Alison Keslow has come a long way; nominated for her second BMA
Bassist Alison Keslow has come a long way. Keslow began playing copious gigs in her youth as a Berklee College Of Music graduate with a degree in Bass Performance. After making the rounds of greater-Boston venues since the 1990s, she has released two CDs, including last year’s well received Bass Dharma, and she’s been nominated for a Boston Music Award in the Jazz category for the second year in a row. She was still feeling high about last year’s nomination when this year’s was announced.
Sugar Ray And The Bluetones come up with a dandy CD Seeing Is Believing
One can never have too much of a good thing. Sugar Ray And The Bluetones have released another fine blues album, Seeing Is Believing. Brimming with powerful blues in all 12 tracks, this winsome album will be playing in many local stereo systems by the end of this year. Most of these songs are originals, as all the band members are songwriters, and that makes this whole thing feel fresh and personal even though this kind of blues music has been with us for generations.
Gordy Pettipas to spearhead MoGuitar Blues band as Eric Gales opener on October 30th
Gordy Pettipas is gearing up for one of the biggest gigs of his life. The New Hampshire guitarist’s trio MoGuitar Blues will be opening for Eric Gales at Jewel in Manchester, New Hampshire on Sunday, October 30th. It’s taken the local musician many years to get to the level of accomplishment he is at. The self-taught Pettipas began an early childhood fascination with guitar when he started teaching himself Stevie Ray Vaughn’s Texas Flood album on cassette.
Ilene Springer paints large canvas of words and sounds on Got To Be Brave album
Ilene Springer’s new CD Got To Be Brave offers listeners of seriously good singer-songwriter material plenty to feast their ears on. Springer’s voice gives new meaning to the word lovely and she applies it to several larger than life themes and soundscapes.
Laura Brereton sums up this year’s OnStage series at Medford’s Chevalier Theatre
Singer-songwriter, music teacher, and arts administrator Laura Brereton has had her hands full lately. She’s been helping to manage and assist the OnStage Music Series at the Chevalier Theatre in Medford, Massachusetts. Brereton’s OnStage series are shows that take place with the audience on the stage with a band or singer-songwriter in a café style setting. With a capacity of 112, it makes for an evening of intimate music.
Blues scene veteran Bobby Leger scores big with impressive debut CD Imaginary Dream
Bobby Leger’s debut CD Imaginary Dream is loaded with fantastic blues songs and some fine songs influenced by the blues. Leger’s voice is often a plaintive scream. At other times it’s a drawling lead vocal over a slow boil build up. His flair for writing and co-writing the music that best serves his voice is on full display in these ten knock out, drag out original numbers.
Ruby Rose Fox seduced a first time audience in Portsmouth NH
Ruby Rose Fox band won over several new fans at Portsmouth Music Hall Loft last Saturday night. Playing to an enthusiastic listening room crowd, Ruby Rose Fox and her backing singers, known as the Gloria Steinhams, and her five piece band had audience members expressing mucho applause before receiving standing ovations after the end of the second set as well as at the end of their encore. This wasn’t her four year old Boston fan base giving her mad love. These were music fans in another city an hour away from Boston who were seeing her for the first time.
After 30 years in the business, the blues have still got Cheryl Arena
Cheryl Arena just got back from one of her teaching camps and was in a very good mood during this interview. “I think too many people in this world spend a lot of their time complaining about things they don’t have or they don’t get or bitching about something somebody didn’t do,” Arena said. “I like to appreciate the good things in life and look on the bright side and give credit and thanks where it’s due. Where people have helped me, I’d like to acknowledge that.”
Young Frontier offer impressive debut album
Young Frontier is a soulful folk-rock outfit with a good amount of dramatic tension in their songs. Actually, “soulful folk rock” might not even be the best terminology to describe their music. It’s hard to pigeonhole what this trio and their guest musicians are doing here. Vocalist Joe Young, guitarist Daniel King, and cellist Bethany Weiman are doing their own thing, regardless of the number of roots elements they incorporate here. Besides, how often does a roots combo or folk band utilize a cello?
Jordan Tirrell-Wysocki Trio offers sweeping Celtic beauty on Return To The Castle
The Jordan Tirrell-Wysocki Trio first release as a musical combo, Return To The Castle, brings a fresh perspective to Celtic music. Instead of the usual rambunctious party music played on acoustic instruments, the JTW trio play wide, sweeping ballads that immerse the listener in the gentler, softer side of this centuries old folk music from the other side of the pond.
