Jim Suhle

Jim Suhler made a name for himself in the State of Texas as one of a number of fine young Texas guitar slingers coming out of the Dallas area. In recent times, Suhler has stepped into the national spotlight as the second guitarist for George Thorogood and the Destroyers. On Friday night, Jim Suhler brought his own band, Monkeybeat, out to Famous Dave’s, performing in more of the Texas style that Suhler developed as a Texas regional star.
Following an opening instrumental that showcased Suhler’s guitar talents and featured a clearly Texas, guitar-based style, the band broke into a fine version of ”Black Cat Bone,” including Suhler’s fine guitar and vocals, along with and excellent keyboard solo by Sean Phares, a fine player who has worked with another Texas guitar notable, Andrew “Jr. Boy” Jones.

Backed by the rhythm section of Carlton Powell on bass and Jimmy Morgan on drums, Suhler played some good, old-fashioned Texas boogie in the form of “Leave My Blues Behind.” The song featured more solo work by Suhler and Phases, playing both in unison and dueling each other during the song. On “Beggin’ You Please,” Suhler again demonstrated is fine vocals and stellar guitar. On “Every Dog Has His Day.” Suhler played an extended and very soulful, edgy solo.

Playing with a cigarette burning from between the fingers on his pick hand, Suhler’ sound took on a spacey, Hendrix-like sound that turned out to be a premonition of what would occur later in the evening. The first set ended with a song called “Shake,” that included more heavy, guitar filled Texas boogie, coupled with another excellent keyboard solo by Phares. With snippets of the Yardbirds classic, “Over Under Sideways Down,” this was a nice ending to the first set of the evening and Suhler’s first time ever at Famous Dave’s.

If the first set was filled with consistency, the second set was filled with variety. Suhler’s second set opened with Suhler and bassist Carlton Powell on acoustic guitars, sitting down and performing two songs, “Shake Hands With The Blues” and “Texas Easy Street” a song written in the 1920’s by Henry Thomas.

When the full band returned to the stage, Suhler shifted to an electrified Dobro for A Robert Lockwood song entitled “Little Boy Blue,” that included a nice keyboard solo by Sean Phares, along with some excellent slide guitar by Suhler. After another slide filled tune entitled, “Shotgun Shack,” the band performed an exceptional version of a Jimi Hendrix tune (“Are You Experienced”) that Suhler introduced by saying, “Imagine Robert Johnson on mushrooms!”

The mood and instrumentation switched several times during the set as Suhler plated more classic Texas blues for “Out of the Darkness” and tribute to Johnny Cash entitled “Bad Stretch of Road.”

Jim Suhler and company put on a great show, one that should hopefully have them making a return visit sometime in the near future. Suhler is a very talented guitarist and his band was tight and well-rehearsed. To find out more about Jim Suhler and is travels with George Thorogood or his own band, visit his website at www.jimsuhler.com.

The Steepwater Band

March 16th Belle Isle Brewery 50 Penn Place NW Expressway and Penn

The Steepwater Band’s new studio release, “CLAVA” (pronounced CLAY-va) finds the band hitting their

most creative and focused point of their careers. The new record was recorded this past March on the

South Side of Chicago at the studio of the same name. Also known as a trinity of stars, CLAVA is a fitting

name for the new record produced by the trio along with Colin Sipos, a young, up-and-coming producer/

engineer who has worked with the critically acclaimed Iron & Wine and Califone. Sipos also recorded TSB’s

“The Stars Look Tonight/My Back Pocket (2010)” single and mixed “Live at the Double Door (2010).” The

ten new songs feature some of their most blues-infused, heavy and psychedelic tunes to date. Each song

takes you on a musical journey, steeped in tradition, while not being overly nostalgic.  On “CLAVA” the

band honors their heroes and pays them the highest compliment – continuing the Rock n’ Roll lineage

while creating paths not yet explored. This release exemplifies the

musical trinity that is The Steepwater Band.

Although The Steepwater Band got their start as devotees of delta blues, they have since been expanding

on their musical influences taking on everything from psychedelia to Americana, and of course, hardhitting rock and roll. Formed in Chicago in 1998, the band’s signature sound is at once a nod to earlier

rock n’ blues combined with a raw and gusty musical approach. Band members Jeff Massey (guitar & vocals), Tod Bowers (bass) and Joe Winters (drums) have a synergy that comes from years of playing together. The rhythm section is taut and responsive; they flourish to create a perfect canvass. This sonic

foundation laid by Bowers & Winters leaves the space for the guitars to soar and vocals to shine. Massey

performs with a passion that can belie his virtuosity, while always being true the song at hand.

The band’s infectious energy is equally evident in their live performances, as critics and fans hail their

shows as forceful and intoxicating. It is their humble devotion to music, and a commitment to achieving

their musical goals without compromising the integrity of their musical vision that make The Steepwater

Band such a refreshing find.  In 2010, the band released highly lauded live record entitled “Live at the

Double Door” which contained tracks from their previous two LPs, “Revelation Sunday (2006)” and “Grace

and Melody (2008).”

The Steepwater Band has maintained a grueling schedule throughout the last 10 years, averaging about

125 shows per year. They have toured and shared the stage with acts such as Gov’t Mule, Buddy Guy,

Wilco, Taj Mahal, Marc Ford, ZZ Top, T-Model Ford, North Mississippi All Stars, Leon Russell, Drive-By

Truckers, Robert Randolph & the Family Band, Cheap Trick, Bad Company and Heart. In 2005, the band

made its European debut, performing at the Azkena Rock Festival in Vitoria-Gasteiz, Spain.  In the following years, the band has returned to the United Kingdom and Europe for multiple club and festival tours, increasing their loyal overseas fan-base.

“In a time when old-fashioned rock and roll is coming back in style, The Steepwater Band is a cut above

the rest of the field.” – Pop Culutre Press

Joe Bonamassa on Stage

As Joe Bonamassa grows his reputation as one of the world’s greatest guitar players, he is also evolving into a charismatic blues-rock star and singer-songwriter of stylistic depth and emotional resonance. His ability to connect with live concert audiences is transformational, and his new album, Black Rock, brings that energy to his recorded music more powerfully than ever before. The tenth solo album and eighth studio release of his career – as well as his fifth consecutive with producer Kevin Shirley (Led Zeppelin, Black Crowes, etc.) – the disc adds an enlivening dose of ‘world’ vibes to Bonamassa’s virtuoso mix of ‘60s-era British blues-rock (à la Beck and Clapton) and roots-influenced Delta sounds.

The album was recorded at Black Rock Studios in Santorini, Greece. “With this album, we wanted to explore a ‘world’ feeling, and this was the inspiration behind going to record in Greece and using some of the best Greek musicians to add a little flavor to a couple of the tracks. But it’s by no means a ‘world’ album. We wanted Joe’s usual youthful and energetic tones to play alongside the worldly vibes of the Greek bouzouki and clarino,” said Shirley. Bonamassa adds, “It was the kind of record Kevin and I wanted to make. We needed to rock again a bit like on my first album. It’s youthful, like going back to your childhood.” Throughout, Bonamassa is again backed by the stellar players Carmine Rojas (bass), Anton Fig, Bogie Bowles (both on drums) and Rick Melick (keyboards).

2009 was a big year for Bonamassa. He was awarded the Breakthrough Artist of the Year Award at the U.K.’s prestigious Classic Rock Roll of Honour Awards and Classic Rock magazine has said, “They’re calling him the future of blues, but they’re wrong – Joe Bonamassa is the present; so fresh and of his time that he almost defines it.” He was also named Best Blues Guitarist in Guitar Player Magazine’s 2009 Readers’ Choice Awards for the third consecutive year. Guitar Player writer Matt Blackett has said, “He’s an old soul, and that comes through in his bends, vibrato, singing voice, and note choices, which – which each passing year – get more restrained and refined.”

In May ’09, he played to a sold out crowd at London’s Royal Albert Hall, arguably the most prestigious concert venue in the world. During the show, Bonamassa’s hero, Eric Clapton, joined him on stage for a joint-performance of Clapton’s hit “Further On Up The Road.” London’s The Independent said about the show, “The man has arrived, and there’s no turning back.” Shortly after, Bonamassa released a 2-DVD live set – Joe Bonamassa – Live From The Royal Albert Hall – which captures the night in full. Guitar Edge gave it five stars and also said, “It is the wallop of his emotional expression, fueled by the rocking energy he derives from that trans-Atlantic connection and driven by his devastating technical ability, that elevates him about his peers and makes him a certifiable blues guitar hero and the face of his blues generation.”

Last year also coincided with Bonamassa’s twentieth year as a professional musician, an extraordinary timeline for a young artist just into his ’30s. A child prodigy, Bonamassa was finessing Stevie Ray Vaughan licks when he was seven and by the time he was ten, had caught B.B. King’s ear. After first hearing him play, King said, “This kid’s potential is unbelievable. He hasn’t even begun to scratch the surface. He’s one of a kind.” By age 12, Bonamassa was opening shows for the blues icon and went on to tour with venerable acts including Buddy Guy, Foreigner, Robert Cray, Stephen Stills, Joe Cocker and Gregg Allman.

Bonamassa reunites with King for a duet on Black Rock. The song they perform together is a rendition of the Willie Nelson-penned song, “Night Life,” which appeared on King’s 1967 album Blues Is King. Shirley says about the experience, “This is a rollicking Stonesy-vibe version of the Willie Nelson song on which B.B. duets with Joe, both vocally and on his famous Lucille guitar. What a joy and an honor to work with the legend who is possibly the pivot point and unifying musician between blues and rock.”

Other tracks appearing on Black Rock include Jeff Beck’s “Spanish Boots,” a lively version of Leonard Cohen’s poetic “Bird On A Wire,” Otis Rush’s “Three Times A Fool,” as well as Bobby Parker’s “Steal Your Heart Away,” a song recommended by Robert Plant, who said Led Zeppelin rehearsed it in their earliest days. Also, Blind Boy Fuller’s “Baby, You Gotta Change Your Mind,” John Hiatt’s “I Know A Place,” and James Clark’s “Look Over Yonder’s Wall,” as well as the Bonamassa-penned originals “When The Fire Hits The Sea,” “Wandering Earth,”

“Athens To Athens,” and “Blue and Evil.”

Bonamassa’s recording career began in the early ’90s with Bloodline, a hard-charging rock-blues group also featuring Robby Krieger’s son Waylon and Miles Davis’ son Erin. His 2000 solo debut, A New Day Yesterday, was produced by the legendary Tom Dowd; Bonamassa’s rendering of the title track, originally a Jethro Tull hit, was called, “a jaw-dropping performance” by allmusic.com.

His last studio album, The Ballad Of John Henry – with no shortage of its own jaw-dropping moments – debuted at #1 on the Billboard blues chart and stayed there for six months. The album marks a more confessional approach to songcraft than he’s previously employed. “Making the first half of the album,” Bonamassa says, “I was in the happiest place I’d ever been in my life. The second half found me in completely the opposite state. I’ve come to the conclusion that experience makes for better art. I had more to say, and it’s the first time I’ve personally opened up the book on my life.”

Previous studio sets include 2007’s Sloe Gin, which debuted at #1 on Billboard’s blues chart and received a 2008 nod for Album Of The Year from the Classic Rock Roll Of Honour Awards. Sloe Gin careens between heavy electric blues-rockers and acoustic, folk-etched cuts in a flow that Bonamassa says was partly inspired by Rod Stewart’s classic 1969 solo debut LP. Modern Guitars Magazine wrote, “If calling Sloe Gin a Bonamassa sampler isn’t graphic enough, think of the album as a musical buffet in which unrelated entrees share a single trait: they taste good.” The Boston Phoenix called it, “an elegant and brawny guitar-hero album.”

In 2008, he released the 2-CD set Live From Nowhere In Particular, which Guitar Player said, “finds Joe playing with soul, intensity and savage tones.” It features 13 songs recorded live in concert on the artist’s 2007 North American tour – at shows like the one at New York’s Westhampton Beach Performing Arts Center reviewed for www.hamptons.com by Lon S. Cohen: “In a thousand years, when archeologists dig out Joe Bonamassa’s guitar from the strata of the earth, it will still be smoking…He holds the guitar like a shotgun but what comes out of it is poetry, color, and a story is told in notes.” A review of a show at Alexandria, VA’s Birchmere drew similar sentiments from writer Paul Roy on blogcritics.org: “I have flirted with the opinion that Bonamassa may be the overall best guitarist on the planet these days, and after seeing him perform live again…I am now totally comfortable with that opinion. He is simply mesmerizing to watch.”

Bonamassa circles the globe playing an average of 200 shows a year, and his mind-blowing guitar wizardry and electrifying stage presence are selling out progressively larger venues all the time. The OC Register’s Robert Kinsler has written, “Whether in a club or outdoors at a festival, something magnetic happens when Bonamassa steps to the front of the stage, leans his head back and simply lets loose.”

Ongoing journeyman touring is a given, and looking beyond Black Rock, Bonamassa will continue his recording collaboration with producer Kevin Shirley, who says, “It’s great working with Joe and seeing him enjoy the discovery of all these places he can go. He’s an artist who can play anything, there are so many facets to him.” Bonamassa adds, “Kevin comes up with fantastic ideas outside the box. He appreciates the blues, but pushes me, the only person besides Tom Dowd who’s done that.”

On top of touring, recording and overseeing the independent label J&R Adventures with his entrepreneurial partner and manager Roy Weisman, Bonamassa is a spokesperson for the Blues Foundation’s respected Blues In The Schools program, volunteering his time during tours to speak with groups of high school students about the heritage of blues music – the first pure American music form. Recently, he was chosen by Channel One, the largest in-school news network, to host an ongoing segment called “Know Your Roots with Joe Bonamassa” in which he traces the musical roots of Channel One’s weekly “Hear It Now” featured artist.

And, 2010 has already started with a bang – Guitar World dubbed Bonamassa “The Blues Rock Titan” and his song, “Lonesome Road Blues,” is a part of Guitar Hero V’s New Blues Masters Track Pack. Keeping with his blues roots but fluently moving between rock n’ roll and international sounds, 2010 is not only a new decade but a new era for Bonamassa.

Paul Thorn

Among those who value originality, inspiration, eccentricity, and character - as well as talent that hovers somewhere on the outskirts of genius, the story of Paul Thorn is already familiar. Now, Thorn reveals another layer of his fascinating history on the album Pimps & Preachers, addressing that subject on the title cut and in the intriguing “family portrait” he painted for the cover, which highlights his daddy the preacher and his uncle the pimp.

The cover depicts a teeming street scene at the unlikely intersection of Redemption Lane and Turn Out Boulevard. Two figures dominate: a pimp and a preacher, both dressed to the nines beneath broad-brimmed hats, surrounded by hookers, holy rollers and hangers-on, and all on their paths to salvation or perdition. Nearly lost in this tumult is a small boy banging a tambourine branded with the name of Jesus, but backed up against a streetwalker holding a fistful of greenbacks.

“That little boy represents me,” says Thorn. “I’m in the church group, but my eyes are looking back to the street where all the sin is going on. It shows me being intrigued by the broad world. That’s why I made this my album cover. It describes who I am.”

Born in Tupelo, Mississippi and raised among the same spirits (and some of the actual people) who nurtured a young Elvis generations before, Thorn has rambled down back roads and jumped out of airplanes, worked for years in a furniture factory, battled four-time world champion boxer Roberto Durán on national television, signed with and been dropped by a major label, opened for Bonnie Raitt, Mark Knopfler, and John Prine among many other headliners, and made some of the most emotionally restless yet fully accessible music of our time.

Still, Thorn’s story has never been complete. If you follow it back through his songs, at some point near the beginning the mysteries gather like a mist, obscuring the picture and leaving unanswered the question of how he acquired his ability to find brilliance buried in shadows, darkness in daylight, poetry in the mundane, and truth in the brutal beauties of life.

Pimps & Preachers addresses this lingering riddle. On Thorn’s ninth album, released on his own Perpetual Obscurity label (through Thirty Tigers/RED), the answer begins in the title and the cover image, painted by Thorn with the same power, paradoxes, rough edges and passions that animate his writing and performance. Specifically, it takes us to a central theme of Thorn’s youth: the pull of polar opposites - one representing the severe ecstasies of fundamental faith and the other, the pleasures stigmatized and yet glamorized by the church.

Similar ambiguities fuel the work of other artists to whom Thorn can be compared, from Tom Waits and Lucinda Williams all the way back to Robert Johnson and Hank Williams. What stands Thorn apart from this august company is how personally this dichotomy guided his formative years. In his seminal albums, particularly his landmark Mission Temple Fireworks Stand, his upbringing as the son of a Church of God pentecostal minister became a matter of record. What hasn’t been clear, though, is the parallel impact of his father’s brother, who showed up suddenly from California when Thorn was 12 years old.

“He was a pimp back in the day,” Thorn says. “I had never met him before, so when he came back to Mississippi he had all this street wisdom and I started hanging around him as well as my father. My father was my mentor, but I learned a lot from my uncle too. Everything I’ve accomplished has been influenced by the time I spent around these two men.”

Thorn remains close to his father and his uncle today, closer than ever since his uncle has long abandoned his former livelihood. Yet the qualities that so strongly affected Thorn endure in the lyric to the title track, which honors them both; one for teaching him to love, and the other for teaching him to fight. For all the moral questions raised by the choices each man made, Thorn came to accept what they represented as essential and complementary. His embrace of opposites leads to a unity of spirit in Thorn’s music, which is brought fully to life by his gift as a narrative writer.

This message rings throughout much of Pimps & Preachers, perhaps most intimately on “I Hope I’m Doing This Right.” The confession implicit in its title is tempered by Thorn’s conviction that life is a full-color proposition.

“The song says ‘Hank Williams was in the darkness when he sang I Saw the Light. I believe there’s good in everyone, I hope I’m doing this right’,” Thorn reflects. “I was talking to somebody the other day about this and they said, ‘As big an alcoholic and a screw-up as Hank Williams was, how did he ever write a song that beautiful?’ And I said, ‘He was able to write it because he was an alcoholic and a screw-up. Otherwise, he wouldn’t have even recognized where the darkness and light were.”

Elsewhere on Pimps & Preachers, Thorn conveys this theme through brief but epic vignettes - parables, almost - in the tradition of his father’s Biblical exegeses. “Love Scar” grew from a conversation Thorn had with a woman backstage at London’s Royal Albert Hall shortly before he would open for Sting. He noticed that her shoulder bore a tattoo of an eye shedding a tear. When he asked what it meant, her answer was sadder and deeper than he had expected.

“She told me about how she met a handsome guy and they had some drinks together,” Thorn recalls. “She had a one-night stand with him and got so distracted by his charm that she went out and got this tattoo because of his opening line when he had started to hit on her: ‘If I could be a tear rolling down your cheek and die on your lips, my life would be complete.’ Unfortunately, that tattoo is with her forever, even though he was gone the next day.”

Each track recounts its own story while clarifying and reinforcing Thorn’s broader vision. The comic yet unsettlingly candid account of romantic opportunity lost too soon on “Nona Lisa,” the immeasurable intensity of love captured in the artfully offhand lyrics of “That’s Life” (taken entirely from words spoken to Thorn by his mother), the assurances extended to all who suffer through uncertain times in “Better Days Ahead” - every moment on Pimps & Preachers speaks universally but with a fluency that stems from the earthy blues, haunted old-school country, and stripped-down urgency of the gospel music that surrounded Thorn throughout his Mississippi upbringing.

But Thorn’s knack for using snapshots from everyday routine as the elements of this exquisite writing owes entirely to his distinctive abilities and commitment to linking these elements into a profession of mercy and forgiveness - ultimately, the real message of Pimps & Preachers.

“Look, there’s nothing wrong with songs about holding hands or sitting by the phone and waiting for a girl to call,” he says. “But I wrote songs like that when I was 15. I’m trying now to sing about things that mean something to me, for people who want something real, who not only want forgiveness but are willing to give it.”

“Besides,” he concludes, bringing Pimps & Preachers back home. “If I came back to my dad or my uncle with songs like that now, they’d both kick my ass! So I’m still just trying to follow their lead.”

Randy McAllister is one of the premier singer, songwriter, multi-instrumentalist to emerge from Texas. Heartbreak, humor, high hair and tall Texas tales all play a part in the song writing of Randy McAllister. His music has been hailed as some of the most original and innovative being made today. While comparison’s are not easy, it has been said that his music is a cross between Doug Sahm, John Hiatt and Delbert McClinton, with a blues man’s background and sensibilities thrown into the mix.

Raised in the small Texas town of Novice, McAllister is a fifth-generation Texan, whose father was both a fireman and musician. His father was a drummer in a band called “The Flames”. At a very young age, Randy followed in his fathers foots steps. He began to take up drumming, but the drums were just the beginning for Randy, as he began to develop as a singer and songwriter.

“If Mark Twain had envisioned a 21st century roots musician, he might have created a character like Randy McAllister, with an easy-going persona and a wry, and an observant wit. McAllister weaves material in the singer/songwriter tradition, with nods to a variety of styles. He is one of those rare artists who is able to meld genres such as gospel, blues, country, Tex-Mex, rock and zydeco together and come away with something that is uniquely him.

**In performance, his songs combine an uncontainable energy and intensity with lyrics that dig into the tough topics. From urban violence, homelessness and other harsh realities to more common concerns like love and dating, McAllister’s songwriting approach is particularly skillful, able to be both truthful and funny. McAllister takes universal feelings and translates them into today’s reality, with his own pointed style expressed through his distinctive, soulful voice.”

McAllister has released 7 critically praised albums beginning with his debut “Diggin’ for Sofa Change”, followed by “Grease, Grit, Dirt and Spit”, the much heralded “Double Rectified Bust Head”, 2002 GRAMMY NOMINEE “Givers and Takers”, “Temporary Fixes” and A “Little Left of Center” all built on a firm foundation that is his songwriting. His much anticipated Compilation CD, “Flying High While Staying Low Down” was released in late 2006. Most recently Randy released, “Dope Slap Soup” in June of 2007.

The Mighty Orq

Mighty ORQ - Guitars/Vocals
Terry Dry - Bass/Vocals
Matt Johnson - Drums/Vocals

For almost nine years The Mighty Orq have been playing relentlessly around the South
and Europe releasing five albums, their last two on Pepper Cake Records, and developing
a distinct, recognizable sound as well as a tremendous grassroots following.  Their music is a blend of classic rock energy, Gulf Coast blues, R&B, and pop with gospel undertones that
are as unique as they are powerful.

They started out playing the local haunts in their home town of Houston in late 2002,
and over the last decade have developed into an internationally touring workhorse.  Everywhere the band plays the sentiment among audiences is the same; ‘Why aren’t these
guys famous?!’ “It’s something we don’t think about too much because, honestly, we’re too
busy,” says Mighty Orq, front man and guitarist for the trio.

The band just returned from their sixth European tour in May 2011 in support of their latest release, Lost In Germany.  This album is something of a retrospective.  It is a live recording capturing a night in Germany from 2010 at the intimate venue, Kornbrennerei.  In addition there are tracks taken from an earlier live recording in 2003 at Houston’s famous blues venue, The Big Easy Social & Pleasure Club.  Lost In Germany offers a singular insight into group’s musical evolution; from its early inception as a traditional Blues band to a more song-writing oriented, southern rock and pop sound.  Along with songs from the last four albums, Lost In Germany also features four new unreleased tracks, “The Possum Song,” “So Sad,” “Cold Hearted,” and the Freddie King classic, “Pack It Up.”

Over the summer the band plans to record not one but two albums.  The first will be a band effort showcasing all the new material that has been written over the last three years of non-stop traveling and performing.  The second recording, sponsored by a grant from the Houston Arts Alliance, will be more in the solo vein showcasing Orq’s acoustic guitar and dobro acumen.  The theme for this second CD will be ‘Houston Music’ highlighted with performances and songs by prominent Houston musicians both past and present.

The future is busy and bright for this talented and hard-working band from Houston.  To find out about upcoming events and listen to some mighty tunes visit the band at  www.MightyOrq.com.

Standing at the crossroads of King’s X, Arc Angels, and Gov’t. Mule, The Mighty Orq’s muscular music is the sound track for driving through a rainstorm with the windows down.”
- Bob Ruggerio, Houston Press

Discography:
The Mighty Orq Live: Lost In Germany - 2011

To The Bone (2008)
Milk Money (2005)
Ghost Train (2004)
Prayer Book (2002)

Matt O'Ree

Matt O’ree Band

Biography
Matt O’Ree has been cranking out the blues-rock since he was an early teen. With all the trappings of a genuine guitar hero, he plays with fire in his fingers and blues in his soul.

In 1997, Matt began writing and recording material that evolved into his debut CD, “88 Miles”. It was released in 1998 and gained national reviews and airplay, pushing the band to a higher level which included opening shows for national recording artists like Kansas, Buddy Guy, Leslie West and Mountain, The Outlaws, Marshall Tucker, Gov’t Mule, Robin Trower, Johnny Winter, Dickie Betts, Gretchen Wilson, The Screamin’ Cheetah Wheelies, Bernard Allison, Chris Duarte, Indigenous, Robby Kreiger, Bill Perry, Walter Trout, Labamba’s Big Band, and Smokin’ Joe Kubek.

The completion of his second CD, “Chalk It Up” was the breaking point of blending blues and rock together to form a unique sound of his own. This was released in June 2001 and also received rave reviews with regional and national press recognition and airplay.

In the March 2006 issue of “Guitar World Magazine”  there is a review of Matt O’Ree’s latest release “Shelf Life”, appearing alongside numerous rock legends including Audioslave, Aerosmith, Jimi Hendrix, and The Deftones, that claims that “New Jersey Matt O’Ree is quickly carving out a name for himself as 2006’s new guitar hero.”

Some of Matt’s most recent accomplishments include:

*Won the competition to represent the Jersey Shore Blues Foundation at the International Blues Competition in February 2009

*Chosen to Play Winter NAMM 2009

* Matt O’Ree releases new DVD/CD Combo On April 12, 2008 which was filmed by 6 time Emmy Award Winning Porducer, Mike Pomarico.

*Chosen to Play Winter NAMM 2008

*Chosen to appear on the new Discovery Channel Series “A Biker Lifestyle…The Savage Roads” starring Sony Recording Artist, Pat Savage.

* Winner of “Best Blues Band” at the 2007 Asbury Music Awards

*Winner of two 2006 Asbury Music Awards at the Legendary Stone Pony for Best Guitarist and Best Blues Band for 3rd year in a row.

*Winner of Guitarmageddon “King of the Blues” 2006 hosted by BB King and John Mayer on 6/8/06

*Winner of the Acoustic Showdown on 5/23/06 sponsored by Upstage Magazine

*Winner four 2005 Asbury Music Awards at the Legendary Stone Pony for:

Best Blues Band
Best Guitarist
Best Local Release - “Shelf Life”
Best Song of the Year - “Saints & Sinners”

*Sharing the stage with world famous drummer Buddy Miles

*Invited to play at Les Paul’s Birthday Party

*Finalists in the Jimi Hendrix Electric Guitar Competition.

*Performed at the first NYC tribute to legendary blues-rock guitarist Rory Gallagher, winning him a standing ovation from a sold out crowd.

Steepwater Band

After getting into the music promotion business with inspiration from my chance discovery of Joe Bonamassa in 2002. I did the music bookings for a friend of mine’s bar in Oklahoma City. I was contacted by the management of the Steepwater Band. They had a routing opportunity on their way to boarding the Give me Three Steps Cruise. I would have to say they were one of the best bands that ever stepped foot on my stage during the time I booked that room. Others that graced the Road House stage during that time besides hosting Joe Bonamassa for his 30th Birthday celebration was BX3 Stu Hamm  Billy Sheehan and Jeff Berlin’s project as well as Robben Ford. Check these guys out.

The Steepwater Band

the Steepwater Band’s forthcoming studio release, “CLAVA” (pronounced CLAY-va) finds the band hitting their most creative and focused point of their careers. The new record was recorded this past March on the South Side of Chicago at the studio of the same name. Also known as a trinity of stars, CLAVA is a fitting name for the new record produced by the trio along with Colin Sipos, a young, up-and-coming producer/ engineer who has worked with the critically acclaimed Iron & Wine and Califone. Sipos also recorded TSB’s “The Stars Look Tonight/My Back Pocket (2010)” single and mixed “Live at the Double Door (2010).” The ten new songs feature some of their most blues-infused, heavy and psychedelic tunes to date. Each song takes you on a musical journey, steeped in tradition, while not being overly nostalgic. On “CLAVA” the band honors their heroes and pays them the highest compliment – continuing the Rock n’ Roll lineage while creating paths not yet explored. This release exemplifies the musical trinity that is The Steepwater Band.