LOUISIANA RED HOT RECORDS

Posts in the ROCK category

COLIN LAKE: One Thing That’s For Sure

Colin Lake - One Thing Album Cover“Songs as sturdy as his fleet-fingered, blues-based guitar skills”
– Keith Spera, Times Picayune

While scores of talented young musicians have flocked to New Orleans in the years following Hurricane Katrina, among the most outstanding is Pacific Northwest native Colin Lake, whose passion for life and innate feel for roots music makes him perfectly suited to the culture of the Crescent City. Lake quickly established himself as a subtle yet dynamic slide guitar master, performing at New Orleans Jazz and Heritage Festival, Austin City Limits Fest, Hangout Festival, the Key West Songwriters Festival and French Quarter Festival. His soulful vocals and searing touch on the lap steel reveal an affinity for the works of countless blues greats, but his knack for original song craft truly sets him apart.

Lake shines in his Louisiana Red Hot debut, One Thing That’s For Sure. Produced by Eric Heigle (Arcade Fire, Lost Bayou Ramblers, Givers, Dr. John).He is joined by the cream of the young crop of southern musicians; including Luther Dickenson (North Mississippi All Stars), Maggie Koerner (Galactic), jazz vocalist Sasha Masakowski and actress/singer Topsy Chapman (12 Years a Slave). Paired with a band that includes veteran keyboardist Marc Adams (Eric Lindell, Tab Benoit, Marva Wright), bassist Bill Richard, and drummer Erik Golson, Lake delivers an album that moves from sunny summer jams to powerful love songs, haunting instrumentals and dark, scorching rockers. Fans of roots music, blues, soul and jam bands will find much to love here.

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JOHN LISI: Shut the Front Door

D3001“One thing blues ain’t is funny” – Stephen Stills […Obviously Mr. Stills has never sat in with John Lisi…]

Since bursting onto the scene in 1998, John Lisi has been hailed as one of the best guitarist slingers in Louisiana – a major rave for the most musical place in all the world. Indeed, Lisi is a master of the Dobro, mandolin, resonator and Stratocaster, as well as offbeat portrayals of everyday life turned into funky-bluesy-body-shakin’ music that just makes a person feel better.

Lisi not only thrives on the work…he loves what he does with “an unshakable belief in [his] original songs and being able to deliver them live, as well as honestly enjoying creating and performing.”

“Shut the Front Door” is Lisi’s brand of “delta funk” – that Big Easy blend of blues, rock, boogie and deep-fried funk – complete with the all essential ingredients: sassy female background vocals, kickin’ horns, in-the-pocket rhythm section, topped with stunning guitar riffs. If you have a taste for Delta cooking, then this, my friend, is your genuine, finger-lickin’ chicken on the bone!

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THE LAST HOMBRES: Odd Fellows Rest

lost hombres - odd fellows rest“The return of The Last Hombres is one of the most anticipated reunions of the year.” — Steve Matteo, Pulse Magazine

The Last Hombres and American icons, the Band, share more than just great songwriting, expert musicianship, rocking country melodies and a rhythm section reminiscent of Stax. Indeed it was band luminaries Buddy Cage, Rick Danko and Levon Helm that helped nudge The Last Hombres into existence, with Levon joining principal songwriters Paul Schmitz (guitar, vocals), Michael Meehan (bass, vocals), and Russ Seeger (guitars, vocals) for a two year stint and the acclaimed 2003 album Redemption.

Eventually, Levon decided to stay closer to home, leaving the remaining tres Hombres to spin apart. A decade of side gigs, studio work and solo projects followed, until drummer Tom Ryan convinced the Hombres to reform, along with multi instrumentalist Chris James. The result – Odd Fellows Rest – a superb album of literate roots rock, surrealistic alternative country, and dusk colored gypsy outlaw ballads.

The Last Hombres restless ride from Long Island to Laredo via New Orleans is studded with ruggedly defiant, whisky-drinking men and their seductive, tainted women. That journey is best captured in the desperado masterpiece “Unforgiven Man,” surely a candidate for Americana song of the year. Clint Eastwood would be proud. It proves that there are still real musicians riding tall, playing badass music, and writing muscular, deep songs (no pop studio tricks here, mister!). They’re called The Last Hombres.

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MERCY BROTHERS: Holy Ghost Power

mercy brothers“…music you can dance to in a nightclub on a Saturday night or be saved by in a revival tent on Sunday morning.” — Third Coast Music (Austin, TX)

The Mercy Brothers were formed in 2011 by veteran musicians Kevin Sekhani, Mark Meaux and Garland Theriot out of Lafayette, Louisiana, and have been tearing up the South Louisiana club and festival circuit ever since. Blending the spiritual fervor of an old-time tent revival with the rambunctious feel of a rural roadhouse, the Mercy Brothers combine the best elements of celestial and honky-tonk heaven. This unique holy hubbub hybrid, and a reputation for electrifying live shows that inspire impassioned sing-alongs, has won the band a loyal – dare we say – devout following.

Holy Ghost Power! is the band’s debut album, containing 11 original compositions from the Sekhani-Meaux songwriting team. Their Americana sound is a timeless and energetic brew, kicked up with a dose of roots-rock that moves both the spirit and the body. Like those famous Louisiana cousins, Jerry Lee Lewis, Mickey Gilley and Jimmy Swaggart – the Mercy Brothers are a little rock & roll, a little country and a lot of Holy Spirit.

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HONEY ISLAND SWAMP BAND: Cane Sugar

honey island“Somewhere, there exists a dark, smoky bar with a jukebox that spins George Jones, Gram Parsons, Delbert McClinton, and Little Feat. And if that fantasy honky-tonk lights your Marlboro, you need to know about Honey Island Swamp Band.” – Broward-Palm Beach New Times

Isn’t it funny, how life works out?

2005 – guitarists/songwriters Chris Mule and Aaron Wilkinson are left homeless in the wake of Hurricane Katrina, marooned in San Francisco, and mulling an uncertain future with fellow refugees, bassist Sam Price drummer Garland Paul. Honey Island Swamp Band is formed and returns home to New Orleans, quickly gaining local recognition.

2010 – Trevor Brooks on Hammond B-3 is added, rounding out the band. Their great songs – heavily influenced by the roots music of Lowell George & Little Feat, The Band, Gram Parsons, and Dr. John – and their burn-thelevee-down shows, mark the band as an upcoming regional powerhouse.

2013 – Eight years of incessant touring have garnered a sizable fan base across the country. Grammy winner producer, John Porter, comes on board to record their first national release, “Cane Sugar.” It is Honey Island Swamp Band’s own special brew – “Bayou Americana” – a blend of Blues, Southern rock boogie, Appalachian music and New Orleans swamp funk, that is decidedly all their own. Up from the depths, the band is at last poised for a national breakthrough. How sweet it is!

 

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