Fat Possum celebrates 25 years with blues LP/digital reissues

FAT POSSUM RECORDS CELEBRATES 25 YEARS WITH WIDE-RANGING YEARLONG BLUES LP AND DIGITAL SERIES Mississippi label’s classic blues debut on vinyl in 2016  OXFORD, Miss. — Fat Possum Records, the Oxford, Mississippi-based label that set a new standard for raw blues and rock ’n’ roll, will commemorate its 25th anniversary with a year-long program including the first-time-on-vinyl release of 30 groundbreaking blues recordings. The series, highlighting Fat Possum’s storied and varied history, includes new and first-time-on-vinyl releases from hard-hitting North Mississippi “Hill Country Blues” performers; stellar sides from past masters of the Delta style cut in the 1960s, ’70s, and ’80s, recorded by famed musical historian George Mitchell; classic compilations of juke joint blues-rockers; and a first-time-on-vinyl reissue of the acclaimed 2005 All-Star tribute to arguably Fat Possum’s second most famous bluesman, Junior Kimbrough, involving Spiritualized, Black Keys, The Stooges, and Pete Yorn. Fat Possum was started in 1991 by Matthew Johnson using $4,000 in student loans. The label soon gained recognition with albums by North Mississippi bluesmen Junior Kimbrough and R.L. Burnside, produced by musician and former New York Times music critic Robert Palmer. Starting with Kimbrough’s All Night Long, and followed by Burnside’s Bad Luck City, Fat Possum found itself landing a perfect one-two punch to the blues-rock establishment, finding just the right mix of commercial and critical success and — utter ire among the so-called blues purists. Releases that followed were an ear-opening experience for blues listeners. Eschewing rocked-up “contemporary blues” and directionless archival reissues, Fat Possum brought to the foreground a generation of hard-hitting blues musicians who had been hiding in plain sight for decades. With never a nod to the past, no evidence of nostalgia, the music wasn’t presented with a whiff of the folkloric — these were upside-your-head records that were made to blow the back off your shack. Fat Possum’s original stars and some of its greatest discoveries will be available as part of its 25th-anniversary series. Kimbrough will be represented by a vinyl reissue of Meet Me in the City, released a year after the trance-blues master’s 1998 death.  T-Model Ford will be heard on a pair of ferocious sets cut in tandem with longtime drummer Spam: T-Model’s label debut Pee Wee Get My Gun (1997) followed by Bad Man (2002), the latter of which was produced by the venerated musician-producer Jim Dickinson. The most down-home side of the Fat Possum roster will be represented in a cache of albums by some of the label’s most gifted solo performers: Robert Belfour (2000), Robert Cage (1998), Johnny Farmer (1998), and Asie Payton (2002). R.L. Burnside, perhaps the label’s best known and most revered artist, will be heard on a compilation of material recorded before his arrival at Fat Possum. R.L. Burnside’s Unplugged, packages never-before-heard sides recorded in Europe in 1982. Music by these and other Fat Possum blues artists — plus offerings from house-rocking modern acts as Grandpa Boy (a.k.a. Paul Westerberg of the Replacements), Bob Log III, 20 Miles (featuring Judah Bauer of the Jon Spencer Blues Explosion), Heartless Bastards — will be released on vinyl and digital editions of the label’s three Not the Same Old Blues Crap anthologies (from 1997, 2001, and 2004) and the compilation All Men Are Liars (1998). Fat Possum-affiliated label Big Legal Mess will offer a selection of ten LPs and full-length downloads drawn from George Mitchell’s genre defining fieldwork, recorded between 1963 and 1982. Some of the material has been unavailable in its entirety since its original 12-inch release. Artists include such masters as Furry Lewis, Buddy Moss and Houston Stackhouse. Additionally, John Lee Hooker’s Alone, a 1976 solo live set by the Detroit blues titan captured at New York’s Hunter College, will make its appearance on two individual LPs. Also premiering on vinyl will be Sunday Nights, the 2005 Kimbrough salute starring the Black Keys (whose own Fat Possum albums put them on the map), Iggy & the Stooges, Spiritualized, Cat Power, Mark Lanegan, and a host of other top rock ’n’ roll talents. Since its outset two-and-a-half decades ago, Fat Possum’s operating motto has been “We’re Trying Our Best.” This celebratory cavalcade will prove definitively that its pretty damn good.   Complete Fat Possum Anniversary Release Schedule Released in 2015: Oct. 2 - Not the Same Old Blues Crap 1 LP Oct. 30 - J.W. Warren – Life Ain’t Worth Livin LP / Digital Oct. 30 - Jimmy Lee Williams – Hoot Your Belly LP / Digital Nov. 27 - Buddy Moss – self titled LP / Digital Nov. 27 - Not the Same Old Blues Crap 2 LP To be released in 2016: January 8 - Leon Pinson – Hush – Somebody Is Calling Me LP / Digital February 19 - Not the Same Old Blues Crap 3 (Blues Crap 1 & 2 in the UK Also) April 8 - Furry Lewis – Good Morning Judge LP / Digital April 8 - Houston Stackhouse & Friends LP / Digital  April 16 - Sunday Nights: The Songs of Junior Kimbrough Record Store Day LP April 16 - Junior Kimbrough – I Gotta Try You Girl Daft Punk Edit Record Store Day LP May 06 - R.L. Burnside - Mississippi Hill Country Blues LP May 20 - John Lee Hooker - Alone Volume 1 LP May 20 - John Lee Hooker - Alone Volume 2 LP  May 27 - T-Model Ford - Pee Wee Get My Gun LP May 27 - T-Model Ford - Bad Man LP June 10 - Jim Bunkley & George Henry Bussey LP / Digital June 10 - Junior Kimbrough - Meet Me in the City LP June 24 – R.L. Burnside (unreleased recordings) July 15 - Asie Payton - Just Do Me Right LP July 15 - Robert Belfour - What's Wrong With You LP July 22 - All Men Are Liars Compilation CD / LP / Digital Aug. 17 - Jimmy Lee Harris – I Wanna Ramble LP / Digital Aug. 17 - Robert Cage - Can See What You're Doing LP Sept. 9 - Johnny Farmer - Wrong Doers Respect Me LP Oct. 7- Dewey Corley & Walter Miller LP / Digital Oct. 7 - Paul “Wine” Jones - Mule LP

JANE LEE HOOKER TAKES NO B! CD OUT APRIL 15

JANE LEE HOOKER TAKES NO B!

CD Out On April 15

These ladies mash up the grit and attitude of NYC

And hold nothing back

"Blistering. Sweaty. Raw…” -  Tom Tom Magazine

On April 15^th Ruf Records group, Jane Lee Hooker will release No B! a record filled with blues and rock covers as well as originals that stick like glue with grinding guitars backed by a pounding drum beat. Produced and recorded by Matt Chiaravalle at Mission Sound, Brooklyn, NY and Mercy Sound, NYC, it’s bound to shove new life into their fans.

"These women do more than just pay tribute… they mix in elements of punk and classic rock to give them such a distinct, hard-edged sound."   - Guitar Girl Magazine

Tearing out of their native New York these five rockers fuse the sticky thrills of golden-era punk and blues with a healthy slug of modern attitude. “Not a lot of bands can capture the excitement, sweat, and charisma of the ’70s bands we grew up listening to,” they say. “But we can, and we do.”

Who are these chicks?

Dana “Danger” Athens: Vocals
“Hightop”: Guitar
Tina “T-Bone” Gorin: Guitar
“Hail Mary” Z: Bass
Melissa “Cool Whip” Houston: Drums

Between the five members, they have decades of experience playing, recording, and touring both nationally and internationally. Individually, the members have performed for thousands of fans while sharing bills with the likes of Motörhead, MC5, Lynyrd Skynyrd, and Deep Purple.
 

Guitarists Hightop and T-Bone honed their love of blazing dual leads in Helldorado in the ’90s. From there, Hightop joined Nashville Pussy, T-Bone joined Bad Wizard, and both toured endlessly around the world. But when their time with those bands ended, they realized they missed the rush of trading guitar solos with one another, leaving audiences howling with joy. They quickly recruited Hail Mary, who played bass with Hightop in the punk band the Wives. Cool Whip sat behind the drum kit and got the nod before she even finished slamming out the first song of her audition.

And no other singer in NYC can bring a crowd to its knees harder or faster than Dana "Danger" Athens.

 “Black-clad New York blues revivalists Jane Lee Hooker ripped the balls out of Muddy Waters’ Mannish Boy." - Evelyn McDonnell, Populism (live review)

When it came to tracking No B! last year in Brooklyn, the five-piece were equally clear in their mission statement. “We told our producer, Matt Chiaravalle, that we wanted it to sound exactly like the album “Hard Again” that Muddy Waters and Johnny Winter did in 1977,” recalls High Top (who coincidentally chose her nickname after Mud’s shout-outs to Pinetop Perkins on that record). “It’s the album that both Tina and myself played along to when we were kids, to learn how to solo. I still think it’s one of the greatest albums ever recorded and some of the finest from Muddy and Johnny.”

Ten of these tracks find the band digging back into the blues songbook, exhuming a fistful of standards including Muddy Waters’ “Champagne And Reefer,” Willie Dixon’s “Shake For Me” and Albert King’s “The Hunter.” In each case, Jane Lee Hooker claims ownership, pouring on the rocket fuel until even the dustiest standard becomes a stinging punk-blues thrill-ride, driven by jackhammer rhythms, twin lead guitars, and Dana’s scorched-earth vocals.

"…captures the nostalgic feeling of classic blues-rock, a ballsy punch in the face…This all-female ensemble of virtuosos knows when to step out of the pocket to balance the explosive driving force of Dana Danger Athens’ vocals." - Tom Tom Magazine

“We basically play songs we like, and they end up turning into something that has our own take on it,” says the band of their respectful-yet-rebellious approach. “Like Mean Town Blues”: it’s such an amazing song, and our version pays tribute to that. We feel the spirit of Johnny Winter is with us on the ride.”

No B! is a testament to the band’s own songwriting skills that original tune “In The Valley” stands shoulder-to-shoulder with the celebrated moments on the track listing. “We’ve been having a blast taking the spirit of these amazing classics we’ve been playing and developing a style to write our own original songs,” says the band. “There are thousands of masterpieces out there that so many people don’t even know about. And at the same time, there are enough shitty songs in the world – we’re not interested in adding to them.”

In the era of cut-and-paste, computer-driven recordings,  No B!’s production was as minimalist, and the results explode out of the speakers. “We played live,” continues High Top, “and we used no effects. We all played in the same room at the same time. Most songs were done on a first take. I don’t think we played anything more than twice!”

They drive the van at 100mph with their music. You can’t call them girls; you call them chicks. They are by no means new to the game. This five-headed punk-blues juggernaut is coming for your hearts and eardrums. 

Are they bleeding yet?

TOUR DATES:

02/27 - Tupper Lake, NY - Rock n Blues Review

03/03 - Kennett Square, PA - Kennett Flash

03/11 - Jim Thorpe, PA - Mauch Chunk Opera House

03/12 - Rehoboth, DE - Dogfish Head Brewery

03/24 - Harrisburg, PA - HMAC

03/25 - Cleveland, OH - Happy Dogs at Euclid Tavern

03/26 - Blawnox (Pittsburgh), PA - Moondog's

03/30 - New York, NY - Webster Hall (A Celebration of Adam Roth)

04/20 - Rochester, NY - Dinosaur BBQ

04/21 - Syracuse, NY - Dinosaur BBQ

04/23 - Albany, NY - Move Music Festival

04/30 - Orlando, FL - Moonstone Music Festival w/ Kiss, Def Leppard, Vintage Trouble

05/06 - Stillwater, OK - Willie's Saloon

05/08 - Tulsa, OK - Guthrie Green Concert Series

05/13 - Marlboro, NY - The Falcon

06/02-05 - Hunter, NY - Mountain Jam w/ Beck, Gov't Mule, Wilco, Chris Robinson's Brotherhood

08/21 - Long Branch, NJ - West End Park Summer Concert Series

09/08-09 - Las Vegas, NV - Big Blues Bender Festival w/ Beth Hart, Delbert McClinton, Tab Benoit

09/27-28 - Sayville, NY - 25th Annual Seafood Festival

Austin-Based Dave Insley Is "Just the Way That I Am" on New CD Coming April 29 from DIR Records, with Special Guests Kelly Willis, Dale Watson, Elizabeth McQueen, Redd Volkaert and Rick Shea

Austin-Based Dave Insley Is Just the Way That I Am on New CD Coming April 29 from DIR Records

Latest Country Disc Features Special Guests Kelly Willis, Dale Watson, Elizabeth McQueen, Redd Volkaert and Rick Shea

CD Release Party Set for April 23^rd at The White Horse

AUSTIN, TX – Dave Insley announces an April 29 release date for Just the Way That I Am, the latest album from the Austin-based singer/songwriter issued on his own DIR Records imprint. Backing him on the new CD are the members of his regular band, Dave Insley’s Careless Smokers, along with several special guests including singers Kelly Willis, Elizabeth McQueen and Dale Watson, as well as guitarists Redd Volkaert and Rick Shea.     

Dave Insley will celebrate the new disc with a CD release party at The White Horse in Austin on Saturday, April 23rd (500 N. Comal, Austin, Texas 78702 - doors open at 3 pm). The evening lineup includes: 7:00 pm - dance lessons with Two Left Foots; 8:00-9:30 pm - Jeff Hughes and Chaparral; 10:00 - 11:30 pm - Dave Insley's Careless Smokers; Midnight - 1:30 am – Heybale. Several special guests are expected.

Dave Insley's residency every Saturday at The White Horse from 8:00 - 9:30 pm resumes on April 29^th. Dave Insley's Careless Smokers are: Dave Insley (lead vocals, guitar); Danny B. Harvey (electric guitar); Charlie Irwin (bass); Bobby Snell (pedal steel); and Daniel Jones (drums).

“We've been playing that time slot at The White Horse since June of 2013, and expect to continue to do so until the walls crumble,” Insley says. “My almost 3-year-long residency at the White Horse has developed a sizable following and the crowds keep getting bigger and bigger. We are so loved and nourished by it. It is literally the best gig I've ever had, and we have risen to the occasion.”

Dave Insley’s Careless Smokers will also be performing several times during the upcoming SXSW Music Conference in Austin:

3/18 - Atomic Honkytonk Showcase - Key Bar (9:00-10:00 pm)

3/19 - CD Preview Party - The White Horse (9:00-10:00 pm)

3/19 - Third Coast Music Presents NotSXSW - G&S Lounge (11:00 pm)

On Just the Way that I Am, Dave Insley showcases honest, no-frills, hardcore honky-tonk music at its best. This is old-style country crooning, delivered in a vocal style that recalls the great Ernest Tubb. Dave’s new disc showcases his quirky, heartfelt narratives and smoky baritone, and features the musical muscle of some of Austin’s finest players. From the opening lines of “Drinkin’ Wine and Staring at the Phone” through the closer, “Everything Must Go,” it ain’t nothin’ but a hardwood floor party, with Rick Shea, Redd Volkaert and Danny B. Harvey on guitar; Matt Hubbard on piano, harmonica and trombone; and special guest vocalists Kelly Willis, Elizabeth McQueen (Asleep at the Wheel) and Dale Watson.

Just the Way That I Am is Insley’s fourth solo release and his first since West Texas Wine in 2008. His artistic maturity and the clarity of his ideas shine through, carried by the easy cadence and quality performance for which Insley is known. Highlights include the honky-tonk weeper “Win-Win Situation, for Losers,” co-written with Rick Shea and Paul Lacques (I See Hawks in L.A.) and performed as a duet with Kelly Willis; “Arizona Territory 1904,” a re-telling of a Marty Robbins classic; and “We’re All Here Together Because of You,” a tender, upbeat homage to his wife and family. Insley’s modern voice and old-fashioned approach have earned him a singular position in the broad field of Americana music. This is thinking man’s country—intelligent, thought provoking story-songs that grow more satisfying with each listen.  

For more information, visit www.daveinsley.com.

Jake Chisholm - No More Sorrow - New Release Review

I just received the newest release, No More Sorrow, from Jake Chisholm and it's super! I reviewed Chisholm's earlier release, Diamond In A Coalmine and this is a great followup showing a nice maturation. Opening with the title track, No More Sorrow, Chisholm, backed by Sly Juhas on drums and Chris Banks on bass show just how funky and stripped down blues can be. With a super driving bass line and tight drums, Chisholm riffs off on his guitar with fluid runs and double stops showing that Dan Auerbach isn't the only north easterner who knows how to make a great 3 piece band so good it stops you in your tracks. Excellent opener! I'm On Fire, is a blues based rock and roller in the vein of Jerry Lee Lewis. With rockabilly style guitar soloing and loose echo fused vocals, Chisholm exhibits a modern twist on early rock. Very cool! Weigh You Down is a real cool progressive blues rocker with threads of Robin Trower, the Black Keys and Govt Mule but with fresh air. Paul Reddick adds a cool harmonica track on this one giving it more texture. Is There Another Man has a real cool primitive approach on blues rock with tidy guitar riffs played over rock solid bottom. Merry-Go-Round has a catchy melody but loose instrumentation giving it a good opportunity for cross air lay. I like the bass lead (Jameson Elliot)/ guitar answer interplay on this track. R&B based, Just Because You Want To, is a very strong track with an almost Gregg Allman writing style. It's warm instrumentation, solid vocals and a Hendrix run, make it a commercially strong track as well. Swamp Stomp finds Chisholm on guitar and mandolin with an almost acoustic Led Zeppelin sound. I'm Still Alone has a slinky, funky feel with chord driven riffs and a solid bass bottom. This track is a bit more adventurous with a strong guitar led, solo interlude. I Want You The Way You Are is back to the stripped down blues rock style and shows just how good this band is at minimization on a basic theme. This is a real cool track with well phrased vocals and rudimentary guitar work just hammering away. Chisholm breaks out a nicely distorted solo on this track complimenting the overall style and reinforcing its solidity. Very cool! Wrapping the release is You Never Will, a nicely executed blues track with raw edges and strong bones. This is a really super closer and one that leaves you wanting more. Nicely done!

  

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