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swelltune

Kyle Eldridge

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Kyle Eldridge – Spooky Moon

Swelltune Records – SR45-010 [2022]
Spooky Moon / Star Struck

Kyle Eldridge

Excellent double-sider from the Wizard of the Strings: Kyle Eldridge.
Spooky Moon, a superb mid-tempo country tune with a fiddle, perfectly suits Eldridge’s nasal tone, akin to Gene O’Quin. The flip, Star Struck, is an instrumental tune in the Joe Maphis tradition: virtuosity, energy, tuneful skill and dexterity, and precision, served by a clean and crisp guitar sound.
Stunning! It’s incredible the amount of talent you can put in such a tiny piece of vinyl.

Buy it here or here.

Tammi Savoy

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Tammi Savoy & The Chris Casello Combo – That Rock ‘n’ Roll Rhythm!

tammi savoy

El Toro Records – BE 146 [2021]
Fine and Dandy – If It’s News To You – I Want a Man (It’s Gotta Be That Way) – Ain’t Givin’ Up Nothin – In My Blue World – When Your Lover Don’t Love You / G’wan’ Bout Your Business – I Want Your Good Lovin’ – Hot Lava – Big Baby – As Long As I’m Movin’ – Uh Huh (Goodbye)

This is the vinyl reissue of the album previously released on Swelltune records last year.
If you dig Rythm’n’Blues with a rockin’ edge and if singers like Ruth Brown and Lavern Baker float your boat, no doubt that you’ll jump on this delicious slab of wax.
Tammi Savoy has the ideal voice for that genre. Her range and flexibility allow her to be both powerful and tender. She can croon in your ear one minute and tear the roof down the other.
Chris Casello on guitar is the perfect complement and always find the appropriate tone to back the singer. The band consists of Russ Deluca on drums, percussion and piano, Jesse Woelfel on acoustic bass (except for G’wan’ Bout Your Business which features Teddy Fury on drums, Kirsten Ballweg on bass and Sean Mencher on acoustic guitar).
The repertoire explores all the aspects of the blues idiom, whether it’s jumpin’, rockin’, bouncin’, or swingin’. Casello tickles the steel guitar on a couple of songs, which gives an exotic touch (In My Blue World) or even a western-swing feel (Fine and Dandy.)
Eight out of the twelve songs are originals. The remaining four comes from Little Esther, Priscilla Bowman, Teddy McRae and Ruth Brown.
One could argue that some of the originals are not that original. Still, to be fair, the quality of the singing (did I already tell you that Tammi Savoy had a pretty good voice?), Casello’s scorching guitar, the band and the period-perfect production are more than enough to make this album something highly enjoyable.

Available here.

Tammi Savoy & the Chris Casello Combo – Big Baby

Tammi Savoy and the Chris Casello Combo

Swelltune 45-005 [2018]

Big Baby – Ain’t Givin’ Up Nothin’

If you dig Rythm’n’Blues with a rockin’ edge, if singers like Ruth Brown and Lavern Baker float your boat, no doubt that you’ll jump on this new Swelltune release.

Tammi Savoy has the ideal voice for that genre and with the Chris Casello combo (Chris Casello on guitars, Jesse Woelfel on bass fiddle and Russ DeLuca on drums, maracas & piano) she found the perfect band to back her.
A side is a self penned number. If the song is not that original in its structure, the quality of the singing, the rhythm section and Casello’s scorching guitar solo are more than enough to make it highly enjoyable.
Fred “Virgil” Turgis

Tammi Savoy on the web and on facebook.

Tammi Savoy & Chris Casello Combo on facebook.

Chris Casello’s website can be found here.

Swelltune records’ website.

The Rock-A-Sonics

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rock-a-sonics

The Rock-A-Sonics – Ain’t No Solid Sender

Swelltune Records SRCD-006 [2021]
Jump, Wiggle & Shake – Ain’t No Solid Sender – Give Myself a Party – Boppin’ Guitar – You Don’t Owe Me a Thing – Midnight Blues – Knee Deep in the Blues

The Rock-A-Sonics are Willie Barry (vocals, acoustic guitar), Eric Hurtt (electric guitar), Louie Newmyer (upright bass), Tommy Bowes (drums) and Kim Reynolds (piano). This mighty fine combo plays a mix of soft Rockabilly with a solid melodic side and uptempo country.
Shaun Young perfectly recorded the band with a period-perfect sound at his Jet-Tone Studio.
I already wrote all the good things I thought about Barry’s voice when I reviewed his solo album (here), but this cat amazes me with his smooth voice that evokes the likes of Ricky Nelson and Faron Young.
The first two songs are originals penned by Barry. They are, with Ray Melton’s Boppin’ Guitar, the most Rockabilly sides of this mini-album. Jump, Wiggle & Shake features a nice piano part with a boogie-woogie break. More Rockabilly bands should play with a piano; it strengthens the rhythm sections and adds a different voice for the solos. Ain’t No Solid Sender shows Hurtt in full action with a delicate guitar part. Don Gibson’s Give Myself A Party seems to have been written for the band, and with Barry’s voice in mind, the band providing a subtle backing. They are very at ease with this kind of material, as prove their renditions of Marty Robbins’ You Don’t Owe Me A Thing and Knee Deep In The Blues.
It’s always exciting to discover a brand new band of that quality. Suddenly, it took me thirty years in the past when I first heard High Noon, Big Sandy and bands of that calibre.

https://swelltune-records.myshopify.com

Three Blue Teardrops

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Three Blue Teardrops – Ballin’ Jack/Morbid Teenage Love Song

Three Blue Teardrops

Swelltune Records SR45-004 [2018]

At last some new music by Three Blue Teardrops!

Dave Sisson, Randy Sabo and Rick Uppling are back with a brand new single recorded at Hi-Style studios.

Side A is a hot jiver that benefits of the addition of a saxophone and features a mean and superb solo.

B-side is even better. Imagine a sad rockabilly ballad with female backing vocals produced by Shadow Morton. I was almost expecting to hear car crash sound effects in the middle of the song.

Buy it at Swelltune records.

Fred “Virgil” Turgis

Three Blue Teardrops - Rustbelt Trio
Three Blue Teardrops – Rustbelt Trio

Three Blue Teardrops – Rustbelt Trio


A-OK – Shocked – Lincoln ’59 – Alone At Last – Headin’ For Disaster – American Way – Hard-Boiled – Little Lovely – Lord Send Me An Angel – Damage Control – The Dead Know Nothing – I still Dream Of You – I’m Still Standin’ Here
The fourth album relased by Three Blue Teardrops, more than 10 years after their debut release ‘One Part Fist” on the legendary British label Nervous Records. I’m a huge fan of Alan Wilson’s work as a musician (The Sharks) or as a producer (Frantic Flintstones, Gazmen, Colbert Hamilton…) but I was a little disappointed by his production on “One Part Fist”. I think he tried to give some kind of English psychobilly sound to a 100% American band which didn’t really fit them. The two following albums are now very hard to find but are more reflective of what their true sound is. So is “Rustbelt Trio” produced and released by the band. Here you have a real wild rocking and stomping modern rockabilly album made of 13 songs (all band’s originals, half written by guitarist Dave Sisson and the other half by upright bassist Rick Uppling). One of their best quality is to be able to mix genres, adding traditional vocals harmonies on heavy rockers, or enhance what could be a classic hot rod song (Lincoln 49) with a fine and swing drumbeat. Harmonies and superb brushed snare can also be found on “Alone At Last”, a teenagers’ song with a modern edge. The sound hardens a bit on “Headin’ For Disaster”, which talks about alcoholism and self destruct (Stayin’ out late at the beer joints, poppin’ pills and livin’ hard / Drivin’ too fast on the highway, slow at work and feelin’ tired / You’re lookin’ older everyday you spend gettin’ bent / But pretty soon this gift you got is going to be spent). “American Way” is a true heavy rockabilly or psychobilly (call it whatever you want) song which shouldn’t be out of place in The Quakes repertory. Nice! Changing the mood a bit, “Lord Send Me An Angel” is what you can expect with a title like that, a fine ballad with just the guitar and a very light snare, and once again traditional harmonies on the chorus. And right after this calm and peaceful moment they rush into the wild “Damage Control”. Another change of tempo comes with “The Dead Know Nothing” a western ballad with Mexican trumpets, gunshots and percussions ala Ennio Morricone. An Everly Brothers influence can be heard on “I Still Dream Of You”, and the album ends with “I’m Standin’ Here”, dedicated to Stiff Little Fingers’ Jake Burns, but the message is clear and can apply to Dave, Rick and Randy. It’s very good to see the band back in action, with a all-killer/no-filler album. With the new interest toward psychobilly in the USA, it would be more than justice to find them, who were among the first with The Quakes to play that music in America, achieving the same level of success The Reverend Horton Heat did.
Fred “Virgil” Turgis

Sean Mencher

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Sean Mencher
Sean Mencher

Sean Mencher – Sean mencher Plays Guitar

Swelltune Records – SRCD-002
Mystery Train – Saturday Night Shuffle – Sing Me Back Home – Someone To Watch Over Me – The Mensch – Mister Sandman – Comanche Moon – Your New Flame (Is Burning Me) – Stagecoach Comin’ – How High the Moon – Betina – Buckaroo – Hey Good Lookin’ – Sir Swish – Walkin’ the Strings – America the Beautiful

Sean Mencher is well known for being the lead guitarist of High Noon, the Rockabilly trio. With his style, a mix of Merle Travis and Scotty Moore with some jazz thrown in for good measure, and with his sure taste he gained a well deserved reputation on the scene. He also played with Wayne Hancock and Dig Wayne (Buzz and the Flyers) and with his deep knowledge of Rockabilly and other related genres, he also produced bands like Croonin’ Kurt, the Gin Palace Jesters, the Starline Rhythm Boys and the Twilite Ranchers. And of course he recorded a couple of records under his own name (see below).
His new album, recorded for Swelltune records, is an instrumental one, featuring just Sean and his guitar. No effects, no tricks, no heavy production… just one man, his guitar, a microphone, his fingers and most of all, his soul.
I don’t play guitar so don’t expect me to tell you things like “Oh that E9b5 chord is amazing”. I can’t and if I could I wouldn’t. It would miss the point. Of course I bet that guitar players will freak out when they hear Sean’s skills, but the beauty of the thing is that regular guys like me will also enjoy it because this music speaks directly to your heart.
The songs come from guitar greats like Merle Travis (of course), Chet Atkins, Les Paul as well as Junior Parker, Hank Williams, Buck Owens and some jazz standard like Someone to Watch Over Me. I particularly enjoyed this one on which his guitar softly sings, almost like a lullaby.
Also included are four Mencher’s original like Comanche Moon (previously released on a solo single and also with High Noon), Your new Flame, Betina and Sir Wish.
A truly great and sensitive album.

Sean Mencher
Sean Mencher

Sean Mencher – self titled

Goofin Records GRCD6136
Rock Rock Jump And Jive – Settin’ The Woods On Fire – Right Or Wrong – Crying The Blues Over You – Bayou Beauty – All The Time – Tummat Silmät (Dark Eyes) – Don’t Big Shot Me – Hot Rod Man – Vamos A La Playa – Down The Line – Little Baby Doll – Honky Tonk Gal – Hit Git And Split
After two singles – one on Deke Dickerson’s Eccofonic and one on Goofin, it’s good to finally see a long player from High Noon’s ace guitar player : Sean Mencher. It’s a solid rockin’ album mainly made of classic covers which is a bit odd when you know Sean’s ability to write songs. This album sounds like Mencher wanted to play every genre he likes and sometimes mixing them together. You’ve got plenty of rockabilly of course (Rock’n’Roll Jump And Jive, Hot Rod Man, Go Cat Go’s Little Baby Doll) with Zach Ovingtons’ fiddle giving an original and nice country flavour. Some other songs are plain country like Hank Williams’ Settin The Wood On Fire or jazz / western swing Right Or Wrong, one of the highlight of this album, with a great swingin’ fiddle and as usual Sean guitar play is superb. You’ll also find a beautiful blues, Bill Neely’s “Crying The Blues Over You”, with just Sean’s fingerpicking and a harmonica. Mencher’s self penned “Bayou Beauty”, previously played by Ronnie Dawson and High Noon, is done this time with a full Cajun instrumentation with accordion, triangle and Matthew Doucet a native of South Louisiana on fiddle. A trumpet player is present on Link Davis’ Dong Big Shot Me, a not so different from the original version that suits Mencher’s vocal very well and also on the Mexican flavoured “Vamos A La Playa” provided by ex-Asylum Street Spankers Josh Arnson. The musicians show their skills on their interpretation of the classic instrumental Dark Eyes which sounds like a mix between jazz and rockabilly. This very good and versatile album shows all of Sean Mencher’s influences and is a pleasure from start to finish.
Fred “Virgil” Turgis

Sean MencherSean Mencher

Ecco-Fonic EF1007 [1996]
Jumpin’ Track – Your New Flame (Is Burnin’ Me)

Once again Mencher nails it with two brilliant instrumentals recorded in Maine.
Side one features a band (Cartwright Thompson on rhythm guitar, Lesie Freda on string bass and Mark Cousins on drums) and is a rocka-boogie that comes complete with train sounds while the flip side sees Sean going solo for a Travis thumb-picking rendition of High Noon’s Your New Flame.

Fred “Virgil” Turgis

sean mencherSean Mencher and his Rockin’ Guitar

Goofin Records GOOFY554 [1995]
When You Smile/Comanche Moon

Side one is a superb rock’n’roll song, highly melodic. Side Two allows Mencher to show all his skills on guitar with a amazing instrumental with Travis and Atkins influences.
Must have single.

Fred “Virgil” Turgis

Read our interview with Sean Mencher here.