Tag: Blues

Saturday Matinee – Solon Fishbone, Wolf Mail, Laurence Jones, and Toronzo Cannon & The Chicago Way

Armed with vintage Fender gear, Solon Fishbone has spread jazz-flavored blues throughout Brazil and South America since 1984. He doesn’t have a functional website, but Wiki has some info (in Brazilian Portuguese).

Canadian-born guitarist, singer-songwriter Wolf Mail began playing at the age of fourteen and has recorded eight full-length internationally distributed albums and has toured in over twenty-six countries..
Wolf Mail – Lead vocals & Guitar
Slawek Semeniuk – Bass & Vocals
Tomek Dominik – Drums

Laurence Jones is a classically-trained guitarist from Liverpool, England. He was 17 in 2009 when he formed his own blues trio AND enrolled at the University of Birmingham. When his final exams came around, Jones chose to go on tour with Johnny Winter and Walter Trout instead.

Chicago bluesman Toronzo Cannon didn’t pick up a guitar until he was 22, but he picked it up fast: “Gary Clark, Jr. declared, ‘Toronzo is a beast. He lights the room up,’ and Joe Bonamassa rightly pronounced, ‘Toronzo’s a great guitar player, excellent vocalist and an amazing personality.’ ”

News of the Week: The nation commemorated the 25th anniversary of the September 11 attacks. A lone juror refused to exonerate Lindsay Clancy for murder. Iran is still effing around, the GOP convention happened, and the debate on data centers and AI rolls on.
It’s been hotter than h-e-double hockey sticks, but you all know what to do. Show up for Porch Time tomorrow.

Saturday Matinee – Vargas Blues Band, The Smoke Wagon Blues Band & Los Mambo Jambo Arkestra

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.”

Formed in 1996 in Hamilton, Ontario, The Smoke Wagon Blues Band plays original roots blues rock in a variety of styles. They have won several Maple Blues Awards (Canada) and Independent Blues Awards (US), with albums scoring high on the charts in Canada, the US and Australia.

Los Mambo Jambo Arkestra is a Spanish instrumental rock & roll and rhythm & blues quartet-plus based in Barcelona. They don’t have an active website, but their Bandcamp page says that they’re “a crazy mix between power energy R&B and insane 50’s rock to create the one and only Jambophonic sound.”

News of the Week: Iran’s still dicking around and repercussions are imminent. Someone leaked info about US weapons stockpiles. There’s some Asian longhorned tick talk about a nairovirus, three bigass cyclones in the Pacific, and the UN voted to enlarge the size of Africa on maps because the country of Togo said to. (The US voted “gfys.”)
Another three day weekend is upon us, and one of the highlights is Porch Time. Bring. It. On.

Saturday Matinee – Philip Sayce, John Primer & Fleetwood Mac

Philip Sayce is a Welsh-born American / Canadian guitarist, singer, songwriter,  producer and performer. At 16, Sayce began playing in Toronto clubs, eventually joined Jeff Healey‘s band in 1997, and toured with him for over three years before joining Uncle Kracker. A year and a half later he was backing Melissa Etheredge… and on and on and on.

John Primer was born in 1945 to a family of dirt-poor Mississippi sharecroppers. His story is a true rags-to-riches saga, going from singing work songs and gospel, to playing diddley bow, then guitar. When he turned 18 in 1963 he moved to Chicago, busking at the legendary Maxwell Street market alongside blues superstars and others just breaking into the blues scene. The Blues Hall of Fame artist and three-time Grammy Nominee is still performing at 81 years.
[More in Wiki.]

Fleetwood Mac, the early years. “All our wealth and we can’t make a single that sounds as good as Green Manalishi“. ~John Lennon

Breaking News: Dolly Parton and Tim Curry have moved on. DJT announced a crude oil deal with Venezuela, and then pissed off the Canadians again. The US is sending aid to Nepal after the disastrous ice, mud & rock flood. Joro spiders are coming to gitcha, and our heatwave needs to move out and get a job somewhere else. There’s much more, but it can wait until quarter past porchtime. See you tomorrow.

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.