The Beaker Brothers Band live at the Iowa Arts Festival : Iowa City, IA ~ June 6, 2015

All photos by Phillip Smith 

Ed English

Steve Grismore

John Shultz

Ed English and Dan Bernstein

Steve Grismore

James Dreier

Dan Bernstein

John Shultz

Dan Hummel

John Shultz

Ed English

Steve Grismore

Jeremy Kittel Band live at the Iowa Arts Festival : Iowa City, IA ~ June 6, 2015

 All Photos by Phillip Smith 

The Bodeans live at the Iowa Arts Festival : Iowa City, IA ~ June 6, 2015

All Photos by Phillip Smith

Set List : June 6, 2015 Iowa City, IA

Bodeans - I Can’t Stop

2015 – Free & Alive Records

By Phillip Smith; June 6, 2015

They say you can’t keep a good man down.  The same goes for Kurt Neumann.  Neumann’s most recent album under the Bodeans moniker is a pure delight. Neumann is the only one left from the original lineup, but he keeps chugging along as a prolific writer and musician.  I Can’t Stop contains a dozen original tracks which just gets better with each listen.

Neumann leads the album off “Slave”.  Thick swampy blues-soaked slide guitar licks which ride atop a cool tribal beat makes this one sound so good.  “Oh Mama”, “Roll With the Punches”, and “Yesterday” capture that slightly poppy rocking Bodeans sound oh so elegantly.  Songs like these are what made me a Bodeans fan in the first place. Emotions run deep in the beautiful and melancholy break-up song “Beg or Borrow”. Accompaniment from the Junkyard Horns is an added bonus.  “Something We Found” rolls out like a pop-infused folk rock Mumford and Sons tune.  This catchy-as-hell song is quick to put a grin on my face.

I Can’t Stop is rapidly becoming not only one of my favorite Bodeans albums, but one of my favorite albums this year.   

http://phillycheezeblues.blogspot.com/

John Mayall’s Bluesbreakers - Live in 1967

2015 – Forty Below Records

By Phillip Smith; May 30, 2015

For a short three-month stint in 1967, John Mayall’s Bluesbreakers consisted of future Fleetwood Mac members, Peter Green, John McVie, and Mick Fleetwood.  Because a devoted fan from Holland was ballsy enough to sneak a one track reel-to-reel recorder into five different clubs in London to record a handful of shows, we are blessed to hear the magic which took place when these four musicians took the stage.  Keeping in mind, this was recorded in mono, from a hidden tape recorder; the results are consistent with most bootleg recordings from that era.  Live in 1967 gives us thirteen sweet blues-smothered tracks to chew on. 

The Bluesbreakers break out a little briefcase of blues featuring Freddie King songs : “Have You Ever Loved a Woman”, “The Stumble”, “Someday After Awhile”, and “San Ho Zay”.  Peter Green kills it on guitar covering these.  It’s just downright cool to hear him rip into “The Stumble”.  This is blues guitar at its finest.  The opening riff on “San Ho Zay” is so lush; I wish it could have been recorded off a board.

I love their performance of T Bone Walker’s “Stormy Monday”.  This one puts me in my bluesy space immediately. Mayall on vocals and organ guides this one from start to finish with a delicious guitar performance from Green.  This is what music is all about, right here.    

John Mayall and Fleetwood Mac fans are sure to enjoy this historical bluesy treat.

http://phillycheezeblues.blogspot.com/

Also check out my review of John Mayall's  2014 album, A Special Life  => http://phillycheezeblues.blogspot.com/2014/07/john-mayall-special-life.html 

The Cash Box Kings - Holding Court

2015 – Blind Pig Records

By Phillip Smith; May 16, 2015

Chicago blues masters The Cash Box Kings return again to serve up a nice and healthy dose of classic-sounding blues on their new album, Holding Court.  Stomping through the decades, they seem very at home playing in the musical styles prevalent during the Thirties through the Fifties.  Joe Nosek, and Oscar Wilson continue to front the band, and it absolutely pleases me to see Barrelhouse Chuck back on piano/organ, as well drummer Kenny “Beedy Eyes” Smith sitting in on three tracks.  

Nosek holds down the harmonica, and Joel Paterson delivers great twangy licks on lead guitar while kicking things off with the Willie Dixon cover, “I Ain’t Gonna Be No Monkey Man”.  They also nail down a sweet cover of John Lee Hooker’s “Hobo Blues”.  Paterson plays it nice and slow.   

The Cash Box Kings certainly have a knack for bringing current issues to light in their lyrics.  “Download Blues”, written by Nosek, documents the monetary hardships musicians face these days because of illegal downloading on the back of a common devil-may-care attitude about sharing copyrighted material. Whereas “Gotta Move Out to the Suburbs” is a commentary about folks living in the inner city, being pushed out of their homes, to make way for expensive high-rises and skateboard parks. Both are favorites.  

It’s so nice to hear the Blues presented in the unadulterated manner The Cash Box Kings meticulously perform it.  Holding Court is true gem.