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!