DJ for The Blues Alley Show
OCEAN SHORES, Washington, United States
I started collecting music in 1962, at the age of 10. In 1973 I went to work at Budget Tapes and Records in Burien , Wa. I started as a clerk, in 6 months I was promoted to Mgr. In 1975 I became a multiple location mgr. In 1977 I became the Western Region Operations Manager over seeing 100+ stores in 10 states for the corporate office. In 1978 I added Blues buyer to my duties.
In 1983 I left the Record business and began a 12 year run in the HiFi store management... Read More
Latest Album Reviews
Review of American Boys
Album Info: American Boys
Don McLean Album: American Boys Label: Self-Release Genre(s): Folk Rock Posted By: Robert Silverstein
Dec 20, 2024
Review
For those who remember being in High School when the song classic “American Pie” came out, in 2024 the song’s author Don McLean actually returned with an album of all-new pop-rock anthems called American Boys. The 13-track, 50-minute album features an impressive range of musicians and the good news is McLean’s clear-headed songwriting focus has never been sharper.
More than just a throwback to the “American Pie” heyday of the early 1970s, American Boys takes McLean’s singing and songwriting to new heights and it’s near impossible to single out one track. American Boys touches on modern-day Bob Dylan / Gerry Goffin style folk-rock and Beatles inspired rockers while another influence comes by way of new tracks that echo the memorable protest song romance of Phil Ochs, who himself was enamored of Buddy Holly so the Harrison / Dylan protest
Matt Panayides Trio Album: With Eyes Closed Label: Pacific Coast Jazz Genre(s): Contemporary Jazz Posted By: Robert Silverstein
Dec 16, 2024
Review
The jazz guitar trio format is put to good use on With Eyes Closed, the 2024 album released by Matt Panayides Trio. As in rock music, the trio sound and approach often provides an intimate and close-up view of each player and on his new album Matt is joined by Steve LaSpina (bass) and Anthony Pinciotti (drums). Matt’s guitar-centric studio recording approach shines a spotlight on this tight jazz trio.
With Eyes Closed also serves as a kind of best-of jazz tribute album to some of the finest modern jazz composer giants and among those given the jazz guitar trio treatment by Matt Panayides Trio are Frank Foster, Chick Corea, songwriter Jimmy Van Huesen, Henry Mancini, Wayne Shorter and more. Most of the album is straight-ahead jazz and the consistency of delivery gives the album a well-balanced, pleasant-sounding flow.
Roots Music Report presents a new
Corky Siegel Album: Corky Siegel's Symphonic Blues No. 6 Label: Daensely Genre(s): Contemporary Blues Posted By: Duane Verh
Dec 15, 2024
Review
On the spoken-word segment which closes this disc, harmonica player and composer Corky Siegel explains that his intent with bringing blues and classical music into coexistence wasn’t to create a blended music but rather to have the genres work off each other. Ear-grabbing evidence of this creative jousting is abundant during the first and third movements of the title piece with animated orchestral passages providing engaging pathways for Mr. Siegel’s true-blue navigations. Most compelling, though, maybe the down-tempo second movement, featuring particularly fiery play from the leader. Additional tracks include the entertaining and informative spoken section mentioned previously.
Ed Rawlings Album: A Foolish Inconsistency Label: Riff Raft Genre(s): Roots Rock Posted By: Robert Silverstein
Dec 9, 2024
Review
Instrumental rock guitar fans will be in for a treat with the 2024 release of A Foolish Inconsistency by SF Bay Area guitar ace Ed Rawlings. Ed's been on the music scene for decades and his 12-track album may jump around from rock to fusion to jazz to surf and other popular guitar idioms, yet it never comes up short of excellent ideas to draw upon and extrapolate from.
Speaking about his new album, Ed says, “A Foolish Inconsistency is literally the work of a lifetime for me. I wrote some of these songs over 40 years ago and resurrected them from an old reel-to-reel tape. Others I wrote more recently. I’ve always loved the instrumental parts of rock and roll — those mid-rangey melodies that were the trademark of bands like the Ventures or the Shadows and a zillion surf bands. This new album starts from there and then heads out into the
Grant Sabin Album: Work Label: Gitcha Genre(s): Country BluesRock Posted By: Duane Verh
Dec 1, 2024
Review
Grant Sabin and support crew cram a lot of good, earthy blues into a trio format. The Colorado-based slide guitarist enhances a convincing grasp of deep blues with vocals and touches of harmonica to match. Co-producers A.J. Fullerton and Forrest Raup serve as rhythm section with drummer Raup in particular contributing over-and-above excitement to the proceedings as evidenced by his double-shuffle play on “Baby Wanna Be Right”. The ballad “Luisa” is a strong airplay candidate as is the title track.
Oct 24, 2024 -
For fans of Beirut, Joni Mitchell, Tori Amos, Regina Spektor and Keren Ann. The lush bucolic folk of ‘Season to Season’ is the first... Read Full Article
Sep 12, 2024 -
Indiana based Singer Songwriter Abbie Thomas to release eagerly awaited second album Sept 27
The candid creative spark behind Abbie... Read Full Article
Jul 31, 2024 -
FOLK MUSICIANS CATHY FINK, MARCY MARXER, AND
CHAO TIAN ANNOUNCE NEW ALBUM,
FROM CHINA TO APPALACHIA
THE GLOBAL MUSIC PROJECT... Read Full Article
Jun 12, 2024 -
Embark on a musical journey across Africa that celebrates the rich cultural tapestry of the continent with Putumayo's African... Read Full Article
Jun 3, 2024 -
Few musical compositions have so successfully tapped into that elusive formula of the enduring human spirit that is the recipe for timeless... Read Full Article
May 21, 2024 -
Released in mid-2024, It’s Worth It is the second solo album by Delay Tactics guitarist and keyboard player David Udell. It’s Worth It... Read Full Article
Mar 15, 2024 -
CMH RECORDS (Country. Music. Heritage.) maintains a rich history of classic country and bluegrass albums and is honoring several of these legacy... Read Full Article
