Presented by FreeNote Music and spearheaded by microtonal guitarist and composer Jon Catler, and vocalist, Babe Borden, B.A.B. Festival will happen at Crash Mansion on Thursday, April 3rd, from 7:30pm-1am, on the lower east side of Manhattan, featuring blues bands Willie McBlind (led by Jon Catler), Terraplane (led by Elliott Sharp), Hugh Pool Band, and Stone Crazy Blues Band (led by Chris Morda). This melting pot of progressive blues artists will culminate in a performance by the 13 O'Clock Blues Band, a collaborative effort of the above artists which breaks new ground in the field, melding mysterious blues overtones and rhythmic patterns into what promises to be a hypnotic and rousing finale.
Blues journeyman, Hugh Pool, opens the show with his spellbinding, high octane bluesmanship. Pool has traveled from Japan to Germany, and here in the U.S. has played arenas from B.B. King in NYC to Pittsburgh Blues Festival - over the years he has shared the spotlight with blues greats like Johnny Winter, John Mayall, Leslie West and Steady Rollin' Bob Margolin. “Hugh Pool is a Brooklyn cowboy, if there ever was one. This wildman from Williamsburgh has been up and down these highway roads across America, many times now gracing audiences with his fancy fret work and his self-described psyche-delta stomp" (New York Press)
Stone Crazy Blues Band, which springs out of the Pacific Northwest blues scene in Seattle, follows with its engaging mix of classics and fresh originals. “SCCB...has a strong musical personality unlike that of any other blues band anywhere. At the core is Morda's strikingly creative and fluid use of electric guitars--standard, slide, slide lap, and the Twelve Tone Ultra Plus." (Frank-John Hadley)
As the evening heats up, psychedelic electric Delta blues band, Willie McBlind, whose debut CD Find My Way Back Home was released in 2007 with cover art by legendary 60's poster artist Victor Moscoso, will take the stage with its powerful live show. This band has been catching the attention of blues DJ's and critics across the U.S. and abroad, with critical acclaim coming from as far afield as Poland. Downbeat gave the band a shining three-and-a-half star ovation in the January 08 issue, describing their music as.... “stunning." (Frank-John Hadley) Willie McBlind is fronted by Jon Catler, world renowned master of Harmonically tuned guitars, and Babe Borden who launches blues singing into a new realm with her multi-genre 3-octave soaring vocals.
Elliott Sharp brings his pioneering blues band Terraplane to headline Blue Apple Blues Festival. A favorite of the NYC Downtown music scene for decades, Sharp and the members of Terraplane have been around the planet, making waves wherever they venture - in one of their recent European performances at Teatro Manzoni in Milan, joined onstage by Hubert Sumlin, the band received a rousing response from a packed house of 1,000. “Even when Sharp is using effects and extended techniques, or the band is playing something different than a standard blues sound, the feeling of the blues is never lost - it's all about feeling and Sharp's got that. This recording is a lot closer to the real spirit of the blues than a truckload of Stevie Ray Vaughan wannabes." (Sean Westergaard, All Music Guide)
This collection of dedicated artists has been seriously honing their craft as blues musicians for years - they are seasoned players who forge ahead in pursuit of new ideas and are far from resting on their individual laurels. As the night takes off, the cumulative synergy summoned by these bands will be palpable and shouldn't be missed by true music lovers who want to hear something exciting and revolutionary that taps into true blues/rock spirit.
Blue Apple Blues Festival artists will also appear at Collective:Unconscious on Saturday, April 5th as part of a night of solo performances wrapped up by an artist symposium featuring Jon Catler, Hugh Pool, Chris Morday and Elliott Sharp. This event will take place between 7:30-9:30pm.
For B.A.B. Festival updates, including additional performance events, contact FreeNote Music at [email protected] or visit our website.
Event information:
Blue Apple Blues Festival @ Crash Mansion
Thursday, April 3, 7pm - 1am
199 Bowery Street @ Spring Street, New York, NY 10002
$15 at door
212-982-0740
[email protected]
www.crashmansion.com
For more information contact Just Roots PR.
