Blues Matters 92

Dr Feelgood *

Andy Fairweather Low & The Low Riders *

Rosco Levee

Lisa Mills

The Connie Lush Band

Dan Burnett

Jon Casey Blues Band

Early Bird Festival Tickets: £34

Limited availability until 30 September

Festival Tickets: £39

From 1 October

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WELCOME

Welcome to your copy of Blues Matters! No.92…

For the first time we present you with a front cover full of ladies of the blues - and what blues women they are, with their diverse musical styles and extraordinary life stories. In such a male-dominated environment as the music industry, it takes something, and somebody, special just to survive, never mind succeed as these women are doing.

This issue includes our regular three blues charts from World radio play; UK radio play; and one of the best mail order charts anywhere, to keep you up to speed on current blues tastes around the world - plus a bunch of great interviews with terrific diversity, as well as a super set of features, including a new one that will give you a take on the Chicago Blues scene then and now - AND of course, the best collection of blues CD reviews you can find.

play;

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BUTLINS PROUDLY PRESENTS

THE GRE AT BRI T ISH ROCK & BLUES FESTIVAL

THE BLUES MATTERS! STAGE AT JAKS

FRIDAY NIGHT: FRAN McGILLIVRAY BAND

HUSKY TONES

THE REVOLUTIONAIRES

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 w ith many festivals under their belts, always crowd pleasers). The JAMs get packed out every year!

SATURDAY NIGHT:

CATFISH

'THE' DOM PIPKIN BAND

LaVENDORE ROGUE

SUNDAY AFTERNOON ACOUSTIC:

MICHAEL WOODS

JO ANN KELLY CELEBRATION

KENT DUCHAINE

SUNDAY NIGHT: ROADHOUSE WILL JOHNS

KRIS BARRAS BAND

YOUR BLUES MC FOR THE WEEKEND CLIVE RAWLINGS

0330 100 9742

CONTENTS

DAUGHTER OF THE GREAT NINA SIMONE, SHE TALKS ABOUT HER NEW ALBUM, HER LIFE AND AWARDWINNING CAREER ON BROADWAY.

REGULARS

NEWSHOUND’

BLUE BLOOD

Check out what makes tongues wag in the clubs and festivals. Elles Bailey, In Layman Terms, The Resurrection Men, Headline Manic, Delta Radio and Deep in the Top.

RED LICK TOP 20

RMR BLUES TOP 50

IBBA BLUES TOP 50

FEATURES IN THIS ISSUE

Guitar Tech Pt5, Australia Pt9, Blues Harmonica Pt8, Radiating the 88s Pt3 and Chicago Blues Pt1.

THE CONCLUDING PART OF LAST ISSUE'S INTERVIEW WITH SARI. SHE TALKS ABOUT HER CHARITY WORK, LIFE AND MUSIC. BUT THIS WILL NOT BE THE LAST YOU HEAR OF HER IN BLUES MATTERS!

INTERVIEWS

38 42 54 64

ROCKY ATHAS PT2. (USA)

One of the first Texas Tornados noted by Buddy Magazine’s Top Ten Guitarists. Which is why, in 2009, John Mayall asked him to be his guitarist - and he still is.

GARY HOEY (USA)

What is behind his new CD? Check out if the title track Dust & Bones really is like a Tarantino soundtrack!

WARREN HAYNES (USA)

One amazing guitarist and great person. He has played with the Allman Brothers, Gov’t Mule and now, with his own bands, he is exploring every category of music keeping his own musical output fresh.

ROY ROBERTS (USA)

He knew and worked with BB King back in the day - a memorable experience he still treasures. Roberts talks about this and gives his opinion on other guitarists.

CIGAR BOX TOTIN’ WIFE OF A PREACHERMAN CONFESSES HER FONDNESS FOR OLD BLUESMEN.

FIONA BOYES (AUS)

LISA SIMONE (USA)

SARI SCHORR Pt2 (USA)

BETH HART (USA)

WITH A UK TOUR IN NOVEMBER, WE CAN LOOK FORWARD TO SEEING MORE INCREDIBLE SHOWS FROM THIS LA POWERHOUSE.

68 72 76 84

ROBIN TROWER (UK)

Robin discusses his new album Where Are You Going To, in depth with BM.

JOHN NEMETH (USA)

Great harpist who stormed the Edinburgh Jazz & Blues Festival, where we caught up with him for an interview.

LAURENCE JONES (UK)

Reaching For The Heights with his new CD as well as flying high, touring the world to promote his music.

PAUL DESLAURIERS (CAN)

Part of the fi xtures and fittings on the Montreal blues scene since the 1990’s. He talks to our new writer covering the vibrant activity in Canadian blues.

REVIEWS

ALBUMS

Nobody does more reviews of the blues in all its genres.

89 115 32

NEWSHOUND

ALL THE BLUES THAT’S FIT TO PRINT, FROM AROUND THE WORLD Verbals:

JOE BONAMASSA

Another month, another Joe Bonamassa CD! Live At The Greek Theatre, is taken from his Three Kings show, a tribute to Freddie, Albert and BB King. Like Muddy Wolf at Red Rocks that preceded it, a portion of the proceeds will go to the Keeping The Blues Alive Foundation. The release in all formats was released by Provogue/ Mascot on 24th September.

JACK HUTCHINSON

London based guitarist and singer songwriter Jack J Hutchinson's Boom Boom Brotherhood have released their debut video. Love Is Gonna Bring You Home is the first track to be taken from their forthcoming album Set Your Heart For The Sun, due autumn Hutchinson said: "The song started out as a delta blues song in the style of Charley Patton. But once the band (Rick Baxendale on bass and Jim Brazendale on drums) got hold of it and the Les Paul and Marshall stacks were wheeled out it took on a different vibe." Explaining what to expect from the album, he said: "We have 13 original tracks, going from real heavy rock with a Led Zep, AC/DC feel to Allman Brothers and Grateful Dead style psychedelic blues jams.

And some Peter Green style slow blues as well. There's also some softer acoustic material (with special guest harmonica player Tom Brundage) that has a Flying Burrito Bros feel. It's a melting pot of influences but ultimately we create our own sound. I always write from a very personal place so the tunes are simply a reflection of where I'm at right now. I went through quite a dark period a few years back for a variety of reasons but hopefully the album reflects the light at the end of the tunnel.”

LYRIC DUBEE

Mascot Label Group is thrilled to announce that the Canadian award winning and multi-genre artist Lyric Dubee has signed with their label Provogue. Proficient and at ease playing rock, pop, blues, classical, and jazz, Lyric’s deep appreciation and experimentation with all the genres led him to personalize his own style of music known as revolution rock. Provogue will release his upcoming album in 2017, more details about this release will follow later this year.

LED ZEPPELIN

Nearly 20 years ago, Led Zeppelin introduced BBC

Sessions, an acclaimed twodisc set of live recordings selected from the band’s appearances on BBC radio between 1969 and 1971. Later this year, the band will unveil THE COMPLETE BBC SESSIONS, an updated version of the collection that’s been newly remastered with supervision by Jimmy Page and expanded with eight unreleased BBC recordings, including three rescued from a previously “lost” session from 1969.

BETH HART

Beth Hart is on fire. Right now, the Grammy-nominated singer/songwriter is riding a creative tidal wave, firing out acclaimed albums, hooking up with the biggest names in music and rocking the house each night with that celebrated burnt-honey voice. In 2016, the headline news is Beth’s latest album, Fire On The Floor (out 14 October on Provogue/Mascot Label Group): a release that even this fiercely self-critical artist describes as “pretty frickin’ good”. Beth’s first call was to the acclaimed producer Oliver Leiber, who called a session at his home studio in Toluca Lake and drafted a crack studio band that included Michael Landau guitar, Waddy Wachtel guitar, Brian

Clive Rawlings Visuals: Christine Moore

Allen bass, Rick Marotta drums, Jim Cox piano, Dean Parks acoustic guitar and Ivan Neville B3 and organ. “Oliver rounded up some amazing musicians,” nods Beth. “Michael Landau and Waddy Wachtel are legends, so when I found out we had them, I just couldn’t believe it. If you don’t have great musicians, you’re not gonna have a very good record, are you?” “We recorded sixteen songs in three days,” continues Beth of the quickfire LA sessions, “but then we spent a long time mixing. Oliver is a brutally hard-working person, but he’s also incredibly sensitive and that combination works so great. He’s strong and focused, but still so vulnerable, and his heart is wide open. I’m so proud of what he did on this record.”

LISA MILLS

Lisa Mills will be back out on the road once again in 2016 in the UK & Europe between mid August till mid November. She has dates right the way across the UK and Europe

to promote her new album, Mama's Juke Book, initially available at gigs or on www. lisamills.com Stripped down, spare and atmospheric, the songs on Mama’s Juke Book have been transformed from their early ‘70s mainstream country origins by being deconstructed and then reimagined with black gospel, blues, soul and jazz as the defining elements—the roots music that has shaped my sound and sensibilities as an artist. Working primarily at The Parlor Recording Studio in New Orleans with Grammy winning engineer Trina Shoemaker and a small, select group of empathetic, top-tier Southern musicians, I felt a freedom in the studio I had never before experienced. Finally, on record, I’ve captured the passion and energy I bring to my live shows along with the full, rich glory of Josephine, my 1947 Epiphone archtop guitar. Lisa explains 'hidden away in my late mother’s personal belongings, there it was a tattered old Dollar General Store notebook. I was stunned

when I opened it to find there, in her beautiful handwriting, page after page of song lyrics from the early 1970s, mostly country hits. She had devoted hours to writing down these precious songs for her own safekeeping, and here they were, decades later, in my hands even though she is gone. Surprisingly, I found some of the songs I already perform in my live shows. Songs that had spoken to me as well, binding me to my mother in ways I had never quite understood until I found the notebook. That wasn’t the only surprise. Tucked carefully among the pages was a song of her own: A Song Of Love by Juanita Powell. The more I looked through her notebook, the more I felt her calling me to bring these songs back to life and to explore my cultural and musical heritage.'

BLUES PILLS

Lady In Gold, the brand new album by up and coming multi-national rock sensation Blues Pills entered the German album charts at #1 in its first week of sale. It went right in at #31 in the UK chart and was #8 in the UK Indie chart and #4 in the UK Vinyl chart!

RIK EMMETT

RES 9 Management along with Mascot Label Group is pleased to announce that Rik Emmett and his new band, RESolution9, have just delivered an album of 11 brand new rockers as part of a multi-album, worldwide deal. The album, entitled RES 9, is tentatively slated to be released through Mascot Label Group in November

Jack Hutchinson and Clive Rawlings

2016. Additionally, legendary guitarist Alex Lifeson of Rush performs on two stellar tracks, with James LaBrie of Dream Theater contributing extraordinary guest vocals on two cuts as well

AYNSLEY LISTER

Award-winning blues-rock guitarist Aynsley Lister has announced that his eighth studio album “Eyes Wide Open” will be released on Friday 7th October 2016 on Straight Talkin’ Records. “Eyes Wide Open” is Aynsley’s magnum opus, which sees him confidently pursuing his own musical path. Selfassured, inventive and richly-textured, Aynsley brings his 18 years of hard touring, 11 album releases (eight studio and three live) and all his experience as a musician to fruition on “Eyes Wide Open”. Aynsley’s previous opus, 2013’s Home garnered the guitar ace both Songwriter of the Year and Song of the Year at the British Blues Awards. “Eyes Wide Open” is a bold, confident and accessible slice of contemporary blues-rock that promises to bring Aynsley yet more accolades as well as introduce his genre-blending sound to a new audience, building on the 100,000 albums he’s already sold worldwide. The new album dovetails Lister’s UK and European tour which kicks off on September 22nd in Chislehurst. For more album and tour date details - http:// www.aynsleylister.co.uk/ .The 39-year-old British guitarist says that this raw, energetic album is a return to his roots, a record that at its heart boasts all the grit of

traditional blues. “I wanted to keep the raw edginess and energy of a band,” says Aynsley. “So that meant minimal takes and going with the ones that had the most spirit and passion over those with technical perfection. To me, music isn’t supposed to be perfect. It’s supposed to grab you and move you both emotionally and physically; it’s supposed to connect with you.” When Joe Bonamassa was interviewed by the

Nottingham Evening Post newspaper whilst on tour in the UK in October 2015, the paper asked the blues guitarist who his favourite British blues guitarists were. “There is a great little crop of blues musicians out there over in the UK right now,” answered Bonamassa. “There is an Irish kid called Simon McBride who is very good, Joanne Shaw Taylor is a superstar in waiting, and I think Aynsley Lister is also very good.”

Aynsley Lister

IGUITAR TECHNIQUE PART 5 BUDDY GUY

Born July 30 1936, in Louisiana, George ‘Buddy’ Guy began experimenting with music at the early age of seven. He started out by creating his very own ‘guitar’, a two-string plank of wood held together by hair pins! By the age of 19, he was regularly performing in clubs around Louisiana

before taking the plunge and catching a train to Chicago to further his career. He made that journey on September 25th 1957, a date so special to Buddy, that he now has it engraved on all of his Guitars. Soon catching the attention of Blues Guitarist/singer Otis Rush, Buddy was taken under his wing and

introduced to a place that would become pivotal in Guy’s career - The 708 Club. It was here, during one of his many performances, that he would meet one of his idols, Muddy Waters. Muddy was so impressed with Buddy’s musical talent that they would later go on to work together. However, it was

Verbals: Kris Barass Visual: Arnie Goodman

another introduction in the 708 Club that would lead to Buddy’s first recording contract. Composer Willie Dixon discovered Guy and helped him secure a deal with Chess Records. Subsequently, Buddy went on to record with many of his inspirations, including Howlin’ Wolf and Little Walter.

In the late 60s, Buddy left for Vanguard records as he wanted to have more creative freedom with his music. Here he released a string of popular albums from the 60’s through to the 80’s. As well as being popular in the blues world, he also gained a decent Rock ‘n’ Roll fan base too. Several huge stars have credited Buddy as an influence, including Eric Clapton, Jeff Beck and Jimi Hendrix. Guy's popularity diminished slightly in the late '80s, but his career was revitalized in the '90s with three Grammy Awardwinning albums: Damn Right, I've Got the Blues (1991), Feels Like Rain (1993) and Slippin' In (1994).

Guy has continued to make music into the 21st century, working with such contemporary artists as Carlos Santana and John Mayer. In 2003, he released Blues Singer, an acoustic album featuring renditions of some of Guy's favourite songs, including both Skip James and Son House covers. In 2005, Guy was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.

Equipment wise, Buddy has always kept it pretty simple. Fender gear has always been a staple part of his rig, most commonly seen with a Strat and a 1959 Fender Bassman

amp. He occasionally uses a Cry Baby Wah, of which he has his own signature model. Buddy has a signature Fender Stratocaster, available in a striking polka-dot paint job.

Let’s take a look at a few licks in the style of Buddy Guy. The first exercise features a lick playing two strings together at the same time. You’ll need to either use your fingers or use ‘hybrid’ picking, where you pick the G string with your plectrum, and use your middle finger to pluck the high E string. You need to make sure that you are playing a very quick slide from the 10th to 11th fret on the G string. Your third finger should just glance over the first note, whilst your first finger is on the high E string. The lick is played using Triplets, which is three notes per beat. To make sure that both of the notes are ringing out clearly, you will need to ensure that your third finger is fretting with the very tip of your finger.

Exercise 2 is based on ideas from his famous track

Damn Right I’ve Got The Blues. Played in the key of A, this lick uses the Minor Pentatonic/Blues scale. Nothing too tricky about this one, just make sure that the first two notes of the first two phrases are played in quick succession. It’s almost done as a ‘rake’.

Exercise 3 is based upon the turnaround of a 12 bar blues in the Key of G. That means it’s designed to be played over the D – C – G (V – IV- I) chord changes of the progression. Buddy likes to keep phrases well-spaced out, but also likes to throw in some quick fire licks to keep you on your toes. This is a perfect example of that, similar to an idea I saw him play on the ‘Live at Red Rocks’ show. Be mindful of the triplet feel, ensuring that you are playing three notes per beat. Keep it slow to begin with and bring the speed up gradually.

Have fun with those and I will see you next issue when we take a look at the style of yet another Blues legend.

AUSTRALIAN BLUES PART 9

Verbals and Visuals: 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.

In most countries, many music festivals are held in the spring or summer seasons. And out of all festivals, there is usually one that stands out above the rest. In Australia, the stand-out festival must be Bluesfest. Each year a line-up is put together showcasing the best in local and international artist/talent in the music scene. Even though the line-up may not be made up entirely of blues musicians, the eclectic mix of artists makes the festival special.

Running over 5 full days during the Easter longweekend it pulls in around

100,000 people. It’s not only the chance to catch and see some of the world's biggest and most popular performers live; it also gives everyone an opportunity to see new performers who are starting to make an impression, making their mark on the music scene. This is what gives people the full Bluesfest festival experience.

Over the decades, music festivals have increased in popularity worldwide. They’ve been the go-to place for fans of all different musical genres. This has been as true in Australia as elsewhere. Due to this popularity, some

festivals have been victims of their own popularity, becoming over–capitalised with many collapsing under the pressure. This caused many festivals to vanish leaving fans stranded without an event where they could catch many artists they admired and idolised all playing, together in the same place. That’s not an option with Bluesfest. This festival runs like a well-oiled machine with a team of people, each with their own responsibilities all working together to produce one of the world’s best events. It’s a mixture that’s gotta be

about right, as Bluesfest reaches its 28th birthday next year: and it’s unlikely to have reached such an age if something isn’t working well.

As one festival finishes, planning is already underway for the follow-up. It’s a never ending cycle that feeds off the staging of the event currently playing. The best line-up of artists is always sourced, attractions for the crowds are continually appraised and of course, huge selections of different foods are always on offer to feed the hungry hordes. When you put all these elements together, you have a recipe that works well. With some 100,000 people streaming through the gates over a relatively short five-day period, you simply must be at the top of the game. It is an absolute must.

That‘s one reason why people keep returning to Bluesfest year after year.

This year we met a lady who had been to every single Bluesfest from the day it first started. Not even pregnancy could keep her away. Now that is dedication. For her, and for many people, it is like coming home every year and meeting up with good old friends and family. And in many ways it’s through these events you make lifelong friends with a shared, mutual interest in the music being showcased. With the size of this event, it is like a whole community appears for 5 days before going back to their normal way of life when it concludes. There are not many other events that can claim that. Come together, see people you haven’t seen for maybe 12 months, meet and make new friends, have a great

time while there is a favourite soundtrack playing from any of the 6 stages around the venue. Can life get any better?

It’s something similarly mirrored on-stage as well. `Artists playing Bluesfest may well be some of the most wellknown people in the music world and spend most of the year touring or in the depths of international recording studios, but this can also be a pleasant, enjoyable break when they come into contact with other artists, many they haven’t seen in some time. It is also a chance for some newer, up-coming bands to rub shoulders with the more experienced and widely

recognised artists and maybe pick up some valuable advice that will stand them in good stead for a long career in music. From experience, the most important aspect of any business is networking and that can stand true, whatever field you’re involved with. When people have been doing something for a long time then it is accurate to say that they have probably hit on the right formula.

This is true for both the artists who are playing this festival and the festival as a whole.

Every year the Bluesfest line-up provides an amazing, inspiring list of names that

Ash Grunwald

reads like a who’s who of the music world. I consider myself as a Bluesfest veteran now as I have been going along for many years and I can honestly say, not once have I been the slightest bit disappointed. Every year when I turn up I’m like a small kid in a candy store. I stand wide eyed to take it all in and then grab hold of a programme and try and work out what my movements will be for the rest of the weekend. This task is harder than studying for a degree. There is so much goodness on the list that planning is the hardest part and the schedule also changes many times over the course of the weekend. Many discussions take place with other festivalgoers and this leads to more directional confusion. Before long, I’ll have several programs and end up using different parts from different programs to ensure I manage

to see the best of the best. This year, the artists were absolutely stand out. Across all days, there was a whole array of artists guaranteeing a complete feast for both eyes and ears. The names just kept appearing on the stages before your eyes: Tedeschi Trucks Band, Grace Potter, Gary Clark Jr., Nathaniel Ratecliff and the Night Sweats, Taj Mahal, The Mick Fleetwood Blues Band, Janiva Magness, The Word and The Original Blues Brothers Band. The best international acts all in one place all playing alongside Australian artists who are starting to make their names in this music. Young and old alike gave it their all - The Backsliders, Ash Grunwald, Russell Morris, Chain, Marshall O’Kell and last year’s busking competition winners, Grizzlee Train.

This is why Bluesfest continues to be the best

in the business. Artists now want to come work the Bluesfest stage: it has become so renowned in the international music festival world.

If you’ve yet to have the chance to experience this event then you should certainly mark it down as a ‘must do.’ You won’t be disappointed and, who knows, it may become an essential annual pilgrimage for you. I know for myself, it is something that always needs to be marked in my own personal calendar because it is truly an annual musical highlight.

Bluesfest is nothing short of a musical heaven on earth, and while Mr. Noble is in charge of this incredible event, I am pleased to be welcomed through the gates by St. Peter every year. It really doesn’t get much better than that.

Hussy Hicks

TRAGIC HEROES OF JUG BAND BLUES

Verbals: Liam Ward – LearnTheHarmonica.com

Visuals: Paul Nicholas

There just might be a side of the blues you have never heard: jug band music.

When I started playing harmonica with British jug band The Rumblestrutters, I decided to do some research. (Best check out the competition, even if they were recording almost a century ago!) Coming from a blues background, I thought I’d be lost at sea, but it surprised me how bluesy this style of music really can be.

Jug bands are often associated with novelty and silliness, the lighter side

of American roots music. In a way this is fair, but it is important to remember the crossover between the jug band tradition and the darker, mournful blues we know and love. Many artists played both styles, indeed many didn’t separate their playing into genres. Music in the poor America of the early twentieth century was just music. Robert Johnson played all sorts of songs; whatever could earn him the next dollar, in fact. And so it is that blues and jug band music mixed without question or thought.

Jug bands use a host of weird and wonderful instruments. Aside from the jug, there’s the washtub bass, spoon, kazoo, comb, broom… I could go on. In this context, the expressive and influential use of harmonica can often be overlooked. When I started looking, though, I found some very interesting characters. And very bluesy, too. What follows is the tragic story of two virtuoso harmonica players and a great musical tradition. Noah Lewis was born in 1890 (or was it 1895… nobody’s sure), and at a young

The Rumblestrutters

age had already attracted attention for the volume and tone he could muster, abilities he developed playing in local string and marching bands. He was also renowned for his ability to play two harmonicas simultaneously using mouth and nose (it’s said that he passed this trick on to Walter Horton). In 1907 he ran into travelling musician Gus Cannon, and they formed the trio Cannon, Lewis and Thompson. The popularity of another harmonica player, however, was to change the direction of their trio - and jug band music - forever.

In the late 1920s another harmonica player by the name of Will Shade was becoming popular with his band the Memphis Jug Band. Seeing this, Cannon added a ‘jug’ (actually a coal-oil can) to his trio and so was born Cannon’s Jug Stompers. During the band’s sessions, Lewis recorded four solo tracks plus four sides as the Noah Lewis Jug Band. Perhaps his most celebrated playing from this era is the haunting solo in ‘Viola Lee Blues’ from 1928. Lewis experienced problems with cocaine, his abilities declined and he disappeared into obscurity for thirty years, as did Cannon. In the winter of 1961, the story goes that Lewis became lost out in the cold, with only threadbare clothes to protect him from the biting winter chill, and succumbed to frostbite. He died in poverty, and alone. Had he lived another year, he would have seen his old friend Cannon’s ‘Walk Right In’ take mainstream white culture by storm. As a result of the Rooftop Singers’ hit

single version of that song, the then-79-year-old Gus Cannon was asked to record an album for Stax Records. The offer came just too late for Lewis. But guess who else played on that recording? Why, Will Shade, of course.

Will Shade was not only a harmonica player but a multi-instrumentalist, bandleader and composer. He set up the Memphis Jug Band when he heard the first jug band recordings coming out of Louisville, Kentucky. Shade played guitar, the "bullfiddle" or washtub bass, and the harmonica. He sang too. His distinctive country blues harmonica influenced several big-name players of the next generation. Over a period of about forty years a large number of rotating musicians were backed up by the ubiquitous Shade on recordings billed as the Memphis Jug Band. A particular favourite of mine is Stealin’ Stealin’ in which Shade, as far as I can tell, flips between two harmonicas - one in first position and one in second – in order to get the high note for the chorus.

Shade was a conscientious businessman and through the band was able to buy a house plus a chunk of record company stock, but the Great Depression hit him hard. With the decline of the industry and the change of the public’s musical taste, the Memphis Jug Band grew quiet and slipped into obscurity.

Thirty years later, blues revivalists found Shade and some of his old bandmates still playing together, along with old rival Gus Cannon. Shade, by now, was not a well man. Charlie Musselwhite

says that around this time he would visit Shade and give money and alcohol if he could afford it. One time he found Shade’s arm burning from a nearby heater. He was so weak that he couldn’t move away from the heat. Musselwhite helped him to lie down and played some harmonica for him. “You been up in Chicago, boy!” said Shade, “You got that Chicago sound now. You go ahead on boy!” Musselwhite never saw him again. In a tale eerily similar to that of Lewis, Shade died of pneumonia, a poor man.

For many years his body lay in an unmarked grave. However, this story isn’t all doom and gloom. In 2008 a group of musicians held a fundraiser and purchased a headstone for Shade's grave; they also sponsored a spot on the Beale Street walk of fame for the Memphis Jug Band.

The fact there is still an interest in the music of these great musicians is thanks partly to awareness raised by passionate bands of the 1960s. In addition to the Rooftop Singers, we had the Grateful Dead recording Stealin’ as their first single, Jim Kweskin’s Boston-based jug band (with Mel Lyman on harmonica) and The Lovin’ Spoonful citing jug band music as their inspiration.

Fifty years on, jug band harmonica is rarely heard. But its common roots with the blues ought to be remembered. And for those wanting something a little different from the usual 12 bar story, perhaps jug band music still has something to offer. http://www.therumblestrutters. com/

CHICAGO BLUES PART 1

THE BLUES IS STILL ALIVE

Verbals and Visuals: Paul Natkin

Greetings from Chicago, the “Home of the Blues.” Lately conversations have been arising, expressing concerns that the blues does not have a future. As Buddy Guy turns 80 years old, as Eric Clapton retires, as B.B. King and many others of his age group pass on, people are wondering what the future holds. I can say that here in Chicago the blues remains in good hands.

Toronzo Cannon is a forty-eight year old born and raised Chicagoan who plays blazing guitar and writes songs with a great sense of humour. During the day he works as a transit bus driver for the city of Chicago, taking notes on what he sees as he drives around the city. He grew up on the south side of the city, going to blues clubs and watching where guitar players put their fi ngers on the fretboard, then going home and practicing those notes. He fi rst thought he would start a Reggae band, but soon the blues was calling him, and he answered the call. He began by

playing in other people's bands – Wayne Baker Brooks and Joanna Conner, both of whom play around Chicago regularly. He then formed his own band and his high energy and great songs soon got him gigs all over Chicago. He recorded three independent CD’s, signed to Delmark Records for one CD, and earlier this year he released his fi rst CD on Alligator Records. Called “The Chicago Way” it has allowed him to tour worldwide, but still take several star turns on the main stage the last two years running at the Chicago Blues Festival. http://www.toronzocannon.com/

Kenny Smith was born to Blues royalty. The son of Willie “Big Eyes” Smith, Muddy Waters drummer, Kenny spent the first five years of his life living with his parents in the basement flat of Muddy’s house, learning drums by sitting in the corner during Muddy Waters band rehearsals! His father took him on the road when he was in his teens, and soon allowed the young Mr. Smith to go out on the road with other artists he trusted to take care of his kid! He is now the most in demand drummer in Chicago and beyond, playing in The Cash Box Kings, Mississippi Heat, his own band and anywhere someone needs a great drummer. He plays on many sessions, including the CD by the Chicago All Stars that included his father as a singer and guitar player (the last recording his father did before passing.)

http://beedyeyes.com/

Melody Angel is a lifelong South-side Chicagoan. Twentyfour years old, she grew up in a Hip Hop world but with a blues and roots sensibility. She called herself a nerd who was made fun of in school because she listened to Muddy Waters instead of Beyonce on the bus. She comes from a musical family, is a self taught guitar player who writes about the world around her with a vision that belies her young age. In front of an audience, she sounds like a young Nina Simone or Odetta. She is also one of the youngest players on the circuit, and uses the tools of her peers to further her career. She got her first gigs in Chicago by making YouTube videos of her songs and sending links to booking agents. Right now she is just making her way into the world of the blues, playing every Thursday night at Rosa’s blues club. She got her first booking this past year at the Chicago Blues Festival, playing at noon on Saturday morning. When she started there were about ten people watching her play. Halfway through her set, there were about two hundred. She is now well on her way to making a solid career for herself.

http://www.melodyangelmusic.com/

Guy King is an Israeli-born guitar player, who came to Chicago by way of Brazil. He used to walk for an hour to catch a bus to take him to the city to buy blues discs to learn from (his biggest influence is Albert King). He travelled to Brazil, where he started playing in a small club on the beach. He was discovered there by a television producer, who booked him for a national show which got him enough exposure (and money) to be able to move North to Chicago, where he has become a fi xture on the local scene. He has established himself as a great guitar player (Buddy Guy is a big fan) and a great bandleader, incorporating horns (if the stage is big enough) to his jazzy blues sound. He has been playing in clubs around the Chicago area for the last couple of years. Earlier this year, he released his first CD on Bob Koester’s Delmark Records, and is now touring the world.

http://www.guyking.net/

RADIATING THE 88 s

PART 3: FIVE CHICAGO PIANO LEGENDS

Hi everyone, it’s piano time again. This time we’re looking at the distillation of the powerhouse piano styles into the classic Chicago small group sound. At the top of this tree we might want to place Memphis Slim and Otis Spann, two players who, along with Johnnie Johnson (Chuck Berry’s right hand man), still define the post war blues piano approach. Join the Facebook group Radiating The 88s (www.facebook.com/ groups/radiatingthe88s) and let me know your

thoughts on the subject, or tweet me @dompipkin Leroy Carr, although born at the same time as the boogie-woogie greats, had an altogether different vision for his music. Rather than a driving, rocking rhythm that gave the boogie style such dominance throughout the thirties and beyond, he favoured a gentler blues style – slower, rocking in mellow fashion. In this sense he’s the influence that emerges decades later in both Ray Charles and Nat King Cole. As far as his piano style

goes – gone is that desperate manic stomp and the pound of barrelhouse; with Carr we hear the early stride styles evolving into the mid-tempo chug of classic Chicago blues. My personal choice is Mean Mistreater Woman, a track that sounds like Robert Johnson on piano. Another beautiful example of his style is the classic How Long, How Long Blues. Listen to how light the left hand has become. Incidentally, Carr didn’t live in Chicago… Carr was ahead of his time and sadly killed by his heavy drinking shortly after his thirtieth birthday but with or without him things were about to change as the boogie bubble expanded and eventually burst. The blues had a little more time to incubate, especially in the densely African-American populated South Side of Chicago, and groups were beginning to take the place of solo acts; amplification and better recording processes were changing the sensibilities of performance and technique. Within a group, the piano is freed from its constantly percussive role, as drums and bass can support the left hand, while interweaving harmonica, guitar, and voice can give the right hand a more interactive and refined role, at times punching through (and needing to find that space), and at times playing off the contributions of others.

But before we get to the three big kings, let’s remember the influence of Roosevelt Sykes. Born in Arkansas, Sykes was on the road from the age of 15, and could play it all. To my ears

Verbals: Dom Pipkin – www.dompipkin.co.uk Visual: Jennifer Noble

Henry Gray

he has the delta sensibility of Robert Johnson translated to piano - I guess that like early Muddy Waters, he was still representing that background when he hit those New York and Chicago recording studios. Sykes gave the world the 44 Blues with its tumbling bouncing feel, and his wealth of recordings also chart a transition from a rambling style to the rolling, rocking urban style. I like his D.B.A Blues for its wonderful solo piano work. A spectacular innovator of the new sound was Big Maceo Merriweather. His Chicago Breakdown is a classic – amplifying and updating boogie woogie and brimming with optimism. Of course Maceo is also known for giving us the Worried Life Blues, a true acoustic steady tempo roller, a style which was to be taken up by the new generation of Chicago artists throughout the 1950s (Maceo recorded this song in 1941). He put out impressive quantities of these steady triplet-laden shuff les, all of them containing a blueprint for the classic Chicago blues sound – trilling right hand, machine gun stabs, and descending right hand rolls.

And, of course, Memphis Slim. Slim kept the origins of his birth in his name, but by 1939, aged 24, he moved to Chicago and started recording and collaborating. A fantastic track where he himself introduces is the Grinder Man Blues. Played on glorious solo piano, it dates back from as early as 1940/1. This one track has the whole Chicago sound running through and all over it. Slim then goes on to

reference every cool style of blues with ease and masterful playing in both hands on both live dates and on record. Often working with the House Rockers band, Slim eventually went on to settle in Europe, leaving a rich legacy of textbook Chicago blues, from the slow and mournful to full on rockers.

Finally, we have Otis Spann. Well of course we have many others who shaped the sound of blues piano in the post war style – Lafayette Leake, Henry Gray (who I’ve even seen a few times), Sunnyland Slim, Black Bob. All of these players brought that depth and rhythm from the original delta sound into the urban environment of combos playing the blues. But let’s look at Otis Spann. A generation younger than the others here, he’s my personal favourite, largely on account of his soaring piano and wonderful voice. It’s smooth yet husky, and you know he’s feeling every lyric when he sings, in a voice that sounds to me like he’s half crying, half laughing and the third half drunk. It’s a truly beautiful thing.

Otis Spann was born into a musical family, made the trip from Jacksonville to Chicago both as a leader and band member featuring in bands with Muddy Waters and Wolf. He has all the Chicago piano language and perhaps the most deft, most intricate right hand work. When Spann dances up and down the keys with single note blues scale runs, they seem as driving and heartfelt as his voice. They have a particular velocity, kind of rushed sounding, in

their execution. Check out my selection for the great man in the essential tracks box.

Like all piano ‘schools’, the Chicago sound as projected to the world through Chess records in the mid 40’s to late 50’s had its pure moment in the sun but has remained the touchstone for proper blues piano ever since. Revisit some Chicago!

LUCKY THIRTEEN

CHICAGO BLUES BELTERS

1 How Long How Long Blues

Leroy Carr and Scapper

Blackwell – 1928

2 Mean Mistreater Mama

Leroy Carr and Scapper

Blackwell –1934

3 44 Blues

Roosevelt Sykes (from Little Brother Montgomery) – 1928

4 32-20 Blues

Roosevelt Sykes – 1930. (Seven years before Robert Johnson’s recording).

5 D.B.A. Blues

Roosevelt Sykes – 1934

6 Worried Life Blues

Big Maceo – 1941

7 Chicago Breakdown

Big Maceo – 1945

8 Grinder Man Blues

Memphis Slim – 1940/1

9 Little Mary

Memphis Slim – 1946. (Listen to the crossover from jump to classic Chicago, with saxophone here instead of lead guitar).

10 Wish Me Well

Memphis Slim – (check out the live version from Rockin’ The Blues on Charly records, or the 1976 live version).

11 Country Boy

Otis Spann – 1960

12 Marie

Otis Spann – 1966?

13 Burning Fire

Otis Spann – 1960s

Do you like the Cramps, Nick Cave, Black Sabbath and ACDC? Then you’ll love the RES MEN. Liverpool garage blues psychos The Resurrection Men take the blues and pushes it into the realms of the macabre and the horrific. Years and years of grinding out gigs to non-believers and performing the dark songs of Son House, Robert Johnson and Howlin’ Wolf have imbued their songs with horror, fear and fire. The music is about sex, death and heartbreak and is played with an intensity and commitment that can upset and astound in equal measure. Singer Nick Fitzgerald states, ‘I will not compromise my vocal style. I am a powerful tenor with a big delivery and if that blows the froth off your pint whilst you’re at the bar it matters not as long as the performance is visceral and alive.’ Vocally Nick is influenced by early bluesmen such as Skip James and Blind Lemon Jefferson as well as later proponents such as Robert Plant. Nick says, ‘It is all about seizing the original creative moment of the performance for me. There is a lot of anger and frustration and I just power it all into the songs to exorcise the bad juju.’

Guitar player Dom Newton who co-writes all the material with singer Nick is adamant that the band will not be burnt out by their heavy gigging schedule and not lose any of their braggadocio. ‘We are a full on band live. We don’t leave the stage until we have wrung ourselves and the audience dry.’ Newton cites Poison Ivy of the Cramps, Jimmy

THE RESURRECTION MEN

Do you like the Cramps, Nick Cave, Black Sabbath and ACDC? Then you’ll love the RES MEN.

Verbals: Dom Newton Visuals: Keir Flowerdew

Page and Pete Townsend as influences on his guitar sound and overtly physical performance style. The highly charged eroticism of their material has meant that The Resurrection Men have developed a strong female following with many female fans citing a similarity to Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds which is easily detected in the songs such as The Boogieman and Undead Vampire Blues. Newton says, ‘We are on a mission to play and perfect this material and if it is dark and uncompromising

we don’t apologise. We are prepared to face death in order to progress the vision of this band.’ Literary influences come in the form of Henry Miller, Arthur Rimbaud and Edgar Allen Poe and there is a desperate, fin de siècle glory to this band’s interpretation of the blues. The Resurrection Men is the band for the rockers and the weirdos, the lonely and the disturbed. Listen to the unquiet grave that is their sound here: Twitter:@domgumbo Booking enquiries: Maury Ballstein 07552679506

Back in 2015 a BBC presenter asked me ‘Did I fi nd the blues, or did the blues fi nd me? Well here’s my story – you decide.

So who am I? I’m Elles Bailey, I hail from Bristol and I blend the soul of the blues with a contemporary edge, taking influence from roots, gospel and country. The fi rst thing anyone notices about me is the gravelly tone in my voice that leaves me sounding like I smoke 60 a day.

I owe this huskiness to a pretty serious stint in hospital when I was younger and was kept on life support for 17 days. However, once I was home and started talking again, my voice had completely changed. So, genuinely worried, my parents took me to a voice specialist. He checked me over and amazingly enough said there was nothing wrong, but that if I ever turned out to be a singer, that I would be great at singing the blues!

I was brought up on a diet of Chess Records blues and rock & roll, and I took every opportunity to get up on stage in my dad’s band as a young thing and sing with them.

Flash forward many years, sitting on a jetty in Thailand, playing my beat up old travel guitar, the idea for my track ‘Howlin Wolf’ came into being. A raunchy tribute to Chess Records and the prolific artists on that label that’s when this ‘Elles Bailey’ project truly began.

For the last two years I have been out on the road, with my band touring through the UK and Europe.

ELLES BAILEY

“Did I find the blues, or did the blues find me?”

Verbals: Elles Bailey Visuals: Bob Collins

My fi rst EP ‘Who Am I To Me’ was released in February 2015 and my next one; ‘The Elberton Sessions’ is just about to drop.

2016 started with a bang! The fi rst few months consisted of a big tour of Europe, taking us 3500 miles across 5 countries and culminating at the Bristol Jazz and Blues Festival – a great way to end the tour on home soil to such an incredible crowd. The festival

season was fabulous and now I’m back out on tour for all of October, and opening for Wille & The Bandits for part of their UK tour. I’m fi nalizing plans for a studio album and sorting out my Spring 2017 tour. I can only look forward to the future, what it holds and meeting so many more of you out on the road over the next few months.

www.ellesbailey.com

HEADLINE MANIAC

Headline Maniac are a new project from long-serving Eddie and The Hot Rods members Ian ‘Dipster’ Dean bass and lead vocals, Chris Taylor guitar and vocals and Simon Bowley drums.

Verbals: Martin Cook Visuals: Supplied by artist

Aclassic power trio, the Maniacs deal in solid, blues-based rock and roll, served up with a punk edge and earworm sensibilities (in short, powerful and catchy).

When the original Hot Rods lineup reconvened for a series of 40th anniversary shows in mid 2015, Dipster, Chris and Simon put together a band to open for the reunited band, basing their set list around a batch of freshly-written material, originally intended for the Hot Rods themselves, but rejected for being not quite right for that band.

The band went down a storm at the Hot Rod anniversary shows, so Headline Maniac have decide

to go the distance. The band hit the road, playing shows throughout the ‘Thames Delta’ swathe of Essex that they call home. For those in the know the Delta gave rise to the careers of Dr Feelgood, The Kursaal Flyers and the Hot Rods themselves, not to mention a whole host of pub rock legends that paved the way for punk, taking chunks of the blues, adding booze and stepping on the accelerator. So why not keep that tradition going?

The Maniacs entered the studio in autumn of last year to record their debut album. The result is a collection of hook-laden blues punk rock, called simply Headline Maniac and is doing very

well out there. Numbers like You’re The One For Me, Bad, evoke Zeppelin’s blues rock, whilst 14 Days’ bounding pace and poppy hooks, mixed with a real bite.

The chemistry within Headline Maniacs stems from the fact that this trio have been playing together for over ten years and have worked hard to get their sound pin-sharp and perfect, and after 76 dates with the Hot Rods reunion tour alone under their belt and more gigs to come the band are really going places. So, if you like your blues with a dash of attitude and a whole lot fun check this band out now! For more information, go to www.headlinemaniac.com

DELTA RADIO

Delta Radio are a fi ve piece psychedelic blues rock band from Wrexham, in North Wales. They are: Matt Nicholls on vocals and harmonica, Steve Nicholls on guitar, Steve Jones on guitar, Jamie Owens on bass, and James Edwards on drums.

Verbals: Sven Meinhof Visuals: Supplied by band

The group met a few years ago playing in various indie rock bands around North Wales. Over the years, in various bands, they have all recorded and released records on a variety of labels, and toured in numerous countries.

The band have often got together to jam, and it was at these sessions that the seeds of Delta Radio were sown. The group have always loved playing psychedelic blues rock such as Hendrix, early Captain Beefheart, The Doors, and Muddy Waters; as well as more mainstream blues rock like Allman Brothers and Freddie King. The band are also at home with more experimental work, and will often turn a conventional blues song into a soundscape in the vein of Acid Mothers

Temple, or Sunburned Hand Of The Man.

Earlier in the year the band found themselves at a jam night together and following their set were asked to appear at two blues festivals. The first ‘official’ gig for the band was at the Goin’ Up The Country blues festival in Overton where they headlined the Friday night to an ecstatic reception from the crowd. The second appearance was at North Wales Blues and Soul Festival, where the band consolidated their reputation as ones to watch on the blues scene.

So far the band have recorded no original material, but they are currently in the process of writing their first EP which will be released later in the year. As musicians with many years of studio experience in previous bands, the expectation is for something slightly different to a mainstream blues record.

The group’s next show will be a one off performance of Muddy Waters’ classic, and controversial, psychedelic blues album from 1967, ‘Electric Mud’. They performed the album in its entirety at the Summer Of Love psychedelic festival in Wrexham, in September. Following that, the group did debut some of their own material supporting Aynsley Lister at Telford’s Warehouse in Chester in September.

The band can be followed on facebook (facebook.com/deltaradioband ), twitter and Instagram (@deltaradioband ), as well as their own website www.deltaradioband. co.uk

DEEP IN THE TOP

Deep in the Top were formed in 2010 by four high school students in Thessaloniki, Greece. Since then, the band has performed at some of the town’s biggest music venues and festivals.

Verbals: Nikos Tsopoglou Visuals: Bob Corey

In February 2012 Deep in the Top played for the first time at a concert with the biggest Greek blues band, the Blues Wire. Then Deep in the Top collaborated with Blues Wire’s Elias Zaikos who recorded two songs with them at their fi rst recording attempt.

A year later Deep in the Top participated in a music contest, organized by Phillipos Nakas conservatory, they were chosen by the judges and travelled to Athens to compete at the fi nals. They won the 1st prize after a unanimous vote and got the chance to study at the conservatory for a year.

The following summer the band recorded their

fi rst album titled ‘It’s the Blues that I choose’. The album was self-released in the spring of 2014 and was quite successful.

One of the band’s biggest moments was to take place on 31st October 2014, when they organized the fi rst blues youth festival in Thessaloniki, under the name “Thess Blues Fest”.

The following months along with gigging, Deep in the Top were getting prepared for the recording of their second album. They got into the studio in April 2015 and started working on several original compositions with tunes ranging from blues to heavy rock sounds and atmospheric ballads, as well as funky grooves.

The album is now ready. It is titled “Blues In Different Colours” and it will be available for online purchase by fall. Who are Deep in the Top? They are Nikos TsopoglouGkinas guitar, vocals and harmonica, Mike Trachalios keyboards, flute and vocals, Minas Vakaloudis bass and Filippos Samlidis on drums. Having just completed their first mini tour of the UK starting off at North Wales Blues and Soul Festival in Mold, where they made a massive impression on many people in attendance, as well as selling a good amount of albums. I am sure they will be back again to the UK next year with more dates and a longer tour.

Cole and Logan Layman have grown up making music together. They are both multi-instrumentalists and write original music. They are young, passionate, and all about the blues. Their unique and diverse sound ranges from gritty, footstomping acoustic work, to an electrified big-band sound. They perform nationally as a duo, as a trio with their mother on drums and washboard, or as a full band which includes keys, a horn section, and a professional drummer who happens to be their producer and mentor. No matter how they present their music, the core is rooted in the blues, and it is the undeniable connection these siblings have that shines through and makes them special.

The Layman’s may be teens, but they are not strangers to accolades. Logan was named Veer Magazine's Emerging Artist of the Year in 2015. She was the Sea Level Singer/

IN LAYMAN TERMS

Young, passionate, and all about the blues

Verbals and Visuals: Supplied by artist

Songwriter’s Emerging Artist of the year in 2014. In 2013, she was named "Blues Kid of the Year." Logan has just become Ernie Ball’s youngest female to endorse Music Man, and her custom bass is currently being built for her. In addition to her solo/duo and band work, she also plays upright bass and is first chair in her high school’s orchestra.

Cole graduated from high school in June and will be attending Berklee College of Music in Boston this fall. Cole is endorsed by Steve Clayton custom guitar pics. He and Logan are both proud inductees into The Brotherhood of the Guitar, an elite group of young guitarists from all over the world. They are Farmer Foot Drum Artists, and they endorse their quality foot percussion. They appeared

in the August, 2014 issue of Guitar Player Magazine. Their debut album has received rave reviews and their music has been played on radio stations all over the country and all over the world.

The act has no intention to disband with Cole moving on to college. In fact, they have several festivals booked and are already planning their sophomore album. The siblings would like to book a European Tour for next summer, and they plan to begin recording during Cole’s winter break. They are going to take their time with this next album because they believe it has to be even better than their first, which they are very proud of.

The sky is the limit for these young musicians! They are working hard, but enjoying the journey.

Beth Hart THE SOUL OF BLUES MUSIC ROLLS ON

Invited back to the Montreal Jazz Festival after her massive success first time around, Beth spends some time sitting in the afternoon sunshine to talk to close friend Andy Hughes about her new album, and being back on the road again.

Verbals: Andy Hughes Visuals: Mona Nordoy

DISCOGRAPHY

No-one could ever say Beth Hart has had it easy. She is utterly honest about her historic and ongoing battles with the demons of alcohol, drugs, and a crippling bi-polar mental condition. But she has taken all of those experiences and joined them with the positives – Grammy nominations, sold-out tours, collaborations with superstar musicians, a blissfully happy marriage, and channelled them into her music. Invited back to the Montreal Jazz Festival after her massive success first time around, Beth spends some time sitting in the afternoon sunshine to talk to close friend Andy Hughes about her new album, and being back on the road again.

Reviewers always seem to say the same thing about your albums, and I am sure they will be saying it about this one – that is your most personal record. I think all of your records are personal or do they vary from record to record?

That’s what I say too. When someone asks if this is my most personal record, I say no, all of my records are personal.

Any album is snapshots of where you are at the time you make it. It’s where you are at the time you write it, and record it, and it’s an aural photograph of that particular time. Yes … Yes! That’s absolutely right. It is where I am now, and where I will be until the next one.

You have been to Russia on tour – do they get

what you do?

They do! They absolutely do! I gotta tell you man, whatever country you go to as a musician, if an audience likes what you do, they will be essentially the same in many many ways. The energy is there, the listening is there, the love is there. The people are very different on the streets around the world, but as audiences, they are very much alike. The other

difference was I was opening for other artists. When you open for someone, you have to approach things very differently. People say, go out there and just be yourself. That’s bullshit! You always have to be yourself as a musician, unless you are a very good actor, and if you are that good, then you are probably working as an actor not as a musician! When I opened for Gary Clarke Jr. in the States I decided to be very cool and very relaxed and very chilled. I didn’t go out whoopin’ and hollerin’ and looking to get everyone up and involved. I didn’t assume anyone even knew who I was, and I certainly didn’t assume they knew my songs, or were there to see me. You have to remember that the audience is not ‘your audience’ and you have to respect that. It worked,

uplifting songs, I can’t pretend to them. Having to pretend I am happy when I am not would make me feel dirty afterwards. If I am already in a low mood, I don’t want to feel worse by pretending to put on a happy face. That’s lying, and I absolutely do not do that.

Do you ever have writer’s block?

I do, and the song As Long As I Have A Song is written about that feeling. To me, the very fi rst time I walked over to the piano and reached up to touch the keys, when I was about four it was like reaching out to God. I don’t know that I understood what God was about at that age, I am not sure I had even been to church as kid. I just knew that the piano represented a place that I could go, a fi gure that was

you have to wait until it passes whenever that is?

I have to let it pass when it is ready to pass. I have learned that. I have tried to fi ght it before and that just made me feel even worse than ever, so the answer is not to fi ght and make it worse, but to know that it will pass, and wait for that time to come. It always does.

You are a very spiritual person. I wonder how you reconcile loving a God who puts you through so much pain. That is such a beautiful question! Sometimes I give into it, and I wonder if I am just not good enough or if I am a bad person, I don’t know it when I am feeling that but at other times when I think about that. I know it is just about being without faith. When I am going

because I didn’t come on all ego and assumptions. You learn to read the room, read the audience, adapt and work around it, and be respectful.

Does your set list stay the same for a tour, or do you change it around every night?

I change it around, because it has to work on the mood I have on me at the time. I am not a good actress! It doesn’t always work in my favour though, if I am in a dark mood, I will play dark music, and if the audience want to hear happy and

standing over me and that was going to help me. The piano was my way to connect to God, I felt it then and it has only got stronger as I have grown up. So when I get writer’s block I imagine that I am being punished for something. I feel that maybe God is mad at me for something, that the angels don’t want to come and help me to write any more, and I feel very abandoned, and I feel very sad, that is how writer’s block feels to me.

Is there anything you can do to get past it, or do

through something really difficult and really painful, I have to know that God believes I am strong enough to go through it, and I am going to learn something, or what? Am I going to kill myself? Or am I going to survive and learn and grow. If it is too much for me then his mercy will take me home and I will die and I will go onto something that is not too hard for me to deal with. So, I believe in the mercy of God, I believe that the more we evolve, the more we use our minds, the less trauma and horror and fear there

LIFE IS REALLY REALLY GOOD. I KNOW THAT, I TRY AND FEEL IT EVERY SINGLE DAY

will be. In the meantime, we are where we are, and where we are supposed to be.

Do you have a favourite song to play?

I love St. Teresa. I love that song and it is almost always in my set. The only time I take it out is if I feel the sound mix is not right because it has to be right for me to sing that song and get it over properly. That song makes me feel connected to humility, and that is the most important thing for any artist to remain connected to, and also one of the hardest. It’s especially hard if you are out on tour, and people are paying to come and see you, and applaud your performance, and tell you they love you. It’s easy for your ego to take that and take it somewhere else, somewhere not good. You start to believe that it is not all about the music, it is all about you. That’s why that song is important to me; it reminds me that it is not about me,

it is about feelings and something that will save you.

You work twenty-four-seven with Scott your husband, how do either of you ever get any personal space? How it works is, we don’t actually have any desire for personal space. When we are not in the same room as each other, we do miss each other. We like to be together, even if we are squabbling. A big part of our relationship is based on how strong we are as personalities and characters, and how much we bang heads, and actually, how much we both enjoy that. It confuses people who don’t know us when they see us getting into it, but one thing we know, is, we never go below the belt. We enjoy the debate, the exchange of wit and opinions. We spat, and that’s fun. We also need lots or reassurance, lots of kisses and cuddles, and we do that as well. That’s how it works for us.

It’s your name on the records, on the posters and on the tickets, does that mean you can be hard on your band to get them to sound how you want them to sound?

I can be if I want it a certain way, but I try not to bang on them with hammer, I inspire them with love. I will go over and over things and give instructions about how I want things to sound but do it in a very loving and caring way.

I know I am very sensitive and if someone wanted to get something out of me, I would want them to be kind and encourage me and show me that I can do what they want and I can give them something better. I try to get the band to see that. It’s going to come and surprise me. Once it’s there we don’t say much else.

Are you going to continue touring?

Well, we bought a new house last year, so we are doing a lot of touring to keep up with that. I think sometimes being on the road so much is not good for me but is helping me to keep myself disciplined and I’m learning how to look after myself properly. I am so, so blessed. I was born in the USA, I had a good education and I have a family and a husband who all love me. Life is really really good. I know that, I try and feel it every single day.

Beth Hart’s new album Fire On The Floor will be released in Europe on 14th October 2016 and to the rest of the world on 3rd February 2017. Beth’s European tour begins in November in Germany and will cover various venues in the UK, Netherlands and France.

BETH HART FIRE ON THE FLOOR MASCOT

You want lots of things from a Beth Hart album. You want her to be different from what you expect –she is. The album kicks off with a snappy piece of pure jazz, called, in case of any confusion, Jazzman. She will use that sinuous sexy vocal style, that’s there on Love Gangster. Can she make a brand name sound like an invitation to be naughty?

Check out the song Coca Cola. And of course, you want that trademark bruised and hurting redemption blues on which her reputation is built and still grows, and that’s there in the title track of this wonderful album. Ideally there should be that organ/piano combination that Beth prophesies over so well, it’s called Baby Shot Me Down. And what about something to make you weep? Good Day To Cry will do that. The bed that Beth’s vocals lie on is a fabulous band of sterling musicians who can match every vocal nuance, every mood shift and change. So you want a Beth Hart album that progresses but remains familiar in all the strong places of her music. The depth and emotion in her vocal expression, her vulnerable soul-shredding lyrics, her sassy sexy rockin’ rollin’ front that the

real Beth puts out to the world, and even a song about coming home after touring, to love and peace after all the emotional journey of the previous collection of musical gems. It’s all here. If you’d like a collection of songs that can pick up almost all your moods and feelings, even the ones that hurt quite a lot, then this is what you have been waiting for. While you listen, you can imagine just how Beth’s raw and edgy live approach to these songs is going to work. How she will take them and mould them into an incendiary live workout that will take your mind and soul on a journey through life, love and loss. This is an artist at the absolute peak of her writing, singing and emotional powers. It doesn’t get any better than this.

ANDY HUGHES

Rocky Athas ROCKY WHATEVER THE BAND

Last issue BM's Clive Rawlings caught up with Rocky Athas for the first part of our interview with the legend. Here concludes the interview in part two.

Verbals: Clive Rawlings Visuals: Arnie Goodman

From memory, you're the only guitarist to have had a career before joining the Bluesbreakers, do you fi nd that strange? Not at all. I think John was looking to evolve from his Bluesbreakers history of discovering and training new musicians to do what he needed. I think he wanted to be challenged. John said that before he called me, he bought ALL of my albums and listened to them intently. He knew what he wanted and remembered my performance in Texas. John said I had a very distinct style and tone and he wanted my signature on his classics live and my sound on his new recordings. When Miracle was released, John wrote a very nice message online about the album, and thanked me for keeping the blues alive and fresh. I was honoured by his comments.

You're one of that rare breed, in that you're a guitarist not renowned for singing, the wonderful aforementioned Larry Samford excepted. Which vocalists have you been impressed with?

That's a great question! I respect the hell out of great singers. Because the human voice is so unique and fragile and difficult to train and maintain, I have more respect for vocalists than any other musician. Hand me any guitar and amp, and in most cases, I can make it sound like me, but singers can't do that. That's why I have always enjoyed having a band with a singer that could interpret

my songs better than I could. I wish I was a great singer, but my voice just won't go where I hear the melody in my head, and that's why I put so much melody into my guitar work. I try to play guitar like a singer sings. Jeff Beck and Carlos Santana do not sing but it doesn't preclude them from being at the epicentre of their music. Who doesn't love Stevie Wonder because his voice is his instrument? As unusual as it may sound, I loved Jack Bruce's voice because he delivered his message with conviction and melody in the style that I love. On the scene today, I enjoy Robert Cray's voice because he is very soulful and Bruno Mars and Jason Mraz are on my playlist regularly. Both of them deliver songs with passion. Unfortunately, the nature of making money in the music business often requires a band to travel with less musicians, and forces many lead guitar players to sing whether they want to or not, in order to book a gig. Promoters have asked me in the past to bring a smaller band to a show to cut expenses, but for me, it just isn't fair to the fans to perform with less personnel and cut corners on performance quality. The songs I write have melody and need a singer with soul to deliver them. If I was just a 'guitar guy' trying to impress people with fast licks and not the songwriter, maybe I would feel differently about it, but I love the art of song writing too much to ignore the tremendous value that a singer with soul and range brings to the whole picture.

You've released a kind of Best Of over two volumes, what was the thinking there? I'm already a great admirer of your music, but why should the uninitiated buy these CDs? The Essential Rocky Athas series is designed for 'the uninitiated'. John Mayall's international fan base is so large, that I am reaching a new audience that is curious about my work before Mayall. The series is an opportunity to present my history in a succinct package that defines my personality musically. The process of choosing my best recordings, creating the packaging, detailing the guitars used on each track and presenting new material that influenced my style as an artist was essential to educating my new fan base. I am not only 'Mayall's newest guitar player', I am Rocky Athas, the guitarist and songwriter from Texas, that Mayall chose because he enjoyed these recordings!

In your career you must have met loads of blues greats. If you had a blank piece of paper, who would be in your dream band, living or dead?

Wow, another great question! There are so many for so many different reasons, but Jack Bruce, Chris Layton, and Gregg Allman would be the perfect band for me. A solid rhythm section to groove with and bounce off of, is essential for me to enjoy making music.

Following on from that, what three tracks would open your set-list?

If my dream band were performing my original

music, Tearin' Me Up, Long Time Gone and Last of The Blues would be a good start for a great show. If we were doing a set of classics, Hideaway, Born Under a Bad Sign, and In The Palace of the King would definitely rock the blues!

Do you get a chance/time to listen to new artists or bands, if so has /have any impressed you?

I love to hear new artists and sometimes I get the opportunity to discover them when we play at big festivals. Gary Clark, Jr. played at the Byron Bay Festival in Australia the same year we did, and I was very impressed with his musicianship. I experienced fi rst-hand why Eric Clapton

and Jimmie Vaughan like him so much. Trombone Shorty is another artist that impressed the hell out of me with his showmanship and talent. I would love to collaborate with both of them. As a songwriter, the song comes fi rst. I measure an artist by the melody, the groove and the execution. There are lots of great artists today, but there are too many to have a favourite. I do, however, have favourite timeless songs. For example, Filter's Take A Picture stops me in my tracks every time I hear it, and Eric Clapton's Change The World instantly grabs my attention. These songs sound as good today as the day they were released because they are great songs.

Before I let you go, how do folks get hold of the Essential CDs and are we likely to see you anytime soon in the UK? My music is available worldwide anywhere you normally buy music - at Amazon or iTunes, and www.rockyathas.com. It's important for fans to understand that the music industry has dramatically changed, and if they want to support the artists they love by buying their music, they should try to buy DIRECTLY from the artist if possible. Look for an artist's website first and see if they have their own online store, or, if you attend a live performance, buy their music in person. This lets you get to know the artist personally and helps the artist by reducing distribution costs. It's a winwin for the artist and the fan. I try very hard to make the experience of enjoying my music easy for fans, and if customers buy directly from www.rockyathas.com, they will receive exclusive material not available anywhere else like signature picks, autographs, and free art cards included in every order. I appreciate the opportunity to connect directly with music lovers and John Mayall will never retire, so I am certain to return to the UK with him soon and meet more music fans in person!

Think that about sums it up.....fi nal question (my signature question). What's your favourite biscuit? That is easy, McVitie's Milk Chocolate Digestives, my favourite for sure. I bring a box home with me every time.

Gary Hoey FROM LES PAULS TO FENDER STRATS

OK, here's a question for you all; an American blues rock guitarist who has just recorded his twentieth album, an album on which he plays electrifying blues, and duets with a top female singer?

Easy you say, Joe Bonamassa – and you would be wrong. Ladies and gentlemen of the blues, I give you Gary Hoey…

Verbals: Dave Stone Visuals: Joe Nett

Hi Gary, I have just fi nished a review of your new album 'Dust & Bones', but I'll come back to that in a moment if I may. I was looking back through your recording history and you were very prolific from 1992 up until about 2003 and then it all goes quiet - there was about a 4 year gap until 'American Made'. What happened there; was it a lack of inspiration or did you just feel like a break from recording? You know what it was? At that point I was moving out of LA and coming back to the East Coast. I was sort

in the States, I have been known to do lots of different kinds of music and I kind of got into that whole surf thing with Dick Dale when I signed to Warner Bros and moved from Boston to California. I didn't start out doing surf, I was really into the rock thing, but I always had a lot of blues influences. Blues was a big part of my foundation and now in my fifties, I've decided that I am sticking with the blues. It’s not something I'm just doing for a trend, I am really committed to it and I am already starting to write the next album which will be another blues rock album. I think I'm gonna

I have got a bit of a collection of Strats and one of mine has twin P90s, I haven't seen that on anybody else's. Wow, what a great idea! I have a '59 Seymour Duncan in the neck and I use a JB in the bridge and I love that sound - you know Joe Bonamassa, Gary Moorenot afraid to kick in some distortion. They really just give it that rock edge, but I also love single coils, there's a place for them as well.

Are you ok to talk through the album? The opening track, Boxcar Blues, is a very very heavy opener to the album. That's a hell of of regrouping and revamping my life a little bit and I ended up starting with a new team, so I suppose it was a transition period.

And then you made up for it with 'Deja Blues' (Gary's fi rst true blues album). Thank you. Like anything, sometimes you got to take a break and see where you're going, and sometimes that’s a good thing. I decided that I really wanted to take on the blues because it’s the music that I grew up on, and I felt that it was really time that I took it seriously.

Prior to that, you were really hard rock and surf music, so is taking on the blues a new direction or is this just a further cocktail of your guitar styles? Well you know I have been known for doing a lot of different things - obviously not in the UK, I'm not really exposed there too much - but

stick with it, you know like Gary Moore kinda settled into the blues a bit later on.

Great to hear it. I see on the album cover, you are cuddling a nice Fender Strat, I know you also used a resonator, but was the Strat the main guitar or did you use other guitars? That was probably the main guitar, but the other guitar that was used was a '97 Shoreline Gold Strat that I play a lot live. In 1997 Fender came out with a double humbucker called The Big Apple. I have always loved the feel of the Strat but I also love humbuckers. For 15 years I played Les Pauls, but then Fender brought out this one and I really love the feel of the Strat with the humbuckers.

a sound! There's a picture of you with a resonator - is that the one? That is the one. I picked it up in Austin Texas from Republic

Guitars, they are the people that made it. They were very good friends with Johnny Winter for many years, and the guitar on the album is actually called the Highway 61, which was originally designed for Johnny Winter. It has a small body and a single cutaway, and it has a Lace Sensor pick- up in it. I told them that I wanted to be able to plug it in, as I wanted to start with the resonator raw, and then plug it into a half stack to explore the limits of the distortion and bring that sound into the modern arena - so I go from old school to new school in the first song.

Then you go straight into Who's Your Daddy, a real rockabilly number, tipping your hat to Brian Setzer on that one?

I DRANK THE POTION AND NOW THERE’S NO TURNING BACK “ ”

Yes absolutely. I have always loved swing music man, and Brian Setzer I have always thought of as one of the best guitarists in that style. We shared the same manager for about 15 years and I ended up having him play on an old album of mine 'Bug Alley' - he played the song Bug Alley. So we became friends and he came down and brought along his guitar, you know the Gretsch with the dice on it? He played on my album and let me play his guitar and we had a ball.

Born To Love You - you're hitting it with a wah pedal on this one? You get a fabulous tone on the guitar there, did you use any effects or is that straight into the amp? Well it took a little while to

get that sound the way it is now. You know it’s kind of a Robin Trower, Hendrixy riff and when it comes into the main song it’s kind of ZZ Top - I tried to give it my best Billy Gibbons. What I did was I took my humbucker Strat and put it on the neck pick-up and ran it through a Fender Super Reverb from the '70s with 4 x 10, and then I put a distortion pedal on it and it gave it that fullness, but a lot of the sound is from the neck pick-up.

The title track Dust & Bones, I have put in my notes “Tarantino soundtrack?” I could just see all the blood and guts and murder in the background! There's definitely an eerie feel to that one. I like that song a lot because it bridges the way I write rock music, between blues-based rock and traditional blues, and I didn't want an album just full of 1-4-5 shuff les. Dust & Bones was one of those songs where I had all the music but I didn't have any lyrics, all I had was the title Dust & Bones. I had a notebook full of lyrics but nothing seemed to fit the music, so I looked up at the sky and said “God, just help me, please give me something.” I hit record, I walked up to the mic and

THE WHOLE OF THE SONG CAME TO ME IN TWENTY MINUTES – LIKE A GIFT FROM GOD, LITERALLY

sang “Drinking whiskey at the river's edge” and as soon as I sang that line, the whole of the song came to me in twenty minutes - like a gift from God, literally.

Now your tribute to Johnny Winter, Steamroller. I have put here, “it's more like a runaway train” it comes on so strong. Thank you man.

Next you have a complete contrast in Coming Home, your ballad with Lita Ford. You could do a duet album. It’s just fabulous. I have written here “look out Joe and Beth.”

Thank you so much. I wanted something major as we had so many minor songs, so I wrote Coming Home because I wanted one song that had this uplifting tear jerker feel to it. Lita Ford, I produced her last album and we have been helping each other in a lot of ways.

Ghost Of Yesterday, now I have written “sounds like ZZ Top?” Well, it could be ZZ Top, it could be old Robin Trower (Day of the Eagle). That song man, I came up with the riff and it was like about letting go of the past and moving forward, letting go of your demons, that was kind of the idea.

This Time Tomorrow, I have written “slow and dramatic.” What was the feel with that one? A lot of times I come up with the music first, interesting chord progressions or an interesting sound with the

flanger, though that song was a phaser, and here I had all of the music but once again no lyrics. I purposely wanted to write a song that was really slow, heavy and powerful. We were in the studio recording and I still didn’t have any lyrics, so I just started singing gibberish into the microphone and then we hit this chord and I sang “This time tomorrow” and as soon as I said that line, “It’s a song!” and we were away.

Yes, that has happened to me only recently, with a bunch of rough chordal phrases, and one of them seemed to say “She ain’t coming home.” So I sang it, and then it all just clicked and twenty minutes later we had a new song. You know Bob Dylan said “If your song title doesn’t say what the song is about, then you probably don’t have a song.” That stuck with me forever, so you know if the title doesn’t tell you what the song is about, it’s hard to come up with the story right?

Last two, you’ve got Back Against The Wall and Soul Surfer. I really loved that as a closer to the album - I thought it was brilliant. Thank you man, that was the '78 Super reverb again, with full reverb going and that bass line, so I thought “hey my fans all know me for my surf sound” and they love it.

No the whole package is brilliant, the variety and the range is terrific and so refreshing. Well that’s great, I appreciate it so much, thank you.

GARY HOEY DUST & BONES PROVOGUE

I am still buzzing with this one, it is a great album, full of variety and added to that, I had the privilege of interviewing Gary and chatting through the tracks with him to get a bit more insight. This is Gary’s 20th album since 1992, but only his second blues album, but you can rest assured that I have it from the man himself that it won’t be his last, number three is already being written! The album opens with a typical blues acoustic resonator, nice easy slow slide work, then it explodes as the same resonator is put through a full stack, and boy does it distort! The second track is a complete change, being a tribute to Brian Setzer and it is a fast rockabilly number that I really enjoyed, track three has a delicious creamy sound that Gary assures me is the neck pick up on his 97 Strat, going through an old Fender Super Reverb on full chat, gorgeous! Track 4 is the title track and has a cinematic feel to it, almost worthy of a Tarantino movie soundtrack. “Steamroller” is a tip of the hat to Johnny Winter and is so full on, it is more like a runaway train, then by complete contrast we have a beautiful slow blues ballad with Gary singing with Lita Ford and I was reminded so much of Joe Bonamassa and Beth Hart, another super track. The rest of the album has throwbacks to ZZ Top, Robin Trower, Hendrix and each track is different from the one before, finally closing with a full on surfing instrumental that is for Gary’s die hard surf fans. You will probably gather that I liked this a lot and I am looking forward to seeing Gary when he comes over, hopefully later this year.

DAVE STONE

privilege of interviewing Gary and

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“..a musical pedigree that covers blues through soul to jazzy undercurrents and salsa swelling sounds...the result is an album that screams quality.” —Blues Matters

Tom Lockwood

On your web site I came across your online guitar lessons, fantastic idea, how long have you been doing that? Oh I love the whole thing, you know teaching, and I love educating and the new site is going to have a lot more stuff.

I understand that there are currently no plans for a UK Tour yet? Now that we have some product available, we are looking at some European dates sometime in October, but we’re working on it.

Finally, is there a question that you wish somebody had asked you, but nobody ever has? Wow, let’s see... I don’t think

anyone has ever asked me “What do you want your legacy to be?” Or the other question that I’d like someone to ask me is, “How the heck did you last so long in this crazy music business? Why do you keep taking the punishment?”

So what’s the answer? Well the answer is that when I was about 16 I went out on that stage and felt that adrenaline and the excitement and I drank the potion and now there’s no turning back.

That really is just about everything that I wanted, so once again Gary, thank you for your time and good luck with the album.

DUST & BONES – 2016

DEJA BLUES – 2013

HO HO HOEY LIVE – 2013

UTOPIA – 2010

AMERICAN MADE – 2006

MONSTER SURF – 2005

BEST OF GARY HOEY – 2004

HO HO HOEY COMPLETE

COLLECTION – 2003

WAKE UP CALL – 2003

BEST OF HO HO HOEY – 2001

MONEY – 1999

HO HO HOEY 3 – 1999

HOCUS POCUS LIVE – 1998

HO HO HOEY 2 – 1997

BUG ALLEY – 1996

GARY HOEY – 1995

HO HO HOEY – 1995

ENDLESS SUMMER 2

SOUNDTRACK ALBUM – 1994

Sari Schorr

WELL SHE IS CERTAINLY SOMEBODY NOW

Since we featured Sari in the last issue, she has taken off like a rocket, rightly so as we are well known for spotting talent and giving artists a platform in our magazine.

Sari is taking both the UK and Europe by storm and bookings for her at festivals and gigs are coming in thick and fast, so make sure you see her and you will understand what all the fuss is about. Her video of Black Betty is regularly shared and liked on Facebook and journalists are queuing to interview her. So let’s finish off the interview we started in issue 91.

Verbals: Christine Moore Visuals: Rob Blackman and Jorgen Kirsebom

Someone asked me why you were not huge in America and I had to say that I have no idea, as your talent is immense. Well, part of it was I didn’t appreciate my gift. I thought in order to help people I needed to do social work and I was distracted. I was going to Haiti and India, devoting a lot of my energy to that, and had this music project for Amnesty International and producing other artists. I had stopped singing. I wasn’t singing for many years and was working behind the scene, thinking I am going to go out and save the world. But when you go into places like Haiti after the earthquake, or going to these rural villages in India where they don’t even have running water, you realise the problem is so much bigger than one person can handle. In the moment, I would feel like I was doing some good, but then I would get back to New York and was

thinking, “You know, to make a meaningful contribution to people’s lives in the way that I can, I need to go back to doing music.” My family for years had been saying “What is wrong with you? You’re a singer. You’re destined to sing.” They were right.

They are right - you are a great singer. Thank you.

Have you ever had any voice coaching?

I did. Oh my goodness, I studied opera. Julia, my opera teacher, begged me to go into opera, but it was too confining and constricting for me.

You’re very expressive and sing with such passion and feeling. Thank you. It’s hard for me to perform other people’s work. I don’t think I sing material well that I am not personally connected to. I

have to feel it, unfortunately.

When I watch you perform I can tell you feel the story and express it so well. It’s an honest performance. I wish there was another way for me to do it, because it hurts. On one hand, it’s like reliving everything and it’s about bringing all the painful things into my present life. But on the other hand, I feel if I can do that and channel that, and other people can relate to it, maybe they can get some release through it.

One of my friends was saying the song you sang about abused women touched her. It’s very powerful. Damn The Reason – if you’re a compassionate loving person you understand other people’s suffering. My grandparents used to tell my parents that they were very worried about me, as for such a young child, I was so sensitive and intuitive to other people’s feelings. They said “There is something wrong with her.” But I think I just had the blues. It’s easy to have compassion for other people, but you have to learn to have compassion for yourself.

What inspires you to write? People, life events, I only write about things that I have experienced personally. I care deeply about people. I love people. Writing about the human experience inspires me, and that is why my writing is on the poetic side, because it is easier to paint pictures with words. I don’t want to be too obvious because I want people to use their imagination. I use a lot of double entendres and I like

to play on words. I don’t want to give it all away so easily. The lyrics really require people to take a deeper look, dig in a bit and find that there are some jewels.

Do you fi nd it easy to write? No it hurts. I dread it. Writing lyrics scares the crap out of me.

So do you just write the lyrics or do you play any instruments?

Yes, I play piano. I love writing the music - that’s easy for me. That comes fast. I love creating melodies. I cannot write the lyric before I have written the melody. The way I work is, I come up with a melody and I

I thought you might have a room in your house where you hid away to do your writing? Too many distractions in the house. I have the dogs - they are so demanding - three pit bulls. It's part of the breed. It’s funny, I get my best inspiration in my hotel room after a gig. You don’t get enough chance to get bored on the road; I am looking forward to being bored. On the tour bus I have a book but it is one of those logic books with horrible questions, mathematical ones that twist your brain around. I was working for 2 hours on one of those and then I gave it to Anders my keyboard player

Photography is another hobby and I am a marathon runner. That’s a hobby because I can’t afford good enough drugs! I put my sneakers on and get a runner’s high. I wrote a good song because of my marathon training. I had to write a song for an artist I was producing for Sony and they gave us a horrible deadline like 48 hours to come up with a song. We were competing with a lot of high-profi le songwriters and producers, so I put on my sneakers and went out for a run to relax and focus on my heartbeat and I wrote a song called Heartbeat. It was the fi rst international hit for this artist.

have these ridiculous lyrics that make no sense at all. But then the subconscious throws in certain things - like on Demolition Man, I had some crazy things like da da da da da da Demolition Man. I don’t know where that came from. When I am songwriting, when I am successful, it is because I have opened some kind of channel. It’s coming from somewhere else. I am not smart enough to write some of these lyrics - really I am not. It’s a gift. Everyone has access to this. It’s all around us. You just have to tap into it and grab onto it when it's flying by. For me, I need to be in an environment where I am really comfortable and very very relaxed, where I have no distractions. So I do my best songwriting when I am on the road actually.

and within 20 minutes he had it solved - very embarrassing. I also like poetry books.

So do you write any poetry or is it just songs?

I write lyrics.

Do you have any other artistic outlets?

I do I draw - I love doing portrait work. I was criticised in our art class as we had a nude model and I knew her - she was the wife of one of my sax players. It was very embarrassing and because I love drawing portraits anyway, I just drew her face so I ignored the naked body. I got an F and I failed the course. But I still love doing pencil portrait work. That’s my thing. I love that.

Is there anything else you do to relax?

So you have had hits with songs you have written for other artists?

I thought “I am not a good enough singer - I am going to be a writer.” I lived in Paris for about five years and was living in Germany before that, so I hadn’t been in the States for quite a while. But at the same show where I met Innes, I met Joe Louis Walker and I had gone back to Paris to finish an Amnesty International music project I was doing with Marianne Faithfull, Jane Birkin and Carly Simon. When Joe Paulman said “get your, you know what, back to the US”, that’s when it all startedwhen I got back to singing and I realised, ok, you know this is probably what I should have been doing all along. I lost myself somehow.

I THOUGHT IN ORDER TO HELP PEOPLE I NEEDED TO DO SOCIAL WORK

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.

Text TOGETHER to 70550 and donate £5 so we can be there for everyone who needs us.

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Maybe it is just the right time for you now?

Yes, you're right and it’s the right group of people. I love my band - they are my brothers. Mike Vernon, my producer, is a gift from heaven above. The label I am with - Alan Robinson, wonderful, wonderful people and I always said that if I am ever lucky enough to have success, I want to have it with people I truly love. Some high powered lawyer had said to me “You know honey, you just want the biggest meanest toughest gorilla to bash the doors open for you” and I thought no I don’t, I want people I can invite over for dinner that I like.

Do you cook?

Em.. You know what, I try; I tend to over-complicate my cooking, so a simple little dish, if I start it today it’s done tomorrow. I had my whole family over for the Superbowl in Brooklyn and I was making all these great appetisers for the half-time. There was nothing ready until the game was over, and all the post-game stuff was over and everyone was leaving. They were starving!

What do your family think of your career?

They have been really supportive - honestly. My Dad passed away Christmas day many years ago, but he always, always believed in my dreams and encouraged me. Same with my Mom. To this day she is my best friend. She is so supportive. Although my family would remind me every so often, saying, “You know honey, there is an easier life for you.

You don’t have to struggle like this. You don’t have to suffer. You could do something else and make money.” But now they are very happy and they are very proud. My family is really important to me, and my music. I am lucky, my band is now my extended family and they are my brothers and I have one brother and two sisters in my own family. But I have another sister now - Celia, Innes’s wife - so the family is always growing. I also have an 8 year old niece who wants to bring me to school as her show-and-tell to her class, which I think is a compliment. She used to ignore me, but now I think I am required to sing. I am just happy she doesn’t ignore me anymore. We did a concert in New York and I was allowed to take some family. She is very hard to impress and is a great artist herself. She was so surprised and finally understood what I did and has been so nice to me ever since.

Is there anything else you would like to tell Blues Matters readers?

Just how grateful I am to have this opportunity, and that my music can be some value in people’s lives and to help navigate the waters of this wonderful and curious journey that we are all on together. We are all being tossed about and in the end we are all spiritual beings having a human experience. I hope my music helps to open up ideas that we are all connected to each other, and this is all about love, and it’s all about gratitude, and living in the moment, and making the most out of life and sharing people’s lives. This is not about me - I am just a vessel for something that is channelling these thoughts. You don’t want to believe all the hype. You need to stay grounded and enjoy the comments on social media etc. but remember it is not about yourself.

Thanks Sari is has been a real pleasure to talk to you and we know you are going to be successful. It’s your time.

Sari with Mike Vernon. Photo by Sputnik Studios.

Warren Haynes

MUSIC IS MY LIFE

Verbals:

Colin Campbell Visuals: Danny Clinch

Ieventually caught up with Warren Haynes on the Southampton leg of his current tour, promoting his much acclaimed latest release, Ashes & Dust. We chatted about various topics, like his new music projects, such as Gov’t Mule who release The Tel-Star Sessions soon, also influences on career, being on the road and other topics that came to mind. The conversation went something like this.

Hi Warren, thanks for taking time out of your busy schedule. How’s the tour going?

Yeah, all is good - no worries. We’re all having a good time. What’s been your favourite place to play so far?

I really enjoyed this festival in Munich that we played called Tollwood, but all the shows have been wonderful.

What was so special about the Tollwood concert?

The way the festival was all set up, the art and the grounds. Very refreshing the way it was laid out - the feeling was very organic. It had a great vibe, the audience was great. We are very appreciative of our connection with the crowds anywhere. We’re getting better the more we play, so that’s good. It’s nice to see the audience growing all the time. When I first came to Europe with Gov’t Mule maybe ten years ago, we were not sure we had an audience over here and it was a pleasant surprise to see that we did. People are embracing all the projects I do and the differences in music.

Tell us a bit about how things are going with Gov’t Mule and how did it all start with the band?

Musically speaking, Gov’t Mule is the most important thing in my life. It is our laboratory to do whatever it is we want to do. It’s a bit ironic,

because when we started twenty one years ago, it was a side project for fun and we had no ambitions for how long it would last - things just happened organically. Allen Woody and myself were full time members of the Allman Brothers. That took a fair amount of time in the year but left time to do other things, so we tried to bring back the idea of the rock trio and it started from there. Something fun to do on a low budget. American audiences grew quickly and we were faced with the prospect of becoming a real band and not conceptualised.

How did you get involved with The Allman Brothers in the fi rst place?

I first started playing with Dickey Betts in 1986 when I was twenty six years old. I toured with him for three years and made an album with him. That’s where I met Matt Abbs, the Gov’t Mule drummer who played in Dickey Betts’ band at the time. After three years I wanted to pursue my solo career and the album that I delayed doing because I was in Dickey’s band. Then I got a call from The Allman Brothers saying they were reforming after breaking up for nine years and they wanted me to join the band. So it was Dickey Betts who allowed me that opportunity.

How did you feel about that? Well the Allman Brothers

are one of the best bands of all time. I was overwhelmed and honoured about joining such an institution. As a kid I was a big fan, but at the time I wanted to concentrate on my solo career - so that had to be put on the shelf and I joined the band.

Were there any comparisons between working with The Allman Brothers and The Grateful Dead?

Improvisation is the life blood to each band, but the way they both do this is different. The jam band scene in America was started by these two bands.

Guitar wise do you prefer playing electric or acoustic? Electric all the time, but I enjoy playing singersongwriter songs on acoustic.

What is it like to have orchestral backing when you’re playing with The Jerry Garcia Orchestra? Quite a challenge. Up to two years ago I had never worked with a symphony before – it was something I had thought of though. It is more regimented than the music I usually do, but it is such a beautiful sound when all the instrumentation is right on the right song. For me, my mission was to choose the right material and get the arrangements correct for the Symphony.

What songs were your favourites to play in that project?

Songs like Terrapin Station and Blues For Allah are so unique anyway, but add an orchestra and it’s beautiful.

Tell us about your songwriting influences and songs on the new album Ashes & Dust. Lyrical aspect is always important to me in anything I write. I learn from my favourite songwriters, but my taste for them changes.

Bob Dylan is an influence and people like Tom Waits, Elvis Costello, Roger Waters and Neil Young. You can learn from any great songwriters, especially ones that are totally different from yourself. Some songs on the new album are brand new and some twenty years old. I was faced with the reality I had written a lot of songs in this direction. I felt it was a good idea to record them, so went to the studio with twenty-five songs and recorded thirteen of them that fitted the best for the album. There will be a follow up album to this one.

Regarding Ashes & Dust, what made you choose the band Railroad Earth to play with on this album?

We played live together and the chemistry was really nice. I had been looking for the right situation to play with them again, so we went to the studio. It was a very old fashioned recording. No rehearsal process - I would just show them a song, work up the arrangement and record it. Same with the rest of the songs, it was an organic process.

Is it a music style that you like?

I grew up in the Asheville mountains in North Carolina where folk music and mountain music and bluegrass are part of the atmosphere. A lot of the local musical artists I got to be friendly with were coming from a different world of music, whereas I was playing jazz and blues. I just hung out with these musicians and they have been a big influence on me.

Who were your musical influences on your

guitar playing when you were growing up?

Major ones were Eric Clapton, Jimi Hendrix and Johnny Winter. Kept listening to BB King, Albert King and Freddie King. My oldest brother listened to the likes of John Coltrane and Miles Davis - I listened to them as well. Always made a point of being non-discriminatory in my choices of musical genres I listen to.

What keeps your enthusiasm going?

The inspiration of other musicians I am lucky to be surrounded by and work with. All my different projects bring fresh inspiration.

What made you choose the path of music as a career?

I started singing before I picked up a guitar. James Brown was my first hero. I spent all my hours learning to sing and emulate people like Otis Redding. Listening to The Cream and Jimi Hendrix made me want to play the guitar. I never lost that excitement when you first fall in love with music. Music is an enormous part of my life. I was about eleven years old when I first started playing. I think if you make a decision to be a musician you make a decision to remain a student for life. We can never learn the tiniest fraction of what there is to learn. I am a self-taught guitarist. My favourite guitar to play at the moment is a ‘55 Les Paul - it is a marvellous unique sound. Any guitar I pick up is an inspiration to me and its sounds.

Who has been the most fun musician to play with?

Playing with The Allman Brothers and Gov’t Mule has been fun. Always good to play with Phil Lesh and John Schofield. I have an amazing chemistry with Derek Trucks. When we’re on stage together, our communication from knowing each other for so long is amazing. I met Derek when he was eleven and we’ve probably been on stage together hundreds of times.

Where does blues music fit in with your style of playing?

It started with soul music for me. Both my brothers were record collectors and they had thousands of every type of genre I could choose from. I would go through phases of only listening to blues, then only listening to jazz, or whatever the case may be. Blues has always been special to me, because of the connection I feel with it. Blues music is so powerful and the feeling you get from it is what it’s all about, and when you experience it as a listener or as a performer that makes the music so special and timeless.

What are audiences like in America as opposed to Europe?

European audiences seem to know more about your history as a musician or artist. I think there is a connection and appreciation that musicians travel to their countries. In America we tour here all the time, so people, I’m not saying they take it for granted, but they’ll see us some other day maybe six months later.

Playing live or in the studio - any preference? What is your favourite venue?

There is a freedom that comes from playing live that I would never trade away. If I had to choose, I would choose to play live. I enjoy making records though. Playing in a small venue there is a more intimate connection, but it’s still good to play in front of a massive audience where there is a huge burst of energy. Probably Red Rocks in Colorado is favourite. It’s a natural amphitheatre in the mountains, visually stunning and great acoustics. You get a very spiritual feeling playing there. I’ve been lucky enough to play thirty times or so there. I played with the Symphony there before and it was a fabulous experience.

What advice would you give to an up and coming youngster on playing music? Are there any young musicians you listen to? Musical advice would be to listen to as much music as possible - don’t discriminate between any musical genres. My business advice would be, unless you’re obsessed with being a musician and you know that’s what you want to be, then just enjoy it as a hobby and don’t depend on it to make a living. I have heard a guy called Marcus King - a guitarist and singer from South Carolina. His band is an amazing young band. I produced a record of his, due for release later this year. He was nineteen when we recorded it. He sounds like an old soul though. All the musicians in the band sound like they have played together for years. How would you measure fame? Do awards mean

anything to you?

Well I never thought I’d have as much success as I have when I first started. I have the perfect scenario I suppose. I am able to do what I want to do and I do it exactly the way I want to do it, there’s an audience there and it’s a nice feeling. Originally I didn’t put much stock in getting awards, but eventually you appreciate the hard work you’ve done. If I am on someone’s best guitarist list, it doesn’t mean it’s the same one as mine. For me, music is totally different from sports, say, where you can say this person is better than another. In music it is what makes you feel good that matters.

Any hopes and aspirations for the future? In twenty years will you still be involved in music?

I will definitely be playing music and if it feels right I will be involved. I always told myself I’d like to play the tenor saxophone. Maybe that will happen someday.

Well thanks for the chat, all the best for the future.

DISCOGRAPHY

ASHES & DUST – 2015

LIVE AT THE MOODY

THEATER – 2012

MAN IN MOTION – 2011

LIVE AT BONNAROO – 2004

THE LONE E.P. – 2003

TALES OF ORDINARY

MADNESS – 1993

SOLO AND WITH WARREN HAYNES BAND:

Fiona Boyes KEEPING THE OLD BLUES ALIVE

Australian blues lady Fiona Boyes has been performing and recording for 25 years, taking her to festivals worldwide.

Verbals: Clive Rawlings Visuals: Supplied by artist

Often to be found nominated for awards, she has a vast back-catalogue in a variety of blues genres, a very talented lady. Constantly on the road, Fiona divides her time between her homeland, North America and Europe. Her home from home in America is Portland, Oregon.

Welcome to BM, thank you for taking time out to speak with us. Firstly, for the uninitiated out there, who is Fiona Boyes?

I am an Australian blues musician - guitarist, songwriter and vocalistcurrently based back home Down Under, but traveling extensively around the world playing where ever people let me loose!

You've accumulated a number of awards in your career so far, but not just in the blues field? As a passionate advocate for the blues, I feel that a lot more people would love the music if they had a chance to hear it. Playing gigs that are somewhat outside the usual ‘blues box’, offers a chance to introduce people to music that they might not be familiar with, or have previously dismissed. One of my major interests is exploring different regional styles of blues, both acoustic and electric. I think that blues is a much more diverse and vibrant genre than many people realize. A gig for a folk club might start with stories and delicate finger-picking acoustic guitar, to ‘suit the audience’, but if you can take people on the musical journey with you, they are surprised to find themselves enjoying some filthy electric Mississippi Hills grooves by the end of the show! Although I am proud to proclaim that I am a blues musician, I’ve been

lucky to enjoy interest and support from various folk, roots, World and Americana scenes too. In the Australian folk scene, for example, I’m particularly proud of being honoured as ‘Artist of the Year’ (2007) at Port Fairy Folk Festival, one of our largest and most prestigious international festivals.

You don't come across as a blues stereotype, whatever that is, you show a lot of respect for your forebears?

After discovering the blues at college, I became a huge fan for many years before attempting to become a player myself. My first contact with the style was via a friend who ran the campus Folk & Blues Club. He was into early stuff; Paul Oliver’s History of the Blues (Volumes 1 & 2) was a turntable favourite, along with all sorts of players like Tommy Johnson, Mississippi John Hurt, Rev Gary Davis… I remember hearing Howlin’ Wolf for the first time and it was a completely visceral experience. For a lot of people, the journey of blues discovery comes from tracing back the influences of more modern players like Clapton, Cream and the Rolling Stones. In my case, I really started in the 1920’s and worked my way forward! I love the idea that the blues has a long historic thread, with a tradition and continuity. Each individual musician and each generation reinterprets the music and carries it along, but there is

also a timeless quality to the style. Respect for the elders of the music and the idea of older musicians mentoring younger ones, is also, I think, an intrinsic part of the traditional blues ethos.

Am I right in thinking you're based in Portland, Oregon? Is there a reason for that (musically?)

At the moment I am living in a little fi shing village called Yamba in northern NSW, Australia. I’ve done a lot a rambling…over 13 years in 2 different countries, I’ve called 11 different places ‘home’. For a while I lived in Portland, Oregon, and I still have a base there, visiting whenever I can. It’s a wonderful town for live music and I think there’s a sort of energy in places where lots of good musicians are active. The Waterfront Blues Festival brought me to the city for the fi rst time. Not only is the Waterfront a cool festival, it also has a community aspect being a major fundraiser for local charity. This is where I met my fantastic USA band mates – bassist Dave Kahl (Paul deLay Band) and drummer Jimi Bott (Fabulous Thunderbirds/Mannish Boys) – and lots of other inspiring local musicians.

Let's go back to where it all began, you started in an all female band, The Mojos in the 90's, take us on from there?

Actually, it all started at a coffee shop ‘open mic’ night, playing solo acoustic country blues. I borrowed a guitar from my boyfriend, as I didn’t even have one

of my own. Although I was incredibly nervous, it was a thrill to conquer my fear and play. That small performance lead to me winning my fi rst guitar in a ‘talent encouragement competition’ that was run by the venue. I won a beautiful new Maton acoustic guitar. I was so incredibly thrilled! Based in my hometown of Melbourne, Australia, all Maton instruments are handmade; they are still a family run business and I am now proudly one of their endorsed players on the world stage. That ‘encouragement prize’ guitar sure worked! It wasn’t too much later, maybe a year or so, that The Mojos came into being. The founding members of the band were part of a group of women who were hanging in the blues scene. We loved the music, had fledgling ability on different instruments and wanted to have a go at playing ourselves. It meant I had to go out and borrow an

You were not only the fi rst woman, but also fi rst nonAmerican to win the IBC in Memphis, must have been a great feeling?

I was very reticent to put myself forward in a competitive setting. It took of a lot of encouragement for me to even consider entering the local play offs. When I won the right to represent my local club (Melbourne Blues Appreciation Society) at the International Blues Challenge in Memphis, it was fantastic. Although I had always wanted to make a blues pilgrimage to the States, at that stage I was a very broke musician. The trip to Memphis was my first American experience - and what an experience it was! It was fantastic just to be there and have the opportunity to play on Beale Street, a place with so many historic connections in the blues world. It was the strangest feeling. I remember playing my tribute song to the great guitarist Memphis Minnie (‘She Could Play

electric guitar, as I’d never really played one of those before! Although we were considered a bit of a novelty at fi rst, the outfit grew into a very well respected fi xture in Melbourne blues scene. The group provided a great supportive space for us all to learn our craft as players and, particularly in my case, as songwriters.

That Thing’) and thinking…

‘Minnie – and so many of my musical heroes - once played here on this very street!’ Not knowing how my guitar playing or original songs would be received, and with no real expectations about the outcome, winning the IBC was a wonderful surprise.

A couple of late Chicago greats, Pinetop Perkins

and Hubert Sumlin no less, have compared you as one of the greatest female guitar players since Memphis Minnie, praise indeed, did you ever work with any blues veterans? Over the years I've had a chance to meet and play with some of my blues heroes - particularly people like Hubert Sumlin, the seminal guitarist with Howlin' Wolf and the legendary pianist Pinetop Perkins. Pinetop recorded a track with me on the 'Blues Woman' album (that was a hoot!) and Hubert toured with my band in Australia. Once I spent at weekend with Hubert at his home, just hanging out and jamming. We were sitting in his lounge room and James Cotton called to say hello… It is incredible to be encouraged by such elder-statesmen players! I would never have dreamed I might get the opportunity to even see musicians like this, let alone interact with them personally and musically. Bob Margolin, who played for many years with Muddy Waters, is also a veteran musician who has been a great influence, inspiring me to bring more attack and commitment to my guitar work. We’ve lost so many of the older players in recent years, so I am truly honoured to have been on the bandstand with folks like drummer Willie ‘Big Eyes’ Smith, bassist Bob Stroger and Mississippi Hills guitarist Robert Belfour. Along with Bob Margolin and Hubert Sumlin, my Australian band and I have also backed other touring US artists such as Duke

“ ” INTERVIEW | FIONA BOYES

Robillard, Watermelon Slim, Debbie Davies, Sue Foley and Alvin Youngblood Hart.

You play the 'Devil's music', but you're married to an Anglican priest, how does/did that work out?

I play the Devil’s music and my husband ‘The Preacher’ is an Anglican priest – thus we keep the world in balance!’ In reality, although it confuses people, this is quite seamless for us as a couple. We value mutual respect for others, including our own personal spiritual journeys. Working over the years more as an academic and educator, or in areas promoting social justice, The Preacher is not the stereotypical minister at all. More like the preacher in a Clint Eastwood movie than an Agatha Christie curate… you can usually

find him with a drink in the back bar or green room at a gig, where people often seek him out to talk about spiritually and things they haven’t felt comfortable talking about to other folks.

Your eighth and most recent album Box & Dice, on Reference Recordings, takes its name from a very special cigar box guitar, from an unpronounceable place, would you like to take up the story? Correct me if I'm wrong, but you have a penchant for the more traditional blues, where you experiment with cigar box guitars etc. do you equally have time for blues/rock?

My recent love affair with cigar box guitars is one of several different musical flings I’ve had over the years. These ‘outsider’ instruments

are a lot of fun; they are often idiosyncratic and a bit fractious to play. You have to wrestle them a bit, but I’ve discovered a whole community of people who are building, playing or just interested in these strange little beasties. Different musicians and situations seem to appear in my life just in time to create new musical challenges. You can hear the different ideas and influences on my various albums over the years. Touring with Bob Margolin and Hubert Sumlin, for example, threw me headlong into old-school Chicago blues. This is a style that I always loved, but up to that point had felt was too muscular and gritty for me to tackle. In a similar vein, I was playing with USA bluesman Watermelon Slim when I got hold of my first cigar box

guitar, the 6 string ‘Box & Dice’, which gave its name to my current album. The cigar box guitar was made in the old gold-mining town of Yackandandah. Yes, that’s a bit of an Aussie tongue twister for the uninitiated! Watermelon Slim plays harmonica, lap-style dobro and slide guitar. He has a very rootsy style and seeing him play gave me an insight into some ways I could tackle

this funky little instrument. The guy who made it, Shayne Soall from the Oz Blues & Roots Store, has been making instruments for years – often out of old biscuit tins and things like that. Usually they were the more traditional 3 strings, played bottleneck style. Over the years I’d see him and his instruments at festivals and gigs. I used to say, ‘Shayne, I’m a guitarist who doesn’t even play slide.

What do you expect me to do with these 3 string things?!’ The ‘Box & Dice’ cigar box is labelled No: 1, it was Shayne’s first noble experiment in making a 6 stringer. It was hanging on the wall of the Star Hotel, Yackandandah, when I was doing a gig there with Slim… I got it down and played it. Thus began a new musical adventure! Despite my on-going interest in all different styles of blues, I have to confess that I really prefer more roots than rock in my music. It’s just personal taste. There are fantastic, talented blues rock players out there and I have respect for them and their audiences, but personally I don’t find blues rock as compelling as some other shades of blue. Vive la difference!

The majority of the songs on Box & Dice are originals, where does the inspiration come from? Some songwriters have a set way of writing, maybe starting with the music first, or the lyrics. For me, there’s no set way and I can’t force it. A song can spring from a story, a catchy turn of phrase, a groove or a new instrument. Getting my hands on the unusual 4-string & 6-string cigar box guitars that feature on Box & Dice was a source of inspiration. Songs like I'm a Stranger Here are linked both to the traditional blues theme of the lonesome traveling musician and my direct experience of moving house a great deal and finding myself, yet again, a stranger in town. Walking Round Money is a jaunty little tune, incorporating fragments of stories I heard both from

Pinetop Perkins and Hubert Sumlin. Hubert told me once that he used to pack an extra pair of shoes in his suitcase that were a size or two too big for him. He would stash his wad of folding money in them and wear them home after the tour. Mama's Sanctified Amp is a true story from a musician I met on the road, whose mother really was a gospel singer. Louisiana is my love song to New Orleans. That song almost wrote itself. But the feeling of longing for a place where I'd never been surprised me, coming from some deep, buried place I wasn't really aware of until I started playing.

I read somewhere that you've got an acoustic coming out later this year, can you talk about that, do you never stop? Right now I am feeling like I never stop! It’s been an incredibly busy, creative time over the past year or two. Box & Dice, my fi rst fully self-produced album, was recorded with engineer Colin Wynne at Thirty Mill Studios in Melbourne. After going to #1 on the Australian Blues & Roots charts, the album got a USA/ Worldwide release through Reference Recordings, CA, on their Fresh! lable. I was then invited by RR to create a new body of work to bring to a session for them in early 2016.Reference Recordings is not a blues label; it’s a highly respected audiophile label. I think that it’s particularly cool that a label of this calibre, one that is not in the blues mainstream, would make a conscious decision to explore blues,

especially acoustic blues. The key to the Grammy-winning Reference Recordings sound is their technical director and recording engineer ‘Professor’ Keith Johnson. He is considered a true audio legend, with many innovative ideas and products to his credit. The new acoustic project we did together in late February was recorded at the iconic Skywalker Ranch (cue light sabres!) in Marin County, CA. Unlike any other session I’ve done, it was all fully acoustic ambient recording –no monitors, no headphones, no overdubs or effects. Most of the equipment used to ‘capture’ the various sounds in the cavernous space of the studio were hand-built by ‘Prof’ Keith. We recorded16 songs over 2 days, it was like playing a live concert. Some songs are performed solo, others in duo or trio format featuring the wonderful talents of Jim Bott (Fabulous Thunderbirds/ Mannish Boys) on drums/ percussion and Denny Croy (Brian Setzer Orchestra) on upright bass. Inspired by the unusual set-up, we had a lot of fun exploring different sound textures as we played. Given that this is a high-end audio recording, I love the fact that Jimi actually plays a cardboard box on one of the album cuts! We messed around with different boxes of course to fi nd the one that sounded right. Following on from some of the ideas I explored on Box & Dice, the new project continues my interest in different guitars and different guitar voicings. There’s acoustic guitar, two different resonator

guitars - sometimes played in a lower baritone tuning or lap-style - and I did manage to slip in a bit of 4-string cigar box guitar too! Lately I’ve also been dabbling with Mississippi style folk art, inspired by artist friends like Dan Dalton in Portland, OR, and Stan Street of Hambone Gallery in Clarksdale, MS. When I am not on the road, hustling gigs or playing guitar, I like to nail old bottle caps and Mardi Gras beads to bits of wood; glue, and paint stuff. It’s fun! Some of my folk art features in the liner notes of the new album, which is called ‘Professin’ the Blues’ (with a nod to ‘Prof’ Keith), due for release in early October 2016.

Now for my signature question…what's your favourite biscuit?

Although not a huge biscuit eater, I’d have to say you can never go wrong with a classic TimTam, the iconic Down Under chocolate biccy. It would be completely unAustralian of me to say otherwise!

DISCOGRAPHY

BOX AND DICE – 2015

BLUES FOR HARD TIMES – 2011

BLUES WOMAN – 2009

LIVE FROM BLUESVILLE – 2008

THE MATON COLLECTION – 2007

LUCKY 13 – 2006

LIVE IN ATLANTA ( W. THE FORTUNE TELLERS) – 2004

GIMME SOME SWEET

JELLY ROLL – 2003

BLUES IN MY HEART – 2001

Roy Roberts HE HAS PLAYED WITH THE BEST

Verbals: Iain Patience Visuals: Supplied by artist

When Greensboro, North Carolina soul-bluesman

Roy Roberts was just a kid he tried piano lessons for a while but just couldn't suffer the indignity of it all: 'I'd be sitting playing and it felt sort of '……a girls thing' to me, if you know what I mean. I'd be able to hear my buddies outside in the yard playing and hollering, having a great time. I’d want to get out there with ‘em, have me some fun. So I gave that up,' he explains.

A few years later, however, the young, budding musician discovered guitar, taught himself how to play and was out on the road gigging, a jobbing musician with a hunger to learn and develop as fast as he could. 'I think I was about 18 years old when I went out on the road,' he recalls, 'playing with Stevie Wonder, then known as Little Stevie Wonder.' And Roberts was still a young guy when he first met up with a guy who was to become his professional music mentor, taking him under his wing and teaching him the musical ropes - the late Solomon Burke.

'I joined Solomon's band and he sure took good care of me. I was always, and remain, the kind of guy who plays what is wanted of me. I don't do none of that "…..I only play what I want to play stuff," like lots of the guys around these days. If they're paying, they get to call the shots,' he says, with an evident disdain for the shameless self-promotion of many younger sidemen and band-members these days.

For some time, Roberts also played and worked with Eddie Floyd. He also worked

on a number of occasions with the late Otis Clay and indeed talked with Clay a few short months before he passed in January 2016. And having worked most of the local clubs and venues in his home-state, Roberts became known as a powerful, reliable professional who could be trusted and relied on to produce the musical goods when needed, a trait that resulted in him playing, touring and working with one of soul music's truly legendary greats, Otis Redding.

'Otis came through Greensboro and played the club I was then working with a house band. We got on real well and he liked my playing and approach. At the time he had a huge hit record out, “These Arms Of Mine”, and I backed him so he took me out on the road with him. He was a great guy, always respectful and understanding. We were good buddies. I was real cut-up when he passed.'

That was in 1967 and following Redding's death, Roberts decided to try going it alone for a few years, releasing a handful of single 45s - and being ripped-off by his then management, leading to him taking a bit of a break in late 1969. 'I sat back and considered the future. Best thing I done. I opened my own record company and took control of my own stuff, with my own recording studio. I became a sort-of one-man-band, in effect. It means if you get it right - that's great. But, if you get it wrong, you can't go blaming nobody else. I guess I've got something

right cause I've about 17 or 18 albums out so far.'

Roberts also knew and worked with BB King way back in the day, a memorable experience he still treasures: 'BB was a real old-fashioned gentleman, great to play alongside and know,' he says with an admiring shake of the head.

When the talk turns to more current, modern bluesmen, Roberts is scathing at times. Never a great fan of Robert Cray, for example, he reckons the guy has grown too big way too fast, acknowledging the importance of Clapton - who he has also shared billing with in the past in the USA - in the generation and development of Cray's musical persona and undeniable popularity. Tedeschi Trucks, on the other hand, he admires and enjoys on a personal level. One song, the title track from one of Roberts’ recent albums, “Strange Love,” was, he adds, initially written with Cray in mind to cover it. In the event, however, he laughs: ‘I decided to keep it for myself.’ A wise move, maybe, as it often now works as a fast paced, soulful closer and encore to his road shows.

Roberts describes himself as being '…..a road man. I've been 55 years out on the road. It can get kinda tiresome but I'm used to it by now. We take to the road with gigs covering all over the USA. Sometimes it means driving for 20 hours at a time. But I can still do that stuff and often take the wheel for up to sixteen hours at a stretch myself.'

Currently in the process of cutting a new album - it's in the bag but still

Executive Producer Gina Hughes

to be mastered - Roberts confirms he still loves that old traditional soul sound, the Stax sound, with full-on horns in the mix: 'You just gotta move when you hear that music,' he laughs. And having caught the man in action live a few months ago, when for the second time he played Cognac Blues Festival in France, that is exactly what he does.

When I comment on how he 'works the house and audience,' he beams with clear pleasure, confirming that was one of the professional tricks he learned from Solomon Burke, himself a past-master in the field. 'I used to watch Solomon in action and I thought to myself, "that's what I want to do…" He had the crowd eating out of his hand. He grabbed them and kept them with him till the moment he walked from the stage. He was my favourite. I learned so much from him.

The trick is to keep them with you all of the way, to keep it always moving.'

For a guy in his seventies, Roberts sure knows how to get down and shimmy. There’s no creaking ole bones here, instead he works the entire stage, covering ground, with a trademark grin, strapped to a soulful sounding Strat, a guitar suited to his brand of blues and soul music with roots in the deep southern states and a flash or touch of northern, Chicago zip and zing in the mix.

And Roberts is the first to agree that he has picked up styles and sources from all around: ‘After near sixty years out there on the road, playing the clubs and halls throughout the USA, I reckon I know where to look, where to find a good honest lick or two,’ he laughs with glee and a nod of hard-earned wisdom.

Roberts is again due to arrive in Europe later this

summer with a booking at Lugano Blues Festival in Switzerland, where he's on the bill alongside his old buddy Johnny Rawls. He says he's looking forward to visiting the European festival and expects to have his latest album ready for release around then. In addition, he’s delighted to confirm that a German record company is planning to release a special vinyl edition album featuring many of his own self-penned tracks and covering the past twenty to thirty years of his music: ‘It’s sure something I’m looking forward to seeing and hearing. What with things coming back full circle to vinyl again,’ he chuckles again, leans close and tells me: “I’ll be sending you a special, signed copy as soon as I have it.’

DISCOGRAPHY

ROY ROBERTS

ANTHOLOGY OF SOUL & BLUES – 2012

STRANGE LOVE – 2011

IT'S ONLY YOU – 2008

MAN WITH A MESSAGE (GOSPEL) – 2007

ROY ROBERTS & FRIENDS (BLUES & SOUL REVIEW ) – 2006

SICILY MOON – 2006

BY REQUEST – THE BEST OF ROY ROBERTS - 2005

PARTNERS AND FRIENDS – 2004

DAYLIGHT WITH A FLASHLIGHT – 2003

BURNIN’ LOVE – 2001

DEEPER SHADE OF BLUE – 1999

EVERY SHADE OF BLUE – 1997

ROY ROBERTS LIVE – 1995

A WOMAN NEEDS LOVE – 1995

INTRODUCING ROY

ROBERTS – 1994

Robin Trower

EMOTIONS IN MOTION

Robin’s new album Where You Are Going To is stacked with effective songs, inventive and soulful guitar playing and some very personal lyrics as the artist continues his travels around the world. Pete tempted him temporarily out of the studio to talk about the new record and its inspirations.

Verbals: Pete Sargeant Visuals: Rob Blackham

Ilove this record and I’ve been playing it a lot. As I understand it, the record was layered up with you playing the guitars and bass and then Chris Taggart drumming? Yes it was done that way, so it is a little hard to get to the ‘band’ sound in a way but on the positive, the songs come together exactly right which is the way I have approached things for this set.

Is Livingstone Browne involved?

Oh yes, he fi xes everything that needs it to get the final sound we want.

Is this a slightly rockier album than other recent ones you have done?

(Ponders) Yes, I think I’d have to concur on that, overall. No master plan or anything, but I’d have to agree it’s got that flavour to it this time around.

When Will The Next Blow Fall - this is the way I feel when I watch Sky News! How much worse can things get?? Exactly! In my mind here I had things like the constant refugee crises and wars,

all over the globe it seems. Hence the lyric. You see all these people, refugees displaced by conflicts. It is so worrying, you wonder what can possibly solve it or make things easier for them.

The key sounds spot on for your voice. Well I become better at all that as I sing more these days, but I’m glad you notice it! When you write songs you’re going to sing, you do want it to flow in the coolest register.

That nagging riff makes it quite addictive, as a piece of music. Er, thank you, it suited the pace of the song, the feel - don’t you think?

Where You Are Going To - is this really about you and your life? Or someone else? It’s directly inspired by looking back at my days from The Paramounts and Procol and onwards, about the way the trio thing developed and affected my playing style and song writing, everything really. You could say in a way the experience of fame, of travelling and thoughts on all that’s involved in that. I liked it as an album title and it’s one of the strongest tracks in the set.

Back Where You Belong

– ah, the Johnny 'Guitar' Watson tinge! I do like the ascending chord progression and the vocal sounds very comfortable. Excellent! I am a big fan of his music. Not as well-known as BB King or Albert King and maybe more of a pop/r&b artist. I couldn’t tell you where that chordal thing

comes from to be honest, Pete. It is the sort of twist you just stumble upon and don’t think about if it works. But thank you, it is one I do enjoy singing. Writing rock ‘n’ roll is still a bit of a rarity for me as you know, I usually go for space, texture. But here, I am very happy with the result, I have to say.

The vocal sounds very personal, it sounds like you speaking almost in a singing voice. (Laughs) Well that’s a good thing, isn’t it?

JigSaw - I like the emphatic chord and the drumming is so laid-back...here’s where the low tuning helps?... on the low register runs? The main guitar part just came to me whilst on tour in the US and the lyric is reflective, on how you can view life. The guitar figure just made the whole song come together, I would say. I am generally tuned down a tone so the bends are a touch easier for the feel I am going for, yes.

The Fruits Of Your Desirenow this is one lovely tune. Practically everything you hear on this album just comes to me naturally, just from my way of playing.

Ain’t

No Use To

Worry - steady funk…ace guitar solo, maybe the best on the record! Thanks – it is a sort of James Brown reference, that yelp - if you do it inwards you can get that vocal effect. On the last record you detected some Curtis Mayfield influence I recall, so maybe

that comes in here? But Howlin’ Wolf just as much!

I like the mention of The Cognoscenti…

(Laughs) I think I got that from a gangster film the Godfather or something! But it says it’s no use worrying about what you can’t change, it’s more important to take care of the ones you love.

Is that your overall philosophical stance then, these days?

It’s certainly part of it. Quite an important part.

We Will Be Together Someday?

A poem to my late wife, really. Another personal song that I wanted to include.

That swirl, is that a Deja Vibe?

Yes...and of course I still use the neck and middle pickup mostly, as you know, so it gets that depth.

In Too Deep - it’s a slightly harsher vocal and rockier sound...maybe a step towards Paul Rodgers or James Dewar?

(Ponders) I sort of had the Stones in my head creating that one, funnily enough. Satisfaction maybe? It was definitely that area of sound I was tapping into on this particular song.

The slight swagger behind the solo sounds cool. Thanks, it seems to work on this song, having that sort of twist. If it works, I keep it.

I’m Holding On To You - the ghost of Lightnin’ Hopkins got me on this one, such

a slithery sound, also the semi-tone shift like Third Degree...my notes say ‘rust-stained love song’… (Sighs) In a way it’s got the feel of the previous album, but again it’s a personal song about my late wife and I have to say it is one of my favourites on this collection. A love song, yes Pete it is that.

Delusion Sweet Delusionpretty much hard funk here

ROBIN TROWER WHERE YOU ARE GOING TO HATMAN RECORDS

– edgy guitar. Would surely be one for the stage show? Ha! Yes, I am also thinking just that. Again, the music is built up in stages to get to that impact. The riff will be great to play live, so you are likely to hear that one if you can get along to one of the shows again. The set list is likely to be the one we have been using in America, for those dates. Thanks for catching up and take care.

I am due to speak to Robin about this latest set but have been savouring the songs and ambience of the record whilst he has been touring in the States. His singing gets better and better, never trying to emulate the late great James Dewar, to Trower’s eternal credit. For touring, Trower has a bassist blessed with a Dewar style voice so justice can be done to Bridge Of Sighs, Day Of The Eagle etc. Another plus is that Robin doesn’t try to sound pseudo-American, the great trap for so many UK and European acts when it comes to singing. With this set, Robin retains his reputation for being an inventive and motivated guitar stylist, never pouring too many notes into the mix and creating a blur of sound. All these years on since his first solo record, it is still refreshing not to be bombarded with show-off runs that soon lose all feeling. I get so tired of the many fretboard Lewis Hamiltons on the circuit – you’re trying too hard, chaps! When Will The Next Blow Fall is a fine opener, with Trower delivering a thoughtful lyric over an ominous riffing with a dirty undercurrent but precision ruling. The solo kicks in around 1:30 with a lovely legato tone and soulful bends twisting off into wah’d runs. At any volume this stuff sounds so cool. The title cut is a winsome rolling slow number and again the singing sounds really good, this is almost electric folk. The churning funk of Back Where You Belong has a meaner sound, with a fine Trower ascending progression and the vocal slightly grittier and conspiratorial with a hint of Hendrix. Jigsaw has an intriguing lyric and the key is just right for the singing, the guitar being surefooted but never plodding. We Will Be Together Someday is as tender as anything Robin has recorded, personal loss-inspired and utterly beautiful. If you recall For Earth Below with fondness, this one will resonate. In Too Deep has a restless core riff and bursts with electricity. The deep blues rolls in on I’m Holding On To You. Closer Delusion Sweet Delusion slows down a James Brown figure to send the set chugging out on a cloud of fuzz and pumping bass. As distinctive as any past Trower collection but with the lyrical content bringing real-life poetry, keep those Strat sonnets coming, amigo.

PETE SARGEANT

John Németh SOONER OR LATER

Hailing from Boise Idaho and now living in Memphis, Németh is a musician on the way to stardom. His deeply forged amalgamation of scorching harmonica-driven blues and sweet blue-eyed soul makes him seem like kin to the long-gone stompers, Sam Cooke, Otis Redding and Jackie Wilson and rootsy blues heroes like Little Walter and Sonny Boy Williamson.

Verbals: Duncan Beattie Visuals: Aubrey Edwards

Nemeth is the winner of the 2014 Blues Music Award and Soul Blues Artist of the Year. His last album Memphis Grease, won the Blues Music Awards 2015 Soul Blues album of the year. Also nominated for six other BMA’s, including BB King Artist of the Year, plus several others in years past, John Németh is on top of his game and going higher. Németh, made his mark in blues in Oakland, California on Blind Pig Records. Now settled with his family in Memphis, Tennessee, the singing harmonica player sets soul grooves into blues material, using inter-generational musicians steeped in the heritage of the famed music city to create modern sounding tunes with traditional sensibilities. He has appeared with the likes of Elvin Bishop, Anson Funderburgh, Junior Watson and, The Bo-Keys, a Memphis R & B band; and has wowed critics and audiences alike with his riveting vocals and harmonica prowess.

Please can you tell me about your earliest singing experiences? They were singing in church. I was really influenced by a nun called Sister Coletta who taught us how to sing patriotic and religious songs. She taught this classic third grader how to sing in harmony. Then my mom hired me to play for a pinochle luncheon held by the Catholic Daughters of America. I then played bars and I guess you can say from my first paid performances until now, have been to sell liquor and beer!

The fi rst two blues harmonica songs you wanted to learn were Snatch It Back And Hold It by Junior Wells and Little Walter's Mellow Down Easy. What drew you to them and the instrument? Economics drew me to the instrument. I couldn’t afford an electric piano. My mom made all her kids take piano lessons whether they liked it or not and fortunately I learned to read music. I was a fan of the harmonica but I didn’t play it.

What I loved about Snatch It Back and Hold It was that Junior Wells used the whole harmonica from the first hole of the harmonica to the tenth hole. Same with Little Walter’s Mellow Down Easy. What brought me to those

songs were those cascading melodic lines. Similar to what I was brought up listening to with the Hungarian violinists my dad enjoyed. They would start at the top and then swoop on down. Paul Butterfield had the same cascading harmonica licks.

From your teenage years you played seven nights a week at local pubs and parties. What did you learn most from that period? It was how to sing with proper technique, I didn’t have any schooling in singing after third grade. What I learned was to sing so you could hear your voice around your head, not rely on electronics. We didn’t have monitors in those bars. In church you have natural reverb but when you sing in a bar you don’t have those natural acoustics. I probably sing these days around 200 shows a year. Back in the day I was singing 250-350 nights without the travelling.

After opening for Junior Watson, you became his tour opener, which took you across the United States, to Scandinavia, and into the recording studio for your 2004 solo debut, Come And Get It. Please tell me about working with Junior. I was reminded what it was like to play with space. In

modern music, people want fireworks from music. The more notes and the faster you can play the better. The guitar world is guilty of it, the saxophone and the trumpet too, jazz really influenced that. However, for the older blues guys it means more space to play with rather than filling space. When I first started playing blues I was into space, but as I was entertaining college kids, I had to fill the space. Working with Junior I immediately fell back into using space. What makes a great musician is the guy who gives the illusion of space; it’s your placement, its power. All those great musicians that you love in any genre have developed their own personal skill of playing with space.

You then worked in Anson Funderburgh's backing band in 2005 and 2006, temporarily replacing Sam Myers… With Anson I was working with Sam Myers. He had recorded all those Elmore James records. He had that same simplicity, so after coming out of Watson’s band it was like another lesson in space. Sam also sang a lot of BB King’s songs, to be a working blues guy in Mississippi you played these songs, his approach was a simpler and harder groove. So

I took the hard falsetto that King did in the fifties, it was a lesson in learning how to sing soul music. Sam Myers had a great groove; the simplicity of his harmonica reminded me of the way Junior Wells played. You felt the soul. One of my favourite gigs was when I was filling in for Sam at a gig in Greenville, Mississippi and there must have been 20,000 there. I asked Anson what we were going to do. He said it’s all about the singing and groove down here, we’re going to do Sweet Sixteen by BB King and if you nail it we’ve got them, and if you don’t, well who knows… I nailed it, I had to!

The scene in Oakland and the Bay Area is historically referred to as Oakland Grease; inspired by artists like Lowell Fulson and Jimmy McCracklin. It seems like you soaked it up before moving to Memphis. The Memphis Grease record is all those influences that I had from when I was learning to sing soul. I was like a guy from Oakland playing with

these Oakland cats. It’s the culture, the life, the way people speak. It’s that certain pulse of the town. I wrote all these songs in Oakland and I took these songs to Memphis. The guys gave it the Memphis treatment. They can’t play Oakland as they are from Memphis which has the strongest, most recognisable backbeat - the space is huge, there’s all this time to think and tell your story. It was a beautiful experience, Memphis musicians playing traditional Oakland grease, it was great. The cost of living in Oakland was high so we relocated to Memphis. We can afford to live on a blues musician’s wage there. The tours are shorter and I see the family more.

You recorded Memphis Grease with producer and musician Scott Bomar and the album featured the BoKeys. Please tell me about recording this album. We recorded the album on tape. The tape machine doesn’t have a counter so there’s no automation. Before

you press record on the machine you have to rock the reels to get them to move otherwise you’ll snap the tape. It’s the same tape machine and mixing console as a lot of the great records recorded at Royal Studios used with Al Green, Syl Johnson & OV Wright. Tape’s expensive, time’s expensive and you’ve got a great expensive band so we took 2-3 takes on most songs and they were cut live in the studio. If you’re going to be a studio musician in Memphis you’re not gonna screw up, they play to make magic happen. Howard Grimes the drummer drove the bus. I think he’s one of the greatest musicians to ever come out of the United States. Think about all those hits, those great Al Green records, when you listen to the records it’s the singer and the drummer; they just load everything around it. Scott was a great producer and he got John Hampton to mix. Since there’s no automation, every mix had to be played right to the end and he got every mix in 2 takes.

You brought to the UK your regular band, The Blue Dreamers, featuring Johnny Rhodes on guitar, Danny Banks on drums and Matthew Wilson on bass, all of whom provide backing and harmony vocals. Can you tell us about them? I think this band is a really special unit. I had another great guitar player before Johnny and he just couldn’t handle the road so I put the feelers out there and people came to me. What I said was, you need to learn these three tunes. I want you to

MY MOM MADE ALL HER KIDS TAKE PIANO LESSONS WHETHER THEY LIKED IT OR NOT

play them out front to finish and I want you to sing any harmony part that you can sing to hear if you can groove by yourself. And Johnny got it. I took the drummer Danny Banks on the road with the Bo Keys as Howard Grimes’ drum tech. I said to him, watch that guy while you’re on tour and he did. You have to create a groove for the hit song, Danny did that, he has nerves of steel. We have a relationship like Al Green would’ve had with Howard Grimes. They’re all young guys and I taught them how I’d like it to happen. When they got in the band they were very inexperienced and there were certain things like the way they played that would take up space. So we took everyone’s way of playing and we simplified it and figured out a way to have interlocking parts. When you hear the new record you’ll hear a very well arranged album where we learnt to play these parts together. We spent a month in my rehearsal studio, getting it down.

This leads nicely to the new album Feelin’ Freaky which you recorded in two days with Luther Dickinson at his Zebra Ranch studio. What can we expect from this album? Feelin’ Freaky is different; I said I’m going to sing the melody and play chords, this is an idea, but I want to know your ideas. I want to hear what you’re going to play naturally, and then we’re going to fit it in. They aren’t studio guys who’ve played on a bunch of records, so this album has their weird, fresh ideas.

Finally, how do you fi nd the balance between the retro styles you love while still putting a modern twist on it? You know the style yourself and your limitations but God forbid you copy. In the blues world it’s become acceptable for some to play a BB King lick, and right after that an Albert King lick, then a Buddy Guy lick; don’t you have a goddamn thing to say of your own? I think I set my standard high. I know all the stuff that’s been done. You have to be someone who loves what you do, loves the genre and the great competition that came before you. Don’t steal the competition’s tricks; understand what made those tricks great. When we go on tour I play the greatest music that I can to influence the band. Everyone’s got really into great southern music, Bobby Powell, Johnny Adams, The Meteors, Percy Sledge, James Carr, Syl Johnson, OV Wright, Geater Davis, Hank Ballard and Dyke & The Blazers. Buddy Guy, Junior Wells and Little Walter too. That’s what it takes to get chemistry, to create something different so it doesn’t sound like everyone else. You get into the songwriters world and the band are very conscious of what I’m doing and make it happen to the best of their abilities. It’s been a great musical journey.

JOHN NÉMETH FEELIN FREAKY INDEPENDENT

Blazing a trail in the blues world since 2007 John Nemeth has brought out his ninth release. Hot on the heels of his highly lauded and respected Memphis Grease here he continues the groove sure again to get adulation and credit he richly deserves. On the last release he was backed up by The Bo Keys. Here his backing group is New Mexico based The Blue Dreamers. They are Johnny Rhoades on guitar Danny Banks drums Matthew Wilson bass. Add a horn section with Art Edmaiston and Marc Franklin there you have it a consummately professional musical outfit just sublime. Production is very good Luther Dickinson has got the right pitch. Eleven songs written by John Nemeth encompass differing styles full of sultry soul vocals powerful harmonica licks and subtle Hammond organ by Charles Hodges especially on opener Long Black Cadillac. Rainy Day shows off a laid back approach with horn section prominent and vocals just dripping with emotional turmoil. Under The Gun continues apace a catchy drum beat. Gave Up On You is also a mellow tune again delivered with passion and a fine guitar solo slipped in. My Sweet Love harmonises well with underlying harmonica playing. Two highlights are the funky driven I’m Funkin Out and title track Feelin Freaky real starting off slowly building to a crescendo. Get Offa That but continues this approach a real grower if the listener has not heard of this band. A superb eclectic easy listening release by a man at the top of his game velvety vocal tones powerful band what is there not to like sit back relax and listen to the best release this year so far.

COLIN CAMPBELL

Laurence Jones REACHING FOR THE HEIGHTS

Laurence Jones is no longer the ‘New Kid On The Block’ – he grew out of that title some time ago, maturing into a confident front man and really enjoying performing.

Verbals: Christine Moore Visuals: Walter Vanheuckelom and Christine Moore

Laurence has the chops, the moves, the voice and the style, and with his new album, Take Me High he is undoubtedly taking us high. The album has been produced by Mike Vernon, a man who can spot talent and bring the best out in anyone. Mike has recently come out of retirement because he still believes he can make a difference in the music business.

We caught up with Laurence backstage at Blues on the Farm to talk life and his new album - after which, he went on stage to storm the festival, verifying that he no longer has to prove himself, he is on his way up!

Let’s get the elephant in the room out of the way fi rst, before we talk about your amazing talent. I know you have an ongoing Crohn’s condition but you don’t seem to be letting this dampen your zest for life. Well it is something I have been living with for some years now and it’s being controlled with transfusions, which is an infl iximab drip. Of course, I have to watch my diet, as well as trying to keep my stress levels down, but recently, it appears that I may have ulcerative colitis, which is a similar condition and has the same symptoms. I am looking to have this re-diagnosed, to see what can be done in the future - especially what medicines I need to take, or if an operation would help. Ulcerative colitis is more controllable than Crohn’s but it’s still not pleasant as it is on the same spectrum. More and more people are being diagnosed with this, which is predominantly a young person’s disease. It’s important that people know about it and understand it as it can be very debilitating, which is why I’m happy to

talk about it and give it a higher profi le, so people are aware of the symptoms.

I know you have held a few benefit concerts to publicise and make people aware of Crohn's, and I can only applaud you for doing this as it really raises awareness of this disease, which I believe has no known cause. Well, the last benefit I played, Paul Jones was good enough to come along and play to support the charity. He has been very supportive and it’s great to have someone with his profile take the time to help raise funds and awareness. The event was really great and we raised £13,000 for Crohn’s and Colitis UK.

Good luck with your health and let’s get on to your career. You have a new album out - Take Me High. How well is it doing? Really well. We are number 33 in the independent music charts. It was amazing to make it into the actual charts, and we’re in the top 100 in the normal charts with Adele and the Arctic Monkeys and people like that. It’s a dream come true really.

You are touring with the new album at the moment, so how is it going? We did the album launch yesterday in my home town, Shipston-on-Stour. It was

really nice as I played my first ever gig there when I was 12.

And you're only 15 now?

(Laughs a lot) I lost the talent competition there, so it was nice to go back there to a sell-out audience and rock it.

How is the tour going for the new album? Where are you travelling to? We have one more gig in the UK then we go to America, to New York - we have a TV show there. Then after that, in September we have a whole month in Poland. That’s 23 shows we are going to do out there.

Where to after that? Germany, Holland, Denmark and Norway in October.

Who is keeping that schedule in their heads? Me! We are supporting Status Quo in October in Holland then we do a UK tour in November.

I know Rick Parfitt had a heart attack earlier this year, just before a show at Bowness, and the son of Quo bassist John ‘Rhino’ Edwards stepped in to play in his place. Do you know how Rick is now? I am not sure, I think he is quite ill. (Rick is expected to make a full recovery but it will be a long slow process.) They are doing a last electric tour, so it is an honour to be asked to support them.

You were telling me that your interest in music started because your Dad used to play and take you to gigs from an early age. Who was your favourite

artist when you were going to gigs with your Dad? My favourite artist has always been and still is Jimi Hendrix.

Well you didn’t see him live! No, I never saw him but I was lucky enough to be taken to a local pub where I live called The George Inn, in Brailes, a tiny village about ten minutes from where I live in Oxfordshire. Every Monday they used to have different blues acts on and I saw everyone there: Sherman Robertson, Joanne Shaw Taylor, Mike Sanchez and even Imelda May. l was always the youngest one there at the front - 10 years old watching all the music - and that is where it came from.

You know I have a picture of Jimi in my house? It’s from the Cellar Club in South Shields when he played there. I knew the manageress when it closed and she let me have the picture. He played there when Chas Chandler brought him over to the UK and got him a gig there. That’s cool!

One of the things you said to me one time was that your Dad used to play guitar and you wanted to be better than him - that’s what made you start playing. He used to have a guitar around the house and he played House Of The Rising Sun to me. Last year we played the Royal Albert Hall with Eric Burdon and I got to jam with him and we played House Of The Rising Sun. I looked at my Dad, and when I came off stage I said to him

“I think this counts as me being better than you now!”

So Jimi is still your favourite artist. What about other artists that are alive and playing today? About three weeks ago, we did the North Sea Jazz Festival in Amsterdam. It’s the biggest one in Europe. We got to support Joe Bonamassa and I got to watch Joe and meet him. It was great to see him live.

There are a lot of people who knock him, but I like him and he brings other artists onto his albums and shows, which is great for everyone. I think a lot of people knock him because he doesn’t play small clubs any more, he has taken it to a new level and some people just like the little clubs.

But he did play small clubs when he fi rst came over. I remember he played the Running Horse in Nottingham, which was a small pub but with a big reputation. I personally like the smaller venues, but artists outgrow them when they increase their fan base. We are playing to bigger audiences on our next tour in November. I enjoy doing the bigger venues with larger audiences, definitely. I like playing all kinds of venues, but I have a plan and I am a business man as well, so I want to keep pushing forward. I want to keep doing bigger gigs - like any artist really.

What is your favourite country to play in?

I love playing in Holland and Spain - we get a lot of national play on Spanish radio, so we pull big audiences. We have really big gigs there. It’s cool!

Which is your favourite gig in the UK?

Probably my album launch, but I like the Assembly Rooms in Leamington Spa - that is a really cool venue. The Albert Hall in London - that was amazing! The Sage at Gateshead is a really great venue too. I like the way Hall 2 is tiered - it creates a nice atmosphere, and you can look behind you, like the Albert Hall, to see the audience.

What ambitions do you have for the future?

The album tour is my focus at the moment so we can keep growing our audience. It’s been really amazing the support we have had, we’re just going to carry on doing what we’re doing. We have some good plans for next year.

When you are not playing music, what other interests do you have?

MUSIC! (laughs) I am constantly writing new songs.

You were saying you have a long term plan what is that?

The long term plan is to play arenas and headline - to break out to different audiences and different genres. That’s one thing that has been successful in this album. We haven’t stuck to blues or blues rock, it’s got elements of soul in there too. I like to keep it all about the three pieces. Mike Vernon was really great to work with because he kept it live

for us. Most of it is bass, drums and guitar, hardly any overdubs, so when I sold the idea to Mike, I said “We need to do a British album”. He said “Let’s do it!”

So you didn’t fancy adding keyboard or harmonica? On some tracks we have keyboards, just to fill the sound out a little bit, to break it up from the guitar riffs, but other than that it’s a really live album - so we can play live exactly as the CD sounds. Our sound is big with just the three of us.

I know you enjoy the guys you play with at the moment, but if you had a choice of any musicians, alive or dead, to play with, who would it be?

I would love to have Steve Jordan as drummer and Pino Palladino the bass player from The Who or even Sting. That would be a hell of a combo. That would be cool.

Thanks for that Laurence, it was really nice to talk to you again.

Lisa Simone THE DAUGHTER OF A LEGEND CARRIES THE FLAME

Following a famous parent down the same career path is not an easy option, but it is an option that Lisa Simone has embraced with enthusiasm.

Verbals: Andy Hughes Visuals: David Kirouac

An award-winning career on Broadway, a Grammy-nominated vocalist with the band Liquid Soul, and co-executive producer of the Oscar-nominated biopic What Happened Miss Simone? detailing her mother’s often turbulent life and career. Now with a new album to promote, My World, Lisa Simone is in Montreal to appear at the city’s highly prestigious annual Jazz Festival. Andy Hughes enjoyed some conversation with Lisa in her dressing-room before her performance.

You didn’t follow your mother straight into a career in music, you joined the US Air Force, and your mother was not best pleased when you announced your intention to switch to a career as a musician. No, she wasn’t! It’s not often that Nina Simone was stuck for words, but girls have a way of pushing their mothers’ buttons, and I was no different. I sure pushed one that time!

So growing up, you didn’t consider a musical career? No, I was not encouraged to pursue music growing up. I started singing in the choir as a teenager, and I fell into the role of giving out the vocal parts. From there I branched out into singing with a local band - they asked me to come along and sing Street Life, the Crusaders' tune with the Randy Crawford vocal. From there, they invited me to join and front the band, and my aunt who I was living with at the time told me (adopts shrewish voice) “you’re not gonna live that kinda life” … so I decided to work towards going to college. It really didn’t occur to me to follow music at that time.

You started your music career as a backing singer, how did that happen? I was in the military; I joined

the Air Force and was working as an engineer. I was a health nut, very into exercise and healthy food. I went to a local bistro with a friend of mine, and the way the piano player pumped his leg as he played reminded me of my grandmother in church, so I sang a song - I can’t remember what it was. Two weeks later, a lady called Jane Faulkner called me and said she needed a backing singer. I was really confused; I asked her how she knew I could sing, and where she got my number from? It turns out my friend had been boasting about my voice all over the place! I thought about it, decided I enjoyed singing, it would be some easy money, harmonies came easy to me, and that was it - I was a singer. Various bands asked me to come out and sing with them, and then one day – the light came on! It was that moment when you realise that what you should do with your life has been there in front of your face all along. I didn’t like the job I was doing; I was searching for another path. I decided that if I can do what I think I can do when I fi rst sang My Baby Just Cares For Me, then that is the path for me. And it worked, because here I am - performing at the Montreal Jazz Festival, and being interviewed by you for Blues Matters! magazine.

It must have dawned on you, when people were inviting you to sing with them, that you were good at it? Most people with a musical talent realise that they have it early on, and they develop it and move towards making a life doing that. I always knew I was good at it, it just didn’t occur to me to do it professionally. I was good at other things too; I used both sides of my brain. I was good in school - I was an Honours student. I passed my degree in civil engineering while I was in the military. But I didn’t like what I was doing. I was good at my job, but I knew I was never going to excel in it, or progress at a fast pace. So if I didn’t want to do that, what was I going to do? It was then that I listened to my heart. I was twentyeight years old, and I decided that I didn’t want to look back in twenty-five years time, which is where I am now, and wish I had followed my heart. You were nominated for a Grammy with your band Liquid Soul, what did that mean to you? It was great to be nominated. It was a case of 'Wow! How did that happen!' But it didn’t really make a difference - we didn’t get any more tour support, and we definitely didn’t get any more money!

You have a very matter-of-fact way of looking at things.

I guess I do … actually, no-one has ever told me that before, and I shall ponder on that, thank you. I am positive, I have dreams, but at my age, and with the experiences I have had, the things I

have gone through, I have learned to accept things the way they are. I know there is always more out there, waiting for discovery.

You moved around a lot as a child – did that inform your attitude as an adult, and as a musician? I moved around a lot as an adult as well! I am tired of that now. Growing up with parents whose careers were in entertainment, that just went with the territory. But it was tough always being the new kid in school at the start of every year. Then when my parents divorced, my mom had to re-jig her career, both in terms of being a single parent, and also because he was no longer managing her, so she had to adapt to both those sides of her life. The first time I heard the term ‘nomad’ was when my mother said it to me. She told me we were nomads. The one thing my mother always wanted for me, to give me, was a home, and in death, she achieved that. She left me her home in France, and now it is my home. Her wish was fulfilled, and I silently said to her, “Mom, you did it!”

Your life must be a rich source of material for your songwriting. It always has been, and I have been writing songs for many years. It’s funny because songwriting is something I fell into; I didn’t really have any aspirations to be a songwriter. The song Child In Me is the fi rst song I wrote. I remember, I was in a hotel in Barcelona, and I wondered, can I put all the issues of my childhood into a song? It was a new experience, but not like writing to a deadline, that’s when you become a proper songwriter! My working method varies. With Child In Me, the music and the lyrics and the feel of the song all came together in a cascade. I was running round the house looking for a cassette recorder with working batteries so I could capture it. Quite often, ideas come to me just as I am going to sleep, when my mind is quiet. I wrote Hold On after listening to Evanescence. My husband said, “let’s put it on the album”, he started to play guitar, and what came out is what you will hear at the show tonight.

Some people fi nd writing is just a job to get on with; you obviously get real pleasure from it. Yeah, but I started late in life. My mum had no choice about being a musician, it chose her. I was twenty-eight and already working in another area completely which I didn’t like, and I was looking for something different. So I think my relationship with music is different from my mother’s. I have been doing this for twenty years, and I am just starting to get some recognition. When I started, loads of people tried to put me off – you are too old, too this, too that … I reached the stage where I didn’t want to do it any more. My husband encouraged me to keep going, and in 2013, we moved to France, to my mother’s house with two suitcases, and a year later, I was a musician. Our path doesn’t manifest itself in the way we think it will. It’s not to do with us, or a lack of something in us, it’s about where we are. My relocation taught me that I have choices in life – if I had stayed where I was I may have made a different choice. I have learned in life that I do have choices.

What does the word ‘blues’ mean to you?

It makes me smile! I love the blues! MY WORLD – 2016 ALL IS WELL – 2014

Paul Deslauriers

THE KING OF THE MONTREAL BLUES

Paul Deslauriers has been a fixture on the blues scene in Montreal, Canada since the 1990’s, when he was a member of well-respected local band Black Cat Bone. He has fronted his own band since 1997, and he works ceaselessly as a touring musician, as well as delivering guitar workshops for eager students across the world.

Verbals: Andy Hughes Visuals: Supplied by artist

Once again in 2016, Paul was invited back with his band to play at the prestigious Montreal Jazz Festival. The Festival embraces a wide variety of musical genres and respects its roots with a series of concerts by premier blues musicians. Blue Matters’ Andy Hughes watched Paul re-string his beloved Gibson backstage before a typically incendiary performance in the funky Club Soda nightclub in the heart of Montreal, and enjoyed a lengthy conversation.

What was your introduction to blues music?

Like a lot of guys growing up and learning to play guitar, I adored the playing of Jimi Hendrix, Stevie Ray Vaughan, Eric Clapton, and also like a lot of guys, I did my research, going back into musical history to see where these guys got their influences from. That leads you to Delta and Chicago blues, to Robert Johnson and Howlin’ Wolf. I think that leads you to blues music with heart and soul that speaks to you and if it speaks like it spoke to me, it becomes the music you want to play.

There is no doubt that blues music grabs its fans on a visceral level. The audiences and the musicians do react on a common experience; there is no doubt about that. Here in Quebec there is a huge blues scene, with lots of festivals devoted to blues bands and musicians. People come from all over to enjoy the music, and that includes people who are seriously schooled in the roots and history of the style, and people who just love to come along, have a beer, have a dance, and just have a good time. They are all welcome!

What was your fi rst guitar?

I think I did what a lot of kids did, which is pick up an acoustic guitar that was lying around. It had been left at our

house by some family friends, and I got hold of it and started picking out some notes, and getting interested and I told my parents I would like to play it, so we took it and got it re-strung. My first electric guitar, I got when I was about thirteen. It was a Japanese model from the sixties; it cost $35, so you can imagine that for that sort of money, it wasn’t really that good an instrument! But the great thing is, and a lot of players will tell you this, starting off on a really badly made cheap model really does hone your skills. At that stage, you don’t know anything else, you have no idea about action, and about how different the feel of different guitars can be. In your mind, all guitars are like this, with the high action, and the hard strings, and you just learn to master it. Then when you get a decent guitar, it’s like going to heaven! You suddenly discover that upperend models feel wonderful and sound great, and they are so much easier to play! I played that guitar until I was eighteen, and I could afford a proper Stratocaster.

What do you like about Stratocasters?

I always liked them growing up and learning to play because all my heroes played them – Stevie Ray Vaughan, Jimi Hendrix, Eric Clapton. But when I discovered Gibsons, I found I really loved

the difference in tones. The warm full sound you get from humbucker pickups. The sound that Peter Green created, lots of colour in that tone. I have a Gibson Melody Maker, a 1960 model, and a newer one built in 2010. I like the Melody Maker sound because the top-end Strat tone can sometimes feel like an ice-pick in your ear, but there is less danger of a shrill edge with the Melody Maker.

Are you a guitar collector? I have over twenty, but I have been pretty conservative in my buying habits, and they are all played regularly. I am a great believer that guitars get better the more they are played. Guitars vibrate against the body of the player, and then each absorbs something from that experience. There are lots of fabulous vintage guitars out there that have hardly a mark on them, because they have hardly been played. I prefer a guitar that is well worn in because a musician, or a series of musicians, loved it enough to play it a lot.

The term ‘blues’ means different things to different people – what does it mean to you?

It’s about a sound, and a feeling. The Paul Deslauriers Band is not really a ‘museum’ type band, we are not a strictly fifties blues or Chicago blues band. It’s more about a joining of attitudes and feelings. We get to meet a lot of blues musicians, and we know just how many permutations there are around the world. It is entirely about the approach and the sensations, it’s not

about being especially rocky, or twangy, or anything like that. We owe a huge debt to the musicians who invented the music we love, but we are doing what all modern players are doing which is moving the form on, adding to it, expanding it, developing it - that is what is really important. It is the music of the world.

Tell me about your writing process.

The new album is the first one we have written as a trio. We wrote about seven songs together, and put in some covers we play in our live set. We wrote it together from scratch, sitting in a room together thrashing out riffs and ideas and working out what we liked and what worked. It produced a dynamic you can only get if you work together a lot, and get to know each other deeply on a musical level. Everything was recorded live; we did four or five takes and picked the best one. No Pro Tools, I don’t think you can create a slow blues by piecing

things together. This is how our favourite records were made, and that is how we did it. If you use computers, everything is perfect, but there is no emotional push and pull that you get from playing live together. You can’t get that push and pull unless you play live, that is how audiences connect with bands. If it makes you dance, you don’t spend time analysing it too much. That’s why I am not big on effects really. A bit of reverb on a Fender amp, a bit of delay for a rockabilly-style slap back. I have an overdrive and an old MXR pedal for some analogue delay. It’s all old-school, the real magic comes from your fingers, not the effects.

How do you get a genuine feel for the music in the sterile atmosphere of the studio?

Well, you just keep playing it over until the feeling comes, and it always does. That’s when you need another pair of ears, your engineer or your producer, to tell you which take is the right one, you can’t

always tell. Our engineer Rob Heaney was great for that, he was a fourth pair of ears, and he could tell when we nailed it, he was invaluable.

How do you create those amazing guitar solos?

I gave a masterclass here at the Montreal Jazz Festival today, and I always tell students that a solo has to tell a story. You have to have good melody, and reach a musical climax at a given point. I think soloing is about working at a gut level. I am not thinking about technique when I play a solo, it has to move me, and my band mates, and the audience. There is interplay and reaction on both sides, so you can’t really script it. I like to make things as fresh as possible every time. I am so lucky, I think I have got the best rhythm section in the country; they are the foundation I surf on.

Are there still technical things you can’t do?

Man, every day of my life! I could live a thousand lifetimes and never get close to mastering playing the blues on guitar. It is an endless journey, and that is what appeals to me so much.

Have you got a favourite song in the set?

Right now, I am enjoying a slow blues one we do called 'If I Still Had You', and we always include 'Love In Vain', the Robert Johnson classic, we all love that one.

Who are your guitar heroes?

I get asked this all the time, and there is a rolling

list of about fifty names I could mention any time at all. I love Jimmy Page’s work, the way he brought the sitar and Arabic and North African flavours into Zeppelin’s music. We put out an acoustic album a few years ago, and we had some sitar on that, I love that sound. As far as current players go, I love Derek Trucks’ playing, that man has real mastery of his instrument.

What advice do you have for current blues musicians who want to improve?

My advice is to listen. As much and as often as you can, and I still do that now, and I always will. Check out the Chicago blues players, the Delta musicians, all the great names. I find if you do as I did, check your favourite musicians and find out what they liked and listened to, you will find where their influences are. Influence is a wonderful thing, it can give you ideas to explore, in terms of listening and playing, and it is a vital part of being a musician. When I started out, when you wanted to find out how a lick or a solo was played, you had to get the record, or borrow it, or go to a friend’s house and listen to it, and then hold the needle and replay the same bit time and again. Or we’d record things onto cassette to save the albums, and re-wind them time and again. If you could see that musician playing live, you’d get as close as you could to the stage and fi x your eyes on his hands, and try to memorise what you are seeing. Now, it’s a whole lot easier – a couple

of clicks on your computer, and someone is there giving you a complete lesson with sound and visuals, charts, the works! I’m not complaining, don’t get me wrong, each generation works with what is available, and that’s the way it has been and always will be.

Do you think blues music is in a healthy state right now?

I think it’s wonderfully healthy. Speaking as a blues musician, me and the band are getting great gigs, we are selling records, there are loads of places to play, there are festivals, and specialist magazines like Blues Matters coming over from England to check us out. It’s all wonderful. There are lots of great writers writing

about blues music, so that has to be a good thing for an exciting genre of music.

Are you coming to the UK? Man, we would love to come to the UK! Our latest record is out there, and if we can put together some dates, we would love to come to Europe and come to England and see all our English fans. Look out for us, we’ll let you know if we can get that organised. That would be just wonderful!

“ ” INTERVIEW | PAUL DESLAURIERS

Red Lick Records, PO Box 55, Cardiff CF11 1JT sales@redlick.com www.redlick.com

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MICHAEL WOODS BOTTLENECK AHEAD INDEPENDENT

I have to admit to having not heard of Michael before this disc arrived on my doormat but what a lovely surprise it was. Michael has been a professional musician for over twentytwo years and was inspired by country blues giants Blind Balke, Blind Boy Fuller and Rev. Gary Davis as well as British folk-blues legends John Renbourn, Bert Jansch and Davey Graham (who inspired so many). Previously a BBC Radio said he “sounded like two guitarists” and on a previous release Acoustic Magazine said “on this evidence might give our Transatlantic cousins a run for their money” and R2 said in 2014 of his third release, East Coast Fret, “an album possessed of a bucketload of class” So plaudits gracefully received Michael has listened to his fans and now releases this bottleneck album to appease their appetites and what a job he has done here!

We are presented with fourteen tracks including Stasboro’ Blues (McTell), Love In Vain (Johnson), Frisco Line (McDowell), Paddlin’ Madeline Blues (Arnold) and a few he has arranged including Durham

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Lockout (Armstrong arr. Woods), Black & White Rag and Mary Ann Cotton. The disc oozes a wonderfully understanding interpretation of both classic and less regarded songs and delightful arrangements by Michael. I hear that he is to appear on this magazines’ Blues Stage at Jaks in Skegness for the 2017 Rock & Blues Festival so do catch him if you can as part of another great line up at the event brought to you by this magazine. Altogether this is a very pleasing listen to relax to (over and over) and to be recommended

FRANK LEIGH

MIKE SPONZA ERGO SUM EPOPS RECORDS

The Singer-Songwriter

Mike Sponza has pulled in favours from a number of guests musicians on Ergo Sum. With co-writing, guitar, and singing duties is Ian Siegal, who gives a particularly impressive, and impassioned vocal turn on the album closer Prisoner Of Jealousy, while Dana Gillespie guests powerfully on The Thin Line. The vocals have shades of the soul greats, while the playful opening track Modus In Rebus sounds like both a call to arms, and a lost Frank

AC STEEL & THE GALVANISERS NOW OR NEVER

INDEPENDENT

Philadelphia’s AC Steel is one of those guys who came close to the big time but never quite made it. He came over to England in the 70’s, played with Bob Hall and turned down an opening with UFO. Eventually he got himself a day job and played at weekends but having now retired he is back at it full time. AC wrote all bar one track here, his serviceable vocals work fine, especially when supported by backing vocalist Arlyn Wolters. AC plays guitar and is joined by a band that includes ‘Chicago’ Carl Snyder on keys. Proceeds from the disc will go to help another Philly musician who has been afflicted by illness and opening track Can’t Keep The Big Man Down recounts his story. Plenty of good guitar work lights up the risqué Little Cat Purr and Hip Shake Shuffle rattles along with plenty of exciting slide and pounding piano as AC attempts to define

the origins of the title dance. Larry Feldman’s fiddle/mandolin and Wanamaker Lewis’ banjo add a folk influence to What Would Muddy Say, the lyrics pondering how musicians of yesteryear would react to today’s scene; the same instrumental approach is particularly interesting on Robert Johnson’s Come On In My Kitchen which also combines some gospel-influenced vocals. AC’s humour is well illustrated on Love Hate Letters which deals with restraining orders against an aggressive ex! Steelman’s Stroll is a fastpaced instrumental that shows AC’s fluent picking to advantage before the album closes with AC’s wry commentary on the current scene, Too Many Guitar Slingers: AC tries to warn young players off sounding like SRV clones, AC showing those guitarists what to avoid with some over-egged wah-wah guitar and the classic aside “What do you call a guitar player without a girlfriend?

Homeless!” AC has songwriting skills and with a good band behind him this is a solid disc.

JOHN MITCHELL

Zappa song. The album is a concept album, using translation of classic Latin Poems as a starting point, and then putting them into a form that makes sense. With a lot of work, and a talented backing band, which features a full brass section, the eight songs all fit into a whole body of work. Although most of the songs are slow blues, there are also shades of different genres, from the country swing of Poor Boy, or the slide guitar drenched Penelope. Both Mike Sponza and Ian Siegal have put a lot of time and effort into the album, with neither one of them over-

ANA POPOVIC TRILOGY

ARTISEXCLUSIVE RECORDS

The Serbian blues singer, songwriter and guitarist Ana Popovic has pulled out all of the stops on her newest album, Trilogy. As the title suggests, it a triple album release, with a different mood to suit the time of day it might be played at. So, early morning and afternoon are dedicated to the blues, rock and funk sounds that Popovic is best known for, but the third album, Midnight is the most interesting album of the three. It uses jazz sounds and

shadowing the other, whilst the keyboards of Dean Ross, bass of Mauro Tolot, and drums from Moreno Buttinar added sturdy, but sensitive accompaniment behind the singers, guitarist and brass. If you like your blues, but with something a bit extra, this album could well be for you.

BEN MACNAIR

FANTASTIC NEGRITO THE LAST DAYS OF OAKLAND (ALBUM) & FANTASTIC NEGRITO DELUXE EDITION EP BLACKBALL UNIVERSE

Two new fresh releases from this extraordinary guy, one a ten-track album the

instruments, and the vocals suit this style as much as they do the blues and rock songs. Heavy brass, piano, jazz guitar breaks, and emotive singing are the order of the day here. As well as Ana, a lot of other musicians contribute to the album, from famous names such as Robert Randolph and Joe Bonamassa, and a lot of names that will be familiar to anyone who reads the sleeves of albums. Most of the album is written by Popovic, with a couple of choice covers, from the likes of Chaka Khan, and the jazz standards In a Sentimental Mood, and You Don’t know What Love Is, which closes this highly listenable, and incredibly well produced collection.

BEN MACNAIR

other a seven track EP. As a result there’s a degree of overlap in the material but it’s pretty limited so of little true concern. Negrito is a guy with a bit of a background, and baggage that would surely lead anyone to the blues. Almost destroyed by an encounter with masked gunmen, he survived to carve a career that initially looked like it was bound for glory, wealth and riches, with a million dollar record deal that came at just the wrong time as gangsta rap took control of the US West Coast music world. And if that was not enough, he then had a serious lifethreatening injury following a road accident which put him out of action for many months. Originally a talented guitarist who could turn his hand to many instruments, Negrito was left with some wasting, atrophied conditions that affected his mobility and ability to play guitar. Against astonishing odds, he has now yet again made a comeback with these two offerings. He has a powerful soulful, grit-bedivelled voice and the material on these two releases is mostly all his own stuff with a few exceptions including Lead Belly’s In The Pines which features on the full album, The Last Days Of Oakland. In many ways, Negrito reminds me of Ben Harper, another black musician from the same, California area. And, like Harper, Negrito has bags of talent, great vocals and a real story to tell through

the medium of his music, a raw-edged, at times introspective mixture of hard-nosed blues and optimistic hope. He has clearly absorbed a wide range of blues and roots influences with southern soul, rap and funk rattling around in the mix. These are both genuinely worthwhile releases full to bursting with catchy modern music that shimmers with a bluesrooted background. If anything, for my money, the EP is the better of the two. However, that said, it’s hard to choose between them. Probably safer to grab both in the circumstances.

IAIN PATIENCE

ALBANY DOWN THE OUTER REACH

AD RECORDINGS

Right from the opening notes of Feeding The Flame, the power and quality of Albany Down shine to the fore. This, the tricky third album of their career, is packed with songs that say something and musicianship in abundance. It has to be said that Albany Down do not profess to belong to any one genre, able to produce music across the sphere, but in reality they are heavily bound by the rock parameters. In Paul Turley they possess a truly fine guitarist, who understands the nuances of shade and light in his playing, using that in a superb way. On vocals, Paul Muir has a great voice and his delivery is always crisp and clear. Likewise Billy Dedman on bass lays

down a solid bottom line whilst working well with Donna Peters on drums. With eleven tracks on this CD, there is very little let up in feel or tempo as the band let fly at every opportunity. The aforementioned track Feeding The Flame is about addiction and compulsion, the inability to quit and the sound throughout feels as though there is an orchestral backdrop painting an even deeper picture. Supersonic Girl is sheer funk, great bass lines by Dedman and an overall feel that makes you move. Like A Bullet is the first ballad style song, with great delivery by Paul Muir. A song about obsession, which is delivered in a very sad and heartfelt way. Home, a song most bands must be able to relate to after a long time on the road, opens with acoustic guitar for the first verse before the heavy chords of the electric guitar take it to another level, really highlighting that frustration of being away. On closer Sing Me To Sleep, Muir sounds like Rod Stewart on a sweet ballad that celebrates togetherness with its sweeping strings and strength of playing by Turley. A possible single one might think. There is no weakness on this album, just one great song after another. In a world of mediocrity, The Outer Reach shines like a beacon of hope.

MERV OSBORNE

BILL PHILLIPPE PARADE ARKANSAS STREET

Ok from the top I want to say that this album is not my usual cup of tea at all. In fact it is so far off my general radar that I’m not sure where to start. Start I must though and straightaway I should set the record clear that there is absolutely nothing wrong with this collection of twelve tunes, mostly self penned, from San Francisco singer/ songwriter Bill Phillippe. It sits somewhere in that strange place between folk, blues with a touch of Gypsy Jazz thrown into the mix. Stripped back and diverse with just acoustic guitar, clarinet, upright bass and accordion providing the textures it is not an easy listen. That statement is based solely on the fact that I don’t really know where I want to go with this review rather than it being bad musically. That is not the case. It is certainly interesting and even strangely beguiling at times and in a sense very French at least to my ears. It is perhaps more like musical poetry rather than mainstream blues. Since it arrived on my doorstep I keep coming back to it with trepidation knowing what is to come is not going to be an easy ride and yet it does draw me in. Quite how I can’t articulate what it does to me is interesting and I am left wondering do I like this? The jury is still out I’m sorry to say on that score. The sparse arrangements certainly leave an unsettling amount of space over which Bill’s mostly spoken(ish)

LENA & THE SLIDE BROTHERS THE ROAD INDEPENDENT

This is a four piece band from Helsinki Finland and this their third release has style. As their name implies there are two well tuned slide guitarists Matti Kettunen and Yka Putkinen who mix it up well with guts and passion. Add this mix to the soulful and country styled front women and singer Lena Lindroos this certainly is one tight band of musicians. Starting up with The Road You’re On this eases in with mellow notes and soft vocals and builds up to crescendo, bit of a crowd pleaser with catchy chorus. Rolleen is a steady rolling tune laid

vocals sit. This is a totally unique body of work quite unlike anything else I’ve heard in 2016. Very Interesting, and different but think I’m gonna have to reserve judgement on this album, sorry folks.

GRAEME SCOTT

THE MIGHTY MOJO PROPHETS RECORD STORE

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back riffs. Elevator Man slinks along with sultry vocals and fine drumming by Matti Kettunen.A very easy listening release it is rocked up with jump jive feel to Cool Little Girl and superb slide guitaring throughout none more so than on High Maintenance Man a highlight track again showing off fine vocals and well rounded lyrics. Georgia Lee is a down south riff sassy and bold this one and very catchy. Silver Moon maintains the overall laid back steady rolling feel and more opportunities for the slide guitarists to show off their undoubted professional musicianship. The release finishes off with the toe tapping Now I’m Gone. Although this feels like you’ve heard it all before there is a big future for this band and certainly playing live they are a force to be reckoned with. A consummate back to basics release.

COLIN CAMPBELL

over the years but Lamar’s Records sounds like it could have been right up there in my ranking. I met BB King once in Dobell’s record shop in central London, in Lamar’s you could meet William Clarke, James Harman or Snooky Pryor. Small wonder then that The Mighty Mojo Prophets wrote a wonderful, affectionate blues about their local diskery. This Long Beach, California

LISA MANN HARD TIMES, BAD DECISIONS

JAYRAY RECORDS

Portland, Oregon based powerhouse singer and bass player with her fourth release of “tough girl blues”. The album opens with the hard rocking title track Hard Times, Bad Decisions featuring powerful vocals set against the driving rhythm of her bass and the drums of Michael Ballash and excellent work from Jason JT Thomas on guitar and Brian Harris on organ.. The soul-drenched blues ballad Two Halves Of One Broken Heart is a duet with Andy Stokes featuring great B3 organ from guest Louis Pain and sax from Renato Caranto. Certain Kinda Man is a jaunty rocker with sassy vocals and the jazzy swinging I Go Zoom features guest Sonny Hess on guitar. Doghouse is a piece of humorous nonsense featuring bar room piano and barking

from Rae Gordon. Ain’t Nunna Yo Bizness has a touch of New Orleans about it with Louisiana native Steve Kerin on rollicking piano and Miss Mann having fun with her vocals. Kirk Fletcher adds his superb guitar to the gospel flavoured My Fathers House. There are twelve songs here and eight of them are originals and the standard of playing is excellent throughout. Guests Dave Melyan on drums and Alex Shakeri on jazzy piano add to the swinging You Need A Woman as Miss Mann pushes her attributes to the fore with her forceful vocals. The steady rocking I Love You All The Time was written by The Eagles of Death Metal and the publishing rights are being donated to the victims of the Bataclan atrocity. The album closes with the crunching blues-rocker Judge A Man Forever with Miss Mann singing fervently about injustice and this song also features Vinny Appice’s driving drums and superb resonator guitar from Ben Rice. A great finish to an excellent album and I believe Lisa Mann will again feature in the Blues Music Awards in 2016.

DAVE DRURY

based six-piece outfit came together in 2007 and keeps up that West Coast tradition of swinging blues bands, usually with an excellent harmonica

player often taking the lead. Tom Eliff handles the vocals in fine fashion, with Tom Richmond on either chromatic or diatonic harmonica (that’s the big

one and the little one), and showing influences from those three musicians just mentioned. The Prophets have recorded previously for Rip Cat and Delta Groove, and this set is just pure blues all the way, though with influences from soul and jazz. The title track adds some wah-wah guitar to the sound, but generally this is coolly swinging blues, or something a little tougher in the vein of James Harman. Guitarist Mitch Dow’s playing is tasteful throughout, but don’t mistake that for reserve – if that’s your impression, take a listen to his slide guitar break on the tough Bring It On Home (an original Eliff/ Dow collaboration by the way, as are all 13 tracks here) or the rather dark sounding Wondering. Mike Malone adds a fine cushion on piano and organ throughout the album, or provides some excellent instrumental breaks, whilst the rhythm section of Dave DeForest bass and Al Ricci drums propel things along with a lot of subtlety. Look out for these guys –hopefully we’ll be hearing a lot more from them.

NORMAN DARWEN

THE YARDBIRDS YARDBIRDS AKA ROGER THE ENGINEER REPERTOIRE

This 2CD release marks the 50th anniversary of The Yardbirds (most blues wailing) first studio album and by this time the band had moved from blues retreads into the psychedelic inspired period of anything

goes (but still often rooted in blues). The bluesy opener Lost Woman features Jeff Beck’s furious walking bass line over Jim McCarty’s rockabilly style drumming and eventually breaks down with Beck’s feedback drenched guitar and Keith Relf’s wailing harp and pop/rock vocals. Next up is that pop psych classic Over, Under, Sideways, Down with Beck’s memorable opening guitar riff with a cod eastern inspired feel over a bluesy bass riff and the band’s handclaps and yelps. Beck gets to “sing” on his own bluesy track The Nazz Are Blue which also features some Elmore James inspired guitar riffing. Freak out man! The catchy, almost folky, I Can’t Make Your Way features harmony vocals and Relf’s harp wailing. This album was probably Relf’s best effort with the ‘Birds as in truth neither his vocals or harp playing were that suited to the bluesier material and it was probably this that held the band back from joining the ranks of The Stones etc. Rack My Mind is a straight blues with some heavy riffing from Beck and indeed his playing from this era is often cited as the beginnings of heavy rock. Farewell is a chunk of “flowers in your hair” type nonsense but the offthe-wall instrumental Hot House Of Omagararshid features chanting and one of Beck’s typically angular guitar solos. The catchy single Happenings Ten Years Time Ago with a

mesmerising drone and Beck’s fingers working overtime is a standout track and there are a couple of bonus pop/ psych singles from Relf’s solo career. Stroll On from the film Blow Up is actually the fabulous Train Kept A Rollin’ with changed lyrics for copyright reasons. This is the sound of Swinging London 1966 man and the main attraction for me is Beck’s innovative guitar work and the anything goes ethos. The band only lasted two more years and eventually with Jimmy Page on board morphed into Led Zeppelin – but that’s another story. This is great stuff and if you don’t already own it you should buy this. A snapshot of a great time when bands were allowed to be experimental in the studio and not squeezed into a rigid format.

DAVE DRURY

AUBURN LOVE & PROMISES SCARLET

RECORDS

Auburn has been a project mainly masterminded by the hard working lead singer from London Liz Lenten. This is actually her fifth album and the second that has been produced by Thomm Jutz who also plays guitar here. The twelve tracks on this release are either written or co-written by this respected band leader. This has however been produced in Nashville just like previously acclaimed Mixed Feelings release. This encompasses all musical genres including

blues and roots but predominantly Americana in tone. Overall it is the sincerity and honest vocal range and lyrics that shine through and hit the listener most. Asleep starts with a whispered angelic tone which is expressed throughout this release you really have to listen to the lyrics to feel her passion and soul. This noted on bluesy feel to In My Blood a natural progression to title track Love And Promises is a plea for love with subtle backing vocals from Britt Savage. Another song of longing for love and understanding is Miss You Blues which oozes emotion. Wanda ups the tempo with a country twang and backing keyboards by Jen Gunderman. Cross The Deep Atlantic is the best track a mellow duet with Chet O’Keefe a melancholy love song a real tear jerker soulful and poignant. If Everyone Was Listening is the most commercially viable tune and shows off the classy musicianship of the band. Intimate atmospheric and moving a pure gem of a release.

COLIN CAMPBELL

DOUG ABRAHAM BETTER LATE THAN… INDEPENDENT

Doug Abraham has been out of the business for around seven years following diagnosis of Focal dystonia but this belter sounds as fresh as a daisy, completely without any ring rust. 11 songs, all self-written and loaded with heart and what can only be

described as ‘edge’. He has surrounded himself with some stellar talent including the magnificent Wayne Proctor on drums (as well as Paul Walsham), Paddy Milner on keyboards and Paul O’Shaughnessy on bass but all they are doing is supporting his raw vocals and superb guitar – and those 11 songs. You get the feel of a man who has been in the game for a number of years – notably his six years with blues/funk outfit Free Parking – but there is also a sense of release, of finally getting back to doing the thing he loves and making the music that is in his heart and brain. Opener Amateur Detectives gives you all the hints you need – searing guitar, massive drums and bass and his hoarse and humoured vocals. A terrific riff too. Don’t Get Out Much Anymore has a funky edge to it and tells a great story of a journeyman outside the law; his vocal style is perfect, giving the feel of one who has been there and done too much but can’t quite get why he isn’t the go to guy anymore. Memory Lane takes us to a much softer place, more reflective but again that sense of the returnee and even when the song erupts into a powerful torch/ rock ballad you feel for the guy at the song’s core. Closer Meeting With The Blues is almost jazzy, very much a late night number with dark overtones and passion dripping off it. It really is a welcome back to a fine songwriter, guitarist and singer and he is bringing back a

very meaningful talent.

ANDY SNIPPER

ELI PAPERBOY REED MY WAY HOME

YEP ROC RECORDS

For those interested in soul and gospel with a

MALAYA BLUE HEARTSICK INDEPENDENT

Malaya Blue is a classic blues chanteuse in the style of Adele, Amy Winehouse, Kate Bush and this album, Heartsick is the next step in her career after her debut album, Bourbon Street. The title track is a little lightweight vocal-wise, but her guitarist, Dudley Ross, raises it with his input. Malaya Blue covers a number of blues genres and Strand of Gold has a cool, laidback country feel and Dudley’s slide guitar is a dream. Hunny Little Daydream and Share the Love has Malaya Blue going along the jazz route. I Have Arrived proves that when pushed MB can certainly sing with feeling. Dudley’s guitar-work and Paul Jobson’s keyboards are forward in the mix and supports Malaya’s vocal style. My only criticism is that at times she should just let the vocals rip.

BOB BONSEY

BLUES TOP 50

bit of a twist this certainly comes well recommended. His formative years were spent in Massachusetts but he moved eventually to Clarksdale Mississippi for some time. Self taught multi instrumentalist he was nicknamed paperboy after the hat he wore strange nickname but it stuck. He has various influences and has studied different music genres including rhythm and blues and gospel and soul he has also taught music in Chicago and has a depth of musical knowledge. On this his fifth album he mixes it all up in an eclectic musical stew. From the off he belts out Hold Out full tilt no messing about with his gospel arrangement. His voice is big bold and noisy a real surprise on first listening play, first track quietly and then boost level to the gutsy vocals on The Strangest Thing. Produced in four days in Brooklyn with his tight band comprising of J.B Flatt on organ Michael Montgomery bass and Noah James Rubin on drums this release zings along at pace. Only one cover Cut Ya Down the other ten self-penned. There is a religious theme going through release such as on Your Sins Will Find You Out and What Have We Done but not to the degree of being ostentatious. But the stand out track is the title track summing up optimism of faith through adversity a recurring theme through this soul searching production.

COLIN CAMPBELL

JP AND THE RAZORS LET THE GOOD TIMES ROLL INDEPENDENT

This three piece UK band are a joy, they cover blues and rock n roll style music incorporating both acoustic and electric styles, while all of the seven tracks are covers this does not detract from how enjoyable this release is, there is a real freshness about it even though the songs were performed by the original artists over fifty years ago. The more electrifying material is enhanced by an additional lead guitarist by the name of D.B.Williams, the three tracks he performs on are up there with the best tracks on the album only surpassed by Elmore James’s I Cant Stop Lovin’ which sounds like it was intended to when it was originally written, including a good harmonica solo from Jonny Slidewell. With only seven fairly short tracks I do not consider this as a full album release but more of a promotional taster by a band who may lack some musicianship skills but they more than make up for this with their effervescent enthusiasm.

ADRIAN BLACKLEE

ALAMO LEAL STILL HERE

CHICO BLUES RECORDS

On first glance at the artist name “Alamo” you could be forgiven for expecting some anodyne country and western pap about Davey Crockett and the heroics of Texas in the 18th century. How wrong can you be?

MATTY T WALL BLUE SKIES

Hipsterdumpster Records

Matty hails from Perth, Australia and this is his debut release, consisting of seven originals and three covers. Matty is on lead guitar and vocals with Jasper Miller on drums and Stephen Walker on bass, Gordon Cant adding keys to several tracks. The hallmarks of the album are driving guitar and crisp drumming, nowhere better illustrated than on opener Burnin Up Burnin Down and the frenetic instrumental Scorcher. A second instrumental Smile is a complete contrast, Matty’s elegant guitar rising above acoustic accompaniment with minimal bass and drums. Broken Heart Tattoo returns to upbeat mode, Matty narrating the story of a fight at a gig, disputing the girl of the title, who turns out to be a pickpocket! Matty shows a more delicate touch on the title track, a melodic tune with a great

Alamo Leal is new to me, but has been performing for much longer than you’d imagine and performing to the discerning blues fans in the UK for some time and with the quality of the

hook that recalls Aynsley Lister, probably this reviewer’s favourite cut here. This Is Real is also melodic, the drums giving a slightly jazzy feel and Matty playing some nicely restrained guitar before building to a rousing finale. There is more than a touch of Gary Moore in the guitar stylings of Love Gone Away, a slow blues with Matty building up the intensity towards the end of the song. The covers include a bouncy version of Keb Mo’s Am I Wrong and an acoustic version of Robert Johnson’s Hellhound On My Trail that rather plods and is strangely bookended with what sounds like ocean waves. Finally, Matty tackles the less played version of Hendrix’s Voodoo Chile, (rather than Slight Return): in an extended reading the rousing chorus is great but a lot of sheer noise from the guitar and an unnecessary drum solo make the eleven minutes drag. Matty sings pretty well though at times his vocals are a little low in the mix. Overall there is certainly promise here and it will be interesting to see in which direction his next project goes.

JOHN MITCHELL

consummate slide guitarist that he undoubtedly is. Notwithstanding my naivety about Alamo, it also transpires that he originates from Brazil, the land of the Samba, Football, Carnivals

ROBIN BIBI NO MORE A SECRET

ASHWOOD RECORDS

For many years, Robin has been British blues/ rocks' best kept secret, a regular performer at festivals nationwide, but unbelievably this is his first album of all original material and a cracker it is too. Along with stalwarts Tony Marten bass/vox and Craig Bacon on drums, Robin enlisted the help of the Blackjack Horns, Jack Birchwood, Gary Barnacle and Nik Carter, on four tracks.

The cleverly titled Play! gets the listener straight into the groove with its shuffling beat, neat slices of slide and rasping vocal. In Too Deep has

and Coffee. This is not the spiritual home of the blues, but this Brazilian can cut it (horrible play on the word Brazilian there) to the core with his guitar playing. Leal and the rest of the guests with him on this superb album, are all musicians at the top of their game. It would be churlish to pick out any particular guest artist since they all contribute to make this a superb disc but I have with two of them, contradicting myself about a CD which will grace any collection. My particular favourite tracks from this

a beautiful melody to it with a touch of soul and some great guitar work. Clocking in at just over eight minutes and the longest track on the album, Packing My Possessions is slow blues at its best, a tale of lost love, interspersed with passionate guitar and the first contribution by the Blackjack Horns. There's hard rocking on both Fast Lane's Busy and No Label On Me, the strangely titled Christmas Day, echoing Wizard by wishing every day could be like...The title track is straight 12 bar rock along with great horns, possibly the most commercial sounding track on here. With this offering, I think the cat is well and truly out of the bag, all Robin's hard work on the road coming to fruition on this excellent album.

CLIVE RAWLINGS

seam of pure blues gold were the opening track; Alain Toussaint’s On Your Way Down with exquisite Hammond work from Luciano Leaes and track

6 Get

Out Of My Life

Woman with Ari Borger on the B3 Hammond and the saxophone magic of Denilson Martins.

TOM WALKER

FLORENCE JOELLE LIFE IS BEAUTIFUL IF YOU LET IT

ZOLTAN RECORDS

Hmm. Nice. Life Is Beautiful If You Let It is album number three from

Florence Joelle, a Parisborn London-based singer who inhabits that territory from a time before jazz and blues parted company. It’s a late night speakeasy sound which could come from any time since the nineteen twenties, where jazz and blues meet up with gypsy rhythms and languid melodies. So don’t come here if you’re looking for some near the knuckle blues. There are a fair few folk out there who purvey this type of music but the selling point for Ms. Joelle is her exceptionally listenable voice. It’s a caress rather than a caterwaul which lift songs like Angel's Child, Si Tu Savais and Sleepy Eyes out of the ordinary. It’s a space inhabited by Billie Holliday, Eartha Kitt and Julie London with songs covering love, loss, life, cocaine and Robert Mitchum. Yes, really. That would be the aforementioned Sleepy Eyes. There is some exceptional guitar work from Thierry Courault, although the whole band gels beautifully, all enhanced by a timeless production. If you’re looking for one tune to convince you, then check the organ and harmonica enhanced Two and Two Don't Make Five, which is the album highlight for me.

STUART A HAMILTON

GINGER ST. JAMES ONE FOR THE MONEY

BUSTED FLAT RECORDS

Second full length album from Canadian singersongwriter and guitarist

whose influences are country, rockabilly, blues and rock ‘n’ roll with a smidgeon of jazz, surf and soul thrown in for good measure. Pour Me is an original but traditional sounding country song featuring some good picking by Snowheel Slim on lead guitar and lovely pedal steel from Chris Altmann. The toe-tapping Train Whistle rushes speedily along with Miss St. James sassy vocals leading the way and the whole band racing playfully to the end of the track. By contrast Honeymoon Stage is a 60’s country style weepie a la Connie Francis featuring superb vocals, shimmering pedal steel and cooing backing singers. Slim’s Jig is a short and sweet rockabilly instrumental romp and Somebody Shot Me features some Duane Eddy style twangin’ guitar and sultry vocals. Best Of Me And You is a real classic country tour-de-force with magnificent vocals and then Miss St. James puts on her rock ‘n’ roll shoes and throws her head back and hollers on Hair Of The Blackdog. Phew! I can’t pretend to be much of a country music fan as much of the mush put out by Nashville leaves me cold but this spirited album sounds like the real deal to me. The excellent band are energetic and effortlessly swinging as evidenced on the jaunty You Were Mine. The album closes with the poignant Merry Go Round which is a throwback to the era

of country songbirds like Loretta Lynn, Patsy Cline and Brenda Lee. If your tastes extend to country music you’ll love this one.

DAVE DRURY

ETTA JAMES TEARS OF JOY –MODERN AND KENT SIDES 1955-1961

HOODOO RECORDS

Jamesetta Hawkins was born in 1938 and had a tough upbringing so when she got the opportunity to record with Johnny Otis she grabbed it with both hands, faking her mother’s permission letter and lying about her age – she was just 17. Otis used her given name to create a stage name and Etta James was born. This disc collects singles and LP tracks from her stints with Crown, Modern and Kent. There are some well-known tracks here (Tough Lover, Good Rockin’ Daddy), novelties (Shortnin’ Bread Rock and Hickory Dickory Dock) and a host of less familiar material. However, the only real surprise is that Ella seems to have arrived with a fully developed voice at such a tender age. Amongst the many delights are The Wallflower which was that very first single with Johnny Otis, a risqué song originally entitled Roll With Me Henry which the record company felt was too explicit; a rocking cover of Sister Rosetta Tharpe’s That’s All was the B side to W-O-M-A-N which also appears; another B side Market Place brings some fine New Orleans rhythms; Baby Baby Every Night

has some great doo-wop vocal accompaniment, Good Lookin’ is at the intersection between jump blues and rock and roll, both very typical of the era; You Know What I Mean is an early Berry Gordy tune in pre-Motown days and brings out one of Etta’s strongest vocal performances; Lieber & Stoller, arguably the top writers of the time, supply the title track and there are several songs written by Richard Berry, writer of Louie Louie. However, to pick out just a few songs does a disservice to Etta whose remarkable voice shines through all the styles and tempos on offer here. The only real criticism is that the identity of the players on these tracks remains unknown so we never learn who plays the alto solo on That’s All or the tenor on Tough Lover. A great CD well worth acquiring for anyone whose experience of Etta comes from the Chess era or thereafter.

JOHN MITCHELL

SHAUN ESCOFFREY EVERGREEN

DOME RECORDS

Ultimately this is extremely well produced by Guy Gill and would seem to have a leaning to commercial success with soul and old rhythm based music and thirteen heart felt and emotional songs sung by a highly recommended British soul singer. This is his fifth release and sees him continuing the theme from his previous success In The Red Room. He has

a wonderful voice and certainly is talented, his vocal range variable from sultry sexy deep tones to falsetto on occasions reminiscent of Al Green and Curtis Mayfield. Healing Me is the first track and you are transported to the nineteen seventies full Philadelphia orchestral sound a backing to most tracks on this release.

When The Love Is Gone is full of funky disco falsetto tones. Evergreen is an undoubted quality song a duet with Joss Stone with keyboards and horn section an engrossing number. Love Shine Down has a gospel vibe and a catchy chorus a definite crowd pleaser for his growing fan base. On Gave Me Love he sings

THE HITMAN BLUES BAND THE WORLD MOVES ON NERUS RECORDS

The blues guitarist and singer Russell ‘Hitman’ Alexander leads a talented band through a number of genres on The World Moves on. It opens with the slide guitar of Bad, Bad Man, with a rocking back-beat, and a narrative story form. The comic That’s What It’s Like to Be A Man, features falsetto vocals, and slide guitar, and a lazy, loping 12 bar structure. Moving On takes its central guitar figure from Spoonful, and I’m All About You has one of those pleading vocal performances that made Sam Cooke so memorable. From the blues, to rock, jump jive, and jazz, and a choice

cover, the songs are all tackled with equal aplomb. Alexander leads on guitar, and has a voice that is reminiscent of Al Green, a full brass section adds colour and drama to songs such as Angel in the Shadows, with its Memphis soul ballad guitar, whilst the album’s closer, Hoochie Coochie Man adds a powerful beat, Hammond organ, strong backing vocals, and vamping brass to Willie Dixon’s wearied blues staple. The guitar playing is strong, the singing is soulful, and the balance between the instruments is incredibly well separated. Although some of the songs outstay their welcome, most of the thirteen songs don’t outstay their welcome. This is an excellently well engineered album, which a lot of thought, and talent has gone into, and if you like mature music, written and performed by talented musicians, (and who doesn’t?) then this album could fill a space in your album collection.

BEN MACNAIR

with such dripping passion that he follows up with an anthemic love song Barricades just sublime you can feel his despair in the lyrics. Win Again brings the pace down and flows well with a simple message of hope and optimism. Another interesting duet with Andreya Triana on the acoustic cover of Here

TOM LOCKWOOD ACE IN THE HOLE INDEPENDENT

Tom Lockwood comes from Canada where he has already picked up a fine reputation as a solo artist with a musical pedigree that covers blues through soul to jazzy undercurrents and salsa swelling sounds. With Ace In The Hole, he brings his current band to the counter, an outfit that evidently understands exactly when to push the boundaries and when to get down and boogie.

Lockwood’s guitar is always present, twisting and turning as he leads the band through a twelve-track offering that includes interesting – and unusual at times – takes on Robert Johnson’s When You Got

Comes The Rain Again has an easy listening haunting air. Continued success will follow for this undoubtedly talented singer and is much deserved.

COLIN CAMPBELL

GUS SPENOS IF YOU WERE GOLD BABY INDEPENDENT

US country gentleman

A

Good Friend, Ray Charles’ Mary Ann, OV Wright’s soaring Nickel And A Nail and a delightfully soul-sounding cover of the late 50s/early 60s

Del Shannon’s huge international hit, Runaway. Lockwood’s fretwork is never intrusive and always pitched neatly in the mix, allowing his buddies here to show off their own individual chops. The result is an album that screams quality and has a near-Nashville slickness to it at times. Lockwood describes the album as being his tribute to the blues but acknowledges the fact that some tracks are more aptly viewed as being ‘touched by the blues.’ A self-confessed Mike Bloomfield fan the Ray Charles cover here is based on Bloomfield and Al Kooper’s 1968 version of the track, Mary Ann from the Live Adventures album, rather than the original version. The album closes with a picked resonator cover of the over-worked Amazing Grace – a track likely to induce drowsiness for me, I fear, and although this is a cleverly crafted cover, it is one track, for one, I could have lived without.

IAIN PATIENCE

By day, a neurologist in Indianapolis, by night a swinging big band leader playing a mean line of sax solos in the jump, swing and boogie style. This independent release mixes classic sounding originals such as the title track with a selection of standards. Indeed, the constant factor throughout this release is the fact that it is difficult to keep your feet still, of course that is if you can repress the urge to dance! Spenos’ vocal style is best described as lazy but relaxed, but it is really in the instrumentation that this release shines. Along with Wycliffe Gordon (eight-time Trombonist of the year) on trombone and arrangements, Freddie Hendricks on trumpet and legendary drummer Cecil Brooks lll on drums, this band really get it on. Listen to the interplay of brass and in particular Hendricks solo on Can’t Help Myself, superb. Again on the classic instrumental standard, Tequila, you can feel the whole band swaying with the groove as the Latin rhythm pushes the tune to greater heights. Hendricks use of lips to produce vibrato sounds on his trumpet is excellent. A strong swing blues feel with great upright bass lines from Daniel Foose features on Cry Hard Luck along with a rare solo outing for Brad Williams on guitar. Thelonius Monk vocal finalist Charanee Wade duets with Spenos on a heavily altered version of Jimmy Preston’s Rock With It Baby. Her voice truly

belongs to the jazz/swing mode and together they pay great tribute to this timeless classic. 96 LBS starts with Spenos leading off on vocal before playing some tasty sax. Not to be outdone, Hendricks retorts with a great trumpet solo before the whole swings back to the chorus. Hot Box closes this collection, a sweaty instrumental, Spenos leading on sax but with the power of the brass section backing, good stuff. The cover photo has a neatly suited and booted Spenos in red jacket and white fedora hat, cool, just like the album. Not sure I’d like to be on the operating table though if he listens to this in the theatre!

MERV OSBORNE

ISAIAH B BRUNT A MOMENT IN TIME INDEPENDENT

Australian Isaiah B Brunt travelled to New Orleans to record this CD and managed to secure a first rate studio band: George Porter Jr (The Meters) is on bass, Doug Belote (Tab Benoit) drums, Mike Lemmler keys and there is a horn section on most tracks that includes Jeffrey T Watkins, one-time musical director for James Brown, bringing a real Crescent City feel to the songs, all of which are original. Isaiah sings in a clear and pleasant voice and plays guitar and lap steel. There are plenty of treats for fans of NO music as the horns add their unique colours to Isaiah’s palette, as on opener Still Waiting on which Mike’s rolling piano

and George’s vibrant bass are punctuated by the horns’ thrusts, Isaiah adding a lap steel solo. In Singing

The Blues Isaiah is ready for action as he heads out to a gig though things do not always go as planned, as in the autobiographical Lost Jacket Blues where his jacket goes missing while he is signing CDs at a gig! May I Dance With You has a funky feel and Party Late At Night has a great groove that makes you regret that it’s the shortest track here. All these tracks have excellent horn arrangements and Travel Back In Time has a suitable ‘old-time’ feel with clarinet and sousaphone giving a jazzy gloss to a song that looks backwards to another era - very effective. The title track closes the album with some lonely flugelhorn and mellotron imitating flute, both adding to the feel of the lyrics which look back to a happy childhood. The horns sit out two songs that both reference ‘road’ in the title: Same Old Road has a rather downbeat lyric with the organ providing warm support; the longest track features Smoky Greenwell’s harmonica, Isaiah recounting a tale of meeting the devil at the crossroad – That Place On The Road. Interesting songs well played and sung, plenty of blues and fine NO horns, this album has lots to commend it.

JOHN MITCHELL

BLUE MOON MARQUEE GYPSY BLUES INDEPENDENT

This duo out of Alberta, Canada, has a very clearly defined sound, with A.W. Cardinal declaiming his gruff, shouted vocals over a loud electric guitar often utilising ragtime-inflected licks and Jasmine Colette adding her own take on drums and double bass; in many places (but particularly Pour Me One, Double Barrel Blues and the title track) it brings to mind a whisky soaked, down on his luck Cab Calloway in front of a spasm band on the streets of a small southern city back in the 1930s. Then again, Spy Hill made me think of Screaming Jay Hawkins, as much for the ferocity of the vocal as for the waltz time arrangement! Given the CD title, it is no surprise either that there are solos that bring to mind the gypsy jazz of Django Reinhardt (which influenced BB King). Ain’t No Stranger brings to mind T-Bone Walker, John Lee Hooker and Lightnin’ Hopkins in its introduction before Jasmine comes in with a fine vocal. Tossin’

‘N’ Turnin rides a Green Onions riff (or that might be Help Me if you are a Rice “Sonny Boy No. 2” Miller fan). Both A.W. and Jasmine have years of experience performing across North America, and it shows. Certainly all the music here swings, jumps, rocks or grooves; it is an interesting and intriguing release from these guys. This is the band’s third album and I will certainly be making an effort to track down its predecessors.

NORMAN DARWEN

TWEED FUNK COME TOGETHER

UNDERWORLD RECORDS

Tweed Funk’s Come Together, has hornsfuelled Memphis sound shaping the ten tracks of this their fourth album. Tweed Funk, a six-piece soulful blues band from Milwaukee is fronted by the soulful vocals of Joseph “Smokey”

Holman. The album is all originals with the compositions by the members of Tweed Funk that ring in the changes and showcase the prowess of very member. The opening track with the blast from horns and a funky shuffle definitely Light Up The Night and gets the music off to an attention grabbing start exploring life’s problems and challenges. We have a twist of southern Latin sound thrown

TONY VEGA BAND BLACK MAGIC BOX

SILVER BELLY RECORDS

As you would expect of quality artists who have been playing for the best part of almost a quarter of a century, this is musically, Americana, Rhythm and Blues and pure blues at its best. Tony Vega looks like a fresh faced teenager, but this youthful look

into the hip swinging, foot-tapping mix of Muse that brings a smile to the listener. Come Together is definitely a fusion of music styles, Who Is This has a distinct feel of jazz meandering through the Memphis tone that is the bedrock of Tweed Funk’s sound. The penultimate track Bullet is darker where the tonal power of horns and vocals really come to the fore especially the sublime trumpet from Doug Woolverton as suicide is explored. Closing the album with Soul Rockin’ we are back to a heavy funky bass line and a feel good vibe. Overall, the album has an upbeat feel that flows from the speakers, for me the Funk could have been funkier and more edgy.

LIZ AIKEN

BM sends good wishes and positive thoughts for a speedy recovery of lead singer Joseph “Smokey” Holman, who was diagnosed with cancer shortly after the release of the album.

belies his innate sense of the blues as a genre. Black Magic Box opens up with a smoking hot track Panic Attack, but panic not, this is the forerunner of an album which sets a blazing trail which has your feet stomping with every track. I particularly enjoyed Lo Fi Betty on track 3 since it brought the whole range of superb

IBBA TOP 50

musicians to the fore. Randy Wall in particular used the keyboards of the piano and B3 Hammond to startling effect throughout the album. The harmonica added the southern states connotation to the blues with Guy Forsyth at the top of his game. Quirkily, Oliver Steck supplied an almost French atmosphere with the accordion on track 5 Moody Park and it works. There is corroboration across the nine tracks which involve a host of musicians, all of whom are superb in their individual roles. For the purposes of selecting one favourite track above all the others, I have to home in on the strangely named track 6 Penguins it is technically the cream of the high quality crop. This album is well worth anyone’s attention and will appeal to everyone with a love of R&B/blues.

TOM WALKER

KALO DEAR JOHN

INDEPENDENT

Once upon a time Israeliborn Bat-Or Kalo (to give her her full name) got hold of a Jimi Hendrix cassette (ask your Dad) and before you could say Bob’s ךלש דודה (your uncle) she was converted to the electric blues. But first there was a two-year stint in the Israeli Defense Forces to get through, before she decided to make a pilgrimage to the home of the blues. This album has been floating around for a while now but is getting another push off

the back of an appearance in the International Blues Challenge last year. It saw her in a trio format with bassist Mack McKinney and (mainly) Erin Nelson on drums. The album is full of strong original material with a Mississippi blues vibe on songs such as the title track, Treat Me Bad and Looking For Me. The arrangements are strong, and when the music is enhanced with some dobro, fiddle or banjo, you can sense that there is a lot of talent at work here. Personally, I would have preferred some stronger vocals, but musically there is a lot to enjoy here and with an ever growing set of live shows under her belt, I’ve got high hopes for what might be coming our way in the future.

STUART A HAMILTON

MA POLAINE’S GREAT DECLINE SMALL TOWN TALK INDEPENDENT

This is intriguing. These four songs, all penned by singer Beth Packer and Clinton Hough, are atmospheric examples of well thought-out musical lyricism. There’s a depth to the lyrics which demands several listens before you think you’ve got to grips with the bluesy subject matter. Beth Packer has a wonderful singing voice, but there’s more to her than this - she plays double bass, accordion, piano, harmonica and percussion. Making up the wellbalanced production are Clifton Hough on guitars, drums and percussion

and Chris Clavo on double bass. The whole package was engineered and co-produced by BBC Folk Award winner Ben Walker. The opening song, Japanese Knotweed is, to put it mildly, slightly disturbing, about nosey neighbours stalking in the dark wearing night vision goggles! You can put your own slant on the countryflavoured Waiting for the War, and I hope I never get on the receiving end of the message in Been Loved Too Much. It all has an ethereal blues feel, and the fourth song, about

VARIOUS ARTISTS 45TH ANNIVERSARY COLLECTION 2 CD SET

ALLIGATOR RECORDS

I first got to hear about this fine label when I worked in a record shop in the 1970s. In the 1980s, Alexis Korner often championed Alligator on his BBC Radio 2 show, and with good reason. Like most labours of love, Alligator is the story of one man’s passion for the blues, the man being Chicago’s Bruce Iglauer whose cheery face smiles out from the highly informative 24 pages of liner notes. The first Alligator LP I ever bought was Hound Dog Taylor

a robbery, has a distinct Louisiana touch about it. Ma Polaine’s Great Decline are an outfit I’d love to see live, because this is music of introspective quality, something which raises it above the throng. Well worth getting hold of.

ROY BAINTON

ALEXIS P SUTER BAND ALL FOR LOVING YOU

AMERICAN SHOWPLACE MUSIC

Alexis Suter has an amazing baritone vocal which provides the base that the band workaround, like a lot of similar artist she started her singing in

and the Houserockers, and I note that this was also the very first album Alligator made. I wish I still had it, but I gave it away as a birthday present to Tom McGuinness around 1983. Thankfully, there’s a great Hound Taylor track nestling in the 37 brilliant cuts in this set. Everyone representing the excitement of post war blues is here; Delbert McClinton, Mavis Staples, James Cotton, Albert Collins, Johnny Winter, Lazy Lester, Koko Taylor, Charlie Musselwhite, Billy Boy Arnold and many more. This is a musical blues jewel box where you can pick any track at random and never be disappointed. All power to Alligator, and thank you Mr. Iglauer - your dedication equals out pleasure. Highly recommended.

ROY BAINTON

a Church Gospel choir, on this album she delivers a mixture of driving rock and soulful blues material, all band written bar one, the exception is the Beatles anthem Let It Be, which is an interesting selection that gets an extended soulful workout with touches of Gospel but is in contrast to the other material on the album. While Alexis stars on vocals not far behind is guitarist and main songwriter Jimmy Bennett who puts in some classy lead guitar work, particularly on Another Place And Time, a slow blues that ebbs and fl ows but is sustained by some fluid guitar breaks,

VARIOUS ARTISTS BLUESIN’ THE BAYOU

ACE RECORDS

You can’t go wrong with Ace Records, and here’s further proof. Of all the US compass points of blues and R&B, Chicago, Memphis, Los Angeles, when you get on down to Louisiana you hit the mother lode. Among these 28 tracks many of the artists have already appeared on various other Ace recordings, but this is a very heady mix taking us down from Mississippi into the Bayou. Whereas

the title track is also a guitar driven track that is probably the most commercial track on the album with its catchy chorus and will I am sure get plenty of airplay in North America. The band have a lot going for them and if they can stay together they will progress up the Blues ladder swiftly especially with such a strong lead vocalist, who is certainly not your standard female vocalist, she has a deep masculine tone which is absolutely perfect for this type of blues music, commanding and drawing heaps of emotion out of the lyrics.

ADRIAN BLACKLEE

there are some familiar names such as Lightnin’ Slim, Slim Harpo and Clifton Chenier, among the less well known there are some exciting , raw outings from, for example, Boozoo Chavis performing Bye Bye Catin and Oh, No, She’s Gone. The uplifting, bouncy opening track by Henry Gray, I’m a Lucky Lucky Man sets the tone. If you’ve never heard artists of the calibre of Johnny Sonnier or Schoolboy Cleve and Ramblin’ Hi Harris, they you’re in for a rock ‘n’ roll roots treat. This is a time machine to a magic period filled with electrifying artists who built rock ‘n’ roll from the Bayou up. Play it loud, stir up the gumbo - it’s a feast.

ROY BAINTON

PAUL BUTTERFIELD LIVE NEW YORK 1970

FLOATING WORLD RECORDS

The re-release of these classic blues numbers from the 70's by Floating World Records could be a winner, if only to allow the fans today to appreciate the quality that was available in that age. Paul Butterfield sadly died away back in 1987, but his vocal and harmonica contribution to the blues has to be celebrated. This double CD is an absolute cracker and truly extraordinary value for money. The skill of the harmonica riffs are epitomised in the opening track of the 1st CD Born Under A Bad Sign and the 2nd CD track Everything's Gonna Be Alright, you better believe everything is going to be alright with this quality and this is a very good sign. I previously made reference in other reviews to my dislike of live recordings with attendant interference with audience members. Not so with this brace, the applause is never allowed to overpower the start or end of any of the numbers. There is a sense of urgency to the blues with this interpretation, yet it remains essentially blues with a hint of rock to spice it up. Butterfield has worked and jammed with such luminaries as John Mayall, Bob Dylan and Muddy Waters, now you don't get that sort of exposure if you don't have talent yourself. His band The Butterfield Blues Band also featured at Woodstock in 1969 which

is fullsome in praise indeed. This is a super trip down memory lane for some of us and a discovery of some hidden gems for the younger fans of the blues.

TOM WALKER

FRED CHAPELLIER IT NEVER COMES EASY DISCOVERY

I don’t want to be harsh about this album but while the playing is excellent and Fred Chapellier is a very able guitarist as well as being a pretty good songwriter, I just can’t get past his vocals. On some of the numbers here such as the desperately emotive A Silent Room his French accent adds immeasurably, really putting the song over with dark and lonely vocals and a whispering Hammond in the background but on the more up-tempo numbers like Let Me Be Your Loving Man he sounds as though he isn’t quite singing in his mother tongue. The vocals aside, this is a superb album, His picking is a delight – fluid and powerful with wonderful tone – and the backing band really have some mad skills with Abder Benachour’s bass grumbling and carrying more than its share of the rhythm plus delicious keyboards from Johan Dalgaard. It is clear that we are listening to a man who has been playing for years and whose style must have evolved away from the simple into a complex but in the main this is not massively different to many other bands plying their trade across Europe. This

Alligator Records

45th Anniversary Collection

Two CDs for the price of one. 37 tracks, over 158 minutes of music!

“If you make only one record purchase this year, make it this one.”

–Living Blues

The Big Sound of Lil’ Ed & The Blues

Imperials

“Rough and ready blues played with unmitigated intensity…scorching and soulful, joyous and stomping.” –Living Blues

New

Curtis Salgado

The LowdownBeautiful

“Superb deep soul, blues and R&B…One of the great vocalists on the contemporary scene. Highly recommended.”

–Blues Matters

Moreland & Arbuckle

Promised Land Or Bust

“Soulful and melodic, grungy and haunting… Promised Land Or Bust is raw with a traditional twist, a masterpiece of changing the rules.”

–Blues Matters

is one of those albums that you will go back to for a few certain tracks – as well as A Silent Room and the equally dark I Have To Go there is great funk on the appropriately named Funk

It and Made In Memphis has a soulful feel with some top namechecks. A fine album but the vocals just don’t do it for me I’m afraid.

ANDY SNIPPER

SPENCER MACKENZIE INFECTED WITH THE BLUES

SOCAN RECORDS

It is always refreshing to hear that the future blues scene is safe and well in the hands of the younger generation blues players such as Andy Poxon and singer song writers such as Julie Rhodes as examples. Enter sixteen year old Spencer Mackenzie to the mix and the eclectic genre just keeps getting better. This eight track release with three original penned songs is brave and gutsy in parts. The title track written by him is called Infected With The Blues lyrically he seems to be getting at other musicians who say he is too young to play the blues but his interpretation works. Age should not matter it’s the feeling for the blues that matters and covering Mess

Around and Kissing In The Dark proves this. His guitar playing shines throughout and he can mix styles as in his tribute to one of his favourite guitarists BB King with the divine dripping lyrics on Goodbye Lucille .His song writing certainly proves he is a

natural talent as noted on Devil Under Her Skin with Max Hiller joining in with subtle harmonica tones.

Produced by Dean Malton at Phase One recording studio in Toronto this is a real treat. The other three blues classic covers Jumping From Six To Six with full horn section also Sinner’s Prayer has slick guitar riff and All Along The Watchtower roll along well again showing his maturity and guitar skills. A debut of a very high standard.

COLIN CAMPBELL

THE FELICE BROTHERS LIFE IN THE DARK

YEP ROC RECORDS

The Felice Brothers are essentially American Folk Musicians with a very perceptive eye on the society they live in, a possibly fractured nation America. The lyrics on this album are in many respects a bit depressing, but that is all too simplistic! They deserve to be listened to and some thought given to their content even if you don't agree with them. There is an early Dylanesque timbre to their singing and lyrically it is almost on a par with Bob's writing which is praise indeed. Ian Felice is the quintessential guitar playing poet in the mould of, dare I suggest it, Woody Guthrie without the acclaim! His rendition on Track 2 Jack At The Asylum epitomises this to a tee. If anything, Life In The Dark proves that the border between reality and imagination isn’t always clear cut. One of the album’s real

successes is Triumph ‘73, a sad reflection of a tune about choosing the thrill of an old motorcycle over a futile relationship that will inevitably end in heartbreak. This album is not to everyone's taste, and will not break any record sales but if you are into American Folk with a hint of Rock especially in track 5 Plunder, then you could do worse than get yourself a copy.

TOM WALKER

VARIOUS WILKO JOHNSON PRESENTS: THE FIRST TIME I MET THE BLUES

ESSENTIAL CHESS MASTERS This release sits neatly next to Johnson's 2013 collaboration with Roger Daltrey, Going Back Home, released on the classic rock and blues label, Chess. Going… was assumed to be Wilko's swan song, after a diagnosis of pancreatic cancer earlier that year meant his time was running out. Since then we have witnessed a miraculous recovery, a new batch of touring, a book and a compilation CD curated by the great man. The First Time I Met the Blues is Johnson cherry picking from the Chess label's catalogue and spans two CDs of epoch makings sides from Chess stalwarts, including Muddy Waters (Including I'm Your Hoochie Coochie Man), Bo Diddley, Chuck Berry (Nadine) and Howlin' Wolf (Who Do You Love), 40 tracks in all, an average of five tracks per artist.

Johnson's excellent choice of blues is complimented by superb packaging, extensive sleeve notes from Russell Beecher and superb photography from Brian Smith. As a confirmation of Wilko Johnson's love of this music it's heartwarming, as an introduction to the blues it's faultless.

MARTIN COOK

AL LERMAN SLOW BURN INDEPENDENT

The older you play the better you get and after more than 40 years as a song writer, harp, sax and guitar player, not to mention front man for Juno winning Fathead and more, Al Lerman thanks producer, Alec Frazier for ‘Helping me make the kind of record I wanted to make’. Recorded in two days with a handful of friends Slow Burn tracks 11 originals and Kokomo. Don’t Push Your Mess On Me opens with a man who’s just about had enough of this and that and backs it up with time tested advice in a gospel rocker. Throughout the release Al’s lyrics and melodies are woven together so smoothly that within a couple plays they feel like old friends. Songs like, It Takes Me All Night Long ‘to do the things I used to do all night long’. Or with Bad Luck Blues, an ironic ballad of a historical Ontario bank robbery gone bad. Gonna’ Have To Wait, a slow roller reminiscent of JJ Cale laced with sweet harmonies, as is the entire

album from Frazier, Omar Tunnock and Jana Reid. Take a slow stroll with Al on Tattoo Like You while his harp cries with desire when eyeing a red haired Mississippi siren. Lerman’s hook? ‘I’m gonna’ get a tattoo that looks exactly like you’. Totally Out Of Whack isn’t and attached to yet another brain worm. Anyway You Want, maple syrup rockabilly blues. The title track, Slow Burn finishes up, as a solo with a one take flavour. Al confirmed, ‘I played the guitar while keeping time with a bass drum (but) then over-dubbed the harmonica’, sometimes magic happens and I must have been lucky that day’. Throughout the recording session the crew made their own damn luck and the mix doesn’t muddy Al’s time hewn vocals. Solos are short and sweet, as is Lance Anderson’s piano on many of the tracks. Slow Burn is the record that Al Lerman had hoped to make and puts a blues harp lover in his happy place.

DARRELL SAGE

FREDDY KING TEXAS OIL (COMPLETE FEDERAL & EL BEE SIDES 1956-1962)

HOODOO RECORDS

At first, I wondered who the artist was here! I can’t recall ever seeing the Texas Cannonball’s Christian name spelt this way, always Freddie. Reading the inner sleeve gave me the answer. Born Frederick Christian in Gilmer, Texas, the young Freddy used this spelling

on all recordings he made between 1956 and 1968, changing to the more recognised spelling after that point. Whilst frequently quoted in the same breath as the other two Kings, Albert and B.B., Freddy is often seen as the lesser of the three greats. Indeed, when he was a gun-slinger on the Chicago scene, he attempted to get auditions with Chess Records but was repeatedly turned down. The complaint being that he sang too much like B.B. King. This rejection he said later was a blessing in disguise, forcing him to develop his own vocal style. Texas Oil therefore is a collector’s edition containing 42 remastered studio tracks, including all the early singles, both A & B sides that Freddy made for the Federal and El Bee record labels between 1956 and 1962. Many of the great songs and tunes that influenced a whole generation of future guitarists such as Eric Clapton, Jeff beck, Peter Green, Luther Allison and Stevie Ray are present. Hideaway, named after his favourite club in Chicago, Mel’s Hideaway Lounge, is probably the staple requisite of all Blue’s guitarists and was a massive hit in its day. After this success, Freddie, along with Sonny Thompson his pianist, reeled off thirty further instrumentals such as SanHo-Zay, The Stumble and Side Tracked to name but a few, with the majority being present on this 2 CD set. Known best for his guitar

playing, it’s interesting to hear and appreciate his strong soulful voice, particularly on Have You Ever Loved A Woman, recorded in 1960 and I’m Tore Down, recorded in 1961. In condensing so much of his influential music onto two CD’s it is possible to recognise just how important Freddy or Freddie has been to the blues.

MERV OSBORNE

GUY VERLINDE ROOTED IN THE BLUES

DIXIE FROG

Verlinde is a well-known blues figure in Europe, a Belgian with a flair for producing electrifyingly popular live sets that grab his audience and propels them to their feet and takes them on a raucous run for their money. This is his first album for French blues label, Dixie Frog, and one he himself is particularly pleased to record and release. All thirteen tracks are self-penned and feature Verlinde’s fine fretwork and howlin’, hissing harp. Verlinde is very much a fan of Muddy Waters and the Chicago blues sound both in general and in particular; as a result much of the material included here has a punchy, rock-infused feel, rhythm and sound, with his guitar always fuelling the whole thing. Vocally, Verlinde is more than passable and his voice here fits the material well while he rips along at times but has the confidence and ability to pull back, ease off the gas and slow it down when needed. The entire

package was recorded with minimum fuss over a couple of days with the band playing together live in the studio, replicating the live performance sound. In this, Verlinde has certainly succeeded and the album rocks, jumps and jives perfectly. This is a good, strong release from a guy we’re likely to hear more of in future.

IAIN PATIENCE

RICK DANKO & PAUL BUTTERFIELD LIVE FROM THE BLUE NOTE 1979

FLOATING WORLD RECORDS

The re-releasing of albums over a quarter of a century old in the 21st century is all very well if certain criteria are met. Not the least being improving the quality of production for the benefit of the present day audiences, and the perennial problem of live recordings being hijacked by audiences who've had too much John Barleycorn. This is the third set I've had for my sins, and as with the earlier Rick Danko album, you are not going to buy this for the melodic or indeed vocal excellence. That said, the instrumental side of this recording from no less than 37 years ago, is vibrant and of a quality that is certainly lacking with the puerile anodyne nonsense pushed out by Boy Bands. Danko and Butterfield were by far and away very high energy musicians and in this respect it is worth a punt especially if you feel the need to hear what it was like with real groups in that

“ The future of blues is in good hands.

Sari is a gift to all of us from the Blues Gods” ~ Blues Matters

“Sari Schorr & The Engine Room will have to content themselves with the thought that they have just made one of the blues records of the year. Indeed, never has an album been better named” 10/10 ~ Maximum Volume

NEW

ALBUM “A

Force Of Nature” OUT NOW

SEPTEMBER

24 The Iron Road, Evesham, Worcestershire, UK

25 Hope Tavern, Caistor Rd, Holton-le-Moor, Market Rasen, Lincs, UK

28 Vonnies Blues Club, Cheltenham, UK

29 Cranleigh Arts Centre, High Street, Cranleigh, Surrey, UK

30 B.A.R Festival, France

OCTOBER

1 Hereford Blues Club, Booth Hall, Hereford, UK

5 Bar Brunel, Bridgewater, UK

7 Deux Rivieres Blues Festival, Brittany, France

www.sarischorr.com

www.manhatonrecords.com

era. I particularly like the instrumental parts of track 3 Semolina, though for the life of me I can't work out how they came by that name for it. This album is more rock than blues and is rocket fuelled in the pace it is played at. I may seem picky, but despite praise from that era, vocally this does very little for me, but then I actually sing in a choir so perhaps I expect too much from the singing. However, as an example of rocking blues with more than a hint of Americana, it is a fire cracker.

TOM WALKER

HONEY ISLAND SWAMP BAND DEMOLITION DAY

RUF

Eclectic is a word often bandied about by broadcasters and journalists when describing a band or the music they might play. It is all too easy to use it as a fall back when you have no better idea how to begin an article. I however will use it because it is absolutely the correct way to begin. I loved this album from the off with no reservations at all. Five New Orleans residents who found themselves washed up together on the shores of San Francisco following displacement by the chaos of Hurricane Katrina come bouncing back with their fourth album. Tight budgets and available time meant that these eleven songs were recorded over an intense four days. That suggests a cheap production but that is not the case. What

you have is a band at full tilt, intense and with little frills guided by producer Luther Dickenson all captured beautifully on 2” tape. Blending together influences from blues, soul, country and Americana Roots one can’t help drawing to mind Little Feat, The Band and contemporary acts like Blackberry Smoke etc. HISB are no copyists and I suggest were there to be nothing here that you as listeners liked then take up another interest because you can’t be music lovers. How Do You Feel opens up with barrelhouse piano, twin guitars almost like a sibling of Honky Tonk Woman before moving on with the deep funky groove of Head High Water Blues. The gorgeous smouldering fifty second start to No Easy Way lulls you in before the main body of the song kicks in but watch out for the false ending. These guys are messing with us. I’m not messing with you though this is a very fine album indeed.

GRAEME SCOTT

THE BLUES REBELS VOODOO LAND INDEPENDENT

This is the second album release by The Blues Rebels who are an Israeli based band who over the past couple of years have earned International air play with their Rock influenced blues music, they have scored a major coup by having Joe Louis Walker produce their album, I still fondly recall the excellent work he did

with Robert Cray, he does not let the band down on this album either, even performing on a couple of tracks, taking lead vocals on the smoothest track Everybody Loves My Baby. The main nucleus of the band are vocalist and harmonica player Dov Hammer and Guitarist Andy Watts who really drive the band forward and play with plenty of skill and blues awareness, they have also written all the tracks between them which includes a bonus track which is a remix of an earlier track on the CD Well Run Dry which is given a real funky modern makeover, it does not work for me but as it is a bonus track I will forgive them! The majority of the thirteen tracks are hard driven rocking blues, which are the bands speciality although the pace is taken off on Burning Deep which has a great heavy bass intro, with Dov Hammer performing his best vocal on the album with more than a passing resemblance to Peter Green. An excellent blues band who play straightforward blues but what puts them above other similar artists is the quality of their material, definitely worth checking out.

ADRIAN BLACKLEE

THE LOWEST PAIR

FERN GIRL & ICE MAN

TEAM LOVE RECORDS

I have never heard of The Lowest Pair, and upon researching them, it would appear that they hold a

revered position as a pair of banjo players in what I would loosely describe as an album of Americana folk and Bluegrass. The pair are Kendl Winter and Palmer T. Lee who came together to form the duo in 2013. They are joined on this, their third release, by Erik Koskinen on bass, drums and lap steel, Dave Simmonette on guitar and Barbara Jean Meyers on fiddle. However, don’t think this means that here is a group, as in fact the accompanying instruments are very secondary to the banjos and vocals. Almost an afterthought or experiment in how they might sound in a bigger format. Both artists sing, although at times I felt that Winter’s voice lacked in confidence, as if unsure of herself. However, when the two voices combine in duet, there is a high degree of empathy there. No such doubts however about their ability on banjo, and a joy to hear the two banjos playing, a good alternative to what I normally listen to. I found myself completely entwined by the banjo interaction of Shuck

It as the duo played a simple but entrancing melody that grew as the song developed, simple but extremely effective. Likewise with When They Dance The Mountains Shake, the trance like effect of this simple music, enhanced by Meyers fiddle, draws the listener in. Truth is I approached this CD with a great deal of apprehension and not a little preconceived idea

that I wasn’t going to like this. However, after numerous listens, I find I have been drawn towards this in a way I could never expect. There are no ear-ripping solos, massive egos or swagger, not even a recognised audience this side of the pond. Instead there is a delightful simplicity, verging almost on naivety coupled with quality songs that seem to take the listener back to a simpler, less technical and electric past. Beautiful!

MERV OSBORNE

JANIS LITTLE GIRL BLUE

MVD VISUAL

Without Janis Joplin, we wouldn’t have Beth Hart or Dana Fuchs. Some 46 years after she joined the 27 Club, the ever-increasing number of women blues singers deeply in her musical debt testifies to her continuing relevance to our kind of music. Writer and director Amy Berg tells Joplin’s life story in conventional fashion, beginning at the beginning with her middle-class but troubled childhood in a conservative Texan town with its own Ku Klux Klan chapter, and ending at the

end with her death from a smack overdose in a Hollywood hotel. Physically unprepossessing, “she got a kick out playing the bad girl”, an old school friend relates. In particular, she was profoundly hurt when she was voted the ugliest man in college. That’s right, ugliest man. She quit Texas in favour of mid-1960s San Francisco, where an evening spent watching Otis Redding while hopelessly out to lunch on the products of the illegal pharmaceutical industry proved a musical epiphany. The rest is all there in all its glory, too, from the way she dumped Big Brother and the Holding Company in favour of the Kozmic Blues Band and her further adventures with the Full Tilt Boogie Band. It’s a case of excess all areas, including plenty on the lesbian relationships, which some reviewers feel the film plays down. In the end, Berg doesn’t quite succeed in getting you inside Joplin’s head, which would be a bad place to be anyway. But you’ll come away knowing her better for watching this. Recommended.

DAVID OSLER

JOHNNY WINTER WITH DR JOHN LIVE IN SWEDEN 1987 MDV ENTERTAINMENT

I always wonder why a CD or DVD such as this gets released after so many years, unless somebody has just died. Anyway, we have here a TV show from Sweden with what looks like an all student audience,

the band consists of Johnny Winter on guitar and vocals, Jon Paris on bass and vocals and Tom Compton on drums. Dr John appears on the fourth song onwards. There are just 7 songs featured in the show with a further added on as a so called bonus track (More of that later) No introductions, just straight into the first number Sound The Bell with Johnny playing a headless Lazer guitar instead of his usual Firebird. Long improvised guitar solo made bearable by the camera angles which are nearly good enough to use as a teaching aid. Second up is a track called Don’t Ale Advantage Of Me and Johnny seems anxious to get it across as he asks “Don’t go too quick on this one” His fingers like spiders legs are very visible as to where to play the notes, so another plus for the teaching aid. Mojo Boogie is played on the white Firebird with some typical JW slide work, and then its Dr John to join them and playing and singing his own song You Lie Too Much Dr J stays with them then for the rest of the show. This consists of a version of Muddy waters Sugar Swee, then “Love, life and money” with Dr. John sharing vocals with JW, and finally we get to the spectacular closing version of “Jumping Jack Flash that Johnny is in his element with, and which the audience clearly enjoy. That closes the TV show but there is then a bonus track Prodigal Son which looks and sounds as if it

was filmed in some sort of rehearsal space, there is a second guitarist who isn’t credited, quite honestly they have to call this a bonus because the quality of film and sound is so bad that you wouldn’t want to buy it! Quite honestly, this has got to be one for the fans, and only then if you simply must have everything, it adds nothing to the memory of Johnny, and there are much better works available.

DAVE STONE

MELODY GARDOT

LIVE AT OLYMPIA PARIS

EAGLE ROCK ENTERTAINMENT

I had heard of Melody Gardot, but never seen or heard anything of hers, this is her first ever DVD and she is playing to a full house of devoted fans, with the aid of what turns out to be a very professional and highly accomplished 7 piece backing band. Now I can say easily that this isn’t a blues recording, what I can’t say however, is exactly what genre it falls into? The show opens with some interesting almost free form jazz noodling on a semi darkened stage, and then muted applause as Melody appears, my first impression was of a beautiful woman with immaculate make up looking like a younger Yoko Ono. This wasn’t altered when she started to sing, except that I added Bjork and Eva Cassidy to the mix! I am not going to bore you with a track list, except to say that the audience seemed to know most of them, and as far as audience control

went, Melody has the presence to keep them in thrall with almost no effort. She began by addressing them in flawless English, only switching to French as the show went on. I can perhaps best describe her performance as mesmerising, as she has the undoubted ability to hold the silences and make them work for her. She also plays a mean guitar and some great piano. I suppose I have to say that I enjoyed the show, although I question whether I would want to see her again but on reflection I think that if I were offered tickets, I would be in the front row. She has that power.

DAVE STONE

THE KINGDOM OF ZYDECO FILM

MVD BU-RAY DISK

Tasty, infectious and as more-ish as a big helping of Gumbo, this is 71 minutes of toe-tapping joy and fun from southwest Louisiana. To a rambunctious background of wash-board ripping rhythm, this is a tongue-in-cheek story about royal succession in a golden musical monarchy. The story it tells has its genesis in the deaths of two Louisiana Zydeco greats, the Kings of the genre, Rockin’ Dopsie and Clifton Chenier. Once these two great names had left the stage for Zydeco heaven, this film catalogues

the fun and frolics which followed. It’s all observed with the consummate film maker’s skill of Robert Mugge. You can smile away at a good-humoured battle for the vacant crown between the splendidly named Boozoo Chavis and the equally talented Beau Jocque. In addition to the stunning performances by the colourful contenders, there’s a superb 27 minute bonus featuring the lively New Orleans house band, The Iguanas. It’s great, being over 3,000 miles across the ocean in depressing post-Brexit Britain to be able to feel the happy heat of Louisiana in your own front room, and the wonder of Zydeco

is that it puts everything else in perspective. There is still joy in the world; it’ called music. This is funny, entertaining and a total credit to Mugge in helping to expand and preserve a great musical heritage.

ROY BAINTON.

ZYDECO CROSSROADS A TALE OF TWO CITIES

MVD VISUAL BLUE-RAY DISK

It’s easy for our European ears to steer us to the presumption that Zydeco and Cajun music are basically the same thing. Well, there are subtle differences. Zydeco is a musical genre which grew out of French Creole communities in southwest Louisiana. It combines R&B, blues, and music indigenous to the Louisiana Creoles and the Native Louisiana population. Louisiana is equally famous for its Cajun music, but this is historically rooted in the ballads of the Frenchspeaking Acadians of Canada. Both forms have had a massive influence on American pop music, and especially country and western. However, what we have here in Robert Mugge’s award-winning film (Best Blues and Roots Film at the Clarksdale Film Festival 2016) is the scintillating product of the 16 month long Zydeco Crossroads project, which has been the labour of love for Mugge and his co-host, David Dye of Philadelphia’s Public Broadcasting Service radio station WXPN, where Dye hosts the popular World Café show. Philadelphia Pennsylvania may seem a long way from Lafayette, Louisiana, but as you’ll be thrilled to discover, Zydeco knows no boundaries. And this gives us 19 hefty helpings of an indestructible musical form which makes you want to get on a plane and go there

JOE BONAMASSA LIVE AT THE GREEK THEATRE

MASCOT/PROVOGUE

This release completes the circle on Joe’s tribute projects for the moment but with the more recent Brit Blues nod presumably to come – we saw Kevin Shirley running around filming at the Greenwich show – and in CD and DVD/Blu-Ray format. The band assembled for this LA show has the cracking rhythm section of Anton Fig and Michael Rhodes, additional guitar from Kirk Fletcher, keys by Reese Wynans and trumpet/horns from Lee Thornburg, Paulie Cerra and Nick Lane. Plus backing vocals from friend of our site Mahalia Barnes, Jade MacRae and Juanita Tippins. The show is very pro and lively with Joe bringing out various vintage axes. Not all the songs selected for this doubleCD set are the obvious ones. You get Born Under A Bad Sign, Hide Away, Oh Pretty Woman, Going Down and Lord

tonight. There are some amazing artists featured here. Familiar names like C. J. Chenier and Rockin’ Dopsie tear it up with Buckwheat Zydeco and Soul Creole, and from the

help us The Thrill Is Gone. Chris Duarte owns this song now, others please desist! But you also have Cadillac Assembly Line, Hummingbird, Sittin’ On The Boat Dock and Some Other Day, Some Other Time. On CD1, See See Baby makes a horn-blaring opener, with Joe using his own vocal tone but much of the originator’s phrasing and delivery. The solid riffery of Some Other Day benefits from the tinkling piano of Wynans. Sittin’ On The Boat Dock has some stinging guitar work and crisp trumpet and horns figures, the bass a tad boomy but that’s the room. The ragtime piano lead into Going Down favoured by Max M in The Jeff Beck Group is in evidence here, the stealthy ascending chord chopping setting the scene. Good vocal, here. I Get Evil invites all listeners to do The Twist, the tempo being straight from The Peppermint Lounge. Things are funkier on Breaking Up Somebody’s Home, the guitar wheedling and croaking its way through the intro. Really ace playing. Angel Of Mercy is taken at a stabbing tempo, maybe a little too grimfaced but the axe work is hot and merciless. Cadillac

opening Zydeco Boogaloo to the title track, Zydeco Crossroads, you’ll receive a true enlightenment in a musical form which we sometimes tend to overlook. This is warm,

eases up a bit and the strings approximation sounds chilling. The best performance and feel on this disc, especially from the additional singers. The second disc kicks off with Oh Pretty Woman the trumpet and horns adding spice; Let the Good Times Roll was perfected by The Blues Brothers and this take adds nothing to their version. Never Make Your Move works really well here, tension in the lyric and it’s put over with emphasis Sweet electric piano tone. Boogie Woogie Woman puts me in mind of Lafayette Leake it’s that good. Hummingbird is the winner on this one, everything works and Joe sings it with fine feel and pacing. You’d be going something to cock up Hideaway with this rhythm section and nobody does. Born Under is very traditional in presentation here. The show closes with Riding With The Kings…the John Hiatt composition I think. Once again a very professional, goodvalue show. The DVD has some bonus items including a conversation with Joe’s Parents.

PETE SARGEANT

heartfelt rhythm, performed by masters of their craft. This should be on any R&B afi cionado’s shelf. I’m glad it’s on mine.

ROY BAINTON

“This

circle of blues

me We hope you enjoy

back to the basics approach to the music here Just straightforward small band, old school blues.” - Duke Robillard

End of July so it must be time to take a visit to the harbour town of Maryport and see what’s getting down there for the weekend. Went with some trepidation as Saturday headliners Royal Southern Brotherhood pulled out. In my thoughts about Festivals you need an American band but circumstances change and Elkie Brooks duly took up the challenge more of that to come. The set up is still the same Main Stage at harbour and trail in busy local hostelries and an outside stage. In the

drink taken care of unfortunate if you don’t like burgers but there are plenty eating places and street stalls nearby.

FRIDAY

So onto the music and travel to the main stage. First on were The Mighty Boss Cats fronted by the irrepressible blues guitar virtuoso Richard Townend displaying some neat guitar style picking very smooth. A sparse but appreciative audience enjoyed this undoubted talented warm up act that had come all the way from Essex. An upbeat

very catchy crowd pleaser and JJ Cale cover I Need A Friend. Strangely enough then came the Mayor of Maryport to open the Festival one band too late but appreciative of the wonderful work people have done for the Festival. Anyway on to the trio Blackballed who rocked the joint with a mixture of heavy infused no nonsense guitar clashing tunes. Hats and beards very dapper stage presence loud guitar riffs fierce drumming and good harmonies on the song 55 and feisty blues on My Lover with lead guitarist Marshall Gill

Ian Siegal by Christine Moore

swaggering and singing falsetto at one point they were very good but got a mixed reception from the crowd got comments that band was too loud. If the last band was loud then The Stevie Nimmo Trio cranked up the volume starting with songs from his new album. Load The Dice and Still Hungry two examples of an evenly balanced set. With his witty Glaswegian banter and superb guitar playing with a tight band this was a treat. He referenced the fact the crowd was a bit too far from the stage and got management to put tent lights out during Good Day For The Blues an anthem for the weekend. Gutsy showmanship just a class act. The headliner needed no real introduction Ian Siegal Band rocked the place he was really

on his game. The crowd came more to the front during this. Starting with The Train this was an eclectic mix of music and wry humour making comments about recent Brexit referendum. The Revelator a particular highlight and song from his talented backing funk driven Rhythm Chiefs. Only down side was the set had to be shortened due to local issues shall we say but he finished off with long version of Gallo Del Cielo but there was a sense of being short changed ah such is life.

SATURDAY

Again weather fine by the sea, time to take in a couple of trail bands before heading to tent. Acoustic blues by Ben Buddy Black in the heaving Golden Lion saw a good rendition

of If The River Was Whiskey and in his words miserabelia set. Also caught a Chicago infused electric set by Steve Fulsham Band lot of crowd hollering a good time. The town seemed quieter than previous Festivals but very lively always an interesting mix of people here all enjoying the weekend festivities. Three piece band Redfish opened afternoon session at the Marquee. Mostly laid back set but funking it with You Use Me Up and superb slide swampy Way Down In The Hole. Toe tapping songs but no one standing dancing too early for that. Lead singer Brian White’s vocals adding to this band’s distinctive sound. Time for easy listening afternoon unplugged bluesy numbers by Joel Fisk and Jon Amor. Acidic lyrics resonator guitar slide playing electric riffs this had it all. They synchronise so well and their personality shines through the audience loved it especially with the closing number Werewolves Of London howling and barking along. Both consummate hard working musicians. Weather really good went down to Butchers Arms and caught Broken Levee young band stripped down version Hey Joe was the best I’ve heard in years. Willy Wilde Band next on stage four piece with Willy one of the best harmonica players out there puffi ng and blowing grand style even with two in his mouth at same time amazing also good vocals and a mean guitarist the delivery on Parisian Walkways was trance like Victoria Smith on bass particularly cool. Dave Migden had to pull out of Festival and as a surprise up came Jon Amor again with assorted members from the backstage staff culminating in The Crew

Stevie Nimmo by Christine Moore

Band very talented musicians a good cover of The Hoax song Juggernaut fi ne stop gap. Jo Jo Burgess band of reprobates La Vendore Rogue stole the show for the day with a powerful deep swampy dark melodramatic burlesque driven show. Well superlatives not enough to describe this band. Jon Amor here again folks guesting. Trading licks with Joel Fisk on guitar jam on Back We Are Going also saw Giles King of previous collaboration Hokie Joint join in the jamboree. Oak soaked vocals and fl amboyance galore they nailed it with Get Off My Cloud. Audience soaked up the energetic set superb. Headliner was Elkie Brooks and was very well received professional chanteuse belting out a set of her greatest hits forgot how many she did. Lilac Wine poignant and classy vocal range and the stunning Pearl’s A Singer a great singalong tune. She also managed to fit in some blues covering Let It Roll and screaming loud on this one. Quirky in chat crowd rapport mixed at times though. Big band sound two keyboards great saxophone marvellous. She did two encores and left crowd wanting more she’s still a megastar.

SUNDAY

Not so many revellers on the streets on way to Navy Club to see Giles King band Goofa Dust this afternoon. Very low lighting but great sound sat with crowd playing his harmonica at times doing the walk around bit. Bright Lights Big City a favourite also reggae styled mix very good set. Malaya Blue has been getting many plaudits and she took to the main stage well belting out tunes like At Last sweet and toned. Hope was

the best delivered song again mixed reaction from crowd but mostly positive. Duetted with Paul Jones on Let’s Reintroduce Love a tender emotional take. But her type of music is incomparable to the enthusiasm of youth that is Red Butler a force to be reckoned with. Lead singer Jane Pearce strutting on stage belting out Danger Zone assisted by the talented Alex Butler on guitar and Steve Eveleigh on bass the pace got ferocious during Big Bad Wolf band came to join audience on the grass a very enthralling experience. Climaxing with double guitar playing boys on Show Me The Money this was a show stopper taking some audience by surprise. Headliners The Blues Band brought their refined professional approach to a mostly rhythm and blues stage show but major glitches with sound at start did not please some band members. After the fi x for me stand out tracks were the gospel ones Get Right Church from Dave Kelly and the perennial favourite People Get Ready. Shake Rattle And Roll had the crowd singing and dancing. Perfect way to end what was overall a very good Festival hope for more next year helping keeping the blues alive is what it’s all about.

COLIN CAMPBELL

MONTREAL JAZZ FESTIVAL 2016

VARIOUS VENUES – MONTREAL CITY, QUEBEC, CANADA. Blues fanatics who know their history will be aware that blues and jazz music have grown up hand in hand, linked by their common roots, and enjoying frequent and satisfying genre crossovers. That explains why The Montreal Jazz Festival – the largest Festival of its

kind in the world – has always embraced a large contingent of the very finest national and international blues musicians at its two-week jamboree right in the heart of the city of Montreal.

The Festival is held in the summer months, when Montreal is nice and hot, barring occasional showers, and it embraces a wide variety of venues from full-sized custombuilt musical auditoriums, to a converted cinema, a converted church, a brilliant funky night club, and a variety of clubs and rooms which play host to a vast array of musical talent.

They cram an incredible eighthundred (!) concerts into the tennight run of the Festival, and it attracts over two million visitors from all around the world. Shows kick off as early as eleven in the morning, and go right through to the early hours. It is perfectly feasible to catch three shows in any evening - early, mid-evening and late, because the majority of the venues are centred on a cultural hub in the heart of the city, so most places are within a few minutes’ walk of each other.

The title of the Festival may be ‘Jazz’, but restriction is not something the organizers think about – musicians as diverse as Tony Bennett, Robert Plant, Lady Gaga, BB King, Diana Ross, and Chris Isaak have all played over the last few years. If you can’t find something to please you here, then you are either not looking, or you don’t understand great music!

Obviously, our attention is focused on the satisfyingly large list of blues bands and solo players down for the turn-out this year. In addition to the indoor theatre and club venues, the Festival also constructs massive free outdoor stages, one of which is devoted to

blues music – a haven for both hardcore fans and the interested casual listeners. This is the pleasure and joy of any festival – you get to try out things you don’t know, and if they are free, you can try out loads of them, and see what appeals.

As well as the Festival itself, Montreal is a wonderful city to enjoy, and its locals are incredibly friendly and easygoing. The primary language is French, but even that may throw the average UK highschool educated bi-linguals, French here is heavily accented, full of slang, and spoken at considerable speed. But panic not, everyone is bi-lingual. When you enter a hotel, a restaurant or a bar, you will be greeted by the standard salutation ‘Bonjour Hi’, and depending on the language with which you respond, the person addressing you will switch to a faultless version of your English or French choice, which makes life a whole lot simpler!

Throughout the Festival run, the level of blues musicians was its usual high calibre, including, but not restricted to – The London Souls who blew up an absolute storm at their free show, likewise local players like Jordan Officer and harmonica maestros Guy Bellanger and Jim Zeller. Special mention has to go to the Paul Deslauriers Band, a local three-piece renowned for their incendiary live performances and regular guests at the frequent blues festivals around Quebec, and around the world. They played the funky Club Soda night club, and tore the roof off! Fingers crossed this wonderful band gets over here in support of their excellent new album.

But the highlight for the assembled blues cognoscenti was the appearance of the mighty Taj Mahal, returning this year to fulfi l a cancelled engagement last year when ill health prevented the master from appearing for the faithful.

Heading for fi fty years as a touring and recording musician, Henry Fredericks is one of the shrinking numbers of blues icons who retain a link to the early days of blues guitar, and his experience and general joy-to-be-alive-and-playing was palpable. Montreal audiences are hugely involving, artists often get an ovation when they arrive, as well as when they leave the stage, and the willingness of the crowd to have a good time always translates to the stage itself, and an infectious feeling of love and fun is the norm for any show you rock up to here.

Food and drink are plentiful and varied – as you’d expect, you will play major city prices at the bigger restaurants, but there are plenty of inexpensive places to eat if you explore a little off the main St. Catherine Street. Recommended is a right turn into the large Chinese Quarter which has its own bewildering array of varied

Pepper & The Jellies by Merlin Daleman

eating places to explore.

Back on the musical front, Charlie Hunter appeared once again this year with his genreblurring jazz / blues set, and Quebec heroes The Porn Flakes (really!) pleased mightily with their blues-rock soundscapes and unbridled exultations to rock out. It doesn’t matter that most of the vocals are French; it’s about the guitar solos, which are plentiful and uniformly excellent.

Families or couples need have no fear of street crime in Montreal – the local populace are uniformly cheerful – they don’t even hoot their car horns at each other! Be aware that turning right or left on a red light is allowed, but pedestrians crossing do have right of way, and any and all drivers will wait patiently for you to get over to the other side. There are police around, but they are as cheerful and laid back as everyone else, even the street sleepers will politely ask for some money for a coffee, and yes, they speak both languages as well.

Like all major Festivals, and remember the Jazz Festival is the biggest of its kind in the world, accommodation starts to get snapped up twelve months in advance, so it’s worth checking out the large number of hotels in the city to get your sleeping arrangements sorted out. The massive Hyatt Hotel, right in the centre of all the action sells out very quickly because a lot of the visiting musicians and world media are billeted there, but there are plenty of other hotels to suit all pockets dotted around within easy walking distance of all the musical action.

If you want to plan a musical appreciation holiday with blues music as a large part of it, then the 2017 Montreal Jazz Festival

should be seriously high on your consideration list. The large number of free gigs means you don’t have to bankrupt yourself catching wonderful bands and shows, and the ticketed performances are always extremely good value for money.

The line-up is finalised for next year around March, but don’t wait that long. In common with Glastonbury, you can book ‘blind’ and know that there will be plenty of music of all sorts to entertain you. Remember, you can catch all the blues masters that come every year, but this is also a great opportunity to widen your musical palette with the huge variety of styles and genres around the city. Top-end theatre stars right to street-corner buskers; there is music absolutely everywhere for a glorious ten days next summer. We are counting the days. See you there! http://www.montrealjazzfest.com/ about-the-festival/default.aspx ANDY HUGHES

THE BIRMINGHAM AND SOLIHULL JAZZ AND BLUES FESTIVAL

15 TH TO 24TH JULY 2016 Now into its 32nd year, showcases the wide stylistic scope of jazz and blues. Taking place over ten days with over 188 scheduled performances, the festival brings international acts as well as home-grown talent to Birmingham and the surrounding areas.

Kicking off the festival in the grand surroundings of the 16th floor of the Park Regis Hotel were Edinburgh’s The Humors. An Americana duo who have earned a brace of awards and nominations in their home country, their dark bluesy sound set the tone for the appreciative crowd of dignitaries and

musicians. Nicola Cockburn’s expressive voice is accompanied by Corry Fleming’s unobtrusive guitar, which switches between gentle fingerstyle and driving flatpicking. The pair played original songs which were tinged with echoes of 1920s and ‘30s blues and country and a hint of late ‘60s Bob Dylan.

Next up were Birmingham Jazz Festival perennial favourites Pepper and the Jellies. This would be their third appearance at the festival and from the first few notes it was clear to see why. Were it not for the backdrop of the Birmingham skyline, we could have been in St Louis in the 1920s or ‘30s, complete with washboard and kazoo solos. The Italian-based four piece mined jazz and blues songs from the classic era including Mack The Knife, Victoria Spivey’s Anytime Man and Jack, I’m Mellow, the sultry vocals of Ilenia Appicciafuoco accompanied by guitar, double bass and percussion. An additional treat was the surprise appearance of cornet legend Digby Fairweather, who guested on rollicking versions of St Louis Blues and All Of Me, much to the audiences delight.

Dodging the showers, I made my way across to the Mailbox where Little Joe and the Misfits were starting their second set. The 5-piece played a refreshing mix of swing, rockabilly, jump blues and contemporary pop in a classic style to a small but appreciative crowd sheltering from the downpour. However, this wasn’t enough to stop a few hardy individuals from doing the jitterbug in the rain. As a harmonica wailed, canal side became a juke joint, with vocalist Little Joe instructing, ‘everybody walking by has to dance!’ prompting more

than a few passers-by to give a little wiggle. The band rattled through standards including Louis Jordan’s Caldonia, Johnny Burnette’s Train Kept A-Rolling and appropriately enough Paloma Faith’s Upside Down with its lyric, ‘watching people scurry by rushing to and fro’, before culminating with Bring Me Sunshine. Although it didn’t quite make the clouds part, the audience was left with smiles, a warm glow and perhaps a few soggy dancing shoes.

The final gig of the day for me was at the Shakespeare on Lower Temple Street, where a mix of Birmingham revellers and jazz fans were awaiting the Les Zauto Stompers. A French four-piece specialising in the traditional jazz that originated in New Orleans at the turn of the century, the Stompers

rollicked their way through a set touching on the music of Louis Armstrong, Jelly Roll Morton, Fats Waller and Duke Ellington. The band’s love of the music shone through as well as their virtuosity and authenticity on their respective instruments – banjo/guitar, cornet/ trumpet, tuba and clarinet.

Although initially making the grave mistake of confusing Birmingham with Liverpool, tuba player Jean-Michel Francois engaged the lively crowd warmly with jokes and chat, despite proclaiming that ‘my English is very bad, my French is very good!’

The people of France have been in all of our hearts and minds in the days following the terrorist attack in Nice, and at the start of the gig Francois spoke emotionally, ‘we are sad

in our hearts but the show must go on’. And go on it must, for if there is one thing that can bring us all together it is music.

JACK BLACKMAN

LINTON FESTIVAL ALMA INN

24TH TO 26TH JUNE 2016

Linton is now in its 14th year and going strong! Friday was a fine day to get tent up and meet up with many an old(ish) crowd of regulars – audience and organisers alike. First stop – beer tent to buy a strip of tickets for real ales and ciders. After food (and a quick bevy) I made my way to stage area grabbed a straw bale and put down cover wet gear etc. as forecast was for rain later!

FRIDAY

The Stumble to open the festival in loud Lancashire fashion. Their set contained numbers from their previous album as well as the latest offering and it all went down well and so this year’s Linton got off to a good raucous start. Plenty of Chicago driven blues, some soul movin' stuff and beautiful ballads from this characterful selection of musicians.

Mike Vernon and the Mighty Combo Never hearing Mike Vernon sing lead vocals before was duly impressed! I did note that great musicians surrounded Vernon – Mike Hellier on drums, Ian Jennings on upright bass, Martin Winning on tenor sax, Wes' Weston harp and vocals and Paul Garner guitar made it a star line up BUT no Geraint Watkins on keys! Some other great boogie woogie rollin' left hand was hammering the old ivories! Together they gave a hell of a set to keep the dancers going and to sing along to. I was seriously impressed with the

Eugene Hideaway Bridges by Diane Gillard

solo moment by sax and guitar on An Old Man Can Dream!

King King. This exceedingly good band has been making “waves” in the music world –they are in demand. Alan, Wayne, Lindsay and Bob let rip into a rousing blues rock bonanza taken from past albums and especially their latest that had the crowd eating out of their hands but I still find Long History of Love irresistible just like Old Love was on their Take My Hand CD. A splendid rocky and dancing bonanza of a night to start the festival.

SATURDAY

Trafficker. Tommy Allen was wondering if many would be there at 12.30 to see them as it was an early start – we were. Tommy and the boys plus new addition Chris Saunders (guitar) rocked us hard and heavy from the first note and throughout. With charmers such as Beautiful and Better Off With The Blues they scythed through the session in grand style and they included my dance favourite! Way Down Deep In The Delta. Pat McManus Band. Two years ago they hit us with their Celtic infusion of rock! It's glorious mad, mayhem and magical! The one time all Ireland fiddle champion showed his prowess and influences that traditional music makes to their overall performances! The old charm of the Irish gleams from his remarkable animated facial expressions and grimaces as his fingers fly up, down and across the guitar frets as well as the fiddle that is flayed half to sawdust during furious interludes during the performance! A superb show!

Martin Turner's Wishbone Ash. Snazzy attired Turner is of an era that most of us there

can remember! With music generated by their twin lead guitars and voices in tight harmonies. They gave a fabulous impeccable set of songs from their Written In The Stars album as well as ol' classics. Moreland and Arbuckle. Described in the brochure as a duo (Aaron Moreland-guitarist and Dustin Arbuckle harpist /vocals) that creates a layered tapestry of American roots music with haunting sounds from the Delta blues, folk and rock songbook. They sure do all that and more as they also have percussion this day to aid and abet them! The cigar box guitar sound and harmonica gave us that hoedown Appalachian mountain music effect with aplomb. I particularly enjoyed Mean And Evil and their version of Mona. Billy Walton Band. Back by popular demand – the boys from New Jersey! There was a slight line-up change – the horns this year were sax- Sean Marks and trumpet Dan Nissembaum. The rest were as usual Mr Paris on bass/vocals, the flamboyant Sam Sleerman -keys and the lovely engaging Johnny D'Angelo percussion. Billy W. naturally was on vocals and superb lead guitar. They continue that lineage of Springsteen and Southside Johnny and whoop it up and keep 'em coming with New Jersey oomph, razzmatazz and sheer gusto without any schmaltz. Wonderful! Suzi Quatro Band. It's maddening when a woman of a similar age to oneself can still pour her slender frame into skin tight apparel grab a bass guitar and belt out a stonking good bass line, command a band and audience attention and sing a vast back catalogue of rocking anthems at a pace that defies the Devil himself! Starting

with a medley of rocking good tunes Ms Quatro then went into her new studio album with A Girl Like Me. And more!

SUNDAY

The Mentulls. First band on the last day at any festival is daunting but these guys sure took everyone by surprise!

Fresh but not green they started and progressed through a well-honed set of new and old songs and anthems. A slow and moody bluesy number to startjust right for that time of day. Despite their youth or perhaps because of it they went through in a confident and undeniably masterly set of R&B, prog rock and classics. They quickly won the people over and after Red House received a standing ovation. Look out for them – they are making waves and winning hearts already! Mama Martin Band. Discovered by the Rory Gallagher fan based committee members of Linton Music Festival whilst sojourning in Donegal and other Irish haunts and bars all the while scouting for new bands they were blown away by this high energy mobile and fun loving outfit. By the end of their set so were we! As Mama hit the stage in her saucy scant leopard dotted satin body hugging dress and bare feet you knew they were different! The men, normally attired played brilliantly but erupted into wild exuberance and lunatic antics when the moment took them! The sassy R&B with hints of soul and other genres made for good entertainment. The sax man was special along with the others in the rhythm section. Self-penned songs such as Mama's Toxic Bitch untastefully and irreligiously dedicated to her good Catholic school upbringing. Independent

JOHN NÉMETH & THE BLUE DREAMERS

Honing in on a melodic slow blues

The Blue Dreamers kicked off their UK debut a moment before the introduction of their band leader John Németh. Dressed in overalls, shades and baseball cap, the clarity of his superb vocals was evident from outset. Generously allowing his guitar player Johnny Rhodes an extended guitar solo, the opener certainly made a favourable impression. The Memphis soul stylings of Blue Broadway contrasted to more upbeat tracks such as Funky Feeling; guided into a tight groove by drummer Danny Banks with space for guitar and bass showcases. The highlight of the evening was during Testify My Love. The band’s backing vocals were revelatory with superb 3 part backing harmonies. Németh remained centre stage as the audience was mesmerised to his narration about a purposely stolen lover. Elbows On The Wheel was a driving song in more than once sense. It told the tale of how Németh’s long distance driving job allowed him to perfect his harmonica

playing while accompanying Junior Wells’ recordings. With bassist Matthew Wilson switching from bass to guitar, the group channelled a greasy and risqué version of Fred Carter’s Come And Get It. We were on easy street with the blues stomp of My Baby’s Gone where Rhodes playing flourished before further fabulous vocal harmonies on I Said Too Much. Several factors made this a stand out performance - the quality of the material, with all but two tracks penned by Németh, secondly his fantastic vocal range with supporting backing harmonies. The third factor was the overall musicianship with superb lead solos, exceptional timing, space and execution with a precision in dynamics between the band members. What’s more they played a largely different repertoire at their show the following afternoon! Opportunities to see such a fine act can be sparse and it must be hoped that John Németh & The Blue Dreamers return to these shores before too long.

DUNCAN BEATTIE

Woman put me in mind of Peggy Lee's I'm A Woman W O M A N but with up to date terminology and wicked sarcasm! Everyone loved it. Eugene Hideaway Bridges. Eugene took us through a Sabbath day bible book of classic blues songs in magnificent reverential good taste. He did falter a little in going up tempo and entering the realms of sin and iniquity by rocking good jump jive numbers to boot! That rich whisky with honey voice and elegant guitar work eased everyone back into a slower pace, decency and almost God fearing mode if it were not for the great loud Jericho wall blasting horn section and that elevation of crystal clear nigh on operatic level of vocals from Hideaway probably picked up when knee high to an altar rail. Wonderful stuff. I hereby confess to only having listened to the first couple of numbers by the enigmatic and magical performance given by The Slambovian Circus of Dreams As I headed home also missing Geno Washington. Reports received from those diehards who stayed to the very end said it was an incredible finale with a happy singing and dancing crowd to the very last note.

DIANE GILLARD SISTER FEELGOOD

CONCERTS

CLIMAX BLUES BAND

LICHFIELD GUILDHALL

22 ND APRIL 2016

The popular Climax Blues Band drew a near capacity audience to Lichfield Guildhall, when they played there on April 22nd. The group, which in various guises has been together for more than thirty years played a very well received set that blended their usual repertoire

John Nemeth by Stuart Stott

of jump jive, blues, and soul songs with new songs from their forthcoming album.

Led by charismatic frontman and singer Graham Dee, with saxophonist Chris ‘Beebe’ Aldridge, keyboard player George Glover, and melodic guitar virtuoso, Lester Hunt, the band had an unfailing, pin-sharp backing from bassist Neil Simpson, and drummer Roy Adams, in a set that blended authoritative jazz, and blues soloing with a beat that got most of the toes in the audience tapping.

The band played songs by the likes of Willie Dixon, with the staple of Seventh Son opening the first set, with its funk back beat framing the lead vocals, whilst Down In Louisiana was another fine up-beat rocker which combined some deft soloing and shifting dynamics in the rhythm section. Their own Fool For The Bright Lights was a showcase for the fiery Hammond Organ of George Glover, whilst Lester Hunt was allowed to shine his light as a singer and band-leader during Going Back To Georgia.

Many new songs featured during the second set, with Seventeenth Street Canal being a highlight, with the soprano saxophone of Chris Aldridge featuring heavily, and showing the direction that the band may be taken. Other songs featured, such as Willie Dixon’s Spoonful, which was given a far faster, and sprightly reading by the band, than the many bands, such as Cream that have covered it in the past. The tempo was lifted as the set progressed, with their best known song, Couldn’t Get It Right, being given a slower, more mournful introduction, whilst Let The Good Times Roll featured both bass and drum

solos that were well received by the audience. The encore of Heading Towards The Sun was a lively, complicated song, full of fine musical details and ensemble playing of the highest order, which showed both their musical pedigree and ability to reach an audience who wanted to hear the music of the eternal Saturday night.

BEN MACNAIR

CHARLOTTE MARSHALL & THE 45s MERCHANTS HALL, EDINBURGH

9TH AUGUST 2016

What better way to enjoy a night at the Edinburgh Fringe than see a fantastic seven piece band whose mix of blues, soul, funk and R&B always sets you up for the carnival atmosphere? The opener Big Easy Blues propels the audience straight to Bourbon Street with its authentic vibe and prominent saxophone by Gordon Dickson. Sassy, stylish and sultry, Charlotte Marshall was in command from outset leading the band into a playful Motown groove in Miss Jane. A laid back take of Rock Me Baby allowed outlets for keyboardist

Tim Rough and trombonist

Fenwick Lawson and some nifty co-ordinated stage interplay by Marshall and Dickson. Upping the pace Bootleg Liquor, their recent single, closed the first set in style. While the second half got the crowd dancing to favourites by Chuck Berry and Aretha Franklin, it was the original material that really caught the ear. Marshall’s finest vocal came in the soulful ballad I Never Meant (To Fall In Love With You), which she really sang as she meant it. She then strapped on a guitar to accompany lead guitarist Fraser John Lindsay on the straight blues of Who Do You Boom. My personal favourite was Dig My Love, a beautiful slice of New Orleans soul which carried an upbeat message. Walking The Dog saw solos from Fraser John Lindsay on guitar, drummer Michael Harrison and bassist Tim Clark before the closing Gospel of Just Can’t Help Myself. More than just an exceptional unit who clearly love to perform together, Charlotte Marshall & the 45s really stand out from the crowd with their focused and defined sound combined with

Charlotte and the 45s by Mark Holloway

Let's start with the downside to the evening, which had nothing to do with the great artists on the stage, more of them in a minute. I must lead a very sheltered life, because every time I've seen Mr Bonamassa, he's played to a respectful audience, but tonight was an exception to the rule. A minority of the 5,000 crowd assembled in this beautiful setting had apparently only come for an evening picnic by the Thames and oblivious to the serious listeners amongst us, took their seats over half an hour late, barging past carrying beers, burgers and chips aplenty. Throw in overzealous stewarding and you are left to hope that the performance won't disappoint. Having read other reviews for the night, it was hard to find any mention of the great job our own Joanne Shaw Taylor and band did as support, a departure for Joe, as he rarely, if at all, has

one. Joanne rattled through her tried and tested set-list, which will be added to very soon, with the release of her upcoming Wild CD. At 8.30 on the dot, Joe's band started the introduction to Jeff's Bolero and on strolled the man himself, to a great reception. For this tour, Joe has called upon his neighbour, multi-instrumentalist, Russ Irwin, but the usual suspects are there, Anton Fig on drums, Michael Rhodes, bass and the evergreen Reese Wynan’s on keys. Bolero segued into Rice Pudding. The recurring theme tonight is how well he knows every song he plays; to get them note perfect is an art. Clapton's Mainline Florida followed then Zep's Boogie With Stu, then three more Beck covers Let Me Love You Baby, Plynth and Spanish Boots. Mayall's Beano album is next with Double Crossing Time, going back to Clapton for Motherless Children

and Cream's SWLABR. By now, if you don't feel old, you should be... all my youth was being played in front of me, songs which fi rmly spawned my interest in blues/rock as a genre. Zep's Tea For One/I Can't Quit You Baby, then we returned to the Beano album for Little Girl and Clapton's Pretending, before closing with the same bang we started with by way of Zep's Black Winter/Django and the classic How Many More Times with a verse of The Hunter thrown in for good measure. The encore was the song Joe never leaves the stage without playing, Tim Curry's Sloe Gin and at 10.30 it was all over. A slight problem was apparent on the sound volume, but I am led to believe it was softer so as not to disturb residents on the site. God bless you Joe, can't wait for the next project you come up with.

CLIVE RAWLINGS

Joe Bonamassa by John Bull

strong original compositions. Marshall herself is a superb bandleader whose charisma and enthusiasm is infectious. Last year the band won a now defunct magazine's Future Of The Blues competition and decided the associated record deal was not being right for them at the time. However on this evidence, their debut album will be a real corker and the right opportunity must surely be just around the corner.

DUNCAN BEATTIE

MR SIPP

EDINBURGH

JAZZ &

BLUES FESTIVAL SPIEGELTENT, GEORGE SQUARE, EDINBURGH

19TH JULY 2016

Having appeared at the festival last year with a local pick up band, this was a welcome return to Edinburgh for Castro Coleman aka Mr Sipp, “The Mississippi Blues Child”. The key difference this time was he was accompanied his regular rhythm section of Jeff Flanagan on bass and Stanley Dixon Jr on drums – in matching lens free glasses. Sidestepping the usual approach of building the crowd up gradually, they confidently requested the audience to clap and sing along during opener Can I Ride With You. Mr Sipp skipped onstage with great enthusiasm. Second up was a funky version of The Thrill Has Gone and the band continued to throw convention aside with bass and drum solos during the third number, a fast paced take of Albert Collins’ Iceman. Equally impressive to his fluid guitar playing was his strong and soulful voice which he used to full effect on Found A Love. The audience walk about came mid set during the slow melodic blues of Mrs Jones. Having won the 2014 International Blues Challenge and the Best New

Artist Album Blues Music Award this year, there is great potential for Mr Sipp. A real showman and a great entertainer, he unexpectedly replaced the guitar for keyboards for a gospel influenced take of Sam Cooke’s A Change Is Gonna Come before whipping the crowd into frenzy with a danceable version of Smokestack Lightning. This was a real feel good performance and the near capacity crowd lapped it up. A little more grit and a little more emotion could perhaps enhance what is already a very entertaining presentation.

DUNCAN BEATTIE

BEN MILBERRY SOUL BAND CHAMBERS FOLKESTONE

24TH MAY 2016

One of Kent’s best kept secrets was finally revealed as Ben brought his three piece band to Chambers intimate setting and proceeded to showcase his sublime skills as a musician and singer without comparison locally. Ben is sometimes referred to as Kent’s answer to Stevie Wonder, but that is doing nobody any favours as there is far more to his talent than that. Ben was born blind and like many other blind musicians, he is gifted with perfect pitch. As well as playing keyboards, he can also turn his hand to guitar, most forms of percussion and would you believe, bagpipes! Although tonight, Ben was content just to play the keyboard. Billed as a soul band, there is more to the boys than that and during the course of their two sets, they covered a wide range of styles and genres. Highlights for me were Ben’s version of Walking In Memphis, the fabulous bass led My Girl. We had some reggae from Toots And The Maytalls '54-46 That's My Number. Some sublime

guitar on Easy Like Sunday Morning and many others (I counted 21 songs) before closing with a storming sing-a-long version of Drift Away. Ben is to be found appearing regularly at venues in Kent appearing as a solo performer (Ben Malcom Milberry Soul Singer) a duo with guitarist Gabriel and with the full band. Look him up on Facebook and then go find him, you won't be disappointed.

DAVE STONE

C.W. STONEKING CLUNY, NEWCASTLE

23 RD JUNE 2016

Shipwrecks of the heart and a capsized soul on stage tonight as C.W. Stoneking, in trade-mark tropical Whites and bow-tie performed songs from his three commercial releases. With fractured vocals, half-spoken; half-sung, in a plantation drawl where words trailed off into the music, he delivered a spellbinding set of both tragedy and bonhomie.

A backing trio of artistes in their own rights added instrumental dexterity and vocal acrobatics to the songs. The ‘Ladies Association’ are Paula Henderson on basement baritone sax and sunglasses, Kendra Kilkuskie behind the Ludwigs and much more, and Jessica Lee Wilkes who plucked steady upright bass while harmonising.

The evening leaned heavily towards latest album Gon’ Boogaloo showcasing all twelve songs with a further helping from earlier works Jungle Blues and King Hokum.

He has cast aside his banjo for the “way cooler” pink glittery electric, but played most of tonight with a plugged in National.

An electric cat squeal introduced the gospel flavoured

How Long with the band providing harmony vocals. The Zombie proved to be a new dance move complete with wardrum beat and faux screams from Wilkes. Tomorrow Gon’ Be Too Late was a paean to Doo-Wop, all girl harmonies around a tale of a man on the dangle, about to drop his girl.

The ubiquitous Jungle titles were visited. Following a selfimposed exile on writing them the new album contains two of which Jungle Swing stood out with a boogie beat and ragged electric guitar work-out. Old favourite Jungle Lullaby, in contrast, was all moody shakers and brushes from Kilkuskie with a slow sax coda from Henderson. In between Stoneking invoked ‘a lazy afternoon in paradise’.

Mid-set saw the band leave C.W. to name-check Jimmy Rodger’s singing brakeman on his solo take of Talking Lion Blues. The casual comic delivery and slow dawning of the inevitable, cut through with cracked yodels, take nothing away from this well-crafted song. An old friend for the audience, they helped out on the chorus and gave it well deserved appreciation.

Introduced as “a mysterious letter that floated down from the

sky” Goin’ Back South featured slow sax and surf-guitar, while Good Luck Charm saw Wilkes on red electric bass for a dip back into ’50 girl-group double hand-clap accompanied swing.

Support slot, Peterlee’s Gypsy Dave Smith played a short set plagued with re-tunings and anecdotal cul-de-sacs, only hitting his stride on a Gid Tanner cover Don’t You Hear Jerusalem Moan, a syncopated sing-along to close.

But the night belonged to Stoneking and band, who beguiled an audience of well over one hundred with his off kilter songs of life, both real and imagined.

MEL WALLACE

THE PRODUCERS THE TIVOLI, WIMBORNE

10TH JUNE 2016

This show was part of the band’s 25 Years tour and this venue and audience always give a big welcome to The Producers as this is founder member and bass player Dave Saunders’ home town. Tonight was even more special as the band’s occasional brass section were in place and featured on old favourite New Money which kicked the show off in great style. The

first set featured many crowd pleasers from the band’s back catalogue including a hard rocking Somewhere Down The Line and a swinging Janine. Highlight of this set for me was the stunning slow number Preservation Blues which opens with the line” Six o’clock in the morning my working day is done”. Harry Skinner is a master of slow blues and this number builds the intensity with a pulsing heartbeat bass, soulful vocals, blues wailing horns and spare guitar as it reaches a stunning climax. The second set was devoted largely to the new 25 Years album with the brass section and Ray Drury’s pumping organ featuring heavily on the rocking Change, Change, Change. A catchy piano and guitar riff opens Bees And Honey with Biff Smith’s drums driving things along and then barrelhouse piano and honking horns light up the rollicking She Ain’t Back Yet. Harry has some fun blowing harp on the exhilarating Roller Coastin’ Blues and duels with the horns on the funky Down Home Girl. We are treated to another slow blues with wonderful emotive vocals and classy guitar work on the classic You Don’t Miss Your Water. The evening closes with wonderful slide guitar and wailing horns on the barnstorming Elmore James style Mule and the inspired reworking of One Kind Favour which Harry describes as the band’s Hawkwind moment. The rapturous audience are then treated to an encore with the lovely jazzy Moondance. The Producers are playing many festivals and gigs this year and I would urge you to catch them live as this is my favourite lineup and they are on top form.

DAVE DRURY

The Producers by Dave Drury

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