| @ The Cluny, Newcastle - Thursday 17th April 2008 | |||||
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Purchase tickets and shows.
No booking fees with CannyGigs, you just pay the price of the ticket! Tickets £20 available on the door at the Cluny tonight from 7.00pm. Call 07760 400 226 or 0191 230 4474 with any queries.
Doors 7.00pm Oli Brown Band 7.45pm
Fabulous Thunderbirds 8.45pm
Close 11.00pm [times are approx.] This is a standing gig.
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The Fabulous
Line-Up
Kim Wilson vocals and harp
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After the gig .... The switch of venue to the Cluny was the right decision, great atmosphere! The opening set could not have been better than Oli Brown. The hardened bluesers in the audience had not heard of him, yet another kid who thinks he can play the guitar. Indeed a lot were hanging around in the main bar area. So, up gets Oli and we leave the doors open. "Who the hell is that?" They came in to find out who it was and didn't leave. Oli has undoubted talent with a career, which we hope will be realised. His trio knocked out a series of classic blues and even some soul given the 12-bar treatment. The lad can also sing - a very big bonus. He will be back later in the year so please keep checking. With such a good opener, you need a cracking follow-up, so how about the world-class T-Birds? Coming right up. Kim Wilson led the lie as they thundered through a tremendous set of blues, to rock to [real] R&B - the place was jumping. All the guys in the band are at the top of their game, so we were treated to excellent guitar, bass and drums. Although Kim Wilson is one of the world's top harmonica players [if not the best], he does not dominate the sound, so we get an excellent mix. Of course, his harmonica playing is legendary and was exemplary throughout the set. Towards the end of the set Kim embarks on his incredible solo. I didn't time it, but possibly ten minutes of pulsating blues harmonica, truly amazing.
Here is the brief
back ground on Kim Wilson, but for the complete
profile on the band go to
http://www.fabulousthunderbirds.com Kim Wilson first came to national prominence in the late '70s when he and his band, The Fabulous Thunderbirds, came roaring out of Austin, Texas to inspire a whole generation of roots oriented musicians. His authoritative singing and peerless instrumental virtuosity not only enthrall the crowds that flock to his performances, but also have set a standard, which continues to inspire and challenge musicians around the world. Born in Detroit in 1951, he grew up in California and fell under the sway of the blues in the late '60s, honing his chops under the tutelage of people like George Smith, Luther Tucker and Peewee Crayton. After a brief time leading a band of his own around the Minneapolis area, he moved to Austin, Texas in 1974 and formed The Fabulous Thunderbirds with guitarist Jimmy Vaughan. While ensconced as the house band at Clifford Antone's famous Austin blues club, they played with virtually all the stars in the blues firmament - Muddy Waters, Jimmy Rogers, Eddy Taylor, Big Walter Horton, Buddy Guy and many others and the word soon spread that there was a band down in Austin that was laying down some of the toughest blues ever heard. Muddy Waters said of Kim, "He's the greatest harmonica player to come along since Little Walter." As the Thunderbirds' reputation spread, they began to record and tour around the country to ever increasing crowds. They continue to this day despite a number of personnel changes over the years. The one constant has been the dynamic presence of Kim Wilson out front. In the last few years, Kim began establishing a dual track for his career: one that would allow him to showcase his skills in a more purely traditional blues setting and give him an opportunity to stretch out instrumentally. Aside from his own projects, he is in much demand as a contributor to the music of others and he has lent his sound to the recordings of artists like Bonnie Raitt, Paul Simon, Carlos Santana and many others. His own songs have been part of the soundtracks for major motion pictures as well as several national commercials and he has garnered Grammy nominations for both his worldwide R&B hit, "Tuff Enuff," and his instrumental tour de force, "Down at Antone's." Kim Wilson played a major part in the all-star blues concert filmed at Radio City Music Hall that was featured in a multi-part series on the blues produced by Martin Scorsese, which aired in 2003 on PBS. In addition to his regular touring schedule with The Fabulous Thunderbirds, Kim also performed in a series of club and concert appearances in support of a solo CD, “Lookin' For Trouble,” released in 2003. A true road warrior, Kim thrives on a touring schedule that approaches 300 days a year as he brings his music to fans worldwide, from the most prestigious music festivals around the globe to the kinds of funky clubs in which his talents were originally forged. He enjoys them all. Hear Tuff Enuff http://www.myspace.com/fabulousthunderbirds
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The Support Is .... Oli Brown Band In 2006 Oli Brown was told by Carl Gustafson from the American Blues band Blinddog Smokin' that he should form his own band in his own name, this was the birth of the Oli Brown Band.
Towards the end of 2006, whilst playing at jam sessions in Norwich, Oli met drummer Simon Dring whom he really admired and asked if he would be prepared to join the band. Oli's next task was to find a bass player. Luckily, Simon knew of a talented bassist and recommended that Oli give Fred Hollis a call. January 2007 saw Oli, Simon and Fred start rehearsals, and March 1 saw The Oli Brown Band perform their first gig at The Walnut Tree Shades in Norwich. Since that first gig, the band has played up and down the country. One of the highlights was recording a live session for BBC Radio 2 (at Maida Vale studios) for the Paul Jones Blues Show which was transmitted 14 May 2007. Other highlights include supporting acts like Walter Trout, Aynsley Lister, Devon Allman, Dr Feelgood, Ian Parker and performances for BBC Radio Suffolk, Radio Norfolk and Radio Cambridgeshire. 2008 is shaping up to be another exciting and extremely busy year for the band, with the release of their first full-length studio album, a European tour, American appearances and of course gigs throughout the UK. |
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Ronnie
James Weber
bass
Kirk
Fletcher
guitar
Nick
Curran
guitar and vocals
Jay
Moeller drums
There were quite a lot of complaints about
this years long awaited appearance of the
Fabulous Thunderbirds
- from fans on holiday!!! The gig was in July so
many fans were off to Spain to get a tan and
emailed to ask if we could get a better date in
2008. Despite all that, the Fab's did pull a big
crowd and wow was it a belter of a gig! The
whole band were magnificent, but it has to be
said that Kim Wilson
was stunning. Having promoted gigs for 39 years,
this ranks as one of the best. So, blues and R&B
fans, we have brought the
Fabulous Thunderbirds
back in April, so get your tickets today and
organise your holidays tomorrow.
