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West Side All Stars Reinvigorate NYC Blues Scene

by Dave Nolan, WBAI 99.5 FM NYC

For those of you who have lamented the loss of what was once a vibrant Blues scene in New York City - with the disappearance of many venues, and along with them most of the great artists who rode that circuit for many enjoyable years, the time has come to dry your eyes, rejoice, and come on out again for a long-overdue helping of real blues music, served up by one of the finest and most musically adept bands of its kind to hit this city in a dog's age and then some. The West Side All Stars are New York City's (and possibly the nation's) best kept blues secret.

Led by Michael Parrish, the best New Orleans-style piano player performing these days in New York City (and he could give most of the cats working in NOLA a run for their money as well), this tiny blues powerhouse of a band combines a scholar's knowledge of the art form with a musical virtuosity rarely seen, even in bands that have achieved much more fame in the national spotlight.

Guitarist Mike Davidson wrings emotionally complex tones out of his guitar like few others can even hope to, and is one of those increasingly rare artists that can take a familiar blues standard and truly make it his own.

Between Parrish and Davidson's encyclopedic knowledge of blues songs - both the well-known standards and those "famous-only-to-scholars" musical gems - every show is an education unto itself, with a healthy dose of face-melting guitar work and "holy CRAP I can't believe the piano player just did that!" on the side.

The solid rhythm section is rounded out by NYC jam scene veterans Tommy Kaelin on drums (x-Hatters; also a member of Gent Treadly (with NYC guitar legend Mike Jaimes and bassist Greg Koerner) who backed the Grateful Dead's Vince Welnick for numerous post-Dead tours), and Matt Lyons on Bass (x-Native - also with Mike Jaimes - essentially the house "jam band" for the legendary Wetlands nightclub throughout most of the 90's).

If you are in any way a fan of the blues, or incredible musicianship in general, you owe it to yourself to check these guys out. In this day and age, there are very few unknown bands that I would go out and pay a $10 cover to see. But this is the one band that I gladly fork over my hard-earned ten-spot to see week after week after week, and I recommend you do the same. And if you're lucky, you may just catch them on the "up-and-coming" stage at this summer's weekend music festivals. But catch them now, because very soon these guys will be commanding the big rooms, and with them the serious ticket prices.

Go see them now, and one day in the not-too-distant future you'll be able to impress all of your friends by telling them how you saw these guys when they were playing til 3:00am for a small group of friends at a tiny neighborhood joint on the Upper West Side of Manhattan. You'll be glad you did...