MP3 Honey Island Swamp Band - COUNTRY: Americana
A raucous set of original songs that lilts from roots rock and country blues to funk and reggae, driven by infectious New Orleans rhythms, slow-burning slide guitar, and Southern-fried fiddle and mandolin.
7 MP3 Songs
COUNTRY: Americana, BLUES: Country Blues
Details:
We started the Honey Island Swamp Band in the fall of 2005 after Hurricane Katrina left us high and dry but far from home in San Francisco. We’d worked together in New Orleans bands for years, but with no prospects of getting home any time soon, we thought we’d better cook up something new, and quick. A few days later we’d put together a song list, landed a weekly gig, and settled in to share a little taste of southern culture with our new west coast neighbors.
Thanks to those good folks in California, we made it through the lean times, had ourselves a good time, and made it back home in what seems like hardly no time at all. We even got a little record out of the deal. We hope you’ll enjoy listening to the Honey Island Swamp Band as much as we love playing in it. Come on out and see us soon.
Chris Mulé & Aaron Wilkinson
The Honey Island Swamp Band:
Chris Mulé: guitar, vocals
Aaron Wilkinson: mandolin, guitar, vocals
Sam Price: bass, vocals
Garland Paul: drums, vocals
https://www.tradebit.com
https://www.tradebit.com
Reviews:
From "The Weekly Freak":
“A-ron Wilkinson and Chris Mulé bust up some swampy roots dosed in funked-up bayou water. I hear their live shows are bombadelic bombarazi the bomb. A few steps beyond good. I personally love this kind of twang-infused, Nolacana-flavored savory music. It requires no genre, which is another reason to embrace it. This album rocks, and speaks to my curious reflections, which serves as high props. If you get swamped or marooned on an island I hope you can listen to this music with hopes for rescue, which it sends right away. The swamps have never seen it so sweet. Indulge.”
From "Offbeat" Magazine:
"The Honey Island Swamp Band combines the talents of some of New Orleans instrumental ringers and lets them open it up for seven tunes that move from rock to roots to even reggae. All the songs are originals from the pens of guitarist Aaron Wilkinson and Chris Mule, both of whom were involved in bands that include Idletime, Eric Lindell, and Kirk Joseph before Hurricane Katrina put them in San Francisco, where they formed this band and started writing. This first release is an excellent study in roots bar band music. The tunes are easy to dance or sway to with the rhythm section of bassist Sam Price and drummer Garland Paul keeping everything solidly in the pocket. Most of the songs feature either Wilkinson’s warm vocals or Mule’s thin voice .Wilkinson’s friendly voice gives his songs a bright sound while Mule’s give his songs an edge and make them sound like Chuck E. Weiss or some other boozy character is giving you advice from the end of the bar. The songs play out in a range of roots sounds including the country bounce of “Nadine” with the rhythms of Wilkinson’s mandolin combining with guest Michelle Lambert’s violin to give the song a rural lilt. The mood stays like that for the slow dance of “Cloud Hangin’ Over Me” that would be at home at any country dance or Fais Do Do. Mule’s two tunes have a steady rock ’n’ roll backbeat that plays off a trilling mandolin, fluid guitar lines, and punchy saxophone. In all, this is an entertaining and well made first effort that hopefully indicates great music to follow."
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