The Blues Room # 361

 

Some hot shots from 2012. Enjoy!!

 

Episode 361, 19 December 2012

 

Download link for this episode: 361

The Blues Room # 358 Michigan Curve

 

I received a promo CD from a band I'd never heard of before, Michigan Curve. I have to say, it was the best presented and produced promo CD I have ever received and thats why I played the darn thing all the way through on this episode of The Blues Room!! Great tracks Michigan Curve; did I list them all correctly?

 

Episode 358, 28

1. Taj Mahal - Good Morning Miss Brown
2. The Mannish Boys - Carpet Bagger Blues
3. Louis Myers - Tribute To The Aces
4. Henry Gray - Everybody's Fishin'
5. Professor Longhair - In The Wee Wee Hours
6. Michigan Curve - Numptie Blues
7. Michigan Curve - Show Me A Sign
8. Michigan Curve - Driving In My Car
9. Michigan Curve - ?
10. Flavio Guimaraes with Peter Madcat - Muddy's Ukelele

 

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The Blues Room # 348

 

"Tin-eared critics have frequently damned him as a yuppie blues wannabe whose slickly soulful offerings bear scant resemblance to the real down-home item. In reality, Robert Cray is one of a precious few young blues-based artists with the talent and vision to successfully usher the idiom into the 21st century without resorting either to slavish imitation or simply playing rock while passing it off as blues. Just as importantly, his immensely popular records helped immeasurably to jump-start the contemporary blues boom that still holds sway to this day. Blessed with a soulful voice that sometimes recalls '60s-great O.V. Wright and a concise lead guitar approach that never wastes notes, Cray's rise to international fame was indeed a heartwarming one. For a guy whose 1980 debut album for Tomato, Who's Been Talkin', proved an instantaneous cutout, his ascendancy was amazingly swift -- in 1986 his breakthrough Strong Persuader album for Mercury (containing "Smoking Gun") won him a Grammy and shot his asking price for a night's work skyward.

 

"Robert Cray was born on August 1, 1953 in Columbus, Georgia. An Army brat who grew up all over the country before his folks settled in Tacoma, Washington, in 1968, Cray listened intently to soul and rock before becoming immersed in the blues (in particular, the icy Telecaster of Albert Collins, who played at Cray's high-school graduation). Cray formed his first band with longtime bassist Richard Cousins in 1974. They soon hooked up with Collins as his backup unit before breaking out on their own. The cinematic set caught a brief glimpse of Cray (even if they weren't aware of it) when he anonymously played the bassist of the frat party band Otis Day & the Knights in National Lampoon's Animal House. Cray's Tomato set, also featuring the harp of Curtis Salgado, was an excellent beginning, but it was the guitarist's 1983 set for HighTone, Bad Influence, that really showed just how full of talent Cray was. Another HighTone set, False Accusations, preceded the emergence of the Grammy-winning 1985 guitar summit meeting album Showdown! for Alligator, which found the relative newcomer more than holding his own alongside Collins and Texan Johnny Copeland. Strong Persuader made it two Grammys in two years and made Cray a familiar face even on video-driven MTV.

 

"Unlike too many of his peers, Cray continued to experiment within his two presiding genres, blues and soul, on sets for Mercury such as Midnight Stroll in 1990, I Was Warned in 1992, and Shame + A Sin in 1993. After switching to Rykodisc in the late '90s, Cray released Take Your Shoes Off in 1999 and Shoulda Been Home in 2001, proving that the "bluenatics" (as he amusedly labels his purist detractors) have nothing to fear and plenty to anticipate from this innovative, laudably accessible guitarist. Touring regularly with the likes of Eric Clapton and Bob Dylan, Cray stayed active in the studio as well, signing with Sanctuary Records and releasing Time Will Tell in 2003, Twenty in 2005, a pair of live albums, Live from Across the Pond in 2006 and Live at the BBC in 2008, and This Time, which was issued by Vanguard Records a year later. Cray released his third live album in four years, Cookin' in Mobile, in 2010. The material that comprised the album was taken from a single performance at the Saenger Theatre in Mobile, Alabama in February of that year. The Kevin Shirley-produced Nothin But Love, a solid outing featuring narrative songs that circle around the trials and tribulations of love, appeared in 2012. (taken from http://www.allmusic.com/artist/robert-cray-mn0000830425)

 

Episode 348, 19 September 2012

 

1. BB King with Robert Cray - Playing With My Friends
2. BB King with Eric Clapton - The Thrill Is Gone
3. Jimmy Vaughan, Robert Cray, BB King, Buddy Guy, Dr. John - Tick Tock
4. Robert Cray Band - Too Many Cooks
5. Robert Cray Band - Right Next Door (Because Of Me)
6. Robert Cray Band - When The Welfare Turns Its Back On You
7. Robert Cray Band - Won't Be Coming Home
8. Robert Cray Band - You Belong To Me
9. Robert Cray Band - Blues Get Off My Shoulder
10. Otis Rush - Its My Own Fault Baby

 

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The Blues Room # 344 New Blues Arrivals

New to The Blues Room and hot off the press. Enjoy!

Download this episode: 344

Episode 344, 22 August 2012

1. Mark Cook - Sweet Sound Of Memphis

2. Mark Cook - Blues Shack

3. Mark Cook - Take It Or Leave It

4. Dave Fields - Addicted To your Love

5. Dave Fields - In The Night

6. Dave Fields with Joe Louis Walker - Doin' Hard Time

7. The Chris O'Leary Band - Give It

8. The Chris O'Leary Band - 377-9189

9. The Chris O'Leary Band - Pictures Of You

Community Radio Hamilton is changing its name and frequency. What will this mean for fans of The Blues Room?

In April 2011 the 89FM (Hamilton, NZ) licence expired, and sat unused while the Ministry for Culture and Heritage developed new allocation criteria. In October 2011 the Ministry announced that Community Radio Hamilton was the successful applicant [see Waikato Times coverage].

Background
The frequency has had a number of users in its 25 year history. Initially it hosted University of Waikato student station Radio Contact, who renamed themselves Contact 89FM and started broadcasting on FM in 1986. In 1997, for reasons relating to student politics, the frequency licence was leased to other operators, and over the last several years has been on sold to a number of other operators - including The Generator, Backbeat FM and Rush FM. None of these stations have really delivered on the conditions of the licence, which described simply were to provide a radio station primarily for the use, development and entertainment of tertiary students.

The Waikato Students Union [WSU] attempted to get the frequency back from recent operator Backbeat FM, but this was unsuccessful and most recently the “ownership” changed again, passing to the operators of Rush FM.

What will this change from FM106.7 and AM1206 over to 89.0FM mean for listeners of the LIVE broadcast of The Blues Room on Wednesday nights? Nothing except a better reception and wider coverage. Listeners just need to change to 89.0FM to get the show from 1st August 2012. Thats all. Simple and sweet!

I can't tell you what the new name will be yet, but I will on The Blues Room come 1 August!!!

The Blues Room # 338 New From Oli Brown

I had the pleasure of interviewing Oli Brown last year when Simon Vare of Yellow Eye Music Ltd brought him through Hamilton, NZ. What a pleasant young man and an extremely talented musician. I received a few new tunes from Simon to play for you on this episode of The Blues Room, hope you like them. Let me know what you think!!

http://www.oliselectricblues.co.uk/
http://www.yelloweye.co.nz/

Episode 338, 11 July 2012

1. Buddy Guy - Living Proof

2. Darren Watson - A Desperate Man [NZ]

3. Joe Louis Walker - Ride All Night

4. Anders Osborne - When Will I See You Again

5. Pete Fountain featuring Jeremy - Save Me

6. Oli Brown - All We Had To Give

7. Oli Brown - Solid Ground

8. Oli Brown - Like A Feather

9. Shakura S'aida - Mr Right

10. Louisiana Red and Little Victor's Juke Joint - Alabama Train

Download this episode by right this link OLI BROWN and selecting 'save target as' from drop down menu.

The Blues Room # 336 New Blues From Albert Castiglia

New tunes from Albert Castiglia (pronounced "ka-STEEL-ya") in this epsiode for you blues guitar lovers. Albert's new album, out now on Blues Leaf Records, is called 'Living The Dream' and it stands up to both Albert's and Blues Leaf's high standard of quality blues. A wizard on guitar and equally magical on vocals, Albert doesn't hold back on this rockin' blues album. He can really rock it out when he wants and yet bring it all down and beautiful too. A brilliant album! Enjoy. 

http://www.albertcastiglia.com/

Episode 336, 27 June 2012

1. Albert Castiglia - Freddie's Boogie (Instrumental)

2. Albert Castiglia - Hoo Doo Man Blues

3. Albert Castiglia and Graham Wood Drout - Ghosts of Mississippi

4. Albert Castiglia - Catfish

5. Albert Castiglia - Fat Cat (Instrumental)

6. Albert Castiglia - Livin' The Dream

7. Albert Castiglia - Public Enemy #9

8. Albert Castiglia - Lovin' Cup

9. Albert Castiglia - Walk The Back Streets

10. Joe Louis Walker and Bonnie Raitt - Low Down Dirty Blues

 

Download this episode by right clicking on this link ALBERT and selecting 'save target as' from the drop down menu.

 

Albert 'Springing the Blues 2003', Jacksonville Beach, Florida

The Blues Room # 335 Gary Primich: Just A Little Bit More

The first time I heard Gary Primich CDs I knew this guy was gonna teach me alot about blues harmonica, and I was right! He never ceases to amaze me with his control, tone and creativity of blues harmonica playing. Although Gary has passed on already to that great jam in the sky, his legacy lives and his music is well worth seeking out, I kid you not, he was a modern master! I spotlight his playing and a new release from him on this episode. The new album is called 'Just A Little Bit More' and it features great accompaniment by Omar Kent Dykes (another great blues man!). All details about Gary and this new album can be found at http://www.garyprimich.com/. Enjoy!

Episode 335, 20 June 2012

1. Gary Primich - Dallas Texas

2. Norton Buffalo and the Knockouts - Hoodoo Roux

3. Carlos del Junco - Junko Partner

4. Little Charlie and the Nightcats - Too Close Together

5. Johnny Wright and Steve Rusin - I Was In St. Louis

6. Billy Boy Arnold - I Wish You Would

7. James Cotton - Thats All Right

8. Gary Primich - Caravan

9. Gary Primich - Indiana

10. Gary Primich - Satelite Rock

11. Gary Primich - House Rockin' Party

12. Gary Primich - One Room Country Shack

13. Gary Primich - Down In Mississippi

14. Bacon Fat - Juicy Harmonica

 

download this episode by right clicking this link: GARY and selecting 'save target as ...' from the dropdown

The Blues Room # 323

Epiosde 323, 28 March 2012

Plenty of guitar work in this episode, all new stuff from pretty amazing artists. Joanne Shaw Taylor is a featured artists at Bluesfest 2012 so I might just head on over to the Jambalaya stage to check her out!!

1. Nick Moss - Here I Am
2. Nick Moss - Why You So Mean
3. Nick Moss - Sunday Get Together

4. Joanne Shaw Taylor - Diamonds In The Dirt
5. Joanne Shaw Taylor - Can't Keep Living Like This
6. Joanne Shaw Taylor - Lord Have Mercy

7. Nasty Boogie - Tired Of Waiting For You
8. Nasty Boogie - Early In The Morning
9. Nasty Boogie - Blue Shadows

10. Dani Wilde - Juice Me Up
11. Dani Wilde - Falling
12. Dani Wilde - Mississippi Kisses

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