Madison Is Ready For Samantha Fish

After launching her recording career in 2009, Samantha Fish quickly established herself as a rising star in the contemporary blues world. Since then, the charismatic young singer-guitarist-songwriter has earned a reputation as a rising guitar hero and powerful live performer, while releasing a series of acclaimed albums that have shown her restless creative spirit consistently taking her in new and exciting musical directions. Having already made it clear that she’s more interested in following her heart than she is in repeating past triumphs, Samantha delivers some of her most compelling music to date with her latest release, Belle of the West, her fifth studio album. The deeply soulful, personally charged eleven song set showcases her sublime acoustic guitar skills as well as her rootsy, emotionally resonant songwriting. We have learned along her musical path so far that while the blues is the backbone to where she started and is part of the feeling of her music, she is much more than just that. She has many sounds driven from that foundation, but make no mistake, she is an artist with an open mind and can take that blues drive down any genre avenue.

I had the pleasure of catching up with Samantha ahead of her upcoming stop in Madison on December, 13th at the High Noon Saloon. We touch base on the who and what will be happening at that event for anyone who doesn’t recall her recent times in Madison. We get into how the newest music has been built by a vision that started even before her first release and how it has led her to be on the other side of things, producing Jonathon Long‘s new self titled release on her very own Wild Heart Records label. Jonathon will be opening for Samantha on the 13th. I think you’ll find that not only is her music hitting the spot you would hope it can, but the person she is, seeking artists to support that deserve their share of the spotlight, is just as cool and awesome as her sounds.

Lincoln Hall, Chicago, 1/31/2018.
Photo By: Kirstine Walton

Hiding In A Black Or White World

The second portion of the Sunday open-schedule fill-in proGram didn’t need reminders of the colors to care.

Shikkoku Dub- Bill Laswell, Hideo Yamaki with Josh Werner
The Lie- Taj Weekes
Insecurities- Taj Weekes

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Babam- Minor Empire
Tohum- Minor Empire
Iki Keklik- Minor Empire
Baiah Dug Duble- Huun Huur Tu & Carmen Rizzo
Kaigal- Huun Huur Tu & Carmen Rizzo

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How We Gonna Work It Out (Bosq Remix)- Kokolo
Afrika Man (GMGN Remix)- Kokolo
Salsero- Hip Spanic Allstars
Party In The Mission- Hip Spanic Allstars

~~~
Danama- Baye Kouyatè
Tssad- Dimyon
Train To Chill- Eyal Talmudi

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Hakuna- Hu: Vibrational
Roma (Electric Hot Pot Mix)- Sharabi Ft. Frank London & Deep Singh

~~~
Chapter 10- Mister Rourke

Saloon Saloon

The first portion of a Sunday open schedule fill-in proGram had the corners of the blocks all around the big rotating circle in mind:

Five Tango Sensations: Anxiety- Fareed Haque & Kaia String Quartet
All The Way Home- Bokanté, Metropole Orkest & Jules Buckley

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Captain Time and His Craic Crew- Jim Roberts
Past Tense- Jim Roberts
Moral Compass- Jim Roberts
Inner City Blues- Jim Roberts

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Tako Tsubo- Paris Combo
Anemiques Maracas- Paris Combo
Specimen- Paris Combo
somnambulist- nêhiyawak
Muscle Zydeco- Corey Ledet & His Zydeco Band

~~
Exotic Other- Animanz & Juanita Euka
Drink The Water- Animanz & Juanita Euka
Chameleon- Animanz & Juanita Euka
The System- The Public Opinion Afro Orchestra
Twisted Love Letter- MC Zulu & The Weapons

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Contradiction- Alborosie Ft. Chronixx
Too Rock- Alborosie Ft. Beres Hammond
Tonight- Joey Radio
2nd Time Around- Jr Thomas & The Volcanos
Phony Ones- Jr Thomas & The Volcanos

Be Sure To Dot The Eyes

The second set from the regularly scheduled proGram had the Balinese dot painting in us all shining bright:

John Brown- Marc Ribot Ft. Fay Victor
~
Fly Little Girl- Charles Bradley
Slip Away- Charles Bradley
Let Me Love You Baby- Mike Farris
When Mavis Sings- Mike Farris
Lovely Day- José James Ft. Lalah Hathaway
Use Me- José James

~~
Mighty Mighty- Jerry Velona
Fat B- Keller Williams
A Distant Closeness- Tommy Guerrero
The Shorter Shuffle- OJT
Blue- Space Captain
One For Chuck- Circles Around The Sun Ft. Chuck D.

~~~
Runaway- Eric Lau
Do You Like Music?- Eric Lau

~
Get It Got it Good Intro- Shad
Sniper Interlude- Shad
Crispus Attucks- Killiam Shakespeare Ft. DJ Jazzy Jeff
Williehook (skit)- Georgia Anne Muldrow
These Are The Things I Really Like About You- Georgia Anne Muldrow Ft. Dudley Perkins
Blam- Georgia Anne Muldrow

~~~
Fireflies- Marley Carroll

Upside Down Sniffa

The first portion of the reGularly schedules show continued to use its senses no matter what position it found itself in:

Show Me Something Higher- Leftover Salmon
Goddamn Heart- Hillstomp
So Good- Reverend Peyton’s Big Damn Band
Me And The Devil- Reverend Peyton’s Big Damn Band
If The Spirit Don’t Move You- The Reputations

~~
Baby I Love You- Dave Keller
You Bring The Sunshine- Dave Keller
Junebug’s Percussion Solo- Diane Durrett & Soul Suga Ft. Melissa Junebug (live)
Sassy Larue- Diane Durrett & Soul Suga (live)

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Dead ‘n’ Gone- Jake’O
**Excerpt of pre-recorded Conversation with Jake’O**
Whatcha Gonna Do?- Jake’O
Not From Round Here- Jake’O

~~~
Confessions- The Marcus King Band
Homesick- The Marcus King Band
Ain’t It Hard But Fair- Chris Robinson Brotherhood (live)
Searchin’- Seth Hunter Davis Ft. Chef Dave & Johnny Neel

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Sick ‘n’ Tired- The ArKaics
Come Down- Zoo Animal
Concern And A Warning- Zoo Animal
Pilicious Bitches- Johnny Pisano’s Punk Rock Pizzeria
The Opposite- Alec K. Redfearn

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Dusty Trails- Moon Sugar
Danger: Chase- Morricone Youth

Veggies And All

The second helping of the day after open schedule proGram make sure you cleaned off your plate:

Duff’s Groove- Noon
Diamond- Robi Botos Ft. Seamus Blake, Larnell Lewis & Mike Downes
Hope- Robi Botos Ft. Seamus Blake, Larnell Lewis & Mike Downes
La Bestia- LA PINGOS ORQUESTA
Exilio- LA PINGOS ORQUESTA

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Black Paradise (interlude)- Xavier Davis
Black Paradise- Xavier Davis
The Unfreeway (interlude)- Xavier Davis

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Victor’s Delight- The Brian Auger Piano Trio (live)
A Night In Tunisia- The Brian Auger Piano Trio (live)
The Middle Man- Christian McBride
Walking Funny- Christian McBride

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The Trap- Jonathan Scales Fourchestra Ft. Christian Scott aTunde Adjuah, MonoNeon, Victor Wooten & Weedie Braimah
Focus Poem- Jonathan Scales Fourchestra Ft. Béla Fleck
We Came Through The Storm- Jonathan Scales Fourchestra
Timing- Marcus Strickland’s Twi-Life
On My Mind- Marcus Strickland’s Twi-Life Ft. Bilal, Pharoahe Monch & Greg Tate

~~
Rooftop Blues- OJT
Kebbi Played a Note- Whose Hat Is This?
Well Alright, Playboy- Whose Hat Is This?

Blue ‘N Boogie / West Coast Blues- Wes Montgomery (live)
Mr. Fishbone- Jaco Pastorius (live)
Willa Jean- John Scofield

Celebrate With Good People

The first portion of this open schedule day after the thanks proGram was served up this way:

Au Privave- Charlie Haden & Brad Mehldau (live)
Duo de Aguas- Omar Sosa & Yilian Cañizares
Sanzara- Omar Sosa & Yilian Cañizares

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Three Little Words- Fred Hersch Trio (live)
Djerbi- George Gruntz
Raga Jeeva Swara- Dave Pike Set
Run Riot- Francois Houle & Alexander Hawkins
Taiga- Josh Sinton’s Predicate Trio

~~
Violin Partita No. 1 in B Minor, BWV1002, II. Double- Aruan Ortiz & Don Byron
Dolphy’s Dance- Aruan Ortiz & Don Byron
Black And Tan Fantasy- Aruan Ortiz & Don Byron
Barney’s Fife- Jack Mouse Group

~~~
IMB- Wayne Horvitz
~~~
Arrival- İlhan Erşahin’s Istanbul Sessions
Farewell to Earth- İlhan Erşahin’s Istanbul Sessions
Take Me To Wak Wak!- Phillip Johnston
Adventures in China- Phillip Johnston
What Is Real- Phillip Johnston & The Collerators

Nuvo-Retro With Jake’O

Jake’O is a young man with an old soul. He has the spirit of an aged blues man and the willingness to expand his jam as a ready to learn artist. He consistently amazes his audiences with his modern-retro originals and his unique and energized arrangements of blues, rock ‘n’ roll, and sweet rhythm and blues. His sweat til you drop entertainment style transforms a ‘routine performance’ into a experience that an audience will take with themselves to reflect upon and wonder why all artists don’t shake rattle and roll like Jake’O does. When he takes to the stage, his slick leading guitar licks and his familiar, yet :what’s that” vocals captures the crowd and commands the scene to pay attention. Jake’O is soulfully spicing up the Delta Blues and Dixieland Jazz into this unique, new age, revved-up 1950’s Rock N’ Roll sound. It doesn’t matter what kinds of music fits your ear; he’ll offer a little taste of something for everyone.

I had the chance to catch up with Jake’O about his brand new self released album, Nuvo-Retro. We get into his approach to songwriting and song finding and how each moment of a song is a unique time ready to be built off of. We talk about how such a young man got into such old sounds and how his twisting and turning of this foundation, brought a new feeling to an older sounding style. I have a feeling that once folks get a little fever for the flavor of some Jake’O music, they will quickly learn that Jake’O knows how to put on a show, one that is most memorable for what you see as much as for what you hear.

Photo By Jimmy THE FOX Robinson

Walked On Down The Hall

The second portion of the proGram had to decide whether to come or go and which way:

Dinner Time!- Beanpole
Pumpkin Pickin’ Time- Beanpole
All Along The Watchtower- Nick Nicely

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Maloveilove- Johnny Pisano’s Punk Rock Pizzeria
Don’t Think- Johnny Pisano’s Punk Rock Pizzeria

No Fun- Eyedress
Tramadoliday- Alec K. Redfearn & the Eyesores
Bat Living In My Room- Alec K. Redfearn & the Eyesores

~~~
Speak In Tongues- Nova Materia
~~~
Joy- Cliff Beach
Kissing My Love- José James
When I Woke Up- Gecko Turner
Ámame, Mímame- Gecko Turner
Black Velvet- Charles Bradley

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Are You Lonely For Me Baby?- Mike Farris
**pre-recorded conversation with Mike Farris**
Hope She’ll Be Happier- Mike Farris
~~~
Gabriel’s Lament- Vivian Sessoms Ft. Keyon Harrold
See Lude- Vivian Sessoms Ft. Meku Yisrael
See Line Woman- Vivian Sessoms Ft. Vincent Gardner, Kenyatta Beasley & Donny McCaslin
Papa Was A Rolling Stone- Grupo Magnetico
Smokey Joe’s La La- Lance Ferguson’s Rare Groove Spectrum

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Easy Tiger- Mister T.
Rock Stars- Mister T.

~~~
Ciao- Georgia Anne Muldrow

Between Building

The first portion of the proGram scaled with a single bound…or something like that:

Cluck Old Hen- Hillstomp Ft. Anna Tivel
Snake Eagle Blues- Hillstomp
Dirty Swerve- Reverend Peyton’s Big Damn Band
That’s The Way- Matt Campbell

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Catbird Seat- Webb Wilder And The Beatnecks
Dead And Starting To Cool- Webb Wilder And The Beatnecks
Sign On The Window- Taylor Martin
No Vacancy- The ArKaics
You Turn Me Bad- The ArKaics

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Parrot Woman- Black Cat Buscuit
What’s the Matter With the Mill- Dave Lumsden Ft. Reggie Britton
It’s All In Your Eyes- Dave Keller
Ain’t Givin’ In- Dave Keller
All Night Long- Sean Chambers
Headin’ Home- Sandy Carroll Ft. Bernard Allison

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My Baby She Rocks- Billy F Gibbons
Bring It To Jerome- Billy F Gibbons
Tell The Truth- Scott Sharrard
How Long- The Marcus King Band
Magic Carpet Ride- Chris Robinson Brotherhood (live)

~~~
Roshamboagogo- Keller Williams
**pre-recorded conversation with Keller Williams**
The Cabella Vibe- Keller Williams
Gracias Leo- Keller Williams

Keller Williams ‘Sans’ in Madison

Singer, songwriter, and all around cool guitarist Keller Williams is a sorta one-man jam band. His live shows feature him solo on-stage with a killer looping unit, and he creates and builds his backing loops in the moment, simultaneously improvising on the guitar guitar. He can make any song fun and funny, with a personality of their own. In 1994, he self-released his debut album, Freek. He relocated himself to Colorado the following year, and met up with the members of the progressive bluegrass band The String Cheese Incident at the Telluride Bluegrass Festival and ended up touring with them as an opening act in 1997 and 1998. Staying creative and busy has never been an issue with Keller, he has released nearly an album a year, all with one-word titles. Not only is his own music something to grab onto, but Keller has managed to work with so many great people and artists along the way. He performs with a reason and for a cause and the giving back is always something new and unique.

I had the chance to catch up with friend of the proGram, Mr. Keller Williams to talk about his upcoming sow in Madison, “An Evening With Keller Williams” on November 30th, at the Majestic Theater. We break open the live show nut to let anyone who is unfamiliar into the who and what to expect from this event. We spend a good amount of time discussing the making of his latest release, Sans, believe it or not it’s his very first instrumental album. As always with him, there are so many projects going on to be a part of so we of course pitch a couple of these so people can get their ready….ready. The best part of the artists I get to meet up with is just that, the artists…. so we talk about how he met up with our friends, The Keels and also what “All Star” cast would he select to play one of his tunes with.

Silver & Stone and a Show With Mike Farris

Nashville native Mike Farris is the real deal. He left home at fifteen and has since overcome addiction and other kinds of obstacles. Coming off of a GRAMMY win for 2015’s SHINE FOR ALL THE PEOPLE (Best Roots Gospel album), he is touring in support of his Top 10 Americana radio charting-album, SILVER & STONE, put out on Compass Records. The album features an ace group of musicians channeling the classic Stax Records sound and the single, “Golden Wings,” was a recent top pick in Rolling Stone’s Best New Country Songs. Now seven years sober, Mike has the energy and conviction of a man saved, a stack of anecdotes and life experiences that would make most people’s heads spin, and a soulful vocal delivery reminiscent of this classic voices we all hold near and dear. While SILVER & STONE isn’t a “gospel” album by any means, listeners still get taken to church on these twelve engaging tracks, including a cover of Bill Withers’ “Hope She’ll be Happier.” The album features an amazing group of players who were all allowed to put their modern spin on classic grooves and progressions. The musicians were given just enough structure so they could add their own flavor.

I had the great pleasure of speaking with Mike about the upcoming show with he and his band at the Stoughton Opera House on November 29th. Mike provides a little insight into the band and the sounds to be expected on n evening that seeks to provide a smile and feeling of joy for all who attend. We get into the making of the new album from a point of ideas into the aural experience I get to fill listeners earholes with. Playing and paying respect to the places the music Mike feels comes from, we talk about what it is like growing up in a place with the soil is rich in traditions and SOUL MUSIC….and how all you had to do was be paying attention to grow a little soul yourself.

Milk This Weed

The second portion of the proGram knows just how to get to the juicy parts:

Space Bop- LTF
Soviet Groove Machine- LTF
City Connection- Bugseed
ESC- Bugseed

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Groovin’ Sweet- Eric Lau
Take Me To Brasil- Eric Lau
By The Sea- Eric Lau
King of the Hill- Thundercat Ft. BADBADNOTGOOD & Flying Lotus

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Lovecoaster- Moods
Celica Supra- Harrison
Mustang- Harrison Ft Talvi
Blue Nile- Te’amir
Afar Hustle- Te’amir

~~
Marching On- Iya Terra Ft. Jesse Royal
Fansdub (outro)- Alborosie
Wailing Dub- Alborosie
Big Pharma- Taj Weekes

~~
Time To Go- Yasmine Kyd
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Madagascar- Barabass & The Happy Few
Carry On- The Crystal Method
The Drive Inside- The Crystal Method
Intro: Sniper- Shad
The Revolution/The Establishment- Shad

This Is Your Land Too

The first portion of the proGram knows there should be no boundary lines:

Jesus Was A Walking Man- Amy Ray Ft. The Wood Brothers
Season’s Turn- Edward David Anderson

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Mr. and Mrs. Hush- Elvis Costello & The Imposters
High Cost Of Loving You- Scott Sharrard (live)
Runnin’ Blind (vinyl version)- GospelbeacH
The Night That I Found Jesus (Down at Robert’s Western World)- Matt Campbell
Lux- Mod Hippie

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Lay Baby Lay- Cary Morin
Get to You- The String Cheese Incident Ft. Lyle Divinsky
Losing You- The Gary Douglas Band
Dupree- Kirk Fletcher

~~
Child Of The Sky- Moonweevil
Losing Form- Polly Panic
Twisted Up- Polly Panic
Danger By Starlite- Morricone Youth

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Better Off Dead- José James
Stay Away- Charles Bradley Ft. Menahan Street Band
Minor Minor-The Stance Brothers
Riisto- Mopo Ft. Jimi Tenor
Love Will Tear Us Apart- Hot 8 Brass Band

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Mercy Boogie- Joe Marcinek Band
**pre-recorded conversation with Joe Marcinek**
Terre Haute Blues- Joe Marcinek Band

The Making Of JM3

The Joe Marcinek Band is an experience you will never forget. That is because each show features a different lineup of musicians creating a different set of music every night. The music is equal parts Chicago Blues, New Orleans Funk, Grateful Dead Psychedelia, and Jazz Fusion! Joe tours nationally from New York to LA and everywhere in between. Most of the lineups will only happen one time making every night a can’t miss show.

The group has featured many prominent special guests including Bernie Worrell (P-Funk, Talking Heads), Melvin Seals (Jerry Garcia Band), George Porter JR (The Meters), Ivan Neville (Dumpstaphunk), Alan Evans (Soulive), Kris Myers (Umphrey’s McGee), Tony Hall (Dumpstaphunk, Dave Mathews & Friends), Shaun Martin (Snarky Puppy, Kirk Franklin), Allen Aucoin (the Disco Biscuits), Marty Sammon (Buddy Guy), Jason Hann (String Cheese Incident / EOTO), Erik “Jesus” Coomes (Lettuce), Borahm Lee (Break Science), Jennifer Hartswick and Natalie Cressman (Trey Anastasio Band), Mike Greenfield (Lotus), Borham Lee (Break Science), Steve Molitz (Phil Lesh & Friends / Particle) Joey Porter (The Motet / Juno What), Fareed Haque, Scott Metzger, Nate Werth (Snarky Puppy) Garrett Sayers (The Motet) Allie Kral (Yonder Mountain String Band), Freekbass, Vinnie Amico and Jim Loughlin (moe.) and more!

Joe has been a friend of the proGram for years now and it is always a pleasure to catch up. We get deep into the making of his third (and self-released) alum, JM3. We talk about the process and how working with Wil Blades and Terence Higgins for the very first time happened when they hit record. We talk about the differences between this album and his previous release “Slink” and of course Joe dishes out props along the way ti all the hands and ears that assisted in the making and creating these pieces of art. Joe is one of the busiest people making the scene happen out there, so of course we talk about the who and where or what’s going on on the beGinning legs of touring on the new release. Including time upcoming with friends of the proGram, Manny & Ronnie of Groovesession, Melody Trucks of The Melody Trucks Band, and Jason Hann of EOTO/The String Cheese Incident. Check out the conversation to find out the closest stop to you and who might be a part of the making of music for you, on that evening.

No Farm No Foul

The second portion of the proGram had already been worked:

BMX- The Putbacks
Heavy Shit- The Putbacks
Drones- The Putbacks
The Same Love That Made Me Laugh- José James

~
East Bay All Day- Tower Of Power
**Pre-recorded conversation with Mr. Emilio Castillo of Tower Of Power**
Do You Like That?- Tower Of Power
~
High Life- Vivian Sessoms Ft. Charissa “The Violin Diva” Rouse
People (& Belles Personnes Reprise)- Vivian Sessoms Ft. Shedrick Mitchell & Amp Fiddler
I’ll Do That- Gecko Turner
Fight So Hard- The Public Opinion Afro Orchestra

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The Deep End- Cookin’ On 3 Burners
Egg Roll- Lance Ferguson’s Rare Groove Spectrum
The Dump- Lance Ferguson’s Rare Groove Spectrum
Feel Like Jumping- Caz Gardiner & the Badasonics

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Rolling a Donut with a Snake in a Vest- The Mackrosoft
It’s Complicated- Sam Huber
The Jam, Pt. 2- Sly5thAve Ft. Paul Wilson
My Name Is- Sy5thAve Ft. Robert “Sput” Searight

~~~
My Cherie Amour- Stevie Wonder (Beatnick & K Salaam Remix)
Dogs Of War- MC Zulu
Runnin’ Back- deM atlaS
Joe Strummer- Four Fists
Hit n’ Run- The Samps

~
**excerpt of pre-recorded conversation with Nnamdi Ogbonnaya**
let gO of my egO- Nnamdi Ogbonnaya

Celebrating All Of Us

The first portion to the proGram wants you all to celebrate the way you do:

Gracie’s Dawn (prelude)- Amy Ray
Sure Feels Good Anyways- Amy Ray
Bad Tattoos- Edward David Anderson
Lazy River- Town Mountain

~~
Jug In The Water- Cary Morin
Little Pictures- Taylor Martin
Midnight Detective- Peggy Sarlin
Long Way To Go- Delta Moon
Tractor Pull- Jonathan Byrd
You Can’t Take My Shine- Reverend Peyton’s Big Damn Band

~~
Butter Side Up- Detonics
The Rat- Detonics
greenarrowradio promo- Dave Keller
This Is Gonna Hurt- Dave Keller
Love is a Wonderful Thing- Sandy Carroll Ft. Johnny Rawls

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Further on up the Road- David Lumsden Ft. Bill Evans
Hard Pill To Swallow- Joe Louis Walker, Bruce Katz & Giles Robson
Fine, Fine Woman- Ron Spencer Group
Red Hot Mama- Sean Chambers
Blue Monday- Peter V Blues Train
Money-Gaetano Letizia & The Underworld Blues Band
greenarrowradio promo- Lawrence Lebo

~~
California Steamer-GospelbeacH (live)
Where I’m Headed- The Marcus King Band
Somewhere Past The Sunset- Chris Robinson Brotherhood (live)

~
Bright Side- Diane Durrett & Soul Suga (live)
The Stakes- Neville Jacobs
Light It Up- Seth Hunter Davis Ft. George Porter, Jr., Johnny Neel & Chef Dave

The Oakland Zone with Tower Of Power’s Emilio Castillio

Oakland, California music legends Tower of Power – the most dynamic and distinctive band of survivors in Soul Music – is roaring into its unprecedented 50th anniversary with a dynamic new disc of all new material that finds them as energized and inspired as ever. A labor of love, definitively titled “Soul Side of Town”, this new release is charged with fourteen filler-free songs. In the spirit of their enduring theme song “Oakland Stroke” – the book-ending intro and outro “East Bay” shine a light on elemental instrumental ingredients within the band’s signature sound. This astounding and historical release (out since June 1, 2018 in digital, vinyl, streaming & CD formats) inaugurates Tower of Power’s fresh affiliation with Mack Avenue Records, a Detroit-based company renowned for its award-winning dedication to top-tier Jazz that is now extending its support to Soul and Funk giants, Tower of Power: a band so one-of-a-kind, it’s an institution. Anticipation is so high for Tower of Power’s 50th Anniversary milestone that the first show on their home turf of Oakland swiftly sold out with a second one right on its heels, and an appearance at this year’s Playboy Jazz Festival also has tongues wagging! This year promises to be a BLAST for Tower of Power and all its fans as they celebrate this incredible milestone with a motherload of electrifying new sounds guaranteed to funkifize, energize and provide the soundtrack for new American movements of Love, Peace, Soul Power, Mind Power and People Power to rise!

I had the honor of catching up with founding member Mr. Emilio Castillo ahead of the group’s November 15th show in Madison at the Overture Center’s Capitol Theater. Mr. Castillo and I get into what a newbie to the scene could expect if this is their first time catching the soulful leGends in a live setting. We talk about how the new album keeps the familiar sound and gives ears a fresh feel, as well as how the album went from the seed of soul to a funkified flower that uplifts and charts! How does Tower of Power keep that signature sound so fresh and when it unites with other artists, how does it know where to do all it does? We talk a little bit about that secret sauce that allowed fifty years to fly by and a hope for fifty more with new songs like the ones on “Soul Side of Town”. Dig, what is hip!

photo by: Anna Webber

Nnamdi Ogbonnaya At High Noon Saloon

Nnamdi Ogbonnaya is a multi-instrumentalist composer, producer, and performer. His musical identity was forged in the DIY community of Chicago. Relentless participation in numerous musical projects bridged genres and created inroads between scenes. Near constant activity quickly made him a locus of gravity in the community. Nnamdi has toured the USA, Mexico Europe and Canada with projects ranging from punk to jazz. A full accounting of his musical activity over the last eight years includes approximately 15 bands and dozens of tours. All the while, Nnamdi has not only released a stream of records and EPs under his name and the ironic moniker “Nnamdi’s Sooper Dooper Secret Side Project”, but also runs his own label called SOOPER Records. His solo styling combines hip-hop, experimental rock, gospel, and jazz. His songs can often contain a sense of satire that is just as humorous as it is critical. Nnamdi’s lyrical insights draw on the diversity of his cultural experience as a Black, Jewish, first generation Nigerian-American. His work is characterized by the coupling of sophisticated compositional structures with pop-music motifs.

I had a chance to catch-up briefly with Nnamdi Ogbonnaya ahead of his November 8th show at the High Noon Saloon in Madison, Wisconsin. We get into what folks can expect at one of his shows, how he does the things he does the way he does. Find out how “The Simpsons” fit in and which one of his tunes would he choose to build a set-list around if programming a set on greenarrowradio.

Nnamdi Ogbonnaya