Is it hot enough for you? Taking a cue from Glenn Fry, the heat was on…really on this weekend.  Hopefully everyone went out and found a way to cool off and I know one place where people definitely headed to chill out and that was at The Jewish Mother Hilltop Friday night to hear the blues.  The legendary Eddie Shaw and the 757 All-Star Band blew the roof off a packed house to celebrate the release of their album “Still Riding High”.  Before they headed to the beach they were cruising through Portsmouth to be our Live Music Friday guest.  If you’re not familiar with the setup and stage for LMF, it’s a tad on the small side. I usually use Bison as my answer to the question band members have when they see the stage.  Q: “How are we going to fit everyone on here?” A: “Bison fit on this stage, so if they can, you can.”  Well, now my new answer will be: “If the 757 All-Star band can fit up here, you can.”  Local blues singer Jackie Scott assembled the best of the best for this showcase and everyone showed up Thursday night for setup and soundcheck. It was great to see everybody greet each other and swap some great stories, as some haven’t seen one another since they recorded the album months ago.

After I got the stage set up and the band all together, it was time to play. Even though they hadn’t played these songs together as a group since they recorded it, they didn’t miss a beat. They wrapped everything around 9p and came back to the studio at 7a Friday. They played to perfection and had everyone on their feet for their performance.  They blues definitely lives on in Hampton Roads.

Speaking of Bison, they are out on the other coast for the next three weeks recording their debut album under Universal Republic.  Famed producer Kevin Augunas is recording them at his studio, Fairfax Recordings.  Kevin’s studio is unlike any other, pure analog love anchored by his gem console: an EMI TG12345 Mark IV. I know, you’re probably thinking, an EMI T-what?  It’s is only one if the greatest recording boards ever made.  In fact, there were only two of this model made and the other one is at Abbey Road.  The particular one Bison is recording on is the same one Pink Floyd used to record The Wall.

That’s all for me today.  I’m going to have a preview of a great show coming up at The Norva in a few weeks.  It’s a battle of the best local hard rock bands and the top two bands gets to open up for Buckcherry at their Norva show Saturday, August 18.  You don’t want to miss this show as the audience gets to pick the winners.

Jeremy Wheeler promises that the temps will be cooler this week and by cooler, he means that you won’t be able to fry an egg on your skin.