Sonny Knight and the Lakers live @ Campbell Steele Gallery 2/5/16

By Phillip Smith; Feb 6, 2016

It doesn’t get much better than witnessing a live performance of Sonny Knight and the Lakers.  This seven piece ensemble, from Minneapolis, doled out four astonishing sets of hot rhythm and blues at the Campbell Steele Gallery in Marion, Iowa.  The Lakers warmed up the audience with an instrumental set before Sonny took the stage and broke out the funk with “Caveman”.  There was so much energy flowing through the musicians, it was electric, to say the least.  Eric Foss, the drummer and co-founder of the band was on fire, giving a stellar performance on “Boogaloo”.  I couldn’t help but think of the late great Otis Redding when Sonny soulfully sang “When You’re Gone”.  This was a beautiful performance indeed.  I loved their cover of the Beatles’ “Day Tripper”. It was so full of life.  Other stand-out songs included “Juicy Lucy”, “Sugarman”, and “Sock A Poo Poo”, each of which put a big smile on my face as well.  I am totally on-board with Sonny Knight and the Lakers, and anxiously await the next time they swing by this neck of the woods.

* All Photos by Phillip Smith

Balkun Brothers - Balkun Brothers

2015 – Dixiefrog Records

By Phillip Smith; Jan 30, 2016

The new self-titled album from the multi-award winning Balkun Brothers is simply put, electric, incredible and rocking.  Hailing from Hartford, Connecticut, The Balkun Brothers consists of guitarist/vocalist Steve Balkun, and his younger brother, drummer/vocalist Nick Balkun.  Balkun Brothers contains a dozen ripping white-hot blues-rock songs produced by one of my favorite blues guitarists, the amazing Popa Chubby.   

From the get-go, the Balkun Brothers hit the ground running full speed with “Been Drivin’”, serving hard-nosed blues with a heart-racing delivery. This song gets the adrenalin flowing like the Mississippi.  They keep that energy going in “I Know What Ya’ Did”, and “She Got it All”, both full of catchy riffs and swampy slide guitar.  I get totally swept away in “Control Yourself”, and love the Zeppelin-esque vibe present in “Cold Heart”.  The only cover song on the album, Johnny Winter’s “Mean Town Blues” is a sheer delight.  Steve keeps it rolling on guitar as Nick keeps it tumbling with a cool hypnotic beat.  The album closes with the sweetly performed, acoustic selection “Rainy Day Front Porch Blues”.  Background audio of passing cars on a wet street add a nice touch of authenticity.          

   

This fantastic album from the Balkun Brothers is brilliantly penned and has everything going for it.  It is destined to be one of this year’s favorites.  

Crooked Eye Tommy - Butterflies & Snakes

2015 – Plano Road Publishing

By Phillip Smith; Jan 23, 2016

Crooked Eye Tommy, a newer blues band making the scene in Southern California has been turning heads since representing the Santa Barbara Blues Society at the 2014 International Blues Challenge in Memphis, Tennessee and making it to the semifinals.  The band consists of guitarist/vocalist Tommy Marsh, his brother, guitarist/vocalist Paddy Marsh, bass player Glade Rasmussen, drummer Tony Cicero, and multi-instrumentalist Jimmy Calire.  Their debut album, Butterflies & Snakes is a hot mix of roadhouse blues featuring eleven original tracks.

“Time Will Tell” is soulful blues with stellar guitar riffs and tasty B-3 accompaniment from Calire.  This leads into another favorite, “Tide Pool”, an outstanding track I could listen to all day.  It’s mellow and floaty essence feels so good to the ears.  The funk is let loose on “Love Divine”, as they tear it up on guitar and vox.  This one sounds really good.  Love ballad “Over and Over” is beautifully performed.  Calire breaks out the heat on saxophone and when background singer Becca Fuchs steps to the mic, it gets even hotter.           

Crooked Eye Tommy delivers a solid album of blues with a dabble of this and that thrown in for good measure.  In addition to the really interesting music on Butterflies & Snakes, the cover art by Mike Lemos stands out as a definitely favorite as well.     

Southpaw Steel ‘n’ Twang - Stat(u)e of Mind

2015 – Bafe’s Factory

By Phillip Smith; Jan 23, 2016

Stat(u)e of Mind , Southpaw Steel ‘n’ Twang’s fourteen track follow-up to their Hales Pleasure Railway album, sports even more innovative instrumentals than its predecessor.  I love the way their music takes a step off the beaten path to dissipate the boundary between Bluegrass and Jazz.  This innovative trio from Helsinki, Finland consists of guitarist Ville “Lefty” Leppänen (Micke Bjorklof & Blue Strip), drummer Tero Mikkonen, and bassist JP Mönkkönen.  In September 2015, the band recorded Stat(u)e of Mind at Firebrand Recording Studio in St. Louis, Missouri, after accepting an invitation to perform at the 2015 International Steel Guitar Convention.

Mikkonen beautifully performs the opening song, “Gateway”, on ukulele.  Clocking in at just a smidge over a minute in length, this Hawaiian flavored appetizer makes for a lovely intro for the rest of the album.  Leppänen breaks out some fantastic swampy guitar licks on “Aloha Garage”.  This is one of my absolute favorites.  “Route 68” has a cool jazzy character.  Mikkonen and Mönkkönen keep the rhythm hip as Leppänen lets loose with an outstanding avant-garde performance.  Leppänen sets a melancholy mood for the lovely “Almost Too Beautiful” before taking me by surprise with “Duel”.  Without words, this instrumental is still able to tell a story.  The listener is marched in to this Latin infused masterpiece with a flurry of spaghetti-western/surf guitar.  The song takes an unexpected and marvelous turn the moment the horns pop.  This is such a killer track.  I like to think of the closing song, “Sergio” as a fantastic tribute and homage to legendary film director Sergio Leone and the man who scored the lion’s share of his films, composer Ennio Morricone.  The Morricone influence certainly shows.

It's really fresh to hear a band like Southpaw Steel ‘n’ Twang share their unique brand of music and captivating compositions.  Stat(u)e of Mind is abundantly full of character and a delightful listen.   

Karen Lovely - Ten Miles of Bad Road

2015 – Kokako

By Phillip Smith; Jan 16, 2016

Ten Miles of Bad Road , the fourth album from Portlander Karen Lovely, boasts thirteen magnificently performed original songs.  Her extraordinary vocals are beautiful and lush as she delivers the blues in her own unique style.  For this recording, Lovely is backed by a five-star list of LA studio musicians, of which include guitarists Johnny Lee Schell and Alan Mirikitani, pianist/organist Jim Pugh, bassist James “Hutch” Hutchinson, and drummer Tony Braunagel.

I absolutely love “Company Graveyard” with its ominous bassline and anti-establishment lyrics.  Lovely’s commanding vocals ring out with power and clarity, which make me immediately think of the Pretender’s Chrissie Hynde.  “Better Place” is another big favorite.  Schell plays this one nice and swampy.  “I Want to Love You” is such a beautiful love song.  Lovely’s angelic vocals softly flow as Pugh eloquently backs her up on piano.  I really like the rootsy vibe to Lovely’s performance on “Low Road”.  Mirikitani, guitar in hand, serves up a bit of Texas-style blues on this song while Pugh stirs a little funk into the mix with his B3.     

One listen to Ten Miles of Bad Road, is all it takes to conclude that Karen Lovely is way ahead of the curve when it comes to vocal artistry and songwriting.  This album is definitely one that should be heard.