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BOOKING CONTACT:
810-496-3051
sadsonmusic@gmail.com
Sadson Music G-4225 Miller Rd. Ste. 353 Flint, MI 48507
The Rusty Wright Band brings to the stage an electrifying, blues-infused tour de force of rollicking musical interplay that is as much fun to watch as it is to listen to. In less than three years this act has made the leap from regional favorite to performing at some of North America's top blues festivals. They have shared billing with an eclectic array of blues, roots and rock acts including Lynyrd Skynyrd, Etta James, Charlie Musselwhite, Leslie West & Mountain, Janiva Magness, Zac Harmon, Ronnie Baker Brooks, Blessid Union of Souls, Billy Branch, Slaughter, Johnny Winter, Alberta Adams, Rory Block, W.C. CLark, Bettye LaVette and Mark Farner. Wright is an incendiary guitarist and from his first note the stage sizzles with dynamic energy, but make no mistake, this act is much more than a "guitar" band. Soaring Hammond B3 organ, bouncing piano runs and soulful sax riffs volley to and fro across the stage in answer to Rusty's six-string challenge as he pushes his band to ever greater feats of improvisation as the band swings, rocks and croons its way through sets of music from the band's two CDs. Fronting the band with Wright is his wife, vocalist/guitarist Laurie LaCross-Wright. As they harmonize together and trade vocals on verses, their onstage chemistry is both obvious and engaging, and their good-natured banter between songs brings knowing smiles to the faces of everyone who has ever been in a relationship. This six-piece "energized blues storm" takes audiences on a joyful, rolling tour of souped-up Americana as hints of jazz, rock, country and even gospel find their way into a veritable blues stew dished up and served steaming hot with a healthy dose of Motor City flair and attitude. It's a vibrant, honest blending of sounds and styles that brings audiences to their feet and leaves them feeling good!
CD REVIEWS: PLAYIN' WITH FIRE (Sadson Music 2009)
GET IN, SIT DOWN, HANG ON
A long time ago that wasn't all that long ago, when Maxell made cassette tapes instead of burnable CDs, the company ran a print ad campaign that became an icon. Black and white and with minimal visual props, it showed a guy in shades sitting low in his chair, a martini set next to him and a stereo speaker in front of him as he was literally blown away by the awesome sound from that speaker. That sort of comes close to the experience of listening to the Rusty Wright Band's new CD, Playin' With Fire, being released by the end of this month. Imagine a sonic suitcase filled with the best of Stevie Ray Vaughan, Lynyrd Skynyrd, the Allman Brothers Band, Bonnie Raitt, and a little Fabulous Thunderbirds, shaken and stirred so that all of them become the foundation for a whole new sound to be built upon. Open the suitcase and then stand back, because that sound, its range, and the wallop it packs will blow you away.
The main feature on RWB's new disc, as the cover might indicate, is guitar virtuosity. The opening chords of both the title track and "What A Ride" will pin your ears back, while the emotional "Lost Souls" slows things down to offer a mix of Robin Trower-esque booming bass notes during intro and interludes and mellow jazz chords under the main verses. Combined with the warm breath of Dave Brahce's B-3 organ, Rusty Wright's leads on Fender and Gibson and Laurie LaCross-Wright's steady rhythm guitar carry every song on the new CD into new territory from the track before. "It's a really mixed bag of stuff," Laurie says. "Most albums you hear today are so formulaic. You listen to the first song and you know exactly how the rest of the CD is going to sound. We hate that. While we were recording we talked a lot about the albums we grew up with and how labels used to give bands the freedom to experiment with songs and sounds. That's the vibe we aimed for." The aim hit its target. In addition to the range of guitar styles and intensities, the new disc also glows with the quality of its varied vocal tracks, with Rusty's rich tenor and Laurie's velvet alto exchanging lead duties on some songs and harmonizing flawlessly on nearly all of them. Supporting the guitar and vocal artistry is a rock-solid rhythm section with Andy Barancik on bass and Pete Haist on drums, and on tracks like "Pretty Little Lies," RWB's own Clarence Clemons, southern blues veteran Eddie Lester, interjects saxophone riffs to bounce off more of Rusty's blazing guitar solos. For half a second at the beginning of this disc's title song, there's the ominous sound of raw power humming through an amplifier before the song explodes into a roaring eight-note introduction. Although the track comes last on the CD, don't think of it as the finale; rather, consider it the beginning of a long and successful run by a band whose time to shine is now. http://wildeboomerz.blogspot.com/2009/01/get-in-sit-down-hang-on.html
BLUE MONDAY MONTHLY
'Playin' With Fire'
This is simply scorchin' southern rockin' blues from the heart of the rust belt, Flint Michigan. Folks, this CD can be very useful as a test to see if there is any life left in yer bones. If it don't get you up and dancing; call the morgue 'cause you MUST be dead! It is a rockin' tour d'force from beginning to end.
The band consists of Rusty Wright (lead guitar/vocals); Laurie Wright (guitar/vocals); Dave Brahce (keyboards); Andy Barancik ( bass); Pete Haist (drums ); and Eddie Lester ( Sax). As I listen closely it has elements that remind me of Lynyrd Skynyrd, Molly Hatchet, Pat Travers and The Allman Bros., only with much more texture and depth to the melodies. Rusty's guitar work is impeccable demonstrating a style that is honed by years and years of 'playin' his dues' while still embodying the exuberance and playfulness of a fearless youngster. Rusty's voice is as smooth as molten molasses as he weaves his way thru the heartfelt stories of life on this offering. Laurie's vocals are angel sweet and dead on. They complement each other in beautiful harmonic perfection. But it ain't just about the front side of this band. The boys 'in the back' are tighter than a tutu on a sumo. The hooks and embellishments they thread throughout this project will cause yer jaw to drop and spread a ten inch smile 'cross yer eight inch face. I didn't realize I was leanin' into it until I pitched forward after the last note. For you Bluesers that are closet Rockers, this is one CD that will SATISFY! I guar-on-tee. ~blueshammer
UC RADIO PODSHOW & SONIC WALLPAPER
"This album rocks end to end. Its a great, great album." ~ Mike Yusi
BLUES NEWS/FINLAND BLUES SOCIETY
"It's not sensible to choose albums of the year in January, but this one will definitely be one of them." ~ Riku Melinen MIDNIGHT SPECIAL BLUES
"On the Playlist page, the album is now and forever in the All-Time Favorites column." ~ Paul Bodorovski
PERFORMANCE COMMENTS/REVIEWS
ST. JOHN BLUES FESTIVAL
I have been producing Blues concerts and festivals all over the world for over 20 years and I have never seen an audience reaction like I just saw this past Saturday night. The Rusty Wright Band was my opening act and they came out of the gate with an incredible atomic energy that brought everyone to their feet. Within the first minute of their first song they had thousands of people up and dancing. The Rusty Wright Band set the bar quite high for the acts that followed them.
STEVE SIMON
Blues Boss
BLUZAPALOOZA
myspace.com/bluzapalooza
THE Johnnie Walker ST. JOHN BLUES FESTIVAL
stjohnbluesfestival.com
LIVE AT FAITH CITY - CONCERT DVD FILMING
Your band showed more showmanship than possibly the last one hundred bands I have seen--something sorely lacking from this music. ~ Cross Harp Chronicles
BLUE MONDAY MONTHLY
20th ANNUAL BAYFRONT BLUES FESTIVAL
Saturday started out with a gust of wind and it never stopped blowing. Big Walter Smith and the Groove Merchants did their "thang" and woke the folks up and got em ready for the high energy and one of the crowd favorites of the festival The Rusty Wright Band. As I looked around I swear that in my 5-year history at the fest I have never seen this many people gather at the "small" stage for an afternoon show. Everyone who had feet was up and dancing and enjoying the show. Seems Ms. Wright had quite a following of her own and I heard more than a few folks say she was the star of the show!" ~ Blueshammer (Blue Monday Monthly Publisher John Hammer)
www.bluemondaymonthly.com
WILDEBOOMERZ BLOG
WB Blues Review: Chelsea Summerfest [excerpt from review]
WB had the great fortune this weekend to see and hear one of the premier bands on the contemporary music scene, led by a man with fingers of fire and rocking the most impressive ponytail in all of music history. The Rusty Wright Band, like the Rolling Stones, defines the word "tight" as Rusty's scorching lead and slide work, accompanied by soaring B3 organ riffs, weaves through Laurie LaCross-Wright's rock-solid rhythm guitar, all with a bass-and-drum engine chugging along as reliably as the Charlie Watts/Bill Wyman machine in its heyday.
The 90-minute set brought an awed crowd to its feet after the last two songs, which were thumping tributes to Robin Trower and Stevie Ray Vaughan. (Admit it: any band willing to wear Robin Trower roots on its sleeve is truly special.) And did we mention the jaw-dropping rendition of a George Gershwin tune, "Summertime," from the 1935 American opera, Porgy and Bess?
As an added bonus, Rusty Wright, a physically imposing mountain of a guitar god on stage, is an extraordinarily nice and completely unassuming man in person who, as Laurie did too, was more than happy to chat with WB staff after the show.
~ www.wildeboomerz.blogspot.com
THE WHITING [with Etta James]
Between acts I overheard an audience member say “I had no idea that this group [Rusty Wright Blues] was opening for Etta and I have never heard them before but that performance alone was worth the price of admission.” And tickets for that show were not cheap. Rusty Wright Blues knocked the socks off our audience who now see in a new light the many talented artists we have right here in Flint. ~ Christina Bellows, Director, The Whiting www.thewhiting.com
ETTA JAMES LIVE! [excerpt from review]
Opening with Ain’t No Good Life, the title track from their CD, you can feel the sincerity of the music and know that this the real deal. Introducing a new song that was being played for the first time at this show, Rusty gently lead the band through Make a Liar Out of Me which will be on their new CD. Between Rusty’s blistering guitar work, Laurie’s smooth as silk vocals coupled with a rock solid rhythm section, it made the sixty minute set seem way too short and earned the band a standing ovation they so rightfully deserved. ~ Tim Richards, BluesSource.com
PIX THEATRE "Some the best blues I've ever heard." ~ Pix Theatre director Craig Martin, director, Pix Theatre
MARQUETTE BLUES FESTIVAL
"There are many who may not have heard of this band before their performance, but I doubt any will forget them afterwards. They were the darlings of the festival on Sunday. If you get a chance to get out and see them, go! go! go!" ~ Cheryl Olson, music reviewer, WOAS FM radio personality, Porcupine Music Festival Talent Coordinator
ROCK N ROLL GRAFFITI
"Wright tore through a set of original material including I Ain't From Mississippi, The Fool Will Do, Feel Good Blues and Ain't No Good Life, with the crowd falling in love with Wright's vivid guitar technique. ~ Steve Seymour, Rock n Roll Graffiti
I CHEWS THE BLUES FESTIVAL
"Not many bands can make me want to dance on tabletops one minute and make me cry the next!! Thank you for being a big part of our festival." ~ Marguerite King-Goodall, Festival Chair
KALAMAZOO BLUES FESTIVAL
"When we book a band for a festival we want a full sound, great vocals, and somebody that can work the crowd. We got all of that and more with the Rusty Wright Band. That's why we keep bringing them back!" ~ Dennis Massingill, Kalamazoo Blues Festival
OWOSSO AMPHITHEATER SUMMER CONCERT SERIES
"I've been on the board for seven years and I think this was my favorite concert here at the Amphitheater - ever!" ~ Roger Squires, board member, Owosso Area Amphitheater Association
LOWELL SIZZLIN' SUMMER CONCERT SERIES
"I don't recall an act ever getting a standing ovation before at one of our concerts." ~ Gordon Gould
23rd ANNUAL INTERNATIONAL BLUES CHALLENGE Memphis TN
"They may not have won the contest, but they did win critical acclaim from the likes of Bill Wax from XM Radio, Legendary Blues Manager and photographer Dick Waterman, and Alligator Records Czar, Bruce Iglaur. Rumor has it that Rusty and the gang will be on the festival circuit next year and that a trip to the Virgin Islands' St. Johns Blues Festival is in the offing." ~ Steve Allen, Detroit Blues Society President RUSTY WRIGHT BAND WINS 2006 DETROIT MOTOR CITY BREAKDOWN - TOUTED AS THE WORLD'S LARGEST AND TOUGHEST IBC PRELIMINARY COMPETITION!
"Ain't No Good Life was released before the band's contest-winning performance at Memphis Smoke in late October and it may prove to be a collectible if this band goes as far as expected. …Judging by the reaction of the crowd at Memphis Smoke, as well as by the impressive material collected on this auspicious debut, Rusty Wright Blues is a band waiting to explode." ~ Mark E. Gallo, music columnist, critic
LESLIE WEST REVIVES ROCK'S HEYDAY WITH MOUNTAIN
By Sue White, Saginaw News Staff Writer
"It wasn't long before the air guitars came out Friday night at Sullivans Black Forest Brewery.
And why not? With Leslie West and Mountain turning Frankenmuth into a Fillmore Midwest and many in the audience looking as if they grew up on West's signature guitar licks, it was a night that delivered much more than "Mississippi Queen."
Kick-start it with the Rusty Wright Blues band, and it was a guitarist's dream. Believe me, not all the chills were coming from the flu bug that hit this reviewer halfway through the show. Need further proof? A quick scan of the crowd found many familiar faces, musicians themselves on the Saginaw scene, on hand to rock at the feet of a master.
Wright came out blazing, with his wife, Laurie LaCross-Wright, keeping pace nearby and a pair of saxophones adding some brotherly one-upmanship. From their own "Do It Again" to a sizzling cover of the Gershwin brothers' "Summertime" and a medley of blues standards and some Stevie Ray Vaughan, they lived up to the promise of making the blues move you."
THE FLINT JOURNAL FIRST EDITION
By Doug Pullen, Flint Journal Columnist
"If you weren't there last Friday night, you missed one of the most spontaneous local musical events of the season. What began as a fundraiser expected to attract a few hundred fans turned into a jam-packed, sold-out blues explosion… The location was the Davison Country Club, which was so packed by the time the band went on stage that the local fire marshal ordered them to stop taking admissions. The parking lot was filled to overflowing. Paying customers stretched to the stage area on one end of the long ballroom to the very back…"
KALAMAZOO BLUES FESTIVAL
"I saw you play today. Your time is about to start." ~ WC Clark, "Godfather" of Austin Blues
LYNYRD SKYNYRD CONCERT
"Dude, where the hell did you come from? That was great." ~ Rickey Medlocke, Lynyrd Skynyrd
"Great guitar playing. You guys sound great."
~ Johnny Van Zant, Lynyrd Skynyrd
PORCUPINE MOUNTAIN MUSIC FESTIVAL
"After playing their CD so heavily prior to their visit, I was really excited to hear them perform together, and they were great. They both proved to be professionals and kept their cool when two of Laurie's guitar strings decided to break. Hilarious stage banter and great chemistry these two have, and they were well received by the early day crowd." ~ Cheryl Olson, WOAS FM radio personality
OXFORD HOT BLUES & BBQ FESTIVAL
"Guitar wizard Rusty led the band through a series of songs and just to show the kids before them that they had chops too, finished with a red hot version of the Allman Brothers Whipping Post, which brought the entire crowd to it's feet for a standing ovation." ~ Tim Richards, Blues writer, photographer
THE LIVE SHOW
The RWB live show focuses on material from their critically acclaimed CDs Ain't No Good Life and Playin' With Fire.
RWB has dynamic 45, 60, 90 and 120-minute concert sets that are ideal for keeping a diverse, multi-generational audience entertained. The crowd response says it all - more often than not Rusty and the band receive standing ovations during their performances, and they leave audiences on their feet clamoring for more.
This act also has a feel-good, energetic nightclub show that expands on the band's concert sets. In addition to their own brand of sizzling hybrid-blues and engaging onstage husband/wife banter, the band pulls out the big box of crayons to color their blues as they pay tribute to a wide spectrum of artists whose music has inspired them.
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