News

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.

NEW CD, REFUSE TO LOSE, SET FOR MAY 2014 RELEASE

 

"Jarekus Singleton is destined to be the next big name in the blues world."  --Blues & Rhythm Magazine (UK)

"Clinton, Mississippi's Jarekus Singleton is making some serious blues noise...a winning blend of modern-day blues and emotionally intense soul with melodic, hot-toned lead guitar, funk-seasoned rhythms and hip-hop flavored lyrics."   --Living Blues

"A thoroughly-modern young bluesman...he is an invigorating influence to the blues scene."  --Jonny Meister, WXPN-FM

Alligator Records is pleased to announce the signing of Clinton, Mississippi's award-winning guitarist, vocalist and songwriter, 29-year-old Jarekus Singleton. He is one of the brightest, most exciting young stars on the blues scene today. His cutting-edge, streetwise music -- melding contemporary and traditional blues with rock energy and hip-hop wordplay -- turns audiences of all ages into devoted fans. With his blazing guitar licks and strong, soulful voice, Singleton brings his up-to-the-minute take on the blues to every song he writes and performs. From ferocious and funky to slow and steamy to smoking hot, Singleton is a young blues master carrying the blues into the future.

Singleton's label debut, REFUSE TO LOSE, has just been completed and is set for a May 2014 release. The album of all original songs was produced by Alligator Records president Bruce Iglauer along with Singleton, and recorded at PM Music in Memphis, engineered and mixed by veteran engineer Pete Matthews.

According to Iglauer, "Jarekus Singleton is one of the most dynamic and creative of the new generation of blues artists. With his deep Mississippi roots and his innovative songwriting, he's creating fresh, relevant blues for today's audiences. I'm thrilled to have him join the Alligator Records family."

The Jarekus Singleton Band is one of the most popular blues bands in Mississippi, and they are positioned to conquer the national and international scene. They've been tearing up clubs, concert halls and festivals across the South, and performed twice at the world-renowned Chicago Blues Festival. The band 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. Singleton is managed by Peggy Brown at Hit The Road Entertainment, and was recently signed by Blue Mountain Artists booking agency. He and his band will play a number of high-visibility festivals and club dates, including Springing The Blues Festival, Biscuits & Blues in San Francisco, The North Atlantic Blues Festival, The PA Blues Festival, and The Cincinnati Blues Festival, with many more dates to be added.

Jarekus self-released his first CD, Heartfelt, in 2011. Fans were not the only ones taking notice. Three songs from that CD, I'm Leaving You, Singing The Blues, and Gotta Believe Me, are in regular rotation on B.B. King's Bluesville on XM/Sirius Radio, the most-listened-to blues radio station in the world. But radio wasn't alone in praising the rising blues star, as the rest of the world began paying attention. 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.

Born into a family of church musicians and vocalists on July 11, 1984 in Clinton, Mississippi, 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, rapper 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.

Living Blues praised Singleton for "blending styles and elements across genres and generations." Audiences at his shows run the gamut from older blues fans to younger rockers and rap aficionados. Knowing from his time on the basketball court that there is no substitute for hard work, Singleton is single-mindedly driven to succeed.

"Blues is honest music," according to Singleton, who 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."

Confirmed tour dates below:

March 22 - Underground 119, Jackson, MS
April 5 - Springing the Blues Festival, Jacksonville Beach, FL
April 11 - Jackson Zoo Fest, Jackson, MS
April 19 - Underground 119, Jackson, MS
May 17 - Stomp the Blues Out of Homelessness, Springfield, MO
May 23 & 24 - Biscuits & Blues, San Francisco, CA
July 12 - North Atlantic Blues Festival, Rockland, ME
July 27 - PA Blues Festival, Palmerton, PA
August 1 - Cincinnati Blues Festival, Cincinnati, OH
August 30 - Route 23 Fest, Wise, VA
September 13 - TFA Party, Indianola, MS
October 4 - Mighty Mississippi Festival, Greenville, MS

Guitarist/vocalist/songwriter Tommy Castro, whose new album The Devil You Know will be released today, January 21, discusses the creation of the album in a series of short YouTube videos:

The making of the title track: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zUxNr-ujv0w
The making of the song I'm Tired: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=akjUT5ZGAx8&feature=youtu.be

The making of the song She Wanted To Give It To Me: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pbkoQ-MotgA&feature=youtu.be

Castro is famed for his signature brand of tough, rocking rhythm and blues, thrilling fans around the world with his incendiary live performances. With his eyes and ears firmly on the future, Castro has stripped his music down to its raw essence as he rockets into the next phase of his storied career. "I'm always moving forward, going outside of my wheelhouse, listening to new music and incorporating new ideas," says Castro. "The contemporary blues scene is full of fresh, new sounds. It's an exciting time. A lot of folks are having hard times these days and they need something to lift them up and make them smile. Our music kills the pain."

The Devil You Know, recorded in the Bay Area with his fiery new band The Painkillers and produced by Castro and Bonnie Hayes, is a contemporary blues tour-de-force. The album is an untamed, high-energy set of 13 songs, including nine written or co-written by Castro. Many of Castro's friends and admirers, including Alligator label-mates Marcia Ball and The Holmes Brothers, add their talents to the proceedings. Other guests include guitarists Joe Bonamassa and Mark Karan, guitarist/vocalist Tab Benoit, vocalists Samantha Fish and Tasha Taylor, and harmonica player Magic Dick. Each song comes loaded with emotional depth and muscular hooks courtesy of Castro's soulful singing, insightful lyrics, and dynamic, potent guitar playing. According to Blurt, "Castro is one of the greatest blues guitarists, songwriters and entertainers in the world today."

Confirmed tour dates are here: http://www.alligator.com/on-tour/artist.cfm/aid/162/t/Tommy-Castro/.

Both Alligator Records and label artist, vocalist Curtis Salgado, won coveted Writer's Poll Awards from the UK's Blues Matters magazine. In the International Results category, Salgado won for Best Vocalist, while Alligator took the prize for Record Label Of The Year. Billboard speaking about Salgado's latest release, Soul Shot, said, "Curtis Salgado's range and power as a vocalist are a tour-de-force...hard-nosed blues, beautifully nuanced R&B, phat and funky." The album speaks loud and clear to contemporary audiences, carrying on the timeless spirit of 1960s and ‘70s R&B. The album features four Salgado originals and seven carefully chosen covers. According to Salgado, "Soul Shot is the solid best thing I've ever done. That's a fact."

Guitarist/vocalist/songwriter Anders Osborne, whose latest CD Peace is being hailed as a career highlight, won four Best Of The Beat awards from New Orleans' OffBeat Magazine. Osborne won for Best Rock Artist, Best Rock Album (for Peace), Songwriter Of The Year and Best Producer. This is the third straight year Osborne has won the Best Songwriter award.

Between the potency of his richly detailed songwriting, his intensely emotional, soulful vocals and his piercing, expert guitar work, Osborne is among the most original and visionary musicians writing and performing today. Guitar Player calls him "the poet laureate of Louisiana's fertile roots music scene." USA Today says, "Anders Osborne plays fiery anthems and tumultuous, confessional songs punctuated with glorious, raw guitar." New Orleans' Gambit Weekly recently honored Osborne as the 2013 Entertainer Of The Year.

Since the release of his 2010 Alligator Records debut, American Patchwork, his 2012 follow-up, Black Eye Galaxy, and his critically acclaimed 2013 EP, Three Free Amigos, Osborne has earned hordes of new fans. He has toured virtually non-stop, either with his road-tested trio, as a solo artist, or as a guest with his countless musical admirers, including Toots and The Maytals, Stanton Moore, Derek Trucks, Warren Haynes, Keb Mo, The Grateful Dead's Phil Lesh and Karl Denson's Tiny Universe. He's appeared on Galactic's Ya-Ka-May album, and produced and played on critically acclaimed albums by Tab Benoit, Johnny Sansone, Mike Zito and others.

Songs from the deep Alligator Records catalog can be heard during a number of recent and upcoming major national television programs.

Fenton Robinson, Somebody Loan Me A Dime - featured in ABC-TV's Parenthood (previously aired)

Anders Osborne, Five Bullets - featured in ABC-TV's Killer Women (airing 1/21/14)

Fenton Robinson, The Getaway and I've Changed - featured in Netflix's House Of Cards (all episodes drop on 2/14/14)
Big Walter Horton, Under The Sun and Lovin' My Baby - featured in Netflix's House Of Cards (all episodes drop on 2/14/14)

Professor Longhair, Whole Lotta Lovin' - featured as the theme song for Country Music Television's (CMT) upcoming series My Big Redneck Family

Big Walter Horton, Under The Sun - featured in Showtime's Banshee (previously aired)

Magic Slim, Gravel Road - featured in Showtime's Banshee (airing 1/17/14)

Lil' Ed & The Blues Imperials - Nobody's Fault But My Own - featured in Showtime's Banshee (airing 1/17/14)

Koko Taylor - Please Don't Dog Me - featured in Showtime's Banshee (airing 1/31/14)

"Powerful, soul-stirring, fierce and gritty. A legendary boundary-pushing icon of modern blues." --NPR Music

  "Fine and fierce...gritty gutbucket blues, joyous Stones-style rock and aching R&B." --Billboard

"Commanding and wide-ranging blues-rock...sheer passion and defiant authenticity."" --Living Blues
 

Award-winning blues master, Blues Hall Of Fame member and Alligator recording artist Joe Louis Walker will release his new album, Hornet's Nest (AL 4959), on February 25, 2014. Walker is among the greatest bluesmen of his generation. He is known worldwide as one of the genre's top musical trailblazers -- a mesmerizing guitarist and soul-testifying vocalist. On his dynamic new CD, Walker's music is equal parts rock ‘n' roll fire and blistering, passionate blues.

Hornet's Nest was recorded in Nashville and produced by songwriter/ drummer Tom Hambridge (producer of James Cotton' Grammy-nominated Cotton Mouth Man, Buddy Guy's Grammy-winning CDs Skin Deep and Living Proof, as well as albums for Susan Tedeschi, George Thorogood and Walker's previous CD, Hellfire). Hornet's Nest -- featuring 12 songs, including nine new originals -- blends Walker's boundless energy and his myriad influences into a contemporary blues tour-de-force. His always-inventive guitar playing is matched note-for-note by his fervent vocals. From menacing, hard rocking electric blues to cool Memphis funk to R&B rave-ups to Sunday morning gospel, Walker's blues-fierce and untamed, adventurous and fun -- continue to define the genre.

The band -- Hambridge on drums, Reese Wynans on B-3 organ and piano, Rob McNelley on guitar, and Tommy MacDonald on bass -- pushed Walker to deliver his absolute best performances. "It comes through loud and clear," Walker says. "If I don't believe it, nobody is gonna believe it. And ain't nobody is gonna listen to it or buy it. Tom made everything exciting."

Joe Louis Walker was born in San Francisco on Christmas Day of 1949. His parents were both from the South and they brought their love of blues with them when they headed west. Joe's dad played blues piano, and his mom played B.B. King records. Walker picked up the guitar as a child, and by the time he was 16 was regularly backing touring blues artists rolling through town. San Francisco's music scene was quickly becoming a melting pot of blues, jazz and psychedelic rock, and Walker was right in the center of it.

As a 16-year-old, Walker was the house guitarist at San Francisco's famed musical playground, The Matrix, where he played with or opened shows for everyone from Lightnin' Hopkins to Jimi Hendrix to Thelonious Monk. He was also a regular at The Fillmore West. The blues legends Walker accompanied shared not only musical knowledge but also their personal wisdom with the teenage up-and-comer. Fred McDowell, Ike Turner, Albert King, Freddy King, Robert Jr. Lockwood, Lightnin' Hopkins and many others taught, fed, and chastised the youngster. Inspired by what he learned, Walker developed his own fiery, melodic, and always unpredictable guitar attack.

Walker met guitarist Michael Bloomfield in 1968 and the two became fast friends. Bloomfield helped push Walker's blues in a more rock-fueled direction, and he became the single biggest influence on Walker's sound. The two shared an apartment for years and remained close friends until Bloomfield's death in 1981. From 1975 to 1985, Walker performed nothing but gospel music, playing and singing as a member of The Spiritual Corinthians. In 1986, after Walker returned to playing the blues, Hightone Records released his debut CD, Cold Is The Night. Firmly rooted in blues, gospel, R&B and rock, the album caught the attention of music fans around the country.

Prior to joining Alligator Records in 2012, Walker had released 23 albums and toured the world virtually non-stop. He has garnered four Blues Music Awards (and has been nominated a whopping 52 times) and holds an international reputation as one of the blues' most prolific and talented stars. He's also recorded as a guest with some of the blues world's best-known artists, including appearances on Grammy-winning records by B.B. King and James Cotton.

His Alligator debut, Hellfire, took the blues world by storm in 2012, receiving the Living Blues Critics' Award for Blues Album Of The Year. The Chicago Tribune said, "His playing is ferocious. His solos spin wilder and wilder with the kind of fierce embellishments that Jimi Hendrix might've conjured." The success of the album helped land Walker and his band on TBS's CONAN.

In 2013 The Blues Foundation inducted Walker into The Blues Hall Of Fame. "I am honored to be in the company of the great artists already inducted," Walker said at the time. "I hope to live up to the honor." Joining the ranks of previous inductees including B.B. King, Hound Dog Taylor, Koko Taylor, Willie Dixon, Muddy Waters, Etta James, Howlin' Wolf and other blues greats while still at the peak of his musical powers, is, as Walker says, "a dream come true."

With each subsequent release, Walker's audience continues to grow, as his touring schedule continues to expand. He's played all over the U.S. and Canada, major European festivals including The North Sea Jazz Festival, Glastonbury, Notodden and Montreux, as well as festivals in Japan, Australia, Taiwan, Ireland, Turkey and Brazil. Now, with Hornet's Nest, Walker is excited about bringing even more people to his music. "Blues is a big tent," he says, "morphing into a bigger tent. Young folks like good blues when they hear it, and I'm here to make sure they want to listen."

 

Relix.com will premiere award-winning guitarist/ vocalist/ songwriter Tommy Castro's turbo-charged new album THE DEVIL YOU KNOW beginning Monday, January 6. The full-album stream will remain available through the album's January 21 release date, and can be heard here.

Castro is famed for his signature brand of tough, rocking rhythm and blues, thrilling fans around the world with his incendiary live performances. With his eyes and ears firmly on the future, Castro has stripped his music down to its raw essence as he rockets into the next phase of his storied career. "I'm always moving forward, going outside of my wheelhouse, listening to new music and incorporating new ideas," says Castro. "The contemporary blues scene is full of fresh, new sounds. It's an exciting time."

THE DEVIL YOU KNOW, recorded in the Bay Area with his fiery new band The Painkillers and produced by Castro and Bonnie Hayes, is a contemporary blues tour-de-force. The album is an untamed, high-energy set of 13 songs, including nine written or co-written by Castro. "For the new album I challenged myself to add different sounds and new rhythms to my style while remaining true to my roots. I wrote using ideas for songs and ideas for sounds together in a way I'd never done before," explains Castro, "using drum rhythms to drive the lyrics." The tracks -- melodic and biting, energetic and fun -- are brought to life with sonic authority by bassist Randy McDonald (from the original Tommy Castro Band), keyboardist James Pace and original Painkillers drummer Byron Cage.

In addition, many of Castro's friends and admirers, including Alligator label-mates Marcia Ball and The Holmes Brothers, add their talents to the proceedings. Other guests include guitarists Joe Bonamassa and Mark Karan, guitarist/vocalist Tab Benoit, vocalists Samantha Fish and Tasha Taylor, and harmonica player Magic Dick. Each song comes loaded with emotional depth and muscular hooks courtesy of Castro's soulful singing, insightful lyrics, and dynamic, potent guitar playing. With THE DEVIL YOU KNOW Castro -- The Painkillers blazing behind him -- unleashes an instant classic. According to Blurt, "Castro is one of the greatest blues guitarists, songwriters and entertainers in the world today."

After years of playing guitar-driven blues and R&B backed by a tight horn section, Castro introduced The Painkillers live in 2012, creating a lean, mean four-piece lineup, with the drum chair now held by David Tucker. Fueled by Tommy's voice and guitar plus bass, drums and keyboards, the band released the 45rpm single Greedy / That's All I Got later that year (both songs are included as bonus tracks on the new CD). Greedy quickly became one of Castro's most-requested songs. An attention-grabbing video for Greedy has already received over 150,000 views on YouTube. The Chicago Sun-Times calls his music "fiery and soul-drenched."

Castro views the harder-edged sound of The Painkillers as a natural extension of the music he's been making since he was a teenager. "The Painkillers really get me back to my roots. It feels to me a lot more like it did when I first started playing with my friends as a kid. Bands were always just three or four guys playing for the fun of it," Castro recalls. Now, Tommy Castro And The Painkillers are pushing the music to another level.

Tommy Castro And The Painkillers are looking forward to performing songs from THE DEVIL YOU KNOW starting with their January tour dates, and personally connecting with their fans all over the world. "A lot of folks are having hard times these days," Castro says, "and they need something to lift them up and make them smile. Our music kills the pain." With THE DEVIL YOU KNOW, Castro, along with The Painkillers, will unquestionably be easing pain, lifting spirits and filling dance floors the same way he's been doing for decades - only now he's packing a far more feral punch.

FOUR ALLIGATOR ARTISTS RECEIVE 11 BLUES MUSIC AWARD NOMINATIONS

James Cotton Nominated For Five Awards

 

On Tuesday, December 10, 2013, The Blues Foundation announced the nominees for the 2014 Blues Music Awards, the blues world's highest honors. Four Alligator recording artists received a total of 11 nominations. Grammy Award-winning harmonica master (and just-announced 2014 Grammy nominee) James Cotton received a total of five nominations (tied for most among all artists), including Album Of The Year for 2013's Cotton Mouth Man and Song Of The Year for He Was There from the same album. Harmonicist/vocalist/songwriter Rick Estrin, leader of Rick Estrin & The Nightcats, received three nominations, including nods for the coveted B.B. King Entertainer Of Year and Band Of The Year awards. Lil' Ed & The Blues Imperials and Marcia Ball each received one nomination. Guitarist Kid Andersen of Rick Estrin & The Nightcats also received a nomination for Instrumentalist Of The Year - Guitar.

The 35th Annual Blues Music Awards will be presented in Memphis on May 8, 2014 at the Cook Convention Center.

Alligator artists and nominations are as follows:

 

JAMES COTTON:

Album Of The Year - Cotton Mouth Man
Instrumentalist Of The Year - Harmonica
Song Of The Year - He Was There (by James Cotton, Tom Hambridge & Richard Fleming)
Traditional Blues Album Of The Year - Cotton Mouth Man
Traditional Blues Male Artist Of The Year

 
RICK ESTRIN:

B.B. King Entertainer Of The Year
Band Of The Year - Rick Estrin & The Nightcats
Instrumentalist Of The Year - Harmonica

KID ANDERSEN (guitarist for Rick Estrin & The Nightcats):
Instrumentalist Of The Year - Guitar

 
LIL' ED & THE BLUES IMPERIALS:

Band Of The Year


MARCIA BALL:

Pinetop Perkins Piano Player Of The Year