SWING WESPELAAR 2008

Dorpskern Wespelaar (aan de voet van de kerk)



FINALE AFFICHE

FRIDAY 22 Aug
19.00


Dameblanche (BE)
Guitar,Vocals Thijs Louis : Guitar Bart Borremans : Bass Koen Mertens : Drums

http://www.myspace.com/simonwitvrouw


Chris Watson (BE)
Chris Watson maakt deel uit van de artiesten die vanaf het begin van hun carrière hetzelfde enthousiasme vertonen.
Het rock 'n' roll virus raakte hem op 5-jarige leeftijd toen hij voor de eerste keer de muziek van Jerry Lee Lewis hoorde.
Chris Watson: piano / vocals – Gaspard Ricevuto: bas – J.M. Van Eaton: drums

http://www.pianokiller.com/

BJ Scott (US)

http://www.bjscott.com/

SATURDAY 23 Aug
16.00

Tantrum (UK)
Tantrum are one of the most exciting young bands to have exploded onto the British blues scene in years. With an average age of just 20 it’s hard to believe they play with an energy and ability that creates an excitement and maturity that sets them apart from their contemporaries and moves them into an arena that only truly great bands have graced. Tantrum have fused their influences to create what many consider to be the sound that will finally take the blues into the mainstream.
Tantrum’s Debut EP, ‘Headcase’ (produced by Wayne Proctor) is a powerful example of where contemporary blues songwriting should be heading. Tantrum play blues that doesn’t rely on cliché or your standard issue version of what you think the blues should be. Each track featured on the EP is graced with quality arrangements, melodies, production to rival any major label release and an incredible understanding by each band member of how to play as a real cohesive unit, a skill lost on many musician in this day and age.
Amie Walker- Gitaar & Vocals
Torsten Christensen- Bas gitaar
Luke Paget- Drums

http://www.tantrumrockinblues.co.uk/

Marc Librecht Band (BE)
This band (Electrical blues-rock band version) is a project of Guitar player-Lead singer-Songwriter Marc LIBRECHT, ex-founder   of TEX, well known blues-rock band in the 90’s, who made five CD’s and played as support act for people like Johnny Winter, John Mayall, Alvin Lee, Lynyrd Skynyrd and many others, and who participated to the biggest festivals in Belgium like Handzame or Peer.

http://www.marclibrecht.com/

Eric Steckel (US)
From the road to the stage, a smile on just one face….it feels like home…..
Music has shaped Eric’s life since the day he was born. As a cranky infant he was soothed to sleep by the early
90s sounds of Country Music Television. As he learned to walk his first steps were to the cassette player where
his personal favorites were The Allman Brothers and Stevie Ray Vaughan. Childhood piano lessons soon turned into
Blues jams and before long he picked up his first fender Stratocaster. There was no looking back…..
After sitting in with some of the finest performers in his Pennsylvania hometown, Eric's passion for the Blues enabled him
to soon share the stage with many nationally known artists including Bob Margolin, Debbie Davies, James Armstrong, 
Steve Guyger, Kenny Neal, Chris Beard, Tommy Castro, Joe Kubek, Bnois King, Solomon Burke, Ronnie Baker Brooks and Hubert Sumlin.
With a feeling and natural ability that could not be explained for someone so young, Eric delivered a Freddie-BB-Albert King
influenced performance with an intensity and skill that belied his youth.
The Eric Steckel Band's debut CD, "A Few Degrees Warmer", was recorded live in April 2002 when Eric was a mere
11 years old. A Few Degrees quickly became a CD Baby Top Blues Seller and the record continues to delight Blues Guitar fans across the globe.
In November of 2003 the "ESB" appeared at the Sarasota Blues Festival where Eric’s powerful set and cameo
appearances became the talk of the day. Before the night was over Eric was introduced by John Mayall
as the youngest person ever on stage with the Bluesbreakers.
Eric left a lasting impression on Mayall and in the Summer of 2004, Eric appeared in Sweden,
Norway and Denmark as a special guest with John Mayall and The Bluesbreakers during their Scandinavian Tour.
In early 2005 Eric traveled to Los Angeles where he joined Mayall for session work on the Bluesbreaker's "Road Dogs" record.
The ESB developed their own faithful following through years of club gigs and festival appearances
including opening sets in support of Marcia Ball, Tommy Castro, Shemekia Copeland and B.B. King.
The band released a studio record titled "High Action" in 2004 and traveled to Holland and
Belgium in 2005 for a 10 concert tour promoted by Rounder-Europe and King Bee Music.
After relocating to Jacksonville, Florida, Eric was introduced to Duane Trucks who joined the band in
late 2005 on drums. Music fans may immediately recognize Duane as Derek's younger brother and the nephew of Butch Trucks.
In celebration of Duane's arrival, the ESB released their third record, "Havana". Deeply rooted in the Blues,
this live recording recalled the sound of the 60s and 70s Blues Rock era.
In support of the European release of "Live at Havana" through Rounder-Europe, the ESB returned to Holland in 2006
where they had the honor to open for Johnny Winter at The Paradiso in Amsterdam and appeared at the Tegelen Blues Rock Festival.
The Summer of 2007 marked another milestone for Eric as the band played several prominent American music
festivals and earned rave reviews and new fans during tours in Holland, Germany, Belgium and Italy, including
a prime time performance at the legendary Pistoia Blues Festival where he opened in prime time for John Mayall and Gregg Allman.
Eric greeted 2008 by emerging from the recording studio with a host of new songs and an
all new record titled “Feels Like Home”. Supported by solid session performances from Duane Trucks on Drums
and Mike Esposito on Bass Guitar, “Feels Like Home” marks another stunning achievement for Eric as the
one-time teen Blues phenom is now a matured guitarist who combines his Bluesy feel with eclectic influences
and modern songwriting. “Feels Like Home” is on sale beginning March 2008.
In support of “Feels Like Home” Eric has teamed up with one of his original influences and early
mentor Craig Thatcher to develop a new road band, “Eric Steckel and CTB”.
The Craig Thatcher Band has a well-earned reputation for blending classic rock and blues with a
joy of playing that’s up front and bold. With their own worldwide recognition and a slew of music awards
the CTB is recognized by many as one of the best bands on the East Coast.
Eric Steckel and CTB is a must-see-live performing band.

http://www.ericsteckel.com/

The Pine Box Boys (US)
Singers of songs of murder and misery.
"Daddy told me that when they use to embalm bodies they had to burn sulfur in the room to overpower the stench of the deceased. That's kinda what The Pine Box Boys are."
"We never wanted any of them ladies to get killed. But they kept on bleeding and Willie kept on stabbing, so, well, I reckon we HAD to write a song about it."
"We just hope to be an inspiration to the kids."
"If you wrote the greatest murder ballads in the world, we'd listen to you."
This is how the members of The Pine Box Boys explain their continued harassment of those lonely ladies of the American Murder Ballad. Buried in unmarked graves, their ghosts have been called out to in song for more than two centuries. No face, no form, only lonely names - Polly, Sally, Maggie, Eleanor.
With no regard for decency, THE PINE BOX BOYS have raised these poor haints again through new songs of unforgivable deeds, guilt, and loathing. She is repeatedly shot, stabbed, cut, and ground into powder by a nefarious collection of bad men. For the past three years, THE PINE BOX BOYS have been hollering these unsettling and provocative songs at audiences worldwide. Is this legal?
Upon returning from their recent European tour, The Pine Box Boys spent four days in the studio with The Alien Overlord recording their new album, STAB! These are what the boys call their "bar songs." They opted for a lean production, trying to capture the sound of a loud, angry acoustic band bent on killing. As with 2005's ARKANSAS KILLING TIME, this new album takes a, um, whimsical look at murder and misery in a backwoods-y style. Although the songs have clearly been dragged, like a bloody sack, through some very tall bluegrass, they are unmistakably original.
THE PINE BOX BOYS are:
Lester T. Raww - guitar, vocals
Alex "Possum" Carvidi - banjo, vocals
Col. Timothy Leather - bass
S. "Your Uncle" Dodds – drums

http://www.pineboxboys.com/pbb/

Melvin Taylor (US)
Melvin Taylor is a star in Europe, but it may take some time for the audiences to catch on to just how phenomenally talented a bluesman he is. Part of the problem for Taylor may be his own natural eclecticism. He's equally adept playing jazz or blues, but in the last few years, he's forged a name for himself as a blues
guitarist with a slew of releases for Evidence Music. Taylor may well be the most talented new guitarist to come along since Stevie Ray Vaughan.

Taylor was born in Mississippi but raised in Chicago after the family moved there in 1962. He learned guitar from his mother's brother, Uncle Floyd Vaughan, who jammed to tunes by Muddy Waters, Jimmy Reed and Howlin' Wolf with his buddies. By the time Taylor was 12, he was sitting in with his uncle and other grown-ups at those sessions. Almost entirely self-taught, the young Taylor learned slide playing, finger-picking and flat-picking styles from his favorite recordings by B.B. King, Albert King and Jimi Hendrix.

In his teens, Taylor joined the Transistors, a group managed by his future father in-law, and they made their mark playing popular music of the 1970s at talent shows and night clubs. After the Transistors broke up in the early 1980s, Taylor again devoted his full attention to playing blues in the Windy City's West Side clubs. Shortly after, pianist Joe Willie "Pinetop" Perkins came ooking for a guitarist for a string of European dates. Taylor joined the Legendary Blues Band for a year and made such an impact in Europe that several club and festival bookers wanted
him back with his own group. Since the late 1980s, he's been making regular tours of Europe, often backed by former members of the Transistors, where they opened for the likes of B.B. King, Buddy Guy, Santana, George Benson and Canned Heat.

Aside from taking his musical inspiration from guitar heroes like Albert King, B.B. King and Stevie Ray Vaughan, Taylor also became enamored with the jazz stylings of George Benson and Wes Montgomery, incorporating their styles into his playing.

Taylor's recordings include two he first recorded for a French label that have seen been reissued on the Pennsylvania-based Evidence Music: “Blues on the Run”, originally recorded in 1982, and 1984's “Melvin Taylor Plays the Blues for You”. Back in the U.S., Taylor continued to build a buzz around the strength of his marathon live shows at Rosa's Lounge and other venues in Chicago. Several small labels tried to sign Taylor, but they weren't successful. In 1995, Taylor was signed to Evidence Music and entered the studio with blues impresario John Snyder to record his debut for the label, “Melvin Taylor and the Slack Band”, which showcased his original songwriting. He returned in late 1996 to record his second U.S. album, “Dirty Pool”. Taylor's debut remains the Evidence label's best-selling release ever.
Both records showcase Taylor's awe-inspiring guitar playing and original renderings of classic Chicago blues tunes. “Bang the Bell” followed in 2000, featuring racy cover art and a somewhat funk-influenced sound, but it was his teaming with Lucky Peterson and Mato Nanji on 2002's “Rendezvous with the Blues” that cemented his reputation as a mainstay in the American blues and roots rock scene. Richard Skelly - All Music Guide

http://www.melvintaylorblues.com/



SUNDAY 24 Aug
16.00

The Blue Vibes (BE)

http://www.bluevibes.eu/


Chilly Willy (BE)

http://come.to/Chillywilly


Tom Shaka (US)
Thirty-five years ago, this guitarist, singer and harp-player with Sicilian roots and inspiration from legendary players like Charley Patton, Robert Johnson and John Lee Hooker, took to the road to embark on a musical career. Profound meetings with blues greats such as Taj Mahal and Champion Jack Dupree further inspired the young musician from Connecticut, U.S.A. to ultimately find and define his own style.
In keeping with the great blues tradition, his music is soulful, raw, authentic and straight from the heart. His compositions, stage presence, passionate goose-bump vocals and dynamic guitar technique have continuously deepened, evolved and been given new inspiration, thanks also appearances in Europe and the U.S.A with blues legends such as Louisiana Red and David "Honeyboy" Edwards, with whom he performed at the 2005 Chicago Blues Festival.
Today, himself a seasoned blues-veteran, TOM SHAKA has acheived a dignified maturity. With traditionally based blues songs, boogies, airy rags and latin instrumental gems, which this fingerstylist elegantly sets into various sonorous colors using acoustic guitar, electric guitar and resonator guitar, TOM SHAKA has built himself a reputation as an unmistakable "Solo Blues Master". He is likewise a storyteller and an activist.
"Blues is more than a musical art form. It´s also a philosophy and a way of life. If you can´t speak truth through Blues .... where then?" (Tom Shaka)
Thirty-five years ago TOM SHAKA set out on a quest to take his music out into the world. Today, in his country of choice, Germany, he is considered a cardinal blues player, a status he once again proves beyond a dought with his current album, "Deep Cut" (Acoustic Music Recs.).
For Demos please click at one of the notes upright at the end of the german version.

http://www.tom-shaka.de/


Guy Forsyth (US)

http://www.guyforsyth.com/



En nog steeds een gratis festival !!!!

Meer info:
www.swingwespelaar.be