B Sides

While the U.S. is known as the birth mother of rock and roll, many British bands made sure they were considered direct relations.

On this episode of the B-Sides with Bolin and Blumberg, we take a dive into the Brits' version of boogie and blues.

Country music is one of America's greatest innovations. On this segment of the B-Sides with Bolin and Blumberg, Johnnie and I focus on the most recent formula for this music. In fact, we go coast-to-coast to play country music connected to its roots in the past century.

We start our journey in the mid-section of the continent with Hot Rize, a bluegrass band from Colorado, and K.D. Lang from Canada.

While the snow may be blowing, this episode of the B-Sides with Bolin and Blumberg has the music to warm the cockles of your heart.

We call it A Tasty Pig since it corporates the sounds of Taste and Blodwyn Pig and the guitarists who founded the bands.

First, there is Mick Abrahams who started his career with Jethro Tull before breaking off to form Blodwyn Pig and then continue with a long solo career.

We hear from Tull and Pig before launching into Mick Abrahams' stellar solo work.

Have you ever wondered what happened to your favorite artists? On this B-Sides with Bolin and Blumberg, we take a listen to four bands which were very popular during their times, but which have since faded a bit over the years.

Collective Soul is one of those groups that garnered much attention back when they first hit the scene in 1990. Although still together, the band was really a hit with their first two albums. We showcase two of their hits which drew critical and commercial success when first released.

On this episode of the B-Sides with Bolin and Blumberg, we take a deep dive into blues and rock from the great state of Texas. The music comes from Dallas, Fort Worth, Austin, San Antonio and Houston. And while you've likely heard most of the artists, it's always nice to hear from everybody in one hour.

We start with one of the most popular bands from the Lone Star State -- Asleep at the Wheel. They put their spin on an old Eric Clapton song, Lay Down Sally.

Johnnie and I decided on no theme this week, so I grabbed a dozen cds and played a little bit of this and a little bit of that.

The show starts with Tonio K. and his societal tribute, Life in the Foodchain. This was from his first solo, which is considered one of the best rock albums ever.

The year was 1969, the year of Woodstock. It was there that America's first supergroup took the stage for one of its first performances.

Crosby, Stills and Nash were about to begin a musical journey, which still resonates today. Neil Young joined the group slightly thereafter to play on the band's second album, Deja Vu.

Nonetheless, it is illustrative of not only the group's output, but of where they came from and how those bands contributed to the bedrock of American rock and roll.

You actually might want to call this show, The Lee Sides, as Johnnie and I have put together a must hear sample of these two remarkable British axe men who have cemented their place among the best.

First it started with The Beatles (who else?), then came Badfinger and The Raspberries, and then Cheap Trick and Big Star. They all had super melodies and hooks to keep you humming all day.

But for some reason the crunchy, jangly guitars and the driving backbeat never really came into its own. For some reason, radio never picked up on power pop leaving it to be found by a small cult of music nerds, who dug the harmonies and everything else about it.

Southern rock is one of America's tried and true musical genres. On this B-Sides with Bolin and Blumberg we cover the gamut from the 70's to present day.

The show starts off with three bands, Blackfoot and Lynyrd Skynyrd both from Florida, and Point Blank from Texas.

Blackfoot, which is still active, features Rick Medlocke, who is also a current member of Lynyrd Skynyrd quite possibly one of the top five bands in U.S. history. Meanwhile, Point Blank was produced by Bill Ham, best known for his work with ZZ Top.