PAULINE YORK - Guitars, vocals, rants, raves, van captain, bad suitcase packer, flea market and roadside attraction hound. Likes: caffeine, bulldogs, and anything that twangs. Dislikes: People who want "Blues" but not "real Blues," burnt coffee, and showering before 8am. Little known fact: Fixated by 'I Love Lucy' episodes. Will forget your name 30 seconds after meeting you...please don't take it personally. Pauline has played in solo, duo, trio, etc, etc, acts. Once kicked out of a Zeppelin cover band.
JIM BILLMEIER - Bass guitar, luggage cart surfer, exit finder, up-seller, general info and answer man. Likes: old cars, wheatless meals, and $15 suits. Dislikes: salty soup, hot new country, and slow traffic in the fast lane. Little known fact: Has an encyclopedic knowledge of virtually every song in existance. Will sit on your biscuits. Jim plays or has played in a multitude of rock, blues, rockabilly, and surf bands. Makes great food art.
JEFF RUFFIN - Drums and assorted percussion, heavy sleeper, hand shaker, party starter, welcome wagon, and mega rubber. Likes: electric blankets, hot tea, and meeting every person in the room. Dislikes: Not much of anything. Little known fact: Never forgets a man's face or a women's rear. Jeff plays or has played in every kind of band imaginable. There is nothing he won't try...and I ain't kiddin.'
TONY ONCKEN- Drums part duex. The quiet one. Coolest preacher I've ever met, hands down. More info forthcoming.
You can also see Pauline gigging around as a proud member of the Big Dog Mercer Band, or as one of Bobby Rivera's Rivieras.
Influences
Stevie Ray Vaughan and all things related such as the Thunderbirds pre-and post JV, Bramhalls Sr. and Jr., as well as various Double Trouble projects. Traditional fellas include Freddie King, Jimmy Reed, Magic Sam, Otis Rush, Howlin’ Wolf, Muddy Waters, all REAL soul stuff, Stax/Sun/Motown/Rhino (especially anything from Otis Redding), Sam Cooke, Duke Robillard, DAVE SPECTER IS MY HERO, Tab Benoit, Chess Buddy Guy, cajun stuff, swamp stuff, delta stuff, Hendrix stuff, the religion of Johnny Cash, Buddy Holly, current likes include the Killers, White Stripes, guilty pleasure top 40 radio, Wilco, I want to marry Stewart Copeland, guitar with tremolo or reverb, tubes, music still recorded on reels, octave pedals, things covered in tweed, velour, or velvet, my giant dog, boogie woogie piano, pickled foods, great acoustic pickers, slot machines, motorcycles (crotch rockets need not apply), men who ride motorcycles, driving, raining, excessive heat or cold, good food, good service, broken hearts, telephones, shower singing, boombox tape recorders, vodka (no Kettle One), wine (the cheaper, the better), mindless television, truck stops, blue eyes, shoe shopping, cars that go "va-rooom!," and a good night’s sleep. I’m not really sure why I don’t have any female role models. Jim and Jeff influences include rockabilly, punkabilly, psychobilly, rap, rock, funk, R&B, western swing, women in heels, women in general, hotel pools, hot plates, horror flicks, instant lotto tickets, low rent gentleman’s clubs, a good back rub and giant omelets.
Sounds Like
A coin toss between "We Rule!" and "wow, we need to practice."
The essence of Roots music lies in its simplicity. Without flash and fanfare, the music moves the listener in its straightforward and honest delivery. Since jumping into the Chicago music scene in 1997, Pauline York has kept this rule in mind as she puts her personal spin on Roots and Blues music. York, lead guitar and vocals, and her band deliver pure, honest, from-the-heart music minus the fluff, guitar tricks, or frills.
At age 14, Pauline was exposed to the driving "Texas Sound" which inspired her to explore the origins of that music. Rather than becoming another "Power Blues" copycat, she dug deeper into the music of artists like Freddie King and Jimmy Reed. Coupled with her love of Stax soul and fondness for modern Rock and Pop music, the result is a fresh new sound...a style all her own.
BLACKBERRY WINE (2001), Pauline's critically acclaimed debut CD is a blend of her many influences, including Folk-Rock, Blues, and Cajun music. Her 2004 follow-up MUDDY WATER takes her unique style one step further after building chops and confidence on the road. Her latest release, GET DOWN AND RIDE (2007), showcases her determination to push her music into a new direction. Her albums have received worldwide airplay on Blues and regular format radio and her latest effort hit number 19 on the Living Blues chart and number 5 on the Roots Music Report.
Pauline and her band have performed at many clubs and festivals throughout the country including Buddy Guy's Legends, the Arkansas Blues and Heritage Festival, the Kalamazoo Blues Fest, and every tiny road house, backyard BBQ, and basement shindig in between. Aside from York's own club dates and headline gigs, the band has warmed up the stage for a variety of Blues artists. From the Chicago styling of Lonnie Brooks, to the traditional Mississippi Delta Blues of Paul Wine Jones, to the swampy Louisiana sounds of Tab Benoit, Pauline's gigs are as diverse as they are impressive.
York, along with bassist Jim Billmeier and drummer Jeff Ruffin, have been together as musicians and friends since meeting on the neighborhood open mike circuit over 5 years ago. Balancing "day" jobs, mortgages, and families, the trio has managed to continue to create and perform, somehow transforming from "bar band" to "working musicians." The same trio that plays the yard parties and road houses performs at the large festivals and prestigious clubs. Pauline's "less is more" philosophy applies to the business end as well - although she has a bonafied bachelor's degree in "Talent Management," she has been known to negotiate shows for "good barbeque" and obsessively drives every mile of every tour herself.
As an innovator of contemporary Roots music, Pauline blends the traditional and the modern aspects of Blues with a love of all types of music, daring the listener to pigeonhole her. From club dates, to festivals, to stages both large and small, York, her band, and her "no fuss no muss" philosophy are finally getting the recognition they deserve. Catch them on the way up.
Hi everybody, just here to say our new RORY GALLAGHER HAWK BOOSTER is ready for shipping. Have a listen if you get a chance, All the best, Stevie Flynn.
Oh, thanks Pauline! The feeling is mutual! Great seeing you and listening to you play again. Let me know what you have going on and I'll come out. Keep in touch. -Eric
Oh man that bad huh? You are gonna have to tell me why the parakeets. You just wait I will be the one on CNN. Probably lobbing dead fish and lizard crap at the reporters. Oy! I'll leave the bullets to you and your rodent friends.
Hi, Pauline! How are you doing? I hope you're doing great. I'm really enjoying my summer. Too bad the Joliet Blues Fest got canceled. I was looking forward to it!
Yeah, let's take the sister act on the road, but I'm afraid it will interfere with my school...darn...lol. We could call ourselves The Grumpettes . What do you think?? Well, have a great week and rest of the summer!! Take care, Alicia
sniff, sniff. thanks, I think i'll be okay. Yeah my friend and I will be in Chicago the last weekend in August. We might terrorize Buddy Guy's place ;)
Good news, my friend Jim and I are planning on coming down to Chicago for the weekend of your gig in Joliet and we are going to stop by and see the show!
Hey Paula, When U have a sec, go see the final images of the Big Dog Mercer gig on my pics page. Great images of U & all the guys with Big Dog. Shout at me, Ur Partner In Crime...TJ ModShots Digital Images
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