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she-devil

Josie Kreuzer

Josie Kreuzer – Hot Rod Girl

SheDevil Records – SheDev1950 [1997]
Wild Man – Ball That Jack – Long Dark Night – Runaway Train – So-Called Boyfriend – I Waited Up – Honey Pie – Dead Man Walkin’ – Eyes Of Whiskey – Ain’t Got A Thing – You’re Not Doin’ Me Right – One Way Love

Josie Kreuzer Hot Rod Girl

After the demise of Whistle Bait, Josie Kreuzer recorded and produced her debut solo album at Golden Track Recording Studios in San Diego, in the fall of 1996. She released it the following year on her own She-Devil label.
On this album, Kreuzer was backed by Buzz Campbell, Johnny d’Artenay and Ty Cox from Hot Rod Lincoln. Most songs are originals penned by Kreuzer, some having been played and tested on stage during the Whistle Bait days. It also contains two covers: Sonny Burgess’s Aint Got A Thing, and Donna Darlene’s You’re Not Doing Me Right.
It’s a very solid effort, especially for a debut album, considering the fact that Kreuzer sings and is also in charge of the production. Maybe an external ear could have helped her refine some vocal takes, the singer being off-key on You’re Not Doing Me Right, and some phrase ends are not always pleasant. But those are minor flaws, and Kreuzer’s high-pitch nasal vocals, close to Wanda Jackson, does wonder on most of the tracks, and Hot Rod Lincoln provides solid backing, sometimes aiming at a Neo-Rockabilly sound (So-Called Boyfriend).


Josie Kreuzer – As Is

SheDevil Records – SheDev1951 [1999]
As Is – Ain’t Got A Clue – Just Lookin’ Pretty – Hey Sheriff – I Hope It Doesn’t Rain Today – Big City, Small Town – Just Passing Through Your Heart – With A Sigh – Too Many Mistakes – Wild Fire – So Gone About You – 12 Dollars & A Heartache – Long Way Home

As Is

In 1999, Kreuzer released her second album, which was even better than the first one. The vocals were better, the production was better, and the songs (all penned by the singer) were excellent and varied. It found Kreuzer going more into a hillbilly bop direction, with the presence of a steel guitar on some tracks. The backing band consisted of Mike Kraus on guitar, Jeff Kraus on double bass, Marc Clarke on drums and Dana Duplan on steel. Also, Teri Tom of Whistle Bait played the lead guitar on one tune.


Josie Kreuzer – Beggin’ Me Back

SheDevil Records – SheDev1952 [2002]
Lucky & Wild – Good Time Girl (And A Thunderstorm) – After I Stop Lovin’ You – Gone Fishin’ – Beggin’ Me Back – Why ? – Keep Your Change – Reminder To Remember (To Forget Him) – Read The Lipstick On The Wall – Can’t Complain – 10 % – My Sin (Mi Pecado)

Josie Kreuzer Beggin' Me Back

Kreuzer’s third (and last) album appeared in 2002, still on She-Devil Records. She is supported by a new group consisting of Jeff Graves (aka Rip Carson) on double bass and Craig Packham on drums. But the main change, compared to the two previous albums, comes from the singer delegating the production to Mark Neill (who also plays the guitar). Owner of Soil of the South studios, Neill produced and recorded bands like Big Sandy and the Fly-Rite Trio, the Lucky Stars, Deke Dickerson, the Smith’s Ranch Boys, and the Sprague Brothers, to name a few. This is, by far, Kreuzer’s best effort.
The sound is more compact and better balanced. As for the vocals, they have refined over time while remaining so recognizable. Having an external ear allows her to correct certain vocal flaws. The repertoire gains in variety and emotions (which the first album lacked a bit). Lucky and Wild opens the album and immediately grabs your legs, only to release you about thirty minutes later with the superb and Latin-tinged My Sin (Mi Pecado). In between, you find songs like After I Stop Lovin’ You à la Johnny Cash, Why, a traditional Rockabilly number, Reminder To Remember (to Forget Him), a nod to Elvis’ I Forgot to Remember to Forget Her and Read the Lipstick On The Wall where we hear all the know-how of Mark Neill (listen to the sound of the snare drum and the acoustic guitar to convince you of it).

Josie Kreuzer on Spotify

Whistlebait (Josie Kreuzer)

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Whistle Bait (Josie Kreuzer, Cleo Ramone, Jennifer Quinn, Teri Tom)
Whistle Bait (Josie Kreuzer, Cleo Ramone, Jennifer Quinn, Teri Tom)

Whistlebait formed soon after Josie Kreuzer (vocals and rhythm guitar) moved from Buffalo to Los Angeles in 1992. A couple of months later,  she met guitar player Teri Tom through an ad in a local newspaper and both of them then recruited double bassist Jennifer Quinn and their first drummer, a guy called Scott soon replaced by Cleo Ramone. Within a year she left and Elaine Ferraro took her place behind the drums. It was their first band. Their lead singer remembers “We were extremely raw sounding –as first bands usually are.”

Their first gig was an opening slot for High Noon and they also opened for Glen Glenn and Lee Rocker.
The band never had any official release though they made two demos, one they weren’t satisfied with and a second one recorded by Wally Hersom (Big Sandy). Talking about this recording and the eventuality to release it Kreuzer joked ” I really don’t know if those recordings will ever be released—I can’t foresee putting them out in the near future…. Maybe after I’m dead or something?!”

In 1996, just after a show at The House of Blues in LA on Elvis’ birthday for their annual benefit Whistlebait disbanded “we wanted to go in different directions musically. I wanted to stay traditional rockabilly, I think the others were aiming more towards a harder edge/alternative sound” explains Kreuzer.
It happened just before the band was scheduled to perform in England at the Hemsby weekender “I told (the rest of the band) that we should at least do this last gig, but they wouldn’t budge (cause they were still angry with my decision to quit the band)… so I called the promoter of Hemsby and told him that the band broke up, but if he wanted, I would still come over and do the show alone. I’ve been a solo artist ever since.” Kreuzer pursued as a solo artist releasing three albums on her own label with Teri Tom appearing on the second one (As Is, 1999).

Whistlebait (second line up): Teri Tom, Jennifer Quinn, Josie Kreuzer and Elaine Ferraro
Whistlebait (second line up): Teri Tom, Jennifer Quinn, Josie Kreuzer and Elaine Ferraro

Josie Kreuzer’s interview here.