” Saya tidak mau menjadi copyan dari pemain manapun,”  itulah salah satu kata yang pernah diungkapkan oleh gitaris/vokalis JOE BONAMASSA pada suatu kesempatan. Maksudnya, sebagai musisi ia ingin menjadi dirinya sendiri, tidak ingin menjadi musisi tiruan, katakanlah tiruan JIMI HENDRIX atau STEVIE RAY VAUGHAN. Mungkin karena itulah dari album-album yang dihasilkan karya orang yang dibawakannyapun beragam, mulai dari Jeff Beck, Led Zeppelin, Ten Years After hingga grup prog macam YES. Ya, terlepas dari berhasil tidaknya apa yang ia inginkan tersebut, JOE BONAMASSA bisa kita kategorikan pemusik blues rock muda yang memang sedang muncul sekarang. Lalu apa kabar JOE BONAMASSA  tahun 2010 ini ?

Dalam waktu dekat, tepatnya pada tanggal 23 Maret yang akan datang ia akan merilis album terbarunya yang berjudul BLACK ROCK yang direkam di BLACK ROCK studio di Santorini, Yunani  ( itu sebabnya album ini diberi nama BLACK ROCK). Album ini berisi 13  lagu, mulai dari karya JOE BONAMASSA sediri maupun interpretasinya terhadap karya-karya orang, mulai dari karya Jeff Beck  ( “Spanish Boots,”)  Leonard Cohen ( “Bird On Wire”), John Hiatt (“I Know A Place”),  Otis Rush (“Three Times A Fool”) hingga karya Blind Boy Fueller “Baby You Got Change Your Mind”. Namun yang diperkirakan akan menjadi highlight adalah lagu “Night Life” karya Willie Nelson yang dipopulerkan oleh BB KING, yang merekamnya pada album BLUES IS A KING pada tahun 1967.  Dilagu “Night Life”  dalam album terbarunya ini Joe Bonamassa ditemani oleh BB King.

Tahun 2010 jadwal tur JOE BONAMASSA cukup padat, di antaranya, ini yang penting dicatat, akhir Maret hingga awal April ia akan tampil di empat tempat di Australia di antaranya di Byron Blues Festival ( mudah-mudahan dalam waktu dekat  onestopblues bisa mengulas salah satu event Blues Festival terbesar di Australia ini).  Paling Tidak sampai akhir Juli  JOE BONAMASSA sudah punya jadwal pertunjukan.  Dan berita yang tak kalah menarik akhir 2010 atau awal 2011 Joe Bonamassa siap meluncurkan album baru yang lain, dengan grupnya yang bernama BLACK COUNTRY dengan formasi  Joe Bonamassa  (gtr/vcl),  GLEN HUGHES (bas), JANSON BONHAM  (drums) dan DEREK SHERRINIAN dari grup DREAM THEATRE ( keyboard).  Grup ini dinamakan Black Country  karena Joe Bonamassa dan Jason Bonham, tumbuh besar di kawasan yang bernama Black Country, sebuah kawasan industri di Inggris. Saat ini keempat musisi ini telah masuk studio.  Nantikan perkembangan berita tentang Joe Bonamassa ini di onestopblues !!!

Jadwal Tur JOE BONAMASSA 2010 :

]]> http://cherrysimone.wordpress.com/2010/01/30/all-gave-me-was-those-store-bought-bloooos/ Sat, 30 Jan 2010 17:06:15 +0000 Cherise http://cherrysimone.wordpress.com/2010/01/30/all-gave-me-was-those-store-bought-bloooos/

So. I’m a crafter but this blog is hardly a grand crafting blog- I mean, I’m showing you old beading projects…. but posting pictures of latest musical shows. FAIL. Oh well, don’t hold it against me too much, will you WordPress?

SO MUSIC!: Recently Discovered Joe Bonamassa, it was on the front page of Spotify- in the artists that the grand machine may “think” I might enjoy. He (Joe) apparently, at only EIGHT years old opened for B. B. King! And by 12 playing around upstate New York. Artists are usually older and take longer to get themselves on the scene. I’m impressed by the guitars, the strong voice and blues put in to the songs =D.

Okay, so t’other night I went to some friend’s joint birthday Do at The Chameleon in Nottingham.

The Birthday Boys of the event are dearest sparkly Cauldwell and sweet poetic Alister! Stars who played the event (back to music again!?) were Natalie Duncan and her multi-skilled band. Natalie has an AMAZING voice that makes me so so jealous, but not only that; she’s a writing MACHINE (good match for Ali’, eh?) and plays piano beautifully! *pout* Have you clicked the link yet? DO! Listen! Admire!

Also, who played, The Shakes! They did covers of soul music that got us all, in our 1920s gear, standing, dancing, boogie-ing AND even some charleston-ing from the supreme Louise.

Better knock on wood, baby!

David Severn was there doing his skilled thang with his camera so I can’t wait to see pictures from the night! Good times with him, Sarah and Simona (who I hadn’t seen in so long!). Simona does damn cool art and is at Uni here in Notts. The sooner there are pictures of her and Dee’s skills to parade around the World Wide Web- the better!

OH! The party had a bit of a 1920s theme so silent movies and laurel and hardy played, projected on to a wall. Here’s an attempt at 1920’s make up.

pale skin, pink circle on each cheek, drawn on pointy (not pointy enough) lips and eff-loads of dark eye slap!

Right, I suppose I should make some valentines-ish things!- Yeah, I know- should have made, uploaded and marketed it all by now- but that’s never how I work >.<. AND I want to have a go at making a book… eventually…

Wish me luck?

xx

Cherise

The following guitar icon is my second ace I posting after B.B. King. I’ve seen him live in 2006 in New York City at B.B. King’s Blues Club where I got some nice photos (that was also one of my biggest tests as concert Photographer beside B.B. show). I remember he had less than 50k plays on LastFm when I took over the group dedicated to him (now he has almost 1500k plays!). His technique & sound reached the sky since then. If you never heard of him, you don’t deserve to call yourself a Blues or Rock listener; if you heard his name because of his first Rock attempts you should listen to his Blues. He is one of those rare musicians who came to save all these musically confused generations of youngsters today.

NOT just hit & run! Comment & rate my posts (which btw, are updated constantly) or leave a smart message in the shoutbox on the main page/sidebar.

JOE BONAMASSA (1977.05.08/ Utica, NY – ) is an American blues guitarist/singer, well known for his raw, gritty voice and technically accomplished playing. His style is considered in the same Blues-Rock style as Stevie Ray Vaughan, Kenny Wayne Shepherd and Jonny Lang.

Bonamassa has been collecting guitars since the age of 13 and currently has around 150 in this collection. The extent of use to which he uses this arsenal is clear in the sleevenotes of his latest album, ‘You And Me’ which lists the 22 guitars and 5 different amps used on the 11 track album. Despite this, Bonamassa tends to only use one guitar at live gigs, currently relying on either a 2004 Gigliotti ‘JB’ Telecaster or a 1965 Fender Stratocaster.

In an interview in ‘Guitarist’ magazine (issue 265), Joe Bonamassa cites the three albums that had the biggest influence on his playing; John Mayall & the Bluesbreakers with Eric Clapton (the ‘Beano Album’), Rory Gallagher’s ‘Irish Tour’ and ‘Farewell Cream’ by Cream.

These influences are evident in his music (and the songs he chooses to cover eg. Gallagher’s ‘Cradle Rock’ and Clapton’s ‘Steppin’ Out’) but Joe has taked influences from other artists also. Examples are B.B. King, Robert Johnson, Danny Gatton, Jeff Beck, Eric Johnson and Buddy Guy. One notable thing about these influences is the range of genres they cover – Rock, Blues-rock, Jazz, Country, Delta Blues, Electric Blues – which all comes out in Bonamassa’s unique style of playing.

A child prodigy, Joe Bonamassa could play the blues before he could drive a car. His father Len owns a guitar store in Utica and as a result Joe started playing a short scale Chiquita guitar when he was 4 years old. He first heard Stevie Ray Vaughan at age four and by the time he was 7 was finessing Stevie Ray Vaughan licks.

At the age of 11, Joe spent around six months being mentored by country virtuoso Danny Gatton who taught Bonamassa to play in styles such as country and jazz. During this time, Bonamassa used to sit in with Gatton’s band whenever they played in New York.

He first opened for B.B. King when he was 12 years old. After first hearing him play, King said, “This kid’s potential is unbelievable. He hasn’t even begun to scratch the surface. He’s one of a kind.”

Joe was invited to attend a Fender guitar event when he was 14 years old and during that trip to the West Coast he met Berry Oakley, Jr., the son of The Allman Brothers Band bassist. Joe and Berry founded the group Bloodline with Miles Davis’s son Erin and Robby Krieger’s son Waylon. Bloodline released a self-titled album, but Bonamassa wanted to move on.

His virtuoso playing finally had the room it needed, and his strength as an expressive singer emerged. “I started belting things out and found this voice I never knew I had,” he says. “I’d play around with emulating some of my favorite singers, Paul Rodgers, Gregg Allman, Rod Stewart. Ultimately, it’s allowed me a freedom as an artist I hadn’t felt before.”

In summer 2000, he guested for Roger McGuinn on Jethro Tull’s summer tour, later releasing his debut solo album A New Day Yesterday. Produced by longtime fan Tom Dowd, the album marked a move towards a more organic and rock-sounding direction. The song “Miss You, Hate You” from that CD continues to be prominently featured in all of Bonamassa’s shows. He put together a power trio with drummer Kenny Kramme and bassist Eric Czar and hit the road to support the album.

Eric Czar, bass

Bonamassa and the band returned to the studio in 2002 to work with producer Clif Magness (who produced Avril Lavigne’s album) to release his second album “So It’s Like That.” The second album, which is more traditional rock music than blues like his other three studio albums, reached #1 on the Billboard Blues Chart.

During the tour to support that album, numerous fans asked if the band was going to release a more traditional blues album. This feedback resulted in the 2003 release of “Blues Deluxe,” which was released to support the Year of the Blues. The album features nine covers of classic blues tunes along with three songs authored by Bonamassa. This album also reached #1 on the Billboard Blues Chart.

In the liner notes, Harris Cohen says that Joe, “never loses touch with the raw emotion that makes the blues what it is.” Former Creem editor Jaan Uhelszki wrote, “New York guitar phenom walks tall in the blues tradition…jettisoning fiery riffs inspired by John Lee Hooker, B.B. King, Elmore James, and Albert Collins into the future with furious playing, a hard-rock sensibility, and a grizzled voice that owes a debt to Gregg Allman.”

Joe’s 2006 release entitled “You & Me” continued the blues-rock tradition that courses through Bonamassa’s song writing. It includs the signature original “Bridge To Better Days,” Charley Patton’s “High Water Everywhere” – Joe’s tribute to New Orleans – “So Many Roads” (a blues gem made famous by Otis Rush) and Led Zeppelin’s “Tea For One,” adorned with a full orchestra and “Bonzo” heir Jason Bonham on drums. “Your Funeral And My Trial”, a track on the album, featured harmonica prodigy LD Miller. This album also appeared at #1 on the Billboard Blues album chart.

In 2006, after extensive touring with his previous trio, Bonamassa changed the line-up of the musicians in his touring band. He enlisted the help of a new bass player named Mark Epstein and former Kenny Wayne Shepherd drummer, Bogie Bowels. He performed a rare duo with rock legend Ted Nugent at the Sand Dollar Blues Room in Las Vegas in front of a VH1 movie crew for the show SuperGroup.

With 2007’s Sloe Gin, Bonamassa’s redefinition of the blues-rock art form continues to evolve as does his own identity as one of contemporary music’s most profoundly talented stars. Joe also actively serves as the youngest-ever member of the Memphis, TN-based Blues Foundation’s Board of Directors, and is the lead spokesperson for their highly respected Blues In The Schools program, which educates students nationwide about the legacy and influence of the blues.

Among Sloe Gin’s other stand-outs are the originals “Another Kind Of Love,” “India” and “Dirt In My Pocket,” the Chris Whitley-penned “Ball Peen Hammer,” Joe’s adaptation of the Ten Years After classic, “One Of These Days,” and smokin’ versions of Paul Rodgers’ “Seagull” and the John Martin blues nugget “Jelly Roll.”

The disc effortlessly ranges, tonally and stylistically, across diverse sonic boundaries, featuring a stellar line-up of: CBS Orchestra/Letterman show stalwart Anton Fig on drums & percussion, ace bassist Carmine Rojas, keyboardist Rick Melick and Bogie Bowles on drums and hammer dulcimer (all but Fig also comprise Joe’s touring band). Joe says, “I sequenced the album as a throwback to the Side A/Side B set-up of vinyl records…listening to an album as a whole is a lost pastime. I wanted to bring that experience back around.”

Joe Bonamassa’s new album, The Ballad Of John Henry, brings that energy to his recorded music more powerfully than ever before. The ninth solo album and seventh studio release of his career – as well as his fourth consecutive with producer Kevin Shirley (Led Zeppelin, Black Crowes, etc.) – the disc adds a heavy dose of “swamp” to Bonamassa’s virtuoso mix of ‘60s-era British blues-rock (à la Beck and Clapton) and roots-influenced Delta sounds. It shows off Bonamassa’s vocal range as much as his instrumental voodoo, and the artist says, “I feel this is my strongest work to date.”

He was inspired to write The Ballad Of John Henry – a song that drives as hard as its legendary namesake did pounding railroad spikes into the ground – while crossing the U.S. on a tour bus and observing the country changing in unsettling ways. “It used to be,” says Bonamassa, “there was dignity to being a middle-class worker, making an honest living. It was a certain mentality that was uniquely American. Now kids say, ‘I want to be rich, and I don’t care how I get there.”

Albums like Slow Gin, Live From Nowhere In Particular, The Ballad Of John Henry and hundreds of live shows made of Joe Bonamassa a Blues Rock icon and got him a worldwide recognition as having the best sound in this genre of music today. His latest album,  Live From The Royal Albert Hall is a musical gem which will be hard to equal. But the Joe Bonamassa story continues and we are here as his musical witnesses.

Discography in my collection (posting only downloadable albums):

[1994.08.23] JOE BONAMASSA & Bloodline

Tracks:
1. Stone Cold Hearted
2. Dixie Peach
3. Cell Block 7
4. Storm [Instrumental]
5. Good Luck You’re Having
6. Honest Crime
7. So Far Away
8. Calling Me Back
9. Bad Girls
10. Since You’re Gone
11. Trouble Is My Business
12. Get off Your Back

Bonamassa joined Bloodline, a band that supported Z.Z. Top, Eddie Money, and Lynyrd Skynyrd. Bloodline was composed of the offspring of famous musicians: Waylon Krieger, son of Doors guitarist Robbie Krieger; drummer Erin Davis, son of jazz giant Miles Davis; and Berry Oakley, Jr., the son of The Allman Brothers Band bassist.

Joe played lead guitar and co-wrote much of the original material on Bloodline’s self-titled album, released in 1995. Bloodline album has a bluesy, funk-inflected roots-rock traditional sound. After three years with Bloodline, working with some of the best talents in the business and honing his song-writing skills, Bonamassa was ready to head out on his own.

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[2000.10.24] JOE BONAMASSA A New Day Yesterday

Tracks:
1. Cradle Rock (Rory Gallagher)
2. Walk In My Shadows (Free)
3. A New Day Yesterday (Jethro Tull)
4. I Know Where I Belong
5. Miss You, Hate You (Rock Radio remix)
6. Nuthin’ I Wouldn’t Do/For A Woman Like You
7. Colour And Shape
8. Headaches To Heartbreaks
9. Trouble Waiting
10. If Heartaches Were Nickels
11. Current Situation
12. Don’t Burn Down That Bridge (Albert King)
13. Miss You, Hate You (original full-length version, bonus track)

Personnel includes:
Joe Bonamassa (vocals, guitar)
Rick Derringer, Leslie West (vocals, guitar)
Gregg Allman (vocals, organ)
Jeannie Burns, Annie Burns (vocals)
Len Bonamassa (guitar)
Dave Borde (keyboards)
Creamo Liss (bass)
Tony Cintron (drums)

Recorded at Pyramid Recording Studios, Ithaca, New York.

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[2001.12.21] JOE BONAMASSA A New Day Yesterday Live (Fort Wayne, IN)

Tracks:
01. Jam Intro
02. Cradle Rock
03. Steppin Out/ Rice Pudding
04. A New Day Yesterday
05. Miss You, Hate You
06. Walk in my Shadows
07. I KNow Where I Belong
08. Colour And Shape
09. Trouble Waiting
10. If Heartaches Were Nickels
11. Don’t Burn Down That Bridge

Think back to the last time you went to a great rock show that you never wanted to end. You could feel the raw musical talent and the electricity of the
show through your entire body. Recorded in December of 2001 in Fort Wayne, Indiana as the last show of a 60 date tour, A New Day Yesterday Live captures
the essence of Joe Bonamassa, the bold talent who “smokes like a cannon.” This CD is packed with highlights from Bonamassa’s raw, fierce and energetic
performances. Now you can hear why Guitar World magazine (January, 2001) called A New Day Yesterday Live “one funky good time,” giving it a four-star review.
Raw musical talent. A New Day Yesterday highlights Bonamassa’s “powerful and gritty voice, tight and rockin’ band, lots of gutsy tunes and, last but not
least, some serious guitar chops.” Look for Joe Bonamassa’s upcoming album and catch him on tour when he comes to town.

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[2002.08.13] JOE BONAMASSA So It’s Like That

Tracks:
1. My Mistake
2. Lie #1
3. No Slack
4. Unbroken
5. So, It’s Like That
6. Waiting For Me
7. Never Say Goodbye
8. Mountain Time
9. Pain And Sorrow
10. Takin’ The Hit
11. Under The Radar
12. Sick In Love
13. Hard Way, The

Personnel:
Joe Bonamassa (vocals, acoustic guitar, electric guitar)
Eric Czar (bass guitar)
Kenny Kramme (drums, percussion)

Amazon.com
New York guitar prodigy Joe Bonamassa opened for B.B. King before he was a teen, but blues is just the springboard for the sound on this second solo outing. Bonamassa spotlights his songwriting this time, using his fluid and fiery guitar work to punctuate muscular melodies more akin to anthemic arena rock than basic blues.
While Bonamassa’s debut disc, A New Day Yesterday, featured a supporting cast of Gregg Allman, Rick Derringer,
and Leslie West, the follow-up keeps the focus on his power trio, with drummer Kenny Kramme and bassist Eric Czar providing most of the accompaniment (although keyboardist Cliff Magness creatively colors around the edges).

Bonamassa is indeed a certifiable fretboard phenom, consistently capable of startlingly effective solos, but he’s also a strong singer, and that’s what makes the collection of songs, a dozen of the 13 cowritten by Bonamassa,
successful. The title track, complete with a sizzling solo, sustains a Southern blues-rock feel, but most of the other songs, such as the power pop “Unbroken,” the hard-rocking “Sick in Love,” and the retro “Never Said Goodbye,”
which features Bonamassa on mandolin, showcase his abilities in different stylistic settings. [Michael Point]

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[2002.10.11] JOE BONAMASSA Live @ The Cabooze Minneapolis, MN

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[2003.08.26] JOE BONAMASSA Blues Deluxe

Tracks:
1. You Upset Me, Baby
2. Burning Hell (John Lee Hooker’s)
3. Blues Deluxe (Jeff Beck’s)
4. Man Of Many Words (Buddy Guy’s)
5. Woke Up Dreaming
6. I Don’t Live Anywhere
7. Wild About You Baby (Elmore James’)
8. Long Distance Blues
9. Pack It Up
10. Left Overs
11. Walking Blues
12. Mumbling Word

Personnel:
Joe Bonamassa (vocals, guitar)
Jon Paris (harmonica)
Benny harrison (Hammond B-3 organ)
Eric Czar (electric bass)
Kenny Kramme (drums)

Recorded at Unique Studios, New York, New York.

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[2004.07.08] JOE BONAMASSA Live @ Kuni Bluesmore Festival, Cedar Rapids, IA

Tracks:
101 Soundcheck
102 If 6 Were 9/Spanish Castle Magic
103 You Upset Me Baby
104 Blues Deluxe
105 Takin’ The Hit
106 Mountain Time
107 Wild About You Baby
108 Burning Hell
201 If Heartaches Were Nickels
202 Pain and Sorrow
203 Had To Cry Today/Heart of the Sunrise
204 Starship Trooper (The Wurm)

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[2004.07.28] JOE BONAMASSA Live @ Milwaukee, WI

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[2004.08.24] JOE BONAMASSA Had To Cry Today

Tracks:
1. Never Make Your Move Too Soon (B.B. King)
2. Travellin’ South
3. Junction 61
4. Reconsider Baby (Lowell Fulson)
5. Around The Bend
6. Revenge of the 10 Gallon Hat (Danny Gatton)
7. When She Dances
8. Had To Cry Today
9. River, The
10. When the Sun Goes Down
11. Faux Martini (Al Di Meola)

Personnel:
Joe Bonamassa (vocals, acoustic guitar, electric guitar)
Jon Paris (harmonica)
Benny Harrison (Hammond b-3 organ)
Eric Czar (bass guitar)
Kenny Kramme (drums, percussion)

Recording information: Unique Recording Studios, New York, New York; Gizmo, New York, NY.

Amazon.com
Guitar hero Bonamassa may have dropped the “Smokin’” prefix from his performing name that he carried as a teenager, but he still specializes in superheated fret work. And for him, the faster it is, the better. Bonamassa sought to showcase the “heavier side of blues” on his fourth studio recording, emphasizing the approach used by the classic English blues-rockers. And he does just that with a hyperactive “Travellin’ South” that Ten Years After would have been proud to claim and a hard-edged remake of the B.B. King hit “Never Make Your Move Too Soon”. The title track, a Blind Faith favorite, is transformed into a frenetic live jam while Lowell Fulson’s “Reconsider Baby”, a staple of Bonamassa’s live show,is given an extended workout and features some of his most potent blues licks. Sometimes Bonamassa is in too much of a hurry for his own good, but his penchant for speed works especially well on a couple of instrumentals. He races through “Revenge of the 10 Gallon Hat”, a country-flavored tribute to mentor Danny Gatton, and the rapid-fire, Al Di Meola-influenced closer “Faux Mantini.” [Michael Point]

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[2004.11.28] JOE BONAMASSA Live @ Schwarzer Adler, Rheinberg, Germany

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[2005.02.26] JOE BONAMASSA Live @ Inter Media Arts Center, Huntington, NY

Setlist
disc1 :
01-you upset me baby
02-reconsider baby
03-wild about you baby
04-burning hell
05-takin’ the hit
2nd set
06-joe solo (acoustic)
07-blues deluxe ( acoustic)
08-woke up dreaming ( acoustic)

disc 2 :
01-the river
02-mountain time
03-pain & sorrow
04-had to cry today > heart of the sunrise > starship trooper ( the wurm)

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[2005.05.18] JOE BONAMASSA Live @ Mr. Kyps, Bournemouth, UK

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[2006.02.07] JOE BONAMASSA Live @ Rockpalast, Germany

Tracks:
1. Takin’ The Hit
2. A New Day Yesterday
3. Blues Deluxe
4. Mountain Time
5. You Upset Me Baby
6. The River
7. Burning Hell
8. Had To Cry Today
9. Heart Of The Sunrise
10. Starship Trooper
11. I Don’t Live Anywhere

Personnel:
Joe Bonamassa – Guitar and Vocals
Eric Czar – Bass Guitar
Kenny Kramme – Drums

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[2006.03.30] JOE BONAMASSA Live @ Ramshead Tavern, Annapolis, MD

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[2006.06.06] JOE BONAMASSA You And Me

1. High Water Everywhere
2. Bridge to Better Days
3. Asking Around For You
4. So Many Roads
5. I Don’t Believe
6. Tamp em up Solid
7. DjangO
8. Tea For One
9. Palm Trees Helicopters and Gasoline
10. Your Funeral and My Trial
11. Torn Down

Personnel:
Joe Bonamassa (vocals, guitars)
Rick Melick (piano, organ, tambourine)
Carmine Rojas (bass instrument)
Jason Bonham (drums).

Additional personnel:
Doug Henthorn (vocals)
Pat Thrall (guitar)
Jeff Bova (programming)

From the Artist
This is the CD I’ve had head in my head for a while. With You & Me, we are trying something different, trying to extend the boundaries of traditional blues. In essence, we wanted to do our part in helping to redefine
the sound of modern blues music.

Editorial Reviews
Despite his statement in the liner notes that “In an era where it is best to play it safe, I chose to take a risk…,” there isn’t much surprising or risky about young guitarist Joe Bonamassa’s fifth studio album. Most of his previous releases have mixed blues covers with his own originals, all played with a rocker’s attitude, volume and less-than-subtle approach. This one follows suit and even though he goes on to say that he “wanted to make a blues album, not a rock album that has blues on it,” as in the past; it’s impossible to claim that he has succeeded with You & Me. That doesn’t make this a bad or disappointing disc; quite the contrary, it’s a solid blues-rock release and arguably his best work to date. But as early as the second track, an original rocker titled “Bridge to Better Days,” Bonamassa takes off on an early Free/Savoy Brown-styled stomper.

Things settle down and get more rootsy on the following two slow blues tracks, although a lovely Bonamassa original, “Asking Around for You,” adds strings, not exactly a touch most would associate with pure blues. Regardless, it’s extremely effective and when the strings return on a nine-and-a-half-minute cover of Led Zeppelin’s “Tea for One,” it is a spine-tingling experience and possibly this album’s finest moment. Drummer Jason Bonham, who is excellent throughout, brings additional authenticity to the song his dad first played on.

Bonamassa unplugs for a few mid-disc tracks, including a cover of “Tamp ‘Em Up Solid” (oddly credited to Ry Cooder but typically known as a traditional piece, even on Cooder’s version). Twelve-year-old harmonica whiz L.D. Miller does his best John Popper imitation on a hyperactive version of Sonny Boy Williamson’s “Your Funeral and My Trial” (someone needs to inform the kid that playing lots of notes really fast doesn’t mean he has soul), and the instrumental titled “Django” shows that Bonamassa has been listening to Gary Moore’s “Parisienne Walkways.” It adds up to a quality Bonamassa disc that will please existing fans and might bring some new ones into the fold, but it’s also one that doesn’t take the chances that he claims might push the guitarist into uncharted territory. ~ Hal Horowitz

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[2006.10.19] JOE BONAMASSA @ Paul Jones Show on BBC Radio2

Tracks:
1. Woke Up Dreaming
2. Interview
3. Walk In My Shadow
4. So Many Roads
5. Bridge To Better Days (16 Mins)

The dates after the track names are the broadcast dates but the session tracks for individual BBC shows would have been recorded in one session. Extra session tracks appear on the website for the programme but they are not always of the best sound quality and only the broadcast tracks are included here. Paul Jones generally plays three out of the four recorded session tracks in one programme and will sometimes play the fourth track at a later date.

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[2007.03.21] JOE BONAMASSA Live @ Milano, Italy

Tracks:
Disc 1 [51'43"]
01. Takin’ the Hit
02. Walk In My Shadows
03. Blues Deluxe
04. Mountain Time
05. Bridge to Better Days
06. Burning Hell

Disc 2 [45'59"]
01. Intro
02. Miss You, Hate You
03. Wake up Dreaming
04. Just Got Paid
05. Dazed and Confused + Moby Dick
06. Starship Trooper
07. Asking Around For You

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[2007.07.28] JOE BONAMASSA Live @ Piazza Blues Bellinzona, Switzerland

Tracks:
01-Bridge to a better day
02-Walk in my shadow
03-So many road
04-Mountain time
05-Another kind of love
06-Slow gin
07-Meddley
(Django-Got to paid-Daze and confused(Led Zep)-Drum solo)
08-Askin around for you
09-Los Endos (Genesis cover)

Bonus Track:
10-Highwater everywhere
(Live from Northsea Jazz Fest)

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[2007.08.21] JOE BONAMASSA Sloe Gin

Tracks:
1. Ball Peen Hammer
2. One Of These Days
3. Seagull
4. Dirt In My Pocket
5. Sloe Gin
6. Another Kind Of Love
7. Around the Bend
8. Black Night
9. Jelly Roll
10. Richmond
11. India

Personnel:
Joe Bonamassa (guitars)
The Bovaland Symphonic Orchestra (strings)
Rick Melick (keyboards)
Carmine Rojas (bass guitar)
Anton Fig, Bogie Bowles (drums)

Bonamassa’s fourth release, the disc re-teams him with producer Kevin Shirley (Joe Satriani, Black Crowes,
Aerosmith, Led Leppelin), who produced 2006’s YOU & ME, which debuted at #1 on Billboard’s Blues Chart in June of last year. SLOE GIN effortlessly ranges through heavy blues and acoustic numbers alike, a textured flow that Bonamassa says was in part inspired by Rod Stewart’s legendary 1969 debut solo LP.

In fact, when Bonamassa and producer Kevin Shirley (a name Bonamassa fans will recognize from 2006’s successful You & Me), started planning the Sloe Gin project, Joe considered making it an all-acoustic album. That plan was replaced by an acoustic-electric compromise (six predominantly acoustic tracks and five electric). But, whether acoustic or electric, it’s the album’s emphasis on singing, song, and stylistic blending that sets it apart from Bonamassa’s previous records. Rock, classic rock, blues-rock, Southern rock, electric blues, traditional acoustic blues, piano bar ballad blues, country, English folk, American folk, roots, and Indian raga all play a straight or blended role in this Joe Bonamassa sampler.

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[2008.02.15] JOE BONAMASSA Live @ Shepherds Bush Empire, London, UK

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[2008.08.19] JOE BONAMASSA Live From Nowhere In Particular

Tracks:
cd 1
01. Bridge To Better Days 5:27
02. Walk In My Shadows 5:15
03. So Many Roads 6:09
04. India / Mountain Time 10:17
05. Another Kinda Love 3:47
06. Sloe Gin 7:20
07. One Of These Days 5:53

cd 2
01. Ball Peen Hammer 4:23
02. If Heartaches Were Nickels 4:08
03. Woke Up Dreaming 7:59
04. Django / Just Got Paid 17:53
05. High Water Everywhere 4:48
06. Asking Around For You 7:24
07. A New Day Yesterday / StarshipTrooper / Wurm 7:51

There is fire and fervor in the music and in the persona of guitarist Joe Bonamassa and although his studio albums have been nothing less than exceptional, there’s no better way than the live performance atmosphere to demonstrate just how mesmerizing this amazing guitarist/vocalist can actually be. He’s truly a fiery vocalist as well, a trait that has a lot to do with his popularity, and he belts out the lyrics with resolute passion and
vigor. He is a well-rounded musician in every way.

Anyone familiar with Joe Bonamassa knows the degree of respect and admiration he has for the music of yesteryear, primarily blues and rock. His renditions of the classics, such as Tull’s “A New Day Yesterday”, Yes’ “Starship Trooper”, and Alvin Lee’s “One Of These Days”, adds smiles of approval to the faces of attentive audiences the world over. It’s a crucial key to his amazing talent: fans feel that they are listening to one of their peers, someone who feels the same passion for the music. He’s similar to the best friend you had growing up, the guy next door you’d drink beers with on Sunday afternoons while listening to vinyl records. Perhaps without even realizing the music’s classic relevance at that time, you related to it in a personal and private way.

The barnstorming opener, “Bridge To Better Days”, as well as the astounding acoustic blues, “Woke Up Dreaming”, are both exemplary of the originality that’s Joe Bonamassa, and of the passion he exerts in the live setting. He’s incredibly adept at both electric and acoustic guitar, and this live set authenticates that. Covers of Free’s “Walk in My Shadow”, Paul Marshall’s “So Many Roads”, and Warren Haynes’ “If Heartaches Were Nickels” are brilliantly executed. The Blues Foundation board member puts pure emotion and sincerity into the blues.

“Woke Up Dreaming” is an absolute killer song. Those who have seen Joe perform it live know it to be true. It’s a mesmerizing and exhilarating jaunt amid acoustic prowess and fingerboard dexterity, coerced along by raw passion and unadulterated intensity. The eighteen minute voyage through “Django/Just Got Paid” is a dreamy excursion through Guitar Paradise. Similar to a good movie with a theme of mystery and intrigue, IÆll leave out the potpourri of influences heard in this one as to not be the spoiler. ItÆs totally amazing. Utilizing an adroit talent for slide and fretboard wizardry, Joe soars off in sonic mounts and diving plummets in the ten minute India/Mountain Time. His performance is incredibly beautiful and melodic throughout each and every divergent course and alteration. He ends the set with an incredible combo cover of “A New Day Yesterday and “Starship Trooper”.

With Carmine Rojas on bass, Rick Melick on keyboards, and Bogie Bowles on drums, Joe Bonamassa excels in Live From Nowhere In Particular, proving he’s one of the most exciting guitarists and performers on the scene today. This is an excellent live album.

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[2009.02.24] JOE BONAMASSA The Ballad Of John Henry

Tracks:
1. The Ballad of John Henry (Bonamassa) 6:26
2. Stop! (Brody, Sutton) 6:48
3. Last Kiss (Bonamassa) 7:15
4. Jockey Full of Bourbon (Waits) 5:22
5. Story of a Quarryman (Bonamassa) 4:59
6. Lonesome Road Blues (Bonamassa) 3:08
7. Happier Times (Bonamassa) 6:40
8. Feelin’ Good (Bricusse, Newley) 4:44
9. Funkier Than a Mosquito’s Twe (Bullock) 5:00
10. The Great Flood (Bonamassa) 7:39
11. From the Valley (Bonamassa) 2:24
12. As the Crow Flies (Tennessee Swamp Fox, White) 3:58

Personnel:
Joe Bonamassa – Guitar, Vocals
Blondie Chaplin – Guitar (Rhythm)
Anton Fig – Drums
Rick Melick – Keyboards, Vocals (bckgr)
Carmine Rojas – Bass
Lee Thornburg – Arranger, Brass
David Woodford – Saxophone

Review by Stephen Thomas Erlewine
In 2007, Joe Bonamassa titled his album after a Bob Ezrin. In 2009, he named his seventh studio album The Ballad of John Henry after one of the most enduring tales in American folk music. The difference between these two songs should signal a great difference between the two albums and that’s true, to a certain extent. The Ballad of John Henry is heavy on myth-making that translates to heavy guitars on several occasions, particularly on the epic six-minute title track, whose roiling minor-key riffs, orchestrations, and excursions into acoustic instruments are closer to prog than blues. While the rest of the record never gets as overblown as this, it shares similar thick sonics and a sober sensibility, an approach that treats Ike & Tina Turner’s “Funkier Than a Mosquito’s Tweeter” as sacred text and straightens out Tom Waits’ “Jockey Full of Bourbon.”

This sobriety means that The Ballad isn’t a whole lot of fun — when Bonamassa sings that he’s “Feelin’ Good,” it feels a bit like drudgery — but this dogged approach does give the album some self-serious heft, adding the impression of weight that fits a record that feels like a summation of his strengths. His guitar and voice carry equal weight as he runs through SRV-styled slow blues, a shuffle or two, acoustic numbers, covers, and originals — everything that he’s dabbled with on previous albums is pulled together here, making for his most varied album and possibly his best, even if that heaviness means that it’s not necessarily the easiest to enjoy.

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[2009.05.04] JOE BONAMASSA Live From The Royal Albert Hall

Tracks:
Disc #1 — Joe Bonamassa: Live From the Royal Albert Hall
1. The Road to the Royal Albert Hall [2:38]
2. Django [3:28]
3. The Ballad of John Henry [6:47]
4. So It’s Like That [2:54]
5. Last Kiss [7:18]
6. So Many Roads [6:20]
7. Stop! [5:42]
8. Introducing Eric Clapton [1:18]
9. Further On Up the Road [5:38]
10. High Water Everywhere [5:07]
11. Sloe Gin [8:22]
12. Intermission [:22]

Disc #2 — Joe Bonamassa: Live From the Royal Albert Hall
1. I First Met B.B. King [1:22]
2. Lonesome Road Blues [4:35]
3. Happier Times [6:51]
4. Introducing Paul Jones [:59]
5. Your Funeral My Trial [4:16]
6. Blues Deluxe [9:16]
7. Story of a Quarryman [5:16]
8. The Great Flood [8:04]
9. Just Got Paid [11:26]
10. Mountain Time [10:53]
11. Asking Around for You [11:06]
12. Credits [1:14]

Personnel:
Joe Bonamassa – guitar, vocal
Carmine Rojas – bass
Bogie Bowles, Anton Fig – drums
Rick Melick – keyboards, background vocals, & tambourine
Lee Thornburg – trumpet
Sean Freeman – saxophone
Mike Feltham – trombone
Eric Clapton – guitar (on Further On Up The Road)
Paul Jones – harmonica (on Your Funeral My Trial)

When Joe Bonamassa took the stage at Royal Albert Hall in May 2009, he fulfilled a dream he’d held since first picking up a guitar as a kid in upstate New York. The sold-out concert-fresh off the release of his album The Ballad Of John Henry-marked Bonamassa’s headlining debut at arguably the most prestigious concert venue in the world. “May 4, 2009 was a day 20 years in the making,” says Bonamassa. “I have never been so honoured in my life. It was truly larger than the sum of its parts.” The two decades he’s referring to began when-at age 12-he first opened for blues icon B.B. King, who said, “this kid’s potential is unbelievable.” King’s words are as fitting today as they were then. Bonamassa averages 200 shows every year, and with each gig, he comes more into his own as a virtuoso and a vocalist.

At the Hall, Bonamassa had the added honor of being joined onstage by the legendary Eric Clapton. The Times cited Joe’s ” searing excellence and showmanship,” and Planet Rock said, “The sight of two of the world’s best guitarists trading solos was more than a little thrilling.”

Joe is using his signature Les Pauls, a few Les Paul historic models, a Gibson Flying V, an Ernie Ball Musicman John Petrucci Baritone, an Ernie Ball Musicman 25th anniversary, and a Yamaha acoustic. He uses his usual combination of amps, which includes a Marshall Silver Jubilee, a Van Weeldon Twinkleland, a Carol Ann JB model, and a Category 5 Joe Bonamassa model.

This incredible performance-featuring Joe accompanied by an incredible band in addition to a guest appearance by Eric Clapton will put an end to that. Directed by groundbreaking filmmakers Sam Dunn and Scot McFadyen, this concert experience will become the benchmark for the genre.

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[2009.07] JOE BONAMASSA North Sea Jazz

Tracks:
01. Further On Up The Road
02. Sloe Gin
03. Great Flood
04. Lonesome Road Blues
05. Your Funeral My Trial
06. Blues Deluxe
07. Just Got Paid – Dazed and Confused

Members:
Joe Bonamassa – vocals & guitar
Rick Melick – keyboards
Carmine Rojas – bass
Bogie Bowles – drums

A unique, historic festival! The first edition of the North Sea Jazz Festival took place in 1976 in the Nederlands Congresgebouw in The Hague. Some numbers in those early days: six venues, three hundred artists and about nine thousand visitors. In this very first festival year internationally renowned jazz legends performed, such as Sarah Vaughan, Count Basie, Dizzy Gillespie and Stan Getz, as well as most Dutch avant-garde artists.

In the intervening years, the North Sea Jazz Festival has developed into a major international jazz event. Over the years the numbers have increased to: fifteen venues, approximately thirteen hundred artists and a visitors number that varies between sixty-five thousand and seventy thousand every year. Since 2006 the festival has found a new and more spacious location: Ahoy Rotterdam. North Sea Jazz is known all over the world because of the many musical genres it has to offer, ranging from traditional New Orleans jazz, swing, bop, free jazz, fusion, avant-garde jazz and electronic jazz; to blues, gospel, funk, soul, R&B, hip hop, world beat and Latin. All of which are presented during a single weekend: 9, 10 and 11 July 2010.

Besides familiar names like Nat Adderley, Erykah Badu, Paul Anka, Steve Coleman, Miles Davis, Candy Dulfer, Ibrahim Ferrer, Ella Fitzgerald, Alicia Keys, Lionel Hampton, Al Jarreau, B.B. King, Wynton Marsalis, Herbie Hancock, Jamiroquai and The Zawinul Syndicate, the North Sea Jazz Festival also gives young talent a chance to make it on a major stage. Some names of artists who were introduced to a European audience: Shirley Horn, Tania Maria, Roy Hargrove and Rachelle Ferrell. This is what makes North Sea Jazz so unique – a festival where for three days the past, the present and the future of jazz music are presented, all under one roof.~northseajazz.com

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[2009.08.14] JOE BONAMASSA Live @ The World Cafe, Philadelphia, PA

Tracks:
01-Intro
02-Bridge To Better Days
03-So Many Roads
04-Further On Up The Road
05-The Great Flood
06-Had To Cry Today
07-Sloe Gin
08-Spanish Intro
09-Woke Up Dreaming
10-Just Got Paid / Dazed & Confused

FM Broadcast

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A new super group has been formed with Jason Bonham, Glenn Hughes, Joe Bonamassa and Derek Sherinian. They are calling themselves Black Country, taking their name from the industrial area in England from which Bonham and Hughes both hail. The band is currently in the studio with producer Kevin Shirley (Black Crowes, Aerosmith, Led Zeppelin) cutting tracks for an upcoming album to be released in late 2010 or early 2011.

With Bonham (Led Zeppelin, Foreigner) on drums, Sherinian (Dream Theater, Billy Idol, Alice Cooper) on keyboards, Hughes (Deep Purple, Trapeze) on bass and vocals and Bonamassa on guitar and vocals, the band already has six tracks cut. The next recording session will take place in March and the band hopes to finish recording in early April. Shirley made the announcement on his website: “So there it is folks – the cat is out the bag! This is Black Country. The songs are all original and what a lineup. They are all the very best players in the world, for my money!”

Shirley added, “Jason Bonham is a totally unique drummer and a supreme, yet oh-so-tasty powerhouse. Derek Sherinianis super versatile, and is playing mostly overdriven Hammond organ in this ensemble and is the color on the palette.Glenn Hughes plays bass and sings with a range very, very few can even get close to, and Joe Bonamassa, perhaps the best Blues Rock guitarist around, plays hard riffing guitar as well as adding his signature vocals alongside Glenn. You’ll just have to wait – we’re planning to get this out late summer, and it’s promising to be phenomenal!”

Recently named “The Blues Rock Titan” by Guitar World Magazine, Bonamassa’s new solo album, Black Rock, will be arriving March 23, 2010. Produced by Shirley, who has produced Bonamassa’s last six solo albums, it will be released on Bonamassa’s own J&R Adventures label.

For more information:

http://www.jasonbonham.net/

http://www.glennhughes.com/

http://www.dereksherinian.com/

http://jbonamassa.com/

I know it’s a bit late to post something like this, but I felt like I just didn’t want to miss the opportunity to share these albums. Go and buy them. Spend the time with them — you will be rewarded.

Some General Thoughts ::
=================================

So much of what was interesting in music in 2009 was not from the good ol’ US of A. Though that may be true a lot of years to one extent or another, it was especially true in ‘09. Frankly, I think American artists and labels could learn a lot from what’s OUT THERE. These releases are not the furthest out on the proverbial fringes of music, but they do bring both a global and a hand-wrought sense to the mix. Why 11? Why not. Each of these albums needs to be recognized.

Without further ceremony, here they are. All of these are 2009 releases ::
=================================

12 -> CHINESE DEMOCRACY :: Guns & Roses :: OK, I know what you’re thinking. I know it’s a crazy choice to include this in some ways, but allow me to explain briefly. This release makes the list solely on promise. 90% of these songs are great songs. Seriously. Axl Rose masturbated with them too long and they suffer from overproduction, but at the core of this record, there is some really solid songwriting here. I felt it needed to be recognized for that and that’s why it makes the list at position #12.

FAVE SONG :: Madagascar
- – - – - – - – - -

11 -> NORTHERN ROOTS LIVE IN NAMEST :: Tim Eriksen :: How many artists can say that they’ve shared a stage with Kurt Cobain, Doc Watson, Jack White, Omar Sosa and Ralph Stanley? Tim Eriksen can. Eriksen is simply one of the most important forces in music today. His focus on ethnomusicology places him at the center of so many great traditions. This 2009 release shows why BBC Radio says that Eriksen is “widely regarded as the best ballad singer of his generation.” Hair-raising and bone white in it’s purity, this album will shake you to your core. Not for the squeamish.

FAVE SONG :: I Wish the Wars Were All Over
- – - – - – - – - -

10 -> OOHS & AAHS :: Say Hi :: Alt, quirky power pop at it’s most charming. A super listenable album from the the first strains to the last. Love songs, toe-tapping beats and wonderful hooks served with a touch of cynical dis-ease bring this in at #10.

FAVE SONG :: Elouise
- – - – - – - – - -

09 -> DARK WAS THE NIGHT :: Various :: Anyone remember the amazing 1990 release Red Hot and Blue? Same organization here — the Red Hot Organization for AIDS / HIV research.  Just a STELLAR collection of artists making artistic music. This provides a great way to explore the alt landscape in a relatively broad way. Amazing.

FAVE SONG :: I Was Young When I Left Home
- – - – - – - – - -

08 -> BEN FOLDS PRESENTS: UNIVERSITY A CAPPELLA :: Various :: The stunning result of an open call to university a cappella groups to submit arrangements of Ben Folds music, this album features 17 jaw-dropping performances of many of Folds’ best songs. All recorded live in a variety of locations including dining halls, dorm rooms and even a synagogue, this is an affirmation of the power of both great music and the human voice to stir the heart. Beautiful.

FAVE SONG :: TIE ==> The Luckiest and Still Fighting It
- – - – - – - – - -

07 -> TIMBER TIMBRE :: Timber Timbre :: Cool, melodic, atmospheric, sinister Canadian alt shoegaze. An amazing headphones album. Let it wash over you. Attention David Lynch — soundtrack opportunities GALORE, here!

FAVE SONG :: TIE ==> Demon Host
- – - – - – - – - -

06 -> WELCOME TO MALI :: Amadou & Miriam :: The blind duo from Mali is back and this is their most mature work to date. Gorgeous Afro-pop. This is feel-good music that shows why Amadou & Miriam are the current “mansas” of Mali. If you are not bobbing your head to this, contact the coroner as you are probably dead.

FAVE SONG :: TIE ==> Sebeke
- – - – - – - – - -

05 -> TWO SUNS :: Bat for Lashes :: Building on the brilliance of the amazing 2007 release Fur and Gold, Natasha Khan has done it again. This is an amazing album. Fragile, lush, textured and gorgeous, this is not to be missed. All that and I think Kahn is cute as a button, too with an engaging personal style.

FAVE SONG :: TIE ==> Siren Song
- – - – - – - – - -

04 -> 11:11 :: Rodrigo Y Gabriella :: This album is again all guitar in the flamenco tradition with a very heavy metal bent. However, this is NOT a metal album, the metal is all in the phrasing and subtleties of style. I highly recommend this one for your next get-together. Making guitar wizardry without “wanking” is no easy feat and this Mexican duo carries it off with ease and true style.

FAVE SONG :: TIE ==> Hora Zero
- – - – - – - – - -

03 -> WOLFGANG AMADEUS PHOENIX  :: Phoenix :: French alt rock / power pop from a band at the height of their power. I have loved these guys for years and this is their most mature work. A GREAT pop/rock album. Hooks, soundscaping, layers, texture…this album has it all.

FAVE SONG :: TIE ==> Love Like a Sunset, Pt 1
- – - – - – - – - -

02 -> THE BALLAD OF JOHN HENRY :: Joe Bonamassa :: I do not listen to the blues often AT ALL. This blues / rock record however, is a great album. Bonamassa is a unique talent — when he opened for BB King at 12 YEARS OLD, King said he would surpass everyone. He’s probably right. This album really showcases his guitar pyrotechnics and soulful vocal abilities. The orchestration and changes on the record are quite intelligent, veering into an almost prog direction. This is NOT a retread of your daddy’s blues / rock record. It’s easily the best rock album of the year and that’s something we don’t have too much of anymore…straight-up ROCK with a nod to it’s blues roots. (Rock-chester and western, NY folks…REPRAZENT. I know you feel me.)

FAVE SONG :: (3 WAY) TIE ==> The Ballad of John Henry, Stop! and Jockey Full of Bourbon
- – - – - – - – - -

01 -> TROUBADOUR :: K’naan :: This 2009 release from Somali rapper, K’naan can technically be considered an African hip-hop album, but it’s so much more. World beat, R&B, rock and pop influences mixed with that hip-hop vibe to make this album an amazing cocktail of influences. It’s really my fave album of 2009. It would be like if the Beasties, Eminem, Mos Def, Vampire Weekend, Metallica, Bob Marley, Tribe Called Quest, Salif Keta and Toumani Diabate got together and formed a band. In a word, awesome.

FAVE SONG :: TIE ==> If Rap Get’s Jealous

- – - – - – - – - -

Do yourself a favor. Buy these. It’s worth it.

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• Blast From The Past: Order Your Neon JB T-Shirt and Rockpalast DVD Today!
• Joe featured on Guitar Hero 5’s New Blues Masters Track Pack for January’s new downloadable tracks

The Guitar Center’s 2009 Championship Drum Off’s moved this year to the Wiltern and that wasn’t the only moving on up they did. The contest with the $25,000 cash prize also featured a Tommy Lee headlined Bezerk spectacle, including performances by Max Weinberg (from both Bruce Springsteen and Conan O’Brien fame) playing in tandem with his son Jay, Chad Smith (RHCP), Matt Sorum (Guns & Roses), Sully Erna (Godsmack), Frank Zummo (Street Drum Corps) and more.

The top five contestants vied for the grand prize by performing a five minute set, judged by a panel of highly accomplished drum celebrities including Peter Erskine (Steely Dan), Taylor Hawkins (Foo Fighters), Drew Hester (Foo Fighters / Joe Walsh), Thomas Lang, Jason Sutter (Chris Cornell), Kenny Aronoff (John Mellencamp / Sessions Legend), John Tempesta (The Cult), Tony Royster Jr. (Jay-Z), Nisan Stewart (Jamie Foxx / 50 Cent) and Ray Luzier (Korn).

While the votes were tallied, the evening veered from touching:

Guitar Center  inducted drum icons Billy Cobham and John Bonham into Guitar Center’s Drum Legends  and then Jason Bonham drummed in time to footage of his dad, the legendary John Bonham of Led Zeppelin.

To the downright bizarre:

Tommy Lee chased around a midget who jumped out of a trash can while Sully Erna rappelled down the scaffolding keeping a beat…

It truly was the Ringling Bros of drummers, and the ringmaster, Stephen Perkins, kept pulling more and more acts out onstage.

I managed to wrangle some one on one time with Jason Bonham before his amazing performance, as well as Drum Off judge Kenny Aronoff, who had just finished playing the Kennedy Center Honors the week before, in tribute to Bruce Springsteen.

Both Jason and Kenny eschewed the dreaded drum solo, which was amusing considering the set up of the entire event. They both also stressed the importance of being in a band and of working together with other musicians. Hear that music people? Can’t we all just get along?

I also sat down with this year’s winner, Ramon Sampson.

19 year old South Africa native and Tennesse citizen, Sampson competed last year but came back again this year and grabbed the grand prize package worth more than $40,000.

Ramon, who started drumming at the age of one (total slacker, right?), says he’s first going to  buy himself some wheels, probably in his favorite color, lime green. Then he’s going to roll down the windows and play some Michael Jackson in tribute to one of his favorite artists.

You can check out my renegade video here:

Ramon’s winning performance can be viewed here. He’s pretty amazing:

Back in the ‘94 I was spending a little time in a Virgin Record store. Going from listening station to listening station to hear different musicians(the days before Pandora!). I came across this new band called Bloodline. A band that touted a few sons of famous musicians.  The album wasn’t all that good, but one person really stood out — the guitar player and the one member of the band that WASN’T the son of a famous musician — Joe Bonamassa. It was the guitar solo on the first song that convinced me to buy the record. The band split up shortly after the record, but I kept my eye on this guitar player, and I’m glad I did. He’s developed into arguably the best blues guitarist on the planet right now. I’ve had the honor of seeing him perform three times now in St. Louis, and I’m always buzzing after the show. There are guitarists who have spent so much time with their guitar that they are truly “one” with their instrument.  When I mean “one” I mean when they think it — they can play it. I mean that fraction of a second where the music in their head goes right to their fingers. There really isn’t a lot of guitarists who can do that. Even at “star” level it’s not as easy as one might think.  You’ll have guitarists who can get the music in their head but they still have to spend a considerable amount of time translating it to their fingers and then practicing it over and over until they can play it effortlessly. John Mayer has said quite a few times he’s not at that level of “one” with a guitar yet — and he’s an amazing guitarist! Joe Bonamassa is of another caliber, he always has been. He was a kid that was playing Stevie Ray Vaughn tunes when most kids were playing with their G.I. Joes. By the age of twelve, he wasn’t playing in a local talent show — he was touring with B.B. King.

Here’s a clip of him playing with the legendary Eric Clapton.

Musik Blues memnag luwes, ia bisa dimainkan dimana saja, dengan penonton berapa saja. Kalau perlu di kamar tamu rumahpun bisa saja. Penonton mau dua puluh orang, atau 10.000 orangpun oke.  Dijamin tidak mengurangi intensitas permainan pemusiknya. Lihat saja Joe Bonamassa di video clip di bawah ini, membawakan lagu Thrill Is Gone ditempat yang kelihatannya tidak terlalu luas, padahal dilain saat ia juga pernah tampil di Royall Albert Hall, gedung terhormat di London Inggris dengan penonton sekitar 10.000  penonton tiap kali ia tampil. Nah selain video clip Joe Bonamassa di bawah ini juga akan ada blues yang dimainkan dipinggir hutan, bahkan pemusik blues sekelas Tommy Castro pun bisa bermain di panggung yang atapnya dari tenda plastik ( kaki lima kalau di kita) !!!

JOE BONAMASSA

THE NATTO BROTHERS BAND, TOKYO 2005.  Memainkan Stormy Monday versi Allman Brothers

NICK CURRAN & CHICAGO BLUES ANGEL

KELLIE RUCKER AND BAND at KARLSLUND KRUMAKER 2008. BLUES dipinggir hutan !!!

The Tommy Castro Band tampil  the Chautauqua Hills Blues Fest 2008 di Sedan, Kansas. BLUES  di bawah TENDA LAPAK KAKI LIMA !!!

SANTA MONICA, Calif., Jan. 7 FirstCall/ — Guitar Hero® hits the ground running as it starts 2010 off with a bang and a great selection of new downloadable tracks. Building upon an already vast catalog of downloadable music compatible with both Guitar Hero® 5 and Band Heroâ„¢, the Guitar Hero music library is providing something for everyone this January.  Fans can look forward to music by up-and-coming blues artists Tyler Bryant, Joe Bonamassa and Scott McKeon and Creedence Clearwater Revival, among other things.

Guitar Hero fans will be able to experience blues music in its most raw and most pure form today with a three song track pack featuring three up-and-coming blues masters. The New Blues Masters Track Pack will allow players to jam to Tyler Bryant’s “Who I am,” experience the American blues-rock styling’s of Joe Bonamassa with “Lonesome Road Blues,” or rock out to “Broken Man” by Scott McKeon.

American rock band Creedence Clearwater Revival comes to Guitar Hero on January 28 with a three song track pack full of their classic hits. Fans should get ready to rock out while playing “Proud Mary,” a track off Creedence Clearwater Revivals second album Bayou Country, “Bad Moon Rising” from their third album Green River and “Travelin’ Band” off their fifth album Cosmo’s Factory.

The New Blues Masters and Creedence Clearwater Revival Track Packs will be available on Xbox LIVE® Marketplace for the Xbox 360® video game and entertainment system from Microsoft for 440 Microsoft Points, on the PlayStation®Store for the PlayStation®3 computer entertainment system for $5.49 and for Wii™ for 550 Wii Points™. In addition, all songs in The New Blues Masters and Creedence Clearwater Revival Track Packs will be released as downloadable singles for the Xbox 360® video game and entertainment system from Microsoft for 160 Microsoft Points, PlayStation®3 computer entertainment system for $1.99 and Wii for 200 Wii Points each.  The New Blues Masters Track Pack will be available for the Xbox 360 and Wii starting January 7, and for the Playstation 3 starting January 21.

For more information about Guitar Hero 5, Band Hero and their entire line-up of downloadable content, please visit www.guitarhero.com.

About Activision Publishing, Inc.

Headquartered in Santa Monica, California, Activision Publishing, Inc. is a leading worldwide developer, publisher and distributor of interactive entertainment and leisure products.

Activision maintains operations in the U.S., Canada, the United Kingdom, France, Germany, Ireland, Italy, Sweden, Spain, Norway, Denmark, the Netherlands, Australia, Russia, Japan, South Korea, China and the region of Taiwan. More information about Activision and its products can be found on the company’s website, www.activision.com.

From/De: Activision

Guitar Hero(R) Kicks Off 2010 With a Variety of Great Downloadable Tracks

–Vampire Weekend Track Pack to Coincide With New Album Release –Metal Bands Shadows Fall, Amon Amarth and Dethklok Make Their Music Game Debut

SANTA MONICA, Calif., Jan 07, 2010 /PRNewswire via COMTEX News Network/ — Guitar Hero(R) hits the ground running as it starts 2010 off with a bang and a great selection of new downloadable tracks. Building upon an already vast catalog of downloadable music compatible with both Guitar Hero(R) 5 and Band Hero(TM), the Guitar Hero music library is providing something for everyone this January. Fans can look forward to music by Vampire Weekend, Creedence Clearwater Revival, up-and-coming blues artists Tyler Bryant, Joe Bonamassa and Scott McKeon and metal bands Shadows Fall, Amon Amarth and Dethklok.

Guitar Hero fans will be able to experience blues music in its most raw and most pure form today with a three song track pack featuring three up-and-coming blues masters. The New Blues Masters Track Pack will allow players to jam to Tyler Bryant’s “Who I am,” experience the American blues-rock styling’s of Joe Bonamassa with “Lonesome Road Blues,” or rock out to “Broken Man” by Scott McKeon.

Celebrating the January 11 UK and January 12 US release of their newest album, Contra, Vampire Weekend returns to the Guitar Hero stage with a new three-song track pack. On January 14, fans can get their hands on two tracks off Contra, “Holiday,” and “Cousins,” as well as “The Kids Don’t Stand a Chance,” a song off their 2008 self-titled debut album Vampire Weekend.

Metal fans are not forgotten this month as Guitar Hero adds three new artists to its ever-expanding line-up. Making their video game debut on January 21 are three well-known metal bands, Shadows Fall, Amon Amarth, and Dethklok. Players can thrash along to “Still I Rise,” a track of Shadows Fall sixth studio album, Retribution, “Twilight of the Thunder God” off Amon Amarths seventh studio album similarly titled, Twilight of the Thunder God, and “Laser Canon Deth Sentence” off Dethkloks second full-length album, Dethalbum II.

American rock band Creedence Clearwater Revival comes to Guitar Hero on January 28 with a three song track pack full of their classic hits. Fans should get ready to rock out while playing “Proud Mary,” a track off Creedence Clearwater Revivals second album Bayou Country, “Bad Moon Rising” from their third album Green River and “Travelin’ Band” off their fifth album Cosmo’s Factory.

The New Blues Masters, Vampire Weekend, Metal and Creedence Clearwater Revival Track Packs will be available on Xbox LIVE(R) Marketplace for the Xbox 360(R) video game and entertainment system from Microsoft for 440 Microsoft Points, on the PlayStation(R)Store for the PlayStation(R)3 computer entertainment system for $5.49 and for Wii(TM) for 550 Wii Points(TM). In addition, all songs in The New Blues Masters, Vampire Weekend, Metal and Creedence Clearwater Revival Track Packs will be released as downloadable singles for the Xbox 360(R) video game and entertainment system from Microsoft for 160 Microsoft Points, PlayStation(R)3 computer entertainment system for $1.99 and Wii for 200 Wii Points each. The New Blues Masters Track Pack will be available for the Xbox 360 and Wii starting January 7, and for the Playstation 3 starting January 21.

For more information about Guitar Hero 5, Band Heroand their entire line-up of downloadable content, please visit www.guitarhero.com.

About Activision Publishing, Inc.

Headquartered in Santa Monica, California, Activision Publishing, Inc. is a leading worldwide developer, publisher and distributor of interactive entertainment and leisure products.

Activision maintains operations in the U.S., Canada, the United Kingdom, France, Germany, Ireland, Italy, Sweden, Spain, Norway, Denmark, the Netherlands, Australia, Russia, Japan, South Korea, China and the region of Taiwan. More information about Activision and its products can be found on the company’s website, www.activision.com.

From the Gibson website:

Two generations of blues greats — B.B. King and Joe Bonamassa — have recorded a duet together in Las Vegas, according to the Facebook page of producer Kevin Shirley, who’s worked with Led Zeppelin, Iron Maiden, Journey and The Black Crowes.

The song, a rendition of King’s “Night Life,” is said to be included on Bonamassa’s forthcoming album Black Rock, due out in March or April 2010 on the J&R Adventures label. The original cut of “Night Life” was included on King’s 1967 live disc Blues Is King.

32-year-old Bonamassa and 84-year-old King certainly aren’t strangers to one another. Bonamassa got his first big break at the age of 12 when King invited Bonamassa to open a summer tour for him.

Of Bonamassa, King has said, “This kid’s potential is unbelievable. He hasn’t even begun to scratch the surface. He’s one of a kind.” In turn, Bonamassa has named King as his “biggest traditional influence.”

Bonamassa is currently on a world tour that will last through May. See his website for all dates. His latest release is a double DVD called Joe Bonamassa: Live From Royal Albert Hall, on which he is joined on-stage by childhood idol Eric Clapton.

King has 30 U.S. tour dates scheduled through 2010. His most recent album is Live at The BBC: B.B. King, which captures two decades of performances from 1978 to 1998.

Ellen Mallernee, Editorial Director

Nashville, TN
Ellen Mallernee

Gibson Editorial Director Ellen Mallernee was born and raised in Nashville, Tenn., but has no Southern accent. She’s been a writer and editor for five years, and acted as the music editor for Knoxville’s Metro Pulse. Ellen recently wrote the next great American novel but has yet to put it down on paper. The same goes for her guitar skills — they’re mostly in her head. She lives in an East Nashville bungalow with her husband Nekos and their two dogs, Garp and Hattie.

This is definitelly the best live show I ever seen on video. No wonder he is the guitarist with the best sound in the whole Rock & Blues music today. He is been one of my 4 Blues ACES for 5 years already. Watch him live if you have the chance: it will be your lifetime experience! In the meantime I am trying to put things together to make a full discography post dedicated to this young genius who saves us from stupid commercial music crapping from the sky around everywhere.

Disc #1
1. The Road to the Royal Albert Hall [2:38]
2. Django [3:28]
3. The Ballad of John Henry [6:47]
4. So It’s Like That [2:54]
5. Last Kiss [7:18]
6. So Many Roads [6:20]
7. Stop! [5:42]
8. Introducing Eric Clapton [1:18]
9. Further On Up the Road [5:38]
10. High Water Everywhere [5:07]
11. Sloe Gin [8:22]
12. Intermission [:22]

Disc #2
1. I First Met B.B. King [1:22]
2. Lonesome Road Blues [4:35]
3. Happier Times [6:51]
4. Introducing Paul Jones [:59]
5. Your Funeral My Trial [4:16]
6. Blues Deluxe [9:16]
7. Story of a Quarryman [5:16]
8. The Great Flood [8:04]
9. Just Got Paid [11:26]
10. Mountain Time [10:53]
11. Asking Around for You [11:06]
12. Credits [1:14]

Personnel:
Joe Bonamassa – guitar, vocal
Carmine Rojas – bass
Bogie Bowles, Anton Fig – drums
Rick Melick – keyboards, background vocals, & tambourine
Lee Thornburg – trumpet
Sean Freeman – saxophone
Mike Feltham – trombone
Eric Clapton – guitar (on Further On Up The Road)
Paul Jones – harmonica (on Your Funeral My Trial)

Award-winning blues rock star, guitar hero and singer-songwriter Joe Bonamassa s new release, Joe Bonamassa Live From The Royal Albert Hall, a 2-DVD live set, just made it s debut at #6 on Billboard Magazine s Top Music DVD Chart and #10 on the Top Blues Album Chart. The film, released on October 6 by Bonamassa’s record company J&R Adventures, captures the intensity and excitement of the May 2009 show that marked Bonamassa’s headlining debut at arguably the most prestigious concert venue in the world.

When Joe Bonamassa took the stage at Royal Albert Hall in May 2009, he fulfilled a dream he’d held since first picking up a guitar as a kid in upstate New York. The sold-out concert-fresh off the release of his album The Ballad Of John Henry.

“May 4, 2009 was a day 20 years in the making,” says Bonamassa. “I have never been so honoured in my life. It was truly larger than the sum of its parts.” The two decades he’s referring to began when-at age 12-he first opened for blues icon B.B. King, who said, “this kid’s potential is unbelievable.” King’s words are as fitting today as they were then. Bonamassa averages 200 shows every year, and with each gig, he comes more into his own as a virtuoso and a vocalist.

At the Hall, Bonamassa had the added honor of being joined onstage by the legendary Eric Clapton. The Times cited Joe’s ” searing excellence and showmanship,” and Planet Rock said, “The sight of two of the world’s best guitarists trading solos was more than a little thrilling.”

Joe is using his signature Les Pauls, a few Les Paul historic models, a Gibson Flying V, an Ernie Ball Musicman John Petrucci Baritone, an Ernie Ball Musicman 25th anniversary, and a Yamaha acoustic. He uses his usual combination of amps, which includes a Marshall Silver Jubilee, a Van Weeldon Twinkleland, a Carol Ann JB model, and a Category 5 Joe Bonamassa model.

The Guitar Buzz calls it, A must-have DVD for any Joe Bonamassa fan and frankly, any person who plays the guitar and appreciates instrumental mastery at work. Joe Bonamassa is to the guitar what Liberace was to the piano. He s a 6-string maestro. And Brian D. Holland writes in Guitar International, it’s not only a momentous occasion for Joe Bonamassa, it’s one for bluesrock in general.

This double DVD set, which features a twelve-camera high definition, surround sound shoot produced by Kevin Shirley (Led Zeppelin, Black Crowes, Aerosmith) and an exclusive interview and behind-the-scenes footage with Bonamassa, presents that magical night in full for posterity, and for all the fans that couldn’t be among the roughly 5,000 concertgoers filling the seats. Bonamassa performs with a combination of searing excellence and showmanship that underlined exactly why he has risen to the top of the most punishing circuit in popular music today.

DL:

http://letitbit.net/download/2545.24db585805e8c76f1bf5bfb96f/jb_lrah091.rar.html

http://letitbit.net/download/3159.36696344fc198ee286e0e1b6e0/jb_lrah092.rar.html

I have the internet now! So hopefully this will be updated regularly. Here are a few more reviews that have been/are about to be published in the Portsmouth News. I’m also reviewing unsigned band Hold Fast, AC/DC clones The Answer and pop-punk band Set Your Goals before Christmas, so I’m keeping myself busy. Oh, and I might do a bit of uni work inbetween that too.

Bring Me The Horizon, 19 November, Portsmouth Pyramids

The capacity crowd at the Pyramids, and the meandering queue that spans all the way down the road, makes it known that heavy metal is now more popular than it has ever been.

However, it’s not very often that the support band usurps the headliners. It’s even rarer that the opening band outshines them both, but that is exactly what happened tonight. August Burns Red blew both A Day To Remember and headliner Bring Me The Horizon to…well, the horizon. Powerful, melodic and intricate, the metalcore quintet were definitely the best band on stage tonight.

That’s not to say that ADTR and BMTH were bad. Despite some sound issues, ADTR brought their brand of catchy pop-metal to the stage and all their fans sang along to every word. On a heavier note, BMTH crushed the noticeably emptier crowd with every riff, and their breakdowns threw their fans into a frenzy every time. Unfortunately, they just didn’t compare to the superior August Burns Red. If you have to buy one metalcore album this year, makes sure it’s August Burns Red –  Constellations.

Joe Bonamassa, 1 December, Southampton Guildhall

With more Blues than Paul Gilbert and a virtuoso playing style to rival Steve Vai, the charismatic blues rock star Joe Bonamassa hits his largest south coast venue to date in support of his new album, ‘The Ballad of John Henry’.

Tonight’s support is from ex-pop star Sandi Thom, who has left her commercial pop roots and opted for a southern rock tinge to her latest work. Those who expected her to play her most famous song, I Wish I Was a Punk Rocker, will be left disappointed but this new change in direction is superior to her previous exploits.

As soon as he struts onto the stage, complete with a metallic silver suit and shades, Joe Bonamassa’s confidence fills the venue and it is clear he is – by far – the coolest man in the room. His Southern influenced bluesy rock is completely mesmerizing. It looks like he is enjoying himself too, as he strains after every soulful note played and moves to and from each side of the stage to lay down fill after fill. His voice is not as strong as it is on his records, but he lets his guitar do most of the talking.

Ce mercredi soir, j’ai lâchement abandonné ma petite famille pour me rendre au concert que Joe Bonamassa donnait à l’Ancienne Belgique. L’américain a la réputation d’être un des meilleurs parmi les guitaristes “blues-rock” et je peux maintenant vous confirmer que cette réputation est loin d’être usurpée ! Au niveau de ses influences, Joe cite Eric Clapton, Rory Gallagher, Stevie Ray Vaughan, Gary Moore, … (très marqué sur certains slows l’influence de Gary Moore). Comme beaucoup d’autres, je lui trouve aussi des ressemblances très fortes avec Eric Johnson (petits licks très rapides avec un son flûté)

Le concert commence par une surprise : Joe monte sur scène avec une Music Man John Petrucci, alors que tout le monde s’attendait à voir la Les Paul Gold Top signature du guitariste. Ce choix n’est pas dû à un revirement stylistique de dernière minute, mais plutôt au choix de la chanson d’ouverture, “The Ballad of John Henry” qui bastonne quand même pas mal avec un accordage en si (2 tons 1/2 plus bas que l’accordage standard). Quelques minutes plus tard, Joe rend la Music Man et c’est alors un défilé de Les Paul’s qui commence – je pense en avoir compté 3 dont la fameuse Gold Top. De temps en temps Joe rend les Gibsons et nous régale avec une série impressionnante de Music Man’s : Albert Lee 3 HB (la guitare qui selon moi sonnait le mieux hier soir sur “Bridge to Better Days”), 25th Anniversary Guitar, double manche … Je dois dire avoir été assez impressionné par le son des Music Man’s hier soir, moins gras que celui des Gibsons … mais quelle clarté et quelle musicalité ! Vers les deux-tiers du concert, Joe nous a aussi sorti une acoustique Yamaha … un rien trop longtemps selon moi d’ailleurs. J’ai fini par être lassé par les petits runs acoustiques rapides à la Paul Gilbert/Al Di Meola … rapides mais hélas parfois légèrement approximatifs. En toute fin de set et pour finir en beauté, Joe prends une Flying V et vient nous claquer un bon gros “Just Got Paid”, puissant et original, en plein dans la tronche.

D’une manière générale, on ne peut être que très impressionné par la maîtrise technique de Joe. Tous les bends sont impeccables, chaque note est un petit bijou. Encore une fois, je me suis rendu compte que l’effet le plus important du bluesman est son bouton de volume. Joe y chipote quasiment après chaque phrase. Pour ne rien gâcher, Joe chante bien ! Deux petits reproches que l’on peut néanmoins lui faire, histoire de faire le difficile. D’abord, le guitariste est sans doute trop timide et il a du mal à enflammer son public. Entre les chansons, j’ai seulement recensé deux “Thank you” pendant la première heure du concert. Heureusement, il s’est un peu plus lâché sur la fin. Second petit reproche : je trouve que le set manque un peu de relief. Cela est plus dû aux chansons qu’à la prestation en elle-même, mais je pense qu’on peut dire que tout se ressemble un peu au niveau de l’ambiance.

Mais cela ne m’a pas empêché de passer une très bonne soirée hier et cela m’a aussi donné envie d’un peu baisser le gain sur mon ampli et de réécouter des CD’s dans la section “calme” de mon iTunes : Clapton, Eric Johnson, Johnny Lang, … et bien sûr Joe Bonamassa !

PS: Hartelijk Bedankt aan Tom Verstappen voor de photos !

EDIT : voici un autre compte rendu, celui de Philippe, avec de magnifiques photos – http://philmaq.skyrock.com/2706342196-JOE-BONAMASSA-Bruxelles-Ancienne-Belgique-25-novembre.html

And a hell of a weekend it was!

Where do I start?……. well I guess at the beginning. Last Thursday, a workmate that I often trade music with approached me with this DVD from a hot “new” unheard of artist. Well, I think many of you probably already know the reaction I had when this hot “new” artist was none other that our own Joe Bonamassa. Boy, did I have some stories to tell. 

I remember some discussion on this blog shortly after the concert…… in particular, the fact that Joe and Eric Clapton were jamming together on “Further on up the Road”. Well, the DVD has been released as I’m sure most of you are aware of and my first impression was….. nice, historic but it just didn’t rock like “A New Day Yesterday”……. you know, the freebie that came with the CD “So It’s Like That”. BTW; that CD/DVD combo is going for $143.99 used on Amazon…..I’m glad I bought three of em! Anyway, I shelved it until Saturday night when Viv and I went to the cave for some Ping-pong. She saw the DVD sitting there and insisted that we play it while batting the ball back and forth. For some reason, the second time around caught my attention to the point where both of us just had to take our seats and absorb Joe in his “moment”.

This DVD is awesome! It shows a much more polished Joe in what he claims is the venue he had his eyes on since day one. After realizing that Eric Czar and Kenny Kramme were NOT going to magically appear and take me to that place of comfort I’ve experienced for the last seven years, I started to appreciate more and more where and why Joe has taken this turn in his musical career. Let’s digress for a minute……. Vivian and I both love this DVD. Both of us got VERY misty eye’d knowing that this was Joe’s dream and seeing Eric Clapton onstage jamming with him was like watching one of your children succeding at some long term, impossible goal. Joe has truly crossed into the next realm and this DVD is magical to say the least.

The reason I digress is because we went back and watched the previous two live DVDs for the sake of comparison. The Ft Wayne show still gives me goosebumps……. so much raw talent that, at the time was indeed a true “discovery”. Eric and Kenny were definite assets to Joe’s burgeoning career. We then played the “Rockpalast” DVD which is one that I bought around the time of our moving into this house so it was never watched and appreciated for what it is……. an outstanding concert that showed how much the trio had improved over 3 1/2 years. One thing I caught watching that show this weekend was how much Eric and Kenny were becomming a hinderance to any chance that Joe might ascend to the next level. I must say that until today, I kind of had a low simmering grudge against Joe for letting those two go…… but NOT anymore!!! Kenny’s playing was much more lively on this DVD, however, looking at some of his facial expressions, you could detect a sense that he wasn’t terribly happy with the gig any more….. or he was extremely exhausted though his awesome playing didn’t really indicate that as being the situation. Eric had become a stand-out in more ways than one…… he had morphed into a sort of “bad-ass” character, one with lots of mean looking grimaces, a vest suited for a Biker with a tag on the back that was zoomed in on briefly that said “Fuck You, I already have Friends”.  He really had the look of someone who belonged in a metal band and it suddenly became apparent that he just didn’t have the look or presence of a blues band bassist, even though his playing was better than ever. I suddenly had one of those epiphany moments that just said “Joe did what was good for Joe and his career”…….. these two were NOT going to help Joe further advance passed where they had gotten. The Rockpalast DVD is a defining moment for me in seeing Joe’s evolutionary movement towards a higher calling. Musically, the DVD simply ROCKS and I may actually find myself liking that one better than Ft Wayne once I can tear myself away from this new one and watch it a little more.

Bottom line here is that the Royal Albert Hall DVD grows on ya…… BIG TIME!!! ALL the songs stand out in their own right. “The Great Flood” has quickly become my favorite……. just a blistering, yet VERY soulful, slow blues number that says to the world, this is how it’s done! I am at the point where I just can’t get enough and two hours and some odd minutes goes by too fast. It is nice to see that Joe has not only seen his dream come true but actually has some Les Paul models sculpted for him with his name attached. That’s cool! I also noticed that one of the guitars in his arsenal is a Musicman “John Petrucci Model Baritone”….. that too is VERY cool in that he is playing one of my other favorite guitarist’s rig! I think one of the things I love about this show is a feeling of being proud. Why? I don’t know as I really had nothing to do with his success other than supporting him and watching him grow, knowing that he was something special…… a cut above! I think we all knew in the back of our minds that those days of seeing him for free at venues like “The Garage” here in Reno were numbered and believe me, I appreciated the up close and personal aspect of a Bonamassa show as something special. I personally get a good feeling knowing that Joe has finally achieved the respect from his peers and the greatness associated with it, even if it means that we now may have to reserve our seats months in advance if we want any chance of seeing Joe again. 

I guess you could say that he “Just Got Paid” in more ways than one…….. finally!

NPR Radio host Scott Simon talks with Blue man Joe Bonamassa, a real life guitar hero.

Joe BONAMASSA – Penns Peak 2009
Bootleg
Penn’s Peak, Jim Thorpe, PA, USA
August 14, 2009
All Credit Goes To *crazy-tracks*

Blues

Disc 1
01. Ballad of John Henry
02. So It’s Like That
03. Last Kiss
04. So Many Roads
05. Further on Up the Road
06. Sloe Gin
07. Lonesome Road Blues
08. Happier Times
09. Had to Cry Today

Disc 2
01. Great Flood
02. Spanish Intro
03. Woke Up Dreaming
04. Just Got Paid
    Encores
05. Ball Peen Hammer
06. Story of a Quarryman
07. Mountain Time
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Joe Bonamassa – Never make your move to soon (Rhythm Guitar)

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Joe BONAMASSA – Sloe Gin 2007

Blues

In the liner notes of Sloe Gin, emerging guitar great Joe Bonamassa explains that one of his objectives is to experiment with acoustic elements he first encountered while listening to Rod Stewart’s earliest work. “I think the heavy blues and acoustic mix well together,” he writes, and the inviting variety of the disc’s 11 tracks–from the rousing electric rave-up of the title track to the closing, tabla-propelled acoustic instrumental–persuasively underscores his point. Bonamassa is a major talent with a growing following, and as his fan base inevitably expands it may become difficult for him to keep everyone happy. Hardcore blues devotees no doubt will yearn for Bonamassa to stay perpetually plugged in, but in the long term that would be a disservice to his broad range of skills. Bonamassa rocks formidably and convincingly on “Dirt in My Pocket” (a bristling original composition), the title track (well suited for air guitar), and his Claptonesque rendering of John Mayall’s “Another Kind of Love.” Yet his softer works suggest that he sounds a little more comfortable and natural–vocally, at least–on the acoustic tracks. His retooled version of “Around the Bend” (his first take on this original composition is found on an earlier release) is an engaging, pastoral gem, and his paean to his upstate New York home (“Richmond”) is perhaps this disc’s most memorable selection. Bonamassa knows the blues (at the time of this release, he was the youngest member on the board of the Blues Foundation), but he also knows how to rock and how to sagaciously, artfully ease off the gas.
By Terry Wood. 
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Joe Bonamassa- Guitars
Carmine Rojas- Bass
Rick Melick- Keyboards
Anton Fig- Drums
Bogie Bowles- Drums
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01. Ball Peen Hammer (3:27)
02. One Of These Days (5:40)
03. Seagull (3:49)
04. Dirt In My Pocket (4:54)
05. Sloe Gin (8:13)
06. Another Kind Of Love (3:10)
07. Around The Bend (5:15)
08. Black Night (4:22)
09. Jelly Roll (2:12)
10. Richmond (4:31)
11. India (3:19)
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I have seen the future of blues guitar, and his name is Joe Bonamassa.  I was lucky enough to shoot this show but I did not realize that it would be so difficult to do.  For one, I have trouble hearing the music when I shoot…but on this occasion I was entranced by this guy and had to remind myself to actually press the shutter and do my job.  I took the lovely assistant and even she was blown away. 

For over two hours we were caressed by the sweet blues, and seduced by sheer genius and talent that this young man posesses.  He will play his own originals and obscure blues covers by the old masters, which you could say have been Re-MASTERED.

Some say that he is America’s Eric Clapton, but he has his own style and relies only on his own prowess and sheer mastery of the fretboard.  He is entirely authentic, and in todays age of packaged and manufactured bands and singers, this is a rare treat.  The greatest compliment you can give a guitarist is to say that they can hit one note and you know its them.  This applies to Mr. Bonamassa, just one note and it will make you a believer.  It will shake your head and rattle your brain and awaken your mind.  He makes it look easy, and you wind up thinking that you could do the same, only you can’t.  You are not Joe Bonamassa.

As you watch him, you can not believe that someone that young has this much soul.  He takes you places, places only music can take you.  You feel emotions that are rarely awoken by run of the mill music.  This isn’t just the blues, it’s heart and soul music.  There…just like that, I created a new Genre.

The annual Classic Rock awards were last night, heres a list of the winners:

“Best New Band”
Voted for by readers of Classic Rock magazine
Sponsored by Mean Fiddler
Winner: CHICKENFOOT

“Album Of The Year”
Voted for by readers of Classic Rock magazine
Sponsored by Universal Catalogue / Lost Tunes
Winner: AC/DC – “Black Ice”

“Band Of The Year”
Voted for by readers of Classic Rock magazine
Sponsored by Guitar Hero
Winner: IRON MAIDEN

“Best Reissue”
Voted for by readers of Classic Rock magazine
Sponsored by Live Nation
Winner: BLACK SABBATH Reissues

“DVD / Film Of The Year”
Voted for by readers of Classic Rock magazine
Sponsored by Play.com
Winner: “Anvil! The Story of Anvil”

“Event Of The Year”
Voted for by readers of Classic Rock magazine
Sponsored by Alchemy
Winner: Download Festival

“Outstanding Contribution”
Chosen by a Classic Rock Judging Panel
Sponsored by Monitor Audio
Winner: Ronnie Wood

“Tommy Vance Inspiration Award”
Chosen by a Classic Rock Judging Panel
Sponsored by Rhino
Winner: John Bonham

“Innovator”
Chosen by a Classic Rock Judging Panel
Sponsored by Eagle Rock
Winner: Ginger Baker

“VIP Award”
Chosen by a Classic Rock Judging Panel
Sponsored by Dannoff Premium Vodka
Winner: Doc McGhee

“Metal Guru”
Chosen by a Classic Rock Judging Panel
Sponsored by Bravado
Winner: Biff Byford

“Spirit Of Prog”
Chosen by a Classic Rock Judging Panel
Sponsored by Planet Rock
Winner: DREAM THEATER

“Marshall 11 Award”
Chosen by a Classic Rock Judging Panel
Sponsored by Marshall
Winner: Billy Gibbons

“Childline Rocks Award”
Winner: Steve Harley

“Classic Songwriter”
Chosen by a Classic Rock Judging Panel
Sponsored by Sony Music
Winner: Paul Rodgers

“Classic Album”
Chosen by a Classic Rock Judging Panel
Sponsored by Provogue
Winner: AEROSMITH – “Rocks”

“Breakthrough”
Chosen by a Classic Rock Judging Panel
Sponsored by Rock Radio
Winner: Joe Bonamassa

“Comeback Of The Year”
Chosen by a Classic Rock Judging Panel
Sponsored by EMI Music
Winner: MOTT THE HOOPLE

“Living Legend”
Chosen by a Classic Rock Judging Panel
Sponsored by Marshall
Winner: Iggy Pop

What do an openly gay harmonica player and a formerly alcoholic guitarist have in common?  Their struggles and victories are helping to define blues music into the future…

Eclecto Groove Recording artists Jason Ricci & New Blood and Mike Zito are making quite an impact on the national and international blues scene.  They bring the blues to Cleveland, Ohio in a big way at The Winchester on Monday, November 16th, 2009.  Showtime is 9:00pm.  Admission is $15.00.  Visit www.thewinchester.net for more information and directions.

The following is from Jason Ricci & New Blood’s website bio (www.jasonricci.com):

Jason Ricci (left) with Shawn Starksi (right)

“Although the openly gay (Jason) Ricci may appear and often sound as unorthodox as his punk and Gothic inspired clothing and hair, make no mistake, Ricci spent plenty of time firmly rooted in the blues…”

“By the age of 21 Ricci had won the Sonny Boy Blues Society contest, performed at The King Biscuit Blues Festival, LIVED and played with Big Bad Smitty, David Kimbrough, and RL Burnside as a member of those bands…Ricci was a devout student of the traditional harmonica masters like Little Walter, Sonny Boy Williamson and George Smith.”

“(Jason) Ricci on his own is consistently considered and referred to in print, with awards and in harmonica circles as one of the best and most important harmonica players to have ever picked up the instrument. Shawn Starski (Guitarist in New Blood) is garnering similar attention alike with Guitar Player Magazine naming him within “The Top Ten Hottest New Guitar Players” in 2008.”

Mike Zito

The following is from Mike Zito’s website bio (www.mikezito.com):

“In 2007, (Mike) Zito’s path has crossed with Randy Chortkoff of Delta Groove Music.  Within months he’s penned a deal and gained full support with Chortkoff’s label Eclecto Groove Records…”

“His journey has lead him to a critical point in his life and career to a larger audience and sharing the stage with national recording artists such as Chuck Berry, Fabulous Thunderbirds, Tab Benoit, Walter Trout, Bernard Allison, Coco Montoya, Joe Bonamassa and many more.”

“2008 heralded the national debut of Zito’s album “Today” on Eclecto Groove Records. Boasting top notch production values with the guidance of producers David Z. (Prince, Buddy Guy, Etta James, Jonny Lang) and Tony Braunagel (Eric Burdon, Taj Mahal, Phantom Blues Band)…”Today” garnered high praise and critical acclaim for Zito’s strengthened focus on songwriting and his resulting efforts landed his album on the Billboard Blues charts for six weeks, in addition to daily rotation on Sirius Satellite Radio over the past year.”

A great video of Jason Ricci & New Blood performing in Holland:

A video of Mike Zito performing “Holding Out For Love“: