Time after time, Oakland-based bluesman Rusty Zinn’s raw, burning guitar work and soulful vocals leave listeners open-mouthed in amazement. That is, until their feet start to move uncontrollably and lead them to the dance floor, as Zinn’s jumping blend of 1940s and 1950s West Coast swing/blues and gritty Chicago blues takes over. Zinn has electrified audiences around the world with his fiery live shows and critically acclaimed recordings, both as a leader and as a sideman. Zinn’s raw talent and deep feeling for the blues have earned him gigs and recordings over the past ten years with many blues masters, including Jimmy Rogers, Snooky Pryor, Luther Tucker, James Cotton, Mark Hummel and Kim Wilson (who helped Rusty get his first recording contract and co-produced his first album, SITTIN' & WAITIN’ for Black Top Records in 1996). Upon the album’s release, The Memphis Commercial Appeal raved, “Rusty Zinn is the real deal. To say this is the best blues release of the year is an understatement.” With Zinn’s Black Top follow up, CONFESSIN’, things got even more exciting. “The cuts on CONFESSIN’ play like time-capsuled tunes in a forgotten Memphis jukebox,” shouted Blues Revue. “If rompin’, stompin’ pedal-to-the-metal blues is your thing, here’s a record for you,” announced Vintage Guitar.
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Zinn’s Alligator release, THE CHILL, features his forceful, tasteful, fat-toned guitar playing and R&B-inflected vocals on a vibrant mix of obscure blues songs and heart-pounding originals. Featuring twelve songs (with five Zinn originals), THE CHILL swings, rocks and rolls from start to finish. From the soulful Ladies Choice to the pumping She’s Got Style to the down home Moonlight Blues (with a guest appearance by Elvin Bishop) THE CHILL will bring Zinn to the top of the blues world. Little Charlie Baty called Rusty, “The most impressive guitarist I’ve heard in years. He’s the real deal.” “Zinn’s sharp and assertive guitar work is one of the undersung pleasures of the current blues scene,” shouted Down Beat. The album will no doubt make these words ring true all over the world.
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Born in Long Beach, California in 1970, Rusty Zinn grew up in Santa Cruz. His brother introduced him to the blues at the age of 15 by bringing home Muddy Waters and Howlin’ Wolf records. As Zinn recalls, “I heard them and asked my brother, ‘What’s that?’ He said, ‘That’s the blues!’ I just loved it. From then on it just snowballed.” Rusty picked up the guitar at age 17, fascinated with the styles of Jimmy Rogers, Eddie Taylor, Robert Jr. Lockwood and Luther Tucker (a groundbreaking Chicago and San Francisco-based guitarist famed for his work with James Cotton, Little Walter, Otis Rush, Jimmy Rogers and Muddy Waters). Tucker played a pivotal role in Rusty’s burgeoning career when he invited an 18-year-old Zinn to jam during a gig near Santa Cruz. Zinn’s enthusiasm and intensity made such a big impact on Tucker that he took the young guitarist under his wing and shared musical ideas and years of road-tested experience with him.
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Zinn quickly made a name for himself playing in several Bay Area blues bands. As his reputation grew, he backed up touring blues luminaries Snooky Pryor and Jimmy Rogers. From there he went on the road with Bay Area harp veteran Mark Hummel, logging in countless touring miles while honing his chops. One of the many gigs Rusty played was a special package show with Jimmy Rogers and Billy Boy Arnold at the San Francisco Blues Festival, where Zinn met Kim Wilson of The Fabulous Thunderbirds.
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Wilson was so impressed with Rusty’s playing he invited him to Austin for the recording of his 1993 album, TIGERMAN. Wilson then asked Zinn to join his band. Soon afterwards, Wilson brought Rusty to the attention of Black Top Records, who signed Rusty to the label and released two critically acclaimed solo albums. Zinn earned a 1996 Blues Music Award nomination for "Best New Blues Artist." Zinn toured extensively and won fans all over the country with his blazing live performances and exceptional guitar playing at events like The Monterey Jazz Festival, The Long Beach Blues Festival, Blues By The Bay and The Russian River Blues Festival. His 1999 appearance at The San Francisco Blues Festival drew rave reviews and wildly enthusiastic ovations from the overflow crowd of seasoned blues fans.
Rusty Zinn is the genuine article,” said Blues Revue. “A young guitarist who is a piece of the blues future.” “He sounds like a future master,” agreed OffBeat. Indeed, Zinn’s future is very bright. From the minute he strikes the first chord to the last note wrenched from his exhausted strings, Rusty Zinn leaves audiences everywhere amazed, knowing they’ve just witnessed one of the brightest young blues stars to emerge in years. And with THE CHILL, Zinn will send shivers down the spines of listeners all over the world.
With nearly three decades of touring and recording under his belt, Boston blues guitarist "Monster" Mike Welch is a seasoned veteran of the international blues scene. Nicknamed "Monster Mike" by actor/Ghostbuster Dan Aykroyd when he was 13 years old, Welch has since established himself as a highly accomplished and in-demand guitarist.
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To date, Welch has released several albums under his own name and in 2001 he joined one of New England's most beloved blues institutions, Sugar Ray and the Bluetones, where he remained until 2017, recording five albums and several Blues Music Award nominations for the band. Welch has also recorded with Shemekia Copeland, Ronnie Earl, Danielle Nicole, Duke Robillard, Johnny Winter, Victor Wainwright, Nick Moss, the Mannish Boys and Sugaray Rayford, among others. Welch left the Bluetones in 2017 to focus on his collaboration with Mike Ledbetter, which led to seven Blues Music Award nominations and the formation of the Welch Ledbetter Connection within the first year.
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Welch received three consecutive Blues Music Award nominations from the Blues Foundation for Instrumentalist-Guitar beginning in 2016, a Boston Music Award for Best Blues Act, and is an inductee of the Rhode Island Music Hall Of Fame. In 2023, Monster Mike Welch began the next phase of his career when he signed with Gulf Coast Records to create new music.
This is the end of this club season. What great evenings we have had together, and this one promises to be a memorable one again.
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Our southern neighbor, excellent singer and harmonica player Big Dave Reniers, has already achieved great things with the widely praised Electric Kings. In the late 90s and 00s he played down many Western European clubs and festival stages. With infectious, traditional yet original blues and boogie that he is so influenced by, he flawlessly knows how to put the soul into his performance. With his beautiful, versatile voice he can go in many directions.
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The men he gathers around him are the who's who in Dutch blues. Only guitarist/singer Mischa den Haring has never climbed our stage before, although he has visited the club before. We will also enjoy pianist and organ player Roel Spanjers on keyboards and vocals, Darryl Ciggaar on drums, Dusty Ciggaar on bass.
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We will make this season finale a wonderful evening.
Nick Moss gathers only excellent musicians around him. In recent years he has been touring an old school blues ensemble, with bassist Rodrigo Mantovani, drummer Pierce Downer and harmonica virtuoso Dennis Gruenling. Together they released their album 'Get Your Back Into It!' on the famous Alligator Records label. with Taylor Streiff also on the record, who is unfortunately not present on this tour. This album features 14 original songs that have a rock-solid groove with unparalleled guitar work and a solid rhythm tandem.
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At Moulin Blues 2023, I saw this artist for the first time, after having heard his name many times. His show captivated me, but the festival setting was a little less appropriate because the volume of loud festival visitors exceeded the act. I knew a place where I could see the man at work again....
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The American Guy Davis is currently the international ambassador of acoustic blues music. For years he has been spreading his love for the blues across four continents.
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Davis is the son of famous actors Ruby Dee and Ossie Davis. He grew up in New York City, but developed his passion for the blues through the stories of his grandparents in the rural South of the US. Davis released more than ten critically acclaimed albums in the US and collaborated with blues legends such as Dr. John, Bonnie Raitt, Taj Mahal and Pete Seeger.
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Together with the Italian harmonica virtuoso Fabrizio Poggi, he released the album Juba Dance in 2013 (including a guest contribution from The Blind Boys of Alabama). It earned Guy Davis a nomination for 'Best Acoustic Artist' and 'Best Acoustic Record' at the 35th Blues Music Awards in the US. This was followed by Kokomo Kidd, an album that was again excellently received in Europe and on which Guy Davis proves to be much more than just a bluesman. He effortlessly blends influences from country, Americana and European singer-songwriters in his music.
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He was already nominated for a Grammy for his 2018 album Sonny and Brownies Last Train (MC Records). Guy also recently released a special EP with a side project Gumbo, Grits & Gravy, but now he has received another big Grammy nomination with his new album Be Ready When I Call You. This album is a very nice mix of blues, folk, gospel and soul and sounds cheerful and moving at the same time. He can't wait to bring the songs back to international stages soon.