Bob Lanza and his band came down from North Jersey to the Chubby Pickle for their inaugural visit during the heat wave that was griping the Northeast, and much of the rest of the nation. Member venue The Chubby Pickle, along with JSJBF board member Joseph Vincent Riggio who promoted and produced the event, hosted another great evening of blues on this night. Speaking of hosts, The Incinerators did just that with an 18-song set of song great classic tunes mixed in with a few of their originals which will be appearing on their new release. Leader John Fernandez tells me that things are moving along in the studio but there is currently no planned release date. He did say they are working on recovering a track with their late drummer, and our dear departed friend, John Fanizzo. Stay tuned for more details when I get them. Although they we plagued with sound issues for the first part of the set, stemming from the small stage and close proximity of the amps, they delivered a solid set which was greatly appreciated by those in attendance.
I met Bob Lanza about fifteen years ago at the Robin’s Nest and we struck up a lasting relationship which has seen him appear for us at Reckless Steamy Nights, Great Adventure Blues in the Park and most notably the Long Branch Jazz & Blues Festival where they headlined with BMA award winner Trudy Lynn for a memorable performance. On this night he was joined by another old friend, one I hadn’t seen in some time, Carlos Colina on harp, and the crack rhythm section of John Meola on bass and Bobby “Boom Boom” Einreinhofer on drums. The opening number, “Problems,” was a song by Little Mike & the Tornados who Bob had played with, and got their blessing before covering it. The song was highlighted by Carlos tasty harp, accompanying Bob’s gritty vocals and inspired playing. Next up was “Hey Baby,” a song written by Dave Perkins, who was a mentor to Bob when he was Dave’s guitar tech many years before. “I Cried for You,” is a Sugar Ray Norcia gem that the band brought to life as only a group of seasoned professionals could, much to the delight of the blues lovers in the house. The first of Bob’s original tunes, “Wait A Minute Baby,” was a slow blues that the band built to an intensity that surpassed the recorded version, begging the question, where’s the live CD? “Ain’t That I Don’t Love You,” was a great choice from the Freddy King songbook. That style of playing is in Bob’s wheelhouse, with some fine soloing on his sparkling Telecaster. They then dipped farther back to Louis Prima’s tune “Hey Baba Reba,” a fun number that you could tell the band really enjoyed playing. The second original song, “I Got A little Girl,” was another strong number that fit right in with the curated selection covers in the set. “Eyesight to the Blind,” by Sonny Boy Williamson II, featured a blistering solo from Bob that was truly inspired. On “Gambling For My Bread,” a William Clarke number, Carlos took over on vocals and along with his harp work, it made for a rollicking ride about a guy who has his hands full keeping up with his girl’s material cravings. He stayed on the mike for a harp filled Sonny Boy Williamson tune, “Keep It To Yourself.” John and “Boom Boom” really made this a standout track. The Buddy Guy standard “Five Long Years” really let Bob stretch out and the band was like one on the “nerve” breaks, which made for an excellent rendition. He then asked John Fernandez to plug in and join them on the B.B. King/Bobby Bland classic, “Let the Good Times Roll,” resulting in some great guitar licks being traded. John stayed up as they closed the night with my favorite original of Bob’s, “When the Sun Comes Up,” and the way they were playing, we could have stayed there until it did. If you like the blues, it doesn’t get any better than this.
Bob will be playing at the Bucks County Blues Festival with the Vin Mott Band on July 20th. Hope to see you there.