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Take one red-hot horn section - we're talkin' alto, tenor, baritone saxes - down and dirty. Add liberal amounts of barrelhouse boogie-woogie piano and some stinging Fender guitar. Pour over a funky and swinging rhythm section that Blues Review magazine called "the best in the business", and top it all off with a crazy and charismatic front man with one of the biggest blues voices around. Season with years on the road tearing up juke joints, festivals and concert halls across the U.S. and Canada and on both sides of the Atlantic. Sound tasty? It's a recipe for music and mayhem, for intensity and irreverence; it's THE LOVE DOGS.Based out of Boston, this hard-charging septet just celebrated its 30th anniversary wowing audiences and critics alike with their combination of great musicianship and pure fun. Their new release, GET OFF MY LAWN! Is their first collection of all new material in a few years and it’s a beauty. The Dogs combine elements of Jump Blues, New Orleans R&B and early rock 'n' roll into their own powerhouse sound, and it’s all on full display on this 12 song set.
From the Big Joe Turner homage “Fly Away”, the Crescent City flavored “Hard To Be Mad”, the big band inspired “Took The Wrong Road” and “Here Come The Blues” the Latin tinged “Who Do You Think You’re Foolin’” to the down home rockin’ Blues of “Keep On Lyin’” lead vocalist and chief songwriter Eddie Scheer leads the band through some terrific grooves, keeping the energy high and the good humor flowing. A particularly stand out vocal track is the plaintive “Better Things To Do”, a big city Blues reminiscent of Duke Records’ sides from the late 50’s.
Lead sax player, Myanna and pianist/vocalist Alizon Lissance are each featured on songs they contributed to the record - the second line romp “Circular Reasoning” and the jazzy “Burn. Baby Burn”. The rest of the ensemble includes baritone and tenor sax man Rob Lee, trombonist Mark Paquin, bassist Mark Poniatowski and drummer “Downtown” Steve Brown, as well as guest appearances by guitarists Bobby Gus and New England Blues legend Ricky “King” Russell.
As with all of their records, The Dogs include a couple of their favorite swinging Blues chestnuts, Johnny Ace’s “How Can You Be So Mean” and Tiny Bradshaw’s “Gravy Train” featuring some great vocal harmonies by Eddie and the gals. And the payoff is the title cut, with an up tempo piano fueled gospel groove, but a far from holy sentiment.
The New York Post says "Even though the music could make Leonardo's David dance, it's the songwriting that separates these dogs from the rest of the pack" and Blues Review agrees "If there were a Superbowl for crowd pleasing rhythm & blues, a photo of The Love Dogs would be on every Wheaties box in America." Scheer sums it up by saying "If this band doesn't put a smile on your face, check your pulse because you just might be dead."
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Event Venue
82 Main St., Maynard, MA, United States, Massachusetts 01754
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Concerts, fests, parties, meetups - all the happenings, one place.
