Joe Bonamassa

• Date: December 16th 2014
• Venue: Dr Phillips Center For The Preforming Arts
• Orlando, Florida  

I can distinctly remember reading about young Smokin' Joe Bonamassa when he was twelve years old, opening for BB King. At the time I thought, here is yet another "flash in the pan" . . . a kid guitar savant, a SRV wanna be. That was 25 years ago.  No less than 15 solo albums have been released by Joe Bonamassa in the last 13 years. Eleven of those albums have reached #1 on the Billboard Blues Charts. He has toured and played with the best musicians in the world. He is now 37 year old, and selling out shows across the world. So, to many, it may seem as if Joe Bonamassa is an overnight sensation, but to those of us who have followed the blues, we realize he has come of age and paid his dues.  Of course Bonamassa appreciates and is an avid student of Roots Music, paying respect to the American Masters. However it was the British Blues Invasion that lit a fire in him as a young man. John Mayall & The Bluesbreakers with Eric Clapton, Irishman Rory Gallagher and Cream were among his biggest influences. The current world tour included a whirlwind visit to the state of Florida and I was anticipating a date in Orlando even though on a weeknight. The Dr. Phillips Center was recently dedicated and opened just earlier in November. The beautiful Walt Disney Theater holds 2,500 and it seemed every seat in the house was filled that Monday night. The 2.5 hour show was presented in two parts: one acoustic and the other half electric. Initially Joe sat in the middle of a plethora of  acoustic guitars. He was surrounded by various musicians playing a variety of instruments with some amazing sounds off of the 2013 Vienna Opera House Live recording. After a short break, the guitar hero delivered a non-stop set of hot, electric riffs and lightning progressions that have to be seen live to be fully appreciated. Joe B can bring it . . . hard, fast and clean.  I obtained a photo pass that night and captured some images to accompany the blog article. The sky is the limit for Joe Bonamassa as he holds true to the blues. I wonder what the next 25 years will bring.                                                                                                    

      

Bradenton Blues Festival

Date: December 6, 2014
Riverwalk Park /Bradenton Florida

This one -day event was filled with sunshine, blues, beer, great food and the people who love Roots Music to the bone! Bradenton is a cozy coastal town on the Gulf side of Florida just a short drive from Sarasota and Tampa. The planners of this venue do their homework and have all their ducks in order, which equates to a good time for everyone involved. The festival actually encompasses three days, and highlights the city's love of the blues. The downtown businesses, restaurants and watering holes also get involved which in turn, stimulates the economy in their neck of the woods. However, the headliners are on stage Saturday from morning until late that night. The lineup was exceptional and rivaled bigger Festivals held in the U.S.
Doug Deming and the Jewel Tones launched things off with a splendid set of Texas Swing, Rock and Blues, standards and originals. A crowd favorite, they appreciated the enthusiasm and musicianship of a local guy who plays and sings his heart out. County-flavored Southern fried blues was next on the agenda as EG Knight took the stage. Outstanding vocals, guitar and a knack to entertain are EG's trademarks. After a short break, the growing crowd was excited to see and hear the young lady from Kansas City rock the blues -Samantha Fish. High -energy fret-work on a plethora of guitars with vocals to match had everyone wanting more after her hour-long set that covered two albums previously released. Right after Ms Fish, the Chicago-based Little Ed & The Blues Imperials took to the stage. Little Ed is a blues legend and rightly so, based on his body of work (8 albums with the Imperials and a couple on his own). He is a veteran musician and an top showman delivering stellar slide guitar and vocals. Other headliners included Jimmy Thackery and Marcia Ball whom I will devote another article to in the near future. With a media pass and Nikon in tow, I was able to capture a few photographs. Can't wait until next years Festival!

Paul Stott Group

Growing up in the South Side of Chicago can steer a person in many different directions. However one of the most alluring and adventurous paths is The Blues. That seemed to be guitarist's Paul Stott's destiny in life. After moving to Jacksonville Florida in the late seventies and being smitten by the southern rock scene, he went back to his sweet home Chicago and became re-acquainted with the blues thanks to his older brothers. They were a huge influence in his style of play and approach to the blues. In Central Florida, around 2010 he formed the Paul Stott Group and hasn't looked back since, winning the Orange County Blues Society People's Choice Award back to back in 2013 -14. Orlando Guitar Center crowned Paul; King of The Blues Guitar in consecutive years, so it's not by chance he knows his chops around the fret-board and has become the focal point of the group with his high energy and  dynamic playing.
Paul has assembled a team of top notch musicians to solidify their sound. Richard Plate on harp and lead vocals evokes Little Walter and William Clark's harmonica styles. Rich's voice is soulful with a little grit -a great combination for the blues. Gary Martin on bass is a seasoned veteran and backbone of this group. "Mighty Joe" Adcock on drums lays down some powerful percussion.
Some noteworthy gigs are under their belt: Daytona Blues Fest / Bonita Blues Festival/ Blues & BBQ City of Orlando and in recent months the Mount Dora Blues N Groove Weekend and the Casselberry Craft Beer & Blues Festival. Paul has opened for Buddy Guy, The Nighthawks, Bob Margolin, Jimmy Thackery, Ana Popavic and continues to keep up a vigorous schedule as a hard working band playing various venues in the Orlando/Central FL area. Check out the website for even more info!:
http://www.paulstottgroup.com/  I always have my trusty Nikon with me and a few images of the Paul Stott Group captured live will be posted!

Daytona Blues Festival

The Fifth annual Daytona Blues Festival was held on a  beautiful three day weekend, October 10th, 11th and 12th at the Jackie Robinson Ballpark right on the Halifax River. Organizers of this event outdid themselves as some of the very best talent in blues music today was booked. The large crowd clearly enjoyed the sights and sounds on stage during this first-class festival.
A great mix of up and coming blues acts and established veterans were scheduled on each day of the Festival. Friday evening featured Samantha Fish, John Nemeth and Southern Hospitality. Day two was equally exciting, as Little G Weevil & Billy Gibson (great acoustic act) took the stage. Their delightful hour-long set was followed by a polished Rhythm and Blues group -Diedra and The Ruff Pro Band. The Mississippi Blues Child -Mr. Sipp delivered his high-powered, guitar driven southern blues to the appreciative crowd. After a short break, one of the highlights of the evening; Davina and The Vagabonds delivered a tasteful dish of Saint Louis Blues and eclectic music that had the audience participating. (See the October 18th post to this blog). Guitar virtuoso Jimmy Thackery demonstrated his master of the Strat- delivering Hendrix-like notes to the air waves. One of Chicago's very best: Bobby Rush closed out the evening on a high point. These first two days of blues acts fully satisfied Central Florida's thirst for the blues with day three's activities still yet to come. As is usually the case, I did have my camera bag with me and had access to the stage. Wish you could have been there, or maybe you were!

Davina & The Vagabonds

Most of my friends and family have strategically migrated from the north to the south. After years of shoveling snow, ice storms, white outs and enduring weeks of cabin fever, they rent a truck and move their earthly belongings to the warmer climate of the southland.  However, some folks are different. Consider Davina Sowers- a musician who moved from tropical Key West Florida  all the way to the winter wonderland of Minnesota to change her life. How does a classically-trained pianist from the southernmost city in the US successfully make it in the frigid Land of Lakes? By exceptional song writing, great arrangements and assembling one of the county's finest bands featuring a dueling horn section, drums,upright bass and of course Davina on the keyboards singing her heart out with stunning sultry vocals. The cherry on top is a suitable name: Davina and The Vagabonds.
I am a lover of  blues and eclectic music -stuff you really can't put an identity on. All I know is I grew up listening to Louis Armstrong, Floyd Cramer, Bill Black's Combo, The Beatles, Stones and Kinks. . . .Davina and the Vagabonds is all of that and a bag of chips wrapped up into one!
The recent Daytona Beach Blues Festival gave me a front -row and center opportunity to buy into what they are selling. On an extremely humid and hot afternoon, Davina and the Vagabonds took  the stage and in a matter of a few minutes had the audience eating out of their hand. I spotted dancing, toe tapping and spontaneous clapping in the every section of the stadium. The hour-long set borrowed heavily on the last two albums released: Sunshine (2014), and Black Cloud (2011). Musically  and vocally D & The Vagabonds are spot-on and very tight. The horn section was outstanding. Percussion was exceptional. Davina is a one of a kind vocalist. A throw-back mix of some of the best female singers of all time throughout the years. Her voice has a wonderful range, but the best part of Davina is her stage presence and ability to ad-lib and entertain. The hour set was over way too fast. That is my gauge of a great show. So glad I got to see and hear the girl that moved from the sunshine state almost to Canada! Great Move! Please give them a listen and by all means go see them as they are on tour a good part of the year. Check out their on-line home: http://davinaandthevagabonds.com/ Of course I had my trusty Nikon with me and will post a few photos from the Daytona Blues Festival show.

Joel DaSilva And The Midnight Howl

There is no doubt that Chicago is a melting pot for the blues. All roads seem to lead to Maxwell Street. Every style, every guitar riff, bass line, drum shuffle and sweet soulful vocal eventually arrived and has been done in the Windy City at some time or another. Imagine living there as a young lad and being inundated in all forms of the Blues at a very young age in a musical family. Such is the story of Joel DaSilva. 
So it is not by chance that when I saw Joel DaSilva and the Midnight Howl, I was impressed not only by the great music and showmanship but I couldn't help but notice how musically diversified and gifted Joel DaSivla is. Lead vocals and riveting lead  & rhythm guitar is what he was destined to do. . .and  he does it well!  The Howl - a band of veteran musicians also reflects Joel's philosophy of music and compliment the live experience. Doug Treen on Tenor Sax, Bob Cleary on bass and George Anderson on drums. These guys are tight and can change direction and turn on a dime!  Can Joel DaSilva and the Midnight Howl play Jump Blues? Texas Blues? Chicago Blues?, Mississippi Blues? Yes to all the above!. Two recordings are available for consumption at this time; Joel Da Silva And The Midnight Howl and  Durty Howlin' Blues - the latter just released in spring of this year. Home base for Joel is Miami / Fort Lauderdale  Florida area. However they find themselves all over the country from time to time. Recently I caught up with them at The House of Blues Orlando where they were booked for two nights. I happened to have the trusty Nikon in tow, so I got some action shots to share on the blog. My recommendation is that you see and hear Joel DaSilva and the Midnight Howl live and experience the full throttle attack of  the front-man of the Howl - Joel DaSilva. 

                           http://www.jdandthehowl.com/

Texas Guitar Slinger Johnny Winter 1944 -2014

When I heard the terrible news that Johnny Winter had passed at age 70, the world seemed to stop for a few seconds. I paused to reflect and  knew  in those few moments of time that we had lost yet another great Texas Bluesman. I also was well aware that the media announcement would send shock-waves through the music world and especially the international blues community.
To put matters in perspective,Winter had entertained on stage for over 55 years. It was his life and in his own words: He lived "Down and Dirty"- (by the way, that is the title of a recent documentary of his life and times). Johnny has always been open with the vices in his life and readily admitted the skeletons in his closet. On the other hand, his music speaks for itself. His catalog of recorded music is a proverbial vault of rock and roll and Texas down and dirty Blues. The just released box-set; True To The Blues contains a stellar sampling of his recorded music from the infamous Woodstock 69 festival to recent recordings with Derek Trucks and Vince Gill. The last recording with his contemporaries (Step Back) will be released early next month.
That he will be missed is an understatement. John Dawson Winter did far more for the blues than many of us realize. Muddy Waters was his mentor and favorite. That blues icon passed the torch to Johnny, he in turn shared it with Stevie Ray, Buddy Guy, Billy Gibbons and lots of folks in between. He influenced practically anyone who picked up a guitar and took it seriously. I was privileged to see Johnny Winter  several times through the years and hope you had the opportunity as well. That skinny, Albino bluesman will live on through his music for years to come.
The incredible photographs of Johnny Winter are provided by my good friend and fellow photographer:Cristina Arrigoni from Italy. Cristina travels the world and captures unique images of Blues / Rock stars.Thank you Cristina!