|
|||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
 |
|
A Country Girl Sings the Blues John Tallie, KGLT- FM, Livingston, MT In many ways south-central Montana exemplifies Big Sky Country. The landscape looms especially large there. It is where the high plains meet the Crazy Mts. It is where the wind howls, sometimes incessantly. The open space can be a bit frightening, if you’re not used to it, but it can also inspire. Deb Seitz is a blues singer who grew up there, in the heart of Big Sky Country, near Twodot, Mt. She does not live there anymore but the beauty of that area still runs through her soul and her music. How could it not? Deb is proud of her Montana roots but most of the people she associates with now find it hard to believe that she grew up on a ranch miles from the nearest highway or spent eight years in a two room schoolhouse. Life in rural Montana is a world away from the music scene and the hustle and bustle of Chicago. Now a resident of that urban blues Mecca she is realizing her dream of singing the blues. Whether you come from the Mississippi Delta, or Memphis, or New Orleans, or Twodot, if the blues calls you’ve got to answer back and Deb Seitz has done just that. She adds, “ Blues is a feeling. Isn’t it everywhere?” This month Deb will release a new CD of original material called Another Promise. She has been singing the blues around Chicago for a number of years and frequently gigs at local clubs and venues in the area. Her road band, The Swank Daddys, features members of Wayne Brooks’ band and The Kinsey Report, true veterans of the national blues scene. If you were lucky you saw the Kinsey Report rock the Owl Lounge back in July. I talked to Deb recently and she feels very fortunate to have such high quality musicians backing her. She adds, “These guys are the real deal blues cats in this area. They’ve played in Chicago and all over the world. I feel privileged to have the opportunity to work with them and learn a great deal about the ‘feeling’ brought out in blues music.” It is that feeling that is apparent on her new CD. The project began as a demo for Deb and her guitar playing partner Frank Anastos. When not with her full band Deb and Frank work together as a duet. They cut eight tunes for the demo and producer Pat Doody was so inspired by their songs he proposed a full length CD of all original tunes. Another Promise came about as a result of that. The disc contains both acoustic and electric versions of seven tunes along with the title track and an instrumental called Frank’s Blues. While Deb admits it is not straight ahead Chicago blues it does express her diverse musical tastes. “ My influences may differ from many blues artists but the feeling is the same and I believe this feeling is reflected in the songs on Another Promise. Each song was written from my heart about the experiences that shape lives. They speak of love, loss, failure, and the determination to get back up and try again. Experiences so many of us can relate to.” While Deb is doing very well in Chicago she admits her heart is still in Montana. She has family here and gets back to visit on occasion but not often enough. She would love to return but Montana is not the best place to make a living as a blues musician. With her new CD release and plenty of live gigs to play, she is confident that she will continue to grow and thrive as a blues singer. She is also humbled that a country girl from Twodot, Mt. could move to Chicago and sing the blues on stages where some of the greatest blues musicians of all time have played. For more on Deb and her music check out her web site at www.debseitz.com.
|
| DEB SEITZ Another Promise (self-released) Reviewed by Eric Steiner I’ll be the first to admit that I’m somewhat biased. Deb Seitz’ newest solo CD, Another Promise, makes many musical promises and delivers on each and every one. I wrote the liner notes for the CD, and while Another Promise is not a blues record from start to finish, there are elements of blues, roots-rock, and Americana that give Deb Seitz a chance to experiment with an array of musical styles. This time out, she’s got Frank Anastos on guitar, Patrick “Drum King” Doody on drums, and John Falstrom on bass. Together, they work through the contemplative “I Thought I Knew You,” the mournful “Lady Blue,” and what I consider an anthem for fiercely independent women of a certain age, “Do You Just Want to Dance?,” and many other songs. Another Promise is a solid showcase of under-the-radar musical talent in Chicago’s far-South suburban music scene, and I hope that it gets Ms. Seitz & Co. more work as they hone their craft in the shadow of the City of Big Shoulders. Another Promise features two very different sides of Deb Seitz: there’s a set that showcases her vocals with a stripped-down sound with Frank Anastos on guitar, and a set for the full band: either way, you get two opportunities to see if Deb Seitz has lived up to the musical promises she’s made. On Another Promise, I think she has. Eric Steiner
|
|
Deb Seitz - Another Promise (self release) Review by James Walker, Kankakee Daily Journal, Kankakee, Blowtorch Blues Society Blues News Central Illinois Blues Challenge winner Deb Seitz has made herself a promise, and this time she’s “not giving in.” The Lockport, Illinois songstress’ latest project, the solo album Another Promise, makes the listener a better guarantee: it will double your pleasure and double your fun. In an interesting and unique approach, Seitz gives fans two versions of seven of the nine original songs, one a band mix with electric guitar and one an acoustic mix. The band mixes come first followed by the acoustic mixes with the songs in a different order. The best parts are a double dip of Seitz’s beautiful and accomplished voice and twice as much guitar from Frank Anastos. Of this electric/acoustic concept, Seitz said, “I believe the idea is good, and the songs compliment themselves with having two versions.” The title track finds the dynamic Frank Anastos on electric guitar absolutely launching the song (and CD) with an emotionally charged power Rock riff the likes of which would be expected only in a mid song climax. Seitz comes in on vocals using her seasoned and formidable Rock voice and bares her soul, “This highway leads right to his door.” Seitz’s self penned lyrics express that self discipline is hard, but her will is stronger this time – she’s keeping this promise. This cut and the final track are the only ones presented as single versions. Pounding the first notes heard and anchoring the rhythm is arranger and producer, has-worked-with-everybody Patrick Doody. South Chicago bassman John Falstrom cohabitates the rhythm section. The four person lineup is the simple formula for the success on these songs’ artful production. The second cut, “Livin’ The Blues” is instantly-likeable. Striking the song’s mood of frustration, Anastos’ opening guitar notes plaintively pierce the air in a slower tempo. Seitz this time utilizes a soft, melancholy Blues voice. She makes you feel her hurt when she sings, “Oh, I’ll be alright, I’ve got nothin’ to lose/I’m happy just sittin’ back, livin’ the blues.” Behind the vocals in the second line (“Pickin’ a few strings on my guitar”) we hear Anastos applying more ambiance by subtlety picking, Nashville-style top string twang. Then he highlights her third line with shimmering chords followed by punctuating the fourth line with a sharp noted lead. Now that is thoughtful production! And, as if that wasn’t enough, check out the mid song guitar bridge. Uplifting fun and celebration of live music are found in the third track, “Soul of the Music.” Deb is obviously having fun too (“Come let the music set you free!”), because you can hear her gleefully howl and laugh out loud just ahead of the ending guitar solo. A careful listen to the lyrics reveals an indictment of all the “Idol” shows on television with their soul-less songs. Seitz and band pick up the pace on the fourth cut, “Muddy at the Crossroad.” The mood of joyful hope for a new found love is embellished with Doody’s quickened stick work, Falstrom’s pulse-in-your-throat bass, and Anastos’ uplifting leads. Co-writing, with Frank Anastos, some of the best metaphor, Deb sings, “There you are, and I need you / But the going’s been slow / Inside of me the memories run deep.... / It’s muddy at the crossroads / At the bottom of my heart.” Expresses Deb, “The song has an uplifting feel, but even falling in love can be ‘sticky’ so to speak.” On “Lady Blue” Seitz puts incredible energy into singing with a Blues voice alternately full of tearful soul followed by pleading desperation. To the woman who stole her lover she sings, “Lady Blue...Why should I lose? / Am I too late; does his heart belong to you?” Seitz confided, “I had to dig deep on this one.” The acoustic version this time best showcases Anastos in a clinic on how to support a singer. Of the sixth track, “I thought I Knew You,” Deb reports, “It's a very deep song and borders on Christian music I know. I wrote it over 10 years ago, and I sang it in church, once.” Again, Anastos perfectly sets the mood of lament with some soft laconic chords while Deb tells of her protagonist during a marital separation., and subsequent divorce. “Oh Lord, I have no place to go / The road behind me is the only road I know,” she sings. Slide guitar fans take heart. For “Do You Just Want To Dance?” there’s an electric opening on track seven and a killer Dobro intro on cut nine’s acoustic version. Smiles Deb, “This is definitely my ‘bad attitude’ song.” Seitz and Doody know people like to dance, so a hard driving shuffle paces “Goin’ Somewhere,” the last band mix track. By the end of the fifteenth track, the listener has become convinced that Deb Seitz is one of the most versatile vocalists on the Chicago blues scene. Her ability to capture feelings and express emotional moods with an attention grabbing vocal quality is simply top shelf! Her song writing is not bad, either. By the final track, the listener is also convinced that Frank Anastos is a guitar master. To further cement that thought, in the last cut, Anastos goes solo on a haunting acoustic instrumental simply titled, “Frank’s Blues.” With no horns, no keyboards, and no fuss, Deb Seitz and crew have successfully shown how a simple line up can use intricate arrangements. The result is listeners get twice as much great music compared to some overly honked and hyper wonked mish-mash! That’s a promise! |
CONCERT:
Debbie Seitz and the Swank Daddys
Venue: Frankie's Blue Room, Naperville,
IL
Date: February 5, 2005
Reviewed by Eric Steiner
Photography by Bud Monaco
Debbie
Seitz and the Swank Daddys played three sets of high-energy Chicago blues to a
near-capacity crowd at Frankie's Blue Room in Naperville in Chicago's Western
suburbs. Her set ranged from blues belters like Koko Taylor's "Voodoo
Woman" and "Come to Mama," a soulful take Ann Peebles'
"Clean Up Woman" straight out of Memphis, to a surprisingly funky
bluesy interpretation of Tracy Chapman's "Give Me One Reason."
Frankie's
Blue Room is a 250-seat classy venue in downtown Naperville. Some of America's
top blues acts have played at Frankie's Blue Room, including Lonnie Brooks (as
well as his sons Ronnie and Wayne Baker Brooks), Koko Taylor, Too Slim and the
Taildraggers, Robert Jr. Lockwood, The Nighthawks, Lil' Ed and the Blues
Imperials, and W.C. Clark. The room has 40's-era elegance to it, and a mural
featuring Elvis Presley, BB King, Marilyn Monroe, Humphrey Bogart, and other
classic movie stars opposite the bar. On Labor Day weekend, Frankie's will
celebrate its tenth anniversary. Since 1995, this club has brought Cajun, jump
and swing, salsa, alternative rock, and most certainly the blues, to the
Western suburbs' live music scene. I've heard that diamonds honor couples who
celebrate their 10th anniversary, but Frankie's clear and crisp sound system
is pure gold and just right for this room.
Each
set included a dozen or so songs that helped Debbie Seitz stretch her
considerable voice - many of the songs landed on her first CD as a solo
artist, Soul Stirring, produced by Chicago area drummer Patrick Doody. Her
voice soared on Bonnie Raitt's "Love Me Like a Man," buoyed by T.J.
Jenkins' electric piano solo and Nick Byrd's stinging sharp slide guitar. The
Swank Daddys' engine room of Kenny Kinsey on five-string bass and Jerry Porter
on drums powered the band through a very diverse evening of music, and Kenny
pushed Debbie, Nick, and TJ with just a wink or a nod as his hands climbed the
fretboard. Dancefloor fillers like "Some Kind of Wonderful" and
"Mustang Sally," which morphed into "Chain of Fools" and
back to that Wilson Pickett classic, alternated between slow blues songs like
"Rock Me Baby" and "You've Got to Help Me" with Kenny on
vocals.
Kenny
and Jerry may be the elder statesmen in Debbie Seitz' performing band, and
they are mentoring younger bluesmen like TJ and Nick (also a Kinsey Report
veteran), as well as Debbie herself. Kenny toured the world with his father,
Lester "Big Daddy" Kinsey as part of the Kinsey Report, and Jerry
Porter kept time behind the drums for Buddy Guy for over 25 years. Jerry's sat
in with a who's who in Chicago blues, including Magic Slim, Eddy "The
Chief" Clearwater, Junior Wells, Son Seals, and Wayne Baker Brooks. When
not sharing the stage with Debbie Seitz, Nick, Jerry, and Kenny are the
nucleus of the Wayne Baker Brooks Band.
Tonight,
their collective blues experience shone through some powerful readings of Etta
James' "Blues is My Business," Susan Tedeschi's "Little by
Little," and Koko Taylor's fanciful and fun "You Can Have My Husband
(But Please Don't Mess with My Man)."
Debbie's
been compared to Janis Joplin more than once in the Chicago music scene. In
2001, Debbie took home the hardware as the winner of a Janis Joplin
sound-alike contest hosted by Chicago-area bluesman and WCKG-FM personality
Buzz Kilman at Dick's Last Resort at Chicago's North Pier Mall. In 2003,
Debbie was a finalist in the Best Unsigned Vocalist Contest held at Chicago's
House of Blues, judged by Alligator Records President Bruce Iglauer and WCKG-FM's
Kevin Matthews. I've heard that Queen Bee of the Blues herself, Koko Taylor,
was in the House that night, too.
In
the second set, Debbie fielded a request from a fan on the dancefloor to sing
something from Janis Joplin's songbook. She turned to her band, knowing that
many folks in the audience were probably expecting "Mercedes Benz"
or "Me and Bobby McGree," two of Joplin's signature songs. Debbie
introduced "Turtle Blues," a classic song about a "mean, mean
woman" penned by Janis that is one of my favorite cuts off of the Cheap
Thrills album from Big Brother and the Holding Company.
While
Debbie Seitz and the Swank Daddys hail from the greater Chicagoland area,
their sound ranges all over the blues map: from the Mississippi Delta, up to
Memphis and on Chicago's South Side. Their live show is a must for fans of
traditional Chicago blues - with more than a few nice surprises thrown in, of
course.
Sample
Debbie Seitz' newest solo CD, Soul Stirring, online at CD
Baby, or visit www.debseitz.com
for her latest shows, including photos from February's show at Frankie's Blue
Room. You can also pick up Soul Stirring at the world's largest jazz and blues
record store, Jazz Record
Mart in Chicago.
© 2005 - Eric Steiner
|
FROM
THE BLUES BLOWTORCH OF THE MIDWEST
IT’S
DELTA FRANK’S
JANUARY 2005
PLAYLIST
Friday & Saturday Nights
8PM to Midnight WGLT
FM…NORMAL ILLINOIS
25,000 WATTS OF BLUES POWER / YOUR HOME OF
THE BLUES The
Broadcasting Voice Of Illinois State University’s Communication Department COMPACT DISCS
FRANK USED IN JANUARY
COMPACT
DISC / ARTIST / LABEL
(Only
Top 10 Listed)
SHADES
OF BLUE / Kirk Fletcher / City Hall
STOMPIN
AT MOTHER BLUES / J B Hutto / Delmark
DELUXE
EDITION / Charlie Musselwhite / Alligator
NOW
MY SOUL / Ronnie Earl / Stony Plain
BIG
JOE JUMPS AGAIN / Big Joe Duskin / Yellow Dog
BLOWIN
MY HORN / Mark Hummel / Electro Fi
SOUL
STIRRING / Deb Seitz / Drumhead
BLUESIN
IT / Willie “Big Eyes” Smith / Electro Fi
HOLD
ON / Carl Weathersby / Lonesome Road
THINK
ABOUT IT / Alex Schultz / Severn
Delta
Frank Black – WGLT Blues DJ 89.1- Normal, Illinois 103.5 – Peoria, Illinois and live worldwide @ http://www.wglt.org Keeping
The Blues Alive in Central Illinois Web Sites: E-
Mail address: deltafrank@bluesblowtorch.com E- Mail Address: blusgrdn@a5.com |
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
They really do play the blues in the wild wild west... KGLT-FM Blues Charts for January 2005 KGLT-FM Bozeman - 91.9 FM Helena - 98.1 FM Livingston - 89.5 FM Thank you John Tallie!
|
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| TOP | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| TOP | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| TOP | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
DEB SEITZ Soul Stirring (self-released) Reviewed by Eric Steiner  Deb Seitz' new CD
is finished and that's very good news for blues fans. She's a Chicago-area
blues diva with pipes that just won't quit. I've shouted about her work with
the Chicago Blues Posse on these screens before, and Soul Stirring gives Deb
a chance to strut her stuff as a solo artist with a band of local
first-class bluesmen (and women) in the studio. Producer Patrick Doody sits
in on drums, with Motor City Josh Ford, Frank Arnastos and Joey Drada
sharing guitar parts while John Falstrom plays bass and Lisa Welli and John
Katke play keyboards. Deb's very soulful stirrings on this CD include Koko
Taylor's "Voodoo Woman" and Tom Hambridge's "Rock Me
Right." For a good introduction to Deb Seitz' work, check out the many
song samples online at her website, including a short video of Deb and Motor
City Josh Ford playing at Chicagoland nightspot, Leroy's Hot Stuff, at www.debseitz.com.
Deb's solo CD is a welcome addition to my CD collection, and just like she
sings on this disc, she knows "how to rock me right."
Track List: Blues is My Business * Goin' Somewhere *
Voodoo Woman * Hurts So Bad * Sugar Coated Love * Turtle Blues * Hound Dog *
Rock Me Right * Bobby McGee
|
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| TOP | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| TOP | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
Chasing down broken hearts tonight SATURDAY SPOTLIGHT * TOM LOUNGESThe Blues Posse has been a band in flux since its inception in
the late 1990s, with an ever-rotating cast of stellar blues players who visit
for a time and then move on as others come on board. triple "Heartbreak Valentine's Blues" bill tonight at
Soprano's Lounge in Griffith.
January 9, 2004 LOCAL
SCENE with Tom Lounges The coming of the new year
means facing the tough task of evaluating the albums that were released by
local artists during the past year, and picking a handful of personal
favorites. Whether your pleasure lies
in the relaxing jazz/pop of Susan May or Lizzy Ellison, the rootsy blues of
The Kingsnakes, the progressive metal of Ion Vein, or the hook-heavy rock of
Chicago mainstay Jim Peterik and his latest project, Pride of Lions, the fact
remains that remarkable music was made in 2003. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
DEBBIE
SEITZ: Soul Stirring (Self-Released)