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- 1. Joe Bonamassa/Muddy Wolf at Red Rocks/J&R Adventures
- 2. Jackie Payne/I Saw the Blues/Blue Dot Records
- 3. Robben Ford/Into the Sun/Provogue Records
- 4. Arlen Roth/Slide Guitar summit/Aquinnah Records
- 5. Slam Allen/Feel These Blues/America Showplace
- 6. Debbie Davies/Love Spin/Vizztone Records
- 7. Peter Novelli/St. Amant Sessions/ Chalet Music
- 8. Tad Robinson/Day Into Night/Severn Records
- 9. JJ Mofro/Ol' Glory/Provogue Records
- 10. Beth Hart/Better Than Home/Provogue records
- 11. Greg Nagy/Stranded/Big O Records
- 12. Bugs Henderson/The King of Clubs/Slideaway Music
- 13. AJ Ghent Band/Live at Terminal West/Blue Corn Music
- 14. The Blues Disciples/Big Beat/Land o' Blues Records]
- 15. Macy Blackman & the Mighty Fines/Friskin' the Whiskers/MamaRu Records
- 16. Harrison Kennedy/This Is From Here/Electro-Fi Records
- 17. Tomislav Goluban/Blow Junkie/Menart Records
- 18. The Voodoo Fix/Step Right Up/Jarco Mayes Records
- 19. D.A. Foster/The Real Thing/Vizztone Records
- 20. JE Conte/Down By the Bayou/Redparlor
- 21. JD McPherson/Let the Good Times Roll/Rounder Records
- 22. Dan Patlansky/Dear Silence Thieves/RISA Records
- 23. Nancy Wright/Putting Down Roots/Direct Hit Records
- 24. Jon Spear Band/Old Soul/Jon Spear Productions
- 25. Doug McLeod/Exactly Like This/Reference Recordings
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Living Blues Report
Blues Top 20 for the month ending 3/31/2015
WMEB-FM, Orono, Maine
Blues Director - Michael A. Murphy
- 1 Brandon Santini / Live & Extended / Vizztone
- 2 Smokin' Joe Kubek & Bnois King / Fat Man's Shine Parlor / Blind Pig
- 3 Bettye LaVette / Worthy / Cherry Red
- 4 Tinsley Ellis / Tough Love / Heartfixer Music
- 5 Tas Cru / You Keep The Money / Crustee Tees
- 6 Reverend Peyton's Big Damn Band / So Delicious / Yazoo-Shanachie
- 7 Harrison Kennedy / This Is From Here / Electro-Fi
- 8 Toots Lorraine / Make It Easy / Greaseland
- 9 Jeff Jensen / Morose Elephant / Jeff Jensen Music
- 10 Eliza Neals / Breaking and Entering / Eliza Neals
- 11 Joakim Tinderholt / You Gotta Do More / Big H
- 12 Robben Ford / Into The Sun / Provogue
- 13 Balkun Brothers / RedRova / Balkun Brothers
- 14 Steve Earle & The Dukes / Terraplane / New West
- 15 D.A. Foster / The Real Thing / Vizztone
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American label Vizztone is rapidly becoming the place to go to for exciting contemporary blues; D. A . Foster is a new name to me, but I do recall that back in the 70s, American blues magazines and books often featured photographs of the leading blues performers taken at the Shaboo Inn – and a bit of internet digging revealed that Mr. Foster was one of the owners of the Shaboo Inn in Connecticut between 1971 and 1982, frequently jamming with many of the music's true greats and eventually leading a band that included the guitarist Matt Murphy (who has played with everyone from Howling Wolf to The Blues Brothers).
Read more: Awesome Review! Blues In The South, A UK Publication
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↑↑↑BIG UPS!!!↑↑↑ to Elwood Blues and his awesome website The Bluesmobile for featuring D.A. Foster! Make sure you check it out and tune in.
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It's not new, but you hear it more often, a combination of blues and soul. Renowned bands and artists have distinguished themselves in it. One of those artists is singer D.A. Foster. He has mastered this style and shines there with "The Real Thing" in from. Because if someone The Real Thing is, he certainly is. He was the heart of 'The Shaboo' a local club with 1000 seats in Connecticut and this from 1971 to 1982, which at that time were almost 3,000 concerts with often unknown bands, but also big names like Aerosmith, AC / DC, Journey , Cheap Trick and The Police passed here in review. But also a lot of great blues bands did their appearance here, as John Lee Hooker, Willie Dixon, T-Bone Walker, Buddy Guy, and probably a few hundred more. Because of the growing disco era at the time when the club had to close its doors and the case was also destroyed a few months later in a fire. But the story does not end, because a little later DA begins a production company and started his own band in 1979 with celebrities like Matt "Guitar" Murphy and Harvey Brooks. In the past 35 years, many artists with him on the podium, including not least, as Keith Richards, Chuck Berry and Muddy Waters.
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"The Real Thing" checking in at #6 for this week...
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This time we are with D.A. Foster, a myth deep blues and R & B in New England. Connoisseurs know him as "The Real Thing" and steer clear of imitations.
D.A. learned the trade when he was co-owner of the Shaboo Inn, the legendary roadhouse in Connecticut. In the seventies scritturò some future rock star and all the great names of the blues. Encouraged by the masters, learned to turn to dominate the stage and founded the Shaboo Allstars, which were part of Matt "Guitar" Murphy and Harvey Brooks.
Read more: Italian site "Catfish Blues" gives a great review!
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I just received the newest release (1/13/15), the real thing, from D.A. Foster and it's a lot of fun. Opening with Good Man Bad Thing, D.A. Foster gets up a funky groove with Mike Finnigan on B3 and Lenny Castro on percussion. Darrell Leonard (trumpet)and Joe Sublett (sax) put down some warm horn work and Johnny Lee Schell blows through with fome hot fret work backed by Julie Delgado, Nita Whitaker and Mike Finnigan on backing vocals.
On title track, The Real Thing, Foster gets a real strong sway going with Finnigan on piano and bluesy guitar riffs from Schell. Tony Braunagel on drums and Larry Fulcher on bass set the pace. We All Fall Down has a real nice R&B feel with lead guitar work from Josh Sklair and piano work from David Garfield. With Steely Dan brilliance and smooth vocals, this is the top radio track on the release.
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I hadn't thought of the Shaboo Inn for years. Back in my single days when I had hair, I frequented the Shaboo on a number of occasions as I lived about 30 minutes away. During it's 11 year existence, it was the home of about 3000 concerts. It had a capacity of about 1000 but managed to attract a number of well-known artists early in their careers including Aerosmith (four nights for $700 and four cases of beer), The Police, Tom Waits, Journey, Hall & Oates, Cheap Trick, Elvis Costello, AC/DC, Hall & Oates, and hundreds more.
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The Independent Blues Broadcasters Association (IBBA) February 2015 chart sees D.A. Foster's "The Real Thing" at #20!
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VizzTone artist always had a spiced up soulful edge, and D. A. Foster is no exception. Feeding of electing influences Foster cooks up a stew of blues, soul and R&B. And it's a gourmet like feast for the senses.
The album is a visceral collage of textures and traditional flavours, but that's not to say it's a mess. In fact definite equanimity is displayed as Foster weaves through the music with a sure and steady step. Also the strength of the material obviously helps, especially when capturing the emotion drenched swagger of the Foster's spiritual forefather Bobby Bland. Sure enough, the man's take on "This Time I'm Gonne For Good" shows he's got both the skill and passion with which to meet the challenge.
Read more: The Rocktologist gives us a clean bill of health!
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Strangely enough, this is a first album from a ridiculously talented and connected musician, a singer of substance with over three decades music business experience behind him. This immensely solid history brings a remarkably focused, engaging presence to the studio, with great, powerful, balanced soulful vocals together with a Grammy award-winning backing band - The Phantom Blues Band - of exceptional quality for a debut release.
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It is appropriate that D.A. Foster titled his new album The Real Thing, because if anybody is the real thing, he is. He was the heart of The Shaboo Inn of Connecticut from 1971 to 1982, and during that time the 1000-seat venue hosted almost 3000 concerts, featuring young and upcoming acts that included the likes of Aerosmith, AC/DC, Journey, Cheap Trick, and the Police. It was like a 1980s rocker’s dream come true! But a lot of great blues acts made their appearance there too, such as John Lee Hooker, Willie Dixon, T-Bone Walker, Buddy Guy, and a probably a few hundred more. After the club closed its doors (thanks to the scourge of the disco era), a few months later it was destroyed in a fire.
