Current Ruminations From The Product's Illustrious Inventor!

Claudettes on the Bluesmobile (Dan Aykroyd) and more…

Hey now-

Here’s Dan Aykroyd, introducing his Bluesmobile’s favorite song of the week (his Bluesbreaker): it’s the Claudettes’ “Tide Pool”:
https://soundcloud.com/thebluesmobile/elwoods-blues-breaker-the-1

We are off and running with shows coming up all over the Midwest, up into Canada and overseas in Europe. Find the Claudettes on Facebook, and we’ll also post those shows and more at http://theclaudettes.com.

Find the album and more at our label page: http://yellowdogrecords.com/theclaudettes

Here are many of the nice things that have been said about the album; thanks to all!:

DOWNBEAT Hits listeners upside the head with a mash-up of Otis Spann blues, Albert Ammons boogie-woogie, Ray Charles soul and “Fess” Longhair New Orleans R&B. Catch them in a chaotic ballroom!

CHICAGO SUN-TIMES Fuses blues and punk, and all points between….The hectic boogaloo of “Deep Soul for High Society” pays rowdy homage to Ray Charles…prodigious skill, but not purism.

BG (BUDDY GUY’S BLUES AND MUSIC NEWS) Uninhibited, wild, exciting…yet deep-rooted Chicago blues. A very powerful and impassioned album done as only true Chicago blues masters could do it. With this album, Johnny could easily inherit Big Moose Walker’s mantle as the piano wild man of Chicago blues. A pair like the Claudettes really shows the continued vitality and possibilities of Chicago blues in the 21st century.

COLOSSAL POP Beautiful and chaotic and wildly impressive all at once….If you would have told me three weeks ago that the most played album in my rotation would be a piano and drum instrumental album, I would have laughed….I’m all in. I love this album and the Claudettes may be my new favorite band!

BLUES BYTES (SURPRISE PICK OF THE MONTH, NOVEMBER 2013) One of the freshest discs that has crossed my ears in a long time…an amazing find…Iguana and Caskey play their instruments like men possessed.

AMERICAN BLUES SCENE Johnny Iguana sounds like a saloon pianist from the Wild West brought to the future, his own vaudeville style modernized alongside Caskey’s sweet and delectable drumming, blending blues, jazz and a good time, creating an album unlike any other on the market.

EDEN BRENT (VIA FACEBOOK) Has all the sophistication of 21st-century serious music with a helluva sense of humor….Most interesting piano album in my collection since Brubeck’s Take Five.

CAUGHT IN THE CAROUSEL They come across like a ragtime White Stripes, tearing through the 13 numbers here with an undeniable musical velocity….Truly one of the most refreshing musical experiences of the year.

FOLK AND ACOUSTIC MUSIC EXCHANGE Some of the most startling music you are going to hear…you are in for a wild ride. They seem like two madmen…but they are two madmen in beautiful tight rhythm.

BMAN’S BLUES REPORT A nonstop piano riot….With Hound Dog Taylor Taylor intensity, the two men create a rockin’ frenzy….Iguana has a lot to say and says a lot without saying a word.

SEPIACHORD Soon to be classic…a vintage vibe that should find ears with neo-hipsters, old-school cool cats and contemporary greasers alike.

RICHARD MILNE, WXRT, CHICAGO Piano and drums and tons of energy and good tunes…bodacious grooves!

POP MATTERS Greasy keyboard-based barrelhouse blues with a side of heavy beat that evokes early Chicago R&B/rock…makes you jump and dance…a little scary, but that’s just part of the dangerous thrill.

CASCADE BLUES ASSOCIATION: Definitely nothing remotely blues-rock. There is a timeless feeling meshing the great pianists of the past with a modern flair that resembles nobody else.

CINCINNATI ENQUIRER An amped blues-rock-soulful-jazz explosion….You’re going to need a good day of rest afterward from the dancing and feet tapping that abounds from the music of these gentlemen.

 

 

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THE CLAUDETTES

The Claudettes have our first album coming out in October.
We have a whole MESS of dates we’re playing this fall.
Go here to hear tracks, watch some great live and in-studio videos and read more

 

In the meantime, I’m headed to Japan with Matthew Skoller Band on Tuesday, I have an August show with Software Giant, then I will have a relaxed August in which to prepare for a busy fall.

Cheerio,
ig

Where have I been?

Don’t ask.

Just come to these:

Software Giant: Fri. Apr. 5 at Subterranean in Chicago

The Claudettes: Fri. May 3 at the Hideout in Chicago

See the jukeboxes on this website for new music by all of the above!

 

Three great new live videos from Cognac!

Really proud of this show we did: Billy Boy Arnold with me, Kenny Smith and Billy Flynn. We did this right (a tribute to Big Bill Broonzy and Sonny Boy Williamson)–in a 13th-century chamber in the Otard Chateau. See the first three videos on this page here. We did about 12 songs; three were posted on YouTube by whoever took this stealth footage…

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Free show in Chicago!:

The Claudettes will be playing a whole lotta shows around the Midwest in April. For now, if you can be in Chicago and like sunsets and long walks on the beach, come to this and tell a friend:

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Claudette’s basement; Claudettes shows

Claudette’s basement has been pumped and cleaned and sealed. She is back in business! (Not her bar. Her house flooded. She’s back in business on the road with us.)

Thanks to her cousin Kimmy for filling in and selling beers for Claudette a couple weeks ago.

Coming right up:

1) Wed. 1/11: The Whistler, Chicago. With Man Is Man. They play at 10, we play at 11:00.  Free show.

2) Thurs. 1/12: Riverwest Public House, Milwaukee, WI. With Animals in Human Attire. Only $5 ($3 for members). 9:30 show.

3) Fri. 1/13: Friday the 13th show (scary!) at The Livery, Benton Harbor, MI. $6. With Nick Major Band. 9:00.

4) Sat. 1/14: Black Sparrow, Lafayette, IN. Free show, great place!

 

Claudette has been in a mood lately. This ought to be interesting…
https://www.facebook.com/events/180928848668429/

 

 

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