The Bob Lanza
Blues Band Talks About Kids, Dogs & Krazy Women on New CD Coming
August 31 from Connor Ray Music
HOUSTON, TX – Connor Ray Music announces an August 31
release date for Kids, Dogs & Krazy Women, the new CD from
New Jersey-based blues guitarist Bob Lanza and his band. Kids,
Dogs & Krazy Women is Bob’s fifth album release. Digital pre-release sales start July 31.
Bob and the band will celebrate the new album’s release with a special CD party and show on Saturday, September
29, at the legendary Stanhope House, 45 Main Street, Stanhope, New Jersey.
Kids,
Dogs & Krazy Women has been a long
time coming. Working with acclaimed producer and performer, Anthony Krizan
(Spin Doctors, Noel Redding, Lenny Kravitz), at his Sonic Boom Recording Studio
in Raritan, New Jersey, Lanza delivers a mix of covers and originals, done only
the way he can do it. The album also includes a tribute to the late, great
harmonica master, James Cotton, penned by Lanza and Krizan.
Lanza has known Krizan for many years, but had never gotten
the opportunity to work with him until now. “It’s a no brainer,” he
says, about working with Krizan. “I’ve known Anthony since 1990. Thru the
years we crossed paths many times, as I watched his career as a performer
and producer soar, and I always thought about what doing a record with him
would sound like.”
As fate would have it, the two would hook up on a
landscaping job. They were doing labor for a mutual friend, who said he would
love to hear Anthony and Bob playing together. With that thought in mind,
they both continued with their respective bands, doing gigs around the
area, crossing paths here and there. Two years later, this past March, the two
guitarists would end up on the same bill, a fundraiser for
the Jersey Shore Jazz and Blues Foundation. A resulting jam at
the end of the show presented the opportunity for them to play together, and it
sounded as if they were playing together for years. “That day I asked
Anthony if he’d be interested in recording us,” Lanza recalls. Krizan didn’t
hesitate and two weeks later, Lanza would bring his rhythm section, Vin
Mott and Dave Lockhart, to Sonic Boom Recording Studio.
"Right from the start, we knew we had some great stuff
going on,” says Lanza. Joining the two guitarists are John Ginty on
Hammond B3 organ and piano, Vin Mott on harmonica and drums and Dave
Lockhart on bass. The session resulted in some real raw blues, with
Krizan adding haunting slide guitar, pushing Lanza's guitar playing and
singing to another level.
“John Ginty is a good friend of Anthony’s and I opened
up for him a few times over the years, so we called him in,” Lanza remembers.
“He is one of the world’s foremost Hammond B3 players, and
his piano playing just cooks on this disc. To have him on this
session was an honor, and it bought the session to another level.”
Ginty had this to say about the sessions: “The best part of the New Jersey music scene is how
small and connected it is. I've been on the same bill as
Bob Lanza for many years, and it was always a thrill to hear him play
live. I've also been making records at Anthony Krizan's Sonic Boom Studio for
years. Now, playing on Bob’s new album has been a thrill, and it sounds
incredible and authentic. Great blues records are made here in New Jersey,
and this is certainly one of them.”
Kids, Dogs & Krazy Women is raw and real, and delivers the blues from the heart,
soul and the gut. “Bobby Lanza is the real deal and a true bluesman,” says
producer Krizan. “He plays guitar with fire and emotion; on top of that, his
voice and songwriting abilities are stellar, as well. We tracked this record
live with no studio tricks to masque the rawness of the session. You can feel
the energy on the tracks and you can feel the band laying it down together in
the room! We used all old-school recording equipment, like ‘60s Neve pre-amps
and Olympic modules and we used all vintage guitars and amplifiers!”
Lanza chimes in: "Yeah, I didn’t
have to bring too much to Anthony’s studio because between his guitars and
amplifiers and my guitars and amplifiers, we have some of the nicest vintage
gear, and we put all of it to use.”
Amplifiers were everywhere: Krizan’s coveted
1964 Super Reverb, as well as two old Gibson amps, are on full display on
this disc. In the guitar department, Lanza’s 1966 Gibson 345 and his 1968
thin line Telecaster, along with Krizan's TV yellow 1960 Les Paul
Special (responsible for the killer slide work on the title cut) and some
choice vintage Telecasters all make their presence known. “Man, Anthony
really hit the note on that one” says Lanza, referring to the slide solo on the
title cut.
Kids, Dogs & Krazy Women will stoke your mojo for old school rhythm and blues.
Lanza and Krizan make a formidable team on this recording, blending
swampy blues and roots music effortlessly, as if they were meant to
be together. “I think this record will stand up to what’s happening right
now, as well as standing with some blues classics,” says Krizan. “Doing this
record was a lot of fun and I hope listeners can tell how much, from the
sound coming out through the speakers.”
The songs on this disc stay in your head for
days after listening, a true testament to the musicians involved and
the vibe that went on inside Sonic Boom Studio during the
sessions. “I’m very excited about this release,” Lanza summarizes. “It
just seems so right to finally record with Anthony and hear the results
that came from sessions that we all had so much fun doing.”
