Westside Andy/Mel Ford Band - Live On The Westside

Album: Live On The Westside
Size: 171,8 MB
Time: 74:22
File: MP3 @ 320K/s
Released: 1999
Styles: Blues, harmonica blues
Art: Full

1. On My Way (7:35)
2. You Were Wrong (5:51)
3. Way Back Home (6:29)
4. Get Your Business Straight (7:09)
5. I Owe You (6:12)
6. It Hurts Me (3:34)
7. My Daddy Was A Jockey (4:24)
8. Sad Hours (5:28)
9. Put It Where You Want It (9:53)
10. I Underestimated You (4:28)
11. Party At My House (3:50)
12. Ludella (6:22)
13. Persimmon Pie (3:02)

Recorded live at the Club Tavern, Middleton, WI, the latest release from the Westside Andy/Mel Ford Band is filled with searing Chicago-blues guitar playing from Mel Ford and smooth, textured blues vocals and harp from Westside Andy. From the opening strains of "On My Way" to the final notes of "Persimmon Pie," the band never misses a lick. Also featuring Jimmy Voegeli on Hammond B-3 and piano, Steve Dougherty on drums, and Tony Menzer on bass, the Westside Andy/Mel Ford Band is, simply stated, an ultra-tight blues band that moves between a moody instrumental like the Crusaders' "Way Back Home" and a full-tilt boogie number like "My Daddy Was a Jockey" as easily as most guys change their shirt. The band delivers 13 songs here that run the gamut of emotion, from slow, hurting on the inside blues, to up-tempo house rockers.

Westside Andy Linderman sings his heart out on the soulful "Ludella" and goes 1930s retro with "Persimmon Pie." Mel Ford steps up to the mike to sing "Get Your Business Straight," a tune dowsed in Stevie Ray Vaughn emotion, featuring a brilliant guitar solo from Ford, and an equally impressive run from Andy on harp; and then the sultry sound of Little Walter's "Sad Hours" is perfect for those times when you just want to close your eyes and get into the groove. One of the absolute smoothest cuts on the album is the band's take on the Crusaders' "Put It Where You Want It," a song performed so well live that you'll swear you are listening to a studio track. Yes, the band is that good.

The production is excellent and the sound is crystal clear, which only adds to the enjoyment of this live set from a band that needs and deserves to be heard by blues lovers the world over. All it takes is one listen to Live on the Westside, and you'll feel it too. It's a real gut-level groove. Blues played well, with genuine heart and soul. /Michael B. Smith, AllMusic

Live On The Westside mc
Live On The Westside gofile

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Paul Black & The Flip Kings - Don't Make Me Get Up!

Size: 126,7 MB
Time: 54:27
File: MP3 @ 320K/s (cassette)
Released: 1991
Styles: Electric blues, harmonica blues
Art: Front, inside (small)

1. The Hard Way (2:40)
2. Jackpot Junior's Last Joyride (4:54)
3. Ramblin' On My Mind (3:24)
4. Working With My Baby (3:45)
5. Checkerboard Jump (2:57)
6. Paulie's Little Nitemare (5:17)
7. Open Up The Back Door (4:32)
8. Stay Awhile (2:44)
9. Double Dealing Joker (8:10)
10. Never Can Tell (3:17)
11. Drop Of A Hat (3:05)
12. She's Alright (4:14)
13. Ruffled Up Wardrobe (3:27)
14. Tumbleweeds (1:53)

Paul Black was never a cuddly performer. Years ago, talking about his approach to live performances, the Madison-based blues man explained to me, "I'm not there to get the audience excited and sweaty and get 'em to drink a lot of beer." For 30 years, he refined his sets with his regular band, the Flip Kings, to the point where their takes on a connoisseur's selection of Delta blues, Chicago-shaded scuffling, inventively reworked rock covers and sly originals seemed to bore directly into the floorboards of local rooms like the old Church Key, the Crystal Corner and the Harmony Bar. These were serious blues sessions played with seriously talented sidemen like Jerry Alexander, West Side Andy Linderman and Joel Paterson. And the focus was almost always on Black's deft ululations on slide guitar - long, at times otherworldly peregrinations that could be unrelentingly doleful one minute and transcendently witty the next.

Black hadn't come to his magic easily. He'd knocked around in various contexts before settling in Madison in the mid-'70s. A stint playing around the South with Sonny Landreth (who'd go on to play with John Hiatt and do respected solo work) netted a lot of drunken nights and very little money. Later he played guitar with Texas-bred, San Francisco-based singer Jeannie Stout, who seemed destined for big things until she negotiated her way out of a contract with Arista Records. Once he settled in Madison, Black became a reliable draw at local watering holes, and the Flip Kings established themselves as one of the area's best blues acts. /Tom Laskin

(For personnel details, see artwork included.)

Don't Make Me Get Up! mc
Don't Make Me Get Up! zippy

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Westside Andy - Blues Just Happen (Feat. Barrelhouse Chuck & Billy Flynn)

Size: 117,9 MB
Time: 50:51
File: MP3 @ 320K/s
Released: 2015
Styles: Harmonica Blues, Chicago Blues
Art: Front

01. Just Keep Loving Her (4:37)
02. Mean Disposition (6:15)
03. My Daddy Was A Jockey (5:36)
04. Sad Hours (4:41)
05. Got My Eyes On You (5:46)
06. Liquor Store Blues (6:26)
07. Lonesome (3:21)
08. Just Cuz (4:02)
09. Call My Job (4:26)
10. Don't Let The Green Grass Fool You (3:30)
11. Over & Out (2:05)

In September 2014, veteran harmonica virtuoso Westside Andy Linderman gathered with four master bluesmen and longtime friends (including Kim Wilson veterans Barrelhouse Chuck and Billy Flynn) to celebrate his 45+ years of performing, with this live record.

Blues Just Happens was recorded live at the Armory in Janesville, Wis. for an appreciative and enthusiastic audience. Giving Andy space to shine are four stellar blues musicians who also share decades-long friendships: Barrelhouse Chuck (keyboards), Billy Flynn (guitar), Dave Wood (bass), and Steve Dougherty (drums).

Bio:
Born in 1952, Andy caught the music bug young, and picked up his first harmonica at age 11 in Madison, WI, which he still calls home. Listening late at night on KAAY AM Radio in Little Rock, AR, he got turned on early to Muddy Waters, Little Walter, James Cotton, Sonny Boy Williamson, Howlin' Wolf, and Big Walter Horton, to name a few. And at that time, there were so many great, iconic players to learn from in the nearby Chicago area. Junior Wells, Charlie Musselwhite, Jim Liban, Corky Siegel, Paul Butterfield. Lots of information and inspiration for a young, hungry player.

He's played over 10,000 gigs over some 45 years, working with a Who’s Who of the Blues: Luther Allison, Ben E. King, James Cotton, Pinetop Perkins, Barrelhouse Chuck, Hubert Sumlin, Tab Benoit, Gary Primich, Mel Ford, Billy Flynn, Glenn Davis, Paul Black & the Flipkings, Reverend Raven, Jon Nicholson, Corky Siegel, Jim Schwall, Ben Sidran, Tino Gonzales, Clyde Stubblefield, The Doobie Brothers, Richie Havens, and The University of Wisconsin 250-piece band (!).

The Blues is the center, yet Andy plays the harmonica with no genre limitation. His drive to push the envelope has led to many sessions in R&B, Jazz, and Country. He also makes sure to take time to share his love and appreciation for his craft, by playing for and teaching school kids, via "K-12 Blues in the Schools".

Listening to Andy's live and recorded work, you get a sense of the many harpists that have inspired him. Blend that with his own unique tone and style, and you know instantly who you're listening to. It's that "player's player", Westside Andy. ~by Bob Harris 2014

Blues Just Happen

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Westside Andy & Mel Ford Band - Alley Cat

Size: 124,0 MB
Time: 52:12
File: MP3 @ 320K/s
Released: 2007
Styles: Chicago Blues
Art: Full

01. Alley Cat (2:53)
02. Can't Be True (5:25)
03. Around The Next Corner (3:32)
04. That Girl's All Woman (3:29)
05. Freshness Date (3:11)
06. She's Hot (4:03)
07. Call It Love (3:59)
08. Gamblin' Woman (2:37)
09. On A Roll (4:41)
10. Jobless Recovery (4:06)
11. Party Girl (4:10)
12. Back Roads (3:58)
13. Love Will Find A Way (3:14)
14. Molly's Rag (2:49)

In this day and age, it’s quite a feat if a relationship lasts for fourteen years. But when the relationship is between five musicians who have traveled tens of thousands of miles to play thousands of live gigs during that time span, the relationship borders on incredible, if not miraculous.

The Westside Andy/Mel Ford Band endures because these guys still love making music together. You see that spirit at any of their frequent live shows. This is a group with three potential leaders. But one strength of the band is their willingness to share the spotlight with each other, knowing the truth of the old adage about strength in numbers. Some listeners level criticism at the group for being a “show” band. These comments discount that joyful spirit of making music that the band has never lost - and miss the point that people like to be entertained while listening to music.

This new recording contains tunes that have been staples of the group’s live shows over the last few years. After two live recordings, the band felt this batch of songs would be best served by recording in a studio environment. The songs have been honed down to their true essence on the bandstand without sacrificing any of the energy or vitality of the performance. And once you hear this disc, you will immediately realize that the band rocked the studio just as hard as they do the live stage !!!

Alley Cat

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