Artist: Fred Sunwalk

Album: Lets Go Together

produced by: Fred Sunwalk

Release Date: 2022

From the very get go of this wonderfully produced collection of songs, archived in the twenty-five years of his musical career and patiently waiting to be recorded and released, journeyman musician Fred Sunwalk totally brings it! Right out of the gate with the opening song, "It Brings Back", Sunwalk unleashes his fierce, unrelenting approach to the guitar and his take on the blues.  This unique catalog of songs is a showcase for Fred's songwriting ability along with some amazing fretwork and his excellent range of vocals. 

After absorbing the versatility of Sunwalk's essence, you can definitely hear bits & pieces of so many classic guitar hero's - Hendrix, Trower, SRV, Carlos Santana and others. They are clearly echoed within Fred Sunwalk's pure interpretation of their music. 

Other tasty tracks include "Get Up" and the rough & ready "Fast Driver" -putting the pedal to the metal with a scorching combination of rhythm, wah wah and lightning-fast lead guitar work. His silky-smooth vocals shine in "That's All Love" and "Enlightened", takes you back to the 60's with a mystic blue groove. "Don't Ask Me Why" and "We Have to Go Back" round out the album as quintessential rock anthems. 

No Doubt about it, this talented musician from Brazil is on his way up! Let's Go Together and hop on his bandwagon. Fred is now based in St. Petersburg Florida and can be seen live at various venues in the area. For touring info go to www.fredsunwalk.com 

-Scott Lambert / R Keith Lambert (Photographs)

 

Alastair Greene

Date: July 14, 2022

Venue: The Alley / Sanford, FL

No lie. I had this date circled on my calendar for at least three months since it was first announced back in the spring. The word gets out quickly in the Blues Community when someone comes to town with the reputation & the chops worthy of a guitar slinger. Alastair Greene is just that. He is actually a California native via Austin Texas where he is currently based. He definitely lived up to the hype and then some. Personally, I prefer the three-piece raw, stripped-down, no-nonsense version of the Blues he & his band delivered. The two sets of non -stop Blues Rock was received enthusiastically for a good Thursday night crowd at the Alley. Alastair & his fellow musicians played originals from The New World Blues album throughout both sets and mixed in some notable covers to boot. He rotated between a trifecta of guitars to deliver just the right tone for each song. (Two Gibson Firebirds and one Gibson SG) A seasoned musician, singer & songwriter, Alastair has honed his craft for decades, opening up for Robin Trower, Joe Bonamassa and many others as well as a stint with the Alan Parsons Project in his fantastic musical repertoire. Highlights of the night included: Lies & Fears, No Longer Amused and a Johnny Winter Classic cover; Mean Town Blues for the much-deserved encore. All in all, it was a night to remember at the Alley with Alastair & company. As is usually the norm, I had my trusty Nikon in tow and captured some memorable snaps for posterity.  - R Keith Lambert

 

Too Slim & The Taildraggers

 Date: 11/17/2021

Place: Casselberry Craft Beer & Blues Festival    

Venue: Triplet Park

Could not have been a more perfect Friday night in Casselberry Florida for Craft Beer & Blues as Tim "Too Slim" Langford & The Taildraggers hit the stage. Postponed from last year due to the pandemic, this veteran three- piece, tight ensemble from west of the Mississippi, proceeded to make up for lost time, delivering an explosive set with various songs from their extensive catalog of 14 studio albums and Five Live Albums! Standouts included; "One More Shot" & "One more Gallon of Gasoline". The Blues/ Rock band consists of Zack Kasik on Bass with vocals and Jeff "Shakey" Fowlkes on drums adding the fuel to the show with great percussion skills.  Tim Langford brings it all together with his ferocious guitar attack and vocals borrowing from his diversified influences of Blues & Rock; Lightening Hopkins, Duanne Allman, Lynard Skynyrd and Robin Trower, among others. Yet a couple more stellar stand-outs from the night included; "She's Got the Remedy" from their latest release & "Time Has Come Today" Their splendid interpretation of an old Chambers Bros hit from 1967! Just a Beautiful night for Blues - Just what the Doctor ordered! 

-Scotty Lambert with Photographs from R Keith Lambert

 

Bradenton Blues Festival 2019

Wow! that's all I got to say about the level of musical talent on the stage at this years Bradenton Blues Festival held just a few short weeks ago. Once again, just what the doctor ordered with the perfect weather, great food & beverage, and of course, the blues music. Hats off again to the organizers who exceed our expectations each and every year!
The earlier acts could be headliners at other festivals. Zac Harmon & company hit the stage at 11am and thoroughly delivered the blues to sold out crowd. Zac has soulful vocals and over the top guitar chops!
 Two time Grammy nominated John Primer & the Real Deal was next up and did not disappoint one iota! Having backed both Muddy Waters and Junior Wells, Primer's Chicago blues heritage was front & center as the audience here in Bradenton expressed their appreciation for a living legend. Really a highlight of the day.
Next up in the day's stellar lineup was the 'smooth as butter' yet powerful vocals of Ms. Annika Chambers accompanied by her tight band on the main stage. From Houston Texas and gospel influenced and soul driven, Annika easily had the best vocal chops of the day!  Her high-energy set was a big crowd favorite as she interacted with the audience all though her fine set.
I could hardly wait for the next legendary artist to take the stage. Duke Robillard is so sneaky good on guitar it should humble most pro players! It had been about 25 years since I saw the Duke Robillard band for the first time, so I anticipated his set to the max. Like a fine bottle of wine Mr. Robillard hasn't missed a lick with the passing of time. The founding member of Room Full Of Blues in 1967, has a pedigree most artists only dream bout. Can't wait to see "the Man" again.
Really enjoyed the next artist's set -Biscuit Miller & The Mix. His enthusiasm and showmanship was unbelievable! Yet another Chicago Blues man, Biscuit's bass expertise and vocals is the reason he is so successful. Heavily influenced by legendary bluesman Willie Dixon, Biscuit Miller stock will continue to rise in the world of blues and funky soul.
Up and comer from Nashville, the multi-talented Angela Easley gave us some short snippets of her immense musical expertise and vocals playing in between sets. She has got a bright future in the blues.
Toronzo Cannon and Kenny Neal brought to a close a day we will not forget as blues aficionados here in the great state of Florida. As is tradition, I was armed with a media pass and a Nikon, so was able to catch some photographs which I am happy to share with you. Enjoy & have a great 2020!

Watermelon Slim / Church Of The Blues

Release: January 25, 2019

Label: Northern Blues Music, Inc.
Special Guests: Bob Margolin,
John Nemeth, Nick Schnebelen,
Albert Castiglia, Joe Louis Walker,
and  Sherman Holmes.










I was introduced to the blues back in 1970 quite by accident when I purchased a Capitol Records vinyl  LP  entitled: The New Spirit of Capitol. It was a compilation album featuring their recently signed plethora of artists : Steve Miller Band, Pink Floyd, Bob Seger System, Grand Funk Railroad and yes one guy I had no idea who or what he was; Mississippi Fred McDowell.  Just prior to that, I was heavily into Cream- Wheels Of Fire. I literally wore out that record, but had no clue Clapton, Jack Bruce and Ginger Baker were actually preforming Blues -written by their heroes of roots music in America.  However it was Mississippi Fred that changed my life. His song Red Cross Store was real, it spoke volumes to me about the suffering and the difficulty of everyday survival. I believed him when he sang: "I'm not going back to that Red Cross Store".
I got that same familiar feeling when I stumbled across Watermelon Slim & The Workers album in 2006. The song: Hard Times in particular. Flash forward thirteen years & twenty Blues Music Award Nominations later and Bill Homans aka Watermelon Slim has recently released & co-produced this gem of a recording ; Church Of The Blues. The subject matter in these songs is a  common thread that runs through us all: death, taxes, alcohol, love, war, politics and religion. The original songs and covers are well done with fine journeyman musicianship by Slim's "Truckers" band; Brian Wells on drums and John Allouise on electric bass. Not to mention Watermelon Slim's expertise on the dobro slide guitar. The guest musicians on this recording (listed above) are the backbone that adds character and cohesiveness to this album of songs.
True standout songs are: St. Peter's Ledger, Gypsy Woman -a great Muddy Waters cover, and Slim's original; Post Modern Blues. The bottom line is this a well produced (Chris "Wick" Hardwick) collection of songs. For me it all comes together with a stellar cover rendition of Mississippi Fred McDowell's classic song: Highway 61. Sit down, close your eyes and give it a listen. All of a sudden  you are transported behind the wheel and driving down that 1400 mile grand old north / south blues connection in the center of the country.  It seems Bill Homans aka Watermelon Slim & I share a propensity for the Hill County, slide guitar legend originally from Tennessee. Nice to know, after so much water has passed under the bridge.

                                                                 

Watermelon Slim

Venue: The Alley                                                        

Location: Sanford, Florida
Date: 01/05/2019

There couldn't have been a better start to the New Year! William Homans (aka Watermelon Slim) & The Truckers ( Bryan Shaw - Drums & John Allouise - Bass) finally got back to the Central Florida area. I first saw Slim at the Daytona Blues Festival in 2015, so when the January show was announced, I was ecstatic to say the least.
The former truck driver, Vietnam veteran and historian was introduced to the blues in 1954, via John Lee Hooker. Young Bill picked up the harmonica in 1959 and later the Dobro Slide guitar and  began being molded by blues legends like Mississippi Fred McDowell, Little Walter, and Junior Wells.
Like many artists, he struggled initially, but picked up steam in the 1980's.
The bottom line is that Watermelon Slim is the real deal, having honed his skills and paid his dues by honoring the legends of the past and holding true to the blues. His music attest to that.
He enamored the crowd at the alley with two hours of songs and storytelling. I imagine the audience learns something new about Slim and his life at every gig he plays. I am thankful to have met and heard this national treasure of a Bluesman.
As usual, I brought along my trusty Nikon and documented the evening. Enjoy!

Bradenton Blues Festival 2018

The state of the blues is alive and well from the size of the sold -out Bradenton Blues Festival held annually at Rossi Riverwalk Park earlier this month. This years blues extravaganza featured some of the best entertainment in blues music to date, along with excellent food, not to mention the weather was near perfect!
What strikes me the most about this Festival in particular  is that each and every artist love being here and give everything they have when they hit the stage. In return the audience appreciates that and reciprocates enthusiastically!
This years lineup was so good, I am wondering how are they going to top it next year? Saturday's schedule was unbelievable!- Kelley Hunt, Christone "Kingfish" Ingram,Harper & Midwest Kind, Chris Cain, Shakura S'Aida. The Mississippi Blues Child - Mr. Sipp and the Welch-Ledbetter Connection. Not to mention, up & comer Trey Wanvig  entertaining the crowd between sets.

Armed with a media stage pass and my trusty Nikon, I documented the day with photographs to put you front row & center at this most celebrated Roots Music Smorgasbord in hopes that you can attend in 2019!