NEW YORK: CD Review for Muddy Waters' Authorized Bootleg - by J. Blake

When one thinks of “the great bluesmen” many names come to mind, but certainly one of the leaders at that top echelon of legendary blues musicians would be Mr. McKinley Morganfield (a.k.a. Muddy Waters). In late March of this year, blues fans were treated to an all but forgotten live recording of Waters at the now legendary Fillmore Auditorium in San Francisco, California.

Unfortunately it was not standard practice for Chess Records to record their artists live and even when they did, it was more often than not, very late in the artists’ careers. Little Walter and Sonny Boy Williamson II were never captured live by Chess and the great Howlin’ Wolf’s one officially released live LP was recorded so late in his career (and life) that he was merely a shell of his former “blues giant” self. Though over the years many poor quality live recordings of Chess’ all-stars have surfaced (distributed by much smaller and less reliable record labels), there are exceptions to Chess’ misguided rule. The cream of their live catalogue/crop are 1963’s BO DIDDLEY’S BEACH PARTY and Muddy Waters’ AT NEW PORT (1960), FATHERS AND SONS (1969) (which was only partially live) and 1971’s MUDDY WATER’S LIVE (AT MR. KELLY’S).

In the case of Muddy Waters, whose career began in the 1940s, by 1960 the 45 year-old bluesman was not exactly still in his “prime”, but luckily for fans he was still in great form and certainly much closer to his “prime” then the bulk of his officially distributed live recordings, which were captured during the late-1970s. This new Geffen Records release, the AUTHORIZED BOOTLEG, finds Muddy live at the Fillmore West in November of 1966 and consists of selections recorded over three consecutive nights, the 4th-6th. His voice is strong and commanding here and his slide-guitar work is aggressive and on point. The band is equally as aggressive and plays with an energy that is comparable to the live tracks found on FATHERS AND SONS and (dare I say) surpasses that of the Newport recording. George “Harmonica” Smith, who plays with a meaty and powerful tone here, deserves specific recognition for brilliantly managing to straddle the line between forcefulness and sheer taste.

Probably the most interesting feature of these recordings is the lack of piano. Muddy, who is known for having played with the greatest pianists the blues had to offer (most notably Otis Spann and Pinetop Perkins), is captured here in 1966, sans the tinkling ivories. Though most blues aficionados may be skeptical of such a recording, I assure you that the band carries on nicely without it and seeing how almost all of Muddy’s other live recordings feature a piano, its absence here actually adds an interesting and almost refreshing dynamic to the “oh-so” familiar song list.

Though AT NEWPORT is considered by most blues fans to be the definitive live Muddy recording, I have to admit that I personally like this new Fillmore recording better. As mentioned above, the band plays with a great energy on this recent release and I also happen to feel that they are tighter and bring out a certain power in Muddy’s performance that many of the live recordings I’ve heard seem to lack.

These live recordings come from Wolfgang’s Vault (a.k.a. Fillmore owner Bill Graham’s personal archive). Graham fortunately had the foresight to record many of the concerts performed at his venues and though you can hear most of them at Wolfgangsvault.com, I’ve read that the individual who purchased Graham’s amazing collection is set to release just about everything on CD at some point. Unfortunately that rumor also claims that he his doing so without properly distributing royalties. I don’t know if it is true (please note that right now it is all just hearsay), but it may be a circumstance where the fans get to benefit much more from these amazing live recordings then the artists do.

None the less, blues fans are treated to something special here with Muddy Waters’ AUTHORIZED BOOTLEG: LIVE AT THE FILLMORE AUDITORIUM – SAN FRANCISCO NOV. 04-06 1966. Muddy and his band are in fine form over approximately 74 minutes of Waters classics and the sound quality of the recording itself, is very good. The one flaw I find with the CD is that 4 songs (Forty Days & Forty Nights, Rock Me, Baby Please Don’t Go and Hoochie Coochie Man) are repeated; therefore taking up 8 of the album’s 15 tracks. Granted, each of the performances are wonderful, but it would’ve been nice to include other songs from those shows, instead of just doubling up on Muddy’s greatest hits.

That minor flaw aside, this is a wonderful collection of vintage live Muddy Waters and though he hits it out of the park on every track here, She Moves Me, Got My Mojo Working, You Can’t Lose What You Ain’t Never Had and Long Distance Call definitely standout as exceptional performances from a blues legend.

TRACK LIST:
01. Forty Days And Forty Nights
02. (I'm Your) Hoochie Coochie Man
03. Rock Me
04. Baby, Please Don't Go
05. She Moves Me
06. Got My Mojo Working
07. You Can't Lose What You Ain't Never Had
08. Forty Days And Forty Nights
09. Baby, Please Don't Go
10. Thirteen Highway
11. Rock Me
12. Honey Bee (A.k.a Sail On)
13. Trouble No More
14. (I'm Your) Hoochie Coochie Man
15. Long Distance Call

Copyright © 2009 - J. Blake. All Rights Reserved.

Cincinnati to Denver and the Mile High Blues Festival by Robert "Nighthawk" Tooms

Part 2: Playing the Blues on the Road or How I Spent my Summer Vacation

(Memphis, Tennessee) In our last installment, I recounted my adventures playing the splendid Cincinnati Blues Festival with the Reba Russel Band which is based out of Memphis. I have been the piano/organ /harmonica player in this band for the past 19 years. In today's episode we revisit the Cincinnati Blues Festival before getting on our 8 pm flight to Denver, Colorado, home of the Mile High Blues Festival.

More cool art deco at the Hilton Netherland Plaza, Cincinnati, Ohio

After playing our show on Friday night, we arose late Saturday thanks to the most civilized, musician-friendly check out time of 3 PM(Thanks, Hilton).

Josh Roberts guards the rentalmobile

We eased back into the well-packed rentalmobile and pushed off for the festival grounds once more. We were greeted by:

Midge Fatheree, President of the Cincinnati Blues Society, the awesome folks who sponsor this elaborate enterprise each year. Midge told us that the volunteers of the society make all the food and staff all the jobs that make this musical extravaganza run so smoothly. Nobody gets paid. These kind folks do all this because of their love of the blues and a sincere desire to preserve our indigenous American music. I take my Borsalino off to you all, thank you so very kindly. Midge herself made 10 gallons of very tasty jambalaya for the event this year and it was so good I doubt that there was a morsel left.

Wayne Russell polishes off two desserts as Josh Roberts looks on in awe of our bass-playing trencherman

After a soothing beverage, we checked out a few acts before our return to the airport. The festival grounds were filled with families and music lovers who wandered back and forth between the four big stages.

We heard Cincinnati Blues Society IBC contestant Cheryl Renée and Them Bones(pictured above), a cool local act that puts on what is said to be the best jam in town in a renovated mansion, the Mansion Hill Tavern in Newport, KY, right across the river. She also plays extensively in Torino, Italy. You can check her out at: http://www.cherylrenee.com/index.htm

We then traipsed down to another stage set against the backdrop of the Ohio River to watch Cincinnati's Bluebirds, not to be confused with our friend, Buddy Flett's fine band of the same name. They are comprised of founder, Marcos Sastre, Chris Arduser, Randy Villars, Steve Coghill, Steve Schmidt, Adam Scovanner. Check them out here: http://www.marcossastre.com/

Bluebirds

View from the stage

The Cincinnati Blues Festival is much beloved by young and old

After wishing our friends a fond farewell we hastened for the airport to make our flight to Denver. At airport security Josh Roberts was treated to a trip through the puffer machine. Likewise Reba Russell was extended the same courtesy and not to be outdone, Wayne Russell actually walked into the machine to experience it himself although he had not been invited to do so. Nonetheless, they blasted all three of them with air and did a quick gas chromatograph which revealed nothing more than guitar plectra molecules and the crumbs from the six or seven desserts Wayne had eaten already that day. The man's metabolism is a blast furnace, he eats and never gains an ounce. The food must somehow burn to ash instantaneously.

For those interested in such things, here's more on the puff-job from our friends at Discover magazine:http://discovermagazine.com/2006/oct/air-puffer-explosive-airport


After falling asleep in the airplane seat/knee numbifier/contortion device I could not decide if I were having a heart attack or a back spasm. Either way, it was a little tough on the aged carcass and I was glad to see our big bus arrive from the limo service to take us to our hotel in Denver and the prospect of food and libation.



Along the way, our driver stopped to pick up some other blues artists who had just finished their gig and I was delighted to see our old friend, Bernard Allison, entourage and band, climb in the bus, greeting everyone and shaking hands. He remembered a downright awesome jam we had at our gig at the Black Diamond on Beale Street during its heyday. It was the most fun club in Memphis, bar none. I think it was around 1998 and Bernard's father, the great Luther Allison, had passed away in August of 1997. Bernard indubitably inherited some formidable guitar skills.




Bernard is a very talented, very friendly guy who we always love to see. He was making his way down to Blues on Blake, a cool new Denver supper club where our friend, Mississippian Eden Brent (IBC award winner) was playing. The street was so jammed with people that it took a long time to negotiate the traffic though our hotel was only a couple of blocks away. We wished Bernard well and shortly arrived at the Oxford Hotel.

Our friend, Bernard Allison (photo by Jeff Heinz)

Oxford Hotel lobby, Denver, Colorado

The Oxford Hotel is a classy little place built in 1891 which also features a spa and some damn fine rooms service victuals. Although I did not avail myself of the spa coupon for regular, French or Brazilian wax, I did eat everything that was left in room service after our Sunday night gig and out of fear of reprisal I purposely did not mention to Wayne Russell that I got the last piece of chocolate truffle pie.

Oxford Hotel

After we arrived at the hotel on Saturday night, we went next door to McCormick's Fish House and Bar to avail ourselves of fish tacos, mussels, seafood cakes and a parade of Stellas. We then lumbered off to our comfortable rooms and into the arms or Morpheus for a long snooze.


On Sunday we rolled out to the festival at the new Mile High Marketplace Event Center. It is indeed an impressive facility and we arrived early enough for me to scarf down a couple of ribs and some water before hitting the stage. Thanks to Gina for all the kindness and a great festival. Check them out here: http://www.facebook.com/l/;www.milehighbluesfestival.com






It was good to see our old friend, John Catt, who has kindly booked us at many events in Colorado for several years, including some great times at Smokin' Moe's and events in Winter Park. As a harp player, I must confess it's damn hard for a sea-level dweller like me to catch my breath after playing a couple of songs on the old G harp.

John Catt, bluesman's friend

Reba Russel Band plays at the Mile High Blues Festival, Henderson, Colorado

Thanks to the fine folks at Category 5 boutique amps for providing me with that cool hand-made Ivan amp to play harp through at the festival. It was sweet and I can see why my buddies Jimmy Thackery and Tab Benoit are using them now. Check them out at: http://www.category5amps.com/

Before we went on I got to watch the performance of one of my favorite blues players, John Hammond, who plays harp on a rack as well as anybody I have ever seen. His guitar playing is equally stellar and he was strumming an old National steel guitar con mucho gusto.

John Hammond attacks guitar and harp

John Hammond shares a cookie

After a barn-burning performance, John walked back into the VIP area and busied himself changing a string on his guitar as an adorable little girl watched him, totally enthralled. You could tell he is a very kind and sensitive soul as the little girl finally approached him and offered him a bite of her cookie. John thanked her and took the tiniest bite of the cookie and handed it back to the child. They became instant best friends and he spoke with her for some time as he finished changing his strings. It was a very touching moment and I am glad I got to see this kind gentle blues giant both on the stage and in a more personal, quiet setting.


Son of record producer and talent scout, John H. Hammond, Jr., John P. Hammond began a recording career in 1962 and has recorded over 30 albums. John is the only person who ever had both Eric Clapton and Jimi Hendrix in his band at the same time(for 5 days during the 1960's). John narrated the 1992 documentary called The Search for Robert Johnson and has always remained true to his blues roots throughout the decades.

Kai Turner of Strictly Blues addresses the big crowd at The Mile High Blues Festival

We rode back on the bus to the hotel with John and his sweet wife, Marla. They live in Jersey City, New Jersey, and we talked about blues venues and some of the gigs he was playing these days. He does a lot of dates on both the east and west coasts of the USA. We spoke of our mutual friend, Charlie Musselwhite and John told me that he had recorded with Charlie and really loved his harp playing. I told him that Charlie had shown me how to play 3rd position harp after I met him after a show at the New Daisy Theater on Beale many years ago.

During John's show he played 1st position, 2nd(crossharp) and 3rd position. I said, "Man, third position is like a poor man's chromatic, what a crazy scale!" He replied, "Yeah, it is, but all the notes are there... you just have to find them."

Our visit on the bus just seemed to rush by and I cannot thank John enough for his kindness and the great time I had that day. I hope I run across him and his wonderful wife again soon.

After a nap at the hotel, we arose again and took the hotel's town car over to Blues on Blake, where we played at the after-party and hosted a jam for a short time. The gig went really well and the crowd was a cool bunch of blues lovers who actually knew our material and made requests for a bunch of songs which Reba played for them, one after the other.


My old friend, Al Chesis of the Delta Sonics, came up and played a few numbers with us and we really had a great time. He is a really fine harp player and a great guy to hang out with as well.

Check out Al and the boys here: http://www.deltasonics.net/fr_index.cfm

Blues on Blake at 1925 Blake Street is a superb blues supper club and although we had a great time we were unable to run up a $700 bar tab like the band did the night before. Earlier in the day we met the owner, Keith E. Webb, and his three fine sons. After the jam I sat at the bar and had some great times and good laughs with my pal, blues aficionado, Jack Spencer, who I will see soon at the next big blues festival in Springfield, Missouri. My partner in crime, editor Terry "Gatorman" Lape, will also be there so almost anything could happen including some possible snake handling and gator wrestling. Thanks also to my lovely friend and classy bartender, Lesley. If you are in the area, call at (303)292-5837 and definitely check out:
http://www.bluesonblake.com/menus.htm

So after a long fun day of blues, my pal Wayne called the Oxford Hotel and summoned the town car which delivered us back to our rooms where I ordered the last slice of pie before Wayne could call them on the phone to do so. Sorry, bro, but you got to dial fast, man.

Author waddles back to his room for late night room service and a nap.

Don't forget to bookmark us: American Blues News http://www.Ameriblues.com

©2009, photos and text, by Robert "Nighthawk" Tooms

NEW YORK BLUES: The Beat Goes On- Larry McCray

Larry McCray Band

Greetings Blues fans! Another week goes in the books and summer is starting to slowly wind down. My colleague, Terry 'Gatorman' Lape, turned me on to a band called The Nouveaux Honkies. They played here in New York on Aug. 28th so I went to check them out and I have to tell you I was impressed with the band. Rebecca Dawkins on violin adds a nice flavor to the band. I did get some photos and will be posting them in the near future.
In the meantime give the band a listen.

This week I am submitting photos of Larry McCray. As some of you may already know Larry is no stranger to the blues scene. Among his influences are the three Kings; Freddie, Albert, and BB. Larry and his band played a great set at Terra Blues. I had heard of Larry before but this was my first time seeing the band and they delivered the goods. Tight, crisp playing by the band and I was especially impressed with drummer Steve McCray and his powerful playing. Go to Larry's MySpace page and check out some of his tunes.

Until the next go-round, keep supporting the Blues. These cats are working hard to lay it down for you.

Nelson G. Onofre
e-mail: nelson@electriceyes.us
my websites: http://www.electriceyes.us/
http://electriceyesphotography.blogspot.com/

Larry McCray
Terra Blues, July 2009
http://larrymccrayband.com/
http://www.myspace.com/larrymccray
photo: Nelson G. Onofre
© 2009 Copyright

Larry McCray
Terra Blues, July 2009
http://larrymccrayband.com/
http://www.myspace.com/larrymccray
photo: Nelson G. Onofre
© 2009 Copyright

Larry McCray
Terra Blues, July 2009
http://larrymccrayband.com/
http://www.myspace.com/larrymccray
photo: Nelson G. Onofre
© 2009 Copyright

Stanley Debonet w/Larry McCray's band
Terra Blues, July 2009
http://larrymccrayband.com/
http://www.myspace.com/larrymccray
photo: Nelson G. Onofre
© 2009 Copyright

Steve McCray w/Larry McCray's band
Terra Blues, July 2009
http://larrymccrayband.com/
http://www.myspace.com/larrymccray
photo: Nelson G. Onofre
© 2009 Copyright

Larry McCray
Terra Blues, July 2009
http://larrymccrayband.com/
http://www.myspace.com/larrymccray
photo: Nelson G. Onofre
© 2009 Copyright

Larry McCray
Terra Blues, July 2009
http://larrymccrayband.com/
http://www.myspace.com/larrymccray
photo: Nelson G. Onofre
© 2009 Copyright

Larry McCray
Terra Blues, July 2009
http://larrymccrayband.com/
http://www.myspace.com/larrymccray
photo: Nelson G. Onofre
© 2009 Copyright

Larry McCray
Terra Blues, July 2009
http://larrymccrayband.com/
http://www.myspace.com/larrymccray
photo: Nelson G. Onofre
© 2009 Copyright

Larry McCray
Terra Blues, July 2009
http://larrymccrayband.com/
http://www.myspace.com/larrymccray
photo: Nelson G. Onofre
© 2009 Copyright

USA: How Blue Are We August? by Monica Yasher

Hi Everyone.

We know that the dog days of summer are anything but that, and you have probably been busy! So, just in case you missed a day or two, let me give you some highlights of the month:

Mr. Nelson Onofre shared some great pictures of Chris Thomas King, Michael Hill, Bill 'Howl-n-Madd' Perry, Fiona Boyes, and a few of the very talented Ruthie Foster.

Nelson also offered a pictural of Leon Russell with a raving review. And, J. Blake offered his take on the concert with a different opinion. Just goes to show you that American Blues Blog is just trying to keep it real. Today I will be meeting with Chris Simmons, Leon's guitarist. Leon's latest blues recording was a song he collaborated on with his guitarist, Chris Simmons. Chris and Leon co-wrote, "Easy To Love", and they both sing on it. This song is on Chris' new CD that just came out, "Old News To Me". I can't wait to see the show tonight and speak with Chris.

We also had some great interviews starting with G. E. Smith, whom I truly enjoyed talking to. American Blues Blog was and is happy to introduce our newest contributor, Jerry Rosen. Jerry started his writing off with a stellar interview of Bob Margolin. Welcome to American Blues Blog, Jerry! J. Blake had a really cool time chatting with Robben Ford. And, we at American Blues Blog are always here to help get the word out on our up and coming artists. I had the chance to meet with Gina Sicilia. Take a read on what this very young bluesy woman has to say!

And, we had tributes for those that passed, and a tribute welcoming back a true blues treasure, Peter Green, which was written by J. Blake. The blues community is saddened by several passings. J. Blake offered his goodbyes to one of the greatest guitar players, Les Paul. From Memphis, courtesy of Robert "Nighthawk" Tooms, a tribute was made to Billy Lee Riley. He also wrote of his friend, James Luther Dickerson.


The blues lives on. And, it was the month of festivals. Terrance "Gatorman" Lape gave lively details of Chicago Mini Blues Fests and Laporte Blues Fest with Kelly Richie. He also shared a fun filled night watching Laurie Morvan, apparantly blessed from above! Go read what I'm talkin' about! And, I offered my experiences at two festivals, The Pittsburgh Blues Festival and the Heritage Blues Festival. Our memphis performer was touring the globe and offered his take as a performer at the Cincinatti Blues Festival. We also had our first guest blogger, Jacob Hyman. Jacob offered a review of an upcoming group called, The Great Republic of Rough and Ready. Thanks Jacob! If anyone wants to be a guest blogger, please write to us at: info@AmericanBluesBlog.com We'd love to hear your proposal!

For those songwriters out there, Gatorman offered some wisdom in regard to songwriting. We also had a lesson on songs and the interpretation of a song, with thoughts being delivered from J. Blake, with his writing of One Bourbon, One Scotch or is it House Rent Boogie? You decide.

So you want to take the stage for the first time? Take a read on blues jam protocol which was a joint writing effort from Gatorman and Nighthawk.



After you write the songs and you think you can perform, what's next? Why obtaining a blues label, of course! Jerry Rosen shares some of his ups and downs with this venture. Go take a read.

We are working hard for you and we are even busier next month!
Mr. Onofre has yet to reveal the photos: Harlem Blues Project, Gina Sicilia, Lucky Peterson, Walter Trout, Robben Ford, John Nemeth, John Lee Hooker Jr., and Guitar Shorty. He also attended the Blues BBQ show and can't wait to talk about that! I mean show you! A picture is worth a thousand words, right?

And, we know that all of you like interviews! So look for these artists to share some things with you through our words!

Watermelon Slim (pictured right)
Lonnie Brooks and Sons
Shannon Curfman
Saffire
Chris Smither writer of Love Me Like A Man
Candye Kane
Fiona Boyes
Sid Selvidge
Joe Whitmer talking about the IBC and Blues Awards
Miss Zeno, who appears every day on Beale Street and will be touring with Koko Taylor's old band
The folks at I-55 Productions

And, concert reviews are always cool. I'll share my experience watching Derek Trucks. Nighthawk will be flying around the world and will offer his thoughts of the blues festivals in KenLake, Kentucky, and the Greater Ozarks Blues Festival in Springfield, MO.

Whew! And that ain't all. Bookmark this page and "Get the Blues Everyday!" OK?


Copyright © 2009 Copyright Monica L. Yasher. All Rights Reserved.
Photos Copyright © 2009 Jessica A. Yasher. All Rights Reserved.
Photos Copyright © 2009 Terrance "Gatorman" Lape All Rights Reserved.



To purchase the rights to reprint this article,
please email myasher.americanbluesblog@gmailcom.

Pittsburgh: Interview with Gina Sicilia by Monica L. Yasher

Exposed to music early on by her music-loving family, Gina began singing at the age of 3 and wrote her first song at the tender age of 12. After spending her teenage years polishing her vocal and songwriting skills, Gina began singing in clubs around the Philadelphia area, and has since branched out worldwide.

In December 2007, only five months after the release of her critically acclaimed debut album, "Allow Me To Confess", Gina signed with the prestigious Piedmont Talent booking agency, which represents such legendary acts as Johnny Winter and James Cotton. That same month, Gina's impressive talent was recognized by the Blues Foundation, earning her a 2008 Blues Music Awards nomination for "Best New Artist Debut".

I spoke with Gina last week. So let’s see what Gina had to talk about.


Monica: Hi Gina. Let’s hear about your upcoming weekend.

Gina; This week I’ll be doing 3 shows opening for Joe Bonamassa.
I’ll be in Arkansas. Getting ready to head out to Evansville Indiana.

Monica: Sounds like a good time, Gina. Let’s talk about your sound. How did you get started with the Blues?

Gina; I got into it when I was…whenever I get asked this question…I can never remember exactly how I got into the music. I know that I was about 14 years old, and I think really I saw a commercial on TV for a blues compilation CD. It was like an infomercial kind of thing. I ordered it and just listened to that CD nonstop for a really long time. That was what really sparked my interest.

Monica: Thank you for your new CD, Gina. I enjoyed listening to it. And, I noticed that you have a very diverse sound with doing Dolly Parton’s Coat of Many Colors, and then there’s a big band sound. What do you think your sound is?


Gina: What do I think my sound is? I think that the CD is a representation of all my musical tastes. I love, obviously blues. I love gospel music. And, I love country music. I guess I couldn’t pick just one.
It is a representation of music I love. I did Dolly Parton’s Coat of Many Colors because she was a big influence on me. Big influence on me. And, I think it is definitely a reflection of all the music that I love.

Monica: As an artist today, do you feel that…do they ask you to hone in on a particular sound as an artist?

Gina: No, I mean I’ve never been asked that before. I mean, you know….I can’t….Personally I don’t know if I could fully do that just because I love so much different music. So many different genres of music…and I love singing different kinds of music…and writing different kinds of music. I don’t know if personally I could do that, or if I could ever record an album that is 100 percent straight blues album or 100 percent straight country album. I don’t know if I could do that. Maybe one day I’ll be able to focus in on one kind of music and do that. But I don’t know if I could do that just yet. I’m still trying to explore the different writings of genres. I’m still pretty much the beginning of all of this. I don’t know if I can focus in just yet. But, maybe some day.

Monica: Whenever I heard your CD I thought of Eva Cassidy. ..because of the diversity of the music. Have you ever heard of her?

Gina: I love Eva Cassidy.

Monica: She was great.

Gina: She was country, blues and jazz. She was a great singer and I definitely spent a lot of time listening to her.

Monica: In regard to ….just for those people that are interested in being blues artists and getting started in the industry… is your touring band the same as your recording band?

Gina Yeah, for the most part it is. It definitely changed a little bit since I started doing this. The first band I was with, I met at a weekly band jam during college. I went every Tuesday night to a weekly blues jam at a club called Warmdaddy’s in Philadelphia. There I met some musicians and my former first band. It was there I had my first gig at this club. That was the first band . So I guess if I could suggest anything…that was a good first experience for me…go to blues jams.

Monica: I’m a fan of them myself.

Gina: That was a good first experience singing the music with a band in front of an audience.

Monica: How do you go about selecting material? Do you have an upcoming album?

Gina: I am planning a 3rd album right now. It will be a mixture. A lot of original material that I do. A lot of covers…blues covers. I don’t do too much country anymore. Maybe a song or two every now and then. But, for the most part it is pretty much straight forward blues and soul, R&B. A lot of original stuff.

Monica: Are you the writer?

Gina: Songwriter?

Monica: Yes.

Gina: Yes. I write all the material that I have recorded. The originals I write. It’s mine. I haven’t written with anyone else yet. But, I would love to. I would love to do that. I never did that. It is a personal thing. It’s sharing an experience. I would love a great songwriting partner.

Monica: Who do you think influenced you the most?

Gina: What artists influenced me the most? I’d say my singing-as a teenager-influenced a lot by Aretha Franklin. I would spend hours and hours in my room singing along with her blues stuff. Just trying to sing like her. She was a big influence on me. Now my songwriting, a lot of people. Most recently Dolly Parton, who is a great songwriter. She has written so many great songs. She is a big influence on me. Sam Cook has inspired me a lot. All around as a singer, songwriter, performer. It’s hard to name just one person because I’m influenced by everyone I hear. Everyone I hear.

Monica: What are your future goals?

Gina: Just to..every record I make to improve. Be better…better… better singer… better songwriter. I want to continue touring as much as possible. I love it.

Monica: You love it?

Gina: I do, I really do.

Monica: Any challenges with being on the road?

Gina: Of course.; It is tiring. From time to time you get frustrated. In the end I love it. And I prefer it, I think, maybe because I’m new at this. If you ask me 15 years from now if I feel the same way. I don’t know if I will. But I prefer being on road to home, that‘s for sure. Only because I’m new at it.

Monica: So how long have you been at it?

Gina: I haven’t been touring that long.. Touring heavily for about a year and half when I signed with Piedmont Talent Agency. And I haven’t been touring too much before that. But, then they started booking me heavily. So now I go on the road more. I’ve been at this for 3 years. I want to continue doing this as much as possible. I love it.

Monica: For all of those people who find you to be inspirational. How would you suggest a new upcoming artist to get an agency to sign them on? What are the things you did right to make that happen?

Gina: I don’t know if I can tell you what I did right. I can tell you, I guess…what ….I’m very persistent. Very ambitious. I would say just put yourself out there, and meet as many people as you can. Network as much as possible. Even if you don’t have an agent or manager, just try to get your name out there as much as possible on your own. Be very persistent. Don’t give up.


Monica: I know I found you even before this interview and made you one of my myspace friends. I went out and looked in Pa and blues and see who…I see you are one of the top ranked artists in the state. I discovered you long before this.

Gina: Cool. I don’t log into myspace nearly as much as I used to. I log into face book. It seems the communication in myspace has slid off.

Monica: I guess I’ll have to move. What is immediately next for you?

Gina: I would say working on my 3rd CD. I’ll start next month.

Monica: Are you in the process of writing or that is completed?

Gina: I have done a lot of writing in the past 6 months to a year. A lot of writing. A lot of original material. I write everyday. I try to come up with new ideas. I write songs everyday. Hopefully by the time I record the album I’ll have a few new ones that I want to do. Maybe do one or two covers. I’m trying to pick them. But, I want to do mostly original songs for my new album.

Monica: Do you play?

Gina: I play a bit of acoustic guitar, which I’m working on and I’m learning. It definitely changed my songwriting. So, a little bit, which I’m happy about. Very happy about. It added something.

Monica: Do you develop accapella?

Gina: That’s what I used to do. I don’t do that anymore. I guess that phase of my songwriting is over.
I come up with ideas driving in my car. I write them down and record them. Recently writing on guitar.

Monica: Do you keep a songbook?

Gina: Yeah-Always a notebook with me. Pads of paper. Big mess..huge mess actually. They are not very organized at all. I make sure I date all of my ideas. I always did that. It’s nice to look back and see when you wrote certain songs.

Monica: Is there anything else you want to share with me?

Gina: You covered a lot. What do you think?

Monica: Well I could always ask more! OK. What was your best moment so far as a performer?

Gina: On stage some of the festivals I’ve done. They are exciting. Travel. A west coast tour this past winter. Something very exiting for me was in 2008, I was nominated for a blues music award for best new artist. That was very exciting. I just graduated from college and wasn’t touring a lot and I was very very new. One of the newest of all the nominees. It was such a big surprise. It was flattering. A big honor.

Monica: That sounds like a great ending for the interview. I know that you will be playing at the World Café. Are you excited about that?

Gina: This will be my second time there. I love that venue. It’s always one of the places I love. It has great music. It has a great reputation. A lot of great artist come through there. I was there last Valentine’s day, and this time I will be doing a co bill with Seth Walker from Austin Texas. He is one of my favorite artists out there now. I have a lot of respect for him. So, I am very excited. Very excited doing the bill with him, and seeing his show at the live venue in Philadelphia.

Monica: Well Gina have a good time, and congratulations on your accomplishments. I’m sure we’ll hear more from you.

Gina: Thank you very much.

Gina’s upcoming tour:

Upcoming Shows
Sep 5 2009 6:00P Marquette Area Blues Festival Marquette, Michigan
Sep 11 2009 8:00P World Cafe Live Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Sep 12 2009 8:00P Madam’s Organ Washington DC, Washington DC
Sep 16 2009 8:00P The Living Room NYC, New York
Sep 17 2009 8:00P Hill Country New York, New York
Oct 24 2009 8:00P Americana Stage Morganton, West Virginia
Oct 25 2009 7:00P Diana Wortham Theatre Asheville, North Carolina
Dec 9 2009 9:45P Dinosaur BBQ Rochester, New York
Dec 10 2009 9:45P Dinosaur BBQ Syracuse, New York

Next Week: I had the opportunity to meet Derek Trucks, who happened to be in the neighborhood (well not really-he was sorta scheduled). I'll tell you about the show...be here...same time, same place next week!

In a Few Weeks: Nelson will be meeting up with Gina to do some photos of her performance at the Living Room.

Copyright © 2009 Copyright Monica L. Yasher. All Rights Reserved.
Photographs used by permission Gina Sicilia

To purchase the rights to reprint this article,
please email info@americanbluesnews.com.

Los Angeles, My Successes and Failures Running a Blues Label, Jerry Rosen

I’m a 55 year old college math professor and my two main passions in life are blues and the New York (football) Giants.  In this article, I’ll speak to the first passion.  Why should you care?  As a complete neophyte in the independent music world, I started a blues label, got distribution, found a booking agency for two of my bands and learned about some of the hard cold realities of trying to make it in the record business with limited resources.

When I was a kid, I virtually lived in the Fillmore East.  My favorite bands were the blues rockers, such as Johnny Winter, Allman Brothers, Ten Years After, Paul Butterfield, Hendrix, Clapton, etc. Thanks to Bill Graham, I also got to see BB, Albert and Buddy (not at the same time) and was forever hooked on blues.  Blues is really the only music I listen to when I’m alone and there is no greater blues lover than me.  The fact that I play is secondary to my love for the music.

I played guitar through college, but put it down in the late 70's.  In 1995, I was in a music store in Santa Monica, browsing through the blues CDs, when a guy standing next to me suggested I buy Magic Sam’s West Side Soul and the Wells’/Guy Hoodoo Man CD.  That was it!  I was back into the blues in a major way.  I listened to those CDs over and over and over and couldn’t believe the sheer, raw power they were putting out.  I traded my old Martin (a huge mistake), for a so-so Les Paul and started playing again. For about three years I led my own band.   In 1998, I started attending weekend jam sessions at a club called the New Safari Club in the “hood” (aka South Central Los Angeles).  The master of ceremonies was a bass player named “Oklahoma” Ollie.  Ollie put me in the house band and every Friday, Saturday and Sunday, I spent six hours playing and watching blues.

                                                                                                                                     

LA had a booming blues and jazz scene in the 40’s and 50’s, which started slowing down in the 60’s.  Many musicians moved to LA from around the country and when they could no longer support themselves with music, they joined the working class.  But, on a typical night, at least a dozen people would come to the club to sing and/or play guitar. One of these people was a younger guy who went by the moniker Little Hank, later known as South Side Slim (I’ll refer to him as Slim).  He reminded me a bit of Magic Sam; he had a similar vibrato thing happening in his vocals and he played guitar a bit like Sam too.  Slim always put on a good show.  I put Slim in my band and we started playing together all over the greater LA/Long Beach area.  Eventually, we got the “bright” idea to start a record label.  I found a few investors and we were off and running.  The idea was to record some of the people I had met at the Safari Club.  Many of the people there had played with the likes of T. Bone Walker, Albert King, Albert Collins, Percy Mayfield, Pee Wee Clayton, and many others.  Two of the better-known names we recorded were Smokey Wilson (who owned the Pioneer Club in South Central) and Deacon Jones (who was Freddie King’s keyboardist in the 70’s).                                                                                                                                           

The label was called South Side Records and our first release was Slim’s “Five Steps.”  The CD featured Slim singing and playing his original numbers, but it also featured Deacon Jones and the backing band was also from the South Central area.  The CD received excellent reviews and we landed a distribution deal.  Our second release was called “More Blues From the South Side” and it had Smokey Wilson doing five numbers.  I also found a female singer Mary Dukes who joined my band and we also recorded a CD.  The distributor ordered enough copies of our releases to give us a decent start and the various blues magazines helped us with nice reviews and stories about our artists.                               

But there were problems.  I couldn’t get a national booking agent for Slim or Dukes and that proved to be frustrating.  There is a belief that you have to pay your dues in blues.  Meaning, you have to be “out there” doing endless numbers of gigs, for years at a time, gradually building a following, until bigger labels or booking agencies will consider you.  But things are considerably more expensive now than in the 50’s or 60’s, and opportunities for playing blues on the road are more limited.  I called every major booking agency, spoke to the head of each one of them, and the story was always the same:  they can’t take on a band that does not command a large salary, because the booking fee is 10%.  While I could understand this on an intellectual level, it seemed to me that it would restrict blues to people with enough money to weather the myriad of expenses necessary to record and tour.  I could see for myself from following the national blues scene that this was impacting the type of emerging blues artist.  One has read the stories of how Bruce Iglauer started Alligator on $1500 (in the early 70’s) by taking Hound Dog Taylor on the road, hitting a lot of college towns.  This is no longer feasible, unless you have huge financial backing.

However, I did manage to land a mid-level booking agency by offering them 20% (you have to be creative).  In the summer of 2002, they booked Slim and Dukes into a few major festivals on the east coast (N. Atlantic and Pocono) and also booked them on month-long tours along the Atlantic Coast.  As you can imagine, this was an enormous expense for my backers and myself, because vans had to be rented and blues clubs don't really cover motel expenses for no name bands.  But we did the tours (I toured with Dukes) and it was amazing to think that, just in a few years, people who had been playing in total obscurity were now being seen by thousands of people.  The tours went well and the bands were well received, but the expenses tended to diminish some of the excitement I felt.  By then, my investors were getting anxious and the financial fallout during the post 9/11 era was damaging. 

My distributor, City Hall Records, was a solid national one who got us into most of the chains and dealt with a large number of smaller regional distributors.  However, Tower Records was the only chain that took our CDs in nationally.  Borders, Best Buy, Barnes and Noble, Sam Goody, and others, only took us in regionally and so we didn’t have enough CDs in the stores to cover expenses.  My investors refused to put up more money if there wasn't enough product in the stores to at least have a chance of making back the investment.  I was caught between a rock and a hard place.  The distributor claimed that it was the label’s job to create interest and that it wasn’t necessary for product to be out there.  Eventually, Tower Records went under and that was pretty much the end of my financial involvement in the label.

But, one of our goals was to put out black blues and give deserving black blues artists a chance to play their music and get some publicity.  In this regard, we were successful.  Dozens of South Central artists played on our CDs, gigged with us, and were written up in blues publications.  Slim took ownership of the label in 2005 and has kept it going and carrying forth our original plan.  He has found people to help release CDs, but without a large amount of money, it is virtually impossible to make any.                    

Large retail chains that sell CDs won’t deal with you if you don’t have a huge budget for promotion.  Furthermore, blues radio is quite limited and doesn’t reach nearly enough people to have an impact on CD sales.  Of course, CD sales are down in general and so it is even harder than ever to sell CDs.  In blues, it is vitally important the artists tour because this obviously brings in publicity and is also the main way for bands to sell CDs.  But the number of blues clubs is shrinking and the pay scale is quite low.  Only very well known bands, on major labels such as Alligator, Blind Pig, Telarc, etc., are able to find booking agencies capable of booking decent tours.  So this Catch 22 of "no label = no publicity and no publicity = no label" permeates the blues world.  This means there is no chance of making money by playing blues unless you have a bunch of it to start off.  Consequently blues rarely attracts the type of people that made it so great in the 40’s and 50’s.  People like Muddy, the Kings, Wolf, Sam, Rush, James, Koko Taylor, Guy, et al, went into blues, in part, because they could make a living at it.  This is no longer possible for many talented people.  I believe that those who care about sustaining this art form need to think of ways to find and support talent in their formative years.  I believe there are ways to do this, and it would be interesting to continue this discussion.

Copyright This article is owned by Jerry Rosen

 

CHICAGO: Via Kankakee Laurie Morvan

The "Freinds of the blues" main man James Walker sent an email inviting me to see Laurie Morvan at the Kankakee Elks club. She was touring in the area and FOB had caught her on a rest over night. I must admit that I was pretty tired and debated whether or not to attend. I had contacted her camp in the past, but sadly I had forgotten she was coming. I checked her website and was intrigued by her story.

Laurie is an Illinoisan that now makes her home just outside of Long Beach. She moved to California to work in the aerospace industry. She has an Electrical Engineering degree and utilized it for three years. She told me that she teaches at the College level in Long Beach. She also confided in me that the teaching job helps her with tour costs.
She invited me to a one on one sit down while she restrung (Ernie Ball.10) her re-issue 1956 Stratocaster. She is a wonderful individual to talk to and would certainly become a close friend if circumstances were different. We talked about schools she attended, Guitars and role models. I was very excited about her performance as I choose a table in back.

The people started to file in one by one and the one-hundred seat banquet room filled up quite quickly. I had chosen a table of ten and I was the only one there until Jack and Jean Miller joined me. Jack, Jean and I started to talk and it turns out we both had visited Singapore, small world. Sister Ellen Thomas sat down and introduced herself. She was not dressed as a nun so I immediately thought along the terms of the slang hip style of talking brother and sister. Not the case, she actually was a Nun. I had to watch my mouth after that. It seems that Laurie's whole family was in attendance. When they found out who I was, man oh man did I get an earful. I was introduced to Aunts, Uncles, Nieces, Cousins, her Mother and Step father and on and on and on. I jokingly started a family tree with my notebook. It was a family reunion. I might add that Laurie's Mother was just as nice as she was.

Laurie took the stage and exploded into song. Her guitar work is extraordinary and her vocals, along with her backing Vocalist Lisa Grubbs, were beautifully done. Their combined vocals were song with a take no prisoners attitude. Very strong and definitive.

Laurie talked to her audience frequently. I like when an artist communicates stories about how a song was written. "Skinny Women Chicks" was written as a response to those old time blues men who beat the song "Big Legged Woman" to death.
"Kicking Down Doors" was one of my favorites.
Laurie Morvan is an unstoppable blues artist and I will see her again I'm sure. I was told that Lisa also plays bass. I got her number.

Terry "Gatorman" Lape

PS. Writing for www.americanbluesblog.com is "Not just a job it's an adventure".















Lisa Grubbs, Gatorman, Laurie Morvan