Weekend Wonders: A look at The Music Scene to Come

A Weekend Wrap Up but a Preview & Review

By Joseph Timmons: IndiePulse Music Magazine Journalist

Last week we did a WW mentioning some new artists, this week, I would like to offer up some artists we have been following for a while, some “Veterans” of the indie Scene that have been steadfast and made some great breakthroughs both musically and personally, as artists that should not only be enjoyed for their talents but also for who they are.

The following artists are ones that should be staples in your collections of great musical works from contemporary Blues and Alt Rock Talents.

 

Paul Edelman

Almost born on the airplane from Columbus, OH to Philly, Paul Edelman has cultivated a passionate, loyal following with original, arresting and reverent music. Edgy and misty, from a holler to a whisper, Edelman’s lyrics, song crafting, vocals, technical proficiency and raw performances have been making folks feel that they’ve truly discovered something special and he’s earned universal respect from peers as well.

Veteran of some of the biggest Philadelphia tickets of the day- The Butcher Holler Boys, Naked Omaha, The Boxcars, and The Jangling Sparrows, Paul has shared bills with Scott Miller and Mic Harrison both of the V-Roys, Robert Earl Kean, James McMurtry, Drive-by Truckers, Neko Case, Big Sandy, Langhorne Slim, Patty Larkin, The Sadies, Cordero, The Bottle Rockets and Grayson Capps among many others so far. Paul has worked with some of the industries greatest names, he has recorded with Jimmy Johnson (founder Muscle Shoals Studio), Nashville Session Staple drummer, Martin Parker (Ricky Scaggs, Allison Krauss, Pattti Loveless) And Keyboardist Steve Fordham ( Mavis Staples)

Presently, Paul and his group The Jangling Sparrows have been making great music and entertaining every one of every age.

http://janglingsparrows.com

http://www.facebook.com/pauledelmanthejanglingsparrow

iTunes

Victoria Ginty and Ladyhawke

Indie Blues and Roots artist Victoria Ginty is no stranger to tough competition, she and the band successfully won the Regional Blues Challenge to represent the Suncoast Blues Society (SBS) in Memphis at the 2019 International Blues Challenge. Blues fans know that Florida is a hotbed of talent in the genre. The SBS has sent some of the finest artists to the IBC’s year after year. Selwyn Birchwood was their most recent winner, and they’ve consistently produced semi-finalist. “I didn’t realize how rich the talent in Florida is until I started playing the venues up and down the coasts.” says Ginty. “We are frequently playing the week or day before, or after some of the best Blues artist in the country!”, and Victoria Ginty and Ladyhawke fit the bill!

Andy Snipper of Music-News says “She has a terrific voice, loaded with sultry undertones and a sassy edge that sets the hairs on the back of my neck at attention and the band behind her cook like a New Orleans Gumbo jamboree. Seriously, this is Blues and soul of the highest order and her music is classic but not ‘retro’”.

Check out this recent Interview:

http://victoriagintyandladyhawke.com

http://www.facebook.com/LadyhawkeBand

Will Jacobs

Known for his powerful, live performances, Will Jacobs is a modern Blues/R&B/Soul artist currently based in Berlin, Germany. Originally from Chicago, USA, he’s already a well-seasoned performer at only twenty-five years of age.

No stranger to performance stages, Will honed his chops the old-fashioned way – experience. At the age of twelve, he was gigging in Chicago clubs backing many of the city’s finest blues men and women, and at the same time, playing in a Grammy-winning, high school jazz band. In 2009, he attracted local and international attention when his first band (Dirty Deal) performed at the International Blues Showcase in Memphis, Tennessee after winning the Chicago Blues Challenge-Youth Division competition. Will and the band left their mark because of his mature improvisational skills and vocal talents, coupled with a strong, blues-infused sound. These experiences led him to further study at Berklee College of Music (Boston, USA), then gigging/composing/session work in Chicago, US touring with CJ Chenier, and even a performance stint in Sri Lanka.

Making the jump to Europe in mid-2016, Will began performing and sharing his dynamic playing skills in Berlin, Germany on his own, as well as with Hohner artist, Marcos Coll at festivals in Poland, Spain & France. He’s also played with well-known musicians Gary “Detroit” Wiggins, Ingrid Arthur, Donna Brown, Vernon Piano, and Chris Rannenberg, among others, since residing in Berlin.

Whether playing clubs/festivals, gigging with other world-class musicians, doing sessions work or composing, Jacobs looks forward to sharing his music.

https://www.willjacobsband.com

https://www.facebook.com/willjacobsband

Larry “Fuzzy” Knight & Blowin’ Smoke

Rhythm & Blues Band

Larry “Fuzzy” Knight, founder, bandleader, bassist and vocalist of Blowin’ Smoke Rhythm & Blues Band has been fulfilling a dream and vision to bring to today’s music loving audiences a different style of music, showmanship and presentation that they might never had seen in the past or present.

“Fuzzy” was born in “44” and rooted in blues and R&B in the city that inspired W.C. Handy’s classic composition, “ST LOUIS BLUES”. He grew up with the culture of black music engulfing his young mind and soul. He broke into blues in his mid-teens by playing with Albert King, Little Milton, Chuck Berry and Ike Turner, all residing in St. Louis at that time. “Fuzzy” witnessed almost all of the great R&B revues touring and playing for primarily black audiences only; Ray Charles, Ike Turner & the Kings of Rhythm, James Brown, Otis Redding, Wilson Pickett, Little Milton, and so many more. The one thing that they all had in common was their presentation. Each artist usually had a band with a full horn section that would feature the players early in the show, other lead vocalists who would come out to sing a song or two, and female vocalists who would sing background and be featured on lead songs and/or sing with the “star” of the show. There was always a lot of musical entertainment and unbelievable excitement at every R&B revue show.

Larry’s vision came true with the forming of BLOWIN’ SMOKE Rhythm & Blues Revue which features three Hot, Sassy & Sultry Female Lead Vocalists……. The Fabulous SMOKETTES! Once these ladies are on stage in front of their microphones you can immediately feel the heat rise, the party starting, the earth shaking, a soul stirring experience about to take place that won’t soon be forgotten!!

Larry has presented some of the West Coast’s best female blues and R&B vocalists over the last 15 years; Carolyn Basley, Christina Vierra, MaxAyn Lewis, Lyrica Garrett, La Quita Davis, Dwanna Parker, and Joyce Lawson just to name a few. If you like ‘live’ sax, trumpet & trombone playing as opposed to synthesized horn sounds, then you must see Blowin’ Smoke which also features many of the West Coast’s greatest Blues, R&B and Jazz musicians. They are all featured soloists early and throughout the show as well as an outstanding horn ensemble.

The Blowin’ Smoke Band & Revue delivers the sounds of classic Rhythm & Blues shows and recordings of the “golden era” with a drive, passion and energy that is so dominant in today’s music.

http://www.blowinsmokeband.com