Fran Banish has a self-proclaimed musical split personality: a love for blues and a love for pop music. And he intends to keep mixing things up. "I love the element of surprise in music," he explains. "I still remember the hypnotic effect jukeboxes had on me when I was 5. They could spit out a Beatles tune, a Jackson 5 tune, then some B.B. King. Every song was a magical surprise that drew you in."

A Chicago born, L.A. based guitarist, singer/songwriter, producer, Fran Banish is a ROCK AND BLUES GUITAR MASTER. Besides playing gigs and recording, he's coached big-name artists like Keb' Mo', Bob Dylan, Jackson Browne, Brian Bell of Weezer, and Doug Ardito and Paul Phillips of Puddle Of Mudd.

Tab Benoit is a Cajun man who�s definitely got the blues. Born November 17, 1967, he grew up in Houma, Louisiana. A guitar player since his teenage years, he hung out at the Blues Box, a ramshackle music club and cultural center in nearby Baton Rouge run by guitarist Tabby Thomas. Playing guitar alongside Thomas, Raful Neal, Henry Gray and other high-profile regulars at the club, Benoit learned the blues first-hand from a faculty of living blues legends.
An environmental activist as well as a stellar blues musician, Benoit has made the preservation of the endangered delta wetlands his personal crusade. He serves as president of Voice of the Wetlands, an environmental organization he co-founded in 2003, and he appears prominently in Hurricane on the Bayou, a 2006 documentary by filmmaker McGillivray Freeman that chronicles life in Louisiana after Katrina. Hurricane on the Bayou is playing in IMAX theaters in the U.S., Canada and Europe throughout 2007.

Their union in the Boneshakers was fairly short-lived, but together guitarist/songwriter Randy Jacobs and vocalist Sweet Pea Atkinson put together two powerful, rockin' funk and soul albums and entertained some lucky audiences who became Boneshakers themselves on dance floors across the U.S. Atkinson was born in Oberlin, OH. After working 14 years as a Chrysler assembly line worker, he left his job to pursue a music career, singing for such Detroit R&B groups as the Exquisites and Energy. While with Energy, he worked with Detroit producer Don Was (then unknown). He has also sung with industry heavyweights Elton John, Lyle Lovett, Bonnie Raitt, Neil Diamond, and Brian Wilson. Detroit native Randy Jacobs played his first guitar session at age 13. He later hooked up with Michael Henderson, co-writing the Top five R&B hit "Wide Receiver." Jacobs has been enlisted to help on projects by artists as diverse as Tina Turner, Snoop Doggy Dog, Bonnie Raitt, Coolio, Willie Nelson, Bruce Hornsby, Seal, and many others. Despite their success in session work, Atkinson and Jacobs both wanted to get their own band together and went into the home recording studio of Don Was in late 1994. Book of Spells was released in 1997; Shake the Planet followed two years later. Shortly afterwards, the duo went their separate ways. Atkinson suffered a mild stroke but recovered quickly. ~ Ann Wickstrom, All Music Guide

SUNDAY NIGHT at the CAFE BOOGALOO in Hermosa Beach,. BROHONDO invited CHRIS BOYLE onstage to play 'OPPORTUNITY KNOCKS" AND AN ENCORE OF 'BEFORE THE ROOSTER CROWS.' The appreciative audience loudly applauded the performance as Boyle played acoustic guitar, Pete Fahey on banjo, Mark Shark on lead, John Bazz on bass and Stephen Hodges on drums. BROHONDO is also known as HIDDEN HANDS when they back Boyle. The owner of Cafe boogaloo wants Boyle and the Hidden Hands to play there again in December and January. BROHONDO PLAYS THERE NOW ON SUNDAYS.Stephen Hodges and Jeff Turmes (longtime bandmates who've played and recorded with the likes of Tom Waits, Richard Thompson, R.L. Burnside and the Fabulous Thunderbirds.

Chris Cain's jazz-tinged, blues soaked guitar and deep,
warm vocals have the maturity and authenticity of bluesmen many years his senior. His expressive style is the resultof a lifetime of study and the relentless pursuit of music mastery. His passion and intensity are a blend of his mother's Greek ancestry and his father's soulful black heritage.

Cain was raised on stories of his father's childhood upbringing on Memphis' Historic Beale Street and attended his first B.B King concert at the tender age of three.Blues music played continuously on the home stereo and family outings were often trips to concerts. Cain recalls,
"I remember when I was a kid, my Dad would be mowing the lawn with the stereo blasting Muddy Waters. When I look back, that was pretty cool! There was always music playing at our house, Ray Charles, B.B. King, Freddie King, Albert King, all the greats."

There used to be a bar on Saint Mark's Place in Manhattan called Finnian's Rainbow.
They had good cheap beer, a pool table, and live blues 7 nights a week.
I was there one night when I heard a commotion coming from the stage.
I saw a crazy looking dude blowin' harp through a Fender bassman amp with a slapback delay.
He was wailing and goin� on about how "Mason Casey could Play them Blues!"

All five members of the Damon Castillo Band hail from the Golden State,and together create a sound that is uniquely California-rock-funk-and-soul.

They have a massive west-coast following that thrives on their distinctive sound and electrifying live-performances, which includes Larry Kim (Sax), Kristian Ducharme (Keys), Jennings Jacobsen (Drums), Brian Lanzone (Bass), and
Damon Castillo (Lead Guitar/Vocals). Each member is an artist in their own right, with individual style and command of their instrument.

Catherine Denise is a young guitarist / vocalist / songwriter from San Antonio, Texas. She began singing at age 3 and by age 6 she was learning to play the piano.

She wrote her first song at age 8, and by the age of 13 began to take up songwriting seriously. During this period, she spent much time learning about the recording studio and made several recordings of her own music on the piano.

As leader of blues-bar fave band the Heartfixers and auteur of a dozen or so solo records, Tinsley Ellis has generated a fair amount of critical praise for both his songwriting and his guitar playing, though he's not a household name. Working a fine compromise between blues and rock 'n' roll and singing in a booming, throaty voice, this native Atlantan seems to be the heir apparent to Johnny Winter's under-the-radar/critic's-darling throne.

Peter was born and raised in Eastern Long Island where he absorbed the local culture. But soon he became restless, he made his way to Florida, there he lived in a tree house, that he built on a marsh, in the dead of winter (which in Florida isn't so bad) He spent hours in his tree house writing songs, playing guitar, and a five string banjo that he picked up for 12 dollars at a garage sale. After a winter in the sun he moved to San Francisco and continued to hone his songwriting craft. He lived off the tips of Dueling Banjos and I Saw The Light as the unofficial house band at Ghirardelli Square. After spending his tips in San Francisco he went south to Los Angeles. He spent the time recruiting players for his band all the while searching for his own voice.

On his debut full-length album, The War of Women, acclaimed singer/songwriter Joe Firstman more than delivers on the promise made by his widely praised wives tales EP. Where the latter collection explored the more laid-back side of Joe�s music, the album reveals the full scope of the 23-year-old�s prodigious talents. Produced by Rick Parker and Joe Firstman, and mixed and Rick Parker, with mixing by Jack Joseph Puig, The War of Women cruises naturally and irresistibly from piano-driven ballads to sophisticated pop to rollicking roots-rock.

Through Mike Landau and Scott Henderson, we were introduced to another spectacular guitar talent named Kirk Fletcher, the guitar player for the Fabulous Thunderbirds. We had known that Kirk is a great blues player, but Mike and Scott insisted that Kirk was a verifiable �monster� who needed to be experienced live. Kirk, when not touring with the T-Birds, is often playing at the blues club in Hermosa Beach known as the Boogaloo. After a lot of procrastinating, I finally made the long drive one Thursday evening to catch Kirk with Mike Landau sitting in. Within minutes of watching Kirk play live for the first time, I understood what Mike and Scott had been raving about for so long. Kirk is truly a ferocious (in Mike�s own words) blues player � seeming combining the best of SRV, Albert Collins, and Albert King with some BB King thrown in for good measure. There is indeed so much to absorb.

You might remember Freeman as an original member of the Austin Mafia, and as a member of the Cobras
(with Stevie Ray Vaughan and others). He has also toured with the Bob Dylan Band, Jimmy Vaughan and Angela Strehli.
He is also a member of the Phantom Blues Band, and toured extensively with Taj Mahal.
In 2005 he had something else to do: he joined Bob Dylan's Never-Ending Tour band, rehearsing in Seattle as from that March 1, and débuting in concert with Dylan on the first night of the 82-date spring US leg of the tour, which opened with three consecutive nights in Seattle, starting on March 7. Denny Freeman, these days balding and solid and tending to sport dark glasses (giving him 'a sort of Jack Nicholson look', according to one first-night fan's review), has remained in the band since, playing second guitar. By the end of 2005 he had played 113 Dylan concerts in all.

Guitarlos� life as a street musician during the ensuing decade kept him out of the public eye and written off as a musical force, until a near-death experience and the alcohol-related passing of friend and former band-mate Top Jimmy jarred him into sobriety. With the help of some old friends, Mike Watt, John Doe of X and Grammy Winner Dave Alvin, he has since released a solo CD, �Straight from the Heart�, that has received wide critical acclaim and has been played on hundreds of stations across the country.
But in a classic story of blues redemption, the old master fought his way back.Last year, he followed up with �Hell Can Wait,� which again could be considered a sentiment taken from the songbook of Guitarlos� life.

A QUICK glance at the Hacienda Brothers, with their 10-gallon hats and cowboy boots, and you'd be excused for expecting them to launch into a set of straight-up honky-tonk rave-ups. But as soon as the band starts up one of its slow burn grooves and lead vocalist Chris Gaffney launches into his soaring blue-eyed soul, it's not hard to understand why the band sees itself as a soul band first and foremost.
The front men of the Haciendas, Dave Gonzalez and Chris Gaffney, together with producer Dan Penn, work hard to bring together the R & B sounds with the pure Western flare that absolutely personifies the group. Chris Gaffney brings along a long and distinguished background with him; he's played with everyone from Ferlin Husky to Dave Alvin. Gonzalez is a sought-after session musician and fronted San Diego's Paladins.

James Harman is a "dynamo of jump-jive lingo, perpetrator of as many as 250 live-wire  shows a year, and one of the keepers of the real-deal blues vibe" (Blues Access). His special demeanor has earned him the name "Icepick James". When he is "on", there isn't anybody better, smoother, or cooler in the blues. His performances have a kinetic vitality the energy leaps like lightening from the microphones to your feet.

Singer, songwriter, and harmonica player extraordinaire, James Harman has been a key performer on the Southern California Blues scene since the 1970s. He was born in Alabama, grew up in Florida, and matured as a musician in Chicago, New York, Miami & New Orleans. His recording career began in the early 1964 and he has released 30 CDs since, gathering 18 W. C. Handy Award nominations along the way. His music combines soulful vocals, skillful harmonica, and lyrics with a sense of humor.  James Harman  is on the road spring, summer & fall every year, performing mostly blues festivals in 22 countries!

Guitarist/singer Zac Harmon was born and raised in Jackson, Mississippi. During his time in the South, Harmon worked as a guitarist for such notables as the late Z.Z. Hill and blind harpman, Sam Myers. In 1980, Harmon left Mississippi and relocated to Los Angeles, were he took up working as a studio musician, producer and songwriter. Since his migration West, Zac has worked with a number of musical names including Brian Wilson, Evelyn "Champagne" King, Freddie Jackson and Alexander O'Neal, just to name a few.
Like so many blues artists, Zac Harmon cut his musical teeth in church. So, it's appropriate the first track on his debut album, "That Mighty High," pays tribute to his gospel inspiration. Apparently all that preparation paid off. The Blues Foundation gave him its "Best New Artist Debut" award in 2006.

You might not expect to hear a twenty year veteran of the blues and roots scene say: "After all the time I've spent making records in front of computers, it was a blast to rip one out old school again." But things are not always as they seem and Rick Holmstrom is not your average guitarist. This is the guy, after all, whose last record is frequently heralded as one of the most innovative blues & roots releases of the last few decades.
Rick Holmstrom was born on May 30, 1965 in, of all places, Fairbanks, Alaska. His father was a disc jockey and Rick was brought up listening to the likes of Muddy Waters, Chuck Berry, Buddy Holly, and the Ventures. In 1985 his family moved to Southern California. There, in Los Angeles, he started a garage type blues band covering Jimmy Reed and Chuck Berry songs. He began going to blues clubs like the Pioneer Club, Babe & Ricky's, and the Pure Pleasure Club and began hanging out with such greats as Smokey Wilson and Junior Watson, one of Rod Piazza's original Mighty Flyers.

Portland-born songwriter Justin Hopkins understands the true definition of grassroots-Starting his career playing college living rooms as a student at University of Oregon, Hopkins deftly combined steely dan-esque guitar work with his soulful baritone to create a sound he called barefootsoul-His eagerness to play for anyone, anytime, anywhere soon earned Justin a loyal NW fanbase that continues to grow as he puts miles on his well-traveled jeep. With potent and relevant lyrics that seem to stay with the listener long after the music has ended, Hopkins seamlessly matches melody with mood. In the spring of 2004, Hopkins collaborated with Geoff Byrd and Steve Sundholm to record his solo debut 'the Building ep.' Soon after its release, Hopkins moved down to los angeles, where he now travels the west coast corridor with a full band and a high energy groove rock that is bringing favorable comparisons to David Gray, Martin Sexton, and Dave Matthews.

�Left Coast Blues� is the impressive debut release by one of the youngest and most promising blues bands currently performing in the Pacific Northwest. Based in Portland, Oregon, a region that has been home to such nationally recognized talent as Robert Cray, Curtis Salgado, and Paul deLay, The Insomniacs have quickly established themselves with a solid reputation for delivering highly energetic live performances, along with intoxicatingly melodic, well crafted originals.
It�s now time to stop counting sheep and begin occupying those sleepless nights more effectively with the rejuvenating sounds of The Insomniacs!

Kirk Joseph has earned his seat at the table of New Orleans� greatest musicians and will surely claim his place in music history as perhaps the greatest innovator of his instrument, the sousaphone. For most, a mention of the sousaphone conjures images of marching bands and drum cadences. But in the hands of Joseph, the instrument comes to life in ways that its namesake, John Phillip Sousa, could have hardly imagined. During his long tenure with the Dirty Dozen Brass Band, Joseph developed his innovative approach to the sousaphone, replacing the instruments limits, as perceived by his predecessors, with a rich musical vocabulary. Never before had such a creative and stylistic range been demonstrated. But the new standards set by Kirk Joseph have prompted many since to follow his lead. In between performances and recording sessions with Dirty Dozen Brass Band, Anders Osborn and a host of other locally, nationally, and internationally known artists, Joseph began working on his own material in collaboration with some of New Orleans and the countries most talented musicians. The result comes together as the Kirk Joseph's Backyard Groove, an assemblage featuring the "creme de la creme" of local and national musicians. The music is a tight, rhythmic and high-spirited concoction of jazz, funk, and afro-caribbean flavors that�s been proven to have a wide appeal

Although a regular draw on the national and international blues circuits, to hear Oceanside's Candye Kane tell it, her new CD, "Guitar'd and Feathered," is her first real blues album.

"I hadn't done anything with a hard-core blues producer," said Kane over a cup of coffee at an Oceanside cafe.
Having former Muddy Waters guitarist Bob "Steady Rollin'" Margolin produce the new CD will cause deep blues fans take her music more seriously, Kane said.
"I do hope after this record comes out, it will help."

Kane has been belting out a roadhouse mixture of rock, country, blues and burlesque since discovering the blues of Elmore James while married to Tom Yearsley, then a member of San Diego blues trio the Paladins.

"It was the first time I really started listening to the blues," she remembered.

Kane said listening to James' blues made her realize that "hillbilly music and blues had something in common: Both musics were born out of oppressive circumstances."

La Botz...is one of today's darkest and most original writers. 'Jones', like several of his previous efforts, is a sonic roller-coaster ride; he spans country blues, Rolling Stones grooves ('Grandma's Photographs'), and off-kilter Waits sounds ('Graveyard Jones'), elsewhere doing his own thing ('Something On My Mind'). La Botz's superb dry vocals and expert fingerpicking anchor the band on idiosynchratic, compelling compositions." -Blues Revue Magazine

Michael Landau is one of the most important guitarists of this era. An ace studio sessionist, he has appeared in more records than we can count, in fact he has even lost track of it. James Taylor, Miles Davis, Joni Mitchell, Seal just to name a few. An ace sideman he is constantly touring, most recently with James Taylor along with musical director and ace bassist Jimmy Johnson.
Based out of Los Angeles, Mike has always been revered by musicians and fans alike, his various musical incarnations with The Raging Honkies, power trios or quartets with Vinnie Colaiuta, Scott Kinsey, Jimmy Johnson, Jeff Babko, Toss Panos, Ron Bruner, wife Karen Martin Landau speaks very high volumes of his impeccable grasp of his instrument and a deep emotion and sound that he brings out in his music.
His most recent project, a double live album was released in October '06 on "Tone Center" records in the US, "Mascot Records" in Europe, and "Vega Music" in Japan. His current heroes and influences are Kirk Fletcher, Dustin Boyer and Derek Trucks. He likes sandwiches, old things, the earth, beer, playing music and spanning time with his beautiful wife Karen.

This is fun music made for dancing, not for deep analysis, and except for a couple of clunkers along the way, Lil Band O Gold achieves its objective with finesse and a luster that would be expected from such accomplished musicians. There are a couple of original tunes from Adcock, the mournful "In Another Time," and Egan, the country-soul-styled "First You Cry." For the most part, however, they take songs from the songbooks of John Fred (the bouncy "Shirley"), Dewey Balfa (the traditional Cajun "Parlez Nous a Boire"), and Huey Meaux (the Doug Sahm classic, "Please Mr. Sandman") and others, injecting them with just enough affection and sweet-tempered personality to make the entire set a pleasurable listen.

Born in San Mateo, California, in 1969, the former "skate-punk" spent countless hours in San Francisco, soaking up the musical sounds of the city, eventually leading him to pick up the bass, and then the guitar. Lindell listened to the music of Donny Hathaway and The Impressions as well as Stevie Ray Vaughan. He discovered blues greats Junior Wells, Jimmy Reed and Albert King on his own before drifting toward the R&B sounds of Stevie Wonder, soaking up the soul and learning how to craft a song. After performing at bars on the West Coast with a few short-lived bands, Eric formed his own group in 1993 and quickly gained a loyal California audience thanks to countless performances and many late-night jam sessions. Established stars like Charlie Musselwhite and Tom Waits attended his gigs, as did overflow crowds of music fans.
Lindell�s live shows draw as much attention as his material. His unstoppable grooves, rocking, roots, original songs and excellent musicianship always fill the dance floor

Within the blues world, MacLeod is known for his quality recordings that feature superb songwriting, guitar wizardry, warm soulful vocals, wit, and unforgettable live performances.

Doug was born in New York City and was in his early teens when his family moved to St. Louis, where he first heard the blues. In the mid-60's he enlisted in the Navy, and while stationed at Norfolk, VA., began to play acoustic country blues in the coffeehouses in Virginia and Maryland. During this time he met the one-eyed Blues-man Ernest Banks who taught him not only the music of the blues, but also the philosophy of the blues. Doug�s quotes, " Never Play a Note You Don't Believe" and "Never write or sing about what you don't know about." came from those "countrified teachings". Following his service in the Navy, Doug attended school, played the blues guitar part in the show "Grease", explored jazz, and toured with Mary MacGregor supporting her number one hit "Torn Between Two Lovers." After a meeting with Shakey Jake Harris in 1977, Doug returned to his roots and began playing the blues in the Los Angeles area.
Doug's reputation as a superb guitar player spread quickly as he played with such blues giants as Pee Wee Crayton, Lowell Fulson, Big Mama Thornton, Eddie "Cleanhead" Vinson, and Big Joe Turner. Also in Los Angeles, he met the legendary George "Harmonica" Smith, who became not only one of his best friends, but also a mentor and major influence on his music and his life.

Music critics worldwide from publications such as Billboard, Downbeat, Blues Revue, Living Blues, Blues Access, Southland Blues, etc. have been touting her recording and performing virtues for nearly two decades, and with the release of her new disc, along with a near non-stop international touring schedule, Janiva Magness is proving to be a major player on the modern blues music scene.

The current edition of The Mannish Boys features a veritable one-band blues festival of talent; most of the members either lead or are integral members of successful touring and recording bands. Veteran front man Finis Tasby is unquestionably one of the most soulful and dynamic blues singers working today; sharing the vocal duties and adding his full-toned blues harp is Johnny Dyer, widely acclaimed as one of the last keepers of the old-school Chicago-style blues flame.

On guitar is David �Kid� Ramos, long-time member of the James Harman Band, and later The Fabulous Thunderbirds, among many others. Ramos has also released a series of smoking hot CDs with his own band, and has received over a dozen W.C. Handy Award nominations. Fiery blues guitar virtuoso Frank �Paris Slim� Goldwasser is second to none � a master at a variety of blues styles from low-down Delta grit to sophisticated swinging jazz, he�s been leading his own successful bands for over two decades, and has appeared on countless recordings as both a leader and a sideman. Piano man Leon Blue honed his skills alongside the boogie-woogie masters of the 1940s, and has played with the three �Kings� of the blues � Albert, Freddie, and B.B. � plus over a decade with The Ike & Tina Turner Revue, and just about every other blues or R&B name that comes to mind; he�s also a featured vocalist with The Mannish Boys. The band�s rock-steady backbone is supplied by two highly experienced and respected blues/R&B veterans: Tom Leavey on bass, and Richard Innes on drums, both of whom have been playing professionally since the 1960s. Leavey�s lengthy resume includes work with Big Mama Thornton, Big Joe Turner, Otis Rush, Frank Frost, Billy Boy Arnold, and many others; Richard Innes has been the �first call� drummer for everyone from Little Richard, Lightin Hopkins to T-Bone Walker to Kim Wilson of the Fabulous Thunderbirds. Finally, impresario / emcee Randy Chortkoff is not only the man �behind the curtain�, he�s also a superb blues harmonica player and singer in his own right, who led his own bands for many years before assembling the extraordinary blues revue now known around the world as The Mannish Boys.

When Duke Robillard took the stage at the Railhead, I didn't know what to expect. Was I to see the bluesman who co-founded Roomful Of Blues thirty somewhat years ago, the one who played with the Fabulous Thunderbirds, or the man who sat in, and recorded, with jazz guitar great Herb Ellis and also released the album "Duke Robillard Plays Jazz?"

He turned out to all that and more. From his own poignant "I May Be Ugly (But I Sure Know How To Cook)" to the B.B. King classic "Long Gone," he pulled out both jazz and blues from his hollow body Gibsons while still leaving room for his band to cook.

A native of New Orleans, Mem Shannon spent 15 years ferrying people around the Crescent City from 8 p.m. to 4 a.m. while honing his blues chops. His music is full of the rhythms that are unique to New Orleans,funk, blues, R&B, soul and a touch of jazz while his original songs are full of the insights about life he learned on the job. In the decade since Mem Shannon broke onto the scene, he's expanded the definition of the blues. He's toured the world and shared the Kennedy Centre Stage with Gregg Allman, Buddy Guy, Koko Taylor and John Hiatt in a Muddy Waters tribute. He's performed at the New Orleans Jazz and Heritage Festival for 12 straight years, and played the King Biscuit Blues Festival, Waterfront Festival in Portland Oregon and the Montreal Jazz Festival to name a few.
He has recorded five CDs; his latest, "I'm From Phunkville," was recorded at Tipitinas' studios in New Orleans. He performed at the Kennedy Center in a tribute to Muddy Waters and has appeared with Toots and the Maytals. He has performed at the New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival 12 straight years.

Guitarist/vocalist and blues legend Guitar Shorty is a man of the people. With the ability to pack clubs and festivals as one of the blues� most celebrated live performers (even before he had any nationally available recordings) and now among the top-selling recording artists in the blues world, he is clearly the people�s choice. Between his blistering, rocked-out guitar work and his fierce, soulful vocals, the power of his music is unmatched, and his perceptive and meaningful lyrics unique among modern bluesmen. Credited with influencing both Jimi Hendrix and Buddy Guy, Shorty has been electrifying audiences for five decades with his supercharged live shows and his incendiary recordings (beginning in 1957 with a Willie Dixon-produced single on the Cobra label). Through the years, Shorty has performed with blues and R&B luminaries like Ray Charles, Sam Cooke, B.B. King, Guitar Slim and T-Bone Walker. Although he had recorded a handful of singles for a variety of labels, it wasn�t until the 1990s that the wider world opened its collective ears to one of the blues� most exciting performers. His albums since then all received massive critical acclaim, and his legendary live performances have kept him constantly in demand all over the world. His 2004 Alligator Records debut, WATCH YOUR BACK, became the best received, best-selling album of his career. GuitarOne magazine said, �Guitar Shorty is a superb bluesman who can scorch your ears off with lethal licks and heavyweight blues-rock grooves.� With his new CD, WE THE PEOPLE, he�s prepared to continue what he�s started, taking his music, and his fans, to deeper places and even greater heights.

Despite the high profile of electric guitarists in the blues, Alex Schultz has been largely content to be the loyal sideman and studio musician, performing on some 40 albums in the last 20 years, serving as a member of Rod Piazza and the Mighty Flyers, and recording with the late blues harmonica virtuoso William Clarke, Big Joe and the Dynaflows, Chicago bluesman Tad Robinson, the great Chess Records blues guitarist Jimmy Rogers, and many others. His repertoire is wide-ranging, but he has gravitated toward upbeat jump-band grooves and West-Coast style blues. Now he is out with his first solo album, and he concentrates on that style for a CD that gets everything right. The musicianship is understated but very tasteful. There's a lot of great grooves from shuffles to jump-band style swing to the kind of early soul sound of Ray Charles, enhanced by a great horn section, and the kind of easy-going atmosphere that makes this a CD you could listen to all day.

Since it's inception in 2001, Johnny Sketch & The Dirty Notes (JSDN) has gained a loyal following in a competitive New Orleans music scene. Their unique FUNK/ROCK style blends guitar, violin and harmonica with a hard driving rhythm section reminiscent of the Radiators' swamp funk added to the punchy horns of Tower Of Power.

It did not take long for these young musicians to land slots in most of New Orleans' prominent live music clubs.� On the strength of those performances, JSDN was added to the roster of many notable festivals and special events.

"'Last Call' is pure pleasure. I can't get enough. At home, at the station in the car...my girl friend is beginning to wonder if I�ll ever take it out of my car."

Algis Jonusas (WRHC Michigan Radio)

To say the least Fantastic! Frank, I am blown away with The Hollywood Blue Flames and Hollywood Fats and the Lynnwood Slim is also a great collection of covers. Delta Groove has surely done it again. They're getting lots of spins and good feedback.

Henri Bellows (Host of the Juke Joint and Blues Director at WMWM 91.7 fm. Salem.

Born in Texas, Angela Strehli is not only a gifted singer and songwriter, but a blues historian, impresario and, above all, fan. Inspired by the blues and R&B she heard on late night radio in her hometown of Lubbock, she took up harmonica and bass before becoming a full time vocalist.

As an avid fan of the blues she had checked out the scene in Chicago, San Francisco and Austin, but her blues epiphany came in a down-home black Texas church service. That moment convinced her to follow her heart and lift her voice to testify through the blues. Angela fronted a series of Texas based blues bands through the 70's, but it was when Clifford Antone opened his first club in downtown Austin in 1975 that things started to come together. Antone started bringing such artists as Willie Dixon, Jimmy Reed and Bobby Bland to Austin and Angela had the opportunity to work with and learn from these masters. At the same time young Austin artists like Kim Wilson, Stevie Ray and Jimmie Vaughan were coming up.

Earl Thomas had never picked up a microphone in his life until he was nearly killed after losing his footing at the edge of a 50-foot ravine and slid all the way down, landing unconscious on a pile of broken glass and debris. Luckily, the 22-year-old dental student was only bruised, but not knowing the extent of the damage upon regaining consciousness, he reflected on his disappointment at not having pursued his dream of becoming a singer, and resolved to do just that if he survived. Nine years later, he recorded 1991's Blue...Not Blues, a record strongly influenced by his parents' love of blues and gospel music and his own affinity for '60s and '70s soul. His "I Sing the Blues" became a hit for Etta James, and he played European music festivals with such artists as Elvis Costello and B.B. King. His second album, Extra Soul, was released in 1994 on the Memphis International label, followed by a second for the imprint, Intersection, in 2005.
� Steve Huey, All Music Guide

Ron & His Resistors (Don Heflin and Rudy Parris) opened two shows for Bruce Willis and the Bruce Willis Blues Band in July. WOW is all we can say! As you might expect, many people showed up to catch a glimpse at one of America's top movie stars, Bruce Willis. Boy, were they surprised and thrilled when Ron and the band tore up the stage!

"Lord above, this guy is really happening!" Mick Fleetwood, after first hearing Ron play. Now, Mick regularly sits in with the Resistors.


"Ron Thompson is one of the five top blues greats in the world today" Andy Grigg, "Real Blues" music critic.