WEBLOG ARCHIVE 2008 01     BACK TO WEBLOG July 15, 2008 Doug MacLeod - The Utrecht Sessions Personnage attachant au possible, Doug MacLeod est un de ces bluesmen qui ont tout appris des grands maîtres du genre et c’est en reprenant à son compte un héritage pas toujours facile à porter qu’il perpétue les traditions en offrant à son public des albums sur lesquels il prend un soin tout particulier lors de l’écriture et de la composition des morceaux mais aussi lors de leur enregistrement. Originaire de Virginie, le chanteur et guitariste varie traditionnellement les plaisirs en alternant picking et slide et c’est en imposant tour à tour des rythmes soutenus ou au contraire des mélodies posées qu’il s’efforce généralement de convaincre. Accompagné épisodiquement de Jasper Mortier à la contrebasse et Arthus Bont aux percussions, l’artiste profitait du dernier hiver néerlandais pour enregistrer une douzaine de titres à Utrecht, sa ville européenne préférée. C’est un effort intimiste au possible que Doug MacLeod s’est offert avec « The Utrecht Sessions », un album à la fois très roots dans le son et dans la manière de travailler, avec la plupart du temps un micro pour la voix, deux de plus pour les guitares, un dernier pour le footstomping et rien d’autres, sauf bien entendu pour les morceaux sur lesquels il se fait accompagner. Il en ressort une énergie live phénoménale et un capital charme qui nous ramène invariablement vers la qualité des prestations scéniques de cet authentique griot blanc de peau au travers de nombre de titres impeccablement interprétés en grande majorité avec Spook, son résonateur National Delphi, mais aussi à l’occasion avec une vieille Stella à douze cordes. Adepte de l’open tuning, Doug MacLeod multiplie ses accordages et collectionne les sonorités vintage tout au long d’un ouvrage d’où des morceaux aussi splendides que « Horse With No Rider », « The Long Black Train », « That Ain’t Right » ou « Sheep Of A Different Color » ne tentent jamais de se détacher du lot mais contribuent au contraire à apporter une harmonie d’ensemble particulièrement bien pensée ! On remarquera en prime l’excellent livret particulièrement instructif et bien détaillé qui finira de faire de « The Utrecht Sessions » un album à conserver très près de soi pour se souvenir quand besoin est que les racines du blues ne s’embarrassent ni de frontières, ni de couleurs … July 14, 2008 Doug MacLeod - The Utrecht Sessions With this new album from Doug the overpowering musical sparseness is evident and has an immediately overwhelming feeling of desolation, which seems quickly to be instilled fully into the listener; that sentiment is also further fuelled by the obvious overall starkness of the album. Doug’s vocal dexterity ranges from a delicate and hesitantly, light gossamer falsetto; to an assuredly powerful, dark, bleak coal black hoarseness. Doug has created from a combination of guitar, bass and percussion a haunting collection of hugely powerful numbers which are rich in emotional presence. All twelve original compositions are delivered with a succinct and penetrating simplicity. A cold solitary feeling is strongly evoked throughout the proceedings, which echoes a rural fragility that now in the modern world is possibly lost forever. A fleeting feeling, which is rarely felt, but once triggered, ensures an unwanted grey engulfing coldness. This album is by no means dark, dank and dismal throughout; there are, one or two shining lights in the darkness, but sometimes we should be reminded about the possibilities of the dark side of life otherwise we would not quite enjoy so much the bright, sweeter side. One is reminded on some of the numbers of the haunting arrangements used by the late Johnny Cash on his last album. Joining Doug; guitar and left foot, on the album is; Arthur Bent; percussion and Jasper Mortier; double bass. This is an album that needs to savoured and appreciated like a very old and well matured whisky. Highly recommended! July 4, 2008 Doug did the support for BB last night in Woodinville WA July 2, 2008 Doug MacLeod - The Utrecht Sessions Respekt! Mit den Utrecht Sessions hat der seit langem in Kalifornien lebende gebürtige New Yorker wieder ein grossartiges Album aufgenommen. Mit zunehmendem Alter wird MacLeod immer besser. Wer den Blues-Singer-Songwriter in den letzten Jahren live erleben durfte, weiß, dass MacLeod, seit er als Solist unterwegs ist, gereift ist wie ein exzellenter Wein. Dougs einfühlsamer Gesang, seine Art, die Gitarre zu spielen und die er dabei den Bottleneck benutzt, und auch die Weise, wie er bestimmt, aber nicht rustikal mit dem Fuß durch die 12-Takter stapft, all das macht das Album so einzigartig. MacLeod ist, das vermittelt auch diese CD, ein sehr angenehmer Mensch. Einer der humorvoll seine Geschichten erzählt, der aber auch die traurigen Seiten des Lebens nicht auslässt. ‚‘This Old River‘ ist so eine traurige Ballade, die er wie das gesamte Album Marie Gaines widmet, die er vor ihrem Tod noch einmal besuchte. Begleitet wird der Amerikaner gelegentlich vom Bassisten Jasper Mortier, der sonst bei Doug Jay & The Blue Jays die Saiten zupft, und dem Perkussionisten Arthur Bont. Ganz sparsam, wohl getimet und akzentuiert klingt das. Unaufdringlich schön, stimmig und liebevoll, so ist letztlich das ganze Album. (um) June 21, 2008 Doug Macleod - The Utrecht Sessions Treizième album de ce bluesman de plus en plus solitaire. Lors de ses premières tournées en Europe, il menait un groupe de musiciens fort efficaces, mais déjà c’était lui qui attirait l’attention par ses solos de guitare et ses talents de raconteur. Bientôt il commença à se produire seul, donnant libre cours à un lyrisme personnel de plus en plus exigeant. Pas tellement dans ses enregistrements, car il continuait de s’y entourer de bons accompagnateurs. Mais au fil des CD, il s’en est dégagé de plus en plus et cette production-ci le fait entendre plus seul que jamais : au chant, à la guitare et à la percussion (son pied gauche). Par-ci par-là il compte sur l’appui discret des baguettes ou du bruitage d’un Hollandais, mais That ain’t right, le plus rythmique de ces blues, n’y fait même pas appel. Un bassiste, Jasper Mortier, ajoute au caractère dansant de Coming your brand new day. Mais nulle part on ne peut parler de duos ou de dialogue. Doug donne libre cours à son inspiration, nourrie par des expériences ou des intuitions toutes personnelles. L’humour a toujours été présent dans ses contacts avec le public, mais cette fois-ci ce n’est que dans un seul morceau, The addition to blues, qu’il nous fait sourire. On est frappé aussi par les allusion à la mort dans ses compositions, et par les personnages mythiques (le démon, le cheval aveugle à la recherche d’un cavalier, le jeune homme aux paroles sibyllines), de mythes qui lui sont propres. Doug est un vrai poète. Mais aussi un musicien accompli, sachant varier ses phrases et ses timbres, tout à fait excellent dans son jeu de bottleneck (son solo dans The demon’s moan !). Comme chanteur, il ne sonne certes pas noir, mais est reconnaissable entre tous. Sa voix est souvent au bord de la cassure, meurtrie par ;’urgence de l’expression. Il passe du cri au chuchotement, avec des passages au timbre plein. L’émotion est partout sincère, parfois poignante, l’expression çà et là salutairement ironique. Sa tournée européenne, dès septembre, se limitera de nouveau aux pays anglo-saxons et germaniques. June 18, 2008 Doug MacLeod - the Utrecht Sessions Wer auf Akustik-Blues steht liegt bei dem Songwriter, Gitaristen und Sänger Doug MacLeod richtig, der hier sein bereits 13. Album veröffentlicht. Begleitet von Bassist Jasper Mortier (Doug Jay & the Blue Jays) und Percussionist Arthur Bont wird hier eine atmosphärischer Minimalblues mit größter Ausdruckskraft in Szene gesetzt. "This Old River" und das sehr persönliche "Coming A Brand New Day" sind nur zwei Highlights einer wirklich starken Scheibe. June 12, 2008 GREAT NEWS !!!! Doug MacLeod is invited to record a an interview / feature for the HOUSE OF BLUES RADIO HOUR; a big syndicated radio show hosted by DAN AYKROYD and broadcasted on over 180 radio stations all over the USA. June 10, 2008 BOO BOO DAVIS on BBC Radio 2 !! During his European tour in March/April this year Boo Boo Davis was invited to do a recording session in for the PAUL JONES SHOW in the legendary BBC Maida Vale Studio's in London. The recordings were broadcasted yesterday on BBC Radio 2. At this link you can listen to the complete show plus another exclusive track and a photo gallery from the session. You will hear Boo Boo with his new trio line up (Boo Boo on vocals & harmonica, John Gerritse on drums and yours truly on guitar); the same line up that we used for the recordings of the upcoming CD (release in September 2008). June 7, 2008 Doug MACLEOD - The Utrecht Sessions Utrecht (Hollande)… C’est un endroit qui est resté magique pour votre serviteur et surtout pour toute une génération d’amateurs de blues devenus orphelins, et qui ont fréquenté assidûment le Blues Estafette (1981-2004) sous la houlette de Jaap Hindriks. Lieu chargé d’une fraction de l’histoire du blues contemporain, lieu aujourd’hui transformé dans lequel ont joué des dizaines d’artistes (pour certains peu connus et/ou qui se sont relancés grâce à Utrecht) dans la mythique ‘’grote zaal’’ circulaire et la ‘’ kleine zaal’’ bondée du complexe commercial Vredenburg. Inimaginable donc de passer sous silence les 23 éditions de ce festival emblématique, ne serait-ce qu’en filigrana, avant de chroniquer cet album éponyme de Doug MacLeod enregistré en février 2008. Adepte du bottleneck, le maestro cisèle des phrases incisives sur sa guitare métallique National en slide ou surfe subtilement sur un velours musical à la guitare douze cordes. En slide, les notes plaintives qu’il produit dans ‘aigu sont soutenues par un martèlement vigoureux des cordes graves, le tout avec un rythme soutenu et puissant. Timbre grave et rond, MacLeod, qui use allègrement de la technique du foot stomping, instille sous l’épiderme son style pénétrant et intimiste. Il invite à un voyage initiatique dans son monde intérieur qui s’avère captivant. Solo ou en duo alternativement MacLeod est accompagné par son batteur Arthur Bont ou Jasper Mortier à la double basse. Cet opus confirme si besoin est que le label hollandais Black & Tan a assis au fil des ans la flatteuse réputation d’un musicien interprète et chanteur de blues rare et donc précieux. Utrecht will never die ! June 5, 2008 New record BOO BOO DAVIS !!!! Boo Boo Davis belongs to the last generation of musicians that write and play the blues based on first hand experience of life in the Delta. This week we recorded 13 great tracks for his upcoming record. All music, sounds and noises that you will hear on this record are coming from Boo Boo's vocal chords and harmonica, John Gerritse's drumkit or my guitars. What started a z crazy idea after the tour with Boo Boo Davis in October 2007 turned out to work great. On the Spring Tour of 2008 we left out the bass and worked as a trio. Boo Boo's voice didn't need any modification; it's as loud a fog horn (during the years he sang many amps and speaker boxes to pieces). John created a great drum kit (100 % Radio King with real skin heads) around his 70+ years old 28 inch bass drum and I bought a baritone guitar and put very heavy strings on my regular guitars. All this together made a very fat, big and authentic sound. Boo Boo sounds better then ever with this new set up. I plan to release the record in September 2008 but I should be able to give some listening samples soon. June 3, 2008 Doug Macleod - The Utrecht Sessions De Amerikaanse blueszanger/-gitarist Doug MacLeod heft een enorme staat van dienst. De laatste twintig jaar is hij regelmatig in Nederland te vinden. Door de jaren heen zijn de door Doug MacLeod zelf geschreven liedjes en zijn gitaarspel intenser en persoonlijker geworden. The Utrecht sessions is MacLeod’s vierde cd voor Black & Tan, maar zijn voltallige catalogus omvat achttien cd’s en dvd’s. De nieuwe uitgave is in drie dagen tijd live opgenomen in Studio Silvester door Erik Spanjer, en laat Doug MacLeod horen op National steel guitar en twaalfsnarige gitaar. Het meestampen met de voet is een geïntegreerd percussieonderdeel. Als je goed luistert, kun je soms de houten stoel waarop de zanger plaats nam horen kraken. In een aantal tracks hoor je Jasper Mortier (contrabas) en Arthur Bont (percussie), echter nooit tegelijkertijd. De twaalf nummers van eigen hand overtuigen moeiteloos, terwijl de sfeer en de uitvoering de ziel van de blues raken. May 29, 2008 from the new issue of LE CRI DE COYOTE (France): Doug MacLeod - The Utrecht Sessions Après ‘Dubb’ et ‘Where I Been’, Doug poursuit dans sa recherché de la simplicité (un micro pour la voix, deux pour la guitare et un pour les battements de pied ! auxquels la production a juste ajouté un peu de basse et de percussions sur quelques pistes). C’est donc encore une fois de facture très, très classique (plutôt que traditionnelle puisqu’il signe tous les morceaux) minimaliste et sincère (on penserait presque parfois à un disque de collectage), moins encombré d’effect que dans les CD prècèdents, bref, le blues du ciècle dernier d’aujourd’hui. Un peu Bjorn Berge en plus calme, plus classique aussi, qui a la gentillesse, en plus de fournir les textes, d’indiquer les accordages de guitare. May 23, 2008 DOUG MACLEOD - THE UTRECHT SESSIONS Hij behoort inmiddels tot de veteranen in het bluescircuit. Met meer dan een dozijn albums heeft hij een indrukwekkend repertoire opgebouwd. Doug MacLeod is een echt bluesdier. Hij draait bluesplaatjes voor de radio, geeft workshops, ontwikkelt gitaar-instructiemateriaal (o.a. de DVD “101 Blues Essentials with Doug MacLeod”) en schrijft over de blues in Blues Revue Magazine. In een van zijn geliefde steden in Europa nam Doug zijn nieuwe album The Utrecht Sessions (Black & Tan) op. Hij doet het helemaal in zijn eentje met af en toe een subtiele bijdrage van percussionist Arthur Bont en bassist Jasper Mortier. Het album opent meteen ijzersterk met het hartverscheurend Bukka White achtige countrybluesje “Horse With No Rider”. Zijn ‘National Delphi’ is hiermee meteen ingespeeld, al wisselt hij deze gitaar af met een oude Stella. Absoluut hoogtepunt is de gospel “This Old River”, dat Doug schreef bij het afscheid nemen van een vriend. Ik ben niet zo kapot van de stem van MacLeod, maar hier veroorzaakt hij toch echt de nodige kippenvel. Hartverscheurend is voorts de vernieuwde bewerking van zijn liedje “The Demon’s Song’, waarbij hij met zijn ‘gekerm’ bijna de hoogte bereikt van de huiveringwekkende zang van Skip James. Gelukkig is er ook luchtiger kost, zoals de Hooker achtige ‘boogie’ in de stompende ‘trainsong’ “The Long Black Train”. Hierin haalt Doug ouderwets uit met prachtige resonerende slide-akkoorden. “Coming Your Brand New Day” is een ‘jazzy’ positivo-song, terwijl “I Respectfully Decline” een aangrijpend ‘southern soul feeling’ oproept. Aan het einde van dit toch wel emotionele album haalt MacLeod nog eens al zijn vocale bagage uit zijn koffertje met “Where You’ll Find Me”. Kortom dit is een klasse-schijfje! (Paul Jonker) This mail came in last night from New Zealand. Dear Black & Tan, I am an expat American blues fan living in New Zealand. I’ve got about 7000 blues titles, so you could say I am somewhat familiar with the genre. I am writing to say how much I am enjoying your “Keeping Living Music Alive” samplers (Vol. 1 & Vol.2). I found Vol.1 on the sale table of Real Groovy, Auckland’s largest store of new and used cds. I was so struck by the combination of songs, artists, and sequencing of songs on the cd that I ordered Vol.2 from Amazon, and, if anything, it is even better than the 1st volume! Are you planning to release other volumes? Otherwise, I will definitely be acquiring more of your label’s individual artists. I was already into Doug MacLeod, Boo Boo Davis but now will definitely look for more Teresa James, Billy Jones, etc. Good luck and thanks again for some great listening, based upon your obvious good taste! Cheers, Jim May 22, 2008 DOUG MACLEOD - The Utrecht Sessions C'était en 1984. Il y a pratiquement un quart de siècle. La fin du monde était déjà passée par là et pourtant les bluesmen que nous aimions portaient encore des costumes trois pièces satinés en tergal bien serrés. Seul leurs bas de pantalons semi " pattes d'eph' " s'accordaient encore quelques largesses. La mode new wave n'ayant eu aucun effet sur eux. Un jeune Doug MacLeod sortait " No road back home " un premier album sur Hightone, produit par Bruce Bromberg et Dennis Walker. Les mêmes qui commençaient à retirer d'appréciables dividendes des succès précoces de Robert Cray. Il y avait encore George Smith à l'harmonica quelques mois avant sa mort. Et avec ce jeune chanteur-guitariste- songwriter à l'épaisse tignasse, la Californie du blues se découvrait un nouveau talent majeur, déjà rompu à l'accompagnement de toutes les vedettes de L.A ou de la San Francisco Bay. Aujourd'hui comme chacun de nous, Doug MacLeod a pris un coup de vieux. La grosse tignasse est encore là, toute blanche qui encadre un visage pensif. Les vieux amis de la baie ont presque tous disparu. La tasse de café est vide et c'est d'Utrecht, aux Pays-Bas qu'il nous envoie cette carte postale datée de février 2008. Il existe des manières plus affriolantes de passer ses vacances. Même si le ciel est dégagé au royaume d'Orange. N'allez pas croire pour autant que ce rendez vous batave est trop grave. Bien au contraire. Si la coupe est déjà vide c'est que Doug savoure le doigté avec lequel on vous mijote le petit noir au Bénélux. Et que la deuxième tournée se fait attendre. Doug se sent chez lui dans ce petit coin d'Europe qu'il connaît depuis vingt ans. Et tant pis si l'apprentissage de la langue de Maastricht demeure un exercice au dessus de ses forces. Alors, comme d'autres avant lui, Doug MacLeod se voit prié par le label Black & Tan de faire tinter les belles guitares à résonateur, pour un exercice acoustique autour du blues, enregistré, comme il souhaite le faire depuis 1994 très " live in the studio " avec le soutien d'un bassiste et d'un percussionniste. Un boogie à la John Lee Hooker "The long black train" fait le pont entre ces deux époques et " Sheep of different color " rappelle encore le vieux maître sous sa facette " country blues singer ". Il y a des titres plus enjoués comme " The addition to blues ", " That ain't right ", " Coming your brand new day " ou " What you got(Ain't necessarily what you own) " qui raconte un " petit écart de conduite " avec la femme d'un supérieur alors qu'il était militaire. "I respectfully decline" et " Where you'll find me " ne sont pas très éloignés du Springsteen acoustique de " Nebraska " alors que les très lents et recueillis " This old river " et " The demon's moan " sont un dialogue avec la mort et la souffrance. Celle que Doug a connu d'avoir été un enfant abusé. Un disque intimiste et attachant d'un artiste trop rare au sud de l'Europe. May 21, 2008 The Powerblues chart is made every month; it is the French-speaking Blues Radio Society's opinion regarding the new blues releases. Here is the chart for May 2008. 1. JW Jones - Blueslisted 2. Jeff Healey- Mess of Blues 3. OC Blues Band - Live ! 4. Honeyboy Edwards - Roamin & Ramblin 5. Marc-Andre Leger - Marc-Andre Leger 6. Doug MacLeod - The Utrecht Sessions 7. Jean Chartron - Blues Blues 8. Jimmy Bock - Blues for Johnny 9. Bjorn Berge - Live in Europe 10. Tom Principato - Raising the Roof 11. Bernard Allison - Chills & Trills DOUG MACLEOD - THE UTRECHT SESSIONS My mother¹s 92, and all she talks about is who put her in the nursing home, and when am I gonna get her out. But she still has the presence of mind to tell me to get that toothpick out of my mouth. I don¹t, ¹cause I¹m comfortable with it. Doug MacLeod has a toothpick hanging from his lips in eight different photos in this disc¹s liner notes, including the cover shot of MacLeod with a cup of coffee posing in front of a cityscape of Utrecht, his favorite town in the Netherlands. He claims that the only word he knows in Dutch is 'Heineken,' even though he¹s been visiting the nation for 20 years. But he¹s comfortable with that. I understand that toothpick in a classy city. And MacLeod would sound like he was in a Piedmont juke joint no matter where he records. I¹ve been wearing the same pair of workout sneakers for more decades than I want to admit. My fitness instructor tells me I should get a pair of Nikes or New Balances. But it¹s not like I¹m running in ¹em. Besides, they have this intricate pattern of lacy creases in the leather that I like to see evolve. MacLeod recorded much of this album with an old Stella guitar that he says 'was so beat-up and funky, if I moved in next door to you with that guitar, your lawn would die.' He didn¹t change the strings on it for the three days it took to record this album for fear it would alter the instrument¹s sound. Like me and my sneakers, MacLeod¹s comfortable with that. MacLeod has written a column for this magazine for nearly 10 years, and in concert, I¹m always amazed at how effortlessly he weaves his over-the-back-fence stories with his songs. When I told him I wanted him to play in my town, we started exchanging e-mails. That¹s not so much a disclaimer as it is an assurance that we were both comfortable with that. On "The Addition to Blues," MacLeod sings about how pleasantly shocked he is when a woman invites him to her house, and when the inevitable question comes up, he sings, "I think it¹s much more better for the meaning of the song/If you ain¹t exactly sure what the hell went on." I¹m comfortable with that. Don Wilcock May 15, 2008 Good news for all customers and fans of RED LICK. They we will re-open for business this summer, having successfully agreed a transfer of the business from Porthmadog to Cardiff. Red Lick founders and previous owners Ken and Ann Smith will remain a key part of the new Red Lick team, acting as consultants and advisers and providing a lead on editorial content for the reviews that will feature in future Red Lick catalogues. New owners, Tony and Julie Chilcott, are currently finalising operational issues. If you are a past customer of Red Lick you will shortly be contacted to ensure that you are aware of progress and dates to note. Whether you are a past customer or just curious on becoming a customer in the future, it would be a good idea to email your name and contact details to them to be sure that you are included in updates as they are issued. May 14, 2008 The Collectif des Radio Blues is a organization of the major blues radio shows in the French speaking area's in France, Belgium, Quebec and Africa. They compile a monthly airplay chart. Here is the complete Top 10 for April 2008 with the new Doug MacLeod on # 5. 1 Sean COSTELLO "We can get together" (Delta Groove Productions) 2 LONJ "I found out" (Autoproduction) 3 Richard KOECHLI "Laid-back" (Mara Records) 4 Larry GARNER "Here today gone tomorow" (Dixiefrog) 5 Doug MACLEOD "The Utrecht sessions" (Black & Tan Records) 5 Tom PRINCIPATO "Raisin' the roof!"(Dixiefrog) 7 Eden BRENT "Mississippi number one" (Yellow Dog Records) 8 O.C. BLUES BAND "Live" (Autoproduction) 9 Charlie MUSSELWHITE "Rough dried" (Henrietta Records) 10 Bernard ALLISON "Chills & thrills" (Jazzhaus) 10 Jean CHARTRON "Blues bleus" (Dixiefrog) May 13, 2008 DOUG MACLEOD - THE UTRECHT SESSIONS Doug MacLeod, begnadeter Singer Songwriter und Storyteller aus Kalifornien, legt mit seinen Utrecht Sessions ein knisterndes Acoustic-Blues- Album vor. Aufgenommen ohne jeglichen Schickschnack, ein Mikro für die Stimme, zwei für sein altehrwürdiger Resonophonic National Guitar "Spook" oder die 12-saitige Vintage Stella und eines für den Rhythmus seines Füsses, verbreitet die CD eine dichte Atmosphäre wie an einem Livekonzert. Unaufdringlich unterlegen ein Bass oder ein wenig Percussion den einen oder anderen Song. Das eindrücklich Dutzend Eigenkompositionen, sowohl gesanglich als auch gitarrenmässig beeinflusst vom Stil eines Son House, eines Blind Willie Johnson oder eines Mississippi John Hurt, ist eim Booklet textlich abgedruckt und wird von MacLeod kurz kommentiert. Nicht zu Unrecht wurde Doug MacLeod für einen Blues Award in der Sparte Acoustic Artist of the Year nominiert. May 5, 2008 Billy Jones: Bluez Crusader     by Autumn Long (as published in the new issue of BLUES REVUE, the world's blues magazine) Billy Jones’ earliest memories revolve around the blues. In fact, the music lulled Jones to sleep as a baby in his cradle. Today, the North Little Rock, Arkansas-based guitarist, vocalist, and songwriter uses blues as a wakeup call to black Americans, and as a call to arms for music lovers around the world to demand freshness and innovation from the art form. In 1954, when Jones was six months old, his father completed a tour of duty in the Army. The family returned to its North Little Rock hometown, where Jones’ grandfather operated a restaurant and boarding house called the Cedar Street Café. The young family moved into a room in the building. “That room was right behind the jukebox,” Jones says with a chuckle. “So I’m a baby layin’ there in bed, and I’m listenin’ to Elmore James and B.B. King and all those guys. That jukebox is just steady goin’ boom, boom, boom.” His grandfather’s jukebox was stocked with albums by blues stars of the day, from Jimmy Reed and Big Joe Turner to Bobby “Blue” Bland and Howlin’ Wolf. Jones also heard live music by the likes of Calvin and Hosea Leavy, Willie Cobbs, Little Johnny Taylor, and Larry “Totsie” Davis. Still a child, Jones convinced his father to buy him a guitar, and he began studying blues — the music and the lifestyle — in earnest. “The first thing I ever remember wanting to do, before I even started school, was to play the guitar,” he says today. “It was just a natural progression for me, and once I got into my teen years, I started studyin’ those guys. I’d go out and play on the road with some of ’em, and I would observe them to see how they did things — how they conducted business, how they talked to people, how they communicated with their audience.” Jones credits his family’s strong ties, and particularly the guidance of his father, with instilling in him the confidence to persevere as a working musician. “[My father] would tell me stories about Alexander the Great, how he cried when he was 12 years old because he thought his father was going to conquer the world before he was old enough to go to war. And he’d tell me about Muhammad Ali, about being a champion. I didn’t know it, but he was grooming me to be successful. No matter what field I chose, he wanted me to have confidence and self-assurance. I didn’t realize it until later years, but it helped a lot, because I’ve had a lot of rejections and doors shut to me in the music industry. A lot of my friends that I grew up with, they just couldn’t take it. They gave up and [said], ‘Well, it’s no use.’ But I just kept goin’ and goin’.” As a young man in the 1970s, Jones formed the Incredible Rock City Band, an all-black cover group that donned Spandex costumes, feather boas, and colorful stage makeup to perform funk, soul, and rock hits by Rick James, the Bar-Kays, the Commodores, and other popular acts of the day, primarily at military installations throughout the United States. Jones explains how his career took this unconventional turn: “We had this country & western booking agent, Gene Williams. Jay Little, the drummer, had met him somewhere. [Williams] used to manage Claude King, Ferlin Husky, and Donna Douglas, who played Elly May on The Beverly Hillbillies. This guy was really hooked up with the Grand Ole Opry and all that, but he didn’t [know what] to do with a black band. He couldn’t place us in these venues, so he started bookin’ us on military installations. Every time I see him, he keeps tellin’ me this story: He had a map of the United States on the wall, and he would take a dart and throw it over his shoulder, and wherever it landed, that’s where he’d send us.” In the early Nineties, the Incredible Rock City Band broke up after almost two decades on the road. Jones didn’t skip a beat, embarking immediately on a solo career as a blues guitarist and vocalist. After all those years of funk, soul, and rock, what brought Jones back to the blues? “It’s just in my heart,” he says. “It’s who I am. I am really that person inside, even though for a while I resisted [playing blues]. But while I was resisting, I learned something that I could bring back to it, and so it all worked out for the best.” In 2003 Jones independently released his first solo album, Prime Suspect for the Blues, a straight-ahead blues record that left him wanting more. Jones realized he wasn’t satisfied rehashing the same blues standards night after night. “I [was] pretty much trying to appease the blues professionals,” he says. “You know: I’m gonna make it like Muddy Waters, like John Lee Hooker, or whoever.” But when Jones met and signed with Jan Mittendorp of the Dutch label Black & Tan Records, Mittendorp encouraged him to follow his muse and write songs that went beyond traditional formulas. Jones recalls, “After touring a little while [in Europe, Mittendorp] said, ‘I can see that you’re trying to do something different here. Go and write whatever you want, whatever you feel. If I like it, I’ll release it. If I don’t, I won’t.’ So that left me an opportunity to write what I really wanted to say. And [it’s] unbelievable how positive the situation has become.” Jones experienced a burst of creativity, writing innovative songs that combine the structure of blues with the sensuality of classic soul, the big beats of hip-hop, and a flair for drama honed during his days as a rocker. But where Jones broke most drastically with tradition was with his lyrics: Unflinchingly topical, his recordings for Black & Tan, 2005’s Tha’ Bluez and 2007’s My Hometown, pointedly address issues affecting urban youth. Shifting with ease among the diverse characters that populate his meticulously constructed musical landscape, Jones dons the guises of a spurned suitor begging his lover to come back home, a plainspoken reporter commenting on the deterioration of American cities, and an addict unsuccessfully attempting to kick his meth habit. Breaking with blues tradition, both lyrically and musically, was a conscious decision, Jones says. “Part of it is just evolution, just keepin’ up with modern trends and what’s happening in the music world. And part of it is intentional, since I’m trying to reach a younger audience and I’m tryin’ to draw the urban audience into the music. The young urban audience has, by and large, pretty much abandoned the blues, because the blues industry seems to be trying to take them into the past when they really want to go into the future. It’s not that they don’t like the music, it’s that the people in control are trying to sell them an old idea.” Jones sees an opening in today’s music market that creative young blues artists should be scrambling to fill. “The hip-hop industry at this moment is in a stalemate. It’s taking the road disco took. They’re workin’ it down to a cliché. It’s down to a formula, just like blues has been recently put into a formula. And the audience is beginning to lose interest in that, because there’s no subject matter. There’s a beat. There’s a video. But there’s no substance to the story. And so the door is open for a blues artist with new ideas to step in there.” Jones believes the blues industry is preventing the music it claims to love from evolving to fit the tastes of a 21st-century audience. “These guys — not the artists, but the companies — are refusing to address issues people can relate to. The subjects they are discussing have no interest to young people. I keep seein’ this cliché: ‘keeping the blues alive.’ Well, as far as I can see, the blues is not even sick. It don’t need to be kept alive. It’s just that it has moved from the farm into the cities. The blues is still here, but they’re tellin’ the wrong type of stories to get the attention of the people who actually deal with this every day. Instead of ‘My crop didn’t come in,’ it’s drive-bys and drug deals. And I’m tryin’ to reach that audience that are havin’ these experiences.” Jones’ live shows are gaining recognition as high-energy workouts that maintain an aura of professionalism tailored through long years spent on the road. His soul ballads ooze sexuality, while tunes like My Hometown’s “Pull My 44” inject a shot of modern funk into time-honored themes that reach deep into the past century. And despite his determination to break boundaries, Jones bears more than a passing resemblance to blues “road warriors” of days gone by. The parallels in style and substance between legendary bluesmen and more recent stars of black popular music aren’t lost on Jones. “In those days,” he says, “[blues] guys were like the hip-hop guys are now: dangerous, sexual, threatening. They were the gangsters of their day. But the [blues] industry has homogenized the whole picture. They’ve removed the prime elements of that type of music, which are rebellion, danger, and sexuality.” Jones entices young listeners to open up to blues music by tapping into that spirit of rebellion, and by speaking frankly about issues that affect young black Americans today, such as urban decay, gang crime, and drug abuse. Audience response has been overwhelmingly positive, says Jones. “It’s not just a blues audience. This is a new audience, and they’re sayin’, ‘This is somethin’ I can relate to,’ or ‘My brother was just in prison,’ or ‘My sister is hooked on crystal meth.’ I wrote the song ‘My Hometown’ while I was out riding my bicycle. I just wrote [about] what I see every day. And, apparently, people in other hometowns can relate.” Still, Jones is no herald of doom. He views his role as that of a straight-talking social commentator, a defender of African-American culture, and, perhaps most important, a champion of youth. It’s his passion for urban culture and his desire to uplift a new generation of black youth that has driven him to assume the posture of an industry outsider, a crusader against musical mediocrity, and an innovator who believes that art can — and should — be used to make the world a better place. It’s what inspires Jones to create music he calls “tha bluez.” “This is the music of our heritage, the music of our culture,” Jones says, “and I’m speaking to young black Americans. The image that the media will give you is that all black people are pimps, hoes, drug dealers, burglars, crack addicts. There are many real men out there, but the media plays that image down in favor of the image where we are self-destructive. I want to bring back this idea of family values, self-awareness, education. I’m tryin’ to say, ‘Look at your environment. Look what’s goin’ on. You can rise above it.’ But I’ve got to put it into a frame that they’re willing to listen to. I’m trying to communicate with them in a format they can understand. And I’m definitely out to make some changes.” May 3, 2008 DOUG MACLEOD - The Utrecht Sessions Zijn passages in Nederland en België gaan nooit ongemerkt voorbij. Organisatoren zijn erop uit om Doug naar hun bluesclub te loodsen omdat de songwriter met zijn National Delphi of zijn Stella-gitaar telkens voor een intimistische sfeer zorgt. In zijn ‘Utrecht Sessions’ (Utrecht is één van zijn favoriete Europese grootsteden) weet de New Yorker treffend diezelfde intimiteit op te roepen, alsof hij op een krakende stoel met een micro aan de linkervoet plus micro’s voor stem en gitaar vlak voor je zit. Ook zijn songteksten ontstonden weer uit afwisselend dichterlijke stemmingen en verre herinneringen. Sommige zijn laconiek, andere echt schrijnend. Of hij het nu over zijn land heeft, waarin iedereen in de kudde loopt, of over kindermishandeling, zijn songs zijn allen gevoelsgeladen. ‘The Demons Moan’ is een machteloze kreet om hulp, waarbij het suggestieve resonerend gitaarspel niemand onberoerd kan laten. In ‘Where You’ll Find Me’ is zijn blik naar binnen gekeerd. Ook het wenken van de dood spookt doorheen zijn teksten. De inspiratie voor ‘This Old River’ sloot aan bij het nakende afscheid van een bevriend iemand. Maar niet alle songs zijn donker. Als aanvoelend muzikant wisselt MacLeod tijdig ritmisch af, waarbij dan contrabas of percussie meedoen. De homogeniteit van dit akoestische album belet om een favoriete song uit te kiezen, al komt het meergelaagde en nostalgische ‘I Respectfully Decline’ aardig in de buurt. Eens te meer een emotioneel album, deze Sessions van Doug. ‘The rebel boy who stood apart’. May 2, 2008 DOUG MacLEOD - The Utrecht Sessions The city of Utrecht in the Netherlands, many a good night I had in that particular 'burg'; at the Blues Estafette of course, what did you think I was referring to? In my humble opinion this ranks among MacLeod's finest work to date. Ok, it's not all 'standard, straight ahead blues', but it is always steeped in blues feeling. The recording is raw and funky, mostly solo, apart from a little percussion and some bass, he just used a creaky old chair, a vocal microphone, two microphones for the guitar, and a microphone for his foot. All material is of course original. Doug plays his National Delphi on 'Horse With No Rider'; it kinda sounds like a head-on collision between Bukka White and R.L. Burnside, with clattering percussion from Arthur Bont and buzzing guitar strings - superb! The gospel tinged 'This Old River' reminds us of that place we are all bound to go to one of those days 'This old river, people crossed but have never come back'. 'The Long Black Train' is Doug at his philosophical best, none of your European philosopher poncified ramblings though, just good old-fashioned kitchen table stuff, just like my granny used to make! 'Long Time Road' appeared on Doug's live DVD, however he changes the feel of the song here. Conjuring up things best left alone, 'The Demons Moan' talks of that time to come when the man whispers in our ear that it's time to go to that unknown place, but I sure hope my name ain't coming near the top of the list just yet! 'That Ain't Right' is light hearted, finger picked in open D on the National, in a style that nods to Blind Boy Fuller. In the notes MacLeod states that he wrote the song 'Sheep Of A Different Color' '. . . from the anger and frustration I was feeling about the polarization of America'; and I guess the same sentiment applies to this small island - unfortunately. Closing with the poignant slowie 'Where You'll Find Me', 'The Utrecht Sessions' is sure to appeal to Doug MacLeod's legions of fans in Europe and elsewhere. It comes with a huge nod of approval from this writer. Phil Wight April 28, 2008 Doug MacLeod - The Utrecht Sessions (****) MacLeod was once an Albert or BB King-inspired Electric Bluesman (albeit Jazzier) as evidenced by his 1984 Hightone debut "No Road Back Home" before stripping down to a acoustic Blues troubadour. By 1996 his skills had reach a new plateau with his second Audioquest LP "You Can't Take My Blues" and he's been steady rollin' at that peak since. On most of the 12 tracks recorded in Utrecht (one of MacLeod's "favorite cities) of the Netherlands it's just MacLeod his guitar and left foot. Slight accompaniment is found on some of the tracks such as on the locomotive "Horse With No Rider" where Arthur Bent is credited with "percussion". There's also a little double bass here and there by Jasper Mertier. But this is all about MacLeod's increasingly fine singing. He's achingly soulful on the fantastic "This Old River" for example. April 27, 2008 review Doug MacLeod / The Utrecht Sessions in BLUES IN THE SOUTH (UK): Recorded in Holland, this release finds American singer and guitarist Doug in top form. It is basically a solo set, though with occasional accompaniment by either Jasper Mortier on double bass or Arthus Bont on percussion. Doug’s guitar playing throughout the album is impressive, boogying away on ‘The Long Black Train’ (and throwing in some Elmore James styled slide), in deep Mississippi mode on several others, flowing Memphis styled finger-picking on ‘That Ain’t Right’, jazzy on ‘Coming Your Brand New Day’ or free-form Blind Willie Johnson fashion on ‘The Demon’s Moan’. Elsewhere, the music references the likes of John Lee Hooker, Arthur ‘Big Boy’ Crudup, and even, on ‘I Respectfully Decline’, southern soul. That last comment reveals why this set is so successful – Doug’s vocals are the real standout. The material can be enigmatic sometimes, but several numbers voice concerns about growing old and dying, and his singing is heartfelt and yes, soulful. He gives notice of this early on, with a truly stunning, almost a cappella ‘This Old River’, a tribute to a friend dying of cancer, and leave the listener suitably impressed with the closing ‘Where You’ll Find Me’, another primarily vocal performance. Doug is always worth listening to, at the very least. This excellent album is much more than that. Norman Darwen April 25, 2008 Short review (in dutch) of Doug's new one on SBS Text. April 23, 2008 Live video on YouTube from Doug MacLeod in the Netherlands last month. April 21, 2008 Doug MacLeod / the Utrecht Sessions moved up in roots/blues chart from #27 to #19. and the new record is now available for downloading at review new Doug MacLeod cD in MazzMusikas (Belgium): De titel zegt natuurlijk alles en misschien klinkt het wat raar voor z'n landgenoten dat Doug speciaal een cd gaat opnemen in een stad in Nederland, maar ik kan me best voorstellen dat grenzen voor Doug niet van belang zijn. Ik denk dat de omgeving (de studio) en de mensen rondom zich erg belangrijk zijn. Voor deze cd heeft hij alvast twee kompanen gevonden die zich prima van hun taak hebben gekweten: Arthur Bont (percussie) en Jasper Mortier (staande bas). Ieder apart begeleiden ze Doug op een erg subtiele wijze, zodanig dat z'n zang en z'n gitaarspel compleet naar voren kunnen treden. Z'n zang is op bepaalde momenten erg expressief en bijna emotioneel, en z'n gitaarspel op vooral z'n National, maar ook op een oude Stella, doet soms de haren te berge rijzen; van schoonheid weliswaar. Zeker wanneer hij de bottleneck erbij haalt, komt het kippenvel met gemak naar boven. Twaalf zelfgeschreven songs presenteert hij, met in de hoesnota's z'n eigen commentaar erover. Favoriete songs eruit halen is wat moeilijk want het hangt af van de 'mood' van het luistermoment, maar het folky gospelblues getinte This Old River, het beetje spooky The Demon's Moan, het pakkende I Respectfully Decline en afsluiter Where You'll Find Me overstijgen alle gevoelsmomenten. Leuk zijn het Hooker-achtige The Long Black Train en het losjes in de blouse wandelende Coming Your Brand New Day. Al bij al een cd die er in slaagt te blijven boeien, vandaag de dag bijna een zeldzaamheid. April 18, 2008 Doug MacLeod / the Utrecht Sessions is now available for downloading at April 17, 2008 At Last.FM there is a group specially dedicated to DOUG MACLEOD and his music. You can find more information and join the group at this link. April 16, 2008 this mail came in from Joe: "Just wanted to drop you guys a quick note of thanks. I am working and listening the the Raven n Blues podcast and Dave Raven mentioned how progressive the blues labels have been in allowing podcasters to promote their artists. He's mentioned it before, and so has Tony Steidler-Dennison on the Roadhouse podcast. I no longer listen to the radio, not that I'd hear blues there anyway, in favor of listening exclusively to my iPod, in the car and at work. So podcasts are my sole source of material that I haven't already purchased. Your permission to let the podcasters play your artists gives me the opportunity to discover artists that I wouldn't have otherwise. The record store is a pitiful location to discover new blues artists, and I rarely go into one, and iTunes, while I do like to browse it, I don't have the time to do much real discovery. Podcasts have however turned me on to artists that I will then check out further on iTunes and have made purchases based on what I've heard. So anyway, thank you again for your progressive support of the podcast medium." Joe At Raven 'n' the Blues you can listen to live sessions from DOUG MACLEOD and BOO BOO DAVIS. Both of them visited Dave (on his beautiful Island) while they were in the UK. April 15, 2008 Here is some video footage of Boo Boo Davis in Europe last month: live in Bocking (UK) live on dutch national radio review from Doug's new one on ROCKTIMES.DE: Da sitzt er nachdenklich, mit einem Zahnstocher im Mund, aus dem Fenster schauend, vor 'een kopje koffie' und nennt sein aktuelles Album schlicht "The Utrecht Sessions". Verständlich, dass Doug MacLeod so seine Schwierigkeiten hat, den Namen der Stadt korrekt auszusprechen. Obwohl oftmals in den Niederlanden unterwegs, kann er immer noch kein Niederländisch sprechen. Doch, einWort gibt es, wie er im Booklet schreibt, dass er sagen kann: »Heineken«. Ok, dann sollte er sich geschwind noch ein weiteres Bier merken: Huppendorfer.Utrecht hat es ihm angetan, denn sie ist eine seiner europäischen Lieblingsstädte. Die CD wurde im Februar 2008 in nur drei Tagen aufgenommen. Dazu besuchte man das Studio Silvester und wir erleben den Protagonisten live im Aufnahmeraum. Overdubbing wurde bei nur einer Slide-Einlage benutzt. Arthur Bont (percussion) sowie Jasper Mortier (Doug Jay & The Blue Jays/double bass) begleiten ihn ab und an, allerdings nie gemeinsam. MacLeod setzte sich auf einen Stuhl, nahm seine Gitarre und spielte sowie sang drauflos. Ganze vier Mikrofone kamen zum Einsatz: Eines für seine Stimme, zwei waren auf die Gitarre ausgerichtet und dann gab es ein letztes für seinen linken Fuß. So einfach ist es und das Ergebnis ist grandios. "The Utrecht Sessions" sind ein umwerfendes Dokument in Sachen akustischem Gitarren-Blues und obendrauf eine Lehrstunde für die kleine Schar an Musikern, die sich diesem Genre widmen. Selten hat der Hörer eine derart abwechslungsreiche Platte mit einem versiert singenden Gitarristen gehört. Der Amerikaner hat sich mittlerweile freigeschwommen und liefert mit dieser Platte sein Meisterstück ab. Es ist nicht verwunderlich, dass er 2008 von der Blues Foundation für einen Award nominiert wurde. Warten wir die Ergebnisse ab. Musikalisch setzt sich der sympathische Musiker nicht zwischen die Stühle, sondern spielt einen vielse(a)itigen 12-Takter und überrascht mit Jasper Mortier am Kontrabass in "Coming Your Brand New Day" gar durch einen schön swingenden Stil. MacLeod weicht keinen Deut davon ab, durch seine Texte Geschichten des alltäglichen Lebens zu transportieren. Besonders angetan ist man von seinem "This Old River", worin er einen Besuch bei der todkranken Marie Gaines, der er übrigens dieses Album widmet, reflektiert. Ein ausgesprochen nachdenklicher Song, der nicht nur einmal Gänsehaut erzeugt. Textuell ein Wechselbad der Gefühle, liefert er feinstes Fingerpicking mit dezenter Bottleneck-Ergänzung. Solche hochklassigen Lieder wollen erst einmal geschrieben werden! Anders geht es in "The Long Black Train" zu. Das ist ein typischer Groove-Track des Saitenzauberers, in dem er den Hörer mit recht viel Slide beglückt. Da hat man keine Probleme, sich den Zug des Lebens vorzustellen, in den Menschen ein- und wieder aussteigen.Neben dem Alltäglichen gibt der Künstler mit "Sheep Of A Different Color" ein politisches Statement zu seiner Heimat ab, denn er macht die Polarisation zum Thema: »The left stay left, the right sure stay right The common ground of common sense, lost all the fight. And I hear their words, they ring to me so hollow To me they're all sheep, they just sheep of different color. Arthur Bont gibt dem Song perkussive Fülle und auch hier, wie bei allen anderen Liedern kann man seine eigene Fußwippe nicht abschalten. Man taktet gemeinsam mit dem Musiker. Doug packt einen schon mit seinem Opener "Horse With No Rider" bei den Ohren und er lässt einen nicht los. Der Blues kann mit sehr wenigen Mitteln glänzen wie ein Stern am wolkenlosen Abendhimmel einer lauen Sommernacht und der Mann hat gleich zwölf davon am Start! Ob sehnsüchtig oder durch die nicht gespielte Note glänzend, kann MacLeod mit seiner Gitarre und Stimme jedes Flair und viele Gefühlslagen transportieren. Bei "The Utrecht Sessions" passt einfach alles zusammen und es gibt auch Robert \ Johnson-Momente auf dem Album, in denen sich Doug MacLeod dem Denkmal, auf seine ganze persönliche Weise, nähert. 9 von 10 RockTimes-Uhren sind da nicht zu hoch gegriffen. April 14, 2008 Doug MacLeod's new record entered the blues/roots chart at nr 27. April 8, 2008 Last Saturday we finished the tour with Boo Boo Davis. In 5 weeks we did 20 concerts and 4 live radio shows in 8 countries. Almost 10.000 kilometres by car plus a few planes and ferries. What started a z crazy idea after the tour with Boo Boo Davis in October 2007 turned out to work great. On the tour we just finished we worked as a trio; Boo Boo + drums and guitar. John Gerritse created a great kit around his 70 year old 28 inch Slingerland bass drum and I bought a baritone guitar and put very heavy strings on my Stratocaster. All this together made a very full and authentic sound. We did get some very strange looks when we came to the venues and started to set up our gear but all promoters and crowds were very positive after the shows. April 7, 2008 Nice pictures of Boo Boo Davis at the Burnley 2008 festival taken by Tony Winfield at this link(click on Burnley 2008). April 1, 2008 Nice pictures by Paul Webster from the Boo Boo Davis concert in Glasgow last month. See the whole series at this link Here is a quote from the review of the show in Glasgow on March 19 by BluesBunny: "So there you have it - the gruff, testifying vocals, the yelping harmonica, the solid underpinning from guitar and (unamplified) drums making it all real. Perhaps that is the special thing about hearing old timers like Boo Boo Davis. They are from a time when there was no technology to fake things up and no marketing department to package things up and sell them to us. Musicians had little more than themselves to get and keep their audience. I suppose that is maybe the thing about the blues as well. The blues are indeed for everyone but you really have to hear a master before you can properly appreciate that. Glasgow certainly had a master on stage tonight." Read the complete review here For those of you that can read hungarian... here is a great review of the new Doug MacLeod record: March 30, 2008 Back in the office for two days after a almost three weeks on the road with Boo Boo. We had a great time in the UK and Ireland and after that we spent a few days on the Canary Islands. Within a week we went from snow and icy roads in the UK to T-shirt adn outdoor concerts at 24 degrees Celsius on the Canaries. Great gigs and lots of travelling. We did have some bad luck though, so far we lost some of luggage on the flight from Ireland (jewellery stolen out of Boo Boo' suitcase) and we are still waiting on a guitar and suitcase that were not put in the plane (with us) in Madrid. Shit happens!!. March 10, 2008 Back in the office for one day after a weekend on the road with Boo Boo Davis in France. We had two great gigs in Beauvais at the Autour du Blues festival. Today I send out the remaining promo copies of the new Doug MacLeod CD. For the DJ's that can not wait .... Three tracks of the new record are now available as hi-bit downloads for DJ's and radio stations at RadioSubmit.com. All songs of the new record are available for podcasting at Podsafe Music Network March 5, 2008 The new Doug MacLeod CD is now available at our web shop. You can listen to samples at Doug's MySpace profile or at Last.FM February 21, 2008 CD B&T 032 / DOUG MACLEOD / THE UTRECHT SESSIONS Today all pieces (music, cover, information etc) of our upcoming nmew release, were put together and the record should be ready soon. In a two weeks you should be able to get your copy at a Doug MacLeod concert or in the Black and Tan webshop. Official release is scheduled for April 21, 2008. Here you can see how it will look and below you find Doug's liner notes: I'd bet there's a few of you out there that are wondering, Utrecht? How do you say that ? Well, to be honest, I ain't that sure myself, but if you pronounce it like 'U-trek', you'd be pretty close. Utrecht is one of my favorite cities. A beautiful old city with character and history and some pretty damn good cafes and restaurants too! Funny, I've been coming to The Netherlands on and off for some 20 years and I still can't speak Dutch. It's a rough language for this American to hear. Wait a second now, there is one Dutch word I can speak with authority. And that word is: Heineken. This record was done in a very old school way. I sat down on a chair with a vocal mic, two mics for the guitars, and a mic for my foot. I didn't use head phones so I was free to move as I sang and played. Just like in a live performance. Just thinking, a recording is a live performance too, isn't it? Heck, in a song or two, if you listen well you can hear the old chair I was sitting in creaking. I like that. I'd like to think you would too. I was joined by Arthur on percussion and Jasper on bass. Like the other musicians I've been fortunate enough to record with during my career, they were excellent. Thank you fellas. I used two guitars for this record. My National Delphi I call 'Spook', and an old-little- past-tired-Stella twelve string that Soren of Palm Guitars in Amsterdam was kind enough to loan me. That Stella was so funky, we all breathed a sigh of relief when we got through a take with the guitar still somewhat in tune and in one piece! Some of the songs I played solo. I did one bottleneck over-dub. There are a few songs with percussion, a few with bass, but never bass and percussion together. If you think you're hearing more than that, you're not. What you're probably hearing is my Lucchese 1883 boot along with (some of what I call) 'wackin' on the guitars. Like all my albums since 1994, we were looking to get the performance live. SPECIAL THANKS go to Jan Mittendorp of Black and Tan, Erik Spanjers, Jasper Mortier, Arthur Bont, Soren Venema, and my lady, Patti Joy. I'm dedicating this album to the memory of Marie Gaines. February 11, 2008 N E W   D O U G   M A C L E O D   C D From last Thursday till Sunday we were in the studio recording a new Doug MacLeod CD. According to Doug this will be the best one he ever made and I think he is right. The title of the new record will be THE UTRECHT SESSIONS and the official release is scheduled for April / May 2008 but of course copies of this new record will be available before that in our web store and also at Doug's concerts. Over the years Doug's song writing and playing is getting more intense and personal. The new record will be perfect example of that development. On most tracks it will be just Doug singing and playing guitar. We only added very sparse percussion and bass to a few tracks. As the title suggests the recordings were made in Utrecht (Netherlands). Utrecht has become Doug's favourite European city. February 10, 2008 review of the label sampler: A priori toute compilation effectuée à travers un catalogue de CDs provoque un sentiment de méfiance si ce n’est de rejet, ici totalement injustifié. En effet, qui peut se vanter d’avoir l’entièreté d’un catalogue comme celui de Black & Tan? J’avoue moi-même en être dépourvu et, a contrario, cést le type meme de compil’ qu’on pourrait faire soi-même avec les faces que l’on souhaiterait écouter et réécouter en voiture, ou chez soi, dans son cocoon chéri… Tout cela pour vanter les mérites ce CD qui se balade dans tout ce que Black & Tan a grave depuis ses débuts et, si cette selection est subjective, reflétant les gouts personnels du boss, Jan Mittendorp,k on peut quand même être sûr qu’il a choisi la ‘’cream of the crop’’ des disques qu’il produit à ce jour et que cela coïncidera avec l’adhésion de nombre d’entre nous. Cela permet de confirmer tout le bien qu’on pense de certains artistes (Boo Boo Davis, Doug McLeod, Billy Jones, Big George Jackson, Erskine Oglesby, Roscoe Chenier, Byther Smith, Harrison Kennedy…) et d’en découvrir d’autres avec à la clé, le désir éventuel de se procurer un album complet (Turnip Greens, Mike Andersen, Ernie Payne, Teresa James, Sunset Travelers). A noter que ceci est un volume 2 et que le volume 1 (B&T 024) jouit des memes qualities. January 24, 2008 A brand new internet community / social network around blues music: January 21, 2008 John Cephas and Doug at the NAMM show last weekend. January 16, 2008 DOUG MACLEOD / Live at XM Radio vol. 2 is now also available on   January 15, 2008 Pzremek Draheim (DJ in Poland): The parcel you've sent me with Black & Tan’s newest sampler has reached me safe and sound today, thank you very much! This kind of compilation is the best proof that you are doing a fabulous job to keep the real blues alive! More than 70 minutes of great music, quite impressive. I will use the sampler to open my next show on Friday with a big feature on Black & Tan. You don't meet much passionate record label owners nowadays but last month I met one; Jeff Konkel from Broke & Hungry Records. Jeff is living in the US (St Louis MO) and was visiting friends in Europe round Christmas. He came over to Holland and we spend a few hours talking about music and running a small independent label in the current music industry. Broke & Hungry Records is an independent label dedicated to recording the best in raw, real-deal country blues. Since its launch, Broke & Hungry has built a reputation for recording some of the finest blues from the land where the music was born: Mississippi. This spring, Broke & Hungry Records will release The World Must Never Know, the debut CD of a 76-year-old Delta bluesman recording under the pseudonym the Mississippi Marvel. An avid churchgoer, the Marvel refuses to record under his own name for fear of reprisals from his fellow congregants who consider blues music sinful. Later this year, Broke & Hungry Records and Cat Head Presents will release a joint film production called M for Mississippi: A Road Trip Through the Birthplace of the Blues. If you are not familiar with the label I strongly suggest you visit Jeff's site or Myspace profile. January 14, 2008 review of the Doug MacLeod DVD in the new issue: The blues began in the fields and back porches of Mississippi, but it was the traveling minstrel who first brought it to the rest of the country - players like Robert Johnson, Son House and Blind Lemon Jefferson. They walked from town to town, bringing their message to the people on the streets and in the jukes. It took a powerful solo performer to draw a crowd like Jefferson did. He had te play with the energy of a band to get people dancing, tell stories to touch their hearts and funny bones and connect with his audience on a personal level even though they were meeting for the first time. Few performers today can do this. Doug MacLeod is one off the best. The Blues In Me is a live concert performance recorded at Wapen van Oudeschans, the Netherlands. It was filmed in an intimate club setting, perfect for the consummate storyteller. Each song in his program has a tale attached, and thought he may have told the story a thousand times he can make you feel like you're the first to hear it. Ad he drives "Bad Magic" forward, he slaps his National Guitar, with his slide slashing at the strings. He employs a unique fingerstyle that mixes finger swipes and thump snaps to accent the back beat. He does the same on "The New Panama Limited," a tribute to the Bukka White classic and the best con temporary adaptation of this epic story-song. Guitar players will be happy with the filming as the camera crew wisely focused on his slide solos and guitar work. And the sound is first rate, capturing his vocals and his foot tapping on the stage. Aside from being one of the finest guitar players in the business, MacLeod really connects with his audience. You can see it in his eyes and his smile and hear it in their response. His sets are more than music. They are "homegrown lessons" in life and love. He offers advice to his fans: "Before you get outta your bed, pack your sense of humor. You're gonna live longer, love longer and look better." He coaxes them, and us, into using humor to moderate the highs and lows of live. He even has secrets for romance, and you sense he is in tune with men and women and how to view love. His "I Want You" is a prescription for being romantic after you make love and not just before. You walk away having appreciated a fine night of music and good words to live by. How often does it happen? MacLeod is one of the finest songwriters, storytellers and performers in the blues. In a world intoxicated with electric-everything MacLeod is preserving a lost art, and this DVD captures the essence of this 30 year veteran of the road. It is a complete package, with 95 minutes of live performance, an interview, a series of his favorite stories and selected slides, pictures from his past with some of his great blues friends. A must for any serious fan of the blues and any soul who needs the healing of the blues. - RDG January 10, 2008 Just like all my other releases I also made the new release of Doug MacLeod (LIVE AT XM RADIO VOL. 2) available at Last.FM. This link will take you directly to the new release. Notice that I have put one track as a free download. This morning in a dutch newspaper a big article about the fact that music fans are now discovering new music thru Last.FM instead of radio. Radio makers are nervously trying to find a new role in the changing landscapes. Last.FM was founded only a few years ago by some whizzkid that loves music and was sold to CBS a few months ago for 280 million USD. If you are not familiar with it I strongly suggest you try it. It's a great way to discover new music. January 8, 2008 Somehow several web sites re-published my request for new talent and the last few days I have been bombarded with 'new talent'. So far I didn't come across something that fitted 100 % with what I am looking for. What I do ask myself though: Why is so difficult for an artist to hear NO without getting into an argument with me. If I just say 'NO not interested', they get back and want to hear what I don't like and when I tell them they get mad at me. January 6, 2008 My first partner in digital distribution was Emusic. When I became aware of them I immediately saw the possibilities and advantages of downloading music for small labels. I signed with them in 2002 and they were the first big player. Together with iTunes they still are the main outlets for our music through downloads. Emusic has a great introduction offer..... and you're not only doing your self a big favour but you also generate a nice finder's fee for us as well. I know that in general blues/roots music lovers are a bit traditional but believe me …. downloading works and I say that with authority both as a music consumer and a music producer. January 4, 2008 SOUL TRAIN is an online magazine (mainly in German language) about Black Music. Die Philosophie von "MICHAEL ARENS' SOUL TRAIN", kurz "SOUL TRAIN", ist es, der Soul-Musik im Besonderen, sowie der gesamten Black Music- Familie im Allgemeinen, in Deutschland und im deutschsprachigen Raum, ein Sprachrohr, Akzeptanz, und, nicht zuletzt, eine Lobby zu verschaffen. Ein wichtiger Baustein des Magazins ist das bewusst einseitig und damit übersichtlich gehaltene Format. Statt, wie bei den meisten anderen Online-Musik-Magazinen üblich, oft unzählige Extraseiten für Interviews, Plattenkritiken, Konzertberichte usw. zu haben, wird durch unsere einseitige, "statische" "Führung" eine Art Boulevard-Charakter angestrebt. Auch bei der "Erscheinungsweise" geht der "SOUL TRAIN" neue Wege. Statt täglich Neues auf die Seite einzupflegen, gibt es pünktlich zum 1. eines jeden Monats eine konkrete, komplett neue Ausgabe des "SOUL TRAIN". Die vorangegangenen Ausgaben sind danach unter dem Menüpunkt "ARCHIV" zu finden. Der "SOUL TRAIN" versteht sich als Online-Variante und direkte Fortführung des "BLACK MUSIC"-Print-Magazins, das zwischen 2001 und 2003 herausgegeben wurde, und identische Philosophien vertrat. January 3, 2008 For future releases / tours I am looking for NEW TALENT: - ORIGINAL artists with original material and an original style - that can really SING - have a real STORIES to tell - are willing and able to TOUR - and have NO drug or ego problems If you have any suggestions please send me a link to the music on the internet (website, MySpace, Sonicbids etc) so I can listen to it. January 2, 2008 ***** HAPPY NEW YEAR ***** December 30, 2007 Our latest release is available at !!!! DO B&T 908 - DOUG MACLEOD - LIVE AT XM RADIO vol. 2 Recordings were made in the studio of XM Radio in November 2007 for Bluesville, the show of Bill Wax. Recorded and mixed by Quinton Roebuck. December 27, 2007 two reviews in the new issue: DOUG MACLEOD - THE BLUES IN ME Doug MacLeod is a talented guitarist and raconteur, famed for his intimate and amusing live shows, so the DVD format is ideal for demonstrating his forte. Along with a typical live concert, we get an interview covering Doug's life and influences, and also a selection of 'stories', such as the one about Big Joe Turner's teeth. I can't tell it the way he does; you'll just have to buy the DVD. BOO BOO DAVIS - DREW, MISSISSIPPI Caution: if you have a problem with modernity, look away now! The JB Reviewer General insists that this advice be prominently displayed. It's for your own good! Well, if you're still reading, Boo Boo combines the traditional Delta blues sound with modern recording techniques on a set that readily draws comparisons with Little Axe, Ben Harper or some of the goings-on at Fat Possum. There are others too whose names I've quite frankly forgotten, but older blues fans can draw comfort from the Canned Heat styled boogies! In reality, some of the performances are no more than vehicles for chanting and moaning - there are no verses as such - and the vocals are variations of a couple of lines or spoken asides. The manipulated instrumental backdrop effectively reinforces the themes with unremitting and brow-beating repetition. Oh, and a bit of echo-co-co! Nevertheless, it is quite a varied album and each track is conceived with a different flavor that works very well. It adds new meaning to 'Mississippi Moaners' and you should file it in your Serge Gainsbourg & Jane Birkin section! Recorded at Utrecht in Holland and Colchester, Essex where producer Ramon Goose also contributes guitar, keyboards and 'programming', and there's 'scratching' too - well, I'd blame the cat! 'it's a sort of get together of trendy southerners and liberal continental adventure. We should applaud such daredevil endeavors and it is time to move on; this works very well and is an effective sampling (no pun intended) of modern trends. I suppose it is primarily aimed at a new and younger audience, but I fear that by doing so, it will alienate the less adventurous blues follower. Did I like it? Am I wearing a bikini?   Ian Jones My advice to Ian: TRY THE BIKINI, YOU MIGHT LIKE IT !! December 19, 2007 review of the sampler in the new issue: Jan Mittendorp et son label Black & Tan nous délivrent régulièrement des CD d'excellente facture depuis une petite dizaine d'années et ce sampler (le deuxième) est l'occasion de le souligner. Tous les artistes qui on contribué à la réussite sont représentés ; le grand maitre du Chicago blues (Byther Smith), les disparus regrettés (Percy Strother, Erskine Oglesby, Ernie Payne), les révélations du label (formidable Boo Boo Davis, Big George Jackson, Roscoe Chenier), les nouveaux incontournables (Billy Jones, Harrison Kennedy), ceux qui élargissent le palette vers folk (Doug MacLeod, Turnip Greens), la chanteuse Teresa James et d'autres encore. Pour qui n'a pas déjà plusieurs albums de cette liste, cette compilation sans inédits mais généreuse et varié est un excellent moyen de se familiariser avec un catalogue des plus attrayants. Regrettons une présentation pour le moins minimaliste. December 17, 2007 Here are the links to all our releases (including the download only) at two of the main download platforms. December 13, 2007 TWO BLACK AND TAN RECORDING ARTISTS AMONG THE 2008 BLUES MUSIC AWARDS NOMINEES. We are proud to announce that two of our artists have been nominated for the 2008 Blues Music Awards. In the category Acoustic Artist of the Year you will find DOUG MACLEOD and in the category Contemporary Blues Female Artist of the Year you find TERESA JAMES. Here is the complete list with all nominees in all categories All members of the Blues Foundation can vote online for their favourites and the voting ends February 29, 2008 at 12:00. If you wish to vote and are not a current member, click here to become a member of The Blues Foundation. The 29th Blues Music Awards will be Thursday May 8 at the Grand Casino and Hotel in Tunica, Mississippi. review of the sampler in the new issue: Jeg har sagt det før, men jeg sier det så gjerne igjen; Det finnes knapt noen bedre måte å få innblikk i hva et plateselskab har å by på enn å skaffe seg sampler´ne (samleskivene) deres. Hollandske Black & Tan Records er nå ute med sin andre slike utgivelse, og de har et meget fint knippe artister å by på. Førsteklasses blå artister som Boo Boo Davis, Doug MacLeod, Billy Jones, Big George Jackson, Byther Smith og Percy Strother er alle å finne på dette selskabet, sammen med litt mindre kjente, men likevel meget habile, artister som Mike Andersen, Turnip Greens, Teresa James og Harrison Kennedy. Alt-i-alt byr denne utgivelse på 18 låter av 14 forskjellige band/artister. Blues, roots, southern soul - kall det hva du vil, jeg sier som en av Kristiansands store lokale blueshelter gjorde i en av sine låter en gang for mange år siden; "gamlekara kalte det god musikk. Bjørn Wiksaas December 12, 2007 nice review in the new issue: Das holländische Label Black & Tan Records ist seit vielen Jahren eine feine Adresse in Sachen Blues und Roots Musik. Nun erscheint zum zweiten Mal ein toller Sampler, der dem Hörer einen guten Uberblick über das Labelprogram verschafft und mit einer Menge tolle Bluesmusik begeistert. Mit dabei sind Hochkaräter wie Boo Boo Davis ("Who Stole The Booty"), Doug MacLeod ("The Leavin Road"), Big George Jackson ("If I Could Change"), Roscoe Chenier ("Bad Luck"), Byther Smith ("Little Voice") u.v.m. Der Sampler bringt es auf eine Spielzeit van über 73 Minuten. December 11, 2007 Harrison Kennedy just released a new CD on Electro-Fi Records (Canada). The CD is titled High Country Blues (Electro-Fi 3404). Hopefully this new record will also draw some attention to Harrison's beautiful CD (Voice + Story), released on Black and Tan in 2005. You can listen to samples of the Black and Tan release at   or buy the record in our web shop and get a free copy of the brand new label sampler on top. December 10, 2007 Black and Tan is heading East !! Form today all our releases are now available for the music fans in Hungary thru BLUESVAN, a site in the Hungarian language that is specially dedicated to blues music. Big thanks to Attila Horvath for setting this up for us. December 8, 2007 nice review of the sampler in the new issue: Das niederländische Plattenlabel Black & Tan unterstreicht mit seinem zweiten Label-Sampler überzeugend das Fimen-Motto "Keeping Living Music Alive". Auf die CD sind 18 Titel von 14 verschiedenen Künstler und insgesamt über 70 Minuten Musik zu horen. Sie wir zum Schnäppchenpreis angeboten und - noch besser - kosttet null Euro (!), wenn man im Online-Shop des Labesl sein erste Bestellung aufgibt. Ein großzügiges wie auch lohnendes Angebot. Jeder Hörer wird hier natürlich seine persönlichen Highlights finden - bei diesem Rezensenten sind das u.A. "40 Acres and a Mule" von Harriosn Kennedys excellentem 'Voice + Story' -Album, Roscoe Cheniers packendes "Bad Luck", Billy Jones' Ghetto-Geschichte 'Chrystal', der leidenschaftliche Country Blues der Turnip Greens und - last but not least - feinster Akustik Blues von Doug MacLeod und dem leider viel zu früh verstorbenen Ernie Payne. Ebenfalls dabei sind Songs von Boo Boo Davis, Big George Jackson, Mike Andersen, Erskine Oglesby, Teresa James, Sunset Travelers und Byther Smith. Die mit viel Engagement geleitete Firma hat in den ersten zehn Jahren ihres Bestehens zwar nur 26 CD's veröffentlicht und gehört damit zu den kleineren Labels. Was die Qualität betrifft, kann Black & Tan es aber mit jedem Blueslabel weltweit aufnehmen. November 30, 2007 review of the Doug MacLeod DVD on the site of the of the Santa Barbara Blues Society: From the first time I saw him perform live, in 2004, Doug MacLeod has been one of my favorite blues artists. This DVD illustrates why. Just past 60 now, MacLeod began as a bass player, became a guitarist who backed such luminaries as Big Joe Turner, George "Harmonica" Smith, and Pee Wee Crayton, and for the last couple of decades has earned a deserved reputation as a solo singer, slide and finger-picking guitarist, and song composer. He is devoted to honoring and preserving the legacy of early 20th. Century performers, yet he writes almost all his own songs. He sees no contradiction, since he follows the advice of his first mentor, Ernest Banks: Write what you know about and feel. This DVD was recorded at a club in the Netherlands in Nov. 2006, and captures MacLeod doing what he does best: making outstanding music and telling unpretentious stories in his open, inimitable style. The stories are often hilarious, sometimes poignant, and always heartfelt; his rapport with the audience is impressive. The songs vary from the doleful to the jocund, but each is completely involving. The guitar playing is masterful. Just watch and listen to one cut, "I Want You," and see if you can stop there. Wow! Added DVD bonuses include slides of MacLeod with many of his past colleagues and heroes, and an incredibly candid interview in which he discusses the salient (and major) travails in his life and his conquest of them through his music. If you get to see him in person, don't miss the opportunity. Meanwhile, and in addition, this DVD is a worthy part of any blues lover's collection. Steve Daniels November 15, 2007 Great review of the Doug MacLeod DVD in the new issue of BLUES WAX, the largest subscribed blues publication in the world: Like An Audience With MacLeod, (11/14/07) Filmed in Holland in 2006, this 95-minute concert, plus a long interview with the man himself, is a fantastic insight into the life and music of one of the world's best exponents of acoustic Blues, Doug MacLeod. Although MacLeod has released a string of albums during his long career, the real magic is seeing this master storyteller live in concert. During the concert and in the interview segments that follow, MacLeod pays tribute to his mentors and friends like Ernest Banks, Honeyboy Edwards, and Pee Wee Crayton. MacLeod's playing throughout the performance is extraordinary, but it is the between-song banter and storytelling that is the real treat here. Having seen him three times this year, I can personally recommend a Doug Macleod performance. Ernest Banks once told MacLeod, "Never play a note you don't believe," and he holds on to this advice throughout the entire performance. Doug Macleod in concert...don't miss this! Dave O'Sullivan is a contributing editor to BluesWax November 14, 2007 Here are the links to all our releases (including the download only) at two of the main download platforms. November 1, 2007 Steadily trying to improve opur service we now have our web shop running on a secure server. October 30, 2007 review of the new sampler in the new issue: "The Dutch Black & Tan label has courted controversy recently with some honest if less than positive comments on the current state of the blues but this sampler CD shows that boss Jan Mittendorp certainly has a good ear for the music. This set ranges across the older generation of bluesmen (often with something of a hint of a down-home persuasion) such as Big George Jackson, the late sax-playing Erskine Oglesby, Roscoe Chenier, Byther Smith and Percy Strother, younger African-Americans like the hip-hop inflected Arkansas bluesman Billy Jones, some of the better American revivalists such as Doug MacLeod and Teresa James, and European acts like the excellent Sunset Travelers (the label's house band for recordings on this side of the pond), the outstandingly soulful singer and guitarist Mike Andersen and the rather different Danish outfit Turnip Greens who are striving for a younger audience. There are those much harder to classify too: Ernie Payne, who died as I was writing this review and whose one album for Black & Tan is his sole testament, was a committed African-American singer/ songwriter who had crossed over to the world music audience thanks to his championing by BBC record spinner Andy Kershaw, and the folky, Canadian born Harrison Kennedy is a former member of seventies soul group Chairman Of The Board (anybody remember 'Elmo James'?). Then of course there is Boo Boo Davis, a true down-home Mississippi-born blues singer with a voice like Wolf's but with a real affection for soul music and also a willingness to experiment and collaborate with younger hip-hop inflected musicians (and who incidentally is on the bill for next year's Burnley festival). If you want an introduction to the label, this certainly fits the bill. If you want to get it without having to shell out for it, it does actually come free when you make your first order from Black & Tan direct (www.blackandtan-shop.com) and there are certainly enough goodies in the catalogue to make that offer worth investigating." Norman Darwen October 29, 2007 Finally back in the office after 3 weeks on the road with Boo Boo Davis. Boo Boo flew back to the USA after a very succesful tour (15 shows in 8 countries and over 9000 km of European roads). There are several Black and Tan releases in the 2007 Top 100 CD listing of REAL BLUES MAGAZINE (Canada). You can check out the complete list at this link. October 15, 2007 Finally DOUG MACLEOD BAND - Live in 1991 vol 2 is now also available for downloading at:    October 10, 2007 review of the new sampler on Blues Art Journal: This is the second sampler from the small, but classy independent blues, roots, rural and folk label from the Netherlands. Which, I feel rarely fails to impress; with its wide range of artists, some old and some new. Their individual talents, when taken collectively give the label an unparalleled level of diversity and depth in the music recorded. There are eighteen numbers, from fourteen artists on this album, selected for our listening pleasure; some of the artists featured (in no particular order) are; Byther Smith, Roscoe Chenier, Mike Andersen, Doug Macleod, Billy Jones, Boo Boo Davis, Teresa James and Turnip Greens. The various numbers here display a vast cornucopia of emotions, moods and sounds which not only empathise with the tortured souls of many, but they frequently reveal the hidden touchstone in us all. As you will find; on this album, the numbers range, from rural slow reflective and thought provoking slowburners through to rollickin’ footappers destined to have you enthusiastically dancing round the front room. Whereas some actively campaign to ‘Keep Music Alive’ Black & Tan conspicuously campaign to ‘Keep Living Music Alive.’ This album is a refreshingly welcome addition to anybody’s collection. By the way, this album is available free from Black & Tan if you buy any new release from their web shop.