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I started a quest to find terrific blues music and incredible musicianship when I was just a little kid. I also have a tremendous appreciation of fine musical instruments and equipment. One of my greatest joys all of my life was sharing my finds with my friends. I'm now publishing my journey. I hope that you come along!
I just had the opportunity to review the most recent release, BadNews Travels Fast, from Chris BadNews Barnes and it's solid set of rock and blues rock. Opening with radio style rocker, and title track, BadNews Travels Fast, BadNews Barns on lead vocal leads the way with a tight guitar lead by Kenny Greenberg, driving bass lines by Tommy MacDonald, and Tom Hambridge snapping tight on drums. Ace harmonica player, Jimmy Hall who led his own band, Wet Willie and worked quite a bit with the honorable Jeff Beck really makes a nice contribution here. Excellent opener. True Blues is a cool, upbeat blues track along the lines of Thrill Is Gone. Not sure most would pick up on it, but it really does have some searing guitar riffs by Walter Trout. Driving rocker, BluesBaller Baby calls on Mike Rojas on keys to do the heavy lifting with Barnes on this one and he really does a fine job. Kenny Greenberg rips hot guitar solo on this one and Max Abrams sails on sax making it a definite hot spot in the release. Wrapping the release is cool rocker, Mushrooms Make Me A Fun Guy with it's spoken vocal lines and rock stroking guitar rhythm. Rojas uses electric piano to carry the counter melody and MacDonald and Hambridge hold the bottom tight. This is a fun release.
If you support live Blues acts, up and coming Blues talents and want to learn more about Blues news and Fathers of the Blues, Like ---Bman’s Blues Report--- Facebook Page! I’m looking for great talent and trying to grow the audience for your favorites band!- ”LIKE”
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I just had the opportunity to review the most recent release, Ride, from Walter Trout, and it's a solid rocker with solid blues roots. Opening with Ghosts, a solid blues rocker, Trout on harmonica, guitar and vocal sets a heavy tempo, beefed up by Teddy Andreadis on Hammond organ, Michael Leasure on drums and Jamie Hunting on bass. This is a heavy footed, lumbering track and Trout lays out a searing guitar solo giving the release a great start. So Many Sad Goodbyes is another solid rocker with nicely overdriven guitar tone and Trout's featured vocals with Eric Corne singing in tandum. Reinforcement by Andreadis on Hammond gives the track a rich sound and the strong snare work of Leasure paves the way for another of Trout's slicing guitar solos. The strongest blues number on the release is Waiting For The Dawn with Trout leading the way, playing melodic lead on guitar. Folding his vocals nicely into the mix, warmed by the undertone of Andreadis' Hammond, this track is all about Trout's ability to squeeze his unique blues out of his strat and he certainly can do that. Very nice. One of my favorite tracks on the release is Better Days Ahead with Trout really laying his guitar open and letting the blues fly. With Andreadis on organ, the thump of Hunting on bass and powerful drumming by Leasure, Trout wailing the lyrics and his guitar showing full emotion. Excellent! Another cool track is snappy rocker, Leave It All Behind, with Trout feeding rockabilly style riffs, Anthony Grisham on rhythm guitar, rolling Wurlitzer work by Andreadis, and strong horn support by Aaron Liddard on sax. Wrapping the release is radio style track, Destiny, with Trout showing his softest vocals, backed by Corne, and warm guitar riffs, blended with Andreadis on Fender Rhodes and Hammond, Leasure on drums and Hunting on bass. Solid closer for another solid release by Trout.
If you support live Blues acts, up and coming Blues talents and want to learn more about Blues news and Fathers of the Blues, Like ---Bman’s Blues Report--- Facebook Page! I’m looking for great talent and trying to grow the audience for your favorites band!- ”LIKE”
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For your convenience, you can click the title of this post above to be taken to a site where this cd can be purchased - Happy Listening
I just had the opportunity to review the most recent release, Daydreams In
Blue, from Anthony Geraci and it's a solid release with a who's who of
players. Opening with shuffle, Love Changes Everything, the line up is Dennis
Brennan on lead vocal with Anthony Geraci on piano, Monster Mike Welch on lead
guitar, Michael Mudcat Ward on bass, Jeff Armstrong on drums, and with Scott
Arruda on trumpet and Mark Early on sax. I really like Welch's approach on
guitar with excellent phrasing and tone. Very cool. Walter Trout sits in on No
One Hears My Prayers and lays in some of the smoking best guitar riffs I've
heard in a while over full horns and tight piano riffs. Brennan and Geraci
play a smart piano duet on Mister, a smooth shuffle with Brenan on lead vocal
and harmonica and Geraci on piano. With cool piano rolls and extended lead
lines, this track has a nice groove. Swing track, Tutti Frutti Booty has a
great beat and rowdy vocals by Geraci. Geraci really kicks out the stops on
this one and Troy Gonyea's guitar work really is tops working it hard with a
horn compliment. Classic track, Jelly, Jelly has some of Brennan's best vocals
on the track and with a more poised approach, gives Geraci a nice option to
play clean articulate riffs. Welch is back on this one and his signature
vibrato and overall styling is terrific. Wrapping the release is Ode To Todd,
Ella and Mike Ledbetter, a piano focused jazz instrumental. A smart closer for
a real nice release.
If you support live Blues acts, up and coming Blues talents and want to learn
more about Blues news and Fathers of the Blues, Like ---Bman’s Blues Report---
Facebook Page! I’m looking for great talent and trying to grow the audience
for your favorites band!- ”LIKE”
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"LIKE"
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click HERE
I just had the opportunity to review the most recent release, Transpacific Blues Vol. 1, from Matty T Wall and it's quite entertaining. Opening with John Lee Hooker's Boom Boom, Matty T Wall picks up Hookers classic and moves it forward. With toasty guitar riffs, solid vocals, the firm brush work of Ric Whittle on drums and Stephen Walker on bass, and the addition of great slide work of Dave Hole, this is a real cool opener. Hi Heel Sneakers gets a cool, funky treatment, with terrific lead by Wall and Eric Gales. Very nice. On Albert Collins' Quicksand, Kid Ramos steps up with Walls on lead guitar and with a rolling pace, quick shuffle keeps you bopping in your seat. Excellent! T Bone Walker's Stormy Monday take a different turn altogether with a great slow pace but with a different (than the original) melody. This adds tension and with hard grabbed, stinging, guitar riffs Wall keeps you plastered to your seat and listening close. Very cool. Kirk Fletcher sits in on Albert King's Born Under A Bad Sign and again, Wall uses the melody loosely with cues to the original track, especially Walkers spot on bass lines. This freedom to let it all hang out gives the track a definite freshness. Wrapping the release is Robert Johnson's Crossroads, turned rock classic by The Cream and now reworked with a military like drum beat and a Hill Country feel. I like this release. Not only does it have a all-star cast of guitar slingers, it's got a different story to tell. Very cool.
If you support live Blues acts, up and coming Blues talents and want to learn more about Blues news and Fathers of the Blues, Like ---Bman’s Blues Report--- Facebook Page! I’m looking for great talent and trying to grow the audience for your favorites band!- ”LIKE”
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I just had the opportunity to review the most recent release, Rock 'N' Roll - A Tribute to Chuck Berry, by Mike Zito and this disc is loaded. Opening with St. Louis Blues and Charlie Berry II, Mike Zito handles guitar and lead vocals, backed by Matthew Johnson on drums, Terry Dry bass and Lewis Stephens on keys. Joanna Conner joins on Rock and Roll Music and there is just no match for that dynamo on slide guitar. Powerhouse player, Walter Trout steps in on Johnny B Goode, a long time favorite of blues and rock players alike. Trout's fluid, high intensity attack is well suited for this classic. Very nice. On Wee Wee Hours, master showman, Joe Bonamassa is featured and he lays out a full tour of the fretboard hitting about every fret on every string, making it seem totally effortless and with great feel. Clocking in at almost 5 and a half minutes, Bonamassa gives you the grand tour. Smoking. Robben Ford takes more of a country flavored approach to You Never Can Tell, contrasting nicely with earlier gun slingers. His poise and music sensibility adds nicely to the overall mix. Simplicity is the word on Luther Dickinson's approach on Too Much Monkey Business. A great rocker with vocal duet and straight up Berry riffs, this track is great. Shared lead vocal with Ally Venable gives School Days a unique perspective and holding tight to the rhythm as Venable and Zito jam is just a bit different. I like Kirk Fletcher's understated guitar work on Brown Eyed Handsome Man, tight and flavorful with soul. Very nice. Wrapping the release is Chuck Berry's classic ditty, My Ding A Ling that is tackled by Kid Andersen who tackles it with all seriousness. Vocals are playful but solid and guitar work full of stylized bens. Super closer.
If you support live Blues acts, up and coming Blues talents and want to learn more about Blues news and Fathers of the Blues, Like ---Bman’s Blues Report--- Facebook Page! I’m looking for great talent and trying to grow the audience for your favorites band!- ”LIKE”
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I just had the opportunity to review the most recent release, Survivor Blues, from Walter Trout and it's his most mature and cohesive release to date. Opening with powerful slow blues number, Me, My Guitar and the Blues Trout is back locked and loaded. I love his command of the volume swell, using it like an old master, making his guitar cry like a baby and his prasing is magical. With Michael Leasure on drums, Johnny Griparic on bass and Skip Edwards on keys, this is a terrific opener. On Woman Don't Lie, it's a slink funky beat that gives this track traction.Trading lead vocal with Sugaray Rayford and adding Teddy Andreadis on Wurlitzer really sets this one up or a guitar slam and Trout is all over it. Gone are the days of cramming every note into one measure and real feel and biting riffs carry this track high. Shuffle track, Please Love Me has great feel and tension with relaxed riffs with excellent punctuation work on a heavily pumped up BB King like style. Red Sun is a drum driven blues rocker with excellent bass lines by Griparic and relentless guitar soloing by Trout. very strong. Elmore James' Something Inside Of Me is one of my favorite tracks on the release with both sensuous blues attack and explosive note full barrages giving the track really nice dynamics. Very nice. Otis Rush's It Takes Time has super pace and allows Trout space to lay down some really nice solo lines. There's no question that he's laying it all out here. Robbie Krieger (The Doors) is featured on slide on Mississippi Fred McDowell's Goin' Down To The River and lays down smooth, mellow and cohesive blues riffs. Very nice. Wrapping the release is J.B. Lenoir's God's Word and Trout sings the words like he wrote them. Sounding very personal and focused while singing the lyrics he puts his shoulder into the guitar solo, driving hard and soaring with reckless abandon. Excellent closer for a very strong release.
If you support live Blues acts, up and coming Blues talents and want to learn more about Blues news and Fathers of the Blues, Like ---Bman’s Blues Report--- Facebook Page! I’m looking for great talent and trying to grow the audience for your favorites band!- ”LIKE”
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BLUES GUITAR
SUPERSTAR WALTER TROUT HEADLINES BLUE STAR DENVER 8 BENEFIT CONCERT,
SILENT AUCTION AND GEAR DRIVE
Saturday, March 23 - TURNHALLE BALLROOM AT THE
TIVOLI - 6:00PM
Hosted By
Blue Star Connection in Conjunction w/ Grand County Blues Society
(DENVER, CO)
- Blues guitar superstar Walter Trout headlines Blue Star Denver 8,
a Benefit Concert, Silent Auction, and Gear Drive, Saturday, March 23, at
Turnhalle Ballroom at The
Tivoli, located at Metropolitan State University of Denver,
900 Auraria Parkway. Doors open 5:30pm, showtime is 6:00PM. Tickets:
$25.00 (General Admission), $35.00 (Reserved), $69. (VIP); $750.00 (VIP
Premier Table). Info: (303) 726-6111 or visit www.bluestarconnection.org. Also performing: Honey
Island Swamp Band, B To The Sixth, and Special Guest, Kate Moss.
Net proceeds benefit Blue Star Connection, to help
carry out their mission of providing access and ownership of musical
instruments for children and young adults with cancer and other serious
life challenges. To date, BSC has reached over eight-hundred kids
and has donated musical gear to sixty-five Children's Hospitals and Music
Therapy Programs as well as several other community programs. This is the
largest yearly Blue Star Connection fundraiser with the largest
"music related" Silent Auction in the state of Colorado.
About The Performers at
Blue Star Denver 8
Walter Trout and
Provogue Records/Mascot Label Group have just released Trout's newest
album, Survivor’s Blues. The track-listing of Survivor Blues is a
window into the 67-year-old’s fast-moving back-story, chronicling a
five-decade career whose one constant is his deep love of the Blues.
Trout is no ordinary artist and this is no ordinary covers album. "I
didn’t want to do ‘Stormy Monday’ or ‘Messin’ With The Kid.’ I didn’t
want to do the Blues greatest hits. I wanted to do old, obscure songs
that have hardly been covered. And that’s how Survivor Blues started,”
explains Trout. Over the course of the last several decades, Walter Trout
has been a prolific artist. He’s regularly released offerings from
the studio, so this moment of offering a covers album is somewhat of a
curve-ball. Trout was voted #6 in a memorable BBC Radio Poll
of the 20 Best Guitarists Of All Time, alongside such greats as Jimi
Hendrix, Jimmy Page and Gary Moore. His 2017 all-star release, We’re
All In This Together, shows no sign of burning out and continues to
receive accolades and sales on a global basis, alongside four awards for Blues
Rock Album Of The Year. In 2018, Trout's release "We're All In
It Together" won the Blues Foundation's Blues Music Award for Rock
Blues Album.
When it comes to Honey Island Swamp Band,
think The Band’s Big Pink album and add a splash of hot sauce with
Willin’ by Little Feat – this group of New Orleans vagabonds nails
it. From the pristine waters of the Honey Island Swamp, to the
vibrant streets of New Orleans, to the hazy corner of Haight-Asbury in
San Francisco, this band has endured devastation, relocation, and
revitalization. “Their all-encompassing sound of blues, roots, country, and
soul has been described as “Bayou Americana," writes respected
publication, NO DEPRESSION. Ruf Records artist Honey Island Swamp Band
takes the hammer to the nail with the help of producer Luther Dickinson
on their latest release, Demolition Day. On Demolition Day, the
Honey Island Swamp Band breaks these boundaries to deliver a sound so
relevant and honest that even in the darkest of days – like the violent
storm that brought this group of musicians together – Demolition Day
still shines brightly.
Kate Moss has
enjoyed playing guitar since her teens, but it wasn’t until she met Buddy
Guy at the age of 21 that she realized what genre of music commanded her
focus: The Blues. Exploring Buddy's music and that of his contemporaries,
she fell in love with the sound and the heartfelt, improvisational nature
of the Blues. Over the years, Kate has been honored to share the
stage with not only Buddy on several occasions, but other top performers
in the biz, like her husband Nick Moss, Jimmy Vivino, Tommy Castro, Jimmy
Johnson, Walter Trout, Eddie Shaw, Curtis Salgado, Ana Popovic, Smokin’
Joe Kubek, Lurrie Bell, and Mud Morganfield, among many others.
B to the 6th represented the Grand County Blues
Society in the International Blues Challenge Youth Showcase in Memphis,
TN this past January. This six-piece band from Colorado Springs is bringing
their fun funky blues in their debut with Blue Star Connection!
About Grand
County Blues Society
We have not lost our way but rather tried to lead the
way. With innovation, tremendous volunteer effort and creativity, we have
managed to stay ambitious and dedicated to the love and excitement
of live blues. We have produced fifteen festivals in Grand County
and we have presented well over two-hundred shows along the way.
We have taken Blues in the Schools to every
school in Grand County and given Blues History to kids that started with
us in the first grade to become seniors in college. We have been involved
in all our libraries, creating a musical choice, from CD's to DVDs to
actual instruments that can be taken home just like a book. We named
it “Check out the Music.” We have looked after the kids
wherever and whenever we have found them.
We are an all-volunteer board and we have remained
strong with the help of our friends and the businesses that continue to
support our mission of bringing national touring acts to our valley. We
hope you will get to know us and join us as we move forward supporting
the Blues.
Blue Star Denver 8 Artist Interview
& Media Show Passes Available.
I just had the opportunity to review the most recent release (4/20/18), Happy Songs for the Apocalypse, by Eric Corne and I really like it. Opening with Mad World, a British feeling folk tune with contemporary sensibility, it is acoustic and ethereal featuring Corne on vocal, acoustic and electric guitar, Eamon Ryland on pedal steel and Sasha Smith onWurlizter, Ian Walker on bass, David Ralicke on horns and Andrew Crosby on drums. Ridin' With Lady Luck is a simple Neil Young like rocker featuring Walter Trout on lead guitar, Corne on lead vocal and harp. One of the strongest radio tracks on the release is Locomotion with it's seductive rhythm, full horn work of Ralicke, tight drums by Blair Sinta and cool slide work by Eamon Ryland . Solid ballad, History Repeats, has a real nice symmetry. It puts me in mind of some of the strong tracks written by the band in the 70's with Skip Edwards on particularly nice pedal steel and keys, Ted Russell Kamp on bass and Matt Tecu on drums. Ashen Heart is one of my favorite tracks on the release with a strong melody some of my favorite vocals on the release. Corne, who sings, whistles and plays acoustic guitar on the track shows influence of Harry Nilsson...a strong compliment. Wrapping the release is Sing, Little Darlin' Sing, a solid track featuring Corne accompanying himself on Ukelele. This is a really understated release but one that has a memorable feel. Check it out!
If you support live Blues acts, up and coming Blues talents and want to learn more about Blues news and Fathers of the Blues, Like ---Bman’s Blues Report--- Facebook Page! I’m looking for great talent and trying to grow the audience for your favorites band!- ”LIKE”
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I just had the opportunity to review the most recent release, Dream Train, from Alastair Greene and it's a smokin' rocker. Opening with title track, Dream Train, Greene on lead vocal and guitar, joined by Jim Rankin on bass and Austin Beede on drums really hit the road hard including fiery slide work by Greene. Big Bad Wolf is a great boogie rocker with grinding guitar rhythm and slashing solos. Excellent! Billy Gibbons penned, Nome Zayne has a heavy bottom and cool pinched guitar harmonics. One of my favorite tracks on the release is blues ballad, Another Lie, featuring features Walter Trout on guitar and Mike Finnigan on organ and some of the best Greene guitar riffs on tape in a while. Excellent! Acoustic instrumental, Song For Rufus, shows Greene's guitar virtuosity with serious intent. An exceptional piece of recording and playing. Dare Devil is a cool 12 bar number with a nice solo from Dennis Gruenling on harp, Mike Finnigan on organ and of course Greene on guitar for one of the most balanced tracks on the release. Blues guitar super star, Debbie Davies joins Greene on funky rocker Grateful Swagger with both artists really ripping some great riffs. Tight bottom instrumental... very cool! A beautiful instrumental tune, Iowa shows colors of electric guitar in lead soloing over tom tom. This is a very nice presentation and a nice showcase for sensitivity and guitar craft. Thick power rocker, Down To Memphis, adds super guitarist Mike Zito with a lot of girth. Very nice. Wrapping the release is jazz fused, Lucky 13, with snappy drums, a driving beat and fluid guitar runs. This is a great track to wrap a really solid release.
If you support live Blues acts, up and coming Blues talents and want to learn more about Blues news and Fathers of the Blues, Like ---Bman’s Blues Report--- Facebook Page! I’m looking for great talent and trying to grow the audience for your favorites band!- ”LIKE”
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SUPERSONIC BLUES MACHINE ANNOUNCE THE GLOBAL RELEASE
OF
CALIFORNISOUL ON OCTOBER 20 VIA MASCOT LABEL GROUP /
PROVOGUE
ALL-STAR CAST INCLUDES BILLY GIBBONS, STEVE LUKATHER,
ERIC GALES,
WALTER TROUT AND ROBBEN FORD
Los Angeles, CA – Supersonic
Blues Machine, featuring Fabrizio Grossi (bass / producer), Lance Lopez (guitar
/ vocals) and Kenny Aronoff (drums) has announced the global release of CALIFORNISOUL!
On October 20 via Mascot Label Group / Provogue Records. The title, available
on CD, double vinyl, download and streaming, presents the sound the band spent
much of 2017 sharing with audiences from Texas to Holland and India to St.
Petersburg, Russia, picking up right where the they left off on their
well-received debut record, West of Flushing, South of Frisco.
Grossi shares, ““CALIFORNISOUL! That’s exactly what it is. It’s the
missing soundtrack to a summertime drive from Los Angeles to San Francisco in
1971!”
Recorded at Fab’s Lab in
North Hollywood, California, the repertoire is all about great songs.
“Cry” is a soul searching, simmering piece of poetry and Lance Lopez preaches
it in the most righteous way. “I Am Done Missing You” is another number that
reaches down deep with a message that will resonate with both spurned lovers
and those who have left their bad habits and ways in the past. Californisoul is
a study and celebration of the human condition, and “This Is Love” could be the
lovechild of Bob Marley and War with some stinging guitar action spread on top.
We’re living in times in which it’s hard to keep on keeping on, and it’s easy
to fall prey to habits, vices, and distractions - “Elevate” takes a close look
at the “high” life, and how one must raise above the temptations and
tribulations if the music is to be made.
Fabrizio Grossi talks about
a soundtrack for an imaginary road trip up the California coastline in the
heady, halcyon days of the early 70s, and that really captures the vibe and
mojo that is Californisoul. The songs Grossi has written for this album are as
top notch as they are diverse. This machine covers a lot of ground. As the
ever-tighter core of Lopez, Grossi, and Aronoff comes together with the elite
of the modern-day blues rock community, this is much closer to Woodstock and
Watkins Glen than it is to a cut and paste A-list vanity session. This is about
friendship, the brotherhood of the blues, and bringing the blues up to this
moment in time.
Lance Lopez is once again at
the front and center. His guitar work is as hot and gritty as anything ever
cooked up down in Texas, and his singing evokes memories of the great soul,
blues, and rock vocalists. You’ll hear the influence and heritage of Bobby
“Blue” Bland, the funk of Sly Stone, and the world-weary rumination of the
late, great Gregg Allman, but Lopez never really sounds like anything but
himself. Kenny Aronoff is truly one of the most in-demand drummers on the
planet, and his work on the album is one of the ingredients that make the
record so special. Aronoff has also brought along his substantial arranging and
compositional skills to great effect. Whether performing with John
Fogerty, BoDeans, Sir Paul McCartney, John Cougar Mellencamp, The Smashing
Pumpkins or Supersonic Blues Machine, he is simply one of the best players on
the planet.
Guests on the album include Billy
Gibbons, who returns with pen and guitar (“Broken Heart”), Steve
Lukather (Toto / Ringo’s All-Starr Band) throws down some stunning licks
(“Hard Times”), Eric Gales is back in the fold (“Elevate”), Robben
Ford brings his bag of soulfully sophisticated chops (“Somebody’s Fool”), Walter
Trout brings some silky slow blues (“What’s Wrong”), and the party is
rounded out with Alessandro Alessandroni Jr. on keyboards, Serge
Simic (co-writer and background vocals on “Love” and “Hard Times”), and Andrea
and Francis Benitez Grossi (background vocals). You may come for the stars,
but you’ll stay for the whole show.
Fabrizio Grossi adds, “Lots
of people have been saying to me ‘why does Supersonic Blues Machine always
bring guests around? You guys can stand your own ground’, and there are three
answers to that – first, we’re all super friends and we're having a blast;
second, most of them don't give lessons and for us it's only way to learn their
secret "ways"; and thirdly, because the inspiration and the challenge
they bring to the table!” Supersonic Blues Machine is truly a family as
well as a band, and these guests don’t mail it in, they stay for dinner. The
community aspect is very real, and one of the band’s great treasures.
The complete track listing
features: “I Am Done Missing You,” “Somebody’s Fool” (featuring Robben Ford).
“Love,” “Broken Heart” (featuring Billy Gibbons), “Bad Boys,” “Elevate”
(featuring Eric Gales), “The One,” “Hard Times” (featuring Steve Lukather),
“Cry.” “The Stranger,” “What’s Wrong” (featuring Walter Trout), “Thank You,”
“This Is Love.”
TITLED WE’RE ALL IN THIS TOGETHER FEATURING 14 FRIENDS
North
American Release Date Set For August 25 With Europe To Follow On September 1
Album
Trailer:
Special Guests include John
Mayall, Joe Bonamassa, Kenny Wayne Shepherd, Sonny
Landreth, Joe Louis Walker,
Warren Haynes, Randy Bachman, Charlie Musselwhite, Edgar
Winter, Eric Gales, Mike Zito,
Robben Ford, John Nemeth, And His Son Jon Trout
Los Angeles, CA --- Walter Trout is the beating heart of
the modern blues rock scene, respected by the old guard, revered by the young
guns, and adored by the fans who shake his hand after the show each night.
After five decades in the game, Trout is a talismanic figure and part of the
glue that bonds the blues community together, at a time when the wider world
has never been so divided. He’s also the only artist with the vision, talent
and star-studded address book to pull off a project on the scale of We’re
All In This Together. “It was quite a piece of work to get this record
together,” he admits. “But I guess I have a lot of friends, y’know…?”
Before you even hear a note, We’re All In This
Together has your attention. Drafting fourteen A-list stars – including Joe
Bonamassa, Kenny Wayne Shepherd, John Mayall and Randy Bachman – and writing an
original song for each, Trout has made the most tantalizing album of the year,
and found solace after a run of solo albums that chronicled his near-fatal
liver disease of 2014. “Now was the right time for this record,” he says. “Battle
Scars [2015] was such an intense piece of work, written with tears coming
down my face. I needed a break from that, to do something fun and
light-hearted. This album was joyous for me.”
Scan the credits of We’re All In This Together and
you’ll find nods to every twist and turn of Trout’s electrifying backstory.
There’s keys man and long-time friend Skip Edwards, who came up on the same
early-’70s New Jersey circuit where Trout cut his teeth as the precocious lead
guitarist for Wilmont Mews. There’s organ wizard Deacon Jones, the West Coast
bandleader who brought a twenty-something Trout into the orbit of blues titans
like John Lee Hooker and Big Mama Thornton. “Deacon sorta discovered me when I
moved to LA in the ’70s,” reflects Trout. “So I owe him.”
Trout also welcomes a fistful of compadres from recent
all-star project Supersonic Blues Machine, in the form of Warren Haynes, Robben
Ford and Eric Gales. Then there’s John Mayall: the ageless British blues-boom
godfather who hired a troubled Trout for the Bluesbreakers in 1985 and now
blows harp on “Blues For Jimmy T.” “Am I proud to call myself a
former Bluesbreaker?” Trout reflects. “Yeah, of course. What a credential. That
is a very exclusive club, and I know that when I’m gone, that’s gonna be one of
the big things that they’ll remember me for: that I was a Bluesbreaker for five
years.”
Since he struck out alone in 1989, Trout’s solo career
has been every bit as celebrated. Touring tirelessly and spitting out classic
albums that include 1990’s flag-planting Life In The Jungle, 1998’s
breakthrough Walter Trout and 2012’s politically barbed Blues For The
Modern Daze, he’s won international acclaim and enjoyed ever-growing sales
in a notoriously fickle industry. Years on the road have also brought him tight
friendships, as evidenced by 2006’s cameo-fuelled Full Circle album and
this year’s unofficial sequel, We’re All In This Together. “The new
album was originally gonna be called Full Circle Volume 2,” notes Trout,
“but I wanted to make the title a positive statement in this time of
madness.”
In another departure, whereas Full Circle saw each
guest visit the studio to track their part, the advance of recording technology
in the intervening decade meant Trout’s collaborators on We’re All In This
Together were able to supply their contributions from afar. “In the studio,
it was the core band of me, Sammy Avila [keys], Mike Leasure [drums] and Johnny
Griparic [bass] on every cut, with Eric Corne producing,” he explains, “and
then, for most of the tracks, people sent us their parts. But it’s very hard to
tell we’re not in the studio together. If you listen to the Warren Haynes
track, when we get into that guitar conversation on the end – it sounds like
we’re looking each other right in the face, y’know?”
They say you can judge a man by the company he keeps. If
that’s the case, then We’re All In This Together is further proof of
Walter Trout’s position at the hub of the blues scene. This is the sound of an
artist not just getting by with a little help from his friends, but positively
thriving, on an album that is sure to light another rocket under his blooming
late career. “I’m 66 years old,” considers Trout, “but I feel like I’m in the
best years of my life right now. I feel better than I have in years physically.
I have more energy. I have a whole different appreciation of being alive, of
the world, of my family, of my career. I want life to be exciting and
celebratory. I want to dig in. I want to grab life by the balls and not let go,
y’know…?”
Track
Listing:
“Gonna Hurt Like
Hell” featuring Kenny Wayne Shepherd
“Ain’t Gpin’ Back”
featuring Sonny Landreth
“The Other
Side of The Pillow” featuring Charlie Musselwhite
“She Listens
To The Blackbird Song” featuring Mike Zito
“Mr. Davis” featuring
Robben Ford
“The Sky Is
Crying” featuring Warren Haynes
“Somebody
Goin’ Down” featuring Eric Gales
“She Steals My
Heart Away” featuring Edgar Winter
“Crash And
Burn” featuring Joe Louis Walker
“Too Much To
Carry” featuring John Nemeth
“Do You Still
See Me At All” featuring Jon Trout
“Got Nothin’ Left”
featuring Randy Bachman
“Blues For
Jimmy T.” Featuring John Mayall
“We’re All In
This Together” featuring Joe Bonamassa
Planned
appearances include:
6/30
Wichita,
KS
The Cotillion
7/01
Kansas City,
MO
Knucklehead’s
7/02
St. Louis,
MO
Old Rock House
7/05
Syracuse,
NY
Hotel Syracuse
7/06
Sellersville,
PA
Sellersville Theatre
7/07
Old Saybrook,
CT
The Kate
7/08
Fall River,
MA
Narrows Center for the Arts
7/09
Pawling,
NY
Daryl’s House
7/10
Hoboken,
NJ
Maxwell’s
7/12
New York,
NY
B.B. King’s
7/13
Shirley,
MA
Bull Run
7/14
Norwalk,
CT
Infinity Music Hall
7/15
Derry,
NH
Tupelo Music Hall
7/16
Rockland,
ME
North Atlantic Blues Festival
7/19
Grand Rapids,
MI
Blues On The Mall
7/20
Toledo,
OH
Club Soda
7/21
Chicago,
IL
Legends
7/22
Chicago,
IL
Legends
7/23
Milwaukee,
WI
Shank Hall
7/26
Omaha,
NE
Chrome Lounge
7/27
Minneapolis,
MN
Famous Dave’s
7/28
Fargo,
ND
Fargo Blues Fesival
7/29
Arnolds Park,
IA
Arnolds Park Amusement Park
7/30
Des Moines,
IA
Lefty’s Live Music
8/05
Mammoth Lakes,
CA
Bluespalooza
8/06
Deming,
WA
Mt Baker R&B Festival
8/16
Annapolis,
MD
Ram’s Head
8/17
Washington
D.C.
The Hamilton
8/18
Somers Point,
NJ
Somers Point Concert Series
8/19
Morristown,
NJ
Morristown Jazz & Blues Festival
8/20
Lancaster,
PA
Long’s Park Concert Series
8/22
Gravenhurst,
ON
Peter’s Players
8/23
Gravenhurst,
ON
Peter’s Players
8/25
Trois Rivieres, QC
Trois Rivieres En Blues
8/26
Marshfield,
MA
North River Blues Festival
8/27
Simsbury,
CT
2 Left Feet Blues Festival
8/30
Auburn Hills,
MI
Callahan’s
8/31
Cleveland,
OH
Beachland Ballroom
9/02
Peoria,
IL
Peoria Blues & Heritage Festival
9/07
Las Vegas,
NV
Big Blues Bender
9/08
Las Vegas,
NV
Big Blues Bender
October
through November – European Dates – Detail posted on www.waltertrout.com
