Monster Mike Welch and Mike Ledbetter
Right Place, Right Time
Delta Groove
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Well, having seen the
Youtube video of the Otis Rush tribute that
Monster Mike Welch and Mike Ledbetter were a
part of at last year’s Chicago Blues Festival, it
didn’t take a genius to figure out that something
magical was happening there. Something that needed
to be nourished and brought to fruition.
Fortunately, both Mikes felt it as well, and kudos
to Delta Groove for getting enthusiastically behind
their vision. Right Place, Right Time is the
perfect name for their debut disc on the label; and
an all-star cast of friends helped them bring it to
life.
An intricate guitar
solo from Monster Mike Welch sets the tone for our
first track, “Cry For Me Baby,” and Mike is dealing
with the emotions he feels for the woman he loves
and the pain she’s causing him. “I wake up every
morning…and my pillow’s soaking wet…from all these
tears, tears, tears…oh, why won’t you let me be…now,
I wish, just once…you would cry for me.” Anthony
Geraci chimes in with a stellar piano solo and we’re
off and running. An impassioned guitar solo from
Monster Mike sets the mood for our next track, “I
Can’t Please You,” and here we find Mike just trying
to figure out how to love the woman in his life and
he’s failing miserably. “I brought you happiness
when you were sad…even made you smile when you were
mad…leaving you baby…may make you mad…but soon
you’ll realize…what a good man you have.” There’s
not much else for Mike to do but walk away and move
on.
“Kay Marie” is our
next track, and Laura Chavez is providing the intro
guitar solo for this tune. “I need to find my
baby…just to keep my eyes from crying…I can’t help
myself…trying to find my mind.” Mike has all the
friends in the world but he feels alone because his
girl, Kay Marie, is not giving him the tender voice
and touch that he needs. Next up is a Willie Dixon
track, “I Can’t Stop Baby,” and Mike more than does
the tune justice. “Well…my heart beats like thunder,
baby….my tears fall like rain…oh, can’t complain
about my baby…she might be…loving some other man.”
This one feels doomed to fail and it might be best
if Mike just moved on from her.
I love the horns from
Sax Gordon and Doug James in the intro to “Down Home
Girl,” and here we find Mike perfectly content with
the woman he loves. “Every time that you move like
that…I gots to get down and pray…don’t you know…that
dress of yours…made out of fiberglass…every time you
move like that…I got to go to Sunday mass…oh…you’re
some kind of…down home girl.” This girl definitely
has attracted Mike’s attention and he’s content to
stay with her and see how it all plays out…with “the
down home girl.” Tempo definitely picks up for our
next track, “How Long Can This Go On,” and Mike
comes home to find his woman’s gone. “Couldn’t sleep
last night…going to tell you what to do…give up the
dames…nobody but you…and I’ll make you feel
good…like a woman should.” Turns out he’s homeless
and needs a place to stay, the easiest solution…find
a new chick.
An original tune,
“Big Mama,” by Mike Ledbetter is up next and again
it’s Monster Mike’s guitar leading the way. “Big
Mama…I love you…I can’t sleep inside…oh, baby…don’t
you hurt me…just one touch and my shirt’s on
fire…I’m going to pawn my heart…cause it’s tearing
me apart.” Whatever Mike needs, Big Mama’s
definitely got it and he’s going to do his best to
make her his. The band segues to a Monster Mike
tune, “I’m Gonna Move to Another Country,” and his
guitar’s on fire in the intro to this track. “I’m
going to move to another country…and maybe, I can
get a job…yes, cause the way things are going
nowadays…I may have to learn how to steal and rob.”
Let’s hope it doesn’t come to that but it is harder
and harder to earn a dollar, that’s for sure. “I
gotta get up…can’t sit down no more…I’m going home
tomorrow…cause I’ve been up all night long.”
Mike’s original tune,
“Can’t Sit Down,” finds him seeking a rest from all
of the night life he’s been experiencing and it
sounds like some time at home will be good for him.
Anthony Geraci and Monster Mike exchange fills and
the rhythm section, Ronnie James Weber on bass and
Marty Richards on the drums, are holding their own
as well. "Cryin’ Won’t Help You,” a tune by Hudson
Whittaker, is the next tune they tackle, and Mike
has no sympathy for the woman he loves. “Cryin’s
won’t help you now…cause you’ve been so mean to me.”
She knows she’s in the wrong but there’s no way Mike
is going to let her tears sway how he feels about
the way he’s been mistreated.
An Elmore James tune,
“Goodbye Baby,” is next and I love Mike’s vocal on
this classic song. “Aw baby…here’s my right hand…I
love you baby…can’t get you to understand…oh,
bye…goodbye baby…baby, goodbye.” Mike let her down
easy but it was time for her to go. The Mikes close
out their disc with a tune from Monster Mike,
“Brewster Avenue Bump,” and it’s a rousing
instrumental that lets this very talented group of
performers simply let it all hang out.
I don’t know that I
can go as far as Dick Shurman, who postulated this
opinion, “Right Place, Right Time marks a
scintillating recording debut for a partnership that
could be a modern day counterpart of Buddy Guy and
Junior Wells”. That’s pretty high praise coming from
a man so well-versed in Chicago Blues history, and I
think we’ll have to let a few years pass before we
can render that kind of judgment. But make no
mistake about it, Right Place, Right Time is
a statement record from two musicians with kindred
spirits, making the best possible music they can,
with a little help from their friends. The future is
indeed bright for Monster Mike Welch and Mike
Ledbetter, but we should let them enjoy the ride
before giving them such giant shoes to fill.
You can find this
record at either Monster Mike Welch’s website,
www.monstermikewelch.com, or the Delta Groove
site at
deltagroovemusic.com. Either way, this disc is
definitely one that will garner a lot of attention
come awards time and I look forward to hearing the
Mikes perform their own music here very soon.
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Kyle Deibler