Browsing: Reviews

Still on the road, Blues Traveler rocks the Riviera with 30th anniversary tour celebrating the magic of ‘Four.’ While musical history was on the bill that night, the show also featured an appearance by the fast-rising multi-instrumentalist Vanessa Collier as the opening act.

‘Double Measures’ is an intriguing and very special album with a raw authenticity courtesy of Jen Clark’s expert production, tracking the band live in her attic studio. Liz has a voice and a band of musicians steeped in the blues.

Music is often the great equalizer. And for two and a half hours on a beautiful November evening in Chicago, it was just that as the Truckers revisited the entirety of ‘Southern Rock Opera.’ Interspersed throughout the songs, Hood was not afraid to draw parallels between the issues addressed in the 2001 album and those that still permeate through America today.

When a sprightly octogenarian saxophonist and co-founder of England’s Marshall Amplifiers releases a debut album, it is not surprising that the music world holds its breath. Over 60 years ago Terry Marshall and his dad Jim began building the guitar amplifiers which bore their name. This signature brand became synonymous with the exponential popularity of rock music and electric blues.

‘Living The Blues,’ released through his very own Marshall Records, is out now!

Small stage, big stage, it doesn’t matter because Ostrander always delivers the goods. The Halloween show was no exception as the band ripped through 14 songs from each of his four albums.

Out now, this seven-track album combines raw emotion with thoughtful introspection, presenting a deeply relatable look at the highs and lows of the human experience.

It’s the first solo album in nearly ten years from the esteemed Allman Brothers guitarist and Gov’t Mule founder, marking a departure from his previous, more acoustic-focused solo project.

Whether it was a tale about Sonny Boy Williamson horning in on Otis Rush’s club gig or Musselwhite’s experience of penning his “Stranger in a Strange Land” as a new arrival to Chicago in 1962, Musselwhite’s stories were as engaging as the music that’s garnered him a Grammy win, numerous Blues Music awards and several other accolades.

Ivan Singh expressed his admiration for the Chicago blues tradition, before serving up his own Argentinian twist on the genre.

Both bands are currently on tour together, co-headlining the Zen Diagram Tour with special guest Lucius. The tour recently stopped in Chicago for a show at The United Center.

According to Jackson in a recent phone interview this release “is very story-oriented” being “an archival piece about the culture and the story, as we know the blues.” The idea is that “the musician, accompanist should always follow the storyteller.”