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EDITORIAL

Welcome

A very Happy New Year to you all!

We trust you had an enjoyable and

reviving Christmas and are raring to go

into 2013 with optimism and courage

and of course a good dose of Blues of the

musical variety.

Did you know that apparently there

is an average of five arguments per

family over the Christmas period? So

did yours manage higher or lower?

Remember the most important part of

this is to end up smiling!

Our resolution remains to bring you the best in Blues and

we aim to continue to deliver that to you all as the best value in

Blues publications with the Blues at heart.

The New Year already looks exciting; new regular

feature(s)- KitChat, new design, new interviews, new releases,

new Blues, anything we missed?

From the results of our Writers’ Poll although the

astounding Lucy Zirins won the Best Newcomer section.

Sadly although this meant she would be nominated to take

part in the European Blues Challenge she has said that she is

focused on her new album and therefore decided not to take

part and has passed the mantle for the UK to the 2nd placed

act Babajack who have grasped the baton with relish and we

should all wish them well as the UK’s representatives and

ambassadors at this event. We will keep you posted in future

issues.

For a long time we’ve been asked about a Robin Trower

interview and here he is at last in with another good mix of

artists for your pleasure.

Somehow the ‘unfinished’ Gwyn Ashton interview (which

had been prepared from the tapes of the interview) was used in

our last issue, though it was not the final version. You will find

the finished/edited version online. Apologies have already been

made to Gwyn for this error.

Have a great 2013 full of Blues...

We are Spartacus!

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www.bluesmatters.com blues matters! | february–march 2013 PAGE 3

Welcome

contents

contents

REGULARS

04 happenin’

All the news that’s fit to print, plus

Southern images, Blues DJs part 4 and

guitar artistry with Andy Solloway.

20

22

34

kitchat classic

Excelsior! Dave Stone tells us about the

amplifier that matters to him.

blue blooD

New blues talent. Featuring: Laura May,

The Jar Family, Wooden Horse, 13

Stars, Dirty Words and Poplar Jake.

blues top 10

Lucy Zirins talks about the music that

influenced her career.

features

36

49

52

58

66

ROBIN TROWER

Talking Blues: Part one. Why a renowned

guitar stylist turned to the Blues.

the mentulls

A new band that’s taking the UK circuit

by storm. Next stop, Brunswick Battle of

the Bands!

blue to brown

One is a voiceover artist, the other plays

with Duran Duran. An amazing father

and son team that plays the Blues.

julian sas

The Dutch master talks about life, loss

and his new album Bound to Roll.

Matthew curry

The brilliant young Blues talent that’s

taking on the world.

70

76

82

88

94

98

wilson t king

Last of the Analogues – from the streets

of New York and one to watch.

david jackson

Rocking Blues Out of Africa... The bornagain

Bluesman talks to BM!.

paul filipowiCz

Blues Under The Radar. The Wisconsin

survivor that fights for his Blues.

stePHEN dale petit

From busking the blues, to playing the

100 Club, presenting the one and only...

ron sayer

Hard-touring Bluesman with a new

album that’s winning them over.

blues n’ trouble

30 years on and still going strong. The

Brit Blues evergreens are back for more.

reviews

103 albums

Including Ben Harper, Bill Wymans’s

Rhythm Kings, Black Country

Communion, Gwyn Ashton, Habib Koite

& Eric Bibb, John Hiatt, Muddy Waters,

plus Chicago Soul, Santa’s Mojo, vintage

electric Blues, contemporary sounds from

bonny Scotland and the mother of all

B.B. King box sets!

118 showtime!

Festival highlights from Carlisle, Frome

and Tenby, plus great concerts from

across the UK.

128Music Report independent airplay chart.

RMR Blues top 50

Where only the music matters. The Roots

PAGE 4 blues matters! | february–march 2013 www.bluesmatters.com

contents

Welcome

34

cover story

JEREMY SPENCER

2012 saw the release of his new

solo album Bend in the Road.

In this amazing interview

Jeremy talks about fame,

the future and those

Fleetwood Mac

re-union rumours.

44

70

oli brown at frome. Photo: christine moore

118


Happenin’

news

happenin’

all the blues that’s fit to print! Latest news from

around the world of blues.

Giving Chelmsford

The Music It Deserves

HEADING FOR

THE HOOGA:

GUY TOTORA

The newest and

most exciting

monthly music

event is about to

launch.

The first event will be on Wednesday

19th December the place will be

Hooga in Victoria Road Chelmsford

the most salubrious of venues ideally

suited to accommodating Blues in

the City’s first regular event called

Acoustic Blues and Roots.

Blues in the City will have some

of the top acts from all across the

UK, many never seen in Chelmsford

before, we are really excited to be

able to put this regular event on.

Thanks to Jon and Mark from Hooga

for giving us the opportunity and


news

Happenin’

having the vision. Our first night on

Wed 19th Dec will see the amazing

Roy Mette headline with, we hope,

some surprises + Support from

Happnin Boy and friends. All the gigs

will start with the support act playing

for 45mins from 8.45pm, and the

main act playing for 90mins from

9.45pm and we will have the master

DJ of blues and Roots Mike Lightfoot

playing you great music in between

and from 8pm.

Moving on to January we have the

amazing Guy Tortora from California

with Costa playing 16th January

Then we have the great Rag Mama

Rag from France playing 27th Feb.

March 13th sees Rosco Levee from

Kent and his band play unplugged.

April 17th sees the exciting Wille

and the Bandits from Cornwall and

yes it is spelt Wille. Then to end the

first six months we have Wooden

Horse from Worcester who recently

supported Joan Armatrading and

are about to support Sandi Thom.

All these acts will have fantastic

supports acts so giving a great nights

entertainment. There will be a small

entry charge starting from £3 and for

the first six months not exceeding £5.

We have really fantastic acts lined

up for the following six months; we

have booked Rabbit Foot, Babajack

(one of the UK’s most up and coming

acts), Cherry Lee Mewis one of

our performers in the UK and the

fantastic Slim Chance for October .

We are of course planning our Blues

in the City festival again next year

which will run from 26th to 29th

September after the success of this

year we can only get better as long as

we have your help and support.

“We will

have some

of the top

acts from

all across

the UK”

Slowhand At 35

eric update

celebrating the clapton

classic, plus relief concert

New Interactive App

Universal Music has created an

exciting new app to celebrate the

release of Eric Clapton Slowhand

35th Anniversary Editions. The

interactive Fender Tweed Amp

allows you to explore the boxset

and listen to exclusive tracks from the Live At

Hammersmith Odeon Concert disc.

Talent House EC Guitar Contest

In celebration of the 35-year anniversary of the

Slowhand album, Universal Music and Talent House

are releasing the guitar tabs to Cocaine and asking

aspiring guitarists to submit videos of their best

instrumental cover version of the song via Talent

House. All submissions will be compiled into an

orchestral cover of the song and released through Eric

Clapton’s official website: www.ericclapton.com and

respective social media properties.

Slowhand at 35

Radio Special

Host Dan Neer

celebrates

‘Slowhand at 35’.

Let Eric take you

behind the scenes,

along with Jamie

Oldaker and Marcella

Detroit. Listen to the show

online at: www.ericclapton.

com/eric-clapton-news/listen-eric-claptonradio-special-slowhand-35

The Concert For Sandy Relief

Eric Clapton and scores of musicians

and celebrities took part last week in

12.12.12 ‘The Concert For Sandy

Relief’, raising tens of millions of funds

to help rebuild 3 U.S. states devastated

by Hurricane Sandy. A DVD will be

released in early 2013.24 tracks, including two of EC’s

three songs, are available now on iTunes, with

proceeds going to the Robin Hood Relief Fund.


Happenin’

news

blues foundation award

Nominees announced

Nominee

Contemporary

Blues Album

‘Blues Live’

John

Nemeth

The Blues

Foundation

Announces 34th

Blues Music

Award Nominees

The Blues Foundation is pleased to

announce the nominations for their

annual Blues Music Awards, which

the international organization will

present at the Cook Convention

Center in downtown Memphis, TN, on

Thursday, May 9, 2013. The Blues

Music Awards are universally

recognized as the highest accolade

afforded musicians and songwriters in

Blues music. The annual Blues Music

best of the blues: those award Nominees:

CAROLINA

CHOCOLATE

DROPS

Acoustic Album

Billy Boy Arnold Sings Big Bill

Broonzy - Billy Boy Arnold, Blues on

Solid Ground - John Primer, Deeper

in the Well - Eric Bibb, Not Alone -

Ann Rabson with Bob Margolin

Talking Guitar - Paul Rishell

Acoustic Artist

Carolina Chocolate Drops, Doug

MacLeod, Eric Bibb, Harrison

Kennedy, Paul Rishell

Album

And Still I Rise - Heritage Blues

Orchestra, Double Dynamite - The

Mannish Boys, Show of Strength -

Michael Burks, Son of the Seventh

Son - Mud Morganfield, Stronger For

It - Janiva Magness

B.B. King Entertainer

Curtis Salgado, Janiva Magness, Joe

Louis Walker, John Nemeth, Rick

Estrin

Band

Lil’ Ed & the Blues Imperials, Phantom

Blues Band, Rick Estrin & the

Nightcats, Tedeschi Trucks Band, The

Mannish Boys

Best New Artist

Debut

24 Hour Blues - Charles ‘CD’ Davis,

They Call Me Big Llou - Big LLou

Johnson, Turning on the Naughty -

Paula Harris, Uphill from Anywhere -

Brad Hatfield, Wanna Feel Somethin’

- Mary Bridget Davies

Contemporary Blues

Album

Blak & Blu - Gary Clark, Jr, Blues

Live - John Nemeth, Candy Store

Kid - Ian Siegal & the Mississippi

Mudbloods, Hellfire - Joe Louis

Walker, Show of Strength - Michael

Burks, Stronger For It - Janiva

Magness

Contemporary Blues

Female Artist


news

Happenin’

Photo: jeff dunas

Nominee

Blues Album

‘Stronger

For It ’

Janiva

Magness

Awards ceremony is the premier

event for Blues professionals,

musicians, and fans from all over the

world. The focus of this celebration is

to recognize superior achievements in

Blues performance, songwriting, and

recording while honoring a rich

cultural tradition.

Leading the list of nominees

for the 34th Blues Music Awards

are Janiva Magness and John

Nemeth, each with five nominations.

Janiva is nominated in artist, album,

entertainer and song categories on

the strength of her CD Stronger for It,

a moving and intimate declaration of

independence after coming through

an intensely difficult period in her

life. John’s five nominations exceed

the total previous nominations of his

young career. John released two live

albums in 2012, Blues Live and Soul

Live, which pretty much sum up his

twofold approach to music, whether

on record or in performance. Each

CD was nominated and John was

nominated for entertainer of the year

as well as in both contemporary and

soul artist categories.

Alligator Records had a stellar

year. Joining Janiva, Alligator artists

Curtis Salgado, Joe Louis Walker and

the late Michael ‘Iron Man’ Burks each

received four nominations. Rick Estrin

and the Nightcats received three nods

and Lil’ Ed and the Blues Imperials

received two nominations. Each was

nominated for their 2012 release as

well as in artist, band, entertainer or

instrumentalist categories.

The husband-wife team of Susan

Tedeschi and Derek Trucks teamed

for four nominations, either individually

or as a band. Other blues acts with

three nominations are guitarist Joe

CONTINUES OVER...

Nominee

Band

‘Lil’ Ed &

the Blues

Imperials

Bettye LaVette, Janiva Magness,

Shakura S’Aida, Shemekia Copeland,

Susan Tedeschi

Contemporary Blues

Male Artist

Gary Clark, Jr., Joe Louis Walker,

Michael Burks, Robert Cray, Tab

Benoit

DVD

Blackbird Music/55 for Arts Club

Production for The Lucky Peterson

Band feat. Tamara, Peterson: Live

at the 55 Arts Club Berlin by

Lucky Peterson, Cat Head Delta

Blues & Folk Art/Broke & Hungry

Records for We Juke Up in Here!

Mississippi’s Juke Joint Culture

at the Crossroads, Delta Groove

Music for That’s My Thing - Elvin

Bishop Live in Concert by Elvin

Bishop, Eagle Rock Entertainment

for Live at Checkerboard Lounge

by Muddy Waters & The Rolling

Stones, J&R Adventures for Beacon

Theatre - Live from New York by Joe

Bonamassa

Gibson Guitar

Derek Trucks, Joe Bonamassa, Joe

Louis Walker, Kid Andersen, Michael

Burks

Historical Album

Bear Family Records for Plug

It In! Turn It Up! Electric Blues by

Various Artists, Real Gone Music

for Complete Hit Singles A’s & B’s

by Little Willie John, Rock Beat

Records for Raw Blues: Magic Sam

Live 1969 by Magic Sam, Silk City

Records for Someday... by Otis

Spann, Universal Music Group for

Ladies & Gentlemen... Mr. B.B. King

by B.B. King

Instrumentalist-

Drums

Cedric Burnside, Cody Dickinson, Jimi

Bott, Kenny Smith, Tony Braunagel

Instrumentalist-Bass

Bill Stuve, Bob Stroger, Patrick Rynn,

Richard Cousins, Scot Sutherland,

Willie J. Campbell

Instrumentalist-

Harmonica

Billy Boy Arnold, Bob Corritore, John

Nemeth, Kim Wilson, Mark Hummel,

Rick Estrin

Instrumentalist-

Horn

Al Basile, Big James Montgomery,

Eddie Shaw, Kaz Kazanoff, Terry

Hanck

Koko Taylor Award

(Traditional Blues

Female)

Diunna Greenleaf, Jewel Brown,

CONTINUES OVER...


Happenin’

news

Bonamassa, soul blues man Mighty

Sam McClain, Muddy Waters’ son

Mud Morganfield and Delta Groove’s

supergroup The Mannish Boys. (The

full nominee list is below.)

‘It is not uncommon in any

arts genre for beloved artists with

strong releases to pull in a number

of nominations, and that is one of

the factors at work this year,’ Jay

Sieleman, The Blues Foundation’s

Nominee

Contemporary

Blues Album

‘Blak & Blu’

Gary

Clark, Jr

President said. ‘Yet there are

also more than a dozen first-time

nominees, plus the six Best New

Artist nominees. It is gratifying to

see both groups rewarded – those

who have been near the top for a

while and those who are getting

the recognition they have been long

seeking.’

Tickets for the Award show go

on sale December 13. Members

receive seating preference at the

Awards show. Voting is underway.

Blues Foundation members are the

only fans who vote to decide which

nominees will actually take home

the Blues Music Award. Of course,

anyone can become a member!

Every year, the Blues Music

Awards ceremony itself proves to be

one of the best shows of the year.

After all, almost every nominee not

only attends, but also performs –

creating a lineup comprised of the

best of the best in blues all in one

evening. A complete nominee list,

as well as membership, voting, ticket

and host hotel information can be

found at The Blues Foundation’s

website – www.blues.org. For more

information, call 901.527.2583.

For the seventh consecutive

year, The Blues Music Awards will

be broadcast live in their entirety on

Sirius XM’s B.B. King’s Bluesville –

the next best thing to being there.

They will be subsequently broadcast

on public television.

The Blues Music Awards are

universally recognized as the highest

honor given to Blues artists. Major

funding is provided by ArtsMemphis

and the Tennessee Arts Commission.

The 34rd Blues Music Awards

are also sponsored by BMI, Blue

Mountain Artists, Catfood Records,

Eagle Rock Entertainment, FedEx,

First Tennessee Foundation, Gibson

Foundation, Legendary Rhythm &

Blues Cruise, Memphis Convention

and Visitors Bureau, Sierra Nevada

Brewing Company and Sony/Legacy.

Maria Muldaur, Ruthie Foster, Tracy

Nelson

Rock Blues Album

Blues for the Modern Daze - Walter

Trout, Driving Towards the Daylight

- Joe Bonamassa, Everybody’s

Talkin’ - Tedeschi Trucks Band, Here

I Am - Nick Moss, Royal Southern

Brotherhood - Royal Southern

Brotherhood

Pinetop Perkins

Piano Player

Barrelhouse Chuck, Chuck Leavell,

David Maxwell, Deanna Bogart, Mike

Finnegan, Victor Wainwright

Song

I Won’t Cry - Janiva Magness

& Dave Darling - Stronger for

It - Janiva Magness, Lemon Pie-

John Hahn & Oliver Wood - 33 1 /3

- Shemekia Copeland, She Didn’t

Cut Me Loose written by Curtis

Salgado, Marlon McClain & Dave

Duncan on Soul Shot by Curtis

Salgado, The Devil Ain’t Got

No Music - written by Matthew

Skoller & Lurrie, Bell on The Devil

Ain’t Got No Music by Lurrie Bell,

Too Much Jesus (Not Enough

Whiskey) written by Sam McClain

& Pat Herlehy on Too Much Jesus

(Not Enough Whiskey) by Mighty

Sam McClain

Soul Blues Album

Blues Heart - Dorothy Moore,

Soul Live - John Nemeth , Soul

Shot - Curtis Salgado, Soul Survivor

- Johnny Rawls, Too Much Jesus

(Not Enough Whiskey) - Mighty

Sam McClain

Soul Blues

Female Artist

Barbara Carr, Denise LaSalle,

Dorothy Moore, Irma Thomas, Sista

Monica

Soul Blues

Male Artist

Bobby Rush, Curtis Salgado, John

Nemeth, Johnny Rawls, Mighty Sam

McClain

Traditional

Blues Album

And Still I Rise

- Heritage

Blues

Orchestra,

Double

Dynamite

- The Mannish

Boys, Milton Hopkins with Jewel

Brown - Milton Hopkins with Jewel

Brown, Son of the Seventh Son -

Mud Morganfield, Spider Eating

Preacher - Eddie C. Campbell

Traditional

Blues Male Artist

Bob Margolin, John Primer, Lil’ Ed,

Magic Slim, Mud Morganfield


news

Happenin’

Nominee

Rock Blues Album

‘Blues for the

Modern Daze’

Walter

Trout

The Blues Foundation is

Memphis-based, but world-renowned

as THE organization dedicated

to preserving our blues music

history, celebrating recording and

performance excellence, supporting

blues education and ensuring the

future of this uniquely American art

form. Founded in 1980, The Blues

Foundation has 4500 individual

members and 200 affiliated local

blues societies representing another

50,000 fans and professionals around

the world. Its signature honors and

events--the Blues Music Awards,

Blues Hall of Fame, International

Blues Challenge and Keeping the

Blues Alive Awards – make it the

international center of blues music.

Its HART Fund provides the blues

community with medical assistance

while its Sound Healthcare program

offers musicians health insurance

access. Blues in the Schools

programs and Generation Blues

scholarships expose new generations

to blues music. Throughout the year,

the Foundation staff serves the

worldwide Blues community with

answers, contact information and

news.

Online Voting Open Now; Ticket Sales Open

December 13. Awards to be held in Memphis on

May 9th 2013 – Memphis, TN (December 12, 2012)

For more information, log onto www.blues.org.

Candy Store Kid Gains

Blues Music Awards

Ian Siegal is the only European

artist nominated in the 2013

Blues Music Awards to be

announced in Memphis on

May 9th. This is the second

consecutive year that Ian has

been nominated in the awards.

Last year his album The Skinny

was similarly nominated in the

Contemporary album

category. The Blues

Music Awards

are recognized

as highest accolade

afforded

musicians and

songwriters in

Blues music.


news update

SESSION BEST:

joe Bonamassa

the end of an era

Verbals: Gez Morgan visuals: rob AYLING

Paul Long is standing down as producer for the

Paul Jones radio show on BBC2. BM! spoke to Paul

about the highlights of his seven year run

BM!: You’ve spent 7 years

working with Paul, how do

you see the show has changed

in that time?

PL: A lot has changed. We moved

from 8pm on Thursdays to 7pm

on Mondays, which initially was not

well received by the audience, but

the audience figures have grown

consistently and dramatically since

then. Musicians and gig-goers are

more likely to be in and able to

listen on Mondays (with the notable

exception of the Famous Monday

Blues in Oxford!). The programme

has become more interactive - with

web site features, bonus tracks, the

podcast, emails, FaceBook page and

the much-wanted by music buyers

online playlist. Also we have moved to

covering the live scene more, giving

more profile to artists on the road

in this country, as live music is the

lifeblood of the blues for me. Musically

I think it is perhaps a broader church

than it used to be, but that’s harder to

quantify.

On average how long does a

show take to pull together

and how demanding have you

been on each other for the

content etc?

Paul has said that he worked harder

on the programme with me than he

had done for other producers. I don’t

know if that’s the case, but I have

always been impressed by Paul’s

“Number

one would

have to be

the live

sessions we

have done

with Joe

Bonamassa”


news

Happenin’

dedication to the show and his love

of finding new music and artists as

much as celebrating the classics.

Paul does a large amount of listening

to new records as he drives around

on tour. Some shows come together

quickly and we are always trying to

fit in as much as we can, sometimes

having to make hard decisions about

what suits the show or what we

have time for on a one hour a week

programme. Some sessions are

planned many months in advance to

fit into days off on international artists’

tours. Programmes such as the one

celebrating Paul’s 25th anniversary on

Radio 2, or festival coverage can be

a year in the planning. I also spend a

lot of time going to check out bands

live, to see whether they really have

something going for them. Also, there

are hundreds of unsolicited CDs to go

through - I listen (however briefly) to

everything that comes in. There is the

occasion gem, so you can’t neglect

this part of the job.

How do you see listeners’

tastes have changed in your

time on the show?

There will always be those who just

want to hear what they perceive to be

the ‘classics’, but we have had great

reaction to the rocky end of the blues

with artists such as Joe Bonamassa

and Walter Trout, acoustic artists such

as Eric Bibb and Doug Macleod, Soul

blues such as Earl Thomas, Jazz and

New Orleans influences from Jon

Cleary or wacky cross-polinations

such as Hazmat Modine. I think the

audience’s taste can be as wide as

ours, but we will always get comments

from people who say that whatever

we have just played is not the blues!

I have been quoted as saying that I

regard the blues as an emotion rather

than just a chord sequence and I

stand by that belief (although I can’t

speak for Paul).

We try and balance the

programmes out over time - if we

feel we’ve been a bit rock or jazz one

week, we try to even that out with, say,

acoustic or gospel the next. We do

have to try and attract new listeners

and gain people’s interest in the new

music, sometimes with its wider range

of influences, or risk becoming a

preservation society with dwindling

appeal. One thing I do find heartening

is the sheer number of young people

playing blues-based music now,

although it’s not always reflected by

seeing a younger audience in the

clubs.

A few of your personal

favourite moments please

Number one would have to be the

live sessions we have done with Joe

Bonamassa - perhaps the Maida

Vale session we filmed with a small

audience at the time of the Black

Rock album - absolute magic in the

air from one of the new geniuses

of blues-based music. Also meeting

people like Booker T Jones, Van

Morrison, Robert Cray, Chris Barber,

Jeff Beck and many more musicians

I’ve listened to through my life - and

having to try and concentrate on my

job! I was pleased to do the trip to

Memphis with Paul when he received

the Lifetime Achievement Award for

‘Keeping The Blues Alive’. But some

of the best times have been in the

Maida Vale Studios with a new young

artist in session and discovering

something very special indeed - a few

spring to mind, such as Oli Brown,

Chantel McGregor, Dani Wilde,

Marcus Bonfanti.

Highlights for the show may

not be the same as your own

so what are some of the best

for the show?

I think the Festival coverage of

Maryport, Colne, Notodden and

BluesFest - getting out in the

community and meeting lots of blues

fans as well as artists. The programme

for Paul’s 25th anniversary was great

because we were able to look back

over 25 years of archive, but also

celebrate the wealth of talent in the

UK today and for the future. A big

highlight for the programme itself

was the move to Monday evening,

“I know (new

producer)

Mark is

a great

producer

and an

enthusiastic

music lover”

enabling us to find and keep a whole

new audience.

Any you’d rather forget?

Not really, there’s always going to

be something you think you might

have done better or would have

done differently. One tinge of regret

might be the only day I was able to

spend with Michael Burks, who had

come into Maida Vale straight from

the airport and was virtually asleep

at the microphone. To his credit he

did the session, which got great

audience reaction, but if I had called

it off maybe he would have felt better

about doing it another time. Sadly, that

other time was not meant to be - it’s

not that I’d rather forget it, but I just

wish we’d had a chance to do it again

and make it more fun.

Anyone you would have liked

to get on the show that did

not make it?

Eric Clapton and Buddy Guy. We have

done a series of one hour Specials,

based around a session and interview

with Paul and those two would be

top of my list. Although I won’t be

producing the programme, I will

continue to produce the Maida Vale

sessions and live music for the show,

so it could still happen.

Thanks for your kind words and

although I am sad not to be producing

the programme any more, I know

Mark is a great producer and an

enthusiastic music lover. I’m looking

forward to your changes in the

magazine, especially as I’ve just taken

out a subscription!


Happenin’

deep south imagery

Natchez, Mississippi, August 1940

beautiful south

Verbals: Billy Hutchinson Visuals: Marion Post Wolcott

The cotton plant is synonymous with Blues music and

very well documented, but Spanish Moss and Cypress

Trees also conjure up the area of the world where

the Blues began. Here’s a little information on these

organic Southern mainstays would broaden ‘The Blues

experience’ for BM readers


deep south imagery

Happenin’

Spanish Moss

A ghostly transformation to a tree, a

waterfall of dusty fibres, a seasonlong

Halloween decoration and ZZ

Top beards. All the aforementioned

come to mind when I think about

and look at Spanish moss.

First, “Spanish moss” is a

misnomer. It is neither Spanish nor

moss. The “Spanish” tag is referring

to folklore. One tale tells of a 1700’s

traveller and his Spanish fiancée

who built a plantation just outside

Charleston, South Carolina. Being

Spanish the young woman was

blessed with luscious, long dark

hair. While the couple were taking a

walk across their plantation planning

their life, they were ambushed by

Cherokee Indians who considered

the land belonged to their tribe. The

story goes that they gave warning

by cutting off the fair maiden’s long

dark hair, and threw it into a live oak

tree. The hair dried up and turned

grey in time, spreading from tree to

tree, and over the years spreading to

many other Southern states.

Spanish moss is a member of

the family of Bromeliads. Botanists

believe it traps airborne nutrients as

well as water from its host’s exterior,

along with taking up of vital minerals

leeched from its benefactor’s

leaves. Seldom does it harm its host,

generally frequenting American

Live Oak and Bald Cypress trees,

though occasionally found on Sweet

gums and Crape myrtles. Spanish

moss is used in floral displays, and

in the past provided a source of

insulation, as well as padding and

mulch. It also harbours chiggers

(skin irritating mites) and in thick

outcrops, warblers, bats, amphibians

and snakes. What is less well known

is that it produces tiny flowers,

and in turn tiny fruit whose seeds

are scattered by birds. Though the

plant is associated with hot, humid

weather, it can tolerate dry areas.

Traditionally, it has been confined

in an area from Virginia down into

the South American continent, and

across from Texas to Florida. Man

has transplanted it in Hawaii and

Australia. As often as not in nature,

some years are more abundant than

others.

Cypress Trees

The Southern Bald Cypress tree

is as eerie as Spanish moss, and

when coupled with it, even more

so. It is very appropriate that one

of the most eerie-sounding Blues

songs about the Cypress should

come from the genre’s most

eerie-sounding singer – Nehemiah

Curtis ‘Skip’ James (‘Cypress

Grove Blues’). When viewed in

a waterlogged setting it is part

of a primeval world. Wide clump

trunks that diminish as they rise

out of their boggy habitats, with

pneumatophores, commonly called

“knees” (short upright stumps that

stick out of the water from the trees’

roots) that give added structural

foundations.

I have seen a servant’s

balustrade to the rear of an

antebellum home that was as

sound that day as it must have

been during its construction, due

to the wood’s anti-rotting nature.

The characteristics of the lumber

include being very resistant to

decay, durable, medium hard and

with a strong close grain. The

colour of Cypress boards varies

according to region. As a useful

timber, it can be machined, nailed,

screwed and glued well, and, having

natural preserving oils, oil based

primers and or an appropriate sealer

are required. These trees are to

the South, what the Sequoia is to

California, they live to an incredible

age and an impressive height. A

single specimen in Bladen County,

Virginia is over 1,620 years old.

It is a deciduous softwood, so

loses its leaves in winter, hence

the term Bald Cypress. It haunts

the Alluvial Plains, and, though

it thrives with its feet in water, it

cannot survive in a permanently

submerged environment, and cannot

survive in salt water. With silt and

partial waterlogged ground being

its preferred habitat, seeds can

germinate and be transported via

squirrels and flood waters, and when

the seeds are not in the right spot to

germinate, they can stand dormant

for 30 months in stasis.

The Bald Cypress can also

spawn sprouts, but these do not

grow into long-lived vigorous

trees. Though they are resistant

to water rotting, fungus can cause

rotting, and Cypress flea beetle can

devastate foliage, and therefore

shorten the tree’s life. Although

the species can grow in a far

wider planetary area than Spanish

moss, it is adaptable to drier as

well as swampy areas. Also closely

related is the Pond Cypress, as

this indicates, it seems happier for

long periods of submerging, and

the Bald Cypress has a thinner

bark that’s more susceptible to fire

damage. Detrimental to the trees,

but beneficial to man, the Spanish

moss infested Cypresses are a

welcome speed controller during

hurricane season. The Bald Cypress

is the official state tree of Louisiana,

and a fundamental element in the

Wetlands conservation programme.

You should be aware that although

Cypress swamps are home to nonthreatening

wildlife such as birds,

snapping turtle and deer, predators

such as bobcats, black bear,

alligator and various types of snakes

frequent also.

“The

Southern

Bald

Cypress

tree is as

eerie as

Spanish

moss”


Happenin’ blues djs part 4

On the air :

Ian McHugh

Verbals: Darren Weale

Ian McHugh is a DJ who, like Victoria Smith, plays in a

band as well as being a DJ. This issue, we welcome Ian

to our pool of respected writers. We asked him to

introduce himself. This is what he told BM!...

‘I

discovered the blues by chance. I had, aged

15, found a desire to play guitar. Possibly I

thought girls would be more interested in me if

I was a musician. A friend suggested I listen to

Eric Clapton and I bought a compilation called

Backtracking. When I got to the track Have You Ever

Loved a Woman, I was literally floored by it! I had to

sit down. I was shocked by the passion and fire in the

music. That started a voyage of discovery, following

Eric’s influences to their source and then all the web


blues djs part 4

Happenin’

of artists that form blues history.’ ‘My interest in guitar

playing grew as I was learning the blues, leading me to

play on stage in various bands, one of them including

the wonderful Will Johns, culminating with my current

outfit, Blues is Truth www.reverbnation.com/

bluesistruth. Starting that band, about eight years ago,

meant a fruitful musical partnership with bassist, Brian

Soundy. Brian and I share a passion for music, a sense

of humor and our belief that blues is as vital now as it

always has been.’

‘Blues is Truth doesn’t gig as often as we should, but

the camaraderie is still very strong. Brian contacted me

when he started a web-based jazz radio station, www.

ukjazzradio.com, focussing on his other great musical

passion. He didn’t have a blues show in place at first.

I had no broadcasting experience, just a large record

collection, an excess of knowledge and the ability to talk

the hind legs off a herd of donkeys. My first show was

probably a bit of a disaster. I was learning the software,

no one had told me of the upper limit of -3dbfs (audio

nerds will understand), and that the time had to be

exactly 54 minutes per hour of broadcast. Also that

talking to you seems like the oddest thing at first, but

I got another go. The Blues is the Truth show became

more like the radio I like, conversational and relaxed. It

earned a second hour and a strong international listener

base, and eventually a podcast with the main show, to

give extra exposure to the new music I receive monthly.’

‘Now there’s an active Facebook group, and my blog,

tonemonkey.tumblr.com, features reviews and articles

along with my pick of the best blues videos and photos

on the web. I’m getting known on the scene, which led

to me joining the nominating committee for the 2012

British Blues Awards and being asked to contribute to

Classic Rock’s the Blues magazine, and now writing for

the most respected blues magazine in the UK, Blues

Matters!’

‘I’m rather opinionated, and not shy about saying

how the blues industry and community are doing. I will

welcome your feedback. With blues as a community it’s

the dialogue that will keep us alive. A listener who really

knows her blues once told me I’m right 80% of the time.

She still hasn’t told me which 80%. I guess that it’s up to

you to let me know.’

WHAT’S

HAPPENIN’

IN ISSUE 71

We’ve loads in the

pipeline this year. here’s

what’s coming up next...

Interviews:

Joe Bonamassa, Bettye Lavette,

Jo Harmen, Robin Trower – Part 2,

Eddie Blue, Matt Taylor,

Albany Down, Robben Ford,

Devon Allman, plus

Andy Fraser – Part 2 and more!

Features:

Kitchat, Johnson to Bonamassa,

Radio DJs, Blues and Jazz TV.

Blue Blood:

The best up and coming Blues acts.

Blues News:

All the Blues that’s fit to print!

Plus:

CD reviews, Gig reviews, Festival

reviews and more!

‘Blues is Truth

doesn’t gig as

often as we

should, but the

camaraderie is

still very strong”

Issue 71: April – May 2013

On Sale: 29th March 2013


Happenin’

sollophonic guitars

Guitar artist:

andy solloway

Verbals: Dave Stone

BM! has been in touch with a guitar builder in the

Yorkshire dales who has just turned a hobby into

a career. Andy Solloway from Skipton has been

building and converting solid body guitars to electric

resonator guitars and has now decided to switch to

this full time, BM! contacted HIM to find out more...

BM!: Hi Andy, I understand that you have just

completed guitar no 92?

AS: Yes, it should have been christened at a Blues Jam night

by now!

When I first saw the guitars on your web site,

I thought that you were making Tele copies,

and wondered how Fender were going to take

to that?

These are not strictly new guitars, but rather conversions,

the body shape of Leo’s first design is ideally suited

to resonator conversions due to the slab body, lack of

contouring and the physical dimensions.

I have converted other similar style bodies, even some

Gretsch and Danelectro models, but the guitars from

Fender and Squier make great conversions. I am careful

not to refer to Telecasters on my website.

You have just decided to go full time, how long

does it take to build a typical guitar?

It will vary depending upon the specification, a standard

conversion from a straightforward donor guitar is between

10 to 12 hours. If I have to refinish or do any special

orders, it will take 2 or 3 hours longer

Although solid bodied electric resonators are

not unknown, they aren’t that common either,

how did you come up with the idea to start

building your guitars?

I have nearly always played Telecasters, both Fender and

Squier. As you say, I didn’t come up with the idea, but I

took it a stage further by fitting Continental cones, and

using sound holes in the back of some of them.

Mr Sollophonic: Andy Solloway

For the sake of our non-guitar-playing


sollophonic guitars

Happenin’

Heart and hands: Andy in action

readers, can you explain what you mean by a

Continental cone?

Continental cones are made in Germany, unlike cones

in cheaper resonators, they are spun rather than simply

pressed out, and are made of better quality thinner

aluminium, hence they have a better tone response.

I make guitars with either a chicken foot or sieve

pattern coverplate, but I am planning to start making my

own aluminium coverplates in the near future.

Have you ever fitted a Tricone to one of

your guitars?

No, a tricone won’t fit into my usual Sollophonic guitars,

the assembly of a tricone is a bit too deep for a slab

bodied design, but I may do this, using a custom-made

and thicker body, but it would be quite a bit heavier.

Can you run through the process of getting

a guitar from you, assuming that I have a

battered Squier?

I don’t convert customers own guitars anymore, I prefer

to make Sollophonics from donor guitars that I know will

make good conversions. I have converted many Squiers

though, they make a good conversion, I currently have a

stock of donor bodies and other parts.

So I can just order a complete guitar

from you?

Oh yes, I much prefer to do it that way I either make them

“I prefer to make

Sollophonics from

donor guitars”

on spec and put them on my web site for sale, or I take

pre-ordered ones with a deposit. I can convert guitars to

more personal specifications, such as string gauge, action,

pick ups, and even colour schemes if required. Depending

upon the availability of donor bits, and the particular

specification, turnaround is about three weeks from initial

order, sometimes less.

What are the features of your guitars that you

would like us to pass on?

They are versatile in the extreme as they can be played

acoustically, being quieter than a standard resonator,

but they can be plugged in and cranked up as loud as

you can stand. They are starting to become known as

Sollophonics, and you will sometimes see them advertised

as such on EBay, so they are beginning to have their own

identity.

All Sollophonic guitars are available direct through the website

www.sollophonicguitars.co.uk, or Phone 01756 793568 or 07971

590742 to arrange to visit ANDY at 17 Sunmoor Drive, Skipton, North

Yorkshire, BD23 2JS. There is also a sollophonic facebbok page:

www.facebook.com/pages/Sollophonic-Guitars/140078739387649


Kitchat

Fender Excelsior Amp

A real beauty!

All the wayup to 11...


Fender Excelsior Amp

Blue Blood

Classic:

EXCELSIOR!

Verbals and visuals: Dave Stone

I was looking for a replacement for my late sixties

Fender Twin, not that there is anything wrong with it,

it still sounds gorgeous, it’s just that I am not getting

any younger and the Twin isn’t getting any lighter!

Those of you who have owned

one will know what I mean, it

comes in as one of Fenders

heaviest valve amps, but it

has a sound to die for. I had

tried various modelling amps, but

none of them could give me that

indefinable something that comes

with a warmed up all valve amp, it

is somehow alive. I had determined

that I would get a Fender Blues

Junior, an all valve amp with a single

15inch speaker that was the closest

to the sound that I was after, and

a hell of a lot lighter, but the dollar

kept going up and so did the amps!

I started off by looking at £350

but they are now over £500 and

rising, so I scoured the small ads

for second hand amps, and always

kept an eye open in all the local

music shops, and that is how I

came across the Fender Excelsior.

Imagine a pristine condition amp

from the Fifties, with brown vinyl

covering, golden mesh grille cloth in

the shape of an E on the front, and

a badge of crossed swords with the

word Excelsior across them, and

nowhere visible on the front or the

top control panel is there any sign

of a Fender badge. Being honest, I

would probably have bought it for

its looks, as it is the sort of amp that

I can leave in the lounge without

any complaints from the other half,

it looks like a piece of furniture. It

is however an all valve amp, made

for Fender in China, it has a single

15inch Fender speaker and 2 no

6V6 output valves and 2 no 12AX7

preamp valves, it also has a tremolo

control and a small switch labelled

Bright and Dark. Unusually for

a Fender valve amp, there is no

standby switch.

When I had finished dribbling

over the looks of this pretty little box,

I asked to try it, and within seconds

of striking the first chord, I knew

that I had to have it! This very simple

amp has that fabulous clear bell-like

Fender sound, and the tremolo will

take you from a gentle effect to

sonic hiccups! For a 13 watt output

amp it is incredibly loud, and will

certainly hold its own in any gig

that I am likely to play in. The dark/

bright switch is like a single tone

control, taking the amp from that

crystal clear tone to a slightly duller

sound, as though a cloth has been

draped over the speaker. There are

three separate inputs labelled guitar,

mike and accordion, and according

to the manual, they can be used in

conjunction with each other (you

can plug three things in!) , so it can

also double as a self-contained PA if

you are a one man outfit. Each input

is adjusted to the anticipated source,

but I tried my guitar through each

one and if I am honest, I couldn’t

really tell any difference.

tube screamer

The amp starts to break up at

around 60% volume, or you can

of course feed it through a floor

pedal or other effects, my own

set up is rather basic, consisting

normally of delay, Tube screamer,

Boss Blues driver and a Wah pedal.

I found that with the tremolo on, I

was rarely using the delay. Last but

not least, this delightful small box

of Fender magic can be yours for

around £230, although it is listed

at nearly £400. If you favour a

clean tone and want an amp that

won’t break your back or your bank,

then I recommend that you give

this beauty a try! I bought mine the

same day.


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laura-may gibson

Blue Blood

Laura-MaY

Visuals: robin carrie

Laura-May GIBSON is a singer from the east coast of

Scotland. Blues is a genre that comes to her so

naturally that it is a first love... and second nature.

Where might we find a great, as opposed to

just a good, singer?

The east coast of Scotland.Abides there a young twentysix

year old lady by the name of Laura-May. She is a great

singer. She is not too bad on the old guitar either.

For how long has the young lady named Laura-

May been singing?

Twenty-three years. She could sing before she could talk,

she could swing before she could walk. She grew up in a

family for whom music forms the landscape of the mind,

for whom the ears are the entrance to the soul. All kinds of

music entered the imagination of the girl with the magical

voice. She has variety. She tames genre. One genre means

more than all the others. The Blues are her ‘First Love’,

singing is ‘Second Nature.’

Wherever she goes; from Glasgow to Dundee, from

Edinburgh to Aberdeen, musicians are queuing up to

play with her. Listen up wide world. Laura-May sings the

blues.

For the latest news on laura may, check out www.reverbnation.com/

lauramaygibson

What is the secret ingredient that makes her

prodigious talent move us?

Empathy. When her voice aches, we cry for all the loss in

the world. When the voice longs, we run to it with open

arms. When the voice soothes we are comforted but when

it screams in our face we are terrified yet exhilarated by

our own collision with catharsis. You must hear this lady

sing. Your life may depend on it.

What does a great blues singer need?

An audience, and a guitar. Where there is no group of

musicians she stands alone. The voice is Queen of the

aural space. Great bands often accompany her glorious

vocal presence. Laura-May and the Bel-Airs. Laura-May’s

Blue Rays. Jump Jive Rhythm ‘n’ Blues. These are some

of the bands that Laura-May currently performs with.


MAVERICK SUBSCRIBE TODAY

Just £30! for a one year uk subscription

MAVERICK MUSIC

VOL 3 FREE CD INCLUDED

Go to the Maverick website www.maverick-country.com

or call 01622 823920 to subscribe today!

The new issue features: CARRIE UNDERWOOD, CHARLEY PRIDE, TIFT MERRITT,

SADIE & THE HOTHEADS, JOEY & RORY, VICTORIA SHAW & more!

PLUS Maverick Music vol 3 included free with this issue!

Featuring DOLLY PARTON, KATY BOYD, ROBERT VINCENT & MORE...

www.maverick-country.com

Little Big Town © Capitol Records

THE NEW ISSUE

March/April 2013 issue

Available 08.02.13

Blues Matters JAN 2013.indd 1 3/1/13 11:59:26


the jar family

Blue Blood

the jar family

Verbals: the jar family

The Jar Family are an industrial folk collective from

Hartlepool, who have the lyrical swagger of Pete Doherty,

the folk spirit of Mumford and Sons and the raucous

splendor of early Pogues... all met with the poignant

romanticism of life in the North East of England.

aving amassed a sizeable collection of songs,

we decamped from our site in Cambridge,

where we had spent nine months living in

caravans to concentrate on our writing, to the

seminal Sawmill Studio to record The Jar

Family Album in June 2011. Produced by Keith

Wilkinson, the album was then mixed by the

legendary John Cornfield (Muse, Supergrass,

Razorlight, Oasis, Athlete) and also features Paul

Carrack on Hammond organ.

In addition to being very well received by the

national music press and radio alike, our debut single,

Poolie Strut became the most requested song in

Radio Hartlepool’s history, and has since been played

at all of Hartlepool United’s home matches, leading

to the home faithful chanting the song on the stadium

terraces.

Upcoming single Broken Minded is set for release on January 14th

through Jar Records. check out www.thejarfamily.com


october 2008 | issue #28

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august/september 2008 | issue #27

Devendra Banhart, Kimya Dawson

FRANKLIN

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JERRY GARCIA BAND

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| issue #29

january/february 2008 | issue #

Sam Bush

Charlie Daniels

String us along

Hank Williams

Ingrid Michaelson

Michael Franti

Bob Dylan

Paul Thorn

Thick Beard

Thin Lizzy

Billy

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Snowy

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www.elmoremagazine.com

Radio rocks

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Interruptus:

Sadly, common breed

Happy

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Steve Cropper

Dick Dale

Soul Man meets

Surfer Dude

Music is serious fun,

PLUS:

Gov’t Mule

Dave Matthews Band

Ian Hunter

The Black Crowes

Santana

Elvis

loved his

country

The Noisettes

Mark Knopfler

Allman Brothers

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James McMurtry

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Spiritual Girls:

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40 years after

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Learn more about music you already love, and find

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wooden horse

Blue Blood

wooden horse

Verbals: wooden horse

The last year has been very busy for the roots blues duo

Wooden Horse. It is hard to quantify how we are doing

(you can’t always believe Facebook), all we want to do is really

see more and more people at the gigs and really give the

people who come to listen a great night out.

ooden Horse have had to move onto a

different level of venue because people

who want to listen to us don’t really want

to compete with a whole lot off other

‘distractions’ – so that feels great, that

people do want to come out especially to see us play

and we appreciate it.

Wooden Horse started life with the often ridiculed

story of us meeting at our kids swimming lessons. It

is hardly the stuff of rock legend, but at least it is true!

After our first jam we knew we had something worth

pursuing.

Songwriting is very important to us and it is normally

a mixture of us playing out some new riffs and singing

along at the same time! I suppose that’s how it always

happens. We always write together, it just sounds like

Wooden Horse then. For inspirations, it changes all the

time, let’s just say Ry Cooder, JJ Cale, Muddy Waters

and The Everley Brothers for now.

We have a new EP out now called You’re In My

Heart. We did it to offer our supporters something new

(our album came out in 2011) and to get the single

You’re in My heart out there. It is an upbeat country

tune really, they also took the chance to add a few

covers and make an EP.

You buy the new woodenhorse e.p. (and their album) from

www.woodenhorsemusic.co.uk. It looks really pretty too!


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13 stars Blue Blood

13 stars

Verbals: 13 stars

Cumbria band 13 stars don’t take their name from the flag of

the Confederate South, but from a flag made by patriot Betsy

Ross, at the behest of George Washington, for the fledgling

United States about the time of the revolutionary war.

s such, 13 Stars also style themselves as rebels,

adjusting their playing styles and repertoire to

avoid being pigeon-holed as a particular genre

of band; segueing between Skynyrd-esque

southern rock, blues, balladetic and occasionally

folk rock, and on into hard rock territory. They cover a lot

of ground styles and they will tailor the performance to

suit the gig, even going as far as playing acoustic sets

based around songs from their earlier album.

They are slick players, and with a wealth of original

material to call on are getting a great audience response

across the country, making it onto local radio this year,

which has helped spread the word. They make no bones

about being readily available, so it’s an ideal opportunity

for venues with spots to fill. With tour credits for

supporting Fish, John Waite, Dan Reed and It Bites, not

forgetting Festival appearances, they have, it’s needless

to say, a lot of experience. A notable recent event was

a massive set of an hour and 40 minutes at the 2011

Maryport Blues Festival, followed up at this year’s

Maryport Blues Festival with two knock-out sets, the

second one headlining the outdoor family stage

on the final day.

The band was formed in 2010, and with

recent line-up changes now features founder

Matt ‘Hoss’ Thompson on vocals, guitar and

keyboards, Jax Sedgwick on guitar, Matty

Eden on bass and vocals and Andy Bates

(late of Feed Me) on drums – (Jax and

Matty were formerly with Cumbrian rockers

‘Tropical Fruit Disaster’ ). The Band’s first album was the

self-titled album 13 Stars, which was mainly folk and

heavily acoustic, moving more towards southern rock at

the second outing, titled North-Northwest.

Their recently-released third album is a much heavier

prospect titled Way Dju. Picking just a few of the tracks

from this album; Hinterland has that slow build Southern

Rock feel to it underlined with a thumping rhythm support

and a familiar piece of wah-wah pedal guitar that will find

great favour with Skynyrd fans; Turandot which is aimed

squarely at wilful girlfriends has a very open almost ZZ

Top feel to it; whereas New 45 and Red Hot Fever are

pulsating heavy blues.

For the latest news on 13 stars, check out www.13stars.co.uk


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dAVid migden And the dirty words

Blue Blood

daVid MiGden and

the dirtY words

VErbAls: DaviD miGDen anD the Dirty worDS

we are all workIng musIcIans and musIc tutors so, whIlst we

took the musIc serIously, we dIdn’t have tIme or resources to

promote the records or our career untIl now

hen Mark Ede who manages Jo Harman,

happened to stumble across our music and he

started championing us as the sort of artists

that should be spearheading fresh interest in the

British blues scene. I think we thought ‘well if he

and the people he’s introduced our music too like it that

much, maybe we should start giving more attention to

making it more of a priority ourselves!’

Collectively we are all influenced by a range of genres

and artists and I think - I hope - that comes through in

our music. I guess my voice is naturally very much in

the classic ‘Blues and Americana’ (in its widest sense)

territory so that will always be at the core of what we

do at some level. Certainly, being ‘real’ and ‘rootsy’ as

opposed to being in any way ‘trend chasing’ or ‘contrived’

is important to us, and these give us a certain classic

sound. But I do hope that we have or own identity and

character within that and I feel it’s important to feel

liberated artistically.

Killing It is our new album and it is something that we

are very proud of. To some extent it reflects the twisted

American roots music that we love to listen to and play.

We hope it achieves the aim of being a wide dynamic

beast which keeps the listener engaged throughout, its

certainly getting airplay so that’s a good sign. There’s

more to come though; I feel we’re really only scratching

the surface in terms of creative ideas.

For the latest news on dm&tdw, check out

www.davidmigdenandthedirtywords.comco.uk

www.bluEsmAttErs.com blues matters! | february–march 2013 PAGE 31


poplar jake

Blue Blood

poplar jake

Verbals: jake

It has been a busy year, I’ve been very lucky with airplay,

and I’ve done some festival dates this summer, and

that really helped to lift the profile a bit.

ust now I’m busy in the studio getting a

full-length album together. There’s demand for

a full album, and for original material. So that’s

what I’m doing. A highlight of the last year was

playing at Hebden Bridge. Finally I felt like I was

in real company, sharing a bill with people who have a

genuine commitment to the blues. It changed the way I

do things. I was working hard before, but after Hebden I

was a lot more committed.

The modern blues scene has plenty of young players

coming through, so that’s positive. The music’s not

gonna die any time soon. These guys will end up tracing

the roots of that music, and learning its history. The role

of people like me is to keep the older tradition alive so

that there’s still some kind of reference for that. Between

us all, we get the job done. If I could play with anyone, I

would love to be able to sit down with Leadbelly or Blind

Willie McTell. 12 strings are an absolute gift – rich, full,

bright and bassy all at the same time. I’d really like to do

more with it.

The biggest influence on my music is my life! What

else? I think my heritage has a lot to do with it. I come

from Cockney stock on one hand and Yorkshire on the

other – old-school, working people.

There’s a whole lot of stubbornness in there! To

perform honestly and without compromise, that kind of

idealism has kept me going. A lot of that stuff comes

from family.

For the latest news on poplar jake, check out www.poplarjake.com


Lucy Zirins

Winner of the Blues Matters Poll ‘best newcomer’

she hails from the small town of Burnley, near Manchester.

and picked up the guitar aged just 12. She’s been playing for

eight years and gigging since she was 16. Lucy zirins

talks about the music that influences her

ombining a mix of Blues, Soul, Folk and Gospel

numbers in her set and increasingly performing

original material, Lucy is fast making a name for

herself on the acoustic scene and as a songwriter.

In 2010 Lucy was chosen as one of the “Class of

2010” singer-songwriters by PRS for Music and featured

in a high profile event in London set up to recognise and

support the UK’s most promising young talent. She was

one of the youngest musicians in Britain ever to receive a

royalty cheque from the PRS. At the age of 15 Lucy was

chosen by the European Blues Association to receive the

Sam Mitchell Scholarship for slide guitar, for which she

received a week’s tuition under the watchful eye of

Michael Messer. She returned the following year on the

John Jackson Scholarship. In 2012 Lucy was runner-up

in the ‘British Young Artist’ category at The British Blues

Awards and was winner of the ‘Best Newcomer’ category

in the ‘Blues Matters’ Writers’ Poll and runner-up to in the

Best Solo Artist category. Having recorded her first EP at

16, Lucy has just finished recording her debut album at

Liam Watson’s ToeRag Studios in London, with Michael

Messer as producer and featuring some of Britain’s finest

session musicians.

Eva Cassidy

Blues In The Night

I can still remember the first time I heard

Eva Cassidy on the radio. I was sat in the

car and I remember my ears pricking upand

sitting there, listening, being absolutely

mesmerized by the sound of her voice.

Such beauty in her softer songs, but real power in her voice

too. The notes she hits in this track are unbelievable. I love

the instrumentation too; it has great brass and string

arrangement. Eva still remains one of my biggest

influences. Her voice, the intimacy in her performances, and

her ability to arrange songs and make them her own is

inspirational.

Aretha Frankin

Today I’m Singing The Blues

The first Aretha song I ever heard was in the music room


lucy zirins Blues Top 10

at school. My music teacher was a real Aretha fan. I was

hooked from the minute I heard her voice and much like

the first time I heard Eva, hearing her stopped me in my

tracks. I love the piano on this track as well as the vocal

that captures the pain of the lover perfectly. It was hard to

choose between this and Aretha’s cover of ‘Dark End of

the Street.’ She was magical on any song she touched.

Jimi Hendrix

Fire

The first Hendrix song I ever heard was

‘Fire’. 2:44 of pure energy! Mitch Mitchell’s

drumming on this track is insane, as well as

the guitar work. I love Jimi. He was an

incredible musician and writer. His music is

groovy, clever and so innovative even in the present day. No

one will ever sound like him. As well as being a great guitar

player he had a voice that could make you melt! I always

wonder about the music he would have made if he’d lived

longer.

Otis Redding

I’ve Been Loving You Too Long

I love everything about this song, written by Otis and soul

artist Jerry Butler. It appears on Otis Redding’s ‘Blue’ album

is one of my all-timefavorites. The simple arpeggio piano,

Steve Cropper’s guitar part and the amazinghorn parts

make this song. But what I like best is that the lyrics are

beautifully sad and simple and it’s Otis’s delivery that pulls

at your heart strings. He had such a raw power in his vocal.

Carol King

Way Over Yonder

This song is a beautiful tune with a gospel

sentiment. It’s hopeful, and echoes a lot of

older Blues and Gospel songs in its lyrics. “I

know when I get there, the first thing I’ll see,

is the sun shinin’ golden, shinin’ right down

on me. Then trouble’s gonna lose me, worry, leave me

behind, and I’ll stand up proudly in true peace of mind”. It

reminds me of ‘Trouble In Mind’ which I like to play an

arrangement of in my set sometimes. Carol King’s ‘Tapestry’

is my top all time album, it is incredibly well written and the

songs will last forever. So many artists, including Aretha

Franklin, have covered her songs. I aspire to be as good a

songwriter as her.

Blind Willie Johnson

Dark Was The Night (Cold Was The Ground)

I’ve noticed this piece of music being used in a lot of films

recently. It is so utterly haunting, beautiful and stunning.

There’s no lyrics in the song, just humming and slide guitar

and for me the beauty is in that simplicity. I found it hard to

pick one particular slide song so I chose this as it’s a song

that showed me a lot about how melodic and emotive slide

could be. There are no more words for it, just go listen and

be stunned for yourself.

John Mayer

Who Did You Think I Was (Live in Los Angeles)

I love this song! There are a lot of John

Mayer songs I could have picked,

particularly off his ‘Continuum’ album but I

decided to go with this off his live record.

It’s an example of a modern bluesy, groovy,

Hendrix like song, with a great riff and fast paced drums. I

love the lyrics too – it’s Mayer’s rebellion against those that

tried to box him into a category. He decided to write a fast

paced blues to juxtapose his softer singer songwriter stuff.

“Am I the one who sings the quiet songs, am I the one who

turns the ladies on?” Mayer is a great writer in all styles,

country, blues, rock, pop as well as a fantastic singer and

guitar player.

Bonnie Raitt

Nobody’s Girl

Probably more Americana and Country than Blues, but for

me a good song is a good song no matter what the genre.

I got compared to Bonnie Raitt a lot in my younger years

of gigging (mainly because of my hair colour and the fact I

played some slide in my set), but I didn’t really know about

her music until later on. This song was one that really stood

out for me. It’s the lament of a man in love with a girl who

does her own thing and confuses the heck of out him! It’s

an incredibly well written song, with beautiful lyrics. Bonnie

is amazing. I love hearing her doing acoustic stuff.

Etta James

All I Could Do Was Cry

It would be easy to pick ‘I’d Rather Go Blind’

or ‘At Last’ but I love this song. Etta echoes

so many of the older female Blues

singerswith her growl, belting tone and

conveys emotion so well. It is such a sad

song about her watching the one that got away get

married. It interested me recently to see the Adele song

‘Someone Like You’ do so well, which has a similar

sentiment. The blues and soul music are such an integral

part of modern music.

Norah Jones

Turn Me On

‘Turn Me On’is off Norah Jones debut

album ‘Come Away With Me’. I love the

whole album; it encompasses country, jazz,

blues, soul into fantastic songs and became

a massive ‘pop’ record. I love this song for

the gospel Hammond and piano playing and the growl in

Norah’s voice on the first line. It’s a sexy, modern song from

an amazing female writer and musician.


Interview

robin trower

robin trower

Talking Blues – Part One

Verbals: Pete Sargeant Visuals: martin cook, neil calandra

With renowned guitar stylist Robin Trower about to release his nod to the

blues album, Roots and Branches BM! met up with the artist to talk

about the project and all manner of other topics.

Since Robin’s original stint with the

Paramounts and subsequently Procol

Harum he has produced original exciting,

but most of all, atmospheric music inspiring

many guitar players along the way. Born in

south east London he is North American success

has led to him spending a lot of time Stateside.

Thoughtful, gracious and forthcoming, Trower

is an ideal interviewee though clearly not at all

concerned with the glitz of stardom.

BM: I wonder you realise how much of an influential

guitar player you have been to your generation,

mine right behind you and ever since! What are your

thoughts?

RT: I’ve not given a lot of thought, although it’s

been said to me before. I try and think about it.

But I’m not hearing it particularly out there,

but you just never know. If people say they’ve

been influenced by you that’s good enough for

me. I’m not really hearing anything out there

that’s near to what I do.

This leads me straight into something that I wanted

to talk about. I link creative arts together in how

I see them. And lets run this past you. If we were

looking at painters, the Bosch’s and Breugel’s would

be the great players like Steve Vai and Joe Satriani

who tend to be quite busy and…

...and technically adept!

I would say you are more akin to Monet and Gauguin.

Well that’s a lovely thought isn’t it? [Laughs]

Yes that’s a lovely thought. Obviously my whole

style and everything I do is trying to get an

emotional depth to it. I’m very, very influenced

by blues and black music. Various black players.

I’ve always thought my playing is as much

about my writing as it is about being a guitar

player. Because I think it’s a lot to do with what

I’m trying to create compositionally and that

includes the guitar as well.

I wouldn’t say that you’re the only person with that

ability to be, almost, a guitar impressionist. The other

players that I like personally are Randy California

of Spirit and Tommy Bolin, not with Deep Purple but

when he was playing with Billy Cobham and Alphonse

Mouzon. What we’re talking about is atmosphere, the

ability to paint a picture and mood. My nickname for

you is Dr Dreamscape.

(Laughs) Well I like it! Some of my favourite

things are the more ethereal; those are some of

the favourite things I’ve done.

It’s easier to stamp your own style on things that are

slower than fast choppier material.

Yeah! I think that’s right. I’m always trying to

get that very earthy thing combined with the

ethereal. The ones that I feel do that, the tracks

that do that are usually my favourites. But it’s

still very much in touch with my roots.

This takes us very much into this new album you’ve

CONTINUES OVER...


robin trower

Interview


Interview

robin trower

struggling, I got to about five or six I think and

just couldn’t come up with more stuff. That’s

why I added in some of my own material.

It sounds as though you’ve taken black and white

drawings and coloured them in your way.

That’s what I wanted to do. I don’t think it is

worth doing a version of, say, Hound Dog unless

you could really do something with it. And

there are other songs I looked at, I was trying

to have a go at James Brown’s ‘Think’ and

come up with something for that but I could

not. There wasn’t quite enough of a song there,

when you really break it down, it’s all about his

vocal and the feel.

I’m quite glad, in a way, that you didn’t have a go at

All Shook Up. I think the Jeff Beck version is…

Oh yeah, quite right!

What you’ve ended up with is a record of versions

and own stuff which is almost your equivalent of

Beckola.

Really?!

made, Roots and Branches. I looked at the track

list (it includes Hound Dog, Thrill Is Gone, That’s

Alright Mama and other familiar songs along with

some brand new originals – PS) and I thought “my

goodness, how’s he going to put a twist on these

numbers”

That’s what my manager said when I told him I

was going to do it!

But he said “Robin usually has a plan and he knows

what he’s doing!”

I set out to do a covers album.

When you say ‘covers’ you mean ‘versions’, don’t

you?

Yes, I mean versions of some of my favourite

songs. I’d like to have done a whole album, of

some of my favourite stuff that has influenced

me, has fed into what I do. But I couldn’t

come up with what I would call my own take

on enough of them to have a whole album’s

worth. That was the cut-off point, I would

use the song as just the skeleton that I would

completely flesh out in my own way. I was really

Which does the same thing. Beckola is half versions,

half originals. What I think you may be doing is really

underrating these own compositions. And I said that

to Alan [Robinson, RT’s manager] because without

any bull**** the last two tracks on this are as good

as anything you’ve done.

I have to say, I’m really pleased with the way

they turned out, and it’s quite hard to write

material like that. You don’t often come up with

stuff like that. Especially ‘See My Life’ which

is really a rock and roll version of a blues song

that I’ve written. To get that to translate from

that blues song, without losing any of that

feeling, into a full rock and roll or blues rock

as you like to call it version. But what I tried to

do is set the template with the versions of other

people’s songs and then I tried to re-work the

material I had of my own so that they would all

gel together and they would all seem like they

had the same attempt at getting to a place.

But it’s not really a looking back-forwards thing

which would be a legitimate concept, because you

haven’t done re-treads of Hound Dog or The Thrill Is

Gone. You’ve coloured in the black and white outline.

If I had [musically] picked up the coloured pens it

would be different, wouldn’t it? We might

be doing the same song but taking it somewhere

quite different.

Yeah!


robin trower

Interview

And Chris Rea or [Jeff] Beck would take it somewhere

different. I fear you may be underrating the impact

of these own songs. Let’s talk about Blues artists;

obviously Blues Matters tries to cover Blues players,

everyone from Robert Johnson, through to [Joe]

Bonamassa and everything in between. Did you see

the blues artists that were around when you started

playing music?

I did see some, in the early 60s. I remember

going to Fairfield Hall to see what I think was a

Chess package, Muddy...

Sonny Boy Williamson?

Yeah, and certainly Willie Dixon, and the piano

player Otis Spann.

Muddy’s ‘cousin’!

Yeah sort of. I wasn’t knocked out with it. I

don’t why, I was just so into the records. These

records had such a power to them and I think

that was a little disappointing, it didn’t come

over with that raw power. They were recorded

ten years earlier or even earlier than that. My

favourite Muddy Waters track is Still a Fool

I was doing She Moves Me at a gig last night!

(laughs) Great! I did see Albert King in the 80s

in America and he was the best guitar player I’d

ever seen. Still is the best guitar player I’ve ever

seen. What reason isn’t there to rate him? The

most soulful phrases, notes, vibratos and bends

and every phrase he plays is a great melody.

I saw him on a tour with the J Geils Band, he had a

second guitar player with him, and it must have been

Don Kinsey of the Kinsey Family. Amazing player,

flying V!

That tone as well!

No Albert King, no ‘Strange Brew’...

That’s right. Crosscut Saw thing, wasn’t it?

Albert King. The next greatest guitar player

that I saw was obviously Hendrix, I only saw

him once, and that was when I was in Procol

Harum we played on the bill with him in

Germany. That was amazing as well. And then

below that, BB King. I was on the bill with him

when I was with Procol Harum at a festival,

bloody amazing performance. At the time in the

60s he was at his peak, he really was hot stuff.

He had that great voice too.

And at that time, he had Gerry Gemmot on bass,

a very sprightly player.

One of my favourite albums, might even be my

favourite album was him playing live at The

Regal. That was like a bible to me back in the

60s. I had it on all the time.

Albert King’s Blue Power was the one for me.

Blues Power? Yeah, the live one, there’s some

lovely playing on that, isn’t there. The trouble is

the band is crap.

A lot of these guys they would play with whoever

was around. I was lucky enough to see Howlin

Wolf backed by the Groundhogs, with Dave Kelly,

that worked really well. That’s the first time I saw

Wolf. Then later John Lee Hooker also backed by the

Groundhogs. They so loved him they called their band

after one of his songs. Did you ever see Freddie King?

I wasn’t a Freddie King fan. No really into

Freddie King at all.

He had a lovely fluid style about him.

I never got into him, I don’t know why.

Something a bit light about the music. He

could play, you know, great player, but for me

something light about the music.

I’d say he was as much an entertainer as he was a

musician.

It’s a bit like BB King after he got further into

his career, it became more like cabaret than

blues, do you know what I mean? But his earlier

stuff is gutsy, gets you really where you live.

Your own playing, yes there’s plenty of bite there, for

example on Too Rolling Stoned, but you’ve also got

all this other impressionist feel. Let’s just talk briefly

about the song Bridge of Sighs. The way it was

layered… Mendelsohn came to mind.

You know more about it than I do, Pete - I don’t

know anything about Mendelsohn!

I did strike me the regal sound that you got on Bridge

of Sighs was classically influenced, the layering and

counterpoint.

It’s not, though...

Where did it come from, if it’s not from there?

That’s the thing - I have definitely got some sort

of gift for creativity because I’m writing all the

time. And I think that’s it, it’s just a creative

gift. People used to say to me, especially in

America in the 70s, “when we heard Bridge Of

Sighs we thought you must have been stoned

out of your mind when you made it”. [laughs]

CONTINUES OVER...


robin trower

Interview

To me what they are saying is it’s a great

release of creativity, somehow. I think they mix

up the ethereal side of the music with being

spaced/trippy.

You’re talking to someone who’s never taken a drug in

his life! That’s one reason why you’re more influential

than you realise. Can we just talk through some of the

tracks? Hound Dog… Which version of that are you

most fond of?

The original. Big Momma Thornton. It just blew

me away that. I know there’s nothing to it but

it’s such a great song.

Have you been to Sun Studios in Memphis?

No, but I’ve seen many documentaries about it.

The Thrill Is Gone. These days I’ve heard everybody do

that, the only version I really like is Chris Duarte’s. But

now this one, what have you done to it?

I purposely did not listen to the original and I

hadn’t heard it for donkey’s years. I liked the

idea of doing something in that minor key. I

actually love the mood of those changes. Minor

key, minor seventh - the turnaround at the end I

particularly like that, it’s the same as one of the

other songs on there I Believe To My Soul.

Little Red Rooster, that’s happy memories for me, but

what are yours?

I think it’s just one of my favourite Howlin Wolf

tracks. I’m a big Howlin Wolf fan.

I do tributes to him!

He’s a giant. I had a look at the song, had a

play about with it, see if I could come up with

something. I had to comfortable that I was being

creative around that tune. That was one of the

ones that came off. It must have been about 15

songs I was looking at, playing around with

for months and months, years even, trying to

come up with something of my own. It isn’t easy

around a twelve bar to come up with something

fresh, but you know I really like my version of it.

It’s not Howlin Wolf and it’s never going to be!

When I saw the Rolling Stones do that on Top Of

The Pops, I jumped up and punched the air because

I’d seen Howlin Wolf on a folk show and that really

turned me on to the blues. And here they were putting

that song in the public domain.

That’s right! A good version of it too! It was just

a cover of the original though, and I didn’t want

to do that. I wanted to bring something of my

own to it.

“Most people

want to hear

tracks from

Bridge Of

Sighs”

I Believe To My Soul?

Yeah that’s just one of my favourite Ray Charles

tracks. Again, that minor key with those

changes. It’s a great song, what a great song!

But again his version is completely different to

that, I just used it as a skeleton to create a subtle

guitar blues thing.

Yeah you can’t cut Ray on the vocal, can you? That’s

Alright Mama?

Yeah, it’s just one of those 15 songs that I came

up with a different way of doing it. Don’t think

anyone has ever done it as a shuffle. I thought it

up on one of my walks I suddenly felt the vocal

in that groove, you know? So I started from

there to build the guitar parts up. It’s mostly

worked out all the guitars through that. Which

is what I call a proper arrangement. If you hear

me play it live, it’ll be exactly the same.

It’s kind of a weave though isn’t it? In that you’ve got

a cycle going there. A lot of Albert King’s songs have

the guitar ‘commenting’.

I was thinking of the Elvis, Scotty Moore kind

of vibe. You’d have the Elvis’ line and then you’d

have Scotty Moore do a bit of something. I was

thinking of trying to create that.

When young players ask me what the feel of a shuffle

is I tell them get a groove going and try playing every

note twice. That’s a shuffle!

The hardest thing for me there was to come up

with a bass part that wasn’t a cliché. Because

that tempo, most bass players play a ba-bom babom

thing. I had to work quite hard on getting

the bass part right on that. Without it being like

someone in a pub playing. They are very sticky

tempos and if you can’t come up with something,

they sound a bit white!

A bit meat and potatoes. Born Under A Bad Sign? Most

CONTINUES OVER...


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robin trower

Interview

people know the Cream version.

It’s one of my favourite Albert King songs. I

felt after I’d done it, I shouldn’t have done it,

but I was so happy to have come up with that

arrangement for it, the guitar riff, I thought it’s

a great guitar riff, it can go on the album. Bit

different, you know.

It’s not a re-tread it’s a re-approach.

Yep, definitely.

I was quite relieved when Save Your Love was not

Renée and Renato! (RT forces Pete to sing the cheesy

pop song and laughs)

I’m always very, very pleased to write an original

blues, to write an original twelve bar is great!

That song helped define what a lot of the album

is about. I’d written a song that could’ve been

written thirty or forty years ago.

If someone asked me to play a track off the new

Robin Trower album I’d play that. You get this, you get

what he’s doing here. Is that fair?

Yeah I think so! I’d be hard pushed to name one

that I favour more. I think the guitar playing,

the feeling of it, the song, you know, it just all

came together.

I would’ve started the record with that. Put that as

lead track.

Super! That’s what I would hope. For me it

shows that there is life left in blues. There’s still

life to be put into it.

There wouldn’t be 17, 18 year olds playing blues,

unless there wasn’t some magic, something enduring.

The point I’m saying is there, the greats are

the greats and that they will always be great,

but what I hope is that it proves that you can

put something down that is still blues but is

new. You know what I mean? I must admit I

was daunted a little bit because you can’t really

compete with the classic stuff, the stuff that

inspired you. You can’t compete with it. So,

you sort of think, ‘I’m going to look pale by

comparison’.

I know what you mean, you couldn’t write a modern

blues number now about forgetting your PIN number.

It would sound stupid! Let’s talk about See My Life. It

sounds like an album title.

Again, it’s the first line that I came up with and

started to write. That does give you the story

straight away, you know. ‘See My Life as one

long day’.

May I say, I don’t think I’ve heard you sing better than

on this record.

Thank you very much, I appreciate that! I do

enjoy singing, I know I haven’t got quite THE

singing voice but I really enjoy doing it because

when I hear it back, I like to hear the feel of

the voice and the guitar being in the same…

territory.

I know what you mean because when I was really

young, I loved Captain Beefheart, his voice was very

boomy, very Howlin Wolf but the guitar arrangements

are very spikey and very jerky and that roaring voice,

it really did work, the juxtaposition with the guitars.

Incredibly powerful voice that!

But over a smooth, L.A. airbrushed type of backing it

would’ve sounded terrible.

That’s right.

It had to be in that edge of chaotic guitar

arrangement. It was super charged Country-Blues, the

Ry Cooder slide n’ all.

There’s a lot of young bands around now where

the vocals really let them down.

Mercury Rev, fantastic players, but the singer doesn’t

connect with me at all.

I find that with a lot of stuff these days. It’s

important that the end product, the thing I

listen to is trying to create something that is a

whole thing that works as one idea.

So, if you’ve got Roots And Branches coming out, you

intend to, presumably, feature that on your upcoming

tour. How are you going to approach this, Robin, are

you going to have a set of that or are you going to

mix it with other material?

The last live work I did, in Germany, earlier in

the year, we did That’s Alright Mamma which

Richard [Watts] sings, I did See My Life and

Little Red Rooster so I think that’s enough new

stuff. People will still be coming to hear a lot of

the classics.

I had a great chat with Ernie Isley once and I said

“how do you choose a set list?”. He said “You can’t

pick everyone’s favourite. We made how many

albums? 70, 80? We do our best!”

You can’t play ‘em all! Most people want to

hear tracks from Bridge Of Sighs, especially in

America.

Part Two, Robin talks to Pete about Jack Bruce, James Dewar and

much more. Don’t miss it!


Interview

jeremy spencer

“The studio

is where

I find an

inexhaustible

energy!”


jeremy spencer

Interview

jeremy spencer

Verbals: Steve Yourglivch Visuals: Connie Gerharz

Earlier this year Jeremy Spencer teamed up with a group of talented young

musicians to release his latest album, Bend In The Road. In a recent review,

BM! described it as ‘an intimate journey that will connect profoundly

with the listener.’ absolutely right...

BM: Hello Jeremy, thanks for agreeing to answer

a few questions for our readers at Blues Matters!

I have been listening to your recent CD, Bend in

the Road, and I have to say how much I have been

enjoying it. The word that keeps popping into my

head when it’s on is ‘warmth’. The tunes just seem to

wrap themselves around you.

JS: Thank you Steve, music to my ears! That is

exactly the feeling I wished to transmit on this

session (and any sessions actually), all the way

through to the mastering process – no overenhancing.

It’s a fight to maintain warmth in

digital recording today with its ‘loudness wars’!

Did you set out to achieve a specific sound or style

on this release?

Not consciously. I had material I wanted to

record, but I have seen that the ingredients:

the musicians, the interplay, the songs and

tunes themselves, and even the studio and its

ambience, dictated the ‘mix’ as we went along.

We all agreed from the onset, that we wanted

to keep it sparse, though. No fluff.

You’ve recorded versions of some classic Elmore

James tracks on this, Cry For Me Baby, Stranger

Blues and The Sun Is Shining and the Homesick

James signature tune, Homesick. That era and style

has always been strongly associated with you, in

your opinion what gives these compositions such an

enduring influence?

Maybe it’s nostalgia, but I still have a soft

spot for that 50s era of music, even though

it was before my ‘time’ when kids usually get

into listening to music! That applies to other

musical styles besides blues, like country and

rockabilly.

As well as some wonderfully constructed new

compositions, you’ve also re-visited some older

pieces like Refugee (a re-working of the ‘79

numberFlee). It feels as if working with the talented

young musicians you’ve assembled for this work

has really fired up the creative juices. Do you feel

that way?

I do. I have found it greatly inspiring to work

with like-minded young musicians who are

tired of the screaming racket so prevalent

nowadays and want to play sensitive, heartfelt

music.

Brett Lucas in particular, is a very gifted young artist.

You are fulsome with your praise for him on the

sleeve notes.

He deserves recognition. He’s good.

The fact he has toured recently as part of Bettye

LaVette’s band underlines his credentials. Is it true

he came to your attention initially as part of a

Fleetwood Mac tribute band?

Yes, but what clinched it for me was when a

friend in Detroit sent me a video clip of him

playing a slow, sensitive blues solo –

no pyrotechnics!

There are some superb instrumental pieces on this

album, including Merciful Sea, on which you play

piano. Is this a side of your performing we might

expect to see and hear more of in the future?

I very much hope so. It was Brett’s and the

rest of the musicians’ encouragement that

spurred me on to stretch out and use that

talent on the album! I now feel much more

CONTINUES OVER...


Interview

jeremy spencer

confident about playing the piano in the

recording studio.

Are there any further plans to have any live

performances with the guys assembled on the

album?

If and when I obtain a work visa for the States,

(Homeland Security is being a pain in the …

neck), there are possibilities that we would

perform live there. It would prove a little costly

to bring them over to Europe at the moment!

Most of our readers will be more familiar with Jeremy

Spencer as a member of Fleetwood Mac. Is being an

important part of the history of such a well loved

band generally a benefit or a nuisance to what you

are trying to achieve as an artist now?

It can be a burden as well as a blessing. While

I am grateful for the opportunity that being

in FM has granted me musically, it only

represents three-and-a-half years of my life!

Some people just don’t let you move forward as

a musician, and only want and prefer the old.

I take comfort in knowing that Eric Clapton

and Mark Knopfler have to deal with this

dilemma. ‘Come on, Eric. Quit messin’ about –

pull out yer Les Paul and Marshall stack and

give us some o’ that old stuff!’

‘Hey Mark, when is Dire Straits getting

back together?’

Fortunately, what encourages me is

discovering that many younger people, who

have little knowledge and certainly no memory

of my association with Fleetwood Mac, enjoy

my music for what it is today.

You were inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame

in 1998 for your part in Fleetwood Mac. That must

have been a very proud moment. Is it possible

that you will perform with the other original band

members publicly again one day?

To be inducted into the R&R Hall of Fame is

indeed an honour. Despite recent controversy

over their choice of what members should

have been included and/or left out from FM’s

various line-ups, I have to admit that the Hall’s

reasoning – which I gather was for us having

made a significant impact on rock music --

holds true regarding the original line-up and

that of the band’s Rumours era.

There is little chance, if any, to publicly

perform with the original band members due

to personnel, logistics, capabilities and desires.

It would be rather uninspiring for me, as we

would be required (understandably) to play

mainly the old hits, which would naturally take

up most of the set.

I would be up for doing a recording though,

as it would be a chance to create new material,

which I am always ready for!

What plans do you have career-wise for the future,

both short and long term?

I would love to do more recording. The studio

is where I find an inexhaustible energy! It’s

uncanny. I have so much more I want to

record, that I pray for the years, ability and

opportunity to do so! (although, by the time I

have done so, I’d probably have a ton more!).

I’d love to record some tracks for a meaningful

movie. I love to write, and I have loads of

stories I’d like to see published. I have boxes of

my comic book originals drawn over the last

30 or so years that I would like to see adapted

for today.

Looking back over your career, what have been the

highlights, and would you change anything?

With the exception of a couple of misinformed

and misguided ventures, my life has been

musically rewarding. But I would say my

highlights have been recording with J. T.

Brown (Elmore’s saxophone player) back

in 1969, recording Precious Little with the

Norwegian team and a recent one has been

playing and recording with a young French

guitarist, Mick Ravassat and his Blue Team (a

bass player and girl drummer) all half my age!

I hope and plan to do more with them.

As far as changing anything, I would

have taken greater advantage of the creative

recording opportunities available to me during

the Fleetwood Mac days.

Any advice for aspiring guitarists out there ?

Don’t worry if a certain strange style or sound

you hear and want to play is regarded as weird

or even wimpy, sentimental, dated or uncool

or not in vogue. Never allow peer pressure to

snuff out your enthusiasm.

Don’t minimise those early morning, or

middle of the night (or anytime) musical

‘whispers’ of ideas. Develop them, because they

can lead to some wonderful things!

And play from your heart.

Thanks again for taking the time to talk to us Jeremy.

Hope this is good for you, Steve.

Bend in The Road is available from www.propelzrecords.com


jeremy spencer

Interview

“To be

inducted

into the

R&R Hall

of Fame is

indeed an

honour”


Come along to the final of the New Brunswick Battle of the Blues on 26 th March to

see and hear some of Britain’s best-unsigned Blues artists and discover whom

Tourism New Brunswick will be taking to play at the Harvest Jazz and Blues Festival in

New Brunswick, Canada later this year.

Six great acts will take to the stage and will play some of their own original material in

front of an international panel of judges.

So join us on the 26 th March at:

Scala, 275 Pentonville Road, King´s Cross, London N1 9NL

Admission is £7 in advance or £10 at the door. This event is sure to be popular so

buy your tickets now from the Scala Box Office or www.ticketweb.com.

All proceeds from the ticket sales will be donated to charity, details of which will be

announced on the night.

To learn more about the Harvest Jazz and Blues Festival, or more about the New

Brunswick Battle of the Blues visit: www.tourismnewbrunswick.co.uk

www.facebook.com/newbrunswickbattleoftheblues or twitter @newbrunswickblu

www.TourismNewBrunswick.co.uk

the mentulls

Interview

The Mentulls

Verbals: Christine Moore

Consisting of Andrew Pipe on Lead Guitar, Brother Jamie Pipe on keyboards and

Nick Colman on drums. This is a very young band that are starting to make

a name for themselves in the wider blues circuit.

They are well known in the North East which

is a hot bed of winners this year as Groove-

A-Matics won the New Brunswick Battle of

the Band jetting off in September to Canada

to fulfil winners duties. Plus recent XFactor

(I know what your all saying but it’s popular)

winner James Arthur who has just won this

show. Can’t help but say I think this band have

just as much chance as these to be winners.

Make sure you catch them somewhere and

check out the music. By the time you have read

this they will have played JAKS at Butlins Rock

and Blues weekend in January where they are

sure to make their mark.

Blues Matters!: Because of your tender ages the most

obvious question every wants to know is how long you

have been together as a band?

JP: Well, the current lineup has been together

since May 2009; Andrew Pipe (guitar and

vocals), Jamie Pipe (keyboards) and Nick

Colman (drums). But my brother Andrew and I

had been playing together and gigging as a duo

under the name The Mentulls for a while before

that.

NC: The band was looking for a drummer; they

saw me play at a concert and were impressed

so they asked me to join. The first couple of

rehearsals went very well, we seemed to play

well together and have the same taste of music

and so it didn’t take long for us to bond as

friends and musicians. We have never looked

back since.

Who, what, or why did you call yourselves “The

Mentulls” was it a joint decision after hours of

discussion, or did someone suggest it?

AP: A good question as we have been asked this

many times over the years. The clue is in the

name! We wanted a unique name that would

make us stand out from the crowd. As for the

Tull bit Jamie and I grew up as kids listening to

Jethro Tull and other blues/rock music and we

thought The Mentulls had a nice ring to it, so

we went for it.

What inspired you to start play was it music you hear

in the home or TV or a band you saw or festival you

went to?

AP: My Dad’s record collection and DVD’s of

blues and rock artists. Martin Barre guitar

player of Jethro Tull inspired me to pick up the

guitar after watching some Tull DVD’s.

JP: It was the music from my Dad and Uncle so

it’s all thanks to them really. Dad used to play

Jethro Tull albums in the car and my Uncle in

Scarborough got us in to Wishbone Ash.

CONTINUES OVER...


Interview

the mentulls

NC: From a very young age whenever I would

listen to music on the radio or when my parents

were listening to music, I always found myself

drawn to the sound of the drums, the backbone

of the song, the heartbeat. My parents tell

me that I used to get pots and pans out of the

kitchen cupboards and bang on them with

wooden spoons. I can’t really remember why

I wanted to start having drum lessons but

nevertheless I began learning how to play and

have loved every second since. I have definitely

been inspired by my parents taste in music;

I have grown up listening to the sounds of

Meat Loaf and Dire Straits and so listening to

and enjoying this type of music has definitely

influenced the way that I play the drums.

How much time do you get to practice and how many

gigs do you have on your schedule?

AP: We don’t practice that much due to us

playing quite a lot. In 2013 we have gigs booked

in many new venues and in some old favourites.

JP: Well, we play and gig quite a lot so we don’t

really need to practice on a regular basis but if

we have a month’s gap we would normally add

in a rehearsal.

NC: We try to get a practice as much as we can

and when we need to. As for gigs it is going

really well, there are more coming in with

already 18 gigs booked for the first half of 2013

and more that our manager is working on.

Have any of you had formal musical training?

AP: Yes we all have had music lessons, but most

of the stuff I do with the band is from watching

DVD’s and copying what I see.

JP: I had piano and singing lessons as a child

and they were all classical music and after a

while I decided to teach myself.

NC: I have been having drum lessons from a

local drum teacher named Paul Tilley since I was

7 years old and still continue to.

Andrew I know you have done some guest

appearances with guitarists, if I pushed you which

one would be your favourite experience?

AP: It has been an honour and a pleasure to get

up on stage and play guitar with many great

musicians and bands many of which are my

heroes and have become my friends. It would


the mentulls

Interview

be very difficult for me to pick one occasion out

as every time I play it is a different experience.

Playing with Sherman Robertson was a real

highlight for me and it is also great to have

played with so many young guitarists such as

Mitch Laddie, Travis Feaster, Virgil McMahon

and Alex McKown. One of my guitar heroes is

Andy Powell of Wishbone Ash so playing with

them was a privilege.

Andrew, another question for you. You must have

been pleased to be nominated by The British Blues

Awards this year?

AP: It was a real honour and privilege to be

nominated as the awards are very important

within the music industry. There are many great

blues people who have been nominated over

the years and to be included was fantastic. It is

something that I never thought would happen.

Where would you all like to play in the future? Do you

have a major stadium in mind, a festival in the UK or

Europe or do you have ambitions to go to the USA?

AP: I have always wanted to play the Royal

Albert Hall, somewhere with a lot of history.

Also we would like to play more theatres and

other blues festivals. We would love to play in

the USA sometime. After all that’s where the

blues was born and they have some brilliant

venues there.

JP: I would love to play at the Royal Albert Hall.I

love playing small gigs and places that have

atmosphere like for example Newcastle City

Hall. I also love playing intimate venues such as

blues clubs.

NC: Personally I would like to take The Mentulls

as far as possible, I would like to be playing

stadiums and arenas all around the world

because I can’t imagine there being a better job

in the world, doing something I love doing, with

two of my closest friends in front of thousands

of people. But I think an ambition for us all is

for us to play at the Royal Albert Hall.

How likely is it that you believe you will all be together

in 10 years from now?

AP: We really hope the band will be playing

together with the same musicians in 10 years’

time. Each member provides so much and we

all enjoy the music we play and we are keen for

success in whatever we do.

JP: I believe and hope that we will be together

in 20 years’ time never mind 10 years as we all

love the music and are all passionate about what

we do.

NC: I think that it is very likely that we will still

be together and performing 10 years from now

because all three of us get on brilliantly and we

all love making music together.

What are all your ambitions for the future is it in the

music field or elsewhere?

AP: To keep playing music that we enjoy both

recording new material and performing live. We

all get such a thrill playing to people who come

to our shows and listen to the music we play.

JP: Just in music and the band and live

performances as I don’t want to do anything else

– music is my baby!!

NC: I would like to be a professional musician

touring full time with The Mentulls.

By the time this goes to print you will already have

played the Rock and Blues Festival at Butlins

Skegness on Blues Matters! stage in JAKS bar. What

experience do you expect to gain from this?

AP: This is one of the most important gigs we

will do and we are all looking forward to it.

Playing in front of a big and appreciative crowd

is always good especially people who will have

come from all over the UK. We have heard lots

of great stories from other musicians who have

played at Skegness and in particular on The

Blues Matters Stage. It’s important to gain

experience from every gig and learn from it and

this will be no exception. Bring it on!!

JP: I am really looking forward to playing at

Skegness as it should be a great festival. The

venue looks great and we should hopefully get

some new fans. Thank you for inviting us to

play there.

NC: I can’t wait to play the rock and blues

festival at Skegness, I have never been before so

this will be my first experience of it, but I have

heard very good things about it and I think it

will be a fantastic gig.

Blues Matters! Wishes you all the very best for

your future in the Blues, may it be a long and happy

experience.

AP: Thank you very much. Blues Matters has

always supported The Mentulls. Keep up the

good work about spreading the word of many

great artists in the world of blues.

JP: Thanks for interviewing us, love your

magazine.

NC: Thank you.

For the latest news on the Mentulls, check out https://sites.

google.com/site/thementulls/


Interview

blue to brown

blue to brown

Verbals: PETE SARGEANT Visuals: www.facebook.com/pages/Bread-and-Shutter

England’s father-and-son blues rock duo Blue to Brown, comprising Rob

Brown and son Dom, talk about their backgrounds, their influences and their

spirited new album.

There are a few ‘dad&lad’ outfits on the music

circuit at present, some in folk and some in

blues and not to mention the rock legacy

that dear departed ace Pirates guitarist

Mick Green’s boys are maintaining with

great aplomb. But the Browns are particularly

interesting to your scribe as they are making

their blues music, as well as working in other

strands of entertainment and music. We meet

in Soho for one of Pete’s infamous lunches on a

Sunday, before another busy week for us all.

BM: We are just talking now about running a band,

never easy at the best of times – do you find it an

easy call, Rob or is it a can of worms?

RB: It’s a can of worms! For example, if you

gotta get your album out then get it played to

the public what happens is that people say ‘We’ll

give you a gig… when you’ve got the press’. Well

we’ve got press coming, we hope, and we have

PR on the album, so we are in a kind of hiatus,

but we are NOT ‘organised’ because I tend to be

disorganised. Dom’s much better.


blue to brown

Interview

Tell us a little about your background because you’re

not just a singer of blues and soul and we’ve all heard

your voice, but speaking …

RB: I was a teacher until very recently. I have

been a blues singer for what seems like forever,

and I was in a band called Gets Loose, for a very

long time. George McFall (late Irish promoter,

lyricist and drummer and a very close friend

of mine PS) was involved with that band, and

it was a four piece with a guy called Rob on

acoustic and slide guitar and in the early and

later days Peter Hope-Evans on mouth organ

– he won’t allow it to be called a harmonica or

harp – half of Medicine Head and associate of

Pete Townshend.and Mick Mahoney (singer and

songwriter and at time of writing, hospitalised

with various problems) on bass and me beating

congas til I bled, and, er, shouting. That went on

for years. One year we did 120 gigs!

Where did you play ?

RB: Well Blues West 14 was a regular place, there

was a little club at The Railway in Teddington

Did you play The Station Tavern ( just up from

Shepherds Bush Green)?

RB: I think we did, yeah.

I used to pay slide there, with Shakey Vick.

RB: Oh wow, I remember Shakey Vick! (Graham

Vickery, the harp maestro) but that the

background as regards to music. Mick Mahoney

was the person who educated me, musically,

in the 70s. I knew I liked music, I knew I liked

blues and he put me onto many, many things –

particularly and most importantly working with

a band. And in terms of my income, I combined

being a teacher, with ‘Gets Loose’ shows with

voiceover work, in the last twenty years.

Where might we have heard your dark and dulcet

tones, Rob ?

RB: (Sighs) Everywhere! Adverts? Lynx adverts,

Adidas, anyone who’s interested in that should

go to my website which is robbrownvoice.com

and there’s music on there, examples of my

work, most recently I have been the main voice

on VIVA the TV channel. We won a gold medal

at ProMax which is the body of the promotions

industry. (chuckles) and kids in the teens and

CONTINUES OVER...


Interview

blue to brown

twenties when they hear I’m Mr VIVA man,

they’re incredibly impressed! Most people older

than that have never even heard of VIVA!..

(Sargeant Jnr was certainly taken with meeting

Rob, so this is very true – PS) So that’s quite a

good job. Plus I’ve got stuff on Radio 2 at the

moment. The trouble with voiceover work is that

people look over your shoulder expecting to see

a Porsche throbbing in the gutter! But it isn’t

like that, you’ve got to work a lot, a number of

times a week to make a living, but an advert – I

do the Pokemon advert, oh and Nintendo … well

a bunch of those will keep you going. I was the

main voice on Sky 1 for a long time, probably

too much on air … I’m just a tart! but I do really

enjoy the work. (At this point the sons have

returned from ordering the food downstairs,

the guitar star of the act is now available to

contribute).

So Dom – we turn to you and you have a double,

treble life … you co-write and play guitar with your

dad and organise the group, but

Dom Brown: Yes Pete – my ‘day job’ is playing

guitar in Duran Duran.

Live touring band?

DB: Correct, and co-writer on their new stuff as

needed, eg. the last album, the Mark Ronson

album, a great experience that was, we are on a

bit of a break at the moment. (2011 saw several

DD tour dates recorded and the cuts include

a breathtakingly florid Dom Brown guitar

break on the poprock veteran’s excellent song

Ordinary World, as evidenced on a live album

and a DVD of the tour – PS).

BM: Next DD album plans?

DB: We start work on that in March.

BM: Now this interests me – from a guitar player’s

point of view, which I know well from backing all

sorts of people, you adapt to the singer’s voice. You

have your father’s voice which is deep, gravelly, Staxlabel

influenced and you have Simon’s ( Lebon) higher

range which is slightly more nasal and poppy..how do

you adapt your playing?

DB: To be honest with you, originally I had to

study and take on Andy Taylor’s guitar parts

and riffs..he had kind of set the sound and tone

of what was needed. So the first job was to learn

his style, in essence. I had two days to learn the

entire set. So at that time you can’t put your

own stamp on it, you get to the nuts and bolts

of it. But over the last few years I have been

encouraged to put my own stamp on it, still

keeping to the songs’ shapes, structures, all the

melodies, and adding my own flair..

RB: And people have noticed this and

commented.

Reviewers of the last set feel you are becoming more

and more your own man on phrasing, approach,

which presumably is fine with the Duran camp?

DB: (Emphatically) Yeah absolutely which is why

they keep me on, they feel I’m quite integral to

their set-up now.

I saw them in an acoustic era when they had Warren

on guitar (from Zappa’s band) and apart from the

songs’ ID-DNA figures, he was doing an original thing

throughout the set. Rhodes and LeBon seemed very

OK with that.

DB: Yes, they are obviously open to all that, they

are with me.

You’re quite lucky to be in an established band and

have that element of freedom, still.

DB: (Pauses) I think Duran are quite different

to a lot of bands really – whilst they are not an

improvisation group per se, live, we do stretch

things out for the audience.

With, say, Sheryl Crow, you recognize the songs and

the arrangements, but she gives her players a lot of

freedom within that.

DB: They are a rock/pop band.

An ENDURING rock/pop band.

DB: Exactly! and still doing good shows, last

year we headlined Madison Square, which is not

a bad place to be doing (North American readers

– this is classic English understatement).

Your new (family) album – let’s pitch you in here, Dom

– right from the opener Blue Boy with the cruising

tempo, the guitar tone conjures up a picture of a lad

of about fourteen fired up by Stevie Ray Vaughn and K

Wayne Shepherd – guilty or not?

DB: (thinks) Stevie Ray, yes – one of my biggest

influences, as for Kenny Wayne, to be honest I

haven’t ever really listened to him, but I’m very

aware of who he is.

The main features of the album are the clarity of the

vocals, the words and the lively guitar arrangements,

is that fair?

DB/RB: Yeah.

The combination of those makes it somewhat


blue to brown

Interview

different from other albums I have had through to

review lately.

DB: So you think the vocals come across well?

They’re very clear and they’re punchy. So who writes

the lyrics?

RB: We both do … there’s probably 60/40 weight

in my favour, overall, we do work together –

largely because I am so lazy, he has to get me

round, for us to work together.

So we’re not always talking your lyrics and poems,

Rob, set to music by Dom?

RB: No – in fact, we finished off one song using

texts, the talking blues.

Track 5

RB: (Ponders) Who died that night? one of the

really big guys in music.

Hubert Sumlin ? Les Paul?

DB: Les Paul..the second part of the song came

line by line.

RB: And another one that was done by text was

the duo with Kat.

That’s The Heat Has Gone?

RB: That’s – for lyrics - me on a hill in Devon

trying to get a signal and Dom in London and

we got quite a few words for that song, by text.

DB: That was worked on very late at night.

RB: See, that song was a very different number

at one point, it was a song that I thought was

absolutely hilarious, and, er, apparently it isn’t.

DB: Songs have to take those transitions

sometimes.

The album sounds very surefooted, it doesn’t sound

over-rehearsed, it does know what it’s doing, it’s not

a jam.

DB: That’s right – there’s a lot of improvisational

sections mixed in there however.

It doesn’t sound as though it’s feeling its way, it

sounds crisp, usually that’s the result of a load of gigs

OR a mindset that’s going for that.

RB: Ah well we have done a load of gigs together,

but not that material unfortunately!

DB: It’s great fun to play.

Going Down But Not Slow – a grainy horn sound,

reminds me of early Kool & The Gang, the guitar sound

very like Buddy Guy on this cut.

DB: He’s a big influence on me!

Got ya there, then, but the song itself is maybe more

Bobby Bland territory?

DB: Well, time to mention the contribution of

Martin Winning, he worked with me on some of

the tracks including this one.

CONTINUES OVER...


blue to brown

Interview

RB: Yes they started writing stuff to reflect the

Howlin’ Wolf element of my live performances.

Bad Boy has slide acoustic on it, Cooder / Kottke

tinge, any inspiration behind that song?

DB: That was one of the last songs we wrote for

the album, we had realised that having recorded

and produced some numbers, they wouldn’t

actually fit in as well as others.

That’s why it sounds sure-footed ! as an album. That

thought process is there

DB: I thought we should go for something really

simple here, and let rip on the vocal, there’s the

softer build-up on the verses.

Sounds like a live set highlight

DB: Yes – it does go down very well live

I Get Loaded is a Texas strut..SRV/Duarte style, now

there’s a great vocal on that, plus an understated

Hammond part.

DB: That’s actually the oldest song on the album.

RB: One that Dom wrote on his own, a LONG

time ago.

DB: True – written about fifteen years ago, in

fact.

But how did you get through that without tapping on

the wahwah pedal though?

DB: That song works really really well live, the

build up.

A crowd-pleaser tempo, vocally that’s the cut I’d play

to someone new to your act, now Talkin’ Blues is a

classic blues tread, are you using fairly heavy strings?

DB: I went through a stage of using twelves,

having read that Stevie Ray used fourteens

Telegraph wires. Trower told me that having less than

twelves on a Strat won’t get all the tones.

DB: Well I’m using elevens, so …

But he tunes down to D, two semitones down

DB: Ah! There you go.

‘Sweet Mercy’ – electric slide and the handclap, the

mood of this is such that it’s a good illustration of the

essence of the album, but what is the inspiration?

DB: Hmm. Once again a song that took on a

whole different light, that was a song called

Killing Blues.

RB: And it was a horrible, aggressive lyric!

Dom, you came up with a riff for that in a hotel

room, no?

DB: That song I recorded with drums and bass,

a three piece thing, but it didn’t work. Didn’t

gel. So it needed to be stripped back down to a

more basic sound.

Now it’s almost a European, Taj Mahal effect. Now,

there’s a blissful progression on Please, Please and

it’s as far ‘South’ as the album goes, New Orleans

mood. I think it’s a lovely inclusion – you ?

DB: Yes, we think it was worth including it.

That song is the one that most people would say

is the most ‘poppy’ on the album.

It’s like a Louisiana bar jukebox flipside

DB: Yes, a throwback to the Fifties almost..John

Taylor when he heard the album said that this

song seemed to him to be the most commercial..

maybe a famous artist could cover that song

It would suit Imelda May, for a start! The Heat is

Gone – I thought it might be a BB King parody, in fact

when I first played it and not looking at the sleeve,

I thought it was about a used car problem – The

Heater’s Gone (this sets Rob Brown off laughing)

some neat piano on that.

DB: The other vocal is by Kat Pearson who is a

blues singer, works in London

RB: She’s got a band called Kat & Co., she’s from

Los Angeles, lives next door to Snoop Dogg.

DB: That song’s got quite an interesting

arrangement going on, though I say it myself.

Love Another Day – more Texas feel here, country

more and an upwards turnaround.

DB: Has it? Well yes it has.

And this is the closest, Rob, that you sound like

Captain Beefheart

DB: Yeah there’s a bit of distortion on his vocal

there, deliberately, a useful tool.

RB: Gets Loose days, we used to do New Electric

Ride.

You should do Plastic Factory!

Any live shows to promote this?

RB: Yes! Several of the venues we had earmarked

in town are no longer available. Blues Kitchen’s

a possible… the Bedford too. We feel the album

is the album, but we have to be experienced live,

that’s where we will come across best.

With thanks to Alan and to Glenn Sargeant.

The Blue To Brown album is best hunted down per REMEDY RECORDS

and should be released online February 2013.


Interview

julian sas

juliAn sAs

VErbAls: sTeVe yOurgliVch

julian sas is a dutch-born blues rock guitarist and singer Who earlier this

year released his eighth album, bound to roll. the general consensus is that

this is the best album of his career.

In BM65 our own Frank Leigh sang its praises,

describing Julian as Europe’s answer to Joe

Bonamassa. We wanted the opportunity to

find out a little bit more. The band should be

playing their first ever UK and US shows soon

and the album is about to get its US release on

the specialist Grooveyard Records label.

BM: Julian, earlier this year you released a new

CD, Bound To Roll. On the sleeve notes you say this

is a very personal album based on true, emotional

experiences. Are you able to elaborate at all, and how

do you feel it has turned out?

JS: For me this is my most personal album ever.

It’s about a period in my life where I have lost a

child. I tried to write songs about what you go

through in this period. It’s all deep emotional

stuff and there are days that you can cry and

days that you can laugh, and this I did together

with my wife. Lots of songs on the album like

Burning Bridges and How Could I Have Been So

Blind are about this time. It took me two and a

half years to write the songs that I really want to

share with the world and my fans.

I wrote between 30 or 40 songs, but in the

end these are what came onto the album, these

are the best songs so I am happy with the end

result, yes.

We are so sorry to hear of your loss Julian. This must

have been an incredibly dark and difficult period for

you to go through.

Yes it was, but it was also a time to go through

and learn life’s lessons, things to look back

on and things to look forward to. I am a very

positive person and so is my wife, so we went

through this together. It came out well, at the

end of the day we have a new son, Joshua, so

in the end it’s all positive again. Joshua is 26

months old and in love with my Gibson..

You’ve shared some very personal things with us. We

wouldn’t want to publish anything that could cause any

pain to you or your family.

If I tell you it, please write it. The music that I

play is honest music and I’m sharing my feelings

for the music. There is no hidden messages, it’s

just better to explain, then people understand

the music better. Wherever I play I meet people

who have been through the same things. People

come and talk about this with me after shows.

This makes me happy because the more you can

talk about it, the less painful it will be in the end.

So for me it’s a sort of spiritual healing, so please

write whatever we talk about.

I think that this is your best release to date, there

seems a strong Southern rock element mixed in with

the blues. Is this a deliberate blend that you hope to

continue?

I just write songs that I feel have to be written

at the time. I don’t write in a special style. That’s

what I love about Rory Gallagher, all of his

albums are different, the songs are different. If

you listen to Calling Card it is totally different to

Photo Finish for instance. For me music comes

when it comes. I have been listening to bands

like The Outlaws, Lynyrd Skynyrd and Gov’t

Mule for a long time so that influence will always

be there, but perhaps this time it’s out there a

little more but it’s not like I planned to write in

that style, it just happened.

For me, music is a 24 hour-a-day job. I’m

always listening to albums, playing, jamming etc,

so the music never stops. I don’t always just play

the blues, but if the blues feel is in the music its

OK with me. I grew up listening to Peter Green

and some of his music wasn’t blues, but when he

hit that note it was incredible.

cOnTinues OVer...

PAGE 58 blues matters! | february–march 2013 www.bluEsmAttErs.com

julian sas

Interview


Bound to Roll

the new album

9 originals and 3 superb covers;

Rory Gallagher’s Shadow Play,

Bob Dylan’s Highway 61 Revisited

and Humble Pie’s 30 Days In The Hole.

... whole heartedly gets my highest

rating of 5 . Music this great

just doesn’t happen everyday ...

(BLUES UNDERGROUND NETWORK - USA)

... one of Julian’s best to date ...

This guy could be Europe’s answer to Mr. Bonamassa on this form ...

(BLUES MATTERS - UK)

www.juliansas.com • www.cavalier-musicmanagement.com

AVAILABLE FROM ALL GOOD RECORD STORES

OR FROM: PROPER MUSIC DISTRIBUTION

julian sas

Interview

When we decided to record a version of 30

Days In The Hole many of my friends said maybe

it’s too heavy for the album, but for me it’s just a

good song. I love Steve Marriott. Now we play it

live and it goes down amazingly because of the

feeling and emotion in there.

You also do a cover of Highway 61 on the album which

I really enjoyed.

Yes, I love Dylan, but it’s very hard to sing. It’s

like five couplets long and then some guitar

playing. I love to play it live. It’s a personal

dedication to Johnny Winter who was a huge

influence on my guitar playing.

The songwriting and the vocals on this album sound so

much stronger than before. We’ve talked a bit about

the songwriting but are the vocals something you’ve

worked, on or is it just down to experience?

I think it has to do with being more experienced

and knowing what I can do in the studio. I have

to say I honestly enjoy singing more now than

I did before. About five years ago I was focused

on being a better guitar player with more flashy

slide work, but today I’m more into combining

the two. But for me, I think what helps the vocals

most on this album is that it’s such a personal

album and the lyrics meant so much I just

wanted to sing them in the best way possible.

Like many younger blues rock guitarists you started

out listening to hard rock bands and from there got into

blues players. Which classic guitarists have had the

biggest influence?

I grew up with the British blues from the 60s.

Peter Green, Mick Taylor, John Mayall and

everyone connected from his bands, Alexis

Korner was a big influence.

Van Morrison and Them were important and

of course, Rory. A very important album to me

was Chicago Blues Session by Fleetwood Mac.

From that I found out about Howlin’ Wolf, Muddy

Waters and Buddy Guy. My favourite blues player

of all time is John Lee Hooker.

There was also a link to bands like Chris

Farlowe, Colosseum, Clem Clepson and Cream.

It was like throwing a stone into the water, the

music got wider and wider. When I was about 13

or 14, I was listening to Freddie King and Frank

Zappa a lot. When it comes to heavy rock AC/DC,

Motorhead, Judas Priest and Iron Maiden. But

I’m also a traditionalist, I like Blind Willie McTell,

Robert Johnson and Charley Patton. I was like a

cOnTinues OVer...



julian sas

Interview

sponge absorbing everything I heard. Later on I

discovered bands like Jethro Tull and Yes.

You have certainly taken influences from a wide

spectrum of music, not just the blues.

Blues fans can be very narrow. Lemmy and

Angus Young have been as much an influence

on me. People like Howlin’ Wolf and Hound Dog

Taylor were playing the heavy music of their

time. It could be very dark music. The first time

I heard Howlin’Wolf I thought ‘Wow, this is the

real deal’.

When I saw Buddy Guy live in 1991 his

support act was John Campbell and he had all

the voodoo image.I saw him about five times in

Holland and the emotion with which he played

was incredible, very spooky. I think his acoustic

playing was outstanding. I am a big fan, he had

an immense style of his own.

What about the newer younger players, who do you

think are having a big impact, and you admire?

I think Ian Siegal is amazing. I’ve played with

him a couple of times. I was lucky enough to do

a jam session with Matt Schofield, a wonderful

guitar player and very interesting musician.

From America my favourite is Derek Trucks. His

band sound like they could be the new Allman

Brothers or Grateful Dead. The feel was there,

the family feel. He is really the man right now.

I notice that you have played some acoustic gigs. Do

you enjoy those and how different are they to perform?

I love doing acoustic gigs because it’s just the

audience and me, and it’s bare naked playing. I’ve

always had a love of acoustic blues players since

I was 10 years old. To be a good electric guitar

player you also have to be a good acoustic player.

I think playing acoustic shows are more difficult.

I usually play those in Holland at small theatres,

but it’s only about three or four times a year.

Your band members, Tenny Tahamata and Rob Heijne

have been with you for a long time now. Apart from

being great players, what do they bring to the package?

Tenny has been with me for eleven years and Rob

for almost seven.

Tenny brings in quite an influence, he is

very down to earth. He loves jazz bass players,

he can play lots of different styles. Rob is a

powerhouse drummer, very rock based. He is

very enthusiastic in everything he does, he has

very high energy levels. Tenny is the glue that

keeps it all together, he stops us going over the

top, he keeps us on the tracks.

“In Brazil

there are

Julian Sas

tribute bands’

What about songwriting?

It’s a very democratic process. I write all of the

lyrics and bring the guitar riffs, they then play

what they feel is right at that moment. Most

often that turns out to be the best.

You are known as an incredibly hard working guy. I

know you are hoping to arrange some shows in the UK

in the early part of 2013. What other plans are there

for the year ahead?

We should be playing in Germany, France,

Poland and Scandinavia. I have been talking to a

promoter about possibly playing at a festival in

Brazil. Hopefully as well we could be performing

in Texas for some gigs. We have never played

in either the UK or USA before so they will be a

first for us.

In Brazil there are Julian Sas tribute bands

doing our stuff, they send me tapes and DVDS!

The new album is your 8th, so you have a lot of

material. How do you decide what makes it into your

live shows?

Most of the time we go into a rehearsal room

and we each write a list of 25 songs than check

out what we have all written. We always play

a few covers and a few old ones. Hey Joe is a

cover we play that never sounds the same twice.

When we took it out once the fans demanded

it back. We have to play Sugarcup Boogie from

the first album, its an old favourite, as are Blues

For J and Lost And Found. Burning Bridges is

becoming a live favourite from the new album.

You first got into guitar at a very early age and

you are now considered one of Europe’s top blues

rock guitarists. What advice do you give to aspiring

players?

First of all believe in yourself. And second just

do it out of love for the music, not to be famous

or make lots of money. Whatever decisions you

have to take let it be for the music you play. That

is how I did it. Get a good basic start and never

forget who you are or where you came from.

For the latest news on julian sas, check out www.juliansas.com


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Interview

matthew curry

mAtthew curry

VErbAls: frank leigh VisuAls: eric ransOm

mattheW curry (& the fury) talked to bm! about his rise as one of the

best youngsters to emerge into the World blues scene as a serious

name to keep an eye on, and a discerning ear out for.

Matthew Curry & The Fury:

Greg Neville, Matthew Curry

and Jeff Paxton

Matthew is not yet old enough to go buy his

own beer and so many will ask how come

this youngster can play the Blues this way,

and just where did he get that voice that

is so much older than his years? He’s had

great success in the International Songwriters

Competition in 2011 and has released (what

I will call) a stunning debut album that has

gained worthy critical acclaim, and has been

cited by musicians including (the man who

is everywhere like Zorro or was it the Scarlet

Pimpernel?) Joe Bonamassa himself, Ronnie

Baker Brookes and Brent Johnson.

Matthew has the voice and depth that

displays genuine Blues in his blood and soul

and that is rare these days. There are many that

can ‘play’ Blues but not that ‘have’ the Blues.

Another such is Davy Knowles who is that bit

older than Matthew. So what makes him tick?

Let’s find out shall we…

BM: Matthew, we must ask, how is school going?

Matthew: School is going okay. I’m a senior so I

just have a few months left. I am not an honours

student, so I guess I would consider myself

average in school. But it’s fun, they say high

school is supposed to be some the best years of

your life, and I am really enjoying it! Most of

the students at my high school don’t really know

about my playing since they mostly listen to

other pop music, rap or hip-hop.

What do you regard as your best subjects, and do

you have a message for other young musicians about

education for the future?

My best subjects are probably my elective

classes, the ones I get to choose. Those are

the ones that are the most fun and interesting

to me, so I tend to do a little better in them.

I would tell other young musicians that no

matter how much you want to play, make sure

to balance the music and performance with the

schooling. It is always good to have a back-up

plan, like if the music career, as bad as you may

want it, dosen’t work out. And if you do not take

school as seriously as your music you may find

yourself stuck in a pretty deep hole.

It must be difficult at this stage of your life and

career to decide how far to go in education, so where

do your thoughts lie so far?

For me, I am going to graduate high school and

from there I want to pursue my music career. I

hope and hope every night that the music thing

works out for me. But, if it doesn’t, I will come

home and go to college.

Is yours a musical family and what role have they

played?

I think a lot of father’s family played music. He

played guitar, and his father also played. My

parents encouraged me all along, driving me to

gigs and listening to me practice. I couldn’t have


matthew curry

Interview

done any of this without them. They all show

me so much support, and it means so much to

me that I have such great people behind me!

So a pretty usual question now; who do you regard as

your influences, and how did you come to hear them?

I have many influences. Probably so many that

if I listed them all it would take up most of this

interview! But I will talk about a few of the

main ones. Bryan Lee is a main one. Bryan

is one of the best blues singers there is. Joe

Bonamassa is another, the way he incorporates

every style of playing into his music and makes

it his own is amazing. Of course all the old blues

guys, Albert Collins, BB King, Albert King,

Muddy Waters. Also Sonny Landeth, Derek

Trucks, Warren Haynes, and the list goes on. I

came to hear most all them through listening to

blues radio since my father listened to a lot of

blues and blues/rock music. He helped turn me

on to a lot of the great music and musicians I

listen to today.

What songs stand out to you and why?

Well good songs stand out to me. It doesn’t even

have to only be blues songs either. If it’s good

it stands out. Good lyrics, nice melody or catchy

tune, interesting progressions.

Tell us about your first introductions to playing, what

you had and how you learned, Matthew tell us about

your first guitar, where did it come from, how long did

you play it, do you still own it now?

When I was Four years old my Mom and Dad

bought me a little Walmart guitar, it was called

a First Act. When they first handed it to me

the first thing I did was turn it upside down.

since I’m a lefty. My dad tried to make me play

right handed but it just didnt feel right to me.

So he re-strung it for me and I would sit on the

floor and watch him play his acoustic guitar.

I watched every little movement his fingers

made and would try to mimic what he was

doing. I played that little First Act guitar until

I was about 6, then, when my parents realized

how serious I was about it, they went out and

bought me a full-sized Fender acoustic. I think

I still have my first guitar sitting around in the

basement somewhere, haha.

How old were you when you first took to the stage,

where was it and how was it?

I was nine years old when I played my first live

show. I played with a local rock band called Who

Cares. We played a ZZ top song called Lagrange

and a Jimi Hendrix song called Purple Haze.

We played at this little bar down the street from

my house called Slick Ricks. I remember being

pretty nervous. I just stood on stage like a statue

and did my thing. And the crowd loved it!

cOnTinues OVer...


matthew curry

Interview

What is your favoured gear set up these days?

Right now my main guitar is a Custom Shop

Eric Clapton Fender Strat. My rig is a 1971

Fender Bandmaster through a 4x12 cab and a

Peavey Classic 30 running through a 2x12 cab.

I am looking to get a Marshall with another

4x12 cab pretty soon though. I don’t really use

many pedals, a low gain boost and a wahwah

sometimes but other than that, not too many

pedals.

You’ve got a classic Jaguar E-type 1967 Series 1 FHC

on the cover of your album. Are you a car nut, do

you have your licence yet and so far what would be

the car of your choice?

The Jag was at a car show and we just asked if

it was okay for me to sit in it. There were some

awesome cars there. I do have my license, and I

kind of am a car nut! I love fast cars and lifted

trucks. If I could have my car of choice, hands

down it would be a 2012 Corvette ZR1.

You’ve got an experienced (and older, sorry guys)

line-up behind you that really gel, just how did the

band form and have time to bond into this tight unit?

Well about three years ago I was in need of

a band because I had a lot of shows lined up

with my previous band that ended up splitting

up because there was about an hour distance

between us, which made it hard for practices

and things. So we made a few phone calls

and The Fury has been playing with me ever

since! That’s Greg Neville, drums, Erik Nelson,

keyboard, and Jeff Paxton, bass.

Often we hear an album and there are stand-out

tracks, but in this case each track stands on it’s

own. Do you have a ‘pet’ track and why? (outside

of the two covers of Charlie Patton’s High Water

Everywhere and Warren Haynes’ Soulshine which by

the way are both seriously well done versions). What

led to the choice of the two covers?

I don’t really have a favorite song off the CD.

I like whichever one I happen to be listening

to at the time. The covers came along because

I really loved the songs and I wanted to kind

of do my own little take on them. Soulshine

is a real crowd favorite, and High Water

Everywhere is different because I’m playing

slide.

How long did it take you from penning the first song

to completion of this first album?

Matthew: Well all the originals on the album I

had already written, a few of them as early as

12 yrs old. So when we went into the studio,

the album was complete in about a month.

You’ve shared the stage with Pat Travers, Sonny

Landreth, Kenny Wayne Shepherd this last twelve

months and played some good US festivals. What

next?

After I graduate high school I really want to

cross the big pond and come tour Europe. Share

my music with you guys!

How do you feel being on the road with the ‘big

guys’ (meaning headliners of many years in the

blues community)? Any ‘special moments’ that have

happened travelling with the blues legends we know

of today?

It’s kind of intimidating at times. Sharing the

stage with some of the big dogs in blues. But so

far it’s been pretty awesome. There’s something

to learn from everyone, and it’s really fun

trading ideas and playing off different riffs. I’ve

had the chance to meet and/or jam with have

been extremely nice and encouraging people!

Any plans for Europe yet although I’m guessing it will

be exams first then see how they go?

Well, there’s that, and I still have to get a

passport!

OK, eager question then, how is work going for your

second album?

It is really coming along great. We are working

more as a band on this one instead of me writing

all the songs alone. And I have to say it is a

lot of fun, being able to collaborate with such

great musicians, since we each have our own

strengths to offer.

What are the main lessons you’ve learnt so far in this

journey of yours into the Blues and the future?

I’ve learnded that you can’t give up. Humility is

important too, but you have to be thick-skinned

since not everyone you meet has your best

interest in mind. Sometimes it gets rough and

dirty in the music business but you have to keep

pushing on.

Matthew thank you for taking the time with us, we

wish you every success and look forward to hearing

much more from you.

Thank you for having me, it was my

pleasure!

for the latest neWs on mattheW curry, check out

WWW.mattheWcurry.com/home.cfm


Interview

wilson t king


wilson t king

Interview

wilson t. KinG

VErbAls: sTeVe yOurgliVch

Wilson t. king has been Widely cited as one to Watch in blues circles.

he has just released his second album, the last of the analogues. it has been

receiving rave revieWs all across the music press and media.

This is a blues-based album that isn’t afraid

to add other elements and might just be the

landmark album of 2012. I caught up with

him just before Hurricane Sandy hit his New

York base.

BM: The first thing that hits you about the new album

is the stunning artwork. Who is the artist and was

this piece commissioned for the album or was it a

piece that you thought fitted what you were trying to

achieve musically?

The chap who designed this is Giovanni Scavetta

a super talented artist from Nottingham. When I

saw this image it just seemed a perfect fit for the

album title, which I already had.

The whole idea that we are the last analogue

humans is something I believe to be true. We are

seeing the digitization of life happening at an

overwhelming rate with little discussion as to

what this means for us as humans.

I listened to TLOTA back to back with your first album

Follow Your First Mind, and it feels like a natural

progression of what you set out then but with stronger

songs and superb production. Do you agree with that,

or do you feel this album comes from somewhere

different?

The first album was me experimenting and

trying to see if I could create the ‘Future Blues’

sound that was playing in the back of my mind.

Obviously the critical success of that album gave

me a lot of confidence to push the boundaries

on the second album. I deliberately brought

more of my songwriting and production skills

into this record and in doing so discovered even

more spaces for the blues to breath in. I have no

interest in regurgitating other people’s careers

or sounds. As I have mentioned before, lyrical

integrity and imagination are without doubt the

key drivers in my approach, I can’t see the point

in cutting any guitar unless those two are in

place within the song.

All of the songs on TLOTA have a spacious, epic sound,

but apart from Born Into This, which is around nine

minutes, they all clock in between three to four and a

half minutes. It must be quite a challenge to get those

qualities into those timeframes. Do you deliberately

try to keep the songs from becoming overlong?

I think that comes from my days as an indie-rock

songwriter, I was the producer/guitarist and cowriter

in a band called Fin from 2000–2004 and

we toured like hell and wrote over 250 songs in

the process, so I’m used to making sure every

song has momentum in terms of the lyrical,

musical and production moments. You cannot

have any downtime in a song and every idea,

lick, lyric; drum hit must be worthy of being in

the tune.

Wayne Proctor is again on the drum stool. He has an

incredible CV and must be a joy to work with. He also

has production experience of his own. Does that mean

he brings more to the table than just his drumming

chops, impressive as they are?

I have known Wayne for nearly 20 years and

we have played and recorded together for over

12 of those, so we know each other inside

cOnTinues OVer...



wilson t king

Interview

out musically. We can and have had some

super-intense ‘Spinal Tap’ moments in the

studio debating drum parts and songs over

the years, but I think Wayne will acknowledge

my influence on him in terms of musical and

production education especially in terms of

context and sound. While Wayne is a stickler for

excellence and has in many cases pushed me to

creative heights I wouldn’t have reached. I do

believe my records make Wayne play out of his

skin; his playing on Born Into This is some of

the best rock drums cut in the last 20 years. He

should be playing arenas.

In the past you’ve often talked about your influences.

Hendrix is an obvious one, and the three Kings get

mentioned a lot, but your music is much broader,

and whilst respecting what’s gone before always ads

a modern twist. Who do you admire of the newer

musicians?

This is a pertinent question as only the other

night I noticed my music friends in NY all

discussing Breaking Bad, Homeland, Game Of

Thrones and the film Headhunters passionately.

We never seem to discuss bands like that

anymore? I do believe that for at least the last

ten years there has not been one classic guitar

album that stands up to what happened in the

90s and before. So my current listening is OK

Computer, In Rainbows, Quadrophenia and

Who’s Next along with Talk Talks’ Colour of

Spring and Billy Cobhams Spectrum. These

records are definitely influencing the 3rd album

which guitar-wise is insane. I personally have

not bought a ‘Blues Guitar Record’ since SRV’s

last record. All the big name modern players

are way too predictable and linear and have

zero imagination or lyrical integrity. Although if

Gary Clark Junior can write a few more tracks

like Bright Lights we will have a new Blues

Superstar. I would also love to see Jeff Beck

team up with Flea and the drummer from the

Mars Volta rather than what he is currently

doing. In terms of guitar there is for me still so

much to discover from Hendrix, Beck, Santana,

Allman, Gilmour etc There are some off-the-wall

players like Marc Ribot, Jonny Greenwood and

the Edge’s 90s work I dig and Buddy Guy’s live

playing in the late 60s and 70s is always close

by, and of course Derek Trucks who is a true

monster player.

I love tracks like Bury Me With The Bible and Like

The Turquoise in a Crashing Wave, to me they sound

timeless. You appear to be happy to be broadly

“NY is very

similar to

London in

terms of

the artistic

community”

catagorised as a blues artist. Do you worry that this

could be restrictive in getting your work heard by a

wider audience?

Definitely, It’s hard when you’re trying to jumpstart

the whole concept of the guitar solo and

blues being artistically relevant and modern. I

don’t think there is a current category that does

justice to this record hence me labeling it Future

Blues. For instance Like The Turquoise in a

Crashing Wave is me colliding early Peter Green,

Floyd and Radiohead, and Bury Me with the

Bible started with a Massive Attack style bass

line and Bonham Drums while vocally I went for

a modern Dave Gahan feel while mixing in Mr

Whitley’s Chainsaw Harmonica!

But the end result is very much WTK. That’s

Future Blues, pushing the edges and finding

new spaces for the blues to breath in.

When Follow Your First Mind came out you said you

were spending half your time in New York and that

the vibrancy of Manhattan had impacted on your

writing. I know you still spend time in NY, are you

there permanently or are there other geographical

influences at work?

I lived in the countryside in the UK till 2009

so coming to NY was a huge shift, but NY is

very similar to London in terms of the artistic

community which is a great place to be.

Dan Whitley plays some mean harp on the album. His

brother Chris was another blues-based guitarist who

pushed the accepted boundaries a bit further. I know

Dan toured and recorded with Chris. It must be very

satisfying to have someone with his background on

board?

Dan is a whirlwind of musical energy and his

encouragement through these two records has

been a huge help, his harmonica solo on Bury

me with the Bible is one of the highlights of the

CONTINUES OVER...


wilson t king

Interview

album. A great guy. Chris Whitley’s song A Fire

Road for Two is one the best songs of the 2000s.

Also I should mention Brain Lucey, who

masters the Black Keys and his work on this

record for his encouragement and also the bass

playing of Josh Lattanzi on a few tracks who is

currently playing with Norah Jones.

I notice that on TLOTA you have added some

keyboards. Did you feel that was an essential thing to

do to move the music forward to another level?

They just sounded right for the tracks, and

supported the production. I love the sound I got

on the end section of Born Into This which was

a Kid A Radiohead keyboard sound sort of sent

back to the Doors Studio. The bigger production

decision however was to bring in the acoustics,

which worked out great and gave tracks like

Mountain of Fire and Born Into This that huge

sound.

29.10.71 is a very significant date to Allman Brothers

aficionados. How big an influence were they to you as

a young guitarist learning your trade?

Live at the Fillmore East is an album I played

religiously from being 5 years old, it’s probably

one of the greatest albums ever. And Duane

Allman for me is in the top 3 electric guitar

players of all time. A stunning musician,

the track 29.10.71 was me trying to remind

people about his non-slide playing which on

Going Down Slow and the BB. King Tribute is

stupendous.

In almost everything written about you mention is

made of your comments about ‘karaoke blues clichés’.

It seems to me you are only voicing a widely held view

of most of the sensible blues community. Do you think

too much has been made of your comments, true as

they are?

I’m quite happy to stand up and say that to see

the blues and guitar community accept these

Skynet/Agent Smith/ Terminator Blues clones

as genuine musical talents is beyond belief.

Just because you know every Clapton/SRV/Gary

Moore lick and can play them twice as fast does

not make you a great musician.

It seems musical and lyrical context are

vague after-thoughts and these players’ output

is comical. I can’t stress how much damage

has been done to the Blues and art form of

soloing by this Karaoke approach.

They all play in a predictable linear fashion

and can’t seem to muster one original idea or

lick between them. People have told me to lay

GIOVANNI SCAVETTA’S ARTWORK

FOR THE LAST OF THE ANALOGUES

off the criticisms as it will hurt my releases but

the Blues and Guitar are just too important

to me to sit and let this pass. When Jimi cut

Machine Gun he was smashing atoms, these

guys sound like they’re making cup cakes or

at best loaves of bread.

You can bring all the top producers

and players in you like, but if you have no

imagination and understanding of context it will

still be a nothing record.

The album is available to download from Band

camp. Will there be any physical CD copies available

at any time?

I’m debating this as I had two runs done of CDs

and hated the sound compared to what is on

offer at Band Camp where you can download the

actual Hi-Q Masters. The album is on ITunes/

Amazon as well but I can only stress that if you

want to hear the album as it really sounds go to

Band Camp! The only way to fight the free-tards

is through quality so I’m a big fan of people

downloading the Highest Quality Masters.

Will you be putting together a band and touring the

album? If so any thoughts on dates or venues yet?

We are definitely going to cut a live studio DVD,

my main problems are securing a good support

and also the fact I’m running a company in

the UK and two tech startups in the US while

attempting to record the 3rd album and write a

film pitch! I know Wayne wants us on the road

as well as James Hartley the live bass player so

hopefully in 2013 we will secure some dates.

for the latest neWs on Wilson t. king , check out

WWW.bandcamp.com


Interview

the dave jackson band

THE DAVE JACKSON BAND

Verbals: Darren Weale

Dave Jackson is a ‘Born Again Bluesman’. This is also the title of his

autobiographical, British Blues Awards-nominated song from The Dave

Jackson Band’s first album, DJB. The album was an excellent first recording,

showcasing some Bluesy, heavy songs, with Janet Jackson’s swift-plucked bass

and Reg Patten’s jazzy drums overlaid by Dave’s driving guitar.



Interview

In issue 68, we interviewed the inventor of

Hendrix’s Octavia foot pedal, Roger Mayer.

Roger praised musicians who get on stage

and go with their mood and interact with

the audience. Dave is just such a musician,

spontaneous and inventive. Thankfully for

Dave, he has chosen to play with musicians

with a touch of telepathy about them. Thus it is

that as Dave wanders into his latest variation

on the theme of one of his published songs, or a

lengthy and compelling version of Sweet Home

Chicago, the band is with him, tight, enjoying

themselves and watching for Dave’s next move.

The cover story of our last issue was based

on interviews with Mud Morganfield and John

Lee Hooker Jr, two men who found their mojo

more than usually late in life, after a long

period of more ordinary, or in John Lee Jr’s

case, drug-ruined and imprisoned, life. So it

seems appropriate that following these rising

sons of John Lee Hooker and Muddy Waters,

we have Dave, who has spent so long at his own

crossroads that the devil creeps into most of his

best songs.

Now it is time to let Dave speak, and first we

asked him about his own roots and influences.

‘I guess my earliest musical experiences were

growing up in Kenya and playing with local

musicians, basically jamming on African folk

songs. I think that shows when we’re playing

live, those early jams kick in and off I go ….

I remember seeing Buddy Guy way back and

it changed my life forever. I heard a music I

would absolutely fall in love with, and would

haunt me the rest of my days, but I can’t stand

up and honestly say “I’m a blues artiste”,

I can’t come from that place. I’ve travelled

around the world and played in clubs from

New Orleans to Rio and I’ve found a place of

my own, but I feel it still falls short of true

blues. I call myself a ‘blues influenced’ player.

It’s really rock with blues, and those early

African folk songs in there as well.’

‘My main influences in relation to The Dave

Jackson Band are the great blues/rock bands of

the late 60s, early 70s, like Free, Led Zeppelin,

Hendrix, Cream, Taste, and a whole bunch of

others, but you get the idea. As far as guitar

goes, there’s two people on the top of my list

– Paul Kossoff and Jimi Hendrix. Paul Kossoff

for the sheer beauty of his playing, and it does

keep me in check whenever I tend to ‘widdle’

too much. Hendrix was from somewhere else

altogether, always coming up with something

“my earliest

musical

experiences

were growing

up in Kenya”

new and his command of feedback and textures

was, and still is, second to none. I’m happy

with the way I play, but I still have a goal.

One day … maybe … I’ll manage to play as

beautiful as Kossoff and be as adventurous as

Hendrix. Vocal-wise, it has to be Paul Rodgers;

Steve Winwood, and of course, the great Steve

Marriott. These guys could really sing. I wish

Steve Marriott was still with us.’

Journey up to ‘DJB’

‘After leaving school, I went straight into

having my own band at the Hilton Hotel,

Nairobi. It wasn’t your typical hotel band to

start with, we used to play Hendrix, Deep

Purple and such, but they soon ground us

down. This really was the beginning of my

‘wilderness years’. I’d taken a wrong turn

and it would take many years and a chance

meeting to get me back on track to where I

am now. Musically, I hated it and don’t really

like to talk about it. My heart was empty and

my soul was nowhere to be found. I was on a

downwards spiral and the only way I could

get through an evening was to drink my

way through it. Things hit rock bottom in

New Orleans. I was playing piano on a boat

going up the Mississippi. We used to stop in

New Orleans for three days at a time, I used

to grab my guitar and head on down to the

French Quarter and jam with some of the

best musicians I have ever heard. One of my

three-day drunken bar crawls turned into

weeks and I got left behind. I had a guitar, no

money and had no real idea of where I was. I

managed to get some work playing piano just

to be able to sleep on the floor of the club when

it closed and get something to eat, and, more

importantly, something to drink. To this day,

I’m not exactly sure how I managed to survive.

CONTINUES OVER...


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A 361 Creative design


Interview

And how I ended up back in the UK is a bit of

a mystery.’

‘I laid low for a while, then I had a call from

an agent asking me if I’d like to go on the

cruise ships. I thought “what the hell, I’ve tried

everything else”. As it happened, I got sent to

the wrong ship and as it also happened, Jan

got sent to the wrong ship as well, and that’s

where we met. From that first meeting, my life

took on a new meaning. I played Jan a couple

of songs I had written, Rick’s Cabaret from

my New Orleans days, and an early rendition

of Born Again Bluesman. I saw a look in

Jan’s eyes... I couldn’t argue, and that was the

beginnings of DJB.’

Listening to Dave’s music shows him to be

more Bluesy (for his first album at least) than

he gives himself credit for. It is significant

that Dave had first-hand exposure to the

African rhythms that fed the Blues and lived

in a hub of the Blues in New Orleans. With

that, and admiring artists like Free, Cream

and Steve Marriott, it is no surprise that his

autobiographical song is Born Again Bluesman

and not Born Again Rock Guitar Hero.

What does Dave have to say about his first album?

‘I love the first album. It was just two

afternoons of jamming and it wasn’t intended

to be released, but we recorded it anyway. It’s

raw and live and spontaneous, which is exactly

what we’re about. Most of it is first takes. I

guess it’s ‘unofficial’ title track is Born Again

Bluesman, which of course, was nominated for

a ‘British Blues Award’ and I’m very proud of

that and of the song. I love Done Me Wrong...

that was virtually written as it was played. Say

It gets a lot of requests. Rick’s Cabaret I have a

soft spot for, it was actually written during my

time in New Orleans, which is another story...

if only I could remember half of it. There’s an

energy with this album that would have been

lost if we hadn’t recorded it live. There were no

strict arrangements, nothing written in stone,

everyone brought their own thing to the table.’

“The tape

rolls, we play.

What we’ve

got, we’ve got”

When released, the DJB album didn’t have

any hype to live up to, but it should have had.

Born Again Bluesman is an excellent song

and Done Me Wrong is a great toe-tapper, a

belting, jingly-jangly song with an insistent,

pulsating beat.

Second album?

‘The new album follows on from the first.

We’re looking to record it in the same way…

live. I’m not a big fan of the studio and heavy

production. When you end up spending so

much time on each individual instrument and

aspects of performance that you forget why

you were there in the first plac… well that

doesn’t produce albums that excite me. The

tape rolls, we play. What we’ve got, we’ve got. I

don’t think we’ll ever change, I’d hate to think

what would happen if a record company got

hold of us.’ [famous last words there, Dave].

‘Two tracks, Raise It Up and Light Don’t

Shine, present some new challenges, at least

CONTINUES OVER...




Interview

vocally. And then we’ve got They Got The Jump

On You. Well, keeping that under ten minutes

is hard. Of course, the ‘Devil’ crops up in a

number of places, there’s a slow blues, Ain’t

No Love No More, which has been received

extremely well at shows. In fact, we’ve been

trying quite a lot of new stuff live recently and

it’s really working out well. Looking forward

to releasing it (which is now looking like

March), that is, if we can think of a title.’

Hmm, a title. From my knowledge of Dave

and the band, I would recommend These Blues

can’t be exorcised. I’ll get my coat... Safely

clothed, I invited Dave to introduce the band.

Loving playing live, and helping chances for life

Dave, like many musicians, does his bit

playing charity gigs, which rather unravels the

‘influenced by the Devil’ theme we could have

developed. Phil Hargreaves of the 100 Club

and charity fundraiser for the Teenage Cancer

Trust (TCT) appreciates The Dave Jackson

Band. Phil said, ‘I’ve been organising gigs

in aid of Teenage Cancer Trust for five years

and I’m also looking to introduce new bands

prepared to play for free and to bring along a

sizeable crowd. Dave introduced his band to

me via Facebook and liking the free samples on

his website I asked him to headline one of my

concerts. More than any other pro band DJB

made a huge effort to sell tickets and put on

a spellbinding set of hypnotic blues. You can’t

help but get swept along with the groove this

three piece produces. I’ve seen DJB at several

gigs and remain equally impressed. I can’t wait

to have them back at the 100 Club next May

in TCT Rock Mayhem. I recently celebrated

raising £100,000 for Teenage Cancer Trust

and it was a pleasure to invite Dave and

Janet along to be part of the celebrations.”

See www.teenagecancertrust.org for more.

At the moment, the thing to concentrate

on with Dave is his first album, which we

recommend.What we recommend even more is

the live Dave Jackson Band experience, just as

we did in a gig review in issue 64. Since then,

Dave has added some songs from his album-inwaiting

to his live set, and they are evidence

that he has a quality production line. Dave,

who clearly loves playing live, says, ‘It’s really

the people that make a gig and we’ve been

lucky to play to good people. So people, keep

coming to gigs and tell your friends. For us,

it’s all about playing ‘live.’

Blues Matters looks forward to seeing more

of Dave live and to hearing his new album.

for The laTesT news on The Dave Jackson BanD check ouT

www.DaveJacksonBanD.com, TwiTTer@DaveJacksonBanD


JANET CLARE JACKSON – bass. ‘Jan is my

partner and soul mate. In terms of the Dave

Jackson Band, basically it would not have

happened if I had not met Jan. From conception

until now, she’s been the driving force behind

it. Her main influences are Andy Fraser and

Jack Bruce. Her bass playing inspires. She’s so

powerful and there’s a raw energy that just hits

you and it pushes me to step into that unknown

territory where all the magic happens. I could

never imagine playing with another bass player.’

REG PATTEN – drums. ‘We met Reg at a blues

jam. It’s pretty obvious where he’s coming

from. He used to hang out down clubs like The

Marquee, watching the greats, in particular, Mitch

Mitchell. Reg never officially joined, and we never

officially asked him, we just jammed at his place

and it became the album and we basically ‘were’.

He’s a very musical drummer.’


Blues Under the Radar

paul FilipoWicZ

PAUL FILIPOWICZ

VErbAls: STeVe yOurGlIVch

wisconsin is noT one of The TraDiTional cenTres associaTeD wiTh Blues music in

The usa. iT’s proBaBly mosT famous on This siDe of The ponD as Being The home

of harley-DaviDson moTorBikes. someTimes, however, There is a DifferenT

kinD of roar coming from The BaDger sTaTe.

Paul Filipowicz, or Flip to friends and fans, is

one of the most authentic exponents of real

Chicago blues left playing anywhere today.

His music is raw, undiluted, straight from

the heart with no frills in sight, a bit like

the man himself. Don’t for a minute think that

means it’s without skill, dexterity or creativity.

Flip is the real deal.

Once you become aware of Paul’s history

none of this seems surprising. He was born in

Chicago in 1950, his father and brother were

both keen harmonica players and his sister

played piano, so there was often music going on

in the home. In his early teens Paul discovered

the blues that were to change his life via the

radio. By 14 Paul was exploring the Chicago

South Side and started discovering the vibrant

live scene of the classic mid-sixties urban blues.

The first live artist Paul ever heard was Otis

Rush, not a bad start by anyone’s standards. In

those early years the first instrument he learned

to play was harmonica. Paul recalls, ‘ I actually

learned guitar from playing harp. My family

always had guitars and junk instruments lying

around’.

Paul recalls messing around playing on a

beat up old guitar with only four strings at the

age of eight or nine.

He must have blues harp pretty well, because

as he became a regular around the South

Side scene it wasn’t long before he was up on

stage blowing for many legendary performers

including Hound Dog Taylor. Not surprisingly,

Paul has fond memories of those times. He

describes Taylor’s partner in crime Brewer

Phillips as one of the most vicious guitarists he

has ever seen, and laughingly says, ‘sometimes

Hound Dog would even grunt at me’. Then there

was the time Paul helped Pinetop Perkins lift his

piano onto the stage before it went through it.

Not forgetting partying with Lefty Dizz the day

after he’d won a thousand bucks playing cards.

An apprenticeship as a street musician was

served before moving onto playing at parties

and then into the clubs. Paul got to know

Hound Dog much better later on as the house

band at The Church Key in Madison, where as

well as playing with Hound Dog’s Houserockers

he opened for people like Mighty Joe Young,

Son Seals and Fenton Robinson.

The experience that had the most profound

effect was hearing Magic Sam playing on West

Side Soul. Paul had been learning his trade

by ear, listening to and watching his heroes.

He recalls, ‘I had been playing without a pick

and the first time I heard Sam it clicked. The

phrasing was what I was hearing.’ Paul is still

one of the few blues players around that never

uses a pick. That’s where a lot of that authentic

tone comes from. Paul is very proud to have

counted among his closest friends Jimmy

Dawkins and Luther Allison, who both took

cOnTInueS OVer...


paul FilipoWicZ



paul FilipoWicZ


paul’s career

could have

been ended

by a FreaK

accident

time to mentor the young guitarist. Paul credits

Dawkins with teaching him a lot about how to

perform on stage, how to be a frontman and

lead a band. Later, in the 1980s, Paul became a

member of Luther Allison’s touring band, and,

indeed, for a while many of Luther’s band also

backed Paul.

During the 1970s and early

80s Paul travelled and played

extensively, while living in Los

Angeles, Denver, Albuquerque

and Wisconsin. By the

mid-eighties Paul moved

to Texas with a band he

named the Hellhounds.

He lived and played

all around the Dallas

and Fort Worth

areas. In this period Paul became good friends

and regularly played with another underappreciated

guitarist Will ‘Smokey’ Logg. Then

Paul became a bit disillusioned with the constant

touring and moved to Wisconsin to settle down

with his wife and start a family. The performing

got scaled back while Paul’s three sons were

growing up. It has always been important to

Paul to be able to provide for his family and

for much of his life he has combined his music

career with the physically demanding, tough

job of roofing. Flip’s tough musical persona has

always been backed up by his physical presence.

A big barrel chested man, he tells me without a

hint of irony that the work has left him at least

an inch and a half shorter now than he once

was. The following story shows just how strong

physically and mentally the man is.

In 1995 Paul’s career could have

been ended by a freak accident.

Whilst driving a tractor, the

seat snapped off throwing

him backwards. Paul takes

up the tale ‘I hit the draw

bar and it ripped my jaw

off, and the tractor, which

was in reverse, drove

over my spine and I

cOnTInueS OVer...


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Blues Matters! 5

paul FilipoWicZ


re-motivated

paul has

perFormed

and recorded

ever since

heard all of my vertebrae popping as they got

crushed. I managed to roll out of the way of the

front wheels as they would’ve finished me. I then

somehow got up and turned the tractor off and

made it back to the house.’

As if that’s not enough, things didn’t improve

once Paul got to hospital.

‘They put my lower jaw back on after five

or six hours in the waiting room and they did

such a shitty job that I took a pair of needle-nose

pliers and rewired it back in place myself.’

His back was in a terrible mess and not so

simple to fix. Years of agony led Paul into a hell

of painkillers and booze which spiralled out of

control. Since 2001, though, with help around

him Paul has remained teetotal.

Around that time, 1995, a couple of events

made Paul think about trying to play more

again. Both Albert King and Albert Collins

passed away which made him realize that

none of the big blues players were getting any

younger. The clincher though was meeting

up with his dear friend Luther Allison shortly

before he passed away. Luther told Paul, ‘You’re

either a bluesman or you aren’t, and if you are,

you know what you have to do.’

Re-motivated Paul has performed and

recorded ever since whilst still keeping the

roofing business going. Gila Records released

Paul’s first three albums, Go For The Throat,

What Have You Done For Me, and Never Had

It So Good. All three albums received critical

praise nationally. By 2001 and the release of

Midnight at the Nairobi Room, Paul had set

up his own label and distribution, Big Jake

Records.

In 2004 the album Chinatown was released.

This really put Paul on the blues map. Inspired

by the area in Chicago near to the blues melting

pot, Maxwell Street, of his youth and with a

guest appearance by Ken Saydek, the album won

Paul both album of the year and artist of the

year from the Madison Music Awards, and was

voted number eight in polls of the year’s best

releases by both Living Blues and Real Blues

magazines.

A long awaited live album, Chickenwire, was

released in 2007, again to huge critical acclaim.

Looking back, Paul told me recently, ‘After

my last recording hit, my band couldn’t travel

due to their day jobs and such, so that also

made it difficult for road trips. My musical style

is such that I can’t just pick up a bass player and

drummer and do a show. I have more of a John

Lee Hooker or Lightnin’ Hopkins approach, and

if the band isn’t aware of my ‘feel’ they can get

lost very quickly. It’s hard to get that ‘chemistry

thing’. It really makes a lot of difference, my

current line up is great, we have the telepathy

going. They can and do travel with me. I had

many offers after Chickenwire was released and

reluctantly had to pass on some of them.’

I asked about those opportunities. The reply

says a lot about Paul’s attitude to life, ‘One of

the things I have learned is I can’t control the

past so I put that stuff behind me. The fact is

once I forget it, it can’t bother me anymore. I

look at it as a blessing. I could just be forgetful

though.’

The last time we spoke Paul had just finished

recording nine new tracks for his new album to

be released early in 2013. Entitled Saints And

Sinners it will be available through CD Baby or

via Paul’s website. Paul is also adding two tracks

from a 1982 session with the members of Luther

Allison’s old band that never got released.

Paul is excited about the new work. Two

former band members are back on board for

this. Drummer Brian Howard has returned after

a spell away and on bass is Dave Remitz. Dave

had been a member of Paul’s band in the 80s

and has recently moved back into the area from

Austin, Texas where he had worked with Kim

Wilson and Jimmy Vaughan among others. Paul

says, ‘Dave has a solid style and he can hold a

counter melody for me to work from.’

Paul Filipowicz is a top class recording

artist who has been under the radar for too

long in the UK. Check out his new release and

then his back catalogue. I’ll leave the final

words to ‘Flip’, ‘Blues is supposed to be a living

breathing organism. When I play songs they

always end up a little different depending how

I feel. That’s how real blues is, that’s where the

spark comes from.’

chickenwire is availaBle from Big Jake recorDs

www.paulfilipowicz.com or cDBaBy.com


Interview

stephen dale petit


stephen dale petit

Interview

STEPHEN DALE PETIT

Verbals: A n d y S n i p p e r

Stephen Dale Petit is a guitarist with a wealth of experience in all forms

of the Blues. BM! catches up with him at his home/studio in Hampstead.

Stephen Dale Petit has been a busker as

well as a regular at the 100 Club and

has done many sessions on the BBC. He

plays regularly with Mick Taylor and was

responsible for putting a show on last year

to save the 100 Club from closing that featured

Stephen, Mick Taylor, Ronnie Woods and Dick

Taylor (on bass) as well as members of Stephen’s

own band. He has recently put out an album

recorded live at the High Voltage festival in 2010

on the Ronnie Lane Mobile that is exclusively

available on vinyl and is due to release his new

album, ‘Cracking The Code’ in the new year.

BM: Stephen, you have just come back from New

Orleans to work with Dr John – were you working on

tracks from the new album? What was the experience

like?

SDP: Well, he’s the master. It was, well conjure

any adjective you like – fantastic, inspiring....

joyous.

Had you always planned to work with him on the album

or was this something that came up?

I’d been speaking to him about it for most of

this year. So it just took finding the right slot in

his schedule and working it logistically because

it needed a proper piano and a Hammond in

fantastic working order.

Where did you work – in his studio or somewhere else?

No, we worked in a little studio in New Orleans,

a commercial studio called Music Shed just

outside the French Quarter.

Were you working just with him or with his band?

No, we were working on my tracks, on my songs.

We didn’t do anything from scratch, not this

time, next time.

Are you planning on working with him again?

Yeah. He’s one of a kind. There are so few people

that reach that stage of mastery and they are

all one of a kind really. and he is a blast, mind

blowing to play with.

Is there a story behind the new album or is this a

collection of tracks that you have been writing over

time or is there a statement you wanted to make?

Well, there is a reason I chose the title, “Cracking

The Code”, and it loosely describes what it is

I have set out to do and hopefully what I have

accomplished comes close. Making Blues music

the way it has always been made and presenting

it the way it has always been presented and

using production values that have become

stock in trade and some of the lyrics... is of no

interest to me and I don’t believe the world

needs another Blues band playing Blues the

way it’s always been played but in saying that...

making something new from the DNA of Blues

is very interesting to me and that is what the

term “Cracking The Code” really is referring

to in that sense although you can read many

other things into it. It is much like the way that

they used Native Americans in WW1 and WWII

because the Germans couldn’t understand them

and there is that element of Blues that you can

never really grasp – it comes at you, it is an

essence, it is like bottling lightning, and you get

CONTINUES OVER...


stephen dale petit

Interview

glimpses of it and, for me anyways, the more

you get immersed into that and the more at

stake and the more it starts to grow and so in

that sense to be making something new from

Blues – it’s gotta be each person’s experience of

Blues: not something you can read from sheet

music. That’s also “Cracking The Code”. There

is something otherworldly about the music,

there always has been, at its best, and I guess

“Cracking The Code” is an affirmative statement

rather than scratching your chin – no pondering

– maybe a little arrogant I guess!

I think musicians are allowed a little arrogance

You wouldn’t stand on stage unless you wanted

to show off a little – you couldn’t do it.

You recorded the album primarily in Nashville?

Yeah, we did the tracking in Nashville, the

primary tracking and I did overdubs where

they happened – I did Dr John in New Orleans,

Hubert Sumlin in New Jersey, Chris Barber

happened in this very place – in my home studio

and the vocals have been done in London.

Why did you go to Nashville in the first place?

Well, I wanted to work with Vance Powell, full

stop. I’d been in rehearsals and written the

tracks with the band and did a test of a studio

to see what it felt to record there and I’d been

in touch with Vance, we’d made the approach

and he wanted to work with me, which is always

great that someone you aspire to work with says

“Yeah, I’m up for it”. This process started early

last year and then we went over in August or

September because it was really the only way to

do it. He is a really busy man and the logistics

of bringing him over here were daunting. Plus

he had built Blackbird so there is another really

good reason because he knows the place inside

and out – a studio is a studio is a studio when

you are talking about a certain quality of studio

but if you built the place then you do know it

inside and out plus I had never been to Nashville

– always wanted to go even though it was never

big on my hallowed ground list – I’d been to New

Orleans, Mississippi, Chicago, it was really to

work with Vance. He’s a genius. He is like Sam

Phillips recording Howling Wolf at MRS, he’s a

Tom Dowd or an Eddie Kramer.

Did he bring something new out of you?

He didn’t really bring anything out of me. It

wasn’t that process. It wasn’t like the alpha

producer who bullies you and breaks you down

until he gets what he wants out of you, it was

more like I had sound pictures and a good

idea of what I was looking for and he was able

to achieve it and exceed my expectations – it

was more that I had hoped for. In that sense

maybe you get in a zone of magic where he is

responsive and there is good collaboration. It

wasn’t all... if something wasn’t working he’s

got no compunction not to say “nuhuh this isn’t

happening” and because I trusted him there

was no moment where we had friction. Which is

not so say that with different characters there

wouldn’t be. By the time we were done with

the second track – I mean I already wanted to

work with him and I knew his work so I went

in with some serious respect but when we were

listening to the first couple of tracks he was

already exceeding my expectations. I work on

instinct – logic is important but in terms of

music its instinct – if the music isn’t working

then that’s the time to step back and bring the

logic in and Vance really responds to that.

CONTINUES OVER...


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stephen dale petit

Interview

“I’d always

wanted to

work with

Hubert and I’d

been asking

around”

You had the chance to work with Hubert Sumlin, how

did that come about?

I’d always wanted to work with Hubert and I’d

been asking around – I’d asked Eric (Clapton),

Ronnie (Woods) and I’d asked Mick (Taylor) and

you get different stories – sometimes justified

resentments come out towards white musicians

and I knew Howling Wolf had a reputation –

Hubert called him like his father actually – but

Hubert had this unique tone and the lines he

was playing were so unique and innovative and

that was what captured me as a kid at thirteen

or fourteen. So when we’d done the tracks in

Nashville this though that I’d had to work with

Hubert for years and I’d never thought I was

worthy of and in the end the record company

made an overture and they said yes and I think

that unlike Mac who was on the road so much it

happened pretty quickly.

So how was the session with him?

Kinda life changing really… He was ill and I

had to help him up the stairs to his studio and

down again. He was frail but he was lovely. I’d

been staying with Mick before I flew out and I

got to meet him on the phone before I met him

in person so I knew he was a gentleman and a

beautiful spirit and I’d already got that sense. I’d

brought my guitar to show him and put it in his

hands and he just lit up it was like a switch had

gone on and suddenly he was as energetic as

anyone in the studio.

Which guitar was this?

My SG.

He did the session with your guitar then?

Yeah. I brought it just to show him and initially

he was confused because I guess when people

bring him guitars they want him to sign them

so he kinda looked up and down and looked at

me and said “Where do you want me to sign it”

and I said “ No, I want you to play it!” So I let

him play it for about half an hour, just routining

the song, just getting his head around the song,

and I asked him what he thought of it and he

said “Oh, Mine”. He had this thick accent and I

couldn’t understand at first so I asked him “What

do you mean” and he said “Mine! Goin’ home

with ME”. He liked it and that was the last guitar

he played.”

Did you ever get it back from him?

I did yeah (chuckles).

So is it locked in a vault for safety?

No, it’s one of my go to guitars – gets a lot of use.

Do you feel the ghost of Hubert in the guitar?

Like the basis of the Robert Johnson story – go

to the crossroads and give your guitar to a big

black man, he plays it, tunes it up and gives it

back to you – Hubert was pretty tall” He died

thirteen days later. I’ve been around death

but there was something very different about

Hubert’s countenance and bearing – the way he

carried himself, his way of being. I’d never met

someone before who was more spirit than being.

He invited me to play at his birthday party but

unfortunately it turned out to be his funeral.

How did the gig at the 100 Club come about?

The first gig I ever went to after I landed in

England was at the 100 Club. It has this sense

of history about it and I felt I had to go there.

I heard about the likelihood that it was going

to close and I was kinda shocked. I had a gig

lined up anyway and so we decided to make it a

benefit for the Club. A Lot of people were making

all sorts of noises about its importance but not

actually doing anything and so I called Mick and

asked if he wanted to get involved. I got the idea

that Ronnie (Woods) might want to be part of it

so I called him and I knew Dick Taylor and he

suggested Chris Barber and it went from there.

Was there any trouble in getting Ronnie involved?

Well, I was able to call him directly so I didn’t

have to go through the Stones office but even so

there were a lot of restrictions such as not being

allowed to advertise that he would be there and

he wasn’t supposed to turn up for the sound

check, although he did.

Stephen Dale Petit At High Voltage is available in a limited vinylonly

run of 1000 copies from www. stephendalepetit.com


Interview

ron sayer jnr

RON SAYER JNR

VErbAls: STeVe yOurGlIVch VisuAls: l a u r e n c e h a r V e y / p e T e r Ta r l e T O n

2012 has Been a gooD year for ron sayer Jnr, his new alBum BeTTer siDe has

Been collecTing an ever-increasing numBer of posiTive reviews.

he has receiveD glowing enDorsemenTs on naTional raDio from no less Than

paul Jones anD whispering BoB harris!

Other top notch blues guitarists like John

Mayall, Buddy Whittington, Oli Brown

and Popa Chubby are singing his praises.

Yet until now I suppose it’s fair to say Ron

and his band have been a closely guarded

secret. A number of high profile shows

including a confirmed spot at the Hebden

Blues Festival and others in the pipeline

should ensure an even better 2013 ahead. I

took the opportunity to catch up with Ron at

Norwich Waterfront where he was supporting

Aynsley Lister.

BM: The new CD is getting lots of good reviews

and generating a bit of a buzz. You must be really

pleased with the feedback, are you surprised by the

number of positive comments you are collecting ?

RS: I have to admit I am surprised,albeit very

pleasantly, at the reception of the album. We

haven’t had a bad reaction as yet, and plenty

of jolly nice ones. I’m always like a kid at

Christmas when reading what people have to

say about the album! Thanks guys!

A common thread is that many of the reviewers were

not that familiar with your solo work but a quick look

at the biog on your web site reveals you have been

playing and touring for a while. The list of artists

you’ve performed with is very impressive. Could you

give us a short history of the path your career has

taken?

Well, in short my career has been a varied

one ranging from session work, writing

instrumental music for different companies, to

blues workshops, clinics & lecturing at colleges

& universities. It was only relatively recently

that I thought ‘Wait a minute! I have this

head full of bluesy songs that people may just

like’Hehe! Plus I thought my guitar playing

may be just about good enough by now!

You have a Grade 8 in guitar and bass, and have

worked extensively as an examiner and teacher. It’s

clear you can play fluidly in many styles, what is it

about blues based music that attracts you?

Because the blues is the key! It’s the building

blocks of everything we consider popular

music these days. I give lectures to music

post grads in blues improvisation and enjoy

immensely seeing these classical guys play

from the heart, often for the first time, and

loving the blues! I gravitate toward blues

because it’s a simple, honest form of music

that you have a canvas for more harmonically

adventurous stuff, or to put it another way I

get to show off more!

I notice your CV includes being an examiner for

Rockschool and having a live concert broadcast

on Tommy Vance’s Friday Rock Show, how did they

come about ? Seems a bit off the blues track.

Ha! I told you my career was long and varied!

When I took my grades in guitar and bass

guitar they asked if I was interested in

cOnTInueS OVer...


ron sayer jnr

Interview


Interview

ron sayer jnr

becoming an examiner. It seemed rude not to

accept! The Tommy Vance thing was because

of a band I was in back in the early 90s when

spandex was still legal and I was able to

headbang without haemorrhaging. As you

mention, it does seem off the blues track, but

strangely enough one of the broadcast tracks

What Would You Do went on to sit snugly on

my current album two decades later, albeit

in a more bluesy arrangement. With most

songs it’s just how you approach them from a

production point of view.

What I really like about Better Side is that there is a

real quality about it in every facet. Not only the guitar

playing but the vocals, arrangements and the strong

song writing. The whole band is tight and solid. How

long has it taken to create the band and record the

album?

Thanks. In truth the whole thing existed

pretty specifically inside my head, so I had

a good idea how it would sound, but was

recorded fairly rapidly without extensive

rehearsals. The band were just great players

from my locale that I’d worked with on and off

for years. Paul Wooden, our lovely drummer

has played in my band for the last 10 years

so there was definitely a rapport! We pretty

much laid the basic tracks down live, so with

overdubs and mixing etc. it only took ten days

in total. Quick and simple, how I like it.

The Sunday Express no less, described your vocals

as Paul Rodgers-like. Are your vocals natural or has it

required hard work to get there?

That was a nice review, I was understandably

very pleased with that comparison. Actually I

still think of myself as a guitarist that sings,

rather than a ‘real’ singer.My wife Charlotte

has an amazing voice and is a trained singing

teacher, not to mention a grade 8 pianist, and

“blues is the

Key! it’s the

building

blocKs oF

popular

music”

she has been a huge help in improving my

dodgy vocal technique, haha!

Checking through your web site again, you have a

number of prestigious support slots coming up. Any

plans for an extensive Ron Sayer tour?

And more are to follow! Lots of gigs in the

pipeline including a plethora of festivals.

All very confidential at the moment (I could

tell you, but I’d have to kill you). I’m always

searching for more gigs, and thankfully

it’s getting to the point where venues and

promoters are starting to hear about the

band and giving us dates without me actually

begging/crying on the phone!

I think to your credit that I’ve seen your playing

compared to so many different players including B.B.

King and Rory Gallagher, but also some more modern

guys like Audley Freed. Who are the guitarists you

most admire, old and not so old ?

That would be a long list, but I have a debt

of gratitude to the champs BB King, Buddy

Guy, Rory Gallagher & Albert Collins, purely

because of the body of work they laid down

for all players to follow. That said, I would

say my favourite players are/were Greg

Koch, Sean Costello, Tommy Emmanuel, Jim

Campilongo, Sol Philcox, Brent Mason, Danny

Gatton & Matt Schofield. Any guitarist worth

his sodium chloride who hasn’t heard of all

these guys should be hit with a soft cushion

till they at least get on YouTube and start

typing!

A lot of people will know you from working with Oli

Brown. That must have been an enjoyable stint, any

plans to link up with Oli again in the future?

Well Oli and I go way back. He used to turn

up at my gigs with this weird looking pointy

metal guitar and jam through 12 bars with us.

It was a live recording of him with my band

sent to Blind Dog Smokin’ that kicked off his

first sojourn to the US. Teaching Oli was a

real joy, I recorded his first vocal performance

Stormy Monday after having to literally drag

him in front of a microphone, and listen to

that voice now! Touring with Oli & Wayne

was hugely enjoyable and, of course, if the

situation arose to play with either again I

would jump at it.

The CD cover shows you with a wonderful Fender

Telecaster. Is that your instrument of choice? You

were once the winner of the Guitarist Of The Year


ron sayer jnr

Interview

award, any tips for aspiring players in our

readership ?

Yes, that Tele is a wonderful instrument and

my main guitar for many years now. For me

a Telecaster is able to cover every style, and I

do like to flit bat-like between musical genres.

The Guitarist Of The Year was a great accolade

to get, but Charlotte (who incidentally came

second in the acoustic category) basically

nagged me to enter because initially I was

having none of it! So one tip is, have faith in

your playing and get it out there. The other

tip I would offer is to not get wrapped up

in emulating the style of one player, try and

absorb the best bits of lots of players. Like

they told me at university ‘Stealing from one

source is plagiarism, stealing from lots is

research’.

As well as some impressive blues playing you also

demonstrate on the album some jazzy influences,

and the music at times is quite soulful. Is it a worry

to you to become pigeonholed as a blues performer?

I don’t have any worries about being

pigeonholed as long as people want to listen to

my music, the blues gives me ample freedom

to do what I want to do because that’s where

the heart of the music is. I’ve already gotten

away with funk, soul, fusion, rock and even

elements of calypso on Better Side (just don’t

tell anybody okay?)

Is there a Ron Sayer Jnr. Masterplan and if there is

are you prepared to share it ?

Of course! My plan all along has been “don’t

shoot until you see the whites of their eyes”!

If there is a master plan it’s just to keep at

it, gigging, recording and basically getting

in front of as many people as possible. For

every gig we do we garner more CD sales and

more gigs, so I’m hoping for a snowball effect.

Watch out blues fans, no one is safe!

BeTTer siDe is availaBle from www.ron.sayer.co.uk





Verbals: Duncan Beattie Visuals: marC maMie (photo)

The New Year marks the 30th anniversary of Blues ‘N’ Trouble’s establishment

as a touring blues and boogie band. With a new album out and a retooled and

rejuvenated line-up, BM! takes a look attheir new album, the highs and lows of

the last 30 years and the current blues scene.

Tim Elliott was once described by Paul Jones

as the most convincing blues vocalist this

country has produced. However, when asked

whether he would have imagined the band

would still be active 30 years later after they

first started touring, his response was simply

‘of course’. Although the hard touring days

have been scaled back, there has been no talk

of retirement. In fact with the release of Try

Anything Twice, the band is as keen as ever to

get back out on the road.

Yet those awaiting a follow-up to 2003’s

Devils Tricks have had to be patient. The band,

now comprising of Elliott, Tweeddale, Angus

Rose (keyboards/guitar), Rod Kennard (bass)

and Andy Munro (drums), had been keen to

record some new songs. The financial costs

of the new album were resolved by recording




Try Anything Twice in Munro’s home studio,

with Rose taking over much of the album’s

mastering. As Elliott explained, they originally

contemplated recording 4-6 songs for use as a

promotional demo. However, they soon found

they had an abundance of material and even

considered releasing a double album. Some of

the songs, such as the title track, have been

performed by the band over several years and

been well rehearsed over that period, while

others, such as Waiting have come together

within the sessions. Historically, many of Blues

‘N’ Trouble’s albums were recorded in two

or three days. On this occasion they had the

luxury to record over a longer period of time

and give hard consideration to the mixing. The

final release includes 9 original recordings, and

4 covers of songs by Sonny Boy Williamson II

and Slim Harpo.

Preconceptions about how the album sounds

should be pushed aside. Both Elliott and

Tweeddale were keen to point out there was

no attempt to re-tread over familiar ground.

The album includes a reinterpretation of Bo

Diddley’s Cadillac, a song which the band had

released as a single back in 1984. However

Elliott justifies the new version by stating that

it is played in a less frantic manner and in its

original key with additional layered Dobro

playing from Tweeddale. Overall the album

includes some hitherto untouched musical

stylings including a flirtation with psychedelia

and an intriguing interpretation of Count

Five’s Psychotic Reaction. Both Elliott and

Tweeddale credit the introduction of Angus

Rose into the band as having a major influence

on their sound. Indeed some of the songs have

taken on a different dimension and changed

arrangements with his contribution.

While Blues ‘N’ Trouble have mainly been

recognised for their two lead guitarists, the

addition of Rose, primarily a keyboard player,

but also adept at guitar, has given the band

greater flexibility. Elliott was keen to mention

how Rose’s contributions on the album include

the piano playing of the title track, but also his

guitar work has prominence on songs such as

his co-write Waiting. As Tweeddale continues,

this offers wider flexibility for the band in a

live setting, where they can now appear with

their first permanent keyboard player since

Lou Martin, and yet also perform their material

with two lead guitars.

Tweeddale believes that the album is still

very much a British blues band, with the same

Tim Elliott

Photo:

Marc Mamie

1960s feel. Elliott was

keen to agree. Despite a

great admiration for the

blues masters, his own

influences were primarily

those who first interpreted

versions of their songs

such as The Pretty Things

and the Rolling Stones.

While acknowledging there

was more rigidity within

the music played more on

the beat rather than the

backbeat, this is the style

he likes Blues ‘N’ Trouble to

encompass.

When asked if Blues ‘N’

Trouble is still relevant in

2013, Elliott was in little

doubt. He knows the band

have a strong ‘cult following’

which extends into Europe,

and affirms that many

younger American bands are

fans of the band. The timing

also appears good, as the

band detect a pickup in blues and blues-based

bands, seeing that music trends often revolve.

Elliott believes there is always a freedom within

the blues that is attractive to musicians. It

is one absent in other genres of music. They

firmly believe that these new opening for the

blues, can also be new openings for Blues ‘N’

Trouble.

Blues ‘N’ Trouble has always been a melting

pot of styles. When asked if this was the best line

up of Blues ‘N’ Trouble, Elliott replied coyly to

say each line up of the band was the best line up

… at that time. In truth, the variations in lineup

have always added something to the band. As

Elliott states, the band has always been lucky

to have great musicians, particularly guitar

players, which have included founding members

John Bruce with his Chuck Berry influences,

and the late Jimmy Brown, who was particularly

inspired by Little Feat. Subsequently, Telecaster

Dave added a rockabilly flavour. Long-serving

guitarist Mike Park was the band’s answer to

James Burton, Tweeddale, by contrast, was

brought up on Big Bill Broonzy and now there’s

Rose, whose guitar playing Elliott jokingly

compares to Gary Moore! Elliott modestly refers

to himself as a good ‘feel merchant’ rather

CONTINUES OVER...




than a great musician. Back in the 1980s and

early 1990s, Blues ‘N’ Trouble was one of the

busiest acts in the UK. Elliott estimated that

they played in the region of 280 shows a year.

He believes very few bands tour so regularly

now. While Joe Bonamassa may do, he suspects

he rests in far more comfort than they ever did.

They travelled day and night in a van, would

sleep on pub floors or wherever was offered or

available. Sometimes they would perform on

occasions twice in one day, and then sleep in the

van which would take them to the next show

as they could not afford accommodation. He

recalled that on their first visit to London, when

drummer Sean Scott had just celebrated his 21st

birthday, as the rest of the band had no money,

Sean had to spend his birthday money in order

for them to buy food.

The number of shows did drop down to about

150 shows, partly due to Elliott contracting

pneumonia. Being an asthmatic also caused

problems, particularly as most of the rest

of the band were heavy smokers. A wakeup

call for Elliott was their van going down the

embankment of the M6 at 70 miles an hour

when their driver fell asleep. The band had been

travelling back to Edinburgh for another show

after a performance for freshers at Birmingham

University. Luckily all emerged shaken but

unscathed. This was another indication that

the heavy touring was taking its toll. As were

incidents of drunken antics, particularly in

Norway, which were probably best not retold!

An early highlight for the band was winning

a supporting slot with BB King. The blues

legend would often watch the band from the

wings, and would complement the band, which

by Elliott’s own admission were not that great

at the time. Nonetheless BB King once remarked

that Blues ‘N’ Trouble were the best white blues

band in the world. The tour was very significant

for the band as the tour caught the attention

of English and European promoters, who then

offered the band far better shows, than those

they had been accustomed to.

Working with Lazy Lester was another

significant period for the band. Having produced

their third album Hatrick, renowned British

producer Mike Vernon suggested they record

Lester’s comeback album. Lester had been

traced having been out of the music business for

several years, and had been working as a taxi

driver. Elliott recalls how happy he was to be out

of the States for a while. Indeed he spent several

days in Elliot’s West Lothian home and would

regularly cook his favourite Louisiana recipes.

Lester’s Rides Again was recorded in a cow

shed, as per Hatrick reel to reel, and went on to

win a WC Handy Award. It was re-released in

2011 with some bonus tracks which Elliott was

delighted had seen the light of day. Lester and

the band remain in touch and performed some

shows, including an appearance at Colne.

Robert Cray, Pinetop Perkins and Charlie

Musselwhiteare three other US acts that

Blues’ N’ Trouble performed with. Indeed Cray

appeared on ‘No Minor Keys’ the band’s second

album, which also featured the sixth Rolling

Stone member Ian Stewart in his last recordings

before his death. Elliott recalls fondly their tour

with Musselwhite who was a formative influence

on his own harmonica playing. By this point

Musselwhite was overcoming his career-long

drinking problem and Elliott was in awe of his

wife, who kept him on the straight and narrow.

Stripped back

Tim Elliott has immense pride in his work with

Blues ‘N’ Trouble and names Down To The

Shuffle as his favourite of their early releases.

Released by Dutch record company, Tramp,

it won a British Blues Connection Award in

1991. Having heard some of the country blues

segments on the album, Tramp then approached

Elliott to enquire if he would like to record more

songs in that vein. Keen to take up the offer, he

travelled to Amsterdam to record Tim Elliott &

The Troublemakers. The album featured Elliott

playing blues and gospel in a stripped back

atmosphere with backing from then Blues ‘N’

Trouble keyboard player Lou Martin on piano

and Gary Martin on harmonica and guitar. This

allowed Elliott to record without the inevitable

compromises of being in a band. Furthermore

it enabled him to indulge in some varying blues

styles such as that of John Lee Hooker, whose

early recording works he has always admired.

Two further albums under the title Tim

Elliott & The Troublemakers followed and it

was at one of these sessions than Elliott first

met future Blues ‘N’ Trouble guitarist Sandy

Tweeddale. Long-time collaborator Gary Martin

had invited Tweeddale to their studio in Stirling

and the initial results were very impressive.

Together they laid down a very true to the

original recording of Jimmy Reed’s Honest I

Do. Elliott and Tweeddale discussed at the time

recording a collaborative album of Jimmy Reed’s

songs. Although the idea was shelved, they did




perform a set of Jimmy Reed’s material at the

Edinburgh Jazz & Blues Festival with the same

musicians who now make up the current version

of Blues ‘N’ Trouble. Tweeddale became a

member of the band in 2001. Having been taken

aback by the volume of the band at that time, he

added a tube screamer guitar overdrive pedal to

his equipment. Nowadays the band are a quieter

band than they have been for years, and this is

something Elliott appreciates as it does make

singing audible vocal lines an easier task.

In recent years Blues ‘N’ Trouble has

performed on occasion with Scottish singer

Maggie Bell. When asked how this came about,

Tweeddale advised this had been the idea

of Little Blues Festival director, Patrick van

Speybrock. Following an appearance at the

festival, van Speybrock outlined his hope that

they might return with Bell. Tweeddale, who

had only met Bell on one previous occasion,

eventually obtained a phone number for him,

and he was keen on the idea. The band did

appear with Bell at Lille, and since then at

several blues festivals in Scotland. Bell is kept

busy, working with the Hamburg Blues Band

and the British Blues Quartet and with each

line-up keeps a fairly rigid set list. The band

had discussed performing some of Bell’s earlier

material with Stone The Crowes, yet these so far

have been put in check by a lack of preparation

time, and perhaps also Bell’s attachment to the

songs she recorded with the late Les Harvey.

Blues ‘N’ Trouble maintains a keen interest

in the Scottish blues scene. They contributed

the title track of their new album to the second

volume of the compilation of Scottish blues,

Jock’s Juke Joint. Both Elliott and Tweeddale

gave special mention to a fellow musician, Jed

Potts. Potts has performed in an extended line

up of Blues ‘N’ Trouble on several occasions,

but leads his own trio, Jed Potts & the Hillman

Hunters. Tweeddale recalled that he was

blown away when he first saw Jed performing

a Johnny Guitar Watson song. Not only was

the choice of material a surprise (as opposed

to the more predictable choices), but also the

manner of his fine delivery. Elliott also praised

the quality of Stevey Hay’s recent album (as

reviewed in BM! issue 68). He believes having

formed a band with ex Tam White guitarist Neil

Warden, Hay has found a fellow musician who

can not only bring the best out of him musically,

but also help him boost his profile. Dave Arcari

received admiration for his hard work and in

Tweeddale’s views is as integral to Scottish

Well worth the wait: Try Anything Twice

blues as the Nimmos. Tweeddale also credited

issue 68 interviewee Lewis Hamilton for the

strength of his blues playing, and compiling

two very strong compilation albums under the

Jock’s Juke Joint series. Elliott summarised that

Scotland does have some excellent blues acts,

observing less of a dominance of the rockier

guitar heavy trios south of the border. However

for various reasons they do not receive the same

level of press.

When asked whether he would like to discuss

anything further, Elliott mentioned that Try

Anything Twice was dedicated to three late

associates of the band. Gerry Calderhead worked

as sound engineer for the band over many

years. Jimmy Brown was the band’s original

guitarist, alongside John Bruce, who took the

decision to remain in Edinburgh in his secure

job when the rest of the band went full time. Lou

Martin who passed away in August 2012 was

in the band at the height of their fame. He was

located playing in a cocktail bar by Bruce, and

his presence was an added attraction for the

band. This was particularly in countries such

as Germany where he would include samples of

his recordings with Rory Gallagher within his

solos, leading to great applause. Martin was a

classically trained musician who, whenever he

spotted a piano in their hotel, would balance his

wine glass on top and sit down to play music

from Chopin and Beethoven. This was about as

far from his style as you could imagine!

Please visit www.bluesntrouble.co.uk for the latest news

and forthcoming tour dates.


Introducing...

Kross Border

Rekords

A bright new label

for British Blues...

YOU CAN CATCH

ABSOLUTION

ON THE JAKS STAGE AT

BUTLINS ROCK’N’BLUES 2013

The White Knuckle

Blues Band, feat. Steve Roux

This former Virgin records/pointblank recording artist returns with a stunning

new album and is taking the festival scene by storm.

‘Anyone wanting Blues in their face will like this. Just twiddle with the volume knob’

Gareth Hayes - Blues Matters! magazine - June 2012

Absolution

‘Absolution are... a group that could go places. With a great rhythm sound and scintillating

guitar behind fine vocals, this trio are a complete and very tight rock/blues package.’

Maverick magazine - January 2012

‘Blues flawlessness...these guys are incredible musicians (with)

an incredible album that requires many listens!’

9/10 - www.bluesrockreview.com (USA) - January 2012

Both Released 15th October, via Proper Distribution

reviews

Albums

albums

This issue’s selection includes: BEN HARPER, BILL

WYMANS’S RHYTHM KINGS, BLACK COUNTRY COMMUNION,

GWYN ASHTON, HABIB KOITE & ERIC BIBB, JOE BONAMASSA,

JOHN HIATT, JULIAN SAS, MUDDY WATERS and much more!

ALEX HAYNES

Last Train

Independent

This reviewer’s album

of the month comes

in the shape of

inspirational and

off-the-wall blues by

Alex Haynes and pals

on what is really only an EP as it just

hosts six tracks. However, once in the

machine, whether car or hi-fi or chosen

format, it’s very difficult to turn off the

hypnosis. Derivative of old-fashioned

traditional blues, Haynes’ work primarily

stretches into the regions usually

paraded by the curious mix of, say,

Alabama 3, Skip McDonald, Rocco

Deluca and maybe even Lenny Kravitz

on downers. Well, there is plenty to

distract and engage. The powerful

Shake ‘Em On Down is feverish and

urban, the rhythmic Last Train is

predictable to a degree (rolling beats

inevitable) but still proves innovative, and

Crawl No More is John Lee Hooker

meats Bauhaus. Strikingly original, this is

neologism blues for those wishing to

extend the boundary.

Gareth Hayes

ALFREDO

GARCIA-NAVAS

Back In Blues

Extraplatte

Well, if you ever had

any doubts about

blues being an

international

language, then this

CD ought to put you

right. See, Alfredo Garcia-Navas was

born in Caracas, Venezuela where he

studied music at the conservatory, before

getting a scholarship to the Hochschule

für Musik in Wien (University of Music,

Vienna, Austria). Since then he’s given

solo concerts across Europe as well as

working with various chamber music

ensembles and also at the Opera House

of Vienna. And now, here he is, with an

album of cover versions, dedicated to

Gary Moore! It may not be grits and

roadhouses, but it’s certainly an

interesting journey, as they say on every

reality TV show. The music is less so.

Now there is no doubting that Senor

Garcia-Navas is a remarkably talented

guitarist, as you listen to him take on

songs from Gary Moore, Robert

Johnson, John D Loudermilk, Otis Rush,

Peter Green and The Police(!). But the

blues is more than technique, and

sometimes it seems lacking in emotion.

He’s also not the best singer, which is

why the songs where he gets Phil

Reinhardt to sing – in particular Sloe

Gin and Midnight Blues – work best. I

remember a Phil Reinhardt from my

eighties metal days, wonder if it’s the

same one? I’m sure this was a labour of

love, but for me it just misses.

Stuart A Hamilton

BARB JUNGR

Stockport To Memphis

Naimjazz

Let me say right from

the outset that this

lady has a

tremendous voice,

it’s just that it doesn’t

sit comfortably with

me and the album doesn’t suit a Blues

magazine. Described as ‘an interpreter

of other people’s songs’ (my cynical

view is tribute or copy act), I don’t feel

that much has been added to some of

the songs that she has interpreted.

Opening with the self-penned title track,

it’s an autobiographical piece detailing

how she left home in Stockport to seek

her new life. It is an up-tempo happy

song that truly showcases her beautiful

voice. This then changes with a rather

drab version of Sam Cooke’s Change

Is Gonna Come. Joni Mitchell’s River is

true radio pap, and Neil Young’s Old

Man has lost a lot of the angst and

frustration of the original, instead being

presented as a ballad. Dylan is not

exempt from having his songs

sugarified. Lay Lady Lay does nothing,

and without the Hammond organ

backing would sink into the mire. Of the

covers that stand up are Tom Waits

Way Down In The Hole, portrayed in a

mystic manner with moody backing and

hypnotic piano, and Rod Argent’s She’s

(He’s) Not There which is given an

upbeat and somewhat funky outing

similar to the Santana version with the

gender of the subject altered. In

retrospect, I much prefer her own

self-penned songs. New Life portrays

the excitement of a young woman

exploring her new life and oozes

expectation, and the muted trumpet

backing gives the whole song a great

jazz feel. The best song on the album

however is her own Till My Broken

Heart Begins To Mend, on which she

plays some great harmonica, and the

piece staggers forward, metaphorically

replicating the feelings of an injured

soul.

Merv Osborne

CONTINUES OVER...


Albums

reviews

BEN HARPER

Get Up!

Stax/Concord Music

It has taken ten years

for Mr Harper to

team up with

harmonica master

Charlie Musselwhite,

at last managing it on

this, his 12th studio album, the first since

2011’s Give ‘til It’s Gone. The first point

I must make is how relaxed it is. The

band, including Jason Mozersky (guitar),

Jesse Ingalls (bass) and Jordan

Richardson (drums), play with

economical grit, lending the songs true

understanding and authority. A mix of

(what else) blues/roots/gospel/r&b Get

Up! features ten character studies in

cinematic detail all written or co-written

by Harper. For instance on 1, Don’t

Think Twice the politics of personal

destruction are palpable. On 6, I Ride At

Dawn, a ghostly soldier laments the

futility of war, a haunting battle hymn.

The catchy bass line on 8, Get Up! is

hypnotic. 9, She Got Kick is very much a

play on words from a song made famous

by that trio from Texas! Must be said that

throughout the album Musselwhite’s

counter point harmonica accentuates

Harper’s vocals, but at only 40 minutes, I

felt a bit cheated. In the past, Harper has

taught us about love, drugs, life and

rock’n’roll. He continues his evolution as

an artist, as well as a person. He might

lack a sense of direction at the moment,

but it’s this lack of clarity that has

produced an excellent, focused album.

Clive Rawlings.

BIG SANDY AND HIS

FLY-RITE BOYS

Jumping From 6 To 6/

Dedicated To You

Retroworld

Williams, better

known as Big Sandy,

released these two

albums in 1994 and

1998. Jumping From

6 To 6 features a mix

of swing, jump jive, early rock n roll and

country. If that sounds like a throwback

to the styles of the classic Sun Records

releases, then you’re thinking along the

right lines. The recording has that

authentic feel and great vocals by Big

Sandy. It straddles a wide spectrum of

genres. The title track is a great upbeat

opener to the album, with some

impressive fleet fingered playing from

Ashley Kingman and Lee Jeffriess, the

latter on steel guitar. The country

influences within the recording are

prominent, firstly on a take of (the

original) Frankie Miller’s True Blue.

Likewise, on the fast paced Someone

Like You, an original composition by

Williams, which includes the addition of a

fiddle. On the latter tracks, the songs

work well well, on other tracks, such as

the rock n roll Who, Tell Me Who, the

Elvis intonations run a little strong for this

listener, although the band playing is still

hot. The high tempo remains for most of

the recording, with the sole exception

being a take of Hank Williams Weary

Blues From Waitin’ . It’s a great listen,

particularly if you like your guitars to

twang. The second album is more of a

solo effort from Big Sandy. Commencing

with a gospel based recording of Lonely

Girl, the overall bend of the album is

different, with the focus being more on

the vocals, and a larger proportion of the

album being dedicated to R&B and

doo-wop. It is perhaps less engaging

than the first album; however, the

arrangement of the songs is very

impressive. Death Of An Angel breaks

up the lighter subject nature of the rest

of the album. The sincerity of Big

Sandy’s interpretations is highly merited.

Yet perhaps on occasion, such as

Richard Berry’s Have Love Will Travel,

Big Sandy’s version is actually too close

to the original. Perhaps the key is that

these albums do a superb job of making

recordings in the 1990s recreate the

styles and feel of the 1950s.

Duncan Beattie

BILL WYMANS’S

RHYTHM KINGS

The Best Of: Volume 2

Repertoire

The pre-Christmas

market always sees

the inevitable release

of best-of albums,

and this album is no

exception to the rule.

However its release one year after the

release of Volume 1, might be seen as a

step too far for some fans. This is

particularly the case given the band has

only released 5 studio albums, the last of

which was 2004’s Just For A Thrill. In

the two decades since Wyman departed

the Rolling Stones, he and Terry Taylor

have worked with a multitude of

renounced artists. Indeed the opening

track alone, She’s Looking Good

features Albert Lee, Geraint Watkins and

Beverley Skeete. Elsewhere guitarists

including Eric Clapton, Andy Fairweather

Low, Martin Taylor and Tommy

Emmanuel crop up. Yet while Wyman’s

walking bass style is a delight, his vocals

do not quite hit the same heights.

Therefore it is often the guest vocalists

that provide the collection’s highlights.

Mike Sanchez’s trademark vocals appear

on Booty Ooty and You Don’t Know,

while Georgie Fame and Skeete

combine on Melody. The closest the

collection genuinely comes to the blues

is Can’t Get My Rest At Night, which

breaks from the big band formula to

feature Mick Taylor on slide guitar. The

Watkins’ led take of Willie Mabon’s I’m

Mad is enjoyable listening. It’s a good

reminder of the band, but with no new

material, inessential to existing fans.

Duncan Beattie

BLACK COUNTRY

COMMUNION

Afterglow

Mascot Records

Like its two

predecessors,

‘Afterglow’ is

overseen by Kevin

Shirley, who has

become the unofficial

fifth member of the band. What had

started out as a Glenn Hughes solo

project became a full blown BCC album,

due to the other band members having a

five day window to record. This offering

expands on the progression that took

place between BCC and BCC2, rich in

hooks, melodies and choruses, making

for another highly rewarding album.

Opener Big Train has Bonamassa

delivering sharp guitar, complimenting

Hughes’ voice, Bonham providing the

engine room. At Bonham’s insistence,

Confessor is played in the style of his

dad, slow and groovy. Cry Freedom has

Bonamassa sharing vocals; I detect a

hint of Humble Pie / ZZ Top. The title


reviews

Albums

track, at more than six minutes is the one

epic; Dandelion brings Bonham to the

fore, whilst The Giver and Crawl give

Sherinian a chance to show his keyboard

talents. Common Man could have easily

have been culled from Deep Purple’s

Stormbringer. If the rumours are to be

believed, we may never get to see BCC

again, but the combination of Hughes’

voice and Bonamassa’s guitar alone

justifies their existence. There is

spontaneity to this album, but also a few

sloppy moments, given the short time

available to record it. Despite that, this

album fulfils all the early promise.

Clive Rawlings.

BLUES OVERDRIVE

The Blues Overdrive

Gateway Music

Scandinavian Blues is

alive and doing very

well. It is noticeable

that some of the

premier Blues

festivals are now

across the North Sea, and whereas

American artists often eschew UK

venues, they do play elsewhere in

Europe. This may be one of the reasons

why that region is now producing some

excellent Blues artists, such as Thorbjørn

Risager and Mike Andersen, to which

one can now add Copenhagen’s The

Blues Overdrive, whose eponymous

album is excellent. Apart from one

obscure JJ Cale cover this is all written

in house, and captures 60s revivallist

Blues perfectly. The album is

self-produced and features vocalist and

songwriter Martin Olsen’s authentic take

on the boogie, rocking, slow and country

Blues of that genre. Without a weak

track, and generating an eery and oddly

mesmeric feeling, this is a very good

album indeed. As is usual with acts from

these parts the non-native language

presents no barrier, and frankly if you

didn’t know where they were from, you

would guess at somewhere in England.

The songs are superb, and such is the

quality of singing, playing and production

that one can hear each instrument

perfectly, just one example being the

slow Blues Ball & Chain. Peter Thorup

and Allexis Korner et al are

acknowledged in Mr. 16 Tons (Blues

For Thorup). The laid back ambience of

JJ Cale and Eric Clapton pervades much

of the work, and the more I have played

this album the more subtle nuances and

influences come to the fore. This comes

highly recommended.

Noggin

CLAUDE HAY

I Love Hate You

128 Records

Album number three

from the selfproclaimed

Australian

‘swampy rock

stompin blues’

explosion’. And it’s not

half bad. You can also add in one man to

that list of attributes, because he is

largely a one-man band, with only a

couple of guest musicians filling in the

blanks. He’s also one of these fellas who

is trying to do something a wee bit

different as he is more than happy to use

the wonders of modern technology to

push his songs ahead. Those songs are

also self-penned bar an unnecessary

excursion into the Beatles Come

Together. When everything comes

together as it does on songs such as

Best Days and the title track, I Love

Hate You, a tune about his beloved

motorhome, it really is a delight. If you’re

wondering how he comes up with his

unique guitar sound, then it’s down to his

home-made resonator type guitar, made

from a $7 baking tray, scrap bits of metal

off broken washing machines, left over

timber from a deck, and bits of guitars

from his guitar graveyard. So now you

know. Definitely file under interesting.

Stuart A Hamilton

CRAIG HORTON

In My Spirit / Touch Of The

Bluesman

Bad Daddy Records

I remember when

these albums came

out a decade or so

ago, but as there is

nothing to indicate

why it’s suddenly

reappeared, I’ll just go with the flow, and

pretend it’s just because. In My Spirit

was the debut solo album from Mr

Horton, but he had some pedigree

behind him. He had played along with

and besides the likes of Chuck Berry,

Sam Cooke, Dinah Washington, Otis

Rush, Muddy Waters, Buddy Guy and

Freddie King. He earned his spurs on

the road, with acts like The Harlem Road

Kings, and The Ink Spots, playing

anywhere, anyhow. However, when it

came to his own records, it was straight

down the middle Chicago Blues. On In

My Spirit, it’s mainly original material but

he finds time for covers of Mose Allison’s

Nightclub, which really rocks along, as

well as a couple of tunes from his former

bandmate Jump Jackson, of which

Ridin’ In My Jaguar is an absolute

standout. Fast forward a couple of years,

and Touch Of The Bluesman was more

of the same, with some excellent guitar

work and some driving, rocking blues,

alongside an excellent rendition of

Serves Me Right To Suffer.

Stuart A Hamilton

CRAIG HUGHES

Hard Times Vol. 1

Channel Nowhere

Craig is a Glaswegian

who has an amazing

picking guitar style

whether electric or

acoustic. His vocal

style is reminiscent of

Tom Waites (very whisky soaked). The

slide on Left to Crawl is a joy to behold.

Only six songs on this EP but each is

unique in its simplicity. Hard Times Every

Day is a harsh indictment of today’s

recession. Finally, Tapes for my

Walkman has a banjo accompaniment

and comments on today’s need for

technology. An interesting look at one

singer who takes no prisoners. Available

for only £4 from his Bandcamp website.

Bob Bonsey

DANNY KALB AND

FRIENDS

Moving in Blue

Sojourn Records

Danny Kalb, founder

member of The Blues

Project which, at

times, included

Al Kooper, has

produced a blues

masterclass. He is a musician who

plays from the soul and it is a riveting

CONTINUES OVER...


Albums

reviews

collection. This is a double album, with

his own songs and traditional covers.

His guitar skills and vocal dexterity

makes the whole thing a pleasurable

experience. Covers include Got My

Mojo Working; Baby Please Don’t

Go; Dylan’s It Takes a Lot to Laugh, It

Takes a Train to Cry; and Johnny Cash’s

So Doggone Lonesome plus at least

another dozen and every one in his own

style. And then we come to his own

compositions. Feel Just Like Going

Home which opens this collection;

Waitress at The Troubadour; has the

lyrical imagery of Louden Wainwright

III. His rendition of Son House’s Death

Letter Blues is worth the price of this

album alone. This has to be one of the

best albums I’ve heard this year.

Bob Bonsey

DAVID MAXWELL

Blues In Other Colors

Shining Stone

Sitting in an unusual

juxtaposition of

jazz-blues and

improvisation it is

hard to pigeonhole

David Maxwell’s

album as anything but an enlightening

journey. Feeling the blues in the

traditional music of a number of nations

and regions, Maxwell describes a road

trip, in musical form, around the East

from Morocco to Turkey and India, yet

played at all times with a backbone of

traditional blues. It’s part soundtrack,

part experiment, part adventure and not

always an easy listen. Maxwell is a

piano player by trade and has appeared

with every alumni of Chicago Blues,

along with turns for Eric Clapton and

Keith Richards. Here he sneaks in his

own guest in the form of British

Columbian guitar maestro Harry Manx.

It’s a revealing journey and an

interesting exploration of non-western

instruments such as the oud, raita and

Mohan vina. For those not in the know,

think sitar. It may be misleading to pin

down star tracks as the titles Cryin’ The

Blue’, Chillin’ In Casa and Mombai

Blues may just serve to confuse. The

whole set is definitely worth a visit and

is quite reverential to our mutual

heritage.

Gareth Hayes

DAWSON SMITH & THE

DISSENTERS

Took The Night

Annson Records

South Wales born

Smith is seen as a

veteran of the music

scene and for the last

twenty five years he

has been plying his

trade from Leicester. From the

mid-nineties he fronted Blues rockers

the Healers, with two successful solo

albums following the split of that band,

only then forming the current band, The

Dissenters. Describing his music as

roadhouse rock‘n’roll, this becomes

apparent with the two opening tracks.

Just One More, the opener, is an

outright lift of a Stones riff, a great

driving groove. This is followed by

American Cars, a wry dig at the

American motor industry and the irony of

stars driving European and Japanese

cars. The title track struts with attitude as

the band stomp, and the powerful bass

line drives the whole forward. He

maintains that driving force with When I

Say It, tipping a nod to one of his

influences, Dr Feelgood. Key To My

Heart opens in a very 60s Mayall Blues

vein and then guest vocalist Sally Barker

sings. Her voice is a true gem and adds

depth to the song. Smith also plays some

tasty guitar on this track. Changing tack

completely, Drink To Drunk is an out and

out rock’n’roller with a Chet Atkins

sounding guitar solo and is followed by

Mexicali, a South American rhythm

driven by alto and tenor saxes. The

accordion makes a showing in another

rocker Keys To The Bank. The CD

finishes with Attention To The Blues, a

tribute to Rory Gallagher with Smith

playing slide guitar. Difficult to appreciate

at first, but it which grows over time.

Merv Osborne

DIAMOND JIM

GREENE

Surrounded

Cooling Board

An excellent and

slightly different

album from this

Chicago-born and

raised country

bluesman, whose

introduction to the blues came, when he

was a young child, via street singer Blind

Arvella Gray on the south side back in

the 50s. He came to wider attention in

the 90s with a release on Holland’s

Black Magic Records. Those country

blues stylings are still there on this set,

with Jim’s guitar work sounding a little

like Big Bill Broonzy’s on Screamin’ And

Cryin’ Blues but many of the tracks

have a big horn sound – part soul revue,

part jazz band – and Jim’s declamatory

vocals way out front. The album opens

with a stunning version of Shake ‘Em

On Down, but Please Don’t Fly Away

and Take Time are lilting soul ballads,

Duke Ellington’s Don’t Get Around

Much Anymore showcases Jim the jazz

singer to great effect, and he can follow

a notable duet cover of Robert

Johnson’s Crossroads with Happy and

Artie Traum’s folk-rock standard Golden

Bird. You don’t need me then to say that

Jim can easily incorporate soul, jazz, and

folk into his music and the results

certainly come out as blues regardless

– no doubt about it. And when he does

do something really low-down – like

Prison Blues on this set – it is mightily

impressive indeed.

Norman Darwen

FATHEAD

Twenty Years Deep

Electro Fi Records

‘Fathead’ an award

winning Canadian

band demonstrates

throughout this well

produced CD their

pedigree have been

delighting audiences in Canada for two

decades, this collection of 19 tracks truly

showcase’s the delightful combination of

great musicianship and a mellow voice of

John Mays. This is a buffet selection of

delights from their discography of seven

studio albums. This is a band that stays

true to the blues and each track is

carefully crafted to display the talents of

all the members with strong bass line

and the inclusion of awesome tenor sax

and harmonica. Track 5 One Day The

Sun Will Shine demonstrates this with

powerful Sax opening followed by strong

lyrics beautifully sung, the haunting tones

of the saxophone strengthens the

meaning of phrases such as I Am So


reviews

Albums

Lonely Other standout tracks for me on

this accomplished album are Track 8

First Class Riff-Raff a class blues

number, Track 13 Building Full Of Blues

with skilful guitar playing that makes this

a really punchy rhythm and Track 17

Monkey Time with its strong percussive

rocky feel. A good album of mainly

self-penned solid blues numbers

producing a rounded sound that makes

you want to see them play live in the UK

very soon.

Liz Aiken

FLIPRON

Firework Shoes

Tiny Dog

What is a Flipron?

Apparently lead

singer and principle

songwriter Jesse

Budd’s friend had a

(presumably model)

plesiosaurus, an extinct marine reptile,

whom he named Flipron, a strange route

to the band’s name. That is by no means

the only original aspect of this talented

group from Glastonbury, who draw their

influences from the great tradition of

quintessentially eccentric English music,

delivered with little reference to the

all-pervading trans-Atlantic fashions of

the last fifty years or more. Instead here

is music, rich in the tradition of Ray

Davies, and Small Faces Ogden’s

Nut-gone Flake The songs are

occasionally wordy, but always

underscored with wit and ironic humour,

for example Big Fat Blackberries, the

superb Chas & Dave-ish sing-along The

King Of All Our Crimes, referencing

night terrors Until It Gets Light and a

nod to surf reggae The Comet Returns.

The telling menace of Superstition Has

Its Uses is a standout, with great piano

lines and intelligent lyrics: ‘If your

ancestors were with you, their eyes upon

each moment of your day, how would

you feel? What would you say?’. Some of

the song titles are right up there with the

best, like Low-life Seeking Elevation,

this song being replete with a whistled

solo. This is no one-man band, and

though it is clearly a vehicle for Budd’s

amusing and observational lyrics the

group adds light and shade in

well-rehearsed and wonderfully

constructed songs, and both Budd and

Joe Atkinson are multi-instrumentalists.

So, if you’re looking for music of this

particular and peculiar ilk, it doesn’t come

any better. Quite wonderful.

Noggin

GWYN ASHTON

RadioGram

FabTone Records

Having been a keen

follower of Gwyn’s

progress for the best

part of ten years, I

find it hard to better

him as far as all-out

assault on a guitar goes. Welsh born, but

Australian raised, Gwyn’s been around a

while and more importantly has lived the

life he writes about so eloquently on the

nine originals contained here.

Abandoning the Two Man Blues Army

format of 2009, drummer Kev Hickman

is retained but Gwyn has recruited help

from the likes of Kim Wilson (harp), Don

Airey (keys), guitarist Robin Blunt and

Magnum’s Mark Stanway, and a fine

album it is too. From the slide on opener

Little Girl, through the soulful ballads

Fortunate Kind and Angel, Gwyn and

friends do the business, and on the only

cover I Just Want to Make Love To You

confirming he’s here for the long haul,

rather than some of the newer artists

maybe. Old school he is, but a bloody

good teacher!

Clive Rawlings

JAKE LEAR

Diamonds and Stones

Blind Racoon

I think I’m right in

saying this is Jake’s

second album after

Lost Time Blues and

it’s a cracker. Lear is

joined by Roy

Cunningham on drums and Carlos Arias

on bass. Opener Strange Thing has a

swampy, Buddy Guy Sweet Tea era feel,

coupled with echoes of Neil Young and

Roy Buchanan. 2 Going Back Home

(North Mississippi Bound) has a lot of

the authenticity of RL Burnside, basic

swamp blues. 3 Wasting Time drives

home the raw sound of the delta. 4

Diamonds and Stones sounds a little

CONTINUES OVER...

HABIB KOITE

& ERIC BIBB

Brothers In Bamako

Stony Plain

This international

collaboration

brings together

acoustic

Bluesman Eric

Bibb and

West African 20th century griot

musician Habib Koite. The song

writing duties are shared and the

material is mostly original with a

beguiling mix of Blues, folk, gospel

and world music that is soulful,

intelligent, tuneful and soothing.

The superb opening track ‘On

My Way To Bamako is written

by Bibb about his first trip to

Bamako and how It’s Gonna Feel

Like Comin’ Home. The melody

is sweet and Bibb’s wonderful

vocals are backed by the various

lilting stringed instruments and

light percussion that are used

throughout the album. Koite

responds in kind with L.A. which he

sings in French. In the co-written

Tombouctou the pair worry about

what is happening in Timbuktu as

they continue their musical journey.

The pair also create a stinging

commentary on the state of global

commercialisation with We Don’t

Care and how it has made selfish

consumers of us all. “We want

the gold as long as we don’t have

to mine it, don’t care who suffers

or who’s behind it”. The charming

traditional instrumental Nani Le is

followed by the heartfelt gospel

tinged sounds of Bibb’s With My

Maker I Am One. A gently melodic

cover of Bob Dylan’s Blowin’ In

The Wind features pedal steel

guitar from Olli Haavisto. The

closing track is the traditional

folk/Blues tune Goin’ Down The

Road Feelin’ Bad Bibb is well

known to acoustic Blues lovers

and Koite sings about his era and

his environment in Africa and the

two have combined well here to

produce a contemporary classic.

Dave Drury


Albums

reviews

more updated, along the lines of the

Stripes or Dylan, but in no way a copy.

Lear plays a few raw guitar solos on

here, all the time not being over

technical. 5 Down By The River is really

cool, Lear’s guitar stretches out, along

with a bit of a 60s boogaloo beat. 6 Jack

of Diamonds, the first of two covers,

keeps the Hooker feel. somewhat

lacking in modern players, a really great

tribute. 7 Junior Wells’ Work, Work,

Work sets the Chicago feel, nothing

flashy, just great, solid blues. 8 I See A

Train coming has a more complex feel,

akin to a SRV or Peter Green. 9 Quit

You gives a nod to Howlin’ Wolf. An

original Lear composition, it’s a shuffle

track with a bit of Texas blended in.

Finally, 10 Boogie Time takes a leaf out

of Hound Dog Taylor. Whilst not

mimicking Taylor’s style, the carefree

playing and reckless abandon capture

some of the Dog’s spirit. As you progress

through this recording you wait for a

weak spot, but it doesn’t come. Excellent.

Clive Rawlings

JAMES ARMSTRONG

Sleeping With A Stranger / Got

It Going’ On

Retroworld

This package

contains two albums

from San Francisco

based bluesman

James Armstrong.

The first disc contains

Armstrong’s debut, recorded for the

Hightone label in 1995. Blending blues

with soul and R&B it is hard to describe

Armstrong’s style without referring to

Robert Cray. Like Cray, Armstrong pens

insightful and sensitive lyrics while his

guitar playing is stylishly economical, but

atmospheric. The funk tinged title track

sets up this promising release. While the

subject of matter of broken relationships

and loneliness regularly appear on tracks

such as Midnight Again and Hard, Hard

Blues they are balanced by the John

Lee Hooker style Six Bar City and the

swinging Baby’s Crawling. Perhaps the

most original song is The Devil’s Living

There which features his tasteful electric

guitar leads over an acoustic rhythm.

Sadly Armstrong’s rise was halted

through a vicious stabbing two years

later leading to injuries that meant he

had to restyle his guitar playing.

Following 1999’s Dark Night, strangely

not included, Got It Going On features

Daniel Tucker on drums and Robert

Watson on bass from the Joe Louis

Walker Band. 2 Sides is perhaps the

catchiest tune, and featured in the film

Shameless. It is one of two tunes to

feature Robert Cray’s keyboardist Jimmy

Pugh, who also features on the Albert

Collins style Lucky Guy. Overall there’s a

wider scope to this second album, with

the New Orleans styled Mr Bs and the

heartfelt ballad Another Dream. Despite

his trauma, this second album surpasses

the first for its song-writing quality. If. like

me, you missed these albums the first

time around, this is a great opportunity to

discover the talents of Mr Armstrong.

Duncan Beattie

JAMES BUDDY

ROGERS

My Guitar’s My Only Friend

Blue Wave

Canadian-born

James Rogers has

been playing blues all

his life, and this latest

release highlights

that he can certainly

write some good songs, and play some

sharp lead guitar, but unfortunately his

vocals are not strong enough to take him

up to the next level, lacking the emotion

you need to sing the blues. Having cast

aspirations about James vocals I have to

admit that I did enjoy listening to the

album which is easy on the ear and

flows nicely with a smooth soulful Robert

Cray feel to it, all ten tracks are

self-written and the supporting

musicians are all top notch, generating

some funky blues sounds to several

tracks most notably Dawg, a song about

a man’s relationship with a dog! There is

this second

album

surpasses

the first

for its song

writing

quality

no doubting James’s Blues credentials;

it’s just those vocals that need some

work to ‘toughen up’ his sound which

would really help to bring out the quality

of the material.

Adrian Blacklee

JASON VIVONE & THE

BILLY BATS

Lather, Rinse, Repeat

Independent

The line-up is Vivone

(vox/guitar/harp),

Matt Bustamante

(drums), Jeremy

Clark (bass), Paula

Crawford (vox/

guitar), Imani Glasgow (vox/percussion)

and Ben Hoppes (vox/banjo). The CD

opens with the seductive I Heard A

Heartbeat, a Texas boogie style, with

tempting lyrics and a ripping cigar box

slide. On 2, Baby Fat Vivone uses a

tongue in cheek solo vocal, with minimal

band participation, except a slide melody

and drums. 3, The Nina, The Platter, The

Santa Maria, is a speeded up Chicago

blues with 50s style vocals and classic

blues riffs, with a touch of humour.

Loosely based on a Muddy Waters track

with a touch of George Thorogood. 4,

The Black Lone Ranger keeps the

groove going, again with the slide player

having a chance to shine. 5, One Hot

Mother is a typical 12 bar blues track,

allowing Vivone the freedom to sing

clever lyrics to an otherwise basic track.

7, Do The Nod has hints of Bo Diddley,

8, Liquid Diet is a funky scratch track

and 9, Medusa Blues closes the album

with a more complex track. A fun

collection of original material, ideal for a

party!

Clive Rawlings.

JERSEY JULIE BAND

Goosebumps

Independent

It wouldn’t surprise

anyone to discover

that Jersey Julie hails

from New Jersey.

What the

nomenclature doesn’t

tell the listener is that she is now based

in France and that the band is a trio

consisting of herself, her husband and

guitarist Olivier Mas, and upright bass


reviews

Albums

player Stéphane Blanc. Supported by a

handful of local guests, the album is a

fun collection of traditional blues at a

tempo, and the band’s own compositions.

The blend works fairly well as it

alternates from work by the likes of

Arthur Crudup (Worried About You

Baby) and Mississippi John Hurt

(Richard Woman Blues) to their own

contemporary styled Jersey Shuffle and

Red Riding Hood. If the potential buyer

was looking for a reference point, then it

could well be with the UK’s Cherry Lee

Mewis, a front woman with attitude but

not necessarily rebellion. The beat

provided by Carl Perkins, Son House and

Billy Boy Arnold numbers confirm the

synergy. Three of the guests hail from

the Bayou Brothers and there is a

natural inclination towards New Orleans

and French flavouring, although the

strength is in refrain.

Gareth Hayes

JOCK’S JUKE JOINT

Contemporary Blues From

Scotland Volume 2

Lewis Hamilton Music

This is the second

release of the top

Scottish blues talent

following the highly

acclaimed first

volume described by

BM! as, ‘one of the best compilations

made this year, taking us on a roller

coaster ride of emotional and blues

styles.’ However, Volume 2 can now

claim this accolade because it is even

better, not least because of the

sensational collaboration between Scots

harp legend Fraser Speirs and young

gun Lewis Hamilton. The instrumental,

There You Are Now is reminiscent of

Sonny Terry and Brownie McGhee at

their peak, albeit in mellow mood, with

harmonica and guitar in perfect synergy.

Another key factor contributing to the

brilliance of the second volume is the

continuing theme of superb harmonica

playing on most of the 18 tracks. One of

the leading exponents of this instrument

is Richard Young, an Englishman now

residing in Scotland, whose Confidence

Man is a tour de force performance.

Other harp giants include the Blues ‘n’

Trouble front man Tim Elliott (Try

Anything Twice), Danny Williams of The

Kennel Wages (Fighting Over You), Ali

Davies from The Binsness Bluesboys

(Crawdad Hole) and Cameron Grey

who accompanies the excellent Jed

Potts and the Hillman Hunters on Don’t

Tell Me. Jed is a versatile guitarist who

sounds like he was born in the

Mississippi Delta but is also an

accomplished folk musician with the

renowned Jake Cogan Band. Further

high spots include: Alan Sutherland’s

piano playing on Wang Dang Delta’s

Shutting Out The World; the earthy

vocals of Cynthia Gentle’s You Just

Can’t Win accompanied by the subtle

rhythms of The Truetones; and John

Alexander’s acoustic slide guitar and

finger picking on Nowhere To Go.

Folk-blues is represented by the

eight-piece band, The Black Diamond

Express, swing from Baby Isaac; and old

school R&B courtesy of The Blueswater.

Then there are the cool licks and hot riffs

of The Lynsey Dolan Band, the soulful

acoustics of Hot Tin Roof and the unique

progressive blues of Earl Grey and the

Loose Leaves. The 4 Als, including

guitarists Nimmo and Brown, and

multi-talented Dougie Burns represent

the long serving stalwarts whilst Leah

Gourley is the promising newcomer. And

within this variety lies the beauty of this

entirely original offering, a surprise

package and cornucopia of

contemporary blues artists discovered by

journalist Duncan Beattie on his travels.

The CD has been lovingly produced by

Lewis Hamilton whose father Nick takes

the credit for the professional and

creative photography and lay out. All in

all, Jock’s Juke Joint is an important

concept which shows how the genre is

thriving in Scotland as the indomitable

spirit of luminaries such as the late Tam

White, Frankie Miller, Maggie Bell, Ian

Anderson, and Jack Bruce lives on within

the country’s contemporary blues scene.

Indeed, it is far more than that as each of

the current generation of blues men and

women represented here adds a fresh,

distinctive and innovative approach and

sound which is widening the appeal of

the blues in the 21st century by taking it

in a new direction. Now where is my

suitcase, I’m heading north of the border!

The Bishop

CONTINUES OVER...

JOE BONAMASSA

Live From New York

Beacon Theatre

Provogue

Another month,

another album

from Joe

Bonamassa.

This latest

offering is culled

from the DVD of the same

concert, a home performance if

you will, and goes to show Joe’s

maturity and much improved

vocals – we all know about his

fiery guitar work. A short,

busker-like 72nd Street Subway

Blues precedes Slow Train and

we’re off on the well-trodden (not

to mention previously wellreviewed!)

set-list. Joe calls on

some very good buddies to guest

on their own particular

contributions to the CD

back-catalogue. Beth Hart duets

finely on I’ll Take Care of You and

Sinner’s Prayer, John Hiatt on his

Down Around My Place and I

Know a Place. I have to be honest

and say that for me the two

contributions from Paul Rodgers

fall somewhat short. I preferred

the rockier version of Walk in My

Shadows from the New Day

Yesterday Live era and I found

Fire and Water a little laboured.

Closer and bonus track, Warren

Haynes If Heartaches Were

Nickels, good as it is, is again a

song Joe falls back on. I recently

read an interview with another

cohort of Joe’s, Glenn Hughes, in

which he says that Joe no longer

has time to write songs because

of his heavy workload. One might

even be tempted to suggest that a

lighter workload might bring forth

more original material than is

offered on this particular CD; a

matter of quality over quantity

perhaps? The covers on this

album were, to my mind, better

done in their original form and for

a musician of Joe’s stature, I

personally feel that is a shame.

Clive Rawlings


Albums

reviews

JOE CASTELLANO

Soul Land

Blues Promotion

This is a live double

album from Joe

Castellano’s Super

Blues and Soul Band

with 14 special

guests (too

numerous to mention). ‘Super’ is the right

adjective to describe this band. The gig is

a blues and soul evening and covers

most genres.

Proud Mary (Creedance

Clearwater); Tell Mama (Eta James); I

Wish (Stevie Wonder); Marvin Gaye’s

Let’s Get it On; Dave Mason’s Feeling

Alright; Bad Girls (Donna Summer);

Lady Marmerlade; Solomon Burke’s

Everybody Needs Somebody to Love;

the list is endless. There are eight Joe

Costellano compositions which could

become soul classics in their own right.

The Bob Marley / Eric opus I Shot the

Sheriff is a masterpiece. Over two hours

of full on big band R&B sound. Absolute

heaven, if this is where you’re at. I highly

recommend it.

Bob Bonsey

JOHN THE

CONQUEROR

John The Conqueror

Alive Natural Sound

Philadelphia’s John

The Conqueror are

cousins Pierre Moore

(gtr/vox), and Michael

Gardner (drums), with

bassist Ryan Lynn.

They bring a very familiar blues/rock

sound at you, full throttle. Opener, I Just

Wanna is preceded by 45 seconds of

handclaps before a full on blues

explosion with its pleading chorus,

pumping right into track 2, Southern

Boy. This is when the instruments start

sparkling, Moore’s vocals hit full volume

and the band completely groove. Even

though the record stays in a similar vein

throughout, the band shakes things up

with subtle tweaks that enhance the

flow. Songs like the swaying 5, Time to

Go pays more of a tribute to Muddy

Waters, while 8, Letter of Intervention

showcases a blend of darker, slow

rhythms and group sing-alongs that

make an album highlight. John The

Conqueror have not set out to invent the

wheel, but this debut is dependable, solid

and timeless. It has all the ingredients

you want and thanks, perhaps, to the

Black Keys, there is an audience out

there for their style.

Clive Rawlings.

JOHN HIATT

Mystic Pinball

New West Records

Indiana born singer/

songwriter who has

been around for over

30 years and whose

songs have often

been covered with

some success by other artists including

Bonnie Raitt, Bob Dylan, BB King,

Roseanne Cash, Emmylou Harris and

Willie Nelson.This album builds on the

worldwide success of Dirty Jeans &

Mudslide Hymns and is also produced

by Kevin ‘Caveman’ Shirley (Joe

Bonamassa and Aerosmith etc.). Opener

We’re Alright Now is a melodic Blues/

rocker which features Hiatt’s trademark

raspy vocals and great harmonies and is

driven along by twangy Nashville guitars

and a clattering snare drum. Great

driving music – put the hood down and

head for Route 66. Or, in my case, the

A35 to Lytchett Matravers.The

mid-tempo Bite Marks is a Stones-style

rocker with typically tough lyrics spiced

with a dash of humour and pathos.

Tough love indeed. It All Comes Back

Someday reminded me of our own long

lost pub-rocker Graham Parker featuring

those soulful sandpaper vocal chords.

The pace drops for the black humour of

Wood Chipper which features twangy

and atmospheric guitar from Doug

Lancio as Hiatt relates his dark tale. Nick

Cave eat your heart out! The crunching

straightforward rock of My Business is

followed by the gentle and gorgeous

ballad I Just Don’t Know What To Say.

There is a country rock feel to the

melodic guitar on the Byrds tinged Give

It Up and a great acoustic ballad with No

Wicked Grin which features bass fiddle

from Patrick O’Hearn. The album closes

with Blues Can’t Even Find Me

featuring superb dobro and mandolin

from Lancio as Hiatt tells his tale of living

in a trapped relationship.This man is a

great story teller and this album is

packed with good songs, lyrical and witty

word-play, strong vocals and the

musicianship is first class.

Dave Drury

JULIAN FAUTH

Everybody Ought To Treat A

Stranger Right

Electro Fi Records

Julian Fauth is most

definitely an

accomplished blues

singer/writer,

combining strong

lyrics with more than

a hint of biblical references in a clever

and artful way that have been applied

with a modern twist as demonstrated on

Track 4, Requiem where Bill Gates,

Bankers and Sodom and Gomorrah are

mentioned, a very clever song with a the

beat of French quarter New Orleans and

Julian’s voice is deep and melodic but is

not the strongest element of this

accomplished musicians package. The

title track does not disappoint and the

highlights are Track 11 Angelique with

its bluegrass feel and Track 14, a great

interpretation of the traditional Rolling

and Tumbling. This is a gem of an album

that refuses to be pigeon-holed, where

every track is strong, with a different

twist showcasing all the passion that

Julian puts into his piano and guitar

playing, and interesting rearrangements

adding so much to this eclectic CD.

Liz Aiken

JULIAN SAS

Bound to Roll

Cavalier

Julian Sas is well

respected in Europe

with seven CDs in his

catalogue but not

well known in this

country. This album

should change that. The opening track

Life on the Line sets off at a tremendous

pace with a guitar riff reminiscent of

Walter Trout. Mercy has a wah wah

guitar sound (really lovely stuff); the title

track Bound to Roll has a real boogie

feel. This album is definitely for guitar

freaks (I mean that in the nicest possible

way). Wonderful tunes with stunning

solos. Julian puts his stamp on Rory’s

Shadowplay (not an easy thing to do);


reviews

Albums

Bob Dylan’s Highway 61 Revisited gets

the Johnny Winter treatment complete

with screaming slide guitar. There are 13

tracks here and ever yone is stonking!

Not a filler in sight. Is it blues? Is it

rock-n-roll? I don’t know, but what I do

know is it’s just a brilliant album and

should be played at a loud volume.

Bob Bonsey

LITTLE JOE

MCLERRAN

FaceBook Blues

Root Blues Reborn

Starting off with an

Elmore James

flavoured and

indirectly rather rude

My Girl Kay and

following it up with a

lovely (slightly updated) 20s styled Billy

The Grinder, Little Joe immediately

justifies the record label’s name – but

then, as he writes in the notes, he still

listens to 78s. But Joe is no stick-in-themud

purist– just listen to the lyrics of the

title track and it is apparent that he

knows what he is talking about when it

comes to social networking, despite his

protestations. Born in Boulder, Colorado

in 1983, he has been playing the blues

in public since he was eight years old,

and was in his first band a year later.

Although he is often touted as a

Piedmont blues player, here he is

generally in full band mode – take a

listen to the slide guitar driven shuffle

Black Hearted Woman, Homesick

James lovely Gotta Move (with Joe

capturing both Homesick’s slide and

vocal sound to perfection) or the driving

Corinne. Hobo Blues has a fine old-time

jug band sound, and the short bonus

track, the instrumental Sixth Floor Glide

that concludes this thoroughly

entertaining and beautifully packaged

album, has a similar knockabout feel.

Norman Darwen

LOUISIANA RED

When My Mama Was Living

Labor Records

Having your father

lynched by the Ku

Klux Klan is certainly

one reason to

become a bluesman,

but then the back

story of such a blues drifter has to

include years of anguish and lowlights

before the late-life recognition; it’s an

archetypal story. Sadly passing away in

February 2012, this collection of

Louisiana Red hollering traditional blues

songs was recorded in the mid-1970s

and most of them are being issued for

the first time. His main instrument on

show here is his skilled harmonica

playing, alternating with suitably pained

vocals, while his guitar makes space in

humble accompaniment. It’s the sensitive

pace of delivery that is spell-binding

about this man at home with real blues.

Supported on a half-dozen tracks, of

sixteen in the collection, by the

challengingly wonderful Peg Leg Sam

and Lefty Dizz, it is a rare treat indeed.

Hard to pick out highlights, except to

maybe go for those that deliver the

rudiments of blues storytelling, namely

Got A Girl With A Dog Won’t Bark and

I’ll Be Glad When You Are Dead You

Rascal You, and, of course, the

mesmeric title track.

Gareth Hayes

MARK HARRISON

Crooked Smile

Independent

Recorded at the

Livingston Studios in

Wood Green, London,

Mark Harrison’s

sophomore album is

a follow-up in similar

vein to his debut Watching The Parade.

It’s a comforting act of low-key folky and

rootsy blues numbers that give Harrison

plenty of opportunity to roll over his

National guitar with suitable vigour, whilst

delivering his poetic self-penned songs

in iconic scratchiness. The songs segue

sweetly into each other with no distinct

difference in flavour (that’s a good thing),

except to be interrupted by the

mid-album number Lay Your Burden

Down where Josienne Clarke shines

with figurative focus. A fine cast of

guests and colleagues add width with

harmonica, mandolin and double bass all

at the right time. Harrison is well

schooled in the discipline and knows

exactly how to tag the song, whether

that be for the ritual Honeyboy, or the

reflective Blessed. The low-key rumble

is particularly ironic for the album’s closer,

Reckless, and sums up his whispering

profundity.

Gareth Hayes

MUDDY WATERS

Vol. 2 King of The Chicago Blues

1951-1961

Frémeaux & Associates 3 CD set

As Chuck Berry

astutely wrote; RolI

over, Beethoven –

tell Tchaikovsky the

news. I make no

apologies for

proclaiming the blues to be the classical

music of the pop world. As such, with the

epic European composers, it’s damned

difficult to decide who, among

Beethoven, Mozart, Mahler or Bach, is

more important. The same goes for what

came out of Mississippi and Chicago. I

listen to Howlin’ Wolf and say ‘yeah –

he’s the man...’ then you’re faced with

Robert Johnson or John Lee Hooker…

yet in the end McKinley Morganfield, aka

Muddy Waters, has to be the Beethoven

of Blues. This three-CD set of 30 tracks

apiece is Muddy Waters at his peak. It

kicks off with the atmospheric Long

Distance Call and the suggestive Too

Young to Know, and includes some

lesser-known tracks such as Stuff You

Gotta Watch and the curious Iodine in

My Coffee. CD 2 plunges headlong into

the Willie Dixon/Chess classics,

including Mannish Boy and Hoochie

Coochie Man, Mojo and Close to You,

and the third CD, entitled The Crossover,

takes us through a buzzing 1961 with

nuggets like Tiger in your Tank, Messin’

with The Man and I’m Your Doctor. Fair

makes your hair stand on end. Having

had the privilege of seeing this giant live

in 1982, hearing of his death aged 68

the following year felt like a body blow to

the blues. He was so important in so

many ways. There isn’t a voice to match

his gritty, meaningful delivery. His slide

guitar work on that battered Telecaster

always thrills, and as for rock’n’roll in

general, every guitars/bass/drums

combo since owe him a debt. He

invented the classic electric blues band

line-up, and always had the very best

harmonica players, among them Little

Walter and Junior Wells, all featured

CONTINUES OVER...


Albums

reviews

here. If you need one Muddy Waters

collection to preface the later, classic

Johnny Winter-produced Hard Again,

then buy this; you’ll relish every note.

Roy Bainton

PEARL, TN

Leave Me Alone

Rattler Records

What a charming CD;

combining English

folk with less obvious

influences from the

sensibilities of

traditional Country &

Western music. Overlaying the gentle

instrumentation of this five-piece band

comprising, piano, guitar, dobro and bass

is the wistful and beautiful voice of

Harriet James. All but one of the songs

are self-penned and mostly speak of

loss and regret. This is its charm, for it

blends the seemingly innocent and

dulcet tones of Harriet’s voice with some

truly embittered sentiments, for example

You Never Said Goodbye and resigned

Slipping Away. Johnny Cash with its

subtle trademark Cash guitar figures, is a

tribute to a former lover whose errant

ways are pithily encapsulated, rhyming a

relationship described as ‘hell on earth’

with the man’s incarceration on ‘the very

night when I was giving birth’. There is

longing in Can’t Wait Forever, loss in

Fly, Mother, Fly, playful lust in Kissing

You, resentment in Dirty Lie and

concludes with the self-explanatory

Leave Me Alone. The one cover on this

album is Bill Trader’s beautiful and highly

apposite A Fool Such As I. If you have

any albums by the wonderful in your

collection, this will suit you perfectly. My

only complaint is that at only half an hour

long it left me wanting much more –

maybe the occasional happy ending!

Noggin

PHILLIP WALKER

The Bottom Of The Top &

Someday You’ll Have These Blues

Retroworld

Retroworld are

currently releasing a

series of overlooked

blues and R&B

albums, including Big

Sandy and his

Fly-Rite Boys, James Armstrong and this

release of Golf Coast blues by Phillip

Walker. Having only recorded several

singles prior to The Bottom Of The Top,

Walker was joined in the studio by a

young producer Bruce Bromberg, who

was later to produce the works of

Lightnin’ Hopkins, Joe Louis Walker and

Robert Cray. Having served his

apprenticeship with Clifton Chernier,

Walker was a seasoned performer of 20

years. The album is comprised primarily

of his interpretations of earlier blues

musicians, yet songs such as Bob

Geddins’ Tin Pan Alley are interpreted in

an original, and then contemporary

fashion. Not only a fine guitarist, Walker’s

vocals are pleasing, with a fine take of

Sam Cook’s Laughing And Clowning.

One of three self-penned tracks, It’s All

In Your Mind features saxophones and a

trumpet, and indicates the emergence of

his own song writing style. Also of note, is

his version of Hopkins’ Hello Central.

Someday You’ll Have These Blues

bares little in way of differentiation,

although it is a little more stripped back

with keyboards generally replacing the

horns of the first album. The two standout

tracks being the Beaumont Blues and

the title track. One feature of the second

disc is the song-writing of bassist and

co-producer Dennis Walker, who was to

earn greater credits in the following

decade with Robert Cray. While this is not

an essential purchase, it will hold the

attention of those fond of his

contemporaries Magic Sam, Otis Rush et

al.

Duncan Beattie

PINK TURTLE

Á La Mode

Frémeaux

There is a fairly

straight line linking

Cab Calloway, Louis

Jordan and Louis

Prima in the evolution

of jump-jive – French

outfit Pink Turtle can now be added to

the contemporary end. They have

immense musical talent and the same

kind of sense of humour as their

predecessors too; they are happy to take

hits of the last few decades, deconstruct

them and then rebuild them as, say, a

jumping, Jordanesque blues shuffle

(Fleetwood Mac’s Don’t Stop), a

Calloway-ish jiver (Sultans Of Swing,

appropriately enough) or 50s flavoured

group R&B (Baker Street, in the vein of

a very early Leiber & Stoller composition).

For me though, best of all is You’re The

One That I Want, with its echoes of

Duke Ellington’s ‘jungle sound’, though

Bob Marley’s Get Up Stand Up runs it

close, a cross between Cab Calloway

and Ray Charles, or maybe the smoky,

early 50s blues ballad rendition of The

Kinks You Really Got Me (with flute). Oh

heck, just take a listen to the whole

album – it will certainly bring a smile to

your face.

Norman Darwen

SCOTT HENDERSON,

JEFF BERLIN,

DENNIS CHAMBERS

HBC

Music Theories

The coming together

of three of the

jazz-fusion world’s

premier players has

created great

excitement within jazz

circles. Scott Henderson is accredited as

one of the world’s leading jazz guitarists,

whilst Jeff Berlin in acknowledged in a

similar vein for his work on bass. Dennis

Chambers is an almighty powerhouse on

drums and has occupied the stool

behind Carlos Santana for many years,

yet in the world of jazz fusion, he is the

most recorded drummer. All three

players can cite stints with jazz musicians

like Chick Corea, Herbie Hancock, Joe

Zawinul, Al Di Meola, John McLaughlin

and others. Their pedigree is second to

none, and throughout, each musician

sounds as though he is following his

own solo route, each attempting to

outplay the other. However, within that

statement lies the true artistry of

jazz-fusion as the overall complex sound

comes together as one. Composers here

include Hancock, Wayne Shorter, Joe

Zawinul and Billy Cobham, and of the

nine tracks, only two, have been written

by the three musicians. Threedom was

written by Jeff Berlin and is an intricate

bass solo, whilst Wayward Son Of Devil

Boy co-written by the three of them is a

straightforward Blues style stomp. It

opens with some really heavy laden

guitar by Henderson, demonstrating


reviews

Albums

various tricks and styles. My favourite

and the one I recognise most is

Cobham’s Stratus. It allows Chambers to

stretch out and pound the kit before

being reined back into the fold for the

driving bass line and soaring guitar. I

realise that this is difficult music for

many to listen to, but if you’re looking for

new sounds, check them out.

Merv Osborne

SHEMEKIA COPELAND

33 1 /3

Telarc

Shemekia has come

a long way since she

was a precocious

teenager making her

debut in 1998. She

immediately

impressed and has continued to do so

ever since, and she has also managed to

make a name for herself that does not

rely on her parentage – though on this

set, as usual, she does record one of her

father’s songs – One More Time. For

much of this set she has a small blues

band in attendance, with Buddy Guy

guesting on Ain’t Gonna Be Your Tattoo,

a slightly harrowing tale of domestic

abuse with music to match. Shemekia

has a few points to make on this album

– the opener rails at nameless politicians,

and Somebody Else’s Jesus is an

attack on cash-hungry televangelists. I

Sing The Blues is forceful, direct and

has a tough down-home sound with

some excellent harp playing by Jon

Liebman, but a more playful side is

evident on Mississippi Mud, a danceable

duet with J J Grey. Towards the end of

the set, Shemekia covers Sam Cooke

and Bob Dylan, and these two – plus the

slow Hangin’ Up which they sandwich

– show just what a good and versatile

singer she is. She’s taken a chance with

this set, but the results are worthwhile.

Norman Darwen

SPOONFUL OF BLUES

Sinners

Bluestown

Notodden, Norway, is

famous among blues

lovers for its blues

festival and as

Seasick Steve’s

home - now here’s

another reason, as it is also the home of

four-piece Spoonful Of Blues. There’s

nothing fancy about these guys. They

sound – and the sound is spot-on

incidentally – like they got together

around 1970, eager to play the blues

their own way, mixing it up with rock and

maybe a bit of folk, and influences

varying from Joe Calicott through Elvis

Presley and on to Black Sabbath

(Notodden also hosts a metal festival).

Yes, the guitars riff (loudly – very) and

the rhythm section pounds away – not

for them the sophistication of soul-blues,

they prefer rather ‘a rocking party’, with

the volume cranked up. Purists need not

turn away just yet though, as I Heard My

Baby includes among the line-up young

Sharde Thomas and Bill Turner, fife

player and drummer respectively with

Mississippi’s Rising Star Fife And Drum

Band – yes, this album was recorded in

Notodden and Clarksdale, Mississippi.

Kenny Brown also crops up on guitar on

a couple of numbers, and award winning

blues pianist Eden Brent supplies some

fine playing on Delta Porch. Towards the

end of the set there are a couple of

numbers that tend perhaps more

towards indie-rock, but this noteworthy

set closes out in fine fashion with a

hard-grooving A Ton Of Love.

Norman Darwen

STOMPIN’ DAVE

Common Ground

Independent

Stompin’ Dave is a

man for all occasions

and a popular

attraction on the live

scene. He is a

multi-instrumentalist

who plays guitar, fiddle, mandolin, piano,

harmonica, banjo and much more. He

has his own electric Blues band and

has also previously played with top

British Blues band The Producers. For

this latest solo album Dave features

traditional all American songs with

fingerstyle guitar accompaniment and

he kicks off with that old chestnut

Rising Sun Blues. This old favourite is

played in an old time country Blues

style and comes up sounding as fresh

as a daisy – lovely jubbly. Another old

Blues classic St. James Infirmary gets

similar treatment and then we get Great

STEFANO RONCHI

I’m Ready

Independent

Stefano Ronchi

has been

working as a

professional

musician in Italy

since 2005

and although his best

achievements have come in Blues

he also plays jazz, funk, pop and

bluegrass.

The album opens with a solo

acoustic intro to The End Of The

Road before the full electric band

kick in with a slow shuffle and

great ensemble playing from all

and featuring a nice harp solo from

Fabio ‘Kid’ Bommarito. A rolling

piano intro from Max Vigilante

leads into a cover of Trouble In

Mind which features guest vocalist

Merl Maroutian.

A rocking drum salvo leads

into the instrumental Wait A

Minute! which, unexpectedly,

features a jazzy violin solo from

Fabio Biale. A gentle acoustic

guitar and soulful vocals from

Ronchi feature in Down To The

River and then we get the slow,

atmospheric, and smokey late

night feel of 5 O’Clock Blues.

My favourite track on this

album is Ain’t No Love In The

Heart Of The City which features

gravel-tinged vocals from Zibba

and good guitar from Ronchi,

along with some interesting violin

playing. Max Vigilante adds his

soul-tinged vocals to Boogie Boy

which also features wailing sax

from Stefano Riggi.

The album closes with the old

Albert King favourite Born Under

A Bad Sign which swings mightily

and features excellent guitar from

Ronchi. But wait a minute, there

is a ‘hidden” track’ which is a

jam featuring a rootsy harp and

guitar driven cover of Muddy’s I’m

Ready. A good solid album and an

enjoyable listen.

Dave Drury

CONTINUES OVER...


Albums

reviews

Big Dog which is a gentle, lilting lullaby

with Dave crooning to rolling guitar

accompaniment. For the England rugby

fans amongst us we get a swift run

through of that old spiritual Swing Low

Sweet Chariot. It’s a great song but

how it ever came to be sung at

Twickenham beats me. The sound

quality is excellent and recording was

done just as it should be for this sort of

music – live with no overdubs. As

always with Dave he manages to instil

his bubbly personality into the music

and this is particularly evident on my

favourite track, the oft covered, Bottle

Up And Go. There is a touch of country,

a smidgeon of bluegrass, a dollop of

Blues, a hint of gospel and it all comes

together in a tasty stew. The jaunty tale

of Railroad Bill is accompanied by some

nifty picking and is followed by the

swinging Down By The Riverside. This

lovely album closes with the story of

Old Dan Tucker who was a ‘fine old

man, washed his face in the frying pan’.

as you do! I really did enjoy this album

and can thoroughly recommend it to all

lovers of acoustic Blues and Americana.

It will bring a smile to your face.

Dave Drury

THE BREW UK

Live In Europe

Jazz Haus Records

This album starts off

like a Hydrogen

bomb has just

exploded; the three

piece band really let

rip and put in some

energetic, aggressive playing full of

intensity, and have the crowd totally in

their hands. As the title implies, the

album is a live recording from concerts in

Europe, unfortunately no details are

available although the twelve tracks do

have a ‘one concert’ feel to them, or

there could be some high class editing!

The Band are UK-based, having

originally formed in Grimsby over five

years ago, the rhythm section is formed

by father and son Tim & Kurtis Smith,

fronting the band is Jason Barwick; who

sings and plays the guitar exceptionally

well, leading the band with a certain

swagger. The recording quality is to

‘studio standard’, and the raucous crowd

noise is kept to a minimum even on the

obligatory ‘sing along’ tracks, the material

is all self-written and probably fits a

classic rock style albeit with some blues

influences. I was really blown away on

first hearing the album and this opinion

is unchanged after several plays, while

the band would have been huge in the

1970s I see no reason why they cannot

become a major force in this decade,

they bring to mind artists and bands like

Jimi Hendrix and Led Zeppelin, believe

me, they are that good.

Adrian Blacklee

THE MOKATS

Crossover Blues

Independent

This release is

classified as an EP

although it does

contain six tracks,

which does give the

listener sufficient

time to gain an impression; in this case it

is a positive one. The four piece band

have previously plied their trade as a

covers band at functions in the Midlands,

but they have now decided to focus on a

Blues/Rock path to seek their fame and

fortune. The band have written all but

one track here and the material is strong,

but not with any particularly strong blues

influences. Best track is Weaker Man on

which all band members contribute to a

song with some underlying menace, the

remaining tracks are all very polished

and follow a more soulful path at times.

Bobby Womack’s It’s all over now is the

cover here, and the band perform it to

perfection, but I would have liked to hear

them deliver a grittier Rolling Stones

style version. A promising debut here

that benefits from strong material and

good musicianship, more than enough to

warrant their decision to move on from

being purely a covers band.

Adrian Blacklee

THE MOTIVES (feat.

MATT TAYLOR)

THE MOTIVES (feat. MATT TAYLOR)

Bluesy Electric Recordings

He probably won’t

thank me for this, but

I’m the proud owner

of Matt’s 1995 CD

Radio City Blues,

and I have followed

his progression through his participation

in Snowy White’s Blues Project to this,

his debut, which I will say at the outset,

is a strong contender for this reviewer’s

CD of the year. If your bag is Brit 60s

flavoured blues with a potent cocktail of

American influences, then this is for

you. You’re taken on a fantastic journey

from the off with Never Tell A Lie with

its brilliant shuffle. The Motives are

extremely talented as back-up

musicians, Jonny Dyke on keyboards,

Andy Graham on bass and Roy Martin

from the aforementioned Blues Project

on drums. The material is all original,

albeit Matt calls in some mates to help,

notably ex-England cricketer Mark

Butcher and saxophonist Raf

Ravenscroft, with the songwriting, and

Ian Siegal’s gruff tones can be heard on

The Rules Don’t Apply. For me the full

band collaboration slow blues of Gone

Before takes the biscuit, though.

Enough said, if you only buy one CD

this month or year, check this one out. It

has everything going for it and it’s by a

Brit band to boot!

Clive Rawlings.

VARIOUS ARTISTS

First Came Memphis Minnie

Stony Plain

Although billed in

some places as a

Maria Muldaur solo

album, this tribute to

Memphis Minnie also

includes tracks from

Bonnie Raitt Ain’t Nothing In Ramblin,

Ruthie Foster Keep Your Big Mouth

Closed, Phoebe Snow, Rory Block and

Koko Taylor with Black Rat Swing.

Each artist has their own backing

musicians such as Bob Margolin with

Koko and David Bromberg with Snow.

Muldaur provides the majority of songs

here and her version of Tricks Ain’t

Working is perhaps the best of her

offering. This was the very first track of

Memphis Minnie’s that she heard when

with Victoria Spivey. and she added it to

her repertoire instantly. Each song has

been treated with reverence and

passion and there is a definite feeling of

Blues sisterhood throughout. Minnie is

often cited as a pioneer and influence

CONTINUES OVER...


reviews

Albums

VARIOUS

Electric Blues 1939-2005

Volume 1: Beginnings 1939-1954

Bear Family Records 3 CD Box

Volume 2: Part 2 1954-1967


Volume 4: Part 4 1970-2005


Reviewing blues

records is a

great

occupation, and

some days it’s

absolutely

terrific. This is

one of the

terrific days. I’m

writing this after

a crammed

weekend of

documentaries

on BBC TV

celebrating the

Rolling Stones’

50th

anniversary, and

after hours of wall-to-wall wailing

Fender Stratocasters and Telecasters,

these three boxes arriving from the

wonderful Bear Family Records in

Germany seemed very apt. These

records answer a question; just how

much do we blues fans owe to the

invention of amplification of the guitar

and harmonica? All the answers are

here, and they add up to a helluva lot.

There is a Part 3 available, covering

1960-69, but the postman hasn’t

brought that. However, this quartet of

releases is so great I’ll simply have to

order part 3 to feel life to be

complete.

Apart from 221 tracks spread

over these three boxes, (each set

contains three CDs), each box

contains a 150+ page illustrated

book of liner notes masterfully written

by Bill Dahl. So you’re not only getting

the recorded music – you’re getting

a veritable blues library, too. Dahl,

(check him out at www.billdahl.

com) deserves a review of his own.

He has the kind of background most

of us UK R&B scribes can only

dream about; growing up in Chicago,

spending his school lunch money on

45s. In 1998, Dahl was nominated

for a GRAMMY® in the Album

Notes category for his contribution

to Rhino’s boxed set Ray Charles

Genius & Soul: The 50th Anniversary

Collection. And Blues Matters! shares

an honour with this splendid writer;

like us, Dahl is the recipient of a

‘Keepin’ the Blues Alive’ Award for

journalism, from the Blues Foundation

in Memphis. How remarkable, a

humble, skilled wordsmith being

so justifiably recognised. We minor

Sunday league hacks can only

dream…

Volume 1 (1939-1954) reminds us

that in the 1920s, the first generation

of blues guitar pioneers from Charley

Patton through to Robert Johnson all

played acoustic. Prior to guitar amps,

if you played guitar (or harmonica) in

a drum and piano-dominated blues

band back then, stepping forward

for a solo was a challenge. Some

guitarists overcame it by adopting the

louder, spikier banjo, or by using a

resonator guitar like a National steel,

but it appears it was the Hawaiians

who experimented with pickups as

early as 1933. The rest, thankfully,

is musical history, and when Andy

Kirk and T-Bone Walker plugged

into the mains, we were all in for a

pleasant shock. That exhilarating jolt

continues throughout this collection,

which features some amazing tracks;

Broonzy, Hooker, Hopkins, Muddy,

Little Walter, B.B. King, Jimmy Reed,

Ray Charles and many other big

names rub shoulders with Chuck

Norris (no, martial arts fans, not that

Chuck Norris!) Sunny Blair, Papa

Lightfoot, Pat Hare and stacks more.

Each track has Dahl’s own informative

notes, and the whole experience is an

education for any blues fan.

Volume 2, 1954-1967 takes us into

what was arguably the golden age of

electric blues with 79 tracks which

mark the dawn of rock’n’roll and

serve as a timely reminder of what

Messrs’ Jagger, Richards & co. were

all soaking up in their London bedsits

before drug-fuelled mega fame took

over. So here we’re introduced to

Chuck Berry, Bo Diddley, Sonny Boy

Williamson, Howlin’ Wolf, Bobby

‘Blue’ Bland and Elmore James,

among others. It’s a rousing ride.

Volume 4, 1970-2005 could be

regarded as the post-60s global

blues explosion. There’s an expansion

in style and sophistication, and a new

elegance in recording techniques.

By this time blue-eyed blues is well

on the scene, so alongside B.B.

King, Freddy King and the fiery

Albert Collins here are tracks by

George Thorogood, Rory Gallagher,

Johnny Winter, ZZ Top and Roy

Buchanan. All in all, this brilliant

quartet of triple CDs lives up to its

strapline ‘The Definitive Collection’.

If you’re a geriatric blueser or a

young newcomer, there’s just about

everything worth knowing and

listening to here to kit you out as an

anorak. Beautiful packaging, excellent

design, erudite words, and above

all, wide-ranging and historic, epic

blues. Plug it in, turn it up. Highly

recommended as the ultimate gift

for any blues fan. I’m off to get the

missing Volume Part 3 now.

Can’t wait …

Roy Bainton

boxed:

the great

Charlie

patton


Albums red lick top 20

top 20

Red Lick Records, PO Box 55, Cardiff CF11 1JT

sales@redlick.com. www.redlick.com

01 various

Classic Blues Artwork

Calendar 2013 and CD

(Blues Images)

02 Various:

The Return Of The Dreams

Are Made Of

(Yazoo 2CD)

03

Tampa Red and

Georgia Tom

Music Making In Chicago

1928-1935

(J P 4CD)

04 Robert

Nighthawk,

Houston

Stackhouse

& JB Hutto

Masters Of Modern Blues

(Floating World 2CD)

05

Big Boy

Bloater:

The World Explained

(Azan CD)

06 Various

On Bended Knee - The Birth

Of Swamp Pop

(GVC 2CD)

07

Vagic Slim &

The Teardrops

Bad Boy

(DixieFrog CD)

08

09

10

11

Memphis Slim

Rockin’ The House - The

Best Of The R&B Years

(Fantastic Voyage 2CD)

Ian Siegal

Candy Store Kid

(Nugene CD)

Pokey LaFarge

and The South

City Three:

Live In Holland

(Continental Song City CD)

Otis Grand

Blues ‘65

(Maingate CD)

12 Linsey

Alexander

Been There, Done That

(Delmark CD)

13

14

15

Julian Fauth

Everybody Ought To Treat

A Stranger Right

(Electro Fi CD)

Dan Penn

The Fame

Recordings

(Ace CD)

Ike Turner

Trouble Up

The Road 1961

(Secret CD)

16

17

Bob Brozman

Fire In The Mind

(Ruf CD)

Gov’t Mule

The Georgia

BootleG Box

(Provogue 6CD)

18 Mississippi

Heat

Delta Bound

(Delmark CD)

19

Gary Moore

Blues For Jimi

(Eagle CD)

20 Elmore

James Junior

Old School Lover

(Wolf CD)


reviews

Albums

in using the electric guitar within the

Country Blues field, yet this is

predominantly an acoustic outing,

coming over as an old fashioned set of

recordings but without the crackle and

hiss that early systems gave. Three

outstanding tracks are Snow with In My

Girlish Days, a slow Blues that drips

with emotion and to which Snow’s voice

quavers and wails with suitable respect.

The backing mandolin is quite the

correct tone behind her and the song

grows in stature as it progresses.

Muldaur’s Lookin’ Over The World has

her growling over a simple rag tempo

with Del Ray on guitar. The song

demonstrates her voice to the full and

its simplicity belies the content. Finally

Koko’s Black Rat Swing, the electric

foray, oozes the power from her voice

for which she was well known. This

release is an interesting document in

maintaining the name of Memphis

Minnie and perhaps introducing new

fans, but for me, I much prefer the

original

Merv Osborne

VARIOUS ARTISTS

Move With The Groove, Chicago

Soul 1962-1970

Charly

Move With The

Groove is a two CD

set documenting

just how important

Chicago was fifty

years ago in the

development and growth of Soul within

the US. Many people believe that

Detroit with its Motown sound and label

was the originator of Soul, so here three

important record labels of that era

namely One-derful, Mar-V-lus and

M-Pac have been brought together by

Charly records to present artists as

diverse as The Sharpees, Harold

Burrage, The Ulti-Mations and many

more. One artist, Cicero Blake is still

performing and I caught his act at a

recent Chicago Blues Festival. Another

artist I saw at Chicago is Lonnie Brooks,

father of Ronnie and Wayne Baker

Brooks. Here he is captured in his

Guitar Jnr days with two songs, The

Popeye and Mr. Hot Shot. It’s fair to

say that modern styles and sounds are

a million miles from what one hears

here. Offering a total of fifty songs over

the two CDs, the majority of them are

unknown to this scribe, but it is not

difficult to see how some of these

songs influenced others. Harold

Burrage, a mentor for many of the

genre’s younger artists, shows through

his version of More Power To You

recorded in 1962, how to belt out with

feeling, and perhaps his influence could

later be heard with Otis Redding and

Wilson Pickett. The only track I can sing

along to is the Five Du-Tones with

Shake A Tail Feather, recorded in

1963. An interesting collection of

largely unknown tracks that is an

undeniable treasure for those interested

in early soul.

Merv Osborne

VARIOUS

Santa’s Got Mojo 2

Electro-Fi Records

This is a real blues

Christmas

celebration,

Electro-Fi Records

have put through a

mix of songs that

are full of warm cheer and old

fashioned Christmas well-being with a

twist of the melancholy at times, so not

full of saccharine sweetness. Track 1,

Be my Santa Claus is delightful and

the laugh Shakura produces at the end

is full of hidden promises and sets the

scene for the whole album. Track 5, Hot

Cider Cinnamon is full of sentiment

and reminds us of all the things that

make our Christmas special and Track

8, Fruteland Jackson’s Fat Santa, is jolly

and a bright and breezy Rock n’ roll

style number that brings a smile to your

face and gets the party dancing. This

CD is unashamedly sentimental, but has

a sense of humour and irony as

demonstrated so well on Track 10

Fathead’s, Santa’s Drunk with sleigh

bells, gurgling child’s laughter and the

opening chords of Jingle Bells turned

into a jolly ironical ditty with Santa’s

Drunk since 4th of May, and this

collection definitely makes a change

from many Christmas compilations

around this time of the year, if it is a

Christmas CD you want this is the

one for you!

Liz Aiken

B.B. KING

LADIES & GENTLEMEN...

MR B.B. KING

Universal, 10 CDs/4 CDS

There are two versions of this

release available: a wallettstretching

10CD set and a neater

four CD version. We’ll deal with

the latter for now (but if Universal

are feeling generous on the promo

front, I’m willing to tackle a review).

Both collections are

handsomely packaged, with a

hardback book that chronicles the

career of the king of the blues.

Essays from journalist Ashly Kahn

and blues producer Dick Shurman

are accompanied by memorabillia

and photos of King onstage and off.

The music on my compact

version of ‘Ladies...’ covers King’s

recorded output from 1949 to

2008. Starting with his early Bullett

Records single Miss Martha King

(curious to hear such a high vocal

from the 24 year old King), to the

somewhat morose choice of closer:

See That My Grave Is Kept Clean.

A total of 77 tracks in all, you

get some astounding live numbers

recorded back in ‘64 at the Regal

Club in Chicago, along with that

U2 collaboration. Bono and Co.

aren’t the only guests on ‘Ladies...’,

demonstrating King’s ability to share

his talent with notable players that

include Van Morrison, Eric Clapton,

Dr John, Leon Russell and a whole

lot more. Long may he continue to

do so.

Martin Cook


festivaLs

Grainne Duffy

Photo:

christine

moore

Larry and

Steve McCray

Photo:

christine

moore

Mick

Ralphs

Photo:

christine

moore

showtime!

the BM! round–up of live blues

the 6th Carlisle

blues rock

festival

SWALLOW HILLTOP HOTEL CARLISLE

9th-11th November 2012

Carlisle in the far north west of England

has a strong industrial past, and due to

it’s proximity with the Scottish border

a history of turmoil. However, this

previously austere and highly fortified

city now presents a different image.

The city still boasts of its association

with Hadrian’s Wall and its 12th century

castle, but these days the cathedral

complex and impressive Tullie House

Museum, alongside a burgeoning cafe

culture in the pedestrianised town

centre add to it’s tourist appeal.

For the past five years there is

another reason that folks have been

heading to Carlisle, and that is the

annual blues festival run by Nick

Westgarth and his team. Nick began

to build connections within the music

industry by bringing national blues

artists to the Penrith Playhouse. When

Nick relocated to Carlisle in 2005 he

began to look for a venue to host a full

weekend of music. This resulted in The

Lakes Court Hotel (now The Hallmark)


reviews

Live

hosting the first Carlisle Blues Festival

in 2007. Over the last five years the

festival has gone from strength to

strength and is now located just outside

the city centre at The Swallow Hilltop

Hotel.

Nick’s portfolio of festival acts have

included both national and international

artists including Sherman Robertson,

Michael Burks, Earl Thomas, Tom

Principato, Jim Suhler, Mud Morganfield,

Hamilton Loomis (all USA) and James

Hunter, Ian Siegal, Paul Lamb, Matt

Schofield, The Nimmo Brothers,

Connie Lush, Nine Below Zero, Larry

Miller and many more of the top

acts on the British blues scene. This

year the festival was re-named The

Carlisle Blues/Rock Festival, and Nick

unashamedly admits that this was a

commercial decision to try and broaden

the fan base and attract more punters,

whilst also reflecting his own eclectic

taste in great live music.

FRIDAY

This years festival got under way

at 7.30pm on Friday 9th November

with Gerry Jablonski and The Electric

Band; this was high energy blues with

a rock edge. The main stage plays to

a room which holds 400 people, with

seating through the middle section and

standing/dancing room at the back and

sides, two bar areas added ambient

light to the darkened room and Gerry

connected well with the crowd from

the low stage area. Over a solid rhythm

section, well crafted guitar and bluesharp

solos set expectations high for the

remainder of the festival, the crowd was

clearly up for a good time as they stood

to applaud the final chord.

Next Grainne Duffy’s set was rooted

in a southern states country style. Duffy

may come from Northern Ireland but

her vocal style has shades of both

Bonnie Rait and Shania Twain. The

self-penned compositions of the band

were well crafted and bounced along,

but the audience was truly won over by

her rendition of I’d Rather Go Blind, the

Etta James Classic. You could’ve heard

a pin drop!

Ian Siegal is always a favourite of

the Carlisle Festival fans, and this year

his association with the Mississippi

Mudbloods produced a good variety

of sticky southern grooves, over which

his gnarly vocals worked well. The

multi-instrumentalist Luther Dickenson

of Black Crows fame added an extra

dimension to the mix via his terrific

slide, mandolin and clever use of effects

pedals. Ian seemed to really be having

fun, as the band played a variety of

tracks from recent award winning

albums The Skinny and The Candy

Store Kid.

Many of the festivalgoers buy

a weekend ticket that includes

accommodation at The Hilltop, and for

those not quite ready to retire to their

rooms more music was available in the

side bar. Johnny Whitehill (blues guitarist

of the year four times over) presented a

new line up called the Groove-A-Matics.

This was a fifties inspired up-beat set

featuring Mick Cantwell whose singing

style was reminiscent of a young Tom

Jones, and he played a mean tenor

sax too!

SATURDAY

Unfortunately your reviewer missed the

Saturday afternoon session, but this

opened with a short acoustic session by

Steve Pablo Jones which was followed

by Cherry Lee Mewis. Australian Geoff

Achison with his Souldiggers, better

known as stalwarts Sam Kelly, Spy

Austin and Paul Jobson. Paul Cox

made a rare trip North to headline the

afternoon session with a high class band

featuring The Splinter Groups’ Roger

Cotton on keys.

Saturday evening got underway with

Bad Company and Mott The Hoople

founder member Mick Ralphs with his

Blues Group. With Mick seemingly happy

to share guitar duties with Jim Maving,

vocal and harmonica duties were left to

Son Maxwell who lead the band through

a variety of originals and blues standards.

The crowd were once again drawn in by

the intimate feel, the on stage interaction,

and tasteful solos.

Next Martin Turner’s Wishbone Ash

provided a real ‘time-warp’ experience for

those who were there first time around.

The sheer quality of musicianship was

there for all to enjoy as the signature

sound of two guitars playing both

intricate patterns and dense harmonies

was reproduced by Ray Hatfield and

Danny Wilson. Multi-layered vocals

topped the complex arrangements.

Larry McCray and his band took to

the stage as the headliners on Saturday

night. The grooves from this band were

huge! They were bluesy, funky and

soul infused, helped by the Wurlitzer

keyboard of Shawn McDonald which

added to the wall of sound. Larry’s guitar

playing showed that he has paid his

dues to many of the greats including

Freddie King and Albert Collins, and his

vocal style had hints of B.B King and

Delbert McLinton. Larry’s delivery was

polished and effortless with oodles of

feel, it has to be said however that the

crowd wanted more from him between

numbers. Although this side of his

delivery was minimal, for your reporter

this band was the highlight of the festival.

Difficult to follow, but in the side bar

Tommy Allen and Johnny Hewitt created

a juke joint atmosphere and played on

into the night with blues-harp and guitar/

percussion.

SUNDAY

First up on Sunday were Mike Bowden

and Jim Williamson with Big Vern on

percussion. What a joy this act was, all

players were seated which added to

the intimacy of their presentation as

Mike’s strident acoustic guitar rhythms

accompanied John’s creative electric

guitar solos. Both players presented

seasoned blues style vocals and their

songs were quirky and amusing.

Next up was The Jon Amor Blues

Group, the band played tight figures

whilst Jon interjected his melodic vocal

lines. The two guitarists in this group

have distinctively different sounds, Jon

on his softer-sounding Gibson, and Dave

Doherty on his more cutting Fender

Strat. Judging by the amount of physical

activity behind the kit, I’m assuming that

drummer Simon Small must be a fan

of Keith Moon, and Bass man Chris

Doherty was solidly with him all the way.

Lisa Mills from Mississippi played

a duo set with acoustic bass man Ian

Jennings. This was a marked change

in timbre for the crowd as Lisa’s jangly

almost ‘Dobro’ sounding semi-acoustic

guitar contrasted with deep rich tones

from the bass. Both players were experts

in using their instruments rhythmically on

CONTINUES OVER...


festivaLs

there’s no place like...

FROME BLUES

FESTIVAL

Cheese and Grain,

Frome, Somerset

October 21st 2012

I looked forward to visiting this, the

inaugural Frome Blues Festival,

for one reason; that apart from

Chantel McGregor, the line-up

was new to me. Arriving at 2pm, I

found Laurence Jones in full swing.

The venue is buzzing too, albeit a

Sunday lunchtime. The sound was

incredible as it was for the duration

of the festival. Laurence himself

leads a tight trio, and just needs to

find his own style and he will be a

force to reckon with. I’d heard great

reports of the next act, and having

lived in Brighton until relocating to

the West Country, was well aware of

Jo Harman’s talent. By all accounts

she was the act to watch that day.

From the moment she and her band

took to the stage I could see what

all the fuss was about. The audience

was transfixed by the predominantly

bluesy set list which also mixed

“The crowd

has a belief

in her,

every bit

as she

has in

herself”

joe harman.

Photo:

christine

moore

gospel, soul and country in equal

measure. Stand out for me was the

self-penned ‘Sweet Man Moses’

where Jo sank to her knees during

the Hammond solo. The crowd has

a belief in her, every bit as she has

in herself. She oozes sensuality

and had the audience eating from

her hand. My only observation,

which I made to her management

afterwards, was to work some more

on her diction as every song tells a

story in words as well as music.

Next up was Eddie Martin and

a stunning set of a more traditional

Blues style, with the addition of a

great brass section (I am assured it

wasn’t Paul Weller on trumpet!). The

whole performance was polished

and, if not for the strategically

placed tables at front of house, the

aficionados in the audience would

have been having a good old knees

up! The only minor disappointment

was the non-appearance of Pee

Wee Willis who left the building

feeling unwell. Oli Brown to me

looked absolutely shattered. There

was very little smiling or interaction

with the audience who were treated

to what can only be described as a

heavy set. Opening with Here I Am,

the title track from the new album.

I was impressed, but to my mind it

was all too mechanical. He moved

about the stage during solos in a

classic rock mode but for me, lacked

authenticity. The ballad Love You

More Than You’ll Ever Know was,

however, superb. Perhaps that is

Oli’s niche. The set was, I thought,

too reliant on covers, and for me

was hijacked by the superb Wayne

Proctor on drums. Talking of covers

brings me on to Chantel McGregor.

I first saw this little lady at Skegness

a few years ago when she was

locked in a legal battle over the

use of her own material. From the

opening Better Days I could see she

has broken free from those shackles.

Voodoo Chile highlighted the best

rhythm section of the day. Like Jo

Harman before her, Chantel exudes

the charm of the girl next door. Yes,

she relies heavily on covers but her

guitar soloing is exemplary – she

seems in a happy place and surely is

a future headliner. The honour of that

place this time went to Stan Webb’s

Chicken Shack (a late replacement

for Poppa Chubby). If he ever gives

up on music, this man could make

a living in stand-up comedy. If I tell

you he dedicated The Thrill Is Gone

to Angela Merkel, you’ll see what I

mean. The stand-out for me though

is that voice and guitar playing.

Both combine perfectly, illustrating

again what an experienced back-line

brings to the party. Highlight? The

tear-jerking version of the classic

‘I’d Rather Go Blind’. All I can say in

conclusion is, book early for 2013

– a wonderful day, great staff and

food, and a firm place in the blues

calendar.

Clive Rawlings


reviews

Live

songs which included a tribute to Lisa’s

influence Freddie King, and a version of

Hendrix’s Little Wing.

The last act of the festival was Andy

Fairweather Low and The Lowriders.

After a sound check on an Eddie Harris

instrumental the band launched in to

Baby What Do You Want Me To Do,

a relaxed shuffle. Andy’s vocals were

high in range, but his delivery was cool,

the band were classy with the sort of

confidence that comes from years of

playing in a variety of line-ups. Everything

was understated, and in control. Reggae

and soul style tunes followed and then

an original tune made famous by Joe

Cocker called Hymn For My Soul. The

set was given a change in direction

when Andy decided to run a few well

known numbers by guitarists who

influenced him, these included The

Shadows Hank Marvin, Duane Eddy,

and Freddie King. A bit of a sing-along

on Bend Me Shake Me was followed by

more originals such as Wide Eyed and

Legless before finishing with (If Paradise

is) Half as Nice, much to the crowd’s

delight.

Carlisle Blues/Rock Festival is fast

becoming one of Britains top music

events, perhaps in it’s own field it has

already reached those dizzy heights?

The over riding ‘vibe’ is one of pure

connection; connection between the

musicians on stage, connection between

bands and fans, and connection

between festival goers, many of whom

travel great distances to attend – some

even from Europe! The venue lends itself

to this ‘vibe’ as does the warmth and

enthusiasm that comes from the hardworking

team that runs the event, long

may it continue.

by Roz Sluman

Carlisle

Blues/Rock

Festival

is fast

becoming one

of Britains

top music

events

TENBY BLUES

festival

FRIDAY

FBM stage at Tenby Rugby Club.

Friday 9 November, 2012

Kent Duchaine

and Leadbessie

Kent is a well-known act on the British

and overseas blues circuits – touring

and entertaining with his 1934 National

resonator guitar he affectionately calls

Leadbessie. Kent regaled the audience

with numerous ‘tales from the Delta’,

name dropping his many associations

with well known icons from early Delta

days. Some self-penned songs were

performed together with a host of early

country blues classics by Willie Dixon,

Bukka White et al. The set was a little

elongated due to the delay of some late

showers following on performances.

Kent received a rousing reception from

sections of the audience many of whom

were clearly Duchaine fans of old.

Sicknote Steve

Steve had been bumped up the

programme following last year’s

hugely popular performance on the

Blues Trail pub circuit. Once again he

didn’t disappoint – although he nearly

fulfilled his destiny by being racked with

bronchitis and being, himself almost in

need of a ‘sick note’. As a tribute act

there is a high degree of novelty value –

but make no mistake the boy can sure

play. Capably backed up by bass and

drums on top of his own one-man-band

paraphernalia, Steve had the place

bouncing right from the off. No prizes

for guessing the source of the material,

but really well executed, you felt like

shouting out ‘Y’all come back now!’,

which no doubt he shall.

Valero Stage at The De Valance

Todd Sharpville

Todd, back again in West Wales,

renewed our acquaintance with his

‘no surrender’ blazing fret board work

backed up really tightly by a quality

3-piece unit of keys, bass and drums.

Todd has a big following down this neck

of the woods – and a lot of them turned

out to greet the man again. A host of

fiery blues/rock was complemented by

an extended and personalised version

of Peter Green’s classic Need Your

Love So Bad which went down very

well. Todd, joined later in his set by the

critically acclaimed Marcus Bonfanti on

guitar and vocals, was able to put his axe

down for a turn at the keyboards with

both men sharing the vocal duties. More

action with the two axe slingers ensued

leaving the De Valance crowd well happy.

As ever, a high energy, no holds barred

effort from Todd and the gang.

Saturday

Blues Trail at The Crown Inn

Saturday 10th November

The Spanners

For an early Saturday am. start, The

Crown was packed to the doors and

beyond. The Spanners were leading a

‘jam style’ session with twin guitars, bass

and drums banging out loads of Bluesy/

Rock crowd pleasers, which certainly –

er – pleased the crowd!

Valero stage at The De Valance

Little Toby Walker

This was a masterful display of 6 and 12

string dexterity from Toby who had flown

in directly from the US to be at Tenby. If

you love Americana, Mr Walker is your

man. Engaging with the audience he

took us through trips to The Mississippi

Delta, Texas and all points South. Toby

is a seasoned veteran who has worked

with the likes of Marshall Tucker Band,

Allman Bros and many others. Speaking

of The Allmans – Toby did a killer solo

instrumental of Whipping Post. A really

excellent performance from a true pro.

Having a few words with the man after

the gig, I asked him if he was likely to

pay a return visit to the UK anytime soon,

whereupon he advised that while he

would dearly love to, his next appearance

on these shores won’t be before 2014. It

will certainly be well worth the wait.

Steve Roux and The

Brass Knuckle Blues

Band

These guys are a really tight 7-piece

combo comprising 3-piece brass

and rhythm sections, keyboards and

fronted by Steve on guitar and vocals.

CONTINUES OVER...


festivaLs

Regrettably we were running between

gigs and didn’t get too much time

to really sit and enjoy the up tempo

Chicago Blues and other Soul/ Blues on

show here. Suffice to say this is a great

unit with a formidable line up of quality

musicians rocking the audience with a

mega hot set.

Blues Trail at TheFourcroft

The Mark Pontin

Group

I have to say this local (ish) trio really

made an impression. From Hendrix

through Cream (a really top version

of White Room) to Rory Gallagher

and other three piece supergoups too

numerous to mention. Mark is a hugely

talented guitarist – extremely well

supported by bassist and drummer of

equally high standard. This was a good

venue for the band that spared no effort

in getting the crowd on side with a very

professional rock solid set. More please.

Blues Trail at Caffe Vista

Maharajah Blues

This was different, very different. Two

Indian/Asian gentlemen playing classic

Delta blues numbers on Resonator

guitar and bongos! A relaxed coffee

house setting with many in the audience

wearing quizzical expressions to

accompany their double espressos and

lattes. This was a multi cultural event

complementing the Caffe Vista menu.

Did I say different?

Blues Trail The Three Mariners

The Mean

Mistreaters

Again a full house to greet the return

of The Mean Mistreaters. Chicago and

classic electric Blues really well rendered

helped cheer the crowd after the

afternoon’s disappointment at the Wales

Rugby result earlier.

The Blues Trail is a brilliant, if tiring,

element of Tenby’s annual Blues Fest –

so many pub and club venues all within a

few hundred square metres and all free

entry. So little time, so much beer!


Grainne Duffy Band

So to the start of the prime event of

the weekend on the main stage at

The De Valance. Grainne (pronounced

Graunya – I think!) and her band put a

gremlin-laden start behind them to kick

off proceedings in a packed house. The

band had actually driven all the way

down from Carlisle Festival that morning

(that’s an awful long trip) – although

once they had settled in their groove you

would never had noticed. A fantastically

tight and driving set with the audience

loving an arrangement of ‘I’d rather go

blind’ which got a huge reception from

the many fans and crowd in general.

Grainne is building a big following

and the future holds a lot of promise

for a talent like hers. The band were

deserving of their reception and I am

sure we could well see her back at Tenby

Blues in the not too distant future.


Rob Tognoni Band

This is a difficult review to write as a

diehard blues fan. Rob Tognoni is a

non-compromising guitar virtuoso within

his genre – which clearly leans more

to the hard rock side than blues per se.

Skillwise Rob is certainly a master of the

blazing fret board as well as being an

outstanding showman. Not being one to

‘hide his light under a bushel’, he attacks

his instrument (and the audience) with

unrelenting power – testosterone flying

everywhere, with maybe just a touch of

tongue in cheek appearing here and

there – however he held the attention

and the crowd responded all right. A

big reception for the man who loves to

blister and shred.

Oli Brown Band

Oli and the band made a very welcome

return to Tenby as headline act –

following a great reception here also at

the De Valance in 2008.

Lauded in some circles as the

British Joe Bonamassa, Oli did not

disappoint. He has, however, retained

and grown with his very own style, and

it was interesting to see him back in

Telecaster mode for the whole set.The

numbers getting up on the dance floor

gave a clue to how well he was going

down, and the three young men on the

stage were appreciating it too! A lot

of material from the latest album was

heard, interspersed with some older

original and classic blues as interpreted

by the man. A triumphant return to

Tenby – welcome back Oli. Some things

don’t change (except haircuts maybe?

– er – enough of that now).The boy

done good.

sunday

The Blues Trail at The Fourcroft

Deke Leonard

Sunday 11th November

I readily confess to some self interest in

this review as a long term musical cohort

of Deke when we were both mere

striplings playing in our respective bands

(Corncrackers and Vikings) in the old

Wild West (aka Carmarthenshire) in the

early sixties. The Welsh battle-scarred

legend turned up at The Fourcroft to give

the large audience, who had made an

early Sunday morning start the benefit

of some of his years travelling and

performing in many countries. Never the

shy retiring type, Deke gave forth on a

variety of subjects – a number of which

would be unlikely to receive a U-rated

censor certificate, but which judging

from the roars of laughter, sat well

with the attentive audience (mercifully

adults only). Deke was plugging his new

and third book ‘The Twang Dynasty’

which – if as good as his previous

two publications – will undoubtedly be

another success to chalk up. In between

the banter there was music, with Deke

renewing our acquaintance with his two

constant road companions the battered

Telecaster and even more battered

Gibson SG. Some early inspirational

songs – courtesy of a certain Mr Presley

– were given an airing – occasionally

interspersed with muffled curses from

the ‘Man’ when the wood and metal

failed to respond as required! A really

enjoyable outing sent everyone off in

search of Sunday lunch with a smile on

the face (and a book under the arm).

FBM stage at Tenby Rugby Club

Matt Woosey

Matt is an extremely accomplished

instrumentalist with a great blues voice

in the modern style. An extended set

due to a missing following act gave the

audience the opportunity to fully enjoy

the talents of this man for longer than

anticipated, which proved to be a real

bonus. Matt has a laid-back style when

it comes to engaging with his audience,

and his playing and singing were


reviews

Live

pleasures which were really well enjoyed

by the sizeable audience on the final day

– not too many early baths thankfully.

This is an entertainer with great

prospects who is well worth catching

when he comes to your area, which he

undoubtedly will as there is little doubt

he is going to be in great demand .

FBM stage at Tenby Rugby Club

Jamie Francis and

Stark

Sunday evening 11th November

Jamie was making a welcome return to

Tenby following on from his successful

solo debut last year, and together with

his band Stark did not disappoint the

expectant audience. Songs from the

CD release were given a fresh airing –

benefitting from the added harmonies

provided by the drummer Evan and bass

player Josh which make up this talented

trio. Jamie continues to grow as a

performer and, having seen him recently

at other venues, there is a definite future

in store for the guys, who are honing

their already very proficient skills.A great

return performance this time, keep an

eye on them for maybe an appearance

in your area. An act very worthwhile

catching.

Henry’s

Funeral Shoe

So to the final act of the Tenby weekend

the two brothers Clifford hailing from

Ystrad Mynach deep in the valleys and if

their PR was anything to go by, we were

advised to put on our seat belts, crash

helmets and ear plugs and batten down

the hatches. Not bad advice as it went as

the boys told us they take no prisoners in

the war against decibels!! However, yes

they are loud and yes they are proud, but

man are they good? You betcha!

I liked Henry’s Funeral Shoe

immensely for despite the Clifford

brother’s warnings of impending

Apolyptical chaos their songs were really

well thought out and delivered in high

style. The boys had just returned from

back to back Blues cruises, sharing

shipboard billings with Kiss (blues?)

and Lynnyrd Skynnyrd. I feel sure they

more than held their own in such exalted

company – hopefully they left fewer

empty energy drink cans rolling round

the stage. The energy levels, especially

of Brennig, Alde’s drumming sibling,

were reminiscent of Keith Moon in his

pomp – who can say better than that.

Don’t be fooled into thinking that these

guys are shred freaks come thrash

masters, this was music with a distinct

and elemental basis in blues. Blues for

this generation if you will, and two great

guys to boot, the brothers were a real

pleasure to talk to after the show, very

respectful of the audience and gracious.

An absolute cracker of a finale to

Tenby 2012.

Dave Ward

ROOTS, BLUES AND SUNSHINE

SWANAGE BLUES and

ROOTS FESTIVAL

Swanage, Dorset

5-7th October, 2012

What an amazing weekend organised

by the wonderful Steve Darrington.

This is, in all, his 18th Festival and

though I’ve been to a few others

around the country, this certainly

takes some beating. For the princely

sum of £10, you buy a bracelet and

wander around the lovely town taking

in all sorts of, sometimes diverse,

acts. I’m afraid I missed the Mustangs

on the Friday night, due to other

commitments, but the feedback was

encouraging. Basically, there are 15

indoor venues, with bands playing

constantly and there is no place for

egos! On the Saturday afternoon I

caught the end of a rousing set from

Reading’s Jason Manners and 3 Buck

Shirt in Bar One, meeting up with the

Bare Bones Boogie Band, prior to

their early evening slot. Having seen

the first part of that, I made my way

to Tawny’s where Pete Harris and

Hugh Budden were doing a fantastic

set. What I like about Pete is that he

explains in depth the origin of each

song he sings, very enlightening. I

was put off by being asked politely

to stand as the tables were reserved

for diners, who had materialised, but

never mind. A walk back down to

the bottom of town, I went to East

Bar, where I caught up with Jay

Tamkin and band setting up. Having

not seen him for a couple of years,

I was interested to see how, if at all,

he had progressed. I soon found

out in as brilliant a set of blues/rock

you could wish for, supported by Ric

Christiansen on keys and dad on

drums. Brighton’s own The Elevators

were another ‘must see’ for me. It

meant a longer walk than first thought

up to the British Legion Club, only to

find that the place was full, so had

to wait for someone to exit before

I could get in, who says the Blues

is dying? What a set they did, with

Fran Galpin at the forefront on vocals

and various guitars/harp, mainstays

Mick and Martin on drums and bass,

Phil Greaves on guitar and ‘newby’

Tall Paul Lawson on guitar/slide etc.

Sunday was a little more tranquil.

Starting by seeing Peter Harris and

Hugh Budden again at Sea Breeze,

a short wander to The White Horse

took me to the Robin Bibi Band doing

a set prior to the jam session. It had

everything a set by Robin consists of,

the man just never ceases to amaze.

I’d like to make special mention

of Robin’s young step-daughter,

whose name eludes me, but she did

a couple of covers and the voice

is to die for! There is talk about the

festival not being able to carry on,

that would be a travesty, so it’s up to

us, the public, to keep supporting it, I

guarantee you’ll enjoy it.

Clive Rawlings


concerts

Lister led

the band

through

a Stevie Ray

Vaughan

style

shuffle

Aynsley Lister Photo:

Marco van Rooijen

AYNSLEY LISTER and

LEWIS HAMILTON

The Caves, Edinburgh

2nd December, 2012

Just as regular as the opening of

advent calendars is the visit of Aynsley

Lister to Edinburgh in early December.

While the heavy snow of two years ago

was avoided, we were soon to hear of

another mishap. Before that, rising local

blues star Lewis Hamilton performed an

impressive opening slot. The title track

of his second album ‘Empty Roads’

displayed his growing talents on the slide

guitar. ‘Whisky Boogie’ gave existing

fans and newcomers alike a tantalising

indication of his next album; currently

in the pipeline. Backed by the solid

Nick Hamilton on bass and Santa on

drums, Hamilton put in a dynamic live

performance. Yet little did the audience

know they would be seeing him again

so soon; when Aynsley Lister took to the

stage he notified us that due to cold he

had lost his singing voice. Undeterred

Lister led the band through a Stevie Ray

Vaughan style shuffle which segued

into ‘Cissy Strut’ with Andre Bassing on

keyboards adding a stylish touch.

Bassist Steve Amadeo lead an

instrumental version of the commercial

sounding ‘Inside Out’, before Hamilton

was brought back to the stage. Although

his hands initially looked uncomfortable

without guitar, he continued to

demonstrate how he has evolved as

a singer. ‘All Along The Watchtower’

was recorded by Lister for his Ruf

debut when Hamilton was a mere

6 years old, yet they combined well.

Following ‘Just Got Paid’ a relieved Lister

complemented his stand in vocalist and

jovially remarked how he rarely gets such

a cheer performing his own material.

Back to a quartet an instrumental ‘What’s

It All About was a highlight, with searing

guitar solo. For the encore Hamilton

returned with guitar in hand to jam with

Lister and band on ‘Further On Up the

Road’ and ‘Crossroads’, the icing on

the cake to what was a unique and

memorable evening.

Duncan Beattie

BABY ISAAC

The Voodoo Rooms, Edinburgh

1st November, 2012

The Speakeasy lounge of Edinburgh’s

Voodoo Rooms was the setting for this

performance by one of the country’s

finest proponents of rhythm & blues,

swing and jazz. Having been a fixture on

the north British circuit for more years

than they would admit to, Baby Isaac are

always entertaining performers. Fronted

by soulful vocalist Angela Moore, whose

colourful dress contrasted with the dark

suits of guitarist Derek Welsh, stand-up

bassist Graeme Smith, harp player

Gary Arnott and drummer Dave Welsh.

‘Soulful Dress from the band’s most

recent album Blues Epidemic got the

evening underway with an upbeat start.

It was soon apparent to newcomers

that this band do not waste a note, the


reviews

Live

rhythm section are particularly tight.

An inventive medley of Nobody’s Fault

But Mine and Walk on Walter followed

and saw Moore and Arnott switch

lead vocals. While Wang Dang Doodle

followed convention, Baby Isaac have

their own unique style. The self-penned

What The Hell included a change of

tempo which brought the song to an

exciting climax. With no unnecessary

interludes or extensive instrumental

showcases, the performance kept the

crowd entertained with a collection

of songs with enough variation not to

feel repetitive. Sugar Mama saw Arnott

take lead vocals on which his harp

playing came to prominence. Finishing

their set with Choo Choo, Baby Isaac

typifies good time blues and their live

performances are highly recommended.

Duncan Beattie

BETTYE LAVETTE

JAZZ CAFE, London

11th December, 2012

When we knew UK’s much vaunted,

award nominated singing star, Jo

Harman, bought her ticket to see

a legendary figure from the world

of International Blues and Soul, the

incomparable Bettye Lavette, we

asked Jo to file her report from the

Jazz Cafe, from a professional and

personal perspective. Here’s her take on

proceedings...

When I found out that one of my

genuine heroes (OK, heroines!) played

her only UK gig at the Jazz Cafe in

Camden I knew I had to be there. OK

I live just up the road, but I would have

travelled pretty much any distance to

see this iconic soul/blues artist in the

flesh. When I first started out doing my

own music - music I loved, as opposed

to music other people may have loved -

Bettye was very much an inspiration to

me and, indeed, I used to cover her song

‘You’ll Never Change’ in my own fledgling

set. Sometimes in these circumstances

the sense of expectation can outweigh

the reality but no such worries on this

occasion, Bettye just floored me - and

the whole venue indeed - with a quite

incredible set of bone deep and heartfelt

artistry. The hairs were standing up on

my neck from the first moment Bettye,

off stage on her radio mic, let loose her

trademark soul deep growl and she

walked on stage looking, at age 66,

like a million dollars and with a figure

to match. She held the audience in her

hand from the off, backed by her own

sympathetic and, for the most part,

understated blues fuelled quartet as

she worked through a good number

of tunes from her recent cover albums,

giving her own unique take on songs by

Bob Dylan, Neil Young and other more

modern writers. Her wonderful slow

burning, impassioned, version of ‘Crazy’,

in particular - ‘recorded so my grandchild

might think I’m hip’ - just underlined how

a singer can ‘own’ a song, whoever wrote

it, and own it she did, and then some. The

whole thing was a pure masterclass to a

developing artist - even a blonde, middle

class white girl from Devon like myself

- not least in terms of commitment -

Bettye simply bled every note she sang

- (sincere) showmanship and stagecraft.

Her stories and interaction with the

spellbound audience were worth the

ticket price alone. Bettye closed the

latter part of the show with the soulful

‘Heaven’ and, a song she must have

sung a million times before, ‘Let Me

Down Easy’, her biggest (‘my only’) hit.

Bettye sang it like it was the first time,

like the guy had only just told her the

news and we believed every syllable of

every line and we all shared her pain to

the core. A totally, totally, inspirational

show rounded off with an impromptu (?)

a capella to an adoring crowd. From both

a professional (singer) and personal (gig

goer) point of view a simply incredible

experience from a simply incredible artist.

A performance, a yard in front of me as I

stood at the front of the Jazz Cafe, that I

shall never, ever forget. They really don’t

make them like this anymore. I pinched

her set list. I think I might frame it. Bless

you, Bettye Lavette.

Jo Harman

JOHN ALEXANDER

The Acoustic Music Centre,

Edinburgh

24th August, 2012

The Edinburgh Fringe is not renowned

for its music shows, but beyond the

daunting number of comedians, there

are some high quality music events.

While an excursion to an unknown comic

may give you the blues, there were no

such concerns about the standard of

performance at the Acoustic Music

Centre in St Brides Church, with a

lineup of intimate, but well attended

shows including Dick Gaughan, Preston

Reed and Mike Whellans. It was John

Alexander that I had come to see, with

a show subtitled ‘Dustbowl Blues with

a Glasgow Kick’. A solo performer

and story teller, I was struck from the

opening Saints & Sinners by both his

soulful but gritty vocals, and the honesty

of his delivery. The bluesy Still Got a

Long Way Home was upbeat, while a

topical Dangerous Win featured some

particularly intricate acoustic guitar

playing. The performance allowed

the audience to hold onto every word

Alexander uttered, and this came over

strongly on the atmospheric Long Way

Home. A diverse set saw Alexander

switch from Apologies To Woody, with

its country blues flavour, to the Celtic

influence of Bridge Of Kings. The

boundaries between these genres

are blurred. This was a point made by

Alexander before Gallows Pole, a song

of Scottish/Irish decent, which became

a regular theme in American folklore.

With a rich imagery within his lyrics in

songs such as This Side Or The Other

and a likeable dry wit, Alexander is an

engaging and talented performer well

worthy of your exploration.

Duncan Beattie

Robert Cray Band

02 Shepherds Bush Empire,

London

26th June, 2012

Cray’s set tonight, as part of the

BluesFest, highlights how as a musician,

he is happy to carry on riding his own

wave of creation, consistently reworking

the blues wheel by affecting its groove

from anywhere but the genre he is so

widely attributed to being a key part of.

His soulful voice, rich in diverse melody

and tone, recalls much more Motown

than perhaps Chess Records, whilst

his toying with the standard form of the

blues has meant that he still appeals to

new audiences with a fresh approach

to the genre. Backed by the immense

Jim Pugh on keyboards, the bare-footed

Richard Cousins on bass and Tony

Braunagel on drums, Cray strolls out

CONTINUES OVER...


concerts

joanne shaw taylor

Joanne shaw

taylor

Mr Kyps, Poole

14th October, 2012

If you’re into hard rocking blues,

extended incendiary guitar solos,

chest thumping bass lines, pounding

drums and swirling keyboards, you

had to be here tonight. First up

though was support Tristan Mackay,

who had none of the above, but

nonetheless showed what he was

capable of. Starting with folky/blues

accompanying himself on acoustic

guitar, he transferred to electric and

things got decidedly bluesy from then

on. Promoting his own Out Along

The Wire album, he mixed his own

compositions with covers, notably on

The Thrill Is Gone. Tristan is hoping

to get his A Million Little Things on

the Radio 2 playlist, so good luck

with that.

Aided by the extremely tight trio

of Joe Veloz on bass, Tony Dicello on

drums (both from Detroit) and Brit

Jools Grudgings on keys, Joanne

Shaw Taylor took the stage by storm,

ripping straight into Soul Station the

opening track from the new Almost

Always Never CD.Her phenomenal

guitar solos are long, muscular

and at breakneck speed and her

voice roared with gutsy power on

her older Jump That Train and a

ferocious version of Hendrix’s Manic

Depression. Joanne’s not all ‘crash,

bang and wallop’ though, as testified

by her emotion-charged vocal and

beautiful guitar soloing on Frankie

Miller’s Jealousy.

Another of her older songs

Diamonds in the Dirt had a soul-like

feel to it, perhaps more evident

in some of the songs from the

aforementioned new album. There’s

a newfound subtlety in the case of

Beautifuly Broken and Lose Myself

to Loving You. More of an observation

than a criticism, is that there could

be a little more variety on her set-list,

something that will no doubt come

with experience. Disappointingly

the venue was probably half full,

whether that is apathy or the Sunday

night, who knows, but when Joanne

said how she had looked forward

to playing Poole, a member of the

audience shouted ‘Don’t make it your

last!’, Joanne simply replied ‘I guess

that’s up to you’. All in all, a great night

at a great, friendly venue,

thanks Joanne.

Clive Rawlings

Photo:

christine

moore

in a pair of slacks, open shirt and flip

flops, ready to perform songs he feels

are the best, not just what the crowd

want to hear. ‘Like this’… was the refrain

as he began each scintillating number,

starting with the classic Don’t You Even

Care. It was to be the theme throughout

the night as stories of faithless women

and broken hearts gave some heartfelt

soul to the music, which borrows from

funk, gospel and soul to give Cray’s

blues a distinctive style. He has the

archetypal blues voice with crystal clear

diction and a wonderful range which

compliments the virtuosity he displays on

his trademark Stratocaster (annoyingly

changed every song). The atmosphere

is lacking somewhat, in part because of

the venue being half seated, but Cray

struts his stuff and his solos are unique,

you feel part of something special.

There are a fair share of tracks from

the new Nothin’ But Love album, but

Robert does not have a setlist, which

makes it difficult to identify each track.

A few classics were thrown into the mix,

though, including Smoking Gun and

Chicken in the Kitchen, complete with

a superb guitar break. He caused some

amusement by informing the audience

after that song that ‘You know, these

things play themselves’, yeah right! He

ended by taking the tempo down with

the beautiful ballad Time Takes Two,

which showcased both his wonderful

voice and sensitive guitar playing.

Ultimately, Robert Cray is a bluesman

with a sight for continuously moving

forward , not allowing himself or his

music to stagnate and become irrelevant;

tonights performance illustrated just that.

Clive Rawlings

SANDI THOM

Marine Theatre, Lyme Regis

27th October, 2012

A beautiful, intimate venue for what

turned out to be a celebration for Sandi

finally being granted US citizenship.

Barbara J Hunt, a local singer/

songwriter did a sterling job in the

support role, never easy, but had the

audience in the palm of her hand with

her set of original material. Then, it was

the turn of the lady from North of the

border (Mexican or English, take your

pick!). Accompanied only by Steve Down

on guitar – his third gig on the tour,


reviews

Live

and long- time drummer Craig Connet

on percussion, gave a quick reveille on

the harmonica, before setting off on

a riff-heavy version of ‘Help Me’. The

sound was a perfect mix of both silk

and steel, the musicianship faultless, as

they moved on to Stormy Weather with

its funky, rhythmic undertone. Along

with much of tonight’s set list, these two

were taken from the new Flesh and

Blood album. Preceded by the beautiful

take on Buffy Sainte Marie’s Big Ones

Get Away, we were treated to the song

which started it all off for Sandi. Love it

or hate it, I Wish I was a Punk Rocker,

the souped- up version of which we got

tonight, will always be there, although

it sounds a little dated now, compared

to where Sandi is now. Taken from the

Merchants and Thieves album, Show

No Concern and This Ol’ World were

well crafted, Mr Down making a fair fist

of doing a certain Mr Bonamassa’s solo

on the latter it must be said! Talking of

whom, one of many highlights for this

reviewer was the song dedicated to

Joe, Love You Like A Lunatic. Still the

bluesy vibe kept coming, Need Your

Love So Bad, again with Steve brilliant

on acoustic guitar, exquisitively arranged

to illustrate the full range of Sandi’s

vocal ability. I understand a covers

album is in the offing and Guns and

Roses November Rain will be on it, we

got an astounding version tonight. The

evening ended with Sandi conducting

the packed house on the chorus of her

Runaway Train. Congratulations Sandi

and musicians, you managed to wake up

this corner of sleepy Dorset!

Clive Rawlings.

THE CLIMAX BLUES

BAND/CHUCK MICALIFFE

Lichfield Guildhall

December 8th 2012

One of the country’s longest-serving

blues bands returned to raise the rafters

of the Lichfield Guildhall when The

Climax Blues Band appeared. Local

singer songwriter Chuck Micaliffe

started the evening, playing songs by

such luminaries as John Prine and

Gordon Lightfoot, whilst a version

of Bob Dylan’s Don’t think twice, it’s

alright was an early highlight, his own

songs matched the high standard with

Old Man and The Sun, the moon and

the stars both being fine narrative

songs. Technical gremlins interfered

in the set, which saw the seasoned

troubadour playing and singing without

any amplification, and still getting his

message across. With a history dating

back more than thirty years, the Climax

Blues Band marked their territory early

on, with two Willie Dixon songs. Seventh

Son and Down in Louisiana were tight,

funk-based readings, and allowed for

some fine singing from guitarist and

vocalist Stevie Hayes, and soloing from

guitarist Lester Hunt and saxophonist

Johnny Pugh, with strong support from

keyboard player George Glover, bassist

Neil Simpson and Drummer Roy Adams.

Although the band’s repertoire

comes mainly from the blues, the tight

unison playing on saxes and guitars,

also betrayed the influence of jazz, a

well as a definite rockier edge in such

songs as Fool for the Bright Lights and

Chasing Change. Lester Hunt led the

band through a blues rock Take me

back to Georgia whilst So Many Roads

was a slow blues which allowed for a

show-stealing Saxophone solo that was

both technically demanding and also

full of soul. The first half finished with a

third Willie Dixon song, with a jump-jive

rendering of I’m Ready. The pace was

lifted during the second set, with a

far more responsive audience being

treated to livelier than usual versions

of Little Red Rooster and Spoonful,

both blues standards that can drag in

the hands of lesser blues bands, or be

treated with far too much reverence.

The band got their hands dirty with both

songs. They showed their slow blues

credentials with Last Chance Saloon,

whilst the pace really lifted during

Couldn’t get it right the song’s mix of a

catchy beat and road-won musicianship

providing the band with their bestknown

song to date. After this it was a

straight home run with Towards the Sun

and Let the Good times roll which was

packed full of high quality musicianship,

and a very deep groove. An encore of

Going to New York/Money saw a fine

guitar solo, the first of the night, from

Stevie Hayes, and it was a shame that

the audience had to wait until the end

of the concert to hear this facet of his

musicianship.

Ben Macnair

THE DIRTY DOZEN

BRASS BAND

The 50th Ulster Bank Belfast

Festival at Queen’s

November 2nd 2012

It’s a dismal thought that in the mid-70s

the New Orleans brass bands that for

decades had been a colourful presence

at the city’s parades and funerals were

in serious danger of extinction. But

then along came the Dirty Dozen Brass

Band who by introducing elements

of R‘n’B, jazz and funk into the music

reinvigorated the tradition.In truth,

during some of the band’s long, funky

workouts one might have felt that they

were straying too far for comfort from

their roots but ultimately the vibrancy

of the interplay between the seven

musicians and the sheer excitement they

generated carried the day. “We’re going

to have some fun,” was the promise as

the septet – sousaphone, two trumpets,

baritone and tenor saxophones, keys,

drums – took the stage.

And yet a few of the early tracks

like ‘Tomorrow’, from the band’s current

album Twenty Dozen, seemed pedestrian

and those who leapt on to the dance

floor eager to make some groovy shapes

found themselves somewhat stranded.

Stevie Wonder’s ‘Superstition’, ever

a guaranteed dance floor filler, worked

its usual magic, however, although

extroverted trumpeter Efrem Towns’

raucous vocals were unexceptional.

On what may have been called

Everybody Get Up the band’s other

trumpeter Gregory Davis called out

moves and almost the entire audience

responded delightedly and bopped

merrily along, with Davis’s lyrics alluding

to ‘Shake Rattle & Roll’ and ‘TuttiFrutti’.

An exhilarating When The Saints

Go Marching In featured immaculate

ensemble playing, a glorious trumpet

solo from Towns and great vocal

interplay between Towns and deepvoiced

tenor player Kevin Harris.

The likes of the jazzy Git Up and

the funky Dirty Old Man provided the

fun that the band had promised, while

a strange St James Infirmary, played as

a duet by baritone saxophonist Roger

Lewis and Davis, two of the band’s

founder members, was woozily, wonkily

wonderful.

Trevor Hodgett


Blues rmr top 20

blues top 50

december 2012

01 SHEMEKIA COPELAND 33 1 /3 TELARC

02 ROBERT CRAY BAND NOTHIN’ BUT LOVE PROVOGUE

03 RICK HOLMSTROM CRUEL SUNRISE MC

04 SMOKIN’ JOE KUBEK & B’NOIS KING CLOSE TO THE BONE DELTA GROOVE TX

05 JOHN LEE HOOKER JR. ALL HOOKED UP STEPPIN’ STONE RECORDS

06 CHRIS SMITHER HUNDRED DOLLAR VALENTINE SIGNATURE SOUNDS MA

07 JULIAN FAUTH EVERYBODY OUGHT TO TREAT A STRANGER RIGHT ELECTRO-FI CANADA

08 MAGIC SLIM & THE TEARDROPS BAD BOY BLIND PIG IL

09 ALBERT CASTIGLIA LIVING THE DREAM BLUES LEAF FL

10 MICHAEL BURKS SHOW OF STRENGTH ALLIGATOR

11 MIGHTY SAM MCCLAIN TOO MUCH JESUS (NOT ENOUGH WHISKEY) MIGHTY MUSICx NH

12 DEBBIE DAVIES AFTER THE FALL MCCT

13 GARY CLARK JR. BLAK AND BLU WARNER BROTHERS

14 THE REVEREND PEYTON’S BIG DAMN BAND BETWEEN THE DITCHES SIDE ONE DUMMY IN

15 BARBARA CARR KEEP THE FIRE BURNING CATFOOD RECORDS MO

16 COREY LUECK & THE SMOKE WAGON BLUES BAND IT AIN’T EASY SELF CANada

17 IAN SIEGAL AND THE MISSISSIPPI MUDBLOODS CANDY STORE KID NUGENE UK

18 ETTA JAMES LIVE AT MONTREUX 1978-1993 EAGLE RECORDS

19 ERIC BIBB DEEPER IN THE WELL STONY PLAIN NY

20 DEANNA BOGART PIANOLAND BLIND PIG MD

21 ANN RABSON W/ BOB MARGOLIN NOT ALONE VIZZTONE VA

22 CRAIG CHAQUICO FIRE RED MOON BLIND PIG

23 HANS THEESSINK & TERRY EVANS DELTA TIME BLUE GROOVE CA

24 TWEED FUNK LOVE IS TWEED TONE RECORDS WI

25 COLIN LINDEN STILL LIVE CROSS CUT RECORDS

26 THE BLUES BROADS THE BLUES BROADS DELTA GROOVE CA

27 RAPHAEL WRESSNIG & ALEX SCHULTZ SOUL GIFT ZYX MUSIC/PEPPER CAKE RECORDS CA

28 CLAYTON DOLEY DESPERATE TIMES SELF AUSTRALIA

29 JOHN NEMETH SOUL LIVE SELF CA

30 MURALI CORYELL MURALI CORYELL - LIVE SHAKE-IT SUGAR NY

31 FRANC ROBERT & THE BOXCAR TOURISTS MULLIGAN STEW SELFx FL

32 AL BASILE AT HOME NEXT DOOR SWEETSPOT RI

33 MARIA MULDAUR FIRST CAME MEMPHIS MINNIE STONY PLAIN

34 JOE BONAMASSA DRIVING TOWARDS THE DAYLIGHT J&R ADVENTURES

35 DENNIS GRUENLING ROCKIN’ ALL DAY VIZZTONE NJ

36 VARIOUS ARTIST FIRST CAME MEMPHIS MINNIE STONY PLAIN

37 MITCH WOODS BLUES BEYOND BORDERS - LIVE IN ISTANBUL CLUB 88 CA

38 JAKE LEAR DIAMONDS AND STONES SELF TN

39 PETEY HOP THE LEVEE HOPTONES MUSIC

40 MR. NICK & THE DIRTY TRICKS OH WOW! VIZZABLE / JELLY ROLL

41 MEENA TRY ME RUF AUSTRIA

42 TEDESCHI TRUCKS BAND LIVE EVERYBODY’S TALKIN’ SONY MASTERWORKS FL

43 LINSEY ALEXANDER BEEN THERE DONE THAT DELMARK IL

44 ROSS NEILSEN THE SHACK UP SESSIONS SELF CANADA

45 THE LEE BOYS TESTIFY EVIL TEEN FL

46 SUZIE VINNICK ME ‘N’ MABEL INDIE CANADA

47 LITTLE FEAT ROOSTER RAG ROUNDER / CONCORD

48 LAMONT CRANSTON BAND WITH BRUCE MCCABE HIGH TEMPERATURE RECORDS

49 SCRAPOMATIC I’M A STRANGER (AND I LOVE THE NIGHT) LANDSLIDE

50 BEN RACINE BAND ONE OF A KIND IGUANE RECORDS CANADA


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