As ROctober here at the stash rolls on, we look back to an old Blue Monday song that speaks volumes about the alcohol vs cannabis debate. Hey, if marijuana IS safer, then WHY are we driving people to drink? We return to July 2008 for this blues song:

Welcome to Blue Monday Wednesday Stashers! Turning to alcohol because there is no safe cannabis available is certainly a subject for the blues. Today, REX P CLEM gives us his take on these kinds of blues with his song, “The Weed is What I Need”. Indiana born Rex P. Clem began his musical career performing in the local honky tonks of his central Indiana home at the age of 13. He has shared the stage with some incredible players, writers, and singers. Some well known, and some that should be. Rex has opened shows for Country artists such as David Allan Coe, Vince Gill, Brad Paisley, Reba McEntire, Holly Dunn, Lee Greenwood, and worked with artists like The Marshal Tucker Band, Blackfoot and Molly Hatchet. Rex now lives in the songwriting Mecca, Nashville, Tennessee. A blues man with his roots in country music, he continues to play on numerous sessions as well as writing and pitching songs of his own. He plays music and teaches bass guitar in Nashville. Visit his myspace page for more great music from this Country blues man.

For more information on this artist see http://music.podshow.com.

Download audio file (rex_p_clem-the_weed_is_what_i_need.mp3)

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For today’s Blues Monday musical break, I bring you the legendary harmonica man, Billy Boy Arnold.

Billy Boy was a key player in the development of both Chicago blues and early rock ‘n’ roll. He got his first harmonica lessons from John Lee Williamson, the original Sonny Boy. Billy was an important member of the early Bo Diddley band and, later on, a star in his own right with his widely influential recordings for the Vee Jay label, made between 1955 and 1957.

On this album, Back Where I Belong from 1993, Billy Boy picks up the harp again to deliver his style of licks with signature “wah wah” vibrato.  The song is called “Whiskey, Beer & Reefer”, a tribute to the working blues musician’s favorite ways to relax:

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Download audio file (Billy%20Boy%20Arnold%20-%20Whiskey)
Download audio file (%20Beer%20and%20Reefer.mp3)

I went and messed up my musical breaks this week by not putting a blues song on Monday for our usual Blues Monday… so today is Blues Thursday!

The Joanna Connor Band is a frequent attraction not only at leading blues nightspots but also as a featured act at major festivals in the USA and Canada.  Joanna has also developed a strong following in Europe, South America and Japan.  As a result of many overseas appearances, in Germany she became very popular after being featured several times on national television.

Joanna Connor is a complete electric guitar package and vocalist extraordinaire.  She covers the range of modern blues, slide guitar and blues rock with her own compositions very much influenced by funk, rock, jazz and world music as well as delta blues.  Her sense of melody, phrasing and dynamics along with a very modern technique make her a very funky, soulful and compelling guitarist.  As for vocal abilities, if Joanna wasn’t a guitarist, she could easily be a lead singer in any band.

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Download audio file (Joanna%20Connor%20-%20Smoke%20It%20Up.mp3)

(oops, forgot to hit publish!  hehe, couple of hours late, sorry!)

Happy Monday, Stashers!  Going back to work after a long weekend of presidential celebrations (or laments?  Perhaps?) does kind of give one the blues … and so I have arrived to not only acknowledge those blues, but to augment, to instill — to steep you in further bluesyness with this gem from Harrison Kennedy called “High Country Blues.”  It’s a classic two-and-a-half minute blues riff from start to finish, and a wonderful way to start off a week.

Harrison was originally a member of the 70s Detroit pop group The Chairmen of the Board, but left to pursue his love of blues.  He is actually from Hamilton, Ontario, and his latest record, also called “High Country Blues” has been nominated for a Juno award, which is the Canadian equivalent of a Grammy, and is NOT an award given out by a precocious 16 year old pregnant girl.

… Juno reference, anyone?  Anyone?  Bueller?  No?  Okay.

Oh, before I go, a little reminder … I want your music!  If you’re a 420-loving, podsafe (meaning you’ll grant us permission to use your song on the podcast) band or musician who wants your music heard on the Stash, please send your music to normlsafemusic@gmail.com.  As you have already seen in Russ’s analysis post, the Stash is listened to by tens of thousands of people — PER DAY!  That’s a lot of people listening to your song.  Don’t hesitate!  Send your music to us!

You can also check out our Myspace page and friend us there!

 Harrison Kennedy

“High Country Blues” (mp3)
from “High Country Blues”
(Electro-Fi Records)

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I know what you’re thinking.

“Which one is Spartacus Jones?”

I assure you it’s the cowboy, not the white horse.

So I’m trying to follow Karri by putting up a blues song on Monday, and this song is kind of bluesy.  Spartacus Jones writes all sorts of songs, some country, some “patriotic,” but this one has a jazz flute (insert witty Anchorman reference here), and that makes it more blues than anything.

Spartacus is from New York and if you head to his website, you will notice that he loves horses.

I guess that’s cool if you’re a cowboy but … man, that’s a lot of horses.

For more Spartacy goodness, check out his myspace and his blog.

You can also check him out on music.podshow.com.

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Blue Monday on the stash and today we hear from RICK FOWLER and his howlin’ blues tune, “Feel So Much Better”. This is aching blues from this Athens, Georgia bluesman. The guitar is unmistakably Claptonesque, slow and methodical, soulful and hypnotic. Fowler’s husky vocals mix with the rich blues rhythms perfectly. Visit his website for more blues at rickfowler.com or his myspace page for more music and information. I know what make me feel so much better and it isn’t the blues, it usually is the greens!

For more information on this artist see http://music.podshow.com.

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Welcome to Blue Monday, Stashers! We talk alot on the stash about the number of cannabis consumers who are arrested each year and we gotta say, “That Aint’ Right”! That also happens to be the title of our blues Monday musical break today from artist, DOUG MCLEOD. With 24 years in the businees, 12 studio albums, several live records and two DVDs, MacLeod is no new-comer to the blues. His story telling and guitar skills and classic blues vocals have been winning fans for decades. If you’re lucky enough to be in Holland, Belgium, Austria, Italy, Germany or the USA this winter, then catch a show live! Visit his website, www.doug-macleod.com or his Myspace page to hear more great blues music, and for a calendar of upcoming shows.

For more information onthis artist see http://music.podshow.com.

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Welcome to blue Monday, Stashers. Earlier this year we had Boo Boo Davis sing about the “Amsterdam Blues” and today we get to hear ROSCOE CHENIER lament about the “Netherlands Blues”. It seems to me the Netherlands should be a very happy place, but it also must have a strong blues music scene. Coming to us from Opelousas, Louisiana, Roscoe Chenier has a thick, rich voice that lends itself to blues music as easy as a slide guitar. He was born in the early forties and is a cousin to the great Zydeco artist, Clifton Chenier. He started playing guitar at the age of 17, but waited 37 years for his big break when he signed a four-record deal with Avenue records, a sister company of Atlantic Records. Roscoe is a popular performer in Southwest Louisiana where he plays three times a week the rhythm and blues music that he has been faithful to for decades. Roscoe has the “Netherlands Blues” and he don’t know what to do, I’m sure a few stashers have some suggestions!

Today’s track comes to us from another great blues band, the Big George Jackson Blues Band. and our friends at http://music.podshow.com.

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Monday’s don’t seem so Blue when we add a some great Blues music to the soundtrack! Today’s Blue Monday song comes from artist DAVIS COEN. Some tasty guitar licks and a mouthful of delicious blues can nourish the Monday Blahs’ with today’s track, “Some Strange Feeling”. Davis calls Charleston, South Carolina home and has toured in the US with such blues greats as James Cotton, North Mississippi All-Stars and John Mayall and the Bluesbreakers. Davis has some of his original instrumental music included on the DVD release of Martin Scorsese’s PBS special “The Blues”. You can sample and buy his CD’s on his website at www.daviscoen.com or his myspace page.

For more information on Davis Coen the artist see http://music.podshow.com.

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Welcome to Blue Monday, Stashers! You know the kinda blues we’re talking about when we say we have the “Searchin’ Blues”. THE MANNISH BOYS bring us some amazing blues today with their musical take on the searchin’ blues. The Mannish boys started as an all-star West Coast Blues revue that were together for one studio project. Now, four CD’s later, they are still belting out the blues with incredible skills, bending guitar strings and classic blues vocals. This album may be the best blues album out this year! If you are searching for great music, you have found it here.

The Mannish Boys
“Searchin’ Blues” (mp3)
from “Lowdown Feelin’”
(DELTA GROOVE PRODUCTIONS)

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