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SMOKIN' JOE KUBEK & BNOIS KING
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SMOKIN' JOE KUBEK
& BNOIS KING
"ROAD DOG'S LIFE"
Retail: $17.99
Our Price: $12.99
PRE-SALE: $11.04 (15% off)
RELEASE DATE: 09/17/13
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"King's vocals are like aged whiskey, smooth and mellow, with a warm glow that spreads throughout your body when you partake." – Blues Revue Magazine
"…the intricate interplay between their differing guitar styles is truly impressive…" – Living Blues Magazine
"Kubek and King
bring a full course meal to the dinner table. With this dynamic duo from
Dallas you get great songwriting, two distinctive approaches to the
guitar and a singer in Bnois King with a voice and vocal style that
delivers the message like very few in the modern blues world." – Blues Junction
MUSICIANS
Smokin' Joe Kubek: guitar [right], lap steel (10)
Bnois King: vocals, guitar [left]
Kid Andersen: guitar [center] (6)
Randy Chortkoff: harmonica (3, 11), vocals (3)
Kim Wilson: harmonica (3, 5, 9), vocals (3, 9)
Willie J. Campbell: electric bass (all tracks except 8 & 11)
Patrick Recob: electric bass (8, 11)
Jimi Bott: drums
Produced by Randy Chortkoff
Engineered and mixed by David Z.
Since first pairing up back in 1989 for a weekly Monday night gig at a
neighborhood pub in Dallas, Texas, Smokin' Joe Kubek and Bnois King
have become an inseparable musical force. Indeed, the scientific notion
that opposites attract has found no better basis in fact than the
shining examples of King's understated, jazz-inflected guitar, in stark
contrast to Kubek's incendiary, fret-burnin' sorcery. For over
twenty-years this fearsome twosome has been sweeping through towns and
plundering festival and nightclub stages across the globe with the
notorious ferocity of a deadly Texas twister. In as much time this
enduring partnership has also produced thirteen critically-acclaimed
recordings before embarking on their latest chapter with the Los
Angeles-based blues label, Delta Groove Music.
In 2012, Kubek and King signed on with Delta
Groove to record what was to become the pair's fourteenth album. Close
to the Bone marked a bold shift in direction for these two as they
proceeded to forgo the comfort and luxury of electricity and literally
unplug their instruments for the duration of the recording session. The
results were astonishing and a welcome change of pace, allowing
listeners a deeper glimpse into the inner workings of their musical bond
and chemistry. Of course they didn't have to go it totally alone, as
they were assisted with a little help from some new and old friends
including fellow label mates Big Pete, Lynwood Slim, Bob Corritore,
Randy Chortkoff, Shawn Pittman, Kirk Fletcher, Fred Kaplan, Willie J.
Campbell and Jimi Bott, as well as former Red Devils' guitarist, Paul
Size. The album was greeted with reverential praise and even placed #14
on Guitar World's Top 15 Blues and Roots Rock Albums of 2012!
Now, following on the heels of the Texas
duo's daring unplugged release, Smokin' Joe Kubek and Bnois King return
to form with a stripped-down set of tough, electrified roadhouse blues.
Road Dog's Life features an arsenal of mostly new and original material,
emphasizing King's own wry, insightful lyrics, along with Kubek's
searingly incisive, signature guitar, with the exception of only two
covers - the Rolling Stones' Play with Fire and the Beatles' Don't
Bother Me. Special guests this time out includes the Fabulous
Thunderbirds' frontman Kim Wilson, Nightcats' guitarist Kid Andersen,
Delta Groove label head Randy Chortkoff, Kansas City bassist Patrick
Recob, along with the Mannish Boys' rhythm section, consisting of
bassist Willie J. Campbell and drummer Jimi Bott. For Smokin' Joe Kubek
and Bnois King the journey to this point has certainly been a long road
to travel, but in the words of these hardened road dogs, "we wouldn't
have it any other way." |
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SUGARAY RAYFORD
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SUGARAY RAYFORD
"DANGEROUS"
Retail: $17.99
Our Price: $12.99
PRE-SALE: $11.04 (15% off)
RELEASE DATE: 09/17/13
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"Sugaray Rayford is a revelation as he powerfully moans the blues…" – Blues in Britain Magazine
"Not many singers
can take us from the delta to the modern chitlin' circuit as easily as
he does. A big man with a big voice and plenty of personality…" – Jazz & Blues Report
"Whether it's
rompin' Chicago blues, Memphis Stax-powered soul, scorching Texas blues
or New Orleans-tinged jazz, Sugaray fields whatever's his way with
confident versatility." – Colorado Blues Society
MUSICIANS
Sugaray Rayford: vocals
Sugar Ray Norcia: harmonica (1, 3), vocals (4)
Kim Wilson: harmonica (8, 11)
Big Pete: harmonica (13)
Randy Chortkoff: harmonica (6, 10, 12)
Kid Andersen: lead guitar (7, 9, 10), rhythm guitar (12)
Franck Goldwasser: lead guitar (5, 6, 11, 13),
slide guitar (8, 14), National Steel guitar (12), rhythm guitar (2, 9,
10)
Gino Matteo: lead guitar (2)
Monster Mike Welch: lead guitar (4), tremolo guitar (6), rhythm guitar (1, 3, 8)
Anthony Geraci : piano (1, 3, 4, 6, 8, 11)
Fred Kaplan: piano (5, 7, 10), organ (2, 13)
AND MORE!
Produced by Randy Chortkoff and Jeff Scott Fleenor
Engineered and mixed by David Z.
Texas-born Sugaray Rayford may be a new name to blues and music fans
outside of his current Southern California base, but he's got the blues
as deep and wide as his commanding, gospel-drenched voice. Starting out,
as so many great singers do, performing in the church as a child, he
packs a lifetime of hard-won experience and soul into every performance.
As he says, "I grew up in gospel and soul." And with every inch of his
imposing 6 foot 5 frame, he puts his music across in a physical way that
leaves you no choice but to believe every word.
After performing in bands that leaned more
towards modern sounds for a few years, Sugaray found himself drawn more
towards the power of the blues, and led San Diego band Aunt Kizzy'z Boyz
to a second place finish at the International Blues Challenge in
Memphis in 2006. This turned into a big win for Sugaray though, as it
brought him to the attention of Delta Groove Productions head Randy
Chortkoff. A few years later when Delta Groove's Mannish Boys were in
need of a featured front man to add to the rotating cast of talent,
Sugaray was brought in for a few shows. The chemistry was solid and
immediate - his powerful and dynamic performances pushed the band to new
heights, and the bond was sealed. His work as a featured vocalist under
the Mannish Boys umbrella, both live and on their "Double Dynamite"
release, made it abundantly clear that he was not only deserving of his
own Delta Groove release, but that it was inevitable. So the wheels were
put in motion to surround him with the best and most musically
compatible blues talent available.
"Dangerous" represents a cross section of
classic and contemporary, originals and seldom-heard covers, all
representing the truth at the core of Sugaray's blues soul. From the Son
House classic "Preaching Blues" and post-war gems from Junior Parker,
Gatemouth Brown and Pee Wee Crayton, to well-honed originals like
Sugaray's own "Stuck for a Buck", "Need a Little More Time" and "I Might
Do Somethin' Crazy", it's all killer, no filler. Supporting Sugaray is
an all-star cast that includes Franck Goldwasser, Willie J. Campbell,
Randy Chortkoff and Jimi Bott from the Mannish Boys, plus special guests
Kim Wilson, Monster Mike Welch, Big Pete, Kid Andersen, bass man Bill
Stuve, veteran pianists Anthony Geraci and Fred Kaplan, and the only
other Sugar Ray available (outside of the boxing ring, anyway),
powerhouse vocalist and harp master Sugar Ray Norcia. Of special note is
the duet Norcia wrote especially for the occasion, appropriately
enough, "Two Times Sugar". So although Sugaray Rayford may be a new name
to some, he's definitely no overnight sensation, or this season's 'next
big thing' - he's here to stay, right where he belongs. |
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