Live, Uncut & Unscripted Conversations With
"Musicians You Should Know
MUSIC ON THE COUCH
Live, Uncut & Uncensored Conversations With
"Musicians You Should Know"
SHOW ARCHIVES
AUGUST 2012
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SHOW # 120 - 08/06/12
MARK ROBINSON
Until now, Mark Robinson has been known in musician circles for his guitar gigs with Bob Cheevers, Tad Robinson, Carrie Newcomer, Cory Batten, Davis Raines, and many more. But with his CD, Quit your Job, Play Guitar, he steps out as an artist in his own right. Mark joined me to discuss his life and career, beginning with his growing up in Bloomington and continuing until today. Mark talked of his first guitar...and the fact he still owns it! He shared stories of playing with some wonderful musicians and gave us some information on his upcoming album which is due to drop in early 2013. He also promised to bring the new music to us when it is ready!
TED DROZDOWSKI - Segment Begins At The 53:38 Mark
Ted Drozdowskihas been on the American blues scene for 30 years. He began writing about the music in the early 1980s, while living in Boston, Massachusetts, and received the Blues Foundation’s Keeping the Blues Alive Award for Journalism in 1998. Ted and I explored his life and career and his feelings about music and blues music in particular. Ted pushes the envelope with his music, but it is firmly rooted in the Mississippi Hill Country in the tradition of R.L. Burnside and Junior Kimbrough AND Jessie Mae Hemphill. We also caught tunes from Big Shoes: Walking And Talking The Blues, the combined CD/DVD by Scissormen
SHOW # 121 - 08/13/12
BLUES 411 REPORT
Chefjimi Patricola came in for his August Blues411 Report... Find out what the blues world has to offer!
SHARI PUORTO - Segment Begins At The 23:10 Mark
Shari Puorto & her Band are a unique sounding band that combines Rock/Blues/Pop and a whole lot of soul. Shari is getting attention. She was named Best Female Vocalist by the Southbay Music Awards and her song "Free" won the 2010 Los Angeles Music Awards, 'Americana, Blues, Roots song of the year'. Shari joined me and we discussed her life and career and her goals moving forward while listening to music from her latest album, Real.
ALEX da PONTE - Segment Begins At The 1:03:10 Mark
Alex daPonte is a young Memphian who is making music and getting attention. She started playing music and writings songs in April 2006 and has just soared since then. Two EPs proceeded her latest release, Nighmares and the quality of her music just keeps growing. A mix of Americana and 60's pop, Alex's lyrics are not all fluffy clouds and unicorns. They are injected with a worldly view on issues and loves. Alex joined me along with her producer, Pete Matthews (who also played bass) and Garrett Marshall her drummer. We discussed her music and her desires to bring it to the masses.
BARE BONES BOOGIE BAND - Segment Begins At The 1:38:10 Mark
From England comes the Bare Bones Boogie Band. The band is Helen Turner (vocals) Iain Black (guitars) Trev Turley (bass) and Andy Jones (drums). They have been a band for 4 years and have released two albums. They are currently nominated for a British Blues Award for their song "Fallin' For Foolin'". I spoke with Helen and Ian, who have been together in various projects for some 20 years prior to Bare Bones. We discussed their past histories and how this band came together and what they are hoping to accomplish moving forward while listening to music from the first two Bare Bones Boogie Band albums.
SHOW # 122 - 08/20/12
LIZ MANDEVILLE
Multi-talented Liz Mandeville is no stranger to hard work! She earned a BA in music, writes a column for ChicagoBluesGuide.com and is a blues DJ for WNUR-FM. She has written and produced over 80 original songs, resulting in 5 wonderful albums. I got to sit with Liz to discuss her life, from growing up in Milwaukee to her life beginning when she moved to Chicago and up to today with the release of her latest album Clarksdale on her own label Blue Kitty Music. Liz talked about her husband Carl, who serves in the Illinois National Guard, and how it has shown her a different world.
MANNISH BOYS - Segment Begins At The 47:50 Mark
The Mannish Boys are; Finis Tasby and Sugaray Rayford: vocals, Randy Chortkoff: harmonica & vocals, Kirk "Eli" Fletcher: lead & rhythm guitar, Frank Goldwasser: vocals, slide, lead & rhythm guitar, Willie J. Campbell: electric & upright bass and Jimi Bott: drums & percussion. Their newest, Double Dynamite is a two album set chock full of great songs and peppered with an incredible lineup of special guests. On this night I sat with harp player, vocalist and MC Randy Chortkoff. We explored Randy's youth and where he found the blues and how he became a producer early on in his life. Randy also told how he got some friends together and recorded an album and how he could not get it released, so he began Delta Groove Records.
MARY BRIDGET DAVIES - Segment Begins At The 1:38:15 Mark
Mary Bridget Davies and her band took second place in the 2011 IBC and she shook the walls of the Orpheum with her powerful vocals. Fresh off a tour in Europe spent fronting Big Brother & The Holding Company, Mary Bridget has landed the understudy role as Janis Joplin in the touring production of One Night with Janis Joplin and been nominated for Two Blues Blast Awards for best New Artist Debut CD and the Sean Costello Rising Star Award. Mary and I sat and talked and laughed for almost an hour discussing her life beginning with her first dance recital where she danced until she fell down...but heard applause and liked it, to her recent run as Janis in the stage play One Night With Janis. We listened to Wanna Feel Somethin' which has earned her the Blues Blast Nominations.
SHOW # 123 - 08/27/14
REDD VELVET
Local Memphian Redd Velvet joined me this evening. In 2011 she was nominated Best New Female Blues Artist of The Year by the Jus 'Blues Foundation and received a Listener's Choice Award from the Emerge Bright Lights Music Program sponsored by C-spire Wireless. Redd is also the founder of Music Heals Memphis Incorporated, a charitable health and social service program to improve the quality of life for Memphians, especially musicians. We listened to the wonderful music she made on Womanhood 101 and then discussed her wonderful organization Music Heals Memphis. Some people are "Musicians You Should Know" and Redd is one of them, but she is also a "Human You Should Know".
BLUES 411 REPORT - Segment Begins At The 50:35 Mark
Chefjimi came by with his Blues411 Report for the Labor Day Weekend. Jimi discussed the destruction of Anthony Gomes' van and the loss of all of his clothing and his CDs and much more. There is a fundraiser going on now to help Anthony replace his items and Jimi supplied us with the information needed. Then Jimi discussed a situation he encountered at a festival recently that disturbed him greatly as a blues fan...Check out his report for all the information!
MATTHEW DAVIDSON - COUCH KID NEW MUSIC
Segment Begins At The 1:00:52 Mark
Matthew Davidson originally sat on The Couch in March 2011. On this night, Matthew brought his debut EP, "Step Up" to The Couch for us to share. The 14-year old won the Robert Johnson Blues Foundation New Generation Award in 2011 and has been thrilling fans throughout the South for the last 2 years. Matthew and I discussed the recording of his album and how he navigated all the different things needed to get it done. We also heard three of the songs from the EP.
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JT LAURITSEN - Segment Begins At The 1:30:10 Mark
Jan Tore Lauritsen, (JT for short) is 42 years old living in Lillestrom, Norway. He began playing at the early age of 6 and pretty much immediately got interested in the Blues and related music after first hearing BB King, blues pianist Charles Brown and the legendary Ray Charles. After realizing the B3 was too much to lug constantly, JT took up the Accordion and has been making some great blues music since. JT sat and discussed his life and how he ended up performing at the age 14 and the road that began for him. During our chat, we played songs from the album Squeezeboxing from JT and his band The Buckshot Hunters.