054 - Blues Matters

BLUES

MATTERS!

ROCKROOTSJAZZSOULWORLD-BLUES

2

Candye Kane (USA)

Chantel McGregor (UK)

Glen Patrik (USA)

Wilson T. King (UK)

Bassekou Kouyate (Africa)

Steven Dale Petit (UK)

Layla Zoe (Canada)

Cherry Lee Mewis (UK)

Henrik Freischlader (Ger)

June/July 10 l Issue 54 (pt.2) l £4.50

www.bluesmatters.com

Blues Matters! 2

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Blues Matters! 4

BLUES

MATTERS!

PO Box 18, Bridgend, CF33 6YW. UK

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EDITORIAL team

Alan King / Geraint Morgan: editor@bluesmatters.com

Founder/Publisher

alan@bluesmatters.com

Contributing writers:

Liz Aiken, Roy Bainton, Andrew Baldwin, Adam Bates,

Duncan Beattie, Carol Borrington, Bob Chaffey, Norman

Darwen, Jamie Hailstone, Stuart A. Hamilton, Nat Harrap,

Mark Harrison, Gareth Hayes, Steve Hoare, Sue Hickling,

Duncan Jameson, Philippa le Marquand, Ben MacNiar,

Vicky Martin, Martin McKeown, Noggin, Merv Osborne,

Frankie Pfeffer, Thomas Rankin, Lionel Ross, Graeme

Scott, Andy Snipper, Richard Thomas, Kevin Wharton,

Rhys Williams, Philip Woodford.

Contributing photographers:

Tony Winfield, Christine Moore, Liz Aiken,

Production-Art/Layout

Kitty Rae

Advertising:

Alan King / Geraint Morgan: ads@bluesmatters.com

Tel: 01656-745628

Subscriptions/orders:

Jenny Hughes: jenny@bluesmatters.com

Tel: 01656-745406 Mon-Tues only 10am-4pm.

If no answer then call main office 01656-745628.

IT/Web Management:

Geraint Morgan : geraint@bluesmatters.com

Stand Manager:

Christine Moore : christine@bluesmatters.com

Event Manager:

Carol Borrington: carol@bluesmatters.com

BM Sponsored venues:

Vicky Martin: venues@bluesmatters.com

Printers

HSW Print, Tonypandy, CF40 2XX

© 2010 Blues Matters!

Alan Pearce t/a Blues Matters. Original material in this magazine is

© the authors. Reproduction may only be made with prior consent of

the Editor and provided that acknowledgement is given of the source

and copy is sent to the editorial address. Care is taken to ensure

that the contents of this magazine are accurate but the publishers

do not accept any responsibility for errors that may occur or views

expressed editorially. All rights reserved. No parts of this magazine

may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system or transmitted in any

form or by any means electronic, mechanical, photocopying recording

or otherwise without prior permission of the editor. Submissions:

Readers are invited to submit articles, letters and photographs

for publication. The publishers reserve the right to amend any

submissions and cannot accept responsibility for loss or damage.

Please note: Once submitted material becomes the intellectual

property of Blues Matters and can only later be withdrawn from

publication at the expediency of Blues Matters. Advertisements:

Whilst responsible care is taken in accepting advertisements if in

doubt readers should make their own enquiries. The publisher cannot

accept any responsibility for any resulting unsatisfactory transactions,

nor shall they be liable for any loss or damage to any person

acting on information contained in this publication. We will however

investigate complaints.

EDITORIAL

Our last issue was a great success but a little confusing.

Our bar code showed correctly that it was issue BM53

but the spine told us it was BM54 and no-one noticed

until it was printed! So this issue is now named BM54

(Pt.2). Those of you that collect the magazine go to your

bookshelves and think you found one missing this will

hopefully remind you that all is indeed ok!

Issue 53 sold out in just 2 days here at Blues Matters HQ

but it’s still widely available in Menzies wholesaler’s stores.

There are over 500 newsagents in the UK alone which

now sell the magazine, so if your local newsagent does not

have a copy then you may now order the magazine from

within the stores. In the past this was a problem where

stores who would have the magazine for one issue then

not the next despite selling out. This is no longer a problem

which is good news for all.

The spirit around the Blues community is strong and

forever thriving and we have received a lot of support and

we thank you all for your kind words and patience. We

could not do this without you; you’re the biggest part of

the Blues Matters family. There are now companies and

ex subscribers who are getting back in touch with us due

to the changes within the team, and the general feeling

around is very positive.

You may have noticed some errors in the last issue.

We had start from scratch building a new team and the

contributors re-submitted their material to HQ so we

could get on. Now that the teething process is over we

can look forward to error free issues in the future. As you

are aware the new issue bares a new design (which we

hope you like). In the past people have mentioned that the

magazine does not stand out amongst other magazines in

the racks, so we hope this has gone some way to solving

this problem with the new logo and layout. We are always

open to ideas from yourselves, and to what you think would

better the magazine or what you’d like to see in future

issues.

So, here’s the latest issue in the Blues Matters timeline.

It’s packed full of features and reviews covering all that the

Blues has to offer. There are acts from all over the world

ranging from the UK, America, Africa, and more!

It’s worth a mention again that all Material for submission

should only be sent to our PO BOX address.

After all things considered, we hope you continue to

support the magazine where the Blues truly matters.

A BIG thank you goes out to the people who make this

possible.

Now enjoy this latest issue and its great interviews and

reviews…

Alan & Geraint

and of course all the BM ‘team’

Dont forget your feedback to us to -

editor@bluesmatters.com

CONTENTS

Your latest copy of Blues Matters! delivers!

Regulars

8 TOP TEN

Judith Owen reveals her Top Ten Songs

62 FESTIVAL FEVER

Burnley Festival, Guisborough Festival.

Festival.

68 BOOK REVIEWS

Home of the Blues, Blues Before Sunrise,

Independence Days, Give My Poor Heart

Ease.

70 DVD REVIEWS

Rick Estrin, Geoff Mulaur, Joe Bonamassa,

Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers, John

Fogerty, Soul Power etc...

116 GOT LIVE

Eddie Martin, Elephant Shelf, Joe

Bonamassa, Aynsley Lister, Jethro Tull,

Hamilton Loomis, Gary Moore, Bare Bones

Boogie Band, Rob Tognoni, Lisa Mills, Jon

Amor & Chantel McGregor.

122 HAPPENIN NEWS

Find out news on the scene

74 CD REVIEWS

MICHAEL BURKS, MAGIC SLIM &THE

TEARDROPS,THE HOLMES BROTH-

ERS, AL COOK, HARRIET LEWIS

& GREGORY HILDEN BAND, THE

MUSTANGS,BLUES POWER BAND,

PETE MOLINARI featuring THE

JORDANAIRES, SANDI THOM, JOE

BONAMASSA, ERIC McFADDEN,

COREY HARRIS, JEFF BECK, GUITAR

SHORTY, PHILIP SAYCE, MICHAEL

LANDAU, ROBBEN FORD, JIMMY

HASLIP & GARY NOVAK, FEED ME,

MITCH LADDIE, COCO MONTOYA,

RORY BLOCK, DARRELL NULISCH,

SCOTT MCKEON, SHAWN PITTMAN,

ALI FARKA TOURE & TOUMANI DIA-

BETE.....

Features

8 INTERVIEWS

Candye Kane, Stephen Dale Petite,

Cherry Lee Mewis, Bassekou

Kouyate, Blues Power Band, Wildon

T King, Chantel McGregor, Henrik

Frieschlaer, Scott McKeon, Lalla Zoe

& Glenn Patrik

18 FEATURE

Peter Green.

66 BLUE BLOOD

Lucy Zirins.

128 NOW BEFORE WE

FORGET

Casey Bill Weldon.

Blues Matters! 6

Cover feature

CONTENTS

Candye Kane, big beautiful, bbw

singer and sex activist rocks the

world! Kanes’ live shows are the stuff

of legend. She honors the bold blues

women of the past with both feet

firmly planted in the present. She

belts - growls - shouts - croons and

moans from a lifetime of suffering

and overcoming obstacles.

Wilson T King

Henrik Freischlander

Layla Zoe

Blues Matters! 7

FEEDBACK

What you want to vent!

CD PRICES AT LIVE GIGS

Even though it is normally possible to obtain CDs more

cheaply via Amazon for example, I have been happy to be

charged £10 for a CD at a live gig to profit the artist directly

and for the souvenir value, if signed for example. I notice

recently however that many artists are asking for £12 (and

in the case of several I could mention, a disgraceful and

exploitative £14 > £18!) Particularly in these straitened

times I would like to hear from any artist who feels they can

justify this 20% increase.

I have refused to buy at this extortionate price and if

everyone else were to do the same, artists would be forced

to revert to a realistic sum for their product.

Bob Chaffey

Plymouth

LATEST ISSUE

arrived to great anticipation after hearing of the major

changes at the Editorial side of the magazine and the

long wait for the issue. I have to admit that I was one of

many amongst our group that were getting more than a

bit fed up of the direction the mag was going over recent

issues and several of us were talking about dropping out

of ordering future copies, yes I’m afraid that is how bad it

was getting. BUT on sight of the new issue I for one was

delighted (despite several errors spotted and repeats oh

and confusion as to what issue number this actually was 53

or 54 as both were shown on bar code and spine) to see a

brighter and fresher style, less cluttered and more inviting

were just a couple of things we came up with down at the

pub. If this is anything to go by then the changes are most

certainly for the best. The news of more outlets must be

most welcomed by us all and the new logo will be instantly

recognisable for sure. Well done at Blues Matters.

Fred Percy

( London)

BM says: Phew, thanks Fred, the team are grateful for

your comments and to many similar comments and support

we have received over this period. We will settle down.

Yes the issue went to print and no-one noticed that the

bar code showed issue 53 while the spine showed 54.

So in order to hopefully not further confuse the issue, the

one you now hold is BM54(Pt.2). For those of you that do

collect the magazine you will notice a gap between 52 and

54 on the spine so hopefully 54(Pt.2) will soon remind you

we cocked up but you will know that you have not missed

an issue.

The support and encouragement we have been shown by

so many readers, PR companies, record labels, artists,

contributors etc has been gratefully received by all. Thank

you from all at BM.

Blues Matters! 8

Hi BM JUST A NOTE TO

CONGRATULATE YOU -

Not only on your first edition as editors but on a quite

fabulous one at that. I love the new layout, things are easy

to find, first class interviews, the usual excellent reviews

of CD’s etc. Saw Kent Du Chaine last night now there’s

one guy who packs ‘em in here, plays great blues,and has

known and worked with many of the blues greats, currently

on his 81’st tour here. Could have some really interesting

things to say. Also an item on the wonderful 24 PESOS,

saw them in March, great bunch of guys and creating and

playing some pretty fine music. Just ideas because this as

I’ve said is to congratulate you all on this excellent edition

of the best blues-based magazine there is anywhere. The

news section is always smack up to date which is one thing

all of us record buying and gig attending blues fans love

and appreciate.

Many thanks all round and keep up the great work.

Pete Clack

(Oxford)

SO WAS IT BM53 OR 54?

What a difference an issue can make! First thing that

hit me was the new logo, Much better guys. Found the

interviews easier to read this time round and really looking

forward to the next batch you’ve got coming. To coin a

phrase from a well known song you are “picking up the

pieces” and making a damn good fist of it.

Tom McAuley

(Lanarkshire)

A GUN IN HIS HAND!

While being interviewed. Just what kind of situations

do you send your writers into at Blues Matters? Loved

Gianluca’s piece on Honeyboy Edwards and to contrast to

read Davey Knowles after seeing him on BBC Breakfast

show was a turn up I did was pleased to see. This young

man has a great blues voice and to see him explain on TV

what his Resonator guitar was all about to an unknowing

presenter was a joy. He has to be one of the best young

blues guns about today, better and moré deserving than

Bonamassa surely. I wonder how many would agree. Then

a week later they had Sandi Thom on, wow, I hope you will

do something on her soon!

Simon Crowley,

Solihul)

BM Says: Hey your wish is granted on Sandi Thom she

will be in BM55!

Got something to say? Well send it in to -

editor@bluesmatters.com

Blues Matters! 9

GETTING THE BLUES

Judith Owen’s -

Blues Top 10

1. Johnny Adams “Not Trustworthy (A Lyin’ Woman)”

There’s a great story behind discovering this song and this man, which is why it just had to be my number one choice.

Years ago my dad, who happens to be a huge blues fan heard this on a London jazz radio program and blown away by

the singer’s voice, recorded a snippet of it so he could find out who it was. It was just as well, as the show’s host made no

mention at the end. When I visited my dad that week he played me the 40 second burst and I too was hooked.

Well obviously neither of us would win the Sherlock Holmes ‘find the artist’ award, and this was pre Google (early 90’s)

but 5 years later an amazing thing happened. Having moved to the US to be with my husband I was honeymooning in

New Orleans during it’s world renound Jazz & Heritage Festival, (which I would play at myself in years to come) Walking

between 2 stages my ear was drawn to the sound of something very familiar and I stood frozen, (half under the mistaken

belief I was having a psychotic episode), and listened to that very song being sung by that very man live on the stage

some distance in front of me!

So began a full blown musical love affair with Mr Johnny Adams, the most dapper of Blues men, (shoes, handkerchief, tie

all matched often yellow) With a voice like velvet, they called him the ‘Tan Canary’ in the old, not so PC days.

New Orleans was his home and I’m happy to say it became mine and I never missed a ‘Johnny’ gig when I was in town. I

saw him sing one of the last gigs he did before succumbing to cancer a few years ago, and it was even more remarkable

he was singing for his life’s worth. But of course that’s what the Blue’s is all about.

2.Aretha Franklin - “Trouble In Mind”

My favourite Aretha is the early Aretha, at the piano, straddling church and the blues. When I was young and battling

depression, I searched out the kind of piano blues that was mid to up tempo and always uplifting. I still do really. (I have

enough of the deep and dark in my own music!) So I would listen to this track cranked up loud and literally dance around

the room. It made me feel alive and amazingly invigorated and it always got me out of a bad place that’s why I’ve always

thought the act of getting your sadness and worries out through music (your own or others), was the best form of self

medication!

3.Howling Wolf - “ How Many More Years”

I had to choose a Howling Wolf song, because of the experience I had when I visited his hometown in Westpoint

Mississippi a few years ago. I was asked by a friend who knew I was a HW fan, to come and perform at a money raiser

for the Howling Wolf museum. I jumped at the chance and drove the many miles from New Orleans to this very ‘tidy’ town,

where the extremely white country club was the centre of everything. I drove to meet my host at the ‘museum’ which turned

out to be the smallest cupboard-sized shack, close by the statue that a few of the locals had fought to erect and I mean

fought! Seems a lot of Westpoint folks were still resenting the presence of this bronzed black man found it embarrassing

even. The museum was crammed with some of the most remarkable pieces of memorabilia the curator had lived down the

road from Wolf with his poor white family and loved this big kind man who sang to him and taught him to fish, as both child

Blues Matters! 10

Top 10

and man. That night I played on the back of a flat bed truck to some well meaning, drunk people, and monies were indeed

raised. It was the hottest of nights, the sweat ran down my face and back and the locust-sized moscitos, drawn to the heat

from my keyboard, flew between the keys and vaporised. When I left the next day, it was with some relief feeling less than

useful, and with a bad case of the blues.

4. Johnny Guitar Watson -”Gangster Of Love”

I love Watson’s funk classics from the 70’s and perhaps more, where he came from musically. Steeped in the Texan blues

tradition, this song illustrates to me that even in the 50’s, Watson’s alter ego was already showing, the gangster figure,

albeit of love. His full ‘pimped out’ souped up cadillac image was over a decade away, but the man and the music was all

there...

5. Nellie Lutcher- “Fine Brown Frame”

Nellie Lutcher also comes to me via my dad and I guess you would describe her style as being -swing Blues, a sub genre

of the Blues. Of course she’s another pianist (that is my instrument after all!) and I think her music just oozes the Blues. In

fact when Lutcher was 14, she played piano behind legendary blues singer Ma Rainey, and her piano and singing never

really departed too far from that place. And she was a real minx, a bit dirty double entendres, implication; the underlying

message was sex, sex, sex!

And in that way she continued the Bessie Smith tradition of getting down and dirty in the nicest possible way!

And my appreciation started with a record my dad bought when he was a kid. I just couldn’t stop playing it when I was little,

and I loved to hear a woman accompanying herself at the piano, it gave me something to aspire to and hope for. Once

again, years later, & in LA, I’m looking at the Calendar section of the Los Angeles Times to see if there are any concerts

in town and I see the name Nellie Lutcher! Now I’m thinking this can’t be right she must be in her late 80’s at least, but get

tickets for the show not really knowing what to expect. (I’d read somewhere that she’d retired in the late 40’s/early 50’s)

What I saw that night was in fact the very woman, sounding and playing every bit as well as on this track. Wearing evening

gloves and a gown, she hadn’t performed for around 40 years and had decided that now her children were grown (and

grand children), she’d like to play some more before it was too late! Watching her I could only think one thought. “please

god may I be doing the same at 80!”

6. Charles Brown-”Merry Xmas Baby”

- I used to see Charles perform at Tipitinas in New Orleans and hearing him sing this song, with his smokey voice and

effortless way, was always a highlight. I remember him as being so typical of a ‘lifetime’ musician the kind who just can’t

live without it an old man till he sat at the piano and opened his mouth to sing... becoming at once an ageless, timeless

being.

7. Pearl Bailey “Tess’s Torchsong”

Again from my dad’s collection of 45’s a blues/jazz record that’s very hard to find today, unless you live in Germany, where

it seems so many blues and jazz fans exist! On this song, Bailey really has an almost Bessie Smith like vibe on this and it’s

totally a woman’s blues bad man done me wrong etc. plus it swings like a mother!

8. Meade Lux Lewis -”Honky Tonk Train Blues”

So when I went to live in California, I immediately started going to giant outdoor Flea markets at the weekend and it was at

one of these that I struck gold and found a quite sizeable collection of 78’s..Specifically 1930s and early 1940s urban blues

boogie-woogie. Jelly Roll Morton, Albert Ammons, Pete Johnson and this man: Meade Lux Lewis.

I bought them all unheard and then tracked down a cracking 78 player at another market. I have to say, this is one of the

most joyful findings I’ve ever had hearing this remarkable recordings, especially Honky Tonk Train Blues, always makes

me smile, as I imagine a crowded shack at night, the dancing, the drinking, the sin...

9. Stevie Ray Vaughan- “Pride & Joy”

Quite simply a song I heard on the radio which made me want to dance around the room (I told you I like my Blues cut with

pure joy!)

10. BB King -”There Must Be A Better World Somewhere”

Well this to me is King at his absolute best playing and singing like his life depends upon it, saying the things we all feel

at one time or another when life just gets too hard and the thought of a better life, a place, a future, some kind of heaven,

becomes the only thing you can hold onto this to me is the blues at it’s best.

Blues Matters! 11

CANDYE KANE

I’M GONNA BE JUST FINE!

Carol Borrington learns on how to become a ‘Superhero’!

In May 2007, Candye Kane after a long career; released her definitive CD, “Guitar’d and Feather’d”, which shot

her into high profile in the Blues Community. At the beginning of 2008, the world looked rosy for Candye. She

was on-tour with Blues Caravan, her drummer son had become engaged to fellow Blues Caravan musician and

Britain’s new Blues hopeful Dani Wilde and finally she had got a 2008 Blues Foundation Nomination for “Best

Contemporary Blues Female”. Then like a bolt of lightening, her life was on the verge of being reduced to ashes.

She was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer. Candye throughout her life has been the master of self-preservation

and aided by her strong will, support of family, friends, fans, love of music and the Blues, one year later, after a

major operation she has been declared cancer free. Candye has returned to personal and musical acclaim with

the CD, “SuperHero”. Candye told Blues Matters how you really get to be “The Toughest Girl Alive”!

BM: Can you give us an outline of what has been happening to you in the last twelve months, since your

diagnosis with cancer?

Candye: I had the Whipple surgery on April 18 2008, at UCSD Medical Center. The Whipple is a radical surgery that

removes parts of your stomach, pancreas, bile duct, 10 inches of small intestine and your gall bladder. I have lost a100lbs

since the Whipple and so far am cancer free! I started working again on June 20 th 2008, when I came to the Netherlands to

do my “United By Music Project” with special needs kids. I knew my kids would not understand what cancer was or why I

wasn’t there. So, I was in a rush to get better because of them.

Medical costs caused you difficulties, what was the problem. How did you overcome it and what are your feelings

about money being an obstacle to good health for people?

It’s a shame that in a country as large as the USA, we let more than half of our citizens go without health care! Many of us

don’t take that medication we desperately need because it costs so much. Luckily, our new President is trying to change

things but the big healthcare, insurance companies and greedy people who want to make all the money for themselves,

while their neighbors die, stand in the way of equal access to medical care for everyone! A society can only be judged by

how we care for our poor and infirmed and I think the USA does a miserable job in this realm. Personally, I was extremely

lucky because I have a high profile job and people knew about my plight. I had the ability to get out to others that I was

struggling and people all around the world sent me money and did benefits for me, to help me pay for my medical care.

Several organizations like “The Hart Fund”, through “The Blues Foundation” and “The Society Of Singers”, also helped to

pay me bills!

How are you doing at present?

I feel great- if a little tired! I have to be very careful about what I eat, if I want to avoid nausea and discomfort. I am working

very hard now but I wanted to prove, I could get back on-the-road and work hard again! I wanted to facilitate the income of

the people in my band, who depend on me! I bit off a lot more than should have, but I am happy to be making music and

grateful for every moment I have on this planet. I just need a bit more sleep!!!

Although, things went wrong for you at the time of the nomination, what did it mean to you to get this

nomination?

It was hugely vindicating to finally be acknowledged by “The Blues Foundation” after so many years of touring and eight

CDs under my belt. Sometimes, I felt like all of my hard work didn’t matter to the Blues Community. Although awards don’t

really get you more work or do anything for your career necessarily, it’s still lovely to be acknowledged and to know that

others notice how hard you work. My nomination was for “Best Contemporary Blues Female” and I was very grateful to be

nominated alongside such great women like Betty Lavette, who won the award. I hope, “The Blues Foundation” will give

me another chance with “SuperHero”.

You have just released a new CD. Describe for readers what went into the make-up of “SuperHero, from the

psychological aspect of recording after your illness and from the actual musical dimension of recording it?

It’s a real triumph to wake up in the morning and still to be living, much less have a new CD!!! I am so grateful and I

think the CD reflects that. It has the usual amount of heartache and revenge songs, which every Blues record needs. I

was in the middle of a break-up from a ten year relationship when I got diagnosed with cancer. So, I had to shelve all of

my heartache and sorrow. I had already started writing songs for a new CD and then had to focus on healing instead. I

wrote songs about healing such as ‘SuperHero’ and ‘Toughen Up’, during the time I was convalescing and I then went

back to some of the heartbreak songs and finished them. So, the end result is a nice balance of survival songs and love/

heartbreak songs. I am very proud of the CD!!!

Blues Matters! 12

CANDYE KANE

Blues Matters! 13

CANDYE KANE

For “Superhero” you have written some of songs in collaboration with guitarist Laura Chavez. How did this come

about and who wrote what?

Laura is an instrumentalist, so in most of the co writes, she came up with the music and I came up with the words. Some of

the songs I had already written but Laura re-arranged them or contributed a line, so I gave her the co write. Like in ‘Trash

Can Love’ she came up with the ‘liquidation love’ line. It was only one line but I feel if a person contributes even one line

and you use it, you must credit them!

Can you tell us something about Laura as a musician and person?

Laura is an amazing young talent (27 years old) and every night that I stand next to her on the bandstand is precious. I

find myself smiling all night and am constantly blown away by her versatility and sheer soul and heart as a guitarist. She

has an incredible career ahead of her and I feel like I am along for the ride! As a person, Laura is equal parts shy and

mischievous. Her assertiveness come thru in her playing but it takes a while to get her to open up on a personal level. We

have a lot of fun together. She keeps me young! We play Pac Man and have pillow fights in our hotel room. She makes me

feel like I am 12 years old again and she has an incredible heart! She volunteers at a local hospital and has done for years

and she’s always sense, when I am feeling fragile.

You’ve chosen to cover Willie Dixon’s ‘You Need Love’ on the CD. Why did you choose this song?

I have always been a Willie Dixon fan but I recorded the Led Zeppelin version of “ Whole Lotta Love” for my CD with same

name. I have wanted to do Willies version ever since. I think his version is way cooler and more low down Blues than the

Zeppelin version.

“SuperHero” finishes with ‘I’m Gonna To Be Fine’, which you sing unaccompanied, why did you choose to end

the CD in this manner and with this song?

This was the song I sang to myself every day and night when I was ill. It became my mantra. I had moments when I was

filled with fear and self-doubt. Pancreatic cancer is one of the deadliest and I had moments that I thought I was a goner!!!

This little song was comforting and I sang it to myself whenever I felt doubt creeping in. It was a private song but I wanted

to share it with fans who may be going thru their own health challenges.

On the cover notes for “Superhero”, words and music seem to have played an active part in your healing process.

Can you explain to readers what the power of both, actually means to you?

As I said in the liner notes, words are incredibly powerful. They sink into our subconscious mind and they influence how we

treat ourselves. I was raised in a verbally abusive home and so words have had an effect on me from an early age. I have

always been word conscious and I try to choose songs and words that build instead of tear down! I have always refused,

for instance, to perform that pit women against each other or condone victimisation, i.e., “He beats me and mistreats

me but I love him anyway” or “He may be your man but he comes to see me sometimes”. I just refuse to do these kinds

of songs and I deliberately try to write songs that will empower myself and hopefully, other people. Music has the same

healing power as words, so I feel so fortunate to be good at both. When I wrote “SuperHero”, I was so sick and fragile, I

could barely speak. So, I strummed the guitar feeling like the vibrations of the guitar would be good for my incision. I also

want the song, ‘SuperHero’ to speak to all women who go through each busy day being mothers, wives and workers, and

getting it all done. We are all ‘SuperHeroes’

!

No one knows what the future will bring but we can be positive and plan how we would like it to go. What plans do

you have from a personal and musical point of view for the future?

I am grateful for the chance to make music and to still have some time on this planet!!! My show seems to be really

inspiring to people right now and that’s so wonderful. People are coming up and sharing their stories with me about

struggling with cancer and losing loved ones to cancer. I feel like I am still to inspire others and give them hope. A lady

came up to me the other night and hugged me and said, “I wanted to hug a miracle”. That was just so sweet. I am pleased

people think of me as a miracle!!! Other plans include my stage play – “The Toughest Girl Alive”. We will be running in San

Diego on a regular theatre season at Moxie Theater. Also, I will continue my work with my “United Music Charity”, which

will take us to Dublin this Fall for “The World Congress For People With Downs Syndrome And Disabilities. My future

daughter-in-law, Dani Wilde will also join me in my work with UBM.

Are there any other words or thoughts you would like to share with Blues Matters readers?

Words are very important and the thoughts we can shape our reality. We are bombarded by so much negativity in the

media, constant messages telling us were not thin enough, rich enough, pretty enough – were too bald, we smell badly,

etc. I think we need to counter each negative image with five positive ones every day. Pick one mantra like “I create my

own magic!” “I attract successful, compassionate people around me!” “I am strong, beautiful and worthy!” “I alone make

myself happy!” Say it every time someone or something tears you down with negativity. It works!!! CB

BM says :- Candye is an inspiration to men and women especially when they are facing adversity. We decided to print this

letter on the following page which Candye sent out to her fans. All at BM wish her a full recovery. XX

Blues Matters! 14

CANDYE KANE

CANDYE KANE NEWS! Two years since cancer surgery!

Texas, Tennessee and Europe bound!

Happy Spring!

Today is my two-year anniversary since my pancreatic cancer surgery on April 18,

2008! I am celebrating constantly and am so grateful to be alive! I couldn’t have been

as successful on this journey without the incredible love and support I have received

from YOU, my fans and friends. Please know how incredibly grateful I am for every kind

thought and healing word you have sent my way.

The band and I are getting ready to go to Memphis for the National Blues Foundation

Awards on May 6. We are nominated in three categories and will perform our title song

Superhero at the awards show! We are all so excited. Superhero is nominated for

Best Contemporary Blues CD and I am nominated for BB King Entertainer of the Year

and Best Contemporary Blues Female. I don’t expect to win but it’s so awesome to be

recognized by my peers and the blues community. Thank you so much for voting for me!

After the awards show in Memphis, we will fly to Europe where we will play a bunch

of Blues festivals as well as do some workshops with my charity, United By Music.

We are bringing some of our United by Music singers here to the USA this summer to

showcase our charity and hopefully raise interest about it, stateside. It’s a wonderful

opportunity for people with all types of disabilities to showcase their musical talents

with a live band and realize their songwriting and touring dreams. We accept dancers,

singers and instrumentalists. If you or someone you know has a disability and might be

interested in auditioning for our program, or if you work in the healthcare or disability

sector and would like to help us bring our worthy charity to the states please write me at

candyekanetour@aol.com

Some of you have expressed concern about my health since I was recently in some

emergency rooms on the road with Pancreatitis and was ill in Tucson and had to run off

stage during a recent concert. I am feeling fine now but its true that I have been cutting

back on my pancreatic enzyme medication because of the cost. Its about $800 a month

for this medicine (Creon) and that’s a lot of money for me right now, with a kid in college

on a musicians salary. I am hoping that the new Obama health care plan will make it

possible for poor people like me, with existing conditions - to get reduced medications

and maybe even health insurance. At any rate, I am feeling better and hopefully will

make enough money soon to get another cat scan and the cancer tests I am supposed

to get every six months. Keep me on your positive affirmation list, please!

I am excited about my upcoming show with Sista Monica, Earl Thomas and Charlene

Moore with a 50 voice gospel choir at the Rio Theater, April 25 in Santa Cruz. Sista

Monica has a new cd out and this one celebrates her own triumph over cancer and her

beautiful faith. Its called “Singing in the spirit.” This is a very special show you wont want

to miss!

Thanks again to all of you for your continued support. This is starting out as an incredible

year for me musically and personally. Each sunset, each bike ride, each time I open my

mouth and sing, I am reminded of how lucky I am to still be here on this planet. I hear

incredible stories at my shows about people who are struggling with cancer or whom

have lost a loved one to cancer. I am so grateful to hear these stories and to be in the

position to share my message of gratitude and hope. Thank you for trusting me with your

personal stories and please continue to share. I cant get back to everyone

as quickly as I’d like but I am truly humbled and touched by your stories and

kindnesses.

To coin a phrase from my own song:

I’m Lucky.

I know I’m lucky.

Lucky to be loved by YOU.

XOXO

Candye

www.candyekane.com

www.myspace.com/candyekaneband

http://www.candyekane.blogspot.com/

Blues Matters! 15

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Blues Matters! 16

Adults only

Blues Matters! 17

Blues Matters! 18

STEPHEN DALE PETITE

Interview By Hugh Fielder

If Stephen Dale Petit can walk it like he talks it then the British blues scene is in for an exciting few years.

California-born Petit was playing in clubs and soaking up the blues from every direction before he moved to

England in the early 90s, looking to pick up on the spirit of the British blues boom of the 60s that was a seminal

influence for him. Instead he found “stale pub bands playing poor re-treads of the Beano album”.

Undaunted, he set down his roots here and proceeded to build his career, playing in bands and with musicians

that included Eric Clapton, former Rolling Stone Mick Taylor, David Gilmour and Phil May and Dick Taylor from the

Pretty Things. He also regularly went busking at London Underground Stations. All the time he talked about the

blues enthusiastically and incessantly to anyone who would listen.

In 2007 Petit combined his playing and talking on the BLUnivErSty tour, raising awareness of the blues among

students. He released his first album, the chiefly instrumental Guitararama in 2008 and is set to release his

second, The Crave, this summer, recorded with his band and guests. It’s a deliberately challenging album,

whether he’s laying down his own abrasive blues or deconstructing one of the blues classics. There is no comfort

zone around Petit’s blues, he’s on a crusade to restore that vital edge to the music. The Crave will ruffle feathers,

feathers that frankly need to be ruffled. And, most important, Stephen Dale Petit is walking the walk…

How do you find the blues scene in Britain has changed since you first came to Britain?

There is a vibrancy in the blues scene now, which has been building for a few years, that simply wasn’t there after I got

here and for many years after.

Is the legacy of the 60s a blessing or a curse when it comes to the modern blues scene in Britain?

Both, although more blessing than curse. 60’s ‘Swinging London’ in the 60s was fuelled by blues really. There are those

who say that there can never be another blues boom, and that sort of stops them getting excited about the modern blues

scene. Then there are those for whom nothing will ever measure up to the music made back then and want an almost

tribute band-like adherence to the music as it was recorded. Really, though, without that time in 60’s Britain when blues

was such a big part of mainstream popular culture we wouldn’t be having this conversation.

You’ve become quite a spokesman for the New Blues Revolution. How’s the revolution doing right now?

The revolution is in rude health. A blues bar just opened in Camden in the last 6 months. Trivial as it may seem, I liken

these sort of things to road signs and when one of the trend centres of London decides to do blues then something’s up,

because such a thing was unthinkable until recently. There is a dedicated blues stage at Glastonbury for the first time ever

this year. Another sign.

What’s holding the blues back when it comes to appealing to a younger generation?

Blues appeals to young people. Very much so. It’s not yet on daytime radio with any regularity. When that happens there

will be no real barriers.

Do you think theres a generation gap in the blues scene today, between the traditionalists and the younger

generation?

When I was a kid I really did feel like I was excluded because of my age, that this was an adult music and so on. I don’t

know how many feel that way now. When I did the BLUnivErSity tour in 2007 I always used to tell the students during the

Masterclass part that they should feel completely free to explore the blues and make it their own. After all, that’s what

Hendrix, Cream, Peter Green’s Fleetwood Mac etc did. And it was the same for a lot of the guys we think of as

“originators”. Robert Johnson, Son House were 24 or 25 years old when they recorded in the 1930s, and blues had been

around since at least the 1890’s. The blues is not a museum piece. It’s a living, breathing thing. It’s alive. Now. Which

means it will evolve and change. Any attempts to stop it doing so will fail. Because it is a very, very powerful music.

Were you pleased with the reaction to Guitararama? Was it what you expected?

I had no idea what to expect. When I was recording the album, there was nothing like the current atmosphere. I had no

reason to think that anyone would be into an album of mainly instrumental blues guitar songs. So things have gone well.

When it came to recording the Crave, did you have any specific ideas about what you wanted to do?

I definitely wanted to explore different ways of approaching and presenting the blues, and I didn’t want it to be limited to a

set formula like, you know, an album of acoustic blues, or an album that was essentially a four or five-piece electric band

like a Chicago Blues band.

By the time I started recording The Crave I’d been touring with the band for 18 months, and so I wanted to make use of the

musical chemistry we’d developed. You know, musically speaking on Guitararama I was basically on my own. There were

other musicians but it wasn’t a band as such.

Also, some of the songs on the new album were road-tested before we went into the studio, and I wanted to put them

Blues Matters! 19

STEPHEN DALE PETITE

Blues Matters! 20

down with all the confidence that a

road-tight band has. And since the

band are such great players I wanted

to do some totally unrehearsed,

brand new songs. ‘Slide’ is one of

those. I walked into the studio first

thing in the morning, picked up my

guitar and started fooling around

with that groove, waited for everyone

else to settle in, made sure we were

being recorded, shouted out the key,

suggested that for a change piano

and drums should start the song,

and away we went.

How do you feel that you have

changed between Guitararama

and The Crave?

Well, being a band leader changes

you. I’ve changed as a writer. It’s

clear to me that radio is the way

forward, and coming up with blues

that will be played on daytime radio

is the new black.

You’ve covered three iconic blues songs from the 60s on The Crave. Is it wise to fuck with the Holy Grail?

It’s 2010 for goodness sake. The versions of those songs that are special to people will always be there, so why not have

a go at bringing something new to the table? Plus, there are plenty of young people who don’t know those versions. Are

you saying that if a song is considered a classic then it’s untouchable, never to be done again? Bollocks. That sounds like

a way to encourage stagnation and rot. Songs are everybody’s property.

Obviously I invite comparisons by doing my own versions, but so what? I’ve got to step up and make sure I don’t

embarrass myself, and if I’m going to record a cover of a song, I’ll make that song my own as much as I can. I totally get

and understand people being besotted with special versions of songs, I’ve got some all-time favourites myself… you never

know, maybe some of those people might like my versions too.

On ‘As The Years Go Passing By’ you’ve changed the rolling beat and added strings. Why?

This song has been a part of my set for a couple of years now and it feels more like it’s of a part of me. We do a slow

tempo version on stage, but I wanted this to be a single, so it needed to be sped up. Also, I thought some more on what

the lyrics were about and how I would be feeling, because I’ve been there in my own life, and so the music is tougher and

angrier, because the sort of wise resignation that Albert King’s version conveys wouldn’t come to me for a long while in that

situation!

‘Cross Roads Blues’ has an atmospheric start, almost like a soundtrack, but the song itself has a punk attitude.

That’s quite a contrast.

Obviously you’ve got the Robert Johnson version, and then the Cream version that sort of sprang out of the Eric Clapton &

The Powerhouse thing that he did with Stevie Winwood, Paul Jones and Jack Bruce in ‘66. I just thought it was time for a

real fresh look at the song. ‘Cross Road Blues’ is perhaps top contender for ‘All-Time-Quintessential-Blues’ and it has

become so entwined with so many myths. It is, actually, just a song, but I thought participating in those myths would be a

bigger challenge. So I decided to put myself at this mythical place - at the cross roads where maybe the devil passes or

probably, more realistically, where you are likely to get killed if you are caught there past sunset.

So there’s a cinematic intro, which sets the scene like a movie set - you know, vast expanse, huge sky and so on. Then I

really got into how I would feel in this situation. So you’ve got the guitar arriving like a squall in this setting, amped up &

anxious and uneasy and aggressive, you know, out of sheer panic, and then the story unfolds. I worked closely with Chris

Elliott on this. He’s done all the Amy Winehouse stuff and he did the strings and horn arrangements for me.

A few of the lyrics are changed too, like the ‘Tell my friend Willie Brown’ line, I’ve always sung ‘Tell my friends all around’

even as a kid because that’s what I thought was being sung. So I stuck with that. Anyway that’s folk music in action really

isn’t it? Apparently it’s called mondegreen when you mishear or misinterpret lyrics and poetry.

‘Need Your Love So Bad’ is indelibly associated with Peter Green’s Fleetwood Mac and it sounds you’ve stayed

close to him while also checking out Little Willie John’s original.

Others have done versions which are so similar to the Fleetwood Mac version that they are essentially tribute band

reproductions. I love Little Willie John’s version but obviously the Fleetwood Mac one is magical. I had a go at recording

it with a new string & horn arrangement, a different one from the Mac version, but I didn’t like the results and that whole

approach seemed stale, so I binned it. I know that Fleetwood Mac were not happy with having strings & horns put on their

version, so I decided to do the version that perhaps they might have wanted to do without the orchestral arrangements.

STEPHEN DALE PETITE

Blues Matters! 21

I approached it the way I thought John Mayall might have at Decca Studios in West Hampstead, he always gave a lot of

space to his guitarists, so that’s what’s going on there and we recorded all of us in the room at the same time, through

vintage 60’s amps and mics. I added the Hammond organ & piano later. It was done at a fantastic place called the

Smokehouse in East London.

Dick Taylor certainly seems to be enjoying himself on bass.

Dick Taylor was definitely enjoying himself, as was Mark St. John on drums. I’ve known Dick for yonks. He and Phil May

were really kind to me & treated me like family when I first came to the UK, so I’m really chuffed that he plays on this.

‘California’ sets up a funky guitar groove that gets more and more strident until it sounds almost like a Led

Zeppelin track.

The riff is Chris Stainton’s from a Joe Cocker song, a real slice of James Brown-esque groove music, which was

requisitioned by hip hop. I liked the idea of bringing it full circle. It’s just a killer groove. It’s the next single.

‘Gun Song’ smells like essence of Howlin’ Wolf, particularly with that rasping vocal.

Funny you should say that. I’ve been going through a bit of a purist phase, getting very precious about the West Memphis

Howlin’ Wolf stuff and dismissive about 95% of the Chicago stuff he did with Chess, so it seemed a natural thing to go for

when I recorded this. It’s been opening our set for a while and I always sing it with a fair amount of attitude. The emotion

and most of the lyric are true.

In contrast, ‘Looking For Trouble’ is a John Lee Hooker-style acoustic boogie.

It’s your proverbial low-key 12 string acoustic murder blues. I love the texture of 12-string acoustic and I’m a fan of Bernie

Besmen, who produced John Lee Hooker’s early stuff, so that’s the approach I took. I stole the opening line from a couple

of Hooker songs. He cannibalised his own songs a lot, so it turns up a in a few of his songs.

There’s a Stonesy, Beggar’s Banquet vibe about ‘It’s All Good’ and your guitar solo is almost more Mick Taylor

than Mick Taylor.

Mick did a tour with me last year where he was embedded in my band, and then we were his backing band for a part of

the night. It was amazing for me. He was one of my idols when I was a kid, he is one of the best guitar players the UK has

ever produced and this solo is pure love for

Mick Taylor. ‘It’s All Good’ is Saturday night

blues like the Stones used to do a lot of,

especially during Mick’s time with them.

Mick Taylor himself shows up on ‘Slide’

which sounds like a Chess-style jam and

a one-take job to boot. How did you get

involved with Mick?

I went to one of his shows in north London

late 2008 and I was introduced to him by

mutual friends. We hit it off, and then the

idea for the tour started to take shape. When

the tour started in May 2009, it seemed

natural that he play on a few songs for the

album.

Most everything on this track is indeed live

and first take, but Mick’s part was added

later. Mick is a lovely guy. He stayed at my

place in London off and on last year, and on

the tour it was such an exciting thing for me

because he is still absolutely brilliant, you

know, solos that pull your heart to pieces.

You’ve got gigs lined up this summer.

What band will you be using? Apart from

the songs from The Crave what other

stuff are you planning?

We will definitely be doing lots of songs from

The Crave, and I am sure that there will be

some new stuff and some surprises too. The

band will be a five-piece with harmonica.

I can’t wait to get back onstage, I’m really

looking forward to it.

P:ictures by Tina Korhonen

CHERRY LEE MEWIS

Lovely and bubbly!

Interview: Jamie Hailstone

She might be just five foot tall, but Cherry Lee Mewis packs a massive punch with that

voice of hers! The Welsh-born singer attracted rave reviews for her first album “Little

Girl Blue”, which proved to be so popular, she even made the cover of Blues Matters!

Now the small, but perfectly formed singer is back with a new album “Southbound

Train” which mixes original songs and Blues standards by the likes of Memphis Minnie

and Blind Willie McTell. Cherry has come a long way in a few years, from singing pop

music to backing Walter Trout and appearing at the Shetland Blues Festival on the

Shetland Islands! From her now home in Bedford, she is going out across the country,

spreading her message. She’s taking control of her music career and making sure that

the Blues really do matter. Are you ready to take a bite of her music?

BM: Is it true that good things come in small packages?

Cherry: Yeah! Definitely! (laughs)

Is Cherry Lee Mewis your real name?

Yes, everyone thinks my mum and dad are huge Jerry Lee Lewis fans, but they didn’t realise until my christening. It’s mad.

When I was doing R&B and pop stuff, I was using just my first name. Then I was doing some session work with a producer

and my full name was on the contract. He said I should use my full name. I was starting to work with Max Milligan on my

first album, I thought, yeah – why don’t I do that?

You are now based in Bedford. What’s the blues scene like there?

It’s really healthy. There’s a venue called Esquires. Every Sunday, they have a blues band playing there. I find with blues

band, a lot are electric and there is not many doing acoustic stuff. Music in general is quite healthy in Bedford.

You’re originally from North Wales. Why did you move to Bedford?

The manager I had lived in Bedford. I had just passed my driving test and was up here every week. I got introduced to

Max, my guitarist, and we started doing acoustic gigs in 2004/5 and then I ended up parting ways with my manager. I

wanted to carry on, so Max and I decided to do an acoustic album. Last year, I decided to move here at the age of 23,

thinking I needed to be near London. My band are all here. There’s Nicky Slater, who plays dobro. We have Robbie

Mathews and he plays bass. And Max Milligan, who plays guitar! Then Flow on the drums and sometimes we have a guy

called Jeff Bakin who plays blues harp. It’s easier for me being here. A couple of weeks ago, we did a gig with Walter Trout

with 40 minutes notice. So that’s my whole connection to Bedford!

When did you first get bitten by the Blues bug?

It was quite a few years ago. It was about nine years ago that I first started exploring it. It was through my Dad’s record

collection. He had a real mixture – rock, blues, and psychedelic. He would always be playing something mad. He would go

‘listen to this, I think it will suit your voice’. My Dad selected a couple of songs on the first album. I didn’t really go to a lot of

gigs, growing up, because there wasn’t much going on.

What did your mates think of you listening to Blues records when you were 15?

It was weird, because I was into the same music that everyone else was into. No one really knew that I was into Blues

music. I knew that no one else was into it, so I never really talked about it. They all knew that I sang. A lot of people have

said it was unusual for someone to be so young and be into it, but I’m finding more kids are into Blues. Seasick Steve has

brought a whole new audience to it.

Are you one of those people who said I’m going to be a singer and that’s it?

Oh yeah, especially after parting ways with my management. I’ve done it all myself. I do enjoy the background stuff, like

the artwork and photos. You have to be focussed, otherwise there’s no point. If you’re happy doing pub gigs then fine, but I

want to get as far as I can. I’m forever getting in touch with people about gigs. I’m always hands-on with everything.

What’s been your favourite gig so far?

Blues Matters! 22

We’ve done a lot of festivals this year,

which have been great. We did the

Shetland Blues Festival, which was

brilliant! The journey over there was

an adventure in itself! Supporting

Walter Trout was fantastic. We did the

Cambridge Rock Festival as well.

CHERRY LEE MEWIS

Have you any plans to go over to

the US?

I’m dying to get out there. A friend of

mine just went to Clarksdale and I was

so jealous. I would say hopefully next

year! It would be great to get some

gigs over there and play a couple of

weeks. We’re going to Norway, which

we’re all looking forward to. I really

want to get out in Europe.

The festival circuit can be quite

tough. A lot of bands only get £50

for a set…

It’s a hard one. When we got the

Walter Trout gig, we just got expenses.

But we couldn’t turn it down, because

it was Walter Trout. There’s no point doing gigs in London unless you are doing them at venues that are worth doing.

I don’t know how I would get started if I was from London. Back home in Wales, I was just doing pubs and clubs on

my own. I got good pay for it. It would strengthen me as a singer. In London, you can’t do that.

Have you got a favourite Friday night record?

It depends what mood I’m in. I love dancing when I go out, so I’ll put on something like Keyshia Cole, Beyonce –

anything like that. If I’m just at home, I might put on something chilled like Billie Holiday.

What about Sunday morning chill out records?

Ah Jeff Buckley! I love his voice. I don’t think anyone can touch him, vocally. I don’t think anyone can sing like he can.

Are you a big Bonnie Raitt fan?

Yeah, I like some of her stuff. I’m more of a Janis Joplin fan, really. I love her.

How do you find being on stage?

I like it, to be honest. A lot of people say I’m tiny, but I have the rest of the band on stage with me.

When you started putting together your new CD “Southbound Train” how hard was it to pick the old Blues

songs?

We did a couple of Memphis Minnie songs on the first album. My favourite film is “The Rose” which stars Bette Midler

and is based on Janis Joplin’s life. There’s a song from that film, called ‘Midnight In Memphis’. I really love that song.

There’s a Blind Willie McTell song ‘Lord Send Your Angel Down’. My guitarist Max Milligan heard that song before I

did. We just started doing at gigs and then put it on the album.

Are there any Blues songs you are saving for the next album?

At the moment, no – we’re just playing the set. Actually, tell a lie – there’s a song called ‘Get Right Church’, which I

think is an old traditional song. I heard Jo Ann Kelly do it. I would love for that one to go on my next album, because

it’s a real crowd pleaser.

How does your songwriting process work?

I mostly get lyrics first. Something will come to me or I will hear something. I get a lot of ideas in the car, which is not

an ideal situation! I start with the lyrics normally or a melody might come into my head. I either sing into my

Dictaphone or pick up my guitar and see what I can come up with. Then I will go and play it to my guitarist Max

Milligan and he will fancy it up a bit.

What does the spirit of the Blues mean to you?

It means passion, pain, hurt, happiness and honesty. You can express every ounce of emotion with how you sing,

play and perform.

What was the last record you bought?

It was Seasick Steve’s “Man From Another Time” album. Fantastic!

Did you have to drink Cherry Coke when you were younger?

Ha ha! I’ve got a really funny memory of Cherry Coke! I horse ride and I use to compete from a very early age. I

remember being about five years old and I had a drink of Cherry Coke before I went into a class called Best Turned

Blues Matters! 23

CHERRY LEE MEWIS

When The Levee Breaks - The Story of Memphis Minnie

One of the biggest misconceptions about the Blues is that it is purely the domain of blokes, wailing about

their women.

While this is sadly true in most cases today, it is easy to forget the impact of female singers like Memphis

Minnie.

Along with Sister Rosetta Tharpe, Bessie Smith, Sippie Wallace and many others, Memphis Minnie blazed

a trail and proved that when it came to the Blues, women could give as good as they got.

Memphis Minnie was born Lizzie Douglas on June 3, 1897, and from the 1920s to her retirement in the

1950s, she was one of the most popular and influential female Blues artists.

She won respect from her peers, both as a singer and as a guitarist. During her lifetime, she released no

less than 180 tracks, including ‘Hoodoo Lady’ and ‘Bumblebee’.

Minnie had something of a colourful life, she ran away to Beale Street in Memphis when she was just 13

years old. It was there that she started to sing and play the guitar as Lizzie ‘The Kid’ Douglas.

She was also married three times. Each one of her husbands was a Blues singer; there was Kansas Joe

McCoy, Casey Bill Weldon and Ernest ‘Little Son Joe’ Lawlers.

Her last public performance was at a memorial for her friend Big Bill Broonzy in 1958.

She died of a stroke in 1973. In October 1996, family members gathering for a ceremony at the New Hope

Baptist Church Ceremony in Walls, DeSoto County, Mississippii to mark the unveiling of a new gravestone,

which had been paid for by Bonnie Raitt.

The inscription on the back of the gravestone reads: “The hundreds of sides Minnie recorded are the

perfect material to teach us about the Blues. For the Blues are at once general, and particular, speaking

for millions, but in a highly singular, individual voice. Listening to Minnie’s songs we hear her fantasies, her

dreams, her desires, but we will hear them as if they were our own.”

Like many other Blues singers, she recorded for countless record labels and her output was certainly

prolific. By the time she retired in the 1950s, she left a legacy that is still being enjoyed by music lovers

today.

One her most famous compositions was ‘When The Levee Breaks’, which was written by her and her then

husband Kansas Joe McCoy in 1929. The song itself was inspired by the great Mississippi flood of 1927,

but Led Zeppelin famously reworked the song later to rather spectacular effect for their fourth album.

It is curious to think that even to this day, generations of kids are banging their heads to a tune first written

by the late, great Memphis Minnie. She would have been proud of that. JH

Blues Matters! 24

CHERRY LEE MEWIS

Out. Well, it didn’t agree with me and I was sick all over my white pony!! Needless to say I didn’t win that one!

Have you got any tips for aspiring blues singers out there?

To continue to hone your craft, gig as much as possible in lots of different venues, surround yourself with great musicians,

be determined, know what you want! Oh and always carry CDs and flyers around with you - you never know who you’re

going to run into!!

Who would you most like to do a duet with?

Hmm! If he were alive, Jeff Buckley. I’d settle for Tina Turner though!

What is it about Janis Joplin and her music that appeals to you?

I love how she performed. She just totally lost herself in the music and didn’t give a damn what anyone thought; when she

was on stage, nothing could touch her.

Do you think the Blues is coming back into fashion here in the UK?

Well it’s always been there. Live music is just becoming more popular and with the help of the Internet, it’s never been as

easy to find new artists and find out which Blues festival is next on the calendar. I’m always amazed by how many Blues

festivals all around the world there are. We did one in the Shetland Isles last year, THE SHETLANDS! It was fantastic. Also

with the Blues, you can’t fake it; you can either sing or not, play or not, simple as.

What’s your favourite venue?

Hmm that’s a toughy! I like to think that there will be plenty more venues for me to gig in yet, so my favourite venue so far,

has got to be The Assembly Rooms in Leamington Spa. We supported Walter Trout there - fantastic character, lovely big

stage, heaven!

If you could catch a southbound train to any destination, where would you go?

Most definitely to Memphis and Clarksdale. Where it all began!

JamieHailstone

Blues Matters! 25

Bassekou Kouyate

– Out Of Africa…

The West African virtuoso discusses the African Blues and working with

Taj Mahal, Ali Farka Touré, Otis Taylor and others…

Blues Matters! 26

Over the last few years, ngoni player Bassekou Kouyate

has taken the world music scene by storm, and he has also

enjoyed great popularity with lovers of the West African

‘desert-Blues’ style. He has worked with several big names

on the Blues scene and has released two critically acclaimed

albums and toured with his group Ngoni Ba. Bassekou was

born into a traditional musical family (the Kouyates are

well-known hereditary musician family – called jali or jeli in

Mali; shortly before Christmas 2009 he was interviewed by

Norman Darwen:

How did you begin playing the ngoni and can you describe

the instrument for me?

My music is Bamana music from Ségou, but played my own way,

not in the traditional way of my father and grandfather, both ngoni

players who were recognized throughout Mali.

I was brought up in Garana, a small village in the Ségou region

where all of my jali family members were musicians so there was

music around and there were instruments in the compound. Our

family is part of the tradition of music produced for the courts of

Bamana rulers living in and around Ségou, and for influential

and wealthy men and leaders in the area. The ngoni was the

key instrument in this type of music and it was natural that

this was the instrument I began to play when I was between 9

and 11 years old. Once I had begun to find my way around the

instrument, my father, Mustapha, began to teach me how to play

in his tradition.

The instrument is known more precisely as the jali ngoni because

it was the jali’s special domain, offering private music for a small

group, enabling men with great responsibilities to relax and

enjoy music made just for them. However, other groups began

making their own versions for more popular music: the kamalen

ngoni for young men’s groups, the donso ngoni for hunters – an

association of older men in Bamana villages. None of this was

intended for women!

There are several sizes and forms of ngoni that my family has developed and that are being adopted by other players,

too. Counting the mini-sized ngoni for children, there are four sizes, each with a different range of notes. In addition we

experimented with the double ngoni which we find is not necessary when my group Ngoni Ba plays with three sizes and

thus an increased range of sound, but some players are using the double ngoni that was developed in the 1980s, rather

like the double necked guitar.

My father explained to me that the form of the ngoni is very ancient, and reminds both the jali and his patron, who often

had to play a military role in support of his political power, of two essential parts of the equipment that a warrior took to

the battle field. He rode there and fought on horseback, so the horse had to be given rest and the rider took with him a

wooden stake to use to tether the animal, and a deep elongated baara, or calabash to water the horse. So the parts of the

ngoni are a visible symbol of the patron’s military role.

How did you get your group together? Tell me about kora player Toumani Diabaté - some people have said that

kora music and the Blues are related to each other…

I owe a lot to both Ali Farka Touré and to Toumani Diabaté: it was with them that I got to know other musicians, went on

tour, made recordings. But I never had any idea of becoming a solo artist. Toumani is a marvellous musician: a really

great musician. Often you think he is playing with small rollers instead of his own fingers. He is an icon for a whole

generation of musicians in Mali, including me. He is also a friend and a brother, and like lots of other Malian musicians, I

owe him my introduction to the way Malian music is recognized as a pillar of World Music, and the experience of playing

on 9 CD albums with him. In a way kora music and the Blues are related, but I feel the real roots of the blues are in

pentatonic, and the Bamana ngoni works in the pentatonic, while the kora does not really operate so easily in these scales.

It was my friend, advisor and producer, Lucy Duran who encouraged me to think of getting a group together and working

on an album. She followed this up bit by bit over several years, found a recording company that was prepared to take the

risk, and finally we made “Segu Blue” in 2006. Getting a group together was not difficult: in addition to members of the

Kouyaté family, I have had time to get to know musicians like Alou Coulibaly, the percussionist, who has played with lots of

major Malian artists but had no regular group when we started Ngoni Ba, and an unknown percussionist, Moussa Sissoko,

who has become quite a feature in the group.

We began performing as a group at Essakane (the Festival of the Desert) and then the Festival on the Niger (at Ségou:

our home ground) in early 2006, then at some events in Bamako, before recording “Segu Blue” in Bamako.

Since then we have toured in Europe, but also in Africa, including the ‘Sauti wa Busara’ Festival in Zanzibar. The French

Cultural Centre organized a tour for us, and it was a great success in Dakar, Accra, Ouagadougou and we had a wildly

successful concert in Nouakchott, Mauritania, a few days before the election of Obama, when the audience asked us to

perform a number for him: of course we did and it brought the house down! We would love to perform more in Africa and

hope to play Ouagadougou again in 2010, but it is a matter of getting the schedule arranged. Our audiences of course are

mostly middle-class because the cost of travel, hire of the site, etc. puts up the price of tickets. We’d like to play to wider

audiences but the system of organising tours that pay their way with big concerts that have proper sound systems is not

sufficiently developed throughout Africa.

How did you get to work with Taj Mahal?

It’s quite a story and may be the only time that a professional African musician met up with the Black American musical

tradition in the US without having the slightest idea beforehand that it existed!

As I said, I was brought up in a small village and there was no school there. The only thing I was really instructed in was

how to play the ngoni like my father, and how to use it for patrons in the old way. There was no radio or TV in the village so

I had never heard other kinds of music but our own. Then I came to Bamako and did odd jobs, playing with older musicians

as well, but we still had no outside musical influences, and I had only very hazy ideas about the outside world. We knew

about the French, but were a bit afraid of Americans whose only image for us was cowboys with guns!

In 1985, there was an American in Bamako, Eric Charry, who went round all the groups, listening for the origin of the banjo

sound. Looking back, it must have been he who recommended me to Taj. Anyway, all of a sudden I was called to the

American Embassy to get a visa, and very soon I was on my way to the U.S. expecting to find lots of cowboys there. It is

unbelievable how little information I had: I had no idea that there were any black people in America! How could a 17 year

old from Garana know about that? I had never heard about the blues, either, never listened to jazz.

It was an epic first international journey with a delayed flight so that I missed the connecting flight in Paris: the French

police wanted to send me straight back to Bamako, I was rescued by an airline employee, put on a plane the next day

for New York, and arrived without the Tennessee Festival people knowing where or when to find me. I didn’t speak much

French then, and certainly no English. I couldn’t understand why the black people I approached at the airport, and who

I presumed were Africans, couldn’t help and all wanted to talk English. A real nightmare! Finally a Senegalese appeared

and sorted things out: I was met in Indianapolis by Charles Bird, who I now know is a distinguished West African language

scholar, and he stayed with me, speaking Bamana, while I got to Tennessee, and was taken to a rehearsal. I had no idea

who Taj Mahal was, and we had no language in common, so when I was to join in the music, I just played Bamana music,

and Taj immediately recognised we have the same tradition. The performance we gave later was a huge success, and

apparently Taj declared that he had found his own roots and that he, too, is a Kouyaté: his real name is Mohamed Dadi

Kouyaté! I’ve no idea where he got the Dadi from. It was an exciting experience and must be one of the very few times the

two ends of the African diaspora met “cold” without being influenced by prior information. In any event, it is clear proof to

me that the roots of the Blues are in the Bamana area of Africa. Taj and I get on very well and have ended up both writing

pieces of music that we dedicated to each other.

Is it right that President Barack Obama has praised your music?

Lucy Duran sent me a copy of a page on internet from Borders bookstore just before the U.S. election where President

Obama gave his recommendations for books and one album that he enjoys and plays a lot. The album was “Kulanjan”,

with Taj and a group of Malian musicians, including Toumani Diabaté and myself. We were all thrilled when we saw it and

knew he recognises us.

When did you first meet Ali Farka Touré?

Ali was both a marvellous musician and a remarkable person and I knew him for years; it was Toumani who got me to play

for him first. He was a really great guitarist and played a wide variety of Malian music: Fula, Songhoi, Tamachek, the music

of the south, too - he knew them all, so his music represented the whole of Mali, and it didn’t seem a bit strange to me: he

represented my country. In addition, his personal generosity was extraordinary; he was one of the few great musicians who

really did what was possible to encourage and promote younger artists. He was the only experienced star musician I know

who would literally take a step back on stage to let the younger musician take the stage to play under the spotlights.

It was Ali who first encouraged me to think of playing and recording solo. A couple of years later, he said “What Bassékou,

still no solo recording?” He took things into his own hands, calling Nick Gold of World Circuit to say he would record with

me. So I went to the Bogolan Studio in Bamako, and after just two minutes of rehearsals, he announced to Nick that we

were ready to record. Nick was surprised and asked if we didn’t need a bit more time, but Ali said, “No, good musicians

don’t need a lot of rehearsal to play well together”. The recording that resulted was “Savane” (released in 2006) and on

tour with Ali, again I had the experience of being pushed into the limelight by him.

Blues Matters! 27

He didn’t talk much about his music and I never heard him refer to it as blues; it was simply Malian and he just played. In

fact he thought it was quite a joke that people from outside the area used to call it blues. The same thing has happened to

a number of other Malian groups, including mine, but also Ali’s son, Vieux Farka, other members of his original band, and

now Tinariwen, the award winning Tamachek group. We are all confident that we own our own music, and don’t feel we

have borrowed this style.

You have played with Otis Taylor and his friends with the ‘Recapturing the Banjo’ project – did this music seem

familiar?

I really love the banjo and I’m sure it’s a descendant of the ngoni. Perhaps it’s because of that that I feel it’s not

complicated and it is easy for us to play in the same group: one important connection is that we use the same chords. It’s

so like Bamana music and there is a family feeling for Ngoni Ba when we play with Otis Taylor and his group. That same

family feeling is what I found in Tennessee at the festival with Taj Mahal. The audience recognized that too, which is why

everyone was so excited and happy all at once.

Your sound is very traditional: but also very modern – is it important that music evolves?

Of course music should evolve: even if you learn much from them, you can’t go on playing like your father and grandfather!

That way I’d have ignored all the possibilities that have been opened up to artists through modern technology: recording,

reaching new audiences, taking advantage of YouTube and probably of e-merchandising albums in the future. And even if

he didn’t authorize recordings of his own work, my father also moved the ngoni forward, adding a fourth string to the ngoni

whereas for centuries older musicians had used only three. Like a lot of other Malian musicians, I am always for moving

forward, but it’s also important to remain creative and inspired by our tradition.

And the future?

Well, I have a lot of projects for the future but first of all we have the enormously exciting development with distribution of

“I Speak Fula” in the US and an extensive tour of about 60 concerts in North America. This is what I have been hoping for

since Ngoni Ba started working together, and we are really looking forward to the whole experience!

Norman Darwen

The Blues comes from Africa, right? Well, yes and no - it’s not

quite as simple as that.

The African roots have been recognised since the earliest

days of black music in the Americas. 19th century minstrel

troupes had names like ‘Ethiopian Serenaders’, and

“Ethiopian” was synonymous with “African” at the time. Early

jazz was often pejoratively dubbed “jungle music” by racist

critics (as was, much later, rock and roll). The view of the

Blues up until the 60s (at least) was that it was more primitive

than jazz; therefore, runs the Darwinian logic, it must be an

antecedent of jazz. At the same time, a glance through the

jazz press of the fifties and sixties reveals that there was

an underlying realisation that the black musics of the New

World shared features in common - so in Jazz Journal and

Jazz Magazine, there are occasional reviews of calypso and

African recordings alongside Blues and jazz - and therefore, the common elements must be African.

In the 60s, Blues researcher Paul Oliver identified the provenance of the American slaves as West Africa and found a

tradition in the right general area comprising musicians using stringed instruments and playing a venerable repertoire -

the griots of Mali and Senegambia who play the 21 string harp-lute called the kora (remember, at this time, African music

was generally perceived as being drums, drums and more drums). The kora’s delicate, haunting music is perhaps not that

far removed from some East Coast Blues. Paul also found other musicians using less sophisticated string instruments

employing slurs, trills, hammer-ons and other techniques which can be found in Blues guitar playing. He wrote about the

possible African roots in his ground-breaking and still very valuable book Savannah Syncopators: African Retentions In

The Blues (Studio Vista, 1970). The subtitle is significant - it was African retentions that Oliver was looking for, not some

‘proto-Blues’ tradition. Some years later another researcher, Sam Charters, journeyed to Africa and in his book The Roots

Of The Blues: An African Search (Marion Boyars, 1981) he also concluded that although some African techniques and

attitudes had travelled across the Atlantic, the Blues itself just was not to be found in Africa.

Then along came Ali Farka Toure and the ‘desert-Blues’ - which is more like long-lost cousins greeting each other rather

than a continuing tradition. The Blues has always adapted and it is not to devalue a developing tradition of its own to

suggest that rather than representing a backwards-looking music, the desert-Blues is already beginning to evolve in new

and unexpected ways.

There is also precedent for this - another African-American music took root in southern Africa and thrives to this day.

African-American missionaries took the bible and their music back to the mother continent and if you listen very carefully,

the music of the likes of Ladysmith Black Mambazo and Zimbabwe’s Black Umfolosi still contains echoes of The Fisk

Jubilee Singers (who sang for Queen Victoria) and the later Golden Gate Quartet. Let’s the hope desert-blues is as longlasting!

Norman Darwen

Blues Matters! 28

Blues Matters! 29

Blues Power Band

Frankie Bluesy Pfeiffer and Nat Harrap introduce a French Blues

band with a difference.

Blues Power Band (BPB) is a French band, which has successfully created the chemistry necessary to mix blues

and rock, acoustic and electric, songs sung in English and some in French. This band has also succeeded in

releasing a concept album along the lines of those great rock operas but in Blues, and that must be a first! Blues

Power Band is original in its approach, its music and its outlook. We met Bannish, the band lead singer, to tell us

all about BPB.

BM: To start off with, can you tell us how you define Blues Power Band music and style?

Bannish: Blues Power Band is a band with a personality forged around a feeling of Blues, the energy of rock, the fantasy

of funk and a very open attitude to any musical influence. And even if we have a strong taste for derision, we love a job

well done. The public recognises us through a sound and identity which are very personal to us and I think they see us as

an energetic band, cheeky, close and warm all at the same time, a group which can communicate laughter and sadness.

That’s probably why our public has given us a nickname, the ‘Beeps’. It must be a sign that there is a connection between

the public and us.

Can you tell us who plays in BPB and its history?

BPB is first and foremost five musicians who have known each other for quite a number of years. The rhythmic structure is

made up of Nico on bass and Batthus on drums. Those two allow Papygratteux and Paco to slip in their guitars. As for me,

I just lend my voice to the whole ensemble. In 2007, Damien Cornelis joined us on keyboards both in studio and live and I

think he gives extra depth to our music.

And what about your nickname, Bannish?

That’s quite a story. Some years ago, I was singing Mannish Boy but slip of the tongue I said Bannish Moy. That’s where

the nickname comes from.

You have a reputation for being very visual on stage, a band which likes to make a show. Where does that come

from?

To be perfectly honest, it’s not something we’ve worked on. For us this visual dimension is obvious: you either go on stage

or you don’t. If you do, it’s to share some powerful moments and you go for it. And we (laughs) go for it, we give it our all.

It’s also true that we’re not beginners any more, we must have over 400 gigs under our belts, mostly in France but also

some in Europe and even in China, since, in 2005, we were the first Frenchies to bring the Blues gospel to Shanghai.

Let’s look at your releases. In 2006 you brought out your first album, “Shoot, Shoot, Don’t Talk!”, an album voted

Best Blues Album of the Year in France. How do you explain such a success?

(smiles) Maybe, because they are only original compositions. It’s a little bit odd because we’d not done a lot of work in

studio for this album and the sound was quite raw, you know what I mean. But there was real coherence there, real power

and we had famous guests, well known in France and the States, people like Sax Gordon Beadle (from Duke Robillard’s

Band), etc. In 2007, the album was featured in the ‘Discothèque Idéale du Blues’ (the Ideal Blues CD Collection) listing the

Top 100 Best Blues albums. Can you imagine, here was our album among legendary names such as T-Bone Walker, BB

King, Eric Clapton and Stevie Ray Vaughan?

And the concept album, “Zee”, a kind of blues opera, how did it come about?

The idea came after a concert we did at the New Morning in Paris for the release of our previous album. As they were

leaving the concert, people were telling us we would have to really do something to top the first album. Somebody

suggested we should let ourselves go even more and imagine something which had never been done in Blues music

before, something like a blues-rock opera. To start off, we didn’t take it seriously but after a while, we thought why not? And

this is how a challenge became a project, then an album.

Tell us more about this blues opera?

“Zee” is a blues opera in 7 acts and it includes 21 compositions. I’ll tell you the story in just a few words: as everything

seemed to be going well for the Beeps, Zee suddenly goes missing (Act 1). Of course, it’s really tough for them but it’s

also the beginning of one of the best experiences of their lives, an adventure which will take them to the four corners of

the world. After initially feeling down and depressed, they decide to go and look for Zee (Act 2). They start their search for

Zee in Europe (Act 3), and then travel through the Americas (Act 4). The Beeps travel through the world, time and space

(Act 5). They even look for Zee in the most mysterious worlds: the universe, the underworld, even their conscience (Act 6)

before wondering whether Zee will ever be back in town (Act 7). As you can see, we are totally in a blues rock universe:

losing somebody close, looking for somebody or something, travelling, life and its meaning. And all this is Zee’s world in 66

minutes… and you’ve only allowed me two or three to tell you everything (laughs).

Blues Matters! 30

Blues Power Band

But who is Zee? Is she a woman?

I could only reply to that question in the presence of my lawyer (laughs). Anyway, you’ll have noticed that the album

concludes with a track called ‘Somebody Won’t Talk!’, so let’s say that if I told you who and what Zee is, the BPB boys

would give me a really hard time, believe me (laughs).

How did you write this project? What was the process?

Writing “Zee” was a joint effort even if, as is often the case, Pappygratteux was the most prolific. Having said that, we kept

being really demanding with the quality of the writing as we only wanted the best with a total coherence between the story,

the rhythm, the texts, the atmosphere and of course the essence of BPB and all it represents. We knew that Zee’s story

would lead us to an album with different musical atmospheres but we were adamant that it had to be perfectly coherent. It

was ambitious and it meant demanding the very best from each of us, nothing less would be good enough.

How long did it take you to make the album?

I started the first script at the beginning of the summer of 2007. By the end of that year, all the compos from each band

member had been written. At that time, we were on a big tour in France and for two months, we were on the road virtually

all the time. It gave us the chance to talk and work on ideas with each other. That’s the way we managed to give each

track its own personality. Then in May 2008, we started recording and the mastering was finished by the end of August.

Because we didn’t want to let ourselves and our public down, we met the schedule we had set ourselves to the week. You

know, for us, it was very important to set deadlines and keep them. I can tell you that if we added up the number of hours

the five of us spent on this project over the last 15 months, it would be a big slice in the life of one man! (laughs)

Where and how did you record the album?

The recording was done at ‘Boys In The Attic Studios’. For most of the tracks, we started with takes for bass and drums,

then we moved on to guitars, keyboards, arrangements and ended with vocals. Most of the time, it was Papygratteux with

Bathus who led the recording stages and also the mix, even if the decisions were always made according to our majority

rule! (smiles). The mastering was then done in London at the Abbey Road studios with Steve Rooke, a really great guy

with an incredible life and who totally got into the story of “Zee”, and gave it its definite shape.

In the album, some of the tracks include brass and string instruments. Who took care of the arrangements?

To start off, I’d like to talk about the keyboards because it has been a vital part of this album and it’s a really talented guy

Blues Matters! 31

Blues Power Band

and a good mate of ours, Damien Cornelis, who covers all the keyboards. You could say he is virtually a ‘Beep’ now!

(smiles). The arrangements have all been written by BPB, with a different arranger according to the tracks. For the strings,

we worked with classical instruments: 3 violins and 3 cellos. It was really good and an unusual experience for us and

for them too. After the initial shock, it gave us the opportunity to have a real exchange of opinions. Among the classical

musicians, there was Marc-Olivier de Nattes, who was at the same time recording some of Beethoven’s symphonies

conducted by Kurt Masur.

There were also quite a few guests from the French Blues scene. Did they accept to join you immediately?

Yes, all the guests accepted immediately because they are all great artists, as you know (smiles). But it’s also true that,

before asking them to come on board, we had a very precise idea of what we required from each of them. We wanted their

talent to be made available to “Zee” because their presence on such or such track was necessary. For example, ‘The

Missing’ is the moment when we find out Zee has gone. In real life, what do you normally do in such circumstances? You

ask people close to you, your friends if they’ve seen Zee and that’s why we have written a dialogue between BPB and

Nina Van Horn, Lord Tracy, Olive, Freddy and Alexxx. As the track also means that the pressure is rising, there’s a lot of

rhythm and very sharp playing from Jean-Marc Henaux’s harmonica.

How did the guests react to the idea of a concept album when you asked them to join you?

In fact, the Beeps are a little bit secretive and we did not tell them what the album was about (laughs). They discovered it

when they came to play.

When you’re looking for Zee, you go to Paris and sing ‘Reviens Zee!’ (Come Back Zee!) in French. Why not sing

the whole album in French?

Even if within the group, opinions were divided, we were not for singing everything in French. But if you are in Paris and

you ask people in English “Where is Zee?”, you soon find out that people don’t understand you. So, we decided that if we

wanted to find Zee in Paris we had to ask in French (laughs).

In this album, your voice sometimes sounds like Lou Reed’s. A track like ‘Tchoga Zambil’, for example, reminds

us of ‘Kashmir’ by Led. Zeppelin, whilst ‘100°F’ is more in the style of the Shadows. Was that a conscious decision

or sheer luck?

You know, I think in life, nothing is ever really lost or wasted, everything changes and evolves. Each one of us is made up

for the most part of what we have lived, listened to and admired. In music, it’s the same and I think you’re right when you

mention that some of the performances can be directly linked to one artist and for others, it’s a more complex mixture of

influences.

With “Zee”, it looks as if BPB has tried to break free from a Blues which is maybe a little too restricting for the

group? Do you agree?

In fact, the project was the driving force. The music came all by itself, track after track after track. For example, with

‘Tchoga Zanbil’, we end the track with an American style rap, why? Well, first of all, you need to know that the world of

Tchoga is real, historically speaking: in a land which is now Iran, the King of Elam, Untash Napirashah reigned in the city of

Tchoga Zanbil in 1300 BC. The Beeps arrive in that great city but they are not welcome and the guards throw them out and

tell them to ‘Go to Hell, go to Mars’, and to reflect the guards’ heavy handling, it seemed obvious to us to add some rap.

There you are, you know everything now. (laughs)

This album with its own universe, sounds, arrangements, how are you going to perform it on stage?

That’s another challenge, one more challenge! (smiles) In fact, we’re going to prepare a kind of scenario for this search of

Zee, but not too much because “Zee”’s musical and graphic world suggests things rather than explain them. We’ll try to

keep this spirit when we play ‘live’ but you’re right, it’s quite a challenge. As you’ve seen at the Réservoir in Paris, BPB is

known for its explosive concerts and this is perfect to perform “Zee” on stage.

Would you also tell us who made this magnificent digipack with its really original design and its very graphic 28-

page booklet?

The guy behind it is called Dom SD. He is very accomplished and extremely well known in the music industry here in

France. He has worked with us throughout the project and everything he has done for us has been absolutely necessary

and an important part of “Zee”. To accompany this concept album, we

needed a graphic universe which suggested the journey we had to do

and that it was totally coherent beyond the worlds we travelled. And I

think that not only the booklet but also the whole pack meet with what

the public is expecting for such a concept album.

How is it going with the record companies?

For the first album, we collaborated with Why Note and Nocturne, a

French record company and distributor and it worked out fine. For

“Zee”, we are at the final negotiations’ stage and we hope to find a

good partner in the UK as we are convinced that our Great British

friends would like “Zee” too! (smiles)

Blues Matters! 32

Blues Power Band

Blues Matters! 33

Blues Matters! 34

WILSON T KING

tuart Hamilton ventures inside the mind of born-again Bluesman, Wilson T King.

Wilson T King (born Tim Wilson) has spent the last ten years or so,

playing on the indie scene, as a musician, composer and as a producer.

However, he’s now returned to his first love - the Blues. The music that

inspired him as a youngster. He’s just released his debut solo album

“Follow Your First Mind”, a record that was inspired by a dream where

he met Mitch Mitchell, and one that takes further inspiration from as

far and wide as the poet and author Charles Bukowski to Stevie Ray

Vaughan and beyond. Blues Matters sat down with Mr King, to find out

why he’s still dreaming the Blues.

Wilson T King (born Tim Wilson) has spent the last ten years or so, playing on

the indie scene, as a musician, composer and as a producer. However, he’s now

returned to his first love - the Blues. The music that inspired him as a youngster.

He’s just released his debut solo album “Follow Your First Mind”, a record that

was inspired by a dream where he met Mitch Mitchell, and one that takes further

inspiration from as far and wide as the poet and author Charles Bukowski to Stevie

Ray Vaughan and beyond. Blues Matters sat down with Mr King, to find out why

he’s still dreaming the Blues.

BM: Let’s go right back to the musical beginnings of Wilson T King. When

did you first start pick up a guitar and start playing?

Wilson T King: When I was 17. In hindsight, it was a natural outcome from

listening to blues from the age of six.

So, what sort of music were you listening to when you were a youngster?

Wilson T King: At six my headphones were kicking out the the Allman Brothers

Band “Live At The Filmore East”. Duane Allmans cuts prior to the Allmans plus early Eric Clapton. Then at ten years old I

began a five year immersion into everything Jimi Hendrix. To this day, I can still talk verbatim to every interview in the Jimi

Hendrix documentary movie. I must have seen it over a thousand times! This led to Albert King, B.B. King, Buddy Guy,

Albert Collins, Elmore James, Peter Green, Stevie Ray Vaughan, Jeff Healey, Jeff Beck and Dave Gilmour.

That all sounds very precocious! At six, I was listening to The Sweet. Now, you spent many years both playing

in and producing an assortment of indie rock bands. Is there any particular band or record you’d recommend to

someone wanting to investigate your Tim Wilson past?

Wilson T King: Yeah, probably the best band was FIN. We were trying to be an experimental U2. We wrote and recorded

over two hundred and fifty songs. Normal music industry ineptness resulted in just two singles being released!

How did your past musical experiences in the world of indie help you create the “Follow Your First Mind” album?

That whole experience helped me greatly as a writer and producer when I started to think about creating this record.

I wanted it to be raw, intelligent, super loud with great lyrics, killer solos and void of all the karaoke blues singing,

‘Crossroads’ rewrites and that whole sad post Stevie Ray Vaughan genre. And God bless Stevie Ray Vaughan. A monster

Blues man who must be spinning in his grave hearing the endless clones who doled out pathetic reruns of his career.

I take it that your chosen Blues name indicates an appreciation of the various Kings of the Blues? So is it Freddie,

Albert or B.B.?

Wilson T King: All of them! Yeah the name is a nod to those guys, but in a very reverent way. They and their music will

live forever. I still don’t think we fully appreciate the kick they gave Jimi Hendrix, Eric Clapton, Peter Green, The Allman

Brothers, Santana and the Rolling Stones to take the Blues on those great journeys into the unknown.

Now, they were all Bluesmen who brought something different to the Blues table. Was that what you were hoping

to do on your first contribution to the Blues?

Those guys and the three Kings are who inspired me on this record to be bold, adventurous and to push the Blues in some

new directions. Tracks on the album like the ‘Light Behind The Sun’, ‘Hurricane’ and ‘The Devil Waits For No Man’ are

my way of pushing the Blues into new places. Great bass grooves, lyrics and burning solos with amazing drums from Mr

Wayne Proctor. I like to call it scifi Blues!

Blues Matters! 35

WILSON T KING

When you first decided to make a Blues album

of your own, how did you set about it? What

went into creating the music, the writing

process?

Wilson T King: Because of my song writing and

production experience, I’m very open to the whole

process. Some of the songs came straight from

jams and ended up being cut live. Others started

with a lyric and vocal for which I then wrote guitar

and bass parts. Afterwards I would work on the

solos and when happy with it would bring in Wayne

Proctor on drums for completion. With “Light

Behind The Sun” it started with me writing all the

bass riffs, so the songs came from all sources of

inspiration.

And with your producers’ hat on, how did you go about capturing the sound in your head on to tape?

Wilson T King: As the producer I wanted a world class sounding record. I took the time with the tones and mix while the

mastering was done at Abbey Road. ‘Vigilante Man’ is just one example of what I wanted raw, intelligent, super loud with

great lyrics and solos, and void of all the cliches. That is the thread running through the whole record.

How exactly do you view the Blues? What is it about this particular style of music that makes it so special to you?

Wilson T King: You know, to me the Blues is this amazing force and to tap into it you have to dig real deep and play with

fire, which was my goal with this record. It’s like when I hear ‘Machine Gun’ it’s as though Jimi Hendrix was smashing

atoms! He was a one-man Hadron Collider equipped with a couple of Marshall Stacks and a Strat in his hands. Can

the guitar solo kick our neural networks out of their slumber and take us to new places and dimensions for a few fleeting

seconds? Most definitely, and I hope this record does that for people.

The album is coming out through your own record label, 19 Miles High. Are there any other acts you’re working

with that readers of Blues Matters should check out?

Wilson T King: Martin Goodwin who plays bass on a few tracks on this album is writing his own Mahavishnu Orchestra

meets Rage Against The Machine solo jazz rock album - the guy is a monster jazz / rock lead guitar player. Plus I’m

looking to sign a few new acts that are in the Blues genre and who are up for kicking open some new doors.

Do you have any plans to take the Wilson T King Blues experience out on the road?

Wilson T King: We just had a few rehearsals and they sounded massive. Myself, Wayne Proctor on drums, who played

like the unleashed bastard child of John Bonham and Mitch Mitchell, and James Hartley who grinded out thunderous low

end grooves on bass. So yes, we will be touring in the coming months.

And after the tour is over, what’s going to be next in the pipeline for you?

Wilson T King: I’m just starting to cut a few early tracks for my next album, so that album is starting to take shape. It will

primarily be a hard core scifi Blues

power trio. I have one song finished

called ‘Born Into This’ which is a quote

from the poet Charles Bukowski who

is a big influence for me. It sounds

huge and the solos are killer, so it’s a

great start to the next album.

Finally, is there else you’d like to

say to the Blues Matters readers

out there?

Wilson T King: Keep believing in the

Blues as it’s one of the most amazing

things mankind has ever come up

with and I think we are heading for a

renaissance in the Blues. Everybody

from Blues Matters to artists like Ian

Siegal and The White Stripes to Jeff

Beck and Eric Clapton playing these

jam shows is helping to push the

Blues forward. Check out the album -

you will love it.

More proper Blues

Blues Matters! 36

Anders Osborne

American Patchwork - Alligator

Grammy-award winning guitarist/singer/songwriter

blends blues, rock and roll and New Orleans funk

with R&B to create a distinctive genre-bending style.

Brooks Williams

Baby O! - Red Guitar Blue Music

Blues Americana guitarist, singer and songwriter

Brooks delivers the deepest and most intense

interpretations of everything from early blues songs

to his recent original compositions.

Buddy Guy

D.J. Play My Blues - JSP Records

The stunning and legendary 1981 Chicago studio

session re-mixed and released in its entirety.

No gimmicks, no sell outs, no Rock Star guests: just

Buddy Guy.

Smokin’ Joe Kubek and Bnois King

Have Blues, Will Travel - Alligator

Hard-hitting Texas blues in the tradition of Johnny

Winter and Stevie Ray Vaughan. Bnois is a deeply

soulful vocalist and terrific guitarist in his own

right.

Little Axe

Bought For A Dollar Sold For A Dime - Real World

Blues, soulful vocals, dub, reggae, gospel – in a

space where the dirt roads of the Deep South meet

the shiny lanes of the Information Superhighway.

Otis Taylor

Clovis People Vol 3 - Telarc

The uniquely sparse and hypnotic trance blues of

Otis Taylor is enhanced by special guests Gary

Moore on guitar, pedal steel player Chuck Campbell

and trumpeter Ron Miles.

Out 28th

June

Available on CD and 180gm 2LP set.

Tour dates

Sun, June 27 Glastonbury Glastonbury Festival

Mon, June 28 Milton Keynes The Stables

Thurs, July 1 Edinburgh The Queens Hall

Fri, July 2 Gateshead The Sage Gateshead

Sat, July 3 Oxfordshire Cornbury Festival

Sun, July 4 London Shepherds Bush Empire

Tue, July 6 Manchester RNCM Theater

Wed, July 7 Tunbridge Wells The Assembly Hall Theatre

For more information, news, competitions

and much more visit www.propergandablog.co.uk

CHANTEL McGREGOR

Chantel McGregor busts open guitar mythology

with Carol Borrington

She got a voice to die for, an instantly likeable private and public persona, and she can play an axe with the

very best of the boys! BM meets Chantel McGregor and finds out what it is that makes her tick. Chantel began

her musical career at the tender age of three got her first electric and discovered she could make a lot of noise

with that baby! She was the first young person in the country to pass a ‘Rockschool ‘grade at eight. By twelve

realised also needed to sing and find people to help her in her musical journey. So, she to start jamming with the

local Blues guys at The Melton Hotel, in Bradford. Talent like Chantel‘s doesn’t go unnoticed and music hawks

started to circle. Chantel though is no plastic doll, she’s a musician and refused to become part of the modern

music sausage factor. She went off and gained her ‘A’ Levels and followed those up, with a First Class Honours

in Popular Music from Leeds College of Music award to her last year. It’s now nose to the grindstone to carve a

career and what a career that could be for this musical power-house!

BM: You first picked-up the guitar at the age of three, what draws you to the guitar?

Chantel: My dad used to play guitar when I were a kid, he used to play Ralph McTell’s ‘Alphabet Zoo’. So, I used to do

‘Kenny, The Kangaroo’ and I bounce around the lounge and then detune his guitar. He got me a half size at three and I

plinked about on it and was right good! Then, when I got to seven, I got lessons and did my grade one at eight on his like

72 Strat. Yeah, that’s really what got me into guitar! Me, mum and dad always listened to like decent music, like Free,

Zeppelin and Hendrix. We always had it on in the car on the way to the supermarket and it’s just what I was brought up on

and what I love and that’s why I do it!!!

By the age of twelve, you were joining in Blues & Rock jams at Bradford’s Melborn Hotel. What interested you

about the Blues?

Well, that’s what they were playing. I mean, I were into that sort of stuff anyway. Jam sessions are primarily run on Blues,

you know. It gives everyone an opportunity to get up and jam ‘cause it’s not that difficult and people feel it and people can

relate to it. It didn’t matter what background they come from, ‘somebody’s had some at bad done to them’ and sometimes

they can relate to it!

Described as a ‘prodigy’ at 14, approached by a major record label and told, “Great voice, but girls don’t play

guitar like that!” What was your reaction to this?

Well, at that age my reaction were; “Right, well sod that. I’m gonna do, what I wanna to do!!!” That were my reaction, why

do some’at that I’m not happy doing, when it’s what I love doing. I mean, I played Hendrix, Stevie Ray Vaughan, Satriani

and some Vai and they were like (BM: the record label), “Well, she sings good but you can’t play like that, men won’t like

it!!!” Well, I do play like that and men seem to be liking it! So, I don’t see what the problem is.

You don’t attempt as many female guitarists do, to hide your femininity when performing. Is this a reaction to your

early experience?

I don’t hide it because I’m a girl. You know there’s no avoiding that… I like to wear nice clothes, I like pink things, I like my

hair done and I like makeup. So, I’m not going to hide that and to be honest, I’m comfier in a dress, than in leathers!!! So, I

feel comfortable in a dress and its cooler on stage, as in you don’t feel as sweaty and hot!!!

Do you feel that the new wave of young female guitarists are viewed as a threat to the axemen?

No, I think there’s a place for everyone!!! We’re all here to do the same thing, we’re all here to enjoy it, you know. I don’t

think there’s a competition. I think we’re here, because we love what we do and we’re not a threat. Well, I don’t try to be a

threat, I just try to play and do what I love doing!!!

You are no wilting violet when it comes to handling an axe. How much of a problem is it overcoming the muscle

structure and physical strength differences between male & female guitarists, which are needed to play guitar?

Well… women in general have a 45% reduction in forearm strength compared to males, which is one big difference. I don’t

know, l I’ve never been a boy so I never really noticed a difference! I just play it. I use 9’s ‘cause they’re easier to bend. I’ve

used 10’s and you know you get through it. The guitar, I use is quite a small body and quite a thin neck ‘cause that’s what

I’m used to and that’s what I like playing. I don’t know if that’s a girl thing ‘cause it’s a male signature Music Man for John

Petrucci!

You went to Leeds College of Music and achieved a BA first class Honours degree in music. What do you think

were the advantages to learning your craft as a musician?

Musically, no! Well musically it probably has and I ‘ain’t noticed is probably more to the point. I’ve probably picked stuff

up and not realised it even. It’s probably backed me up with quite a bit of theory. We’ve had magazines and stuff. Asked

Blues Matters! 38

CHANTEL McGREGOR

what you think of this technique

and this technique. I can give

a genuine answer because

it’s some’at I know something

about. Having a first, my degree

and everything, it gives me that

behind me to do that. I would do

a degree again ‘cause though

it took up like three years of my

life, I’ve got it and nobody can

take it off me! If I ever need that

to fall back on, I’ve got it. You

know, nobody knows what’ll

happen in the future, I might fall

downstairs and break my wrist,

you don’t know!

What are the disadvantages?

I think, the time thing is a

miserable thing ‘cause you’re

doing so much studying, it kinda

restricts doing distance gigs,

like here (Millers). I mean, we’ve

wanted to play at Millers and

we’ve wanted to play further

afield and stuff before, but

you’ve got to be up for Uni next

morning. So you don’t do it and

that’s been a shame. I don’t

know, maybe, its swings and

roundabouts because now I’ve

got a reputation where I am, that

means I can do these places.

One of your major influences

is Joe Bonamassa and you

have performed with Joe?

Why

Joe?|

‘Cause he’s ace!!! I’ve played

with him four times and he’s just

brilliant. He’s a lovely guy; he’s

the most genuinely lovely person

ever. He’s a fantastically talented

musician, his band’s talented

musicians. He’s just great, you

know and he was willing to give

me an opportunity, when he

didn’t know how on earth I were

gonna cope with it and chucked

me in the deep end and luckily

nothing sunk!!! But he’s just

great and we’re still friends.

Any other influences?

Hendrix is a big influence but I don’t listen to him that much cause I just don’t!!! I just listen to absolutely everything, just to

absorb everything and if I can pinch one tiny bit from some’ and learn some’ cause everybody knows some’ that, I don’t!

There’s always some’ to learn from everybody and if you can like soak up a tiny little bit from. I don’t know, some R n B

person or some Blues guy or girl, then you know, great you’ve learnt some’and that’s what makes you unique. It’s if you

can take a little bit from everyone, well, that’s what makes you, you!

Given the opportunity, living, dead or otherwise available, who would you like to play with?

I think, probably Hendrix, just ‘because I think, it would be really cool bouncing ideas off him. He were inventive and I like

being inventive, so it would be nice to bounce some ideas around with him. Then, I’d like to play with a million other people

like Richard Kotzen

Blues Matters! 39

CHANTEL McGREGOR

GIRLS DON’T PLAY GUITAR LIKE THAT!

Time and tide is a great factor in taking false notions and turning

them into truisms. This certainly is true about the myth that has

emerged through the decades that girls can’t play guitar as well

as their male peers. Chantel McGregor had to face up this myth

early in her career and along with the numerous unsung guitar

heroines that have gone before her; she is now proving the sceptics

wrong. It is certainly true that a number of modern female singers,

when you watch and listen to them play guitar do use it as a prop

or a fashion accessory, but this does not explain why the top axe

ladies are demoted to a lower status than their male counterparts,

as there are many male singers who do likewise. You often hear

female guitarists being described as playing beautifully; being a

virtuoso but never discussed along side their peers. You often hear

male guitarists described as the new Hendrix, Page or Clapton. But

when did you ever hear this said about a female guitarist? So why

is this so? Why, like in every other spheres, haven’t women pushed

themselves to the top of the list? The lack of role models could be

one factor. It’s certainly true in the USA that less than 10 per cent

of girls buy an electric guitar. Could it be the ongoing stereotyping

of guitar that discourages them? Certainly, the guitar is still on the

whole designed for the male physique, but in the days of modern

design and technology this should not be a problem and a good

guitar teacher could easily help girls to resolve this problem. Maybe

it is just that we have become indoctrinated that the guitar is simply

the male preserve. It has historically acquired a very macho image

and it’s just not feminine for girls to play it. Even my spell checker

wanted to replace heroines with heroes! We got ourselves into

the mindset that Rock is a male art form. The guitar has become a

phallic symbol in society and its allure to especially young men has

almost become a rite of passage, a way of attracting the opposite

sex! Yet, young women like Chantel are openly proving that it is

possible to have the technical precision of the boys, as well as

the emotional drive, whilst at the same time retain femininity in the eyes of the punter. Chantel goes on that stage, not as a

pseudo male, but as a full blown woman in an attractive dress, make-up and all the trimmings but still manages to wail her axe

with the best of boys! Maybe, it’s time for a change of mindset! CB

Tell us something about your band.

Three piece, we’ve got Martin Rushworth on drums and Alex Jeffrey on Bass. I’ve known Martin for a couple of years that

we’ve played together, he’s like a dad. Alex is on Bass, we were at university together, he’s like a big brother, I’ve known

him for five years, and he’s a drummer normally. We just have good time and have a laugh and he’s a really talented guy,

so he’s in my band!

ou write your own songs, from where do you draw your inspiration?

Well anything… Recently writing’s been a bit restricted to be honest because while you are at college they own the

copyright on everything. So, everything’s been restricted for the last five years. It’s now a case of pushing it and pushing

it and writing a lot and recording a lot. Just seeing where it takes me. Inspiration wise, just what’s going on? You know,

what’s happening at the moment. What I’m feeling at that particular time or if I’ve watched something on telly, that I can

nick a story from.

Why does college own the copyright, is it part and parcel of what you sign up to?

Yeah. A lot of colleges do it. It’s just an accepted thing that a lot of colleges do!!! It’s just one of them things and you learn

to live with it, I guess. It’s a shame because I think it sometimes restricts people, but I think they must have their reasons

for doing it…

Did it make you feel like you didn’t want to write?

Yeah a bit, it makes you think well why write ‘cause I don’t own it at end of it, but that’s just one of the things, you have to

cope with.

What is on the horizon for the next twelve months?

Holiday, New car! Basically, the plan is we’ve got us gigs round where we live at the moment, to be honest it’s expanding

further afield. We’re getting a lot of offers from Europe and stuff like that, so we might head over there. At the moment, I’m

just throwing myself into writing. I’ve just got a load of recording stuff, Pro Tools and what not. Playing about on that, doing

Blues Matters! 40

some production stuff to see how it goes. So, I’m recording

my own stuff, which is going alright, strangely enough! At

some point, chances are, I’ll be going into a studio other

than my own, but at the moment it’s just making more

sense when I’m inspired to run to the studio, which is like

two doors up the hall, go and bang it down.. convenience!!!

Basically, I just want to keep improving ‘cause you can

never stop improving and just spread my wings a bit.

CHANTEL McGREGOR

Do you fell like a lot of young artists now, you want to

look after yourself, manage yourself?

It’s probably gonna be contentious saying this in today’s

climate, but music’s such a fragile thing that I don’t think

there’s much money floating about. You don’t know where

you are from one minute or the next and label’s are

struggling and to be with a label maybe could be a mistake

at this point. I don’t know. For me, I’d say look at Joe’s

career and a girl called Kate Rusby, as well. She’s folk, not

Blues but she manages herself or her dad manages her,

you know her mum does the photography for the website

and she’s doing great and it’s all within her family unit. She

knows nobody’s gonna rip her off and she’s comfortable

with it. I think if you can have that unit and be comfortable

with it, then more power to you.

Is there anything you want to say to Blues Matters

readers?

Just keep going and letting people appreciate and enjoy

live music ‘cause that’s what we love doing and without

people supporting it, there ain’t live music!!!CB

Blues Matters! 41

Blues Matters! 42

PETER GREEN

A Personal View By Richard Newman

What follows is my personal view of the impact of Peter Green in the history of Blues in the UK. Before we can look at

Peter Green we need to spend some time looking at the arrival of Eric Clapton on the London Blues scene, and of some

aspects of that scene.

Prior to the arrival of Clapton, Blues in London had been dominated by two performers: Cyril Davies, and Alexis Korner.

Both worked together and had individual bands. What is important to realize about both of these bands, is that they were

ensemble units, they did not feature standout individual virtuosos, rather what they were after, was an overall band sound.

Certainly Cyril Davies was a great harmonica player, but the intention was more to create a Muddy Waters vintage Blues

band sound. The performance of Muddy Waters and his band at the ‘Newport Jazz Festival’ had become available in the

UK and this was a great influence, particularly on Cyril Davies.

As far as audiences in London at that time were concerned, they were made up of people who had been used to going to

see Jazz bands. Chris Barber who was a notable Jazz performer back then, had an interest in the Blues and brought to

the UK some of the leading American Blues men, including Muddy Waters.

As for the guitarists concerned in the early scene, one name stands out, that name is Geoff Bradford, who played with

Cyril Davies. Geoff Bradford played with a clean tone, the type at the time used by jazz guitarists, and by T-Bone Walker in

particular. Geoff was playing a Fender Telecaster. Even though Geoff Bradford could play guitar with a dazzling virtuosity,

Cyril did not feature Geoff as a soloist, rather Geoff was part of the overall sound of the band, and very much as he told

PETER GREEN

Blues Matters! 43

me, “playing under orders”.

However in Jazz, the American post-war generation had produced a number of stunning virtuoso performers, who were

the featured performers within their bands. The names of John Coltrane and Charlie Parker resonated through the world of

Jazz!

Many of the performers on the London Blues scene had an interest in Jazz including the likes of Jack Bruce and Ginger

Baker. Alexis Korner’s bands would feature a fusion between Jazz and Blues.

When the next generation of performers arrived on the scene, something had changed. ‘The Yardbirds’ who had originally

taken over from ‘The Rolling Stones’ in a small club at the ‘Station Hotel’ in Richmond, Surrey, played the Blues with much

more attack, and featured a young guitar player called Eric Clapton.

When Eric Clapton became dissatisfied with the pop leanings of ‘The Yardbirds’ he left that band and joined John Mayall

and his ‘Blues Breakers’. Eric Clapton’s playing in ‘John Mayall’s Blues Breakers’ was incendiary. I would point you all to a

live recording of “Have You Heard About My Baby” that Clapton did with John Mayall’s band, and I would also point you in

the direction of a live recording made by ‘The Cream’ for the BBC, that features a performance of Freddy King’s

“Hideaway”.

Clapton’s playing was full of aggression, improvisation and emotional intensity, with one beautiful riff after another, strung

together in a way which was more reminiscent of the performances of jazz saxophone soloists.

Here is another point of interest, try listening to the playing of Little Water both with the Muddy Waters band and also in his

own right, on his own recordings. Much of what you hear should sound in the melody lines that he is playing, like a

precursor of what we know as Blues lead guitar, both from the point of view of his attack, and the sustaining of the notes.

The London Blues audience had now become interested in the idea of the guitarist as a featured soloist. This of course

started with Eric Clapton and the now famous phenomena of walls in London being graffitied with, “Clapton is God”, a

reference to his phenomenal and extended guitar solos, while playing with John Mayall.

When Eric Clapton left John Mayall to form ‘The Cream’, John Mayall replaced Eric Clapton with a young guitarist from

East London called Peter Green.

Both Peter Green and Eric Clapton had been able to listen to the likes of Otis Rush, Freddie King, JB Lenoir, BB King and

Buddy Guy amongst many others. They both of course would have heard Muddy Waters and Robert Johnson.

Eric Clapton has often cited Robert Johnson as being a major influence, especially in relationship to Johnson’s intensity

and the loneliness of his sound. Peter Green came at the Blues from his own, very different direction.

Peter was a great admirer of a guitarist called Hank Marvin, who was in a band called “The Shadows” that from time to

time backed the English pop star Cliff Richard’s. Hank Marvin was playing a Fender Stratocaster. Hank Marvin’s beautiful

clean tone and his phrasing, along with the fact that he was playing actual tunes, rather than improvising, was an

influence, that was to show itself in Peter Green’s playing on his own composition “Albatross” Then of course there was BB

King whose minimal lead guitar style and unique tone, resonates in Peter’s playing.

Peter’s guitar playing grew beyond these influences into a sound that was all his own.

The other thing about Peter Green was, he could really sing, and he wasn’t trying to sound American. Cyril Davies and

Alexis Korner were featured vocalists in their respective groups. Of the two of them Cyril Davies was clearly the better

singer but Cyril’s deputy singer Long John Baldry stood head and shoulders above both of them as a Blues vocalist. But

they were all copying the American sound. Peter Green’s vocal sound was all his own, and very distinctive.

When Peter Green started to play with ‘John Mayall’s Blues Breakers’ the contrast with Eric Clapton’s playing could not

have been more marked. Peter would play with a much more minimal approach that stressed his phrasing and his timing

and above all the emotional value he gave to all his solos. Peter’s choice of notes sounded very deliberate. His recording

of “The Supernatural” announce the arrival of someone with a different approach to the role of lead guitarist.

Peter Green never wanted to be a lead guitar hero, ironically, he was much more interested in being part of an ensemble

unit, in other words just being part of the band. He told me that he just wanted “to touch people’s heart with a note of

sorrow”.

Peter left John Mayall and formed ‘Fleetwood Mac’ with Mick Fleetwood and John McVie, also included in this band was

another guitarist Jeremy Spencer, who’s playing was almost completely influenced by the work of slide guitarist Elmore

James. Now according to people at the time Peter Green definitely had a healthy ego. He was competitive and wasn’t shy

in making himself known, for instance to John Mayall.

Blues Matters! 44

PETER GREEN

However right from the start Peter’s attitude within

‘Fleetwood Mac’ was that he was one of the guitarists,

rather than the featured guitarist. Later of course Danny

Kirwan was to join the band, so now we have three

guitarists. You could never imagine Peter Green in a

three-piece band such as ‘The Cream’ playing long

extended solos.

Recently I stood in an audience at a venue called ‘The

Junction’ which is located in Cambridge, England. I was

there to see the latest musical manifestation of Peter

Green, which was entitled “Peter Green And Friends”. I

had previously seen ‘The Splinter Group’ at the same

venue.

I had gone there with photographer Fran May, so that

she could see Peter Green on stage and take some photographs, which she did. What was of great interest to both of us

was the intense emotions exhibited by the audience for Peter Green. Fran May found this fascinating, for here was a man

who had played to audiences in the late 60s and early 70s, and then had to all intents and purposes disappeared. In our

times Peter Green certainly does not play like the man I saw playing with John Mayall and ‘Fleetwood Mac’. Rather he

resembles one of the original blues men such as Mississippi John Hurt, or Skip James rediscovered in America in the 60s.

So what was it about Peter Green that this audience was remembering, and why after all these years did these memories

still resonate with these people.

For one thing the original ‘Fleetwood Mac’ certainly had the songs. Peter Green began to write his own music. “Black

Magic Woman”, “Albatross”, and “Man Of The World” set Peter apart from his contemporaries. With performances of

Duster Bennett’s “Jumping At Shadows” and his own song “The World Keep On Turning” and “ Looking For Somebody”,

Peter Green established in the mind of the audience, his reputation as a guitarist and singer of great emotion.

To many of us at the time Peter sounded very vulnerable, there was an emotion in his playing and his voice that resonated

with us, and spoke to the fact that sometimes life can be very difficult and painful. This of course is why Blues Music it’s

called “The Blues”, that title directly refers to such feelings of rejection, pain and anguish.

Peter Green was English, he was from London, he did not sing with an American accent and he brought the Blues to us in

a way but we could understand. He was from our culture and in my opinion he was the first great English Blues Man.

When I saw him playing ‘John Mayall’s Blues Breakers’ he made the hairs stand up on the back of my neck, that has never

happened since. I remember he wore a rugby shirt and played his ‘Les Paul’ guitar with a quiet confidence. He was also

very mysterious, with his dark brown eyes and his long flowing black hair.

No one at the time could have imagined what he was going through in his own head. It was only later when his problems

came to the surface, this after he taken LSD, that we all began to realize, where an awful lot of his emotions were coming

from.

“The Green Manalishi ( With The Two Prong Crown )” written by Peter, deals with his rejection of materialism, and by the

time it was recorded, Peter Green was close to leaving Fleetwood Mac.

It would seem that Peter had always suffered from a mild form of depression, although it was clearly not apparent to those

around him. There are two tracks from the “Live At The Boston Tea Party” album, which if you haven’t got, you should

immediately go out and buy. The tracks I’m referring to are “Black Magic Woman” and “Jumping At Shadows” which to me

encapsulating all that is brilliant about Peter Green’s guitar playing and singing. His phrasing, his timing and the emotion in

both his vocals and his guitar, have never come close to being equaled by anybody.

Eric Clapton, Jimmy Page, Carlos Santana and many others have all spoken of their admiration of Peter Green. It would

seem that Peter had succeeded in touching our hearts with a note of sorrow. Speaking from my own point of view I loved

the man.

If you are young and reading this, and have never come across Peter Green’s work, I invite you to explore it, and reach

your own conclusions. If you’re like me and from a generation that was lucky enough to be able to see and hear Peter

Green when he was a young, I hope this article has stirred some memories, he was and still is special to many of us.

This has been my own personal view of Peter Green, you of course may have your own, which is all to the good, but after

all The Blues is a personal experience, is it not?

Richard Newman

STEPHEN DALE PETIT

New Album ‘THE CRAVE’ Out July 19th

JULY 2010

Henrik Freischlader

Duncan Beattie encounters the great hope of German Blues.

When it comes to Blues music, it appears that we have a particular fascination with the music produced

Stateside. This is understandable as the origins of the Blues derive primarily from that continent, increasingly

however there is an impressive array of emerging international talent who provide their own slant on the genre.

Henrik Freischlader is a superb example of this and is the great hope of German Blues. A childhood drummer,

Freischlader’s unexpected encounter with the Blues at the age of 14 aspired to take up the guitar and later

form his own band. The last few years has seen the Henrik Freischlader band play to large crowds at European

festivals and support artists of the calibre of B.B King, Gary Moore, Peter Green, and Johnny Winter, and become

a recognised name in his native Germany. After the completion of a jazz Blues based project 5Live, last year,

Freischlader has just released his finest album to date,”Henrik Freischlader -Recorded by Martin Meinschäfer”.

The album features the trademarks of his music to date, soaring guitar runs followed by melodic intervals, his

soulful vocals and insightful lyrics combined into a superb collection of self penned songs. Freischlader himself

played every note on the album and its quality fully vindicates this approach to his music to provide a optimal

recording. Blues Matters were keen to catch up with Freischlader to discuss his career to date and aspirations for

the future.

BM You are quite an instrumentalist. I was told that you started to play the drums at age 4, before learning piano

and bass in your childhood, and finally started to play guitar at 14 years of age. Can you tell me what prompted

you to learn these instruments? Also when did you start to sing?

HF: At my parents‘, there was a music room in the basement with a huge drum set and all kinds of instruments. I

practically grew up in that room – a real “El Dorado” for me as a child. Since I didn’t attend kindergarten, my pre-school

years were very much shaped by the involvement with these instruments and various other instruments. After a house

move, I had to give up playing the drums and decided in favour of the guitar as my main instrument. I started to sing

relatively late when I was 19 years of age.

At what point did you decide to play Blues music and why?

Gary Moore did not only make me play the guitar, but also gave me the Blues. When I was 14 years of age, I listened to

his music for the first time on a holiday. I was in a bar where his album “After Hours” was being played in the background.

I was absolutely electrified, bought all of his albums with my pocket money, and have been devoted to the guitar ever since

As a guitar player who are your main influences?

Gary Moore, Peter Green, Albert King, BB King and Keb’ Mo.

On all your recordings you sing in English. Was it an easy decision to sing in English, and did you find it a

challenge initially to write lyrics in English?

There was no other option than to sing in English. If you ask me, English is simply the language of the Blues. It would

be much more difficult for me to write my lyrics in German, which is not supposed to mean that I’m perfectly proficient in

English, but for some reason, it is easier for me to write my lyrics in English.

It is clear from your early albums ‘The Blues’ in 2006 and ‘Get Closer’ in 2007 that rather than record cover

versions of other peoples’ songs, you would write your own. I like this approach, which shows that you are a

confident songwriter. When did you first start song writing, and how do you write the songs?

I doubt that this was a rational decision in the first place. I simply grew into it. The urge to make music has always been

inside of me. Besides, I consider covering songs from famous Blues musicians mostly much more difficult since I have

great respect for their songs. A cover version demands much more from me because I always expect it to be an authentic

homage to the artist. I actually don’t “write” my songs. A song develops as a general structure in my mind, for instance on

long car rides. In the studio, I then elaborate the song. I only write lyrics after I’m done with the whole song.

In 2008, you recorded your live album, which is a great representation of your live show, and it is 3 CDs! Was

there a reason that you made it a three CD set?

That just happened. We recorded two nights. Originally, I had only planned on one CD, but since we got a lot of great

material, the album turned out to be 3 CDs.

I read that in 2009 you bought a first row ticket to see BB King in Hamburg before then being chosen as the

support act to his show. You have also supported other artists such as Joe Bonamassa, Peter Green, Gary Moore

and Johnny Winter, some of which you have shared the stage with. What have you gained from the experience of

supporting these acts and which other artists have been of particular help to you in your career so far?

That was really something with the BB King show. I only learned a few days before the show that we were chosen to be

his support act. I was delighted. After we had played, I enjoyed the BB King show from the seat I had bought the ticket

for! It was great to experience BB King on his final tour through Germany. I was moved by his calm, paternal nature and

his genuine interest. I had to promise him to always be faithful to the Blues even though there is rather a small audience

Blues Matters! 46

Henrik Freischlaer

Henrik has the Blues

Blues Matters! 47

Henrik Freischlaer

for Blues music in comparison to other styles of music.

This promise I gave him with pleasure. The different

support acts were – beside the opportunity to reach out

to a greater audience – truly fantastic experiences.

Of course, my personal dream came true when I met

Gary Moore. Without him, I would have never started to

play the guitar, which is why I dedicated my new album

to him.

n 2009 you formed a new band 5Live with Tommy

Schneller (saxophone & vocals), Mickey Neher

(drums & vocals), Moritz Fuhrhop (organ) and Olli

Gee (bass). The album was somewhat of a departure

from your Blues rock sound with a more jazz based

approach. Why did you decide to form the band and

how do you feel the album differs from your solo

work?

This new band was formed as some kind of relaxation

from hard rock. I realised that I could get increasingly

absorbed in a slow Blues solo or an intro during my live

performances while my bass player and drummer were

impatiently waiting on me to finish. Then I met Tommy

Schneller and we jammed the song “Get Closer”.

Tommy played a sax solo that could have brought tears

to your eyes. Of course, we had to collaborate – we

could never have said goodbye just like that. This is

how 5LIVE came into being. It’s great fun to play in a

group of five. Playing with sax and Hammond were a

great new experience to me. Back then; my band was

still a trio. In the meantime, Mo has also become a member of my new band.

I hear that you set up your own record label Cable Car Records. Why did you choose to do this and what have

been the benefits so far?

Beside the need to be independent, this was primarily an economic decision. I knew that the studio fees for my new CD

would be immense, and so it wouldn’t have paid itself off if I had had to buy my own CDs from a different label later on.

Your new album “Henrik Freischlader - Recorded by Martin Meinschäfer” has seen you grow further international

attention and is perhaps your most refined set so far. It is also notable as you wrote all the songs, performed all

the instrumentation and produced it. Can you tell me why you chose to record the album in that way and how you

feel about the album?

It is difficult to describe this. During my live performances and my studio recordings, I always had some kind of an optimal

idea in mind. However, I could never explain this optimum to a bass player or a drummer. Since I had already recorded a

CD completely by myself at the age of 16 and since this had worked out quite well despite the poor technical means I had,

I had the desire to repeat such a recording professionally. It was just the right time for it.

There are some deeply thoughtful and emotive lyrics on the album, such as ‘Cry Again’ and ‘Desert Love’. Would

it be true to say that these songs are an expression of your own personal feelings?

Generally speaking, my songs are not autobiographical. For instance, I don’t look round for pretty women at motorway

stations, and so on. However, it is, of course, true that important influences in one’s life often have a certain influence on

the feelings that are addressed by music, and then, help to find the right words that complement the music. In contrast to

this, I’d never add music to lyrics I would have written before. First of all, the music flows, and then, I write lyrics according

to the needs of the music.

Please tell me a little about your favourite guitars.

My favourite guitar is an extremely used Stratocaster from 1963. Additionally, I also enjoy playing a Les Paul Reissue from

1959, which got a makeover from Florian Jäger who is Germany’s No. 1 guitar maker. I also have an ES-345 from 1963

and a neat Telecaster from 1969. I definitely like old guitars that were made with a lot of handicraft and soul. All of my

guitars seem as if they’d want to grow old with me.

I hear you now have a new touring band. What are your plans for 2010? Will this include some dates in the UK?

That depends on an invitation!

What are your hopes and aspirations for your music career?

I don’t really have great expectations. I would love to make a living with my music in order to continue making music…

Can you tell me a little about the Blues scene in Germany? From the outside it appears that perhaps Germany

Blues Matters! 48

Blues Matters! 49

has a greater appreciation of the Blues than the UK, with

more exposure in the media, more diverse age groups at the

shows and some good German Blues record labels. Is there

a good market for the Blues in Germany?

Yeah, I do believe that there is a genuine and widely spread

interest in Blues music in Germany and that Blues audiences

grow pleasantly fast. Gary Moore also tours Germany on a

regular basis – his shows are always sold out. We probably just

have some catching up to do in Germany. The market is large

and offers good opportunities for many professionally committed

people in this field. I’m very happy about that.

Despite the emergence of a younger generation of Blues

musicians in the UK, at present it appears that most Blues

fans are older. Do you have any thoughts as to how the

Blues could be a more popular music genre for younger

people?

I think this will happen automatically. Taste and zeitgeist change

constantly. At the moment, there’s an increasing interest in real,

handmade music, a groove that is truly absorbing. I am just

rejoicing at this tendency as long as it’s there.

Which other current Blues artists do you admire?

Doyle Bramhall II and his band Arc Angels, Derek Trucks and

Gary Moore.

Finally do you have any message for the readers of Blues

Matters magazine?

Yeah, I’d be glad to: It is you who keep the interest in the Blues

alive. Thank you for that!!

Deutsche Blues

Germany has had an important role in the modern

development of Blues. German jazz publicist Joachim-Ernst

Berendt first had the idea of bringing original African-American

Blues performers to Europe. Promoters Horst Lippmann and

Fritz Rau made this a reality after contacting Willie Dixon.

Dubbed ‘The American Folk Blues Festival a number of black

North American Blues musicians such as Muddy Waters, Son

House and Buddy Guy came over to perform in European

symphony halls in cities such as Hamburg, Paris and London.

The festival and the ones that followed over subsequent years

exposed European audiences to Blues musicians previously

limited to playing the African-American “chit’lin’ circuit” and

were attended, among others, by members of the Rolling

Stones, who then proceeded to popularise Blues among white

audiences in the USA. Crucially these performances were

broadcast on television. Further exposure to more modern

Blues acts was established through the creation of the German

music television show Rockpalast in 1974. Little Feat and

Rory Gallagher performed the first Rockpalast live concert

at the Grugahalle, Essen, Germany in 1977. Other Blues

related acts that have played at Rockpalast include Stevie Ray

Vaughan, Aynsley Lister and Joe Bonamassa. The creation

of Ruf Records by Luther Allison’s manager Thomas Ruf saw

the European release of albums by US artists such as Allison,

his son Bernard, Walter Trout and Eric Bibb. Since then Ruf

has been instrumental in signing young British artists such as

Lister, Ian Parker and Joanne Shaw Taylor. With such a Blues

background and greater media exposure within Germany it

appears it will not be long before the international emergence

of other German Blues acts following the trail of Volker Strifler

and now Henrik Frieschlader.

Duncan Beattie

Henrik Freischlaer

R O O T S & new

NAPOLEON WASHINGTON

MUD & GRACE

To be released on april 14th

Napoleon Washington

is not your everyday

bluesman. He’s a poet

and a bard, an instinctive

creator producing

worlds haunted by literature,

art and music.

His latest album, Mud

& Grace, is pure blues

reinvented in the

today’s world.

JIMMY THACKERY & THE DRIVERS

LIVE IN DETROIT /“BIG LONG BUICK”

To be released on april 14th The former lead

guitarist with the

Nighthawks is an

undisputed master

of the 6-strings.

This live set, recorded

in Detroit, showcases

his distinctive style

as his axe roars and

whispers blues-rock

riffs through the night

with characteristic

gusto. Jimmy pumps an incredible amount of energy

into his groove, keeping his audience floating on a flying

carpet. This album is pure dynamite, handle with care!

DIABEL CISSOKHO/RAMON GOOSE

MANSANA BLUES

To be released on may 12th

Ramon Goose,

well-known for his work

with experimental/alternative

group Nublues

and the production of

Boo Boo Davis’s latest

efforts, spices up the

new recordings of

Senegalese singer/kora

player Diabel Cissokho

with superlative blues

guitar lines. A daring, seamless album that combines two

musical idioms organically, Mansana Blues is both fresh

and seminal. The poignant conversations between Diabel’s

kora and Ramon's slide guitar are truly exhilarating.

UK Distribution by DISCOVERY RECORDS LTD

01380 728000

available from all good record retailers or order direct from

www.discovery-records.com

Stay tuned to Dixiefrog artists at

www.bluesweb.com

SCOTT McKEON

Improvisation is everything!

Interview: Carol Borrington

Scott Mckeon is a complex young musician, very talented, with humility to the point of shyness, but that hides a

guy who spends time thinking deeply about his music and the world around him and often with a dry satirical

humour when you get him into deep conversation. He’s just released his latest CD called, “Trouble”. Somewhat

different in style to his past recordings, still Blues rooted but with a wider feel of the music that surrounds him

outside the closed cloisters of traditional Blues. You get the feeling with Scott, that like many of his generation

there is a turning back in time to the feet of 60s legends. To the period when things were experimental, interesting

and not quite at the point where musicians where pushed into the music sausage factory, all turned out and

wrapped identically in hype and glitz. Many of these young musicians seem to be taking their time, exploring their

music again, letting it flow and grow. This also comes over in the way they are happy to egolessly share the stage

with their peers just jamming and that is producing a wonderful mix and match and flow of new ideas. Very much

like we saw back in the days of young Clapton, Jones, and Co. Scott and his generation are beginning once

more, to think outside the commercial and ego-centric musical box!

What did you gain from playing with Derek Trucks last year?

Playing with Derek Trucks…, I think his approach to playing guitar and coolness that he has when he plays. I don’t know if

you’ve seen him. When he plays guitar he’s so laid back and cool about it. It’s hard to put my finger on it exactly, it’s just

when you see someone up close play like!!! and when you talk to them off stage and they are like the nicest person. To

me, it was… quite inspiring!!!

There are many ideas of what the Blues is, what is the Blues to Scott Mckeon?

I was thinking about this the other day! I think, the Blues is really, a form of music where there is no other, nothing else… I

don’t how to put this! It’s the most true, soulful music there is!!! There is no pretence with Blues. There’s no trying to jazz it

up whatever. To me Blues music is someone just playing it to feel better! I think you can hear that to in music that is not

strictly Blues but still has that in it. For example, I think Fiona Apple is still like a Blues artist, even though she doesn’t play

Blues music.

Tell us about the other musicians that contributed to the production of the new your new CD “Trouble”.

First off, there is Tom Latham who plays bass and Phil Wilson plays drums. We’ve played together now for a couple of

years. This is the first time obviously we’ve recorded together. They did a great job in the studio. I didn’t know what to

expect going in because we hadn’t really recorded together or worked in that environment, together before and it worked

really well. They were great! We also had Robbie McIntosh from, I say John Mayer’s Band but he’s done a lot of other

stuff. He’s played with Paul McCartney. He also played with The Pretenders in the 80s. I expect everyone heard Robbie

play somewhere….. So, even if you didn’t know you heard him, you probably had! The reason Robbie came to be on there

is that he lives in a little town called Weymouth, which isn’t too far from me, I live in Bournemouth. Basically growing up, I

had a copy of his CD and it had a song on it called, ‘Scarecrow’. I’d heard the song and I always thought it was a really

good song and I used to play it, when I was younger. I just remember thinking before the album, ‘oh yeah, it might be cool

to do a little cover of it. The studio that we were recording in, which incidentally was the same studio that Robbie recorded,

‘Scarecrow’, with the same guy who engineered the album, called Steve Smith. I’ve got to know Robbie over the last few

years and I just politely asked him, ”Would you be up for coming and playing on your song?

This CD has a different feel to your first CD was that your aim or was it the influence of your record company?

No, it wasn’t anybody’s idea but mine. I love Blues music but I also love different kinds of music production wise. I love the

production of Stevie Wonder and old soul records, Hendrix, Led Zeppelin. There were a lot of different things I wanted to

do and I guess I wanted to do something that was a little more accessible for people who weren’t like just strictly into Blues

music. That’s not to say people who just like old Blues, there’s nothing wrong with that because I love it too. I guess its like;

I can’t compare myself to Clapton. Cos it’s Clapton! He’s just a ‘little’ bit better than me!!! Certainly, he would be an

influence in such, that he could go back to the Blues in everything he does has that element of Blues in it .He can also, do

an album, that was kinda ‘pop’, I guess in away, it crosses over. I don’t think there was too much thought behind it, it was

just music that, I wanted to make really!!!

So, it wasn’t aimed at a particular market?

Yes, it came together very quickly; I just didn’t want to go in, lay down twelve Blues shuffles. I wanted to do something and

write songs that had a different feel to it. Again, that’s not to belittle Blues music at all. I just didn’t, I’m not ready to make

that album, yet, I guess!

The track on the CD ‘Home’ is a self-penned instrumental and a very interesting composition; can you give us an

insight into your mindset when composing this track?

Blues Matters! 50

Blues Matters! 51

SCOTT McKEON

It’s only a little snippet! It’s only a minute or two minutes long but I think that

probably comes from a Derek Trucks inspired thing. I was basically messing with

sounds on my computer. This is another thing that is cool about music today; it’s so

easy to record stuff from home. So, I was just messing with the sound on my

computer and to me it sounded a bit to me like Stevie Wonder, when he played

harps kinda effect on the rhythm guitar and I was messing around with these chords

and “ I like that!” and I added another guitar over the top. Whenever I play guitar, it’s

just like coming ‘home’. It’s basically anytime when I’m not thinking about anything

else. So, escape, it takes me that place where I feel comfortable again. I guess

that’s why we all listen to music. It’s that sense of getting away from the day to day

life. Life isn’t always bad but we’ve all got problems and things like that and it’s a

total form of escapism! That’s were that particular track was.

Where do you get your inspiration for songwriting?

Normally the music, I’m a guitar player first of all, everything is based around a

guitar riff. Sometimes I’ll have a melody or an idea for a theme of a song. I guess a

lot of inspiration lyrically comes from relationships and stuff like that. I guess with

‘Trouble’, it’s about when you put your trust in somebody, they abuse that or don’t

do the same back for you. That’s sort of depressing isn’t!!! There are a lot of songs

on there that do have a semi-positive feel. Lyrically to me, it’s like a way of saying

stuff, I didn’t say in real life. I’ve been in situations where I have been hurt or

whatever and then I’ve written a song about it. It just a perfect way of getting back

at someone (Scott laughs, ironically). It’s not being nasty, you could almost be a

completely horrible person within the context of a song in a really poetical way, so

they wouldn’t necessarily know you are talking about them. Or they might!!!

You did a podcast on ‘The Making Of Trouble’, which is available on iTunes. How did this come about?

Basically, I guess the difference between doing stuff now and say ten or fifteen years ago, I think, you have to have an

online presence. It’s quite important these days, with things like Facebook, Myspace, and podcasts. The people I’m into,

the musicians they do stuff like that. We thought we’d all sit round a mic, me, Peter, Tom and the others and just have a

chat and a joke about how we recorded the album. I think anything like that helps people trying hear the message you are

trying to put across. Hopefully I don’t take myself particularly seriously. I don’t think that there is anything worst than, “I play

guitar because errrrr!’ I find it totally self-obsessed and to the point when it’s just boring. It’s like Blues music and music in

general should be like a form of escapism, it’s fun. We play guitar, but ultimately we love doing it, its fun. I think the podcast

thing came about because in today’s world its one of these that you have to be do. You have to be online and build up that

kinda stuff! I can’t imagine back in the days like John Lee Hooker doing podcasts but then maybe he did!!!

Is there any musician past or present you would really like to jam with and why?

I think Stevie Wonder would be one. I don’t think I’m capable of jamming with him because I don’t think, I’m anywhere near

the musical level that he’s on. He’d be pretty cool. Guitar playing-wise, maybe, there’s so many, Albert King, SRV. It would

be pretty cool if you could jam, go back to when Robert Johnson was recording in the hotel room. I don’t think I’d want to

jam; I think I’d just sit there and watch. It would be pretty cool, if you played on ‘Crossroads’! Might get the copyright,

because ‘Crossroads’ made a lot of money!!! Yeah, I’d like to go back jam with Robert Johnson on ’Crossroads and get fifty

percent and come back!

How important to you is improvisation in your music?

It’s everything!!! I don’t think about what I play, especially in a live gig. I guess in a studio, you have a bit more of idea for

sound in your head and follow certain routes and refine it as you go. I find that with solos in the studios, I’ll just do a take

and have a listen and there might be a few things, where I’ll go, “ I can do that better” and I’ll just keep going until, I get it

right. Live, I never think about it. I guess with my kinda stuff live, is I’ll just make it up and sometimes on the night it might

not work but there again, when it does work. It’s like the best thing in the world. Cos, I play just how I feel the best, in the

moment. I might go for really crazy lick that doesn’t work but that’s how other people that I look up to play. So, I’ve always

tried to. I mean look at Hendrix! Again, that the Blues element, whatever I do I just keep in there. It’s that playing what you

feel, playing for the moment. Improvisation, I can’t listen to music that feels like it’s been written down and worked out. To

me, there is no soul in that. You have to feel like, whoever is playing it; it has come from their soul.

Which is favourite guitar and why?

I’ve got an old 62 Strat that I’ve had since I was about eleven. That’s got to be my favourite guitar! I’ve had it over twelve

years and it feels like it’s moulded to me. I’ve got other guitars but when I play them, it doesn’t feel right.

Is there anything you want to say to Blues Matters readers?

Look at the website. I like to stress its not about selling albums. I don’t want people to think Scott’s just forgotten about

Blues and gone off and done this. Anyone who likes Blues music will listen to this and still be into it. That’s what I want it to

be. I want to be like a natural progression.

Blues Matters! 52

CHERRY LEE MEWIS

Blues Matters! 53

LAYLA ZOE

Layla Zoe talks to Carol Borrington about her labour of love, the Blues

Layla Zoe is another of the fine Blues exports coming out of Canada.

Born in British Columbia she now resides in Toronto and has been progressively

making a name for herself over the last few years. Layla Zoe

has the Blues imprinted in every cell of her body; it is her reason to

exist. Her self-penned music has an edgy, raw, intelligence to it and

reveals a fine songstress. Her hard-hitting vocal has the power to stun

audiences into silent admiration, as she weaves it round the magic of

her lyrics. She also produces fresh innovative covers of class; this is a

lady for all generations of blues fans. She has been often compared to

Janis Joplin but anyone who knows anything about Layla Zoe will know

that although she may have admiration and respect for her blues peers

and those who have gone before her. Layla Zoe, is no clone of anyone,

she is uniquely her own musician and woman. When funds allow she

attempts to release a CD and this year is about to also release her first

book of poems.

Why do you try to release new material every year?

It is very important to me to complete tangible art each year for my fans, as

well for myself. For example “The Firegirl” album was made with a very low

budget and was a labour of love. I absolutely had to get those songs off my

chest, and onto disk. It is a struggle each year to release albums when my

income is low and I am still independent. But I always find a way. Although

the albums cannot always capture what is seen on stage in live performances,

it is still important that the fans have a wide range of music to choose

from and listen to if they cannot access live shows.

What is your definition of the Blues?

Hmmm, yes, good question. I guess for me, the blues is not a chord or song

structure. It is what’s inside the music. I “have heard “the Blues” in all genres

of music. Blues is a feeling. When you attend “Blues festivals” these days the

music is SO varied, and ranges from rock to country to folk. The blues is represented in so many forms of music now. It is

the root of all music, really. The blues was meant to be uplifting for it’s listeners and performers. The songs should reflect

the hardships and the root of human emotion, but should always end with a hopeful, uplifting message if possible. Took me

a while to see my responsibilities as a blues artist. I can take the fans to their darkest places, but then I must give them a

light to find the way back home....

How would like to see your career develop in the next ten years?

Hmm, well, since I am a believer in the Mayan calendar, I look forward to simply seeing how we evolve in the next TWO

years, ha-ha! But of course I would like to travel and perform in many of the places that I have not been able to because of

the disadvantages of being an independent artist. I have fans contact me everyday from all over the US and in many parts

of Europe asking me to perform in their homelands. If only they all knew how badly I want to make that happen. I am trying

to get to as many stages around the world as possible. I want to continue making albums and singing, until I die.

And although I would love to find some support in the music business, I am not sure I want to give up my independence. I

have been doing it myself for so long, and it seems that the business is changing and to sign with a label is not always the

best option. However I still look forward to working with someone to bring my music to a larger audience of listeners. All I

can say is, one day at a time, and a love to sing, is what has brought me this far on my journey.

Apart from your primary instrument, your voice, what other instruments do you play?

I can play very basic guitar, which has helped me in the song writing process. I played even simpler piano on one track on

“The Firegirl” CD. (2009) and I play a bit of harmonica. My dad used to have harps around the house and I remember

walking with him on the beach while he played “Somewhere over the rainbow” on his harp. So I picked it up and have

opened some of my shows with acoustic guitar and the harmonica and mouth rack. But lately I am very spoiled to have

amazing musicians to back me so I can excel at my stage show. I feel stronger on stage when I can focus on my connection

to the audience, my voice, my freedom to dance, and perform. I tend to ad-lib a lot, especially during versions of standard

songs. It is a way to make them my own.

You are about release a book of poetry & lyrics soon. What is the relationship between your poetry and song writing?

I have been writing poetry and short stories since I could first hold a pen. Many poems have later become songs. It has

been a therapeutic tool for me throughout my life. I have really enjoyed reading through all of the poems, songs and journal

entries that I have written over the years (as far back as 1989), while putting this book together. It is something that I

Blues Matters! 54

LAYLA ZOE

have wanted to do for a very long time. Thanks to the support of a few close friends and sadly the death of a few close

friends, I feel inspired to self-publish the book this year just before my birthday on May 26, 2010. Also, I am not able to

afford to release an album this year, so the book has been a good project, and many fans have already pre-purchased

copies.

What inspires your song writing?

My life inspires my songwriting, as well as the lives of those around me and the world as whole.

I write what I know, what I have felt, and what I have seen. However I also write from the perspective of others, and not

every song or poem is an exact situation or memory I have personally experienced. Still, I have been able to express much

through my songs. I am very thankful to have the fans I do who have travelled with me on this musical journey. I have been

learning a lot about myself along the way, and the albums reflect that. My songwriting is important to me, and so is my

written body of work. I aspire to be known for my songwriting as well as my voice, as some of my favorite artists have accomplished

this. (Bob Dylan, Neil Young, Tom Waits, Joni Mitchell, Zappa)

What future do you envisage for the Blues now it starting to get passed into the hands of your generation?

Well, there has been a lot of talk about this lately. A slow and gradual death of the blues....less gigs, less numbers at festivals,

etc..

But the blues will survive, just as Mother Nature will outlive us. We may destroy ourselves on many levels, but the blues

and the earth will live on. I am trying to get my music out there and have many young fans, so I still BELIEVE. But that is

what it’s all about. Faith. Belief. That IS the blues, he-he. Yes, most of the people who see my shows are in an older age

bracket but many are sharing the music with their children and are bringing them to blues festivals where the kids can be

exposed to the blues and roots scene. I make an effort to perform at venues that are all ages when I can, since it is very

special for me when I can perform to youth and family audiences. It is important that the blues be accessible everywhere,

not just in dark smokey bars, ha-ha.

It is all of our responsibility to keep the blues alive...

Which Blues musician would you say is your favourite songwriter and why?

Hmm, well that is an impossible question for me to answer. These are my top faves and why.

Muddy Waters for his incredible sexuality and blues power. I have enjoyed listening to his music and performing his songs

for years. Etta James and Billie Holiday for what they have taught me with their music. Janis Joplin for her unique and raw

way of life and stage performances. Susan Tedeschi for her soulful sounds on guitar and voice, and her obvious love and

passion for the genre of the blues. Derek Trucks band for their dedication and musical/spiritual abilities. They have been

some of the best shows I have ever seen live. Felt like being transported to another place and time. King for his golden

tones, solid strength and his work ethics. I would truly love to meet and sing with him someday. Harry Manx and Paul Reddick,

two of my favorite Canadian blues artists to listen to live or on CD. And of course the following artists for pushing me

to be my best: Frank Zappa, Neil Young, Bob Dylan, Joni Mitchell and Tom Waits. There are so many more to mention but

those are some of my biggest influences.

Your 2009 CD “The Firegirl” came second in The Blind Lemon Top 20 Canadian Blues Albums 2009. What does

this accolade mean to you?

To me, the awards and kudos are a refreshing response from my listeners that my hard work and creative journey is on the

right track. However I take it all with a grain of salt. It feels good, but it is not the most important part of my business as an

artist.

I know that not all contests are fair, so I often just feel blessed to be nominated. It is hard to see how there could ever be a

“best” or “winner” when it comes to music. The music we like is a very personal preference and is unique to each individual,

so there can never really be a “winner” or “first place”.

Your vocal has a classic Blues feel to it, is this natural or have you developed it over the years?

I have heard many of my fans say that my voice has changed over the years. I am sure that is true. But often what I do on

stage is not something planned. My voice has become a tool for something larger than me. Sometimes I just open my

mouth and it comes through me. There are moments when I am aware that I am singing a bluesy sound or a softer sound.

But most of the time I am merely a vessel that channels music. The music that I sing is not always the genres blues, but it

IS the feeling “blues.” I sing of every tear, every heartache, every struggle, and so it is therapeutic for me as well as my

listeners. It is something I love to do so even with it’s ups and downs, I feel truly blessed to be out there singing. I listen to

ALL kinds of music and I assume that has helped my voice to evolve over the years as well.

When singing your Blues songs what do you find is the hardest thing to convey/express?

I have learnt that to truly bring an audience or listener to climax you must give them your toughest stuff as well as your

gentlest.

It took a long time for me to see how powerful my voice could be if I could learn to master the softer side that it had to offer.

If you listen to John Lee Hooker’s version of “I cover the waterfront” you hear how powerful the softer side of the blues can

be. But then listening to Janis belt out “Summertime” you hear how soft and rough vocal decisions make the song so completely

powerful and orgasmic. I guess I still feel challenged by my voice when I sing in the higher registers or falsetto side.

I believe you have a new band. Would like to tell us something about them?

Well, by new, I mean they are new to work with as they are the first guys I have been able to pull together since moving to

Montreal. I pretty much have a band everywhere, ha-ha! BC, Toronto, Montreal, Germany, Finland. I have guys all over the

world who I work with, as it is simply the only way to be able to book shows. Most promoters simply cannot afford to fly me

and the band, so I have become a real pro at sitting in with different guys all the time. It has it’s ups and downs. But mostly

Blues Matters! 55

LAYLA ZOE

it has taught me how to sit in and sing under ANY circumstances, which in

this business is a good skill to have.

What’s on the agenda for the rest of 2010?

I am really looking forward to singing in Germany again this summer. I will

be working with Henrik Fresichlader and Tommy Schneller, both great

blues musicians in Germany. (see myspace.com/laylazoe for tour dates) I

am also very excited to perform in Halifax this summer (Aug.14) for the

Dutch Mason Blues festival. There is an incredible line-up for that festival

this year and I am honored to be on the same bill with James Cotton,

Johnny Winters, Jonny Lang, Robert Cray, etc.

I will work to get the book self-published by May. And I am writing songs

for an album for next year, and really hope to work with some friends in

Germany if I can find some funding for us to go into the studio. One step at

a time...

You appear very much in control of your life and career, how important

is independence to you?

As I mentioned earlier, it is important to me that I am represented appropriately.

I have worked too hard and for too long to throw myself into a dysfunctional

or unhealthy “business relationship” with a label or agent. I am

still searching for the best people I can find in this business, before I partner

up. I think I deserve that. And I think that if I work hard enough and

wait long enough, I will find just that.... Besides, it is about the music for

me, not the money. Even though of course I need to survive...

Do you find a difference in the response of Canadians to your music

to those in the rest of the world?

Hmm, not necessarily. Though it can be funny sometimes how artists find it difficult to get noticed in their own backyards. I

have had incredible experiences with the European fans as they seem very passionate about music, and get out to see a

lot of live shows. However I also feel very lucky to have the support I have had in Canada. I see beauty in everyplace I

visit. I would love to live in parts of Europe or the United States that I have seen on my travels. But sadly there are invisible

lines that we have created that make it harder and harder to work, visit and live in these places for me. Still, when my mind

gets an idea, it tends to find a way to make it a reality...

Is there anything you would like to say to Blues matters readers?

First I would like to thank the fans who have supported me. There are so many people out there lately who are taking the

time to email me, or purchase a CD, or join one of the fan pages. Without the support of these people, I would not be able

to travel, make albums or do what I do! And sometimes when I am feeling especially low or tired, it is a message from a

fan who will pull me out of my haze. There are still many places to play, and I really look forward to setting my feet on a

stage in England, France, Australia, Spain, etc, someday soon! So please request my music or me, at your local radio

station or blues festival. And keep listening to and supporting the blues! We can’t do it without you, and well, we wouldn’t

want to, cause it wouldn’t be as much fun! Like I always say, “Music is the only thing that has always been there for me....

and so I will be there for Music, when it needs me”. I have a duty and a responsibility to use what I have been given, and

that is a voice. I will do what it takes to share that voice with as many people as possible in my lifetime. See you on stage!

h

Blues Matters! 56

Blues Matters! 57

GLENN PATRIK

A True Blues Life

Vicky Martin meets a classic American bluesman

GLENN PATRIK’S life reads impressively; it’s the life of a true bluesman. Born and brought up in Kansas City

it was a classic case of being on the wrong side of the tracks (he is half Choctaw Indian). He left home at an

early age and travelled throughout the USA. He’s played music most of his life and has a fascinating list of

acquaintances including, to a varying extent, such figures as Albert Collins, Albert King, Duane Eddy, and

members of the Count Basie Band. Glenn is, surprisingly in the blues field, a classical trained musician. He

concentrates on guitar now but in the past he has excelled on violin, trumpet, and piano. His album “Nuthin’ but

a Thang!” was reviewed in the most recent issue of BM it seemed to me to capture the very essence of American

music ‘true swing’. Our meetings went so well that he finished up doing an impromptu acoustic session with our

band. That together with rich fund of stories that Glenn told made for a truly magical evening. We put the bulk of

the interview together after Glen had got back to the States.

BM- Well Glenn it’s good to know that you got back safely from your holiday. Travelling over sea and land as you

did it is quite traditional and I imagine you and Kathy found it very refreshing. I’m going to ask you a bit about

your life and background and then about the album. You mentioned that you were half Choctaw Indian. When you

were young your mother told you not to tell anyone because, at that time, ‘It’s worse than being black’. Can you

tell us how that actually affected your daily life, say at school or something like that?

Glenn: The real problem wasn’t so much in the school. It was the church that she was worried about. Back then, we

attended a lot of church. And for years, we attended the white church, which was a very nice place and pretty much above

our station in life. By the time I was in my late teens, we had moved to a very mixed race church and people were much

kinder.

That’s a sad reflection on the ‘white’ church and, sad to say, it wasn’t so different here. In a social sense, at school

Blues Matters! 58

GLENN PATRIK

and as a teenager did it mean that you socialised much with the black guys? I’m guessing it did because of the

almost family style relationships with Albert Collins, etc.

When I was six years old, we moved into a two story duplex at 763 Gilmore, in the St. Margaret’s Federal Housing

Development in Kansas City, Kansas. The families in the other half of the duplex, and the families living in each direction

from our place, were black. I thought nothing of it because I had always lived in mixed neighborhoods.

The time when you were a youth approaching your teenage years, that would be the late 60’s the civil rights

battles in the USA were at a peak, there was violence and a lot of tension. Were you very aware of that, did it affect

you?

I was on both sides of the issue. Being from the deep ghetto, I was painfully aware of the plight of the American Negro. It

was a rough time and I remember helping angry Black neighbors destroy a good amount of public property. But I was also

singled out for revenge on occasion. One particular incident stands out; I was returning home on a bicycle from our egg

lady’s house with a dozen eggs when a car from another neighborhood purposely bumped my rear tire hard and sent me

over the curb. The eggs broke, they yelled a racial slur at me and warned me to stay of the streets or something bad would

happen to me. I was 9 years old.

I’ve read that from a very young age you were trained in playing classical violin by a virtuoso Jewish musician

who put you on stage with an orchestra at a very young age. It is intriguing that despite your amazing and

technically highly accomplished musical background the blues and roots music is your real love. Is that because

of your young life experience?

The one who taught me was the amazing Leopold Shopmaker. He has studied as a child prodigy with Leopold Auer and

Willy Hess. He gave me free lessons for 10 years but was mad at me for life when I began to focus on other instruments.

He felt that I had betrayed him and never spoke to me when I would run into him for decades and up to his death. The

Blues just felt more natural to me. It was the music of my neighborhood. In an orchestra, you are one voice in a large

group. Your part must be exactly the same every single performance. If not you stand out, and that’s no good in that

circumstance. I’m just not a “play it the same again” type of guy. Plus, the Blues wardrobe possibilities are just hipper.

You had a very hard childhood with violence from your father, how did he react to your musical talent?

He had been going deaf, and was mostly deaf, by the time I began practicing an instrument, and he was very angry

about it. Many a time he has knocked my instrument out of my hands and told me to quit stomping my foot on the floor

(then, sent ME to the floor). As a result I began to practice in a large storm sewer drain that came out at the Interstate 70

Highway. It had great echo and nobody could see me unless they were whizzing by at 70 miles per hour. I spent many

years in there with my trumpet.

You were also a dab hand on the piano that together with classical violin is pretty heavy stuff. Yet you chose

guitar as your true instrument. Was there a seminal moment that made you decide ‘Guitar is for me?’

The thing about guitar for me was- you could play it, sing, and dance all at once at various locations, on or off of the stage.

Also, there just weren’t that many guitarists back then. Now, it seems that every house has one.

Can you describe life in Kansas when you were younger; you talk about meeting with Albert Collins and Albert

King and others, but the relationship seems much more than just musical, it seems like you were part of the

family, can you tell us a bit about that.

Especially when I was younger, I was extremely shy and more likely to stand behind a friend when I was around great

musicians. I was afraid of the Blues and Jazz guys, but had no problem speaking with the classical/musically educated

guys. So I didn’t actually speak much to any of these gentlemen until I was about thirty years old and felt that I could hold

my own on as a musician. I had many friends in common with Mr. Collins and got to know him pretty well. He was an odd

genius and knew what everybody in the room was saying, even though there could be five conversations going on. Mr.

King, on the other hand, never seemed like he wanted any friends and was somewhat abusive to musicians. One time in

the dressing room before a show, he pulled a gun on a good friend of mine who was his bassist at the time. That’s how

Albert was. But man, that music!

I said to you (about life in Kansas) that it sounded really glamorous and exciting, you commented that my life in

London (meeting Hendrix and all that) seemed just as exciting to you. Can you tell us how you viewed England

and English bands’ music when you were young?

As a youngster, all that I knew about England was Big Ben, King Arthur and Robin Hood. The Beatles seemed silly to me

back then, but of course I enjoy them now. When I first heard the regurgitated Blues coming from England, it sounded

staccato and sloppy to me. In retrospect the sloppiness I thought I heard was probably a misinterpretation of the laid back

and care free styles of certain Bluesmen. I still jam with people today who don’t get it. However I had a few albums that

were a valued part of my small collection and were amazing to me. These included Fleetwood Mac, Procol Harum, Ten

Years After and Black Sabbath. Sabbath was always a fave due to the excellent melodies on top of scary riffs. I still follow

Ozzy

Looking back to what is a really rich musical background could you cite one person as a truly seminal influence?

My Uncle Peck.; he gave me my first guitar and fiddle and taught me to read tablature, even though he wasn’t a musician.

I was eight years old and soon taught myself to read proper music notation. I was fortunate that it came pretty easily to me.

Blues Matters! 59

GLENN PATRIK

You’ve had a life almost exclusively

in music, but unlike some promusicians

you had some regular

work experience that I would

think added a lot of value to your

life – you mentioned training as a

paramedic and (I think) working as

a hair stylist – can you describe

what sort of value this added to

your life in a musical sense, if any?

I will have to say none. It was a waste

of time taking me away from what I

should have been doing, which was to

focus on my music.

Blues Matters! 60

Let’s turn to the album; the band

and I have all listened in depth and

we think it is really good. Yet you

said that its not getting FM airplay

in America, can you comment on

that?

Thank you. It is getting FM airplay

in several world markets. It’s in the

States that I’m getting limited love.

Blues classics and rock based Blues

seems to be the ticket on American

Blues FM these days. Lyrics and

subtlety don’t carry much weight with

the stations now. I have had several

DJs mention that my material was too

laid back or too mellow for their show.

It’s Blues you fool!

I’ve been listening to albums by US

blues artists some of whom have

the backing of some big names.

Yet almost uniformly they don’t

have the same qualities as yours,

the drums are often too hard, they

almost seem to be just a showcase

for guitar solos – how do you react

to that?

Anything can happen in the mix.

Everybody hears something a little

different and the moneyman always has the final say, even if he’s tone deaf. There’s plenty of time to showcase the guitar

at live shows. When I hear a record, I want to hear melodies and clever arrangements. I’m a lyrics guy, as well. If you’re

gonna showcase guitar, you better be Roy Buchanan, Jeff Beck or Joe Maphis!

I’ve listened closely to your guitar playing on the album and I think that I spotted two definite influences – Freddie

King and Kenny Burrell. Can you comment on this please, especially the Kenny Burrell thing.

There’s no doubt about the Freddie influence. He set me on fire when I first heard him around 1962. Our neighbor in the

next duplex had a Freddie King record and he played it all of the time, very loudly. Over the years, I’ve had a lot of folks

mention that they hear my Kenny Burrell influence, but as flattering as that is, I wasn’t even aware of Mr. Burrell until

around 1986 and I’ve never studied him. I’ve since seen him perform up close and personal and he puts my style to bed

without any supper. Now if you listen to Snooks Eaglin or Earl King, you can really hear where I am coming from in my

style. Those are two guitarists that I’ve always chased.

Two tracks ‘Don’tcha Know’ and ‘Last Night’ both emphasised a particular aspect of your playing. Many albums

in the blues field seem to be little more than a showcase for the guitar solo. But yours is not – it feels like a

conversation between the instruments and the guitar ‘takes its place’, it never dominates. It’s obvious that

everyone is listening to one another – can you comment?

Well it is a conversation – its simply makin’ music. It gets no more real than that. I have a deep respect for the gentlemen

that I perform with and when we come together, it is to make music, not pat ourselves on the back. For us, anything can

happen at a live show because we riff off of each other’s ideas of the moment. But when we make a record, we come to

make beautiful music.

GLENN PATRIK

We found the lyric ‘To Blessed to be Depressed’ interesting. What’s the story behind it?

My good friend, Annetta “Cotton Candy” Washington (1931-2007) was a Gospel singer turned Blues shouter and

EVERYONE in K.C. had worked with her, including myself. Due to her health problems, she lost a leg and began

performing from a stool. She soon lost the second leg and went to a wheelchair, barely cutting back on appearances. If

anyone dared show her pity, she would proclaim “Don’t you worry ‘bout me; I’m too blessed to be depressed”. The day

she died, I was moved to write this tune .http://adamblueproductions.com/cottoncandybluesband/

Is there any one song on the album that’s ‘extra special’ to you?’

They are all stories within my life or in the case of the instrumentals, the way that I felt at that moment in time. They are

all equally important to me.

The track ‘One More Day’ almost acapella is very daring; definitely not FM radio is there a story behind it.

A combination of severe back pain with a simultaneous tooth infection aggravated by the frustration of being behind

schedule with the album gave me that song. It came into my head and was a finished recording in thirty minutes.

What have you got planned for the immediate future?

It happens that I’m opening a tattoo shop with my dear friend, the world renowned Wes Grimm, inside a casino in Bossier

City/ Shreveport, Louisiana. The start date is 1 st December 2009 and I plan to stay on until the shop is running smoothly.

We were recently hired to headline the 4th Bangkok Blues Festival in March, 2010 and that will begin a new tour of Asia.

We intend to stay on the road in 2010 and have a new record by the end of the tour.

What are your thoughts on coming to play in England?

I noticed that the English music fans, and not only the musicians, have a fairly keen knowledge of American Blues. I write

and sing American Blues. So, I imagine that we are made for each other, English Blues fans and my band. We would be

honored to take on an English tour. All I really need is an interested tour agent. My band is almost packed and ready to

go. We are long-time friends and seasoned musicians and would love to expose our sound to a new market.

So, finally, I have to say both personally and on behalf of the band that meeting has been a privilege and a

pleasure and we wish you every success.

It was wonderful for me to meet you and the band, as well. Let’s hope that we can meet again soon and do some work

together!

Blues Matters! 61

FESTIVAL

FEVER

EVENTS THAT HAVE HELPED SHOWCASE THE BLUES

THE 22 nd BURNLEY NATIONAL BLUES FESTIVAL: 2010.

@ Burnley, Lancaster. 2 nd -4 th April 2010.

The arts have always been low in the public

funding lists, but often they are saved by

money from sponsorship. That was until last

year’s recession hit, and this year’s need for

austerity. Burnley Festival learnt that the hard

way last year, when they lost one of their

major sponsors. Nil Desperadum, Burnley was

determined to soldier on and put on its 22 nd

Blues festival, but in a scaled down form to live

within their depleted budget. The publicans

were determined that their normal three days

of fringe activities would go on and you just

had to stroll around the town on the Saturday

afternoon to see that they had succeeded.

The Blues filtered into the bright afternoon

sunshine that Saturday, it even seemed to

have an effect on the non-human population

as well. A lone Blues busker sat in the square

and was approached by two mounted police

horses walking regally down the street. To the

amusement of everyone, one horse broke from

a trot into a canter, syncopated to the buskers

music, and danced to the beat, much to the

embarrassment of the police woman trying

to restrain her. The busker called out to the

assembled crowd, “I’ve never made a horse

dance before!” Who says the Blues is not

inheritant in the fabric of life!

Burnley Mechanics with its main hall and

Press Room form the hub of events. The Press

Room featured three nights of music, the main

Hall was restricted to one night. Gone were

the Americans of the past years, the budget

wouldn’t cover the costs. This allowed for a

British Blues event to be staged and the lineup

was a sell-out.

The Stumble kicked off on the main stage and

what a start. They transported their audience

magically to the hustle and bustle of Chicago.

The dynamism and sheer musical talent of

their set, soon had the audience tapping their

feet and grinning at the walkabout by sax-man

Simon Anthony, serenading the audience with

Blues Matters! 62

FESTIVAL FEVER

hot Chicago Blues. Paul Melville as always

the consummate frontman, powered his way

through song after song with vocal clarity and

passion. Hot Chicago guitar riffs coming down

off the stage from Colin Black to an audience

savouring every note. Jonny Spencer’s slide

riffs adding a different dimension to the whole,

while on bass Dave Heath, and Boyd Tonner on

drums, augmented and kept the rhythm section

really tight.

Paul Jones and Dave Kelly who presented a

more traditional side of the Blues followed them

on stage. Taking the audience on a musical

journey to the Mississippi Delta, with the music

of Willie Dixon, Muddy Waters, Howlin Wolf and

the other greats. This was an acoustic set.

Dave on electro acoustic guitar, and Paul on

harmonica. Both supplied the vocals to songs

individually or in duets, the audience was held in

a reverent hush by the quality of the music. The

commentaries in between the music were informative

and interesting. This pair have returned to the Blues

one of its original features; oral tradition. The original

means by which humanity transmitted its history,

culture and music.

For Blues Matters it was off to the Fringe for more

observations.

Paul and Dave were followed on to the stage by James Hunter

and the Mike Sanchez Band with special guests Big Boy

Bloater, Andy Sylvester and Ricky Cool, the comments from the

audience on leaving, was that they were more than pleased with

these two performances.

In the Press room, a large crowd was gathering for the final

performance of the night, the Chantel McGregor Band. Large is

probably an understatement, sardines in a can is probably the

better description, and a rota of when to lift up your drink so as

not knock the person next to you would have been useful. On a

rather cramped stage Chantel gave a belter of a performance,

both vocally and instrumentally. You could actually hear the

intakes of breath, and comments of appreciation, before the

clapping and cheering started. She worked her way masterfully

with technically correct and passionate guitar solos. Serenaded

the crowd with soulful vocal’s, and amused them with her

Yorkshire sense of humour. No battle of the Roses here, just

an axe lady wowing a crowd! Chantel actually played half-anhour

extra due to the demands of the crowd but then with the

numbers there, they weren’t going to be moved until they had

their fill of a true princess of the blues. It is time for Chantel to

move onto the main stage and take that by storm, maybe next

year?

Burnley may have had to downsize this year due to their budget,

but the work, enthusiasm and talent of all involved was a wonder

of the human spirit in times of difficulty, to still pull-off the best of

the Blues!

Carol Borrington

Blues Matters! 63

FESTIVAL FEVER

GUISBOROUGH BLUES FESTIVAL 2 nd May 2010

Guisborough is a small but perfectly formed festival, set in a pretty

location on the edge of the North Yorkshire Moor’s with Roseberry

Topping in the distance

The festival is held in Guisborough FC Clubhouse, an intimate venue

that’s split into two parts,one part houses the festival whilst the second

one was set up for local musicians to play with also a drums workshop

hosted by Sam Kelly.

The festival started on Sunday at 12:30 with “The Cats” a lively and

boisterous band with an animated front man. They soon had the crowd

up dancing and this set the tone of the festival.

”Tantrum” followed with a rocky blues set, it’s amazing, the quality of

this young trio. Full in your face tour de force of musical skills.

“Hokie Joint” was next,

bringing the afternoon

session to a close,

by the reaction of the

audience they should

have been headlining

the festival.Pure quality,

strange, theatrical,

somewhere between

Tom Waits and Ian

Drury but new and

refreshing. This was the

first time Hokie Joint

had played Guisborough

and they took the place

by storm. I even bought

their T Shirt at the break and

that’s a first!

“Sam Kelly’s Primo Band”

with “Val Cowell” were the

first band on in the evening

session. What can you say

about this accomplished band

of musicians that hasn’t been

said before? But with the

vocals of Val Cowell they

lifted their game.

“Ian Parker” was the

penultimate band. Ian is

the most accomplished

guitarist and vocalist, his self penned

lyrics are sensitive and deep. This

was his acoustic set, he enthralled

the audience, Quality, Quality,

Quality! Were the comments I was

overhearing.

To round the evening off the

talented “Blues in Trouble”, an

Edinburgh band that took the

Edinburgh Festival by storm a

few years ago. They soon.had

the crowd up dancing and in

the groove, the perfect end to

a perfect festival.

Hats off to Kath and Ralph

who organize the festival,

the bands, the catering and

everything else that you

could think of.

Damian Dark-Wind

Blues Matters! 64

“Classy, powerful, wonderful release from

a future star. Remember his name as I am

convinced that we will hear and see a lot

more of David Gerald.”

-- Peter Merrett, PBS 106.7 FM

Available Online at

www.DavidGerald.com

iTunes|Amazon|CD Baby

Blues Matters! 65

BLUE BLOOD

Unsigned acts on their own Blues mission

LUCY ZIRINS

I was born in Burnley, Lancashire and am now 18. I am currently attending Nelson and Colne College studying on the

Lancashire Advanced Music Studies (LAMS) course.

I started playing guitar at the age of 12 when my uncle died. He played accordion, and was learning to play acoustic guitar.

When his stuff was cleared out, the guitar and his books and CD tutorials were about to be skipped and I asked if I could

have them – I learnt to play I guess to keep his memory alive” I have been heavily influenced and helped by Saph Wright

and her then husband Paul Corry. Saph was my music teacher at Shuttleworth College, and Paul is a musician, performing

and writing for the Michael Roach Band and playing for Roy Wood, amongst other ‘big names’. Paul gave me a brass slide

and said “just have a go”, then I bought my first resonator.

I then had the fantastic offer of a scholarship to attend Euro Blues Week, after attending a Michael Roach workshop at

Burnley Blues Festival. The scholarship was in memory of the late great John Jackson (for young person’s playing blues)

and in memory of Sam Mitchell for slide players. The week was phenomenal, being taught by greats such as Michael

Messer, Orville Johnson, Steve James, Rick Franklin to name just a few.... “

My first paid gig was in a local Working Mens Club, a real “baptism of fire” when I was only 15. Since then I have

performed at several festivals and opened for Louisiana Red and Michael Messer on their 2009 UK tour, as well as being

invited on stage by Red to join them to ‘play some blues’. Michael Messer has been very supportive, and has given me

opportunities to play and be introduced to a number of well known musicians.

I enjoy playing blues because it is music of the soul and there is nothing else quite like it in the world!

Lucy Zirins

Blues Matters! 66

Blues Matters! 67

BOOK REVIEWS

BLUES READING MATTERS!

HOME OF THE BLUES – 35

YEARS OF THE DOUBLE

DOOR INN

Debby Wallace And

Daniel Coston

Outskirts Press, Denver,

Colorado

This uplifting little book is

the story of a man who has

succeeded in the music

business – at least to some

extent – and managed to

keep his ideals and retain

his integrity. In 1973 Nick

Karres opened The Double

Door Inn in Charlotte, North

Carolina, and it is still going

– it now has the distinction of

being one of the oldest Blues

clubs in the United States.

Obviously this is a celebration

of that,

and as such is going to be biased, but the picture that

emerges is of a genuinely honest man, respected and

loved by the staff he employs, the musicians he hires

and the club regulars. The staff are mostly long-term

employees, the musicians Blues and Americana artists

(generally) and the club regulars – well, some of those not

attending gigs are the children of the original punters. The

reason for this incredible loyalty is detailed in interviews

with many different people, and the physical club itself

is attractive and unusual – set in a building that was

originally a residence when it was built in 1911. Numerous

photographs detail the changes in the club’s layout over

the years, and of course the artists who have played

there – from Eric Clapton, Stevie Ray Vaughn and Roy

Buchanan to R.L. Burnside and Link Wray. Reading this

definitely leaves a warm feeling and a desire to take in a

night at the club.

Norman Darwen

INDEPENDENCE DAYS: THE

STORY OF UK

INDEPENDENT RECORD

LABELS

Cherry Red (Author: Alex Ogg)

This is an in-depth look at the history of the independent

British record labels and the successes and struggles they

earned and endured. Focusing it’s time frame from the

mid 70s to the mid 80s, this is an exhaustive undertaking

that involved interviewing over 160 of the main players

involved, such as Geoff Travis, Dave Robinson and

Andrew Loog Oldham. It has separate chapters on

labels such as Chiswick, Rough Trade and Stiff, but also

Blues Matters! 68

smaller and more boutique indies such as Zoo, Clay and

Industrial. Because of the time period, the music itself

tends to be based around punk and alternative bands,

such as The Smiths, The Damned and Elvis Costello.

The author regards an independent to be a label that

does not resort to majors for help with its production,

distribution or marketing, initially at least. The book begins

with a lengthy introduction on the history of such labels

and how they were eventually swallowed up by the big

boys. Okeh, Topic (one of the oldest indies still active)

and Immediate receive such coverage, as well as John

Peel’s Dandelion, which Ogg believes was one of the real

fore bearers of genuine independents. You could think

that this book would be quite dull and tedious, but not so,

the author keeps the reader interested with his relaxed

writing style. You develop an interest in what happens

next to these small companies, who are working hand to

mouth in many cases, and on a DIY ethic. There are the

inevitable collapses, as well as splits in partnerships, but

much of this music might never have been released if it

wasn’t for the likes of these ‘music fans’. People such as

Lee Wood, founder of Raw Records are profiled, many

artists showing their admiration for him, even though

he ripped many of his stable off, owed thousands and

eventually disappeared completely off the scene. Whilst

Stiff partners, Robinson and Jake Riviera, acrimoniously

went their separate ways with the latter taking some of the

labels most prized assets. Some of the stories will amuse,

and a myth or two is exploded in the meantime. This is a

real coffee table sized book that will definitely appeal to

people who might want to read another side of the music

industry.

Andrew Baldwin.

GIVE MY POOR HEART EASE

– VOICES OF THE MISSISSIPPI

BLUES

William Ferris

The University Of North Carolina Press

William Ferris grew up alongside black families in

Mississippi, and undertook field work in the sixties and

seventies which formed the basis of the Studio Vista

paperback ‘Blues From The Delta’ in the early seventies,

with an album of the same name issued by the XTRA

label. The book was revised and expanded around the

end of the same decade, but even readers who possess

those works will want this. It contains around 20 interviews

with local Mississippi figures (the late James ‘Son’ Thomas

being perhaps the best-known these days) – and also

internationally recognised musicians BB King and Willie

Dixon reminiscing about their early days – regarding Blues

and gospel music, and local African-American culture, plus

occasional transcriptions, such as a church service and a

house party in Clarksdale. The presentation is absolutely

beautiful, with some of the photographs as expressive as

BOOK REVIEWS

the words. To complement and further expand the value of the book itself, also included are a CD of field recordings made

between 1967 and 1974 and a DVD which contains many of the closely related documentary films that Ferris has made

since 1968 (looking at, for example, Parchman Farm, a church service, and an examination of Black arts and crafts). This

is an inspiring body of work and one which should be sought out by any Blues lover.

Norman Darwen

BLUES BEFORE SUNRISE – THE RADIO

INTERVIEWS

Steve Cushing

University Of Illinois Press

Steve Cushing’s name may be familiar to some as a Chicago Blues drummer; he is also

host of the long-running radio show ‘Blues Before Sunrise’. As such he has been in an

excellent position to interview some of the most prominent figures in the music (as Living

Blues magazine founder Jim O’Neal points out in his fine and informative foreword) – but

for the dozen interviews selected for this book he has chosen figures who are perhaps

less well-known but who still have important stories to tell. The focus of Steve’s show is

the first fifty years of recorded blues – i.e. 1920 to 1970, and the book splits into three

sections – ‘Ancient Age’, which looks at the pre-World War Two styles, including the these

days seldom documented vaudeville Blues, ‘Postwar Glory’ examining the early years of

the classic Chicago Blues sound, and the fascinating ‘Esoterica’ detailing the story of the

promoter, producer and disc-jockey. Steve has selected his chapters as representing the

definitive interviews with these characters, and I am not going to argue with him (though

as someone who remembers Blues Unlimited’s interviews with Ralph Bass and Cadillac

Baby, I’m not so sure…). Whatever, the wealth of detail is stunning, off-set by Steve’s own knowledge, and though the

focus is always the Blues, there are fascinating little snippets throughout the book; for example, if you want to know how

to make bootleg whiskey, or how to hop a freight train, do read the chapter on veteran Texas pianist Grey Ghost. Really

though, if you have any interest in the older forms of the Blues, you need to read the whole book.

Norman Darwen

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TELL ME - FVCD014

DONE ME WRONG - FVCD023

AFTER TONIGHT - FVCD031

LIVERPOOL TODAY - FVCD015

Over three discs the

Ember Beat series

chronicles Ember’s

contribution to the British

and Irish beat scene of

the 60s. Liverpool Today

is a straight reissue of a

collectable 1965 album

featuring three Merseybeat

acts recorded at

Cavern Sound.

ntasticvoyagemusic.com

MAY-JUNE 2010 • PAUL REVERE & THE RAIDERS • CARAVAN • SHOES • SUN DIAL • GRANNY’S INTENTIONS • THE LEMON DROPS • JIM MCCARTY IT’S HIP… IT’S HAPPENING… IT’S

Psych, garage, prog, powerpop, soul, folk… for people who want more!

M AY -

J U N E

2 0 1 0

ISSUE 16

£4.25

SHOES

1970s power-pop legends

revisited

GRANNY’S

INTENTIONS

The emerald isle’s

forgotten blues-rock heroes

SUN DIAL

Exploding in your mind!

An American Rock & Roll Band

CARAVAN

Canterbury tales from the

darlings of psych/prog

JIM McCARTY

The Yardbirds drummer

comes clean

THE LEMON

DROPS

Teen acid tales from cult

Illinois combo

Plus ALEX CHILTON, THE

MONKEES, THE STOOGES

and more!

11/4/10 19:34:17

Shindig! No.16 - May-June 2010 - Out Now

PAUL REVERE & THE RAIDERS

Viewed by the rest of the world as just another garage band, but in the States they

were one of ’60s pop’s biggest teeny-bopper sensations.

BILL KOPP speaks to MARK LINDSAY, PHIL “FANG” VOLK and JIM VALLEY about both

the fun and seriousness of being a Raider.

CARAVAN

CARAVAN were accidentally responsible for the much-feted “Canterbury Sound”.

MARCO ROSSI talks to founder members RICHARD SINCLAIR and RICHARD COUGHLAN

about their legacy and music.

SHOES

Powerpop didn’t die in the mid-70s. BRIAN GREENE speaks with JEFF MURPHY of

seminal Chicago DIY pop heroes SHOES.

SUN DIAL

Adored by even the most ardent psych purists SUN DIAL’s 1990 debut Other Way Out

was one of those records that impressed all that heard it. JOHN REED speaks with

GARY RAMON and RUSSEL BARRETT about Black Sabbath, garage-punk, shoegazing

and sticking at it.

THE LEMON DROPS

TOM SANDFORD takes us on a journey into the candy acid meltdown of THE LEMON

DROPS; through death, disbandment and missing drums, to psychedelic hits of every

kind, if ever there was a group who should have made it, they were it. Garage Gods

forgotten!

Blues Matters! 69

DVD REVIEWS

Releases with a Blues vision

LEADFOOT RIVET

Live In Paris: Soul Blues At The

New Morning DVD

VooDoo

Al Rivet was given his nickname “Leadfoot” by Larry

Garner as a tribute to his car driving style, with a heavy

right foot! Lead singer and occasional harp player Rivet is

a European-based Blues survivor, who embraced Blues

culture from an early age. Though he has perhaps not

gained widespread international recognition as a sporadic

recording artist, he is well known amongst his peers

on both sides of the Atlantic and has remained almost

entirely true to his Blues principles. Like so many others,

the great Blues boom of the 1960s persuaded him that

this was his calling, and since then he has performed

in many European countries and shared the stage with

many touring visitors to them. He was one of the first to

employ an ethnically integrated band and also co-founded

Dixiefrog Records. This live set was recorded originally for

TV at the famous Paris New Morning venue in November

2003. Rivet has a soulful voice, which is well suited to the

mostly well known material. The opening ‘You’re A Fool

To Yourself’ sets the mood for a technically accomplished,

but not overly exciting performance. Special mention must

be made of the two excellent guitarists, Pat Boudot-Lamot

and Stan Noubard-Pacha whose counterpart rhythm

playing and soloing was delightful, and without stealing

the limelight contributed to the overall tight feel. Examples

of the material in this 53 minute show by the five piece

Bluesmaniacs are ‘Just A Little Bit’, ‘The Things That I

Used To Do’, the ballad ‘Do Right Woman, Do Right Man”

and ‘Little Red Rooster’. The sound and filming are both

good.

Noggin

JOHN FOGERTY

Comin’ Down

The Road: The

Concert Royal

Albert Hall DVD

Verve

Over a year after John Fogerty’s

Royal Albert Hall performance

on 24 th June 2008 the DVD of the

concert has finally been released.

Fogerty, who has often courted controversy, was

not the villain of this piece; rather it was director Michael

Darren. Much has been written about the way that the

paying customers were treated by him on the night. It is

alleged that what was billed as a concert turned out to be

more akin to a film or video shoot, with long interruptions,

costume changes, pre-applause and other distractions.

However, what emerges from the cutting room is a slick

Blues Matters! 70

and masterful DVD, displaying Fogerty at his best. Both

vision and sound are exemplary, and all of the extraneous

material has been erased. Fogerty seems somewhat tense

in the earlier numbers like ‘Rambunctious Boy’, but by midpoint

and especially during the catalogue of Creedence

Clearwater Revival classics he is at his best, a genial and

eternally youthful rocker, whose vocals are simply brilliant.

The extended ‘Keep On Chooglin’ is vintage Fogerty,

and other CCR gems like ‘Down On The Corner’, ‘Hey

Tonight’ and of course ‘Fortunate Son’ are spot on. The

band are as tight as one would expect, and with sidemen

like guitarist / vocalist Billy Burnette and drummer Kenny

Aronoff the performance is rock solid. Just occasionally

typically American sentimentality surfaces, for example

in his tributes to his wife and kids, but on the other hand

sons Tyler and Shane Fogerty’s contribution to ’Up Around

The Bend’ is well placed. Any set that ends with ‘Travellin’

Band’, ‘Rockin’ All Over The World’ and ‘Proud Mary’ is

worth the money. Superb.

Noggin

SOUL POWER

Eureka Entertainment

In 1974, a three-day music festival

was held alongside the legendary

‘Rumble In The Jungle’ fight

between George Foreman and

Muhammad Ali in Zaire. The

footage of the concert was never

released, but now some of the

film has been dusted off and

edited into this feature length

documentary. The festival

featured the best African

American entertainers of the day.

Actually, scrub that. Make it any day. They had

James Brown, BB King and Bill Withers. All of them were

at the height of their powers. The documentary neatly

switches between the bonhomie of the performers, who

were clearly delighted to be taking part, and the chaos

behind the scenes. Ali himself is as charismatic and as

watchable as ever. He truly was a force to be reckoned

with and one of the wittiest figures the world has ever

known. Curiously, George Foreman is no-where to be

seen. With it comes to sheer charisma, he really is the

only man on the planet who can rival James Brown.

There are some truly electrifying performances. BB King

nails ‘The Thrill Is Gone’. The show though is well and

truly stolen by the Godfather of Soul himself, Mr James

Brown. The three tracks of his on this documentary

show just how good he was, and how insanely funky the

JBs were. Brown singlehandedly invented the funk. It’s a

pleasure to watch James Brown in all his glory, strutting

his stuff. It’s a shame there can’t be an entire DVD of

his set, but that’s just a minor quibble. The picture and

sound quality are excellent. The DVD also includes extra

footage and a brief interview with the director about the

documentary.

Jamie Hailstone

THE NEW LOST

CITY RAMBLERS

Always Been A

Rambler

The Arhoolie Foundation

Before the ‘60s Blues boom, there was

the folk revival. The two overlapped of

course, and figures such as Leadbelly, Big

Bill Broonzy, Josh White, Sonny Terry &

Brownie McGhee, and Brother John Sellers

helped to establish a new audience for the Blues in the

‘40s and ‘50s, even if that audience did not actually realise

it. The New Lost City Ramblers came together in 1958 as

an old-timey string band, comprising Mike Seeger (who

died on 7 th August 2009), John Cohen, and Tom Paley,

who left in the early ‘60s and was replaced by Tracey

Schwartz. The NLCR have always been distinguished

from their contemporaries by their earthy, authentic

presentation of obscure material (documented on a whole

slew of Folkways albums) and they continue to exert a

strong influence on American roots music – everyone from

Bob Dylan to The Grateful Dead’s Jerry Garcia to The

Carolina Chocolate Drops! This film by Yasha Aginsky is

an hour long celebration of the band’s 50 years together,

focussing on them not only as musicians but also as

musicologists. The film combines still photos with vintage

footage in settings both formal and informal, clips with

older musicians such as The Balfa Brothers with the Bluesy

cajun accordionist Nathan Abshire, and Elizabeth Cotton,

writer of ‘Freight Train’ among many others, interviews, and

more modern footage. Bonus features on the DVD include

a 24 minute film of the group from 1969 and previously

unseen footage from 1959. If you are at all interested in

Americana, this DVD is, quite simply, a must.

Norman Darwen

DVD REVIEWS

JOE BONAMASSA

Live From The Royal

Albert Hall

Provogue

This DVD encapsulates two stories, the

performance of Joe Bonamassa and his band

at The Royal Albert Hall in May this year,

and his twenty-year journey to playing that

prestigious venue. The two-disc package

includes over two hours of live footage and an

extensive interview. It commences with Bonamassa humbly

discussing his long held ambition as the camera follows

him travel ultimately to the stage. There’s a spine tingling

moment as he starts to play the opening ‘Django’ and

you view the sell out crowd rise to greet his appearance.

The performance throughout is exceptional and includes

the addition of a second drummer, Anton Fig and a brass

section. Fig works perfectly in unison with Bogie Bowles;

for example the synchronised introduction to ‘Highwater

Everywhere’ while the horns enhance the slower songs,

like ‘So Many Roads’ and ‘The Great Flood’. Bonamassa’s

own guitar playing is flawless in spite the significance of

the occasion to him and he is fine voice throughout. Eric

Clapton is proudly introduced to the stage for ‘Further

On Down The Road’ and receives further homage as a

signature lick from Cream’s version of Crossroads from the

same venue is repeated during ‘Lonesome Road Blues’.

Paul Jones also makes an appearance later in the set as

recognition for his part in achieving this goal before the

fans’ favorite ‘Mountain Time’ delights the audience. The

camera work and editing is excellent and helps maintain the

viewer’s interest throughout the show. Whilst the majority of

shots feature Bonamassa, these are balanced with those of

the other musicians and the crowd in order to successfully

capture what was a momentous occasion.

Duncan Beattie

THE LICK LIBRARY Learn to Play

Jimi Hendrix Vols 1&2

Jimi Hendrix Slow Blues in B

Hendrix The Solos

Roadrock Music International

These new guitar instruction DVDs from the Lick Library are well thought out and

provide some very clear note by note instruction on how to play some of Jimi’s most

popular stuff. The lessons are all presented by Danny Gill in a clear and informed

way. It is easy to see what frets to hold, how far to bend a note and everything else

you need to play these tracks note for note. The screen splits when you need to see

what the other hand is doing too! The pace is sufficiently measured so enable you to play as you view. They all seem

to be authentic interpretations too. Each DVD ends with a Danny Gill performance of all the tracks too, so can play along

to that too. Volume 1 consists of five tracks, being ‘Purple Haze’, Little Wing’, ‘Voodoo Child’, ‘Hey Joe’, and ‘the Wind

Cries Mary’. There are two hours of instruction and a slot on the Fender Strat and how to use the pick ups and tone knobs

to sound like Hendrix. Danny Gill also reveals the ‘Hendrix Chord’ used by the maestro on many recordings! Volume 2

continues with instruction on ‘All Along The Watchtower’, Foxey Lady’, ‘Redhouse’, ‘Fire’ and ‘Stone Free’. The Solos DVD

contains detailed instruction on some of Jimi’s solos with the addition of slow, medium and full tempo jam tracks on an

accompanying CD. The tracks covered are those on Volume One. Slow Blues in B gives instruction on four solos with 7 or

8 licks separated for each for ease of learning. What I like best about these tutorials is their clarity. The music on the DVDs

is true to what Hendrix did, No one would pretend that playing like Hendrix is easy, but these DVDs make it possible. You

will need to put in some hours in front of the screen but it will be worth the effort!

Kevin Wharton

Blues Matters! 71

DVD REVIEWS

RICK ESTRIN

Reveals, Secrets,

Subtleties & Tricks

Of the Blues

Harmonica.

Rick has been playing Blues harp for

over 40 years, including a gig in 1970

with Muddy Waters who said “You

outta sight, boy! You got that sound,

boy! You play like a man, boy!” Since

1976, he has been playing with

The Nightcats. He and his band are nominated for four

awards in the 2010 Blues Foundation Music Awards. With

that pedigree behind him, you get an idea of the quality

of the musician and there is no doubt that quality shows

through. This DVD is not for beginners; Rick is aiming it

at the accomplished player who wants to expand their

horizons. There some distracting things on the video i.e.

when explaining a particular technique, he never stands

still but sways from side to side and up and down as if still

playing the harp. Also, each of the seven segments has a

superfluous female hanging around in the background for

Rick to leave with at the end of the segment. Complaints

over, the content of the video is excellent with Rick

demonstrating the various techniques with aplomb. The

opening segment ‘Hold That Groove’ covers well the

stylistic differences between playing in front, behind and on

the beat and the use of chords to add emotive effect. Each

segment thereafter continues with a bewildering array

of techniques from which even seasoned professionals

could improve their playing. The last teaching segment

‘Performance Tricks And Showbiz Devices’ is about

communicating with the audience and like the old Blues

players, shows some of the techniques of the showman to

engage with a wider audience. Overall, it is a good DVD

for professional musicians and even for fans who want to

know what they are seeing and hearing on the stage.

Carol Borrington

TAIL DRAGGER

Live At Rooster’s Lounge

Delmark DVD 1803

This is Tail Dragger’s second DVD for Delmark; his first was

also the company’s initial foray in the visual side of things,

and it is rather fitting for a label well into its sixth decade that

it should present such a raw, uncompromising Blues artist. Tail

Dragger – real name James Yancy Jones, born in Arkansas in

1940 – takes his name from the Howling Wolf song, and was

known primarily as a Wolf imitator a couple of decades back. It

was actually Wolf who gave him his stage moniker; previously

he had been known as ‘Crawlin’ James’. He may have broadened

his repertoire since then, though Dragger can still evoke Wolf

easily – this set opens with ‘Louise’ just to underline the point.

Then again, the singer obviously appreciates the fifties Chicago

sound, especially Muddy Waters and Sonny Boy Williamson

II. The band, led by Rockin’ Johnny Burgin, know just what

to provide for this approach – two guitars, harp, and a kicking

rhythm section, nothing too flashy and remember who the

star of the show is. Not that the audience - regulars and blues

Blues Matters! 72

tourists alike - need reminding; Tail Dragger stalks the small

club (and so aptly named too – even better as it says “Rooster’s

Palace” in gold letters over the bar), dispensing down-home folk

wisdom, serenading the ladies, falling to his knees, building up

the excitement and coaxing the dancers up onto the floor, all the

time his big voice testifying to the power of the Blues. Jimmy

Dawkins adds some trademark guitar work to one number too.

This is a wonderful set – it is also available on CD but the visuals

are priceless.

Norman Darwen

THE GUITAR ARTISTRY OF

GEOFF MULDAUR

Vestapol/Rounder DVD

93 minutes, one man, one

guitar. But what a man, what

a voice, what a player. The

name Muldaur will resonate

with some of us older folk

because of his one-time wife’s

atmospheric hit, Midnight

At The Oasis. But this is a

man with such skill, passion,

and, above all, history, that

he even transcends his past

associations with the likes

of Bonnie Raitt, Jerry Garcia

and Paul Butterfield. As a

raconteur, he’s peerless. In

between his mesmerising

renditions of songs such as Wild Ox Moan, Fishin’ Blues

and I Can’t See Your Face Anymore, there are engrossing

vignettes, fascinating yarns he tells about his life as a

bluesman, the way he collected songs, and the various

ways he became inspired. His friendships over the past

half century read like a who’s who of the blues; Son House,

Lonnie Johnson, Mance Liscombe, Mississippi John Hurt

… and each story is a genuine gem, providing you with a

real insight into what it really means to give up everything

else and walk the pure blues road. There’s a comment by

Richard Thompson on the cover: “There are only three

white blues singers and Geoff Muldaur is at least two of

them”. Attached to any other artist, such a statement might

seem like overkill, but when connected with this man, it’s

100% correct. I’ve rarely enjoyed an hour and a half in

front of a screen as much as this, and if you really, really,

genuinely love true blues, then you need this – and I

guarantee you’ll not be disappointed.

Roy Bainton

TOM PETTY AND THE

HEARTBREAKERS

Damn The Torpedoes

Eagle Vision

This DVD is part of the ‘Classic Albums’ series; Tom Petty

and co. released their third album, ‘Damn The Torpedoes’

in 1979, when disco and punk were the most popular forms

of music. It quickly sold two million copies, turned platinum,

and became a recognised rock classic.

The band owe a lot to their Florida origins, (“You had to

come from the south to play that lick!” is one off-the-cuff

comment about the guitar playing on ‘Here Comes My

COPE

CD163

TR ACK STATION ARRIVING

COPECD163

5706725901251

20284

More info & downloads at:

MYSPACE.COM/THORBJORNRISAGER

RISAGER.INFO

COPERECORDS.COM

MYSPACE.COM/COPERECORDS

YOUTUBE.COM/RISAGERMOVIE

VME-GROUP.COM

COPE

CD163

Blues Matters! 73

Booking info: Westman Music (westmanmusic.com) (Office: +46 46 13 55 23 / Cell: +46 739 66 32 99) annika.westman@bredband.net

Promotion / A&R: Cope Records, Westend 13, DK-1661 Copenhagen, Denmark (Phone: +45 7020 1137 / Fax: +45 32121137) peter@coperecords.com

Sales: Voices Music & Entertainment, Vesterbrogade 95 H, DK-1620 Copenhagen, Denmark (Phone: +45 3321 0135 / Fax: +45 3324 0495)

DESIGN & ART DIRECTION BY PAUL WILSON (YELLOW1.DK)

PHOTOGRAPHY BY GUDMUND THAI

Girl’) and lead guitarist Mike

Campbell talks here about the

genesis of their style, defining

it with the words: “…Southern

blues roots and this love of

British rock… we liked both

those types of music and we

began to see how they were

connected”. There are ‘talking

heads’ interviews with the

band members (usually with

their instruments to hand),

producers, managers, record

men and others, interspersed

with video clips - pretty boy Tom posing for all he’s worth!

RECORDED AND MIXED BY SØREN ANDERSEN

MASTERED BY SØREN MIKKELSEN

EXCEPT TRACKS 5 & 10 BY MARTIN SEIDELIN & TRACK 2 BY MCKINLEY MORGANFIELD

HORN ARRANGEMENTS BY PETER KEHL & KASPER WAGNER

RECORDED AT MEDLEY STUDIO, COPENHAGEN, DENMARK, OCTOBER 2009

PRODUCED BY LARS SKJÆRBÆK

ALL SONGS WRITTEN BY THORBJØRN RISAGER

PIA TRØJGAARD {BACKGROUND VOCALS}

JARNO VARSTED {HARMONICA}

ALSO APPEARING

LEA THORLANN {BACKGROUND VOCALS}

LARS SKJÆRBÆK {BACKGROUND VOCALS}

THE BAND

THORBJØRN RISAGER {VOCALS, GUITAR}

EMIL BALSGAARD {PIANO, ORGAN}

SVEIN ERIK MARTINSEN {GUITAR, BACKGROUND VOCALS}

KASPER WAGNER {ALTO SAX, TENOR SAX, BARITONE SAX}

PETER KEHL {TRUMPET}

SØREN BØJGAARD {BASS}

MARTIN SEIDELIN {DRUMS}

O P E R A T O R S

back

Chuck Berry, Keith Richards, Bill Wyman, The J. Geils

T I M E T A B L E

01 ROCK ‘N’ ROLL RIDE 4:19

02 BABY PLEASE DON’T GO 2:38

03 LET’S GO DOWN 4:37

04 YOU WALKED RIGHT IN 3:07

05 7 STEPS TO HEAVEN 3:20

06 STAND BESIDE ME 5:10

07 EYES THAT TURNED AWAY 3:49

08 RHYTHMS OF THE NIGHT 3:47

09 I’LL BE MOVING ON 3:32

10 BELLS OF JOY 6:31

- live material, still photos and some vintage footage – that

may sound dry, but the DVD is anything but.

Discussing the album in general, it is noted that, “it has a

lot of elements from a lot of different places. Every time

I turn on the radio, I spot something else that I realise I

took something from - but I think we make our own noise”,

states keyboards player Benmont Tench. Names like

END OF THE LINE 40:42

Band, Wilson Pickett and Boker T. are cited, whilst the 12

string Rickenbacker brings The Byrds in all their glory to

mind. The genesis of the band’s hit ‘Refugee’ is lovingly

detailed – it reaches back to Albert King’s Stax classic ‘Oh

Pretty Woman’, believe it or not!

In short then, this DVD is a must for anyone who has ever

heard and enjoyed Tom Petty – or wondered just what he

is about.

Norman Darwen

STEREO

THORBJØRN

RISAGERTRACK

RECORD

LC

˝

DVD REVIEWS

Thorbjørn

RISAGER

nEw CD

THORBJØRN

RISAGERTRACK

RECORD

front

It’s only a matter of time

before the secret is out on this guy.

He’s already garnering raves overseas,

but his music has mass appeal.

Bottom line: He’s dynamite.

Don’t sleep on this one.

(Blueswax, US)

˝

www.risager.info

CopeCD163. Distr.Discovery Records

JAM WITH CREAM

LEARN TO PLAY.....ERIC CLAPTON

QUICK LICKS, UP TEMPO BLUES

Lick Library

A joke dissected and analysed is never as funny afterwards. Therein lies the rub with

guitar tutor DVD’s; they dismember the classics to the extent that may never wish

to hear them again. In the case of this trilogy of Claptonian studies, while enabling

the watcher to reproduce note perfectly some vintage riffs, they can’t muster the

passion that an apprenticeship with John Mayall, Cream, marriage, tragedy, drugs

and redemption will infuse. That aside, of their type, these are as good as any.

Concentrating extensively on 12 bar / up tempo Blues, the works of Cream and then

general stuff by God including ‘Layla’, your hosts through the anatomisation are

fully accomplished and agreeable in the way they explain it all. Michael Caswell

and Jamie Humphries are lucid tutors who employ a handy split screen format.

They play, they stop, they break it down and describe it all in an “Eric does it like

this” sort of a way. By nature, DVD’s like this are elitist. You need to be a fairly adept

player before any of it becomes intelligible; you are plunged straight into heavy technical jargon

about pentatonic scales and the E7 sharp nine “Hendrix chord” in ‘I Feel Free’. At times it seems like the guitar

version of “How To Drive Faster” for Formula 1 drivers. Without question however, worshipers of God himself will find some

nifty embellishments here to give them an edge. There are too, some homespun mottos which never fall out of fashion;

“before you can play a good lead learn to play a good rhythm” is pithy and always worth remembering. “Don’t learn the licks

if you have a rubbish vibrato” is a lesson for life if I ever heard one. Useful and accurate, but however much you absorb,

you won’t have a rhythm section like Bruce and Baker.

Richard Thomas

CD REVIEWS

Get your Blues ears on!

CANDYE KANE

Superhero

Delta Groove

Candye Kane has named her

latest album after herself,

having survived pancreatic

cancer. A lot to pull through,

yet she’s still managed

to lay down these fifteen

tracks. The opening title

track is a bright and breezy

soulful Blues number, with

saxophone and keyboards

to give a Blues Brothers edge. A

range of soft Blues feels, and with song titles like ‘Hey

Toughen Up’ and ‘You Can’t Stop Me From Loving You’,

there is a strong autobiographical feel. Her voice is strong

on the heavier numbers, but some of the lighter numbers

do drift into MOR territory. And while most of the songs

are self-penned (and well written, too), Led Zeppelin fans

will recognise the cover of Willie Dixon’s ‘You Need Love’.

One of the heavier and direct tracks here, ‘Till You Go Too

Far’, showcases Kane’s voice well, with strong harmonica

and rhythms to match. More of this please!

Joe Geesin

BETH AND THE BLACK CAT

BONES

Off to the Moon EP Self Produced

This five track mini-album by the young London based

group is very promising. The production does sound a little

rushed but fortunately it captures the bounce and energy

of what is a very good live act. The five catchy songs are

all self-penned by vocalist Beth Packer and guitarist Jess

Zubkevych. I particularly liked the title track ‘OFF TO THE

MOON’ a very catchy tune. The artwork for this album

really is very good in classic retro style; the same applies

to the music. In fact the sound took me right back to the

sixties and the sound of those singles and EP’s I used to

buy with my pocket money.

In general I would have liked a slightly rougher production

sound and the guitar sound maybe even more retro

sounding. Nonetheless this band presents itself very

well good songs, uncluttered arrangements, and bags of

personality; very promising.

Vicky Martin

THE BLUE BISHOPS

In the Red

Self Produced

This rising band of veterans features, among others,

‘Gentleman’ Jim Rodford of Zombies, Kinks et al fame.

This is a really good production and is full of good ideas.

In fact I reckon that several of the ideas have been on

Blues Matters! 74

the table for a while awaiting the opportunity to come

to fruition. I say this because I hear clear echoes of

that period when British Blues morphed into prog rock.

There are some Cream style harmonies and a fair

helping of the kind of broken rhythm patterns that

characterised that period notably Led Zeppelin. It

is all very well done but I really felt that the bands’

own songs were much stronger than their covers. In

that sense I was disappointed that the album opens

with a John Fogerty cover-: Chaps your own songs

are better! Have confidence in yourselves you do not

need covers. Two stand-out tracks emphasize this

point – ‘WAKE UP CALL’ and ‘CREDIT CARD’, I’ve

heard these two live, they really work and the recording

has done them justice. Another good track is ‘THE SEA

WILL RISE’ a song about the damage we are doing to the

planet, the musical structure to this, by Simon Burrett, is

very retro-styled, the doom-laden lyrics might induce some

paranoia if we have a hot summer, but hey, just imagine

you’re back in the summer of love for a while and it’ll pass.

The best of the covers is ‘THE PRICE OF LOVE’; Simon

Burrett’s guitar work is very good throughout. The album

was produced and mastered by Stuart Epps and John

Leckie at Abbey Road and the sound is of first quality.

The artwork is interesting and there is even someone who

looks like me but with half of a false beard in the centre

spread: the mind boggles. Well done guys – a good debut

Vicky Martin

THE

CONGO

FAITH

HEALERS

Ju Ju Mix

Self Produced

Well known on the

London Burlesque/

Club fringe, where it

touches the fringes

of the blues / retrorockabilly

scene,

this band’s style is best described as Voodoo tinged New

Orleans meets European Gypsy/Balkan polka harmony;

primarily minor key, trumpet strongly featured - European

feel tending to dominate.

Their music conjures fanciful images like the dark side of

a New Orleans carnival; bright lights, revolving carousels

and parading forbidding figures hinting of dark magic –

and I find in this both strength and weakness.

The strength is in the overall image of the band

and album, everything works together. The opener;

‘MORNING TRAIN’ is up-tempo with a good melody,

the following two tracks also up-tempo leading to

the strongest melody on the album; ‘THE STREET

ROBBERY’ but the album badly needs a change of tempo

here.

After this I find the next six tracks constant frantic tempo

and similar harmonic structure becomes tiring, the music

needs to breathe.

These tracks lead to what should have been the killer

track; ‘BIBLE READER’ which has a great riff and starts

really well but unfortunately the riff becomes a little

submerged in over production; the sound is just too

dense. The final track is very good but again too dense.

Having seen this band live a couple of times I was a little

disappointed with this album, a tiny drop in tempo and a

bit more ‘air’ in the mixing mastering would have made a

huge difference.

Vicky Martin

DELANEY DAVIDSON

Self Decapitation

Voodoo Rhythm

Records

Delaney is from

down under and

is a clever multiinstrumentalist

/ vocalist. He

plays most of the

instrumentation on

this album and he

wrote most of the

music. Stylistically

this stands in

the same stream

as UK bands

such as Urban

Voodoo Machine, Congo Faith Healers and others at the

fringes of Burlesque with influences relating to Voodoo,

Mardis Gras, and all things pertaining. It is well played

but the vocals are generally in similar tonality for most

of the album and the attention begins to wander. This is

accentuated by the opener ‘AROUND THE WORLD’ (best

self penned track) and the second track ‘TONIGHT’ having

a very similar harmonic structure and melodic motif. The

artwork and some of the lyrical content appears to be

deliberately aimed to shock and catch the attention –

DIRTY DOZEN in particular with its excessive use of the

‘F’ word just turned me off – its old hat and its been done.

This brings me to what I think is a weakness of this genre.

It all works very well live and Delaney appears to be doing

well in terms of live shows, etc. In fairness this album

would work well as a souvenir of a live gig, but whether

it stands up when listened to completely on its own is

doubtful. In summary, Delaney will probably do well selling

this album at gigs, and good luck to him, outside of that

context it is OK but no more than that.

Vicky Martin

MIDNITE JOHNNY

Lyin’ Eyes

Blue Midnite Productions

Midnite Johnny is Johnny Morana from South Florida, but

according to his MySpace page he’s temporarily settled in

Bolton where he’s doing acoustic gigs. He’s been around

the Florida scene for a long time, gigging with several

name musicians. This is his debut album. Johnny is yet

another excellent guitar player and his playing on this

CD REVIEWS

album shows more economy and restraint than many

that we hear. He is particularly adept at building tension

and then releasing it. His strongest influence seems to be

Magic Sam, there’s a touch of Freddy King and on track,

7 ‘You’re Not the Only One’ there is a noticeable Mark

Knopfler influence, the song’s structure and playing is

strongly reminiscent of Sultans of Swing and the vocal

here actually reminded me of Keith Richard. In general

the album is pretty much standard stuff. The strongest

tracks are the opener ‘GYPSY CURSE’, a mid-tempo

swing based shuffle very much in the Magic Sam mould

with excellent guitar. The second stand-out is track 2

‘WALKIN’ THE FLOOR’; this has a mambo type of feel and

a vocal track that recalls Levon Helm. Johnny’s version of

‘BO DIDDLEY’, the only cover, is more akin to the Buddy

Holly version than the original. With ten songs written by

Johnny and band keyboard player Sonny Williams this a

satisfactory debut pointing to a future where Johnny may,

hopefully, be tempted to discover a more individual sound

of his own.

Vicky Martin

DARRELL NULISCH

Just for You

Severn Records Inc.

Darrel from Texas is pretty much an old hand at Southern

style Soul and Blues; he is in line for a couple of soul blues

awards. This is his 6th album. By present day standards

this is very concise record at 37 minutes running time.

It has ten tracks and six of these are self composed.

It’s well produced and is exactly what it sets out to be

- Southern Soul Blues. At times it borders on a smooth

almost AOR commercial soul

sound; especially on track 8

‘ALL THE LOVE WE HAD’.

Darrell has a line-up of fifteen

top-quality musicians here;

this includes the full range of

horns and the notable Benjie

Porecki on keyboards. With

this wealth of talent available it

is mystifying why it all sounds

so predictable. It’s sad to say

it but every nuance of melody,

every figure of musical arrangement always goes where

you expect it to go. Why among all of these musicians

someone cannot just say ‘Let’s do it a bit different’ puzzles

me. That said the best tracks are 6 ‘JUST A LITTLE

BLUES’, an atmospheric slow minor key blues, and track

10 ‘LET A WOMAN BE A WOMAN’- a mid-tempo minor

blues over a Jimmy Smith type keyboard groove. The

opening track ‘YOU DON’T KNOW ME’ typifies the album

with echoes of Marvin Gaye, Curtis Mayfield, and horns

recalling Motown and Stax and the rest. But I wanted to

hear Darrell’s own voice and also much more his harp.

Vicky Martin

LITTLE DEVILS

This is How it Starts

World Domination Music

This is a relief from the predictability that pervades modern

day music. It is not another in the endless line of would

be guitar slingers with backing; it is a band, with quality

ensemble playing. This is an imaginative and cohesive

Blues Matters! 75

CD REVIEWS

presentation; from the classy artwork to the music itself.

This group of experienced

players is led by Graeme

Wheatley main writer

works in partnership with

guitarist Alex Brewood.

Their crowning glory is

vocalist – Dutch Diva

– Yoka – a charismatic

performer who is well worth

catching live. For once

the lyrics to the songs are

really worth a read, they

tell stories and introduce

us to a range of quirky

characters and events.

Most importantly they have depth and ring of authenticity.

There is a range of influences in the music, in particular

(for me) Dylan and the Band, the Stones, Doors and much

else. There is also a nice French Café music influence

and a very welcome excursion into old-time waltz tempo.

Altogether an interesting album that warrants repeated

listens. Stand out tracks are the opener ‘LITTLE DEVIL’,

‘THE RIVER’ an excellent ballad, and the slow blues

‘ORPHANS OF THE STORM’. The sound quality is very

good although for this writer it was a little too smooth; I

would have preferred a slightly rougher edge reflecting

their live sound. I also think that Yoka’s vocals could have

been better further up in the mix – don’t hide your light

under a bushel chaps. In summary this is a very good and

interesting debut.

Vicky Martin

MICHAEL BURKS

Iron Man

Alligator Records

‘Iron Man’ the latest album

from guitarist/singer

songwriter Michael Burks

contains 12 tracks, that

show of his strong voice,

and snappy, overdriven

guitar style to good effect.

A backing band of Wayne

Sharp on organ and piano,

Don Garrett on Bass

and Chuck ‘Popcorn’ Louden on

drums are Burks’s regular rhythm section, and

this shows on the tightness that the four players have.

Burks has writing credits on seven of the tracks, and

a carefully chosen version on Free’s ‘Fire and Water’

shows a new facet to the band’s sound. The album starts

of with ‘Love Disease’ featuring Gary Moore style guitar,

and a vocal style that brings to mind B.B. King, and a

groove and musical interaction that sounds not unlike

Albert King. Although many blues influence are on show,

whether or not it is the slow groove of ‘Strange Feeling’

with its interlocking guitar and Hammond Organ lick, and

or the Hendrix style ballad playing that opens ‘Empty

Promises’ Michael Burks has his own style. There is also

good time boogie blues on this disk. ‘Salty Tears’ is a

fast paced rocking number, whilst ‘Don’t Waste My Time’

has a soul-based backing, a Hammond Organ solo and

Blues Matters! 76

a light drumming track that sounds similar to the good

time groove of such bands as The Drifters. ‘Quiet little

town’ is an ironically titled number, that is a closer ringer

for S.R.V’s ‘The House is Rocking’. Blues songs are also

in abundance, with ‘Ashes in my Ashtray’, ‘Hard Come,

Easy Go’ focusing on what happens when love goes

wrong. For fans of Blues, or guitar players looking for a

few new ideas to borrow, ‘Iron Man’ is well worth further

investigation.

Ben Macnair

HARRIET LEWIS & GREGORY

HILDEN BAND

Soulful Stew

Acoustic Music

Harriet Lewis is a Philadelphia born singer who has, rather

amazingly, released twelve CDs under her own name. I

say, amazingly, as prior to this “Soulful Stew” album I had

never encountered her name before. Even more amazing

when you consider that she has shared stages with the

like of Eric Clapton and Luther Vandross. Granted, she’s

also shared a stage with Mariah Carey, but I won’t hold

that against her. A woman who has the kind of back story

most would think fictional, she’s went from recording with

Philadelphia International Records in the sixties to singing

backups to the Four Tops to joining the US Army! She

appears to be based in Germany these days, and has

linked up with Gregor Hilden and his band to make an old

fashioned soul and Blues review album. It’s the kind of

thing that The Johnny Otis Show got up to back in the day,

and sees her going at the music with gusto. It’s all covers

bar on Lewis number, ‘No Words Can Tell’, and the title

track from Hilden. The rest of the record is taken up with

songs like ‘Wade In The Water’, Gene McDaniels

‘Reverend Lee’ and Aretha Franklin’s ‘Dr. Feelgood

(Love Is a Serious Business). Ms Lewis also likes

a show tune which could explain the appearance

of ‘On Broadway’ and ‘What A Difference A Day

Makes’. And that’s what makes it a bit hit and miss.

When tackling Jimmy Scott’s funky ‘Love Sneaking

Up On You’, Ms Lewis and the band are fabulous.

When singing a show tune, your hand strays towards

the skip buttong. However, it’s considerably more hit

than miss, and if you like your Blues brassy, funky and

dripping with Hammond B-3 organ, then give this a

spin.

Stuart A Hamilton

THE MUSTANGS

Cut Loose

Cross Border Records

The Mustangs are a pretty heavy rock band with some

blues influence. What distinguishes this CD from many

others in this crowded field is that all the songs are their

own originals and that there is a fair bit of variety on

display in the 11 tracks. Another distinguishing feature is

the excellent harp playing of Derek Kingaby, who adds

different textures that complement the guitars very well,

preventing the band from having a standard-issue guitardominated

sound. The songs themselves are not just riffs

with words, but are constructed as ‘proper songs’, the

main feature being almost anthemic, big choruses. The

lyrics are printed in the booklet, showing that they take

their songwriting seriously. Lead singer Adam Norsworthy

has a strong, higher register voice that carries the

material well. The CD kicks off with some fat riffs and big

chords on ‘Canada Eyes’ and in general the band has

what might be considered a pretty ‘commercial’ sound,

delivered in a well-produced way to grab the attention.

On ‘I’ll Meet You Anytime’, a ska rhythm guitar part

blends very well with some excellent harp work on what

is essentially a blues song – the combination works well.

‘Dream The Day Away’ is not unlike a slower Zeppelin

number and is one of the more effective tracks. The

general aim is for songs that have a simple and immediate

impact. More variety kicks in with some of the later tracks,

- the rock’n’roll ‘Thunder In The Air’, the soft rock of ‘Living

With A Broken Heart’ and the acoustic closer ‘Precious

Time’ which is in the country vein and features some good

harmonies. Overall, the CD shows that The Mustangs do

mostly good old-fashioned up-tempo rock music, but that

they have a bit more to offer than that.

Mark Harrison

BLUES POWER BAND

Where The Action Is (Live CD +

DVD - Digipak format DVD)

Rue Stendhal

At last, the live album!

Sure, Blues Power

Band is at its most

amazing when

performing live, but

until these Frenchies

come over to this side

of the pond to show

us what kind of Blues

they are made of, we’ll

have to make do with

this live CD and DVD.

And you won’t be

disappointed; it gives

a pretty good idea of

what you can expect when they

eventually make the journey across the Channel. The

CD is a recording of the concert they gave at the New

Morning in Paris in 2009 and the DVD is a documentary

which takes us along in the search for Zee in concerts and

festivals throughout France. We’d already told you about

Blues Power Band when they released their studio album

“Zee”. To think that a French band could think of writing

the first real Blues opera ever. Surely this can’t be right,

this is France they come from, the land that produces

the likes of Johnny Hallyday and Vanessa Paradis! But in

their quest for Zee, they’ve done it and how. Just listen

to ‘Tchoga Zambil’ or ‘Got A New Truck’, it has great

panache, talent and vitality. They’ve produced something

with such energy that it’s like a double dose of viagra

and those wise American guys have certainly been given

a run for their money. Many of the acoustic tracks you

heard in the studio album are now performed in an electric

version, blowing away everything in your sitting-room

CD REVIEWS

including yourself. And when you get to ‘The End’, you’ll

start believing you’ve gone to another world, a world where

Jim Morrison plays with Blues Power Band. This must be

one of the best Blues tracks of this first decade of the 21 st

century, a testimony to the talent of French Blues. The fact

is that Blues Power Band has proved itself as a group who

has managed to produce a superb studio album and an

amazing inspiration when playing live. With its impressive

graphics, the Digipak DVD easily rivals the latest

collectors’ box sets and shows you what mad quest Blues

Power Band started, a quest where Blues is like a Finnish

volcano, bringing everything and everyone to a standstill.

With this live album, Blues Power Band has reached

another level and there’s no turning back. This is a must

be heard and must be seen! We’re waiting for them,

waiting to see them live and hopefully here in the UK.

Frankie Bluesy Pfeiffer and Nat Harrap

PETE MOLINARI featuring THE

JORDANAIRES

Today,

Tomorrow and

Forever

Damaged Goods Records

The first thing to amaze

you having listened to

the pure, unadulterated

Nashville of this album is

that Pete Molinari is, in

fact English. His American

country credentials,

however, are impeccable:

inspired by Woody

Guthrie’s “Bound for Glory”

and Jack Kerouac’s “On the Road”, this son of Maltese/

Italian/Egyptian parentage abandoned his native town

of Chatham, Kent to pursue his art, ending up, just like

his hero Dylan, playing his trade to impressed beatnik

crowds in Greenwich Village, New York, at venues such

as the legendary Café Wha? (Hendrix, anyone?). Since

then, Molinari has released several albums, with the E.P

“Today, Tomorrow and Forever”, his third. The album is a

peon to the Nashville sounds he listened to in his youth,

so much so that he even went to the legendary bastion of

country music to record the majority of it’s seven tracks, a

collection of country standards and two self-penned tunes.

However, he recreates the Nashville sound perhaps too

perfectly, with nothing particularly inventive done with his

interpretations, begging the question: why cover a song

if you replicate hook, line and sinker the original? Indeed,

the album only truly comes into it’s stride in it’s second

half with the London-recorded original material (no coincidence),

particularly the Dylan-esque lament of ‘One

Stolen Moment’. “Today, Tomorrow and Forever” is no true

representation of Pete Molinari (look to the predominantly

original material of his first two albums, “Walking Off

The Map” and “A Virtual Landslide” for this), but rather a

love-letter to the Nashville sound - one not everyone else

should have been made privy to.

Adam Bates

Blues Matters! 77

CD REVIEWS

BOPOMOFO

Hell Froze Over

BoPoMoFo

Listen to this album without looking at the cover and

what have you got? You’ve got some pretty good if a little

generic, Chicago bar-room Blues. Guitar work is clean

and the lead obviously knows his/her way around the

fretboard, while the organ sound is full and ballsy and the

horns blow hot and tootin’. The vocals are a little full for

my tastes, deep and dark but very clearly recorded and

with a nice touch of vibrato. All pretty good but nothing to

rave about and I really can’t see why they got to record

at the legendary Sun Studios in Memphis – after all, you

or I couldn’t just troll up and buy a session there. Look

a little closer and the artists names leap out at you – Aki

‘The Flame’ Ikeda on lead guitar, Klaus ‘Mr Fixer’ Tseng

on keyboards – this is Taiwan’s foremost proponent of

Chicago Blues. Ok, so now we know why they got to

record at Sun Studios but are they actually any good?

Well, as mentioned before this is pretty good but if they

were your local bar band you probably wouldn’t go rushing

out to sign them up. The opener, ‘’Blues Floozy’, sets

a scene as they play some fairly uproarious rock ‘n’ roll

with DC ‘Deacon’ Rapier’s harmonica the best thing in

evidence and ‘Back Alley Angel’ has a deep and brooding

tone and it is a fine night-time blues with some excellent

guitar work. ‘You Done Me Wrong’ drives along with some

serious kick to it but the worst vocal I’ve heard in years.

‘Making My Ulcer Bleed’ gets the vote for strangest title of

the century but for ‘notquitetheredness’ their version of ‘I

Saw Her Standing There’ takes the biscuit and probably

the whole éclair as well. A curio and I would check them

out if I was in Taiwan but I wouldn’t travel to Chicago to

see them.

Andy Snipper

PETE PRITCHARD

Beat the Blues

Hanzon (no issue number)

Bass player and singer Pete Pritchard has been a stalwart

of the UK rock and roll scene since the seventies, and

in the intervening years he has played with just about

every rock and roller of note, run a record company called

Alligator Records (no, not that one!) and regularly visits

the States. He is also Alvin Lee’s bassist of choice, and

here Alvin replays the favour by supplying a wonderful

rockabilly guitar break to ‘Rock ‘N’ Roll Ruby’ – which

also, as do several other tracks, features harmonica man

Steve Matthews, adding a contemporary California blues

flavour (the album also opens with Alvin’s ‘Choo Choo

Mama’). Pete is of course very aware of the roots of

rock and roll – try the slightly jazz-inflected ‘Ruby Baby’,

which was originally a hit for The Drifters, for example.

Other big names that Pete can call on are the ex-Elvis

guitarist Scotty Moore, southern vocalist Billy Swan, famed

Nashville guitarist Bucky Barrett, and the late ‘yakety

sax’ man Boots Randolph – listen to the latter’s fantastic

work on Lowell Fulson’s ‘Reconsider Baby’. There are

four originals, and interestingly Pete also covers Tom

Waits’ ‘Way Down In the Hole’; all the borrowed material is

rendered in new and original ways, making this a very fine

and likeable set of chugging rockabilly, rocking r and b,

and cool country and Blues.

Norman Darwen

MICK CLARKE

Tell The Truth & No

Compromise

Beat Goes On Records

This is first chronologically

of three double rereleases

by the UK blues rock

guitarist. Being entirely

new to me it was an

opportunity to track his

career in a matter of

hours not years. The first

1991 CD at twelve tracks

over 49 minutes is tasty,

no frills rocking blues

with fluent fierce guitar.

and adequate workman

like vocals, if low in the mix, from the front man. He is

aided and abetted by regular collaborators, Dangerous

Dave Newman with some fine harp and Lou Martin on

some lovely honky tonk keyboards. The tracks are largely

self penned but leavened with classic covers, such as

Willie Dixon’s ‘Gypsy Woman’. The album is great live

audience fodder, foot tapping and danceable with some

lovely shuffles and boogies sporting a tight engine room

behind some sharp focussed soloing. Derivative maybe

but good honest listening. Mick clearly has a penchant

for instrumentals, two on this CD and three on ‘No

Compromise’, which sadly I do not share, but in this case

they are varied, do not outstay their welcome and are

reasonably inventive, if not destined to live long in the

memory. The latter album is two years later, and again

twelve tracks over 50 minutes but there are noticeable

changes. The vocal is determinedly grittier, there are

subtle changes to the guitar style with more slide and

more sophisticated rhythms from the band. ‘Talking With

The Blues’ is a favourite with Mick himself and I can see

why, with it’s catchy hookline and searing guitar over a

pulsing engine room. Vocally reminiscent of Carl Verheyen

‘Producer Row’ has a nice rolling riff with harp and guitar

boogie. Overall this release is more sophisticated and

a more demanding listen but maybe sacrifices some

immediacy of appeal.

Bob Chaffey

ZOE SCHWARZ & ROB KORAL

Celebration

33 Records

This is a pure jazz album celebrating the artist’s favourite

tracks of the genre. There are sixteen tracks over 56

minutes with just two originals. Classically trained Zoe on

vocals and her guitarist husband, do a splendid job and

their consummate professionalism and ability become

glaringly obvious. Not being a jazz fan I feel unqualified

to attempt a detailed review but their choice of ‘Sitting

On Top Of The World’ as the closing track does give me

licence to espouse a personal view. Cream’s ‘Wheels

Blues Matters! 78

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Blues Matters! 79

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Blues Matters! 80

Of Fire’ was a cathartic experience launching me into a

lifetime love of the Blues. Their treatment of this seminal

Blues track as opposed to Jack Bruce’s passionate and

soul rending vocal and Eric Clapton’s searing guitar

contrasts the blues bon viveur’s joie de vivre to the ascetic

aesthetic of the jazz version on this album. It is a question

of physicality, to feel your whole body and soul respond to

the gut wrenching feel of the three dimensional Blues or

stand apart and admire the two dimensional icy perfection

and delicate nuance of the version here. That said this is a

late night listening treat for fans of the genre with classics

like ‘Cry Me A River’, the scat singing on ‘Let’s Fall In

Love’, ‘My Funny Valentine’ and so on. The two original self

penned tracks ‘Let’s Explain’, Zoe on Billie Holiday, and

‘Empty Rooms’ co-written by Rob about the fall out from a

relationship break up, sit seamlessly with the other material

and indeed deserve to be classics in their own right.

However beautifully produced, played and presented,

the starkness of the arrangements began to blend

together after a while. One for the connoisseur certainly.

This talented couple apparently have a blues band, the

baddestbluesbandever, and I feel sure that will be worthy

of investigation.

Bob Chaffey

CHRIS JOSS

Monomaniacs

ESL Music

Multi-instrumentalist Chris Joss creates a wonderful

retro 1960’s Funk feel to this release, the instrumental

album is predominately driven by the organ and the

tracks feel like they have been lifted from American

movies & TV shows of the era. Since undertaking some

research I can acknowledge that his music has been

used in recent film scores and he also wrote the music

for the TV documentary ‘Inside Deep throat’, re-working

the music from the original Deep Throat film soundtrack.

All instruments are played by Chris and the sounds are

typically what you would expect from a six piece Funk band

to sound like, I am not sure what “market” this music is

intended for but readers of Blues Matters do not be put off

by the lack of blues here, this album is guaranteed to have

your foot tapping within seconds of putting this disc on. The

album is probably one of the easiest albums to listen to

that I have reviewed, while each track has its own unique

flavour the tracks seem to merge together to create one

continuous Funk tempo. Interesting artist and definitely an

album that should be heard, not unlike the early Shuggie

Otis sound, albeit heavier on the organ.

Adrian Blacklee

LANDAU, FORD, HASLIP &

NOVAK

Renegade Creation

Provogue Records

It would be very easy to use a certain word when talking

about this quartet of stellar musicians joining forces to

see what happens when the playing starts. I don’t want

to put such a label to what perhaps is a transient coming

together of like-minded guys. So no labels but I figure you

will all know the word that could be used. So with two fine

guitarists in Michael and Robben coupled with the brilliance

CD REVIEWS

of the rhythm section of Jimmy on bass and Gary holding

the whole thing together at the back on drums it was

guaranteed that juices would flow. With writing honours

spread throughout the cuts everybody has brought tracks

to the table. Whilst there is no doubt that the music

would in general fall on the Rock side of the tracks there

is so much room in the arrangements that the soloing

often has a kind of Jazz and Blues feel to it. So I guess

it is a bit of a hybrid of styles that keeps us, the listener,

guessing exactly where a song is going. Time signatures

change frequently in, for example, ‘Soft In Black Jeans’.

For nice Blues check out ‘Destiny Over Me’ or ‘Who

Do You Think You Are’. There are eight songs and two

instrumentals. ‘Peace’ is kind of dreamy summer feel

and ‘Brothers’ lulls you at the start into thinking it also is

laid back before bursting into freeform life.

Graeme Scott

SANDI THOM

Merchants and Thieves

Guardian Angels

Sandi Thom acquired some

degree of mainstream fame

a few years back via her

internet podcast gigs at

home, which created quite a

stir, and subsequently some

controversy concerning what

lay behind all that. She had

emerged from one of the

country’s ‘Fame Academy’

schools and was situated

somewhere in the areas of singer/songwriter

and pop. On this latest CD, however, she appears

to have embraced the world of roots music, and just

about every style that could come under that umbrella

is represented here. All the songs are originals, mostly

co-written with collaborators. The CD kicks off with a

country song ‘Maggie McCall’, all twangy guitars and a

vocal that mimics authentic American country singers.

The next track, ‘Runaway Train’, features bluesy slide

guitar and is a boogie, the vocal strong and in a style

wholly different from what went before. This sets the

pattern, as one style of music follows another, each

with the appropriate vocal style. The Blues is perhaps

the dominant genre, with a number of tracks presenting

varied Blues styles – ‘Gold Dust’ features lead guitars

and lots of tremolo, ‘Show No Concern’ is an acoustic

blues, and a good one, rather in the style of Rory Block,

and ‘This Ol’ World’ is a storming blues shuffle featuring

Joe Bonamassa (this track wouldn’t be out of place on

one of his own records). Other tracks are in the folk area,

such as the interesting and soothing instrumental title

track and the stomping ‘Heart Of Stone’. The CD closes

strongly, with the a cappella ‘Ghost Town’, which shows

that the solo folk singer direction is one that Sandi Thom

could bring a lot to. The best song for me is the closer,

‘Belly Of The Blues’, a song that starts off folky and ends

up as a rock number. Overall, the impression is of an

artist doing a bit of this and a bit of that without perhaps

yet finding her true ‘voice’.

Mark Harrison

Blues Matters! 81

CD REVIEWS

JOE BONAMASSA

Black Rock

Provogue Records

Now I think most of

us would agree that it

can be the case that

when an artist keeps

regularly pumping

out the albums that

there can be a drop

in quality. In no way

can that be levelled at

Joe. Creatively he has

consistently maintained

the highest standards

in all elements of his craft. The playing throughout this

new release is never short of excellent; vocally his pipes

continue to gain a more powerful delivery whilst maturing

tonally. Keeping in line with his other releases Joe mixes

fine originals with interesting and slightly unusual covers.

Once again teaming up with producer Kevin Shirley

aurally this is one belter of a CD. Cranked up the clarity

is precise and clear from the top to the bottom. ‘Steal

Your Heart Away’ the old Bobby Parker cut, was this also

done by The Moody Blues (?) slams into your chest as

the opener. Notes fly off the fretboard at an alarming rate

of knots but never just for the sake of it. A second cover,

John Hiatt’s ‘I Know A Place’ quickly follows up and it is

not until ‘When The Fire Hits The Sea’ and ‘Quarryman’s

Lament’ come along that we have the first originals. The

former is a stomping groove that you never want to end

which it of course does and the latter slows the pace down

by several notches. Flutes and acoustic guitars float on

the air adding an Eastern Mediterranean feel. I loved the

pairing of ‘Spanish Boots’ and the lovely working of ‘Bird

On A Wire’. Throw in BB King adding terrific vocal and

guitar touches on ‘Night Life’ and you have Willie Nelson

as never before. This album has class with a capitol C all

through it.

Graeme Scott

QUEST FOR FIRE

Quest For Fire

Teepee

This is an interesting album to review for Blues Matters as

the music therein allies itself far closer to the early days of

Hawkwind than the Blues. Canadian band Quest For Fire’s

debut album is better described as stoner rock and is

something I may have listened to in my student days when

day segued into night then back into day, always with

sounds in the background. Here, a song may meander for

as long as it takes, following a groove until someone dares

to break it. ‘The opener ‘Bison Eyes’ is relatively traditional

and plain as the foursome set out on their journey.

‘Strange Waves’ is more Pink Floyd with the distanced

and elongated guitar sounding much like Gilmore. ‘Hawk

That Hunts The Walking’ and ‘I’ve Been Trying To Leave’

and ‘You Are Always Loved’ maintain that relaxed, laid

back vein but each with it’s own menacing undercurrent

and it isn’t until the closing track ‘Next To The Fire’ that the

menace is notched up a gear and the band gush into life

for this nine minute whirlwind. Truth to tell, I would have

liked this when I played with a luminous frisbee at 4 am on

Clapham Common in the seventies.

Merv Osborne

JIMMY ZEE

Devil Take Me Down

JZ Records

This was my first exposure to Jimmy and his music and

what a good time I have had with this album since it

dropped on my mat. If any prompting were needed for

me to say that Canada is producing an excellent array

of artists then this B.C. based musician would certainly

be a good example to use. Overall there is a big sound

on a lot of the tracks thanks to horns, keys, harps, layers

of guitars, percussion and vocals. Jimmy growls his way

through the songs in never less than an engaging way.

‘Working Hard’ drives the opening salvo, of mostly selfpenned

tracks, quickly followed by the fine acoustic Blues

of the title track and ‘Diamonds’. There is a kind of Blues

Funk mix to ‘Bad End Boys’ that works really well. There

is a credit on the sleeve thanking the Bad End Boys so

perhaps they might be the horn section. Whoever they

are they groove as do the two harpists that I recognised

Harpdog Brown and somewhat confusingly Jimmy Z

(USA). There are plenty of good lyrical hooks to keep you

on the line. The acoustic opening with slide, harmonica

drums and piano to ‘Drinking All Night Long’ tells a tale

that perhaps we can all relate to and keeps it simple.

The full band returns on ‘All My Love’ then the back up is

stripped again for ‘Boston City’. I really liked ‘Roxy Roller’

for no particular reason and ‘Santa Fe’ with its spoken

lyrics works in a kind of Robbie Robertson Somewhere

Down the Crazy River way.

Not sure how many previous albums are maybe kicking

around but on the strength of this go looking folks.

Graeme Scott

THE IMAGINED VILLAGE

Empire & Love

ECC Records

This is a terrific record that

succeeds triumphantly

in its aims. To simplify,

its aim is to create

modern British folk

music that incorporates

elements of modern

multi-cultural British

society. Traditional folk

is at the heart of it,

and this is combined

with Indian music and

instrumentation, and the subtle use

of electronica. The songs combine the traditional with

the modern, not only musically, but also lyrically (witness

the quite stunning opener ‘My Son John’ that show this

project off at its very best). Folk luminaries Martin Carthy,

Eliza Carthy and Chris Wood front the whole thing, and

of course they are among the Premier League of the

folk scene. In particular, it is hard to imagine that Martin

Blues Matters! 82

Carthy, veteran of many a decade in the vanguard of

English folk, has ever sounded better or more vibrant.

‘Sweet Jane’ is a bit like vintage Fairport Convention, but

as on every track, the attempt is not to simply replicate

what has been done well before, but to put something

new into the mix. The musicianship throughout is top

class, the production values high, the sound beautiful and

clear. Intricate rhythms and complex time signatures are

carried off effortlessly, for example on ‘Byker Hill’, and the

combination of guitars and sitar works as if the two were

always meant to go together. Old favourite ‘Scarborough

Fair’ gets an outing here (Martin Carthy was the creator

of the arrangement that went on to fame and fortune

when Paul Simon appropriated it) but it’s not a mothballed

song, the arrangement and performances rendering it

as something quite brilliant. Slade’s old pop hit ‘Cum On

Feel The Noize’ gets the treatment too, showing that the

Wolverhampton bard Noddy Holder is not out of place in

this company. This is an excellent modern traditional folk

album with interesting, well thought-out accompaniment,

superlative singing and great originality that make it

something entirely new.

Mark Harrison

ROBERT PECKMAN

Right Where I Want To Be

Bonedog

This album simply oozes

class and delivers the

listener an hour of

excellent horn-laden and

soulful Blues. Peckman

wrote all the songs here

and he doesn’t come

over as a tyro, rather

these songs swing with

absolute ease. His vocal

style is sweetly soulful

– that word again – with

a limited range but effortless presentation. Steve

Delach’s guitar work is excellent throughout and Brandon

Barnes drumming is simple and efficient which is useful

as Peckman is also the bass player and the pair carry the

band along at a fine clip. The songs are modern classics

and seem to be pitched in at the lounge audience rather

than a spit and sawdust establishment. But he has an

original and ‘real’ touch – ‘Old School Is Still Cool’ for

instance is a soul belter celebrating the sounds of the

soul greats on vinyl – I don’t think that they think P. Diddy

when R&B is mentioned. The harmonies throughout are

complex and terrific and coupled with an excellent horn

section there are times that you feel you are listening

to a Memphis soul orchestra. On trying to investigate

Robert Peckman’s origins it seems that he originates from

Pennsylvania and used to play with a disco band called Q

but here he has his origins clearly out on his sleeve. If you

are in the market for BB King style Blues or something

with a Southern fried Soul feel this really is a collection

of modern day classics – ‘I’m The Goat’, ‘Pickpocket’ or

‘Honeyboy’ stand up alongside much of the Stax output

from the late sixties and unlike many modern takes on

classic soul this bears repeated listening.

Andy Snipper

ERIC McFADDEN

Train To Salvation

CD REVIEWS

Bad Reputation

With such talent, creativity and charisma, it’s hard to

believe that the exceptionally gifted Eric McFadden isn’t

yet known in the UK even though the American is a name

to be reckoned with both in the States and the rest of

Europe. With over twenty sensational albums under the

belt, McFadden has hit the jackpot again with “Train To

Salvation”. He isn’t simply a guitar virtuoso (both acoustic

and electric) and an amazing voice, he doesn’t play notes,

he lives them. Listen to ‘Last Day Of My Life’ and feel

those emotions perforating your soul. What about the

double bass, violin and bandoneon adding just enough

texture to the arrangements, leaving Eric’s voice fly over

each song except for ‘Stealing From The Dead’, a musical

track with such energy you feel the devil is leading the

dance in one of Tim Burton’s black and white films. Each

track means a different mood: ‘Drive’ and ‘All Those

Tomorrows’ have a feel of intimacy, whilst others like ‘Fair

Trade’ are more rocky, more like the old McFadden but the

man has mellowed lately and life seems less dark these

days. With a song as moving and powerful as ‘Where Is

Ferdinand’ about the death of a son, you feel the tears

rolling down your face, but there’s still a ray of hope…

Life is worth living if only to listen to the monument that is

McFadden. Let’s hope we’ll soon have the chance to see

him perform in the UK.

Frankie Pfeiffer/Nat Harrap

POKEY LAFARGE and the

SOUTH CITY THREE

Riverboat Soul

Free Dirt Records

When an artist employs the Kazoo in one of their songs

(as Pokey Lafarge does in ‘Claude Jones’…and numerous

others, come to think of it), you know you’ve exited the

mainstream and entered the esoteric world of folk. This is

no bad thing of course: thigh-slapping ho-down music, all

upright bass and washboard, is probably due a comeback.

Indeed, if you like country blues of Mississippi John Hurt et

al, this is the album for you – the call and response vocals

of ‘Two-Faced Tom’ reminded me of John the Revelator

or Black Betty (the Iron Head version, not the Ram Jam

version). The musicianship is excellent throughout, with

some truly brilliant guitar work on ‘Won’t Make Love At All’

and ‘Hard Times Come And Go’, and some impressive

harp playing on album closer ‘Daffodil Blues’. The problem

lies in the fact that all of the songs sound rather similar,

often following the exact same tempo, the only respite

being the beautiful ballad, ‘Bag of Bones’. Now one cannot

accuse Lafarge of contrivance or insincerity - this is a man

who does over 200 gigs a year – but surely the yodelling

on ‘Sweet Potato Blues’ strays dangerously close to

parody? This leads me back to my original point: if you

love country blues, give this a go; if not, look elsewhere.

Adam Bates

Blues Matters! 83

CD REVIEWS

BILL STEWART

On Top Of The World

RGF

In a clean and understated manner this album is one of

the most honest and pure Blues albums I have heard

from a white Brit and it bears listening to time and again.

Stewart’s guitar style is simple with a fingerpicking purity

of tone and some wicked slide work as well and his

version of ‘Sittin’ On Top Of The World’, at least in part

because he doesn’t try too hard, is one of the best I’ve

heard. He tells stories like a folkie – ‘Who Do You Think

You Are’ is the story of a Northeastern coal miner, or

maybe every coal miner, at the end of his ‘career’ while

‘The Man In His Pin Striped Suit’ depicts the eternal class

war and the plight of the downtrodden lower classes.

Stewart wears his political heart on his sleeve but I seem

to remember Woody Guthrie and Pete Seeger doing the

same thing and they didn’t turn out too badly. All over

the album Stewart’s guitar catches the ear whether he is

playing a reggae/flamenco riff or classic slide and he has

the feel of a man whose playing is as natural as singing or

even talking – I would hazard a guess that when he isn’t

performing then he is still picking away at the machine

for the sheer habit and pleasure of it. The album is a

combination of his own songs, mainly as a witness to

the decline of his beloved North East, and very different

versions of classics – ‘Rollin’ and Tumblin’ sounds many

leagues away from Muddy Waters but he still puts it over

with real brio and you ‘get’ the song as if it were one of his

own. All round a superb solo album with a real regional

sound and some fine playing.

Andy Snipper

Blues Matters! 84

COREY

HARRIS

blu.black

Telarc

He might be signed to

one of the mainstream

blues record labels, but

Corey Harris is definitely

not your average blues

musician. If you’re

expecting an album of

twelve bar rip-offs, with

lyrics about women, whiskey and song – then you’re going

to be disappointed. “blu.black” is a very personal record,

taking in all aspects of black music from around the

world. There is a lot of reggae and world music styles. It

showcases his strengths as a singer and as a songwriter.

There are many genuine highlights, including the stunning

Gospel-infused ‘My Song’. It’s a natural heir to Bob

Marley’s ‘Redemption Song’ and beautifully sung. The

final track, called simply ‘blues’ does exactly what it says

on the tin. It’s the only straight blues track on the whole

album. While it does demonstrate why an artist like Corey

Harris is on a label like Telarc, it’s not the reason you

should hear this album. He’s still a great guitarist, but this

is an album about songs – not fretwork. Corey Harris has

pulled off a stunning mixture of musical styles from Africa,

the Caribbean and the Americas. Like the aforementioned

Mr Marley, he has made it look very easy and his songs

demand to be heard.

Jamie Hailstone

VARIOUS

The World Is Yours

Freeworld

I thought that the compilation of a more than decent label

sampler (budget) release was a lost art- but Freeworld

proves me wrong with this 18 track set which shows the

breadth of the label’s output, ranging across the roots

music spectrum from folk and cajun to jazz and Bluesrock.

To name only those of most immediate interest to

readers: UK Blues-rocker Robin Trower has an excellent

Hendrix-flavoured track in ‘Freefall’, veteran rhythm &

Blues man Gary US Bonds (one of Bruce Springsteen’s

influences) is in top form, the great Beausoleil provide

some rootsy Louisiana sounds, Mitch Ryder has some

bluesy funk, and Bloodkin are represented with some

very blues inflected southern rock. There is also plenty of

Americana, some singer-songwriter styled material and

one or two numbers that defy easy categorisation – you

even have John Coltrane’s son to close out the set. Worth

investigating, and proof that the Blues influence is wider

than many people think. The sleeve helpfully directs the

reader/ listener to the original albums, so be ready to

spend more after you’ve enjoyed this!

Norman Darwen

JEFF BECK

Emotion &

Commotion

Atco

Seven years since the

master’s last outing

and I was really hoping

for something more.

The opener, ‘Corpus

Christi’ is string-bound

and while his playing

impeccable there is no

humanity in the piece – it sounds as though

he was trying to prove the spiritual side of his nature

but for me it misses. ‘Hammerhead’ is a massive slab of

fusion with the band creating a huge beat and his guitar

doing those things that only Jeff Beck can do on a Strat;

close you eyes and you can see the shark attacking and

chasing you across the ocean floor. ‘Never Alone’ is still in

fusion territory but back to the slow and soulful playing – it

is played brilliantly but there isn’t anything that a hundred

other guitarists don’t/can’t do; I know he invented the

form but the rest of the world has caught him. Then we

hit prime radio 2 territory with ‘Over The Rainbow’. OMG,

what schlock! ‘I Put A Spell On You’ featuring Joss Stone

on vocals addresses the balance a little – great vocal

and a fine version – but again he uses strings where

bare simplicity would have been so much stronger. I will

give him his due for ‘Lilac Wine’ and ‘Nessun Dorma’

where his guitar is absolutely fabulous. Pavarotti showed

that you could do Nessun Dorma without the audience

understanding or knowing the words and Beck’s playing

manages to bring over all the emotion in this hugely

overblown but occasionally great piece. ‘There’s No Other

One’ kicks booty with Joss Stone’s vocals going apeshit

against Beck’s guitar and the whole thing comes down

again ‘Elegy For Dunkirk’ taking us back to the mood that

he opened the album with. I really wanted this to be a

great album by one of the true guitar greats but he feels to

have taken an easy path too often and there are just too

many strings.

Andy Snipper

HERVE SAMB

Cross Over

Self prod.

Born in Senegal, Hervé

Samb is one of many

African musicians to have

settled in France. From a

very early age, it becomes

clear that the young

guitar player has talent

and he soon becomes

one of those guitar

phenomena, but the story doesn’t stop here. A

genius with a six-string, he is also fascinated by the links

between African and French musical cultures and the

ties between the rhythms of his native country and black

American music. This album is born from Hervé’s wish to

bring together African and African-American communities.

“Cross Over” is in fact a concept album, a true musical

performance where jazz meets funk, where Blues merges

with ancestral African rhythms. Each of the twelve tracks

on this album has its own individual sparkle on this

musical crossroad, each with its own luminosity and

intensity. Some open the door to percussions and African

drums, others are peppered with scratches bringing them

a kind of urban touch. Each track takes you on a journey

of its own and lovers of good music will happily wander

through the many musical paths leading to a crossroad

which touches heart and soul, a heart and soul which

Hervé wants to share with you. With this album, there is

also a fascinating booklet written by Hervé, giving you all

the explanations helping you to live the songs rather than

just follow them. Make sure you don’t miss this exciting

and touching album.

Frankie Pfeiffer/Nat Harrap

EMIT BLOCH

Dictaphones Vol 1

One Little Indian

Mad, crazed and rough as a dog’s bottom – but all in

a good way! This entire album was recorded on Emit

Bloch’s kitchen table – on a Dictaphone! - and he has

managed to make an album that makes Seasick Steve

sound sophisticated; but this is also as much fun as the

average joe can handle. He sings about anything that

comes to mind – ‘My Cabin’ is a series of instructions

about the route to Mr Bloch’s cabin, ‘Right Next Door’ is

a diatribe against his neighbour, ‘Bottom-Class Middle

Feeding Top Hat Duet’ recounts the sad tale of a riches

to rags couple bemoaning their misfortunes – and his

playing is rudimentary at best but for all his caterwauling

and strangulated vocal performance he has real charm.

CD REVIEWS

The album embodies true spirit – the old Bluesmen sang

of the things that they saw and felt directly with little

abstraction, folk music is all about true occurrences and

legends while punk was all about doing it whether anyone

thought you could play or not and all these are here in

spirit. Anyone who has heard Frank Zappa’s recordings

of Wild Man Fischer will recognise this album for what it is

– true music from the head and heart of a man who needs

to be heard. All this might seem like waffle but in truth it

is impossible to talk about the quality of the music; he is

a rare talent with no filters in his music and he is great to

listen to if not great to hear.

Andy Snipper

CLASSIC APPALACHIAN

BLUES

Various

Smithsonian Folkways

As far as I am concerned the imprint ‘From Smithsonian

Folkways’ is a guarantee that the contents will be well

recorded, completely authentic and absolutely essential

listening – this doesn’t change my opinion one jot.

21 tracks of utterly compelling early Blues with the

added intrigue that they were recorded high up in the

Appalachian mountains where one might more normally

expect Bluegrass and vocal trios. No matter – what do

you get here? The aforementioned 21 tracks and all of

them crackers – Sticks

McGee weighs in with

opener ‘My Baby’s

Gone’ playing some

superb harmonica

as well as his clear

and open vocals and

closes the album as

well in the company

of Sonny Terry & J C

Burris doing ‘Drinking

Wine Spo-Dee-O-

Dee’. Doc Watson is

superb finger-picking

his way through

‘Sitting On Top Of

The World’ while Bill

Williams version of

‘Don’t Let Your Deal Go Down’ has a home-grown

flavour and a tremulous but rich vocal over furious banjo

playing. Everywhere there are examples of Blues being

played live and without any effects but the music and the

emotional content comes through without any effort or

impediment and there are some numbers that could easily

have come from Chicago or Clarksdale – The Reverend

Gary Davis picking his way through ‘Hesitation Blues’ or

Brownie McGhee with a heartfelt ‘Pawn Shop Blues’ telling

us how he pawned his clothes, radio and even his car

before pawning his guitar. A favourite, through repeated

listening, is Martin, Bogan and Armstrong with an eerie live

recording of ‘Hoodoo Blues’ featuring Howard Armstrong’s

fiddle and Ted Bogan on guitar - 5 minutes of Blues

perfection. As ever with Smithsonian Folkways releases

there is an excellent booklet with genuinely interesting

tales to tell about every track as well.

Andy Snipper

Blues Matters! 85

CD REVIEWS

GORDIE TENTREES

Mercy Or Sin

Self Released

Gordie Tentrees is from

Yukon Territory, the most

north westerly part of

Canada bordering Alaska.

From this rustic and cold

environment Tentrees

has made an album of

enormous warmth and

depth. It is his third album,

and though he may have passed under the radar in this

country, he is well worth eventual discovery. There is

great variety, from the folksy tale ‘Alfred’ to the percussive

and Bluesy ‘No Integrity Man’. Slide guitar adds suitable

cry to the maternal tribute ‘Hey Mama’, which treads a

careful path between emotion and sentimentality. Rocking

tracks like ‘Devil Talks’ combine a strong lyrical content

with powerful backing and will be favourites at his live

performances. As well as acoustic guitar Tentrees plays

dobro and rack mounted harmonica, and the interspersion

of reflective country Blues songs between the full band

performances maintains interest throughout an excellent

album, that seems to improve with every listen. All but two

of the twelve tunes are written or co-written by Tentrees,

and the highlight is a fine duet with Jennie Sosnowski

in the title track, replete with light percussion and pedal

steel it perfectly paints a picture...”Like touching earth

against a prairie wind she’s full of trouble and hell I’m all

in”. Wonderful.

Noggin

CURTIS JONES

Live in London

BGO Records

This is a re-issued and re-mastered recording of a1963

gig at West Hampstead. Curtis Jones is a name that

seems to have been somewhat lost in the sands of time

and is a completely new name to me. I imagine that

he was somewhat overshadowed by some of the more

illustrious black blues artists who were touring in the UK at

the time. Names such as Memphis Slim, Champion Jack

Dupree, Roosevelt Sykes and others; it is sad to say it

but Curtis Jones does not seem to be quite in their same

league. The music on this is really rather ordinary although

the package is lifted by Andrew Thompson’s excellent job

of re-mastering and a cover graced by one of Val Wilmer’s

typically stunning portraits. There is historical interest

here with the presence of Alexis Korner on guitar and the

album gives a good idea of the type of live blues that was

extant in London at the time. The CD booklet contains two

essays – Paul Oliver’s dating from 1964, and Tony Russell

from 2009. Paul Oliver’s essay is interestingly detailed

on what was a typically hard lived blues life. They tend to

draw two rather opposite conclusions about Curtis Jones

worth as an artist. There are 14 tracks of pretty standard

piano led blues and I shall leave the listener to side with

Mr. Oliver or Mr. Russell.

Vicky Martin

Blues Matters! 86

GUITAR SHORTY

Bare Knuckle

Alligator Records

It’s hard to believe when listening to the twelve tracks of

this album that the singer and guitar player has just hit 70.

Still, David William Kearney was born three years before

Jimi Hendrix, in September 1939, and grew up to become

one of the more established names in Bruce Iglauer’s

record label, Alligator Records. And it is the same Bruce

who co-writes the opening track of this album, ‘Please

Mr President’. Heavily influenced by B.B. King, T. Bone

Walker and Guitar Slim, who he toured with, Guitar Shorty

has created a very personal and highly recognisable style.

He has a fiendish fluidity with a guitar and releases sharp

and tense notes which merge effortlessly in a background

of powerful percussions. Nothing seems to stop him, just

check out the tracks he has written with his bass player,

Wyzard, which seem to have been made so that the old

guitar player becomes a young prodigy of the six-string

again. Keep an ear out for ‘The Sting’ and ‘Get Off’ which

Guitar Shorty makes his own absolutely. It is one of the

strengths of this album to make us believe that each track,

whether covers or originals, has been especially made

for this album. A quality of sound to which must be added

the talent of the musicians who perform on this album and

which names will help you understand why it deserves to

be added to your CD collection: Keb Mo, Rickey Rouse,

Alex Alessandroni, Spacey T. and many more.


PHILIP SAYCE

Innerevolution

Provogue

“Innerevolution” is the

third album from the

Aberystwyth born, former

sidesman to Jeff Healey,

and easily his best so

far. While the high energy,

fluid guitar playing and powerful

guitar riffs from “Peace Machine” are present in

spades; there is also a greater emphasis on song writing

and melody. Collaborations with Richard Marx and Marti

Frederiksen has undoubtedly contributed to a slight

change in approach. The result is a cohesive and powerful

release of Blues influenced rock, not for the fainthearted.

A drum roll kicks off the opening ‘Changes’ before

layers of feedback and a distinctive guitar melody. It’s

immediately apparent from the opening lyrics that Sayce’s

vocals are as impressive as his fiery guitar playing. The

Hendrix influence that characterises his previous work

can be heard on the funky ‘Scars’ and psychedelic Blues

of ‘Little Miss America.’ There’s a catchy cover of the

Automatic Man song ‘My Pearl’ whilst ‘Are You Ready’

features has a Celtic tinged melody. The pace does

relent at times, particularly on the piano led ‘Daydream

Tonight’ and insightful slow burner ‘Anymore’. Sandwiched

between them is the hard rocking ‘Take You Away’, which

has a pulsating trademark Sayce riff. This is Sayce’s most

polished album in respect of song writing, sonics and

performance with the balance of light and shade certain to

widen his fan base. - Duncan Beattie

MICHAEL LANDAU, ROBBEN

FORD, JIMMY HASLIP & GARY

NOVAK

Renegade

Creation

Provogue

Given the pedigree of the

players on this album, it is

somewhat a surprise that

this release has slipped out

with little fanfare. Robben

Ford with top session

guitarist Michael Landau,

bassist Jimmy Haslip

and drummer Gary Novak. It commences with Landau’s

‘What’s Up’ which features some great interplay between

the guitarists, however, it’s not before track four, ‘God

and Rock ‘N Roll’, that the disc really starts to heat up,

with the initial verses being followed up by some powerful

instrumentation. The centrepiece of the album is the slow

Blues of the band co-write ‘The Darkness’. The lyrics,

sung by Ford, speak of loneliness with an atmospheric

mood of reflection provided by both guitarists. ‘Renegade

Destruction’ is far more direct with Landau angrily snarling

the politically tinged lyrics. The guitarists harmonise in

more melodic fashion on ‘Peace’ while ‘Who Do You Think

You Are’ builds up the momentum as the two guitarists

exchange Blues guitar licks. The album will attract the

fans of both Ford and Landau and general fans of electric

guitar playing. However, as a consequence of the album

primarily comprising songs by either Ford or Landau there

are only periodic intervals in which they step beyond

their respective musical styles. One example of this is

the lengthy jazz fusion of ‘Brothers’ which does see each

member throw of their shackles as the playing of Haslip

and Novak is offered a greater stage, thus coming closer

to the musical tour de force that was expected.

Duncan Beattie

FEED ME

Blood On The

Moon

myspace.com/

feedmerightnow

This review is of the 5-track

EP that preceded the release

of the full 11-track CD of

the same name. Feed Me

is a young five-piece from

Cumbria, currently making their

way in the Blues world. They’re more rock than blues,

with heavy, riff-driven guitar to the fore. The songs are all

originals written by the band, which is to be commended,

and they exhibit bags of raw energy and enthusiasm.

Interestingly, they describe themselves as ‘the nonblues

blues band’. Their influences are clearly the great

rock bands of the late 60s and early 70s. The singer J J

Fletcher has a voice with some character that puts the

band above the norm in this increasingly crowded field

and makes them in some ways reminiscent of Free but

perhaps not as distinctive as that great band. The guitars

CD REVIEWS

work well together and the rhythm section is tight. The CD

suggests that they are likely to go down very well live and

tracks such as ‘Lonely Blues’ have the hallmark of crowdpleasers..

There is light and shade on this set too, with the

pleasant acoustic guitar-led ‘Country Blues’ suggesting

that the band can tackle different styles. Like a number

of young bands and solo guitarist/singers emerging at

this time, Feed Me would have fitted right in with the late

1960s/early 1970s scene as rock music developed from

Blues. This isn’t to damn the band as doing something

‘old’ because for a great many young people, this kind

of music is a whole new and exciting thing. As Seasick

Steve often says ‘It’s all good’. Feed Me could well emerge

as one of the more successful of the bands in this vein,

especially if their songwriting develops into something with

more individuality.

Mark Harrison

ALABAMA MIKE

Day To Day

Jukehouse Records

Upon the basis of “Day To

Day” the Bay Area Blues

Society have recently selected

Benjamin ‘Alabama’ Mike

as 2010 Blues New Artist of

the Year. This is his highly

promising debut release,

produced by Scott Silveira, who

uncovered Mike in Berkeley, California. The majority of

the songs on the CD are self-composed and they touch

many of the regular Blues basis points. ‘Religion’ musically

is a lengthened version of ‘How Blue Can You Get’ whilst

‘Lay My Money Down’ resembles the late John Lee

Hooker. Elmore James is a strong influence and the album

includes two of his songs in ‘Knocking At Your Door’ and

the more laidback ‘Strange Angels’. The album features

an array of Californian musicians; most notably John

Lawton on slide guitar particularly prominent on the

James inspired ‘Sara Brown’ and a fast tempo version

of ‘Death Letter Blues’ while John Nemeth adds harp

to ‘I’ve Been Rocked’. Although the arrangements may

seem familiar, the lyrical themes are current, notably

on the title track. Vocally Mike sounds close to Johnny

Copeland and ‘Naggin’ could almost have featured on

the “Showdown” album he recorded with Albert Collins

and Robert Cray. Fans of the latter will also be keen

to hear Mike’s interpretation of ‘Too Many Cooks,’

which is given a Latin flavour. Although it would

be inaccurate to suggest that this album seriously

breaks new ground, it is one highly recommended to

fans of Chicago style Blues.

Duncan Beattie

THE ERIC RANZONI TRIO

Live At ‘Round Midnight Blues

Bar’

Self Issued

Eric Ranzoni is an Italian Blues Pianist, living in London

(from what I can glean) and playing music from all over

the Southern States and Chicago. He plays music that you

would love to hear in a bar at midnight, with a smoky haze

Blues Matters! 87

CD REVIEWS

coming down from the ceiling and a large shot of bourbon

in your gut. Classic jamming Blues with a big smile and

knowing wink and played well enough if not exactly worldshatteringly

well. Every number here is a well-worn piece

of Blues history: Memphis Slim’s ‘Lonesome Traveller’ and

‘Mother Earth’, ‘Rollin’ & Tumblin’, a couple of Willie Dixon

numbers – ‘Hoochie Coochie Man’ & ‘Little Red Rooster’

– and more. Ranzoni is a pretty fair pianist with a great

left hand and good rhythm while Julien D’Imperio blows a

mean and soulful harp – Lewis Fielding’s guitar is best as

a melody instrument, solos not so good, but the thing that

takes most getting used to is Ranzoni’s vocal; he definitely

understands everything he is singing but he hasn’t got the

raunch and dirtyness to get the best out of the songs while

his accent tends to make itself known from time to time.

But that is nitpicking; the overall result here is an album

that is a good listen and makes you want to go and see

the band live and in my book that is a winning roll. The

Blues doesn’t need to be played with classical attention

to detail and trios like this one are an ideal way to hear

the great numbers played without slavish copying of the

originals or blowing you out of your seat. Enjoyable and

my guess is that they are a great night out.

Andy Snipper

DON RAY BAND

On Top Of

The Heap

Margdon Records

The opening track

‘The High Road’

is confident and

introduces Don’s

vocals and Steve

Brewster on drums

haven taken up the

sticks from Don.

The whole album

allows all the members to demonstrate their solid

musicianship and confidence each other’s skills; ‘I might

Say Goodbye’ has the delightful combination of don’s

soulful voice and burning guitar riffs supplied by Curt.

Don Ray Band on tracks such as ‘Good Bad Boy’ have a

distinct nod towards country though never leaving behind

the blues, on this track there is the use of female backing

vocals which is a layer of sound too many , the lyrics tell

the story and do not need this embellishment. The title

track ‘On Top Of The Heap’ rounds this CD of and is a

skilful combination of traditions from Blues and Country

lyrics (religion and poverty) with a modern relevance of the

credit crunch and leaves you wanting to see the band live

which I am positive would be a foot stomping energetic

affair. Don Ray may have left the drums and backstage

position behind him, this well produced Bluesy rock album

with his strong vocals has proved the walk to the front of

the band was the right one – “On Top Of The Heap” is a

CD that may not challenge the listener but will definitely

not disappoint in the competent delivery of songs written

by Don Ray and Curt Ryle.

Liz Aiken

Blues Matters! 88

MARK

SELBY

One Night

In Bonn:

Live At

Rockpalast

Pepper Cake

Mark Selby fronts a

power trio that does

no-nonsense straight-

down-theline

blues rock, with the accent on rock. He has a strong

voice and decent guitar chops, as a lead player throwing

out some nice clean lines. Within the blues/rock field,

there’s some variety here. There’s the raunchy chord work

in the Stones mould of the opener, ‘She’s Like Mercury’,

plenty of rock boogie, some funky grooves such as in ‘I

Stole Your Love’, and the odd slower number such as the

ballad ‘Baby I Do’. There’s also some nice slide work on

‘More Storms Comin’, a particularly effective number. Mark

Selby has some pedigree as a songwriter in Nashville

in the area of country/pop, and he has written material

for Kenny Wayne Shepherd. As a solo artist he’s firmly

embraced the blues rock genre. All the songs are originals

he has co-written with a variety of partners. There’s the

odd well-crafted song such as ‘Blue On Black’ but much of

the material is pretty generic and formulaic, both musically

and lyrically, and he doesn’t appear to be trying to break

any new ground. The rhythm section of Charles ‘Chopper’

Anderson on bass and Daryl ‘DB’ Burgess on drums is

a particularly good one and would grace any band. The

CD sound is very good and you get plenty of music for

your money. Mark Selby and his band are perfectly good

at what they do and this recording indicates that they go

down very well live. Though it might be fair to say that

this record is more competent than inspired, it would be a

worthy addition to a blues/rock lover’s collection.

Mark Harrison

BLUE TRAFFIC

More Tales Along The Way

Unsigned

This much awaited CD from everyone who follows this

exciting rock/blues bands from the Rhondda Valleys

doesn’t disappoint. BLUE TRAFFIC have succeeded in

“More Tales Along The Way”, transporting their distinctive

loud sound into the studio. Dave Williams combination of

lyrical rock voice with accomplished guitar playing shines

out thanks to the solid support from Wayne Jones (Bass)

and Meirion Sampson (Drums).Their signature live track,

‘Twist in The Tale’ opens the CD it is a strong fast track

setting the tone of the CD and keeps on the Blues side

of Rock as demonstrated when the track is repeated in

acoustic form. The tracks ‘Toucan Moon’; ‘Drinking and

Thinking’ and ‘Moon Over Mountain’ all demonstrate their

skills with thoughtful lyrics and harmonised musicianship.

The CD moves at a pace but is not a race with each track

having a different tempo and ‘Tippie Taboo’ is a fun track

alluding to Voodoo Chile with definite Hendrix inspired

guitar licks combined with Dave Williams lyrics evoking

psychedelic rock. The CD ends with two unexpected

Hawkwind covers that complete the first recorded out of

BLUE TRAFFIC; hopefully not the last and the CD will

enable these three talented musicians to have a wider fan

base outside of Wales. “More Tales Along The Way” is a

great CD for anyone’s collection who want a live sound

through their living room stereo.

Liz Aiken

CHARLES WALKER

I’m Available

Superbird Records

Veteran Charles Walker is a familiar figure from his UK

tours. This reissue of his 1999 album with five extra

tracks contains eighteen at 75 minutes. Tremendous

value. This is stomping Soul Blues at it’s very best and

‘Homewrecking Legs’ sees him set out his stall at the

outset. The backing band is refreshingly free from frills

and is led by producer Fred James on rhythm, searing

lead guitar and electric piano, who has a huge influence

on proceedings, also writing the CD’s accompanying

explanatory history. Bass, drums, organ, sax and various

backing vocalists complete the ensemble. ‘Make It Rain’

is a real tour de force showing Walker’s vocal style

to perfection, with impassioned and emotive power

punctuated by equally evocative guitar work. Plenty

of variety too, with the rap style vocal on ‘Nothing A

Young Girl Can Do’ leading to the classic soul of ‘Need

Somebody’.His phrasing is crystal clear with a warm,

at times husky timbre,

and good range, and is

always totally at ease

without being too much

in his comfort zone. ‘The

Tattler’ is a lovely catchy

piece that I have hitherto

associated with Linda

Ronstadt. The original

format closes with ‘The

Very Thing That Makes

You Rich’ in gospel style

with lovely atmospheric

background vocals

from the Kinglets. The

bonus tracks are no mere fillers and sit seamlessly with

the original material. ‘They All Look Better In Greeen’ is

a monster slab of R’n’B with Johnny Jones featuring on

lead guitar and a great set ends with ‘The Blues Is In The

House’ with fervent vocal and deft scintillating guitar runs.

Many of the tracks are over four minutes giving the artist

and the listener chance to really engage. Thoroughly

recommended, you may even want to trade in your

existing copy for this extended version. Wonderful stuff!

Bob Chaffey

SAM CARR’S DELTA JUKES

Live In Europe

Superbird Records

The son of legendary bluesman Robert Nighthawk,

drummer Sam Carr was blues aristocracy. Before his

untimely death in 2009, Carr had, in a career spanning

six decades, played with such talents as Sonny Boy

CD REVIEWS

Williamson II, and of course, his famous father. Recorded

in November 2000 at the Lucerne Blues Festival,

Switzerland, this live album displays Carr’s formidable

talents on the drum stool as part of his Delta Jukes Band.

Before you have nightmarish visions of Moby Dick-style

30-minute drum solos however, rest assured that this

is not the case: the consummate professional, Carr is

content on this album to keep his rock-steady rhythm and

let his bandmates do their thing. Indeed (and this is no

criticism of Carr), the standout performers on this album

are undoubtedly John Weston - who’s southern drawl fits

the bill perfectly, and who contributes some more than

competent harmonica playing – and lead guitarist Dave

Riley, who’s smooth, soulful guitar licks are writ large on

every song. The outstanding track on the album is surely

‘The Blues Got Me’, in which Weston (who wrote nearly

every track) and Riley let rip over a relaxed, Sonny Boy

Williamson-esque rhythm. Perhaps the only criticism one

can have is that every song becomes ultimately a platform

for the musicians’ formidable talents – every song having

a guitar and harmonica solo. Indeed Sam Carr and bassist

Jeff Davis are the only people in the band seemingly

content to keep it simple. That said, there is genuinely not

a bad track on the album, with the playing always tasteful

in the jam-band format. This was a very tight band, making

it all the sadder that in 2005, John Weston passed away

too, leaving this snapshot of legendary musicians at the

height of their powers.

Adam Bates

SUGAR

BAYOU

Nowhere But

Gone and

Dance Hall

Incident

Vocalicon Records

If you like tea with one

sugar, one is just right and

two is one too many. These two releases by

Sugar Bayou from Texas are separated by four years, and

show that the long break was not wasted; there is a clear

shift for the better between them, as though someone

has rescued the undissolved second lump of granulated

sweetness before it hits the fillings in your teeth.

‘Nowhere But Gone’ is a perfectly serviceable collection of

particularly hard to pin down tunes which never elevates

you as you guiltily feel it should. Bluegrass, country

gospel folk may sum things up, but the thesaurus could

be thoroughly tested; their own description of “eclectic

acoustic Americana” is somehow a little ambiguous. The

simple ‘Sometimes We’re Kids’ is simple, clean poignancy,

and ‘To Have & To Hold’ is pleasantly gospel, but despite

Joe Lindley’s affable mandolin and April Rapier’s milky

vocal this may be a little sickly if you like entertainment a

bit more hairy chested. ‘Dance Hall Incident’ is rather more

engaging. Beginning with the notably catchy Galveston

(not Glen Campbell’s classic) starting off proceedings, a

lofty standard is set and adhered to throughout. ‘He’s Just

Weak’ stands out for those of a less manicured persuasion

Blues Matters! 89

CD REVIEWS

unmoved by its consistently precise finger picking,

and John Mills’ ribald saxophone is a welcome dose of

naughtiness. There is welcome light and shade not always

evident in the first album, exemplified by ‘Salt Creek’- a

traditional bluegrass instrumental to amuse and enchant

with some dexterous musicality, beautifully complemented

by some dreamy harmonies in ‘I Will Wait‘. ’Funny

Thing About Love’ has a jazzy groove which showcases

Rapier’s balmy voice in all its creamy glory. Sugar Bayou

are traditional, undeniably accomplished but perhaps a

little unsurprising and maybe too homogenized for rufty

tufty blues audiences . We’re back to tea. A very pleasant

pot for two, drink unsweetened for best results.

Richard Thomas

RADNEY FOSTER AND THE

CONFESSIONS

Revival

Devils River Records

I was a little guilty of judging a book by the cover when

this arrived first. The band and album titles plus some of

the track titles seemed to indicate that this was going to

be an album of music religious music. Instead of which it

is a contemporary album of cuts that are happy and also

lifts your spirits along

the way. For sure Radney

is deeply in touch with

and in love with his

music so much so

that this just pours

out of the speakers.

This is an affirmation

of all that is good

within peoples,

hope, love, support,

forgiveness, fun

etc. The music

itself is certainly

towards the Rock,

infused with

touches of Country,

end of the spectrum rather than pure Blues.

Whatever it is though it moves along at pace and I rather

liked it. I suppose ‘A Little Revival’ is appropriate as the

opener as being up-tempo it sets the stall out for what is

to follow in ‘Forgiveness’ and ‘Until It’s Gone’. Bizarrely

the start of the latter reminds me of the beginning of

Ballroom Blitz by The Sweet, you know that highly catchy

call and response thing followed by lines that you just have

to sing along with. Anyway by the time ‘Second Chances’

comes by you are completely hooked by these songs. I

loved the poignancy of the little boy at first “hiding from

a whippin’” and his dad surprising him with only words

of understanding in ‘I Know You Can Hear Me’. If you

experience the same lift in your mood when you wrap your

ears around this album as I did, then maybe, that is the

kind of religion we could all do with. - Graeme Scott

THE FORCE

Musica De Los Muertos

Suisa

From the opening power chords of ‘Nightriders’, The

Blues Matters! 90

Force set out their musical

vision with a no-frills

performance of solid, out

and out hard Blues rock.

“Musica De Los Muertos”

is this international

trio’s third album and

what a cracker it is,

with thirteen original

Southern styled songs.

The band is made up

of British singer and

guitarist Mark Elliott,

German drummer

Hanns Haurein and Swiss bassist

Beat Schaub. Lyrics of Whiskey, women, low down cars

and sleazy bars abound as they paint an aural picture

of outlaws and life outside the law. Indeed, the picture

that accompanies the CD sleeve makes them appear

to be a real bunch of bad boys. Tracks like ‘Break Free-

The Prisoners Blues’ the lament of being accused when

innocent, ‘Gotta Go’ with its great slide solo, ‘Lemon Skies’

sounding like a Led Zep outtake, complete with wailing

vocals a la Plant all add to the band’s hard rock status.

‘Lies’ is a slow Blues rocker with a tasty guitar solo middle.

The Force have taken much of what was good about the

seventies and added their own twist to provide a balanced

and solid sound, somewhere between Michael Katon and

The Almighty. Elliott’s voice is perfect vehicle for this style

and the band gel perfectly together. I really enjoyed this

release!

Merv Osborne

NICK GRAVENITES

Bluestar

Renaissance Records

Although Gravenites’ name may not be automatically

recognisable, he played a significant role in the blues

revival in the USA in the late 1960s. Coming from the

same white crowd of Chicago based musicians as

Paul Butterfield and Michael Bloomfield; Gravenites

composed their song ‘Born in Chicago’ before becoming

a member of The Electric Flag and Big Brother & The

Holding Company. “Bluestar,” was only his second solo

album released in 1980. It features Gravenites on guitar

and vocals with the contributions of bassist Pete Sears

(Jefferson Starship), harmonica player Huey Lewis

and John Cipollina (Quicksilver Messenger Service).

Combined they produce a fine collection of rocking Blues

tunes. It commences with the funky ‘Junkyard In Malibu’

which provides some upbeat San Franciscan swagger.

‘Bye Bye’ has a catchy chorus and some great interplay

between guitarists Gravenites and Cipollina with Lewis

on harp. A more conventional Chicago style is present

on ‘Who’s Out There’ and a feisty take on ‘Down In The

Bottom’. The more subdued songs really demonstrate

Gravenites’ fine songwriting, in particular ‘Blues Back Off’

which reflects on the history of the genre and includes a

stellar guitar solo before the autobiographical ‘Southside’

where the gravel throated Gravenites recalls those early

days in Chicago’s blues clubs. This re-release of an

album long out of print contains three bonus songs, the

best of which is a sombre run through ‘Nobody’s Fault But

Mine’.

Duncan Beattie

Blues Matters! 91

NICK MOSS

Privileged (BB1014)

After seven critically-acclaimed releases, Nick Moss is taking a fresh approach and

heading in an exciting new direction on Privileged. Includes a stunning version of

Cream’s classic “Politician,” as well as powerful new Moss originals, “Tear ’Em Down,”

“Born Leader,” “Georgia Redsnake” and “Privileged At Birth”!

“Nick’s new CD just rocks! He balances traditional roots

blues with a fresh new approach and an ‘out of the trad’ box’

sound. I applaud him.” –JIMMY THACKERY

KILBORN ALLEY BLUES BAND

Better Off Now (BB1015)

Their third and best release to date! In the liner note, Bill Dahl writes, “These guys

dish up back-alley blues, anguished soul ballads, and churning R&B workouts, comfortably

playing all of them, because unlike so many of their peers, they comprehend

the inexorable connections between each genre and make them their own.”

“This is not only KABB’s best album to date, it is one of the best

blues albums I’ve heard for some time.” –BLUES IN BRITAIN

MATTHEW STUBBS

Medford & Main (BB1013)

As a bandleader and composer, guitarist Matthew Stubbs has earned himself a

reputation for his ability to write tremendously catchy instrumentals—a cocktail of

Memphis Soul, Blues, R&B, Surf, Rock n’ Roll and Groove, all perfectly mixed together.

Winner of 2009 Blues Audience Mag Award for “Outstanding Guitarist”!

“This young man is a real find, an absolute master of his

instrument, comfortable in a variety of styles, writes fabulous

tunes… a real winner!” –BLUES & RHYTHM

CASH BOX KINGS

I-94 Blues (BB1016)

The Cash Box Kings are another sign the Chicago blues scene is alive and well!

You can’t go wrong with a super-tight core group (Joe Nosek, Kenny Smith,

Chris Boeger and Oscar Wilson), joined here by ‘honorary’ Kings like Billy Flynn,

Barrelhouse Chuck and Steve Freund!

“A textbook lesson in classic Chicago blues, I-94 Blues

is brimming with bravado and impulsive musical spirit…

a can’t-miss effort.” –ELMORE

WWW.BLUEBELLARECORDS.COM ★ REVERB NATION • FACEBOOK • MYSPACE • TWITTER • YOUTUBE

Blues Matters! 92

MITCH LADDIE

This Time Around

Provogue Records

Last but not least of the four new arrivals from Provogue

brings us up to the Newcastle area and this trio of fine

Blues players. Mitch is not yet twenty but his skill over

the fretboard is well advanced. It is clear that, while

possessing undoubted natural abilities, he has been

absorbing a lot of influences from players both old and

new. There is of course no player on earth who has not

learned from listening to countless records, practising

for thousands of hours and then learning stagecraft by

getting out there in front of audiences. Mitch, bass player

Rhian Wilkinson and drummer Lee Clifford have done all

that and it shows. Fireworks abound on the instrumental

opening track ‘Awakening (Intro)’ and then the mood

changes completely into a slow Blues ‘Here’s A Drink’.

Interestingly the simple bass and drum lines fairly smoulder

creating the atmosphere over which Mitch layers his vocal

and guitar parts. ‘Get You Back’ is pure BB King but selfpenned.

Talking of the great man the album closes with

a fine extended live duet of BB’s ‘Rock Me Baby’ with the

mighty Walter Trout. Trading licks and vocals you can hear

Walter urging Mitch to ever-greater fretwork. This he more

than accomplishes and at times, were it not for the stereo

separation, it would truly be hard to say who was playing

what. The only other cover is a Blues Funk take on ‘Papa’s

Got A Brand New Bag’. It is always pleasing to hear home

grown talent producing high quality music and Mitch

certainly is doing that.

Graeme Scott

TAMIKREST

Adagh

Glitterhouse Records

The album should be

subtitled “Desert Blues”

as these two words best

describe the Band; firstly

they are based in the

Sahara desert area north

of Mali and their music,

sung in the Tamashek

language, is about

their plight and lives in

exile. The band are led

by Lead Guitarist and

vocalist Ousmane Ag

Mossa, accompanied

by two Rhythm guitarists they

integrate with the more traditional “loop” African drums &

percussion , several female back up vocalist are on hand

to provide the “wailing” tribal sounds, while this is not over

used, it does start to grate at times. World music is starting

to receive more air time and this album is a good example

of the loose Blues style that is being played throughout

the world, songs being song in the local language do not

create a problem, especially as the excellent package has

an English version lyric sheet. A thought provoking album

that highlights that the electric guitar does have a role

within traditional music.

Adrian Blacklee

CD REVIEWS

LONNIE DONEGAN

Just About As Good As It Gets

Vol. 2

Smith & Co

A double CD, this collection takes us through over 50 of

Donegan’s skiffle recordings between 1952 and 1959.

Amongst the best known songs are the hillbilly ‘Does Your

Chewing Gum Lose It’s Flavour’, ‘Grand Coulee Dam’ and

‘Sally Don’t You Grieve’, the latter one of several to feature

Miki and Griff on vocal

harmonies. Others

include the contributions

of

Ian Menzies and The

Clyde Valley Stompers.

‘ Of interest are songs

of Ledbelly and Alan

Lomax which feature

prominently and

include ‘Jack O’

Diamonds’, ‘Long

Summer Day’ and

‘Go Down Hammer’,

whilst his version

of Terry and

McGhee’s ‘Glory’ is

also a standout. There are some

interesting rarities, including a very different version

of ‘Gamblin Man’, which appeared in the British film “Light

Fingers”; three songs recorded for French radio in 1954,

which included the standard ‘Midnight Special’ and a

home recording of ‘Black Snake Moan.’ The latter track

in particular indicates Donegan’s penchant for the Blues,

in an era when the likes Blind Lemon Jefferson were still

unknown to many British artists. Likewise there’s a hint

of the songs of the future with ‘I’m Just A Rolling

Stone’ and ‘The Sunshine Of Your Love. Aside

from some great songs it is clear Donegan has a

profound impact on the future direction of modern

music and this collection will be welcome to casual

fans and completists alike.

Duncan Beattie

AFTER MIDNIGHT

Classic Cream

Petagon Records

After Midnight is a Tynside based long standing

tribute band to Eric Clapton formed by guitarist and

frontman Mike Hall, John Forster on bass and vocals

and Vince Mason on drums. Hall was a long-term

fan of the band having seen them in 1967. Prompted

by Cream’s brief reunion for Live Aid in 1985, he formed

After Midnight later that year. Judging from the photo

Hall features a great similarity with Clapton and from this

recording it is apparent he can play very much like him too.

Recorded at the Duke Of Wellington in Newcastle in 2004,

this is a 20 song recording features primarily the repertoire

of Cream with a couple of additional tracks from the

Bluesbreakers, notably the legendry version of ‘Hideaway’.

All the classics are featured including ‘Sunshine of Your

Love’, ‘Spoonful’, ‘Badge’ ‘White Room’ and Politician’,

combined with some lesser known tracks such as ‘Cat’s

Blues Matters! 93

CD REVIEWS

Squirrel, ‘Sleeping Time Time’ and ‘Lawdly Mama’. The

collection commences with a slow version of ‘Crossroads’

and closes with a fiery version of the same song. In

addition there is electrifying versions of some of the Blues

tracks that Cream made their own notably ‘Stepping Out’,

‘Outside Woman Blues’ and ‘Spoonful’. The sound on

the recording is slightly muffled at times which could be

argued adds slightly to the authenticity of the sound. If one

was to ask does this accurately represent the live shows

by Cream in the 1960s, then it would be fair to say it does

not, the brilliance of the live improvised work is not fully

explored, the original band would have been unlikely to

have time to perform 20 songs in one evening. It would

be unfair to look at it in that contest, as the playing here is

more than competent in a selection that for the most part

replicates the album versions of these songs. In summary

this CD is both a testament to some of the original

innovators and a fine indication that After Midnight would

be a great live experience for fans of the original band.

Duncan Beattie

HUNGRY AND THE HAUNTED

Magic

Bullets

Panic Music

Hungry & The Haunted

are a quartet led by

guitarist and front

man Azam Khan who

have in the last few

years supported both

Eric Clapton and Paul

Weller. “Magic Bullets,

mastered by Ace from

Skunk Anansie is a hard edged affair which bridges Blues,

rock and punk. From the opening lyrics of the upbeat

‘This Time’, where he verbalises “This time I’m ready

for anything…This time I’ll take on anyone…” the album

recites his isolation as a Muslim living in London during

the war on terror. The theme continues with stories of

living on the backstreets, the plight of the neglected and

less fortunate and police intimidation. It’s a record that

changes mood from anger and resentment to reflection

and loneliness. Khan’s hoarse vocals are the dominant

feature, yet underlying it is his impressive guitar work,

which swings from the fierce sounding punk of ‘Bite

The Bullet’ to the more melodic ‘Heaven’s Gate’. During

‘Laughing At The Hurricane’ Khan sings that Blues is his

companion, yet it’s probably true to state the album is

probably for those of a heavier musical taste. Certainly,

while ‘Always Outnumbered, Always Outgunned’ lyrically

touches on the words of Skip James, musically “Magic

Bullets” recalls far closer the sound of the Clash or

Motorhead than Muddy Waters.

Duncan Beattie

STRANGE BOYS

Be Brave

Rough Trade

The spirit of Robert Zimmerman haunts this second album

by Texans garage rock outfit Strange Boys. It continues

Blues Matters! 94

the current

vogue among

some young

American bands

for all things late

60s/early 70s,

with nods to all

the great artists

of that era, like

Neil Young and the

aforementioned

Mr Dylan. The

album’s lead single

‘Be Brave’ is

the stand-out track and has an ‘Exile On Main Street’ era

Rolling Stones swagger to it. The rest of the album has a

rough, ragged and occasionally sleazy vibe to it. Singer

Ryan Sambol’s vocals do have a tendency to lurch from

early Bob Dylan (listenable) to late Bob Dylan (annoying).

His voice is something of an acquired taste and people will

either love it or loathe it. His croaking turn on ‘You Can’t

Only Love When You Want’ will either make or break you.

The album’s 12 tracks clock in at just over half an hour

and while it’s a good record, but it’s also one that never

quite reaches the levels of greatness that the single ‘Be

Brave’ suggests. There are other outfits – like Delta Spirit

and Blitzen Trapper – who are currently exploring similar

musical avenues and they do so with more power and

confidence.

Jamie Hailstone

TALLAN LATZ

Demo (EP)

www.tallanlatz.com

This EP is the first release by Tallan “T-Man” Latz who at

the age of 10 has received a large amount of attention in

the USA including performing on stage with Les Paul and

Jackson Browne and notably appearing in the 2009 series

of “America’s Got Talent”. The four songs on this CD

indicate his incendiary guitar skills where originals ‘Other

World’ and ‘Kid In The Region’ are powerful statements of

intent. It’s not all flash as the cover of Buddy Guy’s ‘Damn

Right I Got The Blues’ ably demonstrates. As expected

Tatz’s vocals reveal his youth, and it’s truly amazing to

realise guitar work this good comes from one so young.

The final take is ‘Voodoo Child’, many versions of this

have been recorded and this version is up there with the

best of them. We will hear far more of this young talent in

the years ahead.

Duncan Beattie

ANDREW VLADECK

The Wheel

Ends Up

Andrew Vladeck is a New York City,

The Wheel is the first release in 4 years by New York

City resident and former Urban Park Ranger Andrew

Vladeck. In addition to playing guitar on this album, he pl,

ukulele, autoharp and harmonica whilst ably backed by

a fine set of musicians who provide bass, drums, organ

and accordion. These contribute to provide a cohesive

collection of songs with interesting arrangements and

distinctive use of instrumentation. ‘Chinatown’ features a

banjo played through a Fender Twin amplifier providing

the filling behind a slide guitar. The two takes of ‘The

Twenty First Century’ are of interest, the electric version

could be described as alt county, the acoustic version that

closes the album is an altogether darker affair and sounds

like a modern style of folk. Sadly though the collection

is flawed by Vladeck’s vocal prowess, which in truth do

make this album difficult to listen to in its entirety. It’s a

shame as there is potential to tracks like the folk song

‘The Magnet and The Songs you Inspire’ which won 1st

Place in an International Songwriting Competition. It is apt

the opening track is entitled ‘Hold Me Back’ as it may well

be that someone needs to do so until Vladeck makes a

decision about this crucial and disappointing aspect to this

musical output.

Duncan Beattie

BAMJIMBA

Into The Dance

Bamjimba JIMCD3

Hailing from just north

of Preston, Lancashire,

Jimba has been around

since the sixties, having

had drumming lessons

from Ginger Baker and

playing a vast variety of

music since then. He

worked recently with

Lancaster’s Bluesrockers

Underground

Ballroom, and this,

his third album, moves more towards a Blues

sound, though that was also discernible on his previous

two outings, generally categorised as dub and reggae.

Jimba is not one to be typecast though – here you will

encounter North African ghita and North Indian flute

passages, alongside slide guitar, some fierce Blues-rock,

modern dance music, a funky New Orleans brass band,

Celtic fiddle, bluegrass sounds, and a ghostly quote

from Doctor John’s ‘Walk On Gilded Splinters’, whilst

the pounding northern(ish) soul of ‘All That You Have’

contains quotes from just about every classic sixties

soul record you have ever heard (and I’m not joking!) It

is impressive to hear how Jimba has actually created a

coherent and individual album out of these seemingly

disparate elements; probably one of the most inventive

albums you are likely to hear this year (or any other come

to that!)

Norman Darwen

DIRTMUSIC

BKO

Glitterhouse Records

Oh dear! Where to start! Sometimes you get an album

coming along that just blows your mind and you are

left feeling a tad inadequate in terms of how to write

something coherent down. I have lived with this album

for about a month now and each time I play it I get more

worried. In the end perhaps the best way to approach

this is as simply possible. This is a stunning body of

work. Aurally it is wonderful with a tapestry of sounds

CD REVIEWS

and textures that just enraptures you. As I understand it

Dirtmusic were in Mali for a festival but beforehand just

started to play with local Tuareg band Tamikrest. Luckily

someone had a recorder in the tent and subsequently a

lot of the sounds; chants and rhythms recorded at that jam

have been integrated into what became known as the Tent

Sessions Tapes. This album recorded a year later, again

in Mali sees the two bands exchanging ideas on the ten

songs which comprise the main CD part of this collection.

Plus you get a DVD documentary and three songs from

the album plus a further four audio only cuts not on the

album. I realise that it may be copping out a bit not to

review individual songs but all I can say is that there is not

a bad sound anywhere. It is terrific. The cross-pollination

of ideas works on all levels. Challenging in parts but

always stimulating and I commend this as a must have in

all collections.

Graeme Scott

BARNEY BENTALL

The Inside Passage

Golden Cage Music

On first listening of this CD, I felt that many of the songs

and guitar licks I had heard somewhere before; there

is nothing distinctive it sounds like background ‘muzak’

being played in a themed pub. The title track, ‘The Inside

Passage’, is not a statement that grounds the CD; it is

placed four tracks in and does not motivate or inspire

and gets lost in the monotone beat and voice of BARNEY

BENTALL. ‘Catch That Train’ has an urgency that the

preceding tracks do not have, neither does it evoke

the common Blues theme of trains and the rhythm of

wheels on the tracks taking you away from or towards

hope. One track that does get feet tapping and paints a

picture of a ‘Hoedown’ is ‘Papa Henry’s Boy’, with slightly

harder percussive sound and the welcome depth the

fiddle brings this is my favourite track of the album.“The

Inside Passage”, as a CD is pleasant, well produced and

unchallenging music which belongs in Country rather

than the Blues. No one track stands out and the sound

is rather flat and over produced, there is no feeling of

movement through the emotions a song produces.

Liz Aiken

COCO

MONTOYA

I Want It All

Back

Ruf Records

It’s not surprising that

Coco Montoya is so

much in demand with

the likes of Finis Tasby

or Carlos Santana, as he

is able to match his style

to the personality of the

musicians he performs

with. In this

latest album, you can feel this gift throughout the eleven

tracks, seven of them being covers tinged with Coco‘s

personal style and energy. Sure, “I Want It All Back” is not

the purest of Blues, but it’s still a combination of a sensual

Blues Matters! 95

CD REVIEWS

guitar with that special, incandescent voice. ‘Cry Lonely’ is

simply amazing with its guitar tearing up the sky to show

up every shade of blue. The superb ‘Somebody’s Baby’

with Stephen Ferrone on percussions and drums and Keb’

Mo on rhythm guitar is quite simply breathtaking. ‘Don’t

Go Makin’ Plans’ is the only track written by Coco and Jeff

Paris makes up for this somewhat lack of creative juices

by offering two tracks of such energy, you’re all shaken

up. With ‘She’s Gonna Need Somebody’ you can’t help

but indulge yourself in the pure pleasure of it all. We have

to mention ‘The One Who Really Loves You’, a track

written by William Robinson Jr. who Coco pays a moving

tribute to by performing with great faith, passion and

respect. This is a song you’ll probably hear many many

times on the radio, Blues or other, as one of the great

achievements of this album is that it will undoubtedly open

wide the doors of our Blues citadel.


THE HEXMEN

The Hexmen

(own label)www.mypace.com/thehexmen

The Hexmen, under the leadership of harmonica

player and singer George Hexman, came together in

the early eighties, in post-punk Liverpool. Eventually

though George’s session work and the group’s shifting

membership meant that the group did eventually split. But

in 2008 there was a reunion of sorts and this is the result.

This is a very enjoyable blues-based CD, containing lots

of standards performed with plenty of punky energy in the

vein of Nine Below Zero or the original Doctor Feelgood

– and with plenty of wailing harmonica work and spiky

guitar work.

Norman Darwen

PAPUA NEW GUINEA

STRINGBANDS W/ BOB

BROZMAN

Songs of the Volcano

Riverboat Records

The world musicologist and slide guitar virtuoso Bob

Brozman returns to the fray with an ambitious new

project. The musician teams up with no less than five

stringbands from New Guinea to record the music on

this album. Although dozens of musicians are recorded

and add to the whole sheen of the album’s eclectic

musical nature, it still has a unified sound at the core.

Brozman’s slide prowess is to the fore on some tracks,

such as opener Alir Pukai, whilst the songs also contain

strong vocal performances, the instrumental playing is of

a universally high standard throughout the releases 16

tracks. There is though, a certain lack of diversity, with

no percussion instruments or electric instruments to cut

through the mix. The package also includes a bonus DVD

which shows Brozman’s interaction with these musicians

that he clearly holds in high regard. The relative lack of

intrusion of modern popular western culture into Papua

New Guinea means that this music sounds purer, and

is perhaps closest to the guitar music that came out of

Hawaii in the 1830’s. There is much for musicians and

general music fans to treasure on this album, and it

shows a musician perhaps best known for his work on an

instrument most closely associated with the blues finding

a voice and way of working with musicians of a different

language.

Ben Macnair

MIKE SPONZA

Rough Souls

HCB69-013 www.mikesponza.com

Over the last few years, Italian singer and guitarist Mike

has appeared on disc with a whole slew of guests, from

Carl Verheyen to veteran members of Alexis Korner’s

Blues Incorporated, from American soul singer Joyce

Yuille to some of Europe’s most important Blues pioneers.

This set shows what attracted them all though, as it finds

Mike going back to basics, working solely with bassist

Roby Maffioli and drummer Ale Maffioli; the three men

have been working together since the late eighties, and

that ease, mutual understanding and intuitive knowledge

of what the others are about to play is plainly evident.

Although Mike can and does play loud and rocky at times,

he is far more subtle than most, and an early sixties Blues

boom feel comes through from time to time; he is content

to treat the material as songs – albeit with a raw and

energetic approach - rather than vehicles for lengthy guitar

improvisations. On the other hand, there are examples of

the immaculately clean side of his guitar style, and some

of his jazz and funk licks shine through too. This totally

convincing set ends with an acoustic-based number just to

further demonstrate the trio’s versatility.

Norman Darwen

STEVE HOWELL

Since I Saw You Last

Out Of The Past Music

After “Out Of The Past” and ‘My Mind Gets To Ramblin’’,

here comes the third album from a singer and guitar player

who has made it his

mission to record

country blues and

roots music. You’re

left wondering why

this is only his third

album, as Steve

Howell brings a

breath of fresh air

to old and popular

songs such as ‘Wild

About My Lovin’

or ‘Red Cadillac &

Black Moustache’,

originally written by

L. May et W.B. Thompson. Steve performs each song with

great understanding and finesse as well as a deep respect

for its writers, giving each one an interesting light, making

us feel he has a direct link with each songwriter. You feel

as if you’re diving back in the deepest roots of Blues, a

place where you meet the ghosts of those who wrote all

those traditional songs as well as John Lee Hooker and

Frank Stokes, who wrote ‘Downtown Blues’, the album’s

opening track. Steve Howell took two years to select and

record each one of the twelve tracks on this CD. And

throughout this album, you can feel the work he has put

Blues Matters! 96

in, his patience. This album moves our souls as delicately

as the first time Steve heard Mississippi John Hurt when

he was just aged thirteen, over forty five years ago now.

This was the song which changed his life and allowed him

to treat us to this very beautiful album of ‘country blues

and roots music’.


RORY BLOCK – Lovin’

Whiskey A Collection of Songs

from the Rounder Years

Continental Records

Now seen as a leading light in the country blues, Rory

Block’s latest compilation release finds some of the best

examples of her songwriting together on one disk. The

songs feature her trademark soaring vocals, which sound

like a cross between Linda Ronstadt and Bonnie Raitt,

with strong support from musicians playing across a

number of genres. The songs range from the plaintive

ballads Silver Wings, and Lovin’ Whiskey, which is

included as a full band arrangement, and in the live guitar/

vocal treatment that finishes the sixteen track album.

The album also includes the celtic Misty Glen, and The

Water is Wide, as well as the album’s lone instrumental,

Catastrophe Rag, which show of Block’s acoustic guitar

skills. Her singing features against a backdrop of an

acappella male choir on God’s Gift to Women. The

country rock of I’ll be Gone, and the slide guitar drenched

Somebody’s Baby show the direction her solo career

would later take. This album, which does not sound as

dated as other compilations can do offers a good overview

of Rory Block’s career to date, and it is worth a look for

fans of mature music, and the blues which infuses the

whole of this worthwhile re-release.

Ben Macnair

THORBJORN RISAGER

Track Record Cope

Judging by the cover I thought that this was going to be

an album of solo acoustic train Blues as the sepia images

of a young man walking the tracks carrying a guitar case

suggested – oops! What I got instead was ten tracks

of absolutely excellent Blues with some great playing

and a wild and throaty vocal from Mr Risager. Martin

Seidelin kicks things off with a heavy, thudding drum while

Risager’s grumbling guitar and Svein Erik Martinsen’s

slide lead into a Bob Seger-like growl on ‘Rock ‘N’ Roll

Ride’. The treatment continues on ‘Baby Please Don’t Go’

which has a real New Orleans voodoo feel to it and some

fine horns courtesy of Kasper Wagner & Peter Kehl. If I

give the impression that this album is pretty tasty I am

pleased to announce that from here it gets even better!

‘Let’s Go Down’ has a great walking pace and deeply

soulful harp and piano while ‘You Walked Right In’ has

a Mick Taylor era Stones riff and those wonderful horns

again. ‘7 Steps To Heaven’ is funky and jazzy, ‘Stand

Beside Me’ gives Risager a chance to emote in some

blue-eyed soul with a great bassline from Soren Bojgaard

carrying the song along. All through the album the

playing is superb but it also has great feel for the music

and the sheer variety of moods and styles that the band

CD REVIEWS

are capable of is remarkable – even more so that they

manage to put over some classic Blues alongside soul and

jazz. ‘I’ll Be Moving On’ is probably the most classic with

a real BB King feel to the guitar and the band cooking like

the best of swing outfits. These guys can really light up a

stereo system and I wouldn’t mind seeing them live either.

Andy Snipper

MAURIZIO PUGNO

Kill The

Coffee

Pacific Blues

Maurizio Pugno is an

Italian guitarist of some

repute in his native

land and for this CD

he has collaborated

with the singers Sugar

Ray Norcia and Mark

Dufresne, who each

front the band on

different tracks. It’s a very wellproduced

album, recorded in an Italian opera house, with

a big fat sound and some nice playing. The music is often

in the swing/jump mould, and Maurizio Pugno’s playing

is reminiscent of that of Ronnie Earl, which explains his

collaboration with former Roomful Of Blues member

Norcia. Within that general area, there’s quite a mixture

of styles, including the shuffle of the opening track ‘The

Lion’s Den’, the 1950s BB King style R & B of ‘Funny What

Happens (When The Old Man’s Not Around)’, the out-andout

rocker ‘Big Party At My House Tonight’, which features

some excellent harp from Sugar Ray Norcia, and the light,

jazzy ballad ‘Blue Soul’. In addition, there are a couple

of effective instrumentals ‘Tronfy The Weeper’ and ‘From

Norcia To Gubbio’, the latter featuring some nice interplay

between Norcia’s harp and Alberto Marsico on organ. The

tracks are split pretty evenly between the two vocalists and

this adds variety too as they have contrasting sounds and

styles – Dufrense a high-register vocalist, Norcia mellower.

Pugno works very well with both of them, his guitar style

marked by deft touches and a subtle and understated

approach. The arrangements are well thought-out and in

particular the use of an excellent brass section on several

tracks is very successful. Pugno’s Italian bandmates, Gio

Rossi on drums and Lucio Villani on upright bass, as well

as Marsico on keys, show themselves to be excellent

musicians. All in all, this is a collaboration that has

succeeded in its aims.

Mark Harrison

CHASING PANDORA

The Driver And The Dancer

Tickety-Boo

I must admit that I wasn’t blown away by the Chasing

Pandora EP “Running In Circles”, although it had just

enough goodness to recommend it, but this engaging

and intriguing album is definitely a step up, in the

right direction. Billed as “Malta’s greatest ever music

phenomena”, Chasing Pandora are essentially a duo

comprising singer Melissa Portelli and multi-instrumentalist

Keith Anthony. They’re basically dealing in simple folk-

Blues Matters! 97

CD REVIEWS

pop tunes, but they take on a new dimension through

some adventurous and interesting arrangements and

instrumentation. Straight from the opening ‘Time’, the

Maltesers go about setting their folk/pop hybrid ditties in

a captivating light. You see, there’s nothing big or clever

about songs like ‘Lost Myself In You’, ‘The Distance

Between Us’, ‘Running In Circles’ and ‘Dear John’. In fact,

it’s quite the reverse, but these simple songs are topped

off by the lovely voice of Ms Portelli and the inventive

arrangements of multi-instrumentalist Anthony. Their song

writing skills have also improved noticeably since the last

EP, and this full length release is a record of emotion,

highs and lows. If folk-pop is your thing, then it’s well

worth setting aside some quality time for this, so you can

absorb the many, many delights.

Stuart A Hamilton

BILLY BRANCH

Satisfy Me

Gitanes Records

This recently rereleased

album was

recorded in 1996, and

although it is now 12

years old still contains

many virtues. Branch

leads from the front,

playing Harmonica and

singing on a number of

covers, as well as one

instrumental of his own.

It is a safe album, with

nothing that threatens

to break a sweat for the

musicians, but many good

bands make a good living

playing music like this on a

Blues Matters! 98

Saturday night.

‘It’s a Crazy Mixed up World’ by Willie Dixon opens

proceedings, and songs by JJ Cale ((Hey Baby) Your

Looking Real Good), Walter Jacobs (One Chance with

you) and Bill Withers (Kissin’ my Love and Heart in Your

Life) put the well drilled band through their paces. Only

Highway Blues, by Billy Earl McClelland, Son of Juke, an

instrumental by Branch, and closer Goin’ Down lift the

beat, but they are worthy additions to an album that prizes

good musicianship higher than many other concerns.

The guitar playing of Carl Weatherby is a good foil to

the Harmonica playing, whilst David Torkanowsky adds

colour on a number of keyed instruments. A revolving

cast of drummers and bassist gives the album something

of a disjointed feel, and it may have been better for a

consistency of sound to have stuck with a smaller group

of people. All in all, this is a good album, the singing

and Harmonica playing is fine, and it is more than ably

supported by a talented ensemble, and it is worth checking

out, if only to learn the art of musical under-statement.

Ben Macnair

HARRIET LEWIS & GREGORY

HILDEN BAND

Soulful Stew

Acoustic Music

Harriet Lewis is a Philadelphia born singer who has, rather

amazingly, released twelve CDs under her own name. I

say, amazingly, as prior to this “Soulful Stew” album I had

never encountered her name before. Even more amazing

when you consider that she has shared stages with the

like of Eric Clapton and Luther Vandross. Granted, she’s

also shared a stage with Mariah Carey, but I won’t hold

that against her. A woman who has the kind of back story

most would think fictional, she’s went from recording with

Philadelphia International Records in the sixties to singing

backups to the Four Tops to joining the US Army! She

appears to be based in Germany these days, and has

linked up with Gregor Hilden and his band to make an

old fashioned soul and Blues review album. It’s the kind

of thing that The Johnny Otis Show got up to back in the

day, and sees her going at the music with gusto. It’s all

covers bar on Lewis number, ‘No Words Can Tell’, and the

title track from Hilden. The rest of the record is taken up

with songs like ‘Wade In The Water’, Gene McDaniels

‘Reverend Lee’ and Aretha Franklin’s ‘Dr. Feelgood

(Love Is a Serious Business). Ms Lewis also likes a

show tune which could explain the appearance of ‘On

Broadway’ and ‘What A Difference A Day Makes’.

And that’s what makes it a bit hit and miss. When

tackling Jimmy Scott’s funky ‘Love Sneaking Up On

You’, Ms Lewis and the band are fabulous. When

singing a show tune, your hand strays towards the

skip buttong. However, it’s considerably more hit

than miss, and if you like your Blues brassy, funky

and dripping with Hammond B-3 organ, then give

this a spin.

Stuart A Hamilton

JJ MILTEAU

Harmonicas

Dixiefrog Records

Rather obviously, this is for you if like harmonicas. If you

prefer growling lead guitars, megawatt amplification and

throaty vocals, 40 consecutive harp instrumentals will be

like jamming your finger in the cutlery drawer. It doesn’t

though, purport to be anything that it isn’t - Parisian

Milteau is an established blowing/sucking master and all

his tricks are here. The humble harp- musical weapon of

choice for Mississippi slaves for its accessibility, mobility

and cost, has long been the crowning adornment of

soulful blues, and Milteau features variety and shade

that will surprise the cutlery jugglers. The opening three

tracks are a microcosm of his range - opener ‘Blue Hop’

is charmingly jolly, ’ Boogie Mix‘ a riotous celebration jig,

then all the lamenting poignancy of Larry Adler is evoked

with “Reunion”. Musical smorgasbord and worldwide

travelogue - some of the Creole stuff you can almost

taste and ‘Tennessee Fried Chicken’ is as deep south as

‘Parchman Farm’. The selection is arranged to command

the attention but don’t attempt in one sitting, and don’t

expect too much down and dirty Blues - raunchy R&B

players may think him a little disinfected and countrified

; purists will admire his variety but may be a little punch

drunk by the end. Inevitably, some tracks slip by unnoticed

but the live numbers are welcome contrast and possibly

Milteau excels most when being sentimental and French

like in ‘Rue Du Rendez-Vous’ and ‘Ars en Re‘, with no

bum notes anywhere. It’s not coarse and earthy, but it

should keep you out of the kitchen.

Richard Thomas

SIR OLIVER MALLY

Ol’Dogs, Nu Yard

Office4Music-Hoanzl

It’s not often you get the chance to listen to such a

breathtaking

and meaningful album

and when you

find out it comes

from Austria,

you’re even

more amazed.

Sir Oliver

Mally is sadly

still virtually

unknown

in the UK.

Surely,

this latest

release,

“Ol’Dogs, Nu

Yard”, must

bring us this

exceptionally talented and charismatic

artist to perform here more often. This album is the result

of a close partnership between the gifted guitar player and

singer that is Sir Oliver and the brilliant string musician

and arranger, Martin Moro. Each of the ten tracks, nine

compos and one cover, are little gems shining so bright

they make you feel you can be happy again, in love

again and sometimes a little sad. From the opening track,

‘Butterfly Girl’, you’re under the spell, charmed by its

many musical colours and timeless power of the lyrics.

‘Dreamer’s Lullaby’ and ‘Love Is A Devil’ take you on

these long, beautifully bluesy journeys you never want to

leave. The exceptional version of Lou Reed’s ‘Perfect Day’

showcases Sir Oliver’s haunting voice: simply perfect.

There’s so much emotion and poetry in the final track,

‘Same Old Story/Same Old Song’, you can’t help but feel

your heart break. One final warning, look out for your

wives and girlfriends: after listening to Sir Oliver, they’ll all

want to be his Butterfly Girls. Let’s hope we won’t wait too

long to see him perform in the British Isles.

Nat Harrap

THE ROBIN THRUSH JR BAND

Music City Jam

Chrysalis Music

Unable to play guitar for nearly a year after severing two

tendons in his hand, Robin Thrush Jr gorged himself on

the sounds of The Fillmore-era bands, and the likes of

the Allman Brothers band can very much be heard in

the sound of “Music City Jam”, the 20 year old’s third

album. Yes, 20 - after listening to this you will struggle

to believe that such virtuoso, nuanced playing (listen to

MC Jam # 3 as Robin switches to an eastern scale near

the end) can have come from one so young. Formed in

2000, The Robin Thrush Jr band have been a vehicle for

his formidable talents for a decade now (Robin Thrush

CD REVIEWS

Sr plays bass), with Thrush Jr assuming vocal duties

once nature had taken its course. Even now, his voice

is, it must be said, somewhat generic, but that will come

with time: Robin Thrush Jr’s voice is in the six strings at

his fingertips. However, despite the undoubted brilliance

of his playing, there are times when this can stray into

self-indulgence (there are, after all, four Jam tracks on

this album), with the songs recalling the worst excesses

of Gary Moore and seemingly build around the guitar

solos, rather than vice versa as it should surely be; a more

measured approach is necessary at times. That said,

Thrush knows all the blues licks (and a few more) and

applies them ably to this collection of blues standards. He

displays his influences clearly with a cover of Clapton-era

Bluesbreakers’ ‘Steppin’ Stone’; and ‘Music City Blues’

proves that he can adopt a more minimalist style too.

At only aged 20, its scary to think how good he can be.

People were saying something similar forty-five years ago

about a lad from Surrey

Adam Bates

LITTLE FREDDIE KING

Gotta Walk With Da King

Made Wright Records

There is no doubt that this man is a survivor. Years of hard

living, touring constantly, raising all sorts of hell along the

way and oh yes living through the horrors of Hurricane

Katrina has given Freddie Martin, aka Little Freddie King,

much in the way of experience of life to draw from when

playing his Blues. With bucket loads of support from the

crowd at this live set, recorded in Santa Fe, a certain

amount of simplicity and rawness surrounds this collection.

Straight-ahead Blues, with little in the way of frills, just

works so well when done with the kind of skills honed

from sixty years of plying his trade.

Excellent

back-up

from his

long time

colleagues

Wade Wright

drums,

Anthony

Anderson

bass and

Bobby DiTullio

harp ensures

that the music

stays that

beguiling mix

of tightness and

yet seeming

looseness that many

bands just never achieve. The slowish instrumental ‘Cleo’

gets things on the road with guitar and harp trading licks

throughout. Counter to many CDs that you listen to the

pace slows even further on track two ‘Bus Station Blues’

where Freddie’s vocal drawl draws out the pain of a much

missed lady failing to appear as expected. A terrific groove

behind ‘Walking With Freddie’ and ‘Kinghead Shuffle’ and

you can just imagine how the crowd was bopping along to

these. If you like your Blues very laid back and easy then

this is right down your street.

Graeme Scott

Blues Matters! 99

CD REVIEWS

MITCH LADDIE “This Time Around”

STEFAN SCHILL “Don’t Say A Word”

SCOTT MCKEON “Trouble”

Provogue

Dutch record label, Provogue, is notable as the

European home of Joe Bonamassa and Walter Trout,

however, these three releases indicate there is far

more to their catalogue. “This Time Around” is the

debut from young Tyneside based Laddie. This is

primarily a Blues-rock affair which, after a powerful

instrumental, eases in with the slow Blues number

of ‘Ere’s A Drink’. Its mood is reminiscent of ‘Tin Pan

Alley’ and is a great start to a very a promising debut.

The uptempo shuffle ‘Get You Back’ will lead to

comparisons with some of the UK’s other Blues-rock

talent. However, there is enough individuality contained

within the twelve tracks for Laddie’s work to be recognised in its own right, and moreover some great guitar phrasing and a

large array of funky Blues riffs. A very credible version of James Brown’s ‘Papa’s Got A Brand New Bag’, and the delicate

playing on ‘Mrs Johnson’ keeps the content varied. The album closes with a fluid live jam with the aforementioned Trout on

the standard ‘Rock Me Baby’.

Scott McKeon’s “Trouble” sees him broaden his sound from the power trio style that dominated his 2007 debut. It

commences with the powerful guitar led ‘The Girl’. A reading of ‘Scarecrow’ includes the resonator of composer Robbie

McIntosh, yet even better is the mellow ‘So Much More’ also featuring McIntosh. Its low-key instrumentation pushes

McKeon’s ever-improving vocals to the forefront. ‘Giving Me The Blues’ is like a lost cut from Albert King’s Stax period

with playful guitar leads and a backing horn section. A very different feel is evident on a modern R&B flavoured cover of

Babyface’s ‘Talk To Me’ which includes the vocals of David Ryan Harris from the John Mayer Band. Indeed it could be the

one that leads to increased airplay. More familiar is the rockier ‘Broken Man’ that features a soaring guitar riff and pounding

backbeat. The album is a big step forward for McKeon and if he can match the dedication in constructing songs like the

melodic ballad ‘All That We Were’ with an increased touring schedule, this may be the year he makes his mark.

The pick of the bunch though is “Don’t Say A Word”, the assured debut from 20 year old Dutch guitarist, vocalist and

composer Stefan Schill. The album is an introduction to the immense talents of this young band, and as intended, leaves

Schill’s artistic and stylistic options open. From the opening bars of ‘Any Direction’ it is apparent that not only is Schill a

talented guitarist, he is an excellent vocalist. His song writing is equally impressive throughout. ‘Take On My Beliefs’ has

a very memorable hook, before some R&B on ‘U Don’t Mind’. It’s possible to detect the influence of artists like Prince

and John Mayer, as he effortlessly moves from style to style. Schill’s Blues upbringing is easily encountered, notably in

the upbeat swagger of ‘Game Called Love’ and the laidback country tinged ‘Gone By Tomorrow’. Bob Fridzema’s superb

keyboard playing contributes to the rich sound on tracks like the powerful Kings of Leon resembling ‘It’s Gonna Be Alright’.

This is stripped back to Schill’s voice, his Dobro and a harp as accompaniment on closing song ‘Last Goodbye’. It’s rare to

hear these components blended with such confidence in a debut album, less so from a band of such tender years. Stefan

Schill, Laddie and McKeon take contrasting approaches yet each indicates there is a very bright future for young Blues

based musicians.

Duncan Beattie

SHAWN PITTMAN

Too Hot

Feelin’ Good 011

‘Too Hot’ is a swift follow-up to Shawn’s ‘Movin’ & Groovin’’ album, which is hopefully an indication that he is breaking

through to an international audience at last. This set is a studio recording, made in Italy in November 2009 on a rare

day off from a hectic touring schedule, which places Shawn with the local musicians and the highly respected Italian

Blues harmonica player Max Lugli. In the past, critics – especially British reviewers – have been particularly scathing

about these kind of sets. There’ll be no complaints from this reviewer though – this set is a total success.

Shawn tackles both standards and lesser-known numbers, and the treatment he gives them is may be raucous, raw,

noisy and fun, but it also important to state that this is it is also a stone Blues set. I mean, come on – Shawn covers

two Jerry McCain tracks, ‘Too Hot’ and ‘Geronimo Rock’, which should please the out-and-out purists. To be honest

though, Shawn should please them anyway. He may be young, white and Texas-based, but he keeps well over

on the Blues side; he is well aware of Texas Blues-rock, but it is not that evident in his playing – which is however

rough-hewn but very skilful. He obviously knows and loves the Louisiana swamp-blues and his gritty vocals fit these

enthusiastic, energetic Dallas Saturday-night bar-blues like a glove.

Norman Darwen

Blues Matters! 100

Blues Matters! 101

CD REVIEWS

ALI FARKA TOURE & TOUMANI

DIABATE

Al and

Toumani

World Circuit

There are giants in

Africa, and here are

two of them, straddling

the World Music scene

like kings or emperors.

We could talk about the

real roots of the blues,

which much of this kind

of music undoubtedly is.

But let’s leave that out of the equation and talk about the

sheer, pristine beauty of the 11 tracks here, impeccably

produced by Nick Gold. Grammy award winner, the late Ali

Farka Touré made music not only for his native Mali, but

for the whole of Africa and the world. His guitar, as Chuck

Berry once said, rings like a bell. But this isn’t Johnny

B. Goode’s guitar; this instrument peals acoustically like

gentle bells in an African sunset. Listen, and visualise.

You can feel the heat and hear the waves along the beach

on the first two tracks, Ruby and Sabu Yerkoy. Toumani

Diabaté is a virtuoso on the Kora, and in conjunction

with Ali’s guitar its soothing, mellow phrases completes

a musical style which becomes totally hypnotic. These

songs represent a musical culture which has flourished in

Africa long before the blues was invented. They are about

history and passion for the land. For example, Samba

Celadio tells us of a struggle of a West African Prince with

his Uncle Konkobo and his half brothers for his share of

the kingdom. Kala Djula is ‘the hymn of the griots’ and

is also a song in praise of the Diabatés; “Whenever or

however you meet a Diabaté, there will be something

golden, at least one gram of gold in his pockets.” So this

superb album is aural gold, and like the memory of Ali

Farka Touré himself, a real and genuine treasure.

Roy Bainton

CLIFF RICHARD

Just About As Good AS It Gets:

The Original Recordings 1958-

1959

Smith & Co

This is another release in the “Just As Good As It Gets

Series” and features the early year of the career of Cliff

Richard. It’s a two CD set, consisting of seventy songs

taken from the period of Cliff’s career 1958-1959. Many

of the tracks feature The Drifters, Cliff first band and the

songs mark the genesis of a career, which has span 52

years, from a musician who will be 70 years old this year

and still out there on-the-road and still recording new

material. The tracks mark an evolutionary period on the

British music scene. Britain in the Post War 50s was the

perfect breeding ground for new music to take a hold, with

its just blossoming youth culture. The world was free again

and people were ready to live life to the full. American

rock and roll soon found a foot-hold in this culture,

especially with the import of US movies like

“Blackboard Jungle” and “Rock Around The Clock.”

At first, the British music scene tried to clone it own

version of this music and then along came Cliff!

His single, ‘Move It’ made No.2 in the UK charts.

Britain had its first home-grown, roll and roll star

and song. The CDs reflect that change to homegrown

music and contain classics like ‘Living Doll’,

‘Move It’ and ‘Travelin Light’. More than this, they

impregnated with the Blues, but not in its pure form

but in the way that in the 50s and 60s, the Blues

was dissected and put back together in many

colours and hews, to form the basis of all modern

music today. Not only is this a great record of one

man’s early career, it’s a musical document of a

period of change.

Carol Borrington

WILL KIMBROUGH

Wings

Daphne Records

He is a Nashville based singer, songwriter and producer

apparently but my promotional copy was short of

any musical detail. Not that it matters really, as this

is pure Country music, pleasant enough in its own

way, saccharine with bible belt undertones. With ten

tracks lasting only 36 minutes it is one for his fan base

presumably. A typically pleasant spoken country drawl is

the vocal style throughout with some nice steel guitar over

an acoustic guitar with typical female backing vocals. The

first track is a bit twee “Everybody Has An Angel I’ve Got

Three”, which I thinks refers to his family. ‘You Can’t Go

Home’ has a serious lyric about not returning to your home

town, perhaps more singer songwriter in style, with steel

guitar over a chugging rhythm section. The title track has

some Dylanesque harmonica with a cowboy drawl and

rhythm. My favourite of the bunch is ‘It Ain’t Cool’ with its

hypnotic drum beat and backing vocal matched again with

some lovely steel guitar. The quavery vocal has a nice

lyric about how “It Ain’t Cool To Talk About People When

They’re Not Around”. ‘Open To Love’ with a brass section

and Motown backing vocal is the odd number out with a

real soul feel. The last track, ‘A Couple Hundred Miracles’

descends back into the saccharine “Every steps a miracle,

every breaths a gift”. With its vocal and lyrical style and

classic instrumental accompaniment this CD is too easy to

pigeonhole and is only ever going to appeal to a Country

audience. It is smoothly and professionally executed but

really quite unmemorable. Short and sweet in fact, entirely

lacking the dynamics and ascorbic, insightful qualities of

Jackson Browne, for example.

Bob Chaffey

B. B. KING ON STAGE WITH

LUCILLE

Blues Boulevard CD

ell, what can you say about this man? He’s one of the

greats, full stop. His albums are milestones, his repertoire

groaning with the weight of classic songs. Here’s 11 of

Blues Matters! 102

them, all recorded back in 1983 in Cannes, France. This

was one of B.B. best touring periods, when his musical

director was trumpeter Calvin Owens, and this 8 piece

ensemble swings like crazy. And fear not, The Thrill Is

Gone is predictably here, as is Sweet Little Angel, and

Caldonia. You can feel the buzz from this live set and

the French audience are obviously loving it, as well they

might. And the whole thing is topped off with a 13 minute

jam session, which features none other than jazz supremo

Dave Brubeck. OK, it isn’t Live at The Regal, but like all

of B.B. King’s live work, it has a punch and class that few

artists can match. If B.B.’s your man, then you’ll need

this on your shelf. With some bluesmen, the thrill is never

gone.

Roy Bainton

ERROL DIXON

Blues in the pot/thats how you

got killed

before

BGO 2 CD SET

Jamaican-born

Dixon moved

to New York

when young

and learnt the

exuberant boogie

woogie style

piano playing

which became

his trademark.

Dixon’s interests

were rooted in American jump blues and R&B but

interestingly he moved to the UK in the late 50’s and had

some success singing and playing Blue Beat. His ambition

was to make it as a blues singer and eventually in 1968

he got the opportunity to record ‘Blues In The Pot’. The

album was produced by Mike Vernon and backing was

provided by Chicken Shack complete with Stan Webb on

guitar and an added horn section. The material is jump

blues and opener ‘Confusion Blues’ features excellent

rolling piano and earthy vocals from Dixon and tasty

guitar fills from Stan Webb. The material is self penned

and all the numbers are strong and most highlight Dixon’s

superb piano playing. Tracks such as ‘The Pot’,’ Midnight

Stroll’ and ‘Past Midnight’ show off Dixon’s chops which

are very much in the style of Amos Milburn and Smiley

Lewis. The bonus tracks on ‘Blues In The Pot’ include

4 tracks from a 1965 Decca EP of Fats Domino songs.

‘That’s How I Got Killed Before’ was recorded in 1969 with

uncredited session musicians and the style is a little more

rocky and the horn section are more predominant. ‘Ain’t

Going Back To The Chicken Shack’ rocks along splendidly

and features some great honking horns. Dixon’s vocals

and piano playing are a little more restrained on this

later album although he does let rip in exuberant fashion

on ‘What’s Your Name’. There is a good slow number

titled ‘A Tear For You’ which features soulful vocals from

Dixon and good guitar work. Anyone interested in jump

blues will enjoy this set of entertaining songs with crisp

arrangements and standout piano playing.

Dave Drury

CD REVIEWS

WHERE BLUES CROSSES

OVER

Various

Ruf Records

This is a compilation celebrating some of the fine talent

signed to the Ruf record label. The CD opens with North

Carolina’s Big Daddy Wilson’s ‘Love Is The Key’ which

was the title track off his 2009 CD. A number that takes

you deep into The Delta, with Big Daddy’s emotive gritty

vocal accompanied by slide and a gospel sounding

catchy chorus. Jeff Healey’s, ‘I Think I Love You Too

Much’ comes next. The music world mourned the loss

of this highly talented Blues, jazz and rock, vocalist and

guitarist in 2008. The inclusion of this track shows just how

highly Healey was regarded as a musician and person,

that they are still promoting his material and his legacy.

The song comes from Healey’s “Hell To Pay” album. A

blues rock ballad with hews of funk that reminds instantly

what a superb talent both instrumentally and vocally

Healey was. Ruf’s youngest signings are there too. Oli

Brown’s highly popular ‘Stone Cold’, often referred to as

‘Roxanne’ gets an inclusion. A track that proves just why

Oli finds his place among this level of talent. Axe lady

Joanne Shaw Taylor appears with a track from her highly

successful “White Sugar” CD, called, “Just Another Word”.

A song with all the flavour and quality of the music of

John Mayer. The CD ends with Coco Montoya’s title track

from his latest 2010 album, “I Want It all Back”. These

make up only half the tracks and other inclusions are,

Meena, Luther Allison, Shakura S’Aida, Omer Dykes with

Jimmy Vaughan. This line-up too only reflects part of Ruf

Record’s wealth of Blues musicians signed to the label

and is a sampler of the musical Kaleidoscope of class

albums they have to offer.

Carol Borrington

JB3

Raised to the Ground

Independent

This Blues/rock trio are based in the Herts/Essex area

and cite Lenny Kravitz, Jimi Hendrix, Freeand Cream

among their many influences. The album opens with

60’s style rocker ‘Meaning For Being’ which sets the

scene nicely complete with homage to Jimi with the lyric

“Excuse me while I kiss the...”. Vocalist/guitar player

James Bennett acquits himself well and the band provide

a solid and uncomplicated backdrop for his fireworks. In

The Reflection’ kicks in with some frantic guitar riffs as

Bennett hits the wah-wah pedal and Stoph Demetriou lays

down a funky bass rhythm. A burst of feedback introduces

‘Cold Kind Of Living’ and then the pace drops for ‘A Little

Differently’ and the gentle ballad ‘Remember To Breathe’

which seems like good advice to me. I’ll keep that in mind

when I go to bed tonight. ‘Little Smile’ opens with a catchy

organ riff and is another slow number but I think this band

are ar their best when rocking out. Happily there are plenty

of powerful numbers on this CD, although, some of the

riffs do seem eerily familiar. Closing track ‘Empire’ is a

real stomper complete with phasing and a thunderous

beat from Charlie Caine on drums. I did manage to find

that in 2008 the band won the Harlow Star Jimi Hendrix

Blues Matters! 103

CD REVIEWS

Award For Riffs As Big As Mountains which seems rather

apt. Although the album appears to be all self penned I

believe that live sets sometimes include some Jimi covers.

Overall though it’s good to see young bands writing and

developing their own material whilst still remembering and

updating what has gone before. The band gig regularly

around their home ground and I’m sure they are worth

seeing and this CD will sell well at the end of a hot, funky

and rockin’ night.

Dave Drury

OLI BROWN

Heads I Win Tails You Lose

Ruf Records

This is Oli Brown’s follow-up to Open Road, and can be

seen as another

watershed in his

career. It is far

more mature than

anything else

we have heard

from Oli. That is

particularly true of

Oli’s vocal and he

joins the ranks of

young musicians

who are seeing

guitar solos are

not enough to

produce a song

of true musical

genius. Oli’s voice

on this CD has lost its adolescence sound and become

that of an adult, fuller, deeper, and over flowing with

emotional versatility. There is also a marked maturity in

his songwriting and his guitar work. Oli always had the

technique and the feel but now he’s found the confidence

in his own ability. The Blues boy is now a Bluesman, it

shows through every track. It has all Oli’s signature in

tracks like ’Keep My options Open and ‘Real Good Time’.

Take a listen to the quality of the couple of cover tracks,

‘Fever’ and ‘No Diggity’; they are innovative and classy

renditions. ‘Speechless’ is superb with catchy hook, tender

guitar and vocal but it has something special. It has the

ability to be a commercially viable number to attract the

young. ‘I Can Make Your Day,’ the drum work on this is

superb, the beat hanging on every note Oli sings, subtle

bass builds underneath and you add a driving emotional

vocal and guitar solo and you have got one hell of a song.

Oli joins the ranks of new generation being forged by Joe

Bonamassa’s example that kills the myth that the young

can’t play the Blues. If this CD is anything to go by not

only can Oli play the Blues, he’s one who can help to keep

it alive, move it foreword and most of all touch yet another

generation with Blues magic.

Carol Borrington

HOUDINI DAX

Live BBC Radio Wales

Houdini Dax

This band are youngsters from Cardiff and musically very

interesting they are too. This is not a Blues band. Apart

Blues Matters! 104

from the historical tinges of their musical influences, the

Blues does not form part of their musical vocabulary. That

does not make it bad music, because it isn’t. All tracks are

self-penned. There is no guitar wizardry on this EP but

there is good solid lead and rhythm playing. Vocals are

clear with good intonation and harmonies. Bass and drums

are solid and tight with the lead. It opens with ‘Robin You

Lie’ a 60’s Beatles influenced song with the ‘wall of sound’

production style. It follows with ‘Fizzy Moon’ an upbeat

techno dance rhythm feeding into psychedelic guitar

sounds. ‘Mr Pascoe’ follows in a slower vein sounding

in some respects like the Kaiser Chiefs. The final track

’Struggling In The Sand’ is 50/60’s skiffle of which Lonnie

would be proud. If you want a change in musical direction

this would be a good choice, it leaves you feeling good,

even if you don’t know why!

Carol Borrington

JIMMIE VAUGHAN

Plays Blues, Ballads and

Favourites

Proper

Jimmie Vaughan needs no introduction to Blues fans, a

founder member of The Fabulous Thunderbirds, guitar

tutor to his younger brother Stevie Ray and the person

to whom Muddy Waters said, “When I’m gone, I want

you to do that, and show everybody that’s what I did. I

want you to do it for me,” when he heard Jimmie imitate

his slide playing style. This CD is his first studio album

in 9 years and with one exception is covers selected by

Jimmie from artists he admires. ‘Comin & Goin’ is the

self-penned instrumental number. It is Jump Blues style

with clear precise guitaring by Jimmie and effective nonoverpowering

brass delivered by Greg Picollo (Tenor

Sax) Kas Kasenoff (Baritone Sax) and Ephraim Owens

(Trumpet). ‘Wheel Of Fortune’ the Weiss & Benjamin song

features Lou Ann Barton on vocals and they are clean and

expressive ones at that, her Texan drawl adding interest

and not detracting from the quality. Jimmie add a crisp and

expressive melody line underneath whilst Sax, Trumpet

and Hammond B3 (Bill Willis) complement the vocal and

guitar well. ‘How Can You Be So Mean’ us an upbeat

Blues with Jimmie singing and interspersing strong yet

delicate riffs over a strong walking bassline from Ronnie

James and effective brass and drum rhythm. ‘Funny How

Time Slips Away’ features Bill Willis on Hammond and

vocals on this Willie Nelson slow blues song. Bill’s vocal

is ideal for this song in an almost talking Blues format

with Jimmie’s guitar riffs symbiotically joining in a very

expressive version of this song. If you like your guitaring

clean and crisp without effects and histrionics, your brass

and keyboards supportive not overpowering and your

rhythm section strong and sympathetic and your vocal

sound and understandable and your Blues is from the

East side, then this CD is for you.

Carol Borrington

HOT SPOT BLUES BAND

Bluestime Records

You know, us old folks, the aged reviewer types, hanker

after the old 12 inch vinyl LP days for many reasons.

One is that once you’ve got your bus pass, it gets difficult

trying to read brown 2 point type faces set on a sepia

background. No kidding, I had to get a magnifying glass

and when I tried to read about the Hot Spot boys. Then I

realised three lines in that I was reading Spanish. Looks

like they’re from Brazil. What are they like? Bloody good!

A feisty, punchy trio, with Luiz Andrade on drums, Gusto

Andrade on guitars and vocals, and bassist Jonas Lima.

There’s also several guest musicians and some mean

harmonica, the player of which I can’t quite sort out. It’s

straight ahead, fat-sounding city blues in the rolling urban

mode of the Fabulous Thunderbirds, and there’s plenty

of traditional fare among the 10 tracks, including Willie

Dixon’s I’m Ready, Wolf’s Who’s Been Talking, Rollin’ &

Tumbling and even a superb, stripped back rendering

of Dave Mason’s Feeling Alright. This is one CD I’ll be

playing in the car for weeks to come. These guys mean

business. There’s much more to Brazil and nuts and

naughty shaving!

Roy Bainton

MICA

PARIS

Born

Again

Rhythm

Riders

This is not

my usual

fare and that

probably

applies to

most people

reading this

great Blues

Mag. Mica

Paris is a name that has been around for over twenty

years and she has released many successful albums as

the UK’s Soul Queen. Recently she has been in great

demand as a TV presenter and, surprisingly, this is

her first album for five years. Her roots are in soul and

gospel and she certainly has a great voice with plenty

of power, range and soulfulness. Opening track ‘Baby

Come Back’ is an up-tempo retro tune written especially

for her by James Morrison which has already been

successfully released as a single. ‘You’re The Only One’

is an altogether more soulful and smooth string laden

affair complete with sweet backing vocals. Title track

‘Born Again’ is an epic ballad with sweeping strings and

features a suitably big vocal performance from Miss Paris.

‘Breathless’ is an up-tempo dance track and ‘Hardest

Thing’ is a scorching Motown type belter which would

fill any dance floor. The inspirational ‘Hold On’ and the

pleading ‘Stay’ both display her church influenced roots

with gospel drenched vocals. ‘Nothing But The Truth’

is a pop song which has a country influence and builds

to a big climax. The musicianship and production is

first class throughout with its modern grooves allied to

classic feel. Her signature tune ‘My OneTemptation’ is

set to an acoustic guitar backing which works well and

there is a bonus track n featuring the Gershwin classic

‘Summertime’ recorded live at The Royal Opera House

for the BBC tribute concert. If you’re looking for Chicago

CD REVIEWS

Blues then this is not for you but if you’re prepared to

contemplate the more modern meaning of R’n’B then this

is a fine album and one of the best of its type

Dave Drury

RARE BLUES & SOUL OUT OF

NASHVILLE IN THE 1960’S Vol. 2

Superbird

There were more independent record labels in Nashville

Tennessee From the 1940s through to the 60s than in

any other US city apart from LA, Chicago and New York.

We can easily make the mistake of thinking Nashville is

just a country and western town, but as volume 1 of this

series reveals, and this new volume 2, there was a whole

lot of blues and soul cutting its way through the fiddles

and banjos. Here’s 24 hugely enjoyable tracks, and whilst

some of the names, such as Cornell Blakely Lucille & The

Strangers and Robert Garratt may not be immediately

familiar, the music they produced is memorable. Here

you’ll also find a fine Somebody Help Me by Larry

Birdsong, and the atmospheric So Much To Be Thankful

for by Herbert Hunter. All in all this is a historic and hugely

enjoyable glimpse into a decade in Nashville when

creativity and variety were at their peak. Terrific stuff.

Roy Bainton

BILLY JENKINS

I Am A Man From Lewisham

VOTP

The CD itself made up to look like a pizza means from

the outset, you have a soft spot for Billy Jenkins, like a

four seasons or margherita. The man who the Penguin

guide to Jazz called one of our national treasures, “along

with the Princess Royal and Walthamstow dog stadium’

is the anchovies on the contemporary British R&B

scene and should one day be the subject of a cracking

good autobiography. For now though – more localised

matters await – a slightly meagre 8 tack offering whose

title anchors Jenkins’ to London roots. I am a man -

Sleazy, slightly

discordant –

rich tongue in

check, like his

sleeve notes,

brass section,

polishing would

ruin it – it sounds

like it was

performed in the

back of a double

decker – sound

effects noises of

a raucous south

east London are

richly peppered

within a home

tribute. Among

the chaos is the odd quiet moment – Francis Drake Bowls

Club is eulogised in a trombone and violin instrumental

heavy on pathos, and there is a cast of many who clearly

share the offbeat, and while this will not find perhaps

much favour with the traditional blues crowd who will find

Blues Matters! 105

CD REVIEWS

avant-garde (‘On Catford Broadway’ is probably a track

to miss) but cockney sparrers will love his irreverent

invention and ribald roughness. ‘Deptford Market’ is quirky

standout among this collection of long tracks, gear changes

and unexpected turns. As charmingly mad as a box of

jellied eels.

Richard Thomas

RICE MOOREHEAD

You Make Me Feel

If this is an example of the new wave of music coming out

of Austin, Texas, then it’s easy to see why the Lone Star

State’s eclectic musical reputation has grown so much

over the past few decades. You wouldn’t exactly call Rice

Moorehead a bluesman, but it’s in there, lurking under

some growling bass lines and cheesy Hammond organ.

The most blues influenced offering is the title track, You

Make Me Feel, but overall this CD put me in mind of other

classic American bands of the past. There’s a flavour of

Little Feat on tracks like You Can See and Unlearn, but

there’s also cute surprises such as the cowboy humour of

Molly The Cowgirl. And most of the musical backing here is

by female musicians, Cindy Toth and Jill Csekitz. Overall

it has a deep, pungent, gutsy guitar style and Moorehead’s

vocals are clear and direct due to the good production.

Country rock? I don’t know, but it’s as American as apple

pie and none the worse for it. Give Rice Moorehead a listen

– we’ll be hearing more of him, no doubt.

Roy Bainton

NEIL YOUNG

Dreamin

Man Live

I992

Warner Brothers

Music Ltd

Neil Young has never

been a conformist

and its typical

of

Neil Young to skip

decades in his archive

release with this CD.

There is no rhyme or reason to the logical mind but Neil

Young is a master musician and logic does not come into

the equation. “Dreamin Man” is a collection of songs that

went on to make the studio album Harvest Moon. On this

CD, they are solo acoustic versions, stripped right down

and recorded out-on-the-road in 1992. It’s Young, a guitar,

banjo, harmonica and piano, placing you in a timeless

moment of musical history. The songs are not that different

from the studio album, but they are in a different order and

they contain nuances that you do not get on the polished

finished studio release. Young’s voice has always carried

his songs, his passion for his lyrics made real through

his vocal and you get a more intuitive feel of the inner

songwriter. It is a stunning collection, it very introspective

and that definitely comes through on the instrumental solos

and Young’s vocal. This gets you as close to Neil Young’s

mindset as it comes. The CD opens with a cheering crowd

and Neil playing electro acoustic on the beautiful title track

‘Dreamin’ Man’. Young has had many phases and crossed

Blues Matters! 106

genres but if Blues truly is a feeling and as James Blood

Ulmer said, “It is the soul of a man”, this is as ‘Blues’ as it

gets. The guitar work on this CD is exquisite. If you want

to hear the classic ‘Harvest Moon’ or ‘You and Me’ at their

best, try this CD. The CD maybe is not for the Blues purist

but for music lovers a must.

Carol Borrington

JOHN

BUTLER

TRIO

April

Uprising

Because Music

It’s surprising

that unlike other

Antipodean

visitors Russell

Crowe and Rolf

Harris, John

Butler has not made more of an

impact in the UK. With a credible message, attractively

commercial sound and the more interesting element of

celebrity, though now shorn of dreadlocks, he shows he

has fallen victim of no power-sapping Delilah. Opener

‘Revolution’ develops menacingly, showcasing some

breathless vocals- Soft Rock may be a little lily-livered

for some, but not when it‘s like this. Butler‘s charismatic

fronting is complemented by a impressively virtuoso rhythm

section featuring drumming brother-in-law Nicky Bomba

giving a truly accomplished performance with the sticks.

Clear preferences abound but all good ones - traces of

the Chilli Peppers and Barenaked Ladies are evident with

Hendrix’ ‘Easy Rider’ riff smuggled in with panache. The

passionate politicised message shines through, as befitting

anyone who borrows the album title from his Bulgarian

ancestors’ quest for autonomy. ‘Come On Now’ is a

frenzied, dynamic highlight, but perhaps ‘To Look Like You’

will take the plaudits, or the emotionally charged ‘Ragged

Mile‘with its earthy appreciation of nature. The thoughtful

‘Steal‘and the even dreamier ‘Star Is Born‘are also worthy

of mention. Pedants may argue that the slow-burningstart-building-to-a-climactic-crescendo

format is a little

overdone, but compelling spirit pulls it off. Trimmed down

from 22 tracks to a still generous 15, Butler calls it “his

best work so far” - its rootsy quality and raffish rockiness

suggests it could be an Australian import as momentous as

Shane Warne’s googly. Outstanding.

Richard Thomas

DEAN HAITANI

Dean Haitani

New Era Music

Dean is an Australian based singer, songwriter, guitarist

who grew up listening to his parent’s post 1920’s records.

He cites BB King’s ‘Live in Cook County’ album as a major

influence. This CD recorded in 2007 in Victoria Australia

with John Castle accompanying him on Bass, keyboards,

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Blues Matters! 108

it a little to and Roger Bergodaz on drums. All songs are

self-penned. It is a good early insight into a blues talent

of whom we should be hearing more. The CD opens with

‘Set Them Free’ a social comment on love rather than a

love song. It is a funky number with vocals reminiscent

of Walter Trout and a middle eight solo of precise and

expressive guitaring complementing the vocals. ‘Lay Me

Down Slowly Mama’ a beautiful acoustic Blues ballad.

Dean fully explores his mid to lower upper vocal range

with passion and emotion and features clean, gentle

slide guitar middle eight supported by gentle drums and

expressive keys. ‘Reunion With The Blues’ is an urban

Blues number with a strong swing beat. Straight down

the line Blues with no guitar gymnastics and a grittier

Blues vocal matching lyrics, featuring the lyric “You don’t

choose the Blues, the Blues chooses you” In Dean’s case,

the Blues chose very well indeed. The CD finishes with

‘Funky Jam” an instrumental highlighting the prowess of

the whole band though Dean’s, Santanaesque guitaring

predominates this is a tune for the whole band. This CD is

eight tracks each of a different blues styling and all played

with quality music and vocals. If your Blues desire is

blistering fretboard runs then this CD isn’t for you. If your

Blues are dug deep out of the Delta mud it isn’t for you,

but if you love the Blues it is definitely for you.

Carol Borrington

MICK CLARKE

Roll Again & Live In

Luxembourg

Beat Goes On Records

1995’s ‘Roll Again’ reverts to the first release’s tried

and tested blues rock format and largely succeeds

as a consequence over twelve tracks at 49 minutes..

High speed rolling rhythms topped again with masterful

controlled guitar riffs such as on ‘Blue Eyed Blues’

featuring a powerful performance from Chris Sharley on

drums. ‘Mother Earth’ drops the pace for a slow blues

with a marvellous picking guitar solo, intricate tinkling

piano from Lou Martin and fine bass work from Mick

Hawksworth.. The quality of the musicianship highlights

the relative weakness of the vocal. ‘One Horse Town’

employs an echo on the vocal to excellent effect. ‘Gypsy

Blues’ is atmospheric instrumental with some evocative

shrill guitar work and I wonder whether the weakness on

vocal is the subconscious driver here, certainly the title

track cries out for an able rock vocalist. Classic blues is

represented by ‘Down

In The Bottom’ which

fails to convince

with the stop start

rhythm and light

vocal which does it

no justice. ‘Stompin’

another instrumental

closes and lives up

to it’s title. Just eight

tracks at 52 minutes

on 2003’s ‘Live In

Luxembourg’ the

companion CD.

Recorded on an

CD REVIEWS

ad hoc basis, it does serve to depict the sweaty, intense

and passionate nature of the band on stage. More rock

than blues throughout, but fine keyboard playing from

Dave Lennox ranging from tinkling piano on ‘That’s Alright’

to gorgeous swirling organ on ‘You Gonna Miss Me’,

coupled with some impressive guitar work and flashing

pyrotechnics particularly on the latter track. The vocal

quality is again merely adequate. The set stops short of

over indulgence and is one for the fans. I understand

Mick Clarke’s longevity with the musical ability on offer. I

do wonder though what impact a class vocalist might have

had on his fortunes. ‘West Coast Connections and ‘Steel

And Fire’ complete the CD rereleases.

Bob Chaffey

MIDNITE JOHNNY

Lyin’ Eyes

Blue Midnite

Productions

Midnite Johnny is Johnny

Morana from South

Florida, but according

to his MySpace page

he’s temporarily settled

in Bolton where he’s

doing acoustic gigs. He’s

been around the Florida

scene for a long time,

gigging with several

name musicians. This is

his debut album. Johnny

is yet another excellent guitar player and his playing on

this album shows more economy and restraint than many

that we hear. He is particularly adept at building tension

and then releasing it. His strongest influence seems to

be Magic Sam, there’s a touch of Freddy King and on

track, 7 ‘You’re Not the Only One’ there is a noticeable

Mark Knopfler influence, the song’s structure and playing

is strongly reminiscent of Sultans of Swing and the vocal

here actually reminded me of Keith Richard. In general

the album is pretty much standard stuff. The strongest

tracks are the opener ‘GYPSY CURSE’, a mid-tempo

swing based shuffle very much in the Magic Sam mould

with excellent guitar. The second stand-out is track 2

‘WALKIN’ THE FLOOR’; this has a mambo type of feel and

a vocal track that recalls Levon Helm. Johnny’s version of

‘BO DIDDLEY’, the only cover, is more akin to the Buddy

Holly version than the original. With ten songs written by

Johnny and band keyboard player Sonny Williams this a

satisfactory debut pointing to a future where Johnny may,

hopefully, be tempted to discover a more individual sound

of his own.

Vicky Martin

MIKE STEVENS & MATT

ANDERSON

Piggyback

Busted Flat Records

Canadian, Matt Anderson is winner of the 2010 Blues

Foundation, International Blues Foundation Challenge.

Mike Stevens is a Canadian harmonica player who is

Blues Matters! 109

CD REVIEWS

up with the best. Together they have produced this

self-penned CD and it is a ‘cracker’. All the guitaring is

acoustic and with the exception of one track, there are no

heroics, just pure quality, passionate Blues. Mike’s harp

playing is varied, solid and emotive. ‘Livin In Sarnia’ starts

with and has a droning kazoo sounding harp forcing the

rhythm whist guitar plays a gentle affecting melody with a

slight tinge of country. ‘Devils Bride’ is straight out of the

Bayou Blues, with an almost shredded guitar solo and

emotive wailing harp. Throughout the CD Matt’s vocal

is clear lower register, polished with a slight gruffness

but good intonation. ‘Going Home’ introduces Mike’s

vocal in a talking Blues style as he relates the return

of a soldier’s body to his home in Canada, all the time

backed by a gentle melodic and highly emotive wailing

and berating guitar. The chorus is sung by Matt and could

easily become an anthem in itself. Whatever your beliefs

about war I defy you not to be touched by this song.

‘Better Days’ is the exception to the heroics definition.

Still acoustic but shredded riffs interplay with shredded

chords and percussive and rapid strumming, whilst the

harp shreds alongside. The CD finishes with ‘You’re a

Best Seller Baby’ which is foot stomping iambic Blues

straight from the Delta with slide guitar and harp wailing

like a Robert Johnson duet with Sonny Terry. There are

some amazing Blues musicians coming out of Canada

recently, they have been for too long overshadowed by

their southern neighbours. This CD shows that Canada

matches them with ease.

Blues Matters! 110

Carol Borrington

ELVIS

PRESLEY

Elvis 75 th

Anniversary

Album

Sony Music 3 CD set

For the next generation

of Elvis impersonators, if

they want to get it right,

then this is the collection they’ll need to study and absorb.

75 tracks and not a dud among them. Well, that’s not

entirely true – there’s some of the movie tracks, such as

Kiss Me Quick, Bossa Nova Baby and Kissin’ Cousins.

Poor Elvis. Colonel Tom Parker had a lot to answer for.

Of course, the Elvis impersonators will only be interested

in Disc 3, because that’s the fat white sparkly flares and

cloak collection – American Trilogy, The Wonder of You

and all that sweaty Las Vegas stuff. They’ll not tackle the

diamond-hard, solid gold young Elvis of disc 1, because

being a middle-aged Elvis impersonator is nothing

without the shades and the sequinned cloak, and few

impersonators can emulate the sheer animalistic force

of the Tupelo flash circa 56-59. It’s too much hard work.

This is a wonderful collection, full of the sheer variety of

styles and periods the King went through, but disc 1 is the

one that does it for me. Listening once again to this true

monarch, backed by the smooth Jordanaires, delivering All

Shook Up, Blue Moon, Hound Dog and the soaring Lawdy

Miss Clawdy, it brings back all the thrilling memories of the

days when you couldn’t buy Levis or Wranglers, beer was

around 7p a pint, we all smoked Woodbines or Park Drive,

and rock’n’roll made our parents absolutely apoplectic.

He was great, great, great, and his recordings will last

forever. Tread carefully, impersonators, for you tread on

my dreams.

Roy Bainton

THE BLUES

BAND

Back For

More / Fat

City

BGO 2 CD set.

Currently celebrating

30 years on the road,

The Blues Band can

rightly claim to be

Europe’s premier blues

outfit for many reasons. In some ways, they don’t just sing

the roots – in British terms, they are the roots, because

like John Mayall, Georgie Fame and Chris Barber they

stormed the barricades on the first great blues boom in the

60s and actually played as sidemen to the US greats such

as Wolf, Sonny Boy and Hooker. If any band knows their

blues, then this combo know more than most. However,

they have tried manfully in the past to do other things with

the genre, sometimes successfully, sometimes not. They

broke up for a while in the early 80s but soon bounced

back with one of the albums here, Back For More. In

contrast to their earlier outings on LP such as the stirring

Bootleg Album and Ready, where they showcased the

traditional blues repertoire with style and dynamic energy,

by the mid 80s they’d decided to take that energy in a new

direction and make much more of their own writing talent.

So, with the exception of Gil Scott Heron’s Blue Collar and

Willie Dixon’s Down In The Bottom, you’ll find all these

tracks on both albums to be originals by Dave Kelly, Tom

McGuinness, Paul Jones, Benny Gallagher, Tex Comer

and Gary Fletcher. I remember the 80s release of Back

For More – it was a time when the denims and dungarees

had been replaced by double breasted Thatcherite suits.

However, this music is still the blues but with an added

patina of sophistication. There’s the popular Victim of

Love, and the atmospheric Down To The River, by Paul

Jones, inspired by an episode of Inspector Morse. And

the Blues Band is a true musical democracy – you get

even measures of Dave Kelly, Gary Fletcher, PJ and

McGuinness. This double set is a bargain. It shows the

finest British bluesmen at their very best, taking their

knowledge, skill and experience and doing something new

with it all. Here’s to the next ten years, gentlemen!

Roy Bainton

VARIOUS: WHERE BLUES

CROSSED OVER 2010

Ruf Records

Ten tracks which, as this compilation’s title makes clear,

represent where the blues is right now in 2010. It kicks off

with a stirring acoustic/vocal pairing Love Is The Key with

Eric Bibb and Big Daddy Wilson in full flight – the rolling,

sliding guitar and the gospel flavoured chorus would

brighten anyone’s day. In contrast there’s the soaring

playing of Jeff Healey on I think I love Too Much, and for

a change, the men aren’t having it all their own way, 4 of

these ten tracks will introduce you to some fine female

artists; Meena, Joanne Shaw Taylor, Shakura S’aida

and Erja Lyytinen. Other big names include the mighty

Luther Allison and Coco Montoya, and by the time you’ve

reached track ten you’re feeling slightly disappointed that

there isn’t any more. This is a good overview of how Ruf

Records are providing us with a welcome opportunity to

sample the varied material coming out of their studios, and

when you hear Omar Dykes Feat with the irrepressible

Jimmy Vaughan on guitar, on the gutsy Big Town Playboy,

you’ll soon be plundering the extensive catalogue listing

printed on this album’s sleeve. Cracking stuff, play it loud

and enjoy!

Roy Bainton

CD REVIEWS

favoured genre of traditional American folk music. The

impact of the so-called post-war Folk revival has had a

strongest influence on him, and his subsequent work

bares the hallmark of Pete Seeger and early Bob Dylan.

This album of fourteen self-penned songs is just what

one would expect from someone with that background.

Whilst lyrically it is both socially and politically aware, it’ s

topics are also tinged with personal regret and nostalgia.

He accompanies himself on acoustic guitar on each cut

and occasionally adds harmonica. He is joined by Pamela

Bernardi on vocals on four of the songs, which adds some

variety and interest. I enjoyed the ironic observations in

The Super Superficial Man , the gentle longing of One To

Love and rhythmic approach to San Casciano Blues. It is

an earnest but ultimately introverted work.

Noggin

BLUES LUNCH

Sideswiped

Wilberts Records

Blues Lunch is an eight piece band from Cleveland Ohio

who have been on-the-road for twenty-five years. They

play a mix of blues, swing, jazz, RnB and early RnR.”

Sideswiped is the bands fifth CD and the first they have

recorded since 2004. It is a fifteen track offering running to

nearly an hour in length. It contains self-penned numbers

written by lead guitarist and vocalist Bob Franks. The CD

opens with the title track and is an instrumental. It is an

eclectic combination of genres, blues rooted but with early

RnR, RnB and jazz mixed in and reflect s the music of

Chicago, New Orleans and RnR in the forties and fifties.

There are covers of Bobby Bland’s 36-22-36, which has

Blues, jazz and a take your partner and dance sensibility.

It brings forth memories of GI’s on leave swinging their

gals round the local dance hall. ‘The Best I Can’, is a

Blues ballad, emotive vocal, wailing guitar and harmonica

are topped with an interesting big band sound. ‘Monkey

Hips and Rice’ is a doo wop number. ‘Chinese Knock –off’,

mixes a lot genres in a good fifties orientated Chicago

Blues number. The bouncy and tongue-in-cheek ‘Don’t

Point That Thing At Me’ is a harmonica driven Blues

number and throughout this CD, you get that wonderful

feeling that even when dealing with the more sombre

topics of the Blues, these boys just want you to smile. ‘My

Baby Knows Lovin’ is a blues ballad with some low down

harp and slide guitar, very Muddy Waters. Maybe more

for the US market than UK but there is certainly a growing

feel for music of the late forties and fifties again among

the ‘silver’ pound and dollar.

Carol Borrington

DANIEL GOODMAN

Such A Fine Day & Other Days

self-released

Daniel Goodman graduated from Boston s Berklee

College of music, with a focus then on jazz. Influenced

initially by the likes of Miles Davis and Sonny Rollins he

performed in that arena for while, before moving onto his

TRENT MILLER & THE

SKELETON JIVE

Cerberus

Hangman records

This is the debut album of fourteen self penned tracks

lasting 41 minutes. Trent is recorded here solo on

guitar, harmonica and vocal. Skeleton Jive refers to

his touring ensemble. The first track ‘Dark River’ sets

the scene for the CD with it’s strummed acoustic guitar

and a extremely limited vocal style reminiscent of latter

Blues Matters! 111

CD REVIEWS

day Shane McGowan. ‘Secret Fires’ has dark lyrical

content just not matched by the potency or passion of

performance either instrumentally or vocally. ‘Coyote’ and

especially ‘Hangmans Shore’ are musically presented as

60’s Donovan but with a strident harsh vocal that fails to

sustain any range or note even throughout a single word

on occasion. Comparisons are indeed often odious but,

for illustrative sake, one cannot help contrasting the vocal

power of Marcus Bonfanti or the impassioned attack of

Eric Sardinas as absolutely necessary on this kind of

black lyrical material. The “Nights are much too dark”

appeal to his ‘Little Queen Of Hearts’ has again no depth

of feeling or conviction conveyed in the croaky vocal.

Cerberus is the three headed dog guarding the gates of

hell but Trent has no menace or emotive power to carry or

convey that imagery. By the final tracks he descends to a

gloomy tired drone – on ‘Calvary Mountain’ think Leonard

Cohen devoid of wit and personality. There is no light and

shade here, but that would not be a problem if the material

had been performed with the passion, the emotional depth

and dramatic intensity required. This is Folk music with a

punkish undertone which regrettably fails to convince as

a body of work, with the shortcomings on vocal not being

compensated for with an intensity of performance. The

listener is left a dispassionate onlooker and not brought

onboard by the artist.

Bob Chaffey

THE HOLMES BROTHERS

Feed My Soul

Alligator

This latest album

from the venerable

brothers contains

mostly self penned

material featuring

their usual blend

of Blues, gospel,

soul, rock and

country. Not

forgetting a touch

of doo-wop and

a dose of funk.

This mix makes

for a beguiling,

glorious and

rootsy stew as

typified by the

fantastic and funky vocal harmonies on

‘Something Is Missing’. Wendell Holmes had a recent

battle with cancer and his songs ‘Living Well Is The Best

Revenge’ and ‘Fair Weather Friend’ refer touchingly to

his struggle. The Lennon/McCartney penned ‘I’ll Be Back’

is infused with soulful vocals from Popsy Dixon and is

followed by a yearning cover of Johnny Ace’s beautiful

ballad ‘Pledging My Love’. As always the Brothers

bring a charm to everything they do. I was once told by

someone who saw one of their gigs that at the end of

the evening they insisted on shaking hands with and

thanking everyone who had attended. Somehow that

feeling pervades their music and the glorious title track

‘Feed My Soul’ is a perfect example of this. The Brothers

are in good voice throughout and extra colour is added

to the music with guest musicians on Hammond B-3,

mandolin and harmonica. ‘You’re The Kind Of Trouble’

finds The Brothers rocking out to a Chuck Berry beat

but those glorious vocal harmonies are back in place

for the ballad ‘I Saw Your Face’. ‘Rounding Third’ is an

uplifting rocker featuring wailing harmonica from Andy

Breslau and closing track ‘Take Me Away’ is a gospel

number featuring heartfelt vocals from Popsy Dixon.

So we have Wendell’s gravelly vocals, Popsy’s soaring

falsetto and amazing three part harmony singing which

is spine tingling. It certainly makes for a very pleasing

and exhilarating album which can be thoroughly

recommended.

Dave Drury

GUITAR GABRIEL

The Beginning of the Music

Maker Story (CD+DVD)

CD – Guitar Gabriel DVD –

Toot Blues

Dixiefrog Records

This interesting package is designed to tell about

Blues Matters! 112

the founding of the Music Maker Relief Foundation. A

charitable fund set up to support many of the very talented

but largely forgotten blues musicians of Carolina and the

surrounding areas. Guitar Gabriel was the inspiration to

Tim Duffy who along with Denise Duffy and others set up

the trust. Gabriel had a chart hit in the USA in 1970, under

the name of Nyles Jones with his song ‘THE WELFARE

BLUES’ which is on the CD. He received not a penny in

royalties and became embittered enough to stop playing.

The DVD tells the story of Gabriel’s coming back to

performing and achieving a degree of success late in life.

The DVD contains several striking cameo performances

by such little known bluesmen as Boo Hanks, Cool John

Ferguson, and several others. The spirit of these people,

despite the poverty in which they live, is inspiring. The

foundation has borne fruit and bought many of these folk

and audience and at least some income. The CD is a mix

of very down home acoustic blues and some of Gabriel’s

older tracks. It sounds very informal and relaxed. I would

highly recommend this package and especially the DVD in

particular. There is one other gem in this set; the booklet

contains a superb essay about Gabriel’s rediscovery ‘The

Last Bluesman’ by John Creech.

Vicky Martin

SHAWN PITTMAN

Movin’ & Groovin’

Feelin’ Good Records 009

Providing an overview of the four albums he recorded

between 1999 and 2005, this collection features Shawn

CD REVIEWS

on lead guitar throughout. It is jam packed with

unmistakable Texan guitar slinging

that hits the spot,

the solid rhythm

section lays

the foundation

for a seemingly

omnipresent bass

which seemingly

relentlessly

crunches away any

opposition, leaving

the way open for

Shawn’s sweetly

articulate guitar

slinging. Whether he is

playing a loose limbed

toe-tapping shuffle

or a

fast moving blaster;

his unmistakable

passion is clearly evident, particularly so when he is

playing a soul searching slow blues. Shawn eloquently

displays his knack for choosing the right numbers for

his particular interpretations of the music he plays, as

displayed with the suitably raggedly, rough edged version

of Hound Dog Taylor’s ‘Gimme Back My Wig’ to the

extremely mellow feeling imbued by his heartfelt and

sensitively rendered slide on ‘That First Drink.’ Shawn’s

natural talents are certainly well highlighted by this

collection and we can but only look forward to hearing

more musical gems! If you like Texas Blues, then you are

certainly in for an aural treat.

Brian Harman

Blues Matters! 113

GOT LIVE

ARTISTS KEEPING THE BLUES ALIVE

EDDIE MARTIN

@Vale Blues, Jazz & Roots Society, Barry 04/03/10

Vale Blues, Jazz and Roots club once again pulled the rabbit out of the hat to a packed and appreciative audience as

they enthusiastically welcomed the one man band with Eddie playing guitars, harmonica and foot percussion (his trusty

suitcase!) The evening did not disappoint, and I know that all harmonica players had been enthralled, challenged and

learnt something in the workshop Eddie held before the actual gig. The first set saw Eddie using his steel acoustic, with

slide, rack harp and foot percussion he emulates bands such as Doctor Ross and Joe Hill Louis famous in Memphis in the

1950’s. A combination of traditional blues including Robert Johnson’s ’Little Queen of Spades’ and a brilliant rendition of

Slim Harpo’s ‘Shake Your Hips’ and his own songs such as ‘Toy Ballerina’ demonstrating his skills in providing a modern

update to the blues demonstrating all the expressiveness of this genre. “Eddie Martin” provided lots of background

information about the blues artists and the songs being performed such as Lead Belly’s, ‘The Bourgeois Blues’ how it was

written after Lead Belly went to Washington DC; and after finishing recording went out with Alan Lomax and their wives

to celebrate, the song rails against racism, classism, and discrimination in general,. The acoustic set was a walk through

the history of the Blues from Johnson through to today’s artists such as Eric Bibb demonstrating that acoustic blues are

alive, and relevant to audiences. The second set was electric from including the harp with the ingenious use of copious

gaffer tape! Demonstrating the versatility of “Eddie Martin’s” talents and the effectiveness of the one man band format.

The audience was treated to a live premiere of ‘One Man Band’ from his new album, electric version of ‘Toy Ballerina’. The

Blues Matters! 114

GOT LIVE

evening was a celebration of “Eddie’s Martin’s” skills, virtuosity and confidence to entertain using a one man band with all

the different skills, techniques and above all mental dexterity combined with the coordination require to play everything

from rhythm to lead guitar and vocals shone through delighting the audience who wanted more....

Liz Aiken

ELEPHANT SHELF

@Milkwoodjam, Swansea.

02/03/10

What an exciting, different and musical evening “Elephant Shelf” gave the audience. This most original of Rock and Blues

/ Roots bands. Led by two of Britain’s finest transgender musicians Vicky Martin and ‘Princess’ Diana Stone the legendary

multi-instrumental virtuoso; both can link their names to some of the greatest names in rock history. The originality shone

through on... ‘Best Worst Day‘ Rosie on lead vocals may be affectionately known as ‘Little Rosie’ her voice is anything

but! And despite struggling with a sore throat her voice acted as the perfect foil to Vicky’s guitar and Di’s presence whether

on keyboard or trusty violin. ‘Route 66’ incorporated great solos including Di on the violin bringing yet another dimension

to this band who refuse to let one style dominant their live sound. The performance was disciplined with a strong rhythm

section comprising of Rob Charles (Bass) and Terry McInerney (Drums) to provide a secure platform for the flamboyant

antics of Vicky, Di and Rosie. ‘Mean Girl’, sees Vicky talking about Rosie and how mean she has been and is full of

pathos and bluesy guitar riffs, this was quickly followed by what was aptly described by Vicky as Rosie’s revenge with

‘Poor Miss Guided’ with Rosie’s voice belting out her response ensuring Vicky’s guitar is going to take second place for a

few moments.”Elephant Shelf”, entertained from the moment they stepped on the stage and produce two hour long sets

that kept the audience second guessing what style was coming next, they may have sang ‘Fussing and Fighting’ but the

audience certainly were not fretting, fidgeting in their seats or fighting to leave the venue as they enjoyed the musical feast

“Elephant Shelf” produced on this Tuesday in Milkwoodjam and they will be welcomed back any time soon. To pigeon

hole “Elephant Shelf” is an impossibility not only does the band embrace diversity, the sound that is produced ranges from

gypsy violin to delta blues slide guitar blues whilst tipping more than your hat to reggae and full blown Rock n’ Roll, and on

the way encapsulating every musical genre creating a majestic, exciting sound and will always leave you enthralled.

Liz Aiken

JOE BONAMASSA

BBC Maida Vale Concert for the Paul Jones Show

I left this show with ambivalent views about Joe Bonamassa, a young player who could really encourage youngsters to

the guitar. I came without pre-conceptions having not seen him before, yet the overall performance left me with questions

about Joe and what is being presented as ‘BLUES’. The opener ‘JOHN HENRY’ was a powerful heavy rock tune with

echoes of Black Sabbath; for me the best number of the evening. Next up was a pounding Delta style boogie flavoured

blues in Rolling & Tumbling vein. Very good, I recall a line ‘last kiss before I die’ but Joe didn’t tell us the title. It was slow

blues time as Joe went into the Otis Rush song ‘SO MANY ROADS’. Top rate guitar break but the ‘song’ tended to become

just a vehicle for that. Junior Wells’ ‘Sure Looks Good to Me’ was followed by a minor blues containing several Zeppelin

Photos on these pages by Liz Aiken & Christine Moore

Blues Matters! 115

GOT LIVE

licks. An audience favourite was one of Joe’s classics ‘SLOE GIN’. This has a great build-up at the end, I heard echoes

of John Martyn in the sound and structure and a very ‘Jimmy Page’ styled solo. Joe then introduced songs from his new

album beginning with ‘STEAL YOUR HEART AWAY’. A minor blues with the line ‘No place to call my own’ followed. This

had an interesting King Crimson type intro and a sprinkling of Led Zeppelin riffs. ‘YOUNG MAN’ and another minor blues

‘IT’S BEEN SO LONG’ led to the finale ‘MOUNTAIN TIME’. I had already found Joe’s singing of such lines as ‘I’ve seen

suffering’, and ‘No place to call my own’ less than convincing and this tune ‘MOUNTAIN TIME’ focussed my ambivalence

about the show. It is in no way, shape, or form, the Blues. It is AOR/Stadium Rock and obviously so. If Joe wants to

play this then that is fine but why at the climax of a concert being made for a blues radio show? It was obviously very

important as he did three re-takes of the tune. Joe is a very skilled professional, but it is surely time to apply some critical

discernment as to what we are calling the BLUES.

Vicky Martin

AYNSLEY LISTER


20/04/10

‘Aynsley Lister Band’ started at a full-on tempo to a packed

house of expectant blues fans. From the first chord it was

obvious to all that Aynsley meant business tonight. The

rocky/blues ‘Soundman’ described by Aynsley as probably

the first song he wrote, with signature guitar rifts and already

using nano seconds of silence and the end of the phrase.

Aynsley as ever combined dexterous finger movements

with various speeds he does not feel that leading from the

front needs to be done at one hundred miles per hour. On

top of immense and innovative guitar skills is clear diction

and a smooth melodic voice. The set combined a wide

array of skills and demonstrated the power of the slide on

‘Sugar Low’, though rooted in the blues this modern man

is delivering blues for the 21 st century, with compositions

that are relevant to audiences of today as shown in

‘Soul’, ‘Hurricane’; whilst ‘Big Sleep’ will satisfy the more

traditional blues fan. Aynsley’s well loved rendition

of Prince’s ‘Purple Rain’ gave him the opportunity to

announce a new live album coming soon. The band

supporting Aynsley throughout was solid as a rock, and

obviously comfortable with each other Midus (Bass)

and Simon Small (Drums) especially providing a stable

and intuitive rhythm section. Daniel Healy (Keyboards)

provides that edge of difference to the band giving

another dimension and range of musicality for Aynsley

to explore in his arrangements. The audience wanted

more and were left with strains of great music in their

ears, combining originality and great covers of Prince

and Hendrix and the odd nudge to bands such as

ACDC and Aerosmith. Aynsley Lister Band produced a great live sound, they

set out to deliver and deliver they did as summed up by their encore with ‘Balls of Steel’.

Blues Matters! 116

Liz Aiken

JETHRO TULL

@ St Albans Arena 07/03/2010

Tull in full flight are a wondrous machine and on Sunday they achieved lift-off almost immediately after taking the stage.

Ian Anderson was every bit the front man and the primary focus for all that happened on stage, as he has been for over

forty years. His voice wasn’t as rich and powerful as it once was but he got over the obvious shortcomings by strength of

his personality and the easy recognition by the audience of all that they did. Martin Barre looked ever more the grizzled

axeman but his playing was as inventive and flexible as ever and he played with an easy demeanor and no unnecessary

histrionic – those were all for Anderson. With a history like theirs there wasn’t likely to any shortage of good material

and as they reached back to the earliest albums and forward to the latest material it all sounded fresh and lively and

very much of the ‘now’. Anderson gave us a little anecdote before most of the numbers, reminding us at one point that

Jethro Tull have been seen as “Blues-Rock, Classical-Rock, Folk-Rock, and even, god forbid, Prog-Rock” but he failed

to point out that they have always been rockers of enormous power and precision no matter what the context or content

and with terrific versions of ‘Storm Watch’ and ‘Bouree’ alongside ‘Too Old To Rock & Roll And Too Young To Die’ the

audience were happily rocking away. As ever, the stunning ‘Budapest’ had the smiles out all round and John O’Hara

GOT LIVE

featured strongly on keyboards. Duane Perry has a subtle touch on percussion and his linking with David Goodier gave

the music a solid and hearty bottom line. The crowd pleasers closed the set; first ‘Aqualung’ and then ‘Locomotive Breath’

both showing that Ian Anderson hasn’t lost the mad movements and gurns and giving this reporter a huge lump in his

throat – Tull were the first band I ever saw in a theatre, on the Aqualung’ tour. Saori Jo was the guest artist for the gig and

her piano led songs were full of life and charm and it did her no harm when all of Tull came on to help out on a couple of

numbers – the audience thoroughly enjoyed her performance and she will be worth watching out for in the future.

Andy Snipper

HAMILTON LOOMIS


09/03/10

Opening the evening with a funky number got the

packed audience impatient with anticipation and

definitely in the mood to be entertained by “Hamilton

Loomis” who was in a confident mood from the off.

With his red and white shirt with shoes to match

Hamilton was every inch the front man in total

control. ‘Best Worst Day‘ demonstrated the excellent

interplay between all the musicians on stage, a solid,

imaginative rhythm section comprising Jamie Little

(drums); Kent Beatty (Bass) and Stratton Doyle

(Keyboard and Saxophone) producing a contemporary

sound that blends and distils a mix of funk, soul and

rock with a large dollop of the blues. His links with the

blues reach back into the past and co-writing ‘You Got

To Wait’ with Bo Diddley, keeps the link alive; as a

young man who was mentored by and worked with one

of the greats. His guitar playing is exciting and backed

with his great voice and powerful harmonica playing

demonstrates the complete package as demonstrated

on tracks such as ‘Bow wow’; ‘No No No’. ‘Voodoo

Doll’ saw a musical battle of Stratton’s saxophone

versus Hamilton’s guitar, delivering all the tricks of

the instruments, (including innovation of - an empty

pint glass as a slide!) ending a strong first set with the

audience wanting more, more... The second set was

as dynamic with the audience appreciating Hamilton

taking a stroll imitating a wandering minstrel through

Milkwoodjam with everyone enjoying and appreciating

his very modern funky, sound not traditional but great

blues confirming once again that nothing beats the live

sound to make music real; the interaction of crowds

and musicians, nothing beats it. Ending the evening

with two of his numbers ‘Get My Blues On’ and ‘Slow

Lover’ reminding everyone once again what a talent

”Hamilton Loomis” is and can never can be described

as boring, traditional or of someone who imitates, he is

original and inventive. He is the antidote to anyone who says the blues is stuck in the past lost in repetitive 12bar structure

and safe guitar rhythms; take them to one of his shows and they will have to eat their words!

Liz Aiken

GARY MOORE

@ Charlotte Street Blues, London 06/04/10

It’s been many years since Moore played a venue with a capacity of only 150, but this relatively intimate gig provided

the perfect warm up to a short tour of Russia and the Far East before his appearance at this summer’s inaugural High

Voltage Festival in London. While Moore’s career has encompassed several musical genres, unsurprisingly it was the

Blues that was on show at this one-off gig. Commandeering the majority of the small stage and relegating his sidemen

on drums, bass and keys to the periphery, Moore blitzed the throng with ‘Oh Pretty Woman’ then the title track ‘Bad For

You Baby’ and ‘Down The Line’ from his excellent current album. Moore’s vocals were almost completely lost in the mix

during these opening numbers, but there was no mistaking the verbal tirade that he has become renowned for when a

camera repeatedly flashed a few feet away. The sound improved markedly when Moore swapped his Gibson Firebird for a

Les Paul on ‘All Your Love’ for an interpretation that was much slower and had more emotion than his studio recording of

Photos on these pages by Liz Aiken & Christine Moore

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this classic. The improvement in sound was maintained as Moore picked up the pace with ‘Since I Met You Baby’ before

treating the capacity audience to the slow Blues of John Mayall’s ‘Have You Heard’ and ‘I Love You More Than You’ll Ever

Know’ from “Bad For You Baby”, both featuring beautiful extended solos. A fiery ‘Too Tired’, with a particularly flamboyant

solo, preceded a rendition of ‘Still Got The Blues’ that was faithful to the album version before an almost funky ‘Walking By

Myself’ that had many at the front bopping along. All too soon the peel of Moore’s sustain on ‘Parisienne Walkways’ was

ringing out and the show was brought to a close without an encore, despite a five minute ovation. Yes, there was a little

shredding amongst the sublime guitar solos, but it was never out of control and for this reviewer it did not detract from what

was a very memorable evening.

Philip Woodford

BARE BONES BOOGIE BAND

Charlotte Street Blues October 5 2010

The band fronted by Helen Turner put on a class performance here. Opening with the self penned Simple Suggestion

they then moved to covers including Move Over and two slow blues including Etta James I’d Rather Go Blind. These were

sandwiched between originals Baby Be Mine and Throw Me a Line. A cover of the Stones’ Live with Me closed the first set.

The second set Opened with Penicillin Blues and closed with a rousing version of Shake Your Money Maker. The highlight

of the show was the three 2 nd set originals, Sister Sunshine, Black Cat Strikes Back and Full Tilt Boogie Man, great riff

that. This emphasized to me that the band’s own material is very much stronger than their covers – the originals really are

good enough to form the bulk of the show, and I would have liked to have heard more. When I got home I remembered

the evening for Full tilt Boogie Man and the other originals. This band can be fully confident in its own material, that and

Helen’s superb voice is their strength. I also enjoyed Iain Black’s guitar, economical and with strong echoes of Free and

Paul Kossoff. Helen Turner was extremely good; working the crowd hard to establish contact in what I considered difficult

circumstances. I say this because the evening really opened my ears and eyes to a shortcoming at the venue. I made a

point of viewing and listening to the gig from various standpoints. It was apparent that of the 350 or so in the venue only

around a quarter or so paid attention to the music. Sadly in much of the venue ambient crowd noise drowned the band.

Once you are, say, more than 30 feet from the

stage you hear the crowd and very little of the music. That

said the band played a very good show indeed.

ROB TOGNONI


30/03/10

Vicky Martin

Blues Matters! 118

Rob Tognoni hailing originally from Tasmania, Australia

supported by Mike Hellier (drums) and Roger

Inniss (Bass), delivered a 100% powerfully charged

experience; there was simply no compromise. The

enthusiastic crowd warmed to Rob’s charm as he built

a rapport with the audience whilst delivering awesome

guitar work with precision that is often lost when the

guitar is played loud, fast and furious. The excellent

interchange between Rob and his rhythm section

was evident as from the beginning Roger wove his

usual skilful magic funky sound on his six-string bass,

as Roger says “It’s all about the spirit and the vibe”

and with the solid drumming provided by Mike they

definitely delivered the vibe in Swansea tonight.

Rob Tognoni provided a lively set with a mix of his

own songs such as Jim Beam Blues, Bad Girl and

Itty Bitty Mama along with deft re-workings of firm

favourites such as Red House & Hey Joe. As a trio

these can play! As evidenced in their great rendition

of rob’s old number ‘Dark Angel’ with Roger

utilising his black box of tricks to the full creating

a vibrant sound on the bass, whilst Rob gave an

object lesson in how to use a Wah! Pedal. Rob

Tognoni did not disappoint the Tuesday crowd with

his Australasian wit and laid back style and we all

knew we had listened to musicians who understood

the blues and could rock the night away whilst

varying the tempo and mood.

Liz Aiken

GOT LIVE

HAMILTON LOOMIS

Earl Haig Club, Whitchurch, Cardiff 17/03/10

There are those who roll up, plug in and assume your devotion because they evoke memories you want through music

you love. Then they leave, respectful and grateful of their audience without ever having really engaged with it. Then there’s

Hamilton Loomis, whose ethos is that having persuaded you in, his job is far from complete – he has to entertain, enthral

and personally captivate. Promoted here by the well established and ever inventive Blues Dragon Club, he came to a

venue in the ‘burbs currently gathering momentum – Welsh legends Sassafras and veteran rocker Steve Gibbons have

both headlined recently. Finding the layout to his liking, Loomis employed his full bag of tricks to ensure a significant crowd

of die-hards and curious first timers were sent away totally gratified. This was assisted in no small part by outstanding local

R&B outfit The Fugitives who are making quite a name as rousing curtain raisers with a loyal fan base of their own. Loomis

hit his stride with some funky killer runs, delighting blues zealots and those wistfully reminded of when The Average White

Band and Steely Dan ruled the world. Standout numbers among this smorgasbord of influences were the accomplished

‘Bow Wow’, gear changing to near standstill before mellow jazz licks and table-to-table serenading enabled Loomis to

make his personal connection. Ably supported by velvety bassist Kent Beatty, the night’s highlight for many was the

sample-filled ‘Voodoo Doll’ where Loomis doffed an admiring hat to many of his heroes, leaving us gasping at the audacity

and ingenuity of some back and forth musical jousting with silky saxophonist Stratton Doyle. Concluding with the Delaware

Destroyer-like ‘Slow Lover’ (complete with synchronised bouncing in the chorus), Loomis was able to add another visual

dimension to an expertly crafted show. Here is a new generation bluesman who understands that he is only one half of

the equation, and while the other half disappeared into the fresh St Patrick’s night, they were smiling with delight at an

excellent two-parted show at a friendly, welcoming new venue.

Richard Thomas

LISA MILLS


13/04/10

“Lisa Mills”, opened her mouth and poured out, “Tennessee

Tears”; and the audience was enthralled by her bluesy,

soulful voice. Lisa, from Mississippi and now living in Mobile,

Alabama bought with her considerable musical talents a

little bit of southern charm, to a warm spring night at the

Milkwoodjam. The interesting stripped down mix of Ian

Jennings (Double Bass), and Lisa’s voice and Rhythm

Guitar was in reality anything but stripped down. Lisa herself

is a powerful, melodic springtime songbird who introduced

the songs performed with interesting tales that kept the

audience engaged and gave the evening an intimate feel.

Following the long hard winter the lyrics Lisa and Ian wrote

while she was in Kidderminster in February and feeling

homesick ‘I Need a Little Sunshine’, struck a chord with

everyone. The rendition of ‘I’ll Never Fall in Love Again’

showed her emotional voice and provided layers of texture

to this faultless performance and was seamlessly followed

with ‘You Need to Straighten Up’ with a great solo from Ian

showing the full range of this marvellous instrument with

its deep, deep notes resonating with the tears and sorrow

of lost love. The evening included a tribute to the late

great Freddy King, through to jazz influence tracks a little

bit of country, Rock n’ Roll tempo and a whole lot of blues

including classics such as ‘If I Had a Dollar’; ‘Sugar Coated

Love’ and ‘Turn The Lamp Down Low’. The performances of

Lisa and Ian were relaxed, they were obviously comfortable

in each other’s company and complimented their musical

skills; but there can be no doubt that it is Lisa’s amazing

voice that shone through and readily identifies her as a true

talent.

Encores can be a habit, the request came not for one

more but ten more was for once truly meant – “Lisa Mills”

responded by telling into audience she would play every

blues lick and would continue with love and frustration

rounding of this almost themed evening of hurt, pain and the

powerful melodic voice of this southern belle songster. Take

Robert Plant’s advice ‘You should all check her out - she has a wonderful voice’.

Liz Aiken

Photos on these pages by Liz Aiken

Blues Matters! 119

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JON AMOR BAND

Bell on the Green, Devizes.

17/04/10

The home crowd in Devizes were full of

anticipation, waiting impatiently for the backroom

door to open and the gig to begin. “Jon Amor”,

started the proceedings off with, ‘Even a

Child’; if any song was made for opening a live

performance then this is it! Jon as ever was the

ultimate showman even on this small stage, with

an interesting addition to the percussion as Jon

turned he managed to use his guitar to smash

a cymbal, with perfect timing of course. With

drums at a minimum, Jon sung, ‘If You Were

Me’ the audience clapped out the beat and the

rhythm of this well known and loved song which

was delivered with confidence, with the drums

reached to a crescendo with Bass and rhythm

guitar bringing the first set to a professional and

seemingly effortless finish. ‘Stitch in your Party

Dress’, is becoming an anthem to predatory

women everywhere, and tonight Jon was

definitely on fire. The Doherty brothers, Chris

(Bass) and Dave (Rhythm Guitar) and Mark

Barrett (Drums) provided solid support allowing

Jon to front the band with absolute confidence.

Why does it happen? When the artist turns down

the volume as with ‘Graveyard’, the audience

turns up the volume, by not keeping quiet they

miss the nuances and the delicate guitar work

and above all they fail to give performers respect.

Jon told the crowd that this was going to be the

last gig in Devizes for a long time, with that there

was a swap as Mark left the stage and original

drummer Simon Small, who was in the audience

joined the band once more, fitting in with the

band once again like a glove. The evening was

full of vim and vigour, though the last gig of the

tour there was no sign of fatigue, there was

passion in the playing without losing shape or

structure whilst never being predictable

Photo Liz Aiken

Liz Aiken

THE DELTA LADIES

@The Travellers Rest, Draycott, Derbyshire. 14/04/10

The Delta ladies are better known in their other incarnation as Vicky Martin and Diana Stone from Elephant Shelf. This was

interesting gig because as well as the musical talents of both artists being brought into sharper focus than in the whole of

the band setting, this gig also took one to the entertainment side of the Blues, that is hardly ever mention in polite modern

day Blues society. The Blues over time has given its legends, an almost revered status, not just musical but also rather

snobbishly in their performance. Forgetting that many of them earned their living alongside travelling Medicine Shows

and were also entertainers. This set by Vicky & Diana, as well being musically superb, also resurrected that aspect of the

forgotten past of the Blues. Their first set was very much the song and dance side; they doing exactly as the early Blues

musicians did, earning their money by pure entertainment. Vicky & Diana’s second set saw them take on the traditional

musically centred aspect of Blues and the contrast made for a good show and variety for what was mostly a none Blues

orientated audience. Concentrating mainly on the Blues side of the performance, they open their second set with one of

most amazing, creative and innovative covers of the @The House Of the Raising Sun’ you could imagine ever hearing and

in doing so took it right back to the root stock of the Blues. Vicky’s emotive vocal and electro guitar playing allied to Diana’s

haunting Violin performance made for a stunning number. From a cover to a new self-penned song, whose lyrics used the

Blues to deal not with the past but a very present day phenomena as the lyrics suggest, ‘Hot Chat-line’, a bluesy ballad

with a really boogie woogie feel and a real foot-tapper of a song. This was followed by the self-penned ‘Devil Calling Out

My Name’, a number with contrasting highs and lows of tempos and some dynamic frenzied instrumental. Like Elephant

Shelf this is a very different duo, but they are damn good.

Carol Borrington

Blues Matters! 120

CHANTEL MCGREGOR

@ The Queens Hall, Edinburgh

24/10/2009

If you ever need a lesson in how to make friends and influence

people, Chantel McGregor is a fine tutor. Appearing as a support

artist in front of an unknown audience of Wishbone Ash fans,

wowing them with her fine vocals and superb guitar prowess, her

onstage banter and her willingness to meet and greet many of

the audience afterwards, she provided a great example. There

was a decent crowd there when her bass player Alex Jeffrey and

drummer Martin Rushworth took to the stage and started a groove.

McGregor then appeared barefooted and started the instantly

recognisable riff of ‘Had To Cry Today’. Her interpretation was not

unlike Bonamassa’s version of this song, but with enough variation

to keep it from being a copy. Her guitar playing was impressive

and as a fine demonstration she followed up with Joe Satriani’s

‘Up In The Sky’. She triumphed in adversity too, combining her

impressive guitar licks with bass lines when Jeffrey paused to

help Rushworth reset his bass drum mid song. Likewise a broken

string caused a switch of guitar midway through a playful version

of Sonny Boy Williamson’s ‘Help Me’. Despite these minor hitches,

McGregor was unshaken and performed the song strongly. Her

pleasant vocals on the song made it an enjoyable number. Next

up was a melodic ‘High’, a song by Richie Kotzen before McGregor

announced she would play a song by Stevie Ray Vaughan. The

reaction to his name was muted, however the applause at the end

of the song – ‘Lenny’ - was overwhelming – she had played the

track beautifully. McGregor liked to move near to the edge of the

stage so that the crowd could get a close look at her immaculate

playing. The final song she played was a great interpretation of

Robin Trower’s ‘Daydream’, slowly building up the guitar solo to a

crescendo. McGregor mouthed “wow” as she left the stage, and

the feeling from the crowd was very much mutual.

Duncan Beattie

GOT LIVE

Photo Christine Moore

Blues Matters! 121

HAPPENIN’

Latest news from our Blues world

BLUES ON THE FARM

the annual four-day West Sussex based festival, has announced its dates for 2010 as 17 th to 20 th June, running as follows:

Thursday 17 th June 6.30 pm to 12 midnight

Friday 18 th June 6.30 pm to 12 midnight

Saturday 19 th June 12 noon to 12 midnight

Sunday 20 th June 11.30am to 10pm

Staged in a 40 acre setting on the Sussex Coastal plain a couple of miles south of Chichester, Blues on the Farm has a

big reputation for offering a family friendly, safe and relaxed festival atmosphere. In 2008, it was featured by The Sunday

Times who dubbed it “The friendliest festival in the UK”; while The Independent has also reported very favourably on the

festival, highlighting in particular the “astounding precision” of the event’s organization!

Announcing the dates for 2010, festival organiser Julian Moores said “Blues on the Farm is one of the biggest and longest

running festivals in West Sussex and our simple objective is to stage high quality music from world-class musicians, in

a warm and friendly festival atmosphere. We try not to be overly commercialised and there’s no huge ticket prices - Just

great music, great food and drink, and a great mid-summer atmosphere!”

Always well attended, with a weekend capacity of c. 8,000, Blues on the Farm is now in its 19 th year. The festival attracts

families and people of all ages. The majority of festival-goers live in and around West Sussex, Surrey and Hampshire but a

significant number arrive from all over the UK and Europe.

Over the years Blues on the Farm has also been known for a bit of ‘celebrity spotting’. The Rolling Stones Keith Richards

is just one of many names from the world of music and showbiz who in recent years have mingled comfortably with other

festival-goers in the Sussex sunshine!

Musically, the festival always features world class talent offering different musical styles centred around classic and

contemporary blues, blues-rock, soul and roots music. “We’re gearing-up for another terrific festival”, said Julian.

MARYPORT BLUES FESTIVAL -Is proud to announce that the Robert

Cray Band will headline the main marquee stage on Sunday 25th July.

Robert Cray, who has worked with such music legends as B.B. King, Tina Turner, Eric Clapton, Keith Richards, Chuck

Berry, Muddy Waters, John Lee Hooker, and Willie Dixon, is known as one of the most expressive vocalists and impressive

guitarists on today’s music scene. During his long-running career, he has blended rhythm and blues, rock, pop, gospel and

traditional blues to create a really contemporary blues sound, writing memorable songs that tell the truth about love, loss

and broken relationships.

Over the years, his daring musical innovations have won him five Grammy Awards and a worldwide fan base. In his own

words: “Blues is one of the foundations of our music, but it’s not all that we play… When I first started playing guitar, I

wanted to be George Harrison – that is, until I heard Jimi Hendrix. After that, I wanted to be Albert Collins and Buddy

Guy and B.B. King. And then there are singers like O.V. Wright and Bobby Blue Bland. It’s all mixed up in there.” Visit our

website and Robert Cray’s website for further details. http://www.robertcray.com/

The rest of the main stage programme and ticket information will be announced soon........Keeping the blues alive in

Maryport

COLNE 2010

Young local musicians are being given a rare opportunity to take centre stage during this year’s Great British Rhythm and

Blues Festival. And there are just two stipulations, you have to be good – and you have to sing the Blues! The Jessica

Foxley Stage is being created in memory of the rising Colne star who was tragically killed last July. It will take place on the

British Stage aty Pendle Leisure Centre on the closing night of the festival – Monday, August 30 th . And, although this will

be a lovely tribute to the local lass, it will mean that there will be no Blues Matters Stage this year. The Blues magazine

usually takes control of the British Stage for one day of the festival, but for 2010 bands signed to the Blues Matters Label

will step aside for this new initiative. Blues Matters, said: “We fully support the Jessica Foxley Stage and look forward to

listening to some new , young, local talent.” It’s poignant that the stage is being held on the festival’s 21 st Anniversary –

Jessica’s age when she died. The talented musician, who worked at the Muni Box Office in Colne, was killed, along with

her boyfriend Tom Petty and friend Philip Wright, in a car crash in Skipton Old Road. But it is hoped her momory will live

on through her love of music. East Lancashire bands are now being asked to audition for one of a number of sought-after

places. And not only will they win the change to play in front of hundreds of both national and international Blues fans,

they will also win the chance to produce a demo at Studio 11 Recording Studios at The ACE Centre in Nelson. Festival

organizer Alison Goode, said. “Jesica was a young artiste who had just started to climb the musical ladder. “ “W want to

honour her talent and support other local people like her by giving them an opportunity to be heard and perform at such an

established event.”

Blues Matters! 122

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CARLISLE BLUES FESTIVAL 2010

In a short space of time it’ll be Nov 2010 an the Carlisle Blues Festival will b e starting its 4th year - this modest and

friendly festival has earned a BIG reputation gaining worldwide recognition as one the best of its kind in the UK. The

festival will take place on the 12th, 13th and 14th of November! For bands/artists it’s a must play, for music fans/

enthusiasts a must go there. Over the 3 years since it started in 2007, the festival has built its reputation on the strength

and quality of its line ups, continually raising the bar and setting the standard for others. The festival is committed to

continue in that vein. The 2010 line up is second to none with all genre’s of blues. Friday :- Kevin Thorpe’sTipping Point,

Chantel McGregor, Mud Morganfield (USA), James Hunter. Saturday afternoon :- Lucy Zirins, The Revolutionaires,

Nicky Moore’s Blues Corporation, evening Hokie Joint, Hamilton Loomis (USA), Michael Burks. Sunday afternoon :- Ben

Prestage (USA) Marcus Bonfanti, Chris Farlowe with the Norman Beaker Band and Ian Siegal. Check out the website for

details.

ELTON JOHN, STING & B.B.KING join SANTANA & THIEVERY

CORPORATION - and many others at free Moroccan music festival

Moroccan music festival ‘Mawazine’ will this year be headlined by global superstars including Elton John, Sting, B.B.King,

Santana, Mika, Julio Iglesias, and Thievery Corporation. The free music festival which is now in its 9 th successful year, is

held in the capital city Rabat offers a truly diverse and culturally exciting line up across nine days (21- 29 May, 2010).

The festival was attended by in excess of 2 million people in 2008 and focuses on a diversity of sounds and rhythms and

has become one of the world’s greatest international festivals in recent years. The festival is hosted throughout the capital

city of Morocco, Rabat with 12 venues hosting 40 countries and in excess of 1,700 artists.

LARRY MILLER – It’s all happening!

It’s all happening for British Rock Blues fave Larry Miller. The next three months see an new album launch, a sponsorship

deal with Marshall and he’ll also be doing time in Germany.

NEW ALBUM LAUNCH

His new “Unfinished Business” is provisionally booked” for a 8 July at London’s Borderline. Larry will be selling tickets

exclusively to fans, and they must register with him on Reverb Nation to gain access to his online box office. Tickets will

cost £18.00, and each comes with a FREE copy of the new album, and a limited edition golden VIP ticket. The limited

edition golden ticket allows the bearer access to one Larry Miller gig of their choice absolutely free. This ticket will have no

end date, so fans can use it to get access to any Larry gig at anytime in the future. Each ticket will have a unique code that

is traceable back to the ticket holder, and to use it, fans will have to confirm that they are the original owner of the ticket.

Should Larry become a mega star, then these tickets will remain redeemable, and will allow the bearer to have a full VIP

backstage experience should they wish to. Tickets should be available from the beginning of May.

SPONSORSHIP DEAL

Larry recently signed with Eerie, an Artist representation and Management company from Cornwall. As a first step toward

promoting Larry, Eerie has secured a sponsorship deal for Larry Miller with Marshall Amplification. He will now be using

Marshall logos, and mentioning Marshall amplification in all of his promotional material, and on his albums. Larry says, “To

me Marshall is the best, and always will be” and says thank you to everyone at Marshall for your support!”

DOING TIME!

Yes, it’s true – Larry will be doing time in a German prison. On 26th May at Justizvollzugsanstalt Rockenberg he will be

an inmate for just an hour as he plays one of the most imposing venues on his German tour. The authoritarian edifice of

Marienschloß is situated in the leafy town of Rockenburg. The brooding castle started life as a monastery, but became a

prison in 1804, and still takes young offenders as inmates today. Marienschloß is fast becoming a favourite gig venue for

artists touring in Germany, with concerts being held regularly within its walls. Will Larry get a standing ovation for good

behaviour? Come along and find out. One thing is certain; he won’t be doing solitary!

US NEWS- ALASTAIR GREENE - Is Announced As New Full-

Time Guitarist For Renowned Progressive Rock Group, The Alan

Parsons Live Project;

Santa Barbara-based guitarist Alastair Greene has just been announced as the new full-time guitarist for the Alan

Parsons Live Project. The famed progressive rock band fronted by multi-instrumentalist Alan Parsons is known for such

mega-hits as “Eye in the Sky,” “Time,” and “I Robot,” among others. Greene kicked off his guitar duties in the Alan Parsons

Live Project March 7 th with two shows in Tel Aviv, Israel.

Greene is receiving great reviews for his just-released CD, WALKING IN CIRCLES. “You will be hard-pressed to find

another young guitarist whose work demonstrates a better example of both from where the blues has come as well as

to where it may be headed,” raves BLUESROCKERS. “Alastair Greene and his band aim to please as they dish out a

swingin’ session of five feel-good covers and six originals…Greene sings with spirit and tells it like it is while his electric

guitar adds a stimulating sizzle that punctuates hard,” writes SOUTHLAND BLUES. “Walking In Circles is anything but a

rehashing of the long time S.B. stalwart’s multifaceted musical past,” states the SANTA BARBARA INDEPENDENT.

Since his 2002 debut CD A LITTLE WISER, Alastair Greene (known as ‘AG’ by friends and fans) has released two live

CDs and a collaboration with French blues guitar hero Frank ‘Paris Slim’ Goldwasser on Riatsala Music. Greene also

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played guitar on recent releases by the aforementioned Parsons (2006 Grammy-nominated ‘A Valid Path); Aynsley

Dunbar (2008 release ‘Mutiny’); as well two CDs on the Delta Groove Record Label: Frank Goldwasser’s 2007 release

‘Bluju’ and Mitch Kashmar’s 2006 release ‘Wake Up and Worry’. The Alastair Greene Band has been performing live for

over 10 years in various incarnations. Greene still performs regularly with Mitch Kashmar, Frank Goldwasser, and other

blues and roots acts.

ROADHOUSE – ROCKING AND MOVING ONWARDS

It’s a busy time for Blues Rock favourites Roadhouse. Their year opened with a critically acclaimed performance on the

Centre Stage at Skegness Big Blues Weekend. The band received huge applause after a rocking 90 minute set that

featured many Roadhouse favourite. Building on their reputation as one of the most glamorous acts on the scene they

have expanded their ‘squad’ of gorgeous and talented female vocalists from 3 to four; Mandi G, Kelly Marie Hobbs, and

Suzie D have been joined by another young vocalist with a powerhouse delivery; Rachel Clark. They’ve been travelling far

and wide in the UK with several new venues. This has enabled them to road-test material for their up-coming new album.

That will kick off in September when band-leader Gary Boner and the Roadhouse boys and girls go into the Studio in

September to record their 11 th album. It’s to be called ‘Dark Angel’ and is scheduled for October release on BM records.

Speaking recently Gary Boner was confident that it be their best ever album. You can keep a check on their forthcoming

gigs etc... @~ www.roadhousegb.co.uk

BARE BONES BOOGIE BAND MEETS ROCK LEGEND

London favourites the Bare Bones Boogie Band secured a great gig at London’s legendary 100 Club as support for

veteran blues masters the Groundhogs. It was their third visit to the much venerated venue. There was a full house to see

Helen Turner and the band take the stage and their popular mixture of original material, and re-arranged classics was well

received by the appreciative audience. Among the audience was no less than Jimmy Page and during the interval Bare

Bones’ Helen Turner was seen in deep and animated conversation with the Led Zeppelin legend. We don’t know what was

said except that Mr. Page was highly complimentary to Ms Turner. Tony McPhee and the Groundhogs rounded off a great

night with a typical set of vintage Rhythm & Blues.

JOHNNY WINTER - to appear at Crossroads Guitar Festival 2010!

He’s back for more: after his hit appearance at Eric Clapton’s Crossroads Guitar Festival, Johnny will return to the scene

of the original crime this June. Details are still being sorted out, but this much we can tell you now: Johnny will appear, and

he’ll be sitting in with the Allman Brothers Band. New record label! Paul Nelson, Johnny’s guitarist, says Johnny is joining

Megaforce Records, a label whose roster includes — among many other great artists — the Black Crowes. Keep an eye

out this year for a long-awaited studio release from Johnny, his first album since 2004’s ‘I’m a Bluesman’. Winters on the

water! Johnny and brother Edgar a part of the incredible lineup for this October’s Legendary Rhythm & Blues Cruise. Be

sure to get all the details on this remarkable event, which will feature some of the biggest names in blues and roots music

ROBERT JOHNSON’S 99 th BIRTHDAY –

According to the official Robert Johnson –website – robertjohnsonbluesfoundation.org the man himself was born on 8 th

May 1911. This makes May 8 2010 his 99 th birthday.

We don’t know what special celebrations are lined up here in the UK, except that Charlotte Street Blues have a special

night on the 7 th May when G.P. Johnson aka Robert Johnson Junior will be performing. According to the website Gibson

guitars now have a Robert Johnson model on sale and will soon have an RJ Dobro model as well. Hopefully this news

item will alert British Bluesers to be prepared for a real celebration in 2011, the great man’s 100 th birthday.

MUDDY WATERS EXHIBIT AND MUSICAL TRIBUTE ON JULY 10 IN

WESTMONT, ILLINOIS

The Godfather of the Blues lived the last 10 years of his life, and the most successful years of his career, in Westmont,

Illinois. In the early 70’s, Muddy “McKinley Morganfield” Waters wanted to move out of Chicago and specifically chose

Westmont for himself and his family.

On Thursday, July 7, 10am, One South Cass Avenue, there will be a VIP/Media debut of a new Muddy Waters Historical

Exhibit and the official re-dedication of Cass Avenue as Honorary Muddy Waters Way. The exhibit will feature many oneof-a-kind

artifacts on loan from Scott Cameron and the Muddy Waters Estate including rare photos, musical recordings,

several of Muddy’s outfits, and even one of Muddy’s Grammy Awards. The exhibit will be open to the public July 8, 9 and

10, 4-7 p.m., as well as various dates to be announced through the rest of the year.

“Mud would be very proud,” says Marva Morganfield, Muddy’s widow. “He would be overjoyed.” Marva will be traveling

from Florida to take part in the tribute.

Sunday, July 10 has been proclaimed “Muddy Waters Blues Night” at the Taste of Westmont. Live blues music will be

played throughout the day and the evening will conclude with a performance by a Muddy Waters Tribute Band featuring

former members of Muddy’s band.

“We’re very excited about this event!” says Larry McIntyre, Westmont Special Events Corporation (WSEC) President.

“Muddy Waters is a true legend in American music and we could not be more proud to honor his name, his music and his

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memory.”

The WSEC is also working to create a documentary featuring Waters’ life and music. “We are scheduled to interview many

people including musicians, friends, family and more,” says McIntyre. The Westmont Historical Society encourages anyone

who would like to share their Muddy Waters stories, pictures and memorabilia, to please contact the WSEC at 630-417-

0280 630-417-0280.

LOUISIANA RED - racks up awards and nominations!

Down-home blues master Loluisiana Red has always been an amazing force in the blues. With last year’s release of

Louisiana Red with Little Victor’s Juke Joint / Back to The Black Bayou on Ruf Records, Red was propelled into great

visibility. That was followed up later in the year with a collaboration with piano ace David Maxwell called You Got To Move

on the VizzTone Label Group. Red has recently been recognized with these awards, nominations, and recognitions:

1) 2009 Grande Prix du Disque (for Blues music) in France. This is the French equivalent of the Grammy and it recognized

Back To The Black BayouBack To The Black Bayou as the best blues album of last year. The award was signed by French

president Nicholas Sarkozy.

2) 2009 Preis der deutschen Schallplattenkritik (quarterly critics award) in Germany.

3) 2009 Blues News Magazine (Germany) Poll ‘best national album of the year’ and ‘best international album of the year.’

This is the first time both awards were won by single artist!

4) Red was honored in March by the Oslo Blues Society in Norway with a “Lifetime Achievement Award”

5) Red will be have a feature interview in a forthcoming issue of Blues Revue Magazine!

6) Red received five Blues Music Award nominations this year! Winners will be announced May 6th in Memphis! Red’s

nominations were in the following categories: Blues Album, Traditional Blues Album, Acoustic Blues Album, Traditional

Male Blues Artist, Acoustic Blues Artist. Let’s hope that Red continues his winning streak and takes home some BMA

statues! Thanks to Dora Minter (Red’s wife) Little Victor, Rainer Faust, and Art Tipaldi for this information Louisiana Red,

his wife Dora and Little Victor will be traveling from Europe to attend this year’s BMAs. Red, Little Victor, and Bob Corritore

will appear the following day, May 7th, at Alfred#s on Beale Street for an afternoon concert..

RIP WALTER “MISSISSIPPI SLIM” HORN, August 13 1943 to April

14th, 2010.

Beloved Mississippi based blues singer Mississippi Slim passed away on Wednesday. He was 66. Slim, known for his

multi-colored suits and remarkable stage presence, was a crowd favourite at the Mississippi Delta Blues Festival in 2008.

He was born in Shelby, Mississippi, raised in Greenville. He recorded for the Sunflower, LaJam, and G-Town labels.

Thanks to Ales Thomas for providing us with this information.

HARMONICA SUMMIT DVD FILMING PLANNED!

Amanda Taylor (Kim Wilson’s wife) is producing a spectacular gathering of some of her favourite harmonica players.

Included in this linup are James Cotton, Lazy Lester, Kim Wilson, Paul Oscher, Johnny Dyer, Bharath Rajakumar,

Johnny Sansone, Jerry Portnoy, Dave Waldman, Bob Corritore, RJ Mischo, Steve Marriner, Billy Flynn, Vincent Bury

and a few surprise guests. The excellent backing band for this event consists of Larry Taylor, Richard Innes, Billy Flynn,

and Barrelhouse Chuck. The event will happen on Friday and Saturday, October 1 st and 2 nd , at the Rhythm Room in

Phoenix. It will be filmed and recorded with Clarke Rigsby at the technical helm, and will be released in 2011 on CD and

DVD on MC Records. This is a once in a lifetime gathering of some of the greatest living players of the blues harmonica

traditions. There is a multi generational “fathers and sons” sub-theme running through this event with ages 22 through 76

represented. There will be limited tickets sold. A hotel deal will be made available and we expect tickets to go on sale via

Ticketmaster.

POINT BLANK

The 70’s Boogie Blues rock legend from Texas is definitively confirmed at Sweden Rock on main stage , band will be on

tour only from June 10 ‘til 20 .US Flights are paid and band wants to promote their last release “ Fight on “ ( Dixiefrog ) ,

10/06 - Spirit of 66 , Verviers ( B )

12/06 - Sweden Rock Festival , Sölvesborg ( SWE ) w/ Aerosmith ,Guns & Roses , Billy Idol , Gary Moore ... http://www.

swedenrock.com/

17/06 - Le Moods , Monaco TBC

19/06 - Rockland , Sala ( SWE )

TOM PETTY & THE HEARTBREAKERS

Have announced their 2010 North American tour and the upcoming release of Mojo, their first studio album in eight years,

set for release on Reprise Records this spring. The North American tour, produced by Live Nation, will take the band

through a mix of top arenas and amphitheatres across the US and Canada beginning May 6 th in Raleigh, NC. Tickets are

on sale now at LiveNation.com.

Special guest artists on the tour will include a mix of appearances by My Morning Jacket, Crosby, Stills and Nash, Joe

Blues Matters! 125

HAPPENIN’

Cocker, ZZ Top, and Drive By Drive-By Truckers.

CYNDI LAUPER has an album of blues covers on the way.

On ‘Memphis Blues’, legends B.B. King and Allen Toussaint will join Cyndi for the classic ‘Early In The Morning’ and

Toussaint makes a reprise later on the album with ‘Mother Earth’.

Other guests include Jonny Lang and Charlie Musselwhite.

‘This is the album I’ve wanted to make for years,’ said Lauper in a statement. ‘All of these beautiful songs, and all of the

great players on the album, were carefully chosen because I’ve admired them my entire life. And I knew from the moment

Alan Toussaint hit the keys in ‘Shattered Dreams’ that we were creating something really special.’

Lauper recorded ‘Memphis Blues’ at Electraphonic Recording Studio in Memphis with producer Scott Bomar.

Stax veteran session musicians Lester Snell and Skip Pitts play on the record.

‘Memphis Blues’ will be released through Indie label Downtown Records in June.

The tracklisting is:

1. Just Your Fool

2. Shattered Dreams

3. Early In The Morning (Feat. Allen Toussaint and B.B. King)

4. Romance In The Dark

5. How Blue Can You Get? (Feat. Jonny Lang)

6. Down Don t Bother Me (Feat. Charlie Musselwhite)

7. Don t Cry No More

8. Rollin and Tumblin

9. Down So Low

10. Mother Earth (Feat. Allen Toussaint)

11. Crossroads (Feat. Jonny Lang)

STEPHEN DALE PETIT

Hugely acclaimed BritCal guitar supremo Stephen Dale Petit has announced the July 26 th 2010 release of his new album

The Crave through Universal Music/Absolute.

The Crave follows Petit’s phenomenally well-received debut Guitararama, which was accoladed as Guitar Magazine’s

2008 Album of the Year. The follow-up’s release and tour will be backed by intensive media exposure – airplay,

performance, interviews plus ad campaigns in all top-end music publications.

The tour will kick off with a sell-out London 100 Club launch (featuring special surprise guests), a prestigious appearance

at Glastonbury 2010’s new Blues & Jazz Stage, and be followed by an O2 Academy tour in the following conurbations:

June11 th London 100 Club

June 25 th Glastonbury Blues & Jazz Stage

July 15 th Bristol O2 Academy

July 16 th Oxford O2 Academy

July 17 th Birmingham O2 Academy

July 19 th Liverpool O2 Academy

July 20 th Glasgow O2 ABC

July 21 st Newcastle O2 Academy

July 29 th Islington O2 Academy

The Crave, which contains some ferocious, rocking New Blues monsters alongside updated classics by the likes of Robert

Johnson, Fleetwood Mac, Little Willie John and Albert King (“updates of classic blues songs often don’t work but this one

certainly does” Paul Jones, BBC Radio 2), sees Ian (Travis, Mumford & Sons, Clash, Manics, Fall, RHCP) Grimble share

production along with the Chapel Studios, Lincoln hit factory team behind recent Arctic Monkeys, Editors and Kaiser Chiefs

successes.

BLUES MATTERS FIRST SPONSORED VENUE FLOURISHES

Blues Matters’ first sponsored venue The Blues Room @ Harry Smith’s Bar in St. Albans opened in January with a well

received appearance by the Welsh wonders ELECTRIC REVELATORS. Since opening Saturday night attendances have

averaged between 80 and 100plus, ‘A huge jump from our previous attendance of ten men and a dog’, says the proprietor.

The venue has now introduced Real Ales, together with Thursday and Friday night gigs –local Rockabilly favourites the

Runaway Boys appeared on 6 th May for a Real Ale launch party. One night later the venue started it’s ‘Mellow Jazz Nights’

a chill-out special for Friday nights. The idea, with the encouragement of Blues Matters, has been to create a distinctive

musical venue not ‘just another pub gig’. With music running on Thursdays, Fridays and Saturdays the bookings policy

is a mixture of national circuit acts and local favourites. So far there have been appearances by Blues Matters’ own

ROADHOUSE, US Bluesman GLENN PATRIK, up and coming London acts ELEPHANT SHELF, the UNTOUCHABLES,

and many more. Forthcoming attractions include LARRY MILLER, JERRY DONAHUE, EARL JACKSON, JAY TAMKIN and

KRISSY MATTHEWS. Things are going well, add in Real Ale and the venue appears to be on a winning streak. @ www.

thebluesroom.liveblues.info . If you’re interested in being a sponsored venue then just give Blues Matters a call

MOJO WEEKEND BLUES SCHOOL

The ideal way to improve your playing techniques

Do you enjoy playing the Blues, and have a desire to improve your performance skills. Mojo Weekends could be just the

Blues Matters! 126

HAPPENIN’

thing for you .

If you play guitar, bass, drums, keys or other blues associated instrument,

the Mojo tutors, all skilled professional blues players and corporate members of the Blues Foundation, can take you to the

next level in your confidence, skill, knowledge, aspirations, and personal fulfilment.

The courses are designed for beginners to advanced players. Often the students learn skills and improve techniques to a

level to find they also have the confidence to form bands and play at local open mic nights. Open mic nights are a great

first step for many bands.

Concentrating on personal tuition, coaching and support, delivered via live performance workshops, Mojo Weekends

located at the Performing Arts Centre Cranbrook Kent are running a series of weekends through the year. Next date is July

17 th / 18 th . Book before June 1 st and receive a discount on the booking fee. All details can be found at www.mojoweekend.

co.uk or you can call event coordinator Josh Jewsbury direct 01580 720525

POPA CHUBBY DATES

Sat Jun 05, 2010 Mecicali Live Teaneck US

Sat Jun 12, 2010 Rockamweier Festival Wil CH

Sat Jun 20, 2010 Gastroblues Festival Paks HU

Sun Jul 04, 2010 International Musik Festival Waidhofen Waidhofen AT

Fri July 09, 2010 Festival de Beaulieu Sur Mer Beaulieu Sur Mer FR

Sat Jul 10, 2010 Cahors Blues Festival Cahors FR

Sat Jul 17, 2010 Festival des Terres Blanches Guerande FR

Sat Sep 18, 2010 Bull Run Restaurant Shirley US

SIMON McBRIDE TO BE SPECIAL GUEST OF JOE SATRIANI ON

UK TOUR

Simon McBride will open the UK shows of Joe Satriani’s European tour in October this year.

Joe Satriani has been a worldwide guitar hero since his 1987 breakthrough album, Surfing With The Alien. Over 10-million

albums and CD’s later, in addition to 14 Grammy nominations and numerous accolades, Joe continues to push the

envelope of modern rock guitar playing.

Although he originally started his career by teaching some of the top rock guitar players of the ‘80s and ‘90s like Metallica’s

Kirk Hammet and virtuoso Steve Vai, Joe Satriani is universally hailed as one of the most technically accomplished and

respected guitar players in the history of rock music. Both Joe and Simon cite Jimi Hendrix as a major influence.

The tour will visit Manchester, Bristol, London, Newcastle, Glagow and Birmingham

Blues Matters! 127

NOW BEFORE WE FORGET

Kevin Wharton explores the career of one the most well known names

but least known characters of pre war Blues

Before We Forget - Casey Bill Weldon

Although very little is known of Casey Bill Weldon, he is regarded to be among

the premier Hawaiian style lap steel guitarists who ever played pre war Blues.

Will “Casey Bill” Weldon’s vocals, fluidity and tunings were creative and

imaginative, as were his arrangements and he left behind a legacy of almost

one hundred recordings.

Colne guitarist Graham Robinson gave me one of Casey Bill Weldon’s albums and

his compelling music made me find out more about this enigmatic figure who seems

to occupy the fringes of the Blues scene in the 1920s. Not too much is known about

this guitarist/singer who primarily recorded from the 1920s through the ‘40s, and

managed to straddle a line between Urban and Country Blues with nothing more

than his voice and guitar. Casey Bill was born in 1909 and anecdotal evidence

suggests that he was a native of Pine Bluff, Arkansas but others suggest that the

name Casey is a shortening of KC, meaning Kansas City, and that he was born there or at least spent some formative time

there. What we know for sure is that he was a former husband to singer/guitarist Memphis Minnie. They were married

in the 1920s, divorced in 1938, and made some superb recordings during their time together. On her last recording for

Bluebird Records in October 1935, Casey Bill accompanied her for the first time. He played on two sides, ‘When the Sun

Goes Down, Part 2’ and ‘Hustlin’ Woman Blues’ although he dropped out of the following two songs. Casey Bill was also a

veteran of numerous different jug bands. He played in medicine shows before starting his recording career with Victor and

is believed that he recorded with Charles Polk and the Memphis Jug Band in 1927 when he led his first sessions. In 1930,

the last year of the Memphis Jug Band’s contract with Victor, the band recorded twenty sides. The contract ended after a

final recording session in November 1930 in Memphis just before the crash of the 1930s bankrupted Victor. Nothing was

heard from him until 1935 when he re emerged as a steel guitarist and vocalist and recorded for Vocalion and Bluebird. He

recorded sides with Charlie Burse, The Brown Bombers of Swing and Picaninny Jug Band around the same time.

Casey Bill Weldon’s technique was adopted by many giants of the Blues scene such as Charlie Patton, Oscar Woods

and Black Ace. This seems incongruous as his style was plainly heavily influenced by the sound of the Hawaiian steel

guitar. Listen to ‘Has My Gal Been Here’ and you can almost see the grass skirts swirling in the sunshine – a different

form of Blues! This raises the question of how this style actually influenced him and his exposure to it. The generally

accepted theory is that that this was a style he heard first hand, possibly from one of the Hawaiian players who performed

in the travelling shows on the Vaudeville circuits throughout the States in the 20s and 30s. in fact he was even known

as the ‘Hawaiian Guitar Wizard’ on his 1935 recordings. Through 1935 to 1937 Bill recorded numerous songs for both

Vocalian and Bluebird. His most well know was with Black Bob on piano, ‘Somebody Changed The Lock On My Door’, a

side which also heavily reflects his Hawaiian influences. Some ten years afterwards Louis Jordan had a run of R’n’B hits

which made him the biggest black star of the day. He recorded a slightly different version, ‘Somebody Done Changed

The Lock On My Door’ which made number one spot in the new Juke Box Race Records chart. In 1935 Casey Bill also

recorded with Tampa Red and Washboard Sam and cut four sides with them as ‘The Washboard Rhythm Kings’. Between

1935 and 1937 Casey Bill also cut records with Big Bill Broonzy and Charlie McCoy. The accompaniments with Broonzy,

including ‘Big Katy Adam’ and ‘Can’t You Remember’ deserve special mention. He was also a sought out session man and

accompanied people such as Peetie Wheatstarw, Bumble Bee Slim, Teddy Darby and of course Memphis Minnie.

The four sides he cut for Bluebird ten days before Christmas in 1938 including ‘Way Down

In Louisiana’ and ‘I Believe You’re Cheating On Me’ were the last he did so far as is known

and were the first recordings he had made for a year. After that session nothing was

heard from Casey Bill Weldon. Some say that he moved to California to work on movie

soundtracks, but many believe he moved to Detroit and disappeared form the music

scene. One of the great Blues mysteries is why such a well recorded and plainly talented

artist simply disappeared. His date of death is unknown, though assumed to be sometime

in the 1960s.

The two CD set published by Document ‘Casey Bill Weldon: The Essential’ captures the

heart of Casey Bill’s music. In its 36 tracks it covers the wide and varied breadth of his

career. ‘Bottleneck Guitar Trendsetters Of The 1930s’ released by Yazoo in 1992 also

showcases some outstanding playing from Casey Bill Weldon.

Casey Bill Weldon is primarily remembered for his jumping solo arrangements and finely

articulated bottle neck slide lines. His playing is well controlled and fluid, and his vocals

sweet and well phrased

Blues Matters! 128

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Keef kover Final.indd 1 29/04/2010 16:18:08

From sixties folk leanings through Motherlight to present day collaborations with DJ Shadow

and Massive Attack Wil Malone has become a legendary cult figure.

For £39 (UK Direct Debit price) you’ll be getting 13 ISSUES of the oldest music monthly

magazine at 25% discount, EXCLUSIVE ACCESS to the Online Archive PLUS this rare record

WORTH £19.99 COMPLETELY FREE! With more exclusive subscriber only offers in the future,

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To subscribe today ring Sue on 0208 7528193 mentioning the Wil Malone offer or email

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Blues Matters! 129

INTERVIEWS COMING

SOON!!

FIND OUT WHAT’S COMING IN THE NEXT

ISSUE…….

Tommy Castro

Jimmy Vaughan

Sandi Thom

JIMMY VAUGHAN

(USA), AWEK (France),

LARRY MILLER

(UK) – one of our

hardest working and

consistent UK Bluesmen, MARCUS

BONFANTI (UK), MIKE ZITO (USA), NINE BELOW

ZERO (UK) -30 th Anniversary! SANDI THOM

(UK) – after commercial success coming back

home to the Blues, TOMMY CASTRO (USA) – the

multiple Award winning slinger, BJORN BERGE

(France).................and there will be the start of some

new features over the coming issues including; The Hegemony of The Blues,

Ladies in the Blues, Blues on Radio and so much more.....................

Bjorn Berge

Don’t forget that we are now available in over 500 UK outlets via Menzies Wholesalers and all Barnes & Noble in USA.

This means that you should be able to get your copies in any of the stores and if they do not have it or have sold out then

they can order it for you. If you have Any problems let us know and we will pass it on to our distributor to address and

solve.

Already lined up for BM56 we have: Ana Popovic, Dale Storr, Ian Siegal, Jimmy Bowskill, Mark Doyle, Roadhouse, Simon

McBride, W.T. Feaster and more......so order your copy or better still subscribe straight away to ensure you do not miss an

issue. BM53 sold out in record time and previous/back issues are almost sold out.

Blues Matters! 130

ROAD TESTED

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Blues Matters! 131

Blues Matters! 132

054 - Blues Matters

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