Musicians Corner - Find Out About Local Bands
Billy the Kid and the Regulators
Billy the Kid and the Regulators are back to their old haunts, with some new licks, after an inspiring weekend at the Heritage Music Blues Fest in Wheeling, WV. Billy, along with his band, hosts the popular "after jam" that concludes each day of the festival. Three nights in a row of afterburner blues keep the late-night festival crowd hungry for more! The Kid keeps the show moving as celebrity guests and local favorites share the stage. Shakura S'Aida and headliners, Tab Benoit and Bernard Allison, were among this year's midnight mojo makers. Talk to Billy about it, and he'll flash you that glowing Cheshire Grin of his. "Cat…this is where it's at!" This is the 6th year of after-jammin' since Heritage Music founder Bruce Wheeler first invited Billy to host. Members of the band are: Billy Evanochko on guitar and lead vocals, Gary Ripper on Bass, Jimmy Mabin on keys and vocals and Joey Pinciotti on drums.
Strange Brew
In 1997, Strange Brew was voted “Best New Band” in Pittsburgh. Strange Brew has been described as original blues with a twist. Their very diverse backgrounds have led them to develop a unique style that is "cool modern blues." After releasing their first album in 1997, "Lost and Broken Hearted," Strange Brew was featured on House of Blues Radio Hour and was dubbed with the honor of "play of the week." Strange Brew then toured the country and produced another acclaimed CD on Riff Records, Blues Cauldron. Today, they continue to play a hard-hitting mix of original blues, classic rock & blues, and rousing rock ‘n’ roll. Strange Brew band members are: Fran Rifugiato on guitar, Marcy Eustice on vocals and flute, Jim Capp on bass, and Chris Belin on drums. Look for their next release in late 2010 or early 2011.
The Rich Harper Band
Rich Harper learned to play blues guitar the traditional way by primarily being self-taught listening to and learning from the recordings of artists like Eric Clapton, B. B. King, Rory Gallagher, Freddy King, Duane Allman, and so on. Rich developed his own slide style using the same Coricidin medicine bottle as Duane Allman. After paying his “blues dues” in small blue collar towns throughout Pennsylvania, Rich moved to Los Angeles to gather like minded musicians and formed the Rich Harper Blues Band.
Steve Langhauser of the Mississippi Valley Blues Society Blues News commented: “No spit & polish. I don’t want spit & polish. I just want talent and blues. I want some classics & I want some slide. I want to have some fun & I want it to be real. RHB with their down home, hard working, blue collar Blues delivers all that.”
Jo Lane of the Blues Times (Sydney Blues Society in Australia stated: “Rich is not just a blues musician, but a blues craftsman…with quirky, intelligent lyrics weaving through familiar stylized riffs that are exceptionally well played.”
With the success of their debut CD, “Don’t Think Just Play,” the Rich Harper Blues Band was not only selected as one of Amazon.com’s prestigious “Emerging New Blues Artists,” but Taxim Records, a German label, joined the group’s growing list of blues fans by placing another cut, “She’s On Her Way Up,” on their compilation album titled “More Disaster City Blues.” It wasn’t long before the band’s name was popping up in blues magazines everywhere and blues societies were urging their members to check out the exciting new group who were carving out a unique niche for themselves in the blues world. By the time the band released their second CD, “Bottled Up Blues,” Europe had jumped on board by making the band the #1 selling artists in Switzerland on Amazon’s charts. Radio stations worldwide welcomed the new CD with open arms and this time one of the cuts, “As She Moved In (My Guitar Moved Out),” topped Rolling Stone Magazine’s “MP3 & More Blues Chart” at #1. The international blues scene stood up, did a double take, and these talented artists haven’t stopped since.
(Rich Harper and his band, at a recent 'Blues is a Healer Veterans Tour' in Aspinwall, revealed that his was one of the first blues bands that went in under cover into the war zone to entertain the troops. What a story, what a revelation!)
