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/