The Groove: Jan-Feb 2016

The Crossroads Blues Society Newsletter

The

GROOVE

2015 in Review: Our Biggest Year Ever

Blues Festival Draws Great Crowd 2015 was our biggest and most active year in Crossroads history! In addition to an extremely successful festival, we also were involved in bringing 57 shows and 10 Blues in the Schools (BITS) to the Rockford and northern Illinois area!

The 2015 Crossroads Blues Festival at Lyran Park was our keystone event. The weather was cool but no rain hampered us and attendance from 2014 was doubled at the

2015 event.

Topping the list in numbers were 21 shows at the Lyran Club. We experimented with shows there for their Friday night fish fry and they worked well, so the Lyran Society established a budget for the shows and we began with monthly events through May. Things were going well and the Lyran Society asked us to move the shows to twice and month so we focused on first and third Fridays. Some months we even did a third

show. The New Savages became the “House” band with monthly shows and other bands were scheduled for the other nights.

We had many great shows there over the year and more are scheduled for 2016. Martin Lang and Billy Flynn put on a superb show in August. Dave Fields came in twice for high energy shows that caught the crowd’s attention. Dave Weld and the Imperial Flames CD release party was a big night and Jimy Sahns and Bobby Messano put on a fantastic night of music. Every show there was well received and a lot of fun!

Hour second year of Hope and Anchor programming brought another Baker’s dozen of show to the Loves Park English Pub. The 12 monthly second Saturday events were capped off with a great New Years Eve Party featuring Dave Fields from New York! The Jimmys packed the pace twice

January-February 2016

2016 Crossroads Blues Festival Lineup 

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Jimmy Nick, Birddog and Beck Off to the IBC The International Blues Challenge in Memphis will be held beginning on Wednesday January 26th. The Quarter finals will be on the 26th and 27th and the semifinals will be on Friday the 28th.

These rounds are held in the clubs and venues up and down Beale Street. The finals are at the Orpheum Theater on Saturday afternoon January 29th.

Representing Crossroads in the competition are Jimmy Nick and Don’t Tell Mama in the band area and Birddog and Beck in the solo/duo area.

Lexi Parr and Korey Steil will also perform in the Youth Showcase. Best of luck to all of them as they go to Memphis!

Reverend Payton’s Big Damn Band: from Southern Indiana this hill country blues band is getting people on their feet and dancing to their groove!

Tad Robinson: the soulful sweet sounds of Tad Robinson delight blues fans across the globe!

Ghost Town Blues Band: we will be jamming’ and groovin’ to the swingin’ sounds of this exciting young Memphis band!

Joanna Connor: the mistress of the slide guitar, Joanna is one of the world’s finest slide players and will give us an energizing show!

Flaming Mudcats: The top blues band from New Zealand graces our stage; they play authentic Chicago blues all the way from Auckland!

Birddog and Beck: between acts we have our Solo/Duo Blues Challenge winners who will delight our crowd and conduct the harp workshop!

Inside this issue:

Rodney Brown with Jimmy Nick

News Music Reviews Playlist, Members Membership Application Upcoming Events

1-9, 26-30 10-25 31 32 32

The Groove- Crossroads Blues Society Newsletter

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Crossroads 2015 in Review continued from page 1

with shows in May and November– two SRO shows that were memorable events.

Aaron Williams and the Hoo Doo opened the year, followed by Reverend Raven and the Chain Smoking Altar Boys in February. Sena Ehrhardt made her first area appearance in March. Taildragger backed by the Rockin’ Johnny Band gave an impressive show for attendees in April. The H&A summer of fun started with a show of local Blues Artists through the Ages in June, Altered Five in July and the New Savages in August. Liz Mandeville gave a high energy performance in September and soul master Josh Hoyer amazed us in October. Jimmy Nick and Don’t Tell Mama gave notice that they will be a force to be reckoned with in Memphis in January at the IBC by delivering a memorable show in December.

The Ice Hogs hosted Blues at the Blue Flame Lounge prior to each Friday home game in 2015 during both seasons’ games that were played. Local bands were able to showcase their talents from 5:15 to 6:45 PM at all 10 Friday home games. Macyn Taylor, the Blueshawks and the New Savages each did a pair of shows. Recently Paroled, the Hoodoo Rhythm Kings, Collins-Grayless Band and Justin Gates also did shows.

All Saints Lutheran Church in Byron hosted Sunday afternoon programs on the first Sunday of the month 6 times in 2015. The acoustic shows were well received and were a lot of fun!

avenge their second place finish in 2014 with a win to allow them to represent Crossroads in Memphis at the IBC. Crossroads also worked with the Carlson American Legion Post early in the year to bring Studebaker John back to Rockford.

Blues in the Schools featured 8 programs that we funded and 2 that we funded by a grant. Mark Dvorak and David Causey did 4 school programs, Dave Fields did 4 programs, and Bobby Messano did a pair. Funding was limited prior to the 2015 festival but now were are set to do many programs for the 2015/2016 school year!

These programs make for 144 programs and over 44,000 students have gotten to hear and learn about the blues due to our efforts since May 2012.

All of this added up to 57 events for 2015 in addition to the 10 BITS programs. We’ve never had such a busy and successful year! We are in the best financial position we have ever been in for our 21 years of existence and membership is back to almost 200 members!

Given our status, 2016 looks great! Our festival is completely planned out, dozens

Taildragger at the Hope and Anchor

Crossroads Blues Society Officers and Board Members Contact Info President: Steve Jones sub_insignia@yahoo.com Vice-President: Bill Graw williamjgraw@gmail.com

Blackhawk Meadows Park in Byron was home to Sunday afternoon shows for each of the 3 summer months.

Doug MacLeod with Dan Phelps opening started things off in June. Jimmy Nick and Don’t Tell Mama were there in July and Bobby Messano performed there in August. Each show was fantastic. We were a little disappointed with low turnouts but the shows were some of the musical highlights of the summer.

Many individual events were also held.

The 4th of July Celebration with Crossroads and the Lyran Club was held at Lyran Park and featured Bobby Messano and helped celebrate Crossroads President Steve Jones’ 60th birthday.

Our 2015 Crossroads Blues Challenge at Mary’s Place saw Birddog and Beck

of shows are booked and we have our first two-week BITS residency program planned for East HS with Dan Phelps supporting that. John Primer, Tad Robinson, and Reverend Peyton’s Big Damn Band are some of the great names we have scheduled for blues fans to see and hear.

2015 was a fantastic year and here’s to a wonderful 2016!

Secretary: Bonnie Fox bonitafx@gmail.com Treasurer: Terry Keller terry@markpack.com Board of Directors: Denny Barker harkthebark@mchsi.com Rick Davis rick_davis_937@comcast.net Bob Haendler rhaendler@comcast.net Ken Pearson cntrylivng@aol.com

Doug MacLeod at Blackhawk Meadows Park

Rick Hein mrrickhein@sbcglobal.net

January-February 2016

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The Twelve Months of the New Blues Year — Can We Make More of It???

Editor’s Note: Mark Nelson is a huge music aficionado who devotes a lot of time to music.

He offers up some great advice as to how to organize your time and use it wisely so you can maximize your blues music listening enjoyment!

It’s 2016….. It came upon us quickly. I saw a recent commercial that talked about the days going by quickly, and the years going by even faster. We all have a place for the blues in our hearts. It’s an itch we like to scratch, and usually don’t get to do it enough. All of us are busy with work keeping up our residence, health, family and friends. It may be learning about the blues history, seeing new bands, understanding how recordings are made there are all things we would like to do, and many times don’t get done. How can we get better at this? Here are a few hints to assist us in making it happen.

With the blues (and most other hobbies) there is  music to listen to,  books to read,  videos to watch,  magazines to read  friends to discuss the music with,  live shows to attend We can be overwhelmed with how and when we listen to music. There are CDs, LPs, MP3s, Satellite Radio, FM radio, internet blues shows, and streaming services. Which are right for you, is up to you. You can increase you listening by  Listening to an MP3 player to listen to as you do chores  Put on your calendar the times of local radio shows (for example 96.7 The Eagle for The Sunday Morning Blues with Rich Gordon 8-10 a.m. every Sunday or David James on WNIJ 89.5 for the Saturday Night Blues)  Keep a few blues CDs or a thumb drive with MP3s in your car for listening.  Visit You Tube once a week to see some blues from someone you like or someone you heard about.  Make a list of CDs you have been wanting to listen to for the first time or for another time and make a time each week to listen to one (Tuesday at 7PM for ex-

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ample) If you made the jump to satellite radio check out listening to it in the house. Sirius/XM Channel 70 is BB Kings’ Bluesville with 24/7 blues and some great programming put together by Tony Colter).

Read the reviews in our newsletter, and check out reviews on web sites or other blues societies so you can keep up with new releases and rereleases of older material (www.ALLMUSIC.com and the charts on http:// rootsmusicreport.com/charts/ view/album/genre/blues/weekly

A great way to spend some “me” time is a good blues book with some music from the artist you are reading about. You can go to the library, a good local bookstore, or Amazon for your choices. Recent books I read are:  Buddy Guy: When I Left Home  Blues All Day Long, The Jimmy Rogers Story  Spinning Blues Into Gold  I’ll Take You There: Mavis Staples Pick your topic and set some time up to read.

If your budget won’t sustain too many purchases, do not despair. Your public library has a selection of recent and classic blues on CD that they loan out for free.

Youtube also offers a great assortment of blues music. If you like music, you like to see the performance too. There are DVDs and Youtube videos out there in large numbers. Go check out Sister Rosetta Tharpe on this You Tube video https://www.youtube.com/watch? v=SR2gR6SZC2M There are several blues publications out there. It’s fun to read them and pick up knowledge of artist, venues, and releases.

Blues Music Magazine, Living Blues and the online Blues Blast Magazine are essentials. Pick up a copy or get the online version for your enjoyment. Offbeat from New Orleans and Downbeat are other publications with some blues content.

When together with friends or family, put on your latest favorite blues CD. See what they know and share your knowl-

by Mark Nelson

edge of the music. A good discussion with some music shared is great to do.

Crossroads meetings and events are great places to discuss the music too. It is great to have something to share.

By attending live shows you can interact with other fans and have the audio/visual interaction with the band. You can listen and dance. There might be good food too! Make a plan to visit a new club or festival that you have never attended.

Check out some new bands too. One can even check out similar genres by seeing a jazz show. A good night out with music will be remembered by all. Enjoy more live music. Get it on your calendar and go.

How do you get time to do all this…well here are a few hints:  Get things on your calendar! For example, Rich Gordon sends out a weekly email of live shows in the area every Sunday and Robert Decker produces his "Who's On First" with Blues events in the state & area that are distributed for free.  Have a place to listen or watch or to read at home. Set a time for it, and look forward to it.  Invite your family friends and neighbors over for a blues themed get together. Watch a DVD or put on your favorites. A good time will be had by all.  Pinpoint the music book or videos you want to enjoy. Make a list so you know what to turn to when your next time for enjoyment comes up. Listen to that live BB King Cd or read about Buddy Guy. We all have CDs records that need some sort of organization to it. Today there is also all sorts of digital music you own. Set up time to get it organized so that you can find the things you are looking for. For digital items, be sure to back them up.

While organizing your collection, you will certainly find some things you want to hear, and had forgot about.

Overall make it fun, and ENJOY it. The more people enjoy the blues, the better the experience will be. Make this a great blues year for you.

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The Groove- Crossroads Blues Society Newsletter

Blues in the Schools for 2015-2016

Bobby Messano at Carlson ES With a very successful festival, our plans for our BITS efforts for 2015-2016 became bigger than prior years as we have funds to do more. We began on September 18th in Rockford Schools with Dave Fields playing for a combine 800 students at West MS and then Maria Montessori ES and Thurgood Marshall MS. Bobby Messano appeared on December 18th at Highland ES in Stillman Valley (Meridian School District) and Carlson ES in Rockford for a total of about 660 students. At the end of the calendar year, we have completed 144 programs for over 44,000 students since we began this in May 2002.

In January we have two sets of artists scheduled for Friday, January 22nd.

Dave Weld and the Imperial Flames will appear at Spring Creek ES and Bloom ES in Rockford while Dan Phelps will appear at Mary Morgan ES and Byron MS in Byron. Then on Tuesday, January 26th we have Hamilton Loomis scheduled to appear at two more schools. 6 programs are currently set for January.

In February we are working with East HS in Rockford to conduct our first residency program with Dan Phelps doing the edu-

cational music work for us. This will entail 10 full days of school programming for East and other schools who will come there for guitar and song writing lessons

by Dan. Dan will also conduct an opening session assembly and a closing session at night with the students so they can play together and play their songs for their

parents. Details are being finalized for all this at press time.

Later in the school year, Crossroads plays on doing at least 10 more programs for a total of at least 20 for the school year in addition to the residency event. This will be our biggest BITS year ever!

January-February 2016 Here are some more photos of recent BITS programs at schools. We’ve had some large and enthusiastic audiences for our programs. Shown are Dave Fields at the West MS and Marshall/Montessori Schools (Rockford School Distirct) programs in the upper two photos. In the

Page 5 lower photos we integrated BITS with the PBIS Christmas Program at Highland ES in Stillman Valley (Meridian School District). Principal Mike Coulahan put together a band to back Bobby Messano on 12-18-15 and then CBS President Steve Jones joined Bobby Messano for Christ-

BITS with Dave Fields at West MS on 99-1818-15 Photo by Bob Haendler

mas events in two of the class pods at Carlson ES in Rockford. All 4 lower photos are by Rick Davis. BITS and the blues are alive and well in Northern Illinois due to our efforts. Thanks to our volunteers for their great assistance in making these programs happen!!!

BITS with Dave Fields at Thurgood Marshall and Maria Montessori Schools on 99-1818-15 Photo by Bob Haendler

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(1915-1983) The guys showed their stuff at the great Newport Folk Festival. Included here are ” Got My Mojo Working”, “Baby, Please Don't Go”, and “Hoochie Coochie Man”. For more Muddy in the 60’s, try both, The Real Folk Blues and More Real Folk Blues.

Top All Time Blues Albums

by Mark Nelson, courtesy of John M. Becker

#25 – Blind Blake - Ragtime Guitar's Foremost Fingerpicker – 1984 – Compilation (1893-1934) He is referred to as ‘King Of The Ragtime Guitar’. He was a prolific recorder of music, cutting 79 sides for Paramount. In this fine collection you will find “Too Tight Blues No. 2”, “Skeedle Loo Doo Blues” and “Southern Rag”. To really dig deep, you can obtain the 5 CD All the Published Sides put out in 2003.

#24 – Hound Dog Taylor – Hound Dog Taylor – 1971 (1915-1975) Alligator Records started with this LP. It is wild and semiuncontrolled, but it is GREAT! “She’s Gone”, “Give Me Back My Wig”, “55th Street Boogie” and “Taylor’s Rock” are all mesmerizing. To hear more from Hound Dog Taylor give 1973’s Natural Boogie a listen.

#23 – Charlie Musselwhite - Stand Back! Here Comes Charley Musselwhite's South Side Band – 1967 (1944 - ) He made a big splash in the late 60’s as the white players really hit the blues scene. With nearly 40 recordings to his credit, there is a long career her. This was his first LP, and it contains “Baby Will You Please Help Me”, “Chicken Shack”, and “Strange Land”. There is plenty more of his material out there, but start with 2010’s The Well and 1990’s Ace of Harps.

#22 – Muddy Waters – Hard Again – 1977 (1915-1983) Muddy in a more mature but driving time period is presented here.

Johnny Winters collaborates with Muddy on “Blues Had A Baby And They Named It Rock & Roll”, “Mannish Boy” and “I Want To Be Loved”. If you like Blue Sky Muddy era, check out Muddy Mississippi Waters Live from 1979.

#21 – Muddy Waters – Live At Newport 1960 - 1960

#20 – John Mayall – Blues Breakers With Eric Clapton – 1966 (1933 - Current) For over a half a century, John Mayall had brought us blues music. He may be most remembered for this classic. It was a big intro of Eric Clapton to the blues world after his time with the Yardbirds, but before fame hit with Cream. “Hideaway”, “All Your Love”, and “Ramblin' On My Mind” are fine British blues. For more of John Mayall’s great discography try 1988’s Chicago Line and 2003’s 70th Birthday Concert.

#19 – Albert King – King Of The Blues Guitar 1966-1968 – 1969 – Compilation (1923 – 1992) The pipe smoking guitarist also turned up the heat on his guitar strings. This is a collection that was expanded in the CD release to cover more of his Atlantic sides. Powerful material is included such as ”Crosscut Saw”, “Born Under A Bad Sign”, “Laundromat Blues” and “Pretty Woman”. You can catch some great live Albert King with Wednesday Night In San Francisco and Thursday Night In San Francisco.

January-February 2016

#18 – Skip James - The Complete Early Recordings of Skip James – 1930 1994 – Compilation (1902-1969) As part of the early blues recorders and the revival of the 60’s, Skip James was popular and prolific. In 1931 he recorded “Hard Time Killin' Floor Blues”, “I'm So Glad” and “Devil Got My Woman”.

Want more Skip James, you can try out Live: Boston, 1964 & Philadelphia 1966.

#17 – Mississippi John Hurt – Avalon Blues – The Complete 1928 OKEH Recordings – 1996 – Compilation (1893 – 1966) Hurt is another early country blues artist, who made a 60’s comeback. He has a pleasant voice, and a great picking style of guitar.

“Stack-O-Lee”, “Avalon Blues” and Candy Man Blues” are great examples of early country blues. For more Mississippi John Hurt I’d recommend 1972’s Last Session.

#16 – John Lee Hooker - The Legendary Modern Recordings 1948-1954

Page 7 – 1994 – Compilation (1917 - 2001) Hooker brought his raw blues element into a rocking boogie style of music. He was loved by the rock crowd, and put out music for many decades. These early sides contain “Boogie Chillen”, “I'm In The Mood”, “Gotta Boogie” and “Crawling Kingsnake”. If you enjoyed this one, I’d recommend 1991’s The Ultimate Collection 1948-1990 on Rhino.

#15 – Guitar Slim – Sufferin’ Mind – 1991 – Compilation (1926 – 1959) A wild performer who gave his audience all he had, Guitar Slim is loved by many. He went by many names. This release has 26 cuts, so you do get almost all of Guitar Slim. “The Things That I Used To Do” is included here, along with “Bad Luck Blues”. To dig deep into his few releases, try Greensboro Rounder from 1979.

#14 – Robert Cray – Strong Persuader – 1986 (1953 - Current) The return to the blues in the mid-80’s was propelled by Stevie Ray Vaughan and Robert Cray. Cray brought a soulful vocal style with some fine guitar. This recording was one his finest. It includes the title cut, “Smoking Gun”, “Right Next Door (Because Of Me)” and my favorite “Foul Play”. For more of Mr. Cray, you can check out Time Will Tell from 2003 and Bad Influence from 1983.

#13 – Albert Collins, Robert Cray & Johnny Copeland – Showdown! – 1985 ( ) Quite a group of guitar players pulled together a very fine recording.

They won a Grammy, and helped push the blues back to the fore front. You can check out “Black Cat Bone”, “She’s Into Something” and “T-Bone Shuffle”. All 3 have been listed in other selection in this group. Check out those recordings.

#12 – R. L. Burnside – Too Bad Jim – 1994 (1926 - 2005) Out of the Mississippi hill country comes the raw and roarin’ sounds of R. L. Burnside. This is his 2nd Fat Possum release and it includes “Old Black Mattie”, “Shake 'Em On Down” and “Goin' Down South”. For more grab the first Fat Possum release Bad Luck City from 1992.

On 5/10 Lists

#11 – T-Bone Walker – T-Bone Blues – 1959 (1910 – 1975) He merged the jazz and swing styles of music with his blues to create his Texas blues style. He led the

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The Groove- Crossroads Blues Society Newsletter

post war blues guitarists and influenced most all that followed him. The great “Stormy Monday” is included here, as well as “How Long” and “Why Not”.

Atlantic did well with this release. For more T-Bone I’d seek out Complete Capital Recordings from 1995.

#10 – Robert Johnson - King of the Delta Blues Singers – 1961 – Compilation (1911 - 1938) The album title says it all.

This original release did not give us the alternate versions of some songs nor the complete recordings. It did bring us the cream of the Robert Johnson recordings.

“Cross Road Blues”, “Come On Into My Kitchen” and “Kind Hearted Woman Blues”. At its release it was great, maybe today we all would buy the Complete Robert Johnson from 1996.

#9 – Elmore James - The Sky Is Crying: The History of Elmore James – 1993 – Compilation (1918-1963) The great post war slide guitar player was Elmore James. This release crosses several labels to gather material. “Dust My Broom”, “The Sky Is Crying” and “Shake Your Money Maker”. For more Elmore (who would not want more!) grab a hold of 1992’s King of the Slide Guitar: The Fire/Fury/ Enjoy Recordings.

#8 – Howlin’ Wolf – Howlin’ Wolf (1959) and Moanin’ At Midnight (1958) – 1986 – Compilation (1910 – 1976) The Wolf ranks near the top of post war blues artists. This is a combo of 2 early Chess LPs that would stand up on their own in history. Great songs such as “Smokestack Lightnin'”, “Evil”, “Moanin' For My Baby”, “Spoonful, “The Red Rooster” and” and “Back Door Man”. For more Wolf, you will enjoy Sun’s 1987 release Howlin' For My Baby: Original Sun Recordings.

#7 – Son House – Father Of The Delta Blues: The Complete 1965 Recordings – 1992 – Compilation (1902 - 1988) As the title suggest, Son House was one of the greats. He also was part of the blues rediscovery in the 60’s.

These recordings are very fine and include “Grinning In Your Face”, “President Kennedy”, and “Death Letter”.

It is a 2 CD set. For more Son, I’d suggest 2000’s Son House And Willie Brown - Complete 1930 Session.

F #6 – Albert Collins – Ice Pickin’ – 1978 (1932 – 1993) A great Texas guitar player and wonderful performer Albert Collins was one of the greats.

This is his best release, and it features “Master Charge”, “Ice Pick” and “Too Tired”. I’d recommend 1983’s Don’t Lose Your Cool and 1991’s Iceman for additional Collins tunes.

#5 - The Paul Butterfield Blues Band - The Paul Butterfield Blues Band – 1965 (1960’s – 1980’s) This is the band that was instrumental to bringing Chicago blues to the young white audiences. The band included at various times Paul Butterfield, Sam Lay, Mike Bloomfield and Elvin Bishop. This LP contains the classics “Born In Chicago”, Blues With A Feelin’”, “Last Night” and “Shake Your Money Maker”. For more great 60’s blues try 1968’s The Resurrection Of Pigboy Crabshaw .

January-February 2016

Page 9 I hope all of you enjoyed this review of these top blues releases. May you add to your collection and appreciation of the blues that have been released in the past.

Mark Nelson

#4 – Clarence “Gatemouth” Brown - The Original Peacock Recordings – 1990 – Compilation (1924 – 2005) He was the melting pot of blues, jazz, country, Cajun, and swing. Gate was a true original as a performer and a person. He played guitar, fiddle, harmonica and sang with ease. These older recordings present him well, and include “Okie Dokie Stomp”, “Midnight Hour” and “Dirty Work At The Crossroads”. For more Gate, check out 1981’s Alright Again! and 1999’s American Music, Texas Style.

On 6/10 Lists

#2 – Junior Wells – Hoodoo Man Blues – 1965 (1934 – 1998) One of the first real albums of Chicago blues music was Hoodoo Man Blues. Prior LPs were mostly made up of single releases.

Buddy Guy plays but was not credited on this Delmark recording. It was rereleased in 2011 with expanded material. This classic includes “Hoodoo Man Blues”, “Early In The Morning”, “Yonder Wall” and “Good Morning Schoolgirl”. If you cannot get enough of Junior Wells here, listen to 1997’s Come On In This House and 1991’s Paula recordings 1957-1963.

#3 – Albert King – born Under A Bad Sign – 1967 (1923 – 1992) This may be the top Stax LP. Albert is at his finest. He is supported by Booker T and the MG's on this recording. Included here are “Laundromat Blues”, “Born Under A Bad Sign”, “Oh Pretty Woman” and “Crosscut Saw”. Try 1972’s I’ll Play The Blues For You for more great Albert King tunes.

On 8/10 Lists

#1 – Magic Sam – Wet Side Soul – 1968 (1937-1969) Has Sam lived a longer life, who knows what additional classics he would have produced for the blues world. On this recording we have many fine west side blues tunes including “Sweet Home Chicago”, “All Of Your Love”, “I Need You So Bad” and “That’s All I Need”. Over the years some live recording have made their way into print. After Black Magic (which appeared earlier in the list, I would give 2013’s Live At The Avant Garde: June 22, 1968 a solid listening for some live Magic Sam.

Editor’s Note: Many thanks to Mark Nelon for finding this compilation of the best of the blues and adding his commentary to them! They will serve as a great reference for new and old blues fans!

Welcome to New Reviwers Last issue we featured a new reviewer Wes Ralph who got his first music review published with us, Live at the Old U.S. Mint, a new CD by Smoky Greenwell’s New Orleans Blues Jam. Wes works at UTC in Rockford and is a long time blues fan. He grew up in Praire du Chien and then went off to college at UW-Platteville. He graduated then got his masters at DePaul. Wes has been coming to our shows since the heyday of stuff at Big Cities and has been a member of Crossroads for several years.

We welcome him to our reviews!

Coming to us from South Florida we have Marty Gunther, a long term blues fan.

Having had the privilege to hearing many blues masters at the Newport Folk Festivals in the 1960s, he was an active part of the Chicago Blues community before moving to South Florida. Marty’s first two reviews for us are featured in this issue with Joe Moss and Josh Smith’s new CDs. Marty also writes for Blues Blast Magazine (as do several of our other writers). We look forward to many, many more!

The Groove- Crossroads Blues Society Newsletter

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Music Reviews Gonna Die Tryin'

Chris O'Leary American Showplace Music http:// thechrisolearyband.net 11 Tracks Where did this blues artist come from you ask yourself? Even though Chris O'Leary's solo career is relatively new, Chris has been performing for a while as lead singer and front man for Levon Helm’s band The Barnburn-ers, touring Canada and the United States for six years. Along with his tenure with Levon Helm, he has been on stage with Bobby Keys, sideman for the Rolling Stones, The Fab-u-lous Thun-der-birds, Jimmy Vivino, Jeff Healy, Dan Akroyd, Albert Lee, Dave Edmunds, Dave Maxwell and blues veteran James Cot-ton as well as recording with Bill Perry and Hubert Sumlin. He is no stranger to the blues world.

His latest release Gonna Die Tryin' is his fourth since 2010. All of the tunes are original with music and lyrics written by O'Leary.

If you have not heard his four albums, you will be impressed with the spectacular tone he gets from his harmonica solos, strong vocals much like Kim Wilson of The Fabulous Thunderbirds, and thought provoking song writing as heard in this his latest studio album. Stemming from his military and musical career he draws from his from his life experiences to share his thoughts of the world in his lyrics. He has assembled an experienced band on this album with Chris Vitarello on guitar, Andy Stahl and Chris Difrancesco on sax-o-phones, Matt Raymond on bass and Jay Devlin on drums. He has added guest artists Bruce Katz on piano and organ, Vin-nie Nobile on trom-bone, and Willa Pan-vini McCarthy & Libby Cabello on back-ground vocal, with the added treat of John Mooney as a special guest on gui-tar.

Gonna Die Tryin' opens with "Can't Help Yourself," with O'Leary telling us life is what you make it with his strong, direct vocals and strong guitar riffs added from Chris Vitarello.

It's a different time period and a different music genre, but O'Leary's "19¢" and Dylan's "The Times They Are a-Changin'" both do a spectacular job lyrically of capturing the county as it exists. With this fast pace John Lee Hooker style boogie, O'Leary drives home his point in his protest song, much like Dylan did in the '60s. Bruce Katz takes over on the keyboard to keep pace with groove the rhythm section lays down on this one (in my opinion the hottest tune on the album).

O'Leary utilizes his backup singers to the

maximum on the funky R&B song "Hook, Line, And Sinker," that would be a perfect fit in the Kim Wilson's songbook. The title track, "Gonna Die Tryin'", is a soul driven tune with O'Leary reminding us that "there is a razor thin line between righteousness and dyin.'

Better make your mind up quick or you're gonna die tryin'." You can feel the pain experienced by overseas soldiers in the 7 minute blues tune "Letters From Home," the only link to reality for the brave fighting forces far from home. Chris Vitarello tears it up on guitar to match the heart felt vocals delivered from O'Leary. He reminds us of the legendary John Dillinger's trail of crime in the ballad "The Devil Drove To Town In A V8 Ford." O'Leary gives us an idea of his vocal range with the song "The Machine." The band lays down a steady groove on the shuffle "Walking Contradiction" featuring outstanding harmonica solos to blend with the piano style of Bruce Katz. O'Leary takes the New Orleans highway with his horn section and backup vocals on the song "Harvest Time." It's shuffle time once again with "One More Saturday Night." Chris Vitarello reaches down deep for some Albert Collins style guitar riffs on "Tell It To Me Straight."

From Chicago to New Orleans, his years in the blues have been a learning experience for Chris O'Leary, allowing him once again to release a stunning, award winning studio album. You owe it to yourself to sample some of his engaging numbers on this and all of his albums.

Reviewed by Rick Davis Battle Scars Walter Trout Provogue Records www.mascotlabelgroup.com 13 tracks The cover photo of this album show a battleweary man who has admittedly faced death more than once. Walter Trout's life was on the brink several times as he awaiting a liver transplant. Now fairly well recovered, Walter is back in the studio creating new rocking blues songs that tell the tales of his disease and recovery after his transplant.

Wanting to write upbeat tunes, Trout was not satisfied with them thinking they sounded cliché. So he went deep into his feelings and experience for inspiration. “Omaha” is the first song he wrote, depicting 5 months of his life in the Nebraska Medical Center where the patients awaited death as transplant organs were not always available.

Dark, thumping, guttural sounding beat and tune, Trout describes the wait with no holds barred. The guitar solo is massive in sound and texture. “Almost Gone,” the album’s opening song is another moving piece with a finger picking guitar opening and then a wall of sound that confronts the listener appears.

Before recovering, the listener then gets some huge harmonica solo stuck in their face by Trout. He tells us how he’d change his life if he could do it all over. These two tracks are what Trout has made his bread and butter– big, emotional guitar pieces with a backing to match.

It does not stop there. “Tomorrow Seems Far Away” follows “Omaha,” with a more upbeat tempo yet still with haunting lyrics.

“Please Take Me Home” is a ballad sung to his manager and wife asking her to be taken home so he could end his suffering. Acoustic guitar and piano blend into the wall of sound as Trout shows appreciation for the love his wife gave him. “Playin’ Hideaway” is a huge, driving song about masking tears and emotion as Trout howls and the guitar wails. “Haunted By The Night” slows it down as Trout tells of how the evenings stuck in bed drove him crazy. The guitar is haunting beautiful.

“Fly Away” tells us how his wife’s love and being there for him made him feel as if they could fly away. “Move On” gives us another piece where he sings about wanting to get away from the pain he endured. “My Ship Came In” has some more cool harp work by Trout as he sings to us about missing the tour that he never was able to have when he became ill. “Cold, Cold Ground” opens to a moving guitar solo and then trout tells of how he awaited death and burial in the cold, cold ground. The acoustic “Gonna Live Again” has Trout asking God why he allowed him to live. He does not know the reason, but vows to change his earlier bad ways. “Sammy, Sammy” concludes the effort, a huge, short chord of sound to end things as Trout chuckles to the sound man in the booth that he’s done.

50 years of guitar playing, 18 albums on Provogue and 42 albums overall are landmark statistics for this man’s career and due to his fortune and fortitude those numbers can continue to increase. Thematically interesting and moving, another super effort by Trout! Not an upbeat album but a fine one none the less! Trout’s fans will be pleased and newcomers can see through his music what trials he has faced. Well done!!!

Reviewed by Steve Jones

Page 11

January-February 2016 Moon Turn Red MonkeyJunk Stony Plain www.monkeyjunkband.com 10 tracks/43 minutes Canadian band MonkeyJunk’s fourth CD is a seriously in-house affair with the band writing nine of the ten tracks. As on the previous album Paul Reddick assists in the songwriting on three tracks and producer/recording engineer Ken Friesen chips in on two. As ever the trio is Tony Diteodoro on guitar and backing vocals, Steve Marriner on lead and backing vocals, harp, organ and baritone guitar and Matt Sobb on drums and backing vocals.

Guests include Gordie Johnson and Steve O’Connor who add organ to one cut each and Kelly Prescott and Kelly Sloan who provide backing vocals on one track each; David Wilcox adds guitar and vocals to his own song, the lone cover on the album.

The album opens very brightly with “Light It Up” which has plenty of energy from drummer Matt, slide from Matt and a fine vocal from Steve who also adds harp. Steve’s voice recalls Paul Barrère of Little Feat and there is plenty of good slide work from Tony but there the comparison stops as this is high energy stuff courtesy of Matt’s excellent drumming, a great start to the album.

“You” is less convincing with a repetitive lyric in which Steve demonstrates the extent of his fascination for his beloved.

“Show Me Yours” continues the obsessive theme as Steve sings of “anticipation…of indecency” but it is again rather repetitive.

David Wilcox’s “Hot Hot Papa” is a funky rocker, starting with David’s guitar which is then joined by Tony’s. David shares vocals with Steve, including a short rap-like vocal in which he celebrates getting to “make a record with MonkeyJunk”. “Love Attack” is a strange mixture with a core riff that sounds a lot like Hendrix’s “Dolly Dagger”, some definite reggae influences and an attractive chorus with plenty of harmony vocals from the band.

For this reviewer the second half of the album was stronger and more melodic, starting with “Live Another Day” with its almost prog-rock sound. Steve ‘s vocal has a touch of Ian Anderson on this track and the guitar refrain that snakes round the chorus has a definite Classic Rock sound.

The band drops the pace for “Learn How To Love” which has lots of echoey guitar and an outstanding vocal from Steve, well supported by Kelly P’s backing vocal. It’s a sad ballad about a lost love with some strong lyrics: “The wardrobe is empty, pictures are gone… You know that I’ll go on, you know what I’ve done wrong, but if you learn how to forgive, I’d learn how to live, I’d learn how

to love.” Steve’s powerful harp and Tony’s aching guitar solo encapsulate the angst of the lyrics to make this one of the strongest songs on the disc. The mood lifts with “Lucky One”, a short and cheerfully uptempo tune about the girl everyone would like to be with. “Travelin’ Light” slows the pace again, a track that is probably the closest we get to a straight blues tune on the album with plenty of strong slide work from Tony and a brooding baritone guitar motif from Steve that replaces what would be the bass in most bands. The album closes on a high with “Meet Me At Midnight”, a seriously attractive, soulful ballad with lovely guitar from the start and a memorable chorus, Steve O’Connor’s organ and Kelly S’ vocals adding subtlety and Tony finding an excellent solo that fits the tune perfectly.

MonkeyJunk are not a straight blues band and demonstrate a wide range of influences on their music here. “Moon Turn Red” is perhaps not as varied as the band’s last two releases but there is still plenty to enjoy here.

Reviewed by John Mitchell I Can’t Change Billy The Kid & The Regulators Self-Release www.billythekidandtheregulators.com 10 tracks/51 minutes Pittsburgh’s Billy Evanochko and his band placed third in the IBC finals in 2014 and had a Top 5 finish in the 2013 Best SelfProduced CD, so they already have something of a track record. Maybe those successes were what prompted Florida guitarist Damon Fowler to produce their latest album and Jason Ricci and Sean Carney to make guest appearances. What is certain is that this album is a solid effort with six originals, one song from a contemporary blues artist and three covers from the classic blues repertoire. The band is Billy on guitar and lead vocals, Jon Vallecorsa on guitar, James Daugherty on slide guitar, Ublai Bey on keys, Arnold Stagger on bass and Brian Edwards on drums. Several of the band add backing vocals as does Yolanda Barber on seven of the ten tracks.

A three man horn section of Reggie Watkins on trombone, Rick Matt on sax and JD Chasin on trumpet beef up three tracks with Damon playing guitar on one track, Sean on two and Jason adding his distinctive harp to five.

The CD opens with James’ “I Can’t Change”, a churning rocker with solid horns and guitar. Billy has a good voice for this sort of material and it’s a great start to the

album. The next three tunes are all by Billy and Jon. “Ain’t Gotta Prove Nothing” may not be a very elegant title but it’s a naggingly catchy tune with the guitars and organ blending effectively as Billy sings about his life as a musician: “Every day when the sun goes down I grab my guitar, she never lets me down. She’s all I ever needed to keep me shuffling, I ain’t gotta prove nothing.” “What Are We Fighting For?” slows the pace for one of the best songs here, Billy’s voice having just enough rasp to convey the emotions of the lyrics, well supported by the backing vocals and the horns making a second appearance to good effect, this time in more of a support role.

“Story Of The Blues” is a smooth performance with more good vocal support on the choruses, then punctuated by a wild wahwah drenched solo. The first cover is “Who” by Bernard Roth who wrote “Forty Days And Forty Nights” for Muddy Waters and it’s an excellent shuffle with Jason’s first contribution, his harp underpinning the tune in fine fashion as well as taking a solo alongside Ublai’s organ and Billy’s guitar great fun!

James’ second writing contribution is a strange one, “That Darn Cat” coming close to being a rap as Billy tells of life with his cat. Despite being a cat lover myself I was not taken with this one! More to this reviewer’s taste was “Slender Man Blues” from the pen of Nashville bluesman Dave McKenzie. Clearly autobiographical, the song states that “You don’t need a man the size of a Frigidaire; don’t put me down because I’m a slender man. I got something good for you baby that none of those big boys can”, all wrapped up in a slow blues with excellent piano work and a late appearance on the track by the horns to propel the tune to its finale. The cover of Jimmy Reed’s classic “Can’t Stand To See You Go” adds Sean Carney’s guitar and some high end harp from Jason, Billy’s vocal capturing the relaxed feel we all associate with Jimmy’s material. The final original is James’ “Saturday Night” on which both Sean and Damon guest, making five guitars in all! Jason is also featured on this all-action rocker which goes at a terrific pace throughout and although that makes for a very big band it is almost a pity that the horns were not also added to this one – it would have suited them well! To close the album Billy provides a real contrast to the previous cut with a stripped-down acoustic version of Robert Johnson’s “Me And The Devil Blues”, just Billy, acoustic guitar, dobro and harp.

Overall this was an enjoyable listen with some excellent songs and well-judged covers. As such it caught this reviewer’s attention and may do yours.

Reviewed by John Mitchell

Page 12 Manifesto Joe Moss Band 212 Records www.joemossband.com 13 tracks/62 minutes It’s been far too long since singer/guitarist Joe Moss has released a new album despite a grueling touring schedule that keeps him on the road. But this disc will be a welcome addition to the collections of fans who enjoy his brand of sounds that combine straight-ahead Chicago blues with a strong dose of rhythm-and-blues that bridges the Windy City and Memphis.

The elder brother of string bender Nick Moss, Joe was still in elementary school when he established a presence on the music scene in the Windy City. He was only 10 years old when South Side legend Buddy Scott snapped him up after a jam session at Rosa’s Lounge and made him a member of his band, the Rib Tips. After Scott’s death in the early ‘90s, he became one of the city’s most popular sidemen before going off on his own.

Moss is joined here by Mike Zabrin on bass, Greg Sefner on keyboards and Dana Thompson on drums. Two exceptional horn sections augment the sound: the Chicago Horns, consisting of Bryan Fritz (sax), Ryan Nyther (trumpet) and Norman Palm (trombone); and the Roomful Of Blues horn section, including Rich Latelle and Mark Earley (saxes) and Doug Woolverton (trumpet). Adding to the mix are Ashley Otis, who provides backing vocals, and John Christy, who contributes Hammond B-3 organ on one cut.

The opener, “Ain’t That Love,” is one of 11 Moss originals in the set. It sings the praises of a woman who’s like “the sun – you keep me warm.” Joe’s timing is impeccably behind the beat as the Chicago Horns and the tight rhythm section propel the music forward. He stretches out on the fret board with a tasty single-note run midtune. The horns are on the sideline for “Black Boots,” a syncopated description of longing for a woman in knee-high footwear – so much, in fact, that the singer would be willing to sell his soul to get her.

The Chicago Horns are back in the mix for their second, and final, appearance for “Freedom,” a jazzy plea for separation from fear of loneliness, loss and change.

It’s a sweet, positive affirmation for the future. The rhythm slows for “Never Did Anything,” which features Moss and his guitar atop a simple mix as he offers up a

The Groove- Crossroads Blues Society Newsletter five-minute apology for failing to realize mistakes of the past and a promise to redeem himself with his lady going forward. The funk returns for “Time To Go” as the Roomful Horns make their first appearance. The song sings about the illusion of a friend’s smile when he wants to take his place in your woman’s home.

Two Otis Rush covers -- “Homework,” which was written by Al Perkins and Dave Clark and first debuted in 1962, and an original take on the blues standard “Right Place, Wrong Time,” aided by a strong horn chart – follow and provide Moss with a bridge to six more originals to conclude the strong set. The tender love song “I’m So Into You” precedes “Rich Folks,” while paints a picture of the fight between regular folks and the wealthy thieves who control government and society. “Michael” is a tender acoustic ballad to a departed friend, while “Pay Up” is a walking blues demand to be paid by folks who claim to love his music, but want him to play for free. “Two Hearts” is a remembrance of lost love. A funky instrumental, “Spunk & Honutz,” brings the set to a close.

Moss is in total control throughout “Manifesto,” both with his guitar and his vocals, never flashy, but always on point, and the material and arrangements are both of the first order. Highly enjoyable, and strongly recommended modern blues with a strong, original touch of soul.

Reviewed by Marty Gunther Lead Belly’s Gold Eric Bibb And JJ Milteau Stony Plain www.ericbibb.com www.jjmilteau.net 16 tracks; 55 minutes Eric Bibb has made many great recordings but this may be the best yet.

Teamed with the outstanding French harp player Jean-Jacques Milteau the CD is a mixture of live and studio recordings recorded in Paris, France, all of which are either part of Lead Belly’s repertoire or written to fit seamlessly with the theme of the album. The disc is beautifully presented with an extensive and informative booklet which delves into Lead Belly’s life and career and also gives Eric’s personal account of the songs selected. The playing is superb, Larry Crockett adds subtle percussion where needed, Big Daddy Wilson and Michael Robinson provide backing vocals on several songs and Gilles Michel plays bass on four tracks but

otherwise this album is all about JJ’s harp (which is worth the admission on its own) and Eric’s vocals, guitar and banjo. The album is beautifully recorded and on the live tracks it is only when the audience applauds that one remembers that it is a live set.

Highlights are many: JJ sounding like an accordion on a rousing version of “Midnight Special”, Eric’s vulnerable vocals on “Bring A Little Water, Sylvie” and possibly the best version of “Good Night, Irene” that this reviewer has heard in a long while. Among the eleven tunes heard in concert are “House Of The Rising Sun”, “Pick A Bale Of Cotton” and “Grey Goose” which is an early highlight, a tune that builds in intensity throughout. Eric wrote “When I Get To Dallas” which recounts Lead Belly’s early days as a street singer in Dallas and the live set closes with a very catchy version of “Rock Island Line”, JJ blowing some fine train whistles on harp.

The studio recordings begin with an excellent reading of possibly Lead Belly’s most famous song “Bourgeois Blues”, a saga of racial segregation suffered by Lead Belly in real life, much of the story behind the song being recounted in the infascinating sleevenotes. Eric’s “Chauffeur Blues” is in some ways a follow-up as he imagines Lead Belly talking from the afterlife to John Lomax (his former employer and the man who ‘discovered’ him in prison) and recalling the time that he acted as chauffeur to Lomax, bringing us full circle to “Bourgeois Blues”: one can only imagine what courage and strength of mind Lead Belly must have had to write that song in 1938 when segregation was still present, even in the capitol. A sparse reading of “Titanic” is another excellent studio take, Lead Belly’s account of the 1912 disaster featuring just Eric’s banjo and JJ’s harp.

The CD closes on a high with the jaunty “Swimmin’ In A River Of Songs”, another song in which Eric writes as Lead Belly in the first person.

Fans of acoustic blues will find plenty to enjoy here; admirers of Lead Belly’s work will enjoy how Eric and JJ have taken his songs and breathed new but respectful life into them, as well as adding a few linked songs of their own. A really enjoyable CD to review.

John Mitchell

January-February 2016

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Over Your Head Josh Smith Self-produced CD www.joshsmithguitar.com 12 tracks/62 minutes

massa lends a hand for the title song, “Over Your Head.” It’s another powerful relationship tune. In this one, the woman has no clue about the singer’s desires.

The six-string pyrotechnics are combustible throughout.

In The Mood Zakiya Hooker Boogie With The Hook Records www.zakiyahooker.com 11 tracks

Los Angeles-based blues-rocker Josh Smith delivers an incendiary collection of all-original material on this disc, his first release since the well-received “Don’t Give Up On Me” in 2012.

The mood brightens slightly for “When I Get Mine,” a loping blues-rocker set atop a syncopated blues shuffle that lays down the law about the necessity to do your own share in a relationship in order to receive what you desire, before the straight-ahead blues “Still Searching.” Its message is to let down your guard in order to understand what’s going on, and it’s laid down with a light touch on the strings that’s a dramatic and semi-sweet departure to what’s come before.

Zakiya is the daughter of John Lee hooker and this is her sixth and most ambitious album. Five have been solo and she’s on one of her father’s album’s. Produced by Ollan Christopher (Chris James), a bevy of great side men from the US and Argentina appear here.

A former child protégé who grew up in South Florida, Smith received his first guitar at age three and started playing professionally at 13, fronting the Rhino Cats, after already having sat in with Matt “Guitar” Murphy, Kenny Neal, Johnny Copeland and Tinsley Ellis at Fort Lauderdale’s legendary Musicians Exchange.

That band released two albums before Josh was old enough to drive.

During the summers, he toured nationally with another teen sensation, Derek Trucks, and earned an endorsement from Washburn Guitars. After graduating with honors, he formed his own band, The Frost, embarking on four more national tours and two more albums, and serving as opening act for B.B. King. He moved to California in 2002 at age 23, where he quickly established himself, working first with Virgin Label recording artist Ricky Fante for two years before serving as lead guitarist for American Idol winner Taylor Hicks.

Since 2008, Smith has been working with Raphael Saadiq when not touring on his own. He’s backed Mick Jagger at both the Grammy Awards and Kennedy Center Honors, and released three CDs on Germany’s Crosscut Records label.

This disc finds him in a powerhouse threepiece format, aided by his regular rhythm system of Calvin Turner on bass and Lemar Carter on drums. He’s aided by guest appearances by two of the most celebrated guitarists in the genre, Joe Bonamassa and Kirk Fletcher, harmonica master Charlie Musselwhite, vocalists Charles Jones and B.J. Kemp, keyboardist Jeff Babko and guitarist Chicco Gussoni.

A drum intro kicks off “How Long,” in which Smith uses a simple, yet powerful and dark guitar riff beneath his vocals, describing a troubling relationship in which life is like walking through a mine field where he could blow up with the first misstep and in which the lady watches and waits for him to explode. A fiery solo and end run build the tension. Next up, Bona-

The power and flash return for “First Hand Look (At Down And Out),” which comes across with the feel of 1960s psychedelic rock. Fletcher joins Smith in the studio for “…And What,” a straight-ahead blues instrumental that features plenty of wahwah pedal as the two string-benders trade licks. Next up is “Smoke And Mirrors,” which pairs a separate, 87-second instrumental intro and a fiery main tune about someone who’s misunderstood, but about to crack and reveal his or her inner self.

Smith gets funky for “Pusher,” which describes someone who’s constantly looking for what she’s already got – in this case true love, not drugs.

Josh takes a break from the mike as Jones provides lead vocal for “Better Off,” a tender, eight-minute minor-key blues that provides a complete change of pace, before Musselwhite lends his prodigious harp talents for the Chicago-flavored blues, “You’ll Find Love.” A two-minute reprise of “How Long” concludes the set.

On the whole, “Over Your Head” is a departure from Smith’s previous catalog, offering a great deal more hard-edged music that will appeal to a younger audience or his fans abroad. If you’re looking for a collection of straight-ahead blues, look elsewhere. But if you enjoy burning, searing blues/rock, you’ll definitely like this one.

Reviewed by Marty Gunther

Recorded at Elstudio El Pote in Santa Fe, Argentina, Young is joined by Americans Bobby Young on guitar, Greg Crockett on guitar and bass, Ron E. Beck on drums, Anthony Reed on backing vocals, Paul Palizzalo on harp and Jonathan Willliams on keys, there are eight other artists from Argentina who also appear (including a fine horn section).

Hooker had a hand in writing all but two of these original cuts. Blending blues, jazz and some rock, Zakiyah delivers some really fine performances. Beginning with straight blues “In Receipt to Sing the Blues” and “Another Kind of Blues” we see the influence of her dad in her approach. “Drowning in Your Love” switches things up, a fine and jazzy emotional ballad. “Look Me Up” is an funky R&B number as is the following “Let’s Do Something.”

The title cut returns us to the blues, opening with a stinging guitar intro. “Hang On For Awhile” is a traditional blues with some sweet harp and acoustic guitar. In the cut “Art of Divorce” Zakiyah gets her funky soul side going strong. “One Step Two” is some slow and dirty but sweet Chicago blues. “Protect Me From the Blues” is a thoughtful and soulful cut where Zakiyah offers up her softer side.

She closes with “Sweet Baby J (John’s song),” a beautiful and moving lullaby sort of ballad.

I liked this album a lot– Ms. Hooker is a fine singer and performer offering up a host of styles and lots of emotion. The backing musicians are also outstanding. I was especially impressed by the guitar and keys, and the few cuts with the horns really shined bright! There are eleven fine new cuts here, delivered by a great vocalist with style and deep emotion. This one is well worth checking out!

Reviewed by Steve Jones

Page 14 Hit It Hard Georgie Bonds Roadhouse Redemption Records http:// georgiebonds.com/ 11 Tracks Hailing from Philadelphia, PA, we have the latest recording by the blues vocalist Georgie Bonds. In his past, Bonds has worked as a blacksmith, but got turned on to blues after listening to a Robert Johnson tape. His performing began back in the early 1990’s. This is his 3rd release, and the second in the last three years. 8 of the tunes are originals from the Bonds and or his band. The core band is made up of Buddy Cleveland (harmonica), Andy Haley (drums), Walter Runge (keys) and Neil Taylor (guitar).

The opening cut is “Pickin’ Your Bones”.

This is a soulful/funky tune written by Bob Greenlee and G. E. Smith. Buddy Cleveland really blows his harp on this groovy tune. The band is joined by sax players Dave Renz (Tenor) and Vanessa Collier (Alto) for “Let’s Get down”. Walter Runge tickles the ivories with a New Orleans feel on this R&B tune. The band next gives us a pretty straight ahead blues tune called “Sentenced to the Blues”. Buddy Cleveland wrote this mid tempo blues tune, and turns in a nice solo in the middle of it.

I hear a bit of late 60’s blues in “Not Tired of Living”. Neil Taylor’s guitar work on this song sits well to my ear, along with the B3

by Walter Runge. “Come Back Baby” is a fast paced blues rocker, without any overkill to it. I bet this one get the crowd up dancing. Bonds reaches back to an oldie

by Willie Johnson called “The Soul of a Man” for the next tune. It is a slow well textured blues ballad. I like the blues shuffle song titled “Butter Your Biscuit”.

This is a call/response tune, with the band really cooking on this one.

The band again excels on “Deadly Poison”. It is a mid tempo blues rock that makes you tap your toes without a thought. It is a song about a grudge. This is good blues subject matter. The blues keep coming with the story of being a guest at the state penitentiary on ‘Paid Vacation”. Lyrically this tune reminds me of Mem Shannon. The soul blues shine on “Blues Job”. The 2 saxophone players return to this tune. It’s an up tempo tune, with a fine vocals. The CD closes with “Another Year”. This tune is a softer ballad some fireworks in the middle.

The Groove- Crossroads Blues Society Newsletter Overall, Hit It Hard showcases a variety of blues styles. This is a good band, and they write fine material. What they play, would carry over to the stage I believe.

Let’s hope they hit the road during festival season. All of you blues lovers out there should pick this one up. Keep up the good work Mr. Bonds!

Reviewed by Mark Nelson

Must Be Crazy Andy Poxon Eller Soul Records www.andypoxon.com 13 tracks The red headed guitar wiz kid is back for his third album and it’s a superb one!

Sporting a much shorter hair style on the album cover and photos, his trimmed back mane does not detract from his prowess on the six string! Featuring 13 new original tunes written by Poxon with some help on a few by Kevin McKendree (his keyboard player) and on one by McKendree's 14 year old son, Yates, this is another impressive effort by this fine young East Coast musician! In addition to those mentioned we have Kenneth Blivens on drums, Steve Mackey on bass and Jim Hoke on saxophones. Excellent backing musicians all, they add a lot of depth and soul to this CD. The albums opens to the strains of the title track. A stinging guitar lead is vibrant with solid vocals by Poxon. The piano and horns are integral to the mix and add a great dimension. The song is a winner!

“Living Alone” follows; Andy tells us that living alone is not as bad as you would think, especially after a bad break up.

Saving money, spending money on yourself, playing guitar, not having any restrictions are positives. He offers a cool little solo on his guitar, too, in addition to the fun lyrics. Poxon and Company swing to “Next to You,” a song that easily could be a Room Full of Blues hit. Poxon and the band are tight and shout out the chorus together. Poxon’s guitar solo is clean and precise, the horns are well orchestrated, the keys are pounding and it’s just another great tune!

“Give Me the Chance” slows things down and Poxon sings with passion and the McCrary Sisters behind him help to testify along with his impassioned plea. Poxon offers another solo with bite and vigor.

“Cold Weather” is sloooow and dirty blues, the kind lovers get up to and grind to-

gether on the dance floor as the guitar is picked with greasy and dirty aplomb. The intro lasts about a minute before Poxon wails about being a remedy for cold weather. Another great solo by Poxon adds to the intensity before he closes things out. On “Don’t Tell Your Mama” we get another great original tune where Poxon has a story to tell. Nice piano solo followed by a nice guitar solo here, too.

The organ returns on “Harder Everyday”as Andy sings a mournful ballad and the band supports the mood. You can feel the pain in his voice and their playing.

“I Want To Know” has a bit of a bounce as the horns reply to each of the lines of the verse. Andy tries to understand the mind of his woman as he asks over and over how to make this girl fall in love with him.

He picks out a distinctive and precise, slow beat on his solo which fits the song nicely. He stays with a slow beat in “Already Gone,” a breathy cut where he sings of a relation gone sour. Chloe Kohanski is also mournful behind his vocals as a drum beats out a slow beat and the organ slides in around their vocals.

The pace picks up nicely with “Making a Fool,” a mid to faster tempos tome about his clumsiness and ability to do what the title says. He ignores his friends’ pleas about impending heartbreak and sings to tell about it. A cool little swing tune with the guitar and piano supporting each other. The guitar solo is stinging again as Poxon plays with feeling. “Don’t Tell Me What to Do” is another slow bluesy ballad where Poxon is adamant about not taking direction from his woman. Really cool and well done stuff here. With “Too Late” Poxon and the band take a musical stroll in what appears to be a little bit of a take off on Freddie King. Poxon concludes with “Rebound” where he and the organ introduce and provide the main basis of this instrumental tune. Yates McKendree helped write the song and appears on organ. Well paced and cool, the song works as Poxon picks at the strings and McKendree deftly fingers the keys. Nicely done once again!

Now 20 years old, Poxon is an experienced musician who has released three great CDs in four years. I think he’s got a bright future as each of his CDs show growth from the prior and build on their level of excellence. He’s a fantastic guitar player, singer and songwriter- I highly recommend this CD! Reviewed by Steve Jones

January-February 2016

January-February 2016

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90 Proof Truth Bad News Barnes & The Brethren of Blues Band Flaming Saddles Records www.chrisbarnesnyc.com/blues-man/ 12 Tracks Audio & 5 Tracks on DVD

Boom (Out Goes the Lights)” is a well worn classic, that the bands does straight up. I have liked the song “Raise Your Hand” from Steve Cropper. I think these guys did OK with the tune. The Cd closes out with “My Ding-a-Ling”. It’s reworked a bit from the Chuck Berry original. I like Chuck’s version much better.

lyrics talking about the bands that the kid likes. Rob Dewan provides fine guitar on the song also. The rocking song “The Push” is an upbeat number with a fair bit of rock influences and nice background vocals by Benita Arterberry and Andrea Wallace. I hear some gospel influence on the rocker “Something that Don't Cost a Dime”. It’s got a Texas feel to it for sure.

Time on the road has to bring on a bit of the blues. The next tune “Crappy Food, No Sleep, a Van, and a Bunch of Songs” is proof positive. This fast paced tune tells the story of life on the road.

Chris Barnes has a fine comedic pedigree. He was a part of Second City in Chicago at one time. His musical side adds a lot of fun with its satirical, double entendres and picking fun at the world.

This style of music can be classified as “Hokum”. He is backed by Blues Brothers alumni Tom Bones Malone and Lou Marini Jr. and members of Blood Sweat and Tears, J Geils Band, Bob Dylan & Paul Schaffer’s Band. He has been played blues music for many years in addition to his comedy. I believe this is his first major release. Some of the music is borrowed, with new lyrics, but it is fun to listen to, but don’t be too sensitive to the topics.

The CD opens up with “America Needs A Queen”. The lyrics discuss that we needs a change from a president to a queen. It won’t be Trump’s campaign song, but maybe Hillary might use it. Maybe, the choice might be the Queen who works at the female impersonation show. “Salt Sugar and Fat” is a satirical look at the fattening of America. It borrows from “Shake Rattle & Roll”. The next tune (topic) is called “Post Op Transgender”. It might borrow a bit from Frank Zappa, but will bring a chuckle or two. Via “Seventh Son”, Bad News Barnes brings us “Hungry and Horny”. Despite a good band, this one did not make the “good” list.

Bobby Gentry’s “Ode To Billy Joe” supports a heavy topic tune called “Westboro Baptist Church” Dana Fuchs and Felicia Collins (Paul Shaffer’s Band) join Barnes in this acoustic pole at a church in Kansas and other current topics. The title cut “90 Proof Truth” gives us a hard driving blues rock tune about telling the truth when under the influence of the 90 proof. “C.I.A.” is a rocking tune about seeing what is going on in the world. The music gets a bit cowboy country with “Lawyer Riding Shotgun”. The song discusses coming after a former spouse with his lawyer.

“Going Down” is a live number that tries to live up to the original Freddie King classic tune, without all the excess comedy. The band does it well. The give music continues over the final 3 tunes also. “Boom

There is a bonus DVD with the release covering 5 tunes. “America Needs A Queen” is a music video with many supporting photos and video that adds to the fun lyrics. The visual is pretty good.

“Westboro Baptist Blues” is mostly a street scene performance video of Barnes, Felicia Collins and Dana Fuchs.

There are even a few backup dancers. It is funny if it does not cross your politics.

“Going Down”, 90 Proof Truth, and Felecia Collins’ Some Day Baby round out the DVD with live performances. It certainly adds to the fun to be able to see the performers.

This music goes over better live than on record. Barnes is having fun, and leaves few targets not shot at. It may give you a few hoots and hollers, but I don’t see it as more than a few listens. I do give them credit to play some straight up songs, and not play all as parodies. If you are a fan of Barnes, you may get more from it, but it is not keeping my boat afloat. There is much better music to spend your money and time on.

Reviewed by Mark Nelson Gristle To Gold Randy McAllister Reaction Records http://www.randymcallister.com/ 12 Tracks I recall a couple of Randy McAllister releases on the JSP label in the late 90’s. I listen to lots of the JSP stuff back then.

He fell off of my radar, until this disc arrived. Seems he has been busy, as he moved from JSP to Severn Records and then to Reaction records. Along the way he has now released 13 recordings. That is a great deal of material. Randy is a drummer, harp player and singersongwriter from the great state of Texas.

His current band carries the name of The Scrappiest Band In The Motherland. Try fitting that on a t shirt!

On the opening number “The Kid with the Really Old Soul”, we immediately hear McAllister’s wailing harmonica. I like the

Up next is a soulful tune called “I'm Like a Boomerang”. It’s a story of love coming back to you. It’s not quite a ballad, but it is a story song. Mike Morgan helps out on guitar for this cut. We get some strong Texas blues on “You Lit The Dynamite”.

With that title, it’s got to be a high octane tune. The band brings things down real slow on “Someone's Been There”. Carson Wagner plays some nice piano on this nice ballad. “Bowling Pin” is a fast driving tune. I like the Paul delay type harp playing that dances above the driving guitar work.

We get a nice love song with “Glass Half Full”. The man in the song realizes he is better off with his girl as she keeps his “glass half full” This one might easily slide into what is called country music today. I get lost with the Latin tinged “A Whole Lot Of Nothing” The chorus and background vocals don’t seem to fit the song. I like the next tune “Hey Hooker” much better.

McAllister is singing to his blues hero John Lee Hooker in an up tempo rocker.

Mike Morgan is again helping out on guitar for this cut. The closing number is “Ninja Bout Cha”. This is a funky tune about checking up on his gal pal as a ‘Love Ninja’. It is musically a pretty good tune.

So there you have it. Overall a pretty good set of tunes. I like Texas blues so this fits in my sweet spot. The band shows a few styles, and provides some great lyrics too. I am glad Randy McAllister is still going strong. I hope this one gets some airplay as this a pretty good CD. Grab a listen, and put this on for a party.

Reviewed by Mark Nelson

The Groove- Crossroads Blues Society Newsletter

Page 16 Road Be Kind Andy Cohen Earwig http://andycohenmusic.net/ 16 Tracks Andy Cohen was bitten by the folk music bug at an early age. His career has been built as a preserver of pre-war blues/folk/ true Americana music. He also writes tunes and is a wonderful performer. He is a remaining bridge back to the masters that are now gone such as Rev. Gary Davis, Etta Davis, and Son Thomas. Most of the music is solo work. I hear the tunes one might have heard in the old folk clubs in Chicago containing ragtime, folk, old time blues and a bit of gospel. He has made many recordings over the years, with this being his latest.

The opening cut is “Five And Ten Cents Blues”. Cohen tells the tale of what you would find in the old five and dime stores.

It is a fun folk tune. Luke Baldwin wrote the next tune “Seldom Seen Slim”. It is a song about defining what is truly riches. I like the blues tune “Spread The News Around”. It comes to us from Sonny Terry. No harmonica is included here. I would have liked for the late Steve Goodman to have performed “Road Be Kind”.

This is a fine traveling song. I like the finger picking blues style of “Windy And Warm”. The instrumental fits into this CD well.

A bit of humor comes through with the lyrics of “More Wood”. It tells the tale of keeping warm with a wood fireplace in winter.

I could imagine hearing “High Country Caravan (Song For Stephen Stills)” during a night at Holstein’s in Chicago. It is a great story telling tune. The next old tune is called “Mysterious Mose”.

It was actually a part of Betty Boop cartoon in the 30’s. “Fort Sumner Dance” was co-written by Cohen with Steve Cormier. It is another story song, with fine guitar work. U. Utah Phillips was quite the song writer and performer “The Goodnight - Loving Trail” comes from him, and gets a fine rendition here. “Seaboard Train” comes from the 40’s from Sam McGhee and Larry Johnson. I like the guitar work on this one, it gets a fast paced picking!

Humor and more than a few jokes are a part of “Talkin' Hard Luck”. I bet this one is a fun one live. Up next is an old Scottish folk song “Ten And Nine” from Mary Brooksbank. She was a union fighter in her home area as well as a singer. An

Irish instrumental medley is next called “Blarney Pilgrim/Jig McCoy”. I like the fine tune “John Ate The Locust And The Honey”. The music carries the feel of the lyrics to me. Cohen closes out the CD with the ever popular “Blackbird”. It is done as an instrumental, and closes out the CD well.

So there we have it. Andy Cohen is a wonderful minstrel of song. His troubadour songbook brings back tunes that may have been forgotten. He brings life to these traditional tunes. It has blues elements, but much much more. Some tunes might be given more life with a bit more instrumentation. If you get the chance to hear him in an old tavern on a brisk day with your favorite beverage, you will have a good time. He will take you back to a different time.

Reviewed by Mark Nelson Rich In Love Colin Linden Stoney Plain www.colinlinden.com/ 12 Tracks Colin Linden is back with a CD full of his original tunes. He is originally from Canada, but calls Nashville home these days.

With a busy schedule, Linden returns to recording with Stony Plain where he made his first recordings back in 1986. In recent times he has worked with Diana Krall, Rhiannon Gibbons, Bob Dylan, T-Bone Burnett and the TV Show Nashville. This is his 11th recording over the years. Linden has many production credits in his biography also. He has won 8 JUNO awards in Canada for his blues work.

This set of songs blends blues, country and Americana.

The opening cut “Knob & Tube” is an acoustic love song comparing the spark between the two potential lovers being like what runs between a knob and a tube in an amplifier. Amy Helm joins with some harmony vocals in this fine tune. On the soft and a bit mysterious “I Need Water”, Linden and his band lay out a fine song with crisp playing and singing. I like the lyric ‘I Need Water To Build These Tears’.

The song has Americana/New Country leanings and is quite good. A strong not sad ballad “Delia Come For Me” is next on the CD. The singing is quite good, and the production is well balanced. Charlie Musselwhite adds his trademark harmonica to “The Hurt”. I like the vibe on this

slower blues tune. Reese Wynans helps out on the keys here also.

“Everybody Ought To Be Loved” find Wynans and Helm back with the band. This is a fine Americana type tune, with some Nashville influences threading through it.

The title track “Rich In Love” starts as a slow mysterious song. The musical intensity grows with all the instruments painting this hurting mysterious tune. Helm, Musselwhite and Wynans all pitch in on this one. In “Date With The Stars” is a different tune. Tim Lauer puts his organ into this tune. The song grabs a country feel, yet the lyrics and vocals almost go to a 60’s teenage love song. This one confuses me a bit. In “And Then You Begin” we have another modern country blues ballad. Lyrically it is a good song about starting over.

The pace finally picks up with “No More Cheap Wine”. Reese Wynans returns on this tune. Linden provides a few fiery guitar licks too. “Luck Of A Fool” has a country mixed in with some Sun Records feel to it. Wynans adds some keyboard firepower to this one. The slower pace returns with “I Made A Promise”. This is a somber ballad love song with a strong country feel.

Closing out the CD is “Paybacks Are Hell”. It’s another slow ballad, which I think could be speed up and might come across better.

Overall this is a well played, solid vocal and well produced CD. It is at the merge of the 3 rivers of music (country blues and Americana) forming its own new water way. I enjoyed it, though not sure it will get play after play. It may be a bit too country for me, but it is strongly performed. I’d like to hear them rev it up a bit too! If this fits your musical cup of tea, then go grab it. Others might just enjoy it too.

Reviewed by Mark Nelson

January-February 2016 Population Unknown Mississippi Bigfoot Silver Tongue Records www.mississippibigfoot.com/ 9 Tracks Mississippi Bigfoot is a new band formed in May 2015 from some performances at the Ground Zero club. The band on the CD includes Christina Vierra (Lead Vocals), Ashley Bishop (Guitar), Johnny Holiday (Guitar), Doug McMinn (Drums, Harp) and Cade Moore (Bass). The music was recorded in the famed Ardent Studios in Memphis. 8 of the 9 cuts are originals, leaving the band to call this release their own. Overall this is a blues rock recording, featuring Vierra’s booming voice.

She appears as Janis Joplin in an upcoming film release. She is from Boston, and has appeared in several recording as a backup and lead singer.

The opening cut is “Burn That Woman Down”. It starts with a slow haunting delta feel. This blues rocker has some fine guitar work, and powerful vocals. The blues continue with “Mighty River”. This has a mighty feel to it, that includes stinging guitar and roaring vocals. “Wag The Dog” has a bit of rockabilly/cow-punk in it, and some fine harp work by Doug McMinn.

The band finds the Funk in “No Flesh In Outer Space”. I’d like a bit of B3 on this one, but the guitar work does fill the bill well. If you like 70’s blues rock, then you will enjoy “Who's Gonna Run This Town”. It rocks and hits a big thumping on the guitar lines.

There might be a faint cowbell in there too.

With “Clarksdale” as a title, it’s got to be a blues tune. This is not traditional delta stuff, but a slow blues rock ballad. Nice harp work by McMinn and vocals by both Holiday and Vierra.

Things slow down for the ballad “You Did”.

Vierra shows her vocals off on this soul/rock ballad. It’s a long tune at just under 8 minutes. Holiday plays a nice piano on this tune too. Booker T. Jones wrote the high fueled “The Hunter”. The whole band does well with this one. Particular kudos go to Doug McMinn for his harmonica work. This closer of the disc is “Tree Knockin'” I hear some Tony Joe White influence here with both the guitar work and the vocal stylings. This is a fine closer for the disc.

Page 17 Gumbo L Wood Joy Self released http://www.lwoodjoy.dk/ 11 Tracks L Wood Joy is a band from Odense, Denmark.

They are a 3 piece, augmented by a complete horn section and some percussion.

Lasse Skov (piano and vocals), Jakob Skils (bass) and Morten Lyngsee (Drums) are the band members. I can find one other release by the band. There is a love of New Orleans and other American themes in their music in both CDs. The artwork has some nice sketches of the band. The songs are originals by the band. So let’s jump into the music.

The opening cut is “Lost In New Orleans”.

It’s a piano based tune with many word references to New Orleans in the lyrics. The backbeat isn’t bad, but it misses the New Orleans beat a bit. I hear some Jon Cleary in the second cut “Finally Got The Beat”. The bass line here works pretty good. The horn section arrives on “Dance All Night”. This is a jazzier number with a danceable beat, but not anything that is really catchy.

“Good Loving” has the horns and a New Orleans type R&B feel to it. I like the foray into more of a funkier soul beat with “Move To Stay Alive”. There is some Allen Toussaint influence here. There is some good opening piano work on “Baby I'm Your Man”. This ballad is well written and played, though the vocals need a bit more power to them. I like the lyrics for and the tune “In My Dreams”.

Their love for New Orleans and wanting to play with all the musicians there is in their dreams. This is a pretty good tune.

The horn section is really good on “Hey Little Baby”. The background vocals also round out the sound on the upbeat tune. BoogieWoogie piano takes center stage on “House Of Blue Lights”. There is a feel of Marcia Ball here. The gospel tinged background vocals add a nice effect. “Friday Night” just does not sit well with my ear. The tune has a Ben Sidran feel, but the choruses just don’t fit the tune. This tune won’t get another play. The closing number “I Could Be Your Man” is okay, but nothing too special to me. The piano playing is pretty good though.

I thought the name and CD cover were a bit quirky before I heard the disc. I really like this one overall. The material came together pretty fast, and they did a good job with it.

Maybe they will make the festival circuit nest year and we will get to hear them live. This is a modern blues disc that is not just a hot shot guitar player. This is a band. I look forward to more of their work in the future, but until then pick this disc up and enjoy it!

I love New Orleans, and maybe I’m spoiled by all the great music to come from there.

This band loves that music too. I give credit to a band from Denmark writing and performing this music. The playing is fine, but the vocals are not strong enough. Some tunes lose their way. Doing this in English is special, because I’d not have a clue how to do it in Danish. Also, there is no electric guitar on the record. I think that would help it at times.

Time will tell us how this band evolves. I hope they keep playing the music they love.

Reviewed by Mark Nelson

Reviewed by Mark Nelson

Dirty Southern Soul Stolen Hearts Self Released www.stolenhearts.rocks/ 12 Tracks From the Carolinas comes a hot duo of Pam Taylor and Robert Johnson. Not only is their music hot, they are recently engaged too. The duo handles most of the music on this release with Pam playing guitar and singing, while Robert handles bass, guitar, mandolin, and vocals. Johnson comes from a southern rock band Moses Jones. They had one release in 2011. Pam Taylor had her own band, and has a prior CD release in 2012.

Together they play some folk rock with jazz influences. This is their first release together. Ten of the tracks are studio, with two live tracks added at the end. They wrote all the tracks but one.

The CD opens with “The Dream”. This is a rocking number with some great sax work by Mike Taylor. Eric Lovell helps out on guitar too. It is a great opening number. “Carolina Days” was done with Johnson’s old band Moses Jones. It starts acoustic, and rolls into a rocking number. It has a bit of mountain blues in it, mixed with a bit of JJ Grey. The duo picks their way through a country influenced number called ”Do You No Harm”. It’s pretty good in a country blues way. We get a real slow blues number with “All I Got Left”. It mimics “It Hurts Me Too” by Elmore James a bit. Mike Taylor adds his sax again on this number. I like this tune.

“Werewolves (Make Lousy Boyfriends)” rocks out is a slow way, with a hint of Jimi Hendrix in some of the riffs. JoJo Star adds some fine keyboards to the slower rocker “Bring Your Love”. Johnson’s vocals are good on this one, as well as his acoustic guitar work. Pam Taylor leads the vocals on the nice pop ballad “My Johnny”. There is some nice country picking mandolin/guitar on this tune. 60’s soul pops through on the tune “C'mon Baby (I Got Your Shoes)”. AM radio would have liked this slower tune in its heyday. There is some good whistling too. “Ain't No Man” has its country rock roots showing. It’s a fine tune, with a Johnson’s vocals getting a top notch grade.

“Boy They Gonna Own You” jumps out of the speakers. There is a 70’s rock feel here in this mid-tempo rocker. The first live cut is Pam on acoustic guitar and vocals. This soulful tune really shows her vocal prowess, and more than adequate fretwork. It clocks in at almost five minutes. The closer is the cover of “I’d Rather Go Blind”. At over nine minutes, this live cut really stretches out. James Pace on B3 and Mike Taylor on sax add much to this oft covered tune. Pam really belts out this blues classic.

Overall I enjoyed this one. Enough blues to keep in the genre. Certainly some fine musicianship and singing. I like that they wrote almost all of the tunes. They play man y clubs, and that is a fine venue for their music.

Maybe they will get on the road this summer for more people to hear them. This one is worth a listen by everyone.

Reviewed by Mark Nelson

Page 18

January-February 2016

Ain't Bad Yet Micke Bjorklof & Blues Strip Hokahey! Records www.mickebjorklof.com/ en/ 11 Tracks

Chains”. It tells the tale of a person on trial, facing time in chains. It a haunting delta blues number with haunting vocals and percussion.

This is the 6th release from the Micke Bjorklof & Blue Strip, a veteran blues band from Finland. This recording was made in Wales. Their 2013 recording After The Flood that was done in New Orleans, so they get away to do their records. Their first recording was done in 1997. Micke Bjorklof (pronounced Be-York-Loaf) is the lead singer and harp player. The rest of the band is Lefty Leppänen (guitars), Teemu Vuorela (drums), Seppo Nuolikoski (bass), and Timo Roiko-Jokela (percussion). This is a well oiled modern blues band, with most of their performances done in Finland and northern Europe. All of the material was written by the band or their friends. One other observation is that they sing all this in very fine English. One would not know they were from Finland, except by their names and bios.

This recording opens up with “Last Train To Memphis”. This is a wild blues rocker with stinging guitar work. It’s a great opener for the CD. Tim Lewis joins the next cut on keys. “Troublemaker” is a rocking song with solid playing by the band and a mid tempo beat. Lefty Leppänen opens “Rain In Jerusalem” with a strong slide guitar riff. The song rolls on with that riff taking off with the entire band strongly joining in. This is quite a blues rocker. Things slow back just a bit with “Get Ya In Da Mood”. Bjorklof adds his harmonica to this catchy mid tempo tune.

I really like “Hold Your Fire Baby”. It is a greasy smoking blues tune. The harmonica and growling vocals are first rate. We get a real change of pace with “It Ain't Bad Yet”, the title track. Lefty brings out his acoustic guitar for this acoustic ballad. He brings a real delta feel to it. Things pick back up with “Rat Chase”. This high tempo tune has a bit of an island and a hint of Cajun flavor on it. The fast driving harp at the end of the song is catchy too.

The band goes to a late 60’s early 70’s rocking psychedelic direction with “Sweet Dream’s A Sweet Dream”. Old FM radio would have loved this fine tune. On “Today” the band hits it’s delta acoustic blues stride. It’s got a bit faster pace than older acoustic blues. The drummer keeps the band on track. “Blame It On The Bright Lights” has a catchy beat and a rockin’ groove. I like the guitar solo at about 1:36 into the track. The final track is “In

The Groove- Crossroads Blues Society Newsletter

These guys run a gauntlet of blues styles with precision and talent. I’d go see them in a minute if they were in town. This is a really good CD that I would encourage everyone to hear. It’s not Chicago blues, but has adapted many other blues and rock styles to their talent. I will keep an eye open for their other releases.

Reviewed by Mark Nelson That’s What They Say Brad Vickers & His Vestapolitans ManHatTone www.bradvickers.com 15 tracks/48 minutes Brad Vickers & His Vestapolitans return with their fifth CD of mainly original, yet wonderfully ‘old-timey’ music to get listeners tapping their toes and smiling broadly. The format is much as on previous releases though this time around there are only two covers. Brad handles most of the lead vocals and guitars, Margey Peters plays bass, fiddle and also sings, Bill Rankin is on the drums and recording engineer Dave Gross chips in with bass, banjo, mandolin, piano and percussion. In addition Matt Cowan and Jim Davis play tenor, baritone sax and clarinet on four tracks; Charles Burnham plays fiddle on three tracks and Mikey Junior adds backing vocals to three tracks with Christine Santelli and Gina Sicilia singing on one track. The album was recorded at Dave’s Fat Rabbit Studio in New Jersey.

The two covers start the album off: first Brad sings Tampa Red’s “Seminole Blues” in a stripped down version, just Brad’s excellent bottleneck guitar, Bill and Margey on bass; Brad states that he learned the traditional “Don’t You Love Your Daddy No More” from Lead Belly’s version and this is a fine cover with Brad’s bottleneck and Dave’s mandolin setting the tune and bari sax and clarinet playing round the theme in the style of 1920’s jazz – great stuff! After that it’s all originals with Brad and Marget contributing six songs each and sharing writing credits on the title track. Brad gives us a trio of his songs, starting with “If You Leave Me Now” which may share a title with one of Chicago’s biggest hits but whereas that was a soft ballad this tune sets off like a rocket with Charles and Margey fighting it out on the fiddles over the frantic pace set by the rhythm section.

Charles stays on board for “Everything About You Is Blue” with Margey switching to bass for a country blues in which Brad

has decided that the relationship cannot continue: “When you come home in the middle of the night it’s a guaranteed ringside fight. I shake my head, what has happened to you? I’m going to have to do without you because everything about you is blue”. A similar theme pervades “Another Lonesome Road” as Brad wonders why he is falling into the same trap again. The band rocks things up with the twin tenor saxes propelling the tune. The jointly composed title track is a trio performance with Margey on bass and sharing the vocals with Brad, another blues about relationships which this time takes the examples from the animal world: “They say that a jackass without his jenny mule, he’s not an ass, he’s just a fool”. Continuing the nature theme we then get “Mountain Sparrow” which is a fiddle-led Appalachian-style tune.

Brad’s albums have often featured gospel tunes and Margey’s “Fightin’” is a classic of the genre with the refrain “Fightin’ In The Name Of The Lord” repeated over handclaps and percussion to really take us to church. Brad’s “Don’t You Change A Thing” is a rocker with Margey on fiddle and Dave filling in on bass. The very short “Wishing Well” finds Margey taking the lead on vocals and fiddle but stops after just one verse. Margey also sings “Mama’s Cookin’” which is great fun with the saxes back in support and Margey detailing all kinds of cuisine from several different cultures but whatever is eaten, the chorus concludes that “We all did pretty great on Mama’s cookin’”. Margey’s “Twenty-First Century Rag” again features her and Charles on fiddle with amusing lyrics about some of modern life’s technological problems, in some ways the archetypical Vestapolitans song, old-time in style but entirely modern in lyrics.

“The Secret” is a rocking tune with the two saxes and Dave’s piano giving a slight touch of Caribbean lilt. Margey contributes the final two tracks: “Having A Ball” a straightforward uptempo toe-tapper with Dave on both piano and the electric guitar solo; closer “In For A Penny” is just Dave and Brad, the former on drums, acoustic guitar and mandolin, the latter on upright bass and bottleneck setting a kind of gypsy background for Margey, Christine Santelli and Gina Sicilia who share the vocals which recount the life story of a couple across the years.

Another solid disc from Brad Vickers & His Vestapolitans who always manage to sound both old-fashioned and modern at the same time.

Reviewed by John Mitchell

January-February 2016 Woodchopper’s Ball Jay Gordon and Blues Venom Shuttle Music www.bluesvenom.com/ 12 Tracks The album title here on the latest from Jay Gordon really tells a tale about the music. He delivers red hot blues rock with a non-traditional sizzling guitar.

Jay and the band work on the west coast.

Raised in Chicago, Jay got some blues exposure. He has recorded 14 CDs over the years, and headlined in Europe. Eric Clapton invited Jay to play at the 2004 Crossroads Guitar Festival. Half of the cuts are new, and the other half remastered from earlier recordings. Only 3 of the 12 are covers. The main band is Jay Gordon (guitar, vocals), Sharon Butcher (bass), Rich Wenzel (B3 and piano) and Rich Gordon Lambert (drums). So fasten your seatbelts and enjoy the ride.

The CD opens with “The Stinger” which rips into your aural senses from the first note. This is fast and loud guitar driven blues rock at almost an extreme. “Hobo Hilton” settles into a slower bluesy groove with a loud wailing guitar. The lyrics do tell a good story about being in Los Angeles and being homeless. Rich Wenzel is great on the B3 on this one. With a title of “Chainsaw Boogie” you know it’s not gonna be a ballad. I hear a touch of English rockin’ blues in this one. One might think of Led Zeppelin when you hear “Stranger Blues”. I hear a fast guitar, with solid drums. It equals a pretty good rock song here, with a hint of blues.

Sharon Butcher grabs the vocals on Koko Taylor’s “Voodoo Woman”. This song is a lava fueled rocker. It is an all out guitar assault. The music drops to an acoustic level in honor of the traditional “Travelin Riverside Blues”. Gordon’s dobro assault is still all out, but at a lower decibel level. It is a nice change of pace. The blues rock continues with a deeper blues vein on “Pain” I like the slide work, and the better blues beat. A more slow blues groove is the backbone of “Message to Collins”. The guitar work is a salute to Albert Collins.

Up next is a 12 bar Chicago blues based blues rocker “Drippin’ Blues”. It’s in a slow Johnny Winter vain. The band holds a nice slow groove for Gordon’s guitar to soar over. I am reminded of some of David’s Bromberg’s blues with “Pure Grain Alcohol”. It’s a slow blues groove dedicated to drinking! This is a more band concept setting for the group, with the piano work showing up well, and less soaring guitar overall. Get the fire extinguishers ready

Page 19 when you play “Blues Venom”. The great B3 and scorching guitars might start a fire.

It runs over 9 minutes so the band really stretches out. There is a guest on Mississippi Saxophone who does a fine job. He is Mario Ramirez (Younger brother of Richie Valens). The recordings final song is “Original Sin”. This cut clocks in at over nine minutes too. This controlled frenzy holds up well, and I would bet is a staple of their live shows.

I had not heard Jay Gordon play until this review. He has rock chops with a side of blues, and is not a bad singer. The rest of the band plays well in the music he plays.

This is music for some but certainly not all.

The band will be well received in Sturgis over the King Biscuit Festival. If you enjoy that big blues rock guitar sound, then this will be for you.

Reviewed by Mark Nelson It Ain’t Right Jimmy Burns Delmark www.jimmyburnsband.com/ 15 Tracks This is the 6th CD on Delmark for Chicagoan bluesman Jimmy Burns. He has been a popular part of the Chicago blues scene for decades. I enjoy Jimmy as a performer and an interpreter of songs. The legendary Dick Shurman produced this CD, so that is always a plus.

There is a horn section on 4 of the cuts.

The band also consists of Anthony Palmer (Guitar), Ariyo Ariyoshi (Piano), Roosevelt Purifoy (Organ), Greg E.G. McDaniel (Bass), and Bryant “T” Parker (Drums). So on to the music!

The opening cut is a Chicago blues number “Big Money Problem” written by Billy Flynn. The band really grooves on this fast paced song. Flynn also wrote the second cut “Will I Ever Find Somebody”. The horn section is on this cut giving it a more soulful feel, along with good piano by Ariyoshi.

Otis Rush’s “Snaggletooth Mule” shows adds some west side sound to the CD. It slides on with a bit of Memphis feel to it too. Things pick up with “Long as You're Mine”. This R&B flavored tune comes from Percy Mayfield. This is a strong R&B number with the horn section back in the mix.

Jimmy’s brother Eddie wrote the next tune “Hard Headed Woman”. It’s a fine Chicago shuffle with tasty guitar from Burns.

The 6th cut is “My Heart Is Hangin’ Heavy” written by Percy Mayfield. It has a bit of Stax sound to it, and is done very well.

The next cut “Crazy, Crazy, Crazy” has a mid tempo swinging feel to it with fine baritone sax work by Aaron Getsug. Burns shows his harmonica licks on “A String To Your Heart”. Things slow down on this deep 12 bars blues number. Things take off on “Rock Awhile”. It has some Chuck Berry feel to it, as the piano really carries the track. From the past Burns plays the Ben E. King hit “Stand By Me”. This cut is very clean and done well with a bit of latin wiggle to it.

We go back to an early R&B feel on “Surrounded”. Things hop with the horns adding their might to the song. “I Know You Hear Me Calling” is a soulful and strong track. The organ and piano work with the horn section to give us a great track. Up next is the Little Walter track “It Ain't Right”. It has a bit of “Mojo” in it, and is well played by the band. I was really taken by the remake of “Messin’ With The Kid”. This funky version takes it far from the Junior Wells version. Good work! The final cut is the traditional gospel song “Wade in the Water”, It’s a nice way to end this great CD. What can I say, this is another high quality disc from Jimmy Burns and Delmark. He covers lots of ground here and still keeps the quality high. Hats off to Dick Shurman too. This release is a keeper, go and get it for your collection, and enjoy it. This will get into the rotation for quite awhile. Go see Jimmy if you can, he is a real gem.

Reviewed by Mark Nelson

The Groove- Crossroads Blues Society Newsletter

Page 20 Trouble Makin' Man Eric Guitar Davis & The Troublemakers Young Blues Records www.cdbaby.com/cd/ ericguitardavis 10 Tracks From the early days of the Mississippi delta, the music spawning all genres that we have enjoyed for over a century, has evolved into a new generation of blues, world wide. This era that has developed over time, brings us a vibrant new, high energy style of Chicago blues, combining all the traditional elements of blues, soul, R&B, and jazz to produce a new blend of 21st century blues. One such member of the new generation is the late great Eric "Guitar" Davis. According to Bob Koester, owner of Delmark Records, Davis was on the threshold of signing a record contract with the well known Chicago label.

From an early age, Eric was on a journey to the top, performing his blues and soul each and every step of the way. On December 19, 2013 his journey was ended but his music and memory remains in the hearts of all those he touched along the way. Fans who knew him personally or heard his soulful voice and electrifying guitar echoing the "windy city," will remember him as the Chicago blues legend extraordinaire, Eric "Guitar" Davis.

All too often we don't realize and embrace a person's talent until it is too late. It seems to take a tragedy before we recognize what an impact and contribution a person makes after they are gone. Unfortunately, I never met Eric personally or got the opportunity to enjoy one of his heart felt performances, but after talking to some of the people who were close to him in the blues world and reading statements and reviews, it is obvious that he was highly revered, especially in the Chicago blues circle. His presence is gone but his spirit and talent will never be forgotten. We can only hope his two CDs, the 2007 Here Comes Trouble and the 2011 album Trouble Making Man will someday be rereleased on a major label to share the musical prowess Eric possessed with the whole country.

Allow me to start this review by stating that it is an honor to be reviewing one of the finest Chicago blues artists who dedicated his life to the music he loved. Let me also preface this by saying that this is a tribute and review of an artist who was legendary in his own right. His music was typical of this new era of the Chicago style blues, driven by high energy, yet saturated with soulful tunes, mixed with jazz and R&B. Eric had a distinct guitar style, bending notes in many of his own tunes. Trouble

Making Man, an eclectic collection of blues written by Eric and Ronnie Baker Brooks, along with Jimmy Burns is truly the "New Generation of the Blues" at it's finest. Joining Eric and a group of seasoned musicians on his last album, are his close friends Ronnie Baker Brooks, Mike Wheeler, and Pete Galanis on guitar with special guest Big James Montgomery on trombone. The CD opens with the title track "Trouble Makin' Man," with Eric's explosive guitar riffs and expressive vocals. "I Met A Little Girl" offers some funky rhythm guitar mixed with slide guitar, drums, and bass all performed by Eric. His vocals are reminiscent of the late great Marvin Gaye on the soulful track "You're Goin Down." The powerful horn section takes over on the soulful blues number "Eew-Wee," complimenting Eric's vocals, with Ronnie Baker Brooks adding his expertise on rhythm guitar. Pete Galanis and Mike Wheeler offer some funky rhythm guitar lines on "Days Of My Life," to blend well with lead guitar from Galanis. The rhythm section sets the groove on "Love Song" to blend well with Eric's lead vocals, with band members adding smooth backup vocals to compliment the jazzy guitar licks of Galanis. In a tongue-in-cheek vocal exchange between Eric and Ronnie Baker Brooks, "Dolla Queen" allows the two to match each other's volatile guitar licks throughout this tune, written by the two guitar slingers. Davis takes a soul break on "No Consideration," the Jimmy Burns track, to allow Destiny Pivonka to take center stage on sax. The last two Eric Davis tunes, "Pussy Cat" and "Hey Baby," give us an idea why Davis is a genuine blues heavyweight on both vocals and guitar, winning a spot in the hearts of all those who knew and heard this magnificent Chicago bluesman.

All the blues fans who had the privilege of hearing Eric first hand at blues venues like Kingston Mines, or heard his two recordings Here Comes Trouble and Trouble Making Man, I'm sure will treasure those moments forever. It's unlikely that we have another talent like late great Eric "Guitar" Davis, the son of legendary drummer Bobby "Top Hat" Davis.

Reviewed by Rick Davis B’s Expression Al Basile Sweetspot Records www.albasile.com 13 tracks Roomful of Blues alumnus Al Basile’s new album is a special mix of the swinging, jazzy blues we’ve come to expect from the great vocalist and cornet player. Joined here by Duke Robillard and other former and current Roomful and Ro-

billard alums.

“Whole Lot of Good Lovin’” is titled similarly to many prior blues songs. Basile’s spin on the matter is suave and slick. “It Wasn’t That Good” is a tune about a relationship that never materialized. Good looks and a sweet smell were not enough. Some nice organ and guitar work accompanies Basile here. “Not Like I Do” is a tune about how an older man explains to a younger woman how an older man can satisfy her better.

Basile asserts his belief well as the horns punctuate his vocals. His cornet solo is suave and emotive. With “Don’t You Ever Get Tired of Being Right?” Basile was going for a Luis Jordan jump blues but then changed the tempo up. It still works with it’s humorous lyrics, horn arrangement and piano and cornet solos. “I’m Running Late” is a based on the premise that folks do not change, so despite how things may look new it may be wise to leave and cut bait. A dynamic cornet solo makes this cut even better. Based on Matthew 20:1-16 we have “Have I Given My Best?” Basile uses the parable of the workers who come later and later also getting the same wage as the all day worker to ponder if he’s worked hard enough for salvation.

“Never Good Enough” is a relationship song about what the title say. While Basile claims to never have been in this sort of relationship, he understands the drama.

“Somethin;s Missing” has a funky beat and he claims it’s a swing tune based on Elllington. Can’t have enough of that and this song is a great example of it. A nice vocal and solo by Basile here in this cut! “Answer Me” is a cut about getting the silent treatment and “I Didn’t Come Here to Lie”is a song about being able to talk straight with a friend. I love how he uses relationships to express himself in these original cuts.

“Even Jesus Fell” is based on the Stations of the Cross as Basile testifies again for us.

“That Ain’t Bad” expresses that while the economy is better we still have it bad. The national debt is coming down but we still have lots of people out of work and hurting.

“You Know You Don’t Know” hearkens to the days when Cleanhead Vinson worked with Roomful. No one knows what he meant, but Basile uses the expression in this lyric to express that the girl he’s always loved does not know it.

Basile is a rich vocalist and lyricist who expresses the emotions in our lives so well in his music. He is effortless in his delivery, making each tune sound fresh and expressive. His cornet tears at you emotionally to further drive his musical points home. This is a great album and swing, jump and jazzy blues fans will love it!

Reviewed by Steve Jones

January-February 2016 Keep Coming Back Mike Zito Ruf Records www.mikezito.com www.rufrecords.de 12 tracks/51 minutes Mike Zito has not put a foot wrong in recent years with several well-received solo albums, a BMA win for song of the year, his stint in Royal Southern Brotherhood and now Mike Zito & The Wheel. This is their third album in just over two years, two studio discs and a live CD/DVD – The Wheel keeps on rolling! The band remains unchanged with Mike on guitar and vocals, Jimmy Carpenter on sax and backing vocals, Lewis Stephens on keys, Scot Sutherland on bass and Rob Lee on drums.

Mike wrote ten of the tracks here, three in collaboration with Anders Osborne and there are two covers. As on most of his records, Mike is open about his battles with addiction and several songs here adopt a searingly honest approach. The album opens in sensational style with the title track, a slide-driven rocker with plenty of sax from Jimmy and a pounding rhythm track, Mike baring his soul in typical fashion as the chorus says: “keep coming back, give your burden to the blues; keep coming back, what’ya got to lose”. “Chin Up” is another uptempo piece based round a busy guitar riff, a song with a message to those in difficult situations before the first Zito/Osborne collaboration “Get Busy Living” which is a gentle ballad with a lilting feel, an uplifting chorus and a very effective vocal from Mike. “Early In The Morning” shares its title with a classic blues song but this is far more a countryrock piece with acoustic guitars underpinning Mike’s chiming lead lines and vocal, a very attractive piece in Eagles mode.

Co-writer Anders makes his only appearance playing guitar and sharing vocals with Mike on “I Was Drunk”, another of those soul-baring songs in which Mike recalls letting friends and lovers down because he was unable to conquer his addictions. Musically this is again in country territory, Anders and Mike playing some solid country style acoustic guitar.

The third collaboration with Anders is another ballad, “Lonely Heart” which has a fine guitar solo from Mike and some nice supporting sax from Jimmy on the coda.

Jimmy has been in the background on the last few tracks but returns with gusto on “Girl From Liberty”, Mike’s ode to his Texas home base, a wonderfully catchy tune with a rousing chorus and a rock n’ roll solo from Mike. The first cover is Bob

Page 21 Seger’s “Get Out Of Denver” and it’s a good choice for Mike’s voice as well as being a good sequel to the previous song, another blue-collar rocker. Jimmy’s sax underpins the Chuck Berry rhythm and Lewis’ piano works brilliantly as he shares the solo honours with Mike’s rocking guitar. Three Zito originals follow: “Nothin’ But The Truth” has a great Stones-like riff at its core with Jimmy and Lewis giving great support and Mike singing in a raspy voice that fits the song perfectly; Mike gets the slide out again on the interesting “Cross The Border” which has a strange, slightly off the beat rhythm, a song that recounts the story of a very dysfunctional family; at nearly seven minutes “What’s On Your Mind” is the longest track here, a full-blooded vocal from Mike on a sad ballad and plenty of opportunity to hear Jimmy’s superb sax playing. The album closes with The Wheel’s rocking take on one of John Fogerty’s less well-known CCR tunes, “Bootleg” (from the “Bayou Country” album in 1969), Jimmy’s rasping tenor sparring with Mike’s wild guitar.

Overall this is a very solid album, but is it blues? Not really, this is more readily classified as Americana with aspects of country, country rock, rock and roll and classic rock, all skilfully blended together.

Whatever you call it, “Keep Coming Back” is a great album that I shall return to often.

Reviewed by John Mitchell The Next Place I Leave Chris Yakopcic Yako Records www.chrisyakopcicmusic.com 11 tracks/41 minutes Anyone who has been at the IBC’s in recent years should have spotted Chris Yakopcic as he has competed there three times, reaching the solo/ duo final in 2015. In 2016 he will be there again, representing the Dayton Blues Society which has also put forward his second full album for the 2016 Best SelfProduced CD award. Chris is therefore an experienced acoustic player who works in Piedmont fingerpicking style as well as slide work on a resonator. For this album he is joined by a rhythm section of Leo Smith on bass and Brian Hoeflich on drums. There are four covers and seven originals on the album.

The title track leads the way with an immediate demonstration of Chris’ picking ability but he also has a clear and engaging voice. The tune charges on with the rhythm section setting a strong pace for

Chris to embellish on his guitar and the lyrics are good too, as Chris recounts several experiences which are simply to be lived through en route to the next stage of his life. “Preachin’ Blues” is the first of two Robert Johnson songs and is given a traditional reading with Chris’ moody resonator work underpinning his “whoopin’ and hollerin’” vocal style before the rhythm section arrives at the end of the first verse to propel the tune through. Chris’ “Sweet Time Blues” has a jaunty musical feel but some odd lyrics: “I just lay on this fruit farm, I can hardly stay awake. But it smells like a rotten landfill compared to how your sweet time tastes”! “Smallman Street” tells how Chris first came across the steel guitar and how amazed he was by the sound the player got from his instrument: “Is it really just one guy on the stage all alone?” RJ’s “Phonograph Blues” is played fairly straight, Chris in fingerpicking style whereas he switches to the slide for “Sounds Of The Highway” in which Chris claims that the title helps him to sleep during the day, awaiting the night time when, as a musician, he will be heading out to play.

Mississippi Fred McDowell is the source for “Write Me A Few Lines” which finds Leo and Brian setting a fine boogie beat behind Chris’ insistent slide work but the final cover is an unusual one, Leonard Cohen’s “Tower Of Song”. I cannot remember hearing LC covered by a blues band before but this works as the band transforms the song into a fast-paced country blues fingerpicking extravaganza.

The final three songs are all Chris’ compositions. “Time To Go” is another song with excellent slide work but strange lyrics: “I see them digging by hand all through your smouldering remains. Well, I light my cigar in a bathtub full of gasoline” – Chris is clearly not impressed by his partner’s behaviour towards another guy! Tobacco, alcohol and women are all things that young men chase after but in “Addicted” Chris tells us that his addiction has always been guitars. Melodic closer “My Last Three Strings” finds Chris comparing himself to his broken guitar (broken neck, only three strings left) but now he has settled down to a quieter life “in a good woman’s arms”: fine sentiments though the song does pose a challenge for Chris’ voice which at times struggles to reach the higher notes.

Overall this CD shows that Chris is a fine acoustic player who can play the old-time blues songs but also writes some interesting songs of his own. Fans of well-played acoustic music will enjoy this disc.

Reviewed by John Mitchell

The Groove- Crossroads Blues Society Newsletter

Page 22 Sing Your Own Song Blue Largo Self Release www.bluelargblues.com 14 tracks/61 minutes Californian band Blue Largo was founded by guitarist Eric Liberman and vocalist Alicia Aragon in 1999 and they released two albums in 2000 and 2002. Disaster then struck in the form of a rare neurological condition (Focal Dystonia) that affected Eric and made it impossible for him to play. Determined to play again Eric had to teach himself from scratch, a process that obviously took time. Once able to play again Eric and Alicia returned to live performance but after a gap of thirteen years felt it was high time to record some new material, resulting in this fine and varied album. On the earlier albums the band mainly covered their heroes from the 1940’s and 50’s – T-Bone Walker, Louis Jordan, Dinah Washington, etc. However, in the interval Eric had jotted down ideas for some original songs and this CD has seven of Eric’s songs placed alongside tunes from the likes of Earl Hooker, Magic Sam and Willie Dixon. The band is Alicia on vocals, Eric on guitar, Johnny Viau on sax (Dave Castel de Oro also plays sax on two tracks), Taryn Donath on piano: Marcus Bashore or Ron Felton play drums; bass duties are divided between Art Kraatz and Joey Jazdzewski and Missy Andersen adds backing vocals to four tracks. The album was produced by Eric, Alicia and Nathan James who contributes a variety of guitar, bass and backing vocals.

The album opens with four originals which demonstrate the scope of the band: “Walkin’ On A Tightrope” has plenty of shimmering guitar and funky horns on a really catchy tune, pianist Taryn taking the first solo, Eric the second. Alicia has the sort of voice that fits this retro style perfectly and on track two she shows that again on “Kindness, Love And Understanding” which is a fast-paced tune with plenty of sax from Johnny and Dave who nails a fine tenor solo here. The title track has a ‘hot gospel’ feel with the fast-paced rhythm punctuated by the horn pulses and short cameos for piano and guitar. The pace drops for “Tears Of Joy”, a gorgeous melody with some latin hints in the percussion work and a lovely vocal from Alicia who sings of poverty but also the human spirit that can rise above it. The first cover is the instrumental “Guitar Rhumba” from the Earl Hooker songbook.

As the title suggests this is a feature for Eric who plays superbly while the band

adds some latin percussion and pianist Taryn really gets into the spirit of the tune.

Another original “Prisoner Of The Night” borrows some of those familiar blues themes such as the ‘mojo hand’ while the horns play a storm on a tune that reminds you of “Kidney Stew”, Johnny’s muscular tenor solo being followed by Eric in TBone mood – great stuff!

Mitchell Parish and Harry White’s “Evening” is a classic tune and has been covered in recent years by Colin James And The Little Big Band and Sugar Ray & The Bluetones but Blue Largo do a good job with Alicia’s excellent vocal and Johnny’s rasping tenor solo. Eric clearly has “Nothin’ To Prove” in the songwriting stakes and this one is no exception as the band rocks along behind Alicia who sings of Eric’s struggles to get back to playing (“working and practising until your fingers bleed”) and Eric shows how far he has come in a fine solo. Another familiar cover is Willie Dixon’s “You Know My Love”, originally by Otis Rush but also covered by Sugar Ray & The Bluetones on their “Evening” album and Alicia’s strong vocal is framed by the horns and guitar on the familiar chorus to good effect. Clarence ‘Gatemouth’ Brown’s best known tune has to be “Okie Dokie Stomp” (written by Pluma Davis) and Eric’s short but sweet version says all it needs to in just over two minutes of breakneck pace. “Elevator To The Gallows” was the title of a Miles Davis tune for a 1957 French film but the same title is a brooding ballad written by Eric and superbly sung by Alicia with excellent accompaniment by the whole band and fine solos from Taryn, Johnny and Eric – a standout track. To close out the album the band gives us three covers of contrasting styles: “I Need You So Bad” bounces along with Eric leading the way in Magic Sam’s ringing style; pedal steel player Herb Remington’s “Remington Ride” is Western Swing and Eric proves that he can master that style also in a sparse arrangement; even more sparse is the version of The Mississippi Sheiks’ “Sitting On Top Of The World” which is just Eric on slide and Nathan on resonator backing Alicia to provide a downhome acoustic finale to the disc.

This was the first time I had heard Blue Largo and I was very impressed indeed.

My next task is to track down the two earlier albums to add to my collection!

Reviewed by John Mitchell

Method To My Madness Tommy Castro & The Painkillers Alligator Records http://tommycastro.com 12 Tracks Method To My Madness is his seventeenth album since 1994, releasing studio and live albums at a rapid pace of nearly one per year and following them up with spectacular live shows around the globe.

He made the statement on his Live At The Fillmore release, "You know we like a little soul music with our blues. That's no secret anymore." Since then he has been true to his word and his latest studio release is no exception.

His signature sound developed in the 90's with sax player Keith Crossan by his side for over a million miles of touring and 11 albums. With Randy McDonald on bass and Shad Harris on drums, the band created a première West Coast blues, soul, funk, and R&B sound that has grown into the highly sought after band that we have come to know as Tommy Castro & The Painkillers. Along the way Billy Lee Lewis came on board to handle the duties of percussion, only to be replaced later on with Chris Sandoval on drums. With Keith Crossan leaving to pursue a solo career, his saxophone was not replaced, changing the original band somewhat, yet maintaining that West Coast blues, soul, funk, and R&B thread tying the band together.

The one thing that remains constant on every album are Tommy's solid vocals, versatile guitar styles, and his superb song writing ability.

His current band personnel consists of Tommy on vocals and guitar, Randy McDonald still on bass and background vocals, Michael Emerson on keyboards, and Bowen Brown on drums and background vocals. With the exception of two songs, Tommy either wrote or co-wrote the tunes on Method To My Madness. The album opens with the blues anthem "Common Ground," delivering a similar message to that of Canned Heat's "Work Together" in the 60's. Castro opens with that same Tony Joe White swamp guitar intro before tearing into burning slide guitar to match his pleading vocals in the original tune "Shine A Light," questioning the future of living in this dark "dangerous world." The rhythm section and keyboards of Michael Emerson create a whole new stage for the band on this tune. The title track "Method To My Madness" takes us back to the early, hard driven', heart

January-February 2016 pounding rhythm section and rock guitar sound, typical of his early albums. Castro has done a superb job of incorporating the keyboards of Emerson, the rhythm section, guitar solos, and his passionate vocals into one of his finest soul tunes, "Died And Gone To Heaven." He taps into the rural Louisiana Zydeco sound of Rockin' Sidney or John Fogerty with the original song "Got A Lot." "No Such Luck" bemoans the fact Tommy's luck needs to change, directing us to 1954 and Albert King's "Bad Luck Blues" or King's "Born Under A Bad Sign." Tommy returns to guitar riffs from earlier albums for the steady blues shuffle "Two Hearts." "I'm Qualified," a Rick Hall/Quin Ivy tune, is sure to hit the R&B charts harder than "Finger Poppin' Time" by Hank Ballard and The Midnighters , Jr. Walker & The All -Stars' "Shotgun" or even "In The Midnight Hour" by the wicked Wilson Pickett. "Ride" takes you back to the 60's with a steady groove and aura, reliving "Riders On The Storm." "Lose Lose" is soulful enough to keep pace on guitar with Al Kooper & Mike Bloomfield's "Albert's Shuffle," with Michael Emerson matching that of Barry Goldberg on electric piano, Randy McDonald rivaling Harvey Brooks on bass, and Bowen Brown throttling the drums as solid as Eddie Hoh. This could be the most sensation blues tune ever done by Tommy Castro, written by Castro and Joe Lewis Walker. Castro's social commentary really hits home on his funky track "All About The Cash," with Tommy taking his guitar solos to whole new level.

What a finish to an already top notch blues album, recording the B.B. King/ Jules Bihari shuffle "Bad Luck," with the entire band saving the best until last, bringing Castro's scorching guitar solos center stage.

It is extremely difficult to pick a favorite track from Method To My Madness.

Tommy Castro has hit this one out of the park for a grand slam. It amazes me how well he can take an entirely different group of musicians and create a new, vibrant, fresh collection of tunes and still maintain that same blues, soul, funk, and R&B sound that we have enjoyed for years in his albums. Keep it going Tommy!

Reviewed by Rick Davis

Page 23 Meet Me In Bluesland The Kentucky Headhunters with Johnnie Johnson Alligator Records alligatorecords.com johnniejohnson.com kentuckyheadhunters.com 11 tracks Johnnie Johnson, dubbed “the greatest sideman in rock ‘n’ roll” by Rolling Stone Magazine, began playing the piano at age 5 as a child in West Virginia. He played in a band called the Barracudas in a stint with the Marine Corps and then landed in Detroit and Chicago, playing with Muddy Waters and Little Walter before moving to St. Louis and forming the Sir John Trio. A young guitar player named Chuck Berry later joined the group and eventually became it’s leader. When Berry got his contract with Chess Records, Johnson’s piano groove went with him, garnering Johnson attention as a great piano man.

He also played with Albert King when Chuck was not busy. Tiring of the road, he left Chuck’s band in 1973 and returned to St. Louis as a bus driver. Keith Richards and the Stones dragged him back in the limelight with the Berry documentary Hail! Hail! Rock and Roll in 1987 and in 1993 met up by chance with the Kentucky Headhunters after releasing 3 solo albums. Several albums were recorded but these 11 tracks from a session in 2003 remained unreleased. He was inducted into the rock and roll Hall of Fame in 2001 and passed away in 2005.

The Kentucky Headhunters began as the band Itchy Brother in 1968. Country and blues infused Southern rock is their staple, learned from their parents and neighbours where they grew up on a 1300 acre farm in Kentucky. They fortunately met Johnnie in 1992 at a Grammy Awards Party after a road trip where they had spent the entire trip listening to and falling in love with his Johnnie B. Bad album.

They recorded and toured together for many years after this meeting.

I spoke to Bruce Iglauer about this album and he was very excited to bring Jimmie Johnson’s unreleased cuts into the light of day for all to hear. While the Headhunters may not be Alligator’s average blues band, the beautiful piano work and synergy between Johnson and the Headhunters is something that should not be missed. It is a raucous and wonderful album.

The album kicks off with the rollicking “Stumblin’,” a tune that would have them

on their feet at the CMAs. A driving boogie woogie beat that makes the blues, rock, and country music work so well is made even better by Johnson’s work on the ivories. “Walking with the Wolf” follows, a straight blues tune with some outstanding big time solo work by Johnson and some nice slide to boot. Berry’s “Little Queenie,” the lone cover here, gets a good treatment and Johnnie gives us another spectacular solo. “She’s Got to Have It” features Johnson on the vocals and piano, growling out his gravelly baritone in stark contrast to the Headhunters vocal approach. Solos by Johnson and then Greg Martin on guitar are again impressive. “Party In Heaven” is a nice, country-fried boogie tune where Martin takes the first solo before Johnson’s. A fun cut.

The title track is slow blues introduced to us with Jimmie’s tinkling on the ivories.

Soulfully sweet, the band shows restraint in their approach and it sells well. “King Rooster” steps up the tempo a notch; Johnson gets the first solo and then Martin offers another; both are effective.

“Shufflin’ Back to Memphis” opens to a big bass line. Johnson and Martin again trade solos, but the second solo that takes us out is where Jimmie really shines.

With “Fast Train” the tempo really rises, a rocking instrumental where Johnson really takes off and struts his stuff. This cut is all his. Martin parries with him, but Johnson blazes over the ivories and shows his mettle. “Sometime” gets the boogie going again in a slow to mid tempo tune where Johnson again shines as he supports the band with his two-fisted piano work. The slide introduces us to the finale, “Superman Blues.” Martin gets the first solo here, a really pretty slide solo. After another chorus Johnson gets his turn in front and he does not disappoint.

The Headhunters are a lot of fun but they are a seriously good band. Richard Young on vocals and rhythm guitar and Doug Phelps on vocals and rhythm guitar are both great front man. Martin’s guitar is pretty much as good as it gets. Anthony Kenney is solid on bass and Fred Young on drums also holds his own.

Johnnie Johnson gives one fantastic performance after another here and show us the chops that helped launch Chuck Berry’s career and put him in demand.

Thanks to Alligator and Bruce Iglauer for bring these tunes to us to enjoy. This is some of Jimmie Johnson’s best stuff and it deserves to be heard!

Reviewed by Steve Jones

The Groove- Crossroads Blues Society Newsletter

Page 24 Friend Like Me Steve Howell & The Mighty Men Out Of The Past Music www.stevehowell.ws 10 tracks/44 minutes This is the fifth album from Steve and his band The Mighty Men: Steve sings and plays acoustic and electric guitar, Chris Michaels is on electric guitar, Jason Weinheimer bass and Dave Hoffpauir drums.

Steve is based in the Shreveport LA area and the album was recorded in Little Rock, Arkansas. The material is all covers, mainly drawn from the first generation of blues players like Charley Patton and Noah Lewis but also takes in a couple of 60’s hits too. The extensive sleevenotes are very informative about the songs and where they came from.

Steve sings in a clear and unaffected voice, every word available for the listener to appreciate on recordings ‘live off the floor’ and engineered by bassist Jason.

The title track starts things off in upbeat country blues mode, a song recorded in 1948 by Jesse ‘Baby Face’ Thomas who in his later years returned to his native Louisiana and actually played live with Dave and Chris. Bukka White’s “Aberdeen, Mississippi Blues” is a song that has been recorded many times, not least by fellow Shreveport native Kenny Wayne Shepherd, Steve’s fast paced version rocking it up with some nice guitar work from Chris. Charley Patton’s “Elder Green Is Gone”, the tale of a man who has ‘gone off rambling’, dates from 1929 but sounds absolutely modern with some more solid work from Chris who gets quite a country twang to his guitar here. “Oh Lord, Search My Heart” is a Reverend Gary Davis tune inspired by Hot Tuna’s version with plenty of acoustic work from Steve, Dave using brushes. The traditional “Little Sadie” dates back to 1922 but is essentially the same story as “Bad Lee Brown” and other similar songs in which justice is meted out to the murderer of a young girl in North Carolina. The Mighty Men’s version sounds a little like the soundtrack to a Western and Steve’s vocal works particularly well here, set against ringing guitar and upbeat rhythm work.

Josh Thomas was a banjo player who was recorded in 1970 (at age 80) playing this tune which here is moody and low-key, guitarist Chris intervening with a few splashes of electric colour. “This Old Hammer” was originally a field recording in early 1950’s West Virginia of retired

high school teacher Nelson Harmon and is clearly a close relative of the “John Henry” tale: Steve’s acoustic underpins some melodic work by Chris on a fine version of the tune. The next two tunes were both part of the Grateful Dead’s repertoire for many years: Noah Lewis’ “Viola Lee Blues” dates back to 1928 when Noah was the harmonica player for Gus Cannon’s Jug Stompers, the Dead used it as a jamming theme for many years; John Phillips of The Mamas And The Papas wrote “Me And My Uncle” in 1963 during a wild night out with Judy Collins, Steve Stills, Neil Young and others but had forgotten all about the song until he started receiving royalties from Judy Collins’ recording of the song! The band’s version of John’s tune is particularly successful with more good work from Chris. Closing track is Steve’s version of “Pretty Flamingo” (Mark Barkan) which certainly took this reviewer back in time to Manfred Mann’s huge hit in 1966. The song is well played by the band but a bit of a stretch vocally for Steve but it is a wonderful pop song and rare to hear it covered these days, making a melodic end to an enjoyable disc.

Reviewed by John Mitchell Tryin’ To Make You Understand Walkin’ Cane Mark Enable Records www.walkincanemark.com 12 tracks/48 minutes Mark Brehm got his nickname from Willie Dixon when he was recovering from an injury. A lifelong fan of the blues, Mark had early lessons from Snooky Prior and played with Junior Wells and Nappy Brown amongst others. He led his own band at the tender age of 21, issued several CDs and toured Europe with Nappy but has been largely absent from the scene for some years. This collection was originally made for friends and family in 2010 but has now been remastered and made available to a wider audience. Mark plays harp and handles the vocals with Kirk Hawley on guitar and mandolin, John Rumbaugh on drums and Brenden McBride or Gordon Lynde Jr. on bass.

There are four covers and eight of Mark’s originals.

Mark opens with a tune by one of his favourites, Howling Wolf. “Somebody’s Walking/Somebody’s In My Home” is a fairly typical Wolf tune, Mark even adopting some of the ‘howling’ style of singing

though mostly the vocal here is semispoken over some solid support from the band and some tough harp from Mark.

The title track is a 1994 co-write with Junior Wells, written backstage, literally on the back of a club flyer and re-discovered

by Mark in a file at home when he was thinking about originals for this project.

Compared with the rather grungy sound of the opening track, this one is a brighter production with good guitar work and high register harp work. A run of acoustic numbers follows with a stripped-back version of Chico Chism’s “Arizona Woman” which has some great harp and slide work. JJ Cale’s “Rock And Roll Records” follows suit with a particularly gravelly vocal from Mark over quiet acoustic guitar and Mark’s tribute to his Russian wife “Ellada Ellada” is a short uptempo piece, again in acoustic mode. Tom T Hall’s “That’s How I Got To Memphis” is usually a melodic, upbeat tune but here Mark slows it down with gentle guitar and bass accompaniment, again singing in gruff, almost spoken manner.

The remainder of the album is all original, starting with an electric shuffle “Let Me In While You Can” which has some fine guitar work from Kirk and powerful harp from Mark. “(I’m) A Freight Train” certainly has that train feel from the rhythm section and some bright harp work though Mark’s vocal sounds a little distant in the mix as he brags of his life full of girlfriends: “I’m a freight train rolling through your town, don’t try to slow me down” – sort of ‘a girl in every port’ for landlovers. Kirk returns to mandolin on the easy rolling “Take Me Back To Bergen” as Mark narrates one of his trips to Europe, namechecking Nappy Brown in the lyric which is largely about drinking! Re-recorded for the 2015 release, “The Devil’s @ My Door” is a stark piece with minimal accompaniment to Mark’s haunting harp and anguished vocal as he bares his soul. In more humorous and upbeat mood Mark boasts of his love for women everywhere in “Ocean Full Of Women” before balancing matters by dedicating the closing “Eddie’s Boogie” to his young son who apparently adores his Dad’s harp playing!

It is always good to see that someone who clearly loves the music has managed to overcome problems and return to action. This album was not particularly to this reviewer’s taste but there are some spirited moments and it is sure to be welcomed by all who knew Mark in his earlier career.

Reviewed by John Mitchell

January-February 2016

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Raise Your Hands!

Sam Butler Severn Records www.severnrecords.com 12 tracks/47:21

of life over the simmering rhythm while Collier' steel guitar adds otherworldly accents. The Curtis Mayfield piece, “Wherever You Leadeth” has an oldschool soul feel that allows Butler to use the full extent of his vocal skills.

Raised up in the world of sermonizing and gospel singing, guitarist Sam Butler hit the road at a young age with his father, Samuel Butler Sr., who played guitar for the legendary Blind Boys of Mississippi. Eventually the son secured the same position for the exciting Blind Boys of Alabama. As Butler honed his skills, his voice and guitar work caught the attention of stars like Keith Richards and Donald Fagen of Steely Dan fame, who fell under the spell of the younger Butler's contributions to The Gospel of Colonus play that was a finalist for 1985 Pulitzer Prize for Drama.

For his first solo project, Butler assembled a small group outstanding musicians for support. From the Lee Boys, he enlisted the pedal steel guitar wizard Roosevelt Collier, who brings doses of Sacred Steel fervor to several tracks. The rhythm section is comprised of Viktor Krauss on double bass and Marco Giovino on drums and percussion. The leader handles all of the vocals in addition to his distinctive guitar playing. Butler presents an eclectic batch of songs from songwriters ranging from Johnny Cash t to Tom Waits with stops for Eric Clapton and Van Morrison along the way.

“Sanctuary,” is another contemplative number that ends the disc, failing to make an impact with the exception of another soaring Collier solo. Still, this project illuminates one more time the thin lines that often separate church and secular, gospel and blues music. Butler reminds us that the only difference is the perspective of the lyrics. If more churches offered music with with this kind of impact, sung with the eloquence of Butler's voice, there is no doubt that church pews would be full.

“Heaven's Wall” is powered by Giovino's forceful beat plus insistent guitar chords and Butler's pleading voice, making this Bruce Springsteen tune a animated opening statement. The Gibbs brothers tune, “The Lord,” rocks even harder, leading into the Cash tune, “Lead Me Father,” as Butler continues to testify before turning things over to Collier for some exquisite pedal steel playing. There is more of his dynamic playing on the finish to “Magnificent”. Butler gives Morrison's “Full Force Gale” a measured reading, his ardent voice professing the strength of his fate.

One of Butler's best performances occurs on “Presence Of The Lord”. He takes his time with the Clapton's classic from the Blind Faith era, then steps aside for a majestic outburst from Collier. The singer adopts a deeper, harder-edge tone for Waits' “Gospel Train” in addition to playing a stark guitar interlude. “God's Hotel” is a dark, brooding meditation from Nick Cave with Butler adding some primordial wails for effect. “Long Black Cadillac” is the best track on the disc. Butler ponders the end

Reviewed by Mark Thompson I Ain't Lyin'...

Charlie Musselwhite Henrietta Records www.charliemusselwhite.com 11 tracks/58:18 Back with a second disc of live recordings, the elder statesman of the blues harmonica shows that he still can make powerful music on stage. Utilizing his tight backing ensemble consisting of Matthew Stubbs on guitar, June Core on drums, and Steve Froberg on drums, Charlie Musselwhite digs into eight originals and two covers from shows in later in 2014, recorded in Sonoma, CA and Clarksdale, MS. “Good Blues Tonight” is featured in two versions. One opens the disc in an edited format with a steady-rolling rhythm that fuels several strong harp excursions from Musselwhite around a potent solo from Stubbs. The unedited version come at the end of the disc, extending solo sections for harp and guitar plus adding another verse in the middle. Core and Froberg set up a sturdy shuffle on “Long Lean Lanky Mama”. Musselwhite is on fire, employing a full range of tones from his harp while delivering an energetic vocal. Stubbs propels “My Kinda Gal” with some rapid-fire guitar picking that inspires his boss to do some extended blowing. “300 Miles To Go” is another take on the familiar theme of trying to get back that special someone, with Musselwhite promising “I didn't come to stay. I just dropped by, baby, to drive your blues away,” then Stubbs lights it up with a torrid solo.

Things get real low-down on the soulwrenching “Always Been Your Friend”

with Musselwhite crying out his pain. “If I Should Have Bad Luck” features another memorable, lengthy solo sequence from Musselwhite while his guitarist plays a shorter but equally memorable passage.

Stubbs plays some infectious riffs on “Long Legged Woman” before burning through a twisting, turning solo that may require repeat listens.

The first cover is a version of Elmore James's “Done Somebody Wrong,” popularized by the Allman Brothers Band.

Once again Musselwhite's weathered voice barks out the lyrics with authority, provoking a fiery guitar response. Although it was written by Duke Pearson, the instrumental “Christo Redentor” has been associated with Musselwhite every since he recorded it on his debut album, Stand Back!, on Vanguard Records. Having played the song countless times, he now takes his time, playing with his heart lingering on several notes to wring just a little bit more emotion out of them. It adds up to six minutes guaranteed to delight even those with just a passing interest in blues harmonica.

A Grammy winner, a member of the Blues Hall of Fame, and recipient of thirty Blues Music Awards in a variety of categories, Charlie Musselwhite once again makes it clear that, after a career has spanned fifty years, he is still creating vibrant music with his outstanding band that remains deeply entrenched in the traditions.

Reviewed by Mark Thompson

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The Groove- Crossroads Blues Society Newsletter

January-February 2016

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The Groove- Crossroads Blues Society Newsletter

January-February 2016

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Crossroads Shows and Events November and December 2015 Blueshhawks at All Saints Church

Blueshawks at Leombrunis

Dave Weld and the Imperial Flames at the Lyran Club

New Savages return to the Metro Center Before the Ice Hogs AHL Game

Steve Jones, Mark Thompson and Rick Davis Happiest Blues Music Awards Show Knuckledown Saloon, Madison WI Lee Ann Flynn Photo

Macyn Taylor at All Saints Church

The New Savages did shows at the Lyran Club in both November and December

The Blueshawks at the Lyran Club

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The Groove- Crossroads Blues Society Newsletter

Rodney Brown and Jimmy Nick Hope and Anchor Crossroads Christmas Party Rick Davis Photo

Bobby Messano BITS program at Carlson ES Photo by Rick Davis

Jimy Sohns and Bobby Messano at the Lyran Club

Samantha Fish in Blooomington, IL Rick Davis and Dennis Barker on the Road Rick Davis Photo

Dave Fields NYE at the Hope and Anchor

The Groove- Crossroads January-February 2016 Blues Society Newsletter

Top Blues Releases November & December 2015

Sunday Morning Blues WKGL-FM 96.7 The Eagle Rockford, IL November: Morry Sochat & The Special 20s / Dig In / Galaxie Tommy Castro & The Painkillers / Method to My Madness / Alligator Trudy Lynn / Everything Comes with a Price / Connor Ray Deb Callahan / Sweet Soul / Blue Pearl Billy Gibbons and The BFG's / Perfectomundo / Concord Zora Young & Little Mike and the Tornadoes / Friday Night / Elrob Dave Weld and the Imperial Flames / Slip into a Dream / Delmark John Mayall / Find a Way to Care / Forty Below Lara Price / I Mean Business / Greaseland Buddy Guy / Born to Play Guitar / RCA Silvertone Harmonica Shah / If You Live to Get Old, You Will Understand / Electro-Fi Mike Zito & The Wheel / Keep Coming Back / Ruf Carl Weathersby / I'm Still Standing Here / Magnolia December: Jonn Del Toro Richardson / Tengo Blues / JRCD - Vizztone Mighty Mike Schermer / Blues in Good Hands / Finedog - Vizztone Various Artists / Blues Harp Women / Ruf Harmonica Shah / If You Live to Get Old, You Will Understand / Electro-Fi Chris Beard / Eye of the Witch / Destin Hundt - Shellist - Duncanson - Kobek / Hangover Blues, vol. 1 / Steady Groove Rodney Brown and Hotrod / Mama's Thankful Child / Saxplyr Various Artists / Blue Yule / Rhino

This list is submitted to Living Blues Magazine for inclusion in the November and December 2015 National Radio Chart. This list is compiled from actual radio air play statistics. WKGL-FM broadcasts 2 hours of the blues per week.

Rich Gordon Sunday Morning Blues WKGL-FM 96.7 The Eagle 3901 Brendenwood Road Rockford, IL 61107

Membership News We continue to grow with new members and renewals continuing to sign on! Thank you for supporting live music and keeping the blues alive to all our new and returning members!

New members: Linda Cain Recently Paroled Band (Len Lindeman) Renewing Members: Richard & Diane Blodgett (2 years) Arlan Brass John & Pam Capitelli (2 years) Robert Cunningham Steve Dougherty Jim Didier Joe Filisko Dave Hanson Gloria Hyatt & Sam Barmore Steve & Adriene Langley Deb & Ralph Langfair Steve Lantow Marty Johnson Diane Mandell & Randy Struck Randy Palmeno Gary and Janean Sciortino Matt Thompson Family Jane Thorwald New members get a CD upon joining; family members get two CDs. Membership has been $15 (individual) and $25 (family) for over 15 years. Mail newsletter members have a $5 surcharge to help with printing and postage costs; it’s expensive to produce and distribute newsletters. We produce six newsletters a year with 25-30 reviews and all sorts of other great information related to the Society and our events.

The Groove is a bi-monthly publication of the Crossroads Blues Society. The PDF version (typically 14 to 28 pages) is emailed to members of Crossroads. Hard copies (12 pages) are sent out to members without email ($5 membership surcharge).

Editor in Chief: Steve Jones Music Reviewers: Dennis Barker, Rick Davis, Bill Graw, Rick Hein, Steve Jones, John Mitchell, Mark Nelson, and Mark Thompson

www.bluesblastmagazine.com

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Hope & Anchor English Pub Monthly Second Saturday Blues The Hope and Anchor Saturday Blues Schedule is set through April 2015.

From 8 PM to Midnight, $5 cover after 8 PM or free prior to that for dinner guests.

Featuring fine English pub fare, the Hope and Anchor is a great spot for dinner, craft beers, liquors, and great live music! At 5040 N 2nd Street, Loves Park IL, USA, phone 815.633.2552 for info!

1/9 John Primer 2/13 Tad Robinson 3/12 Tweed Funk 4/9 Reverend Raven & the Chain Smokin’ Altar Boys 5/14 The Jimmys

Lyran Society Friday Blues The Lyran Society has decided to add blues to their Fish Fry and Steak Dinners with performances generally twice a month on the first and third Friday of each month at their club. August is a special month with three shows! Located half a block east of 7th Street at 1115 4th Ave, Rockford, IL 61104, you can call (815) 964-0511 for info. There is no cover charge, it’s a free show. Open to the public, all ages are welcome January 15: Martin Lang and Billy Flynn January 22: Dave Weld and the Imperial Flames February 19: Roy Orbison Tribute March 18: Sweet Bobby April 15: Breezy Rodeo

Crossroads Blues Society

The Crossroads Blues Society Newsletter

P.O. Box 840 Byron, IL 61010 News Blog with our Latest Info: http://crossroadsbluessociety. blogspot.com Music Reviews: http://crossroadsreviews.blogspot.com Crossroads Blues Festival at Lyran Park: www.crossroadsbluesfestival.com

The

GROOVE Keeping the Blues Alive Since 1994

2014 Blues Foundation Keeping the Blues Alive Affiliate Award Recipient 2014 Chicago Blues Hall of Fame Inductee

Email us at: sub_insignia@yahoo.com Also on the web at: http://crossroads.myfreesites.net/

Blues on Local Radio WNIJ - 89.5 FM  Friday evenings from 9 PM to midnight with Harold Brown  Saturday afternoons from 1 to 4 PM with Patrick Sheehan  Saturday evenings from 9 PM to midnight with David James The Eagle - 96.7 FM  Sunday Morning Blues now from 8 AM to 10 AM with Rich Gordon

News and Upcoming Events This first issue of 2016 reviews our biggest year ever, sends our competitors off to the IBC and much more! The final installment of our top Blues albums of all time is inside along with great music reviews and other great stuff!

Coming up in January and February are great shows at the Hope and Anchor and Lyran Club. The H&A features John Primer in January and Tad Robinson in February.

The Lyran Club features Martin Lang and Billy Flynn, Dave Weld and the Imperial Flames and the Roy Orbison Tribute. More

details are just inside the back cover!

BITS with Dave Weld and Dan Phelps will be on January 22nd at Spring Creek ES, Bloom ES, Mary Morgan ES and Byron MS. January 26th we are looking to have Hamilton Loomis for two programs. We also have Dan Phelps at East HS for a two-week residency program! Other programming is in the works, too!

The Ice Hogs continue their quest for the AHL championship and there are 5 Fridayshows in January & February.

Here’s to a great start for 2016!

John Primer

Membership Application www.CrossroadsBluesSociety.com Yes! I’d love to be a part of the Crossroads Blues Society!

Name_____________________________________________ Street Address___________________________________ City________________ State______ Zip Code________ Phone_____________________________________________ Email Address____________________________________ New -or-

Returning Member

This will be a membership for an/a: Individual ($15) -orvia email

Family ($25) -orvia email

Individual ($20) -orFamily ($30) via regular mail via regular mail

Please cut out or copy and mail this form and payment to: Crossroads Blues Society Bring this to P.O. Box 840 our next meeting Byron, IL 61010 and get a free CD!