Tag: Blues

Saturday Matinee – Olav & The Blues Cruise, Sturgill Simpson’s Sunday Valley, and Th’ Legendary Shack Shakers feat. J.D. Wilkes

Olav & The Blues Cruise is a blues band from Nijmegen, Gelderland, Netherlands. Fronted by Olav Boereboom on guitar and vocals, they’ve been active on the Dutch circuit for years playing original songs and covers, and released their first album in 2022.

“Beatin’ them strings like they owe him money.”
Sturgill Simpson’s Sunday Valley played some outlawbillygrass chicken pickin’ cowpunk in a barn somewhere in Nashville (2011). Simpson has multiple Grammy Awards and nominations, is an actor, and occasionally performs as his alter-ego Johnny Blue Skies.

Th’ Legendary Shack Shakers is a hellbilly punk band from Murray, Kentucky, fronted by banjo picker and harp wrangler J.D. Wilkes. Wilkes has a solo career as well, that includes music, visual art and illustration; he’s also a novelist, amateur filmmaker, and is a genuine Kentucky Colonel.

Lotsa news this week, some good, some bad, some too absurd to worry about, and tomorrow is Porch Time. I’ll have everything in order by whenever, so show up at the usual time and you can see for yourselves.

Saturday Matinee – BoDeans, The Terraplane Blues Band, and Tom Principato w/ Danny Gatton

BoDeans formed in 1986 in Waukesha, Wisconsin, and they’re still at it. Described as “one of the most successful, and best known, bands to come out of the Milwaukee area,” BoDeans is included in a permanent installation on artists from the Midwest at the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. Video was recorded at the Stoughton Opera House, Stoughton WI in 2024.

Formed in Bristol circa 2013, The Terraplanes Blues Band were shortlisted as one of the top 20 blues bands in the UK by the UK Blues Federation, and awarded the prestigious Emerging Blues Act of the Year at the 2023 UK Blues Awards.

1984 jazzy blues jam by Tom Principato and Danny Gatton (1945-1994).
From YouTube comments: “This song is Tom’s Samba, not How’s Your Sister. Sister was performed on the same studio taping, but is more of a Bill Doggett blues shuffle. Danny originally recorded Sister as a member of the Soul Mates band around 1966 when they worked on a Potomac cruise ship. The 45 is extremely rare.”

Lotta news a-poppin’ this week, with fires and chemical spills, Ebola outbreaks, UFO files and Memorial Day sales. Good time for a three-day weekend, and we’ll discuss it all at porchtime tomorrow. See you there.

Saturday Matinee – Ghalia Volt, Thorbjørn Risager & The Black Tornado, and Soledad Brothers

Belgian guitarist (and occasional one-woman band) Ghalia Volt grew up listening to her grandparents’ traditional Spanish music and flamenco songs, then moved onto punk, garage rock, psychobilly and roots rock. She began performing as a street busker in Europe and is now anchored in New Orleans.

“This is the sort of band that gets booked by unwary festival promoters as an early evening support only to discover they’ve stolen the show by 8 pm.”
Since their beginnings as a Copenhagen bar band, Thorbjørn Risager & The Black Tornado have been dubbed Denmark’s premier roots rockers. The septet has performed in Scandinavia, Europe, Canada, the US and Asia for the past twenty years.

Soledad Brothers were an American garage rock trio from Maumee, Ohio. Taking strong influence from blues rock and punk, the band produced four albums and were active from 1998 to 2006. They took their name from a trio of convicted members of the Black Panther Party, incarcerated at Soledad Prison in the early 1970s.

Panic walks amok: This week’s news feeds shifted to stories of dignitaries chowing down in China, a possible super El Niño, un-salmandering the gerrymandering, snorkeling near the USS Arizona, and the Rat Turd Virus. All in all it made for a slight respite, and Porch Time is scheduled for porchtime o’clock. See you then and there.

Saturday Matinee – Monster Mike Welch Band, Joe Ely, and Colin James w/ Amanda Marshall

Monster Mike Welch Band: Mike Welch / guitar & vocals; Alex Schultz / guitar; Lorenzo Farrell / keyboard; Derrick “D’Mar” Martin / drums & faces. Welch has been performing and recording for over 30 years. The bluesman from Boston was only 13 when Dan Akroyd gave him the nickname.

Texas roots rocker Joe Ely kicked the Austin progressive country music industry loose in the 1970s. Besides his own solo work, he performed with many other headliners, including Bruce Springsteen, Uncle Tupelo, Los Super Seven, The Chieftains, James McMurtry, The Clash, Lyle Lovett, John Hiatt, and Guy Clark. After suffering from Lewy body dementia and Parkinson’s disease, Ely passed away at the age of 78 in December 2025 [obit].

Colin James‘  1988 self-titled debut was the fastest-selling album in Canadian history. It won him his first of seven Juno Awards and an opening spot on tour with Keith Richards. So far he’s got seven Gold-certified albums in Canada, including four Platinum albums and two Double Platinum albums.
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Canadian singer and songwriter Amanda Marshall was 16 in 1988 when she met blind guitarist Jeff Healy; he was so impressed with her vocals he took her with him on tour. In 1993, Marshall’s self-titled debut album was released in 1995 went on to become one of only eighteen albums in Canadian history to achieve Diamond status, and achieved Gold or Platinum status in fifteen countries.

Enough to keep yer bones a-rockin’ and yer earballs a-poppin’ – at least until Porch Time. Tomorrow. On the porch. Be there or be L7.

Saturday Matinee – The Dirty Rotten Vipers, Buck & Evans, and The Dirty Weather Blues Revue

Formed in 2023, The Dirty Rotten Vipers is a New Orleans 12 piece gutter jazz street band busking at Royal & St Peter most afternoons.

Buck & Evans are a Welsh blues rock duo consisting of guitarist/songwriter Chris Buck and vocalist/keyboard player Sally Ann Evans. Their paths crossed in 2013 via overlapping connections with their managers and guitarist Slash of Guns N Roses (who referred to Buck as “a fu*king awesome guitar player“).

The Dirty Weather Blues Revue is an electric blues roots rock quartet from Bristol. After touring the UK and Europe they released their debut single in February of 2026. They don’t appear to have a website or recording label… yet.

Another assassination attempt foiled, the King of England had high tea in D.C., Iran is toast, the SCOTUS ruled against racist gerrymandering, and the marxists are doing their May Day hey hey ho ho performance art again. Flavorful news indeed, and we’ll mix in some quality Porch Time to top it off. See you tomorrow at the appropriately unscheduled hour.

Lendrumbilated Hot Links

Sam’s Pizza and Hamburgers, a San Francisco landmark (1974)

A Hand Fulla Gimme, Dizzy Gillespie Sextet feat. Alice Roberts (1946)Alto Saxophone – Sonny Stitt
Bass – Ray Brown
Drums – Kenny Clark
Piano – Al Haig
Vibraphone – Milt Jackson
Trumpet & Writer- Dizzy Gillespie
A brief search of the internet provided no info on vocalist Alice Roberts.

Strategy.

Postcards.

Godzillita.

Impromptu.

Quiet pizza.

NYC whizzers.

“Don’t tell Dad.“

Lawnchair Larry.

Perth is different.

Her brother’s edits.

It’s a Kuppenheimer.

Pawpaw’s best shot.

Thiess of Kaltenbrun.

A wild and crazy time.

Rooftop Koreans rock.

Melbourne miscellany.

A downside of teamwork.

Little robot gets the blues.

Swivel-O-Matic Astronauts.

Saved by karma [via Thompson, blog].

The Bouali System [via Memo Of The Air].

Greek Revival subway vent [via Everlasting Blört].

[Top image: Sam’s Pizza via Dancing Wombat.]

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

Saturday Matinee – Les Big Byrd, Sue Foley & Big Head Todd and The Monsters

[STROBE WARNING]
Les Big Byrd is something from Stockholm, Sweden. I kept waiting for an eruption of Surfin’ Bird.
“Jocke Åhlund and Frans Johansson have been fixtures in the music business for many years. As central figures in the Stockholm scene, they have played in various formations, traversing a veritable garden of musical genres. In their project Les Big Byrd, space rock and psychedelic pop boldly intertwine with great drive—all while the indie disco ball spins right along with them.” [source]

Sue Foley is amazing. From her bio: “Raised in Ottawa, Canada, Foley was drawn to the guitar at 13 and performing professionally by 16. After relocating to Austin, Texas in her early 20s, she signed with Antone’s Records—home to legends like Stevie Ray Vaughan—and released her 1992 debut, Young Girl Blues, to widespread acclaim. She has since toured internationally and shared stages with B.B. King, Buddy Guy, Jimmie Vaughan, and Billy F Gibbons, earning her place among the top tier of modern blues artists.”

Big Head Todd and The Monsters formed in Colorado in 1986 and consists of Todd Park Mohr / vocals, guitar, keys, sax, harmonica, Brian Nevin /drums, Rob Squires / bass, vocals], and Jeremy Lawton / keyboards, lap pedal/steel guitar, vocals. BHT&TM always have an interesting mix of alt-rock, blues and country.

This weeks news barrage produced a combination of disgust, aggravation, relief and amusement, and they seemed to rotate hourly. There are some good omens in the mix, but I’ll wait until the horizon gets here.
Porch time? Yup. See you tomorrow.

Saturday Matinee – Sergi Estella, The James Hunter Six & The Guy Forsyth Blues Band

A one man band, Sergi Estella studied musical education at the University of Barcelona (2010) and completed the intermediate degree at L’Aula (the Liceu Conservatory of Jazz and Modern Music, 2011). He is known for building his own instruments; he plays guitars made from broom handles, beer cans, or even a wooden box with a tap pouring wine, among others. Following blues aesthetics, his lyrics deal with everyday events and personal experiences, both in Catalan and English, with satirical humor that is also reflected in his stage presence. [Wiki]

The James Hunter Six – James Hunter is a Grammy-nominated soul/R&B singer/songwriter from Essex, England. He began his recording career in 1986, and collaborated with Van Morrison on several records. Good stuff.

Blues legend based in Austin, Texas, Guy Forsyth has a long resume of recording and performing around the world, with many awards to boot. (He’s got a knack for storytelling also, as evidenced in his bio.)

I realized a long time ago that government has a weasel infestation, but I never imagined it mestasizing. A late reckoning is better than none at all. The good news is that The Strait is open again (at least for now) and gas prices should be turning back to normal. Now about those taxes…
Ah, I’m wishing for too much; besides, Porch Time is on tomorrow’s to-do list and we can solve the problems of the world then. See you there.

Saturday Matinee – Andy Fairweather Low, Beiztegui & The Hammond Lovers, and El Perro Blanco

Born in 1948 in Ystrad Mynach, Wales, Andy Fairweather Low was a founding member and lead singer of 1960s pop band Amen Corner. He has toured extensively with The Who, Eric Clapton, Roger Waters, Emmylou Harris, Linda Ronstadt, and is a regular member of Bill Wyman’s Rhythm Kings. He  currently performs as Andy Fairweather Low & The Low Riders.

Stare at the wall and listen to one of Andalusia’s finest.
Beiztegui & The Hammond Lovers consists of frontman Fernando Beiztegui / guitar & vocals; Jon Sande / Hammond organ; Dani Levy / bass and Cote Calmet / drums. 

La Perra Blanco (The White Bitch), aka Alba Blanco, is a high energy blues/rockabilly guitarist from Cádiz, Spain, and has been performing since the age of 14. [More about her here.]

Tax day is just around the corner, weather is on the way, the Artemis is home, and porch time is tomorrow at porch time. See you then.

Saturday Matinee – Andreas Diehlmann Band, The BluesBones & The Zac Schulze Gang

Andreas Diehlmann Band is a German power trio who crank out Texas blues ala ZZ Top, with vocals to match. This video from 2018 features Diehlmann backed by Volker Zeller on bass and Tom Bonn on drums.

Formed in 2011, The BluesBones are an award winning blues rock band from Belgium, and are the only group to hit No. 1 on the Blues Charts UK three times.

Combine the intensity of Meatloaf with the mania of Chris Farley, give him a blazing guitar with a kickass backup band, and you got The Zac Schulze Gang – serious speed blues rock.

Tomorrow’s porchtime has been superceded by Easter, the holiest of Christian holy days. Have a blessed one.