Home Archive by category "Americana" (Page 21)

Category: Americana

Blues Wednesday – Matt Schofield – Live From The Archive

So the other night I was reading the albums reviews in Blues Revue and came across the following “Who needs a big band when an organ combo sounds just as good?”  Well I didn’t have to read any further, I just went to Napster and found the album Matt Schofield’s Live from the Archive. Yesterday I listened to the album and loved it and today I went to emusic and downloaded and listened to Schofield’s 2009 release Heads, Tails & Aces and who knows tomorrow I may go back for more!! Matt Schofield is a British blues guitarist. In fact…

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Happy Trails versus Undead

So Friday morning I had the iPod on shuffle and “Who Do You Love” from Quicksilver Messenger Service’s (QMS) Happy Trails album came on. Well,  I decided to switch off shuffle and listen to the whole album! Then since I was in a live album mode,  I listened to Ten Years After’s album Undead. Now it’s Happy Trails vs. Undead. So now it’s John Cipollina’s guitar work versus Alvin Lee . The first side of Happy Trails consists mainly of a performance cover of Bo Diddley’s – aka Ellas McDaniel – “Who Do You Love?”  portions of which were recorded…

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Sterling Koch – Slide Ruler

The second album that I listened to last weekend and through this week was the latest album by Sterling Koch (pronounced “Cook”) Slide Ruler. Koch us a nationally acclaimed lap steel guitarist from Cressona, Pennsylvania. I’ve seen this album on the Roots Music Blues Chart and others and was unsuccessful in finding the album on Rhapsody. I did listen to one of early albums Steel Guitar Blues though and enjoyed that so when I saw Slide Ruler on Napster I quickly put it on the iPod! Koch lap steel playing on the album is terrific and his rhythm section at…

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A Blues Weekend Part 1 – Carlos Del Junco

so this weekend I downloaded and listen to two great blues albums. The first album was Big Boy from Carlos del Junco. Currently, Carlos’ new album Mongrel Mash with his band The Blues Mongrels is number 44 on the Roots Music Blues Chart. When I went to Napster that album was not available, so I chose Big Boy. Once again being in my own little blues world I had never heard of Carlos. Carlos was born in Havana and moved to Toronto at the age of one. Ah, there’s why I’ve never heard of him Canada is hiding him!!  But…

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Blues Wednesday – Vargas Blues Band

So last week I listened to the Voirth Blues Band from Croatia and today I traveled a little west from Croatia to Spain and listened to the Vargas Blues Band and their latest release Mojo Protection Revisited, which is a revision to an album released in 2008 in Argentina under the name of MOJO PROTECTION. The album includes new songs written by Tim Mitchell and Javier, engraved with the last band, composed by Javier, Tim, Luis Mayol (bass) and Peter Kunst. (drums) So even though Vargas has recorded fifteen studio albums with the Vargas Blues Band and three live DVD…

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…..Something blue(s)

so the something blue(s) album was Blues De Ville! by the Viroh Blues Band. I found the album on Napster downloaded, listened and really enjoyed it! But trying to find out anything about the band now that was a challenge! The band is Croatian and they won the 2nd Annual Croatian Blues Challenge and will compete Memphis in 2012! I did find a few articles about the band and Google translated them from Croatian! The band is lead by bassist, singer and composer Dubravko Vorih. D Vorih has also been part of the Croatian rock band Dirty Theater as well…

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Blues from the 2011 International Blues Challenge

So during the first week in February the Blues clubs up and down Beale Street were alive with bands representing Blues Societies from around the world. As over 100 bands and 80 solo/duo acts participated in the 27th International Blues Challenge hosted by The Blues Foundation Now for the first 26 years of the Challenges existence I never heard of it (big surprise there), but I had heard of some of the IBC alumni like Tommy Castro and Susan Tedesci. This last year though I’ve listened and written about even more  alumni like Eden Brent. the late Sean Costello, Albert…

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Blues and Folks – Loomis, Carroll and O’Connor!

So over the last few days I’ve been listening to two albums from artists that I listened to briefly, decided I really didn’t care for them so I haven’t really listened since then. Shame on me! Both of the artists are from Texas one is a blues man, Hamilton Loomis and the other a folkie, well, actually two folkies Adam Carroll and Michael O’Connor. I listened to Loomis’ 2010 release Live in England and Carroll and O’Connor’s Hard Times. Hamilton Loomis’ mentor, was the great Bo Diddley whose advice to Loomis was “Innovate don’t imitate!” And Loomis has done just…

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Hot Blues – The Vincent Hayes Project – Reclamation

So you start with a great rhythm section laying down that funky beat. That would be bass provided by Dave “The Butcher” Alves and drums by Donnie Hughley, add some great keyboard work from Steve “Doc” Yankee and Christain VanAntwepen and top that all off with….. what  Gary von Tersch of Big City Rhythm & Blues calls “Inspired, persuasively pensive guitar work that might even cause Clapton to raise an eyebrow in appreciation. Two thumbs up!” ……guitar from Vincent Hayes and you get  one the 2011 Blues Music Award nominees  for “Best New Artist Debut!” , The Vincent Hayes Project!…

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