats / You Asked for It… Live! / Alligator August Barrelhouse Chuck / Remembering the Masters / The Sirens Records Joanna Connor / Six String Stories / MC Records Grady Champion / One of a Kind / Malaco JJ Thames / Raw Suger / DeChamp - Malaco Erwin Helfer / Last Call / The Sirens Records Jeremiah Johnson Band / Blues Heart Attack / Connor Ray Music Sunday Wilde / Blueberries & Grits / Hwy 11 Records Isaiah B Brunt / A Moment in Time / Self Release Kenny Neal / Bloodline / Cleopatra Blues Buddy Guy / Born to Play Guitar / RCA Silvertone Big Head Todd & The Monsters / Black Beehive / Shout! Factory

This list is submitted to Living Blues Magazine for inclusion in the July and August 2016 National Radio Chart. This list is compiled from actual radio air play statistics. WKGL-FM broadcasts 2 hours of the blues per week.

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

Page 33

Membership News We continue to grow with new members and renewals continuing to sign on! Thank you for supporting live music and keeping the blues alive to all our new and returning members!

New members: Rob Andersen Roger & Beth Deshepper Ben Ezell Luke W. Griffiths I Mark Haloup Jim Hardy Jennifer Hoffman Bob Johnson Carl Johnson Terry Korsky Sandi Kelly Cynthia Pepper Matt Mazur Terry Ransdell Thomas Thompson Carol Whaley Madeline Wright Renewing Members: Brad Appier Craig Caragher Karl Dahlin Kevin Davidson James Didier Garrett Bill & Pamela Graw Brian Kobischka Peter Krampert Steve Lantow Karen & Wayne Naleway Ken Pearson Will Perrin Bert Person Tim and Dee Primrose Terry Stauffacher Matt Webb Leea White Doug & Cindy Wilken Brian & Michel Williams New members get a CD upon joining and new family members get two CDs. Membership has been $15 (individual) and $25 (family) for over 15 years.

Mail newsletter members have a $5 surcharge to help with printing and postage costs; it’s expensive to produce and distribute newsletters. We produce six newsletters a year with 25-30 reviews and all sorts of other great information related to the Society and our events.

The Groove is a bi-monthly publication of the Crossroads Blues Society. The PDF version (typically 20 to 32 pages) is emailed to members of Crossroads.

Hard copies (12 pages) are sent out to members without email ($5 membership surcharge).

Editor in Chief: Steve Jones Music Reviewers: Rick Davis, Marty Gunther, Steve Jones, John Mitchell, and Mark Nelson All un-credited content by Steve Jones

www.bluesblastmagazine.com

Hope & Anchor English Pub Second Saturday Blues

The Hope and Anchor Saturday Blues Schedule is set through April 2015.

From 8 PM to Midnight, $5 cover after 7 PM or free prior to that for dinner guests.

Featuring fine English pub fare, the Hope and Anchor is a great spot for dinner, craft beers, liquors, and great live music! At 5040 N 2nd Street, Loves Park IL, USA, phone 815.633.2552 for info!

9/10 Dave Specter with Brother John 10/15 Aaron Williams and the HooDoo 11/12 Reverend Raven and the Chain Smoking Altar Boys 12/10 The Jimmys 1/14/16 Toronzo Cannon 2/10/16 Shonn Hinton and Shotgun 3/11/16 Shawn Holt and the Teardrops 4/8/16 Joanna Connor 5/13/16 Reverend Raven and the Chain Smoking Altar Boys

Lyran Society Third Friday Blues

The Lyran Society continues their Fish Fry and Steak Dinners with performances on the third Friday of each month at their club. Located half a block east of 7th Street at 1115 4th Ave, Rockford, IL 61104, you can call (815) 964-0511 for info. There is no cover charge, it’s a free show. Open to the public, all ages are welcome.

September 16th: Harpo’s Revue October 21st: The New Savages November 18th: Ron Holm Roy Orbison Tribute December 16th: TBD

All Saints First Sunday Blues

September 4th: No Show (Holiday) October 2nd: Macyn Taylor November 6th: Daniel Souvigny December 4th: Dan Phelps January and February: No Shows March 5th: Trinadora Quintet

Crossroads Blues Society

The Crossroads Blues Society Newsletter

P.O. Box 840 Byron, IL 61010 News Blog with our Latest Info: http://crossroadsbluessociety. blogspot.com Music Reviews: http://crossroadsreviews.blogspot.com Crossroads Blues Festival at Lyran Park: www.crossroadsbluesfestival.com

The

GROOVE Keeping the Blues Alive Since 1994

2014 Blues Foundation Keeping the Blues Alive Affiliate Award Recipient 2014 Chicago Blues Hall of Fame Inductee

Email us at: sub_insignia@yahoo.com Also on the web at: www.crossroads.bluessociety.com

Blues on Local Radio WNIJ - 89.5 FM  Friday evenings from 9 PM to midnight with Harold Brown  Saturday afternoons from 1 to 4 PM with David Rosik  Saturday evenings from 9 PM to midnight with David James The Eagle - 96.7 FM  Sunday Morning Blues now from 8 AM to 10 AM with Rich Gordon

News and Upcoming Events Going into the fall always seems to be somewhat of a let down after all the festivals.

There are still a few in September as the season winds down, but we’ve got some hot stuff planned!

September began with The Paramount Music Fest in Port Washington and the Illinois Blues Festival in Peoria. The Blues Blast Music Awards are September 22nd. Our events are Dave Specter at the Hope and Anchor on Saturday the 10th and Harpo’s Revue at the Lyran Club on Friday, September 16th. We are trying to get our Australian friends Stormcellar back in late September but things are still in the works.

October features our 2016 Crossroads Blues Challenge at the Grand Avenue Pub in Beloit on Sunday, October 9th, Aaron Williams and

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

Name_____________________________________________ Street Address___________________________________ City________________ State______ Zip Code________ Phone_____________________________________________ Email Address____________________________________ New -orthe Hoodoo on Saturday the 8th at the Hope and Anchor and The New Savages on the 21st at the Lyran Society Fish Fry. Macyn Taylor will also be at All Saints Church in Byron on Sunday, October 2nd.

Long range planning– mark Thursday, December 8th on your calendar because we have Duke Robillard coming to the Mendelssohn Performing Arts Center!

Stay tuned for more on that!

See inside for details on all these and more!

Returning Member

This will be a membership for an/a: Individual ($15) -orvia email

Family ($25) -orvia email

Individual ($20) -orFamily ($30) via regular mail via regular mail

Please cut out or copy and mail this form and payment to: Crossroads Blues Society Bring this to P.O. Box 840 our next meeting Byron, IL 61010 and get a free CD!