Hear Mark Nomad talk about his amazing CD Electric Church as well as some tracks off the CD. Blues Revue Magazine liked his music so much they included one of his songs in their sampler CD this month. Hendrix said he worshiped at the Electric Church, maybe it’s time you should too.
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Mark Nomad started hearing music that his parents played on the radio when he was young. He remembers that there was a big deal about Elvis going off to the army. When the Beatles hit, that showed him what he wanted to do with his life. At 14 he started playing in a band and has never stopped playing since. Mark was listening to The Beatles, The Rolling Stones, The Kinks and Dylan, and he also found blues-rock bands like The Yardbirds and Animals. Then he discovered The Paul Butterfield Blues Band, and that got Mark even more interested in the blues. The blues is not the only thing Mark Nomad likes and plays. Through out his five CD’s he has moved over, under, sideways and down with blues, rock, electric and acoustic music. Like many of the blues musicians of the past, Mark likes to play different styles and re-work old songs.

Mark Nomad with Hubert Sumlin

Mark Nomad’s CD Electric Church is named from Hendix always saying that his music was his religion, and that he worshiped at the electric church. The CD starts off with the powerful track “Stateside Morals”. Both musically and lyrically this songs stands out as a gem. “Angel Boy” was done acoustically on his first CD Nomad’s Land back in 93’. Now it’s got a very powerful slide guitar and voices. Then we go in to “Suite Freedom”, as most of you know I’m not big on soft, slow or acoustical songs. Being an instrumental really puts the last nail in the coffin. Not the case with this one, it’s a very beautiful tender song. Similar to Peter Green’s (Fleetwood Mac) “Albatross”, enough said! There’s a Mississippi Fred McDowell song that has more fine slid guitar playing. A rare John Lee Hooker song “Come Back Baby” and Magic Sam song “All My Whole Life”. The three covers are well done but with Mark’s writing ability inserting his songs would have been just as good. A good example of this is Mark Nomad’s songs “Mists of Avalon” and “Hannah Lee”. Two gems you will get to hear in the show. “Mists of Avalon” has a really great guitar solo about two minutes into the song that lasts about as long. “Hannah Lee” closes Electric Church with a bit of a Robin Trower sound. As you will hear in the show Mark Nomad’s Electric Church is a very good solid blues-rock CD. If music is something you worship then you need the Electric Church. Please stop by Mark’s website or the CD Baby Website to buy this wonderful CD.

Songs used in the show are:
1. Stateside Morals
2. Angel Boy
3. Mists of Avalon
4. Hannah Lee

The acoustical song is “Suite Freedom”

Mark Nomad’s CD:
1993 Nomad’s Land
1996 Got to Carry On
2004 Razor’s Edge
2007 Acoustic Land
2007 Electric Church

Mark Nomad Website

Buy Mark Nomad Electric Church from CD Baby Website

Buy Mark Nomad Acoustic Land from CD Baby Website

Buy Mark Nomad Razor’s Edge from CD Baby Website

I’d like to thank Mark Nomad for taking the time to do the interview and his help in putting this all together.

P.S. Since I wrote this article I’ve found that I like everything even better than before, so take everything I said up a notch.

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Blues Music and Interviews
A1Blues.Com
formerly A1 Artist Spotlight. Com
by A1 Mark

Congratulations to Magic Slim, The Blues Foundation has nominated him for a 2009 Blues Music Award in the category of B.B. King Entertainer of the Year, Band of the Year & Traditional Blues Male Artist of the Year.

Hear an interview with blues legend Magic Slim as well as songs from his very impressive new CD on Blind Pig Records Midnight Blues. Magic Slim may not be slim anymore but neither is his music. It’s solid blues through and through. Even though there are several guest stars and cover songs make no mistake about this, Magic Slim is the blues master.
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Magic Slim was born Morris Holt in Mississippi in 1937. He had a love for music from a young age. He started out playing piano, but had to switch to guitar when he lost his pinky finger in a cotton gin accident. When he was eleven years old he met Magic Sam, who gave him tips on his guitar playing, and was also the person to give him the nickname of Magic Slim. When he began he was playing bluegrass and country western music, but after hearing John Lee Hooker he switched to blues at about 16 years of age. When Slim was in Chicago in 1955, age 18, he played in Magic Sam’s band. He felt that Chicago was a too competitive environment for him, so he moved back to Mississippi to hone his skills. When he returned to Chicago five years later he had greatly improved his guitar skills. In 1977 he released his first record Born Under a Bad Sign. As of late, he has over 20 records out. In the 80’s Slim won the W.C. Handy award, now called the Blues Music Award and is considered one of the most prestigious awards a blues artist can receive. In 2003 Blues Music Awards named him “Blues Band of the Year.”

His new CD Midnight Blues has many great covers as well as guest stars including: Lil’ Ed playing slide guitar on Hound Dog Taylor’s “Give Me Back My Wig”, James Cotton plays harp on Muddy Water’s “You Can’t Lose What You Ain’t Never Had”, and Lonnie Brooks plays guitar on Willie Dixon’s “Spider in My Stew”. These covers are great, but what really shins are Magic Slim’s five new songs. One even featuring Elvin Bishop playing guitar on “Cryin’ Won’t Let You Stay.”
This new CD Midnight Blues is every bit as good as any of Magic Slim’s past CD’s. Blind Pig Records has been very wise over the years in supporting Magic Slim. This time they got Nick Moss to be the Producer. Nick did a great job in making everything sound good and songs work with each other. It’s an amazing record that you should definitely buy.

Songs in the podcast are:
What Is That You Got
Full Load Boogie
Let Me Love You
Carla
Cryin’ Won’t Let You Stay – with Elvin Bishop

Magic Slim Website

Magic Slim MySpace

To buy Magic Slim’ CD Midnight Blues

Go to Blind Pig Records to see other great blues records

I would like to thank Magic Slim for taking time to do this interview.
Thanks also to Martin Salzma for all his help in setting this up.
Thanks to Blind Pig Records for letting me play their songs.

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Blues Music and Interviews
A1Blues.Com
formerly A1 Artist Spotlight. Com
by A1 Mark

Congratulations to The Homemade Jamz Blues Band, The Blues Foundation has nominated them for a 2009 Blues Music Award in the category of “Best New Artist Debut” for the CD Pay Me No Mind.

Homemade Jamz Blues Band is one of the hottest blues bands out there today. You may have heard them on NPR radio, or seen them on NBC’s Today Show and CBS Sunday Morning News. Hear the man behind the band as well as music from their CD Pay Me No Mind. Interview with Homemade Jamz Blues Band song writer, harp player, and father, Renaud Perry.
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When Northernblues Music sent me Homemade Jamz Blues Band to check out I was apprehensive about it just being a gimmick. Three teen-age kids playing the blues? Yea, shure. Even with CD’s by JW-Jones, Moreland & Arbuckle, Watermelon Slim, and others on my shuffle list, the band that kept getting my attention as I worked was Homemade Jamz Blues Band. So finally I gave the whole CD a listening to. Wow!! They really sound like a good blues band. The thing that shocked me the most was the guitarist Ryan’s vocals. They are solid, full, deep in tone, and have a sound of authority on the subject matter he is singing about. The music I expected to be only ok because, hey, it’s the just blues. Even that was better than I thought it would be. That’s not to say the band doesn’t have room to grow, but for their first CD this is very good. Renaud Perry said they would have an even better second CD, because they held back on some of their better songs. He had heard so many horror stories about the music industry, so he had them keep some of their better songs just incase they got ripped off. I’m happy to say Renaud gave high praise to Northernblues Music, they did everything they said they would and more. For more about the CD and band listen to the show.

The band is:
Ryan – singer and guitarist
Kyle – bass
Taya – drums

On some of the songs:
Renaud (their father) – Harmonica and wrote all but one song
Miles Wilkinson – producer and rhythm guitar on 4 tracks

One thing I did not talk about in the show is they’re home made guitars. Renaud likes to build sports cars so he made a guitar out of a car muffler. I don’t know if this was a wise choice though. They look very cool and seem to sound good, but I worry people may look at this as a gimmick and not take the music seriously. As you listen to the show you will see that the Homemade Jamz Blues Band should be taken more seriously, and that this is a really good CD. Below is a link to where you can buy this CD.

Songs in show:
Voodoo Woman
Right Thang Wrong Woman
Penny Waiting on Change
Who Your Real Friends Are

Homemade Jamz Blues Band’s MySpace page

Homemade Jamz Blues Band’s Websit

Buy the CD from Homemade Jamz Blues Band’s Website

Buy the CD from NorthernBlues Music

Thanks to Renaud Perry for taking the time to do the interview just before leaving to go on their tour of Europe.

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Blues Music and Interviews
A1Blues.Com
formerly A1 Artist Spotlight. Com
by A1 Mark

Hear an interview with Eric Jerardi as well as songs from his CD Restless.
Eric talks about recording a CD in just two and a half days, as well as how he got started.
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Like many other famous blues artists, Eric started playing piano first. He later switched over to the guitar which he is known for. He played sports while in high school, but his real passion was music. While in college he played in many bands. His first gig won him a battle of the bands. After winning another battle of the bands in 1991, he was awarded the Midwest Best Unsigned College Band on MTV. He has opened for many big named bands, including several tours with Robin Trower. The Eric Jerardi band has been releasing CDs since 1995 and has 6 out so far.

What first got me interested in Eric Jerardi’s CD was his style of blues-rock. It reminds me of Robin Trower in his hay days. The songs are a little more rock and ruffer than Robin Trower. Eric’s lyrics tell more easy to follow stories that have a bit of humor in them. This is not to say that he is telling jokes though. Most of them are angrier or bitter about lost love. The songs “My Dog,” “Easy to Love Easy to Hate,” and “Self Defense” are good examples of this. “Easy to Love Easy to Hate” has a good guitar solo that is somewhat faster and more angry sounding. Then just as the solo ends, Eric plays some slow beautiful cords that make you feel completely relaxed. The whole feel of the song changes in just a few cords, it’s very nicely done. The music to “Goin Through the Motions” is kind of a joyful romp, even though the lyrics would not suggest that. Still it’s a good song. The instrumental “Kaboom” is just that, an explosion, of cool guitar playing. I hope Eric does an extended version of this in concert. It’s really a great song. The song writing is good, the band sounds nice together, and guitar playing is awesome. The singing is kind of like a Robin Trower record, its all right, but it’s not what you came to hear. The CD has a lively powerful, raw feeling to it. This may be one of the best things about the CD. Restless sounds like a real blues-rock band should sound. Not full of over dubs, extra instruments thrown in, and so polished and slick they no longer have any heart to them. This is a fine CD that the Eric Jerardi Band has made. Please pick up a copy of Restless, and you will have a CD full of real guitar based rockin-blues. Below is a link to were you can buy Restless.

The Eric Jerardi Band is:
Eric Jerardi – guitar & vocals
Jon Arnold – bass
Joe Prescott – drums

Songs in the podcast are:
Restless
My Dog
Kaboom
Don’t Bring the Bail
Get Back

Eric Jerardi’s CD:
2007 – Restless
2002 – Virtual Virtue
2001 – Live 1996-2001
1998 – Had Enough
1997 – Live 1997
1995 – Eric Jerardi Band

Eric Jerardi Band Website

Eric Jerardi Band MySpace

Go to buy CD’s by Eric Jerardi Band

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Blues Music and Interviews
A1Blues.Com
formerly A1 Artist Spotlight. Com
by A1 Mark