The Post-Standard
Sunday, August 13, 2006

BYLINE: MARK BIALCZAK MUSIC CRITIC

Syracuse is known for its intense interest in the blues. The scene to the east is growing, too.

The Mohawk Valley Blues Society has put together a compilation album of area artists. Some bands the society's judges picked from entries submitted include outfits familiar to Syracuse fans: Blueprints, Tom Townsley and the Backsliders and Bernie Clark and the Rhythm Sharks in particular. "Good Times Coming," "Twice Too Much" and "Good Luck, Bad Luck" from the above stand out.

Avid blues fans also can thrill in the discovery of artists that haven't strayed too far this way.

"Show Me Mercy" by the Conrad Story Blues Band is tense and hot; "Key to the Highway" by Midnite Mike and the Big Notes rings with great vocals; "Just a Dream of Mine" by The Lomeo Brothers combines hot voice and harmonica; "Sleepin' With the Reaper" by Al Nathan and Bluestreak will remind you of Van Morrison's "Moondance."

Congratulations on a really cool CD.

Mohawk Valley Blues CD truly tasty

As much as I love rock 'n roll, I've always known it's a fraud.

The best of them- Mick Jagger, Robert Plant, Pete Townshend- admit as much. The classic rock staples by The Stones and Led Zeppelin and The Who are nothing more than American blues classics fed back to a country that never appreciated them in the first place.

So when Rob Bishton stopped me in New Hartford the other day and asked me to review his new CD- "Mohawk Valley Blues Volume One" – I hesitated. It would be like a hamburger cook working with filet mignon.

But once I cranked up the music, I found a strong 15-song compilation from local artists that had me tapping my feet on my Subaru's floorboards.

The best track was Tom Townsley and The Backsliders' "Square Little Mama", which bears a resemblance to the Lynyrd Skynyrd classic "I Know A Little" but finds its own direction as well. Townsley's harmonica playing is exceptional, and his two other tracks on the disc are equally strong.

Al Nathan and BlueStreak contribute "Sleepin' With the Reaper," which features Nathan's moody keyboards and could pass for a Van Morrison tune.

Jimmy Wolf does an excellent rendition of the Deadric Malone classic "Stranded," and The Lomeo Brothers' version of Bill Broonzy's "Just A Dream On My Mind" is also quite good.

And for those fans of the band "Traffic," give a listen to "Show Me Mercy" by the Conrad Story Blues Band.

Bishton, the CD's executive producer and chairman of the Mohawk Valley Blues Society, funded the project via grants from the Central New York Community Arts Council and the Clifford J. Fulmer American Legion Post in Sangerfield. Most of the songs were recorded at local studios, with Matt Wagner at the JA Castle Recording Studio in Utica doing a fine job of mastering the recordings.

The result is an uncommonly clean CD that would be at home in any serious blues collection. But the disc brought me right to Washington Mills and Piggy Pat's BBQ Restaurant, where owner Pat McCann's southern cooking is often accompanied by the blues. I swear I could taste Pat's ribs while listening to the music.

Hometown barbecue and blues: sounds like the perfect combination.

Craig Muder; Utica Observer Dispatch

"MOHAWK VALLEY BLUES"
VOLUME ONE
BY PETER "BLEWZZMAN" LAURO
COPYRIGHT - 2006

"MOHAWK VALLEY BLUES" is a compilation of recordings by member bands of the Mohawk Valley Blues Society located in Upstate New York. The disc contains fifteen excellent recordings by a dozen different bands featuring over 40 different musicians. Although I will not be able to say something about all the tracks, I always like to at least give the players the acknowledgement they deserve. Having said that, allow me to now make the introductions. In order of appearance, by band name and it's members:

BLUEPRINTS: GERORE DEVNEY, vocal and guitars; DON PAUL WAY, bass; DAVID LIDDY, piano and vocals; BRUCE TETLEY, guitar and vocals; STEVE EVANS, drums; LENNY MILANO, percussion.

TOM TOWNSLEY &THE BACKSLIDERS: TOM TOWNSLEY, harmonica; MORRIS TARBELL, guitar; CHAD TOMLINSON, drums; PAT DE SALVO, bass.

JOHN HUTSON: JOHN HUTSON, vocals; TOM TOWNSLEY, harmonica; MORRIS TARBELL, guitar; CHAD TOMLINSON, drums; PAT DE SALVO, bass.

CONRAD STORY BLUES BAND: PAPA TAS CRU, vocals, guitar and harmonica; CHIP LAMSON, keyboards; JONATHAN HUNKINS, drums; AMALIO PRATTI, bass.

MIDNITE MIKE AND THE BIG NOTES: MIDNITE MIKE, lead vocal and guitar; BILLY CARMAN, harmony vocals and bass; ROD KEISER, piano; DAVE PALACE, drums.

THE LOMEO BROTHERS: MATT LOMEO, harp and vocals; ADAM LOMEO, guitar; BRUCE CLIFFORD, bass; STEVE BUZINSKI, drums.

JIMMY WOLF: JIMMY WOLF, vocal and guitar; GENE BALLESTROS, bass; TODD MINERD, drums;

BERNIE CLARKE AND THE RHYTHM SHARKS: BERNIE CLARKE, harp and background vocals; SETH ROCHFORD, guitar and vocals; DAN TROIANO, bass; HYNIE WITTHOPF, drums.

AL NATHAN AND BLUESTREAK: AL NATHAN, vocal and keyboard; JOHN HUTSON, guitar, bass and background vocals; DARRYL MATTISON, drums.

NICK MERCURY AND THE METEORS: NICK MERCURY, bass and vocals; POPS MERCURY, harmonica and vocals; ROD BROADBENT, guitar; KEVIN HOFFMAN, drums.

JOHN SAVAGE: JOHN SAVAGE, acoustic guitar and vocals; GERORE DEVNEY, electric guitars; DAVE OLSON, drums; STEVE WARGO, bass; FRANK TALERICO, keyboards; DARRYL MATTISON, percussion

DON PAUL WAY: DON PAUL WAY, vocals and acoustic guitar; GERORE DEVENY, dobro; DARRYL MATTISON, percussion; BOBBY HOLZ, drums; DAVE LIDDY, keyboards.
Now, let's talk about some blues - which "MOHAWK VALLEY BLUES" just happens to be full of. The following are just a few of the discs many highlights.

"GOOD TIMES COMING" is not only the name of the opening track, but it's basically telling you what's ahead for you as you listen to the next sixty-six minutes of this disc - good times. It's an original performed by BLUEPRINTS and features a lot of great guitar and piano work.

"TWICE TOO MUCH", an original by TOM TOWNSLEY &THE BACKSLIDERS, features some very impressive harp blowing by TOM. This is a very well performed and well written track. Being told that he's getting dumped by his lady for drinking too much, he admits that it's true and when it causes him to see double, it's twice too much of her.

"COUNT THE TEARS FROM MY EYES" is another very well written T. T. original. JOHN'S vocals are done with a lot of soul and MORRIS' guitar work is outstanding. I sense a lot of Duke Robillard influence on this track, in the playing and the singing. The nice slow pace and the very sad lyrics must make this one a hit with the slow dancers. This is one of the best on the disc.

"JUST A DREAM ON MY MIND" is another track that features some great harp playing - this time by MATT of the LOMEO BROTHERS. This one, with it's hint of funk will really get you moving. Some of the best rhythm on the disc can be heard right here, especially with some ass kicking bass by BRUCE.

Another impressive original track is "GOOD LUCK, BAD LUCK", performed by BERNIE CLARKE AND THE RHYTHM SHARKS. Apparently New York State is in good hands harmonica wise. This is yet another track with more excellent harp playing. This time the pleasure is provided by BERNIE. The vocals, the vocal harmony, SETH'S superb guitar and HYMIE'S top notch drumming all add up to another excellent track.

Although the lyrics sound nothing like it, musically, "SLEEPIN' WITH THE REAPER", by AL NATHAN AND BLUESTREAK, sounds a lot like my ultimate favorite song of all time -"Moondance", by Van Morrison. That, along with some great keyboard work by AL and an awesome rhythm section of JOHN on bass and DARRYL on drums make this another hot one.

"SQUARE LITTLE MAMA" absolutely rips. This a total all out jam by TOM TOWNSLEY &THE BACKSLIDERS. It's another T. T. original with, once again, pure ass kickin' harp and phenomenal rhythm work by CHAD and PAT. Lots of cute lyrics here as well - I especially loved that this so called square little mama thinks that 'Slim Harpo' is a diet plan.

"MOHAWK VALLEY BLUES" appropriately ends with a track called "THE END". It's the discs only acoustic track and it features great pickin' and singin' by DON PAUL WAY.

Judging by what I just heard, I'd have to say that the blues, in Upstate New York, seems to be in extremely talented hands. The area's certainly in a 'Blues State of Mind'.

This review has been complimentary written for your newsletter or website by Peter "Blewzzman" Lauro, A contributing writer for BLUESWAX and the Blues Editor at www.Mary4Music.com where you can read many more CD and live show reviews, view lots of blues photographs and find an abundance of blues material. I can be reached at Blewzzman@aol.com.