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Blues Music Blog & Promotion

Interview: Arizona’s Brian Berggoetz Band tells us all about Wildflower and more

Posted on 2 May 2023
https://open.spotify.com/artist/2yHZduccKYA04PRo6Rb32I

We had a chat with the massively experienced Arizona-based artist Brian Berggoetz Band recently. Showing us the realness of the music industry for the 99.9%, telling us more about the new release Wildflower and fusing through the Dave Matthews inspiration, this is a gem of an interview. Ready?

Thank you for joining us, Brian. How are you doing today and what did you have for breakfast today?
I’m great and thanks for inviting me. Being a starving artist, I had my Costco breakfast sandwich and coffee for breakfast. I try to make my money stretch to pay for the art.

Firstly, where in the world are you based and where was the last show you did live?
My band is based in Tucson, AZ in the Sonoran Desert. We played a show this past Friday at a local bar and it was a great time. The place was packed and the dance floor was too. That’s what it’s all about, connecting with the people and feeling the vibe.

How would you describe your sound to someone you just met?
My sound is a combination of Dave Matthews and Bruce Springsteen. On the new EP, Familiar Sounds there is a touch of the Moody Blues as well. Recently I have been playing with a cello and violin players and that project found it’s way on to the album. There’s an orchestral rock song as well as a straight orchestral piece I did with some help from the Tucson Symphony. I’m very happy with those two pieces.

Please chat with us about your last release Wildflower.
Wildflower is a completely different music genre. It’s Americana and sentimental. Harmonies, violin, acoustic guitar and bass. It did very well. We received so much fabulous press. We made the cover of Lifoti music magazine and a nice feature in ION Indie Magazine, as well as a bunch of blogs, online magazines and Spotify playlists. Because of the album, agent Gene Foley reached out to me and is now working on my behalf. He is one of the top talent agents in the country and a real pleasure to work with.

We’d love to know about your brand new release called Familiar Sounds. Please tell us about the change in the sound and the creative process.
I worked with Jason Damico on this album. He played bass and guitars as well as production. He’s a fabulous player and it’s very special to work with him. My drummer Jeff Browning also worked on the production. It was very easy to do this one. I always start with my guitar and vocals, then drums. Jason adds guitars and then the strings and background vocals. Because of the Wildflower album, I have met some amazing players that were happy to play on this album as well. You know, everyone just took turns being awesome. As far as the sound, three songs are just straight-up rock songs. Familiar Sounds was clear that it should have a string section while still being a rock song. Pieces of Silver was written to be an orchestral song. I love orchestral rock and I really wanted to do this kind of song and it came out so great. It was such a thrill to have some of the Tucson Symphony play on this one.

What is the best perk of being a well-known musician?
I would say just getting to meet some of the most amazing people I would not have met otherwise. Music professionals, celebrities and just all-around excellent company. When I think about coming from a small town in Indiana to meeting and playing with some of the most fabulous people anywhere, I am humbled and inspired to see what happens next.

Lastly, what are your personal goals for the rest of 2023?
I’ve been working on the next album. I hope to work with Jeff Browning and Jason Damico again. I’m choosing the material and concepts now and hope to be in the studio in the summer for a fall release.

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Hear more from this quality band on Spotify.

Interview by Llewelyn Screen

THE PALE HORSES rolled with the punches in their soulfully heavy progressive blues single, Shallow Dive

Posted on 28 April 2023

THE PALE HORSES raucously reimagined blues with their latest feat of heavy progressive blues, Shallow Dive. The shimmering tones spilling from the Hammond organ remain definitively bluesy, as do the harmonised backing vocals, but everything else in the innovated hit came straight from the Toronto-hailing artist’s very own heavy rock n roll drawing board.

Even if you can take or leave blues and heavy progressive rock, there’s enough exhilarant substance in the release to affirm THE PALE HORSES are one of the most original acts on any scene. The jazz-inspired drums and vocal lines from Dane Hartsell transform this ode to 70s vintage tones into a riot of rock renovation, which may make traditionalists itch, but anyone who appreciates experimentalism will want to bask in the heat of this scorching sonically salacious release.

Shallow Dive is now available to stream on YouTube.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

Your Words: Jon Kenzie avoids the weaving observations on Two Plus Two Is Five

Posted on 22 April 2023

Sung with a calm intensity and reminding us of that soulful blues to sip on all night long, Jon Kenzie looks for the all-important truth inside a lie-filled world on the catchy new track to meditate with, Two Plus Two Is Five.

Jon Kenzie is an experienced Manchester, UK-based indie blues solo singer-songwriter and music producer who loves to fuse folk and soul into his wholehearted compositions.

”He has truly worked his way up from the grassroots, first playing on the streets and in the clubs of Manchester and then travelling Europe and the States, performing in every town that he comes to.” ~ Jon Kenzie

Taking our minds into a truly introspective soundtrack which has been made with so much poise and ingrained brilliance, Jon Kenzie sizzles our earlobes in the best possible way. This is quality stuff from an honest poet who sings with so much glorious class and love for his craft.

Two Plus Two Is Five from Manchester, UK-based indie blues solo singer-songwriter Jon Kenzie is a rather intriguing single for anyone who believes that humanity is actually going backwards. Thinking about the past and sending us a quality track to learn from, this is a must-listen single if you like things super bluesy and real.

Turn this up on Spotify.

Reviewed by Llewelyn Screen

Jazz Blues songstress Senobia is demurely pure in her single, Time to Breathe

Posted on 7 April 2023

Jazz, RnB, and blues fusionist, Senobia has declared it Time to Breathe in her new four-track EP, which soaked the airwaves in organically absolving soul on March 31. The standout title single is a sublime reminder of how sweet music used to be when it came straight from the soul, away from the strain of chart success.

The smoky blues layers enmeshed with the swaying jazz breeze and the ardent RnB piano keys pull together to create a superlatively impassioned platform for Senobia’s celestial vocal lines that are enough to compel you to take time in our fast-paced era, which forces you to feel that we should keep on moving, especially when it comes to moving on.

Before Senobia turned her talents to jazz, she projected her voice in the realm of gospel, doo-wop and pop; evidently, she hasn’t left her roots far behind her. Her demurely pure vocals will leave evocative surges ricocheting between your synapses, even when she’s harmonising her non-lexical vocal lines that will subdue you to her mesmerising grace.

Stream the Time to Breathe EP on SoundCloud and YouTube.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

Lazy Way To Say Goodbye: Michael Waite knows its time to let go on I Built a Fire

Posted on 30 March 2023

Lighting up the scraps of the past that have to go forever in order to open new doors of love, Michael Waite sings with heightened passion and has shown us all how to simmer away from whatever is holding back new growth on I Built a Fire.

Michael Waite is a Marquette, Michigan-based indie singer-songwriter who loves to fuse various elements of folk, jazz, Americana and blues into his genuine music.

”Raised in Harvey, a small town outside the port city of Marquette, Waite took early influence from his parents’ blues albums and Irish and American folk songs sung by his father, who passed on to Michael his uncommon memory for songs. He studied trombone in college, and picked up the guitar to accompany his singing.” ~ Michael Waite

Guiding us into this cinematic story with experienced aplomb, Michael Waite is the quintessential underground hero who everyone knows is one of the best in the game. His humble nature shines through so brightly on this rather impressive soundtrack.

I Built a Fire from Marquette, Michigan-based indie singer-songwriter Michael Waite is a splendidly created song which shall heat up many hearts and take millions into the precise moment everything ended. Showing us how to move on in order to grow, is a hugely relevant track for anyone who needed to float into calmer waters.

Light up the emotions on YouTube.

Reviewed by Llewelyn Screen

Reverend James Elmore Jenkins keeps the devil at bay in his blues rock jam, Diapsalmata Blues

Posted on 16 March 2023

Few artists do bluesy rock n roll as reverently as Tennessee-born, South Carolina-residing artist Reverend James Elmore Jenkins, as proven by the unadulterated groove-driven swagger in his latest single, Diapsalmata Blues.

His red-hot vintage overdriven tones make The Black Keys sound like cultural appropriation while he’s blazing through the raunch-laced jam riffs that any blues rock fan will want spread across their speakers. If you can tear your attention away from the audible smoky beguile, you’ll hear the minister’s intent to push sermonic gospel through his root-wrapped hits. I may be of the impious inclination, but the uplifting soul entwined with worldly well-intentioned wisdom in Diapsalmata Blues did more than hit the wholesome spot. For your own sake, hit play.

Diapsalmata Blues will be available to stream from March 16th. Hear it on SoundCloud.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

ANGELCONCEPCION is emboldeningly iconic in her RnB Soul instant classic, Like I Was

Posted on 9 March 2023

Here to take to the sting out of retrospective romantic regret is the emboldening RnB icon, ANGELCONCEPCION, with her latest single, Like I Was.

The lyrics may not explicitly verse that deceit and someone degrading you to drag you down to their lowly levels happens to the best of us, but given the elegance and grace of every inch of this elevated instant classic, it’s heavily implied through ANGELCONCEPCION’s heavenly vocal beguile.

Fusing a modernist tonal palette while pulling at the roots of RnB and soul allowed the Philadelphia-residing Filipino artist to reach the crux of the contemporary curve before transcending it through her effortlessly flawless energy. The bluesy guitars shimmering behind the lush reverb is a lesson in aural intoxication. Grab a glass and get your fill.

Like I Was dropped on March 1st; hear it on SoundCloud.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

Ringing In My Ears: Wise Woman rises from the deep on Fen Woman

Posted on 28 February 2023

Taken from the recent 4-track EP called Thread, Wise Woman moves mountains and changes the oceans back to a captivating crystal blue on the rather wonderfully sweet new single Fen Woman.

Wise Woman is an East Anglian/ Welsh power-folk foursome who brings back that 90s girl vibrancy which will ignite the spirits within our deepest souls.

With a blend of folk, jazz and blues mixed with that creative musical theatre, Wise Woman takes us to the light and shows us what is possible if strong hearts can join together as one. This is a cinematic-like experience which might calm all fears away in just an instant, just like the truly world-class outfits do.

Fen Woman from East Anglian/ Welsh power-folk foursome Wise Woman is a special song which deserves all the love possible. Projected with so much love and fearlessness, we find a scintillating soundtrack to rise up from all depths. Layered rather expertly and features dynamic energy which will inspire us all to keep on flying upwards, no matter what obstacles are present.

Listen up on Spotify. View more on IG.

Reviewed by Llewelyn Screen

Ariel Skye is a silver-screen sonic dream in her latest bluesy single, Bang Bang

Posted on 26 February 2023

With a prelude of Tarantino-Esque Gretsch-y guitar tones to bring in Ariel Skye’s gravelly demure timbre, the intro to her latest nostalgia-entrenched single, Bang Bang, is nothing short of beguiling.

Finding the middle ground between Angel Olsen and April March, Bang Bang is a sultry feat of bluesy mesmerism from the up-and-coming artist, who has made light work out of carving out a niche in the industry with her evocatively sharp distinction.

Ariel Skye may have only started her music writing venture in 2019, but the Blockbuster-worthy cinematic storytelling never alludes to how recently she has started to perfect her craft. Since making her debut, she has collaborated with some impressive names in the industry, including Jim Stephens and Shaun Martin. She has also toured across Philadelphia, New York and LA with her vulnerably enticing lyricality. We’re sure the best is yet to come for Skye.

Bang Bang is now available to stream on YouTube.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

Mike Blue gazed into the twilight of the soul in his jazzy feat of soulful folk, Saphire

Posted on 24 February 2023
Mike Blue

The soulful rhythmicality of the folk singer-songwriter, Mike Blue’s latest single, Saphire, will tattoo itself to your memory from the first euphonically melodic meeting. As a departure from his previous sound, along with his band, Blue melded elements of blues, jazz, prog and rock to construct a track visceral in authenticity and sticky sweet in emotionally balanced sentimentality.

The first single taken from his forthcoming album, The Unbearable Weight of All Things Considered, stands as a soul-stirring testament to his ability to envelop you in the stories he eloquently weaves atop his acoustic guitar strings. The sax solos, which soar as high in the mix as the electric guitar riffs, amplify the intimacy of the lyrical expression while never compromising the resonant impact.

If the singer-songwriter was born decades ago when folk raconteurs were celebrated in modern culture, there would be few names as revered as Mike Blue. After the release of Saphire, the luminary artist will take his full band on tour across the UK, which also featured on the accordantly-bodied release that has the capacity to captivate a stadium.

Saphire will officially release on February 24th. Hear it via Mike Blue’s website.

Review by Amelia Vandergast