Straight To You LIVE KENNY WAYNE SHEPHERD PLUS Seven New Album Reviews Order Today Click Here! Four Print Issues Per Year Every January, April, July, and October get the Best In Blues delivered right t0 you door! Artist Features, CD, DVD Reviews & Columns. Award-winning Journalism and Photography! Order Today ALASTAIR GREENE Click THE NEW WORLD BLUES Here! H NEW ALBUM H Produced by Tab Benoit for WHISKEY BAYOU RECORDS Available October 23, 2020 “Fronting a power blues-rock trio, guitarist Alastair Greene breathes in sulfuric fumes and exhales blazing fire.” - Frank John Hadley, Downbeat Magazine “Greene is a no frills rock vocalist. His fiery solos prove him a premier shredder who will appeal to fans of Walter Trout, Joe Bonamassa, and Albert Castiglia.” - Thomas J Cullen III, Blues Music Magazine “On THE NEW WORLD BLUES, Alastair makes it clear why he is a ‘guitar player’s guitar player,’ and this recording will surely leave the Alastair Greene stamp on the Blues Rock World.” - Rueben Williams, Thunderbird Management, Whiskey Bayou Records alastairgreene.com whiskeybayourecords.com BLUES MUSIC ONLINE November 22, 2020 - Issue 22 Table Of Contents 06 - KENNY WAYNE SHEPHERD Straight To You LIVE By Art Tipaldi 16 - SEVEN NEW CD REVIEWS By Various Writers 31 - BLUES MUSIC SAMPLER DOWNLOAD CD Sampler 26 - July 2020 PHOTOGRAPHY © LAURA CARBONE COVER PHOTOGRAPHY © GREG LOGAN Read The News Click Here! All Blues, All The Time, AND It's FREE! Get Your Paper Here! Read the REAL NEWS you care about: Blues Music News! FEATURING: - Music News - Breaking News - CD Reviews - Music Store Specials - Video Releases - Festivals - Artists Interviews - Blues History - New Music Coming - Artist Profiles - Merchandise - Music Business Updates KENNY WAYNE SHEPHERD Straight To You LIVE By Art Tipaldi PHOTOGRAPHY © JIM HARTZELL efore the worldwide Covid great performance and the timing now, pandemic, the Kenny Wayne since nobody can see us play live BShepherd band was touring the music and that’s really the essence of world in support of his 2019 release, what we do best, and we’ve never put The Traveler. Part of that tour included out a live DVD we thought this might stops in Germany in November 2019. be the most opportune time to give As with all his live shows, one particular our fans something like this right now. show, at the Leverkusener Jazztage Production-wise, you’ve got Festival in Leverkusen, Germany, was all these camera guys onstage and filmed and broadcast by the legendary spread out in the audience, and Rockpalast television show. The throughout the building. The audio energy from the stage and the quality truck there, and we’ve got our own of the recording pushed Shepherd to audio feed onstage because we’re release his first live CD/DVD since recording as well. It’s a little more than 2010’s Live! In Chicago. In addition to usual, but ultimately, his usual blues-rooted guitar format, It used to be, when I was here, Shepherd added a full horn younger, if shows were being recorded section to the arrangements. In that for audio or video, because it didn’t way, each song becomes a new and happen so regularly that it would kinda different experience. As he planned get into your head a little bit. We’ve its release, Kenny took time to talk been recording all of our concerts about the project, his band, his artistic every single night because we now growth, and the pandemic. have the technology. We’ve been doing that for years now. That helps to Blues Music Magazine: What goes relieve the feeling of “the show’s being into the filming of a live CD and DVD recorded” because we’re so used to like this one? it being recorded every night that we can forget about it and really just focus Kenny Wayne Shepherd: There’s on the music. So that takes the whole a little more production then usual. elements of nerves away because There’s a camera crew, an audio the camera guys. That helps us get truck sitting out back. This was a a better, more authentic performance live broadcast for the Rockpalast TV then if we were tenses up knowing that series in Germany so that was the it was being recorded. We can just get initial reason for doing it. But then, out there and do what we do without after it was all said and done, we thinking about it. thought it was a really great show, the camera and the live audio was great. Blues Music Magazine: What’s the We remixed the audio ourselves. We process like when you go back through thought that this would was a really all the edits of the film and audio as the frontman who knows that this is to us. There are new parts so that something that’s gonna represent everybody has to pay closer attention. you? If there are any bad habits that have developed, those become apparent Kenny Wayne Shepherd: For me, because what you’ve been doing, I’m kinda of a perfectionist, but also might not work with what they’re I don’t want things to be too perfect, doing. Everybody has to re-assess especially for the nature of what we do. and re-evaluate what they are playing On this particular project, I was really to make sure we’re playing in harmony happy with a lot of the camera work and complimenting each other rather these guys did. Especially the fact that then stepping on each other. I think there is a lot of emphasis put on the the horns have brought a new life into band. Instead of it being of me on the the live performance for all of us. screen 95% of the time, there’s a lot of interplay with the other guys in the Blues Music Magazine: Talk about band and they have plenty of moments. Joe Krown and the keyboards and Instead of them just popping up every your rhythm section of Chris Layton once and awhile, you can see, in each and Scott Nelson. song, the contributions these players are making to those songs. I really like Kenny Wayne Shepherd: Joe’s been that approach because I think it’s an with us at least three years. It’s great atypical approach to a guitar centric to have another Louisiana guy in the band’s live DVD. Those were the band. Right as this is happening, things that I was paying attention on we’re switching bass players and this. going back to Kevin McCormick, who was the bass player with me in the Rides. But Scott’s playing bass on Blues Music Magazine: Speaking this show. Because I played along of the band, can you talk about what with his records as a kid, Chris was each member your band contributes. my drummer before I had a drummer. Let’s start with the addition of horns to When we started playing together, it fit your sound. like hand and glove. Chris and Scott have played together for many years. Kenny Wayne Shepherd: The goal is It was a great band with Scott in it, and to create a real thick sound where you it will be a great band with Kevin. can hear all the instruments. Anytime you add a new instrument to a band, Blues Music Magazine: Tell us about it changes the dynamics of the band. Noah Hunt. The horns have really brought a new awareness to the entire band. It’s Kenny Wayne Shepherd: We’re like brought out new levels of dynamics brothers. He’s been in the band a long Dennis Jones’ 7th Original Album Soft Hard & Loud Coming October 2020 New Single Like Sheep September 2020 Release ”Though certainly aware of how Hendrix burned the midnight lamp, Jones is his own man.” — Frank-John-Hadley, Downbeat Magazine IBC 2004 Winner in Memphis as part of Zac Harmon Band 3 years as lead guitarist with Brian O’Neal and The Busboys (Boys are Back in Town) Booking/tour info and more at dennisjonescentral.com Available October 23rd at alligator.com and other fine retailers GENUINE HOUSEROCKIN’ MUSIC SINCE 1971 TM WATCH BENNY’S AWARD WINNING VIDEO time. It’s evolved over time. In the I can see that he really connects with beginning, he was the primary lead the fans. He’s got an incredible voice vocalist. In the past 16 years, as I’ve and it comes very naturally, like guitar been singing more and more, he’s playing comes naturally to me. For been playing some guitar. It’s now me, singing requires much more effort evolved to where we are sharing the and probably for him, guitar playing vocals and he’s playing more guitar. requires more effort. We rub off on Noah’s got a great voice, and he’s sung each other. on so many important songs over the years. But as an artist and songwriter, Blues Music Magazine: The early I felt that I needed to sing more. What part of each set is about delivering it’s done is that it’s given us another songs fro the most recent record and weapon to add to the arsenal. His your live set always ends with “Voodoo voice and my voice are really different Child (Slight Return)”, but how do you so that gives us a broader range of craft the rest of your song selection? material that we can record and cover. Is it concrete or spontaneous? PUBLICITY & PROMOTION ww.blindraccoon.com Watching him do his thing where he’s in his natural element, Kenny Wayne Shepherd: This is the @nolabluerecords www.nolabluerecords.com @blueheartrecs www.blueheartrecords.com PHOTOGRAPHY © LAURA CARBONE TM WATCH BENNY’S AWARD WINNING VIDEO PUBLICITY & PROMOTION ww.blindraccoon.com @nolabluerecords www.nolabluerecords.com @blueheartrecs www.blueheartrecords.com anchor setlist for that tour.