Vacaville Represents at Sac IBC
Northern California Blues Festival
Bodega Seafood, Art & Wine Festival - 8/23/08
B.B. is still the King of the Blues
Mr. December at Constable Jack's - 5/9/08
Cole Fonseca at the Torch Club - 3/28/08
Big Mo - 3/22/08
What a pleasure it was to see Big Mo at the Torch Club in Sacramento on Saturday night, March 22. I had never had the opportunity to see him perform before though he is a well known northern California blues talent.
Big Mo is a powerful performer with a distinctive, soulful sound. His voice is rich and suited perfectly for a jazzy-blues sound. He and his band have a unique blues sound that brings all of his background together. As an added treat, Volker Srifler teamed up with Big Mo on this night's show.
Big Mo grew up in Heidelberg, Germany and he got his start there, touring for four or five years playing blues and southern rock style music. As it happens, Volker Strifler, who now plays his axe for the Ford Blues Band is also from Heidelberg and these two knew each other as they played and partied around Germany in the 1980's. In 1988 Big Mo moved to northern California and has established himself as successful blues performer. He and his band were even voted best band at the 204 Monterey Blues Festival. Then one day Mo gets a call from Volker who had also moved to northern California and they have resumed their friendship and musical passion. This turned out to be a very fortunate move for all the NorCal blues fans as these guys are both excellent talents in their own right. Well it turns out the blues girl lived in Germany as a kid so at a set break they chatted small talk in German, (probably making fun of me since I had no idea what they were saying). It's tough being a blues man, I tell ya.
Oh yeah, the show, that's right. Okay, here we go. Big Mo�s sets are lively and joyful. Did I say that? But they are, watching him perform is really a joy. He has a great voice and has some excellent original stuff. He is a talented blues guitarist also and as I mentioned earlier, on this night we got to see him share guitar duties with his pal, Volker Strifler. Big Mo traded off playing a custom Charvel solid body guitar designed for him and a Gibson les Paul custom. The les Paul looks like a mandolin in Mo's hands but sounded great. Mo played through all the cuts I've enjoyed on his latest CD 'Torn'. I really enjoyed seeing and listening to him roll through 'Roll Down Your Sleeves', 'B-Boy' and 'Torn' and many other songs. He got to show off his guitar work on 'Mistaken', a cut that really showcases the bands versatility by blending an old school blues sound with an almost big band mix. Great stuff. Mo also has some soulful blues cuts that just reach inside and grab you. Songs like 'Shine' and 'Talk about It'. The way he set up his song selection in the sets really let the show flow well. Can you tell we had a good time?
Big Mo plays all over northern California but Sacramento blues fans take note he is slated to return to the Torch Club on September 19. Lucky you!!!
"Keep your eyes and ears open, the blues are alive in northern California!"
Blues Blowout at Cache Creek - 2/1/08
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