Bradenton Blues Fest 2016

Date: December 3, 2016
Place: Bradenton Riverwalk Park

Year after year, Bradenton Florida is host to one of the better blues events in the country and the latest Blues Fest was one of the very finest. The Festivities were sold out on Saturday and the park was literally filled with Blues aficionados from all over the country. The perfect weather along with good food and drink just put the icing on the cake. The organizers out did themselves in signing some of the best acts available at that time slot.
Sugar Ray & The Bluetones featuring Monster Mike Welch was a highlight of the early afternoon on the main stage. Sugar Ray Norcia (on harp and vocals) and Monster Mike Welch (on searing lead guitar) complement each other well and was a crowd favorite during their much too short set.
Blues Journeyman Larry McCray took the stage front & center. It became evident that Big Mac knows his way around the fret-board as he delivered his Saginaw Michigan based style of the blues in a non-stop, rousing set.
Victor Wainwright & the Wildroots are rapidly gaining popularity as one of the very best acts to come out of the country. Victor & company tour the states and the world making believers out of every venue they play. Victor connects with the audience via his soulful southern vocals and expertise on the keyboards, while the band is tight and just as entertaining. The crowd wasn't nearly ready for Victor & the boys to exit, however, always in demand, he would return in cameo appearances with other groups as the day went on.

   In between acts on the main stage, the music continued on a an intimate, small acoustic side stage featuring Ilana Katz Katz on violin and vocals. I will do a special feature article on this remarkable young lady very soon, reviewing her debut CD.
  Jason Ricci is something to behold live & in person. He is a ball of fire and a blues dynamo when he launches onto a stage. I find it hard to describe his raw blues energy, but if some of you remember Jerry Lee Lewis in his prime . . you get the picture . . only instead of a piano, Jason does it right with the harp. Ricci satisfied the crowd with songs from his vast catalog of blues standards & originals. John Lisi was special guest on guitar and he showcased his multi talent on the Stratocaster.
   As the sun was setting, it was time for the Blues Veterans to show the youngsters how it is done! The Golden State/ Lone Star Revue was built from the ground up with guys who have been around the block or two. World class guitarist Little Charlie Baty and Anson Funderburgh form the elite guitar section of the band. R W Grigsby on electric & upright bass. Then on vocals and superb harp is non other than Mark Hummel. Easily my personal favorite of the festival.
   Things were coming to a close as the headliner Ronnie Baker Brooks was introduced. Ronnie fired up the audience with his burning Chicago blues guitar style and smooth but powerful vocals. Son of legendary blues man Lonnie Brooks, It was evident he was tutored in that music starting at a very young age. Ronnie was doing some things from the much anticipated release of his new recording: Times Have Changed, also some traditional blues standards and previously recorded songs. It was a great ending to a stellar day full of blues. With a media photo pass I was granted the privilege of taking a few photographs with my trusty Nikon and will post for your enjoyment.

Young Man Blues

Practically anyone will tell you that if you start doing what you want to do in life at a young age, chances are, you will be successful at it when you get older. Whether you are a businessman, a football player, mathematician, or musician, that rule seems to apply. Even in the blues that is, as they say; Par for the course. BB King's first two initials reveal that -"Blues Boy" King. He passed the torch to many of the young players that are household names today; Kenny Wayne Shepherd, Jonny Lang and Joe Bonamassa. They all began learning their blues chops when they were adolescents.
Which brings us to a young man in the Central Florida area that seems to be following their footsteps.
David Julia is in is teens and dead serious about the blues. It is not surprising that at the young age of seven he began preforming. On stage, it definitely shows. David is in a blues zone, confidently playing and singing the music he believes in and lives to preform.
I caught up with David Julia right before he took the stage at The Alley in Sanford, Fl (Home of the Blues in Central Florida for a number of years) What struck me about David, is that part of him is like any normal 15 year old today, taking in each and every day like a big sponge, while balancing homework, life and doing what your mother ask. The other part of him becomes ever so apparent when he straps the guitar on, plugs it into an amp and starts playing. He is the front man of  his own  Blues Band and working with guys three times his age and he has earned the respect of every one of them.  David has the intangible gifts of the blues. He is reminiscent of a young Damon Fowler, whom I have had the pleasure of  seeing his maturation in music since he was 16.
With a recording under his belt and the future in front of him, we are seeing a diamond in the ruff that will continue to be polished by experience and musical fortitude. Look for good things in the life and times of David Julia.  http://www.davidjuliamusic.com/

Bacon Bourbon & Blues Festival

Date: May 14, 2016
Place: Oviedo, Florida
Venue: Center Lake Park Amphitheatre

                                                                 
It's not everyday that that you can attend an event with not one, not two, but three of your favorite things in life as the focus of the entire day! Yet Kim LeMay of Sublime Event Services pulled it off. Kim & her staff of highly trained professionals put on a great event that was well promoted, very organized and a rousing success. Add a fabulous venue, great Florida weather, mouth watering food, stellar entertainment and you have the ingredients of an annual show that more and more folks will attend as each year goes by.
It was a steamy afternoon, but with the hot part of the day behind us and the sun receding, Blues Music filled the air with Joe "Survival" Caruso on stage. The Vietnam Vet from New Orleans did not disappoint with his unique style of Cajun/Texas Blues. Joining his band on stage for vocals on a few songs was Bootsy Taylor, mixing some Soul with the Blues for a pleasing set.
Next up from the Fort Lauderdale FL area, Josh The Pitbull of Blues Rowand and his band excited the growing audience with his flamboyant style of jump blues. Totally underrated on guitar, Josh can shred the frets with the best of them! Vocals and showmanship is top grade also.
With the sun setting, Beth McGee and her band took to the stage. Well known in the Central Florida area, Beth's vocals and piano work is outstanding. She commands the stage and is very comfortable preforming, connecting  with the audience.
The award winning Victor Wainwright & the Wildroots was the headliner of the evening. The Piano From Savannah proved he is in a class of his own as he summoned the audience closer to stage and interacted with them throughout his entire set! A great showman with a razor sharp band that delivers the blues to the max on stage!
The Jeff Howell Blues Band Closed the evening with a bang! This New Orleans native known as the "Big Red Dog" knows the blues and how to deal them with his down and dirty approach to the blues.
As usual, my trusty Nikon was locked and loaded and I attempted to catch the raw energy from these talented players. Hope you enjoy and I invite you to next years Bacon Bourbon & Blues Festival!

Katy Guillen and The Girls

Venue: Sea Blues Festival
Place: Clearwater Florida
Date: February 20. 2016

Sometimes what you see is NOT what you get. Such was the case with Katy Guillan and The Girls. I was seriously expecting a blues version of The Bangles or The Go Go's and came away very much impressed with their performance. KG & The Girls who have been together since 2012, hail from Kansas City Ms. which seems to be a hub for blues talent nowadays. Katy Guillen toured local clubs in KC when she was 14, so honed her guitar licks by paying her dues in local clubs and dives over the years. Katy recruited Clair Adams (bass) and Stephanie Williams (drums) to form this trio. The three of them gel and are almost joined at the hip when playing. The songs are tight and seamless in their delivery. It is evident they enjoy what they do and delivered an enthusiastic set that featured some riveting &  technical guitar work by Katy while Clair and Stephanie integrated the rhythm section. Primarily they did stuff from their first album, Katy Guillen And The Girls, which I highly recommend by the way. You will find yourself humming the melody of "Don't Get Bitter" after hearing it for the first time . . I guarantee it! All in all they played a great 45 min set, signed some autographs and was off to another town and another place. I urge you to check them out if they come to a festival or venue near you. With photographers pit pass and my trusty Nikon, I captured a few images. I will post a video as well. Enjoy!
                                                                     

Davy Knowles

By all indications, 28 year old Davy Knowles should have been a fisherman, a motorcycle racer or a rugby player. However, this Isle of Man native was destined to be a Blues musician, via his father's record collection of Rory Gallagher, Eric Clapton and Robert Johnson. It was the iconic opening riffs of  the song: "Sultans Of Swing" by Mark Knopfler of Dire Straits  that definitely steered him toward the guitar. A few years past and young Davy went on to form his own Blues/ Rock band; Back Door Slam in 2003 -04, and enjoyed some commercial success as the trio was on the charts with some recorded material, both studio and live. Blues aficionados took note of  Knowles expertise on the guitar, vocals and songwriting prowess when the band toured with Gov't Mule. As they say; All good things come to an end, and Back Door Slam broke up. Knowles was determined and stayed on course with his music and is touring this year all over the states. With keen anticipation I looked forward to his appearance at the Clearwater Sea Blues Festival in February of this year. Once he took the stage as a four piece band, it was evident that Davy Knowles is a gifted guitarist, who plays with the experience of someone over twice his age. The 40 minute set primarily covered the material from The Outsider released last year. A new album is due this year and Blues music fans can hardly wait for the new material. I covered the Sea Blues Festival and was shooting in the photographers pit with my trusty Nikon. Enjoy the photographs and please by all means go see Mr. Knowles if you get the opportunity before he returns to the Isle of Man somewhere far away between Ireland and the UK.
                                                                           

http://davyknowles.com/

The Lauren Mitchell Band

Date: February 6, 2016
Venue: The Alley, Sanford, FL


For quite a few years I have learned to rely on my instincts. On a uncommonly cold and rainy night in Central Florida, I could have easily stayed inside and not ventured out, but my gut told me I should go and see someone I had not had the pleasure of hearing preforming live. So I got in the car with a good friend and headed to one of my favorite venues; The Alley in Sanford (Home of the Blues in Central Florida). Of course I had done my due diligence in checking out her website,videos, articles, etc. But just like the old Marvin Gaye song; Ain't Nothing Like The Real Thing. . . Well that real thing is Lauren Mitchell, and if you are aware that Soul and Blues music is a great combination, you will appreciate what Lauren Mitchell is all about, and that is: Soulful Blues. Immediately after a couple songs in her first set, I was hearing Aretha Franklin, Etta James, overtones of Sam Cooke and Ray Charles, all making themselves manifest in her voice! On the stage, the Ohio native who calls Sarasota her home is very comfortable. She has an exceptional command of it, as a bandleader. Lauren's sultry voice is the key to her success. She has "The Gift" keyboardist Michael "The Professor"Hensley explained. A veteran musician himself, the expression on his face said it all when he talked eloquently about the broad range of her voice. The Professor humbly acknowledged it has been a privilege to share the stage with her. Sitting in this night on guitar was a force in his own right - Chris K. Royal from the Tampa Bay area. An expert and versatile guitarist, he shredded the frets on solos several times during the set and added rhythms that complemented each song.  The beat was kept smooth and steady with fill -ins and shuffles by drummer Marvel Carraway.
However, it was Lauren who was the focal point of the night. She leaves every drop of herself on the stage. She makes each song her own whether they are covers or her own compositions. She connects with the audience and sings with emotions that go deep inside. So glad I listened to my gut and went to her show. It won't be the last. Once again I had my trusty Nikon in tow, so was able to capture some of the raw emotion of Lauren's performance. Enjoy the video and the link to her official site.

                                                                           

                                                                                 
                                           http://www.laurenmitchellband.com/