Cedric Burnside & Lightening Malcolm
+ Rick Estrin & The Night Cats
September 30th
THE GOV
Tickets $49.50 + BF
www.thegov.com.au www.moshtix.com.au 1300 GET TIX (438 849)
Paint The Gov Blues:
September the 30th The Gov hosts some of the US’s greatest living bluesmen. At the end of September The Gov is very proud to announce that we have an amazing blues show for all you true believers…
On their Two Man Wrecking Crew’ tour- (pictured left) drummer Cedric Burnside (Grandson of the great R.L. himself) and Lightening Malcolm bring you their deep, muddy Mississippi-Blues lines. But that ‘ain’t it; one of the greatest harp blowers in the world- Rick Estrin heads the band nominated as the best Blues band in the world- The Night Cats. They have all been influenced massively by the great bluesman – Muddy Waters, whether it be in person (at a show in Chicago, Muddy yelled out to rick ‘You outta sight boy!’) or through his music (Lightening Malcolm recalls his first experience listening to Muddy’s made him want to play the blues). Now you’d expect the grandson of R.L. Burnside would have a lot to look up to and Cedric Burnside certainly does just that; Cedric is said to be the greatest session blues drummer of his time with an almost psychic ability to follow compliment any blues line. Pair that with Lightening Malcolm who has been described as a reckless performer with a deep, soulful voice, a man who has lived and breathed music his whole life… and you get one hell of a blues duo!
That would ordinarily be enough to get the blues fans in the mood, but when we add Rick Estrin into the mix, we’re going to see one hell of a show! Rick Estrin has been told by the great guitarist Robert Lockwood, Jr. (who was schooled by Robert Johnson and who played on most of Little Walter's Chess recordings) "Little Walter would be very proud of you.” Can you get any better than that? Playing with Rick Estrin are his backing band –The Night Cats who have been nominated by Blues Blast Magazine as the best blues band of 2010. This show will be one not to be missed!
Cedric Burnside & Lightening Malcolm
CEDRIC BURNSIDE, grandson of the legendary R.L. Burnside, son of drummer great Calvin Jackson, is widely regarded as one of the best drummers in the world. Growing up at his grandfather's side, he began touring at age 13, playing drums for "Big Daddy" on stages around the globe. Cedric was born in 1978 and raised around Holly Springs, Miss., and has been playing music all his life, developing a relentless, highly rhythmic charged style with strong hip-hop and funk influences.
"I write about my life, my kids, and everyday things. I try to stick to the truth," Cedric says. Just 27 years old, he recalls growing up without a radio or a TV. "My granddad used to play out on the porch, and we'd have house parties every weekend. Johnny Woods would come over and blow harmonica, and he'd drink two or three gallons of corn liquor. We just stomped up dirt."
In addition to "Big Daddy," Cedric has also played with, among countless others, Junior Kimbrough, Kenny Brown, North Mississippi Allstars, Burnside Exploration, Bobby Rush and Widespread Panic. In 2006 he was featured in the critically acclaimed feature film, Black Snake Moan, playing drums alongside Samuel L. Jackson. (The film is a tribute to R.L. Burnside, and gives many nods to the late bluesman.) Cedric has teamed up with guitarist Lightnin' Malcolm and is proving to be a powerful vocalist and great songwriter. Cedric is a special talent that has brought new life and energy to the blues, and is loved by fans around the world.
Bluesman LIGHTNIN' MALCOLM is one of the leading, younger generation artists on the scene today. Born in rural Missouri, Malcolm enjoyed the freedom of country life, quickly learning to entertain himself and others around him. Growing up in a little village called Burgess in a country house next to the KCS Railroad that ran from Kansas City to New Orleans, the train has always been a theme in Malcolm's music, as well as the inspiration for the steady, insistent bass rhythms of rural dance music.
"I remember I was 7 or 8, and the grown folks was parked out on the road listening to music and carryin' on," recalls Malcolm. "They put on a tape called 'Muddy Waters' Greatest Hits,' and when I heard that voice shootin' out of that speaker, I was shocked. I fell in love with it, and I promised myself then and there that if I grew up to be a man, I was gonna try to do that!"
Malcolm — a reckless live performer — has lived and breathed music his whole life, traveling and playing in a slashing, rhythmic style, with deep soulful vocals. Malcolm has played over the years with many of the best Mississippi blues artists, such as Cedell Davis, R.L. Burnside, Hubert Sumlin, Jessie Mae Hemphill, T Model Ford, Jr. Kimbrough, Robert Belfour, Big Jack Johnson, Sam Carr and Otha Turner. Skilled on guitar, bass, and drums, Malcolm is an in demand session player with a telepathic sense of how to follow the older archaic styles, and is especially noted for his old-fashioned, church "shout" style on drums.
In 2005, Malcolm released his first album Juke Joint Dance Party. It was the No.1 requested blues album on XM Satellite Radio. Now that he has joined forces with powerhouse drummer and vocalist Cedric Burnside, Lightnin' Malcolm feels like his calling is now.
After releasing its incredible, self-titled debut, Juke Joint Duo, in 2007, the band was quick to get back in the studio — this time in Austin, TX. Recorded in just 5 days at Austin's Out The Woodwork Studios, Cedric Burnside & Lightnin' Malcolm's newest record (untitled) is a blazing testament to where it's been — and where it's going
Rick Estrin & The Night Cats
One day back in 1970, a 20-year old Rick Estrin had the opportunity to play harmonica with Muddy Waters and his band at the Sutherland Hotel on 47th and Drexel in Chicago's South Side. During the break, Muddy called Estrin over, shook his finger in his face, and shouted, "You outta sight boy! You play like a MAN boy! You got that sound boy, I KNOW that sound when I hear it, that's MY sound!"
Today, singer/harmonica player/songwriter Rick Estrin ranks among the very best harp players in the blues world. His work on the reeds is at once deep in the tradition of harmonica masters Sonny Boy Williamson II and Little Walter Jacobs while at the same time pushing that tradition forward. The Associated Press called his harp playing, "endlessly impressive." The great guitarist Robert Lockwood, Jr. (who was schooled by Robert Johnson and who played on most of Little Walter's Chess recordings) told Estrin, "Little Walter would be very proud of you."
For more than 30 years and nine albums, Rick fronted the jumping, swinging Little Charlie & The Nightcats, featuring guitarist Little Charlie Baty. But now, with Baty's recent retirement from touring, Estrin -- along with the Nightcats longtime rhythm section of J. Hansen and Lorenzo Farrell and fiery guitarist Kid Andersen -- is ready to take the lead on his own. Rick Estrin & The Nightcats' sound, while still swinging the blues, is a harmonica-driven, rocking, guitar-fueled rave-up. The band performs the well-known, well-loved songs from Estrin's massive catalog, and will introduce plenty of new material along the way.
Rick's seemingly effortless command of the harmonica is matched only by his soulful vocals and remarkable original songs. Ever since he started performing his own material, it has become increasingly clear that Rick Estrin is a songwriter of unparalleled skill. His quick wit, coifed hair, pencil-thin mustache and sharp attire inform his songs in a way Cab Calloway, Louis Jordan, Willie Dixon and Elvis Presley would all be proud of. Blues Revue declared, "Estrin sits on one of the finest blues catalogs of any band on the planet. His carefully wrought lyrics penetrate human weakness with the precision of a boxer, though more often than not, he chooses to leave you laughing after the blow's been struck."
His songs have been favorably compared with those of Willie Dixon and the songwriting team of Leiber and Stoller. Estrin won the 1993 Blues Music Award for his composition, My Next Ex-Wife and has written songs for a growing legion of famous fans. Three of his songs found their way onto Grammy-nominated albums: Don't Put Your Hands On Me (from Koko Taylor's Force Of Nature), I'm Just Lucky That Way (from Robert Cray's Shame + A Sin), and Homely Girl (from John Hammond's Trouble No More). Other artists who have covered Estrin songs include Little Milton, Rusty Zinn, Kid Ramos and Mark Hummel. "I like songs that tell stories," Rick says, "songs that are well-crafted and meaningful." Besides Dixon and Leiber and Stoller, Estrin cites Sonny Boy Williamson II, Percy Mayfield and Baby Boy Warren as his major songwriting influences. Billboard noted that Rick writes "fabulous, remarkable original material."
Besides Estrin's songwriting and musical skills, he is among the greatest live showmen around. "People don't go out to see people who look like them," says Rick. "They want to see something special. I was schooled in this business to be a showman, and that's what you get when you come to see me perform." The Chicago Sun-Times noted, "It's tough to stay in your seat when Estrin and his musical cohorts get cooking."
Estrin was born in San Francisco, California in 1949, and grew up following his own path. He discovered a whole new world when, as a 10-year-old boy, he made his way to the tough Market Street area and befriended many of the neighborhood characters. He discovered another whole new world when his older sister gave him a copy of Ray Charles' The Genius Sings The Blues when he was 12. Albums from Jimmy Reed, Champion Jack Dupree, Mose Allison, Nina Simone and others soon followed. By the time he was a teenager in a racially mixed school, Estrin completely identified with the urban, African American culture surrounding him.
Estrin got his first harmonica at age 15, and by age 18 was proficient enough to begin sitting in at black clubs around the city. He first jammed with blues master Lowell Fulsom and almost immediately was hired to open five shows for Z.Z. Hill. He toured with Travis Phillips and then Rodger Collins, the man who would become Rick's first real musical mentor, who schooled Rick on the finer points of songwriting and show business. He moved to Chicago and worked with Johnny Young, Eddie Taylor, Sam Lay and Johnny Littlejohn before meeting and jamming with Muddy Waters. In fact, Muddy wanted Estrin to go on the road with him, but due to nothing more than some minor communication problem, it never happened.
Thanks to that missed meeting, Rick eventually met Little Charlie Baty and formed Little Charlie & The Nightcats. For the next 30 years, the band barnstormed around the globe, honing their skills and entertaining countless people. Now, as Rick Estrin & The Nightcats wind their way around the country, introducing their fresh, well-loved sound to fans both old and new, clubs will be packed, dance floors will be filled and a guaranteed great time will be had by all.
THE NIGHTCATS
J. Hansen (drums)
J. Hansen was born in Joliet, Illinois in 1972. He began playing drums at a very early age and played his first gig at the age of 13. He began his musical career playing Dixieland and traditional jazz with classic jazz multi-instrumentalist Clint Baker. While studying music in college, J. began working in local Bay-Area blues bands and started writing songs for his own R&B/funk band-Verso. In 1998, J. toured California and recorded a CD with the Preservation Hall Jazz Band's longtime tenor banjo player, Narvin Kimball. In 1999, J. began playing with the well-known swing band Steve Lucky and the Rhumba Bums, with whom he recorded a CD and toured. Hansen joined The Nightcats in 2002.
Lorenzo Farrell (bass)
Lorenzo Farrell was born in Lexington, Kentucky, 1976. He grew up in the fertile music scene around Bloomington Indiana. He absorbed rock radio of the 1980s, and was a huge Beatles fan. Farrell studied classical piano for 10 years and also picked up the guitar. During his high school years in Berkeley, California, Lorenzo discovered jazz and made the switch from piano to acoustic bass. He played jazz all through high school and college. After moving to California, Farrell joined J. Hansen in the San Francisco group Steve Lucky and the Rhumba Bums. He re-joined Hansen in 2003 when he was recruited into The Nightcats.
Kid Andersen (guitar)
Chris "Kid" Andersen was born in Telemark, Norway in 1980. A blues fan since childhood, Andersen fell in love with the the music of Lightnin' Hopkins, Junior Watson, and the Kings (B.B., Albert and Freddie). By the time he was 18, he was backing all the American blues stars who came through Norway, including Homesick James, Nappy Brown, Willie "Big Eyes" Smith and others. He moved to California at age 20, and released four solo albums before joining blues harmonica legend Charlie Musselwhite's band in 2004, a gig that lasted until Kid was joined Rick Estrin & The Nightcats.
