Valid proof of full vaccination or a negative COVID-19 test taken within 72 hours is REQUIRED for admittance to the following shows:

Dec 14 Watkins Family Hour
Dec 23 The Lovelies
Jan 8 Michael McDermott
Jan 14 Paul Cebar Tomorrow Sound
Feb 4 James McMurtry

Upcoming Shows

The Nielsen Trust featuring Rick Nielsen of Cheap Trick, Dan Hubbard

TomorrowDecember 9, 20218:00pm $30.00

Anthony Gomes

FridayDecember 10, 20218:00pm $20.00

The Appalachians, Bad Year, Fuzzy Surf

SaturdayDecember 11, 20218:00pm $15.00

Milwaukee's beloved rock act The Appalachians have ended officially ended their six-year hiatus returning to the Milwaukee music scene in 2020. While frontman Adam Sutkiewicz was in recovery after a major Cancer Surgery, he reached out to Ryan Claxton, Adam Plew, and former guitar Jake Wachal in hopes to reunite the group....

Recently Added Shows

Atomic Monica

FridayJanuary 28, 20228:00pm $10.00

Atomic Monica is a professionally trained jazz singer and has been performing music since age 6. She is the lead vocalist on CD releases "Coverage" by Uptown, "Broken Pieces" by MonicaBe and has contributed vocals to dozens of studio recordings. She has performed with jazz quartet Uptown 20+ years, The Justmann band 15+....

Alastair Greene

TuesdayFebruary 15, 20228:00pm $15.00

Material Reissue, Elephonic

SaturdayFebruary 19, 20228:00pm $20.00

Jorma Kaukonen

TuesdayMarch 1, 20228:00pm $35.00

The Steepwater Band

FridayMarch 11, 20228:00pm $15.00

Although The Steepwater Band got their start as devotees of delta blues, they have since been expanding on their influences taking on everything from psychedelia to Americana, and of course, rock and roll music. Formed in Chicago in 1998, the band's signature sound is at once a nod to earlier rock n' blues combined with a....

Oz Noy Trio featuring Dennis Chambers and Jimmy Haslip

SaturdayMarch 19, 20228:00pm $25.00

ProgJect

ThursdayApril 7, 20228:00pm $40.00

The Ultimate Prog Rock Musical Experience Performing the Classics and Epics of Genesis, Yes, ELP, King Crimson, Pink Floyd, Rush and more. ProgJect Features: Michael Sadler (Saga) - Lead Vocals, Keys, Bass & Percussion Ryo Okumoto (Spock's Beard, Asia, Phil Collins, Chris Squire) - Keys & Vocals Jason Bieler (The....

David Bromberg Quintet

FridayApril 8, 20228:00pm $35.00

Del Amitri

SaturdayApril 9, 20228:00pm $35.00

Seaside Zoo (Grateful Dead Tribute)

FridayApril 15, 20228:00pm $10.00

Seaside Zoo is a Madison, WI tribute to the Grateful Dead. We're comprised of longtime Madison musicians Jonas Pritzl, Tim and Sheryl Hall, and Rob Bloch (formerly of New Speedway Players) with the fresh new twist of Kyle O'Hara and Lucas Trilling (of The Bellybutton Club) and Zach Watson from Milwaukee. The communal....

Anais Mitchell

FridayApril 29, 20228:00pm $25.00

ANAÏS MITCHELL is a Vermont-based singer-songwriter, and the Tony and Grammy award-winning creator of the Broadway musical Hadestown for which she wrote the book, music and lyrics. She was named to TIME's prestigious TIME100 list in 2020, and her first book, Working on a Song -- The Lyrics of Hadestown was published by....

Metalachi

SaturdayMay 28, 2022$25.00

The World's First and Only Heavy Metal Mariachi Band It's no surprise that Metalachi are beloved by Billy Idol and Avenged Sevenfold's M. Shadows. Hailing from Los Angeles, the five band members started out as classically trained mariachi musicians. They're now the world's first and only heavy metal mariachi....

Pierre Bensusan

ThursdaySeptember 29, 20228:00pm $20.00

Alternative Concert Group Presents

Samantha Fish

SaturdayDecember 18, 20218:00pm $30.00

At The Rave, Milwaukee, WI.

Tickets on sale online.

Led Zeppelin 2

FridayJanuary 14, 20228:00pm

At The Rave, Milwaukee, WI.

Tickets on sale online, at the box office or by phone at 414-342-7283.

Dream Theater NEW DATE

SaturdayFebruary 19, 20227:30pm

At the Miller High Life Theatre, Milwaukee, WI.

Tickets on sale online or at the box office.

Shana Morrison and Jen Chapin, A Benefit for Wisconsin Parkinsons Association

FridayMarch 4, 20228:00pm $35.00

At The Grand, Oshkosh, WI.

Tickets on sale at thegrandoshkosh.org, 920-424-2350 or at The Grand box office Monday-Friday 11:30am-5:00pm, Saturday 11:00am-2:00pm.

Shana Morrison and Jen Chapin, A Benefit for Wisconsin Parkinsons Association

SaturdayMarch 5, 20228:00pm $35.00

At the Barrymore Theatre, Madison, WI.

Tickets on sale at barrymorelive.com, or by phone at 608-241-8633 (Mon-Fri noon-5pm).

Gaelic Storm

WednesdayMarch 9, 20227:30pm $27.75

At the UW-Stevens Point.

Tickets on sale online or at the box office.

Ginger Billy

ThursdayMarch 10, 20227:30pm $43.50

At the Pablo Center for the Arts, Eau Claire, WI.

Tickets on sale at pablocenter.org.

John Berry NEW DATE

FridayMarch 11, 20227:30pm $27.75

At the UW-Stevens Point.

Tickets on sale online or at the box office.

Ginger Billy

FridayMarch 11, 20228:00pm $45 / $35

At the Barrymore Theatre, Madison, WI.

Tickets on sale at barrymorelive.com, or by phone at 608-241-8633 (Mon-Fri noon-5pm).

Gaelic Storm

SaturdayMarch 12, 20227:30pm $42 / $32

At the Pablo Center for the Arts, Eau Claire, WI.

Tickets on sale at pablocenter.org.

John Berry

SaturdayMarch 12, 20227:30pm $43.00

At the Pablo Center for the Arts, Eau Claire, WI.

Tickets on sale at pablocenter.org.

Bruce Cockburn

SaturdayMarch 12, 20228:00pm $35

At the Barrymore Theatre, Madison, WI.

Tickets on sale at barrymorelive.com, or by phone at 608-241-8633 (Mon-Fri noon-5pm).

Ginger Billy

SundayMarch 13, 20227:00pm $47 / $37

At Meyer Theatre, Green Bay, WI

Tickets on sale online, the Resch Center box office, or by calling 800-895-0071.

Gaelic Storm

WednesdayMarch 16, 20227:30pm $40.00

At The Grand, Oshkosh, WI.

Tickets on sale at thegrandoshkosh.org, 920-424-2350 or at The Grand box office Monday-Friday 11:30am-5:00pm, Saturday 11:00am-2:00pm.

Steven Wright

FridayApril 1, 20228:00pm $45 / $38

At South Milwaukee Performing Arts Center, Milwaukee, WI.

Tickets on sale online, at the South Milwaukee Performing Arts Center box office or by phone at 414-766-5049.

Steven Wright

SaturdayApril 2, 20228:00pm $50 / $40

At the Barrymore Theatre, Madison, WI.

Tickets on sale at barrymorelive.com, or by phone at 608-241-8633 (Mon-Fri noon-5pm).

Jesse Cook Tempest II Tour

SaturdayApril 2, 20228:00pm

At South Milwaukee Performing Arts Center, Milwaukee, WI.

Tickets on sale online, at the South Milwaukee Performing Arts Center box office or by phone at 414-766-5049.

Gordon Lightfoot

TuesdayJune 14, 20228:00pm $65 / $55

At Meyer Theatre, Green Bay, WI

Tickets on sale Resch Center box office, or by calling 800-895-0071.

Gordon Lightfoot

WednesdayJune 15, 20228:00pm $68 / $58 / $48

At the The Grand Theater, Wausau, WI.

Tickets on sale at grandtheater.org or at The Grand Theater box office.

Gordon Lightfoot

SundayJune 19, 20228:00pm $67 / $57

At the Capitol Civic Centre, Manitowoc, WI.

Tickets on sale online, at the box office or by calling 920-683-2184.

KICK - The INXS Experience

FridaySeptember 23, 20228:00pm $20 advance / $25 door

At the Barrymore Theatre, Madison, WI.

Tickets on sale at barrymorelive.com, or by phone at 608-241-8633 (Mon-Fri noon-5pm).

Quick Calendar

The Nielsen Trust - a Midwest musical legacy of memories, dreams and nightmares. The Nielsen Trust promises an intimate look at the life and songs of a family that isn't completely f#*ked up. A very special evening of songs and stories from the uniquely colorful world of growing up Nielsen. Not the American Osbournes.

"Hey, have you heard about that rockin' new family band, the Nielsen Trust?"

"The Nelson Trust? You mean like Ozzie and Harriet? Ricky? They're not what I
would call rockin'."

"Rick, yes, but not Nelson, Nielsen. Rick Nielsen, y'know, the guy from Cheap Trick? He and two of his sons have formed a side band. It's gonna be cool! Like the Griswolds on acid."

"Wait, doesn't Cheap Trick tour all the time? And isn't Daxx Nielsen their drummer? And doesn't Miles Nielsen have a band of his own? And isn't Miles'wife Kelly a singer and songwriter as well? How will they find the time?"

True, true, true and true. But that's not enough to slow the hyper-musical Nielsen family. The Nielsen Trust, established 2019, connects the family's generations -- a sign of trust -- for very special evenings of songs and stories from the uniquely colorful world of growing up Nielsen.

Rick promises "a Midwest musical legacy -- memories, dreams and nightmares"and notes, ominously, "The Nielsens are not your warm, fuzzy and cuddly musical group. We're not the American Osbournes."Or, as Miles puts it, "a way to experience music and stories between a father and his family, an intimate look at the life and songs of a family that isn't completely f#*ked up."

The back story: Miles and Daxx started off playing together in Harmony Riley, a Midwest quintet which released albums in 1999 and 2002. Then Daxx went off to drum for surf legend Dick Dale, Brandi Carlile and others. He got the "you are needed" call from Cheap Trick in 2010.

Big brother Miles played bass for Cory Chisel and the Wandering Sons and then launched his solo career with the Rusted Hearts. His fourth album, Ohbahoy, has just been released, and that's not counting the EP, Weep & Willow, he and his wife Kelly Steward issued in 2016. She has a new album, Tales and Tributes of the Deserving and Not So, as well. Rick, well, he's been playing a hundred-plus Cheap Trick shows a year all over the world, while writing and recording non-stop. So, with characteristic Midwest industry (and the encouragement of wife and mom Karen Nielsen), the four are testing family bonds by adding another musical project to their busy lives.

Actually, Daxx says, music has the power to intensify family ties. "Miles and I played in a band together for years and built an amazing chemistry. Rick and I have now played together for years and have also formed a great bond. When the three of us are all together it's going to be incredible."

With Miles out front as singer and storyteller, they're working up lesser-known songs from Rick's enormous Cheap Trick catalogue, adding some Miles and Kelly originals, choice covers and, who knows?, maybe writing some new tunes together. Asked for some titles, Miles says they're thinking about such Trick tunes as "Can't Hold On," "Didn't Know I Had It," "Fan Club" and "On Top of the World."

The goal, Miles says, is to play a dozen shows a year, accentuate the rock side ("dynamic and delicate") more than he normally does and give the family legend a chance to play in a band that he doesn't have to lead. Miles and Kelly will bring their three teenagers along to ensure that the binding of generations and the handing down of traditions continues for a long time to come. For the fans, the shows offer an intimate connection, an invitation to the Nielsen world, which may be rock star glamorous from the outside, but inside the checkerboard there's a family just like yours and mine. Well, maybe not just like...

Rick once had the fretboard of a red Les Paul Jr. inlaid with the words "You know you like it." That didn't sound too trustworthy a sentiment. But this time, with the Nielsen Trust, you know he means it.

Anthony Gomes, #1 Billboard Blues Artist, is a triple threat force as a guitarist, vocalist and songwriter. Blues Revue Magazine recently declared that, "Gomes' formidable guitar chops and authentic singing place him in the forefront of modern blues." This, along with his high-energy shows and dynamic stage presence, make him one of the top draws on the Rock/Blues circuit today. Gomes has headlined concerts in 17 countries and has had the honor of sharing the stage with B.B. King, Buddy Guy, Robert Plant, Joe Bonamassa, Heart, Jonny Lang and Kenny Wayne Shepherd.

Word of Gomes' electrifying performances has reached Eric Clapton, Morgan Freeman, John Goodman, Toby Keith, Jonny Lang, Ron White and Vince Vaughn who have all attended Gomes' concerts. After experiencing Gomes live, John Goodman referred to him as "a pure soul brother" and comedian Ron White declared his official endorsement of Anthony Gomes. Perhaps the greatest complement was offered by Morgan Freeman who jokingly professed that Anthony was, "not bad for a white boy."

In addition to performing, Gomes is an award winning blues history scholar, earning the University of Toronto's C.P. Stacey Award for the highest overall academic grade point average by a history major. Anthony completed his master's degree thesis on the racial and cultural evolution of blues music, graduating with high distinction.

Believing that music can inspire the human spirit, Anthony founded the Music Is The Medicine Foundation in 2010. This non-profit organization is dedicated to changing the lives of others through the healing power of music. Through private donations and winning sizable grants from State Farm Insurance and CVS Pharmacy, the foundation has funded songwriting scholarships, offered music education programs, and donated musical instruments to those in need.

Born in Toronto, Canada to a Portuguese father and a French-Canadian mother, Gomes began playing guitar in his early teens and was drawn to the blues sounds of B.B. King, Buddy Guy, Eric Clapton and Jimi Hendrix.

He relocated to Chicago in the late '90s to learn from the blues masters. During his brief stint as a sideman for Magic Slim and the Teardrops, Gomes put together his own group and won the first annual Buddy Guy's Legends "Best Unsigned Blues Band" competition in 1998. Later that year, Gomes released his debut CD, Blues in Technicolor, which introduced him as a guitar-slinger loaded with impressive firepower.

On 2002's Unity, he accomplished the album's title with a heavy mix of styles leading Bandit Blues Radio to name it one of the "Top 30 Essential Blues CDs" of all time. Gomes was elevated to the top of the blues field just one year later when BluesWax Magazine named him "Artist of the Year," an award he would claim for several years in a row due to his endless commitment and touring. Music Is the Medicine (2006) peaked at number four on the Billboard Top Blues Albums chart, only to be outdone by LIVE (2008) debuting at number one. In 2012, Gomes received critical acclaim for his release of Up 2 Zero. The album was named the "Best Blues CD of 2012" by A1 Blues.com and the Blues Underground Network voted the album "Best Blues Rock CD of 2012." The accolades continued in 2013 with the release of Gomes' gusty acoustic album ...Before The Beginning. Blues 411 honored the release with the "Jimi Award" for best Blues/Rock CD of 2013 and it continues to make many "Best Albums of the Year" lists.

Gomes shows no signs of slowing down. 2015 will see the release of Electric Field Holler, a guitar driven blues infused rock 'n' roll album that showcases Gomes' blistering six string work and whiskey soaked voice. "I feel like this will be our pinnacle year in terms of creativity and artistic achievement," says Gomes, "it's time to turn it up."

Returning to the studio as Watkins Family Hour, Sean and Sara Watkins consider brother sister a duo-centric record -- yet one that feels bigger than just two people. With Sean primarily on guitar and Sara on fiddle, and with both of them sharing vocals, the siblings enlisted producer Mike Viola (Jenny Lewis, Mandy Moore, J.S. Ondara) and mixer-engineer Clay Blair to harness the energy and honesty of their live sound.

"From the beginning, our goal was to work on these songs to be as strong as they could be, just the two of us," Sara explains. "And with a few exceptions on the record, that's really how things were. It was a tight little group of us, working dense days where we could squeeze them in.

Sean (who is four years older than Sara) adds, "Because of the limited amount of time we had collectively to spend in the studio, there was a general sense of urgency, which I think the three of us (Sara, Mike and I) kinda strive for on these days. We didn't have that much time and that made it fun and exciting. It was just us, in one room, facing each other with some really great mics, often playing and singing at the same time, trying to capture what Sara and I do in a real way."

For the first time, the Los Angeles-based siblings carved out time to write with each other, often during the naptime of Sara's toddler. They took early versions of the new songs to Viola, who instinctively rearranged some of the song structures in an effort to draw attention to interesting lyrics or surprising arrangements.

"Mike brings a diverse musical-history to his production work," Sean says. "He's worked with a lot of people [from The Figgs to Fall Out Boy] that surpass just bluegrass or folk, but his sense of the songwriting craft and melody is right in line with us. He was bringing ideas that we would have never had, and vice versa."

As Watkins Family Hour's first project since a self-titled debut album in 2015, brother sister begins with "The Cure," which Sean was inspired to write after watching Tidying Up With Marie Kondo. The concept of throwing things away is evident in the lyrics; there's also a sense of knowing that you're in an unhealthy relationship, but still choosing to avoid fixing it.

"Part of the fun of being a songwriter is being able to write about something that started from an image and then transcends that image to speak to something greater," Sara observes.

Sara chose the beautiful "Neighborhood Name" after hearing it on a record by Courtney Hartman and Taylor Ashton, while "Just Another Reason" is an original that Sean describes as having "a vague, nebulous vibe" lingering below the surface. In contrast, the instrumental "Snow Tunnel" is like an epiphany, titled after Sean's memory of driving through Zion National Park, emerging from the darkness of a loud tunnel into a peaceful panorama of snow.

Moving from one landscape to the next -- literally and musically -- is nothing new to Sean and Sara Watkins, who have performed separately and together for nearly their whole lives. Growing up near San Diego, they played countless shows at a local pizza place in Carlsbad, California, with their childhood friend, Chris Thile. As young adults, those three musicians broke out nationally as Nickel Creek, an acoustic ensemble that sold millions of albums, won a Grammy, and toured the world.

Encouraged by a local club owner in Los Angeles, Sean and Sara formed Watkins Family Hour in 2002 as an outlet to try out some original songs and a few covers that wouldn't work in Nickel Creek. That club, Largo, has since become the home base for Watkins Family Hour, whose shows frequently pair musicians who seem to have little in common, yet find a shared language in their music.

With Nickel Creek on hiatus, Sean and Sara released multiple solo albums and pursued other collaborations, most recently with Sara's involvement in I'm With Her. However, the siblings gravitated toward the idea of another Watkins Family Hour album after realizing that their calendars afforded them a rare opportunity to write, record, and tour together.

Their musical chemistry is clear on songs like "Lafayette," an ode to Hollywood as well as the hometowns left behind by its aspiring stars; "Fake Badge, Real Gun," about confronting authority figures as well as your own beliefs; "Miles of Desert Sand," whose haunting coda underscores the vivid imagery of immigration; and "Bella and Ivan," a playful instrumental named for a friend's two dogs who love to wrestle.

Two choice covers complete brother sister. Warren Zevon's poignant "Accidentally Like a Martyr," which they unearthed for a tribute show, conveys all the complicated facets of love, and "Keep It Clean," the rabble-rousing Charley Jordan gem from the '30s, serves as a grand finale, with David Garza, Gaby Moreno, and John C. Reilly all chiming in on vocals.

"That's just fun to sing," Sean says. "Going into this record, we wanted to focus on the duo-centric thing, but this was a chance to lean into the group aspect, and have some of the people that have been a part of the Family Hour but weren't on the first record that we made years ago."

However, brother sister remains exactly that -- the result of a brother and sister creating music.

"It felt really good to dig into the potential of two people," Sara says. "There are a few songs on the record where Matt Chamberlain comes in to play drums, and we filled in the low end in a few cases with Mike Viola playing MOOG or piano, but the primary goal of this record became to see what we could do when it is just the two of us. The arrangements and the writing were all focused on that. Listening now, I'm really proud of what we did. These are songs that would not have come out of either one of us individually, and it feels like a band sound, like this is what we do, the two of us."

The third album from Maggie Rose, Have a Seat is the work of a phenomenally gifted artist showing the full extent of her power. After years of honing her chops and making her name as a force-of-nature vocalist, the Nashville-based singer/songwriter has dreamed up her own unbridled collision of rock-and-roll, soul, folk, funk, and R&B: a fittingly eclectic sound for a musician whose live experience includes opening for Heart and Joan Jett & the Blackhearts, touring as direct support for Kelly Clarkson, and sharing the Cayamo Cruise bill with Emmylou Harris and Jason Isbell--all in 2019 alone. Centered on the stunning vocal command she's revealed in taking the stage at The Grand Ole Opry over 80 times, Have a Seat finds Rose approaching her music with more confidence and clarity of vision than ever, ultimately sharing a selection of songs both timeless and urgent.

Produced by Ben Tanner of Alabama Shakes, Have a Seat came to life at the iconic FAME Studios in Muscle Shoals, AL. In a series of pre-pandemic sessions, Rose recorded live with a lineup of heavy-hitters that includes bassist David Hood of the Swampers (the group of session musicians who played on records from legends like Aretha Franklin and Etta James) and guitarist Will McFarlane (Bonnie Raitt, Levon Helm), along with her longtime bandmates/collaborators Larry Florman (background vocals/percussion), Alex Haddad (guitars), and Sarah Tomek (drums) of Them Vibes. Also featuring an esteemed string section and swampy horn ensemble--in a way that's never been so integral to Rose's sonic aesthetic--Have a Seat continues the free-flowing musical exploration she first began on her powerhouse 2018 album Change the Whole Thing. "I had the idea of recording at FAME in the back of my mind throughout the entire writing process for this project," says Rose, who first visited the studio upon performing as part of the Muscle Shoals to Music Row program in late 2018. "I took a lot of inspiration from the Aretha Franklin and Wilson Pickett records that came out of that very room, playing up my R&B sensibilities more than ever and really tapping into my soul and its connection to this music."

Like any great soul singer, Rose beautifully captures the tensions of the current moment, gently presenting her pensive social commentary while providing much-needed reprieve from the everyday chaos. "These songs were written during a contentious time, and there are undertones to the lyrics that are influenced by the state of our world politics and the politics of the music industry," she says. "The title Have a Seat is responsorial, placing an emphasis on inclusivity--like, 'Here, sit down. Let's try talking to each other.' One of the most loving things we can do is listen and make others feel heard--give people the space to speak their mind and be themselves. However, there's also an intended meaning to the title that points to the power in occupying the seat that's designated to you: I am claiming a seat I believe is rightfully mine, and I want others to do the same."

One of the lead singles to Have a Seat, "For Your Consideration" arrives as a full-hearted plea for understanding and compassion, its smoldering verse and stormy chorus brilliantly mimicking the back-and-forth of a heated argument. "When I wrote that song I'd just been in L.A. and seen all the billboards on Sunset for some awards show that was about to happen," says Rose. "I decided to repurpose the phrase 'For Your Consideration' to make it about the aftermath of a fight, where the people are so caught up in saying what they want to say that they never actually listen to each other."

The slow-burning opening track to Have a Seat, "What Are We Fighting For" offers a gorgeous introduction to the album's message of loving solidarity, its power intensified by Rose's tender yet mighty vocals and the soul-soothing harmonies of Karita Law and Shanay Johnson (a duo known for their work with Brittany Howard and Emily King). On "Do It," Rose veers into a brighter mood, bringing fiery horns and breezy rhythms to a personal mission statement she sums up as "doubling down on being an individual." With its ethereal textures and hypnotic guitar tones, "Saint" unfolds as a delicate refusal to succumb to the expectations of others. ("That song's about admitting to not being perfect and being okay with that," says Rose. "It's something we should stop expecting of women--because women are many things, and saintly is not a requirement.") And on tracks like "Are We There Yet"--a crystalline piece of symphonic pop graced with lush and luminous string work--Rose ventures into unsparing self-reflection. "'Are We There Yet' is a song about the way we all torture ourselves with our ambitions," she says. "Instead of always thinking about the next thing I want to go out and get, I'm trying to just focus on enjoying what I already have--which is really pretty great."

With its standouts also including "What Makes You Tick" (a gloriously funky track co-written with and featuring blues guitarist and Grammy nominee Marcus King), Have a Seat finds Rose boldly elevating her songwriting and sound while reclaiming the joyful freedom of her early years. Growing up in Maryland, she cut her teeth sneaking into nearby bars to sing with a Bruce Springsteen cover band at the age of 16, then moved to Nashville several years later after being discovered as a potential breakout country star. Although she soon achieved major success on Music Row and earned acclaim from the likes of the New York Times--who hailed her as a "sturdy heartbreaker...full of astute, aggrieved songwriting...and attitude that even in the post-Miranda Lambert era feels knifelike"--Rose grew increasingly restless within the confines of country. After expanding her musical palette on Change the Whole Thing, she found herself embraced by luminaries in the rock and pop and Americana worlds, and even became massively beloved by the jam-band community (thanks in no small part to her exhilarating performance at the Peach Music Festival in 2019). Quickly gaining recognition as a fiercely independent artist, she was eventually tapped by Osiris Media to create "Salute the Songbird with Maggie Rose": a weekly podcast based on candid conversations between Rose and her favorite female trailblazers in music, including Martina McBride and Go-Go's bassist Kathy Valentine.

For Rose, the charmed experience of recording in Muscle Shoals has catalyzed the start of a thrilling new era in her musical evolution. "Working with musicians of that caliber and knowing they were giving my music so much attention definitely made me thrive," she says. "I felt so safe going deep into the emotional places within the songs, and I think you can feel that love and camaraderie when you listen to the record." At the same time, Have a Seat is undeniably the sound of an artist fully coming into her own, without concession or compromise. "I've worked in this industry for over a decade, and I feel like I've finally carved out a lane that's genre-bending and all my own," she says. "I had to really fight to find that space for myself, and this record is my way of staking my claim."

Greg Koch and the Koch-Marshall Trio consist of American guitarist Greg Koch, his son Dylan Koch on drums and Hammond B3 specialist Toby Lee Marshall. At the heart of this organ trio is a blues sensibility - but Koch's compositions are an amalgam of rock, funk, jazz and country served up with heavy grooves and dynamic improvisations delivered with no small dose of humor and occasional wild abandon.

Milwaukee native Greg Koch has forged a successful career as a guitar player's guitarist. He has been called "fiendishly talented" by author and former editor- in-chief of Guitar Player Magazine Tom Wheeler and "scary good" by guitar phenom Joe Bonamassa. In addition to his 15 releases on multiple record labels which feature his unique take on a variety of American guitar styles and his versatile compositions, Koch is widely known for his lengthy tenure as an international ambassador for Fender Guitars which listed him in their "Top Ten Unsung Guitarists" onÂ Fender.com.Â He is also a best-selling author and video instructor for music publisher Hal Leonard. Greg is a contributing columnist for a variety of guitar magazines including Guitar Player Magazine which listed Greg's "Chief's Blues" in their "40 Badass Blues Solos You Must Hear" and Premier Guitar. For the last few years Greg is renowned for his wildly popular internet videos (which number in the thousands with views exceeding 50 million) originating from the legendary Colorado guitar shop Wildwood Guitars.

Dylan Koch gravitated to the drums early on in his life using kitchen utensils to play along with music as soon as he could walk. After digesting an early diet of Ginger Baker, Keith Moon, Mitch Mitchell and John Bonham, Dylan was mentored by the legendary Tom Brechtlein (Chick Corea/Robben Ford). In high school Dylan participated in the Jazz Institute at the Wisconsin Conservatory of Music and furthered his studies at the McNally Smith School of Music in the Twin Cities. While still in his teens he performed with young guitar guns Tallan Noble Latz and Jared James Nichols and has performed alongside his father with such artists as Robben Ford, Little Feat's Paul Barrere, Jon Cleary, David Grissom, Roscoe Beck and Malford Milligan. Dylan was recently nominated for drummer of the year by the Wisconsin Area Music Awards (WAMI). â€‹

Toby Lee Marshall's screaming B3 is the perfect compliment to the musical stew that is the Koch songbook. Hailing from the Twin Cities area he came from a musical family, playing piano for years until falling under the spell of the sound of the organ while at a baseball game at age seven. His fascination for the Hammond B3 took hold after his Dad took him to see Steve Cherewan playing with Dr. Mambo's Combo at their legendary residency at Bunker's in Minneapolis. Steve mentored Toby in the ways of the B3 and he hit the ground running landing a gig with bluesman Lonnie Brooks while still a teen. He would go on to travel the world as a member of Bernard Allison's band. After taking a hiatus to spend some family time, Toby is returning to music with a vehemence and the Koch-Marshall format gives him a long leash to let his freak flag fly, providing groovy bass lines, sinuous chordal work and incendiary solos.

The trio blends the explosive guitar manipulations of Greg, the groove-centric, power-pocket playing of his son Dylan on drums (who share many telepathic musical moments) and the glorious, Hammond organ stylings of the uber-talented Toby Marshall, Gregâ€™s compositions are properly portrayed in the blues drenched, funk, chicken-fried, gospelly, jazz-rock panorama in which they were conceived.

Duke Tumatoe, born William "Bill" Severen Fiorio in 1947, is an American blues guitarist, vocalist and songwriter. He has gigged with Muddy Waters, Bo Diddley, B.B. King, Willie Dixon, Buddy Guy, John Fogerty and George Thorogood. He was a founding member of arena-rock giants REO Speedwagon. He has released fifteen albums as the bandleader of Duke Tumatoe & The All-Star Frogs and Duke Tumatoe & The Power Trio. His 1988 live album I Like My Job was produced by John Fogerty. He typically plays more than 100 dates per year.

Duke Tumatoe was born in June 1947 in Chicago. His father was a first-generation Italian whose family hailed from San Bonifacio, Italy, a northern Italian town outside Verona. He grew up in Beverly, a neighborhood on the Southwest side of Chicago.

The South Side of Chicago was also the birthplace of urban, electric blues, which was a huge influence on Tumatoe. As a teen, he often visited the legendary market at Maxwell Street to hear live blues. He says, "I first saw Muddy Waters when I was 13. We were hearing that stuff all the time and just assumed everybody was, too. I knew all the old guys, and I'd see them every day. I can't believe I took that for granted."

He learned to play drums at age 14 and guitar a year after that

In 1965, Tumatoe enrolled in college at the University of Illinois at Champaign-Urbana and founded a short-lived band called Lothar & The Handpeople. This band was named by CBS News Correspondent and Emmy Award winner Bill Geist, a classmate of Tumatoe's.

In 1967, while living in Champaign, Illinois, Tumatoe was an original member of early REO Speedwagon, alongside Neal Doughty and Alan Gratzer. The band started as a soul band, inspired by Otis Redding, Sam and Dave and The Doors. In 1969, the band decided to take a more straightforward rock and roll approach, so Tumatoe, who wanted to play blues music, left the group to pursue his own musical endeavors. Tumatoe says, "It became more and more obvious that we weren't meant to play together...They're really hard-working people. I have nothing but good things to say about them."

In 1969, Tumatoe founded Duke Tumatoe & The All-Star Frogs. The band featured guitar, bass, drums and keyboards. They toured for thirteen years and released three albums. The All-Star Frogs featured keyboardist James Mitchell Hill, whose playing has been compared to Booker T. Jones. Hill continues to play with Tumatoe through the present day.

In 1983, Tumatoe disbanded The All-Star Frogs. He had moved to Indianapolis and was looking to form a group closer to his new home. The new group consisted of guitar, bass, drums and keys, though certain lineup changes featured two guitarists and no keys. The Power Trio performed an average of 200 dates per year. They have released twelve albums to date.

In 1987, John Fogerty of Creedence Clearwater Revival undertook his own ethnomusicologist mission by traveling through the South and Midwest to discover regional acts that couldn't be heard on the radio. While passing through Mishawaka, Indiana, Fogerty heard a radio advertisement for Duke Tumatoe, whose name caught his attention. He attended the show that evening and was so impressed that he returned to the club on four consecutive evenings to see more.

"The first time I heard Duke it gave me chills," said Fogerty. "I hadn't experienced energy like that in a long time. It was like walking in on Jimmy Swaggart in his heyday. Everybody in the audience was shouting and screaming and having a good time. I mean the crowd was just eating out of this guy's hand. Immediately the light went on in my head--somebody ought to record these guys."

For the first time, Fogerty decided to try his hand as a record producer. He played a cassette of a live recording of Duke to Warner Bros. Records President Lenny Waronker and got the go-ahead to begin recording what would become the 1988 live album, I Like My Job. Determined to capture the live energy of the band, Fogerty assembled over 24 hours of live recordings before beginning the mixing process. Fogerty and engineer Alan Johnson spent three focused months mixing the record.

Of the mixing process, Fogerty said, "I'd take a piece of a song from one night and add pieces from other nights...a bridge here, a chorus there. I was looking to get as close to that feeling I had when I first saw him. At the same time, it was important to me that I didn't mess with the material itself. Duke is a great songwriter, and great song interpreter. I really wasn't able to tell which tunes were originals and which were covers and that's the way I liked it. This is his music, played his way. I just sort of assembled the best moments." Capturing Tumatoe's crowd interaction was a prominent concern. "That interaction was vital. Which is why you get a lot of call and response on the record. Duke is a very quick guy. And very funny. He knows how to work a crowd and it was my hope that the energy would come across on record."

Shortly after moving to Indianapolis in 1980, Tumatoe befriended Tom Griswold of "The Bob & Tom Show," a nationally-syndicated radio program that fuses comedy and music. In 1985, Tumatoe was looking for a way to promote a local blues club called Uncle Slugs, and Griswold suggested he write a song about the city's new NFL team, the Indianapolis Colts, which had formerly been the Baltimore Colts. The result was the tongue-in-cheek "Lord Help Our Colts," a catchy twelve-bar blues jingle with a static chorus and verses that could easily be updated to recap each game. "I, of course, wrote the song in a form that I thought if necessary, I could easily update, which turned out to be a real good thing, a smart move," says Tumatoe. To date, he has sung more than 800 versions over the past thirty years.

Tumatoe performed the songs weekly on air, and though they were a hit with fans, some of the players and coaches took umbrage to his lyrics, especially when Tumatoe couldn't resist taking a dig. On a few different occasions, Tumatoe barely avoided physical altercations initiated by drunken quarterbacks or angry coaches. Says Tumatoe, "I think people miss a basic thing about the blues, and I don't understand why they don't get it. Blues is a light-hearted music. They're stories that make fun of what goes on in your life. Don't get me wrong, I'm a football fan. I enjoy these games. I watch them all. But the premise of all these guys getting millions and millions of dollars to play a kids' game is in and of itself not serious. It's a cause to celebrate when they're winning, but it really doesn't affect your life other than it's nice when your team is doing well. And these guys are getting millions of dollars, and these guys are bitching about it when you criticize their performance? I didn't really criticize their performance. I just made it rhyme."

Tumatoe is a self-taught guitarist who learned to play by watching Chicago's blues legends. His guitar playing has been described as "B.B. King played through Jimi Hendrix (with a touch of Andy Gill)."

Tumatoe's songs are noted for their humor, something he explains as, "There are two elements of the blues. There's the general intensity of the music...and an element of humor, some twist in the lyrics. It's like a comedian turning something sad into something funny."

Michael McDermott burst onto the scene in his early 20s with his exceptional debut, 620 W. Surf and subsequently found himself touted as Rock's 'Next Big Thing'. MTV, Rolling Stone, The New York Times and even author, Stephen King added their appreciative nods and having the backing of Giant Records and prestigious producers like, Brian Koppelman and Don Gehman, seemed to go a long way towards assuring his success - overnight success.

The missteps and failures that followed, the collapse of an industry that once embraced him as its next sensation, are troubles and travails that either ruin a person completely, or they force a change of attitude and staunch determination to gather one's resolve to not only survive, but overcome. McDermott vowed to do both. Ten albums in, it's resulted in Willow Springs (Pauper Sky, June 17, 2016), one of the most honest, daring and defiant recordings of McDermott's career. Named for the small town where he now resides with his wife and young daughter, it reflects a certain circumspect about his life, the situations he's encountered, while realizing that ultimately, his fate resided in his own hands.

"This is an album of reckoning I suppose," McDermott reflects. "There was a real cacophony of change going on in my life at the time... being a new father, losing my own father, leaving the city for the country, dealing with sobriety, grief, death, mortality, shame and forgiveness. It was a veritable emotional tsunami and yet somehow I had to navigate through it all. That journey is reflected in these songs. Willow Springs is the name of the place where I took refuge and had to confront a lot of things".

Recorded at his home in the country and fan-funded, Willow Springs finds McDermott behind the boards as producer for the first time with longtime producer and collaborator, Lex Price doing the mix. Having enlisted a stellar support group of musicians -- including multi-instrumentalist, Price; guitarist, Will Kimbrough; keyboard player, John Deaderick ; sax player Rich Parenteau; and McDermott's wife, Heather Horton on backing vocals - McDermott found himself able to craft the unassuming yet cutting sound he envisioned.

Indeed, the results bear out the fact that Willow Springs is the most honest and expressive album of McDermott's extraordinary 25 year career. Songs such as, 'These Last Few Days', 'Getaway Car', 'Half Empty Kinda Guy', 'One Minus One' and the title track, convey all at once, a sound that's both reflective and confessional - borne by stark emotion and a tattered, battered delivery that's both sobering and sublime. McDermott remains more determined than ever, and Willow Springs is the result. "My enthusiasm is only matched by my desire to continue to evolve as an artist" he insists.

Accolades and kudos can be accumulated one minute and quickly dissipate the next. After all, the music biz is a fickle beast and it doesn't matter how much you pleased the masses last year, last month or even last week, but rather, about what you offer today.

Today, McDermott has offered his best.

Kudos to Michael McDermott - overnight success.

In James McMurtry's new effort, The Horses and the Hounds, the acclaimed songwriter backs personal narratives with effortless elegance ("Canola Fields") and endless energy ("If It Don't Bleed"). This first collection in seven years, due August 20 on New West Records, spotlights a seasoned tunesmith in peak form as he turns toward reflection ("Vaquero") and revelation ( closer "Blackberry Winter"). Familiar foundations guide the journey. "There's a definite Los Angeles vibe to this record," McMurtry says. "The ghost of Warren Zevon seems to be stomping around among the guitar tracks. Don't know how he got in there. He never signed on for work for hire."

The Horses and the Hounds is a reunion of sorts. McMurtry recorded the new album with legendary producer Ross Hogarth (Ozzy Osbourne, John Fogerty, Van Halen, Keb' Mo') at Jackson Browne's Groovemaster's in Santa Monica, California, a world class studio that has housed such legends as Bob Dylan (2012's Tempest) and David Crosby (2016's Lighthouse) as well as Browne himself for I'm Alive (1993) and New Found Glory, Coming Home (2006). McMurtry and Hogarth first worked together 30 years ago, when Hogarth was a recording engineer in the employ of John Mellencamp at Mellencamp's own Belmont Studios near Bloomington, Indiana. Hogarth recorded McMurtry's first two albums, Too Long in the Wasteland and Candyland, for Columbia Records and later mixed McMurtry's first self-produced album, Saint Mary of the Woods, for Sugar Hill Records. Another veteran of those three releases, guitarist David Grissom (Joe Ely, John Mellencamp, Dixie Chicks), returns with some of his finest work.

Accordingly, the new collection marks another upward trajectory: The Horses and the Hounds will be McMurtry's debut album on genre-defining Americana record label New West Records (Steve Earle, Rodney Crowell, Lucinda Williams, John Hiatt, Aaron Lee Tasjan, Buddy Miller, dozens more).

"I first became aware of James McMurtry's formidable songwriting prowess while working at Bug Music Publishing in the '90s," says New West president John Allen. "He's a true talent. All of us at New West are excited at the prospect of championing the next phase of James' already successful and respected career." McMurtry perfectly fits a label housing "artists who perform real music for real people." After all, No Depression says of the literate songwriter's most recent collection, Complicated Game: "Lyrically, the album is wise and adventurous, with McMurtry -- who's not prone to autobiographical tales -- credibly inhabiting characters from all walks of life." "[McMurtry] fuses wry, literate observations about the world with the snarl of barroom rock," National Public Radio says. "The result is at times sardonic, subversive and funny, but often vulnerable and always poignant."

His lauded storytelling -- check out songs such as "Operation Never Mind" and "Ft. Walton Wake-Up Call" on The Horse and the Hounds-- consistently has turned heads for decades now. "James writes like he's lived a lifetime," said John Mellencamp back in 1989, when Too Long in the Wasteland hit the Billboard 200. "James McMurtry is one of my very few favorite songwriters on Earth and these days he's working at the top of his game," says Americana all-star Jason Isbell. "He has that rare gift of being able to make a listener laugh out loud at one line and choke up at the next. I don't think anybody writes better lyrics." McMurtry's albums Just Us Kids (2008) and Childish Things (2005) back the claim, each scoring endless critical praise. The former earned McMurtry his highest Billboard 200 chart position in two decades (since eclipsed by Complicated Game) and notched Americana Music Award nominations. Childish Things spent six full weeks topping the Americana Music Radio chart in 2005 and 2006, and won the Americana Music Association's Album of the Year, with "We Can't Make It Here" named the organization's Song of the Year.

Other accolades include a 1996 Grammy nomination for Long Form Music Video for Where'd You Hide the Body and an American Indie Award for Best Americana Album for It Had to Happen (1997).

McMurtry tours year-round and consistently throws down unparalleled powerhouse performances, reflected in the release of two live discs: the universally lauded Live in Aught-Three on Compadre Records, and 2009's Live in Europe, which captured the McMurtry band's first European tour and extraordinary live set. Along with seasoned band members Ronnie Johnson, Daren Hess, and Tim Holt, Live in Europe features special guests Ian McLagan (Faces) and Jon Dee Graham (True Believers, Skunks). (Video of the performance is available on the included DVD.)

On his new album See You Next Time, Texas-bred singer/songwriter Joshua Ray Walker shares an imagined yet truthful portrait of a brokedown honky-tonk and the misfits who call it home: barflies and wannabe cowboys, bleary-eyed dreamers and hopelessly lost souls. His third full-length in three years, the album marks the final installment in a trilogy that originated with Walker's globally acclaimed 2019 debut Wish You Were Here and its equally lauded follow-up Glad You Made It (the #5 entry on Rolling Stone's Best Country and Americana Albums of 2020 list).

"The whole idea with the trilogy was to use the honky-tonk as a setting where all these different characters could interact with each other," says Walker, who drew immense inspiration from the local dive bars he first started sneaking into and gigging at as a teenager growing up in East Dallas. "In my mind, this album's taking place on the night before the bar closes forever--the songs are just me taking snapshots of that world, and all the moments that happen in it."

Like its predecessors, See You Next Time came to life at Audio Dallas Recording Studio with producer John Pedigo and a first-rate lineup of musicians, including the likes of pedal-steel player Adam "Ditch" Kurtz and rhythm guitarist Nathan Mongol Wells of Ottoman Turks (the country-punk outfit for which Walker sidelines as lead guitarist). The album's immaculately crafted but timelessly vital sound provides a prime backdrop for Walker's storytelling, an element that endlessly blurs the lines between fable-like fiction and personal revelation. "I learned a long time ago that writing from a character's perspective lets me examine things about myself without ever feeling too self-conscious about it," he points out. Closely informed by the tremendous loss he's suffered in recent years, See You Next Time emerges as the most powerful work to date from an extraordinarily gifted songwriter, imbued with equal parts weary pragmatism and the kind of unabashedly romantic spirit that defies all cynicism.

On the album-opening "Dallas Lights," Walker presents a potent introduction to the vast and sometimes-harrowing emotional terrain of See You Next Time. "I used to hang out in Lower Greenville, which is a neighborhood in Dallas with a lot of homeless people," he says of the song's origins. "One of the guys there knew someone who'd passed away and there was nobody to claim the body: no wife, no family, no kinfolk at all. I was really struck by how terrible that was, and over the years it became a song about hometown pride, and wanting to die where you lived." Anchored by the heartrending fiddle work of Heather Stalling, "Dallas Lights" ultimately lends a bit of glory to that tragedy, its chorus lyrics unfolding as their own resolute prayer ("Lord, don't bury me deep/Under the sycamore tree/Burn Me/Spread Me/Where the city can be seen").

In its nuanced exploration of so many disparate moods--grief and celebration, sorrow and surrender--See You Next Time takes an entirely unexpected turn on its lead single "Sexy After Dark." Fueled by a fiery horn section, the wildly catchy track hits a brilliant balance of bravado, soul-stirring confession, and brutally self-aware humor. "There's a deep history of sexy-crooner country songs played by dudes who were pretty unsexy by all accounts but still had so much swagger," says Walker. "'Sexy After Dark' was my attempt at writing a song like that, a fun song I'd want to crank up and party to. It all came back to wanting to really push the boundaries of what I could do on this album."

In a stunning tonal shift, See You Next Time then delivers its most devastating moment, the intensely intimate "Flash Paper." "My dad had a four-year battle with lung cancer and passed away in November, and before he died he gave me a cigar box full of notes and cards and lots of random little things, like a ribbon from a reading competition from when he was in elementary school," says Walker. "He also put in a flash drive with a video he'd recorded, which he told me not to watch until Christmas. My dad was from East Texas and kind of a good-old-boy type, and the video was really vulnerable for him. Some of it was similar to things he'd said over the years, as he dealt with his illness and the two of us grew closer, but that song's mostly about me wishing I'd heard more of those things while he was still here."

With its untethered textures and beautifully sprawling guitar tones, "Flash Paper" bears a mesmerizing quality that magnifies its raw emotion. "That was definitely the hardest one for me to write on the album--I broke down multiple times in the process," says Walker, whose voice slips into an achingly tender howl at the chorus. The final track recorded for See You Next Time, it's also one of several songs that Walker penned in the dead of night, while his home was undergoing massive reconstruction following the rupture of a hot-water pipe. "Half my house was torn apart, and I was living at an extended-stay hotel, but I couldn't get any writing done there," he says. "I didn't want to move back the recording sessions, so I ended up going back to my house late at night and staying up for hours to finish some songs. I remember thinking at the time that it was pretty depressing--writing at 4 a.m. in this torn-apart house with no furniture and no heat in the middle of winter--but looking back, I think it's good that I was forced to be totally alone and just think."

Another profoundly heavy-hearted track, "Gas Station Roses" reveals the poetic sensibilities within Walker's songwriting. "There's a double meaning to that song--it's partly referring to the roses you'd find in a gas station around Valentine's, but it's also about how gas stations get away with selling crack pipes by hiding them in those glass tubes with the origami flowers," he explains. Layered with bright piano melodies and Pedigo's cascading banjo rolls, "Gas Station Roses" offers a clear-eyed meditation on the hardship of addiction ("We're like gas station roses/You can wrap us however you'd like/If you prop us up in pretty poses/We'll really catch the light"). "I grew up around a lot of kids who had parents with substance-abuse issues, and in high school a lot of my friends got hooked on heroin," says Walker. "This song in particular is about crack, but the overall story is addiction leading to a loss of innocence."

A working musician since the age of 13, Walker first began honing his lyrical talents after the death of his beloved grandfather. "My granddad's the one who got me into music, and I wrote a song called 'Fondly' in the parking lot of the hospital he was in," recalls Walker, who was 19 at the time. "Back then I was mostly playing rock and punk and blues and metal, but I quickly realized that the songs I was writing were country songs." Raised on bluegrass, he lists Texas legends like Guy Clark and Billy Joe Shaver among his essential inspirations, but also notes the undeniable influence of country superstars like Alan Jackson and George Strait ("All those '90s country songs were so hook-driven, they really bored into my brain," he says). With the arrival of Wish You Were Here (an album that spent 12 consecutive weeks on the Americana radio albums chart), Walker won lavish praise from outlets like NPR Music and began opening for such artists as Colter Wall and Charley Crockett, in addition to headlining tours in the U.S. and Europe. Hailed by No Depression as "an album that outshines expectations for what country music can, and should, sound like," Glad You Made It earned the admiration of leading critics like Ann Powers ("a new voice who really impressed me"), with its singles featured on such coveted playlists as Spotify's Indigo and Tidal's Best of Country 2020. Over the years, Walker has continually captivated crowds with his magnetic live show, a feat that finds him joined by musicians like bassist Billy Bones and drummer Trey Pendergrass (both of whom played on See You Next Time). "I'm really proud of the band on this record, and I'm also proud that I didn't just go out and get hired guns from Nashville or Austin," Walker says. "They're guys I've played with for 10 or 15 years, and at this point we're all like family."

True to that communal spirit, See You Next Time closes out on its sing-along-ready title track: a fitting end to Walker's trilogy and its tribute to the fleeting, yet possibly life-changing, connection to be found at your nearest honky-tonk. "There's not a lot of pretension at a honky-tonk, and there's much more interaction than in other bars--you see a lot less people on their phones," says Walker. "We're there to talk to other humans, put a song on the jukebox and dance with a stranger, get to know your bartender and tell them all your problems. I really wanted to capture that feeling on this record--I want everyone to feel like they know all these characters, and that they're somehow better understood because these songs exist."

In Chicago, a city overflowing with unrivaled blues talent, world-renowned Lil' Ed & The Blues Imperials have been standing tall for almost 30 years. The band's big sound, fueled by Lil' Ed's gloriously rollicking slide work and deep blues string bending, along with his rough-edged, soulful vocals, is as real and hard-hitting as Chicago blues gets. The Chicago Sun-Times says, "Lil' Ed & The Blues Imperials are the hottest purveyors of bottleneck boogie to come out of Chicago since Hound Dog Taylor."

Lil' Ed Williams comes to the blues naturally. His uncle, Chicago slide guitar king and master songwriter J.B. Hutto, taught him how to feel, not just play the blues. Nine albums and thousands of performances later, Lil' Ed is now universally hailed as a giant of the genre. Lil' Ed and The Blues Imperials--bassist (and Ed's half-brother) James "Pookie" Young, guitarist Mike Garrett and drummer Kelly Littleton--have remained together for nearly 30 years (an extraordinary feat for any group), the band fueling Ed's songs with their rock-solid, road-tested, telepathic musicianship.

The Big Sound Of Lil' Ed & The Blues Imperials is the musically electrifying, emotionally intense and downright fun new album from the band Guitar Player calls "a snarling boogie-blues machine...they blow down the walls." The CD features Lil' Ed's incendiary playing and playful, passionate singing, with the ragged-but-right Blues Imperials cooking like mad alongside him. Produced by Williams and Alligator president Bruce Iglauer, it is a tour-de-force of authentic, deeply rooted Chicago blues. Williams wrote or co-wrote all but two of album's 14 songs, the other gems written by Uncle J.B. The Chicago Reader says the band's music "is a soundtrack for dancing and celebration infused with a sense of hard-won survival. Williams attacks his lyrics like he attacks his guitar: with bare-bones intensity that makes each word sound like a matter of life or death."

Born in Chicago on April 8, 1955, in the heart of Chicago's tough West Side, Ed grew up surrounded by music. He was playing guitar, then drums and bass, by the time he was 12. Ed and Pookie received lessons and support from their famous uncle. "J.B. taught me everything I know," says Ed. "I wouldn't be where I am today without him." Ed and Pookie spent their teen years making music together, and in 1975 formed the first incarnation of The Blues Imperials. They played their first gig at a West Side club called Big Duke's Blue Flame, splitting the $6 take four ways. Over the next few years, the group played every club in the neighborhood. Even so, they still needed day jobs to pay the bills. Ed worked ten hours a day as a buffer at the Red Carpet Car Wash. Pookie drove a school bus. Night after night they played their roaring brand of blues in tiny clubs, and eventually the word reached Alligator president Bruce Iglauer.

At the time, Iglauer was looking for local talent for The New Bluebloods, an anthology of some of Chicago's younger blues musicians. "Ed and his band had a good reputation," recalls Iglauer. "I had only seen them live once or twice. I knew Ed was a hot slide player, but I had no idea what he and the band were really capable of. I just knew that their music reminded me of Hound Dog Taylor and J.B. Hutto, two of my favorite musicians. It seemed like having a band this rough and ready would be a nice change of pace for the anthology, so I asked them to come down to the studio and cut a couple of songs. I never expected what happened."

The band--never having been in a recording studio before--treated the studio like a club, playing live to Iglauer, the engineer, and all the people on the other side of the control room glass. After Ed recorded his two rehearsed songs quickly, there was still plenty of studio time left, so they just kept playing. After 10 songs were in the can, Iglauer offered the band a full album contract. The end result of the session was 30 songs cut in three hours with no overdubs and only one second take. Twelve of those songs became the band's debut album, Roughhousin', released in September of 1986.

The national press reacted with amazement to the blues world's new discovery. Feature stories ran in Spin, Musician, The New York Times, The Los Angeles Times, The Washington Post, The Boston Globe, The Chicago Tribune and dozens of other publications. The Village Voice declared, "Roughhousin' just may be the blues album of the year." The New York Times raved, "Raw-boned, old-fashioned Chicago blues has a new young master--Lil' Ed Williams."

But it wasn't until 1987, when guitarist Mike Garrett joined the band, and a year later, when Garrett recruited his Detroit hometown friend Kelly Littleton to play drums, that things really began to take off. Garrett's risk-taking rhythm guitar work and Littleton's unpredictable, old school drumming were the perfect complement to Lil' Ed's and Pookie's rambunctious playing. With their 1989 album Chicken, Gravy & Biscuits, doors opened and audiences poured in. Through relentless touring, the group crystallized, becoming tighter with each performance, more adept in their abilities to read each other's musical moves. Their spontaneous and unpredictable live show became legendary among blues fans worldwide.

They have played the Chicago Blues Festival multiple times, and have appeared at The New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival, Portland's Waterfront Blues Festival, The Tampa Bay Blues Festival, The San Diego Blues Festival, The Pennsylvania Blues Festival and dozens of other festivals around the country. Satisfying worldwide demand, they have performed at festivals in Canada, Great Britain, France, Spain, Sweden, Denmark, Poland, Japan, Australia, India, Turkey and Panama.

Lil' Ed & The Blues Imperials released eight Alligator albums between 1986 and 2012. With each one, the band's national and international stature grew as their fan base--known internationally as "Ed Heads"--continued to expand. With 2006's Rattleshake, Ed and company reached a whole new audience. Die-hard "Ed Head" Conan O'Brien brought the band before millions of television viewers on two separate occasions. Success and accolades never stop pouring in. Living Blues called 2012's Jump Start "scorching and soulful" with "crafty, clever lyrics...joyous and stomping."

The group took home the Living Blues Award for Best Live Performer in 2011, 2012 and 2013. They won the prestigious Blues Music Award for Band Of The Year in both 2007 and 2009. The Associated Press says, "Williams fills Chicago's biggest shoes with more life and heat than anyone on stage today."

With The Big Sound Of Lil' Ed & The Blues Imperials, the band continues to bring their blistering Chicago blues to "Ed Heads" new and old. Their infectious energy, joyful showmanship and masterful playing have been honed to a razor's edge by their many years together. Lil' Ed, Pookie, Mike and Kelly have seen sports stars and presidents, musical fads and fashion trends come and go. Meanwhile, their fiery music has more than stood the test of time. "We're not band members," says Williams, "we're family, and families stay together." Night after night, gig after riotous gig, the musical family called Lil' Ed & The Blues Imperials bring their big, dynamic Chicago blues sound to fans across the country and around the world

As Alastair Greene's prolific and acclaimed career rounds the corner into a third decade, Greene arrives at a new, yet familiar destination. Following a 2018 live album that celebrated the 20th anniversary of his noteworthy Alastair Greene Band, the singer-songwriter/guitarist returns with an inspired solo collection, The New World Blues, and a tonic for the times. "I'm not a prophet by any stretch of the imagination," Greene says. "But, this record is even more relevant now than when I wrote it in 2019."

A native of Santa Barbara, Calif., Greene has ridden his Blues-soaked rock into the 21st century, traversing a constantly changing global (and musical) landscape. He's well-equipped for the challenge, carrying the diverse musical interests he developed at an early age, intrigued by his mother's piano-playing and a record collection that included The Beatles, Stevie Wonder, and Elton John. His father introduced the youngster to the sophistication of Bach and Beethoven, yet it was Greene's grandfather, the late trumpeter Chico Alvarez- a member of the Stan Kenton Band in the 1940s and '50s- who inspired him to pursue a life in music.

As a youth, he took piano lessons and played the saxophone before discovering the guitar in high school. '80s heavy rock icons Iron Maiden and Def Leppard brought motivational thunder. Then, a vintage and seminal sound- the Blues- changed Greene's course. Records by B.B. King, Buddy Guy, Johnny Winter, The Allman Brothers Band, and Stevie Ray Vaughan exposed the burgeoning guitarist to a trove of musical treasure.

He received a scholarship to attend the Berklee College of Music in Boston, where he studied for two years, before returning in the early '90s to Southern California. Greene formed the Alastair Greene Band in 1997 and subsequently released eight solo albums (including two live sets and a compilation record) over nearly 20 years. 2017's studio effort, Dream Team, landed a four-star review and Best Album of the Year nod in DownBeat; 2018's Live from the 805 was nominated for Rock Blues Album of the Year by Blues Blast Magazine, garnering inclusion on many 'Best of 2018' lists.

A much in-demand guitarist and vocalist, Greene traveled the world, touring with the legendary Alan Parsons Live Project from 2010 -- 2017, as well as stints with Starship featuring Mickey Thomas and, most recently, Blues Music Award-winner Sugaray Rayford. His work with Parsons, in particular, sparked a conversation with renowned multi-instrumentalist and producer Tab Benoit at a Las Vegas blues festival. In 2019, Greene signed with Benoit's Whiskey Bayou Records label.

Armed with a cache of new material, Greene decamped to Benoit's Houma, Louisiana studio outside New Orleans to track The New World Blues. With Benoit, on drums, and bassist Corey Duplechin, the three formed a classic power trio, recording nearly the entire album live in the studio. Featuring funky, swampy grooves and flights of muscular guitar, Greene delivers an album stirred by touchstones such as Stevie Ray Vaughan and Double Trouble, yet perhaps most often guided by the roadmap of Gov't Mule and that band's synthesis of The Allman Brothers Band's improvisational firepower and the raw, stripped-down electric Blues-rock of Cream.

Greene says he wanted to "go somewhere; find something." Fortified by the historic backdrop-a birthplace of Blues and Jazz- as well as his new 'bandmates' and their cultural connection to the area, The New World Blues displays Greene's lifelong reverence for Delta and Chicago Blues, respectfully and affectingly, detailing each of the eleven cuts with honesty and respect. "I endeavor to play the Blues. It's some of my favorite music. And I have a responsibility to inform where this music comes from," Greene says. "This is a Black, African-American art form that is basically responsible for everything we love today. I want to be true to what I love."

Chicago power pop trio Material Issue married the tight and melodic commercial appeal of acts like Cheap Trick and the Knack with the jangly guitars and cockiness of early-'90s Britpop. Formed in the late '80s as a songwriting vehicle for guitarist/lead singer Jim Ellison, the band included bassist Ted Ansani and drummer Mike Zelenko.

In 1987, after doing time in and around the Windy City club scene, the group released an eponymous EP that resulted in a contract with Mercury Records. Their major-label debut, the rock-solid International Pop Overthrow, found itself a place on modern rock radio with the raucous single "Valerie Loves Me," and thrust the group to the front of the burgeoning alternative rock movement. Produced by ex-Shoes member Jeff Murphy, the album's electrifying blend of teen angst and rock & roll confidence won over critics and fans alike, resulting in the band's immediate return to the studio to craft their follow-up, 1992's Destination Universe, which included the single "What Girls Want" in addition to ballads such as "Next Big Thing" and "Everything". Material Issue continued to tour heavily across the country in support of both albums.

In 1994, the band released the excellent -- and sadly underrated -- Freak City Soundtrack. Produced by Mike Chapman (Blondie, the Knack, Sweet) and featuring a guest appearance by Cheap Trick's Rick Nielsen, it seemed that Ellison and crew could do no wrong in critics' eyes, yet the public remained oblivious, prompting their inevitable departure from Mercury. Polygram put out the live album Goin' Through Your Purse that same year, and the band began recording what was to become their final album. Telecommando Americano was released posthumously by Rykodisc in 1997, just one year after Jim Ellison's death.

In 2011, to commemorate the 20th anniversary of the International Pop Overthrow album, the two surviving members, Mike Zelenko and Ted Ansani, reformed the band under the name Material Reissue. Chicago based singer-songwriter Phil Angotti (who had recorded as The Idea) joined them, filling in for Jim Ellison. The show was part of the International Pop Overthrow festival, named after the album.

Material Reissue continue to perform to large crowds of enthusiastic fans at a select number of shows each year and prove time again and time again why they have earned a seat (so to speak) at the table of the power pop elite.

Elephonic is symphonic rock band of musical peers with names familiar to the Milwaukee music scene.

Hailed by the New York Times as "one of the great soul interpreters of her generation", Bettye LaVette is a vocalist who can take any type of song and make it completely her own. To quote the late, great George Jones, "Bettye is truly a singer's singer".

Her career began in 1962, at the age of 16, in Detroit, Michigan. Her first single "My Man - He's a Loving Man", was released on Atlantic Records. This led to tours with headliners such as Ben E. King, Clyde McPhatter and then up-and-comer, Otis Redding. She recorded for numerous major labels, including Atco, Epic, and Motown, over the course of the 1960s through the 1980s. She also worked alongside Charles "Honi" Coles and Cab Calloway in the touring company of the Toni Award winning musical, Bubbling Brown Sugar.

The 2000s started what she calls her "Fifth Career". Her CD, A Woman Like Me, won the W.C. Handy Award in 2004 for Comeback Blues Album of the Year. She was also given a prestigous Pioneer Award by The Rhythm & Blues Foundation, was inducted into the Detroit Rhythm & Blues Hall of Fame, given an Unsung Award by the National R&B Society, and inducted into The Blues Hall of Fame by the Blues Foundation. She has received Blues Music Awards for Best Contemporary Female Blues Singer and Best Soul Blues Female Artist. Since 2002, she has released 8 albums, 5 of which have received Grammy nominations.

In 2017, she signed with Verve Records and has since recorded 2 albums, both of which were produced by Steve Jordan. The first was Things Have Changed, an album consisting of all Bob Dylan songs. It received a Grammy nomination for Best Americana Album. Her latest, Blackbirds, is Bettye's homage to the Black female singers of the 1950s who came before her.

Blackbirds was released during the midst of the pandemic in 2020, and, being unable to tour, Bettye is just now performing the record for live audiences a year after it's release. It received a Grammy nomination for Best Contemporary Blues Album. She will be playing the album in it's entirety, along with other songs from her catalogue.

Fans, critics and artists have nothing but high praise for her live show and her vocal prowess. Now, at 75 years old and in her 59th year in show business, she is still performing with the ferocity of a woman half her age. She is one of very few of her contemporaries who were recording during the birth of soul music in the 1960s and is still creating vital recordings today.

In a career that has already spanned a half-century, Jorma Kaukonen has been one of the most highly respected interpreters of American roots music, blues, and rock. A member of the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame and a Grammy recipient, Jorma was at the forefront of popular rock and roll, one of the founders of the San Francisco sound and a progenitor of Psychedelic Rock. He is a founding member of two legendary bands, Jefferson Airplane and the still-touring Hot Tuna. Jorma Kaukonen is a music legend and one of the finest singer-songwriters in his field. He continues to tour the world bringing his unique styling to old blues tunes while presenting new songs of weight and dimension. His secret is in playing spontaneous and unfiltered music, with an individual expression of personality. In 2016, Jorma, Jack Casady and the other members of Jefferson Airplane were awarded The GRAMMY Lifetime Achievement Award for their contributions to American music.

In 2019 St. Martin's Press published Jorma's autobiography, Been So Long: My Life and Music, written to express his life both in and out of the music world. As Kaukonen describes, "My story is my story. Having told bits and pieces of it over my lifetime to a treasured few, it was time to tell all to a bigger audience...From rehearsals and jams in small apartments and tiny back rooms to Monterey, Woodstock, Altamont, the Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame, the world of the Grammys and beyond... this is part of the road I live on. This is my embryonic journey and much, much more!"

The son of a State Department official, Jorma Kaukonen, Jr. was born and raised in the Washington D.C. area, with occasional extended trips outside the United States. He was a devotee of rock and roll in the Buddy Holly era but soon developed a love for the blues and bluegrass that were profuse in the clubs and concerts in the nation's capital. It inspired him to take up guitar and play that kind of music himself. Soon he met Jack Casady, the younger brother of a friend and a wonderful guitar player in his own right. Though they could not have known it, they were beginning a musical partnership that has continued for more than 50 years.

Jorma graduated from high school and headed off for Antioch College in Ohio, where he met Ian Buchanan, who introduced him to the elaborate fingerstyle fretwork of the Rev. Gary Davis. A work-study program in New York introduced Jorma, the increasingly skilled guitarist, to that city's burgeoning folk-blues-bluegrass scene and many of its players. After a break from college and travel overseas, Jorma moved to California, where he returned to classes at Santa Clara University and earned money by teaching guitar. It was at this time, in 1965, that he met Paul Kantner and was invited to join a new not-yet-named rock band Kantner was forming with Marty Balin. As a self-described blues purist, Kaukonen was initially reluctant, but found his imagination excited by the arsenal of effects available to electric guitar, later remarking that he was "sucked in by technology." With the group still looking for a name, Kaukonen suggested Jefferson Airplane, inspired by an eccentric friend who had given his dog the name "Blind Lemon Jefferson Airplane." Jorma invited his old musical partner Jack Casady to come out to San Francisco and play electric bass for the new band, and together they created much of Jefferson Airplane's signature sound.

A pioneer of counterculture-era psychedelic rock, the group was the first band from the San Francisco scene to achieve international mainstream success. Their 1967 record Surrealistic Pillow is regarded as one of the key recordings of the "Summer of Love."

Jorma and Jack would jam whenever they could and would sometimes perform sets within sets at Airplane concerts. The two would often play clubs following Airplane performances. Making a name for themselves as a duo, they struck a record deal, and Hot Tuna was born. Jorma left Jefferson Airplane after the band's most productive five years, pursuing his full-time job with Hot Tuna. Over the past five decades Hot Tuna has performed thousands of concerts and released more than two-dozen records. The musicians who have performed with them are many and widely varied, as are their styles -- from acoustic to long and loud electric jams, but never straying far from their musical roots. What is remarkable is that they have never coasted. Hot Tuna today sounds better than ever.

Jorma's originals from his poignant instrumentals, "Embryonic Journey" (Jefferson Airplane - Surrealistic Pillow) and "The Water Song" (Hot Tuna - Burgers), to his insightful lyrics, "Genesis" (Jorma Kaukonen - Quah), have stood the test of time. Having an undeniable feeling of significance, they have been included in films and covered by many artists who have been inspired by his depth and continuity of spirit.

In addition to his work with Hot Tuna, Jorma has recorded more than a dozen solo albums on major labels beginning with 1974's Quah and continuing with his recent acoustic releases on Red House Records -- Stars in My Crown (2007) produced by Byron House, River of Time (2009) produced by Larry Campbell and featuring Levon Helm and Jorma's latest solo album, Ain't in No Hurry (2015) also produced by Larry Campbell and featuring Jack Casady.

But performance and recording are only part of the story.

As the leading practitioner and teacher of fingerstyle guitar, Jorma and his wife Vanessa Lillian operate one of the world's most unique centers for the study of guitar and other instruments. Jorma Kaukonen's Fur Peace Ranch Guitar Camp is located on 125 acres of fields, woods, hills, and streams in the Appalachian foothills of Southeastern Ohio. Since it opened in 1998, thousands of musicians whose skills range from basic to highly accomplished gather for weekends of master instruction offered by Jorma and other instructors who are leaders in their musical fields. A multitude of renowned performers make the trek to Ohio to teach at Fur Peace Ranch and play at the performance hall, Fur Peace Station. It has become an important stop on the touring circuit for artists who do not normally play intimate 200-seat venues, bringing such artists as David Bromberg, Roger McGuinn, Arlo Guthrie, Dave Alvin, Ramblin' Jack Elliott, Warren Haynes, Lee Roy Parnell, Chris Hillman and more. Students, instructors, and visiting artists alike welcome the peace and tranquility -- as well as the great music and great instruction -- that Fur Peace Ranch offers.

At Fur Peace Ranch the Kaukonens have created the Psylodelic Gallery, a museum in a silo, celebrating the music, art, culture, and literature of the 1960's, tracing important events and movements of the psychedelic era. They produce concerts at the Fur Peace Station which are streamed internationally on YouTube as well as broadcast on WOUB 91.3 FM. The Kaukonens there support their local community through art festivals and a restaurant on site.

Jorma Kaukonen is constantly looking to take his musical horizons further still, always moving forward and he is quick to say that teaching is among the most rewarding aspects of his career. "You just can't go backward. The arrow of time only goes in one direction."

When people learn that singer/songwriter Shana Morrison is Van Morrison's adult daughter, the first thing they want to know is how much she has been influenced by her father. Van Morrison's writing has influenced his daughter's work, but not tremendously; Shana's gritty, bluesy, approach to pop/rock and roots rock actually owes a lot more to female singer/songwriters like Bonnie Raitt and Melissa Etheridge. When Shana's recordings are playing, one doesn't think of "Brown-Eyed Girl" or "Moondance" (two of her father's big hits). One is more likely to think of Sheryl Crow, Joan Osborne, Patti Rothberg, and some of the other female singer/songwriters who emerged in the '90s. Nonetheless, Van Morrison did a lot to encourage his daughter's interest in music. Growing up in the same house as the man who gave us "Jackie Wilson Said (I'm in Heaven When You Smile)," Shana was inevitably exposed to a great deal of music: rock, R&B, blues, jazz, and folk, as well as Irish/Celtic music. Unlike her father, she wasn't born in Belfast, Ireland; she was born in Kingston, NY, on April 7, 1970, and raised in the San Francisco Bay Area. However, Morrison acquired an extensive knowledge of Celtic music thanks to her Irish relatives. When the singer/songwriter reached adulthood, she wasn't necessarily planning to follow in her father's footsteps; realizing that only a very small fraction of the people who pursued careers in music would earn a good living at it (let alone enjoy her father's success), Morrison studied business administration as a graduate student and wanted something outside of music to fall back on. Nonetheless, Morrison did, in fact, end up devoting all of her time to music. After graduating from college in 1993, Morrison went on the road with her father's Rhythm and Soul Revue as a featured artist. She did a lot of songwriting then and after that tour ended in 1994, she formed her own band Caledonia. Not to be confused with an excellent but little-known New York goth rock outfit that also went by Caledonia in the '90s, Morrison's band was named after one of her dad's songs. She soon acquired a small local following in the Bay Area and in 1997, she recorded her debut album, which was also called Caledonia. Her album was originally released on her own label, Belfast Violet, but in 1999, the CD was reissued by the Brisbane, CA-based Monster Music. It was also in 1999 that Morrison collaborated with Northern California bluesman Roy Rogers (not to be confused with the famous Cincinnati-born cowboy vocalist) on the album Everybody's Angel. In 2001, she signed with Vanguard and recorded 7 Wishes, which was produced by guitarist Steve Buckingham. Vanguard released 7 Wishes in April 2002; "Smoke in Bed" became the album's lead single. She released That's Who I Am, which was produced by Morrison herself on her own label, Belfast Violet Records, in 2006. On March 4, 2010, Morrison released her latest album, Joyride. Like her previous release, the new album is on the Belfast Violet label, with Jim Lauderdale contributing vocals for a duet on "He Won't Send Roses".

Jen Chapin's music is urban folk soul -- story songs that search for community and shared meaning, powered by the funk and improvisation of the city. Critics have hailed her work as "brilliant.. soulfully poetic" (NPR), "thoughtful ... worth-savoring" (People), "addictive" (Boston Globe), "smart, observant, lyrically deft, politically aware and emotionally intuitive" (Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel).

JazzTimes has called her "a first-rate storyteller" while Relix regards her as "one of the freshest voices singing today." Jen has been featured on "Late Nite with Conan O'Brien", NPR's Mountain Stage and WoodSongs Old-Time Radio Hour, Sirius Satellite's The Loft with Mike Marrone and Mary Sue Twohy's The Village, been honored by the USA Songwriting Competition, has performed on stage with Bruce Springsteen, and has opened up for Bruce Hornsby, Smokey Robinson, and the Neville Brothers..

Her performances are powerful, spotlighting the world-class musicianship and rare chemistry of Grammy-nominated acoustic bassist/husband Stephan Crump and "unflappable melodist" (New York Times) guitarist Jamie Fox.

Jen's music reflects a diversity of experience. She is mother to 8 year old Maceo and 4 year old Van Crump. She is an activist, with a life-long involvement in WhyHunger (founded in 1975 by Jen's late father Harry Chapin), an organization that champions innovative, community-based solutions to hunger and poverty.

Reckoning, Jen's first full-length album of her original songs in 7 years, produced by 5-time Grammy award winner Kevin Killen. Reckoning is "songs of ambition (and the lack thereof), of anger, and gratitude, of privilege, and being without, of being overwhelmed but still hungry for more life. In short, of family."

Grammy Award-winning country star John Berry continues to celebrate 40 years as a Country music performer and songwriter as well as his 26th anniversary since signing his first record deal with his most recent single "The Richest Man" from the new album Thomas Road. In 2019, Berry was diagnosed with throat cancer, requiring 35 treatments combined of radiation and chemotherapy. In 2018 charted at #30 on the Music Row Breakout Charts with the single, "Beautifully Broken," which is featured in the soundtrack for the movie of the same name. The singer-songwriter rose to stardom on the country charts of the 1990s with such mega hits as Your Love Amazes Me, Standing on the Edge of Goodbye and She's Taken a Shine. His annual Christmas tours brighten the holidays for thousands, as does his electrifying rendition of O' Holy Night.

During the 90s and early 2000s, John placed 20 singles on the country charts, 6 of which went Top 5, with Your Love Amazes Me, scoring a #1 on the Billboard and Radio & Records Country Chart as well as Standing on the Edge of Goodbye and She's Taken a Shine earning the #1 slot in Radio & Records. He has earned multiple Gold and Platinum records over the years. John was nominated for the ACM Top New Male Vocalist in 1994, won a Grammy Award in 1996 for his participation in Amazing Grace: A Country Salute to Gospel Vol. 1, was nominated for another Grammy in 1995 for his smash hit Your Love Amazes Me and was nominated for the CMA Horizon Award and Top Male Vocalist Award in 1995. In 1997 he was nominated for Vocal Event of the Year (for Long Haired Country Boy with Charlie Daniels and Hal Ketchum) and in 2013 John was nominated for the Mainstream Country Male Artist by the ICM Awards. And thanks to the miracles of modern technology, he even sang a duet with the late, great Patsy Cline.

"I love what I do, with a passion not seen in quite some time. I'm hopeful and excited about the future. I love singing and always will. I have a bus, an incredible stage presentation, a great band, hands-on management team and I'm always all dressed up and ready to go."

John's enduringly powerful performances draw on a lifetime of making music and living life. Born in South Carolina and raised in Georgia, he began playing guitar at 13, performing shows at age 14 and making records at age 19. "By the time I was 17, I knew that music was what I wanted to do with my life"; and he has done it well ever since.

Between 1979 and 1990 he recorded and marketed six albums on his own labels. The Graduation Song, which he wrote during his senior year in high school, became a perennial favorite at graduation ceremonies. It appeared on two of his early collections.

Those early discs and John's strong regional popularity attracted attention on Music Row. Capitol Records signed him to his first major label contract in 1992. Berry's co-written hits A Mind of Her Own and Kiss Me in the Car introduced him to radio audiences in 1993. Then Your Love Amazes Me, What's in it for Me and You and Only You thrust him to stardom in 1994. Standing on the Edge of Goodbye, I Think About it all the Time, and If I Had Any Pride Left at All were all major hits the following year, with Standing on the Edge of Goodbye earning John the coveted 1995 Grammy nomination.

But it was his stunning performance of the title track of the 1995 CD O' Holy Night that led to his most enduring legacy to date. John began doing special Christmas tours that year and 2016 marks his 20th anniversary holiday concert tour. He has big plans to celebrate and involve the fans like never before for this anniversary celebration. He has also issued three more Christmas-music collections. If O' Holy Night is all that anyone remembers of me, that's fine with me," he comments about his perennial Christmas popularity. "It is a truly inspired piece of music."

Happily, there were more successes to come. The hit Change My Mind earned John a Top-5 spot on the Country music charts in 1996. She's Taken a Shine became an even bigger hit in 1997. Both fans and the media took note again when There He Goes was released as a 1999 duet with Patsy Cline.

In 2002, Berry returned to making records for his own company, Clear Sky Records. Songs and Stories, a double CD was issued that year.

In 2003, John Berry released his I Give My Heart collection and its critically applauded wedding anthem Will You Marry Me. The disc also contained his versions of such classic love songs as Time in a Bottle, If, Love Look What You've Done to Me, Faithfully, Lady and Let's Stay Together. I Give My Heart inspired still another popular concert series, The Love Tour.

In 2008, Those Were the Days, was released, marking John's return to mainstream country music. He created his first Christian-music CD in 2011. In 2012, John published the combination book and CD, again titled Songs and Stories. Over the years he has continued to tour steadily.

"We just have a great group of fans who welcome us every year. They are always there."

In late 2015 John launched a crowd funded Kickstarter project that proved very successful. Overwhelmed by the fan response, John assembled an all-star studio team and cut both a Country album entitled What I Love the Most and a new album simply titled Christmas and released both in late 2016. Blessed with the ability to make the music he wanted to make (and not what a label dictated) allowed John the time to write and create what many music critics who have heard bits & pieces are saying could be his best, most complete project yet. "I'm excited to have been able to release this new music and bring it to the fans through a new distribution agreement with Sony RED. It's a new time in the music business and technology allows me to be closer to my fans and interact in new ways. You know, God just keeps blessing me. There are new opportunities coming at every turn."

"With time, I've learned that the road to fulfillment is doing what I was called to do, love to do, and then doing it the best I can, regardless of the circumstances. And for me, that is making music and singing for people."

2017 found John touring in several configurations (acoustic solo, acoustic trio and full band) with plans to release another new album followed by the continuation of his legendary Christmas Tour. He and his family moved back to Music City after several years in Georgia, and 2017 saw John pursuing a touring and personal appearance schedule that is more active than ever. Given his wide range of music and number of releases, John is fortunate in that he can book a solo show with just himself and guitar, a small-band acoustic show or a full-band engagement and has more than enough hit material to captivate a crowd and deliver an evening full of musical memories.

Also, in August of 2017 John launched a new, weekly internationally syndicated television show entitled Songs and Stories with John Berry that explored the songs and stories that changed the lives of his weekly guest. Superstar guests in Season 1 of the show included Billy Ray Cyrus, Billy Dean, Mo Pitney, Neal McCoy, Suzy Bogguss, Collin Raye, Craig Morgan, Mark Wills, Delbert McClinton, Clay Walker and Lee Roy Parnell.

2018 John celebrated his 25th anniversary since signing his major label deal, Season 2 of Songs and Stories with John Berry aired multiple times weekly to over 105 million homes across the United States as well as the UK and New Zealand on great networks like Heartland Television, The Family Channel, The Country Channel, Phil Mack's Keep it Country (UK), Country TV (New Zealand) and AMGTV.

In 2018 charted at #30 on the Music Row Breakout Charts with the single, "Beautifully Broken," which is featured in the soundtrack for the movie of the same name. John also toured the country in all performance sectors, releasing several new projects and a few surprises.

2019 continued to celebrate the 26th anniversary since signing his first record deal with his most recent single "The Richest Man" from the new album Thomas Road.

In January 2019 , Berry was diagnosed with throat cancer, requiring 35 treatments combined of radiation and chemotherapy. A benefit concert was held with performers such as Garth Brooks, The Oak Ridge Boys, Vince Gill and over 24 other high profile entertainers from Country, Americana and Rock, raising funds to offset his out of pocket medical expenses, while also donating a significant portion of the proceeds earned to others in the music community in need via Music Health Alliance.

2020 has many as of yet undisclosed plans which will include his annual John Berry Songs and Stories Christmas Tour, marking its 24th year.

I remember walking into an old school gym and hearing a barrage of wonderful sound... it was tight, lush, rocking, and loud. As I neared the stage to get a glimpse of the band generating this heat, I was amazed to see only three guys on stage. How could so much music be produced by so few?! I smiled at my girlfriend (now wife) who had brought me there, and I think she knew that I was in love... not with her, but with the band.

So began my introduction to Zebra some sixteen years ago (1982). It was a typical gig for the day - a
St. Christopher's Catholic Youth dance in a New Orleans suburb. The place was packed, as usual, mostly teenage guys, too young for area bars, with a smattering of finely dressed females to keep things interesting. The band was roaring through a set of well-rehearsed originals mixed in with crowd-pleasing covers from Zeppelin, Bowie, the Moody Blues, ZZ Top, Montrose, and others.

That night was also special because Zebra was about to sign with Atlantic Records, home of Led Zeppelin, Yes, AC/DC, and other hard rock heroes of the day. After seven years of three-set gigs in clubs and gyms, the band had finally made it to the big time. The gig had the combined aura of thank you note to fans, going away party and victory lap, all rolled into one.

Fast forward to 1998, after twenty-plus years as a power rock trio, Zebra is a band of legendary status in two "hometown" areas (Louisiana and Long Island), but are woefully under-appreciated in much of the remaining rock world. We hope this retrospective collection corrects that oversight. Further, the band continues its frequent touring and a new studio offering should be released within the year.

So, if you're an old-time fan, this is the only Christmas / birthday / anniversary / bar mitzvah / graduation / Arbor Day gift you'll ever need. Indulge your friends - this is the best CD they've never heard. And if you're a newcomer - welcome to the fan club you'll never leave...

Zebra is Randy, Guy, and Felix. Randy Jackson is the lead vocalist, songwriter, and lead guitarist extraordinaire. His guitar playing and vocal stylings are reminiscent of Zeppelin's Page / Plant, with a dash of Moody Blues, Rush, and Yes thrown in for good measure. Combine all that with Jackson's own unique vision, flair, and musicianship, and you've got quite a talent. Randy's earliest musical influences were the Beatles and Led Zeppelin.

Guy Gelso, drums, percussion, and backing vocals, hits the skins with bombastic power and a precise rhythm. While Guy was also a big Zeppelin fan, his real musical influence was Jimi Hendrix, or more correctly, Mitch Mitchell, the drummer for the Jimi Hendrix Experience. Listen closely to classics like Purple Haze and you'll see why.

Felix Hanemann ties it all together on bass, keyboards and backing vocals. In concert, Felix moves comfortably between his thundering bass guitar and searing Korg synthesizer. Felix's influences were the Beatles, Stones, Bob Dylan, the Byrds, and Cat Stevens.

Felix and Randy are New Orleans natives, while Guy is a Californian, who came to New Orleans for the 1972 Mardi Gras and never left. Randy and Felix first played together in 1973 as teenagers in a five-piece band fronted by Felix called Shepherd's Bush. Once that band broke up, Randy and Guy got together and were eventually joined by Felix and a fourth member (Tim Thorson) in a band called Maelstrom. That was late 1974. When Tim left after only a few months, Zebra was born in February 1975.

"We were sitting around an uptown New Orleans bar called the Boot trying to come up with a name," recalls Randy, "after a few pitchers of beer, we saw a picture of a lady riding a Zebra (actually from a 1922 Vogue Magazine cover) on the wall, liked the image and decided that was it".

After rehearsing for several months in a French Quarter warehouse, the band quickly gained a reputation as a hard rocking cover band in the New Orleans bar and high school dance scene. Some originals, penned by Randy, were soon added to the set, which further fueled their appeal. Zebra was all over town - Rip Van Winkle's, Huck's Levee Bar, the Quarternote, Old Man Rivers, the CYO dances - playing practically every night.

Even at this early stage, the band was looking for more. Someone suggested they check out the thriving Long Island, NY rock club scene. Bands like Twisted Sister, Rat Race Choir, and the Good Rats were cranking out significant rock 'n' roll in the late 70s, playing clubs like Speaks, Hammerheads, The Mad Hatter, and Chaucers Ale House. So, Zebra played its first Long Island gig on New Year's Eve 1976, at a club called "The 1890s" in the town of Baldwin.

For several years, Zebra split gigs between Long Island - where they all eventually moved - and south Louisiana. Two demo tapes were also recorded around this time - the first in New York and later a second one in Los Angeles. Between the two, most of the songs from the first album were covered. As Zebra shopped the tapes to record labels, radio stations in both New York (WBAB-FM) and New Orleans (WRNO-FM) gave the band an important boost by airing songs from the demo. In particular, "Who's Behind the Door?" became a frequent request.

In late 1982, Jason Flom signed Zebra to a five-record deal with Atlantic, although only the first was guaranteed. The self-titled debut, Zebra, was released on March 25, 1983 and became the fastest selling debut record in Atlantic Records history, selling an amazing 75,000 copies in the first week. Talk about pent up demand! The album stayed on the Billboard charts for eight months, peaking at number 29.

Veteran producer Jack Douglas, who's prior work included Aerosmith's "Toys in the Attic" and John Lennon's "Double Fantasy" LPs, was at the helm for Zebra's first two albums. "Who's Behind the Door" and "Tell Me What You Want" were released as singles, and both were given the MTV video treatment, which was still a rather new concept at the time. From any perspective, the debut was a top-notch affair and a roaring success. One fan wrote simply, "Good riffs and kicks ass". I guess that says it all.

Then came the press. Billboard's review applauded the trio's "obvious musical prowess" and commented on its "strong regional following", but also said it "offered nothing new in terms of musical licks or ideas". It was the kind of mixed review from the music press that has hampered the band's national success, even as the "vote of the people" (record sales, concert attendance, and just plain exuberance) said otherwise. Of course, bashing hard rock and heavy metal bands was hardly a novel concept (check out any Zeppelin review written in the 1970s), so in reality, Billboard's words were rather kind.

Rolling Stone magazine, which made its 1980s editorial perspective clear when it called heavy metal music "the idiot-bastard spawn of rock, the eternal embarrassment that will not die", simply chose not to review Zebra's debut (or any other album!) at all. A strange fact considering Rolling Stone's review of virtually every major label rock release and the album's quick sales out the gate. Unfortunately, there are way too many examples of Zebra being ignored or short-changed by the national music press, primarily through a mind-numbing disease I'll call "lazy rock writer's cramp". In other words, it's easier to just call Zebra "another Zep clone" than to actually listen closely to an album or maybe, God forbid, attend a concert and see for yourself. These guys deserve better. But I digress...

Back to the Zebra album. Six songs from Zebra are found here - "Tell Me What You Want", "One More Chance", "As I Said Before", "Who's Behind the Door", "Take Your Fingers from My Hair", and "The La La Song". These songs are Zebra's roots; they established the fan base that still returns twenty years later to watch Zebra's legendary live shows, as well as a new generation of twenty-somethings still wanting to rock.

Speaking of live shows, Zebra supported the first album by opening on national tours with Loverboy, Cheap Trick, and a few dates with Journey. Even before the first album release, Zebra had gained considerable attention opening for the likes of Kiss, ZZ Top, Aerosmith, and Molly Hatchet. A newspaper review of the 3/1/83 Nassau Coliseum Zebra / Aerosmith show told this story: "With the capacity crowd's response to Zebra's electrifying performance was so overwhelming, Steven Tyler and company declined to take the stage for an hour and a half in order to allow everyone to simmer down. Unfortunately for them, the delaying tactic backfired... when the headliners eventually did appear, a renewed chorus of Zebra cheers greeted them".

Just as a bit of road trivia, Zebra later had standout groups like Dream Theater, Queensryche, and Bryan Adams open for them. They were twice featured on two nationally syndicated radio programs, the King Biscuit Flour Hour (concerts) and Rockline (interviews). The largest crowd Zebra played to was about 50,000 as the opening act for Sammy Hagar at Chicago's Soldier Field. Another huge crowd was at a 1983 rock festival at City Park Stadium in New Orleans, featuring Bryan Adams, Zebra, Foghat, and Journey. Finally, as a touring "lowlight", the band had its equipment stolen after a 1981 Houston gig. Fortunately, they were rescued from near extinction when Long Island rock club supergroups Twisted Sister, Rat Race Choir, the Good Rats, and Southern Cross staged a benefit concert on Zebra's behalf. The equipment was replaced, and the band rolled on.

Late in the summer of 1984, Zebra's second album, No Telling Lies, was released amid great expectations. Let's just say it never happened. Album sales never took off and there was no hit single. Elvis Costello once remarked that bands have twenty years to write their first album, but only six months to write the second, so why are we surprised by the sophomore jinx? While hardly a weak effort, Lies did not contain the same musical punch, lyrical polish, or song-by-song consistency as the first album. One review called it "hit and miss hard rock" with muddled synthesizers and drums mixed too far out front.

Still, Billboard saw "a well executed use of hooks, with "Lullaby" the best bet for airplay". "Lullaby" is not a typical Zebra song. As a heartfelt tribute to John Lennon, who had been slain in 1980, it was much more Beatlesque in its style and delivery. It did get some airplay on contemporary adult radio stations not interested in Zebra before (or since). Two other highlights were classic Zebra numbers from the demo days: "Wait Until the Summer's Gone and "Bears". Those two were also released as MTV videos; directed by the undisputed champion of '80s hard rock video fantasies, Marty Callner (Aerosmith, Twisted Sister, Whitesnake - fine women, fast cars, loud music; remember?). "But No More" serves as a fourth track from Lies included here, and is among the few tracks recorded by Zebra not written solely by Randy Jackson.

A triple bill tour with Zebra opening for Survivor and REO Speedwagon was the primary national support effort for No Telling Lies. Again, while allowing Zebra to play before typically packed mid-sized arenas, it also limited playing time to 40 minute sets, which they split between both albums. Bottom line result: No Telling Lies continued to be outsold by the Zebra album, which eventually went gold, and is now approaching platinum status (1 million copies sold). Randy admits today that mistakes were made with No Telling Lies; the band felt rushed to get out new product, and, in general, they were "disappointed with the results".

That backdrop makes the follow-up effort released in 1986, 3.V, even more amazing in my mind. Zebra's third studio effort is nothing less than a modern rock classic. There's a depth and maturity in both the music and lyrics not present on the first two albums. The debut Zebra album stands tall as a "greatest hits" package of songs written during the band's "minor league" years; many paying tribute to musical styles admired by the band (e.g., Zeppelin, Yes). But 3.V works for an entirely different reason: it is Zebra creating its own style, asserting its own musical direction, producing its own work, and sounding like no other band. The songs are fresh and exciting; the vocals are crisp, and the musical production flawless. Included here are fine examples: "Time", "Better Not Call", and "Hard Living Without You". (As a bonus, this collection also includes two outtakes from the 3.V sessions: "Children at Heart" and "Riverside"). This is the band's finest studio hour (er, 40 minutes). This time, Billboard raved in its 11/15/86 issue, "Recommended. Distinctive vocals front this well-produced project, which should be a welcome addition to album rock radio".

Unfortunately, with all that said, it wasn't. The album sold somewhat better than the second, but not nearly as well as the first. The guys opted for an "east of the Mississippi" club tour as the headliner, rather than another round as a support act. In hindsight, it might have hindered the album's exposure, but they wanted to get back to playing full sets in front of their fans. Meanwhile, Atlantic's interest in Zebra waned, and in a bit of corporate "what have ya done for me lately" expense pruning, the label unceremoniously dropped the band. Their hot debut band was now an expendable commodity...which would likely end the story for many bands, but not Zebra. The band has continued over the past decade as the undisputed best live rock band in Louisiana and as a premiere attraction in the Long Island area. Zebra plays several dozen club and festival dates each year, sometimes roaming to adjacent states like Mississippi, Texas, Florida, and New Jersey with great success.

Their concert prowess did not go unnoticed by Atlantic. In 1989, after many fan requests, Zebra's old label asked if they'd like to release a live album. A couple of shows were recorded on Long Island in November 1989, and the excellent Zebra Live album resulted. Released in 1990, the album captures the band's energy and features Zebra's only official recording of a Led Zeppelin song, "The Ocean", a concert favorite for many years.

Atlantic also encouraged Randy to record what was basically a solo project called Randy Jackson's China Rain. Unfortunately, in another binge of corporate accounting stupidity, they later dropped support for the project, which caused Randy to seek its release on his own in Europe, and finally, in 1993, have it imported to the States. A rarely seen video was made for "You're Only Lonely Today". Other standout tracks on China Rain include "Last Forever" and "Light of My Love".

In the last few years, Felix and Randy have supplemented their Zebra work with awesome solo acoustic shows. Felix plays acoustic guitar and piano for his unplugged shows, while singing his own originals (from Shepherd's Bush and beyond), along with tunes from Rod Stewart, Clapton, Dylan, Hootie and the Blowfish, Oasis, and a pile of others. Felix is also in the pre-production stage of a solo album release, featuring his songs "written over the last 20 years, but not consistent with the kind of stuff Zebra puts out". Guy, who returned in 1998 with a vengeance after a one-year battle with breast cancer, is starting up a blues band.

Randy's solo gigs feature acoustic versions of Zebra, Led Zeppelin, the Moody Blues, and the best renditions of Beatles tunes this side of Paul McCartney. Earlier, Randy had dabbled in a solo, high-tech computerized MIDI concert, with incredible results - count yourself among the fortunate few if you saw any of these shows. Unfortunately, it required tons of equipment and setup time, so Randy's current "unplugged" shows are a more practical alternative. Randy's also done studio and road work as a backing musician, such as a 1989 tour with Jefferson Airplane.

And finally, Randy's also involved as the featured vocalist in a symphonic "Music of Led Zeppelin" program, conducted and arranged by Brent Havens. Basically, Brent and Randy take their talents around the country to play with local symphony orchestras. To date, the program has played to rave reviews with the Atlanta, Jacksonville, and Virginia Symphonies. A second production, where he sings the music of Pink Floyd, had its premiere with the Atlanta Symphony this summer. More shows are coming; watch for a date near you!
Busy, talented guys, all three, but still having Zebra as their musical focus. Randy says "the fans keep it going", while Guy notes that "We get onstage and we just click. I know exactly what they're going to do, and which way they're going to move. It feels very comfortable to be up there." Felix summed things up by saying "Zebra is the longest lasting thing in my life, professionally or personally. I just don't see an end"... which is great news for us! Fans know the fourth studio album has been a long-time coming. But glimpses of its likely contents have been tantalizingly presented in recent live shows. Having seen a couple of Zebra shows just days before I wrote this, I can say the same energy and passion that I witnessed all those years ago is still there.

Listening to the last song before the encores, "Tell Me What You Want", it struck me why Zebra's music still hits so close to home: it's simply the passion of the performance - on stage or CD - that so brilliantly captures a state of mind, a feeling, a bevy of emotions. Randy's lyrics and music often confront disturbed times in everyday people's lives; they take a slice of life and lay out all the conflicting emotions in a three minute sonic boom. In "Tell Me What You Want", we have the aftermath of an argument with a lover, and during its performance, you can feel the swirl of emotions - anger, frustration, love, passion, bitterness, desperation - of the moment through the music. All of this has been compacted into the intense flurry of wailing guitar notes, Guy's bombastic drums, Felix's whining synthesizers, and the dead-on pain conveyed in Randy's singing. I listen and I am there; my mind and heart put on display through words and music.

I was once told they do this in operas, but I don't know Italian, and the music just doesn't feel the same...
So, keep rockin' guys!

Colin J. Hulin
September 1998

Since his neo-psychedelic Green On Red days, Chuck Prophet has been turning out country, folk, blues, and Brill Building classicism. THE LAND THAT TIME FORGET is something different, a weather vane picking up signals from outer space -- or maybe it's the Heartland.

Priced out of his beloved hometown, San Francisco, Prophet found himself re-energized in Upstate NY just a few miles from the Vermont border -- and made a record that is much a 21st century exorcism as it is America.

The songs inhabit a world where a Fast Kid might be on the run from the truant officer or a handsy boss...or the Immigration Service. These are love songs that turn political on a dime (Love Doesn't Come from the Barrel of a Gun), and melodic hallucinations about kicking back in the Oval Office after hours "talking to my baby, saying baby, let's not fight."

Where else besides a Chuck Prophet LP are songs going to come at you from both the Tenderloin and an English roundabout, with stopovers in Nixonland and a love-struck mirror on a Saturday night while a workingman tries his Best Shirt On? With special appearances by the ghost of Johnny Thunders and Willie Wonka and John the Baptist and the train that brought Abraham Lincoln home one last time.

In Waving Goodbye, a young girl leaves small town attitudes behind to conquer the world one gig at a time. Then there's a dance Marathon, lost in time and reborn as a reality show. According to Womankind, men had their run, but it's over. (The good news is he can still try to sing his way into her heart.)

And it all leads up to 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue where a singer has his say, in two and a half loping verses and a middle eight.

Here's Chuck:

"Have any of you been to a 24-hour Walmart on the outskirts of Pittsburgh after midnight lately? It was just me and a couple tweakers roaming the auto parts aisles. We got along just fine. Long story short, I fixed that guitar by my lonesome and am playing it right now. I'm kind of proud of that."

"I will say this, though, about Ohio. Some of my truest hard earned fans are in Ohio. Go on and call it a fly-over-state, but not while Chrissie Hynde is in earshot, unless you want a vegan boot up your ass. All I'm saying is that a state is a lot more than which candidate won by how many votes. I mean you gotta feel sorry for the conservatives. The only songs they can play at their rallies without getting hit with a cease and desist order are by Ted Nugent and Charlie Daniels. And those two sure aren't shy about expressing their opinions."

THE LAND THAT TIME FORGOT got off the ground in the Money Belt, only to find its legs in the Borscht Belt. Musically it has deep roots, from the Southern Delta to the discos of Munich. There's a kind of folkish inevitability to it, lots of acoustic instruments, on top of each other and side by side. But as much as folk music is the soil all music grows from, it never hurts to have a boiler room. So, there's always a rhythm section shuffling under your feet here.

Written mostly with longtime co-conspirator klipschutz, this LP steps out of Chuck Prophet's comfort zone ("two guitars, bass, and drums"). After nailing three tracks in S.F. with Grammy-winning alchemist Matt Winegar, Prophet confesses, "We hit a wall. Schedules. Money. Towed vehicles: a thousand large to get one van out of lockup."

So he went out on tour, a solo tour. Driving through the Catskills he dropped into Kenny Siegal's Old Soul Studios, in a "5-bedroom Greek Revival listed on the National Registry," Chuck and Kenny immediately began to argue. Over anything. Whether it was too hot or too cold (according to WHOM?). At the end of the day -- "a very long day, three weeks of them -- let's just say Kenny's the man. At Old Soul, musicians drop in, sometimes complete blind dates. We did everything live. The drummer gigs with Kevin Morby. The bass player, out of some jazz scene. Piano player, an honorary Bad Seed. A mish mash of personalities and styles. Turns out you can make a lot of noise with acoustic instruments, if there are enough of them."

When asked about his life, Prophet is candid and evasive all at once: "What do you want to know. Death, health issues, financial hijinks, I've had them all the past few years. We lost my dad and we lost Stephie's dad too. The basement flooded. My shoulder went out. I got hives over 80% of my body; was quarantined. The only break I caught was when the ear, eye, nose, and throat doctors were all in the same building. Oh, and I almost got killed about seven times in rented cars in snowstorms, lost on the way to gigs. Hey, maybe we should talk about songs instead."

"It's Jazz. It just doesn't sound like it."

This is how virtuoso guitarist Oz Noy describes his intoxicating blend of jazz, funk, rock, blues, and r&b.

Born in Israel, Oz started his professional career at the age of 13 playing jazz, blues, pop and rock music. By age 16, he was playing with top Israeli musicians and artists. By age 24, he was one of the most established studio guitar players in the country. Oz was also a member of the house band on Israel's top-rated television show for more than two years.

Since his 1996 arrival in New York, Oz has made a huge impact on the local and international music scene. His unique and intoxicating style has broken all the rules of instrumental guitar music by focusing on the groove. All-stars such as Keith Carlock, Anton Fig, Vinnie Colaiuta, and Dave Weckl often contribute on drums, with bassists Will Lee, James Genus, and Reggie Washington.

In 2003, Oz released his debut record -- "Oz Live" -- recorded at NYC's legendary Bitter End.

In 2004, Oz signed with Magna Carta Records and in 2005, released his highly-acclaimed studio record "HA!" with his all-star band featuring Fig, Carlock, Lee and Genus plus special guests Mike Stern and George Whitty.

In April of 2007, a licensing deal with Magna Carta and Japanese label Videoarts opened the door for Oz's music in Japan. Later that year saw the release of "Fuzzy," Oz's third record under the Magna Carta label. For Fuzzy, Oz's all-star band is joined by various special guests including Colaiuta, bassist Jimmy Johnson, and keyboardists Whitty and Jim Beard.

September, 2009, saw the release of Oz's fourth album, "Schizophrenic," featuring Lee, Fig, Carlock, Weckl, Ricky Peterson, Chris Palmero, and special guest Steve Lukather.

In November of 2011, Oz released his fifth studio album "Twisted Blues Vol. 1" Featuring Vinnie Colaiuta, Anton Fig, Chris Layton, Will Lee, Roscoe Beck , John Medeski, Jerry Z, Reese Wynans, Ralph Macdonald and special guests Eric Johnson & Allen Toussaint.

In late 2012, Oz released his two highly acclaimed instructional DVDs,"Guitar Improvisational Workout" and "Play Along Workout", released by jazzheaven.com .

May of 2014 saw the release of Oz's 6th studio album "Twisted Blues Vol. 2" featuring special collaborations with: Chick Corea, Allen Toussaint, Eric Johnson, Warren Haynes, Gregoire Maret, Greg Leisz, Dave Weckl, and John Medeski. The album featured the help of a stellar backup band featuring Keith Carlock, Anton Fig, Chris Layton, Will Lee, Roscoe Beck, Jerry Z and Reese Wynans.

In March, 2015, Oz released his 7th album "Asian Twistz" featuring Dave Weckl & Etienne Mbappe. The live album was recorded during a tour in Asia during the summer of 2014.

oz-noy-img5April 2016 Oz Release his 8th studio album "Who Gives A Funk" Featuring very special guests Joe Bonamassa, Robben Ford, Dweezil Zappa, Fred Weasley, Chris Potter, John Medeski & Corey Glover.

Sept 2017 showed the debut release of "Ozone Squeeze" , Oz's new band featuring Atlantha Drummer Darren Stanley & Australian Keyboardist, vocalist Rai Thistlethwayte.

March 2019 Oz Release his 9th solo Album "Booga Looga Loo" Featuring Drummers-Steve Ferrone, Vinnie Colaiuta and Dave Weckl, Bassists-Will Lee, John Patitucci and James Genus, Keyboardists- Jerry Z and Brian Charette with special guests- Anne Drummond, Kevin Hays and Seamus Blake.

For his accomplishments as a trend-setting guitarist, Oz won the highly acclaimed Guitar Player magazine readers poll for "Best guitar riff on a record" (2007), "Best new talent" (2008), and "Best out there guitar player" (2013).

Oz's success both as an artist and an instrumentalist has built demand for him as an instructor. In 2011, he released two Instructional videos for Jazz Heaven, entitled "Guitar Improvisational Workout" and "Play Along Workout." since 2015, Oz released three instructional videos for My Music Master Class (MMMC) entitled "Unlocking The Neck" , "Blues, Bends and Beyond" and "Effects On The Gig". He also released four videos for True Fire, entitled "Improv Wizard", "Essentials Funk Rhythm Guitar", "Twisted Guitar-Blues Soloing" and "Twisted Guitar- Blues Rhythm".

Oz also conducts periodic master classes at The Collective School of Music (New York City), Musicians Institute (Los Angeles), and others.

With his 1971 self-titled Columbia Records release, multi-instrumentalist, singer and songwriter David Bromberg emerged as a wunderkind of American roots music. The disc's blend of traditional and original material, virtuosic musicianship and iconic cover art trumpeted the arrival of a new artist of audacious vision. Over the course of seven more albums for Columbia & Fantasy Records and through associations with Bob Dylan, Jerry Jeff Walker, John Hartford, George Harrison, the Grateful Dead, Emmylou Harris and Bonnie Raitt, Bromberg's reputation and following grew exponentially. However, the incessant demands of touring finally brought the recordings and shows to an end in the early 1980s.

A twenty-two-year drought ended in 2006 with the release of the Grammy-nominated solo effort Try Me One More Time. In 2011 David followed up with Use Me, a typically unorthodox Bromberg-ian effort, partnering him with Linda Ronstadt, Vince Gill, Los Lobos, Dr. John, Keb' Mo, John Hiatt, Levon Helm and others as David asked them to either write or choose songs and then produce him performing them.

Two more albums emerged from 2013 to 2017, Only Slightly Mad and The Blues the Whole Blues and Nothing But the Blues, both produced by 3 x Grammy winner Larry Campbell. Recorded at Levon Helm's Barn, Only Slightly Mad brought the band back to David's eclectic 'kitchen sink' musical philosophy, while The Whole Blues proved Texas fiddler Johnny Gimbel's theory that: "There are only two songs--'The Star-Spangled Banner' and the blues."The band skipped the 'Banner' and headed straight for the blues, winning the 2017 Downbeat Critic's Poll for Best Blues Album.

With David's band settling into its current lineup: Mark Cosgrove (guitar, mandolin, vocals), Nate Grower (fiddle, mandolin, guitar, vocals), Josh Kanusky (drums, vocals) and newest member, Suavek Zaniesienko (bass, vocals), they entered the studio in mid-2019 for a different approach to record-making. The resulting album, Big Road, gives Bromberg fans the most intimate portrait to date of David and his band, musically and visually. Featuring twelve new recordings, five hi-def performance videos and a mini-documentary detailing the album's creation, the content rich album was released on Compass/Red House Records as a CD/DVD combo pack and gatefold vinyl album. Unfortunately COVID put an end to all live shows until fall 2021, which is where David is poised to write his next chapter.

So, what is del Amitri? Some songs and some noises and some stories.

The noises began many years ago born of the youthful exuberance, and sexual frustration of Justin Currie, James Scobbie, Donald Bentley, and Paul Tyagi. After recording one flexi-disc and playing some concerts Donald Bentley and James Scobbie began to perceive that there might be better ways for them to exorcise their dissatisfaction with existence (through architecture and clinical audiology respectively). But similarly afflicted individuals were soon found to replace them and make similar plangent sounds with guitars and so the spirit grew.

Now with Iain Harvie and Bryan Tolland at its service del Amitri made two songs and engraved them onto 1000 seven inch vinyl discs. One of these songs, 'Sense Sickness', was broadcast to the people of Albion, nay, the world at large by the once venerable (lately slightly sullied) John Peel who subsequently invited del Amitri to record four more songs for the British Broadcasting Corporation to be similarly broadcast to the nation. This brought del Amitri to the attention of a commercial company (only peripherally connected to the military-industrial complex) that was designed to make money from songs on vinyl discs.

The godlike Hugh Jones was engaged to unravel the tangled creative knot that was del Amitri in 1984 and from the threads he wove an intricate tapestry of twanged strings, layered voices and banged drums that became the ten songs of the eponymous 1985 debut album. At a time when people in their millions were buying records of songs by Spandau Ballet and Wham!, del Amitri, though arrogantly convinced of its own genius, remained obscure and misunderstood except in a very few specific locations; the Marquee Club in London,[1] Portugal,[2] and scattered 'college towns' in the United States of America.

It was the support of radio stations in these college towns and the epistolary encouragement of their listeners that emboldened del Amitri to rent an Econoline van in New Jersey and, accompanied by friends and relatives, to drive to these towns to perform.[3] Not all who departed in that Econoline van after a disastrous first show at Maxwells in Hoboken made it back to New Jersey and none who did can claim to have been unchanged (for better, or for worse) by the fifteen thousand mile, coast to coast and back road trip. Ronald Reagan was elected to a second term in office, Margaret Thatcher to a third, and now records by Duran Duran and Dead Or Alive were being consumed in their millions.

On returning to Alba del Amitri experienced an epiphany. The sheer pig-headedness of the early years, when del Amitri had convinced itself that four wet-behind-the-ears Glaswegians could out-do the melodic beauty of the Smiths while simultaneously promoting hardline politico-social musical ideology thus comprehensively undermining the public's adoration of Spandau Ballet and Wham! (and now also Duran Duran and Dead Or Alive), dissipated. There was a realisation that music is beauty, and truth beauty, even (especially?) when it is just music; and the important thing was to just do it.

Del Amitri realized that to survive it must adapt. Back in Glasgow Mick Slaven's prodigious and visionary musical talents opened del Amitri's eyes to new possibilities and now with Andy Alston in tow the interest of a second, more efficacious commercial organization was piqued; del Amitri set about the long and tortuous process of making the album of songs that would eventually be released by A&M Records Incorporated[4] as Waking Hours. This was not immediately profitable for the commercial syndicate that had underwritten the six figure recording costs[5] but thanks to the sheer doggedness of certain individuals employed there 'Nothing Ever Happens' was eventually ushered into the UK Hit Parade, 'Kiss This Thing Goodbye' breached the fringes of the US Top Forty, and del Amitri came to the attention of the public at large.

And with that came 6am calls to sit on sofas with smiling, orange hosts on national prime-time television slots that were bracketed by footage of the current war and the latest famine; Terry Wogan, Top of the Pops, Late Night with David Letterman, Saturday morning kids' TV; months on tour buses, where the odometers clocked up many times over the miles we travelled in the Econoline in 1984, playing to full houses in Findhorn, Sydney, Stockholm, Portree, Berlin, Madrid, Melbourne, Chicago, Kirkwall, Los Angeles, Boston, New York, Copenhagen, Minneapolis, Preston, Bielefeldt, Copenhagen, to half-a-dozen in Oklahoma; to festive crowds in Glastonbury, Roskilde, T In the Park, and ten people and a dog in a field in Besancon.

But also the opportunity to make records--four more albums; Change Everything, Twisted, Some Other Sucker's Parade, Can You Do Me Good: fifty songs distilled from hundreds written. Writing is a labour of love that has driven many better souls than ours to perdition. Blessedly, del Amitri only led us to the waves of mercy offered at the bar, and our poison fed the lurking muse, and continues to do so, and long may it continue.[6]

In these decades of recording and performing del Amitri has enlisted the services of many, exploited some and ruined the lives of an unfortunate few.[7] And to what end? The cold statistics of del Amitri's 'success' can be summarized as follows; fifteen top forty singles and five top ten albums in the UK, one top ten and three top forty hits in the US, a number one album in Australia, and extensive radio play across mainland Europe that have combined to generate millions of sales worldwide.[8] What any of this has meant to you we can only speculate on. But what it has meant for those close to the heart of del Amitri and (excuse us if we sound like romantic fools) lucky enough to have caught the tail of a golden age of recorded music is that we have been privileged to spend a lifetime devoted to writing, listening to, thinking about, and performing, music.

Footnotes
1. Formerly on Wardour Street, Soho, London. See http://www.themarqueeclub.net/index.php for a detailed history and comprehensive calendar of thirty-five years of concerts that took place in that once cherished venue, rivalled only by the 100 Club in the annals of rock music history in London. Del Amitri performed sell-out shows at the Marquee in December 1986 and February 1987. The building was demolished in 1988 and a 'new' Marquee Club was opened on Charing Cross Road but this was nothing short of an insult to the memory of the original, degenerating into a tourist attraction and closing in 1995.

2. Del Amitri performed two packed concerts at Rock Rendez-Vous in Lisbon on December 5th and 6th, 1985. In Scotland del Amitri attracted only handfuls of people to concerts, having successfully alienated most music lovers with its obsessive striving for 'originality', an aesthetic which, combined with a lack of any conventional musical training, created sounds that many mainstream listeners and critics perceived as willfully abrasive. A show at Galashiels Textile College was described years later by one of the few attendees as "the worst fucking concert I ever saw in my life." A Sunday afternoon performance at a club in Kilmarnock had an audience of two, one of whom had travelled from Italy for the show.

3. Del Amitri arrived in New Jersey in July 1984 to undertake a "Whistle Stop Tour" of the United States of America, a reference to early Presidential campaigns undertaken by train and the brainchild of the manager at that time Barbara Shores (currently missing). Travelling without the appropriate visas, sleeping at roadsides, busking for fuel money, relying on equipment borrowed locally at each venue and subsisting mainly on Moutain Dew, Old Grandad, Crackerjack, Egg McMuffins, and devotees' sympathy del Amitri performed in bars, at radio stations, in record stores, on street corners and at house parties in the following places over a period of five weeks; New York NY., Hoboken NJ., Athens GA., Orlando FL., New Orleans LA., Dallas TX., Los Angeles CA., Las Vegas NV., Milwaukee WI., Detroit MI., Pittsburgh PA., Long Island NY.

4. Until Polygram's purchase of the company in 1989, A&M Records was an independent record company (although generally not perceived as such due to the size of its global operations) owned solely by Herb Albert and Gerry Moss. An 'integrity clause' that retained Gil Friesen as chairman and kept Gerry Moss nominally in control maintained an appearance of corporate dignity that lasted until the purchase of Polygram by Seagram in 1998; a heavily leveraged hostile buyout of Seagram by Vivendi followed almost immediately. Vivendi had been created out of the recently privatized French water utility Compagnie Générale des Eaux as its CEO, playboy Jean-Marie Messier, liquidated the core business of supplying water to Parisians and tried to create a European media rival to AOL/TimeWarner. The A&M lot at 1416 North La Brea Avenue in Hollywood was closed in January 1999 and sold, most of the staff let go and the bulk of the artists dropped; Albert and Moss subsequently successfully sued Vivendi for $200 million for breach of the integrity clause. Early in 2002 in what is sometimes referred to as 'Europe's Enron' Vivendi posted the biggest loss in French corporate history and the company's estimated worth fell from $30 billion to zero overnight. Messier was forced to resign shortly thereafter. Del Amitri's contract with Universal-Vivendi was terminated in June 2002. The A&M brand is now used by the Universal Music Group as front-line label in the UK for 'edgy' mainstream pop acts such as Black-Eyed Peas.

5. The size of this budget was not due to wanton profligacy. (It was rumoured in Glasgow at that time -- falsely -- that del Amitri had purchased a helicopter to provide more efficient transport to and from airport hubs). The entire album was recorded in London and mixed in Los Angeles at great expense but without due care and attention by a charlatan music-business journeyman named David Kershenbaum and subsequently scrapped. The project was rescued and completed by Hugh Jones and his engineer Mark Freegard with more than a little help from the (possibly marsupial) mixing engineer Julian Mendelssohn. The stresses imposed on all concerned during the course of this two year long saga perhaps explain why Mick Slaven, who had previously endured a failed major label album recording session with legendary Glasgow band Bourgie Bourgie, never toured with del Amitri.

6. For an in-depth discussion of the misguided romantic notions surrounding alcohol and writing see The Thisty Muse: Alcohol and the American Writer by Tom Dardis (New York : Ticknor & Fields, 1989). Dardis examines in detail the effect that alcohol had on the lives and work of Dorothy Parker, Ernest Hemingway, William Faulkner, Eugene O'Neil, F. Scott Fitzgerald and others and is forced to conclude that all of them would have been better off sober.

7. Paul Tyagi left the band during the recording of Waking Hours. Once the album was recorded Mick Slaven continued to plough his own furrow and refused to be coaxed onto the tour-bus: his coruscating genius should be clear to anyone who listens to the three albums he has made with his band The Leopards. Del Amitri performed around the world for two years as Justin Currie, Iain Harvie, Andy Alston, David Cummings and Brian McDermott, and went on to make Change Everything with these five at its heart. Brian McDermott chose to leave during the making of the subsequent album Twisted, to be replaced by Ashley Soan once the album had been completed. (The drums on Twisted were played by Chris Sharrock who, like Mick Slaven before him, sensibly declined to board the del Amitri bus). David Cummings retired from life as a professional musician to script-write and raise a family and was replaced by Jon McLoughlin (alias Kid Krupa; died March 11 2005). These five recorded Some Other Sucker's Parade only for Jon McLoughlin and Ashley Soan to decide that they were unable to cope with the burden of alcohol consumption and constant touring which del Amitri imposed upon them. Kris Dollimore and Mark Price gallantly filled the vacant boots and went on to work on Can You Do Me Good? Currently del Amitri uses (in alphabetical order of surname) Andy Alston, Justin Currie, Kris Dollimore, Iain Harvie and Ashley Soan (aided by the estimable John Patrick Reid) to pursue its ends.

8. Sales figures themselves are used as a marketing tool in the music industry -- press officers like nothing better than referring to an artist as "million selling" or even "octo-platinum". This in itself makes verifiable sales figures almost impossible to ascertain. Combined with the murky accounting practices of the corporate world in general and the music business in particular one can only conclude that reported sales for albums are pure speculation.

"Here's to life!" Fans around the world can be found singing the chorus of the Roger Clyne-penned fan favorite "Mekong" and toasting their glasses in unison to celebrate life through rock-n-roll. But the inspiration for the song dates back to the time Roger went to Taipei, Taiwan, as a college student to teach English during the day and busk with his guitar at night for money.

Today, as Clyne prepares to record his 11th studio album, he continues to transform his life experiences, inspirations, observations and his own muses into timeless music. And whether he's wearing his Converse high tops, boots or sandals, Clyne's blend of punk rock, country-western and mariachi influences have made him, drummer PH Naffah, guitarist Jim Dalton and bassist Nick Scropos -- collectively known as Roger Clyne & The Peacemakers -- one of America's best live rock-n-roll bands.

Starting with the seminal Tempe quartet, The Refreshments, Clyne and Naffah put the fun in rock during the 90s grunge era with a sense of humor. They also started what would become a trademark sound on all future albums by adding mariachi horns, something Clyne was influenced by while in college studying Cultural Anthropology with an ethnography study of mariachis during a three month immersion stay with a local family in Ensenada, Mexico.

The Refreshments' debut album, "Fizzy, Fuzzy, Big & Buzzy," became a cult classic. It produced the alternative radio hit "Banditos" which also had significant airplay on MTV and earned The Freshies an appearance on The Conan O'Brien Show. Clyne then penned and performed the theme song for the Mike Judge animated TV series, King of Hill. In 2017, Here's to Life: The story of The Refreshments, was released. The feature-length documentary was a hit with fans and critics alike.

Changes within their record label and internal band issues resulted in Clyne and Naffah going on a vision quest of sorts in the Whetstone Mountains near the Clyne Ranch in Southeastern Arizona. It was there that Clyne found inspiration in the rolling hills and the jukeboxes of small town taverns that still played Marty Robbins and Johnny Cash -- music he had shed from his youth in favor of bands like Camper Van Beethoven & They Might Be Giants. But after reconnecting with those old country records, Clyne and Naffah wrote and recorded under a new moniker what would become Roger Clyne & The Peacemakers' debut album, "Honky Tonk Union."

The album was the perfect combination of classic rock and twang, and fans immediately connected with it. Their independent release, "Honky Tonk Union," debuted at No. 1 on Billboard's internet sales chart in 1999 prompting a call from a Billboard exec to their Manager demanding, " Who the hell is Roger Clyne and why is he #1 on my chart?!" beating out much better known artists

RCPM released eight more albums that landed in the top ten of Billboard's Internet Sales Chart, including a No. 1 debut for their third album, "Americano!" -- all without the backing of a major record label and while flying under the radar of commercial radio.

In 2019, Roger Clyne & The Peacemakers were inducted into the Arizona Music and Entertainment Hall of Fame, joining the likes of fellow Arizona legends Alice Cooper, Buck Owens, Glen Campbell, Stevie Nicks, Linda Ronstadt and Waylon Jennings.

Later that fall, RCPM was invited by a man who, like Roger, also knows a little something about tequila and throwing big parties in Mexico. The band headlined Sammy Hagar's Cabo Wabo Cantina on the eve of Hagar's weekend birthday celebration.

Roger Clyne & The Peacemakers have curated their own annual music festival, Circus Mexicus, in the sleepy beach town of Puerto Peñasco, Mexico, which draws thousands of fans from around the world. The festival not only has a major impact on the local economy, but charity events hosted by the band and fans alike help raise money for a local orphanage, support local youth sports and help feed shelter animals.

Clyne not only sings about life in the border-lands, he also produces his own ultra-premium spirit, Mexican Moonshine Tequila (soon to be re-named Canción Tequila). Owned by the entire band, it was the official tequila at the Arizona Diamondbacks Chase stadium in 2016, 2017 and 2018. Started in 2011, the award-winning spirit is distributed in multiple states as well as Sonora, Mexico.

Roger Clyne & The Peacemakers have toured all over the US and achieved a faithful following through hard work and great music. They have done this all while being independent, without the safety net of a label or a label's radio promotion department. Dubbed "The Springsteen of the Southwest," by the Asbury Park Press. The band delivers exciting live performances that garner declarations like the one from emcee Jay Peterman of the Seinfeld TV show at Alice Cooper's annual Christmas Pudding event, "Young man, you light that stage a-flame!"

KICK - The INXS Experience is the USA's most captivating salute and tribute to the internationally acclaimed rock band, INXS.

Formed in 2014, two years after INXS stopped touring, KICK - The INXS Experience has beautifully managed to capture the spirit of INXS in both its sound and live performance, bringing the highest level of musicianship to the audience while showing a true passion for the music of INXS. Vocalist, guitarist, and singer-songwriter Cory Massi is the founding frontman of KICK, and has long held a respect and admiration for the late great Michael Hutchence. Massi even auditioned for the reality TV show, Rockstar: INXS, in 2004, where contestants competed to become the new lead vocalist for INXS. What convinced him to audition? "I loved Michael's singing and his personality," notes Massi. "I saw INXS when I was a teenager in '88 and '89; they were great, and the people were just gaga over them. Michael left a big impression with his star power; he really had it, that guy. Our range is similar and I just went for it. I had to sing "Mystify" acappella so I was kind of nervous because I didn't have a band behind me. There was a camera a foot away from my face and it was out of my comfort zone; I would probably still feel uncomfortable today. I didn't get the gig: I was one of the last people to try out and I think by the time I auditioned they had already made their selection. No excuse: it was a good experience. We include "Mystify" in our set and when I sing it, I have my band with me and we love the music, so we play it with a lot of heart."

KICK is already garnering the attention, admiration, and accolades of well-seasoned "ears" in the music industry. Radio personalities in several markets have been quick to offer praise; WZXL / Atlantic City program director Steve Raymond, a longtime fan of INXS, raved after listening to only part of one song, "Wow! These guys have got the vibe down. Really impressive!" 107.1 The BOSS (WWZY)'s midday air personality Michele Amabile concurred, "I had to go back and listen again with my eyes closed.... I could have sworn I was hearing Michael Hutchence!"

Sounding like legendary frontman Michael Hutchence is no easy task. "I guess the hardest thing, the most challenging thing when I started KICK," acknowledges Massi, "was capturing the great variety in Hutchence's voice. He can sound sensitive and soft and he can be super strong and really belt it out and sometimes that all happens within one phrase or even a word. It took a lot of self-control to capture how he projects his lyrics and the music. It's impossible to really sound and look like him; he's an Adonis, another Jim Morrison, Morrison in a pop sense. I can't mimic that; all I can do is do my best to capture his spirit."

The focus has been on faithfully recreating the music in its most powerful sense; an in-the-pocket bottom end from bass player Don Leslie and drummer Gary Forbes, a brilliant combination of piano and synth by John Cassidy, the signature guitar tones produced by guitarist Todd King and Jason Taylor, the saxophone by Nottingham, England's Tom Wheat, and the spot-on lead vocals by Cory Massi, all lend to a powerful high-energy show. KICK - The INXS Experience will take you back. It will reignite your passion for INXS. It will introduce you to music that is still as fresh today as the day it was written; from "Original Sin" to "Elegantly Wasted" and everything in between, including (but not limited to) "Need You Tonight," "New Sensation," "What You Need," "Don't Change," "Listen Like Thieves," "The One Thing," "Bitter Tears," "Suicide Blonde," "Not Enough Time," "Beautiful Girl," and "Devil Inside."

Winner of the Independent Music Award, in the Live Performance Album category for his latest triple live album "Encore" (2014), "Rose d'Or" of the Montreux Festival for his first album, "PrÃ¨s de Paris" (Switzerland, 1976), "Best World Music Guitar Player " by the readers of Guitar Player Magazine (USA, 2008), Pierre Bensusan is recognized as one of the premier musicians of our time.

If "World Music" is music that pays tribute to the spirit of a collection of human beings through distinct rhythms, traditional instruments and harmonic colors, French-Algerian guitarist, singer and composer Pierre Bensusan can be recognized as one of the most eloquent and world musicians today.

Born in Oran, French-Algeria, in 1957, when France was decolonizing its Empire, Pierre Bensusan's family moved to Paris when he was 4. He began formal studies on piano at the age of 7 and at 11 taught himself guitar. Influenced in those early days by the folk revival blooming in Britain, France and North America, Bensusan began first to explore his own diverse musical heritage and then moved to the horizons beyond.

At 17 he signed his first recording contract, and one year later his first album "Pres de Paris" won the Grand Prix du Disque upon his debut at the Montreux Festival in Switzerland.

Described by the L.A. Times as "one of the most unique and brilliant acoustic guitar veterans in the world music scene today", Pierre's name became synonymous with contemporary acoustic guitar genius, long before the terms New Age, New Acoustic Music or World Music were invented. He has the ability to make a single guitar sound like an entire band as he brings the audience on a mesmerizing musical journey. And yet, Bensusan is more than what any musician or music lover expects from a guitarist. He is a composer as well as a bilingual and a brave improvisational vocalist, melding whistles and resonant low notes with something like his own scat technique.

There is a sense of something both playful and serious in his work, an unparalleled sense of freedom in his compositions and his improvisations. His "manner" of playing defies classification - crossing world, classical, jazz, traditional, folk and more. None can be isolated as simply "Brazilian", "Arabic" or "French"; rather, they represent our world in its current state, a world sharing itself, fusing cultures together in ways we have never experienced. A great embassador of peace. Not to be missed!

Blues is not for the faint-hearted. Since the genre first drew breath, its greatest practitioners have embraced the darkness, spinning tales of hardship and death, hellhounds and devilry. If the sleeve of Witchy Feelin' suggests that Kim Simmonds, too, has a tendency towards the macabre, then Savoy Brown's iconic leader is happy to confirm it. "Blues has always dealt with themes of the Devil, witchcraft and so forth, and I've always written along those lines. At least three of the songs on Witchy Feelin' have that hoodoo vibe..."

Released in 2017 on Ruf Records, Witchy Feelin' proves the Devil still has all the best tunes. From the thrillingly brittle guitar riff that opens Why Did You Hoodoo Me, we are in the hands of a master, with Simmonds reigniting the seismic vocals and searing fretwork that established Savoy Brown as linchpins of the '60s British blues boom. "On this album, I tried my best to get my voice in its power zone," he explains. "I'm a baritone singer. I like listening to singers I can relate to, such as J.J. Cale, Mark Knopfler, Tony Joe White and Tom Rush. For my guitar playing, I still get inspiration from Otis Rush, Buddy Guy and all the Chicago players I grew up listening to back in '63... but I always listen to new music too."

Recording alongside Pat Desalvo (bass), Garnet Grimm (drums) and engineer Ben Elliott, Simmonds leads us into a world of dark nights, wild weather, women and whiskey: all perennial themes given a modern twist by this ageless bluesman. "The songs on this album have been two years in the making," he reflects. "I tried to write songs that had a personal point of view yet can be relatable to everyone. On Vintage Man, I wrote about being the type of guy who doesn't change as he gets older. I wrote about the power of love on Why Did You Hoodoo Me. And with Guitar Slinger, I wrote a song about seeing a great guitar player in an old country bar -- as I did when I first saw Roy Buchanan in '69."

Anyone who witnessed Savoy Brown leave the blocks in 1965 would speak of a similar epiphany. Back then, the band were the spark that ignited the blues-boom, signing to Decca, opening for Cream's first London show and boasting a lead guitarist who was being namedropped in the same reverential breath as peers like Clapton and Hendrix (with whom Simmonds jammed). Already, the guitarist was emerging as the band's driving force. "I had a vision," he reflects. "When I started the band back in 1965, the concept was to be a British version of a Chicago blues band. And the exciting thing now is, that vision is still alive."

Soon, Savoy Brown had achieved what most British bands never did -- success in America -- and became a major US draw thanks to their high-energy material and tireless work ethic. "There's far too much said about sex, drugs and rock 'n' roll," Simmonds told Classic Rock. "It's a clichÃ©. We were all extremely hard-working guys. When we came over to America, we were like a little army. I look at that time as being filled with incredible talent."
Times changed, of course, and by 1979, Simmonds had moved from a London he no longer recognised -- "The punks were everywhere!" -- to settle permanently in New York. The Savoy Brown bandmembers came and went, and the music scene shifted around him, but the guitarist stuck thrillingly to his guns and reaped the rewards, performing in iconic venues like Carnegie Hall and the Fillmore East and West, releasing thirty-odd albums, and later enjoying a well-deserved induction into Hollywood's Rock Walk Of Fame.

Even in the post-millennium, while his peers grow soft and drift into semi-retirement, Simmonds retains a vision and an edge, spitting out acclaimed albums that include 2011's Voodoo Moon, 2014's Goin' To The Delta, 2015's The Devil To Pay -- and the emphatic new addition to Savoy Brown's catalogue, Witchy Feelin'. "I'm amazed that I still have the energy inside me to play guitar, create music and write songs," he considers. "I've been blessed in my life and I thank God for that. I've never been a believer in holding on to the past -- I don't look over my shoulder and congratulate myself. I always want to climb the next mountain -- and I'm very pleased with this new album..."

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