NO matter how good you think you are, you’re no Richie Kotzen. Like a superhero, Kotzen uses his powers for good, coming to the rescue for bands such as Poison, and more than filling the hyper-speed picking shoes of Paul Gilbert in Mr. Big. Add to that his collaboration with Stanley Clarke and Lenny White [...]
Monthly Archives: October 2006
Marian Hall
First Lady of the Steel Guitar
There are very few, If any, women mentioned amidst the often discussed legends of the steel guitar, but Marian Hall is one to remember. Marian was part of the West Coast wave of artists and musicians who brought their own sounds and styles to the vital musical movement of country, jazz and swing in the [...]
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Charlie Musselwhite – Sanctuary
With his debut album in 1966, harmonica vanguard Charlie Musselwhite met and set the standard for authenticity and adventurism in blues. But in the past few years, each succeeding CD has pushed the genre’s envelope and his own artistry to greater heights. With Sanctuary he is truly at the top of his game. With 1997′s Rough News [...]
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Honeydogs – 10,000 Years
Here’s an early favorite for album of the year. And what’s odd is, lyrically, I have very little interest. It’s set up as a sort of rock-and-roll opera that covers 10,000 years of ethnic fighting, and the life of a test-tube baby. Yes, it’s a science fiction concept that interests me not even a little. [...]
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Gibson’s Mighty F-5 Mandolin
When Gibson’s F-5 was introduced in mid 1922, it was part of the series of Style 5 “Master Models” consisting of the F-5 mandolin, H-5 mandola, K-5 mandocello, and the L-5 guitar. These instruments all featured a special oval-shaped Master Model label visible through the bass-side f hole, and a matching-shape signature label signed and [...]
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Rob Allen Mouse 30
30
Many bass players love that cool, jazzy upright bass tone, but don’t want to drag around a big, bulky upright or deal with having to mic it or mess around with a pickup system. The Rob Allen short-scale fretless Mouse bass offers solutions to all of those problems. The Mouse is a lightweight (about 51/2 [...]
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P.K. Dwyer
Doing something different
P.K. Dwyer didn’t take the normal route to the blues. It wasn’t until he was in his late 40s that his obsession started. “I was looking for a Jimmy Reed guitar, but couldn’t find one,” he recalls. “So I started carrying around one of his CDs because I figured showing a picture would be easier [...]
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Mark Hummel – Golden State Blues
A great album by a harp virtuoso sums this one up. Mark Hummel is part of that West Coast batch of guys who just have their pulse on the jump-blues and shuffles of another era. He’s a fabulous player; check out the first cut, “Beepin’ On Me,” a showcase for his big sound and killer [...]
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Susanna Hoffs
Yesterdays... And Today
The Bangles are back! After a 10-year separation, the band that rose to prominence in the 1980s with such hits as “Manic Monday” and “Walk Like an Egyptian” reunited in ’99 to record “Get the Girl” for the second Austin Powers film The Spy Who Shagged Me. A club tour followed in 2000 to test [...]
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Jeff Ray – The Walk-Up
Jeff Ray is pretty much an unknown, to me anyway, but his playing brings to mind a veteran of the music scene who feels comfortable with what’s out there, but still forges his own identity. From press materials and his website, I’ve been able to discern he grew up in Toledo, Ohio, and now lives [...]
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