Sunday, March 17, 2024

#668 : Wylde Nept Live at the Ideal Theater 3-16-24 (PhillyCheezeBlues.Blogspot.com)

 


Wylde Nept – St. Paddy’s Day Party

Ideal Theater

Cedar Rapids, Iowa

March 16, 2024

 

By Phillip Smith; Mar. 17, 2024

Original source : phillycheezeblues.blogspot.com

 

I always have a great time when Iowa’s favorite Celtic band Wylde Nept is onstage. If one can catch them on or near St Patrick’s Day, that makes for even more of a special occasion. With four albums under their belt, and over thirty years of playing live shows, Wylde Nept has cultivated a faithful following of fans. Comprised by Westan James (lead vocals/didgeridoo), Steven James (vocals/accordion), Jon Southwood (guitars), Wayne Twombley (guitars) and Lincoln Ginsberg (cajon), the band played to an absolutely packed house of folks eager to get their Irish on.

After a traditional community shot of Jameson’s Irish Whiskey and their trademark shout of “Sligo!”, the music commenced their three high-energy sets of music with “Haul Away Joe” from their Live in 3D album. Like the whiskey behind the bar, all the favorites generously began pouring out, such as “Whiskey in the Jar”, “Mountain Dew”, “The Unicorn Song”, “Beer Beer Beer”, and “Johnny Jump Up”.

The band was on fire and the fans were enthusiastic. It truly was a special evening of music and celebration.

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 ·       All photos by Phillip Smith      

































* all photos by Phillip Smith

For more information about Wylde Nept, visit their website https://www.wyldenept.com/




Friday, March 15, 2024

#667 : Rocky Athas - Livin' My Best Life (PhillyCheezeBlues.Blogspot.com)

 


2024 – Cherryburst Records

By Phillip Smith; Mar. 16, 2024

Release Date : Mar. 10, 2024

Original source : phillycheezeblues.blogspot.com

 

Rocky Athas is one of my all-time favorite blues-rock guitarists. He’s played with musical legends John Mayall, Glenn Hughes, Buddy Miles and Black Oak Arkansas and whether performing with someone else or recording his own solo work, he always manages to amaze me. Livin’ My Best Life is his latest release. It contains ten bodacious tracks of high-octane music and I absolutely love it. He puts the ‘rock’ in blues-rock. With Rocky on lead guitar, his son Rocky Athas II on bass guitar, Walter Watson on drums and lead vocals, and his son Jared Watson on guitar and vocals, the band could not be a tighter unit.

Title-track “Livin’ My Best Life” gets the album rolling with a big juicy dose of Texas-style blues with a ZZ Top vibe. Hearing Rocky shred on this one makes for a damn good listen. The fun ensues when they break out a smokin’ cover of Don Nix’s “Black Cat Moan”. I love how Rocky coaxes the most amazing tones out of his vintage 1969 Gibson Les Paul Custom Black Beauty using a vintage Vox Wah Wah to pay tribute to the late Jeff Beck on this track. From its infectious riff to its poignant lyrics, “Dark Days” is a fantastic original spawned from fatherly advice about remembering who we are regardless of the insanity surrounding us. This is indeed a favorite. It made me happy to hear John Mayall making a guest appearance on harmonica for the spectacular cover of “Long Gray Mare” originally recorded by Fleetwood Mac with Peter Green in 1968. He can sure make that harp sing. The solo guitar Rocky creates is outstanding. For an unexpected treat, I love the cover of Bob Dylan’s “Watching the River Flow”. The original was produced by Leon Russell and recorded at Blues Rock Studio in New York City at a session in 1971. From the beginning couple of bars of “Walk in My Shadow”, I am immersed in the groove created by Rocky II and Walter Watson. There is not a Free cover that ever sounded better to me. I feel as if Rocky is pouring everything he has into this performance, and it sounds terrific. First recorded by Freddie King in 1971, the cover “Palace of the King” makes for a riveting closing song. The twists and turns, Rocky takes with his guitar keeps me tightly glued to this track.

With Livin’ My Best Life, Rocky Athas wins me over once again.  This album certainly gets my highest recommendation.  

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For more information about the Rocky Athas, visit this website : https://www.rockyathas.com/

For past reviews mentioning Rocky Athas on PhillyCheezeBlues :

https://phillycheezeblues.blogspot.com/search?q=rocky+athas

 

 

 

 

Saturday, March 9, 2024

#666 : One Dime Band - Side Hustle (PhillyCheezeBlues.Blogspot.com)

 


One Dime Band

Side Hustle

2024 – Toneblanket Records

By Phillip Smith; Mar. 9, 2024

Original source : phillycheezeblues.blogspot.com

 

One Dime Band from Boston, Massachusetts has caught my full attention with their third and latest album Side Hustle. In serving up thirteen all-original tracks, the band delivers a savory bowl of musical gumbo made from assorted blues sub-genres gathered along the Mississippi River from St. Louis, through Memphis, and down to the Big Easy.    

The core of the band is an acoustic duo comprised of John Brauchler on guitars, resonator, and banjo and Paul Gallucci on vocals, harmonica, percussion, and rhythm guitar. In 2022 they were winners of the Boston Blues Society Blues Challenge in the solo/duo category.  In 2023 they were winners of the Granite State Blues Society Challenge in the same category.  In 2024, they entered the International Blues Challenge in Memphis and made it to the Semi-Finals. Their backing band consists of Romeo Dubois on drums, Paul Kochanski on upright bass and electric bass, Alizon Lissance on piano, organ, and accordion, Ilana Katz Katz on fiddle, Holly Harris on percussion, Johnny Blue Horn on trumpet, Mario Perrett on saxophone, with Robin Hathaway and Tim Curry on backing vocals.

A blast of horns and a buttery Stax-fueled groove kicks the door in with a fist-full of funk on title-track “Side Hustle”. I absolutely love this one. Visions of cypress trees wading in the swampy waters of Mississippi come to my mind with each listen of “Blackfoot Sun”. Powered by Brauchler on resonator and, Gallucci on harp, this favorite is topped with a delectable fiddle performance by Katz. I’m drawn in to Kochanski’s crawling, infectious bassline on “Dr. Shine”.  It remarkably creates an ominous feeling of impending doom in this brilliant blues song about escaping reality. “Soul to Keep”, a slow-cooked blues duet with the lovely Robin Hathaway, sweeps me off my feet.  Brauchler digs his heels in deep and releases some gorgeous tones on this one. The smell of late Sixties funk wafts through the air on the instrumental “Rib Grease”.  An intoxicating rhythm, blasts of brass, and a groovy riff all adds up to a fabulous listen. 

Loaded with musical twists and turns, Side Hustle is terrific from beginning to end.

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I wouldn’t say that review number 666 is a milestone, but the number does have some significance to some. In order to establish the connection to this review, I will share this story. When I first saw the cd cover featuring a pool table with red and green neon-lettered windows behind, a wave of familiarity washed over. I knew I had played on at that table before, I just wasn’t immediately sure where.  I then made it a mission to figure this out. The letters on the windows in reverse order were the first three letters of a place I have frequented occasionally on Beale Street in Memphis, Tennessee called The Absinthe Room. Once I located photos of The Absinthe Room on Google, I was able to verify that the cover photo was in fact taken from the inside of that exact establishment.

This is where the synchronicity begins. A piece of blues historical trivia I know about this place is that at one time this was Hooks Brothers Photography Studio. Hooks Brothers took the only known studio photo of the legendary blues player Robert Johnson. And for those who don’t know, Johnson allegedly sold his soul to the devil at the crossroads to achieve his guitar mastery. And that’s the tie-in to review #666.

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These photos featuring the Absinthe Room on Beale Street are ones I took of this location myself on two different visits to Memphis.

 



·       * Photos by Phillip Smith

Sunday, March 3, 2024

#665 : Cedar County Cobras - Live at CSPS 3-2-24 (PhillyCheezeBlues.Blogspot.com)


Cedar County Cobras

Live at CSPS

Cedar Rapids, Iowa

March 2, 2024

 

By Phillip Smith; Mar. 3, 2024

Original source : phillycheezeblues.blogspot.com

I’ve been wanting to see Cedar County Cobras since reviewing their Homesick Blues album in December. The opportunity finally made its way last night at CSPS in Cedar Rapids, Iowa, in front of full house. That’s one of the most perfect venues in town to experience live music. The Cedar County Cobras are comprised of Tom Spielbauer (guitar/vocals) and April Dirks (upright bass/mandolin/vocals).   

The Cobras played two amazing sets of music, leaning heavily into delta blues. They kicked the show off with an infectious cover of RL Burnside’s “Poor Black Mattie” followed immediately after with Son House’s “Walkin’ Blues”. The first set also included Burnside’s “Goin’ Down South” which Spielbauer remarked he picked up while playing at Red’s in Clarksdale, Mississippi. With Dirks on mandolin, they gave a wonderful performance of Bill Monroe’s “Under the Bridge” and Mississippi John Hurt’s “Poor Boy, Long Ways From Home”. 

They started their second set with “Utah” from their Homesick Blues album. Spielbauer brought out his 1929 National Steel guitar to play for several songs of which included a fantastic of Muddy Waters’ “Trouble No More”. He then switched to his gold-top Les Paul guitar to finish the show, hitting on originals which included a couple of my favorites “Gimme Lightnin’” and “Homesick Blues”. The show concluded with the mesmerizing spiritual “Get Right Church”.

It was definitely a night of music for the soul, and I enjoyed every note played. I already look forward to seeing them again.

 

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All Photos by Phillip Smith


















 

·       * All photos by Phillip Smith      


T Read the PhillyCheeze review of Cedar County Cobras' Homesick Blues album : https://phillycheezeblues.blogspot.com/2023/12/651-cedar-county-cobras-homesick-blues.html