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I just had the opportunity to review the most recent release, Stone Cold , from Russ Green , and it's a driving blues rocker. Opening with Lint Redux , you are immediately in the middle of a swampy blues with modern effects. With a firm foot stomp by Felix Pollard on drums and Vic Jackson on bass Russ Green on harmonica and vocals really has the earthy feel. Giles Corey on slide gives the track great grease and Green's harp work is strong. Excellent opener. 12 Feet of Water opens with a terrific harmonica aria before grinding into a super drum driven romp. With the feel that I can only describe as Hill Country , Green delivers such soulful vocals, comforted by Joe Monroe on keys, this track just grabs you. Green's harmonica is like a shuddering wind blowing through you with the thumping bass of Vic Jackson and Vince Agwada on guitar. Excellent! Easy going shuffle, Nobody Knows has a smooth, supple melody with backing acoustic guitar, minimal drum work and melodic ha...
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Santa Ana based Blues/Americana outfit Dry River release 2nd album
Prayin' for the Rain is the second
studio album from Dry River, recorded and produced by singer/songwriter
guitarist Oliver Althoen at his home studio in  Orange,
California and mastered by Rob Elfaizy at Stage One Studios in Lake Forest.
For the second album, Dry River wanted to crank it up a notch and stretch out
a bit; so they expanded their ranks with a rhythm section, recruiting bassist
Joel Helin and drummer Ruben Ordiano. Half the songs on the new album
are electric and the other half acoustic; all are originals written by
Althoen with the exception of "Makin' Biscuits' which was cooked up by
harmonica player Dave Forrest.
Dry River is a Blues-Rock/Americana band hailing from the banks
of the Santa Ana River in Southern California. It was originally formed
as an acoustic duo when Althoen and Forrest got together to share a love of
early Blues. They started out playing tunes by vintage Blues giants like
Mississippi Fred McDowell, Little Walter, Slim Harpo, Skip James, and Robert
Johnson, as well as modern acts like Gary Primich, Tom Waits, Randy Newman,
and ZZ Top. Dry River's tag line is "Songs of Death, Desperation,
and Redemption," in the Folk/Blues/Americana tradition. Dry
River's members are basically happy people... but they like to play sad
songs.
Their first public performance together was on the street in
downtown Orange, California. They earned enough money in tips to buy a
few beers at a local gastropub, which they took as a good omen. That
was the night they decided on Dry River as their band name. The name
"Dry River" refers to the Santa Ana River (which would be dry most
of the time if it weren't for reclaimed wastewater) is the geographic link
between Orange County (where Oliver and his family lives) and the Inland
Empire (where Dave and his wife live).
Their first album Lost
in the World featured all original material by Althoen.
The two of them recorded the album live into a single microphone; it's about
as honest as music gets.
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