Bo & the Bluesdrivers “SoCal’s Hardest-Working Blues Band”
Bo & the Bluesdrivers “SoCal’s Hardest-Working Blues Band” Fresh From Main Stage “Woodystock” Festival Performance,
Performing Debut at Johnny FIngers – Saturday, November 14
Bo and the Bluesdrivers, “SoCal’s Hardest-Working Blues Band” fresh from their Main Stage “Woodystock” Festival performance in Apple Valley this past October, make their performing debut at Johnny Fingers, 15863 Lorene Dr., Victorville, on Saturday, November 14. Showtime is 8:00 pm to 12 midnite. No Cover. info: (760) 951-0444 or facebook.com/Johnny-Fingers-Bar-Victorville.
Great Reviews For Bo and the Bluesdrivers Self-Titled Debut Album
The band’s recently-released debut album has been receiving excellent reviews. “Bo and the Bluesdrivers aim to carry the torch once held by so many American and British blues players – Eric Clapton, Billy Gibbons, David Gilmour – who have serenaded the deltas, bayous and lonesome air with their clean and expressive tones”, writes Andrew Shackley in the ANTELOPE VALLEY NEWS. “With muscular and tight rhythms, this power trio of Los Angeles performers exude an energy and lust for this sound that is expected of champions of this genre”. Doug Spike of BLUE MONDAY MONTHLY opines, “after five plays the first day, Bo and the Bluesdrivers really got me going. Bo (Shane McMillan) has a hot voe and plays an even hotter electric guitar. It doesn’t get any better than this”. BMANS BLUES REPORT filed this review: “Opening with ‘Out On The Streets’, a straight-ahead blues rocker, Bo takes total command on vocals and guitar. ‘A**, Gas or Grass’, a boogie track with cool double stops, really digs a nice groove. A cool first outing that should garner them significantly more attention”.
BO AND THE BLUESDRIVERS…SOME BACKGROUND
“I’m out on the streets again/I’ve been sleeping in my car/I got these worn-out shoes/Just smoked my last cigar,” drawls the St. Augustine, FL, native known simply as Bo, front-man of Bo and the Bluesdrivers, Southern California’s Hardest-Working Blues Band, ably supported by a stinging guitar and a sturdy rhythm section held down by longtime musical partners, Bluesdrivers bassist Brian “Chewy” James and drummer, JJ Garcia.
That’s right, Bo & the Bluesdrivers play it like they’I’ve lived it, paying those hard-living dues, forming from a chance meeting after joining forces at an open jam hosted a decade ago by Chewy and J.J. Ten years after, they’re still together and tighter than ever.
“From the streets of New York/To the streets of L.A./It seems all the same/Day to day/I’ve been through the darkness/I’ve walked through the light/The streets are all the same/Night after night.”
Says Bo: “We’re a band of brothers with mutual respect for each other and our abilities. Always striving to be the best at what we do.”
A veteran of the Florida club scene, Bo’s travels have seen him sitting in with legendary drummers Buddy Miles (Jimi Hendrix’s Band of Gypsies, Delfonics, Bootsy Collins) and Lynyrd Skynyrd’s Artimus Pyle, before moving from Florida to L.A. fourteen years ago. A world-class guitarist, you can hear his affinity for a variety of genres – from jazz, funk and soul to rock & roll, coming through loud and clear on such originals as “Out In The Streets”; audience favorite “Walkin’ In The Park”; and tasty instrumentals like “Sea Song” (and) “Chillin’”, along with well-chosen covers of classics by Hendrix, Stevie Ray Vaughan, Pink Floyd and ZZ Top, among others.
Bo’s Bluesdrivers backbeat is provided by the stalwart team of J.J. and Chewy, who have worked together for close to two decades – previously performing in renowned SoCal-based band Stone. The longtime rhythm section have several national tours under their belts and a resume that includes collaborations with famed horror director John Carpenter, both on-screen and as part of the soundtracks for his films, including Vampires and Ghost of Mars. Judge Jackson has performed and recorded music that has appeared on a variety of TV, movies and sporting events, including Fox Sports and Super Bowl XLV.
Bo & the Bluesdrivers have just finished recording a new album at Pawnshop Studios, to be released before the end of 2015.
BO AND THE BLUESDRIVERS – UPCOMING LIVE SHOWS/SPECIAL EVENTS
Oct. 4 (Sun.) HORSES 4 FORCES MOTORCYCLE RUN Agoura Hills, CA
Oct. 10 (Sat.) WOODYSTOCK BLUES FESTIVAL Apple Valley, CA
Oct. 17 (Sat.) HELENDALE CHILI COOK-OFF Helendale, CA
Nov. 13 (Fri.) WHISKEY DAVE’S Big Bear Lake, CA
Nov. 14 (Sat.) JOHNNY FINGERS Victorville, CA
Nov. 15 (Sun.) SKINNY’S LOUNGE N. Hollywood, CA
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