The Lehigh Valley area of Eastern Pennsylvania is something of a hotbed of blues. I’ve lived in this area since 1975 and there have always been a number of very good blues bands working the local clubs. All the musicians know each other and fill in where needed on a regular basis leading one club owner to remark, “There’s only one blues band on the East Coast. It has hundreds of members and they spread out to play whatever gigs are available!”

A local record label, Bummer Tent Records, decided in 2002 to record a compilation CD featuring the best of the local bands. The CD was a hit locally so they recorded Volume 2 in 2003. My band, The WilyGoats, were privileged to be featured on Volume 2. Apparently, we set the bar too high, as Bummer Tent never recorded another one!

Seriously, this is some good stuff. One cut features local phenom, Eric Steckel, when he was about 11 or 12 years old. He’d already been playing out for several years by that time and was blowing people away with his guitar prowess. Here’s the complete track list:

1. Mary Hawkins – Damn Your Eyes
2. The WilyGoats – I’ll Keep Comin’ Around (Click to listen)
3. Chicago Carl Snyder and Jimmy Lawrence – Finger Poppin’ Time
4. Todd Wolfe with Sarah Ayers – Light of Day
5. Thom Palmer Band – Down At The Bluetone
6. Sarah Ayers – Autumn Leaves
7. Tom Walz – Broke Down Engine
8. Illinois Slim & The Maxwell Street Band – Your Love Is Like A Cancer
9. Crosscut Saw – Always Chasing Nightmares
10. Eric Steckel Band – Blues Is A Feelin’
11. Bryant Brothers Blues Brew – Grinnin’ and Preachin’
12. Shades of Blue – Trying So Hard
13. Craig Thatcher and James Supra – Leave Me Alone
14. Doug Ashby – Lay Me Down

I only have a few sealed copies left. Grab yours today before they’re gone!

My good buddy, Steve Guyger, has recently completed an instructional DVD for Hal Leonard & Co. Entitled “Blues Harmonica“, the DVD will hit the streets July 27th, 2010. If you’re a harp player, or as aspiring harp player, you’ll want to grab a copy of this one!

Steve is one of the top blues harmonica players in the world today and he shares many tips and tricks on this new DVD. Accompanied by Billy Flynn, an outstanding Chicago guitar player, the performances alone are worth the price of admission, but there’s much more.

Steve covers harmonica history, harmonica basics, harmonica techniques, sound and tone, playing chords, blues progressions, using positions and keys, playing in a band and more. The DVD includes guitar backing tracks so you can practice what you learn and try to match the technique and tone of this monster player.

As soon as I get my hands on a copy, I’ll be doing a complete review of the DVD, so stay tuned. It’s available for pre-order, so if you can’t wait, reserve your copy now by clicking the image above.

Roots, Rock ‘n Blues

I’ve never seen Big Daddy Stallings live. I’m betting he’s a gas and puts on a great show. I’m basing that assumption primarily on the many positive comments on his website.

Big Daddy’s latest CD, “Blues Party” is a mixed bag of blues, R&B and funk that to me seems like it was patched together using whoever was available at the time. That said, those available were, for the most part, some killer musicians. Mark Wenner does some excellent harp work, as always, and it’s good to hear my former Harp-L compatriot, Steve Levine, blowing his Mississippi saxophone to complement some very fine horn players. Gail Parrish lays down some very fine bass lines, and Big Daddy is no slouch on guitar himself.

Big Daddy’s fans will love “Blues Party” and I expect many others will, as well, but I’ll be honest. As I was listening to this CD the first time, aside from the excellent musicianship being displayed, I was not blown away. Much of the content follows the formula of whatever genre it fits in. Not that that’s a bad thing necessarily, it just doesn’t ring my bells.

So, I was ready to write this disc off as another unspectacular effort by some good musicians. Then, I came to a cut called “In Love By Yourself”. This track is worth the price of admission all by itself. As I listened to it, I thought to myself “This is what the blues is all about!” This tune came straight from Big Daddy’s heart and jumped right into mine. I don’t know if it’s autobiographical or not, but he nailed this one.

I don’t want to leave you with the impression that this is a one-track wonder, as far above the rest as that one track is. There are other very listenable tunes here: “James” is a funk tribute to the late Mr. Brown and “Icon Introduction” is a fine instrumental showcasing a great group of players as is “Swing 2010″. I know how difficult it is to capture the energy of a live show in the studio. If that’s what you’re looking for, you’ll want to get out and catch Big Daddy on stage, but for fans, this CD will do nicely between shows.

John

Legacy Learning Systems has just released their newest Spotlight course: Learn and Master Bass Guitar. I’m excited to see these folks providing quality bass instruction! There is not a lot of bass instruction available, especially when compared to the zillions of guitar courses out there. The market can always use another quality entry, and I fully expect Learn and Master Bass Guitar to meet the high quality standards set by Legacy Learning’s previous Learn and Master courses.

Pre-release special! If you’re interested in learning to play bass, now is the time to get your order in for Learn and Master Bass Guitar. From now until April 30, 2010, the official release date, you can pre-order Learn and Master Bass Guitar for $10 off the release price.

John

The Blues Foundation has recently announced the nominees for the 31st annual Blues Music Awards (formerly known as the W. C. Handy Awards). A complete list of the categories and nominees can be found on the Blues Foundation News page:

http://www.blues.org/#tagNews_862

If you’re a blues fan and not already a member of the Blues Foundation, sign up! It’s not expensive and the money goes to support the blues.

John

The 3rd annual Delaware River Blues Fest was held September 20th, 2009 at the Stockton Inn. Showcasing a wealth of talent from the PA/NJ area, the event was headlined by Johnny Winter, the legendary Texas guitar slinger.

Also appearing were the following area musicians:

• The J.B. Kline Band
• 2009 Blues Awards Nominee Steve Guyger and the Excellos
• The Sarah Ayers Band
• King Bee and the Stingers
• Paul Plumeri
• Joe Zook and Blues Deluxe
• The Don Mayer Band
• David Barry
• Cristina Harris

The event benefitted SAFE of Hunterdon County (for victims of domestic abuse), childhood cancer research and NOVA (Network of Victim Assistance) in Bucks County, PA.

The following photos are courtesy of Tom Furman of Richmond, VA:

Chon

First of all, I owe Georgie Bonds a huge apology. He was kind enough to send me his CD “Sometimes I Wonder” what is now a very long time ago and I promised to review it. Well, to make a long story short, it got buried and I’m just now writing the review I should have written months ago. So, Georgie, thanks for being so patient and my apologies for taking so long to get a round tuit!

The shame of it is that this CD deserves all the attention it can get. This is the real deal, folks, blues from the heart sung and played with skill and passion. Georgie is a great singer and his band backs him up expertly throughout this record.

Whether it’s a slow blues ballad like the title cut, an upbeat West side shuffle like “Why Cry?” or the uptown R&B style of “Sorry Baby”, Georgie nails them all. There are some musical touches such as the flute on “Killing Me” that add interest to the arrangements, but these tunes stand on their own.

Check out Georgie’s web site at GeorgieBonds.com for a sample of each cut, bio, photos and more. And if he’s playing in your area, go see Georgie and his band, The BluesKeepers.

Roots, Rock ‘n Blues

Living Blues Magazine has opened voting for its 2009 Living Blues Awards. Ballots must be received by July 5th, 2009 to be counted, so do it now while you’re thinking about it!

Simply go to the Living Blues web site at http://www.livingblues.com then click the link at the top of the page to cast your votes.

Roots, Rock ‘n Blues

Chess and Alligator recording artist Koko Taylor, the legendary “Queen of the Blues”, passed away Wednesday, June 3, 2009 at the age of 80. Winner of more Blues Music Awards than any other blues performer in history, her last performance was May 7, 2009 at the Blues Music Awards presentation ceremonies after receiving the Traditional Blues Artist of the Year Award for 2008.

Check out videos of Koko doing her thing here:

http://rootsrocknblues.us/videos/kokotaylor

“Koko Taylor is the great female blues singer of her generation. Raw vocal power and blustery swagger.”
– Rolling Stone

“Koko Taylor is a national treasure…she packs firepower a lot of youngsters only wish they had.”
– Chicago Tribune

“Koko Taylor is the blues…a growling goddess of down-and-dirty. Sheer, unstoppable shouting power, full steam ahead and damn the torpedoes. There are many kings of the blues but only one queen. Koko’s voice is capable of pinning a listener to the back wall.”
– Boston Globe

“Raucous, gritty, good-time blues…Taylor belts out blues in a gravel voice with ferocious intensity. Foot-stomping music that’s rough, raw and wonderfully upbeat.”
– People

“Chicago’s best blues singer…she has fire in her lungs.”
–Chicago Sun-Times

Amen.

Roots, Rock ‘n Blues

First of all, I have to say that I’m pretty much a blues and rock guy, so when I got the opportunity to check out Natasha James‘ “Tequila Time” CD, it was a bit of a departure for me. I’m willing to listen to most anything and let it stand on its own merits. I’ve ended up enjoying a lot of different styles of music that way.

So, this is country music. I think it’s officially referred to as “alt country”, to distinguish it from what they’re calling “country” music on the radio these days. Of course, now there are sub-genres of country music: pop country, rockin’ country, redneck country…whatever. This CD is pretty close to what I used to hear as a kid some 50 years ago now. Now THAT was country!

Anyway, I’ve heard country referred to as “white man’s blues”, and that’s pretty accurate in many respects. What they’re calling “blues” these days is a lot different from what I call blues and there are sub-genres of that, now, too!

Okay, enough of that. Natasha James is a fine singer and songwriter. She wrote 12 of the 15 tunes on this disc and co-arranged the other three. Her style is laid-back and easygoing. It’s obvious she’s very comfortable in her own skin, as the saying goes. Most important, in my opinion, it sounds like she’s having a good time

The title cut, “Tequila Time”, is straight ahead country with a hint of N’Awlins. I can see why it’s getting a lot of airplay. Two of her originals, “Fillin’ Station” and “Get Out Of My Way”, written in 1982 and 1983, respectively, have a bit of an edge to them, which I like. They’re a bit more blues-like, which is probably why they stuck out for me.

That’s not to take anything away from the rest of the cuts. “Cheetah On The Run” is another tune with a Zydeco flavor to it. “If You Think This Is Love” is a bluesy hip-shaker. “Ain’t Done Nothin’ Wrong” has a Delta feel to its paranoid musings. “Let Me Cry” could easily be turned into a rock anthem. The disc closes with “Modern Life” describing the dysfunctional family life that’s becoming more and more “normal” these days.

James’ simple, dead-on lyrics paint vivid mental and emotional images. The band is tight and the musicianship is up to the standard you expect from country musicians while covering a broad range of styles. There’s a lot to like on this collection. I suggest you check it out.

Roots, Rock ‘n Blues