Sly Stone, Bill Withers, Jimi Hendrix, B B King, Marvin Gaye, Tom Waits, Stevie Ray Vaughn, Ray Charles, Johnny Cash, John Prine, Paco De Lucia, Vicente Amigo, Juan Serrano, Led Zeppelin, Meshell N'Degio'cello, Stevie Wonder, Donnie Hathaway, Pink Floyd, Manu Chao, Bulgakov, Joseph Campbell, Greg Palast, Garcia-Marquez and Steve Martin!
Press Blurbs for "The Beat Outside":
“’The Beat Outside’ expresses the Omar Torrez Band's passion for both the vintage sounds of artists like Sly Stone and Jimi Hendrix and their love of song writers like Leonard Cohen and John Prine. This record combines juicy grooves and formidable musicianship with songs that actually reflect our brutal and absurd time.” ~ Amazon.com
"Omar Torrez Rocks!!! After hearing rave reviews, we finally had to check this guy out. He definitely lives up to his hype." ~ HollyScoop
"If you enjoy great guitar playing, you'll enjoy this album" ~ 88.1FM WYCE
"'The Beat Outside' is downright funky, albeit some unusually smart funk" ~ Easy Reader
Sounds Like
Jimi Hendrix, Carlos Santana and James Brown drinking Tequila in a bar in Russia, playing all night until they fade into the oblivion of the early morning.
“Dare we dub him the Latin Hendrix?!
The fastest fingers in the West,
a massive talent poised to break out and kiss the sky.”
~ The Los Angeles Times
“Torrez, [a] guitar wizard …
ranges from Flamenco mastery to hot rock”
~ The Seattle Times
Omar Torrez Band (OTB) is indeed blessed with all that is right within the world of music – a passion for their art, an audience to share it with, and enormous talent to back it all up.
One could write a novel about front man Omar Torrez’s heritage, ranging from Spanish and Basque (via Mexico) to Norwegian, Native American and Russian roots. Born and raised in Seattle (where OTB was voted ‘Best Band’ for three consecutive years by Seattle Weekly), the young artist received national attention when he won the National Jimi Hendrix Guitar Competition at the prestigious Bumbershoot Festival. After this victory, Omar embarked on a musical, spiritual, and physical journey, traveling the world, studying Cuban and Andalusian gypsy music. Learning from the Cuban and Spanish musical masters such as Carlos del Puerto, Jr. and Juan Serrano, Omar immersed himself in classical and Flamenco guitar. Living a life of the gypsy, he eventually found himself coming full circle back to his American rock ‘n roll roots. His music now reflects these various elements, revealing a multi-dimensional artist that is rare in today’s music scene.
Torrez and his writing partner, multi-instrumentalist John Wakefield, have attracted world-class players to join them in OTB. Among the various artists that play with them regularly: Tige DeCoster and Carlos del Puerto, Jr. on bass, Byron Vannoy, Dale Fanning and Emiliano Almeida on drums.
OTB has toured extensively both in the US and abroad in support of their 2 releases on Russia’s major label Soyuz Music. They have shared the stage with musical giants, including the Buena Vista Social Club, Jethro Tull, Pancho Sanchez, Susana Baca, and Francisco Aguabella, as well as such underground favorites as Indigenous, B-side Players and Sidestepper. Endorsements include: Fender, Breedlove Guitars, and L.R. Baggs.
In the latest album, “The Beat Outside”, OTB has seamlessly blended their rock, funk, blues and Latin influences to make original yet radio friendly music.
With a West Coast tour in place this fall to support the release of their first single, (after Omar returns from the Tom Waits "Glitter and Doom" tour), the band is poised to continue crossing musical, generational, and cultural boundaries with their passionate energy and sound.
Its been a long time since seeing you at Samovar with Brandon Im glad to be back in touch I just got back in touch with Brandon too. It would be good to see you perform again. Iam in Portland Or now will you be stopping by? Maybe I could get Brandon to come up too or meet up at a show in Washington. Peace Robin
I just got confirmation for my tickets. Front row seats. So I'll be seeing you in Prague 22.7 I don't even doubt that it will be a great performance ;)
