Cover photo by
Bob Kieser © 2012
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In This Issue
We have the latest in Blues Society news
from around the globe. Terry Mullins has our feature interview with a young
up and coming guitar sensation, Matthew Curry. Bob Kieser has a photo essay on the
2012 Ain't Nuthin But The Blues Festival. Marilyn Stringer has Part II of a photo essay from the
2012 Portland Waterfront Blues Fest.
We have six music reviews for you! John Mitchell reviews a new release from
The Royal Southern Brotherhood. Gary Weeks reviews a new release from The
Biscuit Kings. Rex Bartholomew reviews a new CD from Johnny Neel. Greg
“Bluesdog” Szalony reviews a new CD from Lil’ Ed And The Blues Imperials. Mark Thompson reviews a
new
release from The Mannish Boys. Rainey Wetnight reviews a new album from
Mighty Mo Rodgers. All this and MORE! SCROLL DOWN!!!
From The Editor's Desk
Hey
Blues Fans,
We are
halfway though the voting in the
2012 Blues
Blast Music Awards and more that 3,000 of you have voted. OK so
where are the rest of you readers?
Lets face it the Awards are a fan voted awards series.
A popularity contest that gives the most popular artist some bragging rights. Nothing more.
So why should our readers
vote? Look at it as an exercise in learning more about some of the
great artists out there. There are some great artists nominated that you
may not of heard before. You can listen to some of the nominees'
songs conveniently located all in one place to see what I mean.
Click Here.
Often the winning artist
wins by hundreds of votes and sometimes by thousands. But last year one
category was decided by a mere 3 votes out of more than 6500 votes cast.
Point is, your vote counts!
So don't forget to vote.
To vote now
CLICK HERE
Wishing you health, happiness and lots of Blues music!
Bob Kieser
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Featured Blues Interview -
Matthew Curry
 The
tired old phrase 'playing up a storm' has been tossed around for
decades, but this was flat-out ridiculous.
As 17-year-old phenom Matthew Curry, along with his band The Fury, tore
through a blues-filtered version of Deep Purple's “Maybe I'm A Leo” at
the 28th annual Mississippi Valley Blues Festival at the stately band
shell in Davenport, Iowa's LeClaire Park, gale-force winds engulfed the
assembled masses, sweeping through the park like a mini-hurricane.
But to his credit, Curry didn't flinch one inch.
Instead, Curry and his band-mates dug their heels in and turned up the
intensity on the stage, matching Mother Nature's fury with some Fury of
their very own.
Then, as if serving up a peace offering to the weather gods, Curry eased
off the throttle a bit and soothed the wind-stricken patrons, while at
the same time fending off the impending storm, with the down-and-dirty
slow blues of Albert Collins’ “Too Many Dirty Dishes.”
Later, as if right on cue, just seconds after Curry and The Fury stepped
off stage after delivering a blistering take of “Voodoo Chile” as their
encore number, the skies opened up and hit Davenport with more rain in
10 minutes time than the city had seen in quite awhile.
While he may not have had a direct line of communication with the
elements that night, Curry's performance as the opening act at the
Mississippi Valley Blues Festival was one heck of a coming out party for
the young man from Normal, Illinois.
 All-in-all,
pretty impressive stuff for a young man not yet shed free of his high
school years.
“It’s just been a great experience for me. I was hoping that this would
eventually happen for me, but I didn’t expect it to happen this quick,”
he said. “It’s just great … just mind-boggling.”
Mind-boggling, indeed.
The stories are quickly becoming legendary about how an 11-year-old
Curry was handed a guitar by Ronnie Baker Brooks at a show and how the
youngster climbed on stage and began firing off note after note, much to
the delight of Brooks and everyone else in attendance.
Then, at the ripe old age of 12, Curry had the opportunity to jam with
RBB and Tommy Castro, when the Legendary Rhythm and Blues Cruise Review
made its way to Bloomington, Illinois.
Those not fortunate enough to be in attendance that evening can witness
the fireworks at
http://video.google.com/googleplayer.swf?docId=5252879782162690859&hl=en.
“They were both really nice guys. Nice enough to invite me to sit in
with them on a couple tunes. First, we did an Albert Collins tune called
“Honey Hush.” That's the one that was on YouTube. It was kind of
nerve-wrecking for me, because playing with not one, but two
really-great guitarist is a little intimidating,” laughed Curry. “But
everyone played great and it was a great time. When we started the
second song, out of nowhere, the power in half of the town in
Bloomington went out. People said it was because we used up all the
power playing that one song.”
Word of that guitar tour-de-force quickly reached Curry's school, where
his classmates relayed back to the young guitarist what they had heard
about that night.
 “The
next day at school I just remember a lot of kids coming up to me and
telling me, 'Oh, my mom and dad were at the show last night,' and that's
pretty cool,” Curry said.
Since then, Curry has proven to be no parlor trick, no flash in the pan.
Entering into Eclipse Studio in Normal last August, Curry and The Fury
(Randy Hoffman, guitar; Greg Neville, drums; Jeff Paxton, bass) emerged
with an outstanding debut album for their efforts – If I Don’t Got
You.
Blues fans all across the landscape have taken notice of the budding
superstar, evidenced by an unprecedented three Blues Blast Music Award
nominations (Song of the Year – “Blinded by the Darkness”; New Artist
Debut; Sean Costello Rising Star Award).
While his prowess at burning up-and-down the neck of his guitar is what
Curry has received the lion’s share of recognition for, his
well-weathered vocals also beg for attention – vocal chops that sound as
if they’ve been around for decades, belonging to a much more seasoned –
and yes, much older - singer.
But looking beyond his obvious vocal and guitar playing talents, one of
the most remarkable things about Curry’s initial public offering is,
that save for two songs (Charley Patton’s “High Water Everywhere” and
“Soulshine” by Warren Haynes), all the material on If I Don’t Got You
was crafted by Curry himself.
Even if some of the tunes may contain subject matter that might seem
far-reaching for a teenager still living at home.
“I kind of like to think of it as my own style – well maybe not MY style
– but based off the blues style,” he said. “You know, stuff about losing
a woman and things like that - just experiences I’ve had.”
 Curry’s
first real taste of music was served up like most children’s – via his
parents.
But in this case, instead of the disposable pop crap that litters the
airwaves and pollutes young minds nowadays, Curry’s first encounter with
music was built on a solid, lasting foundation.
“Well, when I was about four, my dad used to sit around and play his
acoustic guitar in the living room – playing the old bluesy-type like
Skynyrd and ZZ Top and stuff like that,” he said. “And I thought, ‘Man,
I want to play that.’ So he bought me a little guitar and he taught me
and I started playing. And eventually when I got older, he showed me
Muddy Waters and Stevie Ray … really the blues legends. It’s just what I
love. That has always been the music for me.”
Curry took to the guitar like a fish takes to water and very soon, it
was readily apparent that Curry had no desire to be separated from his
instrument.
The high school years can be tough to navigate for most kids, what with
all the changes that their bodies and minds go through as they develop
into young adults and search to find out who they really are, but when
you factor in the desire to play the guitar 24 hours a day, a whole new
set of discipline is required to make it through the public educational
system.
“It kind of is (frustrating) because I want to do it (play the blues) so
bad. I want to tour and see the whole world,” Curry said. “But, I know I
have to go to school. Because I have to have a backup plan if I can’t do
music. But I’ve got one year left of high school and hopefully after
that, I’ll be out on the road.”
If Curry’s experiences as a young bluesman sound similar to those that a
young Kenny Wayne Sheppard went through back in the 90s, it’s because
the duo’s formulative years are very much alike.
 They
even share a common mentor – New Orleans’ bluesman Bryan Lee.
“Vocally, my main number one influence is Bryan Lee. He’s just the
nicest man I’ve ever met on earth,” Curry said. “He’s toured all over
the world and he knows that he and his band are great, but yet he’s so
humble about it. Me and him and his guitar player Brent all stay in
touch. As far as the blues, I think Bryan Lee is the best blues singer
that I’ve ever heard.”
Aside from his dad, Curry’s list of favorite guitar players runs the
gamut of great pickers.
“There’s just so many, but some of my top ones are Sonny Landreth, Joe
Bonamassa and all of the old guys like Muddy Waters and B.B. King,” he
said. “And even some of the country guys like Roy Clark. They’re some of
my biggest influences. And Warren Haynes is one of my big inspirations
as far as guitar-playing and song-writing. That’s why I decided to cover
“Soulshine” on my album.”
After making such an immediate and impressive splash with If I Don't
Got You, what does Curry have in store to stave off the mythical
'sophomore curse' with album number two?
“My goals for the next album are to take it to a bigger level than the
last one, with more versatility and with something that when people hear
it, they feel it, too,” he said.
Curry seems to have the strong support system of his family in place,
helping him to keep a handle on what has to have been a pretty whirlwind
time since If I Don’t Got You hit the streets.
And while he’s already climbed to some pretty impressive heights so far,
Curry understands that the trip up the mountain requires just one single
step at a time.
“All I know is, you never stop learning and I’m going to keep learning,”
he said. “I just play and listen … no one’s ever the best, so I’m going
to keep doing the best that I can do and hope for the best.”
While a lot of young adults his age have visions of careers as lawyers,
doctors and ball players in the front of their mind, for Curry, it’s
simply the blues or bust.
“I
don’t want to do anything else. This is it. I want to play the blues for
the rest of my life,” he said. “I couldn’t see myself doing anything
else but this.”
After his appearance at the Mississippi Valley Blues Festival, Curry
drove straight through the night to Champaign, Illinois, where he took
the stage at the Blues, Brews and BBQ Festival at the invitation of his
friend Ronnie Baker Brooks.
But that’s just the beginning of Curry’s busy summer.
“I’m really looking forward to playing the Telluride Festival in
Colorado in the Rocky Mountains,” he said. “There’s supposed to be like
15,000 people there. We’re going to do that at the end of August. It’ll
be super fun.”
Then after that, Curry will once again temporarily set down his guitar
and pick up his math and science books for his senior year of high
school.
Even if some of his fellow school-mates might not exactly grasp all the
progress, along with all the buzz that Matthew Curry has generated in
the past 18 months or so.
“Well, it’s hard to say (what his classmates think about his journey so
far), I think some might, but it's hard for kids at my school to know
because they all listen to hip hop,” he laughed.
But regardless of that, the blues highway had better get used to seeing
plenty of road miles from Matthew Curry and The Fury.
“When I’m 30 I’d like to be out on the road, touring somewhere – Europe,
Russia … just out there making music, doing what I’m doing,” he said.
Visit Matthew's website at
www.matthewcurry.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
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Featured Blues Review 1 of 6
 Royal
Southern Brotherhood - Royal Southern Brotherhood
12
tracks; 51.51 minutes
German
record label boss Thomas Ruf has already established an excellent roster
of contemporary blues rock artists such as Walter Trout, Ana Popovic and
Oli Brown. This time he has outdone himself in securing what can only be
called a new American supergroup. RSB brings together Cyril Neville
(Neville Brothers, Galactic), Devon Allman (son of Gregg, Honeytribe)
and Mike Zito to provide a genuine triple threat out front, backed by
the rhythm section of Yonrico Scott on drums (Derek Trucks Band) and
Charlie Wooton on bass (The Wood Brothers). Vocals are shared between
the three front men, guitars between Allman and Zito, Neville also
providing varied percussion. The CD was produced by Jim Gaines and
recorded at Dockside Studios in Louisiana. This is a band with pedigree,
but can it deliver the goods?
The
material is mainly original, one cover sitting alongside a selection of
songs written by the three front men, either alone or in combination. Of
course the combo of Neville and Zito has been heard before, notably on
2010 BMA Song Of The Year “Pearl River” and the CD opens with their “New
Horizon”, a statement of intent as the drums herald a heavy beat that
underpins competing slide and wah-wah guitars and a lyric (sung by
Neville) that suggests “We’re at the crossroads where truth and time
collide; time to fall off the fence, you got to pick a side”. Following
track “Fired Up!” is Neville again, this time in consort with bassist
Wooton and is a contrast in pace, far more Latin in feel, an impression
reinforced by Allman’s superb guitar styling so reminiscent of vintage
Santana. Neville again takes the vocal lead and the rhythm section
deserves special mention as Wooton’s bass bubbles along beneath the tune
and the percussion combination of Neville and Scott is genuinely
exciting.
Devon
Allman sings his own “Left My Heart In Memphis”, a gentle song with all
the players hitting top form. Mike Zito shares vocals with Neville on
their “Moonlight Over The Mississippi” which is possibly the bluesiest
track on the album. Insistent percussion and wah-wah guitar (Allman)
underpin the song and Zito takes a strong solo in the middle. The only
cover on the CD is a Grateful Dead song “Fire On The Mountain”. With
lyrics by regular Dead lyricist Robert Hunter, the music is by
percussionist Mickey Hart and so is ideally suited to RSB’s rhythmic
approach. Neville’s voice suits the song perfectly and the guitars again
do an excellent job on one of many highlights on the album. Another
Zito/Neville song, “Ways About You” is sung by Zito whose anguished
voice conveys the sorrow of a failed romance before Allman and Neville’s
“Gotta Keep Rockin’” does exactly that, Allman leading the charge on
guitar and vocals on a mid-paced rocker that reminded me at times of
Neil Young at his heaviest – a classic rock song.
“Nowhere To
Hide” is also Allman’s song and is a good contrast with acoustic guitar
and bass providing the rhythm behind Zito’s electric slide and Allman’s
lead vocal. Zito penned “Hurts My Heart”, another catchy rocker with
lots of strong guitar; in another era this would have been the first
single off the album! In another contrast we then get lots of percussion
and slide on Neville’s “Sweet Jelly Donut” which on close inspection has
nothing at all to do with breakfast treats! Cyril is a frustrated man as
he explains his failure to share his girl’s ‘donut’ though it appears
that other name-checked New Orleans musicians are having better luck!
“All Around The World” is a typical Mike Zito song, a mid-paced rocker
with a rousing chorus and strong guitars, another very strong contender
for the best track on the album. The final track is “Brotherhood”, an
instrumental attributed to all members of the band, very African in
feel, especially the percussion and bass. The role of the two guitarists
is akin to classic Allman Brothers guitar dueling, so the combination is
an interesting one.
I hope that
I have conveyed my enthusiasm for this project which I enjoyed hugely.
This CD is not blues, but it is consistently interesting, beautifully
played and recorded. Highly recommended, but not for the blues lover
purists. RSB will be in Europe in November and I have already bought my
ticket!.
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 -
Ain't Nuthin But The Blues Festival
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The 11th
Annual Ain't Nuthin But The Blues Festival was held in Bloomington, IL
on July 20th and 21st.
Erc Tapley
was the creator of this festival and produced it for the first 8 years
before his untimely death a month before the festival in 2010. Eric had
a great vision of the Blues and was one of only two, African
American Blues festival promoters that I know of. (The other is Ronnie
Stewart, Executive Director of
The Bay Area Blues Society
in California who produces the Hayward Russell City Blues Festival.
The fest
was always done with the help of volunteers from the
Blues Blowtorch Society.
Deb & Steve Mehlberg, treasurer and president respectively, of the Blues
Blowtorch Society, jumped in in 2010 to make sure the festival happened
and have produced the festival since then. And they have done a super
job with this great event.
This year
the festival kicked off on Friday night with Sugarcane Collins, a solo
guitarist and singer from Australia.
It was a
great way to start off the event with a solid set of real Blues!
Next up was
a Central Illinois band, Hurricane Ruth.
Ruth has a
great set of pipes and did a good job entertaining the early evening
crowd with a great set of rocking Blues.
Next up was
another great Illinois based band, The Dave Chastain Band. Dave is well
known throughout the Midwest in his own right but also spent a few years
playing with both Luther and Bernard Allisaon. For this set Dave went
all out bringing along Paul Weddle on sax and a couple of guest players
from the Rooster Alley Band, Dave Hill on guitar and Dennis "The Boz"
Bosley on harp and vocals.
The
headliner for the evening was Teeny Tucker.
 
This was
the second time Teeny has played this festival and she and
bandleader/guitarist Robert Hughes put on one hell of a show to close
out the evening.
On Saturday
afternoon the festival kicked off with an area trio called the Alex
Jenkins band. This reporter missed their set but everyone including
Susan Walker who provided this bands photos said they did a great job
kicking off the days talent lineup.
Next up was
a well known Central Illinois Blues band by the name of Rooster Alley.
Front man
Dennis "The Boz" Bosley played guitar, harmonica and sang lead vocals
guiding this great act through a rollicking set of electric Blues.
Next up was
Tallan Latz. This 12 year old veteran has been billed as the worlds
youngest Blues guitar player since he began gigging at age 9.We last saw
him two years ago at the Oz Fest in Springfield, MO. It was apparent
that Tallan has progressed well and now has a band of Blues veterans
that he led through a Blues rock set enjoyed by the crowd.
 
Next on the
agenda was a nationally known act, Kilborn Alley. Leader Andy Duncanson
is one of the best singers and songwriters on the Blues scene today. .
 
Along with
the phenomenal guitar playing of Josh Stimmel, drummer Ed O' Hara and
guests Deak Harp on Harmonica and Abraham, Johnson on vocals, Andy and
the boys showed why the have received numerous award nominations
including 7 Blues Blast Music Awards nominations over the last 5 years.
They are nominated again this year in the Blues Band category, You can
vote for them or any other of the artists nominated now,
CLICK HERE)
Next
festival promoters Steve and Deborah Mehlberg took the stage as Steve
"The Harp" Blues Band to offer a great set of music for the early
evening crowd.
 
They also
had 3 guest harmonica players join them on stage including Teeny
Tucker's harmonica player, Deak Harp and Josh Spence from the band The
Sugar Prophets.
Next up was
The Legendary Sam Lay. Sam has played with a wide range of famous
artists including Muddy Waters, Howlin' Wolf, the Siegel-Schwall Band
and Bob Dylan, (Sam was there that fateful day in at the Newport Folk
festival when Bob Dylan was booed by his folk fans for playing electric
guitar at the event)
Sam, who
plays both guitar and drums, was on guitar for this set that included a
guest appearances by Steve "The Harp.
The
headliner for the night was Ana Popovic. Ana played, sang and looked
great as usual. (In spite of the fact that she just gave birth to her
second daughter only six weeks ago!)
 
It was the
fourth time I have heard Ana. She had a new band that sounded
great and a renewed confidence that had the crowd excited. Special
guests Tallan Latz and Steve "The Harp" joined Ana on stage for a short
encore.
The 2012
Ain't Nuthin But The Blues Festival was a true musical success. Be sure
to put it on your calendar schedule for next year.
Photos and
comments by Bob Kieser © 2012 Blues Blast Magazine, except where noted.
For other reviews and interviews on our website
CLICK HERE
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Featured Blues Review 2 of 6
 Biscuit
Kings – Hambones & Trombones
Mind
Smoke Music
Time:
49:32: 12 tracks
Bass
guitarist Jeff Goldstein and vocalist/guitarist/keyboardist Johnny
Pierre make up the band the Biscuit Kings with a dozen or so “Special
Guests” dropping in to add the rest of the instrumentation to the tracks
making up the CD Hambones & Trombones.
At first
things seem to show promise when opening cut “The Day I Met My Waterloo”
kicks things off. The tune’s funky New Orleans gumbo beat recalls the
delicious musical groove of the city’s favorite sons The Radiators. And
if the rest of the tracks followed along this musical course, then this
music would be a barbeque party favorite. Pierre’s dusty whiskey
nicotine vocals suit the material and Goldstein and the rest of the
players lend strong support. Al Speed’s piano playing creates boogie
fever in following track “Hot Barbeque” and at this point you feel the
party is really getting started.
Sadly it’s
not meant to be. Things start to turn south on “Love Turns To Gold.” At
this juncture the music hits a flat line and the tempo for the rest of
the tunes becomes so slow that there aren’t many occasions it can drag
itself out of the hole. Many a time you wish the rest of the song
collection would focus on the upbeat glow that permeated the first two
tracks. Pierre seems to lock into the concept of singing cry-in-your
beer ballads. That’s not bad for a couple of songs. Doing it for the
rest of the CD not only creates a somber mood but an air of impatience
as in when are things going to pick up?
A glimmer
of light shows in “Marie Aguilar” where string arrangements by V.
Deferens create the feeling this song was written in the nineteenth
century. At best it seems a tavern favorite for that particular period
as if a group of pirates raided the joint.
Praise has
to be heaped on Johnny Pierre for writing all of these tunes. Rather
than stage an all raid on the usual tired textbook standards that have
appeared countless times on various blues CDs, you have to commend the
man for running into the fire even though the results are not the best
ones. The production is crisp and clean. The problem doesn’t lie in the
production. The bulk of the material just doesn’t push itself out of the
starting gate grabbing you by your coat sleeves. And while you may feel
comfortable turning on some of your blues brethren to the music in your
collection, you will be hesitant to do so with this. It’s not because
the tunes don’t rest under a blues-rock umbrella. The material is just
too simply slow-paced and the Biscuit Kings don’t light the fire to give
it an edge.
In a live
situation it could be a different story. But one thinks if material like
this was played at a blues fest, people would get up and head to the
food and drink lines.
And while
the Biscuit Kings proclaim “Mardi Gras is Over” in one of the closing
tracks, there’s a feeling of emptiness because while they pay homage to
the Crescent City, they really don’t take advantage of getting a party
off the ground. Pierre has the potential to create a spicy gumbo of
American Roots Music. A lot less of cry-in-the-beer ballads and more
danceable material can go a long way in creating a piece of work that’s
enjoyable and an immediate cure for insomnia.
Reviewer Gary Weeks is a contributing writer. He resides in
Marietta, GA.
For other reviews and interviews on our website
CLICK HERE
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Featured Blues Review 3 of 6
 Johnny
Neel – Every Kinda Blues
Self Release
11 tracks / 59:14
Johnny Neel’s latest album title promises Every Kinda’ Blues…but
what you’re used to.” That is a pretty tall order, but he gives his all
to make good on it. It helps that he has a lot of experience with
writing and performing. Originally from Delaware, he moved to Nashville
in the mid-1980s, where his prowess on keys and harmonica earned him
first-call studio musician status. He has recorded and toured with
high-profile acts, such as the Allman Brothers and Gov’t Mule, and has
written material for them as well as Travis Tritt, John Mayall, Dickey
Betts, The Oak Ridge Boys and John Schneider. Yes, that John Schneider.
Besides constantly writing, recording and performing for other artists,
Johnny still makes time to work on his own material. Every Kinda’
Blues is his latest album, with nine studio tracks and two songs
that were recorded live in Italy. He has writing credit for all eleven
tracks, and it is nice to see that he gives credit to co-writers on all
of them. Mr. Neel co-produced this CD with bassist Dennis Gulley, who
also took on the engineering responsibilities, of which there were
plenty as there was quite a cast of characters involved. Contributing
musicians included seven guitar players, four drummers and six backing
vocalists, which is a lot to keep track of.
The title track comes up first, and I could hear right away that these
guys know their way around the studio, as “Every Kinda’ Blues” is a
really slick song. This blues rock offering has layers of distorted
guitars, Hammond B3, imaginative harmonica parts and oodles of backing
vocals – and these parts are mixed perfectly so the listener can take it
all in. Johnny Neel’s voice is still throaty and powerful after all
these years, and his experienced tone lends credence to his assertion
that he has paid “every kinda’ dues.”
And he keeps changing things up with every track on the album, never
staying in any one place too long. “Right Out The Old Window” adds horn
sounds, honky-tonk piano and gospel backing vocals. I cannot decide if
it sounds more like country or Chicago blues. Next comes “Won’t Lay Me
Down”, which starts as a blues song that morphs into a full-fledged
Robin Trower-esque 1970s acid blues rock anthem with organ and some
fabulous guitar work. This is the first of the two live tracks, and I
wouldn’t have known it was live if not for the applause at the end and
the mention in the liner notes -- that is how well it was recorded. His
live show must be to die for.
Chicago blues come next with the hard-driving “I’m Gonna Love You.” This
song has a clever twist on the tired promise to “love you until the day
I die,” and the thumping bass up front in the mix shows that the player
was also the producer. From there he moves on to Nashville with “Sunday
Morning Rain” which is a slow country rock song with electric piano,
organ and slide guitar. This is one of my favorite tracks on the album,
which is not too surprising as I love the Allman Brothers. I think I
even hear a little Memphis in the 1950s piano rock of “Johnny Needs a
Shot,” and I can tell you that Jerry Lee Lewis has to be one of his
influences.
“How to Play The Blues” seems to start as a smooth blues ballad, but
ends up as a full-fledged gospel song with terrific backing vocals and
Leslie-warbling organ. I am not usually a big fan of gospel, but this
one does not get preachy, and it sounds thunderous through my
headphones. The delta blues is not left out of the mix, as “Mighty
Mississippi” gives a taste of distorted harmonica combined with some
super-thick guitar parts. There really is a little bit of everything
here.
Every Kinda’ Blues closes out with “My Kinda’ People” which is a
beautiful ballad, featuring only Johnny’s voice and his piano. This is a
neat story of love and friendship told in a way that I thought only
Randy Newman could. He managed to change his sound on every track, and
this song proved to be a tasteful way to end the album. And, while I
cannot say that he gave me every kind of blues but the one I expected,
Johnny Neel did give me every kind of blues that I wanted.
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
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Live Blues Review -
Portland Waterfront Blues Fest Part II
The Safeway Waterfront Blues Festival is
held every year during the 4th
of July - this year spanning five days. Due to the size of this
festival, this is part 2 of our coverage. Just as last week, every
performance was stellar, the music choices covering so many styles of
blues, a zydeco stage with dance lessons, big headliners, local
favorites, workshops, kid’s activities, cruises, a Mardi Gras
procession, and great food! This is the biggest and best festival west
of the Mississippi and all proceeds go to the Oregon Foodbank. Please
see last week’s article for more information about the festival and the
first half of the performances(which was basically split in the middle
of the alphabet).
Delta
Groove’s Mannish Boys performed multiple times this year, with
Portland’s own Jimi Bott playing the drums in quite a few other bands.
The Mannish Boys showcased their new CD and one of their newest artists
on the CD, Sugaray Rayford- a great new addition to the already
star-studded band. Sugaray joined the band on the first day, put on his
own high-energy entertaining show – backed by the Mannish Boys – on day
two, and they all boarded the Delta Music Experience river cruise and
played another two hours on the cruise where they were joined by Curtis
Salgado. The Mannish Boys and guests pictured include: Randy Chortkoff
(harmonica), Franck Goldwasser (guitar), Lee Thornberg (trumpet), Ron
Dziubla (Sax), Kid Ramos (guitar), Willie J Campbell (Bass), Jimi Bott
(Drums), Finis Tasby (vocals), Kirk Fletcher (guitar) with guest Elvin
Bishop, Sugaray Rayford, guest Curtis Salgado with Adrianna Marie on the
cruise, Mitch Kashmir (harmonica) and Cynthia Manley (duet vocals) both
with Sugaray.
 
 
 
 
Additional bands that played were Mr.
Nick & The Dirty Tricks, Marquis
Knox, Patrick Lamb and his big band, The New Iberians, Northwest Women
in Blues (with Sonny Hess & Lisa Mann pictured), and The Pimps of
Joytime.
 
The Otis Taylor Band was one the best
headliners at the festival. His
first set was his regular band including the always fascinating and
super-talented fiddle player – Anne Harris, Todd Edmunds on bass, Larry
Thompson on drums, and outstanding guitar with Shawn Starski. On the
second day, Otis’ show was about Banjos and the band was joined by
Portland’s Banjo master, Tony Furtado, and banjo veteran, Don Vappie.
They were both fantastic shows!!
 
The flying fingers continued with the
fastest slide guitarist on earth!!
Roy Rogers brought it on! My camera lens is very fast but I can’t even
begin to capture the speed with which Roy plays. Accompanied by Billy
Lee Lewis on drums and veteran Steve Ehrman on bass, this band is truly
thrilling to watch (and listen too of course!!) And as a side comment:
Billy is one of the finest dressed drummers in the world and I don’t
know how he managed to get the drums to match his outfit…..but it was
stunning!
On a brassier note, two bands that were
solid brass, high funk, and fun
were The Stooges Brass Band and headliner Toots & The Maytals.
 
Winners of the 2012 IBC – The Wired!
Band – won their spot on the main
stage and proved their blues is deserving of an IBC win! The Seattle
based band includes: Kevin Sutton - Guitar, Rick Jacobson - Drums, and
Keith Bakke – Bass.
A very Portland popular band is Scott
Pemberton who, halfway through the
show, brought on Curtis Salgado as a guest, who then told the crowd
“Scott is one of the most innovative musicians in the Portland area and
not to be missed!!” I would agree and watched as he played incredible
music on his guitar in just about every position imaginable.
Also from Portland was Tony Furtado,
banjo master, who also played
earlier with Otis Taylor’s Banjo set. Tony is as nimble on both the
guitar and banjo as Roy Rogers is on slide guitar. His band included:
Luke Price (violin), Paul Brainard (lap steel & guitar), Fred Kleiner
(drums), Sam Howard (Bass), and Stephanie Schneiderman (vocals).
 
Too Slim & The Taildraggers are self-
described as “Straight Whiskey
Blues with a Southern Rock Beer Chaser!” Tim “Too Slim” Langford and
Polly O’Keary are a Pacific Northwest Favorite with their happy antics
and when Duffy Bishop joins in, the crowd just loves them. This year
they included Dave Mill’s brass section for additional big fun!!
 
The 44’s- a Los Angeles-based band- plays
blues-roots-rock music and are
gaining fans across the America and a “pick to click” on XM/Bluesville.
With Johnny Main on guitar, Tex Nakamura on harmonica, and Mike Turturro
on bass, they are raw roots and blues at it’s finest. Although they
played the smaller stage this year, they will be main stage headliners
soon by demand!
One of the big sponsors at the festival is
United By Music. To quote
their website “United by Music provides talented people with
intellectual disabilities the chance to perform for large audiences. The
purpose of the foundation is to integrate people with intellectual
disabilities in society and facilitate their quality of life. The stage
gives the artists a unique opportunity to be treated as an equal. United
by Music inspires, gives hope and changes lives.” Please visit their
website – unitedbymusic.org - to learn more about this inspiring group
of founders, supporters, and musicians. All of us who stood in the crowd
and watched this group perform were moved beyond words and could really
understand the universal power of music! So many of the performers at
this festival are mentors to this group and the blues is a huge
influence on their lives.
Three more local groups that participated
in this year’s festival
included:
The Usual Suspects
Too Loose Cajun Band (closing out the
Zydeco stage)
And Wood Brain (with Jimi Bott on drums
- again – he was
everywhere!!)(Perhaps there should be an award for the most prolific
drummer at any festival….)
The final headliner for the festival was the
Steve Miller Band. The
majority of the festival was waiting a long time for this performance -
young and old. And the performance was great. Steve brought up Curtis
Salgado and Roy Rogers and the three of them did quite a few songs
together. (But we photographers have little to share of this performance
as we were not allowed to shoot from anywhere).
So I wandered away from the set in
(shooter’s) disappointment ( I could
hear Steve Miller quite well from all areas and see him on the giant
jumbotron) I checked my schedule one more time (not ready to have the
festival end) and found a special performance going on the smallest
stage at the festival. It was packed and it was a perfect ending of five
fantastic days. On the FedEx Crossroads stage I found my favorite
southern drummer, Cedric Burnside, with his sidekick guitar player,
Trenton Ayers, putting on another great set. The manager for that stage
all weekend was Clarksdale’s own Stan Street and for this final set, he
was up on stage, playing harmonica with Cedric and Trenton. I sat down,
pulled out the camera for a few final shots, and just soaked in the
Mississippi blues as it should be played.
Once again, congratulations to the
Oregon Food Bank, First Tech Credit
Union, Safeway, and all the many sponsors, volunteers, and staff who put
on the best festival in the west and who are so committed to make sure
no one goes hungry while giving us blues fans a great place to spend the
4th of July holiday in beautiful Portland, Oregon!! See you next year!!!
(a full set of photos will be eventually available at
http://MJStringerPhoto.com)
Comments By Marilyn Stringer © 2012
MJStringerPhoto.com
For other reviews and interviews on our website
CLICK HERE
|
Blues Society News
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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.
Orange County
Blues Society - Orange, CA
Fullerton, Calif.) - The recently-formed Orange County Blues Society
presents its first-ever concert event - "The Muck Blues Roots
Festival" - under the stars at the scenic outdoor Muckenthaler
Cultural Center, 1201 W. Malvern Ave., Fullerton, Thursday, August
16. 8 p.m. Advance tickets available at
www.orangecountybluessociety.com or through the
Muckenthaler (www.themuck.org).
Info: (714) 328-9375 or (714) 738-6595. Portion of proceeds to
benefit San Diego-based Better Vision For Children Foundation, a
non-profit charity working to prevent and cure partial or total
blindness in pre-school children resulting from Amblyopia (Lazy
Eye), Autisim, Diabetes or Eye Cancer.
Ventura County
Blues Society - Ventura, CA
Ventura County Blues Society presents: Sunday Matinee Concert Series
II - A Benefit For The Moorpark Center For The Arts featuring Jimmy
Thackery and the Drivers plus Alastair Greene Band and Mikey Mo
Band, at High Street Arts Center, 45 E. High St., Moorpark, Sunday,
August 5, 1 p.m.-6 p.m, Admission $20. VCBS members, $25. General
Public. For more info visit
www.venturacountybluessociety.org.
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 - 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
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. •
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:
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 4 of 6
 Lil’
Ed And The Blues Imperials - Jump Start
Alligator Records
There is no
joy in Bluesville; the fun has left the building. Lil’ Ed and crew can
usually be counted on for injecting humor occasionally into their
releases, but most of that has been sucked out of this one. Is it the
lack of ideas or a new approach? Much of the material here is serious or
of the downer variety. Ok, this IS blues music, but Lil’ Ed And The
Blues Imperials’ records were the place to go for some comic relief as
well. The band is still strong. There is plenty of his slithering slide
and many of the songs are upbeat, but something is missing.
Things get
off to a rousing start with the quick-tempo of “If You Were Mine”. The
closest they get to humor is the analogy of swimming as sex in “Jump
Right In”. “No Fast Food” comes off sounding like their try at something
like Albert Collins’ “Don’t Reach Across My Plate”, right down to the
vocal phrasing. Ed serves up a signature slide workout in “Kick Me To
The Curb”, as well as many other places on the record. “You Burnt Me” is
a lowdown Chicago blues, one of the few here featuring no slide guitar.
“Born Loser” is just what the title suggests, as the narrator lists his
litany of bad qualities, all set to an upbeat groove. A change of pace
is offered up on the slow burner “Life Is A Journey” as Ed gets mournful
on his slide guitar. “My Chains Are Gone” is taken at a similar pace and
is laced with melodic strains of slide guitar. “Moratorium On Hate” is
their social statement this time around. The sentiment is fine, but the
song structure is weak.
The music
here is fine and energetic as usual. It seems that many of the songs are
mostly a vehicle to display Lil’ Ed’s skilled slide technique. It seems
like it’s time for the guys to seek outside songwriters. They could use
more interesting and diverse lyrical content. It would also be nice if
they brought some of the humor back into their music. If you want to see
what this band is capable of on their best days, checkout out their
previous CD “Full Tilt”. It has a more balanced and diverse approach.
Hopefully they return to full power. To really experience the band at
their best, catch one of their excellent and entertaining live shows.
Reviewer Greg “Bluesdog” Szalony hails from the New
Jersey Delta.
For other reviews and interviews on our website
CLICK HERE
|
Featured Blues Review 5 of
6
 The
Mannish Boys - Double Dynamite
Disc 1 – 13 tracks/59:58
Disc 2 – 13 tracks/55:23
Sometimes there really is truth in advertising – this release is a
double dose of awesome house-rocking blues by an extensive cast of some
of the best blues musicians on the West Coast. Thankfully, the liner
notes include a track-by-track breakdown for the thirty-plus musicians &
singers who participated, so that you can keep the players straight.
With so many outstanding performances, you will be glad that you can
quickly determine who deserves credit.
The first disc, titled Atomic Blues, gets off to a strong start
with the introduction of the newest member of the band, singer Sugaray
Rayford. He wraps his rich, gospel-trained voice around the Son House
classic “Death Letter”, as Frank Goldwasser's slide guitar rages behind
him. On “Bricks in My Pillow”, Rayford shows he can handle a
straight-ahead blues number before he unleashes his powerful voice on
“Please Forgive Me”. Kirk Fletcher makes his presence known on lead
guitar while label owner Randy Chortkoff blows some harp on his original
tune. Another highlight occurs when Rayford gets deep into Otis Spann's
“The Hard Way, with Rob Rio ably filling the chair at the piano.
Other highlights include veteran Finis Tasby's downcast vocal on “Mean
Old World” with Rob Piazza on harp and Elvin Bishop guesting on slide
guitar while his languid style is a perfect fit on another Little Walter
tune, “Everybody Needs Somebody”, this time with Jason Ricci adding some
dazzling harp licks.
Singer Jackie Payne's lays down a spellbinding performance on “She's
Nineteen Years Old/Streamline Woman”, a medley of Muddy Waters tunes
with Piazza and Goldwasser distinguishing themselves one more time.
Muddy's son, Mud Morganfield, offers up two more examples of his ability
to channel his father's vocal style on “Elevate Me Mama” and “Mannish
Boy” with Bob Corritore taking over the harp chores. The final member of
the harp crew, James Harman, makes a lone appearance on his “Bad
Detective”, with vigorous work from Fletcher. Goldwasser takes over the
microphone on “Bloody Tears” and rips through the tune with some nasty
slide playing. Label owner Chortkoff displays his understanding of the
Jimmy Reed style on “You Dogged Me”.
Fletcher, Goldwasser and the other regular members of the band – Willie
J. Campbell on bass and Jimi Bott on drums – are back on the second
disc, entitled Rhythm & Blues Explosion. Additional musicians
include Bill Stuve on bass on five tracks and a horn section of David
“Woody” Woodford on saxophone plus Lee Thornburg on trumpet.
Rayford continues his impressive streak, jumping the blues on “That Dood
It”, engaging in a delicious duet with Cynthia Manley on James Brown's
“You've Got the Power” and getting soulfully funky on “Drowning on Dry
Land” with horns and Mike Finnigan on the Hammond B-3 organ filling out
the arrangement. On “Why Does Everything Happen to Me”, Rayford serves
up a devastating chronicle of life's woes with Kid Ramos adding his
usual incendiary fretwork. Saving the best for last, his hypnotic voice
rides Fred Kaplan's rich organ chords on James Cotton's 'West Helena
Blues”.
Elvin Bishop rips off a fiery solo on “Born Under a Bad Sign” to support
Tasby, who sounds half his age on “Later On” - Nathan James on guitar -
and then takes things uptown on the horn-driven late-night blues “You
Don't Love Me”, with Kid Ramos fashioning another memorable solo.. Both
tracks feature His finest moment arrives on “I Woke Up Screaming”,
expressing his inconsolable emotions that are echoed by taut
string-bending from Junior Watson. Stuve's walking bass line propels Ray
Charles “Mr. Charles Blues” with Finnigan impressing with a lusty vocal
and mellow piano. Jackie Payne reveals his tortured soul as Jason Ricci
tries to blow their blues away on “Bed For My Soul”. The instrumental
rendition of “Cold Sweat” is a showcase for Kirk Fletcher and his
guitar.
Other than refraining from using some of the well-worn blues songs,
there isn't much that could be done to improve this collection. It
sounds like the sessions were a big party. Everyone sounds inspired and
the instrumental work is top-notch. This may be the crowning achievement
for the Mannish Boys and is certainly is one of the best blues
recordings that you will hear this year. Highly recommended!!
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 6 of
6
 Mighty
Mo Rodgers - Cadillac Jack
Tin Drum Music
15 songs; 44:41 minutes
Styles: Soul and Blues Rock
“It was a magical time in America, from 1959 to 1963, when we believed
that anything was possible, even going to the moon. We were the
undisputed number-one country in the world, and Cadillac was the car. I
dedicate this project to that time and to Route 66, where Blues became
Rock and Roll.” Mighty Mo Rodgers recalls these days on his newest
album, “Cadillac Jack”, which he deems “the fifth cycle of the Blues
Odyssey” on his website. Rodgers was born in Indiana where his father
owned a club that featured blues performers. When he wasn’t studying
classical piano, Mighty Mo was checking out the musicians who played
there. In 1999 he released his first solo effort, “Blues is my Wailin’
Wall”, on Blue Thumb. He’s won several awards since then, including the
2002 Contemporary Blues Album of the Year for “Red, White and Blues” by
Living Blues Magazine. “Cadillac Jack” itself features fifteen original
songs, with a lyrics booklet included. Here are its three flashiest
offerings, featuring Burleigh Drummond on percussion, Will MacGregor on
bass and Kevin Longden on guitar:
Track 01: “Cadillac Jack Says ‘Bring the Fishtail Back’”-- “America’s
rise can be traced to the fact when they put the fishtail on the
Cadillac.” Mighty Mo enthuses in the title number of this CD. Baby
boomers and classic car collectors will fondly remember this style of
automobile, and bring the young folks up to speed via this peppy
rock-and-roll number!
Track 04: “Cadillac Ranch (American Stonehedge)”--Beautiful harmonies
between Mighty Mo and keyboardist Mary Harris abound on this ballad
saluting “a ranch in Texas where fishtails grow”. It’s “a symbol of
highway blues, wanderlust that you just can’t lose”. Perhaps our
narrator is properly referring to the world-famous landmark of
“Stonehenge” in this song’s subtitle, but then again, “henge” doesn’t
rhyme with “pledge”!
Track 11: “My Blues, My Car and My Woman”--John Davis’ dobro is the
finest feature on “Cadillac Jack’s” spiciest song. Mighty Mo is under
pressure from his lady love to get his priorities straight: “My blues is
#1, my car is #2, and woman, you’re #3. These are the blues rules, you
see…” Fortunately for her, he eventually gives her top billing.
Listeners will do the same to this song!
On Mighty Mo Rodgers’ website, a quote from August Wilson states: “The
blues is the best literature that black Americans have. It is our best
poetry. The entire cultural response is felt there in the blues.” On
this album, listeners will hear Mighty Mo’s cultural credentials. One
thing’s certain: “Cadillac Jack” blends the poetry of the blues with
rock-and-roll soul!
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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