THE
GROOVE THE BI-MONTHLY NEWSLETTER OF CROSSROADS BLUES SOCIETY
BITS Year In Review pg. 6
Blues Fest Final Preps pg. 8
Karen Howard Scholarship pg. 10
Oscar Wilson and The Cash Box Kings pg. 4 JULY-AUGUST 2018 EDITION
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Editorial
The Groove - Crossroads Blues Society Newsletter
Steve Jones, Editor and CBS President
Summer is officially in full swing now. It seems like 2017 was trying to wrap itself up and now half of 2018 is gone, but it’s been fun getting here! Summer means the school year is over. The kids are enjoying the time off while teachers prepare for the new year that starts around here in mid-August. Our 2017-2018 Blues in the Schools year was our biggest and most ambitious ever. We accomplished 95 programs that served over 10,000 students, far overshadowing last year’s previous best of 63 programs for over 7,500 students. Our big BITS hitter was Headstart where we did 57 programs for about 1,500 children. Wheatbread Johnson carried the torch for us and was fantastic in support of this effort. Kudos to him and to Dan Phelps who was our Headstart star last year. Thanks also to Bob Haendler for also working these programs with Wheatbread and I. He helped wipe down 1,500 instruments and handled demonstrating animal noises a total of 399 times! Specifically, that was 57 programs with dogs that barked, hounds that howled, cows that mooed, bulls that mooed, pigs that oinked, hens that clucked and chicks that went peep peep. Our other programs broke down like this: BITS Programs 25 Elementary School for almost 8,000 students 3 High School for 450 students 1 Middle School for 450 students 1 Adult Education for 200 teachers Residency Programs 12 High School for 240 students What will 2018-2019 hold for us? Hopefully a similar effort, if not more! The festival season has kicked off and is in full swing. Lots of fun so far and more to come. August 25th is our 9th Annual Crossroads Blues Festival at Lyran Park and July 14th Jimmy Voegeli and I are working with the New Glarus Chamber of Commerce on the Inaugural New Glarus Blues, Brews and Food Truck Festival. I hope both of those are huge successes and especially a lot of fun! Classic fests like Chicago and Blues on the Fox and newer events like the Monroe Blues and Balloon Fest are already done, but July and August have lots more to offer. Shows continue at Hope and Anchor and the Lyran Socie-
ty once a month for summer. Other events are lots of fun, too, with Sinnissippi Park, Klehm Arboretum and other out door venues brining in great live music. Those events were listed in our last issue. The new newsletter format seems to be a big hit. We made more tweaks in between printing the 12 page issue and the 40 page PDF version and we will continue to make improvement s over time. I got to award our first Karen Howard Memorial Music Scholarship to Kailey Woolard from Dixon HS. It was a very nice ceremony and she is a well-deserving student. We told you about many of her accomplishments last issue and we have a complete listing of her amazing High School Music career inside this issue along with some photos. In closing I do want to mention that we get a lot of CDs to review and it seems like more and more of them are pushing the limits of classifying as “blues.” I hear this from other magazine publishers and reviewers, too. I understand everyone wants to promote their music, but for crying out loud throw us a bone and actually include something resembling the blues in your album. One recent CD by a well known band had one harp riff that was kind of bluesy and the word blues in a song title but no blues were in the song; that was all the blues it contained. It was a heavy rock album, but not blues or even blues rock.
Thanks for your support– I hope to see you at our festival and other events this summer. We have some great stuff planned as do others, so come on out and enjoy live music and have some fun! Very blues-ily yours,
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July-August 2018 Edition
Contents Editorial………………………………………..……………….…..2 Contents, Board, Local Radio & Application……………………………………….………...….3 Oscar Wilson and the Cash Box Kings………….…....4 BITS Year In Review………………………...….…….…….6 Blues Festival Final Preparations………….…………...8 Kailey Woolard Awarded Howard Scholarship …...10 Music Reviews……………………………………...…….....12 Karen Howard Scholarship…………………………...….25 March and April Shows…………………...……………...30 Upcoming Crossroads and Other Shows... ………..32 Member Update…………………………………..….….....39 Hope and Anchor Shows……………………..….……...39 Lyran Club Shows……………………………..….……....39 Blues News and Upcoming Events……………...….40 Cover photo by Rick Davis The Groove is a bi-monthly publication of the Crossroads Blues Society. The PDF version (typically 32 to 40 pages) is emailed to members of Crossroads. Hard copies (12 pages) are sent out to members without email ($5 membership surcharge). Editor in Chief: Steve Jones Music Reviewers: Rick Davis, John Mitchell, Marty Gunther, Bill Graw, Mark Nelson, Steve Jones and Mark Thompson. All un-credited content by Steve Jones
Blues on Local Radio WNIJ - 89.5 FM
Membership Application
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Crossroads Blues Society Officers and Board Members Contact Info President: Steve Jones
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Treasurer: Terry Keller Board of Directors: Denny Barker Rick Davis Bob Haendler Ken Pearson
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The Groove - Crossroads Blues Society Newsletter
Oscar Wilson and The Cash Box Kings
It had been far too long that The Cash Box Kings had played the Rockford Area. We spoke with The Kings’ Joe Nosek last summer about coming back and with the limited access of once a month shows we decided on May 12, 2018 as the date. We waited with anticipation for them to return. Well, May 12th finally came and the show was spectacular. Mel Ford was sitting in on guitar because of other touring commitments for Joel Patterson and Billy Flynn but it mattered not; Mel was superb on guitar and vocals. He did several songs fronting the band in both sets and the crowd loved it! Joe Nosek on vocals and harp always puts on a great show on his own, too. He is equally comfortable playing all the harp greats tunes or his own original music and has a fantastic style all his own. When it’s Oscar Wilson’s turn everyone really takes notice. Wilson is a throwback to the origins of Chicago Blues. His vocal style and approach is phenomenal. He oozes blues with
every note, making the listener more and more enthralled with each passing song verse and chorus. Born on Chicago’s 43rd Street (aka Muddy Waters Drive), Oscar was weaned on the blues at home fish fries where guys like Honeyboy Edwards and Smokey Smothers would hang out. He sat in with many a band over the years, honing his craft and now fronts one of the hottest bands in the blues world. On drums was the incomparable Steve Dougherty, who is one of the hottest commodities in the blues world on the skins. Joe Bassplayer was providing the depth on standup and electric bass and was a fine addition to the band, too. What a back line these guys provided! The Cash Box Kings were nominated for 3 Blues Music Awards this year. Their 2017 Alligator Records release “Royal Mint” topped the charts for months– it is a super album of traditional blues with loads of great original material. If you don’t have a copy you need to add it to your
July-August 2018 Edition
collection! The boys did two great sets between 8 PM and 11:30 PM. The crowd stayed late and they had their dancing shoes on. There was a huge crowd and not a table or even chair was empty– can’t wait to get these guys back! Oscar repeatedly quipped that he was better known as Otis Williams, an inside joke between him former Crossroads President Mark Thompson and Steve
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Jones. Unfortunately, the origins of the joke do not have equal recollections by the three as to how or when it began; perhaps it’s old age and selective memories by those guys! The night was electric and phenomenal. The audience was completely captivated and rightly so – these guys are some really special musicians and one of the top bands out there! Photos by Crossroads Board Member Rick Davis.
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The Groove - Crossroads Blues Society Newsletter
Blues in the Schools in Review The 2017-18 school year was Crossroads Blues Society’s biggest year ever for Blues in the Schools. We conducted 95 programs for 10,310 students. 30 different educational facilities were visited this past year. Crossroads began their efforts in 2002 and they have grown their efforts over those years. Blues in the Schools (BITS) is a program that many blues societies, artists and organizations participate in around the nation and the world. Each organization and artist put their own stamp on the program, with the main intent to educate students about blues music. Why do we do BITS? To tell the story of the blues. The blues is the first form of music that arose as an original art form in the United States. It comes to us from the merging of African music, rhythm and oral tradition that was brought here by the slaves with field hollers/work songs and church music. The slaves sang as they worked from sunrise to sunset on the plantations in the Mississippi Delta, The Piedmont and east Texas areas. They worked six days a week and on Sunday they sang as they attended church. This blend of their native music with European music forms and field hollers gave us the blues. The blues got noticed starting in 1865 with the emancipation of the slaves. They still toiled at farming, but now had time to enjoy their music while socializing in homes or at “Juke Joints.” The music went into the big cities like New Orleans and became jazz. Country music and blues grass sprang from the blues. Radio stations in Tennessee and Arkansas and other places blasted the blues all over the south and beyond. People like Elvis Presley and Jerry Lee Lewis took the blues and turned them into Rock and Roll at Sun Records in Memphis. The waves of workers moving north to
support the needs of factory work as the Industrial Revolution got into full swing brought the blues to places like Chicago and St. Louis and Detroit. The blues were electrified and amplified and became Chicago Blues and R&B and then soul music. The music went east and west; it even went to Europe. Bands like the Beatles, Rolling Stones and Led Zeppelin took the blues and morphed it into their own rock music and gave us the blues back in new forms. The blues and it’s successors also gave us hip hop and rap and all the forms of popular music we have in America today. Crossroads began this year’s efforts in August 2017 when local artist Ron Holm and Crossroads President Steve Jones presented to the Headstart Faculty Kickoff with over 200 in attendance. Crossroads began support of Headstart in the 2016-17 school year and they wanted to give an update to everyone working in the program. In October we visited Welsh and Lathrop Elementary Schools in Rockford with Dave Fields and his band. Dave is an outstanding artist based in New York City. Just under 900 students attended those two assembly programs. Ken Olufs
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July-August 2018 Edition and Warren Beck, the harmonica and piano duo known as Birddog and Beck, gave programs at Highland Elementary School in Stillman Valley and Carlson Elementary School in Rockford for almost 900 more students. This was their first time doing BITS programs for us. Rockford native guitar player Gerry Hundt and harp player Ronnie Shellist from Colorado also gave programs in October, educating and entertaining about 1,200 students at Oregon Elementary School (at Oregon High School) and at Washington Elementary School in Rockford. We next did programs in January, beginning with Keeping the Blues Alive awardwinning blues educator Tas Cru and his band for the second year in a row. Tas is based in Syracuse, NY, and visited Thompson and Conklin Elementary Schools in Rockford. He did programs for over 600 students. Chicago musician Mark Dvorak and Rockford actor David Causey did their Life and Times of Leadbelly program with music and narration for 850 students at the Gifted Academies at both Thurgood Marshall Middle and Elementary Schools in Rockford. Our own local music educator Wheatbread Johnson also did his first 4 residency programs at East HS in Rockford over two days for chorus and guitar classes in January; about 120 students were involved. Wheatbread also did 2 BITS programs in January at Whitehead Elementary School with about 600 students in Rockford. In February, Chicago’s Donna Herula was at Hillman and Spring Creek Elementary Schools in Rockford, her first time working with us. Wheatbread Johnson was at Kishwaukee Elementary School in Rockford teaching three guitar classes (including an afterschool program) for about 100 students. Wheatbread then began our Headstart work with Steve Jones and Bob Haendler from Crossroads, doing 9 programs at Orton Keyes Childcare Center in Rockford for about 180 children. He and Crossroads did 5 more programs in Loves Park at Hand-n-Hand Childcare Center for another 100 children a day later and then another 4 programs at Rockford Day Nursery two days later for another 80 or so children. Later in February Johnson and Crossroads did 4 more programs at Trinity Lutheran Child Care Center in Rockford for another 80 kids and then 4 more programs for about 80 more children for the remainder of Rockford Day Nursery. Wheatbread, Steve and Bob also did 10 programs for Dennis Early Childhood Education Center’s 350 students in Rockford and then finished up in February with the remainder of classes at Hand-n-Hand with 5 programs for about 100 children. Wheatbread Johnson returned to East High School in March for another 4 residency programs for the same students. He and Crossroads also visited the Fairgrounds Child Care Center in Rockford for 8 programs for 160 students. They also made a second trip to Trinity Lutheran Child Care Center for 4 more programs with 80 kids and then Johnson, Jones and Haendler con-
cluded the Headstart work with 100 children at the YMCA Child Care Center in Rockford. April brought guitar legend Bobby Messano and his band back to our area; he performed at Lewis Lemon Elementary on Rockford and Jean McNair Elementary in Winnebago for almost 800 students. We had another day with Wheatbread, doing 2 morning BITS programs at West View Elementary in Rockford and then 3 classroom programs with Jones and Haendler at Rockton Grade School for first graders. Over 600 students were served. May wound things down with two more days of programming. Dave Fields and his band returned and were at Dorothy Simon Elementary in Winnebago and Rolling Green Elementary School in Rockford with nearly 800 kids at those programs and then Ivy Ford and her band were in Rockford at Auburn High School for two programs and another at East High School with 450 students enjoying those 3 programs. Ivy is from Waukegan and at 25 is one of the bright, young acts in the blues. We did three types of BITS programs this past year. Shorter programs in the classroom which we developed for young children at Headstart last year, assembly programs which we have done since 2002, and residency programs in classrooms with high school students which we’ve done the past 3 years. Here is a tally of our work: Headstart Programs 57 programs for over 1,000 students BITS Programs 25 Elementary School for 7,660 students 3 High School for 400 students 1 Middle School for 450 students 1 Adult Education for 200 teachers Residency Programs 12 High School for 240 students As noted, this was our biggest year ever, which topped last years’ 63 programs for over 7,500 students. The cost of putting this on was over $9,000, not including artists’ meals and lodging for out of town artists. We also accomplished 7 evening programs for adults using these artists, with about 600 people attending those shows. The 95 programs were provided at absolutely no cost to the schools or the Headstart Program. All in all, Crossroads had a very impressive year supporting education in Northern Illinois this past school year. Few small nonprofit organizations staffed completely by volunteers can say they had an impact like Crossroads Blues Society has had. We are proud to have now done 338 BITS programs for over 68,000 students since we started these efforts back in May of 2002. Funding for the programs comes completely from proceeds from our annual blues festival, so as we grow that we can grow our support to BITS. A big thanks goes out to everyone involved in our program—you are the reason we are successful in keeping the blues alive in Northern Illinois!!
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The Groove - Crossroads Blues Society Newsletter
Blues Festival Final Preparations As we approach our ninth annual Crossroads Blues Festival it seems like things have come together nicely. Perhaps we’ve learned a few things over the years; we have stuck to our roots and management plan from the start. Tickets are on sale and our ticket outlets are primed and ready to sell tickets. Advanced tickets will be limited this year, so make sure you get yours early. They are still $5 in advance and are available at: Rockford Woodman’s Market Valli International Fresh Market Culture Shock Records and Clothing Guzzardo Performance Music Just Goods Fair Trade Store Loves Park Hope and Anchor English Pub CD Source Machesney Park Pig Minds Brewing Beloit, WI Grand Avenue Pub Freeport Logan’s Bar and Grill Winnebago Snyder Pharmacy Oregon Snyder Pharmacy Mount Morris Maggie’s Idle Hour Byron Snyder Pharmacy Felkers Market New Milford New Mill Tap The Filling Station Lazy Bonz Liquors Stillman Valley Theo’s Thirsty Cow Tickets are also available on line at: CrossroadsBluesSociety.com or by mail order with a SASE at: Crossroads Blues Society, P.O. Box 840, Byron, IL 61010
Our lineup is one of the top we’ve seen for a one day blues fest. Here is the schedule of events: 11:00 AM Fest Opens 12:00 PM Dave Fields on the Main Stage 1:30 PM Riding Atlas in the Pavilion 2:00 PM Kilborn Alley on the Main Stage 3:30 PM Joe Filisko Harmonica Workshop in the Pavilion 4:00 PM Lauren Mitchell with a Special Guest on the Main Stage 5:30 PM Blues in the Schools Program with Wheat bread Johnson, Steve Jones and Bob Haendler on the Main Stage 6:00 PM Toronzo Cannon on the Main Stage 7:30 PM Warren Beck in the Pavilion 8:00 PM Monster Mike Welch and Michael Ledbetter, The Welch-Ledbetter Connection on the Main Stage 10:00 PM Fest Closes
The Welch-Ledbetter Connection 8 PM “A powerful throwback to the west side sounds of 1960’s Chicago, The Welch-Ledbetter Connection has become an absolute force in the world of Blues and Soul music. This force is fronted by the dynamic vocals of Chicago powerhouse Mike Ledbetter, and “Monstrous” sounds of Boston blues guitar veteran Mike Welch. Riding the wave of their debut album, ‘Right Place, Right Time’, the duo burst onto the scene in 2017 with thrilling responses from audiences all over the world. They have become well known for their raw musical intensity, a trademark collaborative harmony all their own, and a vigorous approach to their retro roots. Now donning an established group of dynamite musicians to form “The Connection”, this is only the beginning for this team.” Warren Beck 6:30 PM Piano man Warren Beck won our 2017 Crossroads Blues Challenge and represented us at he 2018 OBC in Memphis. His rollicking style and barrelhouse piano playing
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July-August 2018 Edition delights listeners from here to his second home in Florida. Warren is the ultimate showman and you can enjoy his set in the Pavilion at our Fest.
her band. But Mitchell is a student of the blues, a music that's all about finding catharsis in difficult experiences. She had an album to make.
Toronzo Cannon 6 PM
That album, Desire, is her most fully realized musical statement yet. Through a bold mix of her own original material, songs hand-picked from the repertoires of her friends, and covers of tunes performed by Etta James, Bettye Lavette, Diana Ross, Aretha Franklin and Betty Davis, Mitchell tells a blues story that's been a lifetime in the making. It's a stylistically varied set of 13 songs recorded by Grammy-winning producer Tony Braunagel, whose work with Bonnie Raitt, Taj Mahal and Robert Cray have made him one of today's most in-demand blues professionals.” One change to our lineup is that Joe Moss is unable to tour with Lauren Mitchell, but she will have a great special guest guitar player touring with her. We know our fans will love this act!
“Throughout the history of Chicago blues, the intensely competitive local club scene has served as a proving ground, where only the best musicians rise to the top. Iconic blues artists from Muddy Waters to Howlin ’ Wolf to Koko Taylor to Hound Dog Taylor to Luther Allison all paid their dues in the Chicago blues bars before making their mark on the world. The same holds true today, as newcomers look to living legends like Buddy Guy, Eddy Clearwater and Lil’ Ed Williams for inspiration in taking their music from Chicago to fans across the globe. Now, Chicago-born-and-raised blues guitarist /vocalist/ songwriter Toronzo Cannon is ready to write his own story as he claims his place as one of the city’s most popular and innovative blues musicians. Cannon’s unofficial launch from local hero to national star took place on June 13, 2015 at the world -renowned Chicago Blues Festival, where he performed as a festival headliner for the massive crowd. After announcing that he had just signed with Alligator Records, he delivered a riveting set, instantly earning tens of thousands of new fans. Of the performance, The Chicago Tribune said, “Cannon made the most of his opportunity as a festival headliner to win over a new audience.”” Wheatbread Johnson Blues in the Schools 5:30 PM We are featuring our “short program” BITS as a between acts, featuring Wheatbread Johnson along with Crossroads’ own Steve Jones and Bob Haendler. Stand by for a treat and participate in the same program that we did 60 times this year for kids 2 to 7 years old. Wheatbread Johnson is a musician, teacher and all-around fantastic musician and we know you will enjoy his performance! Lauren Mitchell 4 PM “The year 2016 was one of unexpected change for Tampa Bay area blues and soul vocalist Lauren Mitchell. Her romantic and professional life was in turmoil, with the dissolution of a marriage and a parting of ways with
Joe Filisko Harmonica Workshop 3:30 PM Joe Filisko must me the professor emeritus of the Old Town School of Music Harmonica Instructors. He’s been at it since 1992 and we think no one can compare. We are so happy to have Joe back once again to be with us and grace us with another great workshop! Free harps to kids 10 and under, too! Kilborn Alley 2 PM Champaign, Illinois is home to the soulful and rocking blues of the Kilborn Alley Blues Band featuring Andrew Duncanson on vocals and guitar and Josh Stipple also on guitar. These guys are the real deal and are one of our favorite bands from the Flatlands of Illinois. Don ’t miss this set! Riding Atlas 1:30 PM Our IBC Youth Showcase band is Riding Atlas and they will rock the house with their music in the Pavilion. With Nicolas Dicklin on guitar and vocals, brother Joseph on bass and Sam Petri on drums, this powerhouse young trio electrifies everyone at their performances. They also have a new CD coming out, produced by Bobby Messano, we expect great things from these kids!
Page 10 Dave Fields Noon Opening the day is Dave Fields and his band from New York City. Dave is a regular with our Blues in the Schools Program, is a prolific songwriter and has release many outstanding CDs. His love performances always get the crowd going and there is no one better to kick the day off on stage for us! It’s hard to believe that it’s been 9 years since we began this event. Time surely flies and it’s been a lot o fun in doing this event. We continue to work hard to make this our best fest ever. Please come out, have a fun day and help us keep the blues alive. All Crossroads proceeds support our Blues in the Schools Program! We hope to see you on August 25th at Lyran Park for our Ninth Annual Blues Festival!
The Groove - Crossroads Blues Society Newsletter
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July-August 2018 Edition
Kailey Woolard Awarded Scholarship We were proud to present her with a check for $500 and 10 tickets to our 2018 Crossroads Blues Festival at Lyran Park for her and her family and friends to enjoy blues music with us. We hope she and her family can come out to the festival where we would like to honor her again on stage during the event. Last year we decided to add a scholarship to our outreach and education efforts. Karen Howard worked as an Arts presenter with Charlotte's Web in Rockford for more than 3 decades. She was a dear friend of Crossroads and a true steward of music for the Rockford area.
The 2018 Karen Howard Inaugural Scholarship was awarded to Dixon High School Senior Kailey Margaret Woolard at the annual Awards Assembly on May 2nd. Crossroads President Steve Jones awarded the scholarship to this well-deserving student. Kailey will be attending Monmouth College in the fall where she will be pursuing a double major in Psychology and Music. She intends on embarking on a career in music therapy where she can blend her passions for both music and helping people.
Kailey has an impressive musical resume. She was thrilled to hear the news after the IMEA District Festival that she had not only made the All-State Choir but that she had also been selected to the Honors Choir. No one from Dixon had been selected for this is in the past 8 years and she was the first female selected for this from Dixon. This earned her a spot in the top 2% of all state HS musicians. She competed at the 2014-2017 IMEA District Festivals, was in Madrigals at school from 2014-2017, was in Jazz Choir 2015-2017, was in the Sauk Valley Talent Showcase all 4 years of HS and has been in Honors Choir every year, too. She has performed in seven musical plays in the past few years, was in Concert Band 2015-2017, performed at various functions around the area and on the radio, participated in the school talent shows, Marching Band 20162017, and has been associated with a host of other musical activities. She is truly deserving of our inaugural scholarship.
Karen was active in many organizations in the community including: RAAC, Mendelssohn Club, New American Theater, The Muses of Rockford, Black Theater Ensemble, Uncommon Lives, ArtsPlace, On The Waterfront, First Night Rockford, Y2k, The Farm House, Hononegah PAC, RAMI, and Cabin Fever Jamboree; many of which she was a founding member. She was also active in arts and social justice organizations at Northwestern University. Karen passed away on August 7, 2017 and we decided to commemorate her work in the arts and music with a $500 scholarship to a graduating High School Senior going on to study music is college or in a post-secondary education program. Ms. Woolard sets the bar high for future scholarship consideration. She exemplifies what Karen Howard loved about music; her diverse background coupled with her desire to use music to help others also compares quite well to Crossroads efforts with BITS and the promotion of blues music. Congratulations to Kailey and all the other school musicians who participate in High School music programs!
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The Groove - Crossroads Blues Society Newsletter
Music Reviews Tas Cru - Memphis Song Subcat Records www.tascru.com 12 tracks/54 minutes Tas Cru's bio begins like this, "Raucous, rowdy, gentle, sweet, eccentric, quirky, and outright irreverent are all words that fittingly describe Tas Cru's songs and testify to his reputation as a one of the most unique of bluesmen plying his trade today. " I have to agree with that assessment, having enjoyed this and his prior albums and also having having worked with Cru as a blues educator in our Blues in the Schools Program. I first met Tas in 2014 at the luncheon when he got his Keeping the Blues Alive Award for his great music education work. He truly does a great job with the kids. He does an equally great job writing songs and performing them. His vocals are unique and interesting and his guitar work is really excellent. His band is also outstanding and work with him and each other quite well. Bob Purdy on bass, Dick Earle Ericksen on harp, Andy Rudy on piano/clavichord, Guy Nirelli on organ and Sonny Rock, Ron Keck and Andy Hearn sharing the drums and percussion work make for a tight and supportive unit. Tas wrote all the songs here and Mary Ann Casale, a musician who Tas often works with back home in Syracuse in upstate New York, helped on penning the first two. She also appears as a backing vocalist throughout and on guitar for a track and sings a duo with Cru on another. Victor Wainwright appears on the title track and Bill Barry is on organ for track nine. Donna Marie Floyd-Tritico and Patti Parks also do backing vocals. "Heal My Soul" gets things off to a rousing start. Co-written by May Ann Casale, the song has a driving beat that moves things along as Cru and the backing vocalists give us their all and Andy Rudy supplies some cool piano. It's Tas' vocal work and Erickson's harp that push this song over the top. Casale also co-wrote the title track which is next; she also plays acoustic guitar on the track and Victor Wainwright is on piano. Pat Harrington on slide adds to the piece as do Casale and Wainwright. "Memphis Song" is a haunting song that pays homage to the blues tradition of Memphis and Beale Street and the "Blues family" Tas treasures and loves dearly. Cru blazes on "Fool for the Blues," with some slick guitar work and vocals. Nirelli's organ here and throughout also adds a lot. "Give a Little Up" features Casale and Cru sharing the lead vocals with Ericksen blowing harp for some interesting punctuation to their vocals. Rudy also fills in nicely with his keyboard work. The song's got a little funk going as the two spar vocally- very well done! Next up is "Daddy Didn't Give You Much," another funky blues with a sweet groove going for it. The guitar solo is well done and the blending of guitar and organ is nicely done, too. "Have a Drink" gets a cool boogie go-
ing with guitar, piano. organ and the backing vocalists along with Tas laying it all out. "That Look" begins with a gritty and greasy organ and guitar intro and Purdy's bass lays out a nice groove that Rock beats long to to make things move. Cru gets some more funk going here and delivers another winner. The guitar solo is short and sweet, right to the point and the organ makes things fun, too. "One Eyed Jack" gets some more funk on and the dirty harp and organ back Cru's impassioned vocals. Cru offers another tasty guitar solo and Purdy gets some nice bass licks in there, too. Ericksen's harp gets to share as the songs closes out and Cru and company give it a big finish. Cru stays with the playing card theme with "Queen of Hearts," a slow blues ballad that Cru handles with grace. Thoughtful vocals,. guitar work and a good solo and more nice organ work (Bill Barry here) make this one special. "Don't Lie to That Woman" is a jazzy and mid-tempo swing cut with some well done acoustic guitar finger picking. Cru gets a nice jive going and the finger snapping is a neat effect, too. The big electric guitar sound returns with "Feel So Good," a straight up blues with more good harp work and backing vocals to support Cru's lead. Cru concludes with "Can't Get Over Blues." Things start with a slick guitar instrumental and then Tas comes in with bluesy and breathy vocals that are slick. There's another nice guitar solo and Ericksen's harp and Nirelli's organ also shine. The band is tight. The songs are well crafted. The playing is super. The vocals are spot on. What is not to like? Cru continues to shine at his craft and demonstrates that the tank is full and he's ready to deliver more great music on the heels of his 2018 BMA nominated Simmered and Stewed. I enjoyed this CD and think that it would make a good addition to any blues lover's collection! Reviewed by Steve Jones
9/29/18 Rockford IL Tebala Events Center
Tickets on Sale Now! http://www.thebbmas.com/
July-August 2018 Edition Various Artists—Tribute: Delmark’s 65th Anniversary Delmark Records http://www.delmark.com/ 11 tracks Delmark Records has two milestones this year- they are celebrating their 65th Anniversary in Jazz and Blues record recording and production and the transition and sale of ownership from founder and owner Bob Koester to new President and CEO Julia Miller and Vice President and Artistic Director Elbio Barilari. Steve Wagner remains aboard as Label & Studio Manager. Bob Koeseter turns 86 in October and thought it was time that the business move on without him. “I’m getting old. When we quit the store downtown, I thought maybe I’d retire, and then somebody offered me a nice jazz LP collection.” Bob closed up shop in February, 2016, but then opened up a much smaller store. He transitioned from Jazz Record Mart downtown to Bob’s Blues & Jazz Mart on West Irving Park Road. I suspect that as long as he has a breath Bob will be at his record store, listening to records and enjoying himself and others who enjoy music. Even though his departure from the retail business was only a temporary blip, Koester did privately shop around the studio and record production business as he left his retail downtown home. Miller and Barilari were both members of the band Volcano Radar and are big into the Chicago music scene. They have a 5 year plan as to how to advance the record recording business and build on Koester’s 65 year legacy that began in St, Louis as Delmar Records. He hawked records at the jazz clubs there and named the business after a street that was home to many a jazz club. The name changed to include his initial at the end of the business name and he shoved off to Chicago in 1958. Koester helped launch many a career in Chicago’s jazz scene, and was most instrumental in making Chicago Blues into, well, Chicago Blues. Junior Wells, Magic Sam and so many other greats were recorded and grace his label. Other record labels were created by former Delmark associates. Everyone who knows about Alligator Records knows Bruce Iglauer emerged from working at Delmark in the 1960’s to form Alligator and knows of their great success. We also have Michael Frank's Earwig Music label, Chuck Nessa's Nessa Records, Jim O'Neal's Rooster Records and Living Blues magazine that all also sprang out of working for Delmark and Bob Koester. The blues world would be significantly different without Mr. Koester. Miller and Barilari acquired the rights to Delmark and all the labels they purchased over the years plus a huge inventory of CDs and even some records. Koester wanted to make sure the entire label remained as a package and the new owners, who both play and teach music in Chicago, looked at the opportunity to link to a known entity rather than start fresh with an indie label of their own. One of their first releases is entitled “Tribute: Delmark’s 65th Anniversary.” Rather than produce another 5
Page 13 year anniversary “greatest hits” format CD, the recordings are new tributes to the artists that quintessentially released music that achieved fame. This was planned prior to the sale as was the Chicago Blues fest event entitled, “65th Anniversary of Delmark Records Celebration” which was the highlight of opening night of this year’s Chicago Blues Fest. The CD and Blues Fest Event feature current blues stars paying tribute to stars past. The album opens with Omar Coleman and “Train I Ride,” a tribute to the late, great Junior Wells. Coleman shouts and howls the vocal lead and he reprised the cut nicely at the blues fest. He was the last performer prior to the All Star get together at the end of the evening at the Fest. Both the CD and performance were priceless. Carey Bell is next to be remembered on the CD with “One Day You're Gonna Get Lucky.” This featured sons Lurrie and Steve Bell on guitar and harp, a gritty and dirty cut that was a beautiful homage to Carey. Linsey Alexander and Billy Flynn then do “All for Business,” a tribute to Jimmy Dawkins. Dawkins was mentor to many a man and I had the pleasure to see him and Billy together at a post Blues Fest Chicago gig a few years ago that was just masterful. Here Alexander and Flynn sing and play as the listener is bathed in the warmth of Dawkin’s music. “Riverboat” is Demetria Taylors tribute to Big Time Sarah, and at the fest another legacy to the heyday of Chicago Blues joined her on stage at the fest. Tomiko Dixon, granddaughter of Willie Dixon, joined Taylor on stage and both gave their all. Jimmy Burns pays respects to the great Big Joe Williams on “She Left Me a Mule to Ride” and it was another winner to listen to. Burns is a sublime performer deeply steeped in the history and sound of Chicago Blues himself. “Speak My Mind” is J.B. Hutto, the West Side Chicago shouter’s nephew Lil Ed and his teenage best friend Dave Weld who both learned from Hutto do a great job giving props to the slide master. “Out of Bad Luck” is next, featuring 89 year young Jimmy Johnson on vocals and guitar and the great Dave Specter also on guitar. The youthfulness of Johnson’s vocals and the tone of both guitarists ensure the legacy of Magic Sam not only remains intact but is broadcast superbly for new listeners to enjoy. It’s one of my faves from the album and the show! Corey Dennison and Gerry Hundt opened the show with Sleepy John Estes “Broke and Hungry.” They played as a duo with Dennison on vocals and guitar and Hundt on mandolin and harp. It was intense- so well done. Mike Wheeler’s “So Many Roads” Otis Rush tribute was another of my favorites. Wheeler has become a stalwart of the Chicago Blues scene. “Need Your Love So Bad” is Shirley Johnson’s tribute to Bonnie Lee, another fine effort. Ken Saydak’s “Boot That Thing” is the final cut, giving accolades to pianist Roosevelt Sykes. Saydak is out on the West Coast so any chance to hear and then see him is a treat.
Page 14 The festival had a few additions to the set that were not on the album. Guy King did a great tribute to Willie Kent and later on the Tribute ended with an added treat- the Delmark artists flooded the stage for a final song and continued the ending tribute to Junior Wells. Guitarist Billy Flynn shed his guitar and played some wicked harp licks to open “Hoodoo Man Blues” and also did some more later along with a verse on the vocals. Billy is the ultimate musician and this tone and harp blowing were just spectacular on top of his outstanding guitar work. Other artists from earlier in the day joined the finale artists including Pierre Lacoque from Mississippi Heat; he really added to the fun. It was a spectacular finale to a great ending to the day. The album is a wonderful accompaniment to the 65th anniversary of this landmark record label. I would recommend it to any blues music fan. Today’s Chicago Blues artists would not be here if it was not for Delmark Records and it was fitting to see such a great assemblage pay tribute to them in such an exemplary manner. Here is to Bob Koester and his wife Sue for their 65 years of creating and honing the sound of urban Chicago Blues and producing so many fine blues and jazz records. We hope the next 65 go as well as the new owners and their staff continue to make fine music for all of us to savor!
Reviewed by Steve Jones
Marcia Ball – Shine Bright Alligator Records www.marciaball.com 12 tracks/43 minutes Celebrating 50 years in the music business, Shine Bright is Marcia’s seventh album on Alligator. Marcia invited Steve Berlin (Los Lobos) to produce and the result is another classic Marcia disc, chock full of catchy tunes and fine musicianship. Marcia wrote nine of the songs, working with co-writers Tim Cook, Shelley King, Gary Nicholson, Kimmie Rhodes and Mike Schermer on five of those, and there are three covers. Four tracks were recorded at Dockside Studio in Maurice, Louisiana and eight at home in Austin, Texas and horns play a large part in the album, featuring on most tracks. A large cast of musicians was involved: Marcia sings and plays piano throughout, Lee Allen Zeno, Bruce Hughes and Don Bennett are on bass, Corey Keller, Conrad Choucron and Jermaine Prejean on drums, Mike Schermer on guitar and Roddie Romero on guitar and accordion, Eric Adcock and Red Young on B-3, Steve Berlin on baritone sax, Eric Bernhardt on tenor, Justin Vasquez on alto, Steve Butts and Al Gomez Jr on trumpet and Enrique Chi on tres (Cuban three-stringed guitar). Backing vocalists include Becky Beaver, Don Bennett, Eric Bernhardt, Jolie Goodnight, Shelley King, Catherine Mears, Betsy Moon, Margie Pousson, Kimmie Rhodes, Mike Schermer, Margot Thomas and Carolyn Wonderland. “Shine Bright” makes a lively opener with its full-on gospel feel, lots of typical Marcia piano and choral backing vocals, a song that celebrates some of Marcia’s heroes – including MLK, Neil
The Groove - Crossroads Blues Society Newsletter Armstrong, Stephen Hawking, Little Richard and Irma Thomas. “They Don’t Make ‘Em Like That” is another typical Marcia tune with lyrics about ‘the good old days’ as Marcia recalls classic automobiles, a night listening to King Curtis in a club and radio broadcasts in the 50’s, the saxes pushing the rolling tune along. Marcia’s eclecticism shows through on the outstanding “Once In A Lifetime Thing” which blends soul into the mix and the stripped-back ballad “World Full Of Love” which is just piano, organ and acoustic guitar behind two backing vocalists singing in harmony with Marcia. As Marcia says, the secret “is to set the political songs to a good dance beat” and “Pots And Pans” is the most political song here, a brooding tune with appropriately critical lyrics about the current situation in the USA: “nothing’s gonna change this corruption until we’re out in the streets banging on pots and pans; making some noise, letting them know that we’re not gonna let it go, that’s how we’ll get some attention”. The band rocks out on “Too Much For Me”, a rollicking Texas foot-tapper and there are several New Orleans-influenced tunes like “I’m Glad I Did What I Did”, a fun tune by Marcia and Gary Nicholson with a great sax solo, and “When The Mardi Gras Is Over” while “Life Of The Party” blends island rhythms with Mexican trompeta in an invitation to get out and enjoy yourself – always likely when Marcia Ball is around! Three covers round out this excellent and varied album: Ray Charles’ Rn’B ballad “What Would I Do Without You” has a beautiful piano and horn arrangement, Ernie K Doe’s “I Got To Find Somebody is classic New Orleans and “Take A Little Louisiana” adds accordion to a cajun tune which was part of Jesse Winchester’s final album. For anyone unfamiliar with Marcia Ball and who enjoys this album, beware – there are fourteen other albums in her back catalogue so this may prove to be an expensive encounter! For longterm fans this is another fine album from Marcia. Reviewed by John Mitchell
The Jimmys Open the Mount Morris Summer Concert Series Photo by Rick Davis
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July-August 2018 Edition Buddy Guy – The Blues Is Alive And Well Silvertone Records / RCA Records www.buddyguy.net 15 tracks/64:12 Right from the start, Buddy Guy makes it clear that he is not resting on his legendary status, firing off taut licks on his BG Blonde Stratocaster as he delivers a doleful plea on mortality, looking back over eighty-one years of life on “A Few Good Years”. His gripping vocal serves as a reminder that Guy has always been an outstanding singer, a fact he reinforces repeatedly throughout the disc. The following track, “Guilty As Charged,” is an energetic shuffle with the singer battling to resist the charms of a former flame. Both tracks feature producer Tom Hambridge on drums, Rob McNelley on rhythm guitar, Kevin MdKendree on keyboards and Willie Weeks on bass. “Cognac” is a fitting celebration of Guy’s beverage of choice, elevated by the presence of guests Keith Richards and Jeff Beck, the three guitarists trading solos while Guy sends a shout-out to an old friend, singing,”If the late Muddy Waters was here drinking with us, that bottle would be ten times gone!”. James Bay, a platinum-selling English singer & songwriter, joins Guy for a soothing duet on “Blue No More,” complete with B.B.King-style guitar over a slow-rolling groove on a track written by Hambridge and country star Jamey Johnson. Tommy MacDonald steps in on bass. Things take on a harder edge on “Bad Day,” with Guy issuing a clear warning that he best be left alone, as he is in no mood to deal with his woman or the local police. Emil Justian, who once fronted Matt “Guitar” Murphy’s band, contributes some rudimentary harp blowing. The final guest is Rolling Stones front man Mick Jagger, blowing some telling harmonica fills on a slow blues gem, “You Did The Crime,” as Guy doubles up on a Martin BG acoustic and Guild Starfire 4S guitars while McNelley uses slide for his contribution. The Muscle Shoals Horns – Charles Rose on trombone & horn arrangements, Steve Herrman on trumpet, Doug Moffet on tenor sax, and Jim Hoke on baritone sax – make their presence felt on three tracks. On the title track, co-written by Hambridge and Gary Nicholson, Guy relates his heart-wrenching reactions to an unfaithful woman, still trying to break free of her icy grip. The horns seamlessly meld with Guy’s voice as he bares his soul while utilizing a guitar lick borrowed from Otis Rush. “Old Fashioned” finds the section hitting hard with plenty of swagger to support Guy’s blistering solo, pushed by McKendree on the Hammond B3 organ. Guy waxes nostalgic one more time on “End Of The Line,” singing about having one foot in the grave. But the brawny horn embellishments and another fiery guitar interlude certainly tell a different tale. Another highlight is a rousing cover of the Sonny Boy Williamson classic, “Nine Below Zero,” with Guy peeling back the years with a vibrant, emotionally-charged performance on vocal and
guitar. “Ooh Daddy” is a boogie that percolates along with fine guitar interplay between Guy and McNelley. The ghost of John Lee Hooker creeps into “Somebody Up There,” a stark, passionate testament to the spirits watching over us. “Whiskey For Sale” takes a funky approach, benefiting from Regina & Ann McCrary on backing vocals, but generic lyrics prevent the track from taking off. Guy takes one more look at mortality on “When My Day Comes,” envisioning the moment when he will lay down one last time under the weeping willow tree. At the close of the disc, Guy delivers a salacious snippet, entitled “Milking Muther For You,” leaving no doubt that he is still a simple, down-home blues man at heart. Throughout his career, Buddy Guy has been known for his guitar prowess. Often times his skill as a singer would slide by with little notice. On this release, he consistently reaches into the emotional depths, often with bone-chilling intensity, conveying hardearned lessons on life and the people you meet along the way. Even the guests, for all of their combined star power, get regulated to the background by the sheer raw energy that Guy taps into on every track. This may not rise to the level of his classic recordings for Chess Records. But this is Buddy Guy doing his best to remind us what the blues is all about. Mission accomplished! Reviewed by Mark Thompson
After a BITS Program with David Causey, Dennis Barker, Bob Haendler and Mark Dvorak (L to R)
Page 16 Breezy Rodio – Sometimes The Blues Got Me Delmark - 2018 17 tracks; 66 minutes www.breezyrodio.com Having served a ten year apprenticeship with Linsey Alexander and after two independent releases Breezy Rodio makes his Delmark debut and it makes a great fit with an excellent album of big band, horndriven blues, using an ace band of Chicago musicians. Breezy handles lead vocals and guitar with a core band of Sumito ‘Ariyo’ Ariyoshi on piano, Chris Foreman on organ, Light Palone on bass and Lorenzo Francocci on drums; Joe Barr adds B/Vs and a horn section of Ian Letts on tenor sax, Ian ‘The Chief’ McGarrie on tenor, baritone and alto saxes, Art Davis and Constantine Alexander on trumpet. Guests include Billy Branch and Simon Noble on harp, Luca Chiellini replaces Ariyo on piano on one track, Greg Essig and Rick King handle drums on one cut each and Brian Burke and John Lauler play acoustic bass on one track each. Breezy wrote ten of the songs and selects seven covers from the likes of T -Bone Walker, Albert and BB King. Breezy retains a little of his original accent in his vocals but carries the tunes well as the album opens with the first of three songs associated with BB King, Lee Hazlewood’s “Don’t Look Now, But I’ve Got The Blues”, Breezy playing some fine guitar in BB style with the horns pushing the tune along. Simon Noble’s harp appears on “Change Your Ways”, a driving shuffle with superb piano from Ariyo before Albert King’s “Wrapped Up In Love Again” in which Breezy captures Albert’s stringbending style brilliantly and the band gives superb support. The short but swinging “I Walked Away” is correctly credited to ‘J LeBlanc’, a pseudonym of T-Bone Walker who recorded this one back in the early 50’s and Breezy again nails the guitar style and the horns are terrific. A second visit to BB’s songbook is “Make Me Blue”, one of those typical BB ballads we all know and love but Breezy shows that he can create the same sort of mood on the swinging original “Let Me Tell You What’s Up”, an autobiographical account: “from town to town, from state to state, I sing the blues, I stay out late. I live my life with no regrets, with peace of mind.” The title track is similar, Breezy explaining that not everything about the bluesman’s life is as good as one might imagine: “It may seem kind of funny, as fun as it can be, I play every night and I almost work for free. Well, I’ve got the blues, the blues just won’t let me be, because sometimes I got the blues, sometimes the blues got me”. More BB follows with “I Love You So”, a 1962 release clearly influenced by the pop music of the era but with a beautifully poised solo at its centre. A run of four originals then demonstrates the breadth of Breezy’s talent. “You Don’t Drink Enough” is a bright shuffle that takes the spirit (no pun intended!) of George Thorogood’s “If You Don’t Start Drinking” with a BB King style big band production, complete with Art Davis’ superb trumpet solo; “The Power Of The Blues” is a standout track with a fine horn arrangement and organ solo, subtle guitar and another lyric about how a bluesman will sacrifice everything to play the blues; the instrumental “A Cool Breeze In Hell” is a punning title that is explained when Breezy finds an Albert Collins tone to his guitar and Ariyo’s great boogie piano is the perfect foil to Billy Branch’s harp work on “Doctor From The Hood” in which Breezy offers advice on how best to cure what ails you – not all entirely legal! “Blues Stay Away From Me” was written by the Delmore Brothers and has been recorded by Merle Haggard and Doc Watson and Breezy’s version brings the country to Chicago. Breezy’s “Fall In British Columbia” is a gentle ballad with some jazzy touches on guitar, probably the cut on
The Groove - Crossroads Blues Society Newsletter the album furthest from the blues but “Not Going To Worry” takes us right back to the blues with Breezy on acoustic guitar and Chris Foreman’s organ bathing the tune in a gospel wash. Things get funky on another Albert Collins-flavoured tune “One Of A Kind” before the album closes with “Chicago Is Loaded With The Blues”, written by singing drummer Clifton James and recorded by the Chicago Blues All Stars in 1972. The slow blues features Billy Branch’s harp and pays tribute to the Windy City’s incomparable blues scene, a fitting finale to this excellent album. Breezy proves to be a competent singer and a versatile guitarist who can play in a range of styles. He pays tribute to some of the greats but also writes some good originals, making a satisfying Delmark debut, well worth investigating. Reviewed by John Mitchell
Joe Goldmark—Blue Steel Loball Records www.joegoldmark.com 41:34 Joe Goldmark grew up in Tucson, Arizona where he studied cello and guitar. He moved to San Francisco and started playing bass in soul bands. He became enamored with the San Francisco Sound and got bitten by the pedal steel bug after seeing Jerry Garcia play with The New Riders of The Purple Sage. In 1977 Goldmark was a member of The Billy C. Farlow Band, former lead singer for Commander Cody.Goldmark recorded his solo debut in 1977. He got married in the 1980’s and went into the pizza business. Later he became a part owner in Amoeba Music, the great San Francisco record store. Best known for his honky-tonk and Americana, Goldmark has since played with Jim Lauderdale, Jim Campilongo & the 10 Gallon Hats, Bill Kirchen, Peter Rowan, The Nighthawks’ Johnny Castle, David Bryne and Laurie Lewis. Blue Steel is Joe Goldmark's most exciting album to date. He mixes original instrumentals with unusual vocal selections, creating a true Americana blend. Dallis Craft contributes gorgeous renditions of tunes written by Jeff Lynne, Graham Parker and Lefty Frizzell, while Glenn Walters works the R&B side of the street with tunes by Jimmy McCracklin, B. B. King and Rufus Thomas. Goldmark has seven pedal steel guitar CDs under his belt, including the popular 'Seducing the 60s' (Lo-Ball #9), and the critically acclaimed 'Steelin' The Beatles' (Lo-Ball #8). He also recorded three seminal albums as a member of the storied 'Jim Campilongo and the 10 Gallon Cats. ' He toured and recorded with the 'Twangbangers,' the Hightone Records all-star band that featured Redd Volkaert, Bill Kirchen and Dallas Wayne. He also has toured with Jim Lauderdale and Peter Rowan, and played in the legendary 'Texas Chainsaw Band. ' He is currently a partner at Amoeba Music, and performs in San Francisco with his band, 'The Seducers.' Joe Goldmark has sveven pedal steel guitar CD's under his belt, including the popular Seducing the 60's and the critically
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July-August 2018 Edition acclaimed Steelin' the Beatles, which demonstrates his unique vision for the steel guitar. He's recorded three seminal albums as a member of the storied "Jim Campilongo and the 10 Gallon Cats." He toured and recorded with "The Twangbangers", and all -star band. He also toured and played in the legendary "Texas Chainsaw Band." Few artist can take on several genres within an album and expect solid results. Goldmark chooses his two vocalists carefully, Glenn Walters and Dallis Craft are seasoned artist that were a good choice to compliment this eclectic music mix. Goldmark recorded “Blue Steel” with some of the best Bay area musicians including Paul Revilli, drums from The Bey Paule Band; either DeWayne Pate, Karl Sevareid, or Hank Maninger, bass; keyboardists Tony Lufrano (also from The Bey Paule Band) and Henry Silva; saxophonists Jeff Ervin and Robb Sudduth; and assistant producer guitarists Garth Webber and Gary Potterton. Goldmark has written four original honky-tonk instrumentals. He states the album’s cover is based on an old Starday Records album “Blue Guitar” from Arthur “Guitar Boogie” Smith. However I believe it’s more like a cover from one of Pete Drake’s steel guitar albums. Also covered are two more instrumentals: Jim Campilongo’s “I Want To Be With You Forever” and Bob Marley’s “Natty Dread” the latter featuring the “Angelic Choir” of Revelli, Pate, Webber, Potterton, and Goldmark. Blues radio will be delighted with the inclusion of Rufus Thomas’ “All Night Worker”; Jimmy McCracklin’s “The Wobble” and B. B. King’s “Beautician Blues”. These are beautifully sung by Glenn Walters’ former lead singer from The Hoodoo Rhythm Devils. In order to give equal time to Goldmark’s country side the fabulous Dallis Craft sings on Lefty Frizzell’s “Look What Thoughts Will Do”; on Dallas Frazier’s “True Love Travels On a Gravel Road”; on Graham Parker’s “Howlin Wind” and on Jeff Lynne’s “A Love So Beautiful”. Whether you’re a fan of pedal steel or not, the musicianship and vocal takes on these mix of songs make for a breezy, relaxing listen. Reviewed by Bill Graw Deb Ryder - Enjoy The Ride Vizztone Label Group www.debryder.com 13 tracks/55 minutes Enjoy The Ride is Deb Ryder's fourth album and it appears to me to be her best yet. Her powerful and strident vocals deliver a huge performance that makes the listener take notice. All the tracks here are originals that she wrote and they all are top notch. Ryder has several musical guests in addition to her fine band. Coco Montoya, Kirk Fletcher and Chris Cain appear on guitar and Cain also offers up a fine vocal duet. "Big Pete" Peter Van/der Pluim is on harp for most of the tracks, too. Tony Braunagel is on drums and he produced the CD. Johnny Lee Schell is her guitar player and plays bass on two tracks. Mike Finnegan is on keys and also does a vocal duet with Deb. James Hutch Hutchinson, Kenny Gradney and Bob Glaub are also on bass. Mark Pender lends his trumpet to track 3 and Joe Sublett plays tenor sax on that cut and 3 others. A host of backing vocal-
ists fill out the record nicely. From the opening note of this CD, one senses that this is going to be a fun ride. Ryder begins with "A Storm's Coming," a bouncing and driving tune with a stinging guitar lead. by Coco Montoya. Ryder's strident vocals and the guitar work makes this opening song impressive. Next up is temporary insanity featuring Kirk Fletcher who makes his presence known early, offering up some very tasty guitar licks for us. Ryder gives a forthright performance and the piano work adds a nice dimension. Fletcher's tone is hazy and a little dirty, making for a cool contrast of sounds. "Bring The Walls Down" has Chris Cain on guitar and Big Llou Johnson on a voice over. Cain's guitar style stands out, too, with that big hollow sound that always reminds me a lot of B.B. King. Van G, Garret offers up some poetic spoken word, too. Ryder's vocals are again big and grab the listener's attention as do the horn section. "Nothin' To Lose" has some good harp work featured out front and we get to hear Deb's guitar player featured for the first time and he does a great job. Ryder growls out the vocals while harp and guitar are right there with her, making for another cool cut. Slow blues are next in "For The Last Time." Ryder offers up very passionate vocals and the organ and guitar backing her helps set the mood. Mike Finnigan's vocal duet with Deb is also quite well done- he gives us some deep and soulful emotion to his work with Deb."What You want from Me" has a little of that Bo Diddley beat going for it and a church-like approach to the lead and backing vocals. This Gospel tune is cool and features some well done organ and guitar. The title track follows, a cut with a big and driving beat and the harp answering Debs vocal calls in the verses. Chris Cain returns in "Got To Let It Go" with his signature guitar sound and then he comes in for a duet with Deb. The two get it on vocally for a really fun cut. "Life In Fast Forward" is a rocking, mid tempo song with the guitar and harp out in front. Ryder's vocals continue to shine and backing vocalists play a big role. Debbie Davies is on board on the guitar for the next two tracks. "Sweet Sweet Love"" has a great lead and a great solo. on guitar The sax plays the biggest role here of the four cuts with tenor; well done. The organ also adds nicely to the mix. "Goodbye Baby" is a gutsy and bouncy tune with Ryder once again showing her chops. The guitar by Davies gets a little funk going and the support on organ and by others is up to the task. "Forever Yours" is a breezy and more ethereal rock cut with laid back vocals and a pretty and mellow guitar solo. The finale is "Red Line," with some dirty harp and forceful vocals by Deb. Distorted and fuzzed up guitar add to the sound and feel. Big Pete's harp play a major role, too- a nice finish to a nice album! Deb has found her place in the blues world. She consistently delivers high quality vocals with power when she needs it and restraint when it is called for. She has become one of the top female vocalists out there. When you add a fine band and guests who blend their talents with Ryders, you wind up with a fine album that will likely garner accolades in next year's blues awards. Most highly recommended! Reviewed by Steve Jones
Page 18 Steven Troch Band – Rhymes For Mellow Minds Sing My Title www.steventroch.com 13 tracks/44 minutes Harp player Steven Troch impressed on his 2016 release Nice N’ Greasy, an album recorded in California with Kid Andersen. The new release was recorded back home in Belgium with an all-European band: Steven on harp and vocals, Little Steve Van Der Nat on guitar, Liesbeth Sprangers on bass and Erik Heirman (‘King Berik’) on drums; the band is augmented by Bruce James who plays keys on two tracks, David Loos (tenor sax) and Nicolas Talbot (baritone) play on two cuts and JB Biesmans plays tenor and baritone on a third horn-fuelled track. JB and Bird Stevens recorded and mixed the album, Bird also adding handclaps and chants as required. Steven wrote all the material here which runs across several styles as well as demonstrating a fine sense of humour. “Long Long Beard”, for example, finds Steven planning for the future: “I’m gonna quit my job and grow myself a beard. I know it may sound weird but a man without a beard is like a bar without beer”, all played to a tune so country you want to shout “Yee-Haw”. Even funnier is “Bad Taste” - “she’s got bad taste, she drinks whiskey from the bottle, but, oh Lord, she’s got a body like a model”! To add to the fun Steven’s harp solo evokes images of snake charmers while Little Steve’s rhythm work is exemplary, a very good track. Opening track “The Short End” is a more serious song about making the best of things, Little Steve playing some great guitar in 50’s style. On “Troubled One” Steven sounds like a man with real problems as he sings over a jagged rhythm set by the piano. One of the highlights of the album is “White Line Express”, a track that really has everything – great shuffle rhythm overlaid with horns, lyrical harp and superb guitar work. Steven gives us two instrumentals, “Going To Dagobah”, complete with a false start and apology from Steven before he nails the harp work throughout; if you were listening to the vinyl version Side A would end with the enigmatic “Rabbit Foot Trail” which is just Steven’s harp over chanting, handclaps and foot stomp. Side B would then open with a 78 rpm crackle for the first verse of “15 Minutes” which then develops into a very pleasant tune behind a not so pleasant tale of the narrator’s fall from grace after he committed “15 minutes of sin”. Steven finds a menacing harp tone that suits the lyrics about “Mister Jones” who sounds like a thoroughly unpleasant guy! Little Steve shows that he is not just a 50’s style guitar player with some startling playing on “Vertigo” which also has horns pushing it along, and another dark lyric: “ Life is a play, I’m just a very bad actor. I feel unstable like a Russian nuclear reactor. Too much pressure, I’m about to melt down”. Steven seems to have found his ideal mate on “Bedroom Eyes” as he blows some Jimmy Reed style harp over a loping shuffle while “Rain Rain” has a hint of latin rhythm and an overall sound not dissimilar to 60’s pop before the horns and piano return on “Walk Away” to close the album on a full band production. There is even time for a short hidden track, an amusing little tale of Steven’s fascination with next door’s cat – a spell that seems to be broken when the feline coughs up a furball! Fellow harp player Aki Kumar is an admirer of Steven’s playing and songwriting and he knows a thing or two about harmonica. Rhymes For Mellow Minds is an interesting album with some quirky moments but also several high points that make it worth investigating. Reviewed by John Mitchell
The Groove - Crossroads Blues Society Newsletter Tommy DarDar—Big Daddy Gumbo Self Released www.facebook.com/tommy. dardar.180 9 Tracks Tommy DarDar was a fixture in the blues community of Houston TX. His family roots traced back to Louisiana and East Texas. Tommy passed away in July of 2017. This is a posthumous release with the funds going to his family. He sang and played harmonica with Houston’s best players. He teamed up with Lightnin’ Hopkins for many years. He also played with Jimmy Reed and Mississippi Fred McDowell. I find a previous CD called Fool For Love from 1999, and Blues Fool from 2010. The set of music was originally laid down in 2001. Other musical family members recently came in to finish off the project. The original recordings were with Jon Cleary (piano & guitar), Tony Braunagel (drums), Hutch Hutchinson (bass) and Johnny Lee Schell (guitar). Mike Finnigan (Hammond organ), Barry Seelen (Hammond organ), Joe Sublett (sax) and Jimmie Rose (percussion) helped to finish the tracks. Background vocals were provided by Teresa James, Tommie Lee Bradley, Larry Fulcher and Terry Wilson. The Houston Blues Society and the Blues Hound, James Nagel provided support for the project. The opening cut is a real blues rocking burner. “It’s Good To Be King” jumps through the speakers at you Schell’s guitar and Cleary’s piano really carry the tune. This one is a Schell original. Dardar wrote the second tune about his family and roots in southwest Louisiana. It is called “Headed Down To Houma” and it has a fine swamp pop feel. The song fits right into Dardar’s wheelhouse. Schell wrote the fine blues tune “Baby I Can Tell”. It is a faster tune, without being blistering. Dardar’s harp playing is very good. A Jon Cleary classic “C'mon Second Line” is next. This one is New Orleans all the way with the piano playing and beat. This one is a Mardi Gras favorite and was on Cleary’s initial CD and live shows. Cleary also wrote the fine Swamp Pop tune “Let's Both Go Back to New Orleans”. This one is new to me, and it really fits the Dardar’s vocals. Tommy Lee Schell wrote the next tune “Dangerous Woman”. This is a fine tune, with a rock and R&B fell to it. I like this one. ” In My Mind” is the 7th tune here and a Dardar original. This is soulful ballad about lost love. The organ playing is first rate as are the vocals. This is a song to be proud of. “Shake A Leg” was featured on Teresa James and the Rhythm Tramps: Live and was written by her band mate Terry Wilson. James provides some background vocals and screams. It is a fast paced blues tune. Closing out the CD is title track “Big Daddy Gumbo”. This is another Schell tune. It has some fine blues rock guitar work on it. Joe Sublett added saxophone to this one. This is a fine tribute to a beloved person and blues community member. I liked what I heard and love the music of this area. Great players were on this and it adds to the quality. To the people who loved the man, this is a great remembrance of him. To those of us new to the artist, it is a fine listen. Swamp pop, Louisiana music lovers and Houston blues fans will enjoy this one. Go check out Jon Cleary and Johnny Lee Schell too. Thanks to Tony Braunagel for rescuing this lost project and getting it to our ears. Reviewed by Mark Nelson
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July-August 2018 Edition J.J. Vicars—Irreverent Dissident Annie Gator Records www.jjvicars.com 13 Tracks Today we have the 6th release from J.J. Vicars. Vicars lived overseas for a decade, and now comes home to make this new release. The music is his blend of hard rocking blues and roadhouse. Currently J.J. calls Ohio his home. He wrote/co-wrote 9 of the tunes here and plays guitar and sings. Several different band versions support him, with special guest Big Jay McNeely lending his sax to one track. The opening cut is a short tune called “Los Vatos In A”. It is a bit spacey, and likely an intro tune on stage. Think Eric Johnson or maybe Steve Vai. “Long Way From Home” is a Chuck Berry special with its fast pace and garage music guitar. Danny Lumpp bangs on the drums on this one. Willie Dixon’s great tune “Wang Dang Doodle”. It is done in a more rockabilly push than the original blues version. There is a Texas feel to “Can't Get Along With You” Vicars plays his guitar with emotion on this fast paced tune. Things slow down on the fine cover of “Outskirts Of Town”. Robert Johnson plays piano on this classic. The instrumental “Stinky Twinky” is next. It is a fast paced piano tune with Big Jay McNeely providing sax. “Downhome” is a Vicars original and is a pure guitar boogie instrumental. Robert Johnson on B3 does his best to keep up on this one. The pace really changes on the guitar tune “Deguello”. It has Spanish and classical textures to it. The tune is short at under 2 minutes. Vicars goes to the way back machine for the old timey sound on “Things I Need”. This one won’t be on the radio with the lyrics, but is a fun tune. High Ashton adds the dobro on this one. Up next is a country ballad called “That Ain't Me”. This is an OK tune. The 11th tune is “What Do I Tell My Heart”. Country rock/ Texas swing is the style of this one. It is a long one clocking in at almost 7 ½ minutes. Vicars handles all the various guitars on this one. I think it could have been shorter. Richie Kinder adds banjo on the bluegrass tune “Three-Toed Midget”. Jen Conley added ukulele and Kyle Crison mandolin to this kinda strange tune. Closing out the release is an alternate version of “Stinky Twinky”. This one is a rocking trio with blazing guitar work and piano. J.J. Vicars can play guitar well. I like the variance of styles here. Overall it rocks, with some blues influences here. The blues purist will steer clear of this one. It is a good time recording, and would fit right into a roadhouse climate. He is not a great vocalist, but is serviceable to the material presented. I bet he is very energetic in a live setting. His Texas roots show up and he wears them proudly. Go check him out and his new interesting release. Reviewed by Mark Nelson
Teresa James & The Rhythm Tramps—Here In Babylon Jesi-Lu Records http://www.teresajames.com/ 12 Tracks Los Angeles is home to the Houston Texas transplant Teresa James. This is her 10th release over the last 20 years. All the tunes are written or co-written by James and/or her band mates. James Bellerose (drums), Mike Finnegan (B3), Terry Wilson (bass), Billy Watts (guitar) and James herself (piano, wurlitzer, vocals) round out the band. There are some horns on some tracks. The music is smooth with a softer blues/soul/rock feel to it. “I Know I Ain't Been So Perfect” opens the release. It has a softer Bonnie Raitt meets Norah Jones feel to it. The band is pretty tight, with nice fill by Finnegan’s B3. The title track “Here In Babylon” is a slower tune, but not a ballad. We get a taste of the New Orleans on” Give Me A Holler”. The piano and horns give it a slower Crescent City feel to it. On “Head Up, Heart Open”, the music style goes up river to Memphis. It is a bit funkier, and the horns add to the song in a positive way. The 5th cut is “I Keep Drifting Away”. It is a lost love ballad about love gone away in New Orleans. The music picks up on “Ground Zero”. There is a funky blues rock feel to this mid octane tune. “Hold On” is a soulful tune, with a slower, fresh feel to it. I like the slow jazz feel of “You Had To Bring That Up”. It provides another look at the artist’s influences and talents. It is a piano based tune with good guitar and trumpet work. “The Day The Blues Came To Call” is a tribute James wrote for the late great Gregg Allman. He was an icon to James, and this is a real heartfelt tribute. The music shifts to a Texas Honky Tonk on “I Gotta Roll”. The band cranks it up for this one, with the piano being in the center. There is a bit of gospel in the soft rocker “21st Century Man”. The tune is a plea for peace in the world. The closing track “Find Me A Bar” starts with some Bo Diddley beat, and some good playing by the band. The lyrics talk about escaping the world in a good bar with a band and BBQ. Overall this is a pleasant CD. It rocks less than I thought it might. James sings and plays a solid piano. The rest of the musicians more than hold their own. The varied styles are pleasing for me, and should expand the listener pool for this release. Upcoming dates are mostly in her home area of California, but there are some east coast dates, so go see her live. Heavy blues rock fans will not likely have this one in high rotation. For a mellower night by the fire pit of on the couch, this one will fit right in. Reviewed by Mark Nelson
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The Groove - Crossroads Blues Society Newsletter
Grand Marquis—Brighter Days Grand Marquis Music www.grandmarquis.net/ 9 Tracks
Myles Goodwin—Myles Goodwyn And Friends Of The Blues Linus Entertainment http://mylesgoodwyn.com/ 12 Tracks
Out of Kansas City we have the 8th release of the jump/swing band Grand Marquis. They have been around since the late 90’s providing their mix of jazz and blues for listeners in their region and CD buyers across the country. There are 7 originals, 1 cover and an old time classic. Band members are Ben Ruth (upright bass, sousaphone, backing vocals), Chad Boydston (trumpet, backing vocals), Ryan Wurtz (electric and acoustic guitars), Trevor Turla (trombone, backing vocals), Fritz Hutchison (drums, backing vocals) and Bryan Redmond (lead vocals; soprano, alto, tenor & baritone saxophones). Live dates are local and regional for the band.
If we jump into the rock ‘n’ roll time machine to the early 70’s in Canada, you would find April Wine on the radio. The original singer/guitarist of the band is Myles Goodwyn. When we transport back today, we have a blues rock album by him. He is joined by drummers (Mike Carrol and Blair McKay), bass players (Richard Fallus, Alex Fraser, Russal Jackson, and Bruce Dixon). There are some special guests too, that may excite your ears! Myles Goodwyn wrote all but one of tracks. There is one other solo album from 1988.
The opening track has a strong Memphis soul feel. “Another Lover” is a fast tempo toe tapper with strong guitar work and some exciting brass sounds. The title track is next. It is jazzier tune with a bit of a 70’s jazz rock feel. Vocals are first rate. The danceable “I’m On Fire” sets a rumba beat, with the guitar work of Wurtz and the horn section pushing the tune at a nice pace. On “Night Shift” the feel is definitely from the Crescent City, New Orleans. The tuba (Ben Ruth) propels the tune, along with the horns. This is a fun and danceable track of Big Easy traditional jazz. Things stay at the mouth of the Mississippi for the next tune “It Don't Matter”. This one has the sousaphone right out front. This is a bit slower NOLA funky horn music. You can hear this in the clubs around town. “Ain't No Spark” is a call/ response blues tune with a full band sound. The horns do shine on this one. On “Bad Seed”, the final original tune, the band shuffles into the tune and the horns then take it out strong. Again there is some 70’s jazz rock feel here. The cover tune is next. Jimmy Cliff’s “Many Rivers To Cross” is done in a Sunday churchy type style. This gospel incarnation is a nice change for the band. Everybody contributes. The old time classic “Down By The Riverside” closes out the release. The band must have been eating their gumbo to ignite this version of this long time classic tune. Overall I like this release. It is a good feelin’ set of music. They captured some different styles of music, and provided solid musicianship to go with it. If this style of music is enjoyable to you, your ears will love it. If this is not in your wheelhouse, not sure it will convert you, but do give it a try. The band will be in the Midwest this summer, go check them out live! Reviewed by Mark Nelson
The opening track “I Hate To See You Go (But I Love To Watch You Walk Away)” is a fine blues rock tune. The horns really pump up the track, and Shaun Verreault adds slide guitar. Things slow down on “Isn't That So”. It has a bit of island feel, with some good guitar picking. This one was written by Jesse Winchester. On “It'll Take Time To Get Used To” the band starts on a slow grinding blues song that picks up as the tune grows. Amos Garrett adds his guitar to this one, with Emily LaMarche providing background vocals. At nearly 5 minutes in length, the players get a chance to stretch out a bit. The music style reverts back to the 50’s on “Tell Me Where I've Been (So I Don't Go There Anymore)”. The love song has special guests Kenny ‘’Blues Boss” Wayne tickling the 88’s and Steve Segal (not the actor) on guitar. Fats Domino would have liked this tune. With a gospel intro, “I Ain't Gonna Bath In The Kitchen Anymore”, roars into a feisty tune. It features fine barrelhouse piano work by Bill Stevenson. Kenny “Blues Boss” Wayne returns on the ultimate end of love song “I'll Hate You (Till Death Do Us Part)”. This is a smokin’ but slow blues tune with Frank Marino (Mahogany Rush) making an appearance on guitar. On “Good Man In A Bad Place” the band really cooks. This is a fine blues rock tune. The blues rock continues on “Brand New Cardboard Belt”. Frank Marino adds a few licks as does Steve Segal. The 9th cut is “Weeping Willow Tree Blues”. This tune is a slower tune that really shows off Goodwyn’s vocals. At almost 5 minutes, the band gets to explore the tune. The start of “Last Time I'll Ever Sing The Blues” has some hot guitar licks. The great Rick Derringer helps out on guitar on this end of a love affair tune. A final guitar guest Jack De Keyser (from Canada) joins in on the slower, but powerful “Nobody Lies (About Having The Blues)” Goodwyn handles the keys on this one. Closing out the CD is “You Never Got The Best Of Me”. Guests include Steve Segal and Amos Garret on guitar and Dewey Reeds on harmonica. This one is a bit more of a country blues tune with some nice harmonica work. Myles Goodwyn And Friends Of The Blues is fine release, with excellent art work on the CD cover. Blues rock fans will like it, and there is enough blues to it that straight blues fans can get into it. I think they all had a good time making this. With so many originals, it was had to be a labor of love for Goodwyn and all his pals. Give this one a listen, you should enjoy it. Reviewed by Mark Nelson
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July-August 2018 Edition Jeff Jensen – Wisdom & Decay Swingsuit Records http://jeffjensenband.com 10 songs/48 minutes Anyone who’s seen him in person knows that singer-guitarist-producer Jeff Jensen is one of the most entertaining performers in the blues, and his balls-to-the-wall energy comes through full force on this collection of seven emotion-drenched originals and three interesting covers. Jensen holds nothing back as he deals with subjects that cover the full gamut of human emotion – from loss of a loved one to addiction to the general roadblocks that stand in everyone’s way as we try to make progress in life. Like most musicians in the industry, he knows the pitfalls well. A native Californian, his own life fell apart while living in Portland, Ore. He found his center after moving to Memphis, where he joined harmonica player Brandon Santini’s band, by chance about seven years ago. After paying his dues as a sideman, he served as Santini’s band leader, producing his CD, This Time Another Year, which was edged out by a release from Trampled Under Foot’s Badland for Blues Music Association contemporary album of the year. After two-plus years with Brandon, Jensen went on his own, and he’s been touring relentlessly out of the Bluff City ever since, fronting a threepiece unit that delivers intense blues laced with heavy soul, jazz and roots overtones. He’s backed here by his regular touring ensemble – longtime bassist Bill Ruffino and drummer David Green. They’re augmented by Chris Stephenson (Joe “King” Carrasco and Ghost Town Blues Band) and Gerald Stephens on keyboards, James Cunningham on percussion and a horn section composed of Kirk Smothers (saxes) and Marc Franklin (trumpet and flugelhorn). Reba Russell and Victor Wainwright both make guest appearances on vocals, as do Brian Hawkins, Jared Dover and Aron Shier. And Jessie Munson, Wen Yin Yu, Beth Luscombe and Iren Zombor also appear on three cuts as a string quartet. The action opens with a power blues introduction for Little Milton’s “I’m Living Off The Love You Give” before quickly settling into a horn- and guitar-driven stop-time soul send up that would make its master smile. It’s a plea for the lady to remain forever at the singer’s side because, if she were to split, it would be like murder in the first degree. A syncopated rhythm pattern propels the haunting “2000 Days,” which describes a drug-addicted man who’s “living, but his soul is dead.” Fortunately, the title cautiously refers to the time he’s been clean. Next up is the poignant “Pretend Forevers.” It’s a bittersweet ballad that deals with the loss of a lady, but it’s delivered in such a way that it doesn’t matter who the person might be. The sound brightens dramatically as the theme takes an immediate 180 for soulful “Good Woman Back Home.” Jensen’s jazzy side comes to the fore for a cover of “Downtown.” Not the Petula Clark hit from the ‘60s, this one is the song written by Tom Waits that sings praise of the inner city, and Jeff and his crew reinterpret it while maintaining Waits’ smoky edge. It leads into “Luck Is Gonna Change,” an uptempo number that takes you to church aided by a choir as the singer seemingly has done everything wrong in life, but still remains witty and optimistic with hope for a positive outcome. “What We Used To Be” is an interesting walking blues. It’s somewhat of a political statement, but with the decaying of society rather than politicians themselves. It’s delivered with a hint of Scott Joplin feel. A cover of Bob Dylan’s “Tonight I’ll Be Staying Here With You” before the two cut combination of “Something In The Water” and “The Water Jam/Something In The Water Revised” bring the album to a close. Available though all major retailers, Wisdom & Decay is a pleaser from the jump – full of modern blues for modern times, fresh takes on familiar themes throughout. Reviewed by Marty Gunther
Peter V Blues Train – Running Out Of Time Self-Produced CD www.petervbluestrain.com 11 songs/50 minutes Peter V Blues Train picks up where they left off earlier in the year, pulling out of the station with a back beat to deliver another tasty blend of modern blues, jazz and funk with Running Out Of Time, the third release in their catalog since their debut at the International Blues Challenge a few years ago. Already tabbed to represent the Jersey Shore Jazz & Blues Foundation as its representative to compete in the best selfproduced CD category at next year’s IBCs, the band features Peter Veteska on guitar and vocals backed by several of the finest musicians in the New York metropolitan area. The four-piece unit includes Aron Louis Gornish on keyboards and a rhythm section composed of Alex D’Agnese on drums and Sean Graverson on bass. They’re aided by a pair of music heavyweights: Jeff Levine, the keyboard player who led Joe Cocker’s band and worked with Hall & Oates and The Chambers Brothers, and sax player Danny Walsh, who’s worked with Gregg Allman, Aerosmith and several jazz superstars. They’re augmented by Tom Adams (piano), Coo Moe Jhee (bass), Eddie Jackson (congas and vocals), Gary Neuwirth (harmonica) and Kelley Dewket (vocals) for one cut each. Dedicated to the memory of the late Michael Packer, founder of the regional Blues Hall Of Fame network and an early booster, this album was captured at Joseph DeMaio’s Shore Fire Recording Studio in Long Branch, N.J., and features seven originals and four carefully reconstructed covers. Levine and Walsh provide the brief intro to “Stay On Track,” a funky tune that puts a new spin about the need to stay on track despite all of the roadblocks that crop up in your path. Instead of two steps forward and one step back, this one finds Veteska’s strong, crisp vocals delivering lyrics that have you taking three forward and four back – but never losing sight of his goal. A cover of Richard Ray Farrell’s “Cherry On The Cream” swings from the jump as it sings praises of a lady who always knows how to treat the singer right before the music takes a turn toward jazz with the horn-driven “Buzzed Busted & Blue.” It quickly evolves into a slow blues that deals with the aftermath of a woman taking her own train and leaving him behind. Peter and the boys leaves Levine at the station for the remainder of the disc, but continue to pick up speed. First up, Big Maceo Merriweather’s 1941 classic, “Worried Life Blues,” gets a contemporary slow-blues treatment. Then the searing original blues-rocker “Running Out Of Time” delivers a complaint about a former lover who now only pisses the singer off. Veteska’s burning guitar work drives the anger home. The band gets jazzy, funky and instrumental with Peter and Danny exchanging solos as the mood changes dramatically for “Time To Collect” before a steady-walking, modern take on Doc Pomus’ familiar “Youngblood,” a 1957 hit for The Coasters co-written by Jerry Lieber and Mike Stoller. Then the mood turns jazzy and acoustic for “Time For Me To Go,” the realization that it’s time to pack up and move on because the relationship is over. Another slow-blues burner, “Freedom,” features Veteska on the fretboard and serves as a follow-up to the tune that comes before as it questions the value of finally being free to miss a lady he still has feelings for. Dewket sweetly handles the vocals and Neuwirth makes his sole appearance for a cover of Bonnie Raitt’s “Love Me Like A Man” before “Lay Down My Friend,” a tip of the hat to Packer, brings the album to a close, aided by Jackson, a longtime member of Michael’s band. Available in select record stores in the New York metropolitan area or direct from the artist’s website (address above) Running Out Of Timemay be a little difficult to obtain, but it’s worth the effort if your tastes
Page 22 Wentus Blues Band—Throwback Ramasound www.wentusbluesband.com 15 Tracks Wentus Blues Band has been in the blues arena for a number of years now and with their new album Throwback, featuring Niko Riippa on guitar, Robban Hagnäs on bass, Juho Kinaret on vocals, Pekka Gröhn on keyboards, and Daniel Hjerppe on drums, this band from Finland have put themselves in the limelight with superb musicianship and strong vocals. As a tribute to the many artists the band has performed or worked with over the years, they released Throwback to honor some of those legends. They open with Carey Bell's "Wrapped Up In Love," with Niko Riippa serving up some stinging guitar solos to match the vocals of Juho Kinaret. Their rendition of Canned Heat's "Future Blues" offers an up-tempo, high-powered track with a strong performance from the rhythm section. The Eddie Kirkland album track "Rainbow," features a strong performance from Pekka Gröhn on keys, with the band taking ownership without the live performance they did with Eddie himself. It is hard to replace that soulful voice of Sweden's excellent singer, guitarist, songwriter, and harmonica player Sven Zetterberg. I think the band did an excellent job rivaling Sven's "Let Me Get Over It," by making their own powerful soul version. If you have never heard blues performer and songwriter Rock Bottom and his raw vocals leading his unique New Orleans, swamp/R&B style with a hint of bluegrass banjo, you owe it to yourself to sample his tune "Frog Leg Man." Wentus Blues Band creates that same swamp fever in their version with a little more finesse. Up next is another Eddie Kirkland tune "Done Somebody Wrong," preserving that same dirty, raw blues quality done by Eddie and The House Rockers in 1959. Time for the house rockin' boogie track "Feel So Young," done originally by Hungry John and The Blue Shadows in 1991, with an added punch from Niko Riippa on guitar and Pekka Gröhn on keyboards. This one will make you a fan in seconds flat! They cover "Hard Working Woman" from the 1997 Carey Bell release Good Luck Man on Alligator Records as a tribute to the Chicago blues legend. Once again Pekka Gröhn is superb on keyboards on this "windy city" classic. The rhythm section is a driving force on the sole Eric Bibb number "Don't Let Nobody Drag Your Spirit Down" with their up tempo rendition. "I Think You Need a Shrink" is the second Sven Zetterberg & The Chicago Express track on the album from Sven's release Permanently Blue. The band includes the Louisiana Red shuffle "Thirty Dirty Women." They also add a pair of tribute tunes to the Chicago blues legend Phil Guy, with "Fixin' To Die" and "The Last of The Blues Singers," showcasing the electrifying blues solos from the fret board of Niko Riippa. Between those two classics they add "Time Was," the Canned Heat original with Larry Taylor and his bass solos, delivered this time by Robban Hagnäs on bass. As the 15 track tribute comes to a close for the Wentus Blues Band, they include one last tribute song, the everlasting 1962 "Red's Dream" by Louisiana Red.
The Groove - Crossroads Blues Society Newsletter With many albums to their credit, this solid blues band adds many old school legends to their list of friends in the blues world. They open the vault to uncover some timeless classics and present them with precision, making them their own. This CD will keep you searching for more music from this superb band from Finland. Reviewed Rick Davis Johnny Fink and The Intrusion—JFI Self Produced www.johnnyfink.com 9 Tracks Johnny Fink is no stranger to the blues. In 2015, his band won the Cincy Blues Society band challenge. With the recent success in the 2016 IBC, the band also winning the 2016 Dayton Ohio Blues challenge, and Johnny winning the 2016 Cincy Blues challenge in the solo category, they decided to release their debut album titled JFI. With deep vocals and a similar guitar groove to the late great John Lee Hooker, he adds an element of rock to his opening track "Oh No." With a steady boogie beat, the tune "Hey Hey Hey" builds with fiery guitar licks as the boys shout out the title with conviction. They slow the pace for some slow, down home blues, as "The Fall" unfolds as one of the premier blues tunes on the album. "Let's Hear Some Blues" opens with some Delta blues and continues to deliver some conventional guitar licks bringing the band members to their feet as they once again roar out the title much to Johnny's satisfaction. We get to the despondent portion of the program as Johnny mournfully declares, with brokenhearted lyrics, that he is "Damn Broke." Jimmy Rogers plays on our emotions with his additional keyboards as Johnny delivers his pleading vocals and melancholy guitar licks. Our spirits are kickstarted once again with some high powered honky-tonk Southern rock feeding into some tasty slide guitar on the track "Knew She Was Looking." The bands begins "Go Away" with a powerful opening, which is a prelude to gritty vocals and some of the hottest guitar solos on the album. This tune will grab your soul with its passionate vocals and spectacular guitar solos. The guitar solos engulf the track "Pain," after Fink lulls you into a trance with his vocals only to return to his calm yet hypnotic vocals time and time again as he lets you enter his world called pain. There are better days ahead as Johnny Fink concludes his debut album with reassuring words of advice and fiery guitar solos on the final tune "It's Alright." With this power trio of Fink on guitar and vocals, Matt Newman on bass, Doug Moore on drums and percussion, backed by Jimmy Rogers on keyboards, I think you will be sold on this blues band both in the studio and live. At the 2016 IBC, I was very impressed with this band's performance and anxiously awaiting this their debut album. The album is everything I expected and more on every track. Reviewed Rick Davis
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July-August 2018 Edition Dana Fuchs—Love Lives On Get Along Records www.danafuchs.com 13 Tracks Dana Fuchs grew up in Florida and was exposed to music at a young age. She heard gospel at the local Baptist church, and Hank Williams, Ray Charles and Billie Holiday at home. British classic rock really grabbed her attention as a youngster. She listened to Queen, Rolling Stones, Led Zeppelin and Fleetwood Mac. Dana was hooked, and went to New York City and met Jon Diamond. Their musical gumbo brought her to her sound, after hearing his blues collection. Dana grew in New York working through the emotions of losing a musical older sister. She did win the lead in the Broadway production of Love, Janis. On this her 7th release Fuchs wrote or co-wrote 11 of the 13 tunes. Fuchs handles guitar and vocals, with Diamond handling guitar and harmonica. Other featured musicians as Reverend Charles Hodges (organ), Jack Daley (bass), Glen Patscha (piano & Wurlitzer), Steve Potts (drums) Kirk Smothers & Mark Franklin (horns), Eric Lewis (pedal steel, lap steel, mandolin), Felix Hernandez (congas) and Reba Russell & Susan Marshall (backing vocals). This one was recorded in Memphis. “Backstreet Baby” is the opening cut. It has a Memphis feel to it with nice layers of the bass, horns and backing vocals. This is a rockin’ R&B tune. Up next is the Otis Redding tune “Nobody's Fault but Mine”. The drumming of Potts really keeps the pace going. The horns shine again. I like the lighter pace of “Callin' Angels”. It would fit into a Stax catalog anytime. It would have fit the Staples Singers back in the day. The pace remains slower on “Sittin' On”. The band is tight, and fits together well. I liked the steel solo by Eric Lewis in the middle of the tune. The title cut “Love Lives On” is a tender ballad. On “Sad Solution”, the band jumps out like a Robert Cray soulful tune. This is a mid paced tune, with a hint of modern Nashville country meeting Memphis soul. I like the opening gospel organ on “Faithful Sinner”. This ballad tells a good story about making the wrong choices with good intentions. We get back to more blues on “Sedative”. It is a slower tune with organ and horn support. On “Ready to Rise” hits me as a good Bettye LaVette tune. It is slow, a bit dark and maybe somewhat haunting. Guitar work and vocals are strong. The pace really changes on the country blues ballad “Fight My Way”. This is a real change from the rest of recording and shows that Fuchs can handle many styles. It has great lyrics about the fights in her life. “Battle Lines” is a pretty song with strong lyrics about fighting through the obstacles of life. The full band sound returns on “Same Sunlight”. This is soulful tune about everyone facing the same hurdles in life and that we all want to solve them. Closing out he set is the second cover. Johnny Cash’s “Ring Of Fire” is done as a slower acoustic ballad. Fuchs handles an acoustic guitar on this one. Any music lover should enjoy this
tune about carrying on with life. This one has lots of soul/R&B with some country, gospel and blues mixed in. It is probably not one for the blues rock crowd, nor is it Chicago blues. It reflects the sounds of Memphis and country music of the area. Fuchs still has a strong voice. The band was first rate, and the songs well written with strong autobiographical lyrics at times. Go check her out as she tours. I am not sure she will have all the musicians from here on tour, but it should still be a strong show. If Memphis is in your soul go get this one and enjoy it! It is not the same rocking music of some of her earlier releases, but it is enjoyable. Reviewed by Mark Nelson Willie May—Haunted House Self Released www.williemaymusic.com/ 10 Tracks Willie May is a prolific artist. I reviewed his most current release (#19) in our last issue. Buffalo NY is home for Mr. May. He holds down his spot in the local blues scene. Willie wrote all of tunes for this CD. Willie plays guitar, ukulele, kalimba, bass and sings on this release. As in prior releases, he is supported by a large group of area musicians on other instruments. On the opening track “Hey Big Fannie” the great Mark Hummel provides some fine harmonica support. This is a good tune. Willie’s vocals are gruff as usual, but the playing is pretty good. The horns help carry the toe tapping “Haunted House”. We don’t get many songs about haunted houses.. Up next is “Ain’t It Funny”. This one is a blues shuffle with the horns adding to the fun. This song is about money and trying to hang on to his girl and friends after losing his money. “Another Moon Song” grabs a Cajun/Zydeco beat and should get the crowd up dancing. It is a bit slower than most Cajun and the vocals cannot hit the high notes. There is some humor in the tune about getting government cheese. “Damn That Gubmint” has some laughs to it, while still retaining a bit of the Cajun spice from the prior song. “I'm So Tired” is a blues tune that comes across pretty good. It plays along at a leisurely pace that hits the spot in your ears. “Gypsy Eyes” gets a bit of country/Texas blues feel. It is not a hard driving tune, but it does keep your toe tapping. “Underneath The Trees” is an acoustic tune, with Mary Ramsey (10’000 Maniacs) joining of viola. I like this one! Willie May grabs his ukulele for the soft tune “See You Smile”. This one mixes some island feel with some African sounds. Closing out the disc is “Do Maiuke”. It is a strange tune, with a try at a danceable piece of music. I don’t get it, so you may not either. Reviewed by Mark Nelson
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The Groove - Crossroads Blues Society Newsletter
More Blues in the Schools Photos All Photos by Rick Davis
Donna Herula
Donna Herula
Blues in the Preschool with Wheatbread Johnson and Bob Haendler
Donna Herula Ivy Ford
Ivy Ford
Ivy Ford
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July-August 2018 Edition
Dave Fields Tas Cru
Birddog and Beck Ken Olufs and Warren Beck
Bobby Messano Ronnie Shellist and Gerry Hundt
Tas Cru get Teacher Involved
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The Groove - Crossroads Blues Society Newsletter
May and June Crossroads Shows
Dave Fields at Lyran Club Rick Davis Photo
Heine Anderson at Rockford Listening Room; Rick Davis Photo
Ivy Ford at Lyran Club Rick Davis Photo
Missy Anderson at Rockford Listening Room Rick Davis Photo
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July-August 2018 Edition
Breakfast/Lunch with Ivy Ford and the Band
Dan Phelps at Famous Dave’s Rick Davis Photo
Wheatbread Johnson CD Release Party at the Lyran Club
Josh Hoyer at Klehm Arboretum Wood Song Concert Rick Davis Photos
Music on the Rock with Jimmy Thackery and the Drivers at Burpee Museum Rick Davis Photos
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Featured Food • • • • • • • •
The Smoke House BBQ An Jans Eats Mary’s Tacos Olive Branch Greek Food Veebo’s Wood Fired Pizza Byron Kiwanis Burgers & More Gala Snacks Grampa Sweet Treats
Merch Vendors • • • • • •
Culture Shock Records Wild Bill Kathy’s Purses Essential Oils Designs by D'Leone Jewelry And More!
30+ Beers and Wines! • • •
Budweiser, Miller and Coors Products Over Two Dozen Craft Beers Wine, too!
Tickets $5 in Advance $10 at Gate
The Groove - Crossroads Blues Society Newsletter
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July-August 2018 Edition
Featured Food Trucks • • • • • • • • • • • • •
El Wiscorican Italian Ice and More Smokin Dragon's BBQ Company New Glarus Hotel Restaurant Fibs - Fine Italian Beef & Sausage Toasty Cheese Jolly Frog Anjan's Eats Cafe' Costa Rica S'Wisco Taphaus Tofflers Pub & Grill Shepherd of the Hills Walking Taco
ww.facebook.com/ NGBBFTF/
Craft Vendors & Farmers Market Free Admission New Glarus Brewing Company
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The Groove - Crossroads Blues Society Newsletter
Blues Blast Awards Show Coming 9/29/18 Tebala Event Center
7910 Newburg Rd, Rockford, IL 61108
Tickets Now On Sale! About 15 All Star Bands Expected at the Show www.thebbmas.com LaQuinta is the Official Hotel of the BBMAs Road Ghost Town Blues Band - BackContemporary Blues Album stage Pass Victor Wainwright & The Train Muddy Waters - Live At RockSelwyn Birchwood - Pick Your palast Poison Nick Schnebelen - Live In KanRock Blues Album Chis Cain - Self titled sas City Danielle Nicole - Cry No More Walter Trout - We're All In This Casey Hensley - Live Featuring Together Bernard Allison - Let It Go Laura Chavez Albert Castiglia - Up All Night Jason Ricci & The Bad Kind Tinsley Ellis - Winning Hand Vintage Blues Album Approved By Snakes Tommy Castro & The Painkill- Muddy Waters - Live At RockTraditional Blues Album ers - Stompin' Ground palast The Nick Moss Band featuring Ghost Town Blues Band - Back- Luther Allison Box Set Dennis Gruenling - The High stage Pass Johnny Nicholas - Too Many Cost of Low Living Savoy Brown - Witchy Feelin' Bad Habits Kim Wilson - Blues And Boogie Paul Delay - Live at Notodden Acoustic Blues Album Vol 1 '97 Curtis Salgado and Alan Hager Rick Estrin & The Nightcats Reverend Raven & The CSAB - Rough Cut Groovin' In Greaseland My Life – Twentieth AnniverOscar Wilson - One Room Blues Doug MacLeod - Break The sary Chain The Cash Box Kings - Royal Mitch Woods - Friends Along Debut Blues Album Mint The Way Patrick Recob - Perpetual Luau Mud Morganfield - They Call Daniel Eriksen Narrative BooBen Levin - Ben's Blues Me Mud gie Heather Newman - Burn Me Soul Blues Album Sonny Landreth - Recorded Alive Wee Willie Walker & The AnLive In Lafayette Casey Hensley - Live Featuring thony Paule Soul Orchestra Sunny Lowdown - Down Load- Laura Chavez After A While ed Orphan Jon - Abandoned No Johnny Rawls - Waiting For The Live Blues Album More Train Sonny Landreth - Recorded Ilya Portnov Strong Brew Bettye Lavette - Things Have Live In Lafayette Changed John Mayall - Three For The
2018 BBMA Nominees
Benny Turner - My Brother’s Blues Markey Blues & Ric Latina Project - Raised In Muddy Water Ivy Ford - Time To Shine
Blues Band of the Year The Nick Moss Band featuring Dennis Gruenling Rick Estrin & The Nightcats The Cash Box Kings Ghost Town Blues Band Welch Ledbetter Connection Reverend Raven & The Chain Smokin' Altar Boys featuring Westside Andy on harmonica Best Male Blues Artist Victor Wainwright Chris Cain Walter Trout Oscar Wilson Kid Ramos Benny Turner Best Female Blues Artist Danielle Nicole Shaun Murphy Samantha Fish Bettye LaVette Beth Hart Karen Lovely Sean Costello Rising Star Ben Levin Joyann Parker Orphan Jon Ivy Ford Breezy Rodio Heather Newman
July-August 2018 Edition
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July-August 2018 Edition
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The Groove - Crossroads Blues Society Newsletter
2018 Mississippi Valley Blues Festival Friday, July 6 Bandshell 5:00 - 6:00 - Tribute to Ellis Kell, featuring former members of the Ellis Kell Band & special guests 6:30 - 8:00 - Kris Lager Band 8:30 - 10:30 Walter Trout The Avey/Grouws band will play on The Pedigo/Jones Stage between Bandshell acts. Saturday, July 7 Bandshell 1:00 - 2:00 - PeĂąa Brothers 2:30 - 4:00 - Anthony "Big A" Sherrod 4:30 - 6:00 - Brandon "Taz" Niederauer 6:30 - 8:00 - Shaun Murphy 8:30 - 10:00 Jonny Lang BlueSKool Lineup 2:00 Ellis Kell Winter Blues All-Stars 3:30 David Berntson Blues Harmonica Lessons 5:00 Anthony "Big A" Sherrod Delta Blues Session
The Groove - Crossroads Blues Society Newsletter July-August 2018 Edition
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More Summer Events
Membership News
We dedicated a couple of pages to festivals and other summer events last issue. Here are a few more things for July and August that we’ve seen that you might like.
We continue to grow with new members and renewals continuing to sign on! Thank you for supporting live music and helping to keep the blues alive to all our new and returning members!
Anderson Gardens continues their summer music on Tuesdays starting at 5:45 PM. Unfortunately the only event close to being blues was the last Tuesday in May, but they have some other good acts.
New members: Bun E. Carlos (2 years) Mike Correnti Patrick & Mary Fisher Mark McGinnis Richard Muniz Dutch Rittweger
The Burpee Museum Music on the Rock series continues and we have another blues act lined up for the final event on Wednesday, July 18th. The Chris O’leary Band will hit the stage at 6:30 PM with food by 15th and Chris and beverages by Prairie Street Brew House.
Grand Avenue Pub continues it’s great musical endeavors with Dave Potter and his Band hostin g a special guest every Monday evening at 6:30 PM. Matt Goodwin (Pops Fletcher) and Glenn Davis appear Thursdays at 7 PM. Once in a while a blues shows pops up on Friday, Sunday and even occasional Saturdays. www.grandavenuepub.com has the news. Also in Beloit is Harry’s Place with Friends of the Riverfront shows on Friday evenings. Go to www.friendsofriverfront.com for info.
Renewing Members: Dennis Barker Joe & Jeannette Geraghty Jeff Haugen Family Richard Kubly Mark & Becky Stutzel New members get a CD upon joining and new family members get two CDS. If you did not get any please let us know the next time we see you! The Email newsletter averages between 32 and 40 pages an issue and is in full color, delivered as a PDF to members. Mail newsletters are 12 pages and printed in greyscale. Mail members have a $5 surcharge to help with printing and postage costs. We produce six newsletters a year with about 30 reviews and all sorts of other great information related to the Society and our events. Again, we thank our members for their support and helping us to keep the blues alive! See the membership form on page 3 of this newsletter to sign up. It’s a great way to help keep the blues alive! THE
GROOVE THE BI-MONTHLY NEWSLETTER OF CROSSROADS BLUES SOCIETY
www.bluesblastmagazine.com
Hope and Anchor English Pub Second Saturday Blues The Hope and Anchor Second Saturday Blues is a fun monthly event at a super restaurant and pub! Shows are from 8 to 11:30 PM. There is a $5 cover charge. Featuring fine English pub fare, the Hope and Anchor is a great spot for dinner, craft beers and liquors, and great live music! Located at 5040 N 2nd Street, Loves Park IL, USA, phone 815-633-2552 for info! 7/14/18 Paul Filipowicz CD Release 8/11/18 Ivy Ford Band 9/8/18 Howard & the White Boys 10/13/18 Ray Fuller & the Blues Rockers 11/10/18 The Jimmys 12/8/18 Reverend Raven & The Chain Smoking Altar Boys Featuring West Side Andy Linderman 1/11/19 Blues Disciples
Lyran Society First and Third Friday Blues (Once a Month In Summer) The Lyran Society featured blues, a fish fry, other great food and a lot of fun. The Lyran Club has great shows twice a month outside of summer. Located half a block east of 7th Street at 1115 4th Ave, Rockford, IL 61104, you can call (815) 9640511 for info. There is no cover charge, it’s a free show. Open to our members and friends, all ages are welcome! Shows are 7 to 10 PM. 7/27/2018 Paul Filipowicz CD Release 8/17/2018 The New Savages 9/21/18 Breezy Rodeo 10/5/18 Studebaker John 10/19/18 Blues Disciples 11/2/18 Dave Weld & the Imperial Flames 11/16/18 Billy Flynn 12/7/18 Trinadora Rocks 12/21/18 Madtown Mannish Boys
Crossroads Blues Society P.O. Box 840 Byron, IL 61010 On the web at: crossroadsbluessociety.com/ Crossroads Blues Festival at Lyran Park: www.crossroadsbluesfestival.com Email us at: sub_insignia@yahoo.com Call us at: (779) 537-4006
THE
GROOVE THE BI-MONTHLY NEWSLETTER OF CROSSROADS BLUES SOCIETY
Keeping the Blues Alive Since 1994 2014 Blues Foundation Keeping the Blues Alive Affiliate Award Recipient 2014 Chicago Blues Hall of Fame Inductee 2005 Rockford Area Music Award Winner– Community Service
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Blues News and Upcoming Events May and June were big months for local music and July and August portend to be even bigger and better! The new fest in New Glarus is a week after Mississippi Valley Blues Fest which is a week after Prairie Dog; the height of summer gets a great kick off around here! We’ve got Paul Filipowicz at the Hope and Anchor in July and Ivy Ford in August; see inside the back cover for a complete listing. Fantastic English Pub fare; $5 cover charge. The Lyran Society remains once a month through September and then goes back to first and third Fridays. July has Paul Filipowicz on 7/27 and in August we have the New Savages on 8/17. No cover, great food and drinks! Chris O’leary is coming to Music on the Rock at Burpee Museum on Wednesday, July 18th at 6:30 PM. Free general admission, $15 VIP seats. August 25th it’s the 9th annual Crossroads Blues Fest at Lyran Park. See inside on page 8. Thank you to all our sponsors shown to the right who support this event. Remember– all Crossroads proceeds support our Blues in the School program. Planning is underway for our 2018/2019 BITS! On average, every dollar we make means programming for one more student gets to hear the blues. Please help us keep the blues alive!