Embodying a deep repertoire of sounds, drawing from the heavy grooves of Albert King, the punked-up blues of R.L. Burnside, the storytelling of Bobby “Blue” Bland, the raw rootsiness of Howlin’ Wolf, the funk of James Brown and the soulfully layered horns of The Rolling Stones, Austin-based Black Joe Lewis & The Honeybears (BJL+H) have…

Tommy Castro and the Painkillers It's been a big year. Tommy Castro swept three major awards at the 43rd Blues Music Awards,  Castro, 67, took the B.B. King entertainer of the year award, album of the year for Tommy Castro Presents a Bluesman Came to Town and, with his band, the Painkillers, band of the year. The album…

Marcia Ball Pianist, songwriter and vocalist Marcia Ball has been described by Billboard Magazine as “A welcome ray of sunshine…Ball is a killer pianist, a great singer and songwriter. Potent blues, sweet zydeco, soulful, fast and furious Texas boogie…heartfelt, powerful and righteous.” Ball’s earliest awareness of blues came over the radio, where she heard people like Irma Thomas,…