Mighty Mike Schermer Bad Tattoo

Mighty Mike Schermer
Bad Tattoo
Firedog Records/VizzTone Label Group

This is Mighty Mike's latest release featuring a dozen songs finding the singer-guitarist-songwriter at the Greaseland Studios with guest stars including Chris Cain, Rick Estrin, Aki Kumar, Jim Pugh, Nancy Wright, Billy Price, and others! He has been a guitarist with Marcia Ball since 2009 and before that worked with Elvin Bishop, Maria Muldaur, Angela Strehli, Bonnie Raitt, Howard Tate, Charlie Musselwhite, and Sista Monica amongst others. The core band on this CD is Schermer, guitar, and vocals; Steve Ehrmann, bass; Paul Revelli, drums; and Austin Delone, organ. Two tracks have a horn section of Eric Bernhardt, baritone and tenor saxophones; and Nancy Wright, tenor saxophone. Jim Pugh sits in on organ on three tracks while one song, “Ain’t That The Way Love Goes?” includes a different band with Jim Pugh, Chris Cain on electric piano, and a rhythm section of Kid Andersen, bass; and Alex Pettersen, drums. Cain also contributes guitar on one selection while Billy Price contributes a backing vocal. Schermer wrote or co-wrote all of the songs.

This is a solidly recorded and played CD. Schmerer is more striking as a guitarist than a singer but his somewhat light, plain singing I find quite listenable and honestly delivered. And his songs are solid idiomatic ones starting with the opening "She Won't Be Coming Back," with a groove, melody, and horns evocative of Little Walters "Up the Line." Then there is the amusing "Lover's Hall of Fame" about a relationship gone sour as he tells his ex that she's not on the ballot for the Lover's Hall of Fame. The Farfisa organ on "How Much Longer" gives it a feel of a beach club dance song in the sixties, while the title track is a relaxed jump blues as he sings about a tattoo about some other dude that she tries to hide. Besides his appealing singer, there is some sharp guitar akin to sixties Johnny 'Guitar' Watson as well as nice supportive horns including a booting tenor sax solo. There is a soulful "Ain't That the Way Love Goes," with a backing vocal chorus, and a "Baby Down the Well," with pounding piano, Rick Estrin's harmonica and a jackhammer groove.

"Hey Francine," a country-rockabilly tinged song is perhaps the weakest vocal here. It is well played like the rest of this recording. Schmerer has put together a strong backing ensemble with solid contributions from his friends. Add well-crafted originals, and one has a very engaging recording.

I received my reviewe copy from VizzTone. This review originally appeared in the May-June 2019 Jazz & Blues Report (Issue 384), although I have made minor stylistic changes. Here is a video of him covering Latimore's "Let's Straighten It Out."

 

Lara Price I Mean Business

Lara Price
I Mean Business
Price Productions/ Vizztone

Lara Price was born in the war torn country of Vietnam in 1975. Abandoned at birth, Lara became a part of the controversial Operation Baby Lift, the mass evacuation of orphans from South Vietnam to the United States, and was one of the small number who have survived. She has been singing since a youth and in 1997 moved to the San Francisco Bay area where she has been involved in a variety of musical productions. "This"I Mean Business" is her sixth album (the first for this writer) and is an impressive and mature recording by this Bay Area singer whose career has included several genre spanning recordings.

 Recorded at Kid Andersen's Greaseland Studios, Price is supported by an A-List crew of musicians including Jim Pugh (Robert Cray Band), Chris Cain, and fellow VizzTone label-mates Mighty Mike Schermer (Marcia Ball) and Laura Chavez (who plays with Lara frequently when she’s not touring with Candye Kane), along with Andersen and a tight, punchy horn section and backing vocal chorus. Price also wrote, co-wrote and collected songs for this release (some of the collaborations involved Schermer and Chavez) and the overall feel is of the classic soul and blues of the sixties and seventies.

This feel of classic soul and blues is fostered by her solid covers of the Candi Staton recording "Get It Where I Want It," Ann Peebles' "Slipped, Tripped, Fell In Love," both of which were penned by George Jackson. She has a touch of vibrato in her singing and her vocal dynamics helps add to the power of her singing. Also strong is a strong interpretation of Freddie King's "Pack It Up." Her originals certainly are noteworthy as well including her collaboration with Schermer, "Happy Blue Year," with some terrific guitar from him as well as keyboards from Pugh, to enhance her moving vocal on this blues lament. Chavez (who added some terrific guitar to "Pack It Up") collaborated on the deep soul original "Time," probably the best example of Price's use of dynamics in her vocal with the performance's intensity building to its explosive climax (and Chavez is stunning here as well).

There are other delights including the title track with Chris Cain's sharp guitar break and a a strutting groove behind Price's fervent singing and the closing blue lament "Love Lost" with Andersen on lead guitar. Price impressed this writer throughout and sounding convincing whether singing softly or forcefully. With excellent support and Kid Andersen's solid production, Lara Price's "I Mean Business" is a striking recording.

I received a review copy from VizzTone. This review originally appeared in the January-February 2016 Jazz & Blues Report (Issue 364). Here is Lara Price performing.

Mighty Mike Schermer Blues In Good Hands

Marcia Ball's guitarist since 2009, Mighty Mike Schermer has played with a who's who of blues and roots acts including most notably Angela Strehli and Elvin Bishop, and recorded with Ball, Bishop, Maria Muldaur, Howard Tate, Sista Monica and many more. He has a new release under his own name, "Blues In Good Hands" (Finedog Records/Vizztone), mostly recorded at Kid Andersen’s Greaseland Recording Studios in San Jose, CA, with an A-List of musicians from the Bay Area, CA and Austin, TX music scenes including Paul Revilli, Tony Stead, Steve Ehrmann, Austin Delone, Nancy Wright, Terry Hanck, along with guest appearances by Marcia Ball, Tommy Castro, John Németh, and Carolyn Wonderland. Schermer penned the 13 songs (three in collaboration with others).

Mostly recorded at Kid Andersen's Greaseland Studio, and mixed by Andersen, this varied recording benefits from the uncluttered and clean production of these crisply delivered performances. Schermer displays his many talents on the opening "Baby Don't Stop," with his appealing gritty vocals and keen guitar (there is a nice Hanck solo here) with the rhythm section very tight behind him. While he may have a narrow vocal range, Schermer's understated, unforced singing has considerable appeal appealing. "Heaven's on the Other Side," has a nice lyric about struggling in his everyday with bill collectors and car not running with a catchy hook about not minding to go through hell if heaven is on the other side. Set against a funky vamp, he has a fiery, concise guitar solo. "It's a Pleasure" is a lovely ballad while a reggae groove anchors the peppy "One Tear At a Time," and then there "Wait-On-Me Woman," with Greg Izor's harmonica along with the relaxed shuffle groove.

The title track with Schermer's mix of his own experiences (how seeing Albert Collins perform and  conduct himself, changed Schermer's life, as well as how he and Terry Hanck were affected by Junior Walker's passing),  inspired him to write and perform songs that everyone could understand, that were real which everyone could feel. I usually dislike 'keep the blues alive' songs, but Schermer's lyric and  solid playing make this an exception. "Most People," with twangy guitar and a swampy feel is suggestive of some of Bobby Charles' songs. Marcia Ball adds piano to the rollicking "Barkin' Up The Wrong Tree," while Tommy Castro adds some fiery guitar to the slow blues "Stop Crying," while John Nemeth adds harmonica to the lazy Jimmy Reed groove of "Baby Be Kind."

There is so much to like about this recording. Schermer is a marvelous songwriter, guitarists and a singer with wit and heart. With the strong backing throughout, this is a gem of a recording.

I received my review copy from VizzTone.Here is a video of him in performance.