REVIEWS ON SLIDE RULES 

1 Music Reviews by the Rock Doctor: Dec 2019  by  John A. Kereiff 
https://gonzookanagan.com/music-reviews-by-the-rock-doctor-dec-2019/ 
SLIDE RULES! Jay Gordon’s Blues Venom (Shuttle Music/ City Hall Records) *****++ 
When I talk about blues being dirty, nasty and down in the gutter, this record is the kind of blues I have in mind. Slide Rules combines the power and aggression of Gary Moore and Johnny Winter for a hellacious, blown out blues experience. 
Slide Rules grabs you by the balls and throws you against the wall from the very first notes as it rocks, rolls, slips and slides all over hell’s half acre. This is a dangerous trio capable of leveling entire city blocks; Jay Gordon on guitar and vocals, Sharon Butcher on bass and vocals, and Tom Parham on drums. Sharon and Tom lay down a solid foundation over which Jay just cuts loose and lets ‘er rip. I like what Jim Fowler of The LA Times says about his manic guitar playing; “His fingers blaze across the strings, spewing out notes in rapid succession like an AK-47. His playing is as much a feat of athleticism as his musicality.” I used to think that Stevie Ray leaned into it the hardest when he played, until I heard Jay Gordon. 
If I’m reading their website correctly, Slide Rules is the 16th album for Jay Gordon’s Blues Venom. It’s a rock & roll record as much as it is a blues record, and it will sit in my music collection like a biker looking to cause trouble at any given moment. The songs are quite simple but the attitude with which they’re played gives them considerable heft. The slower numbers have a kind of sexy, grinding vibe and when they pick up steam to rock out, there’s nowhere to run and nowhere to hide. This disc will scare the shit out of you, but in such a way that will have you begging for more. 
Slide Rules is the meanest, nastiest slab of slide blues to come out in maybe ever, and I can’t get enough. This is wicked good fun! 
KEY CUTS: Dripping Blues, Dockery’s Plantation, Pure Grain Alcohol 

2  Confessing The Blues Radio 
"Creative, Aggressive, Blistering slide guitar-and then some! Really, it doesn't begin to 
describe what Jay Gordon brings to the Blues party. Amazing slide guitar, vocals, and overall energy 
and artistry is found on Slide Rules. It's absolutely captivating. 
Slide Guitar Mastery a work of art." Cleve Baker Confessing The Blues Radio" 

3 Subject:  FRP Blogger Comment    Date:    Fri, Nov 22, 2019 7:54 am      Blues Palace 
Hi, Frank! 
Just a note to thank you for the new Jay Gordon Release. 
It came today , I listened right away and found it great fun blues music. 
It's crazy how a very talented few can make slide guitar come to life. 
I listened in awe as Jay blistered the neck in fun, intense, and jaw dropping fashion. 
Also very cool that he took the time to include an acoustic song that added to my comprehension of his talent. 
I believe there will be great things said about this guy in the very near future. 
And, he showed very good foresight in hiring you as his promotor. 
I believe he will eventually become that guy everyone equates with blues slide guitar. 
Thanks on my continuing presence on your lists. 
Later, my friend...     Tom Addis  

4 Midwest Record  11/23/19  http://midwestrecord.com/MWR1603.html 
JAY GORDON'S BLUES VENOM/Slide Rules!: Don't know if the young 爽ns will get this but Gordon is a pure bred slide slinging shrederoonie with a wild howl all of which add up to what got your grandpa into blues rock in the first place way back in the day. A power trio that kicks ass, sets like this save you the trouble of doing your own primal scream.  (Shuttle) 

5 Jay Gordon’s Blues Venom SLIDE RULES! 
NOVEMBER 28, 2019 1 COMMENT 
Jay Gordon’s Blues Venom 
SLIDE RULES! 
Shuttle Music/City Hall Records 
Scintillating and Almost Time Travelling 21st Century Blues. 
https://rockingmagpie.wordpress.com/2019/11/28/jay-gordons-blues-venom-slide-rules/ 
Regards 
Frank Roszak 
KBA Recipient 2014 PUBLICIST  www.frankroszakpromotions.com 
  

The Rocking Magpie   https://rockingmagpie.wordpress.com/ 
One man (and a few friend's) thoughts on Roots music from across the great divide. 
As I’ve said many times before, had I been idling through the racks of a Record Shop and stumbled across this disc; the band’s name and cover art would have caught my interest and made me ask the assistant if I could hear a couple of tracks. 
Opening track Dripping Blues wouldn’t have been into it’s fourth bar before I would be forcing hard cash into their hand! 
Yowza, Yowza, Yowza …… Jay Gordon can not just make his guitar gently weep, but scream like the Devil is in every single note. 
The Blues, be it the distinctive Chicago style like this or of the Blues Rock variety can sound like it is a fairly simple formula, but it takes someone like Jay Gordon to make make such complex and emotional music sound that way …….. as Six String Outlaw and Lucky 13 prove beyond any doubt. 
It’ll come as no surprise to existing fans or newcomers like me, that there are a couple of Classic songs tucked away here; but in the finest tradition Jay Gordon and the aptly named Blues Venom turn Elmore James’s Stranger Blues inside out, and somehow make it into a 21st Century Schizoid stomper, then Robert Johnson’s Travelin’ Riverside Blues is played on a National Steel at a frantic pace that I could hardly keep up with …… and both will have you sweating and and your heart racing; as you listen in the comfort of your own home; so God help us when these are played live! 
Unlike many of his peers Jay Gordon ain’t no ‘one trick pony’ and would be nothing without the rhythmic drumming of Dwane Hathorn and the funky-ass bass of Sharon Butcher …… but he’s a Rocker at heart; but when you hear his Fire and Brimstone fuelled opening speech that introduces the scorching Pure Grain Alcohol, then when he delivers the words alongside some sublime guitar ….. you will sit back and wonder why these guys aren’t filling stadiums around the world. 
The album title Slide Rules!, pretty much does tell you what to expect, but what it doesn’t hint at is what a dexterous guitar player AND songwriter Jay Gordon is; which is why selecting a Favourite Song has been so difficult. 
The epic Dockery’s Plantation comes in at 7 and 1/2 minutes long, with some blistering solos in it, but never a note or second is wasted; and VooDoo Boogie is actually as scary as the title suggests with Gordon fearlessly entering Rory Gallagher territory and coming out unscathed. 
But the Official RMHQ Favourite song is the next song on the album; El Diablo Blues which is a helluva song; sung in the style of AC/DC’s Bon Scott and featuring some of the meanest and scariest guitar playing I’ve heard in many a year …… and I’ve heard a lot! 
What a bloody great find Jay Gordon’s Blues Venom has been this week; and I can’t wait for a stormy Winter’s night when I can blast some of these rockers out of the cars speakers. 
Released 15th November 2019 
http://www.bluesvenom.com/ 
One thought on “Jay Gordon’s Blues Venom SLIDE RULES!” 
Jack Kidd 
November 28, 2019 at 8:14 pm 
Hi Alan, yes please for a copy of this one. 
cheers, Jack… 
Hans Werksman is with Jay Gordon. 
Jay Gordon and Blues Venom: Slide Rules! 

6 FROM FACEBOOK  Hans Werksman is with Jay Gordon. 
"Guitarist Jay Gordon loves to play slide - he is almost obsessed with it. His latest album with his trusty cohorts Bluers Venom is called Slide Rules! and it does what it says on the cover: howling like a banshee. Gordon is not subtle like Derek Trucks or Sturgis Nikides, but loud like his hero Johnny Winter: in-your-face chord progressions while he tells tales of darkness, booze, pain and feeling lost."  https://werksman.blogspot.com/…/jay-gordon-and-blues-venom-… 

  
https://phillycheezeblues.blogspot.com/ 
https://phillycheezeblues.blogspot.com/2019/12/421-jay-gordons-blues-venom-slide-rules.html 
2019 - Shuttle Music 
By Phillip Smith; Dec. 14, 2019 
I was first introduced to Jay Gordon’s Blue Venom when I reviewed the No Cure album for Blues Review Magazine in 2011.  It appeared on their online web-zine BluesWax.  That was one of my favorite discs that year.  Slide Rules!, Gordon’s latest release is even more spectacular, as his heels dig deep into the Mississippi delta mud for thirteen ferociously outstanding electric slide blues.  Gordon, one of the best guitarists/vocalists around fronts the band with bassist Sharon Butcher and drummer Tom Parham making up the rhythm section. 
Gordon opens up with one of his originals “Dripping Blues” which definitely lives up to its name.  The slide-work on this is covered in grease and cooked to perfection.  He follows with another astonishing track “Pain”.  It is packed with more tantalizing guitar, and topped with his trademark fearless, gravelly vocals.  I positively dig it.  “Dockery’s Plantation” is an absolutely fabulous seven-and-a-half minute experience.  It’s ambrosia for the blues lover’s soul.  
The cover songs they choose for this record are brilliant.  First we get Elmore James’ “Stranger Blues” with its unavoidable driving rhythm.  They do this one just right.  Hearing Robert Johnson’s “Travelin Riverside Blues” puts a big smile on my face.  But their version of “Train Train”, that badass song released by Blackfoot in 1979, is a killer indeed.                              
So, like the first album from Jay Gorden I reviewed, Slide Rules! is definitely among my favorites from the year.  I highly recommend it.     
Jay Gordon review…December 19, 2019….. 
Posted December 20, 2019 by dvcrow56 in Uncategorized. Leave a Comment 

7 donandsherylsbluesblog 
JAY GORDON’S BLUES VENOM      SLIDE RULES! 
DRIPPING BLUES–PAIN–LOST IN TIME–LUCKY 13–DOCKERY’S PLANTATION–STRANGER BLUES–VOODOO BOOGIE–EL DIABLO BLUES–TRAVELIN RIVERSIDE BLUES–PURE GRAIN ALCOHOL–SIX STRING OUTLAW–SWEETHEART BLUES–TRAIN TRAIN 
Jay Gordon’s Blues Venom consists of Jay on slide guitar and vocals, Sharon Butcher on vocals and bass, and the power trio is rounded out by Tom “Mr. Groove” Parham on drums.  Jay’s slide plying is ferocious, raw, and powerful, plus he’s a helluva lot of fun to listen to.  Ten originals and three covers comprise his latest exercise in the blues, aptly-titled “Slide Rules!” 
The boogie’s the thing throughout, and, leading off, is the Delta-inspired slow burn of “Dripping Blues,” where, “sittin’ in this juke joint, I could see the blues drippin’ from the walls!”  The rapid-fire “Lost In Time in the temple of the king” is a cool roadhouse rocker, as is the tale of mojos, boogie, and ol’ “Lucky 13!”  Another cut inspired by Elmore James  features Jay and his lover “doin’ the Voodoo Boogie all night long,” He takes those “wimmen in Vicksburg, clean up to Tennessee” in a sweet acoustic read of Robert Johnson’s “Travelin Riverside Blues,” This one served as one of our favorites.  Another fave was the 200 proof boogie of “Pure Grain Alcohol,” and Jay close the set with our final favorite.  J. Blackfoot cut it back in the Seventies’, but Jay’s slide is fast and furious on his cool read of “Train, Train, take me on out of this town!” 
Jay Gordon’s Blues Venom takes the traditional stylings of Elmore James and Robert Nighthawk and combines them with the mile-a-minute fervor of contemporaries such as Johnny Winter. It all comes together to make “Slide Rules!” a guitar-lover’s dream!  Until next time….Sheryl and Don Crow. 

8 Slide Rules    FRANCE 
 Jay Gordon of North Carolina in is on his 10th album. Specialist 
of the slide, it is initially influenced by Albert Collins and played with Philip Walker, 
 but his style is close to Hound Dog Taylor and Elmore James. He plays at 
high volume and speed. We him often criticized for being self-indulgent 
but this album presents compositions in different styles. His 
Dripping Blues is basically in the line of Elmore James, then 
that Dockery’s Plantation offers unexpected sonic subtleties. Two 
covers only: Travelin ’Riverside Blues which goes beyond a copy 
by Robert Johnson and Stranger Blues by Elmore James. A virtuoso that we 
would like to see on a scene france           'City Hall Records) 

9 John A. Kereiff 
Give a listen to my picks for the best of the year!  No listing them here- that would be cheating- but I WILL say you'll find best live album, soundtrack, EP, Tribute a;bum and instrumental album, as well as a list of 22 albums that rocked my world between January 1st and today! 
In 2019, perhaps more than any other year, I heard a lot of great music and I mean TONS. When I compiled this year’s “Best Of” list the goal was to come up with a Top Twenty, but that proved impossible. I went through all of my 2019 reviews, ending up with an initial list of 78 albums… then the blood began to spill. After more cutting, slashing and bargaining with unnamed deities, the list you are about read was born. My apologies to those left on the cutting room floor; what follows are my best live, soundtrack, tribute, EP and instrumental albums, plus the best 22 records that landed on my desk in the last 12 months. So grab a bag of chips, a six pack, and let’s get to it… 
Music Reviews by the Rock Doctor: 
BEST OF 2019 
By John Kereiff. 
John A. Kereiff's Podcast 
HOT WAX ALBUM REVIEWS: THE BEST OF 2019 
Count Down to Number 1 
(10) SLIDE RULES! Jay Gordon’s Blues Venom (Shuttle Music/ City Hall Records) 
reviewed in December 
When I talk about blues being dirty, nasty and down in the gutter, this is the kind of blues I have in mind. It combines the power and aggression of Gary Moore and Johnny Winter for a hellacious, blown out blues experience. Wicked good fun! 
KEY CUT: Dockery’s Plantation 

10 BLUES CORNER 
Jay Gordon and The Blues Venom - "Slide Rules" 
 By Mladen Loncar - Mike Created: 22 December 2019 
Jay Gordon and The Blues Venom           slide rules 
Jay Gordon and The Blues Venom, with their Slide Rules album, released on November 15th via Shuttle Music and with radio coverage by Frank Roszak Radio Promotions, dropped me to my knees in almost an hour. 
Thirteen very affecting, almost aggressive songs that were included on this album moved me and left me speechless. This incredible slide guitar, excellent accompanying rhythm section and powerful vocals make you shake your head in disbelief with every tone you produce. This is not the first time, of course, I've come across a slide, but what Jay Gordon is doing goes beyond all familiar frames. 
"Slide Rules" with their music content are left out of all the usual frames and significantly and completely directly leave everyone in complete surprise and disbelief. 
I have to admit that after the ninth hearing, I was shamefully left to stare at the floor and silently pressed the "repeat" button for the tenth time. Hendrix, Winter, Rory Gallagher, Hole, Lil 'Ed ... all combined in Jay Gordon's slide, but it wouldn't be anything if it didn't have the killer rhythm of the section, drummer Dwane Hathorn and the sympathetic bass of Sharon Butcher. Their combination of rock and blues is really scary, as if you didn't even believe you heard it. But what comes out of your speakers or headphones is music produced by three people, it is absolutely absolutely amazing! 
Elmore James' "Stranger Blues" by Jay Gordon and The Venomdoist Blues seems like 21st Century out-of-town blues. Robert Johnson's "Travelin 'Riverside Blues" is a true ode to "old school blues" but with profound and significant reflections on this 21st century. Listen to "Dockery's Plantation", everything you've been told and played! 
RECOMMENDATION: 
What Jay Gordon And The Blues Venom Delivers to Your Slide Rules is worthy of all attention and there's no doubt about it: get your copy of this remarkable album as soon as possible! 
And others hear it like this: "Creative, Aggressive, Blistering slide guitar and then some! Really, it doesn't begin to describe what Jay Gordon brings to the Blues party. Amazing slide guitar, vocals, and overall energy and artistry is found on Slide Rules. It's absolutely captivating. Slide Guitar Mastery a work of art. - Cleve Baker, Confessing The Blues Radio " 
Playlist: 
1. Dripping Blues 4:40 
2. Pain 6:25 
3. Lost In Time 4:03 
4. Lucky 13 3:39 
5. Dockery's Plantation 7:26 
6. Stranger Blues 3:58 
7. VooDoo Boogie 3:37 
8 El Diablos Blues 3:43 
9. Travelin 'Riverside Blues 3:46 
10. Pure Grain Alcohol 5:00 
11. Sixstring Outlaw 4:43 
12. Sweetheart Blues 4:24 
13. Train Train 3:49 
( Shuttle Music ) 
Yours bluesy, 
Mladen Loncar - Mike 
         
11 JAY GORDON'S BLUES VENOM        pdf    print    E-mail 
Written by Fred Delforge      Tuesday, December 24, 2019 
 Slide rules!          (Shuttle Music - Frank Roszak Promotions - 2019)   
Duration 59'50 - 13 Songs   
http://www.bluesvenom.com 
 Guitarist emeritus inspired by sizes like Buddy Guy, Johnny Winter, Jimi Hendrix and Stevie Ray Vaughan, Jay Gordon was cradled from an early age in the blues since the singer and guitarist grew up in Chicago, in what is considered to be the nerve center of the genus. Famous for his virtuosity, for his most impressive slide game and for his solos dripping with notes, the guitar hero is nonetheless a creator and if he was marked by the style of his models, he knew how to create hers which is unlike any other. Noticed by Eric Clapton who invited him to perform at the Crossroads Guitar Festival in 2004, Jay Gordon also shared the poster with ZZ Top, Lynyrd Skynyrd, Paul Rogers, 38 Special, BB King, Buddy Guy or Albert Collins and this is his fifteenth album, "Slide Rules! " which is already broadcast all over the world, which he reveals to us today. Walking in the footsteps of Jimi Hendrix in his manner of vigorously mixing blues and rock, the artist is his Blues Venom, Sharon Butcher on bass and Tom Parham on drums, will come to present us ten original pieces but also three times not stung worms, so many titles that will make us jump from slide to slide to meet music that does not hide his passion for the blues of the ancients with hymns like "Dripping Blues", "Dockery's Plantation "," El Diablos Blues "," Pure Grain Alcohol "and" Sweetheart Blues "but also with re-readings inspired by classics like" Stranger Blues "," Travelin Riverside Blues "and other" Train Train ". The completely hallucinated voice is walking somewhere between the sacred rock monsters and the old blues legends and it is with great blows of slide and distortion that Jay Gordon's Blues Venom comes to give us for an entire hour a blues roots tinged with rock, unless it is the opposite. A crazy album from crazy to get urgently! 

12 Bluestown Music 
Blues, Rock, Roots & Americana 
Jay Gordon`s Blues Venom - Slide Rules! 
Format: CD / Label: Shuttle Music        Release: 2019 
Text: Martin van der Velde 
Jay Gordon is born near Charlotte, North Caroline, but soon moves to Chicago, Illinois, where he spends his childhood. Nowadays, Los Angeles, California is his base. His grandmother, who plays the piano and organ, surrounds him in his childhood with the sounds of jazz and blues. At a young age he already plays all kinds of instruments and then focuses on guitar playing around the age of fourteen. 
Even in his teens, Jay plays in a number of cover bands. When he meets Albert Collins, Jay Gordon is completely put on the trail of the blues. In the meantime, this seasoned solid blues performer has already had fifteen albums to his name and he has won a host of awards. 
He appeared at the Crossroads Guitar Festival, where he shared the stage with icons such as Eric Clapton, BB King, Jeff Beck and Carlos Santana. He opened for shows from Johnny Winter, Eric Clapton, ZZ Top, Lynyrd Skynyrd, Paul Roger and Bad Compagny, BB King, Def Leopard, Buddy Guy and Albert Collins. 
Jay Gordon does not intend to be innovative, no this blues rocker does not hesitate to squeeze the sounds of Johnny Winter, Stevie Ray Vaughn and Jimi Hendrix out of his guitar, but with a twist of his own. 
On the 'Slide Rules!' there is, as the title suggests, a leading role for the slide and Jay Gordon has been entrusted with that. Solid blues and blues rock characterizes the album. Jay Gordon's strong voice fits in seamlessly with that. 
This is what you call muscle blues and there is certainly an audience for that. Sizzling solos, pounding drums and growling bass thunder out of the speaker. Only on Travelin Riverside Blues is the electric guitar traded in for an acoustic one and Jay sets a 'resting point' with virtuoso playing. 
With Slide Rules, Jay Gordon positions itself in the list of Eric Sardinas, George Thorogood and the slidaster of down under Dave Hole. So solid food. 

13 Professor Johnny P's Juke Joint  WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 8, 2020 
Jay Gordon’s Blues Venom ~~ Slide Rules! 
Jay Gordon doesn’t just play guitar. In his hands and fingers, the guitar becomes a weapon – sometimes firing like an automatic rifle, other times burning like a flamethrower in the night. Make no mistake about his talent, Jay Gordon brings a guitar to life! 
His latest album, Slide Rules! contains thirteen songs, ten originals and three covers, that reach through your speakers and shake your soul or mend a broken heart. His technique is as rough as a buzz saw and as smooth as silk. If you are someone who loves some blistering guitar, Gordon just may be the man for you. 
Gordon plays guitar and provides vocals for this power trio and he is backed by Sharon Butcher on bass and vocals and Tom Parham (Mr. Groove) on drums. 
The album kicks off with the slow burn of Dripping Blues. This is a song with a lot of character, you can hear it in Gordon’s delivery and the way he uses his guitar to set the dark mood. At about 1:50 he takes off for a guitar break that sets the stage for the rest of the album. If heavy is the way you like it, crank this baby up and let it wash all over you. 
Next up is Pain. I know, that sounds like a line from a boxing movie, but this is one of those soul ripping numbers where you can feel the emotion of everyone involved. Gordon’s guitar screams while Butcher and Mr. Groove create a deep pocket. 
Gordon picks the tempo up with Lost In Time. It’s a fun song that mixes some delta riffs with rock and roll attitude. Parham, Mr. Groove to his friends, really cuts loose on the drums. This one could grace just about any metal band. 
Next up is Lucky 13, which will soon be featured on Time For The Blues. It’s a rocking number that throws out so many blues touchstones, you can’t help but smile at it. Even though I’m not a guitar player, this has me wondering what type of guitar and strings Gordon uses. He’s got such a sure hand and a wild child attitude that just doesn’t quit. 
Dockery’s Plantation, an homage to Robert Johnson that evokes so many of the great guitarists of the past and present, may be my favorite song on the album. At 7:26 in length, I doubt I’ll be able to feature it on the show, but somehow some way I’m going to get this one on the air. 
Now, Stranger Blues will get some airplay. It’s a solid rocker that clocks in just shy of 4:00. Since we only have an hour a week and try to get as much music in as we can, it does get tricky from time to time. But this one is solid, Gordon, Butcher, and Mr. Groove put up a wall of sound that even missals couldn’t break through! 
Without question, VooDoo Boogie is going to be on my next Halloween show. I love the spell the song casts and by using some of the horror motifs the song mentions, it’s perfect for that time of year, even though it never mentions Halloween by name. Warning, there is one of George Carlin’s seven words you can’t say on television in the lyrics. Parents and terrestrial radio producers beware! 
Gordon launches into the next song, El Diablo Blues, with another blistering into. Parham drives everything forward with some serious drumming and the whole thing just rocks. Robert Johnson’s Traveling Riverside Blues follows and Gordon demonstrates his virtuosity on a different sound. It’s particularly apropos as he has named dropped Johnson prior to the song. Cool version. 
Right at first, I wasn’t sure just where the heck Gordon was going with Pure Grain Alcohol, but very quickly it turned into one of the all time great drinking songs. Listen to the roughness in his voice as he sings. I’m not sure who is on the keys at the moment, I’m going to need to look that up, but damn, they make a fine sound. 
It’s a good mix with Six String Outlaw, a moniker that Gordon inhabits. His approach is certainly out of the norm and he is certainly giving all of his songs a unique approach. I guess most innovators are at heart challengers of the status quo. 
He moves into the last couple of tracks with an original, Sweetheart Blues, that’s a nice slow burn of a song. Butcher’s bass anchors the song, grounding it so that Gordon’s guitar can soar higher. Good song. 
Gordon and Company close out the album with a cover of Train Train. Originally done by Blackfoot, I remember hearing this song all over Southern radio back in the day. The group powers their way through it like a, well, runaway train. It’s a satisfying cover that should appeal to the lovers of blues with an edge. 
If that description fits you, by all means pick up Slide Rules! quickly. Jay Gordon’s Blues Venom is an exciting trio to hear, and I imagine, to see. If you want to check out his work or find out where he’s touring, make sure to check out his website.  
Posted by John at 4:57 PM  
Email This   BlogThis! 
Share to Twitter   Share to Facebook   Share to Pinterest 
Labels: Jay Gordon, Mr. Groove, Sharon Butcher, Slide Rules!, Tom Parham

14     https://www.rockandbluesmuse.com/2020/01/13/review-jay-gordon-and-blues-venom-slide-rules/ 
 large picture on his site 
January 13, 2020 
Rock and Blues Muse with Martine Ehrenclou 
Review: Jay Gordon and Blues Venom ‘Slide Rules’ 
By Mike O’Cull 
Jay Gordon and Blues Venom continue and expand upon their lifelong love for the raw, real blues on a blazing new album called Slide Rules. Released in November of 2019 by Shuttle Music, Slide Rules is a masterful set of rough-edged, roadhouse-style blues/rock that leans more than a little toward a sound Gordon himself, calls “extremely dangerous.” Gordon is a ferocious slide guitarist and singer with a live, in-the-moment style that’s impossible to ignore. He effortlessly generates that delicious ragged-edge feeling of someone going so hard that you expect him to crash and burn at any moment but never does. His sound is informed by players including Johnny Winter, Buddy Guy, and Stevie Ray Vaughan but isn’t imitative in the least. Like all true legends, Gordon puts his blues down his own way. 
Originally from Chicago, Gordon developed his slashing manner and overwhelming presence over the course of 15 albums and countless nights on the road. He was selected by Eric Clapton to perform at the 2004 Crossroads Guitar Festival and has played with or opened for a slew of A-List artists that includes Johnny Winter, ZZ Top, Lynyrd Skynyrd, Paul Rogers and Bad Co., .38 Special, B.B. King, Def Leppard, Buddy Guy, Albert Collins, and Montgomery Gentry. He’s won a trophy case full of awards and has had his music used on TV and in a major motion picture. He’s an entertaining and engaging musician who makes records that sound like he’s playing in the same room with you. 
Slide Rules kicks off with slow and intense “Dripping Blues.” Gordon’s bold guitar tone and loud-and-proud vocals fill in all the air inherent in the trio format he employs and go down like brown liquor in a dirty glass. Gordon is instantly hypnotic, fearless, and larger-than-life. His slide guitar vocabulary is expressive and unending and Gordon relentlessly drops new ideas in much the same way Johnny Winter did. “Pain” follows at a similar low-down tempo but hits even harder and displays more melodic inventiveness. You can feel Gordon building up steam from track to track and it’s a soul-cleansing experience. Bassist Sharon Butcher is the perfect foil to Gordon’s wildman style, laying down a huge, steady pocket that gives him all the support he needs to burn the house down. 
“Lucky 13” is an invigorating blast of upbeat boogie full of blues attitude and rock energy. Gordon comes on strong and plays with a sense of wild abandon that’s refreshing and real. “Voodoo Boogie” ups the ante even further with an audaciously overdriven guitar sound that drives Gordon to new, soul-drenched heights. Gordon has given his life to the blues and that fact is more than evident in moments like this. “El Diablo Blues” borders on lo-fi garage rock like The White Stripes and washes over you like a tidal wave of pounding drums and tough slide guitar. “Six String Outlaw” is more straight-on rock and roll that features Gordon riffing hard and shouting with the fervor of a barroom preacher. 
Every second of Slide Rules explodes with a sense of life lived for adventure and Gordon’s brand of modern primitive blues/rock is captivating and authentic. He’s the kind of player who reminds people that they’re still alive and there’s still real music out there to jam to. If you haven’t heard Jay Gordon, cue this platter up and make your own day. If you have, you already understand. 
Regards 
Frank Roszak 
KBA Recipient 2014 PUBLICIST 
www.frankroszakpromotions.com 
818-679-7636 TEXT ONLY 
323-305-4177 
SKYPE froszak2003 
15 
Jazz Weekly  by George W. Harris • January 27, 2020 
http://www.jazzweekly.com/2020/01/even-white-boys-get-the-bluesgriff-hamlin-ill-drink-to-that-kern-pratt-greenville-mswhat-about-youroszak-jay-gordons-blues-venom-slide-rules-poppa-chubby/ 
EVEN WHITE BOYS GET THE BLUES…Griff Hamlin: I’ll Drink To That, Kern Pratt: Greenville, MS…What About You?, Jay Gordon’s Blues Venom: Slide Rules!, Poppa Chubby: It’ A Mighty Hard Road, Jeff Chaz: No Paint 
Jay Gordon slides his guitar like Rickey Henderson going into second base on this blueswailer with Sharon Butcher/b and Tom Parhan/dr. He sings like he’s been weaned on chewing tobacco and Sen Sens as he growls on the gritty “Dripping Blues” and tells a story with a punch on “Pure Grain Alcohol.” The strings wail on “Six String Outlaw” and he gets Chicago bound for a South Side “Sweetheart Blues.” The team does a musical face plant on “ Train Train” and boogies with the best on the fun  “Lucky 13”. The train is a rollin’. 
Regards  Frank Roszak     KBA Recipient 2014 PUBLICIST

 

16 
Blues in the South - Norman Darwen 
http://www.bluesinthesouth.com/BITS/BiTS_02_FEBRUARY_2020.pdf 
Jay Gordon’s Blues Venom – Slide Rules! (Shuttle Music) 
That CD title is pretty accurate – Jay Gordon does indeed play a 
mean electric slide guitar, backed by Sharon Butcher on bass and 
Tom Parham drums. On the thirteen tracks of this set, Jay 
employs a gritty, aggressive sound, drawing in equal parts on the 
heavy sound of blues-rock and the rawer approach of today’s 
“indie-blues”. It is very much an “in your face” style, and the 
pace rarely lets up from beginning to end. But then Jay does show 
an awareness of the blues itself – there are covers of Robert 
Johnson’s ‘Travelin Riverside Blues’ (with a little more subtlety 
than some other tracks) and Elmore James’ ‘Stranger Blues’, and his lyrics contain references to 
the likes of Robert Johnson (as on ‘Dockery’s Plantation’), Muddy Waters and Buddy Guy, whilst 
most songs deal with topics certainly well within the blues canon. The final number, ‘Train Train’, 
is a cover of southern rock band Blackfoot’s 1979 hit and makes for a fine closer. Yes, you have to 
like it nice and rocky to enjoy this set, but if that’s your bag, then do check it out!   
Regards  Frank Roszak     KBA Recipient 2014 PUBLICIST 

17 
 Zeitgeist The Rocker 
http://www.the-rocker.co.uk/ 
JAY GORDON’s BLUES VENOM 
Slide Rules 
Shuttle Music 
Another title you can’t argue with as Mr Gordon lays down some stinging slide across a fine album of rockin’ blues. 
I’ve encountered his music before on the semi-compilation ‘Woodchoppers Ball’. That was a fine ride and this is no exception. It’s certainly not for the faint hearted as even on the slow blues he seems to take great pleasure in trying to rip you a new one. It’s rough, ragged, powerful and a delight. He can boogie, he can shuffle, he can drag you right down there. That would be ‘Pain’. A basic power trio with no frills, it’s all about passion and energy. Oh, and being a shit hot musician. 
Would the songs stand out from the crowd if anyone else performed them? I’m not sure because this is about things being a whole. A rock solid rhythm session, raw vocals and searing guitar. Of course he’s been doing this for a helluva long time now and all those years of playing have borne rich fruit. I’m naturally drawn to the wilder side so ‘Lucky 13’ and ‘Voodoo Boogie’ are real winners for me. It’s mainly originals but he finds time for (another) go at ‘Travelin’ Riverside Blues’ from the Robert Johnson songbook and (yaaassss!!) a run through the Blackfoot classic ‘Train Train’. 
It’s the sound of a damn good night out brought to you. Recommended.         https://bluesvenom.com 
Regards  Frank Roszak     KBA Recipient 2014 PUBLICIST

 

Independent radio and press promotion
Frank Roszak Promotions    323-305-4177 

KBA Recipient 2014 PUBLICIST 
www.frankroszakpromotions.com 

Follow Us On Twitter

Follow Us On Facebook 
Thanks Jay Gordon and Blues Venom

ENDORSED BY GRETSCH GUITARS
Click here and check out the great guitars that they make

 To see the hundreds of radio stations we are being played on all over the world click 
 RADIO   

 Jay's music can be heard on "Touch Tunes" Jukeboxes Worldwide

CLICK HERE TO BUY OUR MUSIC

 Book Jay Gordon and Blues Venom  Contact:   
Jay Gordon  909-900-7641 mail to: sixstringjay1@yahoo.com  
Sharon Butcher  909-319-1711 mail to: bassladysb@aol.com  
Michael Berton, West Coast Talent Agency (702) 369-6706
http://www.westcoasttalentagency.com 
 Alan Davis , Frasco Entertainment  (601) 879-3835 frascoent@aol.com