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Blues Underground Network |
Blue Lunch "Sideswiped"
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Bringing you a good healthy helping of all flavors of the Blues is what Blue Lunch's newest release, "Sideswiped", is all about. "Sideswiped" is Blue Lunch's 5th Album, contains nearly one hour of music and 15 Tracks featuring a wide range of Blues Styles, from Swing to Boogie, from Soul to Chicago Blues, to name a few, all done with not only class, but also in a order that makes perfect sense for such a diverse CD. Of the 15 Tracks, 7 are original tunes and 8 covers which make for not only a great mix of music, but also shows the great range of expertise this exceptionally tight blues band has. One thing I noticed right of the bat with "Sideswiped", is that it truly lives up to it's band name, "Blue Lunch", and is the kind of music you could see yourself listening to in an old fashioned style eatery or dinner club, not only thoroughly enjoying the food but also the great atmosphere that such great music can bring to the mix. The players whom created the magic of "Sideswiped", are no strangers to the Cleveland Ohio music and have crafted their trade collectively for many years. The lineup for "Sideswiped", features Bob Frank, Bob Michael,Tony Koussa, Pete London, Mike Rubin, Scott Flowers, Ray DeForest, and Mike Sands all working together to bring one of the biggest and sharpest Blues Band Sounds around, especially with the exceptional horn and piano section. Picking a couple of favorites from this deep of an Album is not easy, but I chose "Don't Point That Thing At Me" and the opening track "Sideswiped". All in all "Sideswiped" is one heck of a good romp when it comes to the Blues and one Highly Recommended Album... Those whom love a wide variety of great blues will love "Sideswiped". John Vermilyea (Blues Underground Network) Other Reviews and Info TheBluesBlast.com This CD is HOT. Like really hot. Blue Lunch is a tight band who mix and match their sounds oh-so-well and really deliver an eclectic sound. Hailing from the Cleveland, Ohio, area, this is their fifth CD and it’s a good one. Led by Bob Frank on guitar, vocals, and harp, they offer a sound similar to Roomful of Blues. His vocal style is jumping and in the style of Duke Robillard. Pete London on vocals and harp offers up a different, echoing higher pitched vocal style that reminds me of our buddy from Madison, Jimmy Voegeli. He and Frank are both superb front men. Raymond DeForest on bass and occasional vocals and Scott Flowers on percussion are solid throughout. Mike Sands keyboard work ranges from elegant and harmonious to full throttle barrelhouse. The horns and brass make these guys larger than life. Keith McKelly on tenor sax, Bob Michael on trombone, and Mike Rubin on trumpet (with Gordon Beadle on the tenor lead on a couple of tracks) add a really nice dimension to the tracks. The title tracks is an instrumental and they open with it with great success. It sets a hot and fiery mood. The driving guitar and horns backed up by the drums and bass are great. At first I was taken aback by not featuring vocals to start, but they were toying with me. Frank offers a solid, clean sound on the swing track “Which Way to Go?” Very, very solid, perhaps my favorite track overall. They throw in a little Hammond B3 to thicken up the already rich sound. London fronts the band next on “Always Pickin’ on Me”, which is a bouncy, fun and lively track. By rack four they’ve slowed things down with the ballad, “All Things Come”. From fiery hot to low down and sentimental all in 15 minutes, and there are 11 tracks left! They show their versatility and range to start and then aptly continue to showcase their talents. They offer some eclectic originals and covers. “Monkey Hips and Rice”, “36-22-36”, “Mother-in-Law”, “Don’t Point That Thing at Me”, “Chinese Knockoff” and Too Much Boogie” that offer a lighter side of humor, novelty songs and just enjoyable stuff, all delivered with their big, solid sound. They threw in a second instrumental with a jazzy Bill Doggett/Illinois Jaquet cover of “Doggin’ With Doggett”; it is a swinging number that showcases all the instruments and their talented wielders. Whether it is traditional blues, swing, boogie woogie, rollicking barrelhouse or down tempo stuff, it is well done and quite professional. I can’t find anything to complain about in this Cleveland band except they need to get on the road and showcase their stuff so more people can find out what great band they are! Reviewer Steve Jones is secretary of the Crossroads Blues Society in Rockford. IL. For other reviews and interviews on our website CLICK HERE. BluesWax.com Led by dual vocalists Bob Frank and Pete London, the former on lead guitar and the latter on harmonica, Blue Lunch is probably most notable not only for its high quality musicianship but also for its versatility. How many other groups, replete with a full horn section of saxophone, trumpet, and trombone, can demonstrate skill with swing, 1940s big band jump Blues and jazz, lounge ballads, gospel, and Chicago Blues? Roomful of Blues comes to mind, but not many others. "Sideswiped" provides a taste of several subgenres of the Blues, as well as a hefty dose of sly humor in such tunes as "Monkey Hips and Rice" and "Mother-in-Law." The album sports almost a full hour of music, apportioned into fifteen cuts; seven are composed by Frank and others by such luminaries as Doc Pomus, Allen Toussaint, Bill Doggett, and Roy Gaines. The opener, the title tune "Sideswiped," sets the stage as an instrumental highlighting horns, guitar, piano, and sax in rapid, sapid sequence. The uptempo "Which Way to Go" follows, giving nice exposure to London's harp skill and is succeeded by "Always Pickin' on Me," an R-&-B ditty flavored by piano and horn solos and even a guest clarinet spot. The set remains at a high level throughout, with alternating tempos and styles maintaining interest and several guest musicians lending their talents to the basic eight-person combo. "The Best I Can," a Frank composition, in its horn ensemble backing recalls memories of the 1960s band Blood, Sweat and Tears, and displays fine rapport between Frank's guitar and London's harp. "Doggin' with Doggett" evokes the sound of a 1940s big band with successive solos of muted trumpet, trombone, sax, and jazzy guitar; I could envision it as the background music of a movie scene featuring WW II sailors on leave dancing with their gals. "Every Day Will Be Like a Holiday" is the nod to gospel, with moving vocal harmonies. Roy Gaines's "Isabella" begins and ends as a 1950s rock-and-roller with Frank's guitar solo a bluesy mid-tune interlude. "Mother-in-Law" demonstrates the band's R-&-B credentials, and "My Baby Knows Lovin'" is fine Chicago blues featuring Frank on slide guitar. "Too Much Boogie" is an uptempo closing romper with adept Gordon Beadle sax contributions. Lacking a dominant singer with raspy country intonation, urban power, or soul smoothness, Blue Lunch more than compensates with adaptability and panache. The band can swing and croon; it can be ribald and rockin'. Steve Daniels is a contributing editor to BluesWax.Steve can be reached at www.blueswax@visnat.com. By Anastasia Pantsios Sideswiped is the band's fifth album and their first since 2004's Big Sound Blues. All have been released on Wilbert's label, and fittingly, they'll have their release party at Wilbert's this weekend. Sideswiped demonstrates the band's seemingly limitless ability to freshen up '40s and '50s dance-music styles. Such seasoned musicians with stellar chops often produce technically admirable music that sounds rote. Not so here. The band applies a light and lively touch to jaunty novelty tunes like "Monkey Hips and Rice" and the Ernie K-Doe classic "Mother-in-Law," swings with aplomb on "Too Much Boogie" and injects the old-school R&B of "Every Day Will Be Like a Holiday" with the requisite fervor. By Greg Ceilic The guys in Blue Lunch have been playing the blues so long, either individually or as group, that their live shows almost become a lesson in blues music, showing influences from Chicago, New Orleans, Soul, 50's Rock and Roll, and everything in between. Their fifth release on Wilberts Records Sideswiped does the same thing, with fifteen solid tracks featuring Blue Lunch's many styles and talents. The disc includes seven originals and eight covers. Bob Frank, Pete London and company have you up and dancing on almost every track. The best of the originals include the title track, a great Memphis sound number; "All Things to Come," one of their favorite live tunes; and "Don't Point that Thing at Me." Amongst the covers are the R & B classic "Everyday will be Like a Holiday," with great four part harmony on the chorus; and the album's closer, a rowdy version of Doc Pomus's "Too Much Boogie." Blue Lunch is Frank on guitar and vocals, London on harmonica and vocals, Raymond DeForest on bass, Scott Flowers on drums, Mike Sands on piano, Keith McKelley on tenor, Bob Michael on trombone, and Mike Rubin on trumpet. The guest list for Sideswiped is a who's who of the blues, including a couple of great sax solos by Boston's "Sax" Gordon Beadle. I highly recommend Blue Lunch's new release Sideswiped, it's a great piece of music from some local guys who really know how to do it. BluesBytes Blue Lunch is a Cleveland, OH-based blues band that plays a wide range of music, ranging from blues (jump or Chicago), New Orleans R&B, soul, jazz, and classic rock & roll. The eight-piece band has just released their fifth recording, on Wilberts Records, called Sideswiped. The covers are a diverse set, ranging from Crescent City R&B (“Always Pickin’ On Me” and “Mother-In-Law”) to jump blues (“Too Much Boogie” and “Doggin’ With Doggett”), doo-wop and soul (“Monkey Hips and Rice” and William Bell’s “Every Day Will Be Like A Holiday”), and the blues (Roy Gaines’ “Isabella” and Bobby Bland’s immortal “36-22-36”). Blue Lunch shows their versatility on this eclectic mix of tunes. Though the band (Frank, Pete London – harmonica, vocals, Raymond DeForest – bass, bass vocals, Scott Flowers – drums, Mike Sands – piano, Keith McKelley – tenor sax, Bob Michael – trombone, vocals, Mike Rubin – trumpet, vocals) is in fine form, they also get a helping hand from fellow musicians “Sax” Gordon Beadle (tenor sax), Sammy DeLeon (percussion), Tim Longfellow (Hammond B3), Erwin Michael (clarinet), Ryan Pennington (vocals), Kate Brown (vocals), and Lisa Rubin (vocals). Fans of good-time rocking blues and boogie will enjoy Blue Lunch’s latest effort. Tracklist 1.Sideswiped 3:53 Listen To Blue Lunch's Music Here
Bob Frank Bob Michael Bob Michael is a seasoned member of Blue Lunch who brings a wealth of musical experience to the band. A great trombone player, Bob also comes from a musical family. His Dad, Irv Michael, frequently joins the band on alto saxophone and clarntet. Prior to joining Blue Lunch Bob played with several salsa bands including Impacto Nuevo. Married with two children, Bob makes his home in South Euclid, OH where once a year he puts together several dozen jars of the best home-canned dill pickles on the face of the earth. Tony Koussa In the summer of 1997 a very intense 13 year old boy was brought to a Blue Lunch show by his dad who wanted him to sit in with the band. After listening to him it was decided that he was pretty good for a 13 year-old. Within two years he was playing sub jobs with the band. At 15 he had become pretty good, period. Now, at age 22, he has long surpassed "pretty good" and become one of the finest saxophonists and multi-instrumentalists anywhere. A full member of the band since the summer of 2004, Tony brings a great deal to the band, including his talents as a vocalist. Pete London Pete London is the frontman, harmonica player, vocalist and un-official leader of Blue Lunch. Pete was one of the original founders of Blue Lunch and has been with the band through all of its incarnations and for all of its eighteen years. At 6'3" Pete is formidable presence at the front of the band and fills the spaces between songs with rapid-fire one liners. Pete relates to an audience with the aplomb of a borscht-belt comic and is every bit as funny. He plays the harp with a full-throated Little Walteresque tone and sings with full-bore enthusiasm. Offstage, Pete is a family man, married to Shelley and father of Eli and Ayla, and works for the Cleveland Public Library system. Mike Rubin Trumpet player Mike Rubin brings a lifetime of professionalism to the Blue Lunch band. Mike is much-in-demand session player and has played in the pit-bands of many of the Playhouse Square shows. Artists he has performed for and toured with include the Count Basie Band, Tony Bennett, Gladys Knight, Diane Schur, The Manhattan Transfer, Al Martino, The Four Tops, The Ink Spots, and Amhad Jamahl. Mike also played for fifteen years with the house band for the Ringling Brother's and Barnum and Bailey Circus. He is also the owner of Prospect Music, Cleveland's oldest music store. Mike, his wife Lisa and daughter live in South Euclid, OH. His contributions and unique approach to big band swing refines our horn section on our latest release "Big Sound Blues". Scott Flowers Holding the drum position in Blue Lunch, now for his second time go-round, is Scott Flowers. Born and raised on a diary farm in Gustavus, OH, Scott set out early to make his mark as a musician by moving to the Washington, DC area where he soon landed the drum chair with the well-known touring and recording act, The Star Spangled Washboard Band. Scott also toured extensively with Eddie & Martha Adcock, Bob Margolin, Tex Rubinowitz, the Neanderthals, the Falls City Ramblers, and many more. Scott played on the first Blue Lunch recording, Recorded Live at Wilberts, and now plays again on their fifth and newest cd, Sidswiped. When not performing with Blue Lunch,Scott works as a licensed massage therapist. He, his wife Inga and their daughter Isabella live in Mayfield Heights, OH. Ray DeForest Bass-master Ray DeForest is nothing less than a legend on the area music scene. Ray, his wife and their four children make their home in Cleveland Heights, OH. Expert on both electric and upright basses Ray has performed with such notable area groups as the Mr. Stress Blues Band, ACO, Aces & Eights, Princess Ladia and the Natural Facts. If you've been a blues or traditional jazz fan in the Cleveland area during the past thirty years or so, you'll probably recognize Mike Sands. The back-bone of the Mr. Stress Blues Band for many years, Mike, known as "The Professor", now brings his solid, traditionally based piano playing to the Blue Lunch band. His Contributions and fresh sound is displayed on our latest release "Big Sound Blues".
The late great Robert Lockwood Jr. performs "Stormy Monday" with Cleveland's Blue Lunch. This was from the "Evening of the Blues" portion of the Rock My Soul series at the Cleveland Public Library Martin Luther King branch. The event took place Jan. 20, 2006. Musicians in this clip include Bob Frank-guitar, Mike Sands-piano, Mike Janowitz-drums, Ray DeForest-bass, Tony Koussa, Jr.-tenor sax, MIke Rubin-trumpet, and Bob Michael-trombone. http://www.bluelunch.com/
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