tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-85267931944354044742024-03-05T20:40:33.189-08:00Professor Johnny P's Juke JointUnknownnoreply@blogger.comBlogger555125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8526793194435404474.post-13647005203515994542023-08-14T15:50:00.004-07:002023-08-14T15:50:48.027-07:00Mitch Woods ~~ Friends Along The Way<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiOzwnHUE_qnfFpU4P4BYBlQS2jQ61uOtide6swnCCFYqIltD_d0k58rkgxIMwvcMQH5Qo160eeHQJs52VsK6lngmkmOWkXm57TBTK5f7D3Vcyq_uIHurgcunFQUxfp7GUqwgNpyqZYTiXK5jbVH9RuXRL4LAzOqSQTw2JYWI1-Ldol-625eir9SGwpCXy_/s1000/Mitch_CD_art.webp" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="958" data-original-width="1000" height="307" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiOzwnHUE_qnfFpU4P4BYBlQS2jQ61uOtide6swnCCFYqIltD_d0k58rkgxIMwvcMQH5Qo160eeHQJs52VsK6lngmkmOWkXm57TBTK5f7D3Vcyq_uIHurgcunFQUxfp7GUqwgNpyqZYTiXK5jbVH9RuXRL4LAzOqSQTw2JYWI1-Ldol-625eir9SGwpCXy_/s320/Mitch_CD_art.webp" width="320" /></a></div><br />I’ve been a fan of <b>Mitch Woods</b> since I heard my first
CD from him, <i>Steady Date</i>. So when a new CD, <b><i>Friends Along The Way</i></b>,
arrived in my mailbox I was very happy. Once you hear his sound, that he calls “rock-a-boogie,”
you’ll be hooked.<p></p><p class="MsoNormal"><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Once I looked it over, I discovered that Woods is playing
with some of the giants of the blues world. He’s managed to get Van Morrison,
Taj Mahal, Charlie Musselwhite, Ruthie Foster, Elvin Bishop, John Hammond, Joe
Louis Walker, Maria Muldaur, Kenny Neal, Cyril Neville, and Marcia Ball on the
album. Even John Lee Hooker and James Cotton appear.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">The Deluxe Edition is released<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>on Club 88 Records.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Disc One<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">The album kicks off with Mitch Woods teaming up with Van
Morrison and Taj Mahal for their take on <i>C.C. Rider</i>. Mahal and Morrison
handle the vocals and Woods adds some of his signature piano sounds to the mix.
It sounds great, if a little different than Ma Rainey's version. This song has
been covered multiple times and this trio has found a way to make it their own
while still making it sound authentic. I've already played this one on John's
Porch and plan on bringing more to that show as well as Time For The Blues.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">The three men, Mitch Woods, Van Morrison, and Taj Mahal then
return on Lead Belly's <i>Take This Hammer</i>. It's a moving number and a
fitting tribute to Lead Belly. <o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Next up is Woods teaming up with Elvin Bishop for <i>Keep A
Dollar In Your Pocket</i>. This is a fun song and you can hear the two men
having fun in the studio. It sounds like one of Bishop's Big Fun Trio's
recordings. This is another song that I want to give some airtime to as it is
just an infectious number.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Woods is then joined by Ruthie Foster on <i>Singin' The
Blues</i>, a song that Foster wrote. It's a very emotional number and Foster is
in fine voice. These two combine to form a very effective duet and I hope to
hear more from them.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">John Hammond supplies the vocals and National Steel Guitar
work on <i>Mother-In-Law Blues</i>. It's a fine interpretation and Woods has a
few keyboard runs that really make the song come alive.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">On <i>Cryin' For My Baby</i>, Woods' piano is a perfect complement
to Charlie Musselwhite's plaintive harp. Wood's vocals plead with every note
and you can't help but feel his pain. A beautiful number...<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Woods then works with Joe Louis Walker on their version of
Champion Jack Dupree's <i>Nasty Boogie</i>. This one lives up to its name with
some of the nastiest, down right dirty boogie. I would play this in a heartbeat
but there are a couple of words that the FCC frowns upon so you'll have to hear
this one over satellite radio, or better yet, buy a copy of the album for
yourself and you can then enjoy it any time you want.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Maria Muldaur then drops by to join Woods on a beautiful
version of <i>Empty Bed Blues</i>. Muldaur wrings every drop of emotion with
her vocals and Woods' piano is subtle and seductive. It's one of the best songs
on the album and you can bet I'll be playing this one somewhere soon.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">After such an emotional number, there needs to be a little
break. Enter Woods and Kenny Neal blasting down the highway with <i>Blues
Mobile</i>. It's a fun, lighthearted song that will have you tapping your toes
and turning the volume up and feel the wind in your hair as you head out on
your next adventure. <o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Woods' piano sets the mood and Cyril Neville talks his way
through <i>The Blues</i>. You can hear the respect in their call and response
look at the blues. It's a magical piece and one I'll be listening to over and
over.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Disc Two<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">A great boogie number kicks off the second disc as Mitch
Woods and Elvin Bishop launch into <i>Saturday Night Boogie Woogie Man</i>.
It's a snappy number and one that is guaranteed to put a smile on your face as
you once again crank up the volume. This is some serious rock-a-boogie and I
would love to hear these two team up on a full album.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Charlie Musselwhite supplies the vocals and the harp on <i>Blues
Gave Me A Ride</i>. It's a song that many of us can identify with as we were
going about our lives when this thing called the blues captured us and swept us
along in its power. <o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Woods next features the harmonica genius James Cotton on the
instrumental <i>Chicago Express</i>. Listening to this song, you would swear
that the train is coming through your speakers. Very energetic and lovely to
listen to.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><i>Never Get Out Of These Blues Alive</i> features Woods
with John Lee Hooker. It's hard to miss Hooker's vocals or his guitar playing,
and Woods' piano forms a nice canvas for Hooker. It's not my favorite song on
the album, but it has power and may grow on me.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Van Morrison and Taj Mahal return to join Woods on <i>Midnight
Hour Blues</i>. The trio have a lush sound and this is a strong entry.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Whenever two keyboard wizards get together, you know it's
going to be a helluva show. Woods is joined by Marcia Ball on <i>In The Night</i>,
and the two have a ball. You can hear the mutual respect in the playing and the
smiles in the vocals. These are two of my favorite players and they are at the
top of their game. More of this please...<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Woods accompanies Cyril Neville on the song <i>Blues For New
Orleans</i>. It is heartfelt poetry, and you can feel the love in both the
words and the delivery. I greatly enjoyed the number, and it evoked a few
special memories of the Cresent City. Well done.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Woods and Kenny Neal deliver an upbeat jaunty tune on <i>Don't
Dip In My Bizness</i>. Woods' piano is perfectly paired with Neal's vocals and
guitar. This is a fun number and sure to get some airplay.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Things slow down and take a slightly darker tone on <i>Southbound
Blues</i> which features John Hammond on vocals and guitar. This is a good
solid number. <o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Maria Muldaur returns on <i>Mojo Mambo</i>. It's an upbeat
number and a love letter to New Orleans. That seems to be a running theme on
this album. A perfect fit of great piano and vocals with a well written song. <o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">The album ends with Woods and Joe Louis Walker contributing
their take on Lightnin' Hopkins' <i>Worried Life Blues</i>. It's a fairly
straight forward interpretation with both men doing an excellent job on the
classic. <o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Overall, the album is very well done. Everyone will have
their favorites and possibly skip over the others. I just put it on shuffle play
and let the machine take over. The music is strong, and the team ups are
imaginative. Woods' piano can be as boisterous as an overcrowded honky-tonk or
as just as subtle. He's a terrific, if sometimes overlooked, player and it's a
delight to see him get his due among the giants of the blues.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></p>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8526793194435404474.post-86841606247118326772023-08-10T18:30:00.003-07:002023-08-10T18:30:46.030-07:00Until The Sun ~~ Enchantment<p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhsPCnHb6CGyU81NCK_lqEn1nIpojTGnIt8G3MnKdRbJMbWPvpzUZDSQa7nbW6PYS59RTtLQvT_lmjC9ZvDawqt3coAL9mYdFKrRiyDL8OfcTzi6P4KLNhqGvK0pN7uANef6hg172FPbm8HIGkukSmyFQhoaJ1Nyj6hE9ZkzSSbiF5GUUNiYQhwhqf66QFA/s600/Until%20The%20Sun%20Enchantment.webp" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="600" data-original-width="600" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhsPCnHb6CGyU81NCK_lqEn1nIpojTGnIt8G3MnKdRbJMbWPvpzUZDSQa7nbW6PYS59RTtLQvT_lmjC9ZvDawqt3coAL9mYdFKrRiyDL8OfcTzi6P4KLNhqGvK0pN7uANef6hg172FPbm8HIGkukSmyFQhoaJ1Nyj6hE9ZkzSSbiF5GUUNiYQhwhqf66QFA/s320/Until%20The%20Sun%20Enchantment.webp" width="320" /></a></div>Today's band, <b>Until The Sun</b>, hails from Phoenix where
they have been playing live for several years and built up quite a following.
I've never found myself in the city and haven't had the pleasure of catching
this band live, but I look forward to changing both of those things.<p></p><p class="MsoNormal"><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Until The Sun is made up of Brandon Teskey, guitars; Alyssa
Swartz, vocals; David Raymer, bass; Michael Young, keyboards; and Chris Tex,
drums. Formed in 2017, they have really made a name for themselves by combining
blues with rock, jazz, psychedelia, and anything else that strikes their
fancy.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">The album starts off with <i>Enchantment (Part 1)</i>, a
short instrumental psychedelic blues-rock song whose musical theme sets the
mood for the rest of the album. There are a number of bands who are mostly
located in the Chicago area that like to kick off a set with an instrumental in
order to showcase what the band is capable of doing. If Until The Sun is doing
that or just setting the mood, they exhibit talent plus passion, a winning
combination.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">They follow up with <i>Your Well</i>, a meaty blues rock
tune with a '60's feel. One of the great things about the 1960's was that a lot
of the music was experimental, and you never knew what to expect from a song.
This has that same kind of emotion and is exciting to hear. It's going to take
me a few more listens to pull everything out of the song, but it's going to be
worth the effort. <o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Next up is a cover of a B.B. King classic, <i>All Over Again</i>.
You shouldn't expect to find this as a slavish copy, No, Under The Sun does it
their own way. For one thing, Alyssa Swartz has a dynamite voice that can
scream with the best of them and whisper so seductively that you have no choice
but to sit up and listen. This is one that should receive airplay and I, for
one, plan to get this on the air as soon as possible.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">A staple of their live shows, <i>Dancing On The Floor</i> is
the next track. Bands know that one of the things they need to do is give their
audience something that they can dance to. This song delivers with some serious
funk and some great guitar work by Teskey. The bass gets a real workout and I
damn near got up to shake a leg while I was listening. <o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">The next song, <i>Dragon Below</i>, delivers a blues rock
number but with a rockabilly beat. I discovered from their notes that the
lyrics are based on an ancient Eastern parable about the seeming meaningless
nature of life. It was even famously recounted by Leo Tolstoy in his autobiographical
<i>Confessions</i>. I must confess that I've never read that one and probably
never will, but I like the song. I tend to enjoy those songs that break molds
and create new approaches to music.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><i>Death In Disguise</i> is a song that Until The Sun
released on their live album. I need to get a copy of that to hear how
different this studio version holds up. I've always been a proponent of live
music is better, although sometimes live recordings just miss capturing the excitement
that a live band can generate. "<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">The next 43 seconds belong to <i>Enchantment (Part 2)</i>.
Swartz's voice is lyrical and haunting. Some of the notes she hits made a few
shivers run up my spine. They say that good things come in small packages,
well, this song is a good thing in a short space. I would love to hear this
developed further. <o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Another cover is Until The Sun's take on <i>Hound Dog</i>.
This is done in the style of the original version. Forget Elvis gyrating
around, this is their take on Big Mama Thornton's delivery. This is a beautiful
rendition with some screaming guitars and some screams from Swartz. One of the
best covers that I've ever heard.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">One of the great themes of the blues is betrayal. My man or
woman has stepped out on me and I need to drown my sorrows in a song. <i>Animal
Within</i> is one of those songs. Swartz's vocals are delivered with all the
pain she can muster. The guitar work is stellar and the whole song rocks. Great
job.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">While everyone gets the blues from time to time, <i>Seek The
Sunshine</i> is one way to kick 'em to the side of the road. This is a burning
slow blues number with some killer slide guitar. We all need a little resilience
to fight the blues, we need to seek the sunshine to dispel the darkness. This
is a beautiful song about hope. <o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">The next song, <i>Groovin'</i>, is upbeat and the kind that
just might make you want to get up and shake what you got. It's a fun song and
I'm sure it's an audience favorite. <o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><i>Broken Masterpieces</i> follows this fun song, and it is
slow but progresses with a western theme and a blues feel. The song is about
dealing with depression and facing a existential crisis. It's a sobering number
and one that will speak to those who are trying to understand someone else's
depression and to those who know it from the inside. <span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Written by the voice of Until The Sun, Alyssa Swartz, <i>Space</i>
Were <i>Leaving</i> is a somber song about a break up. Swartz's tortured vocals
cut through you like a knife and it's easy to feel her pain.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">The disc closes out with the longest song <i>Ghost In The
Prayer (Enchantment Part 3)</i>. This is a psychedelic blues number that would
have been home in the late '60's. The leitmotif of the song <i>Enchantment</i>
gives the group an impressive canvas on which to paint their blues. There are
some sounds one does not expect to find on the average blues album. <o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><b>Until The Sun</b> is a difficult band to pigeonhole and
I'm sure that's by design. In order to stand out in the blues world, they have
filled their songs with a wide variety of musical genres. I enjoy their
approach very much, but purists might find <b><i>Enchantment</i></b> to be a
little bit "out there" for their tastes. If any of my thoughts have piqued
your interest, be sure to stop by<a href="https://untilthesun.com/home" target="_blank"> their website</a> and catch up on their goings on!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span><o:p></o:p></p>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8526793194435404474.post-18977746129651896242023-05-16T11:01:00.001-07:002023-05-16T11:12:18.813-07:00Delta Wires Drop Their Eighth Album ~~ If Somebody Told Me<p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhVes3ApYKLAWnEXpphHiJdB3SVzg8osp5isRHWFFc5nycZyDxIHoIrKz8a2Ko5Abb1IovVnoWygPuoAFLia4U6B7yG-Xfvcu847zCCHXNG-GagL2XW4_ml1Q_RvchFxN5Dv9elQKhUYHeEogvvykWJ1sG7-DJYclQPAI1RvjG_KW3YQcAPmmwkT5bvjA/s1000/Delta%20Wires%20If%20Sonebody%20Told%20Me.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1000" data-original-width="1000" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhVes3ApYKLAWnEXpphHiJdB3SVzg8osp5isRHWFFc5nycZyDxIHoIrKz8a2Ko5Abb1IovVnoWygPuoAFLia4U6B7yG-Xfvcu847zCCHXNG-GagL2XW4_ml1Q_RvchFxN5Dv9elQKhUYHeEogvvykWJ1sG7-DJYclQPAI1RvjG_KW3YQcAPmmwkT5bvjA/s320/Delta%20Wires%20If%20Sonebody%20Told%20Me.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><p></p><p class="MsoNormal"><b><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;">Delta Wires</span></b><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;"> is a high energy band
out of the Oakland/San Francisco area. I've been a recent convert to them and
their style of big band blues and hope that one day they will travel east, or
more likely, I will travel west in order to catch them live. Their latest
album, <b><i>If Somebody Told Me</i></b> mixes originals with covers of classic
and lesser-known titles that are sure to satisfy the most discriminating of a
blues loving audience.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;">The band consists of Ernie Pinata on harmonica and lead
vocals; Tom Gerrits on bass and vocals; Richard Healy on guitar, and Tony
Huszar on drums. The horn section is comprised of Caleb Murray on sax; John
Christensen on trumpet; and David Bowman on trombone. <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><i><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;">Can't Win For Losin'</span></i><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;">
starts off with a wicked harp attack before getting some growling vocals. Once
the horns come in you know you are in the presence of a solid working band that
is firing on all cylinders. It's easy to see why Delta Wires was once a
finalist at the International Blues Challenge. I think this is going to be a
sweet album!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>(4:26)<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;">Next up is the title track, <i>If Somebody Told Me</i>, a
slow burn of a number that strips down their big sound in order to get straight
to the emotion that the lead singer displays in spades. Easily the most
personal song on the CD, dealing with the death of his son, you can feel the
heartbreak pouring through every note. According to the notes, this was
recorded in one take with everybody sharing in the grief.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>(6:36)<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;">The mood takes an upswing with <i>Tried</i>. It has a
swinging beat with some playful guitar licks giving the vocals a call and
response feeling but playful. The whole band gets into the act and makes this
just a fun song and a good one to get an audience up on its collective feet.
This is an outstanding crowd pleaser. (3:49)<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;">The band follows up with <i>Bring Me Up</i>, another up-tempo
number that delivers a fun experience to the listener. It's a good combination
with <i>Tried</i> as they both appeal to an audience and should be a great song
to catch live.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>(3:45)<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;">Two of the great tropes in the blues are voodoo and
automobiles, and Delta Wires combines them in <i>Voodoo Cadillac</i>. They go
for a swampy feeling which is only fair since the singer wants to go "up
the Mississippi to New Orleans." This is a fun song that I hope gets some
airplay. I plan on sharing it anyway and hope that my fellow producers do the
same.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>(4:52)<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;">Next is their take on <i>I Pity The Fool</i>. The band
moves into mellow territory with the keys and horns taking on the bulk of the
backing sounds in order to give the guitar something to play against when they
take the lead. It's a strong interpretation.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>(6:24)<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><i><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;">Sloppy Drunk</span></i><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;"> follows, an up-tempo
number that is really going to rock the bars. Let's face it, most live gigs
take place around alcohol and a mention of the devil's fire water is sure to
elicit a positive response. And this is one that swings! There are some great
harp licks in this song to thrill the soul. It's lots of fun.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>(3:24)<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;">Another blistering slow burn is next. <i>Hand Out Of My
Pocket</i> takes its time - bringing you into the song with more great harp
work before adding the vocals. Everyone adds to this, the horns are especially
effective and in this day and age where it seems like everything has a hand in
our pockets, the message is one that resonates with everyone.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>(4:57)<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;">Delta Wires then offers their take on John Lee Hooker's <i>Dimples</i>
and do a credible job on it. No one can sing like Hooker and his playing style
is unique and fortunately they don't try to imitate Hooker. they put their own
stamp on it and the song holds up well. (7:02)<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;">They close out the album with <i>Blues In Hoss Flat</i>, an old
school big band sounding song. It's a seven-minute instrumental that give the
members of the band a chance to step into the solo spotlight. It's good to hear
the horn section take a bow after their hard work<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>playing on the album.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;">If <b>Delta Wires</b> isn't on your radar, make sure you
put them there and take note whenever they tour or release a new album. You can
do all that <a href="https://www.deltawires.com" target="_blank">at their website</a>/. <b><i>If Somebody Told Me</i></b> makes a good addition to any blues lover
or anyone who enjoys a high-octane band that kicks ass from beginning to
end.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></p>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8526793194435404474.post-16386594781424765592022-12-10T11:10:00.005-08:002022-12-10T11:10:49.239-08:00Deanna Bogart Boogies At The Tin Pan<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi2OZmo_dg7NuWtr6DFb3wZMUL37kKwsci08v-m0t2X9Gs17nAIP9lpHmjxeX5PJHJ3On5jcZyRlWtsmGEwhm4R8gYtwUl1YckdFd10wA6DA8Yz5PtPl1efv4I09jPbak1miInIhuEND2Pc7FsDVBbaHYoJBpjMPNQB2N7JVfyrLjTfhRcIGkD1TPwXjA/s1321/4028273470518740452.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1321" data-original-width="880" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi2OZmo_dg7NuWtr6DFb3wZMUL37kKwsci08v-m0t2X9Gs17nAIP9lpHmjxeX5PJHJ3On5jcZyRlWtsmGEwhm4R8gYtwUl1YckdFd10wA6DA8Yz5PtPl1efv4I09jPbak1miInIhuEND2Pc7FsDVBbaHYoJBpjMPNQB2N7JVfyrLjTfhRcIGkD1TPwXjA/s320/4028273470518740452.jpg" width="213" /></a></div><br />Thursday nights in Richmond are rarely the hot nights for
shows. As both a school and work night, people tend to stay home and watch
their television shows, play on the computer, or read a book until it’s time to
go to bed.<p></p><p class="MsoNormal"><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Not this Thursday night, however.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">This Thursday night, the Tin Pan was packed with people who
were privy to the secret that the whirling dervish known as Deanna Bogart was
in town.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Few performers receive raucous applause just for walking into
the venue, but the fans in attendance clapped wildly and cheered her onto the
stage. People who had been following her career for years (this author counts
40+ years of being a fan) ran to the stage to whisper in her ear or shake her
hand. Before the band even warmed up, Bogart delivered a spontaneous acapella
version of <i>Soul Lake</i>.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Finishing up, she picked up her saxophone – she would switch
back and forth between her piano and saxophone with each receiving warm
applause from the appreciative audience. She started the evening off with <i>Bye
Bye Blackbird</i> moving around the stage and interacting with her band.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">The band consisted of Dan Leonard on lead and rhythm guitar,
Eric Scott on bass and vocals, and Daren Blessman on drums.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Finishing up with <i>Blackbird</i>, she got behind her piano
and launched into an extended version of <i>In The Rain</i>. From there she
moved into <i>Sad In Las Vegas</i> before moving on to a duet with Scott on <i>Love
And Attention</i>.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Bogart and Scott worked seamlessly together, like they have
been playing together for years. Scott, who works out of the Washington DC and
Northern Virginia area took center stage for the next song, the funky <i>Get Up</i>
which is off his <i>Peace Bomb</i> album from 2020.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgDVORylXQG3S79-oxsPpcucpS0U_XEBFzGHSdNpnDcksja9C_I-oaN9qTxbPr0_ak0PC3ysmYiUIIB1-LNK9DFuiHo4cRk6E3JC6ZZJYFX96poksKfa9j301n1eRtKJGd7vGW4C5G4-jmtphS0FxLoAk5BffI7FHEpk2dZLnxXRGt5gLhD0Z45GjkeDA/s1523/5959423625816029738.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1523" data-original-width="1071" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgDVORylXQG3S79-oxsPpcucpS0U_XEBFzGHSdNpnDcksja9C_I-oaN9qTxbPr0_ak0PC3ysmYiUIIB1-LNK9DFuiHo4cRk6E3JC6ZZJYFX96poksKfa9j301n1eRtKJGd7vGW4C5G4-jmtphS0FxLoAk5BffI7FHEpk2dZLnxXRGt5gLhD0Z45GjkeDA/s320/5959423625816029738.jpg" width="225" /></a></div><br /><o:p></o:p><p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Speaking of funky, next up was a very funky instrumental
titled <i>Cold Duck Time</i>, a song with which I was not familiar but found
myself – as did much of the audience – dancing in their seats.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">From there, Bogart and the band moved into <i>Good Bayou</i>
before playing the song that got her kicked off her first label, <i>Said It
Wouldn’t Rain</i>. This was a beautiful number and any label that would drop an
artist for such a wonderful piece of music was definitely short sighted. <o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Next up was another instrumental, <i>Ethel’s Place</i>,
named for the club owner who gave Bogart her first chance to do a show under
her own name after having served as a player on Cowboy Jazz and Root Boy Slim.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">It was during her tenure with Root Boy Slim that I first
encountered Bogart and have been following her ever since.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Since a good portion of the audience wanted to hear her take
on the blues, she obliged with <i>Okay, I’ll Play The Blues</i> and she
received thunderous applause and more than a few people standing to acknowledge
her work.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">She finished up with one of her signature songs, <i>Girl In
The Band</i>, and the crowd went crazy. <o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Walking off the stage, the management brought the house
lights up while the audience shouted for more, even yelling out suggestions as
to what song to play.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">After about five minutes of this raucous celebration, she
ascended the stage once again, picked up her saxophone and immersed herself in
Henry Mancini’s <i>Pink Panther Theme</i>. Again, she and Scott blended
together perfectly and Bogart even took a trip through the audience while
playing.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">She followed up with a request from one member of the
audience for <i>Honey Bee</i> before closing out the show with <i>Thrash Boogie</i>
which gave every member of the band an opportunity to step into the spotlight
for a little well-deserved appreciation. <o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Deanna Bogart may not be a household name, but among those
who know, know she is a consummate performer. Her ability to play both sax and
piano and handle vocals make her a triple threat and her rapport with an
audience is second to none.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Be sure to check her website to see when she is coming to
your area and do yourself a favor and book your tickets early. Once the word
gets out, it’s going to be difficult to find a seat.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8526793194435404474.post-13180215761792064642022-11-13T14:37:00.000-08:002022-11-13T14:37:24.884-08:00Dave Jordan ~~ Gone Again<p> </p><p class="MsoNormal"><br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjYk1bAwq2wpkkn5svWySI9rwjSXkmus94e-EPAjz2BmavJDU_uEtwfOBvzAPV17lHQ9srBmckgDven72UgqzY2VEiUZraDkjv0MWxhN_dNkKN4l2P7oTnxpJJ_8KZkoNw_9zpvpvR8EhAd35_d0_TDOA_kQDZbpbuz_d4qnl6SPGKOSsZQGBojpbyl8A/s1330/Dave-Jordan-e1560553337650.webp" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1198" data-original-width="1330" height="288" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjYk1bAwq2wpkkn5svWySI9rwjSXkmus94e-EPAjz2BmavJDU_uEtwfOBvzAPV17lHQ9srBmckgDven72UgqzY2VEiUZraDkjv0MWxhN_dNkKN4l2P7oTnxpJJ_8KZkoNw_9zpvpvR8EhAd35_d0_TDOA_kQDZbpbuz_d4qnl6SPGKOSsZQGBojpbyl8A/s320/Dave-Jordan-e1560553337650.webp" width="320" /></a></div><br />I love my publicity friends. They keep me up to date with
lots of great music and very often find artists that I should know but don’t.
No one person, try as they might, can keep up with all of the great musicians
that are working and recording.<o:p></o:p><p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">That’s where the publicity people shine. I have one very
persistent publicist who has never turned me on to someone that I ended up not
liking. When he found out I was now hosting a second show called John’s Porch
(Sundays from ten until noon – listen in sometime) where just about anything
goes, he set out to find me great musicians that I could play.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Enter <b>Dave Jordan</b>. Jordan is a fixture in the New
Orleans area, but the area is so heavily populated by great musicians that he
had never made even a blip on my radar. He’s been working with Anders Osborne,
a favorite of mine. Still no blip.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">But after listening to his latest disc, <b><i>Gone Again</i></b>,
he will definitely be on my radar. He has a distinctive voice and his
songwriting skills are excellent. The album contains nine songs and there are
three that I want to play as soon as possible.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">The disc starts off with <i>Gone Again</i>, a story of the
tumult that affects our lives. The singer talks about escaping to Florida to
get some sunshine and find a better life. Jordan has a soulful voice and spends
the first minute or so setting up the song with an acoustic approach before
turning things over to the full band. Will he actually find what he’s looking
for or will it just be gone again? A thought provoking song to start things off.
<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Next up is <i>We’re Gonna Be Here For Awhile</i> which
starts off with a plaintive fiddle that underscores the deliberate pace of the
rest of the song. The languid nature of the song reflects the events that are
going on in the outside world. It’s a good pairing with the previous song and
underscores that no matter where we go, actual life will not stop nor even slow
down for us. There will always be floods, whether they are physical or mental,
we just need to have the resources to ride them out.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Jordan follows up with <i>Me And The Guitar Tonight</i>, a
song about the creative process as the singer wants to use the guitar to catch
the melodies in the air. I am not a musician, never claimed to be, but I think
this is how many songwriters approach the magical moments of creation. He ties
things in with writing a song for his love bringing the whole process together.
<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><i>So Far Away</i> is the next song. A song of longing; a
song of connection and how to make a long distance relationship work. Jordan’s
vocals are offset with both an accordion and a fiddle that offset the lyrics
with an almost jaunty musical foundation. This could be an almost maudlin
number, but the music buoys it up and makes it more of an expression of love.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><i>I Don’t Want To Leave This Dream</i> follows with a slow
dreamlike pace. The music is lush with piano and a string section adding to the
jazzy otherworldly presentation. There are a couple of moments when Jordan
proclaims he “Ain’t moving on” accompanied by percussion to drive the point
home. It’s an ambitious song that shows a strong songwriting skill. At just
about six minutes, this is the longest song on the disc, but it seems to just
flow by quickly.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Jordan picks up the pace with <i>In</i> <i>A Town This Size</i>.
A town where you can’t go anywhere without running in to someone you know and
where the rumors won’t fly. Small towns are the kinds of places where everyone
knows everyone else’s business. There are lots of great things about living in
a small town, but privacy isn’t one of them! It’s a jaunty song that I would
gladly play on my Americana show.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">The pace slows back down with the next song, <i>Front Of
House</i>. It’s the story of what it’s like to be on stage, to be the one that
the people have come to see perform and to have a good time. Entertainers are a
special breed – putting themselves out there in order to entertain others even
when they might not feel especially happy that night. Time to put on the mask
and put your own troubles on hold, because it’s time to do your job and bring
the show that the people have come to see.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">He follows up with <i>Celebrate Tonight</i> and it opens
with “Well I don’t think I want to do this anymore.” It’s a song of
resignation, a song of wanting things to change, but still going through the
motions to celebrate this night. It’s a powerful song and one that many people
will identify with. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">The album ends with <i>Pink Supermoon</i>. The main
instrumentation are acoustic guitar and fiddle with a sparse bass in the
background. It’s plaintive and leaves the audience feeling a longing for their
lost loved ones. It’s a beautiful song that brings everything to a close. It’s
a powerful choice to honor the late John Prine and one that will live in my
brain for some time.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">If you were like me and not familiar with Dave Jordan, do
yourself a favor and become familiar with him and his work. He’s a brilliant
gem of a performer and I look forward to doing a deeper dive into his work.<o:p></o:p></p>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8526793194435404474.post-60709670078126478752022-06-27T16:19:00.001-07:002022-06-27T16:19:23.784-07:00Jay And The Cooks ~~ Dried Up Dreams<p><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhRKslWwjsWQ6ORNr7RRjRE3-W34NGodwLLEFTwODzEncNoAf3GpIWGSoBdDP8WsnBXYKMsVjQXRmPEgH7ZWyzEtTZ9eX6zox1g1tfWvv2riSV1UbFgHJvR43tqqOaNU00Bdf-FH_7BQhTqmw2UvWLPr_2HjUPijLO3kgaMmQnHZebI35yPTW2vknlmqg/s640/Jay%20And%20The%20Cooks%20Art.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="640" data-original-width="640" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhRKslWwjsWQ6ORNr7RRjRE3-W34NGodwLLEFTwODzEncNoAf3GpIWGSoBdDP8WsnBXYKMsVjQXRmPEgH7ZWyzEtTZ9eX6zox1g1tfWvv2riSV1UbFgHJvR43tqqOaNU00Bdf-FH_7BQhTqmw2UvWLPr_2HjUPijLO3kgaMmQnHZebI35yPTW2vknlmqg/s320/Jay%20And%20The%20Cooks%20Art.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br />Sometimes I move with glacier like speed. No excuses, I do
have a lot on my plate, but I should be able to carve a couple of hours out of
my schedule in order to check out some of the great music that appears on my
desk – or inside my computer.<p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">That’s the case with <b>Jay And The Cooks</b>. They had everything
going for them, a fairly prolific group of expatriates who weren’t a bunch of
19-year-olds (nothing against 19-year-olds, but sometimes I want to hear from
people who have lived a long life and have lots of experiences from which to
pull), and have a mix of sounds.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">But I just couldn’t pull the trigger.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">But I’m so glad I finally did because Jay And The Cooks
rock hard when they want to and they are as countrified as all get out when they
want to be. They can be serious as hell and turn around and deliver a funny
song that will make you laugh out loud.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><b><i><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">Dried Up Dreams</span></i></b><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;"> is a
strong release and I’m glad that I finally got around to making the time to
give it a listen and I think you will as well.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">The album starts off with <i>Alton McCarver</i> the story
of a “real bad dude.” The lyrics are so evocative that the picture is vividly painted,
and the character of Alton McCarver comes alive in your mind like a movie bathed
in neon. This is my introduction to Jay and The Cooks and damn if I’m not
already hooked and can’t wait to see what else they can do.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">Next up is <i>Frontline Worker Blues</i>, a country blues homage
to the people that faced the brunt of the Covid plague. So many of us were
lucky enough to work from home, get our food delivered, only go out for the
most important of errands; but there were so many that had no choice but to
face Covid head on on a daily basis. The least we can do is remember their
sacrifice in a cool song and Jay Ryan has done that!<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">You ever start up one of those conversations where you work
on solving all the world’s problems at one time? Usually with copious amounts
of alcohol handy? I seem to recall (sort of) a few of those in my past. Well, <i>Chew
The Cud</i> celebrates one such conversation and it’s a delight to listen in
for a little bit.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">Marx Brothers fans might remember Groucho singing a song
with the lyric, “I cannot stay/I came to say/I must be going…” Well, <i>I Just
Came To Tell You That I’m Going</i> is a country flavored update of that song
complete with a growled delivery of the lyrics. I found myself both moved and
laughing during the same song and really appreciated the musical humor that
Ryan and Company injected into the proceedings. I just read that this is a
translation of <i>Je Suis Venu Te Dire Que Je M’en Vais</i> by Serge Gainsbourg
and even though I speak a little French, I am completely unfamiliar with that
version of the song, but plan to hunt it down tout suite!<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><i><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">Poor Everybody</span></i><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;"> tells
the story of what’s going on throughout the country. Everybody is under siege.
Ryan uses a rock blues approach to emphasize the power in the lyric. The song
truly packs a wallop, and it stands out by following such a lighthearted
number.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">Ryan slows things down a little on <i>Deaf Water</i>. It’s
a languid look at a river, perhaps the Seine, that wanders through the city and
our lives. Much like Alton McCarver, it paints a beautiful picture of its
subject in the listener’s mind and it kind of made me want to return to Paris
for a visit…<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">He follows up with more humor on <i>Organic Lust</i>, an
attempt to live forever by eating the right organic foods and drinking organic
wine. It’s a great parody of those folks – you know who they are – who will
only eat and drink certain foods and drinks and look down on any other choices.
It’s a fun song and comes up at a great time in the album.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">Next is the Cajun flavored <i>Dried Up Hearts</i> that
describes what happens with urban renewal when modern buildings replace the
hearts of communities that existed before. It’s a deceptive song with a very
upbeat tempo that makes you want to get up and dance but has dark lyrics
underneath. <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">The next song has the poetic title <i>Empty Glass Of Love</i>.
So far Ryan hasn’t strayed far from the truth, or stories that could be the
truth, and this one has a melancholy feel to it. His band of expatriates have
been tight throughout the record and this cut is no exception.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">The album ends with <i>Confederate Son</i>, a story that
has a lot of reverberation in this day and age, especially here in the capital
of the confederacy. We just took down monuments that had stood for somewhere
around 100 years celebrating southern participants in the Civil War and you can
still spot rebel flags on more than a few cars. All that to say this is a
rocking number that tells a great story and I appreciated it on a deep level.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><b><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">Jay And The Cooks</span></b><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;"> will
most likely not be touring in the U.S. anytime soon. I could be wrong, but I
have the feeling that they are staying in Europe and doing most of their work
through CD releases. <b><i>Dried Up Dreams</i></b> is the fifth album in the
last decade for the group and that’s not a bad output for just about any band. <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">Be sure to check out their website to pick up their albums
and European readers can find a list of shows as well.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><a href="https://www.jayandthecooks.com/en/albums-en/">https://www.jayandthecooks.com/en/albums-en/</a>
<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8526793194435404474.post-72749015049369212432022-06-24T18:11:00.000-07:002022-06-24T18:11:09.006-07:00Janiva Magness Rocks The Tin Pan<p><span face="Arial, sans-serif"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; font-size: 12pt; text-align: center;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; font-size: 12pt; text-align: center;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhnLK9eEVLIOrq9vliCPFkya0FNUthM3QvS1cIvrAe2bGbHxHWcCsOTWr7cloaaNXf1hyoIHpqDbgNeY_tsDJMBcpa58k0EAtt0NWWBn68hjlyQQBeUUoDgHl-kYc8f9b0WDFrJ88cgh4IN-elTMUCMPTb4-IWb_y3bFl_SL26TGJMTOA8EwEjZV-j_PA/s2048/janiva%203.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1828" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhnLK9eEVLIOrq9vliCPFkya0FNUthM3QvS1cIvrAe2bGbHxHWcCsOTWr7cloaaNXf1hyoIHpqDbgNeY_tsDJMBcpa58k0EAtt0NWWBn68hjlyQQBeUUoDgHl-kYc8f9b0WDFrJ88cgh4IN-elTMUCMPTb4-IWb_y3bFl_SL26TGJMTOA8EwEjZV-j_PA/s320/janiva%203.jpg" width="286" /></a></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="text-align: left;">Anytime Janiva Magness comes to town is a time to
celebrate. The Detroit native is out on the road celebrating the release of her
16</span><sup style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; text-align: left;">th</sup><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="text-align: left;"> album, </span><b style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; text-align: left;"><i>Hard To Kill</i></b><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="text-align: left;">, and she and her four-piece band
rolled into Richmond’s Tin Pan last night to entertain an enthusiastic crowd.</span></span></span></div><p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" style="font-size: medium; line-height: 107%;">Due to Covid restrictions, it had been several years since
Magness had been in Richmond and the crowd was comprised mostly of people who
had seen her before and missed her during the plague. Even before she took the
stage, several old friends gathered around her to catch up and it took a few
moments to start the show.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" style="font-size: medium; line-height: 107%;">Once things got going, they started hot. She launched into
a smoking version of Little Milton’s <i>What Love Will Do</i> that featured a battle
between keyboard player Jim Alfredson and Guitarist Zach Zunis. This “battle”
would be repeated a few more times as the two traded licks throughout the
night.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" style="font-size: medium; line-height: 107%;">She started into her next song but stopped the band only a
couple of bars in so she could talk to the audience. She needed to connect with
the crowd on a more intimate level and once she had done so, she was able to
move on to her next song, <i>I Won’t Cry</i>. <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" style="font-size: medium; line-height: 107%;">From there she launched into <i>The Devil Is An Angel Too</i>
which featured some more guitar pyrotechnics from Zunis, which brought a great
deal of appreciation from the audience. <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" style="font-size: medium; line-height: 107%;">That was followed by an appreciation story of Percy Sledge,
the writer/performer of the next song, <i>Walking In The Sun</i> which amplified
the poignancy of the song. Another story followed, this time about the creation
of the song, <i>The Hammer</i>, and then one more about her book and the song <i>Weeds
Like Us</i>.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" style="font-size: medium; line-height: 107%;">A note about artists who tell stories about the creations
of songs or the inspirations behind them, there are those who follow the “shut
up and sing” school of thought. I am not one of them. I am fascinated by the
stories of the creation of works of art and feel that when an artist is brave
enough to lift the veil off of the finished work to expose the workings
beneath, we should pay extra attention. So please, tell more stories about what
goes into the making of the songs. I for one will be fascinated and I don’t
think I’ll be alone.</span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" style="font-size: medium; line-height: 107%;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgpl5GFxo8Ho_QVmO8gq4z7EzCl_0bQ2deiCiiJJHqn7ewTUt649J0xAbnJ9YJ6Q1axdRPmdMd2NQDt2Q03YWEyO98AMqzvec99IP0Hm2SVwImiB_D2gwWUfSMCWfNcFtspgCmBYaXM9T49Ci_U6pJfqAR12jePL9Yoo8r-wXGpuy6gMilt7B6cPK0ylw/s2048/janiva%206.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1680" data-original-width="2048" height="263" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgpl5GFxo8Ho_QVmO8gq4z7EzCl_0bQ2deiCiiJJHqn7ewTUt649J0xAbnJ9YJ6Q1axdRPmdMd2NQDt2Q03YWEyO98AMqzvec99IP0Hm2SVwImiB_D2gwWUfSMCWfNcFtspgCmBYaXM9T49Ci_U6pJfqAR12jePL9Yoo8r-wXGpuy6gMilt7B6cPK0ylw/s320/janiva%206.jpg" width="320" /></a></span></div><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" style="font-size: medium; line-height: 107%;"><br /><o:p></o:p></span><p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" style="font-size: medium; line-height: 107%;">After those songs, Magness and company moved on to songs
from the new album, kicking off with <i>Strong As Steel</i>, a story about her
grandmother that could very well be about Magness herself or any number of
strong women who have stood up to tough circumstances. Next was <i>The Last
Time</i> with another keyboard-guitar duel that rocked the house. <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" style="font-size: medium; line-height: 107%;">They followed up with <i>Fireman</i>, and then the entire
band went into squeals of delight as they shouted out “Lover Girl!” That
brought out a story of how the song was written for the Temptations and when
they passed on it, Magness pounced on it and had to fight for the right to sing
it. The song was “the most difficult of all the new songs to sing,” she said
and the band took great delight in playing it every night. The rhythm section
of Gary Davenport on bass and Matt Tecu on drums provided backing vocals and
Magness did vocal gymnastics while performing the song.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" style="font-size: medium; line-height: 107%;">She then sang a song she wrote with Annie Mack, <i>I’m
Still Here</i>, before moving on to <i>Closer</i>. Since there was so much
heavy material on the album she told the crowd, she needed a little comedy to
lighten the mood, so she performed <i>I Might As Well Be Standing On The Moon</i>,
before closing with <i>Don’t You Forget About Me</i>.</span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: large;">Magness graciously hung out with fans treating each as
friends and spending at least an hour greeting, talking, and signing autographs.
Anyone who wanted a picture got several. She proved to be the consummate professional
both on stage and off.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhuGiM5IA7He6n66M4K8l7TX-BdPEEOHjKc6rFIlEFbL4QxEJ0Oe0odbFHTzOhen0R7yjs9mKOrzz0lvjsrqrZVGwVlSTTXDUVWPgMWE0PgF0LRRCvGBkbFHkF45qiIEew_OCdUatyFSXJdB2x0ZkS4mKLzmapoR3E9AgFWL7pkrklZTj7W6tZFaC7O4A/s2592/4812603984390371929.jpg" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1944" data-original-width="2592" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhuGiM5IA7He6n66M4K8l7TX-BdPEEOHjKc6rFIlEFbL4QxEJ0Oe0odbFHTzOhen0R7yjs9mKOrzz0lvjsrqrZVGwVlSTTXDUVWPgMWE0PgF0LRRCvGBkbFHkF45qiIEew_OCdUatyFSXJdB2x0ZkS4mKLzmapoR3E9AgFWL7pkrklZTj7W6tZFaC7O4A/s320/4812603984390371929.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>(From l to r Henry Cook, Janiva Magness, John Porter)</i></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><p></p><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><i>(Concert photos by Anita Schlank, Time For The Blues photo by Holly Porter. Used by permission.)</i></div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8526793194435404474.post-38731619576344330252022-05-05T08:50:00.000-07:002022-05-05T08:50:14.938-07:00Roy Book Binder Live At The Tin Pan May 4, 2022<p><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7SRShY7P7qr8r0O5mb2otmsByby658EXx31xVrNT06_aUz_S687xhEQgoo9HjdzY870NVG0Apv9A7euTYxCNa-sXdqo6krgCbjlXb5yBfdFK0RpeiO9_lQota037SCeVsbCD1uCaLezPBPSjUk15D9RaoQAy_m22KoANAnicFu2sXO6sB7KzaqlyIKw/s4624/20220504_200423.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4624" data-original-width="3468" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7SRShY7P7qr8r0O5mb2otmsByby658EXx31xVrNT06_aUz_S687xhEQgoo9HjdzY870NVG0Apv9A7euTYxCNa-sXdqo6krgCbjlXb5yBfdFK0RpeiO9_lQota037SCeVsbCD1uCaLezPBPSjUk15D9RaoQAy_m22KoANAnicFu2sXO6sB7KzaqlyIKw/s320/20220504_200423.jpg" width="240" /></a></div><p></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">The large stage of the Tin Pan held only a chair, a couple
of microphones, and two monitors waiting for its guest of honor to appear. Right
at the stroke of eight, a slight man in a green and white striped shirt, brown
cap, and an oversized mustache strolled out, took a seat and began talking to
the audience like he was sitting on his front porch ready to play some of his
favorite music.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">Roy Book Binder is not a flashy entertainer. He is low key
and personable. He’s the kind of person you would want to have over for dinner
just to hear his stories of life on the road, and he brings those songs and
stories to every stage he plays.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">He started out his night at the Tin Pan with a Mississippi
John Hurt song he hasn’t played in a few years, <i>I Hear You Knockin’ But You
Can’t Come In</i>, and the assembled audience gave him back plenty of
encouragement and wanted more. Right at first, Book Binder slid from one song
into the next without much talk in between, establishing what kind of music he
wanted to play – laying down <i>What You Gonna</i> <i>Do</i> and <i>I Got Mine</i>
before taking a break.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">He took a moment to describe his next song as one from his
country days on the Ralph Emery show where he was a self-described “Goober Act.”
“This is a country song, not a blues song,” he told the crowd, “but anything
can be a blues song.” He proved it with his rendition of <i>I’m An Old Chunk Of
Coal</i>. It was a sweet number and was much appreciated by the enthusiastic
crowd. <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">From there, Book Binder told a story about his time with
the Reverend Gary Davis, even recommending a recent book (<i>Say No To The
Devil</i>) about Davis before playing <i>Candy Man Blues</i>. He then told the
story of his new home in Florida and played <i>St. Pete Blues</i>.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">Fielding a question from the audience about his guitar, he
explained it was a 1927 Gibson Jazz Guitar, a Nick Lucas model with a deep
body. He said that he preferred, “guitars that are older than me and wives that
are younger!”<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">Up next was Charlie Jordan’s <i>Keep It Clean</i> before telling
another Reverend Gary Davis story and playing his own <i>The Preacher Picked
The Guitar</i>.</span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjtZWiZF__94vuMsv70DaPfndoKkOulh7vlIGIH1WlEOPeMQQyLwpDFOUl-kNebLvJyBpzWs9VnKYTCUGka2yGhgYeUrd1XVVD2C2z0QQ0jagLdAiN0M2RvGlXti7Z6mA9FBvNcpkdFMOFkps46seNz7OpyT841-kMbhbpB1DkZmYiY7fqeVEnAM64nFw/s4624/20220504_200432.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4624" data-original-width="3468" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjtZWiZF__94vuMsv70DaPfndoKkOulh7vlIGIH1WlEOPeMQQyLwpDFOUl-kNebLvJyBpzWs9VnKYTCUGka2yGhgYeUrd1XVVD2C2z0QQ0jagLdAiN0M2RvGlXti7Z6mA9FBvNcpkdFMOFkps46seNz7OpyT841-kMbhbpB1DkZmYiY7fqeVEnAM64nFw/s320/20220504_200432.jpg" width="240" /></a></div><br /> <o:p></o:p><p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">That gave way to <i>Ragtime Millionaire</i>, which Book
Binder later told me was written by a Richmonder named William Moore. The man
never stopped teaching us something even after his show was over! Having
discussed Reverend Davis a couple of times, he felt it was only fitting to play
a Christian song, so he played <i>Oh Glory, How Happy I Am</i>.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">Sometimes Book Binder’s stream of consciousness stories and
songs jumped from one thing to another as we went from Christian songs to
Virginia artist Luke Jordan and a piece of his <i>Won’t You Be Kind</i> to Big
Bill Broonzy’s <i>Long Tall Mama</i> in the space of a few minutes.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">Book Binder then started in on <i>It’s Gonna Be Alright Someday</i>
before suffering a “senior moment” and abandoning the song in favor of his
motto song, <i>It Could Have Been Worse</i>. He then told the story of a young
girl killed by her boyfriend who became the subject of several blues songs, and
sang his, <i>Delia</i>.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">Nearing the end of his set, Book Binder gave a little
history of the old time medicine shows, those traveling shows that would use
entertainers to draw in a crowd before the salesman would sell patent medicine
cure alls. This is a fascinating subset of American history and he’s actually
been a part of a couple of reenactments that have taken place showing modern
audiences what those events would have looked like.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">That gave way to his song, <i>Step Right Up</i>, which
became his rallying cry for selling CDs and DVDs after the show! From there he
played <i>Another Man Done A Fool Go Round</i> and closed with the title track
from his most recent release, <i>The Good Book</i>.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">After the show, Book Binder spent as much time as anyone wanted
talking with him about the show, his experiences, and his merchandise. He was
as personable with everyone individually as he was with the total audience. Roy
Book Binder is a consummate professional and a terrific entertainer – equally at
home with folk audiences as he is with blues audiences.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">If you love a good story and some great acoustic guitar, be
sure to catch him somewhere down the road.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;"><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;"><i>(Photos by Holly Porter, used by permission.)</i></span></p>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8526793194435404474.post-61628033762942843562022-03-30T21:30:00.001-07:002022-03-30T21:30:00.224-07:00Time For The Blues ~~ April 2, 2022<p><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEidPB-MdlbGgfR5u53rALe638Si7zTkFNvgCndpiHBjtQI6GAGO6RM2Qg25PK5ZbfUFFfAvHpAYlnoGp7DF8F3htxfOC7rPVWe7eN0_-SPMzyjV8E9AqlOnghIcGaQzUXoSWIN5a9VAKJaeIlwyg0NI5DHfP6VC90u89o0TvBbNiHznHEtnza2tcceIeg/s404/Whats%20Shakin%20Art.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="402" data-original-width="404" height="318" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEidPB-MdlbGgfR5u53rALe638Si7zTkFNvgCndpiHBjtQI6GAGO6RM2Qg25PK5ZbfUFFfAvHpAYlnoGp7DF8F3htxfOC7rPVWe7eN0_-SPMzyjV8E9AqlOnghIcGaQzUXoSWIN5a9VAKJaeIlwyg0NI5DHfP6VC90u89o0TvBbNiHznHEtnza2tcceIeg/s320/Whats%20Shakin%20Art.png" width="320" /></a></div><br />I hope you will join us this Saturday night, April 2, at
9:00 on Time For The Blues as Henry Cook and I try to figure out WHAT’S
SHAKIN’. Not as in “What’s going on” but as in this very cool disc that Mr.
Cook found that has some very early Clapton that neither one of us had ever
heard before.<p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">It’s no secret that Eric Clapton has been in some of the
most decorated bands in rock and blues history, from John Mayall’s Bluesbreakers,
to the Yardbirds, to Derek and the Dominos to Cream and even to his massive
solo output, the man has been everywhere and played with everybody. And we knew
them all.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">Or so we thought…<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">There was a group we didn’t know and Henry has unearthed
several sides and brought them to the show to share with you this week! Let’s
just say it’s a “powerhouse” of a line-up. But WHAT’S SHAKIN’ has even more to
offer like some sides from the Paul Butterfield Blues Band, another one of our
favorites and a cornerstone of the modern blues movement!<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">Since this is a show that Henry has produced, we’re going
to take a walk down retro lane with visits with some of Clapton’s best known
bands and collaborations. We’ll hear from The Yardbirds, John Mayall’s
Bluesbreakers, Cream, Derek and the Dominos, and a side from a collaboration
with the great Steve Winwood. <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">But that’s not all we’re cooking up. We’ve got new sides
from Christone “Kingfish” Ingram, Tinsley Ellis, and Jose Ramirez with special
guest Jimmy Johnson on guitar. You won’t want to miss any of these!<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 12.0pt;"><span style="color: black; font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">We’ll be glad to have your company if you care to join us at 9:00
this Saturday night. That’s March 26, and you can find us on one of these great
VPM Stations: 89.1 WCVN, Northern Neck; 90.1 WMVE, Chase City; and the
flagships, 93.1 and 107.3 VPM-Music, Richmond, where it’s always </span><b><span style="color: #4472c4; font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-themecolor: accent1;">Time For The Blues</span></b><span style="color: black; font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">!</span><span style="color: black; font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.5pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8526793194435404474.post-81318166529014602392022-03-24T12:53:00.003-07:002022-03-24T12:53:53.877-07:00Fred Hostetler ~~ Wall Of Dreams (EP)<p><b><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;"></span></b></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><b><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj6zA-3DHPQO8zTyLxjviiQ_o3JcCg6DJa2vZMnEfJV1Zj0Jl4KvhTNZFH5hwFZmU0gpq6V8Zel5nT_CvkUsCZsxLe9b37OGjqy-m2-BC1LhZtmjm5Rd_11nK8PITWqCxaCF2l7DeyLQlmbJyPFWq0eeEfVVdXMnqUHkor_ATxqi5Z_m3q9UEGc_scxow/s500/fred%20hostetler%20wall%20art.webp" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="497" data-original-width="500" height="318" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj6zA-3DHPQO8zTyLxjviiQ_o3JcCg6DJa2vZMnEfJV1Zj0Jl4KvhTNZFH5hwFZmU0gpq6V8Zel5nT_CvkUsCZsxLe9b37OGjqy-m2-BC1LhZtmjm5Rd_11nK8PITWqCxaCF2l7DeyLQlmbJyPFWq0eeEfVVdXMnqUHkor_ATxqi5Z_m3q9UEGc_scxow/s320/fred%20hostetler%20wall%20art.webp" width="320" /></a></b></div><b><br />Fred Hostetler</b><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;"> is a
man of many influences and you can hear them all in his music. Maybe not all at
once, but if you listen long enough you will hear blues, progressive, and
melodic pop come together in a most pleasing manner. His latest EP, <b><i>Wall
Of Dreams</i></b>, is mostly progressive, but like all of his work, other traces
of his influences seep in and color the experience.</span><p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">The first song is the title track, <i>Wall Of Dreams</i>,
and it features Eric Troyer as the mix engineer as well as providing keyboards
and additional vocals. It is an ethereal piece of music with some definite
Beatlesque touches. When I first listened to it, it reminded me of John Lennon’s
work around the time of the <i>Mind Games</i> album, although not quite as
bombastic. That’s pretty good company to be in. It’s a very good track to open
the album with and it immediately went onto my current playlist so I can listen
to it some more.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">Next up is <i>You Don’t Know What You Don’t Know</i>,
perhaps one of the truest statements ever uttered. It’s the bluesiest song on
the EP, although to my ears it is still more psychedelic than anything else. It’s
got some good lyrics and the song stands up very well.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">Hostetler follows that with <i>True True Love</i>, with
Robbie Cribbs as the mix engineer and providing backing vocals. Almost every
song of the last hundred years or so has been about love, but has any song ever
completely captured what it is to be in love? This number is lovely and makes a
good addition to the love canon. <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">Next is a song with the title <i>Olof Daughter’s Finnish
Knee High Leather Boots</i> which again features Troyer. It’s a story song of
meeting a girl on the street, being taken with her presence and eventually
marrying her. It’s also an homage to a time and a place of the 1960’s Greenwich
Village. Remember, Dylan had some titles that were out there as well…<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><i><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">Dreamers Dream</span></i><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;"> is
one of the more powerful songs on the album for the way it handles issues that
are currently in the news. There are so many people dreaming for peace,
dreaming for shelter, dreaming for being reunited with family and loved ones,
there are millions of dreams and just as many dreamers. I know the song was
written and recorded before all the horrible things went down, but I couldn't
help thinking of the people of Ukraine when I listened to this song.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">Lastly is <i>River Of Hope</i>, which Hostetler has
released as a single as well as being on this EP. It’s another powerful
uplifting song and a great way to wrap up the disc with a feeling of optimism.
Hostetler is definitely not a doom and gloom kind of performer, he is the kind
who will try to lift every person up and hold them in the light and he has done
so with this collection of songs.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">You are probably not going to find Wall Of Dreams at your
local record store, assuming you have a local record store. It is available for
streaming and downloads at Amazon, Apple Music, YouTube, Spotify, and nearly
everywhere. Physical CDs and all his music can be purchased from the artist’s
website: <a href="http://www.fredsheartradio.com">www.fredsheartradio.com</a> <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></p>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8526793194435404474.post-22489063831638402242022-03-23T08:13:00.000-07:002022-03-23T08:13:05.385-07:00Time For The Blues ~~ March 26, 2022<p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEif_pGKHDa9Ii1qhOrS1kc2d-411IlUidvr4hS70Lwgqwboz5XZ0gqDMShU_o3I0mROpTtX34XB6eB7ZTiFoTl-3kw3aedSYqT7DaHNQhWzyijArEjNPsI2YmMRvY_7ZJlsjmze76L6eYcLVTH7bAAwqkTmi7IqIM1qOHds2fVDVNe_KsqBDmesLojxuQ/s736/Blues%20Image-H1.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="569" data-original-width="736" height="247" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEif_pGKHDa9Ii1qhOrS1kc2d-411IlUidvr4hS70Lwgqwboz5XZ0gqDMShU_o3I0mROpTtX34XB6eB7ZTiFoTl-3kw3aedSYqT7DaHNQhWzyijArEjNPsI2YmMRvY_7ZJlsjmze76L6eYcLVTH7bAAwqkTmi7IqIM1qOHds2fVDVNe_KsqBDmesLojxuQ/s320/Blues%20Image-H1.png" width="320" /></a></div><p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><b><span style="color: black; font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Time For The Blues ~~ Tommy Castro Presents A Bluesman
Comes To Town<o:p></o:p></span></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">Henry Cook and I hope you will join us for a
very special Time For The Blues this Saturday night, March 26</span><sup style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">th</sup><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">, at
9:00 as we present music and conversation with one of the busiest blues
performers around right now, Mr. Tommy Castro!</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">Castro is coming to Richmond on April 5</span><sup style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">th</sup><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">
with sax/piano/vocals great Deanna Bogart (who joins him in our conversation)
to perform at The Tin Pan starting at 8:00 p.m. If you have never seen either
of these two high powered dynamos, you owe it to yourself to catch them
together while you can. I’ve had the good fortune to catch them both separately
and can’t wait to see them in this special engagement.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">We have some songs from Castro’s latest Alligator
release, </span><b style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;"><i>A Bluesman Comes To Town</i></b><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">, a fascinating album that plays
like an entire story cycle. It’s a fascinating concept that I’ve seen done by a
handful of rock acts over the years, but this is the first time I’ve seen it attempted
by a blues artist. It’s definitely worth checking out in its complete form.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">Then Castro and Bogart will join us by phone
(they were in rehearsal) to talk about the album and what their plans are for
the upcoming tour. Bogart started her musical career in the DC area (that’s
where I first saw her) and is looking forward to coming back to our area for a
visit. Not as much as we’re looking forward to seeing her return!</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">But that’s not the whole show. Oh no…</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">We’ve also got new releases from Patti Parks
from her VizzTone release, </span><b style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;"><i>Whole Nother World</i></b><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">; The Hitman Blues Band
from their recent album, the perfectly titled </span><b style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;"><i>Not My Circus Not My Monkey</i></b><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">;
and Eddie 9V from </span><b style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;"><i>Little Black Flies</i></b><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;"> on Ruf.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">More recent releases include Rob Stone featuring
Elena Kato and Hiroshi Eguchi from </span><b style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;"><i>Trio in Tokyo</i></b><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;"> on Blue Heart
Records; Dexter Allen from </span><b style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;"><i>Keep Moving</i></b><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;"> </span><b style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;"><i>On</i></b><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;"> on Endless
Blues; and Alex Lopex from </span><b style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;"><i>Rising Up</i></b><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;"> on Maremil Music.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">Even that’s not all! Henry has a special surprise
up his sleeve, a preview of next week’s retro show with songs from The Paul
Butterfield Blues Band and Eric Clapton & The Powerhouse. Who are The
Powerhouse you ask? You’ll want to tune in next week for the whole story. It’s
a good one!</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 12.0pt;"><span style="color: black; font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">We’ll be glad to have your company if you care to join us at 9:00
this Saturday night. That’s March 26, and you can find us on one of these great
VPM Stations: 89.1 WCVN, Northern Neck; 90.1 WMVE, Chase City; and the
flagships, 93.1 and 107.3 VPM-Music, Richmond, where it’s always </span><b><span style="color: #4472c4; font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-themecolor: accent1;">Time For The Blues</span></b><span style="color: black; font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">!</span><span style="color: black; font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.5pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="color: black; font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="color: black; font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><b><span style="color: black; font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 14.5pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><o:p> </o:p></span></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 12.0pt;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8526793194435404474.post-34993765522049436472022-03-16T08:41:00.008-07:002022-03-17T12:30:17.750-07:00TIME FOR THE BLUES ~~ March 19, 2022<p><b><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" style="color: #4f81bd; font-size: 12pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-themecolor: accent1;"></span></b></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><b><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEg5Dq0O2B6u2BhO_doAbD-ahwnlgh-OtmU2ot-pImTV_Ho6-Qvx7Aa5oylAfQsizjzBuZa1Y1hgFR8LOE5mrAMC4_o1-45sZh_kaKnWfemUIWoN1zL4jJRD8s2xjAnCbk3aTIwTfa_GP9oVDliSFDd923xrFnNr0lHzHIist7eBZXZ2GSpppyZ8m6R_Cg=s736" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="569" data-original-width="736" height="247" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEg5Dq0O2B6u2BhO_doAbD-ahwnlgh-OtmU2ot-pImTV_Ho6-Qvx7Aa5oylAfQsizjzBuZa1Y1hgFR8LOE5mrAMC4_o1-45sZh_kaKnWfemUIWoN1zL4jJRD8s2xjAnCbk3aTIwTfa_GP9oVDliSFDd923xrFnNr0lHzHIist7eBZXZ2GSpppyZ8m6R_Cg=w401-h247" width="401" /></a></b></div><b>Time For The Blues</b><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="color: #4f81bd; font-size: 12pt;"> </span><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="font-size: 12pt;">is back like a bad penny but with some great
music for your listening pleasure. Henry and I are glad to be back behind our
respective microphones spinning records and telling some seriously bad jokes. It
all takes place this Saturday night, March 19, beginning at 9:00 on VPM-Music
or vpm.org. </span><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="font-size: 12pt;"> </span><p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" style="color: black; font-size: 12pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Last week, we dropped some Christone “Kingfish”
Ingram on ya from his latest disc, <i>662</i>, as well as some Curtis Salgado
from his recent disc, <i>Damage Control</i>. This week we’ve got another
six-string wizard, Tinsley Ellis from his most recent release, <i>Devil May
Care</i> on Alligator! If you haven’t had a chance to explore Ellis’ work before,
he is not only a prolific and high level guitar slinger, but he’s a certified
road warrior who always seems to be out on tour.</span><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="font-size: 12pt;"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" style="color: black; font-size: 12pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Keep your eyes open to see if he’s coming to a
venue near you. If he is, don’t wait, get those tickets early and go for an
exciting evening of the blues!</span><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="font-size: 12pt;"><b> **WE'VE JUST RECEIVED WORD THAT TINSLEY ELLIS IS COMING TOTHE TIN PAN ON JULY 14TH AND TICKETS ARE ON SALE NOW**</b></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" style="color: black; font-size: 12pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">That there is worth the price of admission
alone, but we’ve got even more for you. We’ve got the sweet sweet soul blues of
the one and only John Németh! He’s got a great new disc out on NOLA Blue/Memphis
Grease titled <i>Stronger Than Strong</i> and we’ve got a nice sample from it
just for you.</span><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="font-size: 12pt;"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" style="color: black; font-size: 12pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Németh is another one of those hard working
artists that you are likely to fine somewhere out on the road and if you do,
you don’t want to miss! So, be sure to catch him here to get a small sample of
what you would see live.</span><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="font-size: 12pt;"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" style="color: black; font-size: 12pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">There’s still more for you that you won’t want
to miss. We’ve got Artur Menezes featuring Joe Bonamassa; the Greg Sover Band;
and Ben Levin with an ode to one of the great cure-alls that was actually worse
than what it purported to cure! There’s also piano wizard Veronica Lewis
performing a classic Katie Webster tune that’ll rock you out; Skylar Rogers heading
<i>Back To Memphis</i>; and just for grins, one last Curtis Salgado song that
will do anything but make you slow down!</span><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="font-size: 12pt;"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 12.0pt; margin: 12pt 0in 0in;"><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" style="color: black; font-size: 12pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">We’ll be glad to have your company if you care to join us at 9:00
this Saturday night. That’s March 19, and you can find us on one of these great
VPM Stations: 89.1 WCVN, Northern Neck; 90.1 WMVE, Chase City; and the
flagships, 93.1 and 107.3 VPM-Music, Richmond, where it’s always </span><b><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" style="color: #4f81bd; font-size: 12pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-themecolor: accent1;">Time For The Blues</span></b><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" style="color: black; font-size: 12pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">!</span><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" style="color: black; font-size: 12.5pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" style="color: black; font-size: 12pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" style="color: black; font-size: 12pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" style="color: black; font-size: 12pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><b><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" style="color: black; font-size: 14.5pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><o:p> </o:p></span></b></p>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8526793194435404474.post-65768070813007793682022-01-26T08:39:00.002-08:002022-01-26T08:39:45.866-08:00Sandy Haley ~~ Feels Like Freedom<p><b></b></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><b><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEglSOYfviOgTXO0oEN-OPS1Buj04idr0qgQ6AiL0Y92D-wsvurOTJwVBhz1heAd8kPL6AHQ9TM-xuN4zw8xhopkuXIJDpNik7gho0mrUOBv_wDlhEzRn9unUWohszDr2uPY2kNkHM99sYZ7Iv9_yVvo9t0H3xZJgMJSP7nKGjlCNQnjJEUMLGVDIRsr9w=s768" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="768" data-original-width="768" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEglSOYfviOgTXO0oEN-OPS1Buj04idr0qgQ6AiL0Y92D-wsvurOTJwVBhz1heAd8kPL6AHQ9TM-xuN4zw8xhopkuXIJDpNik7gho0mrUOBv_wDlhEzRn9unUWohszDr2uPY2kNkHM99sYZ7Iv9_yVvo9t0H3xZJgMJSP7nKGjlCNQnjJEUMLGVDIRsr9w=s320" width="320" /></a></b></div><b><br />Sandy Haley</b> grew up a gospel singer in Detroit but
found herself in Southern California with a broken heart and turned towards
singing the blues. Teaming up with the great Tony Braunagel, she has just
released the new CD, <i>Feels Like Freedom</i> which is available through her
website and other streaming services.<p></p><p class="MsoNormal"><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><i>Dirty Dog</i> is an instant honkytonk classic! This is a
great raucous story of a man who has been out sniffing around where he ought
not be sniffing around and coming home to a woman who is fed up with his
philandering ways. Great harp work and loads of barking gives this song more
than enough energy to drive this high energy song to great heights. Learn this
lesson well fellows, do not mess with this woman's feelings or you will find
yourself relegated to the doghouse - or the pound...<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">The title track, <i>Feels Like Freedom</i> shows a different
side of Haley as she croons her way through a great day. The feeling is mellow
and the sax punctuates the song nicely along with the backup singers. This is a
sweet song of positive energy and Haley gets to show some of her gospel chops as
her vocals soar. <o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Next up, <i>Love Me Right</i> slows things down to a late-night
crawl. She works with her electric piano to create a haunting sound before the
rest of the band joins in. The guitar adds to that sound and this one will
definitely be joining my evening play list. This one has a wonderful blues jazz
feel with the addition of a trumpet taking a break. Her vocals are deep and
smoky and will send shivers up your spine.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Then, <i>Never Sleep</i> picks up the pace as she tells the
story of a young career woman who is making the mistake of carrying on with a
middle management man trying to further her career. The fat horns make the song
sound so happy but the lyrics tell the story - the piano is seriously rocking
as well. This is a great song and should serve as a warning to those women who
think that this is a shortcut to success. <o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Finally, <i>Run For Shelter</i> closes out the album with a
slow and powerful note of what can happen when a woman has to run for her life.
Haley's vocals drive the song and the sax delivers a beautiful counterpoint.
It's a number of hope as maybe one day, love will find a way.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><b>Sandy Haley</b> is breaking out with <i>Feels Like
Freedom</i>. She's well known in her California area for her hard edged blues
but now she can share her talents with more of us. This could just be the
beginning of a solid career. <a href=" https://www.sandyhaleymusic.com/" target="_blank">Check her out at her website</a><o:p></o:p></p>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8526793194435404474.post-50165750020284834402022-01-12T11:04:00.000-08:002022-01-12T11:04:35.078-08:00 Debra Power ~~ What Colour Is Love (Single)<p><br /></p><p></p><p style="margin: 0in;"><span style="color: black; font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 13.5pt;"><br />
</span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjJjBxS-OtuNH7F974ZAd7Y6FnQEZWmQ1j1sdUmBLf0cnyPvH58K0k45MFWrnbQ_woTA0XpFxIjbjNROWDECX4vMILNrmbIaWhsgxhQaOd5BJjnoRtdTCk9iEhw4Ybmc1PE2j24x2rSuyeKedGZRdBHkLKtRGPA_MphEGD6G8VpeP410oF3itPoyKWmNg=s1600" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1600" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjJjBxS-OtuNH7F974ZAd7Y6FnQEZWmQ1j1sdUmBLf0cnyPvH58K0k45MFWrnbQ_woTA0XpFxIjbjNROWDECX4vMILNrmbIaWhsgxhQaOd5BJjnoRtdTCk9iEhw4Ybmc1PE2j24x2rSuyeKedGZRdBHkLKtRGPA_MphEGD6G8VpeP410oF3itPoyKWmNg=s320" width="320" /></a></div><br />Recently I've been receiving a fair number of singles and with the limited
travel and recording times that most artists are facing, that's totally
understandable. This single, <i>What Colour Is Love</i> comes from one of my
favorite artists, Debra Power, who hails from North Of The Border, so I guess
that would make her one of my "favourite" artists...<o:p></o:p><p></p>
<p style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; margin: 0in; orphans: 2; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-thickness: initial; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;"><span style="color: black; font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 13.5pt;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; margin: 0in; orphans: 2; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-thickness: initial; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;"><span style="color: black; font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 13.5pt;">Spelling
differences asides, <i>What Colour Is Love</i>, a duet with Keeshea Pratt is
the first single Power is dropping from her February release I’M NOT FROM
CHICAGO and it's a powerful one. Every so often an artist needs to remind us of
simple truths, and this is one of those times. A human being is not just a
color, when one looks at another human, a color is just one aspect of an entire
life. Listen to Power and Pratt as they say it much more succinctly and powerfully
than I can. <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; margin: 0in; orphans: 2; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-thickness: initial; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;"><span style="color: black; font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 13.5pt;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; margin: 0in; orphans: 2; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-thickness: initial; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;"><i><span style="color: black; font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 13.5pt;">What Colour Is Love</span></i><span style="color: black; font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 13.5pt;"> is a great sweet song that
delivers a beautiful message in just shy of 4 1/2 minutes. Power's piano is
lovely and reminds me of the way Carole King uses the instrument to set up her
voice. Calgary artists Steve Pineo has a nice guitar answer to go with it.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; margin: 0in; orphans: 2; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-thickness: initial; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;"><span style="color: black; font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 13.5pt;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; margin: 0in; orphans: 2; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-thickness: initial; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;"><span style="color: black; font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 13.5pt;">All
in all it's a great song that I hope will generate some air play. It will get
some on </span><span style="color: #4472c4; font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 13.5pt; mso-themecolor: accent1;">Time For The Blues </span><span style="color: black; font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 13.5pt;">and I
sincerely hope other shows will follow suit!<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p><br /><p></p>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8526793194435404474.post-54211073036358506322021-12-14T09:16:00.002-08:002021-12-14T09:16:26.476-08:00Cathy Grier Delivers Holiday Song YOU'RE NOT HERE<p><span style="font-family: arial;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhMvAk6bhxN-tRHeZz_LN2AcHuVX4J_R6fSXwo9ju_ofRtMfaqq7-MES3nYgbC5R2ssoLF9El_uvsRAu7jGw8sAc2aw_9ZXgaaeKXZ_rHHEBYnLy0Cl0kBfSfe6mcBD6Kan8mGvVRyamp3AawNT04kp6B3fdfVCaXC-7DMtMSVVdcHJtZsqWgpDoqhzcQ=s739" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="739" data-original-width="554" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhMvAk6bhxN-tRHeZz_LN2AcHuVX4J_R6fSXwo9ju_ofRtMfaqq7-MES3nYgbC5R2ssoLF9El_uvsRAu7jGw8sAc2aw_9ZXgaaeKXZ_rHHEBYnLy0Cl0kBfSfe6mcBD6Kan8mGvVRyamp3AawNT04kp6B3fdfVCaXC-7DMtMSVVdcHJtZsqWgpDoqhzcQ=s320" width="240" /></a></span></div><span style="font-family: arial;"><br />Santa Blues here with my annual takeover of the Professor's Blog. I always look forward to talking about some great Christmas Blues/Americana but things have been a little busy at the North Pole this year and I haven't really had a whole lot of new tunes to listen to. One that caught my ear though came from Cathy Grier with a very bluesy tune called "You're Not Here."</span><p></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;">There are lots of Christmas stories about missing loved ones or being far away from home, but this is the first one in my collection about missing a four legged friend. And for those of us animal lovers - you wouldn't believe how many pets Santa Blues has beyond the eight reindeer and that prima donna Rudolph - the holidays just aren't the same if we don't have our animal family with us to celebrate.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;">Grier has a gutsy deep voice that drops deep emotion on you and the song starts off sparse but builds and whild the message is powerful, she doesn't beat you over the head with it, just states her case and moves on. It's really very good and it made Mrs. Claus cry and I would be lying if I said I didn't get misty eyed as well.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;">So Happiest of Holidays from the Claus family, Santa and Mrs. and our head elf Henry. If you have new seasonal music, be sure to send it our way and we'll do our best to get more reviews up before the end of the year.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;">And to all a Good Night!</span></p>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8526793194435404474.post-4099396909598500382021-11-26T11:43:00.001-08:002021-11-26T11:43:34.509-08:00Jangling Sparrows ~~ Telecoaster<p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhRZ6fvzjaV2zIVgFHc666W2e3JXgZa0jx0_REnsEF_5vIE7_7zQx8C8vlrgcZlB09Oc8TXBpZ_V2rqBjMZKmxNkFzj_UQfevGe951hY7lOGfTggkKOfemMe_VnPnlELpSD1Tps-GH2Ghi7/s427/Jangling-Sparrows-Telecoaster.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="391" data-original-width="427" height="293" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhRZ6fvzjaV2zIVgFHc666W2e3JXgZa0jx0_REnsEF_5vIE7_7zQx8C8vlrgcZlB09Oc8TXBpZ_V2rqBjMZKmxNkFzj_UQfevGe951hY7lOGfTggkKOfemMe_VnPnlELpSD1Tps-GH2Ghi7/s320/Jangling-Sparrows-Telecoaster.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><p></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">Asheville, North Carolina is an amazing town. It’s an
artist magnet with all sorts of painters, sculptors, craft artists, writers,
and musicians who don’t sound like twenty other musicians who are all playing
in the same dives every weekend. It’s surrounded by magical forests and dark
mountains. It’s the kind of place where every day is an adventure for those who
open their eyes to their surroundings.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">One such person who has opened himself up to all sorts of
possibilities is Paul Edelman, who as a solo artist and as the leader behind
the Jangling Sparrows, continues to make some of the best Americana music
around. The latest album by the Jangling Sparrows is titled <b><i>Telecoaster</i></b>,
and I was fortunate enough to receive an electronic copy that due to holiday
commitments, I was unable to enjoy until now.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">Fortunately, I was able to make up for lost time…<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">The album starts off with <i>Ready Or Not</i> and this is
an exciting way to open the album, a brass band leading us down the street in a
meandering way and reminding us that we need to be able to let things go as a
natural cause. It's cheerful and fun with some great horn work and a thrilling
promise for the rest of the disc.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">Next up is <i>Hey There Brother</i>, which starts off like
a folky RIchie Havens style number with some conga percussion setting the pace.
things pick up quickly with Edelman's trademark lyrics that often run deeper
than his contemporaries. Great song. <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">They follow up with <i>Contagious</i> and the horns are
back with some pomp and circumstance before Edelman's vocals take over. He's
angrier here, ready to take on the world, in a fighting mood. This is a darker
song than we've heard so far on the album, but the cheery trumpets make it seem
lighter than it really is. Edelman is a consummate songwriter, with the right
exposure, he'll take his place among the true American greats.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">Then there’s <i>I Still Love Rock and Roll</i>. Edelman starts
off with several nods to conspiracy theories before declaring his love for the
music known as Rock and Roll. No matter what we might face, sometimes it takes
something we love to make it all worthwhile to us to make us be able to go on.
Music is truth, and the music we love can cut through all the noise and
distraction. Very cool song and my favorite on the album so far...<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">From there he goes to <i>Photograph</i>. Leave it to
Edelman to look at a photograph and while loving that snap of a moment in time
realize that he is not that photograph, just an image frozen forever. It's a
sweet song and listen to his twists of lyrics, he's one of the best.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><i><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">Dance Around the Fire</span></i><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;"> starts
off with a hypnotic take making me think of a shaman's chant as he or she
danced around the fire in order to reach that moment when they could tell the
future. This is a powerful number and one that should get some airplay on any
Americana based radio shows. I would definitely play this pdq.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">Next up is <i>Ghost of 8th and Tasker</i>. This is a slow,
languid number that will haunt you with its delivery. I'm going to have to give
this a few more listens to really pull it apart, but for right now, this short,
sub 3-minute song has really made me sit up and listen.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">They follow up with <i>I Got Your Number</i>, a straight up
track that is melodic and seems simple on the surface, but still has some
twists of lyrics. It should also serve as a warning that the singer (Edelman)
can see through the smoke and mirrors and get to the real person beneath.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">From there they move on to <i>Americana B-Roll</i>. Edelman's
guitar and vocals take center stage on this slow but moving number before it
takes a turn down a country lane with some pedal steel. It's a sweet song on
the surface but listen to the vocals "there's no one left inside me but
myself/and I'm not enough." There are some dark corners in this song and
that makes it all the more powerful.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">There's what sounds like a quiet banjo in the background of
<i>Flags You Don't Fly</i>, pushing the song in a different direction. This one
continues the dark side of the previous number and the two make a strong
combination.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">Things slow down for the next song, <i>The Feather And The
Well</i>. It's got a more romantic feel, lots of lush imagery to make you feel
like you’re actually in the place. You can feel the darkness at the edges, the
heartbreak that's about to happen. It's a bittersweet number.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">The albums closes with Rain On The Rooftop. The drums are
invigorating and the guitar are refreshing and the vocals are evocative. I can
hear the raindrops in the drum cymbals and cascading keyboard strikes and can
feel like I'm in the place Edelman is describing. It's a sweet way to end the
album and even after 12 songs, I'm left wanting so much more.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><b><i><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">Telecoaster</span></i></b><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;"> is a
great album of Americana roots music. You can find out more about the album,
the Jangling Sparrows, and Paul Edelman <a href="https://janglingsparrows.com/" target="_blank">here at his website</a>. I’ve seen Paul
live once in a very intimate setting and he poured his heart and soul into
every note he played and sang. I can’t recommend catching him or the band live
highly enough!<o:p></o:p></span></p>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8526793194435404474.post-67615778522279832762021-11-21T09:21:00.001-08:002021-11-21T09:21:29.029-08:00Eric Gales Invades Tin Pan<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhMbt3K0aKVVCcfoe8ShFh3MHigdy0iPFPBVSrz3pR9KkhOcBlLBY20_eeg46T0lkt_Tr49GUnf7Kx3quSZIjsSfwA3Gj1JDN0Ffr9KR2B-b44w_eBmJ9rTYv7lxVhdaza0Hf5JjIC3JhB6/s2048/IMG_6481+%25282%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1621" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhMbt3K0aKVVCcfoe8ShFh3MHigdy0iPFPBVSrz3pR9KkhOcBlLBY20_eeg46T0lkt_Tr49GUnf7Kx3quSZIjsSfwA3Gj1JDN0Ffr9KR2B-b44w_eBmJ9rTYv7lxVhdaza0Hf5JjIC3JhB6/s320/IMG_6481+%25282%2529.jpg" width="253" /></a></div><p></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;">On a day when America was divided over the Kyle Rittenhouse
verdict, Eric Gales took to the stage in Richmond, Virginia’s Tin Pan and with his
blend of amazing high-octane performance and gentle reassurance that life does
get better, proceeded to entertain a sold-out crowd for a solid two hours.
Gales has been an underground phenomenon for some time now who has recently
burst into the mainstream and has become a major contender for the flat out
best guitarist – bar none – playing today.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;">Backed by a four piece band and a guitar tech who
occasionally added some bass, Gales casually strolled up to the stage, picked
up an acoustic style guitar, sat behind the microphone and thanked the audience
for allowing him “to invade your Friday night.” One of the hallmarks of Gales’
performance was his overwhelming graciousness to everyone – his audience, his
band, and the world at large throughout the night. He opened with “Carry
Yourself” and you could tell immediately that Gales doesn’t just play the
guitar with his fingers, he plays with his entire body and soul. It is a part
of him, and you can tell by his expressions that the connection runs deep.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;">After that, Gales switched to an electric guitar and went
into an extended instrumental version of “Smokestack Lightning” and really played
in a hot and cold style, ramping up the intensity of his guitar, building up
the tension and then slowing it down creating an ebb and flow that worked the
audience into a frenzy. From there he moved to “Layin’ Down the Blues” which
featured an organ break from his keyboard player Jonathan Lovett.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;">Gales and Lovett would trade off several times during the
night, with Lovett substituting for a second guitar. They would even “duel” on
the next number “How Do I Get You.”<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;">Remember, a live Eric Gales song is not a quick three- or
four-minute number. Gales takes his time and explores a song, discovering those
guitar riffs and runs that expand them into mini-symphonies. In his hands, the
guitar is an orchestra, and he is the maestro. <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;">His next song is “Been So Long” before going into his
signature song from last year, “Southpaw Serenade.” By this point in the
evening, he had already fulfilled his contractual obligations for playing time
but still wanted to continue so he promised his band a bonus which led drummer
Nicholas Hayes to do a happy dance before resuming his duties behind his
set-up.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;">With a few more songs still to go, Gales and company launched
into a funk instrumental, “Sea Of Bad Blood” which totally rocked the house. He
then testified about his work with Joe Bonamassa and how humbled he felt from
the praise he received while working on his new album which is due out in late
January 2022. <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;">That was the lead in to “I Want My Crown,” only the sixth
or seventh time performed live, but it sounded like the band had been
performing it for years. The band then closed with “Voodoo Chile” which again
rocked the house and sent the audience home happy and wanting more.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgNmKlrxPoGjT_8HhFvcEJ0E3N_sof-vQoWdxElqPtB56AACatKlgY8k4nnl3lhk8vMeghY1wn5CkYApgwRiGpAoXIjwflqlSU-t01awYrz26I0vLrwq_eoQYTbrT59U7_bmNEyn9sdruVl/s2048/IMG_6451+%25282%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1536" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgNmKlrxPoGjT_8HhFvcEJ0E3N_sof-vQoWdxElqPtB56AACatKlgY8k4nnl3lhk8vMeghY1wn5CkYApgwRiGpAoXIjwflqlSU-t01awYrz26I0vLrwq_eoQYTbrT59U7_bmNEyn9sdruVl/s320/IMG_6451+%25282%2529.jpg" width="240" /></a></span></div><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;"><br />Gales was also backed by his wife LaDonna on drums,
percussion, and vocals and the enigmatic bass player known as Smokeface.
Smokeface wore a full face mask throughout the show and periodically smoke
emerged from his cap and mask causing an eerie effect. <o:p></o:p></span><p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;">Put an Eric Gales performance on your Bucket List, he’s one
of the all-time greats.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;"><o:p><i> (Photos by Dr. Anita Schlank. Used by permission,)</i></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></p>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8526793194435404474.post-7166964158008796022021-10-13T11:23:00.000-07:002021-10-13T11:23:14.302-07:00The Shawn Owens Project Trio Gives Us Jazz Hands II<p><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiEL7v4f5mYIfYmwUs6Hs6bUsHbRmTHz006uAyRlYT1Iqv77H0PYN00v_PFDuMxFllnQjZ-rozvPY8OTiOT7K7b2vRUfFQ0XzW4iT_IPYpHmwt5hS5iOwE3WMbv7SKHW8hQFajtVW5Un9S9/s500/Jazz+Hands+II.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="500" data-original-width="500" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiEL7v4f5mYIfYmwUs6Hs6bUsHbRmTHz006uAyRlYT1Iqv77H0PYN00v_PFDuMxFllnQjZ-rozvPY8OTiOT7K7b2vRUfFQ0XzW4iT_IPYpHmwt5hS5iOwE3WMbv7SKHW8hQFajtVW5Un9S9/s320/Jazz+Hands+II.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br />Before I became a blues guy, I was a jazz guy. There was
something about the rhythms, the changes, the way the musicians shifted from
one to the other like they were of one mind just thrilled me. While I don’t
keep up with modern jazz like I once did, I do like to find new to me jazz players
to unwind to at night after a long day of work.<p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">I don’t always review jazz simply because I rarely receive
any new jazz to write about. The station gets a lot of new jazz to consider
playing on its nightly jazz program and when I get to sit in for the regular
jazz host, I truly love exploring the new sounds.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">All this is a long way around to talk about <b>The Shawn Owens
Project Trio’s</b> new album <b><i>Jazz Hands II</i></b> which came to me via
one of my friendly neighborhood publicists. Maybe by mistake, but who am I to overlook
a musical gift?<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">The Shawn Owens Project Trio consists of Shawn Owens on
drums, pianist Christian Bohnenstengel, and Ryan Tilby on bass. Before
receiving this collection of nine songs, I was not familiar with any of their
work. Listening to it however, I would be delighted to share it on air the next
time I sit in on our jazz program.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">The disc starts off with <i>Owen’s Loop</i>, a nice easy
swing tune named after a hiking trail in Utah. Bohnenstengel’s piano takes the
lead but Tilby’s bass and Owens’ drums give him a solid groove in which to
play. It’s a happy number that’s pretty much guaranteed to put a smile on your
face and a little pep in your step.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">Next up is <i>Taking Diagonal</i>, a reference to Diagonal
Street in downtown St. George, Utah that is historical and full of art
galleries along with high end restaurants and cafes. It would be easy to get
high fallutin’ with such a subject, but they manage to keep it light and
breezy, almost bohemian. It’s a fun song.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">They follow up with <i>On Flood Street</i>. The band is
based in southern Utah, which is mostly desert, but every so often they get
heavy rains which cause floods and small rivers to erupt. This is their tribute
to life giving water. Again, they could have chosen to go with heavy sounds but
instead go lighter and it makes for a terrific sound.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">Their next song is <i>Indigo</i>, a ballad intended to
evoke the wonderful stargazing you find in the tranquil skies of southern Utah.
It’s a thoughtful number rich as wine and subtle as a summer breeze. If you’ve
ever seen a sky full of stars that stretches the entire horizon, this is the
song that would be playing in your brain. Lovely. <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><i><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">Turtle Wall</span></i><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;"> follows. It’s a solid
swing number that builds nicely and demands to be heard. Both Owens and Tilby
get a chance to set the mood for Bohnenstengel and this one is going on my late
night playlist. Next up is the noir flavored <i>City Creek</i>.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Owen’s percussion keeps time like a clock,
punctuating the song and Tilby’s bass holds steady. <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">From there, they move to the quick tempo of <i>Whiptail</i>.
This is the fastest song they’ve played so far on the album and Bohnenstengel
really gets a workout. It moves and grooves. Nice. <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">They slow things down considerably with <i>Silver Reef</i>.
The ballad is very evocative and Tilby does some innovative bass work, it’s a
real standout. Ditto Owens’ drums. The entire ensemble cooks on this number.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">The trio finishes off the album with a second take of <i>Owen’s
Loop</i>. It’s just as happy and breezy as the first pass and the brushes Owens
uses on his drums makes for a pleasant sound. Great bookends for a fun album.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><b><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">The Shawn Owens Trio Project</span></b><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;"> is a
tight group that has put together a fun, entertaining album that is a joy to
listen to. <b><i>Jazz Hands II</i></b> is a great place to start collecting
them. <o:p></o:p></span></p>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8526793194435404474.post-80347517910903440332021-09-29T12:09:00.000-07:002021-09-29T12:09:35.640-07:00County Well Invites Us To Drink More<p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZpIUmM30fVYtEboKBWrIcv0x9pyGlzlsL-4-y-NqqiIAuT6_96Jkz10Kt_UroN9GPX27keLKhk8KsipbOqF20OVkFXDVIhjb2dLUxiD_vVHh_Mne5uAfJYqxlw-12HQJGBVJGfZ7m4zHt/s300/Drink-more-cover.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="300" data-original-width="300" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZpIUmM30fVYtEboKBWrIcv0x9pyGlzlsL-4-y-NqqiIAuT6_96Jkz10Kt_UroN9GPX27keLKhk8KsipbOqF20OVkFXDVIhjb2dLUxiD_vVHh_Mne5uAfJYqxlw-12HQJGBVJGfZ7m4zHt/s0/Drink-more-cover.jpg" width="300" /></a></div><br /><p></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">It’s good to have friends. While I love my blues, listening
to it nonstop can sometimes leave you blind to other great music. I put the
word out to some of my suppliers that I was looking for some kick ass Americana
and wouldn’t you know it, almost before I put my computer away, my West Coast
Pal Double D was sending some sounds my way that were as sweet as country
water.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">Which is appropriate as the group is called <b>County Well</b>.
A great name for a group that has a couple of people at its core who then
record with other musicians who just happen to drop by. It makes for a fun
front porch sound and while I was not familiar with their earlier work, I damn
sure will be looking for anything they do in the future. <i>Drink More</i> is a
great place to start.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">At their core is Don Zimmer, a co-founder of County Well as
well as producer, guitarist, and songwriter. By his side is Graham Guest, one
half of Houston based Moses Guest and lead vocals, guitar, banjo, pedal steel
and keyboards. Joining them are: Lead vocals - Michaela French and Michael
Batdorf; Drums - Josh Kelly (Bruce Willis Band); Bass - Lyle Evans (Chris
LeDoux); Horns - Bob Hemenger; Violin - Bill Panks; Keyboards - Adam Rossi
(Jeffrey Halford) and Paul Gregory; and Guitar - Mark Karan (Bob Weir's Ratdog).<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">The opening song is <i>Gifted Spirit</i> with vocals by
Guest. It’s a quick number that promises much and delivers tight harmonies and
swirling lyrics. Hemenger’s horns are a bit of a surprise, but welcome. A
delightful way to open the album.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">Next up is <i>Hope I Fall</i> with vocals by the Idaho-based
French. It’s got a little funky kick to it, a real different approach from the
opening song. From there Guest steps back behind the microphone for <i>Jackson</i>.
This is not the country song of the same name. It’s a slow, languid number that
makes the most of the pedal steel. <i>Jackson</i> is a beautiful number that
will make you smile and break your heart at the same time. It’s going on my
playlist.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">Guest holds onto the mic for the next song, <i>Wigwam</i>.
It’s an exotic number punctuated with some cool baritone sax and conga drums.
Rossi’s keyboards add more than a little flavor to the mix as well. A very
unusual but wicked song.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">French is back for the follow up song, <i>Volume And Speed</i>.
This one is more ethereal with horse hooves disappearing into a violin. I like
this one a lot, it really sets a mood that works for me. Batdorf takes over for
one of his lead vocals on <i>Big Country Love</i>. It’s more fun and more funk.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">Guest is back for <i>Shimmy Shake</i>. I’m not sure what I
was expecting with that title, but it wasn’t what I heard. I like surprises,
maybe you will as well. French is back for <i>Drinkin’ And Smokin’</i>. It’s a
ballad with some whiskey saxophone. <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">Guest is back for his last turn on the vocals for <i>Peruvian
Lillies</i>. More funk, almost electronica, it just goes to show how versatile
these players are. They can pretty much handle any kind of sound and nobody can
pigeonhole them.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">French and Batdorf team up for the vocals on <i>Truck</i>.
They have great harmonies and I would like to have heard them combine on more
songs I think they would have added depth to them. <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">The next to the last song on the album is an instrumental, <i>Wamwig</i>.
It sounds like some of sessions from <i>Wigwam</i> that didn’t quite fit into
the song but were too good to leave on the cutting room floor. It’s some good
stuff.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">Last up is <i>Drink More</i> with vocals by French. It’s
pure country with a lovely violin along with some sweet guitar and just enough
banjo to perk up your ears. It’s a great way to end the album – it sounds like
a gathering of friends in the living room or on the porch jamming and playing
whatever comes to mind. Nothing finer than that.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><b><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">County Well</span></b><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;"> is a great group. A
collection of friends that’s always changing and bringing new talent to the
mix. <i>Drink More</i> is a great place to start your collection. If you dig
Americana music, this is a band that needs to be on your radar.<o:p></o:p></span></p>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8526793194435404474.post-53391326409051367932021-08-06T13:28:00.001-07:002021-08-06T13:28:39.913-07:00Dara James Set to Release HER LIGHT<p><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEghe_zeTm4Lp4Bo7zHVTnzvRgplp1Kbxjp5Gym7RxwT1xDO_E6BmvYjZ8LEtiuLxmJmQwze5BN512NhjGvDjBe0D2k9v0ZnZxK6_RcSymARyDgzJVBI-Bo_A4aSE9Efgnui5C4W6Ifk3pK5/s960/Dara+James+art.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="640" data-original-width="960" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEghe_zeTm4Lp4Bo7zHVTnzvRgplp1Kbxjp5Gym7RxwT1xDO_E6BmvYjZ8LEtiuLxmJmQwze5BN512NhjGvDjBe0D2k9v0ZnZxK6_RcSymARyDgzJVBI-Bo_A4aSE9Efgnui5C4W6Ifk3pK5/s320/Dara+James+art.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br />For many, Dara James is one of the members of
the Jon Spear Band, whose vocals, lead guitar, and harmonica provide much of
the great music for the band. They have a hard-driving working-person’s
approach and never fail to put on a great show. Or perhaps they know James as
one half of Old Soul, a duo act that he and Spear put together as a side
project.<p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="color: #222222; font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Now, people will have a chance to know him
more as himself as he steps into the spotlight with HER LIGHT, a solo project
that he’s been playing around with for the past 12 years. “I did a small, local
12-song blues cover album when I was still in high school. I've had a lot more
experience and have matured as a musician since then. Life situations have
prevented me from following thru with that hope until now.”</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="color: #222222; font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">James’ life has circled around music for many
years. He grew up in Lynchburg, VA, with a musician father who started him on his
musical journey. The performed in a band together starting when James was 10 or
11 and worked steadily for the next 10 years. “My father had a wide array of
stuff we would listen to on the way to gigs. Country, bluegrass, big band, classic
rock, R&B, soul, Motown, jazz, blues. My first concert was with him going
to see the Doobie Brothers when I was 10. So that's where I heard Stevie Ray,
Hendrix, Clapton, Santana, Joe Cocker, Albert, B.B, Freddie, Chet Atkins, Leo
Kotke, Charlie Parker, Wes Montgomery, Vince Gill, and on and on.” </span><span style="color: #222222; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="color: #222222; font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">That journey led him to find a new family in
Charlottesville. “I've had a lot of family end up in the Charlottesville area.
My girlfriend and son were in the area. I met the guys in Jon Spear Band and
started making trips here 2-3 times a week every week. It just made sense to
make the move. Found a job and moved April of 2015 from Lynchburg to Charlottesville.”</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="color: #222222; font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">How was it working on HER LIGHT on a solo project?
James has a reputation for meticulous work and this project had an extended
gestation period. “I worked out the studio time around everyone's schedule. And
that's probably why it took from January until the end of June to complete. But
I was in no rush. If I gave myself a hard deadline, it would have been
difficult.” </span><span style="color: #222222; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="color: #222222; font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">James, a multi-instrumentalist, played approximately
90% of the instruments on the album.</span><span style="color: #222222; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="color: #222222; font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Recording the project at around the same time
as the Jon Spear Band was recording their latest album might have proven to be
tricky in other circumstances, but not so with this group. “I told all of the
guys about my project and as always, they were nothing but super supportive. I
was able to record my project and still go in and record the upcoming JSB
album, seamlessly. We work well together. We're a family and we support each
other, personally and professionally.” </span><span style="color: #222222; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;"> </span></p>
<span style="color: #222222; font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;"><div><span style="color: #222222; font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;"><br /></span></div>Look for HER LIGHT to be
available at shows, and James plans on being out on the road in support of the
album, beginning with the CD release party on September 3rd from 5:00-8:30 at
Brewing Tree Beer Company located at 9278 Rockfish Valley Hwy, Afton, VA.</span>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8526793194435404474.post-14846160969728589512021-07-16T09:57:00.003-07:002021-07-16T09:57:41.259-07:00New Singles From Debra Power and GA-20<p> </p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: arial;">While it’s somewhat busy here at the Juke
Joint, I’ve been pulled in so many different directions I’m taking on the
appearance of salt-water taffy. I’m trying to catch up on some recently
received albums and will be posting more going forward. But first I’ve wanted
to catch up with a couple of singles that deserve some love.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial;">First, Debra Power's new single, <i>Before My Time</i>, is a
tribute to her friend Kern Pratt whom we lost to COVID-19 this past Christmas.
It's a beautiful homage with her piano and vocals taking the spotlight a la
Carole King. Power has a great voice and her emotion and intonation are
absolutely beautiful. I had to listen to this one several times because I kept
tearing up over all the great people we lost to this plague. Even though I
never met Kern, we traded a couple of e-mails and I certainly knew his music.
Everyone I know who knew him said he was a fantastic man. I only knew his
talent and that was enough to realize we lost a great man. Check her website
for information about the song, and keep your handkerchief handy, I'm not
ashamed to admit this song made me cry. Lovely number.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial;">I don't know much about the band GA-20, yet. I can tell you
they do a mean interpretation of Hound Dog Taylor down to the sound of his
equipment. They've got the guitar inflections just right and their release of <i>She's
Gone</i> makes me practically salivate for the release of their upcoming album.
I'll have a lot more to say about that as soon as it hits my desk. But if you
are a lover of that old school feel, get your order in now and when it arrives,
play it loud!<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial;">Singles, albums, so many artists took this down time to
create new music and I am looking forward to taking a deep dive into the world
of blues, Americana, folk, jazz, and whatever else comes my way. If you’ve got ‘em,
I want to hear ‘em. Let’s find some great music and even better times.</span><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8526793194435404474.post-87271957076244475052021-07-08T15:05:00.002-07:002021-07-08T15:05:49.390-07:00Sean Chambers ~~ That’s What I’m Talkin’ About: Tribute To Hubert Sumlin<p><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><b></b></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><b><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgEWGZM893B0g5F263b_k231e84bBIDvvZpv2DFJZ77R8kbPCq_08T3JvlbsNzsM9Z03EuE4Ld__GgPHQfTszWXJzHO7wVUgvJetGClyHbAJyRmiXal2yvBW1HDFXlppz7uv70ziEIqF3DR/s500/Sean+Chambers+Art.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="500" data-original-width="500" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgEWGZM893B0g5F263b_k231e84bBIDvvZpv2DFJZ77R8kbPCq_08T3JvlbsNzsM9Z03EuE4Ld__GgPHQfTszWXJzHO7wVUgvJetGClyHbAJyRmiXal2yvBW1HDFXlppz7uv70ziEIqF3DR/s320/Sean+Chambers+Art.jpg" /></a></b></span></div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><b><br />Sean Chambers</b>, in my
estimation at least, has grown from a guy that shows a lot of promise to an
artist who has found a niche with hard-rocking guitar licks and a more mature
songwriting style. He’s become one of those rare few who move straight to my “must
listen asap” pile on my desk. His latest effort is a tribute to his mentor,
Hubert Sumlin, himself an artist of rare standing.</span><p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-top: 12.0pt;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-top: 12.0pt;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">Chambers – with Sumlin serving as
a spiritual guide – has turned out one of the best CDs for the year. <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-top: 12.0pt;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">I was unaware that Chambers and
his band had been Sumlin’s traveling band for several years. I may have read it
in one of his press releases, but it didn’t penetrate my mush filled brain.
However, reading the liner notes made it crystal clear just how close the two
were and it only seems right that Chambers should carry Sumlin’s memory to a
new generation.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-top: 12.0pt;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">The album is released by Quarto
Valley Records and is titled <b><i>That’s What I’m Talkin’ About: Tribute To
Hubert Sumlin</i></b>. Sumlin is best remembered from his time playing with
Howlin’ Wolf, his own releases, and his blistering live shows. Sumlin is one of
those guitarists that every great guitarist points to as an inspiration. <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-top: 12.0pt;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">Chambers handles the guitar parts
and vocals and he’s joined by Bruce Katz on Hammond B3 and piano on nine
tracks, and John Ginty on the remaining two. Andrei Koribanics is on drums and
percussion and Antar Goodwin plays bass. There are no guest artists on the CD,
it’s just down and dirty, nitty gritty rock blues and damn if it isn’t a fine
sound.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-top: 12.0pt;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">The album starts off with an
instrumental, <i>Chunky</i>, and it’s a perfect choice as it is the only song
actually written by Sumlin on the disc. I love instrumentals but don’t play a
lot on <b><span style="color: #4472c4; mso-themecolor: accent1;">Time For The Blues</span></b>,
but this is one that could easily be featured. Chambers’ guitar work is impeccable
and promises that this is going to be an album worth savoring.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-top: 12.0pt;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">He follows up with an up tempo <i>Do
The Do</i>, the first of four Willie Dixon numbers that grace the album. This
one is definitely going on the show and I feel comfortable predicting that
while it is playing, there will be a lot of chair dancing going on. With Sumlin’s
work with Wolf, there are so many great songs to revisit and I’m going to enjoy
every one of them.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-top: 12.0pt;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">Chambers keeps the party going with
the next song, <i>Rockin’ Daddy</i>. This is another song that is definitely
going on the show. Not to be outdone by Willie Dixon, Wolf penned an additional
four songs on the album. <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-top: 12.0pt;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">He slows things down for a
blistering version of <i>Goin’ Down Slow</i>. It would be so easy just to pick
the fast numbers to show off Chambers’ lightning like speed on the guitar, but
by slowing things down he displays his versatility and gives us a little
something different to hang onto.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-top: 12.0pt;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><i>Hidden Charms</i> is another
Willie Dixon classic that gives Chambers a chance to go deeper into Sumlin’s
catalog. This will be another song that will be featured on <b><span style="color: #4472c4; mso-themecolor: accent1;">Time For The Blues</span></b>. I
just have to be careful as I want to share every number with our audience, but
I need to leave a little something to the imagination!<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-top: 12.0pt;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">I’ve always liked Wolf’s <i>Forty-Four</i>,
a song that was written by Wolf himself. Chambers obviously likes it as well
and he delivers a solid version. He then follows up with another Dixon track, <i>Taildragger</i>.
These are strong, workmanlike versions, the kind of gritty songs you might hear
in the kind of dives Wolf played while starting out. You know Sumlin had to
absorb that kind of energy and channel it into his playing.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-top: 12.0pt;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">The one original song on the disc,
<i>Hubert’s Song</i>, is the only one in which I have a slight quibble. Don’t
get me wrong, I love the song and it is the only one written by Chambers, my
issue is with its placement. I might have put it at the end in order to act as
an encore after playing ten of Sumlin’s songs. But that’s just me, obviously
the producers have a different thought. I still enjoy the song however. <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-top: 12.0pt;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">Two of Wolf’s best known songs
follow. <i>Sittin’ On Top Of The World</i> and <i>Howlin’ For My Darling</i>
get the Chambers treatment and while both have been covered by dozens if not
hundreds of artists, somehow Chambers makes each song sound brand new. <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-top: 12.0pt;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">Chambers closes the album with <i>Louise</i>
and does a credible job and pouring all of his heart into the song. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-top: 12.0pt;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">Yes, there are ten covers out of
eleven songs, but don’t let that deter you. Each song is its own world and stands
up against the originals – and considering the source material, that’s high
praise. If you haven’t been as familiar with <b>Sean Chambers’</b> work until
now, you have some catching up to do, but don’t worry, it’ll be a lot of fun.
In the meantime, you can start with <b><i>That’s What I’m Talkin’ About</i></b>
and you can relive the majesty that was Hubert Sumlin.</span><o:p></o:p></p>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8526793194435404474.post-77984755921857874592021-04-13T14:58:00.000-07:002021-04-13T14:58:00.508-07:00Laura Tate ~~ Live From El Paso<p><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.5pt;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhXnFsysRGWEQ5Izj8PqPy9kkiKZ9XEleYoAOY7eEmL92QEAooYG25frgLwaz8QPfollfzFBRQGM6LhjGGkF6EoOXYNRIRI90sCctZSxy6PZFatgl68MhaCEq7mDVty2n9whyqugvwq-N_6/s426/laura+Tate-Live+Art.webp" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="424" data-original-width="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhXnFsysRGWEQ5Izj8PqPy9kkiKZ9XEleYoAOY7eEmL92QEAooYG25frgLwaz8QPfollfzFBRQGM6LhjGGkF6EoOXYNRIRI90sCctZSxy6PZFatgl68MhaCEq7mDVty2n9whyqugvwq-N_6/s320/laura+Tate-Live+Art.webp" width="320" /></a></div><br />If we can apply the
Beetlejuice occasion of saying a name three times to make someone appear, let’s
go “Laura Tate, Laura Tate, Laura Tate.” Damn. It didn’t work. At least we’ve
got the next best thing, a CD called <b style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.5pt;"><i>Laura Tate Live From El Paso.</i></b><p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-top: 12.0pt;"><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.5pt; line-height: 107%;">I became a fan of hers on a
previous CD and have been looking forward to her return to recording for a
while now. It arrives at a perfect time when I’m going stir crazy from a lack
of live performances. A favorite singer, working live, in one of my favorite
towns?<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-top: 12.0pt;"><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.5pt; line-height: 107%;">Yes, please.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-top: 12.0pt;"><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.5pt; line-height: 107%;">Even though I received this CD
back in September, I’m just getting around to reviewing it now. I’ve already
shared a cut on <b><span style="color: #4472c4; mso-themecolor: accent1;">Time For The
Blues</span></b>, but never had the time or space to play more. So, let’s take
a look and listen to the album in its entirety and see what <i>Live From El
Paso</i> is all about.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-top: 12.0pt;"><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.5pt; line-height: 107%;">The album starts off mellow
with <i>No Place To Hide</i>. The light audience noise is a welcome sound to my
ears as is the sweet saxophone. Tate is in control and her voice is sweet and
plays off the percussion and piano well. It’s a nice opening, weaving the
audience into her jazzy spell. <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-top: 12.0pt;"><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.5pt; line-height: 107%;">She follows up with the more
up tempo <i>I’ll Find Someone Who Will</i>. Her voice takes on a sharper edge
and she could turn this into pure blues, but she pulls back just a little and
lands more in rock territory. The lyrics are solid as is Tate’s vocals. There
were some lucky people in El Paso that night.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-top: 12.0pt;"><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.5pt; line-height: 107%;">In a real surprise, Tate covers
the Thin Lizzy classic <i>The Boys Are Back In Town</i>. She puts her own stamp
on the song, turning it into a slow-moving ballad. It’s more of a musical
conversation and I don’t miss the frenetic pace of the original at all. Some
might disagree with me, but even when she picks up the tempo and turns it into
a cabaret piece, it still rocks!<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-top: 12.0pt;"><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.5pt; line-height: 107%;">Tate gets big band style jazzy
with the follow up song, <i>I Need A Man</i>. This is a great torch style song
that catches you by the heart and gives her a chance to really display her
chops. The horn section gets a good workout. Next up is <i>Hitting On Nothing</i>,
a quick song that is upbeat with some good saxophone throughout. There’s also
some good guitar and piano – a solid performance.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-top: 12.0pt;"><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.5pt; line-height: 107%;">She follows with another
slower tempo number, <i>Can’t Say No</i>. The piano work is crisp and the horn
section punctuates the song throughout. But the song belongs to Tate’s vocals –
smooth as silk with a longing that will melt just about any audience.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-top: 12.0pt;"><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.5pt; line-height: 107%;">Tate plays her first blues
number, <i>Still Got The Blues</i>, as a follow up. It’s a jazzy number that should
satisfy those that like their blues on the quiet side. I want to see her perform
this one live as I want to see how the audience reacts to a great song to slow
dance to. Tate’s vocals can easily cover several genres and this is one of my
favorites.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-top: 12.0pt;"><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.5pt; line-height: 107%;">Tate gets low and slow for the
follow up, <i>Nobody Gets Hurt</i>. It’s a country flavored track and shows
just how versatile this lady can be. She’s kept every song satisfying while showcasing
a little something for just about everyone. Her band is tight and has backed
her up with each foray into a different genre.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-top: 12.0pt;"><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.5pt; line-height: 107%;">She picks up the pace with <i>What
A Way To Go</i>. This is a number that gets your blood pumping and your toes
tapping. The lyrics are clever, and the piano work and guitar answer are
superb. Another delicious number.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-top: 12.0pt;"><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.5pt; line-height: 107%;">Things slow down and her voice
sweetens on <i>Cowboy Jazz</i>. With that title I wasn’t sure what to expect,
but the combo sound delivers nicely. The cowboy imagery works well, but it’s
Tate’s vocals that draws you in and takes you on the ride. <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-top: 12.0pt;"><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.5pt; line-height: 107%;">We’re back in the up-tempo
neighborhood with <i>Big Top Hat</i>, a raucous number that seems so
celebratory. The song has a nice edge to it and Tate turns it into something
special. It’s a lot of fun. <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-top: 12.0pt;"><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.5pt; line-height: 107%;">After thanking her audience
and tagging a couple of members of her band, Tate closes out the album <i>If
That Ain’t Love</i>. It’s another sweet song and a sentimental way to end the
evening. <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-top: 12.0pt;"><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.5pt; line-height: 107%;">As live albums go, the energy
is good and the sound is wonderful. I could have used a little more audience
noise just for ambiance and maybe a bit more banter between Tate and the
audience, but those are just quibbles.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-top: 12.0pt;"><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.5pt; line-height: 107%;">What brings us here is the
music, and that is enough for me and probably for anyone else. Enjoy the trip
to El Paso with Laura Tate until such time as we can actually see her (and other
artists) live in our favorite venues.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-top: 12.0pt;"><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.5pt; line-height: 107%;"><a href="https://www.musicbylauratate.com/" target="_blank">Check her out at her website</a> and pick up a copy of her previous work while you’re there. You’ll be glad you
did.<o:p></o:p></span></p>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8526793194435404474.post-83577087485091852022021-03-25T12:41:00.003-07:002021-03-25T12:41:59.674-07:00Dirty Deuce ~~ Bruised<p><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.5pt;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEig5th8HxTcfOI2P9rEj-F6SEH72VsRixF1k6VDcv8YTMyrOPE8Drn7I9Wog7t0ZpzxriXCIm_GHfwdgb2MhZb6N_GY33BKXo1qTrNEakSobpCTXDMaxlVOgFWKI9D4RdumJeYFBltr11QM/s599/Dirty+Deuce-Art.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="530" data-original-width="599" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEig5th8HxTcfOI2P9rEj-F6SEH72VsRixF1k6VDcv8YTMyrOPE8Drn7I9Wog7t0ZpzxriXCIm_GHfwdgb2MhZb6N_GY33BKXo1qTrNEakSobpCTXDMaxlVOgFWKI9D4RdumJeYFBltr11QM/s320/Dirty+Deuce-Art.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>One of the first lessons I
learned when I started this blog was that just about every corner of the globe
has a great band working in it, not just the big metropolitan areas. Very quickly
I found new favorites in Northern California, in Florida, Pennsylvania, Newport
News, VA, and the hinterlands of Canada.<p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-top: 12.0pt;"><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.5pt; line-height: 107%;">Groups of all sizes that
delivered fantastic music that was way off my radar.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-top: 12.0pt;"><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.5pt; line-height: 107%;">When I heard that there was a
band out of Wisconsin that had a sweet blues rock sound, I didn’t even question
it. There are a couple of bands I like that are working in the Badger State,
surely there’s room for one more.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-top: 12.0pt;"><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.5pt; line-height: 107%;">Damned if there isn’t.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-top: 12.0pt;"><b><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.5pt; line-height: 107%;">Dirty Deuce</span></b><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.5pt; line-height: 107%;"> is a
rocking band that hasn’t forgotten its blues roots and they have just dropped a
new CD called <b><i>Bruised</i></b>. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The
members of the group are: Reverend Rob Atwood, guitars, vocals; Jamey Clark,
drums; Greg Rotiek, bass; David Passow, harmonica; and Matt Ostlund, saxophone.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-top: 12.0pt;"><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.5pt; line-height: 107%;">The album starts off with a
lot of fuzz pedal on <i>Call It What You Will</i>. It’s a hard-driving number
that is designed to make an audience stand up at attention. You can hear their
love for rock and roll in every chord and note in the bassline. It’s a lot of
fun and features a perfectly timed harp break. Looks like this album is going
to be a lot of fun. Extra points for the lyric that contains a line from <i>Blazing
Saddles</i>!<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-top: 12.0pt;"><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.5pt; line-height: 107%;">The band follows up with <i>Agree
To Disagree</i>, a nearly six-minute long song that plays as an homage – and updating
– of a couple of songs out of the 1950’s. Dirty Deuce makes the song dirty and
greasy, the kind of song that works so well in just about every bar and dive
you’ve ever gone to watch live music being played. They aren’t smooth and
sweet, they are rough and ready. Rock on.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-top: 12.0pt;"><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.5pt; line-height: 107%;">The de facto title track, <i>Bruise</i>,
is next. It has a wicked slow groove that works its way into your brain and
leaves a little room for some psychedelic riffs. It’s a distinctive shift in
the way the band plays and it makes you sit up and listen. It’s not my favorite
so far, but there’s plenty of room for it to grow on me – and listening to the
harp break gives me a big old smile. Nice work.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-top: 12.0pt;"><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.5pt; line-height: 107%;">The following number is <i>Psychological
Judo</i>, with lyrics delivered at triple speed. Again there’s more than a
little psychedelics going on in the song, but they are mostly used to good
effect. After that is <i>Lean Back Cadillac</i>, a more straightforward rock
song. I enjoyed this one very much as they were closer to their roots. Dirty Deuce
is a band with a serious backbone, a very masculine band. Don’t expect any
frou-frou numbers from these guys.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-top: 12.0pt;"><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.5pt; line-height: 107%;">They keep it kicking with <i>Shake
Well</i> which features Pat McDonald joining them. There’s a bit of a funk
groove setting up the pocket. It’s a throwback kind of song in all the best
ways. <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-top: 12.0pt;"><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.5pt; line-height: 107%;">There was a movie in 1986
called <i>One Crazy Summer</i> and it has leant its name to this song. Although
the two have nothing else in common. While the movie featured teenaged hijinks
with the likes of John Cusak and Demi Moore, this song is a slow burn of a
blues song that creeps into your consciousness like Louisiana swamp heat. Love
this one.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-top: 12.0pt;"><i><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.5pt; line-height: 107%;">Appreciate Your Soul</span></i><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.5pt; line-height: 107%;"> has a
Southern Rock Vibe to it – like many others, I cut my teeth on such sounds and
they have a special place in my heart. This one should appeal to like minded
individuals. Nice guitar work.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-top: 12.0pt;"><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.5pt; line-height: 107%;">Next up is <i>You Might</i>
that starts out as a nice slow ballad. Almost prog rock style. The harp cries plaintively
during its break further setting the mood. In fact, all the breaks mirror that
melancholy lost feeling. Very nice song, one that’s going on my personal
playlist.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-top: 12.0pt;"><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.5pt; line-height: 107%;">They end the album with <i>Kick
Ass Love Song</i>, and with a title like that, anything can happen. I Can say
that if definitely surprised me with the direction it took, but if someone gets
their kicks from a masochistic relationship, who am I to judge? Nice sax break.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-top: 12.0pt;"><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.5pt; line-height: 107%;">That’s <b><i>Bruised</i></b>
by Wisconsin-based <b>Dirty Deuce</b>. If you like your blues on the rock side,
this is definitely a group for you. They won’t have enough blues for the
purists among us, but the rockers will have a lot to celebrate.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-top: 12.0pt;"><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.5pt; line-height: 107%;">Be sure to<a href=" https://www.thydirtydeuce.com/" target="_blank"> check them out at their website</a> for information on the album or appearances once we can actually
get back to live music.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-top: 12.0pt;"><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.5pt; line-height: 107%;">Let’s make this interactive –
I get to tell you about all sorts of independent and established artists, let
me ask you to do the same for me. Use the comments to hit me up with local
bands in your area that are smoking hot. Who knows, maybe we’ll connect and I’ll
get a chance to write about them. Don’t be shy, tell me who you like! <o:p></o:p></span></p>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8526793194435404474.post-8618808098758523122021-03-18T10:03:00.000-07:002021-03-18T10:03:14.234-07:00Time For The Blues ~~ March 20, 2021<p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj6NborgOck_7RJPmD5LkZXEvdiQF4jALpZQWMO95GheqM6Hwsgz7SQd3rkcXxzSE8UhmRPNFQGfp0A5hWP1o3EO201zYYq9NGdbtW4xoyNCWmj7ledy9mAtGAV1iHa2RWegqLOfAvhnswA/s736/Blues+Image-H1.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="569" data-original-width="736" height="311" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj6NborgOck_7RJPmD5LkZXEvdiQF4jALpZQWMO95GheqM6Hwsgz7SQd3rkcXxzSE8UhmRPNFQGfp0A5hWP1o3EO201zYYq9NGdbtW4xoyNCWmj7ledy9mAtGAV1iHa2RWegqLOfAvhnswA/w560-h311/Blues+Image-H1.png" width="560" /></a></div><br /><p></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.5pt;">Henry and I hope you will make some time on your busy
schedule to join us this Saturday night, March 20, at 9:00 for the next
exciting episode of Time For The Blues! We’ll be in our usual spot, the studios
of VPM-Music to bring you the best blues in our price range, and we’ve got some
truly excellent music to share this week.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.5pt; line-height: 107%;">How excellent, you ask? Oh, brothers and sisters, we have
taken the cream off the top for you this week, starting out with local (and
soon to be national) favorites <b>The Bush League</b> with some sides from
their latest CD, <b><i>Here We Are Again</i></b>. While this talented group may
be new to some, they’ve been making great music for over a decade and Henry and
I have a great time sharing their albums every chance we get. <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.5pt; line-height: 107%;">As a personal aside, I’ve had the pleasure of emceeing a
few of their local performances and I have yet to see them have anything but a
great show. I think the last time I saw them was at The Broadberry where they
opened for their old friend Jarekus Singleton. <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.5pt; line-height: 107%;">That was a great show!<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.5pt; line-height: 107%;">While that should be enough to whet your appetite, we’ve also
got the great <b>Shemekia Copeland</b> from her album, <b><i>Uncivil War</i></b>.
Copeland is giving her music a stronger edge these days and this album has had
a lot of airplay on satellite radio. We can never get enough of her work and
are looking forward to sharing this amazing artist with you!<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.5pt; line-height: 107%;">We’ve got some fun new material for you as well from the
likes of <b>John Fusco, Kathryn Grimm</b>, and <b>Cathy Grier + The</b> <b>Troublemakers</b>!
Henry and I have been called troublemakers before – lots of times, actually –
but usually as an insult. These guys are the real deal and play great. We think
you’re going to enjoy all three of these artists.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.5pt; line-height: 107%;">Fifty years ago, the <b><span style="color: #385723; mso-style-textfill-fill-alpha: 100.0%; mso-style-textfill-fill-color: #385723; mso-style-textfill-fill-colortransforms: lumm=50000; mso-style-textfill-fill-themecolor: accent6; mso-themecolor: accent6; mso-themeshade: 128;">Alligator</span></b>
label was started in a dorm room and today it is perhaps the most powerful blues
label in the world. Throughout this year we’re going to celebrate some of their
achievements by sampling some of their great music. This week we’ve got sides
from <b>Johnny Winter, Lonnie Mack</b>, and <b>Billy Boy Arnold</b>. Believe
me, you’re really going to like these celebrations! Long live <b><span style="color: #385723; mso-style-textfill-fill-alpha: 100.0%; mso-style-textfill-fill-color: #385723; mso-style-textfill-fill-colortransforms: lumm=50000; mso-style-textfill-fill-themecolor: accent6; mso-themecolor: accent6; mso-themeshade: 128;">Alligator</span></b>!<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 12.0pt;"><span style="color: black; font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Make plans to join us at 9:00 this Saturday Night! I’ll be ready,
Henry probably won’t be, but we’ll figure something out. We’ll be at <a href="http://vpm.org/radio" target="_blank">VPM-Music
online here</a><a name="_Hlk36142119">,</a></span><span style="color: black; font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"> or
join us on one of these great VPM Stations: 89.1 WCVN, Northern Neck; 90.1
WMVE, Chase City; and the flagships, 93.1 and 107.3 VPM-Music, Richmond, where
it’s always </span><b><span style="color: #4472c4; font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-themecolor: accent1;">Time For The Blues</span></b><span style="color: black; font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">!</span><span style="color: black; font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.5pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><o:p></o:p></span></p>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0