Patrick Sweany - Close to the Floor & Summer Shows

I recently received an email from a publicist for Patrick Sweany which lead me to revisit his 2013 release Close to the Floor. If you digg electric blues guitar, this is the guy for you: whether blues guitar, slide,  or fingerstyle. His vocals are deep and rustic - perfect for the genre; and his songwriting - highly original. Check out "Working For You" and I love "Bus Station " - Awake at 4:40 is a bad place to be. And the guitar in "Deep Water", "Just On Night", or for that matter the entire release.


Esquire Magazine recently featured this video and Sweany appeared on Music City Roots late last night.  This summer Sweany will appear at the Eureka Springs Blues Weekend; Red, White & Blues Festival; Hullabaloo Music Festival; and the Telluride Blues & Brews Festival; and numerous venues across the U.S.. Pair with 

The Gourds & Patrick Sweany at the State Theatre

On Thursday October 6th we attended a great show at the State Theatre in Falls Church Virginia featuring Patrick Sweany opening for The Gourds. Two of our favorites one the same bill. We saw Sweany for the first time a few years back at Merlefest and have been following since. His latest CD,That Old Southern Drag, is well worth a listen.

The Gourds, well what can we say, perhaps our favorite overall band. We never miss a show. And they have just released a new CD Old Mad Joy which they featured predominately during this show.  We have several videos from both artists on MyJoogTV and the MyJoogTV YouTube Channel as well as photos on the MyJoog Gallery. Check them out.

The Paul Thorn Band - Live in Your Home

On Saturday, January 29th Paul Thorn and the Paul Thorn Band are live broadcasting a concert from Muscle Shoals, Alabama - the music capital of the South. Never heard of Thorn? Here's what we had to say about the last time we saw him live: Paul Thorn & Patrick Sweany @ the Rams Head Onstage. The cost for a ticket is just $6.99 and like all pay per view events; you just need one ticket per household - invite friends, family, neighbors over. Got other plans for Saturday night like us. Then still purchase the ticket because the show will be available online for a month following the performance. We will be having Breakfast with the Paul Thorn Band Sunday morning. PURCHASE TICKETS HERE. Enjoy the show.

Paul Thorn & Patrick Sweany @ the Rams Head Onstage

Last night we attended the best concert of the year. Hands down. Paul Thorn with Patrick Sweany opening. Actually the night opened awkwardly as Sweany broke a string the very first song. But after a brief delay he showed why he is a rising star. His soulful vocals reflect a combination of Sam Cooke and Otis Redding and his guitar playing - pretty awesome. Expect a new CD from Sweany early next year. Can't wait.

Usually when an artist is pimping a new CD, you have to bear through the new songs to get to the older songs which made you follow the artist in the first place. That is what I was expecting for Thorn's Pimps & Preachers. Not this time. Yea, he played some old ones like Long Way from Tupelo and Burn Down The Trailer Park and Where Was I?; but his new songs were better than these classics. And as expected, the songs were laced with humor and morality lessons - particularly the lessons that make you think. For instance - "The more I learn they less I know" from I Hope I'm Doing This Right or the entire You Might Be Wrong, which brings up the interesting contradiction that with the diversity of religious thought - someone is wrong. And that coming from the son of a Pentecostal preacher. That also explains the title track - on one shoulder his father; on the other, his uncle - a pimp.He played practically the entire CD, Tequila Is Good For The Heart, Love Scar, Better Days Ahead and the hilarious I Don't Like Half The Folks I Love. The only disappointment is when the show ended - and it ended with classic Thorn as he walked off stage into the concert hall to personally thank fans for attending. Fortunately he's coming back to town next month, this time playing at the The Birchmere and then in October at the The 8X10 in Baltimore. I'm purchasing my ticket now.

Merlefest: The Blues

Merlefest is best known for the tremendous bluegrass, folk, and country artists that regularly perform during the festival. But at the 2009 event, festival regular Roy Book Binder hosted "The Greatest Acoustic Blues Show on Earth" at the Austin\Sugar Hill stage on Saturday. Besides himself, the series included five time WC Handy Blues Music Award winner Rory Block, XM Favorite Doug MacLeod, Jimmy "Duck" Holmes, Patrick Sweany, Pat Donohue as well as folksters Mitch Greenhill and Happy Traum. Book Binder, Sweeny, and Traum also performed Sunday on the Americana stage and Block performed a short set on the Watson stage when the Waybacks were delayed. What a treat.

For us the highlights were finally being able to watch Macleod and Book Binder live after hearing them often on the radio. And we were introduced to the musical talents of both Sweany and Holmes. Jimmy "Duck" Holmes (pictured above) was a special treat since he apparently operates the longest running juke joint in Mississippi. "Joog" from MyJoog is one of the original terms in which Juke transformed to. Plus the guy can play - in the unusual Bentonia style - but he can play. "Little Red Rooster" - traditional blues at its best. In the same vein, MacLeod is "one of the last remaining Bluesmen who learned from the old masters". He has played with George "Harmonica" Smith, Big Joe Turner, Pee Wee Crayton, Eddie 'Cleanhead' Vinson, Lowell Fulson and Big Mama Thornton. Fortunately Bill Wax is also a fan so we get to hear him regularly on satellite radio.

Roy Book Binder	Happy Traum

Roy Book Binder performed his narrative blues - a master storyteller - both Saturday and Sunday. He taught us about the Reverend Gary Davis, a blind blues and gospel performer from South Carolina. Eventually he wound up in New York City and become known as the "Harlem Street Singer". Davis was "rediscovered" with the help of Peter, Paul, & Mary and his performance at the Samson and Delilah at the Newport Folk Festival. Within his story, Book Binder narrated Peter, Paul, & Mary made sure Davis received royalties for all of their covers of Davis' work. With new income, Davis set up shop in Long Island teaching guitar. One of his students: Roy Book Binder. Book Binder also introduced us to Hacksaw Harney and "Pink" Davidson, by playing a song each in their honor. We could have sat all day listening to his stories.

The future of the blues is safe in the hands of Patrick Sweany. Roy Book Binder told us the tale how they met from a couple of chance encounters with Sweany's father. That's him playing the tub with Patrick. One fortunate day Book Binder discovered the discarded demo CD in his fan and decided to give it a try. After cycling through the initial 30 seconds of each song, he realized that Sweany was already just as good her better than he. Book Binder humorously told us his response, "I contacted Patrick and told him that I heard his CD and was impressed. He had two options. I could kill him or help him." Patrick selected the later. Sweany can rock as with the Chelsea Swing or he can slow it down and he has some great lyrics - "Ford Don't Make a Bedroom". Go out and see this guy play and see why he will be a featured MyJoog artist very soon.

Merlefest - Saturday

Saturday's performances was truly phenomenal; an amazing array of talent in one event. The day started with Bearfoot, followed by The Belleville Outfit, The Dixie Bee-Liners, Cadillac Sky, The Farewell Drifters, Missy Raines & The New Hip, Scythian, Spring Creek Bluegrass Band, Patrick Sweany, The Greencards, Ollabelle, Martha Scanlan, David Bromberg, Jim Lauderdale, Doug MacLeod, Jimmy "Duck" Holmes, The Belleville Outfit again, Doc Watson, Emmylou Harris, Sam Bush, and finally BeauSoleil. What a lineup and what a day.