Delbert McClinton and Self-Made Men + Dana Tall, Dark, & Handsome Hot Shot Records The Texas troubadour Delbert McClinton was born in 1940. He worked in a blues band that backed Sonny Boy Williamson II, Lightnin’ Hopkins, Howlin’ Wolf and Jimmy Reed. In 1962 McClinton played harmonica on Bruce Channel’s “Hey Baby”. Ten years later […]
Jason Ricci and the Band Kind My Chops Are Rolling EllerSoul Records Jason Ricci and the Bad Kind have a new album, My Chops Are Rolling, out July 19 and what a difference this one is for them! Their very popular Approved By Snakes was brilliant but sometimes brutally dark. This one is much lighter […]
Diana Rein Queen of My Castle Gulf Coast Records Diana Rein is the daughter of Romanian immigrants who migrated here in 1981 when she was three years old. At the age of eight her parents brought her to a Chicago Blues Club where she fell in love with the music; her primary influence is Stevie […]
HOME PAGE Making a Scene Presents an Interview with Tullie Brae The soulful Blues singer and multi-instrumentalist credits her musical gift to Gospel music like so many great soul singers before her. Tullie’s musical journey started when she began singing in church where her Daddy was a preacher near the Louisiana cotton fields and wetlands […]
HOMEPAGE Making a Scene Presents an Interview with Chuck Hawthorne! On July 26th, Austin songwriter Chuck Hawthorne will release the follow up to his critically acclaimed 2015 debut, Silver Line…the long awaited full length album, Fire Out of Stone. Stories of Hawthorne’s military career and his chance meeting with Silver Line producer Ray Bonneville may have originally drawn listeners to […]
HOME PAGE Making a Scene Presents an interview with David G Smith! “I’m a songwriter first and foremost. I like to think I write with intention tempered with abandon. Let the song say what it wants to say. It’s that simple. It’s that hard.” Raised in a musical family in northeastern Iowa, David G Smith […]
Zac Harmon Mississippi BarBQ Catfood Records Zac Harmon is from Jackson Ms. where he grew up in a musical family. His father, a pharmacist, played harmonica while tending to the needs of local musicians including Muddy Waters, BB King, Albert King, Ike & Tina Turner, and Little Milton. Young Zac began his professional career as […]
HOME PAGE Making A Scene Presents an Interview with Cheyenne James! Cheyenne James is a young, multi-faceted entertainer with a deep passion for blues music. She began singing on stages all-across Texas at a very young age and has continued to fuel her passion for music and performing in adulthood. Among her many other stage […]
Joe Restivo Where’s Joe? Blue Barrel Records Joe Restivo was raised in Memphis, the son of a local mom and Brooklyn born navy veteran. At the age of twelve he was playing guitar in punk bands, but by the time he graduated high school he was hanging out on Beale watching the legendary blues and […]
Lyn Stanley Favorite Takes – London With a Twist- Live at Bernie’s ATM We introduced you to jazz vocalist Lyn Stanley back in December 2017 with her double CD-set of the Great American Songbook classics., Moonlight Sessions Vol. 1 and Vol 2. You may want to reference that for her amazing back story. In 2018 […]
HOME PAGE Making a Scene presents an interview with Lauren Anderson! Lauren Anderson had recently returned home from a trip to Los Angeles — a trip involving meetings with music industry executives, vocal rehearsals, record contracts, and ultimately a whole lot of empty promises — when she began writing songs for her third EP, Won’t […]
HOME PAGE Making a Scene Presents an interview with Bryan Haraway! Bryan Haraway blurs the lines between Americana and melodic rock & roll on his self-titled solo debut. It’s a celebratory record, stacked with layers of electric guitar, horns, pedal steel, and the observations of a sharp songwriter who’s learned to appreciate the little things […]
Chris Bergson and Ellis Hooks Live in Normandy 2 Shirts Records New York born Chris Bergson grew up in Somerville, Ma. He began taking guitar lessons at a young age and developed his appreciation for jazz and blues. He listened to everything from Muddy Waters to Miles Davis. Bergson moved back to New York City […]
HOME PAGE Making a Scene Presents an Interview with Laura Repo Toronto songwriter, singer and guitarist Laura Repo’s folk-pop fourth album, This Is My Room, stakes a claim to space devoted to creativity. Following a long wait after 2011’s critically acclaimed Get Yourself Home – which was produced by the Foggy Hogtown Boys’ Andrew Collins […]
Tom Euler Blues Got My Back Independent Although only in his early twenties Tom Euler has been compiling quite a resume. In 2014 the Hartfield, Virginia native entered jazz legend Lee Ritenour’s “Six-String Theory” Guitar Competition, with entries from 48 countries, and finished in the top five among blues players. As the lead guitarist in […]
HOME PAGE Making a Scene Presents an Interview with J.P. Reali A veteran of the DC music scene, J.P. has evolved from his early days as lead guitar for the psychedelic blues band The Next Step, to half of the acoustic blues/roots duo The Reali Brothers in the 90’s, to his current solo career. While J.P.’s repertoire is steeped […]
Billy Branch & The Sons Of Blues Roots And Branches: The Songs of Little Walter Alligator Records Billy Branch was born in Chicago in 1951, and raised in Los Angeles. In 1969 when he was eighteen Branch moved back to Chicago to attend The University of Illinois. That summer he attended the first Chicago Blues […]
Patrick Barnitt Sway Self-released Vocalist and actor Patrick Barnitt is releasing his second album, Sway, backed by the 17-piece Paul McDonald Big Band and featuring a varied collection of swing, pop, and blues tunes. At times Barnitt, with his robust tenor voice, will remind you of those classic male singers of the Great American Songbook. […]
Lauren Desberg Out for Delivery Self-released Out for Delivery is a different kind of jazz vocal album because songstress Lauren Desberg wants to be anything but predictable You may not even think it’s jazz as you know it. It’s an album that doesn’t rely on standards although there are two of them transformed into almost […]
Scott Ramminger Rise Up Arbor Lane Last time out Singer/songwriter saxophonist Scott Ramminger was playing with top shelf New Orleans musicians and vocalists Bekka Bramblett and Francine Reed with The McCrary Sisters as well for his 2017 Do What Your Heart Says To. Since 2011, over the course of four previous albums, Ramminger has been […]
Ross Osteen Band Williwaw Independent The Ross Osteen Band is a blues band out of Hendersonville, North Carolina. The band formed in 2014, is a power trio led by favorite son Osteen on guitar and vocals. Osteen has shared the stage with Jimmy Thackery, Kim Wilson and Buddy Guy. Rounding out the band is the […]
HOME PAGE Making a Scene Presents an interview with Michael Lee! It’s not often that blues breaks the internet. But after six million-plus YouTube views for his jaw-dropping rendition of the B.B. King classic, “The Thrill is Gone”, an unforgettable highlight from the popular TV show, The Voice, it’s no wonder that Michael Lee has […]
HOME PAGE Making a Scene Presents an interview with Bill Bloomer! If you’ve been wondering, “Where are all the good lion-wrestling, Buddhist monk, Americana singer-songwriters?” It’s time you meet Bill Bloomer. The singer, guitarist and songwriter is keeping the troubadour tradition alive, performing on two or three continents a year. He may be playing at a festival in Terlingua […]
Blind Lemon Jazz After Hours OFEH Sometimes a format change can make a big difference. James Byfield aka Blind Lemon Pledge has made several straight-ahead blues albums that this writer deemed ordinary. After Hours, as the name implies, is a set of late night jazzy fare, with all tunes written by Byfield but mostly sung […]
Heather Newman Rise From The Flames Vizztone Label Group Omaha’s Heather Newman got her start as second guitarist and vocalist with The Nick Schnebelen Band and she appears on his “Live At Knucklehead’s Vol. 1” released in 2016. When Newman left that band she decided to switch to bass. Six months later she made her […]
Nancy Wright Alive & Blue Vizztone Label Group/Direct Hit Records Nancy Wright is a west coast saxophonist, a highly respected and in-demand session musician, and former member of The Frank Bey Anthony Paule Band. In 2016 she released her third solo album, the critically acclaimed “Playdate!”, also on Vizztone. Since 2017 Wright has received three […]
HOME PAGE Making a Scene Talks with Rod Picott! July 19th 2019 finds Rod Picott releasing his eleventh album, titled Tell The Truth & Shame The Devil. The new album is completely acoustic, featuring only guitar, harmonica and Picott’s weathered vocals. Many of the songs on Tell The Truth & Shame The Devil are influenced […]
HOME PAGE Making a Scene Presents an Interview with Adam Holt! Muddy Waters once said, “The blues had a baby, and they named the baby rock n’ roll.” Well if Muddy Waters and Tom Petty had a baby, they’d name the baby Adam Holt. And with an array of Gibson guitars, an old Ampex tape machine, and an unassuming […]
Bobby Messano Lemonade by Rhetta Akamatsu Guitar ace, songwriter and singer Bobby Messano is about to release a new album, Lemonade, and it lives up to the high standard you would expect for a man who has spent 43 years perfecting his craft. Full disclosure: Bobby and I have been friends for years. I am […]
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Mindi Abair and The Boneshakers No Good Deed Pretty Good For A Girl Records Mindi Abair is a two time Grammy nominated Jazz saxophonist who released her eighth solo album “Wild Heart” in 2014. That year she started to guest on blues releases including Jeff Golub and Brian Auger’s “Train Keeps A Rolling”; and on […]
Mark Morganelli & The Jazz Forum All-Stars Brasil! Jazz Forum When we think of Brazilian music, we probably first envision guitars or maybe those iconic Stan Getz/ Gilberto collaborations. In fact, the music lends itself to all kinds of instrumentation and this 2CD offering from trumpeter and flugelhornist, bandleader Mark Morganelli, is as a good […]
Dawn Tyler Watson Mad Love Independent Canadian Dawn Tyler Watson studied Jazz and Theatre at Concordia University in Montreal. She was featured in several movies but achieved success playing a 1950’s cabaret singer in the 2004 film “Jack Paradise (Les Nuits de Montreal)”. The resulting soundtrack featuring Watson was nominated for a Prix Jutra, the […]
HOME PAGE Making a Scene Presents an Interview with Mindi Abair! One of the most recognized and sought-after saxophonists/vocalists, two-time GRAMMY nominee Mindi Abair has been electrifying audiences with her dynamic live performances and utter command of the saxophone since her debut album in 2000. No one since Junior Walker has brought saxophone and vocals […]
HOMEPAGE Making a Scene Presents an Interview with Chuck McDowell of ESOEBO Louisiana born, Georgia raised, Chuck McDowell is an award winning singer songwriter and entertainer with a reputation in songwriting circles around the country as being remarkably prolific. Clever and driven in his pursuit to write better songs, his focus and energy has gained […]
HOME PAGE Making A Scene Presents an Interview with Charlie Roth! Americana, Folk, Blues, Country, Celtic, Charlie Roth is a unique blend of all these genres. What Charlie is best at is telling a story with his rich baritone vocal, acoustic guitar, rack harmonica, and foot percussion. His fifth album ‘Broken Ground’ reached up to […]
Chuck Mead Close To Home Plowboy Records In 1993 Kansas native Chuck Mead was one of the founding members and front men for the Alternative Country band BR549. Their self-titled 1996 album, the first of seven recordings, produced three charting singles, three Grammy nominations and a Country Music Association Award. The Americana roots music artist […]
HOME PAGE Making a Scene Presents an Interview with Larry Griffith! Larry Griffith has been on a musical and geographic journey southward, and his fifth album, Bonafide, is the next step. Like any good blues, it was born of some hardship. Larry recorded it while going through a breakup, and had to halt production for […]
By Adam Signore Let’s talk about Tal Wilkenfeld. I had the distinct pleasure of seeing Tal Wilkenfeld at City Winery Boston the other night and you know how you go into a show with expectations? Well I expected quite a lot and yet my mind was still totally blown! Tal never ceases to amaze. Some […]
Hazel Mitchell-Bell Stronger Than Ever Self-Released Based on several recent releases, the Washington D.C. jazz scene if full of talent and thriving. Just last week we reviewed saxophonist Jordon Dixon. Recently this writer also was moved by D.C.’s Coniece Washington’s tribute to her idol, Shirley Horn, on Shades of Shirley Horn. Key to that album […]
Nils Lofgren Blue With Lou Cattle Track Road Records Nils Lofgren was born in Chicago in 1951. As a youngster he studied classical accordion for ten years before focusing on rock and learning to play guitar and piano. Lofgren formed the band “Grin” in 1968. Soon later, at the age of 19, he met Neil […]
Savoy Brown City Night Quarto Valley Records Savoy Brown, the British blues band, was formed by Kim Simmonds in London, in 1965. Their first album, released in the United Kingdom, was 1967’s “Shake Down”. They began to achieve success in the U.S. with the release of their seventh album 1971’s “Street Corner Talking”. The band […]
HOME PAGE Making a Scene Presents and Interview with Kim Simmonds of Savoy Brown! Savoy Brown was formed by guitarist Kim Simmonds in 1965 in London, England. Simmonds has been the group’s guiding hand from the first singles released in 1966 through the band’s newest effort, their fortieth album, to be released in 2019. Energetic […]
Terry Robb Confessin’ My Dues NiaSounds Born in Canada, Terry Robb is one of the most heralded acoustic guitarists on the International scene. Moving to the Pacific Northwest, at an early age, his original music draws on Delta blues, ragtime and jazz traditions. His primary influences include Lightning Hopkins, Reverend Gary Davis, and Merle Travis. […]
Dave Wilson Quartet One Night at Chris’ Self-Released This live album from saxophonist Dave Wilson and his quartet at Philly’s Chris’ Jazz Café is a different kind of jazz album due to the choice of rock cover songs, not often heard in a jazz format. They include the Grateful Dead’s “Friend of the Devil,” The […]
HOME PAGE Making a Scene Presents an Interview with Ryan Humbert of The Shootouts! “Quick Draw” is an effortless blend of high-energy honky-tonk and traditional country music mixed with touches of Americana and western swing. The Shootouts marry a blend of Roy Orbison and Bob Wills with the barn-burning sounds of Marty Stuart & His […]
HOME PAGE Making a Scene Talks with Ethan Anderson of Massy Ferguson! For more than a dozen years, Massy Ferguson have proudly planted their boots on both sides of the country-rock divide, carving out their own brand of amplified Americana along the way. Based in Seattle, they’ve become international torchbearers of a sound that’s distinctly […]
Keb’ Mo’ Oklahoma Concord Records Keb’ Mo’ is a blues, Americana and roots music stylist. He released his first album under his birth name Kevin Moore back in 1980 but it wasn’t until he re-surfaced fourteen years later, using his childhood nickname Keb’Mo’, that he received “overnight” success. The self-titled “Keb’ Mo’” album, often referred […]
HOME PAGE Making a Scene Presents An Interview with Meg Williams! Meg Williams performs frequently at venues across the country with her band, Meg Williams Band, as a solo/duo act, and as a guitarist for other artists. She recently competed in the 2019 International Blues Challenge (Memphis, TN), representing the Kentucky Blues Society, and was […]
Griff Hamlin and The Single Barrel Blues Band I’ll Drink To That Independent Griff Hamlin started taking guitar lessons at the age of nine. As a teenager he was inspired by Stevie Ray Vaughan, Freddie King, Robben Ford, Larry Carlton, and B.B. King. Hamlin started playing professionally in 1992 when he formed a quartet with […]
Judy Wexler Crowded Heart Jewel City Jazz L.A. vocalist Judy Wexler is releasing her fifth album, Crowded Heart, in which she presents a forward look at the Great American Songbook, jazz standards for the 21st Century. In some ways it’s comparable to Chris Stamey’s forthcoming project, due at the end of the month, New Songs […]
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