Johnny Nicholas Fresh Air

Johnny Nicholas
Fresh Air

It has been about four decades when I saw Guitar Johnny and the Rhythm Rockers along with blues legends Walter Horton and Johnny Shines outside Buffalo NY. Of course the chance to see Horton and Shines may have been my prime motivation, but Johnny Nicholas and his band were outstanding on their own, not simply as a backing band to Horton and Shines. That was part of a tour promoting albums by Nicholas, Horton and Shines and it was quite a memorable nite. Nicholas, part of a New England scene that included Duke Robillard, Sugar Ray and the BlueTones, and Roomful of Blues, would eventually move to Austin, Texas where he became part of that music scene as well as expanding his musical palette to include Western Swing in a tenure with Asleep at the Wheel.

Nicholas has a new album "Fresh Air," with blues and roots songs where he and his multi-instrumental talents (piano, guitars and more) is joined by an all-star cast that includes Scrappy Jud Newcomb (guitars, mandolin, mandocello), John Chipman (drums, percussion, vocals) and Bruce Hughes (bass, vocals, percussion), plus a guest list that includes Cindy Cashdollar (lap steel and additional guitars), and Steve Riley on button accordion. There are interpretations of Sleepy John Estes' "Kid Man Blues" and Howlin' Wolf's classic recording, "Back Door Man," along with eleven originals that he penned or had a hand in writing.

His blues roots are evident of his opener, "Moonlight Train" where he sings about dreaming about the falling rain and a chill down his spine when he heard that moonlight train set against a reworking of the "Rollin' and Tumblin'" melody. It is followed by his original take of Estes' "Kid Man Blues," adding a country accent, almost in the manner of the late Levon Helm. "Red Light" is a stomping rocker with Cindy Cashdollar's steel guitar with Nicholas pounding the piano and Steve Riley adding accordion breaks almost in the manner of Spade Cooley or Garth Hudson. "Sweet Katrina" has him recalling hoboing on freight trains from Chicago to Memphis and meeting Katrina, initially a sweet woman but who got meaner than a one-eyed dog," and might evoke classic Little Feat for some. Then there is his woman who wants Johnny to "Play Me (Like You Play Your Guitar)," a neat lyric by him and Gary Nicholson. "How Do You Follow a Broken Heart" is a lovely blues-ballad that will conjure up some classic West Coast blues from Charles Brown and early Ray Charles with lovely Cashdollar steel guitar adding to its appeal, while "Roll On Mississippi" is reflective folk-country ballad, with Newcomb's mandolin adding to the song's mood. Other high points includes a very imaginative recasting of "Backdoor Man," and the title song, a lovely country ballad.

The playing from Nicholas and his band is terrific, and Nicholas sings with heart and authority throughout making this a superb album of American roots in the tradition of The Band, Levon Helm, Anders Osborne, and others.

I received my review copy from a publicist. This review originally appeared in the November-December Jazz & Blues Report (Issue 369).  His website is http://johnnynicholasblues.com/. Here is Johnny performing "Back Door Man" and "Fresh Air."

Way Down in Louisiana: Clifton Chenier, Cajun, Zydeco and Swamp Pop Music

Todd Mouton
Way Down in Louisiana: Clifton Chenier, Cajun, Zydeco and Swamp Pop Music
University of Louisiana at Lafayette

Just released is Todd Mouton's excellent new book on Louisiana Music "Way Down in Louisiana." The book is centered on the great Clifton Chenier, but in addition to Mouton's biography of the great zydeco legend, he weaves in portraits on a number of Louisiana acts including Chenier alumni Buckwheat Zydeco, Sonny Landreth, and Lil, Buck Sinegal along with other acts, many who have been touched in some way by Chenier's influence including Beausoleil avec Michael Doucet, Filé, Steve Riley & the Mamou Playboys; Zachary Richard, Couteau, Lil Band O' Gold, Bonsoir Catin, and Roddie Romero & the Hub City All-Stars. Many of the portraits appear to have been previously published (likely in "OffBeat"), but have been updated from original publication. It is the four chapters devoted to Chenier that make this book essential as Mouton traces his life and his music's evolution along with his many extensive recordings with recollections of Buckwheat Zydeco, Chris Strachwitz, Lil Buck, Landreth, son C.J. Chenier, the late John Hart and others helping flesh out this gentleman who saxophonist and visual artist Dickie Landry recalled first hearing Chenier and thinking it "sounded like surf music from Jupiter." In addition to Mouton's narrative, this book is wonderfully illustrated with photos (many rare) and album covers and includes recommended listening for each chapter. Anybody who has listened to Chenier's music or some of the artists will love this book.

Released at the same time as this volume is a documentary DVD produced by Carl Colby, "Clifton

Chenier" (The Phoenix Learning Group) that captures Chenier and the Red Hot Louisiana Band at a dance in Louisiana in the mid-1970s. This video captures Chenier, brother Cleveland with arguably his best that included Lil Buck, Buckwheat Zydeco on keyboards and the great John Hart on saxophone. Mixed in with performances from a dance at The Kingfish in Baton Rouge is video from a performance from Jay's Lounge and Cockpit in Cankton, Louisiana, and a brief clip showing a cock fight (some cajun and zydeco lounges at the time also had a cock pit). This may be unsettling but fortunately brief and the bulk of the video is nothing but some of the best Chenier on video this writer has seen with one of the greatest roots music bands of all time doing 15 numbers including some of his most famous numbers such as "Bon Ton Roulet," "Party Down," "Calinda," "Zydeco Est Pas Salé," and "Black Gal," along with covers of Fats Domino's "Hello Josephine and a stone cold rendition of Lowell Fulson's "Black Nights." This is modestly packaged, but the performance is spellbinding and gives a sense of why Chenier was (and still is) so loved. And the magnificent tenor sax of Blind John Hart is such a bonus.

I was a supporter of the Kickstarter campaign to help get the book published and received the DVD in addition as a premium. Information on this book and the DVD is available on the website, http://waydowninlouisiana.com/. The DVD cover on the website differs from the one I received (the cover above). Not only is there links to buy the book and DVD, but there is a free downloadable sample and a performance from the DVD which I have also included below.

Riley Savoy and Toups Form Traditional Cajun SuperBand - The Band Courtboullion

The Louisiana label Valcour Records has just issued a eponymously titled recording by The Band Courtboullion. The recording brings together three major names in Cajun music of the past few decades, Wayne Toups, Steve Riley and Wilson Savoy along with bassist Eric Frey for a wonderful collection of traditional Cajun songs in an acoustic mode. All three are heard on accordion at different parts and contribute vocals. Toups has it write when he refers to the songs being “a part of the amazing culture that i grew up with and still are a major part of the way I interpret and play the music I play today.”

To listen to Toups take the lead on the lively The Bosco Blues with Savoy adding the crying fiddle as well as Iry Lejeune’s The Convict Waltz. Savoy provides crying fiddle that evokes the classic recordings of The Balfa Brothers and Nathan Abshire from over four decades ago on Swallow Records. Overdubbing allows Riley to play accordion, fiddle and guitar on Lawrence Walker’s La Vie Malheureuse, while his guitar and fiddle support the accordion and vocals of Savoy on another Lawrence Walker song, Chere Alice. There are a couple lively instrumentals including The Hathaway Two-Step with Toups’s driving accordion, fiddle from Savoy and solid rhythm guitar from Riley.

Other songs include favorites from Shirley Bergeron and DL Menard are heard along with the terrific renditions of traditional dance hall and juke box favorites that is wonderfully played and recorded. The physical CD includes a pdf file of song lyrics and translations and a link to valcourrecords.com to download two more performances by the three. This is heartfelt, joyful, traditionally played Cajun music expresses the heart and soul of the Cajuns in Louisiana and reaches the hearts of those who love this music wherever they may be. This can be obtained from Valcour Records or better stores such as the Louisiana Music Factory (from whom I purchased this).

Here are two you tube videos by the three to whet your appetite for this superb recording.

Lil' Band O' Gold Leads Us to "The Promised Land"

“I won’t leave Louisiana, Louisiana my home sweet home,” echoes a line in David Egan’s “Spoonbread,” the opening song on “The Promised Land” (Dust Devil Music), the new album by Lil’ Band ‘O Gold. Lil’ Band ‘O Gold is a group formed by some very notable Louisiana musicians including guitarist and roots rocker CC Adcock; Cajun accordionist Steve Riley; swamp-pop legend and drummer Warren Storm; and pianist and songwriter David Egan. Add steel guitar, and saxophones (with occasional fiddle) and one has a group that can touch on the blue-eyed soul that is at Swamp Pop’s heart mixed with some Fats Domino piano triplets and some swamp country seasoning. The album accompanies the film of the same title about the distinctive Louisiana musical genre, swamp pop which I haven’t seen, but it also provides fans of Lil’ Band ‘O Gold with a new recording that showcases their versatile repertoire and compelling sources. With a band that includes steel guitar and saxophones, the performances provide a definite musical stew of influences that make for a wonderful musical blend.

I would not be surprised that in a blindfold test, an average listener might identify the opening “Spoonful,” as a number by the Band, but its such a terrific performance with vocals being traded and great backing that it stands on its own. Next up is a great number by the late Bobby Charles “I Don’t Want to Know,” with Warren Storm’s vocal almost matching the Late Johnny Adams as Riley adds a terrific accordion solo with Richard Comeaux contributing some piercing steel guitar. C.C. Adcock revives a Gene Terry & the Boogie Ramblers rockabilly-tinged “Teardrops,” while Riley, accordion at the fore handles the vocal on a rocker with Adcock adding some hot guitar riffs with the saxophones wailing in support.

“Dreamer” is another Egan original with the steel guitar, the rhythm and the saxophones injecting some Tex-Mex flavor to Egan’s reflective vocals. Warren Storm’s vocal shines on the country flavored “Sunshine,” that was penned by the great Mickey Newbury. Adcock penned the hard rock and rolling “Runaway’s Life,” that evokes classic 50s music with an insistent driving beat followed by Warren’s wonderful haunting rendition of David Kitt’s ballad “Faster and Faster.” “Hold on Tight” “to your dreams,” Steve Riley sings (including the verse in French) as his accordion and Kenny Bill Stinson’s organ suggest the Sir Douglas Quintet in this imaginative reworking of an Electric Light Orchestra single. “Hard Enough,” another Egan original is a superb old-fashioned piece of country soul with Storm’s vocal complemented by Comeaux’s weeping steel guitar. Swamp pop legend Tommy McClain guests on the tear-in-the-throat vocal on the low-key “Memories,” while Riley revives Lawrence Walker’s cajun rock and roll, “Evangeline Rock. More country-folk flavor from Adcock on “The Last Hayride,” before the closing “So Long,” a nice rendering of an Allen Toussaint composition, with Storm leading the way on the vocal with the braying saxophones and the backing chorus adding to the mood. It is a terrific closer to a superb recording.

It has been a decade since Lil’ Band ‘O Gold’s debut recording, which has been frankly ten years too long. They are truly one of the great rock and roll bands today and “The Promised Land,” is a superb disk that continues their loving embrace of the musical legacy of their home, Louisiana which never gets mired in nostalgia but keeps pushing the music forward.

This is available in the United States from the Louisiana Music Factory in New Orleans (website is www.louisianamusicfactory.com). I am not certain about availability outside the US, but it may be on itunes in Australia.

I purchased this.