Music-Blues 2000 X-Mas Tape Review Bios

SOUL TO SOUL
The #Music-Blues 2000 X-Mas Tape Review Bios The A-Side

1.)Ventilator Blues
Genogun
vocals

HI, I AM GENE GUNULFSEN,
MY HOMETOWN IS BOGALUSA,LOUISIANA,USA, I AM A STUDIO VOCALIST, BUT I WASNT ALWAYS, I STARTED PLAYING MUSIC WHEN I WAS ABOUT 10 YEARS OLD IN THE FRENCH QUARTER IN NEW ORLEANS, ON THE STREETS AND IN THE BARS, THE ONES I COULD SLIP IN WHERE THE WOMEN THOUGHT I WAS AN ADDORRABLE LITTLE BOY,, ANY WAYS I PLAYED FOR TIPS, AND LEARNED A LOT REAL FAST, THEN I JUST FELL IN LOVE WITH WHAT I WAS DOING, AND PLAYED IN NUMEROUS BANDS, OF ALL KIND,S, THERFORE HOHNING MY CRAFT AS A SINGER, AND GOT AN OPPORTUNITY, TO GO IN THE STUDIO WITH GATEMOUTH BROWN AND SING SCRATCH VOCALS FOR HIM, I AM LEARNING A LOT FROM GATEMOUTH, AND EVERYONE THAT I HAVE HAD THE PRIVILEDGE OF WORKING WITH ON ANY MUSICAL ENDEAVOR, YOU CANT DO IT ALONE, ANY WAYS ABOUT THE SONGS ON THE ROOM TAPE, ONE WAS WRITTEN BY JJ CALE WHO IS A GREAT WRITER FROM HERE IN LOUISIANA WHO I ADMIRE VERY MUCH AND HE IS INDEED A PROLIFIC WRITER, " DONT CRY SISTER " IS THE SONG OF HIS THAT I DONE THE SCRATCH VOCAL WORK ON , ON A GATEMOUTH BROWN PROJECT OTHER ARTIST ON THIS SONG INCLUDE, SONNY LANDRETH ON STEEL SLIDE AND ELECTRIC SLIDE GUITAR, AMOS GARRETT ACOUSTIC RYTHEM GUITAR, GEORGE BITZER HAMMOND B-3 ORGAN, JIM KELTNER DRUMS, WILLIE WEEKS BASS GUITAR. OK THE NEXT SONG WAS " VENTALATOR BLUES" RECORDED FOR A TRIBUTE ALBUMN FOR THE ROLLING STONES, A MICK JAGGER / KEITH RICHARD,S TUNE , I ALSO DONE THE SCRATCHVOCAL WORK ON THIS ONE THE PLAYERS INCLUDED, GATEMOUTH BROWN GUITAR /VIOLA, DERRICK TRUCKS ON NATIONAL DOBRO, RICCO,,DERRICK,S DRUMMER, ON DRUMS, SONNY LANDRETH ON ACOUSTIC/ELECTRIC SLIDE GUITAR, GENE GUNULFSEN VOCALS ON BOTH SONGS OF THE BLUES ROOM TAPE 2000.
genogun

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2.) How Big A Fool (Whosyerdaddy)
Jbone~Harp

hmmmm, lessee.....I lost my father when I was 4 yrs old- after that my gramps dubbed me "Mr. Blue" and sat me on his knee and played harmonica to me when we visited him, so I had the blues from an early age, I think. When I hit about 19 I picked up a harp and sounded terrible bad for a few years. I discovered blues jams in Dallas and improved some, took a few years off, moved to Denton, rediscovered my passion for the music, and found a jam here. Over the early years, Howlin Wolf and Muddy Waters' bands were my main influence, with Sonny Terry and Taj Mahal in there too. They are still some of my favorites, and I have found plenty more to inspire me. About 5 or 6 years back I was invited into my first band, at 38 years old. Late bloomer heeheehee!!! Since then there have been a few bands, one of which I co-founded. Lately, the last 18 months, I have worked with Whosyerdaddy regularly. I now have a side project goin also, with some pals here in Denton, we call ourselves the Yarddogs. We plan to tap a very local market around town here, maybe host a jam this season, and have some good times and growth. Over last summer, I worked with a guy doin' delta blues and had a real good time doin' it- back to the roots. This latest project is very basic, covers of the old masters and also some originals comin' together. On the roomie tape, I sent Redpop the latest demo from Whosyerdaddy, and she picked How Big A Fool, written by Etta James, I think. We did the demo at the bass player's house on 8-track, it was Lexa Jo's first recording session so I think we all were somewhat reserved- we're a lot more snappy in person!! I expect to send a tape of the new band for next year's tape, I'm very excited to be workin with these guys! I have met Anson Funderburg, Sam Myers, and Bugs Henderson, my own meager brushes with greatness! jboners

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3.)I Wonder Why
(The Vocal Chords)
Jivemama (songwriter/vocals)

Hello everyone,
We had been a band for a whole two weeks when we recorded "I Wonder Why." The four voices on that tape are two female and two male. The bass singer is really a baritone. he comes by the bass line naturally from his background as a dixieland tuba player. The tenor is a booking agent for national acts including many of the remaining doo wop bands. His connections didn't help the band. but his negotiation skills did. The alto has a good lead voice but tends to desert her note in a chord. She was the demise of the band.
I have an ear for the full chord and did much arranging for the band when we copied tunes that were not originally a capella. I also tried in many creative ways to guide the alto. When I was no longer able to be in the band, she floundered. Later we brought in another alto. Then we had bass, lead and the full chord. The sound was awesome. and the audiences really got into it. Swing dancers followed us to our gigs. It isn't MY music, but I LOVED singing with this band.
I left the band when I became disabled due to an automobile accident. It is not nice of me to say, but, without me, the band only lasted a few months. We had been working together for several years. At last, I am back to music, and putting together a new band. I have not found all the members, but we are working on it. Again, the band will be a capella, but swing, jump and blues - hot stuff.
I am inspired by Connie Boswell, one of my musical favorites. Connie was disabled and had no problem with sitting down on stage while the rest of the band was standing. She was the driver for the Boswell Sisters, who recorded in the 20's and 30's. they were the first hot, white, vocal band.
For more info go to Jivemama's Homepage.

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4.) I'll Be
Tiggergrrl
(Vocals)
E. McCain
hi all ;-)
ok i will take a shot at this and hope it comes out ok ;-) i started singing very young , and at around 8 i was told i should have special instruction ((ugh)))))
i stayed with that music teacher 2 months till i begged my mom to not make me go lol.singing snow white just wasn't me ;-)lol...sang thru several things in school , when i got to junior high i stopped singing for a time didnt wan't to be pushed to do it , i guess i just wanted it to be mine , not other people making you do it , when your that young sometimes it feels thats what it is about ....... anyway stayed out of it for quite a while use to just sing on my own .
went to the cape cod conservatory when i was 18 for 2 months all they said was hold the note longer and round it off ..... was very boring...got married and just sang around the house or to ian ( my son for those who don't know)
in 1992 my cousin David was diagnosed with cancer . always called him my little cousin because i was 3 months older than him but he was 6 ft 4 lol . i was living in germany at the time . saw an ad for a talent show i thought either start singing or just forget about it , they had a profesional band playing for the singers
i became friends with them they taught me so much i can't even begin to tell you . they believed in me when i didn't sometimes believe in myself ;-) to them i will be eternally grateful. i sang for the show " that's what love is for" for my cousin ......
after the show the guys wanted me to sing with them for my remaining time in germany , i decided to do it ;-) the name of the group was "visions" it was an awesome experience for me;-)
when i left germany we got stationed in monterey, ca got with an awesome vocal coach Dr Harvey Marshall a vocal teacher retired from stamford university , he taught me so much about why we do certain training for our voice and basically the who , what, when, where and hows of why we do certain things to train and maintain your voice .... anyway...
music is kind of on the back shelf right now i am trying to raise ian alone and i want and need to be with him and be a good mom , i work alot but when i am not working i try to record stuff in this awesome studio down here on cape ;-) we have several projects in the works so it keeps me involved doing what i love , and when ian gets older i want to be more involved in music . i am looking forward to that day ;-)
the song was by edwin mccain called " i'll be"...i recorded this a little over a year ago for a friend. lyrics mean everything to me and the feeling they carry .
i was trying to let them know i would be there to help them thru and that i believed in them . it was a song we both loved and related to each other ;-) the guitarist playing for me is Richard Arnison and he had just started playig with the song the day we recorded it . he is an awesome accoustic player .........
well now i have bored you to tears lol take care and keep safe and share that smile ;-)
love ya much
tiggy

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6.) Time To Get Right
DeakHarp99
(Songwriter/Performer)
hey roomies!
I would be glad to tell you about that tune I wrote way back in 98. I think it was i was in a drug rehab way out in the woods ....and the song just came to me ........It was perfected throughout my stay ....lol.. And i named it Time To Get Right...lol.......The recording of it was 2 years later .....Some procrastination ha ?....Well any way ...A friend of mine, his name is John, has a digital recording thingy ....What it is I dont know .....But it has something to do with numbers ....and I aint good at numbers unless someone owes me numbers $$$$.... lol .... I recorded 11 songs in about a hour and a half, just me, a microphone in front of me and a harp no amp's all...acoustic no frills except the digital thingy ....lol ....And this is the song Redpop.....picked and that is how it got on the tape...Red can add to it...if she would ...and you know she will....lol....ok talk soon thank's...............
Deak.....

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10.) Stone Cold Junkie (Iron Horse)
Rosstamann (guitar)

Was born many moons ago, in Dubuque, Iowa. Always loved music, can remember singing (badly...lol) as a child along with records....Began bugging my parents when i was 11 for a drum kit....My dad (in his infinite wisdom, rest his soul) said NO...Not even a year later dad was gone, and mom, doing anything to try to make this loss "more bearable" saw fit to buy me a lil' Ludwig jazzette kit, which i played til' i was 15 and joined my first working band...Met my ol' pal Steve about a year later, and it was hearing him play guitar every night that made me want to try and play guitar too, and i fiddled with it for the next 3 years, learning bits and pieces here and there. Then one night on our way home from a gig, we were listening to Public Radio (they would always play GREAT blues on the way home from gigs, i remember first hearing Albert, and Freddie King, Blind Lemon, Lonnie Johnson, (not to mention Robert), Mike Bloomfield, Jimi, Lowell George, cool swing artists like the Hawaiin Sol Hoopie, and the KILLER organists Brother Jack McDuff, and Jimmy McGriff on the local NPR there) I heard this "new blues phenom" that cut me to my soul and left me with my mouth agape, wanting him to do it again....That was the first time I ever heard "Texas Flood" by S.R.V.....It was all over...Then i began SERIOUSLY striving to learn everything I could about guitar....And still the quest continues....
The tune was by the only band I have been in since relocating to the southwest (damn that sux to read...lol)...It was written by our bassist at the time along with three other ppl he was playing with back in the day.....Originally I was told it was a heavy metal tune, complete with dropped D tuning.... Anyway, Fred (Chew) had started playing this riff the second time we ever jammed together, only misadvertently transposing keys to E....I played the little rythm part and grooved along fer a bit and took a solo and when the outtro had been played, he took off the bass and came over and gave me this big assed hug.....And says, "where the hell have you been for the last 30 years?"....lol....Anyways, it was cut in a garage/studio some budz of ours had in Hobbs, New Mexico, right outside their house....The original mix Jim and I did was KILLER, but upon mixdown, got &$&#_%& up, by a bad cord in the signal chain....19 painstaking hours gone, cos of a 10 dollar patch cord....uggghh!!!....I gave up, went to sleep and told our drummer Mark (Salazar) to have at it, I had enough, and this is the mix you hear, 4 generations later (sorry)....A Gibson Firebird, a cry baby, some kinda freakazoid distortion device and a fender Blues DeVille (borrowed :-( LoL) supplied the tones.....Oh yeah...and me....hehehe......
Ross

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11.) Angel From Montgomery (Full House Band)
Cstring (guitar & background vocals)

The FullHouse Band has been through several reincarnations since it was first formed as the "NoName" Band in 1985--and has basically had the same people all together or in part since then -The band currently has four of ths original memebers the NoName organization playing in FullHouse- Doc (cstring) vocals, guitar; Claudine-vocals, keyboards, accordian; Ron-Harmonica, vocals and sound man, and Ellen (BASSGAL) bass guitar and vocals- who also is the driver of the bands motor home which serves as the "tour" vehicle for road gigs- In addition the band currently has as its lead guitar player a gent from the Bay Area in California , Tim, who formally played with Elvin Bishop and once had a country music gig with David Frizell-and our drummer Alan, formally of Taylor Made, a regiounal band that has opened for the Smoking Armadillos, Jefferson Starship, and Foghat- (Yeah, Yeah , I know-there are only five in a full house-but we are thinkin' of changing the nam to FullHousePlus or Busted Flush or somethin'!! Angel from Montgomery was kinda an accident-you will have to ask Redpop as to why it's on the Blues Room tape. We recorded it with no practice, after not having played it for over a month!! (AND thats pretty evident!!) Tim was not there at the time this was recorded so Doc did all the guitar stuff (ALSO pretty evident LOL!!) Everybody in the band loves the song-especially the Bonnnie Raitt-John Prine version-by the way-John Prine wrote the song!! Susan Tedeshi did a great job on "Angel" on the "Just Won't Burn" CD-- The FullHouse Band has recently been picked up for bookings by the Wayne Dubbs Agency, and will very soon be on the Agency's web page at www.waynedubbs.com-probably around the 1st of February-please come see us there!!! Luvin'my Blues Sisters and Brothers!!! Good Luck at trivia!!!
DOC (cstring)

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13.) Laid Back Blues (Cherry Street Ensemble)
Whiskynblues (songwriter/vocals)

Hi everyone! OK, let's see here....... Whiskynblues (aka Sewer Rat) is really Kim Ring. 47 years old, he lives in Riceville Iowa, where he was born and raised until he was 17. He wrote his first song, which is highly forgetable, when he was 13, and trying to seduce a girl. It worked, so he kept writing.... When he got out of jail in the fall of 1976 he got married to Dawn, the girl that stayed with him through his six months in jail. Three years later they had a son, Dain. Four years after that, Laine dropped in. Kim is at present working for the City, like he has for the last 23 years. But he wants a new job bad now!!! Laid Back Blues was written one fine spring day while shoveling cold mix asphalt in potholes. Unlike most of the songs I write, this one started with a guitar riff in my head, the lyric started coming to me about an hour and 75 potholes later. Unlike the impression it leaves, I hadn't been laid in over a month at the time. I worked from memory. When I had written it down and got it firmly in my head, I went and sang it to Dick, who plays fine guitar and will sometimes play what I write. Since this one has lots of room for the guitar to improvise, he decided it was worth working with. We've done this song about 50 times or so, everytime he plays it a little differently. This time he was trying to keep a bass line, a rythym and lead all going at the same time, I liked it. But he did tend to lose me a couple times when I got into him instead of what I was singing. We were on a roll one night, it was great, the tape deck wasn't recording though.... At minimum, it's a ten minute song, on the best night, we played it for over thirty. This take is about the fourth try we did in one loooong night, and was the first time the tape was not too hot, too dead, or wowing and fluttering like mad. After more than two years of trying to get it, this is the best we could do before Red's deadline. The Cherry Street Ensemble, named for the street Dick lives on, consists of Kim and Dick as it's core. While there are other guitar players who come in and jam (Tony, Veryl, Darell and Brian) , they never seem to do anything worth taping when the deck is running. We need a bass player bad! Dick and I have managed to record three whole songs that are barely artistically acceptable after three years of trying! Dick hopes to get a 4 track for Christmas, which should mean more new recordings, of better quality, in 2001. Whisky

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On to the B-Side....
http://www.angelfire.com/ab2/rosstamann/xmas_tape_reviewb.html