Johnny Moeller and his buds in the Texas Headhunters gathered to jam a bit on “The Headhunters Theme,” from their self-titled album. Johnny is playing a Big Tex Strat, Ian Moore a Big Tex Tele, and Jesse Dayton an Epi ES-295. “We’re all playing old Danelectro amps,” Johnny says. “Jesse and I have DS-100 and Ian has a DS-50.” Catch our review of the album and interview with Johnny in the October issue. Read here.
They’re a cult band in the best sense – commanding a loyal following worldwide, defining success on their own terms, paying homage to their ’60s roots and influences without a wisp of nostalgia, and never quitting, whether they had a hit record or not. In their case, not.
They’re a wondrous live band, made for dancing, eschewing long guitar and drum solos. As with two dozen previous albums, this release features memorable, hook-filled compositions. Streng handles lead and rhythm roles authoritatively but without pretense – a crunchy riff, an on-the-money 15-second solo, or ripping through surf instrumental “The Hearse,” penned by Lee Hazlewood, sourced from the Astronauts.
Covers also include the Elton John-Bernie Taupin rocker, “Empty Sky,” featuring Streng’s melodic bends, and a fuzz-drenched take on Johnny Rivers’ “Love Me While You Can.” This is the ultimate party record. – Dan Forte
This article originally appeared in VG’s February 2025 issue. All copyrights are by the author and Vintage Guitar magazine. Unauthorized replication or use is strictly prohibited.
For the opener, Haynes and Trucks play a lilting duet of “Little Martha” in homage to Duane Allman. “One Way Out” is rife with Haynes’ raging slide, echoing Duane’s style like no one else on the planet. He takes the mic for vocals on “Good Morning Little School Girl,” a slow-burn blues demonstrating the differing guitar approaches, with him in the right channel, Trucks’ brilliance at left. Turning up the heat, “Hot ’Lanta” is the ABB’s thrilling instrumental, topped by climbing guitar harmonies.
Another treat is that three of Allman’s ’50s Les Pauls – the two ’bursts and ’57 goldtop – were loaned to Haynes and Trucks for this historic gig. Talk about tone. Today, the sole surviving original member is drummer Jaimoe, but this Beacon show captures their glorious finale with Gregg Allman’s voice and Hammond B3 organ. Long live the Allman Brothers Band. – PP
This article originally appeared in VG’s February 2025 issue. All copyrights are by the author and Vintage Guitar magazine. Unauthorized replication or use is strictly prohibited.
Edwards unleashes two fierce breaks on the bluesy “Can’t Be Wrong” and a delicate, amplified interlude on the ballad “California Sky.” Yoakam adds acoustic and amplified solos to “Every Night.” On the Carter Family’s “Keep on the Sunny Side,” which begins a cappella before exploding into a chugging, propulsive rocker, Yoakam’s driving amplified rhythm propels Edwards’ concise solo. Few artists achieve such consistently high quality on their albums – on Brighter Days, Yoakam does it yet again. – Rich Kienzle
This article originally appeared in VG’s February 2025 issue. All copyrights are by the author and Vintage Guitar magazine. Unauthorized replication or use is strictly prohibited.
Backed by an exceptional band, King and Vaughan were filmed at CHCH-TV in Hamilton, Ontario, on December 6, 1983. King was the seasoned blues icon, while Vaughan had only climbed aboard stardom’s rocket earlier in the year by playing on David Bowie’s Let’s Dance and his own debut, Texas Flood. King was going to decline this opportunity until he realized Vaughan was the “Little Stevie” he’d jammed with in Austin a decade earlier. This is primarily The Velvet Bulldozer’s showcase – hence his top billing – but a reverent Vaughan occasionally equals or upstages one of his biggest idols.
The top draws are three songs not included on the original audio release: Albert’s signature “Born Under a Bad Sign,” a 20-minute “Texas Flood,” and the 23-minute slow-burn jam “I’m Gonna Move to the Outskirts of Town.” Packed with exquisite tones (for example, the instrumental “Overall Junction”) and the masters’ various thumb and pick attacks, it’s truly essential for fans of King/SRV and electric blues guitar. – Bret Adams
This article originally appeared in VG’s February 2025 issue. All copyrights are by the author and Vintage Guitar magazine. Unauthorized replication or use is strictly prohibited.
Guitarist Paul Mehling was a member of Dan Hicks’ Acoustic Warriors and recorded with jazz/folk singer Barbara Dane. Across 35 years and 16 albums, his band has posed the rhetorical question, “What would Django do?” Previous efforts interpreted the repertoire of Reinhardt and violinist Stéphane Grappelli, as well as Lennon-McCartney and Claude Debussy. This offering features originals from Mehling, violinist Evan “Zeppo” Price (formerly of Turtle Island Quartet), rhythm guitarists Jordan Samuels and Nelson Hutchison, and Dexter Williams on upright bass and valve trombone.
The term “gadjo” refers to a person who is not Romani – an outsider – and these Americans may not have Gypsy ethnicity, but they capture the spirit. Mehling’s solos exhibit skill without resorting to speedy chops, evinced on the unpredictable “Manic Swing” and the sensitive “Blame It On The Asiago.” Most important, the HCSF transcends mere imitation and swings like crazy. – DF
This article originally appeared in VG’s February 2025 issue. All copyrights are by the author and Vintage Guitar magazine. Unauthorized replication or use is strictly prohibited.
Primarily an electric recording with mind-boggling guitar effects courtesy of Noy, the album also features Synowiec’s acoustic composition “Brothers.” With Noy on 12-string and Synowiec on nylon-string, it’s reminiscent of jazz-guitar collaborations from the ’70s. Feraud also whips out an inspired bass solo.
Synowiec’s “Big City” is pure funk fusion, yielding mesmerizing solos from both guitarists. “I Don’t Know” is classic Noy, with rugged riffing and effects-heavy B3 impersonations (his solo is fire). The band chills on Synowiec’s mellower “The Royal You.” Intensity is replaced by ethereal textures, space, and luxurious legato lines with just enough fire to captivate and blow minds. Synowiec’s effortless ascending scalar runs are a treat.
Recreational Substance is pure ear candy for guitar freaks; Noy and Synowiec are tops in their field, and the tunes aren’t just excuses for soloing. These guys can write. – OJ
This article originally appeared in VG’s February 2025 issue. All copyrights are by the author and Vintage Guitar magazine. Unauthorized replication or use is strictly prohibited.
If you argue the music lacks soul, you have to acknowledge they make up for it in their forward-thinking approach to guitar. Singer Delaney Bailey joins on the social media-friendly, dreamy pop ditty “Allergies.” Marcin performs excellent instrumental covers of “Smooth Operator” by Sade, “Nardis” by Bill Evans, and “Clair de Lune” by composer Claude Debussy.
Marcin plays with passion, grace, and fire in conjunction with a delicate touch that can turn on a dime. Tunes like “Cough Syrup” and his cover of Nirvana’s “Heart-Shaped Box” show a range of expression that includes beautifully quiet intimacy and fiery aggression. And while the Latin acoustic fusion of “Bite Your Nails” begs for a showdown with Al Di Meola, “Requiem” is a guitar homage to Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart. – Oscar Jordan
This article originally appeared in VG’s February 2025 issue. All copyrights are by the author and Vintage Guitar magazine. Unauthorized replication or use is strictly prohibited.
I heard blues records earlier than I can remember. My dad had Sonny Terry & Brownie McGhee albums, and a family friend had records by Lead Belly and Jesse Fuller. It was the Folk Boom of the mid/late ’50s, and blues was mixed in with commercial stuff like the Kingston Trio, so the acoustic, rural variety was termed “folk blues.” That even carried over to electric blues, like the American Folk Blues Festival tours of Europe in the ’60s and a raw, live Argo album called Folk Festival Of The Blues, featuring Muddy Waters, Howlin’ Wolf, Buddy Guy, and Sonny Boy Williamson – a far cry from folk.
My introduction to singer/guitarist John Hammond was on the Blues At Newport compilation recorded at the 1963 Newport Folk Festival in Rhode Island. The liner notes referred to the 20-year-old as a “fair-haired, pink-cheeked collegian,” but quickly credited him with learning his lessons well.
His self-titled debut LP was released that year, followed by groundbreaking electric-ensemble albums, featuring Billy Butler, Mike Bloomfield, Charlie Musselwhite, and members of The Band. But he returned to solo performance off and on, as on the previously unreleased/45-song You’re Doin’ Fine: Blues at the Boarding House, June 2 & 3, 1973.
Few performers of any style can summon the power that Hammond delivers all by himself. Rory Gallagher got the idea to use a hefty Sears Craftsman socket wrench for slide from him. Taking on Howlin’ Wolf and his band solo is no mean feat, but Hammond holds his own on “Wang Dang Doodle.” Unlike the easy swing of Muddy Waters’ recording of “I Can’t Be Satisfied,” Hammond’s herky-jerky take ups the intensity. Billy Boy Arnold’s “I Wish You Would” sounds like a whole band, but it’s just Hammond’s voice, guitar, harmonica, and foot.
Son of the famous record producer of the same name, the blues singer sometimes goes by John Paul Hammond or John Hammond, Jr. But with 40 albums under his belt, he escaped his dad’s shadow decades ago.
Courtesy of San Francisco underground stations KMPX and KSAN, I heard the then-unavailable homemade 1964 “Typewriter Tapes” of Janis Joplin backed by Jorma Kaukonen with his then-wife typing in the background – a fascinating window into their pre-Big Brother and Airplane days. Even more illuminating, Reno Road consists of Kaukonen’s early attempts at the Gary Davis style he learned from obscure legend Ian Buchanan. Taped by his lifelong bandmate, Jefferson Airplane and Hot Tuna bassist Jack Casady, its 23 tracks date to 1960, with 19-year-old Kaukonen showing almost as much facility as later served him as the prototypical psychedelic guitarist.
The repertoire mirrors Davis and contemporaries like Dave Van Ronk and Tom Paley – “Candy Man,” “Death Don’t Have No Mercy,” “That’ll Never Happen No More.” Jorma’s singing register is probably higher than he can reach now; happily, at 84 he’s still making great music. Hot Tuna’s electric tours have been retired, but he and Casady still hit the road acoustically. One can now wonder if a tape of their teen instrumental combo, the Triumphs, will surface someday. Meanwhile, Reno Road is an unexpected treat for fans of his various incarnations.
It’s easy to see why Jontavious Willis has received praise from Taj Mahal. Following Spectacular Class, produced by Keb’ Mo’ and nominated for a Grammy (Delbert McClinton took home the trophy), the singer/guitarist rolls on with West Georgia Blues. Its 15 originals demonstrate authority and versatility of the 28-year-old Georgia native. His slide shadowing the vocal on “Too Close To The Finishing Line” recalls Robert Johnson, and guitarist Jon Atkinson guests on “A Lift Is All I Need.” “Time Brings About A Change” is still and reflective, while “Jontavius’ West Georgia Grind” is a raucous instrumental featuring drums, piano, and distorted electric guitar – the kind of thing sure to get people up dancing at a juke joint.
At Austin’s recent East Side Kings Festival, I caught a set by Harrell “Young Rell” Davenport. Besides guitar, harmonica, and vocals, he impressed with his stage presence. By the time you read this, his debut album will hopefully be out. New artists like him and Willis provide assurance that the blues is in good hands.
Postscript
The first time I interviewed John Hammond was in ’79, for Frets magazine. He played a solo show in Santa Cruz, much like the Boarding House tapes. In tan shoes and a suit the color of vanilla ice cream, he looked so cool. We talked in the dressing room after the show until everyone was gone and the street was empty. I watched him walk to a parking lot that was empty except for his rented Cadillac. He put his steel-bodied National and Gibson flat-top in the trunk and drove off into the night. It struck me like what Robert Johnson might have done had he lived long enough – the modern equivalent of riding the blinds.
© 2024 Dan Forte; all rights reserved by the author.
This article originally appeared in VG’s February 2025 issue. All copyrights are by the author and Vintage Guitar magazine. Unauthorized replication or use is strictly prohibited.
With King and violinist Darian Thomas, “Harvest” is Yasmin’s upbeat concoction of arpeggios and melodies, accented by the fiddle. On “Hummingbird,” she accompanies Allison de Groot’s clawhammer banjo and Tatiana Hargreaves’ fiddle with fiery picking, quick as a hummingbird’s wings. A multi-instrumentalist herself, Yasmin plays guitar, banjo, bass, and West African calabash drum on “Sisters”; it’s purely enchanting. With singer O’Donovan and several percussionists, “Dawning” features serene voices without words, conjuring a place of bliss.
“Malamu” stands out as Williams grabs an electric guitar for crisp riffing and lead melodies over an acoustic groove with drums and alto sax, echoing the instrumental joy of the Flecktones. Given this track – and the rest of the very fine album – it’s easy to understand why the multi-instrumentalist is becoming such a respected guitar figure and music maker. Progressive-acoustic music, once the province of David Grisman, Michael Hedges, and Béla Fleck, is in good hands with Yasmin Williams. – Pete Prown
This article originally appeared in VG’s February 2025 issue. All copyrights are by the author and Vintage Guitar magazine. Unauthorized replication or use is strictly prohibited.