Vol. 38 - No. 11 • SEPTEMBER 2020 • FREE
& ENTERTAINMENT
Mark May Kat James Benefit At Backwoods Saloon
EVELYN RUBIO
ALSO IN THIS ISSUE BERT WILLS • SAVOY BROWN SHAWN PITTMAN • MONTE WARDEN NIGHT COBRA
GRILL & SPORTS BAR 202 Sawdust Rd. (The Woodlands) • 281-363-2574 • www.19th.cc Every Thursday Night
Friday, Sept. 4 Card Castle Deluxe
Saturday, September 5 Pur Caine Suga
Live Jam Session! All Musicians Welcome!
Friday, September 11 Daniel McClellan, Blake Hill, Michael O Taith, Myke Miller
Saturday, September 12 Jonah Miles, Jacob Minter
Friday, Sept. 18 MD Hamilton
Friday, September 25 JC Locas and Midnight Moses
Saturday, September 26
Blackwell AV8 Sins Of The Past Southern Retaliation The 19th Hole Grill & Bar is celebrating our 30th Year Anniversary of being a live music venue
DART TOURNAMENT EVERY MONDAY NIGHT!! Take I-45 to the Rayford/Sawdust exit in Spring • Go west on Rayford/Sawdust • Make a right turn at the first red light We’re at the end of the strip center on your left!
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Music News • September 2020
September 2020 Welcome to the September Issue of Music News. I know it’s still a bit hard for us in the music industry still. Venues are closed, clubs are closed or at the very least struggling to deal with the lack of business and money. Lots of musicians out there are trying to re-evaluate their future and how they are going to cope with the ‘new normal’. Most bands have to rely on performing in order to feed themselves, and there are only a very few places to perform. If any of you know where any place that is hiring bands, please let us know and we’ll try to pass that information on. However, the bright part of this pandemic, if you can call it ‘bright’ is the creativity and inspiration that is creeping into some of our bands and musicians out there. While live music has practically come to a standstill, more albums, EPs, and projects are exploding on to the charts. Creativity is at an all time high. I’m hoping that by March or April of next year, tours will be flourishing again. I know I’m tired of having to watch everything on television. I just love that ‘live’ feel and can’t wait to get back to it again. Let’s cross our fingers and pray that all this ends soon and the new beginning is better than it was before. It is with a heavy heart that I have to say farewell to one of my friends, Anthony (Tony) Black. Tony has been on the music scene here in Houston as long as I can remember. I’m sure that a lot of you have seen him at the concerts around town as well as some of the clubs. He leaves behind literally thousands of friends. Tony has touched the hearts of many people around here, and I’m sure he was a friend to many of the people that will read this. I will miss the funny pictures and memes that he used to send me all the time, as well as his reports on bad parking in handicap spaces. I will also miss his laughter and jokes. I’m sure I’m not the only one to miss him. He had so many friends, that I don’t think you could even count them all. Tony, we will all miss you so very much. Bananas Tony, Bananas.... It won’t be the same at the shows anymore without you. Now, on to the new issue. We have a lot of great stories in here for you to read this month. This month you can read stories on Mark May, Evelyn Rubio, Bert Wills, Annika Chambers, Shawn Pittman, Monte Warden, Night Cobra and Savoy Brown. I sincerely hope that everybody reading Music News finds something here that they like and I would like to encourage you to let your friends and colleagues know about us. Just look for us every month at http://www.houstonmusicnews. I would also like to encourage you to email us for a free subscription to Rock And Blues International as well. Just email us at musicnew@airmail.net and in the subject line simply put “Sign Me Up” and we’ll email you a copy each month when it is published.
Kevin Wildman Kevin Wildman Editor and Publisher
Kevin Wildman Editor and Publisher Web Address http://www.houstonmusicnews.net Mailing Address Box 1162, League City, TX 77573 Phone 281-650-1953
For Advertising email us at musicnew@airmail.net or call 281-650-1953 For A Free Subscription email us at musicnew@airmail.net and in the subject line put “Sign Me Up Now” September 2020 • Music News
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Contents SEPTEMBER 2020
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MARK MAY Mark May Releases His New Album, Deep Dark Demon On Gulf Coast Records
10 KAT JAMES
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Kat James Kidney Benefit At Backwoods Ice House
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EVELYN RUBIO That Sexy, Songstress From Mexico City Releases Her New Album Crossing Borders
14 BERT WILLS
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The Man That Came Up On Blues Called Country
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ANNKA CHAMBERS This Gospel Girl Can Deliver The Blues
Contents SEPTEMBER 2020
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SAVOY BROWN Savoy Brown Ain’t Done Yet Legendary Blues-Rock Band Release New Album
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20 SHAWN PITTMAN
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Shawn Pittman Releases His Lucky Thirteenth Album, Make It Right! Photo by Juan Junco
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MONTE WARDEN Monte Warden Combines His Signature Twang With A Shot Of Classic Jazzy Blues Groove In The Debut Release Of “Monte Warden and The Dangerous Few”
NIGHT COBRA
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Houston’s Night Cobra Debut New EP In Praise of the Shadow
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Mark May Photo and Cover Photo photo by Hannah Wendy Turner Wolf
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Rock and Music News Blues • September International 2020 • August 2020
Blues Guitarist Mark May Releases Deep Dark Demon on Gulf Coast Records By Kevin Wildman Blues musician Mark May has just released his seventh album, Deep Dark Demon, on Mike Zito’s Gulf Coast Records. The new album is bringing some great reviews to the Gulf Coast legend. Deep Dark Demon debuted at #2 on the Billboard Blues Album Chart, as well as scoring great opening slots on the Living Blues Charts, and The Roots Music Blues Chart along with several others. It should come as no surprise to many, as his previous album, Blues Heaven hit #6 on the Billboard Blues Chart and remained there for 5 weeks. Mark has been performing his own special style of the ‘Blues’ for over 20 years on the Gulf Coast, and made quite a name for himself over the years. When it comes to the blues, Mark just oozes it. His guitar work ranks among the best, and his songwriting skills have just gotten better and better as time goes on. When it came time for the Allman Brothers Band to pick an opening act for their 1997/98 Amphitheater tour, Mark was the choice. When Dickey Betts and Great Southern needed an additional guitarist, Mark May was the choice. In fact, Mark performed on several tours with Dickey and went on to record on one of Dickey’s solo albums. Mark has created such a name and following for his music, that prestigious publications, such as Blues Review, Guitar Player, Guitar World, Tone Quest, Vintage Guitar, and several other magazines have featured him within their pages. That’s quite a feat for any guitarist to muster. May and his band have also racked up quite a track record for performing as well. After honing his skills in the smoke-filled Blues bars of Texas, he has moved on to even bigger and better gigs. Maybe you’ve seen him at one of the many festivals that he’s appeared at, such as the Telluride Blues and Brews, Mississippi Valley Blues Fest, King Biscuit, Tremblant International Blues Festival, Dallas International Guitar Show, and Chenango Blues Festival, not to mention countless more. The man literally tours non-stop. If you haven’t seen him perform, you’re definitely missing out and you will need to include this on your bucket list. You’ll be glad you did. Now Mark is back again with his newest masterpiece, Deep Dark Demon, and eleven of the best songs he’s every written, not to mention some of the best guitar playing of his career. The songs on this new album feature incendiary licks, great melodies, and some really heartfelt lyrics. Believe me, they really are. The song, “For Your Love” will literally melt your heart. Mark tells us that it took a little over a year to record, produce and issue. Deep Dark Demon was recorded in Houston, Texas at West Room Recorders, which is also owned by one of the members of his band, Geronimo Calderon. Geronimo is the drummer in his band and also performs on the album. Also performing on the album is Darrell Lacy (bass & vocals), Billy Wells (guitar &
vocals), and Brandon Jackson (drums). Mark tells us that one of the unique things about this album is that it includes some great three-part harmonies and has a bit more of a blues-rock sound. “Well, you know,” says Mark, “when I first started out, I had more of a traditional blues sound back in the 90s with the harmonica player and all that kind of stuff and it’s slowly kind of creeps its way back more towards a blues rock thing. I think this album, probably more than some of the other ones has that. We have more three-part vocal harmonies on this album than I think I’ve ever had, which is something new. I’ve had two part vocal harmonies on some my songs, but I think this is the first one where I’ve had three parts on quite a few of the songs.” Mark puts quite a bit of thought into his songs, and those lyrics turn out to be something extremely personal to him. We sat down with Mark to get a little more insight to Deep Dark Demon and his take on several of the songs. Rock And Blues International: Give me an idea what some of these songs are about Mark. “Harvey’s Dirty Side”, What is that one about? Mark: I think everybody knows what Harvey’s dirty said is around Houston. It’s all about, of course, the hurricane (Harvey) that about drowned us all in 2017. It just went on for days and weeks, so how can I not write a song about it. Right! Yeah, a lot of my musician friends lost their stuff. A lot of people lost their houses. Some people lost their lives. It was a crazy time. Until Covid came along, it was the craziest time I’ve ever seen. R & BI: “BBQ And Blues”, now that seems pretty self-explanatory. Mark: Yeah, there are lots of festivals around the country that are called Blues, Brews and Barbecue Festivals. I kept seeing it over and over as a theme for these festivals. I thought it would just be nice to have kind of a song to go with that theme for the fans, because that’s kind of what a lot of their weekends are like, whether it be in their backyard or at a festival. It’s kind of a celebration of just the music and the fans and
that sort of thing. R & BI: How about “Back”? Mark: “Back” is just looking back at times and things that you used to do. There’s several songs on this album that have that theme. It’s about just getting older and looking back at things. Looking back at the time when you really had it going on and you were on fire. Wishing you could go back and revisit it, and get it going again like that. R & BI: Do you have any regrets in particular about “back then”. Mark: Oh, I think everybody has regrets. There’s all kinds of different things... You could say, ‘What if I would have done it this way, or that way. Whether it be your music career or in your love life or whatever. Would things have been different if you would have just decided to do one thing instead of the other, or not screwed things up yourself somehow. R & BI: All right now, the title track, “Deep Dark Demon.” What is Mark May’s “Deep Dark Demon”? That’s kind of an interesting title for both the album and the title song. Mark: Oh gosh, that’s a good question. Really! I mean, there’s so many. Everybody has things they have got to deal with in life, you know, back in the old days. I wanted to write a blues song for the International Blues Competition that we we’re going to be in. I wanted it to be an old school kind of Blues song, but I also wanted to tell a story. It just talks about problems that we all face everyday and some of them are a lot bigger continued on next page September 2020 • Music News
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Mark May continued from previous page than others. It’s just basically about what everybody has to deal with. Some of them are worse than others and I just decided to sit down and write that song so I’d have a good, older style blues song for the International Blues Competition. R & BI: How do you think the song measured up? Mark: Well, it’s the title track of the album. I think it’s a pretty strong track. We get a good reaction out of it. It has gotten a lot of radio airplay so far. So yeah, it’s going good. R & BI: “Sweet Music”. How about that one. Mark: All right, well “Sweet Music” is basically about my love for what I what I do... for my music. It’s something that we all need in our lives and I’m lucky enough to be able to do this for a living and make music for people. I like to try to make them happy. I’m grateful that I can do something that I like. A lot of people have to do jobs that they don’t like and I get to do what I want to do, so I’m just grateful for it. And so I’m playing music man, great music specifically. R & BI: Now what about “Rollin Me Down”? I’ve never heard that phrase before. Mark: it’s just a good old Louisianastyle Blues song. It’s a love song. I got the title from my girlfriend’s mom. We were over at her house and her parents live in Louisiana. She said something about ‘rollin me down’ and I didn’t even know what she was talking about at the moment. I just thought that’d be a good hook line for a song. So I just brought it back to Houston and sat down and kind of wrote it in a Louisianastyle song. It’s just a good ‘ole love song. R & BI: How about “My Last Ride.” To me it sounded like it gave a bit of a nod to The Allman Brothers band. Mark: That’s another one about just growing older and looking back at things that you could have done differently. Even different decisions you could have made and you had to try to figure out a way to right your wrongs and make up for things that you did, even if it wasn’t on purpose. It’s just one of those things where I think every musician has a time where they just kind of think, ‘well, this is my last album or my last tour if things don’t start going better. You know, like this and that, You’re always kind of thinking. ‘All right. I got to get this thing going’, so it’s about a combination of things. It’s about growing older and just trying to right the wrongs, kind of look over your career and your life, and trying to analyze what’s going on. Whether or not you’re on the right track or just never know. R & BI: Well by sound of this album,
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it’s definitely not your last ride. Mark: That’s right. It’s funny. Somebody even asked me. Hey, are you sick or something? Are you saying goodbye? I said ‘no!’ R & BI: Now we’ve made it up to “For Your Love.” You must have been in a strange mood for this one. That’s kind of one of those ‘love sick’ kind of songs. Mark: Right. Yeah, it’s just another kind of an R&B, Soul, Blues, love song. R & BI: It’s a little bit different from the other songs on the album. Mark: Yeah, it’s a little bit different. You know, I’ve always liked Stevie Wonder, The Temptations, Gladys Knight, and all those R&B singers that were so good... all those bands like that. I’ve always liked that style of music and always kind of wanted to do a whole album of stuff like that. If you remember back to Telephone Road, I had that song called “Took me by surprise.” I don’t know if you remember. It’s so long ago. It’s been a while. It also is a similar style song that I had the Memphis Horns on, so I’ve done a couple things like that over my career. I just slip them in here and there. But yeah, it’s just a good oldfashioned kind of, like I said, a Rhythm and Blues, Blues kind of Soul song. R & BI: And now you’re “Walking Out That Door.” Mark: The actual line is ‘I won’t be walking out that door,’ but it’s too long for a title. I guess it’s another love song about if you like somebody you’re with and you don’t think there’s any chance you’re leaving and you’re telling them not to worry about it. R & BI: The next song on the album is “Something Good.” Mark: Well that one there is basically just about the world we live in today. There’s a lot of lot of sadness and grief and once again, back to the ‘everybody has their demons’, the problems, like how are going to deal with them. Everybody needs something to look forward to. I’ve seen this a lot with musicians, where they just can’t buy a break. There’s several guys that I know are like this. If that guy could just get a break and see the light at the end of the tunnel, that there’s
something out there, that he’s got a chance to do better. Some people just can’t seem to get a break like that, but everybody needs something good to happen to them in their life or their career, their love life, their family life, just do just to keep them keep them going every day in the world, you know. So that’s what that sounds about. R & BI: Last song on the album…. “Invisible Man.” Mark: Okay, “Invisible Man.” Actually my bass player came up with the idea for this one. He had kind of a shell of a song and had that hook line. Basically the song’s about a guy who really likes a girl a lot and she just doesn’t see him at all. She’s goes out with all these other guys and he has a strong feeling for her and she just can’t see him. I mean, he’s just invisible to her. It’s a song about trying to try to show somebody that you care about them, but they’ve not really seen it. Yeah folks, if you haven’t experienced Mark May, you really need to take a good listen to Deep Dark Demon. This is his best album to date, showing a new side to both his writing and performing ability. It contains some of the best songs he’s ever written, and performances that you will want to listen to over and over again. Also if you get a chance, take a listen to any of his previous releases. They include Call On The Blues, Telephone Road, Doll Maker, In Texas Live, Release My Soul, and Blues Heaven.
“Lifting a Legend” Kat James Kidney Benefit at Backwoods Saloon There will be a “Lifting a Legend” Kat James Kidney Benefit at Backwoods Saloon on Saturday, September 26. The benefit is appropriately named for Kat James, who many know for fronting the band Troublemaker for decades. She is now in need of a kidney transplant. Without it, she will be on dialysis in the very near future. The benefit will start at noon and end at “high moon”. Live music announced so far includes The Skinz, Full Steam Ahead and Texas TNT. The benefit will include auctions, food, raffles and door prizes. Auction items are needed. Email liftingalegend@gmail.com to donate auction items, or you can call Crystal at 281-2165287. Donations to help Kat can be made at https://gf.me/u/ynvqvd. The Backwoods Saloon is located at 230 Lexington Court in Conroe. Crystal James shared this bio of Kat, who I have known for 30 years, but I was still amazed at the story of Kat and Troublemaker. They are hoping to add it to Wikipedia. Kat James certainly deserves a place in Wikipedia. Troublemaker was established in 1984 by guitarist/vocalist Kathleen James (stage name was changed to Kat James at this time). She teamed up with some of the hottest musicians in the area at the time, including Charlie Parker on lead guitar, Gregory Norton on bass guitar, and Woody Woods III on drums. Troublemaker was quickly noticed in South Texas. In 1985, Charlie Parker left the group and was replaced by Michael Hivatal. Woody Woods III also left at about the same time and was replaced by Carlos Cervantes. Troublemaker’s debut album, “Troublemaker Debut” was released in 1987 with that same lineup with producer Dan Yeaney. Troublemaker Debut was a complete “analog recording” that is still awesome today. As time went by, the lineup changed again. Michael Hivatal left after the first album and once again, Charlie Parker took that position for the second time. After recording the tracks for the second album, Carlos Cervantes left the group and was replaced by Michael Deluco. The second album, “How Does It Feel” was released in 1991, again with producer Dan Yeaney. After touring and supporting the new album, there were more member changes. In preparation for the upcoming third album, Michael Deluco left the band and was replaced by drummer Darrell Stone. Charlie Parker left again and was replaced by guitarist Michelle Passantino. Gregory Norton also left and was replaced by ex-drummer Woody Woods III, who now came back into the group as the bassist. The third album, “Nothing But Trouble” was finally released in 2000 with producer Dan Yeaney. This album contained some heavier songs than the previous releases; however, it was deemed successful. Again, as time went by, there were more member changes. Michelle Passantino left the group and was replaced by guitarist Robert E. Chandler. Woody Woods III left the
group for a final time and was replaced by bassist Paul Stokes. Darrell Stone left the group and was replaced by Charles “Chris” Smith. Since Kat James always did sound like Janis Joplin and performed several Janis Joplin songs at Troublemaker shows, the band decided to do a “Tribute to Janis Joplin” album. After working up the band’s versions of the 13 Janis Joplin songs and obtaining the recording rights for those 13 songs, they started tracking at B-Rock Studios. After tracking, the album was mastered at Magik Studios in Houston, Texas. This album was arranged and produced by Troublemaker. Finally, the fourth album, entitled “Janis On the Rocks – A Janis Joplin Tribute” was released in 2011. It was greatly received, and Troublemaker stayed quite busy performing these songs at various bike rallies, including the Sturgis Bike Rally in South Dakota. As time went by, various issues arose and there were more member changes. Due to health issues, Robert E. Chandler left the group and was replaced by guitarist Robert Hampton. Paul Stokes also left the group and was replaced by bassist Tony Heibel. Charles “Chris” Smith left the group as well and was replaced by drummer Mel Gilmore. This is the latest lineup and is still performing today. Kat James and her band, Troublemaker have performed around Houston, Texas for over 3 decades. They are writing new songs in hopes of a fifth release in the near future. Troublemaker is billed in the Texas Music Office as “the longest running femalefronted rock band in the great state of Texas”. Troublemaker is a 4-pc group that has endured the test of time. With four releases to their credit and working on a fifth release, Troublemaker keeps moving on. Since never being able to settle on any contract agreements with any major labels, Troublemaker continued to be on the small independent
label “Kat House Publishing” where it originally started. Troublemaker, being concerned and involved in their surroundings, has always been active in their local events and fundraisers and has been involved with many charitable events such as the Kidney Foundation, Jerry Lewis MDA Telethon, etc. Troublemaker has opened for many national acts, such as Jackyl, Dokken, Quiet Riot, Kings X, Lita Ford, Vicious Rumors, Pat Travers, Dangerous Toys, Johnny Winter, Warrant, Drive, Helstar, WASP and many more. Troublemaker also performs at many bike rallies, festivals, private events and parties, and works the club circuit. Troublemaker’s music has aired on radio stations Z-ROCK, KLDE, 101 KLOL and others. Kat James and Troublemaker have been featured in numerous newspapers and magazines, including Music News Houston, The Music Sheet, Rock & Roll Magazine, Songnet Magazine, and North of the Border – Girls with Guitars, as well as Power Play Rock & Metal Magazine, Reverb Nation, Sound Bites News, Metal Maidens, Gigmasters, and CD Baby. Troublemaker has also played with many other local musicians such as Adrian Conner – Adrian and the Sickness. September 2020 • Music News 11
Evelyn Rubio 12
Music News • September 2020
That Sexy Songstress From Mexico City
Ms. Evelyn Rubio If you haven’t caught an Evelyn Rubio show then you are missing something. This sexy, sultry multi-talented artist is hot, hot, hot. Talk about stage presence and the ability to deliver this woman gets it done. From her toe tapping original high energy songs down to her seductive romantic torch songs such as “I’m Going To Love You Tonight” this lady brings the night alive. When Evelyn performed her “He Did Me Wrong But He Did It Right” at Mattorosso in Montebelluna Italy the women in the audience gave her a standing ovation shouting bravo,bravo. Evelyn had recorded the song in both English and Spanish and delivered the tune in both languages. While in Las Vegas performing at the noted jazz enclave The Dispensary Ms. Rubio blew the crowd away with songs from her Billboard charting album “Hombres”. A performance so good that to this day Evelyn has a standing offer to perform anytime she is visiting the entertainment capital of the world. Most recently Evelyn unveiled her newest album “Crossing Borders” produced by Grammy Award winner Mr. Larry Fulcher. A compilation of heart felt solid numbers. One being “I Don’t Understand” a social injustice narrative from the viewpoint of just not understanding the visible rejection of others in a modern day world. The other “Border Town” which includes Evelyn’s marvelous sax appeal presents the story of a lonely woman finding true love that is so hard to find. The album contains fifteen tracks, three of which are in her native language, Spanish. All of the songs were recorded with top shelf Grammy Award winning musicians that delivered a wall of sound. Recorded in three cities: Los Angeles, Austin, and Houston with the executive production being handled by Productions on Seaspeed “Crossing Borders” is yet another from the heart release from Ms. Rubio. Earlier this year Evelyn was also in the studio recording with outlaw country artist Steve Griggs at Lucky Run Studio, Americana recording artist Chris Gardner at Wire Road Studio, and soon to be released her magnificent sax work will be featured on rock icon Al Staehely’s new release “Feel the Heat”. Evelyn also teamed with Relaxing Blues Productions and her “I’m Going To Love You Tonight” music video is currently passing the 27,000 views mark along with yet another just released music video, her duet with Chris Gardner, on You Tube “Miracles”. Then add to that Evelyn’s new “Border Town” video, which was shot on location, is currently being featured on her YouTube channel. Beyond the music one only has to review Evelyn’s biography to realize that the woman was destined to rise up and cross borders bringing her rich Hispanic heritage to the U.S. and beyond. It was Evelyn’s Mother that encouraged her at a young age to advance her skills, which would lead her to the leading role of Mary Magdalene in the Canadian production of “Jesus Christ Superstar”. Later, after arriving in the United States, an introduction to Calvin Owens would lead her to record “Hombres” which would eventually be spun on radio stations around the globe. Evelyn would record with B.B. King bandleader James “Boogaloo” Bolden as well as perform with the Richard Brown Orchestra. Evelyn’s career has taken her to Europe and then back to her beloved Mexico to perform at the top vacation spots in that country as well. All the while penning her songs for her newest release “Crossing Borders”. Today with Covid in place Evelyn is taking it easy in a border town where she enjoys the sunny days and jogging on the beach by the crystal clear waters of the Gulf of Mexico. To learn more about Evelyn Rubio visit www.evelynrubio.com September 2020 • Music News
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The Man That Came Up On Blues Called Country – Bert Wills
There is a part of the United States known as Appalachia. A mountainous region famous for its hard working coal miners, timber workers, and farmers. These folks produced and still to this day continue to produce some of the best music in the world. It’s down home in nature, written and sung among family and neighbors about life in general. Life as it unfolds in their world. Poor folks for the most part but folks filled with spirit, pride, honesty, and a lot of love. To this very day it’s still common for families to get together and one family brings the potato salad and another the baked beans. Music is a big thing in Appalachia and at family and neighborhood get togethers, neighbors and relatives bring flat tops, harmonicas, fiddles, sometimes a dulcimer, or an accordion. Any adult that has lived in this neck of the woods as a young boy or girl would be deeply influenced by their roots in music, that’s a given. It’s just how it is. That brings us to Bert Wills. Bert Wills is one of the most sought after studio session players today. Bert hails from a town named Ashland that’s located in the northeastern part of Kentucky so naturally the man grew up on Appalachian music. Today, years later, when Bert performs in Texas or out
of state the accolades about his performance will be that his music comes across with a lot of heart. Bert’s musical presence was harvested in Appalachia and then nurtured in Texas. Bert’s Dad took care of Hank Williams’ seven Cadillacs. His songs struck a chord with Bert. Radio presented Hank’s music as country but it had this other feeling to it as well and that other feeling was the blues. Hearing Hank’s music with his Dad was a positive experience for a kid still learning to play a six string. In fact he was already carrying around a desire to write some music back then and now today does he ever write some good songs. Short on money but long on time Bert taught himself how to play both the guitar and
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the harmonica. It’s interesting to note that Bert decided that he wanted to play the harmonica after hearing Bob Dylan on harp. Around the age of twelve Bert would hitchhike home to northern Kentucky from Texas, guitar slung over his shoulder and while waiting for the next ride he learned to play the harmonica. He received his first harmonica from a man named Dub Williams when he was seven or eight. Mr. Williams played the harp straight up meaning he favored songs like Jimmy Crack Corn and other American folk songs. Bert has come a long way since those early days. In fact if you heard Bert lay down a lick or two today, his harp playing would absolutely blow you away, guaranteed. It’s crisp, clear, he bends notes with amazing feeling and it will draw you in before you know it. This occurs because the man feels what he is playing and that is what they say about the blues, it’s a feeling. Bert Wills is the real deal. His albums reflect what you have just read. Take a listen, real American musical culture. Country music and Blues live right next door to each other. Bert Wills exemplifies that musical cross culture in his body of work. Check him out. https:// bertwillsmusic.com/
Bert Wills
Legendary Texas Singer/Songwriter Bert Wills Delivers The Goods
Down in southeastern Texas lives a man that was born in rural Kentucky but moved to Texas years ago. He came here playing the blues harp with a slow, winding country bent to it, part of his Kentucky roots, and the recording industry was quick to pick up on his unique sound. Abilities is used in the plural here and that’s because the man not only wails a mean harp but his guitar work is aces as well. His name is Bert Wills and if you are a studio musician you know that name well as the man is sought after by many producers. One of those producers is Andy Bradley, known world wide for his talents at the console, his past co-ownership in of SugarHill Studios, and his successful book titled, “House Of Hits”. Bert and Andy go back a ways, 35 years to be exact, both know each other’s talents well so it would be of no big surprise that they could team on a compilation of Bert’s songs for a new album. It would not be their first collaboration as Andy has recorded nearly every album Bert has presented to the world. A new album has come to life recently simply titled “Bert Wills”. It’s just being shipped to radio stations right now and let me tell you whether you are a blues fan or an Americana fan or both this album is packed with stirring and riveting selections. Both men have similar personalities, friendly but direct. Both will tell you where to go in a New York second if you are a poser and both will be the first to tell you how welcomed you are if you are the real deal. Bert is known throughout the industry internationally and has worked with a ton of well known stars over the years. He’s also an accomplished songwriter and when he puts his Kentucky roots into a song well Katy bar the door because it’s going to be good. His last gig was with Nashville artist Rob McNurlin who is part of the Marty Stuart clan. Then he returned to Texas to work on his new blues Americana album. The end result was a fourteen track collection of 13 original songs and one cover, not a klunker among them. On the collection you can hear the raw strains of good back woods country music in Bert’s voice and on the same collection you will hear some of the best blues you have heard in years. To learn more access www.bertwillsmusic.com
Submitted for Grammy® Nomination
September 2020 • Rock and Blues Internatio
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This Gospel Girl Can Deliver The Blues Ms. Annika Chambers
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Within the blues world there is a lady named Annika Chambers. Annika is known around the world as the rising star of both traditional and soul blues. On stage she has the presence of Tina Turner, fast moving, upbeat including a smile to die for. When you slow things down she has this Etta James kind of delivery that is reminiscent of the traditional blues scene years ago, but yet Annika is one hundred percent her own person in both delivery and presence. She grew up on gospel and in church people noted that this young fifteen year old girl could really sing. People were commenting that when she turned on the praise music you were sure it was from her heart. Annika was introduced to the blues while in the Army and not too long afterward Annika and her band entered what is known as the International Blues Competition which was hosted by the Houston Blues Society. Little did she
know that seated in the audience were two successful music producers: Larry Fulcher (inductee into the Blues Hall of Fame) and Richard Cagle (President of Montrose Records). The blues world was new to her and so when they approached her about recording on the Montrose label this was indeed an interesting opportunity. Soon after that performance Larry presented Annika with about forty songs to choose from and Rich prepared the recording studio. Annika’s first album “Making My Mark” came to life and it was a smoking presentation of multiple blues numbers that were cool to the max. She loved the album and knew that being new to the blues world, only her own hard work toward gaining as much visibility as she could, would help shore up the success of her first album “Making My Mark”. It was her personal desire to see the album succeed that motivated her to pass out file card sized
ads in freezing weather no less than on Beale Street in Memphis Tennessee. Chilled to the bone, water freezing in the corners of her eyes, she would smile and hand a card to anyone that would accept one. This ladies and gentlemen is Annika Chambers. A very dedicated, talented, ambitious blues singer. In fact, it wasn’t long afterward that Annika received the coveted Blues Music Award from her peers and soon after that festival date after festival date. Annika has received five Blues Music Award nominations to date. Today her presence at American based blues festival and key events remains strong plus Annika is one of the most sought after blues acts in Europe. She’s even performed at the Big Blues Bender in Las Vegas and on stage at Europe’s largest blues festival, Lucerne. When she returns to her home town of Houston, Texas she packs them in no matter which stage she is on and no wonder, her performances are aces. When she’s in Memphis she can hardly get from one club to another without being stopped and being congratulated on her BMA and her albums. If you haven’t seen an Annika Chambers show or heard her music, check her out - this woman’s got it working! https://www.annikachambers.com/
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Savoy Brown 20
Music News • September 2020 Photo by Arnie G
Savoy Brown Ain’t Done Yet Legendary Blues-Rock Band Releases New Album By Kevin Wildman Kim Simmonds and Savoy Brown have just released what might be their 42nd album, Ain’t Done Yet.” Even Kim Simmonds doesn’t really recall just how many album there have been since the first album was released in 1967. Actually, the first album that Savoy Brown released was Shake Down, and it was only released in the U.K. It wasn’t issued in the U.S. till it appeared on CD in 1990. Looking back, Kim reflects, “I was 17 when I formed the band, 18 when we did the first singles, and 19 when we did the first album in 67. That’s the time frame for putting things in perspective. I was the youngest of my whole group of people.” Kim and Savoy Brown became one of the top Blues/Rock bands in England very quickly. Between John Mayall with Eric Clapton, Fleetwood Mac, and Savoy Brown, they held the top spots when it came to this genre of music. In fact, it was Savoy Brown who helped launch the careers of many bands and musicians over the years, such as Ten Year’s After and Jethro Tull, who would open for Savoy Brown occasionally at The Marquee Club in London on Blues Night. Fortunately for Kim, his parents were very ‘hands off’, and allowed him to follow his dream, which by the way has done very well for him over the years. Who would have believed that a young clerk at the age of fifteen from the War Office in London would become one of the most famous musicians of the 20th Century? Kim tells us, “I got that job, you know and I was putting the band together. Before I knew it I was professional and on the road and my parents were very, very supportive, their drop out kid was certainly going to make something of himself. They never put pressure on me. They were very supportive and they were very hands-off parents, which I really didn’t appreciate when I was like 19 years old, you know. I would have liked my parents to be less hands off than they were, but of course that gave me a lot of freedom. They gave me a hand, and with that freedom, just let me live my own life. You know, of course, I wouldn’t have done what I’ve done without that.” And to this day, Kim has been doing exactly what he wanted. He and the reputation of Savoy Brown is the sort of thing that legends are built on. His rich musical history is something that a lot of musicians would sell their souls for. With album releases such as “Street Corner Talking,” “Raw Sienna,” “Withchy Feelin’,” “Looking In,” “Jack The Toad,” “Blue Matter,” and “Lion’s Share,” Savoy Brown would forge a musical legacy that other musicians could only marvel at.
Now Savoy Brown is back with their 42nd album, Ain’t Done Yet. Ain’t Done Yet is the follow up to last year’s hit album, City Night. Yes, Kim is back with another masterpiece containing ten masterfully written and performed songs. Accompanying him again on this album is bassist Pat DeSalvo and drummer Garnet Grimm. These two have been recording and performing with Kin now since 2009, and the three of them have developed into a very tight BluesRock trio. For Kim the songs come fairly easy now… less distractions, and more inspiration. We asked him if it was harder now after writing and recording some 400+ songs and he tells us, “ No, it’s not harder. I think it was harder years and years ago. I would always bring people into the band and songwriters to help the band. You know, I had a certain output that I could do, but not like I am now. When you’re in your 20s or something, you have a family and you have distractions. So now my family’s grown up and moved away. And so it’s just me and my wife and it’s just a question for me to stay in the zone and have fun creating. I don’t have so many distractions in life now like I did in the 70s. It’s easier in that respect. But of course, you know writing a song is never easy. For some of the songs in the new album, I’ve done 15 demos. You’re trying to get the right thing, to get the right key, to get the right tempo, trying to get the right anything. Then suddenly it comes together. Other songs, of course, will come a little bit quicker but even then the hard work is staying open to inspiration.” Touching on that subject of inspiration, I had to ask him about a few of the songs on the album, so naturally I started off with the song, “Jaguar Car.” Rock And Blues International: Well then, how about “Jaguar Car.” Do you or did you ever own a Jaguar? Kim Simmonds: No, I don’t have a Jag, but my brother had one in the 60s. I’m well familiar with that car and I had a lot of
Old English cars in the seventies. None of the young people wanted to try them back then. Now they’re all worth a fortune. We can’t find one them now, but back in the 70s you could pick them up in England and for next to nothing. But no, I don’t have a Jag. I was just wanting to write a blues song about a car and you know, you can’t write about a red Cadillac. It’s been done already. Of course the Jaguar car has always been great Blues imagery and it played an important part in our lives. Nobody has written any songs about Jaguar cars, so hopefully it’s original. RABI: You talk about Blues imagery. How about “Rocking In Louisiana.” That song really has that Louisiana feel to it, especially with the slide guitar. How did that come about? Did you go to Mardi Gras a lot? Kim Simmonds: Well, not lately. I used to go there once or twice a year for many years. I played at the old “Warehouse.” I have a lot of memories from playing at that venue. I had written the song as an electric demo. A friend of mine, John said to me. ‘Hey, that’s pretty good. Maybe you should put a dobro on it. So, I put the dobro on and suddenly it’s what “Rocking In Louisiana” is all about. I have a lot of great memories of Louisiana and great memories of playing with the early Louisiana rock bands. In the early 70s, we would be on the bill with Potliquor. They were one of the bands I had a lot of dates with. You can write a song and you can continued on next page September 2020 • Music News 21
Savoy Brown Ain’t Done Yet continued from previous page
Photo by Juan Junco
think back and bring a little bit of of your life experience into a song. But again, it’s a song and it’s not a biographical piece, it’s just a tribute. I was trying to make it a nod to the past and the players from the past, my roots, and the roots that I’m playing. That’s what I’m trying to do all the time.” RABI: How about “Soho Girl.” Is it permissible for married men to write about young women? Kim Simmonds: Believe me, my wife is used to it actually. She understands that concept. I was writing about Soho in London, and again, I’m going back to the early 60s. It used to be a red light district and the call girls were around all the time. It might have that same element now, I don’t know. I was writing a song about a call girl in Soho and the original scene was ‘I’ve got this girl. She’s cool, but she goes to love them all the time.’ And then before I know it I get this line, ‘She sleeps with a gun’ and suddenly, I’m in SoHo in New York City. So then it morphs into this girl from Soho, New York, but the inspiration was from Soho, London. But no, I’ve never had a girlfriend that slept with a gun. RABI: Looking back at this new album. Are there any songs that gave you a bit of difficulty? Kim Simmonds: Yeah, absolutely. I
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mean the “Soho Girl” song right away. There might be some others as well. “Feel Like A Gypsy” was like that It that started off like ’Traveling Man Blues’ or something like that. On my Facebook page, my Facebook guy that helps me with pre-production with songs, has the whole story about “Feel Like A Gypsy.” How it started, the lyric and how it morphed into “Feel Like A Gypsy,” but “Soho Girl” was a tough one because I had “Soho Girl” as a straight Blues Shuffle. It was a Jimmy Reed type thing with harmonica. It sounded really, really good, but I thought to myself, ‘Well, you know, we all heard that, we all love to be Reed’, but you know, I don’t think I was doing service to my song. So I kept on going with it and came up with the version that you hear here on this album. I had recorded it for the previous album, City Night. And back then I had it too heavy. It’s is a heavy song now, you know… distorted guitar and all that stuff. But for the previous album, it was really out to town. It was like, what is this, Motorhead? So, you know, I can’t do that. So it was a question of how do I keep that sort of rock edge and element, but tone it down a little bit so that I could put on an album. It wasn’t slated for the album at first, but then I heard the demo I did previously and I thought, that’s a good song, I shouldn’t throw it away. And then
when we recorded it for the new album, we all had a better idea of how we overplayed our hand. Pat and Garnet as well. We had overplayed our hand on the first time we tried in the studio, so we were able to understand how the song should be and how to play it better. I had a better guitar sound, still crunchy, still attacking, still rocking, but it wasn’t going suddenly somewhere where a blues person wouldn’t enjoy it. That’s what I was hoping for anyway. I wanted a song that was progressive and you haven’t heard before. I wanted a certain Blues element in it that would be a hybrid. I think we captured it this time around, but like I say, it took a while on my writing side to get it and then it took a while for the rest of the band to get it. RABI: All right. Was there a song on the album that just kind of jumped out of your guitar at you? You know something that just came so easy, it was unbelievable. Kim Simmonds: I think, “All Gone Wrong” of course. It all went right for me, so that one became very easy. There’s no multiple demos of that. Also, “Crying Guitar,” the instrumental. Those things came very easy to me. RABI: I know you are happy with all the songs on the album, but are there any songs on the album that you are exceptionally proud of” Kim Simmonds: I think songs like “River On The Rise.” And “Rocking In Louisiana.” Both of these songs are very exciting to me. Sometimes you sit back and say to yourself. ‘Why did I write that?’ That’s okay. It’s a nice feeling when you put the puzzle pieces together and there’s a sense of wonderment to it. I’m really happy with my guitar playing on “Devil’s Highway” and “Feel Like A Gypsy.” I am very proud of my guitar playing on this album. And Kim should be very happy with his performance on this album. It is one of the best album’s he’s every put out. In fact, the truth is that all the albums just get better and better as the year’s go by. Possibly because he’s not afraid to bare his soul when he writes and performs these songs. “Ain’t Done Yet” contains some of the best solos and melodies we’ve heard yet. The subject matter is great and the delivery is even better. It doesn’t hurt to have a tight band as well. But don’t just take our word for it, just ask Bruce Quarto, QVR founder and CEO of Kim’s record label, “Quarto Valley Records is honored to continue working with Savoy Brown on this second QVR release, Ain’t Done Yet, which is now one of my all-time favorites. It’s full of great energy that is the trademark of all their blues-rock music, and everyone who hears it will immediately agree that Savoy Brown ain’t nowhere near done yet.” “The new album is a continuance of the approach I’ve been taking with the band this past decade,” says guitarist/singer/ songwriter Kim Simmonds. Be sure to check out the new Kim Simmonds/Savoy Brown masterpiece, Ain’t Done Yet.
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Shawn Pittman Releases His Lucky Thirteenth Album, Make It Right! By Kevin Wildman Oklahoma native and Austin transplant, bluesman Shawn Pittman is back with another great album, Make It Right! Make It Right! is Shawn’s 13th solo album, and the follow up to 2018s Everybody Wants To Know, the album that he did in conjunction with Jay Moeller. Make It Right! was released on Continental Blue Heaven records and features thirteen of the best traditional style Blues songs that I’ve heard in a long time. Four or five of them are covers, and the rest are Shawn Pittman originals. When I sit here and listen to this newly received CD, visions of Lightnin’ Hopkins and John Lee Hooker race through my mind. On this album, Shawn truly embraces his roots. This is something that seems to be lacking in a lot of Blues recordings these days and although it sounds traditional, it also sounds sincerely like Shawn, a newly revitalized Shawn. Shawn usually takes a little time between albums to collect his thoughts. Sometimes the breaks are large, sometimes just a year or two. His recordings have slowed down a bit since 2009 and 2010 when he was turning out several albums a year, but now he seems a bit more focused and the quality of the songs are just fantastic. Shawn recorded this album in Holland when he was over there doing a few festival shows in 2019. The album was recorded during breaks between shows. Recording took place at Heyman studios near Copenhagen. The owner of the studio, Christian Heyman Zinckernagel, was also the engineer there. He met Christian through his tour manager, Erkan Ozdemir, who was also doing double duty playing bass with Shawn on the tour. Levent Ozdemir, Erkan’s son, performed drums on the album. Evidently the studio and its surroundings helped to inspire Shawn and his new songs. He really felt comfortable there and got off to all the tape machines and analog radios around the studio. Right off the bat he struck up a friendship with Christian and the ambiance of the studio really made Shawn feel at home and helped to bring out his best work yet. Among the songs on the album are at least 4 covers, Albert King’s “Finger On The Trigger,” Junior Kimbrough’s “I Feel Good,” Eddie Taylor’s “There Will Be A Day,” and Bobby Blue Bland’s “Woke Up Screaming.” Although these songs are really great, the true gems on this album are the Shawn Pittman originals. “Finger On The Trigger” features some of the tastiest playing I’ve heard Shawn perform. On “I Feel Good”, Shawn keeps the groove flowing throughout the song, nothing fancy, just plain tasty. “There Will Be A Day,” really features some inspired picking, and “Woke Up Screaming,” is definitely a tour de force. The album starts off with a Shawn Pittman original, “Done Tole You So!”, and when Shawn sings “Done Tole You So”, there’s a lesson to be learned there. Yeah, he knew she would take your money, so don’t go
knockin’ on his door cryin’. This is your classic song about gold digging women… building on the old themes of love and betrayal. “Make It Right,” the title song has a great gritty, drivin’ sound to it. It definitely was the right song to name the album after. He’s right you know, “Gotta Make It Better, Gotta Make It Right.” And he certainly did with this album. He made it better and no doubt about… he made it right! Everything is just right about this album. The songs, the song structure, the melodies, the tones. Oh god, the tones… you could write a whole story about the tones that Shawn is getting out of his Jimmy Vaughan Tex-Mex Strat and Super Reverb, not to mention his Butterscotch tele through his Bassman. But let’s not forget the other guys in the equation either, Erkan and Levent are just a powerhouse together. No wonder he picked them to play on his festival tour that year. To use them in the studio was pure genius. The three of them sound as if they had been playing together for years. The album really sounds tight. The song, “I’m Done,” has a refreshing slide guitar sound on it that’s really smooth. Shawn tells us that that slide guitar was inspired by Hound Dog Taylor. Then you take a song like “How Long.” All I can say is “Wow, what a great song.” The slow tempo on this song is perhaps the slowest song on
the album, and it is so inspiring. It moves so effortlessly and sounds so smooth. And it’s no wonder I think that. As they sat down to record that song, Shawn tells us that Christian, the engineer, declared that they were going to make history with this song. Without a doubt, it’s one of my top picks off the album. Also, one of the most inspiring things about this album is the lyrics. From thought provoking to plain visionary, the lyrics from this album are some of the best to come out of Shawn’s head to date. I know I’ve used this term already in this story, but here it comes again. The lyrics on this album are just inspirational. They’re delivered with great thought and sincerity. There’s no forced falsetto’s (well, maybe one) or growls here, just tastily delivered and honest. I could go on and on about this new record, but the truth is you just got to experience it yourself. If you’re into Shawn Pittman already, then you know this is a good album. If you’ve never heard of Shawn before, you’ll swear you just discovered a new talent... someone very sincere and honest. Yeah, this is one of Shawn’s best albums, if not his best yet. This album is well worth adding to your collection, and for those of you who have never heard about Shawn Pittman before, get up off your ass and get yourself a copy. This will be one of the best traditional style Blues albums you’ll hear this year. September 2020 • Music News 27
tore up goin’ through a very unexpected divorce….years later, after I married the love of my life, Brandi, (who is my publisher), she got the song to George Strait. Strait cut it and took it to the top of the Country charts and the song earned a Million Airplay Award from BMI….the song just came out TODAY (Aug 21) on Josh Turner’s new album honoring Country Music’s Classic Songs. This honor is so very humbling. RABI: You were inducted into the Texas Music Hall of fame as a solo artist in 2011 The Wagoneers reunited when the band was inducted as well. Do you guys still play out live? Are any of the members in The Dangerous Few?
Monte Warden Releases New Album Monte Warden Combines His Signature Twang With A Shot Of Classic Jazzy Blues Groove In The Debut Release Of “Monte Warden and The Dangerous Few” By Jay Randall Listening to the new debut release of Monte Warden and The Dangerous Few, you can’t help but hear remnants of the Chicago Blues Speak Easy Prohibition days in the Cotton Club when the likes of Cab Calloway, Louis Armstrong, Benny Goodman, Gene Krupa and many other big bands would play into the early morning hours of the smoke filled venue. Monte Warden has amassed a combo of seasoned musicians that magically combine the unique vocal styling of Monte’s signature twang with tasty lyrics and musical combinations of instrument mastery that create a unique sound of their own. The Dangerous Few is composed of longtime Austin musicians Mas Palermo on drums, Erik Telford on horns, Brent Wilson (of the Wagoneers) on bass, T. Jarrod Bonta on piano, and Warden. Palermo and Telford share production credit with Tim Palmer (whose credits include U2, Pearl Jam, David Bowie) and Brandi Warden (multiplatinum music publisher, Monte’s co-writer, and wife). This is another example of how Monte Wardens songwriting skills keep maturing and developing with time. Like a fine wine it just gets better. Rock and Blues International got to sit down with Monte for a short interview. Rock And Blues International: Who were your most influential artist growing up? Monte Warden: I never would’ve even picked up a guitar without hearing my folks’ Buddy Holly records…I also loved, Elvis, Cash, Hank, Sinatra as a kid and in Austin, I was as influenced by punk as I was the Outlaw movement…which was not that unusual being
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Monte: The Wags have performed since our 2011 induction and perform extensively. We have a 3rd album in the can. The amazing guitarist for the Wags, Brent Wilson, is also the upright bass player for the Few…our drummer, Mas Palermo, is in both bands and co-produced the Few album with Brandi, Erik Telford, and uber engineer, Tim Palmer (Google him!) RABI: What and who influenced you to the New Monte Warden Sound of The Dangerous Few? Monte: The great somgwriters of the era known as ‘The Great American Songbook’ – Cole Porter, Johnny Mercer, Sammy Cahn, Bacharach/David, Jimmy Van Heusen,…its an era where the ‘songs’ are more the stars than the artist who sang them…I have found writing in this style has been the most rewarding experience, artistically, of my very blessed career.
from Austin. RABI: Long before your new release with the Dangerous Few we heard you were the ripe old age of 15 when you formed the Wagoneers. When and what label did you get signed to and how many releases did you guys put out. Monte: I was 15 when my 1st real band, Whoa Trigger, was formed (we won Best New Band in 83 at the Austin Musiv Awards), I was 19 when The Wags got together. We were the 1st act to be signed to a major from the very 1st SXSW in ’87. A&M Records signed us. We were blessed to make two albums for A&M, the 1st one, Stout and High, is regarded as one of the 1st Americana albums in history (tho the phrase ‘Americana’ wasn’t around then). RABI: What were some of your most memorable Tour dates with the Wagoneers? Monte: The Wags picked almost a thousand dates in 4 years, so we were blessed to pick several great shows. We toured extensively with Willie and Emmylou. One of my favorite memories was that in Oct ’89 we opened both for The Ramones and Bill Monroe in a 3 week span. Not many acts can say that! RABI: After the Wagoneers disbanded you wrote a little song called “Desperately”. Can you tell us a little history on that? Monte: I wrote Desperately with my dear friend, Bruce Robison, in ’96 as I was
RABI: We know this Covid Pandemic has taken its toll on the music business and ability to perform. Are you doing anything online and do Monte Warden and The Dangerous Few have any plans to do any online shows or features. Do you guys hope to Tour once the Pandemic passes and venues start to open again? Monte: We will tour EXTENSIVELY once the ‘all clear’ is given…I have a Friday live-stream called, The Monte Warden Feel Good Hour I do EVERY Fri at 7 ct on my facebook page. www.facebook.com/ montewarden The live stream has been a GodSend for the family. The patronage from the fans has kept our lights on the fridge full thru all this. We are so very blessed.
Houston’s Night Cobra Debut New EP In Praise of the Shadow By Bob Kelpie Houston has bred a lot of great bands. When people think about Houston, they focus on bands such as ZZ Top, King’s X, and mainstream bands like that, but let me tell you, they also turn out some of the heaviest bands you’ve ever heard too. One of those bands is Night Cobra. Night Cobra is certainly getting the Heavy Metal Scene talking in Houston right now. Their spectacular take on Heavy Metal is somewhat reminiscent of the “real” Metal we were experiencing in the 80s. Their special blend of Rock ‘N’ Roll and Heavy Metal will definitely set them apart from the rest. Their music is infused with a sonic tapestry that will blow your head off your soldiers and fill you with some of the heaviest riffs you’ve ever heard. Their 4-song debut EP, In Praise of the Shadow has got to be one of the heaviest pieces of music we’ve heard in a long time. This is the kind of music that will have you raising your fist in the air and bobbing your head till your brain shakes loose. It’s great to hear this young band return to the roots of Metal, but infuse it with a style so unmistakably all their own. Songs like “Chains of the Beats,” “Escape From Earth,” “In Praise of the Shadow,” and “Nightmare Eternal” will restore your faith in the power of Metal. It’s plain to see that these guys are in for the long haul. They’re here to make their voices
known. If you are really in tune with the Metal scene, then you probably know who these guys are. They all have a dignified pedigree in Metal. The band features past and current members of bands such as Necrofier, Venomous Maximus, Killer Hearts, and The Satanic Overlords of Rock N Roll. I’ve seen the Satanic Overlords of Rock N Roll in a small club in Houston, Texas called Rudyard’s British Pub, and these guys were unbelievable. With members from bands like that in Night Cobra, there is no doubt in my mind that this could well be the future of Heavy Metal. But don’t just take my word for it, when Night Cobra premiered their EP In Praise of the Shadow through CVLT Nation, CVLT proclaimed “I threw on the new EP from Houston, TX’s Night Cobra called ‘In Praise of the Shadow’ and fist pumped a hole in my wall! I don’t know about you, but as soon as I hit play on this new metal punk classic I can barely type because my fingers just want to dance on my invisible strings. Normally I’d say this is road warrior music, but these days I’d settle for a loud stereo and the road in my mind.” I have to admit, I feel pretty much the same about the new EP. It is definitely a force to be reckoned with and one that will leave your brain screaming for more. For myself, I really need to hear more from this band, but for now an EP will have to suffice. If you get a chance, buy this EP and burn your CD player
up with it. It will definitely get you pumped up for some more Night Cobra!!! Night Cobra is Christian Larson (vocals), Bill Fool and Brandon Barger (guitars), Trevi Biles (bass) and The Mighty Cheech (drums).
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