Hats Off To Jimmy Page (feat. Justin Johnson)

#158 in the Need To Know Badass Blues Instrumental Series, Hats Off To Jimmy Page, features the industrious and illustrious Justin Johnson on the electric guitar. Now I don't know if he's playing his shovel guitar, his skateboard guitar or any one of his many other hand made creations but he's definitely playin'! Based in Nashville, over the last few years, Justin has become somewhat of an internet phenom. His YouTube channel has close to two million subscribers, he's got a full-on cottage industry goin' with records, merch, and lessons and he still finds time to do sessions like this one. And speaking of this one, I don't think anybody is going to wonder why it's titled as it is. I reached out to Mr. Page for his blessing but got no response so in keeping with the Zeppelin spirit, I will proceed onwards asking for forgiveness later. I already have the alternate title, Cease and Desist, ready to go just in case. Enjoy!

The backing band on this track is Rich Kirch (John Lee Hooker 1984-2001) and Les Izmore on the stereophonic rhythm guitars, Alvino Bennett (Dave Mason, Stevie Wonder) on drums, and myself on bass. The basics were recorded at Skunkworks in Capitola CA. Mellifluously mixed and mastered by the infamous F-Bomb.

What The Actual Fucking Fuck (feat. Tomas Salcedo)

#157 in the Need To Know Badass Blues Instrumental Series, What The Actual Fucking Fuck, features Bay Area comrade and Fantastic Negrito guitarist, Tomas Salcedo. I don't know about you, but I find myself asking this question more and more as time goes on, and as is almost always the case, music is where I find the answer or at the very least, the refuge.
A little about Tomas, the son of a gigging folk musician mother and a classical pianist father, Tomas left Richmond Virginia for California at 18 years old and quickly found his place on the scene. While touring the Northern Hemisphere with prog band Antioquia, he began the practice of busking wherever and whenever he could and as fate would have it, one of these busking adventures led to meeting his future bandmate and collaborator, Fantastic Negrito. By 2014 Tomas and Negrito were officially a band, in 2015, they won NPR's Tiny Desk Contest, and as they say, the rest is history, international touring, three Grammys, etc... Well, if you're seeking refuge or just a few good moments of fuzzy, funky, blues rock, I hope you stop and find it here. Enjoy!

The backing band on this track is Oakland Born/Nashville residing, funky AF, Derrek Phillips, (Gloria Gaynor, Robben Ford, Charlie Hunter) on drums, Les Izmore on rhythm guitar, and myself on bass. The track was recorded at NTA, South San Francisco, The Family Room, Nashville TN, and Tomas' studio in Oakland. Mellifluously mixed and mastered by the infamous F-Bomb. A very special shout out to friend, Sonic Wizard, and Fantastic Negrito producer for the introduction!

Texas (feat. Johnny Moeller)

#156 in the Need To Know Badass Blues Instrumental Series, Texas, features a native son and incredibly tasty guitarist, Johnny Moeller. I know I've said it before, there's gotta be somethin' in the water down there, Ornette Coleman, King Curtis, Cornell Dupree, Roger Miller, Ronald Shannon Jackson, Mason Ruffner, Townes Van Zandt, Bob Wills, and Johnny Moeller are all from Fort Worth, Texas. There's way more if you're skeptical. By his late teens, Johnny was being championed by the late great club owner Clifford Antone. Clifford had championed another young Texas guitarist you may have heard of, Stevie Ray Vaughan. By the late 2000's, after several years of dues-paying, Johnny landed the gig with the Fabulous Thunderbirds, formerly Jimmy Vaughan's gig. See what I mean? Texas. An amusing aside, Johnny is rumored to be the inspiration for one of the characters in Beavis and Butt-Head, I'm not sure which one but the other one is supposedly inspired by Johnny's friend and sometimes bandmate, guitarist, Paul Size (we have a track with Paul on it coming in the future). Here's a great interview with Johnny if you'd like to go further down the rabbit hole. There's connections to Mick Jagger, Red Hot Chili Peppers, and more. I hope you appreciate this meditation on the musically fertile ground of the Lone Star State. Enjoy!
 

The backing band on this track is Rich Kirch (John Lee Hooker 1984-2001) and new to the crew, Les Izmore on the stereophonic rhythm guitars, Alvino Bennett (Dave Mason, Stevie Wonder) on drums, and myself on bass. The basics were recorded at Skunkworks in Capitola CA. Mellifluously mixed and mastered by the infamous F-Bomb.