Experience Hendrix is a tribute concert that has been criss-crossing the country over the last year or so. Here was the lineup for the show I saw in Pittsburgh: Billy Cox of The Jimi Hendrix Experience and Band Of Gypsys, Steve Vai, Jonny Lang, Kenny Wayne Shepherd, Eric Johnson, Brad Whitford of Aerosmith, Cesar Rosas & David Hidalgo of Los Lobos, Living Colour, Chris Layton of Stevie Ray Vaughan & Double Trouble, Ernie Isley, Mato Nanji of Indigenous, and The Slide Brothers.
The show was entertaining although it often disintegrated into a lot of guitar players trying to out-Hendrix Hendrix which of course is impossible. Below are two of the more interesting performances.
The first video is of Jonny Lang and various performers doing Fire.
The second video is of Kenny Wayne Shepard playing Let the Good Times Roll
10/16/10
Ernie Hawkins is a nationally known acoustic blues guitar player that lives and records in Pittsburgh although most of his live shows are overseas where this kind of blues has a much greater audience. This show was at the Rex Theater in Pittsburgh in celebration of the release of Hawkin's new CD. This isn't my favorite kind of blues music but I did enjoy Hawkin's version of Basin Street Blues.
Emily Pinkerton opened the show with a unique acoustic sound and was an appropriate match with Hawkins
10/16/10
The Rhythm Aces play every Saturday at the InnTermission Lounge on the South Side of Pittsburgh. They originally were formed as sort of a backup band for Pittsburgh's legendary blues singer Chizmo Charles. Unfortunately, Chizmo had a stroke at the end of summer and is in a long term care facility. The Rhythm Aces are made up of several well know Pittsburgh blue veterans, most prominently Bubs McKeg on lead guitar and vocal. This is a video of Bubs singing the Albert King song Born Under a Bad Sign.
8/27/10
I saw Leon Russell, recent inductee into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, at the Diesel Club in Pittsburgh with the infamous Joseph Harry. Diesel is a lousy place to see a concert and Leon commented on the odd surroundings. Russell's vocals were appropriately scratchy and his keyboard playing was great as expected. His show now is more of a cover show than a collection of his "greatest hits" but I still found the concert enjoyable and Russell's band is great. This is a video clip of one of Russell's hits Delta Lady. PS.Harry did NOT get thrown out of this show.
8/25/10
Candye Kane put on a great show at little Club Cafe in Pittsburgh. Kane is a former "adult" performer that has pursued an equally colorful career as a blue singer over the last few years. Although she remains a large women, Kane survived a cancer scare and she has lost a considerable amount of weight in the last few years. This clip features Kane's great guitarist who also happens to be a woman (I read in an interview that she hates to be referenced by her gender-sorry.)
