No Border Blues

Ronni Boysen of Denmark is well known as one of the best European blues guitarists. Check out his eclectic and sophisticated approach in the musical clips he provided for this interview-- we think you'll agree that Ronni's playing is truly special. He discovered the blues at his high school library, stumbling on to a copy of Muddy Water's "Hard Again" It all came full circle as he's been backing one of Muddy Water's sons, Mud Morganfield, all over Europe since 2009. Strictly a sideman, one of Ronni's specialties is to back harmonica players; he's worked extensively with great harpmen including Lazy Lester, James Harmon, RJ Mischo, Paul Orta, Bob Corritore and Peter Nande. Since 2012, he's played with SE's The Kokomo Kings, a purist rock and roll outfit with a cult following on Rhythm Bomb records-- they were nominated for an Ameripolitan Award in 2018. During the pandemic Ronni formed an "exotica" band, Los Palmeras, which explores burlesque, Cuban r and b, and vintage instrumental styles. They'll have a recording out in the Fall of 2022. Take a blues journey with No Border Blues, the only blues podcast focused on international blues artists and hidden blues scenes around the world. Delmark recording artist Johnny Burgin and producer Stephanie Tice shine a spotlight on notable international blues performers, discuss the blues scenes in their home countries, and present intimate and exclusive musical performances. Sponsored by Chicago Blues Network, bringing Chicago Blues to the world. noborderblues.com - chicagobluesnetwork.com - johnnyburgin.com https://da.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ronni_Boysen Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Hanna PK grew up in Korea and came to the US as an adult. She fell into the Rochester blues scene after hearing a local blues guitar hero, John Cole. She ended up sharing the stage with John and later on, blues legend Joe Beard. She'd briefly met the Baton Rouge bluesman Kenny Neal when she was competed in the 2019 IBCs, but she got a break when Kenny saw a video of her playing the 30s blues classic "Decoration Day" on her "tom thumb" piano in her U-Haul storage locker (see link below). He offered to produce her at his studio in Baton Rouge, LA, and the result is "Blues All Over My Shoes", a joint production of Kenny's label, Booga records, and Vizztone Label Group. Hanna's originals cover a wide range of styles and we at NBB find her to be an interesting and unique writer as well as a great player. Hanna has a great future in the blues. Take a blues journey with No Border Blues, the only blues podcast focused on international blues artists and hidden blues scenes around the world. Delmark recording artist Johnny Burgin and producer Stephanie Tice shine a spotlight on notable international blues performers, discuss the blues scenes in their home countries, and present intimate and exclusive musical performances. Sponsored by Chicago Blues Network, bringing Chicago Blues to the world. noborderblues.com - chicagobluesnetwork.com - johnnyburgin.com https://hannapk.com/index.html Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

For twenty two years The Headcutters have been building their own blues scene in and around the sunny beach town of Itajaí in the state of Santa Catarina. They looked and sounded quite incongruous in their suits, with their vintage amps and guitars, singing 50s Chicago Blues music in English-- but they persevered and by the end of the show everyone loved them. Along the way they have toured in Argentina, all across Brazil and even came to the US-- I loved their tour movie "Walkin' in USA" (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2aKEf...). They have backed great blues artists such as Billy Branch, Kim Wilson, Mud Morganfield, Eddie C Campbell, James Wheeler, Wallace Coleman, Omar Coleman, and bassist Bob Stroger, with whom they appear on the upcoming Delmark CD "That's My Name". Just don't call Joe Marhoffer and Ricardo Maca of The Headcutters bluesmen! In Joe's words "we are just four white guys from Brazil, and we could never call ourselves a bluesman-- that belongs to the African American greats who are the owners of this music.." Take a blues journey with No Border Blues, the only blues podcast focused on international blues artists and hidden blues scenes around the world. Delmark recording artist Johnny Burgin and producer Stephanie Tice shine a spotlight on notable international blues performers, discuss the blues scenes in their home countries, and present intimate and exclusive musical performances. Sponsored by Chicago Blues Network, bringing Chicago Blues to the world. noborderblues.com - chicagobluesnetwork.com - johnnyburgin.com https://www.theheadcutters.com/ SHOW LESS Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Prakash Slim grew up in poverty outside the town of Lalitpur, Nepal. Drawn to music since childhood, he traded a bicycle for a guitar and threw himself into learning and listening to blues and blues rock. By his early twenties he was in a blues, rock and instrumental band as well as working as a guitar instructor. An invitation to the Walden School of Music in San Francisco was a big break for Prakash, but then came the devastating Nepal earthquake of 2015. Work as a musician in Nepal was impossible during the earthquake aftermath, and to make matters worse, in 2017 Prakash fell seriously ill. During his convalescence he happened to scroll across the facebook group "Acoustic Guitar Pickers", and he completely changed musical directions; developing an obsession with Robert Johnson, Mississippi Fred McDowell, and many of the other pre-war blues greats. They provided Prakash Slim both solace and as a way to continue his musical career. Although it is difficult for many to travel outside of Nepal, Prakash has connected with the online blues world in a big way! In recent years, he's garnered an impressive amount streaming/radio play, blues press coverage and great reviews of his music. His goal is to tour in America, Europe and South America-- his first destination? The Crossroads in Clarksdale MS, of course! Check out Prakash's original tunes "Living In Memory", and one sung in his native language "Corona Blues"-- he performs both in this video. Take a blues journey with No Border Blues, the only blues podcast focused on international blues artists and hidden blues scenes around the world. Delmark recording artist Johnny Burgin and producer Stephanie Tice shine a spotlight on notable international blues performers, discuss the blues scenes in their home countries, and present intimate and exclusive musical performances. Sponsored by Chicago Blues Network, bringing Chicago Blues to the world. noborderblues.com - chicagobluesnetwork.com - johnnyburgin.com https://www.prakashslim.com/ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Adam Sikora is a Polish harmonica player who completely by chance became obsessed with the pre-war harmonica styles of Sonny Terry, Johnny Woods and Billy Bizor. Luis (Gigi) de Cicco is an eclectic multi-instrumentalist from Benevento, Italy, who, like Adam, found a home in the thriving Berlin arts scene. Capo, acoustic guitar and fingerpicks in hand, Gigi has found his own blues groove by delving deep into the styles of Mississippi Fred McDowell, RL Burnside and other Hill Country masters. Adam and Gigi formed the duo Juke Joint Smokers in Berlin and started to record an electric record together, but decided to go acoustic. They have a great blues feel and mood and we look forward to their first recording. We also recommend their other bands; Adam's the leader of The Soul Thrivers, a collaboration with a Jamaican/UK based singer Dvora Davis and American/French guitarist Nick Morrison. Gig's band Caboose is an ambitious psychedelic/African/rock/blues gumbo that competed in the IBC in 2019. By the way, neither of these bands have a bass-- they both go for a raw, stripped down sound in their own way. This is an inspired duo and both Adam and Gigi are players to watch. Check out http://jukejointsmokers.com/about/, http://soulthrivers.com and https://www.caboosemusic.com/. Take a blues journey with No Border Blues, the only blues podcast focused on international blues artists and hidden blues scenes around the world. Delmark recording artist Johnny Burgin and producer Stephanie Tice shine a spotlight on notable international blues performers, discuss the blues scenes in their home countries, and present intimate and exclusive musical performances. Sponsored by Chicago Blues Network, bringing Chicago Blues to the world. noborderblues.com - chicagobluesnetwork.com - johnnyburgin.com Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Konstantin Kovalev emigrated from Russia to Helsinki a decade ago and made himself an indispensible figure in the stylish retro blues scene there with his first band The Firebugs. His latest project is a long-term labor of love: eight neo-soul tunes meticulously crafted over years, recorded all-analog at the well-known Finnish guitarist Tomi Leino's studio. As they wrote on their Bandcamp site: "We began our musical journey in 2012 and after playing different types of venues for 9 years, several years of exploring the world of 40's-50's blues and r/n/b and finally settled for 60's soul/blues sound influenced by the likes of Bobby Bland, James Carr, Isaac Hayes and The Miracles." Follow this young soul band on Bandcamp, Youtube and hear for yourself. Take a blues journey with No Border Blues, the only blues podcast focused on international blues artists and hidden blues scenes around the world. Delmark recording artist Johnny Burgin and producer Stephanie Tice shine a spotlight on notable international blues performers, discuss the blues scenes in their home countries, and present intimate and exclusive musical performances. Stef couldn't make this interview, sorry!-- but she will be back in the next episode. Sponsored by Chicago Blues Network, bringing Chicago Blues to the world. noborderblues.com - chicagobluesnetwork.com - johnnyburgin.com Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

LITTLE HAT is not a person, it's a band from The Netherlands that plays a their own furious and raw version of blues and early rock 'n' roll. Like kindred spirits Jesus on a Tortilla from Milan (see No Border Blues #3), they are inspired by the deep cuts of obscure blues pioneers such as Joe Hill Louis and Sunnyland Slim, but play with a heaping dose of frantic energy. Little Hat employs the rare trio instrumentation of harmonica /vocals (Machiel Meijers), guitar (Willem van Dullemen) and drums (Paolo de Stitger). Little Hat is also intergenerational: Paolo's in his 20s, Machiel's not yet 40, and Willem recently turned 70! Machiel and Willem were in the long-running and popular Dutch blues band Stackhouse, but they are finding a new freedom with the "three-man-one-man-band" approach of Little Hat. Sometimes it sounds to me like Hound Dog Taylor and the Houserockers with harmonica! Little Victor, who we've interviewed in Episode 14, produced Little Hat's latest CD "Wine, Whiskey and Wimmen" for the German label Rhythm Bomb Records. The purity of their vintage tones together with the forceful sonic attack of the recording proves this to be a fruitful pairing. You can find out more, and purchase their CD, at www.littlehatband.com. Take a blues journey with No Border Blues, the only blues podcast focused on international blues artists and hidden blues scenes around the world. Delmark recording artist Johnny Burgin and producer Stephanie Tice shine a spotlight on notable international blues performers, discuss the blues scenes in their home countries, and present intimate and exclusive musical performances. Stef couldn't make this interview, sorry!-- but she will be back in the next episode. Sponsored by Chicago Blues Network, bringing Chicago Blues to the world. noborderblues.com - chicagobluesnetwork.com - johnnyburgin.com Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

German blues guitarist and singer Kai Strauss sits down with No Border Blues hosts Johnny Burgin and Stephanie Tice to discuss his new CD, "In My Prime", the German blues scenes, and some highlights from his career. He's won many German blues awards and in between tours has hosted the longest-running blues jam in Germany, over thirty years! Take a blues journey with No Border Blues, the only blues podcast focused on international blues artists and hidden blues scenes around the world. Delmark recording artist Johnny Burgin and producer Stephanie Tice shine a spotlight on notable international blues performers, discuss the blues scenes in their home countries, and present intimate and exclusive musical performances. Sponsored by Chicago Blues Network, bringing Chicago Blues to the world. noborderblues.com - chicagobluesnetwork.com - johnnyburgin.com Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Arinjoy Sarkar is a up-and-coming guitarist and singer from Kolkata, India. The Arinjoy Trio features Sounak Roy on drums and Aakash Ganguly on bass; they self-released "The Arinjoy Trio" in 2019, won an all-India band hunt contest in 2018, and on the strength of that they were invited to perform at the Mahindra Blues Festival in 2018 and 2019. In 2020 Arinjoy performed at Mahindra in a pan-Indian all-star group-- "The Homegrown Blues Collective". Arinjoy is endorsed by Fender India and was recently featured in Rolling Stone India. Currently the trio is working on a second release and their goal is to tour in Europe and the US. Arinjoy and his trio approach the blues seriously-- with very few local peers or mentors, and in a country with very few blues performances and venues, they have managed to both educate themselves about the blues and to perform the blues with soul. Take a blues journey with No Border Blues, the only blues podcast focused on international blues artists and hidden blues scenes around the world. Delmark recording artist Johnny Burgin and producer Stephanie Tice shine a spotlight on notable international blues performers, discuss the blues scenes in their home countries, and present intimate and exclusive musical performances. Stef couldn't make this interview, sorry!-- but she will be back in the next episdoe. Sponsored by Chicago Blues Network, bringing Chicago Blues to the world. noborderblues.com - chicagobluesnetwork.com - johnnyburgin.com Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

For the last 18 years, Netto Rockefeller's been working with his own band, running the Blue Crawfish record label, and touring with US and European musicians in Brasil such as Willie Buck, Tail Dragger, Lazy Lester, Johnny Nicholas, Quique Gomez, Wallace Coleman, and Steve Guyger, just to name a few. He was inspired as a teenager by Brazil's most successful blues band, Blues Estilicos. Netto describes the communal spirit of Brazil's blues scene, being mentored by Flávio Guimarães and other older Brazilian blues musicians. His ninth CD, The Latin American Mojo Style of Netto Rockfeller, was his first one to be recorded in the US (at Kid Andersen's famed studio Greaseland in San Jose CA), and features John Blues Boyd, Whitney Shay, Kid Andersen, Jim Pugh and June Core. As the title indicates, it's an upbeat CD with both Latin American and straight ahead American blues sensibilities, featuring songs sung in Portuguese and a cover of a Los Pakines hit (Peru's answer to The Shadows). Netto talked to us from his studio at Blue Crawfish records in São Carlos Do Pinhal, Brazil. Take a blues journey with No Border Blues, the only blues podcast focused on international blues artists and hidden blues scenes around the world. Delmark recording artist Johnny Burgin and producer Stephanie Tice shine a spotlight on notable international blues performers, discuss the blues scenes in their home countries, and present intimate and exclusive musical performances. Stef couldn't make this interview, sorry!-- but she will be back in the next episdoe. Sponsored by Chicago Blues Network, bringing Chicago Blues to the world. chicagobluesnetwork.com - johnnyburgin.com Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Little Victor was raised in Italy and Memphis and was dubbed "The Beale Street Blues Bopper" by his cousin-- the avant garde-blues filmmaker, producer and performer Tav Falco. While in Memphis, his uncle, noted blues writer David Evans and family friend Alex Chilton also encouraged the young Victor, who was already playing harp and singing, to pick up the guitar. He was soon performing weekly on Beale Street with Uncle Ben Perry. With influences such as these it's no wonder Little Victor is deeply rooted in traditional blues sounds, but also has a fiercely independent artistic sense of purpose. He's made several of his own records for Wild Records, El Toro records, and Germany's Rhythm Bomb records, and his most recent effort, "Deluxe Lo-Fi" features Kim Wilson, Carl Sonny Leyland, Big John Atkinson, Willie Buck, and Tomi Leino and Jo Buddy from Finland. Victor is probably best known for his long and successful association with Louisiana Red and the significant crossover success of their "Back to the Black Bayou", on Ruf Records. They worked closely together until Red's passing in 2012-- check out Victor's emotional performance in this video of his original "The Death of Louisiana Red". In the last several years, Victor has used his strong musical vision to produce artists such as The Jelly Roll Men (see NBB Episode 7), Shakedown Tim (see NBB episode 11), Sophie Kay of Paris, Harpdog Brown of Canada, Mo Al Jazz of France, Little Hat of the Netherlands and many others. Take a blues journey with No Border Blues, the only blues podcast focused on international blues artists and hidden blues scenes around the world. Delmark recording artist Johnny Burgin and producer Stephanie Tice shine a spotlight on notable international blues performers, discuss the blues scenes in their home countries, and present intimate and exclusive musical performances. Stef couldn't make this interview, sorry!-- but she will be back in the next episdoe. Sponsored by Chicago Blues Network, bringing Chicago Blues to the world. noborderblues.com - chicagobluesnetwork.com - johnnyburgin.com Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Vocalist and guitarist Leo Parra Castillo and guitarist Luis Alejandro Silva delved into American music abroad: Leo in Buenos Aires and Luis in New York City. Now they are slowly but surely starting a traditional blues scene in Bogotá, Columbia, from scratch. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

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No Border Blues Episode 7 features The Jelly Roll Men from Norway, a band that's a labor of love for the greatest era of Chicago blues-- the late 40s and early 50s. Singer and harp player Kent Erik Thorvaldsen and guitarist and brother Tomas Thorvaldsen tell the story of their trip to Memphis in 2019. They made it to the semi-finals of the IBCs representing the Oslo Blues Society, but their trip to the IBCs was less about their career and more about an emotional pilgrimage to the American South. They immersed themselves in Southern blues culture during their trip, and even spent two days trying to find (and finally finding) the secluded grave of Delta bluesman Willie Brown. Their debut CD, Jelly Roll Shuffle, was produced by purist fellow-traveler Little Victor and was released on the German rockabilly/roots label Rhythm Bomb Records. Catch up with the Jelly Roll Men here: http://www.rhythmbomb.com/the-jelly-roll-men/ and follow them on Spotify here: https://open.spotify.com/artist/2ovstQJh073IwC83RaNh4x?si=hOLYhJv3RlOgx2qkJLa6aw Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

No Border Blues Episode 6: recorded on November 24, 2020, features Ghalia Volt, whose rock-n-roll attitude and Mississippi hill country-inspired playing makes her stand out from the crowd. In just a few short years, she's progressed from busking on the streets of her native Brussels to seeing her third CD, Ruf Record's "Mississippi Blend", hit #3 on the Billboard Blues Charts. Now living in New Orleans, she had a very busy international touring schedule pre-covid. In recent months, she took a cross-country train trip and wrote the songs for her upcoming record, "One Woman Band".  Ghalia even found the time to post a charming video duo series-- "Blues N Roll"-- with artists such as Mike Welch, Lucius Spiller, Chris Cain, and even yours truly!  Ghalia's impish spirit, charisma, catchy and clever songs and lyrics, and her drive for on-stage excellence make her an artist whose time has come. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Adelaide based singer and harp player Snooks La Vie acquired his moniker from a friend and music colleague which started out as just a bit of fun and stuck amongst his peers for being known as an avid fan of New Orleans musician ‘Snooks Eaglin'. Snooks gained national recognition in Australia as the frontman for The Hiptones-- an Australian answer to The Fabulous Thunderbirds. The Hiptones signed with Sony Records and won the South Australian Music Award for best blues band/act in 1997. Snooks took home the South Australian Blues Vocalist of the Year in 2008, 2009, and 2010. In more recent years, Snooks made a fine record in a country vein, "Another Place in Time" and a country blues record with Australian guitarist Nikko called "Way Back Home" Nikko and Snooks competed in the IBCs in Memphis in 2017. Today Snooks finds still finds the time to collaborate with many artists in Australia, including his partner Courtney Robb. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

No Border Blues Episode 5: For the last 25 years, Sweden's Trickbag has been playing their brand of houserockin' rhythm and blues. Trickbag has become a top European blues festival attraction by virtue of their consistently rockin' live shows, great songs (spanning eight CDs), clever band branding and of course, LOTS of hard work and persistence. Trickbag has also been in high demand as a back-up band for touring American and European blues artists including John Primer, Jr. Watson, Barrelhouse Chuck, John Nemeth, Kid Ramos, George Sueref, Lynwood Slim and many others. Their "Trickbag with Friends" Volumes 1 and 2 feature collaborators such as Kim Wilson, RJ Mischo, Rusty Zinn, Aki Kumar (who's interviewed in No Border Blues Episode 2) and James Harmon. Check out this chat with Trickbag founder and vocalist Tommy Moberg and longtime bassist and music business partner Lars Nasman about their musical journey. For more info on Trickbag please see http://www.trickbag.se/, https://www.instagram.com/trickbag94/?hl=en and https://www.facebook.com/Trickbag-149503681756376 Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

No Border Blues Episode 4: Folkestone UK-based Katie Bradley came into the spotlight in 2012 with a nomination for a British Blues Award for her original song "I Hear the River", which was prominently featured on BBC Radio. She has booked and supported tours and concerts in the UK for artists such as Kirk Fletcher (and myself!).  Katie's got a new self-released CD coming out in November, "Soho Heart". She is a versatile stylist who's worked with some of the best British blues players from Chris Corcoran to the acoustic guitarist featured in this video, Dave Ferra from Dover. His CD "Lies and Gin" hit the #1 on the IBBA British Blues radio chart, and he was nominated for a 2020 British Blues Award. Find out more about Katie at http://katiebradley.co.uk/. Dave Ferra's site is https://daveferra.co.uk/. Find out more about Chicago Blues Network at www.chicagobluesnetwork.com. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

No Border Blues Episode 3: In this episode we are chatting with band leader Lorenzo Albai, the singer and harp player for Jesus On a Tortilla, from the little town of Saronna, near Milan, Italy. For eleven years they have been playing their brand of hard-core, retro, 40s and 50s Chicago blues in France, Poland, Switzerland and their native Lombardia. Lorenzo and guitarist Andrea Mandelli play some low-down Chicago blues while they're getting ready for a show. noborderblues.com - chicagobluesnetwork.com - johnnyburgin.com Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Pianist Lee Kanehira and harmonica player Kotez first established themselves in Japan, then played a major role on the Delmark CD "No Border Blues Japan", and now they are creating a young audience for the blues in China. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

No Border Blues Episode 2: Features Sony Music recording artist Aki Kumar. Aki left his native home in Mumbai, India for San Jose CA with the intention of working as a software engineer. Then he discovered the sounds of the blues, and his life changed dramatically. Aki worked his way from selling merch at Mark Hummel's Harmonica Blowouts (a successful revue that featured some of the very best blues harp players alive -- James Cotton, Kim Wilson, Rod Piazza, Charlie Musselwhite, Billy Boy Arnold, etc) to being a featured artist on the show. He developed a following in the Bay Area and began touring in Russia, Scandinavia, the UK and South America and was well received as a traditional Chicago/West Coast traditional blues artist. But by 2016, he started feeling a need to expand his musical vision. "Aki Goes to Bollywood" on Little Village Foundation, is the first "Bollywood Blues" recording -- blending elements of Indian music into his musical and visual presentation, making for a multi-cultural mash-up that sounds like no one else, yet never loses touch with its blues foundation. Aki has made multiple appearances at The Hardly Strictly Bluegrass festival and has been featured on PRI “The World”. noborderblues.com - chicagobluesnetwork.com - johnnyburgin.com Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

No Border Blues Episode 1: Features Ashesh Dangol, a guitarist and singer based in Kathmandu, Nepal. Ashesh's music reflects his love of Jimi Hendrix and Muddy Waters, as well as his immersion in the rich musical heritage of his homeland. He has done much to generate a Nepalese blues scene; growing a fan base through extensive gigging, organizing events, and starting the Blues Society of Nepal. Since the pandemic, he's been producing the livestream "Blues for a Cause", which has featured dozens of artists worldwide. Much of his music and videos reflect his political activism and relief efforts in Nepal. noborderblues.com - chicagobluesnetwork.com - johnnyburgin.com Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices