Monthly Archives: October 2009

Had fate and negligence not interfered, Jimi Hendrix would have turned 65 in 2008 – only five years older than Bruce Springsteen, four older than Carlos Santana, two older than John Fogerty, and 18 years younger than B.B. King, all of whom are still going strong. Though we can only assume Jimi would still have [...]

Dave Alvin is one of America’s best songwriters, and as such runs the risk of alienating casual fans when he does an album of covers. But then again, maybe not… The idea with his newest disc, West of the West, is to pay tribute to songwriters from the West Coast, where Alvin grew up. That [...]

With the addition of Chris Frame (Sun Volt) on guitar and Jen Gunderman (The Jayhawks) on keyboards, the Coal Men have gone from trio to quintet and their second full-length release, Beauty Is A Moment, reflects creative growth that shows no sign of letting up. Composer and guitarist Dave Coleman – who wrote or co-wrote [...]

Every song on this latest album by the Canadian quartet Sloan has a great hook; the simple “woo-oows” in “Witch’s Wand” are impossible to forget while “Down In the Basement” speaks like some of Dylan’s best ’60s rock. “All I Am is All You’re Not” is a driven pop tune with a guitar solo that’d [...]

31-year-old Jason Williams was born with a right arm that stopped a little below his elbow. Not many in that condition would pick guitar. But pick it up he did, and pick he does! When he was six he devised a way to affix a guitar pick to his abbreviated limb, taught himself to read [...]

Merely putting three great guitar players together doesn’t guarantee the results will qualify as music. All too often, ego, lack of chemistry, or merely inadequate rehearsal time results in a stiff, formulaic CD. Fortunately, this New Guitar Summit CD avoids these pitfalls. Jay Geils, Duke Robillard, and Gerry Beaudoin have a level of simpatico that [...]

A brilliant concept: 15 instrumental selections from the ever-evolving Canned Heat’s catalog, spanning – or more accurately, bookending – 29 years. The L.A.-based band was formed in 1966 by a core of blues scholars and 78 collectors whose self-titled 1967 debut revealed them as reverent but capable interpreters, injecting life into blues standards. Boogie With [...]

Best known to classic radio listeners for ’70s Southern rock hits like “Struttin’ My Stuff” and “Fooled Around And Fell In Love,” Elvin Bishop had already earned a reputation in the guitar community – specifically blues guitar, via his ’60s work with the pivotal Butterfield Blues Band, where he played alongside guitar icon Mike Bloomfield. [...]

Finding two never-released, hour-long concerts by Big Bill Broonzy from 1953 – Amsterdam Live Concerts 1953 – on Munich Records – is indeed like unearthing buried treasure. Broonzy was a towering figure in the blues world, literally and figuratively. Some reports put his height at 6’6″, and beyond his formidable talents as singer, songwriter, and [...]

The incomparable Redd Volkaert and “Mr. Honky-Tonk Piano” Earl Pole Ball (whose collective resume is a Who’s Who of musical greats that includes Johnny Cash, Merle Haggard and Buck Owens) join drummer Tom Lewis, bassman Kevin Smith, and composer/vocalist/guitarist Gary Claxton to turn their Sunday night jam band into something special. The album, recorded live [...]