93
God, the Devil, Angels, Demons, Light, Dark, Left, Right, White and Black, Male, Female and that which lies above, below and in between.
Blues: The Canned Heat with Al Wilson, Lou ann Barton, John lee Hooker, Cindy Lee and Streetwise, B.B King, Howard Levy, Sean Costello, R.L. Burnside, Jnr and David Kimbrough, Billy Gibson, William Clarke, Little Walter, Cotton, Freddie King, Dennis Gruenling and Gina Fox, T-bone Walker, Paul Butterfield, SRV, Albert Collins, Nina Simone, Big Maybelle, Muddy, Jimmy Rodgers, George Smith, Pat Ramsey, Jonny Winter, Skip James, Motor City Josh, Walter Washington, Charlie Love (Mississippi bug house), Geof Malduar, Maria Maldaur, Bonnie Raitt, Susan Tedeschi, The Meters, Janis, Dr. John, Canned Heat again for good mention so many more... Punk/punkish: Pixies, The Breeders, The Dead Kennedys, The Misfits, Fugazi, The Dead Milkmen (some stuff), Morphine, Ramones, The Replacements, Hot Hot Heat, Sonic Youth, Social Distortion, Fear, The Yeah Yeah Yeah's many more.... Jazz: John Coltrane, Rahssaan Roland Kirk, Derek Trucks, aurthu Blythe, Charlie Hunter, Burrell, Monk, Stan Getz, Gerry Mulligan, Pepper Adams, Lee Morgan, Miles (some albums), Joe Pass, Jimmy Smith, Mingus, Sun Ra Johnny Hodges with and without Ellington, Bill Evans, Oscar Peterson (not as much as Brady) Betty Carter, Billy, Ella, Sarah. Madeyln Peyroux, Howard Levy, Bella, Jeff Coffin, Ben Webster, Bird, art Pepper lots,lots more.... Country: Jimmy Rogers (The Singing Break Man), Hank 1, Chet atkins, Danny Gatton, Jnr Brown, Charlie McCoy, Gearge Jones, Patsy Cline not so many others but a few.... Rock and Roll/Folk/ Psychedelic/ Glam/ Whatever: Lou Reed and The Velvet Underground, Bowie, The Doors, Tom Waites, Nick Drake, The Black Crowes, Hendrix, The Byrds, Some King Crimson, Bowie, Blondie, Van Halen not Van Hagar, Sabbath and Some Ozzy, Mason Jennings, Hattie Peterson, Pink Floyd, Jeff Buckley, War, Stevie Wonder,Donnie Hathaway, Eric Burdon, Marley, Lee Scratch lots more... Classical: Not well enough versed but I recently have been listening to a ton of Stravinsky, Mahler, Paganini, Beethoven and some others. A new found love of the Violin has brought me too wondeful Violin Concertos Like Sibelius, Beethovens, Mozarts, Pagannini. My favorite violinists are Oistrakh, Heifietz, and Nadja Salerno Sonnenberg too. Other: Hawian music, Indian Music, Indonesian Music, Native American, not so much happy African despite the rythyms and all NO STEEL DRUM or Calypso.
Sounds Like
The alchemy of Positive and Negative, Good and Evil, The Rise of Man.
Genre: Jam/Blues/Rock/Jazz/Funk
Secondary Genre: World
Eclecto Groove recording artists: Jason Ricci and New Blood mix blues, rock, funk, eastern, and jazz into a seamless cohesion both eclectic and idiosyncratic while always avoiding cliche's and histrionics. Television, radio, and literary critics compare them to acts as diverse as The Rolling Stones, John Coltrane, and Lou Reed. Modern day parallels also include acts ranging from Government Mule to Prince and the Revolution. New Blood always delivers a level of musical virtuosity, while effortlessly keeping the fun, angst and energy of a Punk Rock band, with the skill, refinement and reflection typical of a Jazz ensemble.
Blues, Rock, Funk, Jazz Fusion, Eastern, Punk, Carnival, Psychedelic, Performance Art and more are all regularly attached descriptions of the band Jason Ricci and New Blood. Defying category, without defying the techniques, authenticity and disciplines of any one of those category is a rare and dangerous high wire act this band has been balancing expertly year after year, award after award, show after show, fan after fan and album after album.
Jason Ricci and New Blood have been working the Blues, Jam and Rock circuits for over seven years, averaging some 300 shows a year all over the world. Ricci on his own is consistently considered and referred to in print, with awards and in harmonica circles as one of the best and most important harmonica players to have ever picked up the instrument. Shawn Starski (Guitar) is garnering similar attention alike with Guitar Player Magazine naming him within "The Top Ten Hottest New Guitar Players" in 2008.
New Blood’s Rhythm section as well holds equal footing musically with Ricci and Starski on stage. Bass and drum solos abound regularly within their two to four hour non stop sets. Todd “Buck Weed” Edmunds (Bass, Tuba, Double Cass, Sousaphone, Bass Harmonica) is a jazz master and devout musicologist. In between gigs with Ricci and New Blood Edmunds is just as likely to be found playing upright bass for a Ellington Big Band, or Tuba for a New Orleans Brass ensemble as he is likely to be subbing on electric bass for a Norwegian black math metal band. Ed Michaels (Drums) has been with the band over a year his background includes trap set drums, formal East Indian Tabla study as well as other hand drums and world percussion disciplines. Michaels has toured with Roy Rogers, Alvin Young Blood Hart and Commander Cody among others. Every member of Jason Ricci and new Blood is a soloist, contributing songwriter, and vocalist.
Although the openly gay Ricci may appear and often sound as unorthodox as his punk and gothic inspired clothing and hair make no mistake Ricci spent plenty of time firmly rooted in the blues putting together a blues pedigree that would leave many "traditional blues" players looking as authentic as an American Idol contestant. By the age of 21 Ricci had won the Sonny Boy Blues Society contest, performed at The King Biscuit Blues Festival, LIVED and played with Big Bad Smitty, David Kimbrough, and RL Burnside as a member of those bands throughout clubs and real, black/African American owned and run juke joints throughout the south namely Mississippi. Before embarking on a journey beyond the blues inspired by ex Johnny Winter Side man and now deceased Pat Ramsey, Ricci was a devout student of the traditional harmonica masters like Little Walter, Sonny Boy Williamson and George Smith.
In 2004 for three weeks the bands hard worked paid off when a bootlegged recording from a Jersey club (Mexacali Blues) was the most down loaded live show in the world over the Grateful Dead, Phish and other popular jam bands clocking over 21,000 thousand down loads in two weeks. The same year they released a live album titled "Live at Checkers Tavern." In 2005 Jason Ricci won the Muddy Waters Award for most promising new talent and later in 2006 the band released the CD: "Blood On The Road". "Blood On The Road" was an independently produced CD that topped the XM radio charts as a top ten "Pick For Click”"for a solid month and sold over 12,000 copies from the stage alone. The Independent CD “Blood On The Road” was listed in the Mercury News as the top ten albums of 2007 along side Green Day and Prince. 2007 saw the band nominated for band of the year by Blues Wax Magazine and had the group expanding into Canada and Europe.
In 2008 Jason Ricci and New Blood were signed by Rand Chortkoff to Eclecto Groove Records (a subsidiary of Delta Groove Records) Releasing their first in stores everywhere album: "Rocket Number Nine." Rocket Number Nine was produced by multiple Grammy award winning producer John Porter (The Smiths, Los Lonely Boys, Ryan Adams etc.) The Album interweaved Ricci's autobiographical political, drug related and spiritual themes with traditional blues, funk, rock, and eastern music. "Rocket Number 9" climbed the Billboard Blues Charts to arrive and stay at Number Four for multiple weeks. The record also again made the “Pick to Click” top ten on XM and Sirius Radio charts and was chosen for “Album of the Year” by Gibson Guitars. The press was hefty too with a feature story and interview with Jason in Blues Review Magazine. Ricci has always been an in demand studio musician and 2008 saw guest appearances on Albums with Cedric Burnside and Lighting Malcolm’s CD: “Two Man Wrecking Crew”, Motor City Josh’s: “Tribute to Howling Wolf”, and Walter Trout’s CD “The Outsider” among others. Later in 2008 Ricci would join Walter in Europe on tour with his band The Radicals for some critically acclaimed shows and a partnership that continues today.
In 2009 Jason Ricci and New Blood finished up work on their latest offering for the Eclecto Groove label titled "Done With The Devil”" This is their most ambitious album yet produced by Grammy Award winner Phil Wolfe (Alabama) featuring ten original songs by the band and two covers spanning the distance between Sun Ra and the Misfits. The CD like "Rocket Number 9" is an even greater expansion on an eclectic mix of Rock, Blues, Jazz, fusion, folk, funk, eastern, carnival, punk and jazz often within one tune or solo for that matter. 2009 has Ricci and company up for a second nomination for "Band of the Year" by Blues Wax Magazine, Jason already won The Blues Critic’s award for “Harmonica Player of the Year”, and he also stole a literary award for ”Article of the Year” from Blues Wax Magazine. Additionally Ricci is currently nominated for the first time for the B.M.A. (Formerly Handy) Award for “Best Instrumentalist”: Harmonica.
Whether the band is covering Lou Reed or Little Walter or playing a rock room or a blues festival the musicians in New Blood remain sincere and true to music and the love and respect they have for it’s many forms, textures and colors. This band never does anything it feels isn't part of them deeply in some way. You can call them rockers, punkers, jazzers, bluesers, clowns, jammers or virtually anything you like and any one or all of those descriptions may be true at any one time but as any one who has ever seen this band live will tell you whether they liked it or not, they were anything but insincere.
“As a lover of live music, a JRNB show is absolutely exhilarating. Imagine the best virtuoso-filled "jam band" you've ever seen (think early '90's Phish, old Fleck tones, Allmans, Robert Randolph, Derek Trucks, etc.) and then double the energy and stage presence.”
-Blake Taylor (Writer for Cincinnati City Beat in response to Brad Kava’s story for the Mercury News San Francisco/L.A./San Jose see full story at http://www.mercurynews.com/aei/2006/02/review_jason_ri.html.
"Ricci links the jazz mastery of Howard Levy, with the blues precision of Jerry Portnoy and hits speeds that make John Popper look like he's standing still."
-Brad Kava (Mercury News)
"Instead of trying to be the next Little Walter via Estrin/Piazza/Wilson or blowing high-end speed harp like John Popper or Sugar Blue, Ricci relies on an individualistic style that has touches of his heroes, but more often is all Ricci."
-Art Tipaldi (writer for Blues Revue Magazine and author of Sons of the Blues)
Instrumentation
Jason Ricci - harmonicas, vocals
Shawn Stachurske - guitars, vocals
Todd Edmunds - electric and double bass, tuba, sousaphone, melodica
Ed Michaels - drums, percussion, vocals
Biography
At a young age Jason Ricci has compiled a musical resume that most musicians don’t achieve in a lifetime. Jason has won the Sonny Boy Blues Society contest, The Mars Music National Harmonica Contest, The Muddy Waters Award and many other accolades. Ricci has been featured on televison as well in various commercials, evening and morning news broadcasts, and on two episodes of Emril Legassi's show "Emril Live". Jason has gigged/toured or worked with (not "jammed with" or "Opened For") Big Al and the Heavy Weights, Jimmy Lloyd Rea, Susan Tedeschi, Billy Gibson, Bobby Little, The Hounds, Nick Curran, Josh Smith, Enrico Crivellaro, Big Bad Smitty, Satan and Adam, Junior Kimbrough, Shawn Kellerman and many more. Jason Ricci is that rare individual that only comes along once in a generation – an artist with the unique ability to help shape and redefine the sound of his chosen instrument and forever change the course of music history. His style is varied and his influences far reaching, having spent countless hours absorbing everything from Sun Ra to Little Walter, the Rolling Stones to the Pixies, Lou Reed to Govt. Mule, and everything in between. The depth of his music crisscrosses the audible landscape leaving no stone unturned as he fully explores blues, jazz, funk, rock, punk, and even drawing inspiration from the current crop of jam bands, all while still retaining the stamp of his own inimitable style.
1995 “Jason Ricci” (self titled debut) North Magnolia Music
1997 “Down At The Juke” North Magnolia Music
2001 “Feel Good Funk” Self Produced
2004 “Live At Checkers Tavern” Blue Sunday Records
2005 “Her Satanic Majesty Requests Harmonica Music” (Compilation) –Self Produced
2006 “Blood on the road” Rah Fox Records
2007 "Rocket Number Nine" Eclecto Groove Records Produced by Multiple Grammy Award Winner John Porter
2009 "Done With The Devil" Eclecto Groove Records Produced by Grammy Winner and Platinum Record maker: Phillip Wolfe
Shawn Starski!!! AKA Arliss Butane, Guitarski:
Born in Detroit, Michigan moved to south florida and started playing guitar at age 11. As time went on he became one of south florida's great guitarists.
Shawn has played many styles of music ranging from chicago blues,swing,rock, and country. One of the things Shawn is known for are his heart felt solos, that start slow and build to an explosion. (and let's not forget his love of the ladies)
Shawn is often compared to greats like Duane Allman, Jimi Hendrix, B.B. King, Wes Montgomery, Dickie Betts, Derek Trucks, Robben Ford, Danny Gatton and other such guitar monsters.
Bio
A. Byron Cage, a 24 year old native of Syracuse NY, grew up heavily influenced by gospel and jazz music. With no official training, what sparked his interest in music was watching his family members play instruments in the church. Growing up listening and playing in his father's church fostered creativity and helped him to begin setting a foundation for where he is today. His father, Pastor J. Alfred Cage Sr., who passed away on Sept. 6th 2009, was his biggest influence as a male role model, Christian, and musician.
Self taught, Byron has been playing professionally for five years now. With deep roots in Gospel and Jazz, he has expanded to touch almost every genre of music. Extending to alternative, rock, reggae, pop, hip-hop, folk, funk and now the blues, this drummer has a very expansive musical resume and repertoire that will only continue to grow as he matures in his profession. At the young age of 24, he has already had the chance to work with artists such as Boyd Tinsley of the Dave Matthews Band, Robert Randolph, John D'erth, John Popper of the Blues Travelers, Drummie Zeb of the Wailers, Aaron Spears (American Idol, Usher, Chrisette Michele); and Gospel artists Byron Cage, Dorinda Clark-Cole, Alicia Peters and more.
Beginning in 2004 Byron got his start in Central Virginia with a band named Six Chasing Seven where he began to travel and get a taste for the road. Opening for bands like the Dirty Dozen Brass Band, Cowboy Mouth and Regwa (Drummie Zeb) were only a couple of the experiences while on the road that helped him make the decision to pursue music at an even higher level. Over time playing as often as possible became the only thing that seemed practical to him. While still a member of Six Chasing Seven, he began to work with Paul Brunett out of Lynchburg VA and James Pace of Roanoke VA to fill up any empty dates in his calendar. Now with Jason Ricci and New Blood, Byron has stepped up to another challenge yet again in his musical career by walking into the world of Blues at such a high platform.
Hard work, determination and the grace and favor of God have placed this growing musician in a position to potentially affect the world through music. Byron proudly endorses Viper Drums, Soultone Cymbals and Los Cabos Drum Sticks. It is exciting to think that this is only the beginning for this talented young musician. The sky holds no limits and the world should anticipate hearing great things about him soon.
WEED!!! Buck Weed/ Tod Edmunds:
Todd Edmunds Mentors were Bernard Odum and Laffeyyette Neal. Laffeyyette Played B3 and keys with B.B. and Bernard and had played(bass/sang) with James Brown since the end of WW 2.
Todd "Buck Weed" Edmunds has played Bass or Tuba on rock, jazz, blues, funk or anything you can imagine proffessionally with almost anyone you can imagine to name a few:Pondo Sinatra, Shelley Magee and Bluesdeville, Drink Small, Nappy Brown, Marv Ward , and G.C. Cameron"Spinners/Temps" Lee Barbour and Skip Pearson, Fred Wesley, John Blackwell, Chris Potter, Joe Sample, Ron Westray and Wycliffe Gordon, Dunzip, Deitra Farr, Lee Shot Williams ,Emekris (reggae), Marvin(Doc) Holliday (Dizzy,Mingus,Basie), (master picker) Roger Bellows, Buzz Clifford, James Mcentyre, and Armen Boyajin, Eric Hillman, Rickey Godfrey, Kerry Michaels,Clifford Curry,Billy Scott, Dave Freeman and more...
Find out more about Jason, Shawn, Ron, and Buckweed's shows, music, pics write-ups and reviews at JasonRicci.com.
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