Tinsley Ellis Interviews with Blues Rock Review

Blues Rock Review - June 15, 2016


When you think of bluesmen Tinsley Ellis immediately comes to mind. He’s as prolific as they come in the genre. Ellis has been performing for over 40 years and is in the midst of touring his brand new album, Red Clay Soul. Blues Rock Review caught up with Ellis to discuss the new album and more.

What inspired you to make a soul album?

I listen to a lot of music by folks like Al Green, Sam and Dave, Howard Tate, and other Soul artists. It was my concept on Red Clay Soul to infuse Blues guitar playing over those type of songs. BB, Albert and Freddie King style guitar playing fits all styles of music, especially Soul music. Stevie Ray Vaughan proved that on David Bowie’s “Let’s Dance” album over 30 years ago.

You’ve continued to be very prolific releasing albums. How do you continue to find inspiration?

I have a home studio in my basement, so if I have a song idea while I’m off the road, I can go down there and lay it down. If I have a song idea while I’m traveling, I just sing and play it into the record function on my cell phone. These past few years, I’ve been writing more and more, which is good.

Kevin McKendree is someone you’ve collaborated with a lot in the past and he co-produced Red Clay Soul. What was it like working with him on the album?

Kevin has played on every studio album that I’ve done since 1997’s Fire It Up album, which was produced by the great Tom Dowd. His keyboard playing fits me like a glove. We have recorded the the past four albums in his home studio in Franklin, Tennessee. He also engineers and mixes the albums. On Red Clay Soul we recorded live in the studio for the first time in years. I love the results of recording live. There are very few overdubs on Red Clay Soul. What we played is what you get.

Once again, this album has been released on your own label, Heartfixer. What’s been the most challenging aspect of releasing albums on your own label and what’s been the most rewarding aspect? 

Having a record company is extremely time consuming. Just yesterday I made several trip to the post office, did a few interviews and put out business fires all day. It’s cut into my time as a songwriter, which is what I really want to be doing now. But the rewards are that I can make the type of albums I want to make and put them out as often as I want to. I love the artistic freedom that having my own record label affords.



Over your career you’ve accomplished a lot. What are some goals or things you’d still like to accomplish in your career? 

I’ve played all over the world but never in Asia. I hope to do that soon. Also it would be nice to have more artists cover my songs. I got a taste of that when Jonny Lang covered “A Quitter Never Wins” on his major label debut in 1997. That song has sold close to 2 million copies at this point.

You’re in the midst of another tour. Do you have a preference in terms of venues that you prefer whether that be theaters, clubs, festivals, etc.? 

The best tours are ones that include a variety of types of venues. In the Blues world, we find ourselves at a festival one night, at a Blues or Jazz club the next night, and a theater the next. The good thing is that the Blues works great in all these type venues. We even played a Blues festival once at a “clothing optional resort” (a.k.a. nudist colony). When the sun went down, it got chilly and we sold every t-shirt we brought!

Interview by Pete Francis

Philippe Saisse Trio Charts Out Of The Box!

Gearing up for a full length reunion release later in 2016, The Philippe Saisse Trio – including Saisse, bassist David Finck and drummer Scooter Warner recently released their new single “And So But Then.” The track, an infectious, lightly percussive gem (also features acoustic guitarist Marc Antoine and renowned Latin jazz percussionist Gumbi Ortiz);  pays homage to the clever wordplay of late famed author David Foster Wallace, one of Saisse’s favorites.

The single recently kicked off its first week at Smooth Jazz radio with a #1 Most Added and #40 Debut at SmoothJazz.com.and a Billboard Smooth Jazz Chart  #27 Debut.  Keep your ears peeled for more from The Philippe Saisse Trio in the very near future.

Digital Music Marketing and The Last Conspirators Partner for Exclusive Digital Marketing Agreement

For Immediate Release:

In collaboration with the upcoming release of their new album, "Hold That Thought Forever", The Last Conspirators have partnered with with digital music industry leader Digital Music Marketing in an exclusive digital marketing agreement.

Last Conspirators spokesperson, Tim Livingston says: ‘Not only is Mick Wainman of DMM a long-time friend of mine, he has been on the cutting edge of the digital distribution movement since it’s inception and continues to stay on top of the latest innovations and platforms in the medium. Understanding how important digital content is in this day and age we wanted to make sure that our material is given the personal attention, exposure and marketing support that Mick and his team at DMM provide to artists. The band is really looking forward to working with them and taking our digital distribution to the next level.”

Mick Wainman, President of DMM, adds; I’ve been a huge Last Conspirators fan since hearing Warparty” back in 2007. Tim (Livingston) and I go back even further than that, so I’m very excited that we’re finally getting the opportunity to work together! The new record is the bands biggest and best yet and we’re just chomping at the bit to release it to the world.

Hold That Thought Forever is the 4th album for the Last Conspirators. With this album the songwriting alliance of Tim Livingston and Nick Bisanz have crafted a lyrical and sonic soundscape that is reminiscent of the timeless rock albums of the 60s, 70s, and early 80s yet serving it all up with an undeniably modern edge.

Launched by music industry marketing and promotions veteran Mick Wainman in 2003, Digital Music Marketing is a major force in online and mobile music marketing, internet promotion and digital distribution systems for a wide variety of artists, labels and recordings in the independent music community.

For more information on The Last Conspirators: 
Email: info@lastconspirators.com
Website: http://www.lastconspirators.com/

FaceBook: https://www.facebook.com/lastconspirators/

For more information on Digital Music Marketing:

Email: info@digitalmusicmarketing.com |
Website: http://www.digitalmusicmarketing.com

FaceBook: http://www.facebook.com/digitalmusicmarketing

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"Agua", New Music Video from Philippe Saisse

Watch "Agua", this extraordinary new video performance from Philippe Saisse who creates all sounds using just his hands on…

New Dulcie Taylor Album “Wind Over Stone”, Out Now!

Dulcie Taylor and Friends Soar Like Wind Over Stone on New CD, out now on Mesa/Bluemoon Recordings

ATASCADERO, CA – Mesa/Bluemoon Recordings proudly announces a September 25 release date for Wind Over Stone, the new CD from Central California Coast-based singer/songwriter Dulcie Taylor and Friends.  Produced by George Nauful and Tyson Leonard, and mixed by Keith Olsen (legendary producer/engineer for Fleetwood Mac, Ozzie Osbourne, Pat Benatar, Rick Springfield, Carlos Santana, etc.),Wind Over Stone was recorded at Colorado Studios in Atascadero, California.

Dulcie Taylor will celebrate the new album with several CD release shows, including September 13 in Arroyo Grande, Cal., as part of their “Concerts in the Park” series from 2:00 – 5:00 PM. Taylor will not only headline that show, but will also emcee the entire event concert lineup. Other key dates include a concert at Boo Boo Records in San Luis Obispo on September 26, at 5:00 PM; October 10 at the Jade Festival in Big Sur; and October 28 at the Wine & Song Concert Series in South Pasadena.

Dulcie Taylor (lead vocals, acoustic guitar, dulcimer, percussion) is joined throughout the new album by many of the same “friends” who backed her critically-acclaimed last effort,Only Worn One Time released in 2014. They include George Nauful (guitar, keyboards, backing vocals and lead vocal on “Amy” and “I Wanna Ride”); Tony Recupido acoustic guitar, backing vocals and lead vocal on “Reasons Why” and “Joyful News”); Tim Pierce and Nina Gerber (guitars); Tyson Leonard (mandolin and violin); Aaron Porter (keyboards and accordion); Bob Gross and Randy Tico (bass); and Tom Lackner, Tracy Morgan and Scott Breadman (drums, percussion).

Together, Dulcie Taylor and Friends weave a magical spell throughout the 14 tracks onWind Over Stone,whether on the 13 originals (most either written or co-written by Taylor) or the lone standout cover song, a gorgeous reading of the Supremes/Motown classic, “My World Is Empty Without You.”

The tone of the new disc is set by the album’s lead-off track, “Not Here, Not Today,” inspired by some of her American heroes. “I’ve always thought about what motivated the American people who revolted against English rule,” Taylor says. “These people came to America because they wanted new ways of living. Thinking about people still holding to their beliefs when their feet were freezing and they didn’t have any shoes, makes me realize this country was founded by people who wanted freedom, period.

“And Rosa Parks – my goodness. This soft-spoken woman of conviction who, in 1955, refused a bus driver’s order to give up her seat in the “colored section” to a white passenger. When the driver told her he would have her arrested, she quietly said, ‘You may do so.’ No profanity, just quiet, steely conviction. Freedom, period.

“Lastly, Flight 93 – this is what gave me the idea for the whole song. Thinking about those people who, through their cell phones, knew that the Twin Towers and the Pentagon had been hit, and by the direction they were going, figured their plane was probably headed for the White House. They knew the risk they were taking but they decided that if the plane was going down, it was going down where they wanted it to. Freedom, period.”

Other songs on Wind Over Stone touch on a wide variety of topics, including love and romance in all their incarnations.

In “Cherokee,” Taylor discourses on the physical changes this country has gone through over the years. “America is still a beautiful country, but some parts are changed forever. I’ve often thought about how beautiful it must have been before the waves of immigration. Deer on Manhattan Island, running free? And when I look at the portraits of our Native American Indians, I’ve always been so impressed by their faces – the determination, the strength. Two qualities that all people need. I love the conveniences of modern life as much as anybody, but I do know a lot of beauty has been lost arriving at this place. Everything has a price, doesn’t it?”

In the song, “Prayers,” Taylor revisits her upbringing. “I was raised by a church-going single Southern Baptist Mother; she didn’t send us to church, she took us,” she remembers. “We always had Family Bible time before going off to bed, each of us reading something from a “Child’s Story of the Bible.” I was the baby and I remember how happy I was when I could read aloud too, just like my older sisters. I realize now what a wonderful way it was to send a child off to bed, with the voices of my sisters and my mother in my head. Then, I would say my prayers with her. My mother stressed the love and forgiveness side of things, something I will always be grateful for.”

Poetry has been a main inspiration throughout Taylor’s songwriting, and in “I Take it Back,” she references one of the best. “Sometimes in the heat of the moment, a person can say things they REALLY shouldn’t say, and too much as well,” Taylor offers. “This is a song about a woman who’s let her mouth get away from her. As Carl Sandburg so beautifully said –
‘Look out how you use proud words.
When you let proud words go, it is not easy to call them back.
They wear long boots, hard boots; they walk off proud; they can’t hear you calling–
Look out how you use proud words.’”

The album’s closing song, “Love Like Yours and Mine,” carries a universal message. “This song was inspired by the belief that one’s home needs to be a place of love and acceptance,” Taylor states. “And if a person lives long enough to be old and dream back through the years, you want to have had a true love to remember and be grateful for.”

To download a hi-res color photo of Dulcie Taylor (photo credit: Trevor Lawrence), click here:http://www.markpuccimedia.com/DULCIE-TAYLOR.jpg

For information, visit www.dulcietaylor.com and www.mesabluemoon.com. Dulcie’s Facebook page is located athttps://www.facebook.com/dulcietaylor.

Previous Quotes on Dulcie Taylor’s Music

“It’s already been a good year for singer-songwriter Dulcie Taylor, seeing as how she’s won her second consecutive New Times Music Award as Best Songwriter 2014. How appropriate, given the finely etched songs on her fifth album, Only Worn One Time, replete with reflections on mortality, heartbreak, self-reliance, self-doubt, commitment and similar weighty topics relevant to the real world on a daily basis … she seems poised to take a whole different kind of journey next time around. It’ll be worth waiting for, guaranteed.” – Deep Roots Magazine

“Dulcie Taylor writes from the heart. Filled with provocative imagery, universal sentiment and hopeful (yet oftentimes sad) story-songs, her folksy Americana comes to the fore with the help of some master instrumentalists.” – Aquarian Weekly

“Taylor has a sharp eye for details that helps to elevate her songs above the norm.” – Icon Magazine

TINSLEY ELLIS FALL "TOUGH LOVE" TOUR DATES AND MORE!!

Autographed copies still available at

www.tinsleyellis.com

Fall tour:

09/05 Illinois Blues Festival, Peoria IL

09/08 City Winery, Nashville TN

09/09 Canal House, Tuscarawas OH

09/10 Schmitt's Saloon, Morgantown WV

09/11 Waiting Room, 7:00 PM SHOW, Buffalo NY

09/12 Red, White and Blues Festival, Fredonia NY

09/17 Boom Days Heritage Celebration, DeKalb Theater, Ft. Payne AL

09/18 Red Clay Music Foundry, Duluth GA

09/25 Bogalusa Blues and Heritage Festival, Bogalusa LA

10/14 World Cafe Live, Philadelphia PA

10/15 Chan's, Woonsocket RI

10/16 Private Party, New York City NY

10/17 Wire and Wood Songwriters Festival, Alpharetta GA

10/24 Grayson Blues and Brews Festival, Grayson GA

11/06 The Funky Biscuit, Boca Raton FL

11/07 Skipper's Smokehouse, with Rev. Payton's Big Damn Band, Tampa FL

11/18 Musicbox Cleveland OH w/Tommy Castro

11/19 Woodlands Tavern Columbus OH

11/20 C2G Music Hall, Ft Wayne IN

11/21 Franke Center for the Arts, Marshall MI

11/22 Callahan's, Auburn Hills MI

For more info visit www.tinsleyellis.com

Lazer Lloyd Release Date Set for June 9th

Lazer Lloyd's new album "Lazer Lloyd" with the single "Burning Thunder" pre-sale on June 2nd and release on June 9th.

• Lazer Lloyd had just been recruited to Atlantic Records when the Connecticut raised blues rock guitarist, singer/songwriter played a gig in New York City with the legendary singing Rabbi, Shlomo Carlebach. The young Lloyd immediately moved to Israel and became a Middle Eastern blues trailblazer in a country where it was an exotic delight. The Jerusalem Post says, "He’s the best guitarist in Israel.” Blues Blast Magazine wrote, “His guitar playing alone is worth the price of admission and when you add in his vocals and strong songwriting skills, this is a winner.” Lazer Lloyd brings his popular Israeli live show to the USA to rave reviews featuring great musicians such as his US based drummer Kenny Coleman (KoKo Taylor, Sugar Blu), and on bass Johnny B. Gayden (Albert Collins and Johnny Winter).

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