Bob McKeag...McKeg...Bubs!

Bubs McKeag
Bob "Bubs" McKeag started out like many Pittsburgh music legends - he and a bud, Little Joe Arena, put together a garage band in high school. They formed the Igniters, and the Penn Hills musicians became local club heroes in the sixties.

The Igniters were the house band at The Varsity House in Oakmont, and their early Brit/R&B rockin' style regularly filled the club. McKeag was the lead singer (although Frank Czuri, an old St. Bart's pal, would eventually fill that role in what would become a recurring theme) and lead guitarist.

Atlantic Records signed The Igniters to a record contract in 1968. They were the second white band signed to the label, following the Rascals; they had the soul sound, even if blue-eyed, that Atco pushed. That made the way Atlantic handled the act a bit of a mystery.

The label changed their name to Jimmy Mack and the Music Factory for reasons unknown. They released the poppish "Baby, I Love You" b/w "The Hunter Gets Captured By The Game" in 1968, and it got a little love, but not much outside the region; maybe the label thought the B Side Marvelette's cover would qualify as R&B. It did get a lot of play in the region.

So they changed names again, now performing as the more psychedelic "Friends." They cut another single that went nowhere, effectively ending the Atlantic connection. After a couple of years of touring and playing The Psychedilly club as their local home base, they disbanded in 1970. McKeag joined the Navy.

After seeing the world on Uncle Sam's dime, he played with various bar bands in the area. Then, in 1974, McKeag hooked up with Norm Nardini and Robbie Johns to record Marvin Gaye's "Ain’t That Peculiar" at East Liberty's Red Fox Studio. A Pittsburgh rock legend was born that day: Diamond Reo.

Diamond Reo signed a contract with Big Tree Records, a subsidiary of Atlantic, added Czuri as a vocalist and Warren King on ax, and became the next big thing. Oddly, for all the smoke their only top 40 hit was their first tune, "Aint That Peculiar," with McKeag working the "talkbox" guitar and singing lead.

The band schmoozed with Dick Clark on American Bandstand and opened shows for Aerosmith, Ted Nugent, Kiss, Rush, Canned Heat, Kansas, Blue Oyster Cult, and other seventies' rockers as they toured non-stop and lived large on the road.

Life on the bus brought changes to the group. McKeag was the first to leave Reo as the band moved from Top 40 rock to punk/metal. He recorded another top 40 hit, "Gimme Some," for Buddah in 1977 as Bob McKeag and later recorded for Phantom Records under the easier to spell (and pronounce) name of McKeg.

He then hooked up with James Lawson to form the McKeg/Lawson Blues Band, and the group became a popular local blues mainstay. In 1994, Lawson lost a battle with cancer; McKeag kept the MLBB going for five more years before they broke up.

For the past decade or so, he's been mostly gigging solo. His EP "McKeg on Tap" is a Pittsburgh hit (of course, one of the tracks is the Heinz Field tailgate favorite "Go Steelers." Guy knows the market, hey?)

And he's a full-time bluesman now; he even has a trademark porkpie hat, though it's overshadowed by his ax. McKeag is a two-time winner of the Blues Society of Western Pennsylvania’s International Blues Challenge for solo/duo artist, taking the 2009 title with Dr. Blue as a duo and as a solo act in 2008.

McKeag has taken a couple of side trips to Finland, too. He performed during the 30th Annual Helsinki Blues Heritage Festival. In 2007, he went to Finland for an international songwriting competition in the blues category, and placed fourth.

Bubs is a teacher, too. Beside performing in the Pittsburgh Blues Festival, he worked the Blue's Society "Blues In the Tent" project. McKeag presented “Story Telling in the Blues," where kids focus on their life stories of heartbreak, loss, or just the day-to-day grind. Then they write them down, and have the framework for some blues lyrics.

But ya know what? Sometimes the old days are the best days. McKeag just joined with his old Igniter bandmates at the Palisades last week for a holiday reunion gig. People came to town from all over the US to catch the act again, only the third time that the band has gotten back together since they went their separate ways in 1970.

And hey, after four or five decades of making that ax sing, it's sweet to know that Bubs McKeag's first chord was just as popular as the next one will be.


Bubs McKeg with The Sweaty Betty Band - "No Baggage"

Miss Freddye and the Blue Faze

Miss Freddye and the Blue Faze
Miss Freddye and the Blue Faze, formed in 2002, is a blues band that also pumps out soul and R&B; they like to get the crowd away from shoe gazin' and onto the dance floor.

The group is a popular draw for venues on the Tri-State circuit and local clubs such as Moondog's, Cefalo's, and the Valley Hotel. They've opened for acts like Kelly Richie and Greg “Fingers” Taylor. They play all the blues jams: Pittsburgh Blues Festival, Wheeling Heritage Blues Festival, Elkin's Riverside Blues Festival, Charleston's Blues Brews and Barb-Q Festival and Sharon's Music Festival.

The Blue Faze represents the genre well. The band won the 2008 Appalachian Blues Competition in West Virginia, which earned them a spot in Memphis for the 2009 International Blues Competition. They've also played The Blues Divas Show for the Western PA Blues Society, the Blues Society Picnic, and Stand Down 2009 for vets.

Blue Faze is made up of Miss Freddye (vocals), Chris Nacy (harmonica), John Erskine (drums) and Matt McClintock (electric and upright bass). Greg Casile often plays the ax for them, but that's a rotating position since Jason Caliguri, one of the founding members, went off to join Jimbo and the Soupbones, along with other acts.

Fredericka "Miss Freddye" Stover: Originally from the North Side, the Natrona Heights resident started out singing in church when she was 15. She has been singing professionally for eleven years and carries the torch of Etta James, Koko Taylor, Susan Tedeshi and Tracy Chapman. For a blues singer, she has a lot of local jazz musicians she follows: Harold Betters, Rodney McCoy, Roger Humphries and Southside Jerry Mellix among them.

She's the face of the band, and as the lead vocalist, she can belt the blues or go slow with a ballad.

She's just released a CD for Bonedog Records in the Mon Valley, "These Are My Blues," a collection of mostly original Mike Sweeney tunes (and not to be mistaken for the Big Joe Williams LP of the same name). Miss Freddye is backed by Boneyard's session players, a strong group of blues/soul musicians. The title track, though, was recorded with Blue Faze, and written by Stover and Bubs McKeg.

Chris "Kit" Nacy: Nacy provides the finishing touch for any true blues band: the harp line. His influences are Smokin’ Joe Bisceglia, Greg "Fingers" Taylor and Matt Nacy. From Cheswick, he's also half of Izzy & Chris, an acoustic roots blues act formed in 2006 that won the West Virginia Blues Society IBC "blues duo" title in 2008 (Izzy Stetar is from Weirton).

Izzy and Chris have also released a CD, 2008's "Preachin' The Blues...Vol 1."

John Erskine: Erskine is another Valley suburbs guy, hailing from Indiana Township. He's a veteran behind the kit, having play with the bands like The Vogues and Jimmy Adler.

Matt McClintock: He's the bassman for several bands around the area, laying the beat from jazz to blues. When not playing with the Blue Faze, he can be found sitting with Erin Burkett and the Mean Reds or teaching music. McClintock has also played with the Drew Bentley Band, The Minda Brothers and Kenny Blake.

He's the newest group member, replacing original bassist Keith Gamble from Freeport, who now plays for the Bobby Hawkins & The Blues Train Band, and also The RumpShakers.

If you're looking for a band that features one of the top blues/soul voices in the district and whose musicians can get you out of your seat with their blues beat, look no further than Miss Freddye and the Blue Faze.


"That Kinda Woman" - Miss Freddye and the Blue Faze

Larry Nath

Larry Nath
Born and raised in the Pittsburgh region, Larry Nath has been playing around the area for over twenty-five years. After stints in several local bands, he broke out in 1989 as a member of The Mohicans, a blues rock band formed with guitarist Jimmy Adler, and performed regularly at The Decade, Oakland's Mecca of Rock.

The Mohicans broke up in the mid-nineties, and both Nath and Adler have gone on to establish themselves as successful artists. Their partnership still continues on, as the two perform occasionally as an acoustic/electric duo; Adler contributed to Nath's CD "Live It."

Nath’s style has evolved into a blend of blues and roots-based rock and roll. He often plays solo acoustic shows accompanying himself on guitar and harmonica, akin to a Pittsburgh version of John Mellencamp.

His singing/songwriting shows his influences: Sonny Boy Williamson, Bob Dylan, Van Morrison, the Rolling Stones, Howlin' Wolf, Robert Cray and Tom Petty, all musical story tellers.

It's easy to spot their connection in his 2008 Bonedog CD, "Live It." The album is a collection of original music with eight songs penned by Nath and three by local songwriter Mike Sweeney, who has inked tunes for Billy Price, Bobby Wayne, and other Pittsburgh acts.

"Live It" features an Americana blues feeling, with mostly uptempo stuff and a couple of ballads.

One track that especially exhibits the strong song-writing skills of Sweeney and the vocal delivery of Nath is the tongue-in-cheek "The Killer And The King", a tale of a soused Killer, Jerry Lee Lewis, headed down to Graceland to deliver a smackdown to the King, Elvis Presley.

"Elvis was kickin' and watching TV, askin' 'who's that out there waving his pistol at me?' The guards at the gate called on the phone; Elvis said 'Tell him to leave me alone.'"

It's good stuff, and he's ably backed by the Bonedog All-Star session players, Brandon Barnes (drums), Jimmy Britton (keyboards), Mighty Lil' Johnson (bass) and Jim Relja (guitar). Jimmy Adler sat in on three tracks and co-wrote two tunes, while Nath plays a tasty harp.

Beside the musical chops, Nath has been a teacher for 12 years. He has a B.S. in Secondary Education English from Duquesne, a Master's degree in English from IUP, and now teaches English, Public Speaking, and Journalism at Indiana Area Senior High School.

He uses his teaching background to further the cause. During the Pittsburgh Blues Festival, he ran a workshop between sets called "Turn Around and Testify."

Nath dissects the blues through the basic "call and response" format, used by many bluesmen ranging from Robert Johnson and Muddy Waters to Robert Cray and Stevie Ray Vaughn. He emphasizes the blues' call to "testify" to the joys and sorrows of life. Dunno that the old blues crowd overly intellectualized their genre, but hey...

You have to work to catch Nath in action; beside fests like the PBF and the Westmoreland Arts and Heritage Festival, his appearances are way too few in local clubs. He performs now generally as a solo artist, and if you see him booked, circle the date. It's a show you'll not want to miss.


Larry Nath - "Love Fool" live

Sweaty Betty Blues Band

Sweaty Betty from Pittsburgh Dance
Now where have you heard of the Sweaty Betty Blues Band? Well, heck, could be from anywhere locally.

If you follow the blues, Sweaty Betty has taken the stage at the Pittsburgh Blues Festival at Hartwood Acres, the Carnegie Blues Festival, the Indiana Music and Arts Festival and will play tomorrow at the First Annual Sharon Blues Festival.

They've entertained fans at PNC Park and Heinz Field. SBBB are regulars at Kelly's Riverside Inn in Bridgewater, Rochester's Hollywood Gardens and North Side's Park House along with many of the regional and City clubs. And hey, if you have a hall that needs some action, well, they've probably been there, too.

Marcy Brown - Sweaty Betty herself - was the ringleader of the popular annual "Bye Week Blues" festivals for the Greater Pittsburgh Food Bank at Moondog's Pub in Blawnox, going on since 2006 to provide an outlet when the Steelers are off. It's October 10th this year.

They've also performed for the benefit of the Special Olympics in Allegheny and Lawrence Counties and the Susan G. Komen Breast Cancer Research organizations.

The band formed after Marcy Brown met her future hubby Bill through Yahoo Personals. Hey, it is the internet age. Things went along swimmingly, they found out that they shared a musical background - Marcy was a vocalist with Jack Purcell, and Bill was a rock drummer - and nature took its course.

Neither wanted to become another classic rock band, so they opted for Bill's decades-old love, the blues. He was a fan of Stevie Ray Vaughan, but liked the old guard: Muddy Waters, Howlin' Wolf, and Big Joe Turner.

Sweaty Betty put together a playlist from old-school bluesmen like Slim Harpo, Willie Dixon, Howlin' Wolf, Muddy Waters, Big Joe, and company.

And they're not a blues-as-an-artform band; they do great slow tempo stuff, but are known for getting folk on the dance floor, a dying art in today's music scene.

Lindy Hop dancers regularly book Sweaty Betty for their events. They play jump blues tunes. And heck, shuffle dancers adore the band; Marcy Brown says they even go out of their way to avoid shuffles when adding new songs because they perform so many now.

And they can get a bit playful, too, with double-entendre tunes like "Dirty Old Woman" and "Little Beef on the Side." Guitarist Max Schang will even throw in a riff from a TV theme like "Green Acres," "Mr. Ed" or "The Flintstones" just to see if the crowd is paying attention.

The Sweaty Betty Band:

Marcy Brown, the lead vocalist, is a Maryland native who played lacrosse at the University of Maryland (she was a star high school player). Brown also was a DJ in Ocean City, Maryland, before taking to the stage.

She performed for 15 years with Pittsburgh's Jack Purcell Orchestra, a 12-piece Big Band, singing jazz standards. She has sung the National Anthem for the Pittsburgh Pirates five times, and performed with everything from wedding to rock bands in between.

"Too Tall" Bill Brown has performed as a drummer and vocalist for over 30 years in rock bands in the Butler and Kittanning areas, and is a veteran of the regional rock scene.

Lead guitar player and vocalist "Blue Max" Schang from Sharon has the group's most varied resume. He studied classical guitar and participated in seminars with guitarists Howard Roberts, Joe Pass, Herb Ellis and Pat Martino.

Schang went on to found the Jazz/Rock group Crown Vetch with George Grexa in 1974, and played with the the nationally recorded Mahoning Valley rock group Blue Ash in 1976. He performed as a member of the Erin Burkett Group in Pittsburgh, and was a blues band booking agent/promoter from 1990 - 2000.

He performed on two European tours with Eddie Shaw and the Wolf Gang, which featured members of Howlin' Wolf's old band. He has performed in five Chicago Blues Festivals, including three on the main stage with Eddie Shaw. In 2000, he released the CD "All These Years: Blue Max Schang."

"Blue Max" also sits in with the E.G. Kight band and the Billy Price Band. He regularly performs in his stomping grounds, the Mahoning Valley, and in the region, with his own band.

Schang replaced long-time guitarist George Kalazantis, who lost his day job and moved to Chicago after five years with Sweaty Betty.

The keyboard player, John DeCola, is from Slippery Rock. John is a seasoned musician who also performs with several local bands and singers like Christopher Jones.

Jim Spears, the bassist, is from Butler by way of LA. He's performed with a mix of national and local artists like Leslie Gore, B.E. Taylor, Little Anthony & The Imperials, The Platters, Sputzy & The Soul Providers, Tommy Roe, Joe Grushecky & The Houserockers, and 8th Street Rox.

He currently plays with the Vanilla Soul Revue, Soul Patrol, and his jazz group, Uptown Combo.

So hey, there are the players. And if you're ready for a little three-stepping to the jump blues, look up Sweaty Betty.


Sweaty Betty - "Tore Down"

Glenn Pavone Gone

Glenn Pavone
Glenn Pavone, the long-time frontman for the Cyclones and the axeman of the Billy Price Band for nearly a decade, died last night after a three-year battle with cancer at the age of 52.

Visitation will be from 2 to 4 and 6 to 9 p.m. Thursday in the Burket-Truby Funeral Home, 421 Allegheny Avenue in Oakmont. The funeral will be held at 11:30 a.m. Friday in Riverside Community Church, 401 Allegheny Avenue, Oakmont.

Pavone was a native of Alexandria, Va., and started playing the guitar at seven, inspired by "Purple Haze." He started performing on stage when he was nine.

He first played with the Bill Blue Band. Their album "Sing Like Thunder," on Adelphi Records was a regional hit in the Washington D.C., Virginia, and North Carolina areas. Looking for a new guitarist, Billy Price had him sit in with his band, gigging at Desperado's in the Georgetown section of Washington, D.C., and he blew Price away.

Pavone came to Pittsburgh and spent nine years with Price's Keystone Rhythm Band during the '80s. While with the KRB, Pavone recorded the albums "Billy Price and the Keystone Rhythm Band Live" and "Free at Last" on Antenna Records. The latter featured "I'm Gonna Win The War," where his writing was nominated for a W. C. Handy Award.

He went on his own to record and perform with The Cyclones afterward for the next two decades. Their debut CD "Twist This" had a hit track "Oh Babe" that was a local big seller, and was aired heavily on WDVE in 1994. They recorded two more CDs, "Twist That" and "Cyclones R.U.L.E."

Pavone was noted for two things. First was the way he could make a guitar wail. He played bluesy rock from the Jimi/Stevie Ray school, and was equally adept at lead or rhythm guitar. And he could finger the strings on his Strat like an old timey picker. He knew his tool; Pavone built his own axes, even the necks; nothing off the shelf for him.

He was voted Pittsburgh's best guitarist several times, and even received national recognition for his work. He turned down an opportunity to go national and join the Nighthawks, who knew well of his work (Jimmy Thackery was the one who set up his audition with Billy Price), because he didn't want to leave Pittsburgh.

Pavone was also known as one of the friendliest, funniest, and most humble guys in the local music world, always dressed in shades, a polo or tee shirt and slacks. In a City whose musicians sit in with one another and run in the same circles as a rule, Glenn Pavone was everyone's BFF.

Heck, Norm Nardini called Pavone "the Big Cheese, Glenn Provolone." And Pavone himself, as related by Rege Behe in the Tribune Review, when told he had won the Pittsburgh's best guitarist award, asked if the voters didn't mean the best golfer.

The Cyclones played everywhere. Not only did they hit the clubs and festivals, but they'd perform for the low-pay music series sponsored by municipal rec departments from Allegheny County, Pittsburgh and Monroeville so everyone could get a taste of the blues.

He got to be part of the documentary "Pittsburgh: Getting to the Bottom of our Blues (2009)" by Rodney Underwood, sharing the spotlight with the region's other talented but often overlooked blues players.

Like a lot of Pittsburgh music men, Pavone had a day job. His was with Field Environmental Instruments in Point Breeze, and he'd bike to work from his Edgewood home. He had two passions in his life besides music: his wife Nancy, who he met while with the KRB, and golf.

Now Pittsburgh's finest guitarist is gone, and way too soon. Charon is the only one that could take the title from him.


Glenn Pavone - "Voodoo Child" jam at Rosebud

Blues From The 'Burgh

On Sunday, the Blues Society of Western Pennsylvania releases its new CD, "Blues From the Burgh: 2." with tunes from seventeen local blues bands at the Palisades Ballroom. Its profits will go to the Greater Pittsburgh Community Food Bank, Adagio Health, Blues in the Schools and other Pittsburgh regional charities.

Artists scheduled to appear are Wil E. Tri, Jill West and Blues Attack, Ms. Freddye and Blue Faze, Pamela Bick and the Warehouse Blues Band, Angel Blue and the Prophets, Ian Arthurs Band, Gary Belloma, Jimmy Adler, Billy the Kid and the Regulators, Eugene Morgan and the Night Crawlers and Bubs McKeg and Dr. Blue.

The Palisades is located at 100 Fifth Avenue at Water Street in McKeesport. The show begins at 2 PM, tickets cost $5, and the CDs will be on sale there. Here's the tracks:

"These Are My Blues" - Miss Freddye and the Blue Faze
"Harry Can't Play No G-String" - Will E. Tri and the Broadcasters
"Short Chain" - Angel Blue and the Prophets
"Needful Things" - Jill West and Blues Attack
"Players Been Played" - Pamela Bick and the Warehouse Band
"Mean Little Poodle" - Ernie Hawkins
"Just Had to Play the Blues" - Felix and the Hurricanes
"Get Out of My Kitchen" - Jimmy Adler Band
"$200 Car" - Ron Yarosz and the Vehicle
"Say You Wanna Woman" - Billy the Kid and the Regulators
"My Sweat, Your Money" - Eugene Morgan
"Girl that I Knew" - Ian Arthurs Band
"How in the World" - Bubs McKeg and Dr. Blue
"Money Box" - Stevee Wellons
"Post-Gazette" - Gary Belloma and the Blue Bombers
"Little Man" - Mahajibee Blues Band
"You So Crazy" - Robert Peckman

It's a sweet CD and the bands are all tight blues players. You can't beat the price, either. So if you're looking for something to do to help pass what should be a lovely Sunday afternoon in the area, this is the ticket.


Jimmy Adler Band - Lovestruck"

Jimmy Adler

Jimmy Adler
Jimmy Adler taught himself to play guitar at the age of fifteen, heavily influenced by Eric Clapton’s early recordings. And now he's one of Pittsburgh's premier blues axemen.

But don't expect any riffs from him that are aimed at the rock generation. Adler is a throwback to the old, 1950's blues genre. He plays a nasty slide guitar and growls his vocals, evoking some comparisons to Otis Rush and BB King as a player and Joe Cocker and Dr. John as a singer. Not bad company to be running in, hey?

He's been a fixture on the local blues scene for the past couple of decades. His stage act began when Adler and local bluesman Larry Nath formed The Mohicans in 1988. They had a regular Tuesday night gig at the old Backroom Bar on East Carson Street.

Adler and Nath went their separate ways, but on good terms - the two still perform occasionally as an acoustic/electric duo - and Adler joined Eugene and The Night Crawlers.

The Nighcrawlers, led by frontman Eugene Morgan, performed mainly in the Beaver Valley and Butler county. He also added to his resume by playing with the Mojos, Butler's Natili Restaurant's house band, along with Morgan.

Later Adler joined forces with blues harpist Wil E. Tri and the Bluescasters, who performed Saturday nights at Brother Olive's in the Strip District and gigged throughout the region.

After two years with the Bluescaster's, Adler began subbing for Lenny Smith in The Billy Price Band. He also began playing guitar with Jill West and the Blues Attack, filling in for guitarist Donnie Hollowood. West's band is one of the prime blues incubators in the area, and Adler is another chick she helped nurture.

He also finally got recorded, when he played on three tracks of old bud Eugene Morgan's "Count On Me" CD issued by the Mon Valley's Bonedog Records in 2001.

Adler then got the call to work full-time with Gary Belloma and the Blue Bombers. He recorded one album with the band, "Pack Your 'Chute" (2001 - Moondog Records), and was a member of the Bombers from 1998-2002.

He left Belloma because he felt he had paid enough dues to be fronting his own band and playing his own brand of blues, original stuff with its roots in the past. West, Belloma, and Price had all allowed Adler to sing a song or two, he had done some song writing, and figured he was ready to step out on his own.

So he formed the Jimmy Adler Blues Band. It had a rotating cast of players from the Pittsburgh blues gang, and became a regular act on the circuit.

In 2005, he released the band's first CD "Absolutely Blues! Live at the Boneyard," with John Burgh on piano, Harry McCorkle on bass, and Randy Roth on the kit. The recording was done live at Boneyard Studios, and got some pretty strong reviews.

It featured classic blues, along with tastes of swing, boogie, and New Orleans jazz. Five of the songs were covers, but Adler showed his writing chops by penning the other eight tracks.

The Blues Band followed up with "Swing It Around" in 2008, featuring original tunes written by Adler and Pittsburgh vet Mike Sweeney. The tone was similar, blending Chicago blues with jazz-tinged jump-blues.

The band for this recording consisted of John Burgh & Sudden Steve on the keyboards, Mike Sweeney & Harry McCorkle on bass, Kenny Crisafio & Kenny Kellner pounding the skins, and Eric Spaulding on sax. It was released on the Boneyard label, too.

Adler, like virtually all Pittsburgh musicians, has a day job. He's been a high school English teacher for the Pittsburgh Public Schools for 15 years, and has shared his passion of the blues with many of his students.

Using that background, he was instrumental in organizing and coordinating this first Blues in the Tent event for kids at the 15th Annual Pittsburgh Blues Festival in 2009. Adler's workshop was entitled "Blues History: From the Delta to Chicago" and focused on the legends of Robert Johnson, Muddy Waters, and Jimmy Reed.

So hey, if you're a blues fan, don't run around moping about what a dying art it's become. There are still plenty of tasty bands riding the local circuit that know and play in the tradition, and Jimmy Adler's Blues Band is on the short list.

Jill West and The Blues Attack

Jill West and the Blues Attack
Hey, the Pittsburgh blues genre has remained pretty strong, even as the local venues for it have dried up, making it hard for fans to follow the bands.

But one act that you'll have no trouble finding is Jill West and the Blues Attack. It's a safe bet that they'll be playing a gig at a club, festival, or jam somewhere near you soon.

Jill West, the Queen of the Pittsburgh Blues scene, was born in the City's West End neighborhood of Elliott. She was a little diva from the get-go, performing for her family and neighbors at the drop of a hat. But the blues didn't find the 55 year-old West until Bob Beach, a local bluesman, asked her to do gig with him in the mid-eighties.

She hadn't been exposed to the blues, musically or literally, while growing up, so she ran down to the local record store - remember them? - and snatched a copy of Koko Taylor's "Live From Chicago: An Audience With the Queen." She was wowed.

Why the late epiphany? As she told Rebecca Sodergren of the Post Gazette in 2001: "I am not a blues woman. I have been very comfortable my entire life. My man wasn't beating me and stealing my money. I didn't have any of those terrible things."

While she may not have had any personal demons to exorcise, she said her "...blues music has become more of a treatment for the blues" rather than a symptom. Doctor, doctor, find me a cure...

As Phil Harris once wrote in Pittsburgh Magazine: "You won't find her singing about throwing herself off a bridge because her man left her. She says I'm gonna sing 'My man left me and I'm gonna throw him off a bridge.'" She's sure tough enough to be a blueswoman.

In 1991, West joined a group called the Hell Hounds (West, Don Hollowood, Hank Raffetto, Bird Foster, Jack Sanso and George Kasalaswhich) that evolved into the Blues Attack, and they've been mainstays of the local blues circuit ever since. West is a big, brassy blues belter, and she's surrounded by some veteran players with enough confidence in their chops to take local up-and-comers under their wing, like Jimmy Adler and Zach Wiesinger, until they can fly on their own.

Mark Cholewski (rhythm guitar), Gregg Krupa (lead guitar), "Hammerin' Hank" Raffetto (bass guitar), " Sudden Steve" Binsberger (keyboards) and Nicky "No Shoes" Crano (drums) can lay down a slow blues ballad or pump up an ax-driven rocker. And West's pipes can handle any tempo they can deliver.

The Blues Attack plays all over the tri-state area as well as opening for national acts like Koko Taylor, Buddy Guy, Bo Diddley, and B. B. King when they're in town. In fact, they celebrated their tenth anniversary by opening for Taylor, West's first role model, at the 2001 Pittsburgh Blues Festival.

They've had their moment in the national sun, too. In 2006, they placed third out of one hundred and sixty two international bands in the International Blues Competiton held in Memphis. The Blues Attack has captured the Western Pennsylvania crown twice, and they're finalists for the 2009 title, too.

Besides laying down tracks for a few Pittsburgh compilation albums, they have a trio of pretty good CDs of their own out, too. In 1997, the band released "Code Blue," (no longer in print) featuring "He's No Good" and "The Mirror."

Their second album, 2002's "Faceful of Blues," was recorded at Mr. Small's and has four covers and ten original tunes on the playlist. "Four Letter Word," "The Other Woman," "Begging Song," Screamin' Jay Hawkin's "I Put A Spell On You," and Tyrone Davis' "Change My Mind," are all strong tracks.

Their latest is 2009's "Headline Blues." It features originals like "Don't Burn the Barbeque," "Needful Things" and "Love Song in C" plus covers of the Lazy Lester tune "Sugar Coated Love," "How You Carry On" by Dr. John, "Boomerang" by Roomful of Blues' Chris Vachon, and Ray Charles' "Unchain My Heart."

But for all that, Jill West knows enough about the blues to keep her day job. She's an operating room nurse at Children's Hospital, to go along with her almost full time gig as a singer. And hey, a schedule like that is plenty to give anyone the blues.


"He's The One" - Jill West & the Blues Attack Live at Kendrews in Aliquippa on April 5th, 2009

Guitar Zack

Zack Wiesinger

Hey, when you're a kid from West Mifflin squeezing some blues out of your ax and having guys like Warren King and Steve Vai like the sound you make, well, that's a pretty good start.

Zack Wiesinger is that kid. He picked up his mom Char's guitar when he was ten, and was hooked. Joe Rossi taught him the basics, and the youngster's dedication and talent took over from there. He became a guitar prodigy almost overnight.

When he was twelve, he did a guest gig with Jill West and the Blues Attack. He played with them until he flew the 'Burgh coop for for left coast three years ago, doing the clubs and tours with the band, and getting to open for guys like Bruce Springsteen and BB King.

Wiesinger - "Guitar Zack" - made the move to LA in 2006 to see if he can forge a name for himself. He's Vai's personal assistant between gigs; every bluesman knows that you gotta keep a day job when you're breaking into the business.

Being able to drop Vai's name to a booking agent doesn't hurt the cause. Speaking of bookings, his manager is his childhood bud, Jesse Eichner. Doesn't anyone stay in Pittsburgh anymore?

Wiesinger met Vai in 2005 when he was in high school, at the Grammy Camp for aspiring young musicians, winning a scholarship while there. Vai liked his style, and Wiesinger became his protege of sorts. The kid, though, was storming ahead on his own merits.

He came in second in the Guitar Center's 2007 "King of the Blues Challenge" in Los Angeles. And second out of 4,200 entries ain't none too shabby. Wiesinger had to play the lead-off set of the finals, making his high finish more challenging.

He did even better in 2006, when he took home the Albert King Award at the International Blues Challenge in Memphis for Most Promising Guitar Player.

Wiesinger opened for Steve Vai on his 2007 "Sound Theories" (he backed him some on the album, too) international tour of the states and Europe. And it was all him. He performed solo, with just a Stratocaster and single amp, a perfect if high-wire blues set-up.

The stringbean bluesman has a between-songs stage presence that belies his age. He has a great rap with the crowd, and his showmanship keeps the audience into his jams, even if his herky-jerky playing style leaves some of them cold.

His enthusiasm and humor is contagious. Guitar Zack plays a song that goes: "My hair is perfect, it has seven sides," a little self-effacing jab at his pompadour, or whatever style his mop may be that day.

Starting last summer, he's headlined his own west coast tour in support of his 2008 album, "Misaligned Mind". He'll keep on the road with his new band (it replaced Guitar Zack & No Slack) which includes guitarist Andy Alt, who has toured with The Roots and The Black Keys, across the country.

The 22-year old West Mifflin Hi grad ('05) hasn't forgotten his hometown. In fact, Wiesinger is in Pittsburgh this weekend for his birthday, and gigged at Harvey’s, in West Mifflin, on Friday night.

Though his set is half covers - there are, after all, a lotta blues tunes to pick from - he's shown great talent as a writer. Wiesinger has a catalog of 300+ original songs written, performed (he laid down every instrumental and vocal line), recorded, and engineered in his parent's basement. He even did the "Dead Birds" Steeler track for WDVE.

Listen for "Zack's Blues" co-written by Wiesinger and Norman Nardini, in the 2007 Blair Underwood/Ving Rhames movie "The Bridge to Nowhere." Yah, he does soundtracks, too.

He's self-issued his original songs "2:30 (no matter what!)," "Plus Some That Don't Fit The Mold," and "Tranquil Madness," and sold thousands of copies at his shows. Nice little sideline, hey?

One thing that's fairly safe to say is that Wiesinger won't be tripped up by the bright lights. He was an A student in school, and the only time the tee-totaler is in a bar is when he's gigging. He spends his spare time honing his guitar work.

Heck, when he was in Amsterdam on the Vai tour, Wiesinger passed up a tour of the red-light district and headed for the museum.

What's the future hold? Who knows? The blues is a minefield when you're trying to earn your daily bread from it. And some industry guys think Wiesinger's calling is in writing songs, not playing them. Guitar Zack himself has never really put himself in the blues niche, so he has lots of room to explore and expand.

He's 22, with a bullet on the music industry charts.


Zack Wiesinger and No Slack playing "Dogs Eat Mush" live at SUNY-Buffalo.