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BluesArt Studio in Austria May
11, 2009
National Reso-phonic
guitars are normally used for setting mellow mood feelings or an old
timey atmosphere and here on this album Joe does just that, but, he also
utilises the guitar for such purposes as ‘ripping and tearing it up’;
for although his playing is articulate, precise and very easy on the ear
his other speciality is no holds-barred barnstorming, for when he plays
one of his gripping instrumentals; it is like having a juke joint in
your living room; vibrant, footapping, wall shaking great fun. Should
you require a guide to his music you must imagine a lively cross between
Link Wray’s direct no-nonsense approach and the rough’n’tumble sound of
Hounddog Taylor....
This is one of
the most accessible, gripping and genuinely compelling albums I have
heard in quite a while.
Singer/guitarist Joe Price certainly
learned from the blues greats, as he had the good fortune to
open for the likes of
John Lee Hooker,
Willie Dixon, and many other
authentic bluesmen over the years. And he has certainly learned
well, as evidenced throughout his 2009 release, Rain or Shine.
As many longtime blues listeners will attest, blues is meant to
be played gritty and grimy — not the studio-perfected floss that
many modern day, so-called "blues rockers" offer up. Case in
point, the simply ass-kicking instrumental, "Joe's Guitar
Stomp," which features some great, swinging slide licks by
Price, as well as another standout, "Too Little Too Late." Split
50/50 between instrumentals and songs sung by Price, Rain or
Shine is a much-needed return to genuine blues — played
straight from the heart. This is the real deal, folks.
April 25, 2009 Joe Price, "Rain or Shine" (Blue Acres)
Iowa bluesman Joe Price has picked up a full bag of
tricks in nearly 50 years as a guitar picker, much of which is on
display on his new disc, "Rain or Shine." Most impressive is his talent
on the hard-to-play National ResoRocket steel guitar, which he uses on
six of the 10 tracks.
Price's wife, Vicki, whom he met in 1981 when she
played the heck out of his guitar during a gig at a club where she was
bartending, is his chief second on "Rain or Shine," playing her own
National while singing backup vocal on "Steel Guitar."
With five instrumental cuts on the disc, Price, whose
voice might generously be described as "Dylanesque," knows which side
his bread is buttered on. While so far he's bigger in Dubuque, Davenport
and Des Moines than more traditional blues hotbeds, Price has the
authenticity of the country blues guitar pioneers of the 1920s, and his
writing is always upbeat and occasionally ("Too Little Too Late," "Last
Stop Now") a direct link to the early masters of the idiom. -Jeff
Johnson
Click Image of CD below to Down Load
a free tune
Click Image of CD below to Down Load
a free tune
We have a lot of exciting events coming up,
check these out:
Hambone Blues
Festival Austin, MN June 27th. A tour of California the first week
of July including the 4th in Bolinas, our favorite California town!
Colorado the second week of July with the highlight being the Old south
Pearl Street Festival in Denver on July 11th. When we get home we
are doing a concert in the park in Winona on July 18th. Door
County at the Outpost Coffee House on the 23rd of July and "An Evening
With" at the Cafe Monmartre in Madison on July 24th. We will be
doing the first annual blues festival at Christy's Cafe in Mankato, MN
on July 25th followed by our annual Tabor Winery concert on the 26th of
July.
Check the schedule for details on these and
the rest of our gigs!!!
See you there!!!!
Tom's Burned Down last summer!
BETSIE BROWN OF BLIND
RACCOON PROMOTING "RAIN OR SHINE"
We are very excited to be working with publicist
Betsie Brown. Betsie's business,
Blind Raccoon, supports and promotes
music and artists worldwide. Betsie is a a governor and secretary of the
Memphis chapter of the Recording Academy and a board member of The Blues
Foundation (www.blues.org). You can
check her out at www.blindraccoon.com.
Here's a sample of some of the
BUZZZ:
FOLK AND ACOUSTIC MUSIC EXCHANGE
This is
low-down, stompin', moonshinin', hollerin', backcreek blues with mangrove grit
and blind faith, the sort of simple but driving solo balls-out working class
blues that grabs you by the seat of the pants and sets up a hominy hipshake.
There's more than a little George Thorogood here—which is to say, you get a
great dose of Elmore James—and Joe Price doesn't stint on the slide one little
bit. Joe's Guitar Stomp reminded me of T.S. McPhee's transfusion of
John Lee Hooker but there's also a very healthy dose of the same modern
primitivism that Kelly Joe Phelps (here)
displays.
No matter where you cut the laser
in, there's a ton of stomp 'n holler goin' on, and that alone singles the CD out
for praise, as the form is dying and desperately needs a presence like Price's.
Wife Vicki sits in on three tracks and two sessionmen join her and him on the
last cut, but the rest is just Joe, Joe, and more Joe. God knows he fills each
song with a lot more swing and slippery slidey shimmering blues than it should
be legal for one man to possess. Each tune was written by Price but you'll swear
you heard 'em all on old 78s.
Rain or Shine*
is on Joe's own indie label, Blues Acres, but deserves to be on the Yellow Dog
imprint. It's way the hell too good for even as fine a label as Alligator and
much too idiosyncratic for Bullseye. The old Takoma would've been a top choice
back in the day, 'cause Kottke, Fahey, and the trad (and in Kottke's case: weird
trad) gents would 100% flip for this fare. Honest, rockin', straight from the
spine, this is disc that will remind you just why the blues proved to be so
damnably infectious, where it came from, and why it will never perish.
A review written for the Folk & Acoustic Music Exchange by
Mark S. Tucker
****************
BLUES BLAST
MAGAZINE April 16, 2009 by Eric Steiner
Rain or Shine is
the latest CD from Iowa bluesman Joe Price. Half-way through his ten-song set,
imaginatively alternating instrumentals and ballads, I understand why he was a
finalist at the 2006 International Blues Challenge in the Solo/Duo competition
at the Center for Southern Folklore in Memphis....Standout tracks for me include
the opening “Hornet’s Nest,” and a song all to familiar to blues fans, “”Too
Little, Too Late.” While these ballads showcase Joe’s strong songwriting skills,
I keep coming back to the instrumentals of “Blues on 12” and “Rock Slide” – each
of these gems get me out of my seat and onto my feet, because Joe Price’s blues
boogie is absolutely infectious....
*****************
Joe Price/Rain or Shine By
Terry Mullins
...Price does not beat around the bush. He
comes at your ears hard, right from the opening track. From there, every
one of the nine remaining cuts on Rain or Shine demands, and holds, your full
attention – just like a riveting novel that’s too good to put down.
Equipped with not much more than a National
ResoRocket guitar, a 1958 Stella 12-string and a Greg Bennett Avion Samick,
Price romps, stomps and field-hollers his way through an excellent set of music
that is both edgy and comforting, all at the same time.
Not just a craftsman of the pre-war style of
Delta blues (all 10 tracks on Rain or Shine are Price originals), Price also has
a handle on how to pace a full-length compact disc, and he alternates the five
tracks with vocals between the five instrumental tracks, making for a
well-balanced, enjoyable listen. One that keeps you looking forward to the next
track.
Price’s slide work is nothing short of
spot-on and he has the rare ability to take one on a journey from the dusty,
acoustic crossroads sounds of Honeyboy Edwards (“Hornet’s Nest”) all the way to
the electrified delta boogie of today’s generation, ala the late, great R.L.
Burnside (“Joe’s Guitar Stomp).
...But as much can be said about Price’s
vocal chops on the CD, too. Timbered with an almost battered, spooky kind of
inflection, Price’s world-weathered vocals are just what the doctor, and the
songs themselves, ordered for Rain or Shine. To put it simply – Price’s voice
sounds like it knows what it’s talking about....
*****************
BluesArt Studio in Austria Brian Harman/May
11, 2009
National Reso-phonic
guitars are normally used for setting mellow mood feelings or an old timey
atmosphere and here on this album Joe does just that, but, he also utilises the
guitar for such purposes as ‘ripping and tearing it up’; for although his
playing is articulate, precise and very easy on the ear his other speciality is
no holds-barred barnstorming, for when he plays one of his gripping
instrumentals; it is like having a juke joint in your living room; vibrant,
footapping, wall shaking great fun. Should you require a guide to his music you
must imagine a lively cross between Link Wray’s direct no-nonsense approach and
the rough’n’tumble sound of Hounddog Taylor....
...After playing in bands
such as; The Rockets 88s and Mother Blues he decided to go solo in nineteen
eighty-one. He moved to Lansing, Iowa in nineteen eighty-two. Whilst playing a
concert in Waukon he met and eventually married one Vicki Ewing; a local blues
singer. Together they have concentrated on their careers but over time they have
merged professionally to create the earthy (dare I say) homespun rollicking
music this album contains. The ten numbers here are all Joe originals; five are
instrumentals and the rest are crowned with Joes witheringly husky vocals, apart
from “Steel Guitar” which highlights Vicki’s vocal and playing talents; Joe and
Vicki share guitar credits.
This is one of the most
accessible, gripping and genuinely compelling albums I have heard in quite a
while.
Essential!
*****************
During these long winter months some hot
blues can be just the thing to warm the soul. Joe Price is
bringing the heat on with his new recording, Rain or Shine.
Included are 10 new songs, all written by Price, five
of which are blues instrumentals that alternate between the vocal
tracks. This spirited recording finds Price in a rollicking
mood..... The opening
tack, Hornets Nest, sets the tone for the disc. This old
fashioned rave-up gets the floorboards rattling with furious guitar
picking and boot stomping splendor.
...Price's raspy call is well steeped in the blues and
capable of telling a story by itself. Hook it up with some beat
box slide guitar and this is vintage blues......Overall, Rain or Shine, is a
thoroughly enjoyable listen. On a snowy winter day it takes a
little bit of the chill out of the air. Pete Willson
Little Village Feb. 2009 Iowa City, IA
*****************
One man… one guitar…
one voice… shaped by a lifetime of bad luck, blues and trouble, yet
joyful and resolute. This is Joe Price at his finest, playing the music
he loves on his own terms with the kind of authenticity and unique style
I’ve admired over the years — rain or shine. The ghosts of slide guitar
masters like Elmore James, Hound Dog Taylor and Mississippi Fred
McDowell live in these 10 heartfelt electric and acoustic originals
marked by Price’s indelible stamp. From gritty blues (“Joe’s Guitar
Stomp,” “Too Little Too Late”), to house rockin’ numbers (“Beer Tent
Boogie Woogie”) and honey-sweet ballads (“Nellie Bell”), Price delivers
on all accounts. Wife Vicki lends a deft hand on “Steel Guitar,” while
drummer Keni Ewing and trumpeter Al Naylor help create the danceable
“Rock Slide.”
By Michael Swanger City View Des
Moines, IA Feb. 18, 2009
*****************
...Joe Price holds a
long-established position as one of this planet's most distinctive and
incendiary blues mavens.
Famously cited as "The Buddha" by Greg Brown for his unerring ability to
conjure unforgettable original material that fairly reeks of the
mysteriously sensual, voodoo funk of vintage, long-departed masters,
Price dishes out ten more roadhouse roof-raisers on his brand-new "Rain
or Shine."
....Front-and-center on each track are Price's sizzling, sliding,
careening guitar and infectious boot-stomping, with Joe's haunted,
driven vocals adorning half the cuts, interleaved among five riveting
instrumentals.
....Fresh-brewed but steeped in the ages, it's an all-weather house
party... By Jim Musser Iowa Press
Citizen 2/29/2009
*****************
Chris Spector Midwest Record
Down
home throughout and certainly not mindful of clichés or conventions, this is
exactly how it sounds when it comes from the heart, come rain or shine, hell or
high water. A sure bet if you want something different while still loaded with
it’s own brand of authenticity, this off beat look deeper into the well has got
the hooks to grab you. Check it out.
*****************
GRAHAME
RHODES Bluesinthenothwest.com UK
To look at the
cover of Joe Price’s latest recording you may think he was a Nashville country
picker if you didn’t know otherwise – but the giveaway that he certainly isn’t
is the steel bottleneck on his left hand – he’s a down-home bluesman with a
preference for some ass-kicking, stomping country blues – both acoustic and
electric....
The ten tracks here feature a half-and-half
split of vocals and instrumentals, beginning with the stomping “Hornets Nest” –
written in his wood shed as he was surrounded by hornets, with his National
steel guitar kicking up a storm. The following “Joe’s Guitar Stomp” sees a
switch to electric, with a tone as thick as you will hear, and I would imagine
one to get the folks up dancing live!
The sad tale of “Too Little Too Late” takes
the pace down – more biting electric slide here; before the instrumental “Nellie
Bell” – his ode to his National steel guitar. The self-explanatory “Steel
Guitar” reminds me a lot of fellow Iowa resident Catfish Keith, with the
acoustic slide tone similar – wife Vicki adds a vocal and guitar to this, which
rocks along in fine style.
The travelling blues of “Last Stop Now” has
a world-weary vocal, with more infectious slide guitar; “Blues On 12” sees him
playing a 1958 Stella 12-string guitar, with a rich, almost piano like sound.
The houserocking “Beer Tent Boogie Woogie” takes the pace up, and as Joe says,
“I’ve played in beer tents for 40 years. This is what can happen.”
The closing “Rock Slide” features the only
two other musicians on the album, apart from his wife – her son Keni on drums,
and Al Naylor on trumpet – to bring a most appealing release to a storming end.
Anyone who likes their blues not too-polished and downhome will certainly enjoy
this!
*****************
Joe Price
started playing guitar as a nine year old in Waterloo, Iowa. Focusing on folk
and country blues, he was eventually steered into electric urban blues after a
chance meeting with Earl Hooker. He settled in Iowa City, often a stopping place
for blues artists touring between Chicago, St. Louis, and Kansas City, playing
first with the Rocket 88s and then with the legendary trio Mother Blues (with
Patrick Hazell and Bo Ramsey). He retreated to Lansing, Iowa, where he met his
future wife, Vicki Ewing, and the two of them began opening for artists like
Honeyboy Edwards, Al Green, Louisiana Red, Iris DeMent, John Lee Hooker, and
Homesick James). In 2002, Price was inducted into the Iowa Blues Hall of Fame
and the Iowa Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2007.
Over time, Price has developed a unique blend of traditional country blues that
throws in rafter-shaking electric grooves as well as some traces of jazz mixed
in. He has issued many recordings since the '80s, many of them homemade, but
hopefully his latest effort, Rain or Shine (on his own label, Blues Acres
Productions) will help him get the attention he merits. The disc features ten
original songs, five of which are instrumentals, mostly featuring Price solo on
vocals and guitar. His wife, Vicki, plays guitar on three tracks and sings on
“Steel Guitar.”
Price’s plaintive vocals are fine, but the real star of the disc is his guitar.
His slide work swoops in and out and back and forth with reckless abandon. It
sounds as if fire is coming from the strings at times. Price’s songs are also
impressive, highly original, but still with an eye toward traditional country
blues. The opening cut, “Hornet’s Nest,” is a highlight, as is the mournful “Too
Little Too Late,” and the swinging “Beer Tent Boogie Woogie.”
The instrumental tracks are all keepers. “Joe’s Guitar Stomp” is a rocker, the
lovely “Nellie Bell” features Price’s National Steel, as does the Charlie
Christian-influenced “LuLu.” The disc closes with the lively “Rock Slide,”
featuring the Prices with their son, Keni, on drums and Al Naylor on trumpet.
Raw and original, Rain or Shine will please fans of slide guitar from all
genres. ----Blues Bytes Graham Clarke May 1, 2009
****************
Blues in Britain
"Rain or Shine" is Joe Price's first album since his 2007
induction into the Iowa Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. Recorded mostly live in the
studio on analogue equipment, it features 10 original tracks, with instrumentals
interspersed between the songs.
"Hornet's Nest" gets things off to a great start with its shades of Bukka White,
showing that Price is on top form vocally and on guitar. That is followed by
"Joe's Guitar Stomp", featuring some fine buzzing electric guitar. Price is also
a good singer, always matching his vocals to the song's mood and tempo.
Whether playing National Steel or electric guitar, Price's playing is first rate
throughout, with the jaunty "Beer Tent Boogie Woogie" perhaps just shading the
other tracks. Price mostly plays solo, but is joined by wife Vicki (vocals and
guitar) on "Steel Guitar" and later by son Keni (drums) and Al Naylor (trumpet)
for the closer, "Rock Slide", with its guitar call and trumpet response.
"Rain or Shine" is another fine album from Joe Price, with enough variety in the
songs to keep the listener interested. There may be a few obvious influences,
including Lightnin' Hopkins ("Too Little, Too Late")
and John Hurt ("Lu Lu"), but Price remains very much an original talent. Rating: 7 - Gordon Baxter
"A
BRAND NEW PLACE" ON
SALE NOW!!!!
NOMINATED FOR BEST INDEPENDENT
RELEASE FOR THE INTERNATIONAL BLUES CHALLENGE 2008 BY THE CENTRAL IOWA
BLUES SOCIETY!!!!!!
January 2009 Issue 56
Blue Monday
Magazine/Minneapolis, MN
This is Vicki's most blues influenced offering
yet..... At times I can hear Sippie Wallace, with a nod to
Bonnie Raitt and Odetta, all rolled into one satisfying vocal
and guitar playing package. Her vocals and confidence
continue to strengthen with each new live performance.
With Joe backing her up on most compositions, you'd be hard put
to catch a better blues duo on the road in this century. ---J.P.
Ronan
November 20, 2008
Press Citizen/Iowa City, IA
A righteous, joyful, foot-stomping jublilee..."
....Quitting
her day job to commit herself fully to honing her skills while
managing the couple's musical career was the kind of risk few
folks have the nerve to take, but it has paid off handsomely
with a busy, coast-to-coast tour itinerary and the elevation of
Ms. Price's craft from inspired part-timer to a seasoned pro
boasting enviable substance and command in her own right.
Featuring 10 new (but decidedly
"in-the-tradition") earthy tunes penned by Vicki, "A Brand New
Place" presents the singer's classic, "old-school" country-blues
vocals belted out with sass and conviction over the dazzling
National steel guitar interplay of Joe and Vicki.
Vicki's son Keni Ewing provides solid drumming
where needed and Al Naylor provides some sweet trumpet cameos,
but for the most part, "A Brand New Place" focuses on a
splendidly gifted and undeniably plugged-in wife-and-husband act
having a ball while throwing down a righteous, joyful,
foot-stomping jubilee.---Jim Musser
Oct. 23, 2008 CITY VIEW/DesMoines,
IA
Husband and wife duo Joe and Vicki Price
don't just play the blues, they live the blues, and you can feel it in
Vicki's aching vocals and Joe's soulful slide guitar throughout
their new album, "A Brand New Place." The Iowa couple delivers 10
original country blues songs written by Vicki that sound like they would
have been a hit for the Vocalion record label during the 1920s or 1930s,
but as a testament to their timeless lyrical and musical qualities, are
just as meaningful in the 21st century. "My Man," the album's
stellar lead track, is a good example of the interplay between Joe and
Vicki, as Joe's stinging guitar buzzes like a bee around Vicki's
honey-like vocals and rhythm guitar. They go together like sugar
and spice. ---Michael Swanger
While we
always appreciate the help that the press gives us every time they
review our CD's or cover our shows, we also love to hear from our
friends. We have received a lot of emails from folks who have
purchased "A Brand New Place". We want to share with you some of
their thoughts about the CD:
I’ve been meaning to
write to you. J and I have your CD on very heavy rotation around
here. We’re loving it. I feel like I understand more about the
blues from listening to this CD. There’s no denial in these songs
that times are hard and yet they still have such a great playful
feel to them. I realize that the blues were how people who were
horribly and hopelessly oppressed had a good time. They didn’t
forget that they were oppressed. They lifted their spirits right in
the face of it. That’s how this record feels to me. You should
feel very proud of this record. Love, B (Bejae
Fleming, Ames IA)
Vicki - your
cd hasn't left my car since I got it 3 days ago, I love it!!!
Honestly, not just saying that... otherwise, I wouldn't say
anything. I fully intend to see you both on New Year's... can't
wait!!! (Chad Bassman, Des Moines, IA)
I just love
your new CD - makes me dance in the car going down the raod. I
find song #3 very fitting for me!!!! Hope to see you at Oak Center.
Take Care (Flo, Rochester, MN)
Hey it's the
first warm day that makes us remember that spring is more than
a thought and summer may be more attainable than our fading memories.
It's the perfect glorious day for Julie to pass me your new CD, and for
me
to drive around with it loudly amusing the eccentric and new outdoor
smoking
crowd in front of the Haymarket struggling to park within a block of the
newspaper office.
Boy oh boy has life lit a fire under your butt girlfriend. And it's a
great
fire - full of joy, full of fun, full of love, yep, downright sexy I'd
say.
Seems looser yet tighter than your other ones so far....i'm sure I could
explain that more poetically if I tried for even a second....
At any rate, it spread a lovely little current through all of me, and I
laughed aloud, something I do not do that often. And better yet, I
didn't
give a hoot if anyone heard my hollering. Thank you. (Tanya O'Connor,
Decorah, IA)
...Vicki, I really like your
new CD. I've listened to it three times since you left and like
the variety of styles, tempos and recording a lot. The horn - yes,
Joe's guitar does match the others great - and the overall recording.
I also like hearing older tunes done slightly different. Great
job! Best, (Captain Morgan Fountain City, WI)
