Cover photo by Bob Kieser © 2015 Blues Blast Magazine
In This Issue
Terry Mullins has our feature interview with Chicago bassman extraordinaire, E. G. McDaniel. Marilyn Stringer has photos from the Blues From The Top Festival. We have 2 videos of the week and each of them feature an amazing Blues women. One is Danielle Nicole and the other is Joanna Connor. We have 11 music reviews for you including music by Lazer Lloyd, Bey Paule Band, Henry Townsend, Sonny Landreth, Levee Dwellers, Charlie Parr, Eric Noden Band, Billy Price and Otis Clay, The Texas Horns, David Corley and Voo Davis.
We have the latest in Blues society news. All this and MORE! SCROLL DOWN!!!
From The Editor’s Desk
Hey Blues Fans,
It is your last chance to get discount early bird priced tickets to the 2015 Blues Blast Music Awards to see nominees Tad Robinson, Anthony Gomes Band, Chris O’Leary Band, Altered Five Blues Band, Reverend Raven And The Chain Smokin’ Altar Boys, Ghost Town Blues Band, Andy T Nick Nixon Band, Magnus Berg, Bobby Messano, Slam Allen, Alexis P. Suter, John Ginty, Bob Corritore, The Duo Sonics, Fo Reel, Markey Blue Band, Big Dave McLain and Steve Dawson, Deb Ryder, Big Harp George, Eight ‘O Five Jive, Missy Andersen and Dan Phelps on September 25th at the Fluid Event Center in Champaign, IL. It is THE biggest Blues show of the season!
But you better act fast to get ‘em because the early bird price of only $35 ends Friday July 31st. Prices go up to $40 on Saturday August 1st, so hurry. Get your tickets now at: www.TheBBMAs.com/tickets/
Also, our good friends at the Prairie Dog Blues Fest are throwing a great Blues party this weekend in Prairie du Chien Wisconsin. Friday night they feature Devon Allman, Davina & The Vagabonds, Larry McCray, Girls With Guitars and Owen Campbell. On Saturday they have Davey Knowles, Moreland & Arbuckle, Sugaray Rayford Band, Renee Austin, Danielle Nicole and Jimmy Nick & Don’t Tell Mama. For tickets and info visit their website at www.prairiedogblues.com. It is gonna be a great day and Blues Blast will be there too. Look for me in the Blues Blast Magazine T-shirt and be sure to say hello!
Wishing you health, happiness and lots of Blues music!
Bob Kieser
Featured Blues Review – 1 of 11
Lazer Lloyd – Lazer Lloyd
Lots of Love Records
www.lazerlloyd.com
12 tracks / 56:01
There are not exactly a ton of blues albums coming out of Israel, but fortunately for us one of the most talented artists around, Lazer Lloyd, is the country’s blues statesman. His new eponymous album is a departure from the tasty acoustic folk blues that he perfected on Lost on the Highway, and this blend of electric blues and rock is a winner!
Lazer Lloyd has taken quite a journey to get to this point in life. He was born in New York (his birth name is Eliezer Blumen), and he started playing the guitar when he was 15. After attending Skidmore College he drew the notice of producer Gary Tallent (from the E Street Band) and was ready to continue his music career in Nashville when another opportunity presented itself. After playing a gig with the late Ray Shlomo Carlebach (The Singing Rabbi), he decided to visit Israel and he figured out that was where his calling was. For the past 20 years he has been using that as his home base, and been busy gigging, recording, touring, and raising a family.
Lazer Lloyd is a powerful collection of twelve songs, with all but one being written by Lloyd. He is the frontman, harp guy, and guitarist, and he is joined by a seriously dangerous backline that features Moshe Davidson on bass, Elimelech Grundman on drums, and Kfir Tsairi on the keys. He co-produced the album with Yocheved Seidman and all of the tracks were cut at a studio in Tel Aviv.
Though Mr. Lloyd has a wonderfully strong voice and good harmonica chops, his most notable talent is his uncanny guitar feel and tone. He is a bit of a gear hound and is always searching for the perfect sound, but electronics are only the icing on the cake. Without his fingers channeling the mojo from his soul, it would not be possible to produce the killer tone that he achieves.
This disc is a journey through blues and rock, and all of the songs should please blues fans and guitar aficionados alike. If you like traditional blues, “Time to Love” is as close as you are going to get, though Lloyd does throw a few jazz chords into the mix. There is also a little country rock in “Rockin’ in the Holy Land,” which features some slick harmonica work from the man, as well as a little insight into how he ended up in Israel.
But this album is most populated by catchy blues-rock, including the opener “Burning Thunder,” the extra greasy “Out of Time,” and the poppy “Love Yourself.” The latter is ripe for airplay, and could certainly be a great opportunity for Lloyd to get some radio time in the states.
This is all good, but where Lazer Lloyd really shines is with “Set My Soul Free,” an awesome 1970s style psychedelic blues-rock song that is chock full of licks that would make Robin Trower jealous. This song has everything: smooth guitar virtuosity, fat bass from Davidson, and amazing drums courtesy of Grundman. In fact, the drums have a tremendous presence, and at times it sounds like a drum solo that just happens to have a song happening on top of it.
Then there are a couple of softer songs to round things out. Notably, there is an acoustic cover of “Dock of the Bay” that transforms it from Otis Redding’s easygoing melancholy tune into a stone cold bummer. The other is Lloyd’s testimony, “Whole Heart,” a soft blues-rock ballad that closes out the set with a touch of Hammond organ from Tsairi.
Though all of the songs are very good musically, his lyrics might be even more powerful. They are not terribly fancy, but they are heartfelt and most seem autobiographical. They are a portfolio of sadness, hope, love, and faith. There is a spiritual feel to much of it, but this is not a preachy or religious album – instead, the words come across as personal and heartfelt.
With his new disc, Lazer Lloyd shows once again that he has strong writing skills, a mature voice, and guitar skills that are hard to match. Each of the dozen tracks has a different feel and they are sequenced perfectly so that this is project is a complete picture. It would be a shame to cherrypick a few songs off this album, as they are all winners. So, do yourself a favor and buy the whole disc, not just a few tracks from your favorite online seller. Also, if you go to his website you will see that he is touring Israel and the United States extensively through the end of the year (including my home town!), so make of note when he is coming to your area so you can catch his live act. It will certainly be a worthy use of your time!
Reviewer Rex Bartholomew is a Los Angeles-based writer and musician; his blog can be found at rexbass.blogspot.com.
Featured Blues Interview – E.G. McDaniel
From Will Shade’s (Memphis Jug Band) washtub to Homesick James’ plank to Kyle Perry’s (Homemade Jamz Blues Band) Ford muffler version, the bass guitar has undergone numerous tweaks and changes in the world of blues music over the past 80 years or so.
But according to Chicago blues great Greg ‘E.G.’ McDaniel, it really doesn’t matter what the configuration is – or even how many strings the thing has – at the end of the day, a bass is just a bass.
“Under certain instances in the past, I’ve come under scrutiny from some people for playing a 5-string bass. I find it funny, because really and truly, if you want to play bass, a 4-string bass is three strings too many, because a washtub only had one,” McDaniel recently laughed. “I don’t see too many people playing 4-strings and complaining about the extra three strings, so I just marvel at that. But bass is just a frequency – it’s a foundation – it’s how low you need to get. If it’s done tastefully, it doesn’t matter how many strings you have. I mean, some guys on the circuit even play 6-string basses … but I can’t play a 6-string.”
Smart money says that should McDaniel ever decide he wanted to play a 6-string bass, it would be like shooting fish in a barrel for the gifted musician. A quick rundown of a few of the projects that he’s currently involved in – and who he’s involved in them with – says all that one needs to know about the talents of E.G. McDaniel.
“I’ve got several little projects going on and at the same time, I still play with Jimmy Burns. Sadly enough, Byther Smith is kind of retired, so I’m not really playing with him anymore,” he said. “But I’ve been helping friends out – I’ve been working with Matthew Skoller and working with Studebaker John and I’ve been playing bass with Mud Morganfield for six years and three albums, now. Of course I worked on Linsey Alexander’s newest material (Come Back Baby (Delmark Records)) and I just played on a track for my friend Dave Weld. And Jimmy’s (Burns) got a new one coming out, too. I’ve also worked on Eric Noden’s new album, along with Joe Filisko and Kenny Smith. So this has been a really productive year for me so far.”
As if he didn’t already have enough irons in the fire, McDaniel has also been busy playing with his trio, SonicSoul.
“It’s John Bruhnke on guitar and vocals, along with Kevin Johnston on drums and vocals and yours truly on bass and vocals,” McDaniel said. “We play at Buddy Guy’s all the time; he loves us. It’s a power-blues trio and we play everything from traditional to classic blues and Clapton and Hendrix.”
SonicSoul recently wrapped up recording sessions for an upcoming album.
The Urban Tumbleweeds – a duo comprised of Scott Neve and McDaniel – can also be found gigging around the Windy City.
McDaniel was recently a part of the Muddy Waters Centennial Tribute at the 32nd annual Chicago Blues Festival.
“It’s a very cool thing, because my dad would also be 100 years old. I understand how traditions go; I mean everybody only really thinks of Muddy Waters and Howlin’ Wolf, but there were other people that were around before they were, of which my dad was one of them,” he said. “In my eyes, he (McDaniel’s dad) didn’t get the fame he deserved, because people would say that he was too bluesy for jazz and too jazzy for the blues. But my dad really was a catalyst in this city and I’d liken him to be pretty much like the T-Bone Walker of Chicago. Matter of fact – he knew T-Bone Walker well.”
McDaniel’s father was none other than Floyd ‘Butter’ (“Billie Holiday gave him that nickname,” he said. “Because he was smooth on chord changes and was impeccably dressed, as well.”) McDaniel, famed guitarist that worked with Fats Waller and was also in the Ink Spots and The Four Blazes. Floyd McDaniel passed away 20 years ago on July 22, 1995.
“My dad was to be on the cover of Living Blues Magazine, but unfortunately he passed away a day after his birthday, so they gave him the centerfold (of that month’s issue). He was only 80 years old for one day,” McDaniel said.
When McDaniel speaks of his father, it’s easy to understand the bond the two men shared.
“I miss my dad a great deal … I really do. My dad was my best friend – incredibly so. Our bond-ship was very, very deep. My dad also delivered me (when E.G. was born). We never had an argument and we never raised our voice at each other,” he said. “I’ve got a sister who’s 82-years-old and she can vouch for that. We never got spanked. We talked things out with our folks. My dad always said, ‘Hey, I don’t have to treat you like you’re a farm animal in a zoo. We don’t have to go there.’ He was just an awesome guy. And when it came to music, the thing I really loved about my dad was that he got it. He was the one that really opened up my eyes to hearing sounds and listening to what people were trying to play and what they were trying to do. That still carries over to this day.”
McDaniel’s parents met when Floyd was playing with Cab Calloway.
“My mother (Bessie Jackson) was a pianist, she was one of Marian McParland’sWomen of Jazz. So, I pretty much grew up with music,” he said.
In addition to having parents that were famous musicians, one of McDaniel’s cousins also ended up setting a trend or two in the world of rock-n-roll and roots-related music.
“Well, Bo Diddley – Ellas Otha Bates McDaniel – was my cousin. So my family all had their own things going. My folks were all active in my development (as a musician), for sure. I started playing early on,” he said. “It’s funny, but when I came into the Chicago blues as we know it, I really didn’t get my feet wet until around 1983. But I was basically Byther Smith’s bass player on and off through the years since I was 14.”
With the musical pedigree that has long run through the McDaniel family, it sure seems like young E.G. was almost pre-destined for a career of playing music. However, he says there were a few bumps in the road of the path that he ultimately chose to travel.
“Well, to be honest, there were moments where I actually had my doubts,” he laughed.
Long before he would become one of Chicago’s first-call bassists, McDaniel’s initial endeavors of the musical nature began with him bashing on the drums.
“I first started on drums and I had my cousin Terry Thompson teaching me how to play. But I switched over to bass because he was getting a little heavy-handed with me, and I was like, ‘Look, I don’t want to do this,’” McDaniel said. “But I loved the drums and I still do play them, but for the most part, bass was the new first love and I’ve never put it down since I was 6-years-old. And I had a lot of terrific bass players around me to pull from – guys that played with my dad. One of the first bass players I ever met was a friend of my dad’s – Bob Stroger. Bob is still one of my great mentors.”
McDaniel’s relationship with the great Byther Smith didn’t start out on the bandstand; rather, it started out on the front porch of Smith’s house.
“I was his paperboy – he lived in the neighborhood – and I saw him playing and that started it. Really, Byther was the one that is pretty much responsible for me getting to know a lot of the inner-people of the blues,” he said. “I don’t know if many people know this, but Byther Smith was the first bassist in the city to have an electric Fender bass. Unfortunately, he just sold it. It was a 1954 Fender P-bass. Byther was the bass player, with Buddy (Guy) the guitarist, Junior Wells on harp and Fred Bellow and S.P. Leary as drummers back then (that artists called upon).”
Leary was a close friend of the McDaniel family, as was Detroit Junior, who lived with Smith at the time.
“There was no shortage of people around to play with,” said McDaniel. “The list of people that I’ve had the pleasure of playing with is a long one. I’ve had the privilege of not only playing with the newer guys, but with the older cats, as well. Guys like Eddy ‘The Chief’ Clearwater and Carey Bell and Hubert Sumlin and Robert Junior Lockwood and Otis Rush – he lives down the street from me. And Magic Slim was a good friend.”
He would grow up and play with some of the most-accomplished bluesmen to ever hit Chicago, but back when he initially started spreading his musical wings, cats like Jimi Hendrix and Eric Clapton were front and center in McDaniel’s musical universe.
“Someone asked me one time if my musical influences were guys like Howlin’ Wolf and Little Walter. I was like, ‘Are you kidding me? When I was coming up and playing and was 10 or so, that was my grandparent’s music, man.’ And they didn’t want you around their records,” he laughed. “They played those records at their parties, where children were to be seen and not heard. But we were into our own music, which was not the stuff they listened to, which we thought of as old-fashioned. I was listening to everything from Frankie Avalon to Johnny Mathis and Brook Benton and Roberta Flack and on to The Yardbirds and Turtles and The Byrds. That was all in my face.”
His grandmother on his mother’s side lived on fabled Maxwell Street and even though he was not old enough to identify just who it was playing outside, young McDaniel did hear bits and pieces of the blues ever so often while visiting there.
“When the bands were out there, I would hear them bangin’ and clangin’ down the street, but I didn’t know who those people were, because I was just a kid,” he said. “I could have seen Muddy Waters then – could have. But those were grown-ups playing for grown-ups and us kids weren’t to go out there.”
Mud Morganfield’s Son of the Seventh Son (Severn Records) grabbed a whole host of awards when it hit the streets a couple of years ago and it immediately brought back memories of the hey-day of the Chicago blues, days when Mud’s father – Muddy Waters – was the king of the Chicago blues. According to McDaniel, the album was every bit as fun to play on is it is to listen to.
“It’s a wonderful experience to be involved with Mud, because Mud’s a good friend of mine. And of course, Kenny Smith is playing drums and he’s a good friend of mine, as well … but more importantly, I also used to play bass for Kenny’s dad (Willie ‘Big Eyes’ Smith),” he said. “So that’s a bond that we all share, our dad’s were all well-known musicians. It’s just so much fun to play with Mud. He’s well on his way and is really doing it. I admire him in so many ways. I can’t emulate my dad, because I don’t play guitar. I wished I did, but I don’t.”
McDaniel is just as at home with a big, ‘ole standup bass pinned up against his body as he is with a smaller electric one cradled under his arms.
“I just love bass. It’s all in the application. Everybody plays electric these days, so if I play standup with people that are playing loud, it’s not going to work. It’s just going to feed back. It’s hard to play an upright through that, with all the loud guitars,” he said. “It’s hard to manipulate a standup through all that electric power, but I love upright as much as I love the electric bass. And for the past few years, I’ve also been playing a B-flat tuba … and I’m getting better. One of these days if I can get enough money together, I’d love to be able to own a sousaphone. I just love bass … it’s the foundation for everything.”
That helps explain why, when it comes to listening to – or breaking down – music, McDaniel’s ears are immediately interested in what the lower frequencies are doing.
“I like rhythm sections. I’m not the keenest on guitar players, because my attitude is – while guitar players are great – they can’t do it without a bonafide rhythm section. Guitar players get all the credit, but it’s like, ‘Man, listen to the band that’s kickin’ behind them.’ No doubt, Albert Collins was awesome, but when he had Aron Burton playing behind him, Albert was allowed to do his thing,” McDaniel said. “And then you’ve got Johnny B. Gayden and Marty Bender – who are both friends of mine – and when they were playing behind him, he could stretch out even more. So rhythm sections are really important and I think they should get their just due. People don’t notice them because they’re so focused on the guitar. But at the same time, those people are stomping their feet and bopping their heads and breaking their necks and they don’t understand, but that’s the rhythm section doing that.”
Over the years, McDaniel has laid down the low end on more studio sessions and on more bandstands than the average person can shake a stick at. From Eddie Taylor, Jr., to Fruteland Jackson to Little Arthur Duncan to Jody Williams and everyone in between, McDaniel has played with them all. But no matter the situation – or the artist that he’s playing with – McDaniel’s mission remains the same each and every time out.
“Job number one is really focusing on the individual that I’m playing behind. If I can get in the mind of the person that I’m working with, I can pretty much give that person what they need. I’m not just up there to play whatever. I’m up there to play what the artist wants,” he said. “But I can’t do it alone. For example, in the Jimmy Burns Band, I play with two other great musicians that really go unsung. One is (guitarist) Anthony Palmer and the other is Bryant T. Parker. Bryant is a fantastic drummer that’s played with Mavis (Staples) and with Taj Mahal and Anthony’s played with Otis Rush and Joanna Connor and just a who’s-who of other great artists. He’s smokin’. I would really like to think that we’ve helped to propel Jimmy Burns to where he is today.”
McDaniel’s ‘Blues Godmother’ – Katherine Davis – was not only instrumental in introducing him to Jimmy Burns, she also helped McDaniel realize just how rich his musical legacy really was.
“She’s the only one of my dad’s friends – and I do mean the only one – to reach back after my dad died and say, ‘You guys really need to listen to this guy play.’ She’s opened up the doors to so many opportunities … I really owe her a debt of gratitude,” McDaniel said. “She’s looked after me close to 30 years now. She introduced me to so many people … just all these wonderful people.”
Robert Junior Lockwood was long known as a person that wanted things done his way and was never in the mood to put up with any gruff. But on the flip side of the coin, if you were in his inner-circle, he could be one of the kindest men around and McDaniel saw both sides while playing with the legend one evening at Eddy Clearwater’s Reservation Blues club.
“He (Lockwood) could really strike fear into the hearts of people. I’ll never forget this humbling experience. Two songs into his set, all these flashbulbs start going off and Robert Junior didn’t like that. He didn’t want to be exploited and have his picture taken and then sold and have his image marketed or whatever. In the old Indian culture, they didn’t want a photograph taken of them because they thought you were trying to steal their soul. Well, Robert Junior stops the music and yells for Leroy Brown – who was working the door – to lock the front door. He then told Leroy to get everybody’s cameras, or to get their film, because he didn’t want pictures taken of him,” McDaniel said. “Well, I was really nervous because in my bag, I had a picture that was taken at a blues festival of the two of us playing and I was going to have him sign it. After we finished the set, he was still hot under the collar about people snapping his picture. Well, I never ask for autographs, but I did want that picture signed as a memento, seeing how he was the son of Robert Johnson. So I asked him and he said, ‘Are you kidding me? You know me better that that. Give me the picture.’ So I did and he signed it and I freaked out. I said, ‘I know how you feel about autographs and people taking pictures.’ He said, ‘Yeah, but I know you. I don’t know them. I know you’re not going to sell this.’ That was very humbling and was a ‘wow’ moment for me. He was really a nice man.”
It was while hanging around and playing at the once-mighty Checkerboard Lounge when McDaniel received some essential advice from one half of the legendary Aces – bass player Dave Myers.
“He was a very discerning bass player. He’d always tell me, ‘Don’t you be like the rest of them … all that modern stuff … yuk,’” laughed McDaniel. “But you know, everybody has their era; that’s just inevitable. I mean, even now, we don’t play blues like they did in the ’20s and we we don’t play blues like they did in the ’30s, even though some of us would like to try to reenact those days.”
According to McDaniel, the way the Chicago blues sound in these days and times has as much to do with the social, political and economic climates of the 21st century as it does with anything else.
“Take it from a person who had a dad that came from those days (early days of modern Chicago blues); he was like, ‘Well, times were different (back then), presidents were different, money was different, Eco-systems were different, social systems were different, so you really can’t go back.’ You can try, but you just had to be there,” McDaniel said. “And I understand that. I think it’s great that people keep the traditions alive, but there comes a point in time where I believe there are a lot of musicians that have their own voice for the next coming of the blues and they shouldn’t be left alone just because people may think, ‘They’re not playing the blues.’”
No matter how they may be dissected, labeled – or even totally ignored – the blues of today are still the blues and that doesn’t figure to change anytime soon.
“The blues will always be here; it just has different values attached, due to everybody’s social and economic system. That’s what my dad said back then and that’s still the truth today,” McDaniel said. “This is just a different era. I don’t believe in pigeon-holing – I say, ‘Let people play.’ I remember as a kid playing in the ’60s and ’70s, it was all about doing your own thing. People didn’t care back in those days whether you were white or black. It didn’t matter; it was about doing your own thing, your own vibe, your own bag. That’s why they let Hendrix do his thing and just look at what he did. I don’t like the tags that sometimes go with the blues these days. For instance, if John Mayer does it, it’s great. But then say you have someone like Eric Davis – God rest his soul – doing it, then it’s like, ‘That’s not the blues.’ Well, Eric was playing the blues, John Mayer plays the blues … it’s all the blues … and it’s all good. Not everybody can play the same.”
And just what are the blues?
“The blues is always about somebody’s life history. Somebody’s telling you about their story; about their life,” McDaniel said. “Whether something happened with a woman they had, or like when Byther Smith talks about Housefire, which was about a real house fire he was in. To me, the blues speak about your life.”
Visit E.G.’s website at: http://users.rcn.com/eg123/
Photos by Bob Kieser © 2015 Blues Blast Magazine
Blues Blast Magazine Senior Writer Terry Mullins is a journalist, author 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.
Featured Blues Review – 2 of 11
Bey Paule Band – Not Goin’ Away
Blue Dot Records
beypaule.com
12 tracks/51 minutes running time
Not Goin’ Away is a strong followup to the Bey/Paule band’s multi-nominated (BMA’s ,BBMA’s & Best of Living Blues) album effort of 2013 Soul For Your Blues.
From the biographical opening strains of Black Bottom to the final phrases of If I Could Reach Out, the Bey Paule Band continues their dazzling display of Soul Blues prowess with their 4rth collaborative offering, Not Goin’ Away. Frank Bey and Anthony Paule have marshalled a muscular convention of Bay Area first call musicians that instantly calls to mind the apex of the Stax Volt sound.
Oakland’s Own Tony “Macaroni” Lufrano conjures up shades of Booker T. on the Hammond B-3. He wrote one and co-wrote two other tunes on this project. He has worked stages with Taj Mahal, Steve Miller, Carla Thomas, Ernie K-Doe and many others including Booker T. himself.
Kickin’ the skins is San Francisco native Paul Revelli who spent five years as drummer for Joe Louis Walker & the Boss Talkers.
Monster tenor player Nancy Wright is one third of a murderous horn section that includes trombonist Mike Rinta and Tom Poole. This horn section sets further apart a band that’s already set apart by it’s one off rhythm section.
Bass veteran Paul Olguin is a much sought after bassist whose credits read like the history of West Coast session work, anchors the bottom end of the BeyPaule Band.
Standout tracks include; “Noel’s Haze,” an instrumental ode ( in the vein of Booker T’s Memphis Group) to executive producer Noel Hayes who actually brought Bey and Paule together in 2011. “Kiss Me Like You Mean It,” a catchy bounce of a tune co written by Paule and his wife Christine Vitale. The background vocals sound like they could’ve been the Chips or the Veltones from the early Stax years. Bey takes the song out with classic Otis Redding consonance/alliterative scatting, if you will (Ga ga ga gotta, you, you you!)
“Next To My Heart” kills from the gate with its Memphis Horns/Bar Kays opening horn lines. This is another Anthony Paule/Christine Vitale composition with a melody line similar to the obscure Atlantic 1964 single, “I Found A Love,” by Rockabilly turned R & B for a season, singers Jo Ann & Troy. For the record, two great yet dissimilar songs.
Essentially, one could make a case for every song on this disk being superlative. this product is a must have for the collector. It is engineered and co-produced by the great Kid Andersen of Rick Estrin & The Nightcats who plays slide guitar on “Nodbody’s Angel,” and second guitar on “If I Reach Out.” Backup vocals by Lisa Andersen, Loralee Christensen and Larry Batiste further augment this production
This group has unlimited potential. Their live stage shows are equally powerful. As the title suggests, they ain’t goin’ nowhere. This record smokes!
Reviewer Tee Watts is music director at KPFZ 88.1 fm in Lakeport, CA and road manager for Sugar Pie DeSanto.
Featured Festival Review – Blues From The Top Festival
Blues From The Top Festival, held each year in Winter Park, CO, is presented by Grand Country Blues Society (www.grandblues.org). A portion of the proceeds goes to KBA Award winning Blue Star Connection: “Our mission is to provide access and ownership of musical instruments for children and young adults with cancer and other serious challenges. We also provide music therapy departments with instruments.” With that goal in mind, the festival is a family friendly festival in the beautiful Rocky Mountains, and deeply focuses on presenting music from all age groups, with a stage specifically dedicated to The Keeping The Blues Alive kids playing in between sets. And many of those kids have gone on to become headliners at the festival, have their own bands, and are an integral part of this festival.
Thursday night there is music at Hidaway Park, the home of the festival. The Keeping The Blues Alive Band (KBAB), created for this festival, featured many of the kids who play throughout the festival. The future of the blues is in good hands! John Catt, organizer of this festival, has been working with these kids for years, and this year he also brought in Hans Kristian Nordin, from Norway, who will be studying at Berkley this summer. The band also included Albert Castiglia and The Boogie Boys, brought back by popular demand, from Poland. (Opening photo).
FRIDAY NIGHT: John Catt believes that if the performers are in town the night before the festival, then it should begin that night. Therefore, Friday night, at Smokin’ Moe’s is the true beginning of the festival. The Pre-Fest Party included the opening band – Katy Guillen & The Girls, followed by the KBAB, and Chris Cain Band.
Kathy Guillen & The Girls, from Kansas City, include: Katy Guillen-guitar, Stephanie Williams-drums, and Claire Adams-Bass. The KBABB included: Sadie Johnson, Albert Castiglia, and Kris Schnebelen-drums.
Chris Cain took over with his band and brought up guests Albert Castiglia, Jim Pugh, Byron Cage, Lenny Bradford, and Kate Moss for a big jam.
SATURDAY: Saturday is an early morning start for the kids who also played the night before. But as tradition will have it, he starts out the festival with the Keeping The Blues Alive Band. After hearing them Thursday night, and then Friday night, I was really looking forward to seeing them again. Although they don’t play with each other throughout the year, they always come together at this festival, and each year they just keep getting more seasoned and tight. This year was no exception. Austin Young’s band provided the bass (Ales Goldberg) and drums (Forrest Raup), and they were joined by Sadie Johnson, who just got off a tour with Ruf Records “Girls With Guitars.” Michaela Rae Knox is the original blues kid at BFTT, starting 10 years ago. A nice addition was Zach Bahn on the marimbas. With the addition of Hans, the kids started off the festival with high standards.
Next up was Katy Guillen & The Girls from Kansas City. The band made the finals at the IBC’s in 2014 and just played the Joe Bonamassa cruise and are impressing audiences with their original songs and style.
Next was Kirk Fletcher with guest Reese Wynans. Kirk has been playing the blues for years, including The Mannish Boys and Fabulous Thunderbirds and just recently, the JB cruise. Pairing up great combos, John Catt added Rock & Roll HOF’er Reese Wynans to the set. And for all you Mighty Flyer Fans, it was great to see David Kida on drums with the band, along with bass man Bobby Tsukamoto.
Next….Chris Cain Band. What else is there to say? Just mention his name to anyone who has seen him, and the response is “I love Chris Cain!” With Bay Area bass man, Steve Evans (who plays with everyone!), Mick Mestek on drums, and (35 year veteran from Robert Cray Band) keyboard player, Jim Pugh, this band just knocks it out of the park every time. Chris not only plays guitar but is an accomplished pianist and what a treat when he sits down and shares the keyboards with Jim (or Dave Mathews for their Ray Charles Tribute gigs). Zac Harmon joined Chris for part of his set also.
One of the great concept that John Catt supports is mixing it up at his festival. This year he had Albert Castiglia and Zac Harmon in attendance to just “float” around and play with different bands. Last year he had Deanna Bogart and Jimmy Carpenter add some sax whenever possible. It all makes for great combos and a friendly, fun “jamming” music experience for the bands and the audience. “The more the merrier!” seems to apply at BFTT.
This year Deanna was back, with her band, which includes Dan Leonard on guitar. Her vocals, piano, and sax playing are always great, and her duet with her bassist, Eric Scott, caught my immediate attention from back stage. Her vocal pairings with Dorothy Morrison made the set beyond special. The fun part about this festival is all the musicians hanging around, enjoying the music, and jumping in on a whim. Two drummers – Cedric Goodman from Zac’s band, and Byron Cage from Joe Louis Walker’s band, jumped up behind Deanna’s drummer – Michael Aubin – grabbed whatever percussion instrument struck their fancy from a milk crate full of drummer’s toys, and proceeded to add some funky percussion to the set. Three drummers jamming, with more cowbell, and Deanna walked back with her sax and just joined in. Typical BFTT fun!
Saturday ended with Joe Louis Walker and his band: Byron Cage-drums, Lenny Bradford-Bass, and Phillip Young-keyboards and sax. As always, a top notch set with serious blues and serious fun!
Throughout both days, in between the main stage sets, the “Keeping The Blues Alive” stage features young performers playing and singing. These kids are great and in all stages of their musicianship development. Being encouraged to perform on a real stage, in front of real crowds, is thrilling for them and for the audience. And you can always see John Catt somewhere nearby with a gigantic smile on his face during each performance. There is nothing like this anywhere that I know of, at least in my travels.
SUNDAY: Every year, the Sunday Morning Gospel show keeps growing and getting better! This year John went all out and put on the best group of All Stars he could find. Wow! The lineup included: Ashley Cleveland, Dorothy Morrison and her daughter, Adrianna Marie, Eleanor Tallie, Deanna Bogart, Sadie Johnson, and Zac Harmon bringing in the spirit, backed up by Reese Wynans, Cedric Goodman, L.A. Jones, Andy Irvine, Eric Gales, Kirk Fletcher, and all the girls from the KBA bands. What a show, especially since it started at 10 a.m.!!
The energy level on stage just grew for the rest of the day. The weather grew cloudy, and tried to rain later, but nothing stops the blues!
Jarekus Singleton made his debut appearance in Colorado next. Jarekus and his band are gathering huge crowds of fans everywhere they go. Hailing from Mississippi, he brings the southern blues, infused with a huge dose of the new blues to the stage. Joining him was his Mississippi brother and home-state legend, Zac Harmon. His band includes Ben Sterling on bass, John “Junior” Blackmon on drums, and Sam Brady on B3. More fans for Jarekus and the boys! (I have been on the list for years…)
Back by popular demand, The Boogie Boys, from Poland, hit the stage with a vengeance and never slowed down. They have Boogie Woogie Blues down to a fine art and they know how to put on a really fun show with their antics. And they love to share the stage too! Deanna joined Bart Szop on double B3/keyboards and vocals, Andy Irvine commandeered the bass from Janusz Brzezinski for a few songs, and Michel Cholewinski did his double handed playing with Bart. Kate Moss and Albert Castiglia joined in the set to add some guitar to the mix. Sitting in for Bart’s brother, who couldn’t make the US tour, was San Diego’s Marty Dodson, who has recorded with the Boogie Boys and was a perfect substitution. Marty is an “in-demand” drummer all over Southern California.
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