Reviews...CD Review of Blues Matters Sampler Vol.1 CD Review of Blues Matters Sampler Vol.1 - Ashwyn Smyth of Digital FM: Review from Boogaloo R&B Weekend, January 2003 at Bognor Regis: Unknown to the majority of the audience, they put on a very professional and very entertaining, very skille dperformance and delighted the audience with a number of guitar walkabouts by Tony Burgess which were reminiscent of The Hamsters although rather more sedate! Playing a fine mix of standards and their own excellent material, this was a smashing set. Somewhat unusually, the band has two lead guitarists and Tony and Chris Roach shared the duties through out the set. There is, perhaps, an interesting Essex connection in that Chris cites as one of his influences, the Great Wilko Johnson. I would also urge for anybody looking for a cracking band to book Bluesline, I only wish we could afford to bring them down to Essex . They would go down a storm. Bluesline at the Captain Nelson Tavern on Sunday 11th May 2003: Tony Burgess was up next with a sublime piece of work during “I put a spell on you”. Both of them were in action together during ZZ Top's “Blue Jean” which was played with a very slow and moody rhythm by Darren Howe on bass and Birthday Boy Rick on the sticks, while the guitarists mingled amongst the crowd. We were treated to more of the same during “Stormy Monday”, …nice! Dr. Feelgood's “Roxette” featured a very capable Tony on harmonica instead of his Blade. After the break, we got an absolutely blistering rendition of one of their own songs “I'm Gone”, which is also the opening track on the Maryport Mix CD, which features some of the best of 2002's Blues Festival Bands. This song also featured Chris de-tuning his De Armand guitar as he played it, to produce some awesome low notes. Tommy educated us with the snippet that it was a technique invented by Lester Flatt and Earl Scrubbs, who are famous for writing The Beverly Hillbillies theme music. The intro to “Red House” saw Chris generating some wailing feedback with his amp cranked right up, whilst Darren and Rick on the backline got a great riff going. After nearly 3 hours playing we got Chris's trademark encore where Tony explains that in order to play so well Chris had to sell his soul to the devil, the only catch being that the devil says he has to play with a thick rubber glove on! I've seen it before and I still can't work out how he plays all the notes so cleanly. I can only assume that it's a true story! This of course led into an absolutely pulsating “Down To The Crossroads”, one of the best versions I've heard and the entire pub loved it. Another terrific performance from this favourite band! Bluesline - Running Horse, Saturday 17 July 2003: Blues matters Press Release for the 'Things Change' album: 'Things Change' reviewed by Roy Bainton, 8th October 2004): The Roach Twins at the Captain Nelson Tavern on Sunday 15th August 2004: First time visitors at the Captain Nelson, although they've both played here with Bluesline and The Harpbreakers before, The Roach Twins were greeted by an eager crowd awaiting a special treat. The line up consists of Chris and Tony, gravel voiced ‘Uncle Dinners' is the front man, ‘Professor Mayhem' on wind instruments, Andy ‘Sinuous' Sykes on a cooler than cool Italia bass and Rick Lacey on drums. As you would expect with a twin guitar band, every song had either Chris or Tony playing lead or rhythm and there was either one or two solos, or a duet, or a duel, or all of it together. What made this even more special was the Professor's contributions too. His main instruments were a flute and a Bombard which looks and sounds like a snake charmers weapon, except it's French. Not surprisingly, the twins play together as one. What was a surprise, however, was Uncle Dinner's voice, very growly and Captain Beefheart like. He keeps it in trim by chain smoking and drinking Stella. ‘News of the World' had both guitarists out in the crowd, going like demons, and that was only the intro. ‘Angel of Mercy' had Tony playing slide on his De Armand with some great flute interaction from the Professor. Chris was busy hammering out one solo when Dinners jumped him from behind, knocked him down and laid into him with his boot while he was on the floor. He didn't miss a single note though. ‘Blood in his Pockets' was finished off with absolutely massive vocals, what a voice, such power. ‘Crawling Kingsnake' was well bluesy, Tony was thrashing his Strat while the band pumped out a thunderous beat. It's a true story about the death of Blind Lemon Jefferson on a Chicago sidewalk. ‘Look After Yourself', another of their own compositions, had both guitarists out on the floor in amongst the crowd, whilst ‘Give Us A Doner' was a rap tune with unprintable lyrics and sounded a bit like the disco hit ‘Boogie Nights' and was a complete piss take. The last number was an instrumental with Chris on a Tele for the second solo and featured some perfect tandem guitar playing. The Professor then came in with his bagpipes all pumped up, droning away as they do, to a rocking beat from the band. It didn't sound that bad really! Different, definitely. Reviewed by Steve Bouckley. The Roach Twins Band / The Slimline Pappas, Blues of the Month Club, Cleethorpes 04/06/05 -
Article written by Len Weaver: The Roach Twins Band – Got a New Job ( Blues Matters! ) Okay music lovers, you're gonna love this one. This , the long awaited second album from the Boss Men of the Irwell Delta Blues, The Roach Twins Band will absolutely blow you away. The Scorching harp of Junk House Dog on the opening cut Madrugada gives you just a hint of the high octane, white knuckle ride you are in for. Paul Condron And I must just add that these guys are incredible live and Mr. Bowden is one of the very best front men I‘ve seen in years, he really relates with his audience, damn shame they're not doing Colne again this year !!! page top I was blown away by the Roach Twins gorgeous track on the Blues Matters! Sampler volume 1 and this CD simply reinforces their talent, creativity and musicianship. Thirteen tracks of which 12 are originals and that is a word which is truly appropriate because there is originality aplenty here whether it be the storming opening number, “Madrugada”, the stunningly moody and laid back “CSI Salford” which sees Mike's gravelly vocals cushioned by the twins' guitars, absolutely glorious, “Waiting for Victor” a brooding and dark number, the very droll “Naughty Night Nurse” ‘ask her for a taxii, she'll send you a hearse', the fine instrumentals “Ready Freddy” & “Down at Sams”, both of which feature the bombard to fine effect, the positively feline “One Eyed Cat” which has delicious shades of a certain Jethro Tull featuring as it does some lovely flute, the slightly bizarre “Murder Here” which has an almost psychedelic feel to it with Professor Mayhem' electronic pipes, whistle & jaws harps. This truly is a stunning CD. It may shock some people and some may have to work to get into it, they will find it well worth it. Special mention must also be made of Darren Howells highly individual artwork on the sleeve etc. His creativity is being used to superb effect on the BM! label CD's and nowhere more so than on this CD. This CD should fly off the shelves and I hope and pray someone will see fit to bring these guys down South so that we get to enjoy what I am told is an equally stunning live performance. Thank you to the Roach Twins Band for many, many hours of enjoyment with this great and long awaited new CD. Meat Pie: Ramsbottom Blues Festival 2005 by Steve Peacock, for Bluesmatters magazine Sunday afternoon started for me at the Royal Oak . I went primarily to see a band called Meat Pie, purely because I felt they had to be really good if the name is that bad. I noticed they had two members of No Money Down that I had seen the day before, Kelvin Barlow on Keyboards and Chris Cullen on Bass. They had Ken Bradshaw (ex Gas Company) on Guitar and two well known local musicians Rick Lacey on drums, and Chris Berry, a renowned singer / frontman who had a stunning set. They played some covers but different ones from usual, no Gary Moore, no BB King and no ZZ Top. They played things like “What is & What Should Never Be” by Led Zep, some more excellent Rory Gallagher as well as lots of their own material which was a mixture of so many styles. When they played Rock, they played it like Rock should be, hard and solid, their Blues was breathtaking, most noticeably a track called “A Quitter Never Wins”, a Johnny Lang song where singer extraordinaire Chris was electric. He had the whole venue with the hairs on the back of their necks standing up – you could have heard a pin drop. Then to finish off, Rick Lacey let go with all his big DW drum kit to enthral the audience with the Who's “Won't Get Fooled again”. I swear he is Keith Moon reincarnated because it was, without doubt, the best cover of that song I have ever heard. If Zak Starkey reads this – watch out, you might lose your gig with The Who! The venue was full of other local musicians, I counted members of no fewer than 10 bands – all coming in to check them out and everyone was complimentary. That is somewhat unusual as there is always someone with a sly comment and to gain that reception was well deserved. Watch out for Meat Pie… Joanna Connor Band, Blue Lamp, Aberdeen, 21/10/05 An enthusiastic reception for Lazy Poker's support set suggested that the Blue Lamp audience were up to party this night and were they ever in for a good one! A friend from Chicago had told me not to miss seeing Joanna Connor when she hit the UK, but I really wasn't prepared for the virtuosity about to be put on show here. Taking to the stage alone, Joanna stretched her fingers out and set her pedals up playing Miles Davis' “So What” and I knew then that this lady wasn't going to be stuffed into any neat pigeon hole! Joined on stage by her rhythm section for this tour of Rick Lacey (on a 60's vintage Gretsch kit) and Julian Latimer on bass (Ex Red Eye Blues Band) she soon established a groove so deep that nothing seemed beyond her reach. She played slide in standard and open tunings, swinging and funking (even taking in old school hip-hop by Grand Master Flash en route!) She visited Jimi Hendrix and Taj Mahal, classic Chicago blues and her own original compositions; and she played equally stunningly on each tune! You probably know what it takes to shut up guitar players; there were plenty of quiet ones in the Blue Lamp that night! After a short break, the band returned to the stage and carried on where they had left off, in a pocket so deep you'd think they hailed from Memphis! Groove piled on groove, her searing solos followed one after another in a blissful workout by the band. All too soon it was encore time, an hour and twenty having simply disappeared as Joanna's Les Paul worked its magic over everyone in the room. She wrapped things up alone on stage with “Fishing Blues” dedicated to her daughter Jasmine, and left the audience slack jawed. This was a fantastic performance, well worthy of the gig of the month accolade awarded by Scots Blues News. Be sure to catch her next year if you missed this tour! Joanna Connor Band and Wolftrain Cliffburn Hotel, Arbroath 22/10/05 Having seen Joanna's show in Aberdeen the night before this gig, it was with barely concealed excitement that I bounded upstairs into the Hotel Ballroom. Wolftrain were crammed onto the tiny stage (and spilled some way onto the dance floor too!) The nucleus of the band is 2 brothers, Robin and Ivor Johnson, who always assemble a tasty array of players around them. Their band tonight was on top form and some interesting interaction between Robin and the brass section kept things nice and spicy! It was great to see him spending more time behind the keys than has been the case in recent times. He is a great piano player and is a treat visually, his legs taking on a life of their own as he pounds at the keys! Ivor plays some understated but always tasteful guitar to keep things anchored during soloing by others. Their hour-long set tonight warmed the crowd nicely for the arrival of the Joanna Connor Band. Joanna's 3 -piece band looked much more comfortable on the small stage than the 6 members of Wolftrain. Throughout an audience drawn from Dundee and Forfar as well as locals, there was an air of expectation as the first licks rang out. Her Les Paul and Vox amplifier filled the cavernous ballroom with warm sound and jaws dropped all around me at the standard of her playing. The rhythm section of Rick Lacey and Julian Latimer kept things nicely in the pocket and sympathetic to Joanna's playing, Julian soloing when invited, but otherwise keeping the groove nailed. Rick was just deep in the pocket all night! Her material was drawn from rock, blues and funk; all was delivered in impeccable style and taste. The degree of incredulity on the audience' faces after each song told how the show was being appreciated! Joanna kept the house enthralled through both her sets; this was easily the best show I have ever seen in Arbroath. Plaudits to Alfie Dickson and the Smokie Blues team for booking this gig, here's to the next one at the Cliffburn! Mel Ross THE ROACH TWINS BAND Darlington R'n'B Club. 9-12-05 The Roach Twins Band paid their second visit to Darlington R'n'B Club, [held at Darlington Arts Centre], for what was an eagerly awaited return for the band after a storming gig in 2004. The Club recently celebrated its 10 th Anniversary, and continues to sell out most of its gigs, and the last time the Twins were in town they left such an impact with the audience that the Club's Committee were left in not doubt about rebooking them. Chris and Tony Roach formed the band back in the late 80's, and had played in their local Manchester area. They had also released three albums and were just about to hit the national circuit when Chris and Tony fell out with each other amid a series of blazing rows. Chris has gone on record to say that they, and not the Gallagher brothers [Oasis], had started sibling rivalry when the Gallagher's were still in nappies! Their rows apparently made the Gallagher's look like “tooth fairies!” After the break-up, Tony joined The Harpbreakers and Chris eventually ended up in Bluesline. Both had reasonable success, but both wanted to continue what they started years before. They made up their differences and reformed the band nearly two years ago and have written new material to accompany the older stuff. As Chris comments, “We are a bit older now, and a bit more clever!” Their new album, “Got a New Job,” was on sale for the first time. The live show showcases about half of the album, with the rest of the material coming from their compilation album “Blues from the Cobbles” which is an album of back catalogue material from their early days. The band start with an instrumental number called “Swinging” which irons out all the bumps and acts as a sound check. “A word from the Bird” really kicked the gig off, and has vocalist Mike Bowden, [aka ‘Uncle Dinners'], entering the stage wearing a feather mask!! He belts out remarkable vocals which are somewhere between Howlin' Wolf and Tom Waites. Chris and Tony then exchange solos on the next couple of numbers, “Fat Cat” and “News of the World” with both of them ending up off stage and into the audience. They trade their licks reminiscent of the scene in Southern Comfort during the “duelling banjo's” sequence. All the while harmonica player, ‘Junk House Dog' creates a diversion with some tasty harp blowing. “CSI Salford” is a slow blues which is inspired by the American TV show ‘Crime Scene Investigation'. The twins take it in turn to build the dark atmosphere while ‘Uncle Dinners' – almost Vincent Price like – delivers his vocals in a spooky voice and sets the scene for the Crime Scene Investigation – Salford style! “Naughty Night Nurse” is a Texas R'n'B style number with great harp. Most memorable line from the lyric has to be: “ask her to order a taxi - she'll send you a hearse.” The musical arrangement here is first class with the rhythm section of Rick Lacey on drums and Daz Howe on bass holding everything tightly in place and enabling the guitars to build the piece steadily. “Look after Yourself” ends the first set with another high-octane performance from Tony and Chris. Tony's solo just about stripped the paint from the ceiling, and then Chris; not to be outdone, follows suit and stripped the wallpaper off! The song has a political theme which ‘Uncle Dinners' comments is still relevant today, as when it was first written during the Thatcher years. The second set kicks off with “Ready Freddy” which is another instrumental to get the guitar strings warmed up, ‘Uncle Dinners' again entering on the second number, the harmonica drenched “Madrugada.” This is a hard driven, [great drums by the way], hard rocking number with Tony and Chris content to let ‘Junk House Dog' and ‘Uncle Dinners' shine on this white hot knuckle-ride. “One eyed Cat” is new number and has plenty of slide guitar from Tony and strange cat-like sounds from ‘Junk Houses' harp. “Crawling King Snake” is another slow burner which ‘Uncle Dinners' dedicates to Blind Lemon Jefferson, the original Crawling King Snake, “Blind Lemon - blind drunk, froze to death in 1929!” The gig ends with a storming “Give us a Donner!” a humorous punk-style blues with tongue in cheek lyrics dedicated to the delights of a Donna Kebab! They are a cracking band with great humour and crammed full of great ideas from the modern world. An entertaining band also; with 100% original material and honest enthusiasm and inventiveness. OK, the ‘Blues Police' wont like them, but for anyone who can open their ears to the new sounds which are entering the blues scene in Britain today, then we can see that the blues are still a major influence now like it always has been. For me there's no need to long for yesterdays music, when bands from this generation are able to tap in to its rich seam, and turn modern music in to something special and exciting for blues fans to enjoy. The Roach Twins Band are at the cutting edge of this new blues, and as Bobby Ball would say; “they'll do for me!” Mike Prendergast. |
