Lydia Pense and Cold Blood were a 1960s/’70s Bay Area powerhouse group of hippies who played high-energy, horn-driven, soulful blues rock and R&B. They gave no quarter in delivering earfuls of their proper “East Bay Grease” to the punters, y’all. Damn if they ain’t still at it, too—touring, recording, and releasing albums! The current Cold Blood lineup has been together since the 1990s and has evolved into something of a tight, easy-groovin’ funk group. That being said, the 1960s Cold Blood version of Barbara Lynn’s R&B classic “I’m a Good Woman” still rates on dance floors and reportedly still appears in Lydia Pense and Cold Blood’s shows. by Mike Nipper