IN HIS FIRST LIVE RELEASE, BLIND LEMON PLEDGE SHOWCASES
 HIS EXCITING BAND IN AN ECLECTIC SET OF ORIGINALS AND CLASSICS

(San Francisco) Hot on the heels of his chart topping 2024 Acoustic Blues album “Oh So Good”, award-winning Bay Area bluesman Blind Lemon Pledge surprises his fans with his first live album: “Lemon Live!” Since his first recorded release in 2009, Blind Lemon has maintained a two-pronged musical career as both studio recording artist and as leader of the eponymously named Blind Lemon Pledge band, playing a variety of venues throughout Northern California. “Lemon Live!” captures the excitement and skill of his quartet in performance.

As a solo recording artist, working with an array of talented musicians, Pledge has created 10 widely varied American Roots Music-based albums with forays into Blues, Rock, Folk/Country and even a well received Classic Jazz project. And he has achieved consistent critical success and Top Ten Chart status.

As band leader, Pledge has assembled a team of like-minded musicians to help achieve and expand upon his eclectic American Roots Music vision. While Pledge's solo projects have largely featured his award-winning original compositions, the 90+ song BLP Band Repertoire deftly mixes classic Blues, Americana and Jazz songs with Pledge's critically acclaimed compositions.

"Live Music" documents the Blind Lemon Pledge Band in performance. Recorded over two performances in Pacifica, CA, this is a raw, warts-and-all testament to the tight rhythmic power and melodic strength of the band’s rootsy music. With Winston "Sioux City Slim" Andrews on harmonica, Mr. Peter Grenell on bass, Rockin' Juli Moscovitz on drums, and Blind Lemon Pledge on guitar and vocals, the quartet achieves an impressive acoustic fullness and sense of dynamics.

The album kicks off with three of Pledge's originals: "Black Eyed Susie" - an energetic, slide guitar driven ode to Son House; "Hard Heart Honey Bee" - with echoes of Rockabilly; and "Sugar Rush" - a swinging, gently risque Ragtime number.

"Somebody Loan Me a Dime", the first cover tune, combines a variation on the Boz Skaggs arrangement with some of Fenton Robinson's original vocal phrasings. "She's Into Something" - a deep Muddy Waters cut with an unexpected Rhumba beat, "I Feel Like Going' Home" - a classic Muddy Waters song, "Fever" which channels Little Willie John, and the classic Americana song "I Know You Rider" follow in short order with an array of tempos and moods.

"You Can't Get There From Here", another Pledge original, brings in a melancholy touch of jazz. "Big Road Blues", "Railroad Mama" and "The Red Rooster" drive us to the final cut: "Junkyard Dog" - a humorous Pledge original with boisterous audience participation.

"Live Music" is a fun, lively, joyous romp through Blind Lemon Pledge's unique and eclectic place in American Roots Music.

MUSIC SCENE REVIEW

Blind Lemon Pledge, aka Bay Area bluesman James Byfield, discovered a world of great music while still in his early teens. The pre-WarII Country Blues of Blind Lemon Jefferson, Son House, Skip James, and others had a huge influence on Byfields early musical development. He also absorbed an intoxicating mix of Rock, Country, Jug Band, Zydeco and Americana.  Byfield created the persona Blind Lemon Pledge, and began performing and recording under that name. His first album was "Livin' My Life With The Blues".

This is BLP's eleventh album and first live album. The quartet includes him on all guitar and vocals. Winston "Sioux City Slim" Andrews on harmonica;  bassist Mr. Peter Grenell; and rockin' Juli Moscovitz on drums. The album includes six originals and seven selected covers.

The album opens with a tribute to Son House "Blackeyed Suzie" with guitar and vocals from Pledge, and harmonica from Slim, as he sings "She's got a cold steel 44...black eyed Suzie, Lawd, shelong and lean, she's the finest woman that I ever haveseen...when she rides in the saddle, she's a buckin' mare, she make a preacher swear". "Hard Heart Honey Bee" includes the lyric "she walks into the room like she owns the world...I lost my heart to the hard hearted honey bee". On the ragtime-ish Sugar Rush she chimes, "hush, hush, hush, sugar rush, can't get enough of your candy, slow as molasses, this little lass has sure been pullin' my taffee."

"Somebody Loan Me a Dime" was written and first recorded by Fenton Robinson, "I need to call my old-time used-to-be...I know she's a good woman now, but at that time I just didn't understand, somebody loan me a dime 'cause I need a helping hand". "She Into Something" was written by Carl Wright and recorded by Muddy Waters "you should be into something too".

"I Feel Like Goin' Home" is one of the frst songs that Muddy Waters ever recorded, under the auspices of John Lomax..."the old river runs to the sea, if I don't find my baby child, someone's gonna bury me". "Fever" written by John Davenport and Ed Cooley was a huge hit for Peggy Lee in 1958, "you never know how much I love you...you give me fever when you kiss me...fever when you hold me tight, fever...what a lovely way to burn".

"I Know You Rider", can be traced all the way back to a 1927 Blind Lemon Jefferson song, and was also recorded by The Mississippi Shieks, "gonna miss me when I'm gone...the sun gonna shine on my back door someday, and the wind's gonna come and blow my blues away". On another original "You Can't  Get There From Here" Pledge chants "you hurt me so bad...now you want to come back, like nothin' ever happened...but one thing is clear, you can't get there from here".

"Big Road Blues" was written by Tommy Johnson and first recorded in 1928, "ain't going down that big road by myself...why do you do me like you do-do-do...you took that poor boy's money, Lawd, but you won't take mine...if I can't carry you, I'm gonna' carry somebody else". On another original, "Railroad Mama", Pledge sings "Railroad Mama, got a hold on me...she tell's me I been cheatin' but you know it just ain't so...she wants me to do just what she tell me to do".

Willie Dixon's "The Red Rooster" was first recorded in 1961 by Howlin' Wolf and covered by The Rolling Stones in 1964, "I got a little red rooster, he's too lazy to crow for day, he's got everybody in the barnyard upset in every way... the dogs begin to bark , the hounds begin to howl". On the closer, "Junkyard Dog", the last of the original songs, Pledge croons "I'm a junkyard dog...come on kitty, kitty won't you give me just a little bit more......I'm a junkyard dog and I'm howlin' till the cows come home".

On "Lemon Live!" Blind Lemon Pledge aka James Byfield proves that he continues to maintain his long musical career. He continues to receive international airplay and critical raves. He continues to surprise his listeners in exciting ways with his songwriting, adept guitar and vocals. This is the best I'v ever heard from Blind Lemon Pledge.

https://makingascene.org/blind-lemon-pledge-live..html