All photos by Phillip Smith
Sunday, June 19, 2016
Voice of Cedar Lake live at Irish District Music and Arts Festival 6/18/16
Cedar Rapids, Iowa
By Phillip Smith; June 19,
2016
Blue skies and warm weather
set the perfect stage for a day of music and relaxation at the seventh annual
Irish District Music and Arts Festival, which took place on June 18th. The Voice
of Cedar Lake, composed of guitarist Craig
Erickson, vocalist Alicia Strong,
bassist John Hall, keyboardist Tom “T-Bone” Giblin, and drummer Jon
Wilson took the stage first, opening up for the great Eric Gales.
Erickson
kicked things off with one of my favorite songs from his Sky Train Galaxy album, “Mojo in Memphis”. Soon afterwards the band broke out the funk
and tore into a groovy performance of Rufus
and Chaka Kahn’s “Tell Me Something Good”.
Strong’s vocals were powerful
and perfect. Strong belted out more sweet and soulful vocals as the band doled
out a rousing cover of Buddy Mile’s “Them
Changes”. I loved the bluesy spin they
put on the Bob Marley classic “No
Woman No Cry”, as well as the clever mash-up with the Five Stairsteps’ 1970 top-ten hit “O-o-h Child”. Delbert
McClinton’s “Standing on Shaky Ground” was a real treat, highlighted by an
outstanding performance by Hall on
his seven string bass, and Giblin on
organ. Stevie Wonder’s “Higher Ground” immediately followed, keeping the
groove afloat and the audience on cloud nine.
Watching these musicians in
action makes me proud to live in a community which not only has a wealth of
great talent, but through appreciation of live music, is able to retain these
talented artists we get so much enjoyment from.
All Photos by Phillip Smith
Craig Erickson |
Craig Erickson / John Hall |
John Hall |
Craig Erickson |
John Hall / Tom 'T-Bone' Giblin |
Alicia Strong |
Alicia Strong |
Jon Wilson |
Voice of Cedar Lake |
Alicia Strong |
Craig Erickson |
Craig Erickson / Alicia Strong |
John Hall |
Saturday, June 18, 2016
Dylan Wickens & The Grand Naturals - Hi Lo-Fi
2015 – Dylan Wickens
& The Grand Naturals
By Phillip Smith; June 18, 2016
Hi Lo-Fi, the wonderfully bluesy sophomore release from Dylan Wickens and The Grand Naturals is a delightful listen. This rockin’ trio from Ontario consists of guitarist Wickens, drummer Al Webster(Jeff Healey, Colin James), and bassist Dennis Pinhorn(Downchild).
There’s a cool little SRV vibe going on “Love & Lust”. It’s fun, funky and infectious. “Run Sister” gets down and dirty, with intense
grooves fueled by fuzzy guitar riffs, and heaping dose of hot harp from Tortoise Blue. I love the retro blues sound of “Calamity
Jane”. The organ accompaniment from Blue adds a nice touch too. By the time “Fall Apart” comes around, I’m
jamming out in full force. This psychedelic
treat is a powerhouse. Another favorite,
“Rock Bottom” is slathered in heavy electric blues with a strong Hendrix influence. It is almost trance-inducing.
Wickens also delivers a big mess of bodacious
slide in the cover of “In My Time of Dying”. It is grand.
This is an album I could
listen to all day long. Hi Lo-Fi is a sure-fire winner.
for more info about Dylan Wickens & the Grand Naturals, visit their website... http://www.dylanwickens.ca/
for more info about Dylan Wickens & the Grand Naturals, visit their website... http://www.dylanwickens.ca/
Saturday, June 11, 2016
Bill Durst - Good Good Lovin
2015 – Durstwerks
By Phillip Smith; June 11, 2016
Good Good Lovin, the latest from Canadian bluesman Bill Durst (Thundermug), is one hell of a treat. With bassist Joe DeAngelis and drummer Corey Thompson at his side, Durst is serving up some of the tastiest Texas-style guitar blues and boogie I’ve heard. The album features nine original kick-ass tracks co-written by Durst and DeAngelis, of which most sport a strong ZZ Top vibe.
The music hits the ground
running with title track “Good Good Lovin”.
Durst dishes out fuzzy riffs and
groovy licks as this infectious song races along, hammering the listener’s
adrenal glands into submission. “Got
Love” keeps the energy levels high with call-backs to early Led Zeppelin. Durst’s
gravelly vocals sound so cool as he’s ripping it up on guitar in the
outstanding power shuffle “King Snake Prowl”. His slide guitar on “Heaven Heaven” sounds mighty
sweet too.
I could listen to Durst play
guitar all day long and not tire. Good
Good Lovin is an instant favorite which needs no time to warm up to. Fans of ZZ
Top should strongly consider picking a copy of this album up.
For more info on Bill Durst, visit his website http://www.billdurst.com/
Saturday, June 4, 2016
Peter Kelly - Don’t Let Me Be Alone
2015 – Peter Kelly Music
By Phillip Smith; June 4, 2016
Rich poppy melodies and dark poignant lyrics are the focus of Peter Kelly’s album Don’t Let Me Be Alone. The ten original songs from this New York singer/songwriter are smart and all beautifully performed by Kelly himself. “Live The Dream” sweetly ushers the listener in with lush vocals and swirling rhythms. Following is the quirky anthem for codependents ”Don’t Let Me Be Alone”, in which Kelly keeps things flowing with contagious hooks. Irony is king in “Suicidal”. This upbeat ditty about cloaking suicidal thoughts with fake smiles is infectious and clever. It is one of my favorites. Kelly blends rap and pop, topped off with melodic vocals, for “Tailwind (It’s a Beautiful Day)”, a song I love to start the day with.
Don’t Let Me Be Alone is a terrific listen from beginning to end, and comes
highly recommended.
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