Andy Statman Monroe Bus Shefa This kind of review opportunity does not often happen. Mandolinist Andy Statman played at this writer’s wedding (Yes, that was ages ago) and at the time Statman was already a well-established musician who accompanied David Bromberg, Doug Sahm, Vassar Clements, David Amram, Tony Trischka, Bob Dylan and The Grateful Dead, […]
Tom Culver Duke’s Place Café Pacific Leveraging his acclaim from Tom Culver Sings Johnny Mercer, I Remember You, Culver now digs into the Duke Ellington’s songbook on Duke’s Place. These are songs that are certainly familiar, sung by an artist who clearly loves singing. Culver’s enthusiasm is comparable to that of Tony Bennett’s and while […]
Steve Poltz Shine On Red House Records It’s just the light we need. These songs were written during a time of hard hits and dark moments. Steve Poltz is a songwriter. It is his job to guide us through the chaos. Steve has done this by choosing love over hate, and light over dark. This […]
Making a Scene Presents Marketing to the New Music Consumer! On September 9 1957 Elvis appeared on the Ed Sullivan show and a marketing phenomena was born. What followed was a blitz of TV shows, Movies, Fan Magazines and merchandise that propelled this memphis truck driver to become the King of Rock. The image machine […]
Making a Scene Presents the PODCAST of LIVE from the Midnight Circus Featuring Eryn This is the Voice of Indie Blues, the future of the blues. Artists who embrace the diversity of the blues that always has and still is being created from it’s roots. These artists understand the blues is a living art form […]
Making a Scene Presents the PODCAST of LIVE from the Midnight Circus Featuring Layla Zoe This is the Voice of Indie Blues, the future of the blues. Artists who embrace the diversity of the blues that always has and still is being created from it’s roots. These artists understand the blues is a living art […]
Making a Scene Presents the PODCAST of LIVE from the Midnight Circus Featuring Big Al and the Heavyweights This is the Voice of Indie Blues, the future of the blues. Artists who embrace the diversity of the blues that always has and still is being created from it’s roots. These artists understand the blues is […]
Murali Coryell Made In Texas Shake-It-Sugar Records Murali Coryell is the son of jazz fusion guitarist Larry Coryell. As a youngster he started playing drums but soon switched to the guitar. Wanting to forge his own musical path Murali released his recording debut, the soul-blues “Eyes Wide Open”, in 1995. Four years later he formed […]
Using Instagram for Self-Promotion Instagram is a fantastic platform for reaching out to people and promoting your music. Through Instagram, you can get more work and support as a solo or session musician. So we’re laying out some tips that we hope could help you in this department when you’re using this app. Link to […]
HOME PAGE Making a Scene Presents an Interview with Eryn! Eryn has developed a reputation as one of the premier up and coming voices on the scene today. Originally from MD and now living in NJ, Eryn’s style is heavily influenced by the musical traditions of the south. Her respect for the traditions of […]
Matt Andersen Halfway Home By Morning High Romance Music/True North Records Matt Andersen is a singer-songwriter and guitarist from New Brunswick, Canada. In 2010 Andersen finished first in the solo/duo category at the International Blues Challenge in Memphis. He is a seven time Maple Blues Award winner; and winner of two European Blues Awards. “Halfway […]
HOME PAGE Making a Scene Presents an interview with Layla Zoe! Give Layla Zoe a stage and she’ll show you magic. In a world of choreography and autotune, this is one performer who does it the old-fashioned way, digging deep, summoning a smoke-and-whisky vocal, leaving it all on the stage and sending breathless fans out […]
HOME PAGE Making a Scene Presents an Interview with Big Al! Big Al and The Heavyweights began in 1992 as the Unknown Blues Band with founding members Warren Haynes and Al Lauro. The two met performing in country outlaw, David Allan Coe’s Band. They quickly found a common interest; their love of music, especially the […]
Making a Scene Presents the PODCAST of LIVE from the Midnight Circus Indie Blues Double Shot Show! This is the Voice of Indie Blues, the future of the blues. An Indie Blues double shot of artists who embrace the diversity of the blues that always has and still is being created from it’s roots. These […]
HOME PAGE Making a Scene Presents an Interview with Amy McCarley! With poignant and thought provoking lyrics, Amy McCarley finds balance in a new perspective with MECO, her 3rd studio album released February 8, 2019. After collaborating in writing new songs with Bluebird Cafe round-mate and Nashville Songwriters Hall of Famer, Pat Alger, McCarley returned […]
Dennis Brennan & the White Owls Live at Electric Andyland VizzTone Dennis Brennan has been a fixture of the Boston Blues scene for the better part of three decades now. His reputation precedes him. Many of us have long expected a blues album that’s finally here. Oh, let’s be a bit more accurate. Brennan is […]
John Primer The Soul of A Blues Man Blues House Productions Alonso “John” Primer was born in Mississippi but moved to Chicago where he played the blues clubs on Chicago’s south side; he was a regular at Theresa’s Lounge at 48th and South Indiana Avenue. He was also a member of Willie Dixon’s Chicago Blues […]
Jethro Tull Celebrates 50 Years with Anniversary Tour “We flew in and did our first ever opening show in the US at The Fillmore East with Bill Graham who had previously booked our friends Ten Years After from Chrysalis Records; an embryonic record company, they had proceeded us by a year in the USA, rather […]
Ted Russell Kamp Walkin’ Shoes PoMo Roots veteran Ted Russell Kamp (TRK) is back with his eleventh solo album, Walkin’ Shoes, a fun and exhilarating ride through love, traveling, and a witty look at the idiosyncrasies of life changes as only a true troubadour can sing them. It’s an aptly named title for these 13-songs, […]
Brandon Santini The Longshot American Showplace Music Brandon Santini hails from the Piedmont region of North Carolina. He relocated to Memphis in 2003 and began fronting the Delta Highway Band. In 2009 they received a Blues Music Award nomination as Best New Artist. Santini released his own debut recording “Songs of Love, Money and Misery” […]
Making a Scene Presents the PODCAST of LIVE from the Midnight Circus Featuring Sugaray Rayford This is the Voice of Indie Blues, the future of the blues. Artists who embrace the diversity of the blues that always has and still is being created from it’s roots. These artists understand the blues is a living art […]
Making a Scene Presents the PODCAST of LIVE from the Midnight Circus Featuring Peter Rogan This is the Voice of Indie Blues, the future of the blues. Artists who embrace the diversity of the blues that always has and still is being created from it’s roots. These artists understand the blues is a living art […]
HOME PAGE As the son of a rancher and a former burlesque dancer, folk rock singer/songwriter Russ Tolman grew up in California and Arizona with a romantic view of the American West. Whether images of the open range of the cowboy, the hobo jungle of skid row, or the cross-country adventure of Kerouac’s On The […]
Karl Denson’s Tiny Universe Gnomes and Badgers Seven Spheres Karl Denson’s star is rising. He will be replacing Bobby Keys on the upcoming Rolling Stones tour. He continues to back Lenny Kravitz and play with the Greyboy All-stars, but he’s long been a beacon in the jam scene with his Tiny Universe band, finding time […]
HOME PAGE Texas born Caron “Sugaray” Rayford began his musical career at the age of 7 singing & playing drums in church, and his gospel influence can be heard and felt in his music. Rayford’s phrasing is intimate and conversational and the soulful gravel in his voice hints at his firsthand experience with hardship. HARD […]
Rockin’ Johnny & Quique Gomez Dos Hombres Wanted Vizztone Label Group Rockin’ Johnny Burgin went to The University of Chicago to become a writer but fell into the Chicago Blues scene. He found work as a guitarist with Taildragger, Pinetop Perkins, Mary Lane and Sam Lay, and recorded six albums under his own name for […]
HOME PAGE FACEBOOK PAGE Peter Rogan is a guitarist/songwriter living outside the Philadelphia area near Reading, Pa. Peter’s music is a blend of Americana, blues, funk, and jazz. He is currently producing his first full length CD for release in mid 2018. He is also a two-time finalist in the Great American Song Contest in 2014 and 2016. And […]
Big Al and The Heavyweights World Full Of Trouble Eller Soul Records Big Al Lauro, who is from The Big Easy, started recording his original Louisiana based roots music around 2001 with the release of both Big Al and The Heavyweights “Hey, Hey Mardi Gras” and “Ultimate Mardi Gras”; and followed up with 2002’s “Late […]
Making a Scene Presents the PODCAST of LIVE from the Midnight Circus Indie Blues Double Shot Show! This is the Voice of Indie Blues, the future of the blues. An Indie Blues double shot of artists who embrace the diversity of the blues that always has and still is being created from it’s roots. These […]
Mary Lane Travelin’ Woman Women of the Blues Although 83-year-old Chicago blues veteran Mary Lane has not released an album in twenty years, we did cover her on these pages for last year’s Chicago/ Blues Legends/ Today. That project was helmed by the late Mike Mettalia, who passed away much too soon just last week […]
Vegas Strip Kings Jackpot! GutBukit Records Two of the founding members of the Vegas Strip Kings were part of the band “Contino” who recorded “Back Porch Dogma” on Blind Pig Records in 2012. That band morphed into the Vegas Strip Kings and they recorded their “(Live)” album in 2015. The live album was mostly covers […]
Nick Schnebelen Crazy All By Myself Vizztone Label Group Nick Schnebelen is from Kansas City where he grew up in a household surrounded by music. “Music’s been in my blood for generations” as both of his parents were professional musicians, as were his grandparents and great grandfather. Schnebelen is a founding member of the band […]
Making a Scene Presents an Interview with Doug Clifford of Creedence Clearwater Revisited! To the current generation a “Cosmo” is a pretty drink, a character from a cartoon or a space reference but to those who’ve come before; Cosmo is the middle moniker of one Doug “Cosmo” Clifford drummer and one half of the legendary […]
Caleb Elliott – Forever to Fade Single Lock Forever to Fade is the impressive debut album from Louisiana singer/songwriter Caleb Elliott. Elliott tells his story, from preacher’s son in a cult-like religion to finding musical freedom in Muscle Shoals, Alabama. This is a swamp-art-rock record. There may not be many of those but think of John […]
MUSIC ON THE COUCH SHOW #462 – 03/04/19 LISTEN HERE: SANDY CARROLL – COUCH KID NEW MUSIC Rescheduled from last year, Sandy returns to The Couch to talk about Blues & Angels, her time at the IBC and more as we listen to tunes from the album. WEB SITE FACEBOOK PAGE SAUCE BOSS Bill ‘Sauce […]
Senor Groove Little Havana Zoho Senor Groove is a the latest band from the Smith brothers, bassist Tim and guitarist Roddy, who are flanked by Mercelo Perez (drums), Martin Bejerano (piano), and Murph Aucamp (percussion). For this session that focuses on the Cuban neighborhood in Miami named Little Havana, the quintet is augmented with a […]
AACM Great Black Music Ensemble Live at The Currency Exchange Volume 1 AACM Productions Yes, they are still performing, 53 years on. The Association for the Advancement of Creative Musicians based in Chicago has spawned the vanguard of avant-garde improvised music with such names as Muhal Richard Abrams, Anthony Braxton, Jack DeJohnette, George Lewis, Lester […]
IS Your Single Release “Making A Scene”? The buzzword in the indie industry seems to be the Single Release. Many artists believe that the “Single” is the pathway to that elusive hit in the streaming playlist world. I will be honest with you, there is nothing further from the truth. Let’s take a look at […]
Making a Scene Presents the PODCAST of LIVE from the Midnight Circus Featuring Katarina Pejak! This is the Voice of Indie Blues, the future of the blues. Artists who embrace the diversity of the blues that always has and still is being created from it’s roots. These artists understand the blues is a living art […]
Making a Scene Presents the PODCAST of LIVE from the Midnight Circus Featuring Khalif Wailin’ Walter! This is the Voice of Indie Blues, the future of the blues. Artists who embrace the diversity of the blues that always has and still is being created from it’s roots. These artists understand the blues is a living […]
Sugaray Rayford Somebody Save Me Forty Below Records Sugaray Rayford is the ex-Mannish Boys front man. This is the fifth album under his own name; the last being 2017’s “The World We Live In”. Rayford also has fourteen Blues Music Award nominations including two for 2019. He has received a BMA nomination as “B.B. King […]
HOME PAGE Making A Scene Presents an Interview with Katarina Pejak! Katarina Pejak is a singer/songwriter and piano player who combines genres of the American roots music, filtering them through her Balkan descent and a classical musical training. Inspired by Tom Waits, Bessie Smith, Norah Jones, Otis Spann and many other artists whose music she […]
Tommy Castro and the Painkillers Killin’ It Live Alligator Records Tommy Castro has been playing rockin’ blues for the last thirty years. He has released fifteen albums and been nominated for twelve Blues Music Awards winning six times. Two of those BMA trophies are for the “B.B. King Entertainer of The Year” award, the highest […]
Adam Klein Low Flyin’ Planes Cowboy Angel Athens, Georgia has long been a spawning ground for great music. Beyond the more widely known names like REM and Widespread Panic, are some exceptionally talented roots musicians like Adam Klein. This is Adam’s seventh album, the. sonic follow-up to 2013’s Sky Blue DeVille. Like that one and […]
Mardi Gras is almost here and you can be celebrating already with live blues and some great Mardi Gras parties, like the one at Tony and Carmen’s house! If you want to go to it, and you should, there is an open invitation on Facebook and it will really help if you RSVP! Their back […]
HOME PAGE FACEBOOK PAGE SOUNDCLOUD YOUTUBE Making a Scene Presents an Interview with Khalif “Wailin’” Walter! Khalif “Wailin’ ” Walter without a doubt belongs to the the new generation of Blues players coming from the Windy City and contributing to it’s rich legacy of Chicago Blues. This definitely ain’t your grandaddy’s Blues though. Khalif’s music, […]
Making a Scene Presents the PODCAST of LIVE from the Midnight Circus Indie Blues Double Shot Show! This is the Voice of Indie Blues, the future of the blues. An Indie Blues double shot of artists who embrace the diversity of the blues that always has and still is being created from it’s roots. These […]
HOME PAGE FACEBOOK PAGE INSTAGRAM Making a Scene presents an Interview with Jane Kramer! Lauded by UK music reviewer Three Chords and the Truth as sounding like she was “…born to gypsy poets and raised by Emmylou Harris,” Asheville, North Carolina songstress Jane Kramer has garnered international recognition for the sultry, heartrending originality of her […]
Augie Meyers I Know I Could Be Happy If Myself Wasn’t Here El Sendero Records In 1965 Doug Sahm formed “The Sir Douglas Quintet” with childhood friend Augie Meyers. The band had a top twenty hit with “She’s About a Mover”. They were busted for pot in Texas, moved to San Francisco and re-formed with […]
Peter Rogan Still Tryin’ to Believe Melt Shop Proving that’s it’s never too late to begin, this is the debut album from 57-year-old Peter Rogan, already a songwriting winner in the Great American Song contest. Rogan wrote or co-wrote all dozen songs on the album with 17 musicians and back-up singers, thereby fulfilling a lifelong […]
