The BluesPowR Blog

Nick Moss Band delivers Live and Luscious treat on latest project

Posted on February 29, 2016 by Mike

We’ve talked about the Nick Moss Band quite a bit here in recent years, and the invitation to participate in the inaugural U.S. offering of the Lead Belly Fest at NYC’s Carnegie Hall earlier this month (and not just because the band’s vocalist Michael Ledbetter happens to be a great-great nephew of Huddie “Lead Belly” Ledbetter himself, although we’re sure that did help) on the same stage as such acts as Buddy Guy, Kenny Wayne Shepherd, Eric Burdon and Walter Trout is a good sign of the band’s growing reputation as one of the best blues-oriented jam bands on the scene today.

With a new double studio CD (From the Root to the Fruit) just announced for May release, we figured it might be a good time to take a look at the band’s latest project, an 8-song live album recorded last May at the Baltic Blues Festival in Germany that is every bit as Live and Luscious (Blue Bella Records) as its title promises. Included are a few songs that longtime Moss fans might recognize from earlier projects, in the title track from Moss’ Time Ain’t Free album, a shuffling, groove-filled “Try to Treat You Right” (the opening track from Moss’ 1998 debut First Offense), and a slow, simmering 12-minute take on Jimmy Reed’s “The End” that varies greatly from the version heard on Moss’ earlier Live at Chan’s album and, with its plentiful, often stinging guitar, positions Moss among such other greats as Peter Green and Walter Trout.

Fortunately for us, though, this is really just the beginning, with lots more great music to be heard, offering a nice preview of several tracks from the upcoming From the Root album. Among them are the rock-steady opener “Breakdown” that gets things grooving from the start, as well as an extended version of Moss’ commentary on the Ferguson police shooting and riots in the flowing “Shade Tree”, a soulful, nearly 13-minute jam that is just as good as anything you’ll hear from the Allman Brothers, with lyrics that talk of blood in the streets and a repeating chorus of “it’ll never be the same”.

In addition to helping out on both lead vocals and guitar throughout the album, Ledbetter also wrote three of the tunes, the first coming just two songs in with the extremely soulful “Catch Me I’m Falling” that’s sort of a modern-day equivalent of the kind of stuff Sam & Dave used to do, combined with some funky, Peter Frampton-like wah effects on guitar. Yes, we do feel you, Mike…

Heritage Music Blues Fest 2012

Taylor Streiff, Nick Fane and Patrick Seals round out the band on keyboards, bass and drums, respectively, with Streiff really having the chance to shine on songs like “Try to Treat You Right” and “Time Ain’t Free”. Don’t let the number of tracks fool you when it comes to getting your money’s worth: the songs here all clock in somewhere between the 6- and 13-minute mark, with plenty of solos from both Moss and the others, not to mention some interesting touches along the way, such as when Moss works in a few bars of AC/DC’s “Hells Bells” near the close of the Ledbetter-penned “I Dig” (one you’re sure to dig too).

It’s likely no accident that the band chose to wrap up the album on the creeping, somewhat psychedelic number entitled “Stand By”, which is exactly what a lot of us will be doing as we eagerly await that double studio album from Moss and his band, with Live and Luscious providing a satisfying taste of what’s to come.

Posted in Albums | Tagged Michael Ledbetter, Nick Moss | Comments Off

Buddy Guy, Mavis Staples, Jon Cleary snag blues, roots Grammys; Gary Clark Jr., Bonnie Raitt help pay tribute to B.B. King

Posted on February 17, 2016 by Mike

It was a good night for the blues at Monday’s Grammy Awards, with Buddy Guy, Mavis Staples, and Jon Cleary taking home awards for best blues album (Born to Play Guitar), best American roots performance (“See That My Grave is Kept Clean” off her Your Good Fortune album), and best regional roots music album (Go Go Juice), respectively.

But perhaps the biggest thrill of the night was the tribute to the late, great B.B. King (who won 15 Grammy awards of his own during his career, including best traditional blues album for, among others, Live at the Apollo, Blues Summit, Blues on the Bayou, Riding with the King, A Christmas Celebration of Hope, and his last, in 2008, for One Kind Favor) that came late in the program, with Gary Clark Jr. and frequent Grammy honoree Bonnie Raitt joined by country singer and the night’s winner in both the best country album and best country performance categories Chris Stapleton on King’s iconic “The Thrill is Gone”, the song for which King received his very first Grammy (for best R&B vocal performance) in 1970.

Watch the trio wish The King of the Blues well with this dynamite performance, which also features a nice video montage of King for a backdrop:

Posted in Awards | Tagged B.B. King, Bonnie Raitt, Buddy Guy, Gary Clark Jr., Jon Cleary, Mavis Staples | Comments Off

Blues Lyrics of the Week (Valentine’s edition): Talkin’ ’bout love with Magic Sam

Posted on February 13, 2016 by Mike

We couldn’t think of a better bluesman to revisit on this holiday than the recently discussed Magic Sam, who was not only born on Valentine’s Day in 1937 but also performed his share of tunes involving love and romance (often borrowed from other artists like Otis Rush, Willie Dixon, and Roscoe Gordon), from “Easy, Baby” and “I Just Want a Little Bit” to “All Your Love”, “My Love Will Never Die”, and “Keep on Lovin’ Me, Baby”, just to mention a few.

Here’s one of Sam’s originals on the subject that says it better than any overpriced greeting card ever can:

“You belong to me,
and I belong to you,
And when we are together, baby,
I just love all the things we do.

Darling, I, I really love you.
I said I, whoa, I love you.

We swim and we skate,
we go out on dates.
We kiss and we dance,
and we love to make romance…

You know I love ‘ya,
place no one above ‘ya.
Crazy ’bout you, baby,
and I don’t mean maybe.
I said, baby,
my baby,
I said love, baby,
you know that I love you.”
– “You Belong to Me”, Sam Maghett

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged Magic Sam | Comments Off

Plenty more Magic to be heard on expanded edition of blues/soul great’s Black Magic

Posted on February 12, 2016 by Mike

We probably don’t need to spend much ink trying to convince you that Magic Sam‘s Black Magic – the follow-up to his 1967 debut West Side Soul – is worth owning; even many casual blues fans will already have a copy of both Magic Sam (whose real name was Sam Maghett) albums in their collection, but those who don’t – as well as Magic Sam completists – are going to want to rectify that immediately by picking up this deluxe edition of Black Magic from Delmark Records, the same label that put out both of Sam’s studio LPs.

As if the original version of the album – released just days before Sam’s death (at age 32) in December 1969 – wasn’t appealing enough, featuring a mix of Sam’s own material (“What Have I Done Wrong”, “You Belong to Me”) and covers of popular songs from artists such as Otis Rush (“Keep on Loving Me, Baby”), Willie Dixon (“Easy, Baby”), Freddy King (the instrumental “San-Ho-Zay”), Lowell Fulsom (“It’s All Your Fault Baby”), and Roscoe Gordon (“I Just Want a Little Bit”), among others, along with Sam’s, well, magically smooth, soulful vocals and a band that included Lafayette Leake on piano, Mighty Joe Young on guitar, Eddie Shaw on sax, and Odie Payne, Jr., on drums, this deluxe edition offers eight additional songs from the same late-October and early-November 1968 sessions, including alternate takes of several of the tracks from the original recording, along with three other tunes recorded at the same time, all remastered from the original analog tapes.

While many of those additional numbers could previously be heard on Delmark’s The Magic Sam Legacy, a 1997 collection offering 13 songs left off from Sam’s two studio LPs, two of the alternate versions – “Same Old Blues” and one of two alternate takes on “What Have I Done Wrong” – are being released here for the first time. Also included are alternate versions of “I Just Want a Little Bit” and “Keep on Loving Me, Baby” that, along with the others noted above, are every bit as strong as those which originally appeared on Black Magic and West Side Soul, as well as three other songs that didn’t make the final cut for inclusion on the studio albums, in the Maghett-penned “Everything’s Gonna Be Alright” – featuring some of the most passionate and then, towards its close, grittiest vocals you’ll hear from Sam – and the jazzy instrumental “Blues for Odie Payne”, along with a groove-filled take on George “Wild Child” Butler’s “Keep on Doin’ What You’re Doin'”.

In addition to the music, the deluxe edition also includes new liner notes written by Delmark founder and owner/producer Bob Koester to accompany those from not only the original LP but also from an earlier reissue of the album (both from Living Blues magazine founding co-editor Jim O’ Neal) and the aforementioned The Magic Sam Legacy, along with some never-before-seen photos from both the recording session and the Ann Arbor Blues Festival.

If Sam were still alive to celebrate his 79th birthday this Valentine’s Day (this Sunday for those of you who might need a reminder!), he would no doubt have given us much more great music to enjoy throughout his lifetime. But, as with fellow Mississippi native Robert Johnson and so many other blues men and women through the decades, we’ve been left with far too little material by which to remember Maghett, making this reissue of Black Magic a much-appreciated reminder of the magic Sam truly possessed.

Posted in Albums | Tagged Eddie Shaw, Lafayette Leake, Magic Sam, Mighty Joe Young, Odie Payne | Comments Off

Good Morning Blues

Posted on February 9, 2016 by Mike

This latest edition of our BluesPowR Radio Hour is sure to help wake you up on these post-Super Bowl/Fat Tuesday mornings, with strong nods to both Lead Belly – including the opening cover of the blues/folk great’s “Good Morning Blues” by UK guitarist Laurence Jones, which starts with some words from Lead Belly himself (so be sure to have the volume turned up from the get-go) and a Lead Belly-inspired song from Eric Bibb also closing the set – and Muddy Waters – including tracks from former Waters band members Pinetop Perkins, Jimmy Rogers, and Bob Margolin, as well as a cover of one of Muddy’s most popular songs in “Baby Please Don’t Go” by Danish blues-rockers Thorbjorn Risager & The Black Tornado.

Also included is music from John Mayall as well as a double shot from Colin Linden‘s latest album, and more, so check it out today!

Podcast: Play in new window | Download

Playlist
Good Morning Blues – Laurence Jones (What’s It Gonna Be)
All in My Sleep – Pinetop Perkins & Jimmy Rogers w/ Little Mike & the Tornadoes (Genuine Blues Legends)
Knob & Tube – Colin Linden (Rich in Love)
The Hurt – Colin Linden (Rich in Love)
I’mma Make You Love Me – Amanda Fish Band (Down in the Dirt)
I Want All My Money Back – John Mayall (Find a Way to Care)
Aberdeen, Mississippi Blues – Steve Howell & the Mighty Men (Friend Like Me)
Baby Please Don’t Go – Thorbjorn Risager & The Black Tornado (Songs from the Road)
My Whole Life – Bob Margolin (My Road)
Swimmin’ in a River of Songs – Eric Bibb & JJ Milteau (Lead Belly’s Gold)

Posted in BluesPowR Radio Hour | Tagged Amanda Fish, Bob Margolin, Colin Linden, Eric Bibb, Jimmy Rogers, JJ Milteau, John Mayall, Laurence Jones, Lead Belly, Little Mike & the Tornadoes, Muddy Waters, Pinetop Perkins, Steve Howell & the Mighty Men, Thorbjorn Risager | Comments Off

Blues pianist Anthony Geraci displays Fifty Shades of Blue on latest masterpiece

Posted on February 4, 2016 by Mike

Those who may not recognize New England pianist Anthony Geraci simply by name will no doubt be familiar with him through his longtime “day job” – or perhaps more accurately in this instance, being that he’s a musician, “night job” (or should we just say “primary gig”?) – as keyboardist with the internationally known Sugar Ray & the Bluetones. A founding member, in fact, of both Ronnie Earl & the Broadcasters and the Bluetones, with whom he’s spent the past three and a half decades, Geraci has, both alone and with those bands, played and recorded with some of the world’s greatest blues musicians.

While Geraci’s debut recording on Delta Groove Music may initially appear little more than another terrific Bluetones record, featuring as it does fellow band members “Monster” Mike Welch on guitar, Michael “Mudcat” Ward on bass, Neil Gouvin on drums, and Sugar Ray Norcia on vocals and harmonica, a closer inspection reveals that Fifty Shades of Blue truly is more about Geraci than his band: in addition to his fellow Bluetones, the album includes appearances by several other artists with whom Geraci has worked throughout the past five decades, among them, vocalist and harmonica player Darrell Nulisch (Anson Funderburgh & the Rockets, Ronnie Earl & the Broadcasters, James Cotton Band) and female vocalists Toni Lynn Washington and Michelle “Evil Gal” Willson (collectively dubbed “the Boston Blues All-Stars” for purposes of this project), with Geraci also having penned each of the baker’s dozen of songs that appear here, along with producing the record.

We’ve never met or talked with Geraci, but we have been fortunate enough to hear him play as part of the Bluetones (and to speak with his colleague and fellow Bluetones founder Michael “Mudcat” Ward a while back about the band and their Living Tear to Tear album) and would have to guess from this recording that he’s a bit of a modest guy: he doesn’t sing, so he’s brought in a few guys and gals he knows can, and the contributions from his bandmates and other guests help make Fifty Shades of Blue a lot more than just another album of blues piano numbers. While Geraci’s playing is of course prominent throughout the project, it’s never overdone, with the frequency and length of Geraci’s solos nicely balanced by those from the other musicians, resulting in a diverse and delightful mix of well-written tunes that span the spectrum from straight blues to country and jazz to boogie-woogie and more.

Continue reading →

Posted in Albums | Tagged Anthony Geraci, Darrell Nulisch, Michael Mudcat Ward, Michelle Evil Gal Willson, Monster Mike Welch, Neil Gouvin, Sugar Ray & the Bluetones, Sugar Ray Norcia, Toni Lynn Washington | Comments Off

Historic recording offers essential listen to Genuine Blues Legends Pinetop Perkins, Jimmy Rogers

Posted on January 27, 2016 by Mike

It’s hard to believe that this coming March will already mark five long years since the death of blues piano great Joe Willie “Pinetop” Perkins. And it’s been nearly four times that long since we lost Chicago blues guitarist Jimmy Rogers. But a new CD from Little Mike & the Tornadoes provides a terrific glimpse at these two blues masters together during what may well have been their prime, from a May 1988 show recorded in Ellsworth, Maine.

Although both Perkins and Rogers both at one point served as members of Muddy Waters’ band, the two never really played and toured together until the mid-1980s following Pinetop’s departure from the Waters band spin-off The Legendary Blues Band. It was at about the same time that Perkins also began playing frequently with a New York blues outfit fronted by harmonica player Michael “Little Mike” Markowitz, with all three acts coming together in the spring of 1988 for the historic performance captured here on Genuine Blues Legends (ELROB Records), the same year Markowitz produced and played on Perkins’ solo debut After Hours.

The album starts off good with a lightly swinging “Kidney Stew” (Eddie “Cleanhead” Vinson) and a shuffling “High Heel Sneakers” (Tommy Tucker) that allow both Perkins and the Tornadoes to nicely show their chops, and then turns great with a superb 10-minute creeping cover of St. Louis Jimmy Oden’s “Had My Fun” (a.k.a. “Going Down Slow”) that features some stinging guitar from the Tornadoes’ Tony O Melio along with gritty harmonica from Markowitz and particularly fine tinkling of the ivories – with occasional glissando – from Perkins, who also provides vocals on the first four numbers, finishing out with Pinetop’s own lively “For You My Love” before Rogers joins in on both vocals and guitar for a trio of songs, beginning with Jimmy Reed’s “Big Boss Man”.

That’s followed by two Rogers originals in the slow, bluesy, nearly nine-and-a-half minute “All in My Sleep” and the catchy, more uptempo “The Last Time”, then returning to Pinetop on vocals for the quiet piano blues of “When I Lost My Baby” featuring some wailing harp from Little Mike and T-Bone Walker-style guitar from Tony O. Things close on a much livelier – and fun – note, first with a spunky “Pinetop’s Boogie Woogie” full of “stop”, “hold yourself”, and “get it” transitions, with even a few “shake it but don’t break it”s thrown in, and next with the groove-filled instrumental “Pine and Jimmy’s Jump”.

Mike and his Tornadoes do an excellent job backing – and, in return, earn lots of props from – the masters throughout the program. Recorded almost 30 years ago now, Genuine Blues Legends truly is music from another era, the type of blues they just don’t make any more. And way too great a treasure to be passed up.

Posted in Albums | Tagged Jimmy Rogers, Little Mike & the Tornadoes, Pinetop Perkins | Comments Off

Tommy Castro reveals Method to Madness on latest release

Posted on January 14, 2016 by Mike

Following a powerful 2014 debut (The Devil You Know) that featured guest appearances from the likes of Tab Benoit, Marcia Ball, Joe Bonamassa, Samantha Fish, the Holmes Brothers, and Magic Dick, among others, hard-working bluesman Tommy Castro and his trimmed-down band The Painkillers are very much holding their own on their sophomore release Method to My Madness (Alligator Records).

With the 60-year-old Castro having written or co-written all but two of the album’s dozen tracks and also producing for the first time, The Painkillers prove here that they don’t need big name guests to sound good, something to which anyone who has witnessed the band live during these first four years of its existence can also attest, with The Painkillers already ranking as one of the tightest bands in the blues today despite both its short history and a few changes in personnel that now find Bowen Brown on drums and percussion and Michael Emerson on keyboards (the latter having replaced younger player James Pace just since we saw the band in May at the 2015 Chesapeake Bay Blues Festival).

But with Castro and longtime friend and bassist (and Harrisburg, PA native) Randy McDonald continuing to lay down the riffs on guitar, this band hasn’t missed a beat – and indeed is sounding better every time around – once again delivering a solid, satisfying blend of blues, soul, funk, R&B, and rock filled with plenty of greasy, West Coast grooves on Method to My Madness, about which Castro commented: “With the new album, I was trying to get back to my basic ingredients: blues and soul. I went for the energy of connecting with my band. We kept everything raw, capturing the feeling of playing live.”

Chesapeake Bay Blues Festival 2015

That energy and rawness is evident from even the album’s catchy opening track, “Common Ground”, with its unifying cry of “We got to stand together, on common ground/ we got to band together, or we all fall down” and other upbeat messages such as “left, right, black or white, we all dream about the same things at night/ let’s wake up people, it’s time to build a brand new day” and “everybody lookin’ for someone to blame/ we’re not as different as we are the same”. You’ll also hear it on songs like the rocking title track, the grungy, shuffling “Shine a Light”, the full-tilt bayou boogie of “Got A Lot”, and the gritty, modern-day hard-luck story “No Such Luck” that features some Santana-like licks along with its lyrics about one man’s problems in even obtaining the woman or job that other bluesmen can only sing about losing.

There’s also a slick work-up of Clarence Carter’s funky “I’m Qualified”, the greasy “All About the Cash” co-written by harmonica player Rick Estrin, and a haunting, hypnotic “Ride” on which you can easily picture the bluesman cruising the strip, while the slow, passionate ballad “Died and Gone to Heaven” and the swaying soul of a Delbert McClinton-like “Two Hearts” allow the San Jose, California, native to show off his more sensitive side, the former even including some nice harmony vocals from the rest of the band.

It’s all good of course, but The Painkillers may be at their very best on the bluesier numbers, which here include the slow but steady, Joe Louis Walker co-written “Lose Lose” and the terrific heartfelt cover of B.B. King’s “Bad Luck” that closes the album. Castro’s vocals and playing are, as always, superb, but the real treat is hearing just how far this small band has come in such short time, with even the newest member Emerson making some strong contributions, all helping to make Method to My Madness easily one of the best releases of 2015.

Posted in Albums | Tagged Tommy Castro | Comments Off

Mojo Risin’: Billy the Kid & The Regulators

Posted on January 6, 2016 by Mike

We haven’t yet had the chance to catch either of the first two artists featured in our new Mojo Risin’ series – Scottish singer and guitarist Lewis Hamilton and New England vocalist Julie Rhodes – live, but the next act we’re spotlighting is one that can be found much closer to home for us in the Pittsburgh-based Billy the Kid & The Regulators, who we’ve had the pleasure of seeing now on several occasions, including at the 2014 Heritage Music BluesFest in Wheeling, where we shot these photos.

A two-time finalist in the annual International Blues Challenge (IBC) – first for best self-produced CD in the 2013 competition for their She Got a Hold on Me, and then again the following year in the band category – Billy the Kid & The Regulators every bit live up to the spirit of the historical moniker they’ve chosen: a high-energy, modern-day musical equivalent of the Wild West posse of which the famous gunslinger was a member. Fronted by lead singer and guitarist Billy Evanochko, these Regulators are a soulful, guitar-driven R&B outfit with a gritty, vibrant Americana sound similar to that of roots rockers JJ Grey & Mofro.

Those looking to acquaint themselves with these outlaws of soul will find the band’s latest album I Can’t Change a great place to start. Produced by fellow 2014 Heritage Music BluesFest artist Damon Fowler, I Can’t Change captures the band delivering a groove-filled mix of originals and covers, from the opening title track to the catchy, uptempo “Saturday Night”, patient takes on blues numbers like Jimmy Reed’s “Can’t Stand to See You Go” and Dave MacKenzie’s “Slender Man Blues”, and a tough, romping version of Little Walter’s “Who”, one of several songs to feature Jason Ricci on harmonica.

In addition to producing, Fowler also contributes guitar on “Saturday Night”, alongside other guests Ricci, Ohio guitarist and 2007 IBC winner Sean Carney, and local singer Yolanda Barber – whose sometimes smooth, sometimes gravelly, Ursula Ricks-style vocals can also be heard on a handful of other tunes including the simmering title track and other notable originals like the passionate “What Are We Fighting For” (on which Billy reflects “what the hell are we fightin’ for? right or wrong, I’m not sure/ better days are comin’, good things in store/ all I know is I can’t fight no more”) and “Story of the Blues” – with another Ohio guitarist and IBC Youth Showcase winner Micah Kesselring also joining on vocals for the swaying, horn-soaked R&B “What Are We Fighting For” and Piedmont guitar on the closing “Me and the Devil Blues” (Robert Johnson).

A gritty, tough “Ain’t Gotta Prove Nothing” and funky, playful “That Darn Cat” (again featuring Barber) round out the set, which is filled with some impressive lead vocals and guitar from Evanochko as well as tight playing from The Regulators and their various guests (including a mighty fine horn section), with special kudos to keyboardist Ublai Bey, who particularly shines on songs like “Who”, “Slender Man Blues”, “Ain’t Gotta Prove Nothing” and “Saturday Night”.

Needless to say, I Can’t Change is one well worth checking out. With music like this, it’s just a matter of time before this Billy the Kid & The Regulators end up among America’s “most wanted”.

Posted in Albums, Mojo Risin' | Tagged Billy the Kid & the Regulators, Damon Fowler, Jason Ricci, Micah Kesselring, Sean Carney, Yolanda Barber | Comments Off

Blues Lyrics of the Week: Another Year Come and Gone

Posted on December 30, 2015 by Mike

Here’s a final nod to the year behind us with a song we first mentioned as part of our review of the Blue Élan Christmas CD a few weeks back, courtesy of guitarist and producer Dave Darling‘s musical collective the Soul Sparrows. With its upbeat message and soulful grooves, we can’t think of a better note on which to close out the old and bring in the new.

“Here on the eve of a brand new year,
one idea becomes so clear:
every day should be a holiday, yeah.
It’s nice to be nice on New Year’s Eve,
but cooler to be cool on June 15th.

And all these holidays get me dreamin’ again…

Another year come and gone again,
let’s lift a glass with all our friends.
We lived and loved and laughed last year,
let’s do it all again.
Another year come and gone again,
we look around at where we’ve been,
and try to make a better place
that we can all live in.

Hold that door open,
free up those favors,
do something cool
and smile at your neighbor.
Everyday could be a holiday, yeah….
Let’s make it just because we say
Christmas cheer is every day.”
– “Another Year Come and Gone”, The Soul Sparrows

Thanks to all the friends who helped to make the past year such a good one. May 2016 be filled with all the things you most enjoy, including, of course, plenty of blues!

Posted in Lyrics | Tagged Dave Darling, Soul Sparrows | Comments Off