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MAD DOG BLUES| Solo | Duo | Trio | String Band |ColoradoCountryBlues.com (HOME)eclectic acoustic roots & jam |
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Mad Dog Blues' Music Page
Below you will find details, reviews, and direct links for streaming services and web players for all of our released albums, EP's and single debut recordings.
(Here is our Spotify "This Is" Playlist to enjoy as you browse our album information.)
The only place to get any of our physical CD's is at our one of our shows, where we give them away in gratitude for your support. The best place to purchase digital downloads of all our released music is at Mad Dog's BandCamp page: maddogfriedman.bandcamp.com. You can stream our music on any of the major streaming services:
Spotify | Apple Music | YouTube Music | Tidal | Amazon Music | Pandora Music.
The only place to get any of our physical CD's is at our one of our shows, where we give them away in gratitude for your support. The best place to purchase digital downloads of all our released music is at Mad Dog's BandCamp page: maddogfriedman.bandcamp.com. You can stream our music on any of the major streaming services:
Spotify | Apple Music | YouTube Music | Tidal | Amazon Music | Pandora Music.
Short Descriptions All of Our Music Releases (Listed from Now to Then) |
Music Heals, the first all instrumental album from Mad Dog Blues, brings together our core string band sound with a talented cast of guest musicians. Cello, clarinet, marimba, and piano widen the palette, giving the music new colors and unexpected textures. Music Heals by Mad Dog Blues is with ease the best album of their career, kudos to each and every artist on this album, kudos to the engineering and production, again some of the best I have heard by them, if you are a fan of this genre, this is a must buy and probably one of the most entertaining releases in the world of blues and instrumental music for many a year you will have heard. ~ Steve Sheppard, presenter (DJ) at One World Music Radio (READ ALBUM FULL REVIEW).
HEART TO HARP (LIVE at the Colorado Blues Challenge) is Mad Dog Friedman's effort to revive the the nearly-forgotten, solo hamonica blues tradition of the early 20th century. I especially enjoyed your original songs, your skillfull blues harmonica playing, and your ever-energetic performance. ~ Hawkeye Herman, Keeping the Blues Alive" Award Winner, 2/20/26
Mad Dog Blues - HARP TO HARP, is a celebration of harmonica in its purest form. Featuring six instrumental tracks built entirely around harmonica interplay—with no guitars, keys, or bass. Some of the finest harp players around join Mad Dog Friedman for this recording: Nic Clark, Josh Elioseff, Jeff Gagliardi, Chris Hammang & Joe Waters.
Mad Dog Blues - Live & Alone (2025) captures (in both audio and video) the debut performance of Mad Dog Blues Solo, featuring the solo harmonica blues of Mad Dog Friedman. It is raw, bare-boned, intense, and definitely worth checking out. Thank you, Mad Dog, for keeping this tradition from dying out. ~ Peter Madcat Ruth, Grammy Award-winning harmonica virtuoso
Ain't Nobody Own the Blues (Original Recording Single 2025) by Mad Dog Friedman is a country blues song with some cool lyrics on modern issues. It's all there--the hate and rage, lost jobs and economy, the dwindling of humanity, the control of the news, elected fools, and AI getting into everything. Everything except the Blues, of course, because as Mad Dog sez 'Ain't Nobody Own the Blues'. ~ Chick Cavallero, with the High Plains Blues Society
This single is the first recorded version of this song, and along with Mad Dog on harp and vocals and Clark Chanslor on bass, we are proud to feature Nic Clark on harp, resonator guitar and vocals.
Going to Be Together (2025),Mad Dog Blues' ninth album, captures a stellar live performance of the band at The End in Lafayette, Colorado, on Dec. 27, 2024. The crowd reactions make you feel that you are at the concert, and the musicians' stories about their songs are revealing and poignant, lending new insight as the song unfolds. Blending various styles of blues, country, folk, Americana, acoustic rock and jam band music, Mad Dog Blues' prolific song writing is heartwarming and thought-provoking, offering a contemporary and often poetic take on traditional forms of American music.
Warm, organic, heartfelt. ~ Ken Wilcox (Acoustik Korner Studios)
Got that live vibrancy to it, sweet solo on "John the Revelator"... good shit. ~John Magnie (Subdudes)
A great performance! John Lamp (Australian presenter)
Live Love Two (2024) contains super hot versions of our two most popular jam tunes.
All the Way (2024) recorded “live in the studio" with a plethora of guests including the Memphis IBC Solo/Duo Winner, Joe Waters, showcases lush and powerful songwriting inspired by the American musical stylings of the last 100 years. All the Way was the #1 album in Colorado (2/22/25) and #4 on the global Acoustic Blues charts (10/19 & 11/16 in 2024) on Roots Music Reports.
Never Again (Original Recording Single 2023) as performed by Mad Dog Blues for the first time, in front of a live audience on Nov. 25, 2023, at the first RootStock festival at Roots Music Project in Boulder, Colorado.
The Mad Dog Blues Duo LIVE AT THE END (2023), Mad Dog Blues’ seventh full length album, is an inspired performance of entire River City Roots (2023) album in front of a live audience at their River City Roots CD release concert on 4/23/23 at The End in Lafayette, Colorado. All eleven songs, including the Skip James’ cover featuring Lionel Young on violin, were performed in order and were captured in 4K Video. Mad Dog Blues offers this audio as a live album on all streaming service as of 8/23/2023. It is also now available as a LIVE VIDEO ALBUM (on Tidal & Apple Music. The Mad Dog Blues Duo Live at The End, is also available for your enjoyment on YouTube for free viewing.
The spontaneous arrangements in these versions of the songs reflect the magic of the evening.
River City Roots (2023) - performed by the guitar-harmonica-duo version of Mad Dog Blues, this live-in-the-studio album captures the feel of St. Louis front-porch-blues, charted #3 in the global ACOUSTIC BLUES CHART (Roots Music Reports - Week of April 8, 2023)
Gratitude (2022) - our studio CD & Winner of the Pikes Peak Blues Community's Best Self-Produced CD Contest 2023
Pinned Down by the Rain (2022) - our favorite live tracks from our 2021 Better Than Ever Tour Bootleg Collection
Live Love (2021) - our live tribute to jam band music
Hug with Our Heart (2021) - our pandemic-themed EP
Family Reunion 2020 (2020) - our epic, double disc, self-recorded pandemic album
back to top menuHappy Dance (2018) - recordings from a live radio show in our early days.
All of Our Music Releases (Listed from Then to Now) |
Happy Dance (2018) - recorded live on KGNU's Kabaret on 11-13-18.
Listen to Happy Dance, the first album of Mad Dog Blues, recorded live on KGNU Radio on November 13, 2018. (Released November 14, 2018) (You may listen on Spotify, YouTube Music, Apple Music or BandCamp.)
"Mad Dog Friedman’s ghostly and weathered voice is a perfect match of the been-down-this-road-too-many-times-before blues slices found on numbers like ... 'Never Lost Love.'" ~ Scene Magazine
Listen to |
Listen toFamily Reunion 2020: Disc 2 Songsters, Blazz & Jam
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Listen on Spotify to the full 24 track double album, Family Reunion 2020, recorded "live in the studio"on August 10 -13, 2020, at Dog House Music Studios in Lafayette, CO. (You may also listen on YouTube Music, Apple Music, Amazon Music or on the BandCamp Players below.)
Listen to 30 seconds clips from Mad Dog Blues' ground-breaking, pandemic double album, Family Reunion 2020.
"Splendid mandolin and guitar flat picking are prevalent throughout...there is
usually something to be discovered with every listen. In short, ego-less music from a
tight-knit group who plays like an extended family." ~ Dan Willging, Feb.-March 2021 Holler from the Colorado Blues Society
"Family Reunion 2020 is the second album from Mad Dog Blues and is a highly enjoyable double album that successfully combines acoustic country blues, folk grass, singer-songwriter soul and jam into one thematically consistent whole. ...With a fun, down-home feel, Family Reunion 2020 successfully manages to ride the fine line between being both relaxed and energetic. Great musicianship, great songs and great production." ~ Rhys “Lightnin'” Williams, Sept. 5, 2021, Blues Blast Magazine
- Enjoy a video of our Family Reunion 2020 CD Release Concert on October 15 at Dazzle.
- Westword article about our new double CD, Family Reunion 2020.
- Listen to Greg Schultz (KGNU DJ) and Mad Dog Friedman discuss Mad Dog Blues' new double CD live on KGNU's Blues Legacy Show on 10-9-20. (The interview is followed by the world premier of two tracks from the Mad Dog Blues' Family Reunion 2020 album to released world-wide on 10-15-20.)
HUG WITH OUR HEART (Songs for our time - 2021)
Listen to Hug with Our Heart, a pandemic EP recorded by Mad Dog Blues, recorded live at Mighty Fine Studio on December 7, 2020. (Released January 11, 2021).
"...it incorporates the best of blues played elsewhere and adds its own unique twists. We are fortunate to have Colorado bands such as Mad Dog Blues that build on true traditions while absorbing and blending our local piquant flavors." ~ Jack Grace, Feb.-March 2021 Holler from the Colorado Blues Society
"Division will crush if we don't act soon.
Let's come together and sing a new tune."
~ from "Hug with Our Heart" by Jenn Cleary & Mad Dog Friedman
- Easy-to-share Live Videos from Mad Dog Blues' HUG WITH OUR HEART Recording Session.
- Download high-quality audio files from BandCamp.
- Stream for free on Spotify or YouTube Music. (You may also listen Apple Music of Amazon Music.)
LIVE LOVE (Our first ALL LIVE JAM BAND ALBUM - 2021)
"Mad Dog Blues is one of our own - a Colorado band steeped in country blues but
expanding that genre to express its own eclectic approach to Colorado music. Live Love
is the band’s third recording in ten months: Family Reunion 2020, Hug with Our Heart,
and now Live Love. That’s a lot of music in a short time and each CD explores a new
musical direction. ...Jeff Becker contributes some impressive mandolin. ...There are some really interesting lead guitar lines with complex but perfect
timing."
~ Jack Grace, Oct.-Nov. 2021 Holler from the Colorado Blues Society
Pinned Down by the Rain (LIVE 2021)
These are our favorite recorded performances from the Mad Dog Blues’ “2021 Better Than Ever Tour.” Featuring eight new original songs as well as three live versions of original songs from our first Happy Dance CD (“Goodbye Mister Blues,” “Alone Is My Home” and “Never Lost Love”), and one from our Family Reunion 2020 double CD (Siren). These songs were all recorded from July through December of 2021 at various Colorado venues: The Muse Performance Center in Lafayette (11-22-21), Rule 105 in Greeley (12-05-21), Wibby's Pavilion in Longmont (7-1-21), Globe Hall in Denver (12-12-21), Niwot Tavern in Niwot (7-26-21) and Grossen Bart Brewery in Longmont (10-31-21).
... "it’s an honest, undoctored representation of MDB’s live shows. While MDB works within a loose country blues framework - where else would you hear a Native American flute in the mix – the collective maintains its signature that makes it distinct along the Front Range blues scene." ~ Dan Willging, April-May 2022 Holler from the Colorado Blues Society
Pinned Down by the Rain is a classy live Blues album created from favorite performances by the band from 2021; it includes segments from various venues that have the good sense to hire live acts, and to be able to hear innovative songs like Hear Me Crying and the longest piece off the release Never Lost Love, just shy of 14 minutes in duration and containing some crafted solo performances within one very full flowing offering. Pinned Down by the Rain by Mad Dog Blues is a rarity today, true live Blues from the very heart and soul of the planet; played how only Blues can be played, from one heart to yours. The album contains classy performances in an album that is raw, real, fun and most certainly shines a beacon for live Blues the whole world over. ~ Steve Sheppard, presenter (DJ) at One World Music Radio (READ ALBUM FULL REVIEW).
WINNER OF THE PIKES PEAK BLUES COMMUNITY'S BEST SELF-PRODUCED CD CONTEST 2023
Gratitude, Mad Dog Blues’ fifth full-length,album is an innovative take on contemporary acoustic blues.
Recorded “live in the studio” at Mighty Fine Productions in Denver and mastered by the two-time Grammy-winning David Glasser of Airshow Mastering, Gratitude represents a step up in audio fidelity from Mad Dog Blues’ last two live albums. Since the 2019 release of their first album, Happy Dance, Mad Dog Blues has not looked back, exploring the possibilities of their unique, harmonica string band in their prolific song writing. Over the last few years their music has developed and matured, and their signature “Colorado Country Blues” sound has expanded to incorporate even more influences including jazz, world music, trance blues and pop along with our root influences of blues, folk and Americana. "Gratitude" is more than an album name; it can become a way of life that offers us all a ray of hope in these troubled times.
"We’re back on the Blues trail with Mad Dog Blues on this new release Gratitude, a 13 track album of some of the best new, vibrant and innovative music from that genre that you may have heard for quite some time, the collective charm of this album is that the whole project is thoroughly addictive and completely enjoyable with each and every track played. ... Gratitude by Mad Dog Blues is without doubt the best album so far for the band and there illustrious leader Mad Dog Friedman. Here lays an album of pure character, an album of artistic class, and a release that anyone who loves contemporary Blues music must surely mark part of their collection at all costs, it is that good." ~ Steve Sheppard, presenter (DJ) at One World Music Radio (READ ALBUM FULL REVIEW).
"Indeed, the playing is impressive. Given his chops, Mad Dog is underrated as a blues harmonica player while Bennight is a beast with his nimble fingers sprinting up and down the neck. Becker’s mandolin playing is spry and sparkles with precision and buoyancy." ~ Dan Willging, August-September 2022 Holler from the Colorado Blues Society (READ ALBUM FULL REVIEW)
"The songs have a joyful intertwining of the various instruments that convey an uplifting spirit. The effect is that of five very accomplished musicians taking turns at solos with none of them except the bass player relegated strictly to a backup role. Jeff Becker's mandolin expertise is particularly on display on "Well Babe", "Down So Long" and "Love Ladder". Mad Dog weaves his harmonica lines throughout the proceedings. The two guitarists are no slouches themselves. Clark Chanslor's meandering bass lines are ever present."..."refreshing and totally enjoyable music." ~Greg “Bluesdog” Szalony, November 3, 2022, Blues Blast Magazine (READ ALBUM FULL REVIEW)
| The Mad Dog Blues Duo LIVE AT THE END (Watch the full LIVE VIDEO ALBUM on YouTube.) |
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Going to Be Together (2025),Mad Dog Blues' ninth album, captures a stellar live performance of the band at The End in Lafayette, Colorado, on Dec. 27, 2024. The crowd reactions make you feel that you are at the concert, and the musicians' stories about their songs are revealing and poignant, lending new insight as the song unfolds. Blending various styles of blues, country, folk, Americana, acoustic rock and jam band music, Mad Dog Blues' prolific song writing is heartwarming and thought-provoking, offering a contemporary and often poetic take on traditional forms of American music. Warm, organic, heartfelt. ~ Ken Wilcox Since the group is so acoustic-based,in places it's easy to imagine it fitting into the Greenwich Village folk scene in lower Manhattan during its 60s heyday ~ Dan Willging, June/July 2025 Holler from the Colorado Blues Society) Got that live vibrancy to it, sweet solo on "John the Revelator"... good shit. ~John Magnie (Subdudes) Here are some short excerpts from the interview with Mad Dog Friedman on K4CO Radio on 1/22/25 discussing recording live in front of an audience and the venue where we recorded our album: |
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"Why Go Live?" Mad Dog discusses new LIVE album. |
Dog House Music, A Treasure in Lafayette, Colorado |
Call & response and the country blues |
Ain't Nobody Own the Blues(Single - ft. Nic Clark)
"I have to admit when it came to blues I always preferred mine being electric with a full band BUT Mad Dog Friedman and Nic Clark have been changing my mind about that. ...With Mad Dog & Nic on vocals,Nic playing a resonator guitar and BOTH of them on harp they fill every space in the room with some powerful, heartfelt blues. They are both country blues lovers, two of the best bluesmen Colorado has to offer, and you hear it on every note of this song. It's not often you get to hear two harps playing together, but these two combine their talents and share the space between them with some of the richest deep sounds, full and fat tones pouring from their duel Mississippi saxophone attack. It's just a single but you need to add this to your collection." ~ Chick Cavallero for the High Plains Blues Society Live & Alone (EP)Mad Dog Friedman's LIVE Solo Harmonica Blues
This is the debut performance of Mad Dog Blues Solo, featuring the solo harmonica blues of Mad Dog Friedman. This video was filmed at Longmont Public Media as part of the Cosmos Cooperative Stellar Sundays Community Potluck & Creative Showcase on June 8, 2025. Mad Dog Friedman has just recorded an audio and video project called Mad Dog Blues - Live & Alone. In the tradition of Peg Leg Sam, Jaybird Coleman, Deford Bailey, and the early recordings of Sonny Terry, Mad Dog's new recording project is a harmonica and vocal performance, recorded live, with no additional accompaniment. It is raw, bare-boned, intense, and definitely worth checking out. Thank you, Mad Dog, for keeping this tradition from dying out. ~ Peter Madcat Ruth, Grammy Award-winning harmonica virtuoso There's no question that Mad Dog has centred himself squarely in the blues tradition, give or take a comment about tik tok. The blues tradition did not come from music theory and composition, but from people singing and playing alone, or with friends. The commonality of beat and vocal range probably owes more to the blues musicians' common working life experience and its rhythms, than to any theory. Mad Dog drops himself directly into that with this song, solo instrument, solo vocal. Given his music career, it is not surprising that he has pulled this off so well. The melody line is augmented perfectly by the harmonica and the two together show us just what that traditional blues sounded over all those years. If you want to get a feel for this style of blues, his new album, 'Live And Alone' will open it up for you. ~ John Lamp, Presenter for Tempo on the Pulse, in Geelong, Australia (You can also listen to the audio verison of this review below.)
Harp to Harp (EP)Harmonica only instrumentals featuring two or more harp players
Mad Dog Blues' latest EP, HARP TO HARP, is a celebration of harmonica in its purest form. Featuring six instrumental tracks built entirely around harmonica interplay—with no guitars, keys, or bass. Some of the finest harp players around join Mad Dog Friedman for this recording: Nic Clark, Josh Elioseff, Jeff Gagliardi, Chris Hammang & Joe Waters. HEART TO HARP
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| THE BAND: Jeff Becker — mandolin Clark Chanslor — bass Mad Dog Friedman — harmonica & wooden flutes Mark Kaczorowski — slide & acoustic guitar |
THE GUESTS: Bill Pontarelli — clarinet El Ray (Ellen Rice) — cello Lonesome Rolan —keyboard Jonathan Sadler — marimba |
Music Heals Logo used with permission from Music Heals Charitable Foundation of Vancouver, Canada.
Recorded in the Audio Production Studio of Longmont Public Media.
Music Heals By Mad Dog Blues
A Review by Steve Sheppard
It's great to welcome back one of the most unique artists on the block with a new release, no one gets your creative juices going quite like Mad Dog Blues, and this new release called Music Heals is in my view is one of the most outstanding of their career, this is a journey through a multi-instrumental world of blues you will never want to end.
Music Heals is a 12 track release that offers much; the artists are Jeff Becker on mandolin, Clark Chanslor on bass, and Mad Dog Friedman on harmonica and wooden flutes, and Mark Kaczorowski on slide and acoustic guitar, also featured are Bill Pontarelli on clarinet, Ellen Rice on cello, Lonesome Rolan on keyboard, and Jonathan Sadler on marimba. This entire group blends together something remarkable and deeply interesting.
Blues roots, moments of improvisational genius can be found here, with a little Native American flute and harmonica, and some ambient and spiritual soundscapes too, making this band utterly unique in every way, pieces like Clarks Dream offer up a special slice of roots to get hooked onto, whilst offerings like Shortnin' Bread & Jam gift the listener a little boogie into the mix as well, with some traditional 3 chord magic and a sumptuous harmonica, the additional mandolin work of Jeff Becker was a crafted moment of class in this uplifting offering.
However my personal favourite would be the title track, Friedman on Native Flute was in sublime form, the accompanying guitar and the minor chords and notes manifested for me, one of the best tracks the artist has ever created in my view, and easily the most beautiful and rhythmic, kudos to the band here.
The release continues with pieces like the rag styled Some of These Days, and then onto Agua Es Vida (Water is life) more textured native flute from the master Friedman, creating a compelling truism. Further into this 12 track release pieces like Nobody Knows You When You Are Down and out, forms a more traditional blues ethic in its arrangement, while La Rosita entertains the listener with a little acoustic blues with Latin-influenced feeling.
There literally is something for everyone on this album, like Romance in Five, this is a fascinating offering as most blues songs use 4/4 time, but a 5-beat rhythm gives the music a slightly unusual, flowing feel and it truly works brilliantly.
Olive's Ramble offers up something short and sweet and delightfully happy, whilst pieces like Big Bad Bill Is Sweet William Now, if I'm right, this was once a 1920's jazz song, it seems familiar, but here Mad Dog and his harmonica bring it formally back into the realm of the blues.
Never in a million years did I ever expect to see one of my all-time favourite blues tracks being featured on the album St. James Infirmary, I actually have this by the British rock band Geordie, whose lead singer Brian Johnson would later to go on to front AC/DC, this song has indeed been influential to many artists, the symbiotic partnership here of the band, manifests one of the best versions I have heard in the modern era.
We end this tale of plenty with the offering Pachelbel in D Minor, it's a neat example of cross-genre experimentation, turning a well-known classical piece into a minor-key, blues-tinged interpretation, also we come from Cyprus, and you could Greek folk dance to this piece with ease, what a clever way with which to leave the album.
Music Heals by Mad Dog Blues is with ease the best album of their career, kudos to each and every artist on this album, kudos to the engineering and production, again some of the best I have heard by them, if you are a fan of this genre, this is a must buy and probably one of the most entertaining releases in the world of blues and instrumental music for many a year you will have heard.
Posted by Steve Sheppard at 5:23 PM, March 16, 2026