Mike Zito – Blues For The Southside
Multi-Blues Music Award Winning Guitarist Mike Zito Blasts Off with New Double Live CD Set, Blues for the Southside,
Coming February 18, 2022 from Gulf Coast Records
With numerous Blues Music Award honors under his belt, Mike Zito, co-owner of Texas-based Gulf Coast Records (which has birthed a number of critically-acclaimed blues/rock albums since its 2018 inception), announces a February 18th release date for his new double live album set, Blues for the Southside.
Recorded on November 26, 2021 at the Old Rock House in St. Louis, Missouri, and produced by Mike Zito, Blues for the Southside showcases Zito (guitar and vocals) and his stellar band in full fury: Matthew Johnson – vocals/drums; Lewis Stephens – piano/organ; Doug Byrkit – vocals/ bass, with special guests including label mate guitarists Tony Campanella and Dave Kalz, plus guitar wizard Eric Gales.
The song list for that special night included tunes from Mike’s earlier albums such as First Class Life, Gone to Texas, Make Blues Not War and his Tribute to Chuck Berry, plus his takes on songs popularized by Jimi Hendrix, Stevie Ray Vaughan and Tampa Red, as well as a new song, the album’s title track.
Now based in Nederland, Texas, Mike Zito states that “Blues for the Southside is a special album for me. I have wanted to do a live blues album playing songs from my catalog with my current band for a while now. I wanted to go back to my old neighborhood in South St. Louis to make the recording.
That’s where it all began for me, where I fell in love with music. I knew friends and family would fill the Old Rock House and bring the energy I was looking for in this recording. I wanted Tony Campanella and Dave Kalz to join me as guests. I grew up with both of these guys playing in the scene in St. Louis in the 1990s.
They are also both Gulf Coast Records artists. I was surprised by my dear friend Eric Gales who happened to be in town for a rehearsal. He showed up and I got him onstage to do an impromptu version of the original ‘Voodoo Chile,’ which turned out to be 12 minutes of pure guitar bliss. I am proud of this album and my band. I’m most proud of my hometown and my neighborhood, South St. Louis.”
Website: https://www.mikezito.com/
Tracks:
01. Intro
02. Mississippi Nights
03. First Class Life
04. Blues For The Southside
05. Texas Flood –
06. Mike Speaks
07. Hell On Me
08. Back Problems
09. Make Blues Not War
10. Highway Mama featuring Tony Campanella
11. Love Her With A Feeling
12. Wasted Time
13. Voodoo Chile featuring Eric Gales)
14. Dying Day
15. Life Is Hard
16. The Road Never Ends featuring Dave Kalz
17. Johnny B Goode