Lauren and the Good Souls ‘Behind Closed Doors’ Self-released reverbnation.con/laurenandthegoodsouls Wow, that Lauren Faggiano can siii-ing. She doesn’t lock herself in a particular register, and wails salty to the cheap seats. And whether she’s singing piano or forte, the lady manages both intensities on Lauren and the Good Souls’ new album “Behind Closed Doors.” The […]
Blues
Posted inMusic
2019 Party in the Park concerts offer plenty of variety
With the 2019 Party in the Park concert series, there truly is something for everyone: hippies, pop fans, reggae fans, classic rockers, and folks that get the blues.
Posted inMusic
Album review: ‘Simple Case of the Blues’
Rosie Flores ‘Simple Case of the Blues’ The Last Music Company roseieflores.com So they’re calling it a blues record, huh? Well I’m here to tell ya it’s so much more. Rosie Flores’ brand-new “Simple Case of the Blues” touches upon everything that makes us like the blues and love Flores. The epitome of it all […]
Posted inMusic
Album review: ‘SleepWalker’
Ryan Sutherland ‘SleepWalker’ Self-released ryansutherland.bandcamp.com Rochester’s Ryan Sutherland is a down-to-earth, folk singer-songwriter with ripping slide guitar skills. Switching between guitar and banjo, he blends elements of country with folk, blues, roots music, and old-timey Americana. He is currently celebrating the release of his second studio album, "SleepWalker," a lighthearted storybook dedicated to his partner, […]
Posted inMusic
Album review: ‘Weston Blues’
The Cotton Toe Three “Weston Blues” Toe Jam Recordings cotton-toe.bandcamp.com You can sidestep the blues’ requisite evil and attitude all you want, but you can’t escape it here. It’s inevitable, man. Slide guitarist Mike “Cotton Toe” Scrivens is a likeable bloke and isn’t nearly as harsh as some other bluesmen and their dobros tend to […]
Posted inSpecial Sections
Featured Artist: Marcia Ball
Marcia Ball is a piano-playing neck-breaker from Orange, Texas, who tickles the ivories in a raucous barrelhouse style. Her voice has just enough of that roadhouse weariness to make her all the more enchanting and legit as her band summons the crowd with its boss back beat and shuffle. But Ball isn’t boastful when it […]
Posted inMusic
Album review: ‘River’s Risin”
Gordon Munding “River’s Risin’” Self-released facebook.com/gordonmundingmusic I know; I know it’s the blues, with all its requisite death wish lamentations barreling toward an inevitable dead end. But here’s a certain sinister irony that can result in laughter … or more tears. On “River’s Risin’,” Gordon Munding plays the blues — folk blues, some may call […]
Posted inMusic
Album Review: ‘Stackhouse’
Greg “Stackhouse” Prevost “Universal Vagrant” Mean Disposition Records gregstackhouseprevost.com If you take into consideration the raw trajectory set forth by his first solo record, “Mississippi Murderer,” then Greg “Stackhouse” Prevost’s new record, “Universal Vagrant,” sounds more like his third rather than his second. The precision is more direct on this album, but it ain’t overly […]
Posted inMusic
‘Cotton Toe’ Scrivens goes beyond the blues
Rochester bluesman Mike “Cotton Toe” Scrivens laughs at the rumors and scuttlebutt surrounding his nickname. As the story goes, Scrivens was minding his own affair, playing a solo gig on a riverboat near Gretna, Louisiana, when a 12-foot gator suddenly appeared on deck, snarling and snapping and thrashing about. Patrons were running every which way. […]
Posted inMusic
ALBUM REVIEW: “Groovin’ Saloonatics”
Groovin’ Saloonatics “Groovin’ Saloonatics” Self-released facebook.com/groovinsaloonatics I wasn’t there when Groovin’ Saloonatics recorded this CD at Green Room Studios, but the band sounds stoned. The band’s new CD is a laid back outing for what looks to me like an all-star collaboration. Cats like Mick Sarubbi, Don “Anonymous” Blair, and Ricky Dodge, to name a […]
Posted inSpecial Sections
Davina and The Vagabonds
Proving that rock ‘n’ roll can still thoroughly thrive without the guitar, Davina and The Vagabonds lay it down with a vintage instrumentation — piano, horns, bass, and drums —and hi-tone retro ambition.
Posted inMusic
Chris Beard bends the blues
Chris Beard — a k a The Prince of the Blues — was shopping around for labels to release what would be the fifth album for the blues rocker. But execs didn’t get it, didn’t want it, or were simply uninterested. Beard was running into walls and out of options. He was frustrated. This was […]
