96.5 WKLH
Rock N’ Roll Roots with Steve Palec on 96.5 WKLH – Milwaukee’s Hometown Rock!
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• Episode # 78: Bob Seger
Steve says goodbye!
“I am grateful and frankly amazed at the freedom and opportunity I was afforded back in 1987. I’m proud of telling stories, sharing music, having fun, interviewing legends and informing an audience over the course of wars, tragedies, births, bulletins, weather issues and 7 US Presidents… while never once “mailing it in” since I prepared for each and every show for hours on end.” – Steve Palec
LISTEN: Steve joins Dave, Dorene and Gino to say farewell
WATCH: Steve chats with Tiffany Ogle on TMJ4’s
Home is where the pocket is for legendary drummer Steve Gadd, and he rarely leaves it during the cool, groove-oriented live outing
At Blue Note Tokyo, a seductive set of soft, neon-lit jazz-fusion recorded there on Dec. 18, 2019. Favoring natural feel over fussy complexity, Gadd takes a backseat on this occasion, venturing out to solo just once with a dizzying, euphoric eruption during the piano rolling, Latin-inspired gyrations of “One Point Five.” The chops are still there.
Responsible for laying down the irresistibly catchy beats of Paul Simon’s “50 Ways to Leave Your Lover,” with his rhythmic complexity having also propelled groundbreaking records by Al Di Meola and Chick Corea, among others, Gadd has nothing left to prove.
Photo: Brad Danner
Among the newest generation of bands in the tradition of West Coast psychedelia, Triptides have blossomed into the role of elegant adventurers, continually discovering their sound
through a complex map of familiar influences and bold choices in tonality, structure and texture.
Starting in 2010 in the college town of Bloomington, Indiana, the band moved West, and so did their influences. Los Angeles brought out a more sophisticated element, with Doors-inspired organ flourishes and the spirit of The Byrds. Their live sound is bold, dynamic, synchronized chaos while in the studio they’re adventurous and surprising.
Triptides’ new CD,
You Ain’t Unlucky is a surprising debut in many ways. Pushing into the generally overcrowded blues music market, it comes from a young lady who is already making her mark in the field, with a number of major awards tucked into her belt. Winner of the 2020 Boston Music Awards, Blues Artist of the Year, Veronica Lewis has a boatload of potential on the basis of this opening recording salvo.
In recent years, Lewis has picked up numerous, largely local awards for her hard-driving keyboard skills and powerful vocal delivery, “local” ranging from Nashville to Boston and most parts in between. With a driving delivery and downright determined, thumping piano style she clearly displays on this release, she equally clearly knows what she’s doing and where she’s headed. Six tracks of the eight tracks are self-penned, with two covers. She is evidently influenced by many early piano pioneers, from Pinetop Perkins and Otis Spann to Jerry Lee Lewis, with strong shades of rock’n’r
If you don’t know anything about Ally Venable, it’s time you found out. Although she looks the part of music
ingenue, she’s been winning awards as a blues guitarist since age 15. She’s currently just shy of her 22
nd birthday and
Heart of Fire is already her fourth album. It’s an apt title since Venable has earned a reputation as a fiery guitarist, singer, songwriter and, above all, performer.
Counting fellow Texan Stevie Ray Vaughan as one of her prime influences, Venable’s been making noise in more ways than one. She likes it
loud as the title track amply demonstrates. Kicking things off with plenty of wah-wah before settling into a satisfying riff, “Heart of Fire” lets the listener know Venable came to play. Songs like “Hard Change” and “Do It in Heels” are Zeppelinesque while “Played the Game” settles things down a bit with some bluesy slide guitar.