On You Asked For It—Live!, harmonica giant, songwriter, vocalist and
Blues Music Award winner Rick Estrin, along with The Nightcats—
jaw-dropping guitarist Chris “Kid” Andersen, singing drummer J. Hansen
and dynamic multi-instrumentalist Lorenzo Farrell (electric and acoustic
bass, organ and Moog synthesizer)—serve up innovative, rollicking
contemporary blues. The original songs are all injected with a solid
dose of gritty roadhouse rock ‘n’ roll and Estrin’s trademark
philosophical wiseguy humor. Since the release of their celebrated
Alligator Records albums Twisted in 2009 and One Wrong Turn in 2012, the
band has toured non-stop, sharpening their musical skills to a razor’s
edge. The band is known as one of the most dynamic and exciting live
acts in the blues today. Their sound, while steeped in the blues
tradition, continues to push the genre into new territory.You Asked For It...Live! was recorded on October 5, 2013, (Estrin's
birthday) at San Francisco’s Biscuits & Blues. According to Estrin,
“Cutting loose and stretching out in an intimate, nightclub-type setting
is the natural environment for the Nightcats to kick maximum ass. The
fact that it was my birthday, in the town where I was born and raised,
only added more fuel to the fire.”You Asked For It...Live! has the immediacy, feel and fun of a true Rick
Estrin & The Nightcats performance. “No matter how much fun we have
and how relaxed we can be in the studio, there’s still nothing like
being in front of, and interacting with, our live audience,” Estrin
says. The album features some of Rick Estrin’s best-loved and
most-requested songs, dating back to his days as lead singer, songwriter
and harmonica player of Little Charlie & The Nightcats (featuring
Little Charlie Baty on guitar). The album is an up-to-the-minute and
totally accessible slice of original, wry and witty blues with a
simmering, funky rock edge fueled by Andersen’s blazing genre-hopping
guitar and Farrell’s and Hansen’s dazzling keyboard and rhythm work. One
listen makes it clear that this is a group comprised of four
world-class musicians, who together form one of the tightest and most
original bands in any genre. RICK ESTRIN AND THE NIGHTCATS
Dylan Howe is an acclaimed drummer and bandleader, whose versatility and
swing has led him to work in many genres and formats for the past 25
years.Best known for leading his quintet and other jazz groups since 2002 and
his tenures with Ian Dury and the Blockheads (1997-2010), Steve
Howe and Wilko
Johnson (2010-2013), coupled with extensive session work
since 1990, playing with Nick Cave, Damon Albarn, Ray Davies, Paul
McCartney, David Gilmour, Beth Gibbons, Gabrielle and Hugh Cornwell
amongst many others.In February Dylan was asked to perform at Rest Is Noise Festival at the
Southbank Centre with a special quartet lineup of his Stravinsky
adaptations with co-leader Will Butterworth.In February and March he toured extensively with Wilko Johnson for his
sold out farewell tour (also filmed for an imminent live DVD release).May-July comprised of gigs with Andy Sheppard and Denny Illet with their
new group, as well sold out Summer festival sets with Wilko Johnson
(including two upcoming shows at Japan’s Fuji Rock). DYLAN HOWE
Lynn Drury has been performing, in one arena or another, her entire life. At the ripe old age of five she won a 4-H state competition in Mississippi in pole bending. If you don’t know what pole bending is, it’s a little like barrel racing, Lynn says. That’s horse talk. In a word, rodeos. Once you know that much about Lynn, you understand her approach.She picked up the guitar at 26, went at it like a pro, and she’s never stopped working. Her inspiration is her environment and since the mid nineties, that environment has been New Orleans. The transition for the Yazoo City – born Drury was smooth. She says jasmine smells like honeysuckle, and you believe her. Sultry, sweet songs turn funky, and it’s all in the same neighborhood.These days, Lynn herself is part of the scenery. She’s been a regular at French Quarter Fest and New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival for years, and has played just about everywhere in town.Drury released her first CD, “Crossing Frequencies,” in 2001 and over the next two years released two more — “Blackberry Winter” and “Spun,” as well as winning Best Emerging Singer/Songwriter for Offbeat Magazine. In 2006 her record “All You Need” produced by Jimbo Mathus (Squirrel Nut Zippers) was nominated for Best Roots-Rock Album at the Big Easy Awards, and it’s still selling. In 2008 Lynn moved to Italy and toured Europe with Italian guitarist Roberto Luti, releasing “Dal Vivo,” a live CD in 2009.In 2010 a grant from Threadhead Records Foundation assisted Lynn in making “Sugar On the Floor.” The stellar lineup on the record includes Alex McMurray (Tin Men, Royal Fingerbowl), Tommy Malone (Subdudes), Ivan Neville, Helen Gillet, Bill Malchow, and Eric Traub. Produced by Carlo Nuccio (who also plays drums on the album), much of the disc was recorded and engineered by Jacques DeLatour at Fudge Recording Studios in New Orleans. “Sugar On the Floor” was released in the spring of 2011.A new recording project is underway. In December 2012, Lynn received another grant from the Threadhead Foundation, and was able to defray studio costs for the initial sessions.“I am so excited about my new recording,” Lynn says. I am working with producer John Porter. When I heard he had produced the early Smith’s records, I knew I had to work with him. I’ve been gritty and I’ve been twangy, but I wanted a new direction for this project. Intuitively, it just felt right.”Drummer Chris Pylant and bass player Cassandra Faulconer are with her in the studio, and they go back a long way. “The three of us together are a tight trio that only comes with time.” The first session in April also included Trevor Brooks on keys and Chris Adkins and Alex McMurray on guitars, with a follow-up session just finished with Shane Theriot on guitar. Scheduled release is February 2014 with a European Tour slated for Nov 2013. Catch her if you can. LYNN DRURY
It’s been a long and dusty road since 1922 when, at a dig in the
desert south of Tunis, Professor Nigel Quentin Fontenelle Dumblucke IV
(1895-1973) unearthed the ruins of an ancient discotheque to find a
dozen undead Egyptian mummies inexplicably throwing down what he dubbed,
"Terrifying Funk From Beyond the Grave."From these hovering souls, who called themselves Here
Come The Mummies, Professor Dumblucke learned of the powerful curse that
doomed them to wander the earth, seeking the ultimate riff, the one
that may allow their spirits to rest after eons of, as they put it,
"banging out solid fly grooves, y'all." But their story was murky at
best...
What is clear is that these saucy specters resurfaced
around the turn of the Millennium. Without so much as a hot bath, HCTM
would open for P-Funk and Al Green, rock Super Bowl Village 2012, become
regulars at The Bob and Tom Show and massive festivals like Summerfest, and make themselves the darlings of sell-out crowds over
wide swaths of North America. Maybe that's why the ladies (and some
dudes) can't stop losing their minds over these mayhem-inducing mavens
of mirth.2013 saw HCTM pool the remains of their dusty hearts,
addled brains, and withered appendages to make Cryptic, their sixth
studio album.A brand new EP, A La Mode (the first of a series) is
available now, and later this year will come Rejuvannhilation, a full
length concert film. HERE COME THE MUMMIES
We call a collection of songs an "album," and never has the term been
more apt than in Irene Kelley's new bluegrass powerhouse, "Pennsylvania
Coal." It's like leafing through the generations of a family photo
album, while Kelley lovingly fills in the details and fleshes out the
characters.One photo is literal. On the back cover is a 100-year-old shot taken at
the mouth of the Crabtree, Pennsylvania coalmine, and among the miners
is Kelley's grandfather. Her title song is both centerpiece and
fountainhead for the stories that follow. From this first-generation
American tale of hardship and struggle comes the strength, hope and
humility shown in the lives of succeeding generations.Kelley goes "back to her ('grass) roots" on this project. A bluegrass
album with top bluegrass players has been on her "bucket list" since her
days singing at the Bean Blossom and Clinch Mountain festivals in the
1980s. With seven-time Grammy winner (and longtime Ricky Skaggs bassist)
Mark Fain producing, legendary pickers such as Stuart Duncan and Bryan
Sutton, and a cast of singers including Rhonda Vincent, Claire Lynch and
Trisha Yearwood, that dream has come true in a very big way.Not all the contributors are big names, though. Not yet anyway. Kelley's
talented daughters Justyna and Sara Jean are all over "Pennsylvania
Coal" as singers and co-writers, reinforcing family ties in songs where
they are often enough part of the story.Kelley herself had an early start. At 19 she took offense to fellow
'grassers singing the praises of Virginia, North Carolina, Tennessee,
etc. and took it on herself to write a song defending the rural beauty
of her native state. "Pennsylvania Is My Home" opened many doors, from a
PBS documentary to a grassroots campaign for a Pennsylvania State Song
senate bill, and eventually to Nashville, where she lives today. IRENE KELLEY
Rachel & The Ruckus was born in the Rocky Mountains of Boulder,
Colorado, bringing a blend of killer Pop music infused with Blues &
Rock to the Colorado music scene. Singer/keyboard player Rachel Alena
and guitarist Alec Sims met in 2010 while sharing the stage with the
popular Front Range band Girls On Top!, and formed the band shortly
thereafter. Drummer Kyle Comerford joined in 2012. Bassist Vince
Carmellini (a.k.a Big Nasty) and sax player/flutist Max Reed joined to
round out the group in 2013. The band has since earned lots of positive attention from music lovers,
bringing their vast musical influences and experience together to create
compelling Pop music with Soul. It’s the sound of the blend of powerful
lyrics, Rachel’s enchanting voice and a band with rocking,
in-the-pocket grooves.The band has since earned lots of positive attention from music lovers,
bringing their vast musical influences and experience together to create
compelling Pop music with Soul. It’s the sound of the blend of powerful
lyrics, Rachel’s enchanting voice and a band with rocking,
in-the-pocket grooves.
RACHEL & THE RUCKUS
The Soggy Po' Boys were born on Mardi Gras, 2012. Makes perfect sense given their name, and the fact that they’re a New Orleans flavored octet.Residing in Seacoast, New Hampshire, the Po’ Boys have been honing their craft every Tuesday night, first at the late Barley Pub, and now at Sonny’s Tavern – both in the band’s hometown of Dover. Much in the spirit of the great residency that exists at New Orleans’ own Spotted Cat Music Club where the legendary Vipers have thrown down on every Monday for the past god-knows-how-long, the Po’ Boys are steeped in tradition while in search of creating tradition all their own.With a repertoire of New Orleans standards, spirituals, contemporary music, and swing tunes, the Po’ Boys offer a lively blend of fun and insanity. Sure, it’s served messy, but at the heart of the mess is a sincerity for sprightly composed tunes that are accessible to absolutely anyone that hears it. New Orleans music is supposed to be messy. It’s supposed to be steeped in feeling. When you feel music, you find the real beauty behind what makes music so mesmerizingly addicting. That’s exactly what the Po’ Boys are producing. Their music is enduring. It’s infectious. It’s inviting. It’s irresistible. Don’t let their birthplace fool you. The beauty of New Orleans music is that it’s celebrated and appreciated everywhere. From the street corner, to the communing pub, to the theater. The Po’ Boys are doing their part to spread the tasteful soundtrack of the greatest music on the planet from their roost in the Northeast and while out on the road touring the country. SOGGY PO' BOYS
North
American singer/songwriter and guitarist Sally Station created Xumapaz
as a melting pot for her own musical experiences and those of the
musicians she has collaborated with in the US, Colombia, France and the
UK. The resulting “global soul” is peppered with performances by a
wonderfully eclectic group of musicians who wrap Station’s words and
music in deliciously diverse grooves to sweetly penetrate the hearts and
souls of listeners.The sparse solo and acoustic trio performances
on UK-produced 6 Outta Sunderland were captured while Sally was writing
and performing between Paris and London and the stateside recording
Chicago Reel is a celebration of Sally’s return to the US after more
than 10 years abroad. The songs on the latest CD, Xumapaz, recorded in
Colombia where Sally has lived off and on since she was 16, feature
Afro-Latin rhythms laid down by renowned Colombian percussionist and
perennial Xumapaz collaborator Luis Pacheco and guest pianist/arranger
Michel Haase. Other veteranos del sabor invited to the party include
Cuban bassist Diego Valdés, Colombian vibraphonist Jorge Emilio Fadul
and American jazz pianist Eugene Uman. The thread running through all
of these productions, however, are the warm and direct lead vocals –
whether in English, Spanish or French, and Sally’s unique and undeniably
feminine point of view.Xumapaz has performed at the Jazz al Parque
and Rock al Parque festivals in Colombia, at Miles of Music and Summer
Fest in Chicago, at Glastonbury and the Fringe festivals in the UK and
Printemps de Bourgs and l’Estival in France, as a 10-piece super-group
and in solo and acoustic trio formations allowing for more intimate
contact with the audience. XUMAPAZ
Doug has been crafting his songwriting skills since the late 60's. Many bands and recordings later, 2013 saw the release of his 3rd solo effort, Blues in the Key of Sea. This new release features Billy Payne from Little Feat. This CD features what has become the core band, with special guests, including Mike Wesolowski (Blues World Order) on blues harp, Danny Gotham on mandolin, Johnny Gallagher (Ireland) on electric guitars, and Tony Bowman on keys (Edgar Winter Band) as well as engineering/co-production. Tom Maxwell (Squirrel Nut Zippers) also contributes on production. The 11 songs on this release are all over the map stylistically, yet form a cohesive Blues/Rock/Americana blend, with truth and heart at the core. One of the common threads throughout Doug's recordings have been his musical connection with Tommy Hartley, a guitar virtuoso who permeates the music. DOUG PRESCOTT BAND
