Featuring 8 guest stars, backed by Lydia Warren on guitar, Diane Gately on drums and Sue Goldberg on bass.
DIANE BLUE: Boston's Diane Blue is a strong and soulful vocalist, skillful harmonica player and a crowd pleasing entertainer. Voted "Outstanding Female Singer" in The Blues Audience 2011 Readers' Poll. GRACIE CURRAN: Gracie has a silky smooth voice with a thick timbre that recalls women singers from a bygone era of great music. CINDY DALEY: Cindy has been singing and playing the blues, and rock, since the 1980s, backing up Jon Butcher Axis. She was half of Boston's duo act in last year's International Blues Challenge in Memphis. KIT HOLLIDAY: Kit has been singing professionally for more than half her life, from rock to musical theater to blues and jazz. She was voted outstanding blues female vocalist by the Blues Audience in 2005. SHIRLEY LEWIS: Boston's "Regal Queen of the Blues," singer-songwriter Shirley Lewis has been bowling over audiences since the age of 4 performing blues, Gospel, jazz and soul. Her superb voice, humor, warmth, and grace, have charmed festival-goers all across the country. LISA MARIE: Lisa Marie is a versatile singer-songwriter and winner of the 2008 Outstanding Female Singer award from The Blues Audience. CAROLYN WATERS: A relative newcomer to the stage, her powerful, riveting voice has already gained her a wonderful reputation as a crowd pleaser as she moves effortlessly from folk, gospel, jazz, to the good old fashioned foot stomping blues. LYDIA WARREN This guitarist/vocalist tours internationally from Brooklyn to Beirut, whipping audiences into a frenzy at each stop. She tours and records as a solo act and with her alt-blues power trio.
Since the critically acclaimed 1976 debut album featuring his own brand of high quality seventies guitar rock and roll, Pat Travers has gone on to deliver melodic eighties rock, a blues period throughout most of the nineties, noted performances with various power trio’s during the first few years of the new Millennium, and a full blooded return to the trademark Pat Travers Band sound as he entered his fifth performing and recording decade. This Pat Travers Band is also one seriously tight rockin’ unit, and live they always deliver. Pat welcomes longtime sticksman, Sandy Gennaro back into the fold. In between dates with the Pat Travers Band, Sandy has been a regular counselor at the World Famous, “Rock and Roll Fantasy Camps” The groove between Gennaro and O’Quinn is a force that is undeniable. There is an energy that is tangible, an enjoyment that is infectious, and, quite frankly, you owe it to yourself to catch this band whenever and wherever you can. From the streets of Toronto, to the streets of London and still kicking butt…The Pat Travers Band is: Pat Travers, Rodney O'Quinn, Krik McKim and Sandy Gennaro.
Open: The Sean Coleman Band - An all original, hard rockin' band from the Merrimack Valley / Northshore area. Members are: Sean Coleman, Hank Rowe, Scott Perkins and Dean Thompson.
"Transition" is the new CD by this supergroup featuring five of the best players in their respective fields today. Every once in a while a band comes together by some magical, magnetic pull of the cosmos and blows everyone away. Produced by Larry Coryell, the "Godfather" of Jazz/Rock fusion, this new CD reflects influences from 60's Jazz to Classic 70's Blues and Fusion. With music and lyrics by Wolfman, Coryell and Bailey, "Transition" is possibly one of the most important new album releases this year.
THE BAND: BOB WOLFMAN: GUITAR - Raised in the urban grit of early 70's New York City surely helped to put the "soul" in his sound. Having played with Joe Beck, Chick Corea, Grover Washington Jr., and his lifelong mentor, teacher and friend Larry Coryell didn't hurt either. After playing and recording with every type of band imaginable, he graduated from Berklee College of Music and later opened his famed Wolfman’s School of Music. LARRY CORYELL: GUITAR - Truly one of the greatest of all the Jazz guitar giants ever, Coryell deserves a special place in the history books. The pioneer "Godfather" of Jazz/Rock Fusion, he brought what amounted to a nearly alien sensibility to jazz electric guitar playing in the 1960s. Larry's hard-edged, cutting tone, phrasing and note-bending owed as much to blues, rock and even country as it did to earlier, smoother bop influences. Yet as a true eclectic, armed with a brilliant technique, he is comfortable in almost every style, from the decibel-heavy, distortion-laden electric work to the most delicate, soothing, intricate lines on acoustic guitar. VICTOR BAILEY: BASS - Hailed as one of the worlds greatest bass guitarists, gaining international recognition in the early 80's when he joined the innovative jazz fusion supergroup Weather Report, he has made three of the most highly acclaimed solo records ever by any bassist and as a studio musician has played on over one thousand records. He's toured and recorded with artists as diverse as Joe Zawinul, Mike Brecker, Mary J. Blige and Madonna. KENWOOD DENNARD: DRUMS - Woody, as he is affectionately known, is one of the world's top performing and recording drummers. The names of all the giants he's worked with is far too long to list here and reads like an encyclopedia of music icons in Jazz, Funk, Rock, Blues, Pop, and Soul: Miles Davis, Dizzy Gillespie, Greg Allman, Chet Atkins, Quincy Jones, Stanley Jordan, Dave Matthews, JacoPastorius, Charles Mingus, Edgar Winter, Joe Zawinul and on and on. FERDI ARGENTI: KEYBOARDS - Hands down one of the finest and most versatile keyboardists you'll hear anywhere, Ferdi began his career performing throughout Europe as a pianist, keyboardist, vocalist, composer and arranger, playing with many of the finest Italian and American musicians, most notably Chet Baker, Lee Konitz, Kenny Wheeler and the Artie Shaw band.
A lot can happen in five years, and for the husband-and-wife duo Sarah Lee Guthrie and Johnny Irion, the time between "Exploration," their first album together in 2005, and "Bright Examples" (Ninth Street Opus Records, Feb. 22, 2011), their new, full-length collaborative project featuring producers Andy Cabic (lead singer/songwriter in the band Vetiver) and Thom Monahan (Devendra Banhart, Vetiver), has been one nonstop whirlwind of activity. Not only has the couple toured extensively both as a duo and as part of the “Guthrie Family Rides Again” tour (with Sarah Lee’s dad, Arlo Guthrie), they’ve also released the children’s album "Go Waggaloo" (Smithsonian Folkways), a live DVD entitled "Folk Song," a solo album by Johnny (Ex Tempore), parented their two young daughters and moved from South Carolina to the Berkshires in western Massachusetts, near where Sarah Lee was raised.
Sarah Lee was two years old when she made her singing debut as part of a children's chorus on Arlo's 1981 album "Power of Love." Although growing up within a celebrated music family, it wasn't until after graduating high school that she discovered her love for making music. Together with Irion, the budding artist realized her true calling of being a songwriter. Sarah Lee would forgo attending college, and pursued a career in music. Irion is no stranger to the indie-folk/rock scene, having been an influential member of such nationally known acts as Queen Sarah Saturday and Dillon Fence. Since the time Irion and Sarah Lee got married, he has released two critically acclaimed solo albums, entitled "Ex Tempore" (2007) and "Unity Lodge" (2001), and she released a self-titled solo recording in 2001.
For more than 35 years, Southside Johnny, aka John Lyon, has delivered a soul-searing brand of raucous blues and R&B that has made he and his Juke's a seminal force as All-American rock n' roll song-slingers. Now, the affable new Jersey rock icon is setting his sights on a long-desired project that will deliver an intimate, acoustically-mined live stage show billed as Southside Johnny and The Poor Fools.
Backed by Juke's musicians John Conte/bass, Tommy Byrnes/guitar, longtime Juke's collaborator Jeff Kazee/organ and percussion, and premier Springsteen violinist/fiddle player Soozie Tyrell, The Poor Fools' project looms as a stripped-down, up-close-and-personal musical joyfest. Johnny is also quick to point out that the ebullient singer will be sharing frontman duties as well, "getting everyone out of their comfort zone," rotating singing, instrumentation, and percussion roles among fellow-Fools, and even strapping on a guitar himself, for the first time in decades.
Johnny also sheds some light on the particular song choices they will be delivering onstage. "We'll be doing some country songs, some bluegrass stuff, older songs, softer songs maybe; covers from say Dylan or Tom Waits or Emmy Lou Harris stuff. And we’re going to do different versions of Jukes' material that the fans have never heard; "Sirens Of The Night," "Blue Radio," "Future In Your Eyes…" And songs of ours that maybe some people have never heard, ever.
Here's a clip of them at a recent show, putting their own spin on the Jukes favorite, "Trapped Again," co-written by Southside, Springsteen and Steven Van Zandt. "Trapped Again" was first recorded for the 1978 Jukes album, "Hearts of Stone," and has been a staple of Jukes shows ever since. - VIDEO CLIP
It has been said that a Paul Thorn concert is like "taking a 6-pack to church!" Proof to that can be found by listening to his song "Mission Temple Fireworks Stand". The first thing you notice is the voice, distinctively soulful and funky, of a man who has walked a long, hot span over dusty Mississippi country roads.
For an artist you may never have heard of, Paul has had a long successful career working with musical giants like Sting, Bonnie Raitt, John Prine and Huey Lewis to name a few. Artists like Tanya Tucker, Toby Keith and Sawyer Brown, have covered his songs, but, no one sounds like Paul.
Hailed as the "Mark Twain of Americana", Paul was born in Elvisville (Tupelo, MS), the son of a Pentecostal preacher. He had the unique background of singing to congregations since early childhood. Connecting with and getting over with the crowd was in his blood from the start. Thorn was working in a chair factory and playing little gigs at night, like pizza parlors etc., in Birmingham, Alabama when Miles Copeland, manager and brother of Stewart (who drummed for the Police), happened to catch one of these gigs, and "discovered" him.
On the road to recording a follow-up to his most successful release, 2010's Pimps and Preachers, which was was #1 at Americana Radio for 3 weeks and has spent 7 weeks in Top 5, the critically acclaimed singer/songwriter decided to do an album of covers. "I wanted to take a break from myself," he reveals, "do something different, and just have fun." The collection, entitled What The Hell Is Goin' On? (due May 8th) finds Thorn putting his own gritty rock stamp on some of his favorite songs. The album's centerpiece is the powerful title track, a blistering look at life in modern times was penned by blues-rock icon Elvin Bishop. It was also a treat to have Bishop perform his "wonderfully raw and dirty" guitar solo on the tune. Other special guests on the album are Delbert McClinton and the marvelous McCrary Sisters. The heavy lifting on the album, however, is done by Thorn and his touring band (guitarist Bill Hinds, keyboard player Michael Graham, bassist Ralph Friedrichsen and drummer Jeffrey Perkins). "The guys in this outfit are a tight unit and a well-oiled machine," he proclaims.
When Thorn and band hit the road, he'll be performing both his captivating originals and these favored covers, because, as he says, "there are so many great writers out there whose songs need to be heard." Thorn also might slip in a new song or two as he already has started writing more songs of his own for the next album.
"Paul is one of my favorite artists!" - Bonnie Raitt
The fact that Texas music titans Joe Ely, Jimmie Dale Gilmore and Butch Hancock - on their first go-round as The Flatlanders in 1972 - were completely rejected by the country music establishment is surprising in retrospect but, ultimately, poetic. That each went on to have formidable solo careers is a testament to their talent and determination. Add to this their diverse yet complimentary styles - Joe the street-wise rocker, Jimmie Dale the mystic with the classic country voice and Butch the cerebral folk singer - and you've got a story of one of the most extraordinary kinships in American musical history.
Formed in 1972 in Lubbock, Texas, the group's first major appearance was at the Kerrville Folk Festival New Folk Singer/Songwriter Competition, where they were one of the winners. Their first recording on the famed Sun Records went nowhere. The album was all but scrapped and, by 1973, the group disbanded. By the end of the decade, however, Gilmore, Ely and Hancock had each found success as a solo performer and rumors of their earlier obscure collaboration began to circulate. In 1991, Rounder Records issued the 1972 sessions as "More a Legend Than a Band" to great success. Word spread fast among those who knew about this mysterious band who only played occasional shows. After they contributed to the soundtrack of The Horse Whisperer in 1998 they signed with New West Records and released "Now Again" in 2002 and "Wheels of Fortune" in 2004. New West also released "Live '72," a live recording of the then-unknown country band performing at the One Knite honky-tonk in Austin, Texas. In 2009 the album "Hills and Valleys" was released and The Flatlanders stepped onto the world stage on "The Late Show with Dave Letterman."
Jimmie Dale Gilmore, Joe Ely and Butch Hancock are solo stars most of the time. So when they decide to do their occasional tour we're always thrilled to have them.
Open: The Darlings - AKA, "The Nashua River Rats" are Johnny Girouard, pickin' n yellin', Ron Gagnon on the Doghouse Bass, Jack O'Brien on Banjo, Mandolin and fishin rods, Greg "C-Note" Secino on percussion, flip flops and gooma lamas. Together they play their own blend of Bluegrass, Rockabilly and Folk.
HOT TUNA - 2 Shows 7-01/2012 - TWO SHOWS! - 3pm (Brunch Show) or 7pm (Dinner Show)
From their days playing together as teenagers to their current acoustic and electric blues, probably no one has more consistently led American music for the last fifty years than Jorma Kaukonen and Jack Casady, the founders and continuing core members of Hot Tuna. The pair began playing together while growing up in the Washington D.C. area, where Jack continued his high school while playing professional gigs as lead guitarist at night before he was old enough to drive. And Jorma (who had played rhythm guitar to Jack’s lead) headed off to college..
In the mid 1960s, Jorma was asked to play guitar for a new band forming in San Francisco. Though an acoustic player at heart, he grew interested in the electronic gadgetry that was just making an appearance in the music scene. Soon after he summoned his young friend Jack from Washington, who was now playing bass. Jack's experience as a lead guitarist led to a style of bass playing which took the instrument far beyond its traditional role. Thus the unique sound of The Jefferson Airplane was created. Jorma contributed the band's name, drawn from a nickname a friend had for the blues-playing Jorma. Along with the other members of The Jefferson Airplane, Jorma and Jack are 1996 inductees in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. The Kaukonen-Casady duo created much of The Jefferson Airplane's signature sound, and Jorma's lead and fingerstyle guitar playing characterizes some of the band's most memorable tracks. Jorma and Jack would jam whenever they could and would sometimes perform sets within sets at Airplane concerts. A record deal was made and Hot Tuna was born. Jorma left Jefferson Airplane after the band's most productive five years, and Hot Tuna became a full-time job. Over the next three and a half decades Hot Tuna would perform thousands of concerts and release more than two dozen records.
In addition to touring and recording, both Jorma and Jack teach. In 1998, Jorma and his wife Vanessa opened Fur Peace Ranch Guitar Camp in the beautiful rolling Appalachia foothills of southeastern Ohio. It has hosted thousands of musicians for weekends of master classes and performances offered by Jorma, Jack, and other instructors who are leaders in their musical fields.
It’s certainly been a long and fascinating road to numerous exciting destinations for Jorma and Jack. But two things have never changed: They still love to play as much as they did as kids in Washington D.C., and there are still many, many exciting miles yet to travel on their musical odyssey.
* TWO SHOWS: Arrive by 1 or 1:30pm for Brunch for the 3pm show. OR
Arrive by 5:30 or 6pm for Dinner for the 7pm show.
Guitarist, singer and songwriter Tab Benoit, who makes his home near New Orleans in Houma, Louisiana, is definitely a man with the blues. He's one of a handful of bright rising stars on the modern blues scene who paid his dues as a road troubadour playing 250 nights a year. He's worked each of his brilliant records the old-fashioned way, playing anywhere and everywhere he and his band could play. Unlike so many others before him, Benoit understands that blues is not a medium typically in favor with 50,000-watt commercial rock radio stations. However, in 1992, because of his major breakout tracks, “Nice and Warm” and “Bone Pickin”, radio began playing his music on the same commercial stations that were playing the popular acts of the day such as The Dave Matthew’s Band, Spin Doctors, Blues Traveler, Big Head Todd and the Monsters, etc. It was the first time since the death of the Stevie Ray Vaughn that a new roots Artist was receiving heavy rotation on commercial Rock radio stations across the country. Since that time Tab has recorded with Junior Wells, Willie Nelson, Billy Joe Shaver, James Cotton, Cyril Neville, Kim Wilson of the Fabulous Thunderbirds, Henry Gray, and Jimmy Hall of Wet Willie to name a few. Besides being Louisiana’s No.1 roots export, Tab is a driving force behind Voice of the Wetlands, an organization working to save Louisiana’s wetlands. In 2010, he received the Governor’s Award for Conservationist of the Year from the Louisiana Wildlife Federation. He also starred in the iMax motion picture Hurricane on the Bayou, a documentary of Hurricane Katrina’s effects and a call to restore the wetlands. And now, after fifteen solo recordings, winning the dual awards of B.B. King Entertainer of the Year and Best Contemporary Male Performer at the Blues Music Awards in Memphis (formerly the W.C. Handy Awards), three Grammy nominations and a budding movie career, Tab is a part of Louisiana folklore and legend. And though critics are comparing him to some of the greatest bluesmen and guitarists of all time, Tab doesn't aspire to be the "next" anybody. But his music, like the title of his 2011 album, "Medicine," might be just what the doctor ordered. Watch and listen: HERE
Named by VH1 as one of the 30 greatest women in rock, Rickie Lee Jones has been hard to classify ever since she came on the scene with the instant classic "Chuck E.'s in Love" in 1979. She has challenged her listeners and the establishment with an absorbing musical vision that defies border and classification; rocking the culture of singer-song writerdom with her refusal to conform to the stayed and careful eloquence of the folk rock generation that came before her. Neither punk nor pop, she totters on a thread of her own devise, performing straight jazz, blues, synth pop, new wave rock, pop covers, trip-hop, gospel, ambitious singer-songwriter music, and more, putting her unique spin on each style. A special evening with Rickie Lee Jones taking her audience on an intimate journey, reminiscing, telling tales, jokes and, of course, singing those inimitable songs: "Chuck E's in Love," "Last Chance Texaco," "Woody and Dutch on the Slow Train to Peking" "Danny's All-Star Joint.". Or her brilliant renditions of covers: "Making Whoopee," for which she won a Grammy® in 1990, the Left Banke’s "Walk Away Renee," Billy Strayhorn’s "Lush Life," or Lennon & McCartney's "For No One." Each new round of music-making activity by Rickie Lee Jones is different. But a few things remain the same: she is at her best in an intimate space, her live concerts have been, almost without exception, unforgettable experiences over her more than 30 years of performing, and she is always Rickie Lee Jones.
