“LEGENDARY” (CHICAGO SUN-TIMES) SUGAR RAY & THE BLUETONES’ NAIL IT ON ‘LIVING TEAR TO TEAR’

Sugar Ray & The Bluetones – the blues ensemble celebrating its 35th anniversary and featuring the three-time GRAMMY-nominated frontman Sugar Ray Norcia – is earning raves for its new album ‘Living Tear To Tear’ (Severn Records). “Our Story” premiered at Huffington Post.

Here’s what we are reading:

“The hard-swinging band fully absorbed the lessons learned from Chicago blues masters.” - Damian Fanelli, Guitar World, July 29, 2014

“Legendary blues ensemble.” –Chicago Sun-Times, July 17, 2014

“The Bluetones are easily one of the tightest blues ensembles working today, and Welch’s guitar world is as tasteful as anything he’s recorded to date… Firing on all cylinders… It seems a foregone conclusion that ‘Living Tear To Tear’ will find itself on several award lists next year.”
-Roger Gatchet, Living Blues, October issue

"If authenticity is your bag, these are the guys to check out."
- Ed Friedland, Bass Player, November, 2014

"[Sugar Ray Norcia's] voice is soulfully engaging, in sync with Welch's guitar and his own masterful harmonica playing." –Samantha M. Lopez, Elmore Magazine, August 7, 2014

“A gem… The album is a pleasure to hear.” – Bill Wilcox, Twangville, August 29, 2014

“Remarkable… If Muddy Waters was still out there in 2014, he and his band would sound a lot like this--and that's a good thing.” –Jay Miller, Patriot-Ledger (MA), August 2, 2014

Sugar Ray & The Bluetones Tour Dates

Friday, October 10 - Chans, Woonsocket, RI
Friday, October 24 - Johnny D's Uptown, Somerville, MA
Saturday, November 1 - The Flying Monkey Performance Center, Plymouth,NH (with Tommy Castro)
Thursday, December 4 - Sculler's Jazz Club, Boston, MA

"DELIGHTFUL" (PITCHFORK) NEW CAMPER VAN BEETHOVEN 'LA COSTA PERDIDA' OUT THIS WEEK ON 429 RECORDS AS BAND TAPES NPR WORLD CAFÉ AND NPR MOUNTAIN STAGE THIS WEEK

429 Records released indie rock pioneers Camper Van Beethoven's new album 'La Costa Perdida' this week, which has earned raves from press and bloggers. In addition, the band is taping NPR's World Café today and NPR's Mountain Stage on Sunday and has added new tour dates (at bottom). Here's what we're reading:

"Delightful… It does illustrate how unique this band still is, 30 years after it formed. And it truly is a kick to hear CVB ply its craft with road-tested assurance and subtly virtuosic musicianship."

– Steve Hyden, Pitchfork Media, January 17, 2013

"For 30 years and counting, Camper Van Beethoven have existed in a parallel-universe borderland, coming across like a punk band perpetually on a Balkan bluegrass bender. But they finally bring it all back home to their native California on 10th album, La Costa Perdida, recalling '60s-vintage West Coast pop filtered through their timeless, idiosyncratic prism."

– David Menconi, SPIN, January 14, 2013

"I'm so happy the band is back."

– Whitney Matheson, USA Today.com, January 18, 2013

"The new album’s lead single, 'Someday Our Love Will Sell Us Out' [is] a swirling, Eastern-flavored psychedelic jam."

– Michael Nelson, Stereogum, January 10, 2013

"A uniquely skewed, bong-tastic surrealism… There's Americana, Mexican music, ska, fiddles both mournful and manic."

– Thomas Connor, Chicago Sun-Times, January 19, 2013

"Camper Van Beethoven still remain [sic] easy to love."

– Matt Melis, Consequence of Sound, January 21, 2013

"If the frigid air of winter is getting to you, rather than crank up the heat, throw on La Costa Perdida. It will wipe away all your seasonal depression."

– Steve Bonanno, Boston's Weekly Dig, January 7, 2013

"Engaging."

– Chuck Campbell, Scripps Howard Newswire/Knoxville News-Sentinel, January 15, 2013

"[The] writing glimmers in thick San Francisco Bay fog… Enter these redwoods at your own risk, and prepare to be bewitched."

– Tris McCall, Newark Star-Ledger, January 4, 2013

"Sure to satisfy… It’s an album unmoored in quiet, often fascinating ways."

– Matthew Fiander, PopMatters, January 21, 2013

"Northern California Girls" (radio edit) lyric video.

Postable, embeddable "Someday Our Love Will Sell Us Out" mp3.

CVB Tour dates:

Wed Jan 23 - Sky City – Augusta, GA

Thu Jan 24 - 40-Watt Club - Athens GA

Fri Jan 25 - The Grey Eagle – Asheville, NC

Sat Jan 26 - The Earl – Atlanta, GA

Sun Jan 27 - Mountain Stage - Charleston WV

Thu Feb 14 - Burnsville PAC - Minneapolis MN (w/ Cracker)

Sat Feb 16 - Rickshaw Stop - San Francisco CA

Sun Feb 17 - Hopmonk - Novato, Novato, CA

Mon Feb 18 - Odd Fellows Hall - Davis CA

Thurs Feb 21 – Hollywood, CA – House of Blues (w/ Leftover Salmon)

Fri Feb 22 - Tractor Tavern - Seattle WA

Sat Feb 23 - Mississippi Studios - Portland OR

"SUPERB" HOLIDAY FOLK MUSIC OF 'THE GATHERING' EARNS PLAUDITS, COMES TO NYC THIS WEEK

'The Gathering' by Laurelyn Dossett, Rhiannon Giddens, Mike Compton, Joe Newberry, and Jason Sypher. Meanwhile, the only performance by the band outside of North Carolina will be Saturday at City Winery. Here are some of the reviews we're reading:

"A breath of fresh, pine-scented air."
- LA Times

"What the season must have sounded like before shopping and Irving Berlin."
– The Wall Street Journal

"Superb."
– Chicago Sun-Times

"****"
– American Songwriter

"****1/2… It's a fresh approach to wintry music, with mountain-music instrumentation and crystalline harmonies."
– Houston Chronicle

"A nice change of pace, bluegrass style."
– Detroit News

"A welcome departure from the usual acoustic holiday fare [with] many highlights."
- Metromix

"A lovely piece of music."
- Raleigh News Observer

"It has a certain magic about it, this music, in the seeming ease of its instrumental virtuosity coupled to a spirit of friendship and common cause—there is not a moment on The Gathering that doesn’t sound free and impassioned, musicians having a great time playing with each other and giving their hearts to the task at hand."
– The Bluegrass Special

Click here for a video of Giddens and Dossett dueting on "String of Pearls."