Lou DeAdder

Today we take a listen to Lou’s new CD “Number 5”
Release date - May 1, 2010
Voted Number Two in the "Blind Lemon Top 20 Canadian Blues Albums for 2010"

Winner of the Durham Region Music Society's "Best Blues Recording"
for 2010

 

1. Low Down Feelin’ Blues 4 ★★★★ nice harmonica

2. Get It Up 4 ★★★★

3. Aftermath 6 ★★★★★★ nice horns!

4. Crash and Burn 4 ★★★★ nice grind

5. Guitar Wank 6 ★★★★★ Nice guitar work

6. Jazzy 6 ★★★★★★ nice jazzy tune

7. Tight…Eh? 6 ★★★★★★ this ones going on my IPOD

8. Curtains Calling 2 ★★ to repetitive for me

Average (mean)	4.75
Median	6
Standard Deviation	1.49
Album Score:	9.26

Another talented Blues artist from Canada. Very nice album all originals. Interesting mixture of Blues, Rock, Jazz and Fusion. 8 songs on this album would have liked to see at least 10.

Band consists of Guitar, bass, drums, trumpet, sax Harmonica, keys/organ and background vocals. I personally would like to hear more of the Jazz Fusion. There is real talent here. As a trumpet player myself I have to say that horns are really nice and arranged well! I enjoyed this group and would like to here more. My favorite songs are track 3 track 5 track 7 all the jazz tunes with horns.. what can I say I like songs with good horn arrangements! So my blues fans please forgive me playing favorites to the Jazzy tunes on this album. My opinion these are the best of the songs on this Album! Band arrangements and Especially the jazzier tunes are reminiscent to the band Chicago while the more aggressive guitar playing brings in that fusion feel. The first song “low down feeling blues” is more of a slow honky tonk blues with nice harmonica highlights through out. Album feels a little like a compilation of different bands. But I enjoyed all the styles of music performed on this album.

I look forward to review Lou’s next album, I understand it was recently released and is called “Headlights” as well another CD to be released in October 2011 called Ballads.

”A little Blues, Jazz and fusion peppered with soul and superb musicianship” Big Wayne  of LiveBluesTonight.com & Blues-E-News.com

http://www.loudeadder.com

 

Oppertunity, looking to promote live video on the LBT Network!

Live Blues Tonight
Promoting the BLUES one Gig at a time!

A message to all members of Live Blues Tonight. (You joined our Face Book Group, Now become a member to the site! Its free, for a limited time!)


Hello LBT family,

Big Wayne here. Well we're working on some exciting new opportunities for our Blues Lovers and thought you would like to hear some insights from me.

First we're finally getting ready to launch our Blues Newsletter. So we are looking for ideas from our little group on what you'd like to see in the newsletter. Also we will be offering a few advertising spots for Venues, Bands, Festivals or any other company looking to share their information with us. So please let us know your thoughts and interests on advertising!

Secondly, I have for a while wanted to webcast concerts and gigs on our site. If you are interested in some free publicity for your band, venue or event and would be able to provide a good video and audio feed live over the Internet, or if you can give us a good quality DVD of your band with written permission for us to broadcast it on our site, send me an email so we can talk!

Thirdly, I would like to get more members on our site. I want to do a membership drive! I am looking to our LBT community for support on this. But, I have received little help on this in past membership drives. I know it takes time and what's in it for you right? Well actually, There's a lot in it for you! The more members we have the more publicity you get! The more events you list, the more visitors will come back, which means more exposure! But hey, maybe you want more incentive. Last time I launched a membership drive I won first, second and third place for referring the most new members. LOL! It didn't really work out the way I wanted. So I was thinking... How about the three top referrals listed by new member sign ups will get:

Featured artist, venue, or member on our main page for two MONTHS! (one winner a month) (this is an advertisement spot so if you would rather have an ad, your choice).
Featured on our members page for one year!
Featured in our Newsletter (which we are about to launch) for two months. This is also an advertising spot, so your choice ad or band feature.
A guaranteed CD review, Blues Reviews by Big Wayne!
A quote about your venue or band, By Big Wayne & LiveBluesTonight.com! Good for promotional, and press releases.

Is that enough to get you to share our site with your email and contact list? I built and am maintaining this site all on my own and with little to no financial gain! And I am offering my time to help you! So help us all and give me your feedback, your help, and cooperation in promoting this site which helps us all.


Fourthly, I am looking for venues, Blues Event coordinators, Blues societies, Radio DJs, Bloggers and Writers.... We can help each other! Post your events! Write a review or blog and send me your RSS feed or repost on our site. Advertise and promote your content by starting a blog or discussion on our site! I will help you promote by directing readers to our site with your content!


As always I appreciate this opportunity to share our love for the blues and wish you all the best and sincere respect for your artistry and assistance!

Peace, Love and the Blues...
Big Wayne
wayne@livebluestonight.com
www.LiveBluesTonight.blogspot.com
Blues on demand Internet Radio
Blues Reviews By Big Wayne
Blues Newsletter
Blues Social network
Blues blog host
Blues Event Calendar
Blues Venue promotion
Blues Search Engine
Indie Blues Promoter
Blues Lover and Musician

I can use all the help I can get. if your interested in ways you can help me with this site, send me an email. I can always use more financial support as well. So buy an advertising spot, a T-shirt or make a donation of time or money. Its all appreciated!


Visit Live Blues Tonight at: http://www.livebluestonight.com/

Energy Saving Suggestions

Some energy saving suggestions I have accumulated over the web with some research!

The Paint on your walls The color you paint the walls in your home can cost you Money! Paint the walls of your home a light color. Dark colors tend to absorb light, requiring you to use more energy from light bulbs to achieve the same effect.

Not only do light colors on your walls help conserve energy in your home, they also make your rooms feel brighter and more cheerful! If you are about to paint the walls in your home we suggest you use a low or zero VOC paint. Check out this site from TLC for more information about how low-VOC paint works.

Dish Washer A dishwasher that is 90% full uses 4 units of electricity. If it is only 50% full, it still uses 3 units of electricity. Fill the dishwasher to save on your electric bill.

Energy Efficient Light Bulbs Replacing a single incandescent bulb with an energy-efficient compact fluorescent bulb (one of those "squiggly bulbs") can save up to $50 over the bulb's lifetime. Check out www.greenlite.ca  They have great Light bulbs to replace your old inefficient bulbs and save money being green. Site also has a great savings calculator!

Water Heater Set your water heater to the “normal” setting or 120 degrees unless your dish washer requires a higher setting. Buy a water heater blanket and keep your water heater insulated. You'll save $40 per year. Water heater insulation blankets are designed for gas, oil or electric heaters. White vinyl backed fiberglass blanket. Includes adhesive tape for easy installation. Easy to install with scissors, measuring tape and pencil. Fits up to 60 gallons. *Be sure to leave the air intake vent uncovered when insulating a gas water heater! Insulate the hot water pipes leading from your hot water heater. Easy to do but might be hard to get to all the pipes! Take shorter showers. Wash clothes in cold water.

 

Energy Efficient Windows Up to 16% of your heat can escape through unprotected windows. Close your drapes at night or install insulating shutters to retain heat. If you have a large expanse of glass that doesn't receive direct sun, keep the drapes closed as much as possible. You can also use Packing Bubble wrap and plastic draped in your window. May not be attractive but the energy savings could please your budget.

 You can also purchase and install a vinyl coating on your windows. This is less expensive than new windows and  a reasonable investment for renters and smaller budgets. The film is applied to the inside window.

Its benefits are:

• Crystal Clear
• Reusable
• Saves Heat
• Easy To Install
• Heavy Duty
• UV Stabilized

Check out this site for more information

 

 

Other Drafty areas of consideration Doors! You can buy inexpensive foam rubber insulation to easily seal out the warm sun and cold winter drafts around your doors.

Electrical Outlets can also transfer heat and cold from within the wall. You can use the same Foam rubber tape to seal the air from flowing through. Also you can use Spray Foam. But I don’t like this option as it makes it hard to rework on the fixture in the future.

Fire Place! Close the damper vent tightly when not in use.

Air conditioners and Swamp coolers! Don’t forget to winterize (seal temporarily or cover) your cooling units to keep the cold out!

Furniture? The placement of your furniture is a consideration. Make sure your not sitting in the hot sun shining through the window. You’ll end up wanting the Air conditioner turned on! Also don’t block your heating and cooling system from doing its job just because the Armorer fits best in the spot covering the AC vent!

Vampire switch! 75% of electricity used by home electronics is consumed while "off". By using a power strip and switching off when not in use, you lessen CO2 emissions and reduce your energy bill. Its simple and cheap to buy a Power strip and plug your electronic devices into it. It can protect your equipment from harmful Power surges (if you buy one with Surge protection). And when not in use flip the switch to OFF!

What Kind of Washing Machine is More Energy Efficient? When choosing your next washing machine, pick one with a front-loader. Front-loader models use 25% less energy than a standard model.

Also, simply switching from a hot/warm cycle to a warm/cold cycle when washing laundry can save you 10 cents a load. That adds up when you think about how many loads of laundry you do a year!

Don't forget to look for the Energy Star before making those big purchases!

Check out this TLC site!

Heat and Air Conditioning Filters Check your furnace and AC filters regularly. Cleaning or replacing filters once a month during periods of high use will insure proper air flow, promote better health, increase efficiency, and save money too.

Don’t use your Dryer! During spring and summer months, line dry your clothes instead of using a clothes dryer. This can save you a lot of money each year.

Energy Efficient Thermostats Save You Money Why pay for heat or AC you don't need? You can save energy and money by using a programmable thermostat. It can reduce your energy needs from heat or AC when you are at work, away at vacation, or asleep.

 

Attic and wall insulation Take a look into the attic and see how much insulation you have. I bet you’ll notice how hot it is up there too. That is why you need a solar attic Fan. Anyway, take a ruler with you and see how much insulation you have. It should be light and fluffy! If it is squashed or settled in, than it is more likely to transfer heat and cold into your house. Here is a rating system I have come up with.  

12 inches or more Excellent!

9-12 inches Very Good!

6-9 inches Good!

3-6 inches Fair!

Under 3 inches POOR!

Blow in Cellulose is an option for the do it yourself Handy man. You can rent the machine and buy the Cellulose blocks from many Hardware stores! Doing walls is a little trickier but if you have some Sheet rock skills and not afraid to paint, then you can do it! Also for exterior walls you can give your home a major modernization and a protective thermal coat by adding Poly Styrene Sheets followed by a new Stucco Coating. But this is a skilled project that will require a contractor and a bit more money. Check this site out. Detailed DIY How to step by step!

 

Check out PG&E new online tools for information on your energy usage.

Here is the results of what PG&E’s new savings calculator says I could save from making some simple changes in my home. There new tool is pretty cool and intuitive.

Im sure the savings would be a bit different from house to house and especially for me in the Water heating area. I have 8 people in my house!

Savings Opportunities Annual Savings

Weatherization Doors and Windows:

      Control air leakage $139 - $231

Water Heating:

      Insulate water heater tank and hot water pipes $4 - $7

Install efficient shower heads $71 - $118

Lighting:

   Use compact fluorescent bulbs in recessed fixtures $65 - $80

   Replace halogen trochees $159 - $194

   Use compact fluorescent bulbs in high-use lamps $52 - $64

Heating and Cooling

   Install a programmable thermostat $65 - $108

   Replace your central air conditioner $222 - $370

   Replace your heating system $294 - $490

   Seal leaks in ducts $85 - $142

Information taken from PG&E Smart energy Analyzer on-line.

written by Wayne Rinehart

Great resource websites:

www.ConservingSaves.com Ways to conserve energy and save you money

www.FreeCycle.org  Recycle your unwanted items to someone else in your community.

www.simplysellular.com These people will help sell or donate your old cell phone.

www.SwapTree.com Swap Books, CD’s, DVD’s and Video Games.

www.greenlite.ca  Great Light bulbs to replace your old inefficient bulbs and save money being green. Site also has a great savings calculator!

www.solar-components.com A neat site with some good resources and ideas.

www.windsun.com  www.greenpowerscience.com

www.tlc.howstuffworks.com  www.diynetwork.com

Blues Reviews by Big Wayne: Al Wood and The Woodsmen CD Review

Blues Reviews by Big Wayne: Al Wood and The Woodsmen CD Review

Al Wood and The Woodsmen CD Review

Today we take a listen to Al’s new CD “Mood Swinging Blues”

1. Late Night Stroll 5★★★★★
2. Firefly 6★★★★★★
3. Highway 17 5★★★★★
4. Parting Glass 4★★★★ nice harmonica
5. Diggin’ Down Deep 5★★★★★
6. Treena Ballerina 6★★★★★★ Fun Tune Got me whistling!
7. The Pasture 4★★★★ nice harmonica
8. Feeble-minded Woman 6★★★★★★ Groovy
9. Blame-Shiftn’ Blues 5 ★★★★★ Great solo work!
10. Passenger Freight Train 5★★★★★
11. Rollin’ (Fade Away) 5★★★★★
12. (Enter) Jazz Thief (Exit) You 7★★★★★★★
13. Shake 6★★★★★★ Get up and dance Rockabilly!

Average (mean) 5.307692308
Median 5
Standard Deviation 0.85

Album Score: 9.45★


“I love this album, it’s Romantic and Fun! Many flavors influence this album and it is primed to influence your spirit to bring you out of the blues! The doctor’s prescription is to take a dose of mood swinging blues now!” Big Wayne www.LiveBluesTonight.com


Al Wood is a multi-talented performer and song writer from Ottawa, Canada. Al plays a mean Chicago roots Harmonica and on guitar he is expressive and diverse! On this album Al and the Woodsmen’s innovative style are heard. Many flavors of music are combined, but yet remain unique.
Blues Flavored roots/folk and country influence with, at times, acoustic rhythm of the rails. Thirteen all original tunes make for nearly an hour of foot tapping music that will get you feeling your blues fade away. I felt as if I knew the music even though it was new to me. Clever lyrics, great vocals, awesome Harmonica solos and a fantastic band consisting of Fiddle, Guitar, Acoustic Bass, Drums, Lap Steel Guitar, Mandolin, and Banjo. Had me whistling along with the first song.
My top 3 songs were “Firefly”, “Treena Ballerina” and “Feeble-Minded Woman”; with my favorite being “(Enter) Jazz Thief (Exit) You”. I know that’s 4 favorites not 3. LOL
I really enjoyed all the aspects of this album and can’t wait to see what’s next. Are you all coming to California anytime soon? Let me know!

http://www.alwoodmusic.com

Promoting your gigs and getting more exposure!

A 3 or 4 part resource series by Big Wayne.

Part 1: Introduction

Ok, it’s been a while since I have posted anything here on the blog. It’s not that I haven’t had material to review, although I do have less CDs coming in to review. But my recent absent has been because of the promoting and production of the new LBT Website. LBT, for you newbie’s, is short for LiveBluesTonight.com.  Any way I have worked very hard on the site and the search engine and still it’s just me and I have to do my day job to pay the bills…with this economy that has been a whole other sad story! So I want say thank you for being patient with me, especially those bands that were hoping to be featured in my review. I will post a new review soon. But thought I should post something on the blog before I post the review so to get you all listening again. Are you there… listening that is?

 So, another part of the delay in posts is music. Well I am a musician! I recently started a new band with some friends or let me rephrase that, some friends and I started! And a part of that roll has been promoting, producing and booking. You know up to this point in my so called career in music has shown me that musicians in general are some of the coolest people you’ll ever know. They’re also some of the most neurotic and seriously sensitive people (in a Bad way)! I mean come on! It’s the entire artsy crowd, walking around with their hearts on their sleeves. Me too, I am not exempt by this. I don’t think I am neurotic but sensitive…yes, I am sensitive about my passions. And of course you have the EGOS… Big Headed egos. I could really write a lot about this as I have had the misfortune of this behavior in all of the bands I’ve been in. Not me of course, just a few other people that feel they are bigger and better than everyone else! Give me a break. If you don’t know what I mean about musicians being neurotic and sensitive, yet at times cool, interesting or even exotic, one only has to visit the next NAMM Convention to get an eye full of all that! If you like to people watch this is the place for you!  You will be completely entertained by the people that show up. Every stereotype imaginable is there and more! I know, I know I am a part of the freak show. I can’t be missed since I stand out so.  And that is a small part of the fun. Anyway I’m getting off track here.

 One of the things I keep getting offended with is how people keep telling me how gifted I am in promoting and Booking. I can’t tell you how many times I am told how that is my biggest talent. I think to myself, I have more to offer than that! I have other talents! This booking and promoting thing was developed out of necessity. There’s no talent in that, anyone can do it! SO, why am I so insulted by being good at something that others are not so good at? And why am I so good at it? My whole life I have always been told how talented I am in art, as a vocalist etc. I have always been very creative. It’s kind of a family trait, talented vocalists, artistically creative and inventive people. So I think the creative and inventive side of me has helped me to be “gifted” in the promoting and booking. Also most musicians don’t want to deal with the “business” side of music, and perhaps that is a part of the reason they compliment me so! LOL All joking aside, it is very important!

The next post will air soon and in this series we will be looking into some great resource’s both online and in print! So stay tuned!

Peace…..

Jeff Dale and the South Woodlawners Cd Review

Jeff Dale and the South Woodlawners

Today we take a listen to Jeffs new CD Blues from the south side of my soul.

1. Blues From The South Side Of My Soul  4★★★★
2. Alabama Lovin  6★★★★★★ Fun tune

3. Love My Baby Blind 4★★★★
4. My Way Or The Highway  4★★★★
5. You Don’t Know Nothin’ About Chicago 4★★★★
6. Grown Ass Man  4★★★★
7. I’d Hit It  4★★★★
8. Nothin’ But The Blues  4★★★★
9. Big Gas Station   6★★★★★★
10. Highway One   6★★★★★★

11. Third Rail I give it a 2★★ but if you get rid of the drum machine Id give it 4

Average (mean)	4.363636364
Median	4
Standard Deviation	1.21
Album Score:	7.16★

"The album is nice and enjoyable, I can’t wait to hear what comes next and to get out and see these guys perform! The group has that classic Chicago sound and occasionally mixes in a few surprises hear and there!" Big Wayne  www.LiveBluesTonight.com

Well I guess you got to get out and experience the blues to be able to feel the blues! Jeff has come back to the Blues after a 20 year sabbatical. Its good to have you back on the blues side of town!
Jeff is a windy city transplant to Southern California. Jeff was raised in the coffers of the Blues, Chicago where so many Blues legends got their soul. Dale and the band have that classic Chicago Blues Style sound with some surprising twists.The album is nice and enjoyable! My favorite tunes on this album are "Alabama Lovin", "Highway one" and "Big Gas Station" (nice Play on words). My only real complaint is the ridged tempo from the Drum Machine that distracts the rhythm of the tasty Slide guitar work by Jeff. I can’t wait to hear what comes next and to get out and see these guys perform!

 The band consists of Dale on dirty gritty vocals and guitar while sharing lead guitar between additional guitarists. Along with the essential core of the groove (bass and drums), to complete the seven member band is a little piano, harmonica, occasional Saxophone and Bassoon. Yes I said Bassoon ! The sound gives kind of a lurking and mischievous feel, and it works well.


www.jeffdaleblues.com