The Rocking Magpie Advance Text CD Review Hogtown Allstars  •  Hog Wild - Stony Plain Records



Saturday Night Blues To Make You Feel Like a Teenager Again.

For a variety of reasons I hadn’t had time to listen to this album in all its glory until last weekend; although the few tracks that had previously made an appearance on my I-Phone sounded ‘right up my street’.
 Billed as a ‘Canadian Supergroup’ although I’d not heard of any of the members; between them they have more than 20+ Maple Blues Awards, five JUNO Awards, two Lifetime Achievement Awards, and countless International blues and jazz music awards; so I thought it must be worth a listen. 
 Opening track, Mr Lucky has a sizzling New Orleans vibe to it, with a brass section that swings more than a pendulum do and as for Chuck Jackson’s basso deluxe croaky vocals? Man oh man; can he give Mac Rebennack a run for his money!
 Without sticking to any single genre of the Blues; these cats make ‘Saturday night Good Time Blues Music’ that probably defies categorisation in many ways.
The band certainly aren’t afraid of a melody or catchy chorus; which is why you will love I Just Think of You, Hog Wild and the salacious Subway Casanova which will surely by a highlight of any gigs the band ever perform.
 They certainly know their stuff; with Biscuits and Beans sounding as authentic a slow Chicago ‘stroll’ as the likes of Son House or Muddy Waters produced in their younger days.
While not everything here is classed as a Love Song; but in none way or another they are about relationships … both good and bad; with Real Good Night being a real humdinger that features some swoonsome guitar playing from Teddy Leonard; and later The Sad One, with its harmonious interjections will have the lights turned down real low, and the dancefloor will fill up with smooching couples everywhere its played.

Now I’ve played the full album a couple of times I’m still drawn back to a couple of the songs my IPhone selected for me; the finale I Ain’t Lyin sounds like it’s a bit like a few songs in my collection; but it’s not any of them – it’s brand new and the band come together as one on a real floorfiller and if I didn’t know any better I’d have guessed (not for the first time) that was Booker T guesting on organ; it’s not – it’s Tyler Yarema!
 The other is a real scene stealer; and a heartbreaker of the finest hue; Angel in My Bed; the type of 45 RPM single we’d have bought as a teenager and played to death until the vinyl wore out; and is therefore now my Favourite Song. There’s something ‘special’ about this album; maybe the way its sequenced or just the 10 fabulous songs therein; or more likely the way the band come together the way only people with enough ‘lifetime experiences’ can, to create a series of moods that make each track sound like it was written especially for the listener …. which is quite some feat!!              

The Hogtown Allstars

Hog Wild Stony Plain Records

10 tracks Canada’s Hogtown Allstars deliver a cool and fun album with eight original songs and two interesting covers in this debut album for these award-winning Canadian all star bluesmen. They started to play together in 2013, but this is their first recording together. The seven band members are Downchild Blues Band’s Chuck Jackson on vocals and harp, Pat Carey on sax, Gary Kendall on bass and vocals, Jim Casson on drums, Tyler Yarema on keys, and two former Maple Blues Band members, Teddy Leonard on guitar and Howard Moore on trumpet.

Their accomplishments include over 20 Maple Blues Awards, 5 JUNO Awards, and a couple of Lifetime Achievement Awards, along with lots of recognition from outside Canada. They also have spots in the Canadian Songwriters Hall of Fame and the Blues Museum Hall of Fame, so these guys have done their time and have been recognized for their work. “Mr. Lucky” gets things started. It’s a fun, honkytonk cut with gravely vocals, piano, horns and backing vocals that blend well. “Hog wild” follows with a slick groove and just a cool, dirty feel to it. Jackson sings with his grit and the guitar and organ compliment him nicely. Up next is “Real Good Night,” a bouncy cut with Kendall fronting the band. Piano and guitar get spotlighted here. “I Just Think of You” is a slow and thoughtful piece with Jackson back in front and getting a harp solo, too. Organ and horns help out on this one again; another nice original. “Angel In My Bed” is a bluesy ballad of love and passion with Jackson telling us of his angelic lover. A somber guitar solo is featured here. “Subway Casanova” follows, a song gives us some slide and more organ to enjoy as Jackson has some fun with this one lyrically and vocally.

“The Sad One” picks up the pace a bit in this call and response number as Jackson and he band bounce through this cut. Some slow and delightful blues follows with “Biscuits and Beans,” a song lamenting food and drink with life on the road. Guitar and harp are all that it takes here to deliver a cool song for us to enjoy. “She’s Got The Stuff” is a Big Dave McClean song that Hogtown handles well as Jackson and his buddies deliver another nice one. Another good guitar solo, more gritty vocals and just a great cover overall. The album concludes with “I Ain’t Lyin,” another cool cover that the band handles well. An organ and tenor sax solo are offered up; it’s a great, driving song and nice conclusion to a very good album. Stony Plain releases great music and they continue in this direction with another winner with The Hogtown Allstars. I can’t ever recall them releasing something that I have not enjoyed. Here, the new assemblage of Canadian blues greats has resulted in another winner of an album. I highly recommend this one to all blues fans! Senior writer Steve Jones is president of the Crossroads Blues Society and is a long standing blues lover. He is a retired Navy commander who served his entire career in nuclear submarines. In addition to working in his civilian career since 1996, he writes for and publishes the bi-monthly newsletter for Crossroads, chairs their music festival and works with their Blues In The Schools program. He resides in Byron, IL.

Hogtown Allstars CD Review
Concert Monkey - Belgium

Canadian blues band The Hogtown Allstars was formed in 2013 as a collective outlet for Toronto blues musicians, who have devoted decades to the blues as an art form that defines their careers. The band is built around some of the most experienced musicians.

Singer and harmonica player Chuck Jackson, bassist Gary Kendall, saxophonist Pat Carey, drummer Jim Casson and keyboardist Tyler Yarema are all part of the acclaimed Downchild Blues Band, which was formed in Toronto in 1969. Individually and with the Downchild Blues Band, the aforementioned musicians have already won more than twenty Maple Blues Awards, five Juno Awards and numerous international blues and jazz awards. DownChild Bluesband released more than thirty albums in those five decades. Trumpeter Howard Moore and guitarist Teddy Leonard, both of The Maple Blues Band, are the other members of The Hogtown Allstars.

Their debut album 'Hog Wild' was released on May 6, containing eight original songs written by the band members and two covers. The Hogdown Allstars open their debut album with the festive, languid swinging 'Mr. Lucky', a song with a clear NOLA vibe. Drummer Jim Casson and bassist Gary Kendall provide the festive groove and keyboardist Tyler Yarema masters his wonderful piano sounds in the melody of 'Mr. Lucky' to weave. To top it all off, he conjures up a beautiful solo from his piano. As it should be in a NOLA song, with trumpeter Howard Moore and saxophonist Pat Carey, the horns are explicitly present. Chuck Jackson, who was voted 'Male Vocalist Of The Year' in Canada in 1999 and 2000, delivers the song very convincingly with his deep voice.

The excellent backing singers Quisha Wint, Jill Zadeh and Selena Evangeline complete the vocal part. The title track 'Hog Wild' is a nice grooving song, with swirling keyboard work by organist Tyler Yarema and splitting guitar work by guitarist Teddy Leonard. Gary Kendall takes over the lead vocals in the self-written 'Real Good Night', a fluent and very danceable song. The backing singers are back and provide a wonderful addition to Gary's voice. Tyler Yarema shines on the piano and organ and Teddy Leonard shows with a handsome solo that he is an excellent guitarist. 'Real Good Night' is an atmospheric song that will certainly provide the necessary ambiance and a full dance floor during the concerts of The Hogdown Allstars.

With the melodic 'I Just Think Of You' The Hogtown Allstars take us back to the golden sixties. Chuck Jackson wrote the song and also takes care of the lead vocals. If that isn't enough, we also get a very attractive harmonica solo from Chuck. The vintage country ballad 'Angel In My Bed' also has that sixties sound and vibe. The brass players, with trumpeter Howard Moore and saxophonist Pat Carey, are once again beautifully present. The same can be said of the backing singers Quisha, Jill and Selena. The Southern and swampy sounding 'Subway Casanova' contains a lot of Little Feat influences. Instrumental is enjoying the great organ work of Tyler Yarema and the fat slide work of Teddy Leonard.

'The Sad One' is an attractive, languid swinging shuffle that colors saxophonist Pat Carey and keyboardist Tyler Yarema with strong solo work. 'Biscuits & Beans' is a foot stomping, acoustic Delta blues song, in which Chuck Jackson sings that during life on the road there are too many biscuits, too many beans and too much whiskey and alcohol. It is the kind of songs in which the acoustic guitar and the harmonica usually play a starring role and that is no different in this 'Biscuits & Beans’. After eight original songs written by the band members, we get two more covers with 'She's Got The Stuff' and 'I Ain't Lyin'. 'She's Got The Stuff' is a cover of the Canadian Big Dave McLean from 2006. The Hogtown Allstars make a beautiful soulful version of it, which Chuck Jackson knows how to bring again with his gritty voice. He sings about a fantastic lady, who has all the right things that make him feel like superman. Teddy Leonard shines again with a very handsome guitar solo. The album closes with the Johnny V. Mills cover 'I Ain't Lyin'. It is a flowing and very danceable song, with swirling organ work by Tyler Yarema and a mighty sax solo by Pat Carey. 'Hog Wild' by The Hogtown Allstars is an excellent and varied album. It's a band that clearly knows how to throw a party. (7.5/10)

01. mr. Lucky
02. Hog Wild
03. Real Good Night
04. I Just Think Of You
05. Angel In My Bed
06. Subway Casanova
07. The Sad One
08. Biscuits & Beans
09. She's Got The Stuff
10. I Ain't Lyin

Chuck Jackson: Vocals and Harmonica
Gary Kendall: Bass and Vocals
Pat Carey/ Tenor & Baritone Saxophone
Teddy Leonard: Guitar and Vocals
Jim Casson: Drums
Tyler Yarema: Piano, Organ and Vocals
Howard Moore: Trumpet
Vocals Quisha Wint, Jill Zadeh and Selena Evangeline: Backing vocals on 1,3,4 and 5