Blues Matters 86

BILLY BOY ARNOLD

JEFF RICH

TH E G REAT B RI TI S H

TH E G REAT B RI TI S H

R OC K & BLU ES FE S TI VA L

22 - 25 JANUARY 2016, BUTLIN’S SKEGNESS

ANIMALS AND FRIENDS

ROCK STAGE

COLIN BLUNSTONE

BLUES STAGE

PAUL LAMB AND THE KIN G SNAKES

NINE BELOW ZERO

OTIS G RAN D

B ERN I E TORM É

CRAZY WORLD OF ARTHUR BROWN

JEFF RICH AND THE TRIPLE J BAND

FM SLACK ALICE

AYNSLEY LISTER

BILLY WALTON BAND

AN D THE BIG BL U ES BAND

BL U ES BAND

BILLY BOY ARNOLD

CHERRY LEE MEWIS

SNAKE DAVIS BAND

ANIMALS AND FRIENDS

EUG E N E

TH E R USS BALLAR D BAN D KEN T DUCH A IN E

BILLY WALTON BAND

CHRIS THOMSON BAND

PAUL LAMB AND THE KIN G SNAKES

GILES R OB S O N

T HE DI R T Y AC E S

THE STU M BL E

M BL

CHERRY LEE MEWIS

DEBORAH BONHAM HOUSE OF X ROSCO LEVEE

2015 INTRODUCING STAGE WINNERS:

REBECCA DOWNES

LOST MINUTE

LOST MINUTE REBECCA DOWNES

THE DELLA

DELLA GRANTS

JAZZ AFTERNOONS

WelCome

Happy 40th anniversary in the business to our cover artist Robert Cray, one of the gentlemen of the Blues. I still love playing Who’s Been Talking original on the Tomato label and who can forget Bad Influence? Robert has been playing his strong soul/ blues and can be depended upon to produce the goods whether in the grooves or on the stage. Enjoy our chat with him in this issue. We’ve cast our net wide once again and bring you such a smorgasbord of acts to take on board that include the still rising Eli Cook, the glorious Sugaray Rayford, Vonda Shepard - the lady behind the music of Ally McBeal who has her 14th album out now and tours the UK in October, the fresh and exciting My Baby from Netherlands, our own Little Devils chat as we waited for the rush of acclaim to take hold and settle, Richard Townend of solo and Mighty Boss Cats notoriety. Layla Zoe graces our cover and chats for you and we sneaked in Delta Moon and Guy Tortora. WOW!

On top of all that you have our Australian Blues feature series and the Harmonica feature takes in the talent that is Brandon Santini while Dr. Dave brings you more in the ‘techy’ feature KitChat.

If that ain’t enough there’s the review section (don’t forget lots more reviews on our web site that we can’t fit in the pages) plus the Festival and gigs for you not forgetting Blue Bloods… and of course the results of the BM Writers’ Poll 2015. Now where oh where can you get so much for the cover price?! Go make yourselves a cuppa or take a top off a bottle and settle down for a good Blues reading…

rememBer GroWinG oLD iS inevitaBLe, But GroWinG uP iS oPtionaL!

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Contributing writers:

Liz Aiken, Roy Bainton, Adrian Blacklee, Bob Bonsey, Eddy Bonte (Bel), Colin Campbell, Martin Cook, Norman Darwen, Claire Davies, Dave Drury, Carl Dziunka (Aus), Sybil Gage (USA), Diane Gillard, Stuart A. Hamilton, Brian Harman, Gareth Hayes, Trevor Hodgett, Billy Hutchinson, Peter Innes, Duncan Jameson, Brian Kramer (Sw), Frank Leigh, Andy Mann, Ben McNair, Christine Moore, Toby Ornott, Merv Osborne, David Osler, Iain Patience, Thomas Rankin, Clive Rawlings, Paromita Saha (USA), Pete Sargeant, Dave ‘the Bishop’ Scott, Graeme Scott, Ashwyn Smyth (Fr), Andy Snipper, Dave Stone, Suzanne Swanson (Can), Tom Walker, Dave Ward, Liam Ward, Daryl Weale, Kevin Wharton, Rhys Williams, Steve Yourglivch.

Contributing PHotograPHers:

Christine Moore, Liz Aiken, Annie Goodman, others credited on page

© 2015 blues matters! Original material in this magazine is © the authors. Reproduction may only be made with prior consent of the Editor and provided that acknowledgement is given of the source and copy is sent to the editorial address. Care is taken to ensure that the contents of this magazine are accurate but the publishers do not accept any responsibility for errors that may occur or views expressed editorially. All rights reserved. No parts of this magazine may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system or transmitted in any form or by any means electronic, mechanical, photocopying recording or otherwise without prior permission of the editor.

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Issue #86 OCT/NOV 2015

Regula R s

Contents

eLi COOK

USA young buck guitar slinger steeped in Blues tradition, one to watch.

Happenin’

06 Welcome Contents

Our helping of all the blues news from around the globe plus regular features.

VOnDa SHepaRD

The voice from the Ally McBeal show tells us about her new album The Rookie.

18 24 26 90 96 102 34 38 42 46

BLUeS TOp Ten

Those Sweet Pretty Things and The Strypes give us a double dose of Blues Top Ten.

BM WRiTeRS pOLL

The eagerly awaited annual Blues Matters writers poll.

BLUe BLOOD

New bands to watch out for. Teresa Watson, Blues Rebels, Brilleaux, Rainbreakers, Swampcandy and Benny ‘Guitar’ Carr.

ReD LiCK TOp 20

Top blues outlet Red Lick with the best sellers list from the last few weeks

RMR BLUeS TOp 50

The Roots Music Report in depth independent air play chart.

iBBa BLUeS TOp 50

The Independent Blues Broadcasters Association with the most played music on the UK airwaves.

I nte RVI e W s

ROBeRT CRaY

Highly respected Bluesman celebrates 40 years in the business with DVD/CD release.

SUGaRaY RaYFORD

From the Gospel to the Blues with the big man from Tyler, Texas.

LaYLa ZOe

Canadian born, German based flame haired force of nature Layla Zoe tells all.

RiCHaRD TOWnenD

Essex based prolific song writer tells his story from Alan Ayckbourn to the Blues.

GUY TORTORa

Described as a master song smith, Guy talks about his career to date.

DeLTa MOOn

Main man Tom Gray talks us through the bands beginnings up to the release of recent 10th album Low Down.

MY BaBY

New kids on the block My Baby are causing waves, find out why.

CHanTeL MCGReGOR

The long awaited second album is almost here, and it’s a giant step forward.

LiTTLe DeViLS

The band that has made people sit up and take notice this year reveal their secrets.

F eatu R es

WiZaRDS OF OZ

Part 4 of our blues from Down Under.

neW ZeaLanD JaZZ & BLUeS FeSTiVaLS

From Tauranga to Bay of Islands, discover what awaits at the New Zealand festivals.

R e VI e W s

aLBUMS

The biggest and most informative CD & DVD review section in the UK.

SHOWTiMe

SuGaRay RayFoRD

neW ZealanD JaZZ & blueS FeStIValS

blueS FoR bb KInG

VonDa ShepaRD

photo: VonDa ShepaRD

haPPenIn’

having worked toward this talking to BM, has put forward four acts (which included the acts voted for by the BM writers in the BM Writers’ Poll) to take part in the UK Blues Challenge which will take place at The Boom Boom Club on October 24th. Those taking part are Malaya Blue, Red Butler, Brothers Groove and Katie Bradley. It promises to be a great night of blues from four talented and diverse bands. Blues Matters wishes them all the best of luck.

RUBY TIGER NEW RELEASE DUE

WALTER TROUT RETURNS TO ACTION

After undergoing a successful liver transplant and a period of re-cooperation Walter Trout returns to serious action this year. His new album Battle Scars is released via Provogue on November 13th and chronicles his fight against liver failure. There will be a UK tour to tie in with the release with band members Sammy Avila (keys), Michael Leasure (drums) and bassist Johnny Griparic. Dates confirmed are Stockton Arc ( Tues 17th Nov), Glasgow ABC (18th), Holmfirth Pictured Rome (20th), London Forum (21st), Leamington Assembly (24th) and Frome Cheese and Grain (25th).

UK BLUES CHALLENGE

Following the events of last year when Blues Matters nomination Red Butler were forced into participating in the 1st UK Blues Challenge after the criteria of selection was changed without proper consultation, Blues Matters has resigned from its ‘party responsible’ role within the European Blues Union to nominate a UK act to the EBC. This year the UK Blues Federation, under the stewardship of Ashwyn Smyth,

Ruby Tiger with her band Ruby and the Revelators are releasing a new live EP on October 19th. The recording was made at the bands show at The Tuesday Blues Club, Coulsdon in July. There is a launch party taking place at Worthing Live, upstairs at Worthing Pavilion on Oct 20th.

LARRY MILLER UPDATE

Just as this issue went to press news came in that popular blues guitarist Larry Miller had suffered a stroke and was in intensive care. Thankfully the most recent reports state that Larry is in much better spirits and making good progress. Hopes are high that he will be able to make a full return to playing guitar. Some shows were cancelled and obviously Larry faces a long period of rehabilitation. He acknowledges and thanks the thousands of support messages he has received. Blues Matters send our best wishes to him too.

BLUES FOUNDATION NEW CEO

As from October 1st Barbara B Newman will succeed Jay Sielman as Chief Executive Officer of The Blues

verBaLS: Steve yourGLivCH all tHe Blues tHat’s fit to print, froM around tHe World

BRITISH BLUES EXHIBITION GETS PHYSICAL

In June and July, the British Blues Exhibition, mainly known via its website www. britishbluesexhibition.co.uk, went public physically for the first time. First, on 27th June, the ‘suitcase edition’ appeared at a Katie Bradley/Dave Ferra gig at The Anchor in Sevenoaks, Kent, as part of the Sevenoaks Summer Festival. Then on 9th July at a night at Twickenham’s Eel Pie Club for the late Art Wood,

the smaller ‘briefcase full of Blues’ appeared. This is but a start for the exhibition, which aims to get around the UK showcasing British Blues past and present. The debut exhibition banner has now been signed by Chris Barber, Bill Wyman, Georgie Fame, Don Craine and more and is becoming an exhibit itself. Keep an eye out for the exhibition, which also (of course) features some copies of Blues Matters! and has bigger plans.

Foundation. Based in Memphis the Blues Foundation is dedicated to preserving blues music history, celebrating recording and performance excellence, supporting blues education and ensuring the art form has a future. Many of Barbara’s family worked in the music industry and with her husband Bruce, an entertainment attorney has organised multiple fundraising concerts. Barbara is a member of the National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences, and of the Folk Alliance International. Outgoing CEO Jay Sieleman joined the Foundation in 2003 and will leave as the longest serving executive in its history. Under his stewardship the organisation has grown substantially in size and financial success.

Chantel McGregor Album Launch Concert

To celebrate the October 9th release of her new album “Lose Control”, Chantel McGregor will perform an album launch concert at London’s historic 100 Club on Thursday September 17th. She will take to the stage at 8.45pm.

BRANDON SANTINI

Verbals: liaM Ward Visuals: donna CrisWell

His M ost re C ent al B u M l ive and e xtended! s H oWCases H is aggressive variety of Harp-led B lues. Blues Matters Caug Ht up WitH Brandon on H is re C ent trip to tH e u K as part of tH e e din B urg H Jazz & Blues f estival

Memphis-based, Blues Music Award nominated vocalist and harmonica player Brandon Santini is following the footprints of contemporary greats such as Jason Ricci, Billy Gibson, Dennis Gruenling, Rick Estrin and other frontline harmonica players, combining a love and respect for traditional blues with a present, colourful style.

Lovely to meet you, Brandon. For anyone not familiar with your music, could you describe it?

Hi, thanks so much for the opportunity to talk with you. I think someone said it best, it’s traditional blues with a present color. I can tell you that I really like to bring high energy blues of all style to the table.

‘Live & Extended’ showcases your brand of skull-cracking blues. Your shows must be big and loud?

I like that, skull cracking blues. We bring a strong wall of sound to live shows, that’s for sure. We certainly tend to get a bit loud but we just like to get into it a bit more when we can play a bit louder.

Can you tell us about any originals included in this collection?

Sure, there are a few entirely original songs like, No

Matter What I Do, I Wanna Boogie With You, and Come On Everybody which are pretty straight forward blues songs. There’s lots of energy in all of those and tons of harp! Actually there is a big harmonica and drum breakdown in the middle of I Wanna Boogie With You that always pleases the crowd and pulls every bit of air out of my poor lungs. There are others on the album that I have altered the lyrics or music, giving credits to the original author.

Vocals and harp seem to go handin-hand for bluesmen. Who are your singing heroes?

Outside of guys like Howlin’ Wolf and Muddy Waters, I really love Otis Redding, Mavis Staples, Sam Cooke, Sam Moore and soul singers like that. A lot of folks

compare my vocals to Dr. John but I wouldn’t say he’s an inspiration vocally like the others.

Let’s talk harmonica. Your amplified sound is very big; what is your set-up?

Thanks. On the live album I was using my standard rig which at the time was a Turner 254C mic running through a ‘59 Fender Bassman Re-issue. As far as pedals, just Boss Digital Delay and a Kinder Anti-Feedback box. The only thing different now is that I’m using a Shure 707A rather than the Turner. Both mics are incredible work horses built by Jim Miller at Mississippi Harp Mics in Jackson, MS.

You let your moans and groans through the mic, which is something I always loved about Paul deLay’s playing. Is the blues something that comes from the gut?

It’s funny you bring this up. I hardly ever realize I’m doing the moans and groans when I’m playing but I hear them on recordings and laugh about it. I think those are certainly from the gut and it’s me anticipating the next riff or note. The blues is a very personal music.

I’m reminded of Paul Butterfield when I hear your hard-hitting playing. Is he in there somewhere? Actually, Paul was the very first blues harp player I got turned onto so I picked up a lot of influence from his playing.

And who are your other harmonica influences?

As far as blues guys, it’s the usual suspects. Little Walter, James Cotton, Big Walter, Snooky Pryor, both Sonny

Boys, and I can’t leave Kim Wilson out.

You started playing harmonica as a teenager in the ‘90s – how did that guy get the inspiration to play blues harp?

As you would expect a teenager. I was listening to Top 40 radio and heard Blues Traveler on the radio. The harmonica style that John Popper was playing totally caught my ear because it was being played in a fashion I had

never heard before. I had only heard cats like Bob Dylan and Neil Young. So this almost guitar-sounding harp really blew my mind and I knew I had to investigate. I went out and bought a Blues Traveler CD and read what kind of harps John Popper played and the light bulb went off and I asked my mother to take me to the music store where I bought my first harp!

You’re an endorsee for Seydel, the oldest harmonica company in the world. What are your views on the newer companies in the US and Asia that are developing new models? Well, I’m honored to be endorsed by Seydel. I use the 1847 Classic and 1847 Silver harps. Those are both very strong, full, and loud harps. The other beautiful thing about them is that they are durable. More durable than any other I’ve played and I blow really hard - a bad habit, I know. I played Hohner Special 20s from my first day up until about four years ago when I went on a quest to find a brand that wasn’t going to blow out so quickly or be bad out of the box, which was happening. So, I tried Suzuki Manjis and some others but didn’t like them. A friend of mine let me try an 1847 and I immediately loved it. I think Seydel uses very durable parts and shows more TLC to their product. It’s great working with them.

Who out of the current crop of harmonica players excites you most?

Man, there are so many amazing players out there right now. Of course there are guys like Dennis Gruenling, Jason Ricci, and Bob Corritore who all are fantastic players but I really am impressed with guys like Maurice Nazzaro from a band called

The Cazanovas in Atlanta then there are guys like Nick Clark, Justin Shelton, Johnny Sansone, Dustin Arbuckle and Nico Wayne Toussaint that are some heavy hitters.

for example, you can’t place your fingers on a fretboard. You have to illustrate what is going on inside your mouth and chest.

So you’re completely self-taught? The only lessons I had, which were very informal were from Billy Gibson, an amazing player in Memphis. He taught me more than he will ever know and I’m so grateful for the way he opened my mind to a new way of playing when I moved to Memphis. It was a very progressive approach to traditional blues.

Muddy Waters, and B.B. King’ – do you preach this way of honing one’s craft?

I really developed greatly by being on stage. I learned so much musically, how to be an entertainer by being on stage so much. There were some amazing memories from those years of playing on Beale Street 200 times per year. Talk about fun. Man we had it!

You’re in the UK at the moment. Do you find audiences around the world react differently from back home in the US?

Living in Memphis, you appear to have soaked up a lot of the city’s sound. How does it feel to follow in the footsteps of so many big names from the city’s blues scene? It’s an honor and humbling experience to have been able to soak it all up since I moved to Memphis in 2003. There’s so much music and cultural history there and I’ve watched a lot of great entertainers. I feel privileged to be able to carry the torch from those who have laid the foundation. I really think I was put on this earth to do that.

Blues – and harmonica especially - is often learnt in the intuitive “by-ear” tradition. Was this the case for you?

Absolutely. I have never had a formal lesson and pretty much have always emulated the sounds I liked. I think nowadays that YouTube and the Internet in general is such a powerful resource and offers instruction from beginner to pro player. Guys like Ronnie Shellist and Adam Gussow have very good and Inspiring, instructional videos on YouTube. I admire guys like that. The guys who can teach effortlessly...like you! Harmonica is a hard thing to teach because it’s unlike guitar

You are clearly rooted in the great tradition of Chicago players. Have you been tempted at all by the overblow-driven directions newer players are taking?

I absolutely love the amplified Chicago sound. As for overblows, I’ve never felt they fit into my emotional range of playing. I’m not sure what it is but overblows just aren’t for me. It’s very nice however to see the instrument evolving again with guys like Jason Ricci and Adam Gussow doing that but it’s just not my style of playing.

You’re originally from the Piedmont region of North Carolina. Is there any of that region’s distinctive blues style in you?

I grew up in a town called Burlington, North Carolina and spent twenty-one years there before I moved to Memphis in 2003. I can’t say that I really picked up much influence there. I hadn’t even heard Sonny Terry & Brownie McGhee until I got to Memphis! I was subjected to more Bluegrass throughout my childhood than blues.

Your website describes you ‘sweating it out in local Beale Street clubs just like Robert Johnson,

I’m sure you’ve heard it before but I think our European friends tend to show more appreciation towards American artists. It’s always exciting to come over to Europe and play. It’s a different experience for us Americans.

And wherever you take your music, people connect to the harmonica. What makes the instrument so perfect for blues music?

It’s such an expressive instrument and of course the only instrument you can breathe in and out of to get notes. So you are literally breathing the music which is special because in order to survive, you have to breathe in and out. When it’s played correctly, it’s the most beautiful instrument on earth in my opinion.

When will you be back in the UK? I wish I could say, but hopefully very soon!

Finally, how do you see the future of the harmonica?

I think it’s really interesting to watch these younger players. I see the instrument being re-invented and that will be fun to watch!

visit www.brandonsantini.com for more information

“It’s such an expressIve Instrument and of course the only Instrument you can breathe In and out of to get notes”

WIZaRds oF oZ # 4

once the Australian Blues scene made a comeback in the 1990s, from the onset it didn’t want to go through quiet times like the late 70s and early 80s. Things were becoming established. It was time to ensure Australian Blues had the opportunity to develop and grow. The Blues scene had been kick-started with artists like Dutch Tilders, Chain, Lobby Lloyd and Billy Thorpe at the very beginning. When the mantle passed to the likes of Chris Wilson, Geoff Achison and the Backsliders, it was time for a new generation of Australian fans to step-up alongside dedicated followers who had stuck by the music.

One of the best ways to get more people interested in something is to introduce new features. This was already occurring as more and more bands embraced the genre and newer bands played alongside familiar faces. Interest in blues started to swell. However, Australian Blues was given its biggest boost when Australian artists began supporting visiting overseas Blues artists. This showed Australia was serious about the music and aimed for a place on the world stage, competing with the best. Australia could now show that it had what it takes to be considered a competitive force when pitched against countries that had stuck with Blues for many decades. Australia was no longer the new kid on the block, it had truly matured and the world was ready to embrace the artists who were

giving a unique Australian feel to blues music.

Once something has been successfully introduced it’s important to ensure that success moves along. If interest wanes, it can prove impossible to rebuild or retain the same following. It’s important to have procedures in place to give a resource to draw upon simply to keep the momentum going. This is exactly what happens in the Australian Blues community. As musicians move through their careers, it’s about taking things to the next level. When this happens, there must be something to fill the void left behind. If there is nothing, then the thing collapses. To prevent this, Australian states have many Blues Appreciation Societies. Generally not-for-profit Blues clubs, they aim to bring Blues enthusiasts, Blues artists and budding musicians together with support and to promote Australian Blues players both locally and overseas. Up and coming artists are mentored and new artists are introduced keeping the flow of native Blues musicians growing and the blues-flame alive.

mentors available for support and professional development. Youth in Blues encourages the next generation to step-up to the plate and carry the music forward. The Programme offers young people a place to show their musical talent in a fun, encouraging, learning environment supported by likeminded Blues fans.

One mentor on this programme is leading Australian artist Wayne Jury. Jury cut his teeth touring Australia, opening for blues greats such as B.B. King, Robert Cray, Albert Collins, Buddy Guy, and countless others. Michael Pollitt is yet another mentor/player of note.

Pollitt performs as ‘Mr. Black and Blues’ and also runs a record label. His guitar playing is rooted in the blues but innovative and contemporary. He has won many awards and accolades. In addition, there is also a Blues Boot Camp, a three day intensive workshop ending with a showcase student performance.

These societies offer fantastic support to artists struggling to forge a career in this the music industry. One significant programme that grew out of these societies is the brainchild of Melbourne’s Blues Appreciation Society which runs a Youth in Blues programme dedicated to introducing a younger generation to blues music by having experienced blues musicians/

industry. One significant programme generation to blues music by having

Verbals: Carl dZiunKa

the blues scene in australia became well established towards the end of the 1960S when australian artists, influenced by the music coming out of america and the uk, put their own adaptation on the music and australian blues was born

One artist to benefit from this approach is 2011 showcase winner, Alister Turrill.

Now deservedly gathering success with his own blues-style, a blend of traditional blues paired with a rare, songwriting maturity, Turrill was mentored by many of Australia’s most respected blues artists and has shared the stage with Jeff Lang, Geoff Achison and Lloyd Spiegel. In addition to its vibrant Blues Societies, Australia also hosts a number of events where artists can highlight their talents. Festivals are held in each state where artists may appear alongside contemporaries and rub shoulders with blues legends. These range from one-day events, which might be programmed to show a totally home-grown line up, to 5-day Festivals with a huge line-

up covering many musical genres. The biggest of these is Byron Bay Bluesfest held at Tyagarah Tea Tree Farm in Byron Bay every year over t Easter Weekend. Bluesfest presents over 200 performances with up to 7 stages over 5, 12 hour days. From a modest crowd of 6,000 in 1990, Bluesfest now attracts an audience of over 100,000, and is regarded as the foremost destination festival in Australia.

Elsewhere, blues music can be enjoyed in a unique style with the Blues Train, which has been rocking the rails since 2004. Starting small, inspired by stories of the old blues masters jamming on Mississippi freight trains, this music/train travel combo is so much fun it just keeps going. With more shows being introduced, attracting great blues

musos and entertaining more and more people, its success seems assured. Over 10,000 people enjoy The Blues Train every year. There would also be no Blues Train if it weren’t for the blues music! In almost two decades around one hundred acts (solo performers, duos and full bands) have done their thing in these unusual conditions. All love playing the train and that is evident in their performances. There are four different themed carriages with differing seating configurations. When the train is ready to roll typically there is a solo act, a duo, a trio and then a full band, each offering intimate concerts for just 50 people at a time. The journey includes three intervals for rest and refreshments. After each interval each group moves onto a different carriage to catch another act and the train rolls off down the line. That way, everyone has the opportunity to see every act perform in each of the four carriages during the journey.

These different events ensure a reliable supply of artists coming through the ranks keeping the Australian blues scene moving along for many years to come. The various Festivals make sure blues fans are adequately catered for and can get their fix of their favourite music.

One of Australia’s most respected Blues players is Lloyd Spiegel. Spiegel is another artist to come through the mentoring

Lead Belly's Gold Lead Belly's Gold

Huddie Ledbetter was many things - a legendary songster, a fugitive, a prisoner and a celebrityexploited and adored. Above all, he was a man who loudly claimed his right to be treated with respect With great love for his music and deep respect for the man, singer/guitarist Eric Bibb & harmonica virtuoso JJ Milteau (together with drummer Larry Crockett) pay tribute to the one and only LEAD BELLY

Huddie Ledbetter was many things - a legendary songster, a fugitive, a prisoner and a celebrityexploited and adored. Above all, he was a man who loudly claimed his right to be treated with respect With great love for his music and deep respect for the man, singer/guitarist Eric Bibb & harmonica virtuoso JJ Milteau (together with drummer Larry Crockett) pay tribute to the one and only LEAD BELLY

Don’t miss this exciting new collaboration from these two stars of contemporary blues!

Don’t miss this exciting new collaboration from these two stars of contemporary blues!

Including: Midnight Special – On a Monday - Bourgeois Blues -

Including: Midnight Special – On a Monday - Bourgeois Blues -

Goodnight, Irene - Rock Island Line – Where Did You Sleep Last Night -

Goodnight, Irene - Rock Island Line – Where Did You Sleep Last Night -

Grey Goose – Stewball - House Of The Rising Sun – Pick A Bale Of Cotton & more

Grey Goose – Stewball - House Of The Rising Sun – Pick A Bale Of Cotton & more

O P A C H U B B Y

It has been ten long years since Popa Chubby released a live album This double live CD was recorded in march 2015 and features Popa’s hits from “Booty and The Beast ” all the way to his 25th Anniversary CD “I’m feeling lucky ” . As a special treat Popa and band offer up an impromptu mini set of Rolling Stones classics. This is a career defining live release for the 55 year old NYC guitar slinger!

Balkun Brothers

Connecticut, Popa Chubby decided to produce their first album and to hit the road with them. Saint Slide pray for us, time has come for the Balkun Brothers!

program with the fledgling Melbourne Blues Appreciation Society which formed around the time that Lloyd was tuning his first strings. A singer, songwriter and guitarist with a reputation for excellence in music and performance. Spiegel made his mark as one of Australia’s best known blues performers from an early age. After winning a talent competition, aged 10, he soon began playing regular gigs in Melbourne with some of the country’s finest blues bands. At age 13 he formed Midnight Special and still only 15 recorded and produced his first CD. With 8 albums, a swag of accolades to his name and 25 years performing, writing and recording, Lloyd Spiegel has squeezed more into 35 years than many do in a lifetime. It’s that unique experience combined with a relentless touring schedule and stage presence well beyond his years that has seen him become a driving force in Australian blues and one of most respected guitarists in the country, recently being named

blues scene and mentoring the next

in Australian Guitar Magazine’s list of the 50 top Australian guitarists of all time. Growing up in the music business, naturally Spigel is passionate about promoting the blues scene and mentoring the next generation. He has taken countless young artists under his wing who have since become multi-award winning performers in their own right and he has been an advocate for blues in Australia, chosen as the ambassador to the Australian Blues Music festival from 2005-2008 as well as ambassador to ‘youth in blues’. Most recently, Spiegel has released ‘Double Live Set’, a live anthology recorded over two sell out concerts at the world famous Spiegeltent that act as a celebration of a quarter of a century on stage. Recorded at The Wonderland Spiegeltent a few months ago, the new ‘Double Live Set’ is a 25-track anthology featuring Lloyd Spiegel at his absolute best.

This release highlights Spiegel’s huge voice, blazing finger-style guitar playing and the personalityfuelled song writing that has seen

him wow audiences around Australia and the world over the past two-and-a-half decades. Spiegels 25th Anniversary Tour takes him to most capital cities, along with regional dates, with 25 shows winding over the months of June, July and August and will end at the Wonderland Spiegeltent where it all began. Spiegel describes this as the half way mark in his career, a look back on the music he performs and has been inspired by. We look forward to seeing what the next phase of Spiegel’s career brings.

PRetty thIngs

With a punchy new album The Sweet Pretty Things out on Repertoire, BM sought some favourite track nominations from main men Phil May and one-time Rolling Stone Dick Taylor (this was in fact a pair of great conversations about favourite cuts, it’s probably more than ten).

DiCK tayLor

Picking favourites is hard, Pete, I keep changing my selections!

Ok let’s start off with Louisiana Blues by Muddy Waters, for a start it’s a great guitar sound and riff, it’s got that rhythmic thing. When I was a kid the very first time I heard it I thought this is just amazing, it’s so different from anything else I had heard. It was so different from anything else, something about it was just perfect, y’know? It’s not like hey, I can play a thousand notes a minute, which a lot of blues these days seems to centre on, but blues isn’t about all that, not at all!

Track two I think I’ll go for Jimmy Reed, again such a seminal influence on all of us back then, me and Phil and Brian and Mick Jagger, we wanted to really understand how to do it, to get that feel, how to play it well, with that looseness which was part of the whole thing, the sound. I liked Take Out Some

insurance for example. There’s a great middle eight thing in it, as well, makes it slightly different. On one hand it’s a simple, samey sound BUT there again they are all so individual, the songs, each one has got something that will make it stand out. There are so many Jimmy Reed tracks and God knows how many albums he made, a simple format but each song has its own uniqueness.

Next then Robert Johnson…again, every song’s a winner, now he’s probably only playing in a couple of keys and the more I hear it all, the better the technique gets. Which one? Well how about Come On in My Kitchen. Phil and I do a thing which is almost that song but not quite, as a tribute to him.

If I include a Bo Diddley, it’s Who Do You Love. As a Pretty Thing it may be a bit obvious. Its got amazing guitar and what words! You can’t get better words than that, can you?

A cobra snake for a necktie. It’s exactly that, how can someone dream up all that? A house made from a human skull! Totally Gothic isn’t it? And then he’d do a story like Cops & Robbers, just as brilliant, yes, that would be high on my list too…for the words alone! Do I have to stop at five?

The other guy I thought may come up is Chuck

Berry, such a fine wordsmith and absolutely the best ever. What track would you pick? The other thing with Chuck, the words come fully formed, don’t they? So you can remember whole songs without even having to try. Tulane – yes that’s so good and just about every one of them around & around. I’ve got another one in my head, Let it Rock

Then Howlin’ Wolf and Killing Floor, that’s a favourite for me, along with Tail Dragger.

PHiL may I’ve been thinking songs as much as heroes for this contribution, so one of my favourite blues songs is ain’t Got You by Billy Boy arnold. I just love it so that would definitely be one of my choices. A great harmonica thing too, fantastic and also I think Eddie Taylor made quite a good version of it too. I think I first heard it on an American import disc, which we taped and passed round at the art school on a little Grundig reelto-reel, effin’ horrible bits of tape which used to spin off and you’d have nightmares trying to rewind them. i Wish You Would, an electric atmosphere, but y’know it’s the whole thing, its impact, we do it in the dressing room before we go on stage.

verbals: peTe sargeanT visuals: courTesey of indiscreeT records and

Another choice would be Bring it To Jerome, Bo Diddley. I mean, that was just staggering, of course there are other classics. For us, obviously there’s Road Runner, people still think it’s our number. Steve Tyler, he said to me that track is what made him want to be a rock singer. I think it was a single in The Netherlands, the original version of She’s Fine, She’s Mine. Oh yes! I love that, that almost made my top five.

Now there has to be some Robert Johnson in there, too. He had a kind of one-track mind and was just working his way through it, almost like a stream of musical consciousness, Stones in My passway. Just brilliant, yes, songs like that and Big Boss Man by Jimmy Reed meant a lot to us because we felt put down a lot of the time. We had one school teacher who kept me out of the football team,

because I was terrible at maths. Well Jimmy Reed is a choice. I am tempted to put The Moon is Rising in there, cos it’s one that we did, from the very start.

Moon is Rising

Now we have to include a Chuck Berry and it’s Maybellene, right up there,among many others!

the stRyPes

verbals: daryl weale visuals: amber charach

The Strypes rise in the world of music has been phenomenal since they came together as young school children (only leaving school around three years ago) and made their debut at a school concert in County Cavan in Ireland. With a new album, and advocates like Elton John, Paul Weller, and Dave Grohl, and upcoming gigs in the UK, Europe, Japan and South America, The Strypes are taking rhythm ‘n’ blues to new audiences worldwide.

Drummer Evan Walsh shared with Blues Matters

The Strypes top ten tunes, discussed even as the band were on their latest 30date tour. The result is a “painstakingly whittled down selection with two songs picked by each of us and with two from Niall [band manager and Evan’s father] to bring it to ten.” Many a song that the band love missed out in the final top 10, including from band favourites such as Dr Feelgood, Jerry Lee Lewis, Nine Below Zero (whose Dennis Greaves has jammed with them), and The Pretty Things. Asked what Evan’s own pick of The Strypes songs is, he said “I Don’t Want To

Know from our EP [4 Track Mind] in 2014, one of our best live songs, we bring it down very low, Josh does a guitar work out, Ross on harmonica, and people get very excited about it!”

01THe ROBinS riot in Cell bloCK number 9

“This is a favourite of ours from The Robins, and Dr Feelgood’s version. It was written by Lieber and Stoller, the lyrics are tongue in cheek and it has a really nice feel to it.”

Me Take You Home, 1964].”

Note: The Animals version was named Gonna Send You Back To Walker.” Note: John Lennon’s Jukebox was a real Jukebox loaded with 40 of his favourite songs that he took on tour with him.

02 LeD ZepeLLin

How many more times

“We like the long extended sort of jam in the song. It is an adaptation of an old Howlin’ Wolf song [How Many More Years]. We’ve tried to do a couple of songs in that style and they’ve never worked out as well!”

03 LiTTLe WiLLie JOHn

i’m sHaKin’

“This is a favourite of Ross’s in particular. Little Willie John is his favourite singer. It is a great song with great lyrics. Jack White did a version about three years ago, but the original is the best.”

04 TiMMY SHaW

gonna send you baCK to georgia (a City sliCK)

“This is one that we used to cover at the very beginning.

Timmy Shaw has a really rich voice, the song has a rhythm and blues stamp on it. It was on John Lennon’s Jukebox of songs that he loved. The Animals covered it as the B side of their first single [Baby Let

05

iKe TURneR anD JaCKie BRenSTOn roCKet 88

“This is another favourite, described as the first Rock ‘n’ Roll record by some scholars. It motors along, with sax riffs, and Jackie’s voice is great.”

08 RUFUS THOMaS walKing tHe dog

“This one is a standard rhythm and blues thing. Three versions were released in the same year. The original, The Rolling Stones, and Georgie Fame. Loads of people have covered the song. Dr Feelgood did it. It is a classic song.”

09 LiTTLe WaLTeR JuKe

06 BO DiDDLeY bring it to Jerome

“This is one of our favourite Bo Diddley numbers, written by his maraca player Jerome Green. We’ve listened to it a lot, tried to cover it once or twice. It has a great feel to it.”

“Pete picked this one for harmonica. It is one of the greatest ever for harmonica, a signature tune, a brilliant harmonica instrumental.”

10 CHUCK BeRRY too muCH monKey business

07

LiTTLe WiLLie JOHn all around tHe world

“Ross picked this one again. He really admires Little Willie John as a singer, and this is a song he loves.”

“Again, this is a crossover rhythm and blues song, with quickfire lyrics. It inspired Bob Dylan to write Subterranean Lovesick Blues. We covered it in the early days. Dylan played some Blues early on and when he went electric he played some very bluesy songs.”

SOuNDS lIke –BReAm FIlleT!

Verbals: dave Ward Visuals: aCoustiCa.CoM

Hi Y’all. This KitChat is going to be all about live sound (No not Nirvana!) and the gear you need to make trousers flap without bleeding ears. So, let’s talk about live gigs –indoors, outdoors and other places.

Being blues buffs you will invariably be playing in pubs, clubs, coffee houses and outdoor festivals. The pros among you who have the pleasure of ‘doing’ Glasto or The Shea stadium may wish to wander off for a coffee or something as professional sound systems providers at the big gigs know rather more than old Dr Dave about slinging an array of 250 15 inch woofers 200 feet in the air with a can of special brew in one hand! So we are going to focus on how to obtain a decent sounding P.A for the travelling blues players among you.

Firstly, let’s start at the lower end of the scale, a solo or maybe duo getting your music across at smaller gigs. The needs of a soloist are no less demanding than needing to reproduce/amplify the sounds of a group of musicians playing a variety of instruments but there are differences. Most important will be amplifying your voice and instrument/s in the most natural, effective, cost effective way. The needs of solo/duo performers are – in some ways – more demanding than, say, a 5-piece, high-energy band. That may sound odd– but reproducing crystal clear vocals and solo instrument sounds without squawks, squeaks and howls requires decent equipment and an understanding of the acoustic

properties of the venue. If you are working – say, a coffee shop or small room – be aware of the degree of sound absorbance it has – i.e. does it have hard floors, tiled walls or alternatively lots of soft furnishings, carpets and curtains? These aspects make a major difference to the way needed to put out your sound – as does the audience presence (e.g. are they all seated, packed in from the start of the show; or perhaps it’s a pub where they trickle in slowly throughout the night?) A ‘soft room’ that is full from the off will need different EQ treatment from your P.A than a cavernous village or church hall with a hard/cold acoustic.

I sit in on many gigs where the performer sticks his rig on volume 8 with all the other knobs at 12 o’clock because “that’s the way I do it for every gig”. Well maybe it sounds okay if you do every gig in the same room but the word ambience comes into play when you cover more than one venue.

The hardest thing for the soloist is monitoring the sound being put out. Sound monitoring is a key issue irrespective of the type of amplification gear being used. You may, for example, travel light with just an acoustic amplifier with guitar and mic inputs output through a single speaker; so positioning your amp means it must be nearby to tweak the controls when needed. However, you can be pretty sure the sound you are hearing on stage is not the same as the audience receives. Pre-gig sound checks for soloists are dubious affairs, they

rarely represent what the audience will actually hear when the house is (hopefully) full and seldom represent what the performer hears – unless you have an effective method of monitoring that sound. This applies to all performers and all gigs irrespective of size. Bigger bands tend to have more sophisticated sound equipment which provides for performance monitoring in various ways. Don’t despair, though – those with just a guitar amp and mic can get a readily affordable small, good quality single-speaker monitor that clips on to the mic stand facing back, thereby allowing you to tunein. Believe me – this will make a huge difference to understanding your own sound.

As a personal preference, I like to hear separate amplification of instrument and voice at source. The tonal requirement for voice – versus, say, guitar – is quite different and notwithstanding massive technological improvements in speaker miniaturisation and quality – when it comes to speakers BIG is always best in my book. As previously mentioned, solo performers often face different challenges when dealing with the soundscape needed to cover, say, vocals plus guitar.

Low down Blues requires some – well – LOW DOWN! And you simply cannot cover the differing needs of instrument and voice perfectly by sharing one single set of tone controls for both. Low down does not mean “mushy” – which can happen with too much low frequency (bass) applied to either.

So – if you can – get separate kit for guitar and voice – but at very least invest in equipment with more than one channel and preferably separate tone controls for each channel. Having said that, there is a current popularity in using solo performer systems with very high-quality miniature tweeter (high frequency) speakers arrayed in a tall column with a “sub woofer” base unit containing the amplifier bass speaker (sub) and perhaps a mixer all in one neat, portable system. The quality I have heard from these systems in smaller venues is remarkable and the spread of sound good given the compact nature of the systems. The highend versions – as always – never come cheap, but there are various specification levels available with some entry level rigs costing around £800 or so. One thing I particularly like about this type of system is the built in sub-woofer in the base unit. As very low frequency sounds are non-directional this means you can place a sub more or less anywhere on the stage and they really offer a powerful punch, especially for lone acoustic guitarists.

Moving on to bigger systems for the band scenario – clearly a decent mixer will be needed, built in to your amplifier or as a separate unit. It is a good practice in sound management to dedicate your inputs on the mixing unit or desk to the same source each time to minimise a “tweakfest” every time you set up. You can use colour coded tape strips at each input to represent each instrument/voice etc. – or name each instrument written on the tape strips. This diligence helps eliminate problems at source when they arise.

The make up of systems has altered considerably in recent years with speakers themselves now available in “passive” or “active” formats – the difference simply being that the active speakers include an amplifier in the housing –so no separate amp is needed. This has both pros and cons for users as

a problem with an active speaker –if, say, using a medium 2 speaker rig – means half your amplification has gone west too. OK any speaker packing in is a problem but it is much easier – not to say cheaper – to carry a spare passive cab as opposed to active. Actives also tend to be weighty which is why roadies with sciatica don’t like ‘Em! Having said that, reliability is extremely good in good-quality units – so make your judgement accordingly.

The other pros of the larger setups include mixers and mixer amps sporting a variety of integral effects – often more comprehensive than small solo systems – thereby allowing different inputs to have different fx dedicated to them – e.g. maybe some reverb added to the vocal and some chorus or delays etc. to guitar etc.

Finally, a few words about headroom. Is it wise to buy a rig with a huge output or will a small – say, 100 watt – outfit be okay for soloists? Avoiding

discussion of defining what “wattage” actually represents, for our purposes hundreds of watts is the usual/commonly used measure. Headroom in a P.A system is an essential requirement inasmuch that when the gig fills up and you need to ‘turn it up’ your speakers don’t start flapping or groaning, distorting under strain. Ensure you have a rig with a significantly higher level of power output than you are ever likely to need. To avoid distortion it’s always best to keep channel volumes well down – turning up to “11” is only for guitarists wishing to play Spinal Tap numbers with melting Marshalls! Commonly seen levels of output for solo systems might be 100 – 300 watts; multiinstrument bands on regular pub/ club/small festival events would be 500 – 1500 watts – always assuming there is no ‘house system being used to cope with larger venues.’

Hope this gives a little food for thought – see you on the road.

tHe 2015 results for tHe Best in Blues aCross tHe gloBe

uk ReSulTS

SOLO aRTiST

1. = GRAINNE DUFFY / IAN SIEGAL

2. JACK HuTCHiNSoN

3. MARCUS BONFANTI

In with a shout: Kaz Hawkins, Malaya Blue, Andy Twyman

BanD

1. LITTLE DEVILS

2. JoANNE SHAW TAYLoR BAND

3. NIMMO BROTHERS

In with a shout: The Black Sheep, Red Butler

ReCORD LaBeL

1. PROPER

2. MANHAToN

STUDiO aLBUM

1. KAZ HAWKINS – GET READY

2. WiLKo JoHNSoN & RoGER DALTRY – GoiNG BACK HoME

3. LITTLE DEVILS – THE STORM INSIDE In with a shout: Gerry Jablonski & Electric Band – Trouble With The Blues, Krissy Matthews –Scenes From A Moving Window, Ian Siegal – Man And Guitar

3. ACE

In with a shout: Krossborder Rekords, Nugene

GUiTaRiST

1. ALAN NIMMO

2. LARRY MiLLER

3. IAN SIEGAL

In with a shout: Sean Taylor, Ramon Goose, Alex Butler

BaSSiST

1. ROGER INNISS

2. LiNDSAY CouLSoN

3. NORMAN WATT-ROY

KeYBOaRDS

1. PADDY MILNER

2. PAuL JoBSoN

3. ZOOT MONEY

HaRMOniCa

1. WILL WILDE

2. PAuL LAMB

3. GILES ROBSON

In with a shout: Trevor Steger, Alan Glen

BeST neWCOMeR

1. DOVE & BOWEEVIL BAND

2. LAuRA HoLLAND BAND

3. LITTLE DEVILS

In with a shout: The Black Sheep

LiVe aLBUM

1. IAN SIEGAL – ONE NIGHT IN AMSTERDAM

2. ZoE SCHWARZ BLuE CoMMoTioN – i’LL BE YouRS ToNiGHT

3. STEPHEN DALE PETIT – LIVE AT HIGH VOLTAGE

VOCaLiST

1. GRAINNE DUFFY

2. MARCuS BoNFANTi

3. LAURA HOLLAND

In with a shout: Zoe Schwarz, Ian Siegal, Dani Wilde

DRUMMeR

1. WAYNE PROCTOR

2. SAM KELLY

3. REG PATTEN

LiFeTiMe aCHieVeMenT (SCROLL OF HOnOUR)

1. JOHN MAYALL

2. THE PRETTY THiNGS

3. CHRIS REA

GRaInne DuFFy

photo: chRIStIne MooRe

BeST BLUeS RaDiO SHOW/STaTiOn

1. BLUES ON THE MARSH –CHANNEL FM

2. PAuL JoNES BLuES SHoW – BBC RADio 2

3. DIGITAL BLUES

In with a shout: David Freeman – Jazz FM, Blues Is The Truth –Ian McHugh’s

INTeRNATIONAl ReSulTS

2. BRANDoN SANTiNi – LivE & EXTENDED

3. LAYLA ZOE – LIVE AT THE SPIRIT 66

DRUMMeR

1. MIRI MEITTINEN

2. YoNRiCo SCoTT

3. JAY DEVENPORT

GUiTaRiST

1. WALTER TROUT

2. JoE BoNAMASSA

3. JORMA KAUKONEN

In with a shout: Anthony Gomes, Hans Theessink, Selwyn Birchwood, Eric Bibb, Robben Ford, Sonny Landreth

SOLO aRTiST

1. ERJA LYTINEN

2. ERiC BiBB

3. ELI COOK

In with a shout: Otis Clay, Devon Allman, Lisa Mills, Elvin Bishop

BanD

1. SELWYN BIRCHWOOD BAND

2. DEBBiE BoND & THE TRuDATS

3. REVEREND PEYTON’S BIG DAMN BAND

STUDiO aLBUM

1. WALTER TROUT – THE BLUES CAME CALLIN’

2. RoBBEN FoRD – iNTo THE SuN

3. AL BASILE – WORK UP IN MEMPHIS

In with a shout: Mannish Boys – Wrapped Up And Ready, Dan Patlansky – Dear Silence

Thieves, Hans Theessink & Terry Evans – True & Blue, Devon Allman – Ragged And Dirty

In with a shout: Rick Estrin & The Nightcats, Billy Walton Band, The Mannish Boys

ReCORD LaBeL

1. ALLIGATOR

2. MASCoT/PRovoGuE

3. DIXIE FROG

In with a shout: Blind Pig, Delta Groove, Forty Below Records, Repertoire

BaSSiST

1. GREG RZAB (JOHN MAYALL)

2. JACK CASSiDY

3. MICHAEL “MUDCAT” WARD

KeYBOaRDS

1. DAVID MAXWELL

2. CHuCK LEAvELL

3. GREG ALLMAN

HaRMOniCa

1. LAZY LESTER

2. RiCK ESTRiN

3. PAUL LAMB

In with a shout: Mark Hummel, Kim Wilson, Charlie Musselwhite, Bob Corritore

LiVe aLBUM

1. ERJA LYYTINEN – LIVE IN LONDON

VOCaLiST

1. DANA FUCHS

2. SuGAR RAY RAYFoRD

3. BETH HART

In with a shout: Kim Wilson, EG Knight, Lisa Biales

BLUeS BOOKS

BIG MAMA THORNTON –

MICHAEL SPORKE

SAY No To THE DEviL – iAN ZACK

THE AMAZING JIMMI MAYES, SIDEMAN TO THE STARS – JIMMI MAYES WITH V.C.SPEEK

elI cooK

photo: Kaya lee beRne

Te R e SA WATSON

Verbals: b illy HutcH inson Visuals: b illy HutcH inson

i aM sneaKing tHis in under tHe Wire as teresa Has resurreCted Her singing Career. teresa influenCes are etta JaM es, Bonnie raitt, ann peeBles, KoKo taylor, Candi staton etC

Teresa had some health problems, ran out of energy, and when her drummer left the band she drew a temporary line under her stage singing. What at that time was to be just enough time to re-charge and shape up turned into a six year layoff. It proved to be an unhappy time, with a hole in her soul and life.

The band consists of Johnny Whitehill, who needs no introduction, rare for his tone and lack of ego. Johnny was an integral part in getting Teresa to sing in the first place, which is 28 yrs. ago now. Paul Donaldson keyboards – classically trained graduate from the London college of Music, played with the Eastside Torpedos, Al Dickinson lead Delegates, longtime associate with the Animals drummer John Steele, as well as being in four different bands with Teresa in over two decades. Barry Race the band’s drummer and the baby of the band has been playing with Johnny for the past seven years. His past includes playing with Johnny Mars, Phil Guy, Tony McPhee, Ray Stubbs, as well as an infinite number of bands on the North East blues scene. John “Captain” Morgan bass does quite a bit of dep work as well as working with the Groove-a-Matics, Boneshakers, with past stints in No Dice, Ray Stubbs etc.

Teresa started to become unsure of herself, and wondered if anyone out there wanted to listen to her again. She re-connected with Johnny Whitehill (previous incarnation being the Watson Whitehill band), having left Paul Lamb. After a few tentatively spaced gigs and dipping her toe back into the water, Teresa has become quite a local splash.

The Teresa Watson band has established itself over a short time to be known as a guaranteed good night out. Teresa recently supported Chris Farlowe, and is seeking out poignant songs that suit her voice and personal taste. Teresa is about to record her own compositions shortly.

The Blue S Re B el S

Verbals: DoV Hammer Visuals: Dubi roman

tH e Blues r e B els B egan as a ‘super group’, an all-star gatH ering of M usiCians froM different Bands. We Had all B een paying our dues, for a long ti M e. We disCovered a speCial

CH e M istry, a MagiC tHat We Had WH en playing togetH er and a sound tHat Was uniquely ours

We began by playing classic Blues and Blues/rock, giving it our own signature sound and playing to as many audiences as we could reach. We were fortunate to share stages with some great artists, among them Joe Louis Walker, Lucky Peterson and Bernard Allison, which was an eye-opening education. As the opening band for the legendary Johnny Winter, we got to spend some time with another musical hero of ours, and his support for our music is something we’ll never forget.

In recording our album we were guided by two important ideas. First – the songs had to be great songs. That is the most important basic ingredient. Second – we wanted to sound like a Blues band – with the same energy and feel that our fans witness in a live show, not a sterile studio-production sound.

We arrived in the studio with songs we had chosen and worked on carefully, and had played them until we really knew and understood them. When you listen to Open Road, you are getting a slice of the real essence of The Blues Rebels.

For us it begins with the Blues – we love, admire and are heavily influenced by the classic

sounds of Muddy Waters, Howlin’ Wolf, BB King and other Blues artists. But it doesn’t end there. We grew up in the 60s and 70s and the influence of bands such as The Allman Bros., ZZ Top and Stevie Ray Vaughan is a crucial part of our music.

We write songs about our lives as 21st century people, play our instruments with all the traditions passed down to us through the musical generations – and above all, make sure that it’s done with soul, honesty and respect for the dignity of the music.

The Blues is a living, thriving art form because each generation produces new artists who bring something new to it. The Blues Rebels aspire to be among the bands that will pass on the music to the future, in such a way that you can hear echoes of Muddy, BB and the Wolf, but feel the pulse of your own life in the 21st century.

Blues Rebels are Dov Hammer (Vocals & Harmonica), Andy Watts (Guitar), Amos Springer (Bass) and Avi Barak (Drums).

f or more information, go to: www.blues-rebels.com

B RI lle A ux

Despite the name (which many interpret to be a tribute band), Brilleaux play their own original interpretation of the genre which was largely ignored in NZ. The name Brilleaux is not a household name in NZ as it is in the UK, and seemed appropriate as both a tribute to the man, and as a unique reference to British R&B.

I was lucky enough to see (and play with) Dr Feelgood on a couple of occasions in New Zealand in the early 80s, and the power and excitement of their performance made me an instant convert.

To form yet another Texas or Chicago style blues band to equal some of those on the local scene would prove to be a difficult task, and trying to find a guitarist with the right credentials in a small semi-rural city was most unlikely, so I decided to form a band in a different genre of the blues – British R&B.

I talked a few musicians into giving this type of music a go, and gave them a tape of about 20 songs by Dr Feelgood, Nine Below Zero etc., and told them to listen to it and form their own interpretation.

The guitarist took this brief to extremes when he turned up to practice after trading in his strat for a Tele, and his amp for a Marshall. He hit the first chord of the first song and the

hair stood up on the back of my neck – he had nailed it!

After playing these songs for a while we began writing our own material in a similar vein, and have continued to do so till this day.

Brilleaux were an instant and unique addition to the blues scene in NZ and soon became “the band to see” for both the energy of their performance to their refreshing “new” take on the blues.

Today Brilleaux have the same original members, have released 8 self-funded, albums of original material and have toured the UK twice.

Brilleaux are an amateur band and all the members have day jobs. To achieve our goals we gig during the year and bank the proceeds in order to fund our tours and albums.

In the early 60s, British musicians were enamoured on hearing American Blues, and their interpretation of this – although not authentic to the original – saw the birth of British R&B.

Brilleaux have done the same thing! Our interpretation of British R&B – although not a carbon copy – has created its own unique sound with its roots firmly embedded in the genre.

f or more information, go to: www.brilleaux.co.nz

Verbals: g raHam clark Visuals: cH ristine moore

Brilleaux are a neW zealand BritisH style r&B Band forMed in 1999

BeNNy ‘guITAR’ cARR

Verbals:

Ben performs regularly as an energetic and engaging solo artist playing slide guitar and building up a big sound using a Cajon, drum kick pedal and tambourine. His performance incorporates a range of guitar styles from flat picking and slide whilst putting his own stamp on old numbers including Good Time Tonight (Big Bill Broonzy) and Honey Suckle Rose and Ain’t Misbehaving (Fats Waller) before upping the tempo and switching to his cigar-box guitar and casting even more of a spell with some exceptional funky versions of Goodnight Irene (Lead Belly), Ready Willing And Able (Fats Domino) Catfish Blues and, I Just Wanna Make Love To You (Muddy Waters).

Ben also has a rockin’ band The Hot Rats with guitar, drums and double bass and a foot stomping guitar and harmonica duo Ben & Sy’s Stompin’ Blues – both feature on his latest album Good Times.

Ben’s album Good Times was played recently on BBC Radio 2 Paul Jones Show and he was honoured to have his guitar playing and album artwork recognised as excellent by the blues radio broadcast legend. The album was inspired by a trip Ben took to New Orleans. Whilst traveling out there he had the grand privilege of not only seeing, but also getting to play with, Ian Smith and The Frenchman Street Horns. This collaboration, combined with a vast array of ideas Ben had been developing for songs, led to the creation of an international recording featuring some of Great Britain’s finest players hand in hand with an incredible brass section from New Orleans. The album was recorded at PMC (Plymouth, UK) and Fudge Studios (New Orleans, USA). The material has been written with an ironic twist on the popular love song, brought to life with traditional music.

Ben is an extraordinarily talented bluesman, not only a joy to listen to but also interesting to watch, his style is mood-lifting, bringing old numbers to life and representing them to new

audiences in a way that makes them sound fresh, whilst he is careful to stay true to the original. If you like funky rockin’ blues….. You will not be disappointed.

f or more information, go to: www.bennyguitarcarr.co.uk

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until he teamed up with Joey Mitchell in 2010 and the permanent die was cast. After only a few months together the duo began to tour aggressively and have not slowed down since. Whether it’s a 20-minute opening slot or a 3-hour headlining gig, they give the audience 110% when they perform, leaving the stage exhausted and crowd satisfied.

2014 was their most productive and rewarding year to date. Not only did they play a staggering 250+ shows at venues and festivals across the U.S. and U.K., they also won the 2014 Floydfest ‘On The Rise’ competition, coming in first place out of 37 bands competing at the festival. Their latest album, Midnight Creep/Noonday Stomp, placed in NBT Music Radio’s Top 150 Albums of 2014, and the track 1000 Miles placed in the NBTMR Top 150 Singles category. They were awarded “Best Opening Act 2014” at the #1 venue in the world under 500 seats, Rams Head On Stage (Annapolis, MD), and received one of college radio’s bigger nods when they were given Radio Flag’s Radio Star Award for “Best Artist Fall 2014.” The boys were also recognized as one of the top 20 bands to watch in the Mid-Atlantic region by Blue Ridge Outdoors Magazine.

Ruben Dobbs’ aggressive finger-picking and rhythmic style (which often adds up to sounding like more than one guitar) combined with Joey Mitchell’s bass playing, pounding kick drum and percussive bass throttling (representing the presence of a full drum kit) easily fill up the sonic space normally created by a trio or even a four-piece group. Dobbs’ soulful, passionate vocals are the glue that holds it all together and makes this band tick.

Swampcandy was founded by Dobbs in 2007 and functioned with various line-ups

Dobbs is a volatile creative force while Mitchell is a pragmatic technician. In distilling the essence of nearly undecipherable songs and incorporating that authenticity into his own compositions he’s writing new chapters in the history of roots music that inextricably link the past, present and future. Mitchell has spent thousands of hours studying complex music theory, composition and practicing the ins and outs of his double bass while reinventing the percussive aspects that can be delivered between his primary instrument and his kick drum. These juxtapositions are the key to their success. That’s why and how Swampcandy makes that dirty, sweet music that cuts straight to the bone.

f or more information, go to: www.swampcandy.com

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Verbals: rainbreakers

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Hailing froM sH reWsB ury, rain B reaKers are a four pieCe outfit tHat Create tH eir oWn interpretation of raW and Hard-H itting roCK and roll.

The band’s spirit draws significant influence from older artists such as Free and Humble Pie, yet expresses a strong connection with contemporary bands like The London Souls, The Black Keys, Monophonics and Gary Clark Jr.

Although Rainbreakers evidently show a great fascination with sounds from the past, they are by no means purists. While recalling elements of their predecessors, the band has a clear foothold within the sounds of their own generation and strives to craft a melting pot of musicianship, ranging from soul melodies and psychedelic sounds to garage-rock riffs and R&B grooves.

Rainbreakers first launched in late 2012, and comprise of Ben Edwards on vocals/guitar, Jack Cooper on guitar, Peter Adams on bass and Sam Edwards on drums. It’s since then the band has seen an increasing development in not only their own sound and maturity as musicians, but also the involvement of their ever growing fan base across the country. To date, Rainbreakers have played over 400 shows in club venues and festival stages, which have given leverage to an exciting and impassioned live performance.

Due to the release of their recent EP, Blood Not Brass, Rainbreakers have found themselves

being featured extensively throughout a variety of media platforms. The Blues Magazine and Blues and Soul magazine have each celebrated the band’s refreshing outlook on the blues/ rock scene, while radio stations across the country and most recently The Paul Jones Show on BBC Radio 2 have all featured their songs respectively.

So far the band have had the pleasure sharing the stage with the UK’s finest acts among the blues/rock scene, supporting artists such as Laurence Jones and Chantel McGregor on their tours. Having already played in prestigious venues like Band on the Wall in Manchester and Kendal Brewery Arts Centre, the rest of 2015 is shaping up to be just as exciting. Rainbreakers are set to play a string of festival shows at Farmer Phils in Shropshire, Malvern Rocks and also The Blues Festival in Chester and Frome to name a few. Most recently confirmed is the support tour with Corky Laing (Mountain) for a week across the UK in November, as well as support slots to Laurence Jones, Virgil and the Accelerators and The Della Grants later this year.

f or more information, go to: www.therainbreakers.com

Robert Cray reInventIng the blues

r obert c ray has been one of the most respected and consistent artists to have emerged from the u.s.a. a s he celebrates 40 years of live performing with the release of ‘4 n ights o f 40 years’ cd / dvd release and an upcoming uk tour it seemed the perfect time for our p ete s argeant to talk tracks and guitars.

Thanks for the time – where are you right now, Robert?

Good to speak again – I’m in Southern Oregon, we’re doing a show tonight.

I’ve been listening to the anniversary release material, let’s talk about your current band. Les Falconer? That’s correct, on drums.

With the O’Jays once of course. Yeah he played with them for a bit … Dover Weinberg on the keys, on the bass is Richard Cousins back with us.

The opener on CD1, Shiver – choppy horns, very relaxed vocal, you are yourself as always but there’s a tinge of Little Milton about this one. Hmm. Actually I never consciously think about Milton when I do that tune. However towards the end I do kind of channel some John Lee Hooker, sometimes.

I’ll Always Remember is on this set, with the emphatic figures, there’s some very smoky sax on that. Ah yes! That’s Trevor

Lawrence on that song, and that idea came from Steve Jordan, our producer. Song written by former keyboard player Jim Pugh, it was just the quartet on the first and original recorded version, Ah no, we had horns on that record, thinking back now. Anyway, we thought it would be pretty cool and it worked out.

Poor Johnny is of course about the over-reaching guy. I’ve always thought this would work so well as an acoustic number.

I think there was a woman who did an acoustic version on TV in France, guitar, acoustic bass and violin.

News to me, Robert!

No, you called it, the version worked well. Sometimes you can take a song and reimagine it but keep the spirit, the intention.

You’re a man who can spin a story. I like the fact that a lot of your songs

are mini-screenplays. That’s exactly the thing that I’ve been trying to work on, since I worked with one of the producers, Dennis Walker. Songs like Porchlight and Right Next Door. I admired that facet of his song-writing, it paints pictures, as you say.

Is I Guess I Showed Her one of his? Storytelling has done Dylan some favours, it’s a strong suit in your pack of cards, I think. Won’t Be Coming Home sounds good, a BB King touch? Richard Cousins co-wrote that song, it does have that good R&B feel. Suggests that kind of singular notes thing to happen, on the guitar.

On The Road Down has that deliberate arpeggio chording, a real Southern Soul mood.

A co-write with Steve Cropper and that was a lot of fun to do. Yes, it has that soul thing to it so we decided to add that to the set. It covered that side of

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things for the set list we were putting together.

And then, you pay tribute to one of my great heroes Howlin’ Wolf, with Lee Oskar on Sittin’ On Top Of The World. Lee is Mr Feel, isn’t he? Yeah – he sounds great on that harmonica I love Howlin’ Wolf, too, what a great musician and singer. The best.

Wrap It Up is on the CD and the DVD, fantastic Sam & Dave tumble through that!

Yeah, so much fun doing that. Kim Wilson was in town, of course, he was in the T-Birds. We’ve been friends forever. Try to meet up wherever and whenever we can manage it.

And with your other mate, Jimmie Vaughan. (Laughs) Yeah, Jimmie! Well I heard them do that song when I was thirteen years old!

My favourite track on the record, for what it’s worth, is Love Gone to Waste. I love the tempo of this one, what’s the story here?

I think Richard Cousins brought it up, for these shows. He was with us back when we recorded that song, in the late 90’s I think. We were lucky to be recording then with Willie Mitchell.

The Hi label man? Yes, when the arrangement was being done he brought in Jim Horn, Jim Spake a guy playing the trumpet. It was like, here we go, we get to work with people with such vast musical knowledge, what a privilege.

Bad Influence – did Etta James ever record this one? It seems so right for her voice. I don’t think so … but that would have been cool … I did meet Etta quite a few times and Richard, when he was out of the band, he played with her. She was fantastic to me. I would sit on the side of the stage when she was performing and take it all in. She had so much control of her delivery, it was just unbelievable.

Smokey Robinson has that too, in a slightly different vein. And Pop Staples too, you ever see him?

Yes, at The Borderline in London. He seemed to connect the listener straight to the heart of what matters in life. I’m not trying to be poetic, did that come out wrong? No, no – that makes perfect sense to me. I have stood outside the gospel church hall in New Orleans and by the time the next singer was up, I was inside of it! And like you, I’m not particularly religious.

These Things – you have this fine amp tremolo here. I humbly suggest that’s the best vocal on this collection. How did it go down? Oh we had a ball – I thought it was really cool that Steve Jordan decided to double up the drums. Gave it a really good drive. It’s a fun song to play because of its simplicity and it has, y’know, a lot of power.

That’s what I liked about John Lee Hooker, he could take the simplest riff and imbue it was so much edge. It would be the centre of the universe, for the duration of the song. Ry Cooder said something similar, that John’s music was like a mantra, hypnotic.

Right Next Door – I’ve always loved that song, sounds like it was written yesterday. Oh thanks – the great Dennis Walker, the master storyteller. It was in a big theatre and when you do songs like that you can command the attention of the crowd. It’s always good, that kind of situation.

The Forecast Calls For Pain –another stone classic. I used to play this cut to people who asked me what you were all about,

newcomers. It sort of shows the edge you can call up. Yes, it does have that tension, a strong dynamic. It lends itself to that narrative thing too. With the rain and the forecast, the thunder and the lightning.

Time Takes Two seems to wrap up the first audio disc. And that’s my tribute to Bobby Blue Bland. I do wish that he had recorded it, in his lifetime. I only got to meet Bobby within the last two years before he passed. He came to see us and he sat on the stage behind us.

I thought guitarist, Wayne Bennett with Bobby, the way he could frame the vocal and spin out the fills, kinetic!

Sure – like the Wolf and Hubert Sumlin pairing, I guess, Pete, the guitar a foil for the vocal, when it works it’s such a beautiful thing.

The DVD has some quite interesting interviews, by many of your friends – Keef, Eric, Bonnie. It must be flattering to hear what they comment.

Indeed, very flattering and I’m grateful for them all being a part of it, that they would take the time to contribute, to want to do that.

Is it because you’re happy to be in a group and play and not grab the spotlight all the time?

I do hope that they see that, that is what we are all about … I always have a band situation, I encourage everyone to come up with material, to compose, to truly be a part of it. I’m still upfront, but it’s a band.

One of the records from your past that I am very fond of is the Cray/ Copeland/Collins aggregation. Blackjack Game and so on. I

thought that was such a rich musical collaboration.

(Warmly) That record, y’know

– I hadn’t actually met Johnny Copeland till we got together to prepare the sessions. Till we all walked in the studio door, Johnny gets out of the car and he’s hunched over, now Johnny and Albert went back to the 50s, of course. Albert walks up to the car and asks what’s going on. Johnny says that he’s fasting! Albert – given his personality – starts ribbing Johnny nonstop, going on about food, but anyhow we took all that energy into the studio.

Copeland was an immensely talented man, in my view very underrated.

Yep! Very true, he was a fine artist.

Did you adapt your style to play with them or did you just be Robert Cray?

No, I was just doing what I did. They had us all in there and let us do what we did – it was so much fun … and creative.

Instruments – what would I get if I bought a Robert Cray Signature model Strat against say an American Standard sunburst? There’s a Custom Shop edition and Mexican version but they both have pickups from the Custom Shop, wound to my liking, would really depend on what you like as regards the neck. A lot of people wouldn’t like the neck because it’s somewhat wider and I have my strings high off the neck, comparatively.

First thing I do is raise the bridge as I like paying slide. And then of course there’s no whammy bar on it.

I hate them, can never keep the

guitar in tune when I use them. Exactly, and that’s the reason I just don’t have them on my guitars.

You have a baritone guitar don’t you, Robert? A Fender XI?

Ah yes! Fortunately I found one in Memphis, happened to walk in to a music store, they wanted a few hundred bucks for it, so I got it, turned out to be 1961 or something like that.

Mr Lucky! Ampwise, do you still use a combination of Matchless and Fender Vibro-King?

I have a stereo link so it can go speaker to speaker kinda thing.

Zach The Builder at work! (Laughs) Yeah, the great Zach. The Matchless I use for very clean and the Vibro-King for just the opposite, a fatter and dirtier sound.

Dave Olsen was in the band, he played with Savoy brown too. Do you still see him?

Oh yes – he’s up in Syracuse and he comes to see us when we’re in town, he plays still in local dates.

check out www.robertcray.com for upcoming tour dates and more information

dIsCogRaPhy

in My Soul 2014

Nothin But Love 2012

This Time 2009

Live from Across the Pond 2006

Twenty 2005

Time Will Tell 2003

Shoulda Been Home 2001

Take Your Shoes off 1999

Sweet Potato Pie 1997

Some Rainy Morning 1995

Shame + A Sin 1993

i Was Warned 1997

Sweet Potato Pie 1992

Midnight Stroll 1990

Sugaray Rayford from gospel to blues the sugaray way

g reat blues singers do not come along that often these days, and the arrival of c aron “s ugaray” r ayford on the blues scene some years back made many sit up and take notice. n orman d arwen gets the low-down on this big man of the blues

Blues is something that moves you, makes you feel. It doesn’t have to be sad to be blues. When I was young my aunts would put on a short skirt and go to the local juke joint, they went to have a good time, that’s the blues.

Where were you born and what were your earliest experiences of music?

I was born in Tyler, Texas and as far back as I can remember I was involved in music through the church, Church of God in Christ. I played drums, sang and directed the choir up until I joined the Marines. I left music behind at that point for many years.

I believe that you had had a tough upbringing as a youngster? Yes, my two brothers and I grew up in the projects in Dallas. I am the oldest of the three. My mom was a single mom and she became ill with cancer and ultimately

died when I was 13. We went without food for days on end, the best times were when I would get to go stay with Big Momma in Tyler. I got to eat three meals a day and do music in church, those were good times. When my Momma died, Big Momma took all three of us boys and raised us. She was the strongest, smartest woman I’ve ever known. If it wasn’t for her we would have probably ended up in jail, or worse.

Did you also listen to non-religious music at that time?

Only once in a while, I would hear some Bobby ‘Blue’ Bland or Little Milton that my uncle

would play. That was my first exposure to blues.

Who were your main musical influences as a youngster? Mostly gospel, once I joined the Marines it was Prince, Loose Ends, those were my favourites.

You sang funk with Urban Gypsys, do you think it also relates to the blues?

Absolutely. The blues is the roots and everything else is the fruits. I truly believe this.

How did you switch to the blues, and were you drawing on past experience when you did?

I was always drawn to blues even though I was singing funk. I would stop by these blues gigs and a local player, Ronnie Lane and the Texas Twisters, would let me get up

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and sing with them (N.B. Not the UK’s Ronnie Lane – ND). I didn’t really know any blues songs at that time, but the bass player gave me a book of blues lyrics and I would study a new song each week. The blues was something I felt to my core when I sang it, and past experience is always in my soul so it is a part of every blues tune I sing.

What was your first experience of recording?

My very first non-gospel recording was with a cat called Chill Boy in San Diego. I never got to hear it though, he went back and replaced my voice with his voice.

How was it working with the San Diego band Aunt Kizzys Boyz and what kind of songs did you sing with them?

It was great, they are a great group of guys and Jimmy King is one of the greatest guitar players I ever played with. Same kind of music, blues.

You worked a blues jam at Cozy’s for some years when you moved to Los Angeles - can you tell me about some of the people who would show up?

That was a fun time in my life. I got to play with amazing people. Slash, Vivian Campbell, Al Kooper, Honey Boy Edwards, Life House, Pussy Cat Dolls, Orianthi, too many to names!

How did you choose the songs for your first album under your own name, Blind Alley - how did you discover songs by the likes of Son House or Blind Willie Johnson? Well, the deeper I got into blues, the more I wanted to know. Son House’s music has always been a favourite and Death Letter in particular has always reminded me of my momma, and now my Big Momma too, now that she has passed. With Blind Alley I wanted to put on songs I liked and with a little bit of variety. I met Al Kooper at the jam and we hit it off, we had the love of gospel in common. Al Kooper

gave me a disc full of his songs and said I could record any of them I wanted to, so I chose two songs: Nuthin’ I Wouldn’t Do and I Let Love Slip Through My Fingers. These songs were different and I wanted a unique recording. I’m very proud of that CD, it was a great first solo recording in my opinion. Chuck Kavooras was my Musical Director at that time and he helped produce this CD.

You have a couple of your own songs there too - when did you start song writing and where do you find your inspiration?

I started writing about 15 years ago. I find inspiration in the same things most people do, love, loss, happiness, just life.

How did you get with Delta Groove and The Mannish Boys, you took a lot of people by surprise when we heard you singing the straight blues! And do you have any memories of label boss Randy Chortkoff?

I went to The Sugar Mill to the jam and got up and sang with John Mayall and Randy was there. After that I became a Mannish Boy and it was a great project to be a part of. Rand and I became friends and shared a love of blues and cigars. I shared cigars with him all around the world and I miss that friendship greatly. The blues world will feel Rand’s loss too, he did a lot for the blues and for many unrecognized or underappreciated blues artists.

How much input did you have with the Mannish Boys albums? The albums were produced by Rand and his staff. I just got into the studio and put my vocals into the songs. Of course every project has

collaboration that happens as you record. I also have a couple of songs on the CDs. Wrapped Up and Ready, the last CD that was released, the title track was written by myself and Ralph Carter.

Can you tell us some of the blues artists you have worked with over the years?

Kal David, Lazy Lester, Henry Gray, Bob Corritore, Finis Tasby, Kim Wilson, Arthur Adams. Again there are too many to name. I am very blessed.

Did you ever meet BB King - I know you have been nominated for the BB King Entertainer of the year award?

I never had the pleasure but he is one of my all-time favourites.

You worked too with the Igor Prado Band – can you tell me about them? I met them through Rand Chortkoff and Delta Groove. They are a great group of guys from Sao Paolo, Brazil. Igor Prado, who is the guitar player, arranged for me to play a two week tour with them back in 2013. It was great to work with them and during my time down there I recorded that cut on their new CD. Very talented musicians & great guys.

Can you tell me a little about your band?

My current band is made up of Gino Matteo on guitar (he has played with so many

people since he was a young boy), Ralph Carter on bass (Eddie Money, Dancing With The Stars), Lavell Jones on drums (Lucky Peterson, Seal) Drake Shining on keyboards, Allan Walker on sax and Gary Bivona on trumpet. Leo Dombecki is also our keyboard player, he had a major stroke last July while we were out on the road in Colorado and so he has been recovering and is about ready to tour again, He is on the CD. They are a great group of musicians and salt of the earth people. We are family.

Tell me about Southside - why the title and which songs mean most to you?

Well I wanted to do a CD with a Muscle Shoals, Memphis feel. You know that songs, they are like children, it’s hard to say you like one more than another. The title comes from the song Southside, when we travelled we noticed it was always the south side where the juke joints and blues bars would be located, south of the tracks, so we wrote a song.

It is very much a blues singer’s album - what does the blues mean to you?

Blues is something that moves you, makes you feel. It doesn’t have to be sad to be blues. When I was young my aunts would put on a short skirt and go to the local juke joint, they went to have a good time, that’s the blues.

Let’s just mention a couple of other songs: Miss Thang is a lot of fun...Texas Bluesman is another song, as is ‘Slow Motion,

Well, anybody who knows me knows I like a big booty woman. 36-24-44. And you close the album with Slow Motion; that sends cold chills down my spine!

I wanted a Teddy Pendergrass,

Barry White type of feel and Slow Motion is the result.

Texas Bluesman - how do you feel about the Texas blues?

I love it, it’s so different than other types. So powerful. Freddy King, T Bone Walker, Bugs Henderson, just great music. Texas Bluesman is my tribute to all of them, and I’m proud to be a Texas Bluesman. I have a tattoo that says just that. I also got to perform on the tribute CD for Bugs Henderson that was recently released, The King Of Clubs 1943 – 2012, which was a true honour. (Sugaray takes the vocal on the song You Ain’t Nothin’ To Texas - ND)

And just to finish off, what are your plans for the future?

I plan to continue to sing the blues ’til they lay this old body in the ground. I will continue to write, record and perform as long as someone out there will listen! Music is a part of me, without music I wouldn’t be me.

sugaray rayford’s new album, southside, is available now. see what we thought of it in the reviews section. for more information on sugaray visit www.sugarayblues.com

dIsCogRaPhy

STUDIO:

Southside 2015

Way Down South 2015

Wrapped up & Ready 2014

Dangerous 2013

Double Dynamite 2013

it’s Tight Like That 2007

Trunk Full of Bluez 2004

GUEST APPERANCE:

A Tribute To Bugs

Henderson The King of Clubs 1943 - 2012 2014

“the deeper I got Into the blues, the more I wanted to know”

Layla Zoe the voIce

l ayla z oe is often compared to Janis Joplin and truly loves this analogy. l ayla was born in b ritish c olumbia, c anada in the 70’s and it was through her father’s extensive and diverse vinyl record collection that she found the b lues.

Her first live performance was with her father’s band at aged 14. Since then she has gone on to win many awards within the Blues genre, giving promoters plenty to work with for bookings and publicity. Her stage craft is awesome; she has a huge range of vocals and astounds audiences with her equally brilliant tonal quality.

Layla now resides near Bonn in Germany and is quickly becoming a firm favourite at many Festivals across Europe. If you see her on the bill then I strongly advise you catch her performance, you will not be disappointed!

What were your earliest memories of music and the Blues, who influenced you?

My father was my first introduction to the Blues; he had a deep love of the blues and had a varied vinyl record collection. He also played acoustic guitar and harmonica and was in a band for a brief period. As a young child I remember sitting on his knee while he played guitar and sang with me. His music definitely influenced me, we listened to Van Morrison, Tom Waits, Bob Dylan, Muddy Waters, Robert Johnson and Billie Holiday to name a few. He also took me to Vancouver

Folk Festival at a young age and I was blown away by it. I then went on to discover my own eclectic taste in music. My first band was a covers band and in these early days I sang a lot of Janis Joplin songs, she has also had a big impact on my early experiences with music and the Blues as I listened to her nonstop while growing up.

What age did you start singing? I think I started singing around the age of 2 or 3 years old. I grew up with my father playing guitar around the house and also spent time hanging out with my dad’s hobby band in their rehearsal space. My first real singing performance was at a high school musical that I was part of, I also sang for a short time with my dad’s band.

Have you ever had singing lessons? No, I’ve never had singing

lessons; however I did see a vocal coach during my teens while attending a year of Jazz Vocal in Malaspina College in Nanaimo, BC. This was the same school and program where Diana Krall graduated. I have also been to a very good vocal coach named Pamela Falcon, in Germany for some vocal warm ups a few years ago.

When you construct songs do you have any method you use to help you?

I have been writing poetry since I was 10 years old. I feel that my life experiences have helped me to express myself within my writing and my music. I write from my heart and my poetry can often become song lyrics. I love writing and strive to be the best songwriter that I can be. I admire and I’m influenced mostly by artists who tell a story with their music, lyrically.

You produced a book of poems, how well was it received and where can it be bought? My poetry book ‘Diary of a Firegirl’ which I self-published

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in 2010 was a limited pressing and can only be purchased directly through me. The fans, friends and family who bought it or were given copies all said they enjoyed it. It was a great personal achievement for me and it gave them more insight into my writing since it showcased all the poetry that I had written between the ages of 10 to 32 years old. I find writing to be a great comfort and release during difficult times in my life.

Your voice has an immense vocal range and is such a powerful tool on stage but do you ever play any instruments?

No, I do not play any instruments on stage now but years ago I did perform at coffee houses in Canada playing acoustic guitar and harmonica.

Do you use a guitar and harmonica when you are writing?

In the past I did use an acoustic guitar for song writing but only basic chords for ideas. I now have an awesome band full of talented musicians who supply all the music, meaning I can now focus purely on the lyrics and melody.

Have you ever given anyone singing lessons?

I have never taught singing lessons, however I have taught “Blues in Schools” to children and teens in Canada and Germany, which was a wonderful experience.

Your voice is very powerful; do you do anything to preserve your voice during long tours?

On long tours I try to cut back on late nights and talking too much before or after shows, to protect my voice. A healthy diet and proper sleep are also very important while on tour, but it is often hard to maintain those aspects on the road.

Are there any song writers you admire?

The songwriters who I have tattooed on my body are my favourite songwriters, as well as a few I don’t have tattoos of yet like Joni Mitchell, Etta James and Peter Green.

Have you a specific mic you use or prefer to use?

I have used the SHURE SM58 since I first started singing. I like this microphone very much and don’t feel the need to change a good thing.

Do you have a favourite song you love to perform?

I love to sing everything on my shows but I do not have a favourite as such. I love the ballads because they give me the chance to use many different parts of my voice whereas the louder songs make that impossible. I love to sing a capella songs because it shows the audience how my voice really can stand alone and is its own instrument.

We have a hard time here in the UK getting younger audiences interested in the Blues and you mentioned earlier that you taught

‘Blues in Schools’ I’m interested to know how you connected them with the Blues?

The ‘Blues in the Schools’ program allow artists to design their own course for students so I discussed everything from Blues artists to making your own CD. I also talked about my own career and the art of being an independent musician following your own dreams and passions. I was so happy that some of the kids checked out YouTube clips of Muddy Waters and later sent me messages. I feel with the Blues that it has a lot to do with what kids are exposed to while growing up; we should have more Blues on mainstream radio that would help.

You’re image on stage is a powerful one, with your long red flowing hair, dangling earrings and of course your rocky image, it’s a dazzling display. Did you take time to think out your stage craft, or is it pure emotion that comes over you?

I do not think or plan my stage show, the music just takes over and my body moves and flows with what I feel on stage. I am always surprised by how my stage show evolves, from dancing, to head banging, when I never plan these aspects of the show. It seems something bigger than me is at work and that I am only a muse for the music. I want the audience to feel the emotion during my shows; whether its joy or pain and I hope they are also able to release emotion through my music and performance.

You’re well known to your fans for your collaboration with many bands in Europe and in other countries. Where or who has been your most memorable collaboration? My favourite collaborations have been performing with

Jeff Healey in Canada, as a guest of my dear friend Sonny Landreth at Peer Blues festival in Belgium last year and of course co-writing and working on my last two studio albums “Sleep Little Girl” and “The Lily” with my friend Henrik Freischlader.

I know you use pickup bands from Germany when you play the UK since Henrik Freischlader has stopped touring, but do you have a regular band in Canada you use?

I’ve never toured with Henrik Freischlader’s, I was only a guest of Henrik’s a few times over the years on stage. I have had the same band in Germany for several years now and use them for all of the shows in Europe unless for some reason one of them is not available and then I occasionally use a sub, but that happens very seldom. I have guys I always use for shows in Canada but the last few years I have played mostly in Europe with my European band.

What plans do you have for any new albums?

The plan right now is to go into the studio at the end of the year in Germany. I will be making the new studio album with my band and it will be released in the Spring of 2016. More details will be announced later this year.

Where are you living now, in Europe? What are your plans for touring Europe?

I am currently living outside of Bonn, Germany and plan to stay for at least another 2 years and focus on touring new countries and returning to countries we normally play. There is also a plan to perform some shows with a special project in 2016 in the US and Europe...again, details will be announced later this year.

I am sure our readers would love to know which venues or festivals in Canada you believe are worth visiting, just in case they ever visit your home country?

The best festivals I’ve played in Canada are definitely the Montreal Jazz festival, Tremblant Blues festival in Quebec and Dutch Mason Blues festival in Nova Scotia.

Which country has been the one that has made a lasting impression on you and why?

I feel blessed to perform in every country that I have been lucky enough to work in. All blues fans are amazing, no matter where they live. Canada has been very good to me, and Europe has been simply amazing. I am so excited about what the future could bring and every time we perform in a new country, it’s a dream come true for me.

Which artist have you been most excited to meet?

Meeting Derek Trucks years ago and having the chance to hang with him and his band was incredible for me. And then last year to finally meet his wife Susan Tedeschi and to have the chance to sing some gospel with her, was a true dream come true for me. But of course working with and meeting and spending time with Jeff Healey before he died, is still one of the highlights of my life and career.

Which gig would be your dream to play?

I have many goals and dreams for my career. Definitely performing for a tour in the US is a goal and dream for me, which I hope I can make happen soon since I have so many fans in the US who ask me every day when I will be able to sing in their cities and

states. But also, I dream of performing at Glastonbury in the UK, Montreux Jazz festival in Switzerland, North Sea Jazz festival in Netherlands, Cognac Blues festival in France and Rockpalast in Germany.

Is there anyone dead or alive you would love to meet?

If I could have, I would have loved to meet Frank Zappa, Bob Marley and Eva Cassidy. Also it was very sad to lose BB King this year, as I also never had the chance to work with or meet him, and in my opinion he was one of the truest Blues men we ever had and lost.

Do you have any hobby that is outside of singing i.e. painting or walking in the countryside?

I have many hobbies, although my music is my main passion and takes up a lot of my time. But when I am off tour and not completely focused on work, I enjoy spending time with friends, travelling, reading, writing and running. I am also a big film lover and enjoy watching movies, particularly documentary films.

Thank you so much for agreeing to this interview when are you back in the UK?

We hope to return to the UK in 2016 if all goes well.

c heck out www.layla.ca for more information

Richard Townend guItarIst sInger songwrIter

r ichard townend is a familiar name on the b ritish b lues circuit, having played at most of the well-known festivals and blues venues across the country, either as a solo performer or leading his band the m ighty b osscats.

Richard is a prolific songwriter, having written well over 150 songs and produced 70 videos in the last four years alone, always avoiding the obvious clichéd subject matter.

Hello, Richard, thanks for taking time out to speak with us, let’s start at the beginning, it all started for you at Leeds College of Music, where you graduated. The only other person I’ve heard of taking that route is Chantel McGregor, was that a good ‘foot in’ for you? It was a good experience and I learned a lot, the standard is pretty high and for everyone you have heard of there are hundreds more who could easily stand in their shoes and walk further with less fuss. It’s a question of life style choice, that’s why the ‘best’ competitions aren’t really representative. A lot of the people I was at college with have very successful music careers and you have

never heard of them, they don’t chase the stars, they are happy to just work. You’ll find a lot of these student musicians playing during their summer recess, whilst I was there I did a whole season working for Alan Ayckbourn at The Theatre in the Round, Scarborough for his musicals – I did that on bass rather than guitar. It helped me pay my way, move to London and it certainly got my foot in the door but to a totally different room to the one I am in now. In those days I was a hired guitar/ bass player doing commercial variety shows, now I am a story teller who adds music to make the stories interesting.

It’s more liberating having an embryonic song which you give birth to, nurturing it, seeing it grow into a teenager with attitude then maturing into a CD ready song as opposed to playing the dots put in front of you.

I see you started your career by touring with several diverse household names, not necessarily in the blues, could you amplify on that?

As a professional musician you have to go where the work takes you. I played with several well-known artists, Tony Christie, Dana, Ronnie Corbett, The Platters and a shed load of other cabaret acts. I was on tour with Charlie Drake too, remember dear old Charlie? It was good fun. I was doing music, making a decent living out of it and for a young

Verbals: Cli V e r awlings Visuals: Keit H b lundy, Jo H n b ull, t erry Crou CH

kid it was super. It didn’t have a logical career path though, it was summer season, tours, cruises, summer seasons, tours, panto. I wanted something more stable and would have preferred to do my own stuff so I withdrew from the circuit and moved on to a day job and organising gigs on an evening. I had three West End pub venues I ran the music for and played my own music there as well as helping other bands. After a while I changed direction, did some cover stuff and a Police Tribute Band, then jacked it all in. Roll on 10 years and I got the axe out again after attending a few jams and I then decided to form a band to play some SRV and other up tempo stuff again.

What first attracted you to music/blues?

My Dad was a classical pianist, he never met the right people to help him progress and he wasn’t really in the right network, so it’s in my genes. He was a frustrated amateur, but bless his heart he did pay

for lessons on piano and then guitar for me, he encouraged me to the hilt, he adored music. My brother played drums and as Mum wouldn’t allow more than one drummer in the house I plumped for guitar. I liked any guitar music blues, rock, country and now I like any music, any style with a very few exceptions. Stevie Ray Vaughan turned me back on to guitar playing when I resumed, although I am a great fan of Mark Knopfler. Mark’s ability to story tell and play the right notes between the right gaps is just awesome. When I first started I was into Hendrix, Brian May, Ritchie Blackmore and Jimmy Page, I just wanted to be any one of them. So probably Led Zeppelin and Hendrix got me into the more rockier side of the blues, Queen into the song writing aspect.

Tell us your influences

Everything, absolutely everything influences me. Reality is based on your own personal perception of things, what you like, what you don’t,

all has an impact on how you see things and hear things. Influences are not just related to how you play but also how you think about tunes, songs, lyrics. If we are talking purely guitar playing nowadays it’s laid back controlled playing. I have mentioned Knopfler, but anyone who can play melodically. Song wise, anything that’s well produced, well played and with a decent hook or makes you reflect on things, is good for me. They can influence you to write something with a similar feel for example.

You took some time out from music for a while, what triggered your comeback?

I have to do the 9 to 5 to earn a crust, but music allows me to be creative. I was missing that aspect of my life. Being creative at work is not the same as being creative with your music. We all have our own reasons for being here and doing things you enjoy makes you a more rounded person. I really work hard at the day job and my music job, both offer different things, the music is my passion though. I came back to it as I enjoy song writing, playing with words, trying to write something which people enjoy and listen to. It really gives me a buzz a decent gig or someone genuinely liking your music, makes it all worthwhile.

In these days of pigeon holed musicians, how would you describe yourself, singer, songwriter or guitarist?

I am songwriter, guitarist and singer probably in that order. I like to write stories and the music is the texture you put around the skeleton to make it warm. I can hopefully hold my

own in all three disciplines, I just like to get a nice sounding tune with decent lyrics, which make you think a little, and I like to present it to the world with some decent playing and instrumentation. I know some great players who always willing to help out. My solo side I do more acoustic guitar playing so I am pretty much jack of all trades.

Your live work is divided between solo and Mighty Bosscats shows, do you have a preference?

I like doing the band, you get more fluidity in your playing and you bounce off each other, it’s more exciting. The more intimate gigs I do solo or with the band in acoustic mode. I would prefer to be in full band mode all the time but the economics don’t always pan out and of course the competition for main stage slots is highly intense, depends a lot on the bands competency at PR not just their ability as musicians.

I noticed when I saw your solo performance at Skegness you use

loops and layered guitars. How do you get that great sound? The loop pedal is really my song writing tool but I use it live to add interest to the sound for people. I record whilst playing, then add a bass line and maybe some more rhythm and finally that leaves me free to do a bit of lead or slide on top. If you get the first loop right you are fine, if your get that wrong you’re stuffed, but you have to soldier on. I use various resonators in different tunings and electric to add different sound textures. I can also multi-layer backing vocals which I do on Lordy Lordy Lordy in acappella mode (this is a track on Boiling Pot). I supported quite a big band recently and didn’t have time for a proper sound check as they arrived late because of van issues, by the time they’d sound checked it was opening show time. When I walked on stage to a 200 seater theatre, my loop pedal wouldn’t work. I just carried on and played, you can’t be faffing around when you have 200 people looking

at you. I managed to pull it off, but that’s what your paid to do, entertain regardless of what pressure you are under.

Speaking of the Mighty Bosscats, how did that gig come about? Well, I formed a trio called the Bosscats doing covers of SRV and Robben Ford material. Terry Hiscock formerly of Hunter Musket joined and we did a gig and someone announced us as the Mighty Boss Cats and it just stuck. I have had several different line ups since then and the music has changed direction to a more laid back sound. It’s certainly transformed the recorded sound of the band but live we can still rock.

What can people expect from a night with the Mighty Bosscats? They can expect a set list of original songs, we don’t do covers and we have a backlog of over 70 songs to choose from. We like to entertain and we play pretty well as a team, it’s a good tight band with variety in it. We cover most styles, acoustic blues, electric blues, country rock, and blue grass all mixed together with a pretty cool vibe. You wouldn’t be disappointed I can assure you of that, you don’t get ten minute guitar solos though. We have a good, entertaining, well produced and balanced show.

For your last Bosscats CD, Seven Deadly Sins, you took the unusual step of getting it reviewed by two clergymen, what was behind that idea?

The blues community are always really nice to each other in reviews and I wanted to break out to see if non-blues orientated people related to the music and the lyrics. You need to be able to take on constructive criticism no

matter how much it smarts. It could have gone two ways, but it went a nice way as they were very complimentary and as we speak I have not been struck by lightning. It’s always great to get some positive feedback from non-blues community people, it expands the scene out to people who would not normally have heard the music. I have to say I am not very religious myself, although my family on my dearly departed Dads side is. My cousin Stuart Townend, for example, is a highly acclaimed Christian song writer. Having it described as a good Christian album takes you back to the old gospel blues men, come round full circle!

Your style is often compared favourably with those North Eastern stalwarts Chris Rea and Mark Knopfler, how does that sit with you?

Well, they are super musicians and players so it sits pretty well with me. To me they smack of quality which, to be compared to, is just great. If you look at all my work since 2011 – 150+ songs written, 70+ videos made, 7 albums completed with another 2 on the way – 70 songs recorded and another 19 in the pipeline, you will find that not all of them sound like these guys, I do have a variety. A lot of these albums never got air play as I didn’t really know about the IBBA when I released them, so if any DJ wants more tracks I am having some of the older stuff re-mixed and re-mastered for a compilation CD which will be out next quarter, just drop me an email.

Your lyrics, in good Blues tradition, relate very much to real life, do you feel you have to ‘live the life’ to write a good Blues song ? Yes and no. You need to have

experienced life to some degree, not necessarily the actual life experiences you write about. I have a song about WACO, remember when the FBI attacked the WACO compound in Texas in search of David Koresh. I can write about betrayal and being sucked in which is what the song is about, I’ve experienced it, but I haven’t experienced being at the end of a particularly aggressive FBI swat team ….yet. I don’t subscribe to the ‘you have to live it rough and do your own truck maintenance and not sleep for 10 hours cause the next gig is 500 miles away’ view point. Writing is about conveying stories and emotions through your music you can do it from your sofa if your imagination is tickety boo, you just need a few scars on your soul to give it authenticity.

If you were given a blank sheet of paper and asked to put yourself in a dream band, living or dead, who would you pick?

I like the Eagles, Dire Straits, Led Zeppelin, bit of Deep Purple and any drummer and bass player that can groove, any of those guys would do for me. In addition I’d like to have J S Bach and Mozart somewhere in the team, they wrote some pretty cool stuff. But in reality the guys I play with are a great team, premiership class.

Do you get to see any of the new generation of Brit blues, blues/rock bands, if so what do you think of them and the future of the genre?

I have seen a few, I see a band probably once a week. There are some really good quality ones out there, I love Dan Owen’s voice and style. The future is really dependent on the peripheral players in the

game, the DJs, the festival promoters, the live music pubs and of course the public. These really are the important people, it’s their collective taste and efforts which shape the future and of course the PR people have a huge influence. The musicians and bands just do what they do, their sound is either in vogue or not, that’s why I try and involve other people outside of the blues community to get engaged. So long as some form of music is live and in vogue we can’t complain.

Would you have any advice for these artists/bands?

I am not sure I am qualified to offer advice to be honest, but if I were pushed I’d say hold back on your 10 minute guitar solos, it’s been done, write and play from your heart, don’t believe your own hype and be humble, you’re just a musician like everyone else trying to do something we love. I’d say write your own stuff and don’t rely on covers, we want to hear your pain or views on things not the pain of someone else.

Do you think reality TV shows are stifling real talent in any genre of music?

It’s creating a totally wrong perception of what music and being an artist is. It’s not about queuing up and then getting world famous in a few

“wrItIng Is about conveyIng storIes and emotIons through your musIc.”

months only to be dropped like a stone when the new series is about to come on. It panders for today’s throw away music for free society and perpetuates the ethos that everyone is a star. There are also really cruel elements to it when they ridicule people who aren’t up to the scratch. There’s so much talent out there in real life, people need to explore it rather than sit in front of their telly on Saturday watching what in effect staged entertainment is.

What do you reckon you’ll be doing in ten years’ time?

In ten year’s time I’ll probably be doing another album, but nothing new in that. I would have liked to expand my network of musical friends and work with other people in different genres. I’d also like to expand on the videos I currently produce, may be expand into more film work. I

will definitely be doing music full time again though, that’s for sure.

Can we get any updates on what you’re up to, either solo or with the band?

I am doing two albums at the moment, laid back songs and a Mighty Bosscats one. I am also working on a film project around the 7 deadly sins and have planned to do some work with Andres Root, a super slide player from Estonia, this guy can really play. I am also doing some resonator songs. I do a lot of writing and recording, I also love to play live. I have a few more festivals booked in this year and several live venue gigs. All info is on the web site.

Finally, my signature question... what’s your favourite biscuit? Well, that’s a toughie, I should really say Rich Tea and show a little bit of nepotism to my

names sake. But I don’t like them – they are so not a REAL biscuit in my eyes too dry and not sweet enough. I do like a good old Fox’s chocolate biscuit or a chocolate Hobnob, which pretty much cover all bases, they just need some raisins in them and then they’d be biscuit heaven.

check out www.richardtownend.com for more information

dIsCogRaPhy

STUDIO:

Bossman 2015

The 7 Deadly Sins 2014

Boiling Pot 2014

Take the Sunshine 2012

We are Where We are 2011

old New Borrowed and Blues 2011

78 RPM 2011

Ticket of Life 2011

Eli Cook is one of the leading lights in a new generation of blues guitarists. A generation that understands and feels the true emotion of the real blues as played by the legends but weld that to a modern, heavier edged music that reflects the struggles and defiance of a newer age.

Your last album ‘Primitive Son’ on Cleopatra Records is a brilliantly recorded work that has deep roots in traditional blues but also pushes boundaries and encompasses more modern Southern tinged rock and contemporary styles. Is this how you see your music developing? The Blues will always be at the core of anything that I do. That being said, my focus with the ‘Primitive Son’ album was more on song writing and developing my skills as an arranger and producer. A key element that separates lesser known blues-based guitarists from people like Jimi Hendrix and Eric Clapton is the song

writing, the vocal melodies, lyrics, the ‘immediate appeal’ aspect, for most people. That is going to remain my focus for the time being, as it offers a wider range of sounds and genres to pull from and work in than trying to stay in strict 12-bar blues format.

The album features an amazing number of great guests. How did that come about?

I was very lucky to get the opportunity to work with some iconic musicians on the album. It was all facilitated by Cleopatra Records, but through it I was able to work

in person in the studio and even perform live with a lot of legends. It was an exciting challenge to find the right fit and approach with matching songs and parts to the varying styles of all the artists.

You grew up in The Blue Ridge area of Virginia. I believe you started playing live at around 15. Tell us a bit about those early days. I grew up in a fairly rural area that still retains, at least at the time, a great deal of the old school culture that the Blues came from. My first live performances were in church, and then at late night gospel tent-revivals and picnics as a solo performer. I would play in small bars with an electric trio as well, covering John Lee Hooker, Muddy Waters and Buddy Guy etc. It is rapidly

blendIng the old and the new

a young man who has learned his craft and honed his skills, releasing a steady stream of increasingly significant albums.

Eli Cook

Verbals: ste V e yourgli VCH

Visuals: Kaya l ee b erne

becoming a thing of a bygone era to experience that kind of culture without seeking out a tourist destination, even in the American South, so I feel extremely fortunate to have come up in the time and place I did. It seemed to fall in perfectly with all the stories that I read about the formative experience of my musical heroes.

Early inspirations and influences?

I’ve read previously that your parent’s record collection played a part. Was there anyone on the local scene that supported you? My biggest influence has always been listening to records, at least as far as learning how to play and sing is concerned. There are several blues artists in my home town area that have always been very supportive of my endeavours and helped me out in my early years by letting me sit in, talking shop about equipment, and turning me on to music that I would otherwise have missed. Aric Van Brocklin of the Chicken Head Blues Band and Steve Riggs, who has played bass with everyone from Muddy Waters to the Nighthawks, were two such local benefactors. I am constantly seeking out new inspiration through the arts in general, be it music, film, literature or history in order to stay creative in the writing process.

The first time I heard you was with the release of ‘Miss Blues’es Child’ which was almost totally acoustic. Did that seem like a bold move at the time?

When I recorded and released ‘Miss Blues’es Child’, I never had any grand ideas for critical reception of any kind. It was done for use as a promotional tool, specifically to book shows with. I recorded

the whole thing in two days and mixed it in another two. At the time, it neither seemed bold nor conservative, but merely appropriate to the use for which it was intended. I would love to do another album in exactly the same way, raw, live and without any thought given to commercial potential.

The follow up album, ‘Electric Holy Fire Water’ certainly redressed the balance, a full on electric blues album. That sounds like it was a lot of fun recording.

‘Electric Holy Fire Water’ was certainly fun to record, and was also a great learning experience for me. It was totally self-produced as well as co-mixed by myself. I think I was 20 at the time, and I had almost no hands-on experience with such things, especially working with layered guitars and rock drum sounds. It was my self-inflicted crash course in studio work!

You have a settled three piece band now with Rob Richmond and Wade Warfield, can you tell a little about the guys and how the dynamic works?

The current line-up, onstage still consists of Rob Richmond as bassist and harmony vocalist, but I have been working with several different drummers since the release of ‘Primitive Son’. As far as chemistry, I have grown to appreciate the importance of camaraderie slightly more than the technical prowess of the interactions in any band, mainly for the reason that I feel it is imperative that any artistic endeavour should be a labour of love rather than a job. I prefer to be able to cut up onstage with my band mates and keep the vibe upbeat over nailing every note. It is after all, only rock ’n’ roll.

How do you get your song writing muse? Is it hard work or do songs come calling?

A good song usually presents itself, in my experience. I have never been able to just sit down and come up with something, it has to be spontaneous. I spend time tweaking and editing of course, but usually the main theme comes all at once.

Since your debut album you’ve shared the stage with some legendary performers, what are your favourite moments to date? The most thrilling opening act experience that I have had is the time I got to open for B.B. King when I was 19. I performed solo-acoustic and it was thrilling.

It’s a year or so on from the release of Primitive Son. Anything new bubbling under or plans you are able to share yet?

I am constantly writing and recording new material. There will definitely be at least one new release in the next twelve months, but at this time it is hard to say what that might sound like.

Advice for budding new young players? Play everything with everyone! Don’t be a musical snob, keep an open mind. There is a little bit of everything in anything. And have fun, it’s the best thing to have!

check out www.elicook.com for more information

Having started learning the piano at age six, by the time she was nine she was recording demos of her songs! At ten she was acting in TV commercials and singing on jingles (this funded her Arts education). Her first gig came in the San Fernando Valley when she was a mere fourteen years old.

Moving through acting and touring (‘84-5 with Ricky Lee Jones, ‘86-90 with Al Jarreau) had her first top ten pop hit in a duet with Dan Hill on Can’t We Cry in 1989. Toured with Jackson Browne ‘95-6, subsequently recorded at his studio … and there is so much more to this lady who in 2012 had her record sales top 12 million … recent high critical acclaim for her performance in the restored Randy Newman musical Fauste: The Concert phew, so here goes …

Vonda we hope you have enjoyed this whistle stop tour to the UK, nice to talk to you, we have been enjoying the album and checking out YouTube

videos etc. So I noted that you have spent your birthday here doing interviews across radio and press but left the family at home, will there be a good celebration waiting when you get home? How do you usually like to spend your birthdays?

I’m kind of unusual, I suppose, with birthdays and New Year’s Eve I like to WORK! It makes me feel like the year will be a good one … filled with music and projects. I had dinner alone the night of my birthday at a lovely restaurant. I brought my journal and couldn’t have been happier. The celebration at home consisted of my cooking dinner for my husband and son Ha Ha! Very happy too.

Vonda Shepard

You built a career, learned, grew and explored, grew some more, what are your early highlights to your development?

I was brought up in a very artistic family, which encouraged creativity all along the way. We often had houseguests staying with us, some of whom were singer/ songwriters who played piano, and who ended up having quite an influence on me at the age of 8 or 9. We had a music journalist living with us for a year, and he was the person who booked my first show for me at the age of 14 (he also produced some of my early demos). The culture of my family was to play the piano, take dance lessons, and read a lot all of these cultivated me and my sisters’ artistic bents.

Then due to the level you had reached you were spotted and recruited (or was it persuaded)

not quIte the rookIe

s urprisingly a new and fresh name yet not! v onda was born 7th July 1963 and has achieved much over time being prolific in her writing and now having released her fourteenth album humourously titled The Rookie.

Verbals: a lan Pear C e Visuals: Credit Vonda sH e P ard

No o Ne shOuld face c A ncer aloNe

No mums. No dads. No brothers or sisters. Not your next-door neighbour or the lady from the corner shop. No grandmas. No grandpas. Not the chap from the chip shop or the noisy lads at the back of the bus. Not your best mate. Not a single stranger. No one whatsoever. No one should face cancer alone.

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to be the musical director of the long running hit US television show Ally McBeal. Just how hard a decision was that to make at that stage of your career when you were establishing a stand-alone reputation?

First of all, I like your image of me at that time! Making the decision to be on Ally McBeal was the easiest decision I have ever made. At the time, I was living in New York City, lugging my 75 pound (lbs) keyboard around in the rain with a friend, playing to 30 people in tiny clubs. I’m sorry to burst the bubble of your vision of what was happening at that time in my life, but all artists go through these phases. I was dropped from Warner Bros. after my second album, had recorded It’s Good, Eve, and had moved to N.Y. to write another album (By 7:30). I was in a highly creative mode at the time, so it was wonderful being in N.Y., but when I got the call from

David Kelley, I was thrilled to be given a path, toward what, I had no idea, but I knew it would be involving music, some of which was my own, so I was grateful. I moved home to L.A. and the whirlwind began!

The tone of the stories in Ally McBeal must have lent themselves to particular styles of music out of the emotions the show projected to you but did you create the music and lyrics from the scripts and stories on paper or from seeing them unroll as they were acted out? The irony of my role with my own music on the show is that I wrote these songs for myself. David Kelley so identified my album It’s Good, Eve with the character of Ally McBeal, that he had Calista Flockhart listen to that album constantly, to grasp the emotional tone of the character - something many people don’t know. And of course there were the Motown, Soulful covers that

really lent themselves to my voice. It was so much fun singing those songs.

Also as Musical Director do you think the music you created had an influence on the shows script writers in that maybe they would create a mood or tone to the story to suit some of your creativity? Was there a close synergy between you/it all?

The only writer, with the exception of a couple of episodes was David. He also chose all of the music, whether it was a song of mine or a cover tune. My role was to interpret the songs after having read the script sometimes my band would arrive before me to set up, and they’d have the songs from the night before sent to them - they’d be running through the tunes, and I’d walk in and say “guys, that sounds really good, but here’s what we need for the scene … ” And it would often be a completely different version of the song.

There definitely was a synergy between me and David. One day I played him a new song called Soothe Me. By 7:30 hadn’t been recorded yet, but the song was finished. He played it while driving home from the set that night. As he drove through West Hollywood with Soothe Me playing, he came up with his next script - a Christmas episode titled Boy To The World. He has seen a very sweet, innocent looking transvestite walking down the street – and between the visual of W. Hollywood, that boy and my song, he felt inspired. That’s an example of the synergy, I believe.

What do you consider the strongest message and lessons are that you took with you from that show and

FRIDAY NIGHT: GERRY JABLONSKI

THE REVOLUTIONAIRES

TC & THE MONEYMAKERS

SATURDAY AFTERNOON: THE EVER POPULAR ROADHOUSE JAM SESSIONS

have become synonymous with this super weekend and always in great demand and very well supported, including short sets by Roadhouse themselves to start and close. (always popular – and with many festivals under their belts, always crowd pleasers). The JAMs get packed out every year!

SATURDAY NIGHT: LITTLE DEVILS

GEORGE SHOVLIN & THE RADARS C SHARP TRIO

SUNDAY AFTERNOON ACOUSTIC: THE RUMBLESTRUTTERS

AL HUGHES

SOFT SHOE SAM

SUNDAY NIGHT: DOVE & BOWEEVIL BAND (PLUS BRASS) THE MIGHTY BOSS CATS

ROADHOUSE

how do you utilise them now? Wow, good question. I learned to work very hard … and I learned the value of balance in one’s life. After having struggled for a while, then to be given a huge career like that, I found it difficult to say no to anything. I have learned to be very focused, rather than scattered (sometimes, that is!). And to take some time to appreciate and enjoy nature, my family, cooking, reading. The other lesson I learned was that all of the work in my early career, all of the practicing, studying, really paid off, and when the show came along, I was ready.

Okay let’s get up to date. You have funded Rookie via Kickstarter, how long did it take you to reach your $35,000 goal?

We had 30 days to make our goal. The last 2 days I was on the edge of my seat! But we did it, thanks to the many fans who believed in the project, and who wanted a new album from me. Thank you!

Rookie ebbs and flows on tonal and emotional qualities and the songs seem cathartic. Just how joyful was the creation of this album and where were the highs and lows (ending on highs)?

Rookie took me several years to write. It was by far the most difficult album for me to finish, and there were times I thought it would never exist, but I had to dig very deep to find unsolved mysteries from past relationships, as you’ll find on the song Saturday, Train To Inverness, Long For The Days, etc.. Writing the song Turn It Up was very funny. I went through about five entirely different

verses, before Mitchell Froom took the verse from another unfinished song and tacked it onto the chorus of Turn It Up. He’s very good at that kind of editing, structure, finding the hidden good pieces of music, changing a bass note here and there, and adding space. The highs of the project were that every time I finished a song, I was truly ecstatic! It felt like climbing a very tall mountain every day! But now Rookie exists … by the way, the song Rookie was an explosion of energy, inspired by the N.B.A. playoffs – (Basketball in The U.S.). I likened myself to an athlete who has tremendous energy and a great desire to still be in the game, not for ego’s sake, but because it’s so much fun.

There seems to be a lot of Blues and Gospel influence and feeling in your writing, where and from who do your influences come? My early influences are Aretha Franklin, Chaka Khan, Candi Staton, Stevie Wonder, as well as the great singer/ songwriters – Carole King, James Taylor, etc. The older I get, the more need I feel to “let it rip” through my voice and my playing.

Have you thought about perhaps taking some of your songs from your career and re-recording them in a pure Blues styling? Your words are there, your voice is there, your heart is there but when will the studio be there? Good idea! You’re the first to suggest it … I will file this.

I heard you recently on our Terry Wogan radio show and was taken by the sheer tones in your voice

during the two songs you played live on air. A vocal styling can take years to develop and many things can influence that. When do you consider you found your voice and what made you realise it? Wow, thank you. It has taken me my entire lifetime to get to this point vocally. I work on my voice a lot – meaning I warm up thoroughly every time I sit down to sing. For the record, my voice as a child was not what the kids are able to do these days. My voice had an immature, nasal tone, no depth, whatsoever. I loved gospel and soul music, and attempted to sing in that style, but I did not have the chops at ALL! It’s a wonder I stuck with it! It wasn’t until I was about 18 that something started to really change in my voice, you could hear the confidence coming through. But you could also hear the Joni Mitchell influence. I kind of needed permission to be the soul mama I’ve become. My sister was very helpful to encourage that side of me.

vonda shepard’s new album, rookie, is available now. see what we thought of it in the reviews section. for more information visit www.vondashepard.com

dIsCogRaPhy

Rookie 2015

Solo 2011

From the Sun Tour: Live in San Javier 2009

From the Sun 2008

Live: A Retrospective 2004

Chinatown 2002

For once in My Life 2001

Ally McBeal: A very Ally Christmas 2000

Heart and Soul: New Songs from Ally McBeal 1999

By 7:30 1999

Songs from Ally McBeal 1998

it’s Good, Eve 1996

The Radical Light 1992

vonda Shepard 1989

“rookIe took me several years to wrIte. It was by far the most dIffIcult album for me to fInIsh”

Vonda shePaRd Interview

Guy Tortora blues, Jazz, folk and roots

In the last 15 years he has released five excellent albums, the latest of which – Bluesman in a Boneyard – is full of the sort of wonderful tunes, great musicianship, meaningful lyrics, and ironic social commentary that we have come to expect from one of this country’s finest exponents of Americana. He’s always flown a little under the radar but hopefully we can alter that a little with this interview.

Hi Guy. You’ve been resident in the UK for quite a while now. I know you travelled widely before settling in England. When did you first settle here and why, was it love? Yes. I did a lot of travelling in my early twenties, when fresh out of college, mainly in North America, Canada and then Europe. I’ve now been in the UK for almost 35 years. My single biggest reason for staying here was I’d hooked up with my wife Julie. And I also fell in love with the UK, too. I guess I’ve now been here longer than I lived in the USA.

I see that a Rebecca and Francesca Tortora have appeared as backing singers on at least one of your albums?

Yes. They are my daughters. They are grown up now. There is something about vocals from members of the same family, especially siblings. They seem to blend very well. I think they’ve appeared on most of my albums to date.

What was it like growing up in Pasadena? Just the name conjures up visions of the American Dream and the Rose Bowl and so on. What was it like for you?

Pasadena was an interesting place to grow up. It used to be a big resort town in the 1920s, full of orange groves and old mansions but, despite being on the West Coast, it seemed to largely have a mid-western mindset, but there were little knots of artistic types and free thinkers. It was an interesting place though, although the air pollution was terrible. There was the very well known Pasadena Playhouse, art galleries. There was also an interesting mix of American cultures, including AfricanAmerican, Latino and Oriental.

How did you first get to music? What were your first musical influences?

Well my mom was a piano player and wanted my sister, brother and I to all play something so I started off on the violin until I was about 11 or 12 when I switched to the

Verbals: b ernie s tone Visuals: CH ristine moore, Jo H n a s H ton and tH eo l ooi J mans

g uy tortora was born and raised in c alifornia, but has now been resident in l ondon for almost 35 years.

guitar. I kinda monopolised my older brother’s guitar and pretty soon could play it better than him! I then started to play at Junior High School dances, parties and that sort of thing. I was not into the blues at first. It was the time of the 1960s ‘British Invasion’, the hippy counter culture, psychedelic rock, The Doors, and Jefferson Airplane. An interest in the blues came later, primarily as a result of listening to the famous Wolfman Jack Show broadcasting out of Mexico, and the local college rock station KPCC. The Wolfman used to play a lot of BB King, Muddy Waters, and African American music. It all seeped into my mind. I also had a like-minded group of friends and music was very important to all of us. We used to spend all our time just going to gigs or jamming together. It was

certainly incredibly important to me and also to my political consciousness. At that time I never thought of myself as a lead guitarist (still don’t!) or lead singer. I was strictly rhythm guitar and did some singing but I was incredibly shy and would more or less turn my back on the audience whenever I featured.

What happened when you eventually settled in England, how did you become established here? I had been a street and folk club musician while travelling around, but then I didn’t do anything for about ten years. I just had too much on while bringing up a family and working. Then one day I was invited to play at a little neighbourhood festival by a friend and things slowly moved on from there. Eventually I recorded my first album, Footnote To The Blues,

and it was favourably reviewed and played on the radio.

Some of your songs, such as My Town, Prodigal Song, and Good Morning Mrs T appear to be autobiographical. Are they? To some extent but not entirely. My Town is certainly me looking back to Pasadena and other towns I’ve lived in. My songs do come out of my personal experiences, they are certainly not invented, but they don’t necessarily stick to the facts as they occurred. Sometimes you have to change things a little to improve the telling of the tale. Having said that, Prodigal Song is pretty truthful. It is about the circumstances following the death of my parents, clearing out the house, and looking through photograph albums. It’s reflecting upon the relationship I had with my dad. Lots of people have commented on that song and how they can relate to it, so that’s always good. My family is very important to me, my parents and grandparents were hard working people, started life as immigrants in New York City. They were originally from Italy. Tortora is an Italian name.

I notice that you often describe your music as Americana rather than the blues? I suspect many people would regard you as a bluesman?

Well my albums are not straight blues. They may be inspired by the blues, but my style is a combination of all types of American music including Country, Folk, Jazz, and Blues. My albums are mainly a vehicle for my own original work, I want to sound like myself, use my own voice, and I don’t want to be constrained by any particular

label. I’m certainly not trying to sound like Howlin’ Wolf or Muddy Waters even if I have been inspired by them. I’ve also been inspired by singersongwriters like Dylan, Steve Earle and Joni Mitchell. Sometimes I am inspired by the mere feel of a song; those that send a shiver up the spine. Blind Lemon Jefferson has that effect but it doesn’t mean I want to copy him.

I interviewed Matt Woosey recently and he said the same thing. I agree entirely. Surely any genuine artists must draw on all sorts of influences?

Yes. I also think that content is important. I want my songs to be about things that are relevant to me, that have a meaning for me, perhaps something spiritual, political, or maybe a clever or playful use of words. My life experiences are not the same as those bluesman who wrote in the 1930s. My interests and experiences are different. That doesn’t mean that everything has to be serious, some songs can be just fun or even shallow, but it’s important that they are mine, and not an imitation of someone else.

Can you tell me a bit more about your band and your other musical associates? I know Janos, your keyboard player, has been with you for quite a while.

Yes. Janos did a session with me on my very first album. I then gradually got him into the band. He’s from Budapest and somehow managed to make his way to England when such things were virtually impossible. Prior to that he’d made quite a name for himself in Hungary and had a big radio hit called Gypsy Girl. He was initially inspired by Ray Charles, has an incredible feel for

music, he’s very talented. Our wonderful bass player is Costa Tancredi who’s Italian. Pete Hedley is a great drummer and a very busy man, teaches a lot. I call him the ‘Token Englishman’ of the band! His dad Giles Hedley guested on the Boneyard album, playing harp on Damage Was Done. It’s the first album where my touring band all managed to find the time to record together. In the past it’s just been hard to co-ordinate schedules and I’ve had to bring in other people for the recording sessions.

Weevils. It was during the Reagan presidency. That’s where the reference to Capitol Hill comes in.

The lyrics of many of your songs – Boll Weevil, Living On Credit, and Live Fast – include a good deal of social commentary. Is this important to you? It seems to come out in my writing so it’s clearly sitting in my subconscious. It’s nice to get some feedback (from you) that you appreciate the meaning of the songs. The content of a song is often overlooked in the modern blues world. Sometimes people just want to talk about the 20 minute guitar solo. It can be frustrating at times because Willie Dixon in particular and Muddy and other bluesmen and women developed some incredibly well rounded songs and they were certainly not about guitar slingers.

How is your most recent album going, how is it being received?

I’ve just learnt that it has been selected by the IBBA as one of their albums of the month, which is good news. A few people have described it as my ‘storytelling album’. I’d not thought about it that way but I suppose it does have that feel, especially Boneyard.

I also like The Ballad of The Boll Weevil. It’s very original. I can’t imagine anyone else has written a song about the Boll Weevil?

You’d be surprised, there are at least two others. Burl Ives did a sort of novelty song about the Boll Weevil way back when. Boll Weevils were of huge significance in the 1920s when the cotton crops were being badly affected by them. In the 1980s there was also a group of American politicians who were nicknamed the Boll

How does the song writing process work for you? What comes first, the song or the music?

It’s different for every song. Sometimes I just have a title, some songs come fully formed in a few minutes, others float around in my mind for five years, some arrive when I’m walking, and some come in dreams. I Need A Car and the opening lines of Cotton Was King came to me in dreams.

Do you prepare everything before taking the songs to the band or is it a collaborative process when you all meet up?

Most of the time it’s all done before I take it to the band; even the arrangements more or less. I like to have everything complete.

Everybody in the band is very busy and they don’t have time to hang around while I experiment.

Are there any songs that you are particularly proud of, that have a particular resonance for you?

Yes. Prodigal Song is one of those. Cotton Was King is another because it is a little like performance poetry – half sung, half spoken, and the arrangement turned out very ‘cinematic’. I’m very proud of that one. Sometimes She Cries is another favourite. Boneyard and Damage Was Done are favourites from the new album.

I know that music is very important to you but you certainly do not seem to be interested in the limelight, fame or even obsessed about recognition. I get the impression that the songs are what matters. Is this a fair summary? How do you go about doing that, seeking the limelight or fame? I try to do some good work. That’s all I can do really. This doesn’t mean that I wouldn’t like to be better known. It would be nice not to have to chase people for work.

What does the future hold for Guy Tortora, what are your plans? I’d like to do more song writing, more recording, and continue playing around more of the UK. We will be touring in the Netherlands and Germany in early November and I also have a short duo tour with Ben Tyzack planned later that same month. In other words I’d like to do more - and do better.

check out www.guytortora.com for more information

“my lIfe experIences are not the same as those bluesman who wrote In the 1930s”

New album ‘Lowdown’ is the bands tenth and there honestly isn’t a poor track to be found. I wanted to delve a bit deeper so contacted Tom Gray, the driving force behind the Delta Moon lunacy.

I read on your web pages about the chance meeting you had with co-conspirator Mark Johnson…tell us more about that how the Delta Moon project evolved from there. I first met Mark in a music store owned by a mutual friend. We both lived in the same neighbourhood and started getting together regularly to swap slide licks, me on lap steel and Mark on bottleneck guitar. We worked up a little repertoire, but at first it was more of an exercise. We never thought of taking it public. Then Mark saw David Lindley and Ry Cooder play together in New Orleans, and he thought, “That’s what Tom and I do.”

Of course, really it wasn’t quite. If you go back and study videos of them, usually when one played slide the other played a fretted instrument. We didn’t think that way. We were sliding together. Soon we were playing coffeehouses and barbeque joints around Atlanta. Gina Leigh, who lived across the street from Mark, joined us as a vocalist in the early years. She sang about a third of the songs, I sang about a third, and we sang a third as duets. We added bass and drums and started working clubs and festivals. Gina left the band in 2004, and we added another female singer for one album. But after a year

we pared the group down to a quartet with me handling the lead vocals, and things suddenly got more focused and much, much easier.

I love the new album ‘Low Down’. You and Mark complement each other so well on the slide guitars, and yet with only one exception they aren’t co-writes. How do you achieve that great balance? Thank you. Mark and I have been playing together a long time now, and we understand each other. The key -- which we may not always achieve but always strive for -- is to listen more to what the other guy is doing than to what you’re doing yourself. That’s how the really good stuff happens.

Brilliant choice of covers on there too, how do you come to those decisions?

Delta Moon back on the rIse

d elta m oon might not be a household name but they should be. i n

tom g ray and m ark Johnson they have a potent pair of slide guitarists, and tom’s class as a song writer has been recognised both in awards and by top class artists performing his songs.

Thanks again. A few years ago, when I was in the hospital recovering from cancer surgery, Mark gave me a little mp3 player and a thumb drive full of music. For my first solid meal in over a week I got out of bed, set the little table, dressed in a robe and pulled up a chair. Tom Waits’ Lowdown came on as I chowed down on lemon Jello. I was alive! Since then, that has been a special song for me. Bob Dylan’s “Down in the Flood” was suggested by Steven Goff of Red Parlor Records -- a great call. Skip James’ “Hard Time Killing Floor Blues” was a classic that Mark and I had been fooling with for a long time.

The band sound fantastic throughout. Tell us about the other guys and how long you’ve been a unit.

Franher Joseph on bass has been with us seven years now, and I can never say enough good things about him. He also has a wonderful bass voice, which we’re working into songs more and more. The drummer on Low Down was Marlon Patton. Marlon is part of a group of Atlanta drummers who’ve shared Delta Moon’s revolving drum throne, a group that also includes Darren Stanley and Vic Stafford, who is working with us now. These guys all know each other and cover each other’s gigs. Sometimes we’ve played festival shows with two drummers. I hope we can hang onto Vic a while, because he is doing a fantastic job. I can’t wait to record with him.

This is Delta Moon’s 10th album, has the original sound and dynamic changed much over that period? The core sound of the two slide guitars has never changed, although I like to think we

keep developing and refining it. My voice as the lead vocal has developed a lot too, probably through abuse.

A renowned songwriter, American Roots Music Association Blues Songwriter of the Year in 2008. Do you have a set way of writing or is every song different? Every song is different. I try to set aside time for writing every day, although I may accomplish nothing of value. But working at it every day keeps my mind in song writing mode, so that when a genuine inspiration strikes I know what to do with it.

You’ve also had songs recorded by other artists, notably by Cyndi Lauper with Money Changes Everything, how does that process differ?

It’s not different at all, except when I’m co-writing with someone else. Any way you can get a song is the way to do it. The songs I write alone are written to please myself. When I try to apply someone else’s imagined opinion the whole thing falls apart. Writing with another person, when it’s working well, is lot like playing tennis. You bat ideas back and forth, sometimes getting pretty far out of bounds, and the finished song is the highlights reel.

I know originally you were in a rock band, The Brains. What brought you to the blues, or was it always part of your musical DNA?

For me, the blues was always in the mix, because it was always in rock and roll. When I was an aspiring player, I traced the sounds back. Chuck Berry learned a lot of his guitar licks from his piano player, who got them from the boogie woogie players of the 1930s. I traced other rock songs and

licks back to the old blues recordings, and the farther back I went the better I liked what I heard. It was inspiring to move beyond the sounds on the radio and discover decades of recorded music that those musicians were drawing from. The best part was that I could draw from it too.

Can we expect to see Delta Moon in the UK or Europe anytime soon? We’ve been coming to Europe at least twice a year for a while now, but unfortunately it’s been a long time since we were in the UK. We have many friends there and would love to come back, but somehow it hasn’t worked out. Still we keep trying. We’re hoping now for next spring.

Any advice for new upcoming songwriters or bands?

Eat well. Treat other people with respect. Look your audience in the eye. Remember you are there for them, not them for you, so give them something worth their time and money –including some little thing only you can give.

check out www.deltamoon.com for more information

dIsCogRaPhy

Low Down 2015

Life’s a Song - Live volume one 2013

Black Cat oil 2012

Hellbound Train 2010

You’ll Never Get to Heaven on a

Hellbound Train 2009

Clear Blue Flame 2007

Howlin’ 2005

Goin’ Down South 2004

Live 2003

Delta Moon 2002

My Baby the new kId on the block

w ith s hamanaid (released m arch 2015) my b aby has taken its hypnotic live act to the studio, combining their signature hot gospel, shouting, electric dance with whispering soft ballad’s straight from the soul.

After years of performing and recording several albums with The Souldiers, the Dutch - New Zealand ensemble comprising Joost van Dyck, sister Cato van Dyck and New Zealand guitarist Daniel ‘Da Freez’ Johnston, embarked on a new journey and formed My Baby in 2012, working their magic in the Smusic Studio in Amsterdam to release Loves Voodoo! In 2013. A performance at Noorderslag in 2014 made way for a tour schedule that has brought My Baby all over the world.

When and how did you all get together?

Joost: Since Cato and I are siblings, we have sort of been together since I don’t know when. I met guitarist Daniel while we were both busking on the streets. We instantly got the groove going on.

How long have you all been musicians and is this the first band you have all been part of?

Joost: We have played instruments all of our life and played in various bands in the past decade. MY BABY was founded about 3 years ago and because

we are constantly trying to develop and love to jam on stage, it always feels like a new band to us.

Do you all play instruments? What were your first instruments?

Joost: Cato started on the fiddle, playing all sorts of folk tunes. I started studying the piano at age six. Daniel started his musicianship on the guitar and stuck to it.

How many instruments do you use in your shows and do you take them all on tour?

Joost: Daniel has got the

highest number of instruments on stage with an estimate of 5 guitars for different sounds and tunings. Cato plays both bass and guitar on stage, but on her guitar. We often get questions about a hidden bass player or if we use backing tracks. We don’t, that is all Cato. Furthermore, we love to add strange tribal percussion instruments to the mix.

Who are your influences musically?

Joost: From African drums through to Mississippi Delta Blues, English folk, soulful gospel and modern dance music influences.

Where are you all from? Where do you all live now?

Joost: Cato and I grew up on a small island close to Amsterdam called Marken and Daniel grew up going back and forth from New Zealand

Verbals: C H ristine m oore Visuals: laura andalou

to Holland. All of us live in Amsterdam in the West in a neighbourhood called ‘De Baarsjes’.

Is there a local music scene where you live that you are involved in?

Joost: Amsterdam has been the place for us to develop our style by playing all over town and meeting many different artists. The music scene in Amsterdam is quite colourful and varied in style. There is a huge dance scene of producers and DJ’s and there are lots of talented session musicians jamming and playing in bands.

Do you usually write your own material or do you cover other

musician’s material?

Joost: Most of our songs are written by us with a little help from our friends and of course music history. We love to add as many angles as possible to create new combinations of styles.

What has been your best musical experience to date?

Joost: Our best gigs are made by the crowd. When we play at the right time at the right place, and the moon is full, strange things can happen…

You have toured the UK twice in the last couple of years, you must be picking up lots of fans now. How are you being received?

Joost: We have toured the UK four times now, not counting some quick visits, and we totally love it. We always get a full pint of beer and a friendly welcome. Yes, we feel embraced by our slowly but surely growing number of fans as well as by the people who see us for the first time.

You have toured many countries, where have you toured?

Joost: We have managed to get ourselves around the globe twice already. Combining a New Zealand tour with Australia, Japan, Hong Kong and the United States. Adding CONTINUES

to that various European trips including the UK, Belgium, Germany, France, Austria, Czech Republic, Slovakia, Hungary, Serbia, etc etc.

old juke joint blues and its similarities with West African rhythms. It’s celebratory. But also Native American and Arabic trance. It’s ritualistic and deep. It’s like conjuring up a spirit world. It’s something we try to grasp at with our performances. I suppose that’s why we use voodoo as a reference.

How different are the audiences in each country you have visited?

Daniel: At first sight you spot the differences. But that’s due to our perspective of viewing that audience and observing the cultural differences. Once you get better acquainted you tend to discover the similarities of how people respond to your music. More often than not, at the end of a show we’ll see people immersed in this re-occurring tribal dance move no matter what country they are from.

How would you describe your music?

Daniel: It’s a sound inspired by old blues and folk music, but played with the rawness of sixties/seventies soul and funk and an edgy trance-like infusion of electronic dance. Listening to West African folk, Ethiopian soul, Moroccan gnawa, Indian ragas and dance music of all forms has helped broaden our horizons and help shape our sound. We want to fuse hypnotic groove with gospel harmonies, African melodies and funk riffs. A voodoo melting pot from the Deep South that seeks to put people in a trancelike spell.

Can you share with our readers your thinking behind your music and performances?

Daniel: It’s that trance-like quality of dance music that we are fascinated by. In particular

Over the past two or three decades electronic dance music has become a huge part of our culture. It’s hard to fathom how many people connect and celebrate life by going to dance parties and raves. Yet this tribal celebration has been around for thousands of years across all cultures in the world. The roots of those rituals are fascinating to us and we have made that trance-like hypnotic groove an essential part of our live performance but it is also prevalent on a lot of the album. It’s funny to think of it. Going back to prehistoric times, people dancing round a fire together! It’s in our DNA.

How different are your first album Loves Voodoo and Shamanaid?

Daniel: There is a certain evolution since the first record. ‘MY BABY Loves Voodoo!’ was conceived in the studio where we took a lot of time to shape our sound and explore. ‘Shamanaid’ has been influenced a lot by what we do at our live performances. Our sound is more defined and pronounced. Yet there are a lot of similarities still musically. We tend to write material built on a hypnotic beat and that is more modal compared to the major/minor scale verse and chorus musical structures of pop music. Although we have branched out into more harmony and acoustic arrangements for this record. The previous record

‘MY BABY Loves Voodoo!’ was more of a protest album with socially conscious lyrics. There was a lot of venting of frustration concerning society. We have not done away with those ideas but have focussed more on songs reflecting on the journey of the inner self, matters of the heart and narrative driven fairy tales and murder ballads.

You toured the UK with Seasick Steve as support, how was that?

Daniel: An incredible opportunity to reach a vast audience who have been very appreciative of what we do. Of course you could not wish for a more inspiring person than Steve to share that journey with. He keeps you sharp. It’s been a blessing.

Was that your first tour in the UK?

Daniel: We did two small tours of the UK in 2014. At that point we already felt a connection and that we were destined to be back a lot in future. Of course we have come a long way since then. But you never forget those first impressions and the people that welcome you with open arms. That grass roots introduction means so much to us.

Do you have any hobbies outside of music?

Daniel: There is no time for hobbies. We are obsessive compulsive musicians!

check out www.mybabywashere.com for more information

“our best gIgs are made by the crowd”

It’s been a long time coming but the wait is almost over. The brand new Chantel McGregor album, Lose Control, is released on October 9th. It’s a bold departure from the debut album and, in my opinion, all the better for it. Anyone who has seen Chantel performing live over the last few years will know that she always tries to push the musical boundaries and not restrict or limit herself within a single genre. I managed to speak to Chantel about the upcoming release.

Hi Chantel. We need to talk about your new album. I’m enjoying it more with each listen. I think a lot of people will be surprised by it. I think they probably will be. The first album really varied, a mixture of acoustic, blues, rock and everything. Whereas this one is a lot more confined to what it is. I think it’s more rock focused. People might say, oh it’s very heavy and rocky, but hopefully they’ll like it.

It’s been a little while since the first album. Yes, it was 2011, the first one. It seems like forever.

A lot of people have been building up expectation about this release. I started writing it in May last year and finished in August. Then after a break we started work on pre-production etc. in October and it was finished recording in March so it was a long process.

I feel you can sense there is a definite theme running through the album. It feels like a connected piece of work not just a collection of songs. That was really important to me. The first album literally was just that, a collection of songs that I’d written, some new ones, some from years before. It was really everything I had put onto a CD. I wanted this one to be really confined and focused, I wanted it to have a theme and a concept. So I’m pleased you think that’s come across. In the writing process I did a lot of brainstorming about different themes that were all connected to each other.

It has got a very dark, gothic feel to it. I’ve always been interested in

Chantel McGregor a voIce quIte lIke no other

been four years since c hantel released her debut album, l ike no other, but the wait for more is almost over as she prepares to release her follow up album.

that side of things. For years I’ve watched those kind of TV shows and films, so for me I wanted something to write about that I knew and enjoyed. You have to do a lot of research about stuff when you write an album, especially a themed type of album, you have to spend time literature, pictures, books and films trying to get every bit of inspiration you can from it. So it was important to do something I liked rather than something I might not be so fond of.

I think it’s an interesting choice because that kind of Southern, Louisiana blues music often contains those dark elements and you’ve added that to a more contemporary rock style. That was the aim, a nod to the blues where I have a following. I didn’t want to alienate the blues but I needed to make a Chantel album. I wanted to do something new and fresh that I was into.

I admire that, I think you’ve been really bold with it. It was a bit of a risk.

I was going to ask you that, as you say, you need to create the music inside you, but was there a part of you that thinks this is going to be difficult?

A little bit, yes. There was always going to be that risk especially with it being a more bold rock sound. I was listening to different things when I wrote it, like Royal Blood who are pretty heavy, and I was thinking I really like this type of music and I want to play this type of music but will everyone else like it? I wondered if people would understand some of the darkness in the lyrics. They might think I’d totally lost the plot. And of course the risk of alienating the blues audience

who have been so good to me, but my heart is really in the rock stuff and luckily I have a great following who I hope will listen and think it’s good.

You are one of the hardest working artists on the live circuit. You always seem to be touring and gigging and built up a strong following. I’ve seen you live a few times and you always push the envelope, you never get on stage and play safe. There’s no point doing that. A lot of what I do is improvised when I play live. Every night is different. You’ve got to do that, our fans come to lots of gigs and that’s why we do it. It’s fun too, I wouldn’t want it to be polished and over rehearsed, the same every night. I’d get bored and I wouldn’t want to give that to an audience either.

You can tell if it’s over rehearsed from the audience. Oh God yeah! And it’s so

boring. I’ve watched some bands for years and whenever you see them it’s the same, even down to what they say between songs. Every gig you should push it further than the last gig. I’ve always worked on the idea that every gig should be better than the last one. Try different things.

I know you’ve been gradually introducing some of the new songs into the live sets. Luckily they’ve been going down really well. They are a bit different to the recorded versions because there is a lot of layering on the album and backing vocals etc. But it’s fun translating it to a live situation especially as a three piece band, thinking how do we make this work. We’ve been using a sample trigger pad that the drummer operates, introducing different bits of technology.

Once the album is officially released will the live set change dramatically?

I’m not sure really, we already play a lot of the album. So probably not that dramatically but we are thinking of using more of the sampled stuff.

Every time I listen to the album different tracks grow on me. I think the closing track, Walk On Land is amazing. That probably is the one I’m most proud of. I’ve never really had much confidence

in my song writing so this album is my way of proving to myself that I can write songs, I just need to pull my finger out and do it. To me that is what this album was. I wrote Walk On Land in a couple of days, and it was at a time I was listening to lots of progressive music. I love prog, I’m a massive Porcupine Tree and Steven Wilson fan, I love everything he does. So I pushed myself and messed with time signatures and was how that came about.

Also it’s a seven minute plus track, and the album is relatively short time wise.

I wanted the other songs to be the sort people could sing along to. Not pop or radio friendly I don’t mean, but easily remembered. I wanted something that would grab

your attention straight away. Most of the other songs are only about three and a half minutes.

On some of softer tracks, like Eternal Dream, you’ve pushed yourself vocally. Yeah, that also was important to me because when I did the first album when I recorded the vocals I had infected wisdom teeth so I couldn’t sing properly. So this time it was important that the vocals were right and spot on so I really pushed myself. Eternal Dream was a song that was inspired by Jeff Buckley who was an amazing vocalist so it was important that I nailed the vocals on that and did the whole falsetto thing.

Anaesthetize is a really haunting song with quite dark lyrics.

“I wanted the other songs to be the sort people could sIng along to”

It’s a very, very dark song. When I wrote it I wanted it to connect to people. I wanted it to feel a bit cinematic and with the cello and piano I think it does that. For me, I love the singer songwriter side of writing and playing but I also love rocking out so there will always be elements of both.

There are lots of singer songwriters who write very personal songs but an album full can be hard to listen to because they are all very similar. You haven’t over personalised the songs so they are easier for people to put their own interpretation on. That’s right. The songs are personal enough to mean something but open to interpretation. A bit like writing horoscopes (laughs). At the end of the day the reason we listen to music is to make that personal connection and to be able to identify with it.

You have been heavily involved with the artwork and design too. That was tedious at times to be honest. I’m not an artist so it was a bit heavy going. The deadline was running out so I thought I better do this. The font on it was designed by a friend and fan. He did all of the calligraphy and I had to scan that in and edit it in. We tried a few different things but some didn’t really work. Were there any false starts to the album? Sets of songs that didn’t make it?

No, I did it in a weird way. I had ten weeks to write before

I went on holiday so I wrote one song a week and made sure they were spot on. So I literally wrote ten songs and they all ended up on the album. I try to be very disciplined with the writing, I spent three days per week, one day researching, read a book or watch a film and make notes about it, the other two days I spent one on the music and one on the lyrics and recording. For me it’s the easiest way of working.

Because you write the music and the lyrics, how does that work? Together or separately? For me usually the music comes first. It’s not sitting with a guitar and strumming chords, it’s full production on the demos, strings and everything. I get a bit obsessive about that and I like to layer everything and build everything on the first demo. I do the full track and then the lyrics. I write whatever comes first and keep amending them over and over until it’s right. There’s normally four or five drafts of each songs with a few lyrics changed. It’s those little tweaks that make the song special or a bit different. For me it’s like what does the music I’ve written remind me of, then I can write the lyrics because it has to be reflective.

The band you have now are great too.

Oh man, I love the band I’ve got now. Keith (McPartling) has been with me a couple of years now and is a phenomenal drummer. And Colin Sutton has really

brought something extra on bass. The cool thing is that we’re really pushing each other all the time. Colin and Keith are both so technically good I’ve had to up my game too and become better. The drums are a big part of the album, he’s really put his stamp on it. The bass on there is by Livingstone Brown the producer, and I love his playing too, he has such great feel. Live Colin brings another angle to it. Livingstone has worked with lots of different people, he used to play with Robin Trower, and produces lots of his stuff. I’ve known him since I was about 15 or 16, and we’ve always worked well together. He has taught me a lot about working in a studio, we both bounce ideas off each other.

I think because you go out and tour regularly your fans are growing and evolving with you. You take them on the journey with you. It’s important because it is about the fans. I need them to grow with me too. It’s like this album being more rock based because they have seen it evolve it’s not such a shock to them.

You’re doing a big tour to tie in with the album release around the UK and into Europe.

Yes, another tour. The album is out on October 9th and you can find all of the tour dates on the website.

check out www.chantelmcgregor.com for more information

“the reason we lIsten to musIc Is to make that personal connectIon and to be able to IdentIfy wIth It.”

Little Devils shelterIng from the storm InsIde

blues matters caught up with l ittle d evils recently to get to know them more personally as they enJ oy success with their latest album, the storm i nside.

So, here I am with Little Devils. They are on a photo-shoot on this glorious summers day in South East London, which is why we are all sheltering from the storm in their favourite recording studio ‘The Music Centre’ and why I am able to grab some time with each member of the band for a chat about whatever’s rattling their respective cages.

Now we’ve all heard the music, laughed, cried and danced to their delicious tunes but we know so little about the people behind the music, who are they, how they tick, what makes them produce such unique 21st Century Blues. On first glance at some of their publicity photos, they look almost like a family unit – Ray and Yoka parents to the Pintsized Powerhouse Sara, and Graeme the benevolent uncle looking out for his kin. That’s actually partly true, Ray and Yoka are husband and wife but fit into Team Devil like a hand into a soft leather glove. The whole band is a close unit

and this is reflected in the tightness of their playing and indeed their compositions. Although they believe in their obvious talent as individuals, as a group they seem a little overawed by the success of their latest offering The Storm Inside.

Graeme

I collared Graeme – bass, lyricist and sometime band leader. ‘We were amazed’ he enthuses ‘Top of the IBBA charts for 2 months, album of the month, glowing reviews everywhere! We are incredibly happy with reactions. We put heart, soul, blood, sweat and

tears into the album but until it’s out there being critically assessed by people, you have no idea what will happen. We half expected the Blues Police to be hammering on doors in a dawn raid!’

Graeme is a natural comedian. I once asked him why he always wears a guitar shaped earring – he quite happily gave an explanation. ‘A good few years back, I was working my way through South America – back packing. I got a job as a handy man in a brothel in Sucre, Bolivia. I ran errands for the Madam for whom I got board and lodge. One day, we got raided, most likely because she wasn’t paying the protection racket operated by the chief of police. I didn’t have any permit papers, nothing, so I jumped out of a first floor window into an alleyway and cracked my leg badly. I managed to crawl

Verbals: l ouise d a V ies Visuals: CH ristine moore and t ommy C H att

away and for about six weeks I hid in a barn in a farm yard where a farmer’s daughter brought me soup and bread ‘til my leg got better. It was only after being there for those weeks that I realised the farmer’s crop was poppies and his daughter had taken a shine to me. These two facts put together were a bit of a death sentence. In the still of the night, I stole a horse and bareback, rode for three days and nights until in the early morning dawn of the fourth day, I came to Salar de Uyuni and looked down on the mirror of the sky and saw everything crystal clear

in that instant.‘ So, that’s why you wear an ear-ring? ‘No, the ear-ring is just an inanimate object – it has no story – that’s why I walk with a slight limp!!’

He can however be serious when needed and his love of music and life shines through. He is also incredibly hard working. Running a band isn’t just a case of learning a few old classics and hammering them out night after night, there’s a lot of work needed.

Graeme is like a swan gliding along – a joker and a dispenser of kind words and Werther’s Originals to anyone in need, but below the water he’s paddling away at a great rate of knots, a cliché I know, but for Graeme very apt. Out of the four he’s the most literary creative and a talented poet. Graeme puts it succinctly with his usual humour: ‘We always tried to follow our instincts and allow creativity to flow. This can sometimes take you into less well travelled waters and we felt some of these

songs might be adjudged to be so far out of the “blues” pond as to warrant a tap on the shoulder from the Boys in Blues! I know we describe our music as “new shoots from old roots” but we wondered if people might just wonder what it is we were growing!’

Asking if Blues music must evolve or die he is very forthright in his response. ‘No not at all. It’s very much an individual thing with its own life. I love loads of classic blues. I can’t imagine life without Howling Wolf, but I can’t do his music any favours by trying to play it. Others can. What I’m saying is, it’s a broad church. Besides, there’s a lot more to worry about than “is we is or is we ain’t the blues!” Many of the first songs we recorded as a band were about the state of the world as we saw it in 2010 and now in 2015, The Storm Inside is no different – we are still trying to understand, lay bare and confront the stuff that affects us – inside and out.’

“we put heart,soul, blood, sweat and tears Into the album”

I’d say Graeme is the most spiritual one of the group, not a religious or tree hugging soul but in an empathic way. He hears the nuances of modern life and weaves a tale around his insights – then he firmly guides his musical family through the story – he is, without doubt the Engine Driver.

ray

Feeling energised by Graeme’s enthusiasm I shuffle along the sofa to speak to Big Ray, ace Axe man and co-songwriter with Graeme. The man is huge! At 6’ 7’’ he towers above my 5’ 1’’ but he assures me it’s not as much fun as it looks! It affects everything from clothes to cars, holidays to furniture. And don’t get him started on how his guitars look like toys when he plays them! But Ray loves his toys. His Telecaster was made by a guy called Ritchie Gorbutt with the body coming from Victorian hard pine roof joists! There’s a Seymour Duncan at the bridge and a 1960s Tiesco Gold Foil in the neck. ‘That’s what I first liked about the guitar; she sounds soupy. I recently cut a forearm contour and stained her dark, chocolaty brown.’

The Fender sisters, Ruby and Jessica, are his red and blue Strats respectively. Both are a result of ‘a neck from here and a body from there.’ Jessica has a set of Fender Custom Shop pickups and Ruby is sporting a lovely set of Custom ‘63s, hand-wound by New York’s John Benson. Ray has also wired in a ‘Gilmour switch’ which means he can bring the neck pick-up in with either or both of the other two. ‘None of my stage guitars are stock; I like things as I like them! I love nothing more than getting the soldering iron out for a bit of kitchen

table surgery. (I bet Yoka just loves that!) If I take an acoustic out with me, it’ll be my Guild; I have a Faith too hanging on the living room wall, ready and willing should inspiration strike.’

Ray co-wrote all the songs on the album with Graeme – there seems to be a fairly equal division of labour between the two; Graeme is the “wordy one” and Ray more musical. ‘The Storm Inside’ is something I’m very proud of and, although it was written by the two of us, each of us only occasionally dipping a toe into the other’s pond, we never wrote together in the same room. Some songs were initiated by a groove or chord structure I’d recorded at home and sent to Graeme and others came from a sheet of lyrics he’d written. It was only after the words and the music were put together that we’d go into a studio with Yoka and Sara and iron them out into what you hear on the album.’

Ray has so much to say about his music, I could listen

to him for a week and still just graze the surface. Let’s just say this man is a legend in the making.

Sara

So, now to Sara the Pintsized Powerhouse. Being the youngest and littlest of the four gives Sara an elfin air, she is like a summer sprite leaping from tune to tune without a quiver, faultless in her timing and complicated rhythms. She also has an aura of calmness and wisdom, saying little but like most spirits, still waters run deep. You can’t fault our Scarborough lass, she’s strong, thoughtful and on the money each and every outing. Despite her immense talent Sara is a very private person –

“the storm InsIde’Is somethIng I’m very proud of”

BLUES CLASSICS!

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KELLYJOANN

BERRYDAVE

like all sprites you are never really sure you’re in her presence but there is always a tingling in the air when she plays. The bands dynamics are the best they have ever been since Sara joined the line up two years ago. The whole set up is perfect.

I’ve been saving the best till last – Yoka – Queen of the Devils. Listening to Yoka poses a quandary – do I concentrate on the astonishing vocals, haunting flute or wistful saxophone? All add up to a Dutch Diva who is so unique I have never encountered the like of before. So who is Yoka? For a start there are no negative Diva traits, our girl is charismatic, sweet and

funny on and off the stage. With a lifetime of music behind her the lady’s talents are without doubt. With a stage presence that would do the likes of Minnelli and Streisand proud, this lady has charm, style and a certain je ne c’est pas – sensuality oozes from every pore. She is the girl who walks into a busy room and stops conversation. She’s bright too and has a caring heart with it. ‘I’m studying for a degree in Social Policy and Criminology. I am a volunteer panel member for the youth offending services and it’s heart-breaking to see how so many teenagers get caught up in social and economic hardship. It is hard enough being a teenager without those issues. My aim is to start working with young offenders professionally and combine that with music. I was so lucky in meeting a music teacher and conductor that had a real interest in children and teenagers; they found a way of letting us get on with it, without other adults except themselves, in a structured yet creative environment.

That’s what I would like to achieve too. I didn’t do well in school and I had a big mouth, I have never been good with authority – I thought I was funny but I was just annoying - if it was not for music I could have easily ended up in serious trouble.’

Yoka is the whole package, the music world needs to watch out, The Devils are on the move. And Yoka is leading the charge.

Graeme begs to have a last word: ‘Little Devils are a team, a gang, a band of brothers and sisters. We aren’t one ego and supporting structure, we are four egos! Wherever I go, egos! We feel we are writing and performing original exciting music and interacting with an audience is the most satisfying feeling you get. We’d love to get to bigger and better stages and reach more people. That’s the target. We do have a message – it’s in the music – new shoots from old roots – not something we’d want to define other than in the moment – sharing that moment is the reason we are here.’

I leave them to their photographer feeling that I have just encountered four people the like of I’ll never come across again. The future is bright, the future is blue –Little Devils Blue.

check out www.littledevilmusic.com for more information

dIsCogRaPhy

STUDIO:

The Storm inside 2015

About Time 2013

Diamonds and Poison 2012

This is How it Starts 2010

“If It was not for musIc I could have easIly ended up In serIous trouble”

yoKa

ALBUMS

The big blues reviews guide - accepT no subsTiTuTe!

DeLTa MOOn LOW DOWN

Jumping Jack records

Delta Moon are a long established and well respected act on the American circuit and on this, their 10th album release, it’s easy to see why. With twin slide guitarists Tom Gray and Mark Johnson perfectly complementing each other across nine new original songs and three well-chosen covers and the rhythm section in the groove all the way this oozes class. Never too in your face, but everything in perfect harmony. The originals are all well written as one would expect from one time Blues Songwriter of the Year Tom Gray, who as well as slide provides lead vocals, keys and harp. Of the originals I personally prefer the slightly tougher edged tunes like Mean Streak and Spark In The Dark.The three covers are all highlights, title track Low Down by Tom Waits, the ominous Down In The Flood by Dylan and the menacing Hard Time Killing Floor Blues by Skip James all benefit from the Delta Moon treatment. The band show they are no one trick ponies throughout, never more so then on Mayfly a lovely up tempo piece of classic country rock and on Open All Night with it’s Bo Diddly undertones. All in all a highly recommended album for fans of well written and performed contemporary blues.

STEvE YouRGLivCH

anTHOnY GOMeS ELECTRIC FIELD HOLLER

up 2 zero entertainment

If this album was a soup it sure wouldn’t be any watery Spring Vegetable it would be a solid thick Pea & Ham version! With a slightly psychedelic cover you get a hint of the contents and from the off Anthony tells you to Turn It Up and that is good

advice, the CD lends itself to an increase of volume, it is loud and proud. The tone is set. Gomes was born in Toronto, Canada and began playing in his early teens influenced by Buddy Guy, BB King, Eric Clapton and Jimi Hendrix. He relocated to Chicago in the late 90’s and had a brief stint as sideman for Magic Slim and The Teardrops. He won the first Buddy Guy Legends best unsigned blues band in 1998 and following released his debut album titled Blues In Technicolour. In 2002 he released Unity, 2006 came Music Is The Medicine, and then Live went straight to the

top of the Billboard charts in 2008. Next came Up 2 Zero in 2012 followed by his acoustic bombshell titled Before The Beginning in 2013 and here we are with his latest compelling album that sure packs a punch musically and has intelligent lyric content. Solid performances here on all fronts, good voice from Anthony (sometimes a little AC/DC), fine mix of tempos. Loved The Blues Ain’t The Blues Anymore with the slide and the lyrics. When you want something that requires volume to blow away your worries and clear the head this would be a fine album to choose.

FRANK LEiGH

expected from a band that has remained unchanged for the better part of twenty years and scooped the award for Best Band at this year’s annual Blues Awards competition in their native Finland. From the band’s inception in 1991 as an acoustic blues-rock cover band, Bjorklof and co-founder bassist Seppo Nuolikoski have steadily moved increasingly towards the tempting sound and zing of electric guitar-led work and technology. The result is a band with a rolling, boiling electric sound and a tight, controlled cohesion, and with this release, recorded at Wales’ legendary Rockfield Studios and produced by John Porter - a guy with ten Grammy winning albums below his belt who has worked with Buddy Guy, BB King, Santana, Keb Mo and Taj Mahal, among others - they have certainly come of age. Pace and variety blend perfectly here to produce an album of solid quality musicianship and interest. Definitely well worth a listen.

MiCKe BJORKLOF & BLUe STRip AIN’T BAD YET

Hokahay! records

A rollickin’ rowdy bit of quality blues with a rock edge from Scandinavia, a land with a deep, entrenched love of the music, currently producing some artists, bands and music of real interest. Micke Bjorklof & Blues Strip is a five piece outfit with wailing Harp, tasteful guitar licks and powerful, trenchant vocals from Bjorklof himself. All eleven tracks are penned by band members and work well, as might be

iAiN PATiENCE

DeBBie DaVieS SPIN

little dipper records Sho’nuff getting a little funky in here. Or it would be, were I from the American colonies where, I am assured, they all speak like that. Musically, we’re talking about someone that Albert Collins thought was good enough to be in his band,

VOnDa SHepaRD ROOKIE

Hotele records

This is the fourteenth album from this lady whose sales over the years have exceeded twelve million! Vonda was the Musical Director responsible for creating all the music and songs you heard in the long running US TV series Ally McBeal. She was that lady sat at the piano in the bar scenes who I used to watch and think to myself wow, she has tone and feel little knowing at the time that she had such a career before and since and one day I would be reviewing her CD. There’s plenty of groove, soul and guts to Rookie (which she is far from being). Very ably assisted by Jim Hanson on bass, James Ralston guitar, Michael Urbano drums, Mitchell Froom keyboards and production (also produced Crowded House, Elvis Costello and Randy Newman) this album rolls between gentle and soulful and is loaded with feeling and fine performances. Need Your Love reminds me of The Band with Aretha on vocal, Turn It Up is a chunk of gospel/soul, Saturday is sparse and sad, while Long For The Days sad but looking forward then Walk On Water picks up and is hopeful. The title track Rookie feels more positive and strikes back with feel and lets it out. Train To Inverness is bared voice and piano and so effective. I’m glad the album does not end on the mournful Tell My Body but adds two live tracks in Roll In The Dirt and the lively Downtown, Dirtytown both from her earlier album From The Sun. A fine way to end and with a deserved round of applause.

FRANK LEiGH

so you know you’re on safe ground. This record is mainly originals, with an almost equal split between Ms. Davies and drummer Don Castagno. Things start off in high spirits on the first couple of tunes but it’s when a revisit to Let The Heartaches Begin from her 1997 record I Got That feeling comes along, with sax and vocals from Terry Hanck then things really move into a different class. She gets a wee bit down and dirty with her wah-wah pedal on Talk Real Slow, throws in some jazz licks on A Darker Side Of Me and rocks out on I’m Not Cheatin’ Yet. There’s a cracking Elvin Bishop style duet on Don’t Change It Up with Jay Stollman and when producer Paul Opalach drops in some lap steel here and there, it always lifts the mood. As always her

guitar work is of the highest order and with an array of guests putting on their A game, it’s a treat from start to finish.

STuART A HAMiLToN

cover, Cream’s Politician, on which his vocals are intuitivesomething Jack Bruce never managed on the original. All the other self-penned tracks have Ian Parker’s individual stamp. The guitar solo on Kampuchea is to die for. Ian has developed a voice and song writing, which is very personal and is true blues. Glad to have Ian Parker back in the studio.

BoB BoNSEY

exciting. There’s so much good stuff here; Memphis Slim, the overlooked fine vocals of Little Margie, Grady Chapman and the Suedes, Chuck Higgins and The Mellotones. It bounces, it rocks, it rolls, and it lifts your spirits. Just what this music was made for. It’s an Ace collection, and that says it all, and I’m just about to play it all again.

RoY BAiNToN

MiSSiSSippi

FeVeR

ian paRKeR POLITIK BLUES

independent

Ian Parker is back with a stonking album. Woodstock hero, Richie Havens’s Freedom is an eye-opener of a track with Chris Finn on drums and is played with an intensity that is jaw-dropping; as is the other

VaRiOUS WOW, WOW BABY! VOL.3

ace records

Ace Records just keep on doing it. Doing what?

Assembling brilliant, entertaining collections of obscure gems like this.

Sub-titled 1950s R&B, Blues & Gospel from Dolphins of Hollywood, Tony Rounce tells us in his excellent liner notes that John Grayton Dolphin ran a record shop, Dolphins of Hollywood, in the 1950s, and DJs actually broadcast sitting in its front window. What great days they must have been. The first of these 24 tracks is suitably entitled Heavy Artillery by Big Boy Groves and his Orchestra. A stabbing series of sax notes lures you into two and a half minutes of R&B mayhem. Then comes a fine blues, Man Have I Got Troubles by someone we all (of a certain age) should know - Scatman Crothers, not only one of the stars of Stanley Kubrick’s The Shining, as the caretaker, Halloran, but the voice of none other than Hong Kong Phooey! For many of us, this compilation will be an excursion into unknown territory, but that’s what makes it all so

The album was recorded at the world famous Ardent Recording Studios in Memphis, TN. Engineered by Adam Hill (George Thorogood and the Destroyers, The White Stripes) with guest appearances from Rick Steff of Lucero, Brandon Santini, and Steve Grimes. Brent Barker on guitar, Ted May on bass and Tom May on drums this three piece lay down a Mississippi groove in fine style (they are from St. Louis), The album has ten tracks of which eight are originals, exceptions being ZZ Top’s Jesus Just Left Chicago which starts with a lovely acoustic intro before it lays into the groove and Travelling Riverside Blues. I Feel Like Superman is the opener and the rhythm sets the scene, Steal Away Your Love returns to a swampy feel with a catchy line to it throughout, Till The Sunrise funks along nicely thank you, Black Dress goes easy on you with tasteful guitar, the title track pops in down the line at number eight and motors along some with its’ skippy beat, The Devil’s Got You Now has some menace to it that does not quite threaten when you think it might. All in all a good and consistent album for their first release and I for one will look forward to their next effort

STEvEN STEPHENS

eRiC CLapTOn FOREVER MAN (DELUXE VERSION)

reprise records

This 3-CD collection is from his Reprise/Warner catalogue 2007-2015 and represents the many faces of Eric. Firstly his song writing, which can reflect his loss for his son Connor or his love for Patti Boyd amongst other hurdles in his life. Secondly, his prowess as a guitarist, of which there is no doubt, but it’s in his interpretation of other people’s songs and then thirdly, there’s the magical interplay with other blues artists. Disc one is the studio album which covers many of his classic songs including Tears In Heaven; I’ve Got A Rock-n-Roll Heart; and Pretending. Disc two is the live one and is worth the price of this set on its own. You have The Cream numbers: Badge, Sunshine of Your Love and White Room. Then there’s a 9-minute version of Wonderful Tonight from the 24 Nights album. Blind Faith is covered by Presence Of The Lord and there is a wonderful heartfelt vocal of Over The Rainbow. Disc three is the blues album which is available only on the Deluxe Version, which is full of iconic songs and which Clapton is God: Before You Accuse Me, Stop Breaking Down, Sweet Home Chicago, the list goes on – 20 songs in all. His coverage of other peoples’ songs is well represented throughout the whole set of albums: Cocaine, Call Me The Breeze, Bad Love and Little Queen Of Spades, as is his playing with the greats such as JJ Cale, BB King, Stevie Winwood and Buddy

Guy. Most EC anoraks will probably have all these tracks but it’s nice to have them all together for that one long car journey, but if there is anyone who doesn’t realise what an incredible musician Eric Clapton is and would like an intro into his talent – over 4 hours of music to treasure.

BoB BoNSEY

HanS THeeSSinK & TeRRY eVanS

TRUE & BLUE

Blue groove records

This is the best stripped down naked acoustic blues live release this year in this reviewers opinion. With two

much acclaimed releases this excellent pairing exhibit style and class from every chord and lyric played. Recorded in Vienna with a fully enthralled audience the rapport between the duo and audience made for a special occasion. The ease and vitality of this consummate duo played blues roots gospel and soul with Hans Theesink growling bass singing tones complementing Terry Evans finger picking guitar licks on the opener Demons, setting the relaxing easy listening experience. A clear and crisp melodic approach to all songs makes this release unique with a steady rolling passionate number Mother Earth. One cover song they chose was a light hearted rendition of Glory Of Love written by Billy Hill in the thirties, it really shows the friendly relationship between this duo, a brave choice received well by a whooping crowd. They both sing lead vocals and with Terry

TiM JOneS BanD HOME AGAIN independent

Evans singing sweetly to the accompaniment of a slide guitar approach on Gotta Keep Moving and twelve bar blues number Vicksburg Is My Home changes the mood. Another highlight is the harmonica driven and powerful slide guitar picking on Bourgeois Blues. Similarly Crossroad Blues has this approach but again the style changes with country blues feel to Maybellene. Finishing off with exchanging vocals and more strutting guitar work on Tears Are Rolling adds to a sublime music experience.

CoLiN CAMPBELL

RaY GORen

SAVE MY SOUL

rJ ray entertainment

Talk about start ‘em young this fellow was playing nursery rhymes at age three and hip jazz by the age of

With a not particularly striking cover to find that this three piece outfit includes Tim Jones on vocals/guitars, Andy Hodge on bass and none other than Sam Kelly on the drum stool plus the fact that mastering was done by Roger Cotton means it must be investigated. Further to that check out the pedigree of Tim, former member of Mainsqueeze, having played there with Dick Heckstall-Smith, John O’Leary, Victor Brox, Dave Moore and Keith Tillman while touring Europe and Scandanavia and also having toured in Bo Diddley’s band you get a measure of achievement. Andy Hodge has been running his fingers up and down his bass for over twenty-five years and this rocker shows his versatility through the many theatre shows he has been a part of. Add to that the skills of Sam Kelly on what we have here in this twelve track CD bearing only two covers in the shape of St.James’ Infirmary and Rollin’ and Tumblin’ and Tim telling us that the originals were written whilst in Cordoba, Spain in 2014.

The playing is smooth and easy. Small Town introduces us with a slight funkiness that gets the head nodding. The album proves to be about musicianship not power as we may have expected. Tim tells us in the brief sleeve that the songs “they’re all about people and things in my life at that time, although some of the songs have their roots in much earlier days”. The music is far from overcrowded and rushed, it is sparse and allows you to absorb the notes and the feel, some of the frustrations here. The steady bass and thoughtful drumming allow Tim to work his clever and understated guitar moments with an ease that might have shown more anger of the lyrics but he held it in check. There is a flow here and some foot tapping moments that leaves you smiling. Don’t Come Looking For Me has a pulsing bass line that allows a slight feel of early Fleetwood Mac. The closing After The Rain sharpens up some and strides along to close satisfactorily.

ToBY oRNoTT

five on the keyboard. He discovered the Blues via YouTube and the music of BB King and SRV fired him and at the age of eight he persuaded his parents to buy him a guitar. His strides have been big ones and his first EP, LA Sessions, was produced by none other than Eddie Kramer! Here then is his second five track EP to savour. Ray sings and plays the guitar, bass and synth and has with him Rob Humphreys on drums and Jon Sosin on production, guitar, synths and background vocals and co-writing. This is a damn fine rhythm section and the guitar of Ray is Outstanding!! The songs are good, the playing is good and the overall output here is terrific. The songs cover romantic and the title track (I love starting an the release with a song called Stop!-ha) pounds in about broken love and the guitar sure releases here, great solo. Save My Soul is

doomy but offers hope and brightens as it builds to the climatic guitar break that oozes through the speakers, oh turn it up! Can’t Live Like This is the ballad of this collection and has a soft intro with rumbling drum and growing vocal telling you “she can’t live like this no more” this one does not erupt. There is another terrific solo in I Need You Here To Stay as it pleads the title. The band also cover the love of humanity with the closing Rise Together where the guitar builds on the message and moves from a whisper to a soaring howl, impressive! A name to look out for definitely!

FRANK LEiGH

KRiS DOLLiMORe

ALL GROWN UP sun pier recordings

Daunting task playing all musical instruments and writing and

ROBeRT ZOTT BAROQUE BLUES VOL 1

independent

Zott is a New Yorker with a positively eclectic approach to the music. Instruments, if that’s the word, used here include a nautical speaking tube, a music box made from a black-box inflight recorder and a Morse code generator. Whether this mishmash works for the listener is a highly subjective thing altogether. Zott considers himself to be influenced by and inspired by Delta Blues. If only, if only…. Some, no doubt, will see this release as being cutting-edge stuff, boundary-pushing innovation and remarkable. For me Baroque Blues is simply self-indulgent twaddle, and, as a Vol 1 offering, slippery with the threat of a second, follow-up release. I don’t consider myself to be singularly Luddite or opposed to technical innovation in music but although Zott has included the weirdest take I’ve yet heard on Willie Dixon’s old classic Red Rooster (here dedicated to Ed Snowden, WikiLeaks survivor) there’s little, if anything, in this mix that resembles blues music. Red Rooster features what I assume to be a real rooster, perhaps one of the more musical moments in this mercifully short six-track EP. The most charitable thing I can say about this EP is that it is clearly experimental. But, then again, so was Frankenstein.

iAiN PATiENCE

singing ten differing songs. He seems to have cracked it and maybe this is why it has taken four years in the making. With six self-penned songs and four different covers this makes for an interesting and probably exhausting project taking a dip into his Cornish roots and observations of people and their relationships. A far cry from his earlier days playing with the talented Del Amitri. Playing solo is a totally different prospect. First track All Grown Up has a gentle approach good guitar baseline complementing his harmonica playing and voice tone a bit eerie setting up for a Mississippi approach possibly inspired by Junior Kimbrough and Dr John flowing into Sometimes You Need To Feel The Pain and similarly another two reflective self-written tracks Evil People and Nada Nada. A more melodic and altogether trippy type approach to next track Easy adds to the flow of this release. Liner notes imply he is self-mocking and this song took little effort this would seem flippant to such a great work. First cover song is country blues version of a John Fahey finger picking riff. Stand out track is his take on Wade In The Water with a voodoo stripped back approach very atmospheric. The steady rolling theme is changed to a jazzy one on Tears. Final track is the lamenting I Hear Someone Crying. A very emotive release by an undoubted talent a thinking person’s songwriter.

CoLiN CAMPBELL

This trilogy of digitally remastered double CDs from 1967, 1968 and 1969 charts the rise of Ten Years After from a virtually unknown band to a super group both sides of the pond culminating in the unforgettable performance at Woodstock. In many respects the first, eponymous album is the best because its freshness and authenticity reflect the British blues-rock explosion of that era. What stands out is the emergence of founding member Alvin Lee as an allround musical genius. His vocal range is immense through songs of various genres whilst his trademark guitar tricks, licks and riffs are all there at this early stage. Alvin plays superb harp on Love Until I Die and his carefully crafted lyrics are evident on tracks like Feel It For Me and Don’t Want You Woman. However, it is the influence of Lee’s father Sam who loved American blues and introduced his son personally to Big Bill Broonzy which is manifest on Spoonful and Help Me. Additional to the original LP is the 1968 single release of Portable People and its B-side, The Sounds which was listed in Decca’s ‘Pop Toppers of the Week ‘alongside the New Faces and Ted Heath. Presumably this was aimed at commercial success which mercifully did not materialise. By the time Undead was released, Ten Years After were touring regularly in America and needed a follow up album hence this live recording at West Hampstead’s Klooks Kleek venue. This combination of blues and jazz jams culminating in what was to become the band’s national anthem, I’m Going Home, cemented Lee’s reputation as the fastest guitarist in the west with fleet-fingered fret work of a velocity rarely witnessed previously. The bonus tracks on this extended version such as Hear Me Calling and Woman Trouble also demonstrate a

Ten YeaRS aFTeR TEN YEARS AFTER, UNDEAD, STONEDHENGE deram (decca Music group ltd.)

more intricate, tasteful guitar style. Stonedhenge was the second studio album and much more experimental and psychedelic, representing the trends in progressive contemporary rock whilst also being innovative. Going To Try sets this scene with various effects added to improvisations such as No Title, SkooblyOobly-Doobob and the finale Speed Kills, the ultimate train song. The producer of all three albums, Mike Vernon, encouraged what he called ‘instrumental vignettes’ as Alvin, Leo Lyons, Ric Lee and Chic Churchill took turns to solo. This worked well for the lead and bass guitars but less so for the drums and organ. The second disc adds Boogie On and I Ain’t Seen No Whisky to the original mix. It is a pity that the sound quality of much of the bonus material on all three albums is so poor and that some tracks are repeated several times unnecessarily.

Collectively, these three re-releases plus bonus tracks are important musically and historically because they represent the genesis of a significant late sixties band and the emergence of a guitar god who received critical acclaim in the music press of that time. By 1972, Alvin Lee had also embarked on a solo career with a variety of exceptional musicians whilst occasionally performing with Ten Years After until the 1990s. For nearly a decade, from 2003, Joe Gooch had replaced Alvin, and Ten Years After Now became something of a tribute band in the opinion of a significant number of fans. Gooch and Leo formed their own band in 2014 called Hundred Seventy Split which has enabled Joe to flourish musically. Ric and Chic are part of the new Ten Years After and although the name remains the same it is essentially the distinctive sound of the Marcus Bonfanti Band plus Alvin’s classic

compositions. Marcus is a highly individual bluesman in his own right and features prominently in the Ronnie Scott’s Blues Explosion.

Alvin Lee died in 2013 after half a century at the top of his profession having been voted the best ever exponent of a Gibson guitar ahead of such luminaries as BB King. Fortunately a wealth of music recorded in Alvin’s privately owned Space Studio is waiting to see the light of day, allowing the Lee family to enhance his legacy in years to come through the judicious release of high quality footage from his musical career.

THE BiSHoP

MiCHaeL aRMSTROnG THE DEBUT ALBUM

Harbour light Music

I am not sure that I would expect to find this one in the Blues section at HMV, but who cares, as this is a superb first release. It is beautifully packaged in a sleeve that makes it look like a DVD, and is up to the standards that I have come to expect from US labels, but that we seldom see in the UK .Most debut albums are full of unknown musicians with varying degrees of skill, but this is a very pleasant surprise as we have guest appearances from Albert Lee, Elliott Randall from Steely Dan, Phil Palmer and Peter Howarth from the Hollies. As if that weren’t enough to be going on with, it is also produced by Keith Bessey who numbers Elton John amongst his credits. There are 12 self-penned songs here together with two covers. As I said at the beginning it isn’t Blues, but it deserves a place in anybody’s collection, as quite simply it is a superb piece of work. Michael obviously knows how to craft a lyric and write terrific melody to match and the musicianship on the album is top notch, the two cover versions are of Billy Joel’s Allentown and Paul McCartney’s Maybe I’m Amazed and it is safe to say that I was amazed by the quality of this whole package. Go find it and buy it.

DAvE SToNE

THe GRip WeeDS HOW I WON THE WAR

Jem records

This is a particularly poignant record in the great catalog of albums from Psyche-Pop rockers The Grip Weeds. It brings things full circle somewhat as the band originally took their name from a character (Musketeer Gripweed) played by John Lennon in the 1967 film from which this album also gains its moniker. Whilst that cinematic endeavour proved to be somewhat lacklustre, this ‘concept’ record more than lives up to its lofty title.

Full of The Grip Weeds’ trademark vitality, swagger and psychedelic verve, this is an enigmatic and eclectic record. The songs are an endearingly motley bunch, as stylistically varied as they are thematically linked, making this album paradoxically the most defiantly cohesive yet diverse

the band has yet produced. There are traces of Pink Floyd in the knowingly disjointed title track, echoes of Bowie on the fantastic Life Saver, and the snarl of the Ramones on Rise Up. Elsewhere the band create layers of vocal harmonies that would have CSNY drooling, yet their spiky and trippy delivery is more reminiscent of The Byrds or Buffalo Springfield, and at times their muscular confidence is more akin to The Doors or The Who in their heyday. The influence of the fab four (and Lennon in particular) is also omnipresent throughout, yet it is a testament to how great this band is that they wear all these musical touchstones lightly and effortlessly, with real joy and class. Somehow this is a band who have managed to emulate and honour their musical heroes in such a unique way that has allowed them to cultivate that ever so elusive phenomenon; a ‘sound’. After only one listen of this record this sonic manifesto couldn’t be

any clearer or better defined, in addition to being immensely enjoyable, there’s no mistaking this band for any other.

RHYS WiLLiAMS

TROY ReDFeRn BACKDOOR HOODOO Blues

Boulevard

From the moment you press play you need to reach for the seat belt on this album. It goes so fast you can feel the wind in your hair and you reach to hold it in place (depending on your age). Super slide guitar and chunky chords belt along with Troy well backed by Stuart MacDonald (ex Freddie King and Paul Rodgers) on bass and Alex Bridge on drums this really rattles the cages! The heat stays on as Troy moves to The Other Side and more boiling slide work. After that he seeks Salvation which eases in, well

Blues Top 50 august 2015

Blues top 50

slides in actually!, so this is Troy being gentle and atmospheric as his guitar pleads with you but he does not let you rest long as he takes off into Wildfire and boogies along at a pace. He lulls you briefly at the start of What Goes Around but then hits you between the ears and trying not to let your head nod along is like trying not to lick your lips while eating a doughnut!! There is a compulsive steady drum intro to War Cry but the spell builds well and leads us to the title track where Troy applies his Hoodoo voice (reminiscent of Capt. Beefheart) as his slide works it’s magic on you and there is a neat piece of harmonica from guest Ray Weatherill. Cool off briefly with the acoustic/slide Lamb Of Zion before Back Home lifts the pace again as it shuffles along. There is an epic start to Running With Ghosts and a hypnotic stride to settle into interspersed with screaming guitar breaks. The ‘album’ closes at track eleven, Survive running at a pleasurable and striding 8.02 with solid drum beat and searing guitar but there are two ‘bonus’ tracks in Cold Day In Hell and the glorious This Raging Heart. This is a stunning album and if you like your guitar raw and up front with a tight band then look no further!

ToBY oRNoTT

know what to expect but had been told to check this guy out sometime and here came my chance. We have on this disc six tracks running around forty minutes and it seems it is part of a trilogy leading up to a full album later this year and the series has led him to numerous plaudits and much airplay and a growing reputation that on this evidence is certainly deserved and will grow much more.

Great guitar licks courtesy of E.D. Brayshaw who apparently plays all instruments here leaving Bo on vocals. Bo writes the songs and they are fine indeed, he knows his way around a good lyric. There are two covers in Loudon Wainwrights’ Motel Blues and Fenton Robinson’s Loan Me A Dime the remaining four tracks are all Willy Bo originals, I Want To Know is the easiest track here but is still deep, September Red running at 7.03 oozes in and harmonies build it, easy piano drifts in the background while intensity plays with you as the story unfolds and the song grows and absorbs you while the less is more theme really works so well here (listen to the Hammond) then the guitar comes in and soars away. Killers On The Run closes this (too short) set and is the highlight that has been building here. Wonderful stuff, keep this name in mind as you will hear much more of him.

ToBY oRNoTT

essential artists any true blues aficionado ought to have at the start of his collection. Big Bill Broonzy is right up there alongside Robert Johnson and the others. The two 1958 albums which form these 22 tracks were as rare as rocking horse droppings back when I started collecting. Anyone who had these tucked under their arm back in the day had the same respect among the blues fraternity as Gandalf had among Hobbits. So think yourselves lucky - here’s the man who opened our eyes and ears to American blues and folk even before Lonnie Donegan strutted his stuff. He was cooler than cool, very popular in Europe, and frequently filmed. All the classics are here, the angry anti-segregation Get Back ‘if you was white, it was alright, if you was brown, stick around, but if you was black, get back, get back …’ Just bask in his crisp, superb guitar playing on Hey, Hey, and there’s the fine Key To The Highway, Trouble In Mind and See See Rider. These albums were the template we built our blues around in Britain, and this finely re-mastered set is, without doubt, essential. If you haven’t got this, what are you

waiting for - it’s terrific!

RoY BAiNToN

BOZ SCaGGS A FOOL TO CARE

429 records

If you only know Boz Scaggs from his poppy seventies hits, around the time of Silk Degrees back in 1976 you might be forgiven for being surprised at this latest release. But lately, the now septuagenarian Scaggs has been heading back whence he came with Memphis in 2013 and now this new release. Yes, it has more in kin with the first two Steve Miller Band albums he featured on, and his early solo releases which saw him working with the Muscle Shoals Rhythm Section and a certain guitarist name of Duane Allman. So when he kicks off this release with a cover of Li’l Miller and the Creoles Rich

WiLY BO WaLKeR STONE COLD BEAUTIFUL

Mescal Canyon records

This Glaswegian born singer/ songwriter has a voice meant to sing the Blues, as if Seger met with Waits and was infused with a dark bourbon. I did not

BiG BiLL BROOnZY THE BLUES & BIG BILL’S BLUES

soul Jam

There are probably a dozen

This is a collection of tunes laid down by good old-fashioned musicians. An 11-track CD all written by Ryk except two, namely Skip James’ Cypress Grove and Jeff Barry’s Walking In The Sun which are done with reverence to the originals. The band’s rendition of Blues Latino has a great Santana feel to it whilst Put Away Your Blues is full on guitar wise. Every Day is slow and infectious. All the vocals are by Ryk Mead, who also played a number of other instruments on this collection. The whole collection is a joy to listen to and certainly a band to catch, in fact they will be appearing at the Bull’s Head late in August.

BoB BoNSEY

RYK MeaD anD THe LOnDOn BLUeS MaCHine CHICAGO independent

Woman, which came out back in 1955, you know exactly where you are. And it’s a good place. As with Memphis, he’s working with producer and drummer, Steve Jordan, alongside Ray Parker Jr., Willie Weeks and Jim Cox, so the performances are nigh on peerless. It’s hard to pick a couple of standouts, as my favourites change with every listen, but I’m leaning towards Hell To Pay, which features Bonnie Raitt on vocals and slide guitar (and is also the sole original song) and a fabulous cover of The Band’s Whispering Pines, which sees him duetting with Lucinda Williams. But whether he’s taking on fifties R ‘n’ B classics, or the Spinners Love Don’t Love Nobody, this is the sound of music at its best.

CanneD HeaT WITH JOHN LEE HOOKER CARNEGIE HALL 1971STOCKHOLM 1973

Cleopatra records

The first two CDs of a series of 3 unreleased live albums by the legendary American blues/boogie band. The first session in New York’s prestigious Carnegie Hall was barely 6 months after the death of Al “Blind Owl” Wilson whose harp playing had featured so prominently on the superb double album Hooker ‘n’ Heat. The band had a few well known pop hits and I always thought they were at their best on material like On The Road Again and Going Up The Country with Al Wilson which curbed their sometime boogie excesses.

peTeR nOVeLLi ST. AMANT SESSIONS

Chalet Music llC

The guitar virtuoso Peter Novelli has assembled a fine band and some good material for the St. Amant Sessions. With a strong band, and some fine guests, the album tries to mine the ground that mixes blues and rock with Cajun and Zydeco music. Opener Louisiana Sunrise features guitar superstar Sonny Landreth, and his distinctive, melodic slide work, whilst the four piece band of Novelli on all guitars and vocals, piano player Kevin McKendree, bassist Chris Senec and drummer Brian Brignac are joined by a number of guests instrumentalist to add a Cajun flavour to proceedings, such as triple row accordionist Chubby Carrier who adds a lot of atmosphere and musicianship to 1-10 Boogie and Zydeco Ride. The group however, are also a fine rock blues band, with tracks such as Bourbon Street Blue and the short Woman

In My Dreams which contains the type of soaring mid range guitar solo which made Mark Knopfler famous. This is music that is about feeling, and the pieces, which range from songs like the soul infused Thinkin’ Or Drinkin’ to the feel-good blues instrumental of Shreveport Stomp, which is country picking at its most melodically appealing, and foot-tapping best. Novelli has effortlessly blended his native New Orleans sound with a more modern sounding blues rock sound to pleasing effect, and if you like fusion music that blends the best elements of blues and Cajun music, this could well be the album for you.

BEN MACNAiR

The first CD opens with Lieber/Stoller’s sleazy Framed and follows up with a furiously boogying Let’s Work Together and it’s fair to say the sound quality is of it’s time. Hooker joins for vocals and guitar on the slow blues Hey Babe with Heat following him assiduously but staying firmly in the background. Shake ‘n’ Boogie is, of course, one of Heat’s lengthy boogies (20 mons) but here Hooker fronts it and there is also some harp from Bob Hite and a wigged out 60’s guitar solo from Henry Vestine. Great stuff! Feedback and distorted guitar lead into a cover of Willie Dixon’s Back Door Man although it is fully 3 minutes in before I can recognise the song in this loose jam. Thankfully Hooker re-joins for the rocking Tease Me Baby which is excellent. A mixed bag indeed. Stockholm 1973 opens with a crisp and driving Let’s Work Together and a splendid boogying, harp wailing jam through On The Road Again as the Heat work up a head of steam. Next up is rhythm guitarist Jimmy Shane’s country rocking biker anthem Harley Davidson Blues. The cool slow blues jam Election Blues gives everyone a chance to stretch out before Richard Hite takes vocals on the blues/ rocker So Long Wrong. Shake ‘n’ Boogie gets a relatively short 14 min workout here before the closing slow blues jam Goodbye For Now. There is some loose and self-indulgent work on both CD’s but also a lot of great stuff.

DAvE DRuRY

This is something different, seemingly covering a whole host of different styles, but described on the album cover as “Tulsa music ranging from grass-roots folk to old time country and Piedmont style Blues.” The thirteen songs here are compiled from Burcham’s previous two albums, Comfortable Shoes and Irene Vennie, the idea being to break him into the UK and Europe, and judging by the quality here, that should happen. I have limited information on this album, but whether it is Blues, Folk or Country that Burcham plays, he does so with great empathy and soulfulness. Burcham comes over as a singer songwriter, and sounds very comfortable in each and every style, his guitar accompanied by a superb voice. The album opens with a beautiful slow slide guitar intro to Son Of A Travelin’ Man, an autobiographical tale of the late development of respect for a parent. Liquor Store, the band version has a classy expanded sound with some great pedal steel guitar and very laid-back country sounding bass. Again the band feature on Outta This Town on which a mandolin plays prominently, a great driving song. Pay Your Dues has a very funky feel with Burcham playing some heavy electric guitar. Back Row Woman is a classic rolling twelve bar Blues, telling the story of a regular classy lady at his gigs who always sits in the back row. No Matter Where You Are pays homage to the great Bluesmen such as Blind Willie McTell in a true Piedmont style. Country style is favoured next with Gon’ Lay You Down, once again steel guitar forming the main sound. As you’d expect, the title track, Cowboy Heroes, conjures up images of cowboys, country music and the great wide expanses of the West. If you are looking for something different, then you’d do a lot worse than giving

STuART A HAMiLToN

WinK BURCHaM COWBOY HEROES AND OLD FOLK SONGS

Continental record services

Wink Burcham a listen, for he’s a multi talented artist who has a great voice and writes good songs. I hope he gets his break here.

MERv oSBoRNE

groove is top notch with each musician and instrument neatly pared down and skilfully slotted into the whole so that Absher’s picking and voice can lead from the front without the threat of being overpowered at any time. This is easily a recommended release, worth checking out and full of strikingly good old Devil’s music.

iAiN PATiENCE

JOn SpeaR BanD

OLD SOUL

independent

BRaD aBSHeR & SWaMp ROYaLe LUCKY DOG

Montrose records

With about half a dozen albums under his belt, this guy is no newcomer. Based in Texas, he was raised in LA and carries traces of that sweet West Coast sound with him in the mix. But with one of his greatest acknowledged influences being Ry Cooder and his slide work, Absher gives the West Coast a gritty, swirling slide echo that lifts the music and takes it to a much better place. Half of the twelve tracks included here are self-written by Absher and the remainder include strong, gripping takes from Bill Withers

- Same Love - Leon Russell’s Rather Be Blind, and Lipstick

Traces from veteran southerner Allen Toussaint. A glorious version of the old standard traditional blues-gospel anthem

Jesus On The Mainline is also squeezed in to full effect. This is a very good release, full of funky down-dirty blues with more than a hint of oldfashioned simpering soul at its core. Absher is clearly a mighty fine guitarist and his slide work emerges triumphantly from time to time giving the album a real catchy, slippery feel when needed. His band, Swamp Royale, includes the big Hammond sound merged with Sax, Bass, Drums and Pedal Steel. The resulting

A debut album from this four piece outfit from Central Virginia, USA and I am going to quote a piece from the notes here that says a lot; “The Jon Spear Band is a collaboration of some of Central Virginia’s finest and most dedicated blues musicians brought together by their love of blues music. Although their ages span several generations, the band members share a common determination to use their exceptional talents to create unique and memorable music.” I have to agree with that. This is a fine album of easy blues showing high level talent that mixes it up across a number of styles. The band - the award winning Jon Spear opened for The Isley Brothers back a few years when Twist and Shout was in the top forty! Drummer John Stubblefield started playing when the Beatles made their US debut and for ten years has been building custom drums. On bass Andy Burdetsky has over thirty five years behind him and has shared the stage with Koko Taylor, Stephen Stills, Roy Buchanan, NRBQ and more. Dara James has the vocals, guitar and harmonica and sounds as if he has accumulated much experience and skill but he is the youngest of the band. He has been playing since he was eleven. The experience shows too on

DeB RYDeR LET IT RAIN

Bejeb Music

Singer Deb Ryder grew up around the blues and she impressed mightily with her debut CD Might Just Get Lucky - but she takes things to a whole other level with this follow-up. Right from the off – the storming

That’s Just How It Is - Deb announces her arrival with a powerful shuffle that takes no prisoners, organist Mike Finnigan and guitarist Kirk Fletcher both making their presence felt among the first-class band. This top notch release then continues with a couple of numbers that are a little reminiscent of vintage BB King, both generating an almighty swing, partly due to the fabulous horn work of Lee Thornburg and Lon Price, whilst Guilty As Sin rides a menacing groove and features the first of Kim Wilson’s three harmonica contributions to this set. Cry

Another Tear is a jaunty gospel flavoured song (as with all tracks here, a Deb Ryder original) with nippy instrumental breaks from Fletcher and Finnigan again. The inspirational Hold Your Lamp High has some moody trumpet, adding a smooth, jazzy tone, and Kiss And Dream is an out and out jazz number, reminding us that Deb is no one-trick pony. Mind you, Ma Misere also does this, a grooving New Orleans item with some of the lyrics in French and zydeco accordion from David Fraser – and the UK’s Albert Lee guests on guitar - though the frantic Money Monsoon (with a very, very sassy vocal), the Robert Cray styled Let It Rain and the closing acoustic and nicely down-home Round And Around also prove her versatility. Check it out, you won’t regret it.

viCToR iAN LEYLAND

this disc that takes you through different styles with great skill, tight original material that will have your foot tapping as it moves from up-beat to slow blues.

FRANK LEiGH

JiM SinGLeTOn 8 O’CLOCK IN THE AFTERNOON

independent

There is a nice story to this album, while Bernie Marsden was in the process of making a

documentary about Clarksdale this Pennsylvania singer/ guitarist Jim Singleton gathered the determination to make an album paying tribute to influences from both sides of the Atlantic. The album has seven covers including Kenny Wayne Shepherd’s Nothing To Do With Love, Peter Green’s Rattlesnake Shake which opens the album and grinds away, Rory Gallagher’s What’s Going On, and even Here I Go Again, yes the Whitesnake rocker taken down wonderfully to acoustic ballad status, and featuring co-writer Bernie Marsden. There’s the spiteful Gary Clark Jnr song Don’t Owe You A Thing with fierce guitar licks and even the Chris Isaak classic Wicked Game gets

BennY GUiTaR CaRR GOOD TIMES

independent

Benny is based in Devon and is devoted to bringing to everybody a greater awareness of the blues, especially so with the possibilities that are available when you start to overlap and merge the musical strands that are blues, jazz, swing and roots music. To explore all these possibilities he has split his career three ways; solo, comprising slide guitar, Cajon drum kick pedal and tambourine, as a duo with added harmonica and thirdly, a full rockin’ band known as The Hot Rats. On this album he incorporates Ian Smith and The Frenchman Street Horns from New Orleans, the album was recorded in both Fudge studios New Orleans and P.M.C. studios Plymouth, England. The twelve numbers here are fine examples of the fusion of early twentieth century New Orleans jazz with electric guitar, fuelled by delta blues and swing, with just a touch of old fashioned music hall intimacy and sauciness. Everybody Needs Good Times is a bracing guitar groover with sweet punching horns and girlie chorus while, When I Get Low I Get High, is a splendid strolling, swinging, guitar ringing foot tapper, Benny’s low rasping gravelly almost megaphone vocal tones fully exhorts an urging goodtime factor. Drunk, All The Time, employs a jazz rich, sleazy and woozy swingin guitar that wonderfully meshes with a pleasing, blasting trumpet. The insistent and alluring late night rough edged Jazz Club mood that exists throughout this album sublimely entices and entwines you together with all these strangely attractive themes and styles. An evocative speakeasy inspired atmosphere inhabits You Ain’t, Good Looking Enough To Be Bossy, and You Know Nothing About Romance and transports you back to a rebellious cocktailswilling, high kicking time. Well worth investigation!

BRiAN HARMAN

tingling treatment here along with three originals. The musicians involved are a veritable cast list but include the previously mentioned Bernie Marsden and, Sean ‘Bad’ Apple (guitars) Charlie Musselwhite and Daddy Rich (harmonicas), Fiona Boyes, Lauren C. Mitchell (vocals), John Martin, Lee Williams (drums). This was a treat to play and listen to, good variation of songs, nice interpretations and quality originals. I shall keep an eye out for Jim’s next offering. The closing Gallagher song A Million Miles Away is a gem to close on.

ToBY oRNoTT

CLaYTOn DOLeY BAYOU BILLABONG

Hi-fi doley

When we talk about the world becoming a global village, nothing presents a clearer example than the international language of the blues. Here, it’s didgeri-blues coming straight out of Australia via New Orleans and Canada. Clayton Doley is a terrific pianist and singer steeped in the traditions of New Orleans, and he hasn’t let the travel restrictions of living far away down under hold him back. This 8 track CD features Doley

impressively assisted by a host of New Orleans musicians, 10 Australians, including Ganga Giri on didgeridoo and as an added bonus, top Canadian bluesman Harry Manx. There’s a selection of moods here, but you can feel the Bourbon and Rampart Street vibes straight away on the stirring opener, Disbelief. There’s also a more ethereal, thoughtful ambience with the finely produced Truly Amazing, and hearing that didgeridoo on the title track, Bayou Billabong, leaves you in no doubt that Doley’s music knows no boundaries. This is a truly enjoyable album, lively, at times funky (some great brass arrangements) and above all joyful. Crocodile Dundee meets Dr. John? Jeez, cobber - what’s not to like!

RoY BAiNToN

Louisiana swampy tale of blues mythology. Michael uses a family of musicians throughout who all excel but special mention goes to Professor Louie whose piano on tracks like I Never Think About You and the aforementioned Snake Box Boogie bring wonderful added dimensions to what otherwise have been standard fare. There are two well chose covers, a live version of Rev Gary Davis, Death Don’t Have No Mercy that cooks and simmers wonderfully and the album closer, the uplifting classic Let’s Work Together that fits the bill perfectly. This is a real blues album of true depth and quality that will demand repeated listens.

STEvE YouRGLivCH

JeFF BeCK LIVE + atCo

MiCHaeL FaLZaRanO I GOT BLUES FOR YA

Hypnotation records

Now this is the business, real quality New York tough, greasy blues with just enough swagger and a flavouring throughout of Texas, Chicago and Louisiana to keep the taste buds salivating. Michael Falzarano has been around the block and paid his dues, proving his quality in bands such as New Riders of the Purple Sage and Hot Tuna among others. Although tracks like I Got The Blues For Ya, Snake Box Boogie and The Devil’s Gone Fishing are hard edged they also possess a soulfulness that makes them stick in your head and makes you want to return again and again. Crossroads Avenue is a lovely

What can you possibly say about a Jeff Beck live album that hasn’t been said so many times before? This was recorded on the recent US Tour and has a total of 16 tracks, two of which are extra studio tracks. Jeff has as usual a top notch band with him consisting of Jimmy Hall on vocals, Rhonda Smith on bass, Jonathan Joseph on drums and Nicholas Meier on guitar. Can you imagine being asked to join Jeff Beck as guitarist? The album opens with sounds that just shouldn’t be possible on a guitar and is then followed by a divine version of Morning Dew. Jeff then goes on to play You Know You Know, which he credits to John McLaughlin. For anybody that says that Jeff is not a Blues guitarist, he plays a superb version of the Sam Cooke number A Change Is Gonna Come, and then as if things couldn’t get any better, he turns up the talent and plays an awe inspiring version of the Beatles A Day In The Life. Just

as you’re about to draw breath, he goes to Stevie Wonder’s Superstition. Then one of Jeff’s own, Hammerhead, followed by Hendrix’s Little Wing, more of his own and then an awesome version of Danny Boy with violining guitars, followed by Rolling And Tumbling and Going Down and the two studio tracks. An absolute masterclass in guitar playing and he makes it sound so easy!

DAvE

SToNE

JeFF BeCK PERFORMING THIS WEEK LIVE AT RONNIE SCOTTS

eagle vision

This was released as a DVD and CD about 2 years ago, but has now been repackaged as a double CD with 7 extra tracks from Jeff with the Big Town Playboys. CD 1 is the original concert at Ronnie Scott’s as already released while CD 2 has the final 5 tracks from the original release together with the 7 new tracks .I don’t really want to go over the whole of the album again as it was extensively reviewed at the time, if you haven’t got it of course, then this is an ideal opportunity to complete your collection with an extra 7 tracks thrown in, but buying the double CD just for those tracks is a decision that only you can make. How do you realistically do a critique of any performance by Jeff Beck? Basically, you get 7 rock and roll numbers by the Big Town Playboys with Jeff playing lead guitar on all 7 tracks. He is immaculate as ever but more restrained than when he is fronting his own band, but he

shows that he knows how to Rock and Roll!

DAvE SToNE

All Odds, and there’s a live San Francisco concert from 1975. We lost Jackie when he passed away in 2013 back where he’d started, The Wirral, Cheshire. But his 69 years were filled with creative achievement. He’s sadly missed.

RoY BAiNToN

VOO DaViS MIDNIGHT MIST

Butter and Bacon records

JaCKie LOMaX UNRELEASED & LIVE 1965-2012 2 CDS

angel air

Strange how some British artists became transatlantic household names for their blues power and musicianship, such as Joe Cocker, Van Morrison etc. So you could argue that Jackie Lomax had been overlooked. A fine, gritty and energetic singer, he was also a superb guitarist and impressive bass player. This 2 CD set reveals the story of a man at the forefront of the blues, soul and R&B tidal wave which swept all the way from Merseyside via Hamburg, to New York and California in the 1960s. Lomax was lead vocalist and bassist with one of Merseybeat’s true powerhouse bands, The Undertakers. In 1966 Brian Epstein signed him up. Following Epstein’s untimely death, The Beatles offered to manage Jackie as a solo artist, and he became the first act to sign to their Apple label. The arc of Jackie’s career covers all the cardinal points of journeyman rockers of the 60s. Like the Beatles, he served an apprenticeship in Hamburg’s Star Club and Liverpool’s Cavern. This 2 CD set reveals a true artist and composer well respected by his famous peers. He could handle it all. Here you can go back to The Undertakers with Throw Your Love Away, cross the pond to experience the driving, big-band soul of Soul Light, Who’s Foolin’ Who and Against

There is nothing misty or fantasy about this blues album that has been artfully blended with country, rock and a thrash of metal creating a rootsy sound where the guitars are heard and the vocals sing true. This is Voo Davies’ third album and is a showcase for his

RUSTY WRiGHT BanD WONDER MAN

sadson Music

I’ve admired this band for some time now. Hailing from Michigan Rusty and his top-drawer band – wife and singer/ guitarist Laurie Wright, drummer Marc Friedman and bassist Dennis Bellinger (Grand Funk Railroad) give great live shows of Blues and Southern rock styles with infectious grooves. The band are smooth and tight, there’s a touch of the Steve Miller class but Rusty sets his own bar high and constantly reaches and surpasses as many audiences will attest to. He writes music and lyrics that makes you think, socially aware, emotional, old style, new style, exploring and expanding. This man can play, this band can play! With his long white hair to his waist he’s like the Merlin of the guitar when you see him on stage. Since 2004, this wizard spearheaded three widely praised studio albums plus 2011’s “Live Fire,” shared stages with Lynyrd Skynyrd, Kenny Wayne Shepherd, Etta James, Johnny Winter, Ronnie Baker Brooks, Bettye Lavette, Walter Trout and many more, toured Italy to South Korea and played for the troops in war torn zones. Now here’s the welcome latest release Wonder Man delivering ten terrific tracks swinging in with the brass led title track pumping along as he sings/talks the lyrics that will have you listening to the words. Ain’t That The Blues is about hard work and hard times that make the blues, not just a song with good beat and chorus but a social song that is all too true. Black Hat Boogie is about an I.T. guy and his code writing brought down to earth, neat slide and chorus playing with a glorious rhythm. You Know I Know is about a man’s doubts about his girl doing him wrong, neat electric piano break, backing and guitar solo so compliment each other then the Hammond break, tasty stuff!! Chunky start to Love’s Gonna Treat You Right and it strides along so well. Followed by the easy Gonna Come A Day with tinkling piano and super guitar intro and generally fine playing throughout as Rusty delivers the story in the lyric. Corvette Sunday is a classy, swinging instrumental and everyone works out. Three more glorious tracks bring this fine album to a close and is highly recommended.

FRANK LEiGH

virtuosity at playing anything with strings well with energy and passion and his choice of vintage guitar on each track matches the tone, attitude and musical texture he wants to achieve. Every track springs a different musical twist. The title track has a melodic guitar intro that reflects the longing for home as you drive the long road home and the radio is your company with the whine of lapsteel underscoring the feeling of deep yearning. But then the foot hits the accelerator pedal with a grungy, swampy guitar sound that reverberates through My Love; this is no gentle love waltz or ballad this is love with attitude and with the addition of harp from Calvin Conway we are deep into the musical territory of hill country vibes. The PR material informs that the album was recorded over three days, and that is reflected in the continuity of sound combined with the spontaneity of recording the music as it is with the energy of playing straight through the track. Low Hanging Fruit is an example of a track that flows never over-produced but letting the lyrics and instrumentation flow building up the atmosphere creating a full almost live sound in the studio with a sound of the Delta. As the album develops you love it more and more, standout track for me is Find Me A Black Bone, deep down swampy dirty blues with its vocals that echoes to a guitar that is on fire. Another fine track on an album that has something special on every track is Void, the penultimate track; with a number that is close up and personal with a country feel as Voo plays every instrument on this sombre tale of love. This is an album for anyone who likes their blues a little messed up but full of guitars, fiddles, piano and harp and vocals that sear through to your backbone, closing with a You Wanna Know Why, you certainly know

that this is music that demands your attention from beginning to end, you wanna know why it is quality.

LiZ AiKEN

MaRiUS TiLLY BanD COME TOGETHER

M-i-g

JaMeS “YanK” RaCHeL

COMPLETE RECORDED WORKS IN CHRONOLOGICAL ORDER

VOLUME 1 (1934 – 1938) & VOLUME 2 (1938 – 1941)

Wolf records

Yank Rachel is unusual in blues terms, in that he was primarily known as a mandolin player, though he also played guitar, as he does on numerous titles here. Born on a farm near Brownsville, Tennessee in 1910, he died in Indianapolis, Indiana in 1997, one of the few surviving blues musicians who had started recording in the 20s; that was with Sleepy John Estes in 1929, though those songs are not found here, instead being on Document’s reissue of Estes’ early recordings. Volume 1 starts in early February 1934, with six titles from a two day session Yank made with guitarist Dan Smith, primarily of interest lyrically rather than musically, before moving forward four years and giving us six titles with vocals by guitarist Elijah Jones, Yank on mandolin and the great John Lee “Sonny Boy” Williamson adding instantly recognisable harmonica – take a listen to the very rural sounding Stuff Stomp. The following four tracks have the same line-up, though Yank sings instead of Elijah and the final four recordings are sung by Yank (again on mandolin), with Sonny Boy once more but with

Following the successful debut album Blue Colors Red Lights comes their second album titled Come Together. Alongside Benjamin Oppermann on bass and Max Wastl laying down the drums and Marius giving out fine guitar waves and tones they really do come together on this smashing album. This actually is something that is different for the listener. It has an originality that is not so often found in recent years and is pleasing for that and so much more. The album carries a refreshing selection of sounds and songs with fine playing that does make them a bit more distinctive than others that lay claim to being the new big thing on the scene. Believe gets us going and has driving rhythm, solid drum core and the first hint of the fine work to come from Marius’ guitar who is also in good voice. A fine start to an album. Moving along to Elevator Girl and Marius adjusts the tone while Maximillian pops along on the skins and the song moves along at a good pace with neat guitar work, enjoyable. Fly comes at you with chunky acoustic slide and bass drum beat as Marius leads the chanting vocal. Water Falls intro flows at you, nice slices of organ and calming, We have eleven interesting tracks here, varied, well played, thoughtful lyric and a satisfying second album that will have you wanting their next effort to see how much further they can progress ToBY

Joe Williams on guitar this time. Most of these titles are nicely rural in sound, though some have audible influences from the likes of Peetie Wheatstraw and Big Joe Williams, both popular artists in the 30s, and close acquaintances. The second CD opens with four titles by “Jackson“ Joe Williams, before Yank comes on sounding more than a little like Muddy Waters on Hobo Blues. His titles here keep a rural feel, but there is a little more sophistication thanks to the addition of bass and washboard in the accompaniment. This set tends to be the better bet for the uninitiated as the roots of the early post-war Chicago blues are certainly in evidence here –try Loudella Blues, which was covered by Jimmy Rogers on Chess in 1950. If it was good enough for Jimmy, it’s definitely fine by me!

NoRMAN DARWEN

TOM SeaRS HOWL independent

Back in the dark days of the late 2000’s there was an indie pop band called The Wonderfuls. They weren’t, but that didn’t stop them getting played on the proper radio and featured in the NME and winning the BT Digital Music Awards: Best Unsigned Artist award through Channel 4. They were on the telly and everything. Even Peter Gabriel almost cracked a smile as he watched from the front row.

FaUZi BeYDOUn anD THe SOUL ViBe THE MANY WAYS OF LOVE

Jah system produções

Long-time readers may recall a CD reviewed in these pages some years back entitled Reggae ‘N’ Blues by Fauzi Beydoun, the leader of Brazilian reggae band Tribo De Jah. Fauzi is also the man behind this project. Several tracks are proof of his youthful inspiration from and interest in blues and blues-rock. The Road Of Victory is the most obvious example, a tough, lurching blues a little reminiscent of the Stax bluesman Johnnie Taylor, and with some fierce, wailing guitar work by Israel Dantas. Such A Graceful Love is a slow blues, sounding more than a little like a Ray Charles flavoured number off an early 60s West Coast 45, and this time Dantas’ ringing guitar work is more akin to Johnny Heartsman. Elsewhere, Fauzi tends towards a soul style. Rising Love is 70s soul, A Little Word rides a fine, muted funky groove and is a plea for tolerance, and So Go! successfully combines blues, bossa-nova, jazz and soul with a lyric and vocal delivery reminiscent of vintage Bob Marley (thrown those blues blinkers away yet?) Fauzi’s son Pedro Eilas Beydoun also shows a good soul voice on the mellow A Little Bit. The title track recalls the soul inspired lover’s rock reggae of the 70s. Um Homem Comum is one of two tracks in Portuguese – there’s also another in French, though the remainder are in English – and opens with a blues riff before settling into a reggae groove, albeit one liberally laced with blues-rock guitar riffs and instrumental breaks. An intriguing release…

viCToR iAN LEYLAND

Then, of course, it all went pear shaped and the people who thought The Wonderfuls were wonderful didn’t find them wonderful any more. Fast forward half a decade and Tom Sears from them there Wonderfuls has decided that what he really wants to be is a cranked up Jon Spencer meets the Black Keys blues rocker. Which counts as a major step forward. So, after some acoustic demos were handed over to Ace from nineties rockers Skunk Anansie, what we are left with is a huge sounding, dirty blues beast of a record that squonks and hollers its way through a really enjoyable set of songs. It’s a fuzz toned treat that fans of Grinderman would take to, whilst bluesologists will appreciate title like All Night

Long, Go Down Slow and The Same Old Blues. Even better, old farts like me will enjoy the fact that it’s only available directly from Mr Sears. No multi-national conglomerate skimming off his tunes. Apart from Soundcloud, which doesn’t really count. So ignore his love for Reef and head off to his website sharpish.

STuART A HAMiLToN

Concept albums are difficult things to pull off. Sometimes they are impenetrable noise, sometimes epics that only word perfect fans of Tolkien can understand, but Currency of Man works. Melody Gardot’s way with a jazz vocal is well known, but on this album, her fourth she blends tried and tested musical ideas, and comes up with both a call to attention and an album packed full of tuneful, brilliantly performed, and catchy anthems. Across a range of genres, from string drenched torch songs, to hard hitting delta blues, the album offers something akin to Marvin Gaye’s What’s Going On. From the gospel opening of Preacherman, with its funk back beat and Stax like brass section, to the slow ballad of Morning Sun that could be a lost Van Morrison classic, this is an album with a lot to say, and an attractive way of saying it. The music has been recorded on old, analogue equipment, allowing for a warmer, almost retro timbre and sound to have been captured. Interesting instrumental passages litter the album, from the space age guitar solos in Don’t Talk, the warm, subdued brass, or the Debussy like string parts that close many of the songs, as well as solid keyboards, bass and drums that add to a very fine album, that although it sounds soft and pleasant, deep down it hits a lot harder.

BEN MACNAiR

RG BanD

21.12 LIVE AT THE TEATRO DEL PANE

straight from the desk and has the feel of an intimate club gig. The Kim Wilson I Can’t Win sets the scene and is quickly followed by Rick Estrin’s Ton Of Money. They have the talent and experience to take a couple of Willie Dixon tunes: Mellow Down Easy and The Same Thing and make them their own. Also the same can be said of their version of Tom Waits’ Jockey Full Of Bourbon. Their own songs Dog Me Down, NWO and Don’t Walk Away are all statements to their own musical abilities. The stand out song for me was their take on Bruce Willis/ Robbben Ford’s 10th Avenue Tango. A harmonica album for the people.

BoB BoNSEY

CHRiS DanieLS & THe KinGS FUNKY TO THE BONE

Moon voyage records

MeLODY GaRDOT

OF MAN

This quartet from Poland has a great blues feel which is very reminiscent of the early Yardbirds. Ricardo Grossman has a passionate voice and is no mean harmonica player either. This live recording is

This is a celebration of life by two legends of funk, blues and rock, Chris Daniels and on vocals Freddi Gowdy. Both having survived life threatening battles with cancer to produce the first Kings Studio album in eight years and the first to recorded work for Freddi since the 1980’s. The fact that this the Kings 16th album tells that these cats know their stuff and their stuff is a funky amalgam of R’n’B, blues and soul similar to the best of Sam and Dave. The album opens with a big funky blues opus in title track Funky To The Bone, but these guys can play it slow too, as on second track, Something Got You, or they can play it gospel as on Joy or even add a little hip hop like Cool Breeze. With a seven piece band that

CURRENCY

decca records

includes sax and trumpet and guests on trombone and more sax you know you are in a full swinging sound and The Kings never disappoint. Perhaps the highlight is the heartfelt Survivors which is at times soft and at others strong and defiant. If a big throbbing slab of vibrant funky blues soul floats your boat then jump on board with this crew.

STEvE YouRGLivCH

DaVe HUnT WHISKEY AND DEMONS

Mad ears productions

Dave Hunt, known as Harmonica Dave, is a relatively well known UK singer songwriter from Lincoln. His backing band for his new album comprises: Andy Littlewood, his co-writer and producer on bass, keyboards and backing vocals; the MEP Collective on horns and brass, with guest spots from Mick Simpson, lead guitar and Pete Nelson on drums and percussion. Dave turned pro in the early 70s and played in several UK bands before moving to Spain. In 2012, he signed a new recording deal with MAD Ears Productions. Whiskey and Demons is his second album for them, following on from his highly acclaimed debut album, Box Full Of Blues. Whiskey and Demons, a twelve track album, was released on 8 June 2015. Dave has collaborated with Andy on virtually every track, since there are no covers and the album is an excellent mixture of Delta blues; Americana; Country blues and harmonica driven Southern rock. Harps to the fore and a hint of the swampy Mississippi.

The album is already very popular, with the IBBA voting it as one of their album picks of the month for July 2015; it has just entered the Amazon US Blues Charts top 100 and is also in the top five new albums voted by Hit Tracks Top 100, a Dutch based, all-genre music chart. My favourite tracks are the story-telling led songs such as Roadhouse Rosie; Broken Promises; Honeysuckle Rose; foot tappers Alabama Train and Little Red and superb harp led instrumental Downhill Shuffle. But the stand out is the title track, Whiskey and Demons. However, every track is worth a listen. Dave’s ability certainly deserves greater national recognition. Unfortunately he is not doing the summer festivals, but look out for him on the circuit later in the year. If you buy this CD, you won’t be disappointed. Excellent.

ANDY MANN

SOUL SUGa’ & Diane DURReTT

SOUL SUGA’ & DIANE DURRETT

Blooming tunes Music

To be honest I did not know much about this lady other than the name being well revered. Durrett has opened shows for Tina Turner, Faith Hill, Little Feat, Delbert McClinton, and Derek Trucks and sung with: has sung with Sting, The Indigo Girls, Gregg Allman, Chuck Leavell (Rolling Stones) and Peter Stroud (Sheryl Crow). Diane is not only an artist but a producer as well. She started producing in major studios in the early 90’s but in 2010 she began her artist development company Blooming Tunes Music. Since then Diane has coached numerous singer/ songwriters and produced CDs on up and coming artists. Hailing from Georgia she has clearly absorbed the feel of the place and gives it out

generously. The voice is full of soul, smooth, sassy, sensual, cheeky, passion, power, diverse and a great range. The people who take part in this record read like a who’s who of Georgia cream and briefly your ears can bear witness to the likes of: Yonrico Scott on drums and vibraphone, Melissa “Junebug” Massey on drums and percussion, Ted Pecchio on bass, Randall Bramblett on piano and sax, Tinsley Ellis, Oliver Wood and Markham White on guitars, and a host of others on horns, background vocals etc., must have been some studio party when the recording was finished. This album is likely to get your blood pumpin’ and your urge to dance in motion and at the same time the voice is so, so satisfying. Diane draws you in by telling you she is going to Show Up Sexy and how first impressions make a mark, and that is exactly what she does

aRTHUR JaMeS

ME, MYSELF & I independent

with this statement of song. The horns rip into the story of Sassy Larue, a vivacious Blues singer before Tinsley Ellis joins her on Woohoo. All told a fine and enjoyable album that covers many moods.

STEvEN STEPHENS

MEET ME IN BLUES LAND alligator records Johnnie Johnson is a name that should be familiar to

A true solo album with just one musician and one instrument playing throughout, Arthur James plays predominately acoustic guitar but on two tracks he flexes his muscles and goes up a gear by playing electric, all the material is stripped back and fairly stark and while there are clear influences from the likes of Son House and Robert Johnson this is a modern refreshing album drawing from these past masters. The opening instrumental track 292 Nashua Street gets the album off to a fine start with some excellent guitar picking and it is closely followed by the best track on the album the bleak Long Black Road which brings out a good vocal from Arthur, while I previously highlighted some musical influences from the USA there is definitely a UK sixties acoustic blues feel here as well, reminiscent of the music populated by the likes of Dave Kelly & T.S. McPhee in their early careers. All but one of the twelve track are self-written and there are some interesting themes covered here, none more so than on Waiter There’s a Bomb In My Soup which is a sixties style protest song covering the self-destruction of the earth. I really enjoyed listening to this album which grabs your attention with its simplicity and wonderful lyrical content, a very promising debut album.

ADRiAN BLACKLEE

anyone with a passing interest in rock and roll. From his early days playing with Muddy Waters and Little Waters, to Chuck Berry on most of the artists output, to working alongside Albert King, and many other rock and roll and blues acts, his distinctive keyboard playing added a lot to early rock and roll classics as Maybellene, Nadine, Carol and Schooldays alongside many others. For the first time these sessions from 2003 capture some of Johnson’s last recorded moments, before his death in 2005. With the spirited Kentucky Headhunters, a band as tight and lively as any southern rock band, there is a palpable sense of joy and friendship that comes across on the eleven tracks on this album. Powered along by the guitars of Richard Young, Doug Phelps, and lead guitar of Greg Martin, bassist Anthony Kenney and drummer and backing vocalist Fred Young, the songs are largely blues and rock originals, with the soloing duties

shared between Johnson and Greg Martin, whose slide guitar playing is particularly well featured throughout the set. The standout track, though is Chuck Berry’s Little Queenie with modern production styles adding a lot to an old classic. The sessions on these album are now more than 12 years old, and it would have been a complete waste for them to have sat in the vaults for any more time, and it is through music like this, and the great work that labels like Alligator carry out that means that more hidden gems like this are discovered, and released for an appreciative audience to hear.

BEN MACNAiR

TOWneS Van ZanDT THE NASHVILLE SESSIONS

Charly

Sadly, Townes Van Zandt left this world aged just 52 in 1997. He was a master of that area between blues and country, folk-blues.

RainBReaKeRS BLOOD NOT BRASS independent

This Shrewsbury band are new to this reviewer and this stunning four tracker has had plenty of airplay on my radio show. With brothers Ben and Sam Edwards on vocals/guitar and drums respectively, the other two members are Peter Adams on bass and Jack Cooper on guitar. These lads formed in 2012, so have certainly remained under the radar, let’s hope this offering is the start of great things. Opener Ain’t Nothing Goin’ Down is straight in yer face blues/ rock, Jack’s guitar holds it all together ably assisted by the rhythm section. As on nearly all the tracks, Ben’s vocals have a fuzzed effect, which only adds to the mix, great stuff. On My Knees keeps up the raw edge, the lead guitar and strong vocals again complimented by the rhythm section. The title track, whilst a little calmer, takes the listeners on a melange of styles from the sixties to present day. In the time it’s taken me to type this review, I could have listened to this EP twice, clocking in at just under seventeen minutes, and I feel cheated and await with interest the first full length offering.

CLivE RAWLiNGS

One hell of a songwriter, his compositions were recorded by such country luminaries as Merle Haggard, Willie Nelson, Steve Earle and Emmylou Harris. This fine collection of 12 songs was recorded in 1974, but the prickly issues of the music business somehow saw them unreleased until now, 18 years after his death, The Nashville Sessions confirms what a fine performer and writer Van Zandt was. These 12 slabs of pure Americana, all originals by a tall Texan, gave me echoes of other influences, such as Hoyt Axton or The Band, for example. There’s the front porch charm of Rex’s Blues, with its gentle banjo and thoughtful lyrics. White Freight Liner Blues, a perfect trucking song, steams along like a 1940s Baldwin Locomotive. The Spider Song is as spooky as the Everglades at night and Pueblo Waltz and Upon My Soul are further examples of a lyrical, rhythmic craftsman at his best. With the bonus of informative notes by Bob Hughes, this album is a legacy we can all enjoy.

RoY BAiNToN

lines on his left hand, whilst handling keyboards on his right to great effect. Add King King Drummer Wayne Proctor on production duties and a guest appearance by Aynsley Lister on Time To Focus and you have a veritable slice of all that’s good in British blues/rock in one room. All nine tracks are originals, some instrumental, notably the aforementioned Time To Focus, a wonderful seventies feel to it, Wishbone Ash might have been proud to have written that. There is not a bum track on here, to be fair, all mastered by Ray Staff, whose CV includes working with Zeppelin, Genesis and Rush, think the clue in the direction this wonderful band are going is there! Well worth investigation.

CLivE RAWLiNGS

THe MenTULLS REFLECTIONS

independent

This is the third album from this young (average age twenty) Brit power trio and from the opening notes of Silverbird, it’s abundantly clear the progress they’ve made. I suppose if you had to pigeon-hole their style it would be prog blues/ rock. Brothers Andrew and Jamie Pipe on vocals/guitar and keyboards respectively are joined by Nick Colman on drums. Jamie handles the bass

WenTUS BLUeS BanD DiCK HeCKSTaLLSMiTH MAN OF STONE

ramasound records

This album is a last hurrah for the late lamented saxophonist DKS who died aged seventy, in two thousand and four. He embarked in two thousand and two upon a tour of Scandinavia with the highly acclaimed Blues outfit The Wentus Blues Band from Kokkola, Finland. They have established themselves as one of Scandinavia’s finest backing bands by working with; Carey Bell, Eddie Kirkland, Eric Bibb, Gary Primich, Kim Wilson, Louisiana Red, Mick Taylor, and Phil Guy. Dick was an original member of Alexis Korner’s Blues Inc., he then moved on to join the Graham Bond Organisation and they were one of a number of bands

that merged blues with jazz and rock. After a short stay with John Mayall’s Bluesbreakers he joined Colosseum for three years, after which he became a freelance musician playing whatever took his fancy. The ten numbers here were recorded live in Helsinki, at Cantina West April 5th, two thousand and two. The album kicks–off with Key To Love, a lively shuffler that bounces along nicely with guitar and drums while Dick’s wailing saxophone pops up and leads a merry dance. Missing You, and You Got Me (Where You Want Me) continues the groove but, in a looser vein. Eddie Kirkland’s Man Of Stone, is an enjoyable eight minute stomping roller that gives Dick the room to sweetly swing, wail, weave and roam wherever he wants to. Dick’s own composition, Woza Nasu, is a seventeen minute opus that epitomises Dick’s sublime talents to entice, entwine and endear you to his free flowing world. The band are sharp, tight and enthusiastic, this is amply displayed on the rousing versions of Pretty Thing, Before You Accuse Me and Looking Back. Well worth investigation.

BRiAN HARMAN

player and his clear, precise delivery as a vocalist. Just listen to the sheer keyboard beauty in Walking The Blues. He inspired so many people with the material featured on these two disks, such as Going Down Slow, the ferocious Must Have Been The Devil and I Got Rambling on My Mind. British piano players from Bob Hall to the Stones’ Ian Stewart hung on Spann’s every note, and you can fully understand why when listening to this. The production on this set is terrific too; listening to it all was like having Otis and his piano in the room with me. As well as 29 stirring tracks, there’s an additional four bonus tracks including another take of It Must Have Been The Devil and the instrumental Five Spot. If there was a Mount Rushmore of blues pianists, Spann’s handsome visage would be at the centre. This is as good as the blues gets - with the added bonus of Robert Lockwood on guitar. Essential.

RoY BAiNToN

Ben RiCe & LUCY HaMMOnD DESTINATION CLARKSDALE

giddy Minion records

An excellent bit of mostly acoustic, traditional roots-blues here from a Portland, Oregon-based duo with a clear understanding of the music and a passionate love of it. All five tracks on this EP are self-written and Hammond’s sultry vocal delivery matches the sensitive, soulful fretwork of Rice’s guitar. IBC finalists this year at Memphis, Rice and Hammond have been together for less than a handful of years, yet they have wonderful, consistent, tight sound that clearly belies their relative youth. From start to finish, this release sparkles with a shared chemistry and driving rootsy feel that sucks the listener in with ease. The spaces between Rice’s notes also stand out at times, illustrating a confidence and competence that many blues bands with far greater experience together struggle to achieve. This is an album that merits repeat listening, never becoming wearisome or jaded. The ringing gospel tone of the third track, Wants Me Back Again, show a grasp of the importance and driving power of the gospel genre to propel an album along to great effect. Overall, this is a genuine quality bit of work, a little gem with glittering rewards for listeners and lovers of the more-traditional-roots end of the music.

Ass**** has a distinct Keith Richard/Stones riff. The entire French band plays with style and energy whether it’s Micky Blow on harmonica or Little Billy on vocals. The entire ensemble have produced an album which is hard to believe it’s not live. If ever they play over here I will be one of the first in line.

LiTTLe BOB BLUeS BaSTaRDS HOWLIN’

dixie frog

OTiS Spann THE HARD WAY 2 CDS

soul Jam

You can easily run out of superlatives when describing a blues giant like Otis Spann. This set contains all the superb material from his New York session on August 23rd 1960. There are two fine aspects to this artist’s stature; his monumental skill as a piano

From the opening track We Are The Blues Bastards, the album sets off at 90-milesan-hour. Robert Piazza at 70 years old sings with a passion and gusto that belies his age. With the exception of Captain Beefheart’s Zig-Zag Wanderer, all are self-penned by Bob and there is not a duff track or filler here. There are ballads, Sleeping In The Car and My Heart Keeps Beating. The title track I’m Howlin’ is back to basic blues and Dirty Mad

BoB BoNSEY

JOe BOnaMaSSa LIVE AT RADIO CITY MUSIC HALL CD Mascot/provogue

In January 2015, Joe Bonamassa took the iconic Great Stage at Radio City Music Hall for the first time

for a 2 night sold-out, that allowed him to fulfil his lifelong dream of performing in one of the world’s most legendary venues. The thirteen track CD edition of Live At Radio City Music Hall kicks off with I Can’t Be Satisfied with a full electric band which consists of bassist Carmine Rojas, Rock and Roll Hall of Fame member keyboardist Reese Wynans, drummer Tal Bergman, trumpeter Lee Thornburg trombonist Nick Lane and saxophonist Paulie Cerra. Bonamassa’s voice with every live performance gets stronger. One Less Cross To Bear is available as a free track to download and for me, it is a highlight of the set as the rhythm section keeps it tight and Joe’s electric guitar just sings. Next thing you know Reese Wynans plays a glorious keyboard solo with Hammond organ before it

iAiN PATiENCE

THe DOVe & BOWeeViL BanD THIS LIFE

Mud pie records

The long awaited new Dove & Boweevil album has finally arrived and first impressions are that it was worth the wait. Launching straight into an exciting vocal and guitar intro, Food For Love grabs your attention from the off. Lauren Dove has long been a marvellous vocalist live and it’s great hearing that transferred into a recording with the production to do her justice. The warm vibe continues into Outta Town with it’s rolling up-tempo beat and through the almost Gothic feel of Flying With Angels. Title track, This Life is a slower, captivating song proving this line up have more than one trick up their sleeves. Mark Howe’s guitar prowess is to the fore on Firework and Andy Robinson gets to shine on East Coast Blues, both songs that hold your attention and continues the feel good factor. The Louisiana swampy voodoo Lady Lavoo has long been a live favourite of mine and it’s great to hear it get the full revamp it deserves on here. Dry Land is another outstanding track that showcases Laurens vocal and gets better with every listen. By the time you reach closing track Maple Leaf I’m pretty sure the replay button will be hit. Overall this is the high quality album the band have been threatening to release for some time and I’m sure will win many new fans. The use of brass on a number of tracks is never overblown (pardon the pun) and really adds to the dynamics. Rhythm section Paul Williams and Paul Weston are spot on throughout and special mention to Owen Morgan for the great production..

STEvE YouRGLivCH

CHanTeL MCGReGOR LOSE CONTROL

independent

of prog inspired key changes and improvised guitar playing of the very highest order. It would have been so easy for Chantel to have played safe on this release, or to have fallen into the trap of long overblown guitar riffs and soloing but this works because it is lean and tough. Special mention for Keith McPartling whose hard driving drumming really makes its mark throughout.

STEvE YouRGLivCH

ROBeRT CRaY BanD 4 NIGHTS OF FORTY YEARS LIVE

provogue/Mascot

transitions to Tal who lays down the funky drum beats. One of the key reasons for these career-defining shows for Joe was so that he could showcase tracks from his latest album Different Shades of Blue as a lot of those songs hadn’t been released as live tracks yet. The Vegas sounding Living On the Moon was the first one to be played as the horn section gave it their all. The lyrics of I Gave Up Everything

For You, ‘Cept

The Blues are witty and it is one of Joe’s many songs that gives all the band members an opportunity to shine. The CD changes pace as the band personnel changes as these Radio City Music Hall shows were also the finale of Bonamassa’s special half

acoustic/half electric tour. The acoustic band were called ‘The Huckleberries’ and featured on ‘An Acoustic Evening at The Vienna Opera House’ release. Dust Bowl works beautifully as a stripped-back piece. Trouble Town has a really cowboy feel as Lenny Castro does what he does best with the song’s light percussion. Still Water which features Gerry O’Connor’s tender fiddle sound. Never Give All Your Heart reprises the electric band as Lee Thornburg and Reese Wynans create an eerie intro. Hidden Charms is an upbeat number that is well placed in the set alongside Love Ain’t A Love Song which is a rich textured full band number which suits live performances.

GLENN SARGEANT

This has been an eagerly awaited release by a lot of fans coming almost four years on from the debut album. Chantel caused quite a stir then as a young lady bursting onto the scene with guitar in hand and with this release, following on from a clutch of blues awards, I think she is about to cause another. Anyone who has followed Chantel will know that she is more then a straight forward blues player and what she has produced here is a slab of solid rock music but with the blues flavouring kept intact through the Southern Gothic vibe that draws heavily on the mojo mystic and swamp sorcery of Louisiana. This is a great piece of innovative work that is sure to push Chantel up into another level and win her more new fans then those who might baulk at the audacity of it. From opening track Take The Power you are left in no doubt that there will be no compromise and no quarter given. It’s very Gothic opening and vocal delivery sets the scene for the album that flows like a single work with chapters rather then merely a collection of random songs. It’s not all heavy though, tracks like the haunting Anaesthetize slow down the pace musically but keep the brooding dark side lyrically on full flow. Home is another beautifully written song with a heartfelt vocal delivery with tasteful use of cello, violin and acoustic guitar, before you are launched into Killing Time, perhaps the heaviest track on the album about a serial killer. Then it’s back into the contrast of Eternal Dream, inspired by Jeff Buckley, complete with an almost falsetto vocal. Saving arguably the best until last album closer Walk On Land is an epic seven minute plus opus

‘You gotta keep your ears open and expand your mind’ says Robert Cray. Maybe that’s what’s given him a forty year career on the boards and in the studio. This release brings fans a double CD and a DVD, all live performances and with CD1 being from four recent shows around LA.I say fans, but stepping back this collection ain’t a bad place to start for the curious. Some of his most popular cuts are here but talking again to Robert recently, he chose songs that showed off his overall repertoire and the guests, these embracing Kim Wilson, harp genius Lee Oskar (a big favourite of mine since War days), sax men Trevor Lawrence and Tom Scott, trumpeter Steve Madalo, drummer and RC conspirator Steve Jordan. It all sounds great, you wish you could have been there. Highlights imho are Poor Johnny, Sittin’ On Top Of The World featuring Oskar, These Things with the best vocal here, Right Next Door – still graphic and aching as a story – and closer Time Makes Two. Oh and the Sam & Dave style tumble through Wrap It Up. There’s plenty of biting guitar. The second CD has earlier appearances

in the 80s; the DVD has live footage of the LA shows and commentary not just from Cray but also Keef, Eric, Buddy, Bonnie, Jimmie Vaughan.

PETE SARGEANT

THe WHO LIVE AT SHEA STADIUM

eagle vision

It’s the 1982 Mk 2 Who with Kenney Jones on drums and what the producers have done is provide the full show on the second night, but with some extra bonus tracks from the previous night, same venue. Kicking off with Substitute, then I Can’t Explain means the show hits the ground running. At this point the group were promoting

their It’s Hard album and that release veered from humdrum to genius as Who followers know. Apart from the title track we get Eminence Front but mixed in with the glorious Behind Blue Eyes, Baba O’Riley – still a real curio – and Pinball Wizard, the daftest lyric ever? Won’t Get Fooled Again is a stone classic of course but for me the inclusion of Mose’s Young Man Blues gives the sort of dynamic that drew me to the band in the first place. They are bound to leave out some fans’ favourites, in my case Any Way and Run Run Run, but it’s a pretty good set list, closing with Summertime Blues and Twist and Shout. Happily the five bonus cuts embrace My Generation and Quadrophenia’s finest being 5.15.

PETE SARGEANT

JOe BOnaMaSSa

LIVE AT RADIO CITY MUSIC HALL – DVD

Mascot/provogue

Bonamassa and crew present yet another good-value performance, this time at the famed Radio City venue in NY plus some extra behind-thescenes footage. The group are as ever the best players going and the acoustic section a delight. Song wise the material ranges from Muddy’s I Can’t Be Satisfied and the punchy Love Ain’t A Love Song to big hit and eerie interlude Dust Bowl and Living On The Moon, a more recent successful cut. When Joe was here in England last, he was in pretty poor health, but played blinders each night anyway. Nobody could deny his grip on dynamics and he plays with people who totally understand that this is an integral part of his style. Here is Joe in New York, giving it his all. The Huckleberries bring some great textures to the acoustic part of the show. When the electric group plays, it is fascinating to watch keys craftsman Reese Wynans (ex SRV) sprinkle blues fairy dust on the selections as the horns blare. Joe’s singing gets better and better as time passes. Kevin records it well. The joy is his Gibson guitar decorating the RC theme is evident, fluid and biting. Lenny Castro taps his way around his percussion kit as the rickety tempo of Trouble Town takes shape, Wynan’s piano evoking Mid West bars. By the time Bonamassa straps on his Les Paul for Hidden Charms the audience is well and truly warmed up and as the Freddie King style riffs tumble out the show is really motoring. The loping funk of Love Ain’t, sees a Strat scrubbed vigorously over Bergman’s James Brown drum patterns and booming Carmine Rojas basslines. Joe takes time out to introduce all the band and gives his Mom some flowers for her birthday. A good time had by all, it has to be said.

PETE SARGEANT

n e W Zealand Jazz and blues festivals

There are a number of annual Jazz and blues fesTivals held around n ew z ealand varying from small budgeT (poorly paying) fesTivals To larger ones wiTh a more realisTic budgeT ThaT feaTure inTernaTional acTs. m osTly lumped TogeTher as Jazz and b lues fesTivals, blues is well represenTed in The line-up of arTisTs. There is generally enough of each genre - and every Thing in beT ween - To saTisfy mosT music lover’s TasTes. The following reporT covers only a smaTTering of whaT is generally on offer.

TAuRANgA JAZZ AND BlueS FeSTIVAl

www.jazz.org.nz

EARLY APRIL

Reputedly one of the longest running festivals jazz festivals in the southern hemisphere (53 years), Tauranga began life as a jazz festival but over the years has diversified into a celebration of all kinds of music from jazz to funk and everything in between. Held in the coastal city of Tauranga, in the Bay of Plenty, North Island, it attracts large crowds from all over changing the normally quiet little town into a vibrant, exciting place, over 3 days every Easter.

This is how it works: Tauranga’s three outdoor stages spread out along a beautiful waterfront with their backs to the sea, facing the main food joints and bars located along this part of town. Each covered stage has its own individual full production which last year included everything except individual instruments! Inclusive of 2 top line guitar amps, drum kits, bass rigs etc. Over the 3 days this downtown event is free to the public, who can walk from stage to stage in a matter of minutes (provided they are not side-tracked by the wondrous array of bars,

eateries, restaurants and solo performers along the way) This is a true carnival atmosphere.

Despite the fact that Tauranga is blessed with a large number of hotels and motels, vacancies are very hard to find at this time of the year. The major headline acts are ticketed events held at a number of quality venues throughout the city (most within walking distance of the downtown carnival).

Slightly out of town (10 mins drive) at the Historic Village complex, a collection of historic buildings relocated and built into a small town-like community on a few acres of land – yet another mini festival is held with roaming jazz bands, and solos and duos appearing in quaint little churches and a movie theatre; whilst on the green at the centre of the complex is a large stage (once again with full production) hosts acts of every description.

NelSON JAZZ AND BlueS FeSTIVAl

www.nelsonjazzfest.co.nz/ bands.html

EARLY JANUARY

Nelson, in the South Island, could be described as a twin city to Tauranga. Nelson is also on the

coast, and is truly a most beautiful part of the world with arguably the best climate in the country. The Nelson Festival features a good mix of Jazz and Blues acts, although not so many international acts as the Tauranga festival. Despite this fact, I have to say it is possibly my favourite festival as the hospitality, climate and location of this festival is hard to beat.

BAy OF ISlANDS JAZZ AND BlueS FeSTIVAl

www.jazz-blues.co.nz

EARLY AUGUST

This is a 3 day event in the most beautiful Bay of Islands, in the uppermost part of the North Island several hours drive north of Auckland. This is a recommended part of New Zealand for all kinds of tourist activities and well worth a visit.

The festival has been going for many years, and always features a number of international acts (mostly from Australia). It is the most relaxed and casual festival of all (not to mention the lowest paying!) However, this minor issue has not stopped my band from appearing there for the last 10 years or more, as it is such a joy and pleasure to play there. Punters

Verbals: g ra H am Clar K Visuals: m artine Jefferson

purchase a pass for 1, 2 or 3 days, and can visit any of the shows on these days. The acts at this festival play in bars and venues around the township. These venues are spaced over a larger area than the other festivals, however a shuttle bus constantly operates between them, so drink-driving is no issue.

Another couple of venues are located in Russell, which is a 10 minute ferry ride away, (or a 50km drive around the long way) either on the shuttle bus, or in your own car – drive on and drive off. These venues are a joy to play at, as they are packed full of music lovers who have purchased tickets to see bands (as opposed to just pub drinkers).

These are just three of the annual festivals. There are several more. On top of these, a number of regional blues clubs work hard putting on events and mini festivals. In the North Island namely Rotorua, Hamilton, Auckland and Wellington, Blues is alive and pretty well supported, although you must remember that

New Zealand only has a population of around 4 million people – less than many of the UKs large cities, so keep that in mind when trying to envisage audience size.

aCCommodation

If you are travelling to NZ with a family or small group there are the regular hotels and motels available, but I would highly recommend “Book a bach” for accommodation to experience the real kiwi lifestyle: www.bookabach.co.nz

These are holiday homes around the country that you can rent for a day, a week or as long as you wish. They generally come with everything you require (except food). Simply type in the location, and you will be presented with options of houses and baches in many price ranges.

food & drinK

New Zealand beer has finally come of age, and there are a number of exceptional microbreweries producing great boutique beers, so beer drinkers don’t have to put up with the cold fizzy brown stuff

that was traditionally served in this country. On top of that – and as you may be aware – New Zealand produces wonderful wines of every description, and anybody visiting this country should be sure to visit as many wineries and vineyards as possible. The quality and range of food available almost everywhere is of exceptional freshness and quality. If healthy food is not your priority, then I suggest you partake in another kiwi tradition – the “meat pie” single serve pies found in every corner shop (we call them dairies) and service stations, with fillings like chicken, cheese and cranberries, Steak and pepper, steak and cheese etc. – they are gourmet delights!

New Zealand has VERY strict drinking and driving regulations that are enforced vigorously, so don’t even think about it – it’s not worth it. Speed limits are also vigorously enforced, and despite the lack of traffic on the road compared to the UK, there is a very good chance you will be busted if you exceed the speed limit – be warned!

s hoW t I me!

tH e bm ! r ound-u P o f li V e blues

ITe clIFF BlueS FeSTIVAl Ver

24 & 26 JULY 2015

I have to start off by confessing a personal interest in this event as I was involved with the booking of the bands. This was the second White Cliffs Festival and was an ambitious jump from a one day, event last year to the three day weekender, staged in a marquee as an extra part of the Chilli Festival, which was in its sixth year. We had gone from six bands to a fantastic line up of fifteen bands and we were hoping for big crowds. Initial ticket sales had been disappointing and we were hoping for people to turn up and pay at the gates as it had been heavily promoted within the local area. Friday’s acts were scheduled to start on stage at seven, but Operation Stack was in force, and the rain was coming down like the Biblical deluge and people stayed away. I myself was unable to get there that evening, due to being held up by Operation Stack traffic, but I am assured that the three bands, babajack, Katie bradley band and dave fera all put on a great show to the rather small audience. Saturday was another day, and the sun was up and the sky was blue, the mud was beginning to dry and things were looking up. We had six bands on the bill for Saturday, running from just after lunch to midnight, Proceedings opened with one man band andy twyman, who put out a great set, of mostly self-penned material, although he also showed what a capable musician and singer he is with a string of covers, would you believe

The Who in a Johnny Cash song?. Crossroads 351 were up next, a London band and they cranked up a nonstop run of fiery Rock and Blues and looked as though they were having a ball. malaya blue was up next, Paul Jones said about her that she was good, very good, well he was wrong, she was fantastic!, and her backing band couldn’t be faulted, superb. geoff everett band had to follow, but they weren’t daunted and kept up their usual high standard, making other peoples songs all their own, as well as playing a few of their own. It was about this time that we were informed by the site organisers that they were packing up early on the Sunday and could we cancel our last three acts! You can imagine how well this was received, and it is a credit to Debs who was the main organiser that she kept her cool and reshuffled the entire programme for the next day in the space of about an hour! the mustangs followed and were as good as ever, making a few new fans on the way. ruby tiger should have been the closing act but had been unable to get there so it fell to Katie bradley to get a scratch band together and do the final set of the evening. Sunday it was raining all day, and any hopes that we had about making up the ticket sales were long gone. Timings had been altered and the 6 bands started off at 11am with blues issue, a 5 piece that I managed to miss as I didn’t get back there in time. stompin dave was his usual class act, astounding a Dutch couple who couldn’t believe what

he was doing. Sunday’s star turn were up next Catfish with the absolutely astounding Matt Long on guitar, what a phenomenal player and he is still only 20, but could give Bonamassa a run for his money already! Watch out for this guy! the sharpees came next, performing most of their latest CD, but by this time were playing to an audience made up mostly of the organising team and other band members, there were very few tickets sold that day. Finally to round it all off, we had the ever popular spikedrivers. Well there you have it, one of the best Festival line ups that I have been to for a long time, the bands were fantastic, the sound guys were great, and the marquee kept out the rain, but for whatever reason, hardly anybody showed up! It is too early to say whether there will be a third White Cliff Blues Festival as the full costs of the event weren’t yet known, but it is a sad reflection on the state of the Blues community today

DAVE STONE

Malaya blue

photo: Roy cano

FESTIVALS

lINTON muSIc FeSTIVAl alma inn, linton, HerefordsHire

19, 20 & 21 JUNE 2015

This festival started out as an acorn and has steadily grown into a mature Quercus majestic. This is largely due to the drive and determination of the ‘committee’ most of whom are Linton local imbibers at the hamlet’s only pub The Alma together with the former landlord and now its new licensee they have kept the tradition of real good live music going matching the real quality ales and ciders available at The Alma and especially at the festival! The standard of bands featured each year has been maintained and only a handful of them have been lucky to be invited back, as they like a fresh bill of fare on the festival programme to restore the punters pallet and not to get too jaded with repetition. This is not an easy task by any means. Some bands, of course, create a sensational buzz with the audience and are asked back.

the Juke Joints is one such band making a welcome return to the venue. They wowed everyone

on their initial visit, so were asked to open on the first night to get things going in style. They did not fail! These overseas friends from Holland duly obliged and indulged us with their Jumping and rocking good fun and lively set lead by sharp harp man ‘Sonny Boy’ van de Broek though vocals are delivered from the drummer Peter Kempe. Cracking guitar work encapsulates this excellent group who started the ball rollin’ and it’s obvious why they have nine albums under their belts and awarded Blues Foundation (Dutch) band of the year 2012. erja lyytinen another of our European neighbours (Finland) has made quite a name for herself by her impeccable slide playing, clever song writing and vocal ability. She started with Spoonful Of Sugar a cover, yes but nicely done and with her eloquent band of musicians continued to impress for the rest of the set with much of her own material. snake Charmer with Mick Moody in the driving seat made it Friday Night Rock night. Front of stage was now crowded and people rocked away to numbers such as Ready And

Willing that had the brilliant twin lead guitars giving a full in yer face ‘memory lane’ recall of Wishbone Ash. All good stuff but my fav was the magnificent interlude of outrageously masterful Ragtime Slide! First night over, rousing bands performances from all. matt woosey is a local lad, with an ever increasing appearances at UK festival, club and continent gigs no less! Not surprising, his acoustic sets are just beautiful. He goes gentle into that sunny day with an instrumental then starts vocalising with stupendous crystal clear, loud but not jarring the tympanic membranes with Love Is The Strangest Thing, Cruel Disposition and Little Red Rooster, all perfectly rendered to an audience now fully awake and taking it all in. Very impressive. federal Charm. These guys were invited back after last year’s sensational performance. Hailing from Manchester these are one of the most animated loud raucous bands on the UK circuit and come as a complete contrast to previous performer Matt Woosey. They are up for it starting with heavy but stylish Reconsider and

layla Zoe

photo: DIane GIllaRD

JuKe JoIntS

photo: DIane GIllaRD

Matt WooSey

photo: DIane GIllaRD

progressed through a catalogue of great rocking anthems and changes of tempo They too had twin lead guitar episodes and had the dancers bopped away to their version of Radar Love. Great set! rosco levee is another traditional rock outfit a five piece with guitar interludes aplenty from bass and a drummer working like the clappers of hell keeping them in line! layla Zoe band this Canadian songstress who now resides in Germany came here on this fine sunny afternoon to entertain us. She sure did that as soon as she opened up her vocal chords everyone was bemused! Here was this elegantly dressed lady screaming out in full Janis Joplin style!! It took some getting used to! She has a fine catalogue of albums under her belt along with awards from our continental friends. Her deep, lowdown and oft dirty voice along with the heavy sided backing band entertained and won this crowd over. ryan mcgarvey band has a long list of accolades from the blues/rock press. This rakish young front man has landed him a multitude of plaudits for his latest CD Forward In Reverse. Rocky, fast and loud during their time on stage. MC Dave introduced him as the one and only Robert Mugabe Band OOPs! Slip of tongue! But whereas one is a ruthless dictator and mass killer Ryan McGarvey is a masterful and skilled guitar slayer! the Hoax next the evening sun now disappearing it’s time to bring on the big guns. Twenty years on and the Hoax have lost none of their popularity. Along with hundreds now closing in on the stage area. My favourite is still Feeding Time, putting a tribute to the late BB King they did How Blue Can You Get also acknowledging the headliner that night Wilko Johnson they sang

One Step Forward Two Steps

Back. A number that I think was written by Dave Bronze from the early days of Wilko’s repertoire. Altogether an enjoyable rousing

set by an endearing set of guys with an excess enthusiasm for their chosen genre of blues songs with a bit of rock thrown in, wonderful guitar work amazing bass and percussion fuse with Hugh’s gritty voice, lovely! wilko Johnson, for a man who tells us that he should by rights be dead by now he is in remarkable good health well let’s be honest before his dreadful health scare, illness and subsequent surgery and miraculous recovery he was always a bit, shall we say, pale and wan looking. It therefore makes it difficult to know how well his recovery has been! Still he flung himself on stage and began a back catalogue of all his wonderful anthems, quirky chops and riffs with testicular fortitude. Wilko is aided and abetted by the remarkable one and only Norman Watt-Roy on bass, fellow rhythm section player maestro of the magic sticks on drums Dylan Howe. Together they fired off salvo after salvo of most of the early Feelgood song book at us and loads more besides. Thumping great chunks of 70’s R&B knocks you back a decade or two or was it three? I pogoed to Roxette, She Does It Right and Back In The Night as well as ruining my vocal cords and neighbouring punters hearing! The rock and roll a la Chuck Berry did it for me. It was sure Bye Bye Johnny for me as I hobbled back to the campsite. Thank you Wilko, nice to have you back.

della grants. It’s final day! I will indulge myself here as this band was one of the nice surprises of the festival. Linton is always good and has wonderful programming etc. every now and again a new band turns up and truly impress. They made a rousing harmonica driven opening and held us captive throughout. Their song list comprised of their own well written and performed material with only one cover Keb Mo’s Am I Wrong with sumptuous slide guitar. There was lots of good Chicago

style blues/rock and swing along the way. It was the final day and festival fatigue begins to set in but slowing our pace down was not an option whilst the della grants were playing. I briefly spoke to them afterwards and found that they came from the Leicester area and formed in 2013.They named Keb Mo as one of their influences along with Nine Below Zero! hence the great harp on opening number and elsewhere in the set. Max Manning is lead guitar/vocals, Tom Best second guitar/vocals/harp, Andy Boulton bass and Tom Walker drums. Their gig list is expanding and their CDs were selling like hot cakes, they had get more boxes of them to sign for punters wishing to purchase! babajack, this band was what we really needed at this stage of the proceedings. Just right for the time and place hot mid-afternoon. babajack have been making waves on the festival circuit in the UK and abroad for a few years now going from strength to strength. A power packed percussion based band with excellent guitarist make this outfit one to listen to and get drawn into the rhythms and nuances of their unique style. Songs from their new CD abound today but Gallows Pole from their previous recordings is still my favourite. Stirring stuff and the crowd really took to them. billy walton band yet again something different a six piece of loud, raw, cheeky, brash New Jersey Boys with attitude! The horn section

subsequent surgery and miraculous always

Della photo:GRantS DIane GIllaRD

FESTIVALS

along with amazing guitars, drums and keyboards burst loud and clear from the low loader staging and set the place and pace on fire! Guitarists Walton lead, Paris bass took their finger flesh to the bone whizzing up and down the frets along with dance action and engaging with the audience. The horn section blew loud and clear that they would take a spirometer needle off the graph at the same time giving a demonstration of nifty athletic choreographic footwork. Where do they get the energy?!!

Not to be out done Keyboards along with drum maestro were dynamic as they could possibly be without losing touch with their given instruments! Hold On, I’m Coming was appropriate as they were just that, holding on to the tools of their trade during a magnificent set of rock/soul/ blues numbers. Festival fantastic!

Phil bees freedom a bunch of yet another Netherlands award winning Blues musicians slowed things down just a tad but lost none of the festival momentum. Theirs was a steady out pouring of much loved songs I loved their version of Big Legged Woman, they also did a beautiful Matt Schofield song and another golden oldie Clapton’s Old Love. As well as Ain’t No Love in the Heart Of The City. robbie blunt band here’s a man who knows his way around the Blues/ Rock scene having seen action in the frontline of several Brit Blues bands such as Robert Plant, Steve Gibbons and Stan Webb to name but a few. Now better known as a ‘session’ musician these days he takes to the stage starting a great selection down Memory lane of seasoned songs and instrumentals. I did notice that Rob Newell was featured as bass and Abby on keyboards. Lovely musicians borrowed from some other noted line-ups and so we had a fine ol’ time. I loved their version of NBZ’s Can’t Do My Homework

Any More. andy fairweather low and the low riders the final act

of the festival what a finale! It was by now dark and stage lights were on and the crowd surged closer to the stage to see and hear Andy and the boys go through their brilliant set. Andy recalls memories and accounts from his illustrious musical past without being maudlin over sentimental or egotistical! He remembered times, people and places where he had encountered the Blues Greats and even got to play with some of them He played samples from the back catalogue of beautiful songs, dipping into Jimmy Reed, Lightnin’ Hopkins, Chris Barbour and Ottilie Patterson and Arthur “Big Boy” Crudup along the way. He also dropped in his own songs from the Amen Corner book of anthems ancient and perhaps not so modern but everyone there knew the words so sang along, bopped along and had a real good time. Just as it should be!

DIANE GILLARD (SISTER FEELGOOD)

eDINBuRgh JAZZ AND BlueS

FeSTIVAl

festiVal tHeatre, tron KirK and sPiegeltent, edinburgH

17 - 26 JULY 2015

grainne duffy has made a habit of outperforming festival headliners and even Van Morrison must have reservations about sharing a stage again with her in the future. Edinburgh was no exception as, in her unique style, she delivered the definitive authentic blues experience of the week with her ferocious vocal delivery, intense emotional outpourings and awesome guitar pyrotechnics. Grainne can sound husky, smooth, anguished and joyful depending on the lyrics and mood. She knows when to pull the punches and when to cool it down, for example on What Am I Supposed To Do. A selection of new songs from her forthcoming album included Shine with its brilliant vocal harmonies, and Black and White characterised

by beguiling guitar effects and hypnotic chanting. The relatively new rhythm section of Eamon Ferris on drums and bassist Paul McCabe provided a solid platform which gave Grainne and guitarist Paul Sherry more space both to solo and to duel which added to the creativity. Duffy’s substantial and enthusiastic fan base reflects her musicianship, her engaging personality and ability to connect with an audience. These came together in I Would Rather Go Blind with its throat shredding vocals, the funky Time’s Not Enough featuring Paul’s enticing slide, and the classic Test Of Time from the eponymous 2012 album. The tumultuous applause and standing ovation were well deserved.

The stars of this year’s festival were expected to be the Chicago bluesmen. The Mud Morganfield band and lurrie bell who had travelled across the pond to appear at the prestigious Festival Theatre and would not have expected such a poorly balanced sound system. This spoilt both sets for the more discerning in the audience but did nothing to dampen the enthusiasm of the majority of the audience. Extended versions of Got My Mojo Working and Baby Please Don’t Go showcased the talents of double bassist Ian Jennings and guitarist Ronnie Boyson. Lurrie joined Mud for the finale, Mannish

JeDD pottS

photo: StuaRt Stott

FESTIVALS

Boy, the audience were thrilled and gave Mud and his band a standing ovation. The night had not ended fortunately the more discerning blues aficionados had gathered in the converted church where their prayers were being answered.

Scotsmen Jed Potts and the Hillman Hunters together with Memphis harpist brandon santini gave a stunning display of both spontaneous and controlled electric blues delivered with an honesty, energy, passion and commitment sadly lacking further up the road. Jed opened with a fine original instrumental called Drafts followed by T-Bone Shuffle and Johnny ‘Guitar’ Watson’s Lonely Lonely Nights. Brandon excelled on Evil Woman and Sonny Boy Williamson’s Elevate Me Mama, playing the harp with superb breath control, precision and feeling.

On the final weekend of blues in the fabulous spiegeltent the willie Hayes band proved to be a highly competent group of musicians led by the charismatic drummer whose natural vocal delivery and

conversation style were endearing. Rainy Night In Georgia was a highlight with its beautifully arranged saxophone solo by Paul Corry, James O’Hara played some very tasty guitar. brandon santini returned to the stage with the excellent local acoustic duo mud in your ear to play more harmonica in his distinctive colourful style, including Kissing In The Dark and Shake Your Boogie.

During this 10-day extravaganza, festivalgoers were also generous in their praise for lil ed, Janiva magness, and Connie lush who all lived up to their considerable reputations; ‘Mississippi Blues Child’ mr sipp also made many new friends. However, grainne duffy continued to be the main talking point.

THE BISHOP

mARypORT BlueS FeSTIVAl maryPort, Cumbria

24 -26 JULY 2015

A weekend of contrasts in the pretty harbour town of Maryport;

Zombie-eyed high-street revellers on Friday night, carnival sunshine for Saturday and a weak bladder Sunday afternoon of almost constant rain. The festival, seemingly a movable feast, had settled on the Marina this year for the main marquee stage. The outdoor stage was down by the dock with the music trail of pubs and clubs running through nearby streets. Reasonably priced food and drink was available throughout. While those with a £15 trail band could hear the likes of little devils and red butler I stuck mostly with the main stage.

friday. Mayor Lyn Radcliffe nervously welcomed a sparse marquee before lenny ‘fuzzy’ rankin mixed funky numbers and rocky arrangements, with seamless fretwork and camped-up face contortions. He suffered, if anything, from an overflow of riffs, licks and tricks as he delivered takes on The Thrill Is Gone and Rock Me Baby. Next rhythm Zoo

bRanDon SantInI & DuStIn aRbucKle

photo: chRIStIne MooRe

GRaInne DuFFy

photo: chRIStIne MooRe

rocked as vocalist Andi Hall was snake charmed across the stage by Bill Dean’s grandstanding guitar. Her voice more suited to heavier numbers like Henrik Freischlader’s I, but original smouldering slow burner Coco Blues impressed as it built in intensity. Penultimate act for the day the brew mixed metal to a molten state. Pause, started with an artillery stonk of drums from Curtis Smith and dad Tim’s low slung bass humming with voltage. Jason Barwick; hugging a Marshall full of feedback, sliding down the mic stand, guitar behind the head or played with a bow invites comparisons to Zeppelin, further re-enforced with Curtis left on stage for a final wig-out of drum bliss. Headliner sandi thom assisted by keyboard/sax, cello and beat box percussion gave an intimate rootsy set to a crowded room. Thom played 12 string electric and acoustic guitars, but first blew down-dirty harp on the Sonny Boy II‘s Help Me. Self-penned Stormy Weather had a Cajun feel with plucked cello, while she took the Foo Fighter’s Times Like These down a country road. Buffy St Marie’s The Big Ones Get Away cut through with evocative cello and piano was a room stiller. The inevitable crowd pleasing ‘punk rocker’ song was in there too.

saturday.

weathered rock on the main stage were a competent, tight support slot band from Whitehaven with covers including Jump, Sweet Child Of Mine and Live and Let Die. Venturing into the sunshine the outdoor stage offered a great party atmosphere with families enjoying the music. Local bands were M.C.’d by a pencil thin Scottish Blues Brother in shades and crimson fedora performing karaoke soul numbers between slots. Pop gun, a happy four piece, delivered a set of self penned numbers; punky Stones Personality impressed. Four-man

cAhORS BlueS FeSTIVAl CaHors, franCe

14 - 18 JULY 2015

The 34th annual Cahors Blues Festival was a bit of a mixed bag this year, hardly surprising as it was there last year that Johnny Winter gave his final performance before passing a few days later. To commemorate his presence, the local town authorities have renamed the street leading to the Festival site backstage areas after the late bluesman which is now known as Allee Johnny Winter.

Chicago blues was well represented in this year’s programme – possibly overrepresented, it could be said – with Lil’ Ed and The Blues Imperials kicking up a storm onstage and Magic Slim’s old band The Teardrops, now led by his son Shawn Holt, also creating a fine storm of electric, searing, soaring blues. Ana Popovic also guested with her own style of electric-fuelled blues explosion while the UK was well represented by young, leading bluesman Laurence Jones who also did a storming set under a baking, high humidity and boiling-hot sun, where temperatures repeatedly reached and exceeded 40°C.

From Deep South USA, veteran guitarist Leo Bud Welch showed the youngsters how to keep the mood and spirit laidback, cool and easy despite the soaring temperatures with two fine sets, while Candye Kane, supported by guitarist Laura Chavez, also turned in a mighty fine show. Rising UK band, King King, gave their usual kilted blues set with bags of noise and verve while Canada-based blues-jazzsoul songstress Shakura S’Aida turned out to play with many of the guests, adding a sizzling soulful core to their acts with her searching voice.

US gospel diva Ruthie Foster also primed the pump with a glorious late-night set, excellently supported on keys by Scotty Millar, as she ran through much of her current ‘Promise Of A Brand New Day’ album for an ecstatic crowd.

For me, the surprising, starturn of the event proved to be the appropriately named Zydeco Hellraisers led by Louisiana squeeze-box king, Dwayne Dopsie. Dopsie clearly knows how to work a crowd and played with abandon, wild hollers and huge ability, taking the huge, full-house crowd with him every step of the roller-coaster way.

IAIN PATIENCE

lIl eD & ShaKuRa S’aIDa photo: Janet patIence

FESTIVALS

leADBelly FeSTIVAl

royal albert Hall, london

15 JUNE 2015

A host of stars of all ages gather to celebrate the musical legacy of folk blues original Leadbelly – BM is there…

The MC for the evening was David Jensen and the Blues Inc. house band kicked off with a recording of Leadbelly singing Black Betty and then the group coming in; Slim Chance took to the stage and played their new single Duncan & Brady, Charlie Hart on keyboards and Steve Simpson on the fiddle, a flawless performance.

Dennis Locorriere (founding member of Dr Hook) quipped that though not a blues guy per se, “I mean I can be as miserable as the next guy!” A phenomenal harmonica player as Last Go Round proved. A definite highlight for me.

Singer-songwriter Gemma Ray was next with Long Gone; next up was 23 year old blues rock guitarist Laurence Jones with his incredible band of Roger Inniss (bass) and Miri Mirimiettinen (drums) bursting out with his take on Good Morning Blues – Laurence is an extremely entertaining performer but isn’t a flashy in-your-face player and at that point in the show he seemed to be the player with the most feeling especially on his own Thunder In The Sky.

Paul Jones arrived with his harmonica and told us stories of how they sang work songs in prisons not to only keep their spirits up but to also avoid being accidentally beheaded when they were cutting down trees as hard labour. He then went straight into Black Betty and even referenced Do Wah Diddy.

It was then the turn of broadcaster/musician Jools Holland with vocals by Ruby Turner – always popular at RAH of course but not a highlight for me. Whereas singer Dana Fuchs appearing without a guitar and just letting her voice say what she wanted to say she wowed the house.

Billy Bragg appeared and began to show off his encyclopaedic knowledge of skiffle music, adding Paul Jones (harmonica) and Chris Barber (double bass). Their version of Love Me Do was well received. Mick Rogers then played Tear It Up and Shake And Rattle And Roll before the guitarist Eric Bibb walked on, playing Bourgeois Blues with such intricacy and emotion that he received a fantastic crowd reaction. Going Down Slow from 1941 iced the cake.

Marie Trout walked onstage to introduce husband Walter Trout who was to perform his first live performance in two years following his severe medical treatment.

“I’m gonna do a tribute to B.B. King!” he bellowed as he went into Say Goodbye. It was just a magical moment given everything that he’d gone through. He then asked Laurence Jones to join him onstage for TB Blues. A wonderful pairing and worth attending to hear them and Trout was the only artist who thanked the house band, bar the musical director.

Time was slipping away and we still had quite a few artists to go.

Josh White Jr. and Gwen Dickey of Rose Royce did Take My Hand, Precious Love as Josh told us that he met Leadbelly when he was nine as his father was a good friend of Leadbelly’s. “He wore striped trousers and suspenders” he informed us.

Next was Eric Burdon of The Animals who doesn’t play in the UK enough and when he sang you could hear a pin drop especially during House of The Rising Sun. I had never seen Eric Burdon live so this was a real treat; Tom Paley who is 83 years old, walked on with his acoustic guitar and played Monday Blues. He was of course a friend of Leadbelly’s and played with him.

Sir Van Morrison appeared on stage with an acoustic guitar and a face like thunder. Van does like to mumble quite a bit. But Van is Van and his fans accept it…

GLENN SARGEANT

lauRence JoneS anD RoGeR InneSS photo: chRIStIne MooRe

mojo rising shook a collective fist at the Ramones I Wanna Be Sedated while south Quay’s Keri Farish had the depth and passion in her voice to move from Living Colour’s funk infused Love Rear’s It’s Ugly Head to the Allman’s Whippin’ Post. Meanwhile heavy blues-rockers the brian rawson band, with new vocalist Tamira Herrebrugh, held the main stage. Arms Of A Woman with a celtic-drone solo from Rawson and Herrebrugh’s powerful vocal sustain was a slow fuse, while they finished with the impenetrable glue-ear of Dead Man Walking. laura Holland led her band through a set of short snappy numbers in the Chicago big band style. They powered through favourites Forty Cups Of Coffee and Talk to Me Baby, with compact slide guitar. Self penned Forgive Me a song of redemption began with a heartbeat bass, had punctuation marks of sax and trumpet and solo spots for both electric piano and guitar. Seven hours in traffic couldn’t dull Birmingham’s brothers groove who boogied the house with jazz and funked-up self compositions, among them standout Upside Down, before closing with the infectious jive of Superstition. the Vargas blues band broke loud and mean. The Spanish power trio giving their own take on standard 12 bar fodder including originals Black Cat Boogie, and Bye-Bye Zombie. Some nice slide was underpinned by solid power-pack bass and drums but all in all rather turgid blues rock. Headliner lulu entertained a partisan audience who delighted in such career highlights as Relight My Fire and The Man Who Sold The World. She visited new work Making Life Rhyme for Faith In You, a rocky pop number with signature cracked vocals. There were sincere, rambling, anecdotes between Bee Gees covers. An adept performer, she sat on the edge of the stage to perform Cry, a moving torch song

that touched the room. The final run in featuring Hound Dog and Edwin Starr’s Twenty Five Miles had audience participation, and the ubiquitous Shout sent the house wild. Great stage presence from Lulu and consummate professional backing, both instrumental and harmony, from the band, but blues it ain’t.

sunday. the motives featuring matt taylor gave a sunshine set to counter the weather. Cookie Jar with its swirling organ intro and needle sharp guitar solo being a template for what followed. Taylor/Butcher co-write Natures Cruel Design had demented-typist keyboard playing melding with funky wahwah guitar. Sleepy electric piano and late night guitar introduced the brooding Now Your Gone with more cry-baby soloing from Taylor, while old time throw-away Baby Don’t Lose My Number featured impressive boogie piano from Jonny Dyke. Looking like extras from a bad hillbilly movie roscoe levee & the southern slide hard chooged Southern style. Barefooted Levee began Back To The Banks with mellow picking before exploding into a slide thrash reinforced by an overactive

drummer. Steve Watts took the church pedals to full sustain before slushing into a joust with Levee’s guitar. Southern Shake and Bake songs they finished on Howitzer Eyes thrashing electric piano swelling to an ending of infused drums and organ squalls. Kaz Hawkins & Her band o’ men hail from Belfast. Hawkins has a big deep ocean of a voice that variously growled, pleaded and cried through a set of both self-penned and classic covers. Etta James I Just Wanna Make Love To You took a rock route as she riffed with the guitar with her operatic squeal. And Now That I Love You was a two chord twist & shout slab of R&B, while Nina Simone’s Feeling Good became a slow smoke trail of soul with vocals that rose from baby girl soft to a banshee scream of emotion. Headliners the boom band had Jonny Dyke deputising for Paddy Milner The frontline guitar quartet a mixing desk challenge with each of the main men sharing lead vocals and guitar. Moonshine, a scoop of honey from Jon Amor on acoustic, had the band harmonising, while Mark Butcher and Matt Taylor took slide solos. Marcus Bonfanti got it all swampy with gritty vocals on Diamonds In The Rust.

booM banD

photo: chRIStIne MooRe

GREAT BRITISH BLUES

IN TWO AMAZING KOMPILATIONS

RED VINYL EFFECT PRESSING!

FEATURING:

ZOE SCHWARZ & BLUE COMMOTION, DAVE THOMAS BAND ROADHOUSE, TOM GEE, SHARON COLGAN BAND, THE WHITE KNUCKLE BLUES BAND, RED BUTLER, THE IDLE HANDS, INNES SIBUN, ALEX McKOWN BAND, DOVE & BOWEEVIL, ROY METTE BAND, JACKSON SLOAN, PLANET GRAFITTI, LITTLE DEVILS, ABSOLUTION KAT & CO, JO BYWATER, SPLIT WHISKERS, JED THOMAS BAND, SAIICHI SUGIYAMA, THE MIGHTY BOSS CATS, DR. A’S RHYTHM & GROOVES, ROBIN ROBERTSON BLUES BAND, SPACE EAGLE, PAUL LAMB & CHAD STRENTZ, JACK J HUTCHINSON BAND FRAN MCGILLIVRAY BAND, ANDY TWYMAN, SHORTSTUFF, GWYN ASHTON THE BARE BONES BOOGIE BAND

www.bluesmatters.com/krossborder-rekords

FESTIVALS

Sweet Alberta proved a slice of Americana, CSNY style, while jazz instrumental Monty’s Theme had guitars riding an organ chord which gave way to an electric piano workout. Traffic’s Can’t Find My Way Home had ensemble guitar breaks with Butch on high end vocals, harmonising, and an Amor solo of purity. It received deserved applause. They closed the festival with a Southern rock funk-out in true Allman style; We Can Work Together.

Sadly this is not a mantra Maryport follows. The multi-venue system dilutes the available audience and the marquee was, at times, embarrassingly empty. Headline artistes were sheltered under a conveniently accommodating ‘blues’ brolly which, while selling tickets, ultimately delivered a watered down event for many. Redemption of sorts came with a Sunday afternoon of quality acts.

MEL WALLACE

ST. IVeS BlueS, RyThm & ROck FeSTIVAl

st. iVes, Cornwall

10 MAY 2015

This festival is one of several staged around the country where one set of artists play two venues back to back over a weekend. Good idea. Great location – and we were back at the same friendly, homely and delightful B&B where Meryl and I stayed when down here for Andy Fairweather Low last autumn. We had a splendid time then and were looking forward to a repeat with this one day bounty of blues bands. On the bill we had a selection of young talented musicians some not long into their apprenticeships others well into establishing careers within the blues field and some who were matured well known but not yet veterans!

matt woosey, Solo acoustic. I came across Matt at two festivals in Worcester a few years back

and again at gigs in Monmouth, Gloucester and yet again last year at Colne. He’s an absolute pleasure to listen to and watch. Meryl had not seen him before and she remarked what a great vocal range, personality and brilliant guitar work! I refrained from saying “I told you so” and just nodded and said I was glad she liked him! Matt’s powerful voice impressed others too and as the Guild Hall filled up people moved forward closer to the stage and were even shifting their feet and bodies in time to the fantastic rhythmic beat of his guitar interludes. He sang a selection of classic blues and included several of his own material all to be found on his CDs old and new! I liked his version of Little Red Rooster and his own composition Cruel Disposition. He’s due to appear at Linton later this year and I’m looking forward to it.

laurence Jones band. How this band has shot to the fore front on the British Blues scene is remarkable. My personal impression is this may in part be due to young Laurence gaining confidence and that his rhythm section, especially bassist Roger Innes, giving him the benefit of their experience so much so that he is relaxed and now very much at home performing to the ever growing audiences they attract! The interaction between Innes and Jones is a pleasure to witness and the sound and enthusiasm they generate is palpable to their audience and they know it and show it! We punters gathered front of stage and rocked away the evening to a fine selection of Jones’s own material with a few classics thrown in for good measure.

danny bryant’s redeye band. Back on British soil after a gruelling tour in the USA with Walter Trout’s band and his (Walters) son whilst Trout was recovering following transplant surgery. Danny once again his own master of heavy rocking blues ploughed into the

groove. His fans were there a plenty and many more joined their ranks after he and the boys performed a powerful battery of blues songs and granite grinding rock from his ever expanding catalogue of his own anthems. It is now accepted that Danny is a great exponent of this genre and having been witness to his steady rise through the ranks of the British R&B scene over several years I must say he’s lasted the pace and still there and long may he reign. Like his mentor (W.Trout) I cannot resist to boogie on down to his fantastic guitar grinding a low down and dirty groove and then retire to the comfort of my seat having scuffed the dance floor to nigh sawdust!

Chantel mcgregor band. This fine young lassie attracts attention as she is a fine exponent of the rock musical genre and her rhythm section are at the extremely heavy metal/rock end of the spectrum. This begs the question “Are they Blues though?” Chantel certainly sings and plays some mean guitar throughout and so does her rhythm section and all do it well but it may just be me when I say they did not gel. My friend said ditto. But having voiced my opinion I have to report that the audience in the guildhall that evening gathered to listen to them play and cheer her and her band on throughout the entire performance – so that told me! Her guitar work was at times fast furious accurate and had a devil crushing urgency about it. The voice is still in “girlish” mode and has yet to mature to match the rawness needed at times to match her musical prowess on the guitar. aynsley lister band. Here is another formidable youthful guitarist – one I have witnessed over the last twenty years or so and admire greatly to this day. Lister has not strayed from his Blues roots and is refreshingly good each time I have seen him. Friend Meryl had never seen him before (Where’s she been all

these years?). Needless to say she is now a great fan of his and looking forward to seeing him in the future. His version of Prince’s Purple Rain was the one what done it! Much of his repertoire is his own material that he and the band execute with ‘dynamaestro’ force at times and then Aynsley can drop down to a pace and sound level so low and slow and as soft as a rippling bordello curtain that you freeze on the spot! He’s playing you’re listening and that is what it’s all about- Blues exercising emotional control! Bloody marvellous as Neil Baldwin would say!

CONCERTS

kAZ hAWkINS AND heR BAND O’meN

atKinson soutHPort

25 JULY 2015

Since she has recently been nominated for both the 2015 British Blues Awards – Barry Middleton Emerging Artist award and the Irish Pure M magazine awards – Best Female singer, I was really looking forward to my first experience of Kaz Hawkins and her Band O’Men. I was not disappointed. In this blues club type setting at the Atkinson Southport, with its small tables and chairs and no standing, it created just the intimate atmosphere for Kaz and her three piece band to relish.

Kaz, a singer songwriter, is all about fun and professionalism, with her aim of giving the audience a musical experience to remember. This is evident from the moment when the band enters the stage, each member wearing something red (since it is Kaz’s favourite colour) and all wearing different types of hats.This talented band from Belfast, Northern Ireland comprises: Kaz Hawkins (vocal/ gutar), (Dr) Nick McConkey (lead guitar), Michael (Funky Bear),

larry miller band. Now here’s the way to end a great little festival. A dynamic guitar slinger and singer (with wild dress sense at times) with buckets of good humoured banter and an enormous appetite to perform and please his audience at the same time. Hendrix, SRV, Rory Gallagher and Gary Moore are among his influences and his own songs reflect these heroes of his. There’s no sitting still at a Larry Miller performance that oozes from his bottle busting enthusiasm with which he attacks the rocking blues. His band kept pace with him throughout and

had their own solos to equal and interacted with Larry showing what a finely honed mechanism they make of wild blues rocking revelry! I danced away wildly with fellow audience members. Everyone was having a great time. It was sad that it all had to end. I hope that St Ives sees fit to try this again next year –perhaps extend it to a two/three day event. There’s no getting away from it St Ives is a magical place and with a Blues festival jammed full of tasty Blues Bands would make it a possible/definite ‘regular’ date in my calendar!

DIANE GILLARD (SISTER FEELGOOD)

McKinney (bass) and Pete (The Animal) Uhrin (drums).

The show, part of their 2015 Hallelujah tour of the UK, includes Kaz being open about her life, its challenges and her resultant charity work, especially for mental health and suicide awareness. But music is clearly her life and the overwhelming memory is Kaz’s voice. So powerful and passionate, with a surprising range. If you had never seen a photo of her and just heard this exceptional voice, you could easily think she was from the Mississippi Delta rather than Belfast!

Throughout the 14 song set, they covered a good selection from their debut album, Get Ready, with my favourites tracks being Drink With The Devil; Shake and I Saw The Man (otherwise known as Norman’s song). With audience participation and dancing at the tables, this was a great live performance, especially since it also included two excellent covers: a memorable version of Nina Simone’s Feeling Good, which closed the first set and a tribute to Kaz’s idol and inspiration, the

great Etta James and her song, I Just Wanna Make Love to You. Wonderful, each one done in Kaz’s inimitable style.

But the show was not just songs from the album, since they had plenty of other self penned material. In particular, I liked the song dedicated to Kaz’s daughter, Becase You Love Me. Rumour has it that a second album is being considered. I really hope so since Kaz wrote every song on her previous album and she has the talent to write many more belters! The show ended with her most well known song, Shake and a very well deserved standing ovation. If you get the chance, do not miss seeing her live.

ANDY MANN

BeN pOOle

atKinson soutHPort

17 JULY 2015

Otis Redding’s Mr. Pitiful may be one of Ben Poole’s covers, but it certainly does not apply to him and his band, comprising Ben (vocals

BlueS FOR BB kINg CoCKermoutH

5 JULY 2015

On Sunday 5th July 2015, around 300 people attended ‘Blues for BB’ in Cockermouth, Cumbria, organised by Andy Hills of Cockermouth Blues, with assistance from long-standing blues fan Graeme McGrory. This not-for-profit event, held in neighbouring pubs The Bush Inn and The Fletcher Christian Tavern, was a huge success. Even the sun came out to play – an unusual occurrence in Cumbria!

The day celebrated the life and music of BB King and both pubs were busy from midday onwards, with musicians, sound technicians and organisers putting in a great deal of work behind the scenes to keep everything running smoothly.

The event showcased some of Cumbria’s best blues rock bands and special guest Julian ‘Jules’ Carter travelled all the way up from Knebworth, Hertfordshire, for the occasion. Jules had written a song, called Respect For Riley, about BB King, which he performed with The Cockermouth Blues Band, a stellar line-up of musicians who all appeared in other bands during the day. Workington musician Buzz Elliott had put together a slide show of images of BB King over the years, which provided a poignant backdrop for the bands playing at The Fletcher Christian. The electric bands included The Bullfrogs, Crow Dog, Sidetrack, Secure Unit, South Quay and The Olly Alcock Band; while the acoustic line-up featured Plastic

Paddy, Eric Harpo with Buzz and Paul Deegan, the Solway Soul Choir, The Arton Brothers, Buzz Elliott, and Keri Farish with Jed Farish and Andrew Lillico. There were so many highlights. In The Bush Inn, South Quay’s Keri Farish sang a stunning version of BB King’s The Thrill Is Gone. In the final jam session at The Fletcher Christian, the Cockermouth Blues Band (with virtuoso saxophonist Roz Sluman and Keri on vocals) performed one of Pink Floyd’s most iconic songs, Great Gig In The Sky. These are just two examples from a day packed with brilliant performances from all the musicians who generously gave their time and talent to celebrate and remember BB King, King of the Blues.

KELLY DAVIS

KeRI FaRISh (South Quay)

photo: Jan FIalKoWSKI

anDy hIllS

photo: Jan FIalKoWSKI

KeRI FaRISh (South Quay)

photo: Jan FIalKoWSKI

CONCERTS

JOe JAmmeR’S All-STAR

chIcAgO BlueS ReVue

Half moon, Putney, london, united Kingdom

21 JUNE 2015

On the evening of Father’s Day in the UK, Sargeant Senior and I went to see his friend Joe Jammer perform a collection of blues songs with a live band and guest vocalists. Not that long ago the world lost the legend that is B.B. King and Joe decided to ask the audience to ‘wear blue for B.B.’ a very respectful gesture.

The band line-up included Canadian bass player John Scott, trumpet and harmonica player Tommy Brundage and nineteen year old Russell Gills on the drums who is an incredible player. They started with an instrumental as Joe played his tortoiseshell Fender Telecaster. He joked about when he met B.B. King and asked him “How long’s the tour?” B.B.’s reply was “Oh about twenty seven years now!” One thing Joe explained to me after the show was although the blues is sad, it doesn’t have to be all the time.

They made sure that as much of the blues was covered with songs by B.B. King, Muddy Waters, The Rolling Stones, Stevie Ray Vaughan, Bob Dylan, Roscoe Gordon, Jimi Hendrix, Bobby ‘Blue’ Bland, Robert Cray, Albert Collins, Otis Rush, Bobby Womack (a stunning performer and I was fortunate enough to

see one of his last UK shows. An absolute musical legend) and Robert Johnson to name a few.

In addition to the live band, Joe Jammer had a group of guest vocalists and musicians who took turns onstage to accompany him. The first guest Kenny Morgan was the spitting image of a young Roger Daltrey and his voice blended really well as Joe gave space to all of his guests and musicians. (Interestingly Joe Jammer used to be a roadie/guitar tech for The Who and Jimi Hendrix when he was younger along with Led Zeppelin and others. His musical history and knowledge is fascinating.)

Joe played guitar behind his head, with his teeth and you could tell this guy had spent years honing his craft to get to this multi-talented stage in his career. Vocalist Lamb Lamont was stunning especially on Smoking Gun and No More Dogging which was knowingly dedicated to those who had travelled up to the gig from Surrey! One of the guests was slide trombonist Peter Lamont who was especially effective on Rainy Day Women which also had svelte singer Emily Capell aboard. This is a fast moving show with plenty of humour from a most generous bandleader whose dynamic guitar and slide playing sparkled throughout the set.

GLENN SARGEANT

and lead guitar), Craig Bacon (drums), Mat Beable (bass) and Stevie Watts (keys). They are a top class live act and gave a great performance at the refurbished Atkinson’s studio venue in Southport. You can clearly see why he has been nominated for five Grammies and is a multiple platinum selling artist.

Ben opened with several selfpenned songs, the first being, Let’s Go Upstairs, an excellent track, superbly performed. Ben is often compared to two of his heroes – Eric Clapton and Gary Moore and he certainly has the guitar playing ability, coupled with a soulful voice and the look – the full package. A bright future has been predicted for Ben ever since he represented the UK as the 2012 Blues Matters! Best Newcomer in the European Blues Challenge in Berlin. His reputation was further enhanced when he recorded his live album at the Royal Albert Hall on 31 October 2013.

Whilst the set was mainly his own original songs, including It Doesn’t Have To Be That Way and Starting All Over Again, it is his distinctive playing of some classic covers that will remain in my memory such as Freddie King’s Have You Ever Loved A Woman. But the highlight of the night was his version of Jimi Hendrix’s Hey Joe. It was worth the admission money alone, just to hear this and see the sublime guitar playing, including playing it upside down! Surprisingly this version is not on Ben’s latest live album, but it is an omission which definitely needs rectifying – and soon! Plus it has to be a live version to truly do it justice. The good news is that he is also currently working on a studio album of mainly his own material, due for release in January 2016. If it is anything like his previous albums, it will be a must for any modern British blues rock album collector.

The Atkinson has regular quality live blues gigs. The annual programme then culminates in its

blueS banD

photo: SupplIeD by aRtISt

Blues Festival on 8/9 October 2015, headlined by the Nimmo Brothers (Friday 8th) and Chantel McGregor (Saturday 9th). It will be well worth a visit ANDY MANN

ROyAl SOuTheRN BROTheRhOOD - VIRgIl AND The AcceleRATORS

ClitHeroe grand

20 JULY 2015

Virgil and the Accelerators, the emerging three piece band from the Midlands, was a very capable support act at the Clitheroe Grand to Royal Southern Brotherhood (RSB). It was about three years since they previously played there, as support to Wilko Johnson and their 8 song set was well received. It definitely set the tone for a great evening.

The Clitheroe Grand is an excellent venue, which is a favourite amongst many bands and this was confirmed once again by the return of Royal Southern Brotherhood. The Grand is not

the obvious choice for one of only three UK venues for Royal Southern Brotherhood’s mini tour (the others being Newcastle and Edinburgh) but they certainly got a warm Lancashire welcome on their return, on one of the hottest nights of the year so far.

The mini tour is to promote both Royal Southern Brotherhood’s new exciting line up and their new CD – Don’t Look Back – The Muscle Shoals Sessions, which was released in 2015 and was recorded at the legendary FAME Studio in Muscle Shoals.

Band leader is blues icon, Cyril Neville, with the outstanding rhythm section of Yonrico Scott (drums) and Charlie Wooton (bass). But the two new members were the ones everyone wanted to see, since they have replaced two guitar legends and RSB founder members, Devon Allman and Mike Zito, who have amicably departed to pursue solo careers. No pressure then, but the replacements are certainly up to the mark – seasoned guitar

slingers, Bart Walker and Tyrone Vaughan – who are already contributing to the writing of new material, including the excellent Don’t Look Back; Reaching For My Goal and I Wanna Be Free. They also provide vocals and guitar solos. A full contribution by anyone’s definition and the chemistry is certainly there.

Two of my favourite tracks on the night were Queen Bee and Sweet Little Angel on which both Bart and Tyrone did guitar solos. But my highlight was Right Back On You when Cyril, Bart and Tyrone left the stage for firstly a bass solo by Charlie, followed by an extended drum solo by Yonrico. This is something you do not often see and received a tremendous ovation. It just demonstrated what a fantastic collection of individual talents the band has. To paraphrase two of their songs, there is no need to “don’t look back” to “reach my goal”. Their future is bright, if this night at Clitheroe Grand is anything to go by.

ANDY MANN

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CONCERTS

The mccRARy SISTeRS edinburgH JaZZ & blues festiVal

23 JULY 2015

Just occasionally you head out to a show not really knowing what to expect. I hold my hand up right at the start and say I’m not a religious man. Having had to sit through, as a child, dreary Hymns or Psalms to which I never connected, in general terms I’ve always held on to the idea that The Devil has the best music. However after being sent the new McCrary Sisters album, and really enjoying the freshness of it, I took myself along to see what was going down on the other side of the tracks. With a fine quartet of, I think Scottish based musicians, these girls then ripped into a set of tunes which blew the place apart. The vocal power, energy, familial vocal harmonies and outright enthusiasm for the material was totally infectious in a positive way. For sure there was throughout an underlying “message” within the songs but the sisters never pushed the point at all. You were left to simply enjoy and draw your own conclusions. The set was lifted mostly from two albums 2013’s All The Way and 2015’s Let’s Go. The power of songs like Come On, Let It Go, Fire, Train, Right Where You Are, The Ways Of The World for example would and could sit easily in any contemporary Rocking Blues concert. When the slower Gospel/Spiritual numbers came around the backing was often pulled back allowing the lovely harmonies to shine then you drew closer to being at a Southern Baptist Church meeting. By The Mark, Hello Jesus, I John, I’d Rather Have Jesus or Use Me Lord were outstanding. So thank you Ann, Deborah, Regina and Alfreda you rocked the soul of this non-believer.

GRAEME SCOTT

lIghTS OuT By NINe tron KirK & mardi gras edinburgH JaZZ & blues festiVal

17 & 18 JULY 2015

It has been quite some time since I’ve done a review of this band. As with most other groups with the passing of time changes are wrought upon line-ups. It’s inevitable I suppose as people come and go depending upon any number of reasons. Such is the case with LOBN. Gone is founder member and main vocalist Al Hughes to pursue a solo career, two drummers have sat at the back and departed with the stool now occupied by the solid Malcolm Herpich whilst original keyboard player, the excellent Tom Stirling, has rejoined. Vocals are now handled by John Frame who after some time now looks much more settled out front. So how have these alterations changed the band? Well the essence of the band is very much still intact. Good-time Soul, Funk with R&B all mixed in for good measure. John’s vocals are rich with feeling and now there are more layers of backing vocals coming from Tom, bassist Dougie Hunter and guitarist Alan Kyle which is positive. The excellent three piece brass section still punches through rounding out the whole experience. The set list consisted of many standard LOBN cuts including Still My Baby, Love By Numbers, Do What You Can and, with a strong nod to AWB, Let It Go. Add in some very choice covers, Standing On Shaky Ground by The Temptations or the brilliant Sonny Landreth’s Congo Square for example, all of which kept the capacity audience very happy. The following day saw the band back in Edinburgh again this time to play two open air sets in The Grassmarket as part of Mardi Gras to a very large satisfied sun drenched dancing crowd.

GRAEME SCOTT

The FAIRFIelD FOuR soutHern fried festiVal PertH

2 AUGUST 2015

Where does one begin to write about an act that has, in various combinations, a continuous line stretching back to the beginning of the group in 1921? It is virtually impossible to sum up what that means in this day of instant gratification and constant desire within sections of consumer society always searching for the next “new” thing. Well thankfully for the audience within Perth Concert Hall last night The Fairfield Four are most certainly not new. However in a sense perhaps they are. Today’s line-up comprises Levert Allison and Bobby Sherrell tenors, Larrice Byrd Sr baritone and Joe Thompson bass and boy can these guys sing. Throughout the groups entire career they have eschewed the need for backing musicians. Instead they utilise that most precious of instruments the human voice. For many people their only exposure to A Capella singing might be if they have heard Barbershop Quartets belting out Stephen Foster tunes or a church choir but to listen to those guys vocalise Gospel was truly an exhilarating experience. I’ve worked and been around the world of music for a long time and I have never ever heard a voice like Joe’s bass. When he opened his voice you felt it slam into your chest, quite extraordinary. Starting, accompanied by The McCrary Sisters, with Come On In This House you knew it was going to be a special night. Children Go Where I Send Thee, My Rock, Highway To Heaven, I Got Jesus And That’s Enough and others came thick and fast. At the end of the girls set the boys re-took the stage to join in and power into Don’t Let Nobody Turn You Around rounding out the night with Rock My Soul. Excellent stuff.

GRAEME SCOTT

The Voice of the Blues!

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