The Mick Schaffer Band - Back To The Blues

Bitrate: 320K/s
Year: 2021
Time: 36:09 
Size: 82,8 MB 
Label: Lightning in a Bottle Records
Styles: Blues/Modern Electric Blues
Art: Front 

Tracks Listing:
 1. Over In The Corner - 3:48
 2. If I Win Blues - 5:13
 3. Virgin Mary - 2:48
 4. Rainbow - 4:23
 5. Husband Blues - 4:24
 6. Astara - 3:19
 7. She Woke Up - 3:43
 8. Don't Wanna B Judged - 3:51
 9. Rich Boy - 4:36

The great thing about the blues, is that it sounds good whether in a big production like Joe Bonamassa, or here, on casual yet passionate humble productions. It’s all heart, and it beats on these two recent releases. Mick Schaffer has a leathered voice that is streetwise in its delivery as he plays guitar with Jimi Bott-Johnny Moore/dr, Timmer Blakely/dr, Ken Scandlyn-JT Thomas/eg and  Tom Esch/fi. Esch’s fiddle adds some tasty treats on the slow stroll of “Rainbow” and the funky shuffle of “Astara”, while you get some slick Chet Atkins licks on the two stepping “Husband Blues”. Schaeffer sounds he’s been drinking from the dust bowl as he slurs the blues on the dark “Over In The Corner” and gives the confessions of a lapsed Catholic on the calypso’d “Virgin Mary”. Long shadows on a moonless night. Vocalist, Guitarist and Band Leader Mick Schafer has been singing since childhood. Mick’s voice was made known to him in the 7th grade church choir.  At 20 he quit college and ventured to Europe to perform for tips and meals. He spent 1970 and 71 playing music around Europe. He always wanted to perform professionally but when he got back to the states, he was beset with depression and couldn’t manage it. The Dad chapter was next when Mick adopted his son Chris and got a good day job to support Chris through the 80’s and 90’s. The guitar was close by. In the 2000’s, with son Chris off to the Navy, Mick got paid gigs fronting Blackberry Jam (later known as Tree Top Tribe) all over Portland, Oregon. The decade culminated with the first full album, Blackberry Jam being published on CD Baby.
The next chapter kicked off in 2017 including shows with an array of stellar local musicians under the moniker of The Mick Schafer Band, in support of the new Americana record, One Silken Scarf.” Also published on CD Baby. When the pandemic hit and we all went indoors Mick focused on the Blues genre and, with the help of his friends, came out the other end with a record called Back to the Blues.
The new twist is that Mick has joined a new blues label Lightning in the Bottle Records. Back to the Blues is being released directly through this label.

Back To The Blues