Monday, August 15, 2022

#569 > Sunflower River Blues & Gospel Festival - 2022 (PhillyCheezeBlues.Blogspot.com)

 


Sunflower River Blues & Gospel Festival - 2022

Clarksdale, Mississippi

August 11-14, 2022

By Phillip Smith; August 15, 2022

Original Source : phillycheezeblues.blogspot.com


I had a terrific time on my third trip down to Clarksdale, Mississippi for the Sunflower River Blues and Gospel Festival.  The festivities began Thursday evening at the Grits, Greens & BBQ VIP party where we were treated to a delicious meal.  Live entertainment was provided by Stan Street and Jaxx Nassar, Sean “Bad” Apple, and Terry “Big T” Williams.  It was an absolutely fabulous time.

After catching a few live acts (Steve Kolbus, Jaxx Nassar, Lala Craig, and Lucious Spiller) at the Ground Zero Blues Club on Friday afternoon, court was held at the main stage next to the Delta Blues Museum.  The artist lineup was outstanding.  It featured The Delta Blues Museum Band, Heavy Suga & the SweetTones, Lucious Spiller, Anthony “Big A” Sherrod, and James “Super Chikan” Johnson.  

Saturday, I started off at Ground Zero for more blues from Steve Kolbus, Mark Miller, Walter Busby, and Lee Williams.  Afterwards, I headed off to Cat Head to catch their 20th year festivities with a lovely live front-porch performance from Australia “Honeybee” Jones and 19th Street Red.  Knowing Jaxx Nassar was playing again at Ground Zero, we headed back to catch one more set from her, and staying for Big Train and the Loco Motives from Norman Oklahoma was a must.  Immediately following their captivating performance, it was time to settle back down again at the main stage for Brad Money Maker, Mark “Mule Man” Massey, and riveting set from Jimbo Mathus.  

It was a phenomenal time from start to finish.   Sunflower River Blues and Gospel Festival is an event I highly recommend paying a visit to.

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Previous blog entries for this festival:

PhillyCheeze's Rock & Blues Reviews: #513 : Sunflower River Blues & Gospel Festival - 2021 (phillycheezeblues.blogspot.com)

PhillyCheeze's Rock & Blues Reviews: #403 : Sunflower River Blues & Gospel Festival 2019 (phillycheezeblues.blogspot.com)

 

 

Websites of places mentioned:

 

Delta Cultural Center - www.arkansasheritage.com/delta-cultural-center/delta-cultural-center-home

Shack Up Inn – shackupinn.com

Ground Zero Blues Club – groundzerobluesclub.com

Delta Blues Museum – deltabluesmuseum.org

Hooker Grocery -- www.hookergrocer.com

Cat Head Delta Blues & Folk Artwww.cathead.biz

 

 

 

 

Websites of artists mentioned:

 

Big Train & the Loco Motives – bigtrainsblues.com

Jimbo Mathus - www.therealjimbomathus.com

Steve Kolbus and the Clarksdale Blues Reviewwww.stevekolbus.com

 

 

For more information about the festival, visit this website - www.sunflowerfest.org

 

 

 

All Photos by Phillip Smith


Mark Miller & Steve Kolbus

Ground Zero Blues Club

Jaxx Nassar & Stan Street

Sean "Bad" Apple

Terry "Big T" Williams

Steve Kolbus and Mark Miller

Jaxx Nassar

Jaxx Nassar

Lala Craig

Lucious Spiller

Delta Blues Museum Band

Heavy Suga & SweetTones

Walt Busby

Heather Crosse

Lucious Spiller

Lucious Spiller Band

Lucious Spiller Band - Jaxx Nassar 

Lucious Spiller Band

Lucious Spiller

Anthony "Big A" Sherrod

Anthony "Big A" Sherrod Band

Anthony "Big A" Sherrod

Anthony "Big A" Sherrod

James "Super Chikan" Johnson

James "Super Chikan" Johnson Band 

James "Super Chikan" Johnson Band - Lala Craig

Super Chikan

Super Chikan

James "Super Chikan" Johnson Band - Heather Falduto

Lee Williams

Mark Miller

Steve Kolbus

Walt Busby

 

Bill "Howl-N-Madd" and Shy Perry

Australia "Honeybee" Jones and 19th Street Red

Australia "Honeybee" Jones and 19th Street Red

Big Train & the Loco Motives - Casey Saunders

Big Train & the Loco Motives

Mike Lander & Bill Cummins

Big Train & the Loco Motives

Brad Money Maker Band

Heather Crosse

Heather Cross, Lee Williams, & Walt Busby

Mark "Mule Man" Massey

Jimbo Mathus

Jimbo Mathus

Jimbo Mathus

Jimbo Mathus


  

All Photos by Phillip Smith


Saturday, August 6, 2022

#568 > Bad Daddy - It's a Mad Mad Bad Dad World (PhillyCheezeBlues.Blogspot.com)

 


2022 – PieHole Records

By Phillip Smith; Aug. 6, 2022

Original source : phillycheezeblues.blogspot.com

 

With roots in Maine and Chicago, Paul Waring, aka Big Daddy, has fully captured my attention with his stunning new blues album, It’s a Mad Mad Bad Dad World.  Big Daddy packs a hell of a wallop with Waring on guitar and vocals, featuring engineer Pete Galanis on guitars as well.  The rest of the band is comprised of Elton Jaan on Hammond organ, Ari Seder on bass, Jason “JROC” Edwards on drums, plus backing singers Andrea Miologos and Bree Gordon.

From the beginning of the record with “Blues at Home”, I snuggle right in to the vibrant organ, hot guitar licks, and smoky vocals.  The song is solidly cloaked in the spirit of the Allman Brothers and is sweet music for my soul.  I love that upbeat Chicago rhythm as it mixes with the swampy slide and steady-rolling Hammond in “Pork Pie Hat”.  It’s most definitely a signature track.  Time slows down to a beautiful crawl in “The Blues I Can Use”.  The mellow landscape Bad Daddy creates for this one is topped with a with a riveting electric guitar solo.  “Trip on Your Love” struts down the way in a chunky Seventies psychedelic blues-rock manner, reeling me in with its delightful, funky groove.  I totally dig it.  

It’s a Mad Mad Bad Dad World by Bad Daddy is a highly recommended listen with its no-holds barred blues.                     

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For more information about Bad Daddy, visit this website : https://www.badaddy.com/

 

Available on Bandcamp


 


Tuesday, August 2, 2022

#567 > Ghost Town Blues Band Live @ Prairie Dog Blues Festvial – July 28, 2022

 

Ghost Town Blues Band

Live @ Prairie Dog Blues Festvial – July 28, 2022

Prairie du Chien, Wisconsin

By Phillip Smith; June 28, 2022


Original source : phillycheezeblues.blogspot.com

* All Photos by Phillip Smith

 

For the first time, Prairie Dog Blues Festival had live music on the Thursday evening preceding the festival to get things going.  For this inaugural addition to the festival, the chosen band to kick it all off was Memphis Tennessee’s Ghost Town Blues Band.  Playing two ninety-minute sets with a minor break in between, they performed all of their fan-favorites, as well as a lot of deep cuts.   The show was colossal to say the least.






























 

 

Tuesday, July 26, 2022

#566 > Color Green - Color Green (PhillyCheezeBlues.Blogspot.com)

 


2022 – Org Music

By Phillip Smith; July 26, 2022

Original source : phillycheezeblues.blogspot.com

 

I love it when music like this new self-titled album from Color Green comes my way.  Their music is cut from the same fabric as many of my favorite bands, such as Grateful Dead, Allman Brothers, Phish, and Flaming Lips.  Formed in Queens, but now based in Los Angeles, Color Green is comprised of co-founders Noah Kohll and Corey Madden.  Together this duo creates a dreamy eight-track cocktail of roots-based rock.

“Warbling Sky” tranquilly floats through the gate first. riding atop a layer of pedal steel from Tim Ramsey and a Dead-inspired bridge which explodes with energy.  It’s magnificent. Upbeat and slightly twangy, “Ill Fitting Suit” is another fun one.  With a hook that says “you pay your dues, I’ll pay mine”, this song would easily compel a field of hippies to dance.  With Madelyn Strutz on banjo, “Bell of Silence” is one that soothes the soul with its beautiful, lush melody and hypnotizing harmonies.  Another bonified favorite track “Blizzed Out” swings to a Seventies southern rock groove.  This honey-hole of a track is bodaciously slathered in slide guitar and peppered with unexpected cosmic attacks.  It’s absolutely brilliant.

I highly recommend this album.  Color Green is a terrific listen from start to finish.     

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Also available on Color Green’s Bandcamp page.


Saturday, July 23, 2022

#565 > Cliff Stevens - Better Days (PhillyCheezeBlues.Blogspot.com)

 


2022 – Cliff Stevens

By Phillip Smith; July 23, 2022

Original source : phillycheezeblues.blogspot.com

 

Montreal-based blues-rocker Cliff Stevens has recently released his fifth studio album Better Days.  Loaded with eleven brand-new originals, this record is a genuine dose of heart-tugging blues, reminiscent of the album-oriented music popular in the Seventies.  The music ranges from old-school delta blues to that inspired by the likes of Eric Clapton and Stevie Ray Vaughan.  It surely makes for a hearty listen.  With Stevens on guitar and vocals, Sam Harrison appears on drums, Serge Dionne on bass, Eric Suave on organ/piano, Pat Loiselle on harmonica, and Kim Feeney on vocals.

Stevens rips the wrapping paper off this package in a spectacular way with Texas smoked blues guitar and a sizzling rack of rhythm as title-track “Better Days” lunges forward.    It’s plumb terrific.  Between Stevens’ vocals and Suave’s funktified piano, there’s a huge Dr. John vibe going on in “No Room Left” as Stevens continues to tear it up on guitar.  Amid a driving beat, lush organ, and barrelhouse piano, more hot licks ensue on “Time For Me to Go”.  Then, it’s low and slow for some deep blues on “I’ve Been Thinking About You”.  Steven’s string-bending performance is sweet and crisp.  It sounds so damn good.  When he pairs slide guitar with precision picking, the best of two worlds collide, bringing the album to its end with a delectable instrumental called ‘Slim Picking”. 

Between the fabulous songwriting and the flawless execution of the songs, Better Days from Cliff Stevens stands out as a one of my favorites of the Summer.       


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Also available on Bandcamp


Saturday, July 16, 2022

#564 > Starlite Campbell Band - Live (PhillyCheezeBlues.Blogspot.com)

 


2022 – Supertone

Release Date; July 22, 2022

 

By Phillip Smith; July 16, 2022

Original source: phillycheezeblues.blogspot.com

 

I’ve been hooked on Starlite Campbell Band since reviewing their first album, Blueberry Pie five years ago.  That was such an amazing album.  For their third release, wife and husband Suzy Starlite, and Simon Campbell took their songs on the road across the UK and wove together this delightful eight-track album of live performances with drummer Steve Gibson (Buzzcocks, Jack Bruce) and three organists Jonny Henderson (Matt Schofield, Kirk Fletcher), Christian Madden (the Liam Gallagher Band), and Josh Phillips (Procol Harum).

With a strong opener called “Brother” off Campbell’s 2011 solo album Thirtysix, the music kicks off with a funky beat backed by swirling keys and a driving rhythm.  Their hot guitar licks and buttery bass sound fabulous.  From that same solo album, they break out two more smokin’ blues-rockers: “Preacher of Love” and “Misgivings”.  They both sound magnificent. 

“Said So” from their 2021 Language of Curiosity album, ushers the listener through time and space with brush-strokes of The Kinks, Allman Brothers, and The Who, culminating into a mind-blowing psychedelic treat.  With Josh Phillips behind the keys, they close the record with a beautiful cover of Procol Harum’s “Whiter Shade of Pale”.  Campbell’s vocals are flawless.

Infectious hooks, meaty jams, and innovative song-writing stand front and center, making Starlite Campbell Band’s Live album an exhilarating listen.  It keeps my full attention from beginning to end.             

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PhillyCheeze reviews Starlite Campbell Band

https://phillycheezeblues.blogspot.com/2017/01/starlite-campbell-band-blueberry-pie.html

 

For more information about Starlite Campbell Band, visit https://starlite-campbell.com

For more information about Suzy Starlite, visit https://suzystarlite.com

For more information about Simon Campbell, visit https://simoncampbell.com