Duke Robillard's New Album, Independently Blue, Out April 9, 2013
Duke Robillard will release his new album, Independently Blue, on April 9, 2013 via Stony Plain Records. Duke is joined on the album by Blues guitarist "Monster" Mike Welch as a special guest. Duke stated that "the addition of Mike Welch added a Blues fire to everything and I am really happy about the instant rapport Mike and I had, and what a great team we made coming up with parts for the songs." Independently Blue blends elements of Blues, early Rock & Roll and Jazz demonstrating both Duke's virtuosity and his versatility - traits which have garnered Duke no fewer than four Blues Music Awards for Best Blues Guitar. An accomplished producer and winner of the The Blues Music Foundation's 2004 Keeping The Blues Alive Award for Best Producer, Duke further extends his impressive producer credits list with his work on Independently Blue. Duke's longtime friend and former Roomful of Blues band mate, Al Basile, contributed three tunes to the new CD, one of which was co-written by Duke.
Duke is actively touring in the US and Europe and is currently finishing up an extensive tour that began in late February and included dates in Germany, Switzerland, Italy, Belgium and The Netherlands.
The Blind Boys Of Alabama And Bettye LaVette Featured At Prince Tribute Concert At Carnegie Hall
Bettye LaVette and The Blind Boys of Alabama were featured at a benefit concert in tribute to The Music of Prince at Carnegie Hall in New York City on March 7, 2013. This is the ninth year in which Michael Dorf, the owner of City Winery in New York City, has put on the benefit to raise money for arts education programs (this year's event raised $100,000). Other stars performing at the event included Elvis Costello, Talib Kweli, Booker T. Jones, The Roots, as well as Chris Rock, Fred Armisen and Maya Rudolph (SNL). This is Bettye LaVatte's third time performing at the benefit in the last four years, her past performances being in tribute to Neil Young and The Who. At the event, Bettye revamped the Prince classic "Kiss" into what what Rolling Stone called "a sly, skeletal blues", while The Blind Boys covered "The Cross" with Fred Armisen on drums.
The Blind Boys' rehearsal performance at City Winery on March 6 in preparation for the Prince tribute concert garnered solid reviews from various news outlets. Okay Player stated that their performance of "The Cross" was "a showstopper, nay heartstopper, even in rehearsal... dishwashers and paper-shufflers within a 1-block radius stopped what they were doing and lifted their heads in an attempt to identify the heavenly sound. A room full of stars looked star-struck", and Rolling Stone called the event "a behind-the-scenes look into how all-star concerts come together... seamlessly." That same night of the rehearsal, The Blind Boys also performed live with The Allman Brothers Band at The Beacon Theatre in New York City. The Blind Boys performed three songs with The Allman Brothers Band including "There Will Be a Light" featuring Joan Osborne, The Allman Brother's "Soulshine" and The Blind Boys' interpretation of "Amazing Grace" to the tune of "The House of The Rising Sun".
To Catch Bettye LaVette And The Blind Boys Of Alabama Live, See Tour Dates >>
JJ Cale's Song "Angel" Featured On Eric Clapton's Latest CD, Old Sock. "Angel" Picked As Free Starbucks Download
JJ Cale's song, "Angel", a previously unreleased track featuring Cale guesting on guitar and vocals, will appear on Eric Clapton's new CD, Old Sock, set for release on March 12. Clapton has been Cale's biggest supporter over the years, most famously having covered Cale's songs "After Midnight" and "Cocaine". The two legends more recently collaborated on the Grammy Winning Gold record, The Road To Escondido. Other guests on the project include Paul McCartney, Chaka Khan and Steve Winwood as well as Walt Richmond, who has toured extensively with JJ Cale and more recently with Eric.
"Angel" was also chosen as Starbucks' Pick of the Week starting on March 5, 2013. Starbucks offered the song as a complimentary download to all patrons who connected to Starbucks' free in-store Wi-Fi service or used the Starbucks app. Old Sock is also currently available to stream in full on The Wall Street Journal's blog, "Exclusive: Hear Eric Clapton's New Album 'Old Sock' First"
At this time, JJ Cale does not have any tour plans.
The Stone Foxes Tour News, Video Premieres And Raves For Small Fires
The Stone Foxes have kicked off their nationwide tour with shows on the West Coast in support of their latest CD, Small Fires, released on February 12, 2013. The band's San Diego show on March 6 saw them team up with Super Food Drive and The San Diego Rescue Mission to host a food drive entitled Healthy Hunger Relief. Healthy Hunger Relief aims to inform food donors and recipients of "the health benefits of eating nutrient-dense SuperFoods ...[while ensuring] the accessibility of healthy food to all people, especially those in need." The Stone Foxes' Shannon Koehler (drums, harp, vocals) spelled out the band's goal for the event in saying, "We believe healthy people reflect a healthy community and you can't have either if you don't start with the basics. We want our show in San Diego to be an opportunity to collect high quality foods that we can deliver to those that need it most." For more information on the organizations involved, please visit superfooddrive.org/stone-foxes.
The Stone Foxes' tour will continue in Austin, TX where the band will perform at SXSW. The tour will then head to the East Coast for a run of dates before crossing the Mid-West in April.
The Stone Foxes have garnered great reviews for Small Fires, their third studio album and follow up to 2010's Bears & Bulls. No Depression's stated,"The strong ten song album mixes the raw energy from their live shows that helped the band build a strong following, with sophisticated production and hook filled songwriting which draws in the listener with its more velvet hammer approach." Absolute Punk raved that "the album is only seven minutes in and already they've blown away their contemporaries. Aside from The Black Keys and Gary Clark Jr. can you name another garage-blues outfit with this much attitude?" Twangville, in their January Playlist feature proclaimed " ...put this band down on your list of bands to see live. Their energy is intense." Small Fires also scored as one of the New York Daily News' top 10 picks in music for the week of February 24, 2013.
I'm In I'm Out And I'm Gone: The Making of Get Up!
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Charlie Musselwhite And Ben Harper's "Making Of" Documentary To Premiere On Palladia TV; Also Featured On NPR's World Cafe
Charlie Musselwhite and Ben Harper's film, "I'm In I'm Out And I'm Gone: The Making of Get Up!" premiers on Palladia TV on March 7 at 9pm EST. The film documents the collaboration between the two musicians and the creative processes behind their acclaimed album, Get Up!, which was released earlier this year. The documentary, directed by renowned rock photographer and filmmaker Danny Clinch, includes behind the scenes studio footage, in-depth interviews with Musselwhite and Harper and exclusive intimate live performances. "The Making of Get Up!" will continue to air on Palladia TV throughout March and April. For future broadcast times,please see scheduling >>
To see Charlie perform live, and with Ben Harper on select dates, see Tour Dates >>
James Cotton's New Album, Cotton Mouth Man, Out May 7, 2013
James Cotton will release Cotton Mouth Man on May 7, 2013 via Alligator Records. Produced by GRAMMY-winning Tom Hambridge (Buddy Guy, Joe Louis Walker, Susan Tedeschi), Cotton Mouth Man features seven new tracks co-written by Cotton and Hambridge. These new tracks were inspired by Cotton's colorful and sometimes perilous life and his memories of the Mississippi Delta, Memphis, Chicago, Sun Records, Sonny Boy Williamson II and Muddy Waters (a Rosebud artist until his passing). Cotton Mouth Man features guest appearances from a number of Blues, Rock, and Roots greats including Gregg Allman, Warren Haynes, Rosebud artist and 2013 GRAMMY-nominee Ruthie Foster, Joe Bonamassa, Delbert McClinton, and Keb Mo. The core backing band on the new album is composed of Hambridge (drums), Rob McNelley (guitar), Chuck Leavell (keyboards), Glenn Worf (bass), as well as Tommy MacDonald and Colin Linden each adding guitar to one track.
Cotton, who after a bout with throat cancer turned his vocal duties over to others, was inspired during Cotton Mouth Man's sessions to return to the microphone. About his new album and vocal revival he stated, "I feel so happy about the music in this album. The Blues is all about feeling - - if I don't feel it, I can't play it. My hope is that everyone who listens, feels it. I know I sure did!" As of this writing, James has just returned from a series of dates in Japan to begin an extensive worldwide tour in support of Cotton Mouth Man.
The Blind Boys Of Alabama And Bettye LaVette Featured At Prince Tribute Concert At Carnegie Hall
