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BLUES Blues Matters! FRONT PAGE

MATTERS!

BUDDY WHITTINGTON (US) DOUG MACLEOD (US) GERRY JABLONSKI (UK-POL) JIM SULHER (US) JON AMOR (UK) MAGDA PISKORCZYK (POL) MICHAEL MESSER (UK) SAM HARE (UK) SAMANTHA FISH (US) SCOTT BILLINGTON (US) TEXAS SLIM (US) WILKO JOHNSON (UK)

Aug Sept 11 l Issue 61 l £4.50 www.bluesmatters.com

“The BLUES without the blinkers!”

A FISH

SAMANTH

WILKO JO

HNSON

MICHAEL

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Website: www.bluesmatters.com Facebook: www.facebook.com/bluematters MySpace: www.myspace.com/bluesmattersmagazine Follow us on Twitter: blues_matters EDITORIAL team Alan King / Gez Morgan: editor@bluesmatters.com Founder alan@bluesmatters.com Contributing writers: Liz Aiken, Roy Bainton, Andrew Baldwin, Brian Bannister, Adam Bates, Duncan Beattie, Adrian Blacklee, Bob Bonsey, Bob Chaffey, David Bennett Cohen, Norman Darwen, Dave Drury, Linda Fisher, John Gregory, Stuart A. Hamilton, Beryl Hankin, Nat Harrap, Brian Harman, Nathalie Harrap, Alan Harvey, Gareth Hayes, Steve Hoare, John Hurd, Billy Hutchinson, Peter Innes, Duncan Jamieson, Brian Kramer, Frank Leigh, Geoff Marston, Ben McNair, Vicky Martin, Martin McKeown, Michael Messer, Martin ‘Noggin’ Norris, Merv Osborne, Mike Owens, Frankie Pfeiffer, Thomas Rankin, Clive Rawlings, Chris Rowland, Paromita Saha, Graeme Scott, Dave Scott, Andy Snipper, Richard Thomas, Tom Walker, Kevin Wharton, Rhys Williams, Philip Woodford.

Contributing photographers: Christine Moore, Liz Aiken, Annie Goodman, Vicky Martin, Paul Webster, others credited on page Production-Art/Layout Kitty Rae: Advertising: Alan King: ads@bluesmatters.com Tel: 01656-745628 Subscriptions/orders: Jenny Hughes: jenny@bluesmatters.com Mon-Tues only 10am-4pm.

IT/Web Management: Diana Stone diana@bluesmatters.com Stand Manager: Christine Moore: christine@bluesmatters.com Event Manager: events@bluesmatters.com BM Sponsored venues: Vicky Martin: venues@bluesmatters.com Printers Harcourt Colour Print. SA5 4HN © 2011 Blues Matters!

J.Pearce t/a Blues Matters. Original material in this magazine is © the authors. Reproduction may only be made with prior consent of the Editor and provided that acknowledgement is given of the source and copy is sent to the editorial address. Care is taken to ensure that the contents of this magazine are accurate but the publishers do not accept any responsibility for errors that may occur or views expressed editorially. All rights reserved. No parts of this magazine may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system or transmitted in any form or by any means electronic, mechanical, photocopying recording or otherwise without prior permission of the editor. Submissions: Readers are invited to submit articles, letters and photographs for publication. The publishers reserve the right to amend any submissions and cannot accept responsibility for loss or damage. Please note: Once submitted material becomes the intellectual property of Blues Matters and can only later be withdrawn from publication at the expediency of Blues Matters.

Advertisements: Whilst responsible care is taken in accepting advertisements if in doubt readers should make their own enquiries.

The publisher cannot accept any responsibility for any resulting unsatisfactory transactions, nor shall they be liable for any loss or damage to any person acting on information contained in this publication. We will however investigate complaints.

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EDITORIAL Here we are with BM61 We welcome aboard ‘Team BM’ Mr. Michael Messer renowned guitarist (whose name is mentioned in the same breath as that of Ry Cooder!) with the start of a series for you on acoustic guitar written from a new angle. Also, David Bennett Cohen (former member of Country Joe & The Fish) who covered the New York celebration of Rory Gallagher for us and will be looking at the Blues in NY in future issues. Richard Thomas takes a rest this issue but returns in BM62 with a new series with the loose title of; “From Johnson to Bonamassa in about 8 unlikely steps; taking time to leave the main Blues Highway to follow a less well trod, but sometimes more interesting route” We’ll enjoy the meandering together shall we.

We have features on Blues stalwart Bruce Iglauer on Alligators’ 40th Anniversary, a report on Robert Johnson tributes, Mojo Blues Weekend, Slide Guitar by Michael Messer, and many more. Interviews with the legendary Wilko Johnson, Michael Messer, rising US looker Samantha Fish who has been a part of RUF’s ‘Girls With Guitars’ tour, Buddy Whittington, the act causing something of a stir right now who are Vintage Trouble, Scott Billington OF Rounder Records, Gerry Jablonski and more......

We move between festivals from what may be the biggest in the world in Byron Bay, Australia to the Weston’s Cider Blues Trail in Winchcombe, two first time events in Hebden Bridge and The Spire Fest to whom we wish continued success plus the annual Isle of Man Festival. Also in this issue in the live section, we have a review of a very memorable night at Royal Albert Hall of none other than the legend BB King whom was joined on stage by a few of his friends (Slash, Ronnie Wood, Susan Tedeschi, Derek Trucks and Mick Hucknall) In the next couple months there will be a new style to the Blues Matters website which we are currently in the process of testing. The new site will offer better functionality, a fresh new look and a few other things that to interest you.

As always we like to read your feedback so please continue to write to us on anything you’d like to see in future issues.

Without your continuing support, none of this would be possible. *Apologies must go to Roger Stolle for wrong name in the headline of his smashing interview in BM60 re-naming him as Richard Stolle and to Billy Hutchinson who wrote the piece for us. There was no name on the photo on page 47 which was in fact Big George Brock and not as some may have assumed Roger himself.

Alan & Gez and of course all the BM ‘team’ BLUES MATTERS is sponsored by Harcourt Colour Print www.harcourtcolourprint.co.uk

Dont forget your feedback to us :editor@bluesmatters.com / or use the ‘contact us’ on the website 11/07/2011 11:26:25

Your latest copy of Blues Matters! delivers!

Regulars 8

TOP TEN

12

HAPPENIN NEWS

88

ROBERT JOHNSON

94

CD REVIEWS

Gerry Jablonski top 10

Features 16

INTERVIEWS

78

FESTIVAL FEVER

10

FEATURES

Lots of Blues News

100 Year Celbration Over 65 reviews

114 GOT LIVE

North Mississippi All Stars Duo/Ian Siegal, Mama Rosin/Hipbone Slim & The Knee Tremblers, Eric Clapton, Glenn Hughes & Joanne Shaw Taylor, Ian Parker, Sandi Thom, Jerry Donahue & The Revelators, Lewis Hamilton & The Boogie Brothers, Rod Stewart, Chantel McGregor, Buddy Whittington Band, Aynsley Lister, King King, Rory Ellis.

Buddy Whittington, Doug Macleod, Gerry Jablonski, Jim Sulher, Jon Amor, Magda Piskorczyk, Michael Messer, Sam Hare, Samantha Fish, Scott Billington, Texas Slim, Wilko Johnson.

Big Wheel Festival, Hebden Bridge Festival, Byron Bay Blues, Thornhill Blues Festival, Westons Cider Blues Trail & Sprite Festival.

10 Rory Gallagher 66 Slide Guitar 122 Studio Live 126 Shirley Collins 128 Before We Forget

94 CD REVIEWS GILES ROBSON & THE DIRTY ACES, ALAN BLACK, BEN PRESTAGE, IAN SIEGAL (and The Youngest Sons), CONNIE LUSH, HOKIE JOINT, DEL BROMHAM, GERRY JABLONSKI & THE ELECTRIC BAND, BEN WATERS, SHAWN PITTMAN, BIG BOY BLOATER AND THE LIMITS, NORTH MISSISSIPPI ALLSTARS, P-A-U-L, THE REVEREND PEYTON’S BIG DAMN BAND, BRIAN KRAMER, NAVA CROSS, T-BONE WALKER, TEXAS SLIM, TOMMY CASTRO, R.B STONE, ROBIN TROWER, MARCUS MALONE, KRISSY MATTHEWS, MAMA ROSIN with HIPBONE SLIM and the KNEE TREMBLERS. Blues Matters! 6 BM 61.indd 6

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Cover feature Wilko Johnson is about to start on a UK tour beginning in Edinburgh in September, with support from Ian Siegal. His band will have Norman Watt-Roy and Dylan Howe.

Of course he is doing other dates around the country before that but this tour is worth adding to your diary.

photo by Andy Lock

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photo by Christine Moore

1. Cream - ‘Spoonful’ The Cream version of ‘Spoonful’ from Fresh Cream is the track that made me want to become a guitar player. The sound of that Les Paul with Marshall amp and Eric Clapton’s fiery thrashing made everything else sound limp and soulless… and Jack Bruce’s singing is awesome!

2. BB King –’Better Not Look Down’ ‘Better Not Look Down’ off the Take It Home album from BB King. It’s a great tune, very funky with a fantastic sing along chorus that builds and builds… and of course BB himself, incredible vibrato!

3. Paul Kossof – ‘The Hunter’ Talking of vibrato, the best blues rock bending vibrato comes from the late great Paul Kossof, particularly on the Free version of ‘The Hunter’ off the Tons Of Sobs.

Apart from the great guitar you just can’t deny Paul Rodgers as the ultimate blues rock voice of all time!

4. Freddie King – ‘Sweet Home Chicago’ Freddie Kings version of ‘Sweet Home Chicago’ is the blue print for Clapton and Cream. It’s all here on this classic track, his singing just kicks ass!! This off the album ‘1955-1976’, I wore out my vinyl LP just trying to copy that rhythm guitar he does on it.

5. Peter Green – ’Messing Around’ ‘Messing Around’, it’s “that sound”. Peter Green is the ultimate white blues guitarist. A great groove threw out this classic Fleetwood Mac version, made everyone want to change their pickups around the wrong way to achieve “that sound”… realistically it’s all in the fingers I’m afraid!

6. Albert King – ‘Born Under A Bad Sign’ ‘Born Under a Bad Sign’, Albert King. The best blues riff of all time and a great song title, does what it says on the tin. The heavy weight champion of the blues with all his power and impact this tune connects like a left hook from the Muhamed Ali of the blues.

7. Led Zeppelin – ‘Good Times’ ‘Good Times Bad Times’, Led Zeppelin. The ultimate blues rock band of all time. Bonzo’s double up kick drum with one foot hugeness. Jimmy Pages leslie amped up cascading lead licks, Robert Plants amazing vocal before he went all squeaky is a delight and of course John Paul Jones thumping Hammond Organ.

8. Roy Buchanan – ‘Johns Blues’ ‘Johns Blues’ was the B-side to Sweet Dreams. This is classic Roy Buchanan, big tones here and all his best licks. A great instrumental tune.

9. Fleetwood Mac – ‘Jigsaw Puzzle Blues’ Another B-side, another instrumental. It’s ‘Jigsaw Puzzle Blues’ from Fleetwood Mac. But this is Danny Kirwin playing those tricky brilliantly phrased notes and licks, not Peter Green as you’d expect. This track alone should have given Danny the name and respect he should have had.

10. Janis Joplin – ‘Ball And Chain’ ‘Ball and Chain’ Great song and its Janis Joplin, what more do you want? She really rips this one up! This was the template for Robert Plant.

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Rory Gallagher Tribute May 23, 2011

by David Bennett Cohen

“One of the most exciting and accomplished musicians of the 20th Century, Rory Gallagher left us much too soon says” David Bennett Cohen (ex Country Joe & the Fish keyboard player who joins BM to cover this NY tribute to one of the worlds’ most respected guitar men.

I was very happy and proud to have been asked by the UK magazine, Blues Matters, to cover this event at the Iridium club in mid-town Manhattan. I was also thrilled to be asked to perform in it, as well.

The place was packed, not an empty seat in the house and apparently sold out within hours of being announced.

The evening kicked off with video of Rory’s Irish tour. This video shows Rory at his most exciting and we are so fortunate to have this. In all the conversations with people who knew him, the most consistent comment was how he always gave his all to everything he did and this really comes across in this video.

Next there was a panel discussion that focused on why Rory didn’t achieve the kind of fame and recognition that he so deserved. This was not just delving into the past, but also trying to find a way to promote his newly re-mastered CD’s and the video, Ghost Blues, subtitled “The Story Of Rory Gallagher.” This is not so much about commercializing him, but how to get the world to recognize and appreciate this wonderful artist. On the panel was a veritable who’s who of the music business - UK Bob, DJ from Joe Louis Walker WRFG, was MC, and kept the discussion on track; Mike Carden, Eagle Rock Entertainment, Lindsey Brown, Eagle Rock; Elliot Mazer, producer; John Swenson, of Rolling Stone; Larry Yelen, film maker (of the Eric Clapton video); and Ed Christman, from Billboard.

(Eagle Rock is releasing the entire Rory catalog, both in vinyl, CD and DVD. The product that just came out is the Irish Tour and the big piece is ‘Notes from San Francisco’ an album recorded in 1978 that was never released.)

Next came the music, Rory’s music, I think it’s a tribute to Rory that so many superb musicians showed up to celebrate his life. Even though he may not have achieved the status of, say, Eric Clapton, or Jeff Beck, he was a true “musician’s musician”, loved and appreciated by so many great players, including Eric Clapton and Jeff Beck…

The music started out with a set by Lou Pallo, a mainstay at the Iridium, where he was Les Paul’s guitarist and vocalist for 26 years and now leads the Les Paul Trio every Monday. Along with Lou was the great Jon Paris, also on guitar, Kenny Aaronson on bass, Jeff Simon, from George Thorogood and the Destroyers, on drums, and myself on piano. We played ‘Showbiz Blues,’ kicking off the evening with a very high standard.

Next came a solo by Paul McGilloway, a very nicely done ‘I Can’t Be Satisfied.’

Following this was Kerry Kearney, slide guitar, accompanied by Kenny Aaronson on bass, Roger Earl, from Foghat, on drums, and myself on key After Kerry, Scott Holt came on and lifted the show to another level. He played ‘Messin’ With the Kid,’ with Roger Earl on drums and Dan Eubanks on bass, and ‘Cradle Rock,’ and ‘Tattooed Lady’ with his band, which consisted of Dan Eubanks Roger Earl and Marshall Weaver on drums. I was impressed with his humility and respect for Rory. He said that he hoped the people would understand that he was honoring Rory and that he had so much appreciation for being included in this event.

The next act was Jim Shuler, from George Thorogood and the Destroyers, on guitar and vocals, Jeff Simon and Kenny Aaronson, with Neal Evans, from Soulive, on organ. Wonderful!

They played, ‘Bought and Sold,’ ‘I Wonder Who,’ ‘I Could’ve Had Religion,’ and ‘The Mississippi Sheiks.’ A very nice choice of Rory songs, Jim is a truly great musician and a disciple of Rory’s guitar playing.

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all photos by Arnie Goodman

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Innes Siburn

RORY GALLLAGHER So far, the music just kept getting better, but the evening hadn’t topped out, yet.

Next up was Innes Sibun, the great English Blues/ Rock guitarist, best known in the US for his stint with Robert Plant. His friendship with Rory gave his set an authenticity that included and transcended his obvious appreciation. His playing was heartfelt and poignant and touched me in a way that the best Blues does. Jeff Simon and Kenny Aaronson rounded out the trio. They played the Rory classics, ‘Calling Card,’ ‘Walking On Hot Coals,’ ‘Bullfrog Blues,’ sung by Alan Merrill, and ‘I Wonder Who.’

After Innes came Davey Knowles. I’m not sure what it is about the UK, but they grow the best Blues guitarists.

It’s also a tribute to the Blues that someone as young as Davey is carrying on the tradition. Davey totally captivated the audience (and that includes me). His first song, ‘As the Crow Flies,’ was performed solo. Beautiful, after that, his band was Jeff Simon, drums, Neal Evans, organ, and Kirk Yano on bass. They played, ‘Million Miles Away,’ ‘Bad Penny,’ and, ‘What in the World?’ Then came, for me, the highlight of the evening, an acoustic song by Davey on National resonator guitar, Jim Shuler on acoustic guitar and Innes Sibun on mandolin, ‘Out on the Western Plain,’ with Jim supplying the vocals.

After that, there was a short break and Sari Shorr came out and sang ‘The Cuckoo,’ accompanied by Innes on mandolin, then she called her back up band to play her rendition of ‘For the Last Time.’ She said that she chose those two song to show the “sensitive side of Rory.” The band she used was Kenny Aaronson, bass, Andy Bigan on drums, the amazing Joe Louis Walker on guitar, and myself on piano. After that, Joe Louis sang and we jammed on a Blues, then Jim Shuler, Kenny Aaronson and Jeff Simon played one more song and the concert was over.

(Being back stage with all these wonderful musicians was an education in itself - listening to the stories. Stories of Rory of course, but others, as well, such as Les Paul, Peter Green, Michael Bloomfield, Johnny Winter, Steve Miller - and the list goes on.)

Joe Louis Walker, Sari Schorr and me, David Bennett Cohen

Whew! It was an amazing evening of music. I want to compliment Arnie Goodman and Kirk Yano for making this event run so smoothly. At several points we were even ahead of schedule - unheard of. I was also impressed that all the musicians had a real connection to Rory - it came through in the sincerity of their performances. And, even though it was a long night of music, the audience, all of us, hardly noticed. It was very professionally done.

The next day, Tuesday, I had the privilege of talking with Donal and Daniel Galagher, Rory’s brother and nephew. Donal was always there with Rory on the road and they are the ones who are responsible for keeping Rory’s memory and legacy alive with the current two DVD set of Ghost Blues and the Beat Club sessions. Donal told me about Rory growing up in Ireland in the late ‘50s and early ‘60s. Playing in Belfast at Ulster Hall while bombs were going off, but both sides came to hear Rory. The Protestants and the Catholics, they both claimed him as a son of Ireland. In a sense, Rory was a healer and the only major artist to consistently play the Christmas shows in Belfast. Music has the power to bring people together.

There is a concept in Buddhism called “turning poison into medicine,” and that’s what the Blues does. Especially Rory’s Blues.

I think it’s interesting that in the early ‘70s, Rory was voted best guitarist by the English music magazine, Melody Maker, at a time when either Eric Clapton or Jimmy Page consistently won that distinction.

Rory was hugely popular in Europe, but never quite reached that status in US. Our mistake!

I feel so fortunate to have grown up during this era, where we not only have such wonderful music, but also the means to preserve it. I am grateful for having opportunity to attend this show and to meet with Donal and Daniel and to be a small part of this history.

Innes Sibun, Roger Earl and Jon Paris BM 61.indd 11

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HAPPENIN’

Latest news from our Blues world

The Blues Foundation, based in Memphis, has announced the winners for the organization’s 32nd annual Blues Music Awards.

After holding an awards ceremony on Thursday, May 5th, 2011 at the Cook Convention Center in Memphis. This year’s event was a real houserockin’ blow-out, running better than seven hours and featuring performances by dozens of deserving nominees (Steve Miller, Willie “Big Eyes” Smith, Bob Corritore, Manish Boys, Eddie Shaw, John Hammond, Buddy Guy). Like last year, the awards ceremony was broadcast live on XM Sirius satellite radio, on B.B. King’s Bluesville channel.

There were few real surprises among this year’s group of Blues Music Award nominees. There were a number of landmark albums in the blues released during 2010, among them Charlie Musselwhite’s excellent The Well, Janiva Magness’s The Devil Is An Angel Too, Eden Brent’s Ain’t Got No Troubles, and Buddy Guy’s Living Proof, among others, and the aforementioned artists received multiple nominations apiece. Several artists, including Robin Rogers, John Nemeth, Tad Robinson, and Shemekia Copeland, all received one or more well-deserved nominations, and overall this year’s crop of talent is pretty dang impressive.

THE WINNERS ARE: Acoustic Album of the Year - Last Train to Bluesville - The Nighthawks Acoustic Artist of the Year - John Hammond Album of the Year - Living Proof - Buddy Guy B.B. King Entertainer of the Year - Buddy Guy Band of the Year - The Derek Trucks Band Best New Artist Debut - On the Floor - Matt Hill Contemporary Blues Album of the Year - Living Proof - Buddy Guy Contemporary Blues Female Artist of the Year - Robin Rogers Contemporary Blues Male Artist of the Year - Buddy Guy DVD - Ruf Records - Songs from the Road (Luther Allison) Historical Album of the Year -Delta Groove - Harmonica Blues - (Bob Corritore & Friends) Instrumentalist-Bass - Bob Stroger Instrumentalist-Drums- Cedric Burnside Instrumentalist-Guitar - Derek Trucks Instrumentalist-Harmonica - Charlie Musselwhite Instrumentalist-Horn - Eddie Shaw Instrumentalist-Other - Sonny Rhodes (Lap Steel Guitar) Koko Taylor Award - Ruthie Foster Pinetop Perkins Piano Player - Dr. John Rock Blues Album of the Year Live! In Chicago - Kenny Wayne Shepherd Band featuring Hubert Sumlin, Willie “Big Eyes” Smith, Bryan Lee and Buddy Flett Song of the Year - “Living Proof” - Tom Hambridge/Buddy Guy Soul Blues Album of the Year - Nothing’s Impossible - Solomon Burke Soul Blues Female Artist of the Year - Irma Thomas Soul Blues Male Artist of the Year - Solomon Burke Traditional Blues Album of the Year - Joined At the Hip - Pinetop Perkins & Willie ‘Big Eyes’ Smith Traditional Blues Male Artist of the Year - Charlie Musselwhite Lil’ Choo-Choo Johnson, Bluesman was awarded the Bronze Medal for Regional Fiction (South) at the 2011 Independent Publisher Awards.

Lil’ Choo-Choo Johnson, Bluesman is the debut historical novel from Bryan Krull, who currently lives in Akron, New York.

It follows the adventures of a 10 year-old boy from the Depression-era Mississippi Delta who learns to play guitar from his deadbeat uncle. His budding musical ability brings him into contact with many real-life blues legends, such as Robert Johnson, Son House, and Howlin’ Wolf. The story moves from the whiskey-soaked juke joints of the Delta to Beale Street in Memphis to the swinging clubs of post-WWII Chicago. Lil’ Choo-Choo Johnson, Bluesman is available from Amazon, Barnes & Noble, and electronically through Google’s e-Bookstore. More information is available on the author’s website, www.bryankrull.com Buddy Guy dominates Blues Music Awards Buddy Guy was the big winner at the recent Blues Music Awards, held in Memphis, Tenn. by the Blues Foundation. Guy, the 2010 Lifetime Achievement honoree, was the B.B. King Entertainer of the Year. In addition, he took home top honors for Album, Contemporary Blues Album, Contemporary Blues Artist and Song of the Year, which he shared with Tom Hambridge.

Guy released the critically-acclaimed recording, “Living Proof,” in 2010.

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Hugh Laurie

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HAPPENIN’ Robert Cray has announced his only UK tour date this year.

For thirty-plus years Robert Cray has laid down track after track of good-time, uptown, low-down blues. He’s won five Grammies and been nominated for 11 more. From classic titles ‘Phone Booth’, to highlights from his more recent releases ‘Poor Johnny’, whether addressing timeless themes of heartache and romance ‘The Things You Do To Me’ or this morning’s headlines ‘Twenty’, Cray delivers on a promise he’s been making since his first trip into the studio.

Cray’s virtuosity has led to collaborations with luminaries such as Eric Clapton, the Rolling Stones, B. B. King, Muddy Waters, John Lee Hooker, Chuck Berry and Bonnie Raitt. His latest album ‘This Time’ is released on his own imprint Nozzle Records and arrives at a vital juncture in the musician’s career, marked by creative renewal and a key reunion with an old performing partner, bassist Richard Cousins. www.robertcray.com Cherry Lane Rolls Out Blues Masters, Its First-Ever App for Guitarists NEW YORK – Respected print music publisher Cherry Lane Music proudly presents it’s first-ever app for iPad. Blues Masters offers players more than 115 authentic licks from 16 legendary guitarists: Duane Allman, Wayne Bennett, Dickey Betts, Kenny Burrell, Eric Clapton, Albert Collins, Warren Haynes, Albert King, B.B. King, Sammy Lawhorn, Gary Moore, Jack Pearson, Stevie Ray Vaughan, T-Bone Walker, Leslie West and Zakk Wylde.

Each lick consists of a two-measure phrase, and these phrases are organized by where they would fall in the traditional 12-bar blues form. But this rich app is far more than a lick dictionary; it allows users to mash up their own 12-bar blues solos by plugging the licks into their proper places in the progression.

In other words, the app puts you in command of your own guitar supergroup. You can create a solo in which the first two bars are an Albert King phrase, B.B. King takes bars 3-4, Clapton comes in on bars 5-6, bars 7-8 feature an Albert Collins phrase, bars 9-10 are á la Stevie Ray Vaughan, and the turnaround is courtesy of T-Bone Walker.

This unique feature makes for an interesting listening and learning opportunity. Guitarists can experiment with different combinations to see what sounds cool, and then put those ideas to use right away in their own blues improvisations.

Each lick has matching audio and is displayed in both standard notation and tablature. You can slow the speed of the lick to 1/2 or 3/4 – to help master tough portions – and the audio player has a looping function for easy repetition. If you really like a particular lick, you can add it to your “Hot List” for easy retrieval. Fifteen of the licks also come with top-notch video instruction, and there is a built-in guitar tuner.

Created in partnership with Arizona-based app developer G-Men Productions, Blues Masters is an all-in-one app, so no WiFi or cellular signal is needed. It is compatible with the iPad (iOS 4.2 or higher) and costs just $9.99.

To learn more or to purchase the Cherry Lane Blues Masters app, please visit the iTunes Store.

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HAPPENIN’ See what people are saying about Blues Masters: “Blues Masters is so full of enjoyable and entertaining elements that it is sure to inspire everyone who uses it to grab the nearest guitar and start playing.”

– HP Newquist, former editor-in-chief for GUITAR magazine “Any student of blues guitar will find this app indispensable. But be warned: once you start Frankenstein-ing killer solos, you’ll find it hard to stop!”

– Michael Mueller, site manager for GuitarInstructor.com, former editor-in-chief for Guitar One About Cherry Lane Music Company Milton Okun launched Cherry Lane Music in the early 1960s in an apartment overlooking the Cherry Lane Theatre in New York City. From these humble beginnings with just a few copyrights, Cherry Lane has evolved into a true leader in the field of sheet music and many other music-related products.

Health Issues Confront Burton Gaar Just months after the release of his latest record, Fried Grits and Greens, Louisiana bluesman Burton Gaar has been diagnosed with inoperable bone cancer. Ironically, he is at #1 on BB King’s Bluesville’s Pick-To-Click (Sirius/XM Ch 70). He is currently #39 on Air Play Direct Monthly Blues Chart, and #25 All-Time.

Gaar started his career in 1959 at the ripe old age of 16 playing bass for legendary bluesman Slim Harpo. He later went on to play with Rockin’ Sydney Semien (My Toot Toot), and R&B legend Percy Sledge (When a Man Loves A Woman).

He recorded his first solo record, Still Singing the Blues in 1995. One year later, while on tour in Europe, he recorded One Hundred Pounds of Trouble. Blues Revue Magazine quoted, “This is one of the 10 most listened to records in our offices.” Charlie Musselwhite chose the song No from this record for his Grammy nominated, WC Handy winning CD, Continental Drifter. He also chose this song to play for his appearance on Conan O’Brian. Musselwhite noted, “Every tune is an A-side!” He followed with Mighty Long Road in 2000 and Home of the Blues in 2003. In a quote, Louisiana Blues Hall of Famer Larry Garner said “I’m a hard man to please, and I like every song on Home of the Blues.” Other artists that have recorded Gaar’s tunes are Carl Weathersby and Shaun Murphy. Carl Weathersby said, “Burton Gaar has it all!”

After taking a break from recording for a few years, he released Fried Grits and Greens in early 2011. A duet with Shaun Murphy was in the pre-production stage but it is unclear at this time if it will be completed. According to Gaar’s manager, TC Davis, a tribute album is in the planning stages. It would be an album of different artists performing Gaar’s songs with proceeds going to offset medical costs.

B.B. King’s Blues Club is opening a location in Jackson, Mississippi.

The club, set to open by the first of the year, will be managed by Memphis-based Beale Street Blues Co. Inc. Beale Street Blues currently owns and operates B.B. King’s clubs in Memphis, Nashville, Las Vegas and Orlando and West Palm Beach, Fla. It won’t own the Jackson club, but as manager will be involved in its day-to-day operations, said Beale Street Blues president Tommy Peters. Peters said the club is important to King, who is from Mississippi. “B.B. loves where he’s from and the state has done a lot for him, particularly with his museum Regardless if you want in Indianola,” Peters said. “It was important to B.B. to give a full customised van something back to his state.” conversion....

The B.B. King Museum and Delta Interpretive Center opened in his hometown of Indianola in 2008. The Jackson location will be on Farish Street, which has been a redevelopment target for the city. The Farish Street Historical District is a historic site listed on the National Register. Similar to Beale Street, it once was the epicenter for blacks across Mississippi, offering commerce, entertainment, services and education.

Kamper Wagen

Or customised Rock and Roll bed

Tel 07541125821 eMail kamperwagen@aol.com BM 61.indd 14

World renowned Australian acoustic guitarist Tommy Emmanuel Will embark on a 10-date nationwide UK tour throughout December 2011. Tickets are available now from the 24 hour box office: 0871 230 1101, www.seetickets.com and www.tommyemmanuel. com.

The December UK tour dates include Hull City Hall (Dec 1), Harrogate International Centre (Dec 2), Buxton Opera House (Dec 3), Liverpool Royal Philharmonic (Dec 4), Birmingham Town Hall (Dec 5), Brighton Hove Centre (Dec 6), Cambridge Corn Exchange (Dec 7), Cardiff St David’s Hall (Dec 13), London Union Chapel (Dec 15), Salisbury City Hall (Dec 16).

Best known for his complex finger-picking style, Emmanuel’s energetic concerts allow him to perform over 300 shows a year, with fans the world over coming to watch the magic hands of the “guitar wizard of Oz”. Throughout his career Tommy has played with many notable artists including Chet Atkins, Eric Clapton, Sir George Martin, John Denver, Les Paul and Doc Watson.

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Jon had a busy year last year linking up with the rest of the Hoax to play all over the UK and Europe. I caught up with Jon just before he set off to Cornwall on his latest project to record a CD with the “Jon Amor Blues Group” Having seen the band recently I can only believe that this album will be as good as all the other albums of Jon’s. He is very excited about the album and it should be out later this year.

BM: I am sure you have been asked on many occasions, but what or who inspired you to take up playing the guitar?

JA: People sometimes laugh when I say this but the record that made me want to play guitar was “Money For Nothing”

by Dire Straits. It’s sounds kind of cheesy now, but I still love that riff at the start. That was when I was about 14, and my brother Pete was in a band at that time and he would let me sit and watch them rehearse, which was also a great inspiration. Pete taught me my first few chords and let me borrow his acoustic to practise on. Mark Knopfler was my first guitar hero, and it was through him that I discovered Clapton and JJ Cale, and they were my gateway into the blues, if you will.

Do you have a favourite guitar, and why is it your favourite?

I’ve never really owned any more than three guitars at one time, to be honest. Aside from my acoustic, I only have two in working order! So my number one is my much-abused red Fender Stratocaster, which has been on the road with me for nearly twenty years now and has never let me down. I bought it brand new and my late Dad traded in his clarinet to help me pay for it, so there’s a piece of him in that guitar.

Is there a guitar you would love to own?

Yes. A cherry red Gibson 335 with block inlay. That is all.

Have you ever had the urge to play another instrument, or indeed can you play any other instrument?

Not really.... when I was younger I wanted to play blues harp and I bought myself a couple of harmonicas, but never really took it seriously. There’s part of me that likes the idea of playing drums, but, as my band members will testify, I am the world’s worst drummer. Both my Dad and my brother seemed to be able to get a tune out of whatever instrument they happened to pick up, but I guess I didn’t inherit that gene!

What other interests do you have I see on facebook that you like running or at least you run even if you don’t enjoy it?

I do like to run, yes - I try and run about 5 miles 3 or 4 times a week. I’ve been doing it for about a year now so I’ve got to the stage where I enjoy it although it was hard at first. I started doing it because I wasn’t getting any exercise; I used to play football but injured my knee pretty badly about 3 years ago and I can’t play any more. My main sport was cricket, but in 2007 I broke the middle finger of my left hand in a game and couldn’t play guitar for 6 weeks. I had to cancel a bunch of gigs, so that was a bit of a wake-up call - the cricket had to stop. Being a touring musician is not the healthiest lifestyle to have, so you have to do something to try and balance it up, especially when you get to my age!

Talking about facebook you always seem to provoke plenty of replies on this medium when you make comments, do you think these social networking sites are useful to keep in touch with fans?

Yes, they’re great for connecting with your fans and obviously making people aware of what you’re up to, musically. I’m not sure if a healthy Facebook presence translates into significant album sales and ticket sales, mind you, but it’s good fun and I’ve certainly met a lot of people through the site, and probably made a few new fans of my music.

What is the best performance you have seen live?

Two performances immediately spring to mind... when I was touring with The Hoax we did a show with The Paladins in The Netherlands, it must have been circa 1996. We watched their set from the side of the stage and I think they did the first 5 songs one after the other with no break - bang, bang, bang, bang, bang! The energy was incredible and Dave Gonzalez was on fire on guitar. That was a great line-up for that band and they were a big influence on us. Then in 1998 I went to see Jon Spencer Blues Explosion at The Forum in London. They played for just under an hour and again, hardly stopped for breath - it was relentless energy. Jon Spencer had a theremin on stage and would occasionally drop to his knees and ‘play’ it with his arm out-stretched like some kind of wizard. Amazing stuff. To be honest, I don’t go to as many gigs as I probably should! Maybe it has something to do with doing it for a living.

Is there any artist or artists past or present that you would love to have seen live?

James Brown springs to mind - maybe his late 60s early 70s period. I would have loved to have seen the original line-up of The Fabulous Thunderbirds, around 1979/1980. Jimmie Vaughan has always been a big hero of mine and that band really were the real deal. It must have been amazing seeing the likes of Muddy Waters and Howlin’ Wolf as they rose to fame in the early 60s.... and I’d love to see Tom Waits.

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You have been in a few bands The Hoax, Jon Amor, Amor and probably others I don’t remember plus of course your solo’s, which if any is/was your favourite and why?

My favourite is always the one I’m currently working with, so it’s the Jon Amor Blues Group! In all seriousness, that’s almost an impossible question to answer. The Hoax brought me so many experiences and in a way shaped me as a person as well as a musician so I look back fondly on those times, but my subsequent projects since then have meant the world to me because - to put it simply - they were mine.

In the early days of AMOR I wanted to prove to myself that I could stand on my own two feet when it came to song-writing, and to release an album of my own material was a huge achievement for me. I also had to meet the challenge of taking the microphone and being the front man and singer, which I had never done before. Then about 6 years ago I started doing solo acoustic shows - another big challenge that I’m proud of myself for taking on. I was petrified when I first took the stage solo - you have no amps and loud drums to hide behind so you feel very naked and it’s a whole different ball game. I really enjoy solo shows now, though. Back in 2006, starting to work with Dave and Chris Doherty and , at that time, Si Small on drums was really refreshing because they were much younger than me and their energy and enthusiasm was quite infectious, so touring with them was great fun. Basically the last ten years have been a huge learning curve for me and every incarnation of my music has been valuable and enriching.

The Hoax reformed last year and I think everyone Jon Amor who went to one of the performances was knocked out. Those who had seen you in the past knew what to expect and those that were new to The Hoax were full of anticipation and I believe you exceeded everyone’s expectations. Did the whole experience go well for all everyone in the band, or did it make you all think that the time had past?

All in all the experience was highly enjoyable. We’ve all changed to some degree, as people and as musicians, but when we get on stage together the old chemistry is still there. The first reunion show we did was in The Netherlands - Robin had just flown in from his home in LA and we hadn’t had time to rehearse, so the first time the 5 of us actually played together again was at soundcheck at the first gig. We just kicked into ‘Feeding Time’ and from the first note it felt like 1998 again.

Yes, it was a great feeling being on stage and playing those songs again with the guys, and in a way it was nice to be a sideman again, although I did miss singing. The crowds were amazing on those tours - there seemed to be a lot of love and affection wherever we played, as well as nostalgia. Off stage we all got on pretty well considering that we’ve all grown into stronger personalities and our egos had grown even bigger! There was the odd moment of tension and the reminder that some things never change, but those moments were outweighed by the fun stuff. Would I do it again? Yes, although I don’t know how realistic it would be, given our respective busy schedules and priorities.

We all know the blues is not popular music with the young at this time but why do you think it is not popular with young people. What do you think the reason for it is?

I think it’s a bit of a generalisation to say that blues isn’t popular with the young - there are plenty of younger people who really like it. The Black Keys and Jack White really appeal to younger audiences and they’re essentially playing the blues, and I know plenty of kids who think Seasick Steve is the coolest guy on the planet! So I think it all comes down to presentation. It’s about exposing the ‘uninitiated’, for want of a better word, to the stuff that’s going to excite them. If you took anyone of any age to see The Rolling Stones in 1964, or Buddy Guy in his pomp, or The Red Devils circa 1993, or Stevie Ray at El Mocambo or countless other great blues performers, I’m pretty sure they’d come away feeling excited and moved in some way. Take them to the local pub to see their geography teacher trying to be Muddy Waters and you might not get the same reaction. Fundamentally what excites people, whether they’re young or old, is honest music played from the heart with passion and soul and energy. As long as bands and artists can do that I believe they will appeal to everyone on some level.

Which of the many songs you have written is your favourite?

I heard an interview with John Mayer on the radio once and he said that writing songs is like bringing up kids - you conceive them, sometimes go through a long and difficult labour, eventually they are born and then you nurture them until they’re ready to face the big wide world, and you let them go, you release them. Then you write some more! So it’s hard to choose a favourite when you love them all in some way. I’m afraid I’m going to duck that question!

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Have you any new projects on the horizon? I did manage to get to your gig at Carlisle where you were hopefully recording a live CD. How did it turn out? Will it be coming out soon?

It turned out well and I’m hoping to release it very soon, July probably. There are a couple of songs I performed that night which aren’t on any of the other CDs I’ve released and there are a few bonus tracks from my archives which I might put on there too. The Carlisle crowd are a great bunch and I have some good friends up there so it was a good gig to record.

You recently took your new band The Jon Amor Blues group on the road, I manged to catch one of your gigs at The Hebden Blues Festival where you played the Trades Club. The set was really great and the new songs work very well. Big question is when will the album be out?

We’ve written a whole bunch of songs for the album and we’re writing more. We’re going into the studio at the end of June for two weeks - we’ve managed to find a great location to record down on the Devon/Cornwall border in the countryside.

Provided all goes well the plan is to release the album in September.

Your line up on the night is that going to be the permanent one of Mark Barrett drummer from the Hoax, Dave Doherty and his brother Chris. I know you have played with all of these musicians but can you tell the readers why you chose them or what they bring to your table?

Mark played on the band’s first recordings and played our first few gigs, but he’s unable to commit fully to the project long-term, so Si Small has stepped in to record the album and play with us for the foreseeable future. This time around, it’s very much a ‘group’ project as opposed to me being a dictatorial band-leader! I’ve been playing with Dave, Chris and Si since 2006, so there’s a great musical chemistry, and they’re a fair bit younger Jon Amor Blues Group than me so I feed off of their energy and enthusiasm. They are terrific musicans in that they are very sensitive to the song as a whole and the sound of the band as a whole, rather than just worrying about their individual parts. Dave’s also very important when it comes to recording the band - he did a great job engineering my ‘Stories From The Crooked Room’ album and he’s great at capturing the sound of JABG and giving it a ‘vibe’.

After your set Lance Lopez as well as introducing you before your gig joined you for the jam session what were your thoughts about that?

I’d never met Lance until that night and I have to say not only is he a very exciting guitar player he’s also a cracking bloke! I really enjoyed jamming with him at Hebden Bridge - those are the kind of nights that can really make an event like that memorable. I love the spontaneity of it, that feeling that you’re not sure what’s going to happen next. I think that’s a key factor in Blues music.

Mark Barratt

Chris Doherty

Chris Doherty

Is there a gig that stands out for you, or a story from being on the road that you would like to share?

Too many gigs to remember, too many miles on the road - I could write a book!

What are your plans for the future?

The future for me lies mainly with Jon Amor Blues Group. I’m feeling very optimistic that we can make the album we want to make, and then I just want to tour everywhere with the band.

This project has given me a real shot in the arm and I feel excited and hungry again. So for now I can’t really see me doing anything else for a while, apart from some solo shows here and there to keep my hand in!

Dave Doherty

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Interview with Mark Harrison

Acoustic Blues is all about individuality and among the very best acoustic Blues artists, no two are the same.

Right in the front rank of that distinguished band of people is Doug MacLeod, who has been out there doing his very individual thing to great acclaim for many a year. Guitarist, raconteur, songwriter – Doug has the lot, as audiences all over the world have found. He’s made a slew of very fine albums, the latest of which is ‘Brand New Eyes’ and he’s a frequent visitor to Britain. I spoke to him after his latest trip here.

Now Doug, you’ve got the life of a wandering solo Blues artist – have guitar will travel. What are the advantages and downsides of that?

Well the pluses are I don’t have to worry about the mood of the band. My hands and feet are always in a good mood and they love to play. The money goes in one pocket - and stays there. Well, most times anyway. And I like myself - so me and myself- we get along pretty good. The down side is that it can be lonely at times. But to be honest, I do like the feeling of being a ‘lone wolf’ out there.

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You do a lot of gigs and make regular albums – what’s a typical work schedule for you?

Well on the road the routine is pretty simple. Get to the next town, maybe grab a rest at the hotel for a second or two, do a sound check - usually 5 minutes for me, eat some dinner, do the gig, back to the hotel, do the business on the computer, have a glass of red wine, read a book, grab some sleep and do it again. Don’t sound too romantic when you hear it like that - does it?

Doing an album is picking the songs. Maybe 14 or so. Go in the studio and do them live. Solo and with musicians. Hardly ever more than two takes to find the good performance. In fact if I get to the 3rd or 4th take the spontaneity is usually dead and it ends up being trying to beat a dying mule to the end of the field.

Has it always been Blues – did you start out somewhere else or have you ever been tempted down different musical roads?

When I heard Kenny Burrell when I was in the Navy back in 1967-68. I wanted to play jazz.

I went to school to learn how to read and get some theory. Heck, even thought of being a studio musician here in LA. (laughs - cause I still can’t read worth a damn) But I didn’t feel comfortable in the LA studio/jazz scene. Once I went to Shakey Jakes club in south central LA and started back to playing Blues and hangin out with the Blues players, I felt at home. Been at home ever since.

Going back to the early days for you, there are two names that feature big – Ernest Banks and George ‘Harmonica’ Smith. Tell us a bit about them.

A bit? You mean a book! Two huge influences on my life and the funny thing is most folks have never heard of them. Oh, I can see not hearing about Ernest, but George, goodness. He was so influential. I go around the world and harp players want to know what it was like to be with him.

I liken Ernest to like the fellas like John Lee Hooker’s stepfather - or Ike Zimmerman. Guys you would never know of that made a big impression on a musician. Just about everybody knows now of what he taught me in ‘don’t play a note you don’t believe’ and ‘never write or sing about what you don’t know about’, but what he gave me was a kind of credibility. You see back in those days you had to find these old Blues fellas or they would find you and then you had to earn their respect.

He never really taught me anything. He just thought, if I got it, good and if I didn’t, the hell with him. I got enough to go back every once in a while.

George now, well he was like a father to me in the true sense of the word. Born on my natural father’s birthday. My natural father and I didn’t see eye to eye too well, but I got the fathering I needed from George. There just ain’t enough room here to tell you all he meant to me.

What about other influences – the pre-war greats?

Where does your interest in and knowledge of the music spring from?

Big Bill Broonzy, Lightning, Tampa Red, Son House/ Robert Johnson come to mind right away. I also love the style of Mississippi John Hurt. Interest came from being in St. Louis. Blues was on the AM radio there. We called it Rhythm and Blues. On the radio - driving around the city and county listening to Albert King, BB King, Little Milton, Jimmy Reed and such.

Knowledge of the music comes from my time with Ernest, George, playing with folks like Pee Wee Crayton, Big Mama Thornton, Eddie Cleanhead Vinson, Big Joe Turner. My time as a sideman (I was playing electric in those days) was real valuable. The lessons I learned from Ernest helped me in getting along with the blues musicians I was to be with years later.

Doug McLeod

Now I see on your website that the strapline is ‘Master of Original Acoustic Blues’. I don’t think anyone familiar with you would take issue with any of that, but let’s just have a look at each bit of it.

First, up, what went into the Master bit in terms of guitar chops?

Well Master is quite a word. I don’t really know where they got that, but I’ll take it! Let’s just say I’m a master of my ‘I wish I would really know what my right is doing’ style.

Then, the Original bit, and that seems to me to be the key word here – unlike so many Blues artists today, you write and perform almost exclusively your own material. How would you describe the kind of songs you write?

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Well now that goes back to my time with Ernest and George. In order to be a Bluesman, you got to write, to sing, to play and entertain. I got that from Ernest. George told me one night to stop trying to sound like BB King. He said, “we already got one BB King and we don’t really need another - so let’s put Dubb (that’s how he called me) out there and see what Dubb can do.”

Kinder songs I write? I like to think honest.

You’ve had some of your songs covered over the years too, haven’t you?

Yep. Albert Collins, Albert King, Son Seals, Papa John Creach and a lady who really was not a Blues singer per say but a great singer- Eva Cassidy. Songs on TV shows and TV movies. Nice ‘mailbox money’ And then of course the Acoustic part. Do you think that some audiences look on acoustic Blues as ‘the real deal’ or do they assume that Blues has to have lots of electric guitar solos?

I don’t really know if I can answer what an audience feels. But I can answer on what I think. Real Blues to me can be acoustic or electric. What makes it real to me is the feeling and the honesty in the music How would you assess the state of acoustic Blues? Does it get the attention it deserves or is it too much in the shadows?

I don’t think so. But I’m doing acoustic Blues so what am I gonna say? I’d like to see it featured more and come out of the shadows as you say. I do see some younger folks coming to my concerts and that’s a good sign.

Who’s out there in the acoustic Blues world today that you have particular regard for?

Pat Donohue comes to mind. Now I know he plays more styles than Blues, but he’s a fine guitar player and darn good singer too.

You play National resonators, both very old and new. What are your preferred instruments and why? And which one is your ‘road guitar?’

Well to be honest, I don’t have an ‘old’ one like the one you got. Wanna sell it??? (BM: Doug and I met when I opened for him at the Green Note in London). But I do have a few old new Nationals. When I met you Mark I was playing my - now they call it an M-2, my old M-1 I call ‘Mule’. That’s a road worthy guitar for sure; it’s been with me on many trips. I have an older Gibson I call ‘Little Bit’ and she’s been on a lot of trips too. I’m now testing out a new NRP from National that is like the old Triolians. Good guitar!

I only take one on the road. So it’s (for right now) mostly ‘Mule’.

You travel all over the place, including regular trips to Europe. How does the European Blues scene compare with in the US, in your experience?

I think the folks in Europe and the UK have a keener sense of the history of the music.

I would guess that you all have been around a lot longer than us and therefore you got more of a handle on the history thing.

And you come to Britain more or less every year. How do things go for you here?

It’s starting to build there for me. I really enjoyed the Green Note in London where we met and I usually visit with Paul Jones on the BBC and he’s done a lot of good for me.

When you’re playing, you do a lot of connecting with audiences. What kind of connection are you trying to make?

Oh, connecting by feeling-laughing-thinking - maybe crying-grooving. I just want my audience to leave feeling they got something from me that night that they didn’t have when they came in.

What kind of age ranges are you encountering at gigs these days? And what kind of reactions do you get from people of different ages?

The range is rather big! Folks in their 60s and 70s and younger folks in their 20s and 30s. The cool thing is that the music is speaking to both groups.

What does the future hold, as far as you know, and how would you like things to develop?

Well, I signed with Fresh from Reference Recordings for my new album ‘Brand New Eyes’.

And we’re talking about doing a spoken word album with my stories of my times with the old Bluesmen and women and just the life I’ve seen and done, not all of it though. I’m sure you understand and we’re talking about doing another record.

Develop? Well, just to keep on doing what I’m doing. I’d like that.

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The Journey So Far Duncan Beattie joins the electrifying ride.

The last five years has seen a rise in recognition for Aberdeen based guitarist, vocalist and song writer, Gerry Jablonski; in particular since the formation of his outfit The Electric Band. A regular on the Aberdeen scene for the last 30 years during which he has supported Status Quo and Bryan Adams, Jablonski only started receiving greater attention which he started experimenting with solo acoustic blues, rock and folk. This saw him voted Best Solo Act by audiences at both the Dundee Blues Bonanza and the Orkney Blues Festival. Wider attention to Blues Matters’ readership came with reviews of his live performance at Orkney and his solo album “The Man Who Lost The Moon”, by Dave Scott who tagged him the “Zany Genius” in the December 2005 issue. Jablonski then chose to return to electric blues rock forming a band with former Robin Bibi drummer David Innes, ‘Professor’ Grigor Leslie on bass and blues harmonica prodigy Peter Narojczyk. Their 2009 eponymous debut album blending blues roots with the influences of classic rock and left fellow reviewer Duncan Jamison impressed by how Jablonski had “matured into a restrained player and expressive singer valuing tone over flash.” The Electric Band’s energetic and dynamic performances have since taken them to every corner of the UK and play prestigious festivals including Colne and Edinburgh. Their follow up album “Life At Captain Toms” released in May 2011 has seen them further hone their sound, while further recognition is imminent with major festival appearances and tours throughout this year will surely cement their reputation as one of the most exciting live bands in the UK today. After a storming debut performance at the Ferry in Glasgow, Duncan Beattie sat down with Gerry and Peter to discuss their music careers to date and plans for the future.

You’ve been a regular on the Aberdeen music scene for 30 years, yet it’s only been relatively recently that you have started to get the recognition that you now receive. Did you always have belief that you would get wider known through your music?

GJ: I’ve never really thought about that. Fame was never the main reason behind what I’ve done. It has always been for me it about finding people who like the music. That’s the main thing. Even in the Aberdeen days I did do lots of touring. I played lot of styles, a Blues band called the Blues Burglars, some rock, some country, but blues was always a big part of the music I’ve played yet it’s only been in last couple of years that everything has fallen into place.

Before we talk about the band, Gerry, you released the solo album “The Man Who Lost The Moon” which mixed mixing blues, rock, ballads and folk. Can you tell me about this album, and your acoustic playing?

GJ: That period was very important to my development. It led me to change my guitar sound. Previously I’d always played with a guitar pick, yet when I returned to the electric guitar I chose not to play with a pick anymore. Also through this I learned that I could enjoy singing. I could work on my voice a lot more. My song writing, vocals and guitar playing came together during that period.

You once wrote a song called “Owed To Jimmy” in tribute to the great Jimmy Page. Who are your favourite guitarists and influences?

JG: I have influences as guitarists and as singers, Page as you mention, Eric Clapton, Peter Green, Richard Thompson, Paul Kossoff, BB and Albert King and Sister Rosetta Tharpe. The singers include Paul Rodgers, Robert Plant, Jimmy Dewar, Frankie Miller and BB King again.

Why did you decide to form a band again and how was the Electric Band formed?

JG: I’d been doing my solo work in Belgium and also helping out a band called the Steelyard Blues Band on bass. Then I received a call from (the Electric Band drummer) Dave Innes. We’d worked together in the past and asked if I’d be interesting in getting the band back together again. I told him I was not interested in doing so, but would be interested in doing something fresh and new, if he got some good guys to play with. So I did go back to Aberdeen. However Peter and I had met two years earlier and can take up the story…

PN: I’d come to Scotland from Poland 6 years ago. I played harp in some of the clubs and jam nights and with some standard blues bands. People kept saying to me that I’d have to meet Gerry, who of course is half Polish.

I imagined him as an old guy. Then one day I went to this pub where there was a blues jam and I was sitting there with my girlfriend with a full pint in front of me. There were people performing on the stage, they were using music

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stands to read their music/words. Then this guy when up to play and he just picked up the music stand and threw it off the stage. Part of it landed on my table and smashed my pint glass! The guy came up and apologised to me, and he was Gerry! It was a further two years before we properly played together when we got together with Dave and Grigor.

GJ: I’d been playing for 30 odd years, yet when we first got together and played 3 songs together – ‘Crossroads’, ‘Sweet Home Chicago’ Freddie King style and ‘Eye For An Eye’, there was so much energy, the best drummer I know, great bass player and Peter he’s … amazing. It felt for one like a real band, rather than just backing a frontman. Unlike other blues acts, I’d never wanted to follow them PN: That’s a real difference, for many acts like Joe Bonamassa or Walter Trout, it appears there are faceless members behind them, rather than a band.

The Electric Band has a very distinctive sound and Peter your harp is a major part of that? How did you first discover blues harp and how were your influences?

PN: There are actually quite a few guys playing blues harp in Poland, but of course you’ve not heard of them. The primary influence for me was always Paul Butterfield. At the time he recorded his best work there was no one else playing like that.

For the more funky side I love Junior Wells. A recent guy I love is Jason Ricci, he plays blues and much more too. Pat Ramsey too. I love Led Zeppelin too. Not bland playing, it needs that ‘sweat element’.

How did you come to record your electrifying debut “Gerry Jablonski & The Electric Band” in 2009 on Fat Hippy Records?

GJ: With the debut album the songs were written with the thought in mind, that there are two jazzers in the band and had to keep them happy and two soloists. I had a plan to do an album a little like the John Mayall’s Blues Breakers albums like the Beano album and ‘Hard Road’. So I’d come up with the straight guitar stuff and then add choruses, I’d come up with the lyrics, melody and chord progression and then take it to the band where changes might be made, such as to the tempo.

PN: They come out totally different!

GJ: We were rehearsing at Captain Tom’s rehearsal and recording complex in Aberdeen. Tom also runs a record label, Fat Hippy Records. He had heard us and assumed that I had a record deal and was surprised when he heard that I didn’t have a record label. He said he’d sign us and put up the money. The label is run on a shoestring, he does a great job and we’re very happy with him. Captain Toms is where we hang out in Aberdeen and we named our new album after it.

‘Black Rain’ for me is a standout, a deep, bass driven song which showcases Narojczyk’s excellent harp work and balances some of the heavier songs.

GJ: That’s actually an old song that I’d played in my acoustic set and one that developed live. Lyrically it’s quite deep, I’d kind of figured out that I’m insane and how to deal with that. The song made it easier to realise.

I’d suggest ‘Under Cover’ is perhaps one of the songs closest to your live show with those guitar harp duels?

Yes, there’s more of this on the new album. Some of those songs were written in the few weeks before going into the studio. We’d not played together that long at the time, maybe three months. Some came together as a band; it’s more a collection of ideas. photos by Christine Moore

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Aside from being a very talented guitarist, you are a charismatic showman with a strong stage presence. How did you develop your onstage persona?

Ha, that goes way, way back to when I was a kid at 8 years old! In part it’s my influences showing like Jimi Hendrix, Pete Townsend, Ian Anderson and T-Bone Walker. Really though it’s about me being lost in the music and I’m not really conscious of it. I really can’t just go up there and try to be cool, like Eric Clapton in his suit. That presentation is good, but there’s maybe too many guys in blues like that.

What have been the highlights of the band’s time together so far?

PN: I’d say it one was the first time we played the Edinburgh Jazz and Blues Festival. We were in Jools Holland’s Jamhouse supporting Otis Grand, we had an hour set and the place was full. No one really knew us but we got a standing ovation and we were invited back the following year.

GJ: Mine would be when we played on the British stage at Colne. That was a very special gig. My guitar gave up at the very start, during my introduction. Krissy Matthews was there and he handed me his guitar and I played the show with that.

What are your plans for the rest of the year?

PN: We have a 17 night UK tour in May , then the Hebden Bridge Blues Festival, the Shetlands Blues Festival, the Belladrum Festival and three dates on the trail at Maryport Blues Festival. In September we have a double headliner of tour dates with German guitarist Henrik Freischlader which will be explosive.

Please tell me about the new album “Life At Captain Tom’s,” does it differ from your first album and how would you describe it to the readers?

GJ: It’s the best piece of work I’ve done. The band has pulled out the stops as far as they can. I’ve had time writing the songs and preparing them and over the time we’ve been together the band has really pulled together. The Blues songs are actually bluesier than on the first album and the heavier songs are heavier, yet the Blues runs through all of it. It’s a big album for us, it might make us or break us. It’s got some differences, there’s ‘Hot’ which is built on a Crazy Horses riff and a slow acoustic ballad.

So are you happy with your recent progress and what are your ambitions?

GJ: The last two years musically for me have been the happiest.

I’ve been very happy, and I am thankful that I met Peter. He’s half my age yet has all the organisation skills and that’s something I’ve not really had before and had held me back; he’s a big factor in the success we’ve had so far. On the photos it’s often Peter who appears at the front, at one radio show we did they kept calling him Gerry and were surprised when they were told I was Gerry, also many people have told me they were expecting that I’d be a larger man than I am. Peter’s planning a tour of Poland for us too. We refer to how this band is 2.5 Scottish and 1.5 Polish anyway!

My real ambition is to write that song, a blues song, yet which is commercial for radio which gets airplay. You rarely hear the blues on radio unless it’s to sell jeans or something, not since the blues boom of 1967 with John Mayall, Chicken Shack, Fleetwood Mac, etc. The time feels right for that door to be opened again. There’s some good young artists out there like Joanne Shaw Taylor, Oli Brown Cherry Lee Mewis and Ben Poole. It’s just about getting that song, having the material to do it. That’s my goal to do that and make that break through.

Do you feel that any of the songs on the new album could do that?

GJ: I hope so, please have a listen and tell me! I’d like to say I’m very thankful to Blues Matters who have given us coverage in the past and those who have interest in us.

PN: Please come and see us at our tour dates and festivals. You will not be disappointed!

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Samantha Fish is a native of Kansas City. In her short career, she has shared the stage with such luminaries as Tommy Castro, Tab Benoit, Watermelon Slim, Kenny Neal and Cedric Burnside. At present she is touring extensively with Danni Wilde and Cassie Taylor in the current incarnation of Ruf Records’ Blues Caravan - Girls With Guitars.

Samantha took the time to answer some questions put to her by Blues Matters’ Clive Rawlings.

Talks to C

live Raw

lings

BM : What first attracted you to blues music?

SF : I didn’t really find the blues until I was a teenager. My parents listened to a lot of rock and roll. I got a good healthy dose of the Stones, AC/DC, and Tom Petty when I was growing up. I started playing blues because I wanted to play at the jams around my hometown of Kansas City. It’s hard Photo to explain where

by Bill Gageand why the attraction began, it just felt good.

Blues is all about soul and heart, and it just grabbed me.

What’s your background - how did you start out?

My musical background started when I was 13. I got my first drum set and started taking lessons. I started on the guitar when I was 15. My dad had played some when I was younger, so we had the gear around the house. Guitar soon became my primary thing. That’s when I started singing too.

Who are your favorite artists?

It’s really tough to narrow it down. I pull inspiration from a lot of different places.

I got a lot from the stones and Tom Petty when I was a kid. I really got into Bonnie Raitt, Howlin’ Wolf, Tom Waits, RL Burnside.

Who has influenced you most in your music?

Well, the aforementioned artists above. I really dig that gritty delta swampy blues sound. I’ve been influenced by a lot of the blues artists out there right now. I’ve learned a lot from guys like Mike Zito, Tab Benoit, Curtis Salgado, Trampled Under Foot, and Jimmy Hall, Randy Newman, Grace Potter, Ray Charles, Aretha Franklin... I could go on and on!

Tell me about the Samantha Fish Blues Band and how you got together...

I was delivering pizzas full time and playing music. I finally quit my job and found some great guys in Kansas city to work with. Paul Greenlease on bass and Daniel Montero on drums. I started booking gigs like crazy, and we’ve been working like that for about 2 years now.

What are you doing at the moment? Are you touring or recording?

Currently I’m on tour with RUFs Blues Caravan - Girls with Guitars tour with Dani Wilde and Cassie Taylor. We’re doing dates all over Europe, Australia, and the States in 2011 and there’s talk that it will continue into 2012. I just recorded my debut record ‘Runaway’ with RUF records in January. I was thrilled that Mike Zito produced my first big solo project. We had a great time making that record and the Girls with Guitars record back in November. He did an amazing job with both.

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Do you have any memorable gigs or stories from the road, perhaps?

That’s a tough question, this whole touring thing is new to me. So it’s all been memorable, we really just have a good time everyday. I’ve gotten to play with some really amazing musicians, and that’s always a highlight. We opened for Nazareth last week! That was pretty sweet!

Do you regard yourself primarily as a guitarist or a singer?

I don’t really think of it in those terms. I honestly found both simultaneously. When I write songs it goes back a forth from melodies and lyrics, to riffs and chord changes. I have days where I’m better at one than the other, but I’ve always just considered it a package. I don’t do one without the other.

Do you play any other instruments?

Yes, I play the drums and I dabble on the bass What are your thoughts on blues and roots music as it relates to modern music culture, the DJ/dance culture of reality talent shows? How do we get real music back into the media mainstream?

I think the blues is surviving. There is always going to be a need for something real. There is always going to be a need for something new. I’m not opposed to modern popular music, because there are some wonderful talented musicians out there. There is some great music being made right now, and its not being ignored. It’s not as popular as the mainstream media sideshow unfortunately. We live in a time where musicians are being made on gameshows and the outfit is more important than the album. I still believe that music is all about honesty and thats what separates the flash in the pan from the timeless. You can’t fake it. That’s why the blues has staying power. It’s America’s oldest form of music and it’s still going strong because people need something that they can relate to, especially in the times we live in. It’s honest. That’s how it will continue to survive What are you listening to on the tour bus?

Haha, we all have our mp3 players! This last week I’ve had Albert Castiglia, Ian Siegal, Primus, and John Hiatt on the rotation.

Tell us about your recordings... is this tour useful in promoting your latest album?

Absolutely. I’ve had the great opportunity of getting to play in front of more people than I ever have before. The Blues Caravan is a really great vehicle to get your name out to a large number of blues fans.

Do you write as well as play? If so, is it based on your own experiences?

Yes, I’ve really gotten into writing the last year. My first record I made in KC was half original. A lot of those songs were based on my own experiences. On ‘Runaway’, I pushed myself a little more into a story telling area. I really love that quality in Tom Petty and Tom Waits, so I tried to give it a little more imagination. Most of it is directly relevant to my life, but in my experience, sometimes a song just takes off and it’s not yours anymore.

Have you got any songs you come back to, for instance, when I saw you, you closed with «Highway to Hell» - is that rock style something you always enjoy playing?

I love playing all kinds of music. Rock is fun to play, but I really enjoy the blues. It’s always different with the blues because your talking and walking as you go. It’s not always scripted.

Neither is rock and roll, but I guess I just find more freedom in the blues. AC/DC is a lot of fun to play though, its always surreal to play it in front of an audience. I remember being a kid and rocking out with my friends to that song.

Do you have time for any other interests?

Well right now, not really. I’m a kind of dork that way. When I get a night off at home, I still end up at a gig somewhere.

I spend a lot of time with my loved ones. Between that and guitar, there’s not time for much else.

This tour takes you into 2012 - what are your plans after that?

Well, I plan on making more records and touring with my own band. I really want to take this as far as I can go. With guitar, singing, and song writing. The goal is to get better and do/ see more. Grow and go. Hopefully stay out of jail and the food service industry.

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Talks with - Paromita Saha Firmly established as one of America’s biggest independent record companies, Rounder Records is a success story of a label that has managed to win critical and commercial recognition without having to stray too far from its original remit to preserve and promote American roots music. Since its inception forty years ago, the label has won countless Grammy awards, most notably, for the 2007 multi-winning Alison Krauss and Robert Plant collaboration Raising Sand. As well as attracting high profile recording artists, such as Gregg Allman and comedian Steve Martin, the label boasts an impressive archive of old music from Country, Soul, to Blues, from the Alan Lomax collections to Lead Belly’s Library Congress Recordings. One of the label’s key players is Scott Billington, the label’s vice president of A&R, who is also a Grammy award winning producer, having worked with some of the finest Blues, Cajun/Zydeco, and R&B talent. He spoke to Paromita Saha about Rounder Records’ remarkable journey over the past four decades as well as his involvement in Louisiana’s vibrant music scene.

PS: What was the premise of Rounder Records when it was first set up back in the seventies?

SB: The three founders of Rounder Records, Bill Nowlin, Ken Irwin and Marian Levy, were college friends and fans of traditional old time music and bluegrass. They started the label as enthusiasts, with no idea that the company would become a business, let alone one of the largest independent labels in America. Rounder grew gradually, with blues and world music soon added to the mix.

What you drew you to Rounder and how did you get initially involved?

I had known the founders since before they started the label. In the early 1970s, in addition to managing a record shop in Boston, I was a member of the Boston Blues Society, which promoted blues concerts by musicians such as Johnny Shines, Son House, Houston Stackhouse, Hacksaw Harney, Roosevelt Sykes, Little Brother Montgomery and many others. The Rounders was raising money to start the label by selling and distributing records on other labels. They would set up a table at these concerts and sell records. When they decided to expand the label to include a more formal distributorship, I became their first salesperson. I made a choice between Rounder and a major label that had offered me a promotion job, and it was an easy decision, because I loved the music they were releasing. It turned out to be an even greater opportunity than I had anticipated.

Tell me about your role now at Rounder?

I’ve done a little bit of everything for Rounder over the years. I was a copywriter, graphic designer, and sales person and promotion person before I became more involved in record production. Now, my title is Vice President of A&R, and I’m responsible for managing relationships with many of our artists, in addition to making records.

Last year, the Rounder Records story was released as a box set. How does it tell the story of how the label evolved?

On one hand, you can see sweeping changes. Who would ever have imagined that Robert Plant, Gregg Allman, Mary Chapin Carpenter and Willie Nelson would record for Rounder? On the other hand, there’s a remarkable consistency, for Rounder is still discovering and recording many of the best artists in bluegrass (such as Dailey and Vincent) and other traditional styles. There has been longevity to may of our relationships with artists—for instance, New Orleans R&B singer Irma Thomas won her first Grammy over 20 years after singing with the label—we stuck together that long.

At one point, Rounder Records distributed and represented more than 450 independent labels. Why the decision to move over to Universal for distribution?

The distribution company became a distraction from what the founders wanted to do most, which was to make and market our own records. At the same time, the network of regional distributors that had kept Rounder going was becoming more fragmented and less effective. The relationship with Universal has allowed us to offer a better service to our artists, especially when they became popular. The indie distribution system would not have allowed an artist such as Alison Krauss to reach her potential.

Last year, Rounder was bought by the Concord Record group, has this changed anything in terms of the label’s remit?

So far, it’s been a great partnership. We’re operating as an independent division of Concord, with our own A&R and marketing. Certainly, the business has changed, as record sales in general have fallen. We have to be a bit more careful, and to have a real roadmap for success with each artist we take on. That means partnering with good management and booking, in addition to making the best records we can make.

Has being part of a big record group, meant more exposure for American Roots music?

The Concord group as a whole has become perhaps the most significant home for roots-based music, with Stax, Fantasy, Prestige and Telarc, among other labels, also part of the mix. Yet, the changing business has made it much more difficult to fund new roots music recordings. There has been no replacement for the business we once did in record stores—sales via the web or digital download don’t come close. Sure, the music is out there, but the culture of the record store, with enthusiastic clerks who were the front line of promotion, is more or less gone. I don’t mean to sound nostalgic, and there are certainly many good things about having access to so much music, but sales of genres such as blues or zydeco are

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Bucky Lindsey engineer David Farrell songwriterproducer Dan Penn, Irma Thomas and me Scott Billington in studio with Irma Photo by Barbara Roberds way down. Also, I think that people who download music without paying for it may not realize that without financial support, quality recordings of the specialized music they like may not get made. I’m talking about recouping costs such as studio and session fees, mastering and photography—the craft elements that go into making a good record. When people ask me, for instance, why we’re not making more zydeco records these days, I answer that we slowed down production a long time after people stopped buying them!

Rounder Records covers the entire spectrum of American roots music, but it has an impressive catalogue of blues music ranging from the deeply rooted from the likes of Leadbelly to the contemporary sounds with Little Buster and the Soul Brothers. As a result, what sort of place do you think the label occupies in the blues music world?

Well, we’re certainly more diverse than some blues labels. A lot of it has to do with the personalities behind the records.

Bill Nowlin is more attuned to the historical aspect of the music, and he’s been the motivator for the reissues of Lead Belly, the Alan Lomax collection and the like. Marian Levy was behind the Bullseye Blues label, which focused on classic artists of the modern blues era. My favorite kind of record usually has involved a great singer—Solomon Burke, Johnny Adams, Irma Thomas or Ruth Brown—with whom I would develop repertoire and concept.

The label’s blues archive features heavily on artists from Texas and Louisiana. Why the particular emphasis on those two regions?

Partly, I think it’s because other labels had not delved into those areas as deeply as, say, Chicago. I was drawn to Louisiana, where, in the mid-1980s, so much music was going unrecorded. Ron Levy, who produced many of the Bullseye albums, recognized the same thing in Memphis and Texas.

Rounder Records has also put out a number of Alan Lomax field recordings including the historical recordings from Parchman Farm 1947 – 1948 to Jelly Roll Morton: Complete Library Congress recordings. What is the story behind this and the extent of dealings between Lomax and the label?

It’s an ongoing story. We’ve released over 100 albums in the Alan Lomax collection—a wide range of the music he recorded around the world—and we’re very proud of that. Now, it’s becoming quite difficult to sell these records, and the Alan Lomax Archive is working on a new distribution model that I understand will be digitally based. However, we’re also talking with them about a new project that again involves Jelly Roll Morton.

Under the name of Tangle Eye, you and Steve Reynolds produced the Alan Lomax’s Southern Journey remixed. How did the project come about and at any time, did you feel nervous about how these adventurous interpretations been received in particular by blues music purists out there?

Steve and I set out to make a remix record that honoured the voices we sampled, and I was thankful for the positive reception it received in the roots and blues communities. I like to think that the singers might have liked it as well, because we tried to compose music that suited each voice. We initially got involved with the concept of the remix when we made a number of zydeco remixes by Chris Ardoin, Beau Jocque and others, that were released as 12” singles for the Houston dance club scene. It was a lot of fun, and we decided to look for a bigger project that would have more of a conceptual base. Anna Lomax, who is Alan’s daughter, was initially sceptical, but she finally gave us her support. Hopefully, there will be a new Tangle Eye record next year, taking on a completely different genre, but I don’t want to jinx myself by telling you about it before the deal is made.

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With your A&R hat on, what do you think draws high profile artists such as Robert Plant and Gregg Allman to the label? How did they end up being with Rounder?

Partly, it’s business. We have an excellent distribution system, as well as top-notch marketing, publicity and promotion departments. However, there’s another level to it, in that we aim for artists who reflect the label’s overall roots sensibility.

Artists are often attracted to us for the same reason. For instance, Robert Plant is a big fan of Louisiana Swamp Pop music, and the band I’m currently producing in New Orleans, the Soul Rebels Brass Band, played at his birthday party a couple of years ago. Gregg simply made on of the best blues records in years Do you think that their interpretations have helped bring more of an international recognition to American roots music?

Maybe you could call them “gateway records!” However, Gregg’s blues singing is as good as you’re going to hear from anyone these days—he is American roots music. I think of my own musical education in the 1960s, going from the Grateful Dead to the Paul Butterfield Blues Band to Junior Wells to Percy Mayfield, all in the span of a year or two. People hear something out of the mainstream that they like, and they get curious.

What initially drew you to the New Orleans’ music scene and why did you choose to make it your niche?

The culture in New Orleans is unlike any that of any other city in the States. Mostly, for me, it’s the African-American side, with traditions that probably go back to Africa. But it’s all mixed up with other influences—Spanish, French-- as well.

Mostly, everyone in New Orleans seems imbued with a musical sensibility that I love. Also, when I began making records there, not many other producers were. I was able to approach Johnny Adams, Irma Thomas and James Booker directly.

There seemed to be so much good music going unrecorded.

In an interview with Blues Matters, Walter Wolfman Washington says New Orleans has a unique sound. How would you define it’s sound and has the aftermath of Katrina had any influence on how the city’s sound has evolved over the past few years?

Yes—the New Orleans groove is different than anywhere else. It’s the Mardi Gras Indians with their African percussion sound, the second-line funerals, and especially the high school marching bands. Every Mardi Gras, even mainstream radio stations play Professor Longhair and the Meters. Katrina left many New Orleans residents unable to return, especially many working poor people who are the heart of the city’s culture. Many owned modest homes that were lost to the banks when their owners could not pay rent in a new city and keep up the mortgages on their flooded New Orleans home at the same time. Yet, the culture is intact—maybe even with more determination to keep it going than pre-Katrina. People realize what might have been lost. There are still second line parades on Sundays during the cool months, still Mardi Gras Indian bands marauding on Carnival day, and still the city’s vibrant gospel music community.

You are deeply involved with the Cajun/Zydeco music scene. What draws you to this genre of American roots music and why do you think it is still popular in particular outside of its New Orleans home?

Well, it’s surprising to many people that Cajun and zydeco music are not from New Orleans. Rather, they are “country” styles from the once French-speaking area in South Louisiana that is closer to the Texas border. Lafayette is the hub of the area. Really, it’s a world apart, and while Cajun and zydeco bands travel regularly to New Orleans, it’s not the same culture at all. Actually, many of the Creole people in South Louisiana—African-Americans south of Lafayette, near St. Martinville – speak a dialect of Creole that is perfectly understandable to someone from Haiti, from which many people emigrated in the 1800s. Cajuns and Creoles from the ‘Cajun Prairie,’ north and west of Lafayette, speak actual French—or at least many older people do.

Cajun and zydeco are dance music styles that fulfill a very real function in the area—a way for all ages of working people to relax and socialize. We are missing that in so many other cultures, and I think it therefore has a sort of universal appeal.

You’ve produced a range of highly talented Louisiana musicians from Irma Thomas, Amanda Shaw, Walter “Wolfman” Washington, and Clarence “Gatemouth” Brown to James Booker? Is there a particular artist that stood out for you?

I’ve been privileged to work with many great singers, and Johnny Adams was about as good as it gets. He had a great ear, and he was careful to learn the melodies of all the songs we recorded, which often came from demo tapes submitted by the writers. He also had a voice like no one else on the planet—he could be as gruff as the most earthy gospel singer or as smooth as someone like Lou Rawls. He knew what to do with his voice in the service of soul and in the service of the song. I think we could have gone on making records forever. James Booker was a genius, albeit one who was perhaps the hardest to record of all the artists I produced. In my sessions, what I value most is music that gathers its own momentum, when the confines of the recording studio go away for the musicians making it. Booker taught me how difficult this can be—how I can’t simply push the “record” button and expect great art. It’s about a very intimate personal dynamic between all in the studio.

And tell me finally about your current crop of projects? And what do you predict will be in the next chapter of the Rounder Records story?

We’re certainly working with more high-profile artists these days. For instance, we have signed the Jayhawks. I just completed work on a new album by the Soul Rebels Brass Band—a New Orleans band with a traditional 8-piece format that adds hip-hop and jazz influences. I think it pushes the genre a bit.

Steve and I hope to begin work on a new Tangle Eye record later this year, and a new Irma Thomas record is in the works.

Really, this might not be the best time to be in the record business, but it seems like there are still plenty of opportunities out there for us, as long as fans of the music we love are willing to support us.

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Talks “Studio Time” with Billy Hutchingson Bruce Iglauer broke the rules in making ‘the’ biggest independent Blues record company with some longevity.

Bruce did it again by not sticking to my rules of answering only one of my questions to ‘Studio Time’. For his great contribution to Blues music, BM cut the guy some slack.

Q: What are the sensibilities required in recording Blues music?

A: Blues is music that develops much more in live performance, than in the studio; the balance you need to work on is capturing the live energy and spontaneity with the condensing that results in condensing the song into a reasonable length and keeps it focused. However, the challenge is always to keep the honest of emotion. Too many takes can kill the spirit of the song.

Do you feel there are too many ill-conceived Blues CD recordings on the market, and explain what the common flaws are?

There are too many ill-conceived recordings on the market in general. In the blues world, there are many common problems.

Examples: A) Too much familiar material.

B) Too many new songs that sound and feel like old songs.

C) Not enough rehearsal so that the musicians fall back playing patterns and solos that are rehashes of what they’ve already done, or others have done.

D) Not enough emphasis on the song; too much emphasis on flashy soloing.

Define the differences between the ‘studio experience’, and live work?

I tried to talk about that above. Blues musicians are particularly used to feeling and feeding off the energy and emotional needs of the live audience. With no audience in the studio, the musicians (especially the leaders/singers) have to reach inside themselves more to find the emotions that are intrinsic to the blues.

Is there such a thing as ‘studio fright’?

Sure. The studio gets you thinking in a way that a live gig doesn’t. In addition, the musicians know that whatever they do will survive for a long time. Therefore, they are often striving for a level of ‘perfection’ that they’d never go after in live performance. Moreover, you can hear better in the studio than at any gig, so you can also hear mistakes and small musical issues you’d never hear live. Therefore, musicians can get crazy trying to fix things that would never bother them in performance.

What makes a great Blues studio recording?

As I said--finding the right balance of spontaneity and honest emotion (created that ‘healing feeling’ that is so important in Blues) with focus and craftsmanship. In addition, great blues records are full of personality. You can feel the uniqueness of the musician, how he or she is delivering the message in a personal way, a way that is immediately identifiable as that artist.

How hard is it to keep in budget these days?

It’s always been hard to stay in budget. All records expand to fill the time available. I’ve made albums in three hours and in two weeks (two weeks is a very, very short time by pop standards, by the way). In both cases, I can hear many things I’d change or fix. With pretty much every record, you just have to say “ok, we’re done.” You never get to the point where you can say, “I can’t hear anything else that could make this record better.” If I had a year and an unlimited budget, I’m sure it would be the same.

How often is the recording down to much compromise, and how often does the result appear compromised?

All records are compromises. The key compromise is the one between the record you (the producer or the artist) hear in your imagination and the one you actually create.

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Everybody wants to make a great recording, but how important is it to get a distinctive studio sound?

For Blues, in the ideal world, I think you make a record that doesn’t make the listener think about the studio at all. The goal is to make a record that speaks to the emotional needs of the listener. If it does that, by sounding cool and unusual… great!

If it does it with an anonymous sound but delivers a straight-from-the-soul and straight-to-the-soul performance, that’s fine too. Most good engineers can make a decent studio sound a lot of different ways, depending on microphone choice and placement, isolation or lack of it, and also in how the recording is mixed. There is no one right way for a record to sound. The sound should enhance the song, the story, and the emotional impact, or at least not get in the way of it. Listening back to some of my favorite old blues records, many of them are not good sounding in the most basic ways--vocals are too loud or too soft, solos are buried, mixes are unclear, sounds are distorted, but the emotions and energy and soul are there, which is what makes them great blues records.

Photo of Lil Ed by Alan Grossman

Can you describe how magic happens in the studio, giving one particular experience.

There are so many. The most obvious would be when I brought Lil’ Ed & The Blue Imperials into the studio for the first time. They came to cut two songs for an anthology of lesser-known and younger Chicago bands called ‘The New Bluebloods.’

They had never seen a studio before, and were very scared. I encouraged them to forget the studio,

turn up as loud as they wanted, and make it feel as much like a gig as possible, because they knew nothing of overdubs, punching in sections of songs, or how to fix things. Therefore, they recorded as though it were at a gig...we just did each of the songs until we got a take of each that we were happy with. Therefore, at the end of an hour, we had the songs we wanted. I had three more hours of studio time booked, so I asked for a few more songs. Seeing a small audience on the other side of the glass (myself, the engineer, my future wife, a couple of Alligator staffers), Ed began putting on a show for us, playing on his back, walking on his toes, jumping around, and then running back to the microphone to the next verse of the song. After ten songs like this, I was enthralled, and went out and offered the Ed a recording deal on the spot. I told him that what was going on was magical, and he needed to finish making his debut album that night. He agreed, and went on to cut 30 songs in those three hours. We chose the best for his debut album, ‘Roughhousin’. Talk about going from ‘studio fright’ to ‘straight-from-the-soul’! I don’t know if I ever made a record so easily and had so much fun.

Which is the most wicked amount of talent have you been amongst in a session?

The obvious ones would be my three multi-artist supersessions- Albert Collins, Robert Cray and Johnny Copeland coming together to make ‘Showdown!’ Lonnie Brooks, Long John Hunter and Phillip Walker coming together to make ‘Lone Star Shootout’ James Cotton, Junior Wells, Carey Bell and Billy Branch coming together to make ‘Harp Attack!’

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Paromita Saha meets up with one great guitarist.

As an aspiring guitarist growing up in Fort Worth, Texas, Buddy Whittington never envisioned he would be playing alongside one of the greatest British blues performers of all time. For fifteen years, he toured and recorded extensively with John Mayall as part of the Bluesbreakers line up until the band disbanded in 2008.

Since then, he has won plaudits for his solo work especially with his debut album the self-titled ‘Buddy Whittington,’ which was released four years ago. Continuing on the British Blues vibes, he has spent the last year touring with his band with members Pete Stroud and Roger Cotton from Peter Green’s Splinter Group. Paromita Saha caught up with him to talk to about his long running career, his current band and his new album release in September.

PS: Growing up in Fort Worth, Texas, how were you first exposed to the blues?

BW: My big sister had a wide-ranging record collection, everything from Jimmy Reed’s ‘Baby What You Want Me To Do’ and Slim Harpo’s ‘Scratch My Back’ to The Temptations, The Four Tops, Gary ‘U.S.’ Bonds to The Yardbirds, Cream, John Mayall’s ‘Looking Back’ album with Peter Green, of course The Beatles and The Stones.

‘Big Boss Man’ and ‘Bright Lights, Big City’ were always on the jukebox at the Pixie Drive in a local hamburger joint where the kids could hang out as long as they could afford a 10 cent Coke, along with all the country hits of the day and some Elvis. Fort Worth’s own Ray Sharpe had a hit with ‘Linda Lou’, and a young Delbert McClinton played harp on Bruce Channel’s big record on Major Bill Smith’s Le Cam label ‘Hey! Baby.’ Jimmy Reed was an early crossover artist and way down at the far left end of the AM radio dial was KNOK radio, where a kid with a transistor radio could hear some eyeopening tunes while delivering The Fort Worth Press and The Fort Worth Star-Telegram on his bicycle. I remember seeing both Albert King and Freddie King on TV KERA channel 13, the PBS or Public Broadcasting System station around ‘72 along with John Nitzinger and Bugs Henderson, two other local heroes of mine, although Nitzinger was (and is) more of a rocker! But his roots are in country and blues like most of ‘em from around these parts. Bugs is from Tyler, Texas, out in east Texas very close to Shreveport/Bossier City Louisiana. He let me sit in with him and the band at the Motherlode Club on Azle Avenue in Ft Worth; I was about 18 and scared to death! But those guys made me feel right at home onstage with them.

Texas has a very unique blues heritage that has produced groundbreaking blues artists from Lightin Hopkins, Blind Lemon Jefferson to T Bone Walker. How do you define the Texas Blues sound and do you perceive yourself as a Texan Blues artist?

Well, I’m no blues ‘scholar’, I’m just a guy that likes to play his guitar, and the old masters have done it more authentically and originally than I ever will. Along with blues influences, I heard a fair amount of Western Swing music from my mom and dad, they were big fans of Bob Wills and the Texas Playboys, Merle Haggard and The Strangers featuring Roy Nichols on the Fender Telecaster, I soaked up a little of that too, along with a little Don Rich from Buck Owens’ Buckaroos. Every Saturday my dad would tune in ‘Cowtown Jamboree’ on Channel 11 in Fort Worth, and Big ‘D’ Jamboree out of Dallas, where you could see a young Willie Nelson or Waylon Jennings, Hank Thompson and his Brazos Valley Boys, any number of the country artists of the day. So all those influences play a part in what I do these days.

You spent your formative years, playing in various venues in your local area. What was the Fort Worth scene like back then for blues music?

I started fooling with a guitar at about 8 years old, and by the time I was 14 or 15 I was playing clubs with guys that were quite a bit older than me (a cop and a fireman!) that looked after me and more or less kept me out of trouble, my dad always said ‘I taught you better, but I know you’re going to play that guitar. You’re gonna get real tired of smellin’ cigarettes and whiskey.’ He was right as usual!

Which has the greater influence on you - the British blues explosion or the Texan blues scene?

I heard Eric Clapton play ‘Hideaway’ with Mr Mayall before I heard Freddie King’s version, but I used to see Freddie at Mother Blue’s in Dallas hangin’ out in the 70’s, so it all kind of evens out I guess. I was about 14 or so when a good guitar player/singer/songwriter named Dickey Ferguson heard me playing a little at a friend’s house, he was hanging around my friends’ sister’s friends y’know, and he says to me, ‘You sound pretty good, you need to check out Peter Green.’ Also, Doug Sahm from San Antonio had a band called ‘The Sir Douglas Quintet.’ Texas boys doing their best to jump on the ‘British Invasion’ bandwagon, they had a big hit with ‘She’s About A Mover.’ The early ZZ Top records are just seething with Fleetwood Mac-ism’s, one of the licks in ‘Master Of Sparks’ owes a LOT to Greeny’s ‘Green Manalishi’, just like ‘Apologies to Pearly’ is pretty much ‘The Stumble’ by both Freddie AND Greeny, with a little slide guitar added. So it’s all a big melting pot, really.

In the eighties you played in a band called The Sidemen? How do you look back on that period?

We worked a LOT with The Sidemen, playing a variety of music, corporate gigs, clubs, parties. We all kept the bills paid playing music, and as we all know THAT’S an accomplishment. I still do gigs with most of the guys from The Sidemen, we recently lost keyboardist Michael Hamilton to cancer, sad to say. He was the best of the best, and one of a kind.

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With the band, you opened for John Mayall and the Bluesbreakers, whom you would later join, at the time did you have any idea what would happen and describe that moment when you received that call from John Mayall?

Truthfully, I didn’t receive the call, our drummer Mike Kennedy called me on my big ol’ Motorola 8000H ‘cell phone’, as compact as they had in ‘93, but it weighed about 5 pounds, and looked like an army field phone! I was sitting in line in my ol’ Plymouth minivan at a Taco Bell and Mike says, ‘Call John Mayall.’ I was surprised to say the least!

The Bluebreakers is renowned for various line-ups, which have featured luminaries from the British Blues world.

When you were asked to join, did you feel nervous at all about this?

I had been waiting/praying for an opportunity to expand my musical horizons for quite a while, and was very honored and humbled by my good fortune in being asked to join a band like The Bluesbreakers. Mr. Mayall told me that he didn’t have a record deal at the time we met in Dallas, but when he was next in the studio, would I like to come out to Los Angeles and play on some tracks? It was about two years later when Coco left the band (after 10 years!) that he called me, asked me to talk it over with my wife Cathy and call him back. We had a 3 year-old and a newborn at the time (17 and 20 now!) and although I have spent a lot of quality time with my family, I have been on the road ever since. I was too busy to be too ‘nervous’, although when you’re getting a chance to appear on big shows and play with all your heroes, it is definitely an eye-opener.

It turned out that you had a good run playing with John from 1993 - 2008. How would you describe the dynamic between the two of you, on and off stage?

John has been very helpful and accommodating to all of us over the years, we were comfortable on the road, paid well, allowed near free-reign musically onstage and in the studio, featured on all the records over a fifteen year period, drove nice cars getting to the gigs. I got to play with EC, Mick Taylor, Peter Green, Kim Simmonds, Billy Gibbons, Gary Moore, ALL my heroes, I ask you: What’s not to like? It was a great learning experience and I made a lot of new friends. But nothing lasts forever. It’s time to move forward.

In 2008, John Mayall announced that he was going to retire and disband the Bluesbreakers. How did you feel on hearing this and was it something that you gave the impetus to embark on a solo career?

I will say that Mr Mayall gets around pretty good for a ‘retired guy’, 4 trips to Europe and several US tours last year, wish I could ‘retire’ like that! I wish him the best, and thank him for the opportunity.

As far as a ‘solo career’, I have been a working musician for quite a while before and after The Bluesbreakers, so I’ll just keep after it, and hope for a little better visibility. If ‘all the world’s a stage’, I need better lighting!

Your current band comprises of members who have played with Peter Green’s Splinter Group, how did that come about? Have you ever crossed paths with Peter Green?

Peter Green’s Splinter Group and John Mayall’s Bluesbreakers have toured the UK, Europe and the US together, it was a sold out tour the first time we played the UK and the Albert Hall on the last night. Let me tell you that is pretty heady stuff for a guitar picker from Texas. We used to do a fair amount of playing together on the encores, most notably at the LA House of Blues and the Hammersmith Odeon/Carling Apollo, and we always said that if the chance to play some music together ever came about, we’d jump at that chance. Then (as Roger puts it) ‘We all got the sack!’ that made it infinitely easier! Our pianist/organist/’bloke with the jokes’ Mr. Roger Cotton has been a joy to be around and play with for all this time, Pete Stroud on the bass has been invaluable not only for his superior playing skills on both fretless and fretted instruments, but his level-headedness and business skills have helped immensely in keeping us on the road. Our drummer Darby Todd at 32 is the youngest of the band, but his astonishing ability and musical maturity belie his years, plus he makes all us ‘seasoned vets’ (read: old geezers) look at least 25% better just by sitting behind his kit.

Roger, Pete and Darby, as well as Steve Dixon, who played a stint with us while Darby was out working with (ex-’The Darkness’) Justin Hawkins’ ‘Hot Leg’ (I understand it had something to do with scores of young ladies in the front row) have made me feel welcome working with them on their ‘turf’, and I have enjoyed working with them for the last several years.

You will be touring extensively this year, could you give Blues Matters readers an indication of what to expect with your sets?

We still do quite a few of the tunes from my first CD project, some tried-and-true audience pleasing selections from our ‘Bag Full Of Blues’ CD that is available at our shows, and several tunes from my years as a Bluesbreaker.

You have a new album coming out in September, what can we expect from this?

The new album, ‘Six String Svengali’, is a collection of 11 new original tunes I recorded between tour dates at home in Texas, I have a new song titled ‘Back When The Beano Was Boss’ which is a tip of the hat to the era of John Mayall, Eric Clapton, Hughie Flint and John McVie, along with producer Mike Vernon and the late great engineer Gus Dudgeon, recording ‘Bluesbreakers With Eric Clapton’ aka the ‘Beano’. Arguably the first--certainly

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one of the earliest--examples of a Gibson Les Paul guitar played through a Marshall amp (now affectionately known as the ‘Bluesbreaker’ and priced accordingly), which revolutionized the actual sound/tone of the amplified electric Spanish Guitar on a sound recording. Guitar Geeks of a certain age will know where I’m comin’ from!

You seemed to have had some great moments in your career, from playing alongside your hero Eric Clapton on John Mayall’s 70th birthday to being asked to play in the Bluesbreakers by John Mayall? What has been the highlight of your career thus far?

It has been a great ride, and I hope to log quite a few more miles before unsaddling that pony. Opening tour dates for my Texas heroes Billy, Dusty and Frank of ZZ Top, trading 4’s with Mick Taylor, touring the Houses of Parliament with my lovely spouse and the John Mayall OBE delegation for his 70th Birthday celebration, try THAT at the Governor’s Mansion in Austin or the White House!

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Kevin Wharton gets to understand the man and his music

Michael Messer is one of the UK’s best Bluesmen his take on the Blues his passion and dedication to the art and science of the resonator guitar, marks him as an iconic figure in the world of Blues.

I first asked Michael about his background. Born in 1956, he got into R&B and Blues through listening to early 60s pop music. He saw many of the early 60s bands at the Winter Gardens in Margate with his older brothers. An early musical memory was a 1965 John Hammond show in Margate. This was the first time Michael had seen an acoustic blues act someone not presenting themselves as a ‘pop star’, Hammond made a very deep impression!, Taking his interest further he got into Blues slide guitar from hearing people like Rory Gallagher, Johnny Winter, Eric Clapton, The Faces and The Stones. He also lists his influences outside Blues such as Mac Gayden, George Harrison, Ry Cooder, Josh Graves and Brother Oswald.

His next progression was to go back to the originators of the Blues and has kept an obsession for studying and decoding the techniques of early Blues slide guitar players such as Sylvester Weaver, Charley Patton, Robert Johnson and Son House. He developed into National and Dobro resophonic guitars primarily through hearing people like Johnny Winter, The Kinks, Taj Mahal and even John Lennon. He admits that he spent the last few months of his school life not at school, but playing a Dobro in a local music shop.

The young Michael Messer, like lots of us bought a copy of Paul Oliver’s book, ‘The Story of the Blues’ and swears he used to know every photo and word in the book! This was his Bible and he referred to it every day. In later life he has got to know Paul Oliver and is very proud that he and Ed Genis played at his eightieth birthday party a few years ago.

Michael bought his first resophonic guitar, a metal-bodied Dobro, in the late 1970s. Very soon one became two...three....... and a serious few years of collecting and researching the history of Nationals followed.

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Michael sees no reason to pigeonhole the instrument a solely for the Blues, citing the Kinks on TV in 1970 performing ‘Lola’ with a National guitar. He points out that Nationals were originally designed to play lap-style Hawaiian music and adds that they are great flat-picking Jazz guitars too, pointing to old recordings of Oscar Aleman playing Django-style guitar on a National Triplate.

Nevertheless, National guitars are the classical Blues guitar and in fact more Bluesmen play them now than ever did in the 1930s. The modern association of the Blues and National guitars really kicked off in the 1960s Blues boom with people like Sam Mitchell, Ian. A. Anderson, Mike Cooper, Spider John Koerner and Taj Mahal who sported shiny National guitars. The Dire Straits ‘Brothers In Arms’ album cover certainly gave them another kick.

The pairing of Michael Messer and Ed Genis is a well-established and very successful one. I asked how it came about and what their future plans were.

We started in 1983 and made the first album, ‘Diving Duck’, in 1987. Since then the duo have toured the world and made many albums together. Michael rates Ed as a master guitarist and playing together for 28 years, their musical connection is almost telepathic.

In 2006 Sound Techniques released a series of ‘Guitar Maestros’ DVDs and included Messer in the series and as part of the accompanying film they did a studio concert together, which is the only Messer & Genis duo music that has been released. They have never released a duo album because they feel their music makes so much more sense when played to an audience, rather than in a studio. However there are plans to release a live album of the two of them later this year … watch this space.

There will also be a new solo studio album later this year, although Michael didn’t want to say too much about it now.

What about the collaboration with Louisiana Red. One of the records Michael bought in the 1970s and spent hours copying the guitar licks was ‘Louisiana Red Sings The Blues’ and he has been a great fan since. Louisiana Red is one of the last people alive who was around the giants of its golden era. He was a close friend of Muddy Waters and made his first recordings for the Chess brothers in a radio studio with Muddy and Little Walter backing him. Michael’s collaboration was supposed to start in 2002 when they were going to record an album together for Catfish Records but this fell through.

A few years passed and in 2008 Michael suggested that Red came over to England for a few shows. No record company, no management, and no outside business people to screw it up, just two guys doing a few shows. This turned into a three week UK tour with every venue sold out.

Michael rates playing with Red has as one of the highlights of his career as well as one of the hardest because as Red’s accompanist, he could not drop concentration for a second. Red’s music is loose and his chord progressions and timing in the music move around as he feels it at the time and now with old age creeping up, his music can be quite frail. Red never delivered the same performance of a song twice and for two hours every night Messer never looked away from Red for a second. Exhausting! The good news is that all the shows were recorded and there might be fantastic live album released one day.

Interestingly, Michael has had some success in Russia with a few of his recordings, so I wanted to understand the success he had. In 2006 Michael’s record company, Cooking Vinyl, licensed three of his albums, ‘King Guitar’, ‘Second Mind’ and ‘Lucky Charms’ to Soyuz Music in Moscow and much to Michael’s surprise ‘Lucky Charms’ reached number ten in the mainstream album charts. He was featured in some major rock magazines, and appeared on some radio shows. He says ruefully that he was supposed to be there in May to do a series of large concert hall shows, but because of the insane amount of documentation and red tape required to work in Russia, it fell through.

He also featured in a BBC TV appearance with the Zingzillas. The BBC approached him in 2009 to be involved in a series they were filming at Pinewood Studios. They made fifty episodes and each one features a different style of music and instrument. Michael’s episode is called ‘Home’, and features him playing acoustic bottleneck Blues guitar both solo and with a band...of monkeys! Messer rates this as an excellent educational series aimed at exposing real music, rather than plinky-plinky children’s music to three to six year olds.

If Blues Matters readers have been wondering why their five year old sons and daughters have been playing Delta Blues on their precious Gibson acoustic guitar while they are out at work, Messer and his Zingzillas monkey band may have something to do with it!

Messer has been compared to Ry Cooder and Duane Allman in the list of all time great slide guitarists and in his world is a national treasure. I asked him how he would fare on X Factor?

Michael is vehemently not a great fan of X Factor type talent shows on TV, and in fact detests them! It’s a sad reflection of the value afforded great music that he is pretty sure he would not get past round one.

We have focused on the Michael’s music of so far so I wanted to explore his brand of MM resonator guitars.

Messer spent many years writing reviews of resonator guitars and often commented on the poor design of the budgetpriced far eastern products. This was puzzling because some of the finest guitars were built in the 1920s by the National Musical Instrument Corporation using cheap materials and semi-skilled workers. Nobody in these far eastern companies knew anything about resonator guitars! The design, creation and choice of materials was done from photographs that were sent to them, or what they found in books The dull thud of a note with no proper volume, tone or sustain, became the

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Michael Messer with Louisiana Red accepted sound of budget-priced resonator instruments. In many cases the metal used to make the bodies was so thick that the guitars were too heavy and unbalanced.

In 2007 he was contacted by Robin Clark, a like-minded soul! Robin had found a small factory in China that were just starting out and were producing small runs of reasonable hand-built resonators. Whilst they had many design errors and needed some product development, they produced the best sounding far eastern-built National-style resonator guitar that Michael had seen. Robin suggested creating a Michael Messer range of instruments and they designed two instruments for production. A greyburst painted steel-bodied depression-era style guitar, the MM BLUES, and a nickel-plated brassbodied guitar, the MM LIGHTNING. Whilst they are not replicas of 1930s Nationals, they contain all the essential design ingredients to give the player the feel, sound and look of those 1930s classic guitars.

M

The original plan was an experiment to see if it was possible to mass-produce these guitars. They ordered 50 guitars and by the time they arrived in the UK they were all sold and there were enquiries from all over the world.

Guitars have now been sold to musicians all over the world. Michael is justifiably very proud of the achievement. There are currently three guitars in the MM range, 12 fret MM BLUES, 14 fret MM BLUES, and the 12 fret MM LIGHTNING with some new models in the pipeline. There is also an own brand of strings on the market, ‘Michael Messer National Guitar Strings by Newtone’, handmade in England, and often considered the industry standard. There are also electric slide guitar strings ‘Michael Messer Slide Guitar Classics’ For information about MM guitars or just to meet and talk with like-minded people about slide guitar and music, visit the online Michael Messer Forum at www.michaelmesser.co.uk Many of our readers are budding players so what advice Michael could offer. His top tips were: spend as much time as possible playing and listening to the music you want to play; Find people to play with as you learn so much sitting playing with friends; and as there is so much tutorial stuff on the Internet, be selective about what you learn and who you learn from. He added that it is not essential to use fingerpicks and thumbpicks, but it does give you accuracy, power and clarity that is not possible to get without them. When buying guitars, the choice is massive so do your research and get the right thing! Apart from his own MM guitars, Michael’s favourites are hand-built ‘Fine Resophonic’ guitars built in Paris by Mike Lewis. Mike recently built a wood-bodied Dobro for Eric Clapton, which is one of the most beautiful guitars of its type that Michael has seen.

On the subject of advice, Michael has recently released a lap steel tuition DVD for beginners. ‘An Introduction to Lap Steel Guitar’ contains all the building blocks to start playing lap steel guitar. The lesson covers the basics of playing Blues, Country, Hawaiian and Bluegrass styles.

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Lo

I asked if there were any organisations an aspiring player could join. He recommended joining the European Blues Association and taking part in Blues Week at Northampton University in the summer. Blues Week is a five-day event with classes during the day and gigs and jam sessions through the night. Also, there is a forum on Messer’s website which has developed into a community of well over a thousand slide guitar players and Blues/Roots enthusiasts. It is a great place to meet like-minded people of all ages and nationalities, share knowledge and learn. They had their own festival and workshops and is a lot more than just an online chat forum that Messer is very proud of.

Like a lot of people, I am concerned about the future of the Blues. Youngsters go back to rock bands of the 70s, but rarely do I meet a youngster who is interested in the Blues? I asked Michael if this ‘old man’s music’ is doomed?

He is a lot more optimistic than I am! Whilst a lot of young people see pub rock Blues as old man’s music, he knows quite a few that collect classic Blues records and go to gigs. He gets people of all ages coming to his gigs and there was also a large proportion of young people his shows with Louisiana Red. Seasick Steve has built his whole fan base playing Blues to tens of thousands of young people at rock festivals and that in turn creates interest in the music.

Michael maintains that there are more teenage Blues guitarists in the world today than ever before. The White Stripes, Black Keys, and young people’s interest in the great bands from the 1960s and 70s like Led Zeppelin, the Doors, the Stones etc, will ensure that the Blues is here However he does worry about where the Blues is going and is concerned that creatively he doesn’t see much happening at present. There was a movement a few years ago that he is a part of, where musicians were pushing the boundaries and making new sounding Blues music - Little Axe, Moby, R. L. Burnside, Gare Du Nord and his own Second Mind Band were all part of it. A few years on and the Blues is more popular now than ever before, but he doesn’t see anything particularly new or innovative coming from it.

Having said that, most of the young players that he sees on the Blues circuit are really good musicians, although very few are pushing the music into new areas and making it appeal to people of their own age. One exception for him is 19-year-old Lucy Zirins from Burnley. Michael has known Lucy for three years and has watched her music develop into its own unique style. Influenced as much by Adele and Paulo Nutini as she is by Muddy and Son House, Lucy is writing and creating her own music, which although based in Blues and other roots styles, is very relevant to her generation.

Finally, I wondered if Michael I had the opportunity to arrange a ‘fantasy’ gig with anyone, who he would ask.

This would be interesting, as it would have to be musicians that we have never seen on film, or in some cases, never even seen photos of them playing their music. These players will always be a mystery and we will never be sure that we know how they played and what techniques they used. So if he could arrange a fantasy concert by three or four Blues musicians, they would be Kokomo Arnold, Casey Bill Weldon, Robert Johnson, Charley Patton and Blind Willie Johnson.

Michael Messer Resonator Guitars

www. michaelmesser.co.uk

With over thirty years experience of playing and collecting resonator guitars behind me, I have been working with a small guitar workshop to create what I believe are the most authentic and playable metal-bodied resonator guitars at a realistic price.

With no frills or unnecessary design features, these are properly built affordable musical instruments for working musicians. Based on original 1930s designs, these guitars are hand-built in a small workshop under my control to my own specifications. I have done everything possible to get an authentic sounding and very playable guitar into your hands at a realistic price.

LEFT: Steel-bodied Michael Messer BLUES RIGHT: Brass-bodied Michael Messer LIGHTNING

Each guitar is serial numbered by hand.

Available online at www.buskerguitars.co.uk

If Blues Matters! readers would like to ask me questions about MM guitars, please visit the forum on my website.

Shine on Michael Messer

Michael Messer BLUES (Painted steel body)

Louisiana Red playing a Michael Messer LIGHTNING

£556

+ shipping

Michael Messer LIGHTNING (Nickel-plated brass body)

£588

+ shipping

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“Lone Star Guitar” – Texas Slim by Norman Darwen Robert Sullivan, a.k.a. Texas Slim, is a guitar slinger in the finest Lone Star state tradition. He talks about playing the blues in the Lone Star State and beyond: Slim, what were your earliest musical experiences?

My earliest musical memory is of rocking back and forth feverishly in my toddler rocking-chair to the family record player when l was three or four years old. When I was six, I can remember sneaking into my oldest brother Brad’s room to play his small acoustic guitar. He also had a Vox Super Beatle Amp, an electric guitar, and a drum set. I remember that my first favorite song was “Magic Bus” by The Who and it was the first song I ever learned on the guitar. I watched carefully as one of my brother’s friends played the blues standard ‘Kansas City’ and it was the second song I learned to play, perhaps a glimpse of things to come.

You started playing guitar pretty early…

I got my brother’s three-quarter Stella acoustic guitar for Christmas 1969 when I was six years old. I was immediately serious about guitar. After a year or so of the guitar not leaving my arms, my mother signed me up for lessons. Meanwhile, my other older brother (Brian) began playing and buying electric guitars and amplifiers. The rest of the 1970s would see teenagers with instruments and rock band rehearsals at my house. I also learned to play the drums, bass, and piano during these years.

How did you get into the blues?

In 1974 when I was 11 years old, my brother Brian had a high school rock ‘n’ roll band named “Double Shot”. The lead guitarist in the band, Randy Ventrca, had a certain blues style to his playing. One day Randy brought some records over to listen to and said, “Here’s the real stuff”. The sounds of Lightnin’ Hopkins began to pour out of the speakers and it immediately changed my life forever! We then listened to John Lee Hooker! Then to Freddie King! Elmore James! B.B. King! Randy also pointed out that much of the rock that I liked the most was either actually or very nearly blues. This includes Johnny Winter (who was already my favorite), Savoy Brown, Z.Z. Top, Eric Clapton and Jimi Hendrix. But ever since that moment I heard Lightnin’ Hopkins, my life has been completely dedicated to performing, studying, teaching, eating, drinking, living, and loving the blues!

Who were your influences back in those early days?

Like most true students of the blues, I consider myself influenced by everything I hear. Once I became immersed in the blues, I began buying every blues record l could get my hands on. Due to the lack of popularity, blues records could be purchased for as little as a half dollar each. $5 could get 10 blues LPs. So in just a couple of years I had a nice little library of all different types of blues. I collected all styles and eras of blues and not just guitar, but also piano, harmonica, vocalists, slide guitar etc. Proud of my Texas heritage, I began to learn Lightning Hopkins, Blind Lemon Jefferson and Mance Lipscomb on my acoustic, and T-Bone Walker, Freddie King and Johnny Winter on my electric. I also liked local Dallas guitarists, Anson Funderburgh, Bugs Henderson and both Jimmie and Little Stevie Vaughan.

I know that the veteran pianist Whistlin’ Alex Moore was very important to you – how did that happen?

In the summer of 1977, my mother, a librarian at the Downtown Dallas Public Library, arranged for me to perform on a lunch time concert series in the library auditorium. It was a one hour show in which I explained and demonstrated the differences in Texas, Mississippi Delta, Piedmont and East Coast blues of the 1920s and 1930s. In the February of 1978, Alex Moore was booked for a concert on the same series so I went to see him. I stayed after the show to meet him. We started talking and became fast friends. He began to book us as a duo on the concert series, which we did twice a year for the four years. We would have him over for Sunday brunch every couple of months or so and he would tell stories about the old days. He would tell us about knowing Blind Lemon Jefferson and Leadbelly and all kinds of history about Dallas.

Then the two of us would jam for hours.

Alex always encouraged me to learn as much as I could about music and to pursue it with as much education as possible.

I was attending the Arts Magnet High School in Dallas, studying music theory and jazz guitar, when we met. Three years later, I was off to college at The University of North Texas in quest of a music theory degree. Alex would write me letters like a proud grandfather. The envelopes would say “From the International Blues Pianist - Whistlin’ Alex Moore to Blues Master Robin Sullivan and His Guitar”! He loved nicknames and that sort of thing and I was accustomed to them, being the youngest in my family. My dad had even called me Slim sometimes when I was younger. Being proud of my Texas heritage, it just added up. So I made up the name. I immediately ran the idea by Alex and he LOVED it! So much that I knew immediately; that I would be “Texas Slim” for the rest of my life. I never got my college degree, but my blues career kicked right into full swing!

And some of the other people you have played with – Little Joe Blue, for example?

I met Little Joe Blue in 1984 when l was 21 years old. A new public supported radio station (KNON) began broadcasting in Dallas that year and they had several hours per week of blues programming. I was asked to perform at their first ever benefit show. Little Joe Blue was the headliner of the event. I was blown away by his incredible showmanship and waited

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to meet him after the show. He immediately began to book me to open shows for him around town. He would also call me up to play with him on his set. He would tell his fans to “listen close, this kid is the real thing”. Near the end of the show, he would look at me and say, “Let’s go get ‘em”, and then we would stroll out into the audience with our guitars wailin’! I learned a lot about connecting with the fans from Little Joe Blue. He was very encouraging to me and always said, “keep doin’ what you’re doin’ and everything’s gonna be alright”.

Sam Myers?

I opened the show for Anson Funderburgh & The Rockets on Sam Myers’ first Dallas appearance with the band. We met before the show and became friends right away. Over the next 20 years, until his death, he mentored me and encouraged me more than I can express! (I could write an entire book of Sam Myers stories!) Sam would always introduce me on stage at the jams as “my brother”. l met up with Sam at the 1999 King Biscuit Blues Festival and he immediately introduced me to Pinetop Perkins and Robert Jr. Lockwood. Then during their (AF & Rockets) set, and in between songs, Sam called me to the stage to introduce “my brother Texas Slim” to 30,000 blues fans. I took a bow and walked off stage to the cheers of a festival crowd that had never even heard me play!

What is your Freddie King connection?

I was 13 years old when Freddie King died in 1976. I remember how sad we all felt. I never saw him perform, but my brothers and their friends saw him sit in with local bands in the bars often. (I was too young to get in). Freddie King’s house in North Dallas was just a short bicycle ride from my house and I remember seeing some of his kids in Junior High School.

In 1986, Freddie King Jr. became my full time bass player for a couple of years. In 2002, I began working with Wanda King. I played on and co-produced “From A Blues Point Of View” (2003) and “Songs In The Key Of Blues” (2007). And we just recorded her third CD on June 4th and 5th 2011. I think you can easily hear Freddie King in my guitar style. He is the most intensely passionate guitarist and singer I’ve ever heard.

You’re a fan of Johnny Winter…

Johnny Winter is certainly my favorite guitarist of all time! I liked him before I realized he WAS blues. Even his most rock ‘n’ roll albums have blues tracks on them. Johnny Winter’s singing has a big influence on me. In 1989, I played a gig with Uncle John Turner (Johnny’s original drummer). He told me that my singing was similar to Johnny’s and it really inspired me. I think Johnny’s guitar influence on me is very strong, especially when I play as a three piece. The way he swings and slings his notes in, on, and around the beat creates mind-boggling energy! Don’t forget his incredible slide playing or his 1920s style acoustic resonator guitar! Yes – he’s my favorite!

Did you know Stevie Ray Vaughan?

Stevie Ray Vaughan was one of the greatest guitarists to ever play! Second maybe only to Jimi Hendrix, whom he could imitate note for note. I got to meet him three or four times just briefly, so I never really got to know him. In 1979, one of my first ever electric blues gigs was the “Freddie King Memorial Concert” at Lee Park in Dallas. “Little Stevie Vaughan”, as he was known then, was on the bill and that is the first time I ever heard him play. I saw him play many times throughout his career and he blew my mind every time! I have performed many times at the “SRV Memorial Music Scholarship Benefit Concert” held every year on or near his birthday (October 3rd). Even though, my guitar tones are typically very different from his, I would say that you can hear some SRV influence in me.

You know Randy McAllister too?

I met Randy in the late 1990’s when he was living in Fort Worth and played gigs with him occasionally. He asked me to play on his upcoming CD for JSP Records. I was amazed with his unconventional and unpredictable song structures and his diversity. The CD came out in 1999 (“Double Rectified Bust Head” JSP CD 2130) and I began touring with Randy for the next 3 years. I am the only guitarist on 2001’s “Givers And Takers”. I also appear on 2003’s “A Little Left Of Center”, and 2004’s “Temporary Fixes”, and his 2006 compilation “Flying High While Staying Lowdown”. Randy always encourages me in my own career, especially in the areas of song-writing and singing. He inspires me to want to be unconventional and diverse.

Anyone else you want to mention?

Pops Carter! I met Pops Carter in 1981 when I moved to Denton, Texas to attend college. He is originally from Shreveport, Louisiana and lived in Houston, Texas in the 1960s during the legendary Duke Records years. He moved to Denton in 1969 and became well known for singing blues with all of the local college bands. Upon meeting him in 1981, we became instant friends and l have performed with him hundreds of times over the last 30 years. Not only his singing, but his all around good nature has been a major inspiration to me. He is the “Pops Carter” I refer to in my song “Coffee Shop Girl”, a song he inspired nearly every single line of with funny things he would say. At this time (June 2011), Pops Carter is 93 years old and in poor health. He is a major influence on me and my career!

When did you make your first album under your own name?

In 1987, I released an 8-song EP (cassette only) called “Blue lce” which was my band’s name at the time. I think we only made 300 copies, but we did get some good local press and began to tour regionally. In 1993, under the band name “Texas Slim & The Gems”, I released another 6-song EP (cassette only) called “Walking ln The Dark”. It received generous local airplay and more great press. But my first full length blues CD is 1997’s “Blue This Morning”, under the name “Texas Slim Blues Band”. It features a fantastic gospel-style singer named Roy Murray and my longtime rhythm section that is still with me today: Bill Cornish, bass since 1993 and Kenny Stern, drums since 1982.

Tell me a little about your albums…

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On my CDs I have always tried to feature a wide variety of blues styles. Since I listen to all types of blues, I have a lot of influences. 1997’s “Blue This Morning” (Gemtone) has some great R&B blues on it, which is a major part of the Dallas blues sound. 2002’s “I Have Arrived” (Co-Mess) is produced by Aaron Comess, drummer from The Spin Doctors. Aaron (who plays drums and bass on all tracks) is a childhood friend of mine from Dallas. This is the first full length blues CD that I sing on. It was VERY well received by my fans, press, and blues radio everywhere! A dream come true! 2009’s “Driving Blues” (Topcat/Music Avenue) is another great record out of Aaron’s NYC Studio (His House). It is a serious notch or two up from “I Have Arrived” in both production and diversity. It is my first international release and my most successful CD so far! 2011’s “Cookin’ With Gas” (Feelin’ Good) is my first live release, recorded in Turin, Italy at Gilgamesh on March 10, 2011. It’s a power packed, no holds barred Texas styled set. The power trio (Martin Iotti - bass and Lele Zamperini - drums) sound should serve well to fans of Johnny Winter and SRV. The audience gave us a great vibe and the energy is off the chart!

Where do you get your inspiration for your songs?

Inspiration is spontaneous and comes from anywhere at any time. It can be from something someone said or from a guitar riff or a chord progression or all of the above. I usually know instantly when someone says something that evokes a song title or a key line in a song. Sometimes, merely a title can spawn an entire song. My lyrics sometimes have 2 meanings: one very literal and one very personal. I also like to write simple “party” music songs that just celebrate life. I would have to say life, love and friends inspire me the most - that’s what the blues is all about!

What are the challenges to playing Blues in Texas?

The challenges here are the same all over the U.S. The economy has been down for several years now. Gas prices are high and travel distances are very long. Festivals and clubs are seeing big drops in attendance and many of them have disappeared. Because of the nature of blues and the musicians who play it, we try to network and help each other out.

The blues is a strong community in Texas.

Finally, can you tell me about your guitars?

I play Gibson Les Paul guitars just like my first electric blues mentor, Little Joe Blue, and my current mentor and close friend, Andrew Jr. Boy Jones. Guitarists tend to play differently on different guitars and this applies to me as well. On a Les Paul, I sound like Texas Slim! I do like to mix it up some (just like I like diversity in my blues) so you will sometimes see me with a Gibson ES-335, Gibson SG, or even a Gibson Firebird for that all out Johnny Winter tribute! But, I really have a sound that you can identify as me on the Les Paul. I love the warm, rich, powerful tones and can get plenty of twang with my pick attack. My red Les Paul, “Ruby”, (pictured on the cover of the “Cookin’ With Gas” CD) is a 2005 Classic with gold hardware and red pearloid pickguard. Like most blues players, I LOVE my guitars

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Talks with Vicky Martin Sam Hare is widely known in London as the person who has run some of the capital’s best known blues jam sessions of recent years; including the much lamented Charlotte Street Blues. He’s currently busy, leading a weekly jam at London’s Alley Cat Bar and pushing his new album the deeply personal ‘Down By The Sea.’ A busy schedule has included gigging with his band and various support slots including long-time friend Ian Siegal, and Jack Bruce. Like many of the younger generation Sam grew up and was influenced by the music his parents listened to…the rock ‘n roll greats from Elvis to The Everlys…then the Beatles and the Stones. Through the Stones Sam, like many, discovered blues and developed a passion for it. His developed typically; via acoustic to electric guitar, with help from a guitar playing uncle, and listening and learning at gigs in London, and eventually a first band ‘The Wild Oats’ with the same uncle as a member. From early gigs in Suffolk Sam started going to every blues jam he could find. Sam is influenced by, and still listens, to all of the blues greats plus the whole range of rock, folk-rock and soul from the 50’s through to the 90’s. “To me, it’s all just MUSIC. I don’t make the distinction when I’m listening to it.” We talked about the album and much else besides I was surprised when I heard the album, I guess the support slot at the Jook House was a clue, but I was expecting more blues, as I’ve seen you play on other occasions; it’s more in the ‘rootsy’ singer song-writer vein.

What was the thinking behind that?

To be true to myself and make an album incorporating all my influences, not just Blues –I listen to a lot of different stuff, and when I write a song, all those things get mixed up together. I love Blues – yes! And a lot of people know me as an electric blues guitar player. But I was reluctant to make what I considered to be ‘the expected, predictable blues guitarist’ record. When I made my album, I was far more interested in a Southern Soul kind of production, everything very raw and real sounding, but maybe even bigger than that…almost as if Phil Spector had stormed a recording session at FAME Studios in Muscle Shoals – that’s the kind of combination I was going for…but also, when I write a song, I don’t let myself get pinned down by a genre – I just like to see what comes out. And then you can swing it whichever way you want to when you record it, depending on what instrumentation you have, etc.

What about the influences relating specifically to the album.

As touched on above, a lot of Southern Soul – and music from the American South generally – Eddie Hinton, Duane & Gregg Allman, King Curtis, ‘From Elvis In Memphis’, Booker T & the MGs…and then also The Band, ‘Exile On Main St’, George Harrison’s ‘All Things Must Pass’ album…a lot of Country also, and Dylan…everything!

The album is pretty much ‘down-home’ and there’s not really an up-tempo track – did you set out to create a mood that would run through the whole album?

Well, I’d say that ‘Stealing From The Queen’ and ‘Moving Through Georgia’ are definitely up-tempo. But yes, a lot of the album is of a slower mood- that wasn’t necessarily deliberate, although I was aware of it. But it is a very personal album, dealing with a fair amount of loss, and I knew some of it would turn out quite melancholy…I feel I’ve musically dealt with the stuff I had to deal with, so I predict that my next album will be a bit more ‘up’.

I would have liked to hear something in that ‘Chicago style’ that I’ve heard you play live.

Well I wasn’t setting out to make a straight up blues album, so didn’t feel the need to include something like that. My last band Hucklebuck was more of a Chicago style blues band, and with this band I wanted to go for a different sound. But there are some more modern takes on a blues song in there, even if you can’t pin-point the style of it to any particular state! ‘Stealing From The Queen’, ‘You Just Bring Me Water’, ‘The Bridge’…they’re all blues songs. But not Chicago blues.

How did the songs comes about – your own personal experiences / stories – share a few thoughts about that As I’ve mentioned…the majority of this album is just about me, and a lot of my family and loved ones. There were things I had to get out of my system, mainly to do with the death of my parents. But there are also songs about my brothers, my nephew, my wife and even my dog! And I called it ‘Down To The Sea’ because the sea is definitely a re-occurring theme throughout, and many of the songs were written looking at the sea, the Atlantic Ocean specifically - I never tire of looking at it, and it never fails to inspire me. Some of the songs are more fiction/story based, but an awful lot of the album is autobiographical.

So which is your personal favourite track on the album and why I don’t think I can only pick one…my two personal favourites, in terms of my favourite songs that I’ve written are ‘Her Time Of Day’ and ‘Fly With Me Again’. I’m also very fond of ‘The Bridge’. My favourite moment on listening to the album though is probably when the horns kick in on ‘Home-grown Man’ – that’s the song I’m least likely to skip if it comes on shuffle in the car! I just love the whole vibe of it. But I also think of mixing ‘Fly With Me Again’, and all of its subtle parts – I love that one too.

Let’s turn from the album to the scene in general – London particularly – how would you describe the current scene, especially a sit effects the average gigging band and musician?

There is a blues scene in London, but it’s not a patch on what it should be in my opinion. There should be streets with

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packed venues all next to each other, and when you’ve finished playing one, you nip next door to sit in with someone at the next – I wish it was like that. Maybe like Austin was in the late 70s, or Memphis or Chicago in the 50s. In London, there are some blues venues that won’t book you if you’re known to play one of the other main blues venues, like you have to be exclusive to one place, as if it’s a competition! And that seems ridiculous to me, also pretty childish. All the musicians in town should just be everywhere, overlapping and playing at each others gigs, at all the different venues – I think that’s the way to make a scene. But also, there aren’t enough good places to play in my opinion. There are some, but there should be more. When Charlotte Street Blues opened, with its original team running it, it was the place everyone had been waiting for.

It really felt like the London Blues scene was growing from it, and all the musicians in town wanted to be there all the time. It was great for about six months, and then things changed, and it closed down. A great shame – everyone misses it, and the way it was for a while.

Have you noticed a negative effect on live music from the last government’s licensing act –I personally have noticed a highly negative effect Yes, I have, as a result there aren’t nearly as many venues to play and often venues aren’t able to last very long because of the pressures they’re under. I ran a jam in Old Street a few years back, at a place called Montuno’s. For a while, that was the place to be - all the best musicians in photo by Al Stuart town came down there on a weekly basis. But then it went under, just as it seemed to be getting going, and then look what happened to Charlotte Street...Yes, it’s a constant battle…and there are other reasons why people don’t seem to want to come out and see live music so much anymore: I think football is a big one, plus all the other stuff on TV, reality shows and such that people get addicted to, computers and the internet, no one seems to have any money, and yet drinks seem to be getting more expensive…it’s just not a very good climate for going out to see live music in London at the moment, in my opinion anyway. And obviously that’s not going to help venues stay open, if not enough people are going to them, so it’s pretty tough all round I think.

What do you think about the latest developments regarding licensing?

What are the latest developments?! I have been living in a cloud recently. Update me in if you will. I’m not much of a politician I’m afraid.

[The latest development is that in June 2011 the government is launching a public consultation looking at the total deregulation of live entertainment. Entertainment licensing would be scrapped (except for very large scale events and adult entertainment such as pole dancing). Under the proposals an alcohol license would be sufficient to allow live music, without an additional authorization; Ed] You were pretty much involved in Charlotte Street and must have been negatively affected when that closed down – can you tell us about that from your point of view I was involved from start to finish. I was even the last person to play there. What can I say? It was a good scene that paid me good money, and now it’s gone. There were rumours that it was in trouble for a long time, but when it closed it was very sudden, and I wasn’t told any more about the reasons behind it than anyone else. In fact, they didn’t even tell me it had closed, which I always thought was a bit off. I heard it from Ian Siegal! When Chris Maxwell was running it, it was the place to be. And my wish is that one day he comes back to London and opens up another place.

We read in the publicity about one of the Blues Jams you ran – they asked you to make it a Blues and Jazz jam.

It says ‘So Sam Walked’ – what was the thinking behind that? Would you still do the same bearing in mind the strong crossover and links between Jazz and Blues?

To some listeners, they may appear similar, but to me and especially when it comes to playing them, they are not. If I said that, then it is because I know how to play blues, and I don’t know how to play jazz – it’s that simple. If the jam session I

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ran now asked me to make it a Blues AND Jazz jam, I’d have to do the same thing. I listen to some jazz, but I have no idea how to play it. So I just wouldn’t be the right guy for the job.

I was thinking of when we came to Charlotte Street jam and there was a slow Blues tune that went on for about 14 minutes and lots of guitar soloing –(one guy took two solos) – maybe some jazz input would throw in some fresh harmonic ideas and challenge the blues guys to stretch out and seek a bit more?

Some guys manage to add some jazzy elements to their playing, but essentially I just ran a blues jam, and if you undertake a slow blues that could potentially go on as long as you say, then you are probably wanting to dig pretty deep into The Blues – if you suddenly had some kind of free-form jazz section thrown into the middle of a big slow blues, it would probably sound a bit strange. Or it certainly would if it was in any way organised! Things like that have happened, and there can often be some magical moments, but I’m not about to start suggesting it as a new angle. Most people who come to my jams because they want to play BLUES. But only last week, some guys got up together and played a Miles Davis tune, and it sounded great. So the blues players are stretching out, but you just have to let them do it in their own way.

So what jams are you running now?

I run one jam, every Wednesday at The Alley Cat on Denmark Street. Several venues got in touch with me after Charlotte Street… I looked at them all, and I chose that one. It had a certain vibe about it and a great location. It’s in the basement of the Regent Sound Studios building, where The Stones recorded their first album. I believe the basement used to be the rehearsal space, where the bands would work up the songs before putting them down on tape. I can imagine Keith Richards and Brian Jones working out their parts for ‘Walking The Dog’ or something! It’s a cool place to play, and the majority of the regulars from Charlotte Street now come down so it is similar vibe but in a smaller room. It’s been running since the beginning of the year, and we’ve have had some great nights, and many great musicians coming down…to name a few: The Matt Schofield Trio, Hamilton Loomis, Ian Siegal, Lee Sankey, The Spikedrivers, Scott McKeon, Raphael Ravenscroft, The Kilborn Alley Blues Band… the jam is packed with great musicians every week… you never know who might turn up. It’s a lot of fun. I also have a residency at Camden’s ‘Blues Kitchen’ every Monday. It’s just me, sitting down with a semi-acoustic, sometimes on my own, but more often with a few selected friends and guests, or members of my band, a few of the jammers. It’s a nice laid-back vibe…perfect for a Monday I think.

What do you do outside of music?

I spend a lot of time with my family and friends; walking my dog in the park, watching films, fiddling around with my guitars and amps; I occasionally play tennis, I surf and snowboard when I can. I also work as a photographer, doing album covers and things, although much less than I used to. And for the last four years or so, I have been doing regular work as a film & TV extra. Between that and music, I’m kept pretty busy.

What makes you laugh?

My first reaction when you said that was Spike Milligan. I only have to think of his face, and what he’s probably thinking to start laughing. Peter Cook and Peter Sellers have a similar affect on me actually…if I’m feeling down, the thought of Inspector Clusoe trying to cross the motte in ‘The Pink Panther Strikes Again’ will normally sort me out! I am a big of Monty Python and Blackadder. Lots of people in my life make me laugh on a regular basis – I guess that’s part of the reason I choose to be around them. I’m of the age where I’m surrounded by children a lot of the time, and kids can be pretty funny. And animals – watching my dog walk into a glass door…that’s pretty funny!

Future plans?

I’m involved in a few other musical projects so we’ll see where they go; and I’ve planted the seed in my brain for my next album. Generally I try not to plan too much; I just like to see what happens in life. I’ve recently discovered that vaping is a very easy alternative to smoking, so I feel healthier and happier than I have in the past. I’ll just keep on doing what I’m doing as best I can; and for the most money possible! Just keep on keepin’ on, I guess.

The 6 page digipak version of Sam’s album is available from www. samhare.com the blues jam details are at www.alleycatbar.co.uk photo by Fergus Hare BM 61.indd 51

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Talks with Vicky Martin Wilko Johnson needs little introduction –he was guitarist with Dr. Feelgood at the height of their fame and wrote some of their most iconic songs. He innovated a highly original guitar style and created one of the most original stage personas in rock ‘n roll. He’s in the spotlight again with a new tour starting in September. This follows a notable appearance in the documentary ‘Oil City Confidential’ and TV appearances in HBO’s fantasy series ‘Game of Thrones.’ In this over-hyped business the words legendary and iconic are sprayed around like graffiti – but Wilko is the real deal. We met him at his home in Essex. He was in lively and expansive mood; we talked and laughed a lot, about everything from the up and coming tour to his special interest in medieval literature. Along the way we played some music and got to play the famous red and black Telecaster…Ladies and Gentlemen Wilko Johnson…

Wilko’s abode is unpretentious, wooden floors, walls adorned with an esoteric collection of Wilko’s fantasy landscapes and other painting; there’s a bookcase full of well thumbed literature; there’s the famous red Telecaster, a Strat, and two valve amps. Howling Wolf’s music is playing. In the background and during the course of our stay we heard some classic sounds. We settled into a comfortable sofa, with excellent coffee. It’s a room made for creating music and good conversation. “You came at just the right moment” say’s Wilko, “It could’ve been anything on there, Tommy Steele, John Lee Hooker, Elvis…” Wilko’s musical taste is eclectic and wide ranging as are his thoughts on life in general. There’s a chess set on the large wooden table, and a chess clock beside it? “No, I’m not really that good at chess, but I thought ‘If I put a clock there no one’ll dare challenge me” We’re filming the interview as well and he says jokingly “Can you come round here, this is my good side”, much laughter and I say “We’re new to this, so we don’t have a clapperboard…I just go like this…one, two, three, CLAP!”…that brought us onto the topic of technology…over to Wilko “Once upon a time I was doing this video, it was like a guitar tutorial that went on YouTube or something, we were gonna do this book, and I wanted to have a free DVD with it, and my main camera was broken, so I had this Sony that I plugged into to my DVD machine…and I’m standing there and I ‘aven’t even got a tripod, its resting on a step-ladder; so I get it all set up…then I get hold of my guitar and I go ‘Right now I’m gonna show you how to, err, umm, oh f_____, it’s so hard to do, you feel like an idiot, even though you’re on your own… But I’m pretty cool with technology; I got my first video camera in 1982 when they first came out…a Ferguson Video Star. You had to carry like a video machine on your shoulder…it was huge with a Cathode ray tube…but you’d walk around – you could go up and interview people, they’d think they were on the Telly ‘n all that; girls’d start taking their clothes off [never ‘appens to me; Ed]. A mate had hired one and I thought I’ve got to have one of these – film the kids growing up and all that. Of course now I’ve got cupboards full of VHS…I’ve got hundreds of hours of us taken on the road…I got better and better, the tapes got smaller and smaller, but if course now they don’t even have tapes…

BM: Your career seems to be on the up Wilko – the reaction to the Oil City Confidential Film, the TV series and a new tour?

WJ: “Yeah, the film, it’s a great film…Julian Temple man , he’s really good, I didn’t even see how he could make a film when he told me he wanted to do it…I saw it for the first time at the NFT; I was sitting next to my son and I thought, ‘that’s pretty good’, it was almost the first time I’ve seen Dr. Feelgood on the big screen, the live stuff…and it’s really good. We’ve done some stuff in Moscow and places like that in conjunction with the film…and it’s generally given us a bit of a boost… which is always useful. Before that I didn’t really think about Dr. Feelgood, it was something I’d had to leave behind, but with Julian making the film I had to start thinking about it all again…thinking about it…finding photographs…and…well…it was the 70’s wasn’t it.

Do you find that you value it more, now that there’s more of a distance from it?

“I…I don’t know…it’s a long time ago…the film did kind of remind me of a lot of things…when they showed it at Koko in London, we were doing a gig as well, with Alison Moyet, I didn’t want to go out and watch it before we did our show; I was there with my lady so I thought I had to be gallant and go out among he hoi polloi – we ended up looking down from the gallery, and I was looking down and there was this shot, it was one of the live shots - it was just of me and Lee-and I just suddenly remembered what it was like being on stage with him and, Oh man…it was just waterworks…I just cried. Those kind of feelings you can’t really preserve them and carry them with you. Something just flashed in that moment –yeah it was good and it did mean a lot to me…”

But of course you’ve now got a new tour coming up “I never know about it really, the car turns up and I go ‘Oh where we goin’ then? Tokyo??...OK right…”

OK well let me tell you then – what I’ve got for your opening date is Edinburgh Caves; that’s on September 15, then you’re at the Glasgow O2 ABC 2 (Sept 16), up to Aberdeen Lemon Tree, that’s September 17), then you’re at Newcastle O2 Academy (Sept 18), and you gradually move South…so what are your thoughts on playing in Scotland and the far North?

“Yeah, I always enjoy playing there, I particularly love Newcastle, because I went to the University there…three of the

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happiest years of my life. I always get a buzz just being there…great place to play…and Scotland – yeah…not so long ago we played Glasgow…it was jolly good…my Missus is half Scottish, means my kids are a quarter Scottish…so…you know” Then you move down after that – Holmfirth, Leicester O2 and Bilston Robin. Then it’s down to London – Islington O2 – that’s near to the places you played at the peak of the old pub-rock boom like the Hope & Anchor…then you’ve got a few more including Manchester and you’ve got one in Cornwall – Falmouth – that’s in October – it’ll be getting’ cold by then?

“Yeah, I shan’t take me cozzie” You finish at Brighton Komedia – 9th October. So what about the band – who’ve you got with you?

“Well the really important thing is I’ve got Norman Watt-Roy on the bass – I believe Norman is the best bass player in the world! The first time I saw him play was with Ian Drury and the Blockheads on a live TV show – I knew Ian from Kilburn & the High Roads, and I’m going ‘Did you see that Bass player, bloody hell…like wow! Fantastic! And about three and a half years later Ian asked me to join the Blockheads, which I immediately did ‘cos I wanted to play with that rhythm section of Charlie and Norman. Norman is er…its just great playing with this guy…the minute you start it’s like oomph (Wilko arches his whole body), he can play man, he’s technically brilliant, nothing flash, his whole thing is ‘feel’, he’ s got this wonderful feel. People love to watch Norman – it’s like he becomes the bass guitar…anyway…lets see…round about 1985…I was thinking of…I was probably on the point of quitting, I had four or five gigs left to do…I needed a bass player; I saw Norman, hadn’t seen him for about three years…I said ‘Man, can you help me out and do a few gigs and he says ‘Yeah’ and we’ve been together ever since. Also I poached another Blockhead – Dylan Howe on drums and like wow, absolutely the best drummer I’ve ever worked with. So the band is like…I don’t have to do anything…it just gets better and better. Playing with people like that I still get such a kick out of doing it” Did they play with you on your ‘Barbed Wire Blues’ and ‘Hot Rockin’ Blues’ albums?

“Norman did…we are about to make a new album…Dylan’s been with us about a year now and, er…a couple of years?

Eighteen months? Five years? Anyway we have done a certain amount of recording with Dylan. When he joined we went into a local studio to rehearse…and we recorded all this stuff and I said ‘We’ll use all this’, we were gonna put out a greatest hits, and we got two CD’s out of it basically just playing my old stuff…very good versions…people should get them” Thats right son you plug it! So you got a new album on the way?

“Well, yeah…I’m writing stuff again” Have you recorded anything new?

“Well yes, accidentally – there were a couple of things at rehearsals. I liked them so much I thought ‘yeah I’m gonna use those’, but I think we’re actually gonna do it in a grown ups’ studio, It’s I think, next week….what is it today? Go on help me out…

It’s the 8th of June “And what day of the week might that be?”

Well it was Wednesday when we last looked “Well I think it’s gonna be…he did tell me, but I just stood there goin’ ‘yeah, yeah’, it’s Monday probably, we’re going into the studio, I think we’ve got three days and that’s when it’ll really start” Are you going to keep it as a trio or are you going to expand it at all? Herds of Wildebeest stuff like that?

“We usually have a bit if keyboards here and there on an album; I don’t really know what a kind of thing we’ll be doing; I want to do something like…. no more than three chords” Well you might be able to slip in a fourth chord just occasionally…

“I dunno, that’s jazz isn’t it? (everyone laughing)… hmm…well anyway, first of all, next week there’ll be the three of us, hopefully I’ll have written something fabulous to record…”

Do think you’ll be recording live?

“Mmmm…I like to record like that anyway… but sometimes it leads to difficulties with studio

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people and that…you know you say to ‘em like ‘Look man just stick a microphone in front of it! We’ll play’ … when you play with a band…I like to do it like I do when I play with the band…like they want you to do it will all these headphones and all that, I mean you don’t play like that?…you can’t do it like that…really it’s the engineer’s job to record the sound…I don’t care man…I remember when I joined the Blockheads, they were making an album…I went in there and I think it was like the sound guy who was actually producing the album…and the first thing he says to me ‘What do you reckon, can you DI your guitar?’ – That’s plugging it straight into the desk instead of going through an amplifier –and I said ‘What?’ and he’s going ‘So you don’t get any spillage!’… ‘SPILLAGE’… you know the sound of the guitar might spill into the drum track…GOOD GOD…the sound of the guitar and drums blended together! IT’S IMMORAL! So I said ‘No I ain’t bleedin’ DI’ing my guitar’…and then I realized that the rest of the band…like Charlie Charles the drummer it was like he’d been put in this bunker, he almost had to crawl in… he was such a powerful drummer -all these blankets and screens in case you might actually hear him…things like that…I can’t stand listening through head phones…I like to do it live.”

As it used to be done “Yeah really, I mean when we started recording with the Feelgoods I didn’t know anything about it but I did know that the records that I dig were done like that…when I listened to these records you can hear there’s a guitar player, bass player, a drummer, there’s not ten bass players or 50 layers of guitars or anything like that…and it’s all gone down just as it was played. The really, really, great music is done like that. When they developed multi-track recording…when we started in the mid-seventies they were just starting to get 32 track and the whole thing [changed]- they used to want like the bass player and drummer to go in and like Boom chucka boom chuck boom, do that and then the keyboard player does his bit and then the guitar player does his bit 50 times and all that…I wasn’t havin’ it they’d say ‘It’s alright if you f_____ that up, we can drop it in later’. I’m goin’ ‘Oh man, no, you can’t…’

Not only that they change the feel and sound movin’ it all around Yeah right, all that control, over every sound and no (whispers) SPILLAGE! I assume you mean like early Elvis, Howlin’ Wolf, that sort of thing, or even the Stones’ first album?

“Yeah and actually one of my favourite albums like that is Neil Young ‘Everybody Knows this is Nowhere’, I love that, I first heard it when I was a hippy out in India…listen to that, you can tell there’s lots of improvisation and you can tell there’s four of them in a room just playing…and it still sounds great, it’s still exciting and it was 40 years ago…”

So getting back to the tour, any idea what songs you’ll play…anything new for us? ”Hopefully, if the recording goes right we’ll have some new things; its like when you’re traveling around playing – if your records don’t get played that often on the radio – when people see you they wanna hear these songs – you know there’s a kind of core of things – its like if you went to see Chuck Berry you’d wanna hear Johnny B. Goode and Memphis – I mean Chuck might have written some symphony-but that’s what you wanna hear-in some ways I’d like to overhaul the set – but if you wanna put something different in it can be quite nerve-wracking – I suppose the thing to do is just stare at the audience and tell ‘em…but ‘Back in the Night’ and ‘She Does it Right’ will definitely go in…’Paradise’ that’s a song I’ve started doing again recently – it’s the only song I’ve written that has a proper name in it, my wife’s ‘Irene’, people think that’s the name but it’s ‘Paradise’. When she died, I decide ‘I’m not doing it anymore’ and then a year or so ago I re-wrote the last verse to incorporate the mortality thing and…and I think its better than ever this song and I really like playing it again’ It was on the last album I did with the Feelgoods ‘Sneaking Suspicion’ and they gave me a lot of stick about that song, but they are completely wrong…our set will be about an hour twenty minutes…”

And you’ve got Ian Siegal supporting…

“Yes, I’ve not heard him yet, but I hear he is very good…”

Yes he’s very good, is he playing solo?

“I think he might be” He’s brilliant solo – “That’s great, if you’ve got somebody good it makes for the best show…it puts you on you mettle and its great value for the audience” And then the conversation turned to Wilko’s guitars and amps – he had a lot to share – but for that you’ll have to go the website – http://www.bluesmatters.com

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Visit our website: jsprecords.com JSP Records PO Box 1584 London N3 3NW UK Blues Matters! 55 11/07/2011 11:28:46

A Blue Light Behind The Iron Curtain

An Uplifting Conversation with Magda Piskorczyk and Brian Kramer; BK: When we met in Stockholm almost exactly one year ago in May 2010, (At Club Stampen) I was very impressed by your passion and energy with the blues.

Can you tell me how a young girl growing up in Poland found her way to this music and what inspired you to follow this path?

MP: Well, you might be surprised (laughs) that for my parents to get tapes with such music wasn’t easy at that time in Poland. We all were behind the Iron Curtain in my country and didn’t know a world outside. But my parents got the chance to play me a lot of gospel, blues, soul, R&B stuff. I remember that when I was around 4 years old, I couldn’t get to sleep without listening to Mahalia Jackson for example. So you simply might say that I grew up with this music.

Nowadays it’s easy to get to know every kind of music and Poland isn’t behind the Iron Curtain anymore. And now Europe, in general, is sort of a Mecca to American artists. They want to come here and play for us ‘cause blues, gospel, jazz etc. is very appreciated and well paid here in Poland, Germany, Sweden, Norway, England and in many other European countries. Many American musicians that I have a chance to meet say that they love to play in Poland for example ‘cause people there care about this music and also say that they as musicians are more respected here in Europe. That love towards blues, jazz, gospel in Europe began way before I was even born...

Blues to me is a very universal music and every folk culture has its own unique roots. Did you find it difficult to bring your own experience and emotion to your idea of “American” music and could you find a thread between your own culture.

Great questions, Thank you.

Not at all, I never had such ideas like “American” music. I always listen to the music by my heart. I listen to lyrics very carefully. I listen to the story which is told through the music. That is why I change traditional music sometimes according to myself. I change lyrics to tell my story. I think about what I sing; when I sing sad blues I’m sad, when I sing gospel I pray. That’s what I did in Club Stampen where we met. Gospel songs were inspired on the fly and we prayed together with all the people there, right? You joined me on stage as well. I always change something during concert according to people who listen. So I believe that I tell everybody’s story, not only an “American” one. And to be honest I see blues more like African-American music deeply connected to the African roots not American itself only. And I feel a deep connection to the African music as well. According to Polish folk, if you listen to some old recordings (recorded by A. Bienkowski a Polish Alan Lomax) of polish folk where people are singing their stories you can hear this way of singing, this lamentation and joy which you can find in old African-American blues and gospel. But this is searching for technical (way of singing, playing chords etc.) similarities. I never had and never will have such thoughts like; shall I sing this African- American blues or African, Turkish, Spanish, Brazilian songs, even when I’m Polish? When I feel to do so I simply will. I remember one situation when my band and I we played this African song Mansani Cisse in some small town in Poland. In the audience there was a man from Senegal. He came to me after the concert showing his heart with his hand and saying: “I felt like home when you sang that. I had a feeling as if it was some lady from my village singing”. I followed my heart and wanted to sing this song. And when I play blues, gospel, soul or any other so-called “American music” I feel that this is where I belong.

Was there a point in your early development when you heard a specific roots artist live that made you realize this was what you wanted to be doing and discovering?

Anyone you admire that was travelling through your home-town...

Not really... I can’t remember any one specific person from my childhood. And as I said when I was a child, Poland was behind the Iron Curtain and it was really hard to see all these great blues or jazz musicians. Besides I think I was too young to go to concerts at that time (laughs). But I do remember that when I listened to the blues as a teenager and wanted to sing some blues things, I listened to men mostly. As you know my voice is kinda low (laugh) so it was pretty hard for me to sing with women, especially that their voices were quite high, but there are two artists that I remember from my childhood though, Staple Singers and wonderful Mahalia Jackson. Once when I was somewhere I had heard Eric Bibb’s Good Stuff CD with all this swing, beautiful shuffle in it and all these great voices singing all together with Eric Bibb. I remember me saying “What is that?! Full of energy, groovy acoustics and so, so, so strong”. And you may say that that CD caused me to search for more acoustic blues, and then I discovered Big Bill Bronzy, Elizabeth Cotton, Napoleon Strickland and this sweet and absolutely wonderful Mississippi John Hurt and many more beautiful voices and players and a lots of old good roots blues music. I’m still digging into Library of Congress archives and Lomax’s recordings. It’s good to do so cause after you listen to all these beautiful artists, your life as a musician and human being in general simply changes.

Oh, wait! I do remember such situations you’re talking about. There were singers I remember who made me cry, laugh, shout, and dance at their concerts; Lottie Lewis, Jean Shy and Janice Harrington to name a few. Lottie is actually the one who made me stick with singing. She told me “Listen child, you have this natural ability to sing jazz, gospel and blues.

Keep on doing it”.

Great questions you ask. Makes me think about my beautiful memories...

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Beautiful to have someone who can encourage you when you’re are trying to figure it all out. That’s what kept me going, even if only one person who we respect comes out and says “you can do it!” it’s powerful...

I remember when you were in Stockholm & your band was setting up the stage we both had a moment to talk and you mentioned that Eric Bibb was an inspiration.

Then I mentioned that we had played together for many years.

Eric helped confirm for me that you don’t have to only focus on the “lowdown” blues to understand where the spirit comes from.

There is just as important a “positive/ photo by Irek Graf uplifting” side to blues that rarely gets explored or used as a main focus.

I find that you also have an ability to inspire people with your music and your physical movements. You had all the ladies at Club Stampen screaming for more that night (and all the guys wishing for something else...).

Do you have this in your mind as a focus or intention; to make people feel good or happy with your performance?

Singing and playing music makes me feel free, makes me feel high. I don’t need any drugs or alcohol to get high you know. And when I sing I feel like I’m overwhelmed with good spirit, with good emotions, that is what I want to share with people who listen to my music. And I also want to share it with my band, who are very important to me. Sure, I want to give people as much as possible from depth of my heart. I want to give them joy, happiness, nostalgia... I want them to feel what I feel when I sing. I always react with the audience. I take my guitar or mic and I go to the people not for making a good show but to see their faces, their eyes, their beautiful smiles. When concert goes on and the audience responds to the feelings I give them, then there is a beautiful circle of good energy between us that start to exist. So you might say that yes, I want people to be the part of the music I create on stage. I want to remove this line between the “artist on stage” and the audience. I want to be as close as possible to the people. From a physical and emotional point of view as well. So that is why I ask people to clap their hands, strike their fingers, I ask them to stand up and sing or shout with me for example.

And I’m not doing it to satisfy myself but simply I do it for them so they could experience this beautiful freedom which exists in the music.

Do you think that music has the ability to change people’s lives with this in focus?

Music changes my life, makes it richer and full. I remember one man who I met after a concert. He told me: “Listen, maybe it does not matter for you but I want to say thank you. I was addicted to drugs and alcohol for a long time.” And he told me story of his life and then he also said “You don’t even realize that your music took my heart, made me stronger and I survived, I changed my life completely.” I was shocked and happy at the same time. Or there was a lady saying that I took her pain and depression away. That’s beautiful. That this thing I see normal like my singing is so important to the people. It amazes me every time I’m on the stage or when I meet people after the concert.

An interviewer once asked me; if I could play music with one of my idols, who would it be? I said Taj Mahal because he was always representative of someone who had a vision of how to keep roots music in the present and contribute something unique and lasting toward the future, but still was firmly grounded in the history and roots.

A few years later I actually got the opportunity to play and record with Taj, one of the most memorable highlights of my music journey! I will ask you the same; who would you like to play/record with that you greatly admire as an artist and why?

Yeah, I remember meeting Taj Mahal when I had a TV interview with him. Although he didn’t have much time (that’s what his manager told at the beginning at least [laughs]) we had a long, long and very interesting conversation about roots and African music. Do I have idols I would like to perform with? Hmm, I have to be honest that when I started my music journey as a musician on stage I never thought this way that it would be awesome to perform with that music star or with the other. I never had such dreams. But I have to admit that I am a very lucky person and I do have some opportunities to play with great musicians thanks to God’s will. I do believe in destiny and in the fact that He prepared a life path for each of us. To give you some examples, I listened to Seckou Keita, beautiful kora player, wonderful singer a lot and one day my friends from Konoba band (the band where I play kenkeni drum, bass guitar and sing traditional African music) said “Oh, you know you’re probably gonna sing with Seckou Keita soon”, and I did. These were absolutely marvelous moments we shared together on stage.

Another time I had a wonderful chance to sing with Bob Margolin when he visited Europe or to play with Bob Brozman when he performed at the Trnava Dobrofest Festival. Who you’re gonna meet in your life, you’re gonna meet them sooner or later… or never. There are so many beautiful musicians in the world that I’m sure I would have great pleasure to play with. But I also have this thought on my mind that if I meet them personally and it turns out that they are not good and kind people, no matter how big and great a musician it would be, I wouldn’t have this drive and will to play with them. First you

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need to meet the person, then the musician. Do you know what I mean? I don’t want to collect names that I played with.

It’s maybe good for marketing but not for me as a human being, you know.

I feel the same. At this point in my musical life I mostly want to play with good people who can engage in a fascinating conversation through the music. So, what’s next for Magda Piskorczyk? Travels? Recordings?

I’m working on another live CD that I recorded at Satyrblues Festival altogether with my band and great harmonica player and singer Billy Gibson. This is my third live CD and you might ask “Why another live CD?”, ‘cause true live recording shows the whole truth about a musician. So that is why I release tracks without any corrections of mistakes that sometimes happen during the concert. Of course I do mixing and mastering to get a good sound but I never make changes or record something once again in the studio. That is how bands do quite often. They go to studio and record vocal lines over again, guitar solos…

And then you have a great but somehow artificial live recording. Sad but true. And there is another reason, the most important I think, for releasing live recordings. Simply, the audience wants to take the same concert energy back home with them. They want to have sort of a remembrance from the concert they’ve been to. It is a very common question coming from the audience - “Do you have this or that on your CD” And “Is it so live and powerful as it was during the concert?”

But of course I record in a studio as well. But I want to do studio recording as live as possible. This is what I did with Blues Travelling. We recorded it like 100% live in the studio. So that is how I’m gonna do a gospel recording soon. I can’t imagine making blues studio recordings by cutting, pasting and all. Probably when this interview appears, I’ll be sitting in the studio singing beautiful gospel songs altogether with my wonderful band. Aleksandra Siemieniuk plays dobro and electric guitar, Adam Rozenman plays percussion. You met them both in Stampen. And there’s also Grzegorz, Bartek, drums and Roman on double bass. And there’s also choir singing. Then we’ll all have a gospel CD tour in Poland and abroad. There are also lots of other ideas in my head. But I do hope I will live long enough to fulfill all my dreams and ideas I have.

Well Magda this has been a real pleasure and I think the readers of Blues Matters! will get a very personal and deep look inside not just your music, but what drives you.

The Blues and Roots music has many faces and colors now; it has crossed all boundaries & affected people’s lives world-wide.

We may all come from different cultures and backgrounds, but the language of the blues is becoming more and more international & you are living proof that the true spirit of the music is in its intention and love of the way it make ourselves and others feel.

I work a lot with young people; teenagers and I notice more and more of them are finding value in this music the way we did when we were a bit younger.

It’s a tough field and a hard road to travel. How would you encourage a young teenager who has potential and was showing an interest in becoming a performer in the blues/roots field?

Brian, it was nice talking to you too. What would I advise young people?

Well, I’m quite young myself and the thing I always remember most is that; the only way in your life is to be yourself. No matter what you do, be yourself. Try to work on yourself, find a way to your heart, that’s the key for me. You have been given a talent and work on that but talent itself is a tiny part of what you might get from the music. The rest is a beautiful but hard work.

Very important thing in the music is music itself, the emotions you put into it, the story you tell. Don’t let the show go before the music! It happens very often nowadays. And I’m not talking only about pop music, you know. It’s really sad for me when I see such musicians pretend being someone else. I do remember one wonderful guy in Memphis who has played on Beal Street for years and he doesn’t want to go anywhere else. Although he had many invitations to festivals, he has his own spot where he tells his blues to the people and he feels good with it.

So be patient with your work, don’t take anything for granted, be kind to others and yourself as well, be honest with what you’re doing in the music and the story you tell. Follow your heart.

photo of Magda and Bob Margolin

by Irek Graf

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Duncan Beattie - Routes their way to the limelight In the space of a few months Vintage Trouble have come from being an unknown entity in the UK to the band everybody’s talking about. This feat is even more impressive when you consider the band was formed only in February 2010. Formed by charismatic and soulful vocalist Ty Taylor and blues inspired guitarist Nalle Colt, their line-up is completed by a rhythm section that can roll as well as rock, Rick Barrio Dill on bass and drummer Richard Danielson. Drawn together by their love of the evolutionary period in music of the late 1950s and early 1960s, they started to rehearse in the fabled musical environment off Laurel Canyon. Within a very short time they’d started performing local late night speakeasies and recorded their debut album, “The Bomb Shelter Sessions”. Before long they’d both been taken under the management of the legendary Doc McGhee (Bon Jovi, James Brown, Motley Crue, Guns N’ Roses) and scored a Honda TV commercial. The band first arrived in the UK in early 2011 to play a few shows before returning in April to perform on ‘Later... with Jools Holland’. Many who tuned into watch Hugh Laurie’s Blues inspired musical debut were blown away by Vintage Trouble’s stunning performances of ‘Blues Hand Me Down’ and ‘Nancy Lee.’ Following its broadcast they immediately became an internet sensation; that day being the 6th most trending topic on Twitter and the bestselling digital album on Amazon UK. With influences ranging from Otis Redding to The Black Keys, Albert King to Prince, Ike and Tina Turner to Led Zeppelin, Vintage Trouble’s music has struck a chord with the British public. It has both exposed people unfamiliar with the genres of Blues, rock n roll and true rhythm & blues and transcending the boundaries between them. As the official release of “The Bomb Shelter Sessions” approaches, they appear primed for a commercial breakthrough. Recent months have seen Vintage Trouble perform their own headline shows through ITB worldwide (which books the likes of Aerosmith, Lenny Kravitz and Jamiroquai), tour the theatres by invitation of Brian May and subsequently the stadiums in support to Bon Jovi. It was within the first of these stadiums where I spoke to the band ahead of festival appearances including Hard Rock Calling at Hyde Park, Radio 1’s Big Weekend and Wireless. Together we discussed their combined careers to date, their musical philosophy, and of course whether Taylor’s papa really was a Bluesman.

Quote from Richard: “I’ve heard of Blues Matters! It’s a similar size to Reader Digest right? It’s a cool magazine.

It’s a great title which has several meanings, the Blues does matter.”

DB: It is indeed. You formed Vintage Trouble in February 2010, how did meet and come together?

Ty: Nalle and I have known each other about 14 years and played together in our previous band, Dakota Moon. We’d decided we wanted to do something different. I’d met Rick several years before at the jam circuit, he’d moved to Nashville, but we persuaded him to move back to LA. I’d also met Richard before, so phoned to ask if he’d join us.

Richard: When Ty asked I said I’d do it, and that’s why I’m here now.

Tell me about those early days. You started gigging and recorded “The Bomb Shelter Sessions” very soon after the formation of the band.

Ty: It all seems to come in threes. After three weeks together we played our first gig, after three months together we recorded our album, which we recorded in three days. We’d gone in intending to make a demo; instead we came out with a full album. There are very few bands that have done so much in such a short time; some bands do not start doing shows for months.

Back then our first gig was so exciting. We were determined to do it right, and not the way we’d all worked in previous bands. We were keen to build up in LA so we decided to set up residencies. The first of these we got in the Harvelles Blues Club, Santa Monica. People started coming and we looked to get residencies in each part of town and make it easier for people to know where we are. We wanted it to be more a party than a concert. Playing 4-5 times a week we became the hosts of the party.

Richard: That’s when our followers “The Trouble Makers” emerged. It created a community and we felt that socially and spiritually these people were connecting, that we were breaking down walls. With our music we live on the edge. At normal shows we never make a set list and only rehearse what we feel we need to.

Ty: We feed off each other; it’s about the feel, the old school soul feeling, and improvising, as in the blues. It’s less important to be right, more important to be together. In Oswestry at a recent show the power went out during the show so we performed a spiritual style acapella that we’d recently written. The power came back on for the chorus, just at the right time!

Nalle: Our musical approach was to go basic; too many bands get caught up in the studio world. It was our dream to create something real, record caught in the moment, the way music used to be recorded. Keep it plain and simple. We wanted to be us on record and us live. We did not want to create a split, a sound that we could not play live. So we didn’t use horns, keyboards or backing vocals that would could not create live without the push of a button.

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photo by Mick Hutson

LtoR Richard Danielson,Ty Tylor,Rick Barrio Dill & Nalle Colt.

You are managed by legendary band manager Doc McGhee, how did this come about?

Ty: We’d just got our second residency in this bar which had a 1930s style Harlem feel. Over the weeks they built a stage for us, and then cleared away some of the tables.

Nalle: Back on our first night we did not have a PA and Ty had to sing through the guitar amp.

Ty: That evening Doc’s friend Leslie came to see us. He recommended us to Doc McGhee who then he came to see us and signed us up. The very same evening the guy casted us for the Honda commercial saw us too. Early on there were a lot of people who clearly believed in us, which helped make us feel we’d made the right decisions musically.

You’ve been quoted as describing the band’s sound as soul music with the balls of late ’60s/early ’70s rock ‘n’ roll.

Ty: That’s not quite how we said it; many of our influences also come from the music of the 1950s.

Nalle: The period 1955-1960 was so important, when music changed so much. So our influences include Chuck Berry…

Ty: Ike and Tina Turner, the recordings from Stax and Motown. Also later artists like Led Zeppelin, where effects started being used in music.

Nalle: Yet then the effects became too dominant in music, to the stage where they came before the music. Now with much modern music you have a computer that decides the rhythm and timing. It makes sterile music.

Richard: In music played by humans there will always be tempo changes, you’re never completely playing in time. When we play we want the music to breath, that’s present in the music we listen to and we’re aiming for that in our own music.

Ty: It originates through the music we’ve been inspired by, the original rhythm and blues, soul, the Blues. There’s a sense we’ve become ‘torch bearers’. Two generations who have not been exposed to the classic music of the 1950s and 1960s have been experiencing that through us.

Richard: So we get to affect other people in the way that this music did to us. This affects people in a subconscious way, at an emotional level even if they can’t define it.

Ty: When we put on music before the show we include Son House’s John The Revelator. It’s him singing, clapping and stamping to demonstrate what makes great music, it’s simply the melody and the passion.

For such a newly formed American band, it is perhaps surprising that you’ve largely spent this year so far in the UK, why is this?

Ty: We’d always planned from the beginning to come over to the UK. It was always an ambition of ours to do so. It seems all the US acts that have had success have come here, Tracy Chapman, Jimi Hendrix, the Chess, Stax and Motown artists. We played a few shows in February and then been here since April. We really love it here and it’s been a great experience. So many people here enjoy our sound; we’ve found here people don’t get stuck into categorising music so much. We’ve already started calling Camden home!

Many in the UK will have first heard about you from your appearance on Jools Holland in April. It seems your progress in the UK has really taken off since then...

Ty: We’d heard of and seen the show. Well except Nalle and he’s the European (Swede) of the band! McGhee’s business

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associate Danny Francis said we’d have to do the show. We knew it would be important. When we arrived and there was KD Lang and Hugh Laurie we knew we’d have to be on our game. It’s not like the shows in the USA where you might have a movie star, a comedian and a band; you can’t fool your fellow musicians.

Nalle: Thankfully we’ve got the experience of a 5 year old band so we could cope. Yet I remember vividly the nerves of the countdown!

Ty: I really hope other bands can get the same exposure. The show helped our profile, I like to think of our progress as a snowball rolling downhill, the show was perhaps a catapult, but to be honest it’s always seemed like it’s on track. It feels like a big force, unstoppable. In a way though, the show was of no more importance than working out the bridge on ‘Nobody Told Me’ at Richard’s house.

In addition to your own shows, you’ve supported Brian May and Bon Jovi. How have these shows gone?

Nalle: There’s been an overwhelming reaction so far.

Rick: I was anesthetised last night due to a problems with my eye and I’ve felt ill all day, but I don’t know whether it was the adrenaline kicking in, but I felt great up on that stage before that crowd. We just played to 20,000 and it sounded great!

Richard: The theatre shows were a new experience for us and we’ve had to adapt to that; to the challenge of going into any sized room and entertaining the people there.

Ty: And Brian May was so supportive to us and he chose us from so many bands.

The album has been highly awaited in the UK where it is released on 25th July, why the delay?

Nalle: Until now the CD was self-released, now we’ve got a proper distributor, so currently it’s not available. It’s getting barcoded and re-released on 25th July. There will be a second disc with 5 extra songs including a live track.

Ty: We’ve got a release party at the Jazz Café in London.

The blues influence is there on songs like ‘You’d Better Believe’ and ‘Run Outta You’...

Ty: On ‘Run Outta You’ I step back and let Nalle take over. Sometimes vocals cannot express the full emotion of a song, and that song really needed it. The emotion can often come through in the notes behind the vocals; it’s there for example on Otis Redding’s songs.

Richard: The end of that song was totally improved, we’d not discussed it beforehand.

Nalle: Again it’s something we found on the music we love. We prefer Stax to Motown which was more formulaic. There’s more instrumentation, like Booker T & The MGs. Booker plays organ but he’s a big influence, and has influenced my playing.

Ty: You can hear Nalle plays the places where you’d hear a piano or a horn section and the rhythm guitar parts too.

Nalle: I can only do that with a great rhythm section behind me.

You sing “Papa was a blues man, gave me the blues hand me down”. Can you tell me a little about your father and his influence?

Ty: He was not a musician, he was a construction worker but he lived the life of a bluesman. He spent his time loving, drinking and cheating and made no excuses for the way he was. Like a blues man he took joy from struggle. Vintage Trouble takes their name from him. He dressed like a blues man too; I wear some of his clothes.

I believe you’ve recorded your second album, does it differ from the ‘Bomb Shelter Sessions?’

Rick: Yes, we’ve started on songs for the third.

Ty: We’ve been recording here and there.

Nalle: This included recording at Abbey Road studios, which was a boy’s dream.

Ty: Some of these recordings should surface later this year. We’ve not changed so much as expanded. There are a couple of Latin style songs, yet there have always been rumbas in soul. It feels like we have grown up together. The last few months we’ve spent fully in each other’s company, everyone has a voice and a strong personality. Even in hotels where we’ve had adjoining rooms we’ve spoken through the open doors.

And your ambitions?

Ty: Our ambitions are simply to keep doing more shows, festivals and keep making our music together.

“…great voice, great words, in fact great everything” Bill Smith: Blues in Britain / UK

“Let the Sunshine In’ admirably lives up to its optimistic title on a rock-blues journey that showcases both Marcus’s peerless vocal style and his engaging song writing ability.”

Pete Feenstra: www.getreadytorock.com

NEW ALBUM: Redline Music RLB1812 Distributed by Cadiz Music Ltd/London UK

booking info: mike@movinmusic.co.uk

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Part 1 - by Michael Messer

The story of slide guitar has been told many times, but because of partisan opinions and the fact that so much gets lost in the mists of time, there is some confusion about where it came from and how it became part of the African-American Blues musicians repertoire in the early part of the 20th century.

I have been playing and studying the subject of slide guitar for nearly four decades and my journey of discovery has taken me from Blues and Rock into Country, Folk, Western Swing, Bluegrass, Hawaiian, African, Indian, Celtic and a few other places on the way.

I am not saying that I know all the answers about its history, but I have formed some opinions and made some interesting discoveries along the way. For this series of articles in Blues Matters I will focus on slide guitar in the Blues. The first article is about the early pre-war players, the second will deal with post-war players and because of where we are and who we are, the third will focus on Blues slide guitar in Britain.

There is a whole school of thought that talks about the roots of Blues slide guitar coming from various one string African diddley bow type instruments that arrived in America with the slaves. These instruments (sometimes called a Jitterbug) are usually crude homemade one string children’s instruments made by fixing bailing wire between two screws on a board, or against the side of a shack for resonance. They were played by plucking the wire with one hand and sliding a bottle, a piece of metal or a bone up and down the string to change the pitch.

While there is unquestionable evidence that the roots of the blues are in African music, there is very little evidence, apart from stories told by explorers who went to West Africa, to support the theory that slide guitar comes from Africa. The diddley bow is a much smaller part of the story than it has been credited for. Sliding an object up and down a string to change its pitch may have come into America from both Africa and Hawaii, but I believe the Hawaiian influence to be the most important.

There is however, a lot of evidence that supports the theory that slide guitar came into American culture from India via the Hawaiian Islands. In India there is evidence of polished stone slides being used on open tuned stringed instruments played lap-style like Hawaiian steel guitar, dating back thousands of years. There is a story that in the 1890s an Indian

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musician, Davion, who played slide on a Gottuvadyam (Indian lap steel instrument), travelled to Hawaii to perform for the royal family, but due to a storm at sea, the ship he was travelling on was damaged and his instrument was destroyed, so he borrowed a guitar to do his concerts. There are other theories about how slide guitar may have started in Hawaii, but this to me is the most logical and believable. Indian musicians were using open tunings on their traditional instruments and in Hawaii, Mexican cowboys working the cattle farms played guitars in open Spanish tuning. All these elements were brought together in the latter part of the 19th century by the first Hawaiian guitarists and to cut a long story short, Hawaiian Steel Guitar was born. (The term ‘Steel’ does not refer to the body of the guitar, but is the name of the tool used to play the instrument).

It is true that many of the early blues slide players learnt their first tunes on one string diddley bows, but whether that instrument actually does have its roots in Africa is not really known.

The first written evidence of anybody hearing blues slide guitar is from the great composer, W.C. Handy, who in 1903, while waiting for a train at Tutwiler railroad station in Mississippi, first heard an African-American musician “playing guitar with a knife as popularized by Hawaiian musicians”. Handy had spent a lot of time in Mississippi studying the music and the culture and he referred to this style as being of Hawaiian origin, not of African origin.

During the first part of the 20th century, Hawaiian steel guitar became very popular in mainland USA and the style of playing was picked up by both African-American and European-American musicians. European-American musicians mostly played it in the Spanish tuning Hawaiian-style on their lap and keeping very close to the Hawaiian sound, adapted it to fit into Country, Folk and Pop music. African-American musicians, also in the early days played mostly lap-style like the Hawaiians, but more often in the Sebastopol tuning and used it to accompany their songs as a solo instrument that was capable of echoing the melody of the vocal on the top string while holding a rhythm on the bottom strings.

By the time we hear the first recordings of Blues slide guitar in the early 1920s, it has already started to become more sophisticated than just a simple one string-style accompaniment instrument. I believe this sophistication comes from hearing Hawaiian steel players and not from a primitive one string diddley bow.

The first recording by an African-American of blues slide guitar was made in New York City in 1923 by a musician from Louisville, Kentucky, named Sylvester Weaver. Weaver was in New York recording with singer, Sara Martin, and while he was there he did a solo session and recorded two instrumental masterpieces, ‘Guitar Blues’ and ‘Guitar Rag’. ‘Guitar Blues’ is a classic Blues played Hawaiian lap-style in Sebastopol tuning and uses all six strings to play the melody.

Based on a piano rag, ‘Guitar Rag’ is played Hawaiian lap-style using four chords and the slide on all six strings. These recordings are far from being primitive and draw more from Hawaiian steel playing than from a one string diddley bow.

Weaver recorded the tune again in 1927 and it was this recording that was ‘borrowed’ and slightly renamed by Leon McAuliffe of Bob Wills & the Texas Playboys and became an enormous hit. ‘Steel Guitar Rag’ is one of the staples of the Western Swing and pedal steel guitar repertoire.

The story of blues slide guitar really gets going with two people who recorded in the 1920s; Charley Patton from Mississippi and Blind Willie Johnson from Texas. Both musicians in my opinion, apart from some occasional and very important exceptions which I will talk about later, form the basis of everything that was to follow. Patton played in both Sebastopol and Spanish tunings and from my research I believe he played slide in both regular guitar position and Hawaiian lap-style. His Spanish tuning songs draw a lot in their approach to playing licks and melodies from Hawaiian steel guitar, whereas many of his Sebastopol tunes are played in a style closer to the one string diddley bow approach.

However, in one of Patton’s tunes, ‘Spoonful’, he plays in Sebastopol, a ragtime progression with more of a Hawaiian approach that is very similar to Weaver’s ‘Guitar Rag’. There is no proof, but I believe Patton may have heard Weaver’s recordings. Patton’s repertoire of slide guitar tunes is one of the most important and influential in the history of the instrument. Charley Patton influenced Son House and Robert Johnson, who in turn influenced Muddy Waters, Eric Clapton and countless blues and rock musicians.

Blind Willie Johnson played slide guitar held in the regular guitar position in the Sebastopol tuning to accompany his repertoire of Spiritual songs. Whether he played with a knife or a bottleneck is not known, but he had incredible accuracy, tonal control and vibrato when playing melodies with the slide. Most unusual in Western players, especially back in the 20s, was his use of quarter-tones in his melodies and slide runs. His playing probably draws more from the one string diddley bow approach than it does from Hawaiian steel.

Blind Willie Johnson recorded 15 or so slide guitar Spirituals that have become the definitive textbook or bible for playing slide in Sebastopol tuning. Blind Willie Johnson and Charley Patton played their Sebastopol tuning songs in a very similar style to each other. As Johnson first recorded in 1927, it is possible that he influenced Patton who

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was first recorded playing in this style in 1929. Like Patton, Blind Willie Johnson has influenced so many players that it would be impossible to list them all, but some names include Blind Willie McTell, Mississippi Fred McDowell, Kokomo Arnold, Ry Cooder and Chris Rea. Blind Willie Johnson’s most important contribution to 20th century history is that his recording of the baptist hymn, ‘Dark was the Night, Cold was the Ground’ was included as ‘an example of human achievements in art’ on the Voyager spacecraft interstellar mission in 1977. Ry Cooder, who based his soundtrack to the movie, Paris, Texas on “Dark Was the Night, Cold Was the Ground”, described it as “the most soulful, transcendent piece in all American music.”

The most famous of the early blues slide players and although not an originator like Charley Patton, Son House & Willie Johnson, is the most influential Blues musician of all time, Robert Johnson.

Johnson was a master musician and he had a tone and touch with a slide that has never been equalled. He played slide in both Spanish and Sebastopol tunings and he was influenced by music from all over the southern states and not just from his locality, as with earlier musicians. Johnson’s slide guitar songs were based on works

by Charley Patton, Hambone Willie Newbern, Son House and Kokomo Arnold. Contrary to popular opinion, I think that Johnson’s ‘Preaching Blues’ draws more as a slide guitar tour-de-force from Kokomo Arnold than it does from Son House.

This does make sense as we know that Johnson based two of his songs ‘Sweet Home Chicago’ and ‘Milkcow Calf’s Blues’ on Arnold’s work. Robert Johnson’s repertoire of slide guitar recordings are definitive and form a large part of the well that every slide player since then has drawn influences from. While the slide playing on ‘Preaching Blues’ in Sebastopol tuning has a distinct diddley bow approach, all but two of Johnson’s slide guitar Blues songs draw more from the Hawaiian style in Spanish tuning than from the diddley bow.

It is impossible in these articles I am writing to include and talk about every important Blues slide player, so at this point I will briefly mention four important early players...

Son House, from Mississippi, was born in 1902 and he played slide guitar in a similar style to his friends, Charley Patton and Robert Johnson. Son House cut some definitive Blues records in two early sessions; one in 1930 for Paramount and one in 1942 for the Library of Congress. In these recordings, the young Son House was easily the equal of his friends, Patton & Johnson. Son House was Muddy Waters’ biggest influence, but it is mostly for his 1960s recordings that I will talk about in the next part of this series, that Son House is so well known and respected.

Kokomo Arnold, from Georgia, made his first recordings in Memphis in 1930 and later in the 30s became an important musician on the Chicago Blues scene. Arnold played in both Spanish and Sebastopol tunings and played hard-edged juke joint Blues on slide guitar with incredible technical wizardry, accuracy and speed. Arnold was interviewed a few times in the 1960s, but sadly he never talked about his guitar playing techniques, so we have no idea about how this incredible slide guitarist, one of the greatest slide players ever, actually played. We don’t know if he played regular or Hawaiian lapstyle with a bottle or a knife and as a left-handed guitarist, whether he restrung, or played upside-down guitars. Of all the masters of the Blues slide guitar, Kokomo Arnold’s style is without question the most difficult to approach and ironically, is the one that we have the least knowledge about.

Blind Willie McTell from Georgia, played 6 and 12 string guitars and recorded some incredible slide guitar Blues and Spirituals. He played in the regular bottleneck style in Spanish and Sebastopol tunings and his repertoire of slide guitar tunes contains some of the most beautiful slide guitar Blues and Spirituals ever recorded. Although McTell’s melodies and some of his songs played in Sebastopol tuning draw from the Blind Willie Johnson approach, I believe there is much more of a Hawaiian steel guitar influence in his playing and for me that is evident in the sweetness of his tone and in his use of Spanish tuning.

Hambone Willie Newbern from Tennessee, was born in 1899 and his contribution to the history of slide guitar cannot be underestimated. In 1929, Newbern recorded a song that he called ‘Roll & Tumble Blues’. This recording is so important

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because even more than Patton’s Spanish-tuned slide guitar repertoire, it forms the basis of two of Robert Johnson’s recordings and was where Muddy Waters’ ‘Rolling & Tumbling’ was drawn from.

Muddy Waters was born in Mississippi in 1913 and learned most of his acoustic slide guitar chops from local musicians, Son House, Robert Johnson and Charley Patton. Muddy Waters was first recorded by Alan Lomax on Stovall’s Plantation in 1941. On that first session Muddy recorded ‘I Be’s Troubled’ and ‘Country Blues’ in Spanish tuning. A few months later in 1942 Lomax returned to record Muddy again, this time he recorded a duet with Charles Berry on second slide guitar.

The duet of two slide guitars in Spanish tuning, (one National guitar and one acoustic) on ‘I Be Bound To Write To You’, is unique and beautiful in the way the two slide guitars respond to each other. Also on that session he recorded three songs in Sebastopol tuning - ‘You Got To Take Sick & Die Some of These Days’, ‘Why Don’t You Live So God Can Use You’ and ‘You Gonna Miss Me When I’m Gone”, the last of which contains elements in the playing that Muddy brought to the fore in stinging guitar solos on his electric Chicago recordings. Muddy Waters is most famous for his Chicago recordings on electric guitar with Aristocrat & Chess, but there is no question that his mastery of acoustic Mississippi Delta Blues slide guitar was equal to that of his peers.

This is not the story of Muddy Waters, so I will leave him for the time being and talk about Chicago in the 1930s, which in terms of slide guitar, was a hive of activity. As well as the Blues players, there were a handful of slide players in Chicago in the 30s that I believe may have had more of an influence on the music of Chicago than they are credited for. Historians credit Tampa Red and Kokomo Arnold as being the most important slide players in Chicago in the late 20s and 30s and that they were the major influences on the music of the great Elmore James and electric Chicago Blues, but I believe there is more to this period in Chicago slide guitar than Blues historians might be aware of. As well as Tampa Red and Kokomo Arnold, who were both masters of slide guitar and who of course did leave their mark on Elmore James and Chicago Blues as a whole, there was a slide guitarist whose mastery of the instrument and whose influence on electric Chicago Blues is underestimated. The musician I am talking about is the African-American Blues musician, Casey Bill Weldon, who moved from Arkansas to Chicago sometime in the 20s and at one time was married to Memphis Minnie. Weldon played slide guitar Hawaiian-style on National guitars and was billed as the ‘Hawaiian Guitar Wizard’. He played mostly in Spanish tuning and his playing style is heavily influenced by Hawaiian steel guitar. He led a big band (that sometimes included Tampa Red on rhythm guitar) and approached his hard-edged house-rocking Blues in a way that no other player, as far as I know, had done before. The slide guitar weaves around the voice and the band hold down heavy dance grooves, creating an energy that is possibly more Rock & Roll than it is Blues. Weldon’s slide guitar licks and the way that he places them around the voice are the nearest thing I can find to Elmore James. James is more Delta-sounding than Weldon and did adapt and cover some of Tampa Red, Robert Johnson and Kokomo Arnold’s songs, but the Weldon licks and the phrasing are there.

Hawaiian steel guitar was very fashionable in the 1930s and one of Chicago’s most notorious figures, Al Capone, was a big fan. Capone hired Hawaiian bands to play in his clubs and at private parties - and even to play behind a curtain in his boudoir while he wooed the dames! One of the musicians he brought to Chicago to work for him was the Brazilian Hawaiian steel guitarist, Ralph Kolsiana, who became a well known musician on the Chicago scene during the 30s.

Another steel guitarist Capone hired to play in some of his clubs was the legendary Dobro player, Bashful Brother Oswald, who at the time was an unknown jobbing Hawaiian guitarist. Also in Chicago in the 30s, broadcasting a radio show every week were the incredible Hawaiian steel guitar duo, Jim & Bob. Bob Pauole was one of the greatest Hawaiian steel guitarists ever; he played a National guitar and along with his musical partner Jim Holstein, recorded some of the most beautiful and sometimes very bluesy guitar duets of all time. I believe it is quite possible that Casey Bill Weldon was influenced directly by these Chicago-based Hawaiian players, from hearing them on the radio and maybe seeing them play in clubs. We will never know, but it could answer the question about Casey Bill Weldon, why he played in the Hawaiian style and how he learnt it. I believe there was a lot of cross-pollination happening and that all these musicians playing slide guitar in various styles, influenced each other.

In the next article in this series about slide guitar in the Blues, I will talk about the post-war players - Muddy Waters, Elmore James, Robert Nighthawk, the Rolling Stones, Johnny Winter, Canned Heat, Lowell George, Ry Cooder, Eric Clapton and many more.......

FOOTNOTE: The names of the tunings - Spanish, is any tuning with the same intervals as open G tuning, DGDGBD. Sebastopol (sometimes written as Vastopol & Vesterpol), is any tuning with the same intervals as open D tuning, DADF#AD. These names became popular because in 1860 the composer, Henry Worrall, published two guitar instrumentals, the first was called ‘Spanish Fandango’ and was to be played in open G tuning and the second ‘Sebastopol’ was to be played in open D tuning. The sheet music for these instrumentals was so popular that it found its way into almost every guitar case in the land. As time went by people started referring to the tunings, not as open G & D type tunings, but as Spanish & Sebastopol.www.michaelmesser.co.uk

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Paul Rodgers & Dino Batiste

Way down South on the savannahs of Kent, where the River Crane starts its long journey to the Medway Delta, and white-painted clapboard houses cluster around the Union Mill, the sound of the Blues can sometimes be heard drifting out across the vineyards and apple plantations.

Yup, the Cranbrook School Performing Arts Centre is playing host to another Mojo Weekend organised by Rightnote Coaching.

I first came across the Mojo Weekends when I sold a couple of bass cabinets to co-founder Josh Jewsbury.

Any initial reluctance to take part was swept away

by Josh’s passion for music and obvious skill as a tutor. That and the fact that he wouldn’t take no for an answer!

Mojo Weekends started in 2010 when guitar and bass player Josh Jewsbury and Drumsense drum teacher David Driver, who had both been part of the team that had run Blues events at Cranbrook School between 2007 and 2009, decided they wanted to move on and create something a little different. A passion for the Blues and the feeling that music should be inclusive provided the spark for their new idea. Recognising that many Blues based musical events are heavily geared towards individual instruments, notably guitars, they saw the need for a more inclusive event where drums, bass, keys, horns and vocals would all have the opportunity for individual coaching and the chance to play with other musicians.

Acknowledging that, talented though they are, they needed additional players to help teach and mentor the participants, they recruited friend and keyboard virtuoso Dino Baptiste together with guitarist Richard Studholme and legendary bass player Jim Leverton from ‘Blue Devils’. Josh and Richard go back many years as friends and collaborators, while Jim has a pedigree that reaches back to Steve Marriot and Humble Pie and forwards to Caravan’s tour this autumn, not to mention playing more Blues than most people can fit into a career.

David and Josh had also identified that there were a lot of people who had played music in their teens and early twenties but had put their instruments in the attic while they devoted their time to careers and young families. There were also a surprising number of people who had, in their forties and fifties, decided to realise their dream and take up an instrument, often from a standing start.

What both sorts of players lacked, though, was experience of playing with other musicians and creating music in a band situation. As anyone who has ever played in a band knows, it is one thing to know the song; it’s another thing to adapt it to all the subtle nuances of other musicians’ interpretations.

So the ethos of the Mojo Weekends was born – play, learn and perform and, most importantly, connect with the pure joy of playing the Blues.

So, what’s it like on a Mojo Weekend?

Since succumbing to Josh’s charms and taking part in a Mojo Weekend last year I was keen to get involved again in May of this year. As someone who had never played anything, apart from air guitar, until my late forties I was more than a little nervous as I lugged my bass into the Performing Arts Centre at Cranbrook School for the first time. I shouldn’t have worried, as I was certainly not the only relative novice at the event. Returning this year was slightly less worrying, as there were several familiar faces among the participants – Mojo Weekends have a habit of drawing people back for more – but there were also new instruments to add into the mix. Last year we had a shy, but very talented, harmonica player while this time we had a couple of keyboard players to augment the guitar, bass and drums. Other weekends have included sax players and vocalists, and Josh and David reckon they can provide an encouraging and productive weekend for just about any returning, or aspiring, musician.

After coffee and biscuits, as participants arrived and we compared notes regarding our relative experience, or lack of it, we went into the main performing room for an introduction by the organisers. Following the obligatory name checks – ‘my name is Bob and I’m a Blues player’ – the team outlined the weekend’s programme. First of all we would be split into bands, based on the information we had supplied earlier about our experience and hopes for the weekend, the idea being that the guitarists of varying experience would be spread around and each band would have a bass player and drummer.

As my band drew the short (or was it the long) straw and didn’t get a keyboard jockey, Jim Leverton (a fine tinkler when he’s not driving his bass) agreed to sit in with us.

Richard then explained that each band would work on a couple of Blues standards from a list of four the tutors had decided upon: Reconsider Baby, Flatfoot Sam, The Thrill Has Gone and Sugar Coated Love. Our band opted for Sugar Coated Love and The Thrill Has Gone, two tunes I hadn’t attempted before.

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Bob Baytersby

Having met our band members we were split up again into individual instrument groups. Richard worked with the solo guitarists, Josh with the rhythm players, David with the drummers and Jim with the bass players, while keyboard player Rick Blears (who just happened to have been John Mayall’s first bass player in another life) sat in with Richard’s group. As I stuck my head into each room I saw new chords being formed by stiff hands and heard tentative lead licks being tried out. Jim had those of us with the missing two strings working on some exercises and trying out various runs and patterns that we could incorporate in the songs we would be playing later.

Towards the end of the morning we regrouped into our bands and made a start on the chosen songs. Surprisingly my lot were rather good, as were the other bands, with stronger players encouraging and bring along the less experienced ones. Several people admitted over lunch that this was the first time they had ever played with anyone else – and that it felt great.

Having enjoyed the excellent hot lunch, supplied by Brian of Raffles Restaurant in Cranbrook, we went back to our bands for some guided performance tuition. I’m not sure what the others got up to, but David gave us a pretty tight drilling in starting and finishing together – tougher than you might think – and adjusting volumes to bring in solos and drop back behind some of the vocals.

After tea came the moment of truth when all three bands came back into the performance room and had a go at what they had been working on. Richard’s band played a tune that wasn’t on the list – well, rules are meant to be broken – and my band and the third one had a crack at the couple of songs we had practised. Not bad, but a work in progress.

Sadly, I had to get home but most of the participants went out to Raffles for a meal and a post-pudding jam. I have no idea what went on, but I gather it was well past midnight when the evening wrapped up.

Sunday morning, after a couple of strong coffees, started with further seminars from the tutors, concentrating on Blues structure. This was followed by a short session from Richard about using, and not using, pedals and effects. Concentrating on reverb, tremolo and echo, he demonstrated how various classic Blues tones could be created. Having suggested that, on balance, the spring reverb in most combos was good for most applications he then showed how, by tweaking the tremolo you could move from T Bone Burnett to Bo Diddley just by turning up, or easing back on the dial. Finally he threw in a bit of echo, recommending analogue over digital.

Having been delayed by traffic Dino Baptiste arrived to present his Masterclass in keyboards, vocals and band performance. Dino, who has a done everything from backing Dana Gillespie to wowing them on the cruise liners set about pulling us all out of our comfort zones. Picking players at random he formed a band and threw something at them that most, if not all, of them had never tried. Which is how I ended up playing a funk bass line to a tune I hardly knew? No rehearsal, just a quick run through and straight in. Absolutely terrifying, but also brilliant as you suddenly realise what you are capable of, and everyone I spoke to thought that Dino’s session was the highlight of the weekend.

After recovering over another excellent lunch we went back to the rehearsal spaces to nail our chosen songs before getting together again for an end of the day concert. Josh and David encourage participants to invite family members to the concert and a fair few came along to be surprised, and sometimes amazed, at how good their partners and dads were.

One band had to play twice as keyboard player Rick Blears’ wife and daughter arrived late, having also been delayed by traffic, but the look on the little girl’s face as her dad took a solo was something to behold.

Chatting over coffee to fellow participants I found that most were there to build their confidence as players and have a chance to play in a band. Several were repeat attendees, and others had come on the recommendation of earlier participants or through learning about the weekend from the internet. For me, the chance to have one-to-one tutorials with a bass player of Jim Leverton’s experience drew me back for a second time – and may have me back again. For others it was Dino, or Richard’s Master classes in solo guitar but we all appreciated the hard work and enthusiasm that Josh and David brought to the proceedings. Everyone had fun, everyone left a better musician and several have gone on to form new bands.

Finally, an enormous thank you to Jill and Celia who provided tea, coffee and biscuits all day and cake on Sunday - what more could a poor boy ask for?

The next Mojo Weekend takes place in Cranbrook on the 22nd and 23rd October 2011.

Further details from www.mojoweekend.co.uk Josh and David also run a Mojo Open Mic at the Highwayman in Horsmonden, Kent, on the last Sunday of every month, where Weekenders and others get their Mojo’s working – everyone welcome.

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Talks from Texas to Christine Moore

Jim Suhler has been playing Texas Blues for longer than he cares to remember, he caught George Thorogood’s eye in around 2004 and has played second lead guitar to him since then. That said he has a great band himself called Monkey Beat who often support George when he is on tour. Jim has toured the UK twice or thrice in the last few years playing Penrith, Burnley and Colne if you enjoyed him at any of these there is another chance to catch him this year as he will play at Carlisle Blues Festival in November. I caught up with him via eMail during his heavy touring schedule in the US. One of the age old questions that you will have been asked a hundred times or more. What kind of music, which artist influenced you, what made you take up guitar?

Originally I was inspired by the Beatles when I was very young (six years old). I was inspired to pick up a guitar after attending a Lynyrd Skynyrd concert in 1975 at age fourteen.

How many guitars do you have? Which is your favourite?

I have twenty five guitars and my favorite is a 1931 National Steel bodied Duolian Resonator. My sentimental fave is a 1975 Fender Stratocaster I play slide on, affectionately known as “stinky” because of it’s battered appearance.

Did you take lessons or is your guitar playing completely self taught?

I took a few lessons when I started playing but have been self taught since then.

You and your band Monkey Beat have been together for how long? Tell me about the band, how they got that name and how you got together?

The name came from older blues musicians calling out for a “monkey beat” at the jam sessions. The band was formed with myself, bassist Carlton Powell & drummer Paul Hollis in 1991.

What are you doing at the moment, are you touring or recording?

I am currently on my summer tour of the USA and Canada.

You and your band have been to the UK a few times now, what is your overall impression of the UK or you most

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lasting memory?

I love visiting the UK; the people are warm and the audiences appreciative. My favorite musical memory of the UK is meeting Jeff Beck at Shepherd’s Bush Empire in London.

Do you have any memorable gigs or stories from the road, perhaps?

None I care to repeat in mixed company!

Have you got any songs you come back to something you always enjoy playing?

Love playing “I just got to know’ written by Jimmy McCracklin, later recorded by Magic Sam. It’s on my first CD ‘Radio Mojo’, released in 1993.

Your last CD was Tijuana Bible which was another great piece of Texas rocking blues. What is your latest project I know you have been working with Vince Converse and Buddy Whittington how is this collaboration panning out, what is in store for Jim Suhler fans?

That CD with Vince and Buddy has been finished since October 2010 and will be released before the end of the year, I promise!

I recording a new Jim Suhler & Monkey Beat CD piecemeal and have four songs in the can. I also am planning an acoustic CD with Jason Elmore, a talented young Texas guitarist.

Do you think Texas Blues is the most popular form of blues?

I’m not sure, but I’m happy to hang my hat on it. You could make an argument for Chicago or West Coast Blues.

Who or what do you listen to when you are relaxing?

Pre world war 2 acoustic blues; Charley Patton, Mississippi John Hurt, Blind Lemon Jefferson, etc.

You also play guitar in the Destroyers, who are George Thorogood’s band, how long have you been playing with him? How did you two get together?

Since January 1999. He heard me playing in a bar in Memphis Tennessee in 1990 and he hooked me up with producer terry manning and took monkey beat on tour many times as an opening act.

Is there anything within the Blues field you would like to achieve?

To honor the existing tradition while trying to push the envelope.

Photos of Jim by Arnie Goodman What if anything gets you frustrated, in your goal for the recognition/love of Blues music?

The general lack of awareness by the masses of the importance of blues.

Penultimate question, when are you next in the UK? November 2011, culminating with a performance at the Carlisle Blues festival.

Do you have anything to say to Blues Matters readers?

Come see our show, I will give you all I’ve got.

Blues Matters!

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– “The Guardians of Groove,” for New Orleans

By Paromita Saha It’s an early June afternoon in New Orleans, and despite the soaring heat, the hustle and bustle of daily life continues for the locals, to a soundtrack of the city’s finest music, courtesy of community radio station WWOZ 90.7, New Orleans Jazz and Heritage station. I am frantically trying to find the station’s headquarters in the French Market, and as I walk up and down Decatur Street in the French Quarter, I can hear WWOZ in every restaurant, office, coffee shop and store.

Occasionally, it’s drowned out by the live music played by the jazz cats on the street, who are likely have played a live show at the WWOZ studios earlier on in the day, thanks to its open door policy for musicians.

Eventually, I am directed to a tall red building on North Peters Streets, which stands behind the French Market. I stumble hot and flustered, into the WWOZ reception on the second floor, to be taken into a studio to make it in time for the next live show, which starts at 2pm. A few minutes after me, a man in his forties, comes in, equally flustered by the heat and sits himself behind the mic. New Orleans jazz musician David Torkanowsky is the host of the Thursday afternoon blues show known as “The Blues Ball.”

“The Blues Ball is a gumbo of all manner of blues.” Torkanowsky explains when I ask him how he would describe the type of blues he plays. “My show tries to embody the notion that the blues is a state of mind, not just a style. We feature New Orleans blues artists as the music was morphing into R&B, Soul and Funk, as well as Mississippi Delta, Kansas City and Chicago Blues.”

Over the next two hours, I am taken on an interesting music journey from Johnny Guitar Watson, R L Burnside (which I request), Johnny Adams to James Booker. In between phone calls with listeners, and being on air, he plays the perfect host, by throwing interesting anecdotes at me, about New Orleans music from, “did you know that because of the humidity in the air, trumpet players have to push harder,” to “how white musicians would risk jail to come to play with black New Orleans musicians.”

Torkanowsky is one of New Orleans renowned musicians who volunteer as regular show hosts along with various individuals who are either involved or simply passionate about the city’s music, as explained by David Freedman who runs the station.

“Our on air staff consists of more than 100 volunteers. No one is told what to play. So, one of our secrets is that our on air sound is really the sound of 100 or so passionate participants in living in the musical culture of New Orleans.”

Indeed, it is this passion that has helped this non-profit community radio station to evolve into an entity that was once Andrew and LFK hailed by Andy Warhol as “the best station in the universe,” to an international beacon for New Orleans music which can be heard worldwide on the Internet, and is now a permanent fixture on the US hit series Treme, which came to UK TV screens earlier this year.

HISTORY OF WWOZ 90.7 In 1976, inspired by the richness of the city’s music scene, Texan brothers Jerry and Walter Brock, set up WWOZ (Wonderful Wizard of Oz) because they felt the city was in need of a community radio station. The film’s famous quote, “Pay no attention to the man behind the curtain,” established the station’s premise that attention should be given to the music content rather than the personalities of the disc jockeys.

After a few years of going through the federal licensing process, WWOZ finally went to air in 1980, broadcasting, as current station manger David Freedman describes, “the twenty or so types of roots music forms associated with the rich cultural traditions of New Orleans, including blues, jazz (traditional and mainstream), brass band, funk, swamp rock, gospel, Zydeco, Cajun, bluegrass, Latin, Brazilian, Caribbean, reggae, bounce, African and other types of world music, hence reflecting the 300-year old heritage of a port city with its veritable pousse café of cultures and ethnicities.”

In the early days, the station set up shop in a rather dilapidated space above the New Orleans music venue Tipitinas, where broadcasts entailed lowering a microphone through a hole in the floorboard to record the live music downstairs. Despite, the station’s initial frugal set up, it attracted full support from

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the city’s renowned artists such as Ernie K-Doe, Earl King, Dave Bartholomew, and Bobby Mitchell, some of whom would eventually host their own shows. In the mid-eighties, the station found a home in Louis Armstrong Park in the heart of city’s historical musical district Treme, however at this point it was also facing financial difficulties. As it was about to go off the air, a deal was brokered with the New Orleans Jazz and Heritage Foundation, the body responsible for the Jazz and Heritage Festival. They agreed to be the guarantor of WWOZ’s future and since then, the foundation has contributed millions of dollars to the station helping it to grow to become an internationally recognized beacon for New Orleans music.

Hurricane Katrina and “Treme.”

The impact of Hurricane Katrina on WWOZ is an important chapter in its story. The station was shut down on the Saturday, just before the hurricane hit, so staff could evacuate the city. Luckily, devoted listeners sent in tapes of shows from over the years, which the WWOZ team played on the Internet.

“There was this belief that, because so much was going to be lost.” Says Dwayne Breashers, the station’s program director and was part of the team who ensured that the WWOZ stayed on air during the crisis.

“WWOZ played a key part in making sure that New Orleans was not lost, because we are the guardians of the groove.”

Just after the hurricane, the station found temporary residence in Baton Rouge, and despite loosing a few seasoned veterans who completely moved away from the city, a number of volunteers still managed to travel to keep the station running for limited hours. The WWOZ studio in Armstrong Park suffered little damage but the station was unable to return to its base, as the hurricane destroyed the park’s power system. At the end of 2005, the station found new premises in the French Market in the heart of the city, which allowed it to return fully to the airwaves and it has been the station’s home, ever-since. Ironically Katrina pushed WWOZ into the spotlight as explained by Breashers.

“It’s a strange thing to come back and hear so many people say that OZ was a significant part of their lives. After the hurricane, people that had not listened it before, started to listen to it, and it’s become a much bigger part of the city than before.”

So much so, that the station features heavily in the hit US TV series, Treme, This follows the lives of New Orleans’ music community just after Katrina. One of the principal characters Davis, volunteers as a disc jockey for WWOZ, to get himself fired. The storyline was actually based on a DJ Davis who was famously sacked from the station and is now one of the show’s consultants.

“They surely know and understand WWOZ.” Says Freedman who won’t go into the reasons why the real Davis was told to leave, as it was an internal matter. “In so many areas, while Treme is not factually correct and the show producers do make a point about it being fiction, it presents the truest rendition of New Orleans culture that has ever been mounted by mass media. And we love David Simon and his team for having achieved this.”

Rock’n’Reel is now

WWOZ and the Blues As can be expected with a New Orleans radio station, blues music features heavily in its output as David Freedman says who has been managing the station since 1992.

“I would say blues is a quintessential part of the station’s soul. But that’s because of whatever we call blues, wherever it came from and whatever it became in New Orleans, it is deeply invested in so many forms of our music. I don’t see how a blues remit was avoidable, given our dedication to the roots music of this city.”

Andrew Grafe, who is the show host of the Monday afternoon blues show, called the Blues Eclectic, reinforces this point.

“We have a lot more blues programming that the other American music stations. There will be one or two blues show a week on the late night shift. With WWOZ from Monday to Friday from 2 – 4pm we are playing this music. Dimitri on Sunday plays the pre-war blues, while the Midnight Creeper stays in tune with contemporary soul blues. David Torkanowsky plays the music from the musicians that he knows, whereas Marc Stone does the Soul Serenade on a Tuesday afternoon and he comes from a soul aspect of it.”

One thing that you can’t help but notice is the diversity of the show hosts who share this mutual love of the blues.

Billy Delle and Gentilly Jr are veteran disc jockeys who have been there since the birth of WWOZ. Andrew Grafe is in his thirties, and it was his passion for New Orleans that led him to volunteer for the station on a part time basis until he was given a regular slot every Monday after Hurricane Katrina.

“I’ve taken the eclectic part of the blues. So you can listen to my show and the majority of it is blues anywhere from the

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R2 is available at WH Smith and from your local newsagent (or if it’s sold out, ask them to order you a copy – we’re distributed by Comag). You can also find us in Virgin, HMV, Barnes & Noble and numerous independent record and music stores across the UK and around the world.

Alternatively, order online (single issue or our special offer, recession-beating sixissue subscription at only £19.75 – UK rate only) at www.rock-n-reel.co.uk.

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photo by Paromita Saha R'n'R_135x92_10.03.10_V2.indd 1

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photo by Paromita Saha twenties to the contemporary, but at the same time I am playing Johnny Cash, Al Green, and The Yeah Yeah Yeahs, to a lot of stuff from West Africa.”

Midnight Creeper, who plays his show in the early hours of Saturday morning, is a debonair African American man in his sixties, contrary to his name, which was give to him by established blues music presenter Brown Sugar, when he first came on air in the nineties. He is renowned for playing a combination of dirty, raw blues and Southern soul, and on a Sunday morning, he returns as Brother Jess for his gospel music show. He is an interesting dichotomy of “let me help you sin on Saturday and save you on Sunday,” as aptly described by Dwayne Breashers.

Present and Future Driven by its desire, to bring New Orleans music to the universe, the station has been quick to embrace digital technology. In 1995, it was one of the first 100 stations in American to simulcast its programming on the Internet which was followed by a web-cast of a live Walter Wolfman Washington music concert from The Howlin Wolf which featured photo by Mike Kobrin Johnny Adams, the Soul Rebels and Davell Crawford.

Since then, WWOZ has attracted worldwide audience, which has also helped to give international exposure to the city’s artists as Walter Wolfman Washington explains.

“WWOZ has been very instrumental for New Orleans musicians. You get a chance to get your music heard all over the world, whereas you might not get airplay from other stations. They have an open door policy for anytime you want to do live interviews or perform. They have been the backbone for local artists.”

To add, its live broadcasts of major local festivals like Jazz fest to Mardi Gras, brings further international exposure to the city’s vibrant music culture and has taken them out of the country to do further live broadcasts. For show hosts like Andrew Grafe, the Internet has definitely broadened their horizons.

“I was here for the transition to the Internet and I now have people sending me emails and calling from all around the world. It’s little overwhelming as I think WWOZ as a New Orleans community radio station and knowing there is this worldwide group of people that are really interested.”

It seems be a juggling act, for WWOZ to retain its identity as local radio station that is devoted to celebrating its city’s music and at the same time retain its mission to expand globally. It’s an important challenge that David Freedman says needs to be managed carefully. “We must gradually move with the times so that we maintain our relative position of the culture as it evolves and changes over time. Otherwise, we risk simply becoming a museum piece to the past.”

Despite the commercial homogenization that seems to engulf the American radio industry, it looks as though WWOZ will remain loyal to its original roots, thanks to it willingness to embrace cutting edge technology to help advance its mission as well honor its obligation to its loyal listeners who also donate to the station, as highlighted by David Freedman.

“Because our chief funding source is listeners, we treat them with respect as peers and adventurers in our discovery of the richness of our city’s treasures. We don’t manipulate them. We believe there is a degree of loyalty and trust that the WWOZ audience has for the station. We wouldn’t trade that for every last ounce of the type of fool’s gold being minted by commercial broadcasters.”

You can tune into WWOZ 90.7 on the following website http:// www.wwoz.org/ and if you want to email any of the station’s show hosts, don’t forget to mention Blues Matters!

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FESTIVAL FEVER EVENTS THAT HAVE HELPED SHOWCASE THE BLUES BIG WHEEL BLUES FESTIVAL 2011 – Douglas, Isle of Man – Saturday, April 30 and Sunday, May 1.

Darryl Williams

THE 13th annual Big Wheel Blues Festival in the Isle of Man featured everything from jug band music and country blues to Chicago blues, soul, rockabilly and rock.

There was a significant change of location for the not-for-profit charity fundraising event which this year supported The Children’s Centre in the Island. Since its inception the festival has been held in the picturesque village of Laxey however this year the event was staged in the Island’s capital, Douglas, instead. This was due to the regular venue at Laxey not being available so all the action was centred around the impressive Villa Marina complex opposite Douglas promenades and beach.

The Isle of Man has a thriving blues scene and local musicians showcased their talents on the acoustic outdoor stage in the beautiful Villa Marina Gardens and inside on the electric stage in the Villa’s Promenade Suite in the afternoons while the headliners performed Dale Storr indoors in the evening. Unfortunately it proved impossible for me to catch every single act over the weekend, but I gave it my best shot.

The acoustic stage was opened on the Saturday by the blues duo I play guitar in, Blue John and Papa Cass. It would be unfair to review my own act but myself and my musical partner Tim Cass (vocals and blues harp) played a selection of country blues. Inside, Steamroller were in action and they are veterans of the Big Wheel Blues Festival and play some fantastic Chicago-style blues. The Heights, led by energetic frontwoman Sarah Puzzar, were up next, followed by blues rockers Stalking Heads, a band consisting mainly of musicians who work for Manx Radio. Every year the station produces a broadcast about the festival. The final indoor act of the afternoon was The Big Wheel Blues Band – the house band of the blues club in the Island – who played a selection of classics such as ‘Can’t Get No Grindin’, ‘Key To The’ and Tom Waits ‘New Coat Of Paint.’

Grainne Duffy Band Pete Woodman – a man who not only plays

great guitar, but makes them too – entertained the acoustic stage with a varied set, throwing in his own interpretations of Bob Dylan’s ‘Buckets of Rain’ and Neil Young’s ’For The Turnstiles’ to name but a few. Another of the Island’s finest acoustic players, Al Lawrence, appeared with his talented fiddle playing daughter Katie and fellow top guitarist Darryl Williams. The set included the likes of ‘Hesitation Blues’ and the Davey Graham classic ‘Anji.’ The outdoor music was rounded off with jug band Juggery Pokery, with a fantastic assortment of instruments including banjo, jug and harmonica all being featured. With sunny skies – as well as a very noticeable breeze - there was a nice and laid back atmosphere outdoors.

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FESTIVAL FEVER

Eugene ‘Hideaway’ Bridges

The evening performances started with the Dale Storr Band.

Dale is heavily inspired by the music of New Orleans – we are talking about Dr John, Professor Longhair and Huey ‘Piano’ Smith here. The good doctor’s ‘Qualified’ was performed beautifully and Dale also performed ‘Stagger Lee’ while Leadbelly’s ‘Goodnight Irene’ was given the Mac Rebennackstyle treatment. It was great to hear that wonderful music from South Louisiana played live in the Isle of Man and Dale’s set was an impressive opening performance.

The Martin Harley Band were up next and were most definitely one of the highlights of the entire festival. I didn’t know what to expect from this three piece but this was one of my favourite performances from all the years I have attended the Big Wheel Blues Festival. One ‘challenge’ with the Promenade Suite as a venue is that there is a bar in the room, unlike the regular venue in Laxey. It is inevitable that some people are going to talk.

However the Martin Harley Band stunned the room into complete silence with a completely unplugged (and I mean completely unplugged – no amps, mics or anything) performance of their song ‘Winter Coat.’ It was a very special moment indeed. After a stunning set – which also included their incredibly catchy ‘Love In The Afternoon’ - the band came back on for an encore, a stirring version of the Jimi Hendrix classic ‘Voodoo Child.’ The night was completed with Eugene Hideaway Bridges and his band providing some sweet soul. Job done!

Sunday had plenty more Larrydelights.

Miller Indoors in the afternoon the wonderfully named Bus Pass Blues Band played favourites such as ‘Got My Mojo Workin’ and ‘Big Boss Man’ in addition to a fantastic cover of Bob Dylan’s ‘One More Cup Of Coffee.’ Also indoors, the Barry Nelson Band featuring guests including keyboard player Dave McLean and guitarist Simon Campbell, played a selection of Barry’s self penned songs. Barry is a well known singer songwriter in the Isle of Man and his band certainly know how to put on a good show.

Outside Ken Mitchell – who is not only a talented musician but owner of Peter Norris Music, one of the festival sponsors – performed some classy instrumental numbers than ran from country blues to Merle Travis. I stumbled back inside to catch The Loose Crew – a collection of well known local musicians - and was so glad I did, with their version of The Band’s ‘The Weight’ ringing in my ears. They also performed the Eric Bibb classic ‘Don’t Let Nobody Drag Your Spirit Down.’ Meanwhile visiting musician Hugh Price entertained the outdoor stage with some impressive country blues.

Another excellent local singer songwriter, Richie Moore, tackled the likes of Dylan’s ‘It Takes A Lot To Laugh, It Takes A Train to Cry,’ as well as Leonard Cohen’s ‘Tower Of Song.’ The McLeans, a band featuring the talents of dad Dave (who we mentioned earlier) and daughter Alanna to name but a few, gave a great performance indoors with material that included Imelda May’s ‘Big Bad Handsome Man.’ Before we knew it the evening was upon us and the opening act was local band Soul Suspects who performed a set entirely comprising of classic soul and R ‘n B tracks, ranging from Jerry Lee Lewis’ ‘Whole Lotta Shakin’ Going On’ to ‘My Girl and Knock on Wood.’ The Grainne Duffy Band were next and this was marked their second trip to the Isle of Man. They played a Big Wheel Blues Festival night launch night a couple of years ago and everyone who was at that gig was delighted to see them back.

They are one hard rockin’ band but do the slow stuff so well too. Grainne was armed with a Gibson Les Paul while fellow guitarist Paul Sherry had a Fender Stratocaster as his weapon of choice. The band are one that I am sure could win any audience over. Grainne knows how to knock out a tune and they are a true live act with enough energy to run a space rocket. Grainne’s heartbreaking cover of the Etta James classic ‘I’d Rather Go Blind’ was lovely and the band earned a well deserved standing ovation. They came back on to rock out and their version of The Band’s ‘The Shape I’m In’ was powerful stuff. After such a knock out performance it was time to relax a little bit and the laid back late night soul grooves of the James Hunter Band brought the festival to an end. It’s the sort of stuff you want pouring out of your radio at 4am. There was definitely a strong soul presence at the evening concerts at this year’s festival. But each Big Wheel Blues Festival provides a range of James Hunter roots music, so who knows what styles to expect from the headliners next year. I, for one, am already counting down the days.

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FESTIVAL FEVER THE BEST BLUES FESTIVAL IN THE WORLD.

B B King

What is? I hear you ask. Well I have wanted to go to the Byron Bay Bluesfest in Australia for a long time; this year I went. It is always held over the Easter weekend and is a five-day festival. This year saw an extra day which was to allow Bob Dylan to do a second set and a few other acts to perform. There were so many acts it was, at time, difficult to decide which one to watch on which stage.

After approaching the organisers I was granted a media pass for the event as I wanted to represent Blues Matters and my radio show Blues-Unlimited on Lincoln City Radio 103.6 FM. I had not realised just how big this festival was until I arrived at the gates and was directed to a media only entrance. There I was given a full programme and shown where the media centre was.

The festival has five main stages, each one holds (undercover) from three to six thousand. Each major stage had very large high definition video screen on each side. There was a photographers pit and we were only allowed to take photos during the first two numbers of each act. On the smaller stages you could take photographs at any time.

Who did I see: well top of my list was BB King who at 85 years old still has what it takes to wow audience. He was frail yet lucid and the highlight for me was half way through a nondescript blues number he changed into ‘The Thrill Has Gone’ I noticed about twenty teenagers dancing to this tune and was moved with tears in my eyes to shout out loud “not here BB, the thrill’s still here”.

Other acts that I saw were ZZ Top who were just like any video that you see of them. Note perfect and played all of the tunes that the majority wanted to hear.

Ruthie Foster an American gospel/blues singer was very impressive and both of her sets were mind blowing and the effort that she puts into her act was 100% plus. It was nice Bernard Allison that she spent over four hours talking to fans and signing autographs and CD’s.

Eric Bibb was far more impressive that I had hoped for. His act was electric and the crowd just loved every tune that he played.

Again he worked hard and the rewards were there for him to take home by the bucket load.

Grace Jones was supreme as one would expect and again wowed the audience to a point of near frenzy.

Tony Joe White Bob Dylan was disappointing; his first set saw him on stage doing not much more than grunting at the crowd who walked away in droves. His second set was better but I did not see any respect for the audience who were paying his wages. I was upset that one of my long time heroes thoug The Blind Boys of Alabama were superb and had the crowd clapping along. It was almost like an old time gospel session.

Alleluia!!

There is not much room to write a piece on every act that I saw but I will mention a few more that were impressive.

Mavis Staples, Leon Russell, Jeff Lang, Elvis Costello, Tony Joe White, Indigo Girls, Los Lobos, Little Feat, Jethro Tull, Irma Thomas, Osibisa, Resin Dogs, Salt Water Band, Bamboos, The Cat Empire, Collard Greens and Gravy.

I have featured Collard greens and Gravy many times on my radio show so this was a treat for me to see this great Australian band live.

It would be remiss of me not to mention the festival itself Eric Bibb which was very well laid out. The five main stages were not too far apart from each other so it was easy to move stages to watch your chosen acts but far enough apart to allow good quality audio and not have one loud band interfere with another. There were a number of marquees provided with tables and chairs so that you could sit, out of the sun, and eat food or drink and at the same time watch acts on the very large video screens provided.

Food was impressive and there was not one greasy burger stall in the place. Out of approximately one hundred food stalls I did not see any style duplicated. It is clear that they vet traders very well.

There was a huge marquee which was dedicated to Roots

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FESTIVAL FEVER

music which had some of the worlds greatest reggae bands playing there including Toots and the Maytals who were everything that you would expect from one of the worlds best, and respected reggae bands.

One stage had great acts including Buffy SainteMarie who reduced thousands of Aussies (and me) to tears with her own song, Universal Soldier.

Peter Rowan & The Bluegrass Band went down a storm and had much of the crowd dancing.

Rodrego y Gabriela an acoustic duo from Mexico and now living in Ireland had the audience in raptures with their own style which culminated in a Little Feat version of ‘Stairway to Heaven’ which incorporated all of the mood from Led Zeppelin but kept to the traditions of Latin acoustic styles.

There was a number of radio stations represented there, ABC which is the Oz version of our BBC had a small stage where they hosted small shows mainly interviews. This tent was put on by a music magazine called Rhythms and the public broadcaster ABC radio used it on several days for interview/live broadcast then the previous editor of the magazine, Brian Wise, along with the current editor, Marty Jones and several other music writers as well as questions from the attending public, interviewed artists over the duration of the festival, and the like. ‘Bluesfest’ musicians who had applied earlier in the year to ACE (Anita Colenbrander Entertainment), are scheduled for a 3 song performance in one of the three Hotels in Byron Bay. This “competition” is held on the Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday before Easter and 6 are chosen to compete in a final on Good Friday. A number are also picked to play this small Busking Tent at Bluesfest. The winner of the final gets to perform on the Apra stage at Midday on the Monday.

In conclusion I must compliment the organisers of the 2011 Byron Bay Blues Festival for organising what I consider to be the best Blues and Roots Festival in the world. Be warned I will be back.

Would I recommend people to go from the UK. You bet I would but would also recommend that you are in the area at least a full week before the festival to get used to the heat and humidity as it can by tiring walking round all day if you are not used to that environment.

It was so good that I have already dedicated two, two hour blues shows to the Byron Bay Blues Festival.

Tony Nightingale

P AUL M ARK mirage Cartography

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FESTIVAL FEVER THORNHILL BLUES FESTIVAL, Various locations, Thornhill, Dumfries & Galloway, 29 & 30 April 2011

As evidence has shown elsewhere, establishing a blues festival can be a risky challenge; particularly so in a sparsely populated area such as south west Scotland where the inaugural Thornhill Blues Festival took place.

With events commencing in four separate venues, I chose to see pupils of the local Wallace Hall Academy. The Other Guys feature the twin guitars of Ben Lord and Jack Gordon and charismatic frontman Rory Crawford.

Their set commenced with ‘Molly’s Chamber’ by Kings of Leon before ‘Seven Nation Army’ to delight their young following before some of the older clientele raised a smile to their funky version of Jimi Hendrix’s ‘Who Knows’.

A measure of how the festival had engaged the town was in evidence in the Buccleuch Hotel where an upstairs bar had been opened for the first time in five years to accommodate the live music. First up were, Sinister Footwear, boasting three members of the festival committee, Chris Lord on guitar, Patrick Keppens on drums and Bob Clements on bongos, harp and vibes. This was a good natured show of covers including ‘The Hunter’ and ‘Hound Dog’. The pick of their songs was their bluesy take on ‘Come Together’. Blues busker Phil Saunders demonstrated his talents at playing Aynsley Lister guitar and harp simultaneously with original material such as ‘Toe The Line’ and an entertaining medley of Little Walter and Bo Diddley. Meanwhile Baby Isaac had attracted a group of dancers to their 1950s style Chicago Blues and West Coast Swing. Fronted by the charismatic Angela Moore with Gary Arnott on harp and backing vocals they were one of the most entertaining bands of the weekend, with upbeat songs like ‘Back To The Track’ and ‘You Got What It Takes’ before the reflective ‘I Cried Last Night.’

At the Thornhill Inn, Bad Reputation’s approach was the blues influenced hard rock of early Whitesnake, AC/DC and Thin Lizzy. The Cats contrasted well, bringing the roll back to rock n roll and some Rockabilly too. Featuring Andy McMillan on double bass and vocals, Fraser Graham on Gretsch guitar and Sandy Sweetman on drums, they performed for two relentless hours, with material ranging from ‘Mystery Train’ to Van Morrison’s ‘Gloria’ to ‘Peter Gunn.’ Catch them play gems such as Johnny Burnett’s ‘Tear It Up’ and their self- penned ‘I Just Got Paid’ at the Colne British stage this year.

Despite their 1pm Saturday kickoff, The Yahs recruited a large crowd to their brand of funky blues. From opening ‘Walkin The Dog’ it was clear they have a confident frontman in Grant Dinwoodie who adeptly handled material from Muddy Waters and Led Zeppelin alike. David Bass provided the fluid guitar licks before vocals on ‘Fulson Prison Blues where Dinwoodie played the accordion. Elsewhere Sandy Tweeddale performed a selection of ragtime blues, before being joined

by Blues N Trouble frontman Tim Elliott for several tracks including ‘The Wrong Woman’ and ‘The Train Comes Along.’

Dave Arcari started his own show with ‘Dreamt I was 100’ in the hot and crowded Elmarglen. His spirited take of ‘Soul Of A Man’ was to follow before ‘Devil’s Left Hand.’ Those unable to fit in were grateful for Arcari’s brief turn to play before them. There was just time to catch The Oli Brown Wise Guys perform their strut ‘Same Old Blues’ and then a couple of songs from Maryport Battle of the bands winner Balmoral Road. Although not wholly a blues band, Tom Salmon was playing some tasty guitar licks while Emma Dockeray displayed a very impressive vocal performance.

The main event took place within the recently rebuilt Wallace Hall Academy.

Having just released her debut album, Chantel McGregor had pleasingly included a large number to her repertoire which she played with clear enjoyment, such as ‘Freefalling’ and the straight up rock of ‘Caught Out’. A sublime version of ‘Sloe Gin’ followed before ‘Had To Cry Again’ which featured some particularly stunning guitar work. Edinburgh veterans Blues N Trouble then performed an upbeat show.

Guitarist Mike Parks provided some tasty slide guitar to ‘Cherry Peaches’, yet the focal point as ever was Tim Elliot whose harp playing was inspirational as ever on ‘Why, Why, Why’ and the country boogie ‘Travelling Light’. An outing of the song from which the band takes their name capped one of their finest performances in recent years.

Meanwhile back in the Buccleuch, The Seventh Sons were also pleasing the punters with a brace of Howlin Wolf covers before an upbeat version of Dr Feelgood’s ‘Going Back Home.’ The main event was reaching its peak audience size as Oli Brown took to the stage. ‘Evil Soul’ is one of his faster paced songs, yet the crowd were also treated to the as yet unrecorded shuffle, ‘Mr Wilson’.

Brown looked comfortable and expressive with the new rhythm section of drummer Wayne Proctor and bassist Ron Sayer, yet Brown’s own performance on the acoustic ‘Complicated’ was the highlight.

Across at the Thornhill Inn, there was a triumphant return for Corey Gibson, frontman of Earl Grey & The Loose Leaves, as his band lived up to their emerging

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FESTIVAL FEVER status with a powerful performance. It commenced with a vamped up interpretation of the Louisiana Red classic ‘Alabama Train’ before the West Side groove of ‘Rose Painted Bureau’. The wealth of talent at the festival climax also included Jon Amor in a solo setting, the Peter Green inspired blues of The Deluxe and one man blues band Mike Whellans who channelled Keb Mo with a notable take of ‘Am I Wrong.’ Yet with large attendances at the pubs, it meant there was still standing room at the Bailley Hall as Aynsley Lister took to the stage. Introducing able deputy keyboard player Reuben, Lister’s fluid guitar playing came to the fore in the funky instrumental ‘Quiet Boy’ and hard edged ‘Big Sleep’ before the melodic ‘Purple Rain’. The icing on the cake was the return of Chantel McGregor to the stage for a playful boogie through ‘Sugar’ before a final closing encore, ‘Hush’. All in all, this was a successful event although consideration must be given to how best to place the free shows to ensure the main event has maximum attendance.

Duncan Beattie The Blues trail was well underway by Saturday afternoon when Babajack it was the turn of four, diverse, acts who would be playing sets at each of two venues.

At the Wesley House Wine Bar, first up was Kevin Brown who is not called The Kevin Brown for nothing.

On this occasion he was playing a guitar made from an old oil can and was getting some very sweet sounds indeed from it. He began with ‘Going To The Country’ and followed that with ‘Stone

By Stone’ from his album Tin Church and then there was some tasty slide on ‘Easy Come Easy Go.’ Kevin introduced ‘Rambling Man’ with a story about his father, who was a sign writer by day and an oil painter by night. He painted tramps and Kevin said he grew up thinking all the portraits on the wall were his ancestors and that was probably why he was on the road plying his trade.

‘Johnny Don’t Cry’ had a story too; someone tried to embarrass Kevin in front of his friends and he wrote this song by way of revenge. ‘Good Morning Blues,’ next on the list, proved to have been a pivotal moment. As a young boy, Kevin was hauled out of bed by his father to listen to Muddy Waters and Rosetta Thorpe singing that number on the radio and it turned him on to the Blues. ‘Hard Working Man’ and ‘All Around The World’ brought the set to an end and left the audience, which included Roger Hubbard of Buick 6, well pleased.

Next up was Babajack, just the two mainstays for this gig, Trevor Steger on guitars and harp and Becky Tate on vocals, stomp box and African drum. When these two take the stage, with or without the other musicians who sometimes join the band, there is a real sense that something special is about to happen; they have a certain je ne sais quois that demands attention. As they powered into their first number, ‘The Last Train’, the atmosphere ratcheted up a notch or two, spines tingled, hair stood up on the backs of necks and passers-by were pulled in from the street to erupt with whoops and hollers as the song ended. ‘Parade’, ‘Going Down’, ‘Sweet Jelly Love’ and ‘Big Man Blues’ were all beautifully crafted, all very different in style, all classics and all crowd pleasers. Trevor makes every single note he plays count and his superbly growly vocals are the perfect foil for Bec’s voice which is sweet yet powerful and full of emotion. She plays some mean percussion too. Babajack have graced the main stage at so many festivals from Warwick Folk to Wychwood and have gathered so many outstanding reviews that it is impossible to find superlatives, that haven’t already been used several times over, to describe them. Audiences love them, there were cries for more but there was no time and, as they left the building, they got another deafening ovation and most of the crowd followed them to the second venue eager to hear them all over again. Even then the fans weren’t satisfied and offered to have a whip round if Babajack would stay on to play a third set.

The Ragtime Jug Orchestra had the unenviable task of following Babajack onto the stage. The RJO is an interesting duo, John Anderson and Alan Draisey who, between them, play a wide variety of instruments from guitars to kazoos and cover a wide variety of songs from ragtime and vaudeville to hokum. Due to a mix up over whether or not they should bring their own PA, these two played completely unplugged and put on a good timey, old timey show. Audience participation is expected at an RJO gig and shakers were handed out and put to enthusiastic use. ‘Stones In My Passway’ on resonator/slide and mandolin started things off. A Sleepy John Estes number was introduced as being about adultery, “All Blues songs are about sex, death, trains or adultery”. It featured twelve string guitar, mandolin and jug. ‘Statesboro’ Blues’ came next and was followed by an adapted version of “Bourgeois Blues” which became “Cheltenham Town Blues.”

The audience was advised, “Don’t make your home in GL52 it’s a bourgeois town…where the men all wear Armami and smell of Kelvin Klein…”. It went down well. The penultimate

photos on this page by Linda Fisher

WESTONS CIDER BLUES TRAIL – Winchcombe Festival. Saturday 28th May 2011.

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FESTIVAL FEVER

photo on this page by Linda Fisher

number, “The most modern one we do”, was Mississippi Fred McDowell’s, “Ease My Worried Mind”, which was recorded in 1959. The final song, “Mama Don’t Allow No Jug Band Music Round Here”, with Alan on rack kazoo, brought the set to a satisfying conclusion with the audience joining in wholeheartedly. There will shortly be an RJO cookbook which you will need if you’ve ever wondered what smells like fish but tastes like gravy or if you have a desire to cook catfish, greasy greens or sweet jelly roll.

The last man on stage had come up from Cornwall and introduced himself as, “Bradders; Blues Singer”. He played “San Francisco Bay Blues”, Ralph McTell’s “Weeping Willow Blues” and then “Candyman”. Steve Earle’s song about Woody Guthrie was well received then Bradders picked up his resonator for “Future Blues”. The audience joined in on Buddy Holly’s “Raining In my Heart” and Big Bill Broonzy’s “When Did You Leave Heaven” brought things to a close.

Linda Fisher

“TAKIN’ IT TO THE BRIDGE” - The first HEBDEN BRIDGE BLUES FESTIVAL, May 27-30 2011.

A very special one for the organisers, Paddy Maguire, Jason etc, but also for me – because I happen to live there. When I moved to this pretty, quirky small town over 2 years ago, it seemed to have one extra advantage on top of its lovely Pennine setting, its bohemian arty-muso atmosphere and its great pubs and beer. It was very close to Burnley and Colne, two of my favourite blues festivals, even if there is a large lump of Pennines in between. Indeed Colne had become an annual pilgrimage when I lived 150 miles away.

Then what happens? I move to Hebden Bridge and hey presto, they announce it’s going to have its own blues fest. Talk about moving the mountain to Mohammed. Just a 15 minute walk home for me, no accommodation costs or trying to find somewhere to stay – a real problem in Hebden Bridge as it doesn’t have enough hotels or guest houses to meet the existing tourist demand let alone a blues festival with a potentially national appeal. For those who don’t know or didn’t go – and that’ll be most of you – Hebden Bridge is about halfway between Leeds and Manchester, about 30 miles from each, and just on the Yorkshire size of the Pennines. Importantly, from the perspective of needing enough blues lovers to draw from to make the festival figures add up, there are several sizeable towns – Halifax, Bradford, Huddersfield, Wakefield, Keighley, Burnley, Rochdale – within 15 miles. What Hebden Bridge doesn’t have is a very big local population nor an infrastructure to handle major events. Tricky one for the organisers.

So did they manage to pull it off? Well mostly yes, though not without the odd glitch, as you might expect for a first go.

The festival was centred on 3 venues. The Trades Club, with a long tradition of hosting live music (Wilko Johnson was scheduled to play there the weekend after the festival) acted as HQ. It hosted events on all 4 nights of the Fest, and Paddy Maguire’s midnight jams, where members of various acts throughout the day joined in for sessions.

On the opening night introducing the festival, Paddy told the sad tale of the non-appearance of an Italian band called Parrock Blues for that night. First the ash cloud from the Icelandic volcano prevented them flying from Rome, so they got a gig in Rome instead. Sadly no one mentioned this to the singer, who was at the airport waiting to fly Lance Lopez to England. In a panic they contacted him, but by then he’d passed through security but left an unattended bag, which was detonated by the security forces and he ended up being fined 2000 euros – how very rock ‘n roll!

The Hebden Bridge Picture House – a delightful throwback to the pre-UCI/Showcase cinemas where you had leg room and could take in a cup of tea and some home-made cake with you from the foyer – I saw ‘It Might Get Loud’ there, with that mesmerising opening sequence when Jack White builds himself a 1-strng ‘guitar’ and plays some slide on it – had evening sessions on the Saturday and Sunday nights (and Walter Trout the next month!). This gave rise to one of those glitches in the organisation, the need to decide which of 2 competing impressive line-ups to choose – something to think about for next time (and I certainly hope there will be one). I know this is an issue they are aware of. Also some had been confused by the website and bought tickets for concurrent events, though that’s hardly the organisers’ fault. I missed ‘Women of Blues’ at the Picture House, with Chantel McGregor, Clare Free and local band Hooson, featuring

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FESTIVAL FEVER

Julian from 24 Pesos

the outrageously talented vocalist Jenna Hooson, opting instead for Cross Cut Saw, The Speakeasy Blues Band and the multi-award-winning Marcus Bonfanti and Paddy Milner at the Trades Club. It was the Speakeasy Band’s front man Johnnie White who made what for me was the comment of the festival. ‘Anybody here like Country & Western?’ he asked in a pause between numbers. (I didn’t catch any replies.) ‘Well you’re in the wrong place!’, before launching into a blistering 12-bar intro that would have had a young Francis Rossi purring with pleasure.

The third main venue, the Marquee in the Park, was used for the afternoon sessions on Saturday and Sunday, 12pm-8pm. All 3 venues are within 5 minutes’ walk of each other, one of the advantages of a festival in such a small town. A 4th didn’t seem to work so well – the Hope Baptist Church.

There was supposed to be free acoustic blues there during Saturday and Sunday afternoons, but each time I tried it it was empty and devoid of music or firmly closed. Hope but no beer, maybe that had something to do with it? However, the idea of having blues performers outside at the top of the steps up to the entrance to the Picture House worked very well, not only entertaining the fans entering the building but also passers-by and the assembled masses sitting outside the 2 pubs opposite, who seemed to regard it all with a sense of faintly bemused detachment, in a ‘wonder what’s

goin’ on ‘ere then?’ kind of way.

There were also bands, including Tommy Allen, playing for free at various local pubs and bars – Nelsons, Marshalls, The White Swan, the Hole In the Wall.

Texan guitar hero Lance Lopez, in his first ever performance on British soil, produced a blistering set at the Picture House on Saturday night, the 3-piece band as tight as a camel’s rear end in a sandstorm, though it proved a bit rocky for some, maybe blues purists who found the unrelenting barrage of driving Texan boogie a bit too much, though I personally feel quite comfortable with that sort of music’s place in the blues pantheon. Elsewhere, the Jon Amor Band, Chantel McGregor, Tony Dowler’s Hellhounds, Larry Miller, P-A-U-L from Detroit, 24 Pesos and the aforementioned Marcus Bonfanti and Paddy Milner, all did what headline acts are supposed to do – sort of taking the headlines.

A few other minor gripes or observations – take a folding chair to the Marquee unless you’re happy standing for 8 hours. And why was it asking so much for a half a pint of beer at the Picture House and the Marquee? No half-pint glasses and tills not set up to take it, apparently. Well you can buy half-pint glasses just as easily as pint glasses, and you just charge half the price of a pint, it’s really easy. The lady, and probably several others, was not impressed, and I was Paddy Milner

Sam Hare

unimpressed on her behalf.

I chanced into the Trades for a recuperative and leisurely Bank Holiday Monday afternoon pint whilst listening to some open mic, but instead found an impromptu set from the W T Feaster Band from Indianopolis USA, and mighty impressive they were too.

That oh-so-familiar creeping end-of-festival blues began to set in, knowing that tomorrow it would all be over and the cover put back over the Hebden Bridge budgie cage until next May! Festival End Blues, there’s a song in there somewhere, have it on me!

Chris Rowland

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FESTIVAL FEVER

IndegoChild

SPIREFEST – April 9th-15th.

Well...........the day has arrived..........the 9th of April and the inaugural Spirefest event in aid of Cancer Research UK. This was held at a fantastic venue in the centre of Chesterfield called the Winding Wheel. This is our diary of the event by Brian Bannister; The PA, the bands and the guitar show exhibitors turned up at somewhere between 10.30 and 11.00 am, 2 hours of panic and frantic setting up took place ready for the doors to open at 12.30pm and open they did. The exhibitors were varied and each had amazing tables set out with their products and services from musical instrument lessons to hand crafted guitars and British made valve amplifiers. It all looked fantastic and gained a huge amount of interest from the visiting public and Spirefest band members alike.

So, the lead singer from each band were called upon to draw straws for the running order of the afternoons “Battle of the Bands” and within seconds the first band was setting up, IndigoChild all the way from Stamford in Lincolnshire, these were to be followed by Mutz Nutz from Worksop/Retford and third on was to be The Great Escape Artists from Sheffield.

A welcome and scene setting introductory type speech was made by Brian Bannister quickly followed on the stage by the compere, Marvin White to introduce the first band, Indigo Child. Before they came in from stage left and right Marvyn went on to explain that the winning band would be the one that collected the most votes in the form of cash from the public in their buckets by the end of the afternoon.

IndigoChild played a storming and energetic 45 minute set of songs from their debut album to a very appreciative audience in the Winding Wheel that was confirmed by the weight of their collection bucket, great bunch of lads with the youngest still being only 15 years of age.

Next on was Marvyn, the compere who banged out a few excellent tunes on his acoustic guitar whilst IndigoChild cleared away and Mutz Nutz set up their extensive range of equipment behind him. Not much more than 15 minutes later they were ready and they thrilled the audience with three quarters of an hours worth of mostly classic rock covers originally written by bands such as Thin Lizzy, UFO and the late Ronnie James Dio. We were then both entertained and also educated by Gavin Coulson one of the product demonstrators of John Hornby Skewes where he took to the stage to “wow” the audience with the “Fret-King Supermatic” self-tuning guitar, what an instrument that is and at very reasonable price too! It was then time for a few more rocking tunes from Marvyn and a little encouragement to donate to such a good cause and then back on with the Battle of the Bands.

The final band was then introduced and Ainsley Stones and The Great Escape Artists took to the stage to play an excellent set of self-penned songs from their latest album “New Vinyl”. This bands flamboyant style and harmonised vocals also went down well with the audience that once again showed their appreciation by “splashing the cash” in their bucket.

So, time to count up.............wow is all we could say, between them the three bands had collected over £460 worth of votes, all of which was to go to Cancer Research UK, in our minds that made them all winners, but of course, there had to be one outright winner as their prize was to be the opening support act for our evening headliner. Brian Bannister took to the stage to announce the scores on the doors............”and the winner is...................IndigoChild”. All the bands were fantastic, very different for sure but equally amazing and did we say...........they did it all for free, in aid of Cancer Research UK – Special bands full of special people!

How time goes quickly when you are having fun, its gone 5 o’clock already, time to ask the public to leave such that the exhibitors could clear their stands and make space for the room to be re-arranged in the evening in blues/rock club style with tables and chairs for the amazing talent from Yorkshire that is Miss Chantel McGregor.

The doors re-opened at around 7.20pm to allow the public that were congregating in the foyer to get a drink and choose their table for the evening’s entertainment. By this time Chantel had already sound-checked and IndigoChild were in the last throws of preparation for the final set of the day, another 40 minutes as the support band. They really went for it this time

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FESTIVAL FEVER

Chantel McGregpr

and were clearly on a high from winning the Battle of the Bands as the energy from the afternoon was far from diminished. These lads from Stamford, joined on the day by Ollie Eastwood all of the way from Chester for his first gig with the band, played their hearts out, again to a very appreciative audience, many of which bought their debut CD from the band merchandise stand at the back of the hall.

8.15pm arrived as IndigoChild left the stage to a rapturous applause and it was time for Marvyn to take to the stage for another song or two on his acoustic guitar, great talent and a brilliant voice. Then we cracked on with the live auction for signed memorabilia and what incredible stuff we had, signed material by Asia, Greg Lake, Focus, Martin Turners Wishbone Ash, Journey, Roger Taylor and Chantel McGregor just to name a few, all in all this section raised around £600 in 15 minutes....brilliant! The music and general raffle was drawn which left some very happy people including the young lad that is just started having lessons and won an acoustic guitar thanks to Real Time Music of Chesterfield. There has been so much generosity around this event it was almost beyond belief from the kind companies and individuals that have donated such fantastic prizes to the general public who so freely parted with their hard earned cash.

8.55pm, time for getting a drink before the main event, Chantel runs off to get changed and “wham” a transformation into a rock goddess on the stage and OMG can she play that guitar! Voice of an angel.......simply stunning!

Chantel performed a set that lasted for just over 2 hours non-stop and included all of the songs from her debut album “Like No Other” along with many more. She was supported well by Martin on drums and Ritchie on bass that were tuned in well to her style of the evening. She looked and sounded fantastic and thrilled the audience with the rocky numbers such as the self-penned “fabulous” and to the other extreme the serene but equally stunning “Rhiannon” originally written by Fleetwood Mac and played as a solo on her Takemine acoustic.

Within seconds of coming off stage Chantel appeared at her merchandise table where there was a huge queue of people wanting to buy t-shirts, pre-order CD’s or just chat and get her autograph, again, this young lady is incredible and has time for everyone.

What really adds the icing to the cake is that on a quick count of the money it looks like we will have raised over £2370 to hand to Cancer Research, not bad considering the weather was against us, it was the first event of its kind and the current financial climate.............Thank you to everyone involved in any way, and we mean EVERYONE! We now just need to decide if it will be an annual event or a one off, the jury is out on that one at the moment!

Brian Bannister

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ROBERT JOHNSON

100 Year Celebrations;

“We’re Gonna Barrel House All Night Long! ”

By Brian Kramer

When my buddy; Zeke Schein first invited me to be part of the Robert Johnson 100 Year Celebration he was arranging in New York I felt honored, then somehow inspired to arrange my own tribute concert in Stockholm for possibly the most influential and recognized Blues Legend in history, someone I felt I owed a deep debt of gratitude towards for a lifetime of inspiration.

This is a report of three separate Robert Johnson Tributes, all within a week of each other; April 30th at Club Stampen in Stockholm, May 3rd at B.B Kings in New York’s Time Square and May 5th at Caffe Vivaldi in New York’s Greenwich Village.

Mati Norlin -photo by Bengt Nyman

Zeke Schein, who discovered and owns the infamous 3rd Robert Johnson photo, now used extensively by the Robert Johnson estate (see BM59 “The Subway To Robert Johnson”), mentioned to me that he wanted to put together a low-key event with a few friends of his choosing to celebrate this man who we both are passionate about and forever linked, I started to plan my trip to NYC in eager anticipation. But also wanted to share this celebration with the blues scene in Stockholm, so I booked Club Stampen; the most active and popular Blues venue in Sweden. However like many of the bars, clubs and festivals here, electric bands and Chicago or Swing style dominate while acoustic pickers & sliders fall into the minority.

I deliberately chose over 20 “acoustic based” acts; solo, duo, trio… from all over Scandinavia to represent the influence and impact Robert Johnson has had on all these artists and in the Country. I arranged for 12 strait, non-stop hours of music on 2 stages, 2 floors.

Came up with the clever idea of a novelty souvenir Certificate of Authenticity that claimed a “Deal With The Devil” could be made in exchange for patrons & performers immortal souls when signed, though many of the musicians had claimed to have made that deal long ago.

The owner of the club; Josef Haddad who has trusted me for over a decade with my decisions and musical choices was a little nervous about an all-acoustic evening on both floors during a Saturday night, his most profitable night of the week.

Ross N However as the club began to swell with ielspeople en & Sand the artists began to pulsate their grooves from the stages, (and beer rin Bas steadily flowed from the taps…) he soon was pututoffeease. tards

Pohn Jettri -photo by Bengt Nyman

Stockholm to New York

Mati Norlin; a long time favorite and finger picking wizard in Sweden took the extra effort to actually translate Robert Johnson’s songs into Swedish (living here for over a decade & I’m still grappling with that language!).

I arranged a “Young & Blue” section of the event featuring up and coming teenage artists who are sharing a passion for Delta Blues like Peter Granström of the group Pohn Jettri or the 19 year old Robert Hill, a fine and confident picker who could very easily have found himself at home in NYC’s Village scene in the late 50’s & 60’s.

The music was non-stop and as one set of artists was stepping off the stage, another was jumping on and plugging in. I was running up and down between floors the whole day & night keeping things flowing. It was very interesting and a bit surreal for me to catch a few moments where some songs overlapped and I would hear one version of “Crossroad Blues” downstairs & as I was running up I’d hear another version going on. There was never a dull moment with artists like Benny Ferrander, Dragan Ruzak (Homesick Mac),

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ROBERT JOHNSON

Pohn Jettri -photo by Bengt Nyman

Slidin’ Slim, Ba Ba Richie, Little Stevie, Bottle Neck John, Daniel Eriksen, Bert Deivert and a dozen other revered local Scandinavian blues artists, all brought together for the first time ever in one place. We all proved that a night of acoustic blues can be just as engaging and any electric Blues band. After 12 long, sweaty hours at 2AM, the evening culminated with an All-Star Robert Johnson Jam/finale, trading verses and licks and bringing the night to a complete frenzy. It was indeed a historic, unforgettable event in Stockholm where we “Barrel housed all night long”!

Just days later I found myself on Delta flight 203 (Ironic yet very, very fitting!), NYC bound for the next phase of this journey.

According to his travelling partner Johnny Shines, Robert Johnson played in New York City and on the East Coast in the late 1930’s, seen performing with a piano player & drummer. He was also being sought after to play John Hammond’s ‘Spirituals To Swing’ concert at Carnegie Hall in 1938. Many Bluesmen of the time yearned to escape the Delta and seek out success in the big cities. Though not as equally thought about as the Chicago scene, New York has always been a “Blues Town” where Rev. Gary Davis played the streets of Harlem, Sonny Terry & Brownie McGee played on Broadway, Izzy Young and others sponsored shows through the 50’s and 60’s with Skip James, John Hurt, Jesse Fuller, John Lee Hooker, Muddy Waters, Lightnin’ Hopkins, Son House and many others. The flame of the blues has always been kept lit in New York.

B.B King’s Club on Time Square was putting on their Robert Johnson Celebration with sets by Honeyboy Edwards, Roy Bookbinder, Jon Paris and Guy Davis.

Jon Paris and I go back many, many years from the Dan Lynch’s Blues Bar days when he also played bass & harp for Johnny Winter. He graciously put me on the guest list & I met up with Zeke Schein where we got cozy at the bar with a couple of cold drafts.

Unfortunately it was announced Honeyboy Edwards had just fallen ill and could not make the event which was indeed sad because Honeyboy is the only musician left alive directly linked to Robert Johnson as he knew the man himself. Jon Paris was up first and did a solo set accompanying himself on acoustic and harp. He did a fine job, though I have to admit as primarily an acoustic player myself, I prefer his electric stuff much better and he seemed to be playing his Gibson J-45 as he would his Brian Kramer photo byBengt Nyman Stratocaster.

Roy Bookbinder then played a delightful set where his “asides” and stories are equally as entertaining as his confident, bright, finger picking. “I didn’t know Robert Johnson, but here’s one of those songs Robert Johnson probably would have liked” he coyly exclaimed as he launched into an engaging Blind Boy Fuller rag.

Guy Davis closed out the evening and was visibly a bit uneasy as he had to carry more of the momentum he realized, closing this show in Honeyboy Edwards absence. He engaged the audience right away in a very personal manor and you felt as if the room got smaller & we all got a bit closer. Guy stayed true to the evenings theme and played mostly Johnson numbers, telling humorous stories about his meeting Robert Junior Lockwood (Robert Johnson’s step son) at the W.C Handy Blues Awards and being cut down to size after receiving the “Keeping The Blues Alive Award” when Lockwood was gesturing at Guy to come over, Guy thinking it was to perhaps congratulate him and acknowledge his presence. Instead when he humbly approached, Lockwood then just asked him directions to the bathroom. He also talked about his initial mystic meeting with the blues & RJ when he portrayed Robert in an off, off-Broadway play called “Trick The Devil” in the early 90’s.

I met Guy Davis a few times back then at Terra Blues Bar when I was playing guitar regularly with Larry Johnson. On one occasion Guy, who was still developing his craft asked to sit in with Larry, who has a reputation for being, well, brutal…

Let’s just say it was not very pretty and Larry gave Guy Davis a piece of his mind right there on stage in front of a crowded house. He has certainly come a long way and earned his due. Guy owned the room now and it was a perfect way to conclude this event with RJ’s spirit and essence in the house. Zeke, who had brought with him a copy of the amazing photograph he’d discovered with RJ & Johnny Shines to be displayed permanently in B.B King’s, turned to me at one point smiling and said “I have a feeling our Johnson thing is gonna be really something”.

I confidently said back; “It already is, we just have to let it happen”.

Zeke has endured quite a bit of resistance and flack in regards to getting this Robert Johnson photo to take its place side by side with the other two and be incorporated in the newly packaged anniversary re-issues by Sony music, in spite of the Johnson Legacy’s acknowledgement and use of this photo in their own promotion of Robert Johnson’s 100th anniversary.

But his resolve and genuine love for Robert has him cool and enduring.

Now I was eagerly anticipating the most important event of the week in my mind.

The Robert Johnson Tribute at Caffe Vivaldi in Greenwich Village!

Zeke said he would be across the street just before the event started at 7:00 at another bar that was serving a limited edition; “Hellhound On My Ale” Robert Johnson brew (I kid you not! Slightly bitter, with a lemony taste) and we would have a quick toast. A few friends joined in for that, and then it was over to Vivaldi where this modest sized place was already

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ROBERT JOHNSON filling up with friends and musicians. This event was not advertised and intentionally “low-key”. However it had the most impressive and heartfelt line-up of players that transformed this tiny Greenwich Village Café into what it would have been like to walk into any place in this neighborhood in the early 1960’s. I’ve seen the Village change over the past 30 years, but Caffe Vivaldi is one of the only places that still carries the absolute spirit and intention of the “Greenwich Village coffee house” scene that nurtured the folk/roots scene back in the day.

First up; Nick Katzman, who studied with Rev. Gary Davis & Mississippi John Hurt amongst others, played an effortless number of elegantly picked tunes on his National guitar. Erik Frandsen, who also stimulated the vibrant music scene in the 50’s & 60’s playing alongside the likes of Dave van Ronk & some dude named Bobby Dylan, showed everybody how it’s done. His song “I’ve The Blues”, done completely in a mock British accent had us all practically rolling on the floor; “I’ve the blues and I’m so unhappy. Yes I’ve the blues and I’m just so bloody depressed. Thought I’d visit the club, but it’s too much bother to dress”. (no offence intended local BM readers; we Yanks really get a kick out of that stuff!).

Zeke Schein then took to the stage. Zeke has developed the most faithful renditions of Robert Johnson’s songs I have heard, yet he performs them in a very personal and engaging way that allows you to enjoy the style with a renewed spirit.

He introduced me to the stage and I gladly accompanied him on second guitar.

Then Hook Herrera who’s played with the likes of the Allman Brothers, Govt. Mule, Hubert Sumlin and others, kicked ass on harp & vocals along with Arthur Nielson, longtime guitarist for Shemekia Copeland. I was then asked to join them for a few tunes and things really started to get heated up! Jon Paris stopped by and I handed him my guitar & he got a nice little jam going with Hook, Arthur, Zeke Erik and myself trading licks.

I had brought copies of the “Deal With The Devil” certificate that I had made for the Stockholm event and gave them away freely to all the folks there.

This was an incredible event, an expression of true joy in appreciation for the music Robert Johnson has given us, the impact he’s had on our lives, and a celebration of the best New York can offer, past & present, young & old, rollin’ and tumblin’ onward towards the next hundred years!

Now I am Stockholm bound again on Delta flight 202 (still, you gotta love that bit!) my head is swimming with impressions and music of these past three events.

When I was a kid, just discovering the delight of Delta Blues and the Robert Johnson songbook, I never quite imagined that a time would come where I could show my appreciation on two continents within a few days of each other. The true value of a person’s music stands the test of time and although the mystery of Robert Johnson’s life is what intrigues us, it is his songs that permeate that myth and connects us all; Blues, Jazz, Rock & Roll, Rap, past, present, future, reaching just about every corner of the Planet… “…Stuff I got’ll bust your brains out; it’ll make you lose your mind” Indeed Robert, Indeed… *For more info about Brian Kramer & his music check out briankramerblues.com

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ROBERT JOHNSON

YEARS

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Unsigned acts on their own Blues mission Andrew Nick

THE MENTULLS Hailing from Guisborough and formed in 2006, The Mentulls are a young and very talented blues rock trio with tremendous energy and are inspired and influenced by bands and artists like Wishbone Ash, Jethro Tull, Jimi Hendrix, Gary Moore and Joe Bonamassa. Led by guitarist Andrew Pipe aged 14 with Jamie Pipe aged 18 on keyboards and Nick Colman aged 16 on drums they typically play up to 30 gigs a year.

They recorded their debut album “Seaside Sunday” in late 2009, the band are currently recording new material for an album that should be released towards the end of June 2011.

The last 6 months or so has seen the band play more high profile venues and to larger audiences. All band members started playing their respected instruments from an early age.

In addition to headlining their own gigs they have supported Chantel McGregor, Virgil and The Accelerators and Claire Hamill (Ex Wishbone Ash) and are due to support Sherman Robertson in July 2011. They recently played at The Hebden Bridge Blues Festival and are headlining “Blues - The Next Generation” at The Newark Blues Festival in September 2011.

photos by Christine Moore

Jamie

Quotes :- Andy Powell (lead guitarist and founder member of Wishbone Ash): “I finally checked out your CD you gave me.

Good stuff - a lotta energy. Keep up the good work” Ian Parker (blues Guitarist): “Andrew’s playing impressed us all. I hope he sticks with it, and I look forward to hearing The Mentulls live in the future” (Andrew Pipe jammed with Ian Parker in January 2011).

Dave Pegg (bass guitarist for Fairport Convention and ex Jethro Tull): “The band look and sound good and are going to be great” Chantel McGregor (blues guitarist): “The video’s great, they’re doing so well!”

Bobby Jacobs (bass guitarist of the Dutch Band, Focus): “Great guitar solos from this great young band” www.reverbnation.com/thementulls Are you a new band starting out? Why not send in a short bio and high resolution picture, this section is just waiting for you to spread the word about yourselves!!

Have you something to say about the magazine? Your musical preferences? What you would like to read about in BLUES MATTERS! Well you may have noticed there are no Feedback pages this issue, thats because we had so much content we just didnt have room with all the great Interviews and features..

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photos by Christine Moore

BLUE BLOOD

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BEN PRESTAGE One Crow Murder Independent With a vocal that sounds like Omar Dykes and a down and intense delivery similar to Seasick Steve, this is a corker of an oddball album. Selfproduced it is very much a solo effort and it proudly announces its one-manband status throughout.

It is a full and robust sound nonetheless, and, indeed, at times a little too full. There is variety here too, from exquisite slide on ‘The Ballad Of Ray & Ruby’ and patient lap steel on ‘Take Sick & Die’. Prestage then offers the gentlest acoustic guitar on the brilliant title track, ‘One Crow Murder’. With lines like “I’m a one crow murder, I’m a one wolf pack’ it becomes reminiscent of the visceral Blues of the late John Campbell. The same dark mood transcends through ‘Shine Moon’ and Prestage’s visionary use of the Diddley Bow. Sometimes the obvious one-man-band percussion is a little too much amid the very sharp production; minor quibbles for a tremendous album. Born the grandson of a Mississippi sharecropper opens the door on his authenticity as a Bluesman, the album adds a whole lot more to that prestige.

Gareth Hayes BIG DADDY WILSON Thumb A Ride Ruf Big Daddy Wilson’s route to the Blues is both unorthodox and unusual. He was raised by his grandparents in small town Edenton, North Carolina in deprived circumstances.

His upbringing and education was uncomplicated through school and church, but he quit high school at sixteen to join the army. He met his wife while stationed in Germany, and eventually settled there. Here is the unusual part; it was on the European continent, far from the roots of the genre in his adopted homeland, that he was first introduced to the Blues. Prior to that he had heard only church or country music, yet it is the immigrant and itinerant life of a Bluesman that he has now embraced.

This is his second release on Ruf. “Thumb A Ride” is an acoustic trio album employing the talents of Jochen Bens and Michael van Merwick on various guitars, mandolin and banjo. The music and lyrics are the reflection of the journey of his life, hence the title, and though the album is an undemanding and relaxed listen it has considerable charm. All the material is written by the group, and features Wilson’s gruff, airy vocals and he also adds percussion. This is country Blues very similar in style and feel to that of Eric Bibb.

Noggin BIG JOE SHELTON The Older I Get The Better I Was 4ALT5 Records Big Joe Shelton was born in the Black Prairie region of Northeast Mississippi. ‘The Older I Get the Better I Was’ is his second album on the independent ALT 45 Records

label, It was recorded at the B.B. King Recording Studio on the campus of Mississippi Valley State University in the summer of 2010 and includes ten original tracks. Shelton does harmonica and vocals on all tracks and does a fine job indeed. The album rocks along from the first offering, ‘Hole In Yo Soul’ to the last one ‘Hard To get Along’. All tracks offer fine harp blowing, gutsy guitar work from Ben Ferrell (especially on ‘What Else Can It Be’) and some tight rhythm work. Some good Blues piano too. Shelton’s real strength is his writing and all ten tracks are high quality, in particular ‘Psychoanalyst Voodoo Queen’ and played with clear passion. Shelton lists his heroes as Big Joe Williams, Furry Lewis, Junior Kimbrough, and R.L.Burnside. His gravelly voice and direct no nonsense approach to the Blues on this album pay energetic tribute to his heroes. The CD cover says that the album was part funded by the Department of Education and University sponsored programs – it was money well spent!

Kevin Wharton CONNIE LUSH Send Me No Flowers Alessa Records Janis Joplin mould, it’s a beast of a voice that can just as easily caress you, before tearing your heart out. Even better she can write a cracking blues tune as well, and half of this album contains original material with ‘Morning Blues’ and the title track, the best of those. She’s had a host of accolades over the years, whether it’s the French showing rare good taste in voting her European singer of the year in 2003 and 2004 in the French Blues Trophies Awards or BB King saying that her voice makes his heart sing.

It’s been a while since I’ve heard Ms Lush, probably when “Unfaithfully Yours” came out in 2002, and if anything, she’s got better with the passing of time.

Of the covers on offer, the double header of ‘Jesus On The Mainline’ and ‘I Could Have Had Religion’ take some beating, but ‘Nobody’s Fault’ comes mighty close. The band put in a good stint, with the drumming of Mikhael Weizman and bass playing of Terry Harris are a particular highlight. An thoroughly enjoyable release from a great British Blues singer.

Stuart A Hamilton BLUES DUO Canned Heat Socan The Canned Heat referred to here is not the sixties band fronted by Bob ‘The Bear’ Hite, but a combustible material called sterno, used in fondue burners. Sterno was often drunk after straining through bread and it was this which eventually killed the songs author, Tommy Johnson. It serves however to introduce two new names

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from the north of Ontario, Canada. Tracy K on vocals and harmonica and Jamie Snakeman Steinhoff on vocals, acoustic guitars, dobro and banjo. Throughout this release, Steinhoff’s displays a masterful style of fingerpicking, perhaps best demonstrated on the mournful blues of ‘Atlanta Moan’ a tribute to Canadian Blues icon, Big Dave Maclean. Tracy K’s vocals are confident and solid whilst she displays a mean capability on harp.

‘Canned Heat’ marries five traditional acoustic Folk Blues with five acoustic originals. ‘Everybody Loves My Baby’

by Spencer Williams/Jack Palmer is given a makeover with some great kazoo playing midway. Tracy’s ‘Tailor Made’, a joyful song about love, exudes rare warmth with two beautiful acoustic guitars complementing one another. ‘Cowboy Blues’ is a beautiful rag which highlights Snakeman’s dobro picking. ‘Stolen Apple Jelly’ features Snakeman on vocals in a humorous song around a subject that most of us have all partaken in, stealing apples. Here, I believe the difference between the vocal abilities of the two band members are at their greatest, Snakeman can play but in comparison to Tracy, leaves a lot to be desired in the vocal department. However this is about the only complaint I can level at this very enjoyable acoustic outing. Closing the CD is a very poignant song ‘Heaven’s Joy (Olga’s Song)’, written to be sung at her Aunt’s funeral. Her daughter Joy harmonizes with her and it is a beautiful ending to this album.

Merv Osborne BRIAN KRAMER A Tribute to Robert Johnson Independent It is what it says on the tin -“A tribute to Robert Johnson”, Brian Kramer does it justice with clear Blues acoustic guitar playing and understanding of traditional Blues.

His voice is full of emotion and clarity so that every word is heard and the story behind the songs clearly unfolds. Sympathetic and skilful production has been used recording live in a studio with no over dubbing; this is a genuine recognition of Robert Johnson delivered

by Brian who has passion for traditional Blues. Brian’s 1932 National pounds out the rhythm demonstrating all the lessons he has learnt from the greats including Junior Wells who was both his friend and mentor putting these skills to great use on the CD. Eleven tracks have been carefully crafted from the opening number ‘Phonograph Blues’ through to ‘Little Queen of Spades’.

The combination of his voice and guitar skills makes this a fine tribute and a must for traditional Blues and Robert Johnson fans alike. The album is not currently available anywhere except direct through BKB Music and any ordering inquiries can be sent directly to briankramerblues@hotmail.com Liz Aiken CISCO HERZHAFT The Cisco’s System Blues’n’ Trad Born in 1947, Cisco Herzhaft is a major guitarist, a fine singer, an established writer, and a pioneer of blues in France. He lists his influences as Big Bill Broonzy and Muddy Waters and has been a professional musician for 30 years and has twelve albums to his credit. He also played with John Lee Hooker in the sixties, this one is his third solo album, and don’t fret – he sings in English!

Herzhart has developed very personal acoustic folk blues music and this album sets it out for his audience. It is very wide ranging in its content from simple picking Blues to a

cover of Merle Travis’ ‘Sixteen Tons’, the traditional ‘Will The Circle Be Unbroken’ and the electric version of ‘Feel Like A Warrior’. For me, the high quality of Herzhart’s finger picking stands out, especially in the ragtime number ‘Raggin’ Guitar Man’ and ‘Slidin’ Out My Soul’ which features some fine slide work. Most of the 13 tracks are self-penned and the originality of his work, which falls squarely in the Blues genre, is exceptional. This is a quality offering from one of the most acknowledged and wanted professionals of the Blues scene.

Kevin Wharton GILES ROBSON & THE DIRTY ACES Crooked Heart Of Mine Movinmusic I first heard The Dirty Aces when reviewing a 5 track CD which was released in 2007 by this young Jersey based band. I tagged it as a promising debut with much more to come as they matured. Now things have moved on with Giles Robson’s name being placed out front and the recruitment of a new rhythm section with the experienced pair of Ian Jennings on bass and Mike Hellier on drums. They have been getting some airplay and some serious attention on the British Blues scene with their harmonica and guitar driven R&B and this new album has already had airplay from the likes of Paul Jones, Chris Evans and Tom Robinson. The material is all original and opening track ‘The Mighty Incinerator’ is a fast shuffle with great guitar from Filip Kozlowski and tasty harp from Robson. The feel is a bit like a more controlled Dr. Feelgood with Robson’s vocals being tough but not yet as worn or gritty as Lee Brilleaux. Terrific harp features on ‘Twenty Gallons Of Muddy Water’ and the quality of this band’s playing and feel for the Blues is evident from the start. ‘Some Kinda King’ is a steady paced, stripped down offering with Robson on acoustic harp. The mood changes completely for ‘Devil Led Evil’ a jaunty gypsy jazz type piece which swings along featuring good interplay between Robson’s chromatic harp and Kozlowski’s Reinhardt inspired guitar work. A howling train whistle blast of harp introduces ‘Stick To The Promise’ which is a thick, sleazy, swaggering stew of Louisiana swamp Blues. Title track ‘Crooked Heart Of Mine’ is a laid back, stripped down, sly acoustic, back porch number before the whole band crash in with the rocky funk of ‘Swindler For You’. ‘Solidor’ is a melodic and tasteful instrumental which allows Robson to show off his tasty jazz harp licks.

‘Cooling Board’ is a tough, thumping rocker with scorching harp from Robson over great slide guitar from Kozlowski. A swinging Slim Harpo inspired riff introduces ‘Magic Tricks’ before the short, sweet and gentle instrumental ‘Home Town’. The album closes with the heavy rocking ‘Ain’t Dead Yet’ with a fine chiming guitar solo from Kozlowski and typically tough harp from Robson. This is a superb album worthy of the attention it has already received but I still feel there is more to come from this excellent band.

Dave Drury

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KINGS HIGHWAY The Line Rat Pak Records KIings Highway are based in the Midwestern heartland of America and play a blend of raucous Blues/rock and soul with touches of Southern rock courtesy of the twin guitars of Michael Schultz and Mike Stone and soul-fuelled vocals from Cedric D. Square. Opening track ‘Giddy Up’ is a speedy instrumental with those twin guitars whipping up a storm reminiscent of The Allman Brothers. ‘Till It Breaks’ is a Blues/rocker featuring Square belting out the vocals and the whole band brewing up a storm. ‘On Your Side’ is a funky Southern soul style number with warm, positively honeyed, vocals from Square and melodic harmonising. The well written material is all original and the musicianship and production from Mike Stone is excellent and this album would grace any party or BBQ. ‘Big Man Blues’ is a slow, chugging Blues reminiscent of ZZ Top in their early days as it rumbles along to a crescendo featuring superb guitar solos from Stone and Schultz.

The pace drops for ‘Headin’ Back’ which is about as close as this band get to a ballad. But never fear because those heavy grooves are back with the swaggering slow rocker ‘Still Ain’t Got The Time’ which features an insistent riff and declamatory vocals. ‘It’s On’ rocks along furiously to a locomotive beat and is sweetened only by some tasty slide guitar.

The rhythm section of Tommy (Tomahawk) Purcell on drums and Guy Bazilewich on bass are rock steady throughout and lay down some fat grooves for the twin guitar pyrotechnics of Stone and Schultz and powerhouse vocals of Square. Closing track ‘Curveball’ is a steady rocker featuring soulful vocals set against a dense backdrop of guitars and crashing drums and ends with the mumbled words “thank you and goodnight”. An excellent album and one that can be recommended particularly to devotees of Blues-rock and Southern rock.

Dave Drury CLIFF STEVENS Cliff Stevens Red Flagg – RF500-1 Cliff Stevens’s eponymously titled debut is a fine calling card for this talented musician. He leads from the front, playing electric guitar and some fine slide, as well as having a finely wrought vocal style and some quality songs. The songs are mostly his own, but he includes some choice covers, such as charged interpretations of Albert King’s ‘Got to be some changes made’ and the classical ‘I Get Evil’. The instrumental ‘Finger Express’ is an SRV style rave up, whilst ‘Crying my Heart Out’ is a fine bluesy ballad, with some fine rhythm guitar and piano parts. The supporting players are all on good form, although in some cases it is a blues album by numbers, with studio set closer ‘Said the Wrong thing’ which is in

reality little more than a re-write of Gary Moore’s ‘Since I met you Baby’, which is a near title of one of the originals on the album.As a bonus, the CD also contains live versions of ‘Change the World’ and ‘I’m Tore Down’ from his day job in an Eric Clapton tribute act. There are some fine moments on this album, which is bound to appeal to blues fans, but is not really a title from anyone wanting variety on their albums.

Ben Macnair JOE ALLEN Nothin’ But The Devil Independent Allen is a successful poet with five collections of poetry published and his latest “Looking For Robert Johnson” contains a series of poems on the mysterious death of Delta Blues giant Robert Johnson. He also describes himself as a dedicated Blues musician and singer and on this CD he tackles songs by Johnson, Mississippi Fred McDowell, Blind Boy Fuller, Tommy Johnson and Blind Willie McTell. ‘You Gotta Move’ features tasty slide guitar and laid-back vocals from Allen. Willie Brown’s ‘Future Blues’ has a much stronger vocal presence and good rolling guitar work. Jazzy guitar licks introduce ‘Pistol Slapping Blues’ but then Allen seems to step outside his comfort zone on that old warhorse ‘On The Road Again’.

The frantically strummed guitar and tooting harmonica are overlaid by a slightly strained vocal. A strong cover of Leadbelly’s ‘ Midnight Special’ is followed by ‘Love In Vain’ where Allen adopts a sneering Dylan/Jagger vocal style and also adds a harmonica solo straight from the Bob Dylan manual. If you go to a gig and enjoy the music then I’m sure this album will be available. I’d quite like to read the series of poems on Robert Johnson.

Dave Drury ELVIN BISHOP Elvin Bishop’s Raisin’ Hell Revue Delta Groove Elvin Bishop, or Pigboy Crabshaw as he was nicknamed during his stellar period in the Paul Butterfield Blues Band, has invariably brought his humour and rural upbringing to grace his work. Bishop’s most recent studio release was excellent. His latest release documents a jam with several of his mates on the 2010 Legendary Rhythm & Blues Cruise, a concert recorded for this hour long live album.

The results, though not as polished as his recent studio work capture the live atmosphere accurately, and the playing is exemplary. As well as his own distinctive vocals, he gives centre stage to Finis Tasby (‘Whole Lotta Lovin’, Down In Virginia’, and ‘Rover’s Invitation’), John Nemeth reworks Bishop’s own monster hit ‘Fooled Around And Fell In Love’ and also contributes vocals on ‘Tore Up Over You’ and ‘The Night Time Is The Right Time’ with Lisa Leu Andersen and the closing tune ‘Bye Bye Baby’. The music is a pleasing cocktail of rock ‘n’ roll, R&B and plenty of Blues. Bishop gives a typically rambling and humourous spoken introduction to the Albert Collins ‘Dyin’ Flu’. Just occasionally the arrangements seem incomplete, and this is confirmed in the last track when John Nemeth announces the start of various solos with “Somebody play something”, before the inevitable audience participation in the chorus.

Noggin BEN WATERS Boogie 4 Stu Eagle Records This album is a tribute to Ian Stewart who was Road

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Manager and piano player with The Stones until his untimely death in 1985 and was also an inspiration to Ben Waters. Eventually Waters was invited to play piano with Rocket 88 an occasional Blues and boogie woogie big band started in 1978 and featuring Stewart and the likes of Charlie Watts, Jack Bruce, Don Weller, Alexis Korner, Bob Hall, Dave Green etc. Opening track features Waters’ fine pounding piano on Albert Ammons’ ‘Boogie Woogie Stomp’ and then he is joined by Bill Wyman, Keith Richards and others for a romp through Amos Milburn’s ‘Rooming House Boogie’. Jools Holland adds Hammond organ to ‘Worried Life Blues’ which also features Charlie Watts, Dave Green, Wiily Garnet and wonderfully cracked vocals from Keith Richards and Ronnie Wood. Waters and Holland play together on the swinging title track ‘Boogie 4 Stu’ which they co-wrote. ‘Make Me A Pallet On Your Floor’ features a great Blues vocal and rolling piano from Jools Holland. It seems that the participants actually insisted on contributing to this fine album with the proceeds going to the British Heart Foundation. ‘Lonely Avenue’ features P. J. Harvey, a cousin of Waters, on multi-tracked vocals and sax, which she says she learnt from Willy Garnet and others in the days when Rocket 88, including Stu, would stay occasionally in her family home.

A real highlight comes when Messrs. Richards, Wood.

Wyman and Watts play together on ‘Watching The River Flow’ which features one of Mick Jaggers best vocals in many years. Superb stuff! Excellent vocals from Hamish Maxwell and great honking horns topped off by rocking piano from Waters and Holland positively light up the classic ‘Roll ‘Em Pete’ . Closing track ‘Bring It On Home To Me’ features Stu himself with Rocket 88 at the 1984 Montreux Jazz Festival and it’s a belter which rounds off this excellent album in great style. Not only a worthwhile cause but a truly stunning album.

Dave Drury ALAN BLACK Happy As A Monkey Independent Canadian Alan Black is a drummer, vocalist, harmonica player and songwriter and he has produced an album here of mostly self-penned songs with a loose, laid-back country Blues groove. Opener ‘When I Hear You’ is a joyous blast featuring acoustic harp from Black and superbly controlled slide guitar from Gary Peeples. The song is reminiscent of ‘Good Morning Little Schoolgirl’ and, indeed, much of the original material sounds vaguely familiar but has a terrific good time feel to it. ‘Reincarnation Blues’ is an uptempo shuffle featuring more lovely slide from Peeples, tasty harp fills and jaunty vocals from Black.

‘Sink Or Swim’ is a boogie workout which is reminiscent of Canned Heat and you can almost imagine Al Wilson on slide guitar and Bob “The Bear” Hite growling out the vocals. Splendid stuff. ‘Empty Words’ is an atmospheric swamp Blues featuring a slinky and funky drum pattern

from Black and spare harmonica and guitar fills and that N’awlins feel is continued with a smouldering cover of Dr. John’s wonderful ‘I Been Hoodood’. The percussion driven ‘I Love To Ramble’ is followed by the slow and mournful ‘Tend To Get The Blues’ which at 6.26 is one of the longer tracks on this rather short (37min) album. ‘Good Advice’ is a steady shuffling rocker with a nice jazzy guitar break from Gary Peeples. The sly ‘She’s Winning’ finds Black bemoaning that “It’s the only war where you sleep with the enemy”. This excellent album is rounded out by the slow Blues ‘3 Kinds Of Fool’ and although there is nothing groundbreaking on here it is very pleasing indeed.

Dave Drury DEL BROMHAM Devil’s Highway Angel Air Chris Simmonds reviewed the original release of this set in ‘Blues Matters’ back in 2004 when Del was touring as a solo act with Leslie West, and he enjoyed the generally semi-acoustic sound of the Stray guitarist and singer’s attempt to move away from a rock-flavoured approach and closer to the Blues. This reissue augments the original track-listing with a further five numbers recorded in February 2011, including two very different takes of Robert Johnson’s ‘Ramblin’ On My Mind’. ‘Ain’t Love A Wonderful Thing’ has an approach similar to 70s pub-Rock (which was often pretty bluesy anyway), ‘Train’ is a driving solo item that contrasts strongly with ‘Whisky, Wine And Beer’, which sounds like a long-lost Willie Dixon composition. In truth, this is a far bluesier set than I expected, with ‘Slave’ a lovely modern styled Soul-Blues, again juxtaposed with an acoustic version of Big Boy Crudup’s ‘That’s Alright Mama’ and then to the 60s soul sound of ‘House Of Love’; for ‘Midnight Special’, one of the bonus tracks, Del used the version of this standard that The Spencer Davis Group recorded and added in some licks inspired by rockabilly king Carl Perkins. A richly varied set then, and one most readers should have no difficulty in thoroughly enjoying!

Norman Darwen JOCELYN BROWN True Praises Kingsway There has always been a connection between secular and gospel music, a paradox in the case of the Blues, given the apparent incompatibility of the devil’s music and praising God. Some artists have transferred their affections from one form to focus on the other, perhaps most obviously Aretha Franklin amongst countless others, particularly so in the Blues and country musical genres.

This release from 61 year old mother of three Jocelyn Brown combines traditional values and statements of faith with a soft soul feel, even on one occasion rap, (‘Strand Up’). That attempt to modernise the music has not been a particular success. Jocelyn Brown is for sure a testifying singer, sometimes overwhelmingly so, and though many

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of the words are persuasive and heartfelt, for example ‘He Reigns’, the backing somehow doesn’t quite fit or do the sentiments justice. A Christian person would agree with many of the statements of faith and I do not doubt her sincerity for a moment. The title track has a simple and profound message, as do the many references to the work of her Saviour. Judged entirely on its musical content I much prefer the more traditional gospel approach of the incomparable Mahalia Jackson. Brown comes close in the beautiful ‘Jesus Is All The World To Me’ with its understated backing and harmonies.

Noggin HOKIE JOINT The Music Starts To Play Buzz Records Swamp growling blues Colchester delta impressarios Hokie Joint. Well how do you define such an eclectic taste in musical genres from a band that are so rich in talent. This is certainly no tricky second album!

Following on from their critically acclaimed “Thats Just The Way It Goes”, they have just got better and better. From the first few bars of the title track a very upbeat and very danceable rythmn almost East European influence. They continue to be a very cohesive unit. Jo Jo’s vocals are still rough and mysterious when needed but also melodic and powerfully emotional vocals on such tracks as” Jackie Boy”. The ebb and flow of this release is such that you don’t know what music style is next. The one outstanding track which epitomises the tightness and solidness of the band as a whole is “This body of Mine” commencing with great snare drumming then enveloped by velvety vocals , subtle guitar licks and of course Giles harmonica style , surely another candidate for British Blues Harmonica player this year, he is mesmeric. The standard of playing throughout this release is excellent , punchy and very professional , production perfect during the Anthemic “Apologise”, tearing up the rule book of keeping to the same formula all the time and really experimenting and pushing their own boundaries. Certainly one of the best releases of the year this cannot be over praised, catch them live when you can and see for yourself.

Colin Campbell MAMA ROSIN together with HIPBONE SLIM and the KNEE TREMBLERS Louisiana Fun – Voodoo Rhythm Records – VRCD65 The thought of two well established bands from distinct genres playing together on one album is usually enough to set of alarm bells. This is however, not one of those albums, as the instrumentation is different, and the bands come from different countries, speaking different languages, with only a solid groove to link the two of them. So, we have the Cajun trio Mama Rosin playing with the rural blues of Hipbone Slim and the Knee Tremblers, and there are moments when the sound really clicks, such as the Cajun

powered stomper ‘Citi Two Step’ which sounds like Chuck Berry’s ‘Brown Eyed Handsome Man’, or the more jazz like ‘Swamp Water’ which uses the ‘Green Onions’ riff, and spooked sounding guitar against a wall of accordion. There are many ways in which this album should not work, and Blues and Cajun purists will probably grind their teeth at the sound of the concept of this album, but the catchy ending song ‘Paint the Town Red’ shows that sometimes good music can be created across genres, and something good can come out of it.

Ben Macnair MARYBETH D’AMICO The Light Inside LongMan This is an interesting excursion into country-pop that allows itself a slight diversion into the gloom with ‘Beneath The Rubble’ and ‘Stubborn Land’. D’Amico’s laid back vocals are occasionally submerged in the bright instrumental support and this takes getting used to, especially as the vocal keenness is lyrically defiant. That defiance is strongly evidenced on ‘Inside Out’ with an element of rock chick attitude. Most of the album is lighter, and thankfully supports the implied title. D’Amico sets her sights on astral folk with ‘Star-Crossed’ and the last track, ‘Tiny Star’ lifts the set out of navel-gazing that perhaps dominated her previous work. Utilising her American and European connections has enabled her to draw on worldclass musicians to help her out and the album features Paul Pearcy (Jimmy Dale Gilmore), Glenn Fukunaga (Joe Ely) and Austin-based producer Bradley Kopp amongst others.

Gareth Hayes JAMES COTTON How Long Can A Fool Go Wrong Blues Boulevard Back in the 70s James Cotton was still young enough to be seen as something of a rebel within the Blues establishment.

Although he had recorded down south and worked with Muddy Waters in the 50s, and even toured in Britain with Chris Barber the following decade, he was also familiar with many of the Blues-Rock acts of the late 60s, and even had an album produced by Todd Rundgren. So, by the time he made the two sets comprising this release, “100% Cotton” (1974) and the double album “Live And On The Move” (1976) for Buddah, he was certainly a leading high-energy, contemporary bluesman. His harp blowing is as powerful as ever, whilst it also always good to hear James’s vocals – he is not an outstanding singer, but he is slick, soulful, and confident. He often draws on those southern roots, though frequently brought up-to-date for a younger and paler audience – try ‘Rocket 88’, or ‘Boogie Thing’, which was a prized 45 in my house for years. The live set features largely the same musicians and reprises many of the tracks from the studio album – after all, it was Cotton’s current release – but that is no problem at all, and this 2CD set is certainly recommended.

Norman Darwen

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THE SOUL OF JOHN BLACK Good Thang Yellow Dog One time Fishbone member John Bigham got together with Christopher Tohomas about ten years, releasing their self titled debut album in 2002. Since then Mr Bigham has shed Mr Thomas (although he still writes with him) while steadily releasing albums, and as befits a man of his background he’s been fusing up hip-hop, soul, jazz and blues in fine fashion. Having also worked with Eminem, Dr Dre, Miles Davis and former House of Pain fella, Everlast, all these influences come to bear on this rather splendid album. It’s got more soul to it than it does blues, but adds in some funk and some gumbo, all topped off by Bighams Al Green meets Donny Hathaway type voice. It sounds fresh, vital and has a warm, vibrant sound. When the pace slows down on tunes like ‘How Can I’, you can almost taste the seventies, but when he hits a groove, as on ‘Digital Blues’, ‘Good Thang’ and ‘Lil Mama’s In The Kitchen’, then it moves up in class. It may be a few degrees from the blues, but as the man says, “I didn’t get into really deep old school blues until I was working with Miles (Davis) and he recorded songs with John Lee Hooker for the soundtrack to a movie called “The Hot Spot”. That music affected me profoundly.

John Lee Hooker became one of my main guys. I also figured that if his music and Miles Davis’ could blend so beautifully, I should be able to find my own way of combining everything that I love. And that’s what The Soul of John Black is about”.

Stuart A Hamilton TRACY NELSON Victim of the Blues Delta Groove Music Inc The lady is back singing South-side Chicago style Blues on her twenty-sixth album, produced over the five decades since her début album ‘Deep At The Roots’ her music has gone the full circle. The release of the CD is a miracle a major house fire the decision to save the studio and let the rest burn saved the album; it is a phoenix of gigantic proportions rising from the ashes. A glorious collection of great blues from the 60’s with a supporting cast which reads as a parade of characters from Chicago circuit. Her voice is warm, powerful and expressive, demonstrating once again the amazing and complex instrument Tracy’s voice is. Highlighting a couple of tracks is difficult with this gold-plated showcase CD, perhaps ‘One More Mile’; soulful gospel of ‘Without Love’ and the crowning glory Ma Rainey’s classic early Blues and title track ‘Victim of the Blues’. The reality is track after track of sublime Blues music is delivered creating a 5 star album.

Liz Aiken LIGHTNIN’ MALCOLM Renegade Ruf Records A renegade, by definition, is “someone who rejects lawful or conventional behaviour” closely reflecting the lifestyle of a travelling musician. For several years, Malcolm travelled the world spreading his love for the blues. He later settled in North Mississippi where he was drawn to the hill-country blues made famous by Fred McDowell RL Burnside and Junior Kimborough. This album is high energy hill-country blues with elements of funk, reggae, soul and rock. Joined on drums by Cameron Kimborough, Junior’s grandson, “Renegade” is a drums/guitar duo recording à la Mississippi tradition. Throughout,

Cameron’s creative and versatile playing provides a perfect foil for Malcolm’s hypnotic grooves. There is also a horn section comprising Jim Spake, David McKnight and Nashon Benford. Nadir Shakoora (Jimmy Buffet) adds her beautiful voice on the reggae flavoured “Precious Jewel”.

An absolute must-have if you like this style of music as it unites musicians and listener in an interaction to the power and joy of the music we call the blues.

Clive Rawlings DES HORSFALL’S KUSCHTY RYE The Good Gentleman’s Tonic Valve Analogue Recordings Packaged like one of those little books you pick up by the till at the large bookstores, this is a curious turn from a Yorkshire curiosity. From the simple lament of ‘Hard Woman’, a simple Blues subject at a reflective pace, to the contradictory and buoyant ‘Chunggadiddy’, there is an engaging mix of country, Rock, and Folk-themed tunes that border on the easy listening rather than the intricate or anthemic. The sibling, and strangely sequenced, track ‘Chunggadiddlydumdee’ adds more fun to proceedings yet is painfully short, before the pub backroom sing-a-long ‘No-one Talks’ firmly places the piece. The slightly bonkers appeal continues aplenty with the last track, ‘Unwinese Mix’, which alternates and oscillates between genius and crackpot. Recorded by Des Horsfall under his own Valve banner of “waves not digits” adds to the desire to drink tea and eat cake while enjoying his eccentric artistry.

Gareth Hayes THE RIOTOUS BROTHERS Shout It Out Independent Entertainment is the key word here; the fourteen original tracks on this album all bristle with blues energy, be it the driven RnB style or the more laid back soulful blues that allows the listener to take a breather, in fact on ‘A long long way to Texas’ there is even a string quartet but I assure you this is the exception to the rule here, the majority of the tracks are high energy material. Over the past couple of years the band have done a lot of leg work appearing at gigs and festivals up and down the country, this is now paying dividends on the evidence of this album, which is a very strong album that mixes various blues styles from the past five decades, paying homage at times to the great British Blues Boom period of the middle 1960’s, so memorable were some songs that I had to do a double take, as I was convinced they were covers but I can confirm that all the material on the album is self written by band members. As a four piece band second guitarist Paul Long additional covers on Keyboards, which allows them to fill out their sound to its full potential; besides the aforementioned string quartet there are some guest players, including Paul Jones on Harmonica, who add some additional quality touches to the proceedings. This is

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a faultless recording that has something for every type of blues fan to enjoy, all fourteen tracks stand up individually and if the musicianship and song writing continue in this vain the band are destined to cause a riot!

Adrian Blacklee MIKE ELDRED TRIO 61 And 49 Blues Boulevard Mike Eldred is from Artesia, CA, and has been playing guitar since he was fourteen.

His career kicked off with two albums with Lee Rocker, and this is Eldred’s second CD in his own right. “61 And 49” encapsulates everything that is great about American rock and Blues, tight, full of variety, punch and virtuosity. There is not a weak track, and the songwriting and arrangements are superb. The rhythm section of the Blasters’ John Bazz and Jerry Angel is as solid as a rock. Eldred’s vocals are clear and tuneful. The icing on the cake is provided by guest appearances by Presley’s legendary guitarist Scotty Moore on ‘Ms Gayle’s Chicken House’, sounding eerily like something from the Vaughan Brother’s album “Family Style”. The late Ike Turner adds some great piano on ‘She’s A Rocket’ and ‘Jimmy Jimmy’. Cesar Rosas from Los Lobos brings Mexican flavour to the gorgeous ‘This Old Train’, and Kid Ramos’ guitar playing on ‘Louise’ is fabulous. Eldred’s own playing on ‘Lookie Here’ has all the swagger of Stevie Ray Vaughan, and the highlight, amongst so many others, is the moving instrumental ‘Ruby’s Blues’.

Noggin THE REVEREND PEYTON’S BIG DAMN BAND Peyton on Patton SideOneDummy Records This is an authentic tribute to legendary Charley Patton whose distinctive hollerin’ style and flamboyant guitar playing earned him the title Father of the Blues. The CD has a feel of a solo production with the focus on Rev Peyton’s distinctive gravelly voice and his superb guitar playing, showcasing his 1930’s original Nationals and reproduction of an early Gibson acoustic. The Big Damn Band is used subtly and effectively, as demonstrated

by Aaron ‘Cuz’ Persinger unusually has a light touch achieved by drumming on a century-old tobacco barrel.

The CD features a collection of Patton’s best-loved blues songs recorded over his short career and his self-penned spirituals. Unusually the CD includes three versions of ‘Some of These Days I’ll Be Gone’ which works demonstrating the versatility of standards when delivered using Guitar or Banjo or Slide guitar in different keys and arrangements. A must have CD to add to your traditional style Blues collection.

Liz Aiken KRISSY MATTHEWS Hit The Rock Rock The Earth “If I had a time machine, 1969 would be the place I would

be”, sings Krissy. Fortunately for us in 2011, Krissy doesn’t have access to the Tardis, so he has done the next best thing in absorbing the sound of that time – and as he sings on the opening ‘Feeling For The Blues’, he “wasn’t born in 1902”. So his music is hard-hitting blues-rock, with plenty of heavy, riffing guitar work and dazzling solos, building on the work of Eric Clapton, Peter Green, and Jimmy Page, with maybe a tinge of Jimi Hendrix from time to time. So successfully has Krissy absorbed this approach, sound and style – listen carefully to everything that’s going on in the new, improved ‘When Times Were Hard’ and then try and persuade me it’s not from the end of the 60s – that it becomes difficult to believe that this Anglo-Norwegian singer and guitar hero is still in his teens; in fact, he was born in 1992. This is his fourth studio CD and finds him quite simply getting better and better. What more do you need to know?

Norman Darwen P-A-U-L Tales From The Gravel E&E Entertainment Paul Andrew Ulysses Lamb is back with a follow-up to his enjoyable “Gunshot Lullably” release from 2009. I said about that one that it would would have fitted in snuggly between your Lynyrd Skynyrd, Black Oak Arkansas and Wet Willie albums, and there’s no real change to things this time around in finest if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it mode, as he sets off on another Southern rockin’ blues extravaganza. There are a few funky bits and bobs, some scorching guitar solos and Mr Lambs gritty vocals topping things off for a roadhouse Saturday night. He’s got a kick ass trio going, with Joey Spina and Layla Hall turning in a good shift. Add in the returning chick backing vocals from Angelica Moross, Elizabeth ‘Cupcake’ Mackenzie and a certain Joanne Shaw Taylor, and it makes for in invigorating brew. I do wish he would stick to the uptempo material as the big ballad, ‘We Believe’ is the one let down here, despite an excellent guitar cameo from said Joanne Shaw Taylor. But you can’t go far wrong with the blistering blues rock of ‘Pistol Whipped Again’, ‘Ghost of Gun and Fist’, ‘Preachin’ Fire’ and the rocktastic ‘Drinks Are On Me’.

Stuart A Hamilton NORTH MISSISSIPPI ALLSTARS Keys to The Kingdom Songs Of The South This excellent album arose from the death of Jim Dickinson, with his sons Luther and Cody, plus Chris Chew, turning in a dozen tracks that largely deal with mortality and death. That may sound morbid, but conversely the result is a celebration of life - and the version of Bob Dylan’s ‘Stuck Inside Of Mobile With The Memphis Blues Again’ was actually Jim’s idea, though at the time he was too ill to do anything other than write down his thoughts. The result is a fine droning hill country styled stomp with a rock tinge. As usual, the Mississippi blues and gospel traditions are never far away, in lyrics, arrangement or delivery, anywhere on this splendid set – try ‘Ain’t No Grave’ with an instantly recognisable Ry Cooder as special guest on slide guitar, or ‘The Meeting’, with Mavis Staples. Other guests include Spooner Oldham and Alvin “Youngblood” Hart, who do make meaningful contributions, but this is The North Mississippi Allstars revelling in and subtly updating the music of their home state. “Produced for Jim Dickinson” it states on the back sleeve, and you just know Jim would be very, very proud.

Norman Darwen

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THE LORELEI Faces Fat Hippy This six-piece band out of Aberdeen in Scotland avoids any easy classification, though they could certainly be included in a “fast and furious” category. There is a hint of Bob Dylan with the harmonica solo in ‘Love Is Blind’, tinges of Tom Petty on the jangly ‘Singer Sings’, a bit of that home-made sound of skiffle here, some 60s influence there – The Beatles and a few other beat groups, a little punk (although maybe it’s not that little…), all kinds of indie, nu-folk, a Celtic approach and more than just a smidgen of Americana, particularly of the Appalachian-inflected variety. There is not a great deal of blues influence per se on this set, though it does occasionally creep in thanks to the rock elements – try ‘A2B’, which would sit very comfortably on an “alt. Blues” release, even with the fiddle and mandolin.

But overall, the CD is good fun throughout, very rootsy and very enjoyable…

Norman Darwen MATT WALSH & CHRISTIAN BLEIMING MC Shuffle Acoustic Music This Germanic entry into the field of boogie-woogie is ideal fodder of fans that have lapped up the likes of Axel Zwingenberger. Bleiming, with immaculate coiffure and costume, gives a concert hall performance on piano, while Matt Walsh adds sultry smooth harmonica. Take note this is not the North Carolina Matt Walsh of eccentric Blues guitar, but the more sedate Irish born Matt Walsh.

There is difficulty faulting any of this in the realms of harmonic and piano Blues but it is not album where hair is let down and sweat drips from foreheads; that is the point. It’s classy and lounge-like. It’s a leisurely stroll across the genre where precision and perfection is keenly choreographed. This is, of course, emphasized by the stripped down approach where no guitar or percussive drums are permitted. It’s also anything but dull, as ‘Polka Salad Annie’ and ‘Reefer Smoker’ testify, but be warned you’re not likely to get tired from dancing either. Glossy and competent.

Gareth Hayes TUBESCREAMERS Self Titled Independent This seven piece band delivers some excellent blues/ rock on this, their debut album, not sure where the band originates from but from looking at the band member names I would take a guess as being Greece. The extended line up incorporates Saxophone & Harp player’s which enhance what is predominately a guitar driven sound, at times very reminiscent of Caned Heat in their late 60’s prime, all the material is self written by the band with lead & slide guitarist Bill Markos taking most of the honours. The band perform as a very solid unit throughout with no one player “hogging the limelight”, all the band members have the opportunity to take a lead without any extended soloing, the album rocks from start to finish and is definitely a ‘foot tapper’, pick of the tracks are ‘Jerisso Blues’ and ‘67 Blues’ both very authentic rocking

blues tracks that make good use of Harp man Chris Michaloudas. The lead vocals and playing throughout are excellent, the band have clearly been together for a while as they work off each other well ; this is a very promising debut album that has no weak spots. For the unitiated a ‘Tubescreamer’ is a Japanese Ibanez Guitarist’s pedal that creates overdrive/distortion, not clear if the band used one when making this album.

Adrian Blacklee LAUREN SHEEHAN Rose City Ramble Wilson River Records Lauren Sheehan covers a wide range of music, and drives a lively string band on Rose City Ramble. The talented singer, guitar, dobro, banjo and mandolin player tackles songs by the Stanley Brothers, Memphis Minnie, Blind Willie McTell, and Hank Williams as well as many of her own songs and arrangements on this worthwhile release.

Working alongside Michael Ballash, Betsy Branch, Zoe Carpenter, Greg Clarke, Laura Quiqley, Dean Meuller, Elizabeth Nicholson, Terry Robb and Johnnie Ward, the recording is of uniformly high standard, but still contains much of the atmosphere that made some of this music so affecting. Close harmony vocals feature on Blind Willie McTell’s ‘In the Wee Midnight Hours’ whilst a lively rhythm section drives ‘Dirty Rat Swing’ by Memphis Minnie. Lauren Sheehan’s own songs can hold their own in such august company, with the swing Mandolin piece ‘Louie’s Blues’ being a particularly fine example, whilst the atmospheric and delicate ‘Chilly Waters’ is a quiet study in introspection. In all, this album contains some fine examples of Americana roots music, as well as being able to re-introduce this body of work to a brand new audience.

Further Information from www.LaurenSheehanmusic.com Ben Macnair NAVA CROSS Hi4Head Records Formed in late 2007

by Noel Gander, Dean Baker and Mike Skinner, the band enjoyed instant success in and around Chelmsford, expanding to a five-piece in 2008.

Rural Essex this is not! There is a rythmic bounce between Noel and Mike that reminds me of a Mid-West feel.

Dean’s vocals only add to this good time vibe with the new recruits, KC on percussion, harmonica and sax and Andy P on drums. Opener “Ship Goes Down” is both upbeat and uplifting. It’s very difficult to sit still; some tracks may start by lulling you into a false sense of security, then bang, they’re off again, best illustrated on the full-tilt “Monkey On My Back”. Things calm down somewhat on “Listening” but only to demonstrate the band’s tightness. There’s some superb slide guitar on this album along with solid rythmn guitar, “Black Crow” being a good example. For me, there’s not a dud track on this album. Competition is stiff in this blue and roots style but sixteen tracks for 10 quid ain”t bad - get in!

Clive Rawlings

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T-BONE WALKER You’re My Best Poker Hand: The Definitive Collection Fantastic Voyage 3 CD Box When ace bluesologist and writer Neil Slaven takes the helm of the good ship compilation, you know you’re in for some quality.

Here, for Fantastic Voyage, he’s put together a superb collection of 75 tracks from the true pioneer of the electric guitar, that consummate blues showman, Aaron ‘T-Bone’ Walker (1910-1975).

This epic journey starts with a wonderfully atmospheric 1940 recording, T-Bone Blues. Listening to that crisp, clear and innovative guitar style, one has to remind oneself that when Walker was laying this foundation, Muddy and Wolf were still working on the plantation, and B. B. King was still driving his tractor down on the farm. CD1 has all that confident bounce of the big band blues sound at the dawn of the 40s. America had yet to face Pearl Harbor and enter the war, and these new adventures in recording, with one foot in the R&B camp and the other in jazz, still sound as refreshing as they did seven decades ago. The 40s material on CD1 includes the classics I Know Your Wig is Gone and the ebullient T-Bone Jumps Again, and culminates with 1947’s The Natural Blues. CD 2 takes us from the late 40s and into the exciting 1950s, by which time ‘Race’ music (or the equally offensive term, ‘Sepia’ music) had a new designation – Rhythm and Blues.

T-Bone was a major draw, a true star who fronted bands with genuine charisma. You can pick a track blindfold and still come up trumps, but the title track You’re My Best Poker Hand, Strollin’ With Bone and The Hustle is On are particularly outstanding. CD 3 is 1950s blues heaven. You can hear the foundations of rock’n’roll on Teenage Baby, and sit back with a beer and bask in the lush, loungelizard arrangement of Vida Lee. On top of this there’s the classics Mean Old World, Two Bones and a Pick, Stormy Monday, T-Bone Blues … this is all lyrically brilliant and absolutely essential for any blues fan’s collection. As you’d expect, Neil Slaven’s erudite, comprehensive liner notes tell you all you need to know about a man who genuinely warrants the title Blues Giant. He was not only an electric guitar pioneer – he set the template for memorable live performance, something which other maestros such as B. B. King, Bobby Blue Bland and others absorbed with gratitude. A thrilling box of delights.

Roy Bainton SARAH JAROSZ Follow Me Down Sugar Hill Records Blues matters but does Bluegrass, on the evidence of this album the answer is most definitely yes, this young American artist has so much confidence for a 20 year old and no little talent, the Bluegrass ‘label’ is probably too restricting as she also displays some authentic Folk influences on this acoustic based album. This is Sarah’s second album and with the majority of material self written she is definitely a force to be reckoned with, the

opening track “Run Away” is superb and one of songs that is instantly memorable, the use of electric guitars on this track gives it a more commercial sound but this is the exception, as the rest of the material is all acoustic based. While Sarah does accompany herself on guitar & banjo, there are some quality musicians supporting here, including Jerry Douglas and Nathaniel Smith; one of the covers is Radiohead’s ‘The Tourist’, not the sort of song you would expect a Bluegrass artist to cover but it works well here and highlights that Sarah is not following a traditional path and is prepared to experiment with her musical choices.

Adrian Blacklee THE WILDCAT O’HALLORAN BAND Drinkin’ With The Harp Girls Independent The CD cover pictures a group of people that look very much like a cross between TV’s Royle Family and an Irish family group, with Wildcat himself being a dead ringer for Ricky Tomlinson. All of which left me unprepared for the raw and exciting music, full of good loving, bad lovin’, good time/bad time Blues and groove. Solid bumping bass lines underscore some great guitar playing, with Wilcat and ‘Lightnin’ Boy’ Dana pushing each other to greater heights and with some gritty but clear vocals, this adds up to a great release. Wildcat O’Halloran hail from the Pioneer Valley in Massachusetts, USA, and would appear to be one of the local, hard working Blues club and bar circuit band. Whatever they are, the results are good times as they are a surprisingly tight unit, never losing that good time feel throughout. With eight original songs there are only two covers on the album, Lieber & Stoller’s ‘Hound Dog’, with Caitlin ‘Harp Sister #1’ Squires giving some down home solid vocals and William Bell’s ‘You Don’t Miss Your Water (Til’ Your Well Runs Dry), originally released

by Stax Records in 1961, but here offered as a love song to Wildcat’s wife Amy. Of his own songs, ‘Crunch Time’, the opener is a solid up tempo rocker, ‘If God Can Make That (No Wonder He’s In Charge) is a humorous shuffle and ‘Love On The Telephone’ a commentary on the growth of telephone sex lines. My favourite is the eight minute slow Blues called ‘Drama’, great lyrics and guitar playing.

Check them out on “You Tube”, they’re a good fun band.

Merv Osborne THE PROPOSITION Dirt Tracks Cowboy Town Records This EP may be short but it is definitely not lacking in originality, flair, energy and three confident musicians who have created their own sound blending an array of genre’s to create The Proposition.

The four tracks are distinctive combining interesting contemporary lyrics, and a wall of music blending the acoustic guitar, banjo, mandolin, lap-steel etc, resulting in layers and layers of textures distilling down Bluegrass, country Blues so that the total is

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greater than the sum of the parts resulting in Americana with a generous twist of English Folk. Every track is thought provoking and liable to drive you to drink and or melancholy but at the same time is foot stomping mouth licking good. This is a unique sound that energizes only complaint being why did you not do a full CD? They are traditional but bring their own dollop of modernity to the party creating their own sound.

Liz Aiken SHAWN PITTMAN Edge Of The World Delta Groove If you like no-nonsense Texas Blues and old time rock and roll, then look no further than the latest release from the Lone Star state’s Shawn Pittman. After a self imposed exile in 2004, Pittman returned in 2007 in a more complete frame of mind, and “Edge Of The World”, his latest release is a no nonsense, solid body of work.

Replicating the sound of the music he loves the most, that of the 50’s and 60’s, when technology barely existed and recordings sounded warm and inviting, with full bodied guitars and solid arrangements. What is more interesting here is that Pittman plays all instruments except the horns where Jonathan Doyle accompanies. Of thirteen tracks, eleven are originals, many co-written with friend and semi retired criminal defense lawyer Lewis Dickson.

Opening with a cover of Wolf’s ‘Sugar’, Pittman’s vocals are solid with a pounding bass line driving a continuous guitar picking backing. The title track, ‘Edge Of The World’ is another take on the Wolf style stomp, with lyrics that paint a bleak and forlorn landscape. ‘That’s The Thing’ blends both the sounds of the Stones circa early 60’s with the velvet smoothness of a sixties Solomon Burke.

‘Maintain’ is the one song on the album that doesn’t really work as it seems to stutter through a ragged rhythm, with a somewhat meaningless guitar ramble in the middle, but the poise and swagger is soon back in an Elmore James slide inspired ‘I’ve Had Enough’. ‘Somebody’s Gonna Win’ recalls the heady days of the Pretty Things and Downliner Sect, simplistic but with buckets of fat rhythm guitar and exuberance. Closing the set is ‘If I Could (Make The World Stop Turning), a simple country Blues that requires just one more instrument, the jug. Good honest stuff!

Merv Osborne STATUS QUO Quid Pro Quo EarMusic What’s this, then? Studio album number 29? It’s been four years now since “In Search of the Fourth Chord”, and it’s their fourth studio set since their 21st century return to some sort of form with “Heavy Traffic”. And this finds the Quo rocking as hard and as well as they have in a long, long time. Things kick off with a classic Quo shuffle in the shape of ‘Two Way Traffic’, and even if the following songs don’t boogie as relentlessly when they were young bucks, there is more life about this set of songs than anything they’ve done in a long time. There is a welcome return for Francis Rossi’s old songwriting partner Bob Young, who gets co-writes on five of the tunes, and there are a couple of numbers here that are good as anything they put out in their heyday. ‘Reality Cheque’ will fit neatly into the live set, as will the excellent tune ‘Let’s Rock’, which does exactly that, and even throws in a few lyrical nods to Quo classics from bygone days. Strangely, they’re both Rick Parfitt sung songs, so I think it’s safe to say that he’s the one pushing the rawk. It also sounds great, as Mike

Paxman has done a bang up job of capturing the band in the studio. Here in the UK, it’s coming out as a Tesco only release, but to encourage the Quo army into the shops, it’s coming out as a double CD, with a ten-track live album, recorded on in Amsterdam and Melbourne last year. It’s a cracking album, the best we’ve had from the Quo since, ooh, the early eighties. Quo fans will love it, and it should hopefully bring a few Quo army deserters back to the fold.

Stuart A Hamilton GERRY JABLONSKI & THE ELECTRIC BAND Life At Captain Toms Fat Hippy Records It was a tough act to follow, yet Jablonski and the Electric Band have surpassed their eponymous debut with this release. While all the key components are present their time together has seen them produce a stronger release with a more diverse range of material and greater depth to the song writing. Commencing purposely with ‘Higher They Climb’ Jablonski’s guitar line emit in parallel with Peter Narojczyk’s harp playing, it’s a winning combination complemented with the backbone of bassist Grigor Leslie and drummer David Innes. On ‘Sherry Lee’ Jablonski deceivingly plays the first minute of bars a la Delta Bluesman before being joined by the rest of the band for a high octane boogie in reference to a Louisiana biker bar. The pace is slowed dramatically for the sparse introduction to ‘High On You’ which rises with memorable chorus which continues through a melodic guitar solo and back to source. Each of the 14 tracks resonates with the listener from the balls to wall rocker ‘Hot’ to the more traditional ‘Slow Down’ with an exceptional harp solo.

Jablonski tips his hat to some key influences through a danceable groove named ‘Merchant of Soul’ while ‘Koss’ pays tribute to the late Free guitarist. The lyrics of ‘Hard To Make A Living’ are far more topical, a tale of 21st century recession blues. There’s a return to Jablonski’s acoustic style for the stripped ballad ‘Anybody’ with pleading lyrics and a restrained accompaniment by Narojczyk. ‘Vigil Cane’ is the story of an outlaw with layered electric and acoustic guitars and harp weaving a pattern of tension.

‘Getting Better’ aptly reflects Jablonski’s philosophy to his own music and on this song his tone is as sweet as BB King, before the immediate impact of the autobiographical ‘Skinny Blue Eyed Boy.’ Existing fans will love this album but it has a broad appeal and depth to songs such as “When The Fire Is Gone” which will attract many more listeners and is highly recommended.

Duncan Beattie IAN SIEGAL (and The Youngest Sons) The Skinny Nugene What another revelation this is Ian Siegal singing and playing with the youngest sons of some of the greats! They are Cody Dickinson, Garry Burnside, Robert Kimbrough and Rodd Bland, with special guests Alvin Youngblood

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Hart, Andre Turner and Duwayne Burnside.

It was recorded in Coldwater Mississippi, at the Zebra Ranch (check out the shoes on the cover), it’s the studio of the North Mississippi All Stars Luther and Cody Dickinson, sons of legendary producer and musician Jim Dickinson. Cody also produced the album. Ian wanted to get the feeling of country and American roots, it works for me the whole CD has a marvelous feel of blues as it should be, happy, sad and DANGEROUS filled with the emotion that the blues evokes as anyone who loves this music will agree. Title track ‘The Skinny’ is very much the sort of swampy electric blues we have come to expect from Mr. Siegal! I Love both ‘Better Than Myself’ and ‘Houndog on my Shoulder’ (what a title and a great song) which are collaboration with Ian’s friend Sam Hare. Another favourite track of mine is ‘Picnic Jam’ great slide guitar the chorus features the unmistakable voice of Alvin Youngblood Hart magic!

‘Devil’s In The Detail’ is an unusual response with Ian and the guys with flute and drum accompaniment, the guitar only comes in at the end playing a gospel tune.

‘Carry’s Nite Out’ takes on an old folk blues theme with twin slide guitars, you can just see them sitting on the porch singing this one. ‘Carry’s Nite Out’ sung by Garry Burnside takes you back to the 30’s style of country blues music, ‘Natch’l Low (Coolin Board)‘ is another in this hill country blues style. This album is a great collaboration of Ian with musicians he respects and trusts to showcase the music he loves. It’s another CD I can’t take off my player, but don’t take my word for it buy it and try it you won’t be disappointed.

Kitty Rae R.B STONE Lonesome Traveller’s Blues Middle Mountain 010510 Shortly after completing his academic studies at Kenton High School in Kenton, Ohio R.B. gained employment working on the railway as one of the many teams that travelled throughout the Midwest of America maintaining track and plant. This gave him a taste of adventure for the great outdoors. Although after two years he went back to a normal day job and a life of performing music was still just a daydream until three years later R.B. finally made the break and moved to Ignacio on the Sky Ute Indian Reservation; where he learnt to wrangle horses by day for backcountry horse packing and practiced his guitar playing by night. He eventually started performing by entertaining customers at night round the camp fire. This life abruptly ended when he was laid-off but, he chose to carry on and pursue a life of music.

Since then he has recorded fifteen Americana albums that have never quite reached a wider world. Now, with this album R.B. has put together a collection of ten original numbers that should change that situation; for, they are all richly atmospheric; with textures ranging from soulful New Orleans blues to funky toe-tapping rhythms sweetly jogging alongside country shuffles and rumba grooves.

Shining through all this good stuff here is the gripping and blasting harmonica of R.B. which is contrasted by the emotively searing slide and equally soothing, resophonic picking of Glen Kuykendall. Joining them are; Billy Crain; guitar, Jared ‘Jay’ Palmer; bass, Ed Atkins; double bass with Spencer Strand and David Sappington on drums.

R. B. has an enticing world weary voice that is not dissimilar to Chris Rea, which is well suited to the witty and suggestive lyrics he so pleasingly writes as in ‘couldn’t be clearer, look in the mirror,’ from “Find Yourself a Fool” and from “Man With a Mini-Van,” we are treated to ‘Some guys drive pick-ups, they can take you out in that but, they can’t just stop anywhere and make love in the back.’ This is a sparkling jewel of an album that possesses wit, charm and imagination.

Brian Harman HUW LLOYD LANGTON’s L.L.G. Hard Graft Hard Graft CD009 Huw was and still is a founder member of the ever diversifying band Hawkwind; for over forty years now he has travelled in mind and miles with and without them. Over the years, during the various periods in which the Hawkwind “Mothership” has been in dry dock, Huw has taught guitar in schools, been part of various bands including Kokmo, Widowmaker and The Pretty Things; also, over the years he has worked on projects with Vivian Stanshall, Michael Moorcock and Rob Calvert. Since, contracting Legionnaires disease in two thousand and one Huw has been plagued by ill health but, by the end of two thousand and seven Huw had regained full health and began work on “Hard Graft,” the album was finished in two thousand and eight but, two weeks after completion the keyboard / synthesiser player Tim Rice Williams unexpectedly died of cancer and the album had stayed on the shelf until recently.

The album consists of nine numbers that range from the melodic feather light introduction of “Hard Graft,” to intense pieces such as the eight minute whirling and spinning “A Dream,” and a heartfelt plea to a dying parent in the slowburning blues of “Hey Mama,” quite emotive pieces.

Combining with an almost ghostly, gasping vocal; not dissimilar to Peter Gabriel, Huw creates inventively driven, rhythmic guitar work that is swirling and racing while, the bass from Richard Gillespie is urging and impelling you and the music on; the solid spine of insistent, pummelling, percussion and drum work is splendidly provided

by VolkerVon Hoff. All the while weaving and threading through the music, giving depth, texture and an otherworldly spaciousness to the music is the scintillating keyboard/synthesiser work of Terry Rice Williams. The overall atmosphere of the album appears be soaked in melancholia and the way we try to cope with loss and despair. The morbidly wailing guitar on “P.D.T.- Photo Dynamic Therapy,” (a non invasive type of cancer surgery) performed in

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aid of the Killing Cancer Charity; is another example.

There are three bonus numbers that are all crisply fresh and sparkling steel guitar solo instrumentals from Huw that are extremely pleasant and uplifting. they are miles apart from the sombre subject matter on the rest of the album.

This is a very fine and hugely enjoyable album despite its somewhat sombre subject matter. Recommended!

Brian Harman GRADY CHAMPION Dreamin’ G.S.M. Music Group GSM 7500-11 Since, winning the two thousand and ten International Blues Band Challenge Grady has recorded this intriguing and thoughtful new album. There are ten original numbers here, ranging from the tender emotional, ballad “The Weight of The World,” which focuses upon the more sensitive, devotional side of love rather than the obvious physical joys, a pronounced Memphis Soul feeling is achieved by the fusing of Grady’s soothing electronic harp and the understated, underpinning of Zac Harmon’s silkily stroked guitar. “Guilty as Charged” is in a similar vein with its melancholy late night groove underlined by Gregg Wright’s sleazy and low down solo backed by Grady’s braying harmonica. Whereas the “My Rooster is King,” is quite simply a boisterous, blistering harmonica led wailing footapping shouter. Joining Grady who takes industrial grade emery paper lead vocals and harmonica are; Zac Harmon and Gregg Wright; guitars, Buthel; bass, Christopher Troy; keyboards, Christopher Troy and Zac Harmon share drumming duties. The low slung footapping and very danceable shuffler that is “Make That Monkey Jump” is complemented with the searing, rocking, rocket fuelled slide stomper “Same Train.”

This is an album that features music which will undoubtedly slowburn into your system with its subtle arrangements, memory lingering hook-lines sweet harmonies and heartfelt lyrics. I should also mention very fine performance by all. I think it’s worth saying that as the numbers float, flow, tumble and crash out of the speakers you are gripped by the indubitable feeling that here is a blueprint for a blaster of a live set. Highly recommended!

Brian Harman TEXAS SLIM Cookin’ With Gas Feelin’ Good Records 015 As you may have guessed, Texas Slim is from Texas and has been playing the blues for well over twenty years now and from the highly enlightening sleevenotes of Norman Darwen; we are reliably informed that he is also a well recognised guitarist playing the clubs in and around the areas of Dallas and Fort Worth. He normally plays with his band Love Machine but, here he is showcasing his more than singular guitar-slinging skills at a live recording at the Il Magazzinodi Gilgamesh, in Torino, Italy, on the Tenth, of March, this year.

Backed by the stalwart and incomparable duo of Martin Lotti; bass and Lele Zamperini; drums. This twelve number set contains a whirlwind of ferocious Texan twangin’ numbers and heartfelt blues that covers a range of emotions. From the bittersweet lingering and tensely spine tingling feelings of “High Alert,” which, right from the start beautifully stuns you with the aching and slowburnin’ emotion filled guitar artistry of T.S. His rendition of Freddie Kings’ “See, See Baby,” is a wonderful footappin’ shuffler displaying his flowing and running string work, coupled

with his unique vocals which are very reminiscent of Andy Fairweather-Low combined they make for splendid foot frivolity. The raw, rocking and absolutely stinging “Boot Hill” is T.S.’s tribute to the legendary Johnny Winter, make no mistake this number takes absolutely no prisoners and will strip paint! A blistering, stomping, raucous study in good old fashioned, rocking Texas Blues.

Numbers such as “Expresso Girl and “Drama Queen,” splendidly exhibits T.S.’s casual ease and obvious dexterity with his instrument.”When it’s Cold Outside,” is a delightful example of love in a mellow, melodic manner, just sink back and enjoy. I do believe, that here is yet another Texan guitar blues master for all and sundry to appreciate, enjoy and generally rip-up the carpet with. Recommended!

Brian Harman ROBIN TROWER Hard Dollar Blue Corn Music 677967110129 As the age old saying states; “Out of adversity comes triumph” and in the world of the blues it seems especially so to be the case, for when Hadden was an up and coming guitarist teetering on the brink of possible success, his agent decided to move to other areas. His biggest blow though; came when his uncle (who was also his drummer) collapsed and died in his arms; the final straw was the news of the deaths of two close friends. These events caused Hadden to move from his native Texas and move to Ohio and live a life away from music and other possible causes of sorrow.

After two years or so of having nothing to do with music he slowly began to take an interest in it again, then he received a surprise call from fellow Texan Ruthie Foster asking if he wanted to join her on guitar. From this small beginning Hadden slowly resurrected his career by performing with and writing songs for Ruthie and finally signing with Blue Corn Records, the very same Houston based label as Ruthie.

Now with this new collection of thirteen infectious numbers; which are all infused with that indefinable Texan lubricating juice, is unleashed on to the scene, we should see his star rising again.

Hadden’s slight nasal delivery adds an extra piquancy to his already distinctive Texan drawl which when combined with his ‘take no prisoners’ raucous and attacking guitar style the result is wow! Joining him, are; Tony McClung; drums Mark Frye; bass, Dave DeWitt; keyboards and Phil Clark; harmonica and baritone saxophone. From the frenzied “Take me Back to Texas,” we are treated to a sublimely delicate and beautiful duet with Ruthie Foster on “Back to the Blues.” The almost horizontal “Flat Black Automobile,” slow two-step” Sweet Texas Girls” and the footapping “Inside Out Boogie” are oh, so easy on the ears. The “Room One-Fifty-Five,” tribute to Sean Costello is an aching and emotional slowburner.

A welcome return! Recommended!

Brian Harman

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BIG BOY BLOATER AND THE LIMITS Big Boy Bloater and The Limits Azan 096 Big Boy Bloater is no stranger to the wide world of music, for he has been singing and playing the blues for over the last twenty years now and with supporters such as Mark Lamarr and Craig Charles, his star must surely shine soon. Now, with a change of pace on this album he follows in the great tradition of listening to original musical styles and then putting a wonderfully English twist on the music, without losing any of the vital essences; as in “My prayer” a swinging and grooving Ska number that reminds one of the heady days of the late sixties and early seventies in London. The rest of the album immerses you in what it must have been like as a teenager in the late Fifties to hear a strange and new intoxicatingly powerful sound. Helping out the slightly hoarse sounding Big Boy who also plays guitar, are; Al Gare (Imelda May Band), Mike Powell; bass, Dean Beresford and Mark Morgan; drums, Larry Stern; piano, Hammond organ, Matt Empson; piano, John Brooks; trombone and Snowboy on percussion.

On the thirteen numbers collected here, B.B. mixes an open spaced, bouncing, booming soulful sounding atmosphere with rolling, rollicking rockabilly nuances together with the almost strait-laced early English Rock’n’Roll Twangin’. Echoes of The Shadows rub shoulders with the earthy Blues shouting of Big Joe Turner, marvellous!

On the enticing gospel influenced swinging “Sweet and Brown,” Imelda May, lends her powerful vocal talents to great emotive effect.

This is a short sharp and highly enjoyable romp through yesteryear. Let’s go back! Recommended!

Brian Harman VIVIAN VANCE KELLY Rock My Soul Feelin’ Good Records 016 Vivian’s career began at the tender age of four when she started singing in the local Baptist church that her family regularly attended. Her father is the well known Chicago blues guitarist and singer Vance Kelly; over the years he has encouraged his daughter in all of her musical pursuits; from the age of twelve she was singing in a Gospel vocal group with her cousins, by the age of nineteen she was taking lead vocals in a band playing R& B and Hip Hop. Her performances and stagecraft were at this time limited to the blues clubs of Chicago and the surrounding area, but it was at this point that her father offered her the chance to tour with him in Europe in two thousand and learn the finer points of the blues, her apprenticeship culminated in a performance with Vance at the Lucerne Blues Festival, Switzerland in two thousand and three.

Now, as a seasoned campaigner we find her performing live in Italy, at The Amigdala Theatre on the tenth of February two thousand and eleven. For this concert Viv-

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ian is strongly backed by a fine group of musicians who are; Tiziano Gali;guitars, Davide Spagnuolo; keyboards, Andreas Quaglia; bass and Giancarlo Cova; drums. As Norman Darwen points out in his informative sleevenotes Vivian is not afraid to utilise her skills and vocal talents on numbers to gain the desired sound and arrangement, as is experienced on the Hank Williams standard “ You Win Again,” for it is transformed into a splendid rolling and shuffling piano and guitar led groover. Elsewhere we find the George Jackson classic “Last Two Dollars,” floating on a sea of delicate mellotron bubbles with smooth, smooth late night guitar underpinning Vivian’s pleading vocals. Other notable footappers are; a very funky “Do Right Woman,” and a very enjoyable walking blues in “You hurt Me So Bad.” A very entertaining album!

Brian Harman HADDEN SAYERS Title The Playful Heart Repertoire REPUK1142 Up to and including his work with Procol Harum this is Robins’ thirty-first album and it appears from the eleven numbers here, that he is not going to lay down his axe quite just yet. He established his style many years ago and has been playing muscular earthy blues with a deftness and lightness of touch that has always suited him, his music and just as importantly, his fans. This album from a man in his sixty-fourth year proves that maturity, skill and experience will always stand out, for here, Robin has put together with Pete Thompson; drums, Glenn Lestch and Livingstone Brown on bass a collection of eleven numbers which contain a combination of resonating Blues Rock and Soulful ballads .

The number “Don’t Look Back,” invokes memories of hazy, late nights in smoky clubs.

Robin’s rich, deep, chocolately sounding guitar work oozes from the speakers with a power and passion that entwines with seamless imaginations, of smoothly inflected Jazz runs that linger long in the mind.

Robin shares vocal duties with Davey Pattison, unfortunately, their voices are not as robust as the music seems to demand but, never mind we are more than compensated for, in numbers such as; “The Turning” with its gritty guitar work that evolves into a flowing soul filled piece.

The slowburning dream like quality of “Maybe I Can Be A Friend” shows that Robin still knows how to write a spinetingler!

All-in all we have an album here by an artist who knows just what quality is and how to deliver it! Long may he continue. If, you are not a purist this may well be for you!

Brian Harman L.R.PHEONIX & MR MO’HELL Jumper on the Line (the North Carelian Lake Country Blues) www.homebraend.com The country blues and fife and drum music of North Mississippi is currently becoming an influence in several places. This album is by the Finland-based British singer / guitarist L.R. Phoenix. He was joined by Mr. Mo’Hell on drums, and the violin and vocal of Honey Lake also features. Phoenix wrote nine of the twelve songs. The album title refers to the area of eastern Finland were L.R. Phoenix resides. This is a no-frills, rhythmic set, that opens with two covers of classic blues tunes; ‘Shake ‘Em on Down’ and ‘Don’t Want No Skinny Woman’, it’s good earthy stuff, edgy guitar and pounding drums. The humorous ‘I Swapped My Wife for a Used Coat’ features

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a nice electric riff, as does the grinding ‘Boggy Pine’. ‘Freight Train is a very good track featuring the violin. ‘Jumper On The Line’, is best known

by R.L. Burnside is the album’s only other cover, this version is faster and it works well. Phoenix’‘90 Days In Jail’ with more violin by Honey Lake recalls ‘Rollin’ And Tumbling’ – the closing two songs are the best ‘Truly’ with a very good vocal of the album, and the long and atmospheric ‘Watermelon Skies’ which evokes the lakes of east Finland. This is well worth a listen.

Vicky Martin VANEESE THOMAS Prelude to Legacy Segue Records On Friday the third of June soul legend Eddie Floyd and Vaneese Thomas (daughter of Rufus and sister of Carla) appeared in concert at The Half Moon, Putney. After a stunning and sparkling soul filled evening I obtained a copy of her U.K. only released E.P. featuring six original Vaneese penned numbers from her forthcoming album entitled Legacy. Her career has encompassed recording, R&B, Jazz and Gospel albums whilst also producing, arranging and writing songs for artists such as: Patti Austin, Melba Moore and Diana Ross. Now, Vaneese is back onstage, behind the microphone, where she belongs; her strong and passionate yet, understated vocals remind one of Irma Thomas on the slower more emotion filled numbers and pleasant echoes of Tina Turner on the belters.

Running through all the numbers there are subtle reminders, evoking magic memories of the Stax sound from the past whilst combining with hints of classic Muscle Shoals with just a touch of smooth New York Jazz. The rhythm section set-up an irresistibly slowburning hypnotic groove and just keep going, especially so on “Don’t Throw it Away,” and “Lonely Me,” while the razor sharp and yet, honeyed brass section continues to lift the numbers up to a higher plane. “What About Lucille,” a funky, grooving sorry tale of a cheating man was inspired when Vaneese and B.B. King were in conversation about his legendary guitar. Two absolutely wonderful slowburners are “I don’t Wanna Be Left Out in The Cold” and the heartbreaker, “Love’s Come and Gone.” This taster has all the classic ingredients of the past but, more importantly is also firmly bang up to date for twenty-first century soul.

I look forward to hearing more from the wonderful Talents of Vaneese. Recommended! Definitely, one for the collection!

Brian Harman TOMMY CASTRO PRESENTS The Legendary Rhythm & Blues Review Alligator Records ALCD4943 This is a very entertaining collection of live tracks recorded at the ‘The Legendary Rhythm & Blues Cruise’ and at various theatre venues. Tommy Castro is the main man here with four tracks of which the opener ‘Wake up Call’, and Dylan’s ‘Gotta Serve Somebody’ are very good.

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STILL FRAME REPLAY UK TOUR 2011 15.9. LONDON | 16.9. LONDON 17.9. BUXTON BLUES FESTIVAL 18.9. LEAMINGTON SPA BLUES FESTIVAL 21.9. GLASGOW* | 22.9. FALKIRK* 23.9. DUNDEE* | 24.9. KIRKALDY* 25.9. EDINBURGH* | 26.9. ABERDEEN* 27.9. SCARBOROUGH | 29.9. MANCHESTER 30.9. GRIMSBY * SCOTLAND WITH GERRY JABLONSKI BAND IN COOPERATION WITH WWW.FEENSTRA.CO.UK WWW.SOLIDENTERTAINMENTS.COM WWW.GMHPROMOTIONS.CO.UK WWW.DMCONCERTS.COM

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Tommy delivers a cool vocal style and a guitar which manages to avoid cliché. This is actually an excellent driving record – sounds great in the car – there’s nothing strikingly original but its also not too predictable, tracks are a good length with no over playing; The album features some stellar blues names – Michael Burks with the ten minute ‘Voodoo Spell’; Joe Louis Walker with ‘It’s a Shame’, Rick Estrin with the humorous ‘My Next Ex-Wife’Trampled Underfoot (definitely a name to watch) with ‘Fog’, plus tracks from Monica Parker, Janiva Magness, Theodis Ealy, and Debbie Davis. There are some coming names there and they’re all worth a listen. All in all a good album – recommended.

Vicky Martin MARCUS MALONE Let The Sunshine In Redline Music I first encountered Marcus Malone some years ago when a small local venue in the North East advertised him playing there. I was excited by his bio, hailing from Detroit and looking like the rock idol he is, I was full of anticipation for the night of blues. Was I disappointed? Definitely not and I can only say that I feel the same every time I buy one of his CDs. This one is long overdue as it is some years since his last one, but the finished result was worth waiting for, as usual astounding musicianship and immediate replay required. The title track ‘Let The Sunshine In’ is pure Marcus, driving drum beat from Chris excellent guitar from Stuart rounded off by Marcus’s smooth voice. He has the ability to lead you track to track from blues to soul then blues rock without missing a beat. More stand out tracks for me are ‘Back to Paradise’ which has a great beat makes your back bone trip! ‘Heartbreak Kid’ lovely vibe to this and dare I say it more hard-edged guitar solos. The haunting voice and guitar on ‘Would It Matter’ sends chills down your spine. If you haven’t bought one of his CD’s or seen him live this comes Highly recommend - get a taste of real talent.

Kitty Rae KARLA THERESE KJELLVANDER & THE ROCKRIDGE BROTHERS Dance, Monster, To My Soft Song!

Playground There are many things that are a little disconcerting about this album. Apart from the grammatically correct album title and the Nordic sounding name of the singer, if you look closely at the picture of the bandf on the cover of this CD the lady in question is porting a powerful set of tattoos.

A little investigation leads me to discover that Karla was the lead vocalist with premier Swedish punk band Sindy Kills Me and the Rockridge Brothers are well respected as about the best genuine Bluegrass band to hail from Sweden. The result of the combination is a brilliant album that bears more than the occasional listen. Ms Kjellvander

has a delightfully sweet and sultry voice that is perfectly set in front of a superb old-style Bluegrass band. This ain’t a whooping and hollerin’ type outfit so much as a classy and studied bunch of players. Not to say they haven’t got a real spark of heel-crackery about them – the fiddling and banjo on ‘Hard To Love’ is superb. There isn’t a bad or dull track here and a few that really do bring my face out in a wide smile: right from the start with that sweet and supple voice over a simple banjo on ‘Don’t Look Back’ they hold the ear and as the other instruments gradually come in you can hear that this is a very talented outfit.

Their version of ‘Rock Island Line’ is sublime and the lazily wafting fiddle and picked guitar give it back all the grace that Lonnie Donegan took out of it but my favourite track is probably torn between ‘Down Down Down’ which skips and spins and has some delicious banjo or the soft and honey-sweet ‘Home To You’. A gem of an album whether it is from Sweden of Kentucky.

Andy Snipper

NavaCross — the album

great energy — great songs ‘inspiration, infectious melody and gutsy songwriting rule supreme’ **** R2 Magazine Available from www.hi4headrecords.com and all good record stores MATCHBOX BLUESBAND Ain’t Doin’Too Bad Bluesomatic I have been told off in the past for denigrating some Blues bands who really don’t understand the music they are playing but here are the Matchbox Bluesband to prove that just because English ain’t your first language it don’t mean you can’t play Chicago Blues properly. This album was recorded live and in front of a good crowd in Frankfurt to celebrate over 25 years playing the Blues and they don’t do a bad job of it at all. They play some classics – you can’t go wrong with Sonny Boy Williamson or Muddy Waters – and some slightly less well known – a great version of Amos Blakemore’s ‘Come On In This House’.

The band all play well with some terrific harp from Klaus

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‘Mojo’ Killian along with his vocals which are pretty good - only slightly ‘off’ occasionally when his German accent strays into it. I found myself really enjoying Bernd Simon’s guitar playing and vocals and the engine room of Wolfgang Lieberwirth and Georg Viel keep it all on the straight and narrow. There isn’t anything here that would send you winging across to Germany to seek these guys out but if I was on a layover in Frankfurt I could think of a heck of a lot worse than their version of Big Bill Broonzy’s ‘I Feel So Good’ with Bernd taking the vocals or two completely different ‘I Hear You Knocking’ (Dave Edmunds versus J.D. Miller) and Lowell Fulson would give a nod to their version of his ‘Black Nights’ with some wicked slide from Mr Killian. I have heard a lot worse in London on a Friday night and if they ever come over here I’d love to check them out live.

Andy Snipper Ain’t Doin’ too

Bad

THE WILDCAT O’ HALLORAN BAND

DRINKIN’ WITH THE HARP GIRLS

Electric Blues

newentertainment@comcast.net For bookings call 1-413-271-0609 Website (with link to CDBaby and Zazzle Merch) www.sonicbids.com/TheWildcatOHalloranBand

downloads on iTunes, Amazon & more!

JERZEY STREET BAND Wasting Time Independant Believe it or not this is not an American import; they are in fact Manchester home-grown although the feel is definitely in the Springsteen/Tom Petty mould.

‘Cold Feet’ opens this 5 track EP and is a sizzling in your face rocker with a blues influence. Give ‘The River Back to the Rain’ is a ballad with some really great harmonies, the sort of thing you would expect to hear if The Stones ever teamed up with the Eagles.

‘Holly Grove’ is a brilliant showcase of Dave Wrobel, the singer/ songwriter of the group but the title track ‘Wasting Time’ is the one that everyone is going to be hearing a lot of on the radio. Judging from this hearing of the album, I would imagine they are a great band to see live.

Bob Bonsey MORELAND & ARBUCKLE Flood Telarc This first release by Kansas based Moreland & Arbuckle on the Telarc label release became one of my favourite downloaded albums of last year. It’s a dynamic mix of Delta and hill country blues with the occasional 1950’s style Chicago Blues. A sterling version of Little Walter’s ‘Hate to See You Go’ opens the album and is a great example of both Dustin Arbuckle’s convincing vocals and his powerful harp playing. They step up a gear for ‘Legend of John Henry’ played by Aaron Moreland on a custom cigar box guitar with three guitar strings and two bass strings. The band, completed by drummer Brad Horne, have arisen from small local blues clubs to supporting Buddy Guy on his recent US tour. Their playing has release is the depth of the song writing, which does make this a highly impressive release. Indeed it’s a wonder why no British festival or promoter has yet brought the band to this country as like The Black Keys they have a broad appeal to anyone interested in roots rock and blues music and a knack of making traditional music sound fresh for the 21st Century.

Duncan Beattie JON ALLEN Sweet Defeat Monologue Records This is Jon Allen’s second album, which already has received some airplay and resulted in an appearance on Jools Holland’s TV show. When I first listened to this album the resemblance in vocal style to Gerry Rafferty was uncanny (not a bad thing in my opinion). He also has a Rod Stewart bluesy husky feel to his voice. All songs are self-penned and have various different feels to them. The opening track ‘Joanna’ has a wonderful laid back melody, which sets the tone for the album, as does ‘Lucky I Guess’ which could easily have been written by JJ Cale. ‘No One Gets Out Of Here Alive’ has a lyrical quality that Bob Dylan would not have been ashamed of.

A lot of these tracks relate to lost love and yearnings such as ‘Broken Town’, ‘Love’s Made A Fool Out of Me’ and ‘Think of You’ show off Jon Allen s incredible song writing abilities, sensitive but never maudlin.

Special praise should go also to his guitarist Simon Johnson whose input on this album is simply stunning. In

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TRAMPLED UNDER FOOT Wrong Side Of The Blues Vizztone Put it simply, these guys (and their sister) are absolutely on the right side of the Blues. Good and gutsy with some fine playing and strong songs and the sort of tight links that only family can manage. Danielle Schebelen is old school – a powerful soul singer with a sassy edge to her voice and she also plays a solid bass. Her brother Kris Schnebelen weighs in with good vocals and a very steady drum and the other brother Nick is probably as good a vocalist as his sister and a good guitarist to boot. They play Chicago style with a lot of Texas in the guitar sound.

There isn’t anything here that they do wrong and an awful lot that they do right but it is still pretty stock Blues and for all the awards that have been nominated for they don’t veer too far away from the formula. Numbers like ‘She’s Long, She’s Tall, She’s Gone’ with a fair wailing harp as well as Nick’s guitar will always go down well live but they can also wring the changes with a slow soul/Blues in ‘Goodbye’ which is a perfect vehicle for Danielle’s vocal power and really shows that she can handle the spotlight.

‘The Fool’ shows Nick’s vocal power against some testifying organ from Mike Finnigan but my favourite male vocal track is ‘Evil Train’ with belting cigar-box guitar. A good and solid album which I feel I will come back to from time to time simply because it is played with real heart and no little talent.

Andy Snipper

HENRIK FREISCHLADER Still Frame Replay Cable Car Records Henrik opens up with able assistance from his friend Joe Bonamassa on the title track and then the whole album does not let up on any level until the end.

‘Longer Days’ and ‘If I Could Be Myself’ are examples of jazzy funky blues with stimulating guitar solos. There is an epic ballad ‘The Memory of Our Love’ at nearly seven minutes long which has great vocals from Mr Freischlader.

The whole collection of songs (all self-penned incidentally) really shows off this man’s talent as a powerhouse performer who is supported by a stunning set of musicians, and if you like your blues loud and fast this is certainly one for you.

He is coming to our shores in September and will be appearing at the Maryport and Leamington Spa Blues Festivals, as well as venues all over the country including Pete Feenstra’s Boom Boom Club and The Beaverwood at Chislehurst (www.feenstra.co.uk).

I would advise you to catch him on the strength of this album alone.

Bob Bonsey IAN McFERON Summer Nights Independent Let’s set the record straight from the outset, “Summer Nights” can not in any way be called a Blues album, but sits far more comfortably in the folk/country bin. Mcferon is a wordsmith of quality who seems at ease with acoustic guitar or piano, although on this album he is backed by a band that incorporates fiddle and cello and was recorded in Nashville. It opens in a very appealing manner with ‘Shine A Little Light,’ a song which constantly tugs at the memory as though you’ve heard it somewhere before.

However, it’s not so much the songs themselves that are familiar, but the sound of the artist himself, recalling early Dylan and at times Van Morrison. The two opening tracks are very accessible; ‘Shine A Little Light’ is a countrified rocker where each instrument is constrained but obvious at the same time, and ‘I’ll Come Knockin’ is a gentle loping ramble with gorgeous subdued piano in the background.

‘Summer Nights’ is perhaps the hardest rocking track on the entire album, with a solid lower register maintaining the staccato beat. Gradually the feel of the album shifts, ‘You’re Still On My Mind’ is a tragedy of lost love, and ‘Streetlight Serenade’ is a catchy love song with attractive harmonizing from Alisa Milner. ‘I Ain’t Dead Yet’ is a solo acoustic outing that replicates the early Dylan sound to its fullest. ‘Come See Me (Before You Go)’ is a neat package of poetic sentiment with dreamy country guitar backing and “cowboy” style harmonica to accompany it. This isn’t my style of music at all, but I am able to appreciate quality

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Introducing Alan Black’s New Solo Album

Happy as a Monkey ...really well written and performed originals... killer musicianship and vocals...one of the better releases from Canadian artists this year.

The Blues Underground Network

Get your copy now at

www.alanblack.ca For bookings or more information, please contact Alan:

ablack10@cogeco.ca • 001-705-743-3786

when I hear one and the whole feel of this release is a laid back journey through the artist’s psyche.

Merv Osborne MONEYMAKER Open for Business Independant A ten track CD from the Sussex based four piece (Drums, Bass, sax and guitar), opening with their version of Etta James ‘The Blues is my Business’, a great arrangement with steady backing from the bass of Rob skinner and a great powerhouse rhythm from drummer Ian Saunders.

Willie Dixons ‘I’m ready’, before the first of three original numbers written by Sarah Rayner (Sax and lead vocals) and bass player Rob. Then their version of BB Kings ‘The thrill is Gone’ which has to be a difficult choice for a four piece, but was ably handled by Sarah on sax and vocals, giving the song a more plaintive feel. The second original ’Good Intentions’ with some thoughtful lyrics, and then a Michelle Shocked song ‘My Little Sister’ Stepping up the pace again with a rousing version of “ Got my Mojo working”, and then the third of the bands self penned numbers ‘Shallow’ written and sung by Sarah. The song that the band take their name from ‘Shake your moneymaker’ is next , and is a rocking version, before the album closes with Susan Tedeschis ‘Rock me right’ all in all a great and varied mix of songs, covers and originals, all with equal emphasis on the individual musicians, with nobody hogging the spotlight. A great first album.

Dave Stone

1. Lazy Lester: Rides Again (Ace) 2. Muddy Waters: Muddy, Brass & The Blues/Can’t Get No Grindin’ (BGO) 3. Pokey LaFarge: Middle Of Everywhere (Continental Song City) 4. Mistakes Were Made – A Retrospective (Broke & Hungry) 5. Rory Gallagher: Notes From San Francisco (Capo) 6. Amede Ardoin: Mama I’ll Be Long Gone – Complete Recs 1929-34 (Tompkins Square) 7. Ian Siegal & The Youngest Sons: The Skinny (Nugene) 8. Warren Haynes: Man In Motion (Provogue) 9. Shattered Dreams – Funky Blues 1967-78 (Beat Goes Public) 10. Eric Bibb: Troubadour Live (Telarc) 11. Country Guitar - Selected Sides 1935-1955 (JSP) 12. George Jones: Ragged But Right - The Starday Years Plus (Fantastic Voyage) 13. Matt Schofield: Anything But Time (Nugene) 14. Alexis Korner: Easy Rider (Not Now) 15. Eugene ‘Hideaway’ Bridges: Rock And A Hard Place (Armadillo) 16. It’s Your Voodoo Working – The Best Of Excello Records (Universal) 17. George Lewis & His New Orleans Stompers: Vintage George Lewis From 1954 & 1955 (Upbeat) 18. Chris Farlowe: Out Of The Blue (Rokoko) 19. Fats Domino: The Imperial Singles Vol 4 (Ace) 20. Memphis Jug Band: Vol 4 (Frog)

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BLUES MATTERS MAGAZINE ADVERT

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BLUES MATTERS MAGAZINE ADVERT

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BILLY JENKINS & THE BLUES COLLECTIVE (3 releases) Life, Blues Zero Two and Sadtimes.co.uk As the talented Mr. Jenkins states; ‘I ain’t got no Muddy Waters, ain’t got no Smokestack LIghtnin’ – but I’ve got the blues, and I find it very frightening…’ If you choose a ‘career’ playing blues in the UK, you can forget the Ferrari, the champagne and a queue of glamorous groupies waiting backstage. True blues is an all-consuming act of determined dedication, and Billy Jenkins and his band have it in spades. He also has yet another string to life’s complex lute – a passion for non-religious Gospel music, and that commitment stretches even further - Billy Jenkins is an Accredited Humanist Officiant approved by the British Humanist Association to conduct non-religious funerals. When you listen to these three complex yet highly entertaining albums, you’ll wonder why we don’t hear much more of him. For example, back in 1930, when Fred Hamm, Dave Bennett, Bert Lown and Chauncey Grayon sat down to write Bye Bye Blues, they could have never imagined the off the wall rendition which appears on the Billy Jenkins Life CD; it would have propelled Les Paul and Mary Ford into therapy. There’s a hilarious journey into secular ‘gospel’ with There Is No Lord Up there, which features, among many side-splitting verses the line ‘Some bastard stole my bike’. None of Jenkins blues, lyrically, at least, fits the classic template of expectations, but there is a consistently superb quality running parallel to the humour, a totally thrilling guitar style which assails your senses with the tone of a gang of angry wasps trapped in a biscuit barrel. Listening to these three excellent albums is like a ride on a ghost train – every track catches your breath, and First Day in Hell will have you falling about between the actual thrills of his playing. The Blues Collective are a constantly shifting line-up of superb musicians. Sometimes there’s horns, often violin, harp, the secular gospel choirs, in fact these CDs are like a tin of musical Quality Street. On Blues Zero Two there’s a dedication to a great beverage – I Want My Tea and the moody, almost sinister Down In The Deep Freeze. To accompany his tea, there’s Don’t Eat That Cake, which will bring a smile to any Weight Watchers member. White Van Man, with a growling a capella intro, is as British as a red phone box. The Sadtimes.co.uk CD has the wonderful Resting On My Bed of Blues with terrific interplay between Billy’s fiery guitar and a moody fiddle. I almost fell off my chair laughing listening to Cliff Richard Spoke To Me. Billy Jenkins should be much better known. I see him as a national treasure, somewhere between a blues Ian Dury, Tom Waits and Vivian Stanshall. I urge you to buy these three albums, because this is not ‘background’ blues – this is worthy of maximum concentration, a truly rewarding experience.

Roy Bainton

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GOT LIVE

ARTISTS KEEPING THE BLUES ALIVE

NORTH MISSISSIPPI ALLSTARS DUO/IAN SIEGAL@ Dingwalls Camden 11 May 2011,

“So many songs, so little time” is how Ian Siegal introduced a short opener for the Dickinson brothers. The set had a bright confident feel, the guitar work charged with light little fills, runs and flicks.

Even though it was hot under the stage lighting Ian looked relaxed, shades pushed back on his head.

The songs smashed through the border controls of music genre, visiting straight blues, country, country-blues and gospel. He paid a centennial salute to Robert Johnson in opening number Stop Breaking Down, produced a fine version of Mary Don’t You Weep and two Guy Clark songs; The Cape and Dublin Blues. Between these, while re-tuning, he kept the audience, and himself amused on topics as diverse as ‘Blues Nazis’ and mic-stand technicians.

The set ended on a heartfelt and outstanding version of Don’t Let

Us Get Sick, by Warren Zevon.

Even though Ian featured none of his own excellent material tonight he has the gift of re-interpreting songs in his own style. An inspiring evening, by an artist who just keeps getting better and better.

After what seemed the longest of breaks Cody and Luther Dickinson appeared through the back curtains and took a headlong boogie through their back catalogue. They set the tone of the evening with Let It Roll, Luther using bottle-neck slide on his Gibson, driven on by Cody’s pounding drums.

The banks of guitars were swapped through-out this fast paced set. Variously, a red Vox for an excellent Skinny Woman, a cigar box four string on Lordy Lordy and a coffee-can ‘two by one’ for a classic thrash through Rollin’ n’ Tumblin’. Songs were featured by R L Burnside, Alvin Youngblood Hart and of course Junior Kimbrough’s All Night Long. There was a truly stunning introduction solo to Here My Train. But don’t mess with Bob; their version of Stuck Inside Of Mobile added nothing to the original. That said, when Cody gave up his drum stool to Rob Warburn, and strapped on his electric ‘Woogie Board’ we heard some very original sounds. The wash board with a wah-wah, awash with reverb, featured on an instrumental which had some fine drumming from Rob and delicate guitar from Luther.

Keys to the Kingdom had another great solo from Luther and was a real crowd pleaser, while the Duo ended the set with Mean Old Wind. This country-blues with a Bo-Diddley beat gave the audience a chance to flex their vocal cords with a chorus and, then along with applause, shouts for more.

More is what we got when they returned to the stage, joined by Ian on guitar and James Warburn on mandolin. Luther started on banjo while Cody picked up an acoustic guitar and played foot-pedal drums, while also taking vocals on On the Road. Ian took over for Hard Times Come Again No More which saw a fine mandolin solo from James. For the final number Luther went back to electric guitar for Lay My Burden Down, a slide-athon jam which slowed to a wave of re-verb and ended in a cymbal shimmer.

Great turn-out for a Wednesday night in these hard times. The chooging blues lost its way for me once or twice, but what was not in dispute was the quality of playing of these two sons of Mississippi Blues.

Mel Wallace

MAMA ROSIN / HIPBONE SLIM & THE KNEE TREMBLERS @ The Slaughtered Lamb, London 18/05/2011

There is a simple mathematical saying that 1 + 1 = 2 but in the case of Mama Rosin playing with stable mates Hipbone Slim & The Knee Tremblers I am not sure that it necessarily holds true. Let me explain: Mama Rosin are an exceptional bunch of Swiss lads who play Cajun and Zydeco with real verve and no shortage of talent. Hipbone Slim & The Knee Tremblers play rockabilly and r&b with a great deal of talent and no shortage of self-belief (some might say arrogance but .....) When they toured here last year Mama Rosin apparently were sneaking out to secret recording sessions with Hipbone Slim and the result is the new album ‘Louisiana Sun’ and both bands are rightly proud of the result but I am really not sure that it really shows an amalgam of the two bands and here is the problem with this live show. First up were Hipbone Slim and their combination of vox/guitar, upright bass and drums kicked the evening off with some fine rockabilly without ever doing anything really unusual. The crowd was warming up a little and five minutes later Mama Rosin hit the ‘stage’ and as if by magic the crowd suddenly livened up, the girlies moved to the front and started shaking their bootys and the band kicked back with fine versions of ‘Sitting On Top Of The World’, ‘La Porte Derriere’, ‘Victoria’ and a kicking ‘Le Pistolet’. The three of them are natural stars and they have real stage presence as well and when the Knee Tremblers joined them for

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a rendition of the whole of the new album there really wasn’t any change – it felt as though a few backing musicians had joined Mama Rosin rather than there being two whole bands up there. Sure it was very enjoyable and the bands seemed to be having a great time while the crowd was getting down too but I can’t help feeling that Mama Rosin are at the point in their career where a link up with a rockabilly outfit really isn’t going to take them to the next level and might even be holding them back – they should be headlining venues like Koko or The Purple Turtle by now. Don’t get me wrong – I like Hipbone Slim just fine but I really rate Mama Rosin and I would rather have had more of the Swiss outfit than the chaps from Oxford.

Andy Snipper

ERIC CLAPTON Motorpoint Arena, Cardiff 15th May 2011

When I was travelling salesman, I occasionally ate at the Little Chef. More out of expedience than choice, but at least I knew the Olympic Breakfast in Bradford would be identical to yesterday’s in Bournemouth. Strange what crosses ERIC your mind when listening to Blues royalty. I hesitate to take this further, for blasphemy is sin, and who am I to question God, but this was a generic show for Amsterdam, Adelaide and Aberdeen. It was visually simple, but impressive, musically flawless, and often uplifting, notably during ‘Badge’ and ‘Hoochie Coochie Man’. It was also wordless. Never one for superfluous chit chat, by my reckoning, Slowhand uttered 42 words– a perfectly polite “thank you” after each of 17 numbers, and 2 name checks apiece for the excellent and veteran Chris Stainton on keyboards and Tim Carmon, so reminiscent of Billy Preston on the Hammond. Steve Gadd and Willie Weeks – a rhythm section more solid that the 1980’s Arsenal back four – remained unacknowledged. There are those of you (and many present on the night) that were untroubled with the great one’s reticence in front of the microphone. “Never has much to say” was one pithy observation in the row behind me. True also, if I was looking for stand-up I should have bought a ticket for Peter Kay. It was just slightly distracting that such a polished and at times sensitive performance of an imaginative set should be delivered without commentary or explanation. Contrastingly, the ever cheerful Andy Fairweather Low was very chipper on home turf, navigating us his own set with no little humour and humility. Perhaps God should never need to explain himself, but perhaps a little verbal nod to Gary Moore after an emotively acoustic ‘Still Got the Blues’ would have been nice. Enough already. For a man of 66, when most are contemplating their greenhouses and equity fund pensions, Eric Clapton is still doing it, and judging by the excellent side stage big screen footage of his fast, dextrous fingers, it will be while before Slowhand decelerates into his dotage. Silent, strange but still sublime.

Richard Thomas

MARY GAUTHIER @ Muni, Pontypridd. 10/05/2011

Ben Glover got the evening going in this great venue with a blend of Americana, Country and Irish folk; blending his Northern Irish heritage with his new home of Tennessee. Mary Gauthier followed opening the set with a collection of old favourites and new opening up with ‘Between The Daylight and The Dark’ Mary’s guitar and voice throughout the evening was accompanied by Tania Elizabeth on her haunting customised five string fiddle with the extra string a low C. The evening confirmed once again that Mary Gauthier is a mistress of the lyric song. Request was asked for and she complied with ‘I Drink’; resulting in a satisfied audience. Mary as ever bought her own distinct skills and voice to the evening with music that has been distilled through the finest muslin cloth that every country kitchen has; leave the tune understated and the lyrics telling their own story touched everyone’s soul. The conclusion was an evening of consummate musicianship combining Mary’s trademark of sadness, melancholy and despair with the encore of ‘Mercy’ adding a pinch of hope.

Liz Aiken

GLENN HUGHES AND JOANNE SHAW TAYLOR @ The Buxton Opera House

The old opera house theatre was a great setting for this concert and a good stage set up for Joanne Shaw Taylor to open the show. Joanne and her Fender Telecaster really rocked and her blond hair was like a whip at every shake of her head.

She has been off the radar for a long time but now she’s back with a vengeance. Her band was tight and sounded so good. Joanne Taylor is the guitar playing fox. Her style lent towards the Blues. ‘Diamonds in the Dirt’ the title track from her new album was cleverly constructed with Joanne ably assisted by Lena Horne on drums and Paul Lamb on bass.

Joanne’s voice sounded very bluesy on this track and she played a wonderful solo which reminded me of Stevie Ray Vaughan and a little of B.B. King. Joanne Shaw Taylor is well worth a listen and a look, remember the name and, if you get the chance go and see hr perform you won’t be disappointed. Joanne has a pleasing style of both singing and playing and you are memorized by her stage presence. After a short interval it was time for the main event. Glenn Hughes arrived onto the stage and immediately owned it. As a bass player he is superb and his voice has certainly lost nothing over the many years in the business. His powerful voice filled the old opera house and his band really rocked with a funky edge, taking his audience on a journey. ‘Orion’ was a powerful tour de force, guitarist Sorran Anderson was great, milking every note with precision and made the guitar an extension of himself. ‘Sail Away’ is another great song and played brilliantly by the band. ‘Footsteps’ is a beautiful ballad with breathtaking high notes from the ‘voice of rock’.‘Medusa’ which Glenn wrote as a teenager starts as a keyboard driven ballad, but then the band kicks in and it turns into a full on driving rock anthem. ‘You Got Soul’ and ‘Keep In Time’ were the other stand out tracks. ‘Soul Mover’ closed an exceptional show.I have been asked by a friend to describe Glenn’s performance. All I can say is that it was faultless; his vocal style can only be called vocal pyrotechnics. After the show I managed to speak to Joanne and Glenn, they were both pleased with their performances on the night and looking forward to the next show they are doing together. If you haven’t seen this tour, get a ticket quick because it’s almost over.

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IAN PARKER (Solo Acoustic) @ The Globe, Cardiff. 09/02/2011

Prior to Ian starting the process of a live recording, Maddie Jones provided a fitting warm up with the combination of her voice and guitar produced a polished performance with a delightful mix of her own penned songs and excellent covers including The Beatles and Billie Halliday. Ian was amongst friends having affection for the town going back to the early days of his bands, so had made the decision to produce a live recording with the goal of producing a CD. The set consisted of new and old with many favourites including ‘Humanity Blues’ and ‘Gates of Hell’ interspersed with biographical anecdotes. The evening was a different Ian Parker from the band with quiet thoughtful guitar playing and a reflective atmosphere. The tempo was changed when he invited Morg Morgan on the Keys for three tracks and then Ian cranked up the tempo with ‘Your Basket Has Never Been So Full’ and great Slide on ‘Pretty Faces’. Ian’s guitar skills came to the fore creating an impressive and thoughtful set. He wowed the crowd with a rousing rendition of a crowd favourite of ‘In The Morning’ and a emotional and superb version of Leonard Cohen’s ‘Hallelujah’. The delivery of great songs is a precursor to what should be a fantastic CD. Liz Aiken

SANDI THOM @ Muni, Pontypridd. 08/04/2011

The evening started off with a local band ‘SWEET MANICS’ they delivered a taster set of four numbers including three self-penned numbers, despite the obvious nerves they played and songs were delivered well by the two lead singers.

DAVE O’GRADY the official warm up act delivered an amazing cameo set delivering the blues with a generous twist of folk combining with his easy charm his skilful guitar work and ace voice impressed the crowd who were eagerly awaiting Sandi Thom to deliver. The entry was dramatic PA went up and the stage went black and Sandi joined the waiting band delivering her opening number; this established the tone for what proved to be a very strong set. The band provided depth, colour and shape allowing Sandi the Scottish songstress to soar above with the freedom that only comes with the certainty that your band will keep on delivering note after note. Sandi encouraged audience participation in ‘The Chain’, followed by a power duo as Sandi put down the guitar sinning direct from her heart and soul, then picked up the harp and duetted with the guitarist, it was magic. ‘I Wish I Was A Punk Rocker (With Flowers In My Hair)’ and her new single ‘House of the Rising Sun’ both have become recognised as her very own anthems for the 21st Century. The conclusion was Sandi delivers great music with a generous dollop of the Blues.

Liz Aiken

JERRY DONAHUE & THE REVELATORS @ The Islwyn Acoustic Guitar Club, Jubilee Club, Wattsville 18/02/2011 Opening the evening was Mr. H who despite difficulties with sound check (reality no sound check) performed a great Tom Waits style set, with self-penned tracks that reflected times and events In his life all accompanied by what the muse was for each song, ‘Tom Cat Blues’ was inspired by seeing a Tom cat wandering the street as he left the pub in the early hours.

Mr H certainly prepared the ground and warmed up the audience for what was to follow.Jerry Donahue accompanied

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Swansea based due of Gordon Wride and Simon Gregory in a tribute to Robert Johnson 100th anniversary since his birth.

Gordon provided a narrative link between each song and provided historical blues context to the set. Jerry Donahue, provided surperb electric guitar blending both subtlety, pace and rhythm and adding depth to the lap-steel guitar and blues harp of Simon and acoustic and vocals provided by Gordon. The set list was a great mix of Johnson classics, full of angst and travelling interspersed with a couple of dance tunes. Anyone who felt cheated that ‘Crossroads Blues was not part of the entertainment only had to wait for the encore there could be no other song at this point of the evening. The evening was definitely atmospheric, as I left the venue I’m sure out of the corner of my eye I saw the ghost of Robert Johnson cross my path on a wet and windy evening in a small valley’s village.

Liz Aiken

LEWIS HAMILTON & THE BOOGIE BROTHERS, Whistlebinkies, Edingurgh, 14/05/2011

Saturday evening’s early slot in Whistlebinkies has long been designated for Blues bands, dominated by regular local bands, and much coveted by lesser known bands or those from a further geographical spread. This was the first opportunity for Lewis Hamilton and the Boogie Brothers from Auchterarder, Perthshire to perform in Edinburgh; a frustrating wait for a band playing two or three shows a week since their formation 9 months ago. It was well worth the wait as their best performance I’ve witnessed, in part due to teenage Hamilton’s increasing stage confidence and also the presence of a new powerhouse drummer, ‘Santa’, to complete the line up with Nick Hamilton on bass. They opened with title track of their debut album ‘Gambling Machine’, a catchy tune receiving airplay on regional blues shows, before the yet unrecorded ‘Ruthless Man.’ Then Hamilton invited local blues guitar protégée Eilidh McKellar to the stage the slow Blues of ‘Living In A Bad Dream’. McKellar added her superb tone and melodic soloing which gave an indication as to why she has received an offer to attend the Berklee College of Music and received in excess of 50,000 views to her YouTube videos channel. The two guitarists born within a year apart then traded licks on their Telecasters to the standard ‘Crossroads’. Back to a trio, Hamilton’s version of ‘Just Got Paid’ displayed the influence of both Bonamassa and Billy Gibbons, before ‘Fulson Prison Blues’ revealed the country technique of Danny Gatton. Nick Hamilton provided the solid bass lines which allowed Lewis an extensive freedom to play, while Santa was given a two notable moments in the spotlight to shine. The audience lapped up ‘Further On Up The Road’, yet it was the originals, notably ‘Crying Shame’ a melodic blues which included Hamilton’s finest vocal performance; and ‘Woke Up This Morning’ a Photo of Lewis Hamilton by Stuart Stott vehicle for his and the returning McKellar’s fluent guitar soloing that demonstrated his full abilities. Having broken another blues cartel, for Hamilton the hope is that he will emulate the success of Davy Knowles and Oli Brown who’ve formed such a powerful inspiration.

Duncan Beattie

ROD STEWART @ Liberty Stadium, Swansea 1/6/2011

This was set to be an heroic night with Rod Stewart in town and the triumphant Swansea Football team due to appear on stage half way through the proceedings at which the Championship trophy was handed to Rod to re-present to the team and oh boy did Swansea love that! From a premier league performer to a Premier league team, how poetic is that? The Liberty Stadium was a little smaller than I expected but was well laid out and the pitch protected, even the Mayor and his team attended. The warm up band entertained but bless them the crowd were obviously pre-occupied. Several Rod look-alikes were spotted and a couple of them were female. The crowd assembled and many would not take to their seats for the entire evening which at one point brought Rod to ask them to sit down but it did not look as if anyone did so. The music? Ah yes that’s why we came. Having expected a rather reserved Rod after his American Songbook journey the crowd was well pleased that Rod was up for it from the start announcing “You couldn’t have picked a better person to party with tonight!” and jumping straight into ‘We’re Gonna Have A Party’, ‘Tonight’s The Night’ and ‘Sweet Little Rock And Roller’ working himself up a good sweat very early on. Through the show there were four contrasting changes of attire, Rod loves his clothes! The crowd got what they came for with a string of hits; ‘Baby Jane’, Downtown Train’, a couple especially for the Welshness that surrounded him tonight in ‘Handbags And Gladrags’ where he acknowledged the great cover done by The Stereophonics and ‘It’s A Heartache’ (Bonnie Tyler of course). Then at last a treat from his forthcoming Blues album with Elmore James’ ‘Shake Your Moneymaker’ featuring some blistering slide work (wonder if this is one of the tracks that Jeff Beck will feature in on the album itself?). It seems that about 4 or 5 of the tracks have ben recorded as we write so keep an ear out for this – how could we miss it? – onwards ‘Some Guys Have All The Luck’ the football team introduced then into part 2 and a tribute to all our Armed Forces and sang ‘Rhythm Of My Heart’ for them all. Rod’s three girl backing vocalists took the front stage for a tremendous ‘Knock On Wood’ and then moved to the close with ‘Every Picture Tells A Story’, ‘Maggie May’ and of course ‘Sailing’. The man has still got what it takes, he may take it a bit easier but you cannot doubt he is a star and his fans love him and there were some young converts this night. Roll on the Blues album!!!

Frank Leigh CHANTEL MCGREGOR @Beaufort Theatre, Beaufort. 27/05/2011 She proved herself as a real super trooper a week after surgery removing her wisdom teeth she was back performing to a sell out audience. As ever Chantel delivered strong guitar playing, with the added confidence of having her first CD for her fans to take home with them. Her charm shone through the sound created was from a band in harmony rocky blues with

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Photo of Chantel by Liz Aiken

a twist of Chantel’s magic. Silvered eyes glittering and matching silver John Petrucci guitar she is the Queen of exhilarating yet solid electric guitar licks.

Showcasing her exciting début album provided her with the opportunity to demonstrate her versatility, a great voice as showcased in ‘Like No Other’ and a breathtaking rendition of Stevie Nicks’; ‘Rhiannon’.

Chantel mixed up her delivery with smattering of old favourites including her sublime version of ‘Lenny’ and ‘Voodoo Chile’. The support she receives from Richard Ritchie (bass) with his controlled and skillful percussive bass and Martin Rushworth (Drums) provides the perfect back drop for this young lady to shine, wooing her audience captivating with charm skill and above all the winning combination of awesome guitar skills and delightful voice. Her confident, stage craft and gentle smile as she moves from left to right bending every note with graceful ease. Rock/blues comes naturally to this young British talent, winning new fans who want more and more of this talented Yorkshire lass.

Liz Aiken

BUDDY WHITTINGTON BAND @The Caves, Edinburgh, 04/11/2010

To say that Buddy Whittington’s show in Edinburgh had piqued the interest of the local blues community would be an exaggeration, yet those who did make the show, witnessed a master-class in invention, arrangement, presentation and delivery. While Lights Out By Nine had provided an entertaining support, the class and style of Whittington’s performance was immediately apparent from the sweet tone of his Fender Strat on the opening bars of opener ‘You Upset Me Baby.’ Throughout the show Whittington’s vocals combined soul with passion, while his guitar playing, without effect pedal, was superb. Backing him as usual was the British stalwarts Roger Cotton on keys and Pete Stroud on bass, the unsung hero of the band is Darby Todd, who is a fantastic drummer with real feel, rare in a British drummer. Much of the set was the band’s excellent new live in the studio release ‘A Bag Full Of Blues,’ yet we were treated to some new compositions. ‘Every Shut Eye Ain’t Sleeping’, with subtle organ play from Roger Cotton before ‘Texas Trios’ from Whittington’s future collaboration with Jim Suhler. Equally adept at the slow melodic blues as the upbeat; a sublime reading of the Leon Russell song ‘Help Me Through The Day’ preceded Billy Gibbons’ ‘Just Got Back From Baby’s’. ’ In the main, his covers veered away from the less obvious, with a fiery take of the Allman’s ‘Maydell’ before a medley of Freddie King instrumentals, including ‘Highway’ and ‘Sen-Sa-Shun,’ brought recognition to the BluesBreaker’s fans. Providing balance are Whittington’s very strong original compositions such as ‘Pay The Band’ and the Texas styled ‘Pieces & Parts.’ Both through his sharp dialogue and lyrics, Whittington expresses admiration for his influences, with nods to Peter Green and Stevie Ray Vaughan, and sampled others in the slide led ‘Awestruck & Spellbound’ while his background as a sideman was told in ‘Second Banana’. ZZ Top’s ‘Sure Got Cold After The Rain Fell’ was a stunning set closer to an evening from one of the true masters of electric blues on the scene today.

Duncan Beattie AYNSLEY LISTER @New Crawdaddy Blues Club, Billericay. 09/06/11 Lister played to a packed house of around 180 mostly older, dyed in the wool Blues fans for his first visit to this south east Essex venue where resident band, The Heaters, organise weekly gigs featuring top Blues artists from the UK and abroad.

During his early formative career when this reviewer first encountered Lister and was “blown away” by his guitar playing, his music was based around the Blues of his heroes Johnson, SRV, Hendrix, Freddie King etc. While there’s still plenty of the genre remaining in his playing, in recent years he’s leaned more toward mainstream Blues Rock with catchy hooks and toe tapping riffs. No matter, as this fare was lapped up as he played many of the tracks from his most recent CD, “The Tower Sessions” with Lister on guitar and vocals and his regular band members Midus Guerreiro on bass and Tim Brown on drums ably supported by Reuben Jay filling in on keys. Taking to the floor level stage area with his old no-name semiacoustic guitar purchased from a junk shop, Lister kicked off with the upbeat ‘Sugar Low’ from his album “Equilibrium” and immediately had the audience on side with some superb bottleneck backed by Brown and Guerreiro’s driving rhythm section. Slowing things down for ‘With Me Tonight’ from the ‘Upside Down” album, Lister showed he can play the Blues as well as anyone with plenty of subtlety and rich tone. Although the next number, ‘Early Morning Dew’ features some of the most inspired lyrics one is likely to hear, the musicianship is undoubted and was easily the best version of the song this reviewer has heard. Of the remainder, there was the superb Freddie King’ instrumental shuffle ‘Quiet Boy’ with its stinging guitar and ‘Sugar’, a new Blues Rock number in the style of his recent output. There was also time for a sing

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along with fans’ favourite, ‘Purple Rain’ and an encore of ‘Hush’ to complete a memorable inaugural visit and ensure it won’t be long before Lister is asked back to the New Crawdaddy.

Philip Woodford

KING KING @ The Globe, Cardiff. 02/06/2011

RORY ELLIS @ Seashore Grill and Café Bar, Sully, Barry, 02/06/2011 Unusual but scenic location for the gig, close to the seashore with views across the estuary to England, reminding Rory Ellis of home in Australia so he felt immediately at home as he launched into an assured set showcasing his own style of blues borrowing from folk, country and hill-billy. Effortlessly combining tales between songs with his upfront Aussie charm, the audience warmed to Rory and his music understanding both the context and instantly relating to solving all your money problems with ‘Waiting for Armarguard’. Rory’s has a distinctive deep, rumbling voice that perfectly matches his story telling style covering a wide array of topics some redolent of 1960’s protest songs including racial tension and impact of mining on aboriginal ancestral sites through to ageing and internet dating.

Rory and the ever dependable and talented Alex Roberts who accompanies him on guitar and lap steel produced a seemingly effortless and textured sound, producing a live sound that dips into tracks from his 5 wonderful CD’s; producing a live sound that zing’s with its own energy. Every word was sung with heartfelt passion, this is not a world weary, going through the motions act but one that demonstrates Rory’s delight in entertaining, and each song has its own context and relates to Rory’s journey though life. Including getting older in ‘Perfectly Damaged’; or the frustration of driving and getting lost in Leicester; ‘Home Tonight’. The two sets were a demonstration of the electric power of live music, with the audience encouraged to participate in ‘Work’; the anti-John Howard song.

Every song is worthy of its own mention but the stand out one’s for me were ‘Jesus Lane’ about a lane in Cambridge and ‘Two Feathers’ that delightfully captures the innocence of childhood. Rory and Alex delivers a truly unique combination of guitar playing combined with powerful lyrics, this is a duo not to be missed.

Liz Aiken

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KING KING from the off were electric with Alan Nimmo and Lindsay Coulson in swirling kilts and glowing from an afternoon in sunny Cardiff! This is blues rock at its best loud and perfectly formed with a distinctive blending into the mix of a little bit jazz and a generous dollop of a funky sound creating the King King wall of sound with all of its textures and complexities. They are in a league of their own a demonstration of a superlative live sound fronted by the charismatic Alan Nimmo, who has the support from Lindsay Coulson who behind his cheeky grin and calm presence on the stage is a dynamo of punchy full-bodied bass, and Wayne Proctor (drums) providing intelligent drumming to ensure a percussive structure for Alan to build on and tonight on keys Joel White, providing another set of chords that never jar with the guitar but enhances, adding colour and depth. King King had the audience eating out of their hands playing an array of tracks including Stevie Wonder’s ‘I Wish’ and encouraging audience participation in the John Hiatt tune they have made their own ‘Feels Like Rain’. King King delighted the audience tonight with superb musicianship especially Alan’s dazzling guitar work combined with his glorious fullbodied voice delivered with his own special Scottish brand of full-blown charisma. King King can be seen time and time again, you will be energised not bored so catch them soon, catch them often you will not be disappointed.

Liz Aiken

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New Release on MANHATON Records

“Probably the Greatest Bluesbreaker of them all” ~ John Mayall

www.manhatonrecords.com

arm@manhatonrecords.com

August ON TOUR Sat 27 Sun 28 Mon 29 Tue 30

The Railway, Winchester Limetree Festival Great British R’n’B Festival Half Moon, Putney

www.railwaylive.co.uk www.jbsatthelimetreefestival.com www.bluesfestival.co.uk www.halfmoon.co.uk

September Thur 1

New Crawdaddy Club, Billericay www.newcrawdaddyclub.co.uk

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STUDIO TIME

Billy Hutchinson poses questions to the sound guys.

Recorded music, once completed, can either be a proud testament to an artist/band or in the worst-case scenario an embarrassment hard to erase. I imagine the recording studio to be very akin to a radio studio, where a pause seems like an eternity, and as soon as you utter your voice magically vanishes instantly, without resonance.

Being of a certain age, I still refer in terms of “album”. When an album becomes a classic, or at least has some kind of cult following, it becomes a precious object. Although within our particular musical genre, recordings are, or were, recorded on location, field trips, hotels, homes or on live gigs, today Blues music recordings are predominately in the studio.

I hope those that read this will find it interesting on several levels, one of my aims at the outset. During the process of sending out my questions, and receiving the answers back the whole process was a very exciting one. My inbox resembled a who’s who of living Blues greats, and I have to say, ‘I am very honoured by their contributions and support’.

Undoubtedly, there will be comments upon whom I spoke to or whom I left out, but this article never started out to be as precious as the music we love. It is but light sustenance between your listening experiences.

Remember, life is too short to listen to bad music. To the wizards of sound and emotional feeling, I salute you.

Jody Williams – Guitarist with Bo Diddley, Billy Boy Arnold, Howlin’ Wolf and solo recording artist.

Q: What are the sensibilities required in recording Blues music?

Some artists will get in the studio, grind out one record without putting any thought to it, just to say I’ve got a record out, and let that be. It’s not just that simple with me. There is the musical arrangement, the instruments, does it tell a story for the people to understand? That’s just a few of the things that I work on. Listen to one of my songs, ‘She Found A Fool And Bumped His Head’ and you’ll understand what I mean.

Bill Dahl – One of the best Blues record reviewers.

Q: Do you feel there are too many ill-conceived Blues CD recordings on the market, and explain what the common flaws are?

It’s more a matter of many contemporary blues CDs not having a real reason to exist apart from being product that’s sold off the bandstand at gigs. I listen to a lot of them (I’ve largely retired from reviewing contemporary blues releases, but I do still check out most of the discs I receive), and the great majority are competently performed but unmemorable. They generally fall into one of three camps: generic blues-rock (way too much of that), ‘50s retro electric blues, or acoustic material. The musicianship is usually solid, but the vocals are too often sub- par. Very little of this material will be remembered a year or two from now, much less a half century down the road the way so many post-war classics on Chess, Vee-Jay, and Excello are.

The main flaws revolve around song-writing--too many songs are pale rewrites of ‘40s/’50s/’60s classics without the invention that was commonplace then, hoping to score a Bill Dahl genuine national hit single when such a feat was still possible--and vocals, which as noted are no longer the prime focus of blues recordings. Guitar solos were once an adjunct to the lyrical message of the song, something to be savoured midway through a song. Now, the vocals seem to be something to get out of the way as quickly as possible to make more room for extended guitar excursions. The priorities got reversed a while ago, and that’s resulted in a lot of mediocre contemporary blues. Don’t get me wrong--worthwhile contemporary blues recordings still come out every year, but they’re few and far between.

The WINNERS 24 Pesos

Vasti Jackson – Guitarist, composer, much sort after sideman & solo artist, record producer, engineer and arranger.

Q: Everybody wants to make a great recording, but how important is it to get a distinctive studio sound?

Not everybody wants to make a great recording. Many people want to make the best recording they can of the song(s), with the vocalist(s), musician(s), producer(s), engineer(s) that they have working on the project. Many people are aware

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Vasti JAckson

This idea came to me to give our readers something different, and as L’Oreal says, “You’re worth it”. I set 13 questions, and asked prominent figures within the industry to answer, but only one question (of their choice) in order to get as many contributions as possible. In a way, I guess this is a kind of survey, but it also reveals an insight to our readers how their favourite music is made.

of less than top-notch artistic and technical resources at hand, but the desire to communicate through music/recording will not be held back by the lack of quality instruments, microphone, and virtuoso musicianship.

Vasti JAckson

Answer: It is not very important to get a distinctive studio sound.

It is important to capture the distinctive sound of the artist in the best way possible is any studio. When the studio’s sound becomes more identifiable, than the artist recorded in that environment, then the studio has done a disservice to this artist. You should be able to record Johnny Cash, BB King, Prince, and Yoyo Ma in the same studio and the distinction of each artist should no be diminished by the studio.

Timothy Duffy – President and Executive Director of the Music maker Relief Foundation.

Q: Can you describe how magic happens in the studio, giving one particular experience?

At one time, I rented a farmhouse deep in Stokes County, NC and I helped a brilliant guitarist named Cool John Ferguson move nearby. I would bring many wonderful blues and gospel artists from throughout the South up to visit and record.

One day Essie Mae Brooks a wonderful gospel singer from Macon, Georgia was there with a batch of original songs to record. She stood up in front of the microphones and Cool John was nearby on piano or guitar. She sang with complete conviction, often-teary eyed and visibly shaken with emotion after each song. She did not repeat a song, just ran through her 12 songs each in one take. Each take was magnificent, Cool John has this eerie sense, as if telepathically knowing when and where she was going to go before Essie Mae did herself, a skill learned performing behind untold numbers of singers in church. The recording was perfect, every track genius, complete in just over an hour. Sometimes albums are just born quickly as it is there time to come.

Billy Flynn – One of Chicago’s finest Blues guitarists today.

Q: What makes a great Blues studio recording?

I don’t think you can produce Blues, it is a spirit, You can capture the magic if you don’t fight it. Everybody should be feelin’ good, and have lots of positive vibe. I have always been in the studio with the greatest musicians, I have learned a lot from the pros; mostly, close your eyes and do the best you can, and always be open to new ideas.

I think what makes a good blues record is not to over rehearse, and don’t do more than one take, unless something went wrong. Mostly the feeling is important.

Dick Waterman: Famed re-discoverer of lost Blues Greats, one time manager, recouping of royalties for Blues artists and photographer.

Q: Do you feel there are too many ill-conceived Blues CD recordings on the market, and explain what are the common flaws?

There are CDs that should never have been issued but they come forth when an artist dies young or with a relatively small discography.

Jimi Hendrix was extremely prolific and he would go into the studio in the middle of the night and play well into the morning. Therefore, it was just a matter of determining what material should come forth in what order.

Magic Sam is probably the best example to make my point. His first Delmark LP, “West Side Soul,” reigns as a premier example of Chicago blues. The instrumentation is superb and Sam’s singing is the best of his career. A second LP came out just before Billy Flynn his death in 1969 at the age of 32. This is good, probably “very” good but “West Side Soul” set the bar very high. After his death, there seemed to be a void that had to be filled. The result was mediocre and inferior tapes that Sam never would have allowed had he been alive. We even reached the point of a tape of Sam playing acoustic in his kitchen.

The inherent problem this presents is that a blues fan might hear this music out of its chronological order and if they hear bad material first, they might be unimpressed and never get to “West Side Soul.”

Then there is the case of Willie Brown, who travelled to Grafton, Wisconsin, in the company of Charlie Patton, Son House and Louise Johnson. He recorded two classic songs - ‘Future Blues’ and ‘M&O Blues’ - and left us with nothing else. Willie Brown, perhaps a genius or perhaps a man who only had two great songs to sing.

Rick Estrin – Blues Singer, Top draw Blues harp player and inventive composer.

Q: What makes a great Blues studio recording?

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Rick Estrin

The #1 thing that makes a good “blues studio recording” is performance.

There’s a saying here in the states: “You can’t polish a turd.”

Obviously, you want to get a natural sound...a nice blend of good tones from the individual instruments, a good vocal sound, good room sound, the right effects etc, but when it comes right down to it, blues is primarily about feeling.

You want to record a performance that illustrates the emotion behind the message in the lyric.

Dick Shurman – Blues/liner notes writer, Blues historian and Blues Producer (Johnny Winter, Roy Buchanan, Magic Sam, Charlie Musslewhite, Albert Collins, Lee Shot Williams, Little Smokey Smothers and Jody Williams.)

A lot of being a producer isn’t necessarily about music. It’s about organization (budgeting, coordinating all the logistics, so the musicians can concentrate on making the music instead of side distractions, like not having storage media or having an out of tune piano, not knowing when to be where, etc.).

Psychology (getting people to work together in ways that bring out the best in themselves and each other), decisiveness (one role of a producer is to be the “neutral party”, delegated to make the decisions, like who solos for how long, etc.) and other qualities and skills that are part of any successful project management. That sounds clinical, but steering things so that they turn out well isn’t a goal limited to blues records, and there are many styles, strategies and theories.

Here I’m going to focus on three production values that are related to the music, and to the overall sonic envelope. The first is that IMHO, the best blues recordings sound as though recorded in a “live” aspect, with the musicians all playing and singing at the same time in the same room. Very important: I’m not saying they actually, WERE recorded, that way; that very seldom happens in the studio any more. A good blues recording should sound like a PLAUSIBLE (Bruce Iglauer’s word) live performance. That means that the vocals and instruments have a unified ambience. There is the basic call and response feeling critical to good blues (rather than having the lead guitarist play right through his vocals, because he can record them separately), and there is a feeling that the musicians are listening to each other and reacting, not just repeating (or digitally looping) a pattern. There are some valid reasons why everyone doesn’t just do it all in one pass.

Many singing instrumentalists like to be able to concentrate on one or the other, a studio luxury not available live. Some instruments have to be isolated acoustically to allow repairs on other instruments’ tracks without too much bleed. Some musicians want to play multiple parts on a song. My usual preference (subject to the artist’s preferred working mode), is for the singing instrumentalist to play his lead instrumental part, with at least the rhythm section. Overdubbing horns is often best if they’re not a working unit with the band, and sometimes even if they are, while singing just enough of a “guide” vocal to give the band the picture of the song and help keep track of where they are in it. Later he or she can record the keeper vocal and any complementary instrumental parts. The more complete a picture the band has of the song, the easier it is for them to play with appropriate energy and feel, and the more they’re playing with and off each other, the less mechanical it feels, plus it’s usually a whole lot more fun. Once the basic track is there, we get to the question of repairs. I don’t believe in being obsessive or perfectionist; a little humanity in music isn’t a bad thing if it’s not too egregious a clam. Sometimes tempo can build gradually and it’s energizing – as long as one doesn’t have to edit out a piece and then finds the difference too problematic. Although when it’s just a basic mistake, it needs fixing, if time and budget allow; that’s still just a drop of water in the ocean in what can be done in a studio and, again, it needn’t reduce the “live” vibe to have the part played correctly, or at least better. I like to drop the whole final mix into the studio room as it’s happening, mic it in stereo and add that to the overall mix; it does have a unifying effect and does wonders for the “same room” feel.

As I implied earlier, there are many paths, but what’s important is the result.

Richard Sherman

The second value I’m going to espouse here is that blues recordings should not sound too clean and clinical. This too often means having to fight with the engineer as they tend to want everything isolated and volume down, so control can be maximized during the recording process. However, there is NO substitute for the texture and density achieved by playing at bandstand volume (or higher). Every effort needs consideration in order to allow that to happen. If an amp has to have, the dial turned down too far in order to achieve separation, MOVE IT INSTEAD, to another room if necessary. Providing both a direct input and amp miking for an electric bass allows a good blend of definition (primarily from the DI) and body (from the amp). Close miking of guitar amps has a place, but IMHO this needs balancing by some distance miking; different producers and engineers have different techniques, but experiment with the situation at

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rin hand. The average listener does not have his head pressed against a speaker cabinet. (My condolences if you are or were an exception; I hope it was good acid!) I learned a vital lesson very early from Chess producer and reissue compiler Tom Swan: air has an important place in how music should be heard. That means including some in mic placement.

Another relevant observation about not being too clinical: there should be some unity to how the drum kit feels, not the sense of a bunch of separate parts happening more or less distinctly sonically. That’s an easy trap with so many tracks available for and devoted to drums in modern recording, stereo panning (or Surround Sound for that matter), and mics designed to record only close sounds. Not over-compressing the instruments is another cautionary note. Bass is the exception, and compressed from the get-go in the studio, but other than that, it’s best to give the instruments room at both ends of the volume spectrum to “breathe.” Finally, how much “mustard,” meaning ambience beyond the dry original recording, needs to be applied is going to be a matter of taste, but there should be SOME; paradoxically, it makes the overall vibe seem MORE natural, or at least more normal, with more life and energy.

The third point has to do with song structures: they need to provide enough variety to sustain the listener’s interest. This often means breaking bandstand habits, where songs played more or less bog standard so the keyboard player knows he’ll always have his solo two vocal verses after the guitar solo, everyone knows the standard ending so it won’t be a train wreck, etc. It also means mixing up keys (while keeping in mind the keys in which the artists work best), tempos, textures (not the same instrumental line-up on every track) and other ways to change the pace including possibly stepping outside the twelve bar AAB song form (or not, depending on the artist). Variety and pacing are more important for a CD than for an LP because of the extended length; if the goal is to have the listener stay involved and interested for an hour or more, a bunch of consecutive shuffles or long slow blues in the same key won’t help. Obviously, this point applies to an albumlength project, not a single song, but context for each song does need consideration. If you already have five pretty much like it, well, perhaps a little balance would serve the project better.

Okay, readers, your mileage may vary and my advice is probably worth every penny I’m getting paid for it (nothing in this case), but those are things that contribute to my enjoyment of a blues recording – along with way too many more to keep rolling here.

BB KING with surprise guests? Royal Albert Hall Tuesday June 28th 2011

2 years to the day that I last saw BB at Wembley, and I had though then that it would be the last time, now here I am again at a sold out Royal Albert Hall, putting up with the self promotion from one Avery Sunshine who was the support. Enough said about that! During the break while the stage was being reset, I was puzzled by the sight of a Les Paul and a Fender Strat being sound checked, but they were both carried off stage so I forgot about them. I was amused to see a queue of photographers standing in line to come up and take pictures of Lucille, sitting in solitary splendour by BBs chair soon the lights dimmed and the 8 man BB King Blues band took to the stage and opened in their usual high voltage fashion. I see from looking back at my last review that I said that were a tight and storming outfit, and nothing has changed! Then the announcement that the whole hall had been waiting for “ Ladies & Gentlemen, the King of the Blues, Mr B B King!” and the entire Royal Albert Hall got to their feet and BB got a full two minute standing ovation, just for walking onto the stage! Making himself comfortable, there followed a long session of chat as he introduced the band, seeming to forget who the keyboard player was although you can never be sure if this is for real or just to amuse the crowd, either way, nobody was complaining, and I was hoping to see BB at his best, although in reality, I felt that that was probably too long back. BB played a little bit of guitar, had a chat, sang a bit, and chatted some more, and kept saying that there were going to be a few surprises, although the tickets said surprise guest? When he played, it was as cool as ever, and the voice is still powerful, but he kept swinging the mike away from his mouth, so a lot of the song was lost, but hey, this is BB King, so who cares? BB made much of the fact that he is 85, soon to be 86 in September and that the concert was being filmed for a DVD, and I thought that I won’t be buying it, when he asked for a couple of extra chairs on stage, and after a rambling introduction, announced Susan Tedeschi and her husband Derek Trucks. They sat alongside BB and proceeded to play and jam around You are my sunshine and Rock me baby for around 20 minutes, both showing what accomplished guitarists they are, with Derek’s SG screaming out like Lucille on steroids. They seemed to be finishing, and there was a lot of toing and froing as more chairs appeared, and then from the other side of the stage, who should appear but the man in the hat, SLASH, (that was why the Les Paul was there) and as the crowd stood and clapped and cheered, Ronnie Woods joined from the other side (The Fender Strat), and as they got comfortable, along came Mick Hucknall to complete the line up. Once the audience had settled down, there then followed what was in reality an extended jam session, but with some of the world’s best guitar players, taking it in turns to take the solos, while BB sat in the middle of them having the time of his life! You might look back at the start of this review and think that I was being a little grudging, but I can say without any exaggeration, that this was quite simply the best concert that I have ever had the privilege to attend! Never previously much of a fan of Slash, I have to say that this man is an awesome Blues player, and with Derek Trucks, took most of the solos, while Ronnie seemed content to play rhythm to them all, although he did break into one burst of virtuoso playing. The rest of the band then joined them and the show ended with a rendition of ‘When The Saints.’

It must have taken at least another five minutes for BB to leave the stage, and I have to confess that I had more than one tear in my eye. Absolutely awesome!

Dave Stone

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SHIRLEY COLLINS

Part 2

By Paromita Saha

In the summer of 1959, a young Shirley Collins accompanied folklorist Alan Lomax on a field trip through Virginia, Kentucky, Alabama, Mississippi, Arkansas and Georgia, recording the indigenous sounds of the South. This often entailed lugging around heavy recording equipment in the merciless southern heat. “There was so much to do,” she laughs, “it was so fascinating apart from the times when things got tedious like at the start of the trip, things were going wrong with the machines. We had to stop. When we were in Norfolk, he left me in the car on my own for a couple of hours. There were one or two times, he had forgotten to mention that the people he was meeting, that I was here. He was blinkered and driven by what he was doing.”

In his book, “The Land Where The Blues Began,” Lomax writes that the young English folk singer just “came along for the trip,” which at the time infuriated Collins, given the hard work that she felt she also put in.

“I was busy writing notes and so was Alan. He was very interested in how people were physically when they sang. My job was to make a note of what people did with their hands and faces. I was really on concentrating on people swing their toes and feet. Every night, we would try to type up my notes and his notes. There were the contracts we had to deal with, to all the singers. So if their stuff was used, they would get payment for it.”

Throughout her auto-biography, “America Over The Water,” you get a sense of Collin’s role from her vivid recollections of some of the recording sessions, most notably, the Memphis Jug Band whom the pair stumble across in a decrepit tenement building in Memphis, after spending hours making numerous enquiries in bars across the city. The scene, in which Collins eloquently describes every bit of detail, is one of ragtime revelry with women provocatively dressed, flirting and dancing around the jug band as they play.

For the naïve Collins who was fresh from the green pastures of Middle England, the inherent racism of the Deep South was something she found alien and disturbing. “Because we were white, we ate in segregated restaurants and we swam in segregated swimming pools. You felt so ashamed doing it. You did it, because that’s what everybody did.” In the mid fifties, a series of boycotts started taking place across the country, as part of the growing Civil Rights movement. I ask her if being out there compelled her and Lomax to take part, to which she responds, “People have often asked me why we didn’t join the protest. But that wasn’t the point of us being there. We were there to record the music, and as Alan always said, it gives those people a voice, if you can record their music and you are doing far more for them, then if you are protesting on their behalf.” Interestingly, Lomax shaved his beard off before he arrived in Mississippi, which Collins explains was to avoid animosity from certain sections of the local community. “He used the word foreign. The black community was not objecting but the whites did for some reason. He decided that when he went to Mississippi, he had to shave off his beard.”

As the pair drove into the home of the blues, the presence of the Klu Klax Klan became more apparent. “Just the possibility that they were there was terrifying. The attitudes of some of the white people were so casually careless. That’s how it was and they were thinking.”

The first stop in Mississippi was the State Penitentiary Parchman Farm, where Alan probably made one of his famous recordings for the Library of Congress with his father back in the thirties and forties. Collins describes the work-songs of the black inmates as “majestic,” as her eyes light up over a cup of tea. “It was extraordinary that he got permission from the superintendent to go in there again. They welcomed us and were not difficult at all. I felt reassured when I went in there. I didn’t feel I was stepping into danger.”

Despite the initial feelings of made welcome, much to her frustration Shirley Collins found herself kept away from the fields where the prisoners worked.

“I was always had this image of Parchman, partly from the record covers with the barred windows. I thought it would be a huge fortress of a grey building but it was a prison farm with gates. It was so open, and the men slept in long huts, rather cells. There were close to the fields, so you can get them working hard. I was stuck in the house, while Alan made the recordings.” Indeed, one day, Collins found herself in the company of Mississippi Parole board who bombarded her with questions as well as expressing their alarm over a young woman traveling with a much older man. To her horror, she found herself being cornered by one of the board members who she describes as an “unpleasant redneck with an over familiar manner.” Still today, the unpleasant memory still seems fresh on her mind, “it was really ghastly, and it scared me a lot. I didn’t know what to do with it. I didn’t even tell Alan, or the wife of the superintendent. I don’t think I told anybody. I don’t know what trouble I would get into.”

Despite, being cooped up in a house with the superintendent and his wife throughout the entirety of the three-day visit to the prison, Collins looks back on that recording stint as being very significant and memorable, because forty years later, filmmakers Ethan and Joel Coen used the song ‘Po Lazarus,’ from the “Parchman Farm” recordings for the Grammy award-wining soundtrack to “O Brother, Where Art Thou.”

Afterwards, the pair traveled from the Delta to the barren country of North Mississippi, where they rediscovered Sid Hemphill, a blind fiddle player who also played the panpipes, and Alan had recorded many years earlier. Yet, Collins remembers being awe struck from hearing his gifted daughter Sidney Carter play. “It’s very primitive guitar and very slow.” On saying this, she picks up a box set of the field recordings they made on that trip, and plays me the very track of Sidney that they recorded. I feel goose pimples at the back of my neck and arms when I hear this raw and haunting voice, accompanied by the most exquisite guitar playing, while complemented by a dog barking in the background and a foot tapping on the floor boards for rhythm. For a split second, as I observe Collins listening to track, I imagine myself back in 1959, on a burning hot day, in the hill country, hearing this solo performance.

After Mississippi, the duo did a final stint of recordings on the very little cash they had. They traveled from Arkansas where

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SHIRLEY COLLINS they recorded Forrest City Joe, to the Pentecostal church groups in Memphis, to eventually end up in the Georgia Sea Islands of Simons where Alan discovered a gospel singer called Bessie Jones who was from Georgia but married one of the islanders, hence learning the singing traditions of the local community.

At the end of the field trip, a rather broke as well as very tired, Collins and Lomax wearily managed to drive to New York, where they spent several weeks editing their field tapes, writing up their notes and planning the albums that would present these recordings to the wider world. Fraught by illness as well financial hardship, things in the relationship came to a head, when they both returned home one night to find Alan’s apartment on fire.

Luckily, he managed to salvage a considerable amount of his recordings, but unfortunately, it signaled the end of the relationship, and Shirley found herself back on the ship home. As far as Collins was concerned, Lomax felt he wanted be on his own and not commit to the relationship. “I don’t think he treated me very well. Music was his prime concern all the time. I know I was useful to him, because I loved the stuff and also because I had a real instinct for it.” At this point, I pull out John Szwed’s biography on Alan Lomax from my bag and show a paragraph that reveals Alan’s emotional state of mind over his break up with Shirley, which indicates that it was one of regret. She reads it and is silent for a few minutes as she absorbs the information. “Ohh,” she exclaims with sadness. “I mean he was always analyzing everything. I didn’t know any of this; especially that he wrote page after page, that I was his perfect mate. I had no idea that he was troubled.” I start to ask her if she had any sense of his troubled state of mind during the trip, when I am interrupted mid sentence. “But he sent me home,” she says with sadness.

Back then, the emotional resilience of being a young twenty some-thing, helped Shirley bounce back into the heart of the English folk music scene. “I think it was relieved to get home. I was thinking of my love for England and my love for English music. I started to learn more songs. Just starting to make a living from singing as much as I could.” During this time in her life, she met first husband, Austin John, and on hearing the news that she was about to be married, Lomax returned to England to propose to her. Despite the fact she still loved him, Collins said no to his offer of marriage, after being rejected twice by him.

“I met someone else, with whom I had two nice children.” On reflection, she then adds, “I did marry too quickly, and I had not gotten over Alan. And perhaps, I still haven’t quite.”

Shirley’s singing career continued for many years, during which time, she divorced her first husband, met and remarried Ashley Hutchins, the bass player with Fairport Convention with whom she formed The Albion Country Band. With them, she recorded a few albums and performed at numerous gigs. In the early eighties, she divorced Hutchins and unfortunately found herself loosing her voice. “There was a dark time, when I had lost my voice, and I had to do other work. I ran an Oxfam shop in Brighton for a couple of years, which was quite interesting. And I worked in a bookshop at the British museum. There were some lovely bits but it wasn’t really, what I wanted to do.”

Collins didn’t run into Lomax until the early nineties, when he visited her in Brighton with a copy of his book “The Land Where the Blues Began.” So was there still a spark between them? “There was still a great deal between us, which I valued a lot. Physically he was looking fine and still full of vigor. We spent the night together, and then he caught train back to London, then to the States. I never saw him, until I heard that he died years later.”

I ask her how she heard the sad news about his death. “I can’t remember who told me, but somebody rang. It sank in slowly, and I started to come to terms with it, because I was still quite cross with him in some ways, then when I heard he died, I couldn’t be cross anymore.” At this moment, she gets emotional. “His achievements were considerable and what he did for people, and their music. So I forgave him, for “I went along for the trip.”

Since then, despite loosing her voice, the singer’s career has undergone a renaissance, thanks to the release of a couple of compilations and a CD box set called “Within Sound,” which showcases her body of work as a folk singer. She has won accolades for her contribution to English folk music from being awarded a MBE to wining the “Good Tradition,” award at the BBC 2 Folk Awards. In the late nineties, Rounder Records released Southern Journey, which was a collection of the music that the pair had recorded on the road-trip, which sits neatly on her dining table. Collins has not visited the South since then, and I ask her if she has ever felt compelled to return there. “I have got some Russian friends that have been and sent pictures of Freddie and Annie Mae’s tombstone as well as pictures of Como, that I don’t think I’ll recognize. I quite like to go back but I am scared it will be a huge disappointment because everything has rapidly changed.”

Even though, the performer says she does not see herself as a folklorist, you can sense Lomax’s legacy in her work, which is evident in her exploration of gypsy music in Southern England. Only recently, she has completed a commission for the Voice of the People series, which are three Cds of Peter Kennedy and Bob Copper’s field recordings made in 1960’s Southern England. She is quick to draw the parallels between the blues and the music of the settled people in England.

“They are always things about heart break and loss. In the English tradition, there are bigger stories, like stepmothers, wicked fathers and murdered children. But what you get is a sense of directness in the blues. They tell it straight. It’s not embellished with phony dressing up. At the end of the day, most songs were leant from the heart, they weren’t written down. When you hear Fred McDowell singing, it’s from the heart.”

Given her emotional and moving recollection of her time with Alan, I ask her as I leave, if he was her soul-mate. “To some degree, in regards to the love of the music and the wish to do the best for it that you could. Yes, absolutely, unspeakable soul-mates. He was far more driven than I was. I was not as driven, because I’ve got things like children and being out in the country which are important to me. His music was what came first.”

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BEFORE WE FORGET LITTLE WALTER

by Kevin Wharton

Kevin Wharton takes a quick look at the life of one of the last of the truly authentic Bluesmen :BIG JACK JOHNSON Thirty years ago, if you were into the small-town southern American Blues and had a hankering for the authentic but already disappearing juke-joint blues, you would be sent to Mississippi to look up the Nighthawks or the Jelly Roll Kings.

Big Jack Johnson, who died in March this year aged 70 was the bands’ lead guitarist, vocalist, and its last survivor.

Big Jack Johnson was born seventy years ago in Lambert, Mississippi, a few miles from Clarksdale. His father, Ellis, was a local musician playing Blues and country at local gigs and Big Jack’s musical training really began here because at just 13 years old he joined the band, playing guitar. Within five years, like many of his contemporaries he heard the records of BB King and followed his electrified and electrifying lead. This was the birth of a fabulous career.

In 1962 he sat in at a gig at the Savoy Theatre in Clarksdale by the famous Frank Frost and Sam Carr – Frank singing and playing harmonica, and Sam at the drums, and the duo found a magic and immediately became a trio. The trio soon clicked into gear and was seldom apart for the next 15 years, recording for Phillips International and Jewel Records. According to friend and record producer Michael Frank the hard working trio played, “every imaginable little bar and roadhouse in that part of Mississippi”. The trio’s performances earned them a reputation far beyond Mississippi and many opportunities to record their material.

Big Jack first appeared on record in the 1960s as the guitarist on two Frank Frost albums; ‘Hey Boss Man’ on the Phillips International label in 1962, and ‘My Back Big Jack Johnson Scratcher’ on Jewel in 1966.

In 1975 Michael Frank heard them at Clarksdale’s Black Fox club, “mixing up a funky sound of blues, rock and soul, and country and western to a packed house of about 100 black patrons.” Frank returned three years later to find the club closed and the band scattered, but he got them back together and booked them into Ardent studios in Memphis to make an album for his new label, Earwig Records. It is possible that he set up this label specifically for this purpose.

That album, ‘Rockin’ the Juke Joint Down’, was released in 1979 credited to the Jelly Roll Kings and marked Big Jack’s first recordings as a singer. The album led to some work for the trio in Europe, but they had been unable to survive on music alone and still had jobs that made touring difficult, and they separated again.

Soon afterwards Big Jack started a solo career, independent of the Jelly Roll Kings, playing the role of an energetic, oldfashioned Blues singer. This he played exceptionally well. Nonetheless, like most Bluesmen, he again was unable to make a living from music alone, and relied on the steady income of a day job, driving and delivering heating oil in and around Clarksdale, Mississippi. Johnson’s subsequent 1987 album for Earwig, ‘imaginatively’ entitled ‘The Oil Man’, is held to be his most intense and moving, with a remarkable rendition of ‘Catfish Blues.’ The album was followed in 1989 by the very fine ‘Daddy, When Is Mama Comin Home?’ including the song ‘Mr U.S. A.I.D.S’, one of the first responses to HIV/Aids from the Blues community. The album showed Big Jack as a surprisingly versatile songwriter, tackling various social issues such as wife abuse in addition to aids.

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Now Before We Forget R O O T S & new

4 BLUES GUITAR MASTERS Lucky Peterson Magic Slim Joe Louis Walker Bill Perry

This led to additional recordings for Earwig, a few with M.C. Records, and additional recordings for Rooster Blues, P-Vine Records, Right Coast Recording, and Big Jack Music. There was also a nice Jelly Roll Kings reunion album called ‘Off Yonder Wall’ released in 1997 on Fat Possum Records. Additionally, Big Jack appeared in the influential 1992 documentary movie Deep Blues, wrote ‘Jack’s Blues’ and performed ‘Catfish Medley’ with Samuel L. Jackson on the Black Snake Moan film soundtrack.

In these recordings, Big Jack revealed other talents, such as a leaning for country music. He also joined the small body of Bluesmen who play the mandolin. The 2002 ‘Memphis Barbecue Sessions’, a collaboration with Kim Wilson (harmonica) and Pinetop Perkins, won a WC Handy award in 2003 for best acoustic blues album. He released his last two albums, Juke Joint Saturday Night (2007) and Katrina (2008), himself.

‘Katrina’ is Big Jack’s self confessed musical “tribute to the land, people and spirit of Mississippi’ from which Jack drew so much of his inspiration. From the party atmosphere of ‘Ain’t Gonna Do It No More’ to the traditional mandolin rendition of ‘Po’ Cow Boogie’ and ‘It’s All Gone’ to the lament of ‘Katrina’ this is widely held to be one of Jack’s strongest recordings.

100% groove and soul! 5 unreleased tracks, just recorded by Lucky Peterson, served hot with the finest cuts of three fellow blues stars.

Electric blues at its best. A must!

Already available

M ONKEY J UNK TO BEHOLD

Johnson was regarded with great affection and admiration on the Mississippi delta blues circuit. His inventive, energetic, Delta-rooted guitar, and vocals, authentic songwriting, and dominating stage presence made him one of the most celebrated of the Mississippi bluesmen. He was a popular festival and club entertainer, a warm and hospitable person, and an amazing musician. His passing leaves a gap in the Blues that will never be filled. Angenette, his wife of 49 years, three sisters, four brothers, eight daughters and four sons, survive him.

Thanks for all the great music Big Jack. You are loved and will not be forgotten!

Congratulations Duncan and Family

MonkeyJunk is a young band from Ottawa.

They describe their music as swamp R&B, soul boogie and deep blues. The band was named Best New Artist Debut at the Blues Music Awards in Memphis in 2010 and has just received 3 new awards at the Canadian Maple Blues Awards this year.

Who could ask for more ?

Already available UK Distribution by DISCOVERY RECORDS LTD 01380 728000 available from all good record retailers or order direct from

www.discovery-records.com

Stay tuned to Dixiefrog artists at

www.bluesweb.com

One of our writers Duncan Beattie with his new edition Melanie and his son Alex

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FIND OUT WHAT’S COMING FIND OUT IN WHAT’S COMING THE NEXT ISSUE…….

IN THE NEXT ISSUES…….

What’s Coming Up - In Blues Matters 62; Here are a few tasters for you to start to look forward too.

We have Pt.2 of Michael Messers’ look at ‘Slide Guitar’, Interviews with Dago Red, Roy Bookbinder, Hat Fitz & Cara Robinson, Karl Demata, Rory Block, Aynsley Lister, Robert Randolph, Irma Thomas, Andy Poxon, Michael Powers, Austin ‘Walkin’ Cane and more.

Also including our regular Festival reports, Live gigs, Books, DVDs and CD reviews and lots of loving the Blues.

NEXT ISSUE

Hat Fitz

son

ra Robin

and Ca

omas

Irma Th

wers

Mike Po

mata

Karl De

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okbind

Roy Bo

Sad news just before going to press.

Ralph founder of Guisborough Blues Club, who many blues fans and bands know well died on Sat 9th July R.I.P. 11/07/2011 11:32:35

blu

NG

Walter Trout

pick Music Strings www.rotosound.com

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BLUES MATTERS MAGAZINE ADVERT

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