Jul-Aug 2013 CBS Newsletter

Field of Blues, Weathers Severe Weather Threat; Byron Crossroads Blues Festival in the Spotlight

It started to rain late on Friday, June 21st. Two and a half inches of rain fell from the sky in about 10 hours. In the morning hours of Saturday, June 22nd, the skies hazed over and kept the sun from baking the Rockford area to 93 degrees. The rains stayed away, the grounds dried up a bit, and the winds (despite one 40+ mph front that went through) were gusty but not a problem. 81 degrees and steady breezes made the humid air feel quite passable.

The Inaugural Field of Blues Festival opened on time and each of the six bands made their way to the stage pretty much on schedule. Muddy field conditions precluded cars and trucks so we used a gator and a golf cart to initially shuttle equipment and bands in and out. We all persevered and things went off with out many really big issues, a testament to planning, hard work and creativity!

The crowds may have been limited because of the weath-

er but those who came enjoyed a spectacular day of music.

The Flaming Mudcats started things off with a rousing set of tunes, playing many of the great cuts from their 2011 album that got them noticed by Crossroads. Craig Bracken fronts the band, singing and playing harp. He was spot on leading things in their bluesy and soulful approach.

He and the band are the pride of Auckland, New Zealand. Doug Bygrave on guitar was impressive and had great tone and phrasing.

Sean McCarthy on bass and Ian Thomson on drums are a solid backdrop to this outstanding foursome. Their first US festival appearance was a huge, huge success and the boys hung out until the final notes were played so they could commune with their US brethren.

Aaron Williams and the Hoodoo gave it their all, delivering high

energy and rocking great blues. They played to the crowd well and their finale of “Drinkin’ Blues” with the band working through the assembled people on field was excellent!

Toronzo Cannon defines the new breed of Chicago bluesmen. His songs are sometimes dark, real and poignant, as is his stellar guitar work. What a super set of music he delivered for all to appreciate. His impeccable look was also appreciated, but it was what he did on stage that was most impressive!

Dave Weld and the Imperial Flames provided their usually level of raw energy and outstanding blues. Led by Dave on vocals and guitar (who testified to the assemblage of blues fans), the band put on a stellar show.

Monica Myhre on vocals, Abb Locke on sax, Jeff Taylor on drums and vocals, Dave Kaye on bass and Harry Yaseen was on the keys joining in for the festival. Dave worked the crowd well and the band was incredible!

July-August 2013

Keeping the Blues Alive 2013 FOBF Facts  

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2.5 inches of rain fell in he morning before the inaugural festival A huge and ominous front with 40+ mph winds blew through the Stateline area barely an hour before the gates opened Despite the weather, 600 faithful blues fans came out to the ball park and witnessed a memorable event.

Despite the weather, the festival opened on time and each act started on schedule.

38 volunteers and the staff of the Aviators gave their all making this an event that all who were there wil remember– our thanks go out to each and everyone who helped.

Sponsorship received totaled over $8,000 which helped make the planning of the event and scheduling of the acts so much easier for us. Thanks to all our sponsors for their support!

Inside this issue: News Music Reviews Playlist Membership Application Upcoming Events

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Crossroads Blues Society Newsletter

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Field of Blues, Weathers Severe Weather Threat; Byron Crossroads Blues Festival in the Spotlight

continued from page 1 Rockin’ Johnny Burgin took the stage next with Rick Kreher joining him on guitar.

They warmed the crowd up and then brought out Willie Buck who gave us a great Muddy Waters styled set of tunes. His vocals were awesome– it was like being back in the Checkerboard Lounge listening to guys who sang like that in the 60’s. Then they brought out Tail Dragger and he sat down and sang about being

old. I was a bit incredulous that he was going to sit and sing a couple of songs on a chair but then he stood up and began a great show. He walked off stage and played to the folks on field and in the stands, shaking his hips and dancing, pointing and screaming and putting on a great show.

The Wolf would have been proud. The two stars of the set really gave us a show to remember.

The headline act was Lil Ed and the Blues Imperials. Mike Garrett on guitar, Kelly Littleton on drums and perhaps the steadi-

est bass player in the world Pookie Williams (his half brother) put on an truly inspired and amazing show. Ed gave the crowd his best and worked his way through them to their delight. At the end of his set, he called up former band mate Dave Weld along with Monica and Abb, Rockin’ Johnny and Tail Dragger. They put on a finale that was one of the best Rockford has seen and heard in many a day!

The entire crowd was on their feet, with the majority dancing and having a blast as these artists improvised and soloed back and forth for over 20 minutes. It was a gem of a finale and a great way to cap off a

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Crossroads Blues Society Newsletter wonderful day!

Up in the covered pavilion between sets Steve Ditzell was scheduled to play but due to car trouble he made only one break and played a few songs. Aptly filling in was Jesse Frayne from NY who did many great sets of roots music much to the delight of the onlookers and listeners. He even jammed with the Hard Times Cigar Box Guitar folks. Hard Times raised over $300 to support Crossroads and our BITS efforts.

Our thanks go out to the sponsors of the event and the fans who braved the weather. It actually turned out to be a very pleasant day at about 81 degrees, overcast and a nice breeze that broke up the humidity. After all the histrionics by the weather prior to opening, the day was actually pretty nice!

Although the weather scared off many a soul, those who braved the weather were actually treated to a very mild and comfy day outdoors. The show was great from top to bottom and everyone who was there that talked to us plans of coming back for future festivals. Crossroads will work to bring this back for round two of this event in 2014!

Looming out just two months after this is the Field of Blues event is the 4th Annual Byron Crossroads Blues Festival. Planning is well underway for this event which will be on Saturday, August 24th at the “crossroads� of 2nd and Union Streets in downtown Byron, IL. Gates open at noon. We have a hot lineup scheduled for 2013 with the superb longstanding veteran band The Nighthawks from Washington, DC, headlining the event. The day is rounded out with four other great acts: Chicago guitar legend Dave Specter with Sharon Lewis on vocals, guitar ace Doug Deming and harp master Dennis Gruenling with the Jewel Tones, guitar virtuoso Bobby Messano and the grooving sounds of Tweed Funk. There will also be a free harmonica workshop with Dennis Gruenling and a free guitar workshop with Dave Specter.

Crossroads Blues Society and the Downtown Byron Bar Association once again are working together to put on this great event. Tickets are only $7 in advance and $15 at the gates. This fest has attracted well over 2,000 people each year and has a great small town charm.

It is situated in downtown Byron right in the heart of the old business district. Sev-

en local bars and restaurants are in the festival area serving food outdoors and inside- this is not typical festival food fare. Culinary delights served outdoors include a very authentic gumbo, homemade Italian sausage, brisket of beef sandwiches, ribs, Italian beef, pizza, Chicken George, hamburgers, hot dogs, Polish sausages, gyros and more. Prices are kept low to make this a fun and affordable day for festival goers. Great food, great music and a great location all at a reasonable price!

Order tickets on line or by mail; check out the details at http:// byroncrossroadsbluesfestival.blogspot. com/ or call 779-537-4006 for more information! Tickets are available at many local sales locations, including:

Crossroads Blues Society Newsletter

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Crossroads BITS and Shows Highlight a Great Spring Season was the most successful evening show we’ve ever done from an attendance and financial standpoint and the music was equally grandiose and wonderful.

Bobby Messano did Blues in the Schools on Friday, May 3rd at Kennedy and West Middle Schools and then did an outstanding show for us at the Adriatic.

Bryan Lee, Brent Johnson and Blues Power Band were at Bazinga’s in Janesville. While this was not an official CBS event, we had a contingent make the trip up and welcome the Braille Blues Daddy back to our area.

Since our last newsletter we’ve been busy. In addition to the Field of Blues Festival, we’ve put on quite a few great blues events in the area. Ana Popovic’s first show in the Rockford area was the highlight of these shows, and what a show it was! Over 120 people packed the Adriatic full on Friday, May 24th and Ms. Popovic and her band wowed the crowd. It

Dave Fields did an exceptional show with the Dave Kaye and Link Leary backing his up on Wednesday, June 15th at the Adriatic. His rocking brand of blues is something that CBS members have enjoyed twice now and his Midwest fan base is growing!

The Cash Box Kings had a CD release party on Saturday, May 26th with a great turnout of support for the band’s event.

Their new Blind Pig Records CD Black Toppin’ is a huge success and the fans there heard many cuts from the new album.

The Blues Jam at Kryptonite continues to be a Sunday evening success. Lots of artists and fans come out to hear what Rockford has to offer to the blues world!

Crossroads members made appearances at the Chicago Blues Festival and Blues on the Fox, too. May and June were very busy months and the summer was only a few days old. The 4th of July weekend looms ahead with the Mississippi Valley Blues festival, a CBS favorite. We also have Selwyn Birchwood scheduled for a July 15th event. We are working on the fall BITS schedule along with planning for

the Byron festival. We’re busy keeping the blues alive and having a great time doing so. Come out to a show and join us for some great blues music- you will never be disappointed.

Crossroads Blues Society Newsletter

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Music Reviews On The Verge The Fabulous Thunderbirds Severn Records 10 Tracks After they formed in 1974, the Fabulous Thunderbirds have been the Who's Who of blues personnel. Next year will be their 40th Anniversary and the only constant still remaining is founding member, Kim Wilson.

With all the roster changes over the years, Wilson has been able to seek out some of the most talented blues artists in the business. Stars like Jimmie Vaughan, Keith Ferguson, Mike Buck, Fran Christina, Preston Hubbard, Duke Robillard, Doug "Kid" Bangham, Gene Taylor, Kid Ramos, Willie Campbell, Jimi Bott, Richard Innes, Steve Hodges, Ronnie James Weber, Troy Gonyea, Kirk Fletcher, and Nick Curran have joined forces with Kim Wilson to keep the flame burning for the Fabulous Thunderbirds. 2013 marks their latest release on the Severn Records label On The Verge.

The current line-up of Randy Bermudes on bass, Mike Keller and Johnny Moeller sharing the guitar duties, and Jason Moeller on drums, help the Fabulous Thunderbirds maintain that reputation of being one of the strongest blues bands to ever come out of Texas. With the new supporting cast, Kim Wilson's solid vocals, and his superb harmonica style, On The Verge confirms that the Fabulous Thunderbirds are here to stay for a long time. This album focuses on Kim's vocals more than any other Fabulous Thunderbirds CD released, and it is clear that this is his finest performance. This is a total withdrawal from their all too familiar TBirds sound, with a collection of 10 brand new soulful R&B tunes, taking the Fabulous Thunderbirds in a new direction. The song writing team of Kevin Anker, David Earl, Steve Gomes, and Kim Wilson also produced the album.

They open with a pair of Anker, Earl, Gomes, Wilson tunes titled "I Want To Believe" and "Lovin' Time." "I Want To Believe" sets the stage for the same brand of soul as The Staple Singers "Respect Yourself." "Lovin' Time" would make a perfect duet with Brook Benton and Kim Wilson.

Anker and Wilson team up for the next pair of tunes "Too Much Water" and "Hold Me." Wilson adds his harp for the first time to "Too Much Water" a tune that could be a rival to the O.V. Wright song "Everybody

Knows (The River Song)." The horn arrangements of Kenny Rittenhouse lift "Hold Me" to another level. A funky rhythm guitar is heard thought out the Frank Randall Bermudes tune "Runnin’ From The Blues," as Wilson laments about spending a lifetime running from the blues. Kim Wilson penned the next tune "Do You Know Who I Am," a retrospective about the plight of the country with gospel background vocals.

Funky guitar riffs along with a full horn section, complement Wilson's vocals quite well on the Giles, Jones, Wilson number "Got To Bring It With You." "That Is The Way We Roll," another Wilson tune, delivers a steady guitar groove with a wah-wah pedal and distorted vocals and harp for effect.

Steve Gomes offers his individual song writing skills on "Diamonds Won't Kiss You Back." With the support of the full horn section and the core band once again, it is a tune tailor made for Kim’s vocals. The original four members of the writing team also add the soulful closing song "Lonely Highway." In dramatic fashion, Wilson keeps searching that dark and lonely stretch of highway, looking for the life he once had.

On The Verge is the 12th studio album and establishes a significant change from their last 2005 release with Nick Curran supporting Kim Wilson on guitar. With this new sense of direction, it appears the Fabulous Thunderbirds are truly "on the verge" of great things to come.

Reviewed by Rick Davis Bliss Avenue Dana Fuchs Ruf Records www.danafuchs.com 12 tracks/47:49 Dana Fuchs' new CD, “Bliss Avenue”, is ready to be release July 9th by Ruf Records. Dana has a powerful, gritty, nasty, gravely and bluesy voice that reaches out and grabs your attention making you listen to her lyrics. She is also very capable of stretching the genres of blues, rock, country, soul and just about anything else to fit her mood and feel for the the songs she writes with Jon Diamond. Her band is very strong as they back up Dana's vocals. Diamond plays his guitar with fire and feelings for the lyrics he has written while Jack Daley adds the bass to Shawn Pelton's drum line. Glen Patscha is also featured on Hammond organ, Wurlitzer,

piano and keyboard as Tabitha Fair and Nicki Richards add their rich background vocals to the mix. This all makes up for a great sounding band.

The lyrics for “Bliss Avenue” were mostly penned by Fuchs and Diamond and have deep emotional, heartfelt and sometimes scary tones to them. One should pay attention to these words as the recording is listened to. Most of these tunes are from real life experience. Opening the CD is the title track tune, “Bliss Avenue”, which has a neat drum beat walking us into this solid rocker tune. Dana's vocals find a good place in your head as she belts out some serious lyrics of a love gone astray. She states, “got nobody, no place to call home, “oh the love that it used to be, all the love turned to lies”. Yes, this is some deep stuff that makes you listen to the words and think about them. This whole CD reflects the quality of Fuchs and Diamonds ability to write solid lyrics for the tunes they perform. The guitar work from Jon and organ background by Glenn Patscha add the balance that enrich the vocals of Dana.

“So Hard To Move” takes us to a softer but still gritty side of Fuchs as she pours her heart out over a relationship gone bad.

This is one of those slow blues type tunes with meaningful lyrics which are accented by tasteful organ from Patscha. This tune shows you a Etta James side of Dana's voice. “Nothin' On My Mind” takes us to the country music world as Jon Diamond's guitar brings a more twangy quality to his solid solos and background playing. Shawn Pelton interjects his drum line into the mix of Dana's tale of what goes along comes along in a relationship. “Oh you're thinking about her and she's got nothin' on her mind, and I'm thinking 'bout you but I got nothing on my mind” is really a tale about life.

As I said “Bliss Avenue” hits upon many genres pulled in different directions. This is all a good reflection of both Dana Fuchs and Jon Diamond musical ability and their feelings for the lyrics that they write. These tunes are tales of the real deals that go on in life without the whitewash. This CD is a solid example of both of their talents and is easy to listen to and enjoy. These two fine musical artist along with a really swell band have a hit with “Bliss Avenue”.

Reviewed by Harmonica Joe Poluyanskis

July-August 2013

Page 6 Elvis Unleaded The Mike Eldred Trio Rip Cat Records 20 Tracks The date is January 8, 1935 in a two-room house in Tupelo, Mississippi. If only the world knew what was ahead, when "King of Rock 'N' Roll" arrived, and the impact he would have on the entertainment industry. He would change American popular music forever. Known the world over as Elvis Aaron Presley, he was highly regarded as one of the most important figures of twentieth century popular culture. With guitarist Scotty Moore and bassist Bill Black by his side, Elvis set the world upside down with rockabilly, an uptempo, backbeat-driven blend of country and rhythm and blues. Their career started in 1954, when RCA Victor acquired their contract in a deal arranged by Colonel Tom Parker, who went on to manage Elvis for over two decades. Elvis had his first number one release in 1956 with "Heartbreak Hotel," the same year as his film debut in Love Me Tender.

West Coast guitar slinger Mike Eldred and his band consisting of John Bazz on bass and Jerry Angel on drums decided to revive the music that America grew up with on his third album entitled Elvis Unleaded on Rip Cat Records. With special guests Gene Taylor on Piano, Jerry Donato on tenor sax, Scott Yandell on trumpet, and The JOBS Quartet, they board that Rock and Roll train bound for Memphis. This is a follow-up to Mike's recent blues CD "61 and 49," the album that Scotty Moore plays guitar on as a guest. Mike covers 20 classics from Elvis's first number one hit "Heartbreak Hotel," to more obscure movie tunes like "Little Egypt." Mike does a spectacular job of applying his own signature to a voice that is so familiar to so many generations of music fans around the world. Deciding to even attempt a magnanimous undertaking of this magnitude, shows not only his versatility as an artist, but also the ability to make all 20 selections his own interpretation of the late great rock legend. In recording this collection, Mike Eldred truly puts the "ROCK" in Rock and Roll. His version of the opening tune "Burning Love" is worth the price of CD. It rocks from NY to LA with a driving beat and vocals to match.

He follows up with the obscure Elvis tune "I Fell So Bad," with rockabilly guitar like you have never heard. He can only top that with a dynamite version of "Rip It Up," followed with the smoothest rendition of "Don't" since Elvis himself. "Bossa Nova

Baby," "Love Me," and "You're So Square" are tunes not often included on Elvis collections. "Lawdy, Miss Clawdy" and "Treat Me Nice" will bring you to the midpoint of collection. The second half opens as spectacular as the opening tune with "Girls, Girls, Girls" from the movie with the same title. You will especially enjoy Mike's vocals and guitar licks on the 1957 classic "Jailhouse Rock." You will be dazzled with the 1962 hit "She's Not You" and "Long Tall Sally," the 1956 rock and roll song written by Robert "Bumps" Blackwell, Enotris Johnson, and Richard Penniman. Next on the list is the blues classic "Big Boss Man" written by Luther Dixon and Al Smith in 1960 and released by Elvis in 1967.

The 1957 recording of "One Night Of Sin" is next on Mike's list of favorites. Saxophone and guitar solos will make your "head spin" on the 1963 release of "Witchcraft." Mike pulls out all the stops on the remaining three Elvis classics "Heartbreak Hotel," "King Creole," and the 1975 "T-R-O-U-B-L-E," by bringing Gene Taylor center stage on piano.

If you are an Elvis fan, this Mike Eldred release Elvis Unleaded will never remain on you shelf for any length of time. If you are not familiar with Elvis Presley, you will soon become a fan after hearing this special Elvis collection recorded Mike Eldred style. What will be next for Mike Eldred remains to be seen.

Reviewed by Rick Davis I Know What It’s Like Andrew JR. Boy Jones 43rd Big Idea Records Www.AndrewJrBoyJones.com 13 tracks Some guys never come to individual prominence despite being musicians at the top of their game. Andrew Jr. Boy Jones may be one of those guys. In 1995 he won a W.C. Handy award with Charlie Musselwhite for band of the year, and in 1997 his Watch What You Say (Rounder Handy Blues Music Award for 'Best New Blues Artist' and yet his personal recognition really has never gotten him star level recognition for his talents; he joking claims he’s never sucked up hard enough to anyone to become famous.

Well, this album really ought to get some notice. I loved it; real blues, original cuts with a cool and new sound, a style that hearkens back to the early Chicago electric blues but keeps it new sounding and interesting. He is an exceptional guitar

player and vocalist, he’s got great songs and he’s playing with a tight backing band.

His guitar tone is beautiful; the note ring as he slips up and down the fret board yet give the notes enough air to not over do it.. I was enthralled with his sound– really nicely done Kerrie Lepai helped with the vocals and she’s a real tiger. Her voice really steals the show on the two songs she wrote for the CD, “Whiskey Drinkin’ Blues” and “Ready to Play.” The former gets reprised in a longer version to close out the album and it s super and sultry slow blues cut The latter is a rollickingly fun song with some cool call and response with the band members.

Whether he is moaning and deep in the blues on cuts like “Movin’ From the Dark Side” or grooving hot and heavy like on “Ive Got You On My Speed Dial” or in incendiary instrumentals like “Mixed Beans,” Jones offers up marvelous songs and stellar performances. He is a true blues man who can deliver the goods as well as anyone. I loved this CD and anyone who wants to heard contemporary traditional blues done right needs to pick up a copy and enjoy the hell out of it like I did!

Reviewed by Steve Jones

Crossroads Blues Society Awarded Grant from the Community Foundation of Northern Illinois to Support Inaugural Field of Blues Festival Crossroads Blues Society was awarded a grant of $2000 by the Community Arts & Humanities Fund of the Community Foundation of Northern Illinois to support the inaugural Field of Blues Festival. Crossroads Blues Society was founded in 1994 and has served 35,000 students in Rockford and the surrounding Northern Illinois school districts with their BITS programs.

The festival is intended to help assist in raising funds for expanding BITS. The Community Foundation of Northern Illinois is the area’s largest provider of grants and scholarships. Its mission is to attract, grow, and preserve an endowment for the needs of the people of Northern Illinois.

July-August 2013 Singing in My Soul Lisa Biales – with Ricky Nye & the Paris Blues Band Big Song Music www.lisabiales.com 10 tracks/31:35 Singer Lisa Biales has been busy over the last seven years, releasing eight recordings including a disc targeting the children's market. She possesses a voice that floats along, caressing your ears with sweet tones that span her impressive vocal range. For her latest release, she offers a wide-ranging batch of tunes that keep the focus squarely on her voice. The backing band is lead by the great boogie piano player Ricky Nye with three Frenchman rounding out the group – Thibaut Chopin on upright bass, Anthony Stelmaszack on guitar and Simon “Shuffle” Boyer on drums.

Biales once played the role of Patsy Cline in a community theater production and you can hear Biales incorporating some of Patsy's phrasing on “Write Me in Care of the Blues” over Nye's driving piano. She downplays the bawdy aspects of Sippie Wallace's “You Got to Know How” with an arrangement that gives her voice plenty of space to resonate with listeners. “A Little Bird Told Me” connects with a handclapping rhythm while the band provides hearty backing vocals behind Biales' jubilant singing.

On the ballad “Careless Love”, Nye provides sympathetic support for the singer's immaculate phrasing. Biales is even better on a smoky rendition of “I Only Have Eyes For You”, consistently holding notes to expertly heighten the overall emotional impact. The band lays down a light, swinging beat on “Waiting For the Train to Come In” with Stelmaszack contributing a pleasing solo in a jazzy vein.

Several tracks feature additional musicians including Doug Hamilton on violin, Bill Littleford on guitar, Chris Douglas on upright bass and Brad Meinerding on mandolin. They go old-school blues on a jaunty take of Mississippi John Hurt's “Let the Mermaids Flirt with Me” complete with Biales' honeyed voice and a rolling solo from Nye. The lone original, “Magic Garden”, finds Biales in a playful mood that is countered by Hamilton's mournful solo.

The band rocks hard on “Strange Things Happening Every Day”, one of two from the Sister Rosetta Tharpe songbook..

Page 7 Biales can't match the power of Sister Tharpe's voice, so she is content to let her voice ring out in celebration. The disc closes with a lively version of the title track. Lisa's joyful, radiant performance matched with more of Stelmaszack's spoton guitar work end the disc on a high note.

I suspect that many of you have never had the pleasure of hearing Lisa Biales.

Make sure that you take the time to check this one out, especially if you appreciate someone who understands what it takes to be a strong singer – and has the voice to make it happen. A fine effort worth hearing!

Reviewed by Mark Thompson Waiting on Daylight Bart Walker Ruf Records www.rufrecords.de 11 tracks/47:24 Here's another guitar player vying for your attention with his second release, first for a major label. Bart Walker has definitely chocked up some noteworthy moments in his career already, including winning the Gibson Guitarist Award at the 21012 International Blues Challenge. He also has been a fixture in country star Bo Bice's band in addition to playing in the house band at BB King's Blues Club in Nashville.

Reese Wynans, former keyboard player for Stevie Ray Vaughan, did a stint in Walker's touring band. His track record certainly points to Walker being a talented guitarist.

Right from the start, you get a hefty dose of Walker's brawny guitar style and his deep, forceful voice.

“It's All Good” finds him demonstrating his skills on slide guitar. Then he lays down a massive groove that rocks hard as he belts out his promise for better things ahead on “Black Clouds”. Walker's slide guitar rides a grinding rhythm on “Girl You Bad”, with the singer in a worrying frame of mind over a woman that has turned his world upside down. The rocking continues on “Happy”, complete with

a fleet-fingered solo from the leader. The title track is a ballad that finds Walker in a pensive mood, hoping that the morning light will bring a measure of forgiveness.

The notes he squeezes out of upper end of his fret board offer a fine counterpoint to his spirited singing.

Highlights include a fierce “Took It Like a Man” that finds Walker describing his method, for better or worse, of dealing with life's trials and tribulations while “Gotta Be You” is another track with relentless drive as Walker issues a gritty declaration to his love interest before breaking out his wah-wah pedal on the closing solo to seal the deal. “99%” addresses the current state of affairs and Walker's blazing guitar forays make it clear that he is none too satisfied.

Walker tears through J.B. Hutto's “Hipshake It” with the rhythm section of Dave Smith on bass and Steve Potts on drums providing a memorable kick. Rick Steff's organ fills offer a nice contrast to Walker's slashing slide licks. Dave Cohen's lone appearance on organ comes on the final track, a stellar cover of the Allman Brother's “Whipping Post”. Walker plumbs the depth of emotions in the lyrics, refraining from cutting loose until the end, when he attempts to purge his demons with a final cathartic solo.

Walker had a hand in writing seven of the tunes with help from Brandon Gower and Gary Nicholson. The end result is a disc that illustrates the extent of Walker's talents and gives us a vivid reminder as to why he received the Gibson Guitar Award.

If you like your blues with a strong rock backbone, you definitely need to hear this one.

Reviewed by Mark Thompson

Crossroads Blues Society Newsletter

Page 8 Avalon Rory Block Stonyplain Records www.roryblock.com 11 tracks/51:07 “Avalon” is Rory Block's fourth recording which pays tribute to blues artist who influenced her musical talent. Rev. Gary Davis, Mississippi Fred McDowell and Son House preceded this recording that features ten songs from Mississippi John Hurt and “Everybody Loves John” penned by Block.

This last song tells of her strong feelings for Hurt and his blues talent. Rory Block has risen to a top spot as an acoustic guitarist, singer and song writer. After over forty years of honing her skills she has won numerous awards and released a bunch of fine blues recordings. Check out www.roryblock.com which has a great biography of her.

With the release of “Avalon”, Rory Block seems to take a more relaxed, almost joyful mode in her interpretation of these songs of Mississippi John Hurt. Her vocals, to me, are not as rough and gritty but have a less edgy solid blues quality to them. Being a very talented finger picker and slide guitarist Rory enables her guitar to express these tunes with great feeling and emotion as her fingers work the frets.

This is really a treat to sit and listen to her as she releases her feelings for each track of “Avalon”.

Rory opens the CD with “Everybody Loves John”. This tune highlights her finger pickin' guitar style while she takes us on a blues trip about her feelings for Mississippi John Hurt. Adding to the reverence of this tune is the inclusion of some really fine gospel type background singers. This tune makes a strong statement right away about the great talent that Block has achieved. “Candy Man” is one of my favorite tunes on “Avalon”. Block seems to have a field day with her vocals on this tune. Her range travels from highs to lows in a fun mood as she skillfully fingers her way down the blues highway with her guitar.

“Avalon” is filled with a great list of Hurt's well known songs which includes “Got The Blues Can't Be Satisfied”, “Stagolee”, “Make Me A Pallet On Your Floor” and “Spike Driver Blues”. Rory puts her own take on each of these songs and plays with solid talent and emotion. While doing this she makes you listen and want to listen to each and every tune on the recording.

Rory Block has gotten many praises over the years which have been well earned.

Some of these include “best FEMALE acoustic blues artist”, “the greatest FEMALE Delta slide guitarist” and numerous other compliments making her the best FEMALE whatever in the blues world. It is about time that it should be stated that Rory Block is a outstanding blues artist without qualifying the compliment!

“Avalon” is really a fine example of blues being showcased by one of the best acoustic blues artist out there. If you are a fan of acoustic Delta blues and slide guitar, Rory Block's “Avalon” is a CD for you to take a long listen to.

Reviewed by Harmonica Joe Great Day In The Morning Brad Vickers & His Vestapolitans Manhattone 15 Tracks Americana music is a blend of different roots music developed by the convergence of the shared and varied traditions that comprise American musical standards. Americana grew specifically from American music genres like folk, country, blues, rhythm and blues, rock and roll and other external influences. It is defined by the Americana Music Association (AMA), as "contemporary music that incorporates elements of various American roots music styles, including country, roots-rock, folk, bluegrass, R&B and blues, resulting in a distinctive roots-oriented sound that lives in a world apart from the pure forms of the genres upon which it may draw. While acoustic instruments are often present and vital, Americana also often uses a full electric band."

Well know artists like Alison Krauss, Bonnie Raitt, The Band, Dave Alvin, Dwight Yoakam, John Fogerty, Neil Young, John Hiatt, and Wilco are all supporters of Americana. Joining the group recently, influenced more by the county blues and Western swing is Brad Vickers. Brad Vickers gained experience as he learned by playing and touring with blues and roots legends like Jimmy Rogers, Hubert Sumlin, Bo Diddley, Chuck Berry, Odetta, Sleepy Labeef, Roco Gordon, and Pinetop Perkins. With his experience in roots music, Brad Vickers & His Vestapolitans have revived music similar to artists like Bob Wills & His Texas Playboys, Dirk Powell, or Bill Monroe, blending Western swing with hill country music much like the amazing Carolina Chocolate Drops or Yonder Mountain String Band.

The band's latest release, Great Day In The Morning, draws from the talents of

Vickers on guitar, Margey Peters and Charles Burnham on fiddle, Bill Rankin on drums, Dave Gross on mandolin, rhythm guitar, and bass, V.D. King on banjolele, Jim Davis on clarinet and tenor sax, Matt Cowan on baritone sax, Michael Bram on mandolin, and Jeremy Baum on piano and the Hammond B3 organ. Brad Vickers, Margey Peters, Christine Santelli, and Gina Sicilia share vocals, with Vickers being the predominate vocalist. With a short intro, the band leads into "Little Gem," a special blend of county fiddle and jump blues provided by the saxophones, guaranteed to be a toe tapper. "Train Goin' Westward Bound" is a snappy follow up tune with banjolele, mandolin, saxophones, and Vickers on bottleneck guitar and vocals. "Saving String" is very reminiscent of the Bob Wills tune "Oklahoma Rag." "Sit Down And Talk" is a very basic, slow, Delta style blues tune. The title track "Great Day In The Morning" is an early morning eye opener better than a cup of Irish coffee, featuring Charlie Burnham on fiddle. Even the lyrics "great day in the morning, life comes to you without warnin'; you're the star of your own show so come on let's go" are invigorating. Margey Peters adds more of a county element to the lead vocals on "Saturday Blues" which is a perfect fit for the tune. The tongue-incheek, hill county tune "Chapter And Verse" turns toe taping into foot stompin'.

"It's A Good Life" is another uplifting tune with a little boogie woogie piano added by Jeremy Baum, creating more jazz flavor to the song. The Lizzie Douglas (a.k.a. Memphis Minnie) tune "Frisco Town" is short southern blues tune. If you have ever had one of those days when nothing goes right, you will appreciate the whimsical tune "This Might Not Be Your Day" which we all can relate to at some point in time.

Vickers performs superb bottleneck guitar solos along with Dave Gross playing rhythm guitar on the Tampa Red tune "Anna Lou Blues." The tempo picks up on the hot little blues shuffle "The Way It's Got To Be." "Together For Good," a gospel tune that features Gina Sicilia on lead vocals along with harmonizing background vocals much like a Baptist church choir. The album concludes with the 100 year old "Dallas Blues," the first published blues tune written in 1912.

If you are looking for the perfect recipe for American roots music, "Great Day In The Morning" is your "diamond in the rough." It is American roots music like you have never heard it, loaded with Americana, blues, ragtime, and hill country breakdowns. It is a great way to start your day!

Review by Rick Davis

July-August 2013 Welcome to Deltaville Bobby Messano with Deanna Bogart Prince Frog Music www.bobbymessano.com 10 tracks Deltaville is a small town in Virginia, situated on the Chesapeake Bay. It is an almost surreal spot, with boats floating on the waters of the bay, sea shore styled homes, and small inns and restaurants ready to serve both locals and the occasional weary traveler looking for respite. It is an idyllic setting, a place to come to, get absorbed into, relax and enjoy. And so, too, is this new album from Bobby Messano. It is a blues and rocking locale where the listener can park themselves, absorb the wondrously fresh sounds and revel in interesting songs offered up that are both new and old.

Joining Messano on this endeavor is his ever-staunch and steady band mate Steve Geller on bass. Geller is a rock solid bass player who is intense yet subtle, a man who you sometimes don’t notice that he’s there but if he were not things would quickly go askance. On drums is Mel Watts from the Little River Band, another backline specialist whose approach is professional and top notch. That is the core of Messano and his band: he and Steve and Mel, one of several drummers who support Bobby in his travels. They alone are formidable and exciting, but adding so much to the mix here is Deanna Bogart. Her sax and keyboard work along with some vocals are stellar and make this a richer and lusher sounding CD overall.

Ivan Neville also appears on B-3 and clavinette as does Tracy Nelson on a duet and backing vocals. What a superb cast of characters!

Messano begins the set with a gutsy version of Otis Rush’s “All You Love I Miss Lovin’”. His guitar really stings and Bogart’s sax wails like a banshee as he and the band set the stage for a great set of tunes. I’ve seen Bobby open recent shows with this cut, but the addition of Bogart is exceptional and the overall mix is superb. Up second is “The Invisible Man,” where Messano’s sings of the hidden hell of being visibly seen yet remain unnoticed. It is a mid tempo, driving rock tune with huge guitar and organ lines that solidify the cut. One can almost feel the strings bend on Messano’s guitar here.

He transitions into the title cut, a ballad that Messano floats vocally through with backing vocals echoing the welcome to

Page 9 the near-mystical place of Deltaville. The song drifts with purpose over waves of comforting sounds and builds to a big finish with a nice slide backing the vocals.

Messano follows with the bouncy reggae and calypso sounding “That’s the Way of the World.” The keyboards add all sorts of levels of support, but it is Bogart’s sax that dirties things up nicely. Messano and she go back and forth a bit on guitar and sax and the gang background vocals just exude musicians having a good time together. “My Crazy Dreams” is a slow, bluesy number where Messano laments about all the things that have happened in life and how we must go to a safer place on occasion to escape with those crazy dreams that never let you down. Messano offers up a poignant guitar solo and the piano fills in sweetly. In “I Ain’t Got Diddley” Bobby pays a little homage with a driving Bo Diddley beat as he tells his former love just what the title says. The band sneaks into the cover “The Way You Do the Things You Do” as Bogart gently tinkles out a little intro and then Messano sticks it in your face as he swings through this classic with great aplomb. Bogart’s dubs in as a horn section and the song just rollicks and rolls along coolly. Messano testifies to us on his guitar as we get schooled by this master, and then Bogart changes keys and gives us another nice solo on sax to add to the charm.

Messano builds up and attacks the strings of his guitar and leaves us breathless, they takes it back down a few notches to allow us to recover. Outstanding stuff, but then Messano really gives us a treat with the Traffic cover. Bobby pays tribute to the man he traveled with and covers this Winwood number as few, if any, could.

“The Low Spark of High Heeled Boys” (as those of you in Bobby’s age group and mine who love music from our youth know very well) is from the Traffic album of the same name. Stevie Winwood wrote and played this song with his band Traffic and made it a unique remembrance from our teens, showing brilliance and musicianship at levels we were in awe of then and remain in awe of today. Messano delivers this to us with power and depth, transitioning from one part to another seamlessly.

Bogart on sax and keys is other-worldly; she delivers a unique and wonderful performance. Messano’s vocals can get up there like Winwood could and sells this to us. The up and down of emotions is amazing. Messano builds it up, Bogart takes us down and the team of musicians goes back and forth with this in a cacophony of musical emotions. Geller’s bass is sublime and primal, adding continuity and flow to this superb cover; he is a really deep monster here. Jazz, rock, blues and whatever else is mixed in there blend to make this final cut a song to remember!

This is easily Messano’s best effort to The last of the original cuts is “Lonely date. His last CD was super and he’s Town,” a jived up and swinging tune raised the bar even higher with this album. where Watts’ percussion work adds so Go look for the CD with the take-off of the much subtlety and Bogart haunts us on old John Mayall and the Bluesbreakers the sax. Messano sings and plays poignalbum cover with Eric Clapton, buy it, spin antly and shows us he is also a superb it and relish it- you will not go wrong. I songwriter with this and his other original most highly recommend this! songs. Santo and Johnny’s “Sleepwalk” is Reviewed by Steve Jones offered up next as Messano www.ChicagoBluesGuide.com breathes life into this old classic. Bogart on piano adds richness and depth, but the star of the show is Messano’s fretwork.

What a show he puts on here along with the rest of band, making it sound larger than life.

Crossroads Blues Society Newsletter

Page 10 Blue As Can Be Austin Young and NO Difference VizzTone http://www.austinyoungband.com 13 Tracks From Colorado comes the debut recording project for Austin Young. He is a young guitar player, and this is his debut CD. The band is a trio, with his father Tim Young on drums, and Noah Most on bass guitar (some keyboards are included too – Tom Tapec). All the cuts come from the band members and their friends, no old time covers are included.

“Thunderhead” opens the CD with a powerful guitar riff and a song that lives up to the title.

Jeff Healey comes to mind for me on this one. The 2nd cut is titled “Blue As Can Be”.

Austin’s guitar dances on top of the solid bass drum line. The vocals are fine and show some touch by Austin. On the next cut the level slows down. It is a nice touch to showcase a mellow touch on the guitar by Austin. “Disappearing Railroad Blues” is a fine song that could touch over to rock airplay also. The intensity comes back up with “Signals”. I would bet this one gets a long jam in their live shows.

The 5th cut is a very different song called “Springtime Snow”. It is a soft ballad that really works. The cut shows a softer side with solid lyrics to go with it. Next up is “Magdalena”. Austin teams up on acoustic guitar with Jim Adam on National Steel guitar.

The band roars back with the next cut “Not As Strong”. It is a real toe tapper with strong guitar. This cut is followed by “Who’s Coming Out” which will get everyone up dancing. Hit the honky tonk and bring your dancing shoes with this one. “Borrowed Time is the net cuts. It starts a bit slow, but gets a great jam near the end. It could be a great closing number for a live set So far the disc covered a lot of styles. On “That’s It”, the next cut we hear a jazz tinged number with a skat solo included. Next up we get a slow heavy blues number called “Give Me One Good Reason”. It’s a killer with fine vocals and stinging guitar. Walking Through” is the next to last tune. The addition of some background singers is a nice touch for this uplifting, positive message tune. The CD closes with “Miss You Moore” a tribute to Gary Moore and all the other musicians who have recently left us. As an instrumental, the playing has to carry the emotion, and this one does it!

A young guitar player has to draw comparisons to Jonny Lang, Kenny Wayne, and as mentioned before Jeff Healey. Austin Young has put his footprint on the blues horizon.

This is a disc with many styles. We will see where his career takes him stylistically. His voice will continue to mature as he gets older. I think he will be around for a long time.

Might he be the cross over to bring more

people back to the blues??? Time will tell.

Until his next disc, ENJOY this one!

“Working Man’s Blues” gives the drummer some more room to let loose on this self penned faster paced blues number.

Reviewed by Mark Nelson Let It Slide Sterling Koch Full Force Music WWW.sterlingkoch.com 13 Tracks Sterling Koch plays lap steel guitar, and is from Pottsville, PA. His recording career began in 1982 with a harder rock/metal edge. With over a dozen recordings to his credit, he moved towards the blues a little over 10 years ago. On his last recording, the great Tommy Shannon played bass guitar.

He has previously released 4 solo albums of steel guitar music merging modern Chicago style slide blues with the lap steel guitar. He is recognized for his mastery of the lap steel guitar. He started with the lap steel guitar after an injury in 2004. Sterling handles the vocals on this release. Also appearing on the disc is Gene Babula on bass, and John Goba on drums. They are his touring band.

The disc contains 8 originals and 5 cover songs. It opens with a Koch penned a slow paced intro to “Shape I’m In” (Benno/Branhill II). It then busts out to a rockin’ version of the same song for the second cut. Pretty good vocals too by Sterling on this song. Cut number 3 is a self penned steady blues rock number called “Wrong Side of the Blues”.

The lap steel guitar rolls strong on this one.

The often covered “Mercury Blues” is next.

The lap steel gives it a bit of different feel. A strong Texas feel oozes out on the self penned “Blow My Mind” Up next is “It Hurts Me Too” from Elmore James. Koch carries on with the lap steel in a positive way on this cover. Vocals might have reached a bit higher to hit the higher parts of this song, but it does have a great instrumental feel. “Too Sorry” is up next, a cover from Doyle Bramhill’s album “Bird Nest On The Ground”. This is an old Texas favorite of mine, and done quite well. Another Texas style song “I Don’t Know Why” follows.

It is a Koch original with some fine bass lines and a boogie feel. Next up is an instrumental, with a Jeff Beck feel. “Lonely Avenue” is the title, and it is a well played, slow number.

The last cover on the CD is next. It is authored by Rick Vito. “My Baby’s Hot” picks up the pace with slow fine slide work. The pace picks up some more with the Koch penned “I Want To Be Your Driver” This one rocks out with a tight sound from the band. “I Only Want To Be With You” slows it back down and the band gets into a slow bluesy groove. It’s going to get the dancers grinding away at a live show. The closing number

Sterling Koch brings some solid sound, and some quality material. Give this CD a listen, and go see him if he hits your area.

Reviewed by Mark Nelson Nights Of Luna Willie May Willie May Music http://www.williemaymusic.com 10 Tracks Willie May is a veteran performer from the Buffalo, NY area. The Willie May Band is a 5 time Buffalo Area Music Award winner. The band has performed with dozens of national and international known blues performers. Over the years there have been 13 album releases.

This is a veteran plying his craft.

“Tell Me Baby” is the opener, and reminds me of some old New Orleans R&B, with some punching horns and that rhythm we have all grown to love. The vocals are a bit strained, but a good track. The next track “My Big Rita” carries on in the same New Orleans groove. This is another quality track.

“Love That’s True” gets into the slow country blues harmonica backed groove. Mike Silver provides a solid harmonica on this track. The 4th track stays in the country blues/rockabilly vein with “Trouble No More”. This is great blues lyrics, with solid guitar work. Next up is a slow simmering blues stew called “By Degrees”. It has fine musicianship, but needs a punchier vocal to really carry the tune.

This musical gumbo takes us to the islands next with a laid back island groove of “Today’s The Day”. Light percussion, kalimba (African thumb piano) a a bit of harmonica set the groove on this cut. Willie takes us to an even more laid back cut called “Laid Back”. He is solo vocals and ukulele on this track. It’s not half bad. “Frog Legs” takes us to a full tilt boogie sound. Great lyrics are here about his girl and her frog legs! “I Gotta Girl” is the next to last tune. Jim Wozniak provides a great organ groove, and Mike Silver returns on harmonica. The last number is ”Plastic People”. A bit of social commentary wrapped up in a 70’s hard rock tune.

Willie May makes a musical gumbo on the CD. We hear many different sides to the music, maybe a few too many. I enjoyed the CD, but would normally like a bit more focus with just 10 tracks. Fine musicianship was heard across the disc. I hope to catch him live one day, I bet he put ‘s on a good show.

Reviewed by Mark Nelson

July-August 2013 Flyin' Home From Memphis The Mighty Mojo Prophets Delta Groove Music 13 Tracks Originally, creative artists like T-Bone Walker, Charles Brown, Lowell Fulson, Pee Wee Crayton, Big Joe Turner, and Johnny “Guitar” Watson moved West in the '40s and '50s and established that West Coast blues style of music. In later years, that West Coast sound flourished into what has become a dominate force in the blues world, launching another generation of California artists like Kid Ramos, William Clark, Hollywood Fats, James Harman, Rod Piazza, Charlie Baty, Floyd Dixon, Junior Watson, Lynwood Slim, The Red Devils, The Hollywood Blueflames, The Bigtown Playboys, and more recently groups like Lil A & The Allnighters, The 44s, Mike Eldred, Kyle Jester, Johnny Mastro and Mama's Boys, Whiteboy James, Atomic Roadkings, and Barry Levenson, just to name a few.

I would be remiss not to include The Mighty Mojo Prophets as one of the newest groups on the California blues scene today. As a result of their debut album in 2011, The Mighty Mojo Prophets, they earned a 2012 Blues Music Award nomination for Best New Artist Debut, performing for the event's preparty celebration on May 10, 2012, at the Cook Convention Center in downtown Memphis. Still reeling from their 2012 Blues Music Award nomination for Best New Artist Debut, The Mighty Mojo Prophets are back with their second release this time on Delta Groove Music Flyin' Home From Memphis.

Fueled by the superb vocals of Tom "Big Son" Eliff and the masterful guitar work of Mitch "Da Switch" Dow, The Mighty Mojo Prophets were established originally in 2007.

Completing the band are Alex Schwartz on drums, Dave Deforest on bass, Mike Malone on piano and organ along with backing vocals, Mark Sample on tenor sax, Johnny V. on trumpet, San Pedro Slim on harp, and Alex "Lil A" Woodson also on harp from the group Lil A and The Allnighters.

Music Flyin' Home From Memphis combines swingin', jumpin' West Coast Blues with other regional blues styles such as Chicago and Texas blues, Memphis soul, country blues and progressive rock ‘n’ roll. The Mighty Mojo Prophets start the party with the shuffle "Sweetness," capturing the band in perfect harmony. They "swing" into the West Coast sound with "The Gambler" featuring one solid rhythm section in addition to possibly one of the best vocalists and guitar players in the business. San Pedro Slim takes control as he rips into his harp, William Clarke style, on "Lucky Man." Added to an already spectacular band is an all-star horn section

Page 11 and Mike Malone on organ, spotlighting the tune "I Can't Believe." Mitch "Da Switch" Dow opens and continues with a little Elmore James slide guitar on "The 45." Returning home from Memphis, The Mighty Mojo Prophets are grooving to "California," reminiscent of the jump blues tune Caldonia, done in 1945 by Louis Jordan. "Remember Me" is a slow blues tune with Eliff asking his baby to remember him with fond memories.

"One For Me" implements a driving rock 'n' roll beat that would even please Chuck Berry. They keep the retro rock theme going with a "Strong Medicine" with a resonating Bo Diddley beat. "Jo's Jive" is the only instrumental rocking from coast to coast with a series of T-Bone Walker style riffs. The country-blues tune "She's Gone" shows some elements of jug band music with a little New Orleans style piano. Eliff cautions to watch out for that "Street Corner Preacher" who is nothing more than a panhandler. This eclectic collection concludes with another New Orleans style cautionary tale entitled "Whatulookinfor."

voice. On another highlight of this CD, "New Orleans", the feel of that great city has been captured by the drumming of Thompson, the guitar of Mignano, and the excellent trumpet of Jon Gray, with Cassie's vocal leading the way over a rock solid bass line.

If you had the opportunity to hear their debut album released on Rip Cat, you owe it to yourself to pick up their sophomore release Flyin' Home From Memphis on Delta Groove. It is a superb CD with song writing and arrangement done by the solid team of Dow and Eliff. It is an album you won't forget!

Crossroads Thanks Field of Blues Sponsors

Review by Rick Davis Out Of My Mind Cassie Taylor Yellow Dog Records www.yellowdogrecords.com 13 tracks/49:56 The talented Cassie Taylor, vocalist, songwriter, and multiinstrumentalist, has released her second CD, "Out Of My Mind", consisting of a dozen tunes all written and arranged by Taylor.

Joining Cassie on all twelve tracks is guitarist Steve Mignano and drummer Larry Thompson. Although additional musicians appear on some of the cuts, Steve Vidak on organ, Owen Tharp on bowed bass, Jon Gray on trumpet, and Todd Edmunds on tuba, the disc does not stray far from the power trio format that Cassie tours with.

Although recorded in a studio, these songs have not been over produced.

The opener, "Ol'Mama Dean Parts one and two", is a tale of a battered woman and her revenge inspired by a documentary about a womens' correctional facility. Following is "Spare Some Love", an easy going bluesy tune, written after an appearance at a benefit, "Stomp The Blues Out Of Homelessness", with some great guitar work from Mignano that compliments Taylor's soulful

"No Ring Blues", a large hint to her then boyfriend-now husband, has more great guitar from Mignano. On "That's My Man" Cassie loosens the reins and lets go, a definite rocker. On "Again" we find Cassie at her piano singing her heart out with more nice guitar from Mignano, a fine closer to a well done group of tunes from Cassie and the boys.

Cassie blends blues and rock into an enjoyable and original set of tunes that her fans will enjoy. It will give those new to her music a good sampling of what this young artist is all about. I enjoyed this CD and think that you will, too!

Reviewed by Dennis Barker

A big thanks go out to all those who supported us in bringing the blues back to the Rockford area!

Platinum Sponsors: Community Foundation of Northern Illinois UAW Local 1268 Cumulus Broadcasting WNIJ 89.5 Gold Sponsors: JL Clarke/Clarcor BluesBlast Magazine Chicago Blues Guide EAR Graphic Design WDCB Lamonica Beverage Woodman’s Market

Ken Pearson Rock Valley Periodontics Steve Simon Jezebel Gourmet Bistro Camille E. Einoder Jeff and Erica Wusclich Jim Deming John Lundholm Kurt Foor Mark Rodseth Norm and Piera Sagon Steve Leigh

Other Kickstarter Supporters: Tim Johnson Silver Sponsors: Allison Roberts Rockford Area Arts Coun- Cindy Anderson cil Frank Rose Delmark Records Mike Powers Joe and Jeanette Mingo Lara Geraghty Craig Samuelson Steve and Annette Jones Dave Colombo Trish Rooney Ila Leean White Gary Ainsworth Nathan Jalani Taylor Rich Bronze Sponsors: Thomas Johnson Andrew Bieber Brad Appier Bob Haendler Richard Ruppel Bob Ruschman Bill Futymoski Brian Kobischka Jean Lara Carl Swienton Michael Matteson Chris Hill William Graw Jim and Sallie Krebs Debra Jo Howard John and Pam Cappitelli Ken Blakely

Page 12 All the Way The McCrary Sisters McC Records www.mccrarysisters.net 12 tracks/55:23 While you may not be familiar with the McCrary name, chances are that you have heard at least one of the four sisters singing backing vocals for legendary artists like Elvis, Johnny Cash and Stevie Wonder.

More recently they have recorded with Dr. John and Paul Thorn. Regina spent six years with Bob Dylan while Deborah made appearances with Issac Hayes. Ann was a member of several highly-regarded choirs.

Alfreda was content to work on music ministry with her husband at their local church.

But several years ago she began to make public appearances with her sisters, rounding out the group's amazing vocal talent.

The sisters were raised in the church by their father, the late Rev. Samuel McCrary.

Fans of gospel music will recognize his name as a member of the Fairfield Four, one of the greatest gospel quartets of all time. On their new release, his daughters expand on his lessons while demonstrating that contemporary gospel music can come in a variety of styles. That becomes immediately apparent on the opening track penned by Alfreda, “Come On”, as the sisters lift up a song of praise over an arrangement straight from the Jame Brown school of funk. “Talk to You” is a downhome blues with one of the sisters belting out a compelling litany about God's healing power. The brooding “Hello Jesus”, written

by Deborah, is another highlight with Rob McNelly on lead guitar, Steve Macky on bass, Derek Phillips on drums and coproducer Kevin McKendree on keyboards.

They also lend a hand on “Right Where You Are”, as the McCrary's testify to the sounds of McNelly's slide guitar and McKendree's driving piano lines.

Colin Linden guests on “Hum and Moan” playing slide guitar, bass and dobro. The track was produced by Tommy Sims, who also plays guitar on a haunting acoustic track about the eternal battle between good and evil. It is one of five songs Regina composed for the project. Their version of the Gary Nicholson and Tom Hambridge song, “Skin Deep”, features Allen McCrary's sweet lead vocal on an uplifting rendition of the title track from a Buddy Guy recording. The sisters show their sassy side on “Let It Go”, their glorious voices rising over a rocking arrangement accented

by Quintin Ware on trumpet and Dana Robbins on saxophone. “Victory” sports synthesizers and programming, showing the sisters aren't afraid to use an approach

Crossroads Blues Society Newsletter that recalls the classic Pointer Sisters sound. The following song is Regina's gentle praise hymn, “You Can Make It”, that reminds us that all things are possible if you remain resolute in your faith, complete with a string section.

The liner notes provide complete listing of the musicians on each track but surprisingly fail to mention which of the sister's is singing the lead vocal. So we are left to assume that it is Ann's dynamic voice that rides the full arrangement on “Train”, a song she wrote about the familiar theme of riding to glory. The title song, written by Ann and Sims, finishes with a stirring declaration to keep on pushing and never give up.

While religion may not be for everyone, great music is universal. Once you hear the spirit in the voices of the McCrary sisters, individually or collectively, you will find it hard to turn away. Give them a chance to open your heart to the beautiful music they create on this fine recording.

Reviewed by Mark Thompson Remembering Little Walter Various Artists Blind Pig Records www.blindpigrecords.com 11 tracks/55:59 When harmonica players are the subject of talk in the blues world, Little Walter Jacobs is the definitive example of the most outstanding and influential player ever. His style of playing and the amplification of the instrument changed the stage forever for upcoming harmonica players. Little Walter will always be known for his harp playing, blues singer quality and song writing ability as well as the joy he showed in playing music. Blind Pig Records, “Remembering Little Walter” is a powerful tribute to his talent. This recording , produced by Mark Hummel, features Billy Boy Arnold, Charlie Musselwhite, Sugar Ray Norcia, James Harman and Hummel showcasing tunes of and associated with Little Walter. These fine musicians are a premiere list of harp players and are joined on stage with Little Charlie Baty and Nathan James on guitars, June Core playing drums and RW Grigsby on standup bass. This group has to be just a big force of blues power to have on one stage on the same night. This CD was recorded live at Anthology in San Diego.

Mark Hummel opens the set with “I Got To Go”. This upbeat tune is a fine example of Jacob's harp style as Mark charges along with solid tone filled solos and trills. Hid rhythm playing is also added to this vocal

take on this great blues tune. Check out RW Grisby's bass line also on this song.

This is a great way to start out “Remembering Little Walter”. For slow blues Hummel jumps in with his take of “Blue Light”. Mark gives up a bunch of those long, heart felt bluesy sustained notes that really grab the ears and feels them with the blues emotion. The rest of the band also holds up their end of the music with great bass, guitar and drum work. This is really a tough song to beat and is a real tribute to Little Walter's style of presenting the blues.

What would a tribute to Little Walter be without the input from Charlie Musselwhite? Charlie has probably the most recognized harp style or sound of harmonica players. If you hear him, you will say “that's Musselwhite”. Having a long relationship with Walter had to be a big influence on Charlie's musical ability and the molding his style of playing. This is all good. Musselwhite does a great job on “Just A Feeling” as he plays his harp with that deep toned, slow, purposeful style of presenting blue that get a hold of you and suck you into the mood of it. Take a long listen as he sings the lyrics on this track also.

James Harman does his magic on harp and vocals with his rendition of “It's Too Late Brother” and “Crazy Mixed Up World”.

This man can do no wrong blowing harp.

Also included on the recording is Billy Boy Arnold with his great style of playing on “You're So Fine” and “Can't Hold On Much Longer”. Sugar Ray Norcia joins the mix of things with his version of”Mean Old World” and “Up The Line”. This is good stuff. It is a tough job to give praise to all the talented musicians and singers when doing a various artist recording review. I can not say enough in this space about the quality of all guys involved with this tribute to Little Walter Jacobs. The final track of the CD tells the whole story with a rousing arrangement of “My Babe”. Each player take their turn on harp and vocals as they challenge each other creatively. What a great way to end “Remembering Little Walter”.

If you are or are not a harmonica fan check this recording out and you may become one. Mark Hummel has done his homework by presenting this type of tribute to the legendary Little Walter. He has chosen the very best harp players to be involved on this project also. The album cover picture shows how Jacobs enjoyed playing the blues. This CD is a great example of how blues will stay alive because of past players and present players of the blues doing so with true emotion and feelings.

“Remembering Little Walter” is a keeper!.

Reviewed by Harmonica Joe Poluyanskis

Crossroads Blues Society Newsletter

Page 13 Blues Enough Hitman Blues Band Self Released www.hitmanbluesband.com 11 tracks/47:12 Veteran New York blues guitarist and vocalist, Russell "Hitman" Alexander, started The Hitman Blues Band in 1989. Since his dad was a world renowned jazz musician, Hitman grew up thinking being a musician was a normal career. He started playing guitar in his early teens and was performing to audiences regularly by age 16. He was so busy playing guitar and singing that he had no time for college and ended up dropping out. He has played with the likes of Johnny Copeland, Smokey Robinson, The Ink Spots, Diana Ross and Whitney Houston to name a few. He has toured Europe several times and his previous CD, "Pale Rider" was in the running for four Grammy nominations.

Although every song on the album is worth mentioning, a few of my favorites are: the title track, "Blues Enough", a rocking blues number written after Hitman judged a "King of the Blues" contest where the final criteria was "Is it blues enough for you?"; "Sam The Bluzman", a tribute to well-known New York blues guitarist Sam "The Bluzman" Taylor; the lamenting "Every Piece Of Me", a song about the way heart break affects your whole body; and "Streets of Downtown", a perceptive number about people who probably have it worse than most of us do.

This album combines great guitar, horns, harp, drums and keyboards with meaningful lyrics that tell stories we can all relate to. Definitely worth a listen and likely to become a keeper if you give it a shot.

Reviewed by Diane Mandell Mama Soul Janet Ryan CSP Records www.janetryan.com www.csprecords.com 13 tracks/56:09 Elementary school music teacher, Janet Ryan, is an East Coast blues vocalist who first developed her love of the blues while living in Chicago during her earlier years. She sang with Duke Ellington at age 16 and has shared the stage or opened for a host of musicians like James Cotton, Little Ed and the Blues Imperials, Johnny Winter, Dickey Betts,

Sugar Ray and the Bluetones, and Magic Dick and J. Geils. "Mama Soul" has a dozen mostly original numbers as well as Ryan's interpretation of Sippie Wallace's 1966 "Women Be Wise".

The Inaugural Rockford Field of Blues Festival was partially supported by a grant from the Rockford Area Arts Council which receives support from the City of Rockford, the Illinois Arts Council and its members.

Ryan has a huge gutsy voice complemented by talented musicians from her long-time back-up band, The Straight Up Band, and members of the former Texas group, Crosscut. Tracks range from blues, to gospel, to rock, to jazz.

My favorite tracks are: "He Burned That Bridge" with its boogie piano, slide guitar and trumpet; the jazzy "What I Like Best"; "Take Your Shoes Off", with its soulful, belting vocals, organ and guitar; and "Mr. Misery" with guitar reminiscent of Santana.

This CD was primarily recorded at Audio Dallas Recording Studio in Garland, Texas; two cuts were done at The Tone Zone in Holyoke, Massachusetts. The album was produced by Jimmy Rogers; Paul Osborn co-produced the Texas material.

This powerfully voiced woman is worth a listen; you will see what Rogers saw in her and why he tracked her down and brought her to Texas!

Reviewed by Diane Mandell Please Come Home The Lauren Mitchell Band Self Released www.laurenmitchellband.com 8 tracks/38:05 Lauren Mitchell is a musically trained Columbus, Ohio, native turned Floridian. Her band's first album offering is a mix of blues, gospel, and rock. The band formed in 2005 and has been touring in the U.S. and Canada recently.

Mitchell's vocals ooze emotion on top of the band's skillful guitar, organ and piano. I especially liked Mitchell's version of "House of the Rising Sun" with her sultry vocals backed by soulful guitar and Hammond B3 organ, "It's Raining" which showcases Mitchell's big pipes and "Please Come Home" with Mitchell's yearning vocals complemented by guitar riffs and piano. I'm sure we'll hear more from this band in the future! This is well worth a listen or two!

Reviewed by Diane Mandell

Nasty Habit Ron Dziubla Rip Cat Records www.rondziubla.com 11 tracks I love surprises and this CD was a surprise that I really enjoyed.

Featuring sax man Ron Dziubla on tenor and baritone sax, farfisa and piano, it’s an instrumental ride through swinging and jazzy blues from a session man who needs some recognition on his own. With Pete Curry on drums, Sam Bolle on bass, R.J Ronquillo and Intveld sharing the guitar duties and Mia Muse providing the only vocals (just some sexy spoken words and heavy breathing on “Lemon Drop Martini”), this is a great little CD that will get you blood flowing and heart racing faster.

Two moving covers and nine originals fill up this CD. A sexy “Harlem Nocturne” is the first cover and Dziubla is blisteringly hot and dirty. “Night Train” is the other cover and Dzuibla freshens this up with more than a little lipstick– he delivers a great performance here.

Dzuibla has penned some great cuts and turned in some devastatingly great performances. “Loose” is a high speed sax attack. “Shaken and Stirred” offers super guitar work along with the sax. “Bordello” is musical sex– moving, sweaty and grinding. Songs like “Fine Time” and “Spy Step” (and all the others here) hearken back to smoky lounges with musicians baring their hearts and souls for appreciative fans!

I really loved this CD and anyone needing a hot, swinging saxophone record of jazzy blues needs to check this baby out!

Dzuibla can wield his horn with the best of them– highly recommended.

Reviewed by Steve Jones

Crossroads Blues Society Newsletter In The Belly Of The Blues Words and Photos

by Terry Abrahamson Rolling Fork Publishers Chicago, IL www.rfpublishers.com 2012 Terry Abrahamson 58 pages ISBN: 978-0-578-10211-5 Terry Abrahamson grew up on the West Side of Chicago and finally discovered the blues at age 18. As with most kids of his generation (and mine, although he is a “whole” 4 years older than me), he claims that bands like the Beatles, Yardbirds and Blood, Sweat and Tears shaped his youth and musical appreciation. Like many of our generation, the exposure to the music of blues royalty quickly aligns your musical reference plane. Howlin’ Wolf exposed to him the roots the music from the Yardbirds, Cream, Mountain, Jimi Jendrix, Led Zeppelin and the Stone. “Howlin’ Wolf was big and Black and primitive and scary and like nothing I’d ever seen,” writes Abrahamson as he introduces his book with two shots of The Wolf.

The book is a beautiful collection of photos and Terry’s remembrances of the scenarios that the photos captured. Taken with a Kodak Instamatic with flashcubes, a Minolta SLR and a mini-Chinon camera (“with Lincoln Continental suicide doors,” as he called it), the photos were taken somewhat randomly throughout the 14 year period he interacted with many of the gods of the blues. I met and chatted with Terry at the 2013 Chicago Blues Festival and told him I was pleased to have the opportunity to review his book.

A word of note…Terry is also a songwriter, having penned “Electric Man,” “Unk in Funk” and “Bus Driver” for Muddy Waters. Joan Jett, Geroge Thorogood and many others have also recorded Terry’s songs. But it is his wonderful collection of photographs encapsulated in this book along with the stories behind them that are truly incredible and historical.

The photo trail begins at Alice’s from 1969 to 1971 in Chicago. A small, 20 foot wide club where you sat on the floor with a two foot high stage at one end, he writes of his experiences there and shows us some shots of Muddy Waters and his band there at Alice’s where he would pay a $2 cover to get in.

Page 14 In 1971 he and his friends in the Cooperative Bluespower produced blues shows at the U of I in Champaign. They were determined to bring this music to the students who were used to seeing shows like he Stones, Jethro Tull, Jefferson Airplane and the Temptations. They “captured” artists enroute to and from Chicago to expose students to the blues.

He reminisces about first meeting B.B. King in 1971 at Mr. Kelly’s on Rush Street.

He tried to sell B.B. a song but sadly all Mr. King wanted was Terry’s boom box.

He goes on to talk about Not-Totally Blind Jim Brewer, who really only had cataracts and was not totally blind. Brewer was the one who pushed Abrahamson to get Muddy to record Terry’s song “Electric Man.” The song was inspired by Brewer’s desire to “plug-in to one of the female fans at his show as Abrahamson wrote the lyrics to describe Brewer’s desires.

In 1973 he left for Boston and wanted to hold a blues fest. He needed an opening act for Jim Brewer and “discovered” George Thorogood playing at Joe’s Place.

Working with George and George’s mother in Delaware, he got Thorogood via train to appear at many of his events in Boston, an audience of mostly college kids. During all this, George recorded the Celtic’s theme song “Champs Again.” Written by Terry and Herb Fuerstein, the song was played at every home game for at least two years.

Muddy came to Boston and Abrahamson marveled how well Waters and other bands were treated in comparison to Chicago where they were based. He writes and depicts Hollywood Fats and Bob Margolin who played with Muddy and has a plethora of great shots of Muddy with band mates Pinetop Perkins, Willie “Big Eyes” Smith, George “Mojo” Buford, Calvin “Fuzz” Jones and others.

Terry shows us shots of Joe Spadora’s Place where Joe reintroduced blues fans to an aging Howlin’ Wolf. Accompanied by the likes of Hubert Sumlin and Eddie Shaw, there are some priceless shots laid out in the book.

Hound Dog Taylor and his band are also shown, but Abrahamson expresses some remorse he never got any shots of Taylor frying chicken in motel rooms in the electric frying pan he toured with. He shows us and talks a lot about many great sidemen, too.

Johnny Winters has a pre-eminent spot in the book during the era he resuscitated Muddy Water’s career and vaulted Muddy to real stardom and the money and recognition he deserved as an artist. There are some great shots of Johnny taken in 1975 at the Bottom Line in NYC. The 1975 Rhode Island Blues Festival is recorded in photo and text. Koko Taylor, Muddy, Paul Butterfield, Freddie King, Taj Mahal, and John Lee Hooker make appearances in the pages of Abrahamson’s book.

1979 has a photo of Muddy and his kids from then-wife Marva which is quite touching. It is also the evening his manager Scott Cameron comes over, whispers to Muddy and Muddy puts on a three piece suit and goes to a waiting car. Willie Dixon is waiting in the car (shortly after losing a leg to diabetes) and the group makes way from Westmont to the Quiet Knight in Chicago. The big deal was the Stones were supposed to show up and they did, captured by Abrahamson’s camera.

The book closes with a photo of an invoice and the amusing story of the royalties listed that Terry got from Muddy and a great shot of John Lee Hooker who had done the music for a Levi’s ad Terry had written the music for. The final page shows Terry, Bob Margolin and Muddy’s friend Karen Dagmar in October 2011 in Evanston.

This book is a piece of blues history. Sometimes blurry, sometimes stellar, the photos show candidly and behind the scenes shots of some of the legends of the blues. The book makes for a great coffee table piece to show off to your friends or one to just savor over and over to relive some great blues history. I loved the book, as any real blues fan would. I strongly urge you to get one of these for your coffee table or book shelf- it is a wonderful set of photos and the stories behind them! Bravo to Terry Abrahamson for putting this together!

Reviewed by Steve Jones

Crossroads Blues Society Newsletter Deep Deep Blue Dudley Taft Taft Enterprises L.L.C. www.dudleytaft.com 11 tracks/48:55 After a lengthy stint as a member of Sweet Water, a band that toured with Alice in Chains, guitarist Dudley Taft turned back to his roots, embracing the blues music that first inspired him at a younger age. On his previous release, Left For Dead, Taft’s energetic performances and blazing guitar work showed that he had successfully mixed blues influences with a decidedly hard-rock mentality.

He offers more of the same right from the start on his latest project, with a muscular beat powering Bob Dylan’s “Meet in the Morning” while the guitarist punctuates his rough-hewn voice with some impressive guitar work. “The Waiting” is a full-speedahead rocker with some sharp sting-bending from the leader. On “God Forbid”, Taft brings back a character introduced in the title track from his previous recording and provides background information on how the protagonist ended up the in such dire straits.

The tortured cries from Taft’s guitar ride a slower, grinding rhythm as he lays out the story centered on the Old West.

Other musicians on the disc include John Kessler on bass, three drummers – Chris Leighton, Scott Vogel and Jason Patterson – plus Eric Roberts on keyboards and Ashley Christiansen on backing vocals. The band is at its best on a rousing cover of Lou Reed’s “Sally Can’t Dance” behind the leader’s exuberant vocal and snarling guitar tone. The title song is full of yearning and angst as Taft longs for a missing lover before losing him in a torrential outbreak on the guitar. “Feeling Good Now” has a dance-floor groove and shows Taft has recovered and is ready to enjoy what life has to offer.

Taft breaks out his acoustic guitar for the opening segment on “Wishing Well’. The band kicks in by the chorus; the leader grabs his electric guitar and treats listeners to another solo that builds to blistering intensity before he shifts back to the acoustic for some delicate picking to close the track. This song along with three others that follow – “Satisfy You”, Bandit Queen” and “Shanks Akimbo” – fail to maintain the momentum from the first half of the disc. Taft sounds convincing but the tracks start to sound the same and the generic lyrics fail to generate any excitement. There is a full-throttle tribute to one of Taft’s main inspirations, Freddie King, on “Palace of the King”, complete with a driving beat and some riveting guitar runs.

This one has its moments but ultimately falls short of the consistency of performances that made Left For Dead a great listen. Cuts

Page 15 like “Sally Can’t Dance” prove that when all the pieces come together, he can rock with the best of them. It’s getting tougher to garner attention in the crowded blues/rock category. Dudley Taft certainly has the necessary skills and once he comes up with a program that matches his talent, it will be hard for listeners to ignore him. In the meantime, there’s still plenty of hard rockin’ music – so check it out if you are so inclined.

Reviewed by Mark Thompson Mojo Hand The Life and Music of Lightnin’ Hopkins Timothy J. O’Brien & David Ensminger University of Texas Press 241 pages plus photos & notes One of the truly iconic figures in the history of blues music, Sam “Lightnin’ Hopkins made his mark as a guitarist, singer and songwriter. His music never strayed far from his roots in the rural Texas countryside where he grew up or the welcoming comfort of the tight-knit Third Ward community in Houston where he lived for much of his adult life.

The book grew out of author Timothy O’Brien’s fascination for Hopkins, an attraction so strong that the author wrote his dissertation on the bluesman. He spent years researching; digging deep to find hiddenaway details that had gone unnoticed with the passage of time. Co-author David Ensminger became involved in the project when O’Brien discovered that he had cancer in 2009. In the book’s Foreword, Ensminger writes “O’Brien was compelled, seemingly deep in his DNA, to capture Hopkins often raw-boned, sizzling, and incantatory oeuvre.”

A social activist who worked in support of worker’s rights and against the death penalty in Texas, as well as being a huge fan of music from many genres, O’Brien writes from a viewpoint that understands the social issues of the times and their impact on Hopkins as a human being as reflected in his music.

The books traces Hopkins’s life from the early days in Centerville, located in between Dallas and Houston. While his birthdate of March 15 has never been in question, the year of his birth has never been pinned down. O’Brien’s research left him convinced that 1912 was correct, siting Hopkins using that year on his Social Security account.

His father, Abe, was a sharecropper and the family faced a hard-scrabble lifestyle that was common in the rural south. Abe was murdered when Lightnin’ was just three years old. His mother, Frances, struggled to care for her five children. Before his oldest brother left home, Hopkins would “borrow”

his guitar and began to develop his trademark style. Other local musicians helped keep the musical flames burning in the young man’s heart. The lynching of a local African-American male served warning to the young man to keep his place, a point Hopkins never forgot in dealings outside of family and friends.

There isn’t much accurate information about Lightnin’s existence from the early 1920’s until he made his move to Houston in twenty years later. There is no doubt that Hopkins picked cotton in addition to sharpening his skills on guitar by playing local dances and jook joints. He also told of spending time on a chain gang but O’Brien could not find any collaborating evidence in official records.

Houston had tremendous club scene that meant any musician worth his salt could find plenty of work.

To be able to be heard in the noisy night spots, Hopkins switched to electric guitar. He had some regional hits before recording twenty-eight tunes for Herald Records. Released in 1954, Hopkins, backed by a three piece combo, was on fire. These tracks had a huge influence at the time and continued to reverberate through the years. The smoking instrumental track “Hopkins Sky Hop” would later provide the framework for the well-known Stevie Ray Vaughan guitar workout, “Rude Mood”.

O’Brien covers the impact of the folk and blues revival in the 60’s on Hopkins career as well as discussing at length the musician’s distrust of contracts, preferring to be paid for recording up front by the song or the session. While he signed contracts with record labels during his career, Hopkins was always ready to cut another record if someone was ready with the cash. While the revival opened up opportunities to play all over the world, Hopkins was none too comfortable traveling for very long. His first trip to Europe in 1964 left him shaken and bedridden with a mysterious ailment for a week after a thirteen hour plane ride. He preferred to hang out with his friends in the Third Ward, where he was treated as a star until his death in 1982.

The biography maintains a focus centered on Lightnin’ and his music. Personal details like his long-standing relationship with Antoinette Charles, married to another man, are mentioned but not delved on in depth. O’Brien uses quotes from musicians like Dave Alvin, Peter Case, Billy Gibbons, and Dion DiMucci to illustrate the impact of Hopkins music over time. He has crafted a fascinating, well-researched look at a true blues legend, and helps us understand the social environment that created such powerful music.

Reviewed by Mark Thompson

July-August 2013

Page 16 It Wasn’t Real Gina Sicilia Vizz Tone Label Group Swingnation Records www.ginasicilia.com 10 tracks When I got this CD for review I was excited to have the opportunity to once again review the new album from one of my favorite young female vocalists, Ms. Gina Sicilia. I had the privilege of having the first review published for her first CD, Allow Me To Confess. As I have stated before, I have loved her voice ever since I first heard it on the CD during half time of Superbowl XLI. Not being a fan of the half time pomp and circumstance (and also not being a Bears or Indianapolis fan) , my friend Mark Thompson and I instead listened to this young woman’s CD and we were very impressed. Mixing blues, R&B and more, Gina’s first CD was a superb effort. I was sold from the opening lines of “That’s a Pretty Good Love.”

Gina’s voice grew and she continued to write excellent new songs and lyrics. Her second CD, Hey Sugar, expanded her repertoire a bit further. A little bit of country/folky songs were added to the mix and her sophomore release also made a great impression on me. Ms. Sicilia’s last CD Can’t Control Myself further showcased her voice as it continued to grow in depth and experience and presented perhaps us a darker side to her talents, mixing in angst and emotions she had only touched on before. It Wasn’t Real expands on that side of her talents, exposing hurt and pain as few women vocalist can emote and express.

Of the ten tracks presented, Gina wrote nine and chose Etta James’ “Don’t Cry Baby” as the lone cover. He growls and blasts though this song with such feeling and deep emotion. Jay Davidson’s sax adds a nice touch in his solos and Joel Bryant’s piano is solid throughout.

Well done! I have to give a shout out to Scott Hornick on the big bass; he is solid here backing Gina as he always is. The CD opens with the title track and it jumps up and grabs the listener, telling them to hang on as this is going to be a big and emotionally charged ride. Sicilia sings how she’s been a fool all these years, expressing herself after getting suddenly dumped by someone she trusted. The band backs her nicely here as they do throughout and they deliver a really great song that I think will be covered by others as time passes.

“Please Don’t Stop” is a bouncy and sexy tune that Gina swings to the groove with. As she says, “I said no-no-o-o-o-o-o, baby please don’t stop” she really sells the tune. “Wake Up Next To You” has Gina pleading to have her baby go home with her so she can do what the title states. Dennis Gruenling adds his harp to the mix in “Walkin’ Along the Avenue” and Sicilia and he stroll and swing through this great little tune. Bryant is on B3 here filling in superbly.

The ballad “City By The Water” is a breathy and cool number showcasing her voice so well.

Davidson adds a soulful sax solo here, too.

“Write a Little Song With You” has Glenn Barrett on acoustic guitar, Mike Brenner on dobro amd Kevin Hansen on electric guitar and they blend

well and add a lot of nice texture here. “Don’t Wanna Be No Mother” is another angst filled cut with a women looking back at her life. She no longer wants to be a mother or a wife; as she and the family fly off to Disneyland she expresses her remorse and frustration. “Oh Me Oh My” bounces back to a less remorseful setting. Mike Brenner’s lap steel is poignant as he solos here and Jeff Lee Johnson is solid on the more traditional six strings he plays. Gina bops and bounces through this one with her usual expressiveness. She closes with a C&W take off called “Walkin’ Shoes.” Ross Bellenoit and Jef Lee Johnson aptly twang on guitar to make this one rich and full to the genre and Gina nails it as she always does.

The band here is solid. In addition to those already mentioned, Erik Johnson is on drums throughout and is strong and also solid. Mayra Casales adds percussion on a few cuts, too.

The guitar players switch up periodically and the axe-men do a fine job throughout.

Produced by Grammy-winner Glenn Barrett, the CD gives us a great set of tracks that Sicilia delivers the goods on. Her prior efforts were produced by Dave Gross, whom I am also a big fan of; Barrett adds soulfulness and edge to the mix and delivers another well-produced effort for Gina.

Sicilia has penned nine exceptional songs and delivers a great performance on each track.

She is growing in her music and expressed in the promotional materials that she is evolving and always reaching for a new place for her music to go. As she searches for new horizons and produces new material for us, we can continue to accompany this fine young artist on a wonderful ride! Highly recommended!!

Reviewed by Steve Jones Driftin’ From Town to Town Barrelhouse Chuck & Kim Wilson’s Blues All Stars The Sirens Records www.thesirensrecords.com 13 tracks Following up from his great 2006 Blues All Stars releases I Got My Eyes On You, Barrelhouse Chuck has delivered a superb new set of tunes for blues fans to appreciate. Featuring two songs by Chuck (one co-authored by Kim Wilson) and a selection of 11 great covers, this album is Chicago blues done right. As with most of his albums. Chuck also provides us a great smorgasbord of snapshots from his personal collection of classic shots of him and his musical family (and real family) and friends.

Chuck and Kim have appeared countless times together with the Blues All Stars. This version includes their long-time stalwarts and friends Billy Flynn and Jeremy Johnson on guitars, Larry Taylor on bass, Richard Innes on drums, and here with Sax Gordon on tenor and baritone sax on five cuts. These guys are together and in synch– there is no confusion about who is doing what; they are consummate professionals.

The CD opens to the swinging and hopping Cal Green tune “The Big Push.” This was a great opener; covering this superb instrumental from the author of “The Twist” was just the thing to set the tone and get the juices flowing for more great blues. Sax Gordon makes his first appearance here an shows us what he can do.

Next up is the title track, Chuck’s tune. He delivers a poignant piano solo and they completely sell it with his authentic vocals and a nice harp solo by Kim. Wilson fronts the band with Howlin’ Wolf’s “I’m Leaving You;” he gives us some nice and dirty vocals as Chuck aptly tickles the keys. The guitar solos are smooth and slick here, too, and Gordon steps in for a little sweet horn work. “Stockyard Blues” is a little number by Johnny Young and Floyd Jones that is always one of my favorites from Chuck; I love how he handles his vocals on this song.

Wilson grunts and snorts out some cool harp on this one; it could almost be a stockyards sound.

The guitar solos later in the cut are also sweet.

Jody Williams’ “Lucky Lou” instrumental is next and the guitar work here is impeccable. The guitar sings lead to us here. One can see how Otis rush would fall in love with William’s stuff– classic Chicago sounds and these guys really sea the deal. They follow that with Chuck Berry’s “Thirty Day’s” which I have heard Wilson, Flynn and Chuck do before; they are spot on here and do a fantastic job. They even throw in a little call and response. The piano and guitar as cool here and Wilson’s vocals leave no room for complaint. “Flat Foot Sam” is a swinging rockabilly with some colorful lyrics and these guys blow it away and have a fun time doing so. The two leaders gang up for “K&C Boogie,” a delightful harp and piano boogie that Mssrs Wilson and Goering penned. A very nice instrumental that the two go back and forth on and the band supports the effort well. Floyd Jones’ “You Can’t Live That Long” is another vehicle for Chuck to show off his great vocals with and Kim supports him with some nicely distorted harp. He tells his baby to drink on and if she stays intoxicated she can’t live long.

It’s a different take on the blues as Jones is telling his woman to go off and let drink kill her instead of trying to get her to quit, and Chuck delivers that message well.

Chuck then shouts out “She’s Got A Thing Going On,” a song Sunnyland Slim immortalized and that Chuck coves so well. Willie Dixon’s “Three Hundred Pounds” gets an instrumental cover and it’s well done; a great blend by the boys with Kim’s harp leading the charge.

“Anna Lee” is another one of my favorites by Chuck; this Robert Nighthawk song is one he always delivers on and he does here, too.

They conclude with Booker T and the MG’s “Time is Tight;” a sweet organ leading the way, the driving beat and some nice filler solos make this a great conclusion to an extremely fun ride.

I can’t recommend this enough. This is Chicago blues and some related materials done right – don’t delay in adding this to your collection.

You will be sorry if you don’t!. Most highly recommended!!!

Reviewed by Steve Jones

Crossroads Blues Society Newsletter

Top Blues Releases June 2013 Sunday Morning Blues WKGL-FM 96.7 The Eagle Rockford, IL Walter Trout & His Band / Luther's Blues / Provogue Rory Block / Avalon - A Tribute to Mississippi John Hurt / Stony Plain Barrelhouse Chuck & Kim Wilson's Blues All-Stars / Driftin' from Town to Town / The Sirens Records James Cotton / Cotton Mouth Man / Alligator Popa Chubby / Universal Breakdown Blues / Provogue Spin Doctors / If the River Was Whiskey / Ruf Tail Dragger / Stop Lyin' / Delmark Ronnie Earl and the Broadcasters / Just for Today / Stony Plain Various Artists / Remembering Little Walter / Blind Pig Various Artists / True Blues / Telarc Michael Coleman / May I Have a Chance with You? / Michael Coleman Ursula George / One Steady Roll / Tommytiger Marshall Lawrence / House Call / Marshall Lawrence This list is submitted to Living Blues Magazine for inclusion in the June 2013 National Radio Chart. This list is compiled for actual radio airplay statistics. WKGL-FM broadcasts 2 hours of blues per week. 2 hours of the blues per week.

Rich Gordon Sunday Morning Blues WKGL-FM 96.7 The Eagle 3901 Brendenwood Road Rockford, IL 61107 Crossroads Blues Society Officers and Board Members Contact Info President: Steve Jones Vice-President: Karl Dahlin Secretary: Bonnie Fox Treasurer: Al McNary Board of Directors: Denny Barker Rick Davis Rich Gordon Bob Haendler Terry Keller

sub_insignia@yahoo.com baile12@t6wireless.com bonitafx@gmail.com agm22@hotmail.com harkthebark@mchsi.com rick_davis_937@comcast.net usblue5@aol.com rhaendler@comcast.net terry@markpack.com

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www.thebluesblast.com The free internet blues magazine!

Crossroads Blues Society P.O. Box 722 Freeport, IL 61032 On the web at: www.crossroadsbluessociety.com/ Our blogs: News: http://crossroadsbluessociety. blogspot.com/ Music Reviews: http://crossroadsreviews.blogspot.com/ Field of Blues Festival: http://fieldofblues.blogspot.com/ Byron Crossroads Blues Festival: http://byroncrossroadsbluesfestival.blogspot.com/ Email us at: sub_insignia@yahoo.com

Keeping the Blues Alive

Blues on Local Radio WNIJ - 89.5 FM  Friday evenings from 9 PM to midnight with Jerald Fitzpatrick  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 6 AM to 8 AM with Rich Gordon

Blues News and Upcoming Events Upcoming schedule: July: MVBF over the 4th of July. We also have a show with IBC winner Selwyn Birchwood for the 10th at the Adriatic, $7 cover. Don’t miss this!

August: the 4th Annual Byron Crossroads Blues Festival is Sat., Aug 24th from Noon to 11 PM. $7 advanced tickets. See inside for more info and the poster on the festival.

September: 6th and 7th Paramount Blues festival upin Grafton. Looks like a great lineup. Then we have Storm Cellar, the top blues and roots band from Australia. is at the Byron Legion for our post-fest party, 3 PM on Sunday September 22nd.

Free for Fest Volunteers, $10 cover otherwise. Fall BITS are in the works with Gerry Hundt and Ronnie Shellist for September 25th with a 7 PM evening show at Just Goods, $5 cover, free for Crossroads Members, Students and School Staffs..

October: We hope to have Eric

Noden and Joe Filisko back for BITS in October, and maybe Doug McLeod. Still being worked out for details.

Other stuff is in the works, too- keepin’ the blues alive! Stay tuned for more info!

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

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Please cut out or copy and mail this form and payment to: Crossroads Blues Society Bring this to P.O. Box 722 our next meeting Freeport, IL 61032 and get a free CD!