Blues artist Eden Brent talks about breaking a piano string at the British Embassy in Washington, her apprenticeship with Abie “Boogaloo” Ames, and the joy of performing live.
Eric Bibb – Live at the Scala Theatre Stockholm
Taj Mahal … Keb’ Mo’ … Corey Harris … Guy Davis … Otis Taylor … Eric Bibb. These guys, along with a few others, are the vanguard of modern acoustic blues. With all of them, but especially with Bibb, listeners can be sure that every recording, every performance matters. Bibb’s new live album shows the […]
Nick Gravenites – Rogue Blues
Nick Gravenites is cool. For his instinct for finding the moment, particularly back in the 1960s, I’d liken him to Neal Cassady,* the counter-culture icon who was taken into the beatnik fold in 1950s New York by Jack Kerouac and Allen Ginsberg (the character Dean Moriarty in Kerouac’s On the Road was said to be […]
Sean Riley & The Water – Stone Cold Hands
One never gets enough zydeco and country blues. If you’re looking for a fix, I recommend New Orleans-based Sean Riley and his band, The Water. Though Riley is a familiar face in the New Orleans blues scene, Stone Cold Hands is the first full-length release from his promising outfit. Riley shows off his chops as […]
Ghalia Volt on Her Invisible Tour Van and Backyard Rehearsals in New Orleans
New Orleans by way of Brussels, Belgium blues singer Ghalia Volt talks about touring with a $40 juicer and her definition of financial success.
Mike Zito – Life is Hard
Mike Zito is dependable. If you’re looking for searing, intense blues-rock guitar solos, he’s definitely your guy. Zito, a St. Louis native now based in Beaumont, Texas, is a self-taught guitar player whose career, until recent years, was largely a do-it-yourself project. He self-released several albums, including Superman, America’s Most Wanted and Slow It Down, before gaining exposure to a wider […]
Tinsley Ellis – The Naked Truth
At this point, Tinsley Ellis is pretty much recognized as a blues master. Usually a hard blues-rocker of the Stevie Ray Vaughn school, now with The Naked Truth he has released his first all-acoustic blues album – and it’s fantastic. A native Georgian who spent much of his childhood in Florida, Ellis played in Atlanta […]
Emanuel Casablanca – Strung Out on Thrills
Emanuel Casablanca’s billing says he’s an “outlaw-bluesman.” Whether he’s an outlaw or not, he certainly has a knack for aggressive blues-rock. (Note to self: resist the temptation to include a reference to the movie Casablanca.} The Brooklyn-based Casablanca is a painter, actor, and singer-songwriter who released his debut album, Blood on My Hands, in August […]
Chip’s Best of 2023
I had the same problem with my year end rankings as always. There were at least 35 albums worthy of the top 25. As you can see that math only works for congressmen and poker hustlers. I focused the top 25 on Americana and Roots music. To have included Indie and Alternative would have been […]
Mayer’s Picks – More Favorites from 2023
Here, in no particular order, are more favorites from 2023.