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MARCH 2018 BiTS contact: email: [email protected] Web: www.bluesinthesouth.com Twitter: @bluesinthesouth FINAL REMINDER VOTING CLOSES @ MIDNIGHT 28TH FEBRUARY 2018 If you have already cast your votes, thank you. Both we and the finalists appreciate your support. If you have yet to join in, time is fast running out! Visit www.ukbluesawards.com and click on the button which will take you to the beginning of the simple, two step process to vote. First you must register and you can do this by visiting www.ukbluesawards.com/register where you will be asked to create a user name, a password and supply your first and last names and e-mail address. You will then be asked to prove you are not a robot and, assuming your registration is accepted, will be taken to the voting page. If you have any problems with this process, there is a help e-mail address shown on the Registration page which you can contact for assistance. All the finalists in the 17 categories are detailed on the Finalists page - www.ukbluesawards.com/finalists - where you will also find links to their websites and, where appropriate, video of the artists/acts so that you can familiarise yourself with all of them. If you are already a member of the UKBlues Federation you do not need to register as we have pre-registered you and you should have received an e-mail giving you all necessary details to enable you to vote. Please contact us if you have not. We are pleased to advise that the Form UKBlues Awards website is registered with ICO for the data protection act and is also SSL protected so your data is secure

Transcript of BiTS 03 MARCH 2018 - Blues in the Southbluesinthesouth.com/graphics/BiTS_03_MARCH_2018.pdf · 5...

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MARCH 2018

BiTS contact: email: [email protected] Web: www.bluesinthesouth.com Twitter: @bluesinthesouth

FINAL REMINDER

VOTING CLOSES @ MIDNIGHT 28TH FEBRUARY 2018If you have already cast your votes, thank you. Both we and the finalists appreciate your support.If you have yet to join in, time is fast running out!

Visit www.ukbluesawards.com and click on the button which will take you to the beginning of thesimple, two step process to vote.

First you must register and you can do this by visiting www.ukbluesawards.com/register where youwill be asked to create a user name, a password and supply your first and last names and e-mailaddress. You will then be asked to prove you are not a robot and, assuming your registration isaccepted, will be taken to the voting page.

If you have any problems with this process, there is a help e-mail address shown on the Registrationpage which you can contact for assistance.

All the finalists in the 17 categories are detailed on the Finalists page -www.ukbluesawards.com/finalists - where you will also find links to their websites and, where

appropriate, video of the artists/acts so that you can familiarise yourself with all of them.If you are already a member of the UKBlues Federation you do not need to register as we have

pre-registered you and you should have received an e-mail giving you all necessary details to enableyou to vote. Please contact us if you have not.

We are pleased to advise that the Form UKBlues Awards website is registered with ICO for thedata protection act and is also SSL protected so your data is secure

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BLUES GIGS: FROM EXMOUTH TO EASTBOURNE AND A BIT MORE BESIDES - MARCH 2018

Listings are provided as a guide only. Don’t forget to check the venue before you leave home to ensure that the gig is still on. The listing here is far from complete, socheck out www.bluesinthesouth.com too as that is updated all the time: LAST DATE FOR APRIL 2018 is 10 MARCH 2018

01 THE BOBONBOBOFFS @ THE PLATFORM TAVERN, TOWN QUAY, SOTON01 ZOE SCHWARZ BLUE COMMOTION AT SPRING ARTS CENTRE HAVANT, WWW.BLUECOMMOTION.COM/GIGS.HTML01 SWANAGE BLUES FESTIVAL - SWANAGE, DORSET - 18 INDOORS VENUES, 70 GIGS, JAMS AND OPEN MICS - WWW.SWANAGE-BLUES.ORG/,19:00,23:00,1,CORNFLOWERBLUE,,,,,02 PLATFORM POSSE @ THE PLATFORM TAVERN, TOWN QUAY, SOTON02 STOMPIN' DAVE - THE SQUARE & COMPASS, WORTH MATRAVERS, DORSET, WWW.STOMPINDAVE.COM/02 RIVERSIDE BLUES BAND @ THE ANCHOR, 30 HIGH STREET, SWANAGE BLUES FESTIVAL, WWW.RIVERSIDEBLUESBAND.CO.UK/02 ZOE SCHWARZ BLUE COMMOTION @ THE GRAND HOTEL SWANAGE AS PART OF SWANAGE BLUES FESTIVAL,WWW.BLUECOMMOTION.COM/GIGS02 SWANAGE BLUES FESTIVAL - SWANAGE, DORSET - 18 INDOORS VENUES, 70 GIGS, JAMS AND OPEN MICS - WWW.SWANAGE-BLUES.ORG/03 PIRANHA BROTHERS @ THE PLATFORM TAVERN, TOWN QUAY, SOTON03 PETE LEIGH AND THE UNION.COVE BAR & RESTAURANT WILLIAM STREET, SO14 5QL SOUTHAMPTON, UNITED KINGDOM,WWW.VISITCOVE.COM/03 STOMPIN' DAVE - THE WHEATSHEAF, SHEDFIELD, WWW.STOMPINDAVE.COM/03 STAN'S BLUES JAMBOREE @ THE ROYAL BRITISH LEGION 150 HIGH STREET, SWANAGE BLUES FESTIVAL,WWW.STANSBLUESJAM.CO.UK/JAMBOREESWANAGE.HTM03 SWANAGE BLUES FESTIVAL - SWANAGE, DORSET - 18 INDOORS VENUES, 70 GIGS, JAMS AND OPEN MICS - WWW.SWANAGE-BLUES.ORG/04 ELMORE GOES ELECTRIC - THE ROYAL PORTLAND ARMS, WWW.ELMOREGOES.CO.UK/04 ZOE SCHWARZ BLUE COMMOTION @ THE LEGION, SWANAGE BLUES FESTIVAL, WWW.BLUECOMMOTION.COM/GIGS.HTML04 STEAMER @ THE BLACK SWAN, 159 HIGH STREET, SWANAGE BLUES FESTIVAL BH19 2NE, WWW.REVERBNATION.COM/STEAMER23404 SWANAGE BLUES FESTIVAL - SWANAGE, DORSET - 18 INDOORS VENUES, 70 GIGS, JAMS AND OPEN MICS - WWW.SWANAGE-BLUES.ORG/,19:00,23:0005 JAMMIN' THE BLUES @SOUTH WONSTON SOCIAL CLUB 62 DOWNS ROIAD SOUTH WONSTON WINCHESTER SO21 3EW,BLUES/ROCK/FUNK.BACK LINE PROVIDED,20:30,23:0006 STAN'S BLUES JAM @ THE THOMAS TRIPP, 10 WICK LANE, CHRISTCHURCH BH23 1HX, STANSBLUESJAM.CO.UK08 STEVE PICKEN AND THE REAL RAJ @ THE PLATFORM TAVERN, TOWN QUAY, SOTON08 THE BRIXHAM BLUES SECOND THURSDAY (BBT2) @ MARITIME INN, KING STREET, BRIXHAM09 BACKWATER ROLL @ THE PLATFORM TAVERN, TOWN QUAY, SOTON10 THE ROUGHCUTS @ THE PLATFORM TAVERN, TOWN QUAY, SOTON10 RIVERSIDE BLUES BAND @ THE WINDSOR CASTLE, 95 SHIRLEY HIGH ST, SOUTHAMPTON SO16 4EX - 9.00PM - 11.00PM,WWW.RIVERSIDEBLUESBAND.CO.UK/INDEX.HTM10 STOMPIN' DAVE - STEAMTOWN BREW COMPANY, EASTLEIGH, WWW.STOMPINDAVE.COM/11 HUGH BUDDEN & PETE HARRIS @ THE THOMAS LORD, HIGH ST, WEST MEON, PETERSFIELD GU32 1LN,WWW.HUGHBUDDEN.COM11 STEAMER @ THE SHIPYARD BAR & KITCHEN, BATH ROAD, LYMINGTON SO41 3YL, WWW.REVERBNATION.COM/STEAMER234,12:05,15:0012 BLUES AT THE BRIDGE @ THE BRIDGE INN, TOPSHAM, OPEN MIC: ACOUSTIC ONLY. START 8.15 CLOSE 10:30. FREE FOR ALL INCLUDINGLISTENERS15 THOMAS FORD @ THE PLATFORM TAVERN, TOWN QUAY, SOTON15 HUGH BUDDEN & PETE HARRIS @ BELGIUM & BLUES, 184 ABOVE BAR STREET, SOUTHAMPTON SO14 7DW,WWW.HUGHBUDDEN.COM16 SUNFLOWER @ THE PLATFORM TAVERN, TOWN QUAY, SOTON16 ZOE SCHWARZ BLUE COMMOTION @ BRISTOL JAZZ & BLUES FESTIVAL, WWW.BLUECOMMOTION.COM/GIGS.HTML,18:15,19:1516 BLUESMAN MIKE FRANCIS - CELLAR BLUES CLUB, DEVIZES, WILTS SN10 1HS17 MJ WHIPROUND @ THE PLATFORM TAVERN, TOWN QUAY, SOTON17 HUGH BUDDEN & THE BLUE CHORDS @ THE WHEATSHEAF INN,BOTLEY ROAD, SHEDFIELD SO32 2JG,WWW.HUGHBUDDEN.COM17 ZOE SCHWARZ BLUE COMMOTION @ SALISBURY ARTS CENTRE, WWW.BLUECOMMOTION.COM/GIGS.HTML18 HUGH BUDDEN & PETE HARRIS @ THE MONKEY HOUSE, 167 SOUTHAMPTON ROAD, LYMINGTON, SO419HA,WWW.HUGHBUDDEN.COM,20:0018 RIVERSIDE BLUES BAND @ ANGOLA 76, MUSTONS YARD, SHAFTESBURY SP7 8AD,WWW.RIVERSIDEBLUESBAND.CO.UK/INDEX.HTM,18:30,21:0019 ZOE SCHWARZ BLUE COMMOTION @ THE DEAN PARK INN, CHARMINSTER, BOURNEMOUTH,WWW.BLUECOMMOTION.COM/GIGS.HTML,20:30,23:0019 JAMMIN' THE BLUES @ ANDOVER STATION INN, 63 BRIDGE STREET, ANDOVER, HANTS. SP10 1BY,STATION INN, 63 BRIDGE STREET,ANDOVER, HANTS. SP10 1BY,20:30,23:0019 STAN'S BLUES JAM @ THE COACH & HORSES, 11 SOUTHAMPTON ROAD, CADNAM SO40 2NF, WWW.STANSBLUESJAM.CO.UK21 HUGH BUDDEN HOSTING THE LORD NELSON R&B&MAYHEM JAM, THE QUAY, POOLE BH15 1HJ,WWW.HUGHBUDDEN.COM,21:00,21:0021 OYSTERCATCHERS BLUES NIGHT @ THE OYSTERCATCHERS CAFE, NORTHUMBERLAND PLACE, TEIGNMOUTH, OPEN MIC: ACOUSTICONLY. START 8.30 CLOSE 11:00. FREE ADMISSION. PARKING CLOSE BY.22 FERRIS AND SYLVESTER @ THE PLATFORM TAVERN, TOWN QUAY, SOTON23 JC AND ANGELINA GRIMSHAW @ THE PLATFORM TAVERN, TOWN QUAY, SOTON24 JIMMY HILLBILLIES @ THE PLATFORM TAVERN, TOWN QUAY, SOTON24 RIVERSIDE BLUES BAND @ THE CRICKETERS, SPRINGBOURNE, BOURNEMOUTH BH1 4RN, WWW.RIVERSIDEBLUESBAND.CO.UK/25 HUGH BUDDEN & THE BLUE CHORDS @ THE THOMAS TRIPP, WICK LANE, CHRISTCHURCH BH23 1HX,WWW.HUGHBUDDEN.COM,21:0025 ZOE SCHWARZ BLUE COMMOTION @ HALF MOON PUTNEY - DOUBLE HEADER WITH CATFISH,WWW.BLUECOMMOTION.COM/GIGS.HTML,19:30,22:0025 RIVERSIDE BLUES BAND @ THE LORD NELSON, POOLE QUAY BH15 1HJ, WWW.RIVERSIDEBLUESBAND.CO.UK,15:00,18:0027 BLUES AND FOLK JAM @ THE PLATFORM TAVERN, TOWN QUAY, SOTON28 8:30PM - 11:00PM STAN'S BLUES JAM 2 @ THE OWL'S NEST,196 CHRISTCHURCH ROAD, WEST PARLEY, FERNDOWN, BOURNEMOUTH BH228SS FREE ENTRY, WWW.STANSBLUESJAM.CO.UK,30 HUGH BUDDEN & ANDY STONE @ THE LAMB INN, HIGH STREET, HINDON. SALISBURY, SP3 6DP,WWW.HUGHBUDDEN.COM,19:30,19:3031 HUGH BUDDEN & THE BLUE CHORDS @ THE INN ON THE FURLONG, 12 MEETING HOUSE LANE, RINGWOOD, BH241EY,WW.HUGHBUDDEN.COM,21:00,21:00

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Most Played Album Top 40 – Jan 2018Collated from the playlists of the IBBA Members

Position Artist Album1 II BIG BLACK CAT BONE2 ZOE SCHWARTZ BLUE COMMOTION THE BLUES & I SHOULD HAVE A PARTY3 THE CRAIG HUGHES TWO OFF THE CUFF4 LAURENCE JONES THE TRUTH5 REVEREND SHAWN AMOS BREAKS IT DOWN6 GYPSY DAVE SMITH BLUE WORLD7 CURTIS SALGADO & ALAN HAGER ROUGH CUT8 SHAUN MURPHY MIGHTY GATES9 BILL FILIPIAK PUT THE TOP DOWN

10 THE ANDY GUNN BAND TOO MANY GUITARS TO GIVE UP NOW11 FRANK STATESBORO COLD DARK ROOM12 TEED UP HARD LESSON TO LEARN13 TINSLEY ELLIS WINNING HAND14 JOE RUSI A TOUT LE MONDE15 CHRIS DANIELS & THE KINGS BLUES WITH HORNS VOL 116 JOHNNY TUCKER SEVEN DAY BLUES17 ROCKY ATHAS SHAKIN' THE DUST18 BETH HART & JOE BONAMASSA BLACK COFFEE19 JOSH SMITH OVER YOUR HEAD20 SUGAR QUEEN & THE STRAIGHT BLUES BAND 340 BLUES21 CAROLYN GAINES BEWARE OF MY DOG22 BILLY WALTON BAND SOUL OF A MAN23 STEVE LOGAN BACKSTREETS OF EDEN24 ELLES BAILEY WILDFIRE25 SLIDE TRACKED BLUES WORKING SO HARD26 JOHN VERITY BAND BLUE TO MY SOUL27 SWEET PEA ATKINSON GET WHAT YOU DESERVE28 BAD DADDY STILL ROCKIN' THE WORLD29 KINGS & ASSOCIATES TALES OF A RICH GIRL30 FREEWORLD WHAT IT IS31 TOMMY EMMANUEL ACCOMPLICE ONE32 MICK CLARKE BENT FRETS33 CATFISH BROKEN MAN34 PETRI MATERO GROUP DEAD WEIGHT35 VARIOUS ARTISTS INTERNATIONAL BLUES CHALLENGE #3336 BENNY TURNER MY BROTHER'S BLUES37 DAN BURNETT SMALL WORLD38 LILLY MARTIN MINETTA39 ALBERT CASTIGLIA UP ALL NIGHT40 JOHNNY RAWLS WAITING FOR THE TRAIN

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Eddie Shaw (March 20, 1937 – January 29, 2018) was an American Chicago blues tenorsaxophonist, arranger and bandleader. He led Howlin' Wolf's band, the Wolf Gang, from

1972, both before Wolf's death in 1976 and subsequently.

Shaw was born in Stringtown, Mississippi.[1] In his teenage years, Shawplayed tenor saxophone with local blues musicians, such as Little Milton and

Willie Love.[2] At the age of 14, he played in a jam session in Greenville,Mississippi, with Ike Turner's band. At a gig in Itta Bena, Mississippi, when thethen 20-year-old Shaw performed, Muddy Waters invited him to join his Chicago-based band.

Howard Reich wrote in the Chicago Herald “When Chicago blues musician Eddie Shaw played his saxophone, the room seemed to quake.

His immense, raspy, growling sound cut through theinstrumentals surrounding him. His ornate solos packed vastswaths of blues and jazz history into every roaring phrase.

Shaw parlayed those exhortations into that rarest of careers inthe blues: a prominent bandleader whowasn’t primarily a guitarist, harmonicaplayer or singer (though Shaw could shout avocal line with power and play harmonicacompellingly too). The range of Shaw’stalents and the durability of his career madehim legendary among blues listeners in

Chicago and around the world.”

Eddie Shaw earned international acclaim asone of the few saxophonists to ever build an

enduring career leading a blues band. The mostwell-known saxophonists have often been jazz

musicians, and wild, honking sax players onceruled on the early post-World War II rhythm &blues scene, but in most blues and R&B bands,sax players have been sidemen. Neither is thesaxophone commonly associated with the music of

the Mississippi Delta; in fact, in blues jargon, theterm "Mississippi saxophone" jokingly refers to

harmonica (which Shaw learned to play aswell).

Shaw, a prolific songwriter, recorded his first single in 1966 and numerous albums thereafter, in addition toaccompanying Wolf, Magic Sam, and others on recording sessions. The titles of his first three albums, HaveBlues, Will Travel; Movin’ and Groovin’ Man; and King of the Road, exemplified his tireless travels, whicheventually took him to all fifty states and several foreign countries and earned him a widespread following andregular recognition in the annual Blues Music Awards. He made his film debut in the 2007 movieHoneydripper.

His hard-hitting horn work won him Instrumentalist of the Year honours in the 2006 and 2007 Blues MusicAwards.

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` ``` Terry Evans (August 14, 1937 – January 20, 2018) was an African American R&B,blues, and soul singer, guitarist and songwriter. He worked with many musicians including Ry

Cooder, Bobby King, John Fogerty, Eric Clapton, Joan Armatrading, John Lee Hooker, BozScaggs, Maria Muldaur and Hans Theessink. Cooder stated that he always thought that

Evans made a better "frontman."

Between 1994 and his death, Evans released seven solo albums, including Bluesfor Thought (1994) Come to the River (1997) and Fire in the Feeling

(2005). Evans' career was inspired by Elmore James, LittleWalter, Albert King, and B.B. King. Songs he wrote were

recorded by Pops Staples and Louis Jordan.

Long time travelling companion and fellow musician HansTheessink wrote

Terry Evans has passed on.

One of the greatest voices in American music will sound nomore.

Our friend and colleague Terry Evans went home on theevening train. We're devastated about his passing but are alsothankful that his suffering is over. For several weeks we've litcandles and listened to his music, knowing that he was onhis way out. Our thoughts are with his son TerryJr. and the Evans family.

We had a fantastic tour in Europe last Septemberand Terry enjoyed doing what he loved most:singing with heart and soul. Singing with Terrywas a powerful experience. He promised to be backfor my 70th Birthday Bash in April. This will not bebut his soulful voice will always be with us in spirit.His kinship and friendship will always have a veryspecial spot in our hearts.

Terry Evans’ work with Hans Theessink was outstanding. They made two tremendous albums Visions, and Deltatime many tracks on which are simply outstanding. Check out the video page in this issue for a great version of BluesStay Away From Me, a perfect demonstration of the way their voices blended together. A living example of theexpression ‘greater than the sum of the parts’,

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JOHN WILLIAM “SONNY” PAYNE began working for KFFA Radio, aged16, around the time the station opened in November 1941. He started as a janitorjust a few days before the station began broadcasting. His first announcingopportunity came in July 1942 when Sam Anderson, station manager and KingBiscuit Time announcer, stepped out of the control room for a few minutes toolong and Sonny had to quickly read a live commercial. Although not a perfectdelivery, he was given the chance again soon after and delivered without ahitch. A radio career had been born. But it wouldn’t happen immediately.

Payne joined the military in late 1942, and was shipped overseas to assistin setting up communications on enemy-held islands. He left military

service in 1948 and began touring as a bass player for Ted Weems. By 1951,Sonny was tired of being on the road and decidedto return to Helena. He was welcomed back toKFFA Radio and began his new career aspermanent host of King Biscuit Time

King Biscuit Time is the longest-running dailyblues radio show in the USA and possibly theworld. The legendary show began in November1941 when (John Lee) Sonny Boy Williamsonand Robert Lockwood Jr. approached the newradio station with an idea for a live bluesprogramme. After finding a sponsor for theprogramme - King Biscuit Flour -the blues showtook to the airwaves and became an instant hit.

Musical legends such as B.B. King and ArkansasDelta native Levon Helm have named “Sunshine”Sonny Payne and King Biscuit Time as influencesin their music careers. Music greats made the trekto Helena to visit Sonny on the set of King BiscuitTime. He is a member of the Blues Hall of Fame,

an inductee of the Arkansas Tourism Hall of Fame, and a recipient of the Arkansas Broadcasters Association’s PioneerAward. Payne and King Biscuit Time were awarded the George Foster Peabody Award, considered by many the“Pulitzer for Media,” in 1992. In May 2014, King Biscuit Time celebrated the 17,000th show, and “Sunshine” SonnyPayne was at the microphone. In honour of the historic event, Governor Mike Beebe proclaimed May 14 as “Sunshine”Sonny Payne Day in Arkansas.

Payne, who also worked as a salesman at the station, was behind the mic for the majority of the show's record makingnumber of broadcasts and continued to appear each weekday, until recently, when illness prevented him from signingon.

Lucy Kate Piper, daughter of Devon blues man Julian Piper, and herself a talented musician wrote the followingreminiscence:

RIP 'Sunshine' Sonny Payne, presenter of the vastly influential blues radio show 'King Biscuit Time' from Helena,Arkansas, which in October, when my father (Julian Piper) and I last went to see him, had broadcast well over 17,000times. He was a humble man who I first met as a kid whilst on a family holiday in the South. The first time, I was tooscared to say anything on the radio (or to him for that matter), so it was nice to be able to chat with him as a moreconfident (!) adult during visits over the last few years. Until just a few years ago, he told me, he'd still taken an annualtrip to see friends in London, quite some feat for a man of his age (92).

The 30-minute-long live radio programme is broadcast at 12:15 pm every weekday and was named after the localbrand of flour, King Biscuit Flour, distributed by the Interstate Grocer Company. The distributor financed the showat the behest of Williamson in exchange for endorsements and naming rights. KFFA was the only station that wouldplay music by African-Americans, and it reached an audience throughout the Mississippi Delta region. It inspiredblues musicians including B.B. King, Robert Nighthawk, James Cotton, and Ike Turner. The show's 12:15 pm timeslot was chosen to match the lunch break of workers in the Delta.

Compiled from various sources

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CATFISH: SWIMMIN’ INTHE DEEP BLUES SEA

With their incendiary live performances and the stellar guitar and vocal skills of front man, 23 year old Matt Long,Catfish have been captivating audiences at festivals and blues clubs all over the UK.

Their first album So Many Roads was issued at the end of 2014 when Matt was just 19. The nine blues standards,recorded in a single day with no overdubs, waspicked up by the Independent BluesBroadcasters on the Internet because of thequality of playing and recording, and eventuallya track was played on Radio 2 by Paul Long.This was one of the pivotal points in the band’shistory, and the album reached no 1 in theIBBA blues airplay charts.

They followed this with a tribute album to BBKing released in January 2016 shortly after hisdeath - four BB King songs done in their ownCatfish way and one song written in tribute tothe great man by Paul Long, Catfish’s keyboardplayer and producer.

However, it was when their first album oforiginal material was released in January 2017that the band came of age. The surprise wasnot the quality of the musicianship but thequality of the songwriting from both Matt andPaul Long. Both write independently, both invery different styles but both produce songs ofreal quality, which gives the album a hugeamount of variety and breadth. The albumreached no 1 in the IBBA charts in March 2017and Independent Blues BroadcastersAssociation named Broken Man as Album ofthe Year for 2017

'Catfish's new Broken Man album...is a turningpoint for the band showing that not only isCatfish one of the best live bands on the bluescircuit at the moment, but that the calibre of

their songwriting matches that.' Blues in Britain, December 2016

With five nominations in total in the British Blues Awards, and now four nominations in the new UK Blues Awards,the band are increasingly busy both in the UK and abroad, with five trips to Europe in the gig diary for 2018 so far.They have also been invited to perform at the presentation ceremony for the UK Blues Awards in May at WorthingPier alongside the MC for the evening, blues royalty, Ian Siegal.

With writing under way for the new album and reviews like this one below, we look forward to seeing what the nextchapter brings for the Catfishes.

'Catfish are one of the finest live bands in Britain today. The quality of musicianship is outstanding and in Matt Long,they have one of the greatest young guitarists on the scene today...' Blues Matters Magazine August 2017.

www.catfishbluesband.co.uk

Iain Robertson

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The BiTS Interview: Rob KoralRob Koral is the guitar man with Zoe Schwarz Blue Commotion and is Zoe’s life partner too. Alone and

with Zoe, he is a prolific songwriter. The band is nominated in the upcoming UK awards in the Bluesalbum of the Year category for their CD “This Is The Life I Choose” The band have just released a new

album “The Blues And I Should Have A Party” with Pete Whittaker (keys) and Paul Robinson (drums) (see areview here). Ian McKenzie spoke to him at his home.

Ilana in the Boston subway

BiTS:Rob, What I want to do is to talk to you a bit about your background in music, and the development of your band andwhatever, and then get on to the new album if that's OK?ROB:That's great, fantastic.

BiTS:Let's make a start. How did you get intomusic in the first place, Rob?ROB:I heard some music that just, that moment,that defining moment when you hearsomething that you really love, and for me,I was at school, and retrospectively theQueen farewell concert was on omnibusspecial feature programme on BBC2 orwhatever it was in those days, BBC1 orwhatever, on the television. Do youremember that?BiTS:I do yes.ROB:That, and just it was just that momentwhen it overpowers you, and, you know,you've just got to try and do that yourself.So that was the moment for me how I gotinto it.BiTS:Were you already a guitar player then?ROB:No, I wasn't, not at all. Not at all. I don't

come from a musical family or anything like that, it was just that sound that I heard that was unlike anything else I'dheard, and it just had that magic effect on me.BiTS:So, what did you do?ROB:I just got hold of an acoustic guitar, I'm left-handed, so that wasn't very easy. You know a couple of battered guitars,and I used to switch between playing cricket in the cricket season and playing guitar in the winter and playing football.So, sport versus music in my school years. And then, later on, I just made the complete switch and just played music,and just dived into it headlong, so that's how I started.

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BiTS:Yeah. Tell me about playing the guitar left handed, I know it probably seems very natural to you, but there are manyleft-handed players who put the strings in upside down which I know you don't. How did you learn all that stuff, didyou have somebody who taught you or did figure it out for yourself or what?ROB:I picked it up for myself, but I had a school friend who played normally right-handed who was very good, and I triedto ask him to show me things. You know I've always been left-handed, and as I watch someone right-handed it's notgobbledegook to me it's just normal, so I could translate that, therewas no problem in that way. So yeah, I had a school friend and spentas much time, you know the favourite old jamming thing and justtrying, being a million miles behind him, but just trying to get a gripon it, and I just dived into it headlong, and human beings being whatthey are we're generally so capable of taking something on board orlearning it if we're really dedicated to it. So, I spent all my wakinghours playing guitar, and so you can make a lot of progress very, veryquickly. And that's how I did it.BiTS:I know that you are a huge Clapton fan or at least Clapton of the 60'sanyway.ROB:Oh, absolutely. yes, I don't like to use the J word because somehowin some people's minds it taints you, but yes, that kind of playing.That sophisticated playing, what I call playing on the changes. Mostrock guitarists, without being rude, don't know the differencebetween a major chord and a minor chord when it comes to playing,when it comes to playing a solo and outlining the chord changes. So,in the blues world the ones that do that really well, and the mainBritish guy by a mile is Matt Schofield because he plays on thechanges properly. It's that kind of Robben Ford type of playing. It'ssophisticated, it's still got beautiful blues feeling to it and beautiful tone, beautiful touch but there's a sophisticationin the music as well, and I like to think we have that as well, and it just makes it, somebody called adult music. Youknow, grown-up music. Joe Bonamassa calls it, yeah, playing grown-up chords, that's what he calls it. How do you getinto playing grown up chords? I've just recorded something and, yeah, we used grown up chords or that kind of thingso, yeah, lots of other guitar players of course, of the early generation that we spoke about just now. All the usualsuspects were around. Most of them to me didn't stand the test of time, now looking back. They all started a thing,and they all had a thing, and some of them were very good, but it's not healthy when you buy a guitarist magazine,and on the cover, it’s still got these guys on the cover because the editor thinks it's going to sell the magazines. So, Ihope that explains that.BiTS:Do you read music, are you a reader?ROB:No, not really. No, because I didn’t have any formal training like that, but I understand music quite well from you knowstudying the likes of Wes Montgomery. So, I understand the harmony. I understand the relationship between thechords. I understand when the key centre changes or shifts or if the chords are in the same key. Yeah, I understandthe relationship between the chords like a jazz guitar player does. I mean I can play all that stuff as well, now I've letthe cat out the bag, but my rock sensibility and love of is genuine from that very opening story that I told you. I meanthat's where it comes from for me so when I dig into that, I'm not faking it you know. Using the amplifier, and thestrings, and the valves, and the connection, and where the amplifier is part of the instrument, you know, that'sabsolutely part of what I do. The amplifier's not just to make the guitar louder for me.BiTS:

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Right. Do you ever do any slide work? I've never heard anything I think of yours with slide.ROB:No, none at all. Not at all. I'm not quite sure why that is. I just like to get it out of the fingers I think.BiTS:Well, the Reverend Gary Davis always used to say that slide playing was cheating.ROB:I didn’t want to say that, but I mean there's a bit of me that thinks, I'm a purist. If I had to say something about myself,I'd say I'm a purist, and so yes, that doesn't fall into that category for me. I know that somebody like Derek

Trucks is supremely good at it. You know, he's a master of it. People always used to bang onabout that outro on Layla. To me, that's miles out of tune, and it's a racket. Sorry whoever,

yeah. Yeah, I think so. Who did that? Somebody Allman, Duane Allman or somebody. I'm justsaying just generally to sum that up really, that being a purist I'm not necessarily into slide

guitar.BiTS:

Right, right. Let's talk about your developing musical career. Did you start playing in aband quite young or were you a solo artist or what?

ROB:I started late in life but started playing live very soon. Never taken the easypath, never been in a function band or a tribute band, I've always likedthings a bit more left field, so I've taken kind the hard road. But I've playedfull time since February 1984, so that's all I've done.BiTS:Oh right. So, it really was quite late then?

ROB:Yes, very late. I've been on things like The Old Grey Whistle Test, shows like

that, you know, sessions like the Maida Vale studios for the BBC, but I'vealways done my own thing, so it's been a bit off the radar I suppose. Up until

now, of course, with Zoe and the band and Pete and Paul which seems to be quite commercial, quite a commercialsound.BiTS:Blue Commotion is the current band of course, Was that your first band or had you been in something before that?ROB:No that wasn't my first band. I've been in various things, some of them I can't even remember the titles for now. Therewas a kind of a jazzy thing called Sketch in the eighties, early eighties. We appeared on The Old Grey Whistle testopposite King Crimson. That was instrumental music mostly.BiTS:So, tell me how you got together with Zoe then.ROB:She moved down from London in 2002 to Dorchester with young children and wanting to bring them up in a differentenvironment. I'd moved down from London at the same year, and she as asking for an accompanist, she was asking afriend. Sorry in the year 2000 not 2002, and I'd recently played a gig for this friend, so my name was passed on to Zoethen, and that's how it all kicked off. So, she came round, and we jammed. She sang a few Billie Holiday numbersactually.BiTS:Now there's a surprise.

Tr

Billy Boy Arnold

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ROB:Exactly, and that's how it all started so we did some gigs playing Billie Holiday type numbers which are, you know, verydrenched in blues feeling, and that soulful delivery, and that yearning sound that, I don't know if it's called blues or not,but sounds very much like that to me.BiTS:And me too, yes. Eventually, you moved into Zoe Schwarz Blue Commotion, and you've done, what, a number of albumsnow, what is it six or seven?ROB:This new one will be the seventh, but actually technically the eighth because what happened we recorded an albumwith double bass, grand piano, guitar, Zoe singing and drums, and the album was called Zoe Schwarz, and the albumwas called Blue Commotion because we were playing blues standards,ROB:We were playing blues standards in that late night, by late night I don't mean mellow, I mean in that softer mood, butwith lots of playing, great playing and singing on it, unrestrained playing and singing, but it had that kind of mellowsound to it, and that's how the band title came about. So that would make it eight albums actually. So that's the storyof how it started with Zoe.BiTS:.When is that coming out?ROB:Well as we speak it's just gone to manufacture so the official release date with be March 2nd, but we'll have physicalcopies in about three weeks time .BiTS:Let me ask you, I saw something on Facebook that you posted earlier on today in which you said that the making of thealbum had been an easy process. What did you mean by that?ROB:Oh, well the six days in the recording studio were great fun. The atmosphere around the studio was great fun, theengineer was great. It just flowed is what I mean, and the songwriting process as well was, well there are 13 new originals,so the songwriting process in itself was not, it was quite easy. It wasn't stressful at all. We didn't stutter at all, we didn'trun out of steam and have to find five more songs, and how we going to do this? So, I meant that the atmosphere inthe studio was fantastic the sound was fantastic, so it flowed is all I meant by that.BiTS:And you handed over the production completely?ROB:Yes. To Steve Wright and Wayne Proctor.BiTS:And do you have a favourite track on the album?ROB:It's hard, but I could pick out a couple of tracks, I'd name a couple of tracks. You know what it's like with music, youmight name a couple of tracks with your favourites in and then a week later, or two weeks later it might be different.But yes, I could say a couple of titles. There's a very simple that we put together the day of or the day before recordingcalled Shout which I like, and there's the title track which is called The Blues and I Should Have a Party, which I like verymuch. But I like them all to honest with you, and I love the process of hearing what people, which tracks people choosewhen they sort their playlist or pick their favourites which, of course, might be completely different from mine, so I lookforward to discovering that.

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BiTS:The band has got a little smaller in the last year or so, and in my view, to your advantage. I think that this music thatyou're playing now, this new album that I've heard parts of, is very sophisticated indeed. Is that the way you feelabout it?ROB:It is because there's just four people. I mean that partially cameabout through economics as well. You can imagine drivingfrom Dorset to Yorkshire, with hotel situations and just thesheer economics, but with the four of us and Pete being avirtuoso gorgeously sympathetic Hammond organ player,genuine Hammond organ player, he plays brilliant bass lines,and so with the just four with the Hammond, the drums andthe guitar accompanying Zoe or coming to the fore when she'snot singing, it's very communicative, there's not six people,there's four people involved in it, so we know each other sowell now that those tracks all went down one or two takes.That was it, literally. I know that sounds like an exaggeration,but it's not. The actual songs, all 13 songs were put down intwo days. The third day Zoe did any vocals she wanted to doagain, and then days four and five was consolidating what wehad and adding a few guitar bits on the tracks with overdubs.A few of the tracks have no overdubs at all, you know, so it'sjust the four of us.BiTS:I must say, I'll repeat myself, I think it's absolutely terrific, Ilove it, I'm looking forward to hearing the final mix. Where areyou presenting it? Have you got gigs coming up at which you'regoing to gig it?ROB:Yes, we have. I think we've got about 24, 25 gigs in the diary, I nearly said for next year, for this year. So mainly aroundthe south because we live here and that sort of works. I mean, there are festival gigs, there are quite a few up northas well, Yorkshire. So, there are various festivals, there are art centre dates and club dates. I mean I can, do you wanta list?BiTS:No, no, no if there's any you want to push, then please feel free to do so.ROB:Well, I'm just opening my diary right now as we speak. Let's have a look. So, on the day of the release, the day beforewe'll be at Spring Arts Centre in Havant. Then the next day we'll be at Swanage Blues Festival. Just briefly we're goingto places like Salisbury Arts Centre, the Half Moon in Putney, Huntingdon, Worcester, Borough Blues Club in Pontypool,Winchester Discovery Centre, Forest Arts in the New Forest. Then we're going to Wigan, Whitby, Cleethorpes, Saltburnall up in the North East. And many more in between, you know. So, we've covered the whole country basically.BiTS:That's fabulous and tell me have you got any more plans to do another set of gigs or events overseas?ROB:Actually, yes. We've just been asked, or we've had confirmed a minimum of one, two, three, four, five days in Russia,but it could potentially be another four on top of that before it clashes with other gigs we've already got. So 23rdMay we go to Russia or the day before to play gigs over there, so yes!BiTS:Rob, Tell me, where do you expect to be say in five years’ time,

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ROB:I mean, sensibly it's all about having some really nice gigs where an audience comes to hear the music that you love,you know. You've got a music audience purely for the music. I mean don't enjoy just ending up in a pub situationwhere you don't know who's going to turn up. I mean we've done pretty well anyway in most regards, to increase theamount of people that like our music or know about our music, to play to them on nice stages with a nice sound, andhave our fair share of exposure for the music. I mean, anything else is, none of us, none of my favourites are going tobe pop stars or anything, we're not trying to do that anyway, just to be real, to be known for what we do, be knownfor the sound that we create, and respected it for it obviously, and to be allowed to do it and play it.BiTS:Yeah, that's wonderful. You've been on the top of pile, so to speak, or at least very near the top of pile for some timenow. What do you think about award shows or award events like the New UK Blues Awards?ROB:They're contentious, let’s be honest, they're contentious. Like all of us, we like to be mentioned if possible, so there'sa two-way thing there, but they are contentious. I'm not too sure, I've got an open mind about it. Are they destructive?I suppose there's always going to be a lot of really good people that get missed out, and I don't know how sore theyfeel about that. What do you think about them?BiTS:People have very mixed feelings about them, there's no doubt about that at all. Some people are hugely enthusiastic,others say there should be no competition between musicians.ROB:Exactly, exactly.BiTS:I once made the mistake of asking one artist if he ever entered into a cutting contest with another guitar player andhe said, I don't cut anybody. He got quite angry with me actually.ROB:Oh dear. Yeah, it's hard to sum up in a few words, you know, how I feel about all of that. I like jamming on stage if aguest comes up and plays, and you have a bit of guitar trading or whatever you want to call it, I don't mind any of thatin front of an audience. I mean that's pure energy isn't it, that's something different but a voting system wherepeople can engage in it fully or not, it's, I don't know how genuine any of it is. I'm not too sure, to be honest.BiTS:OK Rob, let's not bother to pursue to this any further. Thank you very much indeed for your time.ROB:An absolute pleasure, Ian, and I hope I didn’t talk too much.

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STACY JONES – STRONG ENOUGH TO LIFT A HARMONICA: A Brief Interview with Norman DarwenExciting, energetic blues and rock is what Stacy Jones from Seattle in the north-western USA purveys – with plenty ofharmonica included. Her latest album is “Love Is Everywhere”, and here she talks about what she likes about theinstrument:“I like the unique tonal qualities of the harmonica, and the fact that you can play it in so many different ways, crossharp, straight harp, as part of a horn section, and so on. And it's easier to carry to a gig than a piano. I started playingat sixteen, because I had a gig about two weeks later that I thought could really use harmonica. I didn’t figure outharmonica mastery in two weeks, like I thought I was going to, but I’ve been working on it ever since.”Who are your harmonica influences and inspirations?“Little Walter and James Cotton of course; Portland, Oregon’s Paul DeLay and a local friend of mine, Mark Dufresne,and of course Lee Oskar.”Yes, you have Lee Oskar on ‘Stomp Jump Boogie’ on the new album - how did that come about?“Lee is a good friend of mine, who lives here in Seattle as well, so it only made sense to have him play on a harmonicafeature! I’m so glad he was able to be a part of the project!”How do you decide if a song needs harmonica or not?“I guess it's just a feeling, some tunes it just feels right on. Also, every song could probably find room for harmonica,sometimes it is just that I’m just already playing other instruments.How would you describe your harmonica playing?“Well, I guess it's my own unique style, and I think I have a lot of country stylings at times along with the blues.”Her favourite harmonica track?“Well I suppose it would be ’Juke’ by Little Walter - although I do love ‘Whammer Jammer’ by J. Geils.There’s not much doubt about which harmonica Stacy uses…“Lee Oskar harmonicas! And then I play direct with a Fireball mic.”Why do you think it is still quite rare for women to play harmonica?“Maybe harmonicas are just too heavy for us gals to lift. Just kidding - I don’t know, but there is a female harmonicacompilation by Ruf Records called ‘Blues Harp Women’ (Ruf 1222) that I was a part of, that will hopefully inspiremany other women to play, and showcase the amazing women who already do.”Incidentally, Mark DuFresne (formerly with Roomful Of Blues) supplied the following information about Stacy:“When Stacy was a kid she used to come into the Scarlet Tree in Seattle for Annieville Blues “Kids Jam” which I usedto help host. She would play stuff like ‘Big Boss Man’ and other standards. It’s been fun to watch her grow and matureas an artist, particularly when you see so few of her generation playing this music. I think her dad, Tom, has a lot todo with that, so God bless him!”

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G3 2018

JOE SATRIANI, JOHN PETRUCCI (DREAM THEATER)

& ULI JON ROTH (FORMERLY OF SCORPIONS)

UK TOUR STARTS TUESDAYAPRIL 24th 2018

Tickets on sale to the general public via www.ticketline.co.uk or from the venues direct

World-renowned guitar virtuoso, Joe Satriani, announces the release of his 16th solo album, What Happens Next, setfor release, January 12, 2018 on Sony/Legacy Recordings. Click here for the official press release page -www.noblepr.co.uk/Press_Releases/joesatriani/g3-2018.htm.

In addition, Satriani will revive his G3 Tour entity in 2018 beginning March 16th in Moscow and winding up onApril 30th in Birmingham playing shows in many European countries, including the UK. France, Italy, Spain, Poland,The Netherlands, Belgium, Czech Republic, Slovakia, Switzerland and more.

Satriani has invited Dream Theater’s John Petrucci and the former Scorpions guitarist Uli Jon Roth to join him.

Planet Rock Radio will run a 24-hour ticket pre-sale for the UK shows from Thursday November 9th at 10am viawww.planetrock.com. Tickets go on sale to the general public from 9am on Friday November 10th fromwww.ticketline.co.uk and direct from the venues.

Each guitarist will perform their own set, followed by a massive jam at the end of the show.

JOE SATRIANI, JOHN PETRUCCI & ULI JON ROTH

Tuesday April 24 Southend Cliffs Pavilion

Wednesday April 25 London Eventim Apollo

Thursday April 26 Bristol Colston Hall

Friday April 27 Manchester Apollo

Sunday April 29 Portsmouth Guildhall

Monday April 30 Birmingham Symphony Hall

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- - - - - -

BiTS is delighted to announce a new partnership with MusicGurus who providemusic courses & training from the world's top musicians. Watch video lessons toimprove your playing and get 1-on-1 coaching.

MusicGurus courses offer a structured approach to learning new styles andtechniques through a series of high quality video lessons. All lessons feature HDvideo & sound, as well as helpful camera angles which allow you to see exactlyhow it's played.

You can also chat and exchange videos with artists to find out exactly what youneed to practice next

Getting valuable feedback from professional musicians is simple withMusicGurus. Simply start a chat with a tutor of your choice to agree on a subjectfor you session then upload a video of yourself playing. Your tutor will check outyour playing and send a video with their feedback and tips. It's as simple as that!One-to-one music tuition without the hassle.

Total freedom

Learn any time, anywhere. Only pay for what you use

MusicGurus and BiTS believe that you should only pay for what you use so wedon't charge subscriptions. Buy lessons and personal tutoring sessions with aone-off payment and that's it, they're yours to watch whenever, wherever and asmany times, as you want.

Tutors in the blues and jazz field include Marcus Bonfanti (guitar), Matt Walklate(harmonica), Paddy Milner (piano), Ron Sayer (guitar) and many more. For a fulllist of tutors go HERE.

Click this line for a list of available courses

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Things are shaping up nicely for #ColneBlues2018.

Folks are currently working on a new website and tickets went on sale in mid-December

Councillor Joe Cooney, 'Chairman of the #ColneBlues2018 Working Group' commented "Summer 2017 saw oneof the largest ever turn-outs for Colne's Blues Festival, with estimated numbers for attendance between 15,000and 20,000 people. And not only was it a large crowd, it was fun loving, musically supportive crowd. The 2017festival was deemed a huge success; many have praised the 'positive atmosphere' around the town for the durationof the festival.

We're thrilled to be able to now announce the 2018 festival dates".

The dates for 2018 are now released - Friday 24th, Saturday 25th, Sunday 26th August 2018 aka August BankHoliday Weekend.

The festival takes place in numerous town centre venues (from 750 to 50 capacity), Colne & Nelson Rugby Club(which also doubles-up as the festival campsite), plus many more restaurants and bars. This beautiful town isan ideal location for an event of this kind, with one long 'main' street (closed to traffic) which hosts on-streetentertainment, busking, incredible food stalls, bars and more.

Each music venue is within easy reach of the main street, making it not only Europe's best contemporary bluesfestival, but also one-of- a-kind and much-loved festival for people of the local area.“

The all-weekend, all-venue ticket will be priced £75.

Individual day tickets will be available from 1st February.

PURCHASE A FULL FESTIVAL TICKET BEFORE 31ST JANUARY AND RECEIVE A LIMITED EDITION, NOT-FOR-SALE, ' FESTIVAL AMBASSADOR' T-SHIRT ALONG WITH YOUR TICKET.

At the time of going to press, confirmed artists include King King, Laurence Jones, Elles Bailey, Connie Lushand Kyla Brox with many more to be confirmed over the forthcoming weeks.

HERE IS JUST SOME OF THE PRAISE FOR THE 2017 EVENT:

An excellent time with excellent music and atmosphere throughout the weekend. Well done to all the organisers andhelpers" 5*****

"Fabulous festival! Very diverse lineup. Friendly staff. Well done!" 5*****

"Great festival from both a performers and punters point of view" 5*****

"Sunday – great festival atmosphere, brilliant street entertainment, all so much fun. Five stars for all the volunteersthey were blooming awesome, so helpful and supportive"

AUGUST 24-262018

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STOMPIN’ DAVE’S BLUES 3 - Space Blues - Mr David AllenSB001In other parts of the world they have Cyclones, Tornados, andHurricanes, in the UK we have Stompin’ Dave Allen. Dave is aphenomenal artist. A great guitar player and vocalist, anaccomplished songwriter an excellent traditional fiddler, aboogie/blues piano player and a competition standard five-stringbanjo picker. As if that’s not enough, he is also an outstandingdancer using a combination of flat foot and clogging styles often(usually) when playing one of his stringed instruments. It is anoften electrifying acoustic experience.Here, Dave is working with ace drummer Sam Kelly and bass man

Earl Jackson, Dave has produced something that is both traditional and fresh. The best exampleis his interpretation of the old, old song Careless Love. Commonly delivered as an 8 or 16 barblues here it is performed as a 12 bar with a finger-picked accompaniment in the style of ScottyMore or Merle Travis. The remainder of the 11 tracks on the album range in style from arestrained (ie no stacks of amps) power trio on Space Blues to a riff driven Political Man andincluding some delicate Americana slide playing on Trust Enough with some nice harmoniesbass by Earl (and a bit of a drum solo by Sam. I Can Tell is a seriously funky piece which wouldgo down well in New Orlins

All in all a delight which I am delighted to report adds a new arrow to Dave’s already bulgingquiver

Ian K McKenzie

THE REX GRANITE BAND FEATURING SARAH BENCK/“Spirit/ Matter/ Truth/ Lies” (Own label)( www.facebook.com/pg/The-Rex-Granite-Band-featuring-Sarah-Benck)This is a four-piece band out of Omaha, Nebraska, with a strongfemale vocalist and guitarist aided and abetted by guitarist RexGranite, bass player James Carrig and drummer Anton Divis plusseveral guests. Musically, they tend towards the rockier side of theblues, though not in the volume stakes. Yes, they can do someguitar shredding, but they tend – on this evidence at least – toconcentrate on the songs themselves (mostly written by KevinLoomis, though there is also an excellent cover of Percy

Mayfield’s classic blues-ballad, ‘Please Send Me Someone To Love’). Listen to the storm thatthe band whips up on the opening ‘Stop Doing What You Want’ (with an excellent blues-rockingbut controlled slide guitar playing) or the subtle groove of ‘Two Trains’, which opens with greatslabs of spacious slide playing. ‘What You’re Missing’ hits a fine, pop-blues groove a descriptionthat could also apply to ‘Cadillac Car’. ‘Sail Away’, a two-parter, is not a blues, though it stillsports fine slide guitar, and ‘Steamroller’ is a powerhouse number with the band augmented bya horn section (trumpet and sax) and Lou DeLuca’s harmonica playing. ‘Move Along’ is a finemid-tempo blues, and the title track is perhaps the heaviest of this very entertaining, nicely pacedand well-structured album.

Norman Darwen

R E V I E W S

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MICHAEL LANDAU – Rock Bottom (Provogue PRD545)(www.mascotlabelgroup.com)Los Angeles born and based guitarist Michael Landau toured withRobben Ford when he was still a teenager, and as a much sought-after session musician he has worked with many of the biggestnames in popular music of the last few decades – including BB Kingand Ray Charles. For this set, though, he looks back to a morepositive time and he has created an album that could have come outof the West Coast sometime between 1968 and 1972 perhaps –though oddly enough, it still sounds contemporary (lend an ear to‘We’re Alright’, for a good example). Of course, at that time muchof the music was blues-inflected, and such is the case here; the

opening track leans strongly towards psychedelia, and there are occasional hints of another ofMichael’s employers – Pink Floyd - but once past that, there are certainly occasional riffs andlicks straight out of the Jimi Hendrix bag of tricks, snatches of Stax-era Albert King, and tingesof Cream, plus echoes of jazz, funk and soul. The slow blues of ‘We All Feel The Same’ shouldappeal to many readers of BITS. Accompanying Michael on this set are long-time associates likehis brother Teddy on bass, organist Larry Goldings, drummer Alan Hertz and lead vocalist DavidFrazee from Michael’s band Burning Water and who has a thorough understanding of this kindof music – and though this kind of music might not strictly be the blues, for many it will be closeenough.Norman Darwen

GREG SOVER “Jubilee” (GSGS Music)(www.gregsover.com)Philadelphia PA singer and guitarist Greg Sover and his band –actually best-known as Deb Callahan’s backing band – caused quitea stir in 2016 with the debut album “Songs Of A Renegade”. As aresult he was at the International Blues Challenge in Memphis inJanuary, and in the same month he also released this CD; runningto 33 minutes, Greg describes it as an EP, but with seven songs -well, six actually, as the acoustic based ballad ‘Hand On My Heart’is present twice, in long and short edits – it could be classed as analbum in some quarters. Either way, it is well worth a listen. As Ijust hinted, not all tracks are blues – the opening number‘Emotional’ is more or less out-and-out rock, and ‘I Give My Love’

has a pop/rock/ African feel (!) but the title track starts out as a down-home number – MikeyJunior plays some fine harp – and keeps that blues feel throughout, whilst his cover of the slowblues ‘As The Years Go Passing By’ captures the lyrics’ desolate feel extremely well. The livecut, ‘Temptation’ is also a tough blues with plenty of fiery guitar, meaning that Greg is certainlya name to watch, and this CD is definitely worth investigating

Norman Darwen

ELECTROBLUESSOCIETY FEAT ROSCOE CHENIER/ WillThe Circle Be Unbroken/ Black & Tan B&T 966Bluesman Roscoe Chenier recorded some fine material for Black &Tan, including this fine a cappella rendition of the old gospelstandard, released in 2006. On this new single download release,ElectroBluesSociety have added a modern, bass heavy musicalaccompaniment including slide guitar - it is actually prettysympathetic and effective. The track runs to five minutes long, andalthough purists may sneer, if it brings a new audience to the blues,it will have done its job.

Norman Darwen

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MAMA SPANX – State Of Groove (Ideal Scene)(www.mamaspanx.comI’d not heard of this outfit before, but under the leadership of NewYork vocalist Nikki Armstrong and with inspiration from the lateguitarist Melvin Sparks, Nikki and her six piece outfit turn in asoul-drenched debut album that spills over into funk fairlyfrequently, and at other times occasionally veers towards asouthern soul sound (try ‘Wrong Side Of The Garden’ for thelatter). There are plenty of impassioned vocals from Nikki herself,neat guitar fills, breaks and rhythms from Steve Johnson, funkyriffing horns from Steve Sadd and Julie Sax – listen to the introto Lou Donaldson’s ‘Alligator Boogaloo’, with its echoes of The

JBs in their prime – in-the-pocket organ and / or piano playing courtesy of Harlan Spector,crisp drumming from “Uncle” Ben Beckley and slinky fretless six string bass playing thanksto David Abercrombie. The one exception to all this joyously soulful mayhem is the mostlypiano accompanied torch-y ballad ‘Anywhere You Are’, which is a fine contrast to what hasgone before, and sets the listener up nicely for the closing ‘State Of Groove’. Time to dust offyour dancing shoes, folks

Norman Darwen

)MICHAEL LANDAU – Rock Bottom (Provogue PRD545)(www.mascotlabelgroup.com)Los Angeles born and based guitarist Michael Landau toured withRobben Ford when he was still a teenager, and as a muchsought-after session musician he has worked with many of thebiggest names in popular music of the last few decades –including BB King and Ray Charles. For this set, though, he looksback to a more positive time and he has created an album thatcould have come out of the West Coast sometime between 1968and 1972 perhaps – though oddly enough, it still soundscontemporary (lend an ear to ‘We’re Alright’, for a good

example). Of course, at that time much of the music was blues-inflected, and such is the casehere; the opening track leans strongly towards psychedelia, and there are occasional hints ofanother of Michael’s employers – Pink Floyd - but once past that, there are certainly occasionalriffs and licks straight out of the Jimi Hendrix bag of tricks, snatches of Stax-era Albert King,and tinges of Cream, plus echoes of jazz, funk and soul. The slow blues of ‘We All Feel TheSame’ should appeal to many readers of BITS. Accompanying Michael on this set are long-timeassociates like his brother Teddy on bass, organist Larry Goldings, drummer Alan Hertz andlead vocalist David Frazee from Michael’s band Burning Water and who has a thoroughunderstanding of this kind of music – and though this kind of music might not strictly be theblues, for many it will be close enough.

Norman Darwen

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The Complete Trumpet, Ace & Checker Singles 1951-62SONNY BOY WILLIAMSON Acrobat ASIN: B0788WSVQ3

When I got into blues in the 1960s Sonny Boy Williamson No. 2(Alec Rice Miller) was one of the most high profile bluesmenwith his releases on the Chess label and his tours of Europe andI became a fan of his singing and distinctive harmonica playingand also his song writing but many blues purists were quite sniffyabout him noting (correctly) that he stole the original Sonny BoyWilliamson's name and tried to cash in on his fame. However,I've remained a fan and still think that his harmonica playing stylein particular is very original and unique and while he'd probably

be classed as a Chicago-style player, in fact there is very little distortion on his harp sound, it'sa very clean (quite thin) sound and relies on his vibrato and urgency to generate excitementrather than amplified volume and tone. Unlike Muddy Waters and Howling Wolf who bothrelied heavily on Willie Dixon for songs Sonny Boy Williamson wrote most of his own materialand while some were based on other songs within the blues tradition many were clever, originalvignettes about life in the rural South and relations between the sexes.

This CD collects his Trumpet, Ace and Checker singles together and from his first singlefrom 1951 “Cool, Cool Blues” he already had his own sound that by-and-large he keptthroughout his career. His second single "Crazy About You Baby" has a similar overall sound- quite minimal with a restrained rhythm section, jabbing piano and occasional (acoustic?)guitar, all quite far back in the mix - but his harp playing has definite elements of much earlier'country' harmonica styles, a bit like De Ford Bailey, while the third single "Pontiac Blues"swings along in a quite jazzy fashion. The fourth release (still from 1951) is the gorgeous"Mighty Long Time" with Sonny Boy singing and playing with just backing from a doublebass, while the flip side was "Nine Below Zero" with rolling piano and echoey harp. TheChecker singles starting with "Don't Start Me Talking" from 1955 have a louder, more Chicagosound with electric guitar and better general production but the overall sound and style is stillpretty much the same.

This is a really good-sounding compilation that collects all these singles and their B-sidestogether. All the classics are here, including “Eyesight To The Blind”, "Fattening Frogs ForSnakes", "Your Funeral And My Trial", "One Way Out" and the very powerful "Trust MyBaby" (but not my own personal favourite "Help Me"). Plus we also get "Dust My Broom"with Sonny Boy playing with Elmore James and the Broom Dusters (who he was briefly amember of and first came to Chicago with). This is a great introduction to those new to SonnyBoy Williamson and although I have many of these tracks on other records its nice to havethem all collected together on one CD.

Graham Harrison

Classic Delta and Deep South Blues Various ArtistsSmithsonian Folkways ASIN: B077HD2M38

This a great compilation of blues from the 40s, 50s and 60s whichincludes 'stars' like Big Bill Broonzy and Memphis Slim, lesser-known players like Short Stuff MacOn and Scott Dunbar, and aswell as down-home country blues by the likes of Son House andBig Joe Williams, we also get early Chicago blues by JohnnyYoung and John Littlejohn. It's not just guitarists there are alsogreat piano players - Roosevelt Sykes and Little BrotherMontgomery, harmonica players Walter Horton and Doctor Ross

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and we also get the King of Zydeco Clifton Chenier, so there is lots of variety of sounds onoffer here as we go from the suave sophistication of Big Bill Broonzy to the ragged but charmingBig Joe Williams. Also, everything is beautifully recorded, we hear all the artists in perfectclarity but with the character intact - it doesn't sound too antiseptic and emasculated simplyyou couldn't ask for a better blues compilation and at this price it's a steal!

Graham Harrison

BERNARD ALLISON Let It Go Ruf Records ASIN:B077Z5K7D2

Bernard's new album carries on from where his last one "In TheMix" left off - it's more modern blues with Bernard's voice andguitar upfront that manages to keep the spirit of real traditionalblues but to give it a modern twist, indeed straight from the opener“Cruisin for a Bluesin” Bernard most reminds me of The RollingStones. The album was recorded in the Bessie Blue Studio inStantonville, Tennessee and keeps the same rhythm section from"In The Mix" - bassist George Moye and drummer Mario Dawson- but this time there are no keyboards or brass just John T. McGhee

on rhythm guitar. However, having said that Bernard's wonderfully subtle version of BrookBenton's "Kiddeo" does feature lovely tenor sax from Jose Ned James. There is lots of varietyhere - "Leave Your Ego" is quite heavy rock blues, while "Night Train" is soulful funk, "BluesParty" has Bernard playing slide guitar and "Look Out Mabel" is a take on G.L. Crockett's 1957rockabilly classic. The album closes with two of his father's songs, the traditional slow blues“You’re Gonna Need Me” followed by the very moving acoustic “Castle”. This is really goodrecord with lots of variety, great playing and non-intrusive production and it was nice to seeBernard paying tribute to his late father.

Graham Harrison

JAMES HUNTER Whatever It Takes Daptone RecordsASIN: B0776989QK

James Hunter is a great singer with a great voice and his band arereally good at recreating retro 50s and 60s soul sounds but I'mafraid that I just feel that although everything here is verywell-played and sang that we've heard it all before, the melodiesand the arrangements are very familiar from James' previousrecords - if you loved these then you'll also love this new record.However, I'd like to see him doing something a bit different,"Show Her" has a slight reggae lilt (like some of his previoussongs) and I'd like to see him going more down this road or maybe

more of a Latin beat like "I Should've Spoke Up", certainly it was nice to hear the more acousticsongs like "I Should've Spoke Up" and "How Long". On the previous album "Hold On" Icriticised the instrumental "Satchelfoot" as being a bit "throwaway" - no criticism of this album'sHammond-led instrumental "Blisters" - which is my favourite track and also has nice guitarfrom James and nice brass as well.

Graham Harrison

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Strange Angels: In Flight With Elmore James Various ArtistsSylvan Songs LLC ASIN: B077RCX2GY

Elmore James was one of the great Chicago bluesmen, who ineffect took the sound of the Delta blues slide guitar and electrifiedit. His songs still resonate today through the work of his disciples,including ex-Fleetwood Mac Jeremy Spencer and GeorgeThorogood. However, he wasn't just a distinctive songwriter anda great guitarist, he was also an excellent singer and I likedcontributor Chuck E. Weiss' comment that his voice was so perfectthat there was no way that he could interpret one of the songs sohe chose to do an instrumental instead! ('Hawaiian Boogie')

This is an interesting tribute to Elmore on the 100th anniversary of his birth, it features a coreband of experienced players with various guests from blues, rock and country - both British andAmerican - and is produced by drummer Marco Giovino and Tom Siering. The countryperformers may seem an odd choice and certainly I wasn't too enamoured by Rodney Crowell'sworkmanlike version of 'Shake Your Money Maker' but Jamey Johnson's 9-minute version of'It Hurt's Me Too' is one of the record's best tracks with a great vocal and a dark, threateningvibe and Shelby Lynne/Allison Moorer and Addi McDaniel both turn in nice original twists onElmore songs. Bluesmen Keb' Mo' and Warren Haynes (with Billy Gibbons and Willie Nelson'sharp player Mickey Raphael) both do great tracks - Keb' with an original take on 'Look OverYonder Wall' and Warren et al with a down and dirty version of 'Mean Mistreatin' Mama'.

In some of the blurb to go with this release I saw Tom Jones described as a crooner! Tom acrooner? - I don't think so, certainly his version of 'Done Somebody Wrong' is one of the realhighlights here with a killer vocal to match Elmore's and the other Brits - Deborah Bonham andMollie Marriott (Steve's daughter) - also equip themselves well. My personal favourite trackwould have to be Bettye LaVette - as far as I'm concerned she could sing the phone book andstill sound good - here she leaves the soul and classy pop covers behind for the low down bluesto wonderful effect. As usual with these tribute albums there are hits and misses but I thoughtthat overall the strike rate here was good and I was pleased that in general the artists had puttheir own spins on these classic songs rather than just trying to replicate Elmore's classic repertoire.

Graham Harrison

THE BUSH LEAGUE - James Rivah Independent

This is the fourth album release for TBL, whose, creation wasoriginally conceived by college friends John Jason (‘Johnjay’)Cecil and Royce Folks, while sitting on a front porch not too farfrom Richmond, Virginia, in two thousand and seven. Now, theband consist of ‘Johnjay’ Cecil; lead vocals, Royce Folks; lead,rhythm and bass guitar, Brad Moss; bass and rhythm guitar andWynton Davis on drums. Together they create a solid sound thatincorporates a love of Blues and North Mississippi Hill Countrymusic, while not forgetting serious elements of Soul, Funk andGospel. The twelve numbers here, were recorded at the legendary

Ardent Studios in Memphis Tennessee. The sound they create has a particular intensity due tothe closeness of their playing. Adding spice to the proceedings sees the talents of Trenton Ayers;rhythm guitar from the Cedric Burnside Project, Jeremy Powell, of Southern Avenue on trumpetand keyboards, providing excellent horn support is Sauvo Jones who is part of The Ghost TownBlues Band, on trombone with Paul Biasca on saxophone and Vince Johnson blows some tas ty

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harmonica. “Rivers Edge,” pays due respect to the James River which runs through Richmond,starts off the proceedings with a raw, sawing and pulsating guitar that echoes classic ‘Howlin’Wolf’s’ Smokestack Lightning ‘Johnjay’s’ stripping and fluid vocals carries the number withgreat ease. On Fred McDowell’s “Kokomo Me Baby,” the pace is set with a bouncing, fluidJazz rich guitar, underpinned by wonderfully thwacking and foot tapping drum work. The veryenticing soul infused slow burner “Say Yes,” is driven by a wonderfully rising and fallingdrippy Jazz guitar and sublimely alluring percussion, while the vocals sensuously floateffortlessly above it all on a cushion of sympathetic horns. There is deep respect and somefine playing on Muddy Waters’ “Catfish Blues,” the solemn almost plodding drum workmarches on while over the top a raw, sliding and ringing guitar resonates with evocativeemotion. “Hearse,” is a rolling and rocking reflective tale of a cheating woman whose spousetemporarily leaves jail to hopefully reconcile with her, with predictably deadly, woeful results.A throbbing, insistent bass line introduces “What’s Wrong With You,” then powerhouse drumwork comes in with a fiery and roaring organ alongside, added in are glorious gospel voicesin full flight and then we have take-off, splendid!Greatly endorsed!

Brian Harman.●CAROLYN GAINES - Beware of My Dog Polka Dot Records

Carolyn is the daughter of the very well-known guitarist andsinger Roy Gaines also, she is the niece of saxophonist GradyGaines.Born in Houston, Carolyn has been interested and involved withthe blues all of her life, she has a great admiration for strongwomen involved in the blues; her first introduction being theBessie Smith recordings that her father played to her. She hashappy memories of waiting until seven o’clock in the eveningwhen her father had gone to his gigs so as, to play his recordsuntil his return at midnight. Carolyn’s own musical heroines are

(in no particular order) Peabo Bryson, Big Mama Thornton, Billie Holiday, Tina Turner, LittleEsther, Koko Taylor and Diana Ross. In her youth she accompanied her father along with herbrother and sister to gigs to provide backing vocals for some of his club dates, ultimately though,after she graduated from college in Theatre Arts she became her father’s manager, bookingclub dates and festival appearances. Carolyn has, since then concentrated on creating schoolsprograms, focusing upon the history and music of the blues. Later she went into concertpromotion and production work in radio and television, bringing such artists as; Muddy Waters,Buddy Guy, Ike Turner, Roy Gaines, the Jackson Five and Diana Ross to a wider audience.Now, with this debut album, Carolyn has embarked upon her own solo career, Joining her inthe studio is; Del Atkins; bass, Fred Clark; guitar, Chad Wright; drums Glen Doll; harmonicaand Rudy Copeland on keyboards. “Beware of My Dog”, is quite literally a growling howlerwith the band easily loose in the pure blues groove, while the howling rawness is provided bylegendary saxophonist Big Jay McNeely, Carolyn easily changes her vocal approach from araw Big Mama Thornton raucousness, to a slinky sensuous serenade. Big Jay also supplies ahaunting and alluring saxophone on the sinuously slow, hip swivelling “I’m Your Cat Baby”,while Carolyn enticingly and alluringly purrs and mee-owws. The walking blues of “Stone OutYour Raggly Mind”, is led by a splendid pairing of steady rolling harmonica and gently smokin’and soothing saxophone courtesy of her cousin, Grady Gaines junior. On the Muddy Watersinfluenced “Hoochie Coochie Woman”, Carolyn sensuously roars and demurely purrs to greateffect here as the tramping percussion, sweetly loping guitar and pulsating harmonica drivethis splendid toe tapper along. Big Jay McNeely’s “Something On Your Mind”, is a slowburning masterpiece, a low level scorching organ is bubbling away in the background over

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which a subtle, sweetly soothing saxophone courtesy of Big Jay himself, wafts casually fromout of the speakers into your unsuspecting ears, while Carolyn entices you with her gossamerlike vocal delivery.Greatly endorsed!Brian Harman.

Ilya Portnov Strong Brew IndependentIlya was born in a Moscow suburb in nineteen-eighty nine andalthough he began his musical education at the age of four bystudying/playing classical music he was always highly influencedby his father’s love of rock music and he regularly heard music bysuch artists as; the Beatles and the Rolling Stones around the home.In his teens he found an old diatonic harmonica of his father’s andhe soon became fascinated with the instrument, also at this timehe felt a burgeoning interest in harmonica based blues music, whichhad been recently introduced to him by a couple of his friends whoalso played the harmonica. Whilst at college in Russia hisharmonica teacher Alex Bratetsky, introduced Ilya to the

“overblow” technique, which allows one to play a full chromatic scale on a diatonic harmonica.Alex, also introduced Ilya to the music of Jason Ricci, Howard Levy and Carlos del Junco, thisbecame a major turning point in the creation of his own particular style. Later, Ilya moved toAmerica and applied to study on the Master’s program at the Contemporary Improvisationdepartment of New England Conservatory in Boston, (in fact he was the first student to beaccepted using the diatonic harmonica as a primary instrument) which is one of the mostprestigious music schools in the USA. In two thousand and fourteen Ilya graduated with aMaster’s Degree, after which he moved firstly to San Francisco but, later made Los Angeles hishome base.Ilya, has many strings to his metaphorical musical bow for he also plays Brazilian Choro andForro music alongside Russian classical and Folk music. Within the nine numbers here on thishis debut, one can hear all these elements to great satisfaction. Joining Ilya who plays bothDiatonic and Chromatic harmonicas, are Kid Anderson who also sits in the producer’s chair,Kid, plays both guitar and bass, Chris Burns; Keyboards, June Gore; drums and percussion.Originally Ilya considered recording the album in both America and Brazil but, was soenamoured with Kid Anderson’s Greaseland studios, that he decided to stay and record thealbum in San Jose. The album starts with a sweetly sleepy swinging Jazz number entitled “SunnyAfternoon”, a gypsy guitar, rolling piano and lilting violin from Ben Andrews sets the mood,splendidly sweeping brushwork allows the harmonica to gently sashay to and fro above it all.An atmospheric gypsy violin and sparse piano sets the scene for a tango infused “1928”, thescintillating and highly emotive harmonica work sends your senses gracefully gliding across animaginary smoke-filled dance floor. On “Till The Early Morning”, we move into the fifties witha sparklingly enticing Bo Diddley inspired rocker, the low level sawing guitar, cushions abreathlessly passionate, pulsating harmonica that is tracked by splendid martial bass anddrumwork courtesy of Robby Yamilov. “In a Town Garden”, written by Malvey Blanter andAlexey Fatyanov was a very popular Russian number from the nineteen-forties’ and was also afavourite of Ilya’s grandmother, Ilya’s sweet, lifting, lilting sentiment filled mellow jazzinfluenced playing glides across a bubbling organ, while a lonely jazz guitar picks awayunderneath gentle percussive brushwork. The very pleasant dexterous strains of an acousticguitar from Rob Vye, introduces a tasteful and highly enjoyable version of the Rev. Gary Davis’“Cincinnati Flow Rag”, the bouncing harmonica and rolling piano set the scene for a very finetoe tapper.

Greatly Endorsed!

Brian Harman.

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FreeWorld What It Is SwirlDisc /Select-O-Hits SD87625 445

FreeWorld began life in nineteen eighty-seven in Memphis;Created by the veteran and now eighty-seven year old tenorsaxophonist Dr. Herman Green with the aim of creating a joyouslyfreewheeling band ethos which absorbs the many and varyinginfluences from places such as; Memphis, New Orleans and SanFrancisco.

This horn driven band is more of an ensemble due, in part to thelarge and varied number of guest musicians who have played inthe band at one time or another. Dr. Green is the mainstay of the

band and has, in his seventy-two year career worked with a plethora of respected musiciansincluding; John Coltrane, Miles Davis, BB King and Bob Weir. Joining him here are; RichardCushing; lead vocals bass, Peter Climie; Tenor, baritone and alto saxophones, Andy Tate; guitars,Chris Stephenson; Hammond B-3, Jared Dover; trumpet, Greg Lundy; drums and FreedmanSteorts on trombone.

The sheer enthusiasm and professionalism in the music that pours forth from the speakers issimply astounding, especially so when you pause to consider the fact that the youngest memberof the band is only twenty years old. The eleven numbers here encompass the sweet funk soundsof the Meters, classic soul and sparkling tramping seventies funk, there is even a hint of seventiesprog/pop rock with the rousingly “Dinja Babe”, Jody Stephens, who was the drummer with therock band ‘Big Star’ adds that extra percussive edge. There is a splendid version of ‘The Band’s’“The Shape I’m In”, the stompin’ back beat combined with the blaring and punching horns laydown a fiery carpet for a raging and enjoyably strident guitar. “Believe”, is a slow rolling smokyjazz burner, the slippin’ brushwork, lonesome horns and trumpet sets the scene for a lazy, hazyduet between Richard and Stephani McCoy. “Eve Waits”, lays out a floating and weaving, Indian,transcendental ride for you to climb aboard and to restfully sink into the floating worldexperiences it offers for your enjoyment. “Deeper By The Minute”, is an out and out funker withthe horns and driving back beat setting you firmly in the groove. “Find A Better Way”, continuesthis seventies theme, it even includes a spoken word interlude to spur you on. The classic NewOrleans sound is very evident on the toe tapping “Another Sunday Night”, where the horns aresmoothly enticing and the pounding back beat supports a very alluring and swirling organ, pairedwith racing guitar.

Greatly Endorsed!

Brian Harman.

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A One-Day Festival of Folk & Blues Music set in the scenic grounds of Wolverton Manor, Isle of Wight.

Raising funds for Leukaemia Research and Brighstone Primary School.

Saturday 12th May 2018.

Special Guest Artists: Errol Linton Band and The JiganticsThree times winner of Blues Harp Player of the year Errol Linton and his band play eclectic British blues, but witha nod to his Caribbean heritage. Singer, songwriter, harp player and bandleader, Errol carries the legacy of LittleWalter, Junior Wells and Sonny Boy Williamson into the twenty first century, moving the genre forward by combining50’s Chicago blues with gentle Jamaica rhythms. Accompanied by Adam Blake; guitar, Petar Zivkovic; piano, LanceRose; Double Bass and Kenrick Rowe; drums, his blues is raw and bloody, an urban sound with rural roots. Movingeffortlessly from Chicago Shuffle to Kingston Skank without missing a beat, they have gained an unrivalled livereputation on the regular London Blues circuit.“This gifted Bluesman is one of London’s greatest undiscovered talents” The Independent

Radio 2 Folk show favourites The Jigantics are a fabulous musical stew combining the finest roots ingredients –blues, rock, folk and Americana – this brilliant band brings tremendous musicianship to their many different styles.With something for everyone, delivered with panache and fun, this is a fantastic, highly entertaining, rave-reviewedband who are wowing audiences up and down the land.“A fabulous fusion of blues, rock, folk and Americana that blew the socks off our audience. Absolute class.” SteveSheldon Folk Icons

With an IW real ale beer tent, local food stalls, tea tent, children’s activities, craft stalls, Circus Skills and MorrisDancing, The Wolverton Folk & Blues Fair looks set to be a wonderful opportunity to enjoy top live music and greatfestival food, set against the backdrop of the beautiful West Wight scenery.

CLICK HERE FOR MORE

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4 yor info

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CHECK OUT DRIVE TIME BLUES.AN ONLINE ONLY PODCASTWITH NO ANNOUNCEMENTS,

JUST AN HOUR OF SPECIALLYSELECTED BLUES MUSIC.

YOU CAN DOWNLOAD IT, PUT IT ONYOUR SMART PHONE OR ON A USBSTICK AND PUT THAT IN YOUR CAR. ANHOUR OF THE VERY BEST OF BLUES OLDAND NEW, TO MAKE YOUR COMMUTEMORE BEARABLE.

CLICK THE GRAPHIC OR THIS URLianm-blues-progammes.podomatic.com TO

SAMPLE AN EDITION OF DRIVE TIME BLUES. WHY DON’T YOU SAMPLE SOMEOF THE OTHER PODCASTS THAT ARE THERE TOO. THEY CHANGEREGULARLY SO IF YOU WANT TO HEAR MORE, SIGN UP TO FOLLOW ANDYOU WILL BE NOTIFIED EVERY TIME A NEW SHOW IS POSTED.

If acoustic blues is your thing, please note

that a revision of the schedule at the great

blues radio station KCOR means that the

show first airs each week at 3pm Central,

9pm UK time EVERY WEDNESDAY.

Acoustic music - the way the blues began

www.kconlineradio.com

A C O U S T I C B L U E S C L U B

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CLICK ANY OF THEPICS ON THE LEFT ANDYOU WILL BE TAKENTO YOUTUBE FOR AGREAT VIDEO TREAT.

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Blues in the South

Is proud to support

Kansas City Online Radio

(KCOR)

Blues Radio 24/7/365

Blues Rock And Cool Talk

Check out

Acoustic Blues Club

on

Wednesday at 9pm UK

Music to soothe your soul and

ease your worried mind.

UKBlues Federation is verypleased to announce that theAwards presentation eventwill take place on Saturday19th May 2018 at themagnificent WorthingPier’s Southern Pavilion, a

venue that has become a fixture on the UK bluescircuit for both national and international artists.

BLUES CARAVAN 2018

23/04/2018 7:00 pm

Click the pic for more.