The Blue Eyed Devils
Hard Luck Town
© 2001 Cotton, Klynn, Markovits, Wheatley (634479840821)
CD permanently out of stock. Sorry!
First release of SF area band sound is bluesy, but with some progressive flavor, Robert Johnson Meets Phish with a taste of the Red Hot Chilli Peppers
tracks
- 1 City Boy/Country Blues
- 2 Leaving S.F. Bay Blues
- 3 Get On Track
- 4 Hard Luck Town
- 5 Southbound
- 6 County Jail Blues
- 7 S. S. A. Blues
- 8 Ridin' Down The Highway
- 9 Stoney Blues
- 10 The Blue Eyed Devils Blues
- 11 Wont Be Your Dog
- 12 Rag Mama
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Attention Shoppers! This album is available on itunes, as well as many other "pay for download" music sites! This is all courtesy of the good folks at CDBaby. There are NO MORE copies of this CD available, and I dont even have one myself, and I wrote most of the songs! So mosey on over to your favorite, music download site, search for "Hard luck Town," and enjoy!
Chris Cotton
p.s.
IF YOU REALLY WANT SOMETHING THAT YOU CAN HOLD AND CHERISH, THAT COMES IN THE MAIL, PLEASE CONSIDER "SHORTY BROWN" AS A VIABLE SUBSTITUTE!!!
This album was recorded over the course of one year at Karma (CCRMA) Studios at Stanford University (five miles from our hometown). It is the first release from "The Blue Eyed Devils" a well known Bay Area group with a very loyal following. After releasing this album, The Blue Eyed Devils went on to share stages with Danny Barnes(Bad Livers), Mem Shannon, Red Meat, Corey Harris, and The North Mississippi All-Stars.
The album was named to several Bay Area top-10 of the year lists when released in 2001.
The album well reviewed by "The Metro" Newspaper and "Blues Revue Magazine"
Print about Hard Luck Town and The Blue Eyed Devils:
Blues Revue magazine:
"From Silicon Valley come The Blue Eyed Devils, a four-piece combo with a cool, tasty take on traditional blues styles. Hard Luck Town (self-release) feels like a warm Sunday afternoon in the shade. Singer/acoustic guitarist Christopher Cotton and singer/harpist Brendan Wheatley are only 25, but they're fine players with voices made to blend in blues harmony. Props also to bassist Brett Klynn, 23, and percussionist Justin Markovits, just 22. Markovits takes an often unconventional (and welcome) approach to drumming, often eschewing traps for more subtle instruments. "Get on Track" has Junior Wells-like punch. Also hot are the country funk of "County Jail Blues" and the honking stomp of "S.S.A. Blues" -- [Taken Verbatim]
Blue Suede News:
"These aren't the Blue-Eyed Devils who appeared on All American Hard-core Hillbillies, these guys are from the San Francisco Bay Area. But anyhow, its a nice acoustic country blues aggregation who are rather fond of the sped-up tempo thing in the midst of a laid back tune. The packaging doesn't feature songwriter credits, but the songs may well all be original, though they definitely sound like the old stuff from the 30's and 40's. Oops, I see the last song is "Rag Mama," which comes from Blind Boy Fuller, so now I don't know about the rest. They ply the same waters as Sonny Terry and Brownie McGhee (but not only that!), and are quite successful, at least artistically. They are a guitarist/vocalist, harp/vocalist, electric bass player, and drummer/percussionist (washboard on one!) who plays very light, keeping the acoustic flavor. Fans of the rural blues should check these guys out! MB " -- [Taken verbatim]
Kimbery Chun, SF Gate (San Francisco Chronicle online):
These scoundrels are as blue-eyed as they come, and they did their time on the sleepy streets of downtown Mountain View, so we'll forgive this 3-year-old traditional country-, blues and string-band-inspired quartet their clean-cut, WASP-y mien. Otherwise vocalist/harmonica player Brendan Wheatley and guitarist/vocalist Christopher Cotton can come off as sonic ringers for influences such as Big Bill Broonzy, Brownie McGhee and Muddy Waters on their debut self-released CD, Hard Luck Town (recorded at the experimental-music enclave CCRMA at Stanford). If foot-tapping and head bobbing is your poison, then the exemplary picking and chugging harmonica of The Devils will make you do it." -- [Taken Verbatim]
Smitty Rays Best Picks Of 2001:
"The Blue Eyed Devils 'Hard Luck Town,' Some young Bay Area cats who manage to pull off the damn near impossible: acoustic country blues done with chops, respect and the guts to try to make it their own. An impressive independent release" -- [verbatim]
Heather Zimmerman, Silicon Valley Metro:
" To judge by their sound alone, the Bay-Area based Blue Eyed Devils are more likely to have formed at a barn dance in the Deep South during the 1930's than gotten their start busking for the townsfolk in downtown Mountain View just a few years ago. The Devils' brand of music is indeed an exercise in time travel, perking up some ol' down-home blues with a shot of old timely country. The bands CD, Hard Luck Town, offers up a whole host of foot-stompers, with soulful vocals, solid boogie-woogie bass, and a mournfully expressive harmonica. -- [Verbatim]
Richard Von Busak, Silicon Valley Metro:
"These corn-pone hillbillies from Mountain view assay acoustic jug-band music, heavy with bass thumping, guitar picking and juicy, virtuosic harmonica. The untitled demo CD shows 'em a little too addicted to the jam-- a drum solo? In a hillbilly band!?!--- But the sprightly playing, scatting and singing on the demo's best, "Rag Mama," shows The Devils are a fast-playing, good humored combo sure to appeal to the Americana fan." -- [Verbatim]
The Esteemed, Dr. Reverend Brian Jones:
"YeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeHaaaaaaaaaaaaa, The Devils are the best!"
[taken contextually of course]
reviews
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- author: CD Baby
Self-described as "Robert Johnson meets Phish with a taste of Red Hot Chili Peppers," these sassy boys, on the tail of Big Bill Broonzy, deliver a zingy, somewhat zany stew of non-stop fun, americana and ragtime acoutic blues with a shuffley, snappy and sassy spirit. Spritzed with early jazz and swing, these rascals go with any hot, southern, lemonade-guzzlin' day in the shade. Find out why their loyal, Bay Area following is on to something.
Just the way to go
author: Eric van den Bosch, NetherlandsThese guys sound like they're a hundred years old and let me tell you this: nothing wrong with that! Just a down to earth blues cd that makes you feel good. Just let them get you into the groove. Don't expect modern day music, just buy this cd when you want blues to sound like blues! Them Devils did it!
Find out why their loyal, Bay Area following is on to something.
author: Tamara Turner, CD Baby Music Editor/ReviewerSelf-described as "Robert Johnson meets Phish with a taste of Red Hot Chili Peppers," these sassy boys, on the tail of Big Bill Broonzy, deliver a zingy, somewhat zany stew of non-stop fun, americana and ragtime acoutic blues with a shuffley, snappy and sassy spirit. Spritzed with early jazz and swing, these rascals go with any hot, southern, lemonade-guzzlin' day in the shade. Find out why their loyal, Bay Area following is on to something.
Where did they come from??? Where are they now?
author: Adam TaylorThis low fidelity recording is from the heart and more intense than most recordings I hear from the "new blues" these days. It sounds like a recording from the early fifties ala Big Bill Broonzy or somthing else. It sounds like it was recorded in a garage, late at night, under duress. I'm buying the Legend of Shorty Brown.
Great! Old Pre-War Blues Juke and Roll
author: MikeI can't say enough about this album. I warms my heart to see that people still are doing this style of music. They do it right a must own for anybody who likes Blues, or oldtimey music