Blues Riffs

A quirky detour of late-'60s British progressive/blues rock, Blodwyn Pig was founded by former Jethro Tull guitarist Mick Abrahams, who left Tull after the This Was album. Abrahams was joined by bassist Andy Pyle, drummer Ron Berg, and Jack Lancaster, who gave the outfit their most distinctive colorings via his saxophone and flute. On their two albums, they explored a jazz/blues/progressive style somewhat in the mold of (unsurprisingly) Jethro Tull, but with a lighter feel. They also bore some similarities to John Mayall's jazzy late-'60s versions of the Bluesbreakers, or perhaps Colosseum, but with more eclectic material. Both of their LPs made the British Top Ten, though the players' instrumental skills were handicapped by thin vocals and erratic (though oft-imaginative) material. The group were effectively finished by Abrahams' departure after 1970's Getting to This. They briefly reunited in the mid-'70s, and Abrahams was part of a different lineup that reformed in the late '80s; they have since issued a couple of albums in the 1990s.

Chaotic from start to finish, Radio Moscow's third album Great Escape of Leslie Magnafuzz is all about playing vintage riffs as hard and fast as possible. The group takes the fundamentals of garage and blues-rock, and pushes them to the max with on-stage energy. The only thing is, they aren’t a group at all. With the exception of the bass parts handled by bassist Zack Anderson, Parker Griggs plays every instrument on the record. His hyperactive drumming and screaming, wah-wah fuzz guitar solos are beyond showy, and he’s a powerful singer to boot, with his beefy yet tuneful growl. The mood and tempo of Great Escape of Leslie Magnafuzz is relentless, which can be a plus, but because there isn't much variety in Griggs and Anderson's simple, blues-based musical vocabulary, the multi-sectioned songs sometimes run on and on, like aimless jams, until the intensity starts to become a blur…

Cincinnati guitarist Dudley Taft is a bonified gunslinger having attended Berklee school of music and spent time in Seattle grunge bands, Sweet Water and Second Coming, tours internationally and produced eight of his own albums and lives in a house he bought from Peter Frampton. It makes perfect sense that his new album, Guitar Kingdom, is a celebration of his greatest passion “The Guitar.” The ten new tracks and a bonus cover song are a reflection of his influences from classic blues riffs and driving rock with a hint of metal and country.