Eddy Clearwater, Playing the Blues for 60 years with No Sign of Slowing Down

During the 1950s, Chicago's West Side was a breeding ground for some of the world's greatest bluesmen. Magic Sam, Otis Rush, Freddie King and others ruled the clubs. With his fierce guitar playing, soulful and emotive vocals and wild stage shows, Eddy "The Chief" Clearwater easily belongs on this list. A Chicago legend, Clearwater is an intense, flamboyant blues-rocking showman. He's equally comfortable playing the deepest, most heartfelt blues or rocking, good-time party music. DownBeat said, "Left-hander Eddy Clearwater is a forceful six-stringer...He lays down some gritty West Side shuffles and belly-grinding slow blues that highlight his raw chops, soulful vocals, and earthy, humorous lyrics."

Between his slashing left-handed guitar work, his room-filling vocals, his self-defined "rock-a-blues" style (a forceful mix of blues, rock, rockabilly, country and gospel), his boundless energy and even his signature Indian headdress, Clearwater is among the very finest practitioners of the West Side blues working today. The blues world recognized his talent by giving him the Blues Music Award for Contemporary Blues – Male Artist of the Year in 2001. His last release, 2003's Rock 'N' Roll City, was nominated for a Grammy Award. Now he's back with his very first Alligator CD, the aptly titled WEST SIDE STRUT.

WEST SIDE STRUT, produced by young hotshot guitarist Ronnie Baker Brooks (son of the legendary bluesman Lonnie Brooks), is an energized mix of West Side blues and old school rock injected with a tough, up-to-the-minute contemporary edge. Featuring some of Eddy's hottest playing ever recorded, the CD burns with his stinging guitar and rough-and-ready vocals. Guests include Eddy's old friends Lonnie Brooks, Jimmy Johnson, Billy Branch and Otis Clay as well as Ronnie Baker Brooks himself, playing some scintillating guitar parts. The 12 songs (including seven songs either written or co-written by Eddy) lean from straight-ahead blues and humorous rockers to plaintive, emotion-packed ballads. All are brought to vivid life by Eddy's ferocious and unflinching guitar playing, his power-packed vocals and unlimited energy, hard-earned by his years of experience. GuitarOne said Clearwater takes his listeners on "an inspired trip to that rollicking crossroads where the blues and rock collide."

Born Edward Harrington (a cousin of late harpist Carey Bell Harrington) on January 10, 1935 in Macon, Mississippi, Eddy and his family moved to Birmingham, Alabama in 1948. With music from blues to gospel to country & western surrounding him from an early age, Eddy taught himself to play guitar (left-handed and upside down), and began performing with various gospel groups, including the legendary Five Blind Boys of Alabama. After moving to Chicago in 1950, Eddy stayed with an uncle and took a job as a dishwasher, saving as much as he could from his $37 a week salary. His first music jobs were with gospel groups playing in local churches. Quickly though, through his uncle's contacts, he met many of Chicago's blues stars. Eddy fell deeper under the spell of the blues, and under the wing of blues star Magic Sam, who would become one of Eddy's closest friends and teachers.

By 1953, as Guitar Eddy, he was making a strong name for himself, working the South and West Side bars regularly. He met and befriended everyone from Sunnyland Slim to Earl Hooker, picking up licks and lessons along the way. After hearing Chuck Berry in 1957, Eddy added that rock and roll element to his already searing blues style, creating a unique sound that defines him to this day. He recorded his first single, Hill Billy Blues, in 1958 for his uncle's Atomic H label under the name Clear Waters. His manager at the time, drummer Jump Jackson, came up with the name as a play on Muddy Waters.

After a successful appearance on a Chicago television show called Bandstand Matinee in 1959, Clearwater recorded another 45 for Atomic H, I Don't Know Why, and he started receiving more and more local radio airplay with singles for LaSalle, Federal, Versa and his own Cleartone label. The name Clear Waters morphed into Eddy Clearwater, and Eddy rarely was in need of a place to play. He worked the local circuit steadily throughout the 1950s, 1960s and into the 1970s, finding success among the North Side college crowd who responded to his individual brand of blues, his rock and roll spirit and his high energy stage show.

Twice during the 1970s he toured Europe (the first time with Buddy Guy and Junior Wells) and even appeared on BBC television in England. His first full-length LP, 1980's The Chief, was the initial release on Chicago's Rooster Blues label. Wearing a full Indian headdress on the cover (an homage to his Cherokee blood), The Chief, as he was now known, reached the largest audience of his career. Recording numerous albums for various labels during the 1980s and 1990s, Eddy's star continued to rise. He received piles of positive press and was nominated for seven Blues Music Awards. His 2003 CD Rock 'N' Roll City paired him up with the surf-rocking Mexican wrestling-masked group, Los Straitjackets. The album was nominated for a Grammy Award and earned Eddy a multitude of new fans.

Now, with WEST SIDE STRUT, Eddy has made the very best album of his life. Between the untamed guitar work, the tough and gruff vocals and the strength of the songs, the old-school yet contemporary WEST SIDE STRUT will lead Eddy "The Chief" Clearwater to the very top of the blues world and beyond. Clearwater loves to perform and can usually be found tearing it up somewhere around the world on any given night. He's played everywhere from Russia, Turkey, and Romania to Brazil and Alaska. He'll hit the road hard in support of the CD, strutting his slicing guitar licks, his rock-fueled blues, rockabilly, country and gospel gumbo and his uninhibited live show to fans ready for a taste of the real West Side Chicago blues, played by a master at the very peak of his abilities.

The Slovaks: Reinventing Punk Rock for the Next Generation

Jeffery Drag Records is going international; They’re stepping across the pond and bringing back a like-minded band with them: The Slovaks.  The Manchester band may have emerged in 2013, but their roots run deep. It all began in 2006, when frontman Adam Saylaby met Luke Barton while at university. They became friends when Saylaby spotted Barton’s Mars Volta shirt. With this, they bonded in the way that most music fans bond: over heavy drinks and heavier records. Soon after, they began living together, juggling day jobs and writing tunes for side bands that were never fully realized. 

Luke Allen entered the picture in 2008 after he made a cheeky comment to Saylaby in the toilets of some club. Saylaby retorted, and impressed with his comeback, Allen soon joined the gang.

They initially bonded over their love for the Red Hot Chili Peppers, but their tastes rapidly expanded. They absorbed American culture, idolizing the weirdoes, the degenerate geniuses, and all the other unsavory characters that make up this great country. From William S Borroughs to Bret Easton Ellis, Martin Scorsese to Vincent Gallo, Iggy Pop to Lou Reed, their influences ran deep. Hell, they answer the “Beatles or Stones” question with “the Velvet Underground.” How cool is that?

Not content on becoming a careerist, Saylaby started writing songs that channeled his honest attitude. He drew inspiration from his Mancunian roots, but also mentions that the emerging rock n roll scene in Nashville caught his ear as well. He penned a couple of tunes and soon grew confident in his songwriting. However, he knew that his path would be limited if he didn’t bring his brothers into the noise with him. He convinced the two Lukes to teach themselves their instruments, with Allen on bass and Barton on drums. With that, the Slovaks were born.

Their sound is dynamic. They can either sound like an impending riot (“Nashville Baby”) or someone trying to find some inner truth by simply getting down (“Meditate”). It’s honest, organized chaos that explores the depths of friendship, sex, and disgust. Simply put, it’s the sound of a band that simply wants to be themselves and do cool shit. And with the help of Jeffery Drag Records, their truth will be heard.

Violet Bell: Living Life On Vacation

“Making the best possible use of the atmospheric, captivating vocals of Lizzy Ross, Durham folk duo Violet Bell puts an eerie, vaguely avant-garde twist on traditional roots music, suggesting the lovely but slightly askew early John Cale releases. Garnished with beauty but fraught with an underlying menace, tunes like “Dream the Wheel” under score the interplay between Ross and multi-instrumentalist Omar Ruiz-Lopez.” (Indy Weekly)

Violet Bell cites a wide range of influences. From Debussy to Neil Young, D’Angelo to Lou Reed, their unique sound blends folk, soul, bluegrass, blues, and classical. Their songs are otherworldly yet made from the stuff of everyday life, exploring questions of intergenerational change, our relationship to Earth, and the human emotional experience.

Since their inception in March 2016, Violet Bell has played over 200 shows, earning fans from FL to VT with long stretches on the road. On stage, the energy between Ross and Ruiz-Lopez is fiery, intimate and intuitive. Their sound is true to the mutating nature of music, as life on the road continually brings fresh inspiration into the mix.

Violet Bell keeps live performance at the core of their debut release Dream the Wheel. Ross sings and plays guitar, as Ruiz-Lopez adds violin, viola, cello, keys, guitar and vocal harmonies. The result is alchemical; emotionally evocative music that “sounds like a beautiful dream turned sudden nightmare.”(IW)

The album’s title track, “Dream the Wheel,” speaks to a fearlessly inclusive view of life’s cyclical polarities. “Sing, sing, everything/ Comes and goes and comes again/ Let it out and let it in/ Let it be your medicine,” “No such thing/ as too far/ or too deep/ or too dark.” In the modern era of rising seas and informational flooding, these lyrics could be chilling or comforting – it’s yours to interpret.

The album cover, a medicine wheel that Ruiz-Lopez and Ross crafted from local NC flora, speaks to the origins of the music. Violet Bell is rooted firmly in the natural world and the community from which they’ve grown. The September 15release show for Dream the Wheel featured three members of the Durham Kidznotes All-Star string ensemble, whom Ruiz-Lopez has helped to teach since 2011. For Violet Bell, community connection is a big-picture goal. Says Ruiz-Lopez, “We’ve seen how music can transform lives and communities for the better. We want to know, how can this music plant seeds of change for our children’s generation?”

Prior to Violet Bell, Ruiz-Lopez honed his chops on the road with Jonathan Byrd and Crystal Bright, and composed several original pieces for the Durham Symphony Orchestra. Ross has been a two-time Kerrville New Folk finalist and won Floydfest’s On the Rise contest, a Carolina Music Award, and an Emerging Artist Grant from the Durham Arts Council.

As Violet Bell, Ross and Ruiz-Lopez become a dynamic musical force that’s greater than either one of them alone. There is a quiet power building in their music, a brave and playful spirit, willing to dance with shadow and light.-- 

The Winter Sounds: Preaching Post-Punk-Indie-New-Wave from Nashville to Estonia

Hailing from Nashville, The Winter Sounds are a new wave, indie, post-punk band that formed in 2006. Started by front man Patrick Keenan, The Winter Sounds quickly gained a reputation as one of the ‘must see’ bands of the crowded music scene in Athens, Georgia. Known for their frenetic live performances, the band blended the danceable post-punk of pioneers like Gang of Four with more contemporary electro-pop to forge their own unique sound. In 2007, The Winter Sounds signed with Atlanta-based Livewire Recordings and recorded Porcelain Empire, their first full-length album. 

Hailed as, “thought provoking, atmospheric, uplifting, and just plain enjoyable,” Porcelain Empire established The Winter Sounds as a band poised for a breakthrough with a #20 alternative radio chart position, rotation on MTVU, national press attention, and fans across the US. After relentless US/North American touring in 2008, the Winter Sounds followed Porcelain Empire with the thematic album Church of the Haunted South, released on Nashville label Theory 8 Records in 2009. Declared one of the “Top 10 Albums of 2009” by Atlanta A-List magazine, the LP hit with great reception.

Insomnia Radio proclaimed Church “an intricate masterpiece, piecing together individually beautiful and unique tracks to create a warming, powerful album full of contrast and intrigue.” The band followed up with their next LP, “Runner” in December of 2012 on New Granada Records. The album also received rave reviews by such publications as CMJ, Magnet, The Big Takeover, and Creative Loafing. The band took 3 years to work on their latest LP project, which has been an evolution musically. The project took them between Nashville, TN, New Orleans, LA and Tartu, Estonia. The album, Maximum Reality, was recorded and mixed by Derek Garten (Taylor Swift, Lovedrug, Jewel) and is scheduled for release December 1st, 2017. Keenan states: “I think it is an album that speaks of change - different cities, studios, and members. I think we branched out in our writing more than ever, exploring different song structures and styles, as well.” The first single and video, “Heartbeats”, will be released on 8/25/17 via Logica Sonica Music and distributed by The Orchard/Sony Music. 

The band is kicking off with the “Heartbeats Tour”, a nationwide tour joined by special guests Pinky Doodle Poodle from Japan (Good Charamel Records). With a theme song placement on the Jack White-produced Netflix comedy special for Rory Scovel, a new label signing, and a new album, 2017 is shaping into a year of possibilities for The Winter Sounds.

Out of the "Big Four" of Thrash, Who Is The Most Metal?

Out of "the big four" of thrash... who is THE MOST METAL?  What makes a band metal? Can a band "out metal" all the others? We know that inquiring metal heads from around the world want to know! That's the topic on this week's "Loudini Hard Rock & Metal Circus Podcast. It's on like donkey kong!  Featured Loudini Artists:   Almanac   Bridge to Mars  Beast In Black 

Almanac

After 15 years and 10 CD’s as guitarist, producer and composer for the German Heavy Metal institution RAGE and with hits penned by him like “Down”, “Soundchaser”, “War of Worlds”, “Straight to Hell” (well-known from the German blockbuster movie “Manitou’s Shoe”), “Carved in Stone”, “Forever Dead”, “Empty Hollow” and “Cleansed by Fire”, Victor Smolski now continues his musical career with his new group ALMANAC. 

The guitar virtuoso’s composition “Suite Lingua Mortis”, released first on the successful 2006 RAGE record “Speak Of The Dead”, built the Classical foundation for the new, more versatile yet even playful LINGUA MORTIS ORCHESTRA sound and their LMO release in 2013, which scored a big success by outselling all most recent RAGE releases and charted in Germany at #24 on the official album charts. 

In comparison to RAGE, LMO offered fresh song material entirely composed by Smolski, a new musical concept combining Heavy Metal with Classical music, songs written especially for band & orchestra plus several male and female singers sharing the lead vocal job. 

This successful story now continues with ALMANAC who add a powerful touch of heaviness to LMO’s unique sound. The Belarus-born guitarist with this new group is joined by former LMO band members Jeannette Marchewka (vocals), the “Orquestra Barcelona Filharmonia” with Enric Garcia on keyboards and “White Russian Symphony Orchestra”. 

New members are Tim Rashid on bass and Athanasios "Zacky" Tsoukas on drums. 

The two singers David Readman (PINK CREAM 69) and Andy B. Franck (BRAINSTORM) complete the line-up. 

For all the members of ALMANAC the debut album is a new, exciting, and very interesting chapter that has now begun. Traditional power metal in conjunction with classical music, world music with a modern sound are making ALMANAC an absolute listening experience.

Fans with an interest in deeper subjects including history and culture will also be able to dive into a new world with their first album, which combines historic and modern parallels that will surprise many. 

From the warlike nomadic horsemen in the steppes of Russia, to the Tsardom, Ivan the Terrible, warlike Cossacks who dominate the Tatar, the siege of Constantinople and the Mongol invasion are stories about battles, wars, intrigue, conquest, terror, power and love that can be heard vocally using the different styles of the singer’s voices. 

ALMANAC has signed a record deal with the world’s leading Heavy Metal label Nuclear Blast.

ALMANAC's debut album »Tsar« is a new, exciting, and very interesting chapter that has now begun. Traditional power metal in conjunction with classical music, world music with a modern sound make ALMANAC for an absolute listening experience. ALMANAC's debut album »Tsar« ( release date March 18th 2016 through Nuclear Blast ) has entered the charts at the following positions: Germany #74, Swiss #87

Since the band was founded two years ago, ALMANAC played around 50 shows in 10 different countries, their first CD "Tsar" was also nominated at the Metal Hammer awards as best debut album 2016. Actually, the band members are working on a new CD production.

Press contact

markus.wosgien@nuclearblast.de

Booking agent

ITM Agency, Germany

fsuepfle@itm-agency.com

www.itm-agency.com

Bridge to Mars

"Quality from start to finish, Bridge To Mars have the potential to make some serious waves in the world of classic rock with this debut album"

Jim Rowland, Uberrock

Not just a copy of course,Bridge To Mars have made their own wonderful way. They learned from a master, they run with the best, they make a stupendous noise.

All aboard!

9 out of 10

Steve Swift, Powerplay magazine UK

"Bridge To Mars is spot on target. If you like the genre, you will love this album"

Craig Hartranft, Dangerdog

"So I think it’s fairly obvious that I rather like this release and if 70’s rock / hard rock is your bag , then you will too."

Dan Mann, Rockposer

"All in all a killer debut for this power trio, a band I’d really like to see live, where I think the songs will really come alive. Highly recommended!"

Janne Starck

So, on closing, if your into MetalCore, Djent, Thrash metal etc. then you may think this isn’t gonna be your cuppa tea. However, like everyone else who is into Rock or Metal or every genre and era, you will always listen to the likes of Zep, Cream, The Who etc., and if you liked these, then you will love Bridge To Mars. This albums sound, has its roots well and truly planted in the late 60’s and 70’s early classic rock, psychedelia era, but with an all important 2016 contemporary take on it. This is one classy album. Buy it! You sure as hell won’t be disappointed.

Would I buy it? – Yes, and I did, and so should you!

Would I recommend it? – Most definitely!

Would I pay good money to see them live? – Without hesitation. JJ Marsh is without doubt one of the greatest guitarists to grace this planet.

Overall –

Rating – 5 out of 5

John J O´Neil, Firestorm.com

10 out of 10 cd review by Sleazethiscity, France

5 out of 5 cd review by Radio-Barbarossa, Germany

8 out if 10 cd review by Sweden Rock magazine, Sweden

Etc.....etc.

BRIDGE TO MARS, a three-piece powerhouse from Stockholm, Sweden. 

JJ MARSH: Regular co-writer and guitar player with Glenn Hughes for 13 years and played on a number of his albums, and also recorded and toured with Glenn and Joe Lynn Turner's 'Hughes Turner Project' (HTP). Has also played with the Swedish band Spellbound. 

THOMAS BROMAN: Worked with many artists and bands including Great King Rat, The Electric Boys, Send No Flowers, Magnus Lindberg, John Norum, Silver Ginger 5, Glenn Hughes, Hughes Turner Project, Firebird, Joe Lynn Turner, Michael Schenker and many more.

ROBERT HANSEN: Also bass player in the swedish progressive band Beardfish and has been a part of many other projects.

Beast In Black

A five-piece Helsinki based heavy metal band BEAST IN BLACK was founded by Anton Kabanen soon after he had parted ways with BATTLE BEAST in 2015. The international line-up consists of Yannis Papadopoulos (voc), Mate Molnar (bass), Sami Hänninen (drs), Kasperi Heikkinen (gtr) and Anton Kabanen (gtr, voc). 

By the end of 2015 the band had already played their first gig as an opener for NIGHTWISH without even having their debut album out yet. The making of the album was in progress and it was completed in the summer of 2017. 

A record deal was made with NUCLEAR BLAST almost immediately after the completion of the album. The debut album titled "BERSERKER" is set to be released in November 2017 and it continues in the style of Anton's previously composed works which include the first three Battle Beast albums. 

And let it be mentioned that one of the essential themes on this debut is a Japanese manga and anime "BERSERK". 

The album cover art deserves a special mention as well, since it marks the return of the collaboration between Anton and Roman Ismailov who was the original illustrator and graphic artist for Battle Beast. 

The time is drawing near. The newborn Beast is back with a vengeance, rising from the abyss with fortitude to spew its unrivaled heavy metal fury all over the world! 

The Beast is back, the Beast In Black!

Influences

Judas Priest, Manowar, W.A.S.P., Accept, Black Sabbath

Press contact

philipp.adelsberger@nuclearblast.de

Booking agent

EUROPE (excluding Finland & Scandinavia) 

Contra Promotion GmbH 

Enrico Karolczak 

+49-234-96292-0 

ek@contrapromotion.com

The Joshua Tree vs. Synchronicity

This week on The Loudini Hard Rock and Metal Circus, we take a step back from our usual hard rock/metal theme to pit two giants of rock and roll against each other. The Joshua Tree vs. Synchronicity. Which one do you prefer? And WHY???   Featured Loudini Artists:    Mishti   Stone Giant   Soen

Mishti

Genre

Pop/rock/blues

Band Members

Alex Nolan (vocals, guitar), Greg Schettino (bass), Ganessa James (bass), Matt Graff (drums), Allison Miller (drums)

Hometown

Westchester, New York

About

Rock singer-songwriter negotiating space-time curvature

Biography

Born in Tokyo, Mishti overcame her fear of flying and Asians going on to live in Hong Kong and India and finally settling in the humble hamlet of Chappaqua where she worked at an independent bookstore throughout high school and college serving thousands of satisfied customers while managing to read a total of 3 books and refining the art of the run-on sentence. 

After studying Yiddish and Neuropharmacology (not in the same class), she mastered the ABCD’s of melanoma detection during her day job helping cure cancer while spending nights gigging all throughout Westchester as a rock singer-songwriter/guitarist/drummer with a penchant for Chicago blues, Klezmer and Slash.

Current Location

Westchester, New York

Influences

Michael Jackson, Jeff Buckley, Kate Bush, Lady Gaga, Pearl Jam, Grace Slick, SRV

Press contact

admin@mishti.com

Stone Giant

Genre

Instrumental Doom Metal

Band Members

Trent Emory; Duncan Mandeville; Jacob Kudeviz

Hometown

Boulder, CO

Affiliation

Satan

About

We are Stone Giant. We play music. It's loud. It's metal. It's doom. It's prog. It's weird. We set out to challenge the boundaries of instrumental metal.

Biography

Stone Giant began like many bands, with drugs and alcohol. After long periods of fruitless but fun jamming, Duncan and Trent started playing with Jacob (Badger) and Hashim, and decided they could actually be something. Shortly thereafter, the haphazard amalgam of riffs they had became forty minutes of tight, kickass instrumental metal. They are just beginning their journey.

Gender

Male

Current Location

Boulder, CO

Soen

When Swedish drummer Martin Lopez (ex-OPETH, AMON AMARTH) joined forces with metal bassist extraordinaire Steve DiGiorgio (SADUS, TESTAMENT, DEATH, ICED EARTH), vocalist Joel Ekelöf and guitarist Kim Platbarzdis in a brand new project called SOEN, it was obvious that this collaboration would not be just another name-dropping, substance-deprived “super project”.

Martin Lopez has described the band's music as "melodic, heavy, intricate and different." Even then, Lopez may be selling his band short. SOEN is, in a word, unique.

The foursome paint their musical canvas with broad strokes that on first listen may appear gray and sullen, but the true power of the music lies clandestine, just a little below the monochrome surface. More than just a sum of is rather esteemed parts, SOEN weave an intricate network of melodies and lull the listener submerged in a bliss of melancholy. Yes, at times Soen may resemble the Opeth of old, but it makes more of less, as it features none of the guttural vocals and full-on death metal wall of sound of Lopez' former group. But nothing more is needed when Ekelöf's somber voice, Platbarzdis's transcendent guitar work, Lopez's trademark drum beats and DiGiorgio's exquisite bass lines collaborate to build a pensive tide, just waiting to wash over you.

“Cognitive” sure isn't an instantaneously accessible album but with a bit of listener patience, it can prove to be one of the most rewarding pieces of “thinking man's metal” you will ever come across. In a world full of super-compressed albums waging the loudness war, “Cognitive” breathes with ease thanks to the masterful mixing work of David Bottrill (Tool, Smashing Pumpkins, Muse etc.). Like rain on a windowpane; translucent and free of form, “Cognitive” breathes like a living entity.

The colors are there, lingering within the grays. It's just up to you to find them.

NYC Guitarist Mishti talks about the Death and Rebirth of Rock and Roll

Mishti is a New York-based musician who was born in Tokyo and, as she says, “shaped by parental wanderlust”. Until age 13 she was often mistaken for a boy, “probably due to a propensity for George Harrison haircuts and skinny ties”. She is currently writing music for the unrequited, reminiscing about her life-changing participation at the 2014 and 2015 Michigan Womyn’s Music Festivals, pinching herself for participating in Toshi Reagon’s 2016 Word, Rock & Sword Festival, and gigging regularly and happily in the New York City area. Her first single “The Weight of My Heart” is out for mass consumption.