Tag: Blues

Saturday Matinee – Ghost Hounds, Dom Martin, Cuban Heels & ZZ TOP

Ghost Hounds are a classic rock ‘n’ blues band from Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, fronted by singer, songwriter (and motivational speaker) Tré Nation.

Dom Martin was playing for free in pubs in and around Belfast, Northern Ireland, when he was “discovered” playing at a golf club by someone with indirect connections to the music industry. That was 2017, and since then he’s released four records, has won numerous UK Blues Awards, and was introduced into the UK Blues Hall of Fame.

Not to be confused with the Scottish new wave band of the same name, Cuban Heels formed in the late 1980s in the Netherlands. The band was popular at blues festivals around Europe, playing garage blues mixed with soul / gospel flavors. Inspirations cited include Muddy Waters, Howlin’ Wolf, The Red Devils, (and more recently) The Black Keys, North Mississippi All Stars and Tom Waits. They are presently on hiatus.

One of the greatest blues rock trios in history, ZZ Top lost a second one. R.I.P. Frank Beard.

News of the Week: SCOTUS ruled that the WH Ballroom construction continue; Prince Harry & Duchess Meghan are moving back to the UK; Hurricane Lala tore through Hawaii and more tropical storms are on the way. Haitians are being deported en masse for being jerks, and Sacramento jerks want to ban 70% of tires because of friction.
Tomorrow we’ll discuss paint and dogs, on the porch, at porch time o’clock. Be there.

Saturday Matinee* – The Skatalites, The Delta Saints & David Gogo

The Skatalites‘ tribute to Christine Keeler at the Uptown Nightclub, Oakland, California, April 2012. Formed in 1964 in Jamaica, this immortal group is still performing. Doreen Shaffer “the Queen of Ska” remains the only original Skatalite in the current lineup.

“A mixture of roots rock, vintage blues, and swampy Bayou boogie,”
The Delta Saints formed in Nashville in 2007 “to play some music and drink some beer.” They built a strong following, released some records, then went on hiatus in 2018 to raise chillun and pursue other interests.

“David is a great blues player. I like his style!” – Johnny Winter
Canadian singer, songwriter and bluesman David Gogo began playing guitar at the age of five; at 15 he met and was encouraged by Stevie Ray Vaughan; a year later he formed his first band. He’s won numerous awards, including six JUNOs (despite EMI spiking his solo album in the US).

News of the Week: Men are vying for WNBA positions, there’s trouble on the USS Abraham Lincoln, and the WWI Memorial on the National Mall was vandalized. Trump got to ride in a catering truck, and his name is going back onto the Kennedy Center.  Marco Rubio received an autographed MarcoMeme collection, and a solar eclipse snubbed the US. These stories and more might or might not but probably won’t be discussed in depth at the Time of the Porch tomorrow. See you there.

*UPDATE: Apparently I’m the only one in the world who still plays Flip The Day of the Week Day. The .Gif Friday Post will appear tomorrow, and Porch Time is scheduled for Sunday as usual.

Saturday Matinee – Sean “Mack” McDonald w/ Roberto Vally & Kenny Cash; The Anthony Paule Soul Orchestra w/ Willy Jordan, Omar Coleman & The Prado Brothers Band, and The Allman Brothers w/ Dickey Betts

Sean “Mack” McDonald, with Roberto Vally on bass) and Kenny Cash on snare.  McDonald is a winner of the 2025 B.B. King King of the Blues Award
and the 2026 BMA Best Emerging Artist Album.

“Based out of San Francisco, California, The Anthony Paule Soul Orchestra was founded in 2007 by guitarist/songwriter Anthony Paule. Inspired by authentic Soul and Blues recordings of the ‘60s and ‘70s, this dramatic horn driven extravagant act took shape. Known for having great, authentic singers, APSO invites newest member, the incomparable vocalist Willy Jordan into the organization.”

Omar Coleman & The Prado Brothers Band:
Igor Prado / Guitar
Yuri Prado / Drums
Theo Anzelotti / Bass
Felipe Magon / Keyboard
Brazilian brothers Igor and Yuri Prado blend influences from American blues and soul with elements of Brazilian music, and have collaborated and performed with renowned artists Kim Wilson, Rod Piazza,  J.J. Jackson, Willie Walker, and Curtis Salgado.

Remastered footage of The Allman Brothers Band featuring Dickey Betts, recorded at the Capitol Theater in Passaic, New Jersey, in 1981. One of the greatest renditions of Elmore James’ One Way Out ever. Betts, one of the founding members of the band, passed away in 2024 at the age of 80.

News of the Week: More WH Ballroom drama, Fauci is being a Fauci, Saudis, Turks & Pakis formed a fight club. The Strait of Hormuz is opening, closing, opening, closing, etc. People are upset about Trump’s hair, and our adopted stray cat figured out a way to get his face covered in tree sap.

When: Tomorrow.
Where: Porch.
Why: Because it’s time.

Saturday Matinee – Danielle Nicole Band, Blues Overdrive & King of the World

Danielle Nicole Band: Bass player and vocalist Danielle Nicole Schnebelen is an American blues/soul musician born in Kansas City, Missouri. She began her career with her brothers Nick and Kris in the band Trampled Under Foot, receiving local and international recognition. Since going solo, she was inducted into the Kansas Music Hall of Fame and earned eight Blues Music Awards.

Blues Overdrive is a Danish blues band formed in Nykøbing Falster, Denmark in June 2000. Led by frontman, songwriter, guitarist and vocalist Martin Olsen, the band has gained international recognition, performing across 18 countries and earning multiple European Blues Awards, Danish Music Award nominations, and international critical acclaim.

Formed in 2012, King of the World (aka The Hardest Working Band in the Netherlands) is a blues rhythm and roots supergroup of sorts, and features Belgian guitar virtuoso Stef Delbaere and singer/drummer Marlon Pichel.
(NOT to be confused with the Steely Dan tribute band from New York of the same name.)

News of the Week: Wild fires in France, Moroccans invaded Spain, Hamas said they’re sorry and won’t do it again. Dr. Fauci is full of No. 2; people got all humpy because Trump said some things, and our stray cat returned from his tour of the world.
Tomorrow, when the sun is directly overhead, there shall be a porch directly below. See you then and there, and don’t be L7.

Saturday Matinee – Orianthi, Timothy James & Brady Goss, and Buddy Guy w/ The Rolling Stones

Orianthi Penny Panagaris, aka Orianthi, is a hard blues rocker from Adelaide, Australia. She began learning piano at 3, moved to acoustic guitar by 6, then at 11 got an electric guitar; by the time she was 24 she had released two albums and was listed as one of the “12 Greatest Female Electric Guitarists” by Elle magazine. Prior to going solo, she was lead guitarist for Carrie Underwood, and later, Michael Jackson.

Timothy James is a guitarist from Portland comes from a classic singer-songwriter culture with a bent for pop style lyrics.
Brady Goss (keyboards) is also from Oregon, began playing by ear as a child, and cites Jerry Lee Lewis as an early inspiration.

Buddy Guy had some fun with The Rolling Stones, on stage in 2009.

News of the Week: Trump said something, mainstream media flipped out, then Trump said something else, the media screeched louder. After that, Trump said something, so the media… well you know the rest.
Porch time? You got it. See you there tomorrow.

Flabellating Hot Links

“Old Lenny’s dead now. He got bitten by a badger while walking through the river naked one night, and later died of sepsis. Yet as I hit the water, the last thing I saw was his weathered and alcoholic face in my mind, and I knew the old special forces bastard was sending me a message from beyond the grave.” (Abergavenny man Johnny Turnip on his near-death experience.)

Whistlin’ Past The Graveyard, Tom Waits (1978)From the album Blue Valentine. According to Grok, the song lineup is:
Tom Waits / vocals, electric guitar; Alvin “Shine” Robinson / electric guitar; Harold Battiste / keyboards; Scott Edwards / bass; Earl Palmer / drums; Herb Hardesty / tenor saxophone.

“COLE!”

The Frog.

Camperage.

Roll ‘Em Lola!.

Melbourne alleys.

A covey of Simcas.

Baby’s 1st hibachi.

The Do Hiemon Box.

Conceptual parking.

Peter Drake’s guitar.

Flavio Belardo’s piano.

Collecting dead snakes.

Enshittificating Norwegia.

Call me when you get there.

His mudflaps were too short.

The Midnight Special pilot show.

Rocks can be racist [h/t Xenophilic].

Big dirty frogs [via Thompson, blog].

Misheard lyrics [via Memo Of The Air].

Laundry day sorrows [via Everlasting Blört].

[Top image created using Grok, based upon a quote found in this story.
h/t Memo Of The Air.]

From the Archives: 1 year ago. 5 years ago. 10 years ago. 15 years ago.

Saturday Matinee – A.J. Fullerton & Kevin Ott, Beaux Gris Gris & The Apocalypse, and The Courettes

Originally from Colorado, A.J. Fullerton is an American roots rock guitarist, singer-songwriter and producer, and was named one of “75 Modern Blues & Blues Rock Artists You Must Hear 2021” by Blues Muse Magazine.
Born in Montana, raised in California, Kevin Ott is a prolific composer, multi-instrumentalist, singer-songwriter and author based in the U.S.

Beaux Gris Gris & The Apocalypse is a roots rock blues Americana country soul punk psychobilly band from California, featuring vocals by documentary filmmaker, television producer, business entrepreneur and Louisiana native Greta “Gris Gris” Valenti.

Dubbed The World’s Greatest Two Person Rock ‘N’ Roll Ensemble,  Flavia & Martin Couri, aka The Courettes, make vintage rock new again.

News on Parade: Hoser smoke is enveloping much of the US midwest, fire and brimstone is raining on Iran, and Venezuelans are suffering the aftermath of the earthquakes. The MSM and social media spun out because the POTUS dared to utter the words “election fraud.” A rainstorm flooded streets, parking lots and buildings in Cincinnati; the meat storage warehouse in Boyle Heights, CA still smells like rotting death a month after the fire, and it was only 87 degrees in our hallway today.

We now return to our regularly scheduled porch time at whenever o’clock tomorrow pm. BTOBS.

Saturday Matinee – Carlos Johnson w/ HooDoo Band & Brass Company, Gary Eisenbraun and Vargas Blues Band

Carlos Johnson is “an American blues guitarist and singer. He is left-handed, but plays a right-handed instrument upside-down like players such as Otis Rush, Albert King, and Jimi Hendrix. Johnson is known for his aggressive playing which has attracted audiences in Chicago blue scene since the 1970s.”
 HooDoo Band is a Polish funk / soul / R&B band, formed in 2004 in Wrocław. Neither Johnson nor HooDoo Band & Brass Company appear to have active websites.

Gary Eisenbraun is an indie blues rock / soul guitarist from St Petersburg, Florida (and his website is too much for my eyeballs to put up with).

Vargas Blues Band: “Javier Vargas was born in Madrid Spain shortly after his parents had left Buenos Aires where they had migrated some years before. Nine years later, the family returned to Argentina, and it is there where Javier started playing the guitar. […] In the 70’s, he lived in Nashville and L.A. playing the clubs and working recording sessions. He played with and impressed the likes of Alvin Lee, Roy Buchanan and Canned Heat, who also influenced his style.” [More at the link.]

So Iran broke the 437th ceasefire agreement, DJT changed planes, and Tyler Robinson did it. FIFA has been extended through January of next year, Arizonians attacked Newport Beach California, and we got screwworm flies buzzing around someplace. Tomorrow’s forecast: 80% chance of Porch Time with light banter is expected. See you there.

Foudroyant Hot Links

Drumheller, Alberta boasts “the world’s largest dinosaur statue”, a 26.3 meter tall Tyrannosaurus Rex statue. Just like the iconic T-Rex from the Fallout New-Vegas videogame, visitors can climb an internal staircase and view the surrounding desert through its mouth.

If You Were Mine, Otis Rush (1957)From his first hit in 1956 (I Can’t Quit You Baby) Otis Rush was the sound of West Side Chicago electric blues. His vocals and playing style influenced many who followed, including Buddy Guy, Jimmy Page, Eric Clapton and Stevie Ray Vaughn (who named his band after Rush’s 1959 hit Double Trouble).

Wash.

Quacky.

Hillrider.

A Library.

Sand choir.

CT pigeons.

66 weenies.

Flock party.

It’s not right.

Summer beads.

Balloon wombat.

Extreme cocktails.

On again, off again.

Crustacians & clams.

Popcorn & stop signs.

She hates intolerance.

Swiss Mountain Finder.

1976 Top 100 audio montage.

Tubas of history [via Thompson, blog].

Harry Revel’s Music From Out Of Space.

Pruncey-hayshin [via Everlasting Blört].

Hellbent For Safety [via Memo Of The Air].

[Top image: Canadian T-Rex with caption found here.]

From the Archives: 1 year ago. 5 years ago. 10 years ago. 15 years ago.

The 50th Anniversary of the Bicentennial – Independence Day 2026

Mostly random selection of mood music for 4th of July BBQ consumption enhancement follows.

[Caveat: I don’t own the copyrights to any of the recordings. They are presented here for entertainment purposes only.]