The Blues Blogger

Father’s Day Weekend 2009

Now that summer has definitely arrived, it was time to work on some long overdue yardwork. My deck was starting to rot and was in need of a slight overhaul. So Friday night I got all the necessities for the job and setup delivery for the following afternoon. So my plan was to wake up early enough on Saturday morning, take apart the deck and then hopefully by Sunday morning, have it back together again… Of course in order for this job to even have a chance of taking place, I needed the proper music for inspiration.

Earlier in the week I was asked to take a look at Hill Country Revue’s debut release Make a Move. So I loaded the album on my MP3 player and had a quick listen. I liked what I heard and found an energy that made it hard to keep still. So I decided to save it for the weekend where I could utilize its verve. The music on this album packs a punch and would become the driving force that motivated the work that was ahead.

Saturday Morning

The weather was perfect; a light cool breeze and a clear blue sky. I put on my Bluetooth headset and slowly began to take my old deck apart while listening to Hill Country Revue’s debut release. Later that morning, my wife and son decided to take off for the rest of the day because I scare them when I use power tools. And coming off my recent accident they couldn’t bear to watch. But being the stubborn guy I am, I forged ahead as I continued to listen several times to the raw gritty blues/rock riffs that would drive me forward throughout the course of my day.

Hill Country Revue

was formed in 2008 by Cody Dickinson and Chris Chew from The North Mississippi Allstars.The band also features Kirk Smithhart, Ed “Hot” Cleveland and Dixie Dan Coburn. Released last May by Razor and Tie Records, most of the material on Make A Move was written by the youngest of R.L and Alice Mae Burnside’s fourteen children Garry.

Cody Dickinson has shared the stage with artists such as Kid Rock, Dave Matthews Band and Mavis Staples. He’s toured all over the world consistently since 1996 and has built a following along the way. While older brother Luther went off to tour with The Black Crowes, HCR took shape and gave the younger Dickinson the opportunity to step out from behind the drum kit, strap on the axe and front his own band.

“The North Mississippi Allstars haven’t broken up,” Cody Dickinson says. “We’re just off doing different things. Hill Country Revue, for Chris and me, is like a big jolt of adrenaline. It changes our blood chemistry and has us firing on a whole different set of synapses. Also the input from the other guys in the band, both as musicians and friends, is amazing. So everybody gains!”

The idea that shaped Hill Country Revue was a show that the North Mississippi Allstars did at the Bonnaroo Festival in 2004. At the time they were joined by brothers Duwayne and Garry Burnside, their father R.L, Chris Robinson of the Black Crowes and Cody’s father Jim. (Cody’s father had produced artists ranging from the Rolling Stones, Aretha Franklin, Bob Dylan, The Replacements, Alvin Youngblood Hart and The Radiators.) The show in 2004 would also be R.L. Burnside’s last public performance before he passed away in 2005. Make a Move was recorded at Jim Dickinson’s Zebra Ranch Studio, as well as at Young Avenue Sound in Memphis, with Cody producing and his father Jim acting as director.

It all starts off with the tune “Alice Mae,” which I’ve included below. Some of the stand out songs I found myself replaying were “Let Me Love You,” “Highway Blues” and “Ramblin.” In addition to “Georgia Women,” which the opening riff I’ve adopted as my personal theme for this Father’s Day.

 

 Alice Mae [5:04m]: Play Now | Play in Popup

Now as you can tell, I’m not your usual music reviewer. I won’t dissect or criticize every note. Not interested in that. If the tunes inspire the type of adrenaline that shaped my weekend, then its all good to me. I’ve found that there’s enough energy on Hill Country Revue’s Make a Move to light up a small city. They’re loaded with lots of talent, good chemistry and experience. If you’re looking for a solid dose of energetic raw edgy blues and southern rock, then this release aims to please.

In The Backyard

Now that my yardwork work is complete, I sit on my newly reinforced deck writing this. It all worked out really well… One thing for sure, I can now say that I’ve recovered from my dirt bike accident from a few weeks back. And I can now enjoy Father’s Day and relax knowing it was a very productive weekend indeed… So how about you? Are you familiar with Hill Country Revue? Did you do anything interesting this Father’s Day?

For more info, tour schedules and all the latest news you can go directly to HCR’s site from here… You can also follow the band on Twitter.

TheBluesBlogger

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Tags: Blues News, New Releases, Reviews by The Blues Blogger
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Flashback Summer 1969

I recall it well… I was helping The Big F, my brother’s friend/roadie, bring in the gear from last night’s gig… My brother was in his glory admiring his latest acquisition; a red 1964 Gibson SG standard. Then the boys, as they usually did on Saturday afternoons, started to rehearse. This time they were inspired by some tunes they heard on the latest Johnny Winter album…

I hung out for a while and then decided to go to the store for some soda. So I took my bike and starting making my way down the sidewalk… I remember thinking how cool it was that I could still hear them playing Mean Mistreater halfway down the block… I got distracted by my next door neighbor, who said something I didn’t quite hear as I cycled by. I glanced back momentarily to acknowledge her, and then as I turned around, I cycled right into a tree. If that didn’t suck, I fell off my bike and broke my arm.

My neighbor ran to my house and after ringing the doorbell several times, she managed to finally get The Big F’s attention. I still remember that crazed look of concern on his face as he ran down the street telling people to get out of his way. Without hesitation, he picked me up like I was a football. And proceeded to run into the house and let everyone know what happened… Off I went to the hospital. Yes, I guess I ended the rehearsal prematurely that day… Oh well, life is hard sometimes. No wonder I love the blues so much.

Present Time

Today almost 40 years later, I reflected about this while recovering from my ridiculous dirt bike incident over a week ago… Reminiscing, I went downstairs into my gym closet. After a moment, I pulled out my personal copy of Johnny Winter’s 1969 LP. It had been a while since I listened to it, so I put the album on my turntable and converted it to digital. I then get the sound of the vinyl with the convenience of MP3. It helps get my creative mind in motion… I started a mild walk on the treadmill, did some stretching and listened once again as I got swept away in one of my many reflective vinyl moments.

Johnny Winter

was born in February 23 1944. Playing clarinet at the age of 5, Winter made his first television appearance at 10 years old playing ukulele and singing on a local children’s show with his brother Edgar.

He first recorded with his band Johnny and the Jammers when he was 15 and released the single School Day Blues, which became a local hit. Winter was further inspired at the time by the live performances of classic blues artists like Muddy Waters, B.B. King and Bobby Bland.

After a string of ventures throughout the sixties, Winter released his first album on Sonobeat Records called The Progressive Blues Experiment in 1968. On 1969’s self titled LP, Johnny Winter found himself backed by blues stars such Willie Dixon and “Big” Walter Horton on harp. As well as bass player Tommy Shannon, who would later get recognized as backing Stevie Ray Vaughan in Double Trouble.

The accomplishments and inspiration Johnny Winter has garnered is enormous. His life long dream of playing with Muddy Waters became reality in 1977, where he produced Muddy’s album Hard Again. The following year, he continued that success with Muddy’s I’m Ready, and then one final time in 1980 on King Bee. Together Muddy Waters and Johnny Winter’s partnership produced a number of Grammy Awards.

Winter performed at Woodstock, was on the cover of the first issue of Guitar World in 1980, and in 1988 was inducted into the Blues Foundation Hall of Fame. And if that ain’t cool enough, he even jammed with Jimi Hendrix.

“Like Bloomfield’s band and the Blues Project, Johnny Winter pulled blues classics, like ‘Mean Mistreater’ and ‘When You Got A Good Friend,’ back into the mainstream of rock music and forced rock guitarists once again to pay attention to their musical heritage and draw from it.” ~Gene Santoro

Listening to this album again sort of gave me the shivers. It certainly will go down as the soundtrack to some of my broken bones…. All kidding aside, I love this record. There are some albums that act like a time machine, and this one took me way back. It contains some of the most genuine and memorable blues that I recall then and now.

Johnny Winter On Tour

Winter gigged this past weekend with upcoming blues artist Joanne Shaw Taylor and continues touring this summer and throughout the year… Here is a brief itinerary of his summer tour. Times and dates are subject to change, so make sure you double check.

Johnny Winter Summer Tour Schedule

MAY 2009

Mon 05/25/09 Cardiff, United Kingdom The Globe
Tue 05/26/09 Cardiff, United Kingdom The Globe
Wed 05/27/09 Bilston, United Kingdom The Robin 2
Thu 05/28/09 Falmouth, United Kingdom Princess Pavilion
Fri 05/29/09 Leamington Spa, United Kingdom TBA

JUNE 2009

Mon 06/01/09 Copenhagen, Denmark Pumpehuset Club
Wed 06/03/09 Helsinki, Finland Finlandia Hall
Fri 06/05/09 Solvesborg, Sweden Sweden Rock Festival Grounds
Sat 06/06/09 Fredrikstad, Norway Blues Camp Festival Grounds
Wed 06/17/09 Ann Arbor, MI The Ark
Thu 06/18/09 Palatine, IL Durty Nellie’s
Fri 06/19/09 Canton, OH Downtown Canton
Sat 06/20/09 Lexington, MI Lexington Music Theatre Company
Fri 06/26/09 Carrboro, NC The ArtsCenter
Sat 06/27/09 Charlotte, NC Neighborhood Theatre
Sun 06/28/09 Virginia Beach, VA 31st Street Park

JULY 2009

Fri 07/03/09 Portland, OR Tom McCall Park
Sun 07/05/09 Saskatoon, SK Bessborough Gardens
Fri 07/17/09 Chicago, IL Beverly Arts Center
Sat 07/18/09 Bay City, MI TBA
Sun 07/19/09 Windsor, ON Downtown Windsor

AUGUST 2009

Sat 08/01/09 Bellingham, WA TBA
Sun 08/02/09 Coos Bay, OR The Green Spot
Mon 08/03/09 Bend, OR Tower Theatre
Thu 08/06/09 Petaluma, CA McNears Mystic Theatre
Fri 08/07/09 Santa Cruz, CA The Catalyst
Sat 08/08/09 Sonora, CA Mother Lode Fairgrounds
Mon 08/10/09 Grand Junction, CO Mesa Theater & Club
Tue 08/11/09 Denver, CO Oriental Theater
Wed 08/12/09 Colorado Springs, CO Armstrong Hall
Thu 08/13/09 Salt Lake City, UT Jeanne Wagner Theater
Fri 08/14/09 Boise, ID Knitting Factory Concert House
Sat 08/15/09 Spokane, WA Knitting Factory Concert House
Sun 08/16/09 Salmon Arm, BC Fairgrounds
Fri 08/21/09 Toronto, ON Exhibition Place
Sat 08/22/09 Gravenhurst, ON Peter’s Player

SEPTEMBER 2009

Wed 09/02/09 Tucson, AZ Rialto Theatre
Thu 09/03/09 Phoenix, AZ Celebrity Theatre
Tue 09/08/09 Exeter, CA Orange Blossom Junction
Thu 09/17/09 New York, NY B.B. King Blues Club
Sat 09/19/09 Alexandria, VA Birchmere

During the Course of This Blog

I’ve featured some albums that were released in 1969. Johnny Winter’s self titled release came out almost 40 years ago to the date that I am writing this. If you’re unfamiliar I strongly suggest getting a copy of this. Sony Legacy re-issued this recording with five extra bonus tracks 5 years ago. It’s a great album for any fan old or new who wants a good dose of the blues from a true music legend. Just try not to hurt yourself when you listen.

This post represents only a small portion of Winter’s work. It’s impossible to cover the rich history and his contribution to the music world in just one blog post. Perhaps you can add your comments and help fill in some of the many gaps… Is there any Johnny Winter moments that comes to mind for you? Will you be checking out any of the shows listed above?

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Tags: 1969, Blues News, Blues Reflections, Reviews, The Sixties by The Blues Blogger
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This coming Thursday May7th the 30th Blues Music Awards will be presented at The Cook Convention Center in Memphis. Janiva Magness will be performing and is also nominated in several categories. In addition, Magness is a national spokesperson for Casey Family Programs which promotes foster care. They’re also a sponsor for The Blues Awards this Thursday. And since May represents National Foster Care Month, I thought I would re-post one of my earlier articles from last summer as the timing seemed right. ~tbb

This weekend my family headed off on a little getaway, so it’s quiet in TheBluesBlogger household. Both my golden retriever Lucille and I are lazing around catching up on a little reading, and of course listening to some music… An artist that has caught my attention lately is Janiva Magness. I’ve heard a lot of great things, but wasn’t too familiar. So I printed off some biographical information and went out on the deck… With Lucille resting at my feet, I started flipping through the pages, getting intrigued by Janiva’s story.

It didn’t take long before Lucille got up and forced her snout into my hand; continuously flicking my wrist as a reminder of my promise of an early walk… So I loaded up some of Janiva’s songs on my MP3 player and after a quick drive, we went on our evening hike. As we headed down the trail I recalled what I was reading earlier…

Adopted by the Blues

Janiva Magness is no stranger to the music industry. She is currently entering her career’s third decade, and the light that shines upon her gets brighter every day. Born in Detroit, Magness was influenced by blues and country music she heard while listening to her father’s record collection. She was also inspired by the city’s rich soulful Motown sound…

Tragically losing both her parents to suicide by the time she was in her early teens, Magness lived on the streets enduring an incredible amount of conflict going from one foster home to another. And would become a teenage mother who gave her child up for adoption.

Wearing a heavy heart, she traveled from city to city; feeling discouraged and distressed. On a cold winter night while hitchhiking across Minneapolis to attend an Otis Rush concert, Magness saw a path that lead her to the future.

“There was something that happened to me that night,” Magness says. “Otis … is such a vibrant musical force. Everything he played [was] with such complete commitment — you know, no half-steppin’ anything. And I knew when I left that club that morning in the wee hours that whatever it was that happened to me that night, I had to have more of that experience.”

While working as an intern at a recording studio, she got her first real break when her boss asked if she would sing support vocals on a track. She would begin her career as a background singer, eventually making her way to Phoenix in the early eighties where she met Bob Tate. (who was once the musical director for the late great Sam Cooke.) Magness formed the band The Mojomatics which was extremely popular in the Phoenix area. She would then re-locate to Los Angeles in 1986 and slowly find work.

After her cassette debut More Than Live, she married musician Jeff Turmes and together they recorded her second album It Takes One to Know One in 1997. After three independent releases, Janiva signed with Northern Blues and recorded Bury Him at The Crossroads in 2004 and Do I Move You in 2006. Both of these releases were co-produced by Canadian roots artist Colin Linden, and they created a huge amount of critical acclaim for Magness. The word was definitely spreading now…

Janiva won the best contemporary female artist award in 2006 and 2007. She was nominated for the 2008 B. B. King Entertainer Of The Year award at the Blues Music Awards. Magness also traveled to Iraq and Kuwait co-headlining Bluzapalooza in the Spring of 2008; the first-ever blues concert tour to perform for American troops.

Casey Family Programs

Janiva Magness has come full circle. She is now a national spokesperson for Casey Family Programs promoting National Foster Care for the organization. She has recently re-connected with her daughter that she gave up for adoption and is now a grandmother. Magness has dedicated her latest release What Love Will Do on Alligator Records to this this fantastic cause. Here’s a link that you should definitely check out. It’s one of her songs called “Sometimes You Got To Gamble.”

Back on the Trail

As Lucille and I started to make our way back home, out of nowhere a rabbit swiftly crossed in front of us. Lucille’s natural instincts took over and she snapped the poor fella up. We both seemed shocked as it all happened so fast. Lucille is trained to drop on command, but was the thrill of the catch too tempting to let go? It took a few seconds, but I firmly asked her to drop the rabbit. With only a slight hesitation and very delicately, she did. The little hare hopped away totally safe and unscathed, running down the path before taking the yield through the forest. Lucille stood there looking up at me as if to say, “Did you see that? Wasn’t that awesome!”

As we continued our hike, I listened to Magness belt out her tunes on my MP3 player. I found myself incredibly moved by the power and feeling of Janiva’s music and her story… She is somebody that sure has a right to be singing the blues as she certainly has lived them. What an incredible journey she has taken!

I started thinking that as popular as Magness was getting, if I even made one more person aware of her wonderful talent, then this post would be well worth it… What do you think? Your comments are always welcome.

For more information on Janiva Magness you can go to her official website by clicking here.

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