It's a city where anything goes, where everyone feels comfortable. A city of contradictions. It's a city that's part Left Bank, part island getaway. A town where tacky sits comfortably with tropical vegetation on the same barstool, Bacchus, blues and beignets share the same plate.
Lonnie McIntosh was a country boy, born and raised in Southern Indiana. Growing up just an hour west of Cincinnati, Lonnie was drawn toward the guitar very early in life and was musically influenced by every genre in the region. Country music, gospel and bluegrass reigned supreme, but there was a mix of R&B, jazz, blues and Rock & Roll emanating from the Ohio side of the state line. As a teenager in the 50s, he absorbed it all.
The 1993 Long Beach Blues Festival was a phenomenal tribute to the blues of the Delta. It featured Robert Jr. Lockwood and Pinetop Perkins on stage, recreating a live presentation of radio station KFFA’s ‘King Biscuit Time.’ There was also an outstanding homage to the work of Robert Johnson; brought to life by Lonnie Pitchford, Keb’ Mo, Rory Block, and …
Its 2020, so it should be perfectly clear to you there is simply no better way to start the decade than with a new project from Sue Palmer. She continues to mine her four decade, freakishly large catalog of music in order to provide us with Gems: Volume 2.
Sax man extraordinaire Jonny Viau is always in demand. It took four years to get this interview, and before I could ask a single question, his phone goes off. The ringtone is a wailing harmonica solo; just file that away for later in our conversation.
You know it’s going to be a good day when your mailman delivers a big fat CD right to your front door. And it’s extra special when it comes from the reigning Queen of Boogie, Sue Palmer. Sue has put together a collection of 20 songs that she says are “particular favorites” from an immense archive that dates back almost 40 years.
A spectacular trumpet section anchored by John Fick is flying high, the tightly knit harmony electrifying a room packed with music aficionados and the timeless and earthy ambience of a hard-swingin’ 18-piece big band. Cherished sidemen, who should each have a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame, sit elbow to elbow, each with a tale to tell. Johnny Vana’s …