Stefan Hillesheim Band – Live at the Chicago Blues Festival

Stella Blue Music

www.shblues.com

10 tracks – 43 minutes

Stefan Hillesheim was born in Germany but moved to America in 2014 to attend the Musicians Institute in Los Angeles. His finger-picking style, slide guitar, and rhythm guitar skills quickly made him an in-demand session musician. He played in many renowned gospel churches in California in addition to recording with famous performers. He lists his influences as Elmore James, Albert King, Jimi Hendrix, Eric Clapton, and Derek Trucks. While in California, Stefan released three EPs between 2020 and 2022.

In 2022, Stefan relocated to Chicago to further pursue his musical career playing the blues. He quickly found like-minded musicians to form his band. With Stefan on guitar and vocals, Darryl Wright on bass, Sumito “Ariyo” Ariyoshi on keyboards, and Dionte McMusick on drums, the band quickly went into the studio leading to the release of his first full length album When I’m Gone in 2023. He followed that with Live at Rosa’s Lounge in 2024. In 2025, he returned to Rosa’s Lounge to participate in the Annual Chicago Blues Festival alongside many other famous musicians.

Eight original songs and two covers begin with “Always Get to Hear from You” with a rocking groove and Stefan proclaiming “You know I really love you baby but doesn’t mean you are always right. You know I love you baby but quit trying to run my life”. He pulls his slide out mid-song as Ariyo’s piano also shines. Stefan considers where his life stands as he contemplates “Sometimes I feel like leaving, even though I want to stay.” “Sometimes I get to dreamin’ about how it used to be”. Ariyo delivers a solid piano solo in this song. He continues his love-themed concernsas he sings “I will never forget the “The Love I Had for You”. His voice warbles as he reflects the pain and ache he is feeling noting “when the days get dark and lonely, feel love deep inside, wherever life throws at me, I know I will be all right.” His slide guitar reflects his crying and sadness.

The first cover is Freddie King’s 1969 song “Big Legged Woman” written by Israel Tolbert and reflects his admiration of that era of electric blues. He follows that with a cover of Elmore James 1957 “It Hurts Me Too” written by Melvin R. London. The latter song features his slide guitar alongside Ariyo’s piano. While true to the original songs, Stefan adds enough nuance to the songs to make them his own. He then jumps “On Down the Highway” citing “I’m letting that north wind take my pain away”. “Lord knows I can’t escape my shame”.

He changes his tone on “You’re My Family” stating “She wakes, the morning sun on her face.  Although we had rather be some other place. She walks into the room, and I can suddenly feel home. I realize all this time I was alone.” But then on the following he cries “I hope you’re gonna miss me “When I’m Gone”. You just add to the misery while I wait for the cries to dry.” His slide guitar is featured on the song.  “Better Man” is the longest song on the album at six and half minutes, which gives him the opportunity to stretch his guitar. The song starts slow with an introspective guitar lead as Stefan announces ” I done you wrong. There is no denying.” He begs her “to let me be a better man”.  On the final song, Stefan announces that his symptoms require no doctor as he is “Sick of Your Love”.

Bruce Iglauer, President of Alligator Records is quoted in the promo release for the album ” Stefan Hillesheim is one  of the Rising Stars on the Chicago blues scene. He’ a masterful slide guitar player, a strong songwriter and has assembled a band of talented Windy City veterans. I’m definitely keeping my eye on him for the future.” High praise, all very well deserved. Stefan’s vocals are emotive and shifts to the themes of his songs, his guitar equally moves into the emotional rhythms he creates. He is indeed a star on the horizon.

Writer John Sacksteder is a retired civil engineer in Louisville, Kentucky who has a lifelong love of music, particularly the blues. He is currently the Editor of the Kentuckiana Blues Society’s monthly newsletter.

Stacy Mitchhart – No Rhyme Or Reason

Dr Sam Records – 2026

www.StacyMitchhart.com

12 tracks; 48 minutes

Cincinatti native Stacy Mitchhart has been playing since the early 1990’s and is a stalwart of the Nashville music scene, a city to which he relocated in 1996. He has released almost twenty albums across his career and his latest was produced by Tom Hambridge. Stacy used a studio team whose names will be familiar to readers who have heard Tom’s productions before: Tom on drums, Rob Cureton and Tommy Macdonald on bass, Kevin McKendree on keys and Kenny Greenberg on guitar; Max Abrams (sax) and Julio Diaz (Trumpet) add horns to several of the tracks and backing vocals come from Kyla Jade and Rachel Hambridge. Three guests also appear on a track each: Charlie Musselwhite adds harp, Kenny Neal plays harp and guitar and shares the vocals and Gretchen Wilson duets with Stacy. Stacy himself plays guitar and handles the lead vocals on material mainly written by Stacy, Tom and his regular co-writer Richard Fleming.

Strong rhythm guitar, overlaid wah-wah and blaring horns open proceedings as Stacy offers to treat someone “Good One Time” while “Bad As You” works well over a catchy riff, the two protagonists in the song being equally responsible for the mess in their lives, Stacy showing his picking abilities on the guitar. Stacy and fellow Nashville artist Gretchen Wilson duet on “You Sure Look Good To Me”, slide and rocking piano combining to give us a piece of roadhouse rock which would suit someone like Delbert McClinton, as well as being an excellent song for radio. The soulful ballad “Once You Leave” was written by Stacy and Kenneth Wright, a song about never being able to go back once a relationship has foundered. Stacy plays and sings convincingly and the backing vocals work well in support, definitely a highlight track.

Charlie Musselwhite’s harp and Stacy’s slide add a downhome Mississippi feel to “Flip It To The Other Side”, a song that starts with unusual lyrics about burning pancakes and swapping sides of a record if the girl is upset by a blues! “We Blew It” returns to the theme of people failing to make a go of their relationship before the only song to come from outside the core writing team. “It’s A Long Way Down” was originally written by Jordan Rainer and Kevin Brandt with Chris Stapleton in mind; he passed on it, but Stacy did not! Although its origins may be in the country field, the production here is more in a gospel vein, especially with Kevin’s churchy organ and Kyla Jade’s backing vocals. The title track gets its groove from the bass lines and scratchy rhythm guitar and is apparently a live favorite on which audience participation is required.

“Mean Bad Wrong” features Kenny Neal on co-vocals, harp and guitar, Stacy playing the slide and Kevin the honky tonk piano that together give the tune an old-time, semi-acoustic feel. “Never Gonna Get Me Back” is a late night slow tune with a strong vocal from Stacy before the album closes with two tunes written with traditional blues firmly in mind. “She’s Just Right For Me” is a shuffle intended to be in the style of BB King or Bobby Bland and works brilliantly, from Stacy’s BB-inspired leads to the call and response backing vocals and big band horns which make you check the sleeve notes to make sure that there are not extra horn players here! Stacy closes the album with a slow blues to feature his guitar work; “On My Dying Day” does just that, the longest cut here and a great finish to the album. “When my sins are written down for the judge on high to see, on my dying day, who’s gonna plead for me” gives a good sense of the despairing lyrics.

This is an extremely listenable album with Stacy’s solid vocals and guitar featuring strongly.

Blues Blast Magazine Senior writer John Mitchell is a blues enthusiast based in the UK who enjoys a wide variety of blues and roots music, especially anything in the ‘soul/blues’ category. Favorites include contemporary artists such as Curtis Salgado, Tad Robinson, Albert Castiglia and Doug Deming and classic artists including Bobby Bland, Howling Wolf and the three ‘Kings’.

The James Hunter Six – Off The Fence

Easy Eye Sound

www.jameshuntermusic.com

12 songs – 40 minutes

Every James Hunter release is a cause for celebration, and Off The Fence, his first on Dan Auerbach’s Easy Eye Sound label, is no exception. The quality of British singer/songwriter/guitarist Hunter’s releases over the last 40 years (Off The Fence is his eleventh studio album) has been consistently high and Off The Fence continues to mine the apparently limitless vein of blue-eyed soul-blues that has fuelled his previous releases.

The 12 self-penned tracks on Off The Fence all reflect Hunter’s love of language and dry sense of humour, as well as his knack for penning memorable melodies, kicking off with “Two Birds One Stone”, a jaunty lament about how “with just word one, I broke her heart, as well as my own.” Hunter’s voice remains a thing of rare beauty, conveying warmth, wit and the deepest of emotions. There is a raw intimacy in his phrasing that is quite magnetic.

Hunter’s band, comprising Myles Weeks on double bass, Rudy Albin Petschauer on drums, Andrew Kingslow on keyboards and percussion, Michael Buckley on baritone saxophone and Drew Vanderwinckel on tenor saxophone provide top drawer support to their leader, adding a jazz sensibility to the title track, an irresistible push to “Gun Shy” and a toe-tapping swing to the blues shuffle of “Ain’t That A Trip.” The latter track also features a guest appearance from Van Morrison, one of Hunter’s earliest supporters and collaborators, as well as one of Hunter’s ace guitar solos.  Subtle highlights abound, from Kingslow’s descending piano rolls on “Trouble Comes Calling” (a tip of the hat also for his beautiful playing on “Particular”), to the horn jabs on tracks like “Believe It When I See It” to Vanderwinckel’s nailed-on solo on the title track.

Hunter himself is a hugely under-rated guitar player – his playing on “Here And Now” perfectly reflects delicate fragility of his vocal delivery (and kudos to Petschauer for his slightly bonkers tom tom contributions, which really add to the track).

Off The Fence was produced by Bosco Mann and recorded at Penrose Recorders at Daptone West, Riverside CA, with engineering by Anthony Masino, mixing by Dan Auerbach, M. Allen Parker and Jonny Ullman and mastering by Ryan Smith.

Standing boldly with one foot in the modern world and the other firmly planted in the soul and r’n’b of the 1960s, every James Hunter album is worth checking out. If you’re already a fan, Off The Fence is an essential purchase. If you have had the pleasure of hearing him previously, this album is a fine place to start.

Reviewer Rhys “Lightnin'” Williams plays guitar in a blues band based in Cambridge, England. He also has a day gig as a lawyer.

Matthew Curry – One For The Ride

Ruf Records

www.matthewcurry.com

10 tracks – 45 minutes

Matthew Curry was born and raised in Bloomington, Illinois. Picked up the guitar at four, performed live at eight and by age 11 was leading his own band. He released his first album, If I Don’t Got You in 2012. This release is his fifth full album. He has toured with The Doobie Brothers, The Steve Miller Band, Peter Frampton, Journey, Don Felder and others. His guitar playing has been praised by many that he has played with, including Steve Miller who compared him to Stevie Ray Vaughan in his “virtuosity and originality”.

Matthew provides the vocals and guitar on all tracks with Francis Valentino on drums, percussion and adding vocals on four tracks, Tim Buckner on bass, Rob Arthur on B3 organ and Mike Masefield on keyboards, B3 organ, and piano.  Mark Russo on sax, Miles Olmos on Trumpet, and Mike Rinta guest on the opening track and track 8. Grace Quickenboss plays piano on tracks 4,9, & 10.

He gets the party started with “Rum Stumblin” jumping out with a 70’s Southern rock vibe as he says “that martini shot sure looks nice, but if you have the time, I’ve got a good time waiting on ice. You pick the liquor; I’ll make it a double.” “You think the liquor won’t make me stumble, but it will”. On “Born Behind the Wheel”, you get a touch of Allman Brothers guitar as he notes “the highway’s callin’ and I keep fallin’ right back into that same old groove. I don’t care if it’s a back road or a blacktop”. On “Barely Livin”, he states, ” I haven’t slept in nearly ten years it seems, trying to figure out what it all means”. “I’m barely gettin’ by” but “don’t know how long I can live this way”.

In a more romantic move and a shift to an acoustic guitar, he tells her, “Don’t need no reservations, just turn the lights down low, when you and I are “Dancing in the Kitchen”, which he says came to him while celebrating an anniversary. “The Ballad of Jesse Ed Davis” is a tribute to the famed Native American slide guitarist who was a highly sought after session musician playing as a member of Taj Mahal’s band, played with Bob Dylan, Eric Clapton, George Harrison, and Jackson Browne among many others and released three solo albums. He unfortunately died of a heroin overdose at age 43. Matthew moves into a very quiet groove and tells “If it is all you can do to get through the day, just to wake up to face another one, “Don’t Be a Stranger”, “call me anytime”.

He expresses a desire for the peace of the outdoors as he declares “I have been breaking my back all week out in the rain and in the heat working my fingers to the bone for nothing but a sliver. Think I will call that old bossman I ain’t coming in, cause I would “Rather Float a River”. The sole cover is “Whiskey Rock a Roller” from Lynyrd Skynyrd’s debut 1976 album. “Brand New Day” has a country feel with Mark playing accordion and Matthew adding banjo as he contemplates going out on the road again. “Got my suitcase, got some time, got no reason, got no rhyme. Oh, Carolina holds my heart, need to roam to find a new start.”  “Each horizon brings a brand-new day”. That song is appropriately followed as he proclaims, “I guess I’m just “The Rambling Kind”.  “Riding through the canyon with the sunrise on my face, that highway is turning under me again”.  “I can’t say what keeps me going, every turn trouble is all I find”. “I’m a restless soul. I’ll keep rollin’ until I’m six feet in that hole”.

Matthew provides a comfortable mix of 70’s Southern rock with a modern country rock sound. His influences are frequently worn on his sleeve, but he quickly throws his own touches into the songs delivering his own unique sound and stories. His guitar frequently soars and his vocals, which are also uniquely his own, fits well with the music.

Writer John Sacksteder is a retired civil engineer in Louisville, Kentucky who has a lifelong love of music, particularly the blues. He is currently the Editor of the Kentuckiana Blues Society’s monthly newsletter.

Carlos Johnson and Hideaki Tanaka – Blues – It’s Powerful Stuff

P-Vine – 2026

https://anywherestore.p-vine.jp/en

7 tracks; 1 hour 13 minutes

Chicago Bluesman Carlos Johnson has long been revered in Japan, even if his name carries a quieter weight in the U.S. A left-handed guitarist who flips a right-handed instrument upside down in the tradition of Albert King and Jimi Hendrix, Johnson came up through Chicago’s blues clubs in the 1970s, building a reputation for his aggressive, emotionally charged playing.

That sound found an especially devoted audience overseas. Johnson first toured Japan in 1989 with Valerie Wellington, and the connection stuck. Over the decades, he returned repeatedly, including a run supporting Otis Rush in 2004, and later tours as a solo artist. In Japan, Johnson wasn’t just respected—he was embraced.

Among those listening closely was guitarist Hideaki Tanaka, who would go on to study Johnson’s style firsthand. Inspired by Rush and immersed in Chicago blues, Tanaka moved to Chicago in 1999, where he spent years absorbing the tradition at its source. Blues – It’s Powerful Stuff (2026) is the culmination of that relationship—part collaboration, part conversation between mentor and student—backed by a tight, fully Japanese rhythm section.

What emerges from that collaboration is a record that feels both rooted and slightly untethered—in the best way. The album sits firmly in the Chicago electric blues tradition, but it pulls in strands of soul, funk, and even loose, jam-heavy improvisation that stretches songs well past their typical form. There are clear echoes of players like Albert King and Otis Rush in the phrasing and tone, but also moments that feel closer to the expressive sprawl of Stevie Ray Vaughan. At times, the record borders on indulgent, with extended solos and drawn-out structures, but that looseness is also where its personality lives—two guitarists pushing each other, less concerned with precision than with feel.

Rumbling, powerful electric guitar kicks off “I Wonder Why,” complemented by tasteful, saucy piano notes from Hiromi Takai on keyboards. Tanaka and Johnson’s guitar nearly weeps with emotion before erupting into a stunning, wailing solo that borders on cathartic release. The influence of B.B. King and Stevie Ray Vaughan is unmistakable, while Yohei Kisanuki on bass and Shigeo “Sanpei” Hirayama on drums provide a steady backbone.

One of the best tracks on the LP is a 16-minute cover of Willie Dixon’s “I’m Your Hoochie Coochie Man.” A slow, menacing guitar creeps in, followed by an instantly recognizable riff as anticipation builds. Johnson, the vocalist on all songs but “Don’t You Lie to Me,” belts out “Gypsy woman told my mama, before I was born…” with a deep, growling authority that fits the song’s mythic tone. Johnson delivers a deep, growling blues voice, while Tanaka offers a simple, moaning guitar solo, and Takai adds sharp, expressive flourishes on the keys. The song swings between slow and fast passages, with bouts of improvisation. Compared to Muddy Waters’ version, Johnson and Tanaka present a looser interpretation, but with no less soul power.

Electric guitar riffs open “My #1 Son,” Johnson’s tribute to the blues culture in Japan and the sole original composition on the album. It’s a jolly track, radiating with positivity and good-natured blues—music that uplifts. Johnson and Tanaka unleash a swirling, almost chaotic guitar interplay that somehow remains controlled, a kind of musical push-and-pull. “I’m here in Japan, with my son, playing guitar, having lots of fun,” Johnson sings, and while not lyrically complex, the sentiment lands because of its sincerity.

A catchy guitar hook and funky rhythm drive “I Just Want to Make Love to You,” another Willie Dixon cover. Johnson’s voice comes across smooth, deep, and rich, with touches of funk and soul woven into the delivery. The rhythm and vocal phrasing invite comparisons to G. Love & Special Sauce, and this take is low-key and stripped down compared to versions by the Rolling Stones or Muddy Waters, favoring groove over power.

Tanaka and Johnson conclude the album on a high note with a Jimmy Reed Medley, containing “You Don’t Have to Go,” “Bright Lights Big City,” and “Going to New York.” It starts with rapid-fire electric guitar that recalls Chuck Berry’s work on Berry Is on Top (1959). The energetic, forceful track leans heavily on Takai’s driving keyboards, while Johnson croons, “Going to New York if I have to walk… I’ve been out East, been out West, been all around, Japan’s still the best.” Tanaka and Johnson pour everything into the performance, delivering blistering, full-throttle solos. The medley does Jimmy Reed justice and showcases some of the best guitar work on the LP.

Blues – It’s Powerful Stuff ultimately underscores something deeper than just a collaboration—it highlights the enduring authenticity of Chicago blues and its unexpected, yet profound, resonance abroad. While the genre was born out of the lived experiences of Black musicians in cities like Chicago, its emotional core has traveled remarkably well, finding devoted audiences in places like Japan. In some ways, the reverence heard on this record feels even more intentional—an act of preservation as much as performance. Johnson plays with the authority of someone who lived the tradition, while Tanaka approaches it with studied respect and clear devotion. The result is a record that doesn’t just replicate Chicago blues—it reaffirms its global life, showing how a deeply local sound can be both protected and reinterpreted thousands of miles from where it began.

Writer Jack Austin, also known by his radio DJ name, Electric Chicken (y Pollo Electrico en Espanol), is a vinyl collector, music journalist, and musician originally from Pittsburgh.

Another member of the talented new generation of blues musicians, guitarist Matt “The Rattlesnake” Lesch has followed a familiar path to get to this point in his career. He has worked hard, been mentored by several veteran blues artists, and is starting to be acknowledged for his efforts.

Born in 1997 in High Ridge, Missouri, about 20 minutes south of St. Louis, Lesch was 11 years old when he started learning how to play guitar. His inspiration came from an unusual source.

“Believe it or not, what got me in into guitar was the video game Guitar Hero, which my dad bought me when I was about 10 years old. Then, on my 11th birthday, he got me an actual guitar, a cheap electric Epiphone Les Paul. I started to play that and it quickly became my passion, something I wanted to do for the rest of my life. There was definitely something about the guitar that spoke to me in a way that other instruments didn’t. I was just more drawn to it, having that gritty feeling of the strings. I played that for many years, my only guitar for a long time. About four or five years later, I got my first acoustic guitar.

“These days my main guitar is a Gibson ES-335, and that’s pretty much the guitar I play everywhere. I have multiple instruments, as all guitar players do. The Gibson is the one I love the most. I just feel like I can play everything with it, no matter what kind of gig I’m doing. Blues or jazz, that thing can cover it all. It feels the best too, the most comfortable. I got my first ES-335 when I was 16 years old, an inexpensive, red Epiphone Dot model. That was my main guitar before I got my Gibson.”

In the early days, he started off playing a lot of classic rock like AC/DC, and even some heavier stuff like Metallica. His dad made sure he heard Jimi Hendrix, Stevie Ray Vaughan and B.B. King.

“You know, it was the blues-rock guys that really drew me to the blues, started me down that rabbit hole, mostly with Hendrix and Stevie Ray. Then I kind of worked my way back to the originators of the electric style blues, artists like Muddy Waters, Howlin’ Wolf and all the Chess Records artists.

A lot of it was word of mouth from other musicians, people I was sitting in with at the time. They would tell me these guys to check out and I would go do my research, see who was playing on what, who influenced who.

“I will say one thing about Jimi Hendrix. To this day, whenever I listen to him, he’s one of the few guitar players that I pick up something new that he’s doing with each listen. It doesn’t have to be exactly what he’s playing, but it could be his tone or the way he’s phrasing things. There’s just something different every time I listen to him.”

Starting out in a cover band. Lesch built up his chops before forming the first blues band under his own name. He was 15 years old, playing locally and trying to make a name for himself in the St. Louis music community.

“I just used my name and at that point I was having a hard time keeping the same members, because with the blue scene, everybody plays with everybody. So a lot of times the band was a mix of whoever I could get at the time until later on, when I ended up getting a steady band that I could rely on.”

A year or so later, he had one of those fortunate experiences that took his career to a new level.

“One night I went to BB’s Jazz, Blues and Soups here in St. Louis to watch Big George Brock play. I knew a couple members in his band. They had told him that I was coming out. I went up to say hello and shake his hand. George was almost completely blind at this point. I shook his hand, saying, it’s nice to meet you, I’m a big fan. Big George goes, “you bring your guitar with you?” I replied, yeah, I got it. He tells me go get it. That was the end of that conversation.

“About halfway through the night, around midnight or so, he called me up and had me start off some songs. Ended up keeping me up on stage the rest of the night. After the show, he told me that he was going to take me down to Clarksdale, Mississippi with him, and I’ll be damned if he didn’t do that the next year. From then on, I became his main guitar player for the next seven years, up until he passed away in 2020, right at the start of COVID.

“Big George was around when all these classic and monumental songs were being made. It’s just a different feeling you get being with somebody like that, like you’re playing directly from the source. I learned so many lessons from him. Guys like that, they wouldn’t tell you what to do, bit by bit. If you weren’t playing something right, they’d be like, nope, that ain’t it. I learned to really play by following him and keeping my ears open. I really paid close attention to everything he was doing, how he was talking to people, how he handled the business side of things, and also how he would handle himself on stage.

“It was very much a privilege, an honor to be able to play with somebody like that, especially at a such a young age. He was definitely my mentor. After about three years, we just became really close. I looked at him more as family than anything. We’d call and just be on the phone for hours talking about random stuff. It really became more than just being the guitar player in his band. We were really, really close until he passed.”

That year continued on a downward trajectory for Lesch, as it did for so many of us. It certainly had him reevaluating his future.

“When COVID hit, everything went to shit. A lot of my gigs went away. I wasn’t really doing a lot of traveling for a while. I focused on doing some live streaming a little bit on Facebook, doing some gigs here and there whenever they would pop up. It was a struggle for me and a lot of other musicians. Once everything started picking back up, I was really thinking about what I wanted to do, did I want to keep doing this after so much has changed. That’s the other thing, you know, COVID really changed a lot of what the blue scene was, with venues closing, not just in St. Louis, but everywhere. It did not help the business at all.”

One thing that did help him continue on his career path was a relationship with a talented singer who was also making a name for himself around the city.

“Dylan Triplett and I both came up in St. Louis around the same time, playing together, doing some shows together. We would watch each other’s show. I wasn’t really in his band at the time when we were coming up, but we would definitely support each other whenever we could, being two younger people at the time. I mean, we really formed a great connection on stage.

“Every time we would play together, sit in with one another, it would be the highlight of the show. We would have so much fun. Later on, when Dylan released his album, Who Is He?, he called me to play his album release party with him. That kind of started off me playing with him in his band, when he needed me. It’s always fun whenever we play. We have a great working relationship and friendship.

“Most of the time when I do play with him, it’s out of town, at least a couple times a month. I know we’re getting ready to go on the blues cruise at the end of the month, so that’d be the next time I play guitar with him. We did the one in October this past year, which was my first time actually doing the blues cruise. It was so much fun, and I’m looking forward to this next one.

Every nickname comes with a story, and Lesch’s “ The Rattlesnake” moniker is no different.

“When I was about 15 years old, I was playing at, I think, the Blues City Deli here in St. Louis. At the end of a set, somebody had told me that when I’m on stage, I’m as unpredictable as a rattlesnake. And I thought, yeah, that’s kind of cool. It was just a small thing, but people started to call me that. It didn’t become a thing until I met Big George, and he heard that my nickname was “ The Rattlesnake.” He just called me that pretty much from then on. Every time he would introduce me, he’d just say, “Rattlesnake on guitar”. He was the one that took it and made a thing out of it, you know, the old blues guys and their nicknames.

“There was another St. Louis blues guy, David Dee, who wrote the song “Going Fishing.” He would call me that, too. I’m pretty sure he didn’t even know my real name. He just made me “The Rattlesnake,” but he was another person I was sitting in with a lot here, somebody else I learned from. Playing with him is actually where I learned more of the soul side, the R&B side of of blues. He’d do the Temptations and stuff like Bobby “Blue Bland”.

“Whenever I would walk in somewhere he was at, he’d just hand me the chord to the guitar. I’d plug in and he’d just go! I would have to look at the other guitar player to figure out how to play the song. That’s how I learned a lot of those classic songs. It was a learn on the job type of thing, which I’m also thankful for.”

His mentors did indeed teach him a great deal. In addition to his talent on guitar, Lesch can impress as a vocalist and as a songwriter. And don’t forget that he has been known to blow some down-home harmonica licks.

“George was a big influence on me wanting to learn harmonica. So I picked that up and it is just something I do at my shows. I always carry it around. If I’m somewhere, I can at least play harmonica if I don’t have a guitar with me. I very much love to do that, playing a lot in Big George’s style. Singing was something that I struggled with for a long time. It’s something I’m definitely the most subconscious about, I guess you could say. I continually work towards getting better, something I feel I have to put more work into than my guitar playing at this point.”

Not all of the guitarist’s education came from the stage. He attended Webster University in St. Louis, graduating in 2021 with a degree in Jazz studies and performance.

“Next to blues, jazz is my favorite thing to do. Of course, blues is my main thing I do, but every time I get a chance to play jazz, I love doing that. Jazz took a little bit longer for me to grab hold of than blues did. Blues came more natural to me, where jazz I had to really work at, study and practice these things, just the phrasing and the technicality of it.”

At the start of 2025, Blue Lotus Records released Blues Cuts Like Glass, the second album from Lesch, which earned a nomination for a 2025 Blues Blast Music Award in the Rock Blues Album category. More importantly for him was getting nominated, and ultimately being named the recipient of the 2025 Blues Blast Sean Costello Rising Star Award.

“That was something I was not expecting, but I was very, very happy and honored to receive that award. I had my name in there with my other friends like Stephen Hull and Harrell “Young Rell” Davenport in the same category. You know, it was an honor just to be included with all them guys, plus Jad Tariq and Jovin Webb, Tony Holiday. That’s a pretty talented group. I haven’t had the chance to meet Jovin yet. But yeah, I respect all of them guys. They’re amazing, amazing musicians.

“One thing that comes to mind is on that album, there’s several songs that have a three piece horn section. That was the first time I actually wrote and arranged those horn parts, the first time I had ever done something like that for an album. I’m definitely want to keep doing it as I’m pretty happy with how it turned out, how it sounds. Listening to our stuff, I, I know there’s things that could be better, but nevertheless, I’m happy with how those arrangements turned out. It really makes me want to do even more for the next album.”

While he is still a young man, Lesch has years of experience under his belt, and his own nickname. He also feels that he is headed in the right direction.

“Every time you hear me play, you’re just going to be hearing the rawness of my playing. There’s nothing that’s ever rehearsed. I really don’t play the same thing twice. It’s all improvised solos, which takes a lot of that influence from my my jazz side. I want every show to be unique in some way, shape, or form. I really hope that those people that will be listening to me in the future will feel that as well.”

Blues Blast Magazine Senior writer Mark Thompson lives in Florida, where he is enjoying the sun and retirement. He is the past President of the Board of Directors for the Suncoast Blues Society and a former member of the Board of Directors for the Blues Foundation. Music has been a huge part of his life for the past fifty years – just ask his wife!

Laura Chavez – My Voice

Ruf Records

www.rufrecords.de

10 Tracks – 39 minutes

First thing to note is that this is solely an instrumental album focused on the powerful guitar of Laura Chavez. Although titled My Voice, in the liner notes she establishes that she lets her guitar do the talking. To answer the question of why she does not sing, she responds “Long before I thought about it, the guitar is my most effective way of communicating things I was not able to communicate, with words or otherwise.” Concerned that people might not want to hear an entire album solely of guitar solos. “I had to find a way, with my guitar as the primary voice to communicate the same things my favorite singers were able to communicate through true songs with hooks, melodies, and most importantly, my own voice and personality.”

Laura was born in Mountain View, California. She grew up listening to her older brother play Led Zeppelin and Jimi Hendrix. That prompted her at age six to ask her mother for guitar lessons, but she did not like the teacher and her mother canceled the lessons. She restarted lessons in her teen years and at 18 she became the house guitarist at a club jam. There she met Lara Price. They became friends and Laura toured with her for eight years, playing at the International Blues Challenge, recording two group albums, and an acoustic duo album. In 2008, she became the guitarist for Candye Kane, which led to numerous recordings. Following Candye’s death, Laura played with many different performers including Deborah Coleman, The Manish Boys, Mike Ledbetter, Monster Mike Welch and many others.  She currently tours regularly with Vanessa Collier. All leading to this, her first solo album, which certainly proves her guitar speaks well for her.

Laura is joined by Lea Worms on organ and piano, Tomek Germann on bass, Marty Dodson on drums, and Andrea Econom on percussion. Denis Palatin guests on drums on tracks 4 and 9.

She opens the album with her rendition of Creedence Clearwater Revival’s “Born on the Bayou”, which she dedicates to her father whom she says constantly played the CCR tape in the car. She says she played the song up-tempo and driving unlike CCR’s version but maintains the melody. The funky “Mind Your Step” is the first of five originals on the album. On top of quality guitar, Lea’s piano is also a standout. “Shot-Zee” also features Lea’s organ as Laura rips through the jazzy song.

“Wanderer” is a quiet, bluesy song that will have you swinging along that suddenly builds to a flurry. She explains in the liner notes that “El Cascabel” is a traditional Mexican mariachi song that she twists into a powerful guitar-oriented song. She says it gives her focus to her Mexican roots as her father is a first generation Mexican American, and says she draws from bands like Los Lobos who reimagine songs from their roots into a modernization of their own sound. “So Long Baby, Goodbye” was written by Dave Alvin for The Blasters. The upbeat song with Lea’s organ again sailing along Laura’s screaming guitar is an all-out rocker.

Steve Croppers’ “Chinese Checkers” was first performed by Booker T and The MGs. She says she thought it would be fun to turn Booker T’s piano parts into the guitar lead and let the piano take a different role than the original version. “Mamba Negra” has a feel of some old surf guitar songs with a few Spanish licks sliding in. Laura then takes a bouncy stroll down “Napa Street”. She concludes the album with her own arrangements of a traditional Mexican song “La Llorona”, which she turns into a “slow blues in the style of Peter Green”.

Laura’s commitment to the guitar serves her well and she thoroughly communicates her feelings with her strings. She is well supported by a talented back-up band with Lea demonstrating an equal importance in all the songs and Marty and Denis’ drums equally adding to the drive. This album is for all guitar lovers, particularly if you are inclined to hear experienced, masterful playing.

Writer John Sacksteder is a retired civil engineer in Louisville, Kentucky who has a lifelong love of music, particularly the blues. He is currently the Editor of the Kentuckiana Blues Society’s monthly newsletter.

Billy Thompson – This World

MoMojo Records – 2026

www.billythompsonmusic.com

14 tracks; 64 minutes

It has been a while since we heard from Billy Thonpson (2017’s BT), partly explained by his tenure since 2022 as guitarist with zydeco star CJ Chenier. However, here we have a new recording to enjoy, recorded in seven different studios, in Virginia, New Orleans and California, with many of the tracks initially started off at Billy’s home. Not surprisingly, given the number of studios, there is a large number of musicians involved and the presence of a couple of now deceased musicians suggests that the recordings took place over quite a lengthy period of time: drummers are Lionel Batiste Jr, Doug Belote, Tony Braunagel, Eddie Christmas, Andy Kravitz and Eric Selby; bassists are David Martin Barard, David Myles Curtis, Kevin Hennessy, Hutch Hutchinson and Golder O’Neill; keys are by Dave Curtis, Mike Finnigan, Luciano Leaeas, Michael Leroy Peed and Tom Worrell; horns appear on two tracks and there are also a variety of additional percussion instruments and occasional backing vocals. Billy handles the lead vocals, plays guitar (mainly slide) and occasional bass and wrote all the songs, working with Kirsten Trump who wrote the lyrics for four and Keith Glover who collaborated on one.

The title track starts things off as Billy asks us all “what have we done to this world?” strong slide at the heart of this environmentally conscious song. “Downsizing” was originally tracked in 1998 but is re-worked here with more of Billy’s excellent slide work and some horns discreetly beefing up the tune. “Like Rain” is the song co-written with Keith Glover, a playwright with whom Billy has collaborated on a number of musical theater pieces; it’s a slower tune tracked in NO, so the presence of Kirk Joseph’s sousaphone at the bottom of the mix is understandable as Billy plays acoustic guitar on this one. “Monkey Back Guarantee” is an attractive slide-driven rocker, the intriguing title a play on words with the phrase “a monkey on my back”, while “For True” is one of the highlights here, a funky background, catchy chorus and Billy’s slide giving the track a Little Feat feel, the lyrics bemoaning that Billy may “never find a love for true”.

The other nine tracks all started out as home recordings though the finished productions lack nothing. “Melia” races along courtesy of Doug Belote’s drums and Michael Skinhus’ congas which certainly get your feet moving, another strong track. “Every Single Rider” adds a touch of country, Billy’s slide sounding like a pedal steel and “Thankful” is an appropriately joyous tune. Two tracks have strange titles: “Batman And Robin” is a wistful acoustic ballad whilst “Dinosaur Eggs” adds bass, drums and congas to Billy’s guitar, vocal and harmonica, all recorded at home.

Four songs were written by Billy and Kirsten Trump. “Old Blue” was recorded with Phantom Blues Band members Tony Braunagel and the late Mike Finnigan; it’s arguably the closest to a straight blues here, lyrically referencing a pet dog that is “better watered and better fed – she loves that dog more than me”! Billy rocks out a little on the powerful message song “Truth Come To Power” while “Hope, Peace And Joy” has celebratory lyrics given a full treatment with a large choir and “Of The Angels” is a latin-tinged number that addresses the issues of homelessness, poor immigrants and racial prejudice in a society that is divided on these issues; a fine piece of writing and playing that closes the album in fine style with its chorus “we are creatures of the angels”.

Good to have Billy back with a thoughtful and attractively played album which should have wide appeal.

Blues Blast Magazine Senior writer John Mitchell is a blues enthusiast based in the UK who enjoys a wide variety of blues and roots music, especially anything in the ‘soul/blues’ category. Favorites include contemporary artists such as Curtis Salgado, Tad Robinson, Albert Castiglia and Doug Deming and classic artists including Bobby Bland, Howling Wolf and the three ‘Kings’.

Mitch Ryder – Songs from the Road

Ruf Records

www.mitchryder.net

13 Tracks – 78 minutes

Detroit’s rock icon has been on the road for approximately six decades starting with hits like “Devil with A Blues Dress” in the mid 60’s with his band the Detroit Wheels. Mitch was born in Hamtramck, Michigan and spent his teen years in Warren, Michigan, a suburb of Detroit. At age 21, William Sherille Levise, Jr. became Mitch Ryder after seeing the name in a Manhattan phone book. Prior to the Detroit Wheels, he recorded songs under the name Billy Lee and The Rivieras. Mirch Ryder and Detroit Wheels made their debut album, Take a Ride, in 1966. After six studio album and one Greatest Hits album, Mitch released one album under the name Detroit featuring Mitch Ryder in 1971. In 1979, he released his first solo album, How I Spent My Vacation. 

With more than thirty albums, Mitch shows he still has the drive with this new live release recorded in March 2025 in Berlin with Laura Chavez and Sam Athens on guitar, Tomek Germann on bass, Denis Palatin on drums and Lea Worms on keyboards. The songs focus on songs from his recent albums with one cover thrown in. The release includes both a CD and DVD. The song “War” only appears on the CD, and “Tough Kid” only appears on the DVD,

He comes out rocking with “Lilli May”, a current song released as a single in 2025. Lea Worms provides an introduction on piano. leading into Mitch’s gruff and growling vocals.  He then proclaims “Ain’t Nobody White” “singing the blues”. “No white man ever suffered, never lived in pain.”  In a soulful blues, he cites “Love plays “All the Fools It Sees” as he says “I cried last night over you. There was a time I took your word, now I know I can’t trust you.”

“Yeah, You Right” features a keyboard solo from Lea Worms as Mitch spins a tale of crime starting with dog fighting and child abuse, leading to a confrontation in a bar and a stabbing leaving nothing left of him and “everybody cheered”.  “Do You Feel Alright” starts with a quiet symphonic sound until launching into a smooth, emotional soul song expressing concern for his woman. He asks, “Do you feel alright tonight, my love? Is your mind at ease, in your heart you believe? It will be alright tonight”. Caribbean rhythms drive the upbeat “Oh What a Night” as he describes an all-night party. “Americans sure know how to have fun” Barbeque and alcohol…we party every night.”

A 9-1/2-minute version of “War”” follows with Mitch declaring “I don’t want to die” in an anthem expressing his views on the challenges facing people today and a fight for their beliefs.  An all-out rocker, “The Thrill of It All” is about enjoying all aspects of life. “All right, feeling okay. Let’s do it again” with Laura Chavez launching into a powerful guitar solo. He tells her to just call him “Fly” noting “you were right there with me when I burst upon the scene… those were crazy days”.

He declares “It Wasn’t Me” as he faces multiple accusations of potential crimes.   He then expresses fears that our world is in “Wrong Hands” noting “we can help each other, let this love be very well heard”. A 13 minute “Soul Kitchen” originally recorded by The Doors reflects its psychedelic roots and allows Laura to have another fantastic guitar solo.  “The Artist” ends the album with a somber mood citing he “uses words as knives, cuts deep and swift”.

On February 26, Mitch turned 81 years old. His vocals are somewhat weathered, but it does not diminish the power of his music or the lyrical content. He proves his legacy in rock is well-deserved and lasting in time.

Writer John Sacksteder is a retired civil engineer in Louisville, Kentucky who has a lifelong love of music, particularly the blues. He is currently the Editor of the Kentuckiana Blues Society’s monthly newsletter.

Eddie Kold Band feat. Larry “Doc” Watkins – Blues In My Heart

L+R Records

www.eddiekold.com

13 songs – 55 minutes

Eddie Kold is a German blues guitarist, now based in Cologne, but who spent much of the 1980s and 1990s learning his craft in the bars of Chicago, playing with the likes of Vance Kelly, Buddy Scott, L.V. Banks, Zora Young and Buster Benton. His new album, Blues In My Heart, is a fine example of modern Chicago-style blues, with a bucket-load of fabulous guitar playing.

The Eddie Kold Band features Larry “Doc” Watkins on vocals, Klaus Brunschede on bass, Christian Wübben on drums and Lukas Diehl on piano/keyboards. They are joined by a variety of guests on the album, including L.P. Davenport on vocals on “Further On Up The Road”, Honeydew Melon Davenport on vocals on “Last Two Dollars”, the always-great Tom Holland on guitar on two tracks (his playing on the aforementioned “Last Two Dollars” is sublime), Terho Keskitapio on guitar on “Blues In My Heart” and Trina Williams on backing vocals on two songs.  Watkins, originally from West Virginia, is an excellent vocalist, with a raw, gritty delivery that is reminiscent of the great Finis Tasby at times. It also feels like this is a band that has spent a lot of time playing together in a live setting. There is a confidence in and an easy mastery of the dynamics of each song.

Kold wrote or co-wrote the vast majority of the tracks on Blues In My Heart, with two covers: Bobby Blue Bland’s “Further On Up The Road” (played in a fast, funky style rather than the classic shuffle of the original) and George Jackson’s “Last Two Dollars.” He is also a superb guitarist, laying down a series of powerful, muscular yet melodic solos and licks, never over-playing and always playing to the song. On a track like “My Whole World Shook” he cleverly steps every so slightly outside the traditional blues scales most guitar players would use on a shuffle, adding just a hint of jazz sensibility. Likewise, in  the instrumental, “Backpain”, Kold’s jazzy approach offers a fresh take on a swinging blues progression. Elsewhere, his clean, soulful tone is pure blues.

Blues In My Heart runs the full gamut of classic Chicago blues styles, from the funky “Last Two Dollars” to the swinging shuffle of “Girls” (which contains a superb piano solo from Diehl), the soul-infused “Lipstick On Your Bra”, and the slow grind of “Lovesick Blues”.

Recorded and edited by Diehl and Brian Leach, Blues In My Heart is an enjoyable slice of modern Chicago-style blues and definitely worth investigating.

Reviewer Rhys “Lightnin'” Williams plays guitar in a blues band based in Cambridge, England. He also has a day gig as a lawyer.

John Logan With The Lix

Self-Release – 2026

www.johnloganmusicstl.us

6 tracks; 21 minutes

John Logan was born in Indiana to a family that loved music. He lived in the Bay Area in the 60’s, Wyoming in the 70’s and Austin in the 80’s. Since 1995 he has been a mainstay of the St Louis, Missouri, scene where he plays solo, as lead guitarist with Brother Jefferson and with his own trio, The Lix. On this short release John handles guitar and vocals with Mike Graham on bass and Benet Schaeffer on drums; Frank Bauer adds sax to one track. John wrote five of these songs, assisted on one by an old friend from his Austin days, Mike Morgan (now running a recording studio in Texas) and adapted an old Mississippi John Hurt tune that he has been playing for many years.

The album opens with an attractive blues shuffle entitled “Little Bird”, the guitar work clear and concise, a good start. The second track also features John’s clean picking, John’s lady clearly well versed in the blues as he tells us that “(She Likes It) Greasy”, the lyrics referencing Elmore James, Magic Sam and Johnny ‘Guitar’ Watson, but “Muddy Waters is the man”. A change of pace next on “Midnite In The City” which has a jazzy feel with brushed drums, gentle bass and guitar and featuring Frank Bauer’s guest spot on breathy sax, solo honors going to Frank and John’s beautifully poised, relaxed guitar work.

John ups the pace with “Baby’s Got A Lock On My Heart” which brings a hint of Rockabilly, the swinging bass lines driving the fun tune along. There may well be some influence from John’s time in Texas here, and there definitely is on “55 Thunderbird”, the song that he wrote with Mike Morgan (presumably when he was living in Austin). That Texas roadhouse style is very much in evidence here as John celebrates the lure of a fine automobile, a car that avoids the need to be cool yourself as “Thunderbird is going to do it for you; you’re cool the minute you’re behind the wheel”! John has been playing Mississippi John Hurt’s “Brownsville Woman Blues” since his San Francisco days in the 60’s and here he gives us a solo acoustic version, showing that he is a deft picker in the Piedmont style also.

This varied little release gives us a good view of John Logan’s talents, notably a delicate touch on the guitar. An enjoyable listen, available from John’s website.

Blues Blast Magazine Senior writer John Mitchell is a blues enthusiast based in the UK who enjoys a wide variety of blues and roots music, especially anything in the ‘soul/blues’ category. Favorites include contemporary artists such as Curtis Salgado, Tad Robinson, Albert Castiglia and Doug Deming and classic artists including Bobby Bland, Howling Wolf and the three ‘Kings’.