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!

Blues Legend Johnny Winter Dead at 70 -Remembering The Texas Guitar Slinger

http://www2.gibson.com/News-Lifestyle/Features/en-us/Johnny-Winter-Remembered.aspx?inf_contact_key=1a53a66ed7f1a14cff47ed17186833e9ac0a5f5d76dc077f9480441089d8ce78