Great stuff . . . gets better with each listen.
~~ Helsinki Blues Cafe
One of the best Blues bands around, bar none. These guys have a special magic
and a sound all their own. This really is Deeper Blues!
~~ Legendary Blues bassist Johnny B. Gayden
I haven’t taken the CD out since I received it. Great songs, masterful playing and singing, outstanding production. I’ve never heard anything like it.
~~ Mark Egan, legendary bassist, composer, label owner (Wavetone Records)
[Gary] plays from here. [points at heart] It's incredible to hear. He's my favorite guitarist.
Rick Bennick, guitarist, Todd Rungren, Mitch Ryder
Deeper Blues is a Power Blues trio that sounds like nothing you've heard before. Bassist/vocalist Lane Baldwin, guitarist Gary Jones, and drummer James Jones have combined the best of traditional Blues with a vast array of musical influences gained in almost one hundred years of combined playing.
What makes Deeper Blues different? Deeper emotion in the delivery. Deeper meaning in the songs. This is Blues with a heart like the old days, when people expressed their pain and found renewal -- Blues the way it was meant to be felt. Darn right it hurts, and it's made more than one man cry. But, oh, the redemption...
For decades, Lane has had the pleasure to work with, and learn from, the prior generation. "One thing that came back around time and time again," Lane says, "is that Blues began as a means of not only releasing one's pain and finding renewal, but also sharing that experience with others so they could feel that renewal, too. The benefits of this are enormous, both to the individuals and to the community. Our goal is to bring that back to the Blues, to once again take them Deeper, to the very center of your heart and soul."
Growing up when they did, it's only natural the the trio are well indoctrinated in Rock of many stripes. And, yes, these influences shine through. But, "this is Blues, brother," says Gary, "even when it isn't. Every song we do, no matter how hard the edge, is a Blues song at heart. Now, you could say that about a lot of Rock music. One big difference is that we know it -- really know it. And we do our best to honor the tradition, and those who have gone before."
The band cuts a long orbit through a myriad of styles: a bare-bones presentation of Lane's lament Underground, nothing but Lane and his acoustic bass guitar; Hound Dog, a nod of respect to John Lee Hooker; the Texas grit of Coupe de Ville and the Chicago strut that underpins the band's shuffles; an undeniable heaviness to match the gravity of Gravedigger Jones. And above all, the gut wrenching, heartbreaking pain and sorrow of the band's slow Blues, an overwhelming display of emotion that has - far more than once - made grown men cry and brought audiences to their feet.
As the band begins 2008, they celebrate the release of Dig the Hole, their first CD, and an expansion of their road work to include Europe and possibly Asia. Working with producer/director Mike Harper, the band will soon shoot videos to support the CD, and has already begun work on an upcoming full-length documentary.Join Deeper Blues on its journey through the pain and sorrow, the release and redemption that are the Blues. Come home to the heart of it, perhaps for the very first time, and you too will be "Blue to the Bone."(tm)
