Bitrate: MP3@320K/s
Time: 61:06
Size: 139.9 MB
Styles: R&B, Urban blues
Year: 2013
Art: Front
[3:53] 1. Bed Of Nails
[3:13] 2. Every Day's The Same
[4:38] 3. Reputation
[5:20] 4. Empire Of Dirt
[4:25] 5. Blues And Trouble
[4:21] 6. The Jungle
[4:54] 7. You're Still My Baby
[5:09] 8. Ironclad Alibi
[4:11] 9. Two By Two
[7:15] 10. Easy To Be The Devil
[4:06] 11. Whole Lotta Shakin' Goin' On
[3:42] 12. Mr. Williams
[5:52] 13. Half The Money
Attention-grabbing contemporary blues acts -- bands that really encourage listeners to pull classic albums out of rotation -- can be hard to find. Fair or not, it usually takes something special to pique my interest; exceptional tunesmithing and musicianship, a unique instrumental lineup, or a sound that draws from diverse traditions. Blues and Trouble from Kansas City-based Grand Marquis, manages to score on all three counts. By contrast to the six-string foundation of most modern blues acts, the sound of Grand Marquis is rooted in its brass players -- Bryan Redmond on saxophone (and lead vocals) and Chad Boyston on trumpet. Bass player Ben Ruth even takes up the sousaphone in a throwback to the pre-electric days of Dixieland swing (perfect counterpoint to the washboard rhythm of drummer Lisa Mackenzie). The group's sound does justice to the rich blues and jazz history of Kansas City, a musical crossroads often unfairly eclipsed by glitzier northern metropolises. ~Ben Bonin
Blues And Trouble mc
Blues And Trouble zippy
Bitrate: MP3@320K/s
Time: 27:19
Size: 62.5 MB
Styles: R&B, Urban blues
Year: 2012
Art: Front
[3:00] 1. The Jungle
[4:01] 2. Bad Dream Blues
[5:33] 3. Easy To Be The Devil
[3:24] 4. I'm A Wine Drinker
[5:16] 5. That's My Desire
[2:52] 6. Mystery Train W Tiger Man
[3:11] 7. When The Saints Go Marching In
It was late January of 2011 and an epic midwest snowstorm was moving in across northern Missouri. The Grand Marquis pulled out of Kansas City as freezing rain dotted their windshield. They were headed down south to the International Blues Challenge, a massive annual competition comprised of nearly 200 of the best blues bands in the world, held in Memphis, Tennessee. That week representing the Topeka Blues Society, they advanced past the quarterfinal and semifinal rounds, earning a place in the Finals (top eight) to play the Orpheum Theatre. Their bold, jumpin', swingin' and rootsy sound had Beale Street abuzz, and their original music was turning heads as everyone took notice that the Grand Marquis aren't your run of the mill outfit. Theirs is a style that defies the limitations of category; simultaneously modern and relevant, yet refreshingly familiar and classic. Their songs are bluesy and rhythmic with a jazz sensibility, played with a devil-may-care exuberance that threatens to pull anyone out of their chair to dance.
But before they took the stage in competition that week, the Grand Marquis' first stop in Memphis was 706 Union Avenue. They had always been aware of the history and revolutionary contributions to the pantheon of American music that emanated from that address some fifty to sixty years earlier, so to pass up the chance to record at Sun Studio would have been criminal. After all, the Grand Marquis share much of the same musical ethos, influences and often songbook as those Sun artists. When the last guided tour of the day was done they loaded in their instruments and set up to record. Matt Ross-Spang engineered the session, and did a superb job of capturing the magical sound of the room in the recordings. Throughout the session it was evident everyone was enjoying playing while remaining focused, intent on producing a recording worthy of the standing alongside those made there over the last half century.
But before they took the stage in competition that week, the Grand Marquis' first stop in Memphis was 706 Union Avenue. They had always been aware of the history and revolutionary contributions to the pantheon of American music that emanated from that address some fifty to sixty years earlier, so to pass up the chance to record at Sun Studio would have been criminal. After all, the Grand Marquis share much of the same musical ethos, influences and often songbook as those Sun artists. When the last guided tour of the day was done they loaded in their instruments and set up to record. Matt Ross-Spang engineered the session, and did a superb job of capturing the magical sound of the room in the recordings. Throughout the session it was evident everyone was enjoying playing while remaining focused, intent on producing a recording worthy of the standing alongside those made there over the last half century.
The Sun Session mc
The Sun Session zippy