americana, indie country, jim stanard, making a Scene
Jim Stanard Bucket List Self-released Even relatively late in life, it’s not too late to make a singer-songwriter record, no matter what the walk of life. Take Jim Stanard, for example. He sounds as if he’s a contemporary of this writer and the two Richards you seen so prominently on this site. Stanard grew up […]
blues, brigitte purdy, cd review, indie Blues, making a Scene
Brigitte Purdy Dirtshack Still I Rise Terrific singers are often comfortable in several genres, but most want to be blues singers to showcase their emotive power. That’s why versatile, gifted, and downright sultry vocalist, Brigitte Purdy, is belting blues and seductive R&B on her debut, Still I Rise. Born and raised in Los Angeles, Purdy […]
eddie Palmieri, jazz, making a Scene
Eddie Palmieri Full Circle Uprising Music (Ropeadope) Multi-Grammy Award winning pianist and music legend Eddie Palmieri delivers a new album of Salsa classics, expanded and refreshed, at the age of 81. These eight tracks feature many of his long-term band members and some of the best players in New York and beyond. They include trumpeter […]
blues, cd review, indie Blues, little red rooster blues band, lock up the liquor, making a Scene
The Little Red Rooster Blues Band Lock Up the Liquor Self-released The Little Red Rooster Blues Band has been perhaps the Philly area’s most prized blues band for three decades now. This CD, which is their seventh, marks their 30th year as a band. It’s essentially a miracle that band leader Kevin McCann was able […]
big harp geroge, blues, indie Blues, kid andersen, making a Scene, uptown cool
Big Harp George Uptown Cool Blues Mountain It’s as if the melody and refrain to Paul Simon’s “Graceland” has taken on this verse for so many blues musicians – “We’re going to Greaseland, Greaseland …we’re going to Greaseland.” Yes, Big Harp George is the latest in a growing number of mostly emerging artists that are […]
jazz, making a Scene, McClenty Hunter Jr., The Groove hunter
McClenty Hunter Jr. The Groove Hunter Strikezone This is drummer McClenty Hunter Jr.’s first album as a leader. For the past decade Hunter has been an integral part of the New York City jazz scene, having logged three years with Kenny Garrett’s Grammy nominated quintet, and performing with Jim Snidero, Lou Donaldson and Dave Stryker, […]
jared gold, Jazz artist, making a Scene
Jared Gold Reemergence Strikezone The title suggests re-entry after a hiatus but that’s not the case with Jared Gold’s ninth album. Yet, there is a method to it, given that Gold’s prior work appears on the Posi-Tone label, better known for radio friendly tracks than fully conceived albums. Perhaps we could also think of the […]
indie Blues, making a Scene, sugar brown
Sugar Brown It’s a Blues World (Calling All Blues!) Self-released As one might expect from a Ph.D. college professor, Toronto-based Sugar Brown’s blues are both deep and eclectic. His journey to this point is rather unusual for a blues artist. He was born Ken Kawashima, to a Japanese father and Korean mother, raised in Bowling […]
blues, blues roots, indie Blues, making a Scene, roots
Mark Wenner Mark Wenner’s Blues Warriors EllerSoul Harp ace Mark Wenner, founder and band leader for Washington D.C.’s long-running Nighthawks, has put together a pure straight-ahead blues band in his latest side project. As you may know, The Nighthawks began as a solid traditional blues band in the late ‘70s but have grown into a […]
blues, blues-rock, indie Blues, making a Scene, roots
Steve Krase Just Waitin’ Connor Ray Music Houston-based harmonica ace and bandleader Steve Krase moves outside the conventional blues boundaries on this outing, into Americana and Zydeco with guests skilled in those styles. Driving much of these proceedings is noted Houston producer Rock Romano who played bass, background vocals, wrote three of the tunes, and […]
indie country, making a Scene, Neko Case, singer-songwriter
Neko Case Hell On Anti It’s Neko’s voice that draws you in. It is an undeniably ethereally beautiful instrument as it’s been from the very beginning when in the early ‘90s she was being hailed as the second coming of Patsy Cline. Some preferred to think of Wanda Jackson instead. Yet, Case’s lyrics, demeanor and […]
blues, cary bell, indie Blues, lurrie bell, making a Scene
Lurrie Bell & The Bell Dynasty Tribute to Carey Bell with Special Guests Delmark Almost fifty years after iconic harpsman Carey Bell released Carey Bell’s Blues Harp, his debut album for Delmark, his four sons pay a recording tribute to their dad for the first time. Lurrie Bell, on vocals and guitar, the elder statesman […]
americana, blues, blues-rock, indie Blues, kara grainger, making a Scene
Kara Grainger Living With Your Ghost Station House Australian Kara Grainger has graced the international blues and roots circuit for a decade now. Originally hailed as mostly a guitar slinger, for her adept picking and slide skills, Grainger proves to be a formidable singer-songwriter on this, her fourth album. Her sultry vocals combined with her […]
blues, brothers dege, dobro, indie Blues, louisiana, making a Scene
Brother Dege Farmer’s Almanac Psysouthern We often loosely throw around certain terms like “haunting sound” and “eerily dark” to describe music. With Brother Dege’s fourth release, Farmer’s Almanac, the Louisiana native creates such a spooky, dark atmosphere with his southern tales of the unique mysteries of small towns, that terms like “haunting” and “dark” don’t […]
blues, blues-rock, indie Blues, making a Scene, roots rock
Dustin Douglas & The Electric Gentlemen Break It Down Quad-O Dustin Douglas & The Electric Gentlemen (DDEG) have grown since their debut in 2016, that hailed the arrival of the captivating power trio, a regional favorite, from Wilkes-Barre in northeast PA. Numerous live gigs have paid huge dividends as this trio is so tight. The […]
blues, indie Blues, jazz singer, making a Scene, melodic canvas, robin Mckelle
Robin McKelle Melodic Canvas Doxie Robin McKelle debuted as a big band jazz singer twelve years ago and has since tried blues, pop rock and smatterings of soul and gospel. Melodic Canvas marks her return to jazz, this time in a small ensemble. This is McKelle’s album – she wrote six of the ten tunes, […]
jazz, latin boogaloo, making a Scene, malo, warner brothers
Malo Latin Bugaloo: The Warner Brothers Singles Omnivore When most people think of Latin blues-based Bay Area bands, Santana is almost always the first one mentioned. That Santana is the surname for band leader Carlos Santana but his younger brother, band leader Jorge Santana, led an equally impressive group in the Bay Area, the horn-infused […]
blues, dany franchi, indie Blues, making a Scene, problem child
Dany Franchi Problem Child Station House For his third album, Italian singer/guitarist Dany Franchi enlisted high profile support from Anson Funderburgh and Andy T. Anson and Andy recognized the talents of one of today’s emerging bluesmen and surrounded him with top notch players in Austin to record this genuine blues effort. Funderburgh says, “it was […]
blues, cd review, gretchen and the Pickpockets, indie Blues, making a Scene
Gretchen and the Pickpockets Falling Rising Self-released Yes, the name is a bit odd – but apparently it comes from a hometown road with a history of larceny. The Boston-based Gretchen and the Pickpockets have a horn-infused sound they describe as “Soul/Jazz/Rock.” The six-piece unit sounds somewhere between Lake Street Dive and a swinging horn […]
blues, blues-rock, indie Blues, kris lager, making a Scene, roots rock
Kris Lager Band Love Songs & Life Lines Self-released The Kris Lager Band have made their mark in the Midwest by playing searing blues, rock n’ roll and jam band music. However, if that’s what you were expecting from this release, be ready for a big surprise. This is at heart a folksy feel good […]
barrett martin, cd review, jazz, making a Scene
The Barrett Martin Group Transcendence Sunyata Don’t let the name fool you. The Seattle-based Barrett Martin Group is not a law firm or a real estate office. Of course, it’s not but the staid nature of the name unfortunately conjures up those boring references when the music is anything but. It’s demonstrative, thrilling, exotic, and […]
Marcia Ball Shine Bright Alligator It’s hard to believe that the hard-working, effervescent Marcia Ball is now fifty years into her career. Surely, she’s been honored and recognized. There are not many who can claim this kind of resume: ten Blues Music Awards, ten Living Blues Awards, five Grammy nominations, and induction into the Gulf […]
americana, blues, blues-rock, cd reviews, indie Blues, making a Scene, roots rock, Teresa James
Teresa James and the Rhythm Tramps Here in Babylon Jesi-Lu Widely acclaimed pianist and vocalist Teresa James is back with her killer band for her tenth album, Here in Babylon, coming about a year a half since her previous release, Bonafide. Teresa will probably remind you of Bonnie Raitt but listen again. James has a rawer, […]
Bill Frisell, cd review, jazz, making a Scene
Bill Frisell Music IS Okeh/Sony The highly anticipated solo album from one of the world’s premier guitarists, Bill Frisell, is finally here. This is Frisell at his most distilled and, as you would expect, melodic, ethereal, and imaginative. Recorded in August 2017 at Tucker Martine’s studio in Portland, OR and produced by longtime collaborator Lee […]
blues, blues-rock, cd review, indie Blues, roots rock, tommy dardar
Tommy Dardar Big Daddy Gumbo Self-released Houston music legend Tommy Dardar, affectionately dubbed ‘Big Daddy Gumbo’ passed away in July of 2017. Over his storied career Dardar played alongside Lightnin’ Hopkins, Jimmy Reed, John Lee Hooker, Bo Diddley, Willie Dixon, The Neville Brothers and more. He was known for his deep, soulful voice, soaring blues […]
blues, blues-rock, cd review, indie Blues, making a Scene, Mud Morganfield, muddy waters
Mud Morganfield Mud Morganfield They Call Me Mud Severn It’s not fair to make such a physically imposing man walk a proverbial tightrope. Yet, that will likely always be the case with Muddy Waters’ son, Mud Morganfield. Both his large presence and vocal style inevitably recall his dad. In fact, Mark Wenner of the Nighthawks […]
blues, blues-rock, cd reviews, indie Blues, Laurie morvan, making a Scene, roots rock
Laurie Morvan Gravity Screaming Lizard Laurie Morvan’s sixth and most polished release, continues to move away from an angry blues rock attack to a smoother, more strictly blues-based guitar accompanying her songs and lyrics, which now have more of the focus than on her earlier efforts. And yes, she is becoming a stronger songwriter. Don’t […]
americana, blues, blues-rock, cd review, indie Blues, making a Scene, roots, seth walker, songwriter
Seth Walker Live at Mauch Chunk Opera House Royal Potato Family These words have previously appeared in my reviews of Seth Walker, but they bear repeating. Walker is a bluesman dressed up as an Americana artist. Since I first saw him perform at the Americana Music Conference over ten years ago, suffice it say that […]
americana, blues, blues-rock, cd reviews, indie Blues, making a Scene, roots rock, sue foley
Sue Foley The Ice Queen Stony Plain Canadian guitarist/singer Sue Foley returned to Austin, TX where she got her start as blues woman and laid down these sessions with special guests Jimmie Vaughan, Billy F. Gibbons, and Charlie Sexton. This, her 15th album, marks Foley’s debut for Stony Plains and her return as a solo […]
alt jazz, cd review, gogo penguin, jazz, jim hynes, making a Scene
GoGo Penguin A Humdrum Star Blue Note GoGo Penguin is a trio based in Manchester, England with a penchant for atmospheric music that merges acoustic and electronic techniques, touching mostly on jazz while bringing in classical elements and more than a few nods to Brian Eno. While that description may give the notion that their […]
cd review, david k mathews, fantasy vocal sessions, indie Blues, jazz, making a Scene, santana
David K. Mathews The Fantasy Vocal Sessions – Vol. 1 Standards Effendi Records If you’re not from the San Francisco Bay Area or an ardent fan of Santana, you’re probably not familiar with keyboardist David K. Mathews. Yet, considering this, his first as a leader in fifteen years, could lead to five or six projects […]
andy Peake, Big shoes, blues-rock, cd review, indie Blues, making a Scene, New Orleans blues, soul
Big Shoes Step On It! Biglittle This is a can’t miss project. We’re seeing a resurgence of the Muscle Shoals sound these days. Even The Swampers just released an album of lost tracks last month. The sound of Big Shoes has plenty of that river city’s sound but stretches beyond into New Orleans, Memphis, and […]
Artist, blues foundation, blues hall of fame, blues music, blues radio, blues-rock, celebration of Blues and Soul, Funk, independent blues awards, indie, Indie B, indie Blues, indie blues movement, INDIE Blues Scene blues, Indie Rock, International Blues Challenge, live from the midnight circus, making a Scene, r&B, red clay soul, Rock, roots, roots music, roots rock, the voice
Hypnotic Wheels Trio and Various Artists Muddy Gurdy VizzTone This is one of the most interesting collaborations of blues we have heard in some time. A trio of French musicians – Tia Goutteble (guitar, voice), Gilles Chabenat (Hurdy-Gurdy – a traditional French instrument), and Marc Glomeau (percussion) call themselves the Hypnotic Wheels Trio. Their music […]
blues, blues foundation, blues hall of fame, blues music, blues radio, blues-rock, cd review, cd reviews, celebration of Blues and Soul, Circus americana, david Maxwell, Funk, IBA, independent blues awards, indie, Indie B, indie Blues, indie blues movement, Indie Rock, internet Radio Free, jazz, live from the midnight circus, making a Scene, r&B, red clay soul, Rock, roots, roots music, roots rock, Ruf Records
Ghalia & Mama’s Boys Let the Demons Out Ruf Ghalia Vauthier, the Belgian singer-songwriter/guitarist, is the newest signing for Ruf. This emerging artist from Brussels splits her time between her native country and New Orleans where she recorded this album with acclaimed harmonica band Johnny Mastro & Mama’s Boys. Ghalia has steadily built a fan […]
blues, blues foundation, blues hall of fame, blues music, blues radio, blues-rock, cd review, celebration of Blues and Soul, Circus americana, Funk, IBA, independent blues awards, indie, Indie B, indie Blues, indie blues movement, Indie Rock, internet Radio Free, jazz, live from the midnight circus, making a Scene, r&B, red clay soul, Rock, roots, roots music, roots rock
Curtis Salgado and Alan Hager Rough Cut Alligator We’ve come to know Curtis Salgado mostly as a blues singer leaning heavily toward soul, with his horn-drenched bands. Now we see another side of Salgado – the deep blues done raw and unadorned with his band’s lead guitarist, Alan Hager, showing impeccable talent here too. Rough […]
jazz, lyn Stanley, making a Scene, Moonlight Sessions
Lyn Stanley The Moonlight Sessions, Volumes 1 and 2 A.T. Music Jazz vocalist Lyn Stanley has the kind of self-made story that makes us admire her even before we hear her sultry, refined, signature delivery. Six years ago, she was a retired marketing executive wondering if she had enough musical talent for her church choir. […]
blues, blues foundation, blues hall of fame, blues music, blues radio, blues-rock, celebration of Blues and Soul, Circus americana, Funk, IBA, independent blues awards, indie, Indie B, indie Blues, indie blues movement, Indie Rock, jazz, Live from the Midnight Circus., making a Scene, r&B, red clay soul, Rock, roots, roots music, roots rock
Rockin’ Johnny Burgin Neoprene Fedora West Tone Rockin’ Johnny Burgin graced many of the great Delmark records, especially as the guitarist for Tail Dragger. After a storied stint in the Windy City, his move to California finds him once again working with Kid Andersen in Kid’s San Jose Greaseland Studios, rapidly becoming the place of […]
blues, blues foundation, blues hall of fame, blues music, blues radio, blues-rock, celebration of Blues and Soul, Circus americana, Funk, IBA, independent blues awards, indie, Indie B, indie Blues, indie blues movement, Indie Rock, jazz, live from the midnight circus, making a Scene, r&B, red clay soul, Rock, roots, roots music, roots rock
Corey Dennison Band Night After Night Delmark This band screams SOUL. Delmark is perhaps the most authentic Chicago blues label and has been for fifty years now but this band could just as easily be from Memphis as Chicago. From the opening notes and Dennison’s vocal, you get a huge does of soul. My words […]
blues, blues foundation, blues hall of fame, blues music, blues radio, blues-rock, celebration of Blues and Soul, Circus americana, Funk, IBA, independent blues awards, indie, Indie B, indie Blues, indie blues movement, Indie Rock, jazz, live from the midnight circus, making a Scene, r&B, red clay soul, Rock, roots, roots music, roots rock
Likho Duo Blues and the World Beyond Likho Before we tell you a little about these two guys, we need to provide some explanation about the name, which is a story unto itself. Noé Socha, (guitar and harmonica) is legally blind but has limited vision in one eye. Cliff Schmitt (bassist) has a vision issue in […]
jane ira bloom, jazz, making a Scene, quartet, roots music, roots rock
Jane Ira Bloom Wild Lines: Improvising Emily Dickinson Out-Line It seems only appropriate that the artist dubbed “the poet of the soprano saxophone” by acclaimed jazz critic Brian Priestly would honor one of America’s iconic poets. Jane Ira Bloom reimagines the poetry of 19th-century visionary Emily Dickinson in two different settings. Her double CD showcases […]
blues, blues foundation, blues hall of fame, blues music, blues radio, blues-rock, celebration of Blues and Soul, Circus americana, Funk, IBA, independent blues awards, indie, Indie B, indie Blues, indie blues movement, Indie Rock, jazz, live from the midnight circus, making a Scene, r&B, red clay soul, Rock, roots, roots music, roots rock
Casey Hensley Live Featuring Laura Chavez VizzTone Hensley’s name is the prominent one on the jacket but also note “Featuring Laura Chavez.” Chavez is a world- renowned guitarist who played with the late Candye Kane and has been hailed by folks like Ronnie Earl as one our best. This is a showcase for her dazzling, […]
blues, blues foundation, blues hall of fame, blues music, blues radio, blues-rock, celebration of Blues and Soul, Circus americana, Funk, IBA, independent blues awards, indie, Indie B, indie Blues, indie blues movement, Indie Rock, jazz, live from the midnight circus, making a Scene, r&B, red clay soul, Rock, roots, roots music, roots rock
Peter Parcek Everybody Wants to Go to Heaven Lightnin’ This is the hard blues. It’s not that Peter Parcek plays hard constantly but it’s the feeling he evokes. He alternates dynamics but leaves vapors of Hendrix and The Cream in his wake. He can play cleanly like Peter Green but prefers to shroud both his guitar […]
