The Honey Island Swamp Band Brings A Sledgehammer To Demolition Day - 4/29

The Honey Island Swamp Band Brings A Sledgehammer

To Demolition Day

Out April 29 During Jazz Fest In New Orleans

“They’re irresistible by their name alone…” - Elmore

Think The Band’s Music From Big Pink album and add a splash of hot sauce with “Willin’’ by Little Feat – this group of New Orleans vagabonds nails it.

New Orleans, LA or San Francisco, CA– From the pristine waters of the Honey Island Swamp, to the vibrant streets of New Orleans, to the hazy corner of Haight-Asbury in San Francisco, this band has endured devastation, relocation, and revitalization. A group whose sound has been tagged “Bayou Americana,” the Honey Island Swamp Band takes the hammer to the nail with the help of producer Luther Dickinson, and presents Demolition Day to the world April 29 on Ruf Records.

This album marks the 10-year anniversary of the Honey Island Swamp Band, which formed in San Francisco, CA via New Orleans after Hurricane Katrina displaced the founding members.  With little hope of returning to their beloved city, the band channeled the blues and emotions of their circumstances to develop a soulful style and sound that critics have compared to legendary Blues-Roots-Rock Artists such as The Allman Brothers, Little Feat and The Band.    

Recording at the Parlor Studio in New Orleans, Honey Island Swamp Band teams up with producer/musician Luther Dickinson of the North Mississippi Allstars to capture a rhythm and a feel born straight from the heart of Americana. The album features a host of New Orleans finest musicians, including guest appearances by keyboardist Ivan Neville and Tab Benoit on pedal steel.  

“Their all encompassing sound of blues, roots, country, and soul has been described as “Bayou Americana.” – No Depression

“We’ve always wanted to record to two-inch tape, to get that old analog sound,” says bandleader Aaron Wilkinson, “and this was our first opportunity to make it happen. Luther was the perfect producer to help us nail that old-school, authentic sound. He was great at keeping us focused on the spirit of each performance, not getting bogged down in details and perfectionism. That’s what we were looking for and what we needed.”

After all, polish isn’t necessary when you’re working with songs this strong. Across its eleven cuts, Demolition Day tips a hat to most of the great American genres, while adding the Honey Island Swamp Band’s inimitable thumbprint. There's the spring-heeled slide-blues of “Ain’t No Fun”, the upbeat funk of “Head High Water Blues”, the cat-house piano and country-fried guitars of “How Do You Feel”. But then, on the emotional flipside, there’s also the reflective wah-guitar lilt of “Say It Isn’t True”, the mournful funeral-jazz slow-burn of “No Easy Way” and the heart-in-mouth acoustic confessional of “Katie”.

“We’re diverse and complex people,” explains Chris Mule, the band’s guitarist, “and our audiences are as well. So we try to let our music reflect that.”

Drawing from their diverse backgrounds, the band’s lyrical content is quite colorful. “They really are all over the map,” Aaron explains of the topics explored on Demolition Day. “Some are rooted in reality and personal experience. “Head High Water Blues” is a look back at the Hurricane Katrina experience now that ten years has passed. Much has been rebuilt, but much has not and never will be – and the song is more about the emotional scars that can never be fully erased. Others are just fiction and storytelling. We had the music for “Through Another Day”, and it sounded sort of old and epic and Southern, and that inspired this Civil War-era storyline that became the lyrics. Others are just sort of playful nonsense about life and relationships, like “Watch And Chain.”

Demolition Day is about rebuilding more than tearing down. It's about a renewal of purpose, reflected through powerful lyrics and stories, great slide guitar on top of deep bass and rhythms that continue to move the foundation that the band was built upon. 

New Orleans has a deep well of music, and that well has no rules - the only boundaries are the ones that we place on ourselves.

On Demolition Day, the Honey Island Swamp Band breaks these boundaries to deliver a sound so relevant and honest that even in the darkest of days – like the violent storm that brought this group of musicians together – Demolition Day still shines brightly.

Meet The Honey Island Swamp Band:

Aaron Wilkinson - mandolin, guitar, harmonica, vocals
Chris Mulé - guitar, vocals
Sam Price - bass, vocals
Garland Paul - drums, vocals
Trevor Brooks – keyboards

Moreland & Arbuckle Release PROMISED LAND OR BUST on May 6

BLUES ROCKERS MORELAND & ARBUCKLE SET TO RELEASE

PROMISED LAND OR BUST ON MAY 6, 2016

“Raw, dirty, primal and infectious…sizzling guitar, sturdy vocals and rude harmonica”

–USA Today

“Deeply satisfying...gritty soul and blues with garage overtones and fire-and-brimstone vocals”

–Living Blues

Alligator Records has set a May 6 release date for Promised Land Or Bust, the label debut from Wichita, Kansas' blues rockers Moreland & Arbuckle. Guitarist Aaron Moreland — co-founder of the groundbreaking Kansas-based trio — describes their music as “gritty blues and roots rock from the heartland.” Moreland, harmonicist/vocalist Dustin Arbuckle and drummer Kendall Newby bring fierce electric fury and unrelenting punk rock energy to their original songs, inspired by raw Delta and Mississippi Hill Country blues.

Their songs are expertly executed with musical muscle and fifth-gear urgency. When they perform more traditional blues, they play with the same decisive command. With each of their six previous releases, the band has grown musically and lyrically, creating a signature sound while earning a large and loyal worldwide fan base. Their legendary raw and raucous live shows are played with wild abandon. The New York Post says Moreland & Arbuckle have “a raw juke joint exuberance with a dirt-under-the fingernails garage band attack.”

The group’s evolution continues with their Alligator Records debut Promised Land Or Bust (available on CD and vinyl) produced by Matt Bayles (Mastodon, Botch, The Sword). From the howling cosmic opener Take Me With You (When You Go) to the stomping Mean And Evil to the plaintive Mount Comfort, Promised Land Or Bust is a far-reaching musical showcase. The instantly-memorable, slice-of-life songs paint scenes of double-crossed lovers, women meaner than the devil, and isolated loners beaten down by careless love. According to Moreland, “The new album is consciously traditional but still has the signature drive and power that we have crafted over the past thirteen years.”

Moreland says signing with Alligator is a perfect fit. “One of our biggest influences ever, Hound Dog Taylor, was the very first Alligator artist. One of the reasons we have the non-traditional lineup of no bass player was inspired by listening to Hound Dog’s music as we were coming up.” According to Alligator president Bruce Iglauer, bringing Moreland & Arbuckle to the label known for its Genuine Houserockin’ Music was an easy choice. “I’ve watched this band grow from talented interpreters of raw, traditional blues into creators of fresh, original roots-based songs. Live, the energy just pours out of them.”

Aaron Moreland was born December 16, 1974. He played in a number of garage bands while growing up and was influenced by punk music before having what he calls his “Son House moment.” Hearing the blues legend’s Death Letter Blues for the first time at age 22, he changed course, focusing his playing on nothing but acoustic blues for the next several years. Dustin Arbuckle was born December 25, 1981. He first discovered blues in his mid-teens and received what he refers to as “a calling. Getting into blues made me want to play music,” he says. He played in blues-rock bands, inspired by Little Walter and Sonny Boy Williamson, while learning to sing with deep soul and honest authority.

The two met at an open mic session in their hometown of Wichita, Kansas back in 2001 and they quickly bonded over their mutual love of blues. Less than a year later, they joined forces, their raw and energetic approach to the music melding perfectly. Soon after coming together, Moreland and Arbuckle played both as an acoustic duo and as The King Snakes, a four piece electric band. Keeping a bass player proved difficult, and they soon found they made a better sound without one, as Moreland kept the rhythm thumping on his guitar while Arbuckle took the music into overdrive with his harmonica and vocals. The band quickly became local heroes, filling clubs beyond capacity. It wasn’t long before they started touring larger cities around the country, earning new fans with every performance.

From their 2005 self-release Caney Valley Blues to 2013’s 7 Cities on Telarc, Moreland & Arbuckle have grown from a fiery, crowd-pleasing duo to a genre-smashing three-piece band. Together, Moreland’s simultaneous bass, rhythm and lead guitar work and Arbuckle’s emotionally-charged harmonica and edgy vocals—driven by Newby’s propulsive drumming—create a sound that is forceful enough to grab a listener’s attention and nuanced enough to hold it. American Songwriter says the group’s music is “swampy, sweaty and muggy...mixing a bluesy foundation with bits of country, folk and squawking American rock and roll.” WNYC’s Soundcheck says the band plays “gritty blues with a thoroughly contemporary bite.”

Over the course of their career, Moreland & Arbuckle have played hundreds of shows and have logged hundreds of thousands of road miles (recently replacing their van after driving it over 400,000 miles), performing in the United States, Canada and across Europe. In 2008 they spent 10 days in Iraq, playing for the troops. They’ve shared stages with ZZ Top, George Thorogood, Buddy Guy, Robert Cray and Los Lonely Boys. They’ll return to the road in support of the new album, with dates in the United States, Europe and beyond. No Depression says, “These guys have kegs full of talent. Their songs will keep you driving fast and long.”

Now, with Promised Land Or Bust, Moreland & Arbuckle are ready to bust it all wide open. Arbuckle calls the new album “our best yet,“ and says, “we continue to evolve musically outside of the box we started in, but the bedrock—the blues —is always there.” Moreland adds, “We consciously went back to where we started and it took us to a brand new place.”

Little Bar Welcomes Big (Blues) Talent, Ms. Anni Piper

ANNI PIPER DEBUTS SONGS FROM NEW ALBUM, 'MORE GUITARS THAN FRIENDS' Performs Locally: LITTLE BAR RESTAURANT - Saturday, March 19   (Goodland, FL)  - Award-winning Blues bassist-vocalist Anni Piper debuts songs from her new album, More Guitars Than Friends, with a concert locally at Little Bar Restaurant, 205 Harbor Place, Saturday, March 19. 8:00 pm. Free. Info: (239) 394-5663 or http://www.LittleBarRestaurant.com/.   The ten-song disc, the first released on Piper's own Sugar Daddy Records imprint, is a lively potpourri of sounds. "All the original songs on the album were written since I moved to the US about a year ago", states the Australian expatriate now residing in Cocoa, Florida. More Guitars Than Friends was recorded, mixed, and mastered at Solar Studio (using exclusively solar power) in Orlando, FL.                                    "MORE GUITARS THAN FRIENDS": MEDIA QUOTES     "The appeal of Piper’s music is not hard to find. Her voice has a quality and attitude about it that exudes fun, something that overflows on album spotlight track “Paper Bag.”      AXS.COM "More Guitars Than Friends from Anni Piper may be her best effort to date. Piper shows once again that she has the pipes for the lead vocalist".                                            BMANS BLUES REPORT     "Piper is a good songwriter...sensual vocals are combined with Dave Kury’s rockin guitar. Anni Piper is difficult to categorize but one thing is clear: She's a great entertainer."         MAKING A SCENE  "This collection of tracks features tongue in cheek lyrics, a couple heartfelt blues tracks, and some cool rock-a-billy. “Just A Little Bit” is another lyrical masterpiece that demonstrates how well Piper can take her music seriously without forgetting to add a little fun to music."                                                            100 PER CENT ROCK   Anni Piper  - often referred to as "Australia's First Lady of the Blues" - blends deep, sexy vocals with a high-energy bass playing style (often barefoot), making for a thoroughly enjoyable live experience. Anni first started playing electric guitar at age twelve, but switched to bass two years later.  In 2004 Piper released Jailbait, which earned her "Best New Talent"at the 2005 Australian Blues Music Awards. Subsequent album releases include 2007's Texas Hold 'Em, 2009's Two's Company (which reached #1 on the Australian Roots music chart and #21 on the Living Blues chart), 2010's Chasin' Tail (released by Blues Leaf Records), and 2013's Split Second, a duet effort with Nicole Hart.            annipiper.com facebook.com/AnniPiper.music