MITCH KASHMAR "100 MILES TO GO" Source: Blues & Rhythm Magazine Date: 09/2010 Writer: Phil Wight

The Pontiax featuring Mitch Kashmar appeared on the California scene in the early 1980s, and by dint of hard work and relentless gigging they backed many well-known bluesman, including Albert Collins, Lowell Fulson, Pee Wee Crayton, Big Joe Turner and many others. ‘100 Miles To Go’ is the reissue of a 1980s LP (originally issued on a European label I believe), with the addition of two newly recorded cuts. It may not have made too much noise back in the day, but this album definitely deserves a second shot.

Frontman Mitch Kashmar sings and plays harp, backed by Jon Lawton on guitar, Bill Flores on guitar and tenor sax, Jim Calire keyboards and tenor sax, Jack Kennedy bass, and Tom Lackner on drums. The set opens with the churning shuffle ‘Night Creeper’, then the tempo slows for the guitar-effect laden ‘My Kinda Woman’. ‘100 Miles To Go’ is a super shuffle, taken at a middling pace with a cooking guitar break. ‘Lip Service’ is an instrumental harp feature, showcasing Kashmar’s talents, ‘Horn Of Plenty’ is also instrumental, this time the late William Clarke sits in and swaps solos with Kashmar – nice one! Tenor saxes are added to the mix on ‘Gonna Find Somebody New’, adding tonal colour to the basic mix.

Kashmar shows off his prowess on chromatic harp on ‘Walkin’ Downtown’, while ‘Let It All Fall Dead’ references the Buddy Guy/Otis Rush school of Chicago bluesmen. The final ‘LP’ cut is ‘I’m Sorry About That’, an uptempo swinger that definitely will get the dancers up on live gigs. The two ‘bonus’ cuts (recorded 2010) are ‘When You Do Me Like That’, a Slim Harpo themed swampy blues. And with a Professor Longhair rhythm, riffing saxes and backing voices ‘The Petroleum Blues’ deals with the concerns caused by society’s insatiable demand gas for gasoline (we gotta keep our SUVs on the road brother!)

There can be no doubt, Kashmar should be ranked with Clarke, Piazza, Portnoy, Hummel, and all those other great harp players, if this sounds like your thing then don’t wait, get your order in straight away!