Tag: Saturday Matinee

Saturday Matinee – Chris Thomas King, The Bo-Keys & Dan Patlansky

Chris Thomas King‘s haunting cover of John The Revelator is made even spookier by the voodoo queen aura of the dancer. King became the last major folk blues discovery of the 20th Century when he was discovered in Louisiana in 1979 by a folklorist from the Smithsonian Institute. He was also chosen by the Coen brothers to play the role of itinerant bluesman Tommy Johnson in the movie “O Brother, Where Art Thou? (2000).

The Bo-Keys features soul gospel singer Percy Wiggins. Led by producer / bassist Scott Bomar, the group includes historic session musicians from legendary Stax and Hi Records studio bands. (This song is NOT a cover – they released it in 2011).

Dan Patlansky was voted the #4 Best Guitarist in the world and (besides Joe Bonamassa!) remains the only artist in the world with two worldwide No. 1 and two worldwide No. 2 Best Blues Rock Albums as voted by Blues Rock Review USA.

Thanks to FIFA, visitors from around the world are giving rave reviews about everything from American food and hospitality to the wonders of state routes and Walmart. Oil prices are dropping, Iran promised to keep its promises a bit longer before breaking them again; everyone on Xwitter has suddenly  become experts on pool sealants and algae mitigation, and Clay Aiken hasn’t spoken to Kelly Ripa in 20 years.

The days seem to be getting shorter after last week’s solstice, so tomorrow is Porch Time. See you at half-past whenever.

Saturday Matinee – Broken Brass, Boogie Beasts & The Cinelli Brothers

Broken Brass play a mix of funk, afrobeat, and New Orleans jazz, and have been dubbed “the unintended headliner of Into the Great Wide Open” an annual open-air music festival held on the island of Vlieland, Netherlands.

Belgian blues band Boogie Beasts formed in 2011 after a jam session at a bar in Leuven. They’ve performed in various blues venues and festivals in Belgium, the Netherlands, Germany Luxembourg, Switzerland and more, and have released two albums to date.

Winners of the 2024 UK Blues Band of the Year, The Cinelli Brothers (Marco and Alessandro) revive 1960s – 70s vintage electric blues, R&B and soul with a modern vibe. Hit the Ground Running is a cover of a Catfish song, performed for a tribute album to Catfish frontman Matt Long, who succumbed to cancer in October 2024.

News of the Week includes vandalism at the bottom of the Washington Monument reflecting pool, the BO Library dedication party, live alligator wrestling at the White House, another peace deal for the ROP jihadists of Iran to violate, and FIFA 24/7. I might have missed a few things, so bring a list with you tomorrow – it’s porch time once again.

Saturday Matinee – Amani Burnham, Robben Ford (w/ The Frankfurt Radio Big Band) & Chicago

Guitarist and vocalist Amani Burnham, backed by an unnamed power duo, recorded his first album entitled Roots & Wings (released this year). Born in Ethiopia, Burnham began his career in 2023 on social media, with 250,000 followers and nearly 30 million cumulative views on TikTok, Instagram, and Facebook).

Robben Ford, backed by The Frankfurt Radio Big Band, cover Howie Casey & The Seniors 1962 classic. Ford was named one of the “100 Greatest Guitarists of the 20th Century” by Musician magazine (and has one hell of a resume).

Chicago, the self-described rock and roll band with horns, released 25 or 6 to 4 as a single in 1970. It peaked at No. 4 on the Billboard Hot 100 and No. 6 on the Cash Box Top 100 charts. The title is about writing a song in the wee hours of the morning –  25 or 26 minutes before 4 am.

I hear that the world championship to determine which country has the best association football team is underway. I think it’s called FIFI or FAFO or something, I don’t really follow it much, so I’ll be on the porch tomorrow instead. See you there.

Saturday Matinee – Jessie Wagner, Selwyn Birchwood & Justin Saladino Band

Jessie Wagner was born in Norfolk, Virginia and began her career writing songs for Black House, a production company in Jacksonville, Florida. She’s performed with many recording artists including Chic (lead vocalist), backup vocals for Duran Duran, Kid Rock and Lenny Kravitz, and more recently is pursuing a solo career, writing and performing her own songs.

Selwyn Birchwood is an American blues guitarist, vocalist and songwriter from Tampa, Florida. He plays what he calls “Electric Swamp Funkin’ Blues,” and was the winner of the Blues Foundation’s 2013 International Blues Challenge (band category), as well the winner of the Albert King Guitarist of the Year award. [Wiki]

Justin Saladino Band, live at the Montreal International Jazz Festival 2018.
Saladino plays a mix of rock, blues, Americana and funk (and contemporary roots, whatever that means). More about him here.

Fun times indeed: The Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool is reflecting again, there’s more ballot fraud in California,  Iran’s still dikkin around, FIFA announced that fans can bring disposable water bottles to the games, Jeff fell in the creek after we warned him twice, and now Texas screwworms are on the march. More news may or may not be discussed at Porch Time tomorrow. See you at your estimated time of arrival.

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.

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.