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 Kara Maguire
Kara Maguire
is a 30 year old blues and rock singer. She has always been a
fan of classic female blues singers such as Etta James, Koko
Taylor and Bonnie Raitt. But her influences are more varied and
she has been influenced by female singers of the 60's such as
Carole King and Carly Simon. Kara is from the east coast and
in fact her father is a well known Philadelphia poet. She came
out to Los Angeles to sing rock and tore up the Hollywood club
scene doing her own original music (she recently had a few songs
picked up by television). But she always dreamed of fronting
a hard driving blues/rock band and recently joined up with Jerry
Rosen who hooked her up with some of Southern California's top
blues players.
Recently she
has discovered classic Chicago blues artists Magic Sam and Otis
Riush and she is now covering some of their material as well
as incorporating that vibe into her original music. The two guitarists
in the band are Tom Harkenrider and Jerry Rosen. Jerry is a blues
lifer. He grew up listening to BB and Albert King and was profoundly
influenced by them after seeing them live at the Fillmore East.
He has played blues in the LA area for 15 years and use to own
a blues label called Southside Records. He was also the guitarist
in the Mary Dukes band and produced, played guitar on and wrote
the songs for Mary's CD. The Mary band toured nationally and
played some large festivals. Jerry is excited about helping to
launch Kara's music career and released her CD on his new label
- Albatross Recordings.
.<< Kara's Website >>
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 Taryn Donath and Rising Mojo
Rockin' Boogie Woogie Blues
Taryn Donath has been playing
piano since the age of six. She began to play professionally
at the age of twelve. Now at the age of twenty six, she is a
seasoned professional with over fourteen years experience playing
music festivals, clubs, and even television appearances. Taryn
discovered blues at the age of eleven, and has expanded her horizons
to west coast swing, Chicago blues, and even a bit of western
swing.
Taryn's piano playing is tenacious and deliberate. Her voice
is rich and powerful, and yet can be relaxed and natural without
effort. She brings excitement and spontaneity to every performance.
Taryn was awarded the prestigious International Blues Talent
Competition award for first place presented by The Blues Foundation
in 1996. Taryn is one of the most sought after musicians in southern
California and continues to impress even the toughest critics.
She has a true sense for the art of music and will continue to
grow musically with each passing year.
.<< Taryn's Website >>
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 JT
Ross
I was informed
by a friend that JT Ross will be performing at Harvelle's, one
of the oldest blues venues opened on 1931 in Los Angeles County.
Not having listened to the blues since my visit to Louisiana
and not having stepped foot on the historic Harvelle's, I decided
I was long overdue for a treat.
By 11pm, JT
Ross unloaded more upbeat blues from his first solo album Loaded
(released by South Side Records) onto the almost packed Harvelle's.
While singing "I've Got To Know", Ross stepped down
from the stage and joined his audience on the compact dancefloor
writhing with passion as he unleashed his rich talent with the
Hohner harmonica. A guy in a zoot suit swung a lady to and fro.
They had to hold back and dance in close quarters. It was getting
crowded.
Born and raised
in downtown Chicago, Ross stated, "I grew up very poor."
But he gained priceless lessons starting as early as 3 years
of age playing the harmonica with blues bands and absorbed as
much as he could growing up. "I'm like a sponge. My influence
runs a gamut: All the Motown stuff, Muddy Waters... even pre-war
blues stuff. I learned from the masters. Junior Wells taught
me that less is more and to leave pauses for anticipation."
In the South
Side of Chicago, Ross performed with famous blues artists in
the 1990's. He shared the stage with Buddy Scott and the Rib
Tips. He was under the direction of blues harp master Junior
Wells at the Checkerboard Lounge and recorded several tracks
with the Divine Ms. Mary Dukes.
.<< JT
Ross's Website >>
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 CD REVIEW: Preeta - "In This Moment"
By Gian Fiero
Preeta, a singer/songwriter
and former student of the Musician's Institute in Hollywood,
who is from Hawaii, sent me her debut CD with a note declaring
it to be commercial. That's not unusual. Almost every CD that
I now receive comes with that disclaimer and very few of them
actually deliver on their promise. That wasn't the case with
Preeta's debut CD. This project, in which Preeta skillfully plays
acoustic guitar on almost every track, is well-written and well-produced
from beginning to end. Each song displays the type of musicianship
and melodic aptitude that will satisfy the burgeoning appetites
of adult music lovers who are often starved for lyrical substance.
Whatever the
future holds for Preeta is irrelevant. In this moment, she has
everything an artist could ever need or hope for.
preeta.com
myspace.com/preeta
myspace.com/preetaandthepeacemakers
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