Monkeyjunk

Date: March 21, 2015
Venue: Benji's Bluesdoggle
Place: New Smyrna Beach, Fl


Earlier that day, the three members of  award winning blues band from Canada, Monkeyjunk  boarded a plane in below freezing temps and snow falling in Ottawa, Ontario. When Steve,Tony, and Matt arrived to their destination in Florida, as usual there was plenty of sunshine, sandy beaches and ice tea was mandatory. We Americans need to pay more attention to Blues Artists of our neighbors to the north, simple as that. Blues is alive and well in Canada and Monkeyjunk is proof of that. They took the stage in the heat of the late afternoon and absolutely delivered an hour long set of Killer Canuck Blues!  The band has been playing together for seven years -it shows. They are tight, vocals are outstanding and the guitar and harp work is impeccable. Steve Marriner is a triple threat with powerful vocals, guitar and harp. Tony D is an exceptional lead guitarist, doubles on vocals and whips out the telecaster for slide work that was music to my ears! Matt Sobb lays down the beat with percussion that brings it all together.
Monkeyjunk won the prestigious Juno Award for Blues Album of the Year in 2011 with their album: To Behold. Their set borrowed heavily on that release as well as 2009's Tiger In Your Tank and the current recording: All Frequencies. I circled Benji's Bluesdoggle to see them and was anticipating their first Floirda appearance. So glad I did. With a Photo pass to the festival I was able to capture a few images that will accompany this article. Please check out the video posted as well and remember the name: Monkeyjunk, you will be hearing more of them in the future.

Sea Blues Festival 2

This is a continuation of last weeks post highlighting the artists of the recent Sea Blues Festival in Clearwater Florida. Once again, the talent was plentiful and phenomenal. Just wanted to share a few more of the sights of the two day event. Mark your calendars for next year!

Sea Blues Festival

One of the very finest Blues Festivals in the U.S. is held annually in beautiful Clearwater, Florida in February usually while the rest of the country is in a deep freeze. However, it is not just the great weather and the delicious fresh seafood that make this event a success year after year. It is the mega-load of musical talent that keeps the crowds coming back from all parts of the country including Canada! In their ninth year, the Sea Blues Festival keeps on getting better like a fine bottle of Merlot. Coachman Park located right on the waterfront and is the perfect setting for enjoying the blues. Headliners included; Amos Lee and Robert Randolph for this free two-day extravaganza. The rest of the lineup was't too shabby neither: Otis Taylor, Robben Ford, Joanne Shaw Taylor, Sena Ehrhardt, AJ Ghent Band, Jakrekus Singleton and local up and comer; Betty Fox Band. I was able to obtain a media photo pass, and had access to the stage area for photographs. So with my Nikon in one hand, and a crab-cake in the other, images of musicians were captured! See you here next year!

Anne Harris /Otis Taylor Band

Joanne Shaw Taylor

Robben Ford

Sena Ehrhardt

Betty Fox

Jarekus Singleton

Kid Royal / Betty Fox Band

A.J. Ghent

Otis Taylor

Popa Chubby

Place: Sanford, Florida
Venue: The Alley
Date: January 30th 2015
Reporter: Scotty Lambert
Photographer: R Keith Lambert

Popa Chubby absolutely lit up The Alley in Sanford Florida this past Friday night bringing his NYC "In Your Face Blues" to the Sunshine State. Stirring in a mixture of some early gems like Stoop Down Baby and the Hendrix Classic: Red House that Jimi would have been proud of, it was an evening of pure blues at its best. Popa Chubby is relentless and attacks the guitar like no other, leaving the audience with jaws dropped and wanting more! Popa doesn't come around too often, but when he does it is usually at The Alley -Central Florida's Home Of The Blues. So do yourself a big favor and indulge in the finest live blues this side of New York has to offer.  -Scotty Lambert