Atomic Road Kings Clean Up the Blood

Atomic Road Kings
Clean Up the Blood
Bigtone Records

The Atomic Road Kings is a joint project of guitarist-vocalist-songwriter--engineer Big Jon Atkinson and harmonica wizard Eric Von Herzen. The two are present on all 12 tracks (11 written by Atkinson and one by Von Herzen) along with Bill Stuve on bass and Malachi Johnson on drums. While Atkinson is the vocalist throughout, he only plays lead guitar on four tracks and rhythm on 4. Scot Smart, Danny Michel, and Tony Delgado take the lead on other selections and pianist Robert Welsh guests on 1.

Atkinson recorded this using vintage, all analog gear and was done live to tape with the effort to capture the sound of the 50s gospel, blues and the like and presented in mono as opposed to stereo. The result is solid retro-oriented blues performances. Atkinson comes across as a robust, straight-forward singer on solidly-played, idiomatic Chicago-styled blues. Similarly, Von Herzen is a marvelous harmonica player with a full tone in the manner of George 'Harmonica' Smith.

Things start "I Got Time," continue with "Rumors" that feature a terrific Tony Delgado solo. On "My Way Back Home," Atkinson plays driving, lead acoustic guitar with Von Herzen's effectively repeating a riff in the backing. Then he plays some stinging electric guitar on the doomy title track with the harp adding to the atmosphere of the performance. In a similar vein, "Vibrations," has Danny Michel's stinging guitar along with Welsh's piano, while "Ain't For Me," is a moody shuffle.

The Atomic Road Kings strongly evoke the sound and feel on the '50s styled Chicago blues on "Clean Up the Road," a splendid recording that will appeal to fans of classic Chicago blues.

I received my review copy from a publicist. This review originally appeared in the March-April 2019  Jazz & Blues Report (Issue 383), although there have been minor stylistic changes to the published review. Here is a teaser for the CD.

 

Mitch Kashmar West Coast Toast

Mitch Kashmar
West Coast Toast
Delta Groove

Scott Dirks, in his brief liner notes to the new Mitch Kashmar album "West Coast Toast," observes that if Chicago was home and proving ground for many legends of blues harmonica, the move to the West Coast of pioneer George 'Harmonica' Smith led to his presence influencing a whole generation and new off-shoot of the blues harmonica sound. The result was the 'West Coast Sound,' which he describes as "a hard-swinging, sophisticated and distinctly different offshoot of the amplified harp sounds familiar in Chicago." Kashmar is described as one of the handful of masters of this California sound, bringing his unique voice as a harpist and a soulful singer, on a release tipping his hat to the West Coast blues legacy with select covers mixed in with his originals.

An opening instrumental, "East of 82nd Street," establishes Kashmar's fat tone and imaginative playing in this tradition, along with the solid studio band of Junior Watson on guitar, Fred Kaplan on keyboards, Bill Stuve on the bass and Marty Dodson on drums. Watson gets to showcase his chops as well in a short break and his comping under the leader's dynamic playing. Kashmar's abilities as a vocalist are established by a cover of Willie Dixon's "Too Many Cooks" (some will be familiar from Robert Cray's cover more than Jesse Fortune's original), with Kaplan laying down an intriguing solo. It is followed by a capable rendition of an old Little Willie John recording, "Young Girl," with a backing and harp evocative of Sonny Boy Williamson's "Help Me."

The tempo picks up on the topical original, "The Petroleum Blues," a rocking performance where he sings about "how much money are we gonna lose," and then slows down on "Mood Indica," with his fat, juicy playing set against Kaplan pounding the 88s, who along with Watson get to take choice solos while Stuve and Dodson push the groove forward. The is an appealing shuffle rendition of Billy Boy Arnold's "Don't Stay Out All Night," while Kashmar on "My Lil' Stumptown Shack," shows he able to construct an original that captures the flavor of classic 50's Chicago blues.

Kashmar's interpretation of John Lee 'Sonny Boy' Williamson's "Alcohol Blues," is nicely played and followed by an easy rocking version of lesser known Lowell Fulson song, "Love Grows Cold," with explosive guitar by Watson. The jazz-tinged instrumental "Canoodlin'," has a late night feel to it and closes a set of strong blues performances.

I received my review copy from Delta Groove. Here is a promotional video for this recording.

John Long Stand Your Ground

John Long 
Stand Your Ground
Delta Groove Music

It took John Long decades or so before this old school country blues musician recorded a full album, the 2006 Delta Groove release Lost & Found. I wrote a decade ago that it was "comprised of originals that sound like remakes of classic country blues recordings from the pre-World War 11 era. He sounds as if he has channeled Son House, Robert Johnson, Big Bill Broonzy, Lonnie Johnson and others." It reflected his being mentored by Homesick James Williamson among others along with his love for these older blues artists and recordings.

It is appropriate he opens his new album with a small group rendition of Homesick James' "Please Set a Date," taken at a relaxed tempo with the type of restrained slide attack that contrasts with say Hound Dog Taylor. As good as it may be, it is followed by the stunning "Red Hawk," where he channels Johnny Shines and Robert Johnson in a stunning reworking of "Terraplane/Dynafow Blues" melody with his original lyrics. The following "Things Can't Be Down Always," has him adding harmonica for a solid one-man blues band performance while the title track is a peppy slide number with a message as Bill Stuve on bass and Washington Rucker on drums add adept backing, while he evokes Joe Hill Louis on "Welcome Mat," another one-man band performance. 

There seems to be several selections where Long may be reflecting about his own mortality. "No Flowers For Me," is a topical blues where he sings that he has been shaking, and asks folks to remember him, but don't spend money on flowers, but rather find a cure for that Parkinson's Disease. His slide, on the rendition of "I Know His Blood Can Make Me Whole," conjures up Mississippi Fred McDowell. There is a reflective feel to his fresh interpretation of Blind Willie McTell's "Climbing High Mountains (Trying To Get Home)," and athevery moving "Precious Lord," with bass and drums backing that has an ambience of some of Sonny Boy Williamson's European recordings.

The closing "Suitcase Stomp" is a brisk, brief one-man band number where Long sings about leaving St. Louis and just doing what he wants, doing the suitcase stomp. Ten years ago I said "Long comes off as a real contemporary master of acoustic blues." It has taken ten years for John Long to follow up that recording, and that evaluation still is appropriate. The wait was definitely worthwhile with this terrific recording.

I received my review copy from Delta Groove. Here is a video of John in performance.

Rod Piazza Kept It Real

Another older review of a Rod Piazza album that dates from 2004. Piazza has such a strong catalog that you should be aware of.

Rod Piazza and the Mighty Flyers have a new disc on Blind Pig, Keepin' It Real. Its the first disc to feature guitarist Henry Carvajal and drummer Paul Vincent Fasulo. Long-time bassist Bill Stuve remains along with Piazza and his wife, pianist Honey Piazza.


The album attempts to recreate the feel of their live performances with Piazza even introducing the band on the opening track, Big Blues Party. As might be expected, the group is tight and swings with the rhythm section being real fine. Drummer Fasulo is a fine replacement for Jimi Bott while guitarist Carvajal is another fine guitarist to play with Piazza, and takes a credible vocal on Ain't Nothing Happening.


There is a nice mix of material with the reworking of Baby Please Don't Go strongly evoking Muddy waters' classic recording. While I find Piazza an inconsistent singer, he is strong on the rocking Baby Please Don't Go, patterned after Muddy Waters' classic recording. Of course he is a brilliant harp player as the evocative West Coast Midnight Blues displays as does his consistently swinging, and inventive, playing that also displays his marvelous full-tone. Piazza is a master of the Mississippi Saxophone indeed.


Like his live performances, this set contains a boogie feature for Honey Piazza, Buzzin', which unfortunately goes on too long as doesthe closing Devil's Foot. One problem with an album like this, the attempt to recreate a live performance leads to the failure to edit one's performances which mar what is otherwise an enjoyable album.


Unfortunately, Piazza has a back catalog that this competes with and for those new to him, I would recommend the exceptional two-cd survey of his career that appeared on Tone-Cool a couple years ago.

This review was written in 2004 and likely appeared in the DC Blues Calendar, then the DC Blues Society’s newsletter which I edited at the time. I received my review copy from the record label.