LOUISIANA RED HOT RECORDS

Posts in the COUNTRY category

The 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

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 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.

They follow the footsteps of such fellow Louisiana musicians as the great Jerry Lee Lewis and his preacher cousin Jimmy Swaggart, mixing zealous religious lyrics with the most raucous, rowdy accompaniment. 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.

Lead singer Kevin Sekhani, a Lafayette native, comes to the band with decades of professional experience in Lafayette and Austin, as the front man for such diverse bands as Radio Thieves, Two Minute Sinatra and Parade. Contributing mightily to the band’s arrangements, keyboardist Garland Theriot grew up near Lafayette listening to everything — rock, country, Cajun music, zydeco, blues, funk — but “it was the gospel I listened to as a kid that led me to play piano.”

Drummer Dave “Papa Puff” Nezat, formerly of Grammy Award winning Chubby Carrier and the Bayou Swamp Band, has shared the stage with legends Bobby Womack, Taj Mahal, Buckwheat Zydeco, L’il Buck Senegal and Tab Benoit. A musical pilgrimage from home state Wyoming brought bassist Matt Thornton to Lafayette via Colorado band, Motorhome. Guitarist Jason Leonard is a veteran of many South Louisiana bands and is an in-demand session player. Holy Ghost Power! also contains invaluable contributions from guitarist/singer/songwriter Mark Meaux, drummer Gregory Walls and bassist Cal Stevenson.

The Mercy Brothers are the latest to joyously explore the passionate roots music border zone of O Brother, Where Art Thou? — straddling that fine line between Saturday night blow-outs and Sunday morning reflection. Hear it on their exuberant 2013 debut CD Holy Ghost Power! on Louisiana Red Hot Records.


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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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THE BLUEBIRDS

THE BLUEBIRDS

BIO

Blues-rockers the Bluebirds consisted primarily of brothers Buddy and Bruce Flett, Louisiana natives who formed the group in their hometown of Shreveport in 1987. The siblings — Buddy on guitar, Bruce on bass, and both on vocals — cut their teeth in A-Train, an outfit popular among Louisiana and Texas club patrons throughout its ten-year existence; immediately after the group’s dissolution, the Fletts reunited as the Bluebirds, originally a Tuesday night jam band which became a far more serious concern with the 1995 release of their debut LP Swamp Stomp. South from Memphis followed a year later.

The Bluebirds is a band that plays: high energy, fun-filled fusion of Louisiana rock ´n roll, good old fashioned blues and rockabilly, sprinkled with a bit of tex – mex and garnished with soul. The Bluebirds genuine musical mix has taken the band all over the world: Australia, USA, Europe and the Nordic countries.

The band is now almost back to the original setting, since the start in 1989. Or as Michelle for the Live Magazine (U.S.A) has written:“The irony of having a band from Sweden play American blues music better than nearly any group I had ever heard before was not lost on me”. Blues association of Queensland, Australia says:“Have you been waiting ´round for another band like The Fabulous Thunderbirds to come along? Well, your wait is over, the Bluebirds have arrived”, and they are ready to rock the house!

www.bluebirds.se

BIO

From Baton Rouge, Louisiana, Jonathon “Boogie” Long was born with the blues coursing through his veins. Brought up in a Southern Baptist community, he first picked up the guitar at the age of six, teaching himself old gospel songs. Years later, a teenage Long found himself playing weekly gigs at blues clubs and events around town. At fourteen, he left school to lay down his roots touring with local legends Henry Turner Jr. & Flavor from 2003 to 2005. Additionally, he has toured with Chris Duarte, Kenny Wayne and Tyree Neal on the Chitlin’ Circuit. Boogie has shared the stage with standout musicians such as Warren Haynes and Govt Mule, Dr. John, Rockin’ Dopsie, Monte Montgomery, Ellis Hall, Kenny Neal, Larry Garner, Henry Gray, Lil Ray Neal, and Lou Marini of the Blues Brothers Band.

In 2011, Boogie Long was crowned Guitar Center’s “King of the Blues” from a field of over 4,000 contestants, in the competition for #1 Unsigned Blues Guitarist in America. Soon after, Boogie was sought out to film 2013’s “Boogie Blues Magic,” an instructional three-DVD set on which he shares his original tricks for learning fundamental blues styles (www.boogiebluesmagic.com). On another recent project, Boogie co-starred in the independent film, “We Be Kings,” a fictional story about an elderly couple that owns a juke joint in the Mississippi Delta.

Boogie currently fronts his own blues/soul trio, The Blues Revolution. His soul-stomping vocals and monster guitar shredding, paired with bluesy songwriting chops make his powerhouse performances a “must see.” In April 2013, Boogie was tapped by B.B. King to support his four week tour. Also, he was given a prime slot at the New Orleans Jazz Fest Blues Stage! Quickly ascending from Baton Rouge to the main stage, Boogie Long is on track with his lifetime goal of championing blues music and its roots. His debut record was released in April of 2013, making his national debut with the follow-up opus “Trying to Get There” on Louisiana Red Hot Records (7/22/2016).

www.jonathonboogielong.com

The Mercy BrothersBIO

Louisiana musicians often blend zealous religious lyrics with the most raucous, rowdy accompaniment. From Ferriday’s rocking Jerry Lee Lewis and his preacher cousin Jimmy Swaggart, to the funky gospel guitarists Elder Utah Smith of New Orleans, and Reverend Charlie Jackson, of Baton Rouge, to name but a few, Louisiana music has long straddled that fine line between Saturday night blow-outs and Sunday morning reflection. The latest band to joyously explore this passionate roots-music border zone is the Lafayette-based Mercy Brothers — as heard on their exuberant debut CD Holy Ghost Power!, on Louisiana Red Hot Records in the US and Rootsy in Europe.

Formed in 2011, the Mercy Brothers blend the spiritual fervor of an old-time tent revival with the rambunctious feel of a rural roadhouse — combining 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 day devout — following.
In 2012 they tore it up at both the Festival International de Louisiane and Festivals Acadiens et Créole in Lafayette, and at New Orleans’ coolest new club, Chickie Wah-Wah, garnering glowing press from the Times of Acadiana and the New Orleans Times-Picayune, and starting a buzz in music circles around the nation.


PRESS

“…Gospel music you can dance to in a nightclub on a Saturday night or be saved by in a revival tent on Sunday morning.” – John Conquest, 3rd Cost Music

“…Never mind whether it is Jesus or the devil who has the upper hand: in the end The Mercy Brothers win.” – Rune Heron, rootsy.nu (Sweden)

“…These make-believe ministers played and sang music that sounded like Jimmy Swaggart on a Sunday morning but was wild as Jerry Lee Lewis celebrating his sixth divorce.” – Herman Fuselier, Offbeat Magazine

“The Mercy Brothers traffic in ‘hillbilly gospel,’ a synthesis of old-time honky tonk swagger and revival tent spirit.” – Keith Spera, Times-Picayune

“The only thing missing at a Mercy Brothers’ gig is the revival tent. Then again, it’s still early.” – Dominick Cross, The Independent

“…It’s obvious this isn’t your average redneck tent revival fare.” – Rick Oliver, Offbeat Magazine

“…Hillbilly gospel – traditional, ironic and post-modern – right on the line between celebration and satire.” – Alex Rawls, myspiltmilk.com

“Somewhere in that nether realm between sodden Saturday nights and sacred Sunday mornings live the Mercy Brothers… Never a dull moment with these boys, can we get an amen?” – Walter Pierce, The Independent

“…One of the most entertaining bands I’ve seen in years.” – Johan Bergdahl, O¨rebro Guiden (Sweden)

Visit the Mercy Brothers’ Facebook page here.

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