Ross Neilsen

"…The young guitarist most often plays a National Steel and writes effective original songs…The strong vocals are complimented by solid slide work…The songs cover a range of styles, from a capella gospel to soul to rocking blues… A very impressive debut."-John Valentyn, Toronto Blues Society.ECMA nominee and two time CBC Rising Star Award winner, Ross Neilsen, eats, breathes and sleeps the blues. Whether electrifying audiences with his power trio or telling tall tales in his intimate solo shows, Ross has been "out there" delivering the goods.After bursting onto the scene in late 2005, Ross Neilsen has worked hard at maintaining his profile throughout 2006 making sure he wasn't lost in the "blues shuffle". This hard working self-managed artist booked and performed over 150 shows at various venues around Eastern Canada including: Clubs, Theatres, (Playhouse in Fredericton, Imperial Theatre in Saint John), and Festivals such as The Harvest Jazz & Blues Festival in Fredericton and The Dutch Mason Blues Festival. During this exciting year Ross had the privilege of performing with many of his hero's such as Guy Davis, Alvin Hart, and Harry Manx.Ross's debut album, "Where I'm From", received many accolades. Among them, an East Coast Music Award Nomination for best blues recording as well as being featured in many publications and two 2005 top ten lists: Wilfred Langmaid (Daily Gleaner) and Grant Kerr (Telegraph Journal). Radio has also given Ross their support across Canada with spins on JazzFm in Toronto, At the Crossroads, a syndicated program from British Columbia, CBC, as well as East Coast programs such as Route 104 in Halifax and The East Coast Radio Show in Fredericton. This kind of support allowed Ross to secure a distribution deal with Landwash Distribution making "Where I'm From' available in chain stores like CDPLUS, HMV and on the internet at itunes.com.Having met his 2006 goals of regional touring as well as securing distribution for "Where I'm From", Ross is looking to 2007 to be a banner year. In early 2007 Ross will head back into the studio to record a new collection of original compositions to be released in early summer of 2007. With solo tours taking Ross to Ontario and Quebec in 2007, Ross will be breaking new barriers and doing what he loves most, taking his music to new listeners everywhere.Whether you catch Ross performing in fifty seat nightclubs or in 1000 seat festival tents, with a band or solo, his high energy shows garner critical appraise. So keep your eyes open and expect to find Ross performing anywhere great blues is played and in a few shady places off the beaten path!Buy "Where I'm From" here....http://cdbaby.com/cd/neilsen