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Welcome to your new issue of Blues Matters 123. Heck, it sure is packed! So much is going on, isn’t it?
Let’s just focus on the Blues we love, rather than climate change, G20, G8. Plus celebrate William Shatner’s ‘space’ trip at last he went where he’d never been before!
Live music is, at last, making a comeback tentatively and no doubt some of you will have been able to get to a gig near you at last and let off some steam and allow your ears to be massaged by live sounds of some of your favourite artists.
We’ve had some Covid and health issues amongst us at BM since the last issue but seem to be coming through all safely and in almost one piece - or at least enough of a piece to cope.
And, talking of live music, 2022 will see the return of Rock & Blues Festival at ‘sunny’ Skegness including our own Blues Matters! Stage. The Entertainment team there are working very hard and as I write to run four different music weekends successfully at 80% occupancy. So check out who can see on our stage between 14th-17th January 2022. Then, if we all act responsibly to avoid any more Covid restrictions, we can have a fine time and enjoy some fabulous artists.
With Christmas coming, a subscription to BM is a perfect gift for a friend or family member. It’s easy to go online to our site and that will guide you through.
Ansa phone message: I can’t come to the phone right now because I have amnesia and don’t like talking to people I don’t remember. I’d appreciate it if you could help me out by telling me a bit about myself. Thanks.
Two hamburgers walked into a bar. The barman said, “sorry we don’t serve food here!”
10: RUF CARAVAN
14: LIVE MUSIC SPREAD
16: HOUSE OF TONE
20: JOE LOUIS WALKER
28: MUNDELL MUSIC
32: VIRTUAL BLUES
36: BRIAN KRAMER
40: BLUE BLOODS
116: BIG BLUES REVIEW GUIDE
136: RMR BLUES CHART
138: IBBA BLUES CHART
by Adam Kennedy
You might have noticed a distinct lack of US-based artists touring the UK this year. The uncertainty brought about by the pandemic coupled with challenging travel restrictions has certainly had an impact on the international touring circuit. However, one tour that managed to cut through the red tape and persevere in the face of adversity is the current incarnation of the Ruf Blues Caravan tour. The lineup featuring chart-topping blues artists Whitney Shay, Jeremiah Johnson and Ryan Perry, against all odds, managed to successfully circumnavi-
gate both the UK and mainland Europe and tell the tale.
For both artists and fans alike, to experience live music once again following eighteen months of lockdown has been a cathartic experience. “Some of the shows we’re playing it’s the first time they’ve had a show. The people that have been coming out, they have been really appreciative, and I guess brave maybe you can say. It seems like they’re taking a risk, but I’m happy that they’re showing up - so it’s
been good,” said Jeremiah. Whitney adds that: “They’ve been coming up at the end of the shows and just saying thank you so much; that was so moving. It felt so wonderful to have that feeling again of getting to go and see live music. I think everyone’s been so desperate for that release. To get to go and see a concert. To be entertained again; because we haven’t gotten to do that for a while.”
The Ruf Blues Caravan tour was en route through Europe when the world went into lockdown. The trio of artists was unsure if they would get to complete their run. “I didn’t think we were going to ever make up these dates, because everything has been pushed and pushed and pushed so far back,” said Jeremiah. “I wasn’t even sure if they were going to let Americans leave the country for a while there. Right up until a couple of weeks before this tour, it might not have happened.”
Due to the ever-changing circumstances surrounding live performances and international travel, the tour was hanging in the balance right until the get-go. “I don’t think I believed we were going to come here until we landed in Germany,” said Whitney. “I’m very grateful that we got to come back and finish it and got to be together again. It’s been a blessing for sure.”
Of course, there has been a lot of red tape to cut through to get to this point. “There was quite a bit of stuff that we had to do. We had to fill out forms,” said Jeremiah. “Everybody wants money. I don’t know how many COVID tests we’ve had. It seems like every time we turn around somebody, is shoving something up our nose. But we were determined to do whatever we needed so that we could get this touring thing started again.”
Life for musicians in the US was very different during the last eighteen months, with each state having somewhat varying restrictions. With each of the three artists residing in alternate parts of the country, the amount to which
they could work varied. “I stayed really busy. I’m from Missouri, which is a state in the middle of the country. So, as soon as there was any place open in the United States, I was driving across the country to do shows. So, I’ve been playing at least three times a week for a long time,” explains Jeremiah. “There were no festivals. There were no big shows - I would have to do smaller venues. It was almost as if I went back in time to my twenties. I did these small places, but I tried to stay as busy as possible.”
Whilst middle America was partly open for business, on the West Coast, things were somewhat different. “I’m in the opposite end of the country. I’m in California, where we had probably the most restrictive lockdown in the US, besides maybe New York, but I stayed busy as well. I did small outdoor duo shows a lot with Laura Chavez. I was still doing probably ten gigs a month during the past year,” said Whitney. The artist also used the downtime brought about by the pandemic to further skills in other areas. “Besides gigging, I also went back to school full time. I was learning graphic design and kickboxing online and a bunch of different things. I like to stay busy. I go crazy a little bit if I’m not working.”
For Ryan Perry, the pandemic brought about tragic times within his family. “When the lockdowns happened, I ended up going back to work. COVID hit my family pretty hard. I lost a number of people on my side of the family to COVID. It was a lot harder for me to cope with things throughout the year. I was trying to make the best of it day by day and just doing whatever I could to help pay the bills,” said Ryan. The beauty of the Ruf Blues Caravan is that it brings together artists who each showcase a different side of the blues. “One of the things that we’ve heard quite a lot is that people who’ve seen the Blues Caravan tour every year, they say wow - we feel like this combination of the three of us is the best combination that they’ve seen as far as complementing each other,” said Whitney. “It feels like we’ve been
doing this tour forever because we had such a long break in between it. We’re lucky because we all get along, there’s no drama, and it’s all about the music.”
However, being the only female artist on the tour – how did Whitney Shay feel about being cooped up in a tour bus with her male counterparts? “I’m not going to lie. I’m kind of a girl’s girl. So, I miss my girlfriend’s back home - but it’s been lovely. Everybody’s been wonderful. I had my birthday a couple of days ago, and the guys all made me feel really special, and loved,” she said. “All the guys have their significant others, and I have my significant other back home. So, I think everybody is polite, and we all
get along.” songs that we wrote before the pandemic. But the see ago that we released. So, it’s kind of strange in that aspect.”
Each of the three artist’s released albums either before or during the pandemic, which up until now they’ve not been able to perform live. “It’s nice to be able to perform the songs that we wrote before the pandemic. But the way I see it, I feel for me personally; I should probably have another album worth of music by now,” said Ryan. “We’re still only just starting to perform our songs from a year and a half ago that we released. So, it’s kind of strange in
Life during lockdown inspired Jeremiah Johnson to write and record a new album called ‘Unemployed and Highly Annoyed’. “Every song on it is about the pandemic or something to do with the pandemic. And it was just my frustrations. I was so ticked off that they shut everything down and expected us to starve to death or get a different job or whatever. And I’m just like - man, this is not at all what I envisioned my life to be like. I’ve never felt so insignificant and disrespected in my life.”
song on it is about the pandemic or something to do with the pandemic. And it was just my
Similarly, the title of Ryan Perry’s latest release could well be a metaphor for life in the music industry during these unprecedented times. “When I wrote High Risk Low Reward, you could definitely put it down to the music
industry and how it’s affected everybody in the recent months and years. But the real reason for High Risk Low Reward, it was actually about a girl I was dating - so she was high risk and a low reward, and so that’s the title of the album right there.”
Whitney Shay’s chart-topping latest release ‘Stand Up’ carries more of a positive message. “A lot of the music I write is about female empowerment because that’s what I know. I like to write songs that bring a positive message and bring about personal empowerment.”
With the European leg of the Ruf Blues Caravan tour now concluded, the trio of esteemed artists returns home with a new challenge moving
forward. “I would say that things are still in a weird position. There are no guarantees right now. There’s this battle in the United States between the vaccinated and the non-vaccinated. Some of the venues are now requiring proof of vaccines or to be COVID tested for you to get in. And 50% of the United States doesn’t want to get a vaccine. So how do you operate an industry on 50% of your customer base - it’s a very difficult thing,” concludes Johnson. Challenging times for the touring artists and the music industry, perhaps you will agree.
‘Stand Up’ by Whitney Shay, ‘Unemployed Highly Annoyed’ by Jeremiah Johnson, and ‘High Risk Low Reward’ by Ryan Perry are all out now via Ruf Records.
IMAGE SPREAD BY LAURA CARBONE
MR. SIPP AT STRAND THEATER, PLATTSBURGH
RICHARD THOMPSON AT RYTHM AND ROOTS
RHEANNA GIBBONS AT RYTHM AND ROOTS
SUGARAY RAYFORD AND KAT RIGGINS AT THE BIG BLUES BENDER
ELIZA NEALS
THE CROWD AT THE BIG BLUES BENDER
ANNE HARRIS AT WHITE MOUNTAIN BOOGIE
ERIC GALES AT THE STRAND THEATER
Over the last 18 months, artists have found lots of ways of staying creative whilst at the same time trying to earn a living. Before the pandemic - drummer, producer, and mixing engineer Wayne Proctor had been actively touring with many artists including AA Williams, Ben Poole, Lynne Jackaman, and Michael Malarkey, to name but a few.
by Adam Kennedy Images: Adam KennedyAs a producer, Wayne Proctor works out of Superfly Studios in Ollerton, Nottinghamshire. During the lockdown, his studio work was perhaps his saving grace. “There’s no question; it’s been a total blessing,” explains Proctor. “All of my influences are people that wore different hats. They were never just one thing. I think it took probably the pandemic to realise that there’s more of an artist headspace in my head, which is quite possibly why production became quite important to me.”
Of course, Superfly Studios has been around for some time, although it was previously known in a different guise. “Originally, the studio was called Bluewater Studios, and I think that opened 20 years ago,” explains Wayne. “Andy [Banfield], who now runs Superfly, was the inhouse engineer for Bluewater.”
Over time, the studio became a home away from home for the in-demand drummer. “I started going there in 2002, and I began recording there in 2003. Originally, I went there to do a one-off song for Sean Webster.” Having been friends since their school days, Webster would become the drummer’s first production job in 2004. “That was when Andy and I started to work together. It was also when I first decided that I wanted to go into production and recording,” confirms Wayne.
Superfly Studios and House of Tone are synonymous with one another. “Andy and I kind of
went into business together in terms of - I was putting money into the studio,” explains Wayne. “Superfly is his business, but we’ve gone in on gear together; and invested in it together. Every time I was working with an artist, I would bring them to the studio.” Subsequently, artists such as King King, Aynsley Lister, Stevie Nimmo, Ben Poole, Brothers Groove, and Red Butler have all recorded albums at Superfly Studios.
House of Tone has become an established brand that Wayne Proctor has developed during his career. “People remember House of Tone more than they
remember my name. I was trying to brand the output of Superfly and me, to try to give it a bit of a tag,” explains Wayne. “People know that if the House of Tone name is attached to it - it’s a quality record and that you’re always going to get something of a certain standard.”
With an end to touring throughout 2020/21, many musicians began working on their new albums. Thus, giving Proctor and his brand House of Tone a whole raft of opportunities for studio work. The likes of Kaz Hawkins and The Mentulls were among the first to knock on the versatile sticks man’s door. “I was booked in the
“it’s a quality record and that you’re always going to get something of a certain standard”
studio until July,” declares Wayne. “It was early March, and then obviously everything locked down. All that happened was I just ended up coordinating these albums remotely as opposed to everybody coming down to the studio.” He adds that: “Where it was going to be session drummers coming into the studio to do to the drums, I ended up doing the drums.”
The beauty of his studio work was that it gave Wayne Proctor an outlet to flex his creative muscles during this period of prolonged downtime. “It wasn’t so much the financial part of it, because of course, that’s massively important, but I think I was more worried about going a bit crazy not having anything to work on,” explains Proctor. “I had to stay creative during this time because we had no idea how long it was going to last. If I’m creative and I’m entrepreneurial in that sense, I know that the money will follow.”
Of course, when you are consistent, and your product is good, the jobs will keep rolling in. “One project would lead into another,” he says. “So, before you know it, it’s 18 months later, and I think I’ve done fifteen albums in that time.” Wayne adds that: “There’s been a lot of output. I think I’ve played on around 160 tracks in the first 12 months of the pandemic.”
Some of House of Tone’s recordings during lockdown have yet to be released. Although, many are hitting the shelves at the time of writing.
“I finished The Mentulls album in August last year, and it’s just been released now,”
said Wayne. “I did a couple of things for Lynne Jackaman; I mixed a couple of EPs for her.”
But also, lockdown allowed Wayne to explore many creatively rewarding projects, such as ‘Canons Under Flowers’ by Eddie Tatton. “I got the opportunity to make albums that were a bit different,” proclaims Proctor. “More interesting pieces of work, as opposed to just being standard arrangements and standard orchestrations or standard productions. It was things that were a little bit more engaging.”
As live music begins to return, the drummer has been back out on the road recently performing alongside British bluesman Ben Poole. As the year progresses, Wayne Proctor will be playing with AA Williams, who are opening for heavy rock band Sleep Token. “They are great gigs again. And all Academy shows. The tour wraps up at the O2 Shepherds Bush Empire,” said Wayne. “Then I’ve got a couple of festivals, and they’ll be my first dates abroad since the whole Brexit thing has kind of taken hold. They are in Poland and Russia, with AA Williams.”
The producer extraordinaire will round out the year with more studio work. “I’ve got a couple of recording projects. I’ve got this chap called Max Manning, who is the lead singer of The Della Grants. And me, Olli Brown and Max have been writing an album together,” confirms Proctor. “In December and January, we’ve got an Argentinian guy called Santiago Periotti, and we’ve written an EP with him.”
With a production career spanning almost 20 years, Wayne is welcoming projects that fulfil his creative needs. “It’s not so much about surviving creatively or financially. Now it’s about doing things that actually float my boat. As opposed to being a jobbing drummer or just doing mixes for the sake of it - just to earn money and stay creative. Now I want to serve a more personal purpose of doing things that really make my heart alive and my brain fire off in other ways it has never done before,” concludes Proctor.
by Don Wilcock Images: Arnie Goodman
“I promised myself the word ‘can’t’ wouldn’t be in my vocabulary. If it doesn’t work, it doesn’t work. I’ve never had a musical situation where other producers come to me and say, ‘You can’t do this’”
At age 71, Joe Louis Walker has just released an album called Eclectic Electric that lives up to its name with his unique take on songs that range from classic Muddy Waters’ “Two Trains Running” to The Eagles’ main stream rock standard “Hotel California,” from three originals that showcase his own legacy to a Charlie Rich country classic, from a Keith Richards single to an obscure rocker by an artist who was Elvis Presley’s bodyguard for 16 years.
Most white artists who co-opt a plethora of genres come to the blues second hand as adults. They often lack the “survival in social studies” as Joe Louis Walker describes the gauntlet that he as an African American musician has gone through.
Make no mistake about it. Joe Louis Walker is a survivor who has a backstage pass to America’s entire colorful music legacy. He has been innovating in blues and beyond since he was 16. James Brown died on Christmas day in 2006. Joe Louis Walker was born in San Francisco on Christmas day, 1949.
His Mississppi born father kicked him out of the house with only the clothes on his back when he was 16 in 1966 after discovering he’d been skipping school for two years. He landed on his feet immediately in San Francisco’s Fillmore District, a melting pot of artists reinventing the cornerstone of what would become American popular music for more than a half century to come.
He moved into an apartment two blocks from the Grateful Dead’s house and he was sitting in at Haight Ashbury’s hippest club The Matrix with Pigpen, one of the founders and bluesiest of that iconic group. “If Jerry (Garcia) was the heart of The Dead, Pigpen was the soul,” says Walker.
“I got that gig at The Matrix through Pigpen. Whenever I wanted to get in that club, I got in free. Whenever he played, I was there because
Pigpen would play harmonica. He’d say, ‘Hey, I’ve got a real brother in the audience,’ and he’d bring a brother up, and they’d play.”
Pigpen died in 1973, but Walker has remained friends with The Dead’s Bob Weir. “We can talk San Francisco talk that most won’t understand. I’m sending him demos. I say, ‘How do you think they’d sound on record?’ He says, “It doesn’t make any difference. It’s how it’s gonna sound in the next millennium.’”
Joe has always taken his eclecticism in stride. “You’re eventually going to find yourself in a room with another musician that doesn’t play the same genre that you play, but then you start to play. They’re right there with ya.They’re playing every note. You make a turn, they make a turn. So much for a genre, you know?”
While still in his teens he was playing his own gigs and sitting in with blues legends like Muddy Waters and Earl Hooker. But it was Mississippi Fred McDowell who had the most lasting impact on the young musician.
“He really did take time with me knowing I was young and seeing that I had some talent to try to have me focus not on being such a hot guitar player but on how to be an artist to hold an audience, to have a story to tell. I had a bit of a story, but it was not like a Fred story, and you have to listen to how Fred would talk and how he conducted himself considering he had seen so much in his lifetime.
“Here we are in San Francisco, the hippy heaven of the World, and here’s Fred being seated by 18-year-old hippy girls and guys, kids with long hair, and Fred just taking it all in stride, treating everybody so nice and everything. Guys like Fred McDowell and Earl Hooker would take you aside and try and school you in disappointment to be quite honest, but always in your corner pushing.
“When those guys would take it upon them-
selves to divulge a bit about themselves about their upcomings, what they went through and how they navigated to be the ground breakers they were was what affected me more than any success they had. A lot of those guys left the south. Just pick anybody from the Who’s Who Blues Book whether it’s Wolf, Muddy, Otis Rush, Magic Sam, blah, blah, blah. They all left the south because of income job possibilities of the whole unhumanistic situation. The blues was born out of hard time situations that seemed like they were insurmountable, and they flipped it on its head and found something that worked.”
As a black man in America, Joe brings that survival in social studies as he calls it into the core of his muse. You can feel it in his guitar playing, in his singing and in the lyrics of the songs, both his own and those of others he covers. “The blues really shows a person how to survive when you can’t say certain things. You can’t do certain things. You can’t eat in certain places. You can’t go somewhere. You can’t go into the pool. It’s death by a thousand cuts. People say, ‘I’m tired of hearing about this.’ Well, get over it! We could get over it if it was one thing, one place, but not when it’s everything all the time, every place: less money, last one hired, first one fired.”
Did Elvis invent rock and roll? “Oh, no, he didn’t,” says Walker. “There’s a guy who never wrote a song in his life. He wiggled his hips. He’s the King of Rock and Roll? On and on and on. Can you imagine how someone like Chuck Berry would feel? I talked to Muddy Waters. I talked to Howlin’ Wolf. I talked to B.B. King. I know how that felt. I respect all those older guys because they’re like my dad. When they left the south, none of them moved back. That ought to tell you something right there. They would go back to visit maybe or even to play, but none of them moved back! None of them moved back for a reason. The reason was the blues. The blues was born out of that reason.”
I saw Joe most recently at the Cohoes Music Hall, an intimate venue in an historic building in a town that time forgot in upstate New York. He was in a classic Chicago blues mode that night. Fundamentally, I can get the same thing from him that I get from Buddy Guy except Buddy Guy is a tease whereas Joe just puts the hammer down and uses the strings of his guitar like a walk through heaven’s garden.
Buddy Guy builds your expectations and then releases them in orgasmic explosions. Joe that night was one continuous orgasm. He took me to the same place as Howlin’ Wolf and John Lee Hooker. Joe has great dynamics, but he’s actually more versatile and universal in absorbing influences from artists as disparate as Muddy Waters and Jimi Hendrix, Thelonious Monk and The Soul Stirrers, Michael Bloomfield and Nick Lowe. He’s played with all of them in 54 years of professional experience. Almost every second of every song is a jaw dropping excursion through a performance displaying the kind of energy of a man half his age of 71. Particular standouts that night were “You Got To Lose,” “Werewolves of London” (yes, the Warren Zevon rocker) off Joe’s new LP Eclectic Electric, and John Lee Hooker’s first hit “Boom, Boom.”
Joe performed “Lady in Red” from his new album with Peter Frampton-like wa wa pedal runs and reached back on “Mess My Mind Up” to a time when he decided to move back from France to the states. “After so many croissants, I had to move back to America,” he told the crowd.
An hour and a half in, he polished off “One Time Around” and told his fans he’d played his allotted time and did we want one more. You know what the answer to that was.
Walker describes recording vs. live concerts as two different beasts. “The studio is more controlled. It’s more repetitious, so you might have to do 20 takes of something. On a gig, it’s all immediate. It’s right there. If you make a mis-
take, you try to go with the flow. In the studio if you’re playing a minor chord when everybody else is playing a major chord and it’s a real subtle part of the song, you can’t hide. So, unless you just have the clash of two different modes, then you’re probably going to go back and fix it. If you’re on stage and the key is a major, and you hit a minor, well, you know what? You can just keep flying with it. I think that’s the main thing. “As far as I’m concerned, I had to learn how to like the studio and not be intimidated like most people get when they first hear themselves. When you’re in the shower singing along with Al Green, everybody sounds good. But when you’re isolated, and you can hear every little flat and sharp inflection, your diction isn’t correct, then I had to concentrate on a lot of things to be comfortable in a studio like I am now. And I’m talking 30 years ago when I first started making records under Joe Louis Walker’s name.”
Walker’s three originals on Eclectic Electric stick close to his blues roots. “Regal Blues” features the B. B. King Blues Band, and Walker takes on B. B.’s persona singing about The King of the Blues: “When I first heard Lucille, it knocked me out. I bought me a guitar, Lord, I tried to figure it out.” “Bad Betty” has a Bobby Rush “Chicken Heads” feel to it, and “Uptown Girl Blues” showcases Phillip Young on keyboards. He’s been with Walker since 2014 and is music director of St. John’s Missionary Baptist Church in Boston.
The covers on the album venture into territory that’s defined in the title Eclectric Electric. “Some of the best songs are remakes,” says Walker. “What are the Beatles doing the Everly Brothers for? Because they did it their way! The Stones did “I Just Wanna Make Love to You “and the Beatles did “You Really Got A Hold on Me or “Roll Over Beethoven.”
“Make No Mistake” on the album was a 1988 Keith Richards single written by Richards and drummer Steve Jordan. Jordan also plays drums in Walker’s version of the song. He also
is playing drums on the latest Rolling Stones tour in the wake of Charlie Watts’ passing.
“Jordan playing like Charlie is like somebody wearing somebody else’s shoes,” says Walker. “It would be easier to put Mick in (Keith’s band) The Expensive Winos than it would be to put Steve Jordan in the Rolling Stones. I loved him in The Expensive Winos. They were one of the best bands, bar none. But you think he’s gonna imprint that with the Rolling Stones? No, man.”
“Wine” features Steve Berlin from Los Lobos on baritone sax and is an obscure song by Sonny West best known as the co-writer of two of Buddy Holly’s biggest hits: “Oh, Boy!” and “Rave On.” He was Elvis Presley’s bodyguard for 16 years.
“7 & 7” Is” is by Arthur Lee of the band Love, a favorite of Walker’s from his days in San Francsico.
“Wake Me Shake Me” was written by Al Kooper and was a signature song for The Blues Project that featured the underrated Danny Kalb on guitar and was on its way to becoming the east coast answer to The Grateful Dead but split up before that could happen.
“Two Trains Running” by Muddy Waters was on Paul Butterfield’s first album with Mike Bloomfield on lead guitar. Walker lived with Mike Bloomfield for a while in San Francisco.
“Werewolves of London” was Warren Zevon’s only hit single. It was co-written by Waddy Wachel who plays guitar on Walker’s version. “Lonely Weekends” was a country hit in 1960 by Charlie Rich.
“I really sort of blanch when people say, ‘You can’t play this, and you don’t do that.’ You don’t have to buy it, if somebody does it. And the blues in particular. When the blues went overseas in the ’60s, and came back, when it got to this (side of the world) I can tell you from my experience being around people like Muddy
Waters, he as very happy to see people like the Rolling Stones come over.
“Everybody that got a check from that (Rolling Stones) album Blue and Lonesome will be a Stones fan until the world comes to an end, ’cause some of those people paid off their house note (with that check.) That means something, ok? That means something. You paid off your house note from a check that you got because Keith and them gave credit where credit was due. Number one, it takes character for them to do that. Number two, the people that paid their house off, it was like winning the lottery. They didn’t know these guys were gonna sell umpteen million copies, and they were gonna
get royalty checks of 40 and $50,000. They had no idea. They’d never seen a check for that kind of money.”
Blues vs. rock? Black vs. white? “Yeah, it’s like getting stuck in a quagmire because essentially music is out there. It’s not like a horse that’s tethered to a pole. It’s something that’s out there to be interpreted however it’s to be interpreted. It’s to be used however it’s to be used.”
Bottom line? “Anybody can try as much as they want to try to (say) this can’t go with that, and that can’t go with this, and to try to edit this out or to try to – I guess the word I’m looking for is to keep this pure or that pure.”
David Mundell has been promoting live music for over two decades at the time of writing this article. His intimate venue, Backstage at the Green, is a hidden gem within the small village of Kinross (Scotland). Mundell has been serving up a plethora of well-known stars and newcomers alike to his captive audience. The walls of this venue are adorned with signed memorabilia spanning decades of David’s musical journey and at the age of “almost 64”, he shows no signs of stopping.
by Ian Potter Images: Ian PotterMundell’s musical journey started at around seven years of age when he discovered The Monkees on a show that was a staple for many music lovers for many years. “Music was always my passion. I’d listen, like many other people did, to Top of the Pops religiously every week. So, for me, it was Manfred Mann and The Monkees. They were my favourites at the time. ‘Pisces Aquarius, Capricorn and Jones Ltd’ was my first album purchase. And it was a great
album. I can still listen to that today.”
David ended his school life by entering the hotel industry. This eventually led to him buying The Bein Inn near Glenfarg in 1999. “I started doing music there, really out of necessity, to bring business up the glen and into the hotel. And if you saw the room… I mean, it was the restaurant! The band used to play in the bay window. Some people have seen that room
since and said, ‘I just don’t believe you could put a band in there’. But if you put your mind to it, you can do anything.”
With all these years under his belt, Mundell has seen a lot of artists come and go and he’s been fortunate to be able to book some amazing acts. “I think one of the first artists I ever got was Dave Kelly from The Blues Band. He came and did a session for me. Directly after that, I was talking with a friend in the music business. He cut the conversation short because he was arranging a tour for Curtis Staggers at the time. Anyway, to cut a long story short, I asked him what was the chances of Curtis coming to play the Bein Inn and he said ‘I doubt it very much, David’. I said, well ask him anyway! He came back on the phone 10 minutes later and said Curtis has agreed to do it. My friend was in hysterics, but that got me great publicity and I don’t stick with one genre. I’ll book blues, singer-songwriter, country… anything really. But I suppose the one common denominator is, it’s got to interest me.”
Green and I wondered why that had come about. “That started in 2010. And coming from the hotel industry, I’ve always identified a venue within a hotel, because it generates great winter business for what is a quiet time otherwise. And we don’t just put a live gig on in a banqueting room, we actually make it a permanent venue. And there’s a big difference. I’ve got a huge collection of memorabilia, which adorns the walls, it gives the place a really good vibe. I like a small venue and our capacity is just 120 people. Even if you are stood at the back, you can still see exactly what somebody is doing on a guitar, the mistakes and all, and after a gig you can have a drink with the band themselves at our bar. It’s just a great night out.”
There’s a massive list of artists that have played at Backstage, and I wanted to know what ones Mundell was most proud of getting his hands on. “I’ve had Rodney Crowler. And John Jorgensen, Rodney Crowler is a famous American Songwriter. That came from an introduction from John Jorgensen, who’s played for me for years. Apparently, their wives know each other very well. He said, ‘I’ll get Rodney to come and
play. But it might take two or three years’. And sure enough, you know, the phone rang one day, and he said he’d come and do a couple of gigs. So, he came, and that was great. And I suppose the ending to that story is that three months later he’s playing the Royal Concert Hall in Glasgow and you think wow, from Kinross one minute to the Royal Concert Hall the next. I’m lucky. Very lucky.”
I asked David to describe his venue to me. “Well, you’re going to see there’s a stage and you’re going to see lots of memorabilia all around you. There’s tour posters, signed drum skins, laminates, signed guitars - guitars that have been signed by the likes of Jimmy Page, Henry McCulloch, Keith Richards and Eric Clapton. My own acoustic guitar, well, that’s signed by Mick Taylor and it stays in the house. I always wanted to get a guitar when I was younger but, unfortunately, I don’t have that ability. I can play chords, but I can’t string them together. It’s just something that doesn’t happen. But in a way, that’s probably a good thing because, you know, I’m a music promoter, run a venue and have collected all this memorabilia. So, if I’d been a musician, I probably wouldn’t have all that.”
Lockdown in the UK was devastating to the music industry. Backstage at the Green was no exception and he found himself working hard to re-schedule his acts, keep his audience up to date with what was going on, but with ultimately no income to speak of for quite some time. “Well, I suppose like everybody, initially, you thought, ‘oh, well, we’ll be up and going again in three months time’. And I made a policy of rolling all my existing gigs over. I’ve also managed to get 6000 people on a database. I make sure that I keep in touch with my database, probably twice a week. It works. People look forward to receiving the information, and I didn’t lose my audience. I think that’s been one of my big secrets to be able to reopen with capacity crowds.”
Being in the industry for so long, David has his own thoughts about what would help small venues moving forward. “I’ve been working with the Music Venue Trust, which represents music venues throughout the whole of the UK. And it’s broken down into the Scottish area, England and Wales and Northern Ireland. They’ve been, pardon the pun, instrumental into really improving and raising the profile of small venues.
David has quite a few lined up in the coming months. A name we’ve featured recently in BM came up. “I’ve got a young young guy called Félix Rabin, who’s French. He’s played for me on a couple of occasions. I find him amazing and it restores my belief that there’s good music coming through. The way he plays his guitar is from the ‘less is more’ school, which I find impressive. And he uses a lot of atmospherics. So
And they have started to shake the tree of the big players like Ticketmaster, and some of the big artists, that they shouldn’t turn the back on a small venue because that’s where everybody starts. It’s not just the youngsters that need the venues - It’s the old guys who are my age who have been there, done it and got the t shirt. They still want somewhere to play as well”.
Mundell Music hosts many blues artists and
yeah, everybody should watch out for his name because I think bigger things await him.”
Thanking David for his time, I asked him if he had a message for anyone thinking about coming along to Backstage at the Green. “Every single gig we do is listed on the website (mundellmusic.com). Buy a ticket, come along, and you’ll wonder why you’ve never been here before.”
by Adam Kennedy
The pandemic continues to introduce challenges within the live music scene, whilst both performers and music fans try to make the most of this difficult situation. Here at Blues Matters Magazine, we’ve recently been able to catch up with a whole raft of artists via the wonders of modern technology. This latest instalment of Virtual Blues brings you closer to artists everywhere from New England to Newcastle and many places in between.
(Loch Lomond, Scotland)
Dave Acari is not only a talented blues musician, but he is also a BBQ pitmaster. Just look at his social media pages, and you will see a whole raft of mouth-watering dishes. Perhaps you will get hungry just thinking about it. Arcari recently paid homage to an area near and dear to his heart via the release of his incredible latest single, “Loch Lomond (Home)”. Speaking about the release, Dave said: “My wife and I moved to East Loch Lomond over 10 years ago and have been made so welcome that I wanted to encompass the feeling of goodwill in the song.”
(Stirling, Scotland)
Following their recent performance at Callander Jazz & Blues Festival, the regrouped Sister Gavin and The Gator are on the lookout for more shows in Central Scotland. Iain Donald is raring to go thanks to his recently acquired ‘Lightning’ resonator courtesy of blues maestro Michael Messer. The duo describes themselves as “firmly rooted in traditional blues whilst bringing their own modern twist.”
(Boston, Massachusetts)
The dynamic duo that is Erin Harpe and Jim Countryman will be out on tour across the US during November and December. But the big news from their camp is that Harpe has been nominated in the 2021 Boston Music Awards, and deservedly so. “I’m up for “Blues Artist of the Year”!! Tickled to be in such great company, with lots of talented friends – the BMA’s will be so fun this year! Thanks Boston Music Awards for the nomination,” proclaims Harpe in a recent Facebook post. Best of luck Erin, from all of us here at Blues Matters.
(Newcastle upon Tyne)
Ruth Lyon is the lead vocalist of Holy Moly and The Crackers. The North-East based artist was featured in our “Blue Bloods” section quite recently. Since that time, Ruth has released a new solo EP titled ‘Nothing’s Perfect’. The five-track release is out now via digital streaming platforms.
There is more than meets the eye when it comes to The Reverend Shawn Amos. We all know him for his distinctive brand of harmonica fuelled blues, but the versatile artist recently dipped his toe in the water via a new creative outlet – that being as a writer. In a recent online posting, the artist expressed his emotion when he opened the first box of his debut book ‘Cookies & Milk’ to arrive at his home. “I cried after opening this box,” declares Amos. “Advanced reader copies of my first novel just arrived. I wrote this book for my son, my father, and myself. Hardcover will be released May 2022 by Little, Brown Books for Young Readers. I hope you’ll read it, young and old(er).” Subsequently, Amos is working on some new blues in the studio for 2022. Something to look forward to in the New Year.
With the international borders open for travel to some destinations from the UK, British blues/rock artist Mike Ross took to the road across Spain. The Brighton based singer/songwriter and guitarist is presently touring in support of his strippedback album ‘The Clovis Limit: Tennessee Transition’. The latter of which was recently named as one of the IBBA’s picks of the month. The image presented here was captured during an autumnal walk in the woods in the beautiful area of Galicia.
Vanja Sky has been actively touring throughout her current home of Germany in recent months whilst promoting her latest Ruf Records release, “A Woman Named Trouble”. Despite her busy schedule, the artist managed to fit in an appearance in the new video from her favourite rock singer Carl Sentence. The video titled “Nervous Breakdown” is out now via YouTube. Vanja is pictured here in front of the colours of her native homeland of Croatia.
I never imagined a time in my life where I wouldn’t be able to perform live for an audience. This has been my life for nearly forty years and most of it has been playing week to week, on the road, back and forth across borders and around the globe.
So, after the pandemic hit in 2019 like much of the world and musicians around it, everything ceased. After a month or so in lockdown and struggling to find ways to bring in a little money to cover the bills, something unexpected happened that was right under my fingertips; a fan had seen some drawings I’d done a few years ago and in addition to buying my package deal of CD’s I was trying to push, he asked me to draw him. I was so immersed in trying desperately to salvage anything possible within my music related capabilities, I didn’t even consider the possibility of creating art. So, I drew him.
I hadn’t picked up the pen and pad for quite a while. visual art was my first talent I was schooled for in NYC, but it was rough and rusty. However, it was a very satisfying distraction to lose myself in a drawing for a few hours. Then next day as I awoke, instead of feeling a sense of loss and anxiety over when or how all this was going to end, I picked up the pad and started to draw once again. I then made a decision to methodically focus on and try to capture the essence of Blues musicians. Great players
that over the years I had the privilege to play with and learn from, legendary musicians I’d met and seen live, and iconic or unsung hero’s of the Blues that have influenced and impacted me. I made a decree to wake up early every morning at six or seven am and carefully explore every line and curve for as long as it took and put all my experience, understanding and passion for the Blues onto every blank page. It would take me eight to ten hours give or take to complete each piece, and then I would share them with friends and my fan base on social media. I was humbled by the reactions right away, mostly suspecting just out of good-natured kindness from folks, but after a few weeks, I started to find my stride and developed rather quickly.
Not being able to play the Blues for people was a huge void to fill in my life, however putting my love for the Blues onto paper somehow gave me a similar satisfying effect. I wasn’t a bad artist, I just stopped developing past a certain point because it was impossible to keep up with music as a career and 100% of my creative out-
put. Now I found myself whizzing past where I’d simply been stuck for decades and a more personal touch was also emerging.
With each passing illustration of Blues hero’s like Muddy Waters, Lightnin’ Hopkins, Junior Wells, Johnny Shines, Elisabeth Cotton, I was able to explore a style of classic illustrations that I’d always loved; line art from the 20’s and 30’s with art deco aesthetics.
Creating renderings of iconic Blues artists in a very different or not as likely form, I immediately got comparisons to the great Al Hirschfeld, who captured Broadway and film star elite for the New York Times throughout his career. A great admirer of Hirschfeld, I welcomed the compliment. Then something unexpected
started to happen. While simply hoping that I could generate a little money for a commission here or there, as I put up a new completed drawing every day on Facebook or Instagram, they started to ping-pong all over social media, being shared on various sites and pages. I started to get messages from notable professional musicians who would see a depiction I did of them, as well as players I’d admired and even the sons and daughters of legendary artists like Mississippi John Hurt and Odetta, who wanted me to know that they were really enjoying my Blues art.
One of the first was after I put up a drawing of Freddie King, his daughter contacted me and asked to use the illustration as part of the Freddie King Official t-shirt merchandise. My old travelling partner Eric Bibb called me up with some very nice words about what he saw I was capturing in these drawings and also commissioned me for an official T-shirt design as well as Bluesman Tommy Castro. Paul Barry, who is writing a book about the late great harp player William Clarke asked me to create a drawing in connection to the book release. It was now over a year in lockdown mode, with no end in sight and suddenly I was getting a different level of recognition and interest beyond the music life. As I was fusing my line art love with the Blues and this new formula, I was attracting even more interesting opportunities.
Harp master Adam Gussow, also an old bandmate from many moons ago put me in touch with Muddy Waters former harp player; Paul Oscher who was looking for an illustrator for a book of stories he wanted to release. We corresponded and I sent him some samples which he really dug as he recognized that I had a great understanding of the music and Blues people. We then started to talk on the phone daily, sometimes for hours with him relaying to me intense stories of his life on the road mingling with many legendary Blues artists through his life. He was in the hospital at that moment with Covid but fighting and extremely enthusiastic.
I was so excited about engaging in this project with him which was a true expression of how my love and experience in this Blues life can come alive on the page with the art. After a few weeks we were in it and I was sending him rough sketches of the stylistic approach I was going for, when one day a friend had informed me that Paul had just suddenly died.
This was heartbreaking and rippled out in the Blues community across the internet. As a tribute I drew Paul and posted it in appreciation of his life in Blues and the short time I got to connect with him. I then got a private message from Bob Margolin who also played in Muddy Waters band for many years as his main guitarist, someone I’d deeply enjoyed and respected in the Blues. He had seen the drawing I did of Paul and reached out to ask me if he could use it alongside an article he was writing about his friend to be published in Blues
Music Magazine. “Your drawing of Paul says more than any photograph of him I could use”. I was so touched and honored by this. Frank Matheis, staff writer for Living Blues Magazine also saw my works around this time and commissioned me for a piece to commemorate a book he had just published about and in collaboration with harmonica great Phil Wiggins. He is also editor of one of the most prestigious, Blues websites; The Country Blues site and he offered to personally write an article about me and my blues art as well as feature an online gallery of select pieces. He gave me my own link right in the opening page heading menu and there are currently over 30 of my pieces depicting Country Blues favorites.
Another unexpected connection was one of my pieces was shared on a Hat Lovers FB page and I soon got a message from someone who was writing a book about international hat makers and asked me to
illustrate each chapter of the book in my style, which I happily just completed. I was now in a very constructive place and found a satisfying stride with endless inspiration to draw from.
I had been quietly hoping to attract some interest in using my art for an album cover design and my desire was overwhelmingly met when British Blues sensation Ian Siegal contacted me and said he was a fan of the art and asked me to create an illustration of him for the cover of his next album that he just finished recording.
This opportunity was the culmination of everything that I’d hoped to attract with my Blues art, to be entrusted representing the image of a very well-respected Blues artist. To be able to distill what my love and understanding of the Blues is all about and make that come to life for someone who’s music and craft I greatly admire. That is a true honor!
Moonshine Society gives a big nod to Aesop’s theory that we’re known by the company we keep. So while staking claim to lofty Music Land real estate of their own with a searing, cutting-edge blend of blues, soul, rock and R&B, they continue to rack up powerhouse stripes rubbing elbows with the best. Johnny Winter, Gov’t Mule, Derek Trucks, Susan Tedeschi, Tower of Power, John Mayall, Roomful of Blues, John Mayer and Ron Holloway count among the legends the band and its members have accompanied and opened for, not to mention other such greats as Tab Benoit, George Clinton and The Funkadelic, Danny Gatton and Samantha Fish. Moonshine Society is the offspring of three promising young music scholars who came together at Boston’s renown Berklee College ofMusic. Of like minds and musical passions, they united in 2009 to create their own brand of soulful blues, roots rock and old-school R&B–if a fundamental definition is actually required. In truth, they teamed to craft their own formula of music that speaks to the soul and defies the labels of traditional musical confines. The trio sealed their pact one moonlit night in the Anacostia Delta, (also known as Washington, DC). Little did they know on that fateful night that they were buckled in on a launching pad set to rocket them at dizzying speed to performance destinations of their
wildest dreams throughout the US and the world. Since then, they have performed at The House of Blues and Jazz in Shanghai, Chinawhere their debut album Live In Shanghai was recorded with legendary harmonica player Charlie Sayles. In 2012, the band’s front woman Jenny Langer was inducted into the Blues Hall of Fame for her work with Sayles. Fast forward, their sophomore album Sweet Thing won the 2020 International Blues Challenge (IBC) award for Best Self-Produced album and is now being re-released November 2021 in the UK with special bonus tracks. In retrospect, though, it’s little wonder considering the band’s composition of killer talent, now five-plus strong. Leading the troupe is impassioned, soulful singer and songwriter Jenny Langer, who has shared the stage with such musical greats as Warren Haynes, Derek Trucks and Jack Pearson of Allman Brothers fame, Susan Tedeschi of the Tedeschi Trucks band, Jason Ricci, and Jimmy Vivino from “Late Night with Conan O’Brien”. Part vamp and part glamour girl, she is all-commanding in her onstage deliveries and becomes pure sorceress spellbinding audiences with her searing hot vocals. To quote from her sizzlingly seductive rendition of “Fever” – what a lovely way to burn. Check out the review in this issue and then search them out!
Jeni Grouws’ powerfully expressive vocals and Chris Avey’s ace guitar playing are complemented by their on-point bandmates. “I believe in this band more than I’ve believed in any other project,” Grouws says of the collaboration she considers the best musical experience of her life. Grouws and Avey composed the new album Tell Tale Heart during the coronavirus pandemic. Many of the album’s lyrics respond directly to the international health crisis and political and social turmoil that engulfed 2020.
The future members of the Avey Grouws Band met in 2015 at Muddy Waters, a blues bar on the Mississippi River in Bettendorf, Iowa. Grouws, then working as a morning radio personality, was in town on business. She dropped by Muddy Waters to hear a blues jam led by Chris Avey, Bryan West and Chris’ brother, Mark Avey.Grouws, trained early in piano, trumpet and vocals, and Avey, a self-taught guitarist, subsequently performed for a year as a duo. In 2017, West and Leasman joined them to form the Avey Grouws Band. (Keyboard player Nick Vasquez came on board in 2019).
Grouws sees her formal music training and Avey’s freewheeling, learn-as-you-go approach as the ideal combination. “I learned to do music exactly as it’s written,” she says. “But Chris is so anti-structure. He forced me to loosen up and go with the moment. I realized that I can follow my instincts and express something that wasn’t written or expected. Avey and Grouws’ partnership worked beautifully for the first Avey Grou-
ws Band album, The Devil May Care. Released in March 2020, the album was released to critical acclaim, reached #10 on the Billboard Blues Album Chart and received a BBMA nomination for best debut album by a new artist. The album was also nominated for four Independent Blues Awards. The song
“Rise Up” was named top song on the Ben Vee Roadhouse 66 top songs of 2020 and “Come and Get This Love” won top honours in the Unsigned Only Song writing Competition and a finalist placement in the International Song writing Competition. “The music and song writing are solid…Grouws’ stirring vocals, capable of delivering sultry phrases or passionate roars…an auspicious debut.” (Jim Hynes/Elmore Magazine)
Last year, when the pandemic stopped the band’s touring plans, the Avey Grouws Band launched a year of twice-weekly streaming performances. The streaming yielded a worldwide community of fans - “We weren’t there to simply do a performance. We were there to connect with people, especially in a year when they were experiencing intense disconnection and isolation.”
“Maybe the most important thing to understand about our band is that we are the mix of all of our Middle America backgrounds and experiences,” Grouws says. “That includes blues, folk, Americana, rock. We take what we have learned from those masters and make the music that feels the most authentic to us. This album is the best work we have ever done.”
Harmonica player Paddy Wells and guitarist Tom Jackson got together in early 2020 to form blues/roots duo Dust Radio. Both drawn to the raw earthiness of the blues, they were keen to distil their broad musical experience into a new project, so Dust Radio was a natural fit for both musicians. First making contact in early 2020 via an advertisement for blues musicians in the Stockport area, the pair met to discuss shared musical influences and a desire to create a dynamic sound within a duo. However, with live music put on hold just a few weeks after their initial meeting, lockdown gave these two musicians the ideal opportunity to distil their ideas into a brand-new recording project. “Our initial intention had been to form a duo and just get out gigging pretty quickly”, says Wells.
“March 2020 obviously derailed that idea, so the recording project came about as a direct result of lockdown. Unexpected in every sense!”
Heavily influenced by the blues masters of the past, there are also traces of Americana and contemporary rock ‘n’ roll in their music. The tracks that have been released to date have been enthusiastically received, widely played across international blues radio programs, and benefitted from exposure on the high-profile radio station Planet Rock.
Wells has been playing harmonica since his
teens and has been a regular on the UK blues scene for many years. He fronted Poorboy for seven years and spent three years as harp player for highly-respected Yorkshire blues band Crosscut Saw. He recently spent a year in New Orleans, gigging alongside an array of renowned blues musicians in the city’s world-famous French Quarter. Jackson, who started playing guitar at 16, has also played in numerous blues/ rock bands. He has been a much sought-after guitarist spending time with Mooncalf and Cutthroat Radio. His early influences include John Lee Hooker, Muddy Waters and Elmore James. ‘I remember buying my dad a cassette for his birthday, The Essential History of Electric Blues, which I played constantly until it was almost worn out. This inspired me to pick up the guitar, I was blown away with the raw power of the music. Shortly after, I discovered players like Paul Kossoff, Jimi Hendrix, and Mike Bloomfield. ‘As my musical horizons grew I started to get interested in other styles – jazz players like Grant Green and organists such as Jimmy Smith, also funk and soul with The J.B.’s and Booker T. and the M.G.’s. Never really a purist, I’ve always loved the areas where musical styles combine without too many rules or constraints.’
When you think of Fat Possum Records, your mind immediately turns to Mississippi and the great hill country blues artists such as Junior Kimbrough and RL Burnside, to name but a few. However, the latest name to join the ranks of the label’s esteemed roster is Buffalo Nichols. The US-based artist recently became Fat Possum’s first blues signing in almost twenty years. The young blues man’s signing to the label seemed to happen a lot easier than one would imagine. “I went down to Oxford, Mississippi, and they saw me play and that was pretty much it,” he said.
Although the singer/songwriter and guitarist has a sound that is deeply rooted in traditional blues he has a vision of where he would like to take this beloved genre. “I’m also interested in reinventing the sound and making it modern and different. But I think the most important thing is for it to be alive and created by contemporary artists,” explains Nichols. “I want to remind people that you can still enjoy this music, even though it seems a thing of the past.”
The artist sights several contemporary blues artists as having influenced his sound and direction. “When I first started playing solo, my set was just a bunch of Eric Bibb and Keb’ Mo’ songs. So, those are two big influences for me and Corey Harris as well. It was really the
people who were still making music when I was growing up that influenced me the most,” confirms Nichols.
The artist has spent a lot of time travelling the world, and those adventures and locations have fed into his music. “Spending time alone is a great way to figure out what direction you want to go creatively. But also, I was able to meet a lot of different artists and hear so much music that I think it all just became part of my sound –I sort of absorbed it,” he says.
With his debut album in the bag, Buffalo Nichols is already thinking about what comes next. “I’ve got a tour with the band Drive-By Truckers in the fall - that’s the most immediate thing,” said Nichols. “I’m going to prepare for the next record. So pretty much, I’m going to just try to stay busy and see what the world allows.”
were from Bolton. So, I started looking into it,” he explains. On a visit to his hometown, Farr met someone who would become his musical mentor. “A few years after that, I met Jimmy [Duck Holmes],” said Robert. “Sitting in his juke joint - me, my dad and Jimmy. He played a song, and my musical trajectory changed. It was just that simple.”
Robert Connely Farr was born in Bolton, Mississippi - a town synonymous with the blues. “Charlie Patton is from there,” he says. “Sam Chatmon, Bo Carter, Walter Vinson - who later became the Mississippi Sheiks. All from this little town.” However, the artist’s path to becoming a bluesman happened in a roundabout way. “I was a long-haired skateboarder. A heavy metal rock and roller kid that just wanted to get out,” said Robert.
The musician’s motivation to leave his hometown led him north of the border. “I finished school, and then I moved to Vancouver,” said Robert. The artist’s interest in the blues was triggered after hearing an album by Jim Byrnes – a Canadian native originally from Missouri. “He released a tribute album to the Mississippi Sheiks. I kind of put it together that they
Jimmy Duck Holmes is one of the greats of the Bentonia blues sound and the proprietor of the world-famous Blue Front Café. Holmes’ experience and knowledge have become invaluable. “When you play in there, he’s always watching from the side,” said Robert. “I was shaking my head, and I said, man - I hit the wrong note coming out of ‘Hard Time Blues’. He got under the brim of my hat and lifted my head up. He pointed his finger at my chest. He said you don’t play it like me. You don’t play it like Skip. You don’t play it like Jack Owens. You’ve got to play this, how you are going to play it; when it comes from your heart, that’s when people are going to feel it.” Robert adds that: “One of the reasons why I’m so grateful for Jimmy and what he’s given me is this connection to home in a way. Where I still feel rooted there - even though I’m not.”
Earlier this year, Robert Connely Farr released his latest album ‘Country Supper’. The artist is already working on a follow-up. “We are sitting on albums worth of material that we didn’t release with Country Supper,” said Robert. “We are going to keep turning stuff out instead of trying to play a bunch of live shows. We feel like that’s probably a better investment with our time and money right now.”
‘Country Supper’ by Robert Connely Farr is out now - check it out!
I’d like to thank everyone who’s been listening to Flathead and sharing all the positive feedback. What you hear on the album is pretty much what you get when we play live, and that’s how we recorded the album. The band, bassist Bo Hallford and drummer Matt Teegarden. and I went into Teegarden Studios in Tulsa, OK, and cut the album in less than 8 hours. The songs on the record celebrate musicians as diverse as Muddy Waters, Roger Miller, and Ray Charles. They were honed during our weekly residency at The Colony, one of Tulsa’s legendary venues.
When I’m not playing in the band or practicing (which is a lot), I run my business, SLJ Guitars. I build custom guitars and do repairs. I love going out looking for old wood to reclaim and finding the perfect pieces to put together to make each build its own thing. It takes time, but it’s worth it in the end. I take my craft seriously and don’t cut corners. I want the quality to be impeccable. One different build that I did was a left-handed bass for my buddy, Justin Smolian, from the band Dirty Honey. It’s the only lefty bass that I’ve ever built. He’s a great dude, and we recently got to catch up when he came through Tulsa on tour, and we spent time dialing in his bass.
I’m a real gear nerd and love vintage equipment.
While I play my own custom SLJ, I recently picked up a Gibson ES-345 from my buddy Drew Winn at Guitar House in Tulsa. It’s like the one Freddie King used to play, and I love taking
the slide off and shredding on that for a few tunes when we play live. I’ve been lucky enough to be supported by Keeley Electronics, who’s hooked me up with some killer pedals - made in Oklahoma, and I’ve been using Silica Sound Slides forever. Great stuff, but I’m always looking for something cool and different, and the more vintage and obscure, the better.
I’m proud of what I’ve been able to build in Tulsa. It’s easy and affordable, and the music community is so supportive. Our record label, Horton Records, is a volunteer, non-profit organization. That’s Tulsa. Come check it out.
This Texas guitar slinger, singer songwriter and multi-instrumentalist has been performing professionally since she was fifteen years old. Her musical styles are varied but blues rooted. She has spent the last three years as lead guitarist with John Mayall’s Blues Breakers and now has joined Alligator Records for her newest album called ‘Tempting Fate’. Blues Matters caught up with Carolyn recently at her home.
by Colin Campbell Images: Laura Carbone
We started talking about John Mayall and her time in his band. “He is the best Boss ever. Everyone in the band loves him, for good reason, he’s really cool. When I joined it was, here’s your seventy-five or eighty songs to chart and learn. I said ok, still got my book just in case. You never know which twelve or sixteen he’s going to pull out, I love it, getting to play with him is a blessing, he’s cool as hell!”
“He’s joyful. Before the shows, he sits selling CDs. It’s fun watching people do a double take and saying that’s John right there! He told me on stage that I was playing guitar far too politely, turn that guitar up to ten! I wanted to hear his voice; I didn’t want to drown him out. There are times when he just enjoys the song, it may start as a three minute one, but if he’s having a good time, it’s eight minutes later when he says take it down!”
“No matter he is so joyful. I remember my first tour - fifty shows in sixty days and nineteen countries. I asked John if he wanted to see the Colosseum, or the Louvre and I swear I could see his eyes rolling in his head and saying Och no. He lights up when he is on stage! He is so grateful and that’s what keeps him happy and
so cool. I get to play music tonight and that’s great.”
“He’s recently been hospitalised. As joyful as going on the road is, it grinds an artist. He’s decided it’s better to be closer to home and not get beat up on the road. He can still play music; we just must come to him! It’s like Levon Helm or Les Paul, you go and see them play!”
The pandemic has been rough for Carolyn, but she shrugged off this by doing other things such as learning to swim. One of the best things, she recalls, was seeing fellow musicians helping other people. “Tour Managers who are good at herding cats are great when it comes to the logistics of how to get food to those who need it. Our Manager was out every week helping. Yes, the pandemic sucks, but if we help one another that’s great.”
She does charity work especially with HOME Austin. “We raise music for
Jools Holland is rapidly approaching the status of National Treasure. As a musician and TV presenter – a recipient of the OBE in 2003 for services to the British music industry - his long-running Later series on BBC2 has been on air since 1992, presenting the absolute cutting edge of current and retro musicians and styles. His annual New Year’s Eve Hootenanny shindig has been a UK National TV fixture since 1993.
retro National 1993.
by Andy Hughes Images: Adam Kennedy (live shots) & Felix TW
For us here at BM Towers, it is Jools deep and abiding passion for blues music that gives us the greatest enjoyment, and Jools continues to promote the blues with Pianola Piano And Friends which includes a typically eclectic and diverse range of collaborators including, but not restricted to, Lulu, David Gilmour, Herbie Hancock, Yolanda Brown, and American keyboard legends, the late Doctor John, and Booker T Jones.
Jools settled down for a lengthy chat in his South London home, with BM’s Andy Hughes, the day before his latest UK tour commenced, starting with confirmation of his enduring love and passion for the music of the 1940’s. “I have always loved the music of that time,” Jools confirms in that distinctive voice, his love of music shining through. “I loved the time when the lines of genres were being blurred, r ‘n’ b and blues and jazz and gospel were all coming together in a melting pot of sounds. This was before radio programming developed a sense of restriction and some stations or shows only played one or another style or sound, I always recommend that people seek out that music and listen to it, because it informs so much modern music, and people like Big Mama Thornton and Cecil Gant, were an influence on the original rock and roll stars that followed in the 1950’s. Another artist is Arthur ‘Big Boy’ Crudup, Tom Jones and Richard Hawley are big fans of his work.”
Given Jools’s passion for all music and the massive list of artists he has worked with on television and radio, his record collection must
be simply vast by now. “It is,” he agrees with a smile. “For twenty-five years I did a radio show with Axel Zwingenberger the German blues and boogie-woogie player, and Ben Waters and Charlie Watts.
We went up the stairs on the other side into came in, everyone got rid of their ‘78’s, but
and they sound fabulous, abso-
“We did a lot of shows in Austria, and Charlie pointed me in the direction of what he said was the best jazz and r ‘n’ b record shop he knew. It was in Vienna, and Charlie told me to say that he had sent me, and that I wanted to see ‘the upper room’ which sounded very much like something seriously undercover was going on. I got there and they recognised me, and I was led through the back of the shop and across a courtyard with washing blowing in the wind, and a woman smoking a cigarette in a doorway, it was like something out of The Third Man, really atmospheric and wonderful. We went up the stairs on the other side into this really large room and it was absolutely full of old ‘78’s. The grandfather who opened the shop had kept them for decades. When vinyl came in, everyone got rid of their ‘78’s, but he said they would be worth money and kept them, so I bought some home with me. You have to play them on a good system, decent speakers, and a good needle, not one of the metal needles you get on a wind-up gramophone, and they sound fabulous, absolutely full of atmosphere. You are buying the real thing. If you buy a 1930’s Ansel Adams photo, you are buying the real thing, a later copy is not the real thing. Buy an original ’78 and there’s a real
a bit of crackle and pop that you won’t get on a
phere, and you get a sense of depth in the sound that a CD will never give you. I am by no means bo-ist, and I am not especially -technically fussy, but if you play something like that on a good system to young people, they will enjoy it in a way that they
never would if it was played on a CD, or from an
Let’s go back Jools, what was your start with in the front room of her home, a 1930’s house called like a doctor or a policeman. My
the piano? “I was very lucky growing up, my in Greenwich where the front room was called grandmother played piano, musical tunes, and my mother and uncle listened to Sammy Price records, all kinds of boogie-woogie tunes and my uncle could play boogie-woogie piano.
Hearing those sounds cemented my relationship with the piano for ever. In a studio or on my own, or in a dressing room or recording studio, the link is there. The piano is a fabulous instrument and it has given me my passion and my living. My uncle played by ear and because he was from south London, he called it ‘Booogee-Wooogee’ so that was how I pronounced it as well. When we went to New Orleans with Squeeze, I went into a bar where there was a piano and asked if I could play, and the barman asked me what style I played, and I said Booogee-Wooogee, and he said ‘What?’ and then he said, ‘Oh, you mean Bugie Wugie’ which is now the Americans in the south say it. The roots of blues music are all right there in those early tunes, and it’s great to hook up with and work with musicians who love that style as much as I do.”
For fans who check out Jools’ latest release, the diversity of musicians appearing is certainly testament to the versatility of the piano as an instrument that crosses borders and styles. “I think it does,” says Jools nodding. “We have Lang Lang, one of the greatest concert pianists in the world, and Herbie Hancock one of the greatest jazz pianists, and also Doctor John, one of the great blues pianists, and the idea was to make instrumental music with them. There are vocal tracks as well, because the voice is an instrument in its own right. Booker T Jones is there as well, and he was due to go out on tour with Duke Ellington’s band when he was a teenager, but his mother stopped him! Booker T is a wonderful example of how blues and soul grew together through the Memphis sounds and the Stax record label. Tom Jones has his roots in blues, David Gil-
mour loves blues, and Gregory Porter is one of the great modern blues vocalists. With Herbie Hancock we did Saint Louis Blues which was the first boogie-woogie tune my uncle taught me to play, and of course, being Herbie, he takes it to anther dimension altogether.”
“My uncle had an r ’n’ b band called The Planets. They were not famous, but they had a wooden sign they put up when they played and it said ‘London’s Greatest Rhythm And Blues Group’ which was a bit of an exaggeration, but that is why my band is called the Rhythm And Blues Orchestra because I grew up listening to British blues, and so did artists like Van Morrison and Eric Clapton, and I was also inspired by the 1940’s musicians I talked about earlier, and it all comes down to the rhythm and blues music that we all love
so much.”
Because Jools has worked with such vast and diverse range of artists over the years, he has played piano alongside just about every musical; genre that there is, so does he have his own favourite style to play? “No really. Boogie woodie is fabulous, I love to play it, it gets me going with its infectious sense of fun. But I love loads of others tyles as well, I love ska and reggae, and I love the New Orleans players like Professor Longhair and Doctor John, and jazz players like Thelonious Monk and Oscar Peterson.
“I learned a very valuable lesson from Doctor John, he was very good to me and he taught me a lot. His contribution on this album is taken from an American TV show I used to do called Saturday Night which I presented
with David Sanborn. Doctor John and I talked about the great boogie-woogie pianists that we knew, and he told he that the really great boogie-woogie players are always great piano players. It’s fine to play boogie-woogie and nothing else, but it’s the really great all-round players that play the best boogie-woogie.”
Now, Jools is in a position to be able to take his own Yamaha grand piano out on tour with him, so he always has a top-line instrument ready to play wherever he is. But any blues pianist knows that when you are starting out, carrying your own piano on the road is simply
of recording studios, and the recording process – so does he like to have as many takes as he feels he needs to get it right, or is he a ‘one take’ kind of guy. “David Gilmour gave me some good advice,” Jools replies. “He told me to be sure always to get the first take down on tape, because sometimes that is the best one. It may be a bit ragged, but that doesn’t mean that it’s not actually right. There is a term among recording artists – ‘demo-itis’ where you never manage to get a studio take to sound as good as your original demo. Things can decay if you do them over and over, but some musicians take the approach of taking a piece out on tour with them and
not an option, so you are at the mercy of the venue and the promoter when you arrive for soundcheck, and you have to work with what is there on the stage for you. Jools, unsurprisingly, has his own horror stories to tell, but prefers to talk about his time with the late Cuban piano legend Ruben Gonzalez. “I was doing some filming with Reuben in Cuba, and he was talking about different pieces he played, and his career. He didn’t speak much English, so we had an interpreter to help us out. So, they bought this piano out for Ruben to play for us, and it was a dreadful old thing, missing keys, wires hanging out of it, or missing. Ruben said something to his interpreter, and the translated, it was “Ruben says this piano is shit, but he has played far worse, so he will be happy to play it for you.” And he did, and he made it sing. That’s the mark of a great musician, he or she can take a mediocre or even downright bad instrument, and use their talent to make it sound really good, and Ruben did just that. It was amazing.”
As a band leader, group member, and in-demand session player, Jools has vast experience
ironing out all the kinks, and then taking it into the studio, Count Basie used to do that with his band. But I am a ‘one take’ guy if I can be, get it down while it’s fresh.”
And what do you think about making a pure blues album for your next project Jools? “I think that would be a wonderful idea, Andy. Playing the blues with a big band is what I love to do, and I am so happy that people come and see us do that, because it enables me to hear it myself, which I love. As I said, I grew up with blues music, and I think a pure blues album would be wonderful to do and I will give it some consideration for my next album.
“Obviously we have to tour this one first, before we turn our attention to the next work. I have to say that I love your magazine, and read it regularly, because you are keeping alive the music that we love, and I do thank you for that.”
Always our pleasure Jools.
www.joolsholland.com
“get the first take down on tape, because sometimes that is the best one”
There are few people still performing at the ripe old age of eighty. John Steel is one of them. Originally from the North-East of England, Gateshead, a chance encounter with another guy from the North-East of England at college in 1956 would set him on a career path neither could have imagined. The guy’s name was, Eric Burdon, and they went on to become known as The Animals a few years later.
by Stephen J Harrison‘House Of The Rising Sun’ undoubtedly played a huge part in all of their lives; but there is far more to the story than just that one song. I called John on the phone a short while ago to get the inside story of one of England’s finest blues bands and a song that, in my opinion, will still be playing in 50 years from now.
‘’I met Eric on day one of our induction at Newcastle College Of Art, and Industrial Design, in 1956. We discovered immediately that we both had an interest in jazz and blues, so that made us hit it off straight away. We were two, .fifteenyear-old drummers from school. The music scene around Newcastle at that time leaned more towards Dixieland jazz than towards blues, but that soon followed on. It was a lively music scene. We could go and see mainline pop music at quite a few clubs, trad jazz, modern jazz,” John explains. As with many young people at this time, jazz played a huge part in the live scene of every major city in England. John, and what would become The Animals, were all influenced by the genre, but as the next couple of years went by American blues musicians began to tour UK and Europe, and attentions turned swiftly towards blues rather than jazz:
“The first instrument I picked up was a trumpet which was a heavy influence on a lot of jazz bands. When Eric and I met, he had a friend who wasn’t very good on the trumpet so eventually, I was asked to join this band playing trumpet. Eric also had a trumpet but soon told us that he didn’t want to do
Picture: Adam Kennedy
that and that he wanted to be a singer. So that’s what he did. Rock and Roll and the blues had become more mainstream by then.’’
1959 was, as it turned out, a pivotal year for these young lads from the North-East of England because, although unbeknown to them at the time, another chance meeting with two other musicians would shape their lives beyond anything imaginable: “We were playing at a church hop in Byker (Newcastle-Upon-Tyne) and there was another band on by the name of The Mike Hedley Band who were a kind of Jerry Lee Lewis type tribute band they would be nowadays, and he was a great piano player, he asked if he could sit with us during our set. There was an upright piano in the corner of the church hall, so when we played he just joined in
to join a band called The Kon-Tours, and the bass player in that band was Chas Chandler. Everything seemed to just drift apart for us after that. I got a job in a nightclub with a sort of resident club band playing pop tunes and bits of cocktail jazz six night a week. I’d heard that The Kon-Tours were still playing, but that Alan had formed a sort of splinter group, with Chas on bass, brought Eric back into the fold, and called it Alan Price Rhythm And Blues Combo. Then one day I was walking down a street in Newcastle and I bumped into Chas Chandler. He said, ‘Johnny, I’ve been looking for you, we’ve been doing this thing with Alan and Eric and we think it’s really going to work but the drummer is a bit of a problem, clash of personalities, we want you to join the band.’ So, I gave my notice in at the nightclub, went for a short holiday in Ostend, came back, did a gig with the new band and that was it, we were off.’
playing two-handed boogie with us. His name was Alan Price. So, obviously we pounced on him and told him he had to join our band.’’
A simple twist of fate on a non-eventful night turned out to be the foundations for one of England’s foremost bands of the early sixties. The music scene of the late fifties and early sixties had taken a sharp turn towards authentic blues. Music that had started to weave its way across the pond making an enormous effect on young musicians of the time. The sounds of Leadbelly and Muddy Waters were now commonplace on the blues scene around England, as Steel recalls:
“For the next few years, we had various lineups, then Alan (Price) suddenly upped and quit the band without telling us. He went off
So, the summer of 1963 heralded a new beginning for four lads from the north of England that was to make waves the world over in a relatively short space of time. “We played a new club in Newcastle called The Club- A-Go-Go which had two rooms, one called The Young Set, obviously for the younger kids at the time, and a jazz lounge where we became the house band, became the hottest band in the north and ended up being the house/backing band for touring blues artists such as Muddy Waters, and Sonny Boy Williamson. A dream come true for us.’’
Mike Jefferies had been approached by none other than The Graham Bond Organization after they appeared at The Club-A-Go-Go that he should, in fact, do something with this band from the north-east by taking them down to London to get better exposure. Roland O’Reilly (founder of Radio Caroline) had a club in London just off Piccadilly. As a result, the band was quickly offered gigs in and around London, often sharing the bill with Bo Didley and Chuck
“Mickie Most called us into the mixing room and said, that’s a hit record, and we’d done it in one take”
Berry. The name The Animals was finally decided on after a suggestion by Graham Bond. This then lead to gigs at Eel Pie Island with The Everly Brothers, The Rolling Stones, and Bo Didley. At one of these gigs, two guys approached The Animals. One was the legendary record producer, Mickie Most, the other was, Peter Grant who then was a booking agent for Don Arden.
“Don Arden invited us down to his office in Mayfair and basically told us, ‘I‘m going to make you guy’s stars.’ For us Geordie lads to be told that by Don Arden, with Peter Grant in attendance, was a dream come true. So, instead of signing to a label, we signed a contract to be produced by Mickie Most, who then did the deals with various record companies; a pretty smart move really. We then went on a threeweek tour with Chuck Berry and performed every night for three weeks solid.’’
I was eager to ask John exactly which version of House Of The Rising Sun the band heard first. After all, there are manydifferent versions - Leadbelly, Woody Guthrie, Nina Simone, to name but a few.
‘’The first version we heard was from Bob Dylan’s first album, Eric (Burdon) might tell you that it was the Leadbelly version for added blues kudos, but it was definitely the Bob Dylan version we heard first and that’s the one we had in mind when we recorded it. We learned about those other versions afterward. Chas Chandler noted that as we were going to be touring with the likes of Chuck Berry and Carl Perkins, that they would try to out-rock each other. So, us doing this song made us sound different and add more credibility to ourselves. So, we recorded it after a gig in Liverpool, drove down to London, arrived in the middle of the night, and played House Of The Rising Sun. Mickie Most called us into the mixing room and said, that’s a hit record, and we’d done it in one take!’’
After the meteoric success of House Of The
Rising Sun globally, The Animals continued touring England at larger venues, then they became part of what was to be known as The British Invasion to the USA. In 1964, The Beatles and The Rolling Stones had kicked down the door to the States, which precipitated a huge influx of British bands going over to America. I wondered how that felt for a band that had only been performing as The Animals for a little over a year?:
’’It was fabulous. Five working-class lads being invited to tour across America, and for Eric and me, in particular, both being huge jazz and blues fans, everything that had hit us emotionally, had come from America. And, of course, that inspired young bands all over England to try and do the same thing. We were interviewed on a radio station in America, and the guy asked us how did we come up with this new music? To which we laughed and said, we’ve nicked it from you over here. People like John Lee Hooker and Muddy Waters suddenly found that they had a whole new audience because of this invasion of British bands that were playing their music.’’
Sadly, after a couple of years The Animals original line-up started to unravel. Bad management and everyone being so new to all this world that had opened up, but nobody had an idea of how best to handle things. Eric and Alan decided to pursue solo careers, and Chas Chandler went into the management side of things, he was the guy who brought Jimi Hendrix over from America and handled his career for a while.
‘’It was wonderful while it lasted. We did learn a lot of things and influenced quite a few other bands that followed.’’ With that, I bid john a very fond farewell and thanked him for what was a very enjoyable chat and a trip down memory lane I personally shall never forget.
The Animals and Friends embark on a farewell tour of the UK starting in February 2022 with Maggie Bell as a special guest. That is one gig that I’m really looking forward to.
Upbeat and bursting with positive energy, an effervescent Erja Lyytinen hasn’t allowed the recent pausing of old father time’s clock to stop her dead in her tracks. Her much lauded Lockdown Live streaming concert is a milestone testament to this strong Fin’s fortitude and indefatigability in the harsh face of Covid adversity that laid waste to almost everything but stop the globe from spinning on its axis. Erja’s willpower is as immense as her infectious personality which she impressively translates in her charismatic approach to the blues.
by Paul Davies Images: Hans Lehtinen (portraits) & Ilkka Valkila (live shots)When I ask her if she misses playing live since her Lockdown Live event, she charmingly puts me straight: “No, because we’ve been doing loads of shows”, she emphasises, “I mean, we have. I don’t want to brag, though. But we had a lot of shows since July. A lot of things were postponed and transferred to another time. However, since July we’ve been lucky to be playing enough shows each month. It’s been busy,” she continues, “we tried to do every festival possible that we could during the summer. And then we had a couple of unfinished tours we had to postpone. We are doing the postponed shows right now during this Fall season for which we’re playing a lot of concert houses. Then at the beginning of October, all the restrictions became loosened. So, you can almost have 100% capacity in the concert houses now in Finland. That has been a big saviour for us!”
Tellingly, she enthusiastically confides that she has been playing further afield as well: “Yeah, we’ve done some festivals abroad. We went to Norway and played a blues festival in a city situated on a hill. That was funny,” she continues, “and we played in France, with a date in Belgium, and we played in Estonia where there was a huge festival around this ruined old castle. There were 5000 people there in August. So, that was satisfying after all this time we had a chance to play to a huge audience. It was a huge party. It was magical. You know, I still get goosebumps just thinking about it. So, yeah, we’ve been very fortunate.”
Reflecting upon the traumas of the recent pandemic which, for all musicians who play live to survive, threatened her day to day livelihood and mental well-being, Erja opens up about the worst and the best times for her during this trying period: “Oh, maybe the insecurity as it’s been one and a half years of not knowing what’s going to happen and how many shows we can do and how do we make the income and how does my team work during this time? That was the biggest thing and the fear of the virus.” Fixing me with a tough stare she states: “I haven’t been very worried about getting it because I’m pretty healthy. I need to knock on my head now. But, of course, it’s a nasty disease if you get it and I have some friends who had it and some even had a vaccine but still they got it and, in that perspective, I’ve been kind of doing fine. I’ve been staying healthy but it’s just the insecurity as we’ve had these restrictions and insecurities going on for over one year already.”
Taking stock of her recent experiences she recalls the hard times: “ I felt like I was kind of getting a bit depressed about the situation and I could see that around my colleagues and other musicians and event organisers. I’m an entrepreneur myself, I run my own company, and so it was a lot of balancing with economics and all that stuff. I feel good at the moment because we’ve been able to do shows and for the whole year we’ve been able to do things such as innovating such as creating our own tea brand with three different products, getting my first song books out with all the guitar solos transcribed
the right away, then we had a chance to go out and play once again and, in May 2020, we we did a streaming gig on Mother’s Day Eve that we recorded and put it out as a new live album called ‘Lockdown Live 2020’ which was very well received.” Her eyes light up: “We’ve been doing a lot of things despite all of these restrictions. We needed to be innovative otherwise we couldn’t have survived during this one and a half years”, she says, “now I’m enthusiastic and inspired about things and and just trying to put all these emotions that I’ve been going through this past one and a half years into the new songs. I can hear the hope in the songs, you know what I’m saying, though there’s a lot of anger and frustration, there’s some kind of beauty and hope coming through the songs as well.”
Radiating that special exotic energy she delivers during her live performances, Erja affords a glimpse into what she’s up to next revealing that she has written plenty of new songs: “I have almost like an album full of songs ready. I still need to polish and tweak them and so on but, yeah, I’ve been writing songs and it’s been good.” Warming to this subject: “It started in the spring/summer and I started writing more songs. I wasn’t very creative when the pandemic struck at first, it took me time to kind of just realise what has come and what is going on. It’s going to be a new album with more energy and inspired about life and pointing at the bad stuff; the things that should be looked at in the world. I don’t know how to say that better in English. I’ll tell everyone when the new album is ready.” Can we expect to see this new music drop sometime very soon? “I don’t think we’re going to make it that quickly,” she reveals, “I think we’re going to just take all the time we need with this new album.” Donning her business hat, she remarks: “I know a lot of people are putting out albums and we thought about that. We’re going to take all the time we need with this one and take it easy. I figure it’ll be coming out by the summer of 2022 just in time for the summer festivals.”
In the meantime. Erja is keen to bring her band and herself over to these shores with a February 2022 run of UK dates already booked including a gig at a famous London venue: “Yeah, hopefully, there’s a lot of bookings going on for the next year and we’ll be going overseas to Canada as well as playing in Europe,” says an optimistic Erja, “I want to come to the UK as it’s one of my favourite countries to play.” Erja
is booked to play the 100 Club in May 2020 sharing a bill with Chantel McGregor. She is raring to demonstrate her slide guitar raunch and grit, from which she conjures a babel of searing soundscapes, to her British fans and reveals the structure of her potential setlist: “I’m pretty sure we can play a couple of new songs from the upcoming album. And, of course, we’ll be playing our own favourites from the setlists during the past years and mostly songs from my previous couple of albums Stolen Hearts and Another World,” she says, “We will also play one of my songs that I wrote at the beginning of the
21st century some 20 years ago. We’ve made this new version of it, and we are planning to put it on the album as well. We’ve been playing it quite a lot during this year and it has been very well received.”
As a fan of 70s progressive rock and an avid vinyl collector (she joyfully reveals that she recently acquired a pristine copy of Jethro Tull’s Too Old To Rock’n’Roll), Erja takes inspiration from a broad church of influences including both Eric’s with her guitar heroes being Johnson and Gale. She also confesses that she finds it difficult to write new tunes when on the road due to tour tiredness. However, this has been no problem of late as the enforced inactivity has enabled her to create new songs
and in a story that’s as old as the recent pandemic, Erja streamed and recorded a virtual concert. Lockdown Live 2020 has sustained her and her band in quite a novel manner as she further explains how she selected the setlist: “Well, we just picked the ones that we thought would work through a streaming gig and would be fun to play; the ones that are fun to play at gigs,” she laughs: “we didn’t have a live audience there instead we had people streaming the gig. This was the first gig we did after the restrictions started. So, it was very interesting in many ways. It was like doing TV. I’ve done a lot of TV work here in my home country and you don’t see an audience in the studio. You must perform through the lens,” She explains, “obviously, we all know stream geeks might be interesting and fun but being in front of a live audience is a completely different experience that I enjoy so much. I’m happy we did that gig and we recorded it because you can really feel the enthusiasm and the energy we are sharing on a stage with my band. And we are thrilled being back on stage. It turned out to be a great album and I’m really happy about that.”
Erja has many plans for the future once she completes a pre-Christmas European tour including her regular Blue Christmas shows in Finland. Then it’s onto the much-anticipated early 2022 UK dates. This strong Finnish artist also harbours a burning desire to one day play with Sonny Landreth and Eric Johnson although she confesses that “Eric would definitely kick my ass!” She has a further wish to perform at The Royal Albert Hall a prospect that would most certainly complete a strong finish to any remaining lockdown blues.
play with Sonny Landreth and Eric Johnson
Erja Lyytinen’s Christmas single “Silent Night” is out now. She tours the UK from 4-12th February 2022. The Xmas single and UK tickets for the UK tour are available from www.ejralyytinen.com
and UK tickets for the UK tour are available
erjalyytinen.com
“Nothing short of astounding” – LIVING BLUES “Four stars...exceptional album...astonishing creativity” –Tony Russell, MOJO
“Castro is one of the brightest stars in the blues-soul genre. Voracious blues energy and ultimate soul power... impassioned vocals and pure inventiveness in his stellar guitar solos” – BLUES MUSIC MAGAZINE
“With incendiary guitar chops and raw, powerful vocals, fiery Texas blues rocker Carolyn Wonderland draws instant comparisons to fellow Texans Stevie Ray Vaughan and Janis Joplin” – NPR MUSIC
“A fresh, exciting new direction in the blues...swinging and exuberant, charismatic and infectious. Birchwood’s songwriting is expansive and focused, exploratory and timehonored, but always original” – BLUES MUSIC MAGAZINE
by Steve Yourglovich Images: Steve Celi
I was lucky enough to get to interview Dion last year when he released his Blues With Friends album. First time I heard that I thought it was a nailed on Grammy winner. Not only was it filled with some of the outright best artists in the world guesting and contributing musical ideas but more importantly, it was full of some best new original blues songs I’d heard for a long time. Never one to rest on his laurels Dion has beavered away to create an equally impressive follow up along the same lines, some guests returning, some new faces featuring but a similar high level of new songwriting, thirteen new songs plus one cover, Red House by Jimi Hendrix performed with Keb’ Mo. Maybe Stomping Ground will bring that Grammy home.
Hey Dion, how are you, good to speak to you again. Steve, hi man. I’m good. Thanks for calling, you’re coming through loud n clear.
How are you with lockdown and everything?
I’m cool, you know I’ve used this whole Covid situation the best way I can. It’s given me a lot of time and a lot of focus to make another album. Thank goodness it brought out some creativity.
Personally, I thought the last album was outstanding and it’s hard to follow something as good as that, with all of those special guests, but you’ve created something similar and equally as good.
You know I like it better. The reason being I could go out and perform a show from beginning to end with this one. I wanted to record songs that I felt I could perform in person live. So when I started writing I had that end in mind.
I felt the whole album has swing. Well, you know I’m a rhythm singer. It’s in my intuition, every syllable finds a place in the song, I just land on it. I grew up listening to Stax players so I have that sensibility of what a good Stax player would do. Rhythm is a huge part of songwriting, we always say God doesn’t anoint a wavering track. You gotta nail it, you gotta get in the pocket otherwise it doesn’t work you know. So yeah I wanted this album to swing and groove more, so I’m glad you said that, it was one of the driving forces while I was writing these songs.
The other thing was when the album was
finished I felt much more like I owned it, that I belonged in the whole blues thing. Like I didn’t have to try so hard, just let it happen. You know I haven’t re-invented myself, I never invented myself in the first place. It’s just me and I’ve evolved, it’s the same musical DNA.
Anyone familiar with your history will be aware you were there from the beginning, you know playing with the likes of Buddy Holly, the British invasion thing, all of that. Early Mick Jagger and Keith Richards was crazy, if I’d tried to sound like a blues guy they would’ve probably shot me. I couldn’t sound like Muddy Waters. Chuck Berry sort of sounded English in the way he pronounced his words you know.
One track I really love is Angel In The Alleyway. It references BB King, Chicago blues etc, it has a spiritual feel about it. You know I sent that song to Patti Scialfa and Bruce Springsteen just me and my guitar, and I was singing it like Hank Williams. What ended up on the album is all down to Patti, it’s her whole arrangement. All the vocals, her engineer played bass, she layered all the vocals. Oh my god I was so happy with it.
I was pleased to see that you recorded a track with Steve Conn. He is such a great performer. That track That’s What The Doctor Ordered, a Dr John tribute again showing the blues canopy over everything. That track was crying out for a New Orleans piano player, not boogie woogie but just what Steve Conn does. Of course, Steve plays with Sonny Landreth a lot and isn’t Sonny just some-
“You can’t imitate his recording because it’s perfect”
thing? He is just one of a kind. One thing about this album that shocked me, I sent a track to Eric Clapton, and he sent me a long letter, about how he felt he had a blessed life having been able to play with all his heroes, BB King and others, he was very generous. I was shocked when he sent the track back because he sounded like he did when he was 19 years old. He did such a good job.
You’ve got Rickie Lee Jones on too. What an artiste she is but not an obvious choice for a star studded blues album. The track, I’ve Been Watching to me is a love song. I have to tell you whoever played on this album or the last one, you mention Rickie Lee Jones and they are all fans of hers, but in a special way with reverence. Wayne Hood who I produced the album with, he worships at the alter of Rickie Lee Jones! We sent her the song and turns she grew up listening to my early songs. Wayne was so inspired we kept the solo he played on it too. The first single with Boz Skaggs, I’ve Got To Get To You is amazing, sounds so much fun. Quirky and off the wall.Lots of that this just came off the cuff, Boz was amazing, he took it to a whole different place.
I wanted a sense of urgency. You know I was watching a documentary about Howlin’ Wolf the other night, and the song I wrote with Joe Bomamassa, Take It Back, I think Wolf woulda loved that. I think I hit one there. It’s like a Willie Dixon lyric. What’s wild about what I’m doing with these albums is what you get back. You know the second track, Hey Diddle Diddle I sent to G.E.Smith. I heard on it a sort of Money For Nothing Dire Straits sound, but Mark Knopfler wanted to do Dancing Girl. So G.E.Smith got it and I left it to him. What he sent back I just never expected.
Yes, like you said earlier, what you get back is like being given a gift. Yes, totally. Like being given a wonderful gift every time. I couldn’t plan it if I tried.
We have to mention the title track with Billy Gibbons. What a character he is.
I love that guy. He is just something. He’s got a language all of his own, movement all his own, playing all his own. He is also one of the most gracious, giving guys you’ll ever meet. You know I’ve made more friends making these records in the last two years then ever before. I really feel part of a music community know more then I ever had before. I get the meaning of it now.
One of the most bluesy tracks is the cover of Red House with Keb’Mo.
You know he is a very insightful, down to earth guy. He’s become a very good friend. I told him my favourite Hendrix song is Red House, but I can’t do it like him cos you’re always gonna come up short. You can’t imitate his recording because it’s perfect. It’s dumb to even try but I love the song and wanted to try a rendition. It was lots of fun doing that stripped back version.
I love that there’s some humour in it, that line 99 and a half days.
That’s always been my favourite line of it. Why would you come up with a half a day!
To finish can I ask you, we’ve recently lost Dusty Hill and Charlie Watts, does that make you think about your mortality?
I’m just grateful that they walked the earth, and gave us what they gave us. They enriched my life you know. In my faith relationships don’t end they go on forever. I feel everyone has a creative gene but sometimes things get in the way. Take Peter Green, he got derailed by things but he was just mesmerising, but you know he gave us enough. I’m just glad they touched me, Dusty Hill was such a great guy, a sweet man.
Dion’s new album “Stomping Ground” featuring collaborations with Eric Clapton, Bruce Springsteen, Joe Bonamassa and many more, is out now and is available from www.ktbarecords.com
Since our last interview with Aaron and Grace Bond last December, the stars seem to have aligned for the husband-and-wife duo. It’s been an almost unbelievable year, as the pair have stormed the British Blues-rooted music scene, despite the challenges of the pandemic.
by Colin Campbell Images: Rob Blackham & Terry Crouch
They’ve gained a huge fan base, calling themselves The Rapids, whose support has helped them achieve a record-breaking four wins at the UK Blues Awards. Fan power also saw them being awarded the Best New Band in the listener-voted awards presented by Planet Rock. With new album ‘Saving Grace’ on its way and a packed tour schedule on the horizon, Blues Matters caught up with them to chat about success, returning to the live scene, and of course, their new record.
It’s always a pleasure to speak to Aaron and Grace. They both love to talk about the music, adding animatedly to the discussion. It’s been a phenomenal year for them, and as live music returns it’s all about getting ready for the next tour. Aaron explains: “We’ve done six gigs since lockdown and next is the King King tour, which we’re really looking forward to.”
The new album seems ideal for the return to the stage, with Grace adding: “We can tour this album. When in the studio we already had our headline tour booked, so it seems an obvious choice.” Of course, for a very long time playing live simply wasn’t an option. When the pandemic started, like other bands, they had their tour cancelled and the future became uncertain. But, undeterred the duo quickly adapted to the circumstances by broadcasting live streams on their Facebook page. This proved to be very popular with their fans, hundreds of whom tuned in to watch the duo play.
A far cry from what they expected. Before their first online gig they texted their family and friends begging them to watch in case no one else tuned in. Aaron said, “It was weird at first as we were singing into our phones and getting no reaction from people but now it seems normal.” It’s a format that has helped them reach a far larger fan base. Location is no object and they’ve reached fans from across the globe through those Facebook shows. That’s why live streaming could be here to stay, with the duo considering how it can sit alongside in-person events.
The Rapids are certainly enthusiastic supporters of the band. That support was recently rewarded with the opportunity to attend a listening party for the new album. Bringing those fans together brought home how things had progressed for the pair in the past year. Grace smiles as she remembers that moment, “It was literally packed out. To have a room full of people with our t-shirts on was amazing. There were people from the USA, Ireland, England and Scotland.”
Success at the UK Blues Awards mean so much to them. Just being nominated felt like a huge recognition, but to take home so many awards was a real highlight for a band which had only released two EP’s at the time. Grace reflects:
“We quit our jobs to be full-time musicians and it feels like a huge success. To be touring and supporting great bands feels amazing.”
Of course, at Blues Matters we’ve long known that When Rivers Meet were headed for big things, which Grace acknowledges, “A lot of the early success was down to Alan Pearce at Blues
Matters for putting us on stage at The Great Rock & Blues Festival at Skegness, where we will be playing again in January 2022.”
By the time they take to the stage in Skegness they’ll be back into the swing of getting in front of a live crowd. Past the nerves of that first post-pandemic gig, and past the emotion of hearing a song like Tomorrow with piano accompaniment. Aaron tells me what that was like: “We hadn’t gigged for a year and a half. We were nervous, but as soon as we got on stage it was great. The difference between playing just the two of us, as opposed to with a band is phenomenal.”
They love being together and playing, sharing a love of similar music. Performance is key to the success of their career.
It seemed an appropriate time to talk about their forthcoming album ‘Saving Grace’ Something they’ve found time to create in, as they say, “crazy times”. I’ve had a listen and there’s an edginess to this one. Check out the review later on in the magazine…
Aaron’s favourite track from this new album is ‘Never Coming Home’ – “it’s got that vintage 70s style”. Grace likes ‘He’ll Drive You Crazy’ the best. The recording process was intense and similar to their debut. They like the organic feel of natural reverb in the room. Grace says, “It’s crazy what minimal parts there are on the record, one bass guitar and drums sometimes. We do try and keep production minimal.”
With a husband and wife musical team it might seem like songwriting is a natural extension of their partnership. However, they are no good sitting in the room together to write, they would just argue apparently!
For Aaron and Grace songwriting starts with a melody idea and line or a riff. The idea for a song is mutually agreed upon and then adapted accordingly.
“We could have written more bangers, but wanted the tempo to slow in parts,” said Aaron. This is especially noticeable on the track ‘Talking In My Sleep’ which brings a slower element to the album.
As we chat about ‘Saving Grace’ it’s clear to me that they are very pleased with the result. They’re committed to delivering quality, having been ruthless when writing the songs - if it doesn’t work or add something specific to the album, they scrap it and move on to something better. ‘Shoot The Breeze’ was written purely to create an iconic twelve-bar blues song. “It was important to get that twelve-bar in there,” Grace recalls. “We love the repetition of blues and having something you can hang on to, we love riffs and can play around with this when we’re playing live.”
Some songs on the new album were co-written with Adam, their producer, a move that took them out of their comfort zone. ‘Do You Remember My Name’ was originally created by the duo and added to by Adam while working in the studio. ‘Make A Grown Man Cry’ is the one they call the “treehouse drum” tune - a very organic affair. Aaron tries to describe the process of making it: “Adam put the drums thirty feet up an oak tree. We had to winch everything up there. He is detailed, we had microphones in the fields and the pond. It was fun.”
ganic affair. Aaron tries to describe the process
While the new elements bring an interesting perspective to the album, John Lee Hooker’s repetitive riffs are still a significant influence on the guitar sound for the band. Listening I could also hear the influence of Rich DelGrosso’s blues mandolin style, and Bluegrass players come through in Grace’s violin playing. As well as the sound, the band has a particular image which remains important to them. Photographer Rob Blackham has taught them a few things about using their image in front of the camera too. Grace says: “It’s part of your performance and because we are so used to playing
While the new elements bring an interesting
together, we used to go to play functions and put our uniform on. We transformed into the people who would go on stage. You want to look as good as you can. If someone sees you before they hear the music, you want them to have some kind of idea as to what you’re going to do.”
The band are happy about who they are, and the fans they appeal to. “We are stuck in the 70s, so it’s people who like the same music, beer and t-shirts,” Grace laughs. Their persona off stage is similar to on stage and their best advice is still “to be true to yourself. If you try to do things that are not you, they won’t work.” – sound advice. They’ve had to learn the hard way about what it takes to be an independent band. They don’t want people to control them and tell them what to do, especially when it comes to being true to themselves.
It’s an approach they’re keen to recommend to up-and-coming artists. Aaron said: “If you want to do it, do it as much on your own as you can. The world is such a small place now, you can reach out to anybody.”
Their message to Blues Matters readers is: “Anyone who has supported us, thank you so much and it means everything. We are so shocked at how well things have gone. Our commitment is to go out and make this tour great. It’s going to be amazing. We are up for the challenge. Also, a huge thank you to Blues Matters magazine for your help.”
Honest, genuine and with a truly optimistic vision, it is always a pleasure to catch up with Grace and Aaron - the future looks bright for this husband and wife team!
When Rivers Meet’s new album “Saving Grace” is released on November 19th via www.whenriversmeet.co.uk | WRM start their 17-date UK tour on April 21 with special guest Troy Redfern. Tickets: www.thegigcartel.com
Images from the 2021 UK tour supporting King King in Edinburgh, Queen’s Hall - credit: Ian Potter
by Stephen Harrison Images:
March of this year saw a pivotal moment in the life of one of blue’s finest and most respected artists. Jimmie Vaughan turned seventy years of age. To mark this event he has released a five Cd ox-set of previously unheard songs both studio and live performances, as well as collaborations with dozens of other blues artists that he has crossed paths with during his career.
I recently caught up with Jimmie via a phone call that turned out to be one of the most interesting and pleasurable conversations that I’ve been blessed to have been involved with. Apart from being the elder brother to Stevie Ray Vaughan, Jimmie has had a monumental career as a solo artist and with bands such as The Fabulous Thunderbirds and The Chessmen.
So, as you can gather, we had a lot to talk about. In 1969, an eighteen-year-old Jimmie Vaughan and his band at the time opened for Jimi Hendrix. I thought that would be as good a place as any to start our trip down memory lane.
“I was the youngest guy in the band, the other guys were like 21 to 22 years old, it was really exciting and amazing, I mean I couldn’t believe it. I was a big Hendrix fan, so for a young kid like me, it was an amazing thing. I got to meet Hendrix and hang out with him and the band so for me, It couldn’t get any better at that time”.
During Jimmies early years growing up in Texas he was fortunate enough to be able to listen to several local radio stations: “We could listen to a black radio station that still had blues played on it, Freddie King, Albert Collins, you know things like that. We were very lucky that we could listen to stuff like that. Clapton, and Hendrix, and Jeff Beck were all hip and big news around that time, and very exciting in the guitar world for a kid like me. I never in my wildest dream thought that I’d end up playing with these guy’s and recording with them, although it was my desire, at that time I never thought it possible’ In the early seventies, Jimmie was in a band called Storm, on Sundays some small clubs would have matinees and people would come around and dance, and this lead to the conception of forming The Fabulous Thunderbirds.
“Kim (Wilson) would come over occasionally and sometimes he would sit in with the band, so that’s how I came to meet him, and it leads us to become The Fabulous Thunderbirds. We had so much fun, It was a dream come true for me, to have a real blues band was so special for me. Within about a year of us forming, Clifford Antone opened a club, Antone’s, so we became the house band. We’d play for two weeks solid, every night. He’d hire people like Jimmy Rogers, and all sorts of blues people from California, Chicago, and Mississippi. We
were backing up all of our heroes, so it was a great experience for us”.
After leaving The Fabulous Thunderbirds
Jimmie embarked on a solo career that saw him become a singer and frontman of his own band. This became new territory for Jimmie, switching from band member to band leader: “I’d never been a singer, I was always the guitar player, and when we did Family Style with Stevie and me, Nile Rodgers, who produced the album said to Stevie, so what are you going to sing, Stevie replied, Well I’ve got this song and that song, and then he said to me, so what are you going to sing, and Iw as like, Oh ok lol, so I had to step up or go home. We didn’t want it to sound like The Thunderbirds or Double Trouble, we wanted our own sound on the record”
Shortly after the release of Family Style, the world lost one of its finest blues artists when Stevie Ray Vaughan tragically died following a helicopter crash shortly after takeoff. I was intrigued to know if there had been plans for another Vaughan Brothers collaboration?
‘‘Absolutely, here’s the thing, we finished the album, we mixed it, and right after that Stevie got killed. We were planning to go on tour and do the whole thing and make more albums. It was a very exciting time and then it all ended’’.
In 1994, Jimmie Vaughan recorded Strange Pleasure which has some of the finest blues tracks that were recorded in any generation, in particular, Six Strings Down. I asked Jimmie if he had written the album firmly with Stevie in mind? “Yes, it was a mixture of what I was feeling and going through at that time, everything is dual in a heavy situation, it’s happy and it’s sad, that’s what I meant when I said it’s dual. Getting ready to do Strange Pleasure, The Neville Brothers sent me a cassette of Six Strings Down, which made me very excited because it was about me, about us, and I could do this, so I changed it a little bit and did it on the acoustic guitar, that’s what that is all about’’.
During his solo career, Jimmie has played with almost every top-drawer blues artist imaginable. Collaborating on recordings, and live gigs, that have produced some of the finest blues fragments in blues history alongside many of his contemporaries. “Buddy Guy, Lightnin’ Hopkins, Jimmy Rodgers, all these people have been a huge influence on my playing and my recording, they all at one time or another came through Antone’s. So for as long as I can remember, they were all heroes of mine from the age of 13-14 when I first discovered them. I had an album of The Folk Blues Festival that had Buddy Guy, B B King, Muddy Waters, Sonny Boy Williamson on it, that was one of the first albums that I owned. Listening to that put me in the frame of mind that it was what I wanted to do. I’ve been so lucky to be around all of these people, and it just goes on and on’’.
‘Do You Get The Blues’ album is part of the deluxe box-set that has been released to commemorate Jimmie’s 70th birthday. It contains a couple of tracks that feature the late great James Cotton, which made me happier than a sandboy. With so much in his back catalogue, how did they come to agree on what was going to be included? Over to Jimmie, “I was pow-wowing with Malcolm Mills who is the world’s foremost authority about the blues, and we laid everything all out for him, and between us decide what was best for the box-set. There are over 100 songs on it, but it’s all Malcolms work that has gone into this. He came over, we laid everything out for him that we thought were possibilities, so it took a long time to get it all into place. It couldn’t have happened without Malcolm in all honesty’’.
The amazing part about being able to chat to blues legends such as Jimmie Vaughan is that it’s almost like going back to school and learning from a teacher about your favourite subject. Hanging on every word because you are enthralled by each and every snippet of information. Finding out exactly what makes these guys tick.
As we spoke, we inevitably began to talk about the first albums that we heard and what had the biggest influence on us both, which gave Jimmie an almost impossible task of revealing the album that had the most profound effect on him as a player and blues artist: “Man
“I learned how to play lead guitar, rhythm guitar, and drums just from listening to that album”
that’s a tough question, I really like Albert King, Live At the Filmore, also, B B King, Live At The Regal, which is a phenomenal album. The very first album that I bought with my own money from a record store was Wine Wine Wine, by The Nightcaps. I learned how to play lead guitar, rhythm guitar, and drums just from listening to that album. It was the first album that I bought when I was in 7th grade. I played along with that record until I got most of it down’’.
During these last few months I’ve been lucky enough to talk to a couple of other guys that appeared in the Blues Brothers 2000 movie, Steve Cropper, and Charlie Musselwhite. As many of you will know, Jimmie was also part of The Louisiana Gator Boys band that had a sort of cameo appearance in the movie. Having asked Steve and Charlie about their memories, I could not let the opportunity to ask Jimmie about his recollections of being in and around the movie. “Those people call you up and ask you if you want to be in a movie with all of those other people, and you immediately say yes. It was like a reunion, a chance to get together, it was great to get everyone back together. It was a lot of fun’’.
Apart from being a blues legend, Jimmie also has a passion for classic American Cars that started when he was just a young boy. As part of the deluxe box-set edition, there is a full-colour booklet containing stunning photographs of all of the classic American cars that Jimmie is lucky enough to own. For me, this is
an added bonus to all of the music material, as I share that love of classic American cars. I had never come across anyone who has such a collection of cars that almost make one drool just by looking at them: “When I was a little boy before I started playing guitar, I used to build model cars, all I used to Care about was cars when I was a little kid. After I started playing, got a few gigs, and started getting a bit of money, the first thing that I did was, I bought a car. When I first started playing guitar, the guitar had four strings on it, I learned to play on that guitar, my mind was made up. I’d play guitar get some money, buy a car, and split. That’s the only thing that I had on my mind. My favourite car is the one that is running at the time, but I love them all. The guy that has done a lot of the paintwork on my cars over the years sadly passed away last year. A lot of people have helped me a lot with my cars over the years. I couldn’t have done without all these people helping me. I had no money when I started. I dreamed it all up if you know what I mean. It’s the same with the guitar playing, I wanted to be a blues guitar player so I had to do what I needed to do to get where I wanted to go. I desired it in my heart’’.
So, I guess the moral of the story is, never give up on your dreams! Jimmie Vaughan wanted a car and a guitar. He’s achieved both of those desires with dedication and hard work. To be classed as a blues legend can rest easily upon his shoulders. His music and playing is a lasting testament to that.
The young man from Texas with the blues in his heart now has the car and the guitar as proof that you can do anything that you put your mind to. Long may he continue down the blues highway in a classic American automobile. jimmievaughan.com
Although Gov’t Mule has a sound that is deeply rooted and inspired by the blues the group have never released a traditional blues album - that is until now. With a halt to touring due to the global pandemic, the quartet was able to go into the studio and record not one but two new albums simultaneously. The first of which to be released is their forthcoming album ‘Heavy Load Blues’.
by Adam Kennedy Images: Jay SansoneWith lockdown restrictions lifting around the world, the versatile road warriors have been able to tour across the United States. Although, the circumstances have been challenging. “It feels great to be playing again. And the feeling coming from the audience is amazing,” explains Warren Haynes. “We’re being extremely cautious and very diligent about our COVID protocol. We’re testing every day. People wear masks backstage, and there are no guests allowed - no friends, no family; it’s just the band and crew. And that’s the way it has to be for now.”
With eighteen months of downtime, frontman Warren Haynes was able to channel his creativity into songwriting. “One of the positive aspects of the whole lockdown thing was that I had time, as did everybody else, to do a lot of writing. I haven’t had this much time at home since I was 15 years old. I write on the road as well, but I do my best writing at home,” explains Haynes.
A lot of artists struggled with songwriting during the pandemic, as when you are cooped up at home and not able to get out into the outside world and experience life - it can be hard to find inspiration. “When I’m travelling, and when I’m not writing, my brain is capturing input; I’m just taking everything in. And then when the time comes, and I start writing, it just switches over to output; and I start processing everything that I had absorbed over the time,” describes Warren. “There was no shortage of inspiration, because a lot of it, for me anyway, you’re writing about things you’ve been observing for the
past month, six months, a year, two years, three years, whatever.”
Despite living through the pandemic era, it was not something that inspired the esteemed artist to write about musically. “One thing that I noticed from the beginning is that I tended to not want to write a bunch of songs about being trapped in and about the COVID situation. I wanted to dig a little deeper, or bypass that and write more about other things that were very important to me that maybe COVID reminded me of, but that wasn’t necessarily influenced by COVID.”
The idea of writing a blues album had been on the former Allman Brothers Band member’s mind for some time. “For the past several years, I have been thinking that at some point, I wanted to make a traditional blues album. I didn’t know if it was going to be a solo album, or a Gov’t Mule album, or what until recently,” said Haynes. But with the support of his bandmates, the project got the green light. “Once the subject got brought up, everybody was very much into it, which was good news to hear. Because in hindsight, I’m very glad that it turned out to be a Gov’t Mule record because the way Gov’t Mule plays blues is very unique and based on our collective chemistry.”
The rationale behind the decision to record ‘Heavy Load Blues’ was due to the band’s innovative approach to recording. “Part of the process of deciding was based on the fact that we were going to do two albums at the same
time. A regular Gov’t Mule record and a blues record. So, we were going to be holed up in the studio for a lot longer than normal,” explains Haynes.
There were clear parameters for ‘Heavy Load Blues’ from the get-go. “It was important to me that the album be a blues album and not a blues-rock album. It was also important that sonically, it sounded like it could have been created anywhere between 1955 and 1975. But not any time after that.”
Despite the album being a traditional blues record, the band’s new release has something to offer for everyone. “I don’t think it’s just for purists in any way,” explains Haynes. “I think someone who’s never really listened to blues could enjoy it. As much as they could enjoy hearing Freddie King, ‘Burglar’ for the first time or Albert King’s ‘Live Wire / Blues Power’ or BB King’s ‘Indianola Mississippi Seeds’, Junior Wells and Buddy Guy’s ‘Hoodoo Man Blues’. Those records, for the most part, can appeal to anyone who loves music if they open their mind.”
When Haynes picks up the guitar, blues is often his starting point. “It’s one of the things that I tend to gravitate towards daily. If I pick up a guitar, chances are, I’ll start playing some blues just naturally by habit.” The title track of the band’s forthcoming release came to fruition through such circumstances. “The song, ‘Heavy Load’, I had started in the last two or three years. I guess I had written a lot of the lyrics and maybe even had music and melody for it, but I had stepped away from it for a while,” explains Haynes. “I don’t write very many traditional blues songs. Once we decided to make a blues album, I revisited the song.”
The lyrics and sentiment of ‘Heavy Load’ feel pertinent in these strange times. “It is a good way, to sum up, what the blues is, and especially at a time like now when I think the entire world is going through the same thing emotionally,”
said Warren. “The blues has always been there; it’s always going to be there. Music and blues music specifically, can help pull you out of that. So, there’s a universal message and a universal theme there. It was important to me that we capture the traditional spirit of that song.”
There are several cover tracks on ‘Heavy Load Blues’. The group’s recent single, “Snatch It Back”, is one of those. The song is a Junior Wells cover that featured on the late great bluesman’s ‘Hoodoo Man Blues’ album. The interesting fact about the cover is that despite Wells being one of the great blues harp plays of all time - the Gov’t Mule cover doesn’t feature any harmonica. “I never really thought of bringing in harmonica for that song. I love the way it sounds stripped down. The way we’re doing it,” explains Haynes. “Junior’s influence is very much there in my vocal performance because Junior was also a great singer and a very dynamic performer.”
With ‘Snatch It Back’, Gov’t Mule add their own distinctive jam band stamp to the proceedings. “The fact that we were able to go into that instrumental in the middle of the song and then back into Snatch It Back is cool and very much a Gov’t Mule thing to do,” states Warren. “I purposely played a three-pickup SG custom on that song because Buddy Guy used to play one on some of those records. And I borrowed it from Allen Woody’s daughter. It’s exactly like the one that I had when I was a kid, that I no longer
have. It was cool to play that guitar on that song - it gives the right spirit.”
Although Warren Haynes has already started writing tracks for a new solo release, with two new Gov’t Mule albums in the pipeline, it could be some time before the album is completed. “I’ve written a lot of songs that are probably somewhere between ‘Ashes and Dust’ and ‘Man in Motion’. Maybe at some point, I’ll go in and make a record that’s a follow up to those,” explains Warren. “It’s not scheduled at this moment, but I have a lot of material, so I’m looking forward to that.”
Following the release of ‘Heavy Load Blues’, the second of the group’s two new releases will hopefully see the light of day. “The tentative plan has been to put it out next year. I don’t
know about any time frame. But I see no reason not to put it out next year sometime,” explains Haynes.
Moving forward, Gov’t Mule is looking forward to hitting the road. “We would like to get back to some semblance of normal touring. We would like to come back to Europe sometime early to mid-next year. Assuming that all of that is recommendable,” confirms Haynes. “But we hope to be able to kind of pick up where we left off, a year and a half ago.”
‘Heavy Load Blues’ by Gov’t Mule will be released via Fantasy Records on November 12th.
www.warrenhaynes.net
Jimmy is a Grammy and Blues Music Award winner, superb saxophonist, songwriter, singer, and part of the organising team for The Big Blues Bender in Las Vegas. He has also played with Mike Zito and the Wheel in recent years. His newest album Soul Doctor was released through Mike Zito’s record label Gulf Coast Records. Caught up with Jimmy for a chat after he came off stage at the recent successful and wonderful Carlisle Rock and Blues Festival.
by Colin Campbell Images: Marilyn Stringer (front) and Colin CampbellThis was the second time in a week, as had seen him at The Voodoo Rooms in Edinburgh for another phenomenal show put on by Edinburgh Blues Club. Jimmy was very relaxed and in great spirits, Carlisle being the final leg of his tour with his backing band Blues Move. A very personable and down to earth artist, we talked about many topics.
Jimmy had great praise for the Carlisle Rock and Blues Festival, stating, “I cannot think of a better way to wrap up my UK tour than playing this Festival! A mighty crowd for the last set of the weekend, all up dancing and smiles all around. A great sound, lights and hospitality, thank you, Carlisle. I also liked the vibe going on at the Voodoo Rooms, it’s a cool place to play as well, excellent!”.
The pandemic was devastating to Jimmy’s musical life like a lot of musicians. He worked on videos, wrote songs and tried to keep playing the saxophone. If he didn’t his lip gets weak and it’s impossible to play an event.” I distracted myself by getting in shape, started doing yoga and riding a bicycle, that was cool, I lost about thirty pounds. I was fortunate, the people I quarantined with are wonderful. One thing my partner finds difficult about myself is that I don’t have many hobbies. To me, music is what I do, it’s what I love, my hobby and my job! It’s all music based, that’s pretty much for me”. What got him interested in playing the saxophone as an instrument of choice was that his father had Dave Brubeck records and ones by Paul Desmond. “He was a lyrical player, not
a chops man. He wove melodies and that’s something I’ve always tried to do. It’s more interesting than just playing the chops. It was my mother who reminded me that I asked to play the saxophone. I later decided to be a rock star and play the guitar and put the saxophone down as a teenager, but I wanted to go to Music School and was not good enough so picked the sax up and auditioned and got in. There was a time when saxophone players were the rock stars of the world, not that long ago, before electric guitars took over. I love the 30s to 60s sax players. Back then, the line between jazz and blues was not so straight. I listen to late 50s early 60s sax players and enjoy them. When I left New Orleans there was a player called Brad Walker, who inherited a bunch of my gigs, he’s brilliant. Some people automatically assume when you play the saxophone, you play jazz. I’m competing in a guitar player’s world and that puts me in a great place. To me, there are a million guitar players and hardly any sax players. The world seems to have an appetite for Rock and Roll and blues-rock guitar. I’m just looking for my own niche in there.”
He does play a few tunes on electric guitar at his shows. “I am careful not to call myself a guitar player. I’ve played with Tinsley Ellis, Jimmy Thackery, Eric Lindell, Walter “Wolfman” Washington, Mike Zito, hard to pick a favourite out of them!”.
He’s signed for Mike Zito’s label Gulf Coast Records; this feels a real fit for him. “Soul Doctor is the fourth record I’ve put out, but the
first where I didn’t do everything by myself. The support help and money were handy too!
Regarding a new album, he is presently writing songs for this but has not finished. He works well under pressure though, writing the final three tunes for his last album in quick succession. “I have a big backlog of half-baked ideas in the garage. That’s how I found the Wrong Turn guitar lick. I was reading the lyrics and thought, this might work. I added to the demo I did a long time ago for that song. Perfection is the enemy of good. I’m always looking for something super profound or meaningful, but I don’t get much focus on this.”
As to the songwriting process, this can be a lyrical feel and he’ll write something down and figure how to make this work into a song later. With a soulful vocal, Jimmy can mix his styles and keep them fresh. He wasn’t vocally trained. When he made his first record, he felt he had to sing on this. “Singing is the challenging thing, saxophone comes naturally. It’s harder to hide the flaws when singing. The trick is finding material that works and not trying to be Otis Redding!”
We then talked about his work associated with putting on the Big Blues Bender. “It’s come a long way in a short amount of time. My role has grown quickly. We’re going to have a second Festival and I’ll probably be the buyer or Assistant on that one. That’s in a different genre and called The Bender Jamboree, broad roots music with bluegrass, funk, and Americana. It gives me a chance to expand my horizons.”
We talked about getting younger people interested in the blues genre. Jimmy thinks it’s guitar orientated and to this, at The Las Vegas Blues Society, they are encouraging all ages daytime jams. Everywhere in Las Vegas have Clubs that are for over twenty ones and over. “We have found a BBQ Restaurant called Soul Belly. Yesterday was the first one. We send out notes to guitar teachers to bring their proteges
to play. The Blues Bender was a challenge this year with the restrictions, but it went well. People were happy with it and complied with the Covid restrictions. People want to play; we don’t want to get stale. We have interesting possibilities for next year!”
Reflecting on his career, what his advice to a twenty-year-old Jimmy, he openly suggested, “If you’re in Music School stay in it because the gigs will be there. The more you know, the better off you’ll be. The other thing is you must take care of yourself. This is a hard way to make a living, it’s tough. It’s not tough when you’re twenty-five but when you’re fifty-five and over you’ll pay for it! You must figure out your voice and present it, not copying others. I found just listening to music helped and get beyond the notes that you’re playing get a feel for what you’re doing. If you want to move someone with your music you must work on that! I love being a sideman but want to focus on my solo work. Whatever mistakes I’ve done are mine.”
“The soul part of music, that’s where blues comes in and is the basis of all this genre. If you can listen to Muddy Waters and not be moved, then you are probably in the wrong business. My whole goal is to make moments of connection with people, and they’re touched by that. I’m in that moment. The vibe with the band you play with is especially important. With Blues Move the touring band we have not had that much time together. It’s been sound checks and tweaking. There are mistakes but it’s the rapport that’s important. I’m a saxophone player, I can’t do it all by myself!”
As to the future, he is playing in a burlesque band as soon as he gets back to the U.S. Blues Bender Brass are playing in Denmark, Blues Heaven, and back to the UK for Skegness in January 2022. “I’m trying to make 2022 what 2020 should have been. It’s a challenge!”
Regarding the blues scene in Las Vegas, “It’s the Casinos that keep the place going but there’s
a place called The Sand Dollar which is a blues place. We can rock out there!”
Finally, we talked about blues music and its future as a noted genre. Jimmy was emphatic it will continue to evolve; “Blues is the basis of all modern music. People who are doing whatever genre they do, must listen to the blues and respect it and its roots. Some amazing youngsters are coming through - Kingfish Ingram was playing the Blues Bender, he and Solomon Hicks are so good. I’m hoping people like this will
progress the blues. I’ve been watching Kingfish since he was twelve, the blues will never be a big deal but a niche, it’s raw… real… no bullshit!” Concluding thoughts go to Jimmy “I think what I do is different, I like songs and melodies. It varies and I want to build an audience in the UK. Also want to explore Edinburgh, love that city!”
jimmycarpenter.net
Maggie Bell was born to be a blues singer. From the age of fifteen, she was performing in bands in her hometown of Glasgow, Scotland, having first been introduced to Leslie Harvey by his older brother, former singer, the late Alex Harvey, of the Sensational Alex Harvey Band. Her first band, Power, inspired her to become one of the world’s foremost female blues artists. The rest, as they say, is history.
by Stephen Harrison Images:
We recently had a wonderful phone conversation, talking about her incredible career as a band performer, as a solo artist, and performing with Led Zeppelin in New York, as well as being managed by Peter Grant:
“My parents always listened to a lot of music, so there was always music in the house. I just loved listening to songs, I was a member of The Salvation Army, so a lot of singing and tambourine shaking from an early age. I was brought up listening to Julie London and Dinah Washington, they both made a huge impact on me. I thought, ‘I like this, this is what I want to do,’ so that’s how it all started for me. I did a
concert in Montreux, and Nina Simone was in the audience. I was lucky enough to talk to her at the end; very quiet lady, she’d been through a lot in her life, you could hear it in her music, see it in her face. She’d seen life head-on. When you look at her life, there were places she could play, and places she couldn’t play. She had a very tough life.”
Before Maggie had started to perform gigs that attracted people like Nina Simone, she first appeared as one of the singers in the Kinning Park Ramblers joining Leslie Harvey, who was the guitarist, having first been introduced by elder brother Alex. From there she went to the band, Power, before becoming the
lead singer with, Stone the Crows.
Bell remembers the time well: “Many different bands were sprouting up at that time around Glasgow, so we were closely involved with all of that. Me and Leslie, (Harvey) went to Germany with Power, gigging in small clubs and doing American bases in Germany. Me and Leslie wanted to save as much money as possible so that when we eventually got back to Glasgow we’d then have enough money to travel down to London and try our luck down there. We bought a camera, and an old Telefunken reel-to-reel tape recorder, travelled down to London one
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Saturday morning, and never looked back. We were up and running so to speak.”
Having grown up with the likes of Doris Day, and Kathy Kirby playing on radio, Maggie, had found Aretha Franklin and Nina Simone and followed her heart, wanting to sing blues and follow in the footsteps of these strong amazing women. Feeling the emotion of the blues, a connection if you like, was certainly good for the Glaswegian’s oul as fifty-five years later she’s still doing it with as much gusto as when she first trod the boards.
“I still do some stuff with Dave Kelly, he’s with The Blues Band with Paul Jones. Dave and I sometimes work as a duo. I’m also a member of The Hamburg Blues Band, which is based in Germany. We’d fly out on Friday and come back Sunday having also done a couple of gigs with Chris Farlowe.”
After leaving Stone The Crows to pursue a solo career, Maggie, through her inimitable vocal style, become the UK’s counterpart to Janis Joplin, which is easy to understand. I was intrigued to know how Maggie felt about being compared to Janis.
“It happened all the time. We were females, but there were also other female singers around at that time, Julie Driscoll, Elkie Brooks, Lulu,
a lot of great woman singers at the same time had started to emerge. But I think me and Janis were a bit wild-looking, so that’s where a lot of that came from.”
As Maggie went from strength to strength as a solo artist, she signed to the world-famous record label, Swan Song, owned by Led Zeppelin and their manager, Peter Grant. Maggie was already being managed by Peter Grant, so to sign for Swan Song made perfect sense. One record that she did around this time was a cover of the Free classic, ‘Wishing Well,’ featuring Jimmy Page on guitar. So, inevitably the conversation switched to all things Grant and Zeppelin.
“Jimmy has always been one of my favourite guitar players. He’s played on so many other records as a studio musician – ‘With A Little Help From My Friends,’ Joe Cocker - Jimmy did the guitar work on that. So I asked him, I said, ‘Jimmy, I’ll understand if you are too busy and you can’t do it, but I’d love it if you could play on my album and the guitar solo he did on ‘Wishing Well’ was fabulous. He’s a lovely guy, very shy, very unassuming. I actually toured with Led Zeppelin, I played at Madison Square Gardens and The Royal Albert Hall with them. Peter Grant was also a lovely guy, we were friends before he became my manager, we stayed in touch
with each other until the day he died. He was a very good man. There are a lot of people out there waiting to rip you off, but nobody did that to me because Peter Grant was my manager.”
As well as touring with Led Zeppelin, Bell also delved into the world of television, albeit as the singer of a TV theme, ‘No Mean City,’ which was the music that accompanied the British cop-drama, Taggart. As TV themes go, this is one of the finest that I’ve ever heard. Set in Bell’s hometown of Glasgow, this gritty cop drama needed a gritty tune. ‘No Mean City’ provided that in spades.
“I knew Mike Moran (writer of ‘No Mean City’) for quite a while before he wrote the song. Mike was in my band when I was touring America with my solo albums. He’s a great singer/songwriter and now a wonderful producer that’s worked with so many other artists. He called me on the phone saying, ‘Hi Maggie, get back to ASAP, they’ve written a series called Taggart, and I’ve done the music. I want you to do the song. It’s perfect for you.’ So that’s how that came about. I did another one with Andy Mackay from Roxy Music for a TV series called ‘Hazel.’ ‘ No Mean City’ is still being played today. I’m very proud of that.”
As if all of this is not enough,
Bell was also the singer in the Jon Lord Project: “He just asked me, he said, ‘I’m putting this thing together and I’d like you to be a part of it.’ It didn’t last long of course because dear old Jon died quite soon afterward. It was such a shock when Jon died, he was a lovely man. We were all getting ready to go to Japan and Australia, and then go on and do a world tour, such a shame.”
I tell Bell that, for me, the measure of artists such as herself and Jon Lord, all these people were around and starting at much the same time and are still out there recording and playing live shows how good the music was and is, and how talented the people are to be still doing it over fifty years later. Bell agrees with a laugh: ‘’ You’ve hit the nail on the head. Absolutely. How many of these kids who’ve had records and done stuff like the X-Factor, who’s going to say that about them in the next thirty or forty years. It’s not sour grapes on my part, I just think it’s disgusting. They make these kids into stars at seventeen or eighteen, and then they are has-beens at twenty-one or twenty-two. I think it’s obscene. When we all started at sixteen or seventeen we had to work for a living, while some of these kids are getting a million pounds upfront from a record company. With Stone the Crows, we were working six nights a week, polytechnics,
universities, and places like that, learning our craft, travelling up, and down the country night after night.”
After berating current musical trends and practices we got to talking about the artists that had made the biggest impression and had the biggest
special guest on The Animals and Friends Farewell Tour kicking off in February. As we wound up our conversation I ask how much she is looking forward to going out on the road on this tour:
“We did one with The Zombies and The Yardbirds. That
impact on Maggie’s musical journey: “Aretha Franklin, and Ray Charles. You don’t get anything better than that. It doesn’t get better than those two, Alex Harvey turned me onto Ray Charles. I actually quite like Noel Gallagher, I think he’s a great guitar player. I’d like to have done some recording with him. Paul Carrick is another one that I’d love to play with, such a talented guy.”
In 2022, Maggie Bell is the
was magnificent, really enjoyed it. Can’t wait to get back out there with these guys,” she confirms.’
And Friends
Farewell Tour with special guest, Maggie Bell, commences on February 4th, 2022.
www.maggiebell.co.uk
by Adam Kennedy Images: Adam Kennedy & Jane Feldman
During a recent radio interview, the US-based artist was asked, who their favourite current blues artist is, to which they answered Joe Louis-Walker. As if by fate, the radio DJ Danny Coleman; just so happened to be friends with the blues legend. Coleman quipped that she would love to record a song with Mr Walker, and two days later, Gina’s wish was realised when she received a call from the man himself. The result is Misty Blues astounding latest single, “Take A Long Ride”.
This creatively fruitful collaboration recently developed into something beyond the recording studio. “We were opening for him,” said Coleman. “I threw it out there. I said - I don’t know how you feel about coming out and playing with the opening act. But he’s such an amazing individual, and he has no ego at all. He replied - Why wouldn’t I? I recorded it with you – yeah! So that was great. We left that to the last song in our set, and he came out and played with us.”
Misty Blues also chose to record some of their forthcoming new album in the same studio in which Walker recorded their latest collaborative single. “Joe Louis Walker recorded his lead part at a studio that he uses that’s closest to his residence, and that’s in Marlborough, New York. And so, myself and my guitarist went over to see him when he was laying down his tracks for the single,” explains Gina. “We started to talk to his engineer. I thought this might be nice to bring the rest of the band here and finish the rest of the album here.” And so, they did.
With their Joe Louis Walker collaboration in the bag, Coleman dreams of someday working with artists such as Shemika Copeland, Joe Bonamassa or even Buddy Guy. “I’m eager to
collaborate with anyone. I think that with the calibre of musicianship within the ranks of my band, we can hold our own with anyone out there. It would be good to spread our wings in that regard,” declares Gina.
Despite difficult circumstances, Misty Blues were incredibly productive over the last eighteen months. “We put out two pandemic albums. So, one was released in March ‘2020 –‘Weed ‘Em & Reap’. And then ‘None More Blue’ was released in February of ‘21,” said Coleman. “I guess we call those the Irish twins. They’re less than twelve months apart. And then, the new one is coming out in January. We were just incredibly prolific during this pandemic.”
During the lockdown, Misty Blues turned to online live streaming to keep in touch with their fanbase. “We came back from Birminghamthat’s when our first gig was cancelled. I immediately said, hey, guys, let’s go up into my attic studio and do a live stream show. And so, every Friday night, at eight o’clock, we were doing an hour-long live stream show,” explains Gina. “I thought it’d be a couple of weeks, but we ended up doing 37 shows.”
However, how did the live streaming experience compare to performing in front of an audience in person? “It was great to stay engaged with my band members and just keeping sharp – for that part of it. But in terms of engagement with our audience, we would do a song and kill it. And then it’s like crickets. Finally, we figured out a way to set up a projector in front of us so that we could see the comments - we’re waiting, and we see a clapping emoji,” proclaims Coleman. An odd experience for live performers during these strange times.
Call it serendipity or good fortune, but sometimes you put a thought or a wish out into the universe, and it is granted. At least that was certainly the case for Misty Blues’ Gina Coleman.
With some semblance of normality within the live music world, Misty Blues have been road testing some of their freshest cuts on their unsuspecting audience. “I wrote most of them over the pandemic. So they were already in the can,” explains Gina. “We’ve been playing some of them out, not telling people that they’re new tunes. I don’t like to tip people off. For the most part, people think we’re just covering these songs, and they are liking them. So, it’s a good test ground.”
As rock legends, Spinal Tap famously said: “Turn it up to eleven,” and that’s a sentiment that certainly resonates with Gina Coleman. “I’m a painful Spinal Tap fan. If you look at our previous albums, every album we put out has eleven tracks,” she says. “It’s something that I hooked into very early on in my career.” Although their values may line up from a numerology perspec-
tive, of course, Spinal Tap and Misty Blues differ in terms of their musical stylings.
In 2019 Misty Blues were a finalist in the prestigious International Blues Challenge. “It was great to see how well we fared in the genre because we don’t come from a blues hub. You don’t hear of the great blues artists from New England,” jokes Coleman. To get into the final stages of the competition, Misty Blues were up against some tough competition. “It was great to see that the quality of our musicianship held up against musicians in areas that are more firmly rooted in that genre of music. We were competing with folks from Chicago, St. Louis, Memphis, and Houston - that was the amazing part. It was like, wow, we’re doing alright.”
Despite hailing from New England, the band’s musical journey now brings them to England
in the United Kingdom, as Misty Blues become one of the latest signings to British-label Lunaria Records. To dip their toes in the UK market is something that Gina Coleman is very much looking forward to. “I have always been interested in what kind of connection we can make over in the UK because I know that you guys have a much deeper appreciation for the blues than where the blues originated from - which is kind of bizarre to me. I’m fully cognizant of that,” says Gina.
Having discovered Lunaria Records online, Gina approached the head of the label Chris Rand to see if he would be interested in working together. “I reached out to him and sent him some of our latest music. I said - I’m not sure if this is of any interest to you? Or if you are taking on any new acts? I think this might be an interesting collaboration if you’re open to it,” explains Gina.
Of course, Lunaria jumped at the chance of signing the US-based outfit.
Moving forward, Misty Blues has their eyes set on touring in the UK. “Tentatively right now, we have a ten-window block of time in June of next year to come out to see Chris and do some shows. So, we are all ready,” confirms Gina. “Hopefully, we can get some shows booked in England.”
Misty Blues latest single, “Take A Long Ride,” featuring Joe Louis Walker, is out now. The song is the first single taken from ‘One Louder’ - the forthcoming 11th studio album from the Massachusetts band, which is set for release via Lunaria Records on January 28th, 2022.
www.mistybluesband.com
With a variety of guests, many hugely significant music icons, on his latest album, Hawaiin Ukulele player, Jake Shimabukuro hit the road in the US on a promotional tour that saw him find some Zoom time to chat with Blues Matters! about the challenges of ukulele playing and working with a range of diverse artists from Bette Midler, Willie Nelson, Ziggy Marley, and Sonny Landreth to Billy Strings and Warren Haynes.
by Iain Patience Images: Sienna MoralesOf course, Ukuleles are seldom – if ever –viewed as blues instruments, a fact not lost on Jake himself. But having played the miniature instrument for most of his life, he is all too aware of its inherent versatility and fertility, as I remind him when mentioning last time we met was at a major French Blues Festival, Cognac Blues Passions, a few years ago. Then, Jake was playing a simply stunning and totally astonishing self-arranged, version of the giant Queen hit, ‘Bohemian Rhapsody,’ while a short way off, US blues veteran Bobby Rush was picking guitar and holding a master-class in traditional
hit, ‘Bohemian Rhapsody,’ while a short way blues music. put
he made was to Willie Nelson. And then a few months later we were in the studio with Willie and once we had that track done, it gave the project, the album, credibility and momentum,” he explains with a near-wonder.
And, I point out, he also managed to pull Willie’s son, Lukas Nelson, onboard too: “Yea, a bit of a coup, maybe,” he laughs. And with such modern Americana and country music titans involved, he also secured a track with one of the genre’s most accomplished and admired newcomers, bluegrass guitar wizz-kid, Billy Strings; a track that is simply jaw-dropping in many ways: “I had so much fun playing with him. He has just this great energy, and I think the recording really catches that raw energy and spontaneity.”
the various parts, the sections. It took work
Recalling this event, Jake is quick to laugh and nod his agreement that it was a particularly pleasant day and a tricky number to work with on the uke: “Yea, that one took a lot of time to together. There’s just so much going on in that song. It took so much time, all the various parts, the sections. It took so much work and effort just to get it complete and playable!”
Turning to his new album, ‘Jake and Friends,’ he explains: “This project started with a conversation with my manager, Van Fletcher, four or five years ago. He encouraged me to do a collaborative project like this. I thought, ‘yea, this is a great idea,’ but in the back of my head I thought, ‘this is never gonna happen!’ These artists, you don’t just call them up and say, ‘Hey, do you want to do a song with me? But it came together. We’ve been working on the album for probably around three years now! Ray Benson, who co-produced with me, the first call
Looking back at the pandemic and how it affected the project, Shimabukuro believes it may have helped get the album together. Artists were available, they were not out on the road and he was able to check it out, share it with family and friends as the project developed: ”Being able to work on this project through these tough times was an absolutely positive thing for me personally.”
Shimabukuro came to prominence some years ago when a track, George Harrison’s ‘While My Guitar Gently Weeps, he’d played on his trusty ukulele was filmed and recorded by a friend who then put it out on social media. The result was instant and overwhelming, as he still recalls: “It went viral. Unbelievable. Changed my life completely! It was very unexpected and to this day I’m so grateful that video was shared
on YouTube. I’d definitely not be here today if it was not for that viral video. It’s just been amazing, all the positive music opportunities that I’ve had because of that!”
Coming from Hawaii, Shimakuburo is from a land where the ukulele is a long-established, serious instrument, with a huge following and some seriously talented musicians and history. Here in Europe, we often tend to view it as almost a bit of a joke instrument, a sort-of mini-guitar, like a toy maybe for kids. When I suggest this to the man, he immediately points to the simple fact that the instrument originated in his homeland and is viewed as a very serious thing there.: “I’ve never found that to be the case. Back home, it’s treated with genuine respect, as a serious instrument always. When I was a kid, maybe three or about that, I really wanted to play ukulele. My mother had one but she’d not let me touch it, cause it was so valuable. When I was about four years old, she finally let me hold it, strum the strings. It was such a respected instrument in Hawaii. It was a real privilege to be able to pick one up at such a young age.”
“In truth, I never saw the other side of the in-
“I love the idea that some people don’t treat the instrument seriously”
strument till I started travelling outside of Hawaii. But to me, I love the idea that some people don’t treat the instrument seriously. Because sometimes it can be that attitude and mentality that just might encourage somebody to pick up an instrument and have a go at it rather than shying away from it. I think that’s so important. Music isn’t always about needing talent to do it. It’s about having something inside of us that might need a spark to help us find the pleasure of making music. I believe the ukulele can tear down walls, it brings out these child-like qualities at times. Makes
people smile. That just can’t be a bad thing!” “When I was doing the tracks with Sonny Landreth and with Warren Haynes, I put a little bit of overdrive on those! Just to be able to blend with their guitars, it was needed,” he laughs again at the memory of recording ‘On the Road to Freedom’ with Haynes.
With much of his general material down to his own writing skills, I ask if he has an approach that might colour his thinking when writing a song: “With the ukulele, the only real instrument I can really play, I tend to sort-of write specifically with that instrument in mind, I suppose. Though I find that if I step away from the ukulele and maybe pick up a bass, or a guitar, or sit at a piano, even though I don’t really know how to play those instruments but just noodle around, then I get fresh ideas. I can plug out some melody then work it with my ukulele. Sometimes sitting with an instrument you’re not as familiar with brings new ideas and sounds, concepts that work.”
sounds, concepts that work.”
Asked about how often he plays and how much time he puts into practice, Shimakuburo reckons it is a vital feature of his life generally: “It sort-of keeps me sane, really. I always have it around, closeby. I just love music and the ukulele is so easy to move around with it always grabs my attention! I love listening to it, I love playing it. My favourite thing though is playing music with other people. You get a connection with people when you play music together.”
Reflecting generally on the whole project and the new album, he closes with this: “Looking back on it all now, it feels like a dream. I grew up fantasizing that one day I might be able to meet my musical heroes, and here I am on my own record playing with them. That’s remarkable beyond words. I’m so fortunate to have had this experience, and I can’t wait for people to hear it. I think they’re going to be able to tell that I’m having the time of my life.”
jakeshimabukuro.com
Whilst there have been many blues albums to have come out of the pandemic era, one which has been making waves is ‘Try It You Might Like It – GA-20 Does Hound Dog Taylor’. The first part of the title is as good an invite as ever to dig into something new and give it a go - perhaps you will agree.
by Adam Kennedy Images: Whitney PelfreyThe group’s latest offering was released as a partnership between Colemine Records and Alligator Records to much praise. GA-20’s homage to Hound Dog Taylor has topped the blues charts around the world. It was also named as one of the IBBA’s picks of the month in the UK.
This year marks the 50th anniversary of legendary blues label Alligator Records. For those unfamiliar with the backstory, Alligator was founded by Bruce Iglauer as a vehicle to release the debut album from Hound Dog Taylor. Iglauer, at the time, was working for Delmark Records, who declined to release Taylor’s first album. Subsequently, the entrepreneurial and somewhat determined Iglauer forged ahead and started his own label, and the rest is history, as they say.
GA-20’s involvement with Alligator records on this project required somewhat of an innovative collaboration. “Bruce [Iglauer] emailed me, and I think because of the pandemic, they were looking for some different younger bands, is what he told me. He didn’t realise I was with Colemine,” explains Matthew Stubbs.
The US-based trio already had another studio album ready to go, which got sidelined due to the pandemic. “I thought up the idea of well, we’re going to hold off releasing our LP that’s all-original music until we can tour behind it,” said Matthew. “I pitched Bruce and Terry Cole from Colemine, this idea of doing the Hound Dog album. Being that it is the 50th anniversary of his debut release. We have a lot in common with Hound Dog Taylor and the House Rockers.
We have the same instrumentation and a similar approach. So yeah, that’s how it happened.”
Up until this point, the idea of doing a covers album was never on the band’s agenda. “I’ve always liked Hound Dog, but I never thought about doing a tribute record. It was just when Bruce approached me - I wanted to work with Alligator because it’s a legendary label. But we are very happy with Colemine, and we have already signed multiple record deal,” proclaims Stubbs. “It was one of those things where it’s the 50th anniversary. Alligator wants to work with us - we’d like to work with them. But we’re more than happy with Colemine.”
Had the proposal been to release a new original album - this partnership most likely wouldn’t have happened. “It wouldn’t make sense to do an original record with the two labels. But it made sense being that it was the 50th anniversary of Alligator, and the 50th anniversary of Hound Dog’s debut and that we feel a connection with Hound Dog’s music,” confirms Stubbs. “I like a proposal where everybody wins. Bruce was able to get a record out of us, and we were able to work with them and, Colemine was still involved.”
Colemine Records is not traditionally a blues label per se. GA-20’s involvement with the organisation is turning followers of the esteemed label to our beloved genre. Speaking about Colemine, Matthew said that: “We’re their only blues act.” However, on the plus note – “When this record came out, most of their fans (I think it’s safe to say are vinyl collectors), a lot of them
bought our record. But then I got pictures on Instagram of people that had our album, and then they bought Hound Dog’s first or second record. A lot of people said oh - I wasn’t familiar with him until I heard your record. I went and bought his first three LPs. I mean, that was part of the mission.”
With their latest release, GA-20 were able to inspire a new generation of blues fans. “I’ve always thought that if you made a good traditional blues record and presented it a certain way that there’d be audiences that want it,” said Matthew. “The tricky part is getting the radio stations to spin it and to get the reviewers to talk about it.” Thankfully, for GA-20, that hasn’t been a problem with this release. With the combined marketing power of Alligator Records and Colemine, the release has received publicity across the globe. “I know this was not something Alligator has done in the past. Colemine has done other co-releases, but I know it was new for Bruce. We had a few meetings; just to figure out how it worked for everybody. But I think from where I sit, it was successful,” confirms Stubbs.
Having Bruce Iglauer involved with the were rehearsing, I sent him a few emails, and we were in contact. I asked if he had them in the studio, so I can see what kind
Having Bruce Iglauer involved with the project was an added blessing since he was the producer for Hound Dog Taylor’s early output. “I produced the record,” explains Matthew. “What I did do with Bruce was leading up to it - as we were rehearsing, I sent him a few emails, and we were in contact. I asked if he had any pictures that I might not have seen of them in the studio, so I can see what kind of mics they were using. I asked him about what the energy was like in the room and what the sessions were like.” A great way of getting the inside scoop.
With a back catalogue spanning fifty years, which Alligator releases resonate the most with GA-20? “Albert Collins did a lot of cool records with them. Musselwhite has some on there,” states Stubbs. “I tend to stay in the early
“these guys died before I was even listening to blues or alive, and he was hanging out with them in Chicago”
years of Alligator. For me, I don’t go too much past the early 70s in my recreational listening of blues.”
Aside from being one-third of GA-20, Matthew Stubbs has been performing alongside Charlie Musselwhite in his band for many years. “Charlie is a great musician and a great front person,” said Matthew. “He’s one of the best harmonica players alive, but on top of that, it’s just the history that he’s lived. A lot of these blues records, these guys died before I was even listening to blues or alive, and he was hanging out with them in Chicago. Names like Little Walter, Magic Sam, Muddy, and James Cotton - these people seem like they are not real, almost like fantasy or like gods.” Matthew adds that: “Every time I hang out with him, there’s another story I haven’t heard yet, it’s endless. It’s cool to be able to share the stage with someone and learn from a guy like that.”
Moving forward, GA-20 has many irons in the fire. “For us right now, not only do we have a new studio album done and ready, but we have two other albums after that done. So, we have three full lengths ready to go. I think at this point, we’re just all systems go to keep releasing music and tour as much as possible. Anything could change, but that’s the goal. It’s time to get out there and play for people,” said Stubbs. “I think we’re all just ready to go back to work.” And after eighteen months of lockdown and downtime, who can argue with that sentiment.
ga20band.com
During the summer, guitar virtuoso Robben Ford released his first wholly instrumental guitar album since ‘Tiger Walk’ in 1997. The gifted guitarist’s latest offering, which is titled ‘Pure’ was recorded during the lockdown. You could say that it was a product of the pandemic.
by Adam Kennedy Images: Mascha PhotographyAlthough whilst many artists recorded lockdown albums as touring dried up, for Ford his reasoning was quite the opposite. “I came out to Nashville to get off the road,” explains Robben. “I wanted to cut down on the touring and travelling. And so, my idea was to produce records. And it started to happen.”
Being based out of Music City, production jobs started to roll in for the versatile artist. “I did complete one record. An album with Daniel Donato called ‘A Young Man’s Country’. And so, I pulled that one off at the end of the year - Dec/Jan of 2019/20,” explains Ford. “I was producing John Jorgensen – a great guitarist. I was in pre-production with Paul Franklin – a great steel guitar player, and I was writing for him. Also, right at the beginning of the year - January 2020, I did an instrumental album with Bill Evans, the tenor player. Bill and I have already done one. It hasn’t been released yet, the second one. So, I was very active.”
However, partway through 2020, the pandemic woes start to set in. “By April, the projects are cancelled, for the time being,” said Robben. “I wondered what I was going to do with myself. And I thought - I’ll produce my own record. So, I’m still the producer, but I was going to be the artist too.” However, Robben wasn’t sure if the record company would buy into the project he had in mind. “I got in touch with the record company, and I said, are you ready for me to do my second record for you? And they said – yes. I said I think I’d like it to be an instrumental album. Because I was just in this instrumental place.” Fortunately, the label granted Robben his wish, and the green light was given, for ‘Pure’ to go ahead.
Instrumental music requires a different trail of thought, as opposed to composing music with lyrics. “I’ve always loved the lyrical players. I like the lead instrument to sound like it’s talking to me. Not playing things at me or to me, you know, it’s talking to me. I love melodies,” explains Ford. “My heroes are - Paul Desmond was my first, the alto player for the Dave Brubeck Quartet - he wrote ‘Take Five’. Miles Davis became a big hero, and he’s a very vocal player. He’s talking to you when he plays.”
When playing guitar music, the use of space is vital. It’s like Miles Davis famously said: ‘It’s not about notes you play, it’s the notes you don’t play”. Robben Ford certainly agrees with the sentiment of his former employer. “The space is important, whatever the instrument,” confirms Ford. “I learned how to play the guitar listening to horn players; and BB King, people like that. And the great blues players all use space. I gravitated towards people who sound like they’re talking to me. They’re telling me a story of some kind.” Robben adds that “There are way too many notes for me in most guitar players who are great guitar players. I admire it tremendously, but I’ve never been that guy.”
Of course, Robben Ford played with the great Miles Davis and featured on the artist’s 2011 album ‘Tutu’. Speaking about Miles, Ford said that “He was terrifying. He knew it, and he used it. But ultimately, he was not trying to dominate you. He was trying to get you to step up to the situation, and not be afraid of him. He was playing with you. And so, it was very daunting.” A valuable insight into perhaps one of the greatest musicians of all time.
“When Miles was in the room, it was his world. Everybody spoke less,” said Ford. “The most important aspect of my experience, or the biggest takeaway, for me, was confidence. Because I figured it out - if I’m going to swim in these waters, I need to man up to it. People would just get scared, and they wouldn’t know what to do. And I went, there’s no point in my being here
enjoy it. Again, the gigs were good. We enjoyed playing once we were on the bandstand everybody was happy to be playing. That was the best part of the day.”
if I’m going to be like that. So, I just made the decision that I was just going to be myself - it took nerve.” Over time Robben Ford figured out how to deal with his bandleader. “He would say something salty to you - he would just be poking you. And I would say something back. And he would laugh. I didn’t see other people doing that. So, I’m kind of proud of myself for that,” confirms Ford.
With the return of some semblance of normality within the live music scene, Robben Ford has returned to touring this year. The artist was recently performing in Europe, although this new paradigm of pandemic era touring is somewhat different to what he is used to. “It was very difficult,” said Ford. “The tour initially was booked in 2019 for 2020. And that didn’t happen - it was cancelled. And so, over time, between the original booking of the tour, and the way it wound up, it was reduced in size, and the shows were farther apart.”
Touring internationally has added a new level of complications to an already challenging market. “It was really brutal. And, of course, you had to have a COVID test to go into each country. So, between leaving and coming back, I had seven COVID tests in there. You go to the airport, and you go to the COVID test office. It just added another layer of discomfort,” said Ford. “I didn’t
Subsequently, the esteemed artist has played some shows closer to home. “I did seven or eight dates in the Midwest, North Midwest, Chicago, all the way out to Massachusetts, Connecticut, and I enjoyed that a little bit more,” said Robben. “We were on the ground; there were no flights. That was a little bit more fun. But I am not attracted to touring so much. It needs to be easy - and now it’s harder than ever.”
Moving forward, Robben Ford is currently focusing on his guitar tuition website. “I have something called the Robben Ford Guitar Dojo - it’s an instructional site. Its currently subscription-based with a tonne of content - courses, individual lessons, riffs. There is something called no talking, where I play interviews with well-known talent here in Nashville,” said Robben. “There is a story hour where I tell the story of meeting Miles Davis; or when I worked with Joni Mitchell, George Harrison, or Jimmy Witherspoon. And it’s just a tonne of content. So that is number one for me, certainly when I’m off the road, and I don’t want to go on the road. So, I’m enjoying the dojo, and that is where I put my time.”
However, UK based fans of the US guitarist do not despair. Robben concludes by stating that:
“I’m supposed to be in England at Ronnie Scott’s with Bill Evans in March.” Something to look forward to for sure.
‘Pure’ by Robben Ford is out now via ear music. For further details about the artist’s guitar tutorials, please visit www.robbenfordguitardojo.com/
“When Miles was in the room, it was his world!”
The beauty of the Californian based outfit is that their sound traverses a wide spectrum of music. In that respect, it’s difficult to put them in one box. The band’s latest release covers all stylings of the root’s music genre. Robert Jon and the Wreck incorporate blues, rock, country, and southern rock seamlessly and effortlessly throughout their latest album.
There is an anthemic quality to the title track itself, which grabs your attention at the top of the release. Subsequently, the cheerful sounds of “Everyday” is most welcome. The uplifting nature of each of these songs feels particularly pertinent during these dark times that we have endured during the pandemic.
Robert Jon and the Wreck have a knack for writing songs that are real earworms. On their last album, the hit single “Oh Miss Carolina” was certainly that. During their latest release, “Ain’t No Young Love Song”, has all the same hallmarks. Furthermore, the group pays homage to the timeless and beloved medium of “Radio” with a track of the same name.
The windy city is synonymous with the blues - as a result, the song “Chicago” feels perfectly fitting on this release. With an intro that is oozing with Steve Maggiora’s astounding keyboard licks and Robert Jon Burrison’s soulful and heartfelt vocal - the song certainly hits the spot.
With back-to-back albums as strong as Thor himself, perhaps there is a light at the end of the tunnel for Robert Jon and the Wreck.
ADAM KENNEDY
As a musician who understands blues music with a deep knowledge and enduring affection, any new work from Jools Holland is a wonderful experience, and this album is no exception. Including a diverse variety of contributors, this is a wide-ranging runthrough of musical styles, all played impeccably, as you would expect from a musician of Holland’s experience and pedigree. The real pleasure of this collection is not only how various and eclectic the styles and deliveries are, but how Holland matches each of his guests’ musical ability note for note. On the duets with keyboard luminaries like Booker T Jones, Rick Wakeman, Jamie Cullum and Herbie Hancock, Holland meshes seamlessly and matches each of them note for note, and style for style, and that speaks eloquently of his supreme skill as a pianist. His wonderfully sensitive backing to David Gilmour’s Blues For The End Of Time shows that he would be a perfect fit if Pink Floyd ever decided to play again. There is hard-rockin’ boogie, Hard Times, with his old friend, sax legend David Sanborn, who cut his teeth with Paul Butterfield. There is reggae on Surfin’ with Yolanda Brown, and an out-there re-working of St. Louis Blues with jazz legend Herbie Hancock. And on each and every one, Holland is a musical match, his versatility as a musician and his technical skill shining ever brighter with each successive track. Blues fans will rejoice to hear Joe Bonamassa’s Requiem, and Rockin’ The Boogie is a flat-out heads-down, see-you-at-the-end romp with Rick Wakeman, which was clearly massive fun for both of them. The final track, Nan’s Pianola is a tribute to the instrument Jools first played, his grandmother’s pianola, and its long-lasting influence on his life and career. This is a fabulous piece of work, and its sheer variety and invention, coupled with Jools Holland’s matchless skills not only as a facilitator in getting such a diverse line-up of musical legends on one album, but also as a piano player of consummate feel and technical ability. Hugely recommended for repeated listening.
“This is a fabulous piece of work”PHOTO: Mary McCartney
Warren Haynes and company hit a creatively fertile period during the lockdown. The group recorded not one but two new albums simultaneously. Perhaps time to rejoice for fans of the US-based jam band. The initial creative output to be released from this period is their first-ever traditional blues album – ‘Heavy Load Blues’.
The band’s latest offering features covers of a whole raft of blues greats. However, rather than recording the songs like for like, the group has brought their distinctive jam band stylings to the proceedings. Gov’t Mule’s take on the Junior Well’s classic “Snatch It Back” is a perfect example of this. The interesting point about this song is that despite Wells being one of the greats of the blues harp, it features no harmonica. The arrangement sees Haynes grappling with Junior’s parts vocally and on guitar, to great effect. It’s one of the standout tracks on the album, and no wonder it was chosen as a recent single.
Other covers include Mule’s take on the Bobby “Blue” Bland standard “Ain’t No Love (In The Heart of the City)” and Ann Peeble’s classic “Breaking Up Somebody’s Home”. Of course, many of the artists featured on the album are sadly no longer with us. However, the band chose a more recent song to cover by way of living legend Tom Waits and their take on “Make It Rain”. The latter, in turn, illustrates the breadth of the band’s influences.
Original compositions such as “Heavy Load” showcases a side of Gov’t Mule that is rarely heard. With its stripped-back acoustic arrangement, the song is traditional blues at its best.
One thing Gov’t Mule has never been afraid of doing is pushing themselves creatively and artistically, and ‘Heavy Load Blues’ is a testament to this. It may be the band’s first-ever traditional blues album, but on the strength of this release, let’s hope it’s not their last.
ADAM KENNEDYThe Taylor family from Chicago have the blues coursing through their veins from the fifties. Eddie and Vera Taylor are the parents of Brenda Taylor. Both of them had a distinguished career in the blues, most notably Eddie, who in his past was a guitarist with Muddy Waters, Howlin’Wolf, and Jimmy Reed to name but a few. Surprisingly this is the first album that Brenda and her Chicago Band have recorded. Sweet Home Chicago, kicks off the album in a rather more subdued manner to which we are more familiar. Instead of banging out the vocals, Taylor adopts a more subtle, but very satisfying approach to this Robert Johnson classic. There are four songs on the album that are written by Taylor herself, and a couple that was penned by her parents. I Found Out, written by Vera Taylor, is a fine blues tune. Brenda treats it with reverence and almost an understated charm. Her vocals are silky smooth, and I feel that there is plenty left in the pipes to be brought to the fore when needed. Help Me, written by Willie Dixon and Rice Miller, allows Brenda Taylor to treat us to her full vocal power. This is what I’ve been waiting for. Her voice is so good, and with the backing of her band, some of whom are related to Brenda Taylor, this is a powerhouse performance of an old blues favourite. I’m already in love with this album, it’s Chicago blues as blues should be played, simple but oh so effective. I Feel So Bad, written by Eddie Taylor, extols the virtues of a songwriter and blues artist that you have been
waiting all your life to hear. Performed by his daughter, it brings back to life such a wonderful blues tune that was largely forgotten about. As well as being a great vocalist, Brenda Taylor is also an adept songwriter as is shown in her song, Smooth Ridin’ Buggy. She seemingly has the whole package, great singer, great band leader, and a songwriter of worthy note. I love this album a lot.
STEPHEN HARRISONCarolyn Wonderland has been playing for past three years with John Mayall’s Blues Breakers. Now she has signed with Alligator Records, she is the first female guitarist on the label, and this is her best album yet, full of differing musical styles and interesting guests including Marcia Ball and Cindy Cashdollar. Ten fabulous songs include five punchy originals. The production by Dave Alvin is sublime and it was recorded in Austin Texas. Fragile Peace And Certain War opens the album. This is a song about universal truth, a galvanizing tune of hope. Texas Girl And Her Boots addresses Texan politics and has wry lyrics, a fun tune. Broken Hearted Blues is a collaborative tune with a bass line cutting through by Greg Rzab on this one. Fortunate Few, relates to life on the road as an artist and the temptations of overindulgence. Crack In The Wall is a beautiful song, honest and powerful lyrics this is a highlight. The laws Must Change, written by John Mayall, here Carolyn makes it her own with a fine version.
Honey Bee is a dance floor filler, full of rhythm and great drumming by Kevin Lance and pacy accordion by Jan Fleming. On My Feet Again is a song dedicated to one of her truest fans, very poignant tune. Last two songs are mighty covers, Bob Dylan’s It Takes A Lot
To Laugh and Grateful Dead’s Loser, a real crowd pleaser. Something for every music listener here, highly recommended.
COLIN CAMPBELL
Recorded in Nashville with producer Tom Hambridge who co-wrote all original songs, plays drums and contributes backing vocals. Opening track, You Wanna Rock? You Gotta Learn
The Blues is a barnstorming slow blues featuring Barnes’ roughhewn and powerful vocals and sensational slide guitar from Pat Buchanan. The sentiments of that song set out Barnes’ blueprint for the album that follows. When Koko Came
To Town is a biographical piece of hokum which name checks all the great blues artists who Barnes shared a stage with in his early days, Koko Taylor, Pinetop Perkins and Johnny
Copeland. Quid Pro Quo is a catchy rocker featuring a punchy horn section but my favourite track here is the autobiographical ballad
Dig Me featuring heavy guitars and wailing Hammond organ from Kevin McKendree. This music is loud, brash, boastful, romping, stomping and sometimes leavened with humour but well played and always very entertaining. Bluesy harp from Pat Buchanan introduces the funky Creamy Caramel Cafe as Barnes half-spoken vocal tells a late-night tale involving many risqué double entendres. The heavy riffing guitars of Kettle Black have echoes of ZZ Top. Texas Weiner is a party style romp about a hot dog truck owner who thinks his chef’s special is preferable to Barnes’ own sausage. We close with I Like Cleavage which is a good-natured celebration that does what it says on the tin. Amen to that. I enjoyed this album and it’s probably just what we need after the recent tough times.
DAVE DRURY
Here on their second release, they bring a rockier tone throughout that is still blues rooted in evolvement of sound. Upbeat, pacy and full of catchy anthemic tunes, twelve originals, start with I Can’t Fight This Feeling, which has a stunning rock riff, Aaron Bond really intensifying things from the start. Grace Bond’s slide mandolin
licks really sharpen the tune
certainly dreamed of slow
I Slow Danced With Joni Mitchell as Barnes croons softly (well almost) of realising some of his dreams. I certainly dreamed of slow dancing with Joni back in the 60’s. Aah well! We are soon back to the boastful Barnes with the thumping rocker Chicks
The very cool looking lady on the front cover in the great outfit delivers. This album is produced beautifully, eight tracks on her ninth album. These guys know what they are doing, and the sound that emerges from every track is proof of that expertise and the confidence of a group of musicians who know each other. From influences of Gospel to Honky Tonk, of times gone by soul
Never Coming Home, slow tempo Grace delivering fine vocals. He’ll Drive You Crazy is cigar box guitar style with attitude, this was co-written with producer Adam Bowers who captures an organic natural reverb in the studio. The emotional ballad, Don’t Tell Me Goodbye is a dark themed tune, a real heartstring tugger. Do You Remember My Name has a dynamic of its own complimented by Grace’s electric mandolin artistry. Have No Doubt About It; is a strong emotive song driven by ethereal violin tones. Eye Of A Hurricane lets Aaron take lead vocals on an atmospheric track, very anthemic in structure. Testify is another anthem which will be a real crowd pleaser, a great song to rock out on! Shoot The Breeze brings twelve bar blues tones. Lost And Found is a song about survival, with some excellent slide guitar. Talking In My Sleep is full of lovely harmonies, a hopeful tune. Last song is Make A Grown Man Cry which is heavy rock, the drums were recorded outside in a treehouse. No fillers, this is a solid articulate lyrical melodious recording.
times gone by and
COLIN CAMPBELL“No fillers, this is a solid articulate lyrical melodious recording”Copeland. Quid Pro Quo is
Indigo/Secret
All this material was released in 2003, Disc 2 also appeared as Howlin At The Moon in 2011 (all on Secret). The tracks are taken from John Mayall’s private collection, so definitely an ‘authorised’ live recording with decent sound quality for the period. The two discs feature very different bands. Disc 1 is from 1972-73 with the Jazz-Blues Fusion band: Blue Mitchell (trumpet), either Clifford Solomon or Red Holloway (sax), Freddie Robinson (guitar), Victor Gaskin (acoustic bass) and Keef Hartley on drums. The sound is a blend of jazz and blues with plenty of extended tunes providing features for all the front-line players. Mayall fills in on piano or guitar while his band members demonstrate their prowess and handles vocals and harp in
his familiar style. The material is mainly original, just one cover sitting alongside Mayall’s compositions, several of which appear not to have made any of his many albums. Highlights include the swinging Next Time Around driven along by drums and electric piano before everyone solos intensively, one of three tunes that run to over ten minutes; the sole cover, Horace Silver’s Filthy McNasty, is a modern jazz version of the blues, with scintillating trumpet from Blue Mitchell. Disc 2 is from 1980-82 and features smaller bands. Red Holloway remains on sax for the first four tracks (check out his barnstorming tenor solo on Caught In The Middle, but thereafter it’s a quartet of former Bluesbreakers: guitarist Mick Taylor returning to the fold after his spell with the Stones, drummer Colin Allen and either John McVie (presumably during some Fleetwood Mac hiatus) or Steve Thompson on bass. Highlights include the slow blues Sitting Here Alone and Taylor’s great slide work on Rolling With The Blues and Howlin’ Moon. Mayall gives us his harmonica tour de force Room To Move and the album closes with the sole cover, Freddie King’s The Stumble, the original Mayall cover being on the Hard Road album with Peter Green. Any Mayall fan without the earlier versions will be delighted to acquire this set.
JOHN MITCHELLthroughout, every track has depth and Diane’s voice sits a top like she’s floating on the great sound and… oh just a little in charge of these great musicians who love being around her and being her musical mattress, that’s how it feels anyway. Wish It Would Rain, just wow, Diane’s voice and Yoel B, nai Yehuda on keyboards, Good News opuses old school 70’s Soul Train Classic and Put A Lid On It, the title track of the album is pure honky tonk, rousing stuff. Sweet with a feeling of the power to come Diane’s voice suits all the genres of music that this album is influenced by, internationally recognised as a singer/songwriter this sassy lady has ensured she is surrounded by a wonderful array of instruments played by masters, 13 musicians in total, no wonder some of the songs have a big band feel to them. Defined by The Rock n Roll Hall of Fame as “music that rose out of the black experience”, this lady and her troupe pay homage and add their own stamp to great musicians and singers of old.
JEAN KNAPPITTJohnny Fuller endured the same fate as many of his contemporaries, suffering from the brevity of tenure of his many small record labels. Thanks to the collection of a large selection of his better work collected on this two-disc collection, we are spared the need to search for seriously hard-to-find individual singles, and can enjoy the restored sounds
that still echo plaintively to a harder and more difficult time for itinerant bluesmen in the USA. It’s Your Life carries everything you need to understand blues music, a broken vocal lamenting a faithless woman, spare guitar and piano, some wailing harp, and some laid-back beats. The gospel-tinged Hammond of Fool’s Paradise underlines another heartfelt soul-breaking vocal, as Johnny laments his treatment by another in an endless line of feckless women. Although a Mississippi native, Fuller’s family re-located to California to escape the grinding poverty of the South, resulting in Fuller’s experience being that of the West Coast blues scene. Fuller’s lack of success in riding the re-discovery of authentic blues masters by the growing white blues scene of the UK in the 1960’s meant he missed out on the European package tours enjoyed by his contemporaries who found their careers revitalised by white Britishers younger than their own children. Fuller’s most successful recording was Haunted House which was covered by Jumpin’ Simmons (where the Kiss bassist found his stage name) and a cracking reworking by the late lamented legendary Roy Buchanan. Songs like Restless certainly steered away from the purist blues cuts of his earlier releases, veering almost into crooner territory. Again, like so many of his contemporaries, Johnny Fuller never enjoyed the success his variety of songs and wonderful blues voice deserved, he worked from 1968 to 1983 as a car mechanic and died in 1985 aged only fifty-six. This collection serves as an excellent introduction to Fuller’s style and influence, and it reminds us that we should have looked after our blues influences better than we did, given the wonderful variety of music
“Any Mayall fan without the earlier versions will be delighted to acquire this set”
and influences they left to us all.
ANDY HUGHESClarence ‘Frogman’ Henry earned his singular nickname for the interval vocals he performed on songs like Ain’t Got No Home, where his voice did indeed sound like it might be coming from an inhabitant of the local lily pond. Henry’s is known over in the UK for his Top Ten singles, the aforementioned Ain’t Got No Home, together with I Don’t Know Why I Love You, and You Always Hurt The One You Love. He enjoyed unique exposure to American audiences when he opened for The Beatles on eighteen shows of an America and Canada tour. Henry’s credentials as a bluesman are top rate, a native of New Orleans, he spent his teenage years sneaking into clubs to hear Fats Domino and Professor Longhair, before returning home to learn their songs. This collection shows that Henry’s hit singles were pretty much standard examples of his vocal and piano-playing style, virtually every cut featuring a jaunty and cheerful musical backdrop, even if the stories told are not universally uplifting. There are authentic blues songs, On Bended Knees, but somehow, Henry’s voice maintains an undercurrent of relentless optimism that seems to dilute any of the seriously heart-breaking vocal styling that the genre usually requires. The album moves on with Oh Why, once again a jaunty rhythm and cheerful sax, with Henry sounding honestly
nothing like lonely and hurt, as he advises he is through is typically strong and healthy vocal. A non-typical cut, and a pleasant change, is Your Picture, which sounds like the sort of song parents and longterm marrieds of the time hearing it, would pin it down as ‘their song’ with its slow swing and full-throated sax break. The accompanying booklet advises that Henry is enjoying a well-deserved ‘elder statesman’ status of r‘n’b at the age of eightyfour, having survived Hurricane Katrina, along with his extensive memorabilia collection. The inside back page photo shows Henry with The Beatles, a reminder of his fame level, when The Beatles were still learning to be how they was, before they were.
ANDY HUGHESHOT DRAFT PRODUCTION
Due to the pandemic over the last year and a half, the live music scene has suffered around the globe. This includes Russia, where there has been a massive interest in the blues scene thanks to Boris Litvintsev. To tackle the obstacle in 2020, Boris decided to do this on a zoom/internet platform. And thank God he did. This 15-disc boxset covers the most influential and upcoming British Blues artists around. Each artist recorded their perfor-
Last year octogenarian Dion released one of the freshest, most vibrant blues records of the year, full of top shelf guest musicians but more importantly, full of brilliantly written and performed new compositions. And guess what, he’s gone and done it again! There is one cover this time, but Red House is given a total make over by Dion and Keb ’Mo, turning it into a Delta Blues masterclass. Opener Take Me Back features Joe Bonamassa and is full of swing, swagger, and strut with a great chorus. G.E. Smith adds some Southern menace to Hey Diddle Diddle which is followed by Mark Knopfler bringing his distinctive playing to the Latin flavoured Dancing Girl. The treasure keeps coming, with a rejuvenated Eric Clapton contributing guitar to If You Wanna Rock ‘N’ Roll, sounding as he did in his 20’s. Then we get There Was A Time with Peter Frampton on guitar, a big epic song augmented with a fat brass section. You know what Sonny Landreth brings to the party and he doesn’t disappoint on Cryin’ Shame. The Night Is Young follows, a timeless love song with emotive playing
provided by Joe Menza. Steve Conn is a master NOLA pianist and adds his talent to the wonderful Dr John tribute That’s What The Doctor Said. Title track My Stomping Ground has Billy Gibbons is top form, his playing is all over this raucous blues rock tune. Angel In The Alleyway is simply stunning, it’s almost spiritual with Patti Scialfa’s layered vocals a highlight of the whole album so much so that Bruce Springsteen almost becomes overlooked. Dion and Boz Skaggs clearly had fun recording I’ve Got To Get To You, a funny, swinging super song. Marcia Ball and Jimmy Vivino guest on I Got My Eyes On You Baby and the album closes with the lovely Ricki Lee Jones singing I’ve Been Watching, which includes a stunning guitar solo from co-producer Wayne Hood. If you only buy one blues album this year buy this one. STEVE YOURGLIVCH
“If you only buy one blues album this year, buy this one”
Rhythm & Blues Records
The title of this two-disc collection may mislead the casual reader, expecting the term ‘funk’ to cover a particular style of disco-tinged modern disco music. But genres are moveable feasts, especially for vintage musical styles which lacked collective descriptions until the advent of radio stations tagging specific musical styles. That meant that in the nineteen-forties, the term ‘funk’ was a loose adjective for slow-swing rhythm and blues music, and quite a few styles either side of it. That’s why the sinewy jazz-tinged sound of a live version of the Ahmad Jamal Trio’s Poinciana can sit next to the classic r ‘n’ b of Bill Doggett’s Hold It, because both fit in perfectly with the collection’s requirement, they both posses ‘funk’ in the widest sense of the word. The compilers of this selection clearly started out with a remit involving as few stylistic constrictions as possible, and the
result is all the better for it. The label may say Drits and Dravy back in 1960, but the vocal is clearly a youthful Doctor John and Talk Tha Talk is exactly what they do. Given that almost of all Ike Turner’s reputation was eclipsed entirely by wife Tina, it’s a sign of things to come, back in 1960, where the star is Tina’s on-the-edge screams and declamations of love and desire as she conveys potentially serious but clearly worthwhile damage via I Idolise You. The second disc in the collection definitely favours a more soulful aspect, but here at BM Towers, we abhor musical snobbery, and we try very hard not to get bogged down in labels and narrow stylings which simply shut of avenues of marvellous music which can be explored by anyone who likes to keep their mind, as well as their ears, wide open The swinging twelve-bar magic of the gloriously named Roosevelt Fountain’s Pens Of Rhythm on Red Pepper, would be a grievous loss to fans of great vintage r ;n’ b. A wonderful collection, forty-nine tracks, and not a duff one among them. Very highly recommended.
mances from this side of the world to great effect. The first disc comprises a mixture of the artists performing one song each. The very first track, Don’t Worry Baby, Just Call, is performed by Mike Ross. It’s a kind of Americana that meets the blues with a laid-back, country/blues approach. Not being someone that I’m familiar with, I enjoyed it. Kitchen Table, by Bex Marshall, sounds like it should have an Italian story attached to it. Fear not, this is as blues as can be albeit with the deeps south of America as its close cousin. Owen Houlston gives a mighty fine rendition to the John Lee Hooke Classic, Crawling Kingsnake. Then there are fourteen individual discs containing the live set by each artist. Ron Sayer performs one of his tracks, Don’t Make Me Stay, as well as storming through possibly the most covered of all blues tunes, Crossroads. Julian Burdock impressed me so much with his tune Broken Hearted Man, as well as the instrumental, Morning Coffee With Whisky. There are sets by Ash Wilson, Dom Martin, and Richard Townend, none of them need any introduction from me. Ash sings one of his tunes during his set, Show Me How To Love You, with the kind of delivery one has come to expect from such a gifted artist, as does Richard Townend with the title track of his latest album, Ticket to Memphis. Dom Martin, a brilliant blues artist from Northern Ireland, laments us with Antrim Blues, very apt I thought to myself. I have only one gripe about this magnificent boxset, I can’t write enough about it because of a lack of space. This whole festival has been so well put together during such difficult times, allowing us to hear the cream of established and upcoming British Blues
artists. Congratulations Boris, you have done us all proud.
STEPHEN HARRISONWell, it’s one of those stories, isn’t it? There you are, busking away on your fiddle, and who should happen to pass by but Ronnie Earl. Next thing you’re playing on stage with him. Happens all the time. Of course, it helps if you’re a classically trained violinist. This is her fourth release since then and it’s four years on from the previous Subway Stories. There is no doubt that she is an excellent fiddle player, and I should know having been brought up by my fiddle playing and making Great Uncle George. Musically the fiddle is firmly rooted in the world of country blues and very rarely strays from a mid-tempo sound. The basic tracks were put down by Johnny Burgin and his band a couple of years back before being finished off by Ms. Katz Katz in 2020. It’s a very pleasant sound and when the guitar and fiddle play off each other it borders on the very good. You’ll find that on the better songs such as Time To Go and Downtown With The Devil. Vocally, I’ve got to admit, I found things to be a bit one dimensional. It’s a light, sweet voice but in some places, I found myself looking for that (musical term alert) oomph. The record sounds good, though, so a round of applause to producer, Ghost Town Blues Band bandleader Matt Isbell. However, if you’re looking for some jazzy fiddle licks, swampy blues sounds and something that’s just a wee bit different, then give this a go.
STUART A HAMILTON“forty-nine tracks, and not a duff one among them”
Fine vocals, fluid guitar playing, rich piano, and lyrics crafted to give you comfort and hope. Ericson Holt lives in Key West, Florida, and performs across the USA, especially in Chicago and Nashville. There’s a lot of thought and hard work gone into these ten self-penned songs. I was really pleased to find an 8-page booklet of the lyrics with the CD, because apart from his proficiency on piano and guitar, this man’s a poet. The title track, 99 degrees has some life-affirming lines; ‘And it’s 99 degrees in the shade/ and I’m walking down an old dirt road/so good to feel the sun on my face/oh Lord, oh Lord’. The band is well worthy of praise, including Kevin McKendree on B-3 organ, Joe MacMahan on guitars, David Santos on bass and Kenneth Blevins on drums. Track five, the slowly thoughtful Sweet on You, is as fine a love song as you can get. Is this a blues album? Well, it has blues at its heart, but Holt’s sensitive delivery and his range of emotions, even his voice, to some degree, put me in mind of Springsteen. There’s as terrific song titled Walkin’ on Bourbon Street which grabs your mind and gently drops it into New Orleans with the line ‘We’ve been stuck in this 9 to 5 / but I can feel the Gulf breeze blowin’’. It’s also a love letter to Professor Longhair, Dave Bartholomew and Fats Domino, all delivered in true Dr. John style. This is Americana of the highest standard, and it proves what a musical craftsman Ericson Holt is. Highly recommended.
ROY BAINTONNow here we have a guy who truly puts his whole life into the blues. A former director of The Blues Foundation based in Memphis all profits from all of his album sales go towards the support of two of the Foundations projects. Mick “Mississippi Mick” Kolassa is back with just such a new release. Twelve tracks just oozing blues from every bar. Eleven originals and one cover segueing together three tunes. However, should you go trawling through his catalogue, and you will find that Wasted Youth is not actually his latest. He has also just released mid October a new Christmas album as well. If we put that off to the side what we have here is a very fine collection of tuneage reeking of Memphis and the Blues. Mick has managed to create a thoroughly modern album which, somehow, sits very comfortably alongside the sounds from former times. For example the aching love song about separation, Touching Bass, rolls along with a steady gait redolent of some smoky club from the forties. This is quickly followed up by the trio of songs combined under Darkness To Light. So you get a medley of War’s Slipping Into Darkness, The Youngbloods’ Darkness Darkness and finally Wayfaring Stranger. Set to an almost Reggae rhythm, and with unusual but exquisite violin solos, they all work really well together. Throwing Away These Blues and the title track open the album up. The former implores us to not let life get
It’s easy to forget about bands that were around at the beginning of the 70s then broke up soon afterward. That’s seemingly the case here, but what a band they were. Vinegar Joe was a blues, rock, rock’n’ roll band that was hi-octane, to say the least. Elkie Brooks and Robert Palmer were a huge part of this band’s make-up, alongside guitarist and writer Pete Gage. I’ve never forgotten the power of Elkie Brooks vocals, or that of Robert Palmer, but it’s so nice to be reminded. This is a 3-disc boxset that starts off with the very first album recorded in 1972. The first track, Rusty Red Armour, is a perfect song to kick off this boxset. Raw, gutsy, and full of passion, Elkie Brooks grabs you by the throat and throws you against the wall. This sets the stall out for the rest of it. The whole band is so tight and full-on, with every tune they deliver. Fine guitar from Gage, Steve York engaging on bass and harmonica what’s not to like? Ride Me Easy Rider, is such a powerful blues tune delivered with heavy backing from the band. Disc 2 is the album, Rock ‘N’ Roll Gypsies which catapulted the band skywards as soon as it was released. The title track of the album is one of my all-time favourite Vinegar Joe tunes. Mike Deacon joined the band on this album, and his keyboard work speaks for itself. Amongst the original cuts on this album there are a couple of covers, Whole Lotta Shakin’ Goin’ On, which could have been written for this band judging on this rendition, and Angel, previously recorded by Jimi Hendrix. Both are treated with the utmost respect and elegance. Vinegar Joe is at the top of their game here. Throw in Falling, written by Robert Palmer and No One Ever Do, written by Gage, and what you have is musical gold. Six Star General completes this wonderful trip down memory lane. Proud To Be (A Honky Woman) is simply magnificent. Such feeling and passion from all concerned. The duo of Brooks and Palmer, vocally and writing-wise certainly helped to make this band what it is. But let’s not forget the other fine musicians involved. They all played their part admirably. Treat yourself to this wonderful piece of musical nostalgia. You’ll be glad that you did.
STEPHEN HARRISON
This band is completely new to me, but that’s part of why I love doing what I do, writing for BM. Ten tracks that start with Run Too Far. The main vocalist in the band is a lady by the name of, Bekkah Moses, who has an incredible vocal. Right from the get-go her voice draws you into the song, which is backed by guitar courtesy of Kim King. Nasty Days, Funky King, Precious Grace, quite a mouthful, is a funk/rock number that has Steve Jones taking over the vocals.
It has a more funky vibe than the opening track, which then veers more towards the rock end of the scale. Please Don’t Judas Me, has way more blues connotations, once again featuring the wonderfully dulcet tones of Bekkah Moses. Lyrically this tune leans heavily towards the blues, musically it leans more towards the rockier edge.
us down whilst the rougher Wasted Youth shows us that we can really only appreciate youth with the benefit of hindsight. Edge Of A Razor rounds things off with three simple acoustic guitars with guest Albert Castiglia on slide. A very tasty album indeed!
GRAEME SCOTTA blues/rock song that I liked from the first note. Just Got Back From Babys is pure blues. This is what this album has been threatening to produce from the start. Once again, Bekkah Moses shines with her voice that somewhat put me in mind of Black Velvet, recorded by Alannah Myles. This is by no means a parody of that song, but rather a performance that shows the enormous potential that Bekkah Moses has at her disposal. Fine guitar work from Kim King and Jon Epstein throughout the whole album help make the rockier side of the band sound as good as they are.
There are mixtures musically that are entwined in differing songs, from a soft acoustic build to a crescendo of hard rock, back down to sultry blues, and everything in between. I think that there is huge potential for Uncle Watson’s Widow to become a bonafide blues band if they so wish. This album is a good start towards that potential.
Born in Warren, Michigan, into a musical family, Josh Steven Ford is an accomplished singer, songwriter, multi-instrumentalist and renowned slide guitarist. Finding A New Gear is the 13th album from Detroit’s veteran blues journeyman. With Josh are Johnny Rhoades on guitar and vocals, Todd Glass on drums, Alex Lyon on bass (2,6,7,10) Chris Smith on bass (3,4,5,8) with Keith Kaminski on Saxophone and Walter White on trumpet (2,3,6,8). Finding a new gear consists of eight original songs (several co writes with his wife, Stacia Petrie Ford) and two covers. The album opens with I Got That Friday Feeling, a grooving upbeat blues with a nice guitar solo, celebrating the working man’s weekend. Next up is I Was Born Ready, which bounces along to some nice horn blowing and a tuba rhythm from John Rutherford giving this enjoyable song a New Orleans danceable swing. The horn section is very prominent on the soulful Albert Collins style shuffle If You Ain’t Havin’ Fun It’s Your Own Damn Fault. I’m On Fire, a catchy blues rocker with some
good guitar work, rips through like a tornado. A change of pace, the witty tale of Getting Old Sucks is played out to a late-night cabaret rhythm, smooth and easy. This is followed by a reworking of an old Motor City Josh fan favourite Big Girl Reimagined into a playful Barry White flavoured soul blues. The excellent title track Finding A New Gear, which showcases some first rate horns and guitar playing. Closing the album with two covers, a solo effort from Josh on the bright and breezy old Wilson Picket chestnut Don’t Let The Green Grass Fool You should get the dance floor grooving, and the Otis Reading soulful ballad That’s How Strong My Love Is closes the album well. There is a subtle humour in the words and music on this very enjoyable fun album of happy blues that should have you moving and grooving.
SHIRLThis was written and recorded in 2019 and held up by the pandemic. So, written in the time of Trump and the impeachment of the President but released two years later following his second impeachment and defeat at the polls. The album paints a dark and dystopian picture of the American South, but it could be true of any part of the US in these times. It isn’t a protest album so much as a statement of the reality of America today while the subtitle of the album’s title references a classic novel of 1935 which imagines
STEPHEN HARRISON
“I think that there is huge potential for Uncle Watson’s Widow”
how the US could be led, blindly, into fascism, using the example of Germany as its model. And so, we move on to the music itself which is sublime and the songwriting which is equally fine. Bell paints brilliantly studied pictures of the American condition from Angola Prison, darkly rocking and very much in the style of Steve Earle, through American Gun dealing with Americans obsession with guns from the point of view of the gun itself, “I’ve got one job and I do it well La, la, la, la, la, la, la, la, la” – or American Blues itself telling a series of tales of the dark side of America. You get the picture. The playing is superb, Bell’s ability to paint a word picture is exceptional and the way he switches between al the various forms of Americana quite remarkable. It is an album that could be depressing but it avoids it because we know that there is another side to the American story that lightens the load and so makes the album more listenable. The track I came back to most is When You’re Dead (Ghost Reflects On His Dire Circumstances), a complex picture of life as a ghost with some stunning slide guitar and harp playing. A fine album, full of variation and one of the most complex I’ve heard in a while.
ANDY SNIPPERMOJO MUSIC
An interesting, at times unexpectedly slick offering from Allen Finney, a US bluesman resident in Sweden, brings twelve tracks often haunted by a light, deft ragtime-blues, Piedmont picking style bubbling just under the surface. Finney is
a popular blues mainstay in the Swedish capital, Stockholm, where he can often be found sitting-in, playing at Brian Kramer’s International Blues Jam. His experience as a musician of note goes back many decades and he has undercurrents of light jazz and Americana rattling around with this, his latest offering. The opening track, Dust won’t Let Go, is a fine example of ragtime-blues picking that sets up the project perfectly. With eleven of the dozen tracks penned by Finney himself, the sole remaining track also has him down as co-writer. Having personally met and seen Finney in action in Sweden in recent years, I know he has an undeniable love and understanding of traditional blues and roots music. And while Picture Window may leave some blues-lovers a tad unsure – especially those who look to, say, Bonamassa, Hendrix or Clapton for their blues kicks, Finney is more of a subtle, secure sort of picker with a need for quiet, contemplative listening at his heart and certainly at the core of this new album.
IAIN PATIENCECHOCOLATE FIREGUARD MUSIC
He’s big in the drum’n’bass world, you know. Ask your children. And he also appears to be big in the Czech Republic judging by the cream of the Czech blues world that have appeared on this record. Of course, he’s a Yorkshireman so I’m sure he’ll be suitably modest about things without a hint of braunging! I must confess to being ever so slightly annoyed that this is the first time I’ve heard his name. I know I don’t get
out much but still. I’ll also be the first to admit that when I saw a CD of cover versions of well-known blues tunes, I sighed a little inside. Not another one. But then he opened his mouth and sang. And I was completely blown away because he can sing. I mean, really sing. Ridiculously well. He kicks off with a run through of Help Me, the Sonny Boy Williamson (II) tune and it’s safe to say that I was sold. I’m not sure who plays what on what as it appears to be a live in the studio set so there is an array of different musicians appearing. But it matters not because by the time he arrives at Who Is He (And What Is He To You), the Bill Withers tune, I’m just utterly besotted with the vibe and the groove. Some of the songs are more basic retreads, I mean no-one needs another version of The Thrill Is Gone, but when he puts a wee spin on things then this is the sound of a real, honest to goodness talent. He can get a bit raunchy as well, as his take on John Lee Hookers Think Twice Before You Go will attest. SRV, Cream and Robert Johnson fans can rest easy with his work, but I was dreading the arrival of Still In Love With You. Now, he may be no Frankie Miller, but when he launches into his higher range, tears were shed. For real.
STUART A HAMILTON
VIZZTONE
A fine helping of eclectically influenced blues and allied genre offerings from Canadian Beaver and Coloradan Stivers, who met and teamed up after both
moving to blues epicenter Austin, Texas. Both have previously cut albums in their own right. Some 11 of the 12 tracks on this collection are written individually or jointly by the two credited artists, and most of the songs appeal on first listen. Some display almost a pop sensibility. Opener, One Condition had me in mind of 1970s era Dave Edmunds and is also notable for a couple of simple but tasty two-chorus solos from guest Kirk Fletcher. There follow excursions into organ-laden southern soul on Hesitate and jump blues on Getting Gone, the latter featuring some Setzeresque licks courtesy of Stivers. Take It Slow is a ballad that sounds like it should have been a hit for Irma Thomas on an obscure New Orleans indie label circa 1960 prior to being covered by the Stones, and Beaver sings it well. Be Alright may be the best Jimmy Reed song Jimmy Reed never wrote, built around a lovely loping behind-the-beat boogie groove, while It’s Love mines a similarly Reedian seam, and Somebody Else Will is reminiscent of BB King. The sole cover is The Falcons’ 1959 R&B hit You’re So Fine, sung by Beaver to simple guitar accompaniment. OK, this review does compare Beaver and Stivers to a lot of other people. But that should be taken as a compliment.
DAVID OSLEREARWIG (CD 4978)
The Blues Never End is a collection of 13 songs in true folk-blues tradition, containing 4 originals and re-workings of some great blues classics. The notes tell us that we’ll hear influences
Mercury
Anything new coming from Eric Clapton will inevitably generate enormous global interest. With ‘Lady in the Balcony’ Clapton settles in a Sussex country house with a few of his band to record an eclectic range of modern blues material ranging across material from his live sets, previous album releases and a few unexpected tracks. Almost all are delivered with Clapton picking acoustic guitar, leading to inevitable comparisons with his previous highest selling, ‘Unplugged’ album from 1992, a standard popular perennial.
The project was initiated as the result of the forced cancellation of Eric Clapton’s concerts scheduled for May 2021 at the Royal Albert Hall due to the continued disruption caused by the pandemic. Looking for a viable alternative and hoping to keep his options open, he reconvened with his band to the English countryside and staged a concert in the presence of only the participants themselves while letting the cameras roll. (Clapton’s wife Melia, the sole outside observer inspired the Sessions title.) The mostly acoustic set was envisioned to be like an Eric Clapton Unplugged II, but not quite, as three songs are played with electric guitars. The result became far more than simply a sequence of greatest hits. Rather, it’s one of the most intimate and authentic performances of Clapton’s entire career, an offering flush with real insight into the make-up of his indelible catalogue.
With bassist, Nathan East, drummer, Steve Gadd, and Chris Stainton on keys, Clapton turns out a delightful pared-back, stripped-down set of tracks that should please most of his fans. Songs include, Layla – ever a favourite; JJ Cale’s, After Midnight; Key to the Highway; Tears in Heaven, Nobody Knows You When You’re Down and Out, and a couple of tribute tracks to the late Peter Green with Black Magic Woman and Man of the World. Overall, with a few electric flourishes – here played on a hollow-bodied Gibson rather than his trademark Fender Strat –that produce a lighter, almost jazzy feel at times, The Lady in the Balcony is another strong offering from Clapton and one that is pretty well guaranteed enormous success internationally. IAIN PATIENCE
of Cajun, ragtime, old timey, jazz and country, which is quite a broad range. Elly’s crystal-clear vocals emphasise the well-crafted lyrics, which are so obviously important to this artist, who has a social conscience and whose songs carry a strong message. In a cry for tolerance, she tells us that Americans grew up with an incredible richness and variety of music’s and that her intention with the album is to encourage an appreciation and enjoyment of that living diversity. Her finger-picking style is effective, and her slide technique sounds very authentic. The opening track, Let That Liar Alone is a traditional song, but Elly acknowledges Sister Rosetta Tharpe’s version. Skinny Legs Blues, by Elly’s own admission, has been somewhat edited. She left out the bit about the lady slitting the guy’s throat, although I have my suspicions that the lyrics which have been left in would fall into the category of distinctly bawdy blues lyrics. (Unless someone can convince me that “I’ve got somethin’ underneath them that works like a bo’ hog’s eye.” doesn’t mean what I think it means.) Alabama Blues is a heartfelt lament about misogyny in its worst form and Elly’s anger is given vent. There’s such a contrast with the next track The Blues Never End, which is pure poetry put to music. (I Wanna Be Like) Rosie is a Cajun tune, which pays homage to Rosie Ledet, who is worth a tribute song or two. There’s a lovely stripped-down version of Tony Joe White’s As The Crow Flies and Leadbelly’s Black Snake Moan features a Dixieland band. Another Leadbelly song, Old Riley, concludes the album. This one is special to me, having been converted to the blues by, amongst other things, Mungo Jerry’s version of it back in 1971.
STEVE BANKSRichard Ray Farrell returns after a few years with a new album, Life of Leisure. Based in southern Spain the US bluesman has steadily expanded his fan-base in recent years playing as a solo artist at times at major festivals across Europe and the USA. Farrell’s harp playing has often taken something of a back-seat in the past, though his powerful harpwork is always there and exhibits a mastery that may surprise many. A huge fan of the late Paul Oscher, Muddy’s harpman over the years, Farrell plays electric harp on a rack alongside his fretwork, which is as ever top-dollar here. Indeed, if anything, Farrell is on better form than ever with this release. Seven of the eleven tracks here are self-penned while others include covers of Sonny Boy’s Please Forgive and Charles Sheffield’s It’s Your Voodoo Working, a killer track with truly outstanding harpwork throughout. Pace varies with slower, down and dirty blues, traditional roots/ country-blues touches and then gets ramped up with some excellent fretwork and howling harp that is inevitably gonna blow you away. Farrell’s vocal delivery is spot-on and overall this is probably his best album to date and one that should satisfy blues-lovers everywhere. Recorded basically as a live project in Spain, the finishing touches and mastering were done back in the States. Life of Leisure is readily one of the best albums of the year, an absolute blues triumph.
Absolutely classic blues with stunning vocals from Cat Rhodes and her excellent band featuring Donnie Colin on guitars, Shelley Keeton on bass and the whole thing produced by Bryan Morris. Cat’s vocals are sassy and mannered while the band, plus guests, lay down a heavy Blues with influences from all over. The outfit was put together by Producer/songwriter/ Drummer Bryan Morris and his many years of experience with the likes of Maynard Ferguson, Bobby Humphries, the list is as long as my arm, has given him plenty of learning as a musician, band leader and producer. All the tracks here were written by Cat Rhodes except for Koko Taylor’s Voodoo Woman and Only Be Me, which was a combination of Cat Rhodes, Shelley Keeton & Bryan Morris. Their music is a deep and funky Mississippi Delta electric blues and in track after track I found myself getting some serious ass action. The package comprises a perfect meld between Cat Rhodes and the band and there is no way you could see separating them without lessening the impact of the whole. Personal favourites are I Got it a city-funk piece and Funky Blues Shack, heavy funk with more than a touch of Ike & Tina about it. An album that is real fun to listen to and one that is difficult not to dance to.
ANDY SNIPPERThe Mighty Bosscats is of course Richard Townend’s basic band. Townend is one of those rare characters, a roots musician with a foot in many musical camps, never easy to pin-down or stick in a pigeon-hole. He works the blues and Americana end of the business with a sharp eye focussed on life, love, tragedy and triumph. Always backed by his own writing skills and very fine fretwork, Short Stories, his latest offering again highlights the guys powerful, passionate musical views and engaging talent, a wide range of styles anchored in simply true genius and musical treasure. Townend is often likened and compared to another UK guitarist, singer-songwriter Mark Knopfler, and not without good reason. His picking style and delivery is often so similar that you could be easily fooled into thinking that’s who you’re actually listening to. And while many artists would possibly be pissed off to have that burden to carry, Townend seems almost to embrace it, popping out a new album full of Knopfleresque guitar flourishes, sounds and sentiments accompanied by a sharp eye for a catchy storyline every few years. With Short Stories, Townend is on sure-footed, solid ground. This is a delight of a release, a wonderful example of Townend at his best, delivered with nothing short of a lifetime’s experience as a pro-musician and an understanding of just what makes, what it takes for a great album.
Fabulous stuff, as usual. IAIN PATIENCE
Matt Patershuk strikes me as a real frontiersman. He lives up in Alberta, Canada with his wife, two daughters, dogs, cats, horses, and his sheep. He’s also a damn fine songwriter and a crystal-clear vocalist, and the 11 songs here are all his original compositions. The instrumental backing is never intrusive, with a strong traditional downhome country flavour with mandolins, guitars, gentle piano and even a glockenspiel. The songs are sincere, truthful and poetic. I especially liked the six enjoyable minutes spent with the story of Jupiter the Flying Horse, which had echoes of Mr. Bojangles. Turn the Radio Up is a beautiful composition, and Patershuk has an edge of world-weary humour with the unexpected title The 2nd Law of Thermodynamics, which affirms that ‘objects in the universe tend towards disorder’. Einstein would certainly have sung along to this wry observation. The more you listen to this CD the more you realize that Matt Patershuk ought to be on the worldwide radar. The songs put me in mid of many great artists such as Willie Nelson, Waylon Jennings and even, at time, George Jones. His name drops in naturally alongside those of John Prine, Tom Russell or a host of Nashville songsmiths. One song justifies all the praise for this man’s lyricism, track eleven, a beautiful slow dedication to a downtrodden woman, Upright, with its fine harmonies from Keri Latimer. Mat Patershuk is a solid, mature
and erudite performer who deserves to be widely known. If I was in Alberta, I’d be looking for his gigs whenever possible.
ROY BAINTONHOLD IT!
You probably don’t know singer guitarist and bandleader Rene Trossman, unless you live in central Europe. I am willing to bet though that most readers have come across his brother Michael’s work, he created the Alligator Records. Now, that might suggest a Chicago connection and you’d be right. Rene closes with a rather tasty rendition of ‘Sweet Home Chicago’, that’s not conclusive, I grant you, many artists perform it, whether from the Windy City or not. So then, listen to Down At Rosa’s, where Rene checks Rosa’s Lounge (where he used to play in the 80s), and local artists such as Little Mac Simmons and Arlene Brown. He then concludes by saying “that’s how we do it in Chicago”. The lovely swinging accompaniment might make you realise this too. Throughout this very admirable, total blues set, the rhythms are skipping, swinging or as on the slow As The Years Go Passing By (possibly inspired by the superlative version that closes out Fenton Robinson’s second Alligator album), low-down, or slow grinding on This World Is In A Mess. The leader’s guitar work is clean and concise with no trace of a rock influence at all, and his vocals do the job too. The musicians are local, from the Czech Republic, where Rene settled in the 90s, establishing a strong following for his authentic sound. The horns, sax and trumpet, are outstanding,
Sometimes in my remit of Reviews Editor, I get sent albums of unreleased studio and live recordings which can be just rehashed runof-the-mill stuff. Not with this two-set disc. This is so well put together and produced with great information contained in the booklet. The early years of Fleetwood Mac were amongst the most productive songs they ever recorded and played live. After the departure of guitarist Peter Green, the mantle was taken up by Jeremy Spencer and Danny Kirwan, and the introduction of Christine Perfect (McVie) on keyboards. Disc one comprises of early studio and live recordings starting with, Crazy About You (Can’t Hold Out Much Longer). Featuring Christine Perfect on keys and vocals this is a magnificent way to start a stroll down memory lane. Station Man, performed so well by Peter Townsend at last year’s celebration of early Fleetwood Mac and Peter Green is such a wonderful tune. This original version still has a lot to say about itself. The sixteen tracks on disc one are littered with blues songs that FM was known
but then that adjective goes for this set all round.
Recorded in The Jazz Dock Club in Prague in September 2018, this is certainly worth tracking down.
NORMAN DARWENfor producing. In amongst these original tracks are a couple of covers, such as I Can’t Stop Loving Her (Elmore James), which is performed as if their lives depended on it. The big influences on tracks like this were the adoration that came mainly from Jeremy Spencer and Peter Green at the start of the journey. The final four songs on disc one are performed by The Christine Perfect Band that had evolved out of Chicken Shack with Stan Webb. The first track was co-written with Webb, Hey Baby, and is so bluesy and soulful, that it makes you understand what a talented group of musicians Chicken Shack were. Disc two is full of live recordings kicking off with the tune and title track, Madison Blues, another Elmore James song. There are also performances of Preaching Blues and Dust My Broom, both highlighting the blues heart of Fleetwood Mac. An unexpected version of Jailhouse Rock is thrown in for good measure, and the album ends with the blues boogie of Honey Hush. This two-disc set would adorn any blues fan’s collection.
STEPHEN HARRISONRuth Brown may not be a name that instantly comes to mind for modern blues fans, but her impact and influence on blues music is such that it absolutely should. Such was her commercial success when recording for Atlantic Records, that the label is often referred to as ‘the house that Ruth built’ in recognition of the twenty-five r ‘n’ b hits she scored between 1949 and 1961, five of them reaching Number One. This four-disc collection neatly ties up all her important releases in one place. It includes such hugely influential cuts as (Mama) He Treats Your Daughter Mean, the squeal on the opening word being taken directly by Little Richard for his Lucille whoop, which he happily acknowledged in his obituary to her. The majority of Ms Brown’s early releases featured fill orchestral backing with her voice swooping and proclaiming effortlessly through fast and slow tempo renderings. But perhaps the best theatre for the emotional impact of her pure blues voice, is with songs like It’s All In Your Mind, with a more strippeddown piano-led backing, and some Platters-style
harmonies to underscore her vocals. Another side of Ruth Brown surfaces when she belts out the full power of a fast rock and roll song, Hello Little Boy, with her scatting behind the sax solo, and sounding every bit as powerful as her Little Richard disciple. For modern ears, the further collection moves into Ms Brown’s career, the more familiar the arrangements become, with the big band sounds superseded by some excellent lead guitar accompaniment. Songs like Smooth Operator provide some excellent dance rhythms, and Ms Brown provides positive acclamation of her man, as against the raw pain of I Still Love You which follows it. This is the strength of Ruth Brown, her distinctive vocal style remains constant regardless of the arrangement, style or content of the song she is delivering. As a pioneer of rights for women in music, and a unique blues vocal delivery, Ruth Brown deserves her high place in the major influences on blues music, both then and now.
ANDY HUGHES
STONY PLAIN RECORDS
If you’re reading this magazine, it’s because you love the blues. But even we diehard aficionados recognize that the guitar-heavy three chords/12 bar format is one of the most trawledover musical territories on the planet, and the biggest challenge facing contemporary exponents is making it sound fresh. So full marks to Texas-based Telecaster toter Sue Foley for an album that absolutely fizzes with live-in-the-studio energy and stands out from countless other generic offerings thanks to great playing and a rare degree of conviction and passion. Her
“so well put together and produced”
zeal is evident from opener and title track Pinky’s Blues, an instrumental that pays implicit homage to the late great Roy Buchanan’s Tele stylings. Another instrumental, Clarence ‘Gatemouth’ Brown’s Okie Dokie Stomp, showcases Foley’s swing chops. The soul balladry of Think It Over shows that while vocals aren’t her major selling point, she’s no slouch in that department either. There’s a guest appearance from Jimmy Vaughan on Foley’s self-written Hurricane Girl, and if you’re a fan of the Vaughan family, you’ll instantly recognize the name of the drummer, a certain Chris Layton. The CD closes on a high with Willie Dixon’s When The Cat’s Gone The Mice Play, which is basically Messin’ With The Kid under another name, complete with the sort of hot fretwork that bears comparison with Buddy Guy himself. Foley’s career is reportedly starting to gain traction after 30 years on the road, and on the evidence of this set, she deserves major success.
DAVID OSLERWith little or no information on the promo copy received for review it was off to the internet, from which one gathers that Mickey Wynne is a session guitarist with a long list of credits for TV and film music, has played with John Entwistle (The Who) and Anastasia, but this is his first solo release. It appears to have been released in 2019 but is presumably being promoted again post-pandemic. The album is all original material, a full band with guitar, keys and rhythm section, plus occasional
harp, violin and BJ Cole on pedal steel. Mickey’s stock-in-trade is melodic tunes like Northern Girl or the slightly more up-tempo Free Ride in which the girl pursues her dreams but seems unwilling to commit; Scott’s Lament is a catchy folkrock tune complete with fiddle in which Mick explores some issues involved in family relations. The album is spilt into two sides: Light Side covers a wide variety of styles: the gentle boogie of Love Of My Woman (with a presumably fake ‘live’ sound), a strangely distorted vocal mix on French Blooze, the 80’s pop feel of Beautiful Thing and the gypsy jazz/Latin sound of La Troc (again with live audience noise). Dark Side includes a gentle acoustic I Will Always Be With You and Blues For Mr Johnson, a short slide instrumental complete with false shellac crackle which is the only straight blues here. More typical is closing track The Ballad Of The Twin Flames, a slow song with echoey synth that harks back to the Who’s Next era and a male/female duet vocal. The track also adds some spoken words, a feature that recurs across the album but does little to enhance the listening experience, being either extracts from speeches/interviews (You Are The Message) or irritating sound effects (Love Of My Woman). The instrumentation on the album perhaps gives away that this is not really a blues record, but those with wider tastes should find something to entertain them here.
JOHN MITCHELLStraight into the album’s title track Rage To Survive, I don’t need to see the album cover as this is Danny B clear as day to me. Voice of gravel that gets in your ears like the best of noises, thunder, fireworks and the like. Danny’s been around for quite some time, I know because I’ve seen him play and the one thing he never does, is let you down. His singing is exactly the type of voice I love, combine that with masterful guitar and you can’t go wrong. He’s one of them artists that just needs to be heard, especially live where he usually leaves me worn out because he puts on an epic show. Next up is Trouble with Love, this is a statement with his guitar that you can tell a story with more than just words. Then what a contrast as we go into the third song, Invisible Me, as it starts, I immediately know this is going to be my favourite track, true rock and roll storytelling. I can see this being played live in my mind’s eye and if he uses the trumpet at the gig this will be nothing short of epic. If you know Danny,
you’ll know his guitar talks, if you don’t then you should. Rescue Me, the fourth song doesn’t disappoint either, and I can relate to it being a drinking man. As I listen to this song, I hear the distinctive sound of Stevie Watts Hammond organ which just enhances the song massively. Another thing I love about this album is it’s rocking but it’s blues, the music is a mixture of rocking guitar but heartbroken lyrics which comes to light on Falling Tears and Make Me Pay. Rain Stopped Play is just epic and jumps into Looking Good, one of the best instrumental songs on any album I’ve ever heard. This is everything I part with money for, and this will be played and played.
BARRY BLUESBARN HOPWOOD“This is everything I part with money for, and this will be played and played”
Mojo Music Group/ Nova
It’s such a joy receiving albums by acts whose name may have slipped you by or not come across before and here once more is one screaming to being played. And played it most certainly has been! An album stands the test when it has simply been on repeat for days on end and it still sounds fresh like this one! What we have here is a great mix of Blues, soul, rock and R&B (as it used to be). The band members have played with many of the greats including Johnny Winter, Susan Tedeschi, John Mayall, Tab Benoit and Samantha Fish naming just a few. From that you may get a feel of the prowess this act has accumulated along the way. This is the band’s 2nd album since forming in 2009. Jenny Langer has the lead vocal nailed. Joe Poppen (guitar), Todd Elsworth (bass/percussion), Rodney Dunton (drums/percussion), Wes L, Wes Lanich and Benjie Porecki (keys) and Jason Ricci
(harmonica) and Chris Brown (bass) are the core plus a horn section. The combination is awesome and the album is terrific with nine original songs plus covers of Bill Withers and Etta James both superb takes. I’m told once Covid settles we can expect a UK tour so do keep your eyes and ears open for this outfit to come to our shores and do not miss them. Jenny shows a fine range on these songs and claims the covers as her own. The band totally fit the bill and the meld works so well all complimenting each other so well moving from the soothing, peaceful to the energy songs with feeling that so often can be missing but not here!! I loved the treatment of Use
Me On Gilded Splinters and I’d Rather Go Blind. Do not expect to say “this has been done so many times” you will change your minds. Tuneful guitar and everything is too good to pick out single things. This ‘specail edition’ version has three bonus tracks, do get this one, it’s totally worth it!!
ALAN PEARCEBased in New Orleans, Ted Hefko is a multi-instrumentalist who plays guitar, sax, flute and clarinet. His band is a quartet with lead guitar, bass and drums but keys are added to most tracks, trumpet and trombone to three. The material is all-original, bar one cover, all delivered by Ted in relaxed vocal style. The songs do include some New Orleans influences, especially when horns are involved: the sole cover, Lead Belly’s Ella Speed has a classic NO feel with scratchy rhythm guitar, clarinet and fine trumpet; Hang On To Your Hat has horns and a nice stop-start rhythm delivered with aplomb by the drummer; the horns also feature on Please Don’t Refuse which has a lovely, light feel that belie the lyrics about unrequited love, as Ted says that he will turn to playing the blues to get over his sadness, the guitars and horns playing some good ensemble choruses. However, other tracks move more into Country territory, particularly the lachrymose My Life In Bars. There are also the busy rhythms of Big Thing and Hurtin’ Too where the two guitarists duel in hot picking style. The pace quickens on Into My Head Again where Ted has overdubbed flute, baritone sax and rhythm guitar behind his vocals on a tune that is more of a pop song than the rest of the album. Possibly the best song here has some breathy sax as Ted sings of watching nature from a high point from which you can observe the town Down Below,
Ted commenting that he was here before all those developments began. The album opens with a melodic, country tinged Lay Your Problems On My Knee, a buzzing Jew’s harp adding to the band’s soundscape and closes with One More Picture Of You, a quiet, reflective tune, again with country tinges. Ted Hefko is a solid songwriter, and this is a pleasant album, albeit there is not much blues to be found here.
JOHN MITCHELLShakey Trill are a two-piece Canadian outfit, Mike MacDonald (also known as ‘Shakey’ because his hands won’t stay still) and Tyler Pantlin on harmonica. Trill is the sound of two notes played together repeatedly, a classic harmonica technique, so together they are Shakey Trill. What they are though is an extremely good roots Blues outfit who have competed in the International Blues Challenge in Memphis (2019) and been making a name for themselves in both Canada and in Mississippi and Tennessee. MacDonald is the lead vocalist and plays a mean acoustic and resonator guitar and Pantlin ably supports him with some superb harmonica. The apparent simplicity of their music is deceptive, and they are both very able musicians with MacDonald proving himself an excellent songwriter as well, 10 of the 12 songs here are written by him. The other two are a cover of Muddy Waters I Can’t Ever Be Satisfied and Brownie McGhee’s Dark Road’ and they do real justice to them both. This isn’t blues to make you get up and dance, but they are delightfully rhythmic, softly played and sung and very
“do get this one, it’s totally worth it!”
much with the feel of the old country blues masters. One of the finest numbers on the album is Lonely; gentle picking from MacDonald, wonderful resonant harmonica and an insistent shuffling beat all topped off by MacDonald’s high and even vocals. I Love That Woman opens the album, and the beat is what catches you first, then the wailing harp from Pantlin, all leading to something that could have been written in the 1930’s or yesterday: great blues is timeless, and this fits that bill perfectly. I haven’t often heard a debut album that really captures the essence of the old style of blues but this one does and is a delight from start to finish.
ANDY SNIPPERBoogie Beasts have been crafting their style of blues since 2011, releasing the albums Come And Get Me in 2015 and Deep in 2019. With both albums earning rave reviews the guys have just released their third album, Love Me Some, containing dirty beats, hypnotic slide, screaming harmonica riffs and plenty of fuzz, all served up with high energy by this four man band from Liège-limburg-Namur, Belgium. The Boogie Beasts are made up of Jan Jaspers on guitar and vocals, Patrick Louis on guitar and vocals, Fabian Bennardo on harmonica and Gert Servaes on drums, translating their passion for hill country blues into a characteristic sound of their own. The album consists of twelve original tracks and bursts into life with Baby Bring It On, the harmonica and drums lay down an
infectious rhythm for some dirty slide and fuzzy guitar riffs. The pace increases for I Don’t Care with a thundering train beat drum rhythm, screaming harp and grungy guitar that gets you grooving. Up next is Favourite Scene, with a hypnotic dance floor rhythm that reminds me of Killer by Seal, its sure to get you moving. This is followed by Get Away, with fuzzier guitar and mean harp this grooves along nicely with an indie vibe. Harp and guitar combine well to lay down another haunting rhythm on The One, while Run You Down is a solid mid-tempo groover. Following on is Get Me Out Of Here, with a hypnotic dance floor undercurrent and dirty grooves, which flows into Like A Snake, with more catchy rhythms to keep you dancing. The down and dirty, In Your Hands, continues a similar theme, as does, A Girl Like You. Next is the first of two bonus tracks released as singles last year, the wonderfully laid-back blues of Howl, before closing with the upbeat catchy Mine All Mine with plenty of harp and slide to close out on a high, pushing out the blues boundary in a very enjoyable way, well worth a listen
SHIRLThis album originally came out in 2020 and is re-issued here with four bonus tracks, which are updated recordings from his extensive back catalogue. Pat
The talented singer and guitarist Chantel McGregor had a busy lockdown, with The Shed Sessions being the result. The album, volume one of two, features McGregor’s bluesy vocals, strong acoustic guitar and choice covers of some of the best-known songs from the rock, blues, country and folk songbooks. Taking in songs by the likes of Neil Young, James Taylor, Fleetwood Mac and Metallica, the album shows just how these songs work, when stripped back to their bare bones.
Recorded in her shed during the lockdown, at the Shed Sessions, designed to keep in touch with her fans, and to give a side of her repertoire an airing, the performances were later mixed by Wayne Proctor, it shows that talent doesn’t need million-pound recording studios, and committees to find the outside world.
The music itself is very well sung and played, with well-known songs such as Fire and Rain and Can’t Find My Way Home be being particular highlights. Vocally, the best performances are on the slower Landslide, and I Can’t Make You Love Me where McGregor’s voice tackles sonic terrain previously trekked by Stevie Nicks, and Bonnie Raitt, as well as the many covers that have followed.
Other songs, such as Peter Gabriel’s SledgeHammer, Hendrix’s Voodoo Chile, and Metallica’s Nothing Else Matters show what exists under the familiar layers of guitars, bass, drums, and production sheen. The Shed Sessions Volume 1 is an excellent exercise in hearing familiar songs played and performed differently.
“an excellent exercise in hearing familiar songs played and performed differently”
This is the long-awaited debut album from this eclectically mixed blues power trio. They consist of lead vocalist, front man and guitarist Joe Pearson ably backed by a rocking rhythm section of bass player Dinho Barral and drummer Gaet Allard, who when playing live switch instruments, their live sets are phenomenal and very loud, this is a serious threesome, mixing blues rock for a modern-day audience. Thirteen tracks, differing in intensity, start with How Long, a song inspired by the death of George Floyd, leaving the listener to decide on the lyrical connotations. All In All, sounds like an old classic tune but it is so fresh, the band really shines on this one, great bassline melts with expert vocals and guitar riffs, even time to put in a backing reggae style beat. Let’s Stay Together slows the tempo, with soaring harmonies, very slick. Drifting Away, opens thunderously
and grabs the listener, gruff vocals, funky riff, very catchy. All She Said, brings slow blues tones mixing the mood, very emotional with fine harmonies. What Kind Of Man has a full on funk vibe, with glorious tones. All Points Bulletin has a deep groove to it, delivered with gusto, this is a brilliant song played live, just superb. Made Man is another funky tune played with vigour, a visceral tune building the pace throughout, pedal driven guitar tones abound. Finishing with the dark and mellow, I See You Now, this is a class album from a high calibre band.
COLIN CAMPBELLhas an impressive CV and will be remembered by many in the Mamas Boys band. Doomsday Clock is up first, observing the environmental danger the world finds itself in, some clever and interesting changes instrumentally driving the song along. Long Haul Trucker is an archetypal driving song, it reminded me of Nazareth in places. Bury Me finds Pat examining his mortality, celebrating his life spent and what’s to come. That theme continues with Waiting For A Friend, these old bones are old and worn sings Pat. The guitar playing is laid back and emotive. Rock You does just that, a standard here we are, we’re the band and we rock kinda tune. Bang Bang is a song of defiance and threat, with a Celtic vibe underpinning the instrumentation. That Celtic feel is on show again on Honey Trap. Stone Cold Sober is a retrospective song of reassessment and regret. Beautifully arranged and delivered with just the right amount of restraint and sustain. Crystal Sky is the last vocal track of the original release and takes us full circle to environmental issues. The album proper ends with the instrumental His Soul Remains With Me. First of the reworked tracks is Belfast Boy, an autobiographical song celebrating the city and very much in the vein of Thin Lizzy. Too Little Of You To Love is a heartfelt love song, and Hard Headed Ways an out and out rocker delivered with panache. Belfast City Blues is an observational song about the city and its troubled times, hopefully now something of the past. I know Pat McManus is a thrilling live performer and I’m sure in that setting the new songs here will work brilliantly, as a studio offering some are slightly
predictable and standard fare. For me the reworked bonus tracks are the icing on the cake and hopefully Pat can rediscover the passion of those. Having said that, Pat McManus fans, and there are many, will enjoy the album and the guitar playing.
RUF RECORDS
The talented singer-songwriter and guitarist Krissy Matthews has been busy during the lockdown. When every gig was cancelled during the lockdown, he had to find an alternative income, and some of that experience informs Pizzaman Blues. Working alongside Pete Brown, best known for his work with Cream, the pair created nine new songs for this collection, which ranges from the blues shuffle of the timely anti-social media, the rock of opener Mayday, and the funk, and synthesiser brass heavy The Man Said No. We also have the heartfelt ballad, Grateful, which is offered twice on the album, a full band version, and the closing unplugged version, which includes some fluent clarinet playing from Felix Peikil. The slow, soul sound of Disaster offers sensitive vocals and guitar, with some gospel piano from Greg Coulson, and drummer Max Maxwell and bassist and backing vocalist Joshua Rigel offer strong support throughout the whole album. The title track Pizzaman Blues is light-hearted funk, with driving wah-wah guitar throughout, and Ride has a psychedelic opener, which shows the influence of Cream. Carry You is another ballad that starts slowly, before a catchy slide
“this is a class album from a high calibre band”IMAGE by Kirk Lothian
guitar riff grabs the ear, like early Led Zeppelin. This is an energetic band, led by a talented musician with a lot to say, both vocally, and with his six strings.
BEN MACNAIRSteve Pope is one of those irritating musicians who play all the instruments to a high standard, sings all the words, and arranges, performs and produces his own music. Taking in influences from The Who, The Rolling Stones, Bad Company, and country and blues influences, with catchy, bluesy harmony guitars, strong song-craft, and tales of music of the eternal Saturday night, Dead Horse Creek is an album designed to be played loudly. The songs range from the swagger of opener Let’s Kick it off Right, which takes the chord progression to Sympathy for the Devil and blends it with Southern rock harmony guitar to great effect. The comedy songs Home Town Bar and Grill and Uncle Homer contain some broody rhythm guitar, and solos that pack a punch, both musically and technically. National Holiday is classic 1970’s rock, with chugging guitar, and Camping Getaway starts in country territory, with some sharp rhythm playing, before lively drums and bass kick in. I’m Alright is a slide guitar-driven piece, with rhythms and vocals pushed to the fore. Throughout the album, the musicianship is on form, particularly the lively drums and rhythm parts, and the bass which provides a strong foundation for Pope’s exciting guitar, and his songs which range from comedy pastiches to serious
song writing. This is a good album to listen to, and although it is only one man making all the sounds, there is nothing self-indulgent on the album. I am not sure if he is a gigging musician, but he should put some thought into putting a live band together and getting out on the road to perform these songs in their natural environment.
BEN MACNAIRDOGMATIC STUDIOS
It has been a very long time since I received a disk, which has absolutely no “professional” appearance to it. Very evidently it is a desktop produced CD with a band sticker on it. As a result it is only natural to have a wary / negative “prejudge a book by its cover” thought running around your brain as you pop it in your chosen player. To a certain degree that thought is borne out in the production values. However what it may lack in polish it more than compensates for with bucket loads of enthusiasm. I can only equate it to the joy one gets from going to countless small gigs in pubs, clubs or village fetes etc and listening to countless bands who have no plan, or hope of making it in this crazy business we call music. Their only desire is to make the best music they can and have a blast along the way. I truly get that vibe from this debut album from a band, which has been in various stages of evolving over three decades. With overtones in places of Steely Dan, always a plus factor in my book, these guys have
Arriving in the post in a quiet way this intrigued and so it hit the player and oh boy did it blow me away!! Nine tracks of superb, reinvented Blues playing from the lad from Tulsa, Oklahoma. He spent a decade away from home he returned to ply his trade as a luthier and songwriter/composer. He studied classical and jazz at L.A. Valley College and also graduated from the famous Musicians Institute in Hollywood’s. From his web siter: Through what he calls a “happy little accident,” he started playing a unique style of slide guitar that uses bender palm pedals, producing mesmerizing gritty sounds that borrow from the deep in the influence well of the history of American music. Seth’s highly individual slide guitar style features string-bending palm pedals and baritone instruments and gives him in his own individual creativity. Seth delivers nine covers like you’ve not heard before. His gritty raucous vocals are fresh and his guitar cackles and grazes along with his own sound. The album was recorded in just seven and a half hours straight to tape with no overdubs or edits. What you got is what it was just raw and
natural. Songs covered are a diverse selection of the bands’ favourites from Roger Miller to Muddy Waters taking their own interpretations to each. Songs included I Can’t Be Satisfied, Driving Wheel, Tulsa Tine, Desiree to name just a few. The trio excel and it is to be hoped the get a chance to come play the UK and Europe and blow you all away! When Jones isn’t leading this dynamic trio, he spends much of his time building and restoring instruments at his company, SLJ Guitars. The trio comprises; Seth Lee Jones on guitar/vocals, Matt Teegarden, drums and Bo Hallford on bass. No matter if the track is pushing it or taking it easy you should take note of Seth and get this album!
ALAN PEARCE“you should take note of Seth and get this album”
put together a ten-track album of nicely crafted blues based songs. Drums, bass, guitar and keyboards and three vocalists create light and shade throughout. My Big Woman pulls the album out the blocks in a fun way. Always hard to select tracks but I like the slow Psalm Blues, What A Man, In My Heart the title cut Rusty Train and What Is A Man. So guys thank you for an entertaining hour and, by the way, the production album does have a proper cover.
GRAEME SCOTTI wouldn’t have had Dave Forestfield down for a typically Finnish name. But that is whence this singer/ songwriter, guitarist and record producer hails, and he even boasts a Finnish Blues Award to highlight his Nordic credentials. However, this album, his ninth solo offering, is more blues-adjacent than blues proper. Obvious influences include Dylan and Waits, and if those names whet your appetite, you may want to check out the guy on that basis. Necessary disclaimers aside, Big Blue Bill is a slow 12-bar, augmented by brass towards the end, telling the tale of strange goings on in Las Vegas some time ago. Cannonball Sly recycles the immortal Hubert Sumlin riff from Smokestack Lightening, developing it in a somewhat unexpected southern gothic direction, and Hands In The Mud, Thoughts On High is built on the Bo Diddley rhythm. Just A Beggar Boy also qualifies as blues by virtue of its harmonic progression. Other highlights include Hill Country Hop, a chicken pickin’ country guitar instrumental, and Gotta Keep Rocking
Around The Clock, which will fill a gap in your musical life if you’re still in mourning for the death of JJ Cale. The opener, Brighter Light Somewhere, is a horn section-enhanced anthem for the glass half full brigade, while Hey Mr. Songwriter (What Is My Woman Doing In Your Song?) must merit a place on the ten wittiest song titles of the year award. Skull has its charms but won’t appeal to every BM reader.
DAVID OSLERPaul is a native of Seattle in the USA where has been performing and recording for over a decade, initially in a band called Crosseyed, followed by a spell in Hanuman, a quartet who played acoustic instrumental music. He is now performing as a solo artist, albeit he has some understated support on this album. Paul’s music falls into two distinct categories, for half the album he follows a singer-songwriter style with a pastoral feel to his songs, sung beautifully and accompanied by some fine folk/blues acoustic guitar work, ably demonstrated on the title track on which he is supported with bass, piano, drums and backing vocals from Amilia K. Spicer. The other style of music he performs is more rock orientated as he switches to electric guitar and uses the slide technic to good effect. There are ten original songs on the album, the highlight for me is Let’s Pretend We’re In Love which has some of the electric guitar work and some topical lyrics covering distant romance during recent isolation periods. Songs with a harder edge stand out particularly Black Crow and Freeways, which come with some tasty flow-
ing guitar licks and a more driven sound. The album highlights Paul’s all-round musicianship, besides his guitar work and smooth vocals he is an excellent songwriter. His material tells stories with subtle elements that are often only picked up after several plays, while I am always an advocate for quality not quantity, this release is on the short side at a couple of seconds over thirty-two minutes. This must go down as a negative as I desperately wanted to hear much more from the very talented Paul Benoit, an artist to look out for, as you will not be disappointed.
ADRIAN BLACKLEEAlthough the cover only credits The Girl Who Cried (2018) this is a 2 CD set which also includes the bonus Chemistry Of Love (1992) and both albums are now getting their first official release. Cadogan is a Jamaican rock steady/ lovers rock singer who had a huge UK hit in 1975 with the legendary Lee “Scratch” Perry produced Hurt So Good. The first album was recorded remotely in Jamaica, Canada and Germany and has a retro feel to it. We open with Crazy, a very catchy number which bubbles along nicely featuring Cadogan’s sweet seductive vocals. She also coos sensually on The Best Of Me backed by swirling Hammond organ. There is a lovely cover of the 1974 soul hit Don’t Burn Your Bridges Behind You and a jaunty version of Mike Batt’s pretty song Nine Million Bicycles which was a huge hit for Katie Melua back in 2005. Other stand-
out tracks on this album are a beautiful version of Barbara Gaskin’s 1974 soul hit Don’t Burn Your Bridges Behind You and a catchy speeded up cover of Joe Simon’s 1971 hit Lay Down Beside You. Breakfast In Bed is a seductive number and the original title track The Girl Who Cried features great trombone from Rodney Teague. There is no doubt that Susan Cadogan has a wonderful voice and coupled with the good songs the result is very pleasing. The bonus CD is a completely Jamaican production backed by the likes of Sly Dunbar, Danny Browne, Robby Lyn, Scully and various members of Chalice. We open with pretty title track Chemistry Of Love and the urgent Kiss You All Over. David Gates’ Part Time Love is nicely done and Aretha Franklin’s hit Until You Say You Love Me is handled well.
Johnny Bristol’s ballad Reaching Out For Your Love (Touch Me Baby) is especially sensual. I enjoyed these two albums, but you will need to listen extremely carefully to detect any blues content.
DAVE DRURYRVL
This is the third release from The Dogtown Blues Band, whose motto is “We like to put a little Jazz in our Blues and a little Blues in our Jazz”. This way of playing comes across very clearly in this new release, which comprises of 10 tracks; 8 of which are classic blues, one is a standard from the seventies and one original composition. The opening track, Cooking in
Style by Percy Mayfield exemplifies the band’s style; instrument-biased blues with a smooth groove in a kind of Charlie Musselwhite meets Mose Allison scenario. The chromatic harmonica, played so tunefully by Bill Barrett and which features strongly on this track, also gives the whole album a very melodic tone. The second track is another Percy Mayfield number, River’s Invitation. There’s an incongruity between the lyrics of the song, smoothly presented by Kaspar Abbo, which imply the protagonist throwing himself in the river, and the upbeat nature of the tune. Although perhaps that very contrast is what has given the song its appeal. Bill Barrett takes over the vocals on the next track, You Better Believe it, and Richard Lubovitch shows his prowess on guitar and is then followed by Wayne Peet on organ. The whole track is very concise, but a lively, upbeat number, which is a great example of the band’s jazzy blues. You Shook Me, that great Willie Dixon heavyweight blues number, really shouldn’t work with a jazzy makeover, but somehow it does, and the band perform a great re-interpretation of this blues classic. My favourite track on the album is All Night, composed by Richard Lubovitch, which allows the band to show how well they really can play, and I imagine it would make a fantastic live jam number. Search No More, the Jimmy Dotson song and title track, features Marcus Watkins on guitar and we are treated to some fiery fretwork by the guest artist. The 70’s classic Long Train Coming, which follows 3 more blues standards, is another fine example of the band’s jazzy-blues style and is the perfect track with which to finish a very listenable album.
STEVE BANKSThese are new to me as a band and as I open the album, they look a slick and stylish group, oozing class. Reading the notes tells me that mostly all songs are written by Gavin Condor and Jessica Greenfield, but this album has fourteen musicians on it and from the first song they all play a major part. Straight from the start I know I’m going to like this. It has a massive easy listening with grit quality about it and Jessica’s voice is sublime, especially on the second track Forgiveness which reminds me very much of Jo Harman, no bad thing! On Mister Rain, Gavin’s voice takes a turn and that’s when I realize, they complement each other so well. Fourth track is a song called Overdose, which is where I’m picking up on the story being told about a love for each other, this is an uplifting song of joy, almost gospel and as a person I’d like to meet them, they give me a good vibe. Postcards, the fifth song, allows you to take in every instrument, every sound, not only are the songs first rate but so is the production, I can only imagine what a live version would be like, phew. Straight after is Good Times, a driving drum beat of a song that completely contradicts what I said about dancing because this had me bouncing around my lounge, truly uplifting stuff. by now as you can guess my desire is to see these guys live, it may not be blues of old, but I have no problem with that because this is great music, plain old simple. It wouldn’t surprise me if these guys crossed boundaries of
Wienerworld
Subtitled Unreleased Masters and Demos from the British Blues Years
1963-1976. Now I lurv box sets, in particular ones well packaged and presented with good liner notes you can actually read without a magnifying glass. So, we’re on big plus points already folks. Here you’re faced with four CDs comprising 96 tracks of music to thrill and take you back in time, in fact to the period 1963 – 1976, quite a span of early blues formative years in the UK. These are unreleased masters & demos from the British Blues years so ably compiled and researched by Peter Moody for Weinerworld once again. What’s also such a thrill is the 150 page booklet!! YES 150! There are many images that have never been seen before from private collections making this rather special indeed. The booklet is sectioned by artists which is very handy too. It could just be the best box set booklet I’ve come across actually.
Very informative, well laid out, posters you may remember if old enough or just wonder at the names appearing if younger and learning what it was all about. Also full sessionography at the back. Here is the melting pot of assorted styles including Jug Bands, acoustic full bands, soloists and duos, they’re all here. All part of what was to shape into the British Blues Boom and each is a unique part of that underground flow that took tentative steps to originality and interpreting those US artists who had inspired through import records and growing visiting touring blues from across the water. Many of the artists here would support and be part of the bands backing those most welcome touring artists.
Even the title is inspiring and from a Danny Kirwan song which says what these musicians felt back then and still resonates today in those of us who are in some way taken by The Blues. So dear readers you have a veritable feast to enjoy musically and reading while foot-tapping, jiving and air playing or blowing. Let that young mind take you back and picture what it was like as the Brits re-wrote the Blues and re-inspire those US artists such as BB King to praise the revolution, while we applaud and revere the old guard while taking the music forward. It stays fresh and this set is such a joy, you need to get this!
ALAN PEARCEgenre’s and the seventh track I.O.U wouldn’t be out of place in the set list of Fleetwood Mac. Eleven great tracks on a glorious album, Gavin and Jessica if you’re ever in the Essex delta with the band, I’d love to buy you a drink and say Thank You.
BARRY BLUESBARN HOPWOODThe Porkroll Project is an interesting name for a blues band, apparently the name is derived from a ham-based breakfast product in the U.S. that band leader Neil Taylor was always seen with in his youth. From hearing the music on this release, it is certainly a name worth memorising if you are into quality blues rock. The band have been together for twenty years as a musical collective although during this time they have only released three albums under the band name. This latest release is well worth the wait though as the band rattle through the eleven tracks with great gusto and no little skill. An additional bonus is the use of David Renz on saxophone who gives the band a funky edge on several songs. Most of the material has been written by guitarist and vocalist Neil Taylor who has written some excellent rocking blues songs. His Mama Put The Gun Down song owes a huge debt to Ian Dury, as the intro has more than a passing resemblance to his Sex Drugs and Rock n Roll song. The comparison soon ends as Neil Taylor and bassist Anthony Pieruccini perform some guitar frenzy.
Sentenced To The Blues is a slower blues song written by harmonica player Buddy Cleveland, he receives a starring role alongside some additional brass players on what is a truly funky driven song. The album is predominately loaded full of guitar driven blues, nevertheless, there are a couple of exceptions where the band do take a breather. A classic example is the seven minute plus Crescent Moon which starts slowly but builds to a crescendo of soaring sax and guitars and for me is the standout track, an excellent enjoyable album.
ADRIAN BLACKLEEBLUE HEART RECORDS
This second collection of blues artists performing under the umbrella title of Porch Sessions is dedicated to the memory of the late, great James Harman, who Tony says was not only one of his heroes, but also a friend. As befits a great harmonica player, there’s lots of blues harpin’ on this set of 16 songs, from Victor Wainwright, Lurrie Bell and Bobby Rush to name but a few of the artists who appear. Victor opens the album with a nice rockin’ version of Jerry McCain’s She’s Tuff. Willie Buck follows with a raw take on Muddy’s Honey Bee and then AJ Fullerton imparts some worldly-wise blues philosophy with Change is Inevitable. Bobby Rush gives us a Recipe For Breakfast and next up is Watermelon Slim’s rendition of Smokestack Light-
nin’. Court To Court 2 sees James Harman on vocals with Kid Ramos and Landon Stone on guitars, and Tony Holiday on Harmonica. I’m sure he would have been proud of this recording.
Jon Lawton plays his selfpenned Go and is supported by Andrew Ali on the Mississippi trombone. Lurrie Bell follows with Every Day I Have The Blues, with Mark Hummel on Louisiana saxophone. The interestingly titled Brazilian Brothel by Richard Pryor tells a story about.... guess what?
Johnny Burgin performs Bad Bad Girl, whose lyrics probably wouldn’t pass the PC test. Find Me When The Sun Goes Down has some strong, forceful vocals from Rae Gordon, who encourages Jake Friel to get the best out of his harmonica. Ben Rice’s playing of That’s How I learned, with Dennis Gruenling, shuffles along very nicely. Cake Walk is a great harmonica duet instrumental from Dennis and Mark Hummel. Family Tree by JD Taylor, Peace Will Come by Southern Avenue and the solo, unaccompanied Get Outta Here from Bobby Rush rounds off the collection. The whole album is held together by a homegrown feeling for the blues and makes for a touching tribute to the harmonica maestro, James Harman (RIP).
STEVE BANKSThis is a compilation commemorating Thorbjorn Risager’s twenty years of recording. A double volume package comprising twenty-five songs, the best of his eleven studio and live
albums thus far, following the career of this talented Danish blues stalwart. First half focuses on years 2004 to 2012 and concentrates his origins when he formed Blues 7 which put their twist to 1950s New Orleans rhythm and blues tones. Opener Rock N Roll Ride is a stunning blues stomper. Stand Beside Me is country style, he mixes style with every tune. Horn section is a particular feature of this band and tracks such as Burning Up and You Better Pay Attention just have that live feel. All I Want also encapsulates great vocals and diligent band. Second half focuses on the Ruf Records years to present. Too Many Roads was full of style and favourites like If You Wanna Leave and the haunting China Gate. Live, this band are pure class and there are songs from the 2016 album Songs From The Road, like the classic, Baby Please Don’t Go, a cover of Big Joe Williams tune. Change My Game album in 2017 has Maybe It’s Alright and the fuzzy tones of Hold My Lover Tight. Last year’s album Come On In has wonderful slide tones on Last Train and Long Forgotten Track is ethereal in tone, his vocals are something to behold. This is a reminder how good this band are, and a great introduction to new listeners, a stunning compilation.
COLIN CAMPBELLFrom 2011 - 2019 Jonathan Townsend has been an integral part of the blues duo King Biscuit Boys playing 40’s, 50’s and 60’s blues-based music, with the duo now going their different ways, Jonathan
having developed his own unique country blues guitar tone and gruff vocal style decided to enlist the help of some friends to complete the songs that he had written and prepared for the forthcoming King Biscuit Boys album. While doing this, he decided to record some songs that for one reason or another did not suit the duo. The eleven original songs on the album were written between 2010 and 2021 with some played in various guises at live gigs by the duo and one recorded on an earlier album. The album opens with the title track Just Got To, Pete Royston joins Jonathan on guitar while Marc Ellison adds some lead guitar to give this acoustic blues a modern edge. Ben White adds some nice harmonica to the upbeat and bouncing Slowly Walking Away. Ticket Home is another lively danceable song with guitar and harmonica working well together. A train beat vibe runs thru Lazy Liar with Jonathan adding vocal menace by using a bullet mic, subtle harmonica is supplied by Florence Waite. Listen, Jonathan’s tale of his mother’s advice played out over Ben’s barrelhouse piano boogie, is an enjoyable tale. Dust Off Your Dancing Feet follows with Ben’s punchy harp and Marc adding drums, bass and distorted guitar to this toe tapping little ditty. Ben blows a nice harp to Jonathan’s slide on the inspired Bukka White style Valentine’s Day, Jonathan’s gruff vocals add a texture to the lyrics of Lay My Bible Down with harp from Florence who also plays on the stripped back Is She Lying, and Miss You
When You’ve Gone, a nice mid tempo blues with peter adding the extra guitar, The album closes with the wry tale of a broken relationship Big Sigh, enjoyable acoustic blues
SHIRL
Seeing this band evolve during the pandemic via their live stream sessions has been a real tonic for fans and new listeners and helped keep the connection going, before going on the road to tour again. Jeni Grouws just has a wonderfully melting smokey vocal and plays a mean guitar. Her counterpart Chris Avey on lead guitar is also a player and mixes sweet tones with resonant guitar licks. Add the drums of Bryan West, some great bassline from Randy Leasman and keyboard tones from Nick Vasquez, you have a solid unit, a very tight band. Jeni and Chris co-wrote all the ten tracks during the pandemic and some lyrics home in on this and political turmoil in the world. Love Raining Down is just a stunning opener, a real earworm and catches the listener on this rocking blues number. This band holds no prisoners as they keep the pace on There For Me. Bad Bad Year is the go-to tune, the band cranking up vocals, guitar riffs and organ here. Title track Tell Tale Heart is a moody guitar soaked, edgy ballad. Mariana is a powerful instrumental. The acoustic track, Daylight is a hopeful tune. Heart’s Playing Tricks has a funky groove. We’re Gonna Roll is a post pandemic hopeful tune also. Last song is a wonderful duet with Jeni and Chris, a very poignant way to finish an outstanding album, something for everyone here, a real grower.
COLIN CAMPBELL
FREMEAUX & ASSOCIES
Record companies create compilation collections for all sorts of weird and wonderful reasons, some which do not immediately appear apparent. I for one would not have suggested that there was enough musical output inspired by the sport or boxing, to justify a retrospective collection like this. That just goes to show. Disc One, subtitled Swingin’ In The Ring. I am not entirely sure what Leadbelly’s Titanic is doing here, but Rev. J.M. Gates’ Tiger Flowers’ Last Fight does appear to belong with a better fit given the parameters of the title Louis seems to inspire a number of blues artists, gaining no less than five titular mentions in the collection on the first disc, and being the subject of another, Memphis Minnie’s He’s In The Ring. The additional CD is a further collection of material based on former fighters who found an alternative career involved in music, after their fighting days finished. These included successful musicians like Bukka White, Willie Dixon, James Brown, and Lee Dorsey among others. By no means disgracing themselves, Bobby Nunn & The Robins roll out the Lieber And Stoller classic, Framed. Sam Griggs & The Coronets’ Nadine, not to be confused with the Chuck Berry side of the same name, is a sweet-sounding slow doo-wop number. Screamin’ Jay Hawkins, who
can never give anything less than everything he has, slow-blues his stately way through This Is All, and bizarrely. Jackie Wilson’s soul nugget Reet Petite is included, possibly because of his boxing connection, but it does rather stick out next to the vintage blues and jazz cuts making up the rest of the set. Of course, collections like this can always introduce a new artist to the listener, and inspire some further listening, one such is R.C. Smith and Don’t Drive Me Away, a pleasing mid-paced blues that may bear some additional research when time permits. The collection may have a rather loose connection for the disparate collection of tracks gathered here, but as a chance to hear some obscure blues and r ‘n’ b cuts, it passes a pleasant time. One for the curious.
ANDY HUGHESOLD COAT MUSIC
OK, this isn’t a blues album. For half a century Paul Kaplan has been entertaining keen traditional folk audiences in the USA with his own lyrical interpretations of folk favourites. His guitar style is uncomplicated, his vocal delivery clear, which is good because this man’s a true wit. Some of these songs deal with subjects which involve us all yet seem to have been overlooked. Take These Are the Days, Corona virus, for example; he sets his view on this to the original tune of the Mary Hopkin chart hit; ‘In the town of Wuhan was a market / Selling wild boar and pangolin / A virus came and people had to shelter / And they would sing these words, ... in Mandarin. / These are the days, my friend, when will they ever
Following on from The Shed Sessions
Volume One, Volume Two continues the high-quality musicianship, adding piano and keyboard, and a slightly more melancholic mood to the release. Chantel McGregor plays electric and acoustic guitar and sings, and pianist Jamie Brooks adds his talents to the mix, whilst the whole project has once again been mixed by Wayne Proctor. As well as some choice covers, two originals keep up the quality.
Proceedings are kicked off by indie favourite Creep, by Radiohead, turning the menacing song into a piano-led torch ballad, whilst two songs about winter, Tori Amos’s Winter, and Joni Mitchell’s River add to the melancholia of the project. The two originals Walk on Land, and April keep up the quality, and although circumstances stopped it from happening, it would be good to hear full-band arrangements of these two pieces at some point. Songs by Steven
end? This selection of 12 songs comes from three albums from 1982 to 2020. He often uses traditional melodies to deliver new, scathing observations on current life. For example, The Frozen Blogger, a live track, is truly funny. His love songs, such as the poignant title track, We Shall Stay Here, with its accordion, banjo and sweet harmonies, also demonstrates that this is an artist with a complete understanding of live acoustic performance. If Paul Kaplan reminds some listeners of Pete Seeger, it’s no coincidence. To the tune of Paul Robeson’s, The Ballad of Joe Hill, he delivers his own dedication to the great folk hero with The Voice of Pete. Writing a song which sounds centuries old is quite a feat, but Kaplan achieves it with the marvelous Let’s Make a Toast, which he wrote for the now defunct long running Valley Folk radio show. The old-style harmonies put one in mind of acts like The Waterson’s. This is the folk equivalent of the songs of Tom Lehrer; you’ll laugh your hat off to his reading of Little Boxes. So, hats off to Paul Kaplan, and if you’re looking for witty thought-provoking songs performed in style, he’s the man.
ROY BAINTONWilson, Drive Home, and the album closer The Raven That Refused To Sing are both excellent arrangements, and Uninvited by Alanis Morrissette also suits the new clothes that it is dressed in in this version. Summertime, the old favourite by George and Ira Gershwin also does well, with its minor chord tonality suiting the piano and vocal arrangement. Although there is a pervasive atmosphere of melancholia on this album, there is also a lot to say for the warmth of the performances, and how it is recorded. The musicianship throughout is of a uniformly high standard, with none of the songs outstaying its welcome. If you are looking for an album to suit the colour of Autumn, this could be one for you.
BEN MACNAIRLars Christensen is a Danish musician who cites names like Lynyrd Skynyrd, Tom Petty, Blackberry Smoke, Ben Miller Band and The Steel Woods as his inspiration. This album of country rock/Americana is produced by LC who also wrote the songs and plays most of the instruments himself with a
little help from friends on several tracks. We open with I’ll
Again a thumping good time country rocker featuring LC’s rasping vocals enthusing about his latest drinking session. A Friend Of Mine is another drinking song which features guitar chops reminiscent of Neil Young’s heavier material. Bunch Of Bad Boys tells a tale of cruising up and down the main street looking for trouble and features tasty wah-wah guitar licks. A funky/choppy guitar riff and wailing organ provide the backdrop as LC relates his story of a troublesome Superstitious Woman. Title track Last Man Standing is a mid-paced country singalong which features lyrics about (you’ve guessed it) drinking to a standstill on a Saturday night. Am I picking up a theme here? If good natured, humorous songs about people on the edge partying and drinking are your thing then you’ll probably love this one. Respite comes with a twangy slide guitar which introduces the gentle country sounds of Take Your Time with LC crooning softly “the white stuffs up the nose”. Oo Er! A complete change of pace comes with the acoustic blues confessional opus Strong About Love and the gentle country paean I Won’t Be Sending Flowers. The Escape Of Mary Anne heads back into heavy rock territory complete with distorted guitar riffing. LC eventually goes the whole hog by using a banjo to back his twanging country inflected vocals on Climb Me A Mountain. We close aptly with the rocking party jam HeyHey Mama featuring Jerry Lee style piano pounding and pedal-steel guitar. An enjoyable album to listen to as you settle back in your rocking chair with your favourite tipple.
DAVE DRURY“If you are looking for an album to suit the colour of Autumn, this could be one for you”
Well it’s certainly not the blues. What it is is folky American from the wideopen plains of Yorkshire. Sorry, that should read wide open moors. Elaine Palmer has been getting a lot of praise from people considerably more influential than me over the last few years and it’s easy to hear why. She’s got a voice that immediately invites you in and it’s an invitation you’re happy to take up as from the off it sounds as though these are stories you’ll want to hear. I must admit to being surprised that she’s not better known as she’s got a few records under her belt as well as some touring with likeminded headliners. But we live in an odd world so I’m just happy that this came along. There’s a wistfulness and a melancholy at play and I really wish there were lyrics as my old ears struggle at times. The record is beautifully arranged with some delicious cello playing a prominent role. The country influences such as on Oh My Oh My are usually highlighted by a pedal steel but it’s when the strings come to the fore that you find yourself transported. The Mill House is the finest example of that although you’ll be hard pushed to find anything here that isn’t an utter delight. This is one of those records that becomes an instant old friend and couldn’t be more highly recommended.
Mike Onesko’s Guitar Army consists of Mike Onesko on guitars/lead vocals, Eric Kennedy on bass guitar and Holden Szalek on drums. Having produced the Cream of The Crop album which was a tribute to Cream featuring Glenn Hughes, Pat Travers and the late Leslie West amongst others, Onesko opted to produce this new album in his hometown of Cleveland, Ohio with Brandon Youngs. The lead vocal on opener Fast Lane has this whiskey-soaked tone surrounded by no less than three electric guitars. Chains On my Mind (a great title) contains fluid fretwork and has elements of Prog. I’m reminded of Robin Trower at times with the use of space in City of Lights whilst Szlaek’s rhythmic drumming swings on Loving Her. Iron Subway is an interesting composition that is reminiscent of Neal Morse but if Onesko so desired I could see him seguing into The White Stripes Fell In Love With A Girl at a live show if he was so inclined. The joint guitar work by Victor Samalot, Chase Ockuly on instrumental Silver Surfing weaves to create this meaty guitar shredding extravaganza and I wonder if Mike Onesko is a Frank Zappa fan. The subject matter on closer Working Till I Die will connect with listeners and with musicianship of this quality I think people will want to enlist as fans of Mike Onesko’s Guitar Army.
GLENN SARGEANT
Reading the excellent liner notes that accompany this 6 CD compilation, I was staggered to read that forty-two albums are covered within this project. These cover every major blues artist from the 1920s and some whose names don’t immediately roll off the tongue. Happily, this particular set includes some of my all-time blues heroes. Disc one is dedicated to one such hero of mine, Blind Lemon Jefferson. Jefferson, as with many others on here, has influenced everyone that followed in their footsteps. The first song, Got The Blues, tells you everything that you need to know about Jefferson. The magnificent voice, exquisite guitar playing, and to top it all, fantastic lyrics, which as he is blind, would not be the easiest of tasks to put into a song. The recordings are the best available, some are very scratchy because of the state of the early 78s that they were taken from. Also, you have to take into consideration that these tunes were recorded almost 100 years ago. Such is the skill and deference of these blues masters. One Dime Blues, recorded
in 1927, shows Jefferson at the peak of his career. A huge blues tune at the time, still holding its own today. Frank Stokes may not be on the tip of your blues tongue, listen to this CD, and he will be. ‘’ Taint No Body’s Business If I Do, highlights exactly how good this guy was. He was very much in the country-blues tradition towards the end of the 1920s which is self-evident on hearing his work. Blind Blake and Lonnie Johnson are two more blues giants of this era. Blake, with songs like, Back Door Slam Blues, which could well have been the inspiration behind Since I’ve Been Loving You ( Led Zep) and Lonnie Johnson’s Woman Changed My Life, epitomize blues from the moment of conception to the latter-day blues we have today. I wish I could write more about this compilation so that I could exude my delight at the production of such fine material.
STEPHEN HARRISON“I was staggered to read that forty-two albums are covered within this project”
I had not come across Allan Thomas prior to this release, although this is his seventh album and he has been releasing music for around half a century, his debut album The Picture appeared in 1971. Born in Brooklyn, New York, he is described in some quarters as a folk singer and songwriter, which I would argue perhaps is only a small part of his story. He is a relaxed singer with something of a penchant for delivering spoken narratives, as on the closing Invisible Man. On this album, recorded over eighteen months during the pandemic (“the studio was about as safe a place as could be”, Allan tells us), his material encompasses, blues, jazz, reggae, rock, soul, singer-songwriter material, ballads, and yes, folk, though not necessarily in that order. He calls on musicians with backgrounds as varied as 70s rock band Steely Dan, Elton John, Bob Dylan, Crosby, Stills & Nash, and Miles Davis, and the overall sound is very much that of an adult oriented rock approach. The arrangements ooze class (and it must be said, a sense of “smooth”), though Love’s Way can perhaps qualify as blues-rock and it is the toughest sounding number of the set. Blues guitar licks crop up too on So Far So Good though it is certainly not a blues number as such. You Never Know is the bluesiest song of the set, a jazzy blues-based item with some dirty sax playing by Tripp Sprague behind Allan’s spoken vocal.
NORMAN DARWEN
Based in Kingsville Ontario, the duo, Josh & Katie Pascoe create a lovely mix of blues based Alt-Country with hints of Soft Rock in the mix. Six tracks on this EP, which I suspect might be their first, as it deals with finding each other and of course all the craziness which we have all had to deal with over the past couple of years. This is very evident on the opening cut World Gone Crazy as they articulate just how difficult it has been for so many people to cope with the sudden change to their wellbeing. In fact as you read the order of the tracks they also tell a wee story just via their titles. Find Our Way Home analyses the differences between the seeming simplicity of nature compared to our own fractured lives. Rumour Going Round and You And Me overviews the start and ultimately blossoming of relationships. The duo remember the early days of romance in When We First Met and ultimately as one gets older we begin to ask the bigger questions of ourselves and life in general in How Did I Get Here. Katie and Josh share vocals throughout the EP blending rather nicely. If I say that there is nothing really new here I mean absolutely no disrespect at all. It is all well and good to push at musical boundaries at times but equally we all need to feel the comfort of the well known. That old expression that it is nice to go travelling but it is oh so nice to come home is apt here. So wrap yourself up in your comfort blanket and enjoy this record.
GRAEME SCOTT
Based in Pennsylvania, Gabe Stillman is an individual who won the prestigious Gibson Guitar Award at the 2019 edition of The Blues Foundation’s International Blues Challenge and was also a graduate of the Berklee School of Music. His latest record Just Say The Word was produced by Anson Funderburgh at Wire Recording in Austin, Texas and opens with the original Give Me Some Time which includes a groovy contribution from The Texas Horns which complement Stillman’s electric guitar. Let It Go has a late-night street walking vibe and might appeal to Kenny Wayne Shepherd Band fans. The churchy Hammond B3 Organ courtesy of Taylor Streiff is a welcome addition with No Time For Me being a highlight. If you are looking for lyrics that make you think, then look no further than No Peace For The Soldier. The lead vocal on Heartbreak Makes A Sound has a slight pop tone and would be a strong radio single imho. Enlisting Canadian blues-rock artist Sue Foley and Funderburgh for No Matter What You Wear creates a solid blues jam atmosphere. The inclusion of Bill Withers Friend of Mine is well-produced with a decent arrangement but seems a tad unnecessary on a fifteen-track album. Overall, Just Say The Word deals with topics such as mental health and relationships with a sensible balance of emotion and understanding without being preachy to the listener. A worthwhile listen.
GLENN SARGEANTGibrish are a quintet from Sundsvall, in Sweden who has released their fifth album Ådalsbanan. It was recorded in Nevo Studios and mixed/mastered by Henrik Heinrich. In terms of the record’s main idea it began in May 2021 which signified 90 years since shots were fired during a time in Lunde when the Swedish military under police command fired their rifles at Swedish workers and the demonstration train. The result was five people killed before a trumpet was blown as a ceasefire signal. Opening track Vita linjen seems influenced by Deep Purple as a rich Hammond Organ in a similar vein to the late Jon Lord rings out. The trumpet action in 1931 has been honoured in the song Trupetaren. Lead vocalist Christer Sunesson’s delivery is heartfelt especially on the title track which includes accordion by Klas Ullerstam. A special mention to the tight drum sound by multi-instrumentalist Erik Bathold on Stormen. Blues music enthusiasts will feel at home with Dahlias Blues which is nestled alongside the fourteen tracks, five of which are technically well-played instrumentals. Celebrating achievements on Tango with references to Sammy Davis Jr in the lyrics it works well alongside Thomas Östensson’s breezy electric guitar. Closing track Svanösorgen is a sombre instrumental that concludes a body of work full of sadness at the events that took place. The material is full of warmth and can universally be understood. A mixture of styles for sure.
GLENN SARGEANTJonas Lindberg and the Other Side are a progressive rock project from Stockholm, Sweden, who were formed in 2008 releasing two albums and several EP’s. This release see’s Jason taking more of a solo role playing several instruments besides his standard bass and keyboards, as well as sharing vocal duties, although the album does include several musicians from the previous incarnation. With this background I was surprised this CD had found its way to the Blues Matters HQ. I was hopeful that perhaps Jonas had taken a different musical direction and had found the blues, this was not the case as the album is pure progressive rock, full of pomp and ceremony without any hint of blues. Notwithstanding this, it is one helluva album with some sublime performances and musicianship. The guitar work is particularly impressive, these duties are shared between; Joel Lindberg, Nicklas Thelin, Calle Stalenbring and special guest on one track Roine Stolt from the Flower Kings and Transatlantic. There are some epic songs amongst the seven tracks with the title song running for over twenty-five minutes, it has five separate sections including some instrumental phases, reminiscent of Pink Floyd at times although Jonas has created his own distinct music identity and the use of vocalist Jenny Storm is a major coup. She has crystal clear phrasing, perfectly demonstrated on Summer Queen where her performance is spellbinding. This is my first exposure to Swedish progressive music,
and I am very impressed with this release, it may not be blues, but it provides a tremendous listening experience.
ADRIAN BLACKLEEQuite delightful album although it has no place in a Blues magazine. Brian Kalinec and KJ Reimensnyder-Wagner are both well recognized musicians and songwriters – KJ is also an educator and Kalinec has won many awards for his songwriting, including winning the Songwriter Serenade in Texas, the Big Top Chautauqua in Wisconsin, placing second in the prestigious Woody Guthrie Songwriting Competition among others. Both are well known across the US and UK as performers but only got together after meeting at one of Kalinec’ s shows in Texas while KJ was teaching in Louisiana and then later when KJ was playing dates in Texas. Musically, I would put them in the Folk/Americana tent with touches of Western Swing. Their voices are a superb match for each other, and they both write songs that are lyrically never less than interesting. It is lovely to listen to, but I found myself wanting a little more grit, a tad more stridency, perhaps more ‘funk’. They have the sweetness and freshness of John Denver and I found it impossible to dislike them but … Their beautifully writing is descriptive, you could paint pictures from their lyrics, and poignant but there is no darkness. It is all superbly played, and I can well imagine this being lapped up by people who like gentle and soft music.
ANDY SNIPPERRL Boyce has been playing blues music for fifty years having started playing drums in the 1970s. Then as the years went on RL was dared by none other than North Mississippi Allstar Luther Dickinson who dared him to play guitar. In 2019/2020 the Mississippi Arts Commission awarded him a grant to produce live recordings of his family picnic called RL Boyce Picnic. This live album was recorded on 1st September 2019 at the Como Community Park in Como, MS and opens with Rising Stars Fife & Drum Band performing Shimmy, complete with flute and military marching band style drums. A strong opener here that then moves into a take on the blues classic The Thrill Is Gone as Beverly Davis’ powerhouse vocal shines onstage. Backed by Garry Burnside Band, the track is a pleasant addition on this set. Then you have Eric Deaton Trio providing the funk on Turn It Around in a trio format. Kudos to the rhythm section. Greg Ayres Band’s take on Bobby Rush tune She’s A Good ‘Un has a healthy mix of groove and humour. Then RL Boyce takes to the stage with Lightnin’ Malcolm, and I’m reminded of Howlin Wolf’s Spoonful during the song Goin’ Away Baby. Wrapping up the set with the signature RL’s Boogie this ensemble just jam for nearly nine minutes to conclude an entertaining and respectful set to a musician who has made a significant contribution to the Hill Country Blues scene.
GLENN SARGEANTRusty Ends is a singer, guitarist and songwriter based in Louisville Kentucky. The band includes Rusty on vocals and guitar, Dave Zirnheld on bass and backing vocals, Gene Wickliffe on drums except (6,9,10,15) which have Danny Kelly on drums, and Rod Wurtele on electric piano and Hammond B-3 organ, with guests Jim Rosen on harmonica, Gary Hicks on trumpet, Kelly Bechtloff on Saxophone, Barry Shaw on percussion and Robbie Bartley lead vocals on tracks 3 and 11. With seventeen original songs the album opens with What Next, a danceable rock n roll blues including some fine harp blowing. Guitar and Hammond work well together over a solid drum rhythm on the upbeat bluesy Secrets In The Street. Blue Shadows has a laidback after-hours vibe with Robbie adding sultry vocals on this jazzy blues. A change of pace, as the piano and harp take the tempo up nicely, leading you onto the dance floor for I Wanna Know. A Man Can’t Understand A Woman, which is followed by the enjoyable smooth bluesy instrumental Sinner’s Strut. The horns get into the groove on the dance infused blues of High Powered Loving Man. The wonderful heartbreak ballad Something Wrong Going On leads into the toe tapping funky narrative Don’t Call It Love. The horn section and Hammond give a good soulful feel to Heart Stealer, some excellent mournful harmonica makes the jazz-tinged Broken Dreams For Sale a highlight for me. This is followed with some smooth guitar
licks and punchy keys on Sloppy Joe Blues, which ease’s us into the grooving toe tapping boogie blues of I’m Searching. Keeping the upbeat tempo with another enjoyable toe tapper is One Step Forward, before switching to a New Orleans Dr John esq swampy boogie with High Beams which is sure to have you dancing. The album closes with the dreamy end of night ballad The One Wish, enjoyable classic soulful blues well played.
SHIRL
PARAPLY RECORDS
Sometimes you wonder how a particular artist ends up landing on your doorstep. Such is the case here with the Stockholm based Swedish collective known as The Beautiful Art Of Decay. Five guys whose music is actually hard to define. For certain it is not blues in the generally accepted definition of the genre but as always, I try to have “open ears”. The first thing to note is that this is just an Extended Play and not an album. As a result there are only four tracks. All are basically, in length, similar to a single and really all of them have that kind of instantly familiar feel but not really a long lasting experience. The band create a very modern sound with
vocals heavily influenced by David Bowie, Velvet Underground with hints of several other outfits from that kind of timeframe. Americans opens the EP and this cut sounds, in places, like Public Service Broadcasting on something or other. With a title like that you can perhaps imagine that the band are alluding to all that is mixed up about that country. Happiness Ever After has an opening guitar part reminiscent of Love Hurts. And indeed is a ballad before the tempo builds again with Stories. Closing out the EP is Enemies. For me this is the strongest cut. It has the kind of hook which instantly becomes an earworm and you find yourself singing along without even being aware that you have begun. Anyway, not to my thinking blues by a long shot but entertaining and I wish it well.
GRAEME SCOTTAn English Artist moored in New Zealand, Rodwell’s revival of blues music as a vehicle for dance has been supple enough to embrace rhythms from spirituals and calypso, beautiful tunes, stories and groove, very unusual in its offer. A parallel career as a session player has seen Rodwell play live and on record for artists as diverse as Lonnie Holley, Robert Lamm and Don McGlashan, as well as various Avant-Jazz projects, when you know this is explains the very READ EVEN MORE
eclectic sound to the songs. Not quite what you expect when the first track Don’t Be A Fugitive All Your Life bursts out of the speaker, immediately compelling. the voice, the production, the musicality. Tom’s voice, sexy, rich, raspy, sometimes sounding almost Bowie like, although that could be slightly otherworldly psychedelic feel to one or two of the songs. Story telling in the true blues sense, these songs, like stories are all quite different in feel and that’s down to the musical arrangement. He Got Me Boiling would fill a dance floor with salsa dancers, Small Town, less groove and more blues its very difficult to put this one in a box! If you like your blues pure leave this one alone if you want to go on a journey where an accomplished and confident musician does his thing with the blues, you’ll love this.
JEAN KNAPPITTParks possesses a voice that is weathered by the passage of time and the indelible influences assimilated throughout a lifetime of gritty experience. As a former sideman to the legendary and much-missed Richie Havens, Parks’ voice is imbued with a timbre not dissimilar to his former employer. Add into the mix Tom Waits’ heaviness
of tone and these mostly spiritual covers take on a new lease of old life. There’s a gravelly underlay of blues beneath the praiseworthy surface of spirituals which rises to the surface on Shoulder It that unfurls a sumptuous, crushed velvet vocal over a guitar lead groove. Wade In The Water weighs in with a fuzzed-up groove pressing down hard on the ears as Parks drags his deep timbre to glorious effect across this impressive track. The first of the spiritually affected tunes ups the beat as Steal Away reveals nifty blues guitar picking and trombone solos. The shuffle groove and harmonising horns to the catchy Old Blind Barnabus exposes the sinuous skills of Parks’ ensemble. A sweet reinterpretation of Amazing Grace folds into the slithering sizzle of Early In The Morning that moans, groans, and howls like a soul in torment looking for salvation. There’s a lifetime of genuine gravitas in Parks’ delivery that simply must be heard to be believed. There are further sounds of surprise on Follow The Drinking Gourd a traditional song that Parks and his assembly funk up to fantastic bluesy effect. Not quite hidden, there’s a nuance of Havens in the vocalising that would please his erstwhile band leader wherever he may now be. The austere beauty of Georgia Rice on which Parks demonstrates a purity of voice on a song about the southern states days of slavery segues into an invigorating electronic take on Down By The Riverside that closes out a life affirming beauty of an album.
PAUL DAVIESOne of the best contemporary blues rock albums in recent years
The Billboard Blues album chart-topping guitarist and his 90s line-up the Blue Line on stage at San Francisco’s celebrated jazz venue Yoshi’s Recorded live in 1996 and available for the first time on a 2CD set
COMING SOON Available on CD 2LP vinyl and all digital formats
www.repertoirerecords.com
