Chris Duarte starts 2017 in Florida!

The Chris Duarte Group, Austin, Texas

The Chris Duarte Group heads to South Central Florida to kick off 2017 with a five-show run including the opening night headliner for the Suncoast Blues Festival at the Sarasota Fairgrounds!  Other shows will be hosted by Ray Lewis at the Mudville Music Room in Jacksonville, a return to The Alley in Sanford, a stop at Boston’s on the Beach in Delray Beach, and finishing at The Barrel Room in Fort Myers. The Chris Duarte Group had a banner year in 2016, highlighted by Chris Duarte being inducted into the Canadian Blues Hall of Fame while touring in Windsor, spending two weeks in the Sturgis, South Dakota area up to and during Bike Week and introducing his power-trio style of Blues to new fans at several new stops across our great Nation. Another highlight was a three-show sell-out in Joplin, Missouri – such a success that the Coda Concert House moved to a larger venue to accommodate guests who traveled from all across the country to witness the inaugural Jimi Hendrix Birthday tribute concert and two additional concerts – the final night was a very rare Jazz-Blues Improv show with special guests Jesse Aycock & Paul Benjaman. Red House video courtesy of Brian Douglas Media, Ashland, MA. Chris Duarte finished 2016 in his hometown of Austin, Texas playing at his standing Monday night gigs at The One2One, and a dual headline concert with Beth Lee and the Breakups at The Townsend. Follow along for more tour dates at Chris Duarte’s website, https://duarte.rocks

Shrapnel Records artist: Chris Duarte Group - Lucky 13 - New Release Review

I just received the newest release, Lucky 13, from the Chris Duarte Group and it cooks! Opening with free wheelin' You Know You're Wrong, Duarte, backed by John McKnight on drums and Kevin Vecchione on bass, this tracks rocks. A relentless drive on the bottom and Duarte's fluid guitar riffs make this a grand opener. Think SRV on an experimental, progressive trip. Angry Man is a cool rock n roller with a nice hook. A simple beat and flashy riffs make this a very appealing track. Crazy For Your Love is a strong blues track with a solid Texas lope. You want a heavy dose of Texas blues...here it is! Excellent! Who Loves You is Chris Duarte meets Clarence Brown. With a definite swing and beautiful Gatemouth like guitar riffs, this track is a winner. Here I Come is a lighter pop style blues track with slick guitar riffs and a definite hook. Let It Go is an intense slow blues track with incredibly inspired guitar soloing. This track is over 9 minutes but believe me, it seems like 3. Brilliant! Man Up returns to a more radio sound with a cool Todd Rundgren feel but with firm Duarte signature. Not Chasing It is nice rockin' guitar jam with a certain looseness. A solid base gives Duarte all the room he needs to lay down a cool line and he just lets it rip. Nice! Weak Wheels is a heavy footed blues rocker with a funky bottom. Cool melody, nice vocal harmonies and a wailing guitar riff....This track will stick with you! Ain't Gonna Hurt No More is a Texas style boogie with a real nice drag. Texas style all the way and Duarte lays it down nice and tasty. next up is Meus Via Vita Suite which is 3 separate concepts, the first, Let's Go For A Ride, which is a cool pop track with what sounds like backward guitar riffs. Part 2 is Minefield Of My Mind which has a much more progressive feel. Totally instrumental, lays down a driving rhythm and then just allows a John McLaughlin like guitar solo go. Really interesting! Part 3, Setting Sun, is a ballad which slows way down with a gospel/R&B feel. Clear concise guitar riffs cap this track. Wrapping the release is Jump The Trane, a real cool guitar shuffle track. Excellent finish to a really hot release !  

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The Chris Duarte Group to release the new album "Lucky 13" on Blues Bureau International October 14. 2014

Chris Duarte Group Lucky 13 Blues Bureau International 14 October 2014

Chris Duarte Group emerged on the scene out of Austin, Texas, in the early 90’s and gained notoriety after wowing a packed room of industry insiders at the South X Southwest convention. In the wake of Stevie Ray Vaughan’s passing, Duarte quickly gained a national reputation as a young man imbued with a playing style comparable at times to the late guitarist. After fielding interest from a number of labels, Duarte signed to Silvertone Records and his debut album “Texas Sugar/ Strat Magik” reportedly sold in excess of 100,000 units in the United States, no small feet for a blues/rock guitarist. This coupled with Duarte’s strong commitment to touring, was the impetus for Chris’ winning the “Best New Talent” in Guitar Player’s 1995 Reader’s Poll. He also finished fourth in the magazine’s “Best Blues Guitarist” category that year behind legends Eric Clapton, Buddy Guy, and B.B. King. Throughout the last decade, Duarte honed his chops as a guitarist, songwriter, and singer as he recorded three more critically acclaimed records, “Tailspin Headwhack” in 1997, “Love Is Greater Than Me” in 2000 and “Romp” 2003, the latter two of which were on the Zoe/Rounder label. Not one to rest on his laurels, Duarte has constantly worked on his growth as a musician and the years of recording culminated purposefully in this past decade’s “Blue Velocity”, “Vantage Point”, “396” with Bluestone Company, “Blues In The Afterburner”, “Something Old, Something New, Something Borrowed, All Things Blue”, “Infinite Energy”, “My Soul Alone”, and 2013’s “Chris Duarte Group Live”. All records aptly showcase many sides of this brilliant artist in the context of high energy blues rock with moments that bring to mind legendary artists as diverse as Stevie Ray Vaughan, Robin Trower, Jimi Hendrix, and Eric Johnson. Chris’ recordings have always been rooted firmly in the blues with a rock and roll edge which further established Duarte as one of the rare musical talents of his generation. “Lucky 13” continues in the tradition of contemporary blues rock with bursts of fusion, pop, and heavy psychedelia throughout. This CD contains a heavy dose of Duarte’s legendary blues guitar chops over a diverse set of grooves and lyrical themes. TRACK LISTING   1. You Know You’re Wrong 2. Angry man 3. Crazy For Your Love 4. Who Loves You 5. Here I Come 6. Let It Go 7. Man up 8. No Chasing It 9. Weak Wheels 10. Ain’t Gonna Hurt No More 11. Meus Via Vita Suite:       a. Let’s Go For A Ride       b. Minefield Of My Mind c. Setting Sun 12. Jump The Trane’ Points of  Interest   • The Blues Bureau label has developed a strong following for its superior blues rock recordings. Chris Duarte takes his place among artists in the label’s legacy that includes such blues rock legends as Rick Derringer, Pat Travers, Eric Gales, and Leslie West.   • Chris’ masterful guitar and vocal performances on “Lucky 13” portend a great response from these loyal blues fans, as guitarists of this quality and intensity are few and far between.   • The Chris Duarte Group is a perennial touring act, and have played as many as 300 dates in a single year, and has developed a legion of loyal fans spanning across the United States.   • Guitar Player Magazine has revered Duarte, and its readers have named him one of the greatest guitarists in the industry in a reader’s poll.   • Fans of guitar-oriented music have followed Chris Duarte for nearly two decades and his fans are waiting in anticipation of this phenomenal record.   • As a guitarist, Duarte has been compared to some of the greatest players of all time. This record, while featuring some of his most impressive and extended guitar work to date, also reveals him to be a strong singer/ songwriter in the blues rock genre. Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ChrisDuarteGroup Twitter: https://twitter.com/IamChrisDuarte Official Website: http://www.chrisduartegroupfans.org/ TOUR DATES: 2014 10/9 - THE GREY EAGLE - Asheville, North Carolina 10/10 - THE RUSTY NAIL - Wilmington, North Carolina 10/11 - ANDREWS BREWING CO. - Andrews, North Carolina 10/12 - THE POUR HOUSE MUSIC HALL - Raleigh, North Carolina 10/24 - BRADFORDVILLE BLUES CLUB - Tallahassee, Florida 10/25 - SKIPPER'S SMOKEHOUSE - Tampa, Florida 10/26 - EARL'S HIDEAWAY LOUNGE - Sebastian, Florida 10/28 - OLDE FISH HOUSE - Matlacha, Florida 10/30 - "Bike Night" at TWO BROTHERS BAR & GRILL - Punta Gorda, Florida 10/31 - THE ALLEY - Sanford, Florida 11/1 - THE FUNKY BISCUIT - Boca Raton, Florida 11/11 - THE IRIDIUM - New York City, New York 11/13 - COURT STREET GRILL - Pomeroy, Ohio 11/14 - THE BEACHLAND BALLROOM - Cleveland, Ohio 11/15 - MOONDOG'S - Blawnox, Pennsylvania 11/16 - SPORTSMEN'S TAVERN - Buffalo, New York 11/18 - VIOLET'S VENUE - Barrie, Ontario, Canada 11/19 - CHAN'S - Woonsocket, Rhode Island 11/20 - THE HUNGRY TIGER - Manchester, Connecticut 11/21 - THE ELKS LODGE - Franklin, New Hampshire 11/22 - THE STONE CHURCH MUSIC CLUB - Newmarket, New Hampshire 11/23 - ABILENE BAR & LOUNGE - Rochester, New York 11/25 - HILL COUNTRY LIVE - Washington, D.C. 11/29 - SMITH'S OLDE BAR - Atlanta, Georgia 12/3 - GEORGE'S MAJESTIC LOUNGE - Fayetteville, Arkansas 12/4 - THE VANGUARD - Tulsa, Oklahoma 12/5 - THE BUFFALO ROSE - Golden, Colorado 12/6 - CRYSTOLA ROADHOUSE - Woodland Park, Colorado 12/8 - TAOS MESA BREWING - Taos, New Mexico 12/9 - THE RHYTHM ROOM - Phoenix, Arizona 12/10 - THE SKYLIGHT - Santa Fe, New Mexico 12/12 - KEYS LOUNGE - Fort Worth, Texas 12/13 - DAN'S ELECTRO BAR - Houston, Texas 12/14 - THE ROOST - Austin, Texas 12/15 - EXECUTIVE SURF CLUB - Corpus Christi, Texas 12/16 - SAM'S BURGER JOINT - San Antonio, Texas 12/17 - The Guitar Sanctuary - McKinney TX

Shrapnel Records Artist: Chris Duarte Group - My Soul Alone - New Release Review

I just received, My Soul Alone, the new Chris Duarte Group release and it's interestingly different. I've been Listening to Duarte for quite some time and one thing that is consistent is quality music that is predictably unpredictable. The CD opens with Show Me That You Want It, a loping Texas style blues with smokin hot guitar riffs... what i typically associate with Duarte. Duarte's music has similarities to SRV but you know, SRV had style similarities to others so it is unfair to make a comparison. This sounds like Duarte... nice and hot! Yes, It's You takes has more of a pop flavor on a Texas contemporary country rock track. Definitely radio time. Take Me Now starts a stronger veer toward jazz/rock with a very light touch on guitar and a Latin rhythm. Duarte shows a strong command of his craft and versatility in guitar style sounding more like Steely Dan. A Dollar Down And Feeling Low is a deep electric blues and one which is destined to be one of the big callers on this release. There is a real attraction by blues guitar enthusiasts for tracks like this and Duarte blends his voice nicely on this track with very heartfelt guitar soloing. Step back and let the man scream! Very cool! On I Bucked It Up, another loping Texas style blues track, Duarte picks the listeners up from the bottom and feeds them Joe Walsh like vocals over hot, stinging guitar riffs. Yes...this is what you expect! Outta My Way is a Jimi Hendrix styled rocker with layered guitar work. You like Hendrix style... this is right up your alley. Leave My Soul Alone, is a modern yet primitive style blues track. Steve Evans (bass) and Aaron Haggerty (drums) give Duarte a lot of room on their solid steady rhythm to create a smokey blues rock track with a lot of free flowing guitar riffs. Yes, it is a really cool track! Lazy Afternoon, the second of two slower blues tracks is set over some lush guitar chords. The track is staged such that Duarte plays some uncharacteristic jazzy blues riffs which really differentiate his work from many of his contemporaries. Yes, this is a very strong track. Can't Shut Me Out is a guitar rock extravaganza with hard driving bass and drums. Duarte takes another opportunity to stretch the envelope with speed and distortion. Carelessness is a really cool track featuring Mads Tolling on violin. This is a really strong track sounding like it could have been an excerpt from a Mahavishnu John McLaughlin or Jerry Goodman release. I really like J/R fusion when it's done well...and well it is. Kudos to Haggarty and Evans (and of course to the featured Duarte and Tolling) for the intensity it takes to keep this groove going. Great finish!

  If you support live Blues acts, up and coming Blues talents and want to learn more about Blues news and Fathers of the Blues, -  ”LIKE” ---Bman’s Blues Report--- Facebook Page! I’m looking for great talent and trying to grow the audience for your favorite band!