Rock And Blues International - October 2020

OCTOBER 2020

Rock And Blues International ELVIN BISHOP & CHARLIE MUSSELWHITE Also Inside This Issue Sugar Ray And The Bluetones Johnny Nicholas Rory Gallagher Kirk Fletcher John Lennon Bette Smith Kat Riggins and much, much more!

Rock And Blues International October 2020 Welcome to the October Issue of Rock And Blues International. I hope September treated you right.

Before I tell you what to expect in this issue, I’ve got great news for you Heavy Metal readers, AC/DC is back... and back with a vengeance. Vocalist Brian Johnson and drummer Phil Rudd are back in the fold along with AC/DC’s great leader, guitarist Angus Young, bassist Cliff Williams, and rhythm guitarist Steve Young. It’s been up in the air for a while, but Brian Johnson is back with the band for good...

You may remeber that Brian had to leave the band because of his hearing and Phil left because of some legal complications. Well, now all that has been rectified, so next year is starting to look a lot better now. You can expect to hear some new music from the same lineup that recorded 2014’s Rock Or Bust! Face it, AC/DC just wasn’t the same with Axel Rose on vocals. Now the band is going to sound like they’re supposed to.

Now, on to the new issue. We have a lot of great stories in here for you to read this month, so I’d like to let you know about them now. Walter Trout is going to tell you all about his new album release, Ordinary Madness. You’re going to like that album... We also have a lot of great Blues artists in this issue such as Elvin Bishop and Charlie Musselwhite, Albert Castiglia, Kat Riggins, Bette Smith, Johnny Nicholas, Kirk Fletcher, and Sugar Ray and The Bluetones. John Lennon has a new box set out and you’re going to want to hear about that. We have two live broadcasts by GoGo Penguin and Glass Animals for you to tune in to. We’d also like to welcome Italian DJ, Edoardo Fassio to our publication.

He has submitted a story about the Italian Blues band, the Boogie Brothers. Edoardo is planning on being a regular writer to Rock And Blues International and I couldn’t be more pleased. We also have a lot of other artists in this issue that you need to hear about. Believe me, this is a great issue. I’d also like to invite you to check out the Americana column by “Blues @” DJ, Charles Christian. Also be sure to check out his radio show at “Blues @”. Just look at page 2 to get the address to tune into. ‘Blues @’ has a lot of great shows, so be sure to tune into them. I would also like to welcome ‘Rock Radio UK’ to our publication. If you’re into ‘Rock’, old or new, be sure to check them out at www.rockradio.co.uk. That station is exploding with great music.

I sincerely hope that everybody reading this new 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 copy 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” October 2020 • Rock and Blues International

3

Contents

VOL. 1 NO. 3

OCTOBER 2020

6

6

ISSUE NO. 3

ELVIN BISHOP AND CHARLIE MUSSELWHITE Release Their New Album 100 Years Of Blues

10 KIRK FLETCHER

10

Releases New Album My Blues Pathway

14

14

JOHNNY NICHOLAS Johnny Nicholas Explores His Mistaken Identity

22 photo by Wendy Turner

SUGAR RAY AND THE BLUETONES

22

Sugar Ray And The Bluetones Release Too Far From The Bar

26

26

KAT RIGGINS Releases Her New Album On Gulf Coast Records, Cry Out

4

Rock and Blues International • October

2020

Contents

VOL. 1 NO. 3

OCTOBER 2020

Subscribe Now!30

30

ISSUE NO. 3

ALBERT CASTIGLIA Albert Castiglia Releases His New Live Album On Gulf Coast Records Wild And Free (Live)

68 WALTER TROUT

68

Walter Trout Releases His Most Introspective Albun To Date Ordinary Madness

84 84

JOHN LENNON UMe Releases New John Lennon Box Set Gimme Some Truth The Ultimate Mixes

In This Issue: 6 10 14 17 18 21 22 25 26 30 33 34 36 38 39 40 42

Elvin Bishop & Charlie Musselwhite Kirk Fletcher Johnny Nicholas Relaxing Blues Bette Smith Boogie Brothers Sugar Ray And The Bluetones Generic Specific Radio Shows Kat Riggins Albert Castiglia Black City Band Blind Willie Johnson Charles Christian’s Americana Will Kimbrough Le Couleur Gunship James Blake

43 44 45 46 47 48 50 51 52 53 54 56 57 58 59 60 62

Mar Garcia Of Monsters And Men Tedy GoGo Penguin Sinner’s Blood Glass Animals Sena Kana Mat Zo Dr. Whig Michael Franti And Spearhead Machine Gun Kelly Michael McDonald U2 Smashing Pumpkins East Of June Rory Gallagher Josie Cotton

65 Billy F. Gibbons 66 Claire Rosinkrantz 67 Christopher Harold Wells and The Neverlutionaries 68 Walter Trout 71 Stevie Nicks - The Concert 72 JackBunny 74 CrowJane 76 Eye Of The Destroyer 77 Shandmaul 78 Anti-Mortem 79 Alien Weaponry 80 Exhalant 81 Alter Bridge 83 Nothing 84 John Lennon 88 Billie Eilish & Fender Guitars October 2020 • Rock and Blues International

5

ELVIN BISHOP & CHARLIE MUSSELWHITE

photo and cover photo by Steve Jennings 6

Rock and Blues International • October 2020

By Kevin Wildman So what happens when you put together two of the most famous bluesmen around, such as Elvin Bishop and Charlie Musselwhite. Well, you wind up with one helluva Blues album, that’s what you get. That’s what happened when longtime friends Elvin Bishop and Charlie Musselwhite recorded their new and first collaboration together, 100 Years Of Blues, which is out now on Alligator Records. The two of them had known each for years and Charlie had even guested on a few of Elvin’s songs, but they had never recorded a complete album together. For this album, the two of them brought to the table about nine songs that they had written between the two of them plus another three by some great Blues legends, such as Roosevelt Sykes, Leroy Carr and Sonny Boy Williamson.

Together the two of them, along with the seasoned band of professionals that the brought in, managed to create a great Blues album that truly takes us back to the authentic sound of Blues Roots.

There’s no frills here, no layers of overdubs, just plain Blues, with most of it done in just one take or two. And quite honestly, with musicians of this caliber, you really don’t need more than one take as the band performs everything together in the studio at one time. It leads to a more honest recording, which this one certainly does.

Accompanying Elvin and Charlie on this album is Bob Welsh (keyboards and guitar), and Kid Anderson (bass).

The album was recorded both at Elvin’s home studio, Hog Heaven in Marin County, and at Kid Anderson’s studio, Greaseland in San Jose, California. The recording sessions were laid back and very casual, and they really made for a fun time between the two of them. “It all fell together so quickly and easily,” says Elvin. “We each brought about half the songs and recorded them in one or two takes.”

Elvin speaks of Charlie with great admiration and praise. Charlie is one of those guys that always improves with age and Elvin has wanted to do something with him for quite a while.

“Charlie’s played on a few of my records. A tune here, a tune there, and just whatever we could squeeze in. But this is the first time we really decided we’d try and do something together. You know, something that really represented the both of us, and it turned out to be a

Elvin Bishop and Charlie Musselwhite Present 100 Years Of Blues really pleasant thing and kind of easy to do. It just rolled right out. I always admired Charlie. He’s not one of those guys who at our age. in our 70s, that have stopped trying to improve a long time ago. They’re kind of riding on the past and Charlie doesn’t do that. He’s always sharpening his stuff up and improving and I found that very impressive and I kind of admire him for that.”

So how did the two of them finally get together and record this album, they’ve known each other since the 60s.

“Well,” says Elvin, “We did a couple of little benefits around here. It wasn’t worth putting the band together for, so just me and Charlie would do it together and we said ‘hey, this ain’t bad. This works out pretty good.’ Then we finally got his booking agent and my booking

agent together and they booked us a bunch of gigs together, like Performing Arts Centers, and those size of places and people really, really went for it. It didn’t make sense to not do a record if it’s going this well. So we just got together and just sat down and basically played with not much in the way of overdubs. We just let it come out naturally and it was one of the most painless experience in my life. It’s kind of like we both have sort of down home experience in this kind of thing. We go back to the days of Blues before they had bass and drums and everything. It takes a certain depth of knowledge to be able to pull that off. I think that we both sort of had it, so that worked out okay.” continued on next page

October 2020 • Rock and Blues International

7

Elvin Bishop and Charlie Musselwhite continued from previous page When it came time to pick out the songs for this project, the two of them pretty much split the load down the center and each of them brought a few songs to the table that they felt comfortable with. “I just felt it was kind of nice to get back to the really pure Roots as much as possible on the songs here,” explains Elvin. “Charlie just picked out a half a dozen or so tunes that he liked to do and I did the same and we tried to back each other up just as good as we could. Basically that’s all it amounted to. These are mostly songs, I’d say maybe two-thirds, that we do on the live show and we knew they’d work pretty good. On the other ones we said, let’s try this and let’s try that, you know. Most of them worked and a few of them didn’t, so we just left them off.”

Some of the songs that Elvin brought to the session were “What The Hell,” “Birds Of A Feather,” “South Side

photo by Steve Jennings Slide,” and “Midnight Hour Blues.” A lot of the rest came from Charlie’s side.

Without a doubt, this album is going to be one album that belongs in your record collection. It is just packed with great moments from the two of them. When you listen to their renditions of these songs, you can’t help but notice the honesty in the music and the recordings.

There’s no over-done production here.

It’s just a couple of guys having fun doing just what they like to do…. play

photo by Pat Johnson 8

Rock and Blues International • Ocstober 2020

music. Elvin tells us that the one thing that he wants people to come away with after hearing this album is “this is the real deal blues. This is all stuff that that they don’t get to hear so much of these days. There wasn’t none of that technological stuff on this. There were damn few overdubs and it’s just guys sitting down and playing. I just love Charlie’s singing. There’s no great technique to it, but when he opens up his mouth, it’s real and that’s the main thing about this album. There’s no BS to it.”

That’s right people, there’s no BS to this album. 100 Years Of Blues is one of the most honest Blues albums you’re going to hear this year. It’s a return back to the roots of blues, when men where men and they just sat down and did a great job without a lot of technical wizardry about them. They would just sit down and do their job in one take or two. After talking to Elvin about this project, I think that I would have really loved to be a fly on the wall in this session. How wonderful it would have been to be able to watch two masters of their profession record such a spectacular album. Really folks, if you only add one Blues Roots album to your collection, this should be the one.

Our congratulations goes out to Elvin Bishop, Charlie Musselwhite, Bruce Iglauer and the whole team at Alligator Records for blessing us with this great Blues recording. Thank you so much, folks.

Kirk Fletcher

Photo and Cover Photo photo by Wendy HannahTurner Wolf

10

Rock and Blues International • August October2020 2020

By Kevin Wildman We’re happy to announce that former Fabulous Thunderbirds guitarist, Kirk Fletcher is back again… this time with his sixth solo album, My Blues Pathway. Ever since Kirk left The Thunderbirds he has been hard at it with his solo career. His new album, My Blues Pathway was released just last month on September 25th and features 10 of the finest blues songs you’ve ever heard from this man. The album was preceded in July with the release of his first single from the album, “No Place To Go.” In addition to some great original songs here, he also delves into his roots to pull out some fantastic material from blues greats Sonny Boy Williamson, Juke Boy Bonner, AC Reed, and Chris Cain. The album was released through Cleopatra Records. No doubt you will be hearing some great things about this album.

His last album, Hold On, was nominated in 2018 for the coveted Blues music award.

Kirk tells us that this album is the next step in his evolution as a musician. Yes, he’s had albums out before this one, but My Blues Pathway was an extension to his songwriting process. He really felt that he had progressed tremendously on this album, not to mention returned to his basic roots. “Well, I would definitely say that this is the record I wasn’t able to make with my musicianship before, to make quite the same record as I can now. I practiced my songwriting more on this record, and it’s been sort of like an ongoing thing. So this record is almost a 45-year-old guy looking back on the different records he’s done before with musical experiences from playing with different people and all this stuff. I’m right back kind of where I started making it. Just playing Blues primarily, so it’s just a sort of like a ‘celebration of the Blues’… it is the celebration of me coming back kind of full circle to mostly Blues orientated stuff.”

The First single off this album, “No Place To Go”, along with another great tune, “Love Is More Than A Word” was written by friend and Robert Cray’s longtime bassist, Richard Cousins. “No Place To Go.” Kirk says the “song is about the struggles of success, sometimes at the expense of what life is really about.”

We asked him what it was like to sit down with Richard and work on these songs, and just how it came together. Richard told us that he had a basic framework of both of these songs, and knew where he wanted to go with them, and it was just great to have someone help take it further than he had expected. It was two like-minded guys on the same path, “I kind of knew where I wanted to go. But when you find a person that’s really good and really understands where you’re going with these songs and they don’t take it someplace you don’t want it to go, and they can just add to it, it’s really a magical thing.

And that’s exactly what happened with Richard Cousins. It was really like I had an idea and he would say, ‘Oh, I know what you mean. So maybe I can add a line to it or something’ and we could come up together. I could say something and then he would say it a different way and he made it better. It flowed better that way because he’s had a lot more experience writing songs than I have.”

Kirk Fletcher Releases New Album, My Blues Pathway classic blues songs and kind of combine that It was this kind of approach that really with putting out a fresh spin on it. This is adds some great variety to the songwriting on about a guy that’s younger than a lot of the this album, especially on one of the slow classic bluesmen, so It was like my own songs, such as “Love Is More Than A Word,” personal spin on a lot of these kinds of things. and “Ain’t No Cure For The Downhearted, So I just wrote this song in the style of classic another song he co-wrote with Cousins. He slow blues songs. One of the big topics is a said this one really pulls on his heartstrings. woman breaking a guy’s heart, so I just He just loves the slow songs. We asked him thought this was the time to do this. This was what were a couple of his favorite songs on the first slow Blues song I think I ever wrote. the album and he mentioned those right off.

It was just fun and I really thought about it “I really love slow songs,” says Kirk. and you know, I just wanted to make a classic “I really like slow songs a lot… Slow Blues song.

Blues… slow Soul ballads.. and all that kind Besides writing classic Blues songs, of stuff. I would say, “Love Is More Than A Kirk also wanted to pay homage to one of his Word” is a personal kind of a thing for me, friends and mentors from his days in Los because I always listen to slow music.

Everything is so fast now and so immediate. I Angeles. The person in mind is Denny Freeman, and the song is “D For Denny. He like to slow it down. So you know, I would certainly put a lot of emotion into this song as say “Love Is More Than A Word” and I well. We asked Kirk what was it that Denny would say, you know another song I really like is “Ain’t No Cure For The Downhearted” did to put this kind of inspiration into him and the song. He told us that it was the and “No Place To Go” because I wrote that camaraderie that Denny showed him after with a friend of mine, Richard Cousins. they met, the stories of the great masters and When it came to the question of the the lessons to be learned. “When I first song, “Heart So Heavy,” a slick song about a started going out and seeing Blues in Los woman breaking a man’s heart, we asked him Angeles, California, where I’m from, Denny if it was autobiographical and he replied happily, “Well in this case, it is hypothetical. I continued on next page always like my lyrics to have pieces from October 2020 • Rock and Blues International 11

that’s what I think of first. There’s something about the lyrics that just stood out to me. My take on “Fattening Frogs For Snakes” is like I’m tired of making other people rich and continued from previous page they’re not doing the right thing by me. Sort of in a way that that was my own personal Freeman was out from Texas and living in spin on what Sonny Boy was maybe trying to Los Angeles, so that was sort of my direct say in this song. I just like that.” link to all of the Texas blues that I love so Juke Boy Bonner is another Blues much. He was really gracious and ready to artist that Kirk idolizes. Juke Boy was a talk to me about some of the people that I traditional Bluesman that just had a way with wanted to know about, like Lightning Slim words and Kirk just loved the Juke Boy and different Texas Blues artists like Juke Bonner song, “Life Gave Me A Dirty Deal.”

Boy Bonner… different people like that and He knew he had to do this one, and he knew those that I had never heard of before. Then, exactly who he had to have on the song I was a young 19-year-old guy from sunny playing the harmonica, the legendary Charlie California, but it was like ‘Wow!’ Amongst Musselwhite, a man he respected and had other things, he was such a unique guitar even played with before. “I listen for hours player and has such a unique style, but it’s and hours every day to a lot of music so I was still Texas Blues, and it’s like his own way. just really getting into it. It was one of those He just has his own path of doing things and I days where I was really getting into Juke Boy really love that.”

Bonner. Every once in a while I go through In addition to his great originals, he these periods where I just want to strip also pays tribute to a couple of Blues everything down. The life we live is Legends, such as Sonny Boy Williamson and sometimes clouded by so many things, so I AC Reed, not to mention Juke Boy Bonner just listen to different people, like Robert and Chris Cain.

Johnson, Charlie Patton, and people like that.

For his Sonny Boy Williamson pick, Juke boy Bonner was a Texas Blues musician he chose “Fattening Frogs For Snakes.” He and he played a guitar kind of solo with just loved the lyrics for this song. In fact, his harmonica on a rack, like Bob Dylan or choice on picking his cover songs have been Jimmy Reed. I was looking at this song and mainly through the lyrics. He felt that they it’s like, I smile like I’m happy, but you don’t really had something to say to him, perhaps know how I feel… and that just a load right even a life message. there. It just made me go. Oh, wow, that’s “Well, I have a long history of playing heavy. You know, a lot of people can relate to with harmonica players and Chicago Blues that. So once again the lyrics are what really type singers, so this was one of the songs that got me and it was so direct because he didn’t was sort of in that whole catalog. I’ve done a have a band playing with them or anything. lot of listening to Sunny Boy Williamson So that really just stood out and I felt like I myself, and this was song just so good should do it, along with bringing my friend lyrically. I just love the lyrics to this song and Charlie Musselwhite in and we did the song.” in most of the covers on the record lyrically, When it came to the Chris Cain song, 12 Rock and Blues International • October 2020

Kirk Fletcher

Kirk knew he had to do the song “Place In This World.” Not only did he love the song, but it was also written by one of his friends.

He just loved the lyrics on this one as well.

This song was certainly a no-brainer and had to be included. “Well, Chris Cain is a long time friend and I’m a longtime fan of Chris Cain. He’s a really good friend of mine. And that song is another outlook, sort of on the world and through Chris Cain’s eyes. He felt moved to write this song and it’s just everyday life for people and their struggles in life. It really resonated with me. So once again it was about the lyrics, first and then.

I’m just trying to pay homage to him and also this great song lyrically.”

Well, Kirk Fletcher has certainly come a long way since the time of being a sideman in The Fabulous Thunderbirds. So far, his newest and sixth album, My Blues Pathway is his best album to date. In addition to that, it was certainly a lot of fun for him as he was able to record with several friends and former bandmates. “The album was a joy to make,” says Kirk – “especially making music with some of my longtime friends. I’ve known drummer David Kida for over 25 years. We have been in the trenches together on the L.A. Blues music scene.” Yes, Kirk has certainly come a long way since his youth when he started out with his brothers performing in Church. His older brother Walter played guitar and it just sort of rubbed of on Kirk…

Thank God… Says Kirk, “My Blues Pathway is an album about celebrating the music that got me excited about playing blues from the beginning of my career and the musicians that inspired me. My path led me straight back to the Blues.”

Be sure to check out this fine album by Kirk Fletcher today.

Bert Wills

Legendary Texas Singer/Songwriter Bert Wills Delivers The Goods

Down in southeastern Texas lives a man that was born in rural Kentucky but moved to Texas years ago. He came here playing the blues harp with a slow, winding country bent to it, part of his Kentucky roots, and the recording industry was quick to pick up on his unique sound.

Abilities is used in the plural here and that’s because the man not only wails a mean harp but his guitar work is aces as well. His name is Bert Wills and if you are a studio musician you know that name well as the man is sought after by many producers. One of those producers is Andy Bradley, known world wide for his talents at the console, his past co-ownership in of SugarHill Studios, and his successful book titled, “House Of Hits”. Bert and Andy go back a ways, 35 years to be exact, both know each other’s talents well so it would be of no big surprise that they could team on a compilation of Bert’s songs for a new album.

It would not be their first collaboration as Andy has recorded nearly every album Bert has presented to the world. A new album has come to life recently simply titled “Bert Wills”. It’s just being shipped to radio stations right now and let me tell you whether you are a blues fan or an Americana fan or both this album is packed with stirring and riveting selections. Both men have similar personalities, friendly but direct. Both will tell you where to go in a New York second if you are a poser and both will be the first to tell you how welcomed you are if you are the real deal. Bert is known throughout the industry internationally and has worked with a ton of well known stars over the years. He’s also an accomplished songwriter and when he puts his Kentucky roots into a song well Katy bar the door because it’s going to be good. His last gig was with Nashville artist Rob McNurlin who is part of the Marty Stuart clan. Then he returned to Texas to work on his new blues Americana album. The end result was a fourteen track collection of 13 original songs and one cover, not a klunker among them. On the collection you can hear the raw strains of good back woods country music in Bert’s voice and on the same collection you will hear some of the best blues you have heard in years. To learn more access www.bertwillsmusic.com

Submitted for Grammy® Nomination

Johnny Nicholas photo by Audrey Billups 14

Rock and Blues International • October September 2020 2020

By Kevin Wildman Johnny Nicholas is happy to announce that his new album, Mistaken Identity is out now and available on the Louisiana-based Valcour Records label. This is the tenth solo album by Johnny Nicholas. His last album was the 2016 release, Fresh Air. For those of you who do not recognize his name, you may remember the name of the band he used to front in the late 70s, Asleep At The Wheel.

However, for the better part of his life, Johnny has pretty much been a solo act.

Johnny has had quite a career. He started out in Rhode Island, where his first band, The Vikings, performed contemporary songs by the usual list of suspects, such as The Rolling Stones. From there he teamed up with Duke Robillard, Fran Christina and Steve Nardella to form the Black Cat Blues Band. Some of you may have heard of some of these cats. Duke Robillard performed with Roomful of Blues and Fran Christina wound up moving to Texas to join The Fabulous Thunderbirds. Following the Black Cat Blues Band Johnny went on to form the Boogie Brothers with Steve Nardella around 1970, and by 1972, Johnny and the Boogie Kings had relocated to beautiful California at the request of the amazing Commander Cody and His Lost Planet Airman.

By 1974, it was time for Johnny to move again… this time to Chicago where he started performing with the legendary Big Walter Horton. Following that he moved back to Rhode Island to start his own outfit again, Johnny Nicholas and the Rhythm Rockers. In 1978 he was requested to head to Texas to join up with Asleep At The Wheel. That lasted a couple of years and then Johnny knew just what he wanted to do…. his own music. And that’s when the real story of Johnny Nicholas begins… the solo years. So that’s enough of the history lesson now.

Johnny has been a solo act for over 40 years now and he’s done a great job at it.

As I said at the beginning, this is Johnny’s tenth solo album, and he’s extremely proud of it as well he should be. Of the ten songs on this album, only one is a cover song. The rest come from the heart and soul of Johnny Nicholas. Besides Johnny’s sound being predominately a Blues-Roots style on this album, he also delves into some straight Blues with “She Stole My Mojo,” and a little Honky Tonk with “Spark To A Flame,” not to mention a bit of Tex-Mex with one of his favorites, “Guadalupe’s Prayer.”

One of my favorites off this album is the Rockabilly infused “Tight Pants.”

One of the great things about this album is that it was primarily recorded live with very few overdubs. Even the vocals were done live while the band was playing. A lot of this had to do with the musicians that Johnny had perform on the album with him and the studio location. For the location, he returned to his old musical stomping grounds, Louisiana. Mistaken Identity was produced, recorded, and mixed in Joel Savoy’s studio by Valcour Records co-founder Joel Savoy himself. Joel knew exactly what Johnny wanted and kept him on track to do that.

Johnny gives Joel a lot of credit on getting this album made and sounding as good as it does. He knew from the start that Joel was the man to sit at the helm of this project and made sure it came to be. It didn’t hurt that

Texas Hill Country Blues and Roots Music All-Star Johnny Nicholas Explores His Mistaken Identity Johnny himself had assembled a fantastic cast peachy and then all of a sudden She kind of of players that included friends of his that had changes. Well that’s what that line is about, been performing with him for years. Among “She turned into a cold-blooded world-class, those were members of the Texas-based band, you know what. She started acting funny. She The Texmaniacs, which included Max and started acting strange like Jekyll and Hyde, Josh Baca. Other players on the album the way she changed. It’s just one of those included Scrappy Jud Newcomb (Acoustic things man. I’ve seen it happen so many and Electric Guitars, Mandolin andVocals), times. That was based on some personal Chris Maresh (Electric and Upright Bass, experience of mine from the last several years Vocals), John Chipman (Drums and Percusand I just used the idea and wrote the song.” sion, Kurdish Frame Drum and Vocals), Chris A lot of Johnny’s songs are filled with Stafford (Organ), Eric Adcock (Clavinet), humor and sometimes people just don’t get it.

Kelli Jones (Vocals and Tambourine), Sabra He even told us a funny story about the song Guzman (Vocals), Kelley Mickwee (Vocals), “Tight Pants.” After performing that one, he Alice Spencer (Vocals), Walt Wilkins received some interesting criticism that it was (Vocals) and Bill Small (Vocals). Yeah folks, sexist. “I’ve had some people that are like, this is quite an impressive list of people. oh, well, that’s just sexist. I said if you got a We got a chance to talk to Johnny and problem and if you’re politically correct and gain a little insight to the new album and he you can’t you can’t see beyond whatever you revealed quite a lot to us. For instance, think that’s about and get the humor in it, I’m “Mistaken Identity,” is taken from his own sorry. It’s like one chick that I know was experiences in life. “Well,” says Johnny, like, that’s sexist. I said, well I’ll tell you “you know, have you ever had a relationship continued on next page with a woman and everything was just October 2020 • Rock and Blues International 15

photo by Audrey Billups

Johnny Nicholas continued from previous page what darling, quit wearing them damn tight pants and let’s see. I mean one man’s political correctness is another man’s sin. “ Other songs like “She Stole My Mojo” really gets you thinkin’. With this song, Johnny paints a picture of a voodoo woman just going to town on this poor man’s soul, “You know, “She Stole My Mojo” is more like… well, women are a powerful force and I love women and I respect them, but they have a power over us guys. I mean, it’s the natural order of attraction man, and it’s all of that stuff, but there are a lot of things that we can’t control that effect us very deeply.

When things happen in a relationship, you have someone that gets might get mad at you and leaves. You know, there’s a line in there where she said I’m going to leave, but I’m not going away. And so, you know, it’s that thing. We’re not together anymore, but she’s still messing with my mind, and so it’s that whole that whole thing. There’s a lot of superstition that came from south Louisiana where I grew up musically back in the 70s in a big way. Coming from the blues, there were people that just really had deep connection with that expression. This was one of those many superstitions you hear of in the deep South… She’d cut my toenails off and put them in a crack. You know that’s true of a lazy Lester song. And the other stuff. I mean Muddy (Waters) and all those cats… everybody… all the guys from the South were always talking about Mojo. You know, we’re getting the Mojo hand and or getting a black cat bone or going to the hoodoo woman and having a spell cast on your lover and all that kind of stuff man. That’s what it’s all about. Well, she stole my Mojo and she won’t give it back.”

Some of the songs on the album are a little more personal to Johnny, such as “Guadalupe’s Prayer,” which is more of a Tex-Mex song, and rightly so, as the Lady Guadalupe is a Patron Saint to a lot of Hispanics. “That song means a lot to me,”

16

continues Johnny. “That for me is a song that talks about the oppression of the common people, which has been going on for thousands of years. People that gravitate to power use power for their own selfish motivations and purposes to accumulate wealth and in the process, the working man and the common people always suffer. This has been going on for a long time. And you know, Our Lady of Guadalupe is the Patron Saint of the poor and the oppressed in Mexico. There’s a whole legend about her and I used parts of that legend in the song… the crown of thorns and the blood of the roses. It’s a very fascinating and beautiful story and she represented that hope to the people. So yeah, I first played that song for Walt Wilkins and he loved it. He said ‘Wow, it’s a baby Jesus song’ and in a way it is. We have people that come into the world who are true lights to the world and who inspire us and who lift us up and who help to turn back the forces of darkness. And so yeah, that’s what that song is all about. It means a lot to me for a lot of other personal reasons, but it’s really a song for the people.”

Without a doubt, Johnny is one helluva storyteller. These songs just aren’t little ditties. Some of them have great visuals to them like a great story, which is something that Johnny really likes to do. He really knows how to paint a picture with his lyrics and take you down a path to something even more. Johnny tells us that, “There’s different types of songs. I tend to write a lot of storytelling songs, and a good story is always well received and people dig it. It’s appreciated. It’s not like a history lesson, but it’s more like it’s just a good story. So whereas Guadalupe’s Prayer is really probably more…

I guess you’d say, more allegorical. Then “I Want To Be Your Baby” is a love song, or a ‘I want to be in love with you’ kind of thing. So yeah, man, it’s all the range of our experience.”

Another love song on the album, or

Rock and Blues International • October 2020

rather a ‘cry in your bottle of Jack Daniels, is the song, “She Didn’t Think Of Me That Way.” Here’s another story of unrequited love. “That’s another love song or a broken heart song. I guess you’d say cry in your beer song, that it’s all over. The way that got triggered was something that happened. Just meeting a girl and now everything it says in the story. I started doing that song with my good friends Max and Josh Baca from The Texmaniacs. We play together quite a bit. I love The Texmaniacs. Those guys are just too cool and talk about Americana. These guys are it. So those guys and I always play that song. I also had them on the album. You know, when I get an idea for a song and a melody, and then start crafting the story, the two all tie together and that one does. That was pretty powerful and it all ties together.

Well, it’s funny though, man. I thought when you say Jack Black, everybody knows you talking about Jack Daniels Whiskey, right?

Yeah, people will come up and say, ‘well who is Jack Black’ and I’m like, ‘are you kidding me?”

For the song, “The Mule And The Devil,” Johnny tells us that it’s about staying tough in the face of adversity. “That’s a real power song. It’s kind of like me talking to myself. Hey, you know, when things get tough, just keep your head down and keep your mouth shut. Just keep your wheels on the tracks. We’re always getting pulled by temptation and other forces of good and evil in the world. So I just thought about the mule, you know, and how stubborn he is and he just goes about his business. So it’s kind of that I might be preaching to myself and whoever wants to listen, you know.”

The last song on the album is “The River Runs Deep”, which is the only cover song on the album and it was written by Stephen Bruton. This was specially selected

by Johnny to close the album as Stephen Bruton was a very special friend to Johnny, and he wanted to honor him. “Well, there’s a story to that one. “My dear friend Stephen Bruton was another impetus for me to really dig into my writing. Stephen was a great writer and a dear friend and the guys in my band all played with Steven, so we had a real connection with him. I usually do at least one cover song on my albums, or at least the last few I’ve done. I’ll do all originals and one cover song and that one just really made sense because of my affection and my friendship with Stephen, and my love of his music, and that particular song is just such a good one.”

Well, there you have it… Another great album from Johnny Nicholas filled with 10 well-crafted songs… nine from Johnny, and one from Stephen Bruton. It really makes for a good selection. If you’re into Americana, or Blues-Roots music, you need to put this one at the top of our list. In a side note, I recently got to see Johnny perform a lot of these songs live at a club in Houston, Texas called The Mucky Duck, and he did a fantastic job performing them live. It was a small intimate performance and he was assisted by Mr. Accordion himself, Josh Baca, from The Texmaniacs. So if you ever get a chance to see this man perform live, make sure you do it. You are going to love it.

Be sure to pick yourself up a copy of Mistaken Identity as soon as you can.

Relaxing Blues Over 312,000 YouTube Subscribers Literally 130 Million Plus Views Relaxing Blues is a video production company that has a presence on YouTube that just keeps on growing. Their secret?

Feature independent artists presenting classy communications in the form of story telling music videos or photomontages.

Their process is rather unique and by major production company standards quite affordable and affordable is a word that all independent artists appreciate. Their production process weaves the artist’s lyrics into visual story telling frames that augment the musical presentation. For instance there is the highly talented Julia Cozby who resides in New Mexico who records on the Montrose Records label. Montrose chose the company to create and host their video of Julia’s new song on their popular YouTube channel. It was explosive for the New Mexico artist as the number of views exceeded 47,000 in a very short span of time. The production arm of Relaxing Blues maintains an archive of what they define as treatments. Using instinct and past success they assemble either a montage of photographs that are pleasing to the viewer or they craft a story telling video out of the assets from within their video treatment library. 312,000 YouTube subscribers are nothing to sneeze at and they wouldn’t have that number if what they are posting is not top shelf. The channel also hosts a different kind of experience as well. A viewer you can easily slip away into one of the channel’s slow blues collections, some of these musical journeys are hours long. Almost too cool for words.

At the top of this article is a representation of another gifted artist, Maria Daines. Maria’s songs fit right into the groove on the Relaxing Blues channel as they are slow, deliberate, heartfelt blues releases delivered from a voice that resonates with the real deal feeling of the genre. Maria’s latest release on the Relaxing Blues channel “Ain’t You The Man” has already attracted over 121,000 views. The blues in itself, as a genre, is a feeling.

It’s a destination that one goes to for any one of a number of different reasons but overall it is the gut level presentation of the combined talents of the musicians and the vocalist working together to deliver the blues. The Maria Daines experience does just that and then you add a dash of creative video and the experience is heightened even more. It’s very cool. Just about every home in America has a new flat panel smart television with its 4k clarity. Many homes also have marvelous sound configured into their system so their surround sound simply stated knocks your socks off. In these heady times of Covid-19, these experiences are the next best thing to being there and because millions of viewers are going to YouTube daily. Streaming is hot, especially musical presentations that have been crafted into video format and distributed across the net.

Check out Relaxing Blues on YouTube, it’s top-notch quality but be aware - it’s easy to get lost on their channel for hours. The channel features the independent artist and their added touch is bringing music to a whole new level of appreciation through an expanding medium that is now taking the world by storm. Check it out. Open YouTube then search for Relaxing Blues.

October 2020 • Rock and Blues International

17

Bette Smith

photo by Audrey Billups 18

Rock and Blues International • August October2020 2020

Bette Smith Releases Her New Album The Good The Band And The Bette

By Kevin Wildman The train station was dark. The young lady on the platform stood there silently looking at the train that was pulling away. She could hear the wheels on the tracks as the train started to move. Smoke from the train filled the air as she gazed on. A woman on the last car of the train was waving goodbye to her. She stared on in bewilderment. How could this woman be waving goodbye to her? The young lady was devastated. The woman on the train was her mother. How could this be happening? How and why was she leaving her? What would she do now? As panic started to grip her she…. All of a sudden Bette woke up. The dream has come to her more than once and finally she knows what it means and knows how to deal with it.

She sits down and starts writing. The result is the song, “Whistle Stop,” which appears on her new album, The Good The Bad And The Bette.

The song is about Bette’s recurring dream about a time when her mother had to leave her for a while. It’s true to experience and the writing of this song is the catharsis that Bette needed to do to help her deal with this dream. The problem is solved and now Bette can move on with her life.

This is just one of the many moments that helped Bette Smith in the writing of her new album release, The Good The Bad And The Bette which has just been released on Ruf Records, a small, but powerful record label based in Germany.

The Good The Bad And The Bette is Bette’s second full album. Her previous album was titled Jetlagger.” For this album, Bette teamed up with Matt Patton, whom you may know from his band, the Drive-By Truckers, and engineer/drummer Bronson Tew to produce and engineer her new album at Dial Back Sound in Water Valley, Mississippi. Patton had also played bass on her previous album Jetlagger, and the two of them had struck up a good friendship.

He was very familiar with her style of writing and singing, and it made him the logical choice to help her out with this project. He also performed bass on this project as well along with Bronson Tew doing double duty on drums also.

The producer on Jetlagger was none other than Jimbo Mathus, who would also go on to guest on this new album. Jimbo and Matt had also worked on several projects together.

Bette had a definite vision for this project, which she revealed to Matt Patton. She says, “When I called on my producer Matthew Robert Patton, I told him that I wanted a southern rock soul / Aretha Franklin / “I once was lost but now I’m found” theme.” Knowing just what she meant, Matt then turned and gave his friends, the North Mississippi Allstar Luther Dickinson and fellow Drive-By Truckers Patterson Hood, a call and enlisted them for a couple of songs. Luther performed guitar on “Signs And Wonders,” and Patterson lent his vocals to “Everybody Needs Love.” I know what you’re thinking now….

These names seem awful familiar… Well they should, Luther, Jimbo, Patterson, along with Matt Patton and Bronson Tew are some of the

hottest names in the Southern Blues scene.

This album contains a veritable who’s who of some of the hottest Blues performers the south has to offer, and once you hear this album, you’ll swear it’s one of the hottest Blues albums you’ve ever heard. It also has a bit of a rock twang to it.

Just ask Matt Patton…

“We wanted to get heavy into her rock side” says Matt. “Even the ballads on this record hit hard. We were pulling from Ike & Tina, Betty Wright and Betty Davis, stuff like that.”

Her new album is somewhat of a journey for Bette. It touches on various aspects of her life as a young girl to an adult, bringing out various emotions in ever song. Bette tells us, “The album’s message is a story as seen through the lens of a child, and then an adult, who still wear her scars of childhood - but also of hope, strength, and optimism going forward in life.

Often people think I’m very confident and strong, but they don’t know I’ve faced many obstacles and traumas, I fought hard to overcome.”

As the title of the album might suggest, Bette is a big fan of ‘Spaghetti Western’s’, but subliminally it may have been somewhat suggested by a life coach she was working with.

Even the first song on the album, “A Fistful Of Dollars”, is named after a Spaghetti Western.

“I’m a big Clint Eastwood fan,” says Bette. “I love the Spaghetti Westerns. I was working with a life coach in 2017 and she said to me, ‘you know Bette, any time I feel down I turn off all the lights, light up a candle, and put on a Spaghetti Western. It always does the trick and I had never thought of doing that… a western of all things. I tried it and the westerns really absorb you, especially if it’s a good western.

You can really get into it.”

So that brings us back to the first song off the album, “A Fistful of Dollars.” No folks, it wasn’t really a play on the “Spaghetti Western” theme, but it simply worked out well there, especially at opening up the album. Bette tells us that “Jimbo Mathus, my producer of Jetlagger stayed in touch with me after we finished working together and from time to time, I would open up my inbox and find a song that he liked.

So he just sent me this song called “Fistful of Dollars” by Lonnie Shields. I immediately took to it. Jimbo did his own cover of it and he had done it with a rapper. I guess he does that with a lot of his songs. He was also a songwriter on some of the songs, which appear on Jetlagger.

So I said, I really like this one. I gave him 3

thumbs up and then went on about my business.

I went on tour to Europe, Switzerland, Spain, Canary Islands and Poland. We went on two tours on 2019. We also had gone to Mississippi and recorded five songs from which to shop this new album to acquire a deal with a new company. And so after we recorded “Fistful of Dollars” and four other songs, we went on tour.

The producers, Matt Patton and Bronson Tew said to feel free to try them out on stage and see how it feels. I always think that’s a great idea because then the song starts to live in you. We did it and people just went wild. I like the song and I’m having so much fun on stage and people pick that up and they start hooting and hollering and saying ‘Ole ‘Ole ‘Ole. It was like being at a soccer game out in Spain and we had so much fun with that song. I can’t tell you how much fun we had.”

Other songs on the album such as “I’m A Sinner” are definitely favorites of Bette’s. She’s a big fan of that song. “I love that smoking guitar riff that is on that song. I was very lucky Jimbo Mathus was on board with that one. He did the guitars on that track and it’s just smoking. I never put it on and not have a rush. I just start dancing in the street. I get real upbeat.”

Another great song on this album is “I Felt It Too.” You want to talk about a rocker… this one screams. Bette also did a video of the song on Coney Island and she just loves performing it on stage. “I always call it ‘about the one that got away.’ It’s that kind of a song and I just love it. I’m able to really work myself up into a lather when I sing that song on stage. I really love it.”

There’s a lot of interesting songs and subject matter on this album. Some of the inspiration comes from the strangest places, such as the song “Human.” “Human” was inspired by her dog, Jeremiah, as she explains, “ I go to the park every day jog and try to stay in shape for my upcoming concerts. And so they have an offleash time. If you get there before 9 a.m. in the

continued on next page

October 2020 • Rock and Blues International

19

closest friends as well as being my babysitter and I really, really was affected by that. I was just at the Laundromat one day washing my clothes and I just started crying and I just wrote. I wrote it down on a napkin in the Laundromat.

When she died some person was saying that she wasn’t all this and that and backtalking about her. I’m like, no, she was all that.

She was all that to me. So this is where the song came from. I’m still very close friends with her sisters and her remaining family, but she was one of one of one of a kind.”

photo by Shervin Lainez

On her song “Pine Belt Blues,” Bette’s Gospel side starts to emerge.

The first time she heard that song, she knew it had to be included on The Good The Band And The Bette. It just spoke to her and reminded her again about where she comes from… the peacefulness and the serenity of just taking a break with her dog under the trees. “I love that song,” she says about “Pine Belt Blues. “I went down to Mississippi, back south in Water Valley, and they played the song for me and I instantly liked it. I was like “wow”. They thought I was talking about the pine trees down south, but there’s some beautiful pine trees up north too.

When I walk to the park, I always put it on in my CD player and I just lie down under the pines and I just love pine trees. I just love the smell.

It puts me into like a sort of ‘Little Bit of Heaven’. I just lie down and my dog lies down next to me and it’s shady under the pine tree or a set of pine trees. You can look out and see the sun kind of filtering through. It’s just amazing.

And when I sing that song, I always have that imagery in my head. It’s a really wonderful song with nature lovers. I really like that.”

Bette Smith

continued from previous page morning, and dogs can run off leash. There might be about a hundred dogs on any given day in the park. It’s a big park in Brooklyn. The dog was free and it was running and he was running away from me. I couldn’t keep up with him, so I hid behind a tree to see if he’d come back to me.

I popped up from behind the tree and he just was in a lather and when he saw me, he just jumped out of his skin. He started running at me at a speed and I don’t even know how fast he was he was going. It was pretty fast, and he was just running to me and I said, you know these dogs are so loyal. There’s so amazingly loyal and steadfast. These are all qualities that I really, really love in human beings. So I said “run to me I want to be your human and you know when your heart is in pain, I want to be your human,” so he inspired that. When I got home I quickly wrote down a little poem, and I broke out my guitar and I started hitting the E chord and I just kind of like kind of wrote the song in like 15 minutes. It was just came out of me, it was a great Epiphany. It’s about loyalty and devotion and what relationships really are made of.”

Along with writing about dreams, or animals, Bette also wrote a song about an old friend of hers that she had when she was a little girl. It’s a bit of a sad song, but on this album, Bette is open to bare all her feelings, even those of sadness, even if it really hurts, like this one does. The song in particular is simply titled “Song For A Friend.” “Well when I was a little girl,” explains Bette, “I had a babysitter and she took care of me from the time I was about 5 to the time I was about 16 and then the next thing I knew she died. She had anorexia nervosa and bulimia and you know, the whole combination. I was just so stunned because she was one of my

20

Probably the hardest song on the album for Bette to record, was the one about her mother, “Whistle Stop.” Of all the songs on the album, it is perhaps the most emotional for her.

It brings back so many childhood memories, as well as a traumatic experience that she has finally been able to come to grips on. It’s also one of the hardest songs on the album to talk about, as well as being one of the easiest. It stirs up an emotion in her that was hard to deal with for so long, but she has finally come to terms with it. “”Well, the hardest one was “Whistle Stop”. It was hard because I have to take myself into a trance-like state. I meditate. I practice Transcendental Meditation. So when we did “Whistle Stop,” I said, ‘hey fellas, can I get 15 or 20 minutes just to meditate’ and they were very

Rock and Blues International • October 2020

good about it… like ‘oh sure Bette’. No problem, very accommodating, because they’re right in the heat of things. Everybody went outside for a smoke or cigarette or whatever and I just went to the back of the studio and I lit a candle. I just closed my eyes and pulled in my arms and I just disappeared. I went back to my childhood memories when I was 5 years old. My mother abandoned me when she had to go to off.

She had left me in Trinidad with some people and the problem was that there was in a family emergency. The problem was she left without saying goodbye, in the middle of the night and I was so devastated. Don’t you know that memory stayed with me for my entire life. I thought I’d get over it. I would go to therapy and talk about it… Talk and talk and talk about it. Have a good cry, you know… go through the tissues… some Kleenex. I thought it was over, but it was just a recurring dream of the time when I woke up and I was in my pampers and she was gone and no one told me where she went and they never told me she was coming back. In my child’s mind, I thought she had disappeared forever. So the thing was, she went away… and she went away for three whole months. And I thought my mother had died. So I had this recurring dream and the dreams accumulated when she died. She actually died in 2005 and I was like, ‘oh no, now she really is gone’. But the night before she died, she came to me in a dream. And the vision of the dream was really blurry, but she was in the back of an old-fashioned train and the train was pulling away and she just was waving at me. She didn’t say a word, but she was just waving very slowly. The train was just pulling off… pulling away and I was spellbound and I was like “Oh my God”. When I woke up I said, “oh my God”, she came to say goodbye to me, and then my sister called me at 5 a.m. that morning to tell me mother had passed. She was in Trinidad. So I didn’t really tell anybody because I was just so dumbfounded by the whole thing. During the next two years I mourned her… my loss… So the words of the song came to me and I just kept refining it and refining it. Then when I got down to the studio in Mississippi, I told Matt the story and he asked about the dream… ‘did she have anything to say to you?’ I said, no not a word.

And so he polished it up and that’s what you’re hearing on this album. It was a recurring dream when I was 5 years old. When I was four years old, she left me for the three months without saying goodbye and I thought she had passed. So it was a recurring dream and that’s just awful. It was rough.”

As you can tell, this album is just packed with emotion, good emotion, bad emotion, happiness, and sadness. This album encapsulates just about everything a human being can endure.

There is just so much here to digest on this album. It is one of the most powerful albums I’ve heard in a long time. When I sat down to write about this, I felt that instead of just talking about my feelings about the album, the real story is how Bette felt when she recorded the album.

Yes, it’s a long story, but there is also so much that still needs to be told about it. For the time being though, you’re going to have to discover all of that yourself. You’ve gotten a brief look at Bette and what makes her tick, so when you listen to the album, you should also be able to understand the songs we haven’t mentioned here.

I urge everybody out there to check this album out. Take a listen to some of the other songs on this album that we haven’t discussed, such as “Everybody Needs Love,” and “Don’t Skip Out On Me.” There are some real powerful moments here. Yes people, now you have an idea who Bette is… The Good The Band And The Bette.

BOOGIE BOMBERS

A Bonanza Of Powerful Blues From Turin

By Edoardo Fassio “Our ideas were clear right from the start,” concedes Boris Tabasco, co-founder, harmonica player and frontman of Turin’s BOOGIE BOMBERS. “The blues, once you have it in your fingers or lungs, allows you total freedom to be able to express your soul”.

Boris and guitarist Joe Tabasco were still teenagers when they “enrolled” in the blues school, taking lessons from the then best teachers in town. Once the founders were joined

by Simone Tabasco on drums and Marco Tabasco on bass, the band took on its final form. The official discography opens with the album “Docks Dora Session”, released under the collective identity of Fratelli Tabasco. In the mode of the Ramones, the “brotherhood” defines the connection in music and highlights the predilection for a corrosive, hi-cholesterol and spicy powered blues-and-boogie.

With the current, unequivocal name of BOOGIE BOMBERS, after years of concerts and unrested ascent, in 2019 the quartet triumphed in the selections to represent Italy in Memphis at the 2020 International Blues Challenge, the world’s most prestigious contest of the genre.

The big overseas opportunity allows them, in early 2020, to organize a parallel one-month tour, crossing Georgia,

order all over the world, represents the (almost) faithful account of a journey through life and music, both sides of the Atlantic. And the experience of souls that were made free by the encounter with the blues. http://boogiebombers.com/

Tennessee, Mississippi, Louisiana and Alabama. “Playing the same stages that Ray Charles, Johnny Cash and Bobby Rush did was a dream come true”, recollects Boris. The road and its inevitable detours, often shared with other leading artists known around Beale Street, led to the making of their new album. Recorded in Italy in the last three days before the lockdown, it is enriched by the collaboration of Seattle artist Miranda Kitchpanich, a name to keep an eye on in her own right.

“Boogie Bonanza”, to be released on November 20 by Volcano Records & Promotion and already available in preOctober 2020 • Rock and Blues International

21

photo by Michael Sparks

Severn Records Release Too Far from the Bar from Sugar Ray and The Bluetones Featuring Little Charlie

By Kevin Wildman Here’s another great Blues album that I have the pleasure of letting you know about.

It’s called Too Far From The Bar, by Sugar Ray and the Bluetones featuring Little Charlie Baty. It was released just last month on Severn Records. The album was produced by legendary Bluesman, and Roomful of Blues Founder, Duke Robillard and recorded

by David Earl at Severn Sound Studio in Annapolis, Maryland. The expert mixing it took to make this masterpiece sing was also engineered by Duke Robillard, along with Jack Gauthier. Duke got so involved in this project, that he even contributed a bit of guitar to 4 songs on the album. The musicians on this project were: Sugar Ray Norcia

22

(vocals and harmonica), Little Charlie Baty (guitar), Anthony Geraci (piano), Michael Mudcat Ward (acoustic bass), Neil Gouvin (drums), and Duke Robillard (guitar). Sadly, Little Charlie Baty passed away before this project was released. This was the last recording he did before he passed. Fortunately, we do get the last word on this project from Charlie, as he wrote the liner notes on this fine release, which relate to when he met Sugar Ray and the road they took to finally culminate the recording of this project. The line notes are really quite interesting and the crowning moment on the release of Too Far From The Bar. Too Far From The Bar contains 15 well-crafted Blues songs that span the range

Rock and Blues International • October 2020

of originals by the band to include some fine covers that these folks grew up with and cherish. Consider part of this album a brief history lesson into the Blues.

Sugar Ray looks back at the recording of this album and his relationship with Charlie and tells us, “Little Charlie was so excited about this project and what a thrill it was to record together. Charlie and I seem to have been cut from the same cloth and musically we were like two peas in a pod. On this recording, we swing, we jump and we get lowdown. Sadly I’ll miss my brother in the blues, but his music will live forever.”

Producer Duke Robillard adds his bit to this also by saying, “Producing this album was extremely special for me. Sugar Ray and

the boys - who I’ve known forever it seems, plus Little Charlie on guitar was obviously going to be a killer combination. There was just no doubt about it. Right from the first track it was in the groove. Ray and the guys had written some great material and Sugar pulled out a few obscure tunes that knocked me out. Helping pick takes and make suggestions was part of my job but the vibe and flow of the session made it smooth enough that I even jumped in for a few numbers! The band got to do a few tours with Charlie in the guitar seat and I was fortunate to do one of them on second guitar. These guys were so hot on this session they even set one of the multi-track tape machines on fire!”

Yes folks, their multi-track recorder indeed caught fire during the recording of the song, “Reel Burner.” We’ll tell you more about that later. There are nine great original songs on this album, as well as 6 really brilliant covers that a lot of you probably haven’t heard in a while. Those include the 5 Royales “Don’t Give No More Than You Can Take,” Sonny Boy Williamson (“Bluebird Blues”), Little Walter (“Can’t Hold Out”), Jerry McCain (“My Next Door Neighbor’) and Otis Spann (”What Will Become of Me” and “I Got a Right to Sing the Blues.”

This is Sugar Ray and the Bluetones’ eighth album for Severn Records. Their previous album was the Blues Music Award Nominee for Album of the Year, Band of the Year and Traditional Blues Album, Seeing Is Believing (2016). The album also provided additional nominations for Sugar Ray Norcia (Traditional Blues Male Artist, B.B. King Entertainer of the Year), not to mention even more nominations for other members of the band. Their previous album, Living Tear To Tear, which was released in 2014 received seven Blues Music Award Nominations. As you should be able to tell by now, when

photo by Sam Holden

Sugar Ray Norcia and his band release an album, it really turns heads and brings a lot of attention. No doubt the same thing will happen to Too Far From The Bar as well.

This album is a bit different from the other Blues albums that I’ve been getting lately to review or talk about. It’s a combination of Swing and Jump Blues infused with a bit of the good ‘ole traditional Blues.

It really makes for an incredible listen. We got to sit down and talk to Sugar Ray Norcia for a while and he explained the reason that they took that direction was because, “Charlie was a big factor in that. We were cut from the same cloth and when we first met we realized we both liked to swing and we both liked to get lowdown on the blues, and so many other things, and so it fit like a glove.”

For the recording of this album, the band decided to go ‘old school’ with it.

Nowadays, when a lot of people record, they lay down their parts separately and just fill it full of overdubs. For those of you not familiar with ‘old school’, that’s when the band is all there in the same room recording together. For Sugar, Charlie and the guys, this was the way to do it. It’s where they excel. They are able to play off each other and things go quite smoothly. It was basically like playing a live gig except the only person sequestered in another room was Sugar Ray, being the vocalist and the harp player. This way the band was not only together in the same room, but they were all there musically and on the same page.

Although Sugar and the band pretty much picked out all the songs they did on the album, there were times that they would lean on Duke Robillard from time to time to see what he thought of a selection. Bare in mind, they were not just trying to please themselves, they were also trying to please their record label and didn’t want to stray to far from what the label might be wanting to hear on their release, such as on the song, “I Gotta Right To Sing The Blues.” “I brought the idea about that song up to the band and the band would just about love anything I might approach them with,” said Sugar Ray, “but then I said, ‘well, let me ask Duke and the record company owner’, because we had to go through them and they didn’t even flex.

They said, absolutely, go ahead and do that one.’ So that was nice.”

Another one of the selections on this album is “Bluebird Blues.” This one is a favorite of Sugar Ray’s and he’s been performing it for quite a while. It just seemed like a natural choice to be on the album. As Sugar tells us, “ I had been playing that in my repertoire live. I really lean towards slow meaningful Blues in any genre actually, but you know, I just love some of that slow Sonny Boy stuff… “Lonesome Cabin” and all that. The harmonica to me is an extension of the voice, so I can apply both into one song.

The song really goes over big during our live shows. I usually leave the stage and play acoustically, walking through the tables on that one and to me, it’s beautiful.”

Another one of the cover songs on the album is the Otis Spann song, “What Will Become Of Me.” That song is actually one of Sugar’s favorites now. He found that one when he was searching through some old Otis Spann Records, as he tells us, “Well, that’s got to be my favorite, believe it or not. Yeah, I asked Anthony (Geraci) if he plays any Otis Spann style things, and I came up with that when I was going through some old Otis Spann records. When I got in the studio, I really didn’t know… We hadn’t done it live at all, ever. This was what was probably the first or second take… probably the first, which is normal for me. I went back into the room and I folded my arms and closed my eyes and listened to it, and shit, man that feels good. We nailed it the first time out of the box.”

Some of the original songs on this album have really interesting origins…

continued on next page October 2020 • Rock and Blues International

23

photo by Farmer John

Too Far from the Bar continued from previous page before I went to the studio. It had a New stories that ultimately make the songs…

Orleans beat to it at one point and then a songs that become real special. One such straight-ahead Chicago-style feel-good at song is the title track off of the album, “Too another point. I’m a lover of old-time country Far From The Bar.” “Well, the title track, Too Far From The Bar,” says Sugar, is a little music and so then I remembered the melody bit of tongue and cheek. I was explaining it to by Elvis Presley, so it came out more prettier than I had anticipated, but I like it. I asked the band because with a lot of these songs, Anthony (Geraci), the piano player… he’s the the first time we performed them was in the piano player. He’s got 88 keys in front of him studio that day, you know in the moment. I and he can play a lot of notes, you know. So I said to the guys, ‘Can you imagine being on said, ‘do me a favor for this one song and stage and you’re playing for a few thousand play very, very, little… just play a few people screaming and getting themselves worked up, and then the show’s over, and you notes… notes that count, and he really came through for me. He did it. That’s one of the get together with the band you want to eat… things that I tell young players. Slow down you’re hungry. You’re going out to eat and and think about this for a second. Fewer you want a cocktail and you walk into a crowded restaurant and they sit you way back notes say a lot more in certain times. Give them a chance to ring out and feel the in the far back room, about a mile from the emotion in that note. Don’t just try to run bar. The waiter is slow and not paying through 50 of them in one time when you attention to you. We’ve all been in that only need five.” situation. You’re thirsty and you’re kind of Sugar Ray wasn’t the only writer in the getting hungry and they don’t know who we band for this project, Take for instance, are. We just played in front of thousands of people and all I want is a drink and that’s how “What I Put You Through,” a song written by Michael Mudcat Ward. “Well that was written the lyrics came to me… you know… true

by Mudcat Ward, my bass player,” continues stories.”

Sugar Ray. “He wrote that. We wanted that Not all of the songs came together as kind of feel and we didn’t have material for easy as some of the ones we’ve talked about it, so he went back to the hotel room after one already. Some took a bit of reworking and session and came back the next day with restyling. While they may have originally those lyrics.” started out as one vision, by the time they Another song that Mudcat also wrote reach the studio, they have really evolved. was the humorous, “The Night I Got Pulled They take on another life. One such song Over.” “I like doing those kind of recitawas “Too Little Too Late. “Actually,” tions,” explains Sugar Ray, “You know, just explains Sugar Ray, “there was a movie. It me a chance. I thought at some point in my was an Elvis Presley movie and he sang a life, I might be an actor, so it gave me a melody similar to that, “Too Little Too Late,” chance to be an actor, but on a record. This and that’s always stuck in my mind and that was all before social profiling and black lives song went through a lot of changes at home 24 Rock and Blues International • October 2020

matter and all that. He wrote that before all this came to a head. So it’s kind of timely now.”

And now, here’s the story behind a song we mentioned earlier in this piece, “Reel Burner.” The song appears early on in the album and then an alternate take of it closes out the album. Imagine you’re recording a song and then your recorder starts smoking.

Either it’s a malfunction, or it’s one hot song.

Well, quite honestly, it’s both here. It’s another one of those humorous instances that helps to breathe life into the legend of an album. It becomes a real talking piece and something that will always make you remember that day in the studio. As Sugar Ray explains about the instrumental, “Yeah, I did an instrumental. I counted off the song and Charlie goes, ‘Sugar, what are you doing?’ What are you playing? I said, it’s going to be a harmonica instrumental.’ ‘Well, how does it go,’ Charlie asks. I reply, ‘I don’t know, we’ll find out when we get there. Let’s just try it and I counted it off. And so we played it and it came out really fine. Then we went to lunch. So we went in the other room to have lunch and we were sitting down with sandwiches and all of a sudden we heard this alarm go off. The president and owner of the record company came running out of the control room and says ‘We got a fire, we got a fire, and we can hear the alarms going off and it only took literally two minutes and there were firetrucks outside. You could see them running around out there with their hatchets and air tanks on their backs and their helmets and boots… the whole thing. They come running through our lunch room with like ‘what the hell’s going on’ and sure enough there was a reel-to-reel tape machine in the control room that we were using and it heated up during that song… that harmonica. instrumental, which later became “Reel Burner.” And even the fireman said, ‘man, you guys must be playing real hot because you almost burned this place down.”

Well, you should be able to tell by now, this isn’t just you’re ordinary Blues album. Besides being a Blues album steeped in Jump Blues and Swing, it’s also got a story line to it. There’s some real ‘meat and potatoes’ here. Just knowing the background of some of these songs should peak your interest. From sitting as far away from the bar after a gig to almost burning down the studio, this band will be remembering Too Far From The Bar for many reasons. Besides that folks, the music on this album is really first class… first class music performed by first class musicians. There’s 15 great songs on this album. Who could ask for anything more. If you’re not familiar with Jump Blues or Swing Blues, then this is something you should check out. If you are into Jump or Swing, then you definitely need this for your collection. Be sure to pick up a copy of Too Far From The Bar today.

Genre Specific Radio Shows Deliver The Music You Love

The evolution of radio over time is quite interesting and leads up to today’s popular dissemination formats whether it be the various types of broadcast formats such as subscription radio, terrestrial stations, or internet choices. On top of that, today’s modern radio choices have splintered away from Top Forty stations and what used to be called middle of the road stations. Today genre specific radio is hot and the hotter they are leads to genre specific shows entering into national and world syndication. For example within the blues genre independent radio stations and premiere shows dominate the landscape. Among them is a prime example, the top rated syndicated show Blues Deluxe whose music choices are presented on 73 radio stations week in and week out reaching up to 1.2 million listeners. Now what is extremely cool is that within the blues radio community some blues shows focus on areas known as sub-genres such as traditional blues, which is blues with its well recognized twelve bar approach, while some shows such as Blues Deluxe feature blues rock just as their logo suggests “Where Radio Rocks The Blues”. Now you may wonder how do these stations acquire such a diverse library of music to spin, and still today it is up to the artists or their record label to submit their music to these stations. Some stations receive up to 300 hundred submissions per month. Now what is rather interesting is that all new music needs to be curated first and what is selected for airplay needs to scheduled. Sometimes however a new submission is so hot to the Music Director or the DJs that it is scheduled immediately.

One terrestrial station located in Houston Texas, KPFT Radio, dedicates one complete day per week, Sunday, to the blues. From the moment you wake up on Sunday morning until dinnertime, KPFT is delivering blues shows that feature each show’s specific choices based on submissions. One of those shows “Howlin’ The Blues” features a husband and wife team, the Blueshound and Baby Girl, who personally review every submission that comes to their attention. That is why their show and shows like Blues Deluxe are rated so high. This is personal to them and not just to these two either. There are over 700 blues shows around the world and it is personal to each and every one of them.

Basically, genre specific shows allow listeners to receive more of what they like without the need to sort through a pile of albums just to find one or two cool songs. There’s nothing wrong with combing through songs on albums. But when you are on the go and you do not have that luxury, it is cool to know that you can click on a show and your host will be presenting hot, new and some older tunes that will knock your socks off. Radio continues to evolve. Terrestrial and internet stations and shows are not going away. All that glitters is not located on just any one-delivery format such as subscription radio, you have multiple choices. If you know the format of the music you want to listen to then there are shows designed specifically with you in mind across the board.

October 2020 • Rock and Blues International

25

Kat Riggins photo by Mark Schoen 26

Rock and Blues International • October 2020

Kat Riggins Releases Her New Album Cry Out

By Kevin Wildman Out now on Mike Zito’s Gulf Coast Records is the new album by Kat Riggins. In fact, it is her debut album on this label. The new album is called Cry Out, and contains thirteen of the most powerful songs a female artist has ever put out. Although this is primarily a Blues album, at times it crosses borders into R&B, Soul, and Rock. The entire album is packed with a lot of great music ranging from hard drivin’ rock to traditional style blues, filled with some of the most soul-searching lyrics you’ve ever heard.

From the opening bars of “Son Of A Gun” with it’s balls-crunching lyrics, “Mama was a pistol / and if I was a man / they call me a son of a gun cause I’d drop you where you stand” to the last song on the CD, “The Storm” with it’s subtle lyric “Just when you think I’m over / it’s my second wind / you’ll feel my wrath if you ever come for me again / I am the storm”, you’re on a helluva ride.

Although people have compared Kat vocally to great singers such as Etta James, Koko Taylor, and Tina Turner, let me tell you, Kat definitely has a style all her own. She sings with the strength and conviction of a soul-domineering woman. She sings with balls. Don’t dare to try to pidgin-hole this woman, she can sing like an angel too when the song demands it.

Kat doesn’t mind being compared to all those singers as she tell us, “I don’t mind being compared to those people. Those are my inspirations… Koko Taylor, Tina Turner, Etta James especially and Tracy Chapman.

Those voices are iconic, so I am humbled and

honored to be compared to them, but I do like hearing that that I have a voice and a delivery that is all my own. I do want people to be able to distinguish me from other Blues singers. I do want them to come away first and foremost in my honesty, you know, that realness.

That’s what I want. I have a gritty voice and I just let it be gritty. I don’t like to try to clean it up because I learned a long time ago that it’s better to just be yourself. I’d rather do that than to try to imitate somebody else.

Those people have already covered that, so I want to be me and I want it to be real.”

Kat tells us that on Cry Out, she wanted to show her vulnerable side and have the listener see just how serious she is with this album and the subjects on it. She wanted all of her performances to truly be authentic and show the reality in her songs. She wanted the listener to really get the meaning of her songs.

She tells us that when it comes to the subject matter in her songs, “there are some things that I drew on personally in my life.

Then sometimes when I write, it’s about somebody that I know and love, going through something, and me just trying to encourage them on getting out of it… pull them through something.”

On such instance of that is the song,

“No Sale,” which concerned a drummer friend of Kat’s that had been battling addiction. He told her the story on how he managed to sober up and that encouraged her to write a song that she hoped would help people deal with those issues.

“There’s a world of people out there that are going through that,” says Kat. “I want those people to know that they are not alone first of all, and the devil is visible. You can tell him no. You can stand up to the devil and win.”

One of Kat’s favorite songs on the album is the song “Catching Up,” a song about just wanting to get home after being out on tour. “You know,” continues Kat, “being on the road as an artist you get to missing the people you love and that person that you’re usually with every day. So that’s me just saying ‘ I can’t wait to get home to you and I miss you and I just want to love you. As a female we don’t get to express all that kind of stuff a lot. It comes out sounding a little different from females, but I’m all about kind of breaking those double standards.”

When it comes to her music, Kat is very particular about the vocals and the emotions that they invoke. She is all about honesty in her performance and really wants people to experience what she is feeling and the message she s trying to convey, such as the emotions expressed on “Cry Out,” the title song on the album.

“If I’m singing a song about a heartbreak that I’ve experienced, or if I’m singing a song like “Cry Out” about my frustrations and my anger and my sadness about what’s going on in the world, and my hope for a better future… I want every single, teeny, tiny, emotion that I felt when I was continued on next page

October 2020 • Rock and Blues International

photo by Paul Devries

27

Kat Riggins continued from previous page writing that song to come out. I want people to go into my heart and really stand there with me and feel that experience, and all that pain.”

And then, there are songs like “Son Of A Gun.” Here’s a song about a woman who knows who she is. She is the master of her own destiny and she’s not afraid to let people know about it. In fact, she actually kicks off the album in a high note with this song.

“Son Of A Gun” is one of my girl power songs. It’s one of the songs that says ‘Just because I’m a chick doesn’t mean I can’t be strong,’ and it’s about acknowledging that kind of double standard, like when a woman is strong and confident and doesn’t go too far. This is my take on this kind of attitude. A lot of times we are associated with the B-word, but when a dude has all those qualities about him, Oh, that’s a son of a gun.

That’s why I say “my mama was a pistol and if I were a man, they’d call me a son of a gun, because I take after my mom in that aspect.”

Not all the songs on this album are that direct, but they do all carry a message about them. In fact, we even have a couple of love songs on here, such as “Truth,” which I found to be really intense, a feeling that Kat explains she was also trying to convey. “It is a love song. I know it sounds intense. It’s a love song and I wanted it to sound intense because I love hard, and writing “Truth” was just me speaking about when I first met my wife, getting to know her and falling in love and then there’s the point where I just want to know everything. I want to know. I want to feel everything that you’re feeling. I want to help you through it. I want to know your nephews and godson. We’re told that after entire truth. Not just what’s on the surface, that recording, there were a few tears shed in but what’s beyond that and I want to be a part of your truth. You know, I want to be a part of the studio for that song and the emotion of having those young kids participate on the everything that is important to you.” song. After all, it was a very special song for Another song that was very important Kat. “My God, that’s a very important thing to Kat on this album is the song “Heavy,” to me, because it’s about trying to make sure which is preceded with an acapella version of that the future for them is a little less ugly and the 70’s gospel song “Put Your Hand In The a little less hateful,” explains Kat. “AbsoHand Of The Man” which segues into lutely. I get emotional every time I hear the “Heavy.” Spirituality is very important to record even now. If I play “Heavy” or if it Kat and she likes to include a bit of a gospel comes on, whenever those voices come in, it message on her albums. On all of Kat’s always warms my heart and I always get a albums, she likes to deliver a message with little emotional.” an acapella intro, and with this song, the When it came to closing out the album, message was hope and that we can do better and create a positive impact on the future that Kat chose the song, “The Storm.” “The storm was placed in that position on purpose is better for everyone. Additionally special for her on the combination of these two songs also because we just kind of wanted to leave that taste in people’s mouths. We wanted to was her guest vocalists. Additional vocals leave them with an emotional impact. I were provided by her young nieces and 28 Rock and Blues International • October 2020

wanted to leave them with that feeling of ‘wow”. I wanted them to look inward and also because I just wanted people to want to do better and be better for each other. I want them to look into each other and for the Earth to have a brighter future where we don’t have to feel this kind of pain.”

There’s a lot of great moments on this album, and we’ve only touched on a few here. Your just going to have to get the album and check out everything there. Other songs that you’re going to want to hear are “Meet Your Maker,” “Wicked Tongue,” “Can You See Me Now,” “Burn It Down,” and “On It’s Way.” Yes folks, there’s a lot of toe tapers here, and a lot of great songs to dance to,- just filled with the kind of emotion that only Kat Riggins can deliver. Kat Riggins makes a spectacular debut with this album on Gulf Coast Records. Pick it up today!!

October 2020 • Rock and Blues International

29

Albert Castiglia

30 Rock and Blues International • October 2020

By Kevin Wildman Blues artist Albert Castiglia has finally released the album that his fans have been clamoring for, Wild And Free (Live). For a lot of Albert Castiglia fans, the only real way to hear Albert is live.

While his albums are deep and soulful, not to mention energizing, his live performances take that to another level.

Recorded ‘Live’ at the Funky Biscuit in Boca Raton, Florida on January 3rd and 4th of this year, Wild And Free (Live) captures the real Albert Castiglia in concert. There are no overdubs here.

The performance was captured live over two days and the highlights were put together to create one of the finest live albums you’ve ever heard.

Everything is great about this new release, the song selection, the attitude, the guest artists and most of all…. The Energy! The energy and the emotions on this album are at an all-time high! The raw power and emotions that this album exudes is bound to make any Castiglia fan scream in appreciation. Albert is backed up by a team of seasoned musicians on this album that includes Justin Tompkins (bass & vocals), Ephraim Lowell (drums), and Lewis Stephens (Hammond B3 & piano) as well as a couple of guest musicians on a couple of tracks such as Mike Zito (guitar on “Too Much Seconal”) and John Ginty (B3 on “Too Much Seconal” & “Lovin’ Cup”. Mike Zito and Guy Hale handled production on the album.

The recording of this album was a bit more relaxed for Albert. Instead of going into the studio and working take by take, it was just one take… no overdubs… “It’s not as tedious. That’s for sure,” says Albert. “The process is not as devious. We just went in there with a plan. We recorded it in two nights and we just went out there and did our show. Yeah, you’re right. Its not it’s not quite as tedious and not quite as detailed, but it is a lot of fun.”

Albert also definitely knew the importance of this project, as his fans had been requesting something like this for a long time. After seeing one of his performances, they wanted more… They wanted the live ‘feel.’ “This is something I always wanted to do for all my fans,” continues Albert. “They always liked my studio albums, but they never really felt that the studio captured what I do live. And so they pushed me to do a live one for years. The last two albums I did with Gulf Coast records was close to capturing the live sound, but this certainly was a great album to make. It was fun. It was fun to make it and it didn’t involve a lot of a lot of detail. We just went in there and rocked out. We had

Albert Castiglia Wild and Free (live) a few friends come in and sit in as well.

It was a lot of fun.”

And fun was just the beginning of this project. Probably the most captivating mood on this album is the intensity of the audience. The screams, the cheers, the requests. It was the situation that musicians just live for. Castiglia and the band just couldn’t get enough of it.

Fortunately he had the right team behind him and they were able to catch that excitement and package it right here in this album. “The energy of the crowd was getting intense and they were really in to it and it couldn’t have gone any better.” explains Albert. “Mike Zito’s always been a great producer to me. He’s always done me solid and I just put it in his hands and he really captured some of the more special moments of those nights.”

Going through the recordings with the show was also a bit intense for Albert

and Mike. There were so many great moments, and they just couldn’t include every song from both nights on the album. Mike would play the songs back for Albert and the two of them would come to common ground on the picks and the result turned out to be one of the finest ‘live’ recordings you could ever hope for. It truly captures the essence of Albert Castiglia’s live performance. Yes, Albert’s fans were right all along. ‘Live’ is the way to go.

When it came to song selection for the show, that became an intense situation as well. Besides putting in a few covers, they had about nine albums worth of Albert’s material to go through.

Albert had a few questions about that himself, so he asked Mike Zito what his selections might be and Mike gave him some sound advice and told his just to do continued on next page

October 2020 • Rock and Blues International

31

photo by Norma Hinojosa

Albert Castiglia continued from previous page

times when he’ll meet these young kids that can’t believe they haven’t made it big time yet, even though their career is barely started… and all he can thing of is “Get Your Ass In The Van.” Get back out there on the road and earn it. It will come eventually… not overnight. Those are certainly true words. A lot of musicians will have to put in a lot of years before they get that ‘overnight success.’ Other great originals include “Hoodoo On Me,” “Heavy,” “I Tried To Tell You,” and “Keep On Swinging.”

These are all great original songs here.

Other impressive songs on the album include the cover versions that he and the band performed, such as Johnny Winter’s “Too Much Seconal” which Mike Zito had to get up and perform on. That song was a very special song to Mike, as he and Johnny had become very close friends over the years prior to Johnny’s untimely death. Albert and Mike just performed the hell out of that song.

Johnny would have been proud. Other fine covers included the Paul Butterfield song, “Lovin’ Cup.” You don’t hear a lot of Paul Butterfield covers these days, so it was wonderful hearing Albert pay homage to this great blues guy. And of course, there is the album’s closer, the

his regular set. Just get up there and have fun. It would definitely come out in the recording. It would truly be a more honest interpretation of his show and not be so contrived. The suggestion went very well and Albert and the band just had the finest time playing the songs they always loved to perform. He didn’t even have to work on the playing order of the songs. Albert and the band just started playing the songs from their actual set. The first fours songs on the album are pretty much what you would have normally heard Albert perform at this time at one of his shows.

There’s a lot of great moments on this album. Albert’s got some great originals on here, like “Get Your Ass In The Van.” Mike tells us that there are 32 Rock and Blues International • October 2020

Freddie King song, “Boogie Funk.” All I can say about this song is “Wow, what a great way to end this album.” Now that song speaks to me. It also speaks to Albert and he knew he had to include this on the album. Without a doubt, Freddie King is one of Albert’s mentors when it comes to great songs and he and the band do a great job on it.

I would say that this is one helluva album, and if you were only able to get one Albert Castiglia album in your lifetime, this would be the one, but heaven forbid that. You need to go out and get some of his other albums as well.

Albert is one fantastic guitarslinger and his other albums are every bit as good as this one. And yes, now all you Albert Castiglia fans have finally gotten the album that you have been wanting all these years, Wild And Free (live). This album definitely captures the true essence and feeling of Albert Castiglia and no doubt it will become one of his most sought after albums. Our hats are off to Gulf Coast Records, Mike Zito, and Guy Hale for encouraging Albert to do this fine album. Wow! What an extraordinarily cool album. I love it.

Northern Italy Has Got It Working Big Time Funk, Blues, & Soul Meet The Black City Band Turin Italy has a lot going for it in more ways than one and when it comes to music this city is positively on fire. One of the top groups laying it down there and all across northern Italy and France is a kick ass funk band named The Black City. The band’s early sound, heavily influenced by the highly creative and expressive American rock artist and record producer Frank Zappa, would go on to develop their own cool funk sound and move forward to be one of the most requested stage bands going in northern Italy. Three of the band members have been together almost since the very beginning and you would swear they are brothers, but they are not.

Yet they are extremely musically related, as what they produce is rich in coordination with one another. Bassist Simone Bellavia a quiet gentle soul who thumps like there is no tomorrow. The man behind the drums is Caldero whose timing and choice of beats is perfect for the highly spirited funky sound of The Black City. The man delivering flawless lead guitar work is the wellknown Turin guitarist and vocalist Martin Craig.

Next up, the band is scheduled to record their new EP this month in October, which is scheduled for release in February on the independent label Blumama Records. Then in April of 2021, the band goes on tour beginning in the Czech Republic.

In addition, the band will be performing every Thursday night in October at the Pausa Caffe with their show being billed as “The Blue Funk Nights with The Black City”. If you are visiting northern Italy, this is the show to take in while you are there. For those of you that know the nightlife in Turin keep an eye on the music line up at Pub 82 Birra Ceca. It’s returning soon and

you are sure to see the band scheduled for a future date. Touring bands are always welcome and if you are traveling without your band there is a good chance a top notch back up band can be assembled. Turin’s got it working and if you are looking for a place to go for over the top entertainment and a great evening out, if The Black City Band is on stage, you have arrived. Check them out - www.theblackcityband.com October 2020 • Rock and Blues International

33

powerful voice, joined to the wail of his slide guitar, moved even more people when he cut some records and his songs were played on the radio. Yet by the time he died, he and his music were largely forgotten.

Then, in 1977, Willie’s haunting song, “Dark Was the Night,” was launched into space on the Voyager I space probe’s famous Golden Record.

There, along with the many sounds and sights of planet Earth, is the soul-stirring song of a blind man, telling us not to be afraid of the dark, and reminding us that we are never really alone.

“An ode to a too-little-discussed musician and an excellent introduction to his amazing musical talent.”

Kirkus “An inspiring story of one man’s commitment to lifting up himself and those around him with his music.

An American treasure who shouldn’t go unsung.”

Booklist “Lewis’s expressive watercolors depict the subject’s humble country beginnings as well as the joy that he felt when he sang and played” “A beautiful, timely tribute to a little-known musician and space venture.”

School Library Journal

Black Blues Legend Blind Willie Johnson Blasts Into Outer Space In New Picture Book About His Soul-stirring Song Ask Eric Clapton, Jimmy Page, tale of how the healing power of music Lucinda Williams and Jack White to can turn darkness into light. name the slide-guitar player they most Born in 1897, young Willie shone admire, and they’ll all say Blind Willie as he sang and played a cigar box guitar Johnson. What those musicians may not made by his father. But his bright know is that one of his songs found its childhood fell dark when he lost both his way to the depths of outer space. In Dark mother and his sight. Fortunately, his Was the Night – Blind Willie Johnson’s love of music led him back into the light.

Journey to the Stars, NY Times-bestsellHe began singing in churches and later ing author Gary Golio and Caldecott brought his unique blend of gospel-blues Honoree E. B. Lewis weave a magical to street corners all over Texas. Willie’s 34 Rock and Blues International • October 2020

Gary Golio is the author of the NY Times bestseller JIMI: Sounds Like a Rainbow – A Story of the Young Jimi Hendrix, winner of a Coretta Scott King Illustrator Award; Bird & Diz and Strange Fruit – Billie Holiday and the Power of a Protest Song, both ALA Notables; and other books about legendary artists. A writer and musician, Golio has been featured on NPR’s “Weekend Edition”, CBS-TV’s “Sunday Morning News,” and on radio stations nationwide.

He lives in the Hudson Valley with his wife, children’s book author Susanna Reich.

E.B. Lewis is a fine artist and the acclaimed illustrator of over 70 books, among them Coming On Home Soon by Jacqueline Woodson (Caldecott Honor Award), Talkin’ About Bessie by Nikki Grimes (Coretta Scott King Illustrator Award), and The Secret World of Walter Anderson by Hester Bass (Orbis Pictus Award). He is also the recipient of the NY Times Best Illustrated Book Award, Kirkus’ Best Illustrated Book Award, and four additional Coretta Scott King Illustrator Awards. Lewis teaches at the University of Arts in Philadelphia, and lives in Folsom, New Jersey.

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

September 2020 • Rock and Blues International

21

Rock And Blues International

Charles Christian’s Americana WHERE DO WE GO NOW? Last month I was having a little, OK quite a big, rant, about the tedious mimsywhimsy nature of a lot of modern so-called Americana music. But where do we go now (as Guns ‘n’ Roses once sang) about taking the genre forward and avoiding it becoming just another bland form of pop music?

Whole in My Bottle and At the Club on the two albums. Half of My Hometown is another stand out track.

Fortunately there’s no shortage of initiatives – and intriguingly it’s mainly women who are leading the charge at the moment.

Kelsea Ballerini

The Chicks We’re seeing several acts becoming more poppier and rockier, drifting away from the narrower constraints of Nashville-style country. In other words they are doing a Taylor Swift. A good example of this are the Chicks, previously the Dixie Chicks, who on their current album Gaslighter have transformed into an act willing to get both personal and political with their lyrics. Check out the tracks March March, Sleep at Night and of course the title track Gaslighter.

Then there’s Kelsea Ballerini (not Chelsea Ballerina as my auto-correct insists on calling her) who has released what might be described as an uncut version of her most recent album kelsea. Called ballerini it presents the same songs in a rawer, less glitzy and more personal style that actually harks back to a simpler, rootsier musical era when it wasn’t necessary for everything to have a dance time signature. Compare and contrast Kelsea’s two different versions of There’s a

36

The album liner notes, written by Kelsea herself, describe the big concept “kelsea is glitter. She’s bold, effervescent.

Her dreams are boundless. She’s who I want to be. But ballerini – she’s emotional, vulnerable, soft. She’s who I am.” It sounds pretentious and could be a car crash but he emotional effect is similar to Neil Young’s original version of Like A Hurricane (released on his Stars ‘n Bars album in 1977) and the version he did for the MTV Unplugged series in 1993 which was rescored for harmonica and pump organ harmonium.

The first is a celebration of freedom and wildness, while the second (performed almost 20 years after the original was written) is more of a lament for the lost liberty of youth.

Next up Elizabeth Cook who until this year was just another blonde on the Nashville country music scene, singing wholesome country songs about apple pie while simultaneously having major personal problems and having to go into rehab. This year she is back with a new album Aftermath. The title was deliberately chosen to echo The Rolling Stones 1966 album of the same name, which is widely rated as their breakthrough album in terms of original compositions and musical experimentation*.

Rock and Blues International • October 2020

Elizabeth Cook For me, the stand-out track on Elizabeth’s album is Thick Georgia Woman with its driving guitar riff – and you really should check out the bat-shit crazy video, and not just for Elizabeth dancing in a clinging green sequinned jumpsuit reminiscent of 1970s David Bowie and Roxy Music. (*As for the Stones’ Aftermath, I increasingly find myself singing the chorus from Mother’s Little Helper, you know, the line that goes “What a drag it is getting older”.)

My final pick this month for an act pushing the boundaries and fighting against being pigeon-holed as just another country act is Margo Price with her new album That’s How Rumors Get Started. A change of label and a change of location – recording in Los Angeles rather than Nashville – sees Margo taking her music in a new and exciting direction. In fact the title track is a homage to the Rumours era Fleetwood Mac. She describes the recording as a “fork in the road” situation that involved some bridges being burned. Musically she says she wanted a new sound and did not want to be

Black Lives Matter, anti-abortion legislation, Donald Trump, mask-wearing (her husband Jeremy Ivey almost died from Covid-19 earlier this year), gun control, feminism, and the pay gap. In a recent interview in Rolling Stone magazine, she is quoted as saying “There’s countless things I’ve said that definitely cost me record sales. But you have to stand up for what you believe. When people say, ‘You’re not going to be the Dixie Chicks’ – I hate the analogy. I never was trying to be the Dixie Chicks. I’m trying to be Neil Young, motherfuckers.”

Margo Price trying for the “returning-to-the-roots thing” but drawing instead on the classic Tom Petty and Bruce Springsteen vibe. (In fact her backing band on the album includes Benmont Tench of The Heartbreakers.)

For me the highlight track is Letting Me Down – there’s also an alternative “Downer Version” edit of the track that’s worth catching, the latter echoes Neil Young’s different treatments of Like A Hurricane.

Strong material stands up to reinterpretation.

I also like the fact Margo Price is getting stroppier: she’s not afraid of talking about things that matter to her, including

Dirty Honey – Rolling 7s https:// youtu.be/42rmUlDiQDI Elle King – The Let Go https:// youtu.be/RcnUJTIyjXs The Chicks – March March https:// youtu.be/xwBjF_VVFvE Rachel Price & Chris Thile – Can’t Find Mt Way Home https://youtu.be/ 1xZxxVlu7BM

Here are video links for some of the tracks mentioned in this column plus those I’m playing on my own sound system this month: Margo Price – Letting Me Down (Downer Version) https://youtu.be/ cnwSUCpCtqA Ray Wylie Hubbard - Tell the Devil I’m Getting’ there as Fast as I Can https:// youtu.be/NRFr9DlBu5o Elizabeth Cook – Thick Georgia Woman https://youtu.be/gaOI5djV36k Jeremy Ivey – Somebody Else’s Problem https://youtu.be/Z5U68aIWfNA

October 2020 • Rock and Blues International

37

Award-Winning Songwriter/ Producer Will Kimbrough Documents The Challenges Of 2020 In His New Album, Spring Break go on tour and perform again, Kimbrough

By Nathan Pugh focused all his efforts on songwriting and Singer/Songwriter/Producer and survival. He could quickly observe the Americana musician Will Kimbrough will be political climate, the tragic losses, and the releasing his tenth solo album this month on effects it was causing.

October 23rd. The new album is going to be “I wrote ‘All Fall Down’ with a friend, an all-acoustic album appropriately titled after discussing the strange world of the Spring Break. Sidelined by the Covid-19 politics surrounding COVID and the divided crisis, Kimbrough has decided to document this event through his new album. This won’t United States,” he explains. “When be the first time Will has explored avenues John Prine passed like this through his writing. On his album from COVID, I Americanitis, he delved into themes such as wrote ‘The Late anti-war and anti-greed. Later on in his Great John Prine album Wings he explored such subjects as Blues.’ Then, I conflicts between family and career, and love finished a song and work. with a songwriting The new album is created pretty much hero, Milton in the vein of the documentary-inspired and Brown—who also storytelling tradition of the Folkways and Vanguard folk records. For this album he had happens to be one of Jimmy Buffett’s decided to concentrate on the pandemic and its effects on the world and its population in a early mentors,” ‘Digging a Ditch musical form. He says that the title comes with a Spoon’” from the Spring of 2020 or as he puts it, Will started “When the world broke, and we all took a this venture out break.: with three newly The album indeed draws on penned songs and Kimbrough’s experience with the global after reviewing the experience. He thought it would be a good results of his thing to document the event through his creativity, decided music. Like many other musicians out there, to keep on going. he was heavily impacted by this great He even enlisted tragedy. Will was on tour in Australia when the songwriting the pandemic broke out and was forced to help of a few return to his home in Nashville. friends such as the With no idea when he might be able to 38 Rock and Blues International • October 2020

collaboration with Todd Snider on “Rocket Fuel” and “Cape Henry”, not to mention the collaboration with Adrienne Young on “Home Remedy” and “Plow to the End of the Row.” Along with the new collaborations, he also looked to his past and pulled a song out that he had written a long time ago. “I revisited a song I had recorded at my parents old beach house on the Gulf of Mexico, ‘Child of Light,’ and realized that I loved the version I had recorded.”

Throughout the whole month of April, Will wrote nearly every day working on the music that would become Spring Break.

“Before I knew it, I had 14 solo acoustic songs recorded that I just loved.” We’re told that the new set of songs run the gamut between ‘gentle and wistful reminiscing, to more forceful questioning, to simple reflections.’ We can hardly wait to hear them. With Will Kimbrough’s great songwriting talent, they’re bound to be truly inspiring.

During this pandemic, Will has certainly been busy. Despite not being able to tour and not knowing when it might be safe to, he has poured his energy into delivering his music to his fans through his weekly Facebook Live performances and his Patreon page. Here he gives live performances, podcasts, and even a few lessons. It would be well worth checking out when you get a chance.

We can hardly wait for Will to get this album out, it should be quite an experience.

Sometimes creativity comes from the most unlikely of experiences, and this pandemic is surely one of them. We expect nothing but the best in great acoustic music on this new release. Be sure to check out Spring Break at the end of this month.

New Music From Canada

Le Couleur Share Concorde LP Via Lisbon Lux Records Montreal-based alternative pop trio Le Couleur have released their album, Concorde, out now via Lisbon Lux Records. On the album, Le Couleur create a rich, dreamy, and intoxicating soundscape, infused with elements of nudisco and synth pop. Radiant and otherworldy melodies are uplifted by Laurence Giroux-Do’s ethereal vocals and warm synth tones.

Concorde takes its name from the

legendary Franco-British airplane from 1965, nicknamed the “beautiful white bird” for its sleek and modern design.

This avant-garde project that ended in tragedy has always held a certain fascination for Laurence Giroux-do (vocals); a deadly “crash” that inspired in her a sense of macabre sensuality.

Le Couleur called upon several Montreal musicians for the creation of Concorde, such as singer Valence, Radiant Baby, Éliane Préfontaine (Paupière), Louis-Joseph Cliche (Beat Market), Jean-Nicolas Doss (Wizaard) Philippe Beaudin (The Brooks) as well as the American Paul Hammer (Savoir Adore).

Concorde is out now.

The Montreal trio, created

by Laurence Giroux-Do (vocals), Patrick Gosselin (bass), and Steeven Chouinard (drums), and bolstered live by Philippe Beaudin (percussions) and Francis Do Monte (guitar, keyboards), delivers rich and irresistibly danceable performances.

Le Couleur polished their sound until it shined as bright as the late Studio 54’s spotlights with EPs Voyage Love (2013) and Dolce Désir (2015), and then P.O.P. (2016), their critically acclaimed debut album.

Thanks to precious advice from Giorgio Moroder, with whom the band had the opportunity of sharing the stage, Le Couleur recorded their new album adopting a completely different approach.

Concorde takes its name from the legendary Franco-British airplane from 1965, nicknamed the “beautiful white bird” for its sleek and modern design.

This avant-garde project that ended in tragedy has always held a certain fascination for Laurence Giroux-do; a deadly “crash” that inspired in her a sense of macabre sensuality. ?

In the album’s music we find vintage influences, recalling the faded charm of 70s erotica, warm tones also rooted in psychedelia, disco, yéyé, and French chanson.

October 2020 • Rock and Blues International

39

New Video From England

Gunship Return With A New Video Collaboration featuring Kat Von D for “Black Blood Red Kiss”

By T.J. went on to reach #34 on the UK Charts, Synthwave artists Gunship have as well as #1 on the UK Dance Charts just released a new video for their song and #6 on the UK Indie Charts. Over all, “Black Blood Red Kiss.” “Black Blood it was quite an impressive release for the Red Kiss” is a song off of the band’s band. second album release, Dark All Day. Two years later when the band Although Dark All Day was released two decided to do the video for the song, they years ago, it has still been getting quite a decided to enlist the help of Kat Von D. bit of attention, and the band thought that She had participated in the recording of this would be the right time to present a the song 2 years earlier, so it seemed just new video for the song. natural to bring her in. Of course, it Gunship is the British Synthwave didn’t hurt that Kat is quite beautiful and band formed by Dan Haigh and Alex alluring, which is something that this Westaway in 2014. They were joined video needed. On the recording of the later on by drummer Alex Gingell and song in 2018, she provided a ‘warm and they formed a trio. Their debut release atmospheric’ vocal performance to the was the self-titled Gunship, which was chorus as well a dramatic vocal buildup released the following year in 2015. at the end of the song. Kat Von D is a Since the release of that first album, the Mexican-American musician, author and band has been getting rave reviews. tattoo artist. You may have seen here on It took Gunship three years before the American television show LA Ink. they released their sophomore album, “I’ve always been a fan of dark Dark All Day in 2018. Dark All Day wave and synth heavy bands like 40 Rock and Blues International • August October2020 2020

Depeche Mode, The Cure and IAMX, so when I heard Gunship for the first time, it was all the things I loved rolled into one band,” says Kat. “Gunship is by far my favorite synth wave band because they always marry nostalgic synth sounds with dark and melancholy lyrics that strikes me at my core. I think it’s safe to say that I’m probably the biggest Gunship fan out there, so when they asked me to sing on “Black Blood Red Kiss” I was half excited and half intimidated! But once I heard the demo, it felt like a perfect match made in heaven... or hell.”

The song is filled with the many synthesizer sounds that Gunship is known for, coupled with the sensual vocals of Alex Westaway. To quote the presskit provided to us, the union of Kat Von D and Alex Westaway “creates a steady mood that is inevitably corrupted by industrial timbres, building pressure

Kat Von D video still from“Black Blood Red Kiss” until the song breaks into its warm symphonic chorus. The song reaches its end with a pair of emotional and ominous vocal builds which, in turn, culminate in a pile-driver-heavy conclusion.”

One thing that is very interesting about this collaboration between Kat and Gunship is that the two of them have never met face-to-fact. Everything that transpired between them was handled strictly over the internet. It started when Kat first heard the band’s self-titled debut. From there it resulted in conversations between the two of them. It didn’t take long for each of them to find

that they were both attracted to a lot of the same bands. Eventually, the two of them started sharing vocal and music files through their email, which finally culminated in the finished product, “Black Blood Red Kiss.”

Well things have come full circle now and the two of them collaborating much the same way have finally put together a video for this fine song. The music video was directed by acclaimed director Polygon (Bring Me The Horizon, Grimes) who made heavy use of glitch art. “I had such a blast working on the video,” Kat smiles. “I mean, who doesn’t enjoy bathing in a fully body

video still from“Black Blood Red Kiss”

nylon catsuit in a bathtub full of black water for hours?! The only downside to making the video, aside from getting black gunk stuck in every part of my body, was not being able to film it in the same room with the band. I think fans are going to love having the beautiful dark imagery to go with the song, and I can’t wait to work with GUNSHIP again soon, whether it’s on music or eventually getting to play live together.”

The video for this song is simply fantastic. It has been said that ‘the visual cues draw unmistakable inspiration from Cronenberg’s Videodrome, which merged the lines between captured reality and accidental analog / digital artifacts in a surreal and visceral fashion.’

We checked out the video the day after it was posted and it had already amassed over 48,000 views. That’s 48,000 plus, views in less that 24 hours.

This is strictly unbelievable. Be sure to check out the new video for “Black Blood Red Kiss” as soon as you get a chance. It is without a doubt…. Fantastic. Congratulations go out to Gunship and Kat Von D for such a wonderful video!

October 2020 • Rock and Blues International 41

New Music From England

James Blake Officially Releases His Version Of “GODSPEED”

By Sheena Johnson James Blake has just released his version of the Frank Ocean cover, “Godspeed.” In addition to that, the UK singer, songwriter, multi-instrumentalist and producer also released a video to go along with it.

James also produced and arranged the original version of the song that appeared on Frank Ocean’s 2016 album release, Blonde. The song originally started out as a short piece on James’ Instagram Live. It then took off to create a life of its own inspiring nearly 500,000 videos on Tik Tok and 5.2 million views. His stripped down piano version of the song instantly became a hit overnight with its haunting vocals and soulful delivery over the music.

James says about his cover version, “This song has always been special to me, but I wasn’t expecting the response it’s gotten. Love to everyone who willed the full recording into existence.”

“Godspeed” follows his most recent captivating hit single, “Are You Even Real” which went on to receive over 7.2 million streams on Spotify since it’s release.

James Blake, the GRAMMY® Award-winning UK singer, songwriter, multi-instrumentalist, and producer has been a driving force behind quite a few hit albums. Besides producing several of the songs on Frank Ocean’s Blonde, Blake has also produced JayZ’s “4:44,”, Beyoncé’s “Lemonade,” “Stop Trying to Be God” with Stevie Wonder and Kid Cudi on Travis Scott’s “Astroworld,” Jay Rock’s “King’s Dead” with Kendrick Lamar, and Future, Kendrick Lamar’s “Damn,” and many other projects. He has certainly become a sough-after producer.

Currently James is hard at work preparing his fifth album release as his popularity continues to grow.

42

Rock and Blues International • October 2020

New Latin Music

By Sheena Johnson Mexican singer, Mar Garcia has just released her new single, ‘Quien Eres Tú’.

‘Quien Eres Tú’ was written by Ericka Vidrio and produced by Jorge Chapas. The title of the song translates to “Who Are You” and is a love song that touches on the feelings of anguish and mistrust and the infidelity a man shows for his woman.

“Sometimes we think it will not happen to us, but we all sometimes can get a feeling of coldness and a sense of detachment from our partner. Those of us who are or have fallen victims of infidelity can also learn to play the same game of manipulation,” says Mar. Along with the new single also comes a provocative video directed by Lorenzo De La Cruz. The video chronicles the infidelities that Mar’s man perpetrates, as he consistently is unfaithful to her with several other women. The video portrays Mar sitting in her garden singing about her lover as he goes through a revolving set of various women. Finally in the end, Mar can be seen walking off with her new lover, breaking the cycle.

Mar has been around for quite a while now even though she has a relatively new name in this industry. You can be sure though that it won’t be long before she becomes a worldwide sensation and a big name in the music business. With talent like hers, she will be making quite a name for herself shortly. She’s already become a big name in Mexican TV and film.

Mar was born in Monterrey Nuevo León, where she started getting really interested in music at the tender age of 7.

We’re told that she immediately had dreams of becoming an international recording star.

Her musical debut also came at an early age with the release of one of her first singles, “Pobrecito.” “Pobrecito” took her on a nationwide tour of Mexico to promote the new single, quickly elevating her name in the music business there. She was even titled “La Chica Sexy” by the #1 radio station in her hometown of Monterrey, 93.3FM. It wasn’t long before Mar moved to Texas in pursuit of her music career and wound up winning the Miss Latin Beauty Pageant. She then went on to become a host for the Estrella TV Channel. And then in another twist of fate, she wound up in Los Angeles where she found herself competing in the Hollywood show, “Tengo Talent” where she became a finalist.

Within no time she relocated to Los Angeles where she joined a Colombian band called “Sonora Dinamita” which performed tropical music. Then Hollywood called again and she went on to compete in the music reality show, La Academia. Well, she didn’t win, but she become one of its

Mexican Singer-Songwriter Mar García Debuts Her New Single ‘Quien Eres Tú’ ate, and I do not categorize myself into one most popular finalists, which led her to genre of music.” another chance encounter with the film She recently signed on with the world that resulted in her appearing in more Trevino Music Group and her new single that 50 films.

Mar is very accomplished as a singer, will be distributed through Ingrooves.

Keep your ears peeled for this young lady. and sings various different styles of music We know we’ll be hearing more about her such as cumbia, accordion, romantic, in the future, and be sure to check out the bolero, mariachi, band, sound, and video for her new single, ‘Quien Eres Tú’. orchestra. Mar tells us, “I am very passionOctober 2020 • Rock and Blues International 43

New Music From Iceland

OF MONSTERS AND MEN RETURN WITH NEW SINGLE & MUSIC VIDEO “VISITOR”

band as it was the first Icelandic song to

By Pinky Black receive over 1 billion streams on Spotify.

The Icelandic Folk/Rock band, Of “Little Talks” went on to get a quintupleMonsters And Men are back to give us a sneak peak of their upcoming new album platinum certification from the RIAA. Not with the release of a new single “Visiband for a debut release at all. tor”. The multi-platinum quintet have Now the band will be commemojust released their new single, “Visitor,” rating that release with a specifically along with a new video to go with it. timed album release this next year. As I This release is off their upcoming, as yet sit here and write this story right now, untitled fourth album that will be “Visitor” has already received over released next year in 2021. Next year 155,000 views on YouTube. I can see will also be the tenth anniversary of the that this song is (pardon the pun), going release of their debut album, My Head Is to be a monster for this band. The video An Animal. My Head Is An Animal is extraordinary, being part performance performed quite well and It reached the and part concept. While the band #1 position in the Australia, United performs inside an airplane hanger, one States, Ireland, and the Iceland Rock and man trudges along the cold and snowy Alternative Charts, as well as making it Icelandic countryside and vocalist Nanna to #6 on The Billboard 200 and #3 on the Bryndís Hilmarsdóttir sings the lyrics, U.K. Charts. It also did quite well all “Just like a parent’s house, I’ve become across Europe. “Little Talks,” the single a visitor.” Icelandic director Thora off the album hit the Top Ten charts Hilmars produced the enchanting video. around the world reaching #1 on the U.S. Guitarist and vocalist Nanna tells Alternative Charts. My Head Is An us that “‘Visitor’ is a song about Animal went on to gain Platinum status disconnection and being on the fringe of and also produced an International smash change, seeing everything you once hit, “Little Talks.” “Little Talks” also knew disappear, and finding yourself in went on to create a bit of history for the the role of the visitor. It was written and 44 October2020 2020 26 Rock and Blues International • August

recorded when the world was a completely different place, but the postapocalyptic world of the video seems fitting. We shot the music video for it in Iceland in the freezing cold of February right before the pandemic hit. We are so very excited to finally share this song with you. Much love.”

Of Monsters And Men’s most recent album was the 2019 release, Fever Dream, which went on to yield the hit single, “Alligator.” “Alligator” also hit #1 on the Adult Alternative Songs Airplay Chart. The album went on to receive over 80 million streams. Fever Dream is the band’s third album release.

It was preceded by their second album in 2015 titled Beneath The Skin.

Stay tuned to the pages of Rock And Blues International and as soon as we can find out the name of the new album, we’ll be sure to let you know. In the meantime, hit up your favorite streaming service to hear “Visitor,” and check out the video on YouTube. I just can’t wait to hear the new album. I loved both of their previous albums.

ALAN MOE MONSARRAT

J Balvin by Orli Arias

New Music From Canada

Montreal-based Singer, Tedy Releases His Debut EP Boys Don’t Cry

By Deshaun Phillips Canadian pop performer, Tedy, has just released his debut EP, Boys Don’t Cry thru Sony Music Entertainment Canada. Originally from Haiti, this Montreal based singersongwriter has crafted together a six-song EP that, he says, “tackled themes of trauma.”

The new EP deals with his struggles in the LGBTQ+ community and deals also with his masculinity.

The songs “Boys Don’t Cry,” “Fireworks,” “Hopeless,” “Stuck,” “Twisted,” and “War” that he personally selected for this first release are somewhat

dark and soulful, filled with his distinctive vocal style coupled with pop sensibilities.

“I think this EP will help a lot of people, just like it helped me. It’s an extreme emotional roller-coaster that is definitely worth the ride,” says Tedy.

This whole experience has been somewhat traumatic to Tedy as prior to the release of the single, “Boys Don’t Cry,” he came out to all his fans on Tik Tok just before he released the video for this song.

The emotionally charged video for this song is certainly intense and open to interpretation. The video starts off with Tedy confined to a chair with a noose around his neck dealing with spiders crawling on him.

He seems to be a bit tormented by his inner demons as a young boy with an ice cream cone approaches him only to have it grabbed and thrown away by someone who is probably the father of the boy. Finally another youth comes up and removes the noose from Tedy’s neck. All of a sudden Tedy is suddenly attached and beaten by another man as he sings, “There’s no place to run.” There is a hell of a lot of symbolism going on in this video as Tedy tries to deal with his inner fears. Finally after a gang of four young men approach him menacingly, and he manages to slip out of his restraints

and he confronts them. And then the video ends. Tedy is obviously dealing with a lot of self-doubt here before he finally grabs hold of himself. The video offers up a powerful view of a man trying to deal with his inner demons to finally have him prevail at the end.

The 28-year-old Montreal transplant has been creating quite a following for himself. His Tik Tok following has risen to an amazing 817.9 thousand followers with 39.9 million likes since just last April. He has also acquired 190 thousand listeners on Spotify, not to mention his Instagram followers have doubled. Not bad for a young man who just made his first major label deal.

This isn’t Tedy’s first rodeo either. He released a couple of singles back in February of 2016 that did quite well for him also.

Those are “Can I,” which went on to accumulate 5.4 million streams on Spotify and “Hold On Tighter” which was released in 2018 and has streamed over 2.2 million times of Spotify.

Be sure to check out Tedy’s new EP, Boys Don’t Cry on Sony Music Entertainment Canada today. And be sure to watch his new video for “Boys Don’t Cry” when you get the chance. Both the EP and the video are very powerful statements about the struggles he has been going through.

October 2020 • Rock and Blues International 45

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

GoGo Penguin Announce “Live from Studio Two”

By T. J. When it comes to live performance now and trying to reach an audience, people are having to think out of the box. The same goes with the U.K. band, GoGo Penguin. They’ve been wanting to perform live for some time now, and they’ve finally figured out a way to reach their audience.

It took the band a while to decide on the location for presenting this event, which is actually a recorded event, although the whole show was recorded live… no overdubs, just the band performing. They checked out several locations, but they finally settled on the legendary Abbey Road studios in London, England and the title for this auspicious event is “GoGo Penguin Live from Studio Two.” This is the studio of choice for the legendary band, The Beatles, not to mention countless other bands and musicians.

Nick Blacka, bassist for GoGo Penguin explains: “We didn’t want to perform in an empty venue. Somehow it just felt weird trying to create the energy of a concert in an empty room, but we had recorded an EP in Studio Two back in 2015 and loved the space and somehow it just made sense to film a show here” Pianist Chris Illingworth agrees: ‘It’s a really special space and we wanted somewhere intimate that we would be excited to work in and where we could tap into that sense of excitement that you get from a live concert.”

Drummer Rob Turner says that it is all about the sound of the room: “When we perform we’re always reacting to each other but also the crowd.

The people and the energy in the space is as much a part of the performance as we are. Studio Two is imbued with the ghosts of all the incredible music and musicians that have performed there. It has an atmosphere all of its own. You really feel the expanse of time, how much has happened before you and how much will continue to happen after you”.

The band has brought in their regular lighting director, Lewis Howell, to handle all the lighting and visual effects and the show was recorded by their producer, Joe Reiser. The music presented this night will feature selections from their most recent release, GoGo Penguin, along with additional selections from their two previous albums, Man Made Object (2016) and A Humdrum Star (2018).

This should be quite a performance when the band hailed as the “Radiohead of British Jazz” let loose in Studio Two at Abbey Road. We’re told to expect ‘ junglist rhythms, beautiful melodies and thunderous subbass’ from this great band. The show takes place this month on October 29th 2020 at 6PM (PST) / 9PM (EST). Tickets are available at: www.ticketmaster.co.uk/gogopenguin. And don’t forget to check out the band’s new album, the self-titled GoGo Penguin out now on Blue Note Records.

performed with the band Renegade there.

He also has performed with the Argentine band Thabu. He has one of the most powerful voices we’ve heard in a long time.

Songs on this album were written by guitarist and keyboardist Nasson, who also lends his voice to several of the tunes. The songs are definitely well crafted and feature some of the best metal lyrics we’ve heard in a long time.

They are certainly well thought out and emotional. Nassan is certainly well known in the Chilean music scene as well. He is a multi-instrumentalist with over 15 years of production, writing, and singing under his belt. Other bands that he has worked with include Caterina Nix and Chaos Magic, which went on to receive international recognition, not to mention showcasing the multi-talents of Nassan himself.

Rounding out the lineup on this band is Nicolas Fischer on bass and Guillermo Pereira on drums. Guillermo is certainly a powerhouse drummer.

Guillermo has worked in the past with Recrucide and VPS. His drumming coupled with the steady bass lines of Nicolas Fischer make for one helluva rhythm section.

One by one the songs on this album just light up the speakers in your sound system. Their ‘take no prisoners’ sound really keeps the groove heavy.

However, there are some more melodic moments on here as well with songs like the poignant “Forever” and “Who Am I”, which will both tug on your heartstrings.

If this is the future of Chilean metal music, then the rest of the world is going to have to step it up a notch.

These guys are first class. There are 11 really well-crafted songs on this album that will definitely have you screaming for more. You metal heads out there are going to have to add this album to your collection as soon as you can. Believe me, the future of Metal in Chile looks very bright!

Chile’s Sinner’s Blood Unveils Debut Album The Mirror Star

By Tank Chile is known for exporting grapes, produce, chemicals, copper, and fish, but now its newest export is Heavy Metal Music. That’s right, one of the hottest exports to leave this South American country is the new Heavy Metal band, Sinner’s Blood. Their debut album, The Mirror Star will be released this month on the 9th, via Frontiers Music. The band has managed to craft a melodic sound all their own filled with lightning fast licks coupled with a thunderous rhythm section along with powerful and incredible vocals . The

first song on the album, the title song off the album, “The Mirror” kicks the project into high gear with a growling guitar that shows the band is ready to compete with any other band out there.

These guys are rocking. The vocals of Chilean vocalist James Robledo leads me to believe that one of his big influences must have been the late Ronnie James Dio. Although there are similarities there, James definitely has his own voice on these well-crafted songs. James has been around for quite and has well known name in the Chilean music scene, as he once October 2020 • Rock and Blues International

47

48

Rock and Blues International • Octo-

Glass Animals ‘Live In The Internet’ Live Show To Be Broadcast On October 15th

By Sheena Johnson As we reported before in Rock And Blues International, acts are getting more creative in bringing their shows to the public. The same goes for Glass Animals. The band has just released their new album Dreamland. Dreamland is the third album release from this great U.K. band and last month we told you all about it. Their first single off the album is “Your Love (Déjà vu), which the band premiered in February of this year, and has met with critical acclaim. Unfortunately for the band, tour dates have been cancelled, and even their show at the prestigious Red Rocks Amphitheater in the America had to be cancelled as well.

The band is looking forward to touring next year and has shared some proposed dates for a U.K. and European tour, but quite frankly, even that is still up in the

air. Who knows what this “new normal” is going to bring. Will they even be able to tour next year? We can keep our fingers crossed and hope so, but only time will tell.

In the meantime, the band has reached a decision to perform live regardless. They honestly feel that they haven’t been able to share Dreamland with the world and their fans properly.

The solution for that is to perform “Live On The Internet”. Yes, it seems to be the “thing” to do and Glass Animals are the next ones to take advantage of the situation. But think of the possibilities… with one performance they might be able to reach the largest audience that they have ever performed for at one time.

The band have announced that they are “reimagining their globally renowned live show to create a one-time only

virtual gig/experience” which will take place this month on October 15th. The show will be their wildest undertaking yet and will not only feature a full band performance, but it will also include a few guests in what they tell us will be a creative fan interaction. I’m not quite sure what that entails, but I’m sure it will be spectacular.

Dave Bayley, frontman for the band tells us, “I think 90 percent of a live concert’s atmosphere comes from the crowd. It’s about that togetherness and everyone getting on the same level and everyone in the room being part of the same thing. It’s impossible to create that same feeling on the Internet. That’s why people still go to sports matches instead of just watching them on the TV. “That atmosphere doesn’t exist on the Internet, BUT…the Internet is good for interacting in a different way. It’s the most powerful thing in the world. You can do things on the Internet that you can’t do in real life. It is a new type of performance space. Just like you would perform and interact differently in a tiny club, to how you’d perform in a stadium…you have to interact differently on the web.” ”Gaming and social media have pioneered the way people do this and how people enjoy the Internet. I think there’s a way to pull some of that cleverness into a streamed music event. So, we’re going to try to do something with that in mind, instead of just performing live to a totally empty room. We did that like every day on our first tour when we started the band, and it’s really not so fun!”

“Live On The Internet” will be the band’s first real worldwide concert appearance since Dreamland entered the U.K. charts at #2, just behind American singer Taylor Swift, becoming their highest charting album yet. In the U.S. Dreamland entered the Billboard Charts in the Top Ten making it the highest charting album for a British Alternative Band since The 1975.

The band is simply just chomping at the bit to get out there and perform for this great International audience, and making their dreams come true for presenting Dreamland to their fans in a very big way. Be sure to tune into this special broadcast this month on October 15th. It should be a lot of fun.

Tickets to ‘Live In The Internet’ are on sale at: https://shops.ticketmasterpartners.com/glass-animals-live-in-the-internet?irgwc=1&utm_source=1299513UniversalMusicUk&utm_medium=affiliate&utm_campaign=1299513&awtrc=&clickId=U7EQrKSa8xyOUKQ07OwzdzZUkiSyNS1uQvDUo0 October 2020 • Rock and Blues International

49

JAPAN – BORN SINGER / SONGSTRESS SENA KANA ANNOUNCES SURPRISE FOUR SONG EP SERENITY

New Music From Japan

Photo By: Shuya Nakano

By Pinky Black Japanese songstress Sena Kana has just released her new EP, Serenity. The EP is spearheaded by her groundbreaking single, “Up”, which was released last year in March.

“Up” has already been certified Gold, and with that came another first for Sena Kana.

Sena is the first female Japanese solo artist to ever have a Gold-certified single in the United States. The song has already reached 87 million streams, a feat that has never been accomplished by another Japanese female artist. “Up” was produced by Lindsey Jackson and Ken Lewis. Ken Lewis is one half of the production team Katalyst. The song also features additional support by Wiz Khalifa and the Australian band, Sheppard.

Serenity features four new songs, “Serenity,” “Undisputed,” “Believe in You,” and “Your Eyes,” and was co-written by powerhouse producer Poo Bear. In fact, Poo Bear with the principal songwriter on this project. Poo Bear also takes the lead on the song, “Undisputed.

“Serenity is my idea of bringing peace to the world during these most troubling times,” shares Sena.

For those of you not familiar with Poo Bear aka Jason Boyd, he is the singer, songwriter and producer who has worked with Canadian superstar Justin Beiber. In fact, he is Justin’s main collaborator on many of his songs, including, “Despacito (Remix),” “Where Are Ü Now,” “What Do You Mean?,” and “PYD.” In addition to working with

34 50

Justin, Poo Bear has also worked with artists such as Chris Brown, Mariah Carey, and Jill Scott. He also co-wrote Usher’s “Caught Up” with reached #8 on the Billboard Charts.

“Caught Up” is off of Usher’s Diamond Certified album, Confessions.

“I hope my music can be an outlet for my fans,” says Sena, “and that my message can be embraced by those who need it most.

The concept of the EP was to showcase my creative diversity and spread a positive message to the world. My executive producer, POO BEAR & I spent a lot of time perfecting this project and I am so happy to finally share it with the world! Especially during a global pandemic.”

The production on Confessions was handled by Ken Lewis as well. Ken both mixed and mastered the EP. Ken has also worked with a number of high profile artists, including Ariana Grande, Kanye West, and Taylor Swift.

Sena was born in Tokyo, Japan and at an early age took a liking to musicals such as The Sound Of Music and Mary Poppins. It wasn’t long before her love for this type of music and plays had her acting in them as well.

In her early years she was quite involved in these. Finally by 2017 she started releasing her own music. Her first single was “Live Your Dreams,” and the song reached #1 on the European iTunes chart. She even filmed a video for this song in Oslo, Norway. By 2018 she had

Rock and Blues International • August October2020 2020

another hit with the song, “Truth Or Dare.”

This song did very well in France, as well as all across Europe.

Now Sena is back with something a little different that her first two singles, and seems to be really energized by her new direction. “I just hope that my music makes each and every person listening feel a sense of warmth,” adds Sena. “I’m most energized when I know my songs are bringing people joy.”

Be sure to check out Sena Kana’s new EP, Serenity. Also be sure to listen to her single “Up.” I think you’re going to like what you hear.

One of dance music’s most enigmatic figures returns home to Anjunabeats.

GRAMMY-nominated producer Mat Zo is back with a brand new artist album set for release in October: ‘Illusion Of Depth’.

At the age of 30, this is the London-born, L.A.-based producer’s third artist LP. He broke onto the scene in 2008 and has been causing an uproar ever since. In the early naughties, he penned Anjunabeats classics like ‘The Lost’ and ‘Synapse Dynamics’ which were far ahead of their time. They were followed by the likes of ‘Superman’, ‘The Sky’, and ‘Rebound’ (with Arty). He pushed the Anjunabeats sound to the mainstage, racking up spins from Pete Tong, Axwell, and Armin van Buuren.

It was his GRAMMY-nominated debut album ‘Damage Control’ that fully showcased Mat’s avant-garde approach in 2013. Featuring break-out hit ‘Easy’ with close friend Porter Robinson, the track took Mat mainstream: a Radio 1 A-List addition, Sirius XM BPM listing, a #1 Billboard Heatseeking record, an Essential Mix of the year nomination and, ultimately, a GRAMMY nom for best electronic album.

Since then, Mat has grown his own stable. Self-releasing his second LP in 2016, ‘Self Assemble’, via Mad Zoo, Mat’s imprint nurtured a new generation of eclectic, genreagnostic creators.

He’s stayed close with Anjunabeats through that time, joining Above & Beyond for shows at Madison Square Garden and Huntington Beach and Anjunabeats label shows around North America.

We come full circle with ‘Illusion of Depth’, a modern homage to the sounds that made him a star.

I started working on Illusion of Depth because I wanted to make a body of work that was cohesive. I’m usually known for being all over the place, but I wanted to make an album that had unifying qualities. In this case, partly it’s the tempo. Everything on the album is in the 124-128 bpm range, but within that constraint, I still managed to be all over the place stylistically. There’s also a lot more live/non-digital elements on this album than my previous work. I was getting really tired of how clean everything is in this corner of dance music. Above all else, I

oto Credit Luca Pierro Pho

Mat Zo Announces New Album ‘Illusion Of Depth’ Coming this October On Anjunabeats wanted to make an album with grit, texture, and attitude. I wanted to make a fuck you statement to the safe, sugary, fluffy world of a post-EDM trance, Zo says.

Prepare for another helter-skelter trip through a pick-n’-mix of styles.

‘Illusion Of Depth’ begins with the brash ‘In Media Res’. Next, it’s Zo’s ode to 90’s warehouse techno: ‘The Next Chapter’ featuring legendary jungle/D&B MC GQ. Then, all of a sudden, ‘Love Songs’ and some French, filter house.

The album introduces Atlantabased Olan, a singer, and producer that Mat has worked with for a number of years. There’s a nod to classic rave culture and the Chemical Brothers with her vocals on ‘Problems’ while closing track ‘Paralysis’ is a cinematic rock crescendo.

“A big part of the conception of the album came from working with Olan.

She’s a highly skilled singer, songwriter, and producer and we’ve known each

other for years. We had been in the studio working on a bunch of material before this, and that helped us grow a common musical identity.

When it came to writing this album we were already comfortable with each other. This allowed the songs on the album, to be honest, opposed to a bunch of toplines plastered on top of already formed tracks. Every song we wrote together is personal, sincere, and holds a lot of meaning for both of us,” Zo continues.

Olan adds, “Problems” was a song that came together seamlessly at the time. We wrote the entire song in a day, but its meaning and depth wasn’t clear to m until recently. It feels like a conversation with myself or some inner spirit that’s trying to find some neutral ground or peace when I’m overwhelmed by things I can’t control. The lyrics seem to be about accepting things as they come and trust the voice in my head that tells me to keep trying my best.”

‘Illusion of Depth’ will be released via Above & Beyond’s Anjunabeats imprint on October 9, 2020..

October 2020 • Rock and Blues International

51

DR. ZWIG RELEASES “CAN YOU FEEL THIS LOVE” SINGLE & VIDEO

Photo by Travis Shinn very informative. You can check out new

By T.J. episodes of the Dr. Zwig Show every Psychologist-musician Dr. Zwig is Tuesday. back in the news again. This time Dr. Zwig For those of you who aren’t familiar has joined forces with Live For Live Music with Dr. Adam Zwig, here’s a brief rundown. for the premiere of “Can You Feel This Besides being a musician, Adam is also a Love,” the new single and video from his psychologist, educator and author. He has upcoming EP, that is scheduled for release in earned a Bachelor’s degree in Elementary March of next year. The new EP will be School Education and a Master’s Degree in released through the Seattle based label, Psychology at Antioch University. He even Conscious Records. went on to earn a Ph.D. in Clinical Psychol“The song isn’t about interpersonal ogy at Saybrook University in San Francisco. love, it’s about a love beyond ourselves, a deeper understanding, an awareness that life’s From there, Zwig relocated to Zurich, Switzerland where he studied at the problems are meaningful processes, that aim at change and growth,” explains Dr. Zwig. He C.G. Jung Institute. He even practiced psychotherapy there for also states, “They’re not diseases or malfuncten years. Following that, he tions that need to just be suppressed and relocated again, this time to managed. Your problems are like internal Portland, Oregon where he became riots, they’re your process calling out for a therapist, counselor, and consultattention. They need you to wake up to what ant. He then went on to found the you don’t see, hear, and feel.”

Portland Health Services, a donor Dr. Zwig is a true “Renaissance Man,” funded nonprofit therapy clinic for declares Billboard magazine. He has even low-income people. launched his own podcast series. The first Now, in addition to being a episode of “The Dr. Zwig Show” aired just last month on Thursday, September 3rd. In his Doctor, Adam Zwig is also a multitalented musician. He has released new podcast, Zwig combines a number of seven albums, and had nine Top Ten items, such as psychology, communication theory, physics, neuroscience and rock ‘n’ roll singles on the U.S. Adult Contemporary Charts. His most recent album to illustrate that bad states of mind and is “Live at the Wiltern Theatre.” His difficult life issues are simply signs of most recent singles are “So Glad personal growth. He plans on presenting (live),” “Visions of the Shimmering cutting edge information along with tools for Night,” “Peace of Mind” and “I solving and handling your problems in every episode. He says that the new podcast will be Remember You,” all released in 52 Rock and Blues International • October 2020

2017.

As you can see, Dr. Zwig is a multifacet Doctor and Performer. His music can be heard regularly on NBC, Fox, and Fuel TV. In addition to his new podcast, he also has a new book coming out, titled Music in the Mayhem: Tales of Total Transformation from a Rock n Roll Psychotherapist.

Be sure to check out his new podcast, The Dr. Zwig Show. I’m sure it will be very interesting… and if you get the chance, check out his new single and video for “Can You Feel This Love.”

MICHAEL FRANTI & SPEARHEAD’S “I GOT YOU” TOPS TRIPLE A CHART

By Nathan Pugh American rapper and musician Michael Franti has done it again. He has received his third #1 radio hit with “I Got You.” “I Got You” is the lead single off his most recent and eleventh album, Work Hard And Be Nice. “I Got You” just topped the Billboard Adult Alternative Chart. His last No. 1 Hit was “The Second of Sunshine” which was released in 2010. It may have taken Franti a while, but he’s done it again and he’s pretty damn proud of it. Michael Franti and Spearhead’s Work Hard And Be Nice was released just last June 19th. “‘I Got You’ is all about how we

support each other and learn to ‘love deeper because you stuck with us, we are sticking and fly higher’ through all of life’s highs and with you and adding three more livestream lows, like the times we are living in right shows in 2020!” now,” explains Franti. “So, thank you Each of the shows has a theme to it. everyone who has requested the song and all The last show, September 19th was the “Show Me Your Peace Sign” show. This month’s the stations who gave it a chance! And thanks show, the October 30th show will be the for all of the uplifting music you play by all “Soulrocker Halloween Scream” show and the artists out there. The world needs the upcoming November 21st show will be the inspiring music more than ever!”

“2020 Harvest Ball Celebration.” Tickets for In addition to that, Michael Franti’s each show run only $22 and you can also add Stay At Home Concert World (Virtual) Tour on a purchase of new merchandise at the has proven to be a big hit. So far he has gathered a massive 30,000 plus fans to join in same time for an additional price. Franti tells us that a portion of each ticket will be his virtual live concert and Interactive Dualdonated to a charity. Now that really makes Screen Experience, which he broadcasts from this a worthwhile experience. his current base of operations, “It’s been amazing to see how our Soulshine Bali. He has community has come together during this already performed four shows time when most of us are required to be from there which took place physically distant,” expresses Franti. “These June 19th with his Work Hard And Be Nice Record Release shows have proven that just because we are Show, July 18th Live from physically distant doesn’t mean that we have Soulshine Bali, August 15th to be socially, spiritually or musically show with the Soulrocker distant.”

House Party, and September Now if you happen to live or be 19th. His next two scheduled vacationing in Bali at this time, there are a shows are October 30th and limited number of tickets available for these November 21st. Without a concerts. These are bundled with a two-night doubt, his “Stay At Home stay at Michael Franti’s yoga retreat, the Concert World (Virtual) Tour Hotel Soulshine Bali. At this time there are is a raging success.

13 bundles available, including a breakfast “We had originally buffet, an intimate dinner with an acoustic set planned to only do three

by Franti, and VIP access to the Soulshine shows with the mindset that Day Club Cabanas. Those are only available touring might be an option by with the pool and deluxe room packages. now, but obviously it’s not,” Have you got time to go? If so, check out Franti elaborates. “But SoulshineBali.com.

October 2020 • Rock and Blues International 53

Machine Gun Kelly Unveils Tracklist And Artwork For Upcoming Album Tickets To My Downfall

By Nathan Puch and yielded the singles “Wild Boy,” Following Machine Gun Kelly’s “Invincible,” “Stereo,” and “Hold On ground-breaking performance at the (Shut Up).” His second album, General 2020 VMAs, he is happy to announce the Admission debuted at number four on the release of his upcoming fifth studio Billboard 200 Chart and sprouted two hit album, Tickets To My Downfall. Tickets singles, “Till I die,” and “A Little More.”

To My Downfall is produced by none This was followed up by Bloom and it other that Travis Marker. The New too reached number 4 on the Billboard album features fifteen tracks of new Hot 200 chart and featured the hit song, music with guests from Halsey, Trippie “Bad Things.” By the time Hotel Diablo Redd, Blackbear, and Ian Dior. \ hit the charts, it had released three It has just been amazing how singles, “Hollywood Whore,” “El Machine Gun Kelly’s popularity has just Diablo,” and “I Think I’m Okay,” which been skyrocketing since he burst onto the also featured Travis Barker and music scene back in 2012 with his debut Yungblud. Who knows what Tickets To release, Lace Up. Since then he has My Downfall might do? released three additional albums, In a genius publicity stunt, fans General Admission (2015), Bloom wanting to find out the tracklist for (2017), and Hotel Diablo (2019).

MGK’s new album, had to go on a Lace Up sold over 178,000 copies scavenger hunt and check out all the bus 54 Rock and Blues International • October 2020

benches throughout Los Angeles. There will be a special edition of Tickets To My Downfall available only at Walmart that will feature four bonus cuts. Those are “misery business,” “roll the windows up,” “in these walls,” and “love on the brain.”

At The 2020 VMA’s Machine Gun Kelly aka Richard Colson Baker received extreme praise from Billboard and Esquire for his medley performance of two songs from his new album, “my ex’s best friend” and “bloody valentine.”

He even won a VMA award for Best Alternative Video for “bloody valentine.” So far, “my ex’s best friend” has racked up over 40 million streams worldwide.

If this wasn’t enough, his film industry career is heating up as well. He

was featured on the sound track for Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater 1 + 2. He made his first appearance in a film in 2014 with Beyond The Lights. From that he appeared in four films in 2016. By the time 2018 had rolled along, he portrayed Motley Crue drummer Tommy Lee in The Dirt. His most recent releases were Big Time Releases in 2019, and his netflix release, Project Power, which also features Jamie Foxx and Joseph GordonLevitt.

Tickets to My Downfall Tracklist 1 - tickets to my downfall 2 - kiss kiss 3 - drunk face 4 - bloody valentine 5 - forget me too ft. halsey 6 - all I know ft. trippie redd 7 -lonely 8 - WWIII 9 - kevin and barracuda (interlude) 10 - concert for aliens 11 - my ex’s best friend ft. blackbear 12 - jawbreaker 13 - nothing inside ft. iann dior 14 - banyan tree (interlude) 15 - play this when i’m gone

Subscribe Now To

Rock and Blues International and have it delivered directly to your email when it comes out every month!

Just email us at rockandbluesinternational@gmail.com and in the subject line put “Sign Me Up Now” and we will email you your own personal copy every month!

October 2020 • Rock and Blues International

55

keyboardist, and songwriter on such Top 40 singles as “Takin’ It to the Streets” and “What a Fool Believes.” Throughout the 1980s and 1990s McDonald’s solo career saw a string of hits, including “I Keep Forgettin’ (Every Time You’re Near)” and the Grammy-winning James Ingram duet “Yah Mo B There.”

Upcoming Forrester events that Michael McDonald will be headlining include: Data Strategy & Insights North America 2020 — taking place October 14–15, 2020 — will feature more than 20 Forrester analysts and offer guidance to chief information officers (CIOs), chief data officers (CDOs), chief compliance officers (CCOs), and other IT leaders to help them shape data, analytics, and AI strategies to transform their organizations into insights-driven businesses.

Grammy Award Winner And Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame Inductee Michael McDonald To Headline Forrester’s H2 2020 Live Virtual Events Forrester (Nasdaq: FORR) announced acclaimed musician and Rock and Roll Hall of Fame inductee Michael McDonald will serve as headline musical performer for its Security & Risk Global 2020, Data Strategy & Insights North America 2020, and Technology & Innovation Global 2020 virtual experiences. With a career encompassing five Grammys, numerous chart successes, and collaborations with some of the world’s most prominent artists, Michael McDonald is an enduring force in popular music.

In 2020, McDonald was elected to 56

the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame as a member of the Doobie Brothers. In celebration of the group’s 50th anniversary, McDonald will tour with the band for the first time in nearly 25 years.

“Wide Open,” McDonald’s first fulllength record of all-new music in nearly a decade, came out in 2017 and received extensive critical acclaim.

Hailing from St. Louis, McDonald first honed his talents as a studio musician before becoming an integral part of the band Steely Dan. In the mid1970s, McDonald was invited to join the Doobie Brothers, serving as singer,

Rock and Blues International • October 2020

Technology & Innovation Global 2020 — taking place November 4–5, 2020 — will demonstrate for CIOs and other tech leaders how successful businesses are deploying adaptive behavior and technology across their respective enterprises to respond to continually evolving technology, customer expectations, workforce issues, and economic factors.

“Forrester was one of the first organizations to successfully pivot to a live virtual event format earlier this year, at a time when other organizations were canceling events,” said Lisa Riley, vice president of global events at Forrester. “Regardless of whether we organize events as live or virtual experiences, our mission is to deliver exceptional and immersive experiences to our attendees so that they derive the maximum value from attending Forrester events. Michael McDonald is a consummate professional who has spent his career adapting his unique style to complement legendary bands and artists, and we are truly excited for him to headline a ‘tour’ of our H2 2020 events.”

By Albert Schwartz Well, we’ve got great news for U2 fans.

Do you remember when the band had their own YouTube channel… Yes… No….

Maybe… Okay… Oh, you have heard about it.

Now you can hear about it again. Yes folks, its back. YouTube, Island Records, Interscope, UMe, and UMC has relaunched the heavily sought after channel. They tell us that they will be updating it weekly with classic videos as well as new footage we’ve never ever seen before, all remastered in HD. The relaunch kicks off with a remastered version of “Stuck In A Moment You Can’t Get Out Of,” to commemorate the 20th Anniversary of the band’s GRAMMY® Award winning 10th album release, All That You Can’t Leave Behind. This video will be remastered in 4K as a premium music video (PMV). The premiere of this video and channel took place last month on Friday, September 18th.

Talk about the remastering of these videos first came into play in 2019 when YouTube and the Universal Music Group announced plans to take on the undertaking of remixing and remastering some of U2s videos.

They wanted to ensure that future generations of fans, as well as the old ones would be able to enjoy the countless hours of enjoyment that these videos would provide. And now, U2 itself has partnered up with them to provide the ultimate fan experience.

To be perfectly honest with you, I find this very exciting. U2 has always been a groundbreaking force when it comes to their videos, and now I’ll finally have a chance to check them all out. All this happens as the band readies to celebrate its 40th Anniversary.

I’ve been told that besides the classic remastered videos, there will also be unreleased live footage, along with some behind-the-scenes action. Now that sounds exciting. Some of the videos are even going to be remixed and remastered to 4k when possible. We’re not talking just a handful of videos, we’re talking about hundreds of new and upgraded videos. U2 fans are just going to eat this up. It’s going to be fantastic. U2 has always been known for having groundbreaking videos produced and filmed by some of the finest cinematographers around. This well definitely be the ultimate fan experience.

The Edge said, “U2 has worked with some incredible filmmakers and directors over the years and it’s always been a lot of fun.

Like a lot of people, I’m partial to a tumble down a YouTube rabbit hole…I hope you enjoy.”

David Joseph, Chairman & CEO, Universal Music UK, said, “From the stunning realization of their live shows to their timeless photography and album art, U2’s visual output has always been outstanding. Their passion for film shines through in all their videos, and it’s been a huge pleasure to work with them to bring them together in the highest possible quality. This channel is going to serve as a brilliant showcase of the band’s ever-evolving creative vision.”

Lyor Cohen, Global Head of Music at YouTube said, “U2 has created some of the

U2 To Relaunch Official YouTube Channel most legendary video content of all time throughout their career. We are stoked to be working with them on enhancing their video catalog so that U2 fans around the world can experience their art in the best possible quality, for generations to come.”

‘The Hands That Built America’, featured in Gangs of New York. In 2014 U2 was nominated for an Oscar for ‘Ordinary Love’ from the film Mandela: Long Walk To Freedom. They also took home the Golden Globe Award for Best Original Song.

Bruce Resnikoff, President & CEO, UMe, added, “Throughout their career, U2 has continually set the bar for the highest possible standards, so it’s fitting the band’s iconic videos are receiving the same treatment. We’re thrilled to work with the band to celebrate the anniversary of one of their most popular albums, and we can’t wait to share all of the amazing content that we have planned with fans on the band’s YouTube channel.”

To this day U2 has managed to always stay on top. With the release of U2’s 14th album, Songs Of Experience in 2017, the band managed to have the album enter the Billboard 200 chart at the #1 position. This became a history making moment for the band, as they became the only band in history to top the chart in four consecutive decades. And as the band continues to tour, they sell out shows everywhere. During their 2019 Joshua Tree Tour, not only did they visit New Zealand, Australia, and Japan, they also went on to perform in Singapore, Seoul, Manila, and Mumbai for the very first time.

From their humble beginnings in 1978, U2 has created some of the most momentous experiences in music History and become one of the biggest acts on the planet. The band has And now as we finish out this article, amassed an amazing 22 GRAMMY® Awards we’re told that SiriusXM and U2 have and sold over 157 million albums since their announced plans for U2 X-Radio. Despite inception. On top of that, they have gone on everything going on in the world today, it to receive numerous awards, such as, an Oscar certainly is going to be a ground-breaking year nomination, and the Amnesty International for U2. Check out the new U2 YouTube Ambassador of Conscience. In 2003 they won a Golden Globe Award for Best Original Song, Channel and U2 X-Radio on SiriusXM. October 2020 • Rock and Blues International 57

By T. J. It’s time to rejoice. The GRAMMY® Award winning The Smashing Pumpkins are back and will be returning with a new album this November. That’s right, founding members Billy Corgan, James Iha, and Jimmy Chamberlin along with guitarist Jeff Schroeder have just revealed plans on the release of their new album, CYR. CYR will be a double album and it will be released on November 27th via Sumerian Records. CYR is the follow up to the band’s 2018 release, Shiny and Oh So Bright, Vol.1 / LP: No Past, No Future, No Sun, which was produced by Rick Rubin.

The album is set to contain 20 tracks of new Pumpkin material that is reputed to be some of the best work they’ve done yet. Already the title track, “Cyr”, which is also their newest single as of this writing is burning up the YouTube screens with over 1,300,000 views since its release. It was the number one added song on Alternative Radio during its first week of release.

This release follows the release of another song from the album, “The Colour Of Love.” This will be the band’s eleventh studio album.

The new album was recorded and produced in Chicago by Billy Corgan and it’s great to see also that the band’s current lineup is still intact. Founding members Billy Corgan, James Iha, and Jimmy Chamberlin are all back. Second guitarist Jeff Schroeder is also back. Jeff has been with the band since 2007.

There were a couple of shakeups in their career, but the band has been solidified with this lineup as of 2007.

With the release of “Cyr” and “The Colour Of Love,” the band is being showered with accolades and praise.

Variety applauded the songs for remaining “rooted in the now,” and for “effortlessly taking their place alongside a catalog of cherished Smashing Pumpkins classics.” Billboard exclaimed “The Smashing Pumpkins are getting ready to smash it up once more.”

The video for the synth-loaded song “Cyr” was co-directed by Billy Corgan and Linda Strawberry. It really is quite a departure from the band’s traditional sound, but it is definitely quite interesting. Who knows what the rest of the album might sound like… The avant-garde video was filmed in Chicago and Los Angeles while the band was in quarantine. Linda Strawberry stated that, “This is a Goth fever dream of pent up emotion — an artistic visual release attempting to create a momentary escape from the emotional black cloud hanging over all of us this year.”

Billy Corgan adds “Cyr is a 58

The Smashing Pumpkins Return With Their New Double Album, Titled ‘CYR’ dystopic folly, one soul against the world sort of stuff, set against a backdrop of shifting loyalties and sped up time. To me it stands as both hopeful and dismissive of what is and isn’t possible with fate.

With the release of their prior album, the 2018 release, Shiny and Oh So Bright, Vol.1 / LP: No Past, No Future, No Sun, The Smashing Pumpkins toured the United States selling out arenas including The Forum, United Center, Madison Square Garden among others. So far touring on this album is rumored to be starting late next year.

The band has announced that they will be performing at a couple of upcoming festivals next year. These include Riot Fest in Chicago, which takes place on September 17 – 19, 2021 and the Sea.Hear.Now Festival in Asbury Park, NJ, which takes place September 18 – 19, 2021. For more information and tickets, go to: www.smashingpumpkins.com.

No doubt this album will be going multi-platinum upon release. So far the band has amassed sales of over 30 million albums. Since the band’s release of their first album, Gish, in 1991, the band has become an incredible success.

Their 1993 album, Siamese Dream has

Rock and Blues International • October 2020

gone 4x multi-platinum, and was followed by the 10x-platinum release, Mellon Collie and the Infinite Sadness.

Every one of their albums has been met with incredible success. To date, the band has racked up an impressive amount of awards. 1996 brought them the award for Best Rock at the MTV Europe Music Awards. The same year they also won the MTV Music Video Award for their video, “Tonight, Tonight.” This encompassed a clean sweep for Video of The Year, Breakthrough Video, Best Direction, Best Visual Effects, Best Art Direction, and Best Cinematography. Not Bad!!! The following year was equally as good for them as they won the American Music Awards for Best Alternative Artist. The band is certainly no stranger to the GRAMMY® Awards either, as they racked up an award in 1997 for Best Hard Rock Performance for “Bullet with Butterfly Wings,” followed by 1998’s GRAMMY® for Best Hard Rock Performance again for their song, “The End is the Beginning is the End.” Be sure to look for CYR this November 27th. In the meantime, check out the video for “Cyr” on YouTube. I think you’ll find it very interesting and entertaining.

East Of June Ponders The Empty Nest Syndrome in New Single/Video “LITTLE BIRD”

By Albert Schwartz While the pandemic stifled many musical careers out there, it did just the opposite on a few of them. Take for instance, the Los Angeles based band, East Of June.

While things shut down and people found themselves in self doubt, East Of June embraced this as a creative moment as evidenced by their new video, “Little Bird.”

The subject of this video, as the band sings atop a mountain range, is about how a child moves out of the family home for the first time. Will it work out… Is this the right thing… how will the parents handle it, and is this the best thing for their child as he or she leaves the safety of the nest. All this and more is explored in the lyrics of the song.

“As a parent there is no greater fear than watching your child let go of your hand and tackle life’s uncertainties and challenges

on their own,” says bassist and parent Dirk your own lessons and flying away from the Lance (formerly of Incubus). “There is also nest even when you’re scared.” no greater joy and sense of accomplishment The video was filmed in Simi Valley, to be had in this world than watching them CA along the Long Canyon Trail against a discover what they are truly capable of desert backdrop by Director of Photography without you.”

Robert Schweiger. “Initially, we liked how Vocalist Emily Rath adds, “Creatively, using a drone gives the viewer the feeling of I felt a strong connection to my own life a bird in flight, watching our performance writing these lyrics because as an only child I from the skies above,” adds guitarist Kyle was somewhat of a late bloomer in many Mortensen. “Further into our brainstorm, ways and felt a little more anxiety about though, we discovered the deeper story of leaving my comfort zone than others my age. tracing our own parallel paths with music However, I knew that when I did, I would over the years and introduced the idea of always have the support and love of my weaving together images of our childhood. It family to carry me regardless of how far all comes together when we see Dirk with his away I went. I wanted to show that idea in the own daughter and him passing the musical song by exploring how hard it can be for not torch on to her as the cycle continues to go only the child, but the parent too who knows on.” that you can’t truly discover who you were meant to be without taking risks, learning October 2020 • Rock and Blues International 59

‘THE BEST OF RORY GALLAGHER’ To Be Released Friday, October 9 On UMe ‘THE BEST OF RORY GALLAGHER’ On 2LP Black Vinyl, Limited Edition Clear 2LP, 2CD, 1CD, Digital HD, Digital Standard Includes Previously Unissued Bonus Track On 2CD And Digital Versions “(I Can’t Get No) Satisfaction” Featuring Jerry Lee Lewis and Rory Gallagher Formats: 2LP black vinyl, limited 2LP clear vinyl, 2CD, 1CD, Digital HD, Digital Standard Following the commercial and critically acclaimed success of the recent albums Blues (2019) and the three-week running No.1 album on the Billboard Blues Chart Check Shirt Wizard - Live in ’77 (2020), UMe is pleased to present a new Rory Gallagher collection entitled The Best Of Rory Gallagher on Friday, October 9, 2020.

The album is now available to preorder here: https://RoryGallagher.lnk.to/TheBestOfPR. The comprehensive compilation includes Rory’s most iconic songs compiled from across his recording career, including tracks from Rory’s seminal first band Taste (1969) through to his final studio album Fresh Evidence (1990).

The Best Of Rory Gallagher will be released as a 2CD set featuring 30 tracks, including a previously unreleased collaboration with Jerry Lee Lewis. The album will

60

also be released on 2LP black vinyl, limitededition 2LP clear vinyl available only at uDiscover Music and The Sound of Vinyl, a 15-track single CD, as well as digital HD and digital standard.

Unearthed from the Rory Gallagher Archives is a special bonus track “(I Can’t Get No) Satisfaction [Alternate Version]” by Jerry Lee Lewis featuring Rory Gallagher – a rare outtake taken from Jerry Lee Lewis’ famous 1973 London Sessions featuring Rory singing and playing the Rolling Stones’ classic alongside the legendary Jerry Lee Lewis. The previously unreleased rarity is featured on the 2CD version and digital versions of the album, and as a limitededition 7” vinyl single available only at uDiscover Music and The Sound of Vinyl online stores. “(I Can’t Get No) Satisfaction [Alternate Version]” is available as an instant grat track today with preorders of the album,

Rock and Blues International • October 2020

and on all streaming and download services, here. The 7” inch picture sleeve features a rare archive photo of Rory and Jerry Lee Lewis from Jerry Lee’s 1973 London Sessions. The B-side features “Cruise On Out” (4:42) taken from Rory’s critically acclaimed album Photo Finish (1978).

If ever there was a “musician’s musician” then that accolade belongs to Rory Gallagher. Renowned for his blistering live performances and highly respected for his dedication to his craft, he died in 1995, aged just 47. His reputation has continued to flourish in the years since. Indeed, some of rock’s most seminal figures, from Jimi Hendrix to Eric Clapton, Joe Satriani to Joe Bonamassa, Queen’s Brian May to The Smiths’ Johnny Marr, Slash of Guns N’ Roses to the Edge of U2, have cited him as an influence. Rory remains a touchstone for all would-be guitar heroes in the 21st Century.

When asked “How does it feel to be the best guitarist in the world,” Jimi replied, “I don’t know, why don’t you go and ask Rory Gallagher.” – Jimi Hendrix

make his guitar do anything it seemed. It just seemed to be magic. I remember looking at that battered Stratocaster and thinking “how does that come out of there?” – Brian May

“The man who got me back into the blues.” – Eric Clapton

“The man who changed my musical life was Rory Gallagher, I picked up a guitar because of him.” – Johnny Marr

“There are a million guys who sound like Stevie Ray Vaughan, but I never heard anybody who could really pull off sounding like Rory Gallagher.” – Slash “As soon as I heard Cradle Rock, I was hooked. I thought, ‘This is what I want to be when I grow up.” – Joe Bonamassa “I really liked Rory, he was a fine guitarist and singer and lovely man.”

– Jimmy Page “He was just a magician, he’s one of the very few people of that time who could

RORY GALLAGHER THE BEST OF RORY GALLAGHER

2CD/DIGITAL CD1 1 - Taste - What’s Going On (from 1970’s ‘On The Boards’ LP) 2 - Rory Gallagher - Shadow Play (from 1978’s ‘Photo Finish’ LP) 3 - Rory GallagherFollow Me (from 1979’s ‘Top Priority’ LP) 4 - Rory Gallagher -Tattoo’d Lady (from 1973’s ‘Tattoo’ LP) 5 - Rory Gallagher - All Around Man (from 1975’s ‘Against The Grain’ LP) 6 - Rory Gallagher - I Fall Apart (from 1971’s ‘Rory Gallagher’ LP) 7 - Rory Gallagher - Daughter Of The Everglades (from 1973’s ‘Blueprint’ LP)

“A beautiful man and an amazing guitar player. He was a very sensitive man and a great musician.” – The Edge “An amazing player, very spirited... he had a particular sound using that Stratocaster and he really got it because of the brute force in the way that he played, he just had such a passion about it.” – Joe Satriani “Rory was the one to measure yourself against. He was a real credit to music and pushed it to another level altogether.” – Peter Frampton 8 - Rory Gallagher - Calling Card (from 1976’s ‘Calling Card’ LP) 9 - Rory GallagherI’m Not Awake Yet (from 1971’s ‘Deuce’ LP) 10 - Rory Gallagher - Just The Smile (from 1971’s ‘Rory Gallagher’ LP) 11 - Rory Gallagher - Out Of My Mind (from 1971’s ‘Deuce’ LP) 12 - Rory Gallagher - Edged In Blue (from 1976’s ‘Calling Card’ LP) 13 - Rory Gallagher - Philby (from 1979’s ‘Top Priority’ LP) 14 - Taste - It’s Happened Before, It’ll Happen Again (from 1970’s ‘On The Boards’ LP) 15 - Rory Gallagher - Crest Of A Wave (from 1971’s ‘Deuce’ LP) CD2 1 - Rory Gallagher - Bad Penny (from 1979’s ‘Top Priority’ LP)

2 - Rory Gallagher - Walk On Hot Coals (from 1973’s ‘Blueprint’ LP) 3 - Taste - Blister On The Moon (from 1969’s ‘Taste’ LP) 4 - Rory Gallagher - Loanshark Blues (from 1987’s ‘Defender’ LP) 5 - Rory Gallagher - Bought & Sold (from 1975’s ‘Against The Grain’ LP) 6 - Rory Gallagher - A Million Miles Away (from 1973’s ‘Tattoo’ LP) 7 - Rory Gallagher -Wheels Within Wheels (from 2010’s ‘Notes From San Francisco’ LP) 8 - Rory Gallagher - Seven Days (from 1987’s ‘Defender’ LP) 9 - Rory Gallagher - Ghost Blues (from 1990’s ‘Fresh Evidence’ LP) 10 - Rory Gallagher - Cruise On Out (from 1978’s ‘Photo Finish’ LP) 11 - Jerry Lee Lewis ft. Rory Gallagher (I Can’t Get No) Satisfaction [Alternate Version] (1973 outtake from the Jerry Lee Lewis ‘The Session… Recorded in London With Great Guest Artists’ LP) 12 - Rory Gallagher - They Don’t Make Them Like You Anymore (from 1973’s ‘Tattoo’ LP) 13 - Rory Gallagher - Moonchild (from 1976’s ‘Calling Card’ LP) 14 - Rory Gallagher - Jinxed (from 1982’s ‘Jinx’ LP) 15 - Taste - Catfish (from 1969’s ‘Taste’ LP)

2LP (BLACK VINYL ANDLIMITED CLEAR VINYL Includes the 7” black vinyl single “(I Can’t Get No) Satisfaction [Alternate Version]” — Jerry Lee Lewis featuring Rory Gallagher Side A 1 - Rory Gallagher - Bad Penny 2 - Rory Gallagher - Shadow Play 3 - Rory Gallagher - I Fall Apart 4 -Rory Gallagher - Calling Card Side B 1 -Taste - What’s Going On 2 - Rory Gallagher - All Around Man 3 - Rory Gallagher - A Million Miles Away 4 - Rory Gallagher - Just The Smile Side C 1 - Rory Gallagher - Seven Days 2 - Rory Gallagher - Jinxed 3 - Rory Gallagher - Edged In Blue 4 - Rory Gallagher - Philby Side D 1 - Rory Gallagher - Walk On Hot Coals 2 - Rory Gallagher - Tattoo’d Lady 3 - Rory Gallagher - Crest Of A Wave 1CD 1 - Rory Gallagher - Bad Penny 2 - Rory Gallagher - Shadow Play 3 - Rory Gallagher - I Fall Apart 4 - Rory Gallagher - Calling Card 5 - Taste - What’s Going On 6 - Rory Gallagher - All Around Man 7 - Rory Gallagher - A Million Miles Away 8 - Rory Gallagher - Just The Smile 9 - Rory Gallagher - Seven Days 10 - Rory Gallagher - Jinxed 11 - Rory Gallagher - Edged In Blue 12 - Rory Gallagher - Philby 13 - Rory Gallagher - Walk On Hot Coals 14 - Rory Gallagher - Tattoo’d Lady 15 - Rory Gallagher - Crest Of A Wave

October 2020 • Rock and Blues International

61

Reissues Her Second Album FROM THE HIP Featuring the Hit “Jimmy Loves Maryann”

By Greg Fontaine gets to me. I don’t know how to describe Josie Cotton is back in the news it, but I’ve been bitten by the Josie again this month. If you read my story Cotton Bug. When I found out that her on her last month, you can tell, I just album From The Hip was going to be love this woman. There’s just something reissued, I knew I had to let everybody about Josie Cotton’s voice that really know about it. For a lot of you, you’re 62 Rock and Blues International • October 2020

probably not that aware of Josie, but whenever she releases or reissues an album or song, I’m going to let you know about it. Believe it or not, she was really an amazing pop / punk /new wave phenomena of the 80s. So here I am

sitting at my computer, the other love of my life, thinking of the best way to tell you about this long lost project. I’m so glad that she has reissued it.

Today is September 4th, the release date or rather the reissue date for Josie Cotton’s second album, From The Hip. I’m sitting here listening to it now. I love it. From The Hip is filled with that great Pop Rock sound that Josie is known for. It is the follow up album to Convertible Music. As I expected, this album is filled with an amalgamation (I like that word) of fun music running the gamut from mild to wild, from girl pop to surf rock to rockabilly. There’s nothing boring here. The music reflects a wonderful woman having a great time doing what she likes… singing. However, this was also a time for turmoil for Josie as well. We’ll get into that in a little while, but right now we’ll talk a little about the music.

The lead single off this album is “Jimmy Loves Maryann” and believe it or not, it features Lindsay Buckingham, formerly of Fleetwood Mac, on guitar.

Although it only charted at #82 on Billboard’s Hot 100 in 1984, it is still one of Josie’s hottest tracks. And yes, it is a cover song, but I actually like Josie’s version better. It was written by Elliot Lurie and recorded by his band “Looking Glass” in 1973. Josie definitely gives it a life all it’s own. Now I’m listening to “Life After Love” and it sounds like one of those girl group songs from the 60s. I can see the girls in a line waving their hands around, singing and going through the mannerisms that they do. I love it.

“School Is In” is a bit similar to me. It’s definitely one of those girl group songs, but to me it sounds a bit like the Go-Go’s

meet The Shirelles. It’s a bit popier.

“Stop Me” is up next, and it has a more psychedelic type feel to it. It’s the guitars and the keyboards. They really do a number on the song. Josie sounds a bit frazzled here, but it works. We really need to stop her before she loses her mind over the guy she’s singing about. It’s definitely a cry for help. Maybe the next song will knock her out of that feeling. I was wrong. “No Use Crying” is pretty much in the same vein as “Stop Me.” It’s a bit psychedelic sounding, filled with those great organ sounds. Josie is definitely having a dilemma right now… but the song sounds fantastic.

On songs like “Straight Talk” Josie sounds a lot happier. She’s obviously been listening to a little Rockabilly and it’s spilling over into her music. Like I said before, there’s a lot of ground being covered in these 10 songs here.

I’m not going to tell you about all the songs here, but there are a lot of good ones. Other songs on the album include “Come With Me,” “School Is In,” “Gina,” and “Way Out West.” Okay, okay, I’ll let you know about what more song… Josie’s in love here… On “Come With Me” she lets go of all her emotions and her true continued on next page October 2020 • Rock and Blues International

63

Josie Cotton continued from previous page feelings come out. Yes, Josie’s in love and she wants her man back. Josie knows that the other woman will break his heart and she wants her man back.

And she sings it in such a beautiful way that if he doesn’t come back, he’s certainly a fool.

There’s a lot of emotion packed into the 10 songs on From The Hip… What! You want to hear about one more song… Okay, “School Is In” sounds a bit like The Beach Boys, and that’s all I’m going to tell you about it. Buy the album and listen to it yourself.

For Josie, the writing and production of the album was a bit of a nightmare. CEO’s from her record label, Elektra were disappearing. Who knew who would be sitting across the table from her in the boardroom? It was as if the record label had installed one of those revolving doors you see in hotels and as soon as one walked in another one walked out. . “I think we all had our version of a nervous breakdown in a closet somewhere,” she laughs. “If the 64

recording of Convertible Music was a technically nightmarish Elvis Presley movie, then From the Hip was Nightmare on Elm Street.”

Elektra’s new CEO turned out to be Roy Thomas Baker, whose work with bands like The Cars and Queen would become legendary. “By the time From the Hip came out, Elektra had changed CEOs several times,” she explains. “So we were excited to hear that our new guy would be none other than [legendary producer] Roy Thomas Baker. I was a huge fan of his work, producing Queen and the Cars and we eventually became good pals.”

Somewhere along the way her managers and lawyers disappeared, and then Electra fired her producers, Bobby and Larson Paine, who had worked on Convertible Music with her. Fortunately Roy Thomas Baker took over production on her album. “I started taking meetings at Elektra with no representation... El solo mio. All the people who had signed me initially and believed in me were gone. It felt like I was starring in my own Telenovela soap opera, but my mouth is out of synch with the sound as I overact my way into oblivion.”

Rock and Blues International • October 2020

Josie didn’t let anything diminish her spirits however. Although some of the memories were a bit painful, she ultimately prevailed. She gathered her thoughts and energy and pushed on with some other projects to help her along the way. These included her studios, Satellite Park, and Kitten Robot Studios.

And of course, she has continued on with her music career and gone on to release new music, such as last year’s singles, “Ukrainian Cowboy” and “Cold War Spy,” not to mention a great Christmas song titled “Every Day Like Christmas.

She has also gone on to reissue a few more of her albums, Everything Is Oh Yeah!, Invasion Of The B-Girls” and the subject of last month’s article by yours truly, Convertible Music.

It’s been quite a wild ride for Josie, but she always comes out on top. When asked what she learned from this experience, she tell us, “What I learned through all of this, is that talent is not enough. You need a team of people you can trust who have your back. And it helps if they’ve had a lot of therapy.”

Be sure to get your copy of From The Hip. It is truly a fantastic album…

You’re going to love it. I certainly do.

Devynn Hart (Chapel Hart), Danica Hart (Chapel Hart), Rev. Willy G., JD Shelburne (“best man”), Trea Swindle (Chapel Hart)

Billy F Gibbons As His “Reverend Willy G” Alter Ego Officiates At Chapel Hart Video Wedding That Wasn’t

By Troy Wilson The Reverend Billy F Gibbons is back again with a new video, or should I say, a starring role in a video. This time Billy teams up with another trio…. In fact, it’s the all female Country music trio, Chapel Hart. The members of the band Chapel Hart are Devynn Hart, Danica Hart, and Trea Swindle Don’t worry people, Billy’s not quitting his gig with ZZ Top. He’s just guesting as himself, the Reverend Billy F Gibbons, portraying a country preacher officiating over a wedding for singer Danica Hart in the video “Jesus And Alcohol.” For those of you who really didn’t know it, Billy F Gibbons is actually an ordained minister in the Universal Life Church. During his time as a minister he has actually joined together a lot of young… and old couples. He officiated at the wedding of Joe Walsh and his wife Marjorie Bach, the sister of Barbara Bach and the wife of former Beatle Ringo Starr, as well as Country music star Billy Joe Shaver and his wife Wanda Lynn Canady among several others. In fact, Billy tells us that his most memorable joining together of souls was when he officiated at the wedding of Paul and Patricia Burgess, which actually took place at an Ikea store in Houston. For Billy, the best part of the wedding was the Swedish meatballs that were served there that day.

In the video for the song “Jesus And Alcohol” Danica plays the role of a woman who gets jilted at the opera by her husband to be with her sister Devynn and Trea portraying the roles of bridesmaids. Other notable guests in the video include JD Shelburne (“Church Pew Barstool”) as the embarrassed best man along with Deborah Allen and T. Graham Brown as guests.

As you can expect, with a name like “Jesus and Alcohol” the infamous beverage does rear its head here as Billy retreats to a room in the church’s rectory to console himself after the ordeal. At the same time, the rest of the wedding party proceeds to console themselves as well with a fifth of bourbon. Eventually the inebriated Reverend returns to console the wedding party with a passage from the bible. The passage chosen is Proverbs 31:6-7, which says

Billy Gibbons says, “I was happy to give the ladies of Chapel Hart my benediction in the video as well as in real life. They’ve got the talent so however unlikely this drive to make it in country music may appear, their ability is self-evident and I’m happy to pitch in and shine a light, so to speak.”

Chapel Hart takes its name from Hart’s Chapel Baptist Church in their native Poplarville, Mississippi. Although some people would have expected a band with this name to be more of a gospel or R&B band, they lean more towards the Country music format that they grew up with. Trea Swindle says about the band, “There is a lot to deal with being African American and singing country music, even in 2020. Country music is simply just in our hearts.”

Billy says he might not be available to officiate over the wedding again should the groom ever return to Danica. “I been thinking about the plotline of ‘Jesus & Alcohol.” If Danica’s runaway groom ever comes to his senses and asks for a second chance I’m not sure I’d be willing to perform the service.

Of course this is all followed by a The guy is missing out on someone terrific, performance where Billy straps on his guitar not to mention juxtaposition to certain and leads the wedding party in a song and a country stardom. I think he’s probably dumb drink, ending the video on a good note. or clueless or both and clearly unworthy of her.”

October 2020 • Rock and Blues International 65 Give strong drink to the one who is perishing, and wine to those in bitter distress; let them drink and forget their poverty and remember their misery no more

Newcomer Claire Rosinkrantz Releases Music Video For Breakout Single “Backyard Boy”

By Pinky Black California girl, singer-songwriter Claire Rosinkranz has just released her new video after signing a deal with Slowplay and Republic Records. Her new release on Slowplay and Republic Records is the EP, BeVerly Hills BoYfRiEnd and it is now available. The first single and video off the EP is “Backyard Boy” and it has already received more that 20 million streams, not to mention the 2.5 million plus video recreations on Tik Tok. The video for “ Backyard Boy “ was written and directed by Claire and features her looking over the fence at her next door neighbor before he catches here. Then the two of them start into a choreographed routine that has the two of them dancing and doing silly things together with the fence between them. Before long, her parents get into the act, then the scene shifts to the driveway where her friends join in. All in all, it’s a pretty cute routine.

Believe it or not, Claire is only sixteen years old and has accomplished so much with this new EP, single and video. Although she is sixteen, she has quite a bit of experience at writing songs. She says that she started out at the age of 8. The EP BeVerly Hills BoYfRiEnd was written, recorded and produced with her dad in the family’s home recording studio, kind of making it a family project, which happens more than you might think. While her father would record and produce TV songs for television shows or jingles for ads,

66

Claire was more than happy to offer suggestions at such a young age. That is perhaps why it came as no surprise to family and friends that this new EP is doing so well.

She’s spent a lot of years in preparation for it.

She has even spent a lot of time learning other instruments such as ukulele, the piano, and even learning how to play Jazz guitar.

She says that Jazz guitar is the instrument she likes to play most now.

For Claire, working with her father on this project has been truly inspirational. She feels that his production work on this new project really captures the essence of the music she has created.

“He totally captures my vision and if I don’t like something, I’m not afraid to say it. Because we’re able to communicate so well, the process happens so quickly.”

Her new EP has certainly taken on a life all it’s own, creating over 2.5 million video recreations, not to mention sparking the record deal with Slowplay and Republic Records. So far it’s also gone on to reach the #1 position on

Rock and Blues International • October 2020

the Spotify charts with over 20 million streams. It’s also gone on to dominate both Spotify Global and U.S. Viral 50 charts. It will be very interesting to see what goes on with Claire on her undeniable rise to stardom.

Without a doubt, she is bound to become one of this year’s top breakout artists.

Be Sure to check out the video for “Backyard Boy” and the rest of the songs on her new EP

Christopher Harold Wells & The Neverlutionaries Release “Ariana”

By Deshaun Phillips We just received one of the coolest songs I’ve heard in a while. It’s an somewhat psychedelic / Pop / R&B song called “Ariana” from Christopher Harold Wells’ band, The Neverlutionaries. The publicist that sent us the info suggested that the sound was more like a Lenny Kravitz meets Prince type of song, and let me tell you, they weren’t far off. It’s smooth lyrics and lush sounds definitely suggest that comparison.

Now the problem with all of this is that they only sent us one song… The song sounded great and I would have liked to have heard more. “Ariana’ is the first release off of The Neverlutionaries upcoming EP. The other problem is that now I will have to wait till January 21st of next year when the EP is released to get the full package. Hopefully between now and then they will leak a couple of more songs because I was very impressed with what I heard on “Ariana”. The single “Ariana” will be released on October 2nd, so most of you who are reading this story may have a chance of finding it on Spotify or YouTube now. But I have to tell you, the song is really great. Just put it on and sit back on the couch with your woman or partner in your arms and you can just get lost in the moment. It’s really nice. It’s got a romantic flair to it.

The EP will be released on January 21st

Axtell (Psychefunkapus). via Polychromatic Records and will be the Also performing with Wells are Lynyrd first in a series of 3 EP’s from The Skynyrd keyboardist/former Parliament Neverlutionaries. This project was recorded Funkadelic keyboardist Peter Keys, southern at the legendary San Francisco Hyde Street rock outlaw rapper Alexander King and the Studios, as well as at Wells’ home studio. aforementioned Kenny Olson who play When the pandemic started, Wells had to together in a rock funk side project called the retreat to his own home in North Carolina to All Time Low Stars. finish the recording of this project. Working For those of you who are not so alongside Wells on this project is producer familiar with Christopher Harold Wells, he is Jaimeson Durr, who you may recognize from the son of former Philadelphia Eagles his work with Sammy Hagar, Joe Satriani, linebacker Harold Wells. Christopher has Train, Wyclef, and the Grateful Dead’s been around for quite a while now. Although Mickey Hart.

“The song is about the way love makes you may not be too familiar with his name, you may be familiar with a band he was in your soul dance about and how the feeling called the Peasants of the Apocalypse. The moves you,” Wells explains. “The music is Peasants opened up for Metallica, Everclear, like life with many movements and and Def Leppard. Christopher also went on changes… harmony to discord and then to to share the same stage with artists such as resolution. Like the ocean waves, the rhythm Lauryn Hill, Bubba Sparxxx, Captain Kirk of is never exactly the same and that where the The Roots and many others. magic is.”

All I can tell you about this project, is Participating also on the project was a that “Ariana” is one of the most impressive plethora of studios musicians, including romantic songs I’ve heard in a while. If this guitarist Kenny Olson (Bootsy Collins, is any indication of what the rest of the EP Steven Perkins from Jane’s Addiction, sounds like then Christopher Harold Wells Norwood Fisher from Fishbone, fabled and The Neverlutionaries are going to have a drummer James Gadson), San Francisco definite hit on their hands, as well as a drummer/producer Chris McGrew (Pamela possible contender for the GRAMMY® Parker and The Fantastic Machine, co-owner Awards. Be sure to give “Ariana” a listen Wally’s Hydeout in Hyde Street Studios), when you get the chance, and don’t forget to pianist Ryan Hickey (producer, Wally’s look for the full EP when it comes out in Hydeout), session/studio drummer Nick January.

Baglio (Gucci Mane) and guitarist Jonnie October 2020 • Rock and Blues International 67

Walter Trout Releases His Most Introspective Album Yet, Ordinary Madness

By Kevin Wildman This is Walter’s 29th album in a series of solo Singer/songwriter/musician and albums that would make the average guitarist guitarist extraordinaire, Walter Trout has just green with envy. Without a doubt, this is one released his new album, Ordinary Madness of the finest albums that Walter has ever on Provogue Records / Mascot Label Groups. recorded. And why wouldn’t it be… Walter 68 Rock and Blues International • October 2020

is like a fine wine…. He just gets better with age. His new album, Ordinary Madness, is basically what we’ve come to expect from him. It’s filled with great Blues, wonderful textures, beautiful lyrics, and some of the best

guitar licks you’ve ever heard, not to mention it’s packed with emotion.

Walter is certainly an extraordinary guitarist. He has performed with some of the world’s finest musicians that the Blues has to offer. Most of you are going to remember him from his days with John Mayall’s Bluesbreakers and Canned Heat, but he has recorded and performed with a lot of other great artists, such as Jesse Ed Davis, Joe Tex, Lowell Fulson, John Lee Hooker, Percy Mayfield, and Big Mama Thornton just to name a few. With a pedigree like that, it’s no surprise that Walter is so versatile and able to play virtually anything you can throw at him.

One look at this list of artists and you can see that the musical range of these folks runs the gamut from mild to wild. Walter wasn’t just a mere sideman with these groups, with his extreme prowess on guitar he was very instrumental in helping them shape their sound when he was with them. After many years of being a participant, he ventured out on his own and has never looked back. Those times performing with other artists were great, but his solo career is really an adventure… twenty-nine albums full of adventure… His career has been packed with emotional and professional ups and downs, but Walter has always landed on his feet and been able to take all that in stride.

His newest adventure, Ordinary Madness, starts off in one of the most unlikely places you would imagine, but it was certainly one packed with inspiration. This new album and adventure takes him to sunny California and the studio of the legendary Doors guitarist, Robby Krieger. Yes, Ordinary Madness was recorded at the studio of Robby Krieger, a mystical place filled with instruments that helped shape the sounds of the 60s. “The whole place is full of vintage gear,” says Walter, “and it’s all there for you, whatever you want. The keyboard that Ray Manzarek used in The Doors – it’s just fucking sitting there. I remember, on the rhythm track for “OK Boomer,” Michael Dumas, who runs the studio, comes walking in and says: ‘Here’s the SG that Robby used in The Doors – wanna try this?’ Then, for the rhythm guitar on Heartland, he says: ‘Here’s one of James Burton’s Paisley Telecasters...’”

The place was just filled with history and inspiration.

For this project, Walter used his band of seasoned musicians that included Michael Leasure (drums), Johnny Griparic (bass) and Teddy ‘Zig Zag’ Andreadis (keys) – along with long-time producer Eric Corne, plus special guests Skip Edwards, Drake ‘Munkihaid’ Shining and Anthony Grisham.

Fortunately for Walter and the band, they got in and finished the recording of the album prior to the Covid-19 lockdown. The pandemic didn’t effect the recording of the project at all, however it did impact the planned touring schedule afterward. In fact, Walter and the guys were supposed to perform at The Funky Biscuit in Boca Raton, Florida, and he had to cancel the gig because

of the virus. We’ve since found out that The stop and check myself out and go. ‘Hey, Funky Biscuit has had to close its doors for dude. You know because you went through good. After the pandemic started raging in that trauma as a kid and it molded parts of California, Walter and his wife Maria packed you, you don’t have to treat this person this up and retreated to their home in Denmark to way. You don’t have to react this way to sit out the pandemic. certain things happening in your life. I’ve Ordinary Madness starts off with the been in therapy and I’ve gotten tools to deal slow blues title song, “Ordinary Madness,” with a lot of that shit, but it’s still there and which Walter tells us that pretty much it’ll always be there. I’m never going to be everybody has and just has to learn how to walking around in ignorant Bliss. There’s live with it. It’s also something that he feels always the light side and there’s the dark side, he has and will have to walk around with for and you deal with both.” the rest of his life… but he’s learned how to Walter seems to always take great deal with it. “Well,” explains Walter, “it’s departures between albums. His last album something I think everybody carries inside of was Survivor Blues, in which he wanted to them. For instance, I’m Incredibly grateful to find obscure Blues songs by other artists and be alive and thankful to be here and I get up put his own signature on them… maybe even every morning and I say to myself what am I interpret them a bit differently and put his grateful for and I try to live my life in own style into them. He wanted to help gratitude. But I still carry the shit that I’ve resurrect those songs and bring them back for carried all my life… those inner demons that people to discover and enjoy. For Ordinary caused me to want to go take heroin and Madness, he wanted to concentrate more on drink alcohol and do shit like that when I was the songwriting aspect of it. Yes, he has younger and it’s not like that goes away. You always written his own albums, but he was learn to live with it and you learn to put it in looking to do something a little more the background. The lyrics say it… ‘It’s the introspective on this one. “On this one was I sadness and the fear and the anger and the wanted to explore my songwriting and this self doubts that you feel every day.’ I think one’s really for me. It’s me being a singer or a people have a little bit of Ordinary Madness songwriter more than that just a lead guitarist. inside of them. I think everybody has it. I Everybody knows me as a guitarist from John went through some shit as a kid, even though Mayall, John Lee Hooker, Big Mama it’s long ago... but once in awhile, it rears its Thornton, Percy Mayfield, Lowell Fulsom, ugly head. I find it influencing sometimes continued on next page how I treat the people in my life and I have to October 2020 • Rock and Blues International 69

Walter Trout continued from previous page Joe Tex and all those people I played with as a sideman. They all think of me as the guitarist, but I’ve always written songs.

Before I was even learning how to play lead guitar licks when I was a kid, I was writing songs. So this is trying to kind of push my boundaries in the songwriting aspect of music. I’ve always loved writing songs. I find it very therapeutic.”

There are a lot of powerful songs on Ordinary Madness. One of the songs that grabbed me from the beginning is “Wanna Dance.” Walter tells us that the song started off as a guitar lick and then he put lyrics to it that celebrated being alive. “It’s a metaphor for wanting to celebrate being alive. You know at my age, and I’m almost 70, It doesn’t mean I want to go out and do the ‘Bristol Stomp’ or the ‘Mashed Potato’, or something like that, right. But it means I want to celebrate that I’m here and I’m still alive and I feel great. So that’s what that means… it is just a metaphor for being okay.”

On other songs on the album, Walter even got a bit of inspiration from his wife Maria, who helped to contribute some of the lyrics on this album. Walter came up with a great melody on a couple of songs, and his wife came up with the lyrics. It really made

70

for a good family songwriting moment. This happened to four songs in particular on this album, including the lovely “Heaven Is In Your Eyes,” and the Pink-Floydish sounding “Up Above The Sky.” Walter explains that “we’ve been together for 30 years and she was writing about those moments in a longlasting relationship where you’re trying to express something to someone, but you just can’t find the right words. If I can’t find the right words to say, will I have your love anymore? Those are some of her lyrics, but it is true that I had the melody and I loved the melody. I thought it was almost like a like a McCartney kind of melody. This melody just popped out when I was strumming an acoustic guitar, but I had no words. I don’t know. I had no words for this and she said, ‘well play it for me again.’ And I played it and I sang “‘Heaven In Your Eyes.’ I said, “there you go. I have ‘Heaven In Your Eyes.’” Then she walked out and came back about a half an hour later and said ‘here’s your lyrics.’ She did the same thing with ‘Up Above My Sky.’ That’s another one that I kind of had music for and I said, I have no words… and boom, she’s got the lyrics. So she’s become quite the lyricist.”

The same situation also happened on

Rock and Blues International • October 2020

the album’s closing song, “Ok Boomer.” He had this rock groove going and came up a blank again with the lyrics and Maria put her ear to the song and came back with the lyrics.

He tells us that about 90% of that song is her.

One of Walter’s proudest moments on the album is the song, “My Foolish Pride.”

In previous interviews, very few people have touched on that song, and Walter tells us, “there’s this song that not many critics have mentioned. And that is “”My Foolish Pride,” and lyrically, that’s putting myself out there and that’s really about… when it says ‘sometimes I do my best but I fail’, it’s when you’re trying really hard at something and you fail at it. Then you feel ashamed of yourself and you get down on yourself and then you take it out on someone you love and you treat them like shit… That’s what that song is about. And also I think the guitar outro on that song is about as emotional as I can play because I was really feeling it.”

There are certainly a lot of great moments on Ordinary Madness. Besides the songs that we’ve mentioned so far, there’s the slow psychedelic sounding “The Sun Is Going Down,” about aging and the story about leaving home as seen through the eyes of a young woman in “Heartland.” And how could you not take notice of the song, “All Out Of Tears,” where he collaborates with Blues singer Teeny Tucker on a tribute to her late son. There are just so many poignant moments on Ordinary Madness that it will be hard to top this album when he gets to work on his next one, but I have no doubt… The next one will be even better. Walter has come to a time in his life where his emotions are certainly taking over and skyrocketing him to become an even better songwriter than he was before. But that always seems to be the way with Walter… Each album is always better than the last. This one comes out as his most revealing effort yet. There are eleven songs on Ordinary Madness, and in turn eleven great moments.

I asked Walter what was it about this album that he would like people to leave with and after a moment of pondering the situation, he simply said, “I just want to be honest in my work. I want them to get an idea who I am as a person and what I think about life and how I feel about being alive.

And that’s what I want to communicate. My music is about trying to connect with other people.”

And connect with other people is what we believe Walter did with this album. With Ordinary Madness I believe that he has really laid bare his soul and exposed his true emotions to his fans and those future fans that might be lucky enough to pick up this fine album. Believe me, there’s nothing about Ordinary Madness that is ordinary. In fact, it is truly extraordinary. Be sure to pick up a copy of this fine album today. It will definitely open up your musical senses in a way that they have never been open to before.

Trafalgar Releasing announced today that Stevie Nicks, two time Rock & Roll Hall of Fame inductee, legendary Grammy winning recording singer/songwriter supreme, will debut Stevie Nicks 24 Karat Gold The Concert, which will be released for two nights only on October 21 and 25 at select cinemas, drive ins and exhibition spaces around the world. With this film Nicks, long considered one of the most iconic live performers, provides music fans with a virtual front row seat to the magic Stevie brings to the stage in concert.

The film features a set-list of fan favorite Nicks songs from her solo career and as a member of Fleetwood Mac including “Rhiannon,” “Stop Draggin’ My Heart Around,” “Edge of Seventeen,” “Stand Back,” “Landslide,” and more as well as rare gems from her platinum selling catalog.

The film also reveals intimate storytelling and inspirations for some of the most famous and timeless songs and lyrics in music history which to this day remain

hits as well as Fleetwood Mac classics.”

part of the soundtrack to the lives of generations of music lovers.

Directed and produced by Joe Thomas during Nicks’ fabled 67 city sold out 24 Karat Gold Tour, filming and recording took place in Indianapolis and Pittsburgh in 2017.

“The 24 Karat Gold Tour was my all-time favorite tour. I not only got to sing my songs but I was able to tell their stories for the first time. I love having the opportunity to share this concert with my fans. From me to you – 24 Karat Gold,” Said Stevie Nicks Kymberli Frueh, SVP for Programming and Content Acquisitions for Trafalgar Releasing said, “We are thrilled to collaborate with BMG and Stevie Nicks’ team on this landmark global cinema event which is sure to delight fans. Stevie’s legendary career has spanned over four decades, creating legions of fans across the generations. Her 24 Karat Gold concert tracklist features some of her greatest solo

The event will be screened in cinemas around the world on Oct. 21 and 25. Tickets are on-sale beginning on Sept.

23 at StevieNicksFilm.com, where fans can find the most up-to-date information regarding participating theaters and sign up for event alerts. Dates are subject to change based on the status of local cinema reopenings.

The 2CD & digital/streaming releases will be available on Oct. 30 via BMG, featuring 17 tracks of Stevie’s greatest hits live; including “Stand Back,” “Gypsy,” and “Edge of Seventeen,” as well as the first ever live recording of “Crying In The Night,” and other live rarities. The 2CD will be available exclusively at Target on Oct. 30, and the digital release will be available everywhere on the same day. A limited-edition 2LP 180-gram version will be available on “Crystal-Clear” vinyl exclusively at Barnes & Noble, while a 180-gram black vinyl version will be available everywhere.

October 2020 • Rock and Blues International

71

JACKBUNNY RELEASE DOWN THE RABBIT HOLE EP FEATURING NEW SINGLE “SEE YOU IN HEAVEN” “Another Summer Song” is just

By T.J. burning up the airwaves. Alternative Texas Alternative Rock trio Press has declared that “Another JackBunny has just released their new Summer Song,” is “the perfect summer EP, Down The Rabbit Hole. Down The anthem.” V13 says it’s “a song with a Rabbit Hole was issued via Lava 1990s alternative rock spirit that would Records/Republic Records. have fit perfectly into the teen movies Their new EP was preceded by that ruled the day back around the turn their most recent single, “Another of the century.”

Summer Song” for which the band has Fans of JackBunny have been already amassed almost an impressive waiting patiently for a new EP from this one million streams and praise for this band, and the band has finally delivered new project and their new single is the product that the fans were waiting pouring in.

72 Rock and Blues International • October 2020

for. Their debut EP was the masterfully crafted Junk Rock, which featured their first hit single, “Sedona.” Junk Rock was released just last fall after JackBunny opened for legendary rockers ZZ Top, as well as The Struts, Sammy Hagar and even superstar Jon Bon Jovi. The Grammy® Award winning producer, Howard Benson, whom you may remember for his work with My Chemical Romance and P.O.D produced Junk Rock.

JackBunny playfully remarks Photo by Arnie G

about Down The Rabbit Hole, “We’re calling it ‘Down the Rabbit Hole’ because it’s our second EP that solidifies our sound.

Now people can really go ‘down the rabbit hole’ with us as we continue to make music. We’re excited for people to hear it because there’s a little more variety in these songs, but they are some of our favorites.”

Other tracks on Down The Rabbit Hole include their new single, “See You In Heaven,” which features the fantastic punch line, “She said, ‘I’ll see you in heaven, but I won’t see you tonight’.”

Also on the EP is the punk inspired song, “Wonderful,” followed by the unforgettable “Wait For Days.” All these songs are filled with searing guitar licks, luscious melodies, and a rhythm sound most acts would kill for.

Mac Johnson (lead vocals & guitar, 19), Cayden Diebold (vocals & bass, 18) and Jake Douglas (drums, 18) have turned out an incredible project that they can definitely be proud of.

And believe it or not, they did all this before they even graduated High School. How many bands do you know that have been signed to a major label, before they could even put on their high school mortarboard. Even more amazing than that, these young men started out even earlier than high school. Mac and Jake hit it off in the third grade. Mac was already an aspiring guitarist, and Jake was trying his best to contain himself after starting off on drums when he was two years old. I know it sounds far fetched, but yes these two young men were already on their way to becoming

virtuosos and a ridiculously young age.

By the time they were in third grade, they would sit around at lunch trying to come up with catchy band names for themselves. Then they met Cayden, who jumped into music at the early age of nine. It didn’t take long before the three of them were throwing together sets filled with the songs that ranged from Rage Against The Machine to Nirvana. I personally saw the band open for Sammy Hagar and ZZ Top at Smart Financial Centre in a little town near Houston called Sugar Land, and they were just fantastic. It was surprising to see these three teenagers wander onto the stage to their instruments, but when they went live, everybody stopped and starred. It sincerely was unbelievable. And it was also quite unimaginable, but nevertheless, I saw it with my own eyes.

In addition to the release of Down

The Rabbit Hole, the band has also released a video for their hit single, “Another Summer Song.” They shot the video themselves in their hometown of Houston utilizing the help of friends.

You need to check this video out too. I think you’re going to like the skateboarding accidents portrayed here.

Those are always a lot of fun to watch.

JackBunny said about the video, “We had one camera, a couple friends and a whole lot of time on our hands to make a music video for our new track ‘Another Summer Song.’ We wanted to portray what summer feels and looks like to us.”

Be sure to check out JackBunny the first chance you get. Besides the great song and the new video, this is also a chance for you to check out one of the rising stars of the entertainment business.

October 2020 • Rock and Blues International

73

CrowJane Releases Debut Album Mater Dolorosa

By Pinky Black L.A.-based experimental post-punk artist CrowJane aka Heather Galipo, has been busy lately. In fact, we’re talking extremely busy. She has just released her debut album release, Mater Dolorosa. The album was released through Kitten Robot Records this past month on September 15th. Coinciden-

tally, that date was also the Roman Catholic observed Holy day of “Mater Dolorosa”, which translates to ‘The Feast of Our Lady of Sorrows’, so if you were wondering about what the title of her new album means, there you got it.

The album was produced in L.A. by Paul Roessler, who was also behind the releases of Screamers, Nina Hagen, 45 Grave, and the Deadbeats, among others. The album was preceded by the release of “Terminal Secrets”, the first single off the album.

Keeping up with the momentum of the album release, CrowJane also released a video for the second single off the album the next day, on September 16th. The second single from the album is titled “The Pharmacy” and was released through AudioFemme. “The Pharmacy” is definitely one creepy video.

You’re going to have to check this one out when you get a chance.

As CrowJane explains, “Part of the reason why I chose ‘The Pharmacy’ to be a single is because I had this idea come into my mind for a music video. I didn’t want to portray pharmaceuticals in a literal sense. Instead, I wanted to portray the act of trying to heal someone’s ‘demons’ through mysticism. Some of my favorite subject matters are the occult, voodoo, and demons,” says CrowJane of the creeptastic and sinister video. “I liked it just being a montage of sorts of this imagery

74 Rock and Blues International • October 2020

that informs the viewer but still leaves them guessing. It was fun to shoot this with my friends and to put demon makeup and goop on myself.”

CrowJane is very excited about the release of her debut album. In some respects, she found it very extraordinary that she was able to pull it off, but nevertheless she did.

“I’m amazed that Mater Dolorosa is finally coming out to the public and in this way with publicity and a record label. If you would‘ve told me that when I was writing it, I wouldn’t have believed you,” says CrowJane about the album release. “My personal journals/therapy session solo album is being exposed for others to listen to and digest, and I’m just itching to write more. I honestly couldn’t think of a better time to pour out thoughts and emotions onto paper and into songs than right now with the state of this country and in my jobless quarantine.”

For CrowJane, the making of Mater Dolorosa was an extreme undertaking that took years to complete. It wasn’t just done overnight. During that time she also worked on other projects, such as Egrets on Ergot, “Sally” and “Nurse Heather” in the twisted cabaret of The Deadbeats. She was also the “front woman” of the L.A. band, Prissy Whip. Her Mater Dolorosa producer was also involved in the later project as he recorded and mixed Prissy Whip’s album release Swallow.

Without a doubt, some of the recording of Mater Dolorosa was very experimental and CrowJane and her producer Paul Roessler went through some great extremes to get the sounds and the feelings she wanted for this album release. “Mater Dolorosa was an experimental adventure of messing with different sounds and homemade instruments,” she explains of the unconventional instrumentation that included tin cans, bed railings and even cat litter. “I used foil and hit it with a pencil as a ‘snare’ sound on ‘Circular Valley,’ for instance. I’m happy with the way it turned out and I think it is a good first album and it won’t be the last.”

Be sure to give CrowJane and her new debut album Mater Dolorosa a listen when you can. Also be sure to check out the videos for her two singles, “The Pharmacy,” and “Terminal Secrets.” You’re going to be in for a big surprise… this is nothing like you’ve ever listened to before. Mater Dolorosa is out courtesy of Kitten Robot Records.

EYE OF THE DESTROYER Announce New EP ‘The Wolf You Feed’

By Tank I just wanted to give you a heads up on this next project people.

New Jersey Death Metal band, Eye Of The Destroyer are planning on releasing their next album this month. In fact, the date for the release of their new studio album, The Wolf You Feed will be the 9th of this month. Since the release of their last album, Baptized In Pain, fans have been chomping at the bit to get another hot Metal masterpiece from this New Jersey act. Ever since Baptized In Pain hit the metal airwaves, the band has just been racking up new fans. A lot of this came from the substantial airplay they received on SiriusXM’s Liquid Metal station.

We’re told that The Wolf You Feed is going to be Eye Of The Destroyer’s darkest album yet, so be prepared. Eye Of The Destroyer’s Joe Randazza is set to bring in the heaviest thing he’s done yet. Joe performs all the instrumentals and is the band’s lead singer. He tells us to be prepared to witness New Jersey’s heaviest band ever as he propels the new album through moments of controlled chaos and raw emotion.

Subject matter on the new release is definitely not for the faint, as it focuses on childhood drama all the way up to political dogma.

Joe tells us that he had to dig deep into his subconscious to rip out the inspiration for this new album as well as ripping the ‘band-aid off the festering wounds that plague a whole nation.’ It all sounds quite diabolical, doesn’t it? Joe wrote the entire album as well as produced it, so you know you’re going to be in for something-extra special here. More than that, he tells us that he was battling addiction and depression at the same time while the album was under production.

The album was recorded at The Soap Factory in Roselle Park, New Jersey and was mixed by Keegan Okazaki from Nocturnal Audio

76

Rock and Blues International • October 2020

in Toronto, Canada.

Eye of the Destroyer is: Joe Randazza - Vocals, Guitar, Bass & Drums and Dan Kaufman - Bass.

Schandmaul / f.l.t.r. Martin Duckstein, Saskia Forkert, Thomas Lindner, Stefan Brunner, Birgit Muggenthaler, Matthias Richter

SCHANDMAUL Sign Worldwide Contract with Napalm Records

By Tank I’ve got good news for all Schandmaul fans out there. The German Medieval FolkRock band has now been signed to a worldwide contract with non other than the ultimate Heavy Metal and Rock label out there, Napalm Records. Those of you who have been following them through their 13 plus, album history will certainly be happy to hear this. Napalm Records is one of the front runners of the Heavy Metal and Rock genre and really does an excellent job taking care of their bands.

Thomas Caser, the Managing Director of Napalm Records tells us that, “Welcome SCHANDMAUL! We have been following the path of this unique act for a very long time and are incredibly proud to be able to successfully shape the future with SCHANDMAUL. The new album will be another milestone in the band’s career and we will spare no effort to ensure its success”.

In return, the band Schandmaul issued this statement, “We are very much looking forward to working with Napalm Records and are bursting with energy! The further discussions have been very motivating especially in these difficult times for our

industry - like a light at the end of the tunnel. traditional rock instruments such as the hurdyWe’re ready - Folk ‘n Roll” gurdy, shawm, and bagpipes, along with flutes Schandmaul have really created quite a and violins. It really makes for quite an name for themselves, not to mention a distinct extraordinary Folk-Rock sound. Like I said, style all their own since their inception in you’ll never hear anything like that anywhere.

1998. For those of you who would like to Schandmaul is comprised of seven topknow what the name Schandmaul means… it notch players, who have a sincere dedication loosely means “Evil Tongue.” Maybe you’ve to this band and their upcoming future. Their seen their mascot before… It’s an evil grinning most recent release, is Artus, and it was skeletal jester. The band actually took the idea released in 2019. Artus reached #2 on the Top of their mascot from a deck of cards. No Ten German Charts and #11 on the Austrian doubt the band likes to sit down and play a Charts. few hands. The band has racked up quite a Fans are really clamoring for some new following, not to mention several accolades for material, so you will probably be hearing their music. They’ve been nominated two something new by 2021. Schandmaul are: times for the German Echo Award, had six Thomas Lindner - vocals, guitar, piano, albums in the Top Ten German Charts, and accordion, Stefan Brunner - drums, Martin even had three Top Ten albums in Austria.

Duckstein - acoustic guitar, e-guitar, cister, This band is still gathering more followers as banjo, Birgit Muggenthalter - bagpipes, (folk) you read this piece. Besides all the hundreds flutes, Matthias Richter - e-Bass, double bass, of thousands of albums they’ve sold since their and Saskia Forkert - violin, hurdy-gurdy and inception, they’ve also racked up millions of background vocals. streams for their work. Not bad for a little ‘ole Congratulations go out to Schandmaul band from Germany. and Napalm Records for such a wise decision.

Schandmaul’s style is almost indescribI can’t wait to hear what comes from this able. You’ll never hear another band like fantastic union. them. They combine the traditional rock instruments of bass and guitar with more nonOctober 2020 • Rock and Blues International 77

Oklahoma-based ANTI-MORTEM Return to Action with New Single “STFU”

By Tank Oklahoma-based band, Anti-Mortem is really jazzed up about their new single, “STFU,” which was released early last month. “STFU” is the follow up single to their last single, “Old Washita,” except the new one sort of picks up where the old one left off and it’s got more of a “balls to the walls” sound to it, being much more of a gritty metal sound. “‘STFU’ is an all-out, hard-hitting push forward with no BS riffs and straight to the point vocals,” says Rado Romo. “Our anger and frustration are driven by current events and the vibes of today’s political climate. We waste no time slamming the hammer down with this heavy hitter.”

Yeah, the Romo brothers are excited as hell to have this new single out, especially after having to deal with the hiatus they’ve been on. Now they’re out to prove something.

The band comes from a small town in Oklahoma called Chickasha. They started off in 2012 when they were still in their teens.

When they released their critically acclaimed first album, New Southern, this band really caught the notice of the Heavy Metal genre

78

out there. First off, the debut album was released on one of the top metal labels, Nuclear Blast. It didn’t take long for this band to start soaking up the knowledge to be learned as they hit the stage with bands such as Black Label Society, Machine Head, Lacuna Coil and Monster Magnet. In fact, it got to be a bit too dramatic for them as they wound up with internal conflicts along with musical differences and they were forced to take a brief hiatus.

During that time the Romo brothers, Nevada and Rado, found themselves involved in other projects. There were the solo projects, and there was also the infusion of them into the Texas Hippie Coalition. These projects allowed them to stay immersed in music both on the road and in the studio.

Now the band is back with a vengeance and hungry for action… a bit wiser for the wear… AntiMortem has regrouped with a new energized cast of heavy villains, comprised of Timmy “The Hitman”

Rock and Blues International • October 2020

Braun (Texas Hippie Coalition, Rikets) on drums, Coleby Thompson (Nine Left Dead) on bass and Arik Hanradton (Signs of Lies) on guitar. Nothing is going to stop these guys now, so keep your eyes and ears peeled for them… and be sure to check out their new monster, “STFU.”

ALIEN WEAPONRY Sign with the Rick Sales Entertainment Group

By Tank New Zealand thrash metal trio Alien Weaponry has just signed to the prestigious Rick Sales Entertainment Group. Other artists signed with the Rick Sales Entertainment Group include Slayer, Gojira, Mastodon, and Ghost.

“We couldn’t be more excited to work with Rick Sales and be a part of the company that manages some of our favorite artists,” said Henry de Jong, drummer of the powerhouse trio. “Rick Sales is a legend, and an

influential figure in the metal scene worldwide.”

Lewis de Jong, singer/guitarist adds, “We’re pretty humbled to be welcomed into this exclusive family of artists”.

The band has been busy writing and recording their new album in New Zealand in anticipation of a 2021 release date. Alien Weaponry had been planning a 2020 release date, but due to the Covid-19 outbreak, they have postponed that release date.

The band hails from Waipu, New Zealand and was formed in 2010 by brothers Lewis (bass) and Henry de Jong (drums). Rounding out the band is guitarist Turanga MorganEdmonds. All of the band members have Maori ancestry and their songs are written in a combination of English and Maori, the native te reo Maori language.

So far the band has released eight EPs and one album release, Tu, which was released in 2018. Tu debuted at number five on the New Zealand album charts.

The brothers de Jong named their band Alien Weaponry after watching the movie District 9. In 2016 Alien Weaponry won both the national finals of the Smokefreerockquest and Smokefree Pacifica Beats. They are the only

band to have ever won both of these events.

In 2015 the band had previously came in second in the Smokefree Pacifica Beats, however for four years prior to that they were regional finalists. Alien Weaponry are the youngest band to have ever received New Zealand Air Funding with their song “Ru Ana Te Whenua” in October of 2015. They wound up receiving a $10,000 dollar grant, which they used to complete the recording of their song, as well as producing a video for it.

Then they went and scored again the following year in 2016 and received another $10,000 which they used to record their newest singles, “Urutaa” and “Raupatu”, as well as produce music videos for the two of them. Without a doubt, Alien Weaponry is among the top ten of New Zealand metal acts.

Already the band has toured the United States and Europe extensively. In the latter part of 2018 the band opened for Ministry on their U.S. tour. In Europe the band performed at several festivals, including Metaldays, and the Wacken Open Air festival.

Last year they performed to a crowd of over 10,000 people at the Copenhell Festival in Denmark and at their final European show last year they opened for Slayer in Stuttgart, Germany.

It will be interesting to see what this band has up their sleeves for next year once the Covid-19 crisis is over.

October 2020 • Rock and Blues International

79

Noise-Rock From Austin, Texas

Noise-Rock Band Exhalants Release Their Sophomore Album Atonement

honing their skills and working out all the

By Tank Austin based band, Exhalants have just little details for the upcoming second release.

While on tour, Hex Records approached the released their second album, Atonement. band and offered to sign them to their label.

Atonement was released just last month on This was an offer that the band jumped on.

September 11th via Hex Records. The album Subsequently they signed and Atonement was is now available on LP, CD, and download. released on the Hex Records label.

Atonement is the follow up to 2018 Exhalants By the time 2020 rolled around, the self-titled debut, which was released to rave band could be found recording constantly in reviews. their rehearsal space. Despite some setbacks Revolver Magazine said about their by the Covid 19 pandemic, the band managed self-titled debut, “Somewhere between to finish the album to their satisfaction. For Unsane, Jesus Lizard and Dazzling Killmen the most part, they produced, engineered, and sits Exhalants, a new Austin group comprised mixed the album themselves before turning it of members of Carl Sagan’s Skate Shoes and over to Hex Records. And through all this Body Pressure. Following in the steps of the turmoil, they also managed to complete it in legendary Cherubs, Exhalants make caustic their scheduled timeline. noise rock with melodic inflection.”

Their new album is a continuation of Metal Injection also stated “If you’re a their noise-rock style with a few refined fan of bands like Unsane, Jesus Lizard, moments. The nine songs contained on this Cherubs, and Dazzling Killmen, then you’re project will definitely bring them to the going to love Austin-based noise rock forefront of the noise-rock genre. Songs like crushers Exhalants.”

“End Scenes” start off with blazing guitars, Well, Exhalants are back with their building into a slick crescendo of noise. new album Atonement, which is far more Other songs on the album like “Definitions” heavier that their debut album was. Not bad take the band down a more melodic path but for a band whose only goal was to be the still culminate in a cacophony of noise. loudest band around. Combining noise rock Perhaps, the most mainstream related song on with distortion with some feedback infused the album is the album’s closer, “Lake Song,” music, they quickly came upon a style all which is a bit of a departure from the rest of their own. This three-piece band was definitely out to make a name for themselves. the album.

Regardless, Atonement is filled with Their first album released a hunger in the some really dynamic guitar licks, combined band to make a name for themselves. with a punk infused noise quality of imperFollowing the release of their first band, the fection. But it’s that imperfection that gives band set out on tour with another Texas Trio, this album the boost it needs. Not all the Pinko who were also on the Hex Records songs sound the same yet they still continue label. on with the same punk inspired sensibilities As soon as they came off the tour, the that this band is based on. Steve Pike’s band immediately started work writing guitarwork on this album is definitely material for the new album. They spent the inspirational. That coupled with the rhythm majority of 2019 on the road writing and demoing the new material for their audiences, section of bassist Bill Indelicato and drummer 80 Rock and Blues International • October 2020

Thomas Rabon keep the low end grinding when Pike goes into extreme noise with his guitar. Several songs on the album start in the path of more subdued guitars, only to find themselves engulfed in a full-fledged noise fest, only to be guided through by the low end growl of Bill’s bass.

Yeah folks, if you’re into noise-rock, then this is definitely the wave of the future.

This album contains nine craftily guided songs to take you on the noise experience of your life, with some slick guitarwork thrown in at times. Check out Exhalants album Atonement now. Available on Hex Records.

01. The Thorn You Carry In Yr Side 02. Bang 03. Passing Perceptions 04. Definitions 05. End Scenes 06. Richard 07. Crucifix 08. Blackened 09. Lake Song

Alter Bridge to Release Walk The Sky 2.0 EP Featuring New Song Written During Covid-19 Lockdown, “Last Rites”, Plus Six Live Tracks

By Tank Orlando, Florida based rockers, Alter Bridge are happy to announce the release of their new EP, Walk The Sky 2.0. Walk The Sky 2.0 will be released this next November 6 on Napalm Records. The EP is spearheaded by the new single, “Last Rites,” which was written during the Covid-19 lockdown. Also included on the new EP will be six live tracks.

Since Alter Bridge had to cancel their 2020 tour, they decided to spend that time being creative instead. The band has always had trouble taking time off, and the guys in Alter Bridge always have to be doing something creative. This time they sat down and reviewed the tracks they had recorded during their January and February touring schedule. At least they were able to get a few dates in before the world went silent.

While the band reviewed tracks, they also had time to sit down among themselves and kick around ideas for a new studio song. Out of that brainstorming session came the new

single, “Last Rites.”

The band decided the best thing they could do is put out an EP for their fans. In fact, for the most part, it had to be a live EP. So the band culled through all the tapes and selected six live cuts of songs that had appeared on their last album, 2019s Walk The Sky. The six songs they selected were “Wouldn’t You Rather,” “Pay No Mind,” “Native Son,” “Godspeed,” “In the Deep” and “Dying Light.” Along with those six, they decided to add their new single, “Last Rites,” and the new EP would be named Walk The Sky 2.0.

With all that said and done, the band also went back to the original album, Walk The Sky and released a new single, “Native Son.” Already “Native Son” has managed to receive over 5 million streams. It is also burning up the radio waves as we speak about it, making it a sure fire hit. Alter Bridge has also released a new video for it that was produced and created by Stefano Bertelli.

The animated video starts out in a rural

western town with a lone figure trying to survive in that backdrop as it is beset by changing landscapes and what appears to be earthquakes or at least changing land patterns that proceed to evolve into a futuristic town.

All this is going while the song proceeds to play leaving the band to sing, “I’m a native son in a foreign land. I’m just living in a world I can’t understand.” Gradually flying vehicles appear and hundreds of figures carrying briefcases invade the scenes illustrating the never-ending progress of society. Finally the lone figure is spotted again… this time in outer space, as he appears to be sitting on an asteroid watching the overcoming of civilization take place. It is certainly an interesting video.

Walk This Way 2.0 will be a great way to satisfy those Alter Bridge cravings. If you weren’t lucky enough to catch any of the shows at the beginning of the year, this will be the next best thing to checking out their new songs live. And don’t forget to check out the new song, “Last Rites.”

October 2020 • Rock and Blues International

81

Subscribe Now To

Rock and Blues International and have it delivered directly to your email when it comes out every month!

Just email us at rockandbluesinternational@gmail.com and in the subject line put “Sign Me Up Now” and we will email you your own personal copy every month!

82

Rock and Blues International • October 2020

Photo Credit: Ben Rayner

Nothing Announce Fourth Full-Length Album The Great Dismal Out October 30th NOTHING return with their highly anticipated new full-length, The Great Dismal. Recorded throughout quarantine with producer Will Yip at Pennsylvania’s Studio Four, The Great Dismal explores existentialist themes of isolation, extinction, and human behavior in the face of 2020’s vast wasteland. Arriving just prior to the band’s ten year anniversary, The Great Dismal is out October 30th on LP/CD/CS/Digital via Relapse Records.

NOTHING have released the first single off The Great Dismal. Watch the official “Say Less” music video, directed

by Jordan Hemingway (The Academy Films) on YouTube HERE and listen on all streaming services HERE. The Great Dismal physical preorders are available HERE and Digital Downloads/Streaming HERE. Super Deluxe vinyl edition includes a resealable mylar bag, 20 page LP sized

“The Great Dismal refers to a swamp, a brilliant natural trap where survival is custom fit to its inhabitants,” Palermo states. “The nature of its beautiful, but taxing environment and harsh conditions can’t ever really be shaken or forgotten too easily.”

booklet and custom OBI strip.

NOTHING The Great Dismal Relapse Records October 30, 2020 1.A Fabricated Life 2. Say Less 3. April Ha Ha 4. Catch a Fade 5. Famine Asylum 6. Bernie Sanders 7. In Blueberry 8. Memories 9. Blue Mecca 10. Just a Story 11. Ask The Rust

The ever progressive NOTHING keep true to their chaotic outlook on life, keeping a keen eye as to avoid repetition.

With a radical cast of talented contributors such as harpist Mary Lattimore, classical musician Shelley Weiss, and singer/songwriter/producer Alex G., The Great Dismal showcases yet another essential side of the band’s trademark American Post-Shoegaze sound.

Closing in on the band’s ten-year mark, NOTHING frontman Domenic Palermo finds himself stringing together songs of misanthropic tales of Philadelphia with a refined and refreshed take on the band’s classic sound.

NOTHING Is: Domenic Palermo Guitar/Vocals, Kyle Kimball - Drums, Aaron Heard - Bass, Doyle Martin Guitar/Backup Vocals

October 2020 • Rock and Blues International

83

JOHN LENNON’S MOST VITAL AND BEST LOVED SOLO WORKS COMPLETELY REMIXED FROM SCRATCH FOR NEW COLLECTION

JOHN LENNON. GIMME SOME TRUTH. THE ULTIMATE MIXES.

The Iconic Artist Is Celebrated On His 80th Birthday With A Suite Of New Releases Including A Deluxe Edition Box Set Featuing 36 Tracks Across 2 CDs And A Blu-Ray Audio Disc With HighDefinition 24-96 Stereo, Immersive 5.1 Surround Sound And Dolby ATMOS Mixes Plus Exclusive 124-Page Book Also Available In Variety Of Physical And Digital Formats Including 1 CD, 2 CD, 2 LP, 4 LP And Streaming/Download Due October 9th Via Capitol/UMe 84

Rock and Blues International • October 2020

“I’m sick and tired of hearing things from uptight, short-sighted, narrow-minded hypocritics All I want is the truth, just give me some truth I’ve had enough of reading things by neurotic, psychotic, pig-headed politicians All I want is the truth, just give me some truth” – John Lennon, “Gimme Some Truth” In everything he did, John Lennon spoke his truth and questioned the truth. An incomparable and uncompromising artist who strove for honesty and directness in his music, he laid bare his heart, mind and soul in his songs, seeing them as snapshots of his current emotions, thoughts and world view.

Believing the one quality demanded of himself as an artist was to be completely honest, he did not disguise what he had to say or conform his messages to be more in line with what he felt others thought they should be. Love, heartbreak, peace, politics, truth, lies, the media, racism, feminism, religion, mental well-being, marriage, fatherhood – he sang about it all, and one just needs to listen to the songs of John Lennon to know how he felt, what he cherished, what he believed in, and what he stood for.

On October 9th, 2020, Lennon’s 80th birthday, in celebration of his remarkable life, a collection of some of the most vital and best loved songs from his solo career will be released via Capitol/UMe as a suite of beautifully presented collections, titled GIMME SOME TRUTH. THE ULTIMATE MIXES. Executive Produced by Yoko Ono Lennon and Produced by Sean Ono Lennon, these thirty-six songs, handpicked by Yoko and Sean, have all been completely remixed from scratch, radically upgrading their sonic quality and presenting them as a neverbefore-heard Ultimate Listening Experience.

Mixed and engineered by multi GRAMMY® Award-winning engineer Paul Hicks, who also helmed the mixes for 2018’s universally acclaimed Imagine – The Ultimate Collection series, with assistance by engineer Sam Gannon who also worked on that release, the songs were completely remixed from scratch, using brand new transfers of the original multi-tracks, cleaned up to the highest possible sonic quality. After weeks of painstaking preparation, the final mixes and effects were completed using only vintage analog equipment and effects at Henson Recording Studios in Los Angeles, and then mastered in analog at Abbey Road Studios by Alex Wharton in order to ensure the most beautiful and authentic sound

quality possible.

GIMME SOME TRUTH. – named for Lennon’s 1971 excoriating rebuke of deceptive politicians, hypocrisy and war, a sentiment as relevant as ever in our post-truth era of fake news, will be available in a variety of formats including as a Deluxe Edition Box Set that offers several different ways to listen to this engrossing 36-track collection with stunning new mixes across two CDs alongside a Blu-ray audio disc containing the Ultimate Mixes in Studio Quality 24 bit/96 kHz HD Stereo, immersive 5.1 Surround Sound and Dolby Atmos.

“John was a brilliant man with a great sense of humour and understanding,” writes Yoko Ono Lennon in the preface of the book included in the Deluxe Edition. “He believed in being truthful and that the power of the people will change the world. And it will. All of us have the responsibility to visualize a better world for ourselves and our children.

The truth is what we create. It’s in our hands.”

The 124-page book included in the Deluxe Edition has been designed and edited

by Simon Hilton, the Compilation Producer and Production Manager of the Ultimate Collection series. The book tells the story of all thirty-six songs in John & Yoko’s words and the words of those who worked alongside them, through archival and brand-new interviews, accompanied by hundreds of previously unseen photographs, Polaroids, movie still frames, letters, lyric sheets, tape boxes, artworks and memorabilia from the Lennon-Ono archives.

GIMME SOME TRUTH. will also be released as a 19-track CD or 2LP, a 36-track 2CD or 4 LP, and several digital versions for download and streaming including in 24 bit/ 96 kHz audio and hi-res Dolby Atmos. The vinyl was cut by mastering engineer Alex Wharton at Abbey Road Studios. The Deluxe Edition and 4LP formats will include a GIMME SOME TRUTH. bumper sticker, a two-sided poster of Lennon printed in black and white with silver and gold metallics, and two postcards, one of which is a replica of Lennon’s letter to the Queen of England in

1969 when he returned his MBE in “protest against Britain’s involvement in the NigerianBiafra thing, against our support of America in Vietnam and Cold Turkey slipping down the charts.” The 2LP and 2CD will also include the poster and all versions will come with a booklet filled with photos and the MBE letter.

The album cover features a rarelyseen striking black and white profile portrait of John Lennon, taken on the day John returned his MBE. The album cover, CD and LP booklets and typographic artworks were designed by Jonathan Barnbrook who created the covers for David Bowie’s albums Heathen, Reality and The Next Day and won a GRAMMY® Award for the packaging of Bowie’s Black Star album.

GIMME SOME TRUTH. traces the arc of Lennon’s post-Beatles life and career, bringing together songs from all of his revered solo albums including John Lennon/ Plastic Ono Band (1970), Imagine (1971), Some Time In New York City (1972), Mind Games (1973), Walls and Bridges (1974), Rock ‘n’ Roll (1975), Double Fantasy (1980) and 1984’s posthumous Milk and Honey. The collection is bookended with his early nonalbum singles, kicking off with the one-two punch of “Instant Karma! (We All Shine On),” Lennon’s exuberant exhortation about the karmic forces of action/reaction and equality (“we all shine on like the moon and the stars and the sun”), and the electrifying addiction-themed “Cold Turkey,” and culminating with the holiday classic “Happy Xmas (War Is Over)” and the anti-war protest anthem “Give Peace A Chance,” with its ubiquitous, titular call to action: “All we are saying is Give Peace A Chance.”

Sequenced in chronological order by album they were released on, songs on the 36-track version include all of Lennon’s biggest hits and showcase his thoughts, beliefs and convictions about everything from peace (“Imagine,” “Give Peace A Chance,” “Happy Xmas (War Is Over)”), religion (“God”), politics (“Power To The People,” “Working Class Hero”), lying politicians (“Gimme Some Truth”), racism (“Angela”), continued on next page

October 2020 • Rock and Blues International

85

equality (“Woman”), love and marriage (“Love,” “Oh Yoko!,” “Dear Yoko,” “Mind Games,” “Out The Blue,” “Every Man Has A Woman Who Loves Him,” “Grow Old With Me”), fatherhood (“Beautiful Boy (Darling Boy)”), loneliness (“Isolation”) and much more. Some of the many other highlights include the sonically sumptuous “Jealous Guy” and “#9 Dream,” the acerbic “How Do You Sleep?,” the breezy, carefree “Watching The Wheels,” a rollicking live recording of “Come Together” that he had originally recorded with The Beatles, the rapturous Elton John collaboration “Whatever Gets You Thru The Night,” and the jubilant, bittersweet “I’m Stepping Out.”

JOHN LENNON. GIMME SOME TRUTH. THE ULTIMATE MIXES. Preorder: https://johnlennon.lnk.to/ GIMMESOMETRUTH

INSTANT KARMA! (WE ALL SHINE ON).

(ULTIMATE MIX).

Stream: http://johnlennon.lnk.to/ InstantKarma johnlennon.com imaginejohnyoko.com facebook.com/johnlennon twitter.com/johnlennon instagram.com/johnlennon youtube.com/johnlennon

Like all Lennon projects, intense thought and care went into the making of GIMME SOME TRUTH and the remixing of these treasured songs. As Paul Hicks details in the Deluxe Edition book: “Yoko is very keen that in making The Ultimate Mixes series we achieve three things: remain faithful and respectful to the originals, ensure that the sound is generally sonically clearer overall, and increase the clarity of John’s vocals. ‘It’s about John,’ she says. And she is right. His voice brings the biggest emotional impact to the songs.” Hicks continues, “The combination of remixing from all the original firstgeneration multitrack sources and finishing in analogue has brought a whole new level of magic, warmth and clarity to the sound, along with a more detailed dynamic range and sound stage, and we really hope you enjoy the results.”

The results speak for themselves and allow Lennon’s voice and words to shine on, clearer and brighter, at a time when they are needed now, more than ever. When listened to in sequence, GIMME SOME TRUTH. THE ULTIMATE MIXES. plays both like one of the greatest-ever live Lennon concerts and an emotional telling of his life story, from just after the breakup of The Beatles, to falling in love and marrying Yoko, his peace activism, personal soul-searching, inspiration, celebration, confusion, reunion, fatherhood, his five-year break from music while raising Sean, and his triumphant return into the ‘80s with two new albums.

BLU-RAY AUDIO DISC All of the above thirty-six tracks, available in High Definition audio as: 1. HD Stereo Audio Mixes (24 bit/96 kHz) 2. HD 5.1 Surround Sound Mixes (24 bit/96 kHz) 3. HD Dolby Atmos Mixes -----------------------------------------

JOHN LENNON. GIMME SOME TRUTH. THE ULTIMATE MIXES.

4 LP BOX SET DELUXE BOX SET 124 PAGE BOOK, 1 FOLD OUT POSTER, 2 POSTCARDS, 1 BUMPER STICKER. 1 BLU-RAY AUDIO DISC: 36 TRACKS IN HIGH DEFINITION 24-96 STEREO, 5.1 SURROUND SOUND, DOLBY ATMOS.

Throughout these incredible, timeless songs we experience the many facets of John Lennon: the songwriter, the revolutionary, the musician, the husband, the truth-teller, the dad, the provocateur, the peace activist, the artist, the icon.

ABOUT JOHN LENNON John Lennon is arguably the greatest songwriter of his generation. Lennon has won seven GRAMMY® Awards, including two Lifetime Achievement Awards, and two special BRIT Awards for Outstanding Contribution to Music. He has been inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and the Songwriters Hall of Fame and has a star on the Walk of Fame. In 2008, Rolling Stone ranked Lennon in the Top 5 of the magazine’s “100 Greatest Singers Of All Time” list.

86

9. Beautiful Boy (Darling Boy) 10. Watching The Wheels 11. Woman 12. Dear Yoko 13. Every Man Has A Woman Who ] Loves Him 14. Nobody Told Me 15. I’m Stepping Out 16. Grow Old With Me 17. Happy Xmas (War Is Over) 18. Give Peace A Chance

Rock and Blues International • October 2020

2 CDS: 36 TRACKS IN STEREO. CD1 1. Instant Karma! (We All Shine On) 2. Cold Turkey 3. Working Class Hero 4. Isolation 5. Love 6. God 7. Power To The People 8. Imagine 9. Jealous Guy 10. Gimme Some Truth 11. Oh My Love 12. How Do You Sleep?

13. Oh Yoko!

14. Angela 15. Come Together (live) 16. Mind Games 17. Out The Blue 18. I Know (I Know) CD2 1. Whatever Gets You Thru The Night 2. Bless You 3. #9 Dream 4. Steel and Glass 5. Stand By Me 6. Angel Baby 7. (Just Like) Starting Over 8. I’m Losing You

8 PAGE BOOKLET, 1 FOLD OUT POSTER, 2 POSTCARDS, 1 BUMPER STICKER. 36 TRACKS IN STEREO. LP 1 SIDE A 1. Instant Karma! (We All Shine On) 2. Cold Turkey 3. Working Class Hero 4. Isolation 5. Love LP 1 SIDE B 6. God 7. Power To The People 8. Imagine 9. Jealous Guy LP 2 SIDE A 10. Gimme Some Truth 11. Oh My Love 12. How Do You Sleep?

13. Oh Yoko!

14. Angela LP 2 SIDE B 15. Come Together (live) 16. Mind Games 17. Out The Blue 18. I Know (I Know)

LP 3 SIDE A 19. Whatever Gets You Thru The Night 20. Bless You 21. #9 Dream 22. Steel And Glass 23. Stand By Me LP 3 SIDE B 24. Angel Baby 25. (Just Like) Starting Over 26. I’m Losing You 27. Beautiful Boy (Darling Boy) 28. Watching the Wheels

5. Stand By Me 6. Angel Baby 7. (Just Like) Starting Over 8. I’m Losing You 9. Beautiful Boy (Darling Boy) 10. Watching the Wheels 11. Woman 12. Dear Yoko 13. Every Man Has A Woman Who Loves Him 14. Nobody Told Me 15. I’m Stepping Out 16. Grow Old with Me 17. Give Peace a Chance 18. Happy Xmas (War Is Over) ----------------------------------------

LP 2 SIDE A 10. Mind Games 11. Whatever Gets You Thru The Night 12. Stand By Me 13. (Just Like) Starting Over 14. Beautiful Boy (Darling Boy) LP 2 SIDE B 15. Watching The Wheels 16. Woman 17. Grow Old With Me 18. Happy Xmas (War Is Over) 19. Give Peace A Chance ----------------------------------------

LP 4 SIDE A 29. Woman 30. Dear Yoko 31. Every Man Has A Woman Who Loves Him 32. Nobody Told Me LP 4 SIDE B 33. I’m Stepping Out 34. Grow Old with Me 35. Give Peace a Chance 36. Happy Xmas (War Is Over) ------------------------------------------

2 LP GATEFOLD 8 PAGE BOOKLET, 1 FOLD OUT POSTER, 1 BUMPER STICKER. 19 TRACKS IN STEREO. LP 1 SIDE A 1. Instant Karma! (We All Shine On) 2. Cold Turkey 3. Isolation 4. Power To The People

2 CD GATEFOLD IN SLEEVE 20 PAGE BOOKLET, 1 FOLD OUT POSTER. 36 TRACKS IN STEREO. TRACKS ALSO AVAILABLE ON STREAMING. CD1 1. Instant Karma! (We All Shine On) 2. Cold Turkey 3. Working Class Hero 4. Isolation 5. Love 6. God 7. Power To The People 8. Imagine 9. Jealous Guy 10. Gimme Some Truth 11. Oh My Love 12. How Do You Sleep?

13. Oh Yoko!

14. Angela 15. Come Together (live) 16. Mind Games 17. Out The Blue 18. I Know (I Know)

LP 1 SIDE B 5. Imagine 6. Jealous Guy 7. Gimme Some Truth 8. Come Together (live) 9. #9 Dream

1 CD GATEFOLD 20 PAGE BOOKLET. 19 TRACKS IN STEREO. ALSO AVAILABLE ON DIGITAL (DOWNLOAD ONLY).

1. Instant Karma! (We All Shine On) 2. Cold Turkey 3. Isolation 4. Power To The People 5. Imagine 6. Jealous Guy 7. Gimme Some Truth 8. Come Together (live) 9. #9 Dream 10. Mind Games 11. Whatever Gets You Thru The Night 12. Stand By Me 13. (Just Like) Starting Over 14. Beautiful Boy (Darling Boy) 15. Watching the Wheels 16. Woman 17. Grow Old with Me 18. Happy Xmas (War Is Over) 19. Give Peace a Chance

CD2 1. Whatever Gets You Thru The Night 2. Bless You 3. #9 Dream 4. Steel And Glass

October 2020 • Rock and Blues International

87

New Product From Fender

Fender® Launches All-New Signature Ukulele With Five-Time Grammy® Award-Winner Billie Eilish Fender Musical Instruments Corporation (FMIC) today released the all-new Billie Eilish Signature Ukulele. This is Billie Eilish’s first artist signature model with the iconic guitar brand and it completely embodies Eilish’s preferred specs and distinct aesthetic with her distinct “blohsh™” symbol patterned across the ukulele. In over a year, Eilish has exploded onto the music scene with her debut album ‘WHEN WE ALL FALL ASLEEP, WHERE DO WE GO?’ earning her five Grammy® wins, including Song of the Year (bad guy) and Album of the Year. Designed in collaboration with Eilish herself, the ukulele embodies her uniquely bold style that fans know and love, and can now take home in ukulele form. Watch Billie - with her adopted Pitbull puppy, Shark - play her Fender Signature Ukulele, while she reminisces about the first song she wrote on the ukulele.

“The ukulele was the first instrument I

88

learned,” said Billie Eilish. “It’s where I started writing, and where I found new ways of writing that I had never tried before. It inspires a different kind of writing. The rules of the ukulele are simple, and basically if you know three chords you can play almost any song. I hope my Fender Signature ukulele inspires people to start playing, and start writing; anyone can do it.”

The Billie Eilish Signature Ukulele is a stage-ready concert body ukulele built with a Sapele top, back and sides featuring a black matte finish and Fishman® Kula preamp for those looking to plug in. Additional specs include a walnut fingerboard, white dot inlays and Nickel hardware. Whether a player is an experienced musician or looking to pick up their first instrument, the ukulele can be enjoyed by any skill level.

“We are extremely honored to collaborate with Billie on her debut signature

Rock and Blues International • October 2020

Fender ukulele,” said Billy Martinez, VP, Category Manager Acoustic & Squier Divisions. “She’s inspired a new generation of players and now this uke gives her fans around the world a new reason to get excited about playing. Billie established herself at a young age, transforming the music industry and inspiring people both young and old. She is unconditionally herself and the ukulele she designed is a perfect reflection of her spirit and iconic style.”

Inspired by her parents and brother’s love of music, Billie Eilish began her musical journey at a very young age, when other kids her age were just starting kindergarten. The Los Angeles native first gained attention in 2015 at the age of thirteen after uploading the song ocean eyes to Soundcloud, which was written and produced by her brother Finneas.

Billie’s debut EP, dont smile at me, released in 2017, was a slow-burning hit and laid the groundwork for her debut full length album,

WHEN WE ALL FALL ASLEEP, WHERE DO WE GO?, which debuted atop the Billboard 200 and became the best-performing album of 2019 in the US. Billie is not only the youngest and second person ever to win the four main Grammy® categories – Best New Artist, Record of the Year, Song of the Year and Album of the Year – in the same year but also the first female to do so.

Eilish’s ascent to pop stardom started with the ukulele, the first instrument she learned to play and write songs on, making this an ode to her humble beginnings in the music world. The launch of Eilish’s signature ukulele coincides with the recent addition of six of her songs (for guitar and uke only) to Fender Play, the complete online learning app for guitar, bass and ukulele. Fans around the world can start their musical journey and play their very own Billie Eilish ukulele while learning her songs, including &burn, my strange addiction, ocean eyes, Six Feet Under, watch and when the party’s over.

Billie has been a big advocate for mental health and awareness and recently Fender Play users have shared they are also utilizing the app as a way to destress, reduce anxiety.

donate to this effort in any amount their situation allows by visiting https:// www.hawaiicommunityfoundation.org/ alohamelefund. “All of us at Hawaii Community Foundation are extremely grateful to Billie Eilish and Fender for this meaningful contribution to our Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander communities,” says Micah Kane, CEO and President of Hawaii Community Foundation. “In Hawaii, we practice aloha, which among many things, means that we take care of one another. This gift is a reminder of the generosity and kindness that all of us can show at this critical time.”

For technical specs, additional information on new Fender products and to find a retail partner near you, visit www.fender.com. Join the conversation on social media by following @Fender.

Billie Eilish Signature Ukulele – $299.99 As soon as she burst onto the scene with her 2015 single “ocean eyes”, it was clear that Billie Eilish is a force to be

About Fender Musical Instruments Coroporation:

“Billie is a once-in-a-generation talent who has been on a meteoric rise since releasing her first song to Soundcloud in 2015,” said Matt Watts, VP Marketing. “It’s no secret that Billie moves millions of people and has a unique approach to creating. The output of this instrument is no different as it celebrates that freedom of self-expression through Billie’s lens. We hope her genre-defying blend and this ukulele inspires others to start expressing themselves creatively.”

In true tradition, the Fender Artist Signature Series honors iconic musicians through product progression and storytelling, creating instruments inspired by the unique specifications of the world’s greatest guitarists and bassists. Fender discusses the all-new Billie Eilish Signature Ukulele specs and all details in an episode of Fender’s serialized social video series, Fender Demos. Fender Demos is an educational video series focused on providing a deep dive into Fender’s newest products. The series focuses on showcasing not only the key features and benefits, but also the sonic quality of Fender’s instruments, amplifiers and pedals. In addition to product demos, the series also provides valuable beginner, intermediate and advanced tone tips, set-up and maintenance guides and insights to getting the most out of your Fender gear.

In recognition of Billie’s connection to the ukulele as her first instrument and the history of the ukulele in Hawaii, Billie and Fender are making a gift to the Aloha Mele Fund, a newly-established fund of the Hawaii Community Foundation. The funding will be distributed to nonprofit organizations who are working to support coronavirus relief efforts for Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander communities in Hawaii. Fans are invited to

ALL FALL ASLEEP, WHERE DO WE GO? debuted at No. 1 on the Billboard 200 in the U.S as well as 17 additional countries around the world upon release. WHEN WE ALL FALL ASLEEP, WHERE DO WE GO? was written, produced and recorded entirely by Billie Eilish and brother FINNEAS in their childhood home of Highland Park, Los Angeles. Earlier this year, Billie Eilish won 5 GRAMMY®’s at the 62nd GRAMMY® Awards for Best New Artist, Album of the Year, Record of the Year, Song of the Year, and Best Pop Vocal Album. February saw Billie take the stage with her brother FINNEAS to deliver a rousing rendition of The Beatles’ ‘Yesterday’ at the 92nd Oscars.

Later that month, she released her internationally hailed, official James Bond theme song ‘No Time To Die.’ March came, and the global pop-sensation was ready to embark on her first ever SOLD-OUT WHERE DO WE GO? world arena tour, only for it to be postponed just days into the North American leg of the tour, as the country went into lockdown. In July, Billie released her latest single, ‘my future,’ signifying an assured young woman, coming into her own, as she contemplates what’s ahead of her.

reckoned with. In the years since, she has established herself as a new kind of pop culture icon, taking the fashion and music industries by storm on her own terms. Billie’s meteoric ascent to pop stardom started with the ukulele, the first instrument she learned to play. Designed in collaboration with Billie Eilish, her Signature Ukulele is a stage-ready instrument that embodies Billie’s bold, unmistakable style. This concert ukulele is built with sapele top, back, and sides, featuring a matte black finish with Billie’s “blohsh™” symbol. It also includes a Fishman® Kula preamp for those looking to plug in. Whether you’re an experienced musician or looking to pick up your first instrument, one thing is true: you can play anything on the ukulele.

About Billie Eilish: 18-year-old global pop-phenom Billie Eilish has fast become one of the biggest stars to emerge since the release of her debut single “ocean eyes,” and continues to shatter the ceiling of music with her genre-defying sound. Fast forward from her humble breakout in 2015, Billie’s album WHEN WE

Since 1946, Fender has revolutionized music and culture as one of the world’s leading musical instrument manufacturers, marketers and distributors. Fender Musical Instruments Corporation (FMIC)–whose portfolio of brands includes Fender®, Squier®, Gretsch® guitars, Jackson®, EVH® and Charvel®–follows a playercentric approach to crafting the highestquality instruments and digital experiences across genres. Since 2015, Fender’s digital arm has introduced a new ecosystem of products and interactive experiences to accompany players at every stage of their musical journey. This includes innovative apps and learning platforms designed to complement Fender guitars, amplifiers, effects pedals, accessories and pro-audio gear and inspire players through an immersive musical experience. FMIC is dedicated to unlocking the power of musical expression for all players, from beginners to historymaking legends.

About Hawaii Community Foundation: With over 100 years of community service, the Hawaii Community Foundation (HCF) is the leading philanthropic institution in the state. HCF is a steward of more than 950 funds, including more than 280 scholarship funds, created by donors who desire to transform lives and improve communities. In 2019, HCF distributed more than $63 million in grants and contracts statewide, including more than $7 million in scholarships. Since the beginning of the pandemic, HCF has rapidly deployed resources to community nonprofits and health care providers who are working on the ground to address the spread of COVID-19 in Hawai’i.

October 2020 • Rock and Blues International

89