Great Western Recording Company artist: Mike Eldred Trio - Baptist Town - New Release Review

I just received the newest release, Baptist Town, from Mike Eldred Trio and his stuff just keeps getting better. This new release is gritty, bluesy and raw. Opening with rockin' boogie, Hunder Dollar Bill, Eldred is really cranking with excellent harp soloing from John "Big Nick" Samora and backed by John Bazz on bass and Jerry Angel on drums. Excellent! Papa Legba has a really swampy, sweaty sound with excellent backing harmonies from Jarvis Jernigan. Eldred steps up with a really nice stinger of a guitar solo on this track as well. Eldred and Jarvis share lead vocals on the slave blues sounding, Somebody Been Runnin' with terrific backing vocals from the Emmanuel Church Inspirational Choir featuring Vicki Dove and Michael Buccowich. Absolutely excellent! Simple acoustic blues track, Run Devil Run is Eldred and resonator joined by Lauren Brown tap dancing and James Pennebaker on mandolin. Very nice. Ballad, Roadside Shrine, is a quiet break in the center of wild dark creativity. John Mayer adds simple electric guitar and nicely presented lap slide creating a warm ambiance. Bess is an upbeat, Cajun flavored country track. With David Hidalgo on accordion and Jarvis and Tracy on backing vocals, this track has a pure sensitivity. Primitive blues based, Black Annie, starts off very quiet with only vocal and percussion almost like from a transistor radio but burst open full and heavy. Backing vocal by Jervis and spontaneous raw guitar work on this track gives it real life. Excellent! Hoodoo Man has a great rhythm with cool vocals and fat slide guitar work. This track is really hot! Hard driving, Sugar Shake, is a direct rocker with scorching rock guitar riffs, solid guitar rhythm, bass and drums. This track would be the track where everyone gets up and dances so you cant see the band. Very nice! Blues rocker, Kill My Woman, is a blend between Roy Head and Hound Dog Taylor. Raw blues rock, this track has a great feel and snappy guitar riffs. Title track, Baptist Town, has a bluesy Latin rhythm and clean, neck pickup electric lead by Robert Cray. His distinct styling against the light rhythmic backing is magical. Heavy and lumbering, Lennon and McCartney's Can't Buy Me Love gets a raw, bluesy rework. Hard worked lead guitar riffs, heavy guitar and bass runs and killer cymbal work take this track places the Beatles never thought of. Creative and well done, this track will surprise you! Wrapping the release is the gospel fused, You're Always There, featuring Lead vocals by Jarvis Jernigan, Vicki Dove and Michael Buccowich on vocals with Eldred and inspired organ work from Papa John De Francesco. Excellent closer to an excellent release!



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The Mike Eldred Trio Visits "Baptist Town" on Delta Blues Sojourn as Told on the Group's New CD, Releasing May 6 & Recorded at Historic Sun Studio in Memphis

The Mike Eldred Trio Visits Baptist Town on Delta Blues Sojourn as Told on the Group’s New CD, Releasing May 6 & Recorded at Historic Sun Studio in Memphis

Band’s 4^th Album Includes Special Guest Appearances by Grammy Winners John Mayer, Robert Cray and David Hidalgo

LOS ANGELES, CA – Roots music “super-band” The Mike Eldred Trio announces a May 6 release date for their fourth album, Baptist Town, on the Great Western Recording Company label, distributed worldwide by CEN/RED Distribution, a SONY-owned company. “We’re excited to be working with the Mike Eldred Trio on the release of their new album, Baptist Town; it’s an amazing recording and a welcome addition to the CEN/RED roster,” said Adam Pollack of CEN/RED. The Mike Eldred Trio is offering fans a special pre-order date of April 8^th, which includes a bonus instant download of the lead-off track, “Hunder Dollar Bill.”

Recorded at the iconic Sun Studio in Memphis, Baptist Town paints a musical picture steeped in the rich history of the South and the folklore that is so important to American culture. The trio’s members are guitarist/vocalist Mike Eldred, a former member of Stray Cat Lee Rocker’s Big Blue; and the potent rhythm section of bassist John Bazz and drummer Jerry Angel, both from The Blasters. The album was engineered by 2016 Grammy Award-winner Matt Ross-Spang, who recently engineered Jason Isbell’s latest CD, Things That Can’t Be Undone.

Baptist Town is a monumental achievement in roots and blues storytelling, presented as a multi-layered blues journey through Mississippi juke joints, prisons, churches, and Baptist Town, itself. For the recording sessions, the trio invited several friends to lend a hand, and David Hidalgo, Robert Cray, and John Mayer all joined in for the magic. To watch a documentary about the recording session that features Robert Cray, see below:

The catalyst for the album is the small neighborhood outside Greenwood, Mississippi, where legendary blues guitarist Robert Johnson was murdered in 1938.  The track “Somebody Been Runnin’” references the final chapter of Johnson’s “deal with the devil” made at the crossroads, and some say fulfilled in the tiny community of Baptist Town the night he died.

Baptist Town also focuses on the poverty and racism of the past, which still exists to some parts in the Deep South today. Baptist Town remains mostly as it did in Johnson's time and is a stark contrast to the surrounding city of Greenwood, Mississippi. The dichotomy between love and hate, rich and poor, sin and salvation, black and white, are apparent throughout the record, and reflect many of society’s struggles that continue to haunt us all.

“This is our fourth album, and even before I wrote the songs for it, I knew I wanted to record it at Sun Studio,” recalls Mike Eldred about the sessions. “I had taken a trip down to Mississippi with my daughter because she wanted to do a road trip with me through the South, and we found Baptist Town while searching for Robert Johnson’s grave. I was immediately struck with the harsh poverty and the contrast between the city of Greenwood, just across the railroad tracks, and the tiny, mostly unchanged community of Baptist Town.

“It hit me hard, and I have been back to Baptist Town at least four times now, getting to know the people, interviewing them, etc. It was that first trip that turned out to be the catalyst, though, to write about my experiences down there.”

All 13 tracks on Baptist Town literally drip with authenticity and soul, like Spanish moss hanging from a Mississippi hardwood tree. It’s all here: lowdown blues, uplifting gospel, field hollers, ghostly chants and flat-out rockers, plus a blistering cover of The Beatles’ “Can’t Buy Me Love” that is completely turned inside out. “The songs are about traditions, folklore and culture, but also about what we all see in America… poverty, racism, over-indulgence, hate, and love. They poured out. Seeing that part of our heritage changed me forever,” says Eldred about the songwriting process.

“These contrasts are apparent throughout Baptist Town, and the thought came to me to have Robert Cray play the solo on the title cut,” remembers Eldred. “His guitar is so pure, and placed on a very dark canvas like “Baptist Town” really sets the tone of the record.

“I was having dinner with John Mayer the night before I was going to record with Robert, and I told John about the recording, and he says, ‘I want to be on it!’ So, of course we set it up and found a cool track to record with him on lap steel and electric, and me on acoustic (his guitar) and vocal. John graciously offered to have me come to his home in Montana and record it there with Chad Franscoviak engineering that session.

“On ‘Bess,’ we asked David Hidalgo from Los Lobos to come in and play accordion and sing background vocals on it. We brought him into El Rancho Del Soul Studios in Arizona, and filled the room with tequila and Carnitas, making this crazy blues-Tex-Mex-Ranchera tribute to Bessie Smith.”

With a wealth of history and legendary recordings made within its walls, Sun Studio in Memphis seemed like a no-brainer to record the majority of the tracks on Baptist Town.

“The room is overwhelming sometimes, especially when you realize where you are and what you are doing,” offers Eldred. “The last two songs we recorded were acoustic. Very quiet. You could hear the room. It’s ‘The Ghosts of Sun’ as Jerry Angel described it. Beautiful. There was a time during the recording and I was just looking down at the floor, realizing that it’s the original tile floor… and I thought, ‘Man, Howlin’ Wolf stood there…’ Crazy.

“Sun is a magical place, and we were brought into that space by Grammy Award-winning engineer Matt Ross-Spang, who ushered us through an amazing part of our lives. We will never be the same for sure.”

Voted one of the best guitarists in Americana/Roots/Blues music, Mike Eldred formed the trio with John Bazz and Jerry Angel to make the kind of music they always wanted to make. Their first CD (The Mike Eldred Trio) sent shock waves throughout the Americana/roots blues community garnering rave reviews and extensive radio airplay. The band's second CD (61 and 49) was voted one of the Top Ten CD releases of 2011 by The Los Angeles Times. Besides their own headline touring, The Mike Eldred Trio has been opening tours for artists such as Buddy Guy, Jimmie Vaughan, Los Lobos and George Thorogood, among others.

The band enlisted several key components to help tell the story of the concept and recording of Baptist Town so that the listener could actually be as close to the process as possible.

•       Photo documentation by Associated Press photographer Matt York.

•       Video throughout the recording process and historical background shots by Adam Genzink.

•       Shooting at Sun Studio and in and around Memphis and Mississippi.

•       Film and photos of the community of Baptist Town with interviews.

•       15 page blog outlining the concept, writing, preparation, and recording of “Baptist Town” here: Baptist Town Blog

Along with the recordings, The Mike Eldred Trio has been assembling a full-length documentary film to engage the viewer with the creative process, the recording of the album, the history and continuing issues with the South, and to enlist the Secretary Of Interior to recognize the neighborhood of Baptist Town as a National Historic Landmark as the place of death of one of America’s most significant and influential musicians, Robert Johnson. The film will feature interviews by many artists including Billy F. Gibbons, Robert Cray, David Hidalgo and Scotty Moore.

“We envisioned this project and knew it would be interesting to see how it would unfold, but I never realized it would unfold like this,” summarizes Eldred. “We wanted to make a record that reflected the soul of the South, acknowledge the poverty and racism that continues to exist, and celebrate the culture that has helped define American music.”

For more information, visit www.mikeeldredtrio.com.

Robert Cray - 4 Nights of Forty Years Live - Trailer Is Now Live...

                                                                                                                              

ROBERT CRAY BAND AND PROVOGUE / MASCOT LABEL

GROUP ANNOUNCE AUGUST 28 RELEASE DATE FOR

4 NIGHTS OF FORTY YEARS LIVE

DVD and Blu-ray Accompanying 2-CD Set Features 90 Minutes Of Live Concert Footage

Alongside An In-Depth Interview With Cray And His Band, and Testimonials From Legends

Eric Clapton, Buddy Guy, Keith Richards, Jimmie Vaughan and Bonnie Raitt

New York, NY --- Open ears and an open mind are the essence of singer, guitarist and songwriter Robert Cray, whose career spans from the roots of the blues to the pinnacles of rock, from the 80s to this moment. He grew up listening to the gospel of the Five Blind Boys of Mississippi, Bobby Bland's soul, Jimi Hendrix's rock guitar and the Beatles pop sounds. Those influences and the signature sound Cray has imprinted on modern popular music are brought together in the Robert Cray Band's double CD and video package 4 Nights of 40 Years Live.

The set will be available in a variety of formats -  2 LPs with digital download card, 2 CDs + DVD, Blu-Ray + 2 CDs and digitally. 4 Nights of 40 Years Live will be released August 28 on the Netherlands-based Mascot Label Group.

The first CD is fresh, live recordings from four nights recently recorded at four venues in the LA area. With his current band --longtime bassist, collaborator and friend Richard Cousins, keyboardist Dover Weinberg (who was in Cray's first band) and drummer Les Falconer (O'Jays, Keb 'Mo) – Cray fronts a group that is solid, seasoned and vital. The playing is in the moment, and the sound is singular.

The thirteen cuts are selected from the Cray Band's recording library of 20 releases.  Among them are rock radio favorites “Bad Influence” and “Right Next Door (Because of Me),” the soul searing “Love Gone to Waste,” and “These Things,” a bluesy ballad that features one of Cray's string-bending and mind-blowing guitar solos.  The live CD is the fourth Cray Band release produced by Steve Jordan, who plays drums on several cuts. Also guesting are vocalist Kim Wilson and harmonica player Lee Oskar, tenor saxophonist Trevor Lawrence, trumpeter Steve Madaio and saxophonist Tom Scott.

The bonus CD is a revealing glimpse of Cray's early career and the promise of a future that would reward fans for decades.  Selected from the band's set at the 1982 San Francisco Blues Festival and a 1987 appearance on the Dutch TV Show “Countdown,” the music captures the band's youthful presence and its ability to revive the blues without abandoning it. Included are favorites from the Cray's Band 80s set lists;  “Smoking Gun” and “Too Many Cooks.”

The 94 minute video in 4 Nights of 40 Years Live is a Cray Band convergence. Coming together are a mesmerizing blend of clips from the San Francisco Blues Festival, the Dutch TV show and the four concerts featured on the first CD. Between clips Cray comments on the band's history and his personal philosophy of music.  There is also behind the scenes footage of the band collaborating with producer Jordan. And putting the Cray Band in perspective are interviews with Eric Clapton, Keith Richards, Bonnie Raitt, Jimmie Vaughan and Buddy Guy each giving their personal response to the music and the man.

It is extraordinary for musicians to thrive over four decades, and the Robert Cray Band is just that, extraordinary. The group has won five Grammy Awards, put 15 studio albums on the Billboard Charts, sold millions of records and toured the globe, playing clubs, concert halls, festivals and large arenas. Whether opening for John Lee Hooker or Eric Clapton, the band has captured audiences with music that is original, a sound that is distinctively rootsy and a performance style that keeps fans flocking back to see the Robert Cray Band headlining. 4 Nights of 40 Years Live is a testament to the band's past success and proof that the Robert Cray Band is as live as ever.

The track listing of 4 NIGHTS OF FORTY YEARS LIVE features on Disc One: "Shiver," "I'll Always Remember You," "Poor Johnny," "Won't Be Coming Home," "On The Road Down," "Sittin' On Top Of The World," "Wrap It Up," "Love Gone To Waste," "Bad Influence," "These Things," "Right Next Door (Because Of Me)," "The Forecast (Calls For Pain)," and "Time Makes Two."  Disc Two presents "I Guess I Showed Her," "Right Next Door (Because Of Me)," "Smoking Gun," "Still Around," "Too Many Cooks," and "T-Bone Shuffle."  For detail on the DVD track listing visit: http://mascotlabelgroup.com/www.robertcray.com/

Robert Cray begins the North American leg of his global tour on July 30 in Paso Robles, CA at the California Mid-State Fair.  Confirmed appearances include:

7/30     Paso Robles, CA                                 California Mid-State Fair

7/31     Agoura Hills, CA                                The Canyon

8/01     Stateline, NV                                      Harrah's Lake Tahoe

8/02     Mammoth Lakes, CA                         Mammoth Lake Festival of Beers

8/04     Roseburg, OR                                     Music on the Half Shell

8/08     Lebanon, OR                                      Guitar Under The Stars (Cheadle Lake Park)

8/09     Snoqualmie, WA                                 Snoqualmie Casino Ballroom

8/11     Boise, ID                                             Egyptian Theatre

8/13     Breckenridge, CO                               Riverwalk Center

8/15     Boulder, CO                                       Chautauqua Auditorium

8/16     Deadwood, SD                                   Deadwood Mountain Hotel & Casino

8/18     Apple Valley, MN                              Weesner Family Amphitheater @ MN Zoo

9/18     Flint, MI                                              The Whiting

9/19     Glenellyn, IL                                       McAninch Arts Center

9/22     Manhattan, KS                                    McCain Auditorium

9/24     Wichita, KS                                        Orpheum Theater

9/26     Columbia, MO                                    Roots n Blues n BBQ Festival

For More Information:

Steve Karas

SKH Music

skaras@skhmusic.com

www.robertcray.com

http://www.mascotlabelgroup.com/

Art: www.mascot-provogue.com/download

Robert Cray and Provogue / MLG Announce August 28 Release For 4 Nights Of Forty Years Live

ROBERT CRAY AND PROVOGUE / MASCOT LABEL GROUP

ANNOUNCE AUGUST 28 RELEASE DATE FOR

4 NIGHTS OF FORTY YEARS LIVE

DVD and Blu-ray Accompanying 2-CD Set Features 90 Minutes Of Live Concert Footage Alongside

An In-Depth Interview With Cray And His Band, and Testimonials From Legends

Eric Clapton, Buddy Guy, Keith Richards, Jimmie Vaughan and Bonnie Raitt

New York, NY --- Open ears and an open mind are the essence of singer, guitarist and songwriter Robert Cray, whose career spans from the roots of the blues to the pinnacles of rock, from the 80s to this moment. He grew up listening to the gospel of the Five Blind Boys of Mississippi, Bobby Bland's soul, Jimi Hendrix's rock guitar and the Beatles pop sounds. Those influences and the signature sound Cray has imprinted on modern popular music are brought together in the Robert Cray Band's double CD and video package 4 Nights of 40 Years Live.

The set will be available in a variety of formats -  2 LPs with digital download card, 2 CDs + DVD, Blu-Ray + 2 CDs and digitally. 4 Nights of 40 Years Live will be released August 28 on the Netherlands-based Mascot Label Group.

The first CD is fresh, live recordings from four nights recently recorded at four venues in the LA area. With his current band --longtime bassist, collaborator and friend Richard Cousins, keyboardist Dover Weinberg (who was in Cray's first band) and drummer Les Falconer (O'Jays, Keb 'Mo) – Cray fronts a group that is solid, seasoned and vital. The playing is in the moment, and the sound is singular.

The thirteen cuts are selected from the Cray Band's recording library of 20 releases.  Among them are rock radio favorites “Bad Influence” and “Right Next Door (Because of Me),” the soul searing “Love Gone to Waste,” and “These Things,” a bluesy ballad that features one of Cray's string-bending and mind-blowing guitar solos.  The live CD is the fourth Cray Band release produced by Steve Jordan, who plays drums on several cuts. Also guesting are vocalist Kim Wilson and harmonica player Lee Oskar, tenor saxophonist Trevor Lawrence, trumpeter Steve Madaio and saxophonist Tom Scott.

The bonus CD is a revealing glimpse of Cray's early career and the promise of a future that would reward fans for decades.  Selected from the band's set at the 1982 San Francisco Blues Festival and a 1987 appearance on the Dutch TV Show “Countdown,” the music captures the band's youthful presence and its ability to revive the blues without abandoning it. Included are favorites from the Cray's Band 80s set lists;  “Smoking Gun” and “Too Many Cooks.”

The 94 minute video in 4 Nights of 40 Years Live is a Cray Band convergence. Coming together are a mesmerizing blend of clips from the San Francisco Blues Festival, the Dutch TV show and the four concerts featured on the first CD. Between clips Cray comments on the band's history and his personal philosophy of music.  There is also behind the scenes footage of the band collaborating with producer Jordan. And putting the Cray Band in perspective are interviews with Eric Clapton, Keith Richards, Bonnie Raitt, Jimmie Vaughan and Buddy Guy each giving their personal response to the music and the man.

It is extraordinary for musicians to thrive over four decades, and the Robert Cray Band is just that, extraordinary. The group has won five Grammy Awards, put 15 studio albums on the Billboard Charts, sold millions of records and toured the globe, playing clubs, concert halls, festivals and large arenas. Whether opening for John Lee Hooker or Eric Clapton, the band has captured audiences with music that is original, a sound that is distinctively rootsy and a performance style that keeps fans flocking back to see the Robert Cray Band headlining. 4 Nights of 40 Years Live is a testament to the band's past success and proof that the Robert Cray Band is as live as ever.

The track listing of 4 NIGHTS OF FORTY YEARS LIVE features on Disc One: "Shiver," "I'll Always Remember You," "Poor Johnny," "Won't Be Coming Home," "On The Road Down," "Sittin' On Top Of The World," "Wrap It Up," "Love Gone To Waste," "Bad Influence," "These Things," "Right Next Door (Because Of Me)," "The Forecast (Calls For Pain)," and "Time Makes Two."  Disc Two presents "I Guess I Showed Her," "Right Next Door (Because Of Me)," "Smoking Gun," "Still Around," "Too Many Cooks," and "T-Bone Shuffle."  For detail on the DVD track listing visit: http://mascotlabelgroup.com/www.robertcray.com/

Robert Cray begins the North American leg of his global tour on July 30 in Paso Robles, CA at the California Mid-State Fair.  Confirmed appearances include:

7/30     Paso Robles, CA                                 California Mid-State Fair

7/31     Agoura Hills, CA                                The Canyon

8/01     Stateline, NV                                      Harrah's Lake Tahoe

8/02     Mammoth Lakes, CA                         Mammoth Lake Festival of Beers

8/04     Roseburg, OR                                     Music on the Half Shell

8/08     Lebanon, OR                                      Guitar Under The Stars (Cheadle Lake Park)

8/09     Snoqualmie, WA                                 Snoqualmie Casino Ballroom

8/11     Boise, ID                                             Egyptian Theatre

8/13     Breckenridge, CO                               Riverwalk Center

8/15     Boulder, CO                                       Chautauqua Auditorium

8/16     Deadwood, SD                                   Deadwood Mountain Hotel & Casino

8/18     Apple Valley, MN                              Weesner Family Amphitheater @ MN Zoo

9/18     Flint, MI                                              The Whiting

9/19     Glenellyn, IL                                       McAninch Arts Center

9/22     Manhattan, KS                                    McCain Auditorium

9/24     Wichita, KS                                        Orpheum Theater

9/26     Columbia, MO                                    Roots n Blues n BBQ Festival

www.robertcray.com

http://www.mascotlabelgroup.com/

Art: www.mascot-provogue.com/download