Doc’s Juke Joint

Doc’s Juke Joint – Living Blues/Roots Report December 2011

www.Jazz901.org WGMC Greece, NY www.docsjukejoint.com

 

Etta James/The Dreamer/Verve

Big Pete/Choice Cuts/Delta Groove

Kilborn Alley/ Four/Blue Bella Records

The Duke Robillard Band/Low Down and Tore Up/Stony Plain Records

Maria Muldaur/Steady Love/Stony Plain

Paul Geremia/Love My Stuff/Red House Records

Omar/Blues Bag/Loophole Ent.

The Cash Box Kings/Holler and Stomp/Blind Pig Records

Dave Keller/Where I”m Coming From/Tastee Tone

Cornell Dupree/I’m Alright/Dial Tone Records

Fiona Boys/Blues For Hard Times/Vizztone

Sugar Ray & the Blues Tones/Evening/Severn Records

Julius Pittman/Live Tonight/EllerSoul

Steve Cropper/Dedicated : A Salute to The 5 Royales/429 Records

Carolyn Wonderland/Peace Meal/Bismeaux Records

Jimmy Burns Band/ Stuck In the Middle/VelRone Records

Ernest Roy/Going Down to Clarksdale/Independent

Mary Flower/Misery Loves Company/Yellow Dog Records

JC Brooks & the Uptown Sound/ /Want More/Bloodshot Records

Sharon Lewis & Texas Fire/The Real Deal/Delmark

Sandy Carroll/Just As I Am/Catfood Records

Billy Seward with His Memphis Brothers/Better Place/Soulfonic Records

Lisa Mills/Tempered in Fire/Independent

Sharrie Williams/Out of The Dark/Electro-Fi Records

David Maxwell & Otis Spann/Conversations in Blue/Vizztone

 

Also Playing and Reporting to Roots Report:

Toronzo Cannon/Leaving Mood/Delmark

Beverly McClellan/Fear Nothing/Junk Drawer Records

Bill Johnson/Still Blue/Independent

The Rolling Stones/Some Girls (Deluxe Edition) – New Re-release with 12 new tracks

The Soul Rebels/Unlock Your Mind/Rounder

Johnny Winter/Roots/Megaforce-SONY

Various Artists/ Warren Haynes Presents The Benefit Concert Vol. 4/Evil Teen

Various Artists/Leaflets Vol. II (2000-2006)/Blues Leaf Records

Jumpin’ Jack Benny/I’ll Be Alright/Boppin’ Records

Big Bill Broonzy/Four Classic Albums Plus/Avid Entertainment (Import)

SE Willis/Pass The Hat/Independent

The Andy Poxon Band/Hottest Thing In Town/Red Roots/EllerSoul

Various Artists/Vermont Artist for VT Relief/Malletts Bay Records

Dale Watson & The Texas Two/ The Sun Sessions/Red House Records

Hunter Wolfe & Are/ The Go/Independent

Josh Smith/I’m Gonna Be Ready/Crosscut Records

Ray Bonneville/Bad Man’s Blood/Red House Records

Wynton Marsalis & Eric Clapton/Play the Blues, Live at Lincoln Center/Sony

Yvonne Schmidt/Foolproof/Independent

Sunday Wilde/What Man!?? Oh That Man!!/Ontario Arts Council

Merle Haggard/Working In Tennessee/Vanguard

Ian Siegal and the Youngest Sons/The Skinnny/Nugene Records

Root Doctor/Joy/Independent

The Josh Garrett Band/String of Problems/Vision Wall

Mark T. Small/Blacks, Whites & the Blues/Lead Foot Music

Ray Bonneville/ Bad Man’s Blood/Red House Records

David GoGo/ Soul-Bender/Cordova Bay

Harrison Kennedy/Shame The Devil/Electro-Fi Records

Samantha Fish/Runaway/Ruf Records

Marquise Knox/Here I Am/APO Records

Dave Alvin/Eleven Eleven/Yep Roc

Lydia Loveless/Indestructible Machine/Bloodshot Records

Ana Popovic/Unconditional/Eclecto Groove

Eric Lindell/West Coast Drifter/M.C. Records

Omar Coleman/ West Side Wiggle/Honeybee Entertainment

Doc’s Juke Joint 7pm hour

Opening Theme: Little Walter/Juke/Best of /Chess

Howlin’ Wolf/Smokestack Lighnin’ (featuring Hubert Sumlin on Guitar, Hubert just passed away this past week.  1956 recording went to #11 on the Billboard R&B charts and was and is one of the most influential guitar riffs in blues rock history). /His Best/Chess

JC Brooks & the Uptown Sound/I Got High/Want More/Bloodshot Records **NEW

Sharon Lewis & Texas Fire/You Can’t Take My Life/The Real Deal/Delmark  **NEW

The Andy Poxon Band/Hottest Thing In Town/Red Roots/EllerSoul  **NEW

Sandy Carroll/Slow Kisses/Just As I Am/Catfood Records  **NEW

Toronzo Cannon/Earnstine/Leaving Mood/Delmark  **NEW

Beverly McClellan/Lyin’ To/Fear Nothing/Junk Drawer Records  *NEW

Billy Seward with His Memphis Brothers/Love For Money/Better Place/Soulfonic Records  *NEW

Lisa Mills/Keep on Smiling/Tempered in Fire/Independent **NEW

Jumpin’ Jack Benny/You Got Yours I Got Mine (Live)/I’ll Be Alright/Boppin’ Records   **NEW

SE Willis/I Called Your Name/Pass The Hat/Independent  *NEW

Bow Thayer/Good Time To Holler/Vermont Artist for VT Relief/Malletts Bay Records   ***NEW – all songs donated for Vermont Hurricane Irene /Red Cross

Sharrie Williams/What’s Wrong With You/Out of The Dark/Electro-Fi Records  **NEW

Mighty Mike Schermer featuring Howard Tate/Part Time Love/Right Hand Man Volume 1/Fine Dog Records  *RIP – Howard Tate who recently passed away.  One of the greatest soul/blues singers ever.  Run don’t walk to find this singers many music releases.

Albert King/Santa Claus Wants Some Lovin’/Christmas in Soulsville/Stax  * Next Week its the Doc’s Juke Joint – Christmas/Holiday Special – two hours of Christmas Blues!!!!!!!, Sunday December 18th,  7-9pm.

David Maxwell & Otis Spann/Cow Cow Boogie/Conversations in Blue/Vizztone featuring David Maxwell solo on piano

Janiva Magness/Stormy Blues/Leaflets Vol. II (2000-2006)/Blues Leaf Records

The Reverend Peyton’s Big Damn band/Mississippi Boweavil Blues/Peyton on Patton/Side One Dummy Records *tribute to Charie Patton

The Cash Box Kings/Off the Hook/Holler and Stomp/Blind Pig Records

Big Pete/Don’t Start Crying Now/Choice Cuts/Delta Groove

Sueann/It’s All The Same/Blues In My Sunshine/Another Level Records

Steve Grills/Blue Guitar/After Hours/Toogaloo Blues

Howlin’ Wolf/Killing Floor/His Best /Chess

Grayson Capps/Poison

Thank you for listening to Doc’s Juke Joint !  Next week it our Christmas Blues Special!

 

 

 

 

 

 

It is great to see that there are several blues societies in Upstate New York that not only bring in bands for occasional club shows but are also willing to take on the difficult task of planning and pulling off a full fledged blues festival. The Mohawk Valley Blues Society was founded in March of 2005. Since being founded they have put together two full one day blues festivals and also brought numerous high profile blues and zydeco acts to Upstate New York. Mohawk Valley Blues Festival I in 2007 featured: Sugar Blue, Jimmy Thackery, Roxanne Potvin & Carl Weathersby to name a few.

Year number two brought on another full slate of National Blues Acts. On August 2, 2009 the Mohawk Valley Blues Festival II was held at the Herkimer County Fairgrounds in Frankfort, NY. Opening the festival under cloudy skies was roots blues rocker Jeremy Wallace and his trio from Montclair, New Jersey. I would describe Jeremy as Teddy Morgan with a raspy voice. Jeremy after a quick amp change went straight to work on mainly original songs taken from his three releases. Wallace did reach into the Chess Blues vault with a nice and interesting version of the Willie Dixon classic, Back Door Man. Self billed on his website as “Americana with a Bite,” I really liked the guitar sound that Jeremy had to offer. Sometimes keeping it simple with just guitar, bass and drums can really give an original songwriter the ability to more easily tell his stories. Look for the Jeremy Wallace Trio touring mainly throughout the Northeast.

Guitarist Clarence Spady was up next on the main stage. Clarence is out promoting his new cd “Just Between Us” (Severn Records). With a last minute fill in bass player Clarence stuck to the standards. He opened with the Willie Dixon penned “Built for Comfort.” His second song was described as a song his dad used to play, Otis Rush’s standard “Some Many Roads.”  Clarence showed off his own Otis like riffs and then proceeded into Hendrix’s “Hey Joe.” Unfortunately by this time the rain started to fall harder then it did during Monsignor’s round in the movie Caddyshack. The weather made it unsafe and the Clarence Spady set had to come to a premature end.

After a good 20-30 minute break the sun came back out and so did the music. Saginaw, Michigan vocalist, Sharrie Williams was next on the main stage. Sharrie’s latest offering is “I’m Here To Stay” (Electro-Fi Records). Fresh off her performance at the Pocono Blues Festival the week before, the Wiseguys (Sharrie’s band) were laying down some tight blues grooves and gospel stomps. Sharrie’s live version of “I’m Here To Stay” revived the soaked crowd and put life back into the Mohawk Valley faithful. The long line of fans looking for CDs after her set told the story of how the crowd felt about her appearance. Besides Sharrie’s latest release I would also recommend these two releases by Sharrie Williams & The Wise Guys. Both releases are on CrossCut Records out of Germany, look for the studio release “Hard Drivin’ Woman” (2004) and the live disc “Live At Bay-Car Blues Festival” (2007).

Vocalist and harp player Darrell Nulisch kept up the consistency of fantastic blues acts booked for this festival. Darrell takes a very traditional blues approach and treats old classics with new life and respect. Darrell’s lastest cd is “Going Back To Dallas” (Severn Records). Darrell was backed by a great supporting band featuring his writing partner and bass player Steve Gomes. Nulisch knocked out classics by James “Thunderbird” Davis, Magic Sam, Sonny Boy Williamson and James Carr.

Magic Slim & The Teardrops were appropriately placed as the headliner for this great day of music. The “Real Deal” & “Tough As Nails” are two expressions that are often spoken when referring to this Chicago Blues Legend. Up in years, Magic Slim now mounts a stool for his entire set. He still straps on the Gibson Les Paul and turns up the volume. The old sounds of Magic Slim were still there, reminiscing back to the Zoo Bar Session days of some of the finest live blues ever put on cd. At times Slim struggled with the guitar, but his voice remained as strong as ever. A group of middle aged ladies danced up front and flirted with Slim as he rocked through a great set of Chicago Blues. One of the most over covered song of all time is probably Wilson Picket’s “Mustang Sally.”  When Magic Slim plays the Picket classic he makes it his own and knocks it down with his own guitar extras that will leave you and Steve Cropper smiling. He’s still Magic Slim and he’s still the reining king of Chicago Blues. Magic Slim & The Teardrops‘ latest release on Blind Pig Records, “Midnight Blues,” just shipped this week. Look for a review soon on this cd.

Besides the acts on the main stage the festival also featured some fine regional acts between sets. Featured on the regional stage was: Lomeo Brothers, Blueprints, Tom Towsley and Tas Cru & the Slow Happy Boys. Workshops by various artists and blues historians covered the history of the blues and in depth looks at blues guitar and harmonica playing. The workshops also included a drum circle and session on the diddly bow. Many happy attendees walked away with complementary harmonica’s and homemade diddly bows.

My hats off to the Mohawk Valley Blues Society on a quality blues festival and to their continued success in the years to come.