Veteran Bluesman and Carolina Chocolate Drop join forces in DC show

Music Maker is pleased to announce the addition of several upcoming tour dates for Boo Hanks and Dom Flemons, one of which will be at The Hamilton in Washington, D.C. on August 19.  The two blues artists plan to promote their new collaborative album Buffalo Junction, which will be released June 19.

Hanks, one of the most important ‘discoveries’ in recent blues history, grew up sharecropping in Vance County, N.C., where he learned to play guitar from his father and from listening to Blind Boy Fuller on a wind-up gramophone. After partnering with Music Maker he went from being heard only in his community to playing for thousands at shows and festivals across the South, at the Lincoln Center and in Belgium, and opening for the Carolina Chocolate Drops. Flemons, who won a Grammy in 2011 with the Drops, was at the Music Maker office the day Hanks first arrived, and their friendship and collaborations grew from that first jam session over the next six years.

Dom Flemons said of the recording experience: "Boo Hanks is a treasure. His vocal and guitar phrases are something so unique and forgotten in the modern world of folk and blues.  He an absolutely engaging songster and it has been a pleasure to have played with him for several years and to be a part of this album which will hopefully present his music to a much wider audience.”

Hanks’ and Flemons’ new album Buffalo Junction, named for Hanks’ hometown in Virginia, features upbeat, country blues that crosses generational lines. The album highlights Hanks on the guitar and vocals, while Flemons plays a variety of traditional instruments such as the jug, harmonica, bones and also sings backup vocals.

Music Maker president Tim Duffy said of the upcoming tour: “Audiences will have a chance to enjoy this new collaboration in person through these performances. They will see live the passing of the torch from Piedmont Blues veteran Boo Hanks to an artist like Dom, who is poised to take the sound into this new century.”

The Illinois Entertainer calls Buffalo Junction, "Fascinating, important, a singular musical experience, and required listening for blues, folk, and musical history fans alike featuring dazzling picking."

Hanks is a partner artist of Music Maker, while Flemons is a Next Generation Artist. Through Next Generation partnerships, MMRF fosters the continuation of Southern traditional music among younger generations of musicians. Buffalo Junction is a collaborative album that does just that.

Listen to a track from Buffalo Junction here.

Ticket information for tour dates will soon be available at musicmaker.org.

The Hamilton is located at 600 14th Street Washington, DC 20005, call (202) 787-1000.

"ALT-ROCKERS [WHO MAKE] BARB-WIRE HOOKS WITH GREAT HARMONY WORK" (BAEBLE MUSIC) SONS OF FATHERS COMPLETE MASTERPIECE SECOND ALBUM 'BIG DIAMOND WALTZ,' MIXED BY VANCE POWELL (JACK WHITE), OUT AUGUST 15 ON BLANCO RIVER MUSIC

OPENING DATES PLANNED WITH ALISON KRAUSS AND DWIGHT YOAKAM

"ONE OF 12 TO WATCH IN 2012… TERRIFIC… BARN-BURNING" – EMUSIC

"HOT TRACKS… IMPRESSIVE" - RELIX

Following heavy touring and intensive songwriting sessions, "breakout" (Austin Chronicle) "alt-rockers" (Baeble Music) Sons of Fathers fulfills the promise of last year's self-titled debut with a profound, terse masterpiece of a second album 'Big Diamond Waltz' (August 15 / Blanco River Music). Vance Powell, who mixed Jack White's 'Blunderbuss' and albums by Dead Weather and The Raconteurs, approached the band at an in-store at Grimey's in Nashville, TN and offered to mix 'Big Diamond Waltz.' Baeble Music raved about the "barb wire hooks" of the new material, which was self-produced by band principles David Beck and Paul Cauthen, continuing, "Sons of Fathers make their case for why they should be included in your current crush on southern rock leaning bands."

Powell said, "The Sons are blazing a trail out of Austin with great songs and a cool sound unique unto themselves. I loved working on the album."

Embeddable MP3 of"Burning Days."

Downloadable, postable MP3 of"Burning Days"

Behind-the-scenes footage of Sonsof Fathers producing and recording 'Big Diamond Waltz'

Sons of Fathers were named one of "12 to watch in 2012" by eMusic, which called the self-titled debut album "terrific" and "barn-burning," continuing, "nothing can take away the songwriting duo's brotherly harmonies [and] their band's ruckus-raising live shows." Relix Magazine called the self-titled debut album "hot tracks," continuing, "Sons of Fathers puts on an impressive live show but the album is even better." Dates are planned opening for Alison Krauss and Dwight Yoakam.

While 'Sons of Fathers' earned comparisons to The Avett Brothers (by CMT.com and AOL Music), Dawes (Baeble Music), and Ray LaMontagne, the new album adds new elements to their sound on 'Big Diamond Waltz' and in their ferocious live shows: circus-inspired waltzes and reprises with swirling horns and slide guitar, dark blues, and spine-tingling folk, all with Sons of Fathers' harmonies which are "nothing short of moving" (WXPN). Much like the Byrds redefined the boundaries of Country and The Band did so with rock, Sons of Fathers merge the two seamlessly and bridge the generations with a new original sound like no other.

Highlights include "Big Diamond Waltz," a searching song with an unmatched intensity; the unrequited lovelorn "To Whom Do You Belong?," the ballad "Lay Me Down"; the scorching "Burning Days"; and the dark character study of "You're Gonna Hurt Someone."

The vocal and songwriting chemistry between Cauthen, grandson of a Texas preacher who taught him to sing and play, and Beck, son of a prominent Texas upright bassist, has deepened. They are rooted in Texas music but steeped in the indie-folk scene.

The band has also completed a Daytrotter session.

Sons of Fathers are Beck (bass and vocals), Cauthen (acoustic guitar and vocals), Dees Stribling (drums), Regan Schmidt (guitar, slide guitar), Bryan Mammel (keyboards), and Tony Browne (guitar).

SPIRIT FAMILY REUNION ANNOUNCES 7" RECORD OF "I WANT TO BE RELIEVED" AND "GREEN ROCKY ROAD" JUNE 15 ALONGSIDE DEBUT ALBUM 'NO SEPARATION'

BROOKLYN VEGAN POSTS "I WANT TO BE RELIEVED"

MERCURY LOUNGE HEADLINING SHOW CONFIRMED FOR JUNE 15 AS NEWPORT FOLK FESTIVAL, CELEBRATE BROOKLYN APPROACH

Spirit Family Reunion – the ready-to-break Brooklyn band that's already been booked at Newport Folk Festival and opened for Levon Helm – has confirmed the release of a 7" vinyl record June 15, alongside the release of its debut 'No Separation.' The 7" will consist of the rollicking original "I Want To Be Relieved" and "Green Rocky Road," from the repertoire of Karen Dalton.

Brooklyn Vegan recently posted "I Want To Be Relieved" and compared the band's "rowdiness" to that of Deer Tick and The Felice Brothers.

Postable mp3 of "I Want To Be Relieved" here.

NYC's Mercury Lounge will host the CD and 7" release show June 15. May 15, they packed the room with dancing, chanting fans in an opening slot. Spirit Family Reunion will then play at Newport Folk Festival July 28 and Celebrate Brooklyn August 4.

SPIRIT FAMILY REUNION TAKES CHURCH REVIVAL ENERGY AND IDEAS TO UNIVERSAL LEVEL WITH ORIGINAL AMERICAN MUSIC

BAND SELLS ITS OWN SONGBOOKS, INTENDING TO SPARK COMMUNITY

NEW YORKERS: SFR CONFIRMS ALBUM RELEASE SHOW JUNE 15 AT MERCURY LOUNGE

BAEBLE MUSIC: "WE COULDN’T BE MORE EXCITED"

Spirit Family Reunion – the ready-to-break Brooklyn band that's already been booked at Newport Folk Festival and opened for Levon Helm – sells something curious alongside its CDs: band songbooks with lyrics and chords. Guitarist/vocalist Nick Panken says, "We write simple songs that anyone could pick up on. There's a simplicity and universality."

Reminiscent of Woody Guthrie, The Anthology of American Folk Music, and The Band, the songs are intended to be sung by a wide audience, both at Spirit Family Reunion concerts and beyond. Bassist/vocalist Ken Woodward explains, "In performance, we try to break through the invisible shell that keeps people separated, which is why people say we're a joyful band." Panken adds, "Our audience doesn't just stand there. It's participatory."

The songwriting grew from the band's year-long residency at Lovin' Cup Café. Panken recalls, "We started playing these old church songs. We thought that we'd take the feeling and make it more universal."

From the debut album 'No Separation,' the Spirit Family Reunion songbook includes "I Want To Be Relieved," "I'll Find a Way," "No Separation," and "To All My Friends and Relations."

Blogs are starting to pick up on what bookers at Newport Folk Festival and Celebrate Brooklyn already know. Brooklyn Vegan posted "I Want To Be Relieved" and hailed the band's "rowdiness."

My Old Kentucky Blog posted "I Am Following the Sound," calling 'No Separation' "the fervor of a tent revival with the wallop of a bare-knuckle brawler… hoothollerstampandshout."

Baeble Music said, "We couldn't be more excited."

Spirit Family Reunion has confirmed an album release show at NYC's Mercury Lounge June 15.

More info, video, mp3, photos.

Tour dates.

MERCURY LOUNGE SHOWS MAY 12 PREVIEW SLOTS AT NEWPORT FOLK FESTIVAL, CELEBRATE BROOKLYN FOR BREAKOUT-READY BROOKLYN BAND SPIRIT FAMILY REUNION

Spirit Family Reunion – the soon-to-break Brooklyn band that'll make their Newport Folk Festival debut this year – will play May 12 at Mercury Lounge.

           

Before even releasing their debut album 'No Separation' (June 15), they have opened for Levon Helm and David Wax Museum; confirmed slots with Celebrate Brooklyn (August 4, with The Del McCoury Band; and Cahalen Morrison & Eli West) and the Newport Folk Festival (July 28); and have gained an NYC fanbase.

'No Separation' ranges from the rousing calls of "I Am Following The Sound," posted on Baeble Music, the undeniably soulful "Green Rocky Road," the dusty "Under the Highway," drawing comparisons to Woody Guthrie and The Band.

Paste Magazine said, "Dusty acoustic guitars, wailing fiddles and weeping accordions, with a woozy-yet-skintight rhythm section—and topped off with burr-edged vocals that sound like they’ve been soaked in a Mason jar for generations—it’s the type of music that blurs the line between past and present so thoroughly, and so deftly, that time feels irrelevant."

Time Out New York testified, "Rabble-rousing Brooklyn folkies Spirit Family Reunion deliver foot-stomping, throaty, joyful songs. We defy you not to tap along."

CHARLES "SKIP" PITTS: APRIL 7, 1947 - MAY 1, 2012

Charles “Skip” Pitts, one of the architects of soul, R&B, and funk guitar and a member of the Bo-Keys, passed away this morning at the age of 65. Pitts is best known for creating two of the signature guitar riffs of all time: The Isley Brothers’ “It’s Your Thing” and the wah-wah on Isaac Hayes’ “Theme From Shaft.”

Getting tips from his neighbor Bo Diddley, Pitts learned to play guitar at age 11 on the street corners of his childhood home of Washington, D.C. Meanwhile, Pitts’ uncle owned a hotel next to the prestigious Howard Theater, where he met a who’s who of soul and rhythm and blues legends, including James Brown and Otis Redding. He was soon on stage himself, performing with Sam & Dave, Wilson Pickett, and performing and recording with the Isley Brothers and Rufus Thomas.

He first recorded at the age of 15 on Gene Chandler's "Rainbow 65." Following this time with the Isley Brothers' backing band The Midnight Movers, Pitts experienced the longest collaboration of his career with Isaac Hayes, staying with him from 1971 to 2008. After the success of “Shaft,” he appeared in the concert film “Wattstax” and started recorded with other Stax artists, holding his own with Albert King, among others. (He is associated so deeply with the wah-wah pedal that he is interviewed in a new documentary “Cry Baby: The Pedal That Rocks The World” alongside Slash, Buddy Guy, Eddie Van Halen, Kirk Hammett.)

When not on the road or in the studio with Hayes, Pitts was a session player at Stax, and played on many hit recordings by artists such as Albert King and Rufus Thomas. More recently, he has performed on the score for the Academy Award-winning film "Hustle and Flow" with The Bo-Keys and  performed on the Grammy-nominated Al Green record, "I Can't Stop," produced by Willie Mitchell.

Pitts’ accomplishments continue deep into the 21st century; alongside the Bo-Keys, he performed on Cyndi Lauper’s GRAMMY-nominated 2010 album ‘Memphis Blues’ and backed her on the Late Show with David Letterman (CBS). He has also given back to his Memphis community, teaching at-risk youth in Memphis at the Stax Music Academy. He is heavily featured on the Bo-Keys' 2011 release 'Got To Get Back!,' which earned year-end best status from the Associated Press and several Blues Music Award nominations. Guitar Player Magazine did a feature on Pitts. Click here to read it.

Pitts' classic guitar riffs have been sampled by hip hop royalty such as Dr. Dre with Snoop Dogg, Beastie Boys, Massive Attack, Eazy-E, and DJ Shadow with Cut Chemist.

In addition to music, Pitts also delved into acting in his latter years, appearing in the award-winning "Forty Shades of Blue," "Black Snake Moan" and appeared with the Bo-keys along with Samuel L Jackson and Bernie Mac in "Soul Men."

He passed away this morning at Methodist Hospital in Memphis, TN. A burial is planned in Washington, D.C. He is survived by his wife.