Wake up all Blues fans. The focus of today's blog is the dynamic Blues band, Piper & The Hard Times and their national debut recording, "Revelation". The band's leader is Al "Piper" Green who does the Vocals. This band is intense and lives in the vintage Blues world and leaves nothing in the recording room. The band's soul is strongly rooted in the Blues but they also mix in touches of R & B, Soul and Rock. If you are new to traditional Blues, you will enjoy listening to "Revelation". If you are already a true Blues fan you will not be disappointed with the 12 songs on this CD. The recording is terrific and gives the listener the feeling he would get if he was listening to a live performance.
The core musicians consist of Al "Piper" Green, Steve Eagon and Dave Colella who have been playing together for over 20 years. Al "Piper" Green performs the vocal with intensity and earthiness. Piper grew up in a muscially inclined family in Bolivar, Tennessee where he sang in gospel choir while being fascinated by the best of Soul, Pop and Rock on the radio. He sings with strong emotion and authority that make the lyrics believable.
Guitarist Steve Eagon grew up in Northern Ohio and has been playing since his teen years. He notes that his style developed from his early influences from artists Muddy Waters, B.B. King, Jeff Beck, Jimmy Page and Stevie Ray Vaughan. Eagon also is the principal Composer for the band along with contributions from Piper and Colella.
Drummer Dave Colella is the only core member from the North, a New Jersey native. But you would never guess he was not from the deep South when you listen to the strong and solid Blues foundation he provides for this group.
"Revelation" is this band's debut recording but it's sure to become a classic Blues CD!
I have attached two "YouTube" videos so you can experience the flavor of this outstanding Blues CD. The first is a New Orleans-flavored tune "Trouble Man" with a hard driving vocal from Piper. The second is a slow Blues song filled with ache and emotion, "Twenty Long Years".
PLAYERS:
Al "Piper" Green- Vocals
Steve Eagon- Guitar and principal Composer
Dave Colella- Drums
Amy Frederick- Keyboard
Parker Hawkins- Bass
Shaun Murphy, Lisa Oliver-Gray, Melissa Gardner- Background Vocals
Chris Floyd- Harmonica
Dick Aven- Tenor
PLAYLIST:
1. Trouble Man
2. The Hard Times
3. Heart For Sale
4. Preacher Blues
5. Revelation
6. Working Farm Blues
7. Crave You
8. Come Back Knockin
9. Why Not Me
10. You're Gonna Miss Me
11. Walk With Me
12. Twenty Long Years
