making a Scene
2014 Montreal Jazz Fest – 35th Edition July 2nd – 4th, 2014 The Legacy Continues
2014 Montreal Jazz Fest – 35th Edition July 2nd – 4th, 2014 The Legacy Continues This is/was my sixteenth consecutive Montreal Jazz Fest, and it began at Club Soda within the funky neighborhood that also borders Chinatown on Saint-Laurent Boulevard where the relative newcomer to the Blues Matt Andersen and his band took to the […]
Jarekus Singleton – Refuse to Lose
Jarekus Singleton Refuse To Lose Alligator Records As a reviewer for Making A Scene there is nothing I like to do more than inform our readers about a great new talent. Sometimes I do not get it on first listening. Such is the case with Jarekus Singleton, the former 6-3 point guard from The University […]
Murali Coryell – Restless Mind
Murali Coryell Restless Mind Shake-It-Sugar Records In 1999, Murali Coryell released “2120” an album by The Murali Coryell Blues Band on Chess Records subsidiary CZYZ Records. This was the well executed but basic blues band that first turned me on to Coryell. They were booked as an opening act at BB Kings in NYC and […]
Grateful Dead “Dick’s Picks Eighteen
Grateful Dead “Dick’s Picks Eighteen” 2/3 & 2/5/78 (3 CD’s) www.RealGoneMusic.com This Dick’s Picks edition is somewhat unique in that disc one is taken from two shows that are combined to “create” a first set of performances. Disc two contains the entire second set from 2/3, and disc three is the entire second set from […]
Dave Fields – All In
Dave Fields All In FMI Records Dave Fields is a highly skilled guitarist and vocalist. Field’s 2012 recording “Detonation” established him as a major player in the world of Blues Rock. This is Field’s fourth recording. Today Field’s band consists of Andy Huenerberg or Tony Tino, bass; Kenny Soule or Dave Moore, drums; and Vladimir […]
Davina & the Vagabonds – Sunshine
Davina & the Vagabonds Sunshine Roustabout Records I first heard Davina & The Vagabonds at Boston’s On The Beach in Delray Beach, Florida. Originally from Key West Davina Sowers spent her formidable years in and around Minnesota’s twin cities where she studied to be a classically trained pianist. Sowers is a prolific songwriter and her pop […]
Exclusive Interview with Danny Bryant – Touring the US with The Walter Trout Band!
LIVE from the Midnight Circus is honored to have interviewed UK blues artist and Walter Trout protégé, Danny Bryant! Listen to the Interview Below LIVE from the Midnight Circus Talks with Danny Bryant by Richard Lhommedieu on Mixcloud He will hit the road this summer to front Walter’s band while the legendary Blues icon recovers from […]
Willie Nelson – Band of Brothers
Willie Nelson Band of Brothers Sony Legacy Records Now an octogenarian Willie Nelson is a country music icon. A great vocalist and performer my own interest began in Nelson by listening to other artists. He is the author of manysongs which became country music standards including the megahit “Crazy” originally recorded by Patsy Cline and […]
Janiva Magness – Original
Janiva Magness Original Fathead Records This is Janiva Magness’s 11th album. Formerly on the Alligator Records label, her 2012 “Stronger for It” album garnered her two Blues Music Awards. Magness won the “Contemporary Female Blues Artist of the Year” for the fourth time having also won that award in 2006, 2007, and 2009. “Stronger for It” included three […]
An Exclusive Interview with Rachelle Coba!
Making a Scene has an exclusive interview with Rachelle Coba about her Debut release “Mother Blues”. LIVE from the Midnight Circus Talks with Rachelle Coba by Richard Lhommedieu on Mixcloud www.rachkellecoba.com Facebook – https://www.facebook.com/rachellecoba?fref=ts&ref=br_tf Rachelle represented the Topeka Blues Society as a solo performer at the International Blues Challenge in 2013 making it to the semifinal round […]
MUSIC ON THE COUCH – June 30, 2014
MUSIC ON THE COUCH – June 30, 2014 Elam McKnight, President of the West Tennessee Blues Society came by to tell us a little bit more about their Blues Society and their upcoming event on July 12th… Pork Chop Willie is led by singer-guitarist Bill Hammer and violinist Melissa Tong. The band is fueled by […]
An Interview with Bobby Womack
Bobby Womack ” BluesWax Sittin’ In With Bobby Womack By Bob Putignano Robert Putignano does interviews like most people eat potato chips during Super Bowl. It’s almost second nature. In reality that’s what makes his stuff so good. He makes it look easy. But even I was shocked at how much he got out of […]
Andy T-Nick Nixon Band – Livin’ It Up
Andy T-Nick Nixon Band Livin’ It Up Delta Groove Records Last year Andy Talamantez and James T. “Nick” Nixon went into the recording studio with producer Anson Funderburgh. The result was their widely acclaimed debut “Drink, Drank, Drunk”. This is their follow up recording. Producer Funderburgh has once again assembled a stellar backing band. Larry […]
B.B. King “The Life of Riley” DVD
B.B. King “The Life of Riley” DVD www.MVDVisual.com “The Life of Riley” is a very appropriate documentary about the monumental life of B.B. King. Riley B King born on 25th September 1925 will soon be eighty-nine; so it’s about time. This DVD release is approximately two hours in length, produced and directed by Jon Brewer. […]
NRBQ “Brass Tacks”
NRBQ “Brass Tacks” www.NRBQ.com Clang! Big Notes www.TerryAdams.com Terry Adams has been at the helm of NRBQ (New Rhythm & Blues Quartet) for forty-five years. But even though the Q has gone through several band-member revisions, this latest bunch has been with Adams for several albums now. What’s interesting is that these new members (while […]
Ilana Katz Katz – Blues & Old Time Fiddle: I’ve Got Something to Tell You
Ilana Katz Katz Blues & Old Time Fiddle: I’ve Got Something to Tell You Independent This is a modern approach to old time fiddle. Katz incorporates Blues and originals to augment her repertoire of traditional tunes. Her guest musicians include Ronnie Earl; Jesse Williams; Diane Blue; Marylou Ferrante; and Dotty Moore. Earl sits in on […]
Music on the Couch – Janiva Magness, Raoul & The Big Time, Carmen Grillo, Joel DaSilva!
Janiva Magness has earned 6 Blues Music Awards including the BB King Entertainment OF The Year, Song Of The Year and Contemporary Female Artist Of The Year. She is about to release Original, an 11 song collection of incredible tunes that will gain her even more praise and awards. I am thrilled to have Janiva join me […]
Royal Southern Brotherhood – Heart Soul Blood
Royal Southern Brotherhood Heart Soul Blood Ruf Records Cyril Neville, at 66, is the youngest of the four Neville Brothers. Although the “soul” of the Crescent City, they seldom still perform. Cyril however still has the passion to perform. In 2012 he formed The Royal Southern Brotherhood with Mike Zito, Devon Allman, Charlie Wooten, and […]
Why I Love the Blues Video Series!
In January 2014, Marshall Lawrence went down to Memphis, Tennessee to be a judge in the International Blues Challenge (IBC) and also to perform a set for the Blind Raccoon showcase. It was his first time down there and he had a blast. The feeling of community and fellowship in the Blues was certainly prevalent […]
Exclusive Interview with Little Toby Walker!
LIVE from the Midnight Circus is proud to Talk to “Little Toby Walker”! www.littletobywalker.com Listen to the Interview Below!! [audio:toby.mp3] Internationally and nationally acclaimed Toby Walker has been hailed as a roots music finger-style guitar wizard who has toured the US, England, Wales, France, Germany, Belgium and Holland. Walker has been featured in the New York Times, […]
Deanna Bogart – Just a Wish Away
Deanna Bogart Just a Wish Away Blind Pig Records I first heard Deanna Bogart on her “New Address” album released in 1996. The song that really got to me was “Checks and Love Letters”. Her 2002 “Timing is Everything” album reinforced my interest right from its opening track “Still the Girl in the Band”. In […]
Grateful Dead “Dave’s Picks Volume 10″
Grateful Dead “Dave’s Picks Volume 10” Thelma, Los Angeles, CA 12/12/69 www.Dead.net – www.Rhino.com Dave’s Picks, Vol. 10: Thelma, Los Angeles, CA 12/12/69 is a snapshot of the band just prior to when they would enter the studio to record “Workingman’s Dead,” and they’re hitting on seven of the eight tracks (“New Speedway Boogie” was […]
Rod Piazza and The Mighty Flyers – Emergency Situation
Rod Piazza and The Mighty Flyers Emergency Situation Blind Pig Records The Mighty Flyers are the award winning Chicago styled blues band originally formed in 1980 by Rod and Honey Piazza. In 1998 Rod won the Blues Music Award for Best Instrumentalist – Harmonica. My favorite Mighty Flyer recordings are the three albums they recorded […]
Music On The Couch June 16, 2014
Music On The Couch June 16, 2014 Joshua R Hoyer witnessed his first tornado funnel cloud and then sat and told us about his great history and the new band he is leading Josh Hoyer and The Shadowboxers Then Brad Stivers came by to talk about his rise in the world of the Blues from […]
Exclusive Interview with Michael Hurwitz from Freddys Finest!
Interview with Michael “Hurly” Hurwitz from Freddys Finest! [audio:mhurly.mp3] Live from the Midnight Circus talks with Michael Hurwitz Bassist and front man of Freddys Finest! Michael also has film credits as the bass player in the movie Joyful Noise with Queen Latifah and Dolly Pardon. Tune in and hear about his new project and listen to what he is […]
Classic African American Songsters
Classic African American Songsters Smithsonian Folkways Records In 1987 The Smithsonian Institute, our national museum located in Washington D.C., acquired the Folkways Records catalogue from its former owner Moses Asch. This is the 23rd installment in the Smithsonian Folkways “Classic” series. This compilation has been mastered by Pete Reiniger. Barry Lee Pearson, scholar of African […]
Lazer Lloyd : Israel’s King Of The Blues
Lazer Lloyd : Israel’s King Of The Blues Israel is a land of many wonders, both old and new . It is as ancient as the Dead Sea scrolls and as modern as it’s ground breaking development of cell phone technology. Blues guitarist Lazer Lloyd , although not born in the ” land of milk and […]
The Band Courtbouillon
The Band Courtbouillon Valcour Records Courtbouillon is defined as “a preparation of salted water, white wine, herbs, and various other ingredients, in which fish, shellfish, or vegetables are cooked.” The Band Courtbouillon was named after this broth used in Cajun cooking. The band won a Grammy at the 55th annual Grammy awards for Best Regional […]
Interview with Jeffrey Halford – An American Songwriter
Interview with Jeffrey Halford – An American Songwriter Website – https://www.jeffreyhalford.com Facebook – https://www.facebook.com/jeffrey.w.halford?fref=ts San Francisco singer/songwriter/guitarist Jeffrey Whitmore Halford was born in Dallas, Texas, and grew up in the early 1960s listening to Roger Miller on a $2 transistor radio. In 1963, the year JFK was shot, his parents, Colin and Effie Lou, headed west […]
Music on the Couch 6/9/2014 – Lisa Grissom, Sam and Sadie Johnson, Dave Keller
MUSIC ON THE COUCH – JUNE 9, 2014 SHOW Lisa Grissom, co-founder and Producer of The Tall City Blues Fest Presented by Mazda Midland/Odessa came by to talk about this 4-year-old festival that takes place on July 25, 26 and 27 in Midland, TX We discussed the origins of the festival and the acts that […]
An Exclusive Interview with Annika Chambers!
We are honored to be talking with Blues sinter Annika Chambers about her new CD and where she came from and where she is going!! This is a great interview!!The beautiful and talented Annika Chambers hails from Houston, Texas. As a child, she always wanted to sing, but her dreams of enlisting in the Army […]
Getting Sued for $10 Million over a Pink Tribute Band?!!
The New York Post reported that this NY singer was being sued for 10 Million Dollars because she was not talented enough and not good looking enough to front a Pink Tribute band. (Read the Article in the NY POST Here). But to be more specific, the real story is a bit more involved. It […]
Eventide Plugin is Giving Away their new ULTRA CHANNEL STRIP FREE!!
UltraChannel™ is Eventide’s new 64-bit native channel strip plug-in for AU, VST, and AAX64 for Mac and PC featuring micro pitch functionality from our flagship H8000, stereo delays with variable feedback paths, plus two stages of compression, gating, and five bands of parametric EQ. UltraChannel is available as a free download through midnight July 8, […]
Ronnie Earl – Good News – Blues N’ Soul – Stony Plain Records
Ronnie Earl Good News Blues N’ Soul Stony Plain Records It was sometime around 1987 that I went to The Abilene on 8th Avenue at 13th Street to hear a blues band called “Ronnie Earl and The Broadcasters”. The club was later to become “Chicago B.L.U.E.S.” Ronnie had been the lead guitarist for “Roomful of […]
The Nighthawks – 444
The Nighthawks 444 EllerSoul Records The Nighthawks, one of my favorite Blues bands, were formed in 1972. In 1986 they released “Hard Living” on the Varrick label and the next year followed with “Backtrack”. Soon after these albums were released Jimmy Thackery left the band. My interest was revived again in 1996 when they recorded […]
Dave Keller – Soul Changes
Dave Keller Soul Changes Tastee Tone Records I first heard Dave Keller at Michael Cloeren’s Pennsylvania Blues Festival in 2013. Dave opened the Saturday night after party in the Adventure Center. He gave an outstanding soul blues performance and then backed up the great Johnny Rawls. “Soul Changes” received a nomination for Soul Blues Album […]
California Simi Valley 25th Anniversary Cajun & Blues Music Festival May 24th & 25th, 2014
California Simi Valley 25th Anniversary Cajun & Blues Music Festival May 24th & 25th, 2014 www.SimiCajun.org/2014/index.html Saturday’s headliners included the British blues godfather: John Mayall, surviving members of blues-rock heroes Canned Heat, and Guitar Shorty. Appearing on Saturday and Sunday was C.J. Chenier & the Red Hot Louisiana Band. Sunday closes with the soulfulness of Swamp […]
An Interview with Harpdog Brown!
LIVE from the Midnight Circus Talks to Harpdog Brown by Richard Lhommedieu on Mixcloud Harpdog Brown’s Facebook page! Harpdog Brown has a new CD out and it is climbing both the Living Blues and the RMR Charts. Publisher Richard L’Hommedieu Talks to Harpdog on his radio show LIVE from the Midnight Circus (every tuesday 2pm-5pm […]
Music On The Couch with Vinny Bond – Dexter Allen, Kelly Hunt and Selwyn Birchwood
Listen Live to Music On The Couch with Vinny Bond each Monday at 9pm Central on Blog Talk Radio Listen To The Archives Anytime At Music On The Couch Dexter Allen grew up in Mississippi and began playing guitar at age 12. After years of performing in Gospel Groups, Dexter began playing blues and R&B and […]
Eden Brent Jigsaw Heart
Eden Brent released her first independently produced cd in 2003. In 2006 she won the International Blues Competition for best solo performer. Since signing with Yellow Dog Records, Brent has been nominated for nine Blues Music Awards and won three times. In 2009 she was the Acoustic Artist of the Year and her recording “Mississippi […]
The Kenny Wayne Shepherd Band “Goin’ Home”
The Kenny Wayne Shepherd Band “Goin’ Home” www.ConcordMusicGroup.com – www.KennyWayneShepherd.com The Kenny Wayne Shepherd band moves to Concord Records using a “Louisiana Entertainment” moniker which is appropriate as Shepherd really does go back to his blues and (at times) Louisiana roots on the appropriately titled “Goin’ Home.” No band member changes, plus there are some […]
A Conversation with Mud Morganfield
We are Honored to have interviewed “Mud” Morganfield, the oldest Son of Muddy Waters . We talked about the efforts he and his brother are making to secure Muddy Waters home in Chicago and about his new CD and life on the road .. this is a great interview and one well worth hearing!! https://www.morganfieldfoundation.org https://www.mudmorganfieldblues.com/ […]
A Celebration of Blues and Soul – The 1989 Presidential Inaugural Concert”
A Celebration of Blues and Soul – The 1989 Presidential Inaugural Concert” On January 21, 1989, the day after the Presidential Inauguration some of the principal names in classic rhythm and blues, soul and blues performed at the Presidential Inaugural Concert. This celebration features (in order of appearance) Chuck Jackson, Percy Sledge, Dr. John, Joe […]
An Interview with Larry “Fuzzy” Knight
Thank you for taking time from your schedule to answer a few questions for me. The Orange County Blues Society is dedicated to making California a great home for the blues! -Jeff (Papa J) Hudson You first started in the music business in St. Louis in the 60’s. How different is it from today’s music […]
The Seldom Scene – Long Time .. Seldom Scene
The Seldom Scene Long Time….Seldom Scene Smithsonian Folkways Records John Duffey and Tom Gray were both members of The Country Gentleman, one of the best bluegrass bands of their day. Gray left in 1964 while Duffey stayed for five more years. In 1971 Duffey, mandolin and lead tenor vocals, formed The Seldom Scene along with […]
Jim Byrnes – St. Louis Times
Jim Byrnes St. Louis Times Black Hen Music Jim Byrnes is an actor (the Wiseguy and Highlander television series) and a musician. Born in St. Louis he developed a strong appreciation for the blues ever since he first picked up a guitar in 1964. Since relocating to Canada, Byrnes has worked numerous times with Steve […]
Rodney Crowell-Tarpaper Sky
Rodney Crowell Tarpaper Sky New West Records This is Rodney Crowell’s fifteenth album and first for New West Records. Crowell will be 64 in August and he is quite possibly the youngest of our Country Music icons. Crowell is a fabulous songwriter and singer who has won both an ASCAP lifetime achievement award and […]
The Ten Commandments Your Booking Agent wants you to Remember
1. Thou shalt always look over my offers carefully and budget before accepting tour dates. 2. Thou shalt always advance my shows at least two weeks ahead of my tours. 3. Thou shalt always answer my agent as quickly as possible. 4. thou shall always promote my shows with social media etc. 5. Thou shall […]