Friday Blues Picks (8/28/26)

This week, Friday Blues Fix will take a look at several different items that blues fans should definitely check out.  FBF will be looking at a couple of great new albums, a cool new single that's an appropriate fit for the current season, an excellent release from last year that you might have missed (I certainly did!), and a wonderful new book, all of which are worth any self-respecting blues fan's time.  

Way back in late 1986, nearly 40 years ago, yours truly attended his first blues concert.....The Fabulous Thunderbirds at Thalia Mara Hall in Jackson, MS.  I was a fan because I'd heard them on Carlos Santana's wonderful album Havana Moon when I was in college and that led me to pick up their most recent album at the time, the outstanding T-Bird Rhythm.  However, once I saw them perform in person, I was hooked.  Kim Wilson was such a charismatic front man and masterful harmonica player, and drummer Fran Christina and bassist Preston Hubbard were a rock solid rhythm section, but guitarist Jimmie Vaughan was the epitome of cool and I got to hear so much more of his guitar work live than I did on their recordings.  It was still one of my favorite performances.

In recent years, The Last Music Company has been reissuing a lot of Vaughan's solo work and all of The Fabulous Thunderbirds' catalog, but a few months back they released a performance that took place just before their breakthrough release Tuff Enuff, which earned them plenty of radio play and MTV appearances (back when the "M" stood for "Music").  The band was in England working with producer Dave Edmonds on the album and in April of 1985, they performed at London's Camden Palace Theatre.  The show was professionally filmed and recorded and is now available as a CD/DVD combo.  I have recently discovered that the show was available on VHS or DVD years ago, but I've never seen it anywhere until now.....this is the first time it's been available on CD.

Live in London 1985 is very similar to the show I heard a little over a year and a half later, with several songs that eventually appeared on Tuff Enuff, including the title track, "Two Time My Lovin'," "I Don't Care," "True Love," and an instrumental, "Jimmie's Song," that was retitled "Down at Antone's." on the finished album.  There are also several favorites that the band still plays in their current incarnation, such as "Can't Tear It Up Enuff," "My Babe," "She's Tuff," and "Full Time Lover" (a slow burner which I remember from the Jackson show, thanks to Vaughan's fabulous guitar work).

The CD and DVD have the same song list and both sound amazingly clear considering they were done over 40 years ago.  The DVD camera work is excellent, unlike many concert videos, there's plenty of focus on the artists playing their instruments.  If you were a fan of The Fabulous Thunderbirds back in the day, or even now....Kim Wilson continues to lead the band, most recently with Johnny Moeller in the guitar seat, then you definitely need to pick up this CD/DVD set.  (Note......the video on the DVD is much clearer than the video below, which was put on YouTube 13 years ago, probably off the original release)

Albert Castiglia has been one of the brightest stars on the blues rock scene for a number of years.  He started out in Florida as singer/guitarist for Miami Blues Authority before serving as guitarist for Junior Wells until the blues man's death in 1998.  Since 2002, he's been turning out quality releases one after the other, whether as a solo artist or teaming with fellow guitarist Mike Zito as the Blood Brothers on several successful collaborations.  

Castiglia's latest release is Grits & Glory (Gulf Coast Records) and it may be his most powerful release yet.  The album was recorded at the legendary Abbey Road Studios in London.  He grew listening to British blues rockers like John Mayall, Eric Clapton, Jimmy Page, and Jeff Beck, moving in that direcction after he heard The Beatles' Rubber Soul on 8-track (remember those?). Based on that background, making an album where the Fab Four made most of their recordings seemed like a natural move for the guitarist.

One thing I've always liked about Castiglia's releases is that his musical approach is pretty diverse and each track makes you pay attention....there are no lulls to speak of, or musical ruts.  His songwriting is rock solid, too.  He takes a pointed look at current affairs, but he also focuses on familiar blues topics like relationships and determination to achieve a goal.  There are bits of funk and even a touch of jazz interspersed.  He covers Albert King, Mongo Santamaria, and The Beatles....now that's diverse!  Blues fans for sure need to check out Castiglia on this release, then backtrack because he has some excellent releases in his catalog.

Alan Arena has issued what might be considered a perfect summer blues anthem with his single "Cape Cod Girl" (Alan Arena Records), which will have blues fans longing to dig their toes in the summer beach sand and maybe even do the Watusi while they're at it.  It's a great feel-good track with support from Monster Mike Welch on guitar, Brad Hallen on bass, Marty Richards on drums, Brooks Milgate on piano and "Sax" Gordon Beadle providing, well, tenor and baritone sax of course.  I know summer will be over soon, hopefully.....but this fun tune just might make the higher temperatures a little more bearable for the rest of the season.  There's no video on YouTube for the song, but here's a promo from Alan with details about how to grab the single.

For our Blast From The Past, it's the not-too-distant past this week.....I happened across Mike Farris' new release, The Sound of Muscle Shoals (Malaco/FAME Records), a couple of weeks back when someone shared one of the songs on Facebook.  Farris developed addiction issues as a youngster, was sent to reform school and nearly overdosed before turning to the guitar and songwriting, which helped him get back on track.  He formed the Screamin' Cheetah Wheelies back in the early 90's, a hard-driving, hard-living, hard rock band with a bit of blues and soul mixed in, thanks to Farris' powerful vocals.

Enjoying success with SCW and later the band Peaceful Knievel, and serving as vocalist for the Double Trouble rhythm section, Farris eventually fell off the wagon until 2004 when, at the funeral of a friend, he decided to give up drugs and alcohol and embrace Christianity.  He's released several solo albums since 2002, all of which put his wonderful mix of blues, country, and soul on display.  

The Sound of Muscle Shoals, released in 2025, is his first release since 2018 and it's just fantastic.  Farris' music has always reminded listeners of Muscle Shoals, so why not go directly to the source.  Rodney Hall (FAME Records founder Rick Hall's son) served as Executive Producer and several musicians from the area contributed, including guitarist Will McFarlane and Kelvin Holly, and keyboardist Clayton Ivey, to name a few.  Farris wrote or co-wrote most of the tunes, with a couple of nice covers from Tom Petty and William Bell/Steve Cropper included.  

This is an album that should be in any music fan's collection...the songs are well-crafted, the musicianship is first-rate, and Ferris' vocals are awesome.  Can you tell I really dig this one????

Finally, your humble fellow blues fan has been reading a lot over the past few months and one book that I've really enjoyed reading is Austin Blues:  The Austin Blues Monthly & Lone Star Interviews, by Randy "Tex" Hill.  Hill is a professional musician of over 40 years and he's hosted Roadhouse Revival Radio Show and the Lone Star Revival Radio Show in Austin.  He was also a graphic designer and began publishing the Austin Blues Monthly in 1994 to bring attention to the burgeoning blues scene in Austin.  Part of the magazine was an interview with some of movers and shakers of that scene.

What Hill did, intentionally or not, was provide a vivid picture of the Austin blues scene of the mid-90's.  The magazine only lasted a few years, but Hill was able to interview many inportant figures, nineteen interviews are included here - Clifford Antone, T.D. Bell, Marc Benno, W.C. Clark, Sue Foley, Billy Gibbons, Omar Dykes, Gary Primich, Tommy Shannon, Kim Wilson, and B.B. King are just a few of the interviewees.  

The interviews are pretty informative, most are four to five pages, and readers will gain a lot of insight as to how these musicians work and think.  Since Hill himself was a musician, he does a fine job with the questions and the artists really seem at ease with him.  I have to say that I learned a few things about some of these musicians that I didn't know and it was really interesting to read some of their thoughts.  Most of them came to Austin from other places, so they describe how they came to love the music and how they ended up in Austin.  For blues fans, especially fans of the Austin blues scene, this is a fascinating read and I'm glad that Hill compiled these interviews for us to read and enjoy.  

More blues to come, so be sure to come back next week!