FORMER BLACK CROWES GUITARIST HELMS LATEST
FROM CHICAGO'S UNDERGROUND BLUES-ROCK TREASURE
 Steepwater Band |
Grace And Melody, the fourth full-length from The Steepwater Band, arrives at a release show at Chicago's Double Door on Wednesday, November 26, where the rock n' roll survivors will also celebrate a decade of existence. The new album was produced by former Black Crowes and Ben Harper guitarist Marc Ford, and has a blessed heaviness and sense of thrusting purpose that happily recalls Led Zeppelin and The Faces without aping any of their moves. What emerges on Grace And Melody is the full flowering of a band that began rooted in Chicago's electric blues and gritty Southern rock and has matured into a seriously muscular trio armed with punchy, smartly conceived tunes and a powerhouse live presence.
The free concert, which starts at 8 pm the night before Thanksgiving, features some of the Midwest’s best up-and-coming talent. The Lions Of Hazelwood (St. Louis) will start the evening off with their brand of minimalistic Delta blues, and the Dirty Rooks (Chicago) will bring their Joe Cocker-esque commune-soul music to the stage. DJ Michael Patrick will be spinning rock n' roll vinyl throughout the night.
Grace And Melody was recorded in just nine days at Compound Studios in Long Beach, California. With Ford's direction, the band dug deeper into the swamp and grit of their past records while exploring new influences that give the new record a fresh sound. From the top-down catchiness of "Lord Knows" to the extended guitar jam of "Waiting To Be Offended" to the hypnotic bounce of "Healer" and Lennon-esque strum of "One Way Ride," the album runs the gamut of rock 'n' roll roots with progressive style but zero nostalgia. The Steepwater Band met Ford while sharing a festival bill in Spain in the summer of '07. They invited Ford to sit in on Neil Young's "Cortez the Killer," a song banned in Spain for years. A friendship was forged and Ford expressed interest in collaborating with the band shortly after producing Mescalito, the critically acclaimed debut album from Ryan Bingham.
Here's The Steepwater Band performing "Wheel" last year at the Double Door when they opened for Ford.
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