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Live Music Reviews

Foghat

  1. Note, this concert was good but have been a lot better is the sound was at a level for this small venue. Unfortunately, there was no headroom for the volume at the start of the show. It started loud (much to loud ) and remained there. I had ear plugs but there was so much echo that the fine guitar slide was not as listenable as it could have been. Unless I knew the lyrics they could not be understood easily. And, the banter between songs. Who knows. Like I said, could have been better, much better. After 50 years of touring, I expected would have figured it out. Guess not.

    On April 20, 2024, the legendary Foghat was at the Ritz theater, Tiffin Ohio. This is the closest they came in their 2024 tour. Only original member, Roger Earl, 77, drums. However, they still rock the blues. Sizzling guitar as can be heard from their newest album, Sonic Mojo. You might remember them from their 1975 huge hit Slow Ride. These guys formed in England after the dismantling of Savoy Brown in 1971. The British were the first to pick up on early blues in the US. They devoured those records and learned from the masters.
  2. 2024 FOGHAT LINEUP. ROGER EARL: Savoy Brown member in 1968-70 and original Foghat drummer since its inception in 1971. As a side note, Roger Earl unsuccessfully auditioned for the Jimi Hendrix Experience. Just imagine if he got the gig. BRYAN BASSETT: Lead guitar and slide and has over 40 years’ experience as a professional musician and recording artist and 30 years’ experience as a recording engineer and producer. He began his career with Wild Cherry (“Play that Funky Music” a number 1 hit in 1976) and played with Lonesome Dave's Foghat and Molly Hatchet. SCOTT HOLT: Lead singer, lead guitarist, songwriter was a member of blues legend Buddy Guy’s band. Scott has recorded and/or performed with a host of blues legends including B.B. King, Albert Collins, Junior Wells, John Lee Hooker, Otis Rush, Willie Dixon, Eric Clapton, Carlos Santana, Mitch Mitchell, Billy Cox, Buddy Miles, Albert King, and Steve Miller among others. RODNEY O' QUINN: Bass player, vocalist was a member of the Pat Travers Band before joining Foghat. Rodney also performed with the likes of Derek St Holmes (Ted Nugent), Mark Farner (Grand Funk Railroad/Mark Farner’s American Band), and Ronnie Montrose (Edgar Winter Group/Montrose/Gamma).
  3. Let's hear it for the old guys! Wonderful interview with Roger Gale. Listen: Interview.
  4. Savoy Brown? So tasty and sweet. Kim Simmonds founding member, 1965, Savoy Brown (passed, 2022). Guitar and vocal, Ain't Got Nobody. Link: www.youtube.com/watch?v=DhUPf3UulpA.
  5. More Savoy Brown? A walk down the memory lane of young white musicians learning that Black American indigenous art form, the blues both instruments and vocals. First album. Release, 1968 (full album). Listen: Blues All Around. Second album. Also released, 1968 (full album). New line-up. Writing songs not covers. Chris Youlden, vocals. Bob Hall, piano. Kim Simmonds, lead guitar. Dave Peverett, rhythm guitar. Rivers Jobe, bass guitar. Roger Earl, Drums. Listen: Getting to The Point.
  6. Foghat? You can't pin down these guys. Their blues style is all over the map. Love this. Sarah Lee by Foghat, 1972: Listen: Sarah Lee.
  7. Their signature hit, Slow Ride, released in 1975. Listen: Slow Ride.
  8. Of course, also released 1975 on that album (first album to go platinum) by the same name Listen: Fool for The City.
  9. Also on the Fool for The City album. Love that slide! Terraplane Blues (Robert Johnson). You probably know of his very popuular and covered song, Crossroad. Covered by Cream among others. Listen: Terraplane Blues.
  10. I Just Want to Make Love to You is a blues song written by Willie Dixon. In 1954, it was recorded by Muddy Waters, and released as a single with the title Just Make Love to Me. True to their roots, Foghat also recorded and released in 1972. Listen: I Just Want to Make Love to You.
  11. Sonic Mojo? The lead guitar on the following song from this album is so tasty! Plus a play on the word mean! Listen: Mean Woman Blues.
  12. Muddy Waters? Listen: Just Make Love to Me.
  13. There is usually another perspective. Etta James version of I Just Want to Make Love to You. Sax is the solo instrument with a twist on the lyrics. Listen: I Just Want to Make Love to You.

OUT OF EDEN

  1. Saw the Out of Eden Eagles tribute band on August 23, 2024. This was a great rocking concert at the Ritz Theater, Tiffin, Ohio. Played for over two hours with a 15 minute intermission.
  2. A Tribute To The Eagles. But, don't let the name tribute band fool you. These players are excellent! This six piece band, based out of Northeast Ohio have replicated the music and vocal harmonies of the legendary Eagles, Don Henley and Joe Walsh. classic songs are performed with amazing skill, talent and drive by the six member Out of Eden band.
  3. All members of this group grew up with love of The Eagles music and they got it right. Close your eyes and you would swear The Eagles were on stage. Point of contention? Drummer? Drums were second nature for this dude and his vocals were spot on Don Henley down to voice range and lyrical phrasing. The band performed several Joe Walsh tunes as well.
  4. Ron White: Guitar, Vocals. Jim Rey: Bass, Vocals. Jay Wonkovich: Guitar, Vocals. Bill (Bear) Smith: Lead Guitar. John Szymkowski: Drums, Vocals, a dead ringer for Don Henley. Tone and phrasing were spot on! Jeff Tyson: Keyboard.
  5. If you have a chance to see them, don't miss! They are one of the best tribute bands I've ever heard! For more information check out Out of Eden on Facebook. More bio and contact info for scheduling them to perform at your next event.

The Righteous Brothers

  1. On Saturday, October 26, 2024, the Righteous Brothers were at the Ritz Theater, Tiffin, Ohio. The Righteous Brothers, an American musical duo originally formed by Bill Medley and Bobby Hatfield but now comprising Medley and Bucky Heard. Medley formed the group with Hatfield in 1963. They had first performed together in 1962 in the Los Angeles area as part of a five-member group called the Paramours, and adopted the name The Righteous Brothers when they became a duo.
  2. This was a stop on their Lovin' Feelin' Farewell Tour. Bill Medley, at age 84, the only original brother. Bobby Hatfield passed away in 2003. Bucky Heard has replaced Bobby since 2016. What a terrific voice (tenor)! Vill Medley, does he still have the vocal chops (baritone)? You bet!
  3. This wasn't a program slapped together at the last minute. Completely professional with ten members on stage. Drums, sizzling guitarist, sax player, trumpet player, bass, two background singers, Bill Medley and Bucky vocals and keyboard/synth (music director).
  4. The program was a walk down history lane. all the favorites and some obscure early songs with great talk between. one and one-half hours with no intermission. A short list. You've Lost That Lovin' Feelin', Soul and Inspiration, Unchained Melody, Little Latin Lupe Lu, The Time of My Life (from the film Dirty Dancing), Rock and Roll Heaven and more.
  5. Included was a shout out to military veterans. The Brothers sang Bridge Over Troubled Water with a slide show running in background. Found this a nice touch considering I am a Vietnam theater veteran and so many come back from the war experience broken.
  6. You can find many of their songs on Youtube. However, with Amazon unlimited music, I was able to bring up the Brothers with Alexa. The set list played for 2 hours before I let it go. So many obscure songs I have never hearde. From early blues and rock influence. Like I said before, a walk down history lane.
  7. One last thought. I spoke before about the Foghat sound not being up to snuff at this same venue. For the Brothers concert (this was an external activity by the Ohio Veterans Home, Sandusky, Ohio where I reside). We sat in the last row on the main floor with wheelchairs/scooters behind. The sound here was absolutely perfect!

    More From William Brandes (AKA BillyWhiteCane)

    Slow burning rant! Never, and I mean never hire Go-Daddy to develop a website for your business or organization. Never! Go-Daddy Professional Website Design? Details? Nope! Incorrect website titles and non-accessible alt-text images. That's Go-Daddy. Expensive and incompetent. More the reason you should consult a blind website content creator, who hears what a sighted Go-Daddy "sales engineer" doesn't. Plus, when it comes to congregations like the United Church of Christ, has the background to make sound decisions, not half-baked ones! OK, got that off my chest. Read on.
    FIRST THINGS FIRST: I am blind and use an audio screenreader to talk back to me everything on my computer and the web, so, I am keenly aware of the need for website accessibility. What better website consultant for your organization/business, than a user of accessibility tools? Some talk it, I walk it!
    SECOND THINGS SECOND: Navigation! Here are a few navigation hints that should help the sighted visitor as well as those using a screenreader. This website is within a simple single-page linear layout. All sections of this website are named by H1 headings. Other than that, if you are using keyboard commands, the tab and arrow keys should suffice to move around this website. Audio? Where applicable, the audio player is cross-browser and screenreader friendly. That's the skinny!
    Here you will find 21st century, simple solutions for your website needs. That's not all! One of my domains, billywhitecane.com is running on a free hosting service. So, if you are the down and dirty type, you can get away with a website (no ads or other junk) for just the price of a domain.
    I have been in this biz for over 25 years. Alot has changed. Alot has stayed the same. Besides my knowledge, I'm on a mission to bring everyone to the table, whether that be at a company board meeting or sitting in a church pew! We have the technology today to make that happen. Folks just need to be aware and buy into the plan. Looking for a chair?
    Sometimes it's simple stuff. Is the digital document you attach and send in an email accessible to the blind or print/text disabled? What about distributing text documents as images, most notably done with Adobe PDF? Did you know, except for those with OCR (Optical Character Recognition) enabled and which the recognition is often flawed, these documents can't be read by a screenreader? After you spend so much time writing that document? Is this the default distribution operation for your organization? A pitfall and you don't know a problem? Well, now you know, it's a cardinal rule when it comes to accessibility: NO Adobe PDF images masquerading as text!

    Target Market Podcast

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    1. The following podcasts are about the lyrics of my songs only. I will be posting links to the recorded music at a later date.
    2. November 13, 2024. In this podcast learn about a new song written by William Brandestitled Mexico. A discussion of the lyrics. Take a listen. If the play button does not work with your phone, here is the direct link in MP3 audio format: www.iamguitar.org/audio/mexico.mp3.

    3. September 28, 2023. In this podcast learn about a new song written by William Brandestitled Dancer. A discussion of the lyrics. Take a listen. If the play button does not work with your phone, here is the direct link in MP3 audio format: www.iamguitar.org/audio/dancer.mp3.

    4. May 15, 2022. In this podcast learn about a new song written by William Brandestitled Chuck Berry Red. A discussion of the lyrics. Take a listen. If the play button does not work with your phone, here is the direct link in MP3 audio format: www.iamguitar.org/audio/chuckberryred.mp3.

    So, as you can hear, there is life beyond text online. Audio? Possibilities are live streaming/archiving audio (Youtube, Facebook) and other communication tools such as ZOOM, as well as a podcastthat can be syndicated with various platforms such as Google and Apple. One plus with the podcast format? If syndicated, the podcast can be streamed by voice command using your digital device such as phone or tablet. Can't get more immediate than that!

    More to Contemplate

    1. William Brandes Free Server Hosting, Project Postings (including Wordpress, Advanced CMSimple, WIKI CMS) and Music/Guitar: www.billywhitecane.com.
    2. The Rev. Pam Easterday: www.pameasterday.com.
    3. Toledo Talks, Low-Vision/Blind Military Veteran News: www.toledotalks.org.
    4. Mt. Olivet Boys' Home, Jamaica: www.mtolivetboyshome.org.
    5. The Morrison House, Tiffin, Ohio: www.themorrisonhouse.org.
    6. Colleens Collectables, Columbus, Ohio: www.colleenscollectables.com.
    William Brandes Consulting. Sandusky, Ohio. Accessibility Coach and Consultant. Freely host a few clients and websites to maintain skills (see links above). Marketing. Website Design and Content Development. Hosting. Domains. Copyright 2024.
    Email: williambrandes@gmail.com. Telephone: 1-419-455- 6484.