132
Downloads
30
Episodes
Welcome to our new podcast!
Episodes
Friday Jul 23, 2021
Friday Jul 23, 2021
Hot Wax Album Reviews & Podcast by the ROCK DOCTOR July 26th, 2021
Featuring - Christone “Kingfish” Ingram, Emily Duff, Broke Fuse, Brandon Isaak, Sean Chambers, Kate Koenig
Friday Jul 23, 2021
Friday Jul 23, 2021
Hot Wax Album Reviews & Podcast by the ROCK DOCTOR July 23rd, 2021
Featuring...
Mike Zito, Dave Kalz, Roger Chapman, The Marigold, LMNOP, Sam Robbins
Friday Jul 09, 2021
Friday Jul 09, 2021
Hot Wax Album Reviews by the ROCK DOCTOR July 9th, 2021
Featuring - Deb Ryder, Robert Billard & The Cold Calls, Dennis DeYoung, Endrick & The Sandwiches, Wilburt Lee Reliford, Helstar
Thursday Jun 24, 2021
Thursday Jun 24, 2021
Hot Wax Album Reviews & Podcast by the ROCK DOCTOR June 24th, 2021
Featuring - Billy Gibbons, Chris Gill, Randy McAllister, Rob Lutes, Mammoth WVH, Deadwolff
Wednesday Jun 09, 2021
Wednesday Jun 09, 2021
A LIFE IN THE BLUES: ALLIGATOR RECORDS 50TH ANNIVERSARY
Podcast Part #1
Wednesday Jun 09, 2021
Friday May 28, 2021
Friday May 28, 2021
Hot Wax Album Reviews & Podcast by the ROCK DOCTOR May 28th, 2021
LIVE FROM EL PASO Laura Tate (independent) **** ½
Live From El Paso is Ms. Tate’s 5th album overall, after 4 studio records- a live ‘best of’ if you like. She’s a remarkable singer with a striking voice, pure tone and relaxed delivery as her band of top LA area musicians swing effortlessly behind her. The end result is an uplifting, feel-good, artistically superior album.
Far from the venues in Nashville, New York and LA that she usually plays, Laura recorded this at McKelligan Canyon, a natural amphitheatre in the foothills of El Paso’s rugged mountains, under the stars of a West Texas sky. The occasion was a benefit concert for the El Paso Foundation’s Laura Tate Fund for the arts, providing arts education for the under served. Though recorded live there isn’t much in the way of crowd noise or energy exchange, which is just as well… with this kind of stuff, it’s nice to be able to focus on the music itself without a bunch of whistling and woo-hooing.
Live From El Paso continuously shifts gears throughout but not jarringly so, moving quite smoothly from jazz to rock to blues and even Americana. Her take on the Thin Lizzy classic The Boys Are Back In Town, originally featured on 2017’s Let’s Just Be Real is a stunner, starting out with a slow jazz arrangement before it kicks into gear. Other favorites from her back catalog take on fresh life here too as the album unfolds like a curated soundtrack for road trips, romantic nights and good times- the sort of thing to throw on when you find yourself really needing a positive lift.
No doubt Laura’s extensive theater experience is a factor in helping her interpret these songs so effectively, and her advocacy for education, the arts and justice for everyone caught the notice of The White House, resulting in receiving the President’s Volunteer Services Award from George W. and Obama. So she does good work for the right reasons, but that’s not why you should add Live From El Paso to your music collection. She’s a great singer, her band is suave and virtually faultless on this extremely well produced album, and the songs make you feel good- that’s why you need this record.
KEY CUTS: The Boys Are Back In Town, I’ll Find Someone Who Will, Cowboy Jazz
BLOOD IN THE WATER Flotsam And Jetsam (AFM) *** ½
Fans of old school thrash metal are probably up on these guys. Blood In The Water is F & J’s 14th album, and it lives up to their legend and legacy. Punishing drums power monolithic walls of guitar for maximum melodic violence. To my ears it feels like Iron Maiden and maybe Judas Priest made a deal with Cannibal Corpse; a little intense for an old bastard like me, but not so far out there that I can’t get into it.
Arizona’s Flotsam And Jetsam came up around the same time as bands like Metallica, Megadeth and Venom, though they never achieved the same level of commercial success those groups did. “Maybe our career path will run similar to Motorhead’s” guesses singer Eric Knutson. “Although (they were) always considered iconic, they didn’t really break through until later in their career.” As Rush once observed lyrically ‘tough times demand tough talk’, and Blood In The Water takes the idea to heart. Guitarist Michael Gilberts observes that “with everything that’s happened in the world, the friends we lost this last year, and not being able to perform or tour…you hear all of that in our music. It’s angry, it’s aggressive, and our emotions pour out all over this album.”
Very interesting to note that Ken Mary is behind the kit on this one as I’m familiar with his work with Alice Cooper, Accept and House Of Lords. The other members of F&J not already mentioned are guitarist Steve Conley and bassist Bill Bodily. Blood In The Water feels like listening to some of my favorite Megadeth albums- plenty of shifts in mood and tempo and while the music is hard and intense, it’s not often over the top. The rhythm section of Ken Mary and Bill Bodily is quick-footed and precise, the guitars are thick, and Knutson is a hot shit metal singer who improves with every record and tour.
Though considered ‘legendary’ by their contemporaries and worshipped by a legion of fans, it feels like Flotsam And jetsam’s time for glory is at hand; Blood On The Water is the record that will light the fuse.
KEY CUTS: Blood In The Water, Walls, A Place To Die
ALL THIS TIME RUNNING Craig Cardiff (True North) *****+
Few things untie the knots in your rope better than a good singer/ songwriter album. All This Time Running is Craig Cardiff’s first album of new songs in 6 years and his first for True North. Knowing the label and its founder as well as I do and having just spent the evening listening to this, they’re a good fit. The press calls this an “artistic triumph” and they’re right. All This Time Running is the perfect album for when you’re thinking about stuff and trying to figure things out, as many of us have done over the last year or so.
While this new album isn’t about the pandemic, Craig is the first to admit the big pause imposed by Covid was actually beneficial to his process. It gave him time to slow down, rethink, and take stock. “I never had time to pause like this before” says the busy singer. “It scared the hell out of me at first. Everything went out the window; we had to re-jig and scramble. It was like Mad Max, but it became a positive. We were able to access some players we wouldn’t have been able to otherwise. The time to sit with the songs and the recordings- that was critical.”
Cardiff’s warmly weathered voice is like shooting the breeze with a good friend, not unlike Ellis Paul or Josh Ritter. As a songwriter, he was inspired at a young age by Bob Dylan, Paul Simon and Elvis Costello. The songs themselves give you the same feeling as looking at a favorite painting; it makes you feel real good, a similar effect to Barney Bentall’s semi-recent records like The Drifter & The Preacher. A storyteller at heart, Cardiff chronicles the human condition and all its joys and tragedies, inspired by real people, places, lives and journeys. All This Time Running is a gentle but insistent reminder of what we’re all missing and an antidote to this year-long bout of cabin fever we’ve all shared, a fast-paced travelogue for the housebound.
Like most performers, Craig Cardiff misses sharing his songs in a live setting. “I need to know I’m singing to somebody who connects with my songs” he says. “The goal is to take a roomful of strangers and bring them together.” While it may be some time yet before we can gather together in a venue and commune with Cardiff in this way, listening to All This Time Running and maybe sharing it with family and friends will feel great.
KEY CUTS: The American, Greyhound SK, All This Time Running
WHOLE NOTHER WORLD Patti Parks (VizzTone/ Booga Music) ****
A riveting blast of blues here from this soulful belter. Winner of Western New York’s Night Life Magazine Blues Awards as Best Female Vocalist for her debut album (Cheat’n Man) in 2013, Whole Nother World shows every intention of setting the blues world on fire, and you know what? It very well might.
Legendary bluesman Kenny Neal was so impressed after hearing Patti at The International Blues Challenge that signed her to his Booga Music label. He brought her down to his studio in Baton Rouge where he produced and arranged Whole Nother World, singing a duet with Patti on the sparse, sultry and riveting Baby Bee, providing harp and guitar here and there on other tunes too. The whole record is a blues adventure, a tad short at just 8 numbers, but when Patti opens her mouth to sing in that soulful, sensual, urgent way, she owns the room. There’s a swampy vibe and groove to many of these tunes as she rocks out, but when she brings it down for a ballad like Don’t Play Me Cheap, you really feel it.
Even outside of the music, Ms. Parks has an interesting story to tell. Aside from being a hot blues performer Patti is also a working nurse, and the creator of the “Nurs’ N Blues” education program, developed to help high risk children at drug rehab centers. In addition to her regular gigs, she can be found performing at charity events throughout Western New York. Where she finds the time to sing God only knows, we’re just lucky that she does. The band behind her on these tracks, Kenny Neal included, groove like they were born to do it which makes Whole Nother World satisfying on so many levels. The swing on I’m Trouble, the opening cut, is a total blast.
Patti Parks has a lot going on in her corner of the world, in Western New York, and if I read the PR sheet I got with her CD correctly, that means she sticks fairly close to home. Having said that, though, Whole Nother World is so delicious and totally bad-ass that it should be heard around the world. I’ll be only too happy to play these songs on my radio show for www.uniteddj.com- you really need to hear what she can do.
KEY CUTS: I’m In Trouble, Baby Bee, Don’t Play Me Cheap, It’s A Man’s Man’s World
THE DEVIL IS A GAMBLER Hellryder (Rock Of Angels Records) *** ½
This is where traditional heavy metal and black metal collide. Hellryder is the brainchild of Grave Digger’s Chris Boltendahl (vocals) and guitarist Alex Ritt. It’s heavy, it’s relentless- it’s what Chris and Alex call “dirty kick-ass heavy metal.” The Devil is A Gambler, it’s safe to say, is maximum heaviosity.
Extreme metal is not really my thing, so Boltendahl’s nearly Cookie Monster vocals threw me off at first. It took a couple of tunes to get into it and once I did, it was time to key in on those brawny riffs and whipsaw solos being thrown down by Ritt over the punishing rhythm section of Steve Wussow (bass) and Timmi Breidebande (drums). An apt comparison would be listening to Motorhead for the first time, where the intensity punches you right in the face, but if you can hang on and settle in it’s worth the effort.
Like so many other records I’ve reviewed in recent months, The Devil Is A Gambler has its roots in the pandemic. With Grave Digger’s activities at a standstill, Chris and Alex took advantage of the downtime to create Hellryder. The first songs were recorded last September, and by November with Steve and Timmi on board this became a band, a German super-group with the brass to take on all comers. Much like their fellow countrymen in Accept, this band’s sound hinges firmly on the guitar- in this case, the six string acrobatics of Alex Ritt. The fast double kick drumming, particularly with Ritt’s riffs, reminds me of Scott Travis/ Tim “Ripper” Owens-era Judas Priest.
Once upon a time I scoffed at extreme metal and found it unlistenable, but after giving The Devil Is A Gambler a couple of spins I’m intrigued at the prospect of discovering what I’ve been missing. Traditional heavy metal with extreme or black overtones is the right way to sum up this disc from Hellryder. I’ll pop this into the car stereo for my next trip to do some record shopping in Edmonton and have it turned up to ear splitting levels- provided the missus isn’t with me, of course.
KEY CUTS: The Devil Is A Gambler, I Die For You, Passion Maker
Friday May 21, 2021
Friday May 21, 2021
Hot Wax Album Reviews & Podcast by the ROCK DOCTOR May 21st, 2021
FEATURING: Tom Jones, Peter Frampton, Nineteen Hand Horse, Pat Fulgoni, Nancy Wilson
Monday May 10, 2021
Monday May 10, 2021
THE GHOSTHot Wax Album Reviews & Podcast by the ROCK DOCTOR May 10th, 2021
LIGHT Bob Bradshaw (Fluke Records) ****
If you’ve never heard of Bob Bradshaw before, settle in and get comfy. The Ghost Light is a thoughtful collection of tales that wander between folk, rock, country, Americana and blues to spellbinding effect.
Like any good storyteller, Bradshaw repeatedly transforms himself right before our very eyes. “I’ve never been the kind of writer who picks up a pen to process his personal life or purge his emotions” Bob says. “I write to create, to imagine, and every track on this album is its own little world.” The Ghost Light was recorded over the last year, but it’s not a pandemic record. These songs draw on the kind of fundamental humanity that binds us all as they consider heartbreak and regret, memory and nostalgia, loneliness and liberation, with song arrangements full of color and nuance.
The framework of the songs cover a fairly broad range musically speaking but as Bradshaw states, “I never want the scaffolding of the songs to be visible. I want to tell stories with room for exploration and interpretation. I want people to bring themselves into the songs as much as possible.” That’s something I’ve mentioned repeatedly, particularly in recent reviews; the songs that resonate the most with us are the ones we can see ourselves in, something Bob has a solid grasp on. It’s similar to other artists in this general vein that I enjoy, like Ray LaMontagne and Ray Wylie Hubbard.
The Ghost Light (“In the theatre world, the ghost light is a single bulb left burning to appease the spirits of the absent performers whenever the hall goes dark” Bradhsaw explains) plays like a collection of short works of fiction, each unique and yet still connected by a common emotional thread. The world may seem like a dark place right now, but Bob Bradshaw is determined to keep the bulb burning because, as he says, “that’s what good storytellers do”; and he’s a fine storyteller indeed.
KEY CUTS: Niagara Barrel Ride Blues, Gone, Come Back Baby
BRAND NEW THING The Hungry Williams (Rochelle Records) *** ½
I haven’t had this much fun listening to the blues since I first heard Powder Blues back in 1980. Playing blues with a lively sax section and some cool barrelhouse piano, The Hungry Williams are primed to show you a good time, and Brand New Thing will make your toes tap and it’ll put a smile on your face.
Aficionados will immediately recognize The Hungry Williams’ musical magic as ‘jump blues’, the kind of stuff I would jive to if I could actually dance. The band is led by drummer John Carr and includes the talents of Mike Sieger on bass, Joe Vent on guitar and Jack Stewart on keys while singer Kelli Gonzalez really belts it out. The sax section is Troy Leisemann, Julia Bustle and Bob Jennings. There’s a mid to late 50’s spirit at play, a carefree quality to these tunes that recall a bygone era of hope and optimism, of drive-in theaters and parking at the local lookout for steamy make-out sessions. The songs aren’t tawdry or overtly sexual, more free spirited than anything.
As a music fan in general and an occasional musician too, I can appreciate Brand New Thing on multiple levels; spirit, execution and musicianship. The problem an album like this can have is the nostalgic sound that some folks might not like, a ‘Happy Days’ vibe that might be lost on people under a certain age. The best thing to do when considering a disc like this, I find, is to suspend any musical prejudice and preconceptions. By all means enjoy the tunes, but try to tap into the energy the band is giving off as well. How does that make you feel? I think of this as zoot suit rock & roll.
The lyrical themes explored throughout Brand New Thing are as old as rock & roll itself, relationships, and the music itself is infectious. BNT is a keeper.
KEY CUTS: Where’s My Baby, It’s Raining Outside, Wild Wild Young Man
JESSE AYCOCK Jesse Aycock (Horton Records) ***
This is the latest solo effort from in-demand session player Jesse Aycock. A blend of delicate musicianship, poetic lyricism and thoughtful songwriting, Jesse Aycock doesn’t appeal to everyone’s sensibilities, but some will drink deeply from this melancholy well.
“I’ve been working on many of these songs over the last few years, but I could never land on anything until they took shape” Jesse says. “A handful came together very recently (and) there were a few songs that I was still finishing up as we were tracking them. I find that when you let things happen organically, that’s when the magic happens.” To be honest, when I first put this on I thought Jesse was a chick with that high and delicate voice… but the more I listen the more he reminds of solo John Lennon, partly for the voice and partly for the emotional depth of the songs themselves.
Of course Jesse didn’t record this album by himself. He plays guitar, keys, Mellotron and sings, and is joined in the studio by fellow Tulsa musicians Paddy Ryan on drums, Aaron Boehler on bass and keyboardist John Fullbright, in addition to several guests including Allison Moorer. There are lots of sad songs, but then you have upbeat numbers like Past Life and High Hopes near the center of the record to help balance things out sonically and emotionally. It can be a little schizophrenic that way, but I like that in an album.
It’s been a difficult year- harder for some than others, and Jesse Aycock is one of them. “Making this record was healing, difficult and beautiful” he notes. “It’s been a challenging year, filled with loss and heartbreak. When everything around you seems to fall apart, you have to lean on something” Jesse says. “Music has always been that for me. Recording these songs helped ground me.” Who knows? Maybe listening to them will have a similar effect on you too.
KEY CUTS: Roll South, High Hopes, Wreck Like You
HELLBREAKER Motorjesus (AFM) ****
This German band plays my kind of rock & roll; hard, dirty classic metal. Hellbreaker is their 7th album, and the closest comparison I can make is Judas Priest meets Nashville Pussy with a kind of Nickelback sensibility; thick, heavy, and tons of fun.
Hellrider has a real late 70’s/ early 80’s metallic sound that just works. The disc sounds like the muscular devil depicted on the album cover and in terms of heaviness, they stop just this side of Pantera. The riffs that power the songs are catchy has hell, and the solos of new guitarist Patrick Wassenberg are a perfect fit. When you add in the rest of the band- singer Chris Birx, guitarist Andy Peters, bassist Dominik Kwasny and drummer Adam Borosch- the combination is like a brawl in a biker bar.
Motorjesus wrote and recorded Hellbreaker during the pandemic, but the songs aren’t about that. Being off the road they used the time to write a compact and explosive album that will delight fans and have people like me asking “where have these guys been all my life?” Producer Dan Swano says “Every time I worked on a Motorjesus record I thought it would be impossible for them to top it with the next one. With Hellbreaker they blew my head right off. (This) is the best driving music there is!” Granted, Swano’s opinion is biased, but if you throw this in the car and turn it up, you’ll find out he’s right. Oh you’ll hear the occasional acoustic guitar for a bit of texture and balance, but it’s safe to say this is pedal to the metal from the opening track up to gentle acoustic outro at the far end.
Chris Mirx’s muscular vocal attack matches the brutal yet tuneful assault of the band’s merciless attack underneath, resulting in genuine rock & roll excitement. When the sun is shining, it’s hot outside and you have a clear highway in front of you, I can scarcely think of better company than Hellbreaker.
KEY CUTS: Drive Through Fire, Black Hole Overload, Beyond The Grave
THE DINALLOS The Dinallos (Memphis International Records) ****
This debut album was 30 years in the making. The Dinallos blends traditional rock n roll with singer/songwriter elements plus a dash of country and gorgeous tones. The 16 song collection goes deep into what singer Juliet Dinallo calls “a reflection of life’s journey- overcoming obstacles and unforeseen challenges while learning and accepting from failure and loss with the overtones of happiness that hope brings.”
The Dinallos struck me as something of a country album at first, maybe because of the timbre of Juliet’s voice and the fact that this was recorded in Nashville, but I knew I was in for something more before this was even halfway done. Both Juliet and her husband Michael (who also produced the record) draw from traditional influences while making their own mark. Her sweet voice draws inspiration from Shelby Lynne, Dusty Springfield and Emmylou Harris, and Mike has honed his deft and considerable musical skill over something like 3 decades, including a stint as bandleader for the Boston based band Radio Kings. It’s clear here that he has picked up much along the way.
Michael Dinallo’s guitar playing and expert touch as a producer (along with Tim Carter) adds to the emotional depth of the songs. The album’s lead single, Kilimanjaro was inspired by a TV news story about a reporter who overcame breast cancer to climb the mountain. “The song became a metaphor about letting go of a toxic relationship” Juliet says. “(It) summarizes the difficulty in moving on from a bad place.” The instrumental interludes throughout the album are relaxing and enjoyable, well played and welcome relief from the emotional impact of tunes like Kilimanjaro and the rockin’ Private Hell.
I’ve been aware of Juliet since reviewing her Dream Girl album a couple of years ago and enjoy the emotional honesty in her lyrics as well as her singing. Michael Dinallo is a brilliant producer with a better set of ears than most, and his guitar playing is understated yet impactful as he creates these 16 near perfect vehicles for his wife’s observations and voice. Having the legendary McCrary Sisters pitch in on backup vocals is the icing on an already pretty delicious cake.
The Dinallos is the intersection of great songwriting and fine musicianship with an Americana vibe and it’s proving to be excellent company.
KEY CUTS: Private Hell, Kilimanjaro, Lemonade
MORE MUSIC REVIEWS HERE! 
Thursday Apr 29, 2021
Thursday Apr 29, 2021
Hot Wax Album Reviews & Podcast by the ROCK DOCTOR April 29th, 2021
FEATURING: Jazz Sabbath, Doug Hoekstra, Bob Corritore & Friends, Thundermother, Pilgrim Band.