Matthew Skoller Band - Bone To Pick With You

Year: 1996
Bitrate: MP3@320K/s
Time: 49:40
Size: 114,7 MB
Styles: Electric blues, harmonica blues
Scans: Full

1. Love Her Don't Shove Her (4:54)
2. Bone To Pick With You (3:54)
3. Turn To Me (5:03)
4. Can't Get Enuff Of Nothin' (5:17)
5. How Long Can A Fool Go Wrong (4:58)
6. If Love Ain't So Bad (3:56)
7. Dangerous Game (6:37)
8. The Same Thing Will Happen To You (2:51)
9. Talk Is Cheap (3:48)
10. Bad Bed Bugs (3:34)
11. Easy (4:41)

b. New York, USA. Playing blues harmonica, Skoller worked with various bands, including the Chi-Town Hustlers and Big Daddy Kinsey And The Kinsey Report. After establishing himself on the Chicago blues club scene, where he attracted a great deal of attention, he formed his own band. His rough-hewn singing voice ably interprets traditional blues themes in which he reveals his admiration for artists such as James Cotton, Walter Horton, Junior Parker, and Jimmy Reed. He and his band quickly built a faithful following.

Among band members have been guitarists Lurrie Bell and Larry Skoller, shakuhachi player Brian Ritchie, pianist and organist Sidney James Wingfield, bass player Willie ‘Vamp’ Samuels and percussionists Kenny Smith and Heitor Garcia. Skoller has also recorded with Koko Taylor, appearing on her 2000 recording Royal Blue. Songs in Skoller’s repertoire, much of which he writes himself, include ‘Ghosts In Your Closet’, ‘Wired World’, ‘Let The World Come To You’, ‘Handful Of People’, ‘Down At Your Buryin’’, ‘Stolen Thunder’ and ‘Where Can You Be’.

Although best known in and around Chicago, Skoller has appeared internationally, playing regularly in Greece and also visiting clubs and higher profile venues, such as festivals, in the UK, Belgium, France, Italy, Norway, Spain and Switzerland. /Biography by AllMusic

(For personnel details, see artwork included.)

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Matthew Skoller Band - These Kind Of Blues!

Year: 2005
Bitrate: MP3@320K/s
Time: 53:23
Size: 122,9 MB
Styles: Electric blues, harmonica blues
Scans: Full

1. Get Paid (4:11)
2. Ghosts In Your Closet (4:36)
3. Handful Of People (4:49)
4. These Kind Of Blues (4:27)
5. Let The World Come To You (6:27)
6. Wired World (4:17)
7. Stolen Thunder (4:12)
8. Down At Your Buryin' (5:55)
9. Julia (4:16)
10. Where Can You Be (4:06)
11. Handful Of People (Remix By J.A.Q.) (Bonus) (6:02)

Hardcore blues fans might have noticed harpist Matthew Skoller's name in the backup band credits for artists such as Koko Taylor, Bernard Allison, Larry Garner, and John Primer, but unless you're a resident of Chicago, it's unlikely his work is familiar to you. Weekly gigs in the Windy City have sharpened Skoller's edge, and on his third indie album These Kind of Blues! he proves what blues musicians have known for years: he's ready for the major leagues.

Like Charlie Musselwhite, he's pushing the blues borders, even into rap on the G. Love-styled remix of "Handful of People," a song available in two versions. There are echoes of Paul Butterfield's thick, gutsy, amplified sound in Skoller's tone, as well as masters like James Cotton and Little Walter. His songs also traffic in edgier areas than those more closely associated with the blues, as with the politically charged "Handful of People," and the philosophical musings of "Let the World Come to You." The latter track is enhanced by soulful backing vocals and even Brian Ritchie's shakuhachi, not a typical blues instrument.

The link to Chicago's fertile harp masters is emphasized by the appearance of guitarist Lurrie Bell, the son of legendary harmonica player Carey Bell. Skoller's vocals are husky and assured, bending around the lyrics and his rugged harp attack. Unlike many bandleaders, Skoller never overdoes his solos, bursting into songs with confidence and pulling out before the listener has fully absorbed his monstrous sound. In fact, there are times when you wish he would further emphasize his intense playing.

A grinding, melancholy cover of James Cotton's "Down at Your Buryin'," one of only three covers, is a showstopping album high point, revealing his band's restraint, a terrific slow burn lead from Bell, and Skoller's masterful touch. It's only one highlight from a talented contemporary blues artist who respects his roots but isn't afraid to push the genre's boundaries. /Hal Horowitz, AllMusic

(For personnel details, see artwork included.)

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Matthew Skoller - Shoulder to the Wind

File: MP3 @ 320K/s
Source: LL (from CD)
Released: 2001
Styles: Blues
Time: 53:11
Size: 122,3 MB
Covers: Full (16 page booklet)

(4:28) 1. You Don't Even Know
(5:42) 2. To Live Your Life Like That
(4:30) 3. Chicago Wind
(3:51) 4. Grew Up on Vinyl
(6:10) 5. Delta Combat Zone
(5:43) 6. One Last Flower
(4:48) 7. Love Me or Leave Me
(4:36) 8. Broke and Hungry
(4:48) 9. Hard Hearted Woman
(3:36) 10. Mean Streak
(4:55) 11. High Maintenence Mama

There's a fierce, visceral quality to Skoller's music. He's a bit of a cynic, sometimes angry, always opinionated. You can hear and feel his personality in his music. Born a New Yorker, he moved to Chicago on 1987. His mature harmonica playing led a number of musicians to take him into their bands; Deitra Farr, Big Time Sarah, Jimmy Rogers, Big Daddy Kinsey, John Primer, Bernard Allison, H-Bomb Ferguson and Larry Garner. In 1992 Skoller started his own band. This cd is a killer, full of keen observations, driving rhythms, desperate textures and coutionary messages. Skoller has a free flow of expression that comes from maturity, expierence and hard work. He tells his own story. His take on the blues tradition is about letting his own voice come through, his culture, his experience.

Shoulder to the Wind
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Matthew Skoller - Blues Immigrant

Bitrate: MP3@320K/s
Time: 43:49
Size: 100.3 MB
Styles: Harmonica blues
Year: 2016
Art: Front

[3:46] 1. Big Box Store Blues
[4:19] 2. The Devil Ain't Got No Music
[5:57] 3. Blues Immigrant
[2:50] 4. Only In The Blues
[4:55] 5. Tear Collector
[4:10] 6. Story Of Greed
[3:54] 7. 747
[2:50] 8. Organ Mouth
[3:58] 9. My Get It Done Woman
[3:58] 10. Get Down To The Nitty Gritty
[3:07] 11. Blue Lights

One of Chicago’s most in-demand harmonica players is back with his fifth solo release. If you’re not familiar with Matthew Skoller, absorb these credentials. As a producer, he has produced two award-winning albums by Lurrie Bell and figures prominently in Bell’s recent release, Can’t Shake This Feeling. His tune “The Devil Ain’t Got No Music,” from Bell’s gospel album of the same name, received a BMA nomination as “Song of the Year.” He does a version of it here too. Skoller has also played harmonica on three Grammy nominated albums in the last five years: Chicago Blues: A Living History, Still I Rise, by Heritage Blues Orchestra, and Muddy Waters 100. So, respected both by critics and fellow musicians in Chicago, the relocated New Yorker is back with his knack for rather offbeat blues material, revealing a cool mix of both humor and a keen grasp of topical social issues.

Of the eleven tunes, nine were written by Skoller and his co-producer, Vincent Bucher. The title track is autobiographical, punctuated by that clever line, “…I need a green card to play the blues.” The opener, “Big Box Store Blues,” is a tribute and rewriting of John Lee ‘Sonny Boy’ Williamson’s “Welfare Store Blues,” lamenting the loss of mom and pop stores and the often deplorable life of the retail worker. “Only in the Blues” talks about the Blues music industry with a dry sense of humor, while “Story of Greed” is his own interesting take on the 1% syndrome. Yes, there are the requisite love and lost love songs too. The slow simmering “Tear Collector” with its burning chorus “I need someone to cry for me tonight” and the shuffling “747,” with its lines “She caught a 747/Greyhound runs too slow/Ain’t no tracks up in the air/I wonder where did my baby go,” are especially memorable.

As you might expect, Skoller assembled some of the city’s top musicians for this recording including Johnny Iguana on keyboards, Felton Crews on bass, Marc Wilson on drums and stellar guitarists Giles Corey and Eddie Taylor Jr. (son of legend Eddie Taylor). Guitarist Carlos Johnson plays on “Tear Collector” and “747.” Background vocalists Mike Avery and Stevie Robinson join in. Given that Skoller relocated to Chicago almost 30 years ago, it is clear that is deeply entrenched and well-versed in the Chicago blues sound. What separates him from many are his thoughtful songs that reflect a social conscience without a preachy approach. He delivers them clever and classy. ~Jim Hynes

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Deitra Farr - Let It Go!

Year: 2005
Bitrate: MP3@320K/s
Time: 60:08
Size: 138,2 MB
Styles: Electric blues
Scans: Full

1. Let It Go! (5:04)
2. Signs, Signals And Warnings (5:42)
3. It Really Doesn't Matter (4:13)
4. I'm Through With It (4:32)
5. When They Really Love You (5:45)
6. In A Dark Place (5:57)
7. Don't Hold Me So Tight (4:31)
8. A Week From Yesterday (4:37)
9. My Love For You (6:27)
10. Call Your Wife (4:55)
11. Thank You For Leaving Me (3:17)
12. My Turn, My Time (5:02)

Deitra Farr is considered one of Chicago's top vocalists, according to Living Blues Magazine (May 1997). Fiery, energetic, and soul-stirring describes this woman, who has over the years been nominated for Traditional Female Blues artist of the year by the W.C. Handy Awards, Female Blues Artist of the year by the Living Blues Critics Awards, the British Blues Connection Awards, and the Les Trophees France Blues awards.

This Chicago native began her career in 1975, singing with local soul bands, before starting her blues career in the early 1980’s. When Deitra was 18 years old, she recorded the lead vocals on Mill Street Depo’s record ” You Won’t Support Me “. That record was a Cashbox Top 100 R&B hit in 1976. Over thirty years later, that recording has been re-released and is popular again worldwide. In 1983, Deitra began her blues career working at the major Chicago blues clubs, such as The Kingston Mines, The Wise Fool’s Pub and Blue Chicago. She also toured the US and Canada with the Sam Lay Blues Band. From 1993 to 1996, Deitra was the lead singer with Mississippi Heat, recording two CD’s with this all-star group.

In 1997, Deitra resumed her own solo career, continuing to sing blues, while reaching back to her soul music roots. After recording on eight previous CD projects with others, she recorded her first solo CD, “The Search is Over”, for the London-based JSP records. In 2005, Deitra released her second JSP CD “Let it Go!”.

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