"Virtue & Vice" By Hornbuckle Wins Mile High Blues Society's 'Best Self-Produced Blues CD'

HOORAY FOR HORNBUCKLE:   "VIRTUE & VICE" WINS 'BEST SELF-PRODUCED CD' AS VOTED BY DENVER'S MILE HIGH BLUES SOCIETY   (DENVER, CO) - "Virtue & Vice," the critically-acclaimed album by Denver-based group Hornbuckle, has won "Best Self-Produced CD" as voted on by the Mile High Blues Society in Denver, CO. "Virtue & Vice" will now qualify for the International competition judged by the Blues Foundation in Memphis, TN. The winner will be announced during the IBC Finals on the night of January 24, 2015 at the Orpheum Theatre in the Historic Beale Street District.   "Virtue & Vice is beautifully recorded and produced," says Mile High Blues Society President, Rick Davis. "The songs are brilliant, sad, and uplifting. Blues ballads telling a story of failure, struggle, and redemption. The performances are first-rate," Davis concludes.    Hornbuckle, known as "Denver's First Family of the Blues," is fronted by guitarist-vocalist Michael Hornbuckle and brother, Brian Hornbuckle (bass-vocals).   WHAT THE MEDIA IS SAYING ABOUT HORNBUCKLE'S  "VIRTUE & VICE" "Hornbuckle's sound is fresh and interesting...these guys have managed to find a way to give the blues a mainstream, pop-driven sound, while at the same time staying true to their bluesy roots. The songs themselves are nothing short of excellent."                                             ROCK OVER AMERICA "Not since ZZ Top and Stevie Ray Vaughan has there been a band that could wind a mean bar room boogie and bring the blues home like the Hornbuckle Brothers. One of the best new independently produced albums of the year."                                                   XOMBIEWOOF MAGAZINE "Spearheaded by Michael's smooth, soulful voice (a la Paul Rodgers in Tonality), the quartet presents a thoroughly sophisticated product right down to the subtle instrumentation that makes "Beautiful Rain," "Angels, Addicts, Poets & Thieves," and "Beautiful Rain"sound so rich."                                    MUSIC CONNECTION "Michael Hornbuckle's voice is a soulful powerhouse that closely matches the pipes of Paul Rodgers (Bad Company) as the band soars over the blues on Virtue & Vice, their most recent release."                                    THE ALTERNATE ROOT                                             www.hornbucklemusic.com                https://www.facebook.com/pages/Hornbuckle

"Denver's First Family of the Blues," Hornbuckle, Returns Home For 'Virtue & Vice' Tour

HORNBUCKLE, "DENVER'S FIRST FAMILY OF THE BLUES"

RETURNS HOME FOR 2-MONTH 'VIRTUE & VICE' TOUR

   (DENVER, CO) - Hornbuckle, "Denver's First Family of the Blues" recently celebrating 20 years together as a band, have come home. The brothers - guitarist/vocalist Michael Hornbuckle and brother, bassist/vocalist Brian Hornbuckle - kick off a two-month 'Virtue & Vice' tour of their home state with a show on Friday, May 23 at Dickens Opera House in Longmont (complete itinerary below). Virtue & Vice is the title of their recently-released album to critic's acclaim.

"Hornbuckle's sound is fresh and interesting...on Virtue & Vice these guys have managed to find a way to give the blues a mainstream, pop-driven sound, while at the same time staying true to their bluesy roots. The songs themselves are nothing short of excellent."       

                                     ROCK OVER AMERICA

"Not since ZZ Top and Stevie Ray Vaughn has there been a band that could wind a mean bar room boogie and bring the blues home like the Hornbuckle Brothers. Michael & Brian Hornbuckle take their inherited skill and bring serious fire to the front house in Virtue & Vice, their latest, and what will probably be recognized as one of the best new independently produced albums of the year."

                                                  XOMBIEWOOF MAGAZINE

  In a recent interview Michael Hornbuckle was asked about the difference between the music scenes in Los Angeles (where he has recently settled) and Denver. "The difference is significant. You would think that the huge population and the incredible talent that is in L.A. would equate to packed clubs that pay well, but that is not necessarily the case. There are gems in L.A. where you can see world-class players performing for tips in a small bar.  L.A. is geared for production and that’s what most the serious cats do there. They play live for fun but the paying work is in a studio somewhere. Denver, on the other hand, is geared for live music. If you can play then you can gig.  We have the occasional breakout act, but mostly it’s about building a following and playing the rounds. The Metro Denver area is very spread out, so each city has its own crowd. It’s because of that that there is a circuit a band can do without burning out the area. Denver is not like, say Kansas City, where you are accessible to the whole MidWest to play clubs. Denver is far from any other major market so people here appreciate what they have and support their musicians."

     In discussing their new album, Brian Hornbuckle says, "On “Virtue and Vice” we try and cover a lot of ground; sixteen songs of memories, love, lust, protest and personal discovery. We really tried to infuse as many influences as possible while still keeping continuity from song to song. We did some reggae in “Complicated”, funk in “Slave to the Benjamins,” a Latin feel on “Moment In Time” and a 70’s rock feel in “Ride Away”. All of it injected with the blues since that is still the main language we speak musically."

HORNBUCKLE 'VIRTUE & VICE' TOUR - LIVE SHOWS & SPECIAL EVENTS

May 23 (Fri.)              DICKENS OPERA HOUSE               Longmont, CO

June 1 (Sun.)        ZIGGIES LIVE MUSIC                      Denver, CO

June 7 (Sat.)         ANGELO'S CD (IN-STORE GIG)      Denver, CO

June 14 (Sat.)           ZIGGIES LIVE MUSIC                                Denver, CO

June 27 (Fri.)        STARGAZERS THEATER                 Colorado Springs, CO

July 5 (Sat.)          THE ORIENTAL THEATER               Denver, CO

July 6 (Sun.)         ZIGGIES LIVE MUSIC                      Denver, CO

July 18 (Fri.)             ZOO BAR                                                        Lincoln, NB

July 19 (Sat.)        ZIGGIES LIVE MUSIC                      Denver, CO

July 23 (Wed.)      HERMAN'S HIDEAWAY                   Denver, CO  

July 26 (Sat.)        CONTINENTAL ROOM/LOUNGE     Denver, CO

                                www.hornbucklemusic.com

               https://www.facebook.com/pages/Hornbuckle

Rock Over America - CD Review

All Access Magazine - Interview

Xombiewoof - CD Review

Virtue and Vice - Hornbuckle - New release Review

I just received the newest release, Virtue & Vice from Hornbuckle and it's an interesting, danceable, pop release with a solid mix and a bit of funk. Opening with Done Fooling Around, a slick sophisticated pop track with a really nice driving guitar vamp by Michael Hornbuckle and vocal harmonies with Briam Hornbucke. Alexander "Ace" Baker handles keys and excellent drumming from Lance Crane. Next up is Complicated, a reggae rhythm and a spoken rhythmic lead vocal. Very well written and again almost perfect guitar placement makes this funky reggae track very memorable. '59 Pontiac Hearse has a jazz/rock rhythm, again very lively and happy. A sprite guitar solo taking a wild turn in this track again is meticulously executed. Slave To The Benjamins has a new wave beat, somewhat like Blondie's Rapture. A nice bass intro from Brian and cool key work from Ace are prime on this track. Blue Note is a bluesy ballad with rich key work supporting strong vocals from Michael. A really sweet piano solo by Ace on this track is the standout. Lip has a country rock beat but with clean pop lyrics more of a mainstream track. Michael shows his knowledge of country style with a flashy country style guitar solo. Kathleen has a pure pop sound with only easy guitar and organ with simple handclap and harmony. Cool gospel pop like track. Ride Away is a straight out pop rocker with a little bit of bite and almost Mickey Thomas sound. Birds of a Feather has a bit of 80's flare with well placed vocals and well rounded instrumentals. One Foot In The Grave has a soft approach with vocal domination over light keys and percussion. With a bit of a ethereal feel the guitar work on this track is merely a cloud. Angels, Addicts, Poets and Thieves has a theatrical feel with an interesting guitar driven romp behind progressive key work and altered guitar riffs. Bad Company like vocals define the track. This track does break open shortly before the end with a very cool guitar solo. Moment In Time has a light "Smooth" Latin feel with acoustic guitars and nicely blended vocals. Santana like guitar riffs cap the track on the climax of the chorus. Remorse is a simple ballad and possibly one of the nicest tracks on the release. Acoustic guitar and vocal...simple as it gets. Knife In Your Hand is a romping rocker again with a Paul Rogers sound but with a little bit of a country rock feel. Brian lays out a pretty strong bass line on this track dictating the beat and Lance is tight and crisp on drums. Beautiful Rain is another poppy track with an almost Justin Timberlake feel. Solid dance track with smooth vocals and firm bottom. Virtue and Vice has that Delaney and Bonnie kind of feel but with a bit more polish. Hornbuckle has an excellent voice and Baker knows exactly how to compliment and when to take over. Michael again steps up with a clean and well articulated guitar solo on this track. If you like your music silky smooth and slick as silk... this may be your ticket. These guys are "tops" at what they do.

 “Like” Bman’s Facebook page. I use Facebook to spread the word about my blog (Now with translation in over 50 languages). I will not hit you with 50 posts a day. I will not relay senseless nonsense. I use it only to draw attention to some of the key posts on my blog each day. In this way I can get out the word on new talent, venues and blues happenings! - click Here