Rock And Blues International by Rock and Blues International

FEBRUARY 2022

Rock And Blues International Tinsley Ellis ALSO IN THIS ISSUE

Manny Fizzotti Keb’ Mo’ Amanda Ventura Magic City Hippies BabySantana Tetrarch Kiss Frank Zappa and more!

Rock And Blues International January 2022 Hello Rock And Blues International readers. I hope everybody had a great January. As we go into the new year, I’d like to take the time to extend our sympathy to the family, friends, and fans of Marvin Lee Aday, whom you all probably know as Meat Loaf. It was a shock to all of us to hear of his passing. Evidently the cause of his death was to complications from Covid-19. This is still a real and constant problem. The new Omicron variant has been busy terrorizing the planet and we’d like you all to protect yourself from this any way you can. This Covid-19 pandemic appears to be here to stay for a while, so please folks, be safe. Take whatever precautions that is within your beliefs and watch out for yourselfs. We’re not out of the woods yet. There’s going to be a lot of live music hitting the road this year, so get out and enjoy it while you can. Hopefully we never get back to the point where it goes on hiatus again. Personally, I had a rough time with that. Be sure to check out all the tour announcements and ads in this issue. If you’re a publicist and your act doesn’t have a tour announcement in here, then you’re client is really missing out. Don’t leave them by the wayside. And now on to the January issue of Rock And Blues International. In this issue you can read stories about Tinsley Ellis, the Woodystock Blues Festival, Manny Fizzotti, Keb’ Mo’, Amanda Ventura, Ryland James, Magic City Hippies, Yot Club, BabySantana, Once Human, Lee McKinney, Tetrarch, Kiss, Frank Zappa and more! As you can see, there are a lot of varied genres of music here for you to check out, or as we like to say, there’s a little of something for everyone here. We have even included the current installment of the novella, “The Biker”. Read it and than email us back with your thoughts on this. Should we continue it or should we scrap it? I sincerely hope that everybody reading this publication finds something here that they like and I would like to encourage you to let your friends and colleagues know about us. Just look for us every month at http://www.rockandbluesinternational.com. I would also like to encourage you to email us for a free subscription to Rock And Blues International as well. Just email us at rockandbluesinternational@gmail.com and in the subject line simply put “Sign Me Up” and we’ll email you a link to the magazine each month when it is published.

Kevin Wildman Kevin Wildman Editor and Publisher

Rock And Blues International Kevin Wildman Editor and Publisher

Web Address Http://www.rockandbluesinternational.com Mailing Address Box 1162, League City, TX 77573 Phone 281-650-1953

For Advertising email us at rockandbluesinternational@gmail.com or call 281-650-1953 For A Free Subscription email us at rockandblues international@gmail.com and in the subject line put “Sign Me Up Now” February 2022 • Rock and Blues International

Contents

VOL. 2 NO. 7

FEBRUARY 2022

ISSUE NO. 19

TINSLEY ELLIS Tinsley Ellis Talks About His New Alligator Records Release And 20th Album, Devil May Care

18 MANNY FIZZOTTI

Edoardo Fassio talks about Italian Guitarist Manny Fizzotti

KEB’ MO’ Keb’ Mo’ Releases New Single and New Album Good To Be

30 BOMBER

Swedish Rockers Bomber Announce New Album And Reveal New Single, Zarathustra

58 58

BEACHLIFE FESTIVAL featuring Weezer, The Smashing Pumpkins, Steve Miller Band, 311,Vance Joy, Sheryl Crow, Black Pumas, STP & More!

Rock and Blues International • February 2022

Contents

VOL. 2 NO. 7

FEBRUARY 2022

TETRARCH

ISSUE NO. 19

CHAOS AND CARNAGE TOUR Co-Headlined By Suicide Silence And Carnifex with special guests LORNA SHORE, UPON A BURNING BODY, ANGELMAKER, and DISTANT

Modern Metal Starts Tetrarch To Support Sevendust On 2022 U.S. Headline Tour

74 84

THE BIKER LIMITED EDITION SHORT STORY EMAIL US AND LET US KNOW WHAT YOU THINK OF THIS ONE AND IF YOU WANT MORE OF THIS SERIES.

In This Issue: 6 Tinsley Ellis 16 Woodystock Blues Festival 18 Manny Fizzotti (English) 19 Manny Fizzotti (Italian 20 Keb’ Mo’ 22 Amanda Ventura 24 Ryland James 26 Infected Rain

28 30 32 40 44 48 52 56 58

Dagoba Bomber Artist Beware Magic City Hippies Dashboard Confessional & Jimmy Eat World Tour Catcher Yot Club BabySantana Beachlife Festival

60 Once Human 64 Lee McKinney 70 Chaos And Carnage Tour featuring Suicide Silence & Carnifex 74 Tetrarch 77 Kiss 78 Frank Zappa 84 The Biker

February 2022 • Rock and Blues International

Tinsley Ellis

Rock and Blues International • February 2022

Alligator Records Releases Their First Album Of 2022 Tinsley Ellis’ Devil May Care By Kevin Wildman World-renowned Southern Blues-Rock guitarist/songwriter Tinsley Ellis has just released his 20th album. The new album is titled Devil May Care and was released through his longtime label, Alligator Records. Devil May Care features 10 of the best songs that Tinsley has ever written. Each song is filled with thought provoking lyrics, fantastic melodies, and some of the best licks and solos that Tinsley has ever performed on record. We say record, because believe it or not, when the songs were assembled for this album release, it was planned for a vinyl record release as well as CD and Digital. All the songs on Devil May Care are carefully planned and arranged to flow very smoothly on vinyl. From the opening notes of “One Less Reason” to the final cut on the album, “Slow Train To Hell”, Tinsley succeeds in keeping your attention throughout the entire album. Believe me, these songs are very dynamic and by the time you’re reaching the end, you’ll wish he had included more. You’ll wind up playing this masterpiece over and over, and then wishing you had more to listen to. The album kicks off just screaming with that driving Southern Rock-Blues sound that only Tinsley can deliver with songs such as “One Less Reason” and “Right Down The Drain.” He even tones it down a bit with some great emotionally charged songs like “Don’t Bury Our Love,” “One Last Ride,” and “Slow Ride To Hell.” Tinsley even tips his had a bit and shows his influences in songs like the Allmansy “Just Like Rain, or the Hendrixy “Step Up” and “28 Days.” At one point Tinsley even takes you on a little drive into the voodoo tinged south with “Juju.” Without a doubt, there’s something for everyone on this new album The songs on this album are the result of an extreme shutdown of music that ran through the planet when the pandemic hit. Clubs and concert venues closed all over the world and Tinsley found himself driving back to Atlanta, Georgia from Reno when his Ice Cream In Hell tour shut down early in its dates. Tinsley vowed not to let this damper his spirit. He would use this time constructively until recording and touring was possible again. During this time he found himself holed up in his studio/mancave writing songs. In fact during this time he managed to write over 200 songs which he previewed for his fans through his weekly online show, The Wednesday Basement Tapes, where he would feature the newest song he had written. It was through this online show that he managed to cull down his new song list of 200 to 10 based on the responses of his fans. Tinsley tell us, “There was a lot of time to experiment. In my downstairs studio I set up every guitar and amp that I owned plus a Leslie cabinet, an old wooden Wurlitzer electric piano, an old Maestro Echoplex tape delay and 30 or 40 glass, steel and brass slides. Experimenting with different gear set ups inspired the songwriting. Plus, I was able to listen to more music than I had since the 1970s. My Imagination was fired up.” We sat down with Tinsley to get a better insight into his new album, Devil May Care and the thoughts behind the songs. Tinsley was nice enough to share the following interview with us. continued on next page February 2022 • Rock and Blues International

Tinsley Ellis continued from previous page Rock And Blues International: Well, hello Tinsley. I bet you never ever expected anything like the pandemic to happen. Who would have thought that an outbreak like that would shut down the entire planet and have all of us re-evaluating our lives? Tinsley Ellis: Ain’t that the truth. Yeah, try to figure out what to do, but rockin’ and rollin’ is what I do. I’ll just keep doing that until they tell me to stop. They told me that last time, but this time they didn’t tell me anything, so I guess that’s progress, right. Rock And Blues International: What was your first thought when you found out your tour was cancelled and you had to make the journey back from Reno? Tinsley Ellis: Well, that was almost two years ago and I remember at the time it was like… What? It went down so fast. Remember that it just went down so quickly. It was like one day. All the venues were closing down and they said, ‘you’ll have to drive home, we’ll reschedule it.’ We had rescheduled the same tour three times already and so it just sucked. I was bummed out for a while, and then I said, ‘I don’t want to lose my chops,’ so I started writing.

Rock And Blues International: Well, you certainly hung on to Rock and Blues International • February 2022

your chops. I believe you wrote over 200 songs during your hiatus from touring. Tinsley Ellis: Yes I have. I’ve written quite a few and they’re not all great (laughs), not all good even (more laughter), but I was able to choose from those to pick the best ones to be on this new album. Rock And Blues International: From what I understand, you went down in your music room and set up just about every piece of equipment you own to start experimenting on a lot of songs to arrive at the right choice of instrument and album for every song as well…. Different guitars, different amps, different tones. It sounds like quite a process, but at least you had the time to do it all. It doesn’t sound like you were hard pressed at getting anything out very quickly. Tinsley Ellis: Yes I did, that’s where I am right now, in my man cave surrounded by guitars and amplifiers. I’m about to pack ‘em up in the van and start the tour for the new album, so that’s kind of exciting. Rock And Blues International: What did you discover about yourself after you got a month or so into this new process of songwriting? Tinsley Ellis: I discovered that I write my best songs early in the morning with that first cup of coffee. That’s when the brain cells seem to be firing on all cylinders… early in the morning about 8 continued on next page

Tinsley Ellis continued from previous page o’clock or something with that first cup of coffee. By noon I’ve probably received a lot of new emails that I need to address. I’m really a morning person when it comes to singing and playing and writing. Rock And Blues International: Did you wind up using some pretty obscure guitars or amps on this recording that you hadn’t played in a long time? Tinsley Ellis: No, I’ve always used the same instruments, I just haven’t had them at my fingertips. When I’m on the road, stuff stays packed up in their cases, but in this case I set them all out. I put guitar stands up. It looked like a second hand music store or a pawnshop or something downstairs. I would get going on a song and I would think, ‘this would be good on a Telecaster,’ so I would reach over there and get it or I’d think, ‘maybe I should use a Twin Reverb for this and get that clean Dickey Betts sound or something on it. It was really great to be able to do that. I’m actually going to miss it when I’m on tour, but it’s time to come out of my cave here and hit the road again. Rock And Blues International: So your recording and writing instruments are different from what you usually use on the road… right? Tinsley Ellis: Yes, because a lot of the instruments seem to be packed up all the time, whereas the writing stuff… they stay out… the Telecaster and the Les Paul. They don’t go everywhere with me, acoustic guitars as well. I’ve got a Wurlitzer electric piano that sounds so good and I write on those, but when I incorporated some of the road gear back into the studio gear, that’s where some of the magic really happened. Rock And Blues International: 200 songs are a lot of songs to write. How did you set out to select the 10 that you used on this album, and why only 10 songs? Tinsley Ellis: Well, I’ll answer the second question first. The songs add up to about 50 minutes of music. That seems like about the right amount of time. It’s also about as much music as you can put on a vinyl LP. You know, we do vinyl now. You can’t really put more than 25 minutes of music on each side. If someone gave me their CD and it’s got 15 songs on it, I almost dread putting it on because I’m never going to be able to listen to all 15 songs. I’m never going to be able to learn the album and if I don’t learn the album, then I don’t feel like I own the album. 10 songs seem like the sweet spot for me. And the way we called the songs was I would write a song and I would say, ‘I think Alligator Records would like this.’ I kind of know the guitar heavy songs they like and I would send it up there and Mr. Iglauer would write back his comments and stuff. We assembled a list, but also at the same time, once a week I was putting out on Wednesdays on social media, the Wednesday Basement Tapes, the best song of that week… the demo. They’re all demos and people would send in their critiques. Nobody’s going to say ‘that song sucks’ or anything like that, but they would say something and give me an idea what the fans like. So between what I like, what the fans like, and what the record company liked, that became the 10 songs. Rock And Blues International: That was pretty much what I thought about the 10 song configuration. Almost everything is being issued again on vinyl and it usually holds about 23 and a half minutes of music per side before the quality starts getting a little weak. Tinsley Ellis: That’s right and it’s 24 minutes and fades on each side of this album, so that’s pushing it right there. You never really want to leave a song off. What song do you leave off? It messes with the flow of the album. You don’t want one of the sides of the album

open with a slow song. It’s right at that 50-minute mark. That’s where you really can’t go any more than that. Rock And Blues International: I would say that 200 songs would give you enough fuel for a double album. However, I would imagine now the way the economy is, trying to sell a double album would be even harder today. Tinsley Ellis: I don’t know what is easy to sell now. Everybody expects stuff for free now, so you don’t want to make it even harder by asking for more. Rock And Blues International: Exactly. Tinsley Ellis: I like to know all the songs on an album. I love those ZZ Top albums where that have the 10 songs on it, and I learn all 10 songs. ‘Learning them’, meaning I know how they all go. I never get to where I have to turn it off. 10 songs - I’ve learned this album, I know these 10 songs, and therefore I feel like I own it. Rock And Blues International: Yeah, you’ve got that right, 10 songs and 3 chords. Tinsley Ellis: Ahh, they’re the best. Yeah, that’s the best BluesRock there is. And Jimi Hendrix, of course. Rock And Blues International: Let’s talk about some of the songs on the new album. The first single from the album is “One Less Reason.” Tinsley Ellis: Yes, the opening song off the record. In fact, it’s continued on next page February 2022 • Rock and Blues International 9

Tinsley Ellis: Well, it means… the singer is singing that the woman is leaving him. He sings, ‘There is one less reason, one less reason to cry’, meaning he ain’t gonna miss her. Rock And Blues International: Okay, I understand that. That’s cool! Tinsley Ellis: Yeah that’s kind of tough talkin’ right there, so I opened with a ‘feel sorry for me’ song. Rock And Blues International: Right! Well, you have to start off with something that will capture their attention and prepare them for the rest of the album and this certainly caught my attention. Tinsley Ellis: We hope so (laughs). Rock And Blues International: The worst thing you can do is open up with something that makes you want to cry. Tinsley Ellis: You got to build up before you start bumming them out… yeah. Rock And Blues International: Your second song is “Right Down The Drain”, so what went right down the drain? Tinsley Ellis: My life did. It talks about a bad woman and a party life, and stuff like that. It’s kind of a ‘tell all’ song. It’s not necessarily a song about me, but it’s about a guy that lives hard and pays the price and right down the drain it goes. Rock And Blues International: So, is this about your experiences, or the experiences of a fictional character/ Tinsley Ellis: Both, it’s pretty exaggerated on that. The guy looses everything. Rock And Blues International: Well, you haven’t lost everything yet or did something like that happened to you in the past? Tinsley Ellis: No, I haven’t, but I did years ago, but I got it back. A long time ago… 40 years or something.

Tinsley Ellis continued from previous page getting quite a bit of airplay on XM Radio or Satellite Radio. They’re playing it two or three times a day. It’s a shuffle and I haven’t opened a record with a shuffle beat in decades. I think the world needs a rockin’ little number like that. It’s got kind of a positive message to it. It’s really hard to choose what to open up an album with. Which song do you put? Does that mean it’s the best song or does that mean it’s the best song that radio or satellite radio will play. We rolled the dice with it and we thought ‘should we open an album with a song that’s Allmansy or should we open with a song that’s a bit Hendrixy.’ We went with the one that was kind of Allmansy. Me being here in Georgia, that’s kind of my wheelhouse. Rock And Blues International: Well tell me, what is the ‘“One Less Reason”’? 10 Rock and Blues International • February 2022

Rock And Blues International: Well, I think a lot of people might have lost everything many years ago and then later jumpstarted their lives and got it back again.

Tinsley Ellis: Back then you could stay with friends and become a sofa crasher at your friend’s houses. Rock And Blues International: Yeah, it was a bit more socially acceptable back then. Tinsley Ellis: You can do that when you’re young, but when you’re in your forties, it’s like ‘hey, my wife says you have to leave.’ Rock And Blues International: Tell me about the song, “Just Like Rain.” continued on next page

Tinsley Ellis continued from previous page Tinsley Ellis: That’s kind of one of the more ballady type songs. I actually really like that song. It’s about a guy making amends to a former girlfriend. He screwed her over and now he’s coming back with ‘hat in hand’ and he says, ‘I let my love flow over you just like rain.’ And he’s kind of beggin’. He’s doesn’t hold a lot of cards and he’s got his hat in his hand, and he’s singing to her. Rock And Blues International: Was that a hard one for you to write, or did it come easily? Tinsley Ellis: That one actually flowed out of me pretty easily. It’s one that kind of has a Gregg Allman feel to it. I really enjoyed that one. It’s a slower song, but that’s the first of the slow songs on the album, which means we must like it a lot. Rock And Blues International: It was one of my favorites on the album also, but quite honestly, I really enjoyed the entire album from the beginning to the end. I feel that this is some of the strongest writing you’ve done to date. Tinsley Ellis: Oh good, I’m glad. I like that one quite a bit.

goes right until… maybe when MTV hit, and you hear it and you just know that it’s Classic Rock. I really like that era, especially sweet spot of the sixties, Derek And The Dominoes up to the mid 70s before Disco took hold. That’s the real sweet spot of the genre for me. Rock And Blues International: My favorite era of Classic Rock was from ’68 to ’72. I really enjoyed a lot of music from that time period.

Rock And Blues International: You said that you sat back and listened to more songs at one time than you’ve done since the 70s. Did other artists or songs that you had started listening to again inspire any of these songs? For instance, did you sit back and listen to say, an Allman Brother song and say, ‘Why didn’t I write a song like that one that Duane did,’ and then gain some inspiration from that?

Rock And Blues International: For me there was just so much great music coming out then, new inspirational stuff, a new evolution of Rock music.

Tinsley Ellis: Yes that’s exactly what I did. I’d listen to a song and get so worked up about it and then in some cases I’d say, ‘he’s got the perfect tempo too and I would tap it out on this device I have that tells me how many beats per minute. You don’t ever want to copy something verbatim. I like to come down here in my studio in the morning and have a cup of coffee, listen to a little music when the blood is flowin’ and the coffee is goin’, and all of a sudden I’m motivated and I want to write a song. You know, kind of in that same vein, that’s exactly what I did.

Tinsley Ellis: Yeah that was the time. I never got to see Duane Allman. I always regretted that. I was too young to see him. I couldn’t talk my parents into letting me go. I could’ve gone to the Miami Pop Festival and seen Janis Joplin and Johnny Winter when he was on fire. A lot of people don’t realize that Johnny Winter, no offense to any other Texas gunslingers, but Johnny Winter really paved the road for everybody. He would… I’ve never seen the height that he had when he came out and he owned up to it. I mean, he was great.

Rock And Blues International: Can you name a couple of songs that were really inspirational to you in this process?

Rock And Blues International: Most definitely… He’s another Texas guy that grew up not far from where I’m at right now. He grew up in the Beaumont area of Texas.

Tinsley Ellis: Well, I was listening to some stuff from the Chuck Leavell era of The Allman Brothers, the Brothers And Sisters era. There’s “Jessica” and “Can’t Lose What You’ve Never Had.” I kind of channeled that on a couple of tunes. “Just Like Rain” would be one that might be more from a Gregg Allman solo album, as opposed to an Allman Brothers album. And then there are the two songs on the album that are kind of Hendrixy. One is “28 Days” and the other one is “Step Up.” They definitely have more of the Hendrix influence. I love Blues, but I’m kind of like a Classic Rock era kind of guy. Its music like that they kind of give names to like that, Classic Rock. You hear something and you go, ‘that’s not Classic Rock’. Then you go ‘why is it Classic Rock’, it was before Classic Rock, or after Classic Rock. There was that time period in the late 60s that

Tinsley Ellis: Yes that’s the sweet spot.

Tinsley Ellis: Not far from where Janis Joplin was from. Rock And Blues International: Not that far, Janis was from the Port Arthur area. Yeah, not more that a few hours drive from each other. Tinsley Ellis: Yeah, Mike Zito lives down there now. The tradition continues. Rock And Blues International: Yeah, I saw Mike about a week continued on next page February 2022 • Rock and Blues International

the songs on the album. Did you “Beat The Devil”? Tinsley Ellis: I did beat the devil at his own game just like the song says. Rock And Blues International: Well, how hard was that? Tinsley Ellis: It wasn’t easy. Eventually you’ve got to grow up without ceasing to rock. Yeah, a lot of these songs have caused me to realize that these songs are about living hard. Rock And Blues International: Did you do that? Tinsley Ellis: Oh yeah! Rock And Blues International: What was the hardest part about living hard? Tinsley Ellis: The hardest thing I’ve ever did was giving up smoking cigarettes. It was the hardest thing I’ve ever done in my life (laughs). Rock And Blues International: Were you a long time smoker? Tinsley Ellis: Oh yeah, who wasn’t. I’ve smoked all kinds of shit (laughs again). Lots of stuff to tell you the truth. A lot of hard livin’… Rock And Blues International: How about “Don’t Bury Our Love.” Is that about any woman in particular?

Tinsley Ellis

Tinsley Ellis: Yes it is. Names will be withheld to protect the extreme guilty. That’s the tortured love song on the album. I actually like that one quite a bit. I like the slow songs, but you can’t have an entire album of slow songs, you gotta boogie. That song was inspired when I was downstairs listening to a Mike Bloomfield/Al Kooper thing. It wasn’t Super Session, it might have been Super Session Live At The Fillmore. Al Kooper wrote a song, and I can’t remember the name of the song right now, and it’s kind of similar to it. It’s not a rip off of it, but I listened to it and said, ‘I gotta write a song like that.’

continued from previous page or two ago. Tinsley Ellis: Where at? Rock And Blues International: It was in a little club in Bacliff, Texas, not far from where I live, a club called Katie’s. Tinsley Ellis: Okay, Cool! Rock And Blues International: And I did get to see Duane perform. Tinsley Ellis: Ahhh! I came on board a little after Duane, early to mid-70s. I saw the Allman’s with Chuck Leavell. And then the other people of the time… The Band. I grew up in south Florida, so I saw Skynyrd before they had the first album out and that was pretty amazing really. What a Rock and Roll band they were! I loved that first album. Rock And Blues International: Let’s talk about some more of

Rock and Blues International • February 2022

Rock And Blues International: I loved the Super Session album that had Steve Stills on it with Kooper and Bloomfield. Tinsley Ellis: Yeah, that was the one in the studio, and then they did a live one that I had forgotten about until the pandemic and then I pulled it out and that was the double live one without Stills on it. Stills performed “Season Of The Witch” on the studio version. But he wasn’t on this live album, it was just Kooper and Bloomfield and they were great. Rock And Blues International: Anything else you like to tell us about “Don’t Bury Our Love.” Tinsley Ellis: Not really, it’s just a slow Blues song. It’s not happy. It just a tortured slow Blues song. continued on next page

Tinsley Ellis continued from previous page Rock And Blues International: Well then, that brings us to “Juju.” Tinsley Ellis: A happier song, cause you want people to snap out of it on an album. It also starts out side two of the vinyl album. That one is more of a Dr. John meets Brothers And Sisters era Allman Brothers song. It’s got some slide guitar and a Dr. John piano on it. It’s got a lot of Gulf Coast imagery on it, you know, juju and a sprinkling of mojo powder on it… that kind of stuff. We’ve got some of that juju and mojo down on the coast. Voodoo dolls and stuff like that, so I was able to conjure up some kind of that imagery in it. It’s just a fun song. You don’t want every song to be so heavy that you have to think all the time. That was more of a fun rocker. Rock And Blues International: I have to say that the keyboards on this song as well as some of the other songs on this album are fantastic and extraordinary. They really breathe their own kind of life into some of these songs.

too, didn’t he. Tinsley Ellis: He sure did. I’m hoping John Mayall sells at least one tenth of the amount that Jonny Lang sold. Jonny sold 2 million copies of that. Rock And Blues International: Residuals are a great thing to get.

Tinsley Ellis: That’s Kevin McKendree. He plays with Delbert McClinton and produces Delbert McClinton. He helps produce my albums as well. He and I have been working together for twenty five years together in the studio and after doing about a half a dozen albums together he says, ‘You know, you ought to come to my studio. It’s more laid back.’ At the big studios you’re watching the clock and wondering how much it’s going to cost. In his studio you can just kind of sit around and get a groove, go in there and play. A lot of the musicians I use play with Delbert McClinton and Leroy Parnell and people like that. They’ve played together for years and years, so I just kind of slide into it like an old shoe or something.

Tinsley Ellis: That’s the only one I’ve got out that really did anything like that. I’ve got a Platinum Album for that. It would be nice to get another one. Rock And Blues International: How about the song “Step Up.” Tinsley Ellis: “Step Up”. That’s one of the two songs on the album that I would say have a Hendrixy flavor to them, Stratocaster through a Marshall Amp with a Wah Wah pedal. That one is not really ‘message music.’ We tried to make it not too preachy, but it’s about spiritual elevation and people can take that as far as they want.

Rock And Blues International: Delbert says he’s going to retire. Rock And Blues International: Can you elaborate on that a Tinsley Ellis: I’ll believe it when I see it. Rock And Blues International: It’ll be a shame to see him do that. He said at one point that his performance at the Big Blues Bender in Vegas was going to be his last. Tinsley Ellis: I think he had to cancel that. He’s got the Cruise next year, so he going to have to do that. John Mayall said he was retiring too. Rock And Blues International: John Mayall will retire when he dies, and he’ll still probably do a few gigs after that. Tinsley Ellis: I’ll tell you, John Mayall is something else. He’s still going strong. Rock And Blues International: He’s got a brand new album out right now. Tinsley Ellis: I know, I’ve got a song on it. “A Quitter Never Wins.” It’s on the album. Rock And Blues International: Jonny Lang recorded that song

little? Tinsley Ellis: Sure, Steve Wonder had a song called “Higher Ground” and people could get religious with that or think it just means getting high or something. It could really mean whatever it means to you. To me, what does “Step Up” mean… Nothing really deep to tell you the truth, but it is a song about with a positive message. Rock And Blues International: “One Last Ride.” Tell me a little about that song. What is the one last ride? Tinsley Ellis: That song’s about my old bass player, James Ferguson, whose nickname was ‘The Evil One.’ He was a Harley guy and he passed away from Cancer last year. I was really moved by that. We hadn’t played music together in a decade, but I always wanted to do it one more time with him because he played with me the better part of twenty years. That song has a lot of motorcycle references and it talks about taking ‘one last ride’ together. We never got to do that and I was pretty upset when he passed away so I wrote that song. Rock And Blues International: I believe that the next song is another one of your Hendrixy songs, “28 Days.” February 2022 • Rock and Blues International 13

Rock And Blues International: Well, I’ve never gone through Rehab, so I would have never guessed that one. Tinsley Ellis: It is pretty common. The judge sentences you to 28 days in Rehab. In this case, he’s going ‘cold turkey,’ but he’s not going ‘cold turkey’ for drugs or alcohol. He’s going ‘cold turkey’ over a woman and he’s talking about “28 days abstained… How much longer till I’m over you… Cold turkey has got me in pain.” I had just assumed that most people knew what 28 days meant. They made a movie about it with Sandra Bullock. Rock And Blues International: That takes us to the last song on the album, “Slow Train To Hell.” Tinsley Ellis: Well that’s a Billy Gibbons kind of song right there. Someone just did an album review and compared it to one of my favorite songs ever, which is “Blue Jean Blues.” I mean it pretty much doesn’t get any better than “Blue Jean Blues.” It’s one of the greatest Blues songs ever recorded. I told you earlier that I liked doing the slow songs. I’d do a whole album of slow songs if I thought I could get by with it. That’s going to fun to play live and it just makes a statement. “I’ve been on a slow train to Hell since my baby’s been gone. It’s really pretty one-dimensional. This guy is bummed out, singing about it and playing some lazy, lowdown stuff. I used a Telecaster through a little Fender amp and I would like to think that people would conjure up the old days when they had songs like that, like “Lend Me A Dime.” Remember that one? Rock And Blues International: Yeah! Tinsley Ellis: Boz Scaggs, or Duane Allman and Boz Scaggs, “Blue Jean Blues.” It’s that kind of thing. That’s the kind of song you want to close an album side with. So, that’s exactly what we did. It’s the last song on side two of the album. Rock And Blues International: You referenced ZZ Top and Billy Gibbons a couple of times. Where they a big influence on you?

Tinsley Ellis

Tinsley Ellis: They still are. I’m still trying to get over the Dusty thing. He was so great. We used to play there in Houston and someone said he lived there in The Woodlands, just outside of Houston. They said, he lives just right down the road. One time Billy Gibbons gave me his phone number and I called and got his answering machine. He was doing the voice on there. That was when I played in Houston. He must have been gone or something. I just love them. I feel the same about them as I feel about The Allman Brothers Band. It’s just a perfect mixture of Rock and Blues. They’re Rock and Rollers that love the Blues. You could say that pretty much about The Allmans or me, or Mike Zito. We’re Rock and Rollers that like the Blues. The word ‘genius’ is thrown about pretty loosely in the music world, but when it comes to Billy Gibbons, I think it really applies.

continued from previous page Tinsley Ellis: You guessed ‘er Chester. That’s it. That’s got the Wah Wah pedal on it. I’m all in it on that one. Marshall, Wah Wah pedal, and a Stratocaster. Rock And Blues International: What are the 28 days? Tinsley Ellis: So what does “28 Days” usually refer to? Rehab…

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Tinsley Ellis continued from previous page Rock And Blues International: Yeah, he’s definitely one of the most talented musicians I’ve ever met in my life. Tinsley Ellis: Yeah, singing, playing guitar, he’s funny as hell. If there was a musician that I would like to write music with, it would be him. Rock And Blues International: Even Jimi Hendrix was in awe of Billy. Tinsley Ellis: He knew. Rock And Blues International: Everybody’s got their own take on the Blues, varied writing, varied styles, and the different views that every Blues musician has on his or her own style. Where do you see yourself? Tinsley Ellis: Everybody puts their own twist on it. I would like to think that I’m coming at it from the Georgia music side of things. It’s really the only birthright I’ve got. I’m never going to be Muddy Waters. I’m never going to be anybody but me and I think on this particular album, I’m feeling more comfortable in my own skin than I ever have. I’ve done this a long time, and I’ve seen a lot of young whippersnappers come up and just blow on past me, like Jonny Lang, who you mentioned earlier or Derek Trucks. Derek actually made his recording debut on my “Storm Warning” album back in ’94. And then the nice thing is these people in the Blues-Rock world people are pretty nice and they don’t forget where they came from. Every once in a while I get a call from Derek Trucks or Gov’t Mule or someone. They invite me to come and guest on one of their shows and that feels real good too… that your old friends haven’t forgotten about you. Rock And Blues International: Do you do that often, get out there and sit in with other bands for a night or two. Tinsley Ellis: I have. I haven’t done it in the last couple of years because nobody has really been moving about. I sat in with the very last Atlanta Allman Brothers show. I sat in at that show. Usually I get a call when I’m close to Atlanta and I go out and play. I love playing with the jam band Widespread Panic, Gov’t Mule, and Tedeschi Trucks, people like that. We hold down the fort in the BluesRock field. That’s kind of my wheelhouse. Rock And Blues International: What are your plans on touring with this album? Tinsley Ellis: We’re going to take it everywhere, everywhere in America. This year we have a big tour planned. I’d like to direct people to my website at tinsleyellis.com to find us. They can come out and see us play and just how deep they want to go into this new album. I listen to the words of songs and a good, catch lyric is a good thing, but the true people come out to hear us for the guitar playing and we get a lot of dudes. I’d say that about three-quarters of our audience are guys. That’s kind of cool I guess. It’s a lot about the guitar playin’. Rock And Blues International: Yeah, if you want more women, you’re going to have to wear spandex.

Tinsley Ellis: (Laughs) Yeah, nobody wants to see me in spandex. And actually there was never going to be a time where that would be a good fit. One of the reasons I like Blues-Rock and the people I talked about was generally there’s not much in wardrobe involved. If you’re going to be in the Paul Butterfield Blues Band, you’ve got to be dressed like Elvin Bishop or something, a casual way to dress. So there’s not a lot of wardrobe involved. It’s kind of regular people music and that’s a good thing. Rock And Blues International: I remember that when I first started listening to music everyone was wearing suits or matching outfits like The Beatles or Paul Revere and The Raiders. Wardrobe has changed over the years. A lot of times its just jeans, a nice shirt and boots or tennis shoes. Tinsley Ellis: Yeah, I remember that. Somebody asked me one time if we considered our music to be blue collar and I said, ‘Well actually what I’m using is no collar.’ T-shirts and jeans… I tend to gravitate to people, who have that hippie look, because then I know they’re going to make the music more about feeling. I will tell you though, ZZ Top… those are some sharp dressed men. I did a clothing thing for a while and now it’s just regular. Rock And Blues International: Whatever comes out of the closet first… Tinsley Ellis: Yeah, a lot of t-shirts and a lot of jeans. If it’s a nice place, I’ll tuck my shirt in. That hasn’t happened in a long time (laughs). Well you can expect to see Tinsley Ellis in his jeans and t-shirt pretty soon when the band hits the road in support of Devil May Care. Tinsley has been a road warrior since the release of his first Alligator Records album, Georgia Blue in 1988. For 40 years he criss-crossed the planet performing in all 50 states as well as Europe, Canada, Australia, and South America. He’s also performed with a lot of other musicians such as Warren Haynes, Gov’t Mule, Widespread Panic, and more, not to mention sharing the stage with the likes of Stevie Ray Vaughan, Willie Dixon, Leon Russell, Son Seals, Koko Taylor, Albert Collins, and others. Be sure to pick up the new album by Tinsley Ellis the first chance you get. You’re going to be blown away by it and for God’s sake, if Tinsley plays anywhere near you, be sure to catch one of the shows. You’ll be happy you did. He plans on performing his new album Devil May Care from start to finish. February 2022 • Rock and Blues International 15

Friday, April 8: Woodystock Blues Festival “Kickoff Party” at River Rick’s Saloon in The New Pioneer Hotel and Gaming Hall (BULLHEAD CITY AZ) - It’s the Return of Woodystock Blues Festival, with performances by some of today’s top blues acts and giving Festival-goers the option of booking overnight Hotel Stays at some of Laughlin’s best Casino/Hotels, Saturday, April 9 and Sunday, April 10. All Ages Event. Doors Open 10AM each day, Music until 9:30pm each day. No Ice Chests Allowed. Davis Camp Park, South Beach Pavilion (across from the Colorado River near Casino Row in Laughlin). Tickets: $60. (covers both Saturday and Sunday). Kids 16 and Under free with Paid Adult. Veterans United Arizona members and all other Veterans $10.00 off with Military ID. $5.00 Discount for Las Vegas Blues Society and Los Angeles Blues Society members with Valid ID. Each day features a chance to win a Gretsch Guitar (via Raffle; must be present to win). Discount rooms available with our Hotel Partners, Aquarius Casino Resort and The New Pioneer Hotel Gambling Hall. Food, Drink, and Crafts Vendors, and more! All Ages. Tickets/Info: (760) 963-4994 or visit woodystock.info. The night before, Friday, April 8, the Woodystock Blues Festival Kick-Off Party takes place at River Rick’s Saloon in the New Pioneer Hotel Gambling Hall, “The Friendliest House on the River,” overlooking the majestic Colorado River. 8pm-Till? Special Guest Artist performing that night to be announced. What makes the Woodystock Blues Festival so special besides a great lineup? Location, location, location. “I was in negotiations with the Mojave County Fairgrounds when I met Gary Watkins, Head of continued on next page

Woodystock Blues Festival: 2 Days of Great Blues Music, Hotel/Casino Overnight Option, By The Colorado River Saturday, April 9 and Sunday, April 10 - Doors Open 10AM Each Day - Tickets $60. For 2 Days 16 Rock and Blues International • February 2022

Sax player extraordinaire Jimmy Carpenter (pictured), the 2021 Blues Music Award’s ‘Best Instrumentalist/Horn’ recipient, headlines on Saturday at the Woodystock Blues Festival, Saturday and Sunday, April 9 and 10, in Bullhead City near the Colorado River and Laughlin’s Casino Drive. (Photo By Marilyn Stringer)

Woodystock Blues Festival continued from previous page Maintenance for Davis Camp Park, who suggested I check out the Pavilion there,” Woodystock Promoter John Woodard Jr. told The Los Angeles Beat. “Once we got there, it was like, ‘Wow,’ it was so beautiful that the puzzle pieces just seem to fit. This is a fantastic location.” Woodystock and Davis Camp Park Pavilion are a few short blocks from the still-majestic Colorado River, it’s inviting Palm Trees and Beaches, and, of course, a host of big-name Casino/Hotels in Laughlin, Nevada, adjacent to Bullhead City, in close proximity to the Festival. Carefully curated by John and Katy Woodard with some help from his publicist, Woodystock Blues Festival’s eclectic two-day lineup definitely brings it. Festival Headliner is Multi-Blues and Grammy Award Winner, and saxophone player extraordinaire, Jimmy Carpenter, perfoming with his Band. Besides being an award-winning musician, Carpenter is involved with the Big Blues Bender, and is President of the Las Vegas Blues Society. Jimmy’s most recent album is “Soul Doctor,” on Gulf Coast Records. Guitar lovers won’t want to miss either Tommy Marsh and his well-traveled Crooked Eye Tommy, returning to Woodystock all the way from Nashville, Tennessee; or electrifying, genre-crossing guitarist and vocalist, Jay Gordon & Blues Venom, who perform both Saturday and Sunday. Other artists include 2022 Regional IBC Winner from Southern California, the Sandy Haley Band, fronted by powerful vocalist, Sandy Haley; eclectic Las Vegas faves, The Good Hurt; LA/High Desert staples and popular Woodystock attraction, Delta Shade; Arizona by way of San Francisco and bringing their Blues on the edge, Catbone; entertaining blues duo, The Reverend & The Doctor; SoCal/High Desert mainstay, The Blue Henrys, featuring guitarist, Henry Meranda; and the return of Stone Stanley, an Americana grunge band and the musical project of Jason Trombley. Singing The Star Spangled Banner again this year to kick off Woodystock Blues Festival is Miss Tiffany Lynn. Woodystock Blues Festival Emcee is Sandy Haley. Call For Woodystock Blues Festival Reservations: (702) 298-

Blues vocalist Sandy Haley, a Southern California Regional Winner of the 2022 IBC competing in Memphis this May, performs at Woodystock Blues Festival with the Sandy Haley Band, Saturday, April 9. Haley Emcees both days. (Photo by Adam Crown)

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Jay Gordon & Blues Venom At Night, 2021 Woodystock Blues Festival/Click To View February 2022 • Rock and Blues International

Manny Fizzotti, the British Invasion plays Italian By Edoardo Fassio

Among the best blues guitarists and songwriters of his generation, Emanuele Fizzotti hails originally from Biella, the historic capital of wool in Piedmont, about an hour’s drive from Turin. Already leader of groups such as Zip Fasteners and Melody Makers, Fizzotti soon started looking around, beyond the splendid Alpine horizon that surrounds his city. After graduating with honors at the Guitar Institute of Technology in Los Angeles, he decided to move to London. His versatility has allowed him not only to express himself freely, even in a musical environment where the competition has always been crowded, but to become one of its busiest participants. He shortened his name to Manny and landed regular gigs at trendy venues like Ronnie Scott’s, Hideaway, Ain’t Nothin’ But Blues Bar and Eel Pie Club. And he was delighted to learn of being listed in the “South of England page” on the European Blues Union website, alongside artists such as Rolling Stones, Chris Barber and Savoy Brown. Manny Fizzotti has always had a keen ear to the Swinging London season and to the long wave of the British Invasion. In a way, he too was part of it, when the expedition headed east: in 2014 he played a string of concerts in Moscow in the “Great British Rhythm & Blues Invasion”, together with English notables such as Ian Siegal, Todd Sharpville, Big Joe Louis, Bex Marshall, Eddie Martin and Dani Wilde. In his new album, Nobody Understands, Manny doesn’t limit himself to one version of the style, nor to play just the guitar, but he also deals with mandolin, banjo, bass, piano and Hammond organ. He gracefully approaches rodeo country picking in “Cowboys on the Run”, chamber jazz in “Dodgy Dudes” and John Coltrane’s “Naima”, and inspired acoustic gospel blues in Rev. Robert Wilkins’ “Prodigal Son”. Besides, he writes songs destined to future memory, such as the clever shuffle “Crying Shame”, which features the harmonica of Giles Robson, the only non-US winner of a Blues Music Award, or “Useless”, whose flowing minor structure seems to come from a forgotten Peter Green’s Fleetwood Mac session. Here the link with past generations is strengthened by the contribution, on drums, of Brendan O’ Neill, who played with Rory Gallagher and Nine Below Zero. We are faced with a satisfying and catchy work, which combines research, instrumental fluency, confident singing and that breath of irrepressible nostalgia, typical of a genre that is constantly reborn under new skies and different forms while still remaining true to itself. 18 Rock and Blues International • February 2022

Manny Fizzotti, la British Invasion suona italiano By Edoardo Fassio Tra i migliori chitarristi e cantautori in blues della sua generazione, Emanuele Fizzotti è originario di Biella, l’antico capoluogo laniero del Piemonte, a un’ora di macchina da Torino. Già leader di gruppi come Zip Fasteners e Melody Makers, Fizzotti si è presto guardato attorno, oltre lo splendido orizzonte alpino che circonda la sua città. Dopo essersi perfezionato al Guitar Institute of Technology di Los Angeles, ha deciso di trasferirsi a Londra. La sua versatilità gli ha consentito non soltanto di potersi esprimere liberamente, anche in un ambiente musicale dove la concorrenza è sempre stata affollata, ma di diventarne uno degli esponenti più attivi. Ha accorciato il nome in Manny e ottenuto ingaggi regolari in ritrovi di tendenza come Ronnie Scott’s, Hideaway, Ain’t Nothin’ But Blues Bar e Eel Pie Club. E si è tolto la soddisfazione di trovarsi elencato sulla pagina South of England del sito Internet della European Blues Union a fianco di artisti come Rolling Stones, Chris Barber e Savoy Brown. Manny Fizzotti ha sempre avuto l’orecchio attento alla stagione della Swinging London e alla lunga ondata della British Invasion. In un certo senso ne ha fatto parte anche lui, quando la spedizione ha puntato verso est: nel 2014 ha partecipato a una serie di concerti a Mosca della “Great British Rhythm & Blues Invasion”, insieme a notabili inglesi come Ian Siegal, Todd Sharpville, Big Joe Louis, Bex Marshall, Eddie Martin e Dani Wilde. Nel suo nuovo album, Nobody Understands, Manny non si limita a un’unica versione dello stile, né alla sola chitarra, ma suona anche mandolino, banjo, basso, pianoforte e organo Hammond. Si accosta con garbo al country picking da rodeo in “Cowboys on the Run”, al jazz cameristico in “Dodgy Dudes” e in “Naima”, di John Coltrane, e con ispirazione al gospel blues acustico di Rev. Robert Wilkins in “Prodigal Son”. E compone ed esegue brani blues destinati alla futura memoria, come l’astuto shuffle “Crying Shame”, dove all’armonica appare Giles Robson, unico vincitore non-statunitense di un Blues Music Award, o “Useless”, dalla filante struttura in minore, che sembra uscita da un dimenticato album dei Fleetwood Mac di Peter Green. Qui il legame con le passate generazioni è rinsaldato dal contributo, alla batteria, di Brendan O’ Neill, già con Rory Gallagher e Nine Below Zero. Siamo di fronte a un lavoro che concilia ricerca e orecchiabilità, abilità strumentale, una vocalità non banale e quell’afflato di nostalgia insopprimibile in un genere musicale che rinasce e si riproduce sotto nuovi cieli e differenti forme rimanendo sempre fedele a sé stesso. February 2022 • Rock and Blues International 19

home in Compton, which Keb’ recently purchased and renovated. He often found himself reflecting on the idea of home and contemplating what it means to belong and what it takes to stay true to yourself. ??“You can’t bring an attitude to Compton,” reflects Keb’. “You can’t pose. You can’t be anything but real when you’re walking down the same streets you used to ride your bike on as a kid. In a lot of ways, coming back there felt like it completed me.” CO - Pikes Peak Center Follow Keb’ Mo’: Website @ https://kebmo.com Facebook @ https://www.facebook.com/kebmo Twitter @ https://twitter.com/kebmomusic

Credit: Jeremy Cowart

Keb’ Mo’ Releases New Single “Good To Be (Home Again)” @ https://youtu.be/6RWRNjioZmk New Album Good To Be out now! via Rounder Records On Tour Now! five-time GRAMMY winner Keb’ Mo’ released his new single “Good to Be (Home Again)” ( https://youtu.be/6RWRNjioZmk ). The song will appear on his forthcoming album Good To Be, out January 21 via Rounder Records. “‘Good To Be (Home Again)’ feels like the title track to my life,” explains Kevin Moore, who is best known by his stage name Keb’ Mo’. Late last year Keb’ Mo’ announced Good To Be with the official video for “Good Strong Woman” featuring Darius Rucker ( https://youtu.be/WbqLIFQqTXg ), The single was praised by American Songwriter, Billboard, Wide Open Country and Guitar World, who said the song “...flexes the guitarist’s impeccable bluesbased abilities via some pinpoint slide licks, as well as his supremely soulful vocals.” In 2021 Keb’ Mo’ also released the singles “Sunny and Warm” ( https://youtu.be/kOmX5HUuxaU ) “The Medicine Man” ( https://youtu.be/MfNpa372t-Y ) (feat. Old Crow Medicine Show), and a cover of Bill Withers’ “Lean on Me” ( https://youtu.be/0OsAyRDzzIQ ) all of which will appear on the forthcoming album. Good To Be was co-produced by Keb’ Mo’ alongside country music legend Vince Gill, who produced three of the album’s 13 tracks, and three-time GRAMMY winner Tom Hambridge (B.B. King, Buddy Guy). Darius Rucker, Kristin Chenoweth, and Old Crow Medicine Show all make guest appearances on the album. The album was written between Nashville and his childhood

Rock and Blues International • February 2022

Good To Be Tracklist: 01) Good To Be (Home Again) 02) So Easy 03) Sunny and Warm 04) Good Strong Woman (feat. Darius Rucker) 05) The Medicine Man (feat. Old Crow Medicine Show) 06) Marvelous to Me 07) Lean on Me 08) Like Love 09) Dressed Up in Blue 10) ‘62 Chevy 11) Louder 12) So Good to Me 13) Quiet Moments (feat. Kristin Chenoweth)

Tour Dates: 01/20/22: Alexandria, VA - The Birchmere 01/21/22: Alexandria, VA - The Birchmere 01/22/22: Annapolis, MD - Rams Head On Stage (2 Shows) 01/23/22: Easton, MD - Avalon Theatre 01/25/22: Hartford, CT - Infinity Hall 01/26/22: Boston, MA - City Winery 01/27/22: Boston, MA - City Winery 01/28/22: Portsmouth, NH - The Music Hall 01/30/22: New York, NY - City Winery 01/31/22: New York, NY - City Winery 02/02/22: Fairfield, CT - The Warehouse 02/03/22: East Greenwich, RI - Greenwich Odeum 02/04/22: Brownfield, ME - Stone Mountain Arts Center 02/05/22: Waterville, ME - Waterville Opera House 02/07/22: Princeton, NJ - McCarter Theatre 02/21/22: Various, US & Jamaica - Bonamassa Cruise 02/26/22: Orlando, FL - Plaza Live 02/28/22: Clearwater, FL - Ruth Eckerd Hall 03/01/22: Fort Lauderdale, FL - Parker Playhouse 03/03/22: Stuart, FL - The Lyric 03/04/22: Jacksonville, FL - Florida Theatre 03/05/22: Newberry, SC - Newberry Opera House 03/25/22: Honolulu, HI - Blue Note 03/26/22: Honolulu, HI - Blue Note 03/27/22: Honolulu, HI - Blue Note 03/29/22: Seattle, WA - The Moore Theater 03/30/22: Portland, OR - Revolution Hall 03/31/22: Eugene, OR - Shedd/Jaqua Concert Hall 04/10/22: Orange, CA - Musco/Chapman University 04/13/22: Grass Valley, CA - Center For The Arts Grass Valley 04/14/22: Turlock, CA - Turlock Theatre 04/15/22: Monterey, CA - Golden State Theatre 04/16/22: Napa, CA - Uptown Theatre 04/19/22: San Luis Obispo, CA - Fremont Theatre 04/21/22: San Francisco, CA - SF Jazz 04/22/22: San Francisco, CA - SF Jazz 04/23/22: San Francisco, CA - SF Jazz 04/24/22: San Francisco, CA - SF Jazz 04/26/22: Solana Beach, CA - Belly Up 04/27/22: Solana Beach, CA - Belly Up 04/28/22: Scottsdale, AZ - Scottsdale Center For The Performing Arts 04/29/22: Tucson, AZ - Fox Tucson 07/14/22: Colorado Springs, CO - Pikes Peak Center

February 2022

• Rock and Blues International

The great blues singer Trudy Lynn once told me that the blues belongs to everybody. We all get the blues and the blues is nothing but a feeling as the song goes. The sexy multi-talented sax player Evelyn Rubio once told me that the blues does not have a border, the blues lives within no matter where we are. Now meet the aspiring young blues harp lady Amanda Ventura who at twenty four slays club goers big time on the stages in her home country of Brazil. So fresh and new to the scene that she has yet to play North America, Europe, and points abroad but when she does it will not be her last. You only need to listen to what this young woman delivers to know that she’s got the blues flowing within. Perhaps the absolute beauty of You Tube is that a guest can experience the multiple facets of a singular diamond (artist) while they are in action. In fact that is what brought yours truly to learn about Amanda. Her delivery is so good that she has racked up over 1.8 million views on You Tube just since April with her video of “The Way” - Amanda Ventura has definitely got it working. She’s versatile: when it comes to producing sounds for old school blues for example Amanda likes to bend Hohner’s Marine Band harp and beyond her old school delivery she enjoys sharing the sounds produced on her Suzuki and Seydel. Interestingly enough even at her tender age she is already teaching others in Brazil. She’s been teaching harp for a year now and thoroughly enjoys the progress she is experiencing with her students. Just six years ago even her own personal learning experiences began locally as well. Soon after she progressed to the MUSIC YouTube format which included learning online from the videos that feature the great Brazilian harp player Igor Kasuya. Outside of these learning experiences Amanda pays attention to harpist Indiara Sfair along with other professionals such as Flávio Guimarães, Jean Jacques Milteau, Billy Branch and Dale Spalding. One can only wonder what cool work she would enjoy from the likes of Bob Corritore, Steve Krase, James Cotton, Charlie Musselwhite, and even more pros from both the states and other countries. Amanda is coming on so we will hear more from her as she grows. In the mean time check out her blues work on You Tube. She’s also on Instagram and Facebook. Catch you on the flip side - John in Houston All trademarks, symbols, photographs are property of their respective owners 22 Rock and Blues International • February 2022

December 2021 • Rock and Blues International

Ryland James New Music From Canaada

Rock and Blues International • February 2022

Multi-platinum artist Ryland James welcomed in the new year with a brand new single titled, “I Give Everything,” via Universal Music Canada and Republic Records. The track comes after a year of selfreflection and immense personal growth for the Deseronto, ON native who not only came to terms with who he is but embraced himself with pride. James commented, “I’m thrilled to be putting this song out into the world as the first of a new era in my artistry. This is truly the most exciting time I’ve experienced in my career and personal growth thus far. That being said, there’s so much to come in terms of visuals, sounds, stories, and an overall heightened sense of creativity for me. “I Give Everything” is a song I wrote early on in my relationship about falling in love for the first time. I was completely immersed and infatuated with the intensity of the feelings I was experiencing, but I was also fearful of losing myself in the process somehow. The lyrics embody that push-pull between the simultaneous acceptance of and resistance to pure passion.” “I Give Everything,” follows another successful holiday season for James who released “A Christmas To Remember,” featuring Ralph for the 2021 holiday season. The artist is no stranger to seasonal material, he released his debut holiday EP, A Little Christmas in 2020, which includes his smash rendition of “Please Come Home For Christmas,” that has garnered over 15 million streams. The critically acclaimed artist continues his rise to stardom and has no plans of slowing down. In his short but impressive career James has garnered two JUNO Awards nominations and high praise from critics including Billboard. His smash hit single “In My Head” from his debut self-titled EP reached platinum certification in Canada, while his catalogue has garnered over 85 million global streams in just a short amount of time. “I Give Everything” is just the start of what is to be an incredible year for the talented artist. Stay tuned. After years of releasing music and performing to packed crowds everywhere, Ryland James realized his purpose, discovered himself, and came to terms with who he is… Of course, he’s a two–time JUNO Award–nominated and platinum–certified vocal dynamo, an emotionally keen songwriter, and powerhouse performer. However, it goes much deeper than that for the Deseronto, Ontario native. As if guided by an internal compass, he embraces himself like never before on a series of 2021 singles for Universal Music Canada and Republic Records with much more to come. “I’m just a communicator,” he explains. “I try to explain my truth in a way to help you discover your truth. I hope to be a leader. I want to encourage you to be your most honest and powerful self, by doing the same. Those are the core pillars of my existence.”

Two Time Juno Nominated Artist Ryland James Releases Brand-New Track, “I Give Everything” LISTEN HERE AT https://rylandjames.lnk.to/ige CONNECT WITH RYLAND JAMES: YOUTUBE @ https://eur02.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/ OFFICIAL @ http://www.rylandjamesmusic.com FACEBOOK @ https://www.facebook.com/rylandjamesmusic/ https://rylandjames.lnk.to/IGiveEverythingPR James, he exceeded 72 million global In 2019, Ryland emerged on the global streams. He kicked off 2021 with the single stage with his breakout single “In My Head.” “Blame,” which tallied another 5 million– It notably soared to #1 on Shazam Canada’s plus streams, and the dance floor banger Top 200 chart and went platinum in Canada. “Save Me” with Shaun Frank. Along the way, Captivating audiences, he supported he fell in love for the first time and publicly multiplatinum superstar Alessia Cara on a came out with a heartfelt Instagram post. It sold out North American tour and performed was these moments that indelibly impacted at festivals such as Life Is Beautiful. On the his creativity. heels of his self–titled 2020 debut EP, Ryland February 2022 • Rock and Blues International 25

New Metal From Moldova

Infected Rain Reveal Standout Fourth Single “Longing” and Official Music Video Watch Here At https://youtu.be/rjgd_QMWphg New Album, Ecdysis, out via Napalm Records Order Here At https://www.napalmrecordsamerica.com/infectedrain Moldovan progressive modern metal unit INFECTED RAIN have finally revealed the highly anticipated next chapter of their metamorphosis – their otherworldly fifth album, Ecdysis – via Napalm Records! Garnering more media buzz than ever before, the band wraps up their onslaught of new singles with the release of standout track “Longing” and its eerie, thrilling new music video. The track ransacks with instant angst while showcasing some of the most varying guitar work on the album, fluxing between churning grooves, towering leads, technical effects and ominous chords. Frontwoman Lena Scissorhands says about “Longing”: “Never happy, never content! We spend our lives craving 26

Rock and Blues International • February 2022

and longing for things that someone else has or for things that we think will make us happy. ‘A picture immaculate, perfectly designed. A story in which you’re always desired.’ What is happiness really?” INFECTED RAIN have become one of the most exciting new acts in the heavy music world, with charismatic, multitalented frontwoman Lena Scissorhands emerging as one of the fastest-rising leading ladies of the genre. Now, the band arises from the dark depths once again. Produced once again by Valentin Voluta, Ecdysis successfully demonstrates ultramodern brutality without sacrificing emotion and melody – showcasing a new layer of INFECTED RAIN that longtime continued on next page

Infected Rain continued from previous page followers and new fans alike will embrace. Frontwoman Lena Scissorhands adds about Ecdysis: “While the whole world was in a deep depression, Ecdysis was slowly but surely maturing. The time in isolation away from all our plans and goals, away from loved ones and the stage, brought out something so new and different in us. A new chapter starts with this album, a chapter of raw emotions and complete commitment.” First single “Postmortem Pt. 1” dispenses the patented INFECTED RAIN formula instantly, with eerie synth-laden soundscapes seamlessly cascading into countless layers of otherworldly atmosphere backed by thick, grooving riffs, barreling drums and skyscraper growls. Tracks like “Fighter” bring out the ruthlessness of the band in full force with hardcore levels of aggression, inciting a tornado of rhythms and provoking lyricism beckoning the listener to stay focused in the here-and-now and fight! Featuring tough-as-nails Butcher Babies vocalist Heidi Shepherd, sonically slaughtering single “The Realm Of Chaos” pummels and bends as it decimates with a mosh-attack unlike any other on Ecdysis. Noteworthy standouts like “Longing” and “These Walls” ransack with instant angst, while selections such as “Everlasting Lethargy”, “November” and “Never The Same” boast some of Lena Scissorhands’ most eclectic vocal performances amid ripping pit-worthy metalcore and dazzling electronic passages. Examples of stunning, dynamic songwriting manifest with honest offerings like the impressive “Goodbye”, haunting “Showers” and threatening album closer “Postmortem Pt. 2” (shortly advanced by sneaking electrointerlude “Nine, Ten”). The finisher encapsulates the album’s ethereal, immense quality while connecting back to its start like a sonic ouroboros. Produced once again by Voluta Valentin, Ecdysis successfully demonstrates ultramodern brutality without sacrificing emotion and melody – showcasing a new layer of INFECTED RAIN that longtime followers and new fans alike will embrace. Ecdysis track listing: 1. Postmortem Pt. 1 2. Fighter 3. Longing 4. Goodbye 5. The Realm of Chaos feat. Heidi Shepherd (Butcher Babies) 6. Everlasting Lethargy 7. These Walls

8. Showers 9. November 10. Never the Same 11. Nine, Ten 12. Postmortem Pt. 2 Ecdysis is available in the following formats: -CD Digipak -1 LP Gatefold Black -1 LP Gatefold Marbled White/Blue (limited to 100 – Napalm Worldwide Mailorder only) -1 LP Gatefold Marbled White/Blue w/ Slipmat (limited to 100 – Napalm RoW Mailorder only) *SOLD OUT* -CD Digipak + Shirt (Napalm RoW Mailorder only) -Digital Album INFECTED RAIN is: Lena Scissorhands - Vocals Vadim Ojog “Vidick” - Guitar Sergey Babici - Guitar Vladimir Babici - Bass Eugene Voluta – Drums INFECTED RAIN online: WEBSITE @ https://www.infectedrain.com FACEBOOK @ https://www.facebook.com/infectedrain TWITTER @ https://twitter.com/infectedrain NAPALM RECORDS @ https://label.napalmrecords.com/infectedrain February 2022 • Rock and Blues International

Photo Credit: Morgane Khouni

New Metal From France

Modern Metallers DAGOBA Release New Single “On The Run” + Video | Watch/Listen Here At https://youtu.be/Tqv-F6szsDI New Album, By Night, out February 18, 2022 Pre-Order Now at https://www.napalmrecordsamerica.com/dagoba On Tour with Infected Rain in Europe, Starting February 2022 Following powerful latest single “The Last Crossing”, DAGOBA’s brand new track, “On The Run”, marks a melodic moment for the French modern metal upstarts on their upcoming album, By Night, out February 18, 2022 via Napalm Records. A harmonic duet of soothing juxtaposed vocals shows DAGOBA breaking free from genre limitations once more, proving them to be on the cusp of entering the hall of fame of modern metal! DAGOBA on the new single “On The Run”: “I always wanted to release a track which verses only contain a piano and vocals and now it’s done! The main idea was to create a contrast between the calm of the vers and the huge chords leading to the chorus, where the voice is the main line. From the begining of the writing process, I knew that a female vocalist would join me on that track, and that is also brand new for us. On The Run is a daring track, but it will make you want to play it on repeat!” 28

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After putting their stamp on the metal scene with their unique blend of metal and neckbreaking grooves, and relentlessly touring and sharing the stage with legendary acts like Metallica, Machine Head and In Flames, the French four-piece is gearing up to reach the next level with their most ambitious material yet! Watch the music video for “On The Run” here at https:// youtu.be/Tqv-F6szsDI DAGOBA brings modern metal to new levels! DAGOBA deftly aces the balancing act between harsh breakdowns, dense walls of sound and grooving passages with ease. Even in its hardest passages, the album never gets too overwhelming - one smashing track is followed by the next, continued on next page

Catch DAGOBA on their “Ecdysis By Night” European tour with INFECTED RAIN in 2022!

moving breathlessly with ease. By Night is a beast of an album showcasing how far DAGOBA can take a multitude of influences and styles and combine them effortlessly. This is a musthave for true fans of searing modern metal! DAGOBA on the creation process of By Night: “We live in challenging times, and that’s not only because of the strength-sapping pandemic. Sometimes the world seems to be a dark place. We know it’s an ambitious project, but we really want our fans to feel good, and contribute to their happiness. Therefore, we deliver our blend of metal music. During the weeks and months in the lockdown period we had so much time to have a focus on the album production. We could look at every detail in each track, and after all By Night has become our most accomplished album so far. We are really happy with the new record and cannot wait to share it with our fans and the world.”

Pre-Order By Night now at https://www.napalmrecordsamerica.com/dagoba Varying in individual territories, By Night will be available digitally, as a CD (bundled with an exclusive t-shirt), as well as black and exclusive red transparent vinyl! Order here at https://www.napalmrecordsamerica.com/dagoba DAGOBA is: Shawter - vocals/machines Rich DM - guitar Kawa - bass Theo - drums DAGOBA online: Website @ https://www.dagobaofficial.com Facebook @ https://www.facebook.com/dagobaofficial Twitter @ https://twitter.com/dagoba1

16.02. DE – Munich, Backstage Club 17.02. DE – Trier, Mergener Hof 18.02. (DE) Weinheim, Cafe Central 19.02. (DE) Dresden, Beatpol 22.02. (PL) Warsaw, Hydrozagadka 23.02. (CZ) Brno, Melodka 24.02. (CZ) Prague, Rock Café 25.02. (CZ) C?eske Budejovice, Fabrika 26.02. (CZ) Ostrava, Barrák 28.02. (AT) Vienna, Viper Room 02.03. (AT) Salzburg, Rockhouse 03.03. (AT) Graz, Explosiv 04.03. (CH) Lucerne, Sedel 05.03. (CH) Monthey, Pont Rouge 06.03. (DE) Stuttgart, Club Cann 08.03. (FR) Strasbourg, La Maison Bleue 09.03. (FR) Savigny Le Temple, L’Empreinte 10.03. (FR) Bordeaux, Barbey Rock School 11.03. (FR) Niort, Le Camji 12.03. (ES) Billbao, Stage Live 13.03. (PT) Lisbon, RCA Club 15.03. (ES) Sevilla, Sala X 16.03. (ES) Madrid, Caracol 17.03. (ES) Barcelona, Razzmatazz 3 18.03. (FR) Chalon Sur Saone, La Peniche 19.03. (FR) Nilvange, Le Gueulard Plus 20.03. (FR) Chateau Thierry, La Biscuiterie 15.04. (FR) St Germain En Laye, La Clef 17.04. (FR) Fontenay Le Comte, On n’a plus 20 ans * 19.04. (BE) Roeselare, De Verlichte Geest * 20.04. (NL) Breda, Mezz 21.04. (NL) Drachten, Iduna 22.04. (BE) Bree Ragnarock 23.04. (NL) Arnhem, Willemeen 27.04. (DE) Essen, Turock 28.04. (DE) Cologne, Helios 37 29.04. (DE) Hamburg, Logo 30.04. (DE) Hannover, Béi Chéz Heinz 01.05. (DK) Aalborg, 1000Fryd 02.05. (DK) Vanløse, Stairway 03.05. (DK) Kolding, Godset 05.05. (NO) Kopervik, Karmøygeddon Metal Festival * 06.05. (SE) Stockholm, Hus 7 * 07.05. (SE) Gothenburg, Valand * * DAGOBA only February 2022 • Rock and Blues International

New Metal From Sweden

Don your bandanas, leather jackets and distressed jeans, because heavy metal is about to shine brighter than ever as Swedish newcomers BOMBER bring back the hottest era in hard rock history. Asserting their own trademark blend of 70s and 80s inspired classic and hard rock with catchy hooks, top-notch guitar solos and a vibrant aesthetic, BOMBER brings you their debut album, Nocturnal Creatures, via Napalm Records to be released on March 25, 2022! With their new single “Zarathustra”, the Swedes take you on a passionate ride through old school rock music. With fiery vocals, melodic guitars and untamable drum-play, the track gets the listener’s pulse pumping. For fans of Iron Maiden, Def Leppard and Thin Lizzy, BOMBER are sure to leave their mark on the modern hard rock scene!

Photo Credit: Mikey Lennartsson

Rising Swedish Hard Rockers BOMBER Announce New Album & Reveal New Single Rising Swedish Hard Rockers BOMBER Announce New Album & Reveal New Single “Zarathustra” + Video Watch/Listen Here at https://youtu.be/SGF9-LevDo0 New Album, Nocturnal Creatures, out March 25, 2022 via Napalm Records Pre Order Now at https://www.napalmrecordsamerica.com/bomber BOMBER online: Facebook @ https://www.facebook.com/bomberbandofficial YouTube @ https://youtu.be/wBc6cQQzTGU Napalm Records @ https://label.napalmrecords.com/bomber 30

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BOMBER on “Zarathustra”: “‘Zarathustra’ serves as a mission statement for the band…’Here we are, get out of our way’... We wanted to write a great album opener and we really think we found it all in ‘Zarathustra’. It’s a track filled with loud guitars, big drums and a mighty anthemic chorus. The song is all about rising to the occasion and elevating yourself to something larger than life. Being written as the opening track for the album Nocturnal Creatures, ‘Zarathustra’ is the start of our journey into the night, to a place where you will find something beautiful, dark, and heavy - where everything is being driven by a strong beat and filled with great hooks, sure to get you moving through the night Nocturnal.” Nocturnal Creatures marks the great comeback of hard rock’s golden age! After explosive live shows in Sweden and a subsequent tour of Germany, Sweden’s hard rock upstarts BOMBER prove that the glorious era of rock isn’t over and that they’re already setting the highest standards on Nocturnal Creatures. On ten powerful tracks, the four piece turns the night into an

continued on next page

BOMBER continued from previous page Nocturnal Creatures tracklist: 1. Nocturnal Creatures 2. Zarathustra 3. Fever Eyes 4. A Walk Of Titans (Hearts Will Break) 5. Black Pants Magic 6. The Tiger 7. You’ve Got Demons 8. Hungry For Your Heart 9. Kassiopeia 10. Aurora Nocturnal Creatures will be available in the following formats: Jewel Case CD Edition 1LP Gatefold BLACK 1LP Gatefold MARBLED Crystal clear & sky blue - limited to 300 copies worldwide Shirt & JC Bundle Digital Full Length Album

intoxicating adventure that convinces both old and new fans of the prominent classic and hard rock genre. Album opener and title track “Nocturnal Creatures” opens the gates with epic storytelling and interludes the following passionate ride through “Zarathustra”, while “Fever Eyes” ensnares with wistful weeping choirs and guarantees a quickly increasing temperature. “Black Pants Magic” emerges into an unforgettable high-class rock experience through its industrious and catchy hook, while songs like “A Walk Of Titans (Hearts Will Break)” and “You’ve Got Demons” surprise with dynamic melodies and Anton Sköld’s powerful voice. On “The Tiger”, BOMBER send their listeners right into the eye of a raging thunderstorm of riffs driven by brilliant grooves, while “Kassiopeia” sets the strings on fire with its marvelous solos. Bursting album closer “Aurora” presents Nocturnal Creatures’ crowning achievement, bringing the 40-minute escapade to the edge of the world. With their new studio album, Nocturnal Creatures, the rising stars of

Sweden establish a milestone in the legacy of hard rock that leads the once so majestic genre to new glory – marked by their very own special vision! BOMBER on Nocturnal Creatures: “This is an album filled with big drums, loud guitars and great vocal performances. But there are certainly many layers and emotional depth to this album as well. We all went through some difficult times during the writing process. We strongly believe that having put our heart and souls into the songs makes them more relatable to a wider audience, so we did just that. The conceptual theme of the album is the night, and all that belongs to it. Night-time is when set our imaginations free, and we can truly release whatever is living deep inside of us. Sometimes the night can summon fears, but it can also be a comforting place. We used these concepts as songwriters to bring you stories of what can happen under the cover of darkness. From tales of spirits and ghosts to the stars above - to stories of love and

heartbreak. Going through life has many challenges, it can mean going through a lot of hardships and sacrifice – but it’s also about finding our joy, meanings, and the good in all of us. That´s what this album is about. Welcome to the night… We’re all nocturnal creatures.” BOMBER is: Anton Sköld - lead vocals, guitar Love Andersson - bass guitar, vocals Rasmus Grahn - drums, vocals Max Huddén - guitar, vocals

February 2022

• Rock and Blues International

Artists Beware The Jealousy Monster Lives Op Ed by John in Houston In the not too distant past a rock artist was having a CD release party. Less than twenty people showed up. One of those that did show up was his peer, a fellow rocker. After the show the supporting artist went up to the performing artist to reinforce their new release, to congratulate his fellow artist. However, what he received back wasn’t a thank you but a list of put downs. It started out with “well you are funded and if I were funded like you are then this would be a totally different night for me”. Well yes being funded was true for the supporting artist but why would the host even bring that point up to someone that came to support them? Beware the jealousy monster lives, embarrassment always feeds the excuse monster. The last real gig the hosting artist had was fifteen years ago, an international tour with a major headliner. Fifteen years ago, fifteen years ago. So if he was that great fifteen years ago what the hell happened after the tour? The bottom line is that you can have all the talent in the world but unless you surround yourself with an action plan and good people you are not going far and then you might just end up with only one major gig in your lifetime. I am not writing this Op Ed for the downer dude. Basically he has his demons to attend to, I am writing this for those of you who have experienced situations like this one. You see I was on a phone call with the supporting artist right after that event and I said to him you don’t sound like yourself and asked are you alright? That’s when he told me not only about that one remark but about more of them from the same performer that night. He let me know that he’s never said a bad thing about this guy. In fact he admires the man’s talent and that’s the reason he attended the gig in the first place. What a let down, to attend and have negative remarks thrown at you. Here’s the deal regarding this particular situation: the supporting artist is on the rise. He is highly visible in both national and international magazines while als receiving invitations to do radio interviews, plus gaining new gig invitations. The downer dude on the other hand, even with a new release out, basically has nothing working. Jealousy revealed its ugly head in the form of excuses without the artist even realizing he was showing his embarrassment regarding the low turn out. Worse, his comments affected another artist, someone that had shown up to show his support. The remarks cut so deep that the supporting artist was actually considering not trying as hard. He was deflated by the comments and now saying things like well maybe at my age I have run the good race and I should keep performing but not be so set on moving my career forward. What? Can you even imagine that remark coming out of someone that is extremely talented and currently reaching additional fans and countries especially in this time of Co-Vid? An artist who gave up things along the way in order to deliver his art to the world. Here he is now considering backing away from trying to accomplish more simply due to a peer’s comments? Yes it can be that biting. continued on next page

Rock and Blues International • February 2022

Artists Beware Incompetency Hampers Careers Peer review weighs heavy on those of you in the music industry. Here’s the bottom line – feel sorry for the druggies and alcoholics but they have to pull themselves up before true success can return to them. One more point before moving on – most people, fans and peers alike, do not remember what a moaner complains about a few days later. People see moaners as what they are, feel sad for them but shy away the next time they bump into them. Gee maybe that’s why no one showed up at this man’s event? Having your head up your ass is a total waste of God given talent. I would bet money that others have went out of their way to tell this guy that his attitude is preventing his altitude yet he doesn’t hear any of them for whatever reason. He will not be remembered as a star and a great showman. Basically, he just won’t be remembered. It doesn’t have to be that way but anyone drowning in their own self made swamp has to some how recognize their mis-steps, learn from their past, and move on. Next, The Session Vocalist That Got Fired. Once upon a time a highly successful record producer contracted with a very talented female vocalist to perform back ups and duets with selected successful artists. She was up to the task vocally but not ready for this commitment. She was indeed talented but extremely incompetent. Studio time as we all know is not cheap therefore when you work for a top rated producer they expect the professionals to show up ready to go. You have to know your part in advance. However, as talented as this lady was she would show up and say ok let’s practice this a few times. That practice exercise would mean that the studio would be charging the funding artist for this woman’s practice session while all of the other band members, six musicians, came prepared, ready to record. They were being paid for a certain number of hours in the studio. Her lack of readiness would expand overhead across the board. Now this was not a case of not understanding about being prepared and being aware of the costs involved as this vocalist had more than one album under her own belt. She knew the ropes. So why? Why would anybody show up and let their peers down, the producer down, and run up the recording artist’s costs? That’s a really good question especially when you think of all the super stars whose early collaboration with other artists on albums helped them climb to the top of their own career. In a few words – immaturity perhaps or maybe drugs or alcohol? This woman had chosen a career in music, invested into herself, then signed to support a session and then couldn’t keep her you know what together. No matter what was fueling the situation it was incompetence. Last year a west coast producer said to me that it would be great if twenty to thirty year old artists would have the experience of those continued on next page February 2022 • Rock and Blues International

Artists It’s A Multi-Billion Dollar Industry in the business past forty. Basically, he has to deal with incompetency even if the artist comes to him funded. On our phone call he was commenting on how much further along they could be if they quit the immature nonsense. Professional self destruction begins when ignorance of how things work stymies growth. Artists need the entire industry and one new album does not make a career. The lady I writing about today has not worked as a contract support vocalist in years. It wasn’t her demons that stopped her rise to success, it was common sense, it was being unprepared that did her in. As an artist if you can find session work then do all you can to hold onto your relationship with the studio and the producers. Session work automatically introduces you to additional professionals. In many cases your name as a contributor goes on the album jacket as well. Next, It’s A Multi-Billion Dollar Industry. I don’t know about you but I have lived my life with money and I have lived my life without money and I have found that I like life more with money than without. If money is not first in your life then I would guess it is a darn close second to whatever is first. If you are in the music business and money is not a driving force to you then trust me if you are good at what you do there could be those that approach you, sign with you and make sure they prosper while you may not. I advise everyone I engage to go meet with a qualified entertainment lawyer. Experienced negotiators will tell you that when you are sitting across the table from a label team and your side of the table is not on top of their game the other side will be of course and you lose valuable footing. If your opening statement would be to present that your wish is to just share your music with the world well best of luck. I am currently working with a thirty year old female singer who is both talented and intelligent. She’s thirsty, curious about how it all works. She is absorbing business know how like a sponge. She seeks out knowledge about business topics. The bottom line is that if you are going to work in this business then you need to pay the price of admission. If you don’t understand how the game is played then you are not prepared and you will not only hurt yourself but others around you as well. Here’s an example – you are sitting across the table from two major label executives and you say that you are open to whatever they have in mind so where do we sign. Well they may sign you but it will be as all good negotiations go yeah them boo you. Now let’s suppose you show up with a PowerPoint that reveals your business strategy and shows the execution of your plan to date. Do you think that would communicate professional footing? Many entry level artists believe that they can cross the business bridge when they arrive at the chasm. I am here to tell you that last minute learning curves rarely if ever produce great results. It will produce results but not a mutual advantage for both sides of the table. If you really want to share your music with the world then learn how to play the game. 40 34

Rock and Blues International •• November February 2022 2020

February 2022

• Rock and Blues International

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February 2022 • Rock and Blues International 45

Photo by Fro Rojas

Magic City Hippies On US Tour Now ‘Water Your Garden’ LP Out Now “Champagne On The Rider,” “Ghost On The Mend,” “High Beams,” “Queen,” “Water Your Garden,” and “Diamond” Singles Out Now SEE MAGIC CITY HIPPIES LIVE: Tickets available at https://www.magiccityhippies.com/tour PRE-SAVE: Magic City Hippies - Water Your Garden Pre-Save @ https://eb.toneden.io/magic-city-hippies/post/water-yourgarden-pre-save-give-away LISTEN/WATCH & SHARE: Magic City Hippies - “Champagne On The Rider” Stream @ https://createmusic.fm/cotr YouTube @ https://youtu.be/IgoIbI5WYpI LISTEN/WATCH & SHARE: Magic City Hippies - “Ghost On The Mend” Stream @ https://createmusic.fm/ghostonthemend YouTube @ https://youtu.be/EBWxtP2i1AU LISTEN/WATCH & SHARE: Magic City Hippies - “High Beams” (ft. Nafets) Stream @ https://createmusic.fm/highbeams YouTube @ https://youtu.be/8l1Xy_FFNy4 LISTEN/WATCH & SHARE: Magic City Hippies - “Queen” Stream @ https://createmusic.fm/queen 40 Rock and Blues International • February 2022

YouTube @ https://youtu.be/S4ehl2uarOI LISTEN/WATCH & STREAM: Magic City Hippies - “Water Your Garden” (ft. maye) YouTube @ https://youtu.be/QmwE9tsQnAE LISTEN/WATCH & SHARE: Magic City Hippies - “Diamond” Stream @ https://createmusic.fm/diamond YouTube @ https://youtu.be/G3gp-qFPAbs Speaking on the record, Robby Hunter wrote: “Does life write music? Or does music write life. It’s something we ask ourselves every time we finish an album. There is some type of serendipity in finishing music that somehow plays out in real life. Almost like predicting the future. The same thing happened with ‘Modern Animal,’ and it seems to be playing out again with this new piece of work. I think that means we’re doing something right, if our music somehow knows something more about us than we do. Water Your Garden is the first album we created while all three of us were in separate places around the US. Completely remote and continued on next page

sending songs back and forth throughout quarantine- while everyone was locked down in their respective homes. Pat finally moved out to LA- locked down in his studio. Robby moved out into the mountains of Montana, and John held down the homebase in Miami. Since coming off our most successful tour to date, the 2020 Modern Animal tour, everyone was riding high. We had huge shows booked in our future and felt like our dreams were finally within reach- then covid hit. And everyone experienced their own version of some type of mental health issue (just like everyone else in the world). Whether it was a massive stress-test on relationships in lockdown, or family members passing away, or politics driving best friends away. Everyone seemed like they were going through something. I think haphazardly we all realized how important self-care was, and how necessary it was to help us get through this thing. Without knowing, we began to write about our life experiences- and the songs started flowing. With the life transitions everyone in the band was going through, we were all starting to water our own gardens, and take care of ourselves, and our families for the first time. So the album just feels so fitting, even if we didn’t know where we’d all be in our lives last summer when we named it. I think that lended itself to a more introspective, emotionally mature collection of music. At least lyrically - musically it’s classic MCH, all over the place sounds. From some heavy synth-based, Jai Paul inspired bops - to Drake inspired trap - to soft, vintage tinted instrumental tracks like ‘Hangunder’ and throwback 80’s hits like ‘High Above The Sun.’ Even if the majority of the songs aren’t classically ‘happy’ we are still urging the listener to dance to every track, and that is a must in magic city hippie music. We were fortunate enough to get a bunch of our friends on tracks - from maye’s perfect voice on ‘Water Your Garden,’ to Tim Atlas on ‘Therapy,’ and Nafets on ‘High Beams’ ... it all seemed to come together perfectly.” Shades on and shirts unbuttoned, Magic City Hippies generate the kind of heat that could’ve powered a high seas yacht party in the seventies or shake a Coachella stage next summer. If the trio—Robby Hunter, Pat Howard, and John Coughlin—stepped off the screen from some long-lost Quentin Tarantino flick in slow-motion (instruments in hand), nobody would question it. Embracing everything from AM radio rock and poolside pop to nimble raps and salsa, they lock into an era-less vibe with no shortage of psychedelic funk or hooks. The three-piece deliver the kind of bangers you can play on the way to the party, during the party, and to smooth over the comedown as the sun comes up. As the guys so eloquently describe it, they “give people a choice to enjoy this on the surface level, feel funky in their bodies, and dance…or go deeper into the music.” As legend has it, the origin of Magic City Hippies can be traced back to Robby’s days of permit-less busking in Miami. Eventually, Pat and John proved to be better accompaniment than his loop pedal, so the trio played regular bar gigs and built an audience locally. They formed as Robby Hunter Band, released the Magic City Hippies album, and adopted the title as their name. That LP gained traction in 2013 with syncs on The CW’s iZombie and Showtime’s Ray Donovan. On its heels, 2015’s Hippie Castle EP catalyzed their breakout as “Limestone” piled up over 21 million Spotify streams followed by “Fanfare” with another 20 million Spotify streams. They toured endlessly and moved crowds at Bonnaroo, Lollapalooza, Hulaween, Okeechobee Fest, Electric Forest, and Austin City Limits, to name a few. Along the way, the band also picked up acclaim from Relix and OnesToWatch as they dropped the fan favorite Modern Animal in 2019. When the world shutdown, the boys settled in different parts of the country (Rob “doing his Johny Mayer thing” in Bozeman, MT, Pat in Los Angeles, CA, and John still in Miami). Remotely, they wrote what would become their third full-length album, Water Your Garden, out January 2022. As things opened back up, the musicians put it all together in person. Armed with singles such as “Queen,” the falsetto-spiked “High Beams” [feat. Nafets], “Diamond,” and “Ghost On The Mend” Magic City Hippies are ready to heat up their next chapter now.

Water Your Garden - TRACKLISTING 1. Garden Fiya 2. Diamond 3. Queen 4. High Beams (Feat. Nafets) 5. Champagne On The Rider 6. Hangunder 7. Ghost On The Mend 8. Water Your Garden (feat. maye) 9. Atlantis 10. Therapy (feat. Tim Atlas) 11. High Above The Sun

MGIC CITY HIPPIES LINKS Website @ https://www.magiccityhippies.com Facebook @ https://www.facebook.com/MagicCityHippies Twitter @ https://twitter.com/magicityhippies Bandcamp @ https://magiccityhippies.bandcamp.com YouTube @ https://www.youtube.com/c/MagicCityHippies Magic City Hippies are going on tour in just two weeks, continuing through Spring 2022. Tickets are on sale now. MAGIC CITY HIPPIES LIVE Jan 13: Jacksonville, FL - 1904 Music Hall ^ Jan 14: Atlanta, GA - Variety Playhouse ^ Jan 15: Carrboro, NC - Cat’s Cradle ^ Jan 16: Washington, DC - Union Stage ^ Jan 18: Fairfield, CT - Warehouse ^ Jan 20: Boston, MA - Big Night Live ^ Jan 21: New York, NY - Irving Plaza ^ Jan 22: Philadelphia, PA - The Foundry ^ Jan 23: Pittsburgh, PA - Thunderbird Music Hall ^ Jan 25: Cleveland, OH - House of Blues ^ Jan 27: Indianapolis, IN - The Hifi ^ Jan 28: Chicago, IL - Park West ^ Jan 29: Milwaukee, WI - Turner Hall Ballroom ^ Jan 30: Minneapolis, MN - Varsity Theater ^ Feb 1: St. Louis, MO - Delmar Hall ^ Feb 2: Kansas City, MO - Madrid Theatre ^ Feb 4: Denver, CO - Ogden Theatre ^ Feb 5: Steamboat Springs, CO - Strings Music Pavilion Feb 6: Salt Lake City, UT - The Commonwealth Room ^ Feb 8: Bozeman, MT - The ELM ^ Feb 9: Missoula, MT - The Wilma ^ Feb 11: Seattle, WA - The Showbox @ The Market ^ Feb 12: Portland, OR - Crystal Ballroom ^ Feb 14: Eugene, OR - Sessions Music Hall # Feb 15: Sacramento, CA - Harlow’s # Feb 17: Santa Cruz, CA - The Catalyst Atrium # Feb 18: San Francisco, CA - The Fillmore # Feb 19: Los Angeles, CA - The Belasco # Feb 20: San Diego, CA - The Observatory North Park # Feb 22: Phoenix, AZ - The Crescent Ballroom # Feb 23: Albuquerque, NM - Launch Pad # Feb 25: Dallas, TX - Trees # Feb 26: Austin, TX - Emo’s # Feb 27: Houston, TX - White Oak Music Hall # ^ courtship. supports # Bay Ledges supports February 2022

• Rock and Blues International

Rock and Blues International • February 2022

January 2022

• Rock and Blues International

JIMMY EAT WORLD AND DASHBOARD CONFESSIONAL THE SURVIVING THE TRUTH TOUR NORTH AMERICA 2022 FEBRUARY 27 - Albuquerque, NM - Kiva Auditorium MARCH 1 - Oklahoma City, OK – The Criterion 2 - Des Moines, IA - Val Air Ballroom 4 - Wichita, KS - The Cotillion 5 - Fayetteville, AR - JJ’s Live 6 - Little Rock, AR - The Hall 7 - Birmingham, AL - Avondale Brewing Company 9 - Louisville, KY – Louisville Palace Theatre 10 - Knoxville, TN - Tennessee Theatre 11 - Pelham, TN - The Caverns 12 - Pelham, TN - The Caverns 14 - Raleigh, NC - The Ritz 15 - Charleston, SC - North Charleston Performing Arts Center 17 - St. Augustine, FL - St. Augustine Amphitheatre 18 - Coconut Creek, FL - Pavilion at Seminole Casino 21 - New Orleans, LA - Orpheum Theater 22 - Houston, TX - 713 Music Hall

Jimmy Eat World and Dashboard Confessional Unite For Epic CoHeadline Tour THE “SURVIVING THE TRUTH TOUR” BEGINS FEBRUARY 27 IN ALBUQUERQUE, NM “ALL THE TRUTH THAT I CAN TELL” ARRIVES VIA HIDDEN NOTE RECORDS/AWAL ON FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 25 Jimmy Eat World will be joining forces with Dashboard Confessional for an epic North American co-headline tour. The “Surviving The Truth Tour” hits the road February 27 at Albuquerque, NM’s Kiva Auditorium, and then travels the US through late March. Highlights include a very special two-night stand, set for March 11 and 12 at The Caverns in Pelham, TN, a subterranean music venue renowned for its prehistoric natural acoustics and otherworldly beauty. 44 Rock and Blues International • February 2022

The opener on the tour will be Sydney Sprague. For complete details and ticket availability, please see dashboardconfessional.com/#live and jimmyeatworld.com. The “Surviving The Truth Tour” celebrates the eagerly awaited arrival of the first all-new Dashboard Confessional LP in four years, All The Truth That I Can Tell, due via Hidden Note Records/AWAL on Friday, February 25, 2022; pre-orders/pre-saves are available now. The album will be available in a variety of formats, including digital, CD, cassette, standard black vinyl, and a number of limited-edition vinyl runs on offer exclusively via such retailers as Urban Outfitters, Walmart, and Bandbox. A candid All The Truth That I Can Tell Album Trailer can be viewed now at YouTube. WATCH OFFICIAL ALBUM TRAILER at https://youtu.be/4zVrVhLIGCs All The Truth That I Can Tell is heralded by the inspiring new single, “Here’s To Moving On,” joined by a “deeply personal” official music video streaming now following an exclusive premiere via Consequence’s “Origins” ( https://consequence.net/2021/12/dashboard-confessional-heres-to-moving-on-video-origins-watch/ ), which wrote, “Dashboard Confessional’s latest single ‘Here’s to Moving On’ is an exercise in deep, personal honesty. Yet despite the track – and in fact, much of the album it comes from, the forthcoming All the Truth That I Can Tell – being penned months before Chris Carrabba’s nearfatal 2020 motorcycle accident, its meaning shifted in the wake of that frightening trauma.” WATCH “HERE’S TO MOVING ON” Here at https://youtu.be/cvXdAj2SOfo “It’s been one hell of a year for us all (and then some),” says DC founder, frontman, and songwriter Chris Carrabba. “I hope this song can be a small reminder that no matter what challenges life might throw at us today, it’s always worth fighting for a better tomorrow. I feel so very fortunate to be able to share this with you. To the incredible team at Vanderbilt University Medical Center, I thank you from the bottom of my heart for making that possible.” continued on next page

DASHBOARD CONFESSIONAL ALL THE TRUTH THAT I CAN TELL (Hidden Note Records/ AWAL) Release Date: February 25 Tracklist: Burning Heart Everyone Else Is Just Noise Here’s To Moving On The Better of Me Southbound and Sinking Sleep In Me and Mine Sunshine State Pain Free in Three Chords Young All The Truth That I Can Tell

Hailed by Rolling Stone as “vintage Dashboard,” the soulfully optimistic “Here’s To Moving On” was met by wide-ranging critical applause around the world: “‘Here’s To Moving On’ is vintage Dashboard, with frontman Chris Carrabba’s ever-striving vocals flying atop the racing strum of an acoustic guitar: ‘Here’s to waking up,” he belts on the hook, “Here’s to sleeping well for once/Here’s to knowing the things/ That you wish you could change/Here’s to saying you’re fine when you’re not.’” – ROLLING STONE “All The Truth That I Can Tell sees founder and frontman Chris Carrabba returning to his roots while embracing a newfound sense of vulnerability…The stripped back first single, ‘Here’s To Moving On,’ is heavily reminiscent of the band’s early days with honesty at its core.” – ALTERNATIVE PRESS Written and recorded in the months before COVID, Dashboard Confessional’s ninth studio album, All The Truth That I Can Tell is both a remarkable renewal and fortunate step forward for Chris Carrabba. Having ascended great heights over the past twenty years, Carrabba found himself at a distinct crossroads as the last decade came to an end. Running on fumes, unsure if he’d ever release another album, he waited. The songs eventually came, and though the project might’ve easily come to a screeching halt following a near-fatal motorcycle accident in the summer of 2020, All The Truth That I Can Tell stands among Carrabba’s finest, both an achievement of vision and a vital burst of artistic clarity. Produced by James Paul Wisner – who previously helmed Dashboard Confessional’s now-classic first two studio albums, The Swiss Army Romance and The Places You Have Come to Fear – the new album is a strikingly potent musical look at Dashboard Confessional through a rediscovered keyhole.

“Honesty was at the heart of the writing process, at the heart of the recording process and at the heart of this collection of songs,” Carrabba says. “I had the rare opportunity to be unflinchingly honest. But I think I would have thought in the early days that that would be commonplace. Now, I realize it’s some kind of cycle within your life and there’s great personal reward in accepting that.” About Jimmy Eat World: Jimmy Eat World, formed in Mesa Arizona in 1993 and is composed of lead vocalist and guitarist Jim Adkins, rhythm guitarist and backing vocalist Tom Linton, bassist Rick Burch and drummer Zach Lind. They have released 10 studio albums with the latest being 2019’s acclaimed Surviving. The four-piece’s commercial breakthrough came with the release of several singles from Bleed American, with “The Middle” reaching No. 1. In 2020 they released a powerful live stream series entitled “Phoenix Sessions” that saw them play “Surviving,” as well as fan favorites “Futures” and “Clarity” in a way never before experienced.

CONNECT WITH DASHBOARD CONFESSIONAL: OFFICIAL @ https://www.fdashboardconfessional.com FACEBOOK @ https://www.facebook.com/DashboardConfessional TIKTOK @

https://m.tiktok.com/h5/share/usr/6868083400029586438.html TWITTER @ https://twitter.com/dashboardmusic CONNECT WITH JIMMY EAT WORLD: OFFICIAL @ https://www.jimmyeatworld.com FACEBOOK @ https://www.facebook.com/jimmyeatworld TWITTER @ https://twitter.com/jimmyeatworld?lang=en February 2022 • Rock and Blues International 45

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Rock and Blues International •• November February 2020 2022

February 2022

• Rock and Blues International

NYC Post-Punk Band Catcher Announce Debut LP, ‘The Fat Of A Broken Heart’ Due 2/18 “Comparing Saviors and Friends” Single Out Now During 2021, their first year as a band, Catcher shared five singles — “Yesterday’s Favorite” / “The Skin,” “Only Advice” / “Fallen Stones,” and “Comparing Saviors and Friends” — and played countless sold-out shows across the city, in addition to going on their first headlining tour across the U.S. with fellow NYC rockers Been Stellar. Their most recent single, “Comparing Saviors and Friends,” ramps up with sludge-y bass and frenetic guitar chords, charging 48 Rock and Blues International • February

forward like an angry bull out the gate, accompanied by vocalist Austin Eichler’s deep-seated drawl. The single is regarded as one of the first tracks they’d written with the genesis of the band, and came alongside a music video they made themselves. Catcher is a Brooklyn-based postpunk band with a reputation for visceral and powerful live performances. Drawing comparisons to Iceage and 2022

Protomartyr, Catcher deliver music with a driving and inundating low-end, provided by childhood friends Cameron McRae and Wilson Chestney, on bass and drums respectively. Guitarists Jack Young and Christian Reech — each having been recruited earlier this year via a Craigslist ad and connection via the band’s shared Tinder — interweave melodies and noise to create an environcontinued on next page

The Fat Of A Broken Heart TRACKLISTING 01. A Good Man 02. Hunger 03. Behind a Bleeding Heart 04. Yesterday’s Favorite 05. Fallen Stones 06 Comparing Saviors and Friends 07. The Skin 08. Only Advice 09. Cluster Flies 10. Atlas Pissing The Fat Of A Broken Heart Credits: Music: Catcher Words: Austin Eichler Production: Catcher Engineering: Nando Dale Mixing: Jonathan Schenke Mastering: Jonathan Schenke Recorded at: Level Zero Studios (Brooklyn, NY) ment that manages to be at once both bleak and moving, desolate but hopeful, violent but tender. Vocalist Austin Eichler commands listeners with a domineering and chaotic presence. From drawling croons to powerful screams, Austin’s narrative lyrics invoke a wide spectrum of emotion while creating a world of their own. Through endless hours of practice and work, the band has crafted a gripping and tight live performance and a growing international fanbase. While concocting Catcher’s general ethos, Austin explained their process as, more or less, taking each of their individual interests and combining them into a stew, flavored with bits of post-punk influence and dashes of noise and art rock. With this project, they retained a sense of dedication to switch

CATCHER LINKS Website @ https://www.catcherband.com YouTube @ https://m.youtube.com/channel/UCtMGqWr-0KZgmgUd8Ulvcpg Bandcamp @ https://catcherband.bandcamp.com Apple Music @ https://music.apple.com/us/album/yesterdays-favorite-skinuninformed-versions-uninformed/1563385817 things up as well, gaining ideas from listening to music that didn’t sound similar to anything they’d personally done before — this included anything from the noisy chaos of Puce Mary and T.P. Orchestre Poly-Rhythmo, to free jazz, dub, and even the likes of Johnny Cash “to draw back to [their] southern roots.” Thematically, their lyrical material comes as a result of influences

from films (such as Wake In Fright and Until The End Of The World) and books (like The Power and The Glory by Graham Greene and The Master and Margarita by Mikhail Bulgakov), but also everyday life experiences. Catcher’s debut album, The Fat Of A Broken Heart, is due February 18, 2022.

LISTEN/WATCH & SHARE: Catcher - “Comparing Saviors and Friends” Apple Music @ https://music.apple.com/us/album/comparing-saviors-and-friends/1598062259?i=1598062261 YouTube @ https://youtu.be/b_XXjQYyDQ4 LISTEN/WATCH & SHARE: Catcher - “Only Advice” / “Fallen Stones” Stream @ https://catcherband.bandcamp.com/album/only-advice-fallen-stones-uninformed-versions YouTube @ https://tellallyourfriendspr.us10.list-manage.com/track/click LISTEN/WATCH & SHARE: Catcher - “Yesterday’s Favorite” / “The Skin” Stream @ https://catcherband.bandcamp.com/album/yesterdays-favorite-the-skin-uninformed-versions YouTube @ https://youtu.be/v1lyA8TL3-o February 2022

• Rock and Blues International

44 January 2022 Rockand andBlues BluesInternational International •• February October 2021 50 Rock 2022

February 2022 • • Rock Rockand andBlues BluesInternational International 45 51 October 2021

Yot Club Photo by Paige Margulies

Yot Club Shares ‘Santolina’ New EP Out Now via Nice Guys Records

Ryan’s lo-fi indie pop project Yot Club stems from a diverse array of influences, and offers a unique and recognizable brand of vibrant, sunny pop rock. Since 2019, Yot Club has released three EPs and more than thirty tracks. Taking a simplified approach to recording, intentionally working within his restrictions of owning one microphone, Ryan boosts his creativity. His sound reflects a pretty summer vibe, using distorted vocals, lo-fi beats, guitar tracks running through a chorus pedal, warm guitar leads, analog synth melodies, mixed with light pads. In 2020, after establishing a presence on various indie blogs and playlists, he felt that it was time to slow down, collecting his ideas and creating something more cohesive and consistent. Musically, this was a dream scenario for him - meanwhile the full context of the global situation was horrible. This strange emotional contrast is what inspired the sound for his EP Nature Machine, released with a new record label, Nice Guys Records. The 2021 year marks a new turning point in his whole project: surfing on the wave of “YKWIM?” worldwide TikTok success (currently at 160 Million streams!), Yot Club has worked on a new six-tracks EP, Santolina. Funkier than ever, it would be the second EP Yot Club releases with Nice Guys Records. Santolina begins with lead single “Alive,” with clean, chiming guitar riffing as open and broad as the plains before Kaiser’s vocals enter: “Straight lines, cul-de-sacs, white flowers and the TK/Bring back memories you’d rather just leave dead.” Second single “Hole” unfurls under a sedate, kaleidoscopic spiral of electric guitars and a subdued drum machine beat, while Kaiser’s vocals, spacey and apathetic, lurk like a Gen Z Lou Reed. Third single “Deer Island,” a spritely morning gallop of drum machine and easy-going guitars, continued on next page

LISTEN/PURCHASE & SHARE: Yot Club - Santolina EP • Stream at https://orcd.co/santolina LISTEN & SHARE: Yot Club - “Deer Island” • Stream at https://orcd.co/yotclub-deerisland LISTEN & SHARE: Yot Club - “Hole” • Stream at https://orcd.co/yotclub_hole LISTEN/WATCH & SHARE: Yot Club - “Alive” Stream at

https://tellallyourfriendspr.us10.list-manage.com/track/click?u=63f1674ecdb2a4574b77e600b&id=4e77bfec4c&e=28146e6e7b YouTube at https://youtu.be/8r1BuLL1dd4 YOT CLUB LINKS Website @ https://www.yotclubmusic.com Twitter @ https://twitter.com/yotclub_ryan?lang=fr Soundcloud @ https://tellallyourfriendspr.us10.list-manage.com/track/click?u=63f1674ecdb2a4574b77e600b&id=c49f8c34d9&e=28146e6e7b Bandcamp @ https://niceguysweare.bandcamp.com/album/nature-machine 52

Rock and Blues International

• February 2022

Santolina EP TRACKLISTING 01. Alive 02. Channel 4 03. Deer Island 04. It’s Easy 05. Crescent City 06. Hole

Yot Club continued from previous page namechecks the titular piece of land off the coast of Biloxi, MS. It’s the last piece of something before endless miles of nothing, a tiny, fragile holdout in the clutches of the Gulf of Mexico. On Santolina, Kaiser presents a record not avoidant of but rather in conversation with all those things that make modern America a hulking, unsustainable—but somehow still beautiful—weirdo wasteland: TikTok, corporatism, beige sandstone homes, private desert communities, manicured lawns, suburban surrealism. All in between are the people trying to make sense of it all. Yot Club is right there with you. Ryan Kaiser, the Mississippiraised, Nashville-based musician known as Yot Club, didn’t even have TikTok on his phone when his track “YKWIM?” went viral on the app. For Kaiser, who writes, records, mixes, and masters every song he releases independently, TikTok fame and the accompanying streaming boost (“YKWIM?” now counts over 160 million streams on Spotify) came as a shock. Soon, almost every major label in America was making him offers that would gouge Kaiser and steal his work. These are fitting pieces of the hyper-american, overly commercialized machinery that inspired Yot Club’s new EP, Santolina. The record’s six tracks map the terrifying, carefully-manicured haze of American suburbia, based in part on Kaiser’s childhood spent in the suburbs of Jackson, Mississippi. This unfolds across lo-fi jangle-pop, indie rock, bedroom synth, and new wave, with occasional disco and instrumental flourishes. It’s all framed with a Wes Anderson whimsy, a pull to the idiosyncratic and deadpan while maintaining a vivid emphasis on the visual.

“The suburbs are a shitty place to be from, but they’re not at the same time,” says Kaiser. “I was fortunate to be from a place where kids were playing baseball in the streets and building clubs in the woods, but as you get older, you gain a bleaker perspective on everything. That’s the whole vibe of the EP really.” The title nods to the proposed Santolina development in New Mexico, which promises flawless suburban streets and identical houses while sucking local rivers dry to sustain the desert community. Kaiser was raised in Madison, just outside Jackson. Without TV or video games, he distracted himself with his dad’s college boombox, flipping through his parents’ CD collection. That led him to discover grunge and ‘90s alt rock; early favorites included Grandaddy and The Meat Puppets. “That showed me early on that music didn’t have to be clean or polished for people to enjoy it,” says Kaiser. At eight years old, his parents took him to a pizza place on Halloween where a live band was playing, including a guitarist wielding a red strat, dressed as

Freddy Krueger. “It was the coolest thing I’d ever seen in my life,” says Kaiser. He begged his parents for a guitar. They finally rented him one, and after guitar lessons, he taught himself to play piano, bass, and drums. At 12, he started recording on his family’s computer via GarageBand. By college, he was faking his way into making beats for local friends by watching YouTube videos and scrambling up a DIY knowledge of Logic and Protools. Kaiser began releasing music as Yot Club in 2019, when he moved to Hattiesburg, Mississippi for college. At the time, he had three jobs—two in restaurants and one as a pool boy. Between working and 18 hours of classes per week, he’d make songs for fun. Unsolicited playlist features and weekly bar gigs encouraged him to focus on music, so he dropped his jobs and focused on music. But Yot Club was never meant to be a viral sensation. “It’s hard to put into words, but I don’t wanna be viewed as a product on a shelf,” says Kaiser. “I don’t really have hobbies outside of music. I watch trashass TV. I’m not trying to be a salesman, I’m just trying to be myself.”

February 2022

• Rock and Blues International

Rock and Blues International • November 2021

ADVERTISE HERE Advertise in a revolutionary new magazine that will be taking the music world by storm! call us now at 281-650-1953

Rock And Blues International

February April 2021 2021 •• Rock Rock and and Blues Blues International International

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BabySantana Is “Off The Leash!” On New Single Featuring Yungxchris & Luisss Emerging as a pioneer in the buzzing plugg scene, 15-year-old phenomenon BabySantana unveils a brand new single entitled “Off The Leash!” [feat. yvngxchris & Luisss] via Galactic Records/Republic Records. On the track, a menacing bassline bumps and booms before BabySantana unloads a fiery flow. The energy never diminishes as yvngxchris and Luisss turn up with intense cameos. It all hinges on the raw refrain as he repeats, “I’m off the leash!” “Off The Leash!” sets the stage for the arrival of more music coming very soon. BabySantana has become a bold and buzzing blunt force in hip-hop at just 14-years-old. Hailing from Columbus, GA, he went from self-producing music in a small closet at home to igniting the internet. Bolstered by independent projects, he has generated over 100 million streams and counting. “Antisocial” [feat. Slump6] notably posted up 43 million Spotify streams followed by “Antisocial 2” [feat. Slump6, Yung Fazo, Xhulooo, SSGKOBE] at 14 million Spotify streams and “14” with Ka$hdami at 13 million Spotify streams. Pitchfork named “Prada (Remix)” [feat. Lil Tecca] among “The Ones” as “The musthear rap song of the day,” and DJBooth cited him among “10 Rappers You Should Know Right Now on Audiomack.” BabySantana is just getting started though. He’s off the leash and chomping at the bit to be heard. Youtube @ https://republicrecords.us5.list-manage.com/track/click February 2022

• Rock and Blues International

detail. “Especially during these dynamic and uncertain times, BeachLife Festival has become something that the beach community can look forward to, breathe easy, and smile. Watching the greatest bands in the world with the ocean breeze of the Pacific and the sunset at our back is something that we never get tired of, and we look forward to sharing that experience again to a sold-out but spaced out audience,” said BeachLife co-founder / producer Allen Sanford.

photo by JP Cordero

featuring Weezer, The Smashing Pumpkins, Steve Miller Band, 311, Vance Joy, Sheryl Crow, Black Pumas, STP & More May 13-15 In Redondo Beach, CA With SideStage Culinary Experience + SpeakEasy Stage Curated By Jim Lindberg Of Pennywise An eclectic beach-focused lineup of more than 55 top music artists across the spectrum of rock, indie, jam, reggae, and more has been announced for the 3rd edition of BeachLife Festival, Los Angeles County’s only coastal three-day immersive experience uniquely celebrating beach culture. Held May 13-15, 2022, Southern California’s premier live music, art, and culinary experience takes place on the picturesque waterfront in Redondo Beach, CA. Headliners Weezer (Friday), The Smashing Pumpkins (Saturday) and Steve Miller Band (Sunday) will be joined by a wide range of talent rarely booked together for the same event, including 311, Sheryl Crow, Vance Joy, Black Pumas, Lord Huron, Stone Temple Pilots, UB40 feat. Ali Campbell, Cold War Kids and many more,

performing on four stages. All tickets for BeachLife Festival are on sale now at www.BeachLifeFestival.com. The boutique, family-friendly destination event debuted in 2019 and focuses on philanthropy, as well as ecofriendly and sustainable initiatives. Based on the success of the 2019 and sold-out 2021 events, Forbes has dubbed BeachLife “the little festival that could.” BeachLife was co-founded by local Allen Sanford and Rob Lissner, along with support from Partner and SpeakEasy Stage curator Jim Lindberg (Pennywise / solo artist / author) as an alternative offering to the typical festival, with high level attention to food & beverage, curation, and

Rock and Blues International • February 2022

SpeakEasy Stage curator Jim Lindberg said, “The Jack Daniel’s SpeakEasy Stage was such a huge success that of course we have to bring it back this year. This time out we have our good friend the legendary Art Alexakis of Everclear, prolific punk rock singer/ songwriter Joey Cape of Lagwagon, Yotam Ben Horin of Useless ID, Dan Kelly from Fortunate Youth and Moi Juarez from Tomorrows Bad Seeds, among many more. Just like last year, the Jack Daniel’s SpeakEasy is going to be the place to be all weekend - just keep it in the family!” The current music lineup for BeachLife Festival is as follows (subject to change): Friday, May 13: Weezer, 311, Black Pumas, Cold War Kids, Milky Chance, Cannons, Atlas Genius, Jim Lindberg (Pennywise), Long Beach Dub Allstars, The Aggrolites, Hoist the Colors, Tomorrows Bad Seeds (acoustic), Joey Cape (Lagwagon), Velvet Starlings, Yotam Ben Horin (Useless ID) Saturday, May 14: The Smashing Pumpkins, Vance Joy, Stone Temple Pilots, Capital Cities, Michael Franti & Spearhead, Matisyahu, Sugar Ray, The Record Company, Donavon Frankenreiter, Magic!, Phantom Planet, Art Alexakis (Everclear), Rita Wilson, Jeremy Buck, The Charities, Feed the Kitty Sunday, May 15: Steve Miller Band, Sheryl Crow, Lord Huron, UB40 feat. Ali Campbell, Joe Russo’s Almost Dead, The Allman Betts Band, Ozomatli, Karl Denson’s Tiny Universe, ALO, Landon McNamara, Dan Kelly (Fortunate Youth), The Hip Abduction, Cubensis, Wall of Sound, Latch Key Kid BeachLife will feature music performances on four stages: HighTide Stage (main), LowTide Stage, RipTide Stage and the SpeakEasy Stage. While the first three stages are standard festivalproduced stages on the waterfront, the fourth stage, The SpeakEasy Stage, presented by Jack Daniel’s, is curated by Pennywise frontman / solo artist / author continued on next page

continued from previous page Jim Lindberg and provides intimate and stripped down acoustic performances from some of punk, surf, and rock’s top names. Philanthropy and Community is ever important to BeachLife Festival. They support many organizations in Southern California’s South Bay community and beyond, specifically as it relates to the preservation of beaches and oceans. With the help of the LA Kings and a number of national and local nonprofit organizations, BeachLife will arrange events and onsite activations to drive awareness and raise much needed funding for these important causes. Philanthropic partners include Surfrider, Heal The Bay, Walk With Sally, Life Rolls On, Wyland Foundation, Redondo Beach Education Foundation, Redondo Beach Police Foundation and the Rob Machado Foundation. While music takes center stage at BeachLife Festival, The Daou SideStage Experience provides foodies the opportunity to be seated onstage (literally) and served a four-course meal by celebrity chefs while their favorite musicians perform. Hailed as the “best restaurant in the South Bay” by the Orange County Register, The Daou SideStage Experience is the first culinary opportunity of its kind, located on the main stage and serviced by a team of award-winning chefs that curate their menus alongside the artists curating their set lists. This is truly a “one-of-akind” rock star dining experience. Featured Southern California chefs will be announced in March. In addition to this 5-star dining experience, BeachLife will offer various food and beverage options including a massive craft beer bar with local LA breweries, and multiple bars, lounges, food vendors, and food trucks across the venue, accessible to all festivalgoers. Here’s a sample of media accolades for BeachLife Festival: “The little festival that could…BeachLife presents a great mix of current alternative and rock and unapologetic nostalgia. Additionally, you cannot beat the beach location, which is literally on the world famous Southern California beaches. And the food and drink, especially in the VIP, were excellent...” - Forbes “A comfortable boutique festival experience right on the Los Angeles beach” - Pollstar

photo by JP Cordero

“Can’t-miss destination event” -

Whiskey, Tequila Herradura, Kinecta and more

Relix “A great weekend filled with musical light in a wide variety of sonic flavors, making BeachLife a clear hit...” – Pop Matters All General Admission, General Admission Plus, VIP, Admiral, and Captain tickets for the BeachLife Festival are on sale now at www.BeachLifeFestival.com. 3-Day GA tickets start at $419 (plus fees), and for a little more, BeachLife offers a brand new ticket type, General Admission Plus which allows unlimited ins and outs. For a truly unique luxury experience, BeachLife offers the exclusive Captain’s Pass with perks such as a hosted bar, private bungalows, and valet parking. Admiral Passes are limited and include 2-4 GA, VIP, or Captain tickets along with a boat mooring for three nights. For added luxury, space and privacy, BeachLife offers a limited number of private cabanas available for purchase. BeachLife also offers multiple ticket insurance options for purchase. For detailed descriptions of ticket options, please visit: https:// www.beachlifefestival.com/ticket-types BeachLife Festival will follow protocol outlined by the Los Angeles County Department of Public Health to ensure COVID-19 guidelines and standards are implemented at the festival so people can enjoy a safe and healthy environment, and will update ticket buyers closer to the festival. BeachLife Festival partners include: Subaru Pacific, Royal Caribbean International, DAOU Family Estates, Tito’s Handmade Vodka, Jack Daniel’s Tennessee

BeachLife Festival is located at 137 N. Harbor Drive, Redondo Beach, CA 90277. Website: www.BeachLifeFestival.com Youtube: www.youtube.com/c/ BeachLifeFestivalLive Facebook: www.facebook.com/BeachLifeFest Instagram: @beachlifefestival Twitter: https://twitter.com/beachlifefest About BeachLife Festival: BeachLife Festival debuted in 2019 and is Southern California’s premier multi-day live music, art, and culinary experience, held on the beach in the South Bay of Los Angeles County. We were lucky enough to grow up in Southern California on the beach, surfing, hanging out with sand between our toes, vibing with friends and living the beach life. Our culture celebrates the power and the beauty of the ocean and coastal resources — our waves, wind, smell of sea salt, beaches, sand, and wildlife that call this their home. BeachLife Festival features music acts on four stages, SideStage high-end dining with wellknown celebrity chefs, a silent auction benefiting BeachLife’s primary charities, and multiple surf and skateboarding components. BeachLife Festival was cofounded by Allen Sanford and Rob Lissner, along with Brand Director and SpeakEasy Stage curator Jim Lindberg (Pennywise / solo artist / author).

February 2022 • Rock and Blues International

fashion. But now we have legit team around us, the band is firing on all cylinders and everything seems to be lining up this time.” Pieced together over the last two years, Scar Weaver represents a massive step forward for Once Human. Blessed (or perhaps cursed) with plenty of additional time during the last year’s lockdown situation, the band have been able to refine and redefine their sound, inspired by a sudden creative surge from latest recruit, Max Karon. The result is an gloriously idiosyncratic modern metal record, with Lauren Hart’s career-best vocal performance just one of its dazzling revelations. With Once Human’s most intense and explosive music to work with, the singer has pushed herself to new heights, showcasing a vastly expanded vocal range in the process. “I always had a tremendous amount of belief in Lauren’s ability to be a legit frontwoman, but when this began she was new, and so there was a lot of development to happen over time,” says Logan. “She’s really blossomed. She’s grown a lot as a vocalist, a performer and a lyricist through all of this.”

Once Human to Release Scar Weaver February 11 Formed in 2014, Once Human have steadily established themselves as one of the most distinctive and destructive metal bands of the modern era. Founded by guitarist Logan Mader (exMachine Head) and vocalist Lauren Hart, the LA-based quintet have had noses to the grindstone throughout their existence, exhibiting a tireless dedication to live performance and a meticulous approach to capturing their crushing anthems for posterity. Over the course of two full-length albums – 2015’s widely hailed debut The Life I Remember, and 2017’s conceptual tour-de-force Evolution – Once Human have pursued a militantly individual path, eschewing contemporary cliché in favour of a versatile and sinewy new strain of brutal but accessible metal, with Lauren’s coruscating vocals providing an endlessly emotive and humane focal point. 60 Rock and Blues International • February

Four years on from their last album, Once Human are primed and ready to launch a fresh assault on hearts and ears. With a line-up completed by long-time bassist Damien Rainaud, drummer Dillon Trollope and second guitarist (and now chief riff-writer) Max Karon, the band have mutated into an even more devastating beast, as demonstrated with face-ripping aplomb on new album Scar Weaver. “It was not an easy path to reach this point, I’ll tell you that,” says Logan Mader. “The original masterplan for the band was really passion-project driven. The first two albums, we were still finding our way. Where we’re at now is with a really strong posture and by far the best album we’ve done. Over the years we’ve done a lot of groundwork and some smaller tours, just grinding things out, sometimes even in a DIY 2022

“Vocally, I’ve changed a lot since the last record,” Lauren notes. “My screams got lower and the cleans became stronger. I’ve become much more comfortable with clean singing through touring with (US power metal legends) Kamelot, because they really pushed me to do that. I’ve learned a lot about my voice since then. But a lot of this starts with Max’s melodies, and sometimes I felt like it would be cheating to just growl over these amazing pieces of music, and it’d be so much better to do something that complements it. So sometimes the growls have melody too!” As its title suggests, Scar Weaver is an album that brims and bulges with notions of pain, trauma and darkness. Lauren has once again penned a stunning collection of emotionally raw diatribes, but in contrast to Evolution’s overriding concept, the new record takes a more scattershot approach, reflecting the chaos of the modern world along the way. From visceral opener “Eidolon” to the corrosive claustrophobia of the closing “Only In Death,” all human life is alive and screaming on Scar Weaver. “The songs are all really individual,” Lauren explains. “One of them is about blood diamonds. ‘Deadlock’ is about the politics of everything that’s continued on next page

Once Human continued from previous page going on. A lot of them toy with my philosophy of death and all of that. But in comparison to Evolution, because of the energy of the world, these lyrics have a much more dire tone. Evolution was more triumphant, because I wanted people to feel uplifted. I really tried with this album to be positive, but then I’d look at what I’d written and it was a downer! I guess the energy of the world right now helped me to write those lyrics.” One instant highlight of the new Once Human record is preview single “Deadlock,” featuring a typically imperious vocal cameo from Machine Head’s Robb Flynn. Logan Mader’s history with Machine Head is well documented, not least in recent times when he toured the globe with Robb for the Bay Area band’s Burn My Eyes 25th Anniversary Tour. As a result, this new collaboration needs no explanation, but Lauren remains thrilled by the whole experience. energy.” “It was absolutely amazing, are you kidding?” she grins. “I didn’t believe it was happening until he sent something back and I heard his voice on our song. I was like, ‘Holy crap! This is real!’ He came back with a new chorus and it was so much better than mine, so my chorus was gone! [Laughs] But then performing with him in the video, that was insane. The energy he brings on stage, he brings in person too. It was a great experience and his energy is so powerful. The video came out amazing!” As the world begins to open back up, Once Human, fresh off Cradle of Filth’s Lustmord and Tourgasm tour, are in the strongest position of their careers so far. Scar Weaver is a manifestly superior piece of work, with countless unforgettable hooks, riffs and moments of warped savagery (if the riff at the end of “Deserted” doesn’t make you want to run through a brick wall, check your pulse!) colliding to create a record of true originality and rare intensity. “We’ve gotten through so many things along the way, we’re in a really strong place,” Logan avows. “Nothing can fuck us up now. That’s an important factor in this band – that internal

The perfect, invigorating antidote to the state of stasis that we’ve all endured over the last two years, Scar Weaver is the sound of a great band becoming greater, hitting their stride and discovering new levels of power, passion and punch in the process. As the world begins to open its doors once more, Once Human are fully equipped to launch their biggest and most life-affirming assault on the world’s senses. “We have an amazing record, we’re ready to crush it, we have a really good chemistry between all of us,” says

Logan. “We’re really good friends, and that’s really important. I think you can feel that when you see us onstage, like, ‘These guys are actually happy to be here and they like each other!’ That’s a bonus. It doesn’t have to be like that. But luckily we have a really cool, strong bond. It’s so important for us to get out there and connect with people in a real life environment.” Members: Logan Mader Lauren Hart Damien Rainaud Dillon Trollope Max Karon

ONCE HUMAN online: Official Website of Once Human @ https://oncehumanofficial.com Once Human on Facebook @ https://www.facebook.com/oncehuman Once Human on YouTube @ https://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp www.ear-music.net February 2022 • Rock and Blues International

Rock and Blues International • June 2021

June 20211 • Rock and Blues International

Incendiary guitarist Lee McKinney (Born of Osiris) has released his latest solo album ‘In The Light Of Knowledge’ today via Sumerian Records. Prior to today’s release, Lee shared playthroughs for his songs “Stormrage”and “Crystal Song” which together have totaled over 119,000 views on YouTube so far. Speaking on today’s release, Lee commented: “I couldn’t be more proud of In The Light of Knowledge. I’ve always described this album as being as close to “inside an artist’s mind” as you can get. That’s not just because in a way each of these songs is somewhat of a diary entry for me emotionally, but it’s also because I wrote every instrument, produced, edited, engineered, mixed, and mastered it on my own. What you hear is exactly what I heard and felt when creating it in my studio - unchanged by anything or anyone. On that note, thank you to Adrián Terrazas-González for his saxophone contributions, and thank you to Misstiq for her piano contribution to Crystal Song. This album made me feel like I fine-tuned the vision of what I wanted my solo music to be. I had a clear goal and vision. The vision was to make you FEEL something. If I had to describe the album in one word, it would be emotion. This album (like Infinite Mind) is not intended to be a shred fest. Of course, it will happen naturally with my play style and tendencies, but it is NEVER a goal of my solo records. There will always be a new faster guitar player coming up in the world. The “race” doesn’t appeal to me anymore. I’ve been playing guitar for 22 years... at this point, evoking emotion is more important to me than recycling shred techniques. I think from the beginning of my career, melody, and emotion have been what I’ve excelled at. These solo albums are me exploring that deeper. I hope you all enjoy it. Thank you for the support.” Facebook @ https://www.facebook.com/ LeeMcKinneyOfficial/ Twitter @ https://twitter.com/LeeOsiris IN THE LIGHT OF KNOWLEDGE LEE MCKINNEY Track Listing:

Lee McKinney (Born of Osiris) Releases New Solo Album ‘In The Light Of Knowledge’ via Sumerian Records Stream Here At http://sumerianrecs.com/ITLOK Check Out Stormrage” @ https://youtu.be/—PAST-PEkg “Crystal Song” @ https://youtu.be/B_ddYOH9h4w 64

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1. Crystal Song 2. In The Light of Knowledge 3. Stormrage 4. Haven 5. Vitruvian Park 6. Highmountain 7. The Reason 8. The Maven (In The Sky)

January 2022 • Rock and Blues International

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Rock And Blues International Is Looking For A Sales Manager and ad salespeople! Please Email Your Resume To rockandbluesinternational@gmail.com 66

Rock and Blues International • September 2021

March 2021 • Rock and Blues International

Maybe You Should Run Your Next Tour Schedule In Wood & Wire’s Tony Kamel Announces Rock And Blues International! Solo Release email: Back Down Home rockandbluesinternational@gmail.com or call today 281-650-1953 For Fast Service

68 Rock and Blues International • February 2022

Chaos & Carnage Tour 2022 Full Dates as follows:

Chaos & Carnage Tour 2022 Co-Headlined By Suicide Silence and Carnifex With Special Guests Lorna Shore, Upon A Burning Body, AngelMaker and Distant The CHAOS & CARNAGE TOUR has announced their 2022 return to the road after two previous successful runs in 2018 and 2019. Co-Headlined by deathcore titans Suicide Silence and Carnifex, the tour will also feature a selection of the very best bands from the world of modern metal with Lorna Shore, Upon A Burning Body, AngelMaker and Distant rounding out the line-up. Tickets for the CHAOS & CARNAGE TOUR go on general sale on Friday, January 14th at 10am local time from ChaosAndCarnage.com. Produced by industry visionaries Jason Malhoyt of Imperial Artist Management and JJ Cassiere of renowned booking agency 33 and West, the CHAOS & CARNAGE TOUR is now in its third year and has quickly garnered a reputation for showcasing the very best big-name, established acts from the world of extreme metal, whilst also supporting incredible new talent by providing them with a platform to play in front of larger crowds. Previous years have featured the likes of Whitechapel, Dying Fetus, Revocation, Spite, Winds of Plague, and more with most shows selling out ahead of time. Suicide Silence guitarist and founding member, Chris Garza shares: “For over 2 decades it’s been deeply humbling to see how far the genre has come. CHAOS & CARNAGE brings to you the best

of the best from multiple generations. It’s an honor to still be here, sharing the stage with Carnifex and the rest of these amazing bands. STOKED. ” Carnifex frontman, Scott Lewis informs us: “Co headlining Chaos & Carnage with Suicide Silence and joined by some of the most brutal bands around is truly exciting for us. We have a massive set planned and can’t wait to lose our minds with you at these shows!” The CHAOS & CARNAGE TOUR will begin on Friday, May 6th in Sacramento, CA, the home state of both Suicide Silence and Carnifex and will hit a further 21 cities across the US before ending back in California for two final shows in Anaheim, CA, and finally an unforgettable night in Los Angeles, CA on June 4th. This iteration of the CHAOS & CARNAGE TOUR is set to be the biggest and most brutal yet, miss it at your peril! Tickets will be available for general sale on Friday, January 14th from 10am local, with VIP Package Upgrades available on Friday, January 21st at 10AM local over at ChaosAndCarnage.com.

Rock and Blues International • February 2022

Friday 5/6/2022 Sacramento, CA Ace of Spades Saturday 5/7/2022 Portland, OR Bossanova Ballroom Sunday 5/8/2022 Seattle, WA El Corazon Tue 5/10/2022 Grand Junction, CO Mesa Theater Wednesday 5/11/2022 Denver, CO Oriental Theater Friday 5/13/2022 Minneapolis, MN Cabooze Saturday 5/14/2022 Chicago, IL WC Social Club Sunday 5/15/2022 Pontiac, MI Crofoot Tuesday 5/17/2022 Columbus, OH King of Clubs Wednesday 5/18/2022 Pittsburgh, PA Jergels Thursday 5/19/2022 Boston, MA Big Night Live Friday 5/20/2022 New York, NY Gramercy Theatre Saturday 5/21/2022 Reading, PA Reverb Sunday 5/22/2022 Baltimore, MD Soundstage Tuesday 5/24/2022 Atlanta, GA The Masquerade Wednesday 5/25/2022 Tampa, FL Orpheum Friday 5/27/2022 Arlington, TX Choctaw Stadium* *So What Festival Saturday 5/28/2022 Houston, TX Warehouse Live Sunday 5/29/2022 San Antonio, TX Paper Tiger Tuesday 5/31/2022 Albuquerque, NM El Rey Theatre Wednesday 6/1/2022 Mesa, AZ Nile Theatre Thursdau 6/2/2022 Las Vegas, NV 24 Oxford Friday 6/3/2022 Anaheim, CA House of Blues Saturday 6/4/2022 Los Angeles, CA Regent Theater Find Suicide Silence Online Here at https://ssarchives.com Find Carnifex Online Here at http://carnifexmetal.com Find Lorna Shore Online Here at https://www.facebook.com/LornaShore Find Upon A Burning Body Online Here at http://www.uponaburningbody.com Find AngelMaker Online Here at https://angelmaker.bandcamp.com Find Distant Online Here at https://distantofficial.com Find Chaos & Carnage Online Here at https://www.chaosandcarnage.com

February 2022

• Rock and Blues International

Rock and Blues International • January 2022

March 2021 • Rock and Blues International

Right” cracked the Mediabase Active Rock Top 30 and has garnered multi-millions of combined cross-platform streams to date. Follow up single “You Never Listen” received support from SiriusXM, HardDrive, Full Metal Jackie and many more of the country’s leading active rock outlets, while one of their most recent singles, “Negative Noise”, has reached over one million views on YouTube and counting. With the release of latest single “Sick Of You”, Unstable now boasts three Top 40 Active Rock radio hits!

Photo credit: Guillermo Briceño

Modern Metal Stars Tetrarch to Support Sevendust on 2022 U.S. Headline Tour New Album, Unstable, Out Now via Napalm Records Order HERE at https://www.napalmrecordsamerica.com/tetrarch Featuring Three Top 40 Active Rock Radio Hits! Prepare to witness Tetrarch live and watch their latest music video for “Stitch Me Up” HERE at https://youtu.be/6FqBgFqZJQQ Modern metal frontrunners TETRARCH continue their climb to the top, announcing another must-see slew of tour dates supporting heavy music trailblazers Sevendust on their upcoming March 2022 U.S. headline Animosity anniversary tour, with additional support from Dead Poet Society! The tour begins in Oklahoma City, OK on March 4 and visits several major western and central U.S. cities before coming to a close in Nashville, TN on March 27. Tickets go on-sale this Friday, January 14 at 10:00 AM local time. See local venue listings for tickets and more information, and see below for a full listing of tour dates. Lead guitarist Diamond Rowe says: “We are extremely excited about hitting the road this winter/ spring with Sevendust. It should be a very exciting run and we are looking forward to hitting some cities that we haven’t in a while. It’s Sevendust’s 21st anniversary of their album Animosity which was an amazing record, so I know they have a lot of surprises up their sleeve and I know we do as well!” Produced by the band and Dave Otero (Cattle Decapitation, Allegaeon, Khemmis), TETRARCH’s new album, Unstable, dropped on April 30, 2021 via Napalm Records to major critical acclaim! Loudwire stated, “TETRARCH are not messing around, bringing the heavy with full force…”, while Alternative Press said, “The meteoric rise of nu metal’s brightest new stars TETRARCH has been a compelling show for the scene around them”. Upon release, TETRARCH’s debut single, “I’m Not

Rock and Blues International

• February 2022

Fierce individuality and a fearless embrace of the outsider are at the heart of TETRARCH. The band’s tireless hard work and relentless determination has established them as one of the top up-andcoming bands in heavy music, catching the attention of major media including Pollstar (cover mention), Billboard, Revolver, Alternative Press, Guitar World, Guitar Player, Premier Guitar, Kerrang! and Metal Hammer, many in which lead guitarist Diamond Rowe was the first African American female lead guitarist from the heavy metal genre to be featured. TETRARCH has been featured on Spotify playlists such as Kickass Metal, Rock Hard, New Blood (cover featured) and Metal Tracks and has also seen stellar support from Apple Music and their users, appearing on several additional playlists. Having appeared on major festivals such as Epicenter and Exit 111, TETRARCH is charging back into the major touring scene with renewed persistence and the mighty nonconformist’s spirit that has driven them since day one.

TETRARCH is: Josh Fore – vocals/guitar Diamond Rowe – lead guitar Ryan Lerner – bass Ruben Limas – drums

TETRARCH online: FACEBOOK @ https://www.facebook.com/tetrarchmusic TWITTER @ https://twitter.com/tetrarch NAPALM RECORDS @ https://label.napalmrecords.com/tetrarch

Sevendust 2022 U.S. Tour Dates with TETRARCH & Dead Poet Society: 3.04 - Oklahoma City, OK - The Diamond Ballroom 3.05 - Dallas, TX - House Of Blues 3.07 - San Antonio, TX - The Aztec Theatre 3.08 - Houston, TX - House Of Blues 3.11 - San Diego, CA - SOMA 3.12 - Sacramento, CA - Ace Of Spades 3.13 - Santa Cruz, CA - The Catalyst 3.15 - Anaheim, CA - House Of Blues 3.18 - Denver, CO - The Oriental Theater 3.19 - Denver, CO - The Oriental Theater 3.20 - Wichita, KS - The Cotillion 3.22 - Minneapolis, MN - Skyway Theatre 3.23 - Chicago, IL - House Of Blues 3.25 - Kansas City, MO - The Truman 3.26 - St. Louis, MO - The Factory 3.27 - Nashville, TN - Wildhorse Saloon

January 2022 • Rock and Blues International

Rock and Blues International • JFebruary 2022

On March 11, rock icons KISS will release the next installment of their Off The Soundboard official live bootleg series with KISS – Off The Soundboard: Live In Virginia Beach, recorded live at the Virginia Beach Amphitheatre on July 25th, 2004. This is the second in a series of live releases by the band and will be available to stream and download, with a 3-LP standard black vinyl set, a 2-CD set, and a limited edition 3-LP set pressed on 180g opaque green vinyl, all available exclusively through the Official KISS online store, here. Off The Soundboard: Live In Virginia Beach finds the legendary band in the midst of their Rock The Nation Tour, which is notable for being the first full U.S. tour of the longstanding Paul Stanley, Gene Simmons, Tommy Thayer, and Eric Singer lineup. The career-spanning 20-song set includes classic KISS tracks such as “Lick It Up,” “I Love It Loud,” and the worldwide smash and No. 11 1979 U.S. Billboard charting “I Was Made For Lovin’ You,” as well as perennial KISS fan favorites “Makin’ Love,” “King Of The Night Time World,” and “100,000 Years” that dig deep into the band’s astonishing 40+ year back catalog. KISS are globally recognized as one of the greatest live bands of all time and are the creators of what is universally considered the best live album ever, 1975’s gold-certified and No. 9 Billboard charting Alive!. The KISS – Off The Soundboard series continues their storied legacy of groundbreaking live albums with a document of the spectacular, largerthan-life extravaganza that is a KISS concert. Known for their trademark performances, KISS has proven for decades why they are hands down the most iconic live show in rock n roll. The Rock & Roll Hall of Famers have sold more than 100 million albums worldwide and are America’s #1 Gold Record Award winning group of all time in every category. Peerless as a live act, the band’s illustrious legacy has been marked by record-breaking global tours during a remarkable 48-year career. KISS – Off The Soundboard: Live In Virginia Beach 2CD Disc 1 1. Love Gun 2. Deuce 3. Makin’ Love 4. Lick It Up 5. Christine Sixteen 6. Tears Are Falling 7. She 8. Got To Choose 9. I Love It Loud 10. I Want You Disc 2 1. Psycho Circus 2. King Of The Night Time World 3. War Machine 4. 100,000 Years 5. Unholy 6. Shout It Out Loud 7. I Was Made For Lovin’ You

Multi-Platinum Legends KISS Release New Archival Title With ‘KISS – OFF THE SOUNDBOARD: LIVE IN VIRGINIA BEACH’ Available On Triple Vinyl, 2-CD & Digital On March 11 8. Detroit Rock City 9. God Gave Rock ‘N’ Roll To You II 10. Rock and Roll All Nite 3LP Disc 1 1. Love Gun (Side A) 2. Deuce (Side A) 3. Makin’ Love (Side A) 4. Lick It Up (Side A) 5. Christine Sixteen (Side B) 6. Tears Are Falling (Side B) 7. She (Side B) 8. Got To Choose (Side B) Disc 2 1. I Love It Loud (Side A) 2. I Want You (Side A) 3. Psycho Circus (Side A) 4. King Of The Night Time World (Side B)

5. War Machine (Side B) 6. 100, 000 Years (Side B) Disc 3 1. Unholy (Side A) 2. Shout It Out Loud (Side A) 3. I Was Made For Lovin’ You (Side A) 4. Detroit Rock City (Side A) 5. God Gave Rock ‘N’ Roll To You II (Side B) 6. Rock And Roll All Nite (Side B) KISS Online @ https:// www.kissonline.com Facebook @ https:// www.facebook.com/KISS Instagram @ https:// www.instagram.com/kissonline/ Twitter @ https://twitter.com/ kissonline?lang=en

February 2022 • Rock and Blues International

Frank Zappa’s Legendary 1971 Fillmore East Run and Shocking Final Rainbow Theatre Gig With The Mothers Gets Proper 50th Anniversary Commemoration With Definitive 8-Disc Boxed Set, “The Mothers 1971 Astonishing Amount Of Unreleased Live Materia Uneathed From The Vault Contains Every Note Played Over Four Shows Across Two Nights That Closed The Fillmore East, Including Famed John Lennon and Yoko Ono Encore, Plus Full Final Show At Rainbow Theatre In London Newly Mixed By Eddie Kramer with Bonus Hibrid Harrisburg and Scranton, PA Concert and More! 78

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• February 2022

Released in August 1971 just two months after it was recorded, Fillmore East - June 1971 was Frank Zappa and The Mothers’ masterstroke conceptual live album, a well-oiled and well-edited aural treatise chronicling the prurient feast and famine of a certain band’s somewhat salacious life on (and off) the road. In effect, it was the seemly predecessor to October 1971’s expansive, groundbreaking magnum opus, 200 Motels, the surrealistic documentary and soundtrack which ultimately took on a life of its own. Even so, Fillmore East - June 1971, the landmark live recording with the scrawled “penzil” cover art made to resemble a bootleg of the day, managed to capture its own level of then-modern zeitgeist in patented Zappareconstructed form. The ever-touring Mothers closed out 1971 with a European jaunt that saw them hitting Denmark, Germany, The Netherlands, and Austria before rolling into Switzerland for a December 4, 1971 show at the Montreaux Casino that will forever live in infamy in both song and legend. This was due to an errant fan setting off a flare gun and burning the place to the ground – along with destroying all The Mothers’ gear and equipment, sans one solitary cowbell. Thankfully, the band and audience were relatively unhurt, but subsequent shows in France and Belgium were cancelled and The Mothers had to resort to wrestling with rented equipment for a planned pair of shows slated for December 10-11, 1971 at the Rainbow Theatre in London, England. Only the December 10th show came to pass, however, due to an event that changed the course of Zappa’s life forever. After the band played a cover of The Beatles’ “I Want To Hold Your Hand,” a crazed fan attacked him by violently shoving him off the stage into the orchestra pit 12 feet below. For some time, nobody knew whether Zappa was alive and there was complete confusion inside and outside the theater. As Zappa recounted in his 1989 autobiography, “The Real Frank Zappa Book:” “My head was over on my shoulder and my neck was bent like it was broken. I had a gash in my chin, a hole in the back of my head, a broken rib and a fractured leg. One arm was paralyzed.” Once he could finally leave the hospital and be returned to the States, he spent the better part of a year in a wheelchair and a leg brace. When all was said and done, he permanently sustained a lower pitched voice, one leg shorter than the other and chronic back pain. The Rainbow Theatre show would end up being the last ever performed by the Flo and Eddie lineup as the group disbanded while Zappa was in the hospital as they needed to continue to work while he recuperated. Once Zappa recovered from his injuries he ventured into other musical territories.

EXPANDED FILLMORE EAST – 1971 50th ANNIVERSARY EDITION FEATURING NEW REMASTER OF ORIGINAL ALBUM ALONG WITH BONUS TRACKS AND PERIOD-PERFECT MIXES BY ZAPPA, NOT FOUND ON THE BOXED SET, AND RAINBOW THEATRE CONCERT, TO BE RELEASED CONCURRENTLY AS 3LP SETS AVAILABLE MARCH 18 VIA ZAPPA RECORDS/UMe It’s these intriguing, intertwining roads that will be explored, examined, and celebrated like never before with the monumental and definitive new eight-disc/ digital collection, The Mothers 1971, a new Super Deluxe Edition boxed set due March 18 via Zappa Records/UMe that showcases these special 1971 lineups and commemorates these storied chapters in Zappa’s legacy. Overseen by the Zappa Trust and produced by Ahmet Zappa and Zappa Vaultmeister Joe Travers, the 100-track, nearly 10-hour set brings together every note of the fabled four shows that closed down the vaunted Fillmore East in New York City on June 5-6, 1971, including the entire John Lennon and Yoko Ono encore, along with the full Rainbow Theatre performance in London, England, on December 10, 1971. Also included is an unreleased hybrid concert culled from June

1 and June 3, 1971 performances in Scranton and Harrisburg, Penn., which denote the first time Mothers shows were recorded on Zappa’s preferred, then-newly purchased _-inch 4-track tape machine (throughout the ’70s, this was the main tape recorder used to document shows if the budget allowed). The extensive collection is rounded out with the original rare single for “Tears Began To Fall” and its non-albumtrack B-side “Junier Mintz Boogie,” signifying the single’s first re-release in 50 years and digital debut, as well as a homemade radio spot and its related outtakes. This release is significant for marking the first time the complete back-toback double-header Fillmore East concerts have been released in their entirety, allowing fans to hear the full performances that Zappa edited the album from, and for continued on next page February 2022 • Rock and Blues International 79

Frank Zappa’s Legendary 1971 Fillmore East Run and Shocking Final Rainbow Theatre Gig continued from previous page the very first time anywhere, contains the official audio of the Rainbow Theatre show’s truly shocking ending which was thought to have not been recorded until recently discovered while putting this project together. The Mothers 1971 will also be available digitally for streaming and download, in both standard and hi-res audio (96kHz/24-bit). Pre-order is available here: http://frankzappa.lnk.to/themothers1971PR The majority of the box set’s unedited live tracks have been newly mixed from scratch by longtime Zappa Trust associate Craig Parker Adams at Winslow Ct. Studios and mastered by John Polito at Audio Mechanics. The complete historical Rainbow Theatre concert was newly mixed by legendary producer/engineer Eddie Kramer (his first Zappa Trust project to date) and mastered by Bernie Grundman. All recordings included on The Mothers 1971 were sourced from their original 2inch, 16-track, 1-inch 8-track, and _-inch 2track stereo analog master tapes discovered in The Vault and digitally transferred and compiled by Joe Travers in 2020, who then supervised the mixes in early 2021. The Mothers 1971 boxed set comes in a CD size slimcase with all eight discs residing in their own respective minijackets, which are collectively housed within an inner slipcase, along with a comprehensive 68-page booklet showcasing a quite revealing, in-depth interview with key Mothers 1971 bandmember Ian Underwood as conducted by Ahmet Zappa, in addition to separate recollections and learned musings from Eddie Kramer and then-bassist Jim Pons alongside detailed, tape-by-tape liner notes from the everirrepressible Joe Travers, and historical photos from famed photographer Henry Diltz.

Mini-Moog at Fillmore East, then rejoined The Mothers fulltime to take over for Bob Harris on keyboards and vocals for the band’s ensuing summertime dates and onward, through that December.) The June 1971 Fillmore East finale was made even more special thanks to John Lennon and Yoko Ono appearing alongside Zappa and The Mothers to perform a final encore for the unsuspecting crowd, including a red hot version of Walter Ward’s “Well” led by John on vocals (an old Beatles live favorite from the Cavern Club in Liverpool) with two solos by Zappa, a seminal reading of “King Kong” that soon enough metamorphosized into an extended jam ultimately called “Scumbag” as well as further improvisational vocal ululations from Yoko with guitar feedback by John and backing from The Mothers. Zappa had plans to release this historical encore in its entirety after mixing it in 1971, but shelved it after John and Yoko released their own encore mixes on Side 4 of June 1972’s Sometime in New York City. Zappa eventually released his version of the encore as part of October 1992’s Compact Disc, Playground Psychotics. After being awarded the rights to his back catalogue in the early 1980s, Zappa mulled other plans for releasing the encore, but upon inspection of the returned Fillmore East masters, it was discovered the Lennon encore tape was missing from its master tape box. In 2021 following a request via Universal, the Lennon Estate kindly provided the Zappa Trust and UMe with a high-resolution transfer of the multitrack safety reel (which FZ had made for them in 1971), thus ensuring that, for the first time in 50 years, the full encore performance could be heard, remixed, in its entirety.

The Mothers lineup that ruled the Vinyl lovers will also be able to get Fillmore East roost in New York City for their fill via a pair of concurrently released four extraordinary sets across two back-toindividual 3LP configurations. First, the back nights on June 5-6, 1971 consisted of expanded 50th anniversary 3LP vinyl Ian Underwood (winds/keyboards), Aynsley edition of Fillmore East – June 1971 will Dunbar (drums), Jim Pons (bass/vocals/ have a remaster of the original 1971 live dialog), Bob Harris (keyboards/vocals) and album on LP1 along with 2 LPs of bonus was rounded out by Howard Kaylan (lead tracks, including the John Lennon and Yoko vocals/dialog) and Mark Volman (lead Ono encore and the complete masterpiece vocals/dialog), aka Flo & Eddie of The “Billy The Mountain,” plus liner notes by Turtles, with special guest Don Preston. It Joe Travers. Significantly, the vinyl version was a fitting Mothers collective chosen to of Fillmore East has been expanded to close the renowned NYC venue, and they include vintage, period-perfect Zappa performed such iconic tracks like “The mixes, some of which are not included in Mud Shark,” “Bwana Dik,” and the groupie the CD box set and can’t be found anyroutine labeled as “Do You Like My New where else. The original album appears on Car?” (For his part, Don Preston provided Sides 1 and 2, while Sides 3, 4, 5, and 6 80 Rock and Blues International • February 2022

contain the original “Billy The Mountain” as well as Zappa’s original version of the John & Yoko encore along with other material from the original mix sessions of the Fillmore East album. The Fillmore East 50th Anniversary Edition 3LP set was cut by Chris Bellman at Bernie Grundman Mastering. Second, Rainbow Theatre is the 3LP vinyl equivalent to the CD box’s contents, featuring a brand new 2021 mix and liner notes by Eddie Kramer. The Rainbow Theatre 3LP set was cut by Bernie Grundman at Bernie Grundman Mastering. Both vinyl sets were pressed on 180-gram high-grade vinyl by Optimal: Media in Germany. As Travers keenly confirmed in his always enlightening liner notes, the Fillmore East 1971 tapes were “the first time that The Mothers were recorded live on 16-track analog tape. Previously, all live recordings were captured on 1-inch 8-track or lower.” Barry Keene, the recording engineer for these dates, also used a _-inch 2-track machine to capture a line mix. Though not all of the 16-track tapes have survived over the years, Travers and company were able to utilize the 2-track board tapes to fill in any missing gaps. In his truly illuminating interview with Ahmet Zappa in The Mothers 1971 booklet, Ian Underwood zeroed in on Frank’s inherent talent for writing out all his original music perfectly, note for note, a la Mozart – music Underwood was always more than happy to play for its originator. “He knew what he wanted. He didn’t have to worry about mistakes,” marveled Underwood in the Ahmet Q&A. “Frank had a clear idea and he could just write it down. That is an amazing thing to be able to do.” For his part, bassist Jim Pons synopsized the crux of Zappa’s creative biscuit. “Frank himself always seemed carefully guarded but I found he was an astute observer of the human condition – something I really admired,” Pons wrote in his portion of the liners. Though it all came crashing down to an untimely end, The Mothers’ masterful musicianship that was on full display during multiple critical junctures in the latter half of 1971 has now been brought together for the first time in this riveting new collection, The Mothers 1971. zappa.com facebook.com/zappa continued on next page twitter.com/zappa

Frank Zappa’s Legendary 1971 Fillmore East Run and Shocking Final Rainbow Theatre Gig continued from previous page THE MOTHERS 1971 - SUPER DELUXE EDITION (8CDs) / SUPER DELUXE DIGITAL EDITION (8 CDs EQUIVALENT) CD 1: FILLMORE EAST, NEW YORK CITY, NY, JUNE 5, 1971 - SHOW 1 1. Peaches En Regalia 2. Tears Began To Fall 3. Shove It Right In 4. Status Back Baby 5. Concentration Moon - Part 1 6. The Sanzini Brothers (Sodomy Trick) 7. Concentration Moon - Part II 8. Mom & Dad 9. Intro To Music For Low Budget Orchestra 10. Billy The Mountain 11. King Kong TOTAL TIME: 79:00 CD 2: FILLMORE EAST, NEW YORK CITY, NY, JUNE 5, 1971 - SHOW 2 1. Peaches En Regalia 2. Tears Began To Fall 3. Shove It Right In 4. Intro To Music For Low Budget Orchestra 5. Billy The Mountain 6. Little House I Used To Live In 7. The Mud Shark 8. What Kind Of Girl Do You Think We Are? 9. Bwana Dik 10. Latex Solar Beef 11. Willie The Pimp TOTAL TIME: 74:13 CD 3: FILLMORE EAST, NEW YORK CITY, NY, JUNE 5, 1971 - SHOW 2 (CTD; TRACKS 1-6) 1. Do You Like My New Car? 2. Happy Together 3. ”Any Chord Of Your Choice” 4. King Kong - Part I 5. Lonesome Electric Turkey 6. King Kong - Part II FILLMORE EAST, NEW YORK CITY, NY, JUNE 6, 1971 - SHOW 1 (TRACKS 7-15) 7. Fillmore Improvisation 8. Peaches En Regalia 9. Tears Began To Fall 10. Shove It Right In 11. Status Back Baby 12. Concentration Moon - Part I 13. The Sanzini Brothers (Sodomy Trick) 14. Concentration Moon - Part II 15. Mom & Dad TOTAL TIME 70:44

CD 4: FILLMORE EAST, NEW YORK CITY, NY, JUNE 6, 1971 - SHOW 1 (CTD; TRACKS 1-4) 1. The Story Of Billy The Mountain 2. Intro To Music For Low Budget Orchestra 3. Billy The Mountain 4. Chunga’s Revenge FILLMORE EAST, NEW YORK CITY, NY, JUNE 6, 1971 - SHOW 2 (TRACKS 5-8)

JOHN & YOKO ENCORE SET (TRACKS 1-6) 1. Well 2. Say Please 3. King Kong 4. Aaawk 5. Scumbag 6. A Small Eternity With Yoko Ono RADIO SPOT, SINGLE VERSION, BSIDE & OUTTAKES (TRACKS 7-10) 7. Homemade Radio Spot 8. Tears Began To Fall - Single Version 9. Junier Mintz Boogie - Single B-Side 10. Homemade Radio Spot Outtakes

5. “Herd Of Cattle” 6. Peaches En Regalia 7. Tears Began To Fall 8. Shove It Right In TOTAL TIME: 70:48 CD 5: FILLMORE EAST, NEW YORK CITY, NY, JUNE 6, 1971 - SHOW 2 (CTD) 1. The Story Of Billy The Mountain 2. Intro To Music For Low Budget Orchestra 3. Billy The Mountain 4. “Conglomerate Assembly” 5. Little House I Used To Live In 6. The Mud Shark 7. What Kind Of Girl Do You Think We Are? 8. Bwana Dik 9. Latex Solar Beef 10. Willie The Pimp 11. Do You Like My New Car? 12. Happy Together TOTAL TIME: 74:39 CD 6: FILLMORE EAST, NEW YORK CITY, NY, JUNE 6, 1971 - SHOW 2 (CTD)

BONUS HYBRID CONCERT: HARRISBURG/SCRANTON, PA 1971 STATE FARM SHOW ARENA, HARRISBURG, PA, JUNE 3, 1971 (TRACKS 11-20) 11. Peaches En Regalia 12. Tears Began To Fall 13. Shove It Right In 14. Status Back Baby 15. Concentration Moon - Part I 16. The Sanzini Brothers (Burning Hoop Trick) 17. Concentration Moon - Part II 18. Mom & Dad 19. My Boyfriend’s Back 20. Tiny Sick Tears TOTAL TIME: 70:19

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Frank Zappa’s Legendary 1971 Fillmore East Run and Shocking Final Rainbow Theatre Gig continued from previous page

CD 7: BONUS HYBRID CONCERT: HARRISBURG/SCRANTON, PA 1971 STATE FARM SHOW ARENA, HARRISBURG, PA, JUNE 3, 1971 (CTD; TRACKS 1-3) 1. Call Any Vegetable 2. The Story Of Billy The Mountain 3. Intro To Music For Low Budget Orchestra STATE FARM SHOW ARENA, HARRISBURG, PA, JUNE 3, 1971 & WATRES ARMORY, SCRANTON, PA, JUNE 1, 1971 (TRACK 4)

12. “That’s Your Tough Luck” 13. King Kong 14. I Want To Hold Your Hand TOTAL TIME: 75:19 LIVE AT FILLMORE EAST, JUNE 1971 50TH ANNIVERSARY (3LP) LP 1: SIDE A 1. Little House I Used To Live In 2. The Mud Shark 3. What Kind Of Girl Do You Think We Are? 4. Bwana Dik 5. Latex Solar Beef 6. Willie The Pimp - Part I

4. Billy The Mountain

The Flies LP 3: SIDE F 1. Billy The Mountain (Ctd): Studebacher Hoch, The Conclusion 2. Homemade Radio Spot 3. Tears Began To Fall 4. Junier Mintz Boogie RAINBOW THEATRE (3LP) LP 1: SIDE A 1. Zanti Serenade 2. Peaches En Regalia 3. Tears Began To Fall

LP 1: SIDE B LP 1: SIDE B

WATRES ARMORY, SCRANTON, PA, JUNE 1, 1971 (TRACKS 5-6) 5. Willie The Pimp 6. King Kong (Outro)

1. Willie The Pimp - Part II 2. Do You Like My New Car? 3. Happy Together 4. Lonesome Electric Turkey 5. Peaches En Regalia 6. Tears Began To Fall

RAINBOW THEATRE, LONDON, ENGLAND, DECEMBER 10, 1971 (TRACKS 7-9) 7. Zanti Serenade 8. Peaches En Regalia 9. Tears Began To Fall TOTAL TIME: 77:25 CD 8: RAINBOW THEATRE, LONDON, ENGLAND, DECEMBER 10, 1971 (CTD) 1. Shove It Right In 2. “Pain In The Ass” 3. Divan: Once Upon A Time 4. Divan: Sofa #1 5. Pound For A Brown - Part I 6. Super Grease 7. Pound For A Brown - Part II 8. Sleeping In A Jar 9. Wonderful Wino 10. Sharleena 11. Cruising For Burgers

1. Shove It Right In 2. “Pain In The Ass” 3. Divan: Once Upon A Time 4. Divan: Sofa #1 LP 2: SIDE C

LP 2: SIDE C 1. Well – featuring John Lennon and Yoko Ono 2. Say Please – featuring John Lennon and Yoko Ono 3. Aaawk – featuring John Lennon and Yoko Ono 4. Scumbag – featuring John Lennon and Yoko Ono 5. A Small Eternity With Yoko Ono – featuring John Lennon and Yoko Ono

1.Pound For A Brown - Part I 2. Super Grease 3. Pound For A Brown - Part II 4. Sleeping In A Jar LP 2: SIDE D 1. Wonderful Wino 2. Sharleena 3. Cruising For Burgers LP 3: SIDE E

LP 2: SIDE D 1. King Kong - Solos LP 3: SIDE E 1. Billy The Mountain: Billy The Mountain, Phase One of “The Plot,” Phase Two & Newscast, The Legendary Low Budget Hero,

Rock and Blues International • January 2022

1. “That’s Your Tough Luck” 2. King Kong - Part I LP 3: SIDE F 1. King Kong - Part II 2. I Want To Hold Your Hand

January 2022 • Rock and Blues International

The Biker, The Blues, And A Way Of Life Steppenwolf’s famous songs about life on two wheels, The Allman Brothers’ Midnight Rider and many others tell the tale of a human spirit that cannot be broken. The blues with songs such as Key To The Highway as performed by the great Bryan Lee, Bert Wills laying down Slow Blues Lullaby and more present a reality all too real for those that have gotten stung by life. Both trains of thought bridge the same theme. Hanging in there with a certain way of life. Even if there was a way out those living these real world choices couldn’t do it even if they wanted to change. Not sure? Pack a bed roll on your front forks and go find your path. Be careful it’s more addictive than the strongest narcotic known to man. It’s a way of life, if I am lying I am dying. I will never forget the day that the strangers who were hauling beef to the slaughter house came into the Raunch House Strip Club and BBQ. Not your typical AAA rated menu mind you but none the less a local watering hole for bikers and dancers. So there she was Joltin’ Judy up on stage flitting around like some wanna be naked ballerina. Kind of strange, not exotic at all, but not so bad that someone would decide to cut her down but sometimes there are those that just cannot help themselves. You see these two cattle haulers came in saying all kinds of ugly things from their seats in the second row. Now Judy who knew how to handle hecklers took it stride for a while and then abruptly flipped them the bird and left the stage. The next girl let the song clear and then went up on stage and started her set. These two men sort of settled down but kept throwing barbs at all kind of customers too. I was at the bar drinking a cold Olympia and just watching it all unfold. You just had to know it was going to get interesting soon and it did. Now you see I am not saying that Judy left the cattle out of their truck pens but then again she was known for going outside for a breath of fresh air to cool off and have a smoke. I do know that someone came in the back door and said there was a mess of cows in the parking lot and asked if anybody inside knew anything about it. He said something about pen doors being open. The two, shall I say gentlemen, immediately made a bee line for the back door with about fifteen to twenty people following close behind. Yep, as soon as you were outside you could see the doors were open and what seemed like a lot cows were milling around the parking lot. It was a sight to see. Two grown men with cattle prods running around the parking lot whistling and prodding cows. It got real funny fast as the regulars from inside the bar were yelling to the two men about cows that were about to go onto the road. Man it was really humorous. Now getting back to Judy. Two nice officers of the law arrived and turned their lights on to help keep the cows that were crossing the street not get killed. I think the cows appreciated the courtesy actually. They just wanted the water and field grass on the other side of the fence. One of the cows was passing by and just stopped and looked at us as if to say, “very nice, well done chaps”. Well you might wonder what this has to do with music and at the time I just couldn’t get Arlo Guthrie’s Alice’s Restaurant out my head for some reason. Man it was funny that night. Eventually we were all back in the bar laughing like hell when Officer Good Guy came in and asked if anybody knew anything about these cattle being let loose. We were all still giggling and shaking our heads no and then even the cop busted up. Someone spoke up and said that the two gentlemen in the parking lot chasing down cows had been inside harassing both dancers and customers. Because everyone was inside no one saw a thing because most everyone was looking at the stage of course. With a big smile on his face he asked one more time, “did anyone in here see anything?” Then he answered his own question saying I suppose not trying not to laugh too much himself. Now the icing on the cake was that right at that very moment the song that came on the jukebox was Leon Russell’s It’s A Hard Rain’s A Gonna Fall and the place was up for grabs. The bar dropped the price of draft beer to half off and the girls made more tips that night than they had in a long time. True story. 84 Rock and Blues International • February 2022

January 2022 • Rock and Blues International