BEM Records artist: Eamonn McCormack - Storyteller - New Release Review

 I just had the opportunity to review the most recent release, Storyteller, from Irish blues-rock sensation, Eamonn McCormack and it touches on many faces of european rock. Opening with The Great Famine, a folky rock tune with atmospheric backing and tight rock guitar riffs, Eamonn (pronounced A-min) McCormack  leads on vocal and guitar, backed by Edgar Karg on bass, Max Jung-Poppe on drumsand Arne Weigand on keys. Sounding a bit like David Bowie with the Beatles, Help Me To Understand is a sool, low key rocker with a solid bass line by Karg and powerful vocals by Eamonn. Jacking up the rock side of the business, Tie One On sounds like it's heavily influenced by Thin Lizzy with it's snappy drum rhythm and super Rory Gallagher like slide work. Very cool. One of my favorite tracks on the release is hard driving, Cowboy Blues, with it's tight bottom and slashing slide work. Very cool. On blues ballad, In A Dream, McCormack is up front on vocal with solid support from Weigand on organ and long, melodic guitar lead giving the track broad crowd appeal. Another of my favorites on the release s straight up rocker, With No Way Out. Tight drumming and a driving bass line is the secret here with simple straight ahead rhythm. Cold Cold Heart has a lot of swagger with a solid walking bass line, creative vocal presentation and rowdy guitar work. Very cool. Wrapping the release is tight rocker, Make My Move, with high energy drums, a thumping bass and soaring roffs complimenting McCormack's vocal work. This is a diverse release with some real cool rock onboard. 

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RORY GALLAGHER INTERNATIONAL TRIBUTE FESTIVAL 2012

Time: May 31, 2012 at 6pm to June 3, 2012 at 11:45pm
Location: BALLYSHANNON
City/Town: BALLYSHANNON
Website or Map: http://www.goingtomyhometown.…

Event Description

ROLLING STONES - MICK TAYLOR & HIS BAND / HORSLIPS / DR. FEELGOOD / BRIAN "ROBBO" ROBERTSON (ex. Thin Lizzy) with EAMONN McCORMACK BAND / PAT McMANUS BAND / SINNERBOY / JOHNNY GALLAGHER & BOXTIE / MOONCHILD / SHINKICKER / LARRY MILLER BAND / LAUNDROMAT / DAVE McHUGH BAND .... the list goes on - RORY GALLAGHER INTERNATIONAL TRIBUTE FESTIVAL 2012 - Full Programme of nightly Big Top Concerts,
all-day ...... Street Gigs, Pub Gigs, Theatre, & Exhibitions

EARLY BIRD TICKETS for the 3 Nightly Big Top Concert Gigs at just €50 for all 3 Concerts (all nightly weekend concerts) are now on sale through Ticketmaster (Limited amount on sale, these tickets at this reduced price are available for a short time only)

Purchase your Early Bird Ticket Now to avoid disappointment - HERE
http://www.ticketmaster.ie/event/180048619206629A?artistid=5040670&majorcatid=10001&minorcatid=60

Ladies and Gentlemen, Professor Longhair By Lee Pons - John Francis Kavanagh contributor

John Bonham of Led Zeppelin with Professor Longhair, Photo by Sidney Smith

Today is the birthday of the funky, enigmatic, and wildly talented Professor Longhair, who’s outstanding life and music have touched millions for generations.
Lovingly known far and wide as the “Fess”, the godfather of New Orleans piano, Professor Longhair was born Henry Byrd on Dec 19th, 1918 in Bogalusa, Louisiana. The family moved to New Orleans shorty after his birth and, though he did get music lessons from his mother, he would say that his first musical instruments where the bottoms of his feet! As a child, he used to tap dance on street corners of the French Quarter for spare change.
Byrd didn’t get any real serious interest in music until he was in his late teens. He was a member of a dance troupe when he had to fill in for the drummer one night (no one knew he could play the drums — not even him!). Tuts Washington, the piano player in that group, told Byrd he should continue with the drums, which he did. Pretty soon he got tried of having to lug a drum set around, and switched to the piano. Tuts acted as one of Byrd’s early mentors on the piano. Fess also got encouragement from Sullivan Rock who taught him how to play the standard “Pinetop’s Boogie Woogie”.

The Birth of Fess

One of Byrd’s strongest influences came from working with a government road crew. The job’s tenure was for 6 months, and involved a good amount of traveling. During these travels, he was exposed to a variety of Latin and Caribbean band music. Drawn by the rhythmic interplay of the music, Fess soon incorporated the unique syncopations into his own playing style, by blending them with blues and barrellhouse piano. This “Rumba Boogie” as he would later call it, would turn out to have an immeasurable impact on New Orleans music, and in Piano Blues music as a whole.
In 1942, Byrd was inducted into the army, and left 2 years later on a medical discharge. Afterward, he spent spend the next few years working as a cook or as a professional card player. Gambling would always be his “second profession”, as he would say, and he became well known in New Orleans as an amazing card shark. In the mean time, he would play occasional gigs as a piano player, but he wasn’t noticed as a musician until 1948, when, during another band’s break, he played a few songs on the piano at a club. He caused such a hoopla with the patrons that the owner of the club fired the band and hired Byrd, right then and there! It was at this club that he would be given his nickname, Professor Longhair, because of the ponytail he sported at