Pokey LaFarge Releases New Single “Rent Money” Ahead of Upcoming Album
Pokey's latest single channels back-porch revelry while grappling with working-class unease.
Singer-songwriter Pokey LaFarge is back with a rollicking new single “Rent Money,” out now alongside an official video directed by Jacob Butler. Steered by loose-limbed energy and a stomping rhythm, ‘Rent Money’ pairs its infectious swing with a harder reality underneath, as Pokey LaFarge turns his attention toward the grind of surviving lean times and the emotional toll that comes with it. The track serves as the title cut from his forthcoming album, Rent Money, due September 11 via his own Boxer Boy Records. ‘Rent Money’ is a little bit more of a tougher tune, but it’s not going to totally bum you out. It’s just a classic country blues song. The good lord giveth and Uncle Sam taketh away. Pokey LaFarge LaFarge will introduce fans old and new to Rent Money with an epic North American headline tour featuring full-band performances and solo shows beginning July 23 at Maquoketa, IA’s Codfish Hollow Barnstormers and then traveling the continent through a holiday season finale at Los Angeles, CA’s historic Lodge Room on December 19. For complete details and ticket information, head here.
Dumpster Diving, Ragas, and Juke Joints: Jesse Cotton Stone’s Musical Pilgrimage
“It’s the most honest music we have,” Jesse Cotton Stone says of the blues. Survival, lineage, and a cross-traditional musical vocabulary inform his work.
I. The Road as Formation Jesse Cotton Stone’s relationship to music was not built in classrooms or conservatories alone, but in motion: on roads, in temporary homes, and in the unstable geography of American life on the margins. There were years spent without stable housing in Northern California, including stretches in Marin County while he pursued classical Indian music. That paradox—formal immersion in one of the world’s most structured musical traditions while living in physical instability—became a defining tension in his development. Music, for Stone, was not separate from survival. It was survival. He describes those years less as a romantic wandering and more as an enforced apprenticeship in adaptation: learning how to carry instruments, ideas, and identity through shifting environments. “I’ve just kind of always been on the road in one capacity or another,” he reflects. “It’s been less about choosing that life and more about music requiring it.” Even in these conditions, he was studying deeply—classical Indian music at the Ali Akbar College in Marin, where discipline, raga structure, and the emotional architecture of sound are treated as spiritual systems rather than stylistic choices. That contrast between discipline and drift would become central to everything he builds later. II. Blues as a Universal Language Stone’s understanding of blues is not limited to genre. He treats it as a global communicative system, a way cultures articulate suffering, joy, identity, and time. He hears blues not as a fixed American form, but as something that reappears across musical civilizations: flamenco in Andalusia, Hindustani classical music in India, griot traditions in West Africa, Appalachian balladry in the United States. “It’s really universal for the human condition,” he says. “Every culture has its own blues.” What connects them, in his view, is not instrumentation or scale structure, but emotional purpose. Music becomes a vessel for memory, endurance, and storytelling under pressure. In that sense, blues records how people survive. He describes it as “a primordial thing that came raw out of the U.S.,” but quickly expands it outward: “It influenced everything that came after it, and then came back and re-influenced America again.” Circularity—origin, diaspora, return—forms a recurring structure in his work. III. Hell Country Blues and Electric-Cotton Soul Out of this worldview, Stone developed his own stylistic language: Hell Country Blues and Electric-Cotton Soul Blues. <img fetchpriority="high" decoding="async" width="391" height="627" src="https://www.americanbluesscene.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/05/Screen-Shot-2026-05-12-at-11.38.18-AM.png" alt="" class="wp-image-74984" style="width:368px;height:auto" srcset="https://www.americanbluesscene.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/05/Screen-Shot-2026-05-12-at-11.38.18-AM.png 391w, https://www.americanbluesscene.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/05/Screen-Shot-2026-05-12-at-11.38.18-AM-187x300.png 187w, https://www.americanbluesscene.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/05/Screen-Shot-2026-05-12-at-11.38.18-AM-150x241.png 150w" sizes="(max-width: 391px) 100vw, 391px" /> These are not genre labels in a conventional sense, but conceptual frameworks, ways of naming a fusion that refuses clean categorization. He describes Hell Country Blues as both homage and critique: rooted in Mississippi Hill Country traditions, but filtered through psychedelic rock, punk, industrial textures, hip-hop rhythm sensibilities, and global folk influences. “It’s a higher-octane version of it,” he says. “I didn’t want to just say I’m playing hill country. I am part of that tradition, but I’m also pushing it somewhere else.” The “hell” in Hell Country is not aesthetic shock value. It is partly satirical, partly symbolic, and a reference to how blues has historically been labeled “devil’s music” by religious institutions, and partly an acknowledgment of the intensity embedded in the music itself. But more importantly, it signals transformation. “I’m trying to take what I learned from all these traditions and make something new without disrespecting where it comes from,” he explains. IV. The Carnival Lineage To understand Stone’s worldview, one must understand his family. His grandfather was a decorated World War II veteran who, after returning from service, became a traveling carnival clown and carpenter. He worked fairs, carnivals, and community events, living out of a jalopy filled with balloons, novelties, and handmade performance tools. “He was a balloon clown, a carpenter, an entrepreneur—just constantly moving,” Stone recalls. “He’d show up at county fairs and ice cream socials and just build a whole world out of nothing.” <img decoding="async" width="405" height="603" src="https://www.americanbluesscene.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/05/Screen-Shot-2026-05-12-at-10.53.46-AM.png" alt="" class="wp-image-74979" style="width:384px;height:auto" srcset="https://www.americanbluesscene.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/05/Screen-Shot-2026-05-12-at-10.53.46-AM.png 405w, https://www.americanbluesscene.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/05/Screen-Shot-2026-05-12-at-10.53.46-AM-201x300.png 201w, https://www.americanbluesscene.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/05/Screen-Shot-2026-05-12-at-10.53.46-AM-150x223.png 150w" sizes="(max-width: 405px) 100vw, 405px" /> Performance, mobility, and improvisation became embedded in family culture. Stone’s father and uncle grew up in that environment, eventually gravitating toward blues and rock during the cultural upheavals of the 1960s. His uncle, in particular, became deeply immersed in blues traditions, building a private archive of recordings spanning Alan Lomax field recordings to contemporary rock. Those tapes became Jesse’s informal education. On long drives through the American interior—often while traveling with carnival circuits or family relocations—he absorbed hours of biographical recordings on artists like Jimi Hendrix. “I learned about Hendrix on these long drives between Colorado and Kansas,” he says. “It wasn’t like sitting down to study. It was just life happening around you while this music history was unfolding in your ears.” What stayed with him was the sense of music as a live archive rather than a static canon. V. First Encounters with the Masters By his early teens, Stone was already moving through professional blues environments, encountering legendary figures who would shape his trajectory. He met James Cotton, who encouraged him early on, leaving a lasting impression of validation from a master musician. Shortly after, he crossed paths with Junior Wells, an encounter he describes as foundational. Wells invited him onstage during a Colorado performance when Stone was still a child. After the set, Wells reportedly pulled him close and told him: “You a bad motherfucker. Don’t ever let nobody tell you different. You got it.” Stone describes the moment as a turning point not because it introduced him to fame, but because it introduced him to lineage. <img decoding="async" width="904" height="573" src="https://www.americanbluesscene.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/05/Screen-Shot-2026-05-12-at-10.52.52-AM.png" alt="" class="wp-image-74978" srcset="https://www.americanbluesscene.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/05/Screen-Shot-2026-05-12-at-10.52.52-AM.png 904w, https://www.americanbluesscene.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/05/Screen-Shot-2026-05-12-at-10.52.52-AM-300x190.png 300w, https://www.americanbluesscene.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/05/Screen-Shot-2026-05-12-at-10.52.52-AM-768x487.png 768w, https://www.americanbluesscene.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/05/Screen-Shot-2026-05-12-at-10.52.52-AM-150x95.png 150w, https://www.americanbluesscene.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/05/Screen-Shot-2026-05-12-at-10.52.52-AM-450x285.png 450w" sizes="(max-width: 904px) 100vw, 904px" /> “He made me feel seen in a way that I didn’t even understand at the time,” he says. “Like I wasn’t just a kid playing guitar; I was part of something continuing.” He later performed at Wells’ memorial concert at the House of Blues in Chicago, sharing the stage with musicians such as Koko Taylor, Magic Slim, and Sugar Blue. The experience reinforced his sense that blues is not an abstract tradition, but a living community with generational continuity. He also encountered figures like Gatemouth Brown, Link Wray, and later Derek Trucks, each contributing to a widening sense of stylistic possibility. VI. Hill Country and the Field of Influence Stone’s deeper immersion into Mississippi Hill Country blues came later, through direct contact with musicians from the region. He speaks about artists such as Robert Kimbrough Sr., Cedric Burnside, and R.L. Boyce not as distant influences, but as collaborators and mentors. Through these relationships, he learned the structural core of Hill Country guitar: looping rhythm, hypnotic groove, and the interplay between thumb-driven bass lines and percussive treble accents. “One of the guys showed me how the thumb works like a kick drum and the fingers like a snare,” he says. “Once you feel that, everything changes.” He also describes the cultural ethic of the region as deeply embedded in continuity rather than replication. “It’s not about copying Junior Kimbrough,” he explains. “It’s about understanding the spirit of what he was doing and then finding your own voice inside that framework.” The Hill Country Picnic in Mississippi became a key site of immersion for him around 2022. Unlike larger festivals, its single-stage format and familial atmosphere emphasized continuity over spectacle. “It felt like a family reunion more than a festival,” he says. “That’s where you really feel what’s still alive.” VII. Crossroads, Myth, and Irony Stone frequently engages with blues mythology, particularly the legend of the crossroads and Robert Johnson. He treats these stories with a mix of reverence and humor, aware of their symbolic power but resistant to literal interpretation. “There’s always been this idea of selling your soul at the crossroads,” he says. “I joke about going there to renew my lease every six months.” Behind the humor is a deeper point: myth functions as cultural shorthand for transformation, discipline, and sacrifice. He sees Robert Johnson not as a supernatural figure, but as a disciplined musician who practiced intensely and later became mythologized by gossip and storytelling. “People needed a story to explain what they were hearing,” he says. “But the real story is work.” VIII. Discipline, Devotion, and Survival Stone’s relationship to music is inseparable from economic instability and self-reliance. He has worked a wide range of jobs—construction, telemarketing, cleaning services, landscaping, farm labor—often balancing survival work with musical development. At a certain point, he began performing full-time on street corners, clubs, and informal venues, gradually transitioning into a fully self-sustained touring and recording practice. “I just started setting up outside my place and playing,” he says. “And I could pay my rent.” From there, the work became a way of sustaining himself artistically as much as materially, though he resists romanticizing it. “It gets isolating,” he admits. “But I also don’t know another way to do it.” IX. A Global Musical Mind Stone’s later work increasingly integrates global musical systems into his blues foundation. His studies in classical Indian music at the Ali Akbar College in Marin exposed him to raga structures, emotional timing, and the idea that music is tied to cycles of time and consciousness. He draws direct parallels between raga and blues: “They’re almost the same thing,” he says. “Just different languages.” He also incorporates flamenco, reggae, West African rhythmic traditions, jazz improvisation, and psychedelic rock frameworks into his compositional thinking. Rather than fusion for novelty, it is recognition of shared emotional architecture across traditions. X. Continuity, Responsibility, and Future Work Stone is aware that many of the masters who shaped him are aging or have already passed, an awareness that gives his work a sense of urgency. “There’s fewer and fewer of the OGs left,” he says. “So there’s a responsibility to carry it forward.” His goal is to create new work that remains structurally connected to tradition while expanding its expressive range. He envisions ongoing recordings, monthly releases, archival bootleg projects, and collaborative collective work with musicians, visual artists, and producers. “I want to build something where everyone is contributing,” he says. “Not just backing musicians, but a real ecosystem.” At the core of it is a belief that blues is dispersing, mutating, and reappearing in new forms. “It’s still alive,” he says. “You just have to know where to listen.” XI. Closing: The Blues as Human Record Blues is not nostalgia to someone like Stone; it is documentation of human experience under pressure: migration, labor, loss, joy, resilience, and adaptation—both ancient and constantly renewed. “It’s the most honest music we have,” he says. “Because it doesn’t hide anything.” Whether expressed through a Hill Country groove, a psychedelic distortion, or a North Indian raga cycle—he hears the same underlying truth: music as human experience remembering itself out loud. Jesse Cotton Stone
What’s In A Song? Is Dave Mason’s “We Just Disagree” a song for our times?
In the wake of Dave Mason’s passing, “We Just Disagree” resurfaces as a reminder that not every divide needs a verdict—just the recognition that some differences don’t find closure.
Dave Mason’s “We Just Disagree” has been popping up a lot recently on some of my random playlists. Perhaps it is because the noted English singer/songwriter/guitarist passed away on April 19, 2026, just weeks short of his 80th birthday. As American Blues Scene’s Lauren Leadingham recently noted, Mason liked to deal mostly with timeless themes because they were personal to him and would likely be personal to others. Dave Mason, Traffic Co-Founder, Dies at 79 <iframe class="wp-embedded-content" sandbox="allow-scripts" security="restricted" title="“Dave Mason, Traffic Co-Founder, Dies at 79” — American Blues Scene" src="https://www.americanbluesscene.com/2026/04/dave-mason-traffic-co-founder-and-we-just-disagree-singer-songwriter-dies-at-79/embed/#?secret=WVJsbNwpPY#?secret=BPAgw7OgmC" data-secret="BPAgw7OgmC" width="600" height="338" frameborder="0" marginwidth="0" marginheight="0" scrolling="no"> As Lauren also noted, “We Just Disagree” is a strong example of that timelessness, perhaps because of its emotional directness. It is about two people who realize they have too many differences to continue their relationship. They part ways without assigning blame. There ain’t no good guys. There ain’t no bad guys. There are just the two of them who can no longer agree on things. Many see “We Just Disagree” as either a tragic love song or a mature breakup song. The lyrics certainly can be read that way. Yet, like many songs, there is more than one interpretation. According to journalist Bill DeYoung, Mason related to the song on several levels. Mason is known to have had numerous conflicts with band members, love interests and record labels. I have reconnected with numerous friends I knew in a former life thanks to social media. It has been a good experience overall. Social media has also given me insight into how my newer friends view life. And as so many people before me have experienced, that insight has not always been pleasant. I have found some friends who share my views on many things. I like to think that has brought us closer together. I have also found other friends to have views I have a hard time accepting. To paraphrase Dave Mason, have they changed their style? Have we grown up differently? I do not believe any of my friends are bad guys and I don’t view myself as the good guy. Many of those who have different viewpoints than I do are decent people. They are caring people on a personal level though they may have viewpoints I don’t understand. Our goals, our hopes for the future may not be as far apart as we think. So on one level we simply can’t see eye to eye. We just disagree. It doesn’t mean we can’t co-exist on some level. I once shared that thought with an old friend I hadn’t seen in a while. It turned out we disagreed on many things. Perhaps acknowledging our differences would allow us to move past them. He told me that was asinine. I was just trying to get along. But sometimes all you can do is leave it alone. “We Just Disagree” peaked at number twelve on the Billboard Hot 100 in late 1977. Mason told DeYoung, “I thought that song was too good a song to be a hit… And actually, Playboy voted it the worst record of the year.” The folks at Playboy apparently were focused on something other than what makes timeless music. Guitarist Jim Krueger, a member of Mason’s band, wrote “We Just Disagree.” The soft-spoken Krueger who hailed from Manitowoc, Wisconsin was ironically and affectionately known as Bruiser. He also played the 12-string guitar and sang the harmony vocal on the song. He passed away in 1993 of pancreatitis at 43.
Will Johns: ‘On Top of the World,’ Blues Lineage, and the Art of Keeping It Real
Will Johns talks through 'On Top of the World,' where blues lineage and collaboration feed into a broader search for truth, soul, and what the music genuinely represents.
Fresh off a morning walk among alligators, dragonflies, turtles, fish, and birds, singer-songwriter/guitarist Will Johns sounded genuinely taken with Florida life so far. Newly arrived in the Greater Tampa Bay area from his native England, he’s still experiencing the brief stretch of mornings before summer turns them into bathwater. I asked Will about the textures across his new album On Top of the World, particularly the guitar phrasing on songs like “Bull Cow Blues,” “Loneliest Man on Earth,” and “Moondog,” and the sonic language tying the songs together. His response aligns with Willie Dixon’s philosophy of the blues as being “the true facts of life expressed in words and song.” “I have to just say the truth. Blues is the truth. Just being true to what the album is about and what it represents, and sticking to the purest essence of it. The inspiration for it was being on top of the world in the mountains and volcanoes of Guatemala, and having a bit of an epiphany: what good is it to have all these accolades, to try so hard and achieve so much success, and find yourself at the top if you are all alone with no one to share it with? There’s also my song ‘Loneliest Man on Earth,’ which is the ultimate realization of that feeling — being up there, but alone, and you can’t take anyone with you on that path, really.” With “Mannish Boy,” Will takes on one of the most timeless standards in the Muddy Waters repertoire, driven by a cyclical groove that finds its power in momentum rather than resolution. “I’ve always played ‘Hoochie Coochie Man,’ which is a very similar riff. And this one doesn’t resolve. So, musically, it’s still blues and it’s very simple, but in ‘Hoochie Coochie Man,’ it goes to the four chord and then the five, and it resolves, whereas ‘Mannish Boy’ just goes on and on and on. It just is. It’s like the endless day that never turns into night, or the endless night that never turns into day. I did start with a version of ‘Smokestack Lightning,’ and as it developed it just didn’t ring true like ‘Mannish Boy’ did. It fell by the wayside as the record progressed.” Will Johns has grown up inside a musical lineage most people study from the outside. He speaks less in terms of tradition or lineage than in a sense of internal direction, which has proven a steadying instinct inside the noise of expectation. “I’m trying to follow what my soul says to do, going back to the truth, just keeping it real.” A phrase he uses with the awareness of how easily it’s been flattened by repetition. Across the record, he brings in collaborators from different corners of the blues and rock lineage, including Tomiko Dixon (Willie Dixon’s granddaughter), who appears on the album’s rendition of “Spoonful,” and Steve Ferrone (Tom Petty, Eric Clapton), whom Will praises for his “amazing pocket playing.” I’d seen Steve Ferrone with Mike Campbell not long ago, where he spoke about meeting Tom Petty and the making of Wildflowers, still carrying a sense of disbelief and gratitude about having been inside it from start to finish. The way he told it held the room completely. Will speaks about Ferrone like an old friend: shared geography, old conversations, ordinary points of contact. “Well, Steve and I are both from Brighton, on the south coast in the UK, so we have that in common too. We have a good laugh and a great connection. When I lived in Brighton, Steve’s cousin David used to cut my hair. We always get together and have a chat about what Steve is doing and what we’re doing, and then send selfies with my new haircut. Steve and I worked together on a project called The Cream of Clapton Band. Obviously, he played with Eric for years, and was also on Unplugged, which is still the greatest selling live album of all time.” Coming from one of the most closely linked families in British rock history, Will is the son of producer Andy Johns (The Rolling Stones, Led Zeppelin) and actress/model Paula Boyd, as well as the nephew of recording engineer Glyn Johns (The Beatles, The Rolling Stones, Eric Clapton). His aunt, Pattie Boyd, was famously married to both George Harrison and Eric Clapton, relationships that inspired some of the era’s most enduring songs. While studying Performing Arts at Oxford, he formed his first band, Cloud 9, inspired by his late uncle George Harrison’s 1987 album, before going on to become an in-demand studio and touring guitarist. Shortly after first picking up the guitar, Clapton taught him the chords to “Crossroads,” a direct line into the music that surrounded him. “People always come up to me and say, ‘Hey, on that recording that your dad did with Led Zeppelin, how far was the microwave from the guitar amp when he recorded it?’ And I’m like, you know what, I know what he’d like to put in his sandwiches. I don’t follow every technical thing that people love. They wanna know every single detail — what kind of reel-to-reel tape did he use when he recorded Exile on Main St., how many miles of tape did they use? And it’s like, I’ve got absolutely no idea. But I’ll tell you what kind of sunglasses he used to like to buy, what brand. That I know.” Will has been added to the September 2026 lineup for Eric Clapton’s Crossroads Guitar Festival in Austin, Texas, benefitting the Crossroads Centre Antigua. “I take everything with a pinch of salt until it’s actually happening. In the music business, what they say: ‘here today, gone later today.’ So I’m excited about that. But at the same time, I’ll be more excited about it when it’s like a week away. I can’t really get my head around it; it seems absolutely bonkers.” Eric Clapton – guitar/vocals, Paul Carrack – organ/keyboards/vocals, Chris Stainton – keyboards, Sonny Emory – drums, Steve Gadd – drums, Willie Weeks – bass, Katie Kissoon – vocals, Shar White – vocals Special guests: Roger Waters – bass, Nile Rodgers – guitar, Ronnie Wood – guitar, Will Johns – guitar, Steve Winwood – organ/vocals/guitar, Kofi Baker – drums, Kenney Jones – drums, Henry Spinetti – drums Will’s induction at Buddy Guy’s Legends, with Buddy himself present, offered a measure of validation after a period of uncertainty. “I’m hesitant to use the word despair, but there was definitely an element of, you know, what am I doing this for? What does this all mean? I really just want to have a normal life with a lovely wife, and just go to work and come home and be normal. Whatever that means. Whatever normal is. “And then to find myself in Chicago playing, and Buddy’s on stage saying, ‘Do a solo, do a solo,’ and that was my spot. It wasn’t the kind of song where I’m going to go in front of the stage and play a million notes and show my lightning side. It was the opportunity to show the depth of my soul and every bit of blues that I had in me. And he said after I played, ‘Now that’s what you call the blues,’ to the audience. And that made everything I’ve been through, everything I’ve tried to do feel worthwhile.” Buddy has been doing a run of shows at Legends and will be at Crossroads Guitar Festival, too. “He’s so funny, probably one of the only entertainers who can get away with being that cheeky.” <img loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="1024" height="683" src="https://www.americanbluesscene.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/05/WillBuddyBest-scaled-1-1024x683.jpg" alt="" class="wp-image-74936" style="width:740px;height:auto" srcset="https://www.americanbluesscene.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/05/WillBuddyBest-scaled-1-1024x683.jpg 1024w, https://www.americanbluesscene.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/05/WillBuddyBest-scaled-1-300x200.jpg 300w, https://www.americanbluesscene.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/05/WillBuddyBest-scaled-1-768x512.jpg 768w, https://www.americanbluesscene.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/05/WillBuddyBest-scaled-1-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https://www.americanbluesscene.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/05/WillBuddyBest-scaled-1-2048x1366.jpg 2048w, https://www.americanbluesscene.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/05/WillBuddyBest-scaled-1-150x100.jpg 150w, https://www.americanbluesscene.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/05/WillBuddyBest-scaled-1-450x300.jpg 450w, https://www.americanbluesscene.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/05/WillBuddyBest-scaled-1-1200x800.jpg 1200w" sizes="(max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px" /> A new lineup has come together around Will. “On keys, vocals, and other instruments, Alyssa Martini — she comes from Seattle, she’s here now. On bass guitar, Johannes “Ice” Quilitz. And on drums, Tim Adger. I’m really enjoying working with these guys. When we play and in rehearsals, I get goosebumps. “I met Alyssa when I was on tour with the Cream of Clapton Band, up in Seattle. She’s a friend of Whitney Petty, who’s the guitarist in Thunderpussy. We hit it off immediately. She was actually going to join the band on bass at one point when we were stuck for a bass player, and then we reconnected at the Venice Blues Festival — run by Nick Sperry. It just took a while for the stars to align. “Alyssa and I have this amazing natural musical connection. She’s also certified in music healing, and she plays harp. It’s absolutely amazing. We’re working on another little side project as well — it can perform as the duo, or feature the whole band, it’s very delicate, very refined. We were filming some promotional material down on Treasure Island the other day, and the wind was blowing through the strings of the harp and making the most beautiful sounds.” Will has just completed his autobiography BLUESDADDY: Born into Noise, Raised on Chaos and Saved by the Blues, written with Marshall Terrill, set for release later this year. At what point did he realize the story needed to be told in his own words? “It was an idea to do it pre-pandemic. I actually started putting down the transcript with encouragement from my now ex-wife Lucy. We had separated, but it was still lockdown. We were still living in the marital home with our two boys. In the evenings, she said, ‘Let’s start this process of your book,’ and we’d press record on the computer. She would ask me questions, and I would just ramble on and tell my stories. It wasn’t necessarily linear; there was a lot of going back and forth, or suddenly remembering something, or something else triggering another memory. “We ended up with about five or six hours of transcripts. That would’ve been January 2021. Then they just sat there. It wasn’t until last year that I felt overwhelmingly that I needed to get this story down. I explored different ways of doing it, and I was lucky enough to contact Marshall Terrill, a published author who’s written books on Elvis and his manager, and Steve McQueen. I sent him the transcripts, and he had a listen. He said he’d be happy to work with me on turning it into a book. We’ve just finished the fifth draft recently, and now we’re working on how to present it and which photos to use.” BLUESDADDY is also the name of Will’s most popular album to date. “It’s been an incredible process, because when you start getting that stuff down in writing, you begin to remember other aspects and feelings and vibes that were going on in life. So it has been kind of cathartic. It’s been very eye-opening and quite an enjoyable experience. In the book, I talk about growing up in and around Eric’s house, with Eric, and he taught me how to fish and cast a line. I sent him a chapter and he came back and said it was a fantastic read.” <img loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="684" height="579" src="https://www.americanbluesscene.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/05/Screen-Shot-2026-05-11-at-5.16.29-PM.png" alt="" class="wp-image-74945" srcset="https://www.americanbluesscene.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/05/Screen-Shot-2026-05-11-at-5.16.29-PM.png 684w, https://www.americanbluesscene.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/05/Screen-Shot-2026-05-11-at-5.16.29-PM-300x254.png 300w, https://www.americanbluesscene.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/05/Screen-Shot-2026-05-11-at-5.16.29-PM-150x127.png 150w, https://www.americanbluesscene.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/05/Screen-Shot-2026-05-11-at-5.16.29-PM-450x381.png 450w" sizes="(max-width: 684px) 100vw, 684px" /> Will Johns has found a foothold in the local blues scene in Safety Harbor, Florida, where he says he’s been met with a warm reception, and where fishing doesn’t quite stay confined to childhood with Uncle Eric. “People love the blues here. I found my place where it fits, and my music is appreciated. I have a smile on my face because every place I’m playing, I’m getting a nice welcome. And the decor is in keeping with my hobbies and the things that I like; there’s always big fish or a huge shark up on the wall.” Asked what he hopes remains after a show, he comes back to the live moment itself and what it unlocks in the room. “Just that it’s real. I would like to think that people leave my shows and they’ve had the experience where the music has touched their soul, and that at one point or two points, or however many points they’ve had goosebumps on their arms, and they’ve remembered what it is to be truly human. It’s a spiritually uplifting experience.” Will Johns
Language of the Blues: How “Gatemouth” Became a Musical Nickname
In this installment of Language of the Blues, author and rocker Debra Devi traces the slang term “gatemouth” from early jazz and blues vernacular to the larger-than-life musicians who carried the name.
A “gate” is 1920s slang for a fellow, a guy. In the original version of “Gimme a Pigfoot and a Bottle of Beer”, composed by Wesley Wilson, the line was “Send me, daddy,” but when Bessie Smith recorded it in 1933, she sang: “Just at the break of day you can hear old Hannah say / “Gimme a pigfoot and a bottle of beer / Send me, gate.” Gate might be an abbreviation of gatemouthed, which means gator-faced, and Gatemouth came to mean a jazz musician or any hip male. Louis Armstrong reportedly claimed to have been the first to have used gatemouth this way. The most famous gatemouth in the blues is Clarence “Gatemouth” Brown, the virtuoso multi-instrumentalist who played some of the most fiery and musically sophisticated blues around until his passing in 2005 at age 81. Born in Louisiana and raised in Texas, Gatemouth Brown freely mixed the blues with bluegrass, country, swing, funk, and zydeco. Brown’s brothers were nicknamed Widemouth and Gapmouth, by the way. <img loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="450" height="563" src="https://www.americanbluesscene.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/05/A-640280-1553224924-8704.jpg" alt="" class="wp-image-74914" srcset="https://www.americanbluesscene.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/05/A-640280-1553224924-8704.jpg 450w, https://www.americanbluesscene.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/05/A-640280-1553224924-8704-240x300.jpg 240w, https://www.americanbluesscene.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/05/A-640280-1553224924-8704-150x188.jpg 150w" sizes="(max-width: 450px) 100vw, 450px" /> Clarence Gatemouth Brown Brown could play guitar, violin, harmonica, mandolin, viola, and even the drums. “In the forties, it was Gatemouth Brown and T. Bone Walker,” Texas blues artist Jimmie Vaughan told me, adding: “They were great rivals. Gatemouth Brown was like the Jimi Hendrix of that time.” “What a great resource, as fascinating as it is informative. Debra’s passion for the blues shines through.” – Bonnie Raitt “Debra’s book will teach you what you really need to know about blues history and where the blues are coming from.” – Joe Bonamassa “Finally one can understand the mechanics behind the overwhelming viscera of the Blues. Debra Devi’s work is a true guide book to the soul.” – Al Jourgensen (Ministry) “This book is fascinating! Take it to the bathroom and don’t come out until you’re done reading it.” – Jimmy Vivino “This is a beautiful book. Upon receiving The Language of the Blues I discovered my knowledge only scratched the surface. Debra Devi has written an invaluable reference book. And it’s also great fun to read.” – Hal Willner “Don’t think that The Language of the Blues might read like a dictionary or reference book. There’s no plot, but you can open it up at random and fall into the world of your favorite blues songs, and find out more about the lyrics than you would be guessing from context. I learned a lot more about the blues music I already loved.” – Bob Margolin The Language of the Blues
In Tune With The Bluz House Rockers – Popular Band From NY’s Capital District Still Going Strong After 31 Years
Longevity isn’t accidental. After 31 years, the Bluz House Rockers point to respect, consistency, and the work of staying ready to play.
Longevity is an elusive commodity when it comes to music groups. Seven years is often cited as the average life of a band, though some claim two years is closer to the truth. Even bands that change personnel do not typically stay together for the long haul. Changing trends, financial strain, personal conflicts, creative differences, and the intense pressure of constant togetherness eventually will cause the downfall of even the best groups. So the fact that the Bluz House Rockers have been making music together in New York’s Capital District and beyond for 31 years is no small achievement. They are seven veteran musicians from upstate New York, six of whom sing lead and harmonies. Several have been inducted into the NYS Blues Hall of Fame. The current lineup has been together for a number of years now and features Trish Anderson on vocals, Tony Perrino and Matt Donnelly on keyboards, Rick Rourke on sax, Denny Dwyer on guitar, Chris Peck on bass, and drummer Jeff Prescott. I spoke to Trish, Tony, and band manager Jim Anderson about the longevity of BHR, among other things. Jim said, “I think that, first of all, there’s the respect that each one in the band has for the other members. I think when everybody shows up to play they want to be at their peak.” <img loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="300" height="273" src="https://www.americanbluesscene.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/05/Trish-1-300x273-1.jpg" alt="" class="wp-image-74905" srcset="https://www.americanbluesscene.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/05/Trish-1-300x273-1.jpg 300w, https://www.americanbluesscene.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/05/Trish-1-300x273-1-150x137.jpg 150w" sizes="(max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px" /> Denny Dwyer/guitar and Trish Anderson/vocals “We started out at Park West,” Trish said. Park West was a club in Clifton Park, NY, just north of Albany. “There’s been a bunch of different lineups,” Jim added. “But I think that the current lineup, which has been together for a long time, is the best lineup we’ve ever had. And we just keep getting better, even though we’re getting older.” Reflecting for a moment Jim went on, “The fact that at this age, we’re still able to go on stage and perform at a high level and give our all is celebration of our individual careers to do this together at this time.” Given their age, their day jobs, and the fact they have been playing together for so many years, do they still practice? “We practice,” Trish said emphatically, drawing some laughter from Jim and Tony. “If it wasn’t for Tony, I wouldn’t be doing as well as I have. He’s an amazing musical director of the band, and just keeps us going, you know, being good each time we play out.” <img loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="300" height="273" src="https://www.americanbluesscene.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/05/Tony-1-300x273-1.jpg" alt="" class="wp-image-74906" srcset="https://www.americanbluesscene.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/05/Tony-1-300x273-1.jpg 300w, https://www.americanbluesscene.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/05/Tony-1-300x273-1-150x137.jpg 150w" sizes="(max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px" /> Tony Perino/keyboards, vocals “I try to just help facilitate everybody,” Tony says, somewhat modestly. “I have my studio here where I am, and so it makes it a nice, easy pre-setup thing. We all just love being together. It’s like a family. Everybody loves to come up here and get our rehearsals in and feel sharp for the gigs. So it’s not any kind of, like, a pressure situation, you know.” Over their lengthy career, BHR has played in such venues as Turning Stone Casino, Saratoga Performing Arts Center, and Albany’s First Night celebrations. They have also played at the Mohegan Sun’s Wolf Den in Connecticut. For many years they were among the bands playing Delbert McClinton’s Sandy Beaches Cruise in the Caribbean. Trish recalled the time BHR opened for Pat Benatar at Albany’s Empire State Plaza with over 30,000 in attendance. “Of course, it was an honor to open for her, and she was amazing. But the funny thing about it was (the local paper’s entertainment editor) wrote a review of the show. There were two paragraphs about how good Bluz House was and there was a paragraph (saying) Pat Benatar was not so good. But in reality, she was great. Oh, she was great!” Tony remembered when bandmate Rick Rourke was organizing one of the late night jam sessions on a Delbert McClinton Cruise. Members of the other acts on the cruise could always join in without formality. Cruise passengers on the other hand had to register on sign-up sheet and wait their turn. Famed session drummer Russ Kunkel showed up to join in and Rick, who did not recognize Russ, told him to sign up and wait his turn. <img loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="300" height="273" src="https://www.americanbluesscene.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/05/Rick-1-300x273-1.jpg" alt="" class="wp-image-74907" style="width:292px;height:auto" srcset="https://www.americanbluesscene.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/05/Rick-1-300x273-1.jpg 300w, https://www.americanbluesscene.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/05/Rick-1-300x273-1-150x137.jpg 150w" sizes="(max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px" /> Rick Rourke/sax, vocals Tony enlightened Rick who immediately apologized to Russ and asked him to join in. Was Russ offended? “Oh, not at all! No, we had a big laugh over it,” said Tony. BHR put out a self-titled album in 2002. The first track, “Three Dollar Bill,” went to number two on the pop charts in Denmark. As Jim tells it, “We got this email from a radio station in Denmark and basically showing us the top 10 songs on their equivalent of the Billboard Top 100. And there we are at number 2, and at number 3 was the Rolling Stones. “In Europe, they have big festivals all the time in the summer, and they wanted us to come play at these festivals. The problem at the time, early on in our career with Blue’s House, was that everybody had a day job. And nobody could take two weeks off and hang out in Denmark.” The album Bluz House Rockers did not get radio play in the States. More’s the shame because it contained several other good songs like “Dinner At My House,” “Don’t Call,” and “Show Me.” “We didn’t have a label,” Jim said. “You know, we self-produced the CD, and we didn’t have a company behind us pushing the product.” This was before independent artists could make their recordings via CD Baby and streaming platforms. But that may change soon. Trish and Tony are at work revamping songs from the original album. According to Trish, “We’re trying to change the beat a little bit. We’re going to put them out in a different way, you know, less 80 sounding and more now sounding.” Tony adds, “More standard-style jazz that features her as the singer. And Rick (Rourke) produced it with Trish and myself. So we’ve got a few that are different, too, that are very good.” Some may dismiss the Bluz House Rockers as merely a cover band playing popular music. It is a label they don’t try to deny. If anything, they embrace it. And after all, isn’t popular music built on the foundation of traditional roots music? Bluz House Rockers Tour Schedule: Friday, July 18 (6:00–7:10 p.m.) — Shepard Park, Lake George Sunday, July 20 (4:00–7:00 p.m.) — Carson’s Woodside Tavern, Route 9P, Malta, NY Saturday, July 26 (6:00–9:00 p.m.) — Wood Park, Hoosick Falls, NY Sunday, July 27 (1:00–5:00 p.m.) — Saratoga Race Track Gazebo, Saratoga, NY Thursday, July 31 (5:00–9:00 p.m.) — Vice and Virtue, 40 N. Broadway, Schenectady, NY Saturday, August 16 (5:00–6:30 p.m.) — Fairways at Halfmoon, Mechanicville, NY Saturday, August 30 (6:00–9:00 p.m.) — Carson’s Woodside Tavern, Route 9P, Malta, NY
The Mavericks Announce Return to Touring Following Loss of Raul Malo
In a message to fans, The Mavericks speak to grief, gratitude, and the decision to continue performing
The Mavericks are preparing to return to the road. In a message shared with fans, the band confirmed plans to tour again following the loss of frontman Raul Malo, while acknowledging the weight of moving forward without him. “The immeasurable loss of our leader, friend and irreplaceable brother Raul has been as difficult as you can imagine,” the band wrote. “We know that we can’t replace Raul.. but, we can still, in bold spirit, continue to play this joyous music and celebrate The Mavericks legacy together.” Remembering Raul Malo: The Mavericks’ Voice, Heart, and Great Unifier <iframe class="wp-embedded-content" sandbox="allow-scripts" security="restricted" title="“Remembering Raul Malo: The Mavericks’ Voice, Heart, and Great Unifier” — American Blues Scene" src="https://www.americanbluesscene.com/2025/12/remembering-raul-malo-the-mavericks-voice-heart-and-great-unifier/embed/#?secret=mOHMcBkvA1#?secret=joQg6KVhY6" data-secret="joQg6KVhY6" width="600" height="338" frameborder="0" marginwidth="0" marginheight="0" scrolling="no"> Malo, whose voice and songwriting defined the band’s sound for decades, died in 2026. In their statement, band members Eddie Perez, Paul Deakin, and Jerry Dale McFadden also expressed gratitude for the outpouring of support from fans, friends, and their extended community. “Your words of love and show of support for the Mavericks and our dear brother Raul over these past couple of years has been nothing short of amazing, heartfelt and much appreciated,” they wrote, noting that Malo and his family were aware of how deeply he was loved. Looking ahead, the band emphasized healing through music. “We are all wanting to find a way to heal and in the best way we know how to. Music is the medicine.” The group will be joined on tour by guest vocalists James Otto and Emily West, who previously appeared during tribute performances at Ryman Auditorium. <img loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="819" height="1024" src="https://www.americanbluesscene.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/05/unnamed-819x1024.jpg" alt="" class="wp-image-74896" style="width:712px;height:auto" srcset="https://www.americanbluesscene.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/05/unnamed-819x1024.jpg 819w, https://www.americanbluesscene.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/05/unnamed-240x300.jpg 240w, https://www.americanbluesscene.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/05/unnamed-768x960.jpg 768w, https://www.americanbluesscene.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/05/unnamed-150x188.jpg 150w, https://www.americanbluesscene.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/05/unnamed-450x563.jpg 450w, https://www.americanbluesscene.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/05/unnamed.jpg 1080w" sizes="(max-width: 819px) 100vw, 819px" /> Drummer Paul Deakin said the pair were “undeniable talents,” adding that their Ryman performances received standing ovations and that “The Mavericks made them our top choice” for the first leg of The Music Lives On Tour. Guitarist Eddie Perez called their addition “exciting,” while keyboardist Jerry Dale McFadden noted, “James and Emily stole the show both nights.” West said joining the tour is “with great joy,” calling it an honor to help celebrate Malo’s work, while Otto described feeling “an undeniable musical chemistry” during the Ryman tribute shows, adding that he believes “Raul would want the band and the music he spent a lifetime creating to play on.” <img loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="920" height="564" src="https://www.americanbluesscene.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/05/Screen-Shot-2026-05-05-at-8.28.33-PM.png" alt="" class="wp-image-74901" srcset="https://www.americanbluesscene.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/05/Screen-Shot-2026-05-05-at-8.28.33-PM.png 920w, https://www.americanbluesscene.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/05/Screen-Shot-2026-05-05-at-8.28.33-PM-300x184.png 300w, https://www.americanbluesscene.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/05/Screen-Shot-2026-05-05-at-8.28.33-PM-768x471.png 768w, https://www.americanbluesscene.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/05/Screen-Shot-2026-05-05-at-8.28.33-PM-150x92.png 150w, https://www.americanbluesscene.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/05/Screen-Shot-2026-05-05-at-8.28.33-PM-450x276.png 450w" sizes="(max-width: 920px) 100vw, 920px" /> Credit: Alejandro Menéndez Vega Presale begins tomorrow, Wednesday 5/6 at 10am CST with artist code ELMAESTRO & on sale to the public Friday 5/8at 10am local time! Head to here for more info!
For Eric Andersen, The Last Show of The Last Tour Is Not The End
Six decades after Greenwich Village, Eric Andersen is still resisting the idea of endings: “I just do what I do when I do it,” he says ahead of his final tour stop at Caffè Lena.
Dylan calls Eric Andrsen a great ballad singer. The New York Times refers to him as “a singer and songwriter of the first rank.” For more than six decades he’s earned his place among the greats to emerge out of the Greenwich Village and Harvard Square coffeehouse scene. Friday night (5/8/26) he plays Caffe Lena in Saratoga Springs. New York in what is being billed as the last stop on his last tour. Andersen is often lumped together with artists of the mid-’60s folk scare. He was discovered by Tom Paxton and spent two winters in Boston taking night courses at Harvard on subjects like James Joyce, French symbolist poetry, and eastern religions. But he really found his home in Greenwich Village where he played his first gig at Gerde’s Folk City opening for Detroit blues boogie man John Lee Hooker in 1964. “(Hooker) played music that scared those little girls,” Eric once told me. “They wanted to run and hide under their mom’s apron strings under their house dresses, hugging their knees. He was very nice, and we shared a dressing room. I was just nervous to be on stage. You got Bob Dylan in the audience. You got Dave Van Ronk and all these people looking at you. You know, it’s scary!” Eric has toured the world and released more than 30 CDs of original music including a 2022 three-CD tribute album was released with contributions from Bob Dylan, Janis Ian, Richard Shindell, Linda Ronstadt, Happy Traum, Dom Flemons and others interpreting and covering his songs. “I don’t think of myself as a creative person,” he says today. “It’s not what I do. It’s like a planter knows where to put the seeds and where to pick up the plants later. No preconceptions. I get a song. I write it down. I have tons of paper, just scribbles all over the place, ideas — ‘where did I put that paper?’ I try to keep them on the piano.” <img loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="1024" height="683" src="https://www.americanbluesscene.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/05/EricAndersen_7449_cPaoloBrillo-1024x683.jpg" alt="" class="wp-image-74890" srcset="https://www.americanbluesscene.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/05/EricAndersen_7449_cPaoloBrillo-1024x683.jpg 1024w, https://www.americanbluesscene.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/05/EricAndersen_7449_cPaoloBrillo-300x200.jpg 300w, https://www.americanbluesscene.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/05/EricAndersen_7449_cPaoloBrillo-768x512.jpg 768w, https://www.americanbluesscene.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/05/EricAndersen_7449_cPaoloBrillo-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https://www.americanbluesscene.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/05/EricAndersen_7449_cPaoloBrillo-2048x1365.jpg 2048w, https://www.americanbluesscene.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/05/EricAndersen_7449_cPaoloBrillo-150x100.jpg 150w, https://www.americanbluesscene.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/05/EricAndersen_7449_cPaoloBrillo-450x300.jpg 450w, https://www.americanbluesscene.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/05/EricAndersen_7449_cPaoloBrillo-1200x800.jpg 1200w" sizes="(max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px" /> Photo credit: Paolo Brillo Eric claims he hasn’t thought about Friday’s concert as being a climactic close to a long and storied career. “I don’t think about those things. I go up and do a show like I normally do. I don’t think first or last. I don’t think about it that way. I just do what I do when I do it. It may sound trite, but it’s tritely true.” Looking back on his early career: “I was just writing, being able to get everybody to want free form. I think the lifestyle followed hand in hand. The lifestyle was free form, too. It wasn’t like sitting in a university office typing out poetry for a poetry book. It was like living a life. We were living our poems. That became true of the singer-songwriters, too.” Six decades in, things have changed. “Your life might have become a little duller and boring because you don’t move around as much, but that doesn’t stop your mind because the mind has roots, and travels no matter where you are situated. It’s interesting.” I asked him where he thought his mind would go at this, his last show. “I don’t think about those things. I go up and do a show like I normally do.” <img loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="1024" height="683" src="https://www.americanbluesscene.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/05/EricAndersen_6803_cPaoloBrillo-1024x683.jpg" alt="" class="wp-image-74892" srcset="https://www.americanbluesscene.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/05/EricAndersen_6803_cPaoloBrillo-1024x683.jpg 1024w, https://www.americanbluesscene.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/05/EricAndersen_6803_cPaoloBrillo-300x200.jpg 300w, https://www.americanbluesscene.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/05/EricAndersen_6803_cPaoloBrillo-768x512.jpg 768w, https://www.americanbluesscene.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/05/EricAndersen_6803_cPaoloBrillo-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https://www.americanbluesscene.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/05/EricAndersen_6803_cPaoloBrillo-2048x1365.jpg 2048w, https://www.americanbluesscene.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/05/EricAndersen_6803_cPaoloBrillo-150x100.jpg 150w, https://www.americanbluesscene.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/05/EricAndersen_6803_cPaoloBrillo-450x300.jpg 450w, https://www.americanbluesscene.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/05/EricAndersen_6803_cPaoloBrillo-1200x800.jpg 1200w" sizes="(max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px" /> Photo credit: Paolo Brillo He says the reaction to his latest album, Stand Up and Resist, has been incredible. The same with his live appearances. “The audience only had a couple of incidents where a few people walked out, you know? What are they doing at my show? They probably took a left turn by mistake. They should have taken a right. Ok, Ethel. We’re out of here.” Eric doesn’t see himself in terms of a legacy. “If you think in that way then you think it’s over. I’m sure people do. I’m sure there’s some people who, because of circumstances, may think of that thing, but I never thought of it that way. Like I say, I leave it up to journalists to decipher that.” Singer, songwriter, musician, producer, engineer, and studio ace Steve Addabbo plays guitar with Eric. Showtime is 8 p.m. Friday at Caffe Lena at 47 Phila St. in Saratoga Springs, NY. Steve has worked on many of Eric’s albums including Ghosts Upon the Road (1989), Stages: the Lost Album (1991), Memory Of the Future (1998), and You Can’t Relive the Past (2000) – the title track co-written and performed by Eric and Lou Reed. Eric on Fender Rhodes, appears on Steve’s first solo album Out of Nothing. Eric Andersen
Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers 1978 Paradise Rock Club Show Gets Limited Vinyl Release
A newly restored 1978 broadcast finds Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers in full early-flight form, now pressed as a 3,000-copy split dye collector’s vinyl.
In celebration of the 50th anniversary of Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers, the Tom Petty Estate unveils the release of Live at the Paradise Rock Club, 1978. A total of just 3,000 copies pressed on 180g pink and green split dye color vinyl will be available; purchase <a href="https://wld6k8hbb.cc.rs6.net/tn.jsp?f=0018GrRmTmjilKSZH0eZmwg5v0WzpvC94DZTNrbTfMLTMr5xFi9sxvAOzPUBhwe3dH0D0YhSlLrIk2UDhkWrTakMcNxnpo9NacFe3VkLGlCOOYmn1W-IJyR9ZaJ02pfzSS2ok2Uy-jWH60SHw2_3vg3WxDAn18b46we7Tsj0rcg8DD5VGo--wMqgUHshm8qsjyhrYfZoorYUHlw4guopEpxpA==&c=SVAJV2nXGhLcmULBlWGPhnuzGTZAZ95CLyuOlYKp_DRj46hyZuBpIA==&ch=6ijsLfGM2ufvz-UvatP4sbA9ftVZI0E7oib3K5ZLTdfQ5ouMrPe7_A==" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">here. This bootleg-style recording captures the punk rock energy and raw talent of Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers at the very beginning of their explosion into stardom. This recording takes fans back to the Heartbreakers’ earliest days as the band marks its 50th anniversary, a celebration that will extend throughout the coming year. Recorded live on two-track during a wild stop in Boston on the “You’re Gonna Get It!” tour and broadcast by WBCN-FM, the Paradise Rock Club show captures that electricity in real time, the sound of a band the world was just beginning to discover. <img loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="1024" height="576" src="https://www.americanbluesscene.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/05/unnamed-1024x576.png" alt="" class="wp-image-74882" srcset="https://www.americanbluesscene.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/05/unnamed-1024x576.png 1024w, https://www.americanbluesscene.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/05/unnamed-300x169.png 300w, https://www.americanbluesscene.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/05/unnamed-768x432.png 768w, https://www.americanbluesscene.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/05/unnamed-150x84.png 150w, https://www.americanbluesscene.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/05/unnamed-450x253.png 450w, https://www.americanbluesscene.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/05/unnamed.png 1200w" sizes="(max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px" /> “This glimpse of the past shows the power of the band and the acceptance of the band by the city leading to a great fan base there that only grew as we moved on to play both the Old Garden and also Fenway in the ensuing years,” said Alan “Bugs” Weidel, the Heartbreakers’ longtime equipment manager and Petty’s trusted right-hand man. “The band developed a love of Boston and the fans there that made it a memorable place we were always excited to visit. So listen and imagine yourself in that small venue, discovering one of the all-time great bands.” The Tom Petty Estate is releasing the fan-favorite concert officially for the first time, featuring audio restoration by longtime engineer Ryan Ulyate. The LP features nine performances, including five classic cover versions, with hits such as “Breakdown,” “Don’t Bring Me Down,” “Too Much Ain’t Enough” and more. Each copy includes artwork based on an original Shelter Records acetate found in Tom’s personal archives. On Record Store Day, fans were able to purchase a splatter version of the vinyl, retailed exclusively at indie record stores. The direct-to-fan pressing features an exclusive split dye color treatment, making this edition a distinct collector’s item available only through official channels. Tom Petty was inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame and the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame, earning multiple Grammy Awards over a career that sold more than 85 million records worldwide. He died in 2017 following his 40th anniversary tour, leaving behind a deep archive that continues to surface through ongoing releases from the Tom Petty Estate. VINYL TRACKLIST A1: Anything That’s Rock ‘N’ Roll A2: Don’t Bring Me Down A3: Band Intros A4: You’re Gonna Get It A6: Too Much Ain’t Enough B1: Shout B2: I Fought The Law B3: (Get Your Kicks On) Route 66 B4: I’m A King Bee
Reverend Shawn Amos Brings “The Loco-Motion” into His Dance Party Series
Seventh installment in his 'Dance Party' series connects music and forthcoming novel in a cross-disciplinary project around themes of dance, joy, and shared expression.
Today, acclaimed songwriter, author, and blues & soul revivalist Reverend Shawn Amos shares his new single “The Loco-Motion,” the latest release in his ongoing Dance Party series. Originally recorded by Little Eva and released in 1962, the song arrived as an early example of the era’s shift toward dance-driven soul—a shared invitation to move and take part. Known for his inventive reinterpretations of classic material, Amos applies his signature harmonica-driven style to the song’s familiar melody. Now in its seventh installment, the series serves as a companion piece to his forthcoming novel Franklin & the Fabulous 5ive, with both projects sharing a central idea: that dance, celebration, and communal joy are acts of resistance and connection in troubled times. Now more than ever, we must dance with each other. Dance is medicine. Dance is rebellion. Dance is community. Dance is joy. Shawn Amos The son of Wally “Famous” Amos, he grew up in Hollywood, an experience reflected in his storytelling for young readers. His young adult novel Cookies & Milk won the 2023 NAACP Image Award for Outstanding Literary Work, and alongside Ellis Johnson Might Be Famous, established him as a distinctive voice in children’s and young adult literature. His fourth novel, Franklin & the Fabulous 5ive, is set for publication by Little, Brown Books for Young Readers in January 2027. The Dance Party series continues a career that has moved across creative lanes. Before establishing himself as a blues & soul artist with a devoted following, Reverend Shawn Amos worked behind the scenes in the music industry as an executive at Rhino Records and Shout! Factory, building a deep familiarity with American music history. As American Blues Scene previously noted in an interview with Reverend Shawn Amos on his 2024 album Soul Brother Brother No. 1, he approaches music as a deeply collaborative exchange—one that, in his words, creates “the most direct connection from my head to my heart to my spirit.” The Reverend Shawn Amos