#379 : Anthony Gomes Live at the Redstone Room - March 2, 2019

Davenport, Iowa

March 2, 2019

By Phillip Smith; March 3, 2019

The first time I saw Anthony Gomes, the year was 2012, and he was opening up for the legendary B.B. King at the Paramount Theater in Cedar Rapids.  The sheer exuberance in his performance and mastery of guitar grabbed my full attention.  Saturday, March 2^nd, he gave a stellar performance at the Redstone Room in Davenport, Iowa.  With Gomes on guitar and lead vocals, he was joined on stage by bassist Sean Holland and drummer Jeremy Howard.

From the git-go he rocked out with “Nasty Good”, and “Your Mama Wants to do Me (and Your Daddy Wants to do Me In)”, from his latest album Peace Love & Loud Guitars, an album which was a PhillyCheezeBlues blog pick of the week in January.  He also tore it up on his ode to Crown Royal with “Purple Whiskey Sack” from his 2006 album, Long Way Home.

His cover of Jimi Hendrix’s “Voodoo Child” was outstanding.  Gomes was totally in his element, as he let loose on this one.  I was glad to hear “White Trash Princess”.  It’s one of my favorites on the new album, as is the title track “Peace, Love, and Loud Guitars”.   “Blues in the First Degree” also made the cut, and it sounded great.  It was such a joy to hear him play the new material.    

For the encore, Gomes brought the show to close, splendidly ripping it up on his stately homage to the King of the Blues, with “Come Down”.  It was magnificent, as was the show.  I can’t wait to see him perform again.

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* All photos by Phillip Smith

#375 : Danielle Nicole - Live at the Famous Mockingbird

Danielle Nicole     

Live @ The Famous Mockingbird

Marion, Iowa

Feb. 15, 2019

By Phillip Smith; Feb. 16,2019

The Famous Mockingbird was the place to be for two stellar sets of blues on Friday, February 15.  It was a sold-out show, and the excitement was surely in the air to see Danielle Nicole, who was a 2019 Grammy Nominee for Best Contemporary Blues Album.  Her band consisted of drummer Ralph Forrest, and guitarist Brandon Miller, who will be returning to Famous Mockingbird with his band in the near future. 

The show led off with the smooth and buttery “Hot Spell” from her latest album, Cry No More.  Her luscious vocals and thumping bass sounded absolutely fabulous.  Other amazing cuts from that album which landed in the first set were, “Lord I Can’t Keep From Crying”, “Pusher Man”, “Burning For You”, and “My Heart Just Remains”.  I loved her cover of Willie Dixon’s “I Just Want to Make Love to You”, and Howlin’ Wolf’s “Spoonful”.  She soulfully covered Lukas Nelson’s “Find Yourself”, and closed the show with “Save Me” chockful of heavy riffs, and wonderful guitar shredding from Miller.

It was a splendid show indeed.

* Photos by Phillip Smith

#307 : Southern Avenue live at CSPS

Dec. 9, 2017

Cedar Rapids, Iowa

By Phillip Smith; Dec. 10, 2017

From Memphis, Tennessee, Southern Avenue is one of the newest bands to record for the iconic Stax Records label.  Saturday, December 9^th, this magnificent quintet brought their illustrious brand of soul to a packed house at CSPS in Cedar Rapids amid their seemingly non-stop tour to promote their remarkable self-titled record.  Fronted by powerhouse lead singer Tierinii Jackson, the band also consists of her sister Tikyra Jackson on drums, guitarist Ori Naftaly, bassist Gage Markey, and keyboardist extraordinaire Jeremy Powell. 

Southern Avenue served up two delicious sets of music, covering mostly songs off their new album.  The soulful sweet vocals Tierinii delivers on “What Did I Do” was so right-on.  Her vocals on “It’s Gonna Be Alright” were angelic, and the keyboard performance from Powell was captivating.  I was so happy to hear them perform “Don’t Give Up”.  That’s such a terrific song.  It’s what drew me to the band in the first place this past spring.   

Their fabulous and funky take on the Beatles’ “Come Together” caught me entirely by surprise.  Naftaly’s guitar was smokin’.  It was a special treat to hear their covers of Stevie Wonder’s “Superstition”, and Bill Withers’ “Use Me” too  They were both soul-dripping performances. I loved every bit of it. 

Southern Avenue ranks right up there among my favorite new bands this year, and I sure hope to see them again soon.

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* All Photos by Phillip Smith

#301 : Crystal Bowersox live at CSPS

Nov. 8, 2017

Cedar Rapids, Iowa

By Phillip Smith; Nov. 9, 2017

Crystal Bowersox blessed CSPS with her third appearance on November 8th.  With an acoustic guitar strapped around her shoulder, the songstress was joined by drummer Derek Louis, and bassist Lucas Morton.  It was a perfect evening for music, as Bowersox belted out two fabulous sets, much of which can be found on her new Alive album. 

The Season 9 American Idol finalist initiated her show with a stellar cover of Tom Petty’s “Mary Jane’s Last Dance”.  It was fantastic.  “Broken Wing” was s such a lovely song, being sung from the heart as effortlessly as Bowersox makes it seem.   She gave a terrific performance on “Staycation”, which teased Steve Miller’s “Fly Like an Eagle“, and suavely segued into Bob Marley’s “Everything Gonna Be Alright”.  Laying out a roadmap to her heart in song, Bowersox beautifully sung “He Calls Me Angel”.   “The Ride”, a tale of a gonzo off-the-cuff trip with a bad news scoundrel, co-written with Lance Carpenter, kept the audience in the palm of her hands.  In closing, she delivered a bodacious finale with a couple of striking covers, The Eagles’ “Desperado”, and Janis Joplin’s “Bobby McGee”.          

     


All photos by Phillip Smith