Interviews and Features on Indie Blues Artists
HOME PAGE FACEBOOK PAGE It was in the late 1960s at a small Houston nightclub named the Act III that Andrew Chapman first met Tony Braunagel. Chapman was watching his friend Johnny Winter and his brother Edgar perform, with Tony’s friend and neighbor Willie Ornelas on drums. Braunagel had a band called Buttermilk Bottom, and […]
HOME PAGE FACEBOOK PAGE Sexy guitar. Infectious rhythms. Smoky vocals. KALO is pure, heartfelt rock ‘n’ roll with just a tease of blues and roots. Everything about KALO is unexpected — and that’s exactly why they’re quickly catching the eyes and ears of music lovers and industry professionals alike. The blues- and roots-laced rock trio […]
HOME PAGE FACEBOOK PAGE A native of rural West Tennessee, Lew Jetton first heard the blues and southern gospel music in the cotton fields near Trenton, Tennessee. Later, he was mentored by two legends, Rockabilly Legend Carl Perkins, and Chicago Blues Legend Snooky Pryor. Jetton joined Paducah, Kentucky based blues band, 61 South in 1994 […]
HOME PAGE FACEBOOK PAGE JEFF TAYLOR Lead Vocals JEFF SCHROEDL Guitar MARK SOLVESON Bass RAYMOND TEVICH Keyboards ALAN ARBER Drums For 15 years, Altered Five Blues Band has been winning audiences with a swaggering stomp of bruising, barrelhouse grit. According to Downbeat magazine, frontman Jeff Taylor “sings powerfully” and “Jeff Schroedl’s live-wire guitar reaches the high bar of mixed […]
HOME PAGE FACEBOOK PAGE A talented singer-songwriter, guitarist, and blues-rocker, Scott Ellison was born on February 13, 1954, in Tulsa, OK. By the ’70s, Tulsa had become an unexpected hotbed of blues-based rock bands as proven by both Eric Clapton and Freddie King’s backing bands hailing from the area. It was the perfect match for […]
HOME PAGE FACEBOOK PAGE Local music scene stalwart Scottie Miller has been around long enough to acquire a funky nickname (Bones), membership in the Minnesota Blues Hall of Fame, experience touring with blues icon Bo Diddley, a signature style that warps far to the south of his home tundra, and an international rep. He’s first […]
HOME PAGE FACEBOOK PAGE “It’s like a smorgasbord of Americana and blues,” says Jones of the now-finished album, for which most recording took place in 2015 and 2016. Besides “Hole In Your Soul,” a Sam “Bluzman” Taylor-penned song taken from the 1995 sessions, Feet Back in the Door features a varied set of newly waxed […]
HOME PAGE FACEBOOK PAGE One of Steve Antry’s earliest jobs was working as a track laborer for the Frisco railroad in Tulsa. He was underage, but claimed to be 18 to get hired. This turned out to be his defining “Woody Guthrie moment”, as he describes it. While driving steel with much older gentlemen with nicknames like […]
HOME PAGE FACEBOOK PAGE The Halley DeVestern Band is a blues-funk-rock band from NYC that rocks either acoustic or electric. Band members are: Halley DeVestern- vocals (Big Brother & the Holding Company) David Patterson – guitar (Shawn Mullins) Rich Kulsar – drums (The Zen Tricksters, Toasters, Mickey Dolenz) Tom Heinig – bass (Lamont Cranston Band, […]
HOME PAGE FACEBOOK PAGE John Pagano started playing guitar at the age of 10 and it was clear that something special was happening here. This “Something Special” was recognized by legendary bluesman Sam “Bluzman” Taylor. Sam took JP under his wing and began to school him on the blues, or what Sam use to call “SAMerizing”. It […]
HOME PAGE FACEBOOK PAGE The Jon Spear Band is a collaboration of some of Central Virginia’s finest and most dedicated blues musicians, brought together by their love of blues music and their active participation in the Central Virginia Blues Society. Although their ages span several generations, the band’s members share a common determination to use […]
HOME PAGE FACEBOOK PAGE The Andy T Band,fronted by guitarist Andy T, began in 2011 as the Andy T – Nick Nixon Band, with vocalist Nick Nixon. As Blues Underground Network said, “Simply put, Andy T and James ‘Nick’ Nixon have quickly risen to the top of many people’s lists of Great Collaborations.” Upon Nick Nixon’s […]
HOME PAGE FACEBOOK PAGE I started playing music in my early teens. My first instrument was the trumpet. I became fairly capable, but my teeth got loose and kept cutting my lips to the point of bleeding when I was going for the high notes. So, I saved up money and bought a acoustic guitar. […]
HOME PAGE FACEBOOK If the soulful, empathetic lyrics and melodies of Marvin Gaye, Isaac Hayes, and Bill Withers had an illegitimate child with the complex, moving instrumentation of Parliament Funkadelic, it would result in the music of Jake Tavill. He voices his messages through honest, introspective lyrics working in tandem with an accompaniment that illustrates the […]
HOME PAGE FACEBOOK PAGE Nominated for a Blues Music Award in the category “Best New Artist Debut” for their 2006 Blue Bella Records release, Put It In The Alley AND nominated for a Blues Music Award in the category “Best Contemporary Blues Album” for their 2007 release, Tear Chicago Down, the music of The Kilborn […]
Indie Blues Artists – The John Pagano Band (formally JPBlues) have released their second production video for their upcoming CD “One More Round”. The first video was for the song “Ain’t Gonna Lose you” which was released as a single and video earlier this year. This new video sets the bar a bit higher as […]
HOME PAGE FACEBOOK PAGE Juke Joint at the Edge of the World is the eleventh studio release from esteemed singer-songwriter Randall Bramblett, a multi-instrumentalist musician with a career spanning four decades. Highly sought-after for his creativity as both a collaborator and skilled touring sideman, the legendary Georgian’s talent has earned him the respect of his peers […]
HOME PAGE FACEBOOK PAGE Bluesman Lightnin’ Willie has a distinctive approach to his music. The sound is an irresistible blend of tradition and spontaneous creativity, with a deliciously insidious emphasis on the groove. It is a compelling, hard swinging brand of blues that, whenever he performs, packs the floor—his audience can’t not dance. A guitarist […]
HOME PAGE FACEBOOK PAGE Karen Lovely shot onto the blues scene out of the Pacific Northwest like Stack O’ Lee’s .44 placing 2nd at the 2010 International Blues Challenge followed by three 2011 Blues Music Award Nominations for BEST CONTEMPORARY BLUES FEMALE ARTIST, BEST CONTEMPORARY BLUES ALBUM and BEST SONG for her sophomore release STILL THE RAIN. With the release of her 3rd studio album TEN MILES […]
HOME PAGE FACEBOOK PAGE 2016 was a big year for Philadelphia rocker Greg Sover. He released his debut album Songs of a Renegade in August. Since then he has headlined at World Cafe Live in Philadelphia, Puck in Doylestown, PA and Steel City Coffeehouse in Phoenixville, PA. In addition he has had the opportunity to support noted touring […]
HOME PAGE FACE BOOK PAGE EVERY MUSICIAN IS A PRODUCT OF THEIR INFLUENCES. IT WOULD BE DISHONEST FOR ME TO DENY THE INFLUENCE OF B.B. KING, MUDDY WATERS, LIGHTNIN’ HOPKINS AND OTHERS HOWEVER THE TWO PROFOUND “GAME CHANGERS” WERE FREDDIE KING AND MAGIC SLIM. A QUOTE FROM B.B. OR MUDDY MAY COME AT ANY TIME […]
Joseph – who lives in the Ann Arbor, MI area – is a world-class bass player, who is as comfortable playing classical music as he is playing Jazz, Funk or Chicago Blues. He is a passionate player, and brings with him years of musical and touring experience. Joseph exhibits an unforgettable, high-energy stage presence and […]
Singer/songwriter Willa Vincitore (formerly McCarthy) has been building a fan base across the Hudson Valley for nearly two decades. While her songwriting is an eclectic mix of blues, soul, rock, funk and (occasionally) pop, there’s one thing that ties it all together—that voice. Before launching her own band, she was an original member of the […]
HOME PAGE FACEBOOK PAGE Amy Black has always been drawn to soul singers. But it wasn’t until she began exploring her own southern soul roots for her last album, The Muscle Shoals Sessions, that she found her musical sweet spot — and knew her next stop had to be the place where blues and soul […]
HOME PAGE FACEBOOK With his fiery guitar and lap steel playing, his trailblazing, instantly memorable songs and gritty, unvarnished vocals, Selwyn Birchwood is among the most extraordinary young stars in the blues. His deep familiarity with blues tradition allows him to bust the genre wide open, adding new sounds, colors and textures, all delivered with […]
Dynamic vocalist and live performer Gina Sicilia’s new album, Tug of War, celebrates her status as one of the reigning voices in modern blues and marks a potent evolution in her songwriting. The 11-song set is Sicilia’s seventh release since her emergence as a doyenne of the genre a decade ago. Today, Sicilia’s experience and […]
HOME PAGE FACEBOOK Harmonica player, bandleader, and singer/songwriter Jason Ricci is one of a handful of new young lions on the blues scene who are helping to expand the parameters of the idiom. Ricci steers clear of traditional blues themes in his songwriting, yet his playing shows a tremendous amount of knowledge and respect for […]
HOME PAGE FACEBOOK Lighthouse Sweden was created by Mats & Linda Brandemark. They have cultivated a sound that unequivocally belongs in the tradition of American contemporary rock. Their debut album “Lighthouse” delivers eleven tracks that guide the listener in an exploration of melancholic pop music, catchy Americana, and timeless rock n’ roll. The album received some great reviews. […]
HOME PAGE FACEBOOK It might have been on Shalamar’s Top 20 smash “Dancing in the Sheets” from the Footloose soundtrack, or its Grammy Award-winning “Don’t Get Stopped in Beverly Hills” from Beverly Hills Cop. Or maybe it was with Crown of Thorns, the hard-hitting band he and the Plasmatics’ Jean Beauvoir fronted during the early […]
HOME PAGE FACEBOOK Brody Buster is a blues and rock musician from Lawrence, KS. He’s a former child prodigy and was featured on countless TV shows growing up including the Tonight Show with Jay Leno, Dateline, Crook & Chase, and the Jon Stewart Show. Even Baywatch Nights and Full House showcased Brody’s talents. He’s shared the stage with […]
HOMPAGE MICK HOMEPAGE MARK FACEBOOK MICK FACEBOOK MARK What do you get when two blues musicians get together to celebrate their mutual love of some of the most classic songs of the 20th Century? A great new album! Mick Kolassa and Mark Telesca Have teamed up to bring two mutual loves together: the […]
HOME PAGE FACEBOOK Hailing from Sydney Australia, Ivor Simpson-Kennedy is one of a new generation of exciting young blues talents to emerge from Down Under. Owning a dark, smoke filled voice and liquid smooth guitar stylings, he utilises these inherit skills to give his compositions a striking originality, paying homage to generations past while bringing […]
HOME PAGE FACEBOOK PAGE “The Bastard made me feel insecure, He’s So Good!” – Russell Morriss (Australian Music Icon) “Soulful is rather an understatement… Listeners were hypnotised into silence by his raw rustic tone… A beautiful purity to his voice.” BroadWay Baby -Edinburgh 2012 “An Exceptional musical experience… I felt nothing but a sense of […]
FACEBOOK Kerrie Lepai was born April 15, 1973 to the parents of Michael and Carol Lepai. At an early age she was always singing, and people that knew her knew she had the talent to sing. Kerrie got her singing talent from her mother, and her grandmother. Her grandmother was a professional wedding singer, and […]
Facebook page Guitarist, songwriter, and singer Andrew “Jr. Boy” Jones began working professionally at age 16 with Freddie King’s backing band, the Thunderbirds. He got his first guitar from his uncle, jazz musician Adolphus Sneed. Jones cites an eclectic array of influences: Freddie King, Cornell Dupree, and Larry Carlton. For many years, he’s backed various […]
HOME PAGE FACEBOOK Don’t try to snatch him back and hold him, he’s a man on the move. John Németh had already established himself among the very top ranks of blues musicians and modern soul singers when he decided to break the mold with his new record, FEELIN’ FREAKY. Németh fearlessly crushes all barriers of […]
HOME PAGE FACEBOOK PAGE There is simply no one else like her. With a heart the size of Texas, a mesmerizing voice, and a zest for living that is irresistible to all who have enjoyed pleasure of her company, Laura Tate inspires – through her music, her words, and her deeds. Those of us who […]
Guitarist Aaron Moreland was born December 16, 1974. He played in a number of garage bands while growing up and was influenced by punk music before having what he calls his “Son House moment.” Hearing the blues legend’s Death Letter Blues for the first time at age 22, he changed course, focusing his playing on nothing but […]
Harmonicist /vocalist Dustin Arbuckle was born December 25, 1981. He first discovered blues in his mid-teens and received what he refers to as “a calling. Getting into blues made me want to play music,” he says. He played in blues-rock bands, inspired by Little Walter and Sonny Boy Williamson, while learning to sing with deep […]
“The voice is something that allows us to communicate past the limitations of the left brain,” Magness says. “It’s the primary instrument, the first instrument…and more than that, too. The voice has the power to link all the parts of ourselves—the brain, the heart, and even the spirit and the soul. That’s why the ability […]
HOME PAGE FACEBOOK Steve Krase was born in Brooklyn, NY and has spent time in Ohio, California and Louisiana. Now almost 30 years in Houston, Krase has blended his high-energy style with the soulful vibe that runs through the great city. “The Houston scene is extremely diverse in the different types of music that is […]
HOME PAGE FACEBOOK Polly’s eclectic blues style reflects her colorful history. She grew up in a log cabin with no electricity or plumbing, and began her music career a teen working bars in Mexico. At 19 she had a husband in prison and an 8th grade education. Twenty years later, she was a bassist for […]
HOME PAGE FACEBOOK Mandy Lemons, winner of the 2015 Emissaries of Memphis Music Peoples Choice Award, and Sturgis Nikides, who recorded and toured with the legendary Rock & Roll Hall Of Famer, John Cale (of The Velvet Underground) – aka/Low Society – are blazing new trails on the stomping grounds of Blues Roots and Americana […]
Col. Bruce Hampton was onstage performing an encore , Monday, May 1, at his birthday concert at the Fox Theatre in Atlanta when he collapsed and died soon after. He was surrounded by members of Widespread Panic, Phish, REM and other musicians and friends when he fell to the stage. He died shortly after being […]
HOME PAGE FACEBOOK PAGE Geoff Achison is an award winning blues-roots artist from Australia known for his energetic live performances and unique guitar mastery. Geoff began his apprenticeship with legendary Australian blues stylist ‘Dutch’ Tilders establishing himself as a fine lead guitarist before striking out with his own. He was an independent music pioneer releasing music […]
HOME PAGE FACEBOOK D.C.-based Soul-Blues band Vintage#18 debuts with their album titled GRIT. The album reflects the band’s love of classic 60’s Soul and Blues, featuring a mix of originals as well as two covers (ZZ Top and Bob Dylan) and a whole lot of elbow grease. Grit, you might say. Vintage#18 chose to self-produce GRIT, […]
HOME PAGE FACEBOOK Bobby Messano is a legendary guitarist and Contemporary Blues Artist who has released seven Solo CD’s, placed songs in many TV and Cable shows and played on over 50 Major label and Indie albums. His playing has been heard on everything from MTV jingles to Benny Mardones’ smash hit “Into The Night”. […]
HOME PAGE Billy Flynn (born August 11, 1956) is an American Chicago blues and electric blues guitarist, singer and songwriter. In addition to his own work and works mentioned later, he has worked and recorded with Bryan Lee, Little Smokey Smothers, Mark Hummel, Willie Kent, Snooky Pryor, Big Bill Morganfield, John Brim, Jody Williams, Little […]
HOME PAGE FACEBOOK Master musician and multi-talented blues performer, Vanessa Collier, was recently nominated for a 2017 Blues Music Award (BMA). The Philadelphia based vocalist/saxophonist/songwriter is currently on an 11 country European tour with Ruf’s Blues Caravan, alternating between tour legs in Europe and touring back in the U.S. with a talented 5-piece band, throughout […]
HOME PAGE FACEBOOK Anthony Rosano and the Conqueroos blend old school blues with a modern rock sound. Conjuring Muddy Water flowing into second line funk with fuzzy guitar riffs on Chicago’s south side. Voted “Best Blues” for 3 years (2015/2016/2017), along with “Best Live Performer” (2017) and an “Album of the Year” nomination for “Get […]
