Saturday, November 16, 2024

Dry White Bones



Festival favourites Dry White Bones, will be at Glastonbury for the 4th time this year, you could have seen them at Boomtown where they have played 4 times, or many other events where they are always asked back, Watchet, Way out West, Godney Gathering, Bristol Harbourside to name just a few.The band are an eclectic mix of Darren Smith, a very dominating on stage presence, crazy lyricist, magic guitar strummer and front man, Dave Gibson, fine blower of blues harp and rattler of teapots and washboards and Harry Ford now resident stand up drummer driving the tracks along, Darren used to sit down and play drums with his feet, Harry has come in and given Darren the freedom to be the front man he always was.

 
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Wednesday, November 13, 2024

Altered Five Blues Band



Altered Five smokes, smolders and burns like a swig of good whiskey. The hip Milwaukee quintet is known for its strong brew of tough, original blues and hard-hitting live shows. Blues Blast raves that barrel-chested front man Jeff Taylor possesses a “smooth, warm-toned voice as monumental and undeniable as Howlin’ Wolf with the finish and flourish of B.B. King.” Downbeat declares stealth guitarist Jeff Schroedl “reaches the high bar of mixed invention and fluidity.” Fueled by a rhythm section laying down the deepest grooves this side of the MGs, the five blues blasters hit the ground running 22 years ago and show no sign of easing up. Their seventh studio recording, Testifyin', was released March 22, 2024 on Blind Pig Records.
The new EP kicks hard like the four award-winning records preceding it. Cryin’ Mercy nabbed “Best Self-Released Album” at the International Blues Challenge in 2015. Charmed & Dangerous garnered "Song of the Year" at the Independent Music Awards and Wisconsin Music Awards in 2018. Guitar World magazine called the title track a “menacing, swampy blues" and it was in regular rotation on SiriusXM’s Bluesville in addition to many other programs and playlists. In 2019, Ten Thousand Watts reached #10 on the Billboard Blues Chart, hit #1 on both the iTunes and Amazon blues charts, while "Great Minds Drink Alike" captured first place in the blues category of the International Songwriting Competition. Holler If You Hear Me debuted at #3 on the Billboard Blues Chart and received three Blues Music Award nominations, including Album of the Year and Song of the Year. Their 20th Anniversary vinyl LP featured "Great Minds Drink Alike (With Horns)" which also received a BMA nod for Song of the Year.

All band members contribute as a songwriting team to be reckoned with. Memorable, incisive lyrics run the gamut from slyly suggestive ("Ten Thousand Watts") to blues history tributes ("Three Forks") and inventive contemporary themes (“Urgent Care,” “Back Button”). 

Altered Five have consistently checked all the boxes, making lasting, deeply expressive original blues for the mind and body. Up front and leading the big blues train, Taylor exhorts and cajoles while carrying the weight of the lyrical content. Neither imitating nor hiding his debt to the legendary blues singers of the past, he commands deserved attention on his own. Schroedl propels, embellishes, and adds palpable power through his varied rhythm accompaniment and riveting guitar solos. While inspired by, but not tethered to the kings and titans of blues guitar, he has found his own estimable path to personal expression always at the service of the song. 

​The muscular yet limber rhythm section of bassist Mark Solveson and drummer Alan Arber lock into the full range of blues grooves from classic slow Chicago drag ("Holding on With One Hand") and romping Texas shuffles ("Mint Condition") to soulful R&B worthy of Stax Records ("Gonna Lose My Lady"). In addition, returning keyboardist Steve Huebler always provides a rich pad of lush harmony along with his own and soaring solos.

Whether live or on record, Altered Five  performs seamlessly as a powerhouse entity encompassing the timeless blues virtues of passion and unwavering commitment funneled through technical excellence.

https://www.alteredfive.com/

Sunday, November 10, 2024

Far Wider



Working as a collective, soul and blues-infused band Far Wider are set to release their brand-new single ‘The Other Woman’ on the 29th of March across all streaming platforms. Taken from their upcoming debut album, they’re ready to set the tone with their fresh offering. 


Hooking up with artists from around the UK and beyond, Far Wider has chosen to collaborate with Geneva, mostly known for her time on The X Factor in the girl group Belle Amie. The powerful singer, before appearing on one of the biggest talent shows in the world, won the Spanish TV talent show ‘WOW.’ With a background in pop, soul, EDM and of course rock and blues, she’s the perfect addition to Far Wider


‘The Other Woman’ explores a fictional setting that combines sultry and silky sounds to create a sophisticated concoction. Accompanied by a music video, it’s soft, botanical and gentle with a hint of lust. It’s alluring, dark and caramel-soft. 


Far Wider’s sound is influenced by PinkBeth HartAnnie Lennox and Florence and the Machine.


Their upcoming album ‘These Other Women’ hones in on different genres and sounds. It hosts a collection of featured characters who all have different passions, deceptions, loves and losses and although it’s firmly rooted in rock and blues, the band push themselves into testing the waters of pop, funk and ska. 


https://linktr.ee/FarWiderLINKS

Thursday, November 7, 2024

The Spell




On the heels of "Smoldered Out" comes the Spell's latest release, "Everything I Own" , “Everything I Own” is a touching and authentic tribute to the original Bread song from 1972. The Spell recorded it as a duet, trading verses and phrases back and forth between members Kenny Marquez and Tara B. They sprinkle their harmonies throughout like a chef wielding a shaker of fine spice. Since it was released it has reached #1 on the Apple Music Charts in both France and Denmark.

https://thespellmusic.com/

Monday, November 4, 2024

Barbarella And The Boogie Blues


 
Barbarella And The Boogie Blues, is a project and band created by singer and song writer, Rachel M. They shared their first sonic salutation, Objectifying You, on December 16th 2023, to be swiftly followed by, Ain't Nobody Know My Pain, which dropped on, January 23rd and has since been heard on the legendary radio Caroline, Jazz FM and several other amazing stations around the world, currently supporting the blues. Won't You Come Back, the third track to be shared by the band in as many months, featured guitar virtuoso, Vince Hall and was first shared on valentines day, 2024.  With plans to share further music imminently and embark on a mini European tour in summer 2024, watch this space for updates.  
 
Lead singer and lyricist, Rachel M has been releasing music since 2016. Her fluidity as an artist has allowed her to create within multiple musical genres. Having received global radio airplay and critical acclaim, her past collaborations include an impressive list of musical maestros from the legendary pianist, Mike Garson, best known for his work with David Bowie, to the internationally acclaimed, Singaporean guitar wizard, Randolf Arriola. At this time, her primary focus is exploring her earliest inspirations in music and passion for the blues, through her new band, Barbarella And The Boogie Blues [full lineup for the live band to be announced shortly]. Rachel would like to thank, Ray Fury, John Morrison, Ed Cunningham, Vince Hall, Sim Hassall, Mark Mochan and Dan Cambell for their time, creativity and support during preparations for the coming live set.
 
LISTEN TO BARBARELLA AND THE BOOGIE BLUES ON JAM 66 RADIO.
 
 https://barbarellaandtheboogieblues.yolasite.com/

Friday, November 1, 2024

Midnight Fuel



Midnight Fuel is a rock band from Thessaloniki, Greece. Formed in 2013 when vocalist/songwriter Gio Dimitriadis collaborated with keyboardist Aggelos Abatzis and guitarist George Kyrou. A while later, drummer Babis Kalogiannis and bassist Jim Zacharof joined the band after the invitation of Gio Dimitriadis.

Influenced by a wide spectrum of musical styles, Midnight Fuel's sound include rock, indie, blues and alternative elements.
In July 17, 2017, the band released digitally the debut album "River Busted". The production was independent, made by Aggelos Abatzis, while the compositions are written by Gio Dimitriadis*.
The album includes 7 original compositions and a reprise-alternate take version of the "One More Day" original track.
In May 2022, after a long 5-year of being inactive, and with two member replacements, Apo Vamvakidis (guitar) and Vaggelis Katsis (drums), the band ascended with a new powerful album, titled “Figures In The Dark”. It consists of 8 new tracks, two of which are instrumental and once again, the flexibility of the band’s style allows the making of an album with sounds fluctuating from experimental to classic.”