blues news - blues reviews - blues gig guide
Bob Koester of Delmark Records and Jazz Record Mart in the NY Times.
“Happily Seduced by the Blues”
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/06/28/arts/music/28roht.html?pagewanted=all
With great picturess and full song streams of Junior Wells and Buddy Guy, Magic Sam, Eddie C. Campbell, Muhal Richard Abrams, Big Joe Williams, Roscoe Mitchell and Sleepy John Estes.
Quotations from Buddy Guy, Charlie Musselwhite, George Lewis, and Bruce Iglauer
The Roots & Fusion Radio Show on Stockport’s Pure 107.8FM has now been playing Blues and all kinds of Roots music for 6 months now (Fridays for two hours from 11pm - www.pureradio.org.uk - livestream).
I would love to play demos from Stockport based artists / bands and/or advertise up and coming gigs.
Please email me on studio@pureradio.org.uk with Roots & Fusion as the subject or send demos to:
Rick Stuart
Roots & Fusion
Pure 107.8FM
PO Box 1078
Stockport
SK3 0WH
From the Worthenbury Festival last Saturday.
I’m off to Sevilla for a couple of days. It’s really hot there, none of this 30 degree nonsense. Back late on Friday; the site is on automatic mode until then. See ya…..
The evening session got under way on the main stage with a rousing uptempo RnB blast from The Dirty Robbers, led by ex-Cadillac Kings guitarist Oliver Darling - also to be seen in Mike Sanchez’s band, and in the absence of keyboards, the superb Paul Garner on second guitar - also to have graced The Cadillac Kings guitar slot, together with the rhythm section of Craig Rhind (bass) and Matt Cowley (drums). A spirited hour featured mainly tunes from their first album, kicking off with “Ain’t Nothin’ Shakin’ “, and Richard Berry’s oft-covered “Have Love Will Travel”, with a dip into some classic Peter Green for “Watch Out”, from the “Blues Jam in Chicago” album . . . a set highlight. The eloquently titled “Lemon Squeezer” was a taster from the forthcoming second album, with more dips into the first album for a corking “Lonesome Woman Blues” and “Mary Lou”.
Either side of The Producers, Naomi Mather and Rory Ellis played second sets . . . not much to add to Lionel’s fine words, just to echo his sentiments really. Naomi Mather is a real talent, a product of the Liverpool Institute of Performing Arts, and she possesses a quite beautiful voice, and is a deft guitar picker and slide player, her “Born At The Wrong Time” EP comes highly recommended, with the second set featuring a reprise of the strutting “Can’t Do Nothing”. Ashamedly I must admit to not having heard of Rory Ellis before the festival… Wow!, he was without doubt most people’s star of the day! Coming across as a Melbourne hybrid of Johnny Cash, Steve Earle and Tom Russell, his rootsy tales of childhood, politics and more were just superb, with his strumming guitar and banjo work beautifully fleshed out by Alex Roberts more intricate guitar and lap slide - this guy having driven six hours from Poole to play the set! A reprise of “Work” saw some audience participation, with another treat being the lovely “Railway Parade”, his deep, rich voice and story telling winning over the crowd.
Back in the mid to late 1990s’ The Producers were without doubt one of Britain’s most popular blues bands, but split, actually playing their last North West gig at Hooker Blues Club in Wrexham . . . fitting then that their first gig back in the area should be here at the festival. Original members Harry Skinner (lead vocals and guitar) and Dave Saunders (bass) are now joined by Ray Drury (keyboards) and Biff Smith (drums). A beautifully delivered set featured some sparkling guitar from Harry Skinner, who also was on top form vocally, with newcomer Drury excelling on the keyboards. New material included “I Got Blues” and “Some People Say”, with a dip into the back catalogue for “Bitter And Twisted And Blue” . . . with the great “Take Me The Long Way Home, another new song, being well received. It’s nice to have such a fine band back on the scene!
Bringing a quite fabulous day to an end were possibly the best live band on the circuit at the moment - The Stumble - who after a recent storming headlining slot at the Warrington Blues Festival, could not fail with their uptempo mix of blues, soul and more! The area in front of the stage soon became a full dance floor as an extended over-curfew (only slightly!) set of favourites were performed. Set highlights were rip-roaring opener of Hound Dog Taylor’s “Gimme Back My Wig”, the stomping “Maudie” and a slide driven “The World Is Tough” - the title cut of the band’s first album. The band got soulful on “Bus Stop”, from the second album, “The Houngan”, but were back with the blues on a ferocious “Meet Me At The Bottom”. They were afforded the first encore of the day, purely due to time demands, and played the show-stopping “All Over Again”, a gorgeous slow blues, with brilliant guitar from Colin Black and impassioned vocal from Paul Melville. This band go from strength to strength, and are pretty unstoppable at the moment. The full line-up is Paul Melville (vocals), Colin Black (guitar and harmonica), Jonny Spencer (guitar), Simon Anthony (saxophone), Dave Heath (bass) and Boyd Tonner (drums).
Thanks from me to the organisers - particularly Pete Evans, Paul Taylor and Ian Williams - and to all volunteers and helpers. This was a great festival - reasonably priced, good beer, etc., and long may it prosper, see you in 2010.
GRAHAME RHODES
All pictures from both reviews supplied by Grahame Rhodes; these and more have been uploaded to the bluesinthenorthwest.com photo archive.
This was the fifth Worthenbury Blues and Roots Festival, building on the wonderful heritage of the Dragon Blues Festivals that graced Wrexham Rugby Club for many memorable years. The venue for the open-air festival is farmland kindly made available by Michael and Elizabeth Brownrigg at the village that lies between Malpas and Bangor-on-Dee in North Wales.
The event comprised a main stage and an adjacent acoustic stage, on which the action alternated in impressively quick succession. The task of opening the show on the acoustic stage fell to Hopson, a trio of local sixth-formers, who were making their first ever public appearance. As if that were not daunting enough, the lads had also been forced to regroup owing to the indisposition of their bass guitarist, Adam Squire, as a result of a broken wrist. Rhythm-guitarist Gavin Hooson bravely filled the gap and joined drummer Alex Squire in the engine room. Led by singer/guitarist John Taylor, the band overcame their first-date nerves and went on to deliver an enthusiastic set that included numbers by Bob Dylan and the White Stripes.
First up on the main stage were Newton-le-Willows-based Papa Legba, with singer/guitarist Alan Crawford very ably supported by his brother, Scott, on bass guitar and Graham Brighouse on drums. Their vibrant set combined some rocked up versions of Robert Johnson and Son House favourites, SRV’s “Pride and Joy” and some beautifully played slow blues, including a fine rendition of Eddy Boyd’s “Five Long Years”. There was also an airing of George Harrison’s “While My Guitar Gently Weeps” and a rousing delivery of Rory Gallagher’s “A Million Miles Away” to provide a terrific impetus to the day’s events.
Back on the acoustic stage, Liverpool-based Naomi Mather entered the afternoon session with the first of two sets, the second forming part of the evening session. Naomi demonstrated her burgeoning talent as a songwriter with a programme of excellent original songs. She accompanied her beautifully clear vocals with highly accomplished playing on acoustic, resonator and lap guitars, showing equal mastery of finger-picking and slide techniques. She also tapped the rhythm on a very effective stomp box. This is a young lady who is surely destined to make a considerable impact across the British blues scene.
The main stage was then taken by storm by Big Blues Tribe, a nine-piece ensemble from the Midlands that boasted no less than a five-piece brass section. Fronted by big-voiced singer/trumpeter Oliver Carpenter, they opened their account very appropriately with “Let The Good Times Roll”, an apt description of what lay in store. Other delights included “King Of The New York Streets”, “St James Infirmary Blues” and a reggae-style version of “I’m In The Mood For Love”, for which Beth Naylor and Abby Brant took over the vocals. They also provided close harmonies on a gospel number before ending a highly entertaining set with an upbeat rocker. The band reported that they were dashing off to a second gig in Worcester. “That’s two gigs in one day,” they boasted. “Come to think of it, it’s only the second gig this year!” one of them added. The truth is more likely to be that they are in great demand, if this performance is anything to go by.
At each of the previous Worthenbury festivals, there has been a surprise package that has stolen the show. This year’s event was no exception to that rule, as Australian singer/guitarist Rory Ellis proved with his two warmly-received appearances on the acoustic stage. Supplemented by the superb playing of Alex Roberts on lap slide guitar, the man from Geelong produced a stunning mix of powerful vocals, brilliant guitar and banjo playing and hilarious chat. His two sets featured many of the tracks from his most recent album, including the title song, “Two Feathers”, a compilation of high quality original songs, which draw heavily on his eventful life. A particular highlight was “No Love In This war”, while “Home Tonight” was inspired by his spending an eternity trying to find an appropriate exit from the Leicester ring road – an ordeal that has been universally endured. Lost in Leicester, perhaps, but found by a host of admiring fans at Worthenbury.
The headlining act of the afternoon session on the main stage was the recently re-formed Down At Antones. Led by founder member, singer/guitarist Neil Partington, the band comprised bluesinthenorthwest’s own Ken Peace (also a founder member of the band) on harp, Nick Lauro on drums and Steve Brown on bass. On this occasion, the band also included Paul Need, guesting on keys in the absence of usual keyboard player, Glen Lewis. The band shuffled into action with Howlin’ Wolf’s “Riding In The Moonlight” and a fine version of “Black Cat Bone”. The jazz standard, “Mercy, Mercy, Mercy” featured some wonderfully full-bodied harp and tasty guitar and keyboard solos, all immaculately driven by the rhythm section. The nicely varied set included Rice Miller’s slow blues, “Cross My Heart”, and a lovely portion of New Orleans funk in the shape of “Pocky Way”. The icing on the already delicious cake was provided by the introduction of Johny Hewitt to weave his harmonica magic on Lowell Fulson’s “Reconsider, Baby”, followed by top class interplay with Ken Peace on the driving boogie, “Biting The Bullet”, to climax a tremendous set.
Pete Evans, Paul Taylor, Ian Williams and their myriad assistants are to be congratulated on yet another magnificent event. It is entirely fitting that the quality of the line-up and the excellence of the organisational arrangements was matched by a massive attendance and brilliant sunshine.
Lionel Ross
Today should have been the first day of the two part review of the excellent Worthenbury Festival from last Saturday however I didn’t do my part. Grahame and Lionel both worked very hard to get the reviews to me to publish along with some photos but I spent the whole night last night watching the tennis. So it will be tomorrow.
Ry Cooder is playing at The Liverpool Philharmonic Hall on Saturday, 11th July. If you want tickets to see be quick because it will be a sell-out.
This was the third appearance of the John O’Leary Band at Liverpool Marina, which speaks volumes for their popularity at the city’s premier blues venue. There were a couple of changes to the previous line-up of the band: Wayne Proctor replaced Joachim Greve on drums and singer/guitarist Dave Day was added to the core membership. However, the basic elements were still in place: John O’Leary on vocals and harp, Jules Fothergill on guitar, Jools Grudgings on keyboard and Roger Inniss on bass guitar.
The band opened with “Born In Chicago”, which afforded an immediate opportunity for Day, O’Leary, Grudgings and Fothergill to set down their markers as highly skilled soloists, while a splendid rendition of Junior Wells’s “Snatch It Back And Hold It” featured a cameo solo from Roger Inniss on bass guitar. O’Leary conjured up some mean harp on “Early In The Morning”, which was also blessed with a fabulous solo from Fothergill, before newcomer, Dave Day, delivered excellent lead vocals and tasty guitar on “Need Your Love So Bad” and Steely Dan’s ”Do It Again”. The first set was completed with “Little By Little”, on which Grudgings was the major magician, closely followed by a marvellous interplay between the two guitarists.
The second set began with “Don’t Let My Baby Ride”, for which Jules Fothergill produced a phenomenal solo, enhanced by superb underpinning by Wayne Proctor. Dave Day then resumed lead vocals on the slow blues, “Double Trouble”, which featured some great harp playing from O’Leary, and his own “I Only Want To Have Some Fun” before the highlight of the evening – a fantastic version of “Black Cat Bone”, on which all members of the band excelled, including the superb rhythm section. The loudly demanded encore comprised four numbers sharing a common beat: “Yonder’s Wall”, Elmore James’s “One Way Out”, the original “Roadhouse Man” and everybody’s favourite, “Help Me”. The standing ovation that erupted at the close was completely unanimous and thoroughly warranted by the truly magnificent show.
Lionel Ross
I had a great time at Worthenbury yesterday. I enjoyed playing the spot with Down at Antone’s and I enjoyed all the music and the good friends that I met.
There will be a review shared between regular bluesinthenorthwest.com writers Lionel Ross and my partner in crime Grahame Rhodes. Watch this space for details.
Thanks to all the organisers and the volunteers. A terrific job. My sincere thanks. I didn’t take many pictures for two reasons 1. I’m not very good and 2. I’m lazy. However I did try to capture some pictures that would be a bit different to everyone else’s.
The sweet collection of Gibsons belong to Jonny Spencer of The Stumble. Top bloke.
Roll on Worthenbury 2010.
I’m looking forward to the Worthenbury Festival today. A chance to see some old friends and make some new ones. It’s a great event and is highly recommended.
The weather forecast is not perfect but it is not bad, a bit of drizzle early on then fine later.
http://www.bluesinthenorthwest.com/index.php/2009/06/12/gig-worthenbury-festival-sat-27-june-2009/
See you later.
THE STUMBLE
“The Houngan”
(Star Jam Music: STU 475986-4)
As promised here’s a review of one we missed out on at release time – the second album from The Stumble – currently riding high as one of these shores finest bands, with their explosive live shows putting them on equal footing with anyone on the blues circuit at the moment – with the added bonus of them being firmly North West based as well!
“The Houngan” follows on from the excellent “The World Is Tough” – a 13-track mix of rocking blues, funky soul, a touch of country, and more – all impeccably performed and played by the band – Paul Melville (vocals), Colin Black (guitar and harmonica), Jonny Spencer (guitars), Simon Anthony (saxophone), Dave Heath (bass) and Boyd Tonner (drums).
Colin Black has long been one of my favourite guitar players and his slashing slide opens the album on the storming “It’s A Lie”, with a sort of Duane Allman meets Elmore James feel to his playing; the next track, “Bus Stop” sees the band in soulful mood, with a 60s Stax feel – Simon Anthony’s sax prominent here and customary gritty vocal from Paul Melville.
The pace is taken down on the lovely “Flesh and Bone” – firmly in soul territory again, with a hook to die for and ensemble backing vocals from Messrs. Anthony, Tonner and Melville, with blistering solo from Colin Black. The sinister title cut, “The Houngan” – a High Priest in the Voodoo religion in Haiti – rides on a guitar groove courtesy of Jonny Spencer and Boy Tonner, with Colin Black switching to harmonica – very fine indeed!
Elsewhere the boys rock out on “Maudie” – dominated by Simon Anthony’s sax, with a great solo, before a lovely arrangement of the timeless “Nobody’s Business”, with Colin Black showing his mastery of all things Peter Green / BB King, with beautiful guitar work and tone, and an aching vocal from Paul Melville – quite superbly performed recently at the Warrington Blues Festival.
“Your Love For Me” is a dip into the late, great Bo Diddley’s style, with this time, Jonny Spencer laying down the fine slide guitar; the country blues of “Georgia Sun” is another album highlight, with Jonny Spencer on Dobro and Colin Black again switching to harmonica.
“Headshot” is again reminiscent of classic Stax soul with another truly convincing vocal from Paul Melville, with the album finishing in rampant style with a romp through Howlin’ Wolf’s “Meet Me At The Bottom” – ending as it started with Colin Black’s slashing slide.
Anyone who has caught the band live don’t need telling by me how good they are, and it’s nice to report that this second cd truly reflects how good their show is – having seen the early incarnations of the band several times, it is gratifying to see how they have progressed to the ‘top of the tree’ – long may they prosper!
GRAHAME RHODES
Here’s the latest press release from Fruteland Jackson who recently played at the Worthenbury “Goin’ Up The Country” Club.
Chicago, Illinois- . Three time Blues Music Award nominee, and KBA recipient, Fruteland Jackson recently completed a three week , twenty venue tour throughout the United Kingdom including a trip to Belgium to perform at the Ecaussinnes Blues Festival . All venues were held at art centers or theaters except for two clubs The sold out theater was located on the Isle of Wight and was a first time expierience for Fruteland. The performance was video taped for television veiwing in high definition format. Here’s some program information.
http://www.fruteland.com/ukreviewsmall2009.pdfFruteland credits “Britain’s Best”Boogie Woogie pianist Bob Hall and his wife Hillary Blythe who performed and organized the tour with making it a success.
He also repeated a recording session at the BBC as he had on a previous tour which was heard on a nationally syndicated blues program.Fruteland was interviewed by actor/musician Paul Jones (of Manfred Mann fame) which helped bring out the fans. Fruteland also presented a BITS program at Haworth primary school sponsored by the Bronte Blues Club.Fruteland returned home from the worldwind tour and is currently standing in for David ‘Honeyboy” Edwards at the June 26/27. 2009 Rapperswil, Blues’n'Jazz Festival Rapperswil - in Switzerland .
FRIDAY JULY 17th LISA MILLS & IAN JENNINGS £10
Mississippi born Lisa, our favourite American female blues singer makes a welcome return with Big Town Playboys double bass player Ian. Likened to a mix of Bonnie Raitt, Etta James and Janis Joplin, Lisa has actually played with Big Brother and The Holding Company. She has also performed with Robert Plant, Jeff Beck and Jools Holland and appeared at Glastonbury
FRIDAY SEPTEMBER 18th THE GUY TORTORA BAND £10
Pasadena native but now living in London, Guy brings his four piece band playing one set acoustic and one electric. A superb guitarist he has built up a strong reputation and has over the last two years played on stage with Eric Clapton, Jon Cleary, Eric Bibb and Pee Wee Ellis.
FRIDAY OCTOBER 23rd LITTLE TOBY WALKER £10
Back by popular demand after an amazing gig last year, Toby from New York makes a very welcome return. A superb acoustic guitarist and vocalist who learnt his trade at the feet of Mississippi’s finest - RL Burnside, Eugene Powell, Son Thomas and Jack Owens.
FRIDAY NOVEMBER 6th WOODY MANN & TOM DOUGHTY £12
This is a major scoop for us -Woody Man has long been recognized as one of the world’s leading jazz guitarists but was taught blues by Rev Gary Davis and played with Son House, Bukka White and John Fahey. On a UK tour at many major theatres (Including Theatre Clwyd)and Arts Centres, we are the smallest venue on the tour so early booking required.
Check his website www.woodyman.com.
Tom Doughty from Cheshire is a very remarkable man. Severely injured in a rta as a teenager, he only restarted playing guitar a few years ago with the instrument attached to his wheel chair. Even with restricted movement he is an amazing guitarist and has developed a superb technique whilst becoming a firm friend of Woody.
SATURDAY NOVEMBER 21st THE HOKUM HOTSHOTS AT BANGOR ON DEE HALL
This is a gig we’ve arranged for The Bangor Academicals, a charitable group in Bangor. There will be a limited number of tickets available near the date to see these funtime Geordie Blues musicians. More details nearer the date.
FRIDAY DECEMBER 4th DAVE KELLY £10
Top UK guitarist Dave leaves Paul Jones and The Blues Band at home for this solo gig when he will play all sorts of songs and tunes that have influenced him and made him the UK blues legend that he is.
FRIDAY DECEMBER 18th THE DERRIN NAUENDORF BAND £12
Top Aussie acoustic guitarist Derrin was one of the 1st musicians to play at Worthenbury and is long overdue. This time appearing with his trio, a band that took last year’s Maryport Festival by storm, Derrin is now one of the biggest names on the world blues/roots scene and this will be a memorable night – again cancel all Christmas parties for this night!
There is nore information in the full programme that you can download from here.
Amazing Fox Chase from Madcat Ruth.
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