Bush League - Didn't See This Coming

Size: 354 MB
Time: 51:17
File: Flac
Released: 2015
Styles: blues, blues-rock
Art: Front

1. Hearse (LIVE) ( 8:42)
2. Show You Off (LIVE) ( 7:58)
3. Tramp (10:00)
4. Gimme My Money ( 3:41)
5. Can of Gas & A Match (LIVE) ( 8:50)
6. Frysumfish ( 5:55)
7. Kick Up Yo Heels (LIVE) ( 6:08)

An old saying goes, “You can’t judge a book by its cover.” Here’s a corollary: “One can’t judge a CD by the name of its artist.” A witty case-in-point is Richmond, VA’s blues rock band The Bush League. Usually, “bush league” means “second-rate or “of lesser quality”. However, in terms of their fourth album’s top-notch music, this reviewer Didn’t See This Coming. Another surprise on this release is its in-your-face opener, compared to the rest of the album. Upon hearing “Hearse”, listeners might think they’re in for far more screaming shredder than blues. Indeed, on most of the seven songs afterward, one can hear electric shredding and rapid riffs galore. The difference is that “Hearse” is a thrash-rock extravaganza, whereas the other tracks are contemporary blues. This line may still be too blurry for some fans, but others won’t mind. According to their website, “The Bush League was founded on a front porch in 2007, not too far outside Richmond, Virginia by dynamic vocalist JohnJason ‘JohnJay’ Cecil and the heartbeat of the band, self-taught bassist Royce Folks…. Taking [a] Hill Country base and drawing upon individual influences of rock, soul, funk and gospel, The Bush League meshes those genres to create their own sound that pays homage to traditional blues with a modern feel. [Much] honing and evolving has begun to pay off, as The Bush League has become a familiar face in Memphis, TN with a member of some iteration of the band having competed in every category of The Blues Foundation’s International Blues Challenge since 2010.”

Didn't See This Coming FLAC

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The Bush League - James Rivah

Size: 130,0 MB
Time: 55:32
File: MP3 @ 320K/s
Released: 2018
Styles: Blues Rock
Art: Front

01. River's Edge (2:52)
02. Kokomo Me Baby (3:45)
03. Say Yes (6:24)
04. Show You Off (5:16)
05. Catfish Blues (4:17)
06. Kick Up Yo Heels (3:43)
07. Long Gone (4:18)
08. Hearse (6:25)
09. Tuxedo Blues (4:53)
10. Moonshine (4:53)
11. Cold Shower (4:09)
12. What's Wrong With You (4:32)

In the Annals of Blues the phrase “Mississippi meets Memphis” must surely occur 1000 times, but thanks to The Bush League, we can happily chalk up a thousand and one, because this album can only be described as such.

Recorded in Memphis with friends and guests from both places, these tracks highlight a band long in love with Hill Country blues – a band that here combines the gritty rhythm of North Mississippi with the soulful shine of Memphis, yet retains its own sense of place and presence.

The Bush League hails from Richmond, Virginia (RVA to the locals), and while we don’t have the grand and mighty Mississippi, we do have the James, and she is every bit as dearly loved.

And speakin’ as a man who has himself spent many an hour with his toes in her waters and his hands on the strings, I hear – from the first riffs of “River’s Edge” to the final hollers of “What’s Wrong with You?” – not only the sounds of two faraway musical meccas, but the steady rollin’ heart of my own hometown.

Most of all, I hear GROOVE, and groove is good.

But if there’s one thing a human being needs more than groove, it’s SOUL, and I hear that, too – not just the Memphis soul, oozin’ out like sauce from a sandwich, but the indefinable human essence connecting us all, from Richmond, Virginia, to North Mississippi, and way on back to West Africa, where the blues truly began.

Soul makes your skin tingle; it makes you want to dance even though you’re dog tired; it makes you forget your crap job, your evil ex, or your damn landlord. Soul is what gets you through the blues and makes life worth living. If you could use a little of that, go on and fire these tunes up.

The Bush League has plenty to spare. ~Smokey B.

James Rivah

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The Bush League - Can Of Gas & A Match

Bitrate: 320K/s
Time: 53:44
Size: 123.0 MB
Styles: Rockin blues, Hill country blues
Year: 2012
Art: Front

[7:45] 1. Can Of Gas & A Match
[5:10] 2. Devil Cryin' In The Churchyard
[2:54] 3. Gotta Woman
[3:57] 4. Don't Touch My Liquor
[7:42] 5. Runnin' Through The River
[3:35] 6. '59 Chevy
[5:07] 7. Mexico
[3:26] 8. Penicillin
[7:44] 9. .38 Special Blues
[6:19] 10. Death Of Robert

Based in Richmond, VA, The Bush League began in March 2007 as a sonic stew one part cigarette smoke, one part cheap beer and a healthy dollop of laughter through the tears. The soul filled voice of co-founder JohnJason “Sleepy Eyed Jay” Cecil is both sin and salvation while the guitar licks of Shane “Chicago Slim” Parch paint a picture of Mississippi shotgun houses against the backdrop of the Windy City skyline. Brought together by the bass lines of co-founder Royce Folks, the cornerstone of The Bush League's rhythm section accompanied by a storied list of drummers!

Since its inception, The Bush League has been rockin’ the Blues from Maryland to Mississippi! Memphis in particular is familiar with the sound of The Bush League as the band has been a presence at the International Blues Challenge in every category of competition. Jay and Slim competed in the solo/duo category in 2010, the band competed in 2011, made the semifinals in 2012 and its first studio CD “Can of Gas & a Match” was selected for consideration in the “Best Self –Produced CD” category for the 2014 competition.

“Can of Gas & a Match” was recorded at Young Avenue Sound in Memphis in one 14 hour session. Released in December 2012, this “gutsy” and “ballsy” CD has been played and downloaded worldwide with positive reviews from such storied Blues publications as “Blues Blast Magazine”, "Living Blues" and highly regarded Blues blogs like “Bman’s Blues Report”. The Bush League has had the pleasure of sharing the stage with such luminaries as Michael Burks, Big Bill Moganfield, Jimmy “Duck” Holmes, Terry 'Harmonica' Bean and bands such as JJ Grey & Mofro, Galactic and Robert Randolph and the Family Band.

While paying homage to those who have inspired them such as Robert Johnson, John Lee Hooker, Muddy Waters, Howlin’ Wolf, R.L. Burnside, Junior Kimbrough and Theodore “Hound Dog” Taylor, The Bush League imbues traditional blues with a modern flair. Rock tinged, raucous, and at times raunchy, The Bush League always puts on a show that is in a word, FUN. The interaction between the band mates is infectious, and the audience can’t help but to enjoy themselves!

The Bush League; you will like what you hear and love what you’ve never heard before!

Can Of Gas & A Match mc
Can Of Gas & A Match zippy

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