New Folk – Stephen Simmons – The Big Show

So let’s see, in 2001  The Superstore the debut album of  Stephen Simmons is released. The album was collection of  earlier songs captured at a live solo show. That was followed in 2004 by Last Call Simmons’ debut album with a band. Now it’s 2011 that’s ten years from the debut album and seven from the sophomore release and Edward finds Stephen’s new album (now Simmons’ sixth) on the Roots Music Reports Folk Chart at number 39. He goes and looks for it on Napster, hum too many 30 second clips. So he settles for Girls Stephen’s 2009 release. He hears some fine crafted songs with lyrics like: Read More

Thursday Music Mix – Quintus McCormick, Blind Corn Liquor Pickers and Shake Russell

So some days are diamonds, some days are dirt. Well today was a musical diamond day! I put three albums on the iPod this morning and I really like them all! The first up was a blues album from the Quintus McCormick Blues Band whose latest album Put It On Me  is currently number 39 on the Roots Music Report Blues Chart. When I went to Napster they only had 30 second clips for the album but they did have his debut album Hey Jodie , so that’s what went on the player. and I tell you it’s a great album. According to several reviews and the band’s Myspace page Quintus has been a mainstay of the Chicago blues scene for a long time and has…. Read More

Monday Ramblings and the Passing of Bill Morrissey

So the last several days have been hectic around here. My wife has been finding some great deals on Craig’s List on furniture that we desperately need. The furniture we have survived many years of wear and tear of four kids and me! So Saturday we bought a new Thomasville entertainment center, big and heavy and tonight with the help of some co-workers and Peter we got it in the house and standing up! There for a while the standing up part was in doubt! Also my wife bought a laptop, so now I have a computer that’s faster than an abacus! Anyway all that took away time from reading,  listening and writing. I have been listening to some artists though that I will be writing about shortly. One blues artist Eric Steckel, who I heard the other night on Bluesville on XM and then came home and listened to his album Havana. Which I really enjoyed and then I download and have listened to parts of another album.  Also a folk artist Stephen Simmons whose album The Big Show has gotten a few listens! Read More

Book 22 – Darkness at the Edge of Town – J. Carson Black

So several weeks ago I was browsing the list of  Mystery and Thriller Books in the Amazon Kindle store and came across Book 1 in the Laura Cardinal series Darkness on the Edge of Town by J Carson Black.  The author and series were  new to me but the price was right 99 cents. So having money left from the  gift card Peter  gave me for Father’s Day,  I quickly made the purchase. What I found was a terrific read (Book 22 for 2011) and another series to follow (like I need another!) The series features Laura Cardinal a top investigator in the Arizona Department of Public Safety (DPS) stationed in Tuscon. From Goodreads.com……… Read More

A Trip to the Colbert Report

I  know that posts have been sparse here the last couple of days that’s because both days started at 7 AM and ended late. On Tuesday my daughter Elizabeth, ever the one to figure things out and pull me and her mother out of our stay at home comfort modes, got to tickets to The Colbert Report! Luckily, her brother Peter, who went with her the previous week to The Daily Show, had to work so Dad got to go! Read More

Blues and Bluegrass Part 1 – Albert King Born Under a Bad Sign

So tonight my musical mix consisted of some old blues and some new bluegrass. On the way to Target and during my grocery shopping blues was the genre and the album was Albert King’s first album on Stax Born Under a Bad Sign. The album. Now I have never been a big fan of Albert or Freddy King, the other two thirds of the “Kings of Blues” the other third of course being B.B King. So while I don’t have any of Albert’s music in my collection I am well aware of his influence on the generation of blues musician I like, artists like Jimi Hendrix, Eric Clapton and Stevie Ray Vaughan. They were strongly influenced by Albert and many of their guitar solos are close approximations to those found on Born Under a Bad Sign. Read More

Piedmont Blues: Cephas & Wiggins

So since I don’t seem to have the time and/or the inclination to write long involved posts right now, what I may due is to start writing shorter little pieces in between the rarer longer posts! So here’s the first album quick hit! One of the blues albums that I’ve been listening to for the last several weeks is the last album from Cephas & Wiggins Baltimore Blues recorded and released in 2008 by Smithsonian Folkways prior to John Cephas death in 2009 at the age of 78. Read More

Blues: Victor Wainwright and the WildRoots

So most of the blues I listen to is guitar driven ala Stevie Ray Vaughan, B.B. King and Michael Bloomfield and every so often there’s some harp but very few piano driven blues. Well, Victor Wainwright and the WildRoots changed that and put boogie piano  jump blues on my musical charts! Their second album Lit Up is great. From the boogie woogie  opening track ” Big Dog’s Running this Town” this Memphis based blues band had me! While the piano playing and vocals of  Victor lead the way the WildRoots are no slouches!  The album was produced by Victor’s co-writer and bassist Stephen Dees.  Dees has been around the rock scene,  serving as bassist and vocalist for the likes of  Hall and Oates, Todd Rundgren, Pat Travers, and Foghat. His band Novo Combo landed him on the Billboard charts, and his original rock band “Bandees” received critical acclaim. Victor Wainwright and the WildRoots was born after Wainwright and Dees’ release in 2005  Piana from Savannah, Back Stage Pass Magazine said this about the album: Piana from Savannah”. “…it’s hard to follow the speed limit while this one’s playing… Pinetop Perkins would be proud.” Read More

Life’s Soundtrack: John Reischman and the Jaybirds and The Wilders

So yesterday began with a trip to Newark’s beautiful Doremus Avenue on the shores of the Passaic River and while the views are not breathtaking, the music was good! The trip started off with the most recent release from John Reischman and the Jaybirds Vintag & Unique. I noticed the album early in the week when I was reviewing the Folk DJ Chart for June. The albums was number 9 on the chart. The album is a good mix of great instrumental and fine vocal tracks! The band and John Reischman are based in Vancover, British Columbia. John is one of the acoustic world’s top-ranked mandolin players and composers and it definitely shows on the album! Vintage & Unique is the bands fifth album and all of the previous albums have been highly praised: After listening to Vintage & Unique I put the fourth album  Stellar Jays on the iPod. Here’s what some folks say about their music! Read More