Catfood Records artist: Zac Harmon - Floreada's Boy - New Release Review

 I just had the opportunity to review the most recent release, Floreada's Boy, from Zac Harmon and it's a solid blues release. Opening with Babe & Ricky's Inn, Zac Harmon on lead vocal and guitar created a cool, R&B blues sound with terrific blues phrasing, joined by Corey Lacy on keys, Nate Robinson on bass, Gino Iglehart on drums and Kingston Livingston on guitars. Strong opener. Funky blues rocker, Glass Ceiling, has a hot rhythm guitar riff by Livingston and Harmon's lead work is augmented by Lacy's keyboards and snappy drum work by Iglehart. Soulful, That's The Way I Feel About Cha, is a nice showcase for Harmon's rich vocal styling and nice backing vocals by SueAnn Carwell, Carly Thomas Smith and Derrick Procell. Very nice. Big Dog Blues is one of my favorites on the release with strong vocal lead and some of the best guitar work on the release. Christopher Troy's organ work adds a nice weight to the track and the LA Horns (Les Kepics, Jason Peteresen DeLair, and Chuck Phillips) add a lot of punch. Soulful, Never Forget, is the standout radio track with it's memorable melody and solid vocals by Harmon. Troy's organ work add nice breath and stinging riffs by Harmon adds focus. Wrapping the release is Stop The Killing with a pop jazzy piano riff by Lacy and Troy on organ, anchored by Iglehart on drums. Caleb Quaye is featured on guitar adding yet another dimension to this release, with Carwell's vocals blending nicely with Harmon. Solid closer for a cool 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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Catfood Records artist: Derrick Procell - Hello Mojo! - New Release Review

 

I just had the opportunity to review the most recent release, Hello Mojo!, from Derrick Procell, and it's a solid contemporary blues release. Opening with Skin In The Game, Derrick Procell who covers lead vocal does a real nice job, supported by featuring Zac Harmon on guitar, Johnny McGhee on guitar, Richy Puga on drums, Dan Ferguson on keys, Bob Tenchard on bass, and a full horn section of Andy Roman on tenor and alto sax, Nick Flood on baritone and tenor sax, Mike Middleton on trumpet and Frank Otero on trombone. Strong opener. On Broken Promise with it's Latin rhythm, Procell adds in some real nice harmonica lead, sounding influenced by Lee Oscar. With backing vocal by Sueann Carwell, Meredith Colby and Jessica Ivey, this has a smooth radio styling. Baby I'm Lost, with it's cool rhythm has a cool, relaxed feel. Procell on lead and harmonica with his rich backing vocalists and with the addition of Munyungo Jackson on percussion makes for another cool radio track. The Kinks' Who'll Be The Next In Line gets a real rearrangement with a swing and horns. Procell really puts his signature on it with great vocals, bluesy guitar riffs by McGhee and with a full horn backing, it's my favorite track on the release. Wrapping the release is ballad, Bittersweet Memory featuring Procell upfront on vocal and with almost gospel like richness between Ferguson and Ivey, Colby and Carwell. Otero, Middleton Flood and Roman add that extra dimension on horns making this a 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”

 For added exposure - Blues World Wide Group "LIKE" 

   

 “Like” Bman’s Facebook page and get support for your favorite band or venue - click HERE 

 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

Cat Food Records artist: Zac Harmon - Long As I Got My Guitar - New Release Review

 I just had the opportunity to review the most recent release, Long As I Got My Guitar, from Zac Harmon and it's a guitar soaked blues/soul/R&B/funky release. Opening with Deal With The Devil, a slick, Latin sprinkled blues with a funky bottom. With Harmon on lead vocal and guitar and backed by Bob Trenchard on bass, Richy Puga on drums, Johnny McGhee on guitar and Dan Ferguson keys, it's a really cool opener. On easy soulful ballad, People Been Talking, Harmon really shows off his silky smooth vocals with SueAnn Carwell and Corey Lacey on backing vocal. Easy funky, Soul Land, has a real nice melody and backing vocals making it a prime radio track for this release. Title track, Long As I Got My Guitar has a real slinky Albert King or Robert Cray like R&B feel and he really soars on his guitar leads. Very nice. With a funky R&B bass line, drums and rhythm guitar, New Years Day is bound to get you moving in your seat (if not onto your feet). Harmon, Carwell and Lacey blend nicely on vocal and Puga's percussion work over the drums really adds nice spice. Wrapping the release is Ashes To The Wind, a soulful ballad, showcasing Harmon on lead vocal and gospel like piano and organ by Ferguson. This is a warm, rich closer for a 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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Catfood Records artist: Zac Harmon - Mississippi BarBQ - New release Review

I just had the opportunity to review the newest release, Mississippi BarBQ, by Zac Harmon and it's a cool contemporary blues release. Opening with Gypsy Road, a R&B style blues number with Harmon's trademark silky smooth vocals and stinging guitar work, he's got another winner. Backed by Bob Trenchard on bass, Richy Puga on drums, Johnny McGhee on guitar, Dan Ferguson on keys, Mike Middleton on trumpet, Andy Roman on sax, Nick Flood on sax and Drake Domingue on trombone, this is a solid opener. Blues rocker, Smoke and Mirrors has a cool hook, punctuated by slick guitar riffs and nice backing vocals by Janelle Thompson, Shakara Weston, SueAnn Carwell and Corey Carmichael. Crossing over to a smooth soul radio groove and title track, Mississippi BarBQ, Harmon really lays it back nice and easy. Backing vocals by Thompson, Weston, Carwell and Carmichael and a sweet melodic guitar solo by Harmon make this an ideal radio track. One of my favorite tracks on the release is up tempo shuffle, Honey Pleez with Corey Carmichael on keys, Chris Gipson on bass, Ralph Forrest on drums and Texas Slim on rhythm guitar. BB King flavored, Sunday Morning After Saturday Night has really cool guitar styling by Texas Slim in answer to Harmon's lead vocals and punchy horn accents work nicely with the organ styling of Ferguson. Another R&B style track, Since You Been gone has a great melody and cool backing instrumentation. Harmon's melodic soloing over the tight bottom of Gipson and Forrest make it another strong radio candidate. Wrapping the release is Knocking On Heaven's Door with a real soulful/gospel treatment. Harmon really digs in vocally making this my favorite track on the release. 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”

 For added exposure - Blues World Wide Group "LIKE" 

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Women Rule at New Blues Festival 4 Labor Day Weekend

WOMEN RULE THE MAIN STAGE AT NEW BLUES FESTIVAL IV; HEADLINING SETS BY 2017 GRAMMY NOMINEE JANIVA MAGNESS AND QUEEN OF BLUES GUITAR, ANA POPOVIC      ~In Conjunction with the New Long Beach Blues Society~

(LONG BEACH, CA) -  New Blues Festival IV is proud to present some of Blues' biggest women artists this year, when the two-day festival takes place Saturday, September 2 and Sunday, September 3 (Labor Day Weekend) at El Dorado Regional Park in Long Beach, Calif. This year's festival is also being presented in conjunction with the new Long Beach Blues Society.   Performing on the Main Stage are Janiva Magness, whose critically-acclaimed album Love Wins Again was a 2017 Grammy nominee in the Best Contemporary Blues category. Ana Popovic, the Serbian-born guitar great and six-time Grammy nominee who recently relocated to Los Angeles, is also set to perform, with other female acts including the "Queen of Steam," Michele Lundeen;  and Los Angele's own, Deb Taren Band; Shadowblue featuring Lady Faye; and Seville Street.   Other NBF IV headliners: Blues legend, Guitar Shorty; The King Brothers; Chris Cain; Zac Harmon (performing with Chris Cain); John Clifton; Reverend Shawn Amos; Atomic Road Kings; Backwater Blues Band; and Union Hobos.   As with previous years, there will be a full Vendor Village, Craft Beers on Tap, BBQ Vendors, Gourmet Food Trucks, and more. Additionally, enjoy music as well on the Golden Groove Stage featuring performances by many of the Southland's best Blues acts.  Tickets now on sale For New Blues Festival IV at http://www.newbluesfestival.com/tickets.   https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fiEOhaUULg4&feature=youtu.be                                                             About...New Blues Festival IV      The New Blues Festival is now in its fourth big year, and was expanded to a two-day event in 2015 due to the overwhelming success of the inaugural NBF, when over 2,000 music lovers of all ages filled POA Park in Long Beach.    "Los Angeles and Orange Counties have responded very well to the (New Blues Festival) concept. We definitely hit on a pent-up demand for a long-running inter-generational tradition, and we are excited to once again share all this great music with the public", says William Grisolia, Producer of the New Blues Festival.    Past headliners at the previous two New Blues Festival events include some of the biggest names in Blues: 2017 Grammy winner, Bobby Rush; Lee Rocker; James Harman; The 44's with Kid Ramos; Brophy Dale Band; Barbara Morrison; Whiteboy James & the Blues Express; Teddy Lee Hooker; 2000 Lbs. of Blues; and Bernie Pearl, plus the best young up-and-coming blues artists, Chase Walker Band and Ray Goren.                                                       newbluesfestival.com                          facebook.com/theNewBluesFestival                                                                     http://www.longbeachbluessociety.org/

New Anthem for the Blues!

AWARD-WINNING BLUES ARTIST PENS NEW ANTHEM FOR THE BLUES! Acclaimed bluesman Zac Harmon, winner of both major awards from the Blues Foundation – the International Blues Challenge and the Blues Music Award – has come up with a new anthem for the genre - "Long Live The Blues."  The song, which he co-wrote with John Hahn and Christopher Troy, is a powerful, upbeat declaration that the blues "is here to stay." In the current Living Blues magazine Zac was asked about the song: Living Blues: You pull no punches on that one with those who think the blues may be dying or dead. Zac: Well, that song is an anthem for all the bluesmen in America.   I just kind of feel like blues is the roots and the father of most of your popular musical art forms in America, but yet blues always has to take a backseat to everybody.  And so, this is just an anthem for all of us, to say "We're still here, and we're gonna be here." To watch a great video of Zac and his band performing this new anthem for the blues, please click HERE.  Kindly share this video by posting on your Facebook page, social media or website. "Long Live the Blues" is a track from Zac’s new Blind Pig release entitled Right Man Right Now.  Living Blues said the CD "is Harmon is at his best: a smooth, polished sound grounded in traditional blues stylings yet thoroughly modern in sensibility. The future of the blues is in very good hands, indeed.”  Upcoming dates for the Zac Harmon Band: Oct. 8 Helena, AR King Biscuit Blues Festival Oct. 18 Fredricksburg, TX Blankets and Blues Oct. 29 Sioux City, IA Hard Rock Hotel & Casino Oct. 30 Topeka, KS Uncle Bo's Oct. 31 Topeka, KS Uncle Bo's Nov. 14 Fort Dodge, IA Starlight Village Dec. 11 Richardson, TX Freddy King Winter Blues

King Biscuit Blues Festival

ACCLAIMED BLIND PIG ACTS AT THE KING BISCUIT BLUES FESTIVAL Two highly acclaimed blues acts with new releases out on Blind Pig Records - the Zac Harmon Band and the Andy T-Nick Nixon Band - will be performing at the King Biscuit Blues Festival in Helena, Arkansas, one of the most iconic and longest running blues festivals in the U.S. ZAC HARMON BAND  THURSDAY, OCTOBER 8th  4:00pm - 5:10pm Zac is one of the blues’ strongest live performers, thrilling fans everywhere from Memphis to Mumbai.  BluesWax said, “Harmon’s stage show is like a Blues symphony where he segues from one song to the next without a moment’s hesitation, building a head of steam that is orgasmic. His hour on stage went by in an instant.” Jazz Now said, “His show affirmed all the hoopla that surrounds those dubbed as the hottest new act… Soulful vocals, breathtaking showmanship… His flashy guitar style belies the solid sound that he radiated on every tune, admirably backed by a fantastic band.” To watch a video of "Long Live the Blues," a track from Zac's new CD Right Man RIght Now, please click HERE. Blues Symposium on Saturday On Saturday Oct. 10th Zac Harmon will participate in the "Call and Response" Blues Symposium at the Malco Theater.  From 12 noon until 1:00 pm he will discuss the special magic of the Delta that gave rise to America’s music, the blues. Also on the panel are Memphis singer/songwriter Reba Russell, Bubba Sullivan, one of the founders of the King Biscuit Festival, Matt Marshall, editor of American Blues Scene, and moderator Don Wilcock, award-winning blues journalist.  The Blues Symposium is free to the public. ANDY T-NICK NIXON BAND  SATURDAY, OCTOBER 10th  5:30pm - 6:40pm The blues has a history of great partnerships and  Andy T and Nick Nixon definitely belong in that select group. Proof positive comes with their new release, Numbers Man, which debuted last month on the Billboard blues chart. The album was produced by noted Texas guitarist Anson Funderburgh, who will sit in with the band for their festival appearance. Andy T’s jazz-tinged guitar style is influenced by T-Bone Walker, B.B. King, Magic Sam, and Albert Collins among others, yet it remains his own. The velvet-voiced Nixon, part of Nashville’s thriving blues and R&B scene in the 60’s and 70’s, sings in a style that recalls Jimmy Witherspoon and Billy Eckstine. Even though he’s now in his 70’s, Nixon’s voice still has all the power and energy of a man half his age and it’s crystal clear that this man was born to sing the blues. Combined with Andy T’s bold, vibrant tones and equally rooted guitar style, it makes for a uniquely satisfying brand of soulful blues.