Cover Photo © 2011 Marilyn Stringer
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In This Issue
Terry Mullins has our feature interview with Nick Moss.
We have five CD reviews for you this week! Steve Jones reviews a new CD from
Candye Kane. Rainey Wetnight reviews a new CD from Aaron Williams and the
Hoodoo. John Mitchell reviews a new CD from Earl Green & The Right Time.
Mark Thompson reviews a new CD
from EG Kight. Ian McKenzie reviews a new CD from
Big Joe Shelton. All this and MORE! SCROLL DOWN!!!
From The Editor's Desk
Hey Blues Fans,
As you all know we recently lost Blues legend Honeyboy Edwards who
passed away on August 29th. There is going to be a great
benefit next week for the Honeyboy Edwards Fund For The Blues At The
National Blues Museum. This fund supports the efforts to start the
National Blues Museum in St Louis and their exhibits to help keep the
memory of Honeyboy Edwards alive. It is a great cause and is being put
together by our good friend Michael Frank, Honeyboy's manager, musical
partner and CEO of Earwig Records.
The event will be held at Buddy Guy's Legends in Chicago on October 19th
and admission is only $20. Musicians scheduled to perform include Johnny
Drummer, Michael Packer Blues Band, Rich Sherry, Eric Noden, Fruteland
Jackson, Fernando Jones, Liz Mandville, Albert Bashor, Billy Branch, Rob
Stone and Paul Kaye.
You can help this effort to keep the memory of Honeyboy Edwards alive in
a couple of ways. First you can attend the event and buy some
items from the silent auction. You can also help by being a volunteer at
the event.
Michael asked us to pass on the following request for a few good
volunteers to help make this event happen.
"To keep Honeyboy's legacy and that of his contemporaries alive, We
are producing a Honeyboy Tribute show and fundraiser Wednesday October
19 at Buddy Guy's, officially starting at 9 pm. We are looking for at
least 6 volunteers to help us before the show starts. We need some
volunteers at 5 and more by 7 pm. We will need help to escort VIPS to
their tables, and to set up our silent auction and help run it and man
our merchandise table. In exchange for helping, for at least a couple of
hours on a schedule we will set in advance, we will provide you
complimentary admission. Otherwise the door charge is $20. We will not
be comping our friends that night, because the event is our first
fundraiser for the Honeyboy Edwards Educational Fund For the Blues. We
would appreciate your helping us find volunteers, by getting the word
out to folks you know. Anyone interested should email me at
earwigmusic@aol.com and provide
their phone number too.
If you can help please contact Michael today. For more information on
the event see their ad below in this issue. For more information on the
National Blues Museum, visit
www.nationalbluesmuseum.org.
Good Blues To You!
Bob Kieser
Blues Wanderings
We made it to the King Biscuit Blues Festival in Helena Arkansas last
weekend. This is one of the largest festivals we get to see with more
than 40 artists performing over 3 days on 4 stages. Some of the
headliners at this event included Buddy Guy, Bobby Rush, Delbert
McClinton and Keb Mo.
We will post more photos of all the fun at this great event in an
upcoming issue.
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Featured Blues Interview - Nick
Moss
 When you’ve got a band that’s been nominated for Band of the Year five
straight times at the Blues Foundation’s Blues Music Awards (BMAs), you
know you’ve got one heck of a band.
So much so, that with nominations in that category in 2007, 2008, 2009,
2010 and this year, one might think that Nick Moss and the Flip Tops
have their names written in permanent ink on the ballots.
So what does Mr. Moss have up his sleeve to earn a sixth consecutive
nomination next spring?
Business as usual, maybe?
Just show up, plug in and play, right?
Not hardly.
Never one to take the path of least resistance over the course of his
20-plus years of playing the blues, Nick Moss has shaken things up by
recruiting a whole new batch of musicians – first hitting the studio
with his new guys, then taking them on a lengthy trek across the United
States and beyond to showcase his explosive new mates.
“It’s been a year of change. This band is really something else. After
the tour’s first show in Phoenix, people were coming up and saying they
loved the new material and the new band,” said Moss. “When our new
record comes out, I think it’s going to turn some heads with this group
of guys that are playing with me now.”
Moss’ new band-mates include Patrick Seals, drums; Travis Reed,
keyboards; Matthew Wilson, bass; and Michael Ledbetter, guitar and
vocals. If the last name ‘Ledbetter’ rings a bell, it should. Michael
Ledbetter is a distant relative of the King of the 12-Strig Guitar, the
late, great Huddie “Leadbelly” Ledbetter.
Not only has Moss had to get used to the idea of looking around on stage
and seeing a different group of guys surrounding him, he’s also had to
become accustomed to leading a cast of considerably younger musicians
for the first time in his career.
 “Yeah, I could be their daddy. That makes me the elder statesmen in the
band, which is kinda weird for me, especially since I’m still
12-years-old in my head,” he laughed. “It’s pretty funny to watch these
guys, because I know how I was when I was their age. It’s kind of
entertaining in its own way. I say, ‘wow! Is that the stuff I did and
the way that I acted?’ But musically speaking, this is probably one of
the most exciting groups that I’ve been a part of in a long time.”
Moss and his new road warriors have been testing a batch of fresh new
songs off his up-coming release, Here I Am, currently scheduled for a
Nov. 22 release date.
“It follows along the lines and the style of the last CD I did,
Privileged,” said Moss. “Whereas Privileged was a nod to the guys in the
world of rock that I grew up listening to – guys that turned me on to
the blues – this album has more of a focus on me, but still with a
modern, rock-edged feel to the blues. This album sounds a little more
like ‘me.’ Luckily, Privileged was pretty well received, so that really
encouraged me to do this new one. I’m really happy with the way this new
CD turned out.”
The first single off the album, “It’ll Turn Around,” has received a slew
of favorable reviews, even though it might take Moss’ diehard fans a bit
by surprise.
“It’s got a really positive message, with a gospel-kind of flavor to
it,” he said. “It’s something that I’ve never really done before. It’s
even got backup singers on it.”
Another break with tradition occurred when Moss left the friendly
confines of his own home studio - where the bulk of his other discs were
recorded – for Evolution Recording Studios in Elgin, Illinois.
“This gave me a chance to get out of my environment, my comfort zone,”
said Moss. “Sometimes that can actually help with motivation. I think at
times in the past, I’ve gotten complacent just because I’ve got a studio
right below my feet. And this (recording at Evolution) helped shake that
up a bit.”
 Though his first seven albums could be comfortably labeled as
traditional Chicago-styled blues, the truth is, Nick Moss has always
been as equally inspired by the rock bands that he grew up listening to
in the 1970s, as he has been by the forefathers of the blues.
“I never really set out to go in any certain direction. I just try and
play what I feel like playing. But before my last album, I felt like I
had been at a bit of a standstill and was getting stale. I love
traditional Chicago blues. That stuff is in my heart and I still play
it,” he said. “But I just kind of felt stuck in the mud a little bit. So
Privileged and my new record are even larger steps to try and get new
fans that maybe wouldn’t have bought my other records, because they were
‘too blues sounding’ to come aboard. And that really worked with
Privileged. I managed to maintain the fans that I already had – they
enjoyed it – and I also picked up a whole new section of fans, too. It
got a bunch of AAA and college-radio jamband play, which none of my
other CDs had managed to do. ”
While it’s not something he’s spent a lot of time dwelling on, Moss has
had to shake free of the same burden that a lot of entertainers,
musicians and actors alike, are shackled with - having a certain label
slapped on you, thus automatically narrowing the scope of your work.
“Over the years, I seemed to have acquired this tag of being just a
Chicago blues player. And that really didn’t bother me. But what
bothered me was that I knew that I had a lot more influences than just
the straight Chicago blues – influences that have made me the singer,
songwriter and guitar player that I am today. And this new CD, I hope,
goes to showing people that,” Moss said. “The title track has a line
that goes, ‘what you see is what you get, don’t make a mistake and place
the wrong bet.’ But it still makes me feel good and I do appreciate it
when someone says, ‘oh, man. He’s a Chicago blues guitar player.’ I
really appreciate it when someone thinks that highly of me to give me
that tag, because that puts me in a class with all the guys I love. Guys
like Buddy Guy, Magic Sam and Earl Hooker and all those guys. And even
those guys had a hard time at what they were labeled as sometimes. I
mean, they all played different things. Earl Hooker … that guy could
play any style of music you threw at him.”
 As evidenced by his nominations in the Best Instrumentalist – Guitar
category at the BMAs, Moss knows his way around the fret-board.
But as he found out early in his solo career, just because you have
unlimited potential and a world of talent to draw from, the path to
making a name for yourself in the music business can still be a long and
sometimes cruel one to embark on.
Even if you have a couple of impressive names like Jimmy Rogers and
Jimmy Dawkins penciled onto your resume.
“Well, I was just fresh off the sideman thing and thought it would be
easy (a solo career),” he said. “I had just got done playing with Jimmy
Rogers and thought that everyone in the world should know me. But when I
tried to sign with record labels, it was like, ‘you’re just a sideman.
Nobody knows you.’ That was the first thing that people told me – I was
an unknown, even though I’d spent four years with the legendary Jimmy
Rogers and a few years with Jimmy Dawkins. I was just a sideman.”
Undaunted, Moss just did what any aspiring artist would do.
He created his own venue to get his music out to the public.
Thus, Blue Bella Records, named after an aqua-blue 1971 Lincoln Mk III
that Moss owned while living in California (“I still miss that damned
car,” he said), was born.
“It’s just as simple as being able to put out a product. I couldn’t get
anyone (record labels) interested in putting my stuff out, so I decided
to do it myself,” he said. “To be honest, I was so naïve, and had no
idea what the business was about. But that same naivety also drove me to
do a solo thing to begin with, so really it was just another dumb move
on my part that happened to pan out. I just didn’t know any better.”
Even though Blue Bella Records has been around since 1998 and has issued
discs by favorites like the Cash Box Kings, Kilborn Alley Blues Band and
Bill Lupkin, Moss is still grappling with the learning curve associated
with being a label owner and business executive.
 “After 11 or 12 years of doing this, it is still a learning experience,”
he said. “But fortunately for me, I have my wife Kate who has grabbed
the reigns tightly by herself. She’s the one that makes things run
smooth for the label.”
It’s not just as a label owner, but also as an in-demand producer, that
keeps Moss’ phone ringing off the hook these days.
And as one might think, Nick Moss the producer is influenced by Nick
Moss the musician when it comes to helming the project of another band.
“I do tend to put myself in their shoes a lot and be another member of
the band, even if I’m not playing an instrument,” he said. “I think it
really helps to know the band you’re producing. I really want to hear a
bunch of the band’s records and see them play live before signing on to
produce them. I want to grasp what the band is about. When I produce, I
want the person listening to the CD feel like they’re setting in a club
watching the band play. I really try and get the most live performance
(in the studio) out of a band that I can. And I think a lot of that
comes from being a musician myself.”
Though Moss’ sound was no doubt shaped from tours of duty with Jimmy
Rogers, Jimmy Dawkins and The Legendary Blues Band, his very first
influence – the spark that started the fire – was found a lot closer to
home. Matter of fact, it was found just down the hallway of his
childhood home.
“My first influence on the guitar was my brother Joe. My parents bought
us both guitars for Christmas one year and he was the one that first
really took to the instrument,” Moss said. “He (Joe) was a natural.
Right away, he could play a song. By the end of the week, he could play
a handful of songs. By the end of the month, he was playing a whole
record’s worth of songs and by the end of the summer, he was in a band.
And my uncle Randy, who was my dad’s younger brother, was kind of like
an older brother to me and Joe. He turned us on to so many cool records
and bands – like Free, Traffic, Blind Faith, Hendrix and Zeppelin – so
those were the bands we grew up with listening to in the 70s.”
Though his first exposure in the wild world of gigging came as a bass
player, even laying down the low-end in Jimmy Dawkins’ group, Moss was
particularly drawn to the unique sound of a guitar player that certainly
did not get his due, at least during his too-brief time on earth.
 “Paul Kossoff from Free. Now more than ever, I really appreciate that
dude’s tone and style and phrasing. He was just a blues player; I don’t
care what anyone says. He had the most wicked vibrato. And guys like
Page and Hendrix were next. And Stevie Winwood, as a guitar player, is
hugely underrated. As great a keyboard and organ player as he is, I
think he’s just as killer of a guitar player. Those guys were my first
real influences. And then reading Cream and Circus, magazines like we
used to read before there was Guitar World, you’d see Page or one of
those guys say, ‘oh, I just love Otis Rush or Willie Dixon.’ And my
brother figured out that our mom had some of those guy’s records, along
with some B.B. King records, so we went through her records and figured
out who Page and those guys were talking about. And then, come to find
out, half those guys were Chicago dudes, living right in our own
backyard. So we’d go look for those guys and things just snowballed from
there. We just could not get enough of those guys.”
Once he was turned on to the music, Moss was so hungry to keep digging
through the blues that he likened his musical archeology hunt to “an
addiction” and he couldn’t stop from finding out who inspired the cats
that he was beginning to love.
“That was the thing that I really liked about exploring the blues –
after you got into one guy, you wanted to know who his influences where,
so you started chasing down those records,” Moss said. “So it was like a
thing where the rock guys led me to the blues guys and then the blues
guys led me to more blues guys and eventually, here I am at age 41 and
the blues guys have led me back to the rock guys. The whole idea is to
soak up as much of this stuff as you can and then hopefully, a little
bit of you comes out. If you’re lucky, you take everything that you know
and have been taught, give it the respect it’s due, play it the best
that you can and put a little bit of yourself in there. And then if
you’re even luckier, someone will go, ‘wow, you’ve got a really nice
style. I hear this guy and that guy in your style, but you’ve still got
your own thing going.’ That’s a really cool thing to hear.”
So how has Nick Moss managed to forge a decade-plus solo career, become
a label owner and turn into a grizzled-old bandleader?
The way he explains it, it might be simpler than you think.
“If you don’t have respect for what you do, you can’t love it. And I
respect the music so much, that I love what I do – playing music,” he
said. “And to have longevity in this business, you have to be able to
put your blinders on and just hack away, man. Just see if you can find
that light at the end of the tunnel.”
Interviewer Terry Mullins is a journalist and former record store
owner whose personal taste in music is the sonic equivalent of Attention
Deficit Disorder. Works by the Bee Gees, Captain Beefheart, Black
Sabbath, Earth, Wind & Fire and Willie Nelson share equal space with
Muddy Waters, The Staple Singers and R.L. Burnside in his compact disc
collection. He's also been known to spend time hanging out on the street
corners of Clarksdale, Mississippi, eating copious amounts of barbecued
delicacies while listening to the wonderful sounds of the blues.
For other reviews and interviews on our website
CLICK HERE
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Featured Blues Review 1 of
5
 Candye
Kane (featuring Laura Chavez) - Sister Vagabond
13 tracks
Candye Kane’s life has been filled with challenges. Pancreatic cancer, a
difficult childhood, a teen mother and more diversity of problems than
any one person should have to put up with. Yet she sings with great
aplomb and abandon, belting out one hit song after another. “Superhero”
was her album that really showed she had stepped up her game, and this
new one is equally outstanding and poignant, if not even better!
She begins this outstanding studio recording with Johnny "Guitar"
Watson's “I Love to Love You,” a sultry and sexy rendition with some
wicked guitar by Laura Chavez. Kanes’ vocals are always a bright spot,
being likened by some to being a modern day Bessie Smith. But while we
expect Candye’s big presence, Laura Chavez has completed her coming of
age and gives her all in song after song. She is one of the hottest
guitar players out there right now! This duo could not be more different
personally and stylistically- Kane is the ebullient, effusive and
outgoing showman while Chavez is quiet and restrained except when her
six stringed axe is blazing, which is what she does on each of the
tracks.
Nine of the tracks were written collaboratively by Kane and Chavez. They
start off with a 60’s sounding song that could have easily been King and
Goffin writing for the Shirelles. “Love Insurance” is a bouncy track
featuring Kane’s vocals and a nice horn section. She likens love to
needing insurance, written when she in dire need of health insurance and
she made the leap from health to love in this fun yet poignant track.
Irony and humor fill “You Never Cross My Mind”; Chavez delivers a very
swinging tune to Kane’s lyrics and plays some excellent guitar while Sue
Palmer on keys adds dimension to the cut. They bring some accordion and
horns to “Have A Nice Day”, giving the track a distinctive New Orleans
flair (along with more catchy lyrics). There’s a lot of dark and down
tempo stuff here, all good and interesting, too. Excellent song writing
and delivery by Kane and Chavez top to bottom on their tracks.
The other covers bear some mention. Kane does a self-proclaimed
greased-up version of the Brenda Lee song “Sweet Nothing”, and sells the
sound quite well. It’s grittier and far further down in the dirt than
Ms. Lee could ever take it. Steve White wrote “Down With the Blues” for
Candye and passed away from throat cancer while the CD was being made.
Acoustic, slide and baritone guitars give this a dark sound and Kane’s
vocals also get the effect going; a very touching piece. Jack Templeton
wrote the last of the covers (along with Glenn Frey) and James Harman
adds some down and dirty harp to this one. Kane let’s loose and delivers
another great song.
This is a superb follow-on to Candye Kane’s exceptional Superhero
album. In my mind, both vie for top spot in her repertoire.
Stylistically this is a big deeper and darker, but I can’t decide which
I liked better. Suffice it to say that if you want to hear one of the
best female singers out there accompanied by one of the best up and
coming guitar players in the world collaborating on lots of really nice
original tunes and great covers, get your wallets out now. Highly
recommended!
Reviewer
Steve
Jones is secretary of the
Crossroads Blues
Society and is a long standing blues lover. He is a retired Navy
commander who served his entire career in nuclear submarines. In
addition to working in his civilian career, he writes for and publishes
the bi-monthly newsletter for Crossroads, chairs their music festival
and work with their Blues In The Schools program.
For other reviews and interviews on our website
CLICK HERE
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Featured Blues Review 2 of 5
 Aaron
Williams and the Hoodoo - 10:49
Self Release
10 songs; 44 minutes
Styles: Electric Blues Rock
Each CD that Blues Blast Magazine receives is a surprise package. It's a
mystery that can only be solved by peeling off the plastic wrap and
revealing the music inside. Judging by the sunlit-forest cover art of
“10:49,” the second release from Aaron Williams and the Hoodoo, one
might expect a religious, inspirational album. However, the inspiration
found within these ten explosive songs is one to party, and the only
gospel proclaimed is that of blues rock! If one prefers raw energy over
esoteric lyrics and guitar volume over guitar tricks, then the Hoodoo's
“voodoo” will definitely cast a spell.
“Boom Boom” starts 10:49 off with the bang of rat-a-tat drums and power
slide guitar. It's gleeful and disjointed, although one might wish the
instrumentation was more precise as Williams sneers, “Boom, boom, shot
you down!” on the chorus.
If that leaves listeners blinking in shell-shock, they'll be
delightfully distracted by the band's cover of D. Bartholomew and C.
Kenner's “Sick and Tired.” Frustrated by his lazy lover, the narrator of
this smoking peppery song laments, “I cook in the evening. You're still
in bed—got a rag tied around your head. Whoa, baby!”
More vim and vigor comes from drummer Eric Shackelford's “Red Head
Women.” Not only does it feature the catchiest refrain of any number on
“10:49,” but also Jimmy Voegli's blazing piano.
The title track is the CD's most traditional blues song, and most
evocative. Aaron Williams plays some keening acoustic-resonator slide
guitar setting up Ken Olfus guest-starring on equally-powerful vocals
and harmonica.
“Tease Me, Please Me” is a lesson for the ladies, and “She's Good at
What She Does” shows what might happen if they follow it. This final
track is brutally honest: “She's good at what she does. I wouldn't ever
call it love. We get together because—she's good at what she does.” From
first note to last, none of the musicians ever let up on the voltage!
Aaron Williams and the Hoodoo have been a traveling trio since 2008,
with their first compilation, “It Ain't Easy,” bringing many awards. The
band was nominated for Blues Artist of the Year by the Wisconsin Area
Music Industry and six Madison Area Music Awards, walking away with five
(including the highly-coveted Artist of the Year). Aaron Williams and
the Hoodoo prove that the magic and the mystery of their work are simply
waiting to be discovered nationwide. They're eclectic, they're electric,
and they're energetic!
Reviewer Rainey Wetnight is a 31-year-old female Blues fan. She
brings the perspective of a younger blues fan to reviews. A child of
1980s music, she was strongly influenced by her father’s blues music
collection.
For other reviews and interviews on our website
CLICK HERE
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Blues Blast Music
Awards - Listen Online Live
 Great News! Our friends at
GLT Blues Radio 24/7 are going to stream the audio from the
2011
Blues Blast Music Awards at Buddy
Guy's Legends LIVE on October 27th!
Tune in FREE to hear
Nick
Moss Band,
Reverend Raven
And The Chain Smokin' Altar Boys,
Karen
Lovely Band,
Eddie Turner,
Bob Corritore
w/Dave Riley,
Rich Del Grosso
& Jonn Richardson,
Peter Parcek, The
Sugar Prophets, Teeny Tucker Band ,
Reba Russell Band, Gina Sicilia
with Dave Gross, Matt Hill,
Chris
O'Leary Band,
Vincent Hayes
Project, Rob Blaine's Big
Otis Blues, Tony Rogers, and more as they perform LIVE from the greatest Blues club in the world, Chicago's own
Buddy Guy's Legends. The broadcast
will begin at 6:00pm CST sharp!
If
you have never listened to
GLT Blues Radio 24/7 be sure to check it out now by
CLICKING HERE. Then be
sure to bookmark their station and tune in.
We think they have THE best commercial free, all Blues, all the time
internet radio station on the planet! So check them out and see what we
mean.
Fans in the Bloomington/Normal and Central Illinois area will also be
able to hear the show live on their regular FM radio dial at 89.1 FM or
103.5 FM in the Central, IL area.
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Thursday
October 27th, 2011 Buddy
Guy's Legends, Chicago, IL
Chris
O'Leary Band,
Vincent Hayes
Project, Tony Rogers,
Rob Blaine's Big
Otis Blues
plus a few surprise guests!
Advance tickets are $30 plus $3 handling. To get YOUR
tickets now
CLICK HEREPLEASE NOTE: *Tickets are General Admission. Doors open at 5:00pm. Show starts at 6:00pm.
Seating is "first come first served". Show sold to SRO (Standing room Only) Get there EARLY for a seat! NO REFUNDS!
Want guaranteed seating right in front of the stage?
Buddy Guy's Legends has limited seating. With our
Mini Sponsorship packages you
can be sitting right in front of the stage to hear performances by
the 2011 Nominees!
Our Mini Sponsor packages begin as low as $250
for two people and include
guaranteed seating, Blues memorabilia "Goodie Bag", limited edition
event poster, limited edition Blues Blast Awards T-shirts and sponsor's name listed in
the souvenir awards program. Limited number of sponsorships available, first
come first served! For more information
CLICK HERE
Featured Blues Review 3 of 5
 Earl
Green & The Right Time – Live At Brönte Blues Club
Self Release 2011
12 tracks; 70.58 minutes
Earl Green is best known from his time as vocalist for Paul Lamb and the
Kingsnakes and as a stalwart of the blues scene in London. However, for
a singer of Earl’s class he has not been widely recorded over the years,
so this release is very welcome. The Right Time has been Earl’s main
outlet for some years now and the band is a well-established team. I
have had the pleasure of seeing them a number of times at clubs and
festivals and always hoped that they would release a CD of their
performances, so a CD recorded live is perfect. The band consists of
Earl on vocals, Les Back and Ron Warshow on guitars, Mike Paice on sax
and harp, Emil Engström on bass and Daniel Strittmatter on drums.
The Brönte Blues Club is a small venue in a village hall in deepest
Yorkshire, Northern England. They clearly did a terrific job in enabling
this recording: the sound is crystal clear and the audience
enthusiastic, but respectfully silent during the songs, leaving their
applause and shouts of encouragement for the appropriate moments between
songs. I imagine that the band played for longer than the 12 tunes on
the CD but at a running time well over the hour the CD represents good
value.
The material comes from a wide variety of sources, mainly the greats of
the blues, both ‘classic’ and contemporary, so we get T Bone Walker,
Bobby Bland and Elmore James as well as Duke Robillard and Rick Estrin
in the set. The CD is well sequenced, with plenty of variety in mood and
pace: for instance, opener “T Bone Shuffle” is followed by the soulful
Little Milton tune “That’s What Love Will Make You Do” (recently covered
by Janiva Magness) and then Percy Mayfield’s “Danger Zone”, a slow
ballad on which everyone shines, Earl’s vocal outstanding and all three
front line players taking superb solos.
After that initial trio of tunes Les Back switches to slide for “Done
Somebody Wrong”, the stop/start rhythm being assisted by Mike Paice’s
harp. Probably best known from the Allman Brothers’ version on “Live at
Fillmore East”, this is also an excellent rendition. “That’s Better For
Me” was a tune I did not know, the shortest track on the CD and
something of a jump blues tune. However, the next one was certainly more
familiar, a stunning version of “Ask Me About Nothin’ But The Blues”,
written by Deadric Malone and Henry Boozier, but best known for Bobby
Bland’s version. I have to say that Earl’s vocal here is outstanding and
you could hear a pin drop as he expresses the anguish and pain of the
man who has lost his love. The tune is an extended version, so we also
get a sax feature from Mike Paice who seems to have caught the tone of
despair from the lyrics.
After all that angst the band sensibly opts to lighten the mood with
Roscoe Gordon’s “No More Doggin’”. That familiar loping rhythm carries
us along with Mike Paice’s harp supporting and both guitarists cutting
loose, Les Back again on slide. Keeping up the pace the band brings us
“I Don’t Believe”, written by Don Robey and Manuel Charles, another one
from the Bobby Bland songbook but also covered more recently by Joe
Bonamassa. Mike Paice is back on sax and Ron Warshow’s guitar underpins
the vocal lines very well. “It’s My Own Fault” is credited to John Lee
Hooker on the CD but although JLH did do a song by that name, the
version here is far closer to the BB King song, not least in the lovely
plucked guitar solo in the middle of the song.
Moving to some more recent material, the band tackles Rick Estrin’s
“Living Hand To Mouth”, a jaunty tune featuring Mike Paice’s harp and
some tasty guitar. Duke Robillard’s “Anything It Takes” is a swinging
number with more impressive sax, as well as a ringing solo by Les Back
who really swings here. Closing the CD is an extended version of Deadric
Malone’s “Don’t Cry No More”, another Bobby Bland song which has teases
of Gershwin’s “Summertime” and Wilson Pickett’s “Land Of A Thousand
Dances” woven into the song. A storming sax solo graces the middle
section.
Summary: this is a CD that everyone who was there will want as a
souvenir of a great night at the Brönte Blues Club. However, in my view
it is a must have disc for all lovers of great blues music – highly
recommended.
Reviewer John Mitchell is a blues enthusiast based in the UK. He also
travels to the States most years to see live blues music and is
currently planning his trip to the Blues Blast Awards in October.
For other reviews and interviews on our website
CLICK HERE
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Blues Society News
|
Send your Blues Society's BIG news or Press Release
about your
not-for-profit event with
the subject line "Blues Society News" to:
Submissions must be a maximum of 175 words or less in a Text or MS Word document
format.
The Golden Gate Blues Society -
Redwood City, CA
On Sunday, November 13, The Golden Gate Blues Society of the San
Francisco Bay Area presents the International Blues Challenge Final
Round. Pinkie Rideau and Blind Resistance, The David Landon Band,
Paula Harris and Blu Gruv, and The Delta Wires hit the stage at San
Francisco’s award- winning home of the blues, Biscuits & Blues,
located at 401 Mason Street near Union Square, from 2 until 6 pm on
Sunday, November 13. Admission for members of The Golden Gate Blues
Society is $15, and for nonmembers $20. Membership is available at
the door.
Judges for the Finals include Sista Monica Parker, "the lioness of
the blues;" Lee Hildebrand, journalist for Living Blues; and Frank
DeRose, leader and bass player with 2011 TGGBS International Blues
Challenge winners Tip of the Top. For more info visit
www.tggbs.org
Blues Society of Western PA -
Pittsburgh, PA
On October 22 at the Clarion Hotel, 401 Holiday Drive,
Pittsburgh, PA The Blues Society of Western PA presents Blues Goes
Pink- Divas Return Show from 1 pm – 9 pm. $12 to public, $10 to all
blues members from any society. All proceeds to benefit Adagio
Health to provide breast cancer and cervical cancer screenings for
underinsured women in Western PA. For more information visit Blues
Society of Western PA at
www.bswpa.org or call 724-378-8926
The Windy City Blues Society
- Chicago, IL
The Windy City Blues Society is proud to announce the 2011 Chicago
Blues Challenge (CBC). The CBC is a series of musical competitions
that will determine which blues band will represent Chicago and The
Windy City Blues Society at the Blues Foundation’s 2012
International Blues Challenge (IBC) in Memphis, Tennessee.
The Chicago Blues Challenge will be held on Sundays in October culminating in the Finals in November. Venues will be
announced shortly on the Windy
City Blues Society Website.
The Chicago Blues Challenge Finals will be held
Sunday, November 13.
For more information about the Windy City Blues Society and the
Chicago Blues Challenge please visit
www.windycityblues.org or visit
our Facebook, MySpace, and Twitter Sites.
The Prairie
Crossroads Blues Society - Champaign, IL
The Prairie Crossroads Blues Society will be holding its Blues Band
Challenge on Saturday, October 22, 2011. This event will take place
at Memphis on Main, 55 E. Main St., in downtown Champaign. Our
winner will be heading down to Memphis, Tennessee to compete in The
International Blues Challenge in January. For more
information about this exciting event, please visit our website at
www.prairiecrossroadsblues.org.
Colorado Blues Society -
Boulder, CO
The Colorado Blues Society we will hold our Youth Showcase
auditions at the Dickens Opera House in Longmont, CO on Oct 23 . Last year our
S/D winners, Big Jim Adam and John Stilwagen made the Finals in
Memphis while our Band entry, the Lionel Young Band, WON the Band
Finals in Memphis. The CBS' entry was the Solo Duo Memphis winner in
2008, and winning BSPCD in 2010, so you can be sure there will be
plenty of talent at all of these great events!
www.coblues.com
Illinois Central Blues Club -
Springfield, IL
The Illinois Central Blues Club presents "Blue Monday" every Monday
night for the last 25 years - BLUE MONDAY SHOWS - Held at the Alamo
115 N 5th St, Springfield, IL (217) 523-1455 every Monday 8:30pm $3
cover. Oct. 17 – Southside Jonny & Kicked to the Curb, Oct 24
– Bruce Katz, Oct. 31 – Studebaker John and the Hawks. icbluesclub.org
The Friends Of The Blues - Watseka, IL
2011 Friends of the Blues shows - Friday, October
28, The Reba Russell Band, 8 pm, Kankakee Valley Boat Club,November
10, Ivas John Band, 7 pm, Venue TBA, December 1, Dave Herrero, 7 pm,
Kankakee Valley Boat Club. For more info see:
http://www.wazfest.com/JW.html
West Virginia Blues Society
- Charleston, WV
The West Virginia Blues Society will be holding it's 5th. Annual
Appalachian Blues Competition Oct. 22, 2011. The Blues Society will
be sending two acts to Memphis, Tn. for the International Blues
Challenge, Band Div. and Solo/Duo Div. If, you think your Act is
ready to take the next step, then, this IS the competition to enter
! For Application and Rules contact Competition Director Jack Rice
at, bkravenhawk@hotmail.com
or 304-389-1439.
Competition will be held at: The Sound Factory 812 Kanawha Blvd E,
Charleston, WV 25301-2807 · 1 (304) 342-8001 Stay tuned for
more info at,
www.wvbluessociety.org
|
Featured Blues Review 4 of 5
 EG
Kight - Lip Service
Blue
South Records - Vizztone Label Group
12
tracks/47:
Many blues
fans are unfamiliar with EG Kight, even though she has garnered numerous
Blues Music Award nominations in the Contemporary Blues Female Artist of
the Year category over the last decade. Surrounded by music all of her
life, Kight had a career as a country singer until one fateful day when
she discovered the work of KoKo Taylor and knew that she wanted to be a
blues singer. One listen to her latest release with be all it takes to
convince you that she made the right decision.
Kight’s
singing voice is a marvelous instrument with full of southern soul and
plenty of power. And, like all accomplished vocalists, she keeps her
voice under control while still being able to generate a low-down
feeling like she does on “I Can’t Turn Him Off”. On a disc full of
highlights, her duet with John Nemeth on “Somewhere Down Deep” is a
standout track with both voices soaring in gospel intensity as they
describe a failing love affair. On the ballad “That’s How a Woman
Loves”, Kight delivers a subdued performance that still resonates with a
potent emotional impact.
Kight is
also a fine songwriter, composing three tunes on her own and co-writing
all but one of the rest of the set list, with help from Tom Horner on
half of the tracks. Their wry description of the current financial
issues notes that times are so bad that even the “Sugar Daddies” have
been forced to scale back on their gifts to their uptown girls. The
rockin’ title track gets a boost from Marcus Henderson’s alto sax and
Randall Bramblett on piano. Kight begins by describing her disgust at
the way men had treated her before adding a twist at the end that
changes the meaning of the title phrase. On Paul Hornsby’s moody ballad
“It’s Gonna Rain All Night”, Kight sounds like an accomplished torch
singer, serenading the late-night customers of a classy bar. The
stripped-down accompaniment on “I’m Happy With the One I Got Now”
features Tommy Talton on slide guitar as Kight tells the world about her
good-lovin’ man.
The disc is
dedicated to the late KoKo Taylor, who Kight describes as a friend and
mentor. Her “KoKo’s Song” is the best of the many songs I have heard
that were written in tribute to the undisputed Queen of the Blues. The
band lays down a tough, propulsive rhythm punctuated by Henderson’s sax
and Adam Mewherter on trombone. The music and Kight’s forceful vocal
capture the essence of Taylor’s style without resorting to sheer
imitation. On “I’m In It to Win It” and “Goodbye”; the proceedings take
on a decidedly funkier approach as Kight continues her examination of
the trials and tribulations of love.
The leader
gets support from large cast of musicians. The primary contributors are
Talton on lead guitar, Johnny Fountain on bass, Bill Stewart on drums
plus Bramblett and Hornsby on keyboards. Kight handles the rhythm guitar
parts and the backing vocals with an assist from Kimberly Welch.
During a
recent road trip, I decided to listen to Lip Service in preparation for
writing this review. After two songs, my wife asked who was singing and
grabbed the CD package. Usually she is telling me to turn the music off.
But she quickly recognized that EG Kight is a very talented singer and
songwriter. My wife’s reaction to a few minutes of her spellbinding
music speaks volumes on how good this disc is.
You don’t
want to miss this highly recommended recording. Help make EG Kight a
household name !!!!.
Reviewer Mark
Thompson is president of the
Crossroads Blues
Society in Rockford. IL. He has been listening to music of all kinds
for fifty years. The first concert he attended was in Chicago with The
Mothers of Invention and Cream. Life has never been the same.
For other reviews and interviews on our website
CLICK HERE
|
 Hey Blues Fans,
For those of you who are planning to come to Chicago for the Blues Blast
Music Awards at Buddy Guy's Legends in October, our official hotel for the awards is the Essex Inn located just around
the corner from Legends.
It is a nice hotel within walking distance.
Get your
reservation before they are gone.
To book your rooms now
CLICK HERE or call 800 621-6909
and ask for the Blues Blast Magazine discount rate.
|
Featured Blues Review 5 of
5
 Big
Joe Shelton - The Older I Get The Better I Was
Alt 45 records
10 tracks 37:50
Far too often these days, bands and individual musicians label
themselves As ‘BLUES’ but when you listen to them they really ain’t. Big
Joe Shelton, on the other hand is the real deal! Born and raised in
northern Mississippi, on the Black Prairie region, Joe has been steeped
in the blues since early childhood. The lucky **** was befriended by Big
Joe Williams and learned at his feet. He learned well!
This CD is Shelton’s second CD for Alt 45 Records and was recorded in BB King’s studio in Itta Bena, MS. and follows his award winner Black Prairie Blues. This one will follow a similar stellar path.
The music is sometimes raw and often, Joe’s lyrics are very funny. Over
all, the effect of the album is to make you realise that all those calls
to Keep The Blues Alive are really unnecessary as Big Joe and his like
are doing it by doing their thang. God bless ‘em.
The music on the CD is wonderful. The opener, a super little shuffle called Hole In Yo’ Soul says it all and comes with with a chorus that goes “If you don’t dig the blues you got a hole in your soul” (AIN’T THAT THE TRUTH, WE CHORUS). The track comes – as do many others - with some sizzling, big toned harp work from the man himself.
The title track The Older I Get The Better I Was is a delightful song
best related to by people who are past their prime (age wise) on the
theme of, what I used to do all night, now takes me all night to do,
(Another shout of AIN’T THAT THE TRUTH.) Super harp work here too. The
rest of the band are on very fine form too. The remainder of the tracks,
in a similar vein are right up there in ‘award winning’ territory.
I must mention before I end this review, the super track called
Psychoanalyst Voodoo Queen, that opens with some drum work reminiscent
of a New Orlin’s marching band which and develops into funky horn driven
stunner, complete with accordion, tuba and a tenor solo…what more can
you ask. Check the lyrics: Down in Louisiana where the alligators grow
With Poke Salad Annie and Marie Laveaux. lives the woman of my dreams;
She’s the psychoanalyst Voodoo Queen. (All the lyrics for all the songs
are at
http://www.bigjoeshelton.com/lyrics_oig.htm )
Lots of air-play for this CD, no doubt about that and there’s not a
track you could not play!
Reviewer
Ian McKenzie is a Brit Living in England. He is the editor of Blues In
The South a monthly publication giving info on news, gigs and reviews of
events and CDs for the south if England. Ian has two blues radio shows
one broadcast on Phonic FM in the UK (12 noon Central, 6pm UK) on
www.phonic.fm on Wednesdays and the
second airing on KCOR (Kansas City On Line Radio) on Fridays (12 noon
Central, 6pm UK)
www.kconlineradio.com.
For other reviews and interviews on our website
CLICK HERE
|
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