Kevin Steele - vocals
Stacey Blades - guitar
Dorian Sage - bass
Tommy Weder - drums
This CD was written with the original band from 1st CD, and it's a great underrated CD in my eyes, bought it in 95 and still jam to it, catchy hooks, riffs galore and a bit more blues to it not so one dimensional.. But to the point of fun tongue and cheek lyrics and awesome solos great follow up to a band that didn't get the recognition it deserved, just give a listen to "Stone Dead Drunk Again", and you be into the whole disc. It is fun party rock at its best... (C. hammer @ www.amazon.com)
Han Van Dam: piano
Hans Dulfer: tenor saxophone
Bob Dros: drums
Guus Laporte: guitar, background vocals
Johnny Laporte: guitar
Tineke Schoemaker: vocals
Roscoe Stallworth: bas
Neil Carswell has shed his skin from the days of his band Copperhead like a Cobra ready to mesmerize old and new fans alike. Good Man’s Journey is a great southern blues-rock album in the tradition of the Allman Brothers and bands that make similar music.
Carswell has that roughly hewn southern whiskey vocal style that makes all the words come across with maximum impact. I mean you can really ‘feel’ it when he sings. He has a little help from his friends too. Johnny Neel (keyboards, Allman Bros.), Barry Goudreau (guitar, Boston), Stu Kimball (guitar, Bob Dylan), and Chris Anderson (guitar, The Outlaws), lend their experience and tasteful playing to the mix. If you look at the all people involved, they have the necessary background,styles, and resumes to help Neil perfect this recording. Carswell and Anderson also combined their efforts to produce the CD.
“The Cain Preacher” kick starts the proceedings with some scorching blues-rock guitar courtesy of Goudreau, with Carswell belting out the lyrics as if he held every word dear to his heart. It all should come across that way when you are playing deep down southern blues-rock. This release is different from Carswell’s previous work, it is more down to earth,bluesy, and richly coloured with some slower grooves, although it does have its share of rockin’ moments too. What it all boils down to is this- if you love the blues and southern rock, this CD is for you.
Some of the more emotional and meaningful tracks that struck a chord in my heart were “Poor Side Of The Tracks” and “Never Been Born.” For a heavy dose of reality and a taste of the cards dealt unfairly at times in life, “Poor Side Of The Tracks” cuts right to the bone. “Never Been Born,” is a heart-wrenching track about Mom and her struggles to teach you right from wrong while you are growing up. That was one hell of closer for my ears; it got right in the crosshairs of my feelings and thoughts and hung on tight from beginning to end. It always helps when it is all backed by some incredibly good music and a vocalist that knows how to delivery the goods.
Neil Carswell is man with many talents musically, but his ability to sing a song that you will never forget is a gift from the gods that anyone with an ounce of soul and feeling could understand. (Keith "MuzikMan" Hannaleck)
You might call Jimmy D. Lane a natural born bluesman. His father was the legendary Jimmy Rogers, who Jimmy D. shared the stage with for many years before recording on his own. Lane can play it '50s-style, as he did with his father and on Eomot RaSun's album, but he can also turn it up and rock out with any of the finest guitar slingers. For It's Time, Lane tackles a program of original tunes (except for one), with the aid of Double Trouble, Stevie Ray Vaughan's rhythm section. These guys bring decades of experience to their blues rhythms, and know exactly how to support a player like Lane. Keyboard duties are split between Celia Ann Price on B3 and piano, and Mike Finnigan on the B3. In addition, the album was produced and engineered by the one and only Eddie Kramer, who adds crisp, clear production values and some very subtle studio tricks (check out the panning in the slide solo on "Stuck in the Middle").
As a writer, Lane sticks close to standard subject matter "What Makes People" is certainly a close cousin of Willie Dixon's "The Same Thing," but the variety of tempos and grooves and great playing all around keep the album exciting. The reggae-inflected acoustic rhythm guitar and congas give "Til I Loved You" a unique sound, and the acoustic guitar, haunting slide and general atmosphere of "Stuck in the Middle" brings Lane close to Little Axe territory. "Ain't It a Pity" adds a bit of gospel flavour, a wonderful liquid guitar tone and the slightest bit of echo on some of Lane's vocals to great effect. But most of these songs showcase Lane's considerable guitar prowess and tough playing style. Great guitar solos are in abundance all over It's Time, and Lane really gets a chance to stretch out on Elmore James' "Bleeding Heart" (yet another connection to Jimi Hendrix's legacy). Credit must also go to label/studio owner Chad Kassem for putting out blues albums that sound the way they ought to: real musicians playing real instruments together in the same space without the gloss and polish (especially on drums) that is the bane of too many modern blues albums. Any fan of serious blues guitar really needs to check out Jimmy D. Lane, and It's Time is an excellent place to start.
First inspired by Van Halen's classic song "Hot For Teacher", Olney, IL native Brent Rubsam was age 7 when he first picked up a guitar in 1983, and he's been hooked ever since. Through the years he has played and sang in a multitude of bands playing everything from blues to hard rock. One of Brent's main influences over the years has been the legendary Stevie Ray Vaughan. Since the day he first heard Stevie Ray's playing, he's been inspired to develop his own bluesy & aggressive style on the guitar. Other influences include Warren Haynes, Jimi Hendrix, Buddy Guy, BB King, Randy Rhoads, Steve Vai, Eric Clapton, Tommy Castro, Popa Chubby, Walter Trout, Gary Moore, and many others.
Brent currently keeps busy teaching 40 plus guitar students a week at his home in Olney, IL and by playing between 100 to 150 dates a year both solo acoustic and with the hardest working band in Illinois, "Blind Date." Brent's band, "The Brent Rubsam Project" is sponsored by Budweiser True Music, and has opened up shows for several well-known classic rock acts including Bad Company former lead singer Brian Howe, Dr. Hook, The Little River Band, Molly Hatchet, Great White, Firehouse, and others. Brent also currently handles lead guitar and singing duties for a rockin' power trio called "Sleaze Factor."
Since the release of Brent's debut blues-rock EP "Hard Rain" in Dec. of 2002, the disc has hit the number 10 spot on the Mp3tunes.com Electric Blues Chart, hit the number 2 spot on the IUMA Blues Chart, has been a featured CD on OnlineRock.com, and received some international radio airplay.
In addition, Brent was the recipient of the Director’s Award in the 2006 Nashville International Songwriting Competition, was a finalist in the 2006 Compo 10 International Blues Songwriting Competition, and his song "Destination Anywhere" was featured the first week of Oct. 2006 on the nationally syndicated "Blues Deluxe Radio Hour." He has also recently placed 2nd in the 2007 "G3" Guitar Playoffs (losing by 1 point according to one judge), and was recently voted "Best Band in Richland County" in the 2007 Olney Daily Mail People's Choice Awards.
The Outlaws' 1978 album Playin' to Win marked a significant change in musical direction almost certainly due, in large part, to up-and-coming producer Robert John "Mutt" Lange. The Florida-based Southern rockers had just come off the live album Bring It Back Alive early that year, and concert albums quite often preface a change in a band's style. Lange made Playin' to Win a much slicker sounding record than the Outlaws' first three studio albums. This was also the first studio album without vocalist/guitarist Henry Paul, who was directly responsible for the traditional country elements in the Outlaws' original sound. He'd been replaced by Freddie Salem on Bring It Back Alive.
The majority of the songs were still largely contributed by vocalists/guitarists Hughie Thomasson and Billy Jones, and the guitar and vocal harmonies are still intact, but Lange's production smoothes some of the edges too much, robbing the Outlaws of a bit of their rough-hewn charm. "Take It Anyway You Want It" immediately announces the Outlaws' new, lightly polished sound. "Cry Some More" verges on bouncy pop at times, but the guitar work provides some bite. The anthem "You Are the Show" is bookended by moody guitar parts. Jones' "If Dreams Came True" is gentle and lush, and the soft percussion work is fascinating. "A Real Good Feelin'" is easygoing country/pop, and Thomasson adds pedal steel fills. Salem's dramatic ballad "Falling Rain" proves he's a fully integrated into the band. Playin' to Win ends with an excellent cover of the Sutherland Brothers and Quiver's "Dirty City." It starts off slyly funky and turns into a guitar workout jam.
The one-man Rock 'n' Roll band Freeky Cleen was started in 2004 when Ilya Polishchuk (guitar, bass, vocals, percussion and harmonica) and Alex Okhrimenko (tech) fondly decided to challenge the world’s major record labels by creating their own home studio and possibly their own label after the band had failed to get signed. They built, installed and configured their recording equipment themselves which they believed would set them apart from other recording studios in Kyiv, Ukraine (Eastern Europe) - mostly pop-oriented at the time.
Ilya came to try the new gear and soon he got so involved with exploring new sonic ideas that he felt he should take a chance to capture a few original songs previously kept in cold storage. As a result of this blistering effort Freeky Cleen's debut album "Infertility" was released in 2005. The album contained all original compositions with elements of hard rock, boogie woogie, and rhythm and blues which reflected the band's kick-ass back-to-the-roots attitude.
The early hits by Freeky Cleen such as “Evil Mother” and “Dead Man’s Show” brought the band to local “celebrity” status in Kyiv and established Freeky Cleen as soul-mates to US sleaze rockers of the late 80s. Technically restricted to their own sound, the guys went on to develop better sonic concepts which led them to record a new album entitled “Augean Stables” (2006).
The second Freeky Cleen’s album incorporated memorable songs such as “Male Chauvinist Pig”, “What It Takes” and a power ballad "One For Me" which held a dynamic balance of Ilya’s expressive roar with his dexterity on the guitar. The album “Augean Stables” received very positive reviews. The latest album “Street Roots” (2007) contains only a few songs at this point but the powerful bluesy hits “Jellyroll Lovin” and "Mr. Please Me" really beg to be heard.
Although the guys have been aware they are in a bad time for Rock 'n' Roll they would still hope to build up another home of true rock spirit. Have a taste of that straight-ahead gritty and bluesy rock – absolutely free of trendy stuff! (http://freekycleen.org.ua/home.html)
These four musicians came out of Coventry and made one sole album released on the rare Neon Records (other releases of interest to progheads on that label would be SPRING, TONTON MACOUTE) that did not manage to promote their artists correctly, although INDIAN SUMMER had the same management as BLACK SABBATH. Their album consists of fairly long numbers with much KB-driven hard rock and lots of instrumental interplay-- a typical release of the times. Although the band could be placed among the likes of Mk2, PURPLE or URIAH HEEP, they manage to have a sound of their own. This is a basic quartet - HARKER on bass, HOOPER on drums, Bob JACKSON's KB & vocals, and Colin WILLIAMS's guitar - but they have enough tricks up their sleeves to keep you interested and enthused throughout the album.
INDIAN SUMMER is highly recommended to progheads who are in love with the early 70's and wishing to delve deeper past the classics toward finding smaller gems such as this one. (Hugues Chantraine, BELGIUM)
This DVD release is the extended and unabashed version of the CD of the same name. Marie Trout (Walter's wife) woke up one night and decided that it might be an idea to, instead of just working on a new CD, to take the idea out into a venue (in this case, the famous Paradiso Club in Amsterdam) and record it live in front of an appreciative studio audience.
Walter has always sounded better in the flesh, so this is a great idea and really showcases his abilities in a way not afforded by a mere studio album. The DVD features extra tracks such as Dust My Broom and some of his previous songs but both versions feature his now trademark '73 Fender Strat screaming and tearing through a great setlist.
He also gets to play acoustic guitar on a couple of tracks, namely 'Lonely Tonight' and the spiritual 'Jericho Road' where Walter plays some beautiful unplugged solo parts, as well as a custom-made Vigier electric guitar that adds a different feel to the more rocky tracks. What's evident here is the sensitivity of the man, which sometimes gets lost on his regular outings, a sense of light and shade and of balancing out the various sides of his personality. It also shows that there is very little in the way of sweetening up and that what you hear on an album (as is evidenced here) is Walter and the Boys.
The whole show is infused with Walter's untamed and incendiary musicianship. There are a plenty of introductions to songs, so you get the background to them. There is even a joke told by Jimmy Trapp, imitating the great Saul Liebermann. The band are in great spirits throughout and there is no holding back from any of them at all, they play their hearts out and it's no wonder really, as the Paradiso is Walter's favourite venue on Planet Earth. (http://www.amazon.com)
Tracklist:
01 - Intro 00:40
02 - Dust My Broom 07:21
03 - Reason I'm Gone 09:31
04 - Talk To Ya 05:40
05 - I'm Tired 07:33
06 - Cry If You Want To 05:25
07 - Helpin' Hand 06:06
08 - Lonely Tonight 02:35
09 - The Life I Chose 06:27
10 - Work No More 06:26
11 - Jericho Road 05:10
12 - Chatroom Girl 07:31
13 - Empty Eyes 05:23
14 - My Heart Is True 07:05
15 - Collingswood 05:39
16 - The Best You Got 06:37
17 - Mercy 08:46
18 - Serve Me Right To Suffer 15:18
19 - Long Time Love - Good Enough To Eat [Bonus] 13:30
This is a DVD-Rip including the bonus-tracks. I ripped it from the original DVD and cut the tracks with mp3DirectCut.
Copperhead is known as one of the last great Southern rock bands to emerge from the 90’s. Neil Carswell, the driving force behind southern rock legends Copperhead, has released a stunning new collection of tracks from the archives. "Live & Lost" is a combination of studio and live gems that will have fans of the band rejoicing and hollering for a reunion of the powerful lineup.
“Live and Lost” packs the energy and passion of Neil Carswell as both a performer and songwriter. The CD features four live tracks and eight studio tracks engineered and produced by Rodney Mills and Tom Dowd.
Artists:
Neil Carswell - Lead Vocals & Guitar
Jon Byrd - Lead Guitar
Brad Durden - Keyboards
Tony Hawkins - Bass
Eric Suttlemyre - Drums
Among the wide and numerous ranks of aspiring young Texas musicians, “something different” is an idiom that is often toted and seldom achieved. Forty Thieves has proven an exception to this rule, carving out a unique musical niche that incorporates a host of styles and influences, from blues, jazz, and rock to country, folk, and even gospel. Forty Thieves energetic live show invokes an open versatility reminiscent of artists such as the Allman Brothers, Black Crowes, and Grateful Dead, while their concise recordings maintain a pop sensibility that proves accessible to a wide range of audiences.
Forty Thieves began in Austin, Texas, in 2001, stemming from weekly acoustic shows by frontman Josh Davis at Cain and Abel’s, a popular University of Texas campus bar. As these low-key jam sessions gathered momentum, the band began honing their original material, and played their first shows in the summer of 2002.
In the summer of 2003, the band recorded a self-titled EP and hit the road, juggling show dates in Austin with performances in Lubbock, Fort Worth, Dallas, San Marcos, and Waco.
In 2004, Forty Thieves became one of Austin’s hardest working bands. They maintained a residency at the Dizzy Rooster, a newly opened 6th street bar, as well as regular shows at such popular Austin watering holes as Friends, Ego’s, Hole in the Wall, and Maggie Mae’s. All in all, the band played over 100 shows on 6th street and on the road in 2004.
In August of 2004, the band took time off to record their first full length studio album, entitled I Don’t Owe You a Thing. The record was cut in South Austin’s Bismeaux Studios, under the guidance of Cris Burns, one of Austin’s top engineers.
In 2005, Forty Thieves added guitarist Dizzy Gillespie to round out a fuller, more rock and roll sound. Dizzy’s accomplished resume includes worldwide touring as a solo artist and collaboration with the Kentucky Headhunters, Doyle Bramhall Sr., Whitesnake, Bugs Henderson, and Ed King of Lynyrd Skynyrd.
Forty Thieves embarks upon the future with a full-length album and three years of hard gigging under their belts. As the band continues to mature and progress, so does the music Forty Thieves fans have come to find so inspiring. Come see the band live, buy the album, and discover why Forty Thieves will steal the show for years to come.
Forty Thieves are:
Josh Davis: vocals, guitar, piano
Josh Greco: drums, vocals
Dizzy Gillespie: guitars, mandolin, vocals
Roger Rodriguez: bass, vocals
Live version of Israel Tolbert's (and Freddie King my hero) Big Legged Woman at the Yale in Vancouver (which is now closed) boo! :(
James Rogers on Guitar and Vocals, Mike Kalanj on Keys, Mike Wedge on Bass and Marko Ibarra on Drums. The guitar amp being used is a Kingsley amp, the pickups in the strat are made by James Rogers (www.rogerspickups.com) and the guitar is plugged directly into the amp, no pedals at all. (www.jamesrogers.ca)
Buck has been around for years, playing guitar with the likes of Clifton Chenier, Katie Webster, Henry Gray, Lazy Lester and on Paul Simon's Graceland album. His second solo recording shows why he has played on hundreds of recordings. His playing is crisp and clean, very tasteful without the "let's see how many notes I can play" mentality. He will let a few notes tell the story with a deep feeling. This one is blues with a bit of the swamp thrown in. Buck does include a couple of zydeco tunes to share his roots. One highlight is "The Blues is Killing Me", a Sinegal original slow blues about life's misfortunes. If you like down-home blues with a little spice and great guitar work, you will want this one too. Buck has certainly made the best of a Bad Situation.
The band was formed in Zwolle, Overijssel (The Netherlands) in 1966 by Leen Ripke. It was one of the first Dutch groups playing blues and rhythm & blues with horns. They were also one of the few bands in the 1960's that had a respectable three albums out! The band was troubled by the fact that another local band, the more popular Cuby & The Blizzards consequently stole musicians from Blues Dimension. Their biggest hit 'Get Ready' was a cover from Rare Earth. In 1969, the group's breakup was announced in the title of their last album. (http://www.discogs.com)
Frédéric Lani (guitars, vocals)
Axel Muller (drums)
Jérome Boquet (rythm guitar)
Papy X (bass guitar)
guests:
Pieter van Bogaert (organ)
Dave Reniers (harp)
Pascale Michiels & Chantal Willie (backing vocals)
The status that El Fish enjoys in Flanders, that of the most interesting young blues band, has been reserved in the South of the country for some years already and with as big a margin to Fred & his Healers. But where El Fish is always smuggling influences from outside into the blues repertoire, Frédéric Lani and his troup are being much more "good boys", colouring well within the lines of the blues idiom. On opening track "Stayin' Out" it goes "Old-fashioned blues, is not useless. You know we're here to stay, it's not 'cause we're grotesque. Make people feel good, don't tell them no lie. You know we're here to stay, let's have another try".
Fred is first and foremost a phenomenal blues guitarist, constantly on the lookout for a moment in each song to start freaking out over the full length of his guitar neck. But on this third CD Electerrified, much more work has gone into the variation and structure of the songs - there is but one cover on it - which leads them from hard boogie and rocking blues à la Johnny Winter or Rory Gallagher to sad bluespop à la Stevie Ray Vaughn. This variation is highly beneficial to the CD and as Fred rightly said in interviews promoting the album "it is varied but homogeneous, with less space for "guitar heroism" ... Our playing has become more mature. We have tried to get rid of all parasites in our music, to get to the heart of it and concentrate really on composition and writing. Electerrified is our most finished album up to now."
The vocal parts are of a lesser quality, still, and they clearly demonstrate that this ain't no band of coloured folk from the Mississippi delta playing, but white bums from somewhere just South of Brussels. (http://houbi.com/belpop/albums/fredhealers.htm)
This is heavy, really heavy! Karin Rudefelt has to be Sweden’s best blues singer and she even scores high on the overall listing. Add a band which knows what it’s doing and you get first class blues! Lennart Olofsson has written blues songs that are simply perfect. Modern blues which clings on to its roots and it is all good. It is blues that’s vibrant, feels right and real. Buy the album if you want to hear blues that lives. (Lennart Gotesson / Newspaper Dala-Demokraten)