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interview Boo Boo Davis with David Baerst (France)

here is the complete text of an interview Boo Boo Davis did wiht David Baerst last month before his show in Strasbourg (France):

Nda : Quelques jours avant l’entretien qui suit, Jan Mittendorp (le manager de Boo Boo Davis) m’a gentiment prévenu. Interviewer ce bluesman du Mississippi n’est pas une chose aisée, c’est une véritable aventure dont on ne peut jamais connaitre l’issue à l’avance. L’artiste ne suit pas règle précise et peut répondre par un sujet tout autre que celui sur lequel on l’a questionné.C’est donc avec une certaine appréhension que je me suis rendu à notre rendez-vous…
Là, je me suis retrouvé face à un être charmant, doté d’un grand sens de l’humour bien que marqué par de profondes stigmates, inhérentes à une existence pour le moins difficile. D’emblée, le bonhomme m’avertit lui aussi : « ce ne sera pas facile pour toi, je ne parle pas anglais…je m’exprime dans le langage des bluesmen du delta, un « dialecte » que seuls les gens tels que moi peuvent saisir ». Chose parfaitement compréhensible, tant la vie de cet artiste né en 1943, semble éloignée de celle que nous pouvons connaitre, aujourd’hui, en Europe. Travaillant dès son plus jeune âge dans les champs de coton, il a souffert de la ségrégation raciale et s’est réfugié dans la religion ainsi que dans la musique. Harmoniciste dès l’âge de 5 ans à l’église, puis guitariste et batteur se produisant au sein du groupe familial Lard Can Band (nommé ainsi car, ne pouvant se permettre d’acheter une batterie complète, le jeune homme s’exerçait sur des seaux métalliques contenant de la graisse de porc), Boo Boo s’est lancé dans une carrière d’accompagnateur avant d’être repéré par le fondateur du label Black & Tan. Depuis, il a signé (en tant que chanteur-harmoniciste) une bonne douzaine d’albums qui rendent grâce à son immense talent.
Quelques heures après notre entretien, sur scène, Boo Boo Davis a démontré à l’occasion d’un impressionnant concert qu’il était l’un des derniers représentants du blues originel…un diamant d’une rare pureté…
Continue reading interview Boo Boo Davis with David Baerst (France)

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new release David Philips

today we released a new record of David Philips

B&T 962 – David Philips – Winter

November 2016 to March 2017 David Philips locked himself in his studio and spent the winter months writing and recording new material. Harking back to the full band sound of his debut album, but this time with a grittier sound centred mainly around the electric guitar and his new found love of the drum kit. Very much the studio loner David wrote, recorded and produced the whole record himself, playing all instruments and also designing the artwork. David says of the writing process : “With these songs I was experimenting with a new way of writing, something much more spontaneous, organic and immediate, trying my best to keep the inner critic at bay for as long as possible. I was able to centre the songs around what I hope are strong hooks and allowing myself to write with the electric guitar rather than the acoustic gave the songs a different energy.” Stylistically sitting somewhere between Ryan Adams and Doyle Bramhall II, yet as ever with his own instantly recognisable sound, Philips mixes pop, blues, rock and a touch of soul on this compact and to the point collection of 8 new songs entitled simply “Winter.”

The music will be released digital only and is available on all download and streaming platforms.

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David Philips on Something Else Reviews

It might be mid-March but Winter is coming…the new musical concoction from David Philips, that is. The British ex-pat singer-songwriter performed his familiar ritual of holing himself up in his home studio and emerged with a fresh batch of recorded originals. Winter, recorded over much of this still-lingering cold season, is expected to drop in late March/early April through Black And Tan Records, but the folks over at Black and Tan have already provided a preview of what to expect. “Home” is the advance single from Philips’ newest creation, now available in digital form, and streamable above. What is immediately noticeable from followers of Philips is that he went ‘full band’ this time, not unlike 2015’s If I Had Wings but all instrumentation here and the rest of the album is handled by Philips alone and he remains firmly on the folk reservation this time. Actually, Winter could be thought of as a proper follow-up to his debut record. Still, it’s a bit of a jolt to hear his twelve-string acoustic guitar soon joined by harmonica, bass, drums, backing vocals and more guitars. What isn’t different is a voice with the warm soulfulness of Aaron Neville and a bright melody that sticks with you long after the last chord rings out. David Philips might change his tactics from time to time but the overall strategy of delivering quality, hand-made folk music never wavers.

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new single David Philips

Today we released the first single from an upcoming David Philips album

B&T 961 – David Philips – Home

November 2016 to March 2017 David Philips locked himself in his studio and spent the winter months writing and recording new material. Harking back to the  full band sound of his debut album, but with more grit, more electric guitar, more to say and a clearer idea of how to say it. Very much the studio loner David recorded and produced the whole record himself, playing all instruments and also designing the artwork. “Home” is the upbeat new single from this collection of recordings entitled simply “Winter” due out April 10 !

The single is available on all streaming and download platforms.

 

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review Boo Boo Davis on STL Blues Reviews

OLD SKOOL – By Boo Boo Davis

James ‘Boo Boo” Davis truly is one of a kind. Born and bred in Drew, Mississippi, he’s spent the past 60- plus years dripping nothing but the blues. His father, Sylvester Davis, was a cotton farmer who played multiple instruments. Musically gifted, he performed with legends such as John Lee Hooker, Elmore James and Robert Pete Williams. The younger Boo just soaked it all in. By five he was playing harp and singing in church with his mother. At 13 he was strumming guitar. And by the age of 18, he was working gigs across the Delta with his dad and older brothers. But the early 60’s brought a new twist. Trekking north with his brothers, they settled right into the vibrant St. Louis blues scene. Albert King, Ike & Tina Turner, Little Milton, Oliver Sain, Fontella Bass, Chuck Berry and Johnnie Johnson — the names were all here. But it was The Davis Brothers Blues Band who held court at Tubby’s Red Room every weekend in East St. Louis. Their residency would not only last 18 years, but kindle many fond memories. The year 1998 though was Boo’s true breakthrough. Perhaps DAVE was intervening. Or maybe it was Boo Boo’s ability to sing and play several instruments. Either way, he was playing drums for local and national harp legend, Arthur Williams, when opportunity finally knocked. Touring Europe as part of Arthur’s crack St. Louis band, Boo Boo was approached about recording his own CD. His 1999 Black & Tan label debut, EAST ST. LOUIS was the first step towards a blues legacy that just keeps growing. OLD SKOOL itself is about as stripped-down and powerful as you can get. Featuring Jon Mittendorp on electric guitar, and John Gerritse on drums, the European duo truly pull Boo’s deep Delta essence out. Yet, in so doing, they add a 21st century funk that simply resonates. Much akin to R.L. Burnside’s later years at Fat Possum Records, ‘Old Skool Delta’ rolls anew with Boo Boo’s Black & Tan recordings. This pulsing, trance-inducing sound has been catchy enough to score Boo Boo international acclaim. In fact, ‘ 5-Hour Energy Drink’ used snippets of his 2008 song ‘I’m Tired’ for their radio ads to boost their sales. Imagine that. Seventy-plus year old Boo Boo Davis selling an energy revival! But in the end, it all makes sense. The trio on this CD has not only toured Europe extensively, but they’ve played over 300 shows in 20 countries the past two years. Tight and cohesive, all 11 tracks were recorded in single takes. From the clash of harp and drums on the opener, ‘Hold Your Head Up’, through such notables as the catchy-quick ‘Boo Boo Fool’, the slow, open-ended ‘Boy Blues’, to the driving train-like ‘Call Me A Clown’, the band rocks a 43 minute jam session that embodies Boo Boo’s spirited live shows. It’s amazing how Boo Boo Davis continues to age like fine wine. Hopefully, if you’re a reader out there, you’ll take the opportunity to catch the ever stylish Boo live downtown. Though he’s currently on a brief sabbatical from his European duo, he’s back home performing some weekend gigs with Bob Kamoske, Mike Graham and Kevin O’Conner at BB’s Jazz, Blues & Soups. What you’ll find is one of the last great “old-skoolers” pumping out downhome blues as only a true great can. As the liner notes claim, ‘this music really is COOL.’ About the only other thing this reviewer can add is “Thank you DAVE!!” And oh, even if you do catch Boo Boo live, get the CD. It’s killer…… ENJOY!!

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review Rivherside in Causette Magazine (France)

RIVHERSIDE – BLUES IN CLERMONT

Non, le blues n’est pas mort, car il bande encore ! Qu’on pardonne cette grivoiserie qui n’a d’autre but que de traduire un enthousiasme sincère pour une musique aux pieds solidement ancrés dans le delta du Mississippi, la tête dans le Cloud. Renaud Villet est informaticien à l’Université Clermont-Auvergne, mais c’est bien le virus du blues qu’il a contracté. À l’instar d’un Muddy Waters du XXIe siècle, armé d’une guitare et du logiciel Ableton Live, il écrit en anglais, compose, interprète et produit seul des chansons d’une authenticité folle. On est frappé d’entrée par les couleurs chaudes des guitares électriques, allant du Chicago blues au rock sans qu’on n’ait jamais l’impression d’un ersatz ni d’une redite. Puis vient la voix, traitée à l’ancienne avec l’écho en slapback, qui ajoute à la pertinence du son. Enfin, la boîte à rythmes, quelques scratchs et synthés çà et là qui donnent à l’ensemble une touche hip-hop électro subtile mais efficace. En 1974, Coluche faisait rire en accolant dans une chanson «blues» et «Clermont-Ferrand», Rivherside change la donne. Du grand art.

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review David Philips in BluesDoodles

Back on his rooftop in Barcelona for the second album of  Roof Top recording, repeating the style of his 2011 Rooftops his first record on Black & Tan Records. On this album, David Phillips delivers eighteen tracks exploring his guitar, lyrics and warm vocals. On a rooftop, the recording process is simple, stripped back, only the essentials joining David in making this album. His guitar and voice are captured with just two microphones and all the doors and windows wide open. Adding some variation in guitar tone his Resonator and Cigar Box guitars make their appearances but nothing else to complicate the process of sharing his music.  What we get is an artist who is at one with the whole process concentrating on delivering the twelve songs. The last six numbers are instrumentals providing a bonus EP to complete the rooftop stripped back vibe. This is music that relaxes from the opening track Making It Up through to the last fading notes of the instrumental Long Flight Home. Here It Is we hear in fleeting a Spanish neighbour then into an upbeat number, with this percussive number David captures your attention. Listen out through the album for when the outside makes a guest appearance including Swifts and House Martins, perfectly reflected in instrumentals Migration and Dance of The Swallows. Beat Box opening and we Are Flying High with the soulful vocals of David Phillips. An acoustic, stripped back album. The making may have been simple, the result is an album full of shadows and moody mystery. The album captures that live, spontaneous feel as the bird song and a few unwitting neighbours captured when David Philips records the songs we want to hear. The Rooftop Recordings 2 is a must for lovers of acoustic simplicity, the power of lyrics, blues and soul to add to the collection of chill out tunes. The Cigar box adds a ripping it up-country blues tone to Tied Up Gagged and Bound the track is a foot tapping extravaganza. Counting himself in gives the feel of an intimate bar setting of a live acoustic session as he opens on Old Red Haze. A lyric about anger and is gentle as his guitar curls around the lyrics as he gets angry and blind. Country fueled with blues as we swing on the veranda and listen to the music flow. The finale is a bluesy number Long Flight Home with birdsong getting the tune underway. Only one solution is to listen again!

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Rivherside on Rock-N-Blog

Seit längerer Zeit mal wieder was aus Frankreich. RIVHERSIDE aka Renaud Villet macht ElectroBlues der nicht groß herumeiert, sondern direkt auf die Zwölf geht. Nicht alle Songs gehen ganz so offensiv voran wie “Need to Speed”, aber Blues zum Abhängen findet man auf “Electraw Blues Album” nur wenig. Villet spielte in zahlreichen Bluesbands, ehe er sich  entschloß das Zepter selbst in die Hand zu nehmen. Sein 2012 erschienenes Debütalbum “Something on my Mind” war noch echter RootsBlues, aber dann setzte er seinen Blues unter Strom und lies Elemente aus dem HipHop einfließen.

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review David Philips in Popmagazine Heaven (Holland)

The Rooftop Recordings 2 van de Brit David Philips biedt een hernieuwde proeve van zijn bekwaamheid te schitteren met minimale middelen. In achttien liedjes laat hij ons genieten van zijn mooie stem, zijn gevarieerde en technisch onderlegde gitaarspel en vooraal veel mooie songs. Soms folky, soms verwijzend naar de Amerikaanse Westkust, klinken zijn liedjes vooral vrolijk en positief.

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first single ElectroBluesSociety

today we released the first single from ElectroBluesSociety

B&T 960 – ElectroBluesSociety – Duck (single version)

This is the first ‘official’ release from this new duo. Modern technologies and 30+ years of live stage experience using computers, a double bass, guitars, foot pedals, vintage amps, midi controllers, an old drumkit and lots of cables. At their website you can find more information, video’s and more music.

The single is released digital only and here are the links to a few popular platforms