PhillyCheeze's Rock & Blues Reviews: Search results for Billylee Janey

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Sunday, August 2, 2015

Photos : Tinsley Ellis & The Janeys

Cedar River Blues Festival

McGrath Amphitheater

Cedar Rapids, Iowa

Aug 1, 2015

All Photos by Phillip Smith

BillyLee Janey

Bryce Janey

Dan Johnson

Tom "T-Bone" Giblin

Bryce Janey

Dan Johnson, Bryce Janey, Eric Douglas

Bryce Janey

BillyLee Janey, Tom "T-Bone" Giblin

Bryce Janey

Bryce Janey, BillyLee Janey

Dan Johnson, Bryce Janey, BillyLee Janey

BillyLee Janey, Bryce Janey

Eric Douglas

Dan Johnson, BillyLee Janey

BillyLee Janey

BillyLee Janey, Tom "T-Bone" Giblin

BillyLee Janey

McGrath Amphitheater

Tinsley Ellis

Jonathon Holland

Tinsley Ellis

Erik Kaszynski

Tinsley Ellis

Jonathon Holland

Tinsley Ellis

Erik Kaszynski

Tinsley Ellis

Tinsley Ellis and Jonathon Holland

Jonathon Holland, Tinsley Ellis

Tinsley Ellis

Saturday, September 28, 2024

#707 > BillyLee Janey Band - King of the Roll (PhillyCheezeBlues.Blogspot.com)

2024 – Fervor Records

By Phillip Smith; Sep. 28, 2024

Original source : phillycheezeblues.blogspot.com

King of the Roll, the latest album from BillyLee Janey Band is seventeen tracks of all-original hard-driving blues-rock, and I absolutely dig it. I’ve been a fan of BillyLee’s work for quite a long time, and he never ceases to amaze me. With Janey on all guitars and vocals, he is joined with Tommy T-Bone Giblin (Lonnie Brooks) on B3 and clavinet, Dan ‘DJ’ Johnson on bass, Bryce Janey on bass guitar, Eric Douglas on drums, and Troy Harper guest drummer on “Lucky Star”.

Setting a strong impression, the album leads off with title-track “King of the Roll” a song loaded with a funky rhythm and searing guitar licks. Douglas’ commanding approach on drums fuels this smoking track. The rolling sound of Giblin’s B3 sets a groovy background for Janey as he lays down the law on “Killin’ Flow”. In a fabulously smoldering performance, Janey and band conjure memories of the ferocious derecho which tore through Iowa in August of 2020 in “Iowa Hurricane”. That was a day I will never forget, and the song captures the event in a most honest way. I love the propulsive “Hellbound Nite Ryder”. The song guides the listener down a mesmerizing journey of Janey’s guitar mastery. “Rain Fallin’” is an amazing track with a jazz-soaked rhythm which brilliantly takes me back to 2008 when a hundred-year flood wreaked havoc across Cedar Rapids, Iowa. Hearing Janey cut loose on the nearly seven-minute long instrumental “Star Spangled Blues/Mountain Fire” is a genuine treat.

BillyLee Janey Band truly shines with King of the Roll. I highly recommend giving this album a listen.

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For more information about BillyLee Janey, visit https://fervor-records.com/artist/billylee-janey/

Check out previous PhillyCheeze reviews and photos of BillyLee Janey with this link:

https://phillycheezeblues.blogspot.com/search?q=Billylee+Janey

Sunday, July 12, 2015

BillyLee Janey - Got Them Iowa Blues

2015 –Damn Good Tunes

By Phillip Smith; July 12, 2015

In 1975, BillyLee Janey recorded the critically-acclaimed psych-blues album Truth and Janey’s No Rest For the Wicked. Give his latest album, Got Them Iowa Blues a listen and one will find out very fast, Janey is still pushing the envelope of sound, producing some of the best electric guitar blues around. Joining Janey in the making of this album is his son, Bryce Janey on bass guitar, and drummer Eric Douglas.

From the get-go on “Damn Good” Janey breaks out his satchel full of swagger, and delivers some of the most wickedly interesting guitar licks I’ve heard. Listening to “Superstar” sends chills down my spine. I don’t know how he does it, but his guitar speaks a different language than most. It’s simply amazing to hear all these cools sounds immersed in a big bowlful of blues. I love the driving funky beat from guest drummer, John Wilson on “Mean Ole Twister”. Janey channels the chaos and furious force of an F5 tornado into this tune, and drops a subtle Wizard of Oz reference which makes me smile.

Those who have ever lived in Iowa will surely understand where Janey is coming from as he sings about frigid winters, hail storms, and Midwest tornados in the slow-simmered “Iowa Blues”. The man knows how to play the blues, that’s for sure. I could listen this all day.

For more info about BillyLee Janey, vist his website: www.billyleejaney.com

http://phillycheezeblues.blogspot.com/

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.

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Saturday, October 5, 2019

#411 : BillyLee Janey - Blues Power

2019 – Billy Rock Music / Stray Dog Records

By Phillip Smith; Oct. 5, 2019

Since moving up here to Iowa in 1992, I’ve been listening to BillyLee Janey. Inducted into the Iowa Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2005 for Truth & Janey and inducted into the Iowa Blues Hall of Fame in 2012, he is surely a force to be reckoned with when it comes to musicianship and playing the blues. Blues Power, his latest release is a sheer delight. Featuring eleven originals and two cover songs, this album is filled to the brim with hard-driving electric blues that cuts deep to the core. BillyLee leads this trio on guitar and vocals. His son Bryce Janey who also recorded, mastered and mixed the album, appears on bass guitar, with Eric Douglas is on drums.

From the first song, “Who Let the Dog Out”, Janey is already in top-gear, delivering hot-as-hell licks and playing the blues like I love to hear it. He continues to amaze me in “Blues Alright”. “Gimme Some Blues Power” is a monster of a song too. Douglas lays down a stellar beat while Janey carpet bombs the listener with a tantalizing guitar performance. His cover of Buddy Guy’s “Mary Had a Little Lamb” puts a big smile on my face too. Janey makes this one his own.

While revisiting “Mean Ol’ Twister”, a track released on his album Got Them Iowa Blues, Janey adds an additional minute, forty-five seconds to the furious whirlwind simulation he creates with sound. It was a spectacular song to begin with, but this new mix gives it the tornado-infused ending the song deserves. Hearing Janey cut loose the way he does here, is an experience in and of itself.

An absolute must-hear for blues fans, and guitar aficionados, Blues Power delivers high-voltage blues at its best.

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For more information about the artist, visit this website.. www.billyleejaney.com

Sunday, August 4, 2013

Bluesmore Music Festival - Cedar Rapids, IA Aug.3, 2013

By Phillip Smith

Aug 3, 2013

* all photos by Phillip Smith

Craig Erickson, Ron DeWitte, and BillyLee Janey

This year was yet another great year for music at annual Bluesmore Blues festival in Cedar Rapids. Opening up the main stage was the LCBS All-Stars, featuring Craig Erickson, Ron DeWitte, BillyLee Janey, Bryce Janey, Dan Johnson, Dennis 'Daddy-O' McMurrin, Skeeter Lewis, Tom 'T-Bone' Giblin, and Danny Ketelson and Eric Douglas. Seeing this much local talent on the stage at one time was a definite treat. Following the LCBS All-Stars was the Scott Holt Band, which was followed by the headlining act of Lucky Peterson featuring Tamara Peterson. These are just a handful of photos I was able to snap while taking a break or two from selling shirts at the merchandise tent.

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.