Spring adds new life and new beauty to all that is. As the cold winter days wind down and the sun shines a little longer, new life is brought back into the dark places. There is no one who needs that more than the Allman Brothers family right now, after terrible loss almost halted everything. It looked like the end for many fans and this legendary music. That mantle of great live music tradition was left in limbo until The Allman Betts Band made their highly anticipated debut at Brooklyn Bowl.
Devon Allman and Duane Betts have joined forces to create The Allman Betts Band, with Barry Oakley Jr. (Son of Original Allman Brothers Band Bassist), Johnny Stachela, percussionists R. Scott Bryan and John Lum, to feature new music, songs from their solo projects and classic Allman Brothers songs in honor of The Allman Brothers’ 50th anniversary.
Wednesday night was the inaugural show for the band and fans of all ages came out in curiosity to see what this band was going to bring to the table. By the third song, when Duane played the opening notes to his father’s “Blue Sky,” it became very clear that this band would be a force to be reckoned with. Along with amazing renditions of “Dreams” and “In Memory OF Elzabeth Reed,” this band showed that it had more to offer for the Allman legacy. Original songs “All Night” and “Good Ol’ Days,” both are set to be on the bands debut album, that will be released early summer.
Don’t miss this band. They are fantastic; Proof that their music is as thick, and rich, as blood.
Setlist: All Night, Melodies are Memomries, Blue Sky, Left My Heart In Memphis, Taking Time, In Memory Of Elizabeth Reed, Multi Colored Lady, Seven Turns, Mahalo, Purple Rain, Dreams, Good Ol’ Days,
For two decades O.A.R. has continuously shown why they are one of the top acts in music. From sold out shows in some of the most famous venues across the country to multiple chart toping hits, and millions of albums sold worldwide. With the release of their ninth album The Mighty O.A.R. the band has embodied what it means to be mighty.
A few days before the albums release date the band invited a small amount of media and fans to Sony Square in New York City for a performance of some of the new material and a short Q&A. The state of the art Sony space worked with the band to set up something that replicated what happened in the studio, lead singer Marc Roberge Said “The reason why we did this was because we wanted you all to see this, this is kinda what we do everyone has their job their world we sit in rooms like this and create something from nothing.” They played two tracks off the new album “Miss You All The Time” and “California” in an acoustic round setting showing the amazing bond twenty years can bring between artists.
The new album is out today, Friday March 29, and brings a whole new approach to making a record than what fans and the band are used to hearing. Up until now O.A.R. has made records the same way just about everyone else makes records, run and gun. You work and record straight through until the album is complete, but for their first album in five years the band wanted to try something new and perfect the craft. O.A.R. changed the way they wrote and adopted the motto “is it aging well” does that song sit well with the band day’s, weeks later. This album is deep and meaningful with inspiring lyrics that just make you feel good.
O.A.R will hit the road this summer in support of this album be sure to check them out, and see for your self the power of The Mighty O.A.R.
Saratoga Springs’ Wild Adriatic performed at last year’s MusikFest in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania, and thanks to C&C Media Group, we present “Cooperstown” in a full 360′ experience.
To view the video, watch on YouTube or put on your Virtual Reality headset using your tablet or smartphone. 360 videos are best watched in 1440p on a tablet or mobile device, but are available up to 4K! If you have Google Cardboard, click on the Cardboard icon in the lower right.
This 360 experience comes courtesy of C&C Media Group, Wild Adriatic and Musikfest. Subscribe to C&C Media Group to see the full show!
Andrew Hozier-Byrne is having a great week. His sophomore album, Wasteland, Baby, hit #1 on the US Billboard charts. He played Good Morning America and the Colbert Show before selling out Shea’s Performing Arts Center in Buffalo and the Palace Theatre in Albany. And to top it off he’s getting ready to celebrate his 29th birthday on St. Patrick’s Day.
From the moment Hozier came out onto the Palace stage, the crowd was clapping, singing and swooned into a mesmerized trance, hanging onto every word that came from Andrew’s lips. Great lighting added to the drama of the night and the long awaited debut of Hozier to the Capital region was well worth the wait.
In November 2019, Hozier released a new song entitled “Jackboot Jump”, following live performances of it on tour. This song, besides being a direct reference to George Orwell’s 1984 alludes to social demonstrations in Hong Kong, Russia and in America.
Alluding to upcoming songs, Hozier also performed a new song whilst on tour entitled “But the Wages” that refers to temperatures rising as well as riots all around the world, while wages remain the same.
“I have a strong aversion to anyone in a scene-y way. In certain parts of the world where people are blowing smoke, I’ve an absolute allergy to it. I just f**king hate it. I have a strong aversion to people trying to ingratiate themselves. I don’t want to be ingratiated upon in any way, shape or form. Scenes are to be avoided, I think.”
Setlist: Would That I, Dinner & Diatribes, Nina Cried Power, Jackie and Wilson, Someone New, NFWMB, Wasteland, Baby!, Shrike, To Be Alone, Nobody, Moment’s Silence (Common Tongue), Almost (Sweet Music), Movement, Take Me to Church. Encore: Cherry Wine, Work Song
Completing a stellar two night run at the historic Count Basie Theatre in Red Bank, New Jersey, Bob Weir and Wolf Bros continue to shine, expanding the Grateful Dead’s legacy to new heights. Bob Weir is in top form, and is supported by two amazing musicians; Don Was on bass and Jay Lane on drums, each bringing their own style to the performance. Highlights included “Blackbird,” “Deal” and “Eyes of The World,” but it was the extremely intimate and emotional rendition of “Standing On The Moon,” that didn’t leave a dry eye in the building and rounded out an amazing two nights for the band and deadheads alike.
Set 1: Easy to Slip, Gonesville, Blackbird, K.C. Moan, Odessa, Hell in a Bucket, She Belongs to Me, Corrina, Deal
Set 2: Me and My Uncle, Cassidy, Truckin’, Fever, Ashes and Glass, Don’t Let Go, Eyes of the World, Standing on the Moon, Going Down the Road Feelin’ BadEncore: U.S. Blues
Weezer and The Pixies arrived in Albany on Thursday, March 14 with a full tank of gas and a show that will make you remember why you sang along to all these songs in college. Of course, Weezer is still cranking out new material, with The Black Album released earlier this month, and an album of covers in The Teal Album. Combine this with all the classic Weezer you could possibly ask for and impressive stage production that traces the evolution of the band, from the early days in the garage to the arena rock they unleashed tonight, and you have the makings of a fantastic performance from Rivers Cuomo and company.
Kicking off the set with a barbershop quartet version of “Buddy Holly” in front of the draped stage, “My Name is Jonas” started the set proper with a Happy Days themed high school stage setup revealed. Pinkerton’s “Pink Triangle” followed for a taste of early Weezer to please the eager crowd of Gen-X-ers. The first of five covers, Weezer’s take on “Africa” by Toto, might be the only time you sing this 80s hit with thousands of others, without a hint of shame. During the intro for “The Sweater Song,” the stage morphed into a garage setup, which served well for the next sequence of songs: “Pork and Beans” (featuring a VHS tape recording of early Weezer antics), The Turtles “Happy Together” with a segment of Green Day’s “Longview” seamlessly worked in, the apropos “In the Garage,” “Buddy Holly” and the debut of The Black Album’s “High as a Kite.”
As the stage underwent its final transformation, Rivers Cuomo hopped in a boat-on-wheels that brought him to the opposite end of the arena, where he serenaded the crowd with acoustic versions of “El Scorcho” and “No Scrubs.” As he was wheeled back around the arena towards the stage, a darkened stage welcomed Cuomo back for Jane’s Addiction’s “Up the Beach” and sing-alongs of “Beverly Hills” and “Island in the Sun.” To close the set, a-ha’s “Take on Me,” “Perfect Situation” and “Hash Pipe” closed the set, the latter with flames shooting up around the stage. For the encore, Weezer gave a sampling of songs from mid 00’s ((“If You’re Wondering if I Want you to) I Want you to”), and the 90’s (“Surf Wax America” and “Say it Ain’t So”) for a career spanning performance of nearly two dozen songs over 90 minutes.
Weezer setlist: Buddy Holly*, My Name is Jonas, Pink Triangle, Africa, You Give Your Love to me Softly, Undone – The Sweater Song, Pork and Beans, Happy Together->Longview->Happy Together, In the Garage, Buddy Holly, High as a Kite, El Scorcho^, No Scrubs^, Up the Beach, Beverly Hills, Island in the Sun, Take on Me, Perfect Situation, Hash Pipe
Encore: (If You’re Wondering if I want you to) I want you to, Surf Wax America, Say it Ain’t So
*Barbershop quartet version ^Rivers solo acoustic
UK rockers Basement kicked off the night with a short set of generic rock anthems with a stark 90s influence. The band, particularly animated lead singer Andrew Fisher, all had great energy to start the night but the sound fell flat on a limited crowd, still making their way into the Times Union Center.
Pixies followed with Paz Lenchantin subbing for Kim Deal and her voice and presence were well suited for a band well into their fourth decade. Guitarist Joey Santiago nailed riffs throughout the 22 song set with Black Francis leading the way. The Pixies brought out deep cuts as well as familiar songs (thanks in part to ad placements) including “Gigantic,” “Monkey Gone to Heaven” and the classic “Where is my Mind?” At times it felt like Pixies would be better suited to a setting like The Palace, or even The Egg. They made a great pairing with Weezer, but an intimate evening with Pixies would be a true treat for fans who grew up on this incredibly influential group.
Pixies setlist: Gouge Away, Vamos, Crackity Jones, Gigantic, Wave of Mutilation, Death Horizon, Here Comes Your Man, Tame, Rock Music, Monkey Gone to Heaven, Classic Masher, No. 13 Baby, Caribou, Planet of Sound, Hey, Broken Face, Bone Machine, Cactus, Debaser, In the Witching Hour, Something Against You, Where is My Mind?
Bass player ‘Ray’ Beatty is very straightforward when talking about his band Lullwater: “we’re a really loud rock band.” Add their love for Seattle grunge (Pearl Jam, Alice in Chains, Soundgarden) and a “take no prisoners” rock ‘n roll stage presence – you get the DNA make up of this 4 piece band from Athens, Georgia.
Together for 10 years, Lullwater is comprised of John Strickland on rhythm guitar and lead vocals, Roy ‘Ray’ Beatty on bass and vocals, Joseph Wilson on drums and vocals; and newest member, as of two years ago, Daniel Binnie on lead guitar. I sat down with Ray and Daniel before their set at The Chance Theater in Poughkeepsie, N.Y. The band was finishing up a month long, five band tour, with headliners Sevendust. It was a cold, but sunny afternoon with plenty of snow on the ground as we sat inside the band’s tour van and got down to business.
John Strickland
Mickey Deneher: You’re on month long tour with Sevendust, what’s that been feeling like?
Roy ‘Ray’ Beatty: It’s great. It’s an awesome tour to be on. It’s not just Sevendust. We have Tremonti, Cane Hill, and we got Kirra. Every band on this tour is really awesome. Not to discredit any of the bands we have been on tour with before, but as far as from start to finish, this tour lineup is just totally stacked. Almost every show has been sold out. Crowds have been really rockin’ and we get to watch the machine that is Sevendust. Not just the band, but the crew and everything. Seeing an operation on that level is inspiring. It’s like, oh; that is where we aim to be with our professionality, it’s great.
They’re like hanging out with us, allowing us to hang out with them. Sort of taking us under their wing a tiny bit. It’s a great experience all around. It’s inspiring. It’s very inspiring. You can see how bands that do this for a long time find and maintain success. Manage to do that through hard work.
Lullwater at The Chance Theatre.
With the tour winding down, the band was preparing for the release of their 3rd and most adventurous studio album, Voodoo. A recording the band calls “a bigger, more intricate and layered, digitally-recorded sound.“ Recorded in New Orleans, the band engaged Jacob Hermann (Anthrax, Machine Head, Amaranthe) to take the reigns as producer. Recorded over a year ago, the band worked hard on the required business details so it would hit the market with full impact.
2019 released ‘Voodoo’ album art.
MD: The new album is coming out, that has to be an exciting thing.
RRB: It is exciting.
MD: You’ve done a couple of studio recordings and some live stuff. Did you go in with songs written and ready, or did you just go in and feel it and make it happen?
RRB: We had the majority of the songs written. But we went in and took the first week of our studio time just looking back at all of our songs; arranging things and changing things. So it’s like we re-wrote the whole album. But we had a lot in. Like 70 to 80% kind of like rough framework were there.
But Jacob, he came in and cracked the whip a little more and made us buckle down more then we have in the past. Made us be more reflective and honest about things that we were trying to make and were the things that we wanted really suiting the song that we wanted.
Roy “Ray” Beatty – Lullwater
Joseph Wilson
MD: You say we looked back, you had them ready, but let me make sure they were there?
RRB: Well, we did maybe a month or two of just practice in our basement leading up to it. Of us, just writing all these songs and playing them. But neither of our producers were able to be there with us. So when we went down to the studio we wanted to get them in on the vibe and also get their input and just make sure everything was the best that it could be. ‘Cause we’ve done albums. Like the previous album, we really didn’t write almost anything before we went in. And that was cool too. But we just really wanted to make this one stand out.
MD: Jacob Hermann?
RRB: Jacob (reiterated with a Swedish accent)
MD: He had some great creds coming in. How was it working with him?
RRB: It was great. It was a little daunting. It was a big step up. Not to say that our other producer, Justin, isn’t also great to work with, and he is. But he kind of goes along with our vibe and we are all very collaborative. But Jacob, he came in and cracked the whip a little more and made us buckle down more then we have in the past. Made us be more reflective and honest about things that we were trying to make and were the things that we wanted really suiting the song that we wanted.
Daniel Binnie: He was extremely critical.
MD: But that’s good.
RRB: It was good.
DB: In a good way.
MD: His name is on there also. It’s a collaboration.
RRB: It is. I think people probably don’t realize, that people that don’t make music, or don’t record their music with producers; don’t realize how much of an impact that those producers have on the album; the sounds that are happening, how the sounds all fit together, a lot of the arraignments and stuff. Your always like “Hey Justin,” “Hey Jacob,” “does it sound good?” “Does it suck or not?” When I personally go into the studio I try to, you know I have all these ideas that we have and I want things to be a certain way, but unless I absolutely am worried something’s going to not turn out good, I try to just give up worrying about anything. Saying the power to veto a sound or to confirm ‘does this sound good,’ is in the producer’s control.
Roy “Ray” Beatty
MD: You (as a band) present it, you play it, you created it, but you need that extra set of ears to help you.
RRB: You defiantly do. If you don’t all do that, it gets to be a to many cooks in the kitchen kind of scenario with everyone saying, “NO, we got to do this riff,” ‘That didn’t quite work, we have to redo it.” It’s like CHAOS. In order to serve the final product, you have to remove yourself a little from it.
MD: The song “Empty Chambers” a first release. Talk a little about it.
RRB: It’s just a loud rock song. Actually, that was the first one we started writing for the album, I think. I was traveling and I had my guitar in my car and I knew that we had our studio session booked and I was kind of freak’n out because nobody had been sending in riffs. ‘Cause usually, the way our writing process works is, other people are coming up with some of the riffs and I‘ll try to arrange them and we’ll all try to arrange them and write. We write together. But for this one, I was just in my hotel drinking and I was like; man, we need songs. So I just wrote that first riff and we just kind of came together and made a song out of it.
Daniel Binnie
You can take kind of what you want from the lyrics. John (Strickland, lead vocals and rhythm guitar) doesn’t like to be super direct with explaining his lyrics in interviews, so I kind of respect that. But you listen to it; you can kind of hear what it’s all about.
Daniel Binnie: I wrote the rhythm for the chorus. Don’t for get me (laughing!)
RRB: Binnie did write the chorus of “Empty Chamber.” Totally wrote that. We took that from a song he made. So it really came together.
MD: What was it that drew you down to NOLA (to record)?
RRB: Jacob had worked in that studio and he said that was the place to go, so we said ok, we trust you.
MD: New Orleans is such a music place.
RRB: It is a music place.
MD: The vibe is a NOLA vibe. Did any of that seep in a little?
RRB: The album is called Voodoo. We where there for Halloween. (Laughing) It definitely influenced the album. It seeps through. You be able to hear it in the final product.
Lullwater
DB: Musically of course, we got some horns and strings and stuff from local musicians on the album. So you got that. As far as the vibe of the town, there is a lot of pain and suffering on that album.
RRB: There is. I feel that like that is the theme of the album overall, everything falling apart and then getting back together.
The band hit the stage at The Chance Theater to a very appreciative and packed house. With 2019 in front of them, Lullwater will be releasing an acoustic EP, containing songs from their last two albums, in late spring or summer. The band is now finalizing tour dates for the rest of the year, so look for Lullwater out on the road in support of their latest release.
Brooklyn’s Bad Luck has announced a brand new EP Drug Phase to be released on March 29 via Take This To Heart Records, and has released the infectious new single “Sheep Song.” Listen below and on all platforms here.
Bad Luck. started out as a Long Island solo project before the band came together in Florida in 2014, when they released Cold Bones and Noise in Your Head the following year. These two compact yet abrasive pop-punk releases placed nostalgia and neuroses on the same plane. “Sheep Song” showcases the dynamics that made 2014 “Cold Bones” LP from Bad Luck an underground hit. The whole song is a chorus that will have you singing ba-ba-ba in under 3 minutes.
Anchored by brothers Dominick and Joe Fox and colored in by a rotating cast of touring friends, Bad Luck.’ssecond wind offers the same great pop hooks chased with hard-hitting backdrops that originally captured crowds’ hearts. Having since returned to their home base and their homegrown mentality, Bad Luck. is looking to add to their short but sweet legacy and score a longer winning streak. They embark on a four-show tour later this month.
When you’ve won four Blues Music Awards, been inducted into the Blues Hall of Fame, nominated for a Grammy, and are a W.C. Handy Award recipient, your mark on the world of blues is pretty much set. Add a close friendship with B.B. King, James Cotton and Willie Dixon, and you get a glimpse into the life and career of a Blues Master: Mr. Joe Louis Walker.
Named “A legendary boundary-pushing icon of modern blues” by NPR, Walker started playing the guitar as a young boy, growing up in the Fillmore District of San Francisco in the early 60’s. Now living in the Hudson Valley for the last 10 years with his wife Robin, Joe has a non-stop schedule traveling the world; touring, writing, recording, and producing. I sat down with Joe after sound check at The Towne Crier in Beacon, N.Y. The band had just gotten in from Buffalo N.Y. and was wrapping up a few dates in the U.S. before heading off to a remote island in the Caribbean for a blues festival.
Charles Sullivan the promoter, he would give us free tickets. So we got to see the Temptations, the real Temptations. We got to see James Brown when he got a brand new bag. I got to see Little Richard with Jimi Hendricks on guitar. I got to see all of that sh#t for FREE! And plus, I got to play the Fillmore.
Mickey Deneher:Your career, over 50 years?
Joe Louis Walker: About 53 years. I’m 69 now. I turned 69 on Christmas (2018). I’ve been playing since about ’61. I joined the union in 1964. I joined the musician’s union. Been a union man all my life. Been living on my own since I was 16.
Joe Louis Walker
MD: You started playing music at a young age. What brought you to the guitar?
JLW: Well the guitar, when I was a kid, was the most accessible instrument, as it is now. The guitar was, when I was 12, 1962, only something you could look at. I went to a catholic school and at that time, you could check instruments out. If you had an aptitude, a little bit of an ear for the talent, they would nurture it. If you really had a talent, you would make a deal with your parents and they would rent you an instrument. Rent you an instrument. Not buy you one. Rent you one. With renting the instrument, come lessons. So I first rented, I checked out the violin when I was about 9, cause I could carry that home. But I really couldn’t make too much (out of it) when you’re fixated on that sound; that electric sound.
My parents had a temporary split and we ended up moving to the Fillmore District, and my world began. We moved to the projects, me and my mom and all of five kids, all of us. One project over, one housing (project), my cousins. I hadn’t seen or hung out with my cousins too much. But the first day I go there, they are on the 3rd floor of the projects; 3rd floor! I walk from the first floor. I am going to walk up three floors. You don’t want to catch the elevators. That’s where a lot of stuff goes on. All the way on the 3rd floor, all the way, the first floor to the third floor, wall-to-wall girls. Just standing and listening to my cousins play. I’m like; I am definitely going to do this now. [Laughing] Wall to Wall!
Dorian Randolph, Bruce Bears, Joe Louis Walker, Lenny Bradford.
MD: Ulterior motives!
JLW: But just to know, that there was something that we could do as young guys and make a few bucks. Buy our school clothes. Become popular without being jocks. Without being serious gang guys.
We literally, had the whole thing for ourselves. Of course there were bands all in the area. There was Sly’s (Sly and the Family Stone) brother Freddy Stewart who had a band with my cousin Ted Weisinger; Freddy Stewart and the Stone Soldiers, one of the big bands in San Francisco. This was before the hippies came to San Francisco. The hippies didn’t come till ’62, ’63, ‘64. I was in the Fillmore district in ’61, ’62. I was 12 years old in ‘62. I was lucky because there was this convergence among all the soul groups. The Fillmore at that time was like Harlem in the Renascence. It was, I would say, 75% African-American, huge amount of Japanese, a nice amount of Chinese and different, various people.
When the hippies came in to the Fillmore Auditorium, in it was sort of interesting because me and my cousins and all of us had been playing the Fillmore since we were young. That’s where we would have our battle of the bands. I went to junior high school a block from the Fillmore Auditorium. So we used to have our rehearsal there, battle of the bands there. Then, if we clean up some times, Mr. Sullivan who owned the Fillmore, Charles Sullivan the promoter, he would give us free tickets. So we got to see the Temptations, the real Temptations. We got to see James Brown when he got a brand new bag. I got to see Little Richard with Jimi Hendricks on guitar. I got to see all of that sh#t for FREE! And plus, I got to play the Fillmore.
J. Geils, Joe Louis Walker
So when the hippies came there it was like ok, you know, I am cool with this. But as somebody said, very adroitly, they said “you know one of the best things to happened for a lot of the old rock and roll and blues guys was the English invasion, because they brought back interest in them.” But it was also one of the worst things to happen. Cause they put all their heroes out of work. The English guys did not mean to do that. That is not what they started for. There was like maximum R&B. That was, their heroes. That is not what they were about. Period. To note that it turned out that way, was a real drag. That is not what John Lennon and Mick Jagger and all those guys were about. They just weren’t about that. The Yardbirds, they just weren’t about all that. But that’s what it sort of turned into.
But, be that as it may, I was fortunate to be able to see all the Fillmore stuff, then play at the Fillmore. When Graham owned it; Bill would let me come any time I wanted. So I got to see all the shows.. I was fortunate to becoming up in all that stuff. It wasn’t just that; it was the young guys who were finding their musical paths.
MD:At 16 you had a name in the San Francisco music scene. Who were you were playing with?
JLW: Lowell Fulsom, Troyce Key, Percy Mayfield, Erle Hooker. You name it, I backed everybody. Katy Webster, Sly, (Mike) Bloomfield. John Lee, Earl, just on and on, and on and on. I played with all the hippie groups. I was in Blue Cheer, The Oxford Circle. We did a little fusion stuff with some other groups later. The coolest thing about that time, and that place, was that everything was progressing at the same time. What people wore, what people thought, the way the people responding to old mores, the Vietnam war, Richard Nixon, interracial marriage. Everything was happening at the same and the biggest thing I think, was what we invented in the United States in the San Francisco area, was FM radio. That was the biggest thing. Cause without FM radio we’d still be listening to The Monkees, 2 minutes, 40 seconds.
MD:You’re right. Wow, I did not think of that.
JLW: And jam bands.
MD:It wasn’t just blues, experimental, psychedelic.
JLW: It was so much. Oh my God. You could literally go out every night, hit three spots a night… You go to the Avalon Ballroom, The Family Dog (Ballroom), go see John Mayall with Mick Taylor and Muddy Water’s with his band, Big Mama Thorton. Go to the Fillmore, maybe see an Airplane with Quick Silver and Charles Lord Quartet, and Howlin’ Wolf. Four acts, that’s all in one night. That’s all in one night! Then you go to clubs after that.
Joe Louis Walker
The 60’s counterculture movement brought hippies, flower power and alternative life styles to the bay area. While the 70’s found San Francisco awash in a psychedelic haze. Walker made a conscious decision to take a detour from the 70’s status que and attended San Francisco State University, where he earned degrees in both English and Music. “It (was) important for me. Because it was something I started and didn’t finish.” Joe says. Applying his personal growth directive to music, Joe joined the gospel group The Spiritual Corinthians, in 1975.
MD:You went into Gospel. You did that for 10 years?
JLW: Longer than that.
MD:When I think about gospel, to me there is a blues base, a bluestone, that feeling.
JLW: Look at it like this: Gospel, Blues, and Soul music. Just take a for instance. For instance, in blues I mean B.B. King. I don’t mean Eric Clapton. No disrespect to Eric Clapton, ok. In blues, that is the template. Or Howlin’ Wolf. Say B.B. King, cause B.B. to me always was, and I used to have fun telling him this, “you’re just a gospel singer in a blues singer’s body.” When he was young, cause he hit all the high notes, his range was limitless.
JLW on B.B. King, Blues and Soul:
So you take a B.B. King for blues. So you take for soul music (pauses for a second), Sam Moore. Just a voice that’s just wicked, or Al Green. And say in gospel music, you take somebody like my friend, Clarence Fountain (Blind Boys of Alabama). When you have those three, all those three guys are cousins. I could take Bobby Blue Bland and interject him into soul, he wouldn’t miss a step, wouldn’t miss cause he helped invent it. I could take Sam Cooke and interject him into blues. Sam Cooke had a number 3 record; hit record with “Little Red Rooster.” A lot of people don’t know that and it’s cool. I could take Sam Cooke and interject him into soul, wouldn’t miss a step. I can take Sam Cooke, of course, interject him into gospel, wouldn’t miss a step. I can interject B.B. into gospel, wouldn’t miss a step.
Joe Louis Walker, Lenny Bradford
But now I could not interject Eric Clapton into gospel. No disrespect. I could not interject Joe Bonamassa into soul music. I can interject him as a player. But I couldn’t interject him in like Bernie Worrell or Catfish (Collins); Bootsy Collin’s brother; or someone like Jimmy Nolen who played with James Brown; or Freddy Stewart, Sly Stones brother; or Bobby Womack. I’m sure he could play all that, don’t get me wrong, but that style of playing within itself is the total opposite of this (Joe motions moving fingers all over a guitar neck at rapid speed.) Cause when you playing soul music and gospel, you are playing as an accompaniment to the voice. The lyric of the song is the star. Everything else is secondary. With blues now, and I should say blues rock, because its changed. It used to be, which it just blows your mind, go home and put on any record you like. Put on “Little Red Rooster” by Howlin’ Wolf, put on “Boom, Boom” by John Hooker, put on “Baby What You Want Me ToDo” by Jimmy Reed, put on “Got My Mojo Workin’” you will not hear one solo. You might hear four, five notes; but you are not going to hear (Joe makes sounds like a cacophony of notes played at lightning speed.) That is sort of what a lot of stuff has morphed into now. So when it’s morphed into that, and it’s morphed into screaming as loud as you can, singing as loud as you can, with a lot of fake ass emotion. I’m sorry I grew up in the same project with Etta James, I grew up in the same projects man. She never screamed on “I’d Rather Go Blind.” In that particular song she doesn’t scream. She really doesn’t.
Joe Louis Walker
So I guess we all have our points of reference. We all have what we feel moves us. The same things, it moves me all my life. Once I heard the Wolf, I loved it. I loved it just as much now. When I heard “Satisfaction” I loved the song then, I love it now. But blues has morphed, you know it’s just morphed into more of a me thing, as apposed to a we thing. Muddy Waters was great. But he sounded really good with Little Walter, he sounded really good with Otis Spann, you know what I mean. He sounded really freak’n good with Willie Big Eyes Smith. When he didn’t have Willie, when he didn’t have Otis Spann what did he do? He got Pinetop Perkins!
Those guys could literally solo over each other and not step over each other. They could solo a little during the song, but not step on each other. That it was all about we. A lot now is about me. It’s about the individual. That’s sort of the way the music business has morphed.
[bs-quote quote=” B.B. King to me always was, and I used to have fun telling him this, ‘you’re just a gospel singer in a blues singer’s body.’ When he was young, cause he hit all the high notes, his range was limitless.” style=”default” align=”center” color=”#000000″ author_name=”Joe Louis Walker”][/bs-quote]
While attending the New Orleans Jazz and Heritage Festival with The New Corinthians in 1985, Joe had an epiphany that the blues were his calling. He realigned his musical direction and has not looked back. His resume of musical accomplishments include 25 albums to date and countless guest appearances supporting the likes of B.B. King, James Cotton, Branford Marsalis, Peter Green, Elvin Bishop, Issac Hayes.
Joe’s latest project is Journeys to the Heart of the Blues. An acoustic blues album nominated for two 2019 Blues Music Awards (Album Of The Year, Acoustic Album.) Joe recorded with renowned keyboard player and fellow Hudson Valley resident Bruce Katz (Greg Allman Band,) and next-generation British harmonica ace Giles Robson. The album is out on Alligator Records throughout North America, Australia, New Zealand and Japan. Munich Records, a division of V2 Records Benelux, will release it in all other territories. The sessions were recorded at NRS Studios in Woodstock.
Joe Louis Walker, Bruce Katz, Giles Robson
Mickey Deneher:You are recording now, correct?
Joe Louis Walker: My album. We are about three quarters finished. A double album.
Joe’s upcoming album is chock full of his friends who he’s has played with over the years. The list includes: Juma Saltan, Mitch Ryder, Jesse Johnson (The Time), John Sebastian, Dion DiMucci, Ray Walker (one of the last living Jordanaires), David Bromberg, Carla Cook (Sam Cook’s daughter), Bobby Will, Charlie Harper (UK Subs,) Waddy Wachtel, Keb’ Mo’, and Jorma Kaukonen.
MD:I saw one of your recording credits is as a primary artist on William Shatner’s “Shatner’s Claus: The Christmas Album”
JLW: Yeah. We are getting ready to make a blues album next year. Going to beam us up baby. For me it’s sort of a double-edged thing. Because it’s amazing that now the blues are so popular, that literally, Captain Kirk, he done run out of universe, but he’s into blues music, and who’s he talking to? Joe Louis! I’m trying to give him a little bit of insight cause he’s very serious.
I just tell anybody that asks me; this is not about the notes. It’s not about the vintage guitar. It’s not about the tour bus. It’s not about the $5,000 Armani suits, with the $500 shades at the Royal Albert Hall. It’s not any of that. It isn’t. This here, comes out of suffering and what it is, its the social studies in survival and how to deal with adverse circumstances that are state sponsored and you have to deal with it. That’s what the blues came out of.
Catch this legendary bluesman and his band at The Egg in Albany on March 13th with The Robert Cray Band; March 21st at City Vineyard, in NYC; and March 22nd at Live at the Falcon, in Marlboro N.Y.
Lenny Bradford, Joe Louis Walker, Bruce Bears, Dorian Randolph
Vignettes of heartache, redemption, hometown joy and drama fuel Anything, Everything, the sophomore album from the Connecticut-based pop-punk band Say What You Will. Hailing from New Haven, the band is Christine Sabol on bass guitar, Shane Emery on vocals and lead guitar, Chuck DeFilippo on drums and Ethan Griffeth on lead vocals. Amongst changes in personnel and other identity shifts since 2017’s Seconds to Home, the new album is a work of passion and exploration, sure to excite longtime fans and attract new ones. The band supported the album release by debuting their music video for the feature track, “Southbound,” in late February.
Drawing from the likes of State Champs, Grayscale, Sleep On It and others, Say What You Will found a way to create a distinctive, unique sound while paying homage to their influences. Recorded with Chris Piquette at No Boundaries Studios in Rhode Island, the record marks a new age of growth and maturation for the band. Anything, Everything is set to release on all platforms next Friday, March 15.
“We’ve always tried to incorporate so many influences into our music, and I think that this time around we were more focused on making something that sounded like us.”
Shane Emery
From the start, “Break Away” pulls listeners in, skipping casual orbit and launching them directly into the fiery atmosphere of Anything, Everything. The restrained, energy-building intro showcases the band’s chemistry by allowing Griffeth’s expressive voice to sit on top of the rhythm, culminating in a quick stop and explosion of layered melody sure to get peoples’ bodies moving.
Moving on, it’s clear that a key strength of the album is how it dynamically shifts between the blasting, yell-along, triumphant choruses and the sensitive, yearning reprieves. “Carolina” stands apart as a pop-punk ballad, an ode to a specific place and time, displaying Emery’s journeying, skilled guitar and the interplay between drums and Sabol’s bass. The record picks up the pace again in “Lake Zoar,” filled with jump-along moments.
Distinct from the instrumentation of each song, there are the stories Griffeth shares through emotive vocals and heart-wrenchingly piercing lyrics. “Summer Haze” ends the album with a story of a woman who’s struggled with helping her significant other with drug addiction. Inspired by heroin epidemics in Griffeth’s hometown, the song is the band’s plea to shine a light on dark moments.
Anything, Everything has all the elements of what makes a great pop-punk record, though it doesn’t stop there. The album represents a refined and redefined sound identity for the group. Listeners will always find their way to the catchy hooks, the grooves and breakdowns in the songs that feature boundary-pushing infusions from other genres. Say What You Will has put all their cards on the table, successfully creating something unique and inspiring. Pop-punk fans will find plenty of value and perspective from picking up this album.
*Anything, Everything Release Show*
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[accordion title=”April 6: Pauly’s – Albany, NY” load=”hide”]April 15: Encore Live Room – Dayton, OH
April 16: Evolution Music – Downers Grove, IL
April 17: Laundry Room – Nashville, TN
April 18: The Depot – Baltimore, MD
April 26: Ralph’s Diner – Worcester, MA
May 3: Cianfano’s – Elizabeth, NJ
May 4: The Barbary – Philadelphia, PA[/accordion]
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Photo: Megan Greer
Listen to Anything, Everything and learn more here.
