Buckmiller
Schwager Band
Live at XBK
2023 – Buckmiller Schwager
Band
By Phillip Smith; Sep. 2, 2023
After nearly a year and a half
since the release of Buckmiller Schwager’s debut album To Memphis and
Back, the Iowa boys have returned with a fabulous new album Live
at XBK. XBK, where this performance
was recorded on April 6, 2023, is a 250-seat entertainment venue/listening room
in the Drake neighborhood of Des Moines. Performed with a full band comprised of
vocalist/guitarist Tom Buckmiller, guitarist Brian Schwager, drummer
Larry Mersereau and bassist Eric Smidt, this album of new songs,
favorites, and covers wonderfully captures the electric essence of their live
shows.
The set starts off in a bodacious way with their smoking original “Thrill of the Thrill”. Schwager lets loose on guitar with a searing performance, and it sounds great. Their cover of Luther Allison’s “Cherry Red Wine” steals my heart as I feel every note navigate right into my being. The mood swings one hundred eighty degrees to their rocking anthem “These Are the Good Days”. This one keeps me focused on the bright side of life. Schwager ushers in a vibrant boogie shuffle on John Lee Hooker’s “Boom Boom”, with Buckmiller delightfully delivering his deep growly vocals. I love the sampler platter of music they serve on “Keeping the Blues Alive”. This mini class on the genre brings a smile my face as they cover various styles of blues as found in different regions of America : Chicago, West Coast, Texas, and Detroit.
If the new originals are a taste of what’s to come on Buckmiller Schwager’s next studio album, I am all-in. Live at XBK has been on heavy-rotation in my ear-pods for the past couple of weeks, and I don’t think that will change any time soon.
For more information about the artist, visit this website : https://www.buckmillerschwager.com/
Check out other
PhillyCheeze reviews for Buckmiller Schwager Band at : https://phillycheezeblues.blogspot.com/search?q=Buckmiller+Schwager
Click on the link below
to purchase this terrific album from Bandcamp.
