BackAlleyBlues

Hailed for its entertaining performances, Rose City Kings gives audiences a fresh, dynamic approach to the classic Blues traditions. The band’s well-honed songs propel the heart of traditional Delta and Chicago Blues forward into a unique Powerhouse sound. Combining hard-driving rhythms with soulful vocals, Rose City Kings pleases general audiences and Blues enthusiasts alike. Rose City Kings has been on an upward trajectory, receiving back-to-back Muddy Awards from the largest Blues society in the West, the Cascade Blues Association: Best New Act 2003 and Best Contemporary Act 2004. The band was selected to represent the Northwest at the 21st Annual International Blues Challenge in 2005. Now, Rose City Kings’ energetic performance lives on with the 2005 live release of “Holler Out for More,” its third recording, following the successful launches of Up On It in 2004 and Delta Hop in 2003. Band Members: (L to R in photo) Dan Berkery, guitar/vocals Roger Espinor, drums Ron Camacho, bass Jeff Simonson, keyboards Joe Powers, harmonica www.rosecitykings.com

From the swamps of southeast Georgia, born in Waycross, and raised on Southern Rock and Blues. Josh Kirkland still calls his Mother "Mama" and speaks with a cool softness, not only is he a southern gentleman, he is one intense guitarist.

Josh became fascinated with the guitar at an early age, after receiving his first guitar for his 13th birthday, he began cutting his teeth on the popular rock music of the 80's but soon found himself being drawn toward the blues.

Josh's father who played Hammond B-3 organ in several local bands during the 70's not only wanted his son Josh to learn the music of his own generation, but to also learn the southern rock and blues based music that he himself came up playing. Josh was soon hooked on Duane Allman's slide guitar playing, he then discovered the music of Stevie Ray Vaughan which led him to all of the blues masters and the innovative Jimi Hendrix, the rest is history.

Josh Kirkland's debut cd release is a six string odyssey, full of searing guitar riffs & soulful deep southern rooted vocals. You hear all of the influences, but there is more. Josh has evolved his own distinctive style. The Josh Kirkland Band's music is a mix of Blues, Southern Rock, Jazz, Funk, R&B/Soul, Country etc. A typical Josh Kirkland Band show features songs for everyone, including original songs and covers ranging from a twangy Johnny Cash song to a jammin' Allman Brothers tune to a hard driving Jimi Hendrix cover complete with Kirkland playing screaming guitar solos with his teeth and behind his back. Truly, Kirkland is the type of player that has to be seen.

Over the years Josh has supported such acts as Rick Derringer, Pat Travers, Jerry Reed, and the Marshall Tucker Band. In 2005 Josh Kirkland was selected as one of the top ten blues artists worldwide in the "Blues Idol" competition. Most recently, the Josh Kirkland Band performed at the 2006 Wanee Festival in Live Oak FL, supporting the Derek Trucks Band, Robert Randolf, the North Mississippi Allstars, Gov't Mule, the Allman Brothers Band etc.

Guitar ace BOBBY MANRIQUEZ, whose manned the axe for an array of artists from E-Street Band's Rock 'n Roller Nils Lofgren to "wicked" soul legend Wilson Pickett, has surely come into his own with first solo release "Another Shade of Blue(s)," an independent.(7/2000)Even without the tempting comparisons to the to the true greats such as Eric Clapton and Stevie Ray Vaughn, I can guarantee with fervor that this CD embodies the passion, personality and uniqueness that was a trademark of the days of Jimi Hendrix and trend-setting talent in general.His songwriting is imaginative, his singing strong and unpretentious, his mood is sexy and sure, and his mastery of the blues-rock school of guitar is AWESOME !!Visit http://www.bobbymanriquez.com M. Chaconas

Joe McCoy (May 11, 1905–January 28, 1950) was an African American blues musician.

Joe McCoy played music under a variety of stage names but is best known as "Kansas Joe McCoy." Born in Raymond, Mississippi, he was the older brother of blues accompanist Papa Charlie McCoy. As a young man, he was drawn to the music scene in Memphis, Tennessee where he played guitar and sang vocals during the 1920s. He teamed up with future wife Lizzie Douglas, a brilliant guitarist known as Memphis Minnie, and their 1929 recording of a song called "Bumble Bee" on the Columbia Records label was a hit. In 1930, the couple moved to Chicago where they were an important part of the burgeoning blues scene. Following their divorce, McCoy teamed up with his brother to form a band known as the "Harlem Hamfats" that performed and recorded during the second half of the 1930s.

At the outbreak of World War II Charlie McCoy entered the military but a heart condition kept Joe McCoy from service. Out on his own, he created a band known as "Big Joe and His Rhythm" that performed together throughout most of the 1940s. In 1950, at the age of 44, Joe McCoy died of heart disease only a few months before his brother Charlie. They are buried in Restvale Cemetery in Alsip, Illinois.

MICHAEL HEYMAN was born in Galveston, Texas and raised in Houston. From 1983-88, Michael fronted a series of blues outfits in the U.S.A. and Europe. As a result of concerts with artists such as Buddy Guy and Junior Wells, John Mayall’s Bluesbreakers, Albert Collins, James Cotton, Eric Burdon, Pat Travers, Alvin Lee, Leslie West, Nick Lowe, Bachman-Turner Overdrive, Omar & the Howlers and Marcia Ball, he earned a reputation in both blues and rock circles as an exciting and dynamic blues-rock artist in the long Texas tradition of guitarists fronting blues trios. Other highlights of this period were his associations with blues great Joe "Guitar" Hughes and with noted British musicians Ronnie Lane and Ian McLagan for the highly successful “RONNIE LANE APPEAL FOR A.R.M.S.” concert in 1985. Michael also had the honor of participating in an all-star jazz/blues concert with legendary saxophonist Arnett Cobb and being selected to represent Texas rhythm & blues at the Willie Nelson/Wrangler Jeans Invitational in Austin, Texas. Upon returning to the United States in 1988, Michael retired from performing to spend time with his family. In 2003, Michael returned to the stage fronting a series of blues outfits and eventually purchased a block of studio time. What began as a demo session quickly developed into the sessions for his debut CD. "Heart Full of Blues" features eight original tracks as well as covers of "Three Hours Past Midnight" by Johnny “Guitar” Watson, "My Sweet Little Honey Dripper" by Jimmy “T-99” Nelson and the instrumental guitar showcase "Steppin’ Out" by James Bracken. In addition to guitar artistry reminiscent of the early work of T-Bone Walker, B.B. King, Freddie King, Buddy Guy, Eric Clapton and Mick Taylor, “Heart Full of Blues” features guest performances by internationally acclaimed harmonica virtuoso Sonny Boy Terry, Houston's First Lady of Soul Trudy Lynn and the incomparable Tommie Lee Bradley. Michael will also be a featured artist along with the legendary Johnny Winter at the upcoming Guitarslingers Ball in Houston.

http://www.michaelheyman.com/home.html

The Music speaks for itself

For this gig, we had no bass player nor a drummer. Therefore, for some

songs, a pre-recorded/arranged track was used on the Yamaha DGX-305 of

the drum and bass parts (and sometimes a quiet keyboard part such as

e-piano or grand piano). For other songs, a drum pattern from the

Yamaha DGX-305 was used and K. Selby played bass and keys live (using

the DGX-305 in Split mode). In a few cases, a drum pattern from the

Yamaha DGX-305 was used and K. Selby played bass on the DGX-305 and

keys using a Roland A-30 triggering various sound libraries hosted in

Sonar 3.11 on the Notebook PC (see next paragraph). These permutations

are noted for each song listed below. We are providing this information

because we believe in fully informing our listeners of the specifics of

our shows as well as possibly inspiring others to use relatively basic,

inexpensive and available equipment to play live. Try it! It's fun!

K. Selby uses a variety of keyboard sound libraries for the main

keyboard parts he plays. These are hosted in Sonar 3.11 on the

Notebook PC and triggered via a Roland A-30 controller keyboard.

The Grateful Dead was an American psychedelia-influenced rock band formed in 1965 in San Francisco. The band was known for its unique and eclectic songwriting style—which fused elements of rock, folk music, bluegrass, blues, country, jazz, and gospel—and for live performances of long modal jams.

The Grateful Dead's fans, some of whom followed the band from concert to concert for years, were known as Deadheads and were renowned for their dedication to the band's music. Many followers referred to the band simply as The Dead.

The Grateful Dead became the de facto resident band of Ken Kesey's Merry Pranksters, with the early sound heavily influenced by Kesey's LSD-soaked Acid Tests, as well as R&B. Their musical influences varied widely with input from the psychedelic music of the era, combined with blues, jazz, rock and roll, and bluegrass. These various influences were distilled into a diverse and psychedelic whole that made the Grateful Dead "the pioneering Godfathers of the jam band world." [1].

Nehemiah "Skip" James was born on Woodbine Plantation outside Bentonia, Mississippi on the ninth of June, 1902. Raised on the plantation Skip was interested in music early and had learned guitar by age 8. After learning piano in high school he dropped out to hobo around and began earning a living from music around 1918. He worked parties, roadhouses, jukes, and barrelhouses in the South and Midwest, notably Memphis into the 1920's. He attended divinity school and became active in ministry work from the mid-twenties. He was ordained a Baptist minister in 1932 supporting himself preaching and playing churches and concerts in the forties. James was ordained a Methodist minister in 1946 and worked outside music preaching until 1964 when he started working the folk festival and college circuit riding the blues revival wave.

An influence to Robert Johnson, Skip James recorded 17 selections for Paramount in 1931. His surviving works of this time demonstrate a masterful and unique style on both guitar and piano. Skip's haunting delivery was created by his falsetto singing over a rythymic and erratic instrumental accompaniment. The Depression suppressed his record sales and left him in obscurity until rediscovered in 1964. Illness curtailed Skip James' performing career in 1968 and he died of cancer on October 3, 1969.

Northern Indiana Blues with a taste of Chicago. Just 4 slobs with day jobs and a lot of originality, a desire to record, and a promise never to learn another cover tune(Unless its really cool). Enjoy the Chain Dawg Blues and I Coulda Been.

Written by Ted Carter This song is a statement about how people self medicate for depression, no matter how great or small, and how the simple act of sleeping reinforces denial but eventually the blues return. Hence "Sleeping with the Blues".

From the swamps of southeast Georgia, born in Waycross, and raised on Southern Rock and Blues. Josh Kirkland still calls his Mother "Mama" and speaks with a cool softness, not only is he a southern gentleman, he is one intense guitarist.

Josh became fascinated with the guitar at an early age, after receiving his first guitar for his 13th birthday, he began cutting his teeth on the popular rock music of the 80's but soon found himself being drawn toward the blues.

Josh's father who played Hammond B-3 organ in several local bands during the 70's not only wanted his son Josh to learn the music of his own generation, but to also learn the southern rock and blues based music that he himself came up playing. Josh was soon hooked on Duane Allman's slide guitar playing, he then discovered the music of Stevie Ray Vaughan which led him to all of the blues masters and the innovative Jimi Hendrix, the rest is history.

Josh Kirkland's debut cd release is a six string odyssey, full of searing guitar riffs & soulful deep southern rooted vocals. You hear all of the influences, but there is more. Josh has evolved his own distinctive style. The Josh Kirkland Band's music is a mix of Blues, Southern Rock, Jazz, Funk, R&B/Soul, Country etc. A typical Josh Kirkland Band show features songs for everyone, including original songs and covers ranging from a twangy Johnny Cash song to a jammin' Allman Brothers tune to a hard driving Jimi Hendrix cover complete with Kirkland playing screaming guitar solos with his teeth and behind his back. Truly, Kirkland is the type of player that has to be seen.

Over the years Josh has supported such acts as Rick Derringer, Pat Travers, Jerry Reed, and the Marshall Tucker Band. In 2005 Josh Kirkland was selected as one of the top ten blues artists worldwide in the "Blues Idol" competition. Most recently, the Josh Kirkland Band performed at the 2006 Wanee Festival in Live Oak FL, supporting the Derek Trucks Band, Robert Randolf, the North Mississippi Allstars, Gov't Mule, the Allman Brothers Band etc.

http://joshkirklandband.com/