December 2019 Magazine by SFL Music

Donna The Buffalo

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TICKETS at BrowardCenter.org • Ticketmaster | 954.462.0222 Broward Center’s AutoNation Box Office • Group Sales 954.660.6307 The Broward Center 2019-2020 season is presented by the Broward Performing Arts Foundation.

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A New Year’s Eve Psychedelic Party

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DECEMBER 31 TICKETS at ParkerPlayhouse.com • Ticketmaster | 954.462.0222 Group Sales | 954.660.6307 The Parker Playhouse 2019-2020 season is presented by the Broward Performing Arts Foundation.

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Halestorm Denny Laine | Coral TrioSky | Funky Amphitheater Biscuit Photo: Photo:Janine Jay Skolnick Mangini

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December 2019

Issue #90

4. DENNY LANE TRIO 10. MUSICIANS BAR CRAWL 12 MARTHA DAVIS & MOTELS 12. MANNHEIM STEAMROLLER

PUBLISHERS Jay Skolnick Jay@SFLMusic.com

14. DAY OF THE DEAD

Gary Skolnick Gary@SFLMusic.com

21. CANNED HEAT

Brad Stevens Brad@SFLMusic.com

23. THE BRONX

EDITOR IN CHIEF Sean McCloskey Sean@SFLMusic.com SENIOR EDITOR Todd McFliker Todd@SFLMusic.com DISTRIBUTION MANAGER Gary Skolnick Gary@SFLMusic.com OPERATIONS MAGAGER Jessica Delgadillo Jessica@SFLMusic.com

16. LIVE DATES 18. OZ NOY 22. PENNYWISE

23. STIFF LITTLE FINGERS 24. HOT TUNA 26. JOE KOPICKI 28. BLACK KEYS 30. SAMANTHA FISH 38 ALLMAN BETTS BAND 42 SFL GOES INTERNATIONAL 46. ANDERS OSBORNE 50. PINK TALKING FISH

51. JACKSON STOKES 52. DAMON FOWLER 53. JOHN PAUL WHITE 53. MATT SCHOFIELD

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54. CRITERIA REUNION 56.MIKE ZITO 58. BARK BACK

CONTRIBUTORS Ray Anton • Lori Smerilson Carson Tom Craig • Megan Garzone Aaron Gilbert Peter “Blewzzman” Lauro Alex Liscio • Janine Mangini Angel Melendez • Nathan Rose Romy Santos • David Shaw Darla Skolnick COVER PHOTO Kaelan Barowsky SFL Music Magazine is a community newspaper that is published monthly in Boca Raton, Florida. All contents are copyright 2019 by the AWG Group, LLC, and may not be reproduced without written permission of the publisher.

62. MAC MCANALLY

The Basement Presents:

The Musician’s Bar Crawl Lake Worth Saturday October 19 local music enthusiasts crawled around downtown Lake Worth, basking in brews and tunes, and supporting up-and-coming musicians. For only $20, bar crawlers received free booze and merch at five local bars and restaurants in the vibrant downtown area. Lake Worth’s local Englishman, promoter, and DJ, Marlon Foster AKA The Basement Presents, put together a feat like no other, coordinating with five different bars and bands/solo artists, to bring a large group of fans together in a night of musical revelry and swashbuckling antics. Speaking of revelry, the new bar across the street from Propaganda on J Street, Revelry, was the first stop on the “brewsical” tour. Solo performer, Andii Styron kicked off the night with a resounding and soulful acoustics show, while patrons of the crawl began to squeeze into the small but lively bar that used to be a Poutine Dog, and received their first free libation. Once, the first hour of music ended we moved on to our next location just across Lake Avenue, Rhum Shak. The young, breathtaking, and musically talented Sierra Lane, was the second performance on the crawl and she lit Rhum Shak up with her outstanding voice and vivacious band. She performed several medleys, mixing up different songs and genres together in reggae, R&B, rock, and hip-hop. All the while she sang beautifully, she also strummed guitar along with her other band members, my friend Rocky Rucker on bass, Derek Mclean on guitar, and Cory Ricardy on drums. Crawlers gathered around in front of the band and used an excellent buy-one-get-one deal on any beverage at the bar. Next up we shuffled down the street to Lilo’s Library, a small speakeasy-type bar behind Lilo’s Street Food & Bar. Elijah Gee was the solo performer, who played electronic keys and used a synthesized voice modulator to perform exceptional sounding covers and even had Styron come up and sing Bill Withers “Ain’t No Sunshine” without any previous practice. Meanwhile, local craft bartender and actor, RJ Reed, mixed and crafted a special concoction cocktail and served it like punch for the crawlers. Gee’s full band soul/hip-hop/R&B project Geenius and The Spotless Minds will be performing at Poor & Famous in downtown Delray Beach on November 15 and I definitely recommend checking out this musical “Geenius” with his four-piece band. By 10 pm we were stumbling and staggering towards Lucerne Avenue, to take free shots of Jameson with Spred The Dub behind CWS Bar + Kitchen. After cheersing and celebrating to a successful first Basement Presents bar crawl we returned to the bar to receive our final free Yuengling beer and bask in Spred’s spirited reggae rock and ska melodies. They were the perfect band to end the long night of potations, musical adventures, and meeting new friends and I am looking forward to their upcoming event, The Bark Back Benefit V, at Mathew’s Brewery in Lake Worth, Saturday November 16, to raise money for rescued animal charities in South Florida. All in all, this musician’s crawl was special compared to other ordinary or unique crawls. It celebrated and featured rising stars in the South Florida music scene, while supplying the local bars with customers who may have not chosen to have been in downtown Lake Worth that Saturday night, but because it was about supporting friends and local artists, it brought together a community of music fans in a most spectacularly enjoyable experience.- David Shaw 10 | www.SFLMusic.com

Martha Davis & The Motels | Funky Biscuit Photo: Jay Skolnick

Mannheim Steamroller | Broward Center Photo: Tom Craig

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Day of the Dead | Downtown Fort Lauderdale Photo: Tom Craig

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venu

GO SEE IT LIVE! December 1 / Sunday Incubus – Kravis Center Sunday Kinda Blues– The Brewhouse Al Shikaly Jazz Jam – Double Roads Tavern

December 9 / Monday Biscuit Jam – Kat Riggins

December 2 / Monday Biscuit Jam–Albert Castiglia

December 10 / Tuesday Brandon Santini – Funky Biscuit A.C.E. – R Evolution Jay Stollman & Friends – Double Roads

December 3 / Tuesday Rockin’ Jake Band – Funky Biscuit Jay Stollman & Friends – Double Roads

December 11 / Wednesday Pure Yanni – Old School Sq. Delray Brandon Santini – Double Roads Tavern

December 4 / Wednesday Emmet Cohen Trio – Broward Center String Assassins – Double Roads Tavern

December 12 / Thursday Honey Island Swamp Band – Funky Biscuit Aaron Lewis – Fillmore Crystal Visions – The Venu Shaw Davis – Double Roads Tavern

December 5 / Thursday Voodoo Visionary – Funky Biscuit Trisha Yearwood – Parker Playhouse FL Grand Opera: Don Giovanni – Broward Center Joel DeSilva-Nectar/Coconut Creek Hard Rock Tina Turner Tribute – The Venu December 6 / Friday Tim Reynolds TR3 – Funky Biscuit FL Grand Opera: Don Giovanni – Broward Center Jeffrey James Gang-Nectar/Coconut Creek Hard Rock Palm Beach Opera/Hansel & Gretel-Old School Sq-Delray half*alive – Culture Room Crackerman: Tribute to Stone Temple PilotsVenu Jake Walden Band & Joel DaSilva – Kelsey Theater Taylor Norris – Brewhouse Gallery Vanessa Collier /Leafy Greens – Double Roads Tavern December 7 / Saturday Vanessa Collier & Seth Walker – Funky Biscuit Bobby Blackmon – Arts Garage Amor a la Musica – AAArena Turnstiles – Abacoa Amphitheatre FL Grand Opera: Don Giovanni – Broward Center Jingle Jam – Mizner Park Palm Beach Opera/Hansel & Gretel-Old School Sq-Delray Nghtmre – R Evolution ELO Tribute – The Venu Live Music Community & Killbillies-Kelsey Theater Ben Child’s Killbillies – Brewhouse Gallery Fabulous Fleetwood – Double Roads Tavern December 8 / Sunday Kenny Neal – Funky Biscuit Tony Bennet – Seminole Hard Rock Leonid & Friends – Parker Playhouse The Hip Hop Nutcracker – Broward Center Tony Bennett – Seminole Hard Rock Sunday Jazz Brunch – Mizner Park Amp Palm Beach Opera/Hansel & Gretel-Old School Sq-Delray Chris O’Leary Band J.P.Soars Gypsy Jazz Band –Double Roads 16 | www.SFLMusic.com

December 13 / Friday Leann Rimes – Pavilion/Seminole Coconut Creek Hard Rock Albright Family Christmas– Funky Biscuit Bret Michaels – Seminole Hard Rock TSO – BB&T Madonna – The Fillmore The Disco Biscuits – R Evolution Grease Movie Sing-a-long – CoralSky Amphitheater Perpetual Groove – Culture Room Valerie Tyson Band – The Venu Chris O’Leary /Brody Buster– Double Roads Tavern December 14 / Saturday DeadPhish Orchestra – Funky Biscuit Madonna – The Fillmore The Disco Biscuits – R Evolution Christmas w/Oscar D’Leon – Broward Center In Flames – Culture Room Scott Benge / Bobby Nathan - Double Roads Tavern December 15 / Sunday All Star Blues Jam / Pancreatic Cancer – Funky Biscuit Madonna – The Fillmore The Disco Biscuits – R Evolution Magic of Opera Arias& Piano MasterpiecesAdventura Center Gay Men’s Chorus of So. FL – Hard Rock December 16 / Monday Biscuit Jam Rachelle Coba – Funky Biscuit Madonna – The Fillmore December 17 / Tuesday Trew Music School Holiday Recital - Funky Biscuit 3 Guitars Featuring JP Soars, Albert Castiglia, Frank Ward Madonna – The Fillmore Jay Stollman & Friends – Double Roads December 18 / Wednesday Bobby Nathan Band – Funky Biscuit Madonna – The Fillmore Shaw Davis – Nectar/Seminole Coconut Creek The Groove / Cancer Foundation Toy Drive – Double Roads Tavern

December 19 / Thursday The Fritz - Funky Biscuit Madonna – The Fillmore The Ten Tenors – Parker Playhouse Fabio Frizzi – Kelsey Theater Uncle Dirty – Double Roads Tavern

December 20 / Friday The Motowners – Funky Biscuit Madonna – The Fillmore Peace of Woodstock – Arts Garage Xavier Wulf– Kelsey Theater Last Flight Out – Brewhouse Gallery Leslie Rich /Shareholders – Double Roads December 21 / Saturday Turnstiles – Funky Biscuit Madonna – The Fillmore Lindsey Stirling – Au Rene Theater Jeremiah Johnson – Arts Garage Anuel AA-Emmanuel World Tour - AAArena Mark Telesca – Legends ounge / Coconut Creek Hard Rock Morbid Angel – R Evolution George Lilly / Stereotomy – Double Roads December 22 / Sunday Madonna – The Fillmore Y100’s Jingle Ball – BB&T Christmas Wonderland – Broward Center Al Shikaly Jazz Jam – Double Roads Tavern December 26 / Thursday Joey & the Paradons – The Venu J.P.Soars – Double Roads Tavern December 27 / Friday Southern Avenue – Funky Biscuit JJ Grey & Mofro – R Evolution Yngwie Malmsteen – Culture Room Styx Tribute – The Venu Eve & Paparo / The Shakers – Double Roads December 28 / Saturday 70’s New Year’s Soul Xplosion- Browrd Center Slippery When Wet- R Evolution Sour Mash / Big Vince & Phat Cats – Double Roads Tavern December 29 / Sunday Brothers & Sisters Annual Holiday Jam – Allman Bros. Funky Biscuit Gun Slingers Showcase – Double Roads December 30 / Monday Brothers & Sisters-(2) Idlewild-Funky Buscuit Sevendust – R Evolution December 31 / Tuesday Brothers & Sisters-(3) Eat a Peach-Funky Biscuit Electric Hot Tuna – Parker Playhouse Mark Telesca & Friends – Legends Lounge/ Coconut Creek Hard Rock Donna Summer Celebration- Old School Sq. Delray Knockdown – Double Roads Tavern

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Oz Noy | Funky Biscuit 18 | www.SFLMusic.com

Photo: Jay Skolnick

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Canned Heat | Funky Biscuit Photo: Jay Skolnick

Pennywise | Revolution Live Photo: Jay Skolnick

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The Bronx | Revolution Live Photo: Jay Skolnick

Stiff Little Fingers | Revolution Live Photo: Jay Skolnick

SEE THEM LIVE @ PARKER PLAYHOUSE DECEMBER 31st!

By Jesse Finkelstein

HOT TUNA

SFL Music is thrilled to have a special contribbution from Blues Radio International’s Jesse Finkelstein. Jesse had the pleasere to speak with Jorma Kaukonen about Hot Tuna’s blues connections as well as their upcoming New Year’s Eve concert at Fort Lauderdale’s Parker Playhouse.

SFL Music: New Year’s Eve is a great night for music everywhere, and this year in South Florida we get to celebrate with Hot Tuna. For those who’ve never spent a New Year’s Eve with Hot Tuna, what can people look forward to at the newly renovated Parker Playhouse? Jorma Kaukonen: Well, This is going to be an electric show, which means that it will be Jack Casady, of course, 24 | www.SFLMusic.com

myself and Justin Guip, our drummer for the last five or six years, and engineer and co-producer of the last Hot Tuna record. We’ve done so many more electric shows in recent times. And Jack and I have been reenergized by how much fun it is to stand up and play electric music. So this New Year’s Eve celebration, you’ll get to see me and Jack to do a retrospective of music from more or less the present back to Hot Tuna’s beginnings. SFL Music: Quite a journey. And it all began with you and Jack Casady playing in hotel rooms. Kaukonen: Yes, of course, that’s where Hot Tuna really began. Although if you think about Jack’s and my relationship, you know, he and I played together since we’re both

at high school in 1958. What became the first Hot Tuna record then, of course, morphed into more life for Hot Tuna. But it started out with me and Jack in the hotel rooms back then. It’s hard to imagine back when the hotel rooms didn’t have TVs and when guys in bands had to share rooms. Instead of watching stuff on TV we played music.

are playing, because sometimes we’re just having fun and we’re looking at each other. But if we stop for a moment to have this internal conversation, I guarantee that when we look at each other and the sly smiles come across our faces, the reason is that we’re thinking, “We’re two lucky dogs.”

SFL Music: When you started out, you introduced a whole new generation the works of people like Julius Daniels, Blind Boy fuller, Robert Johnson and Reverend Gary Davis. Blues obviously plays a big role in the Hot Tuna catalogue.

SFL Music: For anyone wanting the complete Hot Tuna story, I would highly recommend your book, “Been So Long”. It’s not only got a lot of entertaining musical history but also some pretty deep insightful observations on the business of life. What was the writing process like?

Kaukonen: When I get asked the question, “What are you the most proud of in your career? In your life?” My answer usually is, after my kids and my family, it’s turning people on to artists such as those you’ve mentioned. So we’ve been part of the conduit for making that happen and it’s been an honor. SFL Music: Hot Tuna grew in many directions from its earliest days. Looking back now with a perspective of half a century, how would you describe that evolution? Kaukonen: Well, I think that we’ve especially stayed true to our roots. I’m not fanning myself: the fact is that is just who we are. What I consider to be the journey of intent in music has not changed at all but along the way, Jack and I have managed to learn a lot more about music in general and so, on some levels, we’ve become a little more sophisticated in our approach. I hope that along the way that we haven’t lost touch with what keeps that music great. SFL Music: Whenever I watch you and Jack on stage— most recently last month in Pennsylvania, I always see that at some point you turn to each other and a smile begins to slowly appear on your face. When you’re playing with Jack, carrying so much incredible musical history between the two of you, what goes through your mind? Kaukonen: I think one of the things that goes through our minds is we are so blessed and so lucky to have the opportunity to play this music for other people. And we have opportunity to be still be healthy enough to be able to play at the level that is important to us. I’m not saying we think about that all the time while we we

Kaukonen: Well, you know, I’ve been blogging off and on for years, but blogging is not the same thing as writing a book. I’ve never written a book before and to be able just to maintain focus and purpose for a couple of hundred pages was a whole new exercise for me. But I found myself, interestingly enough, able to be—I believe pretty brutally honest. I’m self-conscious in the process and I think that kind of awareness was really liberating for me. It took a little bit of getting into to get there. But once I was there I really totally felt comfortable telling the story. SFL Music: Do you have any parting thoughts for all the Hot Tuna fans in South Florida who are eagerly looking forward to New Year’s Eve? Kaukonen: Keep smiling, keep listening to that music and we sure hope to see you down there for our New Year’s Eve electric show. SFL Music: Thanks, Jorma. Kaukonen: Well, Jesse, you know where to find me and you’re always a fun guy to talk to.

The birds are chirping, now I’m chirping too. I’m gonna tickle them feet and put a smile on your face, time to wake up and play.” Yes, there is a lot more, but it’ll be so much nicer when you hear the rest of the beautiful lyrics from Joe’s beautiful and sincere presentation of them. BTW, along with those lyrics, the pickin’ and strummin’ Joe does on two different acoustic guitar tracks is just as beautiful. Great first impression on a great opening track. Joe, along with just about everyone who has ever been accused of doing something wrong, will all have the same thing to say - “I’m Innocent”. The only difference here is that Joe’s raising suspicion because he’s claiming his innocence before even being accused. Yep, that’s a red flag indeed! This track features a smooth electric rhythm guitar, precision pickin’ on an acoustic guitar, crisp finger snappin’ and what is obviously his signature singing style - beautifully soft melodic vocals.

Joe “Innocent Joe” Kopicki Just Me And My Innocent Self Self Released Joe Kopicki, a. k. a. “Innocent Joe”, is a well rounded and versatile musician who performs as a solo act, a duo act or with his full band - Innocent Joe And the Hostile Witnesses. He also plays enough instruments that he can virtually perform as a one man band, which is exactly what he does on this appropriately titled release - “Just Me And My Innocent Self”. The disc contains seven all original songs on which Innocent Joe plays; several different acoustic and electric guitars; a guiro; a Djembe; he sings all lead and harmony vocals; and heputs his fingers, hands and feet to good use creating various percussive sounds.

Oddly enough, a song about bad “JuJu” being all around is perhaps one of the disc’s best tracks. Using a tremolo guitar and an echoing effect on the harmony vocals, Joe masterfully creates the eerie mood the track calls for. Inasmuch as I’m loving everything I’m hearing, the short stinging electric guitar lead midway through the track has me wondering just how good Innocent Joe can be when he actually cuts it loose. I can’t recall that I’ve ever seen a solo act fill a dance floor with swing dancers but Innocent Joe could be an exception to that, and “Let’s Boogie” could be the song to make it happen. This is one heck of an uptempo, rhythm driven track. Had he been around back then, I’m thinking Innocent Joe may have just been able to sell this song to the producers of some of those classic chain gang movies. With it’s call and response vibe and it’s timely hand claps and foot stomps, “Keep Moving” sounds like something all those other innocent convicts might sing along to while laying some railroad track. It’s not uncommon that I never get to see many of the musicians I write about perform live. However, with Joe Kopicki representing the Phoenix Blues Society at the 2020 International Blues Challenge in Memphis in January, that will not be the case here. C-YA in January, Joe.

The disc opens with the most wonderful “Wake Up” call one could ever imagine receiving. In actuality, it’s a wonderful love song as well. Ya see, because Joe is looking so forward to spending the day with his lady, he just can’t wait for her to wake. That said, here’s how he helps that along......

The other tracks on “Just Me And My Innocent Self” are “The Light” and “Tight Is Right”.

“Wake up sweet thing, it’s time to play. It’s Saturday morning, ain’t no work today. The bacon’s been fried and the coffee is brewed, now all I need is you.

For more information on Joe Kopicki you can just go to his website at www.joekopicki.com and can find him on Facebook at www.facebook.com/kopicki. - Peter “Blewzzman” Lauro - www.Mary4Music.com

The window’s open, the breeze is cool. 26 | www.SFLMusic.com

The Black Keys BB&T Center

On November 5th, the world-renowned Black Keys and their stripped-down blues rock blew away South Florida music fans at the BB&T Center. Playing to ecstatic concertgoers in Sunrise on the 31-date “Let’s Rock” world tour, the two artists from Akron, Ohio were spectacular. The duo is known for altering their nine albums’ worth of set-lists, performing more than 90 minutes of twenty-plus songs a night. Blending old and new numbers, powerful guitarist and vocalist Dan Auerbach and drummer Patrick Carney delivered Dead-like jams. The overall vibe was topped off in a psychedelic ambiance right out of a Seventies disco. The Black Keys’ chemistry onstage made for a remarkable evening of live music in South Florida. Following an extremely loud and impressive set by Modest Mouse, including the distortion-heavy “Tiny Cities Made of Ashes,” the Black Keys jumped right into business with an old school highlight, 2004’s “I Got Mine,” followed by the recent single “Eagle Birds.” 28 | www.SFLMusic.com

In the center of the stage, Auerbach rarely stood still, hopping up and down, and tilting his head behind the mic. The man wore black jeans, a burgundy buttondown with retro stripes and a few-day-old scruff on his face. The percussionist was in a black button-down that sported palm trees and black-framed glasses. Vintage lights of various colors, such as purple, pink and yellow, danced throughout the arena. Surrounding a giant monitor, a rainbow of spotlights twirled from the back of the stage. Thousands bopped up and down to the music, while countless spectators held up their smart phones to record the festivities. Sunrise got to experience enormous grunge-rock hits “Howlin’ for You,” and “Lonely Boy.” The house lights were frequently lit up for the crowd to sing familiar lyrics. The rapid strumming on Auerbach’s acoustic during “Little Black Submarines” was moving. A short encore was followed with the new releases “Lo/Hi” and “Go” before the evening climax, 2010’s “She’s Long Gone.” Doing nothing but jamming out to the blues, the Black Keys were fabulous. “Just like the last time they were in South Florida, Black Keys were awesome,” said Christy Stina of Delray Beach. “The energy was high and the sound was unique. The Black Keys never put on a performance that is anything less than sensational.” -Tom Craig

SAMANTHA FISH By Lori Smerilson Carson Photos: Sean McCloskey & Courtesy Photos 30 | www.SFLMusic.com

Filled with energy and enthusiasm, Samantha Fish is whole heartedly taking her latest studio album Kill or Be Kind on tour throughout the US until the end of December. Catching up with her in the midst of her busy schedule, she revealed some details about this show as well as some background information regarding her fifth studio record. SFL Music: Tell me about this tour. What can fans look forward to? Samantha Fish: Well, we’ve been playing the new album pretty much in its entirety for the new show. I think its what people have come to expect. A lot of guitar. A lot of rock ‘n’ roll. It’s really fun and high energy, but I feel like the songs are just more hook oriented. I feel like there’s more, I don’t know. I feel like it’s a more mature development in the show. So, we take them up and down through the catalogue. I’ve been kind of mixing it with some of the older things as well as the new stuff. You know, just trying to give people a good of time as possible. SFL Music: Anything in particular new or different besides the album? Fish: Yeah, the show itself, it’s like a completely different show then this time last year. I’m constantly trying to change up things here and there, you know, instrumentation, set list, song list. I mean it’s pretty much a new show from top to bottom. SFL Music: That’s awesome! Who would you say are your influences? There’s that bluesy sound, but for instance “Belle of the West” sounds like there may be a little bit of a country influence and your new single “Bulletproof” has more of a rock sound? Fish: You know, I think my first influence had to be just whatever was playing on the radio. It’s kind of like I just grew up in that time period and that’s what was available for guitar players. Like I would definitely gravitate towards classic rock at the time. So, there’s old school cool stuff like The (Rolling) Stones, Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers, Led Zeppelin. Stuff like that, and I kind of found my way to blues through that because all of those guys were really heavily influenced by the Delta. You know, the style that was coming. That was born in America here. So, I got into blues pretty heavy. I really connected with like the Fat Possum (records) roster, especially North Mississippi style, but I also as far as a songwriter goes, I love songwriting, storytelling, country music and Americana. And for singers, I just was hooked on R&B and soul. So, it’s a little bit across the map, but I feel it all sort of mixes in pretty well. SFL Music: Definitely, and I love how you implemented the voice box in “Bulletproof.” How did it come about that you decided to do that as it is so unique? Fish: Scott Billington (Grammy Award recipient for Best Contemporary Blues Album) produced the record, so we had a pretty clear conversation about

that song in particular. I wanted it to be like north Mississippi, EDM disco, a dance track. I’ve been playing around with vocal distortion for years, whether it’s like a megaphone through like a regular microphone, or just full on distorted micro effects in a studio. I’m constantly trying to push and get different textures and tones not just on vocals, but guitars too. if I could make a guitar not sound like a guitar, that’s kind of cool. (She laughed). Come up with new sounds and styles that way. SFL Music: In the “Bulletproof” video you play the box guitar. What or who influenced you to play guitar? To choose that instrument? Fish: I just always thought it was cool you know. What’s cooler than listening to a really cool guitar solo? I think I was always attracted to it. It just seemed so sexy and ballsy and in charge and kind of the opposite of who I think I was growing up. I was like a really shy kid, so I think, you know, you’re kind of attracted to. Like the moth to a flame kind of thing. I don’t know, just rock ‘n’ roll to its core. I’m attracted to it. SFL Music: What was it like to be on the cover of Guitar World Magazine? Fish: Well at first, I thought it was a joke. I’ve had some fans make some lovely photoshop copies of like Rolling Stone and stuff. I just thought it was another, like fan made. I was like, oh that’s sweet. (she laughed). Like a day later my publicist was like ‘congrats’ and I was like What? Are you messing with me? It kind of blew me away. I felt very honored. Prestigious spot to be in. SFL Music: What would you say your mark on the music industry as far as guitar playing would be as you play with a variety of guitars. Fenders, Gibsons, and Delaney? Fish: I think as a guitar player, we all have our own unique way of expressing something. So, to me it’s just my own unique way of expressing my feelings on the guitar and I play with a lot passion. I think that’s what people get out of my performance and stuff. I

mean, I really just, I put my all into it. So, I think it’s empowering for women to see other women play guitars. I hope to be kind of a role model. There were role models for me. I hope to continue on that tradition of female models for other young players and you know, just be the best that I can be. I think I’m still working on trying to get my voice in it. I think you’re always looking for your voice in it. I kind of want to push the boundaries with it too. I like tip toeing onto the experimental side of tones and textures and effects, but I haven’t really thought about that, like what I want to be known for as a guitar player. I mean, it’s a hard thing to sum up I suppose. SFL Music: You come from a family of musicians? Your dad (Bill Fish), your sister (Amanda Fish). Fish: They all kind of dabble in it. My dad played guitar. He still does. It’s a hobby with his friends. My mom sang when she was in church. When she was a kid, and she went to college for it too. My sister plays guitar. She sings. She does a lot. All my aunts are musical and my uncles are musical. I think I just come from a really musical family. SFL Music: Do you think that contributes to who you are as a musician or do you think other influences more so contribute, or do you think it’s a combination? Fish: I think it’s a combination. I think we get to where we are in life, it’s a combination of who you’re born as and what you surround yourself with. It’s a nature and nurture thing. I definitely think that I probably come by it honestly with them, but it’s been a lot of hard work. Never came easy. So, I kind of went after it and just surrounded myself with everything music. People, you know, records. Different instruments. I kind of just dove in and that was my life from 17 years old on. Just the music. SFL Music: What influences you when you write your music? Anything in particular? Fish: It’s all over the map you know. It’s usually anything that sparks any kind of a strong emotion. Anything from like broken hearts, to politics, to people being mistreated in the world. It kind of starts there. I mean, its anything that sort of starts with a strong emotion. So, you write about it and then it develops. You write about good stuff too. It’s not all angsty. I think it probably starts from just a strong emotion. Whether that’s good or bad. Strong emotions always inspire right? SFL Music: Yes. Absolutely. What would you 32 | www.SFLMusic.com

recommend to new, up and coming artists? Fish: I just would, I guess tell them to do as much research, you know, learn about the history of what you’re doing. Be educated in it. I think it’s really important. Especially in blues. We really focus on the history of the genre. Where it came from, and it’s really important. It’s part of like the right of passage to know and to do your homework on it. I’m always a fan of education. Just knowing that you’re going to have to work hard for it if you want to make a dent. Nothing comes easy. So, that’s usually what I tell anybody who’s interested in doing this, and find your own voice. Don’t try to be a clone of somebody else. You’re never gonna do somebody better than they can do themselves. So, find your voice. Find what makes you unique, makes you different. Then chase it. Don’t let anybody tell you it’s not good enough, Just, keep going for it if you believe in it. You know, that’s what you got. SFL Music: Well, you’re a very positive influence. What do you want to convey with your videos? Is there a goal? They seem to show the fun you and your band are having. Sort of a slice of your performances like with the “Bulletproof” Video? Fish: Yeah. Well there’s something about videos and I love doing music videos. I’ve actually got to do three for my new label per album which usually I only get to do one. So, it’s just another form of art, artistic expression, and this way you can tell even more of the story then what the song might have laid out before. You can even go further into it to actually, this is more of a story of its own, dictate the art, the images of that song. It’s kind of just another way to, I guess, continue to express yourself. SFL Music: Was there a theme behind the new album Kill or Be Kind? Fish: I think overall, and I’ve kind of given this a lot of thought because there’s a few different themes in it I’ve come back to. Like there’s a lot of love songs on the album. There’s a lot of growing things I think on the album, but I remember when I was writing it, maybe not every song I was writing, I was in the best place or frame of mind, but kind of holding onto a shred of hope and empowerment and optimism throughout because even though there are a lot of sad songs on the album, there’s still kind of this thread that’s like, even if you’re leaving and moving on, you’re gonna do better. So, there’s some empowerment to that. In hindsight looking back at it, it’s like ok, I think this album actually has some optimism to it. It’s actually kind of an

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optimistic record. Like you get up, dust yourself off and move on, you know. It’s kind of empowering. SFL Music: Are there more singles coming out soon for fans to look forward to? Fish: Yeah. I just don’t know when they’re going to come out. We

song when I wrote it and I thought the production was really cool. We did some really modern things to the back of that song that we think kind of separate it. Yeah, I’m excited for the video to come out. Tell a little bit more of the story. SFL Music: You made the Girls With Guitars album (with Cassie Taylor and Dani Wilde). Is there possibly a future duo with your sister Amanda? Fish: You know, as far as me and Amanda ever doing anything together, right now nothings on the table, but for now she’s all in on her stuff and I’m all in on mine and we’re supportive of each other, but it’s been a separate track so far. I think that’s just kind of where we’re going right now. I definitely support her and I know she supports me too. SFL Music: Does it help having family in the industry? Fish: You know it’s an interesting dynamic because It gives us all this common thread to talk about for sure. I think it’s nice to have people around you who understand what you’re doing. SFL Music: Do you ever think of designing your own guitar? You have such a wide span of guitars that you play.

just finished a video two days ago. I think that one’s probably going to drop in December. SFL Music: Perfect. This article is out in December. Fish: Awesome. Oh, that’s perfect, So, the song is called ”Dream Girl.” It’s the ballad on the album and I was really proud of that

Fish: Well I’m trying to sweet talk some people at a bigger company to see if we can make that a thing, but we’ll see how far that sweet talk gets us (she chuckled). Guitar World just came out with a thing, and it was like companies that are going to make signature models and they were, I think they were hoping that Fender would make a signature model for me, but I don’t know if this is a thing. I’ve actually had a signature model for years, the Delaney guitars, and they’ve been great to me over the years. I play Gibsons. I play Fenders. I play cigar boxes. All kinds of stuff. SFL Music: What is your favorite or do you have a favorite? Fish: Right now, my favorite’s been my Gibson SG. It’s kind of my go to. It’s completely awesome. It works in a lot of scenarios. Its loud, got a pretty rock ‘n’ roll output. It plays great and it just applies to a lot of my songs. SFL Music: Is there anything else you want fans to know. Fish: We’ve been really busy. It’s been a great year. I’ve been really fortunate to get to produce albums and stuff. You know, I don’t really take time off. I’ve got a little time off right now. I don’t think you can hear my voice. I’ve got laryngitis like crazy. My body knows when to shut down, which is a good thing. I’ve got time off, so I’ve got good timing at least, but yeah, we’ve got a lot of things in the works.

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SFL readers keep an open eye for her upcoming concerts and be prepared for the show with checking her LP Kill or Be Kind.

The Samantha Fish Cigar Box Guitar Festival New Orleans 2020 The Samantha Fish Cigar Box Guitar Festival -New Orleans 2020 will take place over four days (Wednesday, January 15 through Saturday, January 18) in two of the city’s best live music venues: New Orleans’ top Americana club, Chickie Wah Wah (2828 Canal St. 504-304-4714), which will host the Festival on Wednesday, January 15 and Thursday, January 16 (7:00pm10:30pm each night); and The Howlin’ Wolf (907 S Peters St. 504-529-5844), which will host afternoon and evening shows on Friday, January 17 and Saturday, January 18 (2:00 pm-11:00 pm each evening). Ticket Sales Link: https://www.eventbrite.com/d/ united-states--louisiana/samantha-fish-cigar-box-guitar-festival. The New Orleans Cigar Box Guitar Festival, founded in 2016, has gained a reputation for outstanding entertainment during its first four years in existence. For 2020, Samantha Fish and the NOCBGF have partnered to expand the growth and outreach of the festival and the Cigar Box guitar. “I have included the Cigar Box guitar on a song or two on most of my albums (including my last single ‹Bullet Proof,› says Samantha Fish. «The instrument may look limited but there are so many sounds and styles that we haven’t discovered yet. I am looking forward to making this one of the biggest events honoring the instrument as well as other acoustic instruments that can Rock.” “The partnership of Samantha Fish and the New Orleans Cigar Box Guitar Festival is a marriage made in roots music heaven,” says Festival Producer, Collins Kirby. “She’s a contemporary artist who’s fully in touch with the traditions that inform today’s music. We’re delighted to work with her spreading the word about the art and music of handmade instruments.” The focus of the event is to celebrate the great music and rich cultural history of the Cigar Box guitar and similar homemade instruments. Historically, Western pioneers, Civil War soldiers, 36 | www.SFLMusic.com

rural farmhands, street singers and other resourceful musicians found ways to build these expressive devices from household items and random hardware. Many musicians throughout the world are currently using them to record and perform live, making the unique instruments and their sound a staple of today’s Americana music scene. The festival is excited to present top homemade instrument performers April Mae & the June Bugs, Sugarcane Jane, John Nickel, Cigar Box Serenaders, Steve Arvey, Cash O’Riley, and others. Workshops, demonstrations and interviews will comprise the educational component of the event. In addition, the Festival will host special sets which will include the legendary John Mooney, New Orleans icon Big Chief Monk Boudreaux and the Golden Eagles, Jonathon Long, Waylon Thibodeaux, Johnny Sansone, Damon Fowler, Jimbo Mathus (Squirrel Nut Zippers), and more. On Friday and Saturday, Samantha Fish and guests will be performing, closing both nights at The Howlin’ Wolf with a special concert. A portion of the proceeds will benefit the New Orleans Blues Society. Details and ticket opportunities are available at www. SamanthaFishCigarBoxGuitarFestival.com.

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Allman Betts Band | Dodge Center By Todd McFliker â&#x20AC;¢ Photos: Jay Skolnick

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The Allman Betts Band was nothing short of spectacular at Charles F. Dodge City Center in Pembroke Pines on Sunday October 27. Devon Allman is the son of the late great Gregg, and Duane Betts’ father is Dickey, two founding members of the Allman Brothers Band. The sons of giants have known each other for decades, but this is the first joint project. Duane and Devon released their first album Down to the River in June and they’ve already built a wonderful fan base been on the road. Mixing up their long set with new music, picks from their solo work and classic Allman Brothers tunes, the Allman Betts Band was remarkable. Following the impressive opening acts, JD Simo doing a Fab cover of Joe Cocker’s “With a Little Help from My Friends” and Joanne Shaw Taylor’s extraordinary guitar, the older and quieter crowd was psyched for the Allman Betts Band. Dodge City Center is a large and comfortable venue. It felt more like a high school gym than an intimate setting, such as Devon performing on the furniture at The Funky Biscuit in Boca Raton. The Allman Betts Band symbol on the enormous screen behind the talent was replaced by tie-dyed imagery and a slightly trippy light show of pulsating red, orange, purple, and yellow. “1984,” the instrumental introduction on the familiar Van Halen record, played over the speakers before the Allman Betts Band jumped onto the stage with one of their new songs, “All Night.” The seven musicians were made up of four guitar-

ists, two drummers and a keyboard player. Devon wore a black button-down that was halfway open and white jeans. He sported dirty blonde hair that fell just past his shoulders, along with a little mustache. Duane looked like a modern cowboy in a white cowboy hat and button-down with animated horses. Also sporting long hair and a mustache, the brunette led the crew through “Shinin.’” Spectators were immediately reminded of the swirling guitar riffs of “Whipping Post.” Devon expressed appreciation and delivered an impressive cover of Royal Southern Brotherhood’s soulful “Left My Heart in Memphis.” Audience members cheered as the guitarists took turns with mighty solos. The first highlight of the evening was when Duane stepped up to sing the Allman Brothers Band’s gorgeous “Blue Sky,” the timeless track inspired by Dickey Betts’ lover Sandy Bluesky. Playing a beautiful white acoustic, Devon smiled as he joined Duane on chorus. By the end of the song, all four guitarists stood next to each other to jam in unison. Pembroke Pines heard a few more Allman Betts numbers, like when bass player Berry Oakley, Jr., the son of original Allman bassist Berry Oakley, delivered the psychedelic jam, “Autumn Breeze.” Concertgoers saw historical images, including the Beatles, JFK, Live Aid, and MTV onscreen during the band’s “Good Ol’ Days.” Thousands were on their feet for another high point of the evening,

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the Allman Brothers’ “Ain’t Wastin’ Time.” Besides their predecessors’ familiar tunes, the boys delivered other enduring covers, including John Lee Hooker’s “Dimples,” as well as Prince’s “Purple Rain” with a Southern gospel feel. Just like the son of a king, Devon delivered astonishing fingerwork. “For you South Florida,” he expressed to a standing ovation. He then introduced the full band. “Playing that beautiful slide guitar for you tonight, from Los Angeles, California, Mr. Johnny Stachela. You might remember this cat from the Sheryl Crow band, (percussionist) Mr. R. Scott Bryan. Back here keeping time for you from St. Louis, Missouri, my good friend and yours, Mr. John Lum on the drums. On the keyboards, you’ve seen him with Robert Randolph, Dixie Chicks, Wu-Tang Clan, and about a thousand others, from New Jersey, the ninja assassin, killing it for you on the keyboards, Mr. John Ginty. Over here on the bass guitar, my good friend for 30 years now, Mr. Berry Oakley Jr. On lead guitar and lead vocals tonight, my good friend and yours, Mr. Duane Betts is in the house in South Florida.” Mr. Allman then instructed the room not to be shy and sing along to the swampy, mellow grooves of “Down to the River.” He pointed to the concertgoers that got out of their seats to sing and dance in front of the stage. “I think ya’ll have the right idea right here. So why don’t we move the entire party all the way up as far as we can get? Let’s get the whole band up and we’ll play you one more?” The

room erupted in cheers as folks packed the floor in front of the stage. “Or two more,” he asked. “Let’s start with one and see how it goes.” With his hair pulled up into a ponytail, Devon grabbed a gorgeous black instrument. “This is my dad’s acoustic guitar right here,” he said. “I thought it would mean so much more to bring it out and play it for everybody than for it to be behind glass in some museum. Screw that. It took me a while to open this thing, man. It took me a few months. I just looked at it. I finally flipped it open and it smelled like an AC/DC concert. It smelled so much like marijuana that I named it Cheech. So Cheech is going to play for you a little bit tonight.” Devon and Cheech led the room through the Allman Betts Band’s “Southern Accents.” “We try to balance a little bit of where we come from,” Devon told the audience. “If we came out and did no Allman Brothers, it would be kind of an asshole move. If we came out and did all Allman brothers it would be kind of an asshole move. So we’re trying to do a little bit of both for you tonight.” South Florida then experienced the Allman Betts Band’s take on 1971’s B-side to “Whipping Post,” “Midnight Rider.” Concluding the sensational set, Devon introduced the first song he ever wrote with Duane Betts, “Long Gone.” The Allman Betts Band certainly earns respect for themselves as talented musicians and performers, while doing their legendary names proud.

SFL MusicÂ Goes International

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Last Week, SFL Music was invited to cover the Lucerne Blues Festival in Lucerne, Switzerland. We covered the event alongside Blues Radio International and a host of European media outlets that welcomed us with open arms. Hailed as the best Blues Festival in Europe, it is known for the way it treats the musicians and its patrons. Artists get world class accommodations, appreciative fans, and top-shelf food and beverages in the large cafeteria backstage. The festival celebrates the musicians. World-class blues stars can be heard in the Grand Casino Lucerne, Casineum, as well as in the Hotel Schweizerhof and Hotel Seeburg. Over several days, the musicians played multiple shows and got to participate in “blues in the schools” events and workshops. There was plenty of time to meet the blues fans and experience their colleagues’ gigs. There was even time to get some sightseeing in as they were never rushing in and out to get to another gig. Every act thanked the festival organizers for how wonderful they were treated and vowed to return. The organizers of the annual Lucerne Blues Festival always manage to cover a range of blues styles in the lineup. Headlining act, The Fabulous Thunderbirds were joined by Shemeikia Copeland, Billy Price, Benny Turner with Billy Branch, Altered 5 Band, Robert Lee Coleman, The Rev John Wilkins, Lilly Martin Band, Lindsey Beaver , The Chicago Blues Reunion featuring Barry Goldberg and Nick Gravanites, Gumbo Grits and Gravy featuring Anne Harris, Marcela Simien and Guy Davis. A highlight was the European Blues Summit featuring many famous players from Europe onstage at the same time. The memorable set was highly anticipated and appreciated by everyone in attendance. This premier event has undoubtedly established itself as one of Europe’s top blues galas. -Jay Skolnick

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DECEMBER 28 I

Au-Rene Theater

BrowardCenter

Anders Osborne 46 | www.SFLMusic.com

Anders Osborne and Albert Castiglia have a few things in common. They are both singer-songwriters with ever growing fans. The two are also highly regarded guitar slingers that can shred with the best of them. And they’re always ready for a jam. Highlights of their shows in any given city include surprise guests joining the men onstage, giving the loyal fans a night to remember for years to come. Back in the Eighties and Nineties, MTV pioneered Unplugged to give fans a different look at their favorite artists. Of course the instruments were still amplified, but they were mostly acoustic guitars with stripped down arrangements that brought renewed attention to famous songs. Most notably, Eric Clapton’s revamped “Layla” and Nirvana were brought to our living rooms for intimate experiences. With this in mind, Albert Poliak’s The Funky Biscuit occasionally asks artists to come in and do an acoustic or “unplugged” show to give fans a different look at highly regarded guitar slingers. On this night, Anders Osborne got the opportunity, and Albert Castiglia got the call to open the show. Castiglia is one of South Florida’s most well-known blues rockers usually has his amplifier set to 10 and his guitar on fire as the band cranks. Stripped down to just the man and an acoustic guitar made for an intimate experience. Always the jokester bantering with the audience, Albert took the opportunity to discuss the family at the center of his latest CD release, Masterpiece, on Gulf Coast records. Introducing the title song, Casti-

glia opened up about his daughter who recently reentered his life after many years of not knowing about her. The story had the audience melting as he sang the chorus, “She’s My Masterpiece.” Osborne, a Swedish transplant who’s been calling New Orleans home since 1985, has become an ambassador for the city and the music it is known for. At the top of his game, Osborne is a prolific songwriter, penning deep and soulful stories that showcase his impressive guitar work. He has also appeared on albums by Tab Benoit, Galactic, Mike Zito, Johnny Sansone, and Billy Iuso, adding a bit of guitar sizzle as well as his pen. Also stripping it down to just a man and an acoustic, Osborne was in his element. You could see he’s done this a time or two. The man addressed the audience with a warm smile and an acquired New Orleans accent, as fans hung on his every word. His set included introductory stories for each song, including “Away Way Too Long,” “47,” “Wind,” “Fields of Honey,” “Windows,” “Born To Die Together,” “I Know Where I’m Going,” “Standing with Angels,” “Back On Dumaine,” “Nothing Changes,” “Through & Through,” “Send Me A Friend,” “Kings And Peasants,” “I’ve Got a Woman,” “Jealous Love,” “Flat Earth Song,” and “Summertime in New Orleans.” The audience heard songs about love, social injustice, loss, and of course, the Big Easy. A warm and engaging man, Anders charmed the audience with his easygoing manner, while showcasing the magic of his song-

writing in this intimate setting. The unselfish artist asked Albert to accompany him early in his set. Not only was Castiglia surprised and appreciative, the two men connected onstage as if they have been doing so for years. The joy was infectious, and it swept through the audience. As the artists bantered with one another, as well as with the audience, it seemed as if we were in their living room at a family gathering. Constantly moving his capo, Albert watched intently to get the key of the song to join in and provide his take. Castiglia claimed he didn’t get along with capos, and Anders replied, “He doesn’t need no stinkin’ capo. I think he’s doing just fine. Some people ask me why you cheating like that? I say because I’m not that good. Only people who are not quite that good cheat. That’s why I use the capo. I’m strong enough to say self-deprecating things.” The boys then launched into “Nothing Changes,” a new song that showcased Osborne’s extraordinary mastery of his acoustic instrument, a highlight of the evening. Closing out with the crowd favorite “Summertime in New Orleans,” both men smiled, as cheers erupted from the room full of spectators on their feet. It was a truly memorable evening for all. Kudos to The Funky Biscuit for putting these two artists together, displaying their sensitive sides to South Florida concertgoers. -Jay Skolnick

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Includes: Todd Rundgren, Jason Scheff (Chicago), Micky Dolenz (Monkees), Joey Mollard (Badfinger) & Christopher Cross

chedelia and the frenetic crazy Phish stuff. Zach: Eric Gould (Bass) who started the band had those three bands in mind. We were just happy to join in and be a part of it all. SFL Music: What makes the show special for both you and your audience? Richard: I think it’s a combination of everything that’s going on, from the lighting to everybody having a good grasp on their parts and what we’re playing. The fact that when we’re all together and when we all know what we are doing, and everything is working, it is special. It sounds good. It looks good. It’s fun. SFL Music: I know you guys have plenty of guest artists join you onstage. Who has been your favorite? Richard: In September, George Porter Jr. played with us at The Funky Biscuit in Boca Raton. Zach: Yeah, that was awesome. SFL Music: What stands out to you in South Florida? Cal: Umm, palm trees. (Laughs). Zach: I was going to say the exact same thing. Anytime we can play around palm trees, we love it.

PINK TALKING FISH By Todd McFliker

SFL Music was able to corner Pink Talking Fish for a couple minues before their recent concert at Revolution. SFL Music: Pink Floyd, Talking Heads and Phish. Why these three bands, and not the Beatles or Led Zeppelin?

Cal: I joined the band in March, so this is my first time in Florida with these guys, so I am psyched. Especially to be in Fort Lauderdale. Zach: And we have a day off tomorrow. SFL Music: What next? Cal: We are prepping for a Phish after show at the Gramercy Theatre in New York for New Years. Richard: And in Denver with DJ Logic.

Richard James (Keys): Oh man, that’s a good question. We don’t think about the “why nots” so much.

SFL Music: What else is in the future for Pink Taking Fish?

Zack Burwick (Drums): We really screwed up, didn’t we? (Everyone laughs).

Richard: We all love the music and we appreciate being around one another, so I think we’d all like to do this for as long as we can. But I only look at things short-term. I don’t even know what we’ll be doing in 2 weeks. (Laughs).

Cal Kehoe (Guitar): Half the fun of this band is that we can sneak in another band every once in a while. We’ve done that with David Bowie, Grateful Dead, and The Allman Brothers. Zach: We’re about to do Beastie Boys. SFL Music: Nice. Zach: We have thought about doing Zeppelin. We just have to find the right person to own the vocals. You know, someone who can actually sing like Robert Plant. Richard: And you’d have to get a drummer that knows how to play the drums. (Laughs). Seriously, I guess we use those three bands because they all have high energy, dance funk. Talking Heads gets the people going. Then you have the Pink Floyd psy50 | www.SFLMusic.com

SFL Music: Are we ever going to hear you guys play the Beatles? Zach: Cal and I have been making a strong push for Abbey Road lately. Cal: We’ll try to play Abbey Road in its entirety tonight. Richard: With some Zeppelin mixed in. Zach: And a couple tracks off Check Your Head. Discover more at www.pinktalkingfish.com.

focused set of rock-and-soul, including an ambitious Talking Heads cover, and a depth of original material ranging in style and subjects. From the Memphis stroll of the opening “Can’t Getcha Out’ through the reflective acoustic closer, “Take Me Home” the debut encompasses Stokes’wide swath of influences and tastes. There’s the’60s R&B update that morphs into modern rock on “Slave” the staggering punches of overdriven guitar on “Time is Now” and the midnight seduction of “Contents Under Pressure” A flourish of pleading guitars finishes the slowly climbing blues-rock center piece, “You and Your Partner” while David Byrne meets Southern funky on “Life in Wartime” As well, Stokes welcomes the sunny-days slide guitar of The Allman Betts Band’s Johnny Stachela to brighten the Southern sway of “Sins Are Forgiven” complementing that with the chunky Saturday night blues of “Whiskey”

For guitarist and singer-songwriter Jackson Stokes, great musicians make great neighbors. Even as a youth weaned on classic rock- his first concert was Lynyrd Skynyrd- Stokes was unaware that living across the street from his St. Louis home was guitarist and singer-songwriter Devon Allman. Allman’s family tree is impressive as the son of Gregg Allman and nephew of Duane Allman of Allman Brothers Band fame. Yet, Stokes knew little of the legendary group. Encouraged by his father, and holding his guitar, the 11-year-old Stokes knocked on Allman’s door. Allman, two decades his elder, heard something special in the young Stokes and encouraged him to continue learning and growing as a musician. Stokes dutifully attended Allman’s Honeytribe rehearsals, sitting quietly in the corner while the group worked up its repert oire. At 14, Stokes had developed into a prodigious firebrand with a passion for the blues, teaming with another area wunderkind, Marquise Knox, and performing his first professional gigs. By 18, his experience playing in high school garage bands, and with an All-State school jazz band, expanded his rockand-roll palette. He attended Drury University in Springfield, earning a degree in music therapy, while maintaining a friendship with Allman, who encouraged Stokes to further sharpen his songwriting skill. In Memphis in 2012, Allman produced a five-song EP, Witness, from the Stokes-led band, Delta Sol Revival. DSR toured regionally until 2016 when Stokes and Allman began discussing recording his solo debut. The pair returned to Memphis for the initial sessions, as Allman invited Stokes to join the Devon Allman Band for 2017, and subsequently the Devon Allman Project for a world tour in 2018. On days-off from the road, Stokes continued work on his album, organically building the full-length. In May of 2019, Stokes put the finishing touches on a striking inaugural effort. Produced by Allman, it is a lean and

Naturally, the nine-song record offers plenty of the fiery guitar that has been the calling card of Stokes’ career for this first decade, showcasing the stellar reputation he’s earned sharing the stage with such icons as Robert Cray, The Wailers, and Robert Randolph, as well as Warren Haynes, Lukas Nelson, and Marcus King. Yet, it’s a conspicuous emphasis on Stokes’ escalating songcraft that also shines as brightly on this initial release. I really do enjoy playing guitar, but I also love songwriting. I love the whole process:’ says Stokes. “I think this album is very representative of a natural maturation, of how l’ve been viewing things on my journey. And, hopefully, it’s a journey that’s just beginning.”

Guitar Guru Damon Fowler Back in Florida After Whiskey Bayou Session Tour Make way for the next big-time guitar slinger, wire-walking Tampa, FL, native Damon Fowler. This kid can play, garnering big raves for his power trio’s live shows” - Chicago Sun Times

“This young man can play like few can. He is a superstar on the rise, if he isn’t already. I have had the pleasure of seeing him play on several occasions. He brings it and slings it!” - Blues Highway US 61 Roots/blues guitar guru Damon Fowler returns home to Florida from his Whiskey Bayou Session Tour (named for his recently-released album) and Direct Support dates for George Thorogood, with upcoming local performances in Sarasota, Tampa, St. James City, Jacksonville Beach, Ft. Myers Beach, and St. Petersburg through the end of the year (see itinerary at end of article) Damon Fowler is a touring musician, plain and simple. He is a troubadour whose music is steeped with soul and a collective of many styles that make up the roots of American music. Musicians respect him as a singer-songwriter and player so much that he was a feature in Butch Truck’s 52 | www.SFLMusic.com

Freight Train Band and was a natural fit for his current side gig as the guitarist in the Dickey Betts Band, the latter who just announced the release of his new CD/DVD ‘Ramblin’ Man Live’ featuring Damon on slide guitar. Fowler’s guitar work has been compared to Johnny Winter and Jeff Beck, while his slide guitar has a hint of the late Duane Allman. He can play fiery guitar runs with the best of them, but it’s his lyrical work on lap steel and Dobro that makes him stand out among the legions of guitar heroes. Fowler’s latest record, The Whiskey Bayou Session, is his seventh full-length album release. With all the makings of a classic roots record, it’s Damon’s unique guitar, Lap Steel guitar style, soulful vocals and vivid songwriting that stand at the forefront of this recording. The album was produced by swamp blues master Tab Benoit, for his Whiskey Bayou label, who says, “Damon plays what he feels instead of trying to sound like somebody else, and he’s not afraid to try new things on the spot. Each song is going to last forever, and we’re just capturing the moment of creation.” The record encompasses many styles that are derived from the roots of Americana, Gospel and Blues while further defining Damon Fowler as one of the great Southern artists of his time. www.damonfowler.com www.facebook.com/DamonFowlerBand

John Paul White | Broward Center Photo: Jay Skolnick

Matt Schofield, Jeff Prine, Vince Flora | Double Roads Photo: Jay Skolnick

Criteria Recording Stud Those of us who were lucky to be a part of the Criteria Recording Studios family, of one of America’s most prolific recording studios, felt truly blessed to share over 60 years of memories on a rainy afternoon in early November. What started as a simple phone call between Zona Horton and Scott Kirkpatrick (two former friends of the Criteria family in the early 70’s) where they discussed having a small get together of 20 or 30 studio personnel, blossomed into a gathering of over 130 Criteria alumni at the estate of Mike Harris of Harris Audio Systems in Cooper City, FL.

to magnetic tape media, a foreign concept today.

The legacy of the studio boasts an incredible tapestry of artists and platinum hit records from the late 60’s to the present. When the opportunity of all those hit makers to gather together for the first time in decades presented itself, everyone responded with a resounding “yes!” Without hesitation, producers, engineers, studio staff and a handful of selected musicians all came out of the woodwork to get together and reminisce about the amazing good old days. This was a by-gone era when musicians actually played together in a studio and created music that was committed

There were the top engineers in the business; Eric Shilling, Michael Fuller, Steve Klein, Patrice Levinsohn, Sammi Taylor, Chuck Kirkpatrick all of whom played a significant role in the creation of the best music from the 60’s through the 90’s. Even Dana Dowd, the daughter of famed legend, Tom Dowd (Derek and the Dominoes, Aretha Franklin, Allman Brothers, etc.) was there to honor the day. Musicians who worked regularly at Criteria as studio musicians also showed: Donnie Dacus (Chicago, Stephen Stills), George Terry (Eric Clapton), Peter Graves (the Bee Gees, Bar-

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Such luminaries as Karl Richardson, Albhy Galuten, Don Gehman, Ron and Howard Albert, Bruce Hensal (producers/engineers of music by the Bee Gees, Crosby, Stills and Nash, Hootie and the Blowfish, John Cougar Mellencamp, REM, Eric Clapton, Barbara Streisand, Diana Ross, Joe Walsh, Eagles; the list goes on and on) all flew in to town to join in the camaraderie and love for this amazing cast of Criteria characters.

Monday - Friday from 4:30pm to 6:30pm

Live Music Drink Specials Small Bites *Happy Hour at bar only*

dio Reunion bara Streisand, Jaco Pastorius), Joe Galdo (Foxy, Bobby Caldwell, Gloria Estefan), Johnne Sambataro (Andy Gibb, Dave Mason, Firefall) and Stephen Gibb (Barryâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s son). These were just a few of the top-notch players who recorded those amazing hit records and who graced the grounds that day. We should not go without thanking Trevor Fletcher, current VP and General Manager of Criteria, who was able to pull together decades of staff members and invite them all to the proceedings. Trevor recalled the story of when he was 5 years old and his mother, Margie Curry, who was studio manager at the time, couldnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t find a babysitter so she brought him to the studio where Derek and the Dominoes were recording Layla in the other room. Trevor is the last man standing at the studio today and with five decades of exposure to the best music on the planet, we are hoping for a book one day chronicling his amazing adventures. There is more to come from this reunion which we hope to share in upcoming issues.

www.BlueMoonFishCo.com 4405 W. Tradewinds Ave. Lauderdale-by-the-Sea, FL 33308

Photos: Jim Zielinski course, on many other musicians’ as well.”

Mike Zito’s Rock n’ Roll World Tour, New Album ACCLAIMED BLUES-ROCK GUITARIST/ VOCALIST MIKE ZITO “ROCK N’ ROLL WORLD TOUR” KICKS OFF NOVEMBER 1, COINCIDES WITH RELEASE OF NEW RUF RECORDS ALBUM Acclaimed guitarist Mike Zito kicked off his “Rock N’ Roll World Tour” (named for his new album on Ruf Records) with a series of Florida performances last month including Café Eleven in St. Augustine, Blue Rooster in Sarasota, Funky Biscuit in Boca Raton, the Craft Beer and Blues Fest in Casselberry, and Earl’s Hideaway in Sebastian. Mike Zito’s “Rock N Roll: A Tribute to Chuck Berry,” which dropped November 1, features twenty-one guest guitarists honoring the late, great rock n roll guitar trailblazer. Among those performing on the album: Joe Bonamassa, Walter Trout, Eric Gales, Robben Ford, Richard Fortus, Sonny Landreth, Luther Dickinson, Albert Castiglia, and Anders Osborne. Also performing on the album: Charles Berry III, Berry’s grandson. The album is produced by Zito and was recorded at his Marz Studios. “This was a very special project for me,” says Zito. “I lived in Chuck’s hometown of St. Louis for thirty-two years, and I worked at a small musical instrument store where his drummer also happened to be employed. Chuck’s son would drop by on occasion as well. He was an icon, and rightfully so. I’ve been playing his songs since I was a kid. Needless to say, he was a tremendous influence on my career, and, of 56 | www.SFLMusic.com

Every song on this album is worthy of your attention,» writes Glide Magazine about Rock N Roll: A Tribute to Chuck Berry. “an outstanding collection that takes you through a lot of your favorite Chuck Berry tunes like “No Particular Place to Go” (with Jeremiah Johnson), as well as tunes that you hear less frequently like “Havana Moon” (featuring Sonny Landreth). This album is best enjoyed with the volume cranked. Don’t be surprised if you work up a bit of a sweat dancing to all these old favorites featuring so many great guitarists.” The inimitable guitarist Walter Trout teams with Zito for a rousing live version of a song of the album, “Johnny B. Goode,” filmed at Trout’s home in Huntington Beach, CA that was turned into a video, viewable here: https://www.youtube.com/ watch?v=Bbxcj29b5Iw Zito recently co-launched his own new label, Texas-based Gulf Coast Records, which counts among its artists, Albert Castiglia, Billy Price, Jimmy Carpenter, Tony Campanella, Diana Rein, Odds Lane, The Proven Ones, and others to soon be announced. More on Mike Zito at www.mikezito.com and www.facebook. com/mikezitomusic.

JANUARY 12 I

Amaturo Theater

Experience the hit songs from Meat Loaf performed brilliantly by his band The Neverland Express plus American Idol winner Caleb Johnson. The Neverland Express includes world-class alumni spanning the history of the Meat Loaf legacy. In addition to a #1 album and touring with some of the biggest names in rock, Caleb Johnson is the winner of American Idol season 13. He delivers his own unique stamp to such classics as “Bat Out Of Hell,” “Paradise By The Dashboard Light,” and “I Would Do Anything For Love” while staying true to the essence of Meat Loaf’s delivery.

BrowardCenter

BARK BACK BENEFIT V ROCKS DOWNTOWN LAKE WORTH BEACH FOR PEGGY ADAMS RESCUE South Florida’s fall season is in bloom and with it comes various different aspects of living in a tropical paradise when it begins to cool down. Saturday November 16 brought on the most gorgeous day this season so far. Residents of Palm Beach County gathered at Mathews Brewery to bask in sun, brews, local music and plenty of dog-loving activities. Coming back in full force in its fifth and biggest year so far, The Peggy Adams Animal Rescue League, Bark Back Benefit V, turned out as one of the most successful charity events I’ve seen any local community come together for.

A legion of passionate and friendly volunteers worked diligently to organize the largest Bark Back Benefit thus far, with a total of 23 bands, solo artists, and DJs, all on 3 different stages, inside and outside of Mathews Brewery in Lake Worth Beach. The event organizers and stage managers ran circles around the event, guaranteeing that the event flowed smoothly throughout the long day without a hitch. Jacqueline Batcha, Stefanie Smerkers (of the Copper Tones) and Mick Rude of (Spred The Dub) were among those organizers that kept the festival running like a well-oiled machine.

“We started this festival five years ago because we needed to take our sadness from the sudden loss of two amazing dogs, and turn it into something good. Bark Back Benefit raises money for Peggy Adams Animal Rescue League, as they save more lives than any other rescue organization in Palm Beach County. Each year the festival has grown, each year we get new artists, more volunteers, and our Bark Back Committee grows. But one thing has been consistent since year one - all of the people involved, the attendees, the sponsors, and especially the musicians, do this from a place of love. The festival is filled with a positive vibe. And Mick and I just want to be as good as our dogs think we are.” –Jacqueline Batcha

“Jacqueline Batcha is the head of this festival and without her hard work all year, along with Tony Manganello this festival wouldn’t happen” Mick Rude had to say of his mother and volunteer adoption ambassador for Peggy Adams. He continued, “We went from 9 bands last year to 23 different artists for Bark Back Benefit V, closed down a street in Downtown Lake Worth, and had over 40 volunteers working from 7am to 2am…all for the dogs and cats in need at Peggy Adams Animal Rescue League. This year was a huge success and I want to thank everyone who came and enjoyed themselves. We look forward to doing it all over again, November 21, 2020 at Bark Back Benefit VI!”

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Around 2:00pm, Mathews officially opened their doors for pet-lovers to join in the festivities for just a $10 donation! The music began promptly, with three different artists playing three separated stages, all day long. Outside in the beer garden, long picnic tables were set up where people could sit and mingle, while eating and drinking merrily, along with different genres of music playing from various local DJs throughout the day on the “Bear Stage.” The Basement Presents…, a local collective of DJs and musicians, hosted the Bear Stage and featured disc jockeys, DJ Funk Boogie, Mick Rude, Vinyl/Rod, Jukebox (Requests), DJ Money T, Alan Sennett, ANTDADOPE, and founder Marlon Foster, plus host/MC Erek Reynolds. The main stage was moved out of the brewery this year to accommodate a larger crowd and more musicians. The “Nesta Stage” was in the open alleyway behind Mathews and the parking lot of Family Bicycle and was the perfect setting for the nine main acts of the festival. The bands on both stages all shared 45 min sets equally, while the DJs got one hour each. The teenage girls of Beautiful Disaster opened the main stage with an array of hard-rockin’ covers from the 70’s to now. Slip & The Spinouts trio continued with a classic rock ‘n’ roll and rockabilly sound and were one of several bands to feature an upright bass. The Copper Tones went on next and helped in organizing the benefit. They brought sunshine and their signature “Soulgrass” style to the increasing flock of music and animal lovers. Orlando’s Control This introduced us to their version of reggae-rock and ska. Sons of a Tradesman gave an emotional and unforgettable show. No Name Ska Band came out in black ski mask and rocked the stage with ska and punk rock fashion. The Reality came from the west coast of Florida to shower us in their unique type of funky reggae and jam tunes. Then, the group that helped make Bark Back happen, Spred The Dub, dressed in their fanciest of fashions, had the large crowd dancing and skanking to their reggae/ska beats. The nationally popular, Surfer Blood, ended the night with their easy, indie, surf rock melodies. Throughout the day the number of supporters who brought along their furry counterparts, grew exponentially as did the festival turnout! There was also many raffles held throughout the day ran by MC and master of costumechanging, Mac Loebig. Bark Back incorporated a sizeable group of local and national sponsors to help contribute to the triumph of the event. Breakthru Beverage Group provided extra libations, including from sponsors Jack Daniel’s and Dulce Vida Organic Tequila. Nozzle Nolen had a mascot greeting and mingling with guests of all ages. Lilo’s Streetfood and Bar, Surf Shack, Goodyear, The Florida Panthers, Paws on the Avenue, Aces High Tattoo, Cooper Hawk’s Winery & Restaurants, and many more provided gift certificates and special products in all of the doggy gift baskets and raffles. Festival-goers reunited with local friends, the musicians

they follow, and were introduced to new music and a plethora of canine companions as well. You could see the people attending the event going back and forth between each stage, catching a few songs of their favorite local artists or watching a new artist they had never seen before. Inside the brewery, where you could order a vast selection of locally-crafted brews, the acoustic stage, known as the “Etta Stage”, began with local SFL solo musician and photographer at Nothing Negative Co., Jakob Takos playing two sets along with Sierra Lane during his first. Perry Strait followed with a surfy, southern rock acoustic set. Next up, was Mykal Morrison and was joined by friend, Andrew Rodriguez, in a highly anticipated “outlaw soul” collaboration they will be calling MidnightFires. Adam Sheetz drew a large crowd with his raspy punk and folky vocals. Afterwards, the Palm Beach State College Drumline serenaded the beer garden and was followed by an adorable runway walk with first responders from the Boynton Beach Police Department and Palm Beach County Fire Rescue Station 91 and several canine cuties of all ages, breeds, and sizes. Carly Jo Jackson then continued on the Etta Stage with her blues and pop/rock acoustic sound. Sierra Lane and Allegra Miles, two young local rising stars switched off playing with backing band Rocky Rucker on bass and Harley Galeano on drums to end the inside stage. Rucker, a regular guest artist for numerous SFL bands had this to say…“It’s awesome to not only see multiple groups of artists getting together and using their talents to help a good cause but to really feel the love in our community. It’s heartwarming seeing how our scene responded to a recent impact of losing a local musician and how it brought everyone together and built strength in between us all. That’s what makes events like Bark Back really special every year. No matter what happens in our music scene or in our personal lives, we can all be there for each other and also help some furry friends get to a loving family that cares!” About halfway through the benefit show, was an emotionally hard-hitting performance from a band that just lost one of their members in a tragic car accident only a few weeks prior. Still recovering from the grief of loss, Sons of a Tradesman welcomed the night with a spectacular performance despite playing without a bassist for the first three songs. Bassist Nicholas “The Baron” Polycarpo lost his life in a car accident in October, just weeks before the event and it shocked the local music community. A picture of Nick could be seen at the foot of the Nesta stage with lead guitarist and singer Andrew Alonso. After they played a few songs with just Alonso, Chris Santiago, and Mike Guido, a few guest bassists and friends of the band helped finish their performance. Kevin Johnson of Spred The Dub, Michael Esmie, and Justin Gianoutsos were among the few friends who contributed to SOAT’s performance.

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Alonso said on a post on Facebook: “What an emotional two weeks it has been for all of us. Yesterday though, so many amazing things happened. A community came together and helped us heal. Musicians came together as

family and loved on each other. Wonderful animals went to loving homes. Money was raised for an amazing cause, and lastly we showed ourselves and everyone else that rock ‘n’ roll will never die.....because we won’t let it. We love you all” That’s what this whole event is about. Bringing the local music community together to bond over what connects all of us together: Music, good times, and dogs! – David Max Shaw • Photos Jim Zielinski

Mac McAnally | Broward Center Photo: Tom Craig

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