Tag: Andrea Harsell & Luna Roja

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Artists Worth Checking Out Get it or Forget it Reviews Women in Entertainment

Get it or forget it – Rusty Young, Calico the Band, Andrea Harsell & Luna Roja

It’s Friday again, and time for the release of new albums from two of our indie favorites as well as the solo debut of a rock legend.  Please grab a cup of joe and let’s review these sure to be classic albums.

Artist Name:  Rusty Young

Album Name:  Waitin’ for the Sun

Label:  Blue Élan Records

Genre:  Roots Rock/Americana

Track Listing:  1.  Waitin’ for the Sun; 2.  My Friend; 3.  Honey Bee; 4.  Sara’s Song; 5.  Heaven Tonight; 6.  Hey There; 7.  Seasons; 8.  Innocent Moon; 9.  Down Home; 10.  Gonna’ Let the Rain

Publicist:  None

Review:  Rusty Young was the former lead singer for Poco, and has signed with Blue Élan Records as a solo artist.  He and Poco have reunited for several shows, including a few at this week’s AmericanaFest in Nashville.  His debut solo album, Waitin’ for the Sun, is being released today,   Stylistically, Young’s solo album fits like a continuation of the Poco legacy, and reminds us why Poco is still as popular in 2017 as it was when it emerged from Buffalo Springfield in 1969.  It reminds this writer of the amazing country rock music that sprang forth in the early 70’s from bands like The Eagles, Linda Ronstadt, Loggins and Messina and the Little River Band.  Although it features the simpler sounds of music without all the added layers, it comes from such a pure place that it makes the listener feel at peace in the world.  We love every song on the CD, but especially the title track, “Honey Bee, “Sara’s Song, “Heaven Tonight,” and “Hey There.”  We also love the instrumental track, “Seasons.”  Welcome back Rusty – we simply love your solo effort.

Recommendation:  If you’re in Nashville, definitely get over to the Blue Élan showcase on September 15 at the Filming Station to check out this amazing artist, and run to your nearest music outlet and Get this album.  You won’t regret that decision.

Artist Name:  Calico the Band

Album Name:  Under Blue Skies

Label:  California Country

Genre:  Americana/Country

Track Listing:  1.  Fine Line; 2.  Cold Cold Love; 3.  The 405; 4.  Roll Away the Stone; 5.  The Leaving Kind; 6.  California Dreamin’; 7.  Free Man (ft. Jason Charles Miller); 8.  Under Blue Skies; 9.  Fly me Away; 10.  Love Gets in the Way; 11.  Come to Me; 12.  Into the Unknown; 13.  Ladies of the Canyon

Publicist:  MSO PR

Review:  One thing that has always set Calico the Band apart from their peers is the incredible harmonies of founding members Manda Mosher and Kirsten Proffit.  That trend continues on the sophomore release, Under Blue Skies, which will only strength their position as one of the premier Americana bands in the world.  It doesn’t hurt that the duo has created their own label, California Country, which supports not only their music, but their vision as well, with the addition of such amazing acts as the Alice Wallace Band, who, like Calico, are multi-LA Music Critic Award winners.  Two of the songs have already been released as videos, “The 405” and “Cold Cold Love,” and the band is showcasing their talent in Nashville this week at AmericanaFest.  This is an album you listen to from start to finish, and never need to skip a track – every single one sets the Americana bar high, allowing Calico to lead by example.  Besides the first two singles, we really love “Roll Away the Stone,” their dynamic cover of “California Dreamin’,” “Free Man,” “Fly me Away,” and “Ladies of the Canyon.”

Recommendation:  If you are in Nashville, definitely check out one of their three showcases at AmericanaFest.  We also strongly encourage you to Get their album and put it on perpetual repeat.

Artist Name:  Andrea Harsell & Luna Roja

Album Name:  Something for the Pain

Label:  Self-released

Genre:  Blues/Roots-Rock

Track Listing:  1.  Didn’t do It; 2.  Oh Boy; 3.  Singles; 4.  Singing Angel; 5.  Something for the Pain; 6.  Hush Little Baby; 7.  Teenage Girl; 8.  Hard Times; 9.  Hearts Were Made to Mend; 10.  Like we Used to Do; 11.  Medicine and Chains; 12.  Born in the Valley

Publicist:  None

Review:  When we first moved to Missoula, Andrea Harsell was one of the first local indie artists we met.  We have loved her solo material, but had not had a chance to see her perform with a full band until the recent Flathead Lake Blues and Music Festival.  Her band, Luna Roja, gives her the dynamic edge she needed to add to her amazing voice and incredible songwriting chops.  With the band, she adds a strong roots rock vibe to her bluesy songs, creating a sound that lifts the spirits and gets the toes first to tapping and then onto the dance floor.   Their debut album is a fabulous collection of songs that should serve to elevate Harsell & Luna Roja into the elite ranks of great musical bands.  We especially love “Oh Boy,” “Singing Angel (with its gentle reggae sound),” the title track, “Hush Little Baby,” and “Hard Times.”

Recommendation:  We can hardly wait to attend the CD release show on September 15 at Missoula’s Top Hat Lounge.  If you are anywhere in the Pacific Northwest, we encourage you to join us and to grab a copy of her CD.  It is the perfect culmination to any musical library.

 

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Artists Worth Checking Out LA Music Critic Awards Reviews Women in Entertainment

2017 Flathead Lake Blues Festival (day 2) – live performance review

Hope you enjoyed our reviews of day 1 of the Flathead Lake Blues and Music Festival, which featured some of Montana’a best musicians.  The theme for day 2 was “Ladies of the Blues,” and Steve Pickel pulled out all the stops to bring four of the finest and brightest to light up the stage.

First up was Missoula native Andrea Harsell with her new band, Luna Roja.  Harsell has become a Missoula icon with her sound, primarily as a solo artist.  She began hiring drummer Antonio Alvarez and guitarist Nick Hamburg for her gigs, and then asked them to join her as a band.  They hired bassist Michael Rhead to complete the band, and Alvarez came up with the name Luna Roja (Red Moon) because of his Spanish heritage.  They also recorded an album, which will be celebrated with a show at the Top Hat on September 15.  The album will also be reviewed shortly on this blog’s Get it or Forget it series.  Their sound is a mixture of Americana, rock, R&B and blues.  Harsell has a voice akin to Janis Joplin, and it showed on many of their songs, including new tunes “Oh Boy” and “Hard Times,” as well as on their cover of the Sam Cook classic “Bring it on Home to Me.”  The only thing missing was the stage banter, but we are sure that will come as they continue to grow as a band.

Next up was the power-packed sound of Seattle’s Michelle Taylor Band.  If Harsell had the sound of Joplin, then Taylor is the reincarnation.  With her band composed of Robert Morrill on drums, Lissa Ramaglia on bass, Jim Barnes on keys and vocals and her husband, Justin Dean on guitar and vocals, the MTB truly brought the blues home to Polson.  With a mixture of original tunes like “Black Lace” and “Trashy Queen,” and pop hits like Duffy’s “Mercy,” Elle King’s “Exes and Ohs,” Grace Potter’s “Paris” and “Medicine,” Bonnie Raitt’s “Angel From Montgomery,” Tracy Chapman’s “Give me a Reason,” and Stevie Wonder’s “Superstitious,” MTB proved that any song can be stylized as blues.  But what really drove home their exceptional talent was their version of Ike and Tina Turner’s classic “Proud Mary,” which truly allowed Taylor to shine as both a singer and a performer, as she brought Tina’s unique energy to the show.  This performance was one of the pinnacles of the weekend.  Kudos also to both her husband and badass female bassist Ramaglia on their outstanding licks on guitar and bass.  The band also received the first encore of the Festival, and delivered a rousing version of Led Zeppelin’s “Been a Long Time” in response.

The third band for the day was Estelle and the Atomic Jive, who brought something entirely different to this day.  Atomic Jive is reminiscent of a combination of the Royal Crown Review and one of Brian Setzer’s various bands in that they bring an army of sound to the stage.  The band features Estelle on lead vocals, surrounding by the amazing talents of Mike Ruggles on guitar, Lee Cardella on bass, Brian Seagrave on keys, Bob Briley on drums and a horn section that is as powerful as the one from Tower of Power, composed of Russ Hoffer on sax and Mike Baker on trumpet.   Some of the highlights of the show were their version of the “Stray Cat Strut,” the classic jazz standard “Don’t Roll Your Bloodshot Eyes at Me,” Roy Head’s 1965 classic “Treat her Right,” and the theme from the Blues Brothers’ movies, “Peter Gunn.”  This was classic New Orleans jazz-tinged blues, and elevated the musical standard to a new level.

The final act for the weekend was another Seattle band, Polly O’Keary and the Rhythm Method.  We had the distinct pleasure of awarding them the Best Blues Band trophy for the LA Music Critic Awards for the first half of 2017.  O’Keary was totally taken by surprise, and the band joined in her gratitude for the award.  O’Keary is a red ball of energy, constantly dancing across the stage as she delivers true bad ass licks on her brand new wireless LedBelli Blackbird 6-string bass and vocals that stir the soul.  The band also includes the amazing David Miller on guitar and O’Keary’s husband, Tommy Cook, on drums.  The band performed primarily original material, many of which came from their latest album, Black Crow Callin.‘  Included in their amazing performance were “I Don’t Understand,” “Yours to Lose,” “Red Light,” “Wish You Could See me Now,” “Reconciled,” and “How the Mighty Fall,” which reminded this reviewer of “Mustang Sally.”   They also did a stirring rendition of Eric Bibb’s classic “In my Father’s House.”  Cook laid the perfect foundation on his drums, while Miller proved to be a true guitar aficionado, even playing the guitar behind his head at one point.  The band brought their set and the Festival to a close with an amazing encore with Michelle Taylor and Justin Dean of ZZ Top’s “Tush.”  It was the perfect cherry on top of a super delicious weekend of music.  Special thanks to Steve Pickel and Anderson Broadcasting for bringing these amazing artists to us.  We can hardly wait for next year!!!