Kurt Kalker - Drums, Maracas, Woodblock, and grunts.
Mighty Joe Milsap - Vocals, Spoons, Washboard, Tamborine, Shakers, and Claves.
Patrick Skog - Guitar and Bass
Tony Tomlinson - Guitar and Bass
Troy Sandow - Harmonica and Bass
Influences
Excello Records, Slim Harpo, Lazy Lester, Lightnin' Slim, Lonesome Sundown, Silas Hogan, James Harman, Howlin' Wolf, Jimmie Rogers, Little Walter, George "Harmonica" Smith, Anson Funderburgh and the Rockets, Sammy Myers, James Cotton, Jimmie Vaughan, Guitar Gable, Albert Collins, Muddy Waters, B.B. King, Frankie Lee Sims, R.L. Burnside, Chess Records, Junior Wells, Big Mama Thorton, early Thunderbirds (see Jimmie Vaughan), Sun Records, Hubert Sumlin, Ike Turner, Magic Sam, Little Willie John, Atlantic Records, Johnny Otis, John Lee Hooker, Freddie King, Jimmie Reed, Luther Tucker, Eddie Taylor, Chief Records, Billy Boy Arnold, Little George Sueref, the Band, Fury Lewis, Nathan James and Ben Hernandez, Stax Records, T-Bone Walker, Buddy Guy, Johnny Guitar Watson, Big Walter Horton, Bo Diddley, the Myers brothers, Robert Jr. Lockwood, Willie Dixon...
The Fremonts are modern purveyors of the 50's and 60's blues found on classic labels like Chess, Excello, and Sun records. With a sparse, greasy approach to their music, the Fremonts have been winning over critics and fans alike since their inception in 2001.
Numerous awards and accolades attest to the fact that the Fremonts' determination to present the blues in its original context has not gone unnoticed. In 2003, the band was named "best blues band" by the San Diego Reader. In 2004, the Fremonts' debut project, "No More Doggin'" was featured in Blues Revue magazine and received airplay across the United States, Canada, Europe and South America. Simone Bargelli of Il Blues magazine (Italy) said of the Fremonts, "they are not contaminated by modern sounds." Michael Cote of Blues Revue wrote, "expect to hear a lot from these guys in coming years." and Bjorn Wiksaas of Radio Ung added, "Et band som spiller på akkurat det og ikke på f.eks. endeløse gitarsoloer."
With Manhattan, Kansas native Mighty Joe Milsap handling the vocals, the Fremonts are capable of drawing on a number of regional blues styles while never sounding ill prepared or contrived. Refined and sympathetic support from Kurt Kalker (drums), Tony Tomlinson (guitar/bass), Patrick Skog (guitar/bass) and Troy Sandow (harmonica/bass) underpin the Fremonts well studied and thoughtful sound.
On their most recent project, "Mighty Crazy", the band enlisted the help of veteran roots producer, Mark Neill (Big Sandy, The Paladins, Los Straitjackets, Deke Dickerson, Old 97s). "Mighty Crazy" finds the Fremonts revisiting the classic sounds of Sun Studios, Chess and Excello, while seamlessly adapting original material to recording techniques from the mid 1950s. Special guests Carl "Sonny" Leyland (piano) and Rip Carson (bass) contribute to a sound that is both familiar and refreshing, yet seemingly absent from the modern blues world. In 2006 “Mighty Crazy” won a San Diego Music Award, debuted at number 22 on the Roots Music Report, and has been featured on radio stations and in magazines around the world. Most recently, the record reached number 16 on the Living Blues radio charts and has been played heavily on XM radio.
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