Blues N' Groove Weekend

Time: May 16th -18th
Place: Mount Dora Florida

The Blues ascended on the small town of Mount Dora Florida over a picture perfect weekend just this past May. Known for it's antiques, art, craft shops and restaurants, quaint and beautiful Mount Dora hosted their Sixth annual blues festival in conjunction with the Orange Blossom Blues Society and is getting bigger and better as the years go by. Can you believe three national acts were the headliners for the three day event?; Jimmy Thackery & The Drivers, Ana Popovic and Pat Travers. Add to that some great up and coming talent with the likes of Selwyn Birchwood, Joel DaSilva & The Midnight Howl, Big Bill Morganfield, Paul Stott Group and Jerry J's Triple Shot,  & you have got a great recipe for some savory roots music!
Via this blog in the weeks to come, in depth articles and photographs will be posted on the highlights of this enjoyable festival.  I already have my calendar circled for next year's extravaganza. I was fortunate to have access around the stage area, of course I had my trusty Nikon, so I captured some of the sights!  Enjoy.
                                                                 

                                                   Jimmy Thackery

                                                   Ana Popovic

                                     Joel DaSilva & The Midnight Howl
                                                                             

                                            The Paul Stott Group

                                             Jerry J's Triple Shot

The Nick Moss Band

Nick Moss and his band of expert musicians made a whirlwind tour of Florida a couple years ago and I just so happened to check the lineup at BB Kings in Orlando that week and was able to catch both sets of Chicago -based blues. Wow! I had done my homework on Nick's blues pedigree and already knew of his Chi-town ties with Buddy Scott, Jimmy "Fast Fingers" Dawkins, Jimmy Rogers and The Legendary Blues Band. While perfecting his chops and paying his dues in the Windy City with the a fore mentioned legends, Nick formed his own group (Nick Moss & The Flip Flops) and formed his own record company (Blue Bella Records) Nine Albums later The Nick Moss Band is peaking with the latest recording: Time Ain't Free. The addition of Michael Ledbetter has given the band a new identity. The classically trained, cousin of Huddie William Ledbetter, better know as Leadbelly, adds a new dimension of vocals and guitar work to the musical experience of  The Nick Moss Band. Lebetter's smooth soulful vocals and guitar work are highlighted on this latest recording. Standouts on this album include: Light It Up  featuring Micheal Ledbetter -very catchy upbeat tune with infectious vocals, guitar riffs, great keyboards. The bonus instrumental: Blues For Ethel is outstanding. Fare Thee Well is yet another stellar song on this recording. This one stretches Ledbetter's vocals to the max, and shows you he has got the chops without a doubt. All in all, Time Ain't Free is one of the best recordings I have heard this year. (15 tracks full) So strap yourself in and get ready to hear more of The Nick Moss Band as they put a big explanation mark on Chicago style blues in 2014!
                                                                     

Official Web Site:

Trampled Under Foot

Date: April 10, 2014
Location: The Sunrise Theatre, Fort Pierce Florida
Time: 8 PM


I got in the car and traversed down I-95 over one hundred miles south of Orlando to Fort Pierce Florida and took in a Trampled Under Foot show for the very first time. Let me tell you, it was way worth every mile driven. After all, they came from Kansas City, and have been traveling the country for months, so when you give it some thought, I had no excuse not to go to their show. So glad I did!
Trampled Under Foot did not disappoint, laying down a 2 hour and 45 minute Mega-set of blues that had the patrons in the Black Box Theater on their feet with spontaneous applause and appreciation. If you haven't heard;  Danielle Schnebelen is quite the female force to be reckoned with in the band. She is the soul and backbone of the group- laying down the bass riffs while delivering dynamic vocals with tones and notes you do not hear every day of the week! Not an easy thing to do . . especially in six inch stiletto heels. Her brother Nick is an accomplished guitarist with skill and finesse beyond his years. With a plethora  of guitars on stage, Nick is at his best while playing the National Steel and slide. His voice is also a complement to his fretwork, as he and Danielle traded lead vocals alternately. Jan Faircloth on drums & Mike "Shinetop" Sedovic on keyboards, round out the powerhouse four piece blues band. They highlighted and preformed material on their most recent recording which was the #1 debut Blues Album on Billboard, Itunes and Amazon Blues Charts- Badlands. This stellar album contains mostly original music with the exception of Danielle's tour de force cover of the James Brown classic: It's a Man's Man's Man's World , which by the way, she sang flawlessly live. To sum things up, Trampled Under Foot is a band that has toured and paid their dues by the book for over 12 years. The endless touring and refining has definitely transformed them into the polished, astonishing blues band that they are now. It is time to get on the bandwagon if you are not on it already. As usual, I had the trusty Nikon with me and captured a few images. Check out the videos as well.

                                                                       

                                                                           

                                                                     

                                                                    www.tufkc.com

Johnny Winter - True To The Blues

The Life Story of John Dawson Winter III is told best, not by the countless people who know him or played with him, but by both the quality  and the  longevity of his recorded music from 1968 to 2011 spanning a 43 year period and  packaged in a four CD box set released on the day Johnny Winter turned 70 years old, aptly named: True To The Blues -The Johnny Winter Story. The music speaks for itself, and few artists can equal his credentials. The box set by Legacy is put together nicely including a deluxe booklet with tributes from other musicians and some great insight into the Life and times of the legendary Texan guitar Slinger.  
With the first few chords of Bad Luck and Trouble you get a sense of Winter's deep respect and appreciation of the blues. That song is followed up by his classic blues rocker: Mean Town Blues. From there we go to some vintage live cuts recorded at the Fillmore East with Mike Bloomfield and Johnny Winter tearing it up on; It's My Own Fault the great BB King song. Johnny then delves heavily into Rock n Roll with Rick Derringer and his brother Edgar. The box set allows the listener to experience featured snippets in chronological order of Winter's entire career and that is what I enjoyed about it the most. The Alligator Records years are included as well on up to the current Roots album. The question is: what is next for Johnny Winter? . . .  All I know is I can hardly wait!
Through the years I have managed to see Johnny a few times. The first time was the most memorable. It was in the early 90's at a club in Cincinnati ; Bogart's. I will never forget hearing a 15 minute blistering version of ; You Keep Say'n That You're Leavin'. I have yet to see someone match the finesse and speed on the guitar since that night.
Johnny's stock was in decline just a few short years ago due to his health and past battles with addiction. Those vices look to be behind him thanks to his current rhythm guitarist and new road/marketing manager: Paul Nelson, who  is reinventing the JW of old. Thanks to Paul's guidance and Johnny's own determination and  dedication to music and the blues, he is now touring to sold out shows here in the states and overseas where he is also a huge draw. Catch him soon in a town near you! Enjoy the posted videos from the past (1970) to recently on the David Letterman Show.

Billboard Recent Article: http://www.billboard.com/articles/events/sxsw/5937499/johnny-winter-roots-album-eric-clapton-joe-perry-ben-harper-billy-gibbons#1m8IP03CDmz8GLbs.14