Blues
Rocker Anthony Gomes to Release 13th Disc
Peace,
Love & Loud Guitars out October 19th
International
Tour Underway
Anthony Gomes has been carving out his own space
as an unapologetically rock-influenced bluesman and songwriter since first
coming to national attention in the 1998. Gomes’ new record, Peace, Love &
Loud Guitars, is the culmination of a life spent honoring blues traditions
while never losing sight of his own identity. He writes memorable new songs
that exist somewhere between Willie Dixon and Billy Gibbons. He stands his
ground as a creative artist, not a derivative history lesson, and is eager to
push the blues back into the mainstream.
Originally
from Toronto, Canada, Gomes relocated to Chicago in the late 90’s. During a brief stint as a sideman for Magic Slim and the
Teardrops, Gomes put together his own group and won the first annual Buddy
Guy’s Legends “Best Unsigned Blues Band” competition in 1998. Later that year,
Gomes released his debut CD, “Blues in Technicolor,” which introduced him as a
guitar-slinger loaded with impressive firepower. On 2002's “Unity”, he
accomplished the album's title with a heavy mix of styles leading Bandit Blues
Radio to name it one of the “Top 30 Essential Blues Albums” of all time. Gomes
was elevated to the top of the blues field just one year later when BluesWax
Magazine named him “Artist of the Year,” a nomination he would claim for
several years in a row due to his endless commitment and touring. “Music Is the
Medicine” (2006) peaked at number four on the Billboard Top Blues Albums chart,
only to be outdone by LIVE (2008) debuting at number one. The accolades
continued, with “Up 2 Zero” (2012), “...Before The Begining” (2013) and
Electric Field Holler (2015) all claiming real estate on Billboard’s Top 10
Album chart and critics ‘best of’ lists.
Gomes
has taken his blues to 17 countries and performed with luminaries like B.B.
King, Buddy Guy, Robert Plant, Heart, Sammy Hagar, Joe Bonamassa, .38 Special,
Jonny Lang, Robert Cray, and Kenny Wayne Shepherd. His high-level guitar, vocal,
and songwriting skills have made him one of the top drawing artists in the
blues/rock world. His 2015 release Electric Field Holler, debuted at Number
Three on the Billboard Blues Chart and he has had five records make the Top Ten
there, including 2008’s Live, which debuted at Number One and his song “Love
Sweet Love” has racked up over 3.5 million plays on Spotify.
Fresh from his victory at the European Blues Awards for “Best
Musician/Live Performance” comes Anthony’s latest Peace, Love & Loud Guitars.
He bares heart and soul on “Come Down,” a modern work song with the startling
plea “Come down from heaven B.B. King, cause this kingdom has no king.” “White
Trash Princess” describes a princess from “Texarkana” who “keeps a loaded gun,
right next to her bible,” for a memorable aural portrait of a femme fatale.
Gomes always crafts memorable content, with the grinding slow drag “Blues in
the First Degree” a prime example. Over industrial strength crunch guitars he
modulates his voice from accusingly corrosive to purringly sweet while a
soaring guitar solo with cascading finger tapping nails the indictment. Gomes
waxes tender on “You Are Amazing”, a classic R&B ballad that should become
a standard. The anthemic blues-rock of the hopeful title track could be a new
motto for the post-Woodstock generation, replacing the “sex, drugs and rock ‘n’
roll” hedonism of yore. Acknowledging the past, Gomes pays tribute to Robert
Johnson while creating his own crossroads legend on “Stealin’ from the Devil.”
Anthony Gomes has nothing left to prove while leaving all his passion on the
table. Nonetheless, he continues striving to not only find the legendary “lost
chord,” but the ultimate combinations of words, notes and performance.
Peace, Love & Loud Guitars out October 19th
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