SnC 135 – Wed 17 Sep 2008

Podcast: Play in new window

Using someone else’s voice this week on account of how mine has gone missing!I was in the historic (and very small "city" of Ely (near Cambridge) yesterday to meet up with Merle and Carole, distant relations from British Columbia, who are over for a couple of weeks and will be touring England, Scotland and Wales. A warm welcome to them and to you. I’m not sure that the gargoyle up on the cathedral wall (picture, right) felt the same way.Congo Square – Chris Daniels & the Kings (Colorado, USA)Chris Daniels & the Kings is a rootsy funk and swing horn section band with a Memphis and New Orleans groove.Chris Daniels & the Kings in the tradition of Blood Sweat & Tears, Booker T. and the Memphis Horns and Tower of Power.Chris has toured Europe more than 15 times and played in the States from South Carolina to Seattle, New York City to LA. The seven piece rockin’ band, called "funky-blues" by the Europeans, is an all out "horn band" celebrating their 23rd year of making great R&B,Funk, "jump blues" and rock n roll. Congo Square is from their album Live Wired which was recorded at seven gigs in Colorado, Holland and Italy. You can buy it from their website.www.chrisdaniels.com/Sig tune:Happy – Jimmie Bratcher (Missouri, USA)www.jimmiebratcher.com/Breathe – Jean Synodinos (Austin, Texas, USA)It’s all been said in previous shows, but just in case you didn’t hear…Jean is always out to push the envelope a little bit more with each song and each show. Energetically. Enthusiastically.With songs that skate between genres, Jean jumps from rock to jazz to pop in order to find the right groove and tone for each song. Known for her dynamic performances, she lives to "read the room" and deliver shows that keep audiences returning for more.Following up on her acclaimed debut CD Lucky, Jean has just released Breathe. Picking up where Lucky left off, Breathe’s eleven tracks groove even harder musically and dig even deeper lyrically. The disc features thoroughbred performances by Charles Rieser on guitars (The Scabs, Boombox), Brad Houser on bass (Edie Brickell & The New Bohemians), and Rob Hooper on drums (Guy Forsythe, Colin Gilmore).www.jeansynodinos.com/www.myspace.com/jeansynodinosH-2 – J. Blasco (Barcelona, Spain)From the album Lounge House by Javier Blasco Serrat. Not a lot of information, just:Saludos .J.Blasco.http://jaopticamusic.blogspot.com/www.jamendo.com/en/artist/j.blascoPlay Bomb – izzie Voodoo (Barnsley, UK)izzie Voodoo is a solo artist creating a vivid, highly unusual yet accessible sound.Her music maintains a dark exciting edge whilst switching between full, highly produced alternative, sometimes industrial, vocal and guitar and bass orientated electronica, and bittersweet ballads, each song led by her layers of sultry, breathy vocals.Music to die for (with tongue firmly in cheek)….Her outstanding reputation as a recording artist and producer, coupled with huge theatrical experience both on and backstage has also led to many exciting other collaborations with musicians from varying genres and from all over the world.In her recorded material she is: Song Writer, all vocals, guitars, bass, hard and soft synths, electronic percussion, engineering/production.Signed to BasilicaMusic.You can find more information about izzie Voodoo by visiting www.izzievoodoo.comwww.myspace.com/izzievoodooEldoret – Amelia Ray (Madrid, Spain)From her album ON. The second track I’ve played. This is the gospel tune, Eldoret, based on the violence in Kenya ("This has the trappings of another genocide")Amelia Ray’s music is at once rock, jazz, country, gospel, pop, and blues. "Once you realise how closely connected different styles of music are, you can start to play with the boundaries of those styles, and create something new and invigorating. But at the root, I’m always trying to make good, old finger-snapping music that makes you perk up your ears, and move your feet."California-born vocalist, composer, and multi-instrumentalist Amelia Ray currently resides in Madrid where she performs original soul rock music solo, and with her band, The Conjugal Experiment. A young music scene veteran, Amelia has been performing in the United States and in Europe for almost 20 years. She appeared on The Ellen DeGeneres Show, was a featured artist for Radio Campus Lille in France, and even performed in Iceland. She has shared the stage with Chuck Rainey, Elliott Randall, Rob Bargad, Maia Sharp and Kenny Aronoff, to name a few. Since her arrival in Spain, she has graced such renowned stages as Sala Clamores and The Bourbon Cafe in Madrid, and the Casa de las Conchas in Salamanca.www.ameliaray.netwww.myspace.com/ameliarayhttp://cdbaby.com/cd/ameliaray3You can see a video (filmed live at Zanzibar in Madrid) on her MySpace pageCarry the Light – Kelly Richey (Cincinnati, OH,  USA)As a teenager, Richey practiced guitar 12 hours a day. "I never set it down,” she remembers. "I took it to school, I took it to the kitchen table and if I took a walk it was strapped on." Now, when she picks up her guitar, anyone within earshot is compelled to listen. A working musician since her teens, she began her professional career as a member of the Arista Records group Stealin’ Horses; in 1990 she formed The Kelly Richey Band, with whom she has become both a national and international touring artist.Take a look at her videos on YouTube at http://tinyurl.com/5orlu3Since establishing her own label, Sweet Lucy Records, Richey has released 10 albums and a live DVD, as both a solo artist and as The Kelly Richey Band. As an extension of Sweet Lucy Records, she built a studio where she records her own music and works with other artists.Richey’s involvement with music goes way beyond recording and performing. A longtime private guitar instructor, in 2003 Richey began developing a Guitar Workshop and a Blues History program to take into the schools.Richey created Music for Change, a 501(c)(3) non-profit committed to music education in today’s public schools; a variety of programs offering live performances, lectures, and interactive participation serve to facilitate learning opportunities for students while keeping the history of American music alive and prospering.www.kellyrichey.comwww.myspace.com/kellyricheyHush – Ben Senterfit (Red Hook, NY, USA)Deeply steeped in roots music, Ben Senterfit"s music collapses the boundaries between the classic American singer/songwriter and retrofitted hip-shaking funky-45s. Influenced by such visionary musicians as Bill Withers, Curtis Mayfield and Willie Nelson, he delicately walks the line between hard hitting grooves, undeniable musicianship and crafty songwriting.www.bensenterfit.com/www.myspace.com/soulwaveHalfway Home – Radio Nowhere (Oakland, CA, USA)From their album Days Between Stations.Radio Nowhere is a rock/pop band from Oakland, California. A friend once told them that they sound like Pete Townshend produced by Prince, and that sums it up pretty well.The band was started by Mike Baker, who writes all the songs and does the singing and guitar playing, as well as anything else that needs doing (like, um, writing the band bio). I’m supposed to tell you about all the great clubs we’ve played, the records we’ve sold, and the rock stars we’ve partied with, but I think that gets boring really fast – don’t you? Here"s what you should know about Radio Nowhere:1) When I was growing up, my family would drive from the Bay Area to Idaho every summer, and my mom would make up stories to go along with what we were seeing along the highways. So I got imprinted with the whole combination of music, empty roads and stories early on – hopefully it shows up in our songs.2) When I was six, I trawled through my dad’s record collection looking for the shiniest, most colorful album cover and played the lp inside, which turned out to be Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band. Psychedelicized at six–it’s hard to recover. 3) I write most of my songs while I’m driving, on an ancient Casio keyboard bungee-corded to the passenger seat. This is not safe. 4) I have rocked crowds of several hundred people with nothing more than an acoustic guitar and a well-timed Britney Spears cover (were they sober? No). If sound is familiar, I first played Radio Nowhere last November on show 90 so a long overdue and very welcome return.www.radionowhere.net/