Blues

DeVestern, Halley

11/29/2000
Dominick A. Miserandino
Besides having a brilliant blues/rock new cd she's had the opportunity to help Janis Joplin's old band out on vocals.

DM) Did you start out in music or one of the other arts?

HD) I was acting for a while, but I hated the lack of artistic control. I always enjoyed singing but got tired of musical theater ... there was a rock singer in me struggling to get out! I worked for a music publisher a couple of years ago and figured I could write songs as well -- if not better -- than some of their writers.

Mayall, John

11/29/2000
Dominick A. Miserandino

DM) John, with so many albums out, and the line-up of the Blues Breakers having changed a little bit over the years, which was your favorite period in the history of the band?

JM) Well, obviously, the one that's together now, because it's been together forever. Joe's been my drummer for 14 years, and we've been buddies for six years.

Original Brothers

11/29/2000
Dominick A. Miserandino
The Original Bros talk about their feel of the blues, the influence of the famous Saturday Night Alumni, life in Austria, their favorite Motown artists and more...

DM) What makes you the "original" as opposed to Belushi & Aykroyd?

JB) In our opinion, the success of the legendary Blues Brothers doesn't just root only on the popularity of Belushi and Aykroyd and the movie.

It's also their somehow unique interpretation of all-time favorite Blues and Soul songs (mostly) from the 60ies and 70ies that opened this music to a wide-spread audience covering almost all ages, colors, or social position.

It's questionable, if Belushi and Aykroyd ever saw it this way or realized it back in the late 70

Storyville

11/29/2000
Dominick A. Miserandino

Recently released on November Records in the debut album from Storyville, featuring vocalist, Malford Milligan.

Benoit, Tab

11/29/2000
Dominick A. Miserandino

By Dominick A. Miserandino

DM) Do you prefer playing live or recording in a studio?

TB) I prefer playing live, definitely. When you get in front of people, something else takes over. The worrying stops, because there isn't anything to worry about. You're there, it's happening. So that makes you do things you wouldn't normally do in a studio environment. In a studio, you're put under a microscope -- you can hear a pin drop.

Trout, Walter

11/29/2000
Dominick A. Miserandino
Walter Trout, of Canned Heat, BBC Guitarist, friend of Elton John and Jimmie Page. This has certainly been one of our best interviews.

DM) I want to start back with your Canned Heat experience. That was a pretty infamous group. What was some of your favorite memories from back then?

WT) Can I be honest?

DM) Of course.

WT) I don't remember much about it at all. I think I had fun, but I don't know. Some of the memories I've had would definitely not be for publication either. That's really a blur for me I have to say. I spent 20 years as a sideman.

W.C. Spencer

11/29/2000
Dominick A. Miserandino
W.C. Spencer, the one man blues band. On this last album he's recorded most of the instruments himself and it sounds great!

DM) Where did you learn to play the blues?

WS) Back in the Sixties, the only artists exposed to the efforts of American blues labels were the English. This 'distribution' problem was a conscious effort on the part of the major labels here in America not to make these recordings available to the general public in the US. Most of the blues I heard to begin with was from people like Peter Green, Eric Clapton and, most of all, Jeff Beck. Beck's album, 'Truth', was mostly blues and a terrific record.

Reverend Horton Heat

10/10/2000
Dominick A. Miserandino
No, he's not a religious spiritual leader but one of the best selling blues/rock-a-billy bands touring the country. His cds have been at the top of the college charts continually and his concerts almost always sell out.



DM) Where did you come up with the name Reverend?

RH) I lived in a warehouse when I was really poor. I was renting out my P.A. to bands, and this warehouse was like an art gallery theater kind of thing. My nickname was Horton and my last name is Heath. Anyway, this guy who owned the place had nicknames for everybody. He opened up a new bar and told me that he wanted me to play. So I showed up at the gig and I set up all of my amps, and he came up to me and said, "Hey, your stage name is going to be Reverend Horton Heat." And I went, OK, that's kinda goofy.

Guy Smiley Blues Exchange

7/1/2000
Dominick A. Miserandino
With a name inspired by the famous children's show, Sesame Street, the Guy

DM) Where did you get the idea to start The Guy Smiley Blues Exchange?

GS) I had played in bands in Virginia for years before I moved to Nashville, everything from rock to funk to country, not to mention the school band and jazz band. My father is the chairman of a music department at a university in Virginia, so I've always been in the midst of music. I started attending Belmont University in 1993 and was surrounded by great musicians on my freshman hall. I wanted to get everyone out of my dorm room and onto a stage somewhere and show all the talent that I saw and heard.

Forrest

1/17/1997
Dominick A. Miserandino
Forrest McDonald talks about his blues career, experiences and the future.

DM) Hello, Forrest. It's a pleasure to speak to you.

FM) Good to see you anyway

DM) Actually, my biggest questions were about your history. Before Forrest, you were playing with the Boston Rock Symphony and Wadsworth Mansion. How did it feel, being involved with those reputable groups at a young age?

FM) It was incredible! In fact, James Montgomery, who got a deal on Warner Brothers Records as the James Montgomery Blues Band, was in the rock symphony with me. It was cool!

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