Gaslighter's Ball (feat. Joanna Connor)

#135 in the Need To Know Badass Blues Instrumental Series, Gaslighter's Ball, features the ferocious slide guitar playing of Joanna Connor. Born in Brooklyn NY, raised in Worcester MA, and then at 22 arriving in Chicago where she remains to this day, Joanna has burned her way to the top of the Blues heap. She has shared stages with legends like; James Cotton, Junior Wells, Buddy Guy and A.C. Reed, made thirteen albums over twenty-five years, including her most recent, 4801 South Indiana Avenue produced by Joe Bonamassa, has toured the world, and oh yeah, she's managed to raise two kids in the process. Joanna cut this track on one of the coldest days of 2019 in Chicago and when we got the tracks back and I got done comping I sent Joanna an mp3 for her approval with a note just saying "It sure wasn’t cold in that studio" to which she replied "damn". I took that as the ultimate approval. So, here I present to you one of the stompin'est blues assaults I've ever been involved with, and remember if it isn't dangerous it probably isn't rock and roll. Enjoy!

The backing band on this track is Rich Kirch (John Lee Hooker 1984-2001) on rhythm guitar, Andrew Guterman (Rick Estrin) on drums and myself on bass. The track was recorded at Skunkworks in Capitola CA, Joanna's son, J Mixx's studio in Chicago, and diabolically mixed and mastered by the Supreme Ruler of Greaseland, Christoffer "Kid" Andersen.

Lizard Brain (feat. Ryan Cavanaugh)

#135 in the Need To Know Badass Blues Instrumental Series, Lizard Brain, features the stunningly virtuosic banjo playing of Ryan Cavanaugh. A child prodigy and a protege of both legendary Jazz saxophonist Bill Evans, and THE father of fusion guitar, Mahavishnu John McLaughlin, Ryan is all about the music. The care and interest that he put into his contribution to this track was above and beyond the call of duty. And the performance that he has delivered here is at least, otherworldly. Maybe it's the combination of his North Carolina and New Jersey upbringing that informs the bluegrass meets hyperspace jazz rock shredability that Ryan possesses. I mean, WTF?...this is a five-string banjo! This quote from No Depression magazine sums it up; "the ambitious and musically relentless Ryan Cavanaugh is the most versatile banjo player in the world whose name isn’t Fleck…He can play anything, and he’s proven he’s crafty enough to impress John-Oh-My-God-McLaughlin.” Ryan has performed with Doc Watson, Sam Bush, Béla Fleck, John Popper, Victor Wooten, Dennis Chambers, Warren Haynes and Robben Ford to name a few. A relative young'n, Ryan continues to play shows and make records...we can only imagine, or maybe we can't, where he's going to take it. And Mr. McLaughlin, if you're reading this, we have a track waiting just for you! Enjoy!

The backing band on this track is Oakland Born/Nashville residing, funky AF, Derrek Phillips, (Gloria Gaynor, Robben Ford, Charlie Hunter) on drums, and myself on rhythm guitar and bass. The track was recorded at NTA, South San Francisco, The Phamily Room, Nashville TN, and Ryan's home studio, also in Nashville TN. Mellifluously mixed and mastered by the infamous F-Bomb.

Windy City Blues (feat. Lurrie Bell)

This being the final release of 2022 and #134 in the Need To Know Badass Blues Instrumental Series, we're going to pull the tether back in to feature one of the Sons of the Blues, guitarist Lurrie Bell, reminding us how it's done on the Windy City Blues. The son of legendary Chicago harp player and frontman Carey Bell, Lurrie started out in the 1970s playing with Eddy Clearwater, Big Walter Horton, Eddie Taylor, and Koko Taylor's Blues Machine. In the late 70s, Lurrie formed The Sons Of The Blues with Billy Branch (NTK#81) and Freddie Dixon leading to a deal with Alligator Records. Lurrie also began recording with his Dad, releasing 10 albums over 20 years before his Dad's passing in 2007. A highly accomplished artist in his own right, Lurrie is an international ambassador of the Blues, he's released twelve solo albums, and has won several Blues Music Awards and a Grammy nomination for Best Traditional Blues Album. It was an absolute blast and a thrill to have Lurrie sitting two feet away from me playing the hell out of this track back in 2017. Enjoy!

The backing band on this track is Rich Kirch (John Lee Hooker 1984-2001) on rhythm guitar, Deszon Claiborne (Robben Ford) 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 is often the case, masterfully mastered by Alex McCollough at True East Mastering.

Times Square 42nd Street Station (feat. Dave Liebman)

#133 in The Need To Know Badass Blues Instrumentals Series, Times Square 42nd Street Station features one of the most unapologetically daring saxophonists ever, Dave Liebman. What more do you need to know, other than Liebman played in both the Elvin Jones and Miles Davis Groups in the early 70's, including on Miles', groundbreaking On The Corner. That is definitely enough for me but, there's another half-century of composing and teaching and recording and touring to add to the legacy of "Lieb" as he is often called. Dave is an NEA and a Canadian Arts Council scholar, a teacher at the Manhattan School of Music and the Berklee College of Music in Boston, he has consistently been rated in the top three soprano saxophonists in Down Beat Magazines reader's poll since 1973, he has recorded more than 500 albums including 200 as a band leader, and his list of collaborators is a who's who of jazz. Dave is the recipient of an Honorary Doctorate from the Sibelius Academy (Helsinki, Finland); the Order of Arts and Letters (France); and the NEA Jazz Master award which is the highest accolade granted by the U.S. government in the jazz field. A little story I will share with you about this track; we invited Dave to guest on this track and he generously accepted. My only instructions were for him to "do his thing" so when I got his tracks back it was 4 complete passes of well, this. My immediate reaction was uh oh, this is pretty out stuff and is our audience going to dig it? So I called Dave and explained that although I thought it was awesome I thought it might be too challenging for the average listener and could he just start with something a little more simple and then build from there, to which Dave with his most classic and wonderful native Brooklyn attitude replied..."Frank, you wanted Liebman, you got Liebman". He went on to say that I probably had hundreds of guest soloists playing pentatonic blues and if I wanted more of that I wouldn't have contacted him and he was absolutely right! I shared Dave's tracks with some of my more sophisticated musician friends to confirm that Dave was actually not punking me and the general consensus was that Dave Liebman is a genius and as I stated earlier, unapologetically daring. So here's what I came up with, I used all four of Dave's tracks at once because to me it actually makes more sense this way. Ultimately, whether it makes sense or not, I hope you enjoy the result.

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 and Laura De Rover's place in NYC. Mixing and Mastering duties were handled by the infamous F-Bomb. And a special shout out to Liebman's manager, Dave Love for facilitating.

Good Intentions (feat. Joe V. McMahan)

#132 in The Need To Know Badass Blues Instrumentals Series, Good Intentions, features one of Nashville's most toneful guitarists, Joe V. McMahan. Raised on a horse farm in rural Missouri and then schooled in Rock and Soul music in Shreveport, Louisiana under the tutelage of Dave Egan and Jo-El Sonnier, Joe landed in Nashville in his early twenties. He's produced more than fifty albums and played with a whole bunch of great artists such as; Lee Ann Womack, K.D. Lang, Allison Moorer, Shelby Lynne, Mike Farris, Webb Wilder, Sarah Siskind, Radney Foster, Shannon McNally, Kevin Gordon, Justin Townes Earle, and more. The first time I heard and met Joe was on a Patrick Sweeney gig at the 5 Spot in East Nashville. I was immediately taken with Joe's Hubert Sumlin-esque reverb drenched tone. After that gig, I heard Luella and The Sun, a short-lived super vibey project that Joe had with singer Melissa Mathes and again, the Tone! Since leaving Nashville I've watched as Joe just keeps cranking out quality music from his studio and cool projects like Thrift Wig with my old bandmates JD Simo and Adam Abrashoff. I hope you all enjoy this exhibit of the aforementioned vibeyness and tone...I most certainly do!

The backing band on this track is Oakland Born/Nashville residing, funky AF, Derrek Phillips, (Gloria Gaynor, Robben Ford, Charlie Hunter) on drums, and myself on rhythm guitar and bass. The track was recorded at NTA, South San Francisco, The Phamily Room, Nashville TN, and Joe's Studio in East Nashville, TN. Mellifluously mixed and mastered by the infamous F-Bomb.

Ode to Lynn Taitt (feat. Cindy Cashdollar)

#131 in The Need To Know Badass Blues Instrumentals Series, Ode To Lynn Taitt, features one of the steel guitar greats, Cindy Cashdollar. A Woodstock NY native, Cindy came on the scene early and strong, playing with Rick Danko and Levon Helm from The Band and Chicago Blues legend Paul Butterfield. Following the music, she did what any self-respecting, hungry, badass would do, she moved to Nashville where she promptly joined Asleep At The Wheel resulting in seven albums, five Grammys, and another move, this time to Austin TX. As a side person, Cindy has recorded with Bob Dylan, Van Morrison, Dave Alvin, Rod Stewart, Albert Lee, Marcia Ball, Rory Block, Jorma Kaukonen, Leon Redbone, BeauSoleil, Peter Rowan, Sonny Landreth, Amy Helm…and more! She has also released two solo albums and a series of instructional videos. She was the first woman to be inducted into the Texas Steel Guitar Hall of Fame in 2011, as well, as being inducted into The Texas Music Hall of Fame in 2012. After 23 years in Austin, she moved back to Woodstock where she continues to do her thing, including playing on this track, a tribute to one of the founding fathers of Rock Steady, Lynn Taitt. Enjoy!

The backing band on this track is my Bay Area neighbor, Scott Amendola, (Nels Cline, Charlie Hunter) bangin' on the drums and myself on rhythm guitar and bass. Mellifluously mixed and mastered by the infamous F-Bomb.

Bop-A-While (feat. Joe Louis Walker)

#130 in The Need To Know Badass Blues Instrumentals Series, Bop-A-While, features San Francisco Blues legend, Joe Louis Walker. This track was cut several years ago and we were absolutely stoked to get Joe, as he is not only a true badass, but he is part of the history of Electric Blues and we felt that he brought some serious "cred" to our humble little project. By the time Joe was twenty, he had already played with John Lee Hooker, Buddy Miles, Otis Rush, Thelonious Monk, The Soul Stirrers, Willie Dixon, Charlie Musselwhite, Steve Miller, John Mayall, Earl Hooker, Muddy Waters, and Jimi Hendrix! Joe was roommates with Mike Bloomfield until Mike's tragic and untimely death. Mike's passing caused Joe to reevaluate everything and he left the Blues world to attend San Francisco State University achieving degrees in both Music and English. But the call of the Blues was too strong and by the mid '80's Joe had begun what is now an almost forty year, twenty five album solo career, including collaborations with BB King, Bonnie Raitt, Buddy Guy, Taj Mahal, Clarence "Gatemouth" Brown, James Cotton, Branford Marsalis, Scotty Moore, Robert Lockwood, Jr., Matt "Guitar" Murphy, Steve Cropper, Tower of Power, and Ike Turner. Joe has won multiple Grammys, Blues Music Awards and is a Blues Hall of Fame inductee. All of these tracks are my "babies" and I know you're not supposed to have favorites but...this is definitely one of my favorites. (shhhhh, don't tell the others) Enjoy!

The backing band on this track is Alvino Bennett (Dave Mason, Stevie Wonder) on drums and myself on bass and rhythm guitar. The basics were recorded at Skunkworks in Capitola CA and Joe's tracks were recorded by Scott Petito at NRS Recording in upstate New York. Mixing and mastering duties were performed by the Supreme Ruler of Greaseland, Christoffer "Kid" Andersen. 

Bangers & Mash (feat. Johnny Baab)

#129 in The Need To Know Badass Blues Instrumentals Series, Bangers & Mash, features the highly adept guitarisms of Ghost Hounds' guitarist, Johnny Baab. Johnny caught my ear while scrolling Instagram one night. I saw that his band, The Ghost Hounds, had opened for the Stones recently as well as Willie Nelson, ZZ Top, and Bob Seger, and suspected that he'd be a worthy participant. This track, an homage to the British Blues of days gone by, Clapton, Beck, Humble Pie, and even a little Sgt. Peppers (reprise), had been waiting a few years for just the right player to come along and Johnny proved to be the right man for the job. Not to get too tweaky here but, listen to the note at 01:15, I LOVE THAT! That's the wonderful sound of a Gibson cs356 being expertly manipulated. It is worth noting that Johnny is also an adjunct instructor at Carnegie Mellon in Pittsburgh, PA, where he splits his time between his native Brooklyn NY when not on the road with the Ghost Hounds. 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 and additional guitar. The basics were recorded at Skunkworks in Capitola CA and Johnny's tracks were recorded at Maple House Studios in Pittsburgh PA. Mellifluously mixed and mastered by the infamous F-Bomb.

733 Boylston (feat. James Montgomery)

#128 in The Need To Know Badass Blues Instrumentals Series, 733 Boylston, features the harp playing of Boston music legend, James Montgomery. In 1973 James' track Train was played every day at lunchtime on WBCN for more than a year. I remember riding my bike down Commonwealth Avenue and seeing The James Montgomery Band playing the quadrangle at James' alma mater Boston University. (I would also get to see Aerosmith and George Thorogood in that same quad) Upon graduating, James was offered a $15,000 a year job at BU but turned it down for a $250,000 contract with Capricorn Records and an opportunity to go on the road opening for the Allman Brothers Band. James had already had a taste of the road fronting the Colwell-Winfield Blues Band on a tour supporting Janis Joplin. The adventures haven't stopped since; James has played with B.B. King, Muddy Waters, Buddy Guy, John Lee Hooker, Junior Wells, James Cotton, Bonnie Raitt, Steven Tyler just to name a few. As a band leader, he's been a sort of John Mayall of the Boston Blues Scene, having had a bunch of great musicians "graduate" and go on to successful careers, including Billy Squier, Wayne Kramer (MC-5) Jim McCarty (Mitch Ryder), Jeff Golub (Rod Stewart), Nunzio Signore (Bo Diddley), Jeff Pevar (Ray Charles, CS&N), and my favorite, bassist David Hull (Buddy Miles, Aerosmith). I hope you'll enjoy this childhood fantasy of mine having James guest on this tribute to the legendary Paul's Mall/Jazz Workshop located at 733 Boylston St. Boston MA. I think it's wicked pissah!

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 and additional guitar. The basics were recorded at Skunkworks in Capitola CA. James' session was engineered by Jack Gauthier at Lake West Studios in Rhode Island. Mellifluously mixed and mastered by the infamous F-Bomb.

Valentine (feat. Robbie McIntosh)

#127 in The Need To Know Badass Blues Instrumentals Series, Valentine, features one of the best guitarists I have ever encountered, Robbie McIntosh. Robbie's resume speaks for itself...five years touring and two albums with Sir Paul McCartney, three albums with The Pretenders including Learning To Crawl (that's Robbie's soloing on Middle Of The Road!), records with Rod Stewart, Celine Dion, Joe Cocker, The Bee Gees, Mark Knopfler, Norah Jones and John Mayer and it just keeps on going. When not enjoying his life by the English seaside in semi-retirement you can still hear and see Robbie with The Robbie McIntosh Band. Robbie was so enthusiastic and generous with his gift that he actually played on two tracks...so, enjoy this one and know that there's another one coming down the road. Cheers!

The backing band on this track is Oakland Born/Nashville residing, funky AF, Derrek Phillips, (Gloria Gaynor, Robben Ford, Charlie Hunter) on drums, and myself on rhythm guitar and bass. The track was recorded at NTA, South San Francisco, The Phamily Room, Nashville TN, and Robbie's place in the UK. Mellifluously mixed and mastered by the infamous F-Bomb.

Song For Mongo (feat. Idris Ackamoor)

#126 in The Need To Know Badass Blues Instrumentals Series, Song for Mongo, features Afrofuturist & Shaman, Idris Ackamoor, on tenor saxophone. A couple of years ago I was hipped via Malcolm Catto's Instagram to a "new" artist, Idris Ackamoor & The Pyramids. I became somewhat obsessed and really dug into their catalog. Turns out they are located here in the Bay Area and have a history going back some fifty years. Being someone who is never afraid to ask, I reached out to Malcolm, who had masterfully produced their two most recent albums, and asked him for Idris' contact info. Idris generously agreed to play on this track and it is everything I had hoped for. Fast forward to the present; I've now been lucky enough to have been Idris' US co-producer (Malcolm and Quentin Scott are the UK producers) on his forthcoming masterpiece, Afro Futuristic Dreams. It's been an absolute joy and honor working with Idris and I hope more music will flow from this new friendship. If you want to know more about Idris Ackamoor & The Pyramids check out this recent New York Times article maybe while you're listening to this track. Enjoy!

The backing band on this track is Oakland Born/Nashville residing, funky AF, Derrek Phillips, (Gloria Gaynor, Robben Ford, Charlie Hunter) on drums, San Francisco's own and one of the Pyramids, Tony Price on Percussion, and myself on rhythm guitar and bass. The track was recorded at NTA, South San Francisco, and The Phamily Room, Nashville TN. Prodigiously mixed and mastered by the Grammy-winning and extremely good-humored, Matt Winegar (Primus, Fantastic Negrito).