News

Alligator Records has set a July 8 street date for You Asked For It...Live!, the first live album from blues masters Rick Estrin & The Nightcats. Harmonica giant, songwriter, vocalist and Blues Music Award winner Rick Estrin, along with The Nightcats— jaw-dropping guitarist Chris “Kid” Andersen, singing drummer J. Hansen and dynamic multi-instrumentalist Lorenzo Farrell (electric and acoustic bass, organ and Moog synthesizer)—serve up innovative, rollicking contemporary blues. The songs are all injected with a solid dose of gritty roadhouse rock ‘n’ roll and Estrin’s trademark philosophical wiseguy humor.

Since the release of their celebrated Alligator Records albums Twisted in 2009 and One Wrong Turn in 2012, the band has toured non-stop, sharpening their musical skills to a razor’s edge. The band is known as one of the most dynamic and exciting live acts in the blues today. Their sound, while steeped in the blues tradition, continues to push the genre into new territory.

You Asked For It...Live! was recorded on October 5, 2013, (Estrin's birthday) at San Francisco’s Biscuits & Blues. According to Estrin, “Cutting loose and stretching out in an intimate, nightclub-type setting is the natural environment for the Nightcats to kick maximum ass. The fact that it was my birthday, in the town where I was born and raised, only added more fuel to the fire.”

You Asked For It...Live! has the immediacy, feel and fun of a true Rick Estrin & The Nightcats performance. “No matter how much fun we have and how relaxed we can be in the studio, there’s still nothing like being in front of, and interacting with, our live audience,” Estrin says. The album features some of Rick Estrin’s best-loved and most-requested songs, dating back to his days as lead singer, songwriter and harmonica player of Little Charlie & The Nightcats (featuring Little Charlie Baty on guitar). The album is an up-to-the-minute and totally accessible slice of original, wry and witty blues with a simmering, funky rock edge fueled by Andersen’s blazing genre-hopping guitar and Farrell’s and Hansen’s dazzling keyboard and rhythm work. One listen makes it clear that this is a group comprised of four world-class musicians, who together form one of the tightest and most original bands in any genre.

Rick Estrin, who holds the 2013 Blues Music Award for Best Instrumentalist–Harmonica, is, according to the San Francisco Chronicle, “an amazing harmonica player, a soulful lead vocalist and a brilliant songwriter.” He ranks among the very best harp players, singers and songwriters in the blues world. His work on the reeds is deep in the tradition of harmonica masters Sonny Boy Williamson II and Little Walter Jacobs, while at the same time pushing that tradition forward with his unforgettable original songs. And his hipster, street-smart vocals are the perfect vehicle for driving those songs home. Blues Revue says, “Estrin has created some of the finest blues songs of any artist on the planet. His carefully wrought lyrics penetrate human weakness with the precision of a boxer, though more often than not, he chooses to leave you laughing after the blow’s been struck.”

Born in San Francisco, California in 1949, Estrin grew up following his own path. He discovered an entirely new world when, as a 10-year-old boy, he made his way to the tough Market Street area and befriended many of the neighborhood characters. He had another revelation when his older sister gave him a copy of Ray Charles’ The Genius Sings The Blues when he was 12. Albums from Jimmy Reed, Champion Jack Dupree, Mose Allison, Nina Simone and others soon followed. By the time he was a teenager, Estrin had completely identified with the urban, African-American culture surrounding him. He got his first harmonica at age 15, and by age 18 was proficient enough to begin sitting in at black clubs around the city. Estrin moved to Chicago when he was 19 and worked with South Side bluesmen Johnny Young, Eddie Taylor, Sam Lay and Johnny Littlejohn before meeting and jamming with Muddy Waters, who told Rick, “You outta sight, boy! You got that sound, boy! You play like a man, boy!” Muddy wanted Estrin to go on the road with him, but due to nothing more than a missed phone call, it never happened. Rick eventually moved back to the Bay Area, met Charlie Baty and formed Little Charlie & The Nightcats.

For more than 30 years and nine albums, Rick fronted the band, featuring Baty’s one-of-a-kind guitar acrobatics. The band won international acclaim and toured the world repeatedly. They were nominated four times for the prestigious Blues Music Award for Band Of The Year. With Charlie’s retirement from touring in 2008, Rick rededicated himself to his craft. Hansen and Farrell wanted to keep the band going. Estrin knew the only way to replace Baty’s crazed and unique guitar style was to find someone with an equally insane and individual approach, and he knew that would be a tall order to fill.

As luck would have it, Kid Andersen, who had been working with another harp legend, Charlie Musselwhite, became available. “Kid’s a fearless nut on the guitar,” says Estrin. “He’s really the only guy who could fit in with us.” With an unpredictable, no-holds-barred style that perfectly meshed with Estrin’s wildly imaginative original songs, the new band charged out of the gate with Twisted in 2009 and One Wrong Turn in 2012. Blues Revue raved, “Rick Estrin & The Nightcats are one of modern blues’ most versatile and original bands.”

As a testament to their talent, audiences at their consistently ask to go home with a CD that reflects what they just witnessed. Now, with You Asked For It...Live!, Rick Estrin & The Nightcats can satisfy their fans’ demands. Estrin recalls, “After shows, people are always asking, ’Are any of these CDs live? Which of your CDs is most like what you did tonight?’ Now, I can tell them, ‘This one right here. Thank you. We’ll be happy to sign it.’”

 

Clinton, Mississippi-based blues guitarist, vocalist and songwriter Jarekus Singleton's Alligator Records CD, Refuse To Lose, debuted at #7 on the Billboard Blues Chart and #99 on the imprint's New Artist Chart. The full album, which was released on May 6, premiered at USA Today along with an interview, on April 29. The first single, I Refuse To Lose, was selected as the Gotta Hear Song Of The Week by Philadelphia's powerhouse radio station, WXPN. The station also added the song to its regular rotation.

Feature stories have already run in DownBeat, Living Blues, and Blues Music Magazine. The Washington Post's Sunday Style section will feature Singleton (and labelmate and fellow young guitar slinger Selwyn Birchwood) in a story on the next generation of blues players. Later this summer Singleton will appear on NPR's World Cafe, SiriusXM's Bluesville (live in-studio session) and be featured on Elwood's Bluesmobile.

At just 29 years old, Singleton is a musical trailblazer with a bold vision for the future of the blues. Springing from the same Mississippi soil as Charley Patton, Muddy Waters and B.B. King, Singleton's cutting-edge sound -- equally rooted in rap, rock and blues traditions -- is all his own. He melds hip-hop wordplay, rock energy and R&B grooves with contemporary and traditional blues, turning audiences of all ages into devoted fans. With his untamed guitar licks and strong, soulful voice effortlessly moving from ferocious and funky to slow and steamy to smoking hot, Singleton is a fresh, electrifying bluesman bursting at the seams with talent.

Refuse To Lose features a scintillating guitar attack and lyrically startling original songs, all sung with a natural storyteller's voice. Produced by Singleton along with Alligator Records president Bruce Iglauer, the album is an impossible-to-ignore first step onto the world stage. With songs telling real life, streetwise stories brimming with surprising images, pop culture references, infectious rhythms and unexpected musical twists, Refuse To Lose unleashes a new wave of blues for a new generation of fans.

On Thursday, May 8, Grammy Award-winning harmonica master James Cotton received the Blues Music Award for Traditional Blues Male Artist Of The Year. The Blues Foundation announced the winners of the 35th Annual Blues Music Awards in a ceremony held at the Cook Convention Center in Memphis, Tennessee. Cotton, who was in attendence at the ceremony, is currently celebrating his 70th year as a professional performer, and is hot off the heels of 2013's Grammy-nominated Cotton Mouth Man. 

Cotton Mouth Man is an upbeat, warm blues album boasting fine musicianship and Cotton's undeniable spirit. Living Blues says, "James Cotton is one of the great harmonica innovators of his generation. Cotton Mouth Man is a star-studded affair that makes James Cotton's best recording for Alligator. It is an autobiographical narrative of Cotton's eventful life and soul-deep relationship with the blues. He plays with an authority and energy that belies his age." NPR Music declares, "Conjure up a list of all-time great blues harmonica players, and high up on it you'll see the name James Cotton.

Florida's rising young blues star, Selwyn Birchwood, the winner (in a field of over 125 other bands) of the 2013 International Blues Challenge, will release his Alligator Records debut, Don't Call No Ambulance, on Tuesday, June 10. Birchwood is a guitar and lap-steel-playing bundle of pure energy who delivers his original songs with a revival tent preacher's fervor and a natural storyteller's charisma. He plays high-octane blues -- at once deeply rooted, funky and up-to-the-minute -- with true passion and honest emotion. Living Blues says, "Selwyn Birchwood is making waves, surprising people and defying expectations. Be on the lookout. He revels in the unexpected."

Don't Call No Ambulance is a fully realized vision of contemporary blues. Birchwood's original songs range from raucous romps to hill country stomps, from searing, serious slow blues to modern blues rock. Between his uninhibited sense of fun and adventure and his serious-as-a-heart-attack musicianship, Don't Call No Ambulance is a window into the future of the blues. "All originals and no filler," he says of the album. "It's that genuineness of emotion in the songs that people can hear."

With his band feeding off his drive and exuberance, the striking 6' 3" 29-year-old with his trademark Afro roams the stage (often barefoot), ripping out memorable guitar licks with ease. His ability to win over an audience -- any audience -- is proven night after night on the bandstand. With his warm, magnetic personality, Birchwood is as down-to-earth as his music is fun, thought-provoking and vital. His mission is to spread his music far and wide, to share his joy, to play his heart out, and to push the blues into the future. "There's nothing I'd rather be doing than playing the blues," he says. "And I try to convey that with every song and with every performance."

In 2013, Birchwood catapulted from local hero to shooting star. In addition to winning the world-renowned International Blues Challenge, Birchwood also took home the Albert King Guitarist Of The Year Award. It wasn't long before Alligator Records president Bruce Iglauer offered Birchwood a contract.

The Tampa Tribune says Birchwood plays with "power and precision reminiscent of blues guitar hero Buddy Guy. He is a gritty vocalist [who is] commanding with his axe." According to Iglauer, Birchwood is the real deal. "Selwyn Birchwood is a terrific young blues talent with a huge future. He writes smart, infectious, fresh songs and delivers them with a warm, conversational vocal style and a fun-loving attitude. He's a killer guitarist, switching between a regular six-string and lap steel. Live, he's a ball of energy, interacting with the audience like they were in his living room. Selwyn is destined to be one of the next stars in the blues world."

Birchwood, his father from Tobago, his mother from the UK, was born in 1985 in Orlando, Florida. He first grabbed a guitar at age 13 and soon became proficient at mimicking what he heard on the radio. But the popular grunge rock, hip-hop and metal of the 1990s didn't move him, and he quickly grew bored. And then he heard Jimi Hendrix. "He was larger than life. What he did was mind-blowing. When I realized Hendrix was influenced by the blues, I found my path," he says. By 17, he was deep into the blues, listening to Albert King, Freddie King, Albert Collins, Muddy Waters, Lightnin' Hopkins and especially Buddy Guy. As luck would have it, just as Birchwood was discovering Guy, the blues master had a concert scheduled in Orlando. Birchwood was there, front and center. "I was floored," he recalls. "I completely connected with the blues. I knew I had to make this music."

As Selwyn's guitar proficiency grew, a friend told him that his neighbor was a blues guitarist and had a band. The 19-year-old Selwyn went over to check it out and jam. The guitar-playing neighbor turned out to be the Texas-born blues legend Sonny Rhodes, who was instantly impressed with the enthusiastic young guitar slinger. Within one month's time, Rhodes asked Birchwood to pack his bags and join him on the road. It was an incredible experience for Birchwood, as Rhodes took the youngster under his wing, not only teaching him guitar and lap steel, but also how to conduct business, how to run a band, how to reach an audience. "Sonny always said, 'Play what's in your heart.' I've never lost sight of that," says Birchwood.

Rhodes insisted Birchwood go to college and always held the guitar spot in his band open for Selwyn whenever he was available. It was a win-win situation, as Birchwood -- through hard work and scholarships -- received his MBA from The University of Tampa. "I challenged myself to get that degree," Birchwood says. "These days, it's not good enough to just be a good player." Combining the musical lessons learned from Rhodes and his business acumen, Birchwood, now living in Tampa, formed the current version of The Selwyn Birchwood Band in 2010. The band, with the same members still together today, features veteran musicians older than Selwyn, testifying to Selwyn's musical chops and his leadership skills. On stage, they play off each other with ease, feeding each other energy, sharing the fun with the audience.

In 2011 the self-released FL Boy helped the band land gigs outside of their Tampa home, where they were becoming local heroes. Birchwood and his band won their way to spots at the 2012 and 2013 International Blues Challenges in Memphis. The 2013 victory opened more doors for Birchwood, increased his exposure and helped the band land a deal with Intrepid Artists booking agency, which led to more and better gigs.

The Selwyn Birchwood Band has been touring non-stop since winning the IBC. The band has performed at festivals including The Mississippi Valley Blues Festival, Springing The Blues Festival, The Tampa Bay Blues Festival, The North Atlantic Blues Festival, The King Biscuit Blues Festival as well as on The Legendary Rhythm & Blues Cruise. Birchwood has opened for major blues stars including Robert Cray and Buddy Guy and has shared the stage with another friend and teacher, Joe Louis Walker (who guests on Don't Call No Ambulance's The River Turned Red). He recently had the opportunity, when performing in San Francisco, to bring his friend and mentor Sonny Rhodes on stage to sit in with his band. It was a moment Birchwood will never forget. "He did so much for me; it was a real honor to return the favor, if only a little."

With Don't Call No Ambulance, Selwyn Birchwood steps onto the world stage, bringing a new wave of blues to a new generation of blues fans. "If I can play my music, travel the world, bring happiness to people, then I'm blessed and happy," he says. "It's like Sonny always told me, 'If you follow your heart, you'll always get what you want.'"

ALLIGATOR RECORDS PRESIDENT BRUCE IGLAUER TO RECEIVE THE LIBERA AWARDS LIFETIME ACHIEVEMENT AWARD FROM A2IM

The American Association of Independent Music (A2IM) has announced that the third annual Libera Awards Lifetime Achievement Award will be presented to Bruce Iglauer, founder and president of Alligator Records, the award-winning 43-year-old Chicago-based national blues and roots rock label.

Following is the official announcement from A2IM:

 A2IM Honors Bruce Iglauer, Alligator Records Founder, with Libera Awards Lifetime Achievement Award

The American Association of Independent Music (A2IM) is proud to announce that the third annual Libera Awards Lifetime Achievement Award will honor Bruce Iglauer, Founder and CEO of Alligator Records, for both his work as a leader in the music industry as well as his humanitarian efforts. Iglauer will be honored with the award on June 19 at NYC's Highline Ballroom, and in what has now become a Libera Awards tradition, 2013 Lifetime Achievement Award winner Tom Silverman, Founder of TommY BoY, will present the award.

Bruce Iglauer has always been a fierce supporter of Independent music. In 1971, he launched Alligator Records on his own, a label that would go on to become home to some of the world's foremost blues and roots rock talent. What began as the dream of a 23-year-old shipping clerk who wanted to record and release an album with his favorite band, Hound Dog Taylor & The HouseRockers, has today grown into "the leading record label for the blues" (New York Times). Alligator Records currently has a catalog of 300 critically lauded titles, over 130 produced or co-produced by Iglauer. Artists on the label have earned a total of three GRAMMY Awards, 40 GRAMMY nominations, over 100 Blues Music Awards and more than 70 Living Blues Awards.

A fixture on the Chicago blues scene, Bruce is known as a "do-everything-guy" (Chicago Tribune) and has spent his career championing blues and roots rock. Whether he's jumpstarting the careers of new talent or renewing the careers of legends, artists including Koko Taylor, Albert Collins, Lonnie Brooks, Mavis Staples and Charlie Musselwhite, among many others, have found success with the label. Alligator Records' current roster includes Marcia Ball, Selwyn Birchwood, Tommy Castro, James Cotton, Jesse Dee, Rick Estrin & the Nightcats, JJ Grey & Mofro, The Holmes Brothers, Lil' Ed & the Blues Imperials, Anders Osborne, Roomful of Blues, Curtis Salgado, The Siegel-Schwall Band, Jarekus Singleton and Joe Louis Walker.

In addition to supporting artists' musical ambitions, Bruce has always taken great pride in the deep relationships he has with the artists of Alligator. Over the years, Bruce has been known to open his home to musicians needing a place to live during times of personal trouble. He makes himself available to his artists day or night, working tirelessly to support struggling musicians. As part of his work outside the label, Bruce is the Founder and current Co-Director of the Blues Community Foundation, which is dedicated to supporting blues music education and assisting blues musicians and their families who are in need. Bruce was awarded the NARM 1996 Mickey Granberg Award for "sustained and unwavering commitment to independent music and the independent music community" and was named a Chicagoan of the Year by Chicago magazine in 2001. In 2011, Bruce was honored as a Chicagoan of the Year in the Arts by the Chicago Tribune for his contributions to the music community over the years. Bruce was also a founding member and 26-year board member of the first Independent music label organization National Association of Independent Record Distributors and Manufacturers (NAIRD), later the Association for Independent Music (AFIM), and is now on the Board and Executive Committee of the American Association of Independent Music (A2IM), representing the U.S. independent music industry.

Tom Silverman of TommY BoY Entertainment, the winner of the 2013 A2IM Libera Awards Lifetime Achievement Award and a long-time friend of Bruce's, will present Bruce with the 2014 Lifetime Achievement Award. Tom is the founder of the independent record label TommY BoY. Silverman launched the careers of such early hip hop acts as De La Soul, Digital Underground, Queen Latifah, Naughty by Nature, House of Pain and Coolio. Silverman is a founding member of A2IM, and currently serves on the board of Merlin and SoundExchange.

In 2012 the inaugural winner of the A2IM Libera Awards Lifetime Achievement Award was Martin Mills of the Beggars Group. Nominations for the 2014 Libera Awards will be announced this Friday, April 25 and voting will open immediately to the A2IM independent music community.

About A2IM:
A2IM is a not-for-profit trade organization serving the Independent music community as a unified voice representing a sector that, according to Billboard magazine, comprises 34.6% of the music industry's market share in the United States (and almost 40% of SoundScan digital album sales). The organization represents the Independents' interests in the marketplace, in the media, on Capitol Hill, and as part of the global music community.

The organization's board of directors is composed of the following: Concord Records President Glenn Barros; Daptone Records General Manager Cathy Bauer; Smithsonian Folkways Recordings Director of Marketing & Sales Richard James Burgess; Yep Roc Records Co-Owner Tor Hansen; Alligator Records Founder/CEO Bruce Iglauer; The Beggars Group Founder/CEO Martin Mills; Kill Rock Stars President Portia Sabin; Glassnote Records General Manager Chris Scully; Ole SVP Jim Selby; Dead Oceans/Jagjaguwar/Secretly Canadian Founder/Co-Owner Darius Van Arman; Razor & Tie COO Victor Zaraya.

For more information, or to become a member, please visit http://a2im.org/

For press information on A2IM, please contact Elizabeth Lutz (elutz@shorefire.com), Dani Frank (dfrank@shorefire.com), or Rebecca Shapiro (rshapiro@shorefire.com), at Shore Fire Media, 718.522.7171.

###

Conjure up a list of all-time great blues harmonica players, and high up on it you'll see the name James Cotton.
--NPR

The Mississippi Arts Commission presented blues music icon (and Tunica, Mississippi native) James Cotton with the coveted Governor's Award For Excellence In The Arts in a ceremony held February 20, 2014 at Belhaven University in Clarion, Mississippi. The Governor's Arts Awards are presented annually to outstanding writers, artists, performers, craftsmen and educators who have made significant and lasting contributions through their work as well as to corporations or organizations on the basis of their dedication to arts advancement. Previous winners include B.B. King, Little Milton Campbell, and Bo Diddley.

Video of the presentation and live performance is here: http://www.alligator.com/artists/James-Cotton/.

Cotton is currently celebrating his 70th year as a professional entertainer. His Grammy-nominated 2013 CD, Cotton Mouth Man, is an upbeat, warm blues album boasting fine musicianship and Cotton's undeniable spirit. Living Blues says, "James Cotton is one of the great harmonica innovators of his generation. Cotton Mouth Man is a star-studded affair that makes James Cotton's best recording for Alligator. It is an autobiographical narrative of Cotton's eventful life and soul-deep relationship with the blues. He plays with an authority and energy that belies his age."

Blues Hall of Famer Joe Louis Walker will take part in the Thelonious Monk Institute Of Jazz's International Jazz Day in Osaka, Japan on April 30, 2014. Many other artists will also perform, including Wayne Shorter, Herbie Hancock and John Scofield.

According to the Monk Institute, "The designation of International Jazz Day is intended to bring together communities, schools and other groups the world over to celebrate and learn more about the art of jazz, its roots and its impact. Ultimately, it seeks to foster intercultural dialogue and raise public awareness about the role of jazz music. As a language of freedom across the board, jazz promotes social inclusion, enhancing understanding, tolerance and nurturing creativity."

From its base in Washington, DC, the Thelonious Monk Institute Of Jazz identifies jazz music's new voices, honoring its present and past masters, making the jazz aesthetic available and comprehensible in concert halls and classrooms around the world. The Institute is the lead nonprofit organization charged with planning, promoting and producing International Jazz Day.

Walker's latest album, Hornet's Nest, has been hailed as a true blues tour-de-force. USA Today says it is "tough and resilient." Living Blues added, "Few contemporary blues artists blend aggression, deep feeling and eclecticism with the panache and ferocity of Joe Louis Walker."

Alligator Records recordings from Professor Longhair, Corey Harris and Anders Osborne have and continue to appear on network television programs. Professor Longhair's Whole Lotta Lovin' (from his Crawfish Fiesta album) is the opening theme song for My Big Redneck Family, airing weekly on the CMT network. Corey Harris' Moosemilk Blues (from his Fish Ain't Bitin'CD) and Anders Osborne's On The Road To Charlie Parker (from his American Patchwork CD) both appeared in the April 1 episode of CBS Television's NCIS.

 "A great new blues talent...young, original, soulful and intense. Superb, blistering guitar"
--Blues & Rhythm Magazine

"Jarekus Singleton is making some serious blues noise...blending modern-day blues and emotionally intense soul with melodic, hot-toned lead guitar, funk-seasoned rhythms and hip-hop flavored lyrics"
--Living Blues

Alligator Records has set a May 6 street date for REFUSE TO LOSE, the label debut from Clinton, Mississippi's award-winning guitarist, vocalist and songwriter, Jarekus Singleton. At just 29 years old, Singleton is a musical trailblazer with a bold vision for the future of the blues. Springing from the same Mississippi soil as Charley Patton, Muddy Waters and B.B. King, Singleton's cutting-edge sound -- equally rooted in rap, rock and blues traditions -- is all his own. He melds hip-hop wordplay, rock energy and R&B grooves with contemporary and traditional blues, turning audiences of all ages into devoted fans. With his untamed guitar licks and strong, soulful voice effortlessly moving from ferocious and funky to slow and steamy to smoking hot, Singleton is a fresh, electrifying bluesman bursting at the seams with talent.

REFUSE TO LOSE features a scintillating guitar attack and lyrically startling original songs, all sung with a natural storyteller's voice. Produced by Singleton along with Alligator Records president Bruce Iglauer, the album is an impossible-to-ignore first step onto the world stage. With songs telling real life, streetwise stories brimming with surprising images, pop culture references, infectious rhythms and unexpected musical twists, REFUSE TO LOSE unleashes a new wave of blues for a new generation of fans.

Born into a family of church musicians and vocalists on July 11, 1984, Jarekus Singleton was immersed in gospel music as a child. Taught by his uncle, Jarekus began playing bass guitar at age nine in his grandfather's church band. He later switched to lead guitar and began to sharpen his instrumental and vocal skills, falling in love with the music of all three Kings (B.B., Albert and Freddie) as well as Stevie Ray Vaughan, rappers Twista and Jay-Z, and even country artist Brad Paisley. In his late teens, Jarekus pursued a career in basketball, becoming a top-seeded national player in college until an injury took him back to his music full time. For a short period he performed as a rap artist, writing his own lyrics. Before long, though, he began combining his rap wordsmithing with the music of his Mississippi heritage, creating a thoroughly modern, masterfully updated take on the blues.

In 2009 he formed The Jarekus Singleton Blues Band, quickly building a reputation as a tremendously gifted musician and performer. Jarekus self-released his first CD, Heartfelt, in 2011, and fans and media quickly took notice of the album's fierce singing and playing and the brand new original songs. Singleton was named a "star on the rise" by Blues & Rhythm magazine in the UK. Guitar Center named him the 2011 King of the Blues in Mississippi. He received the Jackson Music Award for 2012 Blues Artist of the Year and for 2013 Local Artist of the Year. The Jackson Free Press named him the 2013 Best Local Blues Artist.

Jarekus Singleton has been tearing up clubs and festivals across the South, and performed twice at the world-renowned Chicago Blues Festival. He has been featured at South Carolina's Lowcountry Blues Festival and Festival of Discovery as well as many other festivals in the South and clubs throughout Mississippi. With the addition of high-visibility performances including Springing The Blues Festival, The North Atlantic Blues Festival, The PA Blues Festival, The Cincinnati Blues Festival, and The Cognac (France) Blues Passions Festival, Singleton is on the cusp of international stardom.

"Blues is honest music," says Singleton, who, with REFUSE TO LOSE, is determined to put his own stamp on the genre. "I love the blues tradition, and have always been inspired by the masters. But I want to create something for today's audience that is as original and new as those blues masters were when they first started making records. I want to create blues for the 21st century."

ALLIGATOR RECORDS SIGNS 2013 INTERNATIONAL BLUES CHALLENGE WINNER
SELWYN BIRCHWOOD

DON'T CALL NO AMBULANCE SET FOR JUNE 2014 RELEASE

"Watch out for Selwyn Birchwood...a genius revelation and a pleasure. Roaring Fender Strat and down-south lap steel guitar"  --Blues Matters

Alligator Records is pleased to announce the signing of Florida's rising young blues star, Selwyn Birchwood, the winner (in a field of over 125 other bands) of the 2013 International Blues Challenge. Birchwood is a guitar and lap-steel-playing bundle of pure energy who delivers his original songs with a revival tent preacher's fervor and a natural storyteller's charisma. He plays high-octane blues -- at once deeply rooted, funky and up-to-the-minute -- with true passion and honest emotion. Living Blues says, "Selwyn Birchwood is making waves, surprising people and defying expectations. Be on the lookout. He revels in the unexpected." His label debut, Don't Call No Ambulance, is set for a June 2014 release.

Don't Call No Ambulance is a fully realized vision of contemporary blues. Birchwood's original songs range from raucous romps to hill country stomps, from searing, serious slow blues to modern blues rock. Between his uninhibited sense of fun and adventure and his serious-as-a-heart-attack musicianship, Don't Call No Ambulance is a window into the future of the blues. "All originals and no filler," he says of the album. "It's that genuineness of emotion in the songs that people can hear."

With his band feeding off his drive and exuberance, the striking 6' 3" 29-year-old with his trademark Afro roams the stage (often barefoot), ripping out memorable guitar licks with ease. His ability to win over an audience -- any audience -- is proven night after night on the bandstand. With his warm, magnetic personality, Birchwood is as down-to-earth as his music is fun, thought-provoking and vital. His mission is to spread his music far and wide, to share his joy, to play his heart out, and to push the blues into the future. "There's nothing I'd rather be doing than playing the blues," he says. "And I try to convey that with every song and with every performance."

In 2013, Birchwood catapulted from local hero to shooting star. In addition to winning the world-renowned International Blues Challenge, Birchwood also took home the Albert King Guitarist Of The Year Award. It wasn't long before Alligator Records president Bruce Iglauer offered Birchwood a contract.

The Tampa Tribune says Birchwood plays with "power and precision reminiscent of blues guitar hero Buddy Guy. He is a gritty vocalist [who is] commanding with his axe." According to Iglauer, Birchwood is the real deal. "Selwyn Birchwood is a terrific young blues talent with a huge future. He writes smart, infectious, fresh songs and delivers them with a warm, conversational vocal style and a fun-loving attitude. He's a killer guitarist, switching between a regular six-string and lap steel. Live, he's a ball of energy, interacting with the audience like they were in his living room. Selwyn is destined to be one of the next stars in the blues world."

Birchwood, his father from Tobago, his mother from the UK, was born in 1985 in Orlando, Florida. He first grabbed a guitar at age 13 and soon became proficient at mimicking what he heard on the radio. But the popular grunge rock, hip-hop and metal of the 1990s didn't move him, and he quickly grew bored. And then he heard Jimi Hendrix. "He was larger than life. What he did was mind-blowing. When I realized Hendrix was influenced by the blues, I found my path," he says. By 17, he was deep into the blues, listening to Albert King, Freddie King, Albert Collins, Muddy Waters, Lightnin' Hopkins and especially Buddy Guy. As luck would have it, just as Birchwood was discovering Guy, the blues master had a concert scheduled in Orlando. Birchwood was there, front and center. "I was floored," he recalls. "I completely connected with the blues. I knew I had to make this music."

As Selwyn's guitar proficiency grew, a friend told him that his neighbor was a blues guitarist and had a band. The 19-year-old Selwyn went over to check it out and jam. The guitar-playing neighbor turned out to be the Texas-born blues legend Sonny Rhodes, who was instantly impressed with the enthusiastic young guitar slinger. Within one month's time, Rhodes asked Birchwood to pack his bags and join him on the road. It was an incredible experience for Birchwood, as Rhodes took the youngster under his wing, not only teaching him guitar and lap steel, but also how to conduct business, how to run a band, how to reach an audience. "Sonny always said, ‘Play what's in your heart.' I've never lost sight of that," says Birchwood.

Rhodes insisted Birchwood go to college and always held the guitar spot in his band open for Selwyn whenever he was available. It was a win-win situation, as Birchwood -- through hard work and scholarships -- received his MBA from The University of Tampa. "I challenged myself to get that degree," Birchwood says. "These days, it's not good enough to just be a good player." Combining the musical lessons learned from Rhodes and his business acumen, Birchwood, now living in Tampa, formed the current version of The Selwyn Birchwood Band in 2010. The band, with the same members still together today, features veteran musicians older than Selwyn, testifying to Selwyn's musical chops and his leadership skills. On stage, they play off each other with ease, feeding each other energy, sharing the fun with the audience.

In 2011 the self-released FL Boy helped the band land gigs outside of their Tampa home, where they were becoming local heroes. Birchwood and his band won their way to spots at the 2012 and 2013 International Blues Challenges in Memphis. The 2013 victory opened more doors for Birchwood, increased his exposure and helped the band land a deal with Intrepid Artists booking agency, which led to more and better gigs.

The Selwyn Birchwood Band has been touring non-stop since winning the IBC. The band has performed at festivals including The Mississippi Valley Blues Festival, Springing The Blues Festival, The Tampa Bay Blues Festival, The North Atlantic Blues Festival, The King Biscuit Blues Festival as well as on The Legendary Rhythm & Blues Cruise. Birchwood has opened for major blues stars including Robert Cray and Buddy Guy and has shared the stage with another friend and teacher, Joe Louis Walker (who guests on Don't Call No Ambulance's The River Turned Red). He recently had the opportunity, when performing in San Francisco, to bring his friend and mentor Sonny Rhodes on stage to sit in with his band. It was a moment Birchwood will never forget. "He did so much for me; it was a real honor to return the favor, if only a little."

With Don't Call No Ambulance, Selwyn Birchwood steps onto the world stage, bringing a new wave of blues to a new generation of blues fans. "If I can play my music, travel the world, bring happiness to people, then I'm blessed and happy," he says. "It's like Sonny always told me, ‘If you follow your heart, you'll always get what you want.'"

JJ GREY AND DANNY AIELLO STAR IN MUSIC VIDEO FOR
THIS RIVER

RELIX.COM TO PREMIERE VIDEO ON MARCH 5

SOUTHERN SOUL ASSEMBLY TOUR TO BEGIN MARCH 18

Florida's JJ Grey, dubbed "The Swami Of Swamp Rock" by The Oxford American, and Academy Award-nominated actor and singer Danny Aiello star in the newly produced music video for This River. The song is the title track from JJ Grey & Mofro's latest Alligator Records release. RELIX.COM will premiere the video on Wednesday, March 5.

The video can be viewed here.

This River, directed by Brendan "Spookie" Daly, features Grey as the song's protagonist and Aiello as the same character later in life. The song's powerful message of healing and salvation is beautifully rendered via Grey's soul-searching music, Aiello's and Grey's masterful performances, and Daly's breathtaking cinematography.

Grey and Daly previously worked together on videos for 99 Shades Of Crazy, Orange Blossoms, On Fire, and The Sweetest Thing. Daly also directed the JJ Grey & Mofro concert film and documentary, Brighter Days.

This River (the seventh album of Grey's career) was the most added overall record at AAA (Adult Album Alternative) radio for the week ending April 5, 2013. On the day of its release (April 16, 2013),This River was the #1 Best Selling Rock Album on iTunes. Relix says the CD is "a classic slab of funky Florida-fried swamp rock, old school R&B and Southern-rock crunch...rootsy and tantalizing."

Grey is a masterful musical storyteller. "Many of the songs," he says, "are about being your own worst enemy, and about normal folks pushing themselves over the edge." Grey's lyrics and slice-of-life scenarios are filled with honest detail, helping to bring his emotionally complex characters to life. His gritty vocals and punchy horn arrangements add even more depth to This River. Grey's fervent delivery and the expert musicianship of the band pull the listener deep inside each track, making the album a hard-driving and emotionally engaging musical statement.

Beginning March 18 in Evanston (Chicago), IL, Grey will join label mate Anders Osborne and friends Luther Dickinson and Marc Broussard in launching the Southern Soul Assembly Tour. The one-of-a-kind artist-in-the-round performance features these four talented musicians sharing the stage for an amazing night of songs and stories. More information and a full list of dates can be found here: http://southernsoulassembly.com/.

At the personal request of host Jimmy Fallon, Grammy-winning musician and preeminent ambassador of Louisiana zydeco music, Stanley "Buckwheat" Dural (lAKA Buckwheat Zydeco), appeared on the finale of Late Night on Friday, February 7. Buckwheat jammed with The Roots and Fallon, performing On A Night Like This. The video can be seen here.

Buckwheat Zydeco's latest release (and Alligator Records debut) is the Grammy Award-winning CD, LAY YOUR BURDEN DOWN. The album is the most ambitious, deepest and varied recording of Buckwheat Zydeco's career. It is a remarkably conceived, rocking album featuring five new Buckwheat originals and complete reinventions of songs by Memphis Minnie (When The Levee Breaks, made famous by Led Zeppelin), Bruce Springsteen (Back In Your Arms), Gov't Mule (Lay Your Burden Down), Captain Beefheart (Too Much Time), Jimmy Cliff (Let Your Yeah Be Yeah) and JJ Grey & Mofro (The Wrong Side). Guests on the album include Sonny Landreth, Warren Haynes, Steve Berlin, JJ Grey and Trombone Shorty. In this, Buckwheat's first post-Katrina album, Louisiana's life-affirming jazz funeral philosophy of renewal -- partying in the face of adversity -- is on full display, with joyful, rhythmic dance music and deeper, more intense songs sharing the same celebratory bayou sprit.