Showing posts with label Tom Giblin. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Tom Giblin. Show all posts

Friday, December 15, 2023

#650 : JM O'Malley's 25 Yrs of Live Music (PhillyCheezeBlues.Blogspot.com)

 



2023 – Independent

By Phillip Smith; Dec. 15, 2023

Release Date : Oct. 12, 2023

Original source : phillycheezeblues.blogspot.com

 

I want to make PhillyCheeze’s Rock & Blues Review #650 special and focus on my local blues scene in a very specific way.  It’s a rare occasion to be able to brag about the abundant amount of blues Iowa has to offer and this is a perfect time to shine a light on it.  If you find yourself in Cedar Rapids, Iowa on a Thursday night and feel the urge to hear some blues in an authentic juke joint environment, navigate yourself to JM O’Malley’s in the Irish District of town.  For over twenty-five years, every Thursday evening, Iowa Blues Hall-of Famer Tom ‘T-Bone’ Giblin (Lonnie Brooks, Elvin Bishop, The Dynatones) has led a legendary jam at this Irish bar on keys and organ.  The magic of these much-adored jams is fabulously captured on CD and features two tracks apiece from seven different acts who played O’Malley’s in 2023.  Each track features Giblin at the helm of the keys.  The lineup consists of Charlie Morgan and the Bone Crushers, Iowa Blues Hall-of-Famer and International Blues Challenge winner in three categories Kevin Burt, Matt Panek (The Electric Koolaid Trio), D’Dog and the B’Bits featuring Iowa Blues Hall-of-Famer and Iowa Rock n Roll Hall-of-Famer Dennis McMurrin, Iowa Blues Hall-of-Famer and Iowa Rock n Roll Hall-of-Famer Craig Erickson, Iowa Blues Hall-of-Famer and Iowa Rock n Roll Hall-of-Famer Bryce Janey, and Merrill Miller (Shakey Feet).

The album kicks off with a fabulous Chicago-style blues jam with Charlie Morgan and the Bone Crushers on “Two Trains Runnin’”.  Giblin tears it up on keys and Dave Bader lays down a blues-soaked bassline for Morgan as he fearlessly belts out the vocals and rips it up on guitar.  Local music legend Dennis McMurrin, who cut an album with The Tower of Power in 1986, leads D’Dog and the B’Bits through a funky cover of Jr. Walker’s “Cleo’s Back”.  Performed with another Iowa Blues Hall-of-Famer bassist Dan Johnson, and drummer Butch O’Connell, the track is a downright terrific.  I love that Kevin Burt was on this recording.  I still remember the first time seeing him and The Blues Instigators, back in 1993 shortly after I moved to Iowa.  His band was one I would often see over the years.  Burt performs his iconic original “Real Love” as well as a soulful, funky cover of Bill Withers’ 1972 classic “Who is He (and What is He to You)?”.  When Bryce Janey brings his guitar to the stage for a couple of his originals “Drinking Dirty Water” and “Practice What You Preach”, it makes for a high-voltage dose of guitar-centric blues.  It’s always a pleasure to hear this man play.  Matt Panek aka “Matty Koolaid” brings the Big Joe Turner classic “Honey Hush” to a sear, and it sounds great.  Craig Erickson, a hands-down all-time favorite, appears with his band Sky Train featuring John Hall on bass and Rob Haskell on drums for an extraordinary performance of “Mojo in Memphis” from his 2015 album Sky Train Galaxy.  Merrill Miller, who I first heard many years ago play as a duo with Bryce Janey, now fronts his own band Shakey Feet, comprised of Butch O’Connell on drums and Troy Harper on bass.  Their cover of Muddy Waters’ “Got My Mojo Workin’” surely makes me smile.  This is what the blues is all about.

JM O’Malley’s 25 Yrs of Live Music is a splendid recording which captures the immense musical talent we have in the I-380 Corridor.  I highly recommend this one, so make a stop out at JM O'Malley's and buy a copy.

---

  

For more information about this CD contact:

 

JM O’Malley’s

1502 H. Ave. NE

Cedar Rapids, Iowa 53402

 


 

Sunday, January 30, 2022

PhillyCheezeBlues.Blogspot.com #540 > 'daBluesapalooza



The Olympic Southside Theater

Cedar Rapids, Iowa

January 29, 2022

 

By Phillip Smith; Jan. 30, 2022

Original source : phillycheezeblues.blogspot.com

 

It was a fabulous night of blues last night at the Olympic South Side Theater in Cedar Rapids, Iowa.  KCCK Jazz 88.3, is celebrating thirty years of playing ‘da Blues over the airwaves, and marked the occasion by hosting ‘daBluesapalooza, a five-hour blues show to honor Bob DeForest who started spinning the blues on KCCK in January of 1992.   John ‘Big Mo’ Heim who hosts The Big Mo Blues Show on Friday nights was also honored.

This special event featured the talents of several local area blues artists, making for a killer lineup of music which started with daBluesapalooza All-Stars comprised of BillyLee Janey, Dennis McMurrin, Nate Hines, Dan Johnson, Tom Giblin, and Eric Douglas.  Time seemed to fly as music continued throughout the evening from Craig Erickson Quartet, Homebrewed, Tanya English Band, Johnny Kilowatt featuring Alligator Records recording artist Gloria Hardiman, Molly Nova and the Hawk featuring Bryce Janey, John Resch & Doggin’ Out, and The Evan Stock Band.   

It was truly a special night.   

 ---


·         * All photos by Phillip Smith      


Dennis McMurrin, Dan Johnson, BillyLee Janey

Tom 'T-Bone' Giblin

Craig Erickson, Rob Haskell

Craig Erickson, Rob Haskell

Al Naylor, John Hall

Homebrewed

Homebrewed

Nate Hines, Eric Douglas, Dennis McMurrin

Dennis McMurrin, Dan Johnson

Dennis McMurrin, Dan Johnson, Al Naylor

Tanya English Band


Ed English, Johnny Kilowatt

Johnny Kilowatt, Ed English

Johnny Kilowatt, Gloria Hardiman, Ed English


Turk Krause, Molly Nova 

Bryce Janey

Molly Nova

Bryce Janey

Evan Stock

Evan Stock Band

Evan Stock Band

Evan Stock Band





·         * All photos by Phillip Smith 

Saturday, August 1, 2020

#456 : BillyLee Janey - 20 Dollar Tip


2020 – BillyLee Janey

By Phillip Smith; Aug. 1, 2020

 

It’s always exciting to hear new material from Iowa Blues Hall of Fame member BillyLee Janey (Truth and Janey).  Janey’s bravado is a force to be reckoned with and his brand of electric blues is hard to beat.  For his latest album, 20 Dollar Tip, Janey returns to the studio with Dan ‘DJ’ Johnson on bass, Eric Douglas on drums, and Tom ‘T-Bone’ Giblin (Lonnie Brooks, The Dynatones, Mighty Joe Young) on Hammond B3 to produce an engaging, well-crafted record.   His son Bryce Janey mixed and mastered the record, and also appears on backing vocals.

Title-track “20 Dollar Tip” takes off in a dazzling fury with a wonderful display of searing guitar licks.  Flexing its muscles with a hard-driving rhythm and serious B3 back-up, it’s a great song to kick things off with.  Janey infuses a tasty bit of funk in his infectious tribute to delta blues in “Way Down in a Mississippi Town”.  This is definitely one of my favorites.  If there were a category for Best Soul Blues Song of the Year, “Love’s Gonna Stop That Train” would definitely be a contender.  The song is absolutely fabulous.  In “Stepping Out with the Blues”, Janey’s performance drips with Chicago-style authenticity, and sounds like perfection.  This nine-track album comes to a rollicking close with “Shake My Soul”, making for one hell of a blues jam. 

20 Dollar Tip is a splendid listen from start to finish, and highly recommended. 

---

Sunday, November 4, 2018

#360 : Bob Dorr and Friends Live @ Cedar Ridge Winery and Distillery





November 2, 2018
Swisher, Iowa
By Phillip Smith; Nov 4, 2018


Friday, November 2nd, the Linn County Blues Society and Cedar Ridge Winery and Distillery hosted a stellar evening of blues in Swisher, Iowa.  Bob Dorr and Friends (guitarist Jeff Petersen, bassist Dan ‘DJ’ Johnson, and keyboardist Tom Giblin) brought their Parlor City Jam Band out to play in a totally different setting, at Cedar Ridge Winery to a full house of blues fans.   

With Bob behind the drum kit and Jeff Petersen armed with his Flying V guitar, the band played through crowd favorites such as the Hank Williams classic “Mind Your Own Business” and Freddie King’s “Have You Ever Loved a Woman”.  DJ stepped up to the mic and rocked the room with “Shake Rattle and Roll”, originally recorded by Big Joe Turner.  Keeping the momentum going, Petersen belted out Ike Turner’s legendary “Rocket 88”.  It sounded great.  When “Mustang Sally” rolled around the dance floor quickly filled.  DJ paid a wonderful homage to Jimmy Reed’s “Baby What You Want Me to Do?”  As the blues jams go, you never know who will appear on stage throughout the show.  This particular evening, keyboardist Jeff Craft and harpist Bob Gleason made an appearance.  Craft led the band on a great cover of Muddy Waters’ “Got My Mojo Workin’” with Gleason wonderfully ripping it up on harmonica. It was very cool.  The music was so hot; the time quickly flew by.  Before long, the jam came to its end with Bob Dorr’s traditional Limestoner Blues Jam closer, Dylan’s “Rainy Day Woman # 12 & 35”.  It was a terrific night, indeed.     

---
  * photos by Phillip Smith

Tom 'T-Bone Giblin

Jeff Petersen, Bob Dorr, Dan 'DJ' Johnson'

Bob Dorr, Jeff Petersen

Bob Dorr, Dan 'DJ' Johnson, Tom 'T-Bone' Giblin
and Jeff Petersen

Jeff Petersen, Dan 'DJ' Johnson

Tom 'T-Bone Giblin' , Bob Dorr

Jeff Craft, Bob Gleason

Jeff Petersen

Bob Dorr


Jeff Petersen, Dan 'DJ' Johnson

Jeff Petersen


Sunday, June 18, 2017

Perry and the Pumpers - Concert Photos : Irish District Music & Arts Festival (Cedar Rapids, IA 6/17/17)

Perry and the Pumpers

Cedar Rapids, IA
By Phillip Smith; June 17, 2017

Although rain was in the forecast, the music gods smiled down, and the 2017 Irish District Music & Arts Festival finished the evening unscathed with the exception of the occasional droplet falling from the sky.   Opening for the Honey Island Swamp BandPerry and the Pumpers took the stage at five o-clock and the festivities commenced.  Iowa Blues Hall of Fame member and Cedar Rapids native Perry Welsh, returned to his hometown with a briefcase full of blues to give a ripping performance.  The Pumpers were composed of guitarist Bryce Janey,  Iowa Blues Hall of Fame member and B3 master Tom 'T-bone' Giblin, drummer Troy Harper, and bassist Dave Bader,  Starting things out with "Ain't That Just LIke a Woman", the band rolled through a treasure chest of classics which included "In My Younger Days", "Early in the Morning", and "Hey Little Girl", setting the stage for a great night of live music.





All Photos by Phillip Smith


Troy Harper, Perry Welsh, and Dave Bader

Perry Welsh and Dave Bader

Dave Bader and Bryce Janey

Dave Bader and Bryce Janey

Tom 'T-bone' Giblin

Dave Bader, Perry Welsh, and Bryce Janey

Perry Welsh and Dave Bader

Dave Bader

Tom 'T-Bone' Giblin and Perry Welsh

Perry Welsh and Dave Bader

Bryce Janey

Perry Welsh