Ben Howard & Trousse-Chemise Pinot Noir

Ben Howard was born in West London in 1987. His family moved to Totnes, Devon when he was eight. His parents, musicians themselves, surrounded him with music as he grew up and exposed him to singer-songwriters of the 1960s and 1970s like Joni Mitchel and Simon and Garfunkel. Two of his biggest musical influences were John Martyn and Nick Drake.

Ben began writing his own songs when he was around ten, using the guitar as his composing vehicle. He attended Torquay Boys’ Grammar School and King Edward VI Community College then went on to study journalism at the University of Falmouth. But six months shy of getting his degree, he decided to make music his full-time career focusing on the folk-style genre made popular by Nick Drake. His guitar style is a blend of fingerpicking, standard tapping, and lap-tapping. His lyrics are full of imagery, some of which is rather dark. He released two EPs before signing with Island Records. His debut CD, Every Kingdom, went gold in the U.K. and is gradually gaining traction in the U.S. due to a recent tour.

In 2013, he won BRIT awards for Best British Breakthrough Act and Best British Solo Male Artist. His voice and guitar have a haunting quality to it that I hope you like. Enjoy!

The Fear: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dnxCxHLAqn8

Depth over Distance: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=phktiVZqUbQ

Old Pine: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UzzCthKw_C0

Soldiers: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bWhm-H7M8Us

Live Concert: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=58xfJLrRr4U

Eurosonic Concert: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GW2kUiQh9Kk

I’m pairing Ben with the 2012 Trousse-Chemise Pinot Noir from the Willamette Valley in Oregon. Oregon, and particularly the Willamette Valley region, produces some of my favorite Pinot Noirs. This one is bright cherry red with a nose of red raspberries and cherries. The palate follows the nose with rich fruit and a fresh vibrant finish. It’s a nice wine to enjoy with a good book while listening to the music of Ben Howard.

Cheers!

Kelly Valleau & Girard Petit Sirah

Kelly Valleau has been one of my favorite guitarists since I discovered his work about five years ago. He was born and raised in Belleville, Ontario, joining the ranks of other great Canadian fingerstyle guitarists. Must be the cold winters where the only thing to do is sit inside and practice. He took up the guitar at 15 and by 22 was playing professionally. He used to focus mostly on classical and Spanish style music, using a nylon stringed guitar. However, after attending the 2006 Canadian fingerstyle guitar championships and hearing people like Don Ross, he began arranging and playing more pop tunes.

He switched to the steel stringed acoustic because he got bored with nylon, saying it wasn’t inspiring him anymore. He is one of the most prolific arrangers of pop tunes merging beautiful melodies with intricate harmonies all augmented by minimalist percussive techniques. I could (and often do) listen to him all day.

Money for nothing: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ikW3tsAgb38

Stairway to Heaven: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fnZ3zObMfu0

Pompeii: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w75g96eyQoc

Layla: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LXO53Zl8yCU

Radioactive: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BZAvPYj287M

Counting Stars: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bZqUvsE7_E8

Let her go: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wHVnMuVW4Mw

Wake me up: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AlSKFGaviD0

Blue: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MBKXkKQf_nQ

Roar: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Mo4uocZGcpw

Bohemian Rhapsody: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2B7d_gjK3og

Sultans of Swing: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UI8tvq_b2vQ

Apologize: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MHgj2UzqMx0

Sweet home Alabama: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5KagFJDhtUA

Viva la via: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cvZ_2a3psuk

Say something: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t5nt9L9TwlQ

While my guitar gently weeps: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cWLGRZuXyuE

I’m pairing Kelly with one of my favorite wines, a 2011 Girard Petit Sirah ($20.00 at Costco). Planting your nose in a glass of baby is like falling into a patch of blackberries. The fragrance of this inky purple wine unfolds further revealing, black cherries, cassis, dark chocolate, and coffee. The taste is like a fruit extravaganza dominated by blackberries, cherries, and a touch of vanilla with nicely integrated tannins. Grab a bottle or six and check out Kelly Valleau.

Cheers!

Mike Dawes and Eguia Reserva Rioja

Mike Dawes is a 23 year-old English virtuoso guitar player known for composing, arranging and performing multiple parts simultaneously on one instrument. He began his musical adventure at the age of four, when his parents introduced him to The Blues Brothers. In his early childhood he experimented with keyboards before picking up his first electric guitar at age twelve. Mike switched to steel-stringed acoustic guitar in 2008.

His early influences were Michael Hedges, Pierre Bensusan, and John Gomm. From late 2008 to late 2011 Mike performed hundreds of instrumental concerts at venues and festivals throughout the United Kingdom both solo, and with concert harpist Amy Turk. He has performed alongside and shared the bill with a large selection of well-known musicians including Tommy Emmanuel.

He released a unique and technically virtuosic arrangement of “Somebody That I Used To Know” by Gotye that went viral, gaining acclaim from the international music community. The likes of MSN News and Reddit all featured him on the front page of their websites. A headline on the US MSN Browser spawned a huge influx of American fans while Gotye (Walter de Backer) himself publicly praised the arrangement in numerous international publications.

For you guitar hounds, he plays guitars made by Nick Benjamin exclusively. I think you’re going to like him.

Boogie slam: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UuRBGpEHcnI

Titanium: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wAg6aphicBA

Somebody I used to know: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G1bzUaf_gvU

So long Michael: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HUA6t9swkVo&feature=related

Boogie Shred: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9-hJU-68pFQ&feature=related

Goodbye Pork Pie Hat: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3ZSzmim4brk&feature=related

Celtic tune: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BXLCq1b7-4s

The impossible: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LYksCAhjthk

Scotch Pancake: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C5pYjVjBo7E

Lounge Bar: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kmkvJL38_Jw

The violet and the bee: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mSkKUlVwtfI

Superstition: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IAaGdOfTA6c

I suggest a 2007 Eguia Reserva Rioja ($10.00) while you listen to Mike. I often shop wines at Costco and this one caught my eye. Ten dollar Riojas are generally reliable wines, but this one was way more than reliable. The wine is dark purple with a nose of red fruit and spices. The pallet is full of red raspberries, black cherries, and dark plums accented by a bit of oak. The finish is clean and elegant with mild tannins. It certainly didn’t taste like a $10.00 Rioja, but it goes great with the guitar virtuosity of Mike Dawes.

Cheers!

Boyce Avenue No. 2 & Willakenzie Pinot Noir

I reviewed Boyce Avenue last October, but I like their music so much, it calls for an encore. The group’s review is the same as before, but the songs are all new. I know you’re going to like them.

Boyce Avenue is a Puerto Rican-American acoustic rock group consisting of the brothers Alejandro, Daniel, and Fabian Manzano. They’re named after a combination of two streets they lived on as kids. 

They formed in 2004 after Daniel (bass and percussion) moved back to Florida after graduating from Harvard law School. Alejandro (lead vocals and guitar) and Fabian (guitar and vocals) were attending the University of Florida, but dropped out to form the group. Since 2007, they’ve been posting videos of both original and covers of popular songs, many of which have received over 10,000,000 views and have been released as digital EPs by their own independent record label, 3 Peace Records. They have over 700,000 subscribers to their YouTube channel (including me).

They’re firm risk-takers and believing in the strength of their online presence, they booked a solo show in New York in January 2009. It was their first ever performance in the city and surprised label and industry experts who thought it was a huge gamble, because the show was a sellout. Later in the year, the group performed for an estimated 25,000 fans in the Philippines and followed with a successful whirlwind tour of the U.S., Canada, and Europe.

They are, in my opinion, one of the finest acoustic rock groups to hit the scene. Alejandro’s guitar and vocals are amazing and the percussion accompaniment by Daniel and the augmenting guitar of Fabian plus several outstanding guest guitarists, vocalists, and pianist, makes them one of my favorites. Hope you like them as much as I do.

Radioactive: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jskyqPEIiG4

Titanium: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QA_CNajQpJY

Here without you: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RxWEvV9zYj4

Just the way you are: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GhFSgnvKqm4

What makes you beautiful: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fmZArPW3wzc

Broken angel: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-fB4gAt5Jrw

Use somebody:  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZMRssA4UoKo

Need you now: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Cjb8OZm3Pjs

With arms wide open: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QkVX3ZEElXY

Mirrors: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fvEZUbzqqyM

Roar: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jqoHPzqUkZo

When I was your man: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I8tEcMjV_zE

Jar of hearts: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wTlUu0a9oWc

Skyscraper: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JQ3r-rXUABI

Mean: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=asKaiRpW0Z4

Half of my heart: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FpTu85fsqCU

Fast Car: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M4zCOHFrLVY

Airplanes: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0d9YmSSg7Pw

We found love/Dynamite: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OpxGBLAuy74

Superman: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Bw3tYiAFVfg

Drive: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PfAh3uDXWEo

Breakeven: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E4rvGGFt7LU

I was out in San Francisco last week and had a 2010 WillaKenzie Estate, Estate Cuvee Pinot Noir ($23.00). It’s ruby red in the glass with a fragrance of strawberry, cherry, and herbs. The wine is light with a palate of juicy cherries, rhubarb, strawberries, and a hint of caramel. The tannins are mild and the wine hangs onto your tongue with remembrances of more strawberry and cherry. Very nice Pinot that perfectly compliments Boyce Avenue.

Cheers!

Robbie McIntosh & Arietta's Quartet

Robbie McIntosh (born October 25, 1957), is an English guitarist who started out as a session guitarist and member of the Pretenders from 1982 to 1987. In 1988, he joined Paul McCartney’s band and was a featured guitarist until 1994. More recently he worked as a sideman with John Mayer as well as touring with his own band, the Robbie McIntosh Band.

He started playing guitar at the age of ten and his early influences were the Beatles, the Stones, the Spencer Davis Group, the Kinks, and Jimi Hendrix. Later, his father’s influence exposed him to Django Reinhardt and other jazz greats. He joined the Pretenders in 1982 and took a short detour in 1985 to play on Roger Daltrey’s sixth solo album, “Under a Raging Moon.”

He was the featured guitarist with McCartney’s band and recorded on his albums from 1989 to 1993. In 2004, he toured with Nora Jones then joined John Mayer’s tours from 2006 through 2010. He is one of the premier slide guitarists and a favorite of mine. I think you’re going to like him.

Best of: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RkW9Q6lXJ9k

I saw three ships: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=31uz8lkLLBY

Demo #1: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dxA1Id09SXY

Stone Cold: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uf621Zd2rpc

Dueling with Derek Trucks: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0g2-8lAjubk

Talking guitar: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6ReEBOTrpwI

Robbie’s bit with Paul McCartney: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BORQTtjscTg

Blues Slide: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MuSjelpUj9Y

Medley: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mIft1yp29H4

Biodegradable man: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OHysjOEkbV4

Off the ground: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5eqqKxZ1jXE

Pick up the pieces: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hdTTnh4vJlc

Coffee cup with Scott McKeon: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DJSxgGheVL0

Hang me on the line: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3ML1EL8YVT8

I’m in San Francisco this week on a consulting gig and at dinner with the research team, one of the wines we sample was Arietta’s “Quartet”, a superb blend of Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Cabernet Franc, and Petit Verdot. Now, this wine is outside of my usual price range (~$60.00), but I thought since it was such a wonderful wine, I’d review it anyway. Besides, it didn’t cost me a thing.

The wine is deep garnet with aromas of blackberries, mocha, pepper, and coffee. The palate is full of dark fruit, cassis, and chocolate. It’s a very smooth wine with mild tannins and a touch of oak. Very nice, as you’d expect for the price, but then again, if someone else is buying, it’s a great choice.

Cheers!