Hear the Chris Bell interview and songs from his CD Real Bluesman. This is a CD full of blues and blues-rock if you like Albert King, Albert Collins, Jimi Hendrix, Stevie Ray Vaughan or even more traditional acoustic blues there is something here for you.

 

 071 – Chris Bell – Real Bluesman [36:20m]: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

Chris Bell was born February 15, 1962 in Washington DC but was raised in Massachusetts. Chris’ father Professor, Dr. Bell turned Chris on to jazz and blues. His mother past on more the rhythm & blues, including Lou Rawls, Aretha Franklin even some gospel. The next thing that made a big musical impression on Chris was seeing bands on TV. He remembers watching Don Kirshner’s Rock Concerts, and different varity shows that had bands on them. Just yesterday he was watching an old episode of the Dick Cavett Show that had Jimi Hendrix on. Chris said between his parents influence in music then seeing bands on TV this really got him more into music. Chris attended Berklee College of Music in Boston but did not like living in the city. He moved back home to attend the Univeristy of Massachusetts as an Art major with a minor in music. Chris ended up spending all his time in the music department.

In the nineties, Chris moved out to California where he played in a lot of different rock bands. At one point their singer got hurt so Chris took over on vocals. This was so good that Chris became the front man for the future bands he was in. Chris made a demo CD called 100% Blues that all his friends liked and gave him encouragement to carry on.

Chris Bell Cd’s
2005 - Real Bluesman
2004 - Year of the Blues: Live
2003 - Hell Is Too Hot for Me
2003 - Blues 2001

DVD - Stage On Fire

Chris Bell and 100% Blues’ CD Real Bluesman is a diverse blues-rock CD that touches on many of the sounds of the founding blues rock artists we all love. Real Bluesman will also touch on a little jazz-blues, like in the song “Cool Cat”. “Cotton Pickin’ Blues” is a rural country-blues instrumental with Chris doing some very nice dobro playing. Then you have more of a Robert Johnson Mississippi Delta type song called “Travellin’ Shoes” with more dobro work going on. The real highlights of this CD or maybe I should say the real focus of Real Bluesman is of course blues-rock songs. If you’re a fan of Albert King, like I am you will find many songs that will move you. If you like the blue-rock songs of Albert King you will like “That Ain’t Right”. If you’re more into his big band sound you will certainly enjoy “Bad News”. We can’t forget Albert’s slow blues sound on “It’s A Shame”. If you’re like me at times I’d like to hear something new by Albert King but have played through his CD so much it’s hard to do. Now I’ll just put on some Chris Bell. Chris was very excited about having met one of his big guitar heroes Stevie Ray Vaughan. You will hear Stevie’s influence on “Money Doesn’t Grow on Trees”. This is one of the few songs that’s just a three-peace band. Chris said “Forgive and Forget” is kind of like Otis Rush doing “Stormy Monday”. Real Bluesman has several styles of blues, but it is mostly blues-rock. All 14 songs are Chris Bell’s original compositions that you will love as much as any of the before mentioned artists he has been influenced by. Please stop by his website or CD Baby’s website and buy Real Bluesman you will be glad you did.

Don’t forget to check out his concerts they’re full of raw rockin’ blues. Many of the songs on the CD’s are expanded when played live. You will also get to hear a few new songs from the next CD they will be working on soon. Be sure to go up and say hello to Chris he loves talking to the audience, autograph CD’s or take request. Chris has done some Jimi Hendrix tribute shows and can play some good Hendrix songs. Check out this real blues man live.

Songs in the show:
My Cadillac
Cool Cat
It’s a Shame
Real Bluesman
That Ain’t Right
Bad News

Chris Bell Website

Chris Bell MySpace

Buy any of the CD’s or DVD’s at Chris Bell’s Website

Buy Real Bluesman at CD Baby Website

Buy Hell Is Too Hot for Me at CD Baby Website

Buy Blues 2001 at CD Baby Website

I would like to thank Chris Bell for taking time out of his very busy week to talk to me.

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

Hear the Charles ‘Big Daddy’ Stallings interview and some of the most fun, up beat jazzy-blues you will hear this side of heaven. Come on let’s boogie.
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 071 - Charles ‘Big Daddy’ Stallings - Blues Evolution [37:35m]: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

Charles ‘Big Daddy’ Stallings was raised in Hobbsville, N.C. When Charles was six or seven years old he heard Fred Hill playing an electric guitar for the first time. That changed his life, all he thought about and all he talked about was guitar. Finally a friend Buddy Mitchell gave Charles an old guitar he had. Charles would go watch Fred Hill and Buddy Mitchell play guitar so he could learn more about playing guitar. Later when Charles was in the Army, stationed in France, he meet a lot of other musicians. This became another big learning experience for him. After getting out of the Army in 1967 Charles settled in Baltimore, MD. where he has lived ever since. By day he would work a regular job, but by night Charles would play in different bands. One jazz band would let him play one blues song every night that would draw a standing ovation but the band would not let him do any more than that one. Sounds to me like they knew he could be the star of their band. After years of playing he finally put the guitar down for about ten years.

Lucky for us Charles decided he still wanted to play the blues. This time Charles became Big Daddy, the leader of his own band. In 2004 they released their first CD called One Night Lover. A very fine blues record that shows that you don’t need a million-dollar budget to make a really good record, you just need talent. The song “4×4 Woman” reached #1 on XM Radio, as well as on one radio station in Paris, France. “Gettin’ Old” is another very cool song that talks about how if you keep on living you’re going to get old. Other outstanding songs include “I Got the Blu-Hoos,” which is a bit funky with good harp playing. Then you have “Swing,” a good horn driven dance song. There are some horns on One Night Lover but not as much as on the newest one Blues Evolution.

Blues Evolution is a good title because you really hear a change in the music. One Night Lover is more blues, less jazz and horns. Blues Evolution brings everything up more. The horns play more of a role in the songs as well as the jazz influence. One Night Lover’s sound quality is good, but Blues Evolution is even better with sharp clear sound. There are more versions of styles of music too. You have a jazzy boogie, a down south blues, a cowboy blues song, a blues Cha Cha, and a Spanish blues song. All of these work very nicely. The CD starts off with introduction boogie (0:30) by Big Daddy then goes right into “Let’s Boogie” a fun jazzy/blues song that will get you enjoying the band right away. “Doing Down South” is just a down south blues song with Mark Wenner giving us the first taste of his talented harp playing. Because a lot of people like to line dance in Baltimore Big Daddy came up with his own blues line dance song, not bad. After watching a cowboy show on TV one day, Big Daddy decided blues lovers should have a cowboy blues song too. While really both of these songs are just blues songs with a few things that make them a line dance or cowboy song, they are good songs with some nice changes from your standard blues songs. There is a ten minute song called “Hobbsville # 2″ (#1 is on One Night Lover) it’s a good blues stomp with Big Daddy telling interesting stories about growing up in the south. Once again Mark Wenner add some fine harp playing. The man himself Charles ‘Big Daddy’ Stallings writes all the songs. If that is not enough Big Daddy, along with Kelvin O’Neal (trumpet) and Joe “E Flat” Thomas (sax), did all of the horn arrangements. These horn arrangements really make this CD stand out. I could go on and on about every song but what you really need to do is listen to the show so you can really hear for your self this wonderful CD. Then click on over to CD Baby’s Website to buy Blues Evolution. Hey, while you’re there listen to the samples of One Night Lover. You may want to get both CD’s while you’re there.

Songs in the show are:
Intro Boogie
Let’s Boogie
Hard Times/Good Times
Strange Things
Blues Train Express
Thank You Boogie (at the very end)

Charles ‘Big Daddy’ Stallings’ Website

Get Charles ‘Big Daddy’ Stallings’ CD Blues Evolution from the CD Baby Website

Get Charles ‘Big Daddy’ Stallings’ CD One Night Lover from the CD Baby Website

I’d like to thank Charles ‘Big Daddy’ Stallings for taking the time to talk to me.
Big thanks to Joe “E Flat” Thomas for all his help in getting things set up.

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

Hear the Julien Kasper interview where he talks about getting into music, teaching music in college and his CD The New Imperial. You will also get to hear some great tracks from this CD.

 

 070 - Julien Kasper - The New Imperial [32:59m]: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

Julien Kasper was born in 1962, by the end of the decade he was playing guitar. Early on Julien was interested in blues guitarist such as Eric Clapton, Freddie King and T-Bone Walker. At 16 he joined Crosscut Saw a blues-rock band that was fronted by the great harpist Pat Ramsey. They cut one CD but sadly it has been out of print for quite awhile. Julien studied jazz guitar in St. Louis, the University of Miami, and the University of North Texas. He is now a Professor of Music at Berklee College of Music in Boston. He teaches several classes on guitar, plus he has started two classes one on Jeff Beck, and the other on Jimi Hendrix. He has played on two CDs by pianist Bruce Katz, as well as one by Mighty Sam McClain. Toured with blues artist Michelle Wilson, and used her rhythm section for his band. The first CD Flipping Time came out in 2003, with the currant one The New Imperial coming out in 2006.

For me, The New Imperial is very much like Jeff Beck’s Blow By Blow or Wired. It is very complicated playing with a lot of tone changes and emotions in his playing. I asked Julien if it was hard to play with so many emotions running through the songs. No, he said it would be hard to play with out all the emotions. When you listen to the show keep in mind these songs were recorded live with very little over dubbing. Like many independent musicians he does not have time/money to burn in the studio he has to get it right very quickly. This impresses me even more as to how good of a guitarist he is.

“Jacket Full Of Bees” was written on a bass and drum groove he wrote during rehearsals. He then mixed it with an older song that he had that was similar to a John Coltrane songs. Then the guitar solo shifts back and forth from a Coltrane to a Hendrix style. This is really an all out furious guitar solo similar, I guess, to having a jacket full of bees. “8 to 11” was written in about twenty minutes. When he got to the end of the CD he realized he needed a rock song still, so that’s what this became. “All of the Years” was written to be like a Hendrix balled such as “Little Wing” or “Wind Cries Mary”. There is also a feel of Jeff Beck sneaking in at times. There are also three songs that are just Julien playing a guitar solo spread out on the CD. This was a nice way of just getting to hear Julien with no other instruments and making it stand out on its own.

As I said in the show this may not be a style of music you’re use to listening to any more than I was. Please give this a fair chance. Really listen, don’t be reading or talking to someone. Just listen. The New Imperial really sounds great with headphones on too. As always if you like this music please buy it. The artist needs money to live on and to be able to afford making their next record. Below are some links to where you can buy either of his CDs.

Songs played in the show are:
Jacket Full Of Bees
I Am A Centaur
8 to 11

Solo CD’s by Julien Kasper
2006 - The New Imperial
2003 - Flipping Time

Julien Kasper’s Website

Julien Kasper’s MySpace

Buy Julien Kasper’s CD The New Imperial

Buy his first CD Flipping Time from the CD Baby Website

You will hear more from Julien Kasper in future weeks as we do a show on the late harpist Pat Ramsey.

Thanks to Julien Kasper for taking the time to talk to me about his captivating music.
Thanks to Rick Lusher for setting everything up.

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

Hear the interview with Reba Russell and songs from the Reba Russell Band’s CD Bleeding Heart.
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 069 – Reba Russell Band - Bleeding Heart: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

Reba grew up in Florida with a family that loved all kinds of music. Reba sang in the choir in grade school and junior high. At age nine her father passed away so the family moved to Memphis Tennessee. Reba said Memphis is what really inspired her to be a musician. There was all kinds of live music around her that got her interested in playing music.
Reba taught herself how to play guitar, and her family gave her a lot of moral support. Around 1979 or 80 she meet Wayne Russel a local bass player who asked Reba if she would like to start a band, and later asked if she would like to get married. Reba said yes to both.

Growing up Reba listened to Hendrix, Zeppelin, The Doors, The Who, Rufus Thomas, Aretha Franklin, and even classical music. Coming to Memphis really blew the doors off of everything because there were so many kinds of live music to listen to there. Robert Nighthawk Tooms, the organ and harp player for the Reba Russell Band, really helped Reba find her way in the blues. Reba described Robert as an encyclopedia of the blues. Reba knew that Zeppelin had been ripping off a lot of the early blues artist. Robert really helped her to see it better by showing her old Willie Dixion songs. Robert would also performer a lot of the artists he liked for Reba to hear like Earl Forest, Sonny Boy, and Little Walter to name a few. It was quite a blues education Reba was getting from Robert, besides what she was digging up on her own.

Reba has also done background vocals on many other artists CD’s like Jimmy Thackery, Tracy Nelson, Bernard Allison and Walter Trout. There’s also the Class of ‘55: Memphis Rock & Roll Homecoming CD that Reba sang background on. You know your good when you’re invited to sing background for Johnny Cash, Jerry Lee Lewis, Roy Orbison, and Carl Perkins. Reba said about a year later Carl Perkins walked up to her and said, “Hi Reba how you doing?” A similar thing happened with Johnny Cash. For artist like these to remember you and your name you have to really have been doing a good job in the studio.

Reba Russell Band’s new CD Bleeding Heart really covers a lot of ground. They do roots, Mississippi blues, Chicago blues, Memphis blues a little gospel and soul. One thing for sure you’re never going to get very far from the blues with the Reba Russell Band. In the podcast you will hear the opener to Bleeding Heart CD “Red Mississippi Clay”. From there the Reba Russell Band go into a very nice blues/soul/ballad called “Miss Me”. “Memphis Moon Tonight” is a song that Jimmy Thackery wrote for Reba. A sweet song about going through some hard times in Memphis. “Love Is The Cure” is a great lyrical song, and Reba talks about in the podcast. “Levee Prayer” is the second Jimmy Thackery song. Jimmy did this on one of his earlier records. Here Jimmy plays a blazing lead guitar on another outstanding song off the Bleeding Heart CD. The drummer Doug McMinn’s mother wrote, “12 Bar Blues,” a straight ahead bar room blues song. Not to be out done, Doug’s father wrote “Some People”. A delightful song about how some people should be remembered but there are some that should be forgotten. “To Know You” is a slower more reflective song with some fine harp playing in it. This is as good a place as any to tell you about how good Robert Nighthawk Tooms harp playing is on Bleeding Heart. Not only is his keyboard playing good, the harp really adds to the songs. Reba said she is a big fan of Memphis Minne because she was an out standing guitar player plus is of local fame. They do her song “In My Girlish Days.” The song spoke to Reba as it talks about how she, “Didn’t know no better in her girlish days.” At the end it comes back with “I still got my girlish ways”. That was going to be the end of this article, but as I was reading about Memphis Minne the last song of Bleeding Heart kept playing. Funny how sometimes you just need to hear a song a few times to let it sink in. “Sleepless Nights Alone” was like that for me. How did this charming, almost lullaby like, song pass me by. What a significant song to end the CD with. For me “Love is the Cure”, “Some People” and “Levee Prayer” are must have songs. Other noteworthy songs for music loves are “Red Mississippi Clay,” “Blues is Mine,” “Miss Me,” “12 Bar Blues,” and “Sleepless Nights Alone.” While I go back and re-listen to Bleeding Heart to see if another song pops out you need to go to the CD Baby Website to pick up this outstanding record.

Songs in the podcast are:
Red Mississippi Clay
Blues is Mine
Love is the Cure
Some People

The band is:
Reba Russell – vocals
Wayne Russell – bass
Robert Nighthawk Tooms –organ, harp
Josh Roberts - Guitar
Doug McMinn - drums

Discography
2008 Bleeding Heart
Rewound
2005 Broke Down But Not Out
2003 Restless
2001 Going on Strong
1999 City of the Blues
1997 Buried Treasure

Reba Russell Band’s Website

Reba Russell Band’s MySpace

Buy Reba Russell Band CD Bleeding Heart at the CD Baby Website

Buy Reba Russell Band’s CD Bleeding Heart at iTunes

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

Congratulations to Jason Ricci, The Blues Foundation has nominated him for a 2009 Blues Music Award in the category of “Instrumentalist-Harmonica”.

Hear the interview with Jason Ricci (Reach-ee) and songs from his CD Rocket Number 9.
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 068 - Jason Ricci – Rocket Number 9 [44:11m]: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

Miles Davis is widely considered one of the most innovative jazz trumpeter of all times. Jimi Hendrix is widely considered one of the most innovative rock guitarist of all times. Robert Johnson is widely considered one of the most innovative blues guitarist of all times. Jason Ricci is on his way to being one of the most innovative harmonica players of jazz, rock and blues. A few months ago I did a show on Dennis Gruenling whom I feel is one of the best blues harp players out there today. Dennis as good as he is, is like most musicians he only plays one style of music and Dennis is great at it. Jason Ricci however is able to play jazz, rock and blues on his harp and push the boundaries of each.

Some like to say Robert Johnson sold his soul to the devil to be able to play that good but Jason Ricci did it the old fashion way. He’s been working his ass off studding and playing and playing and playing. The proof is on the CD Rocket Number 9. Unfortunately if you’re like me you may not really hear how great this CD is till you see Jason Ricci & New Blood in concert. I thought a lot of the Rocket Number 9 had other instruments brought in, over dubs, and sound effects added to the CD. When I saw them live I realized Jason and his band were playing everything on the CD by them selves live. As well as some great jamming plus a few covers like Lou Reed’s “Take A Walk On The Wild Side”.

Jason Ricci & New Blood is:
Jason Ricci - Vocals, Harmonica
Shawn Starsky - Guitar
Todd Edmunds - Bass
Ed Michaels is their new drummer

Ron Sutton was the drummer on the CD

Jason’s band New Blood was very impressive. After a song or two I realized Shawn Starsky’s guitar playing was so good I’d go to a show just to see him play. Todd Edmunds bass solo was probably the most creative I’ve ever seen a bassist do. After the show I went home to listen to Rocket Number 9 at 2 am and was amazed at how much better the CD sounded now that I had seen them live. When you listen to this show or when you buy the CD keep in mind they really are playing everything you are hearing.

Rocket Number 9 Kicks off with an Aerosmith like rocker appropriately titled “The Rocker”. From there it goes into what I’d have to call a pop rock song called “I’m A New Man”. Not bad for a pop song although the beautiful harp solo in the middle would never be able to be played on a pop station. Jason said “Loving Eyes” was meant to be something he would hope Junior Kimbrough would have liked but could not quite get it how he felt it should be. The song starts out with a very beautiful eastern sound then moving more in to a wild jam. This was one of those songs I had a lot of trouble leaving out of the podcast. “Mr. Satan” is a tribute to Sterling “Mister Satan” Magee a member of the band Adam and Satan that Jason had really liked. This is a soulful jazzy type of song that is always a delight to hear. Shawn also wrote “Sonja” another very beautiful song that started out as something he’d been playing at their sound checks. Jason finely said you have to teach me this song it’s just so beautiful. Shawn wrote Sonja for mother that’s her name, you can feel the love he has for her in the instrumental. The diversity this band can do is just incurable. This is no more apparent then right here where they go from this beautiful love song “Sonja” to the title track Rocket Number 9. This is the only song not written by one of the band members. It’s a song by Sun Ra the jazz composer, pianist, synthesizer player, poet and cosmic philosopher. This is a wild avant-garde jazz freak out that at times reminds me of Frank Zappa. The best thing to do is just buy the CD then you can hear what this song is really like. The whole CD is full creative jazz, rock and blues that is a joy to listen to.

Will Jason Ricci be the next Miles Davis, Jimi Hendrix or Robert Johnson on the instrument of his choice, it’s hard to say. So for he has gotten off drugs at a much younger age than Miles did. Has managed to lived longer than Jimi and is already more famous than Robert was when he died. Jason is only in his mid thirties and he’s broken a lot of ground and still has many years to go.

Congratulations to Jason on be nominated for 2009 Blues Music Awards (W.C. Hand Awards) for best Instrumentalist-Harmonica.

Songs in the show:
Deliver Us
Snowflakes and Horses
The Way I Hurt Myself
Sonja (only 2 minutes of the 6 minute song)
The Rocker

Jason Ricci Website

Jason Ricci MySpace

Go to buy Rocket Number 9 from Eclecto Groove Records

Go buy Rocket Number 9 from CD Baby Website

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