Right On The Edge (feat. Gregg Wright)

#94 in The Need To Know Badass Blues Instrumentals Series, Right On The Edge, features the truly electrifying blues guitar playing of Gregg Wright. A Louisiana Music Hall of Fame inductee and a Living Legend Blues Award winner, Gregg's life is the story of modern Blues guitar and dues-paying. From playing every bar across the American South through the 1970's including opening several times for the greats like, Albert King and Freddie King, to the historic 1984 The Jackson's Victory Tour (the tour for MJ's Thriller!), Greg has been there and done that. Since the career-changing Jacksons' tour, Gregg has been one of the first call LA session cats. Platinum albums and world tours with Mick Fleetwood, Michael Jackson, the Gap Band, Spencer Davis and others followed. Gregg began the new Millenium as the featured soloist on the IMAX film soundtrack “Ocean Oasis” with the Prague Philharmonic Orchestra and has continues to make records and rip it up internationally fronting his own band. Don't miss him when you have the chance!

The backing band on this track is Rich Kirch (John Lee Hooker 1984-2001) on rhythm guitar, Marcus David (Nick Gravenites) on drums, and myself on bass. The track was recorded at Skunkworks in Capitola CA. Mixed by the Grammy winning Godfather of Grunge, Jack Endino (Nirvana, Nando Reis), and as almost always, masterfully mastered by Alex McCollough at True East Mastering.

Window To Your Plimsoul (feat. Peter Stroud) (feat. Peter Stroud)

#93 in The Need To Know Badass Blues Instrumentals Series, Window To Your Plimsoul, features the always tasty and expertly musical guitar playing of Peter Stroud. The first time I met Peter was at catering on the very first Lilith Fair. He was in the big leagues, with Sheryl Crow and I was on the second stage with Patty Griffin. I have been impressed with Peter's musicality and positivity ever since. Peter has been Sheryl Crow’s guitarist now for 22 years. That is a mighty good run! Along the way, he has also toured and/or recorded with Don Henley, Sarah McLachlan & Pete Droge, as well as with his own band, Big Hat. He's recently served on guitarist rotation duty with his Atlantan neighbors, Drivin N Cryin (as has his Sheryl Crow bandmate, Audley Freed, another great dude and player, and former guest of ours; NTK-21). Peter is also co-founder of boutique amplifier company, 65amps. And speaking of tube amps and tone, check out the wah'd out mojo at 2:40! Enjoy!

The backing band on this track is Rich Kirch (John Lee Hooker 1984-2001) on rhythm guitar, Andrew "the kid" Guterman (Rick Estrin) on drums, and myself on bass. The track was recorded at Skunkworks in Capitola CA. The Grammy-winning and very bearded, Rob Schnapf (Beck, Booker T., Mavis Staples) brings his mad mixing skills. And as almost always, masterful mastering by Alex McCollough at True East Mastering.

Rosa Amarilla (feat. Rosie Flores)

#92 in The Need To Know Badass Blues Instrumentals Series, Rosa Amarilla, features the wonderfully rambunctious guitar work of the legendary, Rosie Flores. Born in Texas in 1950, by her teens, relocated to San Diego, Rosie was beginning to stoke the flames of her long and illustrious career in Rock and Roll. After fifteen years of paying dues on the San Diego club circuit, Rosie landed her first major label deal and Billboard charting single in 1987 with "Crying Over You" (Warner/Reprise). Since then Rosie has made 10 solo records, toured the world repeatedly, done Austin City Limits and the other cool requisite television appearances. I'm going to nick this next bit straight from Rosie's Wiki: "In addition to her work as a performer and songwriter, Flores has helped to revive the careers of female rockabilly musicians from previous generations and to create new interest in their music. Her album Rockabilly Filly, released on Hightone Records in 1995, included vocals from early rock and roll musicians Janis Martin and Wanda Jackson. In 2007, Flores brought Janis Martin to a recording studio in Blanco, Texas, to record what would be both Martin's first solo album in thirty years as well as her last before her death of cancer. After the project was turned down by a number of record labels, Flores raised more than $16,000 on Kickstarter to release the album, which was titled Janis Martin: The Blanco Sessions. Flores is credited as a producer."
I can honestly say that it was an absolute pleasure having Rosie come by to do this track. She was so full of energy and enthusiasm and I believe it translates to the ear. Enjoy!

The backing band on this track is Rich Kirch (John Lee Hooker 1984-2001) on rhythm guitar, Alvino Bennett (Dave Mason, Stevie Wonder) on drums and myself on bass. The track was recorded at Skunkworks in Capitola CA. Mixing and Mastering duties performed by the Grand Wizard of Greaseland, Christoffer "Kid" Andersen. 

Grandmother's Child (feat. Bombino)

Greetings Friends, Family, Associates, Acquaintances, Comrades, Accomplices & Total Strangers,

#91 in The Need To Know Badass Blues Instrumentals Series, Grandmother's Child, features the Nigerian rebel/guitarist, Bombino. Born in Niger in 1980, at 10 years old Bombino and his family had to flee to Algeria as a result of the Tuareg Revolution. In his early teens, Bombino studied with the renowned Tuareg guitarist, Haja Bebe and by 17, Bombino had returned to Niger to begin his life as a professional musician. Since then the adventure has been a rich and worldly one. Bombino has played with Keith Richards & Charlie Watts, had an album (Nomad, #1 Billboard World Chart) produced by Dan Auerbach of The Black Keys, and has performed at festivals around the world including Coachella, WOMAD, and Pukkelpop. The New York Times has dubbed Bombino "the Sultan of Shred" and he is also the first Nigerian to be nominated for a Grammy award (2018's Deran). I love this quote from one of Bombino's interviews; "I do not see my guitar as a gun but rather as a hammer with which to help build the house of the Tuareg people." We hope we can help. Enjoy!

The backing band on this track is Rich Kirch (John Lee Hooker 1984-2001) on rhythm guitar, Andrew "the kid" Guterman (Rick Estrin) on drums, and myself on bass. The track was recorded at Skunkworks in Capitola CA. The Grammy-winning and very bearded, Rob Schnapf (Beck, Booker T., Mavis Staples) brings his mad mixing skills. And as almost always, masterful mastering by Alex McCollough at True East Mastering.

Surfing (feat. Kirk Fletcher)

#90 in The Need To Know Badass Blues Instrumentals Series, SURFING, features the Southern California blues master, KIRK FLETCHER. Folks in the blues guitar world know Kirk Fletcher and he has the CV to fully justify that knowing. From the Fabulous Thunderbirds and the Mannish Boys to Charlie Musslewhite and Joe Bonamasa, this cat has been around the blues block. He's got great note choice and tone for sure but the thing that struck me the most while Kirk was tracking, was his time. Listen to his time! It's fucking spot on! And in a very individual way. I'm not a surfer but I am my teenage daughter's surf sherpa, and this is what I imagine I might hear in my head while riding an "epic" wave. (I can see her rolling her eyes now.) One other thing, Kirk was one of the first guests we had, and I am grateful for how trusting and generous he was to participate. Enjoy!

The backing band on this track is Rich Kirch (John Lee Hooker 1984-2001) on rhythm guitar, Marcus David (Nick Gravenites) on drums, and myself on bass. The track was recorded at Skunkworks in Capitola CA. Mixed by the Grammy winning Godfather of Grunge, Jack Endino (Nirvana, Nando Reis), and as almost always, masterfully mastered by Alex McCollough at True East Mastering.

Fysisk Andlig (feat. Jimmy Agren)

#89 in The Need To Know Badass Blues Instrumentals Series, Fysisk Andlig, features the Swedish slide guitar monster, Jimmy Agren. When Brian suggested Jimmy for a track I had not heard of him, so of course I YouTube'd him and, WOW!...I didn't just want him to play on a track, I wanted to be in a band with this cat! In his home country of Sweden, Jimmy is a well established player, having played with Freddie Wadling, Jonas Knutsson, and Captain Beefheart. Jimmy also plays in an incredibly cool prog-ish kind of band with his brother Morgan called the Mats / Morgan Band and he has eight albums out under his own name. We were fortunate enough to get Jimmy into Skunkworks to do his track while he was in the States last year playing some shows with avant-garde guitarist Henry Kaiser. Henry was kind enough to help with facilitating and driving. I love this track and Jimmy's playing on it and I hope it helps to bring more attention to Jimmy here in the US.

The backing band on this track is Alvino Bennett (Dave Mason, Stevie Wonder) on drums and myself on bass and rhythm guitar. The track was recorded at Skunkworks in Capitola CA. Mixed and Mastered by the super bad, multiple Grammy winning, F. Reid Shippen (Gloria Gaynor, Kenny Chesney) in Nashville TN.

House Of Mirrors (feat. Hamish Anderson)

#88 in The Need To Know Badass Blues Instrumentals Series, House of Mirrors, features the introspective and lyrical guitar playing of Hamish Anderson. The Australian guitarist has the somber distinction of being the last act to open for BB King before his passing in 2015. Hamish was named as one of the 10 Best New Artists of 2016 by Yahoo! Music and that same year Gary Clark Jr. cited Hamish as the act under 30 to watch out for. In 2019, Hamish would go on to open for Clark Jr., joining in on the encore every night. Hamish has made 2 EP's and 2 LP's so far, working with keyboardist Rami Jaffee of the Foo Fighters and producers Jim Scott (Tom Petty, Tedeschi Trucks) and Krish Sharma (Rolling Stones). He has won a couple of Independent Music Awards and has played festivals around the world. This track harkens back to Lou Reed's, Rock and Roll Animal to me...maybe it's the phase shifter? Enjoy?

The backing band on this track is Rich Kirch (John Lee Hooker 1984-2001) on rhythm guitar, Alvino Bennett (Dave Mason, Stevie Wonder) on drums and myself on bass. The track was recorded at Skunkworks in Capitola CA. Mixing and Mastering duties performed by the Grand Wizard of Greaseland, Christoffer "Kid" Andersen. A special shout out to Kristin Juel for facilitating Hamish's session, engineered by David Davis.

Kudzu Blues (feat. Jerry Douglas)

#87 in The Need To Know Badass Blues Instrumentals Series, Kudzu Blues, features the incomparable Dobro-isms of Jerry Douglas.

When I think of Jerry Douglas I immediately think of Alison Kraus, and when I think of Alison Kraus, I think of Robert Plant, and when I think of Robert Plant, I think of Jimmy Page, and when I think of Jimmy Page, I think of unrivaled and immediately identifiable musical character, which then brings me right back to Jerry Douglas.

My dear friend, former bandmate and, incredibly gifted musician, John Deaderick, suggested we have Jerry guest on a track and was generous enough to make the introduction. Much to my surprise and pleasure Jerry said yes and then delivered what you are hopefully listening to while you're reading this. This is a long way from Alison Kraus but not so far from Jimmy Page.

Usually, I try to write a little bio about our featured soloist but check this out, it's just a few lines from Jerry's Wikipedia page: "In addition to his fourteen solo recordings, Douglas has played on more than 1,600 albums. As a sideman, he has recorded with artists as diverse as Garth Brooks, Ray Charles, Eric Clapton, Phish, Dolly Parton, Susan Ashton, Paul Simon, Mumford & Sons, Keb' Mo', Ricky Skaggs, Elvis Costello, Tommy Emmanuel, James Taylor, and Johnny Mathis, as well as performing on the O Brother, Where Art Thou?" soundtrack."

And it continues...

"As of 2021, Douglas has been nominated for thirty-two Grammy Awards, winning fourteen.
He has received the Country Music Association's "Musician of the Year" award three times, in 2002, 2005, and 2007.
Douglas is a 10-time recipient of the International Bluegrass Music Association (IBMA) Dobro Player of the Year Award.
In 2004, the National Endowment for the Arts awarded Douglas a National Heritage Fellowship, which is the United States' highest honor in the folk and traditional arts."

That is some serious drop the mic shit! And then on top of that, he's a genuinely humble and generous human being.

So if you're one of the ten people in the world that aren't hip to Jerry Douglas, check this track out and then go check out a bunch more of his work. He's the Jimmy Page of Folk/Americana/Bluegrass! (or whatever the label du jour).

The backing band on this track is Oaktown Born/Nashville Ruling, Derrek Phillips, (Gloria Gaynor, Robben Ford, Charlie Hunter) on drums, and myself on rhythm guitar and bass. The track was recorded at NTA in San Bruno, CA, and The Phamily Room and The Squirrelnest in Nashville, TN. Prodigiously mixed and mastered by the Grammy-winning and extremely personable, Matt Winegar (Primus, Fantastic Negrito).

Deep Pockets (feat. Mark Lettieri)

#86 in The Need To Know Badass Blues Instrumentals Series, Deep Pockets, features a real Snarky Puppy, Mark Lettieri, on the electric guitar. For those of you that don't know, Snarky Puppy is a crushingly virtuosic Jazz, Rock, World, Funk band originally out of Denton TX and yes, Lettieri has been their guitarist from almost their inception. But that's not it. Fearless Flyer, yeah you know, the band with Joe Dart, Cory Wong, Nate Smith, and...yup, Mark's the other Ray-Ban'd guitarist shredding the mad hyper funk in those viral YouTubes. And just because he can...Mark's also released five solo albums and has appeared on a wildly diverse array of projects including Snoop Dogg, David Crosby, and Dave Chappelle to name just a few. We caught up with Mark while he was touring through Santa Cruz and he was gracious enough to drop by Skunkworks and melt our faces. Check it out...it sneaks up on you...

The backing band on this track is Rich Kirch (John Lee Hooker 1984-2001) on rhythm guitar, Andrew "the kid" Guterman (Rick Estrin) on drums, and myself on bass. The track was recorded at Skunkworks in Capitola CA. Mixed by the Grammy-winning Godfather of Grunge, Jack Endino (Nirvana, Nando Reis) and masterfully mastered by Alex McCollough at True East Mastering.

Dragons and Windmills (feat. Sonny Singh)

#85 in The Need To Know Badass Blues Instrumentals Series, Dragons and Windmills, features the spiritually rich Trumpet playing of Sonny Singh. The son of Sikh immigrants, Sonny grew up in South Carolina and now calls Brooklyn NY his home. In 2003, Sonny co-founded the political rock band Outernational and recorded an album produced by Rage Against The Machine's Tom Morello. in 2008 Sonny co-founded Red Baraat a merging of North Indian bhangra with elements of hip-hop, jazz, and raw punk energy. Sonny's most recent effort is his first solo album, Chardi Kala, produced by Ozomatli's Wil-Dog Abers. Sonny has also worked with a number of labor and community-based organizations in New York City as an organizer and educator and regularly facilitates workshops and classes on social justice issues, community organizing, anti-oppression, and more. His writings on racial justice, Sikhism and social change, and Islamophobia have appeared in the Huffington Post, Colorlines, Asian American Literary Review, Jadaliyya, and Open City Magazine. 

The backing band on this track is Rich Kirch (John Lee Hooker 1984-2001) on guitar, Alvino Bennett (Dave Mason, Stevie Wonder) on drums, and myself on bass. The track was recorded at Skunkworks in Capitola CA and was mixed and mastered by the super bad, F. Reid Shippen.

Detroit Jambalaya (feat. David Gerald)

#84 in The Need To Know Badass Blues Instrumentals Series, Detroit Jambalaya, features the phat and furious tone of Detroit native son, David Gerald, on guitar. The son of Rural Mississippi born and raised parents, David marinated in the sounds of the Blues and R&B music. He's the youngest of eleven children, six of whom were born and partly raised in Mississippi. Because of segregation and racial discrimination, David's dad moved the family north to Detroit so they might have a better chance at the "American Dream." First picking up a guitar at fourteen, David's earliest influences as a guitarist were Prince and the '80's Rock shredders - and it wasn't until he was in his mid-twenties that he went back to the sounds that he had grown up with: Albert King, ZZ Hill, and B.B. King. Successfully touring and recording as the David Gerald Band, David took a page from the Prince playbook and played all the instruments on his last album, N2U. From the first note that David played on this session I knew it was gonna be alright and by the time he left the session he had cooked up a full-on Jamabalaya! Bon appetite!

The backing band on this track is Rich Kirch (John Lee Hooker 1984-2001) on rhythm guitar, Alvino Bennett (Dave Mason, Stevie Wonder) on drums, and myself on bass. The track was recorded at Skunkworks in Capitola CA with additional tracking at NTA, San Bruno CA. Mixing duties were executed by a very welcomed new addition to the family, Mr. Malcolm Catto (Heliocentrics, Idris Ackamoor) at his Quatermass Sound Lab, London UK. Mastering by F-Bomb.