Charlie's Boogie - Nico Brina

Born: 29 September 1969 / Biel-Bienne (CH) First performance: 1984 The media call him: King of Boogie It all started in 1977, when Nico Brina, then aged eight, discovered a piano at his neighbour’s house. It was love at first sight, and it was also a love which remains unbroken to this day. With total devotion and limitless passion, Nico has developed a unique talent over the years which is characterised by incredibly fast boogie-woogie rhythms, dizzying bass lines, artistically sparkling melody lines and spectacular chords and audio avalanches that he plays with both his hands and his feet. At the beginning, he drew his inspiration from Elvis Presley and the classics of the big American boogie-woogie stars. Yet Nico Brina rapidly developed his own unmistakable style which has made him well known far beyond his homeland. Whether it’s in a small club, a big concert hall, on a cruise ship, in the Caribbean, in Dubai or in Kazakhstan: Nico Brina’s music is listened to with enthusiasm all over the world. B.B. King, Elvis Presley, Ray Charles, Oscar Peterson, Louis Jordan: Nico Brina has been inspired and characterized by the big names of rock ‘n’ roll-, blues- and jazz history. At the same time though, he has never tried to imitate or copy anyone else. His own style and the development of his own techniques have always been his top priority. This also includes an entry in the Guinness Book of Records, when Brina set a new record with the world’s fastest boogie-woogie at 608 strokes per minute with his left hand, as well as his own combination of crazy boogie-woogie rhythms and popular Swiss folk songs, or performances and tours with the famous tap-dancer and juggler Lukas Weiss. Nico Brina grew up with Rock ’n’ Roll. He discovered blues a little later. It is the fusion of these two musical styles that represents his chosen musical direction. “No boogie without blues” is the pianist’s motto. “Sometimes I go more in one direction, sometimes more in the other. Yet my strength, my dynamism and my enjoyment of playing are all based on the combination of the two.” Almost nobody is able to elude the charm of the virtuoso rhythm and sound avalanches played by Nico Brina. It’s almost as if the rules of physical gravity and technical playability have been suspended. And yet the music only starts to live properly through the soul. Nico Brina’s love of playing, his unlimited passion for becoming a part of and being one with his music, and of enthusing his audience remains unbroken after over twenty years as a professional on the stage. If you support live Blues acts, up and coming Blues talents and want to learn more about Blues news and Fathers of the Blues, -  ”LIKE” ---Bman’s Blues Report--- Facebook Page! I’m looking for great talent and trying to grow the audience for your favorites band!

Little Red Rooster - Swamp Train

Swamp Train’s voyage started in the spring of 2010 when Blaze teamed up with Nikworks and Rattlebrained to form a cigar box guitar / washboard blues band. Thus, they played a couple of gigs as a trio before Cut Finger climbed aboard a few month later during a lake side pizza, stars & blues filled night. Later that year the band locked themselves in an alpine “Deep Valais” chalet for a week and survived. The blues covers vast territories of styles and traditions and the fact that each member of the band comes from a different corner within the blues has given it’s own special flavor to the band. We call it “Juke Joint Cigar Box Guitar Blues”, in homage to the few remaining juke joints of which we hope to grasp the spirit; loud, energetic, raise hell and get up and dance contemporarily primitive blues music. And BTW, we are based in Switzerland… “To laugh often and much; to win the respect of intelligent people and the affection of children; to earn the appreciation of honest critics and endure the betrayal of false friends; to appreciate beauty; to find the best in others; to leave the world a bit better, whether by a healthy child, a garden patch or a redeemed social condition; to know even one life has breathed easier because you have lived. This is to have succeeded.” - Ralph Waldo Emerson If you support live Blues acts, up and coming Blues talents and want to learn more about Blues news and Fathers of the Blues, -  ”LIKE” ---Bman’s Blues Report--- Facebook Page! I’m looking for great talent and trying to grow the audience for your favorites band!

Key To The Highway - Andy Egert Blues Band feat.Bob Stroger

ANDY EGERT and his blues band is one of the most appearing live-bands of Switzerland and has got a high reputation during the last 20 years. Presenting blues at its best and in the tradition of their great heroes Freddie King, Eric Clapton, Peter Green, Alvin Lee, Johnny Winter, Robert Johnson and many others. Andy Egert has taken a lot of time to work on his sixth CD and to pick the right songs – and he did! “I`m a Bluesman-Live” presents him again as outstanding guitar blues artist in its best way and he confirms his position as one of the leading blues artists in Europe. Mainly influenced by the best Chicago-Texas and British-Blues Tradition, Andy Egert (vocal, guitar, harmonica) works in the classical trio line-up and covers fascinating classics from Johnny Winter, Freddie King, Robert Johnson, Alvin Lee, Canned Heat, Otis Rush or Junior Parker but also presents some self penned songs. The band line-up gains additional attention by the help of such superb artists like drummer Tosho Yakkatokuo and the legendary bass player and singer Bob Stroger, who comes out of the heart of the Chicago scene and also Robert Lucas, singer, slideguitar and harmonica player from Canned Heat ! If you like what I’m doing, Like ---Bman’s Blues Report--- Facebook Page! I’m looking for great talent and trying to grow the audience for your favorites band! - ”LIKE”

Help Me - Andy Egert

Andreas "Andy" Egert (born 24 July 1961) is a Swiss blues guitarist, harmonica player and singer.

Andy, who started his career around 30 years ago as a street musician, is mainly a live performing artist making around 100 live performances a year.

He has also made exhibitions in Germany, Italy, The Netherlands, Austria, Lithuania, United States and Poland, as well as collaborations with blues singers like Bob Stroger, Robert Lucas and Dallas Hodge.

Andy Egert was rewarded in 2010 with the Swiss Blues Award.
Andy Egert was born in Mels, Switzerland as the fifth of eight brothers and sisters. He started to play guitar at the age of 19. In his first group however, Andy played the bass (a local band known as "The Cool“, from 1980). At that time his music was mainly oriented towards rock groups (Led Zeppelin, Deep Purple, Cream). His interest to blues came only a bit later, almost by accident, through a Swiss Radio music program called "Just the blues“.

In 1982, Andy challenged himself and tried his own way to a professional music career. He left the band to start a tour as a street musician, only equipped with an acoustic guitar. Despite difficulties and bad experiences, such as being robbed of everything except the guitar, he carries on. He finally travels two years long through the streets of Europe.

Back in town, he plays again as a bass player and bandleader of a Blues-Rock band ("Express“, 1984–1987). In 1985, he definitively switched back to guitar. In these years he performed intensively, mainly touring through Switzerland and Italy. In 1988, with the band "No Comment“ he made his first studio recording. In 1989, he created the “Andy Egert Blues Band”, his final band. One year later he recorded his first LP (1990, “Andy Egert Blues Band”).

In the following years he has toured again, this time mainly in Netherlands and Germany. In 1994, he counted more than 70 exhibitions in a year. During the 1990s, Andy has more frequent solo appearances, besides the band. In addition, he started a purely acoustic bass-guitar duet project, from which he recorded the album Blues with a Feeling in 1998. His fourth album (Live, Brambus Records, 1999) is an internationally published CD.

In the following years Andy became a known artist: he appeared at several famous music festivals in Italy (“Mantova Jazz Festival“), Poland (“Suwalki Blues Festival”) and Switzerland (Blue Balls Festival Lucerne, “Piazza Blues Festival”, Bellinzona).

In 2000, Andy performed with Bob Stroger, a legendary bass player from Chicago (Otis Rush, Jimmy Rogers) his first “Chicago Blues Tour”. Many other Chicago Blues Tours will follow, mainly through Switzerland. In addition, he started a second collaboration with Robert Lucas, the slide guitarist and singer from Canned Heat: tours and performances in the years 2000, 2007 and 2008. Unfortunately Robert died in November 2008, unexpectedly.

In 2010, Andy played the first time with Dallas Hodge (a second band member of Canned Heat).

In March 2010, Andy got invited to the Basel Blues Festival where he was awarded with the Swiss Blues Award
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Spoonful - Swamp Train

Swamp Train’s voyage started in the spring of 2010 when Blaze teamed up with Nikworks and Rattlebrained to form a cigar box guitar / washboard blues band. Thus, they played a couple of gigs as a trio before Cut Finger climbed aboard a few month later during a lake side pizza, blues & star filled night.

Later that year the band locked themselves in a “High Vallais” chalet for a week and survived.

The blues covers vast territories of styles and traditions and the fact that each member of the band comes from a different corner within the blues has given it’s own special flavor to the band. Qualified as “Juke Joint Cigar Box Guitar Blues”, which basically means loud, energetic, raise hell and get up and dance contemporarily primitive blues music.
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Kind Hearted Man - LITO BLUES BAND

José Fernández " Lito ", born in Malaga on May 24, 1953, began his career as guitarist in the 60s with a number of Malaga formations: The Owl, Big Wide-brimmed straw hat, Conditional Freedom, Jamaica, Malaka, Tabletom, The Blackberry (with Manolo Galvan " The Screams "), Barbara Band, etc.

In 1989, it forms the first band with his name Lito Blues Band, acting with big success in the whole Andalusia...

In the years 91-92 it leaves to Europe and realizes several tours with Big Jack Jonson, Richard Ray Farrel and Luther Allison … for Italy, Germany and Switzerland, and in this country it forms a band with the guitarist of Aretha Franklin.

Back to Spain, he reforms Lito Blues Band.

SUZETTE MONCRIEF (Vocals)
New York - Manhattan (the USA)

Singer of jazz and teacher of singing. Her artistic and musical formation begans in the city of New York. At present it is the powerful voice of Lito Blues Band.

- JESÚS GRADUATE (Bass) "BACHI"
Malaga (Spain)

He has more swing than Tiger Woods and a lot experience in spite of his young age.
He takes charge of the bottom of the band with his light touch, inventive and solid.

- NICOLAS HUGUENIN " NIKO " (Drums)
Geneva (Switzerland)

Settled down for 10 years in Malaga and with a long musical trip behind him, he is the last piece of Lito Blues Band. Versatile and enthusiastic, adds to Lito Blues Band his particular miscellany of styles (jazz, rock, funk, fusion)
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Down On Bending Knees - Philipp Fankhauser

Philipp Fankhauser is a Swiss blues singer/guitarist who experienced Top Ten success in his homeland after two decades of recording activity. Born in 1964 in Thun, Switzerland, he began playing music during the late '70s after taking an unlikely interest in the blues as a teenager. His interest in the blues was compounded after he attended the 1981 Montreux Jazz Festival, where he witnessed firsthand a performance by Albert Collins.
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Brazz Attack (Treme Swiss Style)

Not much info on these guys. Just thought it was really interesting to see a New Orleans type band in Switzerland!
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