Hear an interview with harpist, vocalist and song-writer Steve Guyger as well as songs from his CD Radio Blues.
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 098 - Steve Guyger - Radio Blues [32:13m]: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

In this weeks show you will meet Steve Guyger who grew up and lives in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA. Many call him a harp player’s harp player. Today most people consider Little Walter to be the best and most creative harp player there’s ever been in the blues field. Little Walter worked in Muddy Waters band with Jimmie Rogers. When Jimmie was putting together his band in the summer of 1980 he could have picked just about anyone to be in his band. Steve Guyger got the call to be in Jimmie Rogers band, and it lasted for about 15 years.

Steve talks in the show about growing up and getting in to music as well as working with the late great blues legend Jimmie Rogers. About a year ago I went to see Dennis Gruenling in concert (hear show on Dennis Gruenling). Dennis’ show was going real good, then he had Steve Guyger come up on stage to play. Wow, not only was he a great harp player he also had a strong, deep emotional voice that command your attention. Steve doesn’t waste time jumping around, rolling on the floor, or some other trick to get your attention. He doesn’t have to. His aim is to giving you the best blues music he can deliver, and Steve really does deliver.

Steve Guyger’s CD Radio Blues takes you back to the hay days of Chicago blues, although a few other styles are thrown in there too. Unlike some records that want to present you with a fifties or sixties blues sound by playing mostly covers ten of the fourteen songs on Radio Blues were written by Steve. One of the songs “Little Rita” was written in the mid-eighties. Steve joked that it was his contribution to New Orleans, cajun or Baton Rouge music. “School Is Over” was one of the songs he kept working over and over in his head to get it just right. He said Robb Stupka (drummer) came up with a great beat for the song and Johnny Moeller’s guitar playing was perfect on the song. One instrumental called “Afghan Rumble” was written in honor of his brother who was in Afghanistan before the war. This song is really more of a country song but it is one of my favorite songs, very beautiful. As you will hear in the show the songs are really good. This is a blues artist you need to get to know. Unfortunately Steve doesn’t go on tour much so you better pick up his record Radio Blues in order to hear him. If you are lucky enough to live in Philadelphia or are on a vacation there, one of the top attractions in my book is a Steve Guyger concert.

Songs played on today’s show:
You’re So Fine
School Is Over
Little Rita
Lookie Here
Blues Won’t Let Me Be

Steve Guyger Website

Steve Guyger MySpace

Buy Steve Guyger Cd’s from Amazon.Com

Buy Radio Blues from Severn Records

Thanks to Steve Guyger for letting me interview him and Thomas Radai at Blues Management Group for all his help in getting everything set up?

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

Hear Joanne Shaw Taylor talk about her debut record White Sugar as well as hearing some great songs from White Sugar.
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 097 - Joanne Shaw Taylor - White Sugar [38:46m]: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

Joanne Shaw Taylor has released her first record its called White Sugar and it’s on Ruf Records. This record was cut from the same plastic vinyl as Led Zeppelin I. They have a raw English, blues-rock style that is often copied, but very seldom is done this well.

Joanne grew up in Birmingham, England where Black Sabbath and half of Led Zeppelin are from. At eight years of age she started playing classical guitar, but it wasn’t until around thirteen when she got into her dads blues record collection and picked up his electric guitar that the sparks started fly. First and foremost, Joanne said it was Stevie Ray Vaughan that got her interested in the blues. Albert Collins was another big influence on her. Joanne said it was important for her to go back and study the blues, and listen to blues artists like B.B. King, Jimmie Vaughan, Luther Allison and Buddy Guy. This was a way for her to really understand the genre and become a better player.

Joanne started her own band in high school and was lucky enough to have older musicians around town that would help and encourage her. Then one night a friend of Dave Stewart (formally of The Eurythmics) saw Joanne playing and passed a demo on to him. Dave liked Joanne’s playing so much he had her play in his touring band. In the off time from touring she had her own band to play in. Then there was the time she met Bill Wyman of The Rolling Stones but hey, listen to the show and she will tell you all about it.

Joanne Shaw Taylor’s White Sugar is going to be one of these records people are going to be looking back on for years to come as the one that got her career started. This record is full of great raw blues-rock. The song “Going Home”, Joanne said, is her swampy dirty blues song. “Kiss The Ground Goodbye” she said is her homage to Hendrix. Somewhat like “Castles Made of Sand”. This is also her reply to all the record companies that told her you can’t do blues it’s a dead genre. The only song on White Sugar that Joanne did not write is “Bones” it was by a band called The Hoax. She liked their music and wanted to tip the hat to them. The title track’s name comes from an instrumental Joanne had written, but she had never named the song. Coming home from Bill Wyman’s house one day Dave Stewart turned to her and said you should write a song called white sugar as opposed to “Brown Sugar”. No joking, that’s how the name came about. Then there are the four songs I’m going to play for you. They are all great songs, but I bet you can’t play “Time Has Come” just one time.

“Time Has Come” should be a big hit, but Joanne needs your help. When you’re done listening to the show and your all fired up please call your loco radio station. You know the one that plays Eric Clapton, Stevie Ray Vaughan and Led Zeppelin. Tell them you hear this great new artist named Joanne Shaw Taylor and you want to hear more of her songs. We both know they will have no idea who you’re talking about but tell them to Google her name and go to her MySpace page or this website to hear what she sounds like. Call them throughout the week and request Joanne Shaw Taylor, (you do have a cell phone with you, right) maybe you will be the one to get the rock radio stations to play her music. Remember when people started asking for Stevie Ray Vaughan? The stations had to play it and there was a blues revival. Joanne Shaw Taylor’s music is the type of blues-rock that radio stations would play if you just don’t use the “B” word.

One last thing please buy Joanne Shaw Taylor’s White Sugar, if for no other reason than that it’s one of the GREATEST blues-rocks records to come out this year.

Songs played in the show:
Who Do You Want Me to Be?
Time Has Come
Blackest Day
Watch ‘Em Burn

Joanne Shaw Taylor’s Website

Joanne Shaw Taylor’s MySpace

Buy Joanne Shaw Taylor’s Cd from Amazon.Com

I’d like to thank Joanne for taking the time in the middle of her quick tour of the U.S. to do this interview. I know she had a lot of things going on in such a short time. Thanks also to Mark Pucci for reading my mind in knowing this was someone I really wanted to do a show on. He did a great job setting everything up.
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Blues Music and Interviews
A1Blues.Com
formerly A1 Artist Spotlight. Com
by A1 Mark

Hear one of this summer’s top records, Superhero, as well as an interview with its star Candye Kane.
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 096 - Candye Kane - Superhero [31:41m]: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

Candye talks about working in a church quite early on, then moving on to do country music. In the late seventies Candye was listening to a lot of Linda Ronstadt which turned her on to Hank Williams Sr. This was a very big turning point for her, from the very first time she heard him. Hank showed her that there can really be raw emotion in music. She began to seek out more artists like Hank Williams Sr. This led Candye to having what she describes as a “country-punk” band with the cool name of The Armadillos Stampede.

Candye also talks about how around 1986 she was going through Tom Earls’ record collection and discovered Elmore James. This effected her like Hank Williams Sr. did many years before. From this point on Candye says she became a full-fledged blues fan.

Now after nine records with such well know titles as “The Toughest Girl Alive,” “Whole Lotta Love,” “White Trash Girl,” and “Guitar’d and Feathered” comes her debut record on Delta Groove Music, Superhero. Most of Candye’s songs are very up lifting positive songs with a hopeful message. Still she can have fun on a song like “I Like ‘Em Stacked Like That” in which she shares vocals with Mitch Kashmar. Mitch also does a good job of playing harp on “Till You Go To Far.” Both of those songs also have Kid Ramos on guitar. Laura Chavez plays guitar on all but the last song and co-wrote six of the songs with Candye. While the record doesn’t break any new ground for Candye, this record will surely be played a lot this summer by people who just want to have a good time. Weather you’re an old fan or a new one Candye Kane delivers a lot of joy and hopefulness in a time when the world can really use a Superhero.

The songs you will hear in the podcast today:
Throw It in the Trash Can Love
You Can’t Stop Me from Loving You
I Didn’t Listen to My Heart
I Put a Hex on You
Superhero

Candye Kane’s Website

Candye Kane’s MySpace

More about Candye Kane at Delta Groove Productions.

Buy Candye Kane Cd’s from Amazon.Com

Superhero should be available anywhere you go for music.

Check out other great artists at Delta Groove Productions,
Like the new ones by Rod Piazza, Bobby Jones, Jason Ricci, or The Insomniacs

I’d like to thank Candye Kane for taking time to do this interview, also a big thanks to Jody Best for all her help in setting everything up.

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

This week you get to hear an interview with Nick Moss, of Nick Moss & the Flip Tops. Nick will be talking about their new CD Live at Chan’s Combo Platter No. 2 and as always you will be hearing songs from the new CD.
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 ick Moss - Live at Chan’s Combo Platter No. 2 [33:49m]: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

Nick Moss was with us back in Oct of 2008 talking about his double CD, Play It Til’ Tomorrow. At that time Nick gave us the background on how he got started in music, so this time were going to spend most of the time talking about the new CD Live at Chan’s. To hear the past show click here.
Nick Moss and the Flip Tops recorded their first live CD in 2006 called Live at Chan’s. They were so pleased with the results of that they went back to Chan’s for a second helping. The Blues Music Awards were so pleased with the CD that they nominated the first Live at Chan’s for “Album of the Year” and “Traditional Album of the Year.”
This new one is every bit as good as the last one. Like the last one, it’s really nice to hear almost all-new songs by the band. While there are some cover songs, they are ones this band has never covered on a record before. There is also a special guest appearance by the Chicago blues guitarist Lurrie Bell on the last four songs. It’s about 35 minutes of Nick and Lurrie trading licks on songs like “Five Long Years”, “Don’t You Lie To Me,” and Willie Dixon classic “I’m Ready”. Lurrie also sings on the before mentioned songs. Another guest that helps add depth to the band is Nick’s wife, Kate Moss, on bass. Kate’s does a very good job of holding down the bottom end. As Nick says in the interview, this frees up some hands giving him and Gerry more opportunity to play harmonica on songs.

When you get done listening to this weeks show be sure to go by their website see if they are coming to a town near you. This is a band you really need to see live. Besides getting to see the band members change off on each other’s instruments. You will hear a band that is really playing live. The songs are always changing and growing. They don’t play the same songs every night, in fact I don’t think they even have a set list like most bands. This means if you saw them last year they will be dong a whole new group of songs now.

The CD is 79 minutes long. That means only 1 minute of time was not used on the CD. With Lurrie Bell being with them for the last 35 minutes that still leaves 44 minutes of Nick Moss & the Flip Tops. This is almost like getting a double CD for the price of one. If this is not enough you can always pick up the first Live At Chans’ or go to one of their concerts. There you will definitely get a second helping of the combo platter.

Songs played in this weeks podcast:
Try to Treat You Right - 8:04
I Got All Kinds of Love - 4:48
I Wanna Know - 7:37

Nick Moss & the Flip Tops’ Website

Nick Moss & the Flip Tops’ MySpace

Go to buy their CD Live At Chan’s: Combo Platter No. 2 at CD Baby

Go to buy their CD Play It Til Tomorrow at CD Baby

To buy Live At Chan’s (Live) at CD Baby Website

To buy Sadie Mae at CD Baby Website

To buy Count Your Blessings at CD Baby Website

To buy Got A New Plan at CD Baby Website

To buy First Offense at CD Baby Website

I would like to thank Nick Moss for taking time out from his tour to do this interview.
Thanks also to Kate Moss for all her help in setting everything up.
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Blues Music and Interviews
A1Blues.Com
formerly A1 Artist Spotlight. Com
by A1 Mark

This week hear an interview with Rod Piazza and songs from his brand new record Soul Monster.
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 094 - Rod Piazza - Soul Monster [32:10m]: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

Rod Piazza has been making blues records since way back in 1967. At that time the group was called The Dirty Blues Band. Rod’s interest in the blues goes even farther back to the mid-fifties, when he would listen to his older brother’s records. Artists like Jimmy Reed, Chuck Berry, and Big Joe Turner. Rod was also learning how to play the guitar and harmonica at this time. Lucky for us, when The Dirty Blues Band was first starting out they found Rod was better at playing the harp and singing than playing the guitar. He quickly put the guitar away, giving his fans more opportunity to hear him blow harp. The Dirty Blues Band only made two records. By 1970 Rod found himself in a band called Bacon Fat with west cost blues legend George “Harmonica” Smith. Rod would open the show, then later George would take over. The show would always end with the two harmonica players together on stage.

In the early eighties Rod formed the Mighty Flyers and released their first record called Radioactive Material. Since then he’s released about 17 records, most with the Mighty Flyers and some as a solo artist. In the show you will hear Rod talk more about working with George “Harmonica” Smith and the difference between his solo records and the ones with the Mighty Flyers.

Rod Piazza and the Mighty Flyers Blues Quartet’s new record came out June 16, 2009 on Delta Groove Productions. The CD kicks off with the title track “Soul Monster.” From the very first notes, you know this is going to be an enjoyable trip. Rod will tell us about how the song “Soul Monster” came about. Also why he wrote the song “Cheap Wine,” and why he did a remake of one of his songs from the 1992 CD Alphabet Blues. Some other songs you should know about on the CD: “Key to the Highway,” many fans over the years have heard Rod do this live and have asked him to release it, so here you go. “Sunbird” was a song Rod had produced for a George “Harmonica” Smith record. Jimmy Reed’s “Can’t Stand to See You Go” is a song that Rod said he always liked the cord changes on because they were a little different and the lyrics were good. Henry Carvajal the guitarist for the Mighty Flyers sings kind of a doo-wop song called “Talk to Me”, very good job.

Be sure to go to Delta Groove Productions or any CD outlet to buy Soul Monster you will love it.

Song in this weeks podcast are:
Soul Monster
Cheap Wine
Tell Me About It Sam
Expression Session

Rod Piazza’s Website

Rod Piazza’s MySpace

Rod Piazza at Delta Groove Productions

Buy Rod Piazza’s Soul Monster from Delta Groove Productions

Check out other great artists at Delta Groove Productions,
Like the new ones by Candy Kane, Bobby Jones, Jason Ricci, or The Insomniacs.

Buy Rod Piazza Cd’s from Amazon.Com

Thanks to thank Frank Vigil for letting us use one of his photos of Rod & Miss Honey. If you would like to see more really good photos this band or other blues bands go to the Frank Vigil Website.

I’d like to thank Rod Piazza for taking time out of his busy day to do this interview and big thanks to Jody Best for all her help in setting everything up.

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