Cover photo by Bob Kieser © 2012
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In This Issue
This weeks issue has a mega dose of Blues!
We have the latest in Blues Society news from around the globe. Terry
Mullins has our feature interview with slide guitar master, Doug MacLeod.
Jim Kanavy has a photo
essay on the 2012 Briggs Farm Blues Fest. Marilyn Stringer has a photo essay
from the 2012 Monterey Bay Blues Fest.
We have seven music reviews for you! John Mitchell reviews a new release from
The Phantom Blues Band and also reviews a new release from JW Jones. Rex
Bartholomew reviews a new CD from Cameo Blues. Greg
“Bluesdog” Szalony reviews a new release from Tim Ainsley. Steve
Jones reviews a new CD from Big Dog Mercer. Mark Thompson reviews a new
release from Bob Margolin with the Mike Sponza Band. Rainey Wetnight reviews
a new album from Albert Castiglia. All this and MORE! SCROLL DOWN!!!
From The Editor's Desk
 Hey
Blues Fans,
Well we are nearly 3 weeks into the voting for the
2012 Blues Blast
Music Awards and almost 2700 votes have been tallied so far. We noticed
that the large majority of those who have voted are new Blues Blast Magazine
subscribers. So we want to welcome you aboard and hope you enjoy the
magazine.
Now the question is, why have the rest of you current subscribers not yet
voted? (more than 22,000 current subscribers)
Well to entice you to please help us by voting, we began drawing voter email
addresses for prizes last week. We are in the process of notifying the
winners of their prizes.
What kind of prizes can you win by voting? We gave away copies of some of
the nominees CDs, some free Blues Blast T-shirts, and we even gave away a
signed copy of Buddy Guy's Grammy winning, BMA winning and Blues Blast Music
Award winning CD, Living Proof this week.
We will be announcing the wining voters first names and cities next week as
we get permission from them to do so. Meantime, be sure to get your vote in.
CLICK HERE
to vote now.
Wishing you health, happiness and lots of Blues music!
Bob Kieser
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Friday, July 20th
Saturday, July 21st
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General Electric Employees Club
1750 General Electric Rd, Bloomington, IL www.aintnothinbuttheblues.com |
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Featured Blues Interview -
Doug MacLeod
 Singer, song-writer and guitarist Doug MacLeod is one engaging
individual.
He's the kind of guy whose easy-going approach and dis-arming smile make
it impossible not to find him likeable.
Stories roll off his tongue easier and more gracefully than a river
flows down stream.
MacLeod is also blessed with a razor-sharp wit – listen to any of his
songs for further proof of that – and he's also very adept at thinking
quickly on his feet.
And that particular ability to improvise on the fly has gotten him out
of some potential jams over the years, including one situation involving
Big Mama Thornton, who was known to be a bit on the cantankerous side at
times.
His introduction to Big Mama came through George “Harmonica” Smith, who
hooked up MacLeod, who was a young guitarist at the time, with the
larger-than-life singer for a gig.
“I had heard all the stories about her and I was real nervous. So I just
played real simple, tasteful guitar – Albert King style – with not a lot
of notes but with a lot of feeling,” MacLeod said. “So we get done with
the set and I'm sitting by myself – I thought I had done alright. Big
Mama comes over and got right up in my face and said, 'You like me?' I
said, “Yes, Mama, I like you.' She said, 'What you like about me?' And
the first thing that came to my mind and out of my mouth was, 'I like
your eyes.' I was sweating, but she said, 'Ohhh, baby.' And she turned
to George Smith and said, “George, you know what little Doug said to
Mama?' And you could tell George was worried about me and he just shook
his head. Then Mama said to him, 'Little Doug likes Mama's eyes.' And
George went, 'He do?' But from then on, Big Mama loved me. I could do no
wrong with her.”
Over the ensuing years since that fateful evening when he adroitly
managed to woo Big Mama Thornton, MacLeod has really earned his stripes
in the blues world and has became a living, breathing example of how the
forefathers of the genre used to carry out their business, armed with
not much more than just an acoustic guitar and a sack full of
hand-crafted tunes, traveling the world by any available means.
There's not many fans of the blues that have not had some form of
contact with MacLeod, either by listening to one of his 20 albums, by
reading the charming and amusing stories he wrote for Blues Revue
magazine for a decade, or by gazing at his portrait that hangs inside
the Delta Blues Museum in Clarksdale, Mississippi.
 MacLeod's latest studio effort, Brand New Eyes (Reference
Recordings/Fresh), garnered him a pair of Blues Music Award nominations
this year, one for Acoustic Artist of the Year and one for Best Acoustic
Album.
His name is regularly found when the BMA nominations are handed out, but
winning has proved a bit elusive to MacLeod, although he doesn't seem to
be too down in the dumps about wearing the 'forever a bridesmaid' tag.
“Well, yes and no. I've done an awful lot of records and have had a real
good career, so on that side, it doesn't affect my career much,” he
said. “But on a personal note, I'd love to win one. You know what I
mean? For me to sit and say to you that it doesn't bother me … that's
not true. I'd love to win one. I'm starting to feel like Susan Lucci,
you know what I mean? Always nominated and never winning one.”
MacLeod first got his feet wet in the coffee house folk scene back in
the 1960s, an extremely fertile time for music and a period that not
only saw the birth and rise of future superstars like Bob Dylan, but
also saw the 're-discovery' of forgotten legends such as Skip James.
And according to MacLeod, the differences between the folkies and the
blues cats was really paper-thin.
“Well, I realized that the blues are a great medium for
singer-songwriters. And that's what I am – a singer-songwriter. But the
blues is the thing I do. When you think about it, Son House was a
singer-songwriter. Blind Boy Fuller was a singer-songwriter. Big Bill
Broonzy, Lightnin' Hopkins, Robert Johnson, those guys were all
singer-songwriters. They were folk musicians. And I just like to think
I'm kind of carrying on that tradition.”
While they may have shared several similarities, there may have also
existed a bit of envy between the folk singers and the bluesmen of the
day during that time frame.
 “Back in the late 60s, when this folk movement was going on, the blues
guys were kind of like the rebels of that movement,” said MacLeod. “The
folkies were jealous of us blues guys because of our lifestyle and the
way the girls were all after us.”
When all the layers are peeled back from a good song, what you have at
its very core is a story. That's no doubt one of the reasons that
MacLeod has became such a prolific and gifted songwriter lies in his
ability to tell a good story. MacLeod's stories and songs have found a
way to get to the very essence of the human condition – both the good
side and bad side.
That ability was quickly recognized by many throughout the industry,
including by the one man that most point to as the greatest blues
songwriter of all time.
“I was fortunate enough to meet Willie Dixon when he was in L.A. And he
actually liked a song of mine. That's how we met. We were at a benefit
for Shakey Jake Harris and I was sitting right next to him, as close as
could be, and was really nervous. It would be like a baseball player
sitting next to Henry Aaron,” MacLeod said. “And he said to me, 'I love
that song you wrote called “Grease in My Gravy”. And that's one of my
funny ones, right? So that broke the ice and we started talking and he
told me the blues is the true facts of life. Everything that goes into
life.”
That conversation with Willie Dixon about the DNA of a blues tune took
MacLeod all the way back to the 1960s and a gentleman by the name of
Ernest Banks who lived in a small Virginia town, as did MacLeod at that
time.
“It was a small town back then. Now it's not, it's a big, ole place, but
back then, in order to find someone's house, you had to know which
Magnolia tree to turn by and then you'd go down a little path about the
size of two tire tracks and then you were there,” he said. “And I was
singing all these songs at that time about picking cotton and all this
stuff. And this man told me, 'Never write or sing about what you don't
know about. If you ain't lived it, you got no business singing it.' And
I said to him, 'Well, Mr. Banks, I don't know … what am I going to write
about?' And he looked at me with that one eye he had and said, 'Have you
ever been lonely? Have you ever needed a woman or some money for that
little room where you stay down there?' And I said, 'Sure.' And he said,
'That's the blues, too. Write about that.' I thank my lucky stars that I
was fortunate enough to have met Mr. Ernest Banks back when I did.”
 Armed with that powerful advice from a man that surely knew what he was
talking about, MacLeod started authoring a string of songs that rapidly
weaved their way into the very fabric that holds the blues culture
together.
A number of MacLeod's countless compositions have been covered by
artists like Joe Louis Walker, Coco Montoya, Billy Lee Riley, Albert
King, Dave Alvin and many more.
“I remember the first time I heard Albert Collins do a song of mine,
“Cash Talkin' (aka The Workingman's Blues). And one of my favorite organ
players – and Albert's, too – was Jimmy McGriff. And he played organ on
that song. One of my songs,” MacLeod said. “And with Albert playing and
singing on it... man I nearly died when I heard that.”
The late, great Eva Cassidy, an immensely talented singer who
unfortunately never really achieved stardom until after her death, also
chose one of MacLeod's songs to cover.
“The first time I heard her version of “Nightbird” was when my wife and
I were on our way back from National Guitars. I'm a big St. Louis
Cardinals fan and they were playing the Dodgers and Vin Scully was going
to be on the radio announcing it. And I was going to be in baseball
heaven. My team with Vin Scully on the call,” said MacLeod. “We were in
the car and the game was about to start, but my wife Patti said there
was something she wanted me to hear. I said, 'Patti, it's the Cardinals
and the Dodgers … Vin Scully.' She said, 'Douglas, there's something
you've got to hear. ' So she puts in this CD and I heard it (“Nightbird”)
and said, 'That's my song.' And her version moved me so much that I had
to pull over to the side of the road and listen to it. And I'll tell you
the truth without being too maudlin – a little tear came out of the
corner of my eye. And I have yet to do that song again. I tell people
that is the version of that song to listen to. She did such a great
job.”
MacLeod spent the first part of his life in Raleigh before his family
re-located to New York, where he was soon turned on to the wonderful
sounds of doo-woop and R&B classics of the day.
“They had these big, ole R&B shows at the Brooklyn Theater, but guys
like Big Joe Turner were on there, too. So I listened to that kind of
music in New York,,” MacLeod said.
 After moving once again, this time to the Midwest and St. Louis, MacLeod
was exposed to the blues.
“Well, it was the blues, but it was still called R&B in those days,” he
said. “But it was Albert King, Lightnin' Hopkins, Little Milton and all
the soul guys. And there were two stations, one on the left (side of the
dial) and one on the right and they played that kind of music 24 hours a
day. And that's when I started to want to be around that kind of music.”
Before long, MacLeod decided to enter into the fray himself, with the
bass guitar serving as his first portal into the world of playing live
music.
But, it wasn't long before MacLeod realized the bass guitar might not be
the proper instrument for him.
“I couldn't get any girls. I couldn't get any girls with the bass, so I
switched to the guitar,” he laughed. “So I started playing acoustic
guitar and when I joined the Navy, I started playing in the coffee
houses and so on.”
His dalliance with the acoustic guitar took a bit of a left turn when
MacLeod fell under the powerful pull of Kenny Burrell and B.B. King's
jazzy, electric guitar playing.
“I heard those guys and couldn't get them out of my head. So, I changed
over to the electric guitar,” he said. “And my first four albums were
with an electric band. But then I realized that I really wasn't
connecting with people – because I'm a storyteller, too. So I told my
wife that I wanted to dissolve the band and go back to being a solo act.
I knew it meant playing smaller rooms and a little less money, but I
thought I would be happier and be able to touch more people that way.
And without blinking an eye, she said, 'Do it.' And that turned out to
be a great decision she made. That was in '92, so 17 albums later, she
made the right decision for me.”
And MacLeod seems truly happy traveling the world by himself, without
band mates, a wall of amps or a huge entourage.
“I'm comfortable with all that. Me, I travel with one suitcase and one
guitar, that's it,” he said. “That's what the real old cats used to do.
Me and Honeyboy (Edwards) used to talk and you know, back in his day,
they didn't have two or three guitars. They just took one with them and
they were lucky to even have that one. They tuned it to the different
tunings and that's what they used. I have one National now – one that I
call Moon – it's a black M1 and it's one they made for me. I love it.
They called and wanted me to have one that was in the catalog, so they
made that one for me. And I use it for everything.”
 Everything from playing small blues tents in the American heartland to
some of the world's biggest stages at the world's biggest festivals
overseas.
“That doesn't bother me at all. I've played some big, big festivals in
Europe and the people will ask me, 'Are you alright on that stage all by
yourself?' And I absolutely am. I love it. I'm just real comfortable as
a solo act.”
As anyone who has ever read an installment of Doug's Back Porch in Blues
Revue knows, George “Harmonica” Smith and Pee Wee Crayton were a couple
of central – and colorful – characters in the development of MacLeod's
life. On and off the band-stand. And it's clear that he very much
treasures the time he spent, and the lessons he learned, from Smith and
Crayton.
“Their smiles. I miss their smiles. I think back about the friendship
and the camaraderie that we had. And just what a joy it was to be with
them,” MacLeod said. “The laughter and the lessons in life … I mean,
George was a very spiritual guy. A lot of guys knew him before, when he
was a rascal, but I knew him as this wonderful, spiritual gentleman. And
I was easily accepted by them - Pee Wee's the Godfather of my son.”
All it takes is just a casual glance over some of MacLeod's columns to
understand that he not only has a way with putting together words that
rhyme and setting them to life with music, but that he is also a
highly-entertaining author of prose on a page, as well.
In addition to his journalistic efforts and his singing, songwriting and
guitar playing, plus, the appearances that he does in various workshops
and the occasional instructional DVD that he puts out, MacLeod never
seems to hit the idle switch for very long.
But no matter what he's doing, you can bet that the blues are involved
and that there's another song, just around the corner.
“Blues is what I call a deceptively simple music. It tells a story and
if you listen to that story, it can change your life,” he said. “There's
a song on my last album (Brand New Eyes) called “Some Old Blues Song”
and I wrote that song about the power of how one blues song can reach
into your heart and your soul and somehow make it to your brain and
tells you that you can make it. It gives you confidence and
reassurance.”
And there's nothing like a shot of confidence and reassurance when a
case of the low-down, in-the-gutter blues rears its head.
“In my mind, this is not a music about suffering. It's not a music about
partying all the time. It's a music about overcoming,” MacLeod said.
“Not everybody gets a good shake in this world. Most of us don't. And
this music talks about how you overcome that. When you're in the bad
times – know that you can overcome. And then when those bad times are
gone, this music helps you celebrate that,
too.”
Visit Doug's website at
www.doug-macleod.com.
Photos by Bob Kieser © 2012 Blues Blast Magazine
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 Staples 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, Miss., 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
|
Featured Blues Review 1 of 7
 Phantom
Blues Band – Inside Out
13
tracks; 51.14 minutes
“Inside
Out” is the third album produced by the Phantom Blues Band and it is
perhaps the best yet. On the earlier discs, the band stuck mainly to
covers, but here there are six originals and, as ever, plenty of
variety, stellar playing and singing. The band started out as a studio
band to back Taj Mahal, but the combination worked so well that they
have continued to tour with Taj as well as all being regular session
musicians of the highest calibre. The acts they have played with is a
veritable who’s who of blues and rock, names such as Bonnie Raitt, Etta
James, Little Feat, Joe Cocker and Crosby, Stills and Nash. The band
consists of Tony Branaugel on drums, Larry Fulcher on bass, Mike
Finnigan on keyboards, Johnny Lee Schell on guitar and the horn pairing
of Darrell Leonard on trumpet and Joe Sublett on sax, a.k.a. ‘The
Texacali Horns’. Ace percussionist Lenny Castro helps out and jazz
pianist Joe Sample plays keyboards on one track. Vocals are shared out
between Finnigan, Fulcher and Schell.
Taking the
originals first I particularly enjoyed “Boogah Man” with its surging
rhythm, great harmonies and organ solo. In contrast “So Far From Heaven”
is a jazzy tune with Joe Sample’s keys prominent and an outstanding solo
from co-author (with Larry Fulcher) Joe Sublett. The horn arrangement
here is superb and the whole piece has the feel of Steely Dan at their
peak. “Having A Good Time With The Blues” is a good rolling blues, a
collaboration between Schell, Charlie Musselwhite and Barry Goldberg,
with strong guitar playing throughout.
Schell also
contributes “It’s All Right” with its strong chorus and horn charts.
Darrell Leonard provides “Where Did My Monkey Go”, the only instrumental
here. As you would expect the horns are strongly featured, but the whole
band moves this one along with some latin percussion and hot guitar.
“Change” is one written by the whole band, more great horns on a song
with something of a political message: “Running the world is a mighty
big job, but it seems we’re running on fear. Times are hard, jobs are
scarce but the stock market’s doing real well”.
The covers
come from a wide variety of sources. Doc Pomus’ “Boogie-Woogie Country
Girl is great fun, piano to the fore but the horns also rocking hard.
Son House’s “Death Letter” is obviously at the opposite end of the
emotional spectrum and has been covered many times. The Phantoms slow it
right down, making the tragic lyrics even more harrowing. Schell’s slide
guitar adds to the oppressive atmosphere, the horns punctuating the song
with well-timed blasts. The vocal here is particularly effective but I
was not sure who sings which song and the sleeve notes do not help
there!
Charlie
Rich was best known for his C&W songs and so seems an odd choice for the
Phantoms but “Feel Like Goin’ Home” works well, Finnigan’s keyboards
underpinning the sad lyrics of the slowest song of the set. Dave
Bartholomew is a more obvious choice and his “Little Fernandez” is a
delight, the tale of a small guy with a bigger woman. The latin feel
gives an opportunity for Leonard to display his Mexican style on
trumpet. Jimmy McCracklin is another guy who is frequently covered and
here “Shame, Shame” gives the band the chance to play some soulful
music. That leaves the opening and closing cuts – opener is Smokey
McAllister’s “I Can’t Stand It” which provides an excellent upbeat
statement of intent from the band. The call and response vocals on the
chorus add a definite touch of classic soul to the song. Closing the CD
is “Stone Survivor” by David Egan, best known for his contributions to
Cajun music and to the Lil’ Band Of Gold in particular. Finnigan’s piano
is at the heart of this one but, once again, it ends up as a whole band
piece with the horns and guitar taking a bow too.
This is a
great CD by a band that cannot be dismissed as ‘just Taj’s backing
band’. No, they are far more than that and this CD deserves to do really
well. 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 enjoyed the
Tampa Bay Blues Festival in April.
For other reviews and interviews on our website
CLICK HERE
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Live Blues Review 1 of 2 -
Briggs Farm Blues Fest
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The 2012 Briggs
Farm Blues Festival celebrated its 15th anniversary this year and did so
in style with a line-up full of exciting and talented performers. Since
1998 the festival has continually grown and has become an annual
tradition for blues fans from around the world. Thousands of people camp
all weekend keeping the music going all night, sometimes with the help
of performers who stick around to mingle with the fans long after the
stage lights have faded.
There is a
family friendly feeling to the festival with fresh food made on site by
Briggs’ staff along with blues singer/guitarist and BBQ Pitmaster
extraordinaire Lonnie Shields and his sister Pearly Mae, and fans are
welcome to bring coolers, food, chairs, blankets, and friends. The
weather this year was hot even for July, with heat indexes topping 100
degrees, but armed with battery powered fans, ample sunscreen, plenty of
ice, and copious amounts of cold beverages the attendees were able to
withstand the warmth even as things heated up on stage.
Briggs Farm
Blues Festival, as always, got underway on its Back Porch Stage with
some regional acts playing as fans slowly trickled in but things got
moving on the Main Stage around 4pm when Chris Beard, the Prince of the
Blues, brought his soulful, funky electric blues to the Farm officially
kicking off the 15th Anniversary celebration.
Next on the
main Stage, Alexis P. Suter Band kept spirits high with their Gospel
tinged R&B. Alexis was nominated for best "Soul Blues Female Artist"
Blues Music Award this year and is a veteran of Briggs Farm with 2012
marking their 4th appearance at the festival.
 
Linsey
Alexander is one of the hottest Chicago Blues performers in the Windy
City these days and he brought his brand of urban blues to the farm on
Friday afternoon. Linsey is a charismatic entertainer full of amusing
stories, colorful wit, and devastating guitar solos. In true blues
tradition, Linsey took the music to the people, walking through the
crowd for a few songs all the while posing for pictures and showing off
his fretboard finger work to the ladies.
 
Eddy “The
Chief” Clearwater closed the first day at Briggs Farm Blues Festival
with a rousing set rockin’ blues in his inimitable West Side Chicago
style. The Chief’s band is tight, and together they gave the crowd a
powerful performance worthy of men half his age. Eddy may have given his
woman “a damn good leavin’ alone” but he gave the fans at Briggs Farm a
damn good set of blues and even brought up his Chicago buddy Linsey
Alexander for the final song of the night.
The Back
Porch stage runs concurrently with the Main Stage performances making it
impossible to see everything at Briggs Farm and if you stay glued to big
names on the big stage you’ll miss a lot of great music on the porch. In
the past, the porch has hosted David “Honeyboy” Edwards, Jimmy “Duck”
Holmes, Terry “Harmonica” Bean, and many others. Lonnie Shields takes a
break from cooking each night and plays sets of music that deserve to be
on the main stage. His energy is palpable and he works the crowd into a
frenzy. The days usually start with local acts and work up to regional
and national performers and Briggs Farm staff member James Owens is an
accomplish blues harp player and regularly sits in with the Back Porch
performers for memorable jams. This year featured Blues Hall of Fame
member Michael Packer and soon-to-be inducted Clarence Spady. The CKS
Band, a trio comprised of Bruce Katz and Scott Sharrard of Gregg
Allman’s band and Randy Ciarlante of The Band & The Levon Helm Band
played a blazing set and Mikey Junior’s harp playing left the crowd
breathless.
 
 
 
Day Two
Rory Block opened day two on the main
stage with storm-shortened set
full of classic delta blues including an acapella version of Son House’s
“Grinnin’ In Your Face” and tracks from her recent album I Belong to the
Band: A Tribute to Rev. Gary Davis. Lightning struck in the distance and
clouds grew dark as Rory played the devil’s blues to the delight of the
crowd.
Butterfield Revisited took the stage
shortly after the rain delay and
played a high energy set of electric blues to get everyone back in
festival mode. Butterfield Revisited is the brainchild of Gabriel
Butterfield and Jimmy Vivino who put the band together as a tribute to
the Paul Butterfield Blues Band. Gabriel is the son of Paul Butterfield
and he is working on a documentary of his father’s life in and out of
the music business. Jimmy Vivino is an accomplished guitarist and
vocalist who is currently band leader of the Basic Cable Band on Conan
O’Brien’s late night show Conan. The band’s first performance was at
Briggs Farm and the ensemble, which includes the incredible Steve Guyger
on harmonica and vocals, Pete Levin on keyboards, Jim Curtin on bass,
and Jimmy Eppard on guitar and electric sitar which he used to great
effect on “East West.”
 
After the Butterfield Revisited set,
Michael Packer presented Blues Hall
Of Fame induction certificates to Gabriel Butterfield, Steve Guyger,
Jimmy Vivino, The Butterfield Blues Band, and to Briggs Farm
commemorating 15 years of top notch blues.
 
The thunder from the afternoon storm
was nothing compared to the
visceral electric boom brought forth by festival favorites Moreland &
Arbuckle who first played at Briggs Farm in 2010, and the band brought
back by popular demand did not disappoint. They energized the crowd and
got people moving even in the sweltering heat.
 
The festival closed out with next-
generation star Bernard Allison, son
of Blues legend Luther Allison. Bernard has made a name for himself with
his own style of blues incorporating funk, soul, and Hendrix-style rock
into a crowd pleasing fusion.
 
The music is of course the main draw of
Briggs Farm Blues Festival but
there is plenty to enjoy all weekend. There are vendors offering
products like jewelry made from utensils, blown glass, folk art
renderings of blues legends, a multitude of apparel including hats and
many fine tie-dye creations, cigars and even cigar box guitars
hand-crafted by Young Customs in Nuremberg, PA. This local vendor
provided a custom cigar box guitar to mark the 15th anniversary of the
festival, which was raffled off to a lucky winner. Each year the
festival also gives away one acoustic guitar per night signed by the
acts from that day.
The smell of the barbecue smokers kept
drawing people back for Lonnie
Shields’ mouth-watering pulled pork sandwiches, wings and sausages. This
year the Briggs Farm crew added home-style macaroni and cheese to their
menu which was a big hit, along with the perennial favorite – fresh,
roasted sweet corn. Other vendors provide desserts like Strawberry
Shortcake and Pecan Pie as well as some fresh cut French fries to go
with the barbecue. Some of the vendors were hit hard by the storm that
swept through on Saturday afternoon but with the help of some
concert-goers got their stands back in order. Unfortunately some were
not as fortunate and many gazebo tents were found in the garbage on
Saturday night. Altogether it was another successful year for the Briggs
Farm Blues Festival which continues to raise the bar for high-quality
festival experiences. Maybe we’ll see you there next year.
Photos by
Jim Kanavy © 2012.
Reviewer Jim Kanavy is the greatest guitar player in his
house. He has been reviewing albums in his head for 30 years and in
print since 2008, and is deeply committed to keeping the blues alive and
thriving. For more information visit
http://jimkanavy.com.
For other reviews and interviews on our website
CLICK HERE
|
Featured Blues Review 2 of 7
 JW-Jones
– Seventh Hour
Solid
Blues Records (Crosscut in Europe)
10
tracks – 36.39 minutes
JW-Jones is
a Canadian blues guitarist and singer who has started to gain
recognition in the States with a series of albums that featured some of
the biggest names in the blues – Charlie Musselwhite, Kim Wilson, Hubert
Sumlin, Junior Watson and Little Charlie Baty. Across his six previous
albums he has produced a wide range of material from swinging big band
sounds to classic blues but for this seventh album he has gone back to
basics, recording almost entirely in a quartet format in his own living
room. The band here is JW on guitar and vocals, Jesse Whiteley on
keyboards, Jeff Asselin on drums and Marc Decho on bass (upright and
electric). The only significant input from outside the band is steel
guitar by Jeremy Wakefield on two cuts. Eight of the tracks were written
by JW, three in collaboration with Tim Wynne-Jones, the two covers
coming from the songbooks of Little Milton and Roy Orbison.
Listeners
are grabbed by the throat from the start by opener “Ain’t Gonna Beg”
with its pounding drums, ringing guitar and strong vocal. As those of us
who have enjoyed JW’s material before know he is very good at writing
hook-laden songs and this is another and JW’s stinging solo is a perfect
fit for the song. “Let It Go” follows, another uptempo number which
might have worked well with a horn section but here it is the B3 which
drives the melody along. “In A Song” is clever, a song that catches your
attention: the girl who has ended their relationship is told that she
may well reappear in a future song! I particularly liked the way that
the rhythm changes as the band moves from verse to chorus. “You Got
Caught” is a more sparse arrangement and also the bluesiest track on the
disc so far, with some stellar guitar playing in the solo.
“All Over
Again” is a fast-paced tune with another catchy refrain. Here the guitar
and arrangement is almost pop, a notion emphasised by the organ solo but
countermanded by the guitar which is far tougher than the rest of the
song – an interesting contrast. “Heartbreaker” whips along at terrific
pace with some jazzy chording from JW and steel guitar in support, much
more of a jump style than what has come before. The pace slows a little
for “Do For You” as JW asks what he can do for his girl: possibilities
include climbing the Eiffel Tower, shooting Niagara Falls and crossing
the Kalahari desert in the full noon sun, any of which JW will do for
her love. More strong guitar features in the middle solo which made me
think of Otis Rush. “What Is Real” is a gentle piece, a story about
keeping life in perspective, taking its inspiration from the tale of a
couple who won the lottery and gave the money to charity. Musically this
is the quietest tune on the album with the main instrumental focus being
JW’s acoustic guitar, acoustic bass and gentle organ.
The two
covers appear towards the end of the album. Little Milton and Oliver
Sain’s “I’m Tryin’” is given a fine reading with JW’s guitar ringing out
and his vocal delivering the familiar lyrics well. Roy Orbison and Sam
Phillips’ “So Long I’m Gone” goes way back to Roy’s early days at Sun
Records and has a suitably rockabilly feel with JW’s twangy guitar and
Jeremy Wakefield’s steel guitar adding the touch of country that suits
the song.
Although
the appearance of famous guests on some of JW’s earlier albums was
great, this latest CD is none the worse for simply concentrating on JW’s
talents as writer, singer and guitarist. I remain amazed that he is not
better known in the States: for me this is another fine addition to his
discography.
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
enjoyed the Tampa Bay Blues Festival in April.
For other reviews and interviews on our website
CLICK HERE
|
Featured Blues Review 3 of 7
 Cameo
Blues – 10,000 Hours
Make it Real Records
11 tracks / 44:49
There is a popular theory that one must put in 10,000 hours of practice
to master most complicated skills. I have seen the rule applied to
soccer, golf, hockey, and of course music – all you have to do is
practice 20 hours a week for 10 years, and you are set. The Beatles did
their 10,000 hours by performing over 1200 eight-hour sets in Hamburg
between 1960 and 1964, and came back as seasoned performers. They were
not an overnight sensation.
Well, 10,000 Hours also happens to be the title of Cameo Blues’ new
album. This is their second album, but don’t let the size of their
catalog trick you into thinking these are a bunch of newcomers, because
this Toronto-based band has been around in one form or another since
1978. If these guys haven’t gotten their 10,000 hours in yet, they must
be pretty close because they sure do sound tight.
Cameo Blues is made up of John Dickie on lead vocals and harmonica, Mike
Sloski on drums, Ray Harrison on the keys, John Bride on guitars, and
Tom Griffiths holding down the low end on bass. They collected 11 tunes
for this album: seven originals by Mr. Dickie and his buddies in the
band, and four well-known covers. They arranged the album so that all of
the originals are up front, and the covers are the last four tracks.
Cameo Blues wisely chose to kick the album off with “Penguin Walk,” a
rock and roll boogie that showcases Texas guitar tone, some nice organ
work and a driving bass line. The lyrics are smart and the music is
well-suited to the band, setting a high bar for the listeners’
expectations. The title track comes up next, and the pace does not let
up as Dickie’s distorted voice tears into “10,000 Hours.” Sloski does
some very tasteful and appropriate drum work on this tune, and its
message about paying your dues should make this song required listening
for every new band that hopes for overnight fame and fortune.
The mood lightens up a little with the clever lyrics of “21st Century
Rockit 88,” which is a piano-driven bluesy rock number with plenty of
slide guitar. Harrison does a fabulous job on the keyboards in addition
to receiving writing credit for this track.
“Plowing Our Row” is a thoughtful look at our dependence on fossil
fuels, without going overboard on political commentary. This is a more
straight-up blues song with strong vocal harmonies over a foundation of
organ. But the serious tone of this tune is offset by the next track
“Gasoline,” which rocks out with a great guitar intro and a thumping
bass line. At a little over three minutes, this song ended too soon for
me…
10,000 Hours also gets some gospel-inspired Hammond B3 (courtesy of
Lance Anderson) on “Hold Your Love,” a sweet ballad that also has some
nice piano work by Harrison. Bride provides a super-smooth guitar solo
in the middle too, showing he has soul as well as chops.
The last original track is “Talk Radio,” which bemoans what has become
of our airwaves. I miss the days when you could actually find decent
music on the radio too, guys. Griffiths’ bass is plenty growly on this
tune, which is a nice counterpoint to the complicated (and upfront)
keyboard parts.
The covers are popular tunes, but all of them are done differently than
I have heard before. The first is Willie Dixon’s “Howlin’ for My Darlin’”,
which has been shortened to “Howlin’.” Dickie has the perfectly seasoned
voice for this straight-up Chicago blues track. Going with the theme,
next up is a masterful version of Howlin’ Wolf’s “Sittin’ On Top of the
World.” This song has nice interplay between Bride and Dickie, the
latter on both vocals and harmonica.
Perhaps the most unexpected track is the cover of Led Zeppelin’s “Rock
and Roll” which has enough organ to lend a circus/horror show vibe to
the proceedings, without veering too far off into Emerson Lake and
Palmer territory. It is a complete departure from the original, but
rocks just as hard. I will have to sneak this one into my next DJ gig.
The last track on 10,000 Hours is Jimmy McGriff’s “All About My Girl,”
and this hard-rocking instrumental gives everybody in the band a chance
to shine one last time. This was a great choice to finish up with, and
is a capper to a uniformly solid album.
It is nice to find an album with 11 tracks that are all well done, with
the added bonus that each of them is unique and steps out in a different
direction. I highly recommend that you give Cameo Blues a try and add
10,000 Hours to your play list.
Reviewer Rex Bartholomew is a Los Angeles-based writer and
musician; his blog can be found at rexbass.blogspot.com.
For other reviews and interviews on our website
CLICK HERE
|
Featured Blues Review 4 of 7
 Ainslie’s
Vibes - Standing Ten Feet Tall (and Raging Like A Bull)
AV Records
“Wanted-Singer and lyric writer for hot-shot-inventive English
blues-rock guitarist and band.” Tim Ainsley leaps right into the fray
with his energetic guitar skills, until a roadblock caused by his spoken
word “vocals” throws a “spanner (a wrench to you non-anglophiles) into
the works”. He comes close to sounding like Long John Baldry doing his
spoken word bits. Hard to make heads or tails of the meaning of the
lyrics. The music is just great, as the rhythm section is tighter than a
bull’s backside.
In “Tell Me Straight”, as in everything here, the guitar riffs and solos
are fantastic and imaginative, but no proper vocals to speak of. In the
bluesy-jazzy “Tim’s Crones” he rips off a really hot solo. The band
churns up a nifty shuffle in “If Only” that also features a nice organ
solo by Roger Cotton, a former member of Peter Green’s Splinter Group,
who also helped in recording, mixing and remastering the record. The
acoustic guitar and drum driven “Blue Eyes” works on a melancholy level.
The fearless leader conjures up some inventive playing on “Divine
Intervention”, the kind that is fun to follow. His guitar can just cut
and slash through atmosphere. The title song sounds like it is backed by
Johnny Cash’s Tennessee Three providing a train groove as Ainslie does
his rip-roaring thing.
If this record were stripped of vocals it would be a blues-rock
tour-de-force. Sadly, as we all know “ifs” don’t work in real life. Oh
heck I need to use one more “if” to get my point across hear…If the
guitar playing sounds as powerful in live, it’s the kind of playing that
would draw your attention from a distance and improve as you got nearer.
His playing stands with the best of today’s blue-rock “top guns”. He can
rip off fast, flashy notes that are well placed. The one glaring miscue
here is the absence of quality vocals and lyrics. I really don’t know
what else to say. If you can stand the “talk-singing” you’re in for tons
of blazing guitar goodness.
Reviewer
Greg “Bluesdog” Szalony hails from the New Jersey Delta.
For other reviews and interviews on our website
CLICK HERE
|
Live Blues Review 2 of 2 -
Monterey Bay Blues Fest
|
27th
Monterey Bay Blues Festival (MBBF)
The Monterey Bay Blues Festival is held
every year at the Monterey
Fairgrounds, with walkways between the stages lined with good southern
(festival) cooking, vendors, three stages, and beautiful cypress trees.
Many years the festival is cloaked in the famous Monterey Bay Fog but
this year was an exception!! The weather was gorgeous and the music was
great, as were the fashions and gathering of friends from all over
northern California. The festival begins on Friday evening, with jams
each night after the festival. This Friday night started out with blues
performances from Alvon Johnson, Adrian Costa, and some great soul blues
from Rose Royce, Sai Whatt, Five Tempting Men, and Evelyn Champagne
King.
Alvon Johnson can be both warm and
touching or just plain goofy fun but
I caught him on the first of the two moods and was mesmerized by his
set. His band included Bass: Ron Perry, Sax: Stabe Wilson, Keys: James
McKinney,Drums: Eddie Hall
Adrian Costa, an engaging, talented, and
very entertaining bluesman from
Spain was backed up by the bay area greats Henry Oden (bass), Carl Green
(sax), Dennis Dove (drums), Dale Ockerman (keyboards) and the thoroughly
committed (and the best dressed!) Tovia Bradley on drums. Although
Adrian was new to me, he has quite a fan base in the bay area.
 
Fresh from Las Vegas, the Five Tempting
Men Soul Revue, was just that!!
And they had their act down – every dance move, hand motion, and songs
were highly coordinated and I have to say FUN!! The area was packed and
everyone was singing every Temptations and 60-70’s chart topping soul
hit made. I didn’t want to leave (having a happy nostalgia attack) but
more music was happening with Sai Whatt on the President’s stage and
Rose Royce followed by Evelyn Champagne King on the big arena stage.
What a night!
   
Saturday was another great day full of
variety on the three stages.
After the day was over, the Monterey Herald wrote a glowing article that
brought tears of joy to so many people with a headliner something like
“Paula Harris Storms The Blues Festival”. Winner of the Monterey Battle
of The Bands, which then took her to Memphis to come in 3rd at the IBC’s
(International Blues Challenge), The Paula Harris Band won the honor of
opening the festival on the main Arena Stage on Saturday. And because
the festival artist directors were so impressed with Paula, she did a
second set on the President’s stage later in the day – which was good as
the Arena stage was not well attended in the morning. Being the
professionals that they are, Paula’s band blew away the people in the
morning audience, the word traveled, and the second set was packed.
Number one is Paula’s blues voice, presence, and energy and right next
to that is a band that can’t be topped. D’Mar (Derrick Martin) has been
Little Richard’s drummer for over 16 years and brings a beat and
entertainment factor to match Paula’s energy. Bay Area’s famous
performers completed the ensemble: Terry Hiatt (guitar), Eddie Neon
(guitar), Joey Fabian (bass), Simon Russell (keys). I usually keep my
personal opinions out of these articles but this time it is not going to
happen….Paula Harris is going places!! Don’t miss her!! Book her & the
band!! Stay tuned!!
 
The rest of the day was full of many
favorites, so as to not play
favorites they will be listed in alphabetical order…and of course they
are all great!! And perhaps a few comments about their style.
Andre Thiery & Zydeco Magic -
Zydeco
 
Big Cat Tolfree – Smooth Blues, Bay Area
Favorite, Funky Bass. Great
band!!
Bay Area Caravan of Allstars – these guys
are the true heroes of bands
around the bay area and together they put out a very great sound. And
most of the members will appear in other bands throughout the weekend.
Dale Ockerman’s Musicskool – Dale play
keyboards and guitar and is very
involved in bringing music to the schools and each year he brings his
very talented students to play a set. This year his wife Connie Troupe
also belted out some blues with the band.
Grady Champion – Grady, as always puts
on a fun filled set. And
apparently he has spent the last year learning to play the guitar (surprise!)and
is doing quite well on that along with his searing harp. Grady loves to
run through the crowd and flirt with everyone on & off the stage. His
band includes Nathan Keck (guitar), Marquis Champion (bass – yes it is
his son), and Calvin (drums).
JC Smith Band – JC has a great band, fully
resplendent with a horn
section. JC is really generous about sharing the stage and invited
Demetria Taylor up to sing. JC met 12 year old “guitar wonder” Ray Goren
in Chicago a few weeks earlier and invited him to come play with the
band. (This was the 4th time to see Ray play in the last two months and
he is very impressive).
  
JJ Grey & Mofro – Saturday night’s
headliner was JJ Grey & Mofro.
Historically the headliners at the MBBF are big R&B Revues and draw
large crowds. JJ Grey is extremely popular in the Pacific NW (I am a
fan!) but not well known to this particular festival crowd and a
completely different style than usual. True to form JJ put on a great
set even though the attendance was low. (He certainly pulled in the
adoring crowds last week in Portland!)
Kenny Neal Family Band - played two sets
on Saturday and as always is
fabulous! Kenny loves to highlight his family and brought his son, Mica,
in to perform. Mica sang “Diggin’ On James Brown” with great vocals and
trumpet work. The band also included Bryan Morris (drums), Darnell Neal
(bass), and Fredrick Neal (keyboards).
 
Larry McCray – blues at it’s purest and
finest. What else is there to
say? His band includes Kerry Clark (bass), Shawn McDonald (keyboards),
and Steve McCray (drums).
Minor E Williams – played two sets. Great
blues! Minor plays drums and
lead vocals with James Henry (percussion).
Stu Heydon Band – great local blues
band!
Sista Monica Parker – SMP performed cuts
from her new blues CD “Living
in the Danger Zone”. Monica’s band is stellar and the blues was in the
house!! Her new blues band (as opposed to her gospel choir band)
includes Danny B (keyboards), Danny Sandoval (Fantastic Sax!!), Bill
Vallaire (guitar), and smooth vocals by William Russ Jr.
 
Sunday was a short day for this blues
reporter but I thoroughly enjoyed
the performances through the day. Roy Taylor
& New Directions – the day started with the gospel sounds of Roy Taylor.
The performance was cut a little short as Ray’s health is suffering. The
band picked up the slack and kept the gospel going strong.
Beaufunk – Getting the blues and funk
down were Keith Brown (vocals),
Jim Peterson (Sax), Lorenzo Hawkins (keys), Timm Walker (bass), and
William Allums (drums).
 
Charlie Musselwhite – Everybody’s favorite
blues harmonica player,
Charlie is always a treat!! And his band, well known to bay area music
fans, is just more treat!! Matt Stubbs (smokin’ guitar), June Core (smokin’
drums), Mike Phillips (smokin’ bass)
Cole Foneseca & Joe Boy Watson – I
only caught the last song of Cole
Fonseca but was very impressed. Handicapped by an accident, Cole learned
to play the lap steel with one hand. Amazing young man who can play the
blues with the best of them. Another quick stop for me was Joe Boy
Watson – I caught some great blues from his band as I ran to another
stage.
Demetria Taylor – Got some great
Chicago blues from this set with Carl
Green (sax) & Ronnie Stewart (guitar) from the Bay Area Caravan backing
her up.
Tebo & Funk – This set was great
fun. A little zydeco, a little Texas, a
lot of blues & attitude. And popping through the bushes, Kenny Neal came
to hear the band. His timing was perfect as Tebo had just told the crowd
that Kenny Neal was on his newest CD. Tebo was getting down on the bass
while Myrna Cooper did some funky on the rubboard.
Jackie Greene – the last set of the day
for me, Jackie and his guitar
partner Nate Dale put on a great show with a lot of variety in their
styles. They work well together and always sound great!!
A final nod to the Blues In The Schools
Honor Band. The Monterey Bay
Blues Festival always schedules the Honor Band on the main and garden
stages and encourages and supports young musicians in a way that I have
not witnessed at any other festival. We, as blues fans, constantly hear
“Keep The Blues Alive” and I thank the MBBF for keeping this concept as
an important part of their agenda and throughout the year. Music is such
an important part of a childs’ life and development. Thanks to all the
members of the board, volunteers, staff, and crew for another great
weekend in Monterey.
 
Photos & Comments By Marilyn Stringer © 2012
MJStringerPhoto.com
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:
Maximum of 175 words in a Text or MS Word document
format.
Decatur Blues Society -
Decatur, IL
Decatur Blues Society will hold their annual "Road to Memphis" blues
challenge on Sept 22, 2012. Open to both band and solo/duo. Winning
band and winning solo/duo will represent the Decatur Blues Society
in the International Blues Challenge held in Memphis in Jan 2013.
Entry forms and complete info can be found at
www.decaturblues.org.
Minnesota Blues Society - St.
Paul, MN
The Minnesota Blues Society presents 2012 Minnesota Hall of Fame
inductees. MnBS
would like to congratulate this years' honorees: Big Walter Smith,
"Blues Performer"; James Samuel "Cornbread" Harris, Sr., "Blues
Legend"; Dan Schwalbe, "Blues Sideman"; Electric Fetus, "Supportive
of the Blues (non-performer)"; Cyn Collins, "West Bank Boogie",
"Blues Art and Literature"; Lamont Cranston, "Tiger in your Tank",
"Blues Recording"; Will Donicht, "Blues on the Bank", "Blues
Song".
2012 Minnesota Hall of Fame event will be held, Sun, Oct 14,
Wilebski's Blues Saloon, St. Paul. Mn details to follow @
www.mnbs.org
River City Blues Society
- Pekin, IL
River City Blues Society presents: Bringing The Blues To You with
the following shows at Goodfellas 1414 N. 8th St, Pekin, Illinois
- July 25th at 7:00PM • Laurie Morvan, Aug 8th at 7:00PM • Chris
Beard Admission: $5.00 or $3.00 for members For more info visit:
www.rivercityblues.com
or call 309-648-8510
Long Island Blues Society -
Centereach, NY
The Long Island Blues Society will be hosting the following events:
8/12/12 Tas Cru. Frank Celenza opening, at 2PM Bobbique in Patchogue NY. LIBS Members $8, all others $10.
9/16/12 Long Island Blues Talent Competition (LIBTC) to select a
representative for IBC. $10 donation to help defray winners expenses
in Memphis. Location TBA. Now accepting applications for Band,
Solo/Duo categories. Requirements on website
www.liblues.org
Dayton Blues Society
– Dayton, Ohio
The Dayton Blues Society will be holding our “Road to Memphis” Blues
Challenge on July 22nd at Gilly’s Nite Club in downtown Dayton. We
are now accepting applications for our Band and Solo/Duo categories.
Please go to
www.daytonbluessociety.com for complete details.
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 8:00pm $3
cover. • 7/23/2012 - Roger
"Hurricane" Wilson • 7/30/2012 - Biscuit Miller and the
Mix •
8/6/2012 - Matt Hill • 8/13/2012 - Rockin Johnny • 8/27/2012 -Dennis
Gruenling • 9/3/2012
- Eric Guitar Davis • 9/24/2012 - The 44s •
10/1/2012 - Levee Town • 10/8/2012 - Rich Fabec 10/15/2012 -
Jason Elmore. Other ICBC
sponsored events at the K of C Hall, Casey’s Pub, 2200 Meadowbrook
Rd., Springfield, IL from 7:30pm - Midnight - Jun 30 – Matt Hill . icbluesclub.org
The Friends Of The Blues - Watseka, IL
Friends of the Blues present 2012 shows:
Tues, July 24, Laurie Morvan Band, 7 pm, Bradley Bourbonnais Sportsmen’s Club Thur, August 9, Too Slim and the Taildraggers, 7 pm, Kankakee Valley Boat Club Wed, August 22, Smokin’ Joe Kubek w/ Bnois King, 7 pm, Kankakee Valley Boat Club Thur, Sept 6, Ivas John Band, 7 pm, venue TBA Tues, Sept 18, Smilin’ Bobby, 7 pm, venue TBA Thur, Sept 27, Jerry Lee & Juju Kings, 7 pm, venue TBA Thursday, Oct 18, Morry Sochat & The Special 20s, 7 pm, TBA |
Featured
Blues Review 5 of 7
 Big
Dog Mercer - Big Dog Mercer
Electro
Glide Records
10
tracks
One of the
fun things abut reviewing music is that you get a lot of stuff from guys
and gals you have never heard of to review. On the surface that could
sound like it was a bad thing. What I have found is that more often than
not it is a local artist who is working their craft, trying to get some
exposure. For good, bad or indifferent, I have also found that there are
a lot of pretty damn good guitar players, musicians and singers out
there and some of them can write pretty good original songs. Marty
Mercereau (aka Big Dog Mercer) is one of them.
A Wisconsin
boy schooled in Chicago blues, Marty has won accolades in Chicago and
its' south suburban areas for his guitar play, vocals and band. The CD
is on a growing label and for the most part was recorded live in the
studio with no over dubs, so what you hear is what they've got. He
proudly claims to have only used Delay and Wah pedals only on one tracks
and that he plugged directly into the amp and played.
Big Dog is
on guitar and vocals, Bobby Scumaci is on B3 and piano, John Huet and
Doug Horan share the bass duties and Larry "The Animal" Ortega is on
drums. The band is focused and tight throughout and the songs are all
original and written by Mercer. The band seems to have done their time
together and work as a team. The sound is big and driving but not
overpowering. Clean riffs and leads, really good backline stuff, and
(when featured) the organ and keys are savory and sweet.
Mercer
starts with the semi-biographical "Big Dog's Blues", a hot and romping
track with nice piano and guitar solos. He's "been in the doghouse so
long" that they now "call me the big dog" won't win him any Pulitzer
prizes, but it sure is fun. He bemoans being plagued by a voodoo doll in
"Stickin' Pins Into Me," another driving and rocking track with good
guitar. The Delay and Wah are not overdone on "Wimmen Trouble" and his
vocals also sell this one. "Some Other Fool" gives us some more driving
beat and throbbing guitar with some gutsy vocals that remind me a bit of
a gruffer styled Warren Haynes. Mercer adds a stinging guitar solo, too.
Slow and real down and dirty blues are what we get with "Drinkin'
Blues;"nice opening guitar work and we finally get to hear the B3. He
sings of the life in taverns and quitting drinking. Well done.
Marty then
rocks out a bit with "Prelude", a nice instrumental more in the rock
vein. "Helpless" is a bluesy southern rock sounding testimonial where
Mercer describes he s helpless and asks God's assistance. The slide
reminds me a little of Dickey Betts on this one. He picks up the pace on
"It's Because of You, " a somewhat frantic and rocking blues. "Big Dog
Will Treat You Right" is more gutsy vocals and driving guitar, and he
describes his Big Dog prowess with the "wimmen." Closing up is "Thank
You, Jesus," classic slow blues where we get to hear the B3 again where
this time they send us to Church. He thanks the Savior for what he's
done for the Big Dog. I especially love the big organ solo followed by
the guitar solo here.
This is a
good CD and a fun listen over all. No bad songs, some really good ones
and a nice overall sound. I loved the vocals and guitar and the keys/B3
on 3 tracks were excellent. I enjoyed a taste of the Big Dog's music and
I hope to see him live- this is worth a spin or two in your CD players!
Reviewer Steve Jones is president 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 since 1996, he writes for and
publishes the bi-monthly newsletter for Crossroads, chairs their music
festival and work with their Blues In The Schools program. He resides in
Byron, IL.
For other reviews and interviews on our website
CLICK HERE
|
Featured Blues Review 6 of 7
 Bob
Margolin with Mike Sponza Band - Blues Around the World
12 tracks/45:20
Last year guitarist Bob Margolin did a short, ten date tour in six
European countries backed by the Mike Sponza. An avid admirer of
Margolin’s work, Sponza suggested the idea of the two musicians joining
forces to form a formidable two-guitar line-up with solid rhythmic
support from Sponza’s bandmates, Moreno Buttinar on drums and Mauro Todd
on bass. The excitement and chemistry that the musicians felt on stage
coupled with the over-whelming positive audience response to their shows
made it an easy decision to try to capture the magic on a recording.
The disc opens with some wicked slide guitar from Margolin on “Lost
Again” before slipping into a far gentler groove on “Blues Lover”, an
ode to a woman devoted to blues music. The lilting rhythm forms a fine
backdrop for Sponza’s fine fretwork before Margolin finishes the track
with more slide licks that cut to the bone. Another original, “While
You’re Down There”, is a swinging number with the pickers again trading
energized solos.
The band switches to an acoustic mode on the confessional “Crazy ‘Bout
You Baby”, with Sponza showing off his slide guitar skills. On “Hard
Feelings”, Margolin’s gripping vocal matches the intensity of a tune
based on a Peter Gunn-like riff. Sponza adopts a menacing guitar tone
that serves as a counterpoint to Margolin’s brighter slide licks. The
leader spins one of his tales from the road on “The Door Was Open”,
which describes a late-night rendezvous with a willing woman – complete
with a brisk tempo and some rockabilly-style guitar.
Sponza wrote two of songs and handles the lead vocal on both. His
heavy-hearted performance on “Rather Than Being Free” is a highlight
along with the intimate conversation between the two guitarists. They
really turn up the heat on the smoking hot “It’s Hard to Be on the
Road”, the two men sharing the vocal before Margolin unleashes a
blistering solo that will burn a hole in your soul!
The three covers are well-worn tunes with “Down in the Alley” benefiting
from robust singing from Margolin as his trademark gruff voice captures
a variety of emotional expressions while he trades scintillating licks
with Sponza. “Rollin’ and Tumblin’“gives the leader a chance to play
slide in the style of his former boss, Muddy Waters. The disc closes
with a downcast Margolin easing the sorrow of the loss of Chloe, one of
his beloved Border Collies, on “Love in Vain” with help from Richard
“Rosy” Rosenblatt on harmonica.
In the press release for this disc, Margolin states that this may be the
best recording of his lengthy solo career. You can be sure that he won’t
get any arguments from me on that point. This one packs a potent punch
with the leader singing with a vibrant enthusiasm that is consistently
matched by the stellar interplay between Margolin and Sponza’s guitars.
And don’t forget about Margolin’s bone-chilling slide guitar tone! This
impressive effort makes me hope that we will someday get the opportunity
to hear Margolin with the Mike Sponza band here in the States. Don’t
miss this one!!
Reviewer
Mark Thompson retired after twelve years as president of the Crossroads
Blues Society in Rockford. IL. and moved to Florida. He has been
listening to music of all kinds for over fifty years. Favorite musicians
include Howlin' Wolf, Muddy Waters, Little Walter, Magic Slim, Magic
Sam, Charles Mingus and Count Basie.
For other reviews and interviews on our website
CLICK HERE
|
Featured Blues Review 7 of
7
 Albert
Castiglia - Living the Dream
Muddy Kid Music
12 songs; 55:53 minutes
Styles: Modern Electric Blues and Blues Rock
Floridian Albert Castiglia’s tunes are on the “rock” side of blues rock.
Nevertheless, he’s “Living the Dream” of musicians: to make a living
pursuing his passion! According to the bio on his website, Castiglia’s
(pronounced “ka-STEEL- ya”) history is as colorful as his hometown of
Miami. In 1990, he played for The Miami Blues Authority, winning awards
locally for “Best Blues Guitarist.” He got a big break after meeting the
legendary Junior Wells in 1996, and became his last lead guitar player
before Wells died in 1998. Albert toured the U.S. and Europe with Junior
and then found himself in Chicago when Junior passed. However, he soon
returned to southern Florida after deciding to launch his solo career
with “Burn” in 2002. His latest album, number six, is evidence of the
success of his ventures sans Wells, and here are three songs out of
twelve (five originals and seven covers) that prove it:
Track 02: “The Man”--In this blistering ballad, Albert’s not naming any
names, yet still calls out “the man” in the abstract (i.e., people in
power): “Handful of suits thought they’d have some fun--held up the
country without a gun. Handful of suits should be sitting in the can,
but no one’s getting nowhere but The Man!” Guest star Emedin Rivera’s
rat-a-tat percussion and cymbals keep this song’s danceable beat
rolling.
Track 05: “Sometimes You Win”--“Sometimes you win, and sometimes you
don’t win. Sometimes you’re lucky; sometimes you lose….” Albert knows
that the recreational activity called ‘gaming’ can exact a brutal price.
On this cover of Graham Wood Drout’s masterful ballad, chronicling a
hustler‘s rise and fall, his acoustic guitar is relentless. It drives
its refrains into listeners’ ears without mercy. “Sometimes You Win” is
almost eerie in its message and melody, especially on the poignant
instrumental solo in the middle.
Track 09: “I Want Her for Myself”--Our narrator wants the exclusive
attention of his girl, yet it’s doubtful whether he’ll get it: “She got
lovers like fish in the sea, and one of them fishes is poor old me. My
baby does me fine, she loves somebody else--I ain’t complaining. I just
want her for myself!” Sandy Mack’s harmonica and Juke Joint Jonny
Rizzo’s acoustic slide guitar are both fantastic here.
Even though non-blues rock blues purists may be skeptical of this album,
Castiglia’s bold style, witty lyrics, and fiery riffs compensate for a
lack of traditional sound on certain tracks. Regular bandmates Bob Amsel
and A.J. Kelly co-perform with Castiglia on drums and bass,
respectively. Also, check out John Ginty’s piano and B3, livening up the
score on such tracks as “Fat Cat.” One thing’s for sure: Albert’s
“Living the Dream,” and his rising star is inspiring countless other
blues artists to reach for theirs!
Reviewer
Rainey Wetnight is a 32 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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