Great tunes by three local acts
Support the local music scene and check out these releases from three talented Bay Area acts.
“Live at MJ Pub,” J.C. Smith and the South American All-Stars: San Jose bluesman J.C. Smith has been quite an international road warrior in recent years, with tours through Russia, Costa Rica, Chile and elsewhere. This newly released live album captures the award-winning vocalistguitarist at the height of his game, as he leads a talented troupe of South American musicians during one memorable concert in Argentina. It’s currently only available on CD for $20 (PayPal. me/jcsmithband) with Smith picking up the postage to mail it to you. For more information, go to jcsmithband.com.
“On and On (Let Our Voices Rise),” Linzy Westman: We first learned about this Sunnyvale singer-songwriter from watching “The Bay Area Blessing,” the inspiring video project that brought together 50-plus churches and has garnered 250,000-plus views on YouTube. That led us to check out some solo recordings by Westman, who is also the worship director at Peninsula Bible Church in Palo Alto. And we loved what we heard, including the uplifting single “On and On (Let Our Voices Rise).” It’s available on iTunes. For more information, go to linzywestman.com.
“Just One More, and Then Some,” the California Honeydrops: The blues/soul/funk/R&B outfit, which got its start busking at an Oakland BART station in 2007, returns with a new offering for fans. “We wanted the EP to be super raw and to reflect how we play live, so there’s little to no dubbing on the tracks — what you hear is what you get,” says vocalist/multi-instrumentalist Lech Wierzynski. “Just One More, and Then Some” was released last week. Go to cahoneydrops.com for more information.