Johnny & The Mongrels Unveil Joyful Celebration of Louisiana Music
Creole Skies Album Drops Today
The highly anticipated Johnny & The Mongrels debut album CREOLE SKIES is available now for download here. A rainbow of Louisiana colors courses throughout CREOLE SKIES: a classic New Orleans second-line groove on debut single "Music Man"; a funky gumbo of churchy organ, wailing tenor sax and chicken-scratch guitar on the follow-up "Louisiana Girl"; a sensuous old-school R&B groove on the third single, "Creole Skies"; ... and throughout all 10 tracks dashes of zydeco accordion, gritty down-home blues and all the seasonings that flavor the Bayou State's unique musical sound.
A surge of media enthusiasm preceded the album's release. Outlets brand it as "wonderful swamp funk" (Michael Hingston, Americana Roundup), "relaxed but irresistible" (JD Nash, American Blues Scene), "guaranteed to make you smile" (Stacy Harris, Stacy's Music Row Report) and "loaded with punch and power" (Chris Spector, Midwest Record Entertainment).
Others proclaim "When you're itching for layers of New Orleans energy, reach for the CREOLE SKIES and you'll be satisfied" (Melissa Clarke, Americana Highways) and "your soul will be grateful for the musical voyage ...The album succeeds in establishing exquisite worlds wherein each song is able to deliver text and subtext" (Greg Victor, Parcbench).
The core band on CREOLE SKIES consists of lead singer/songwriter Johnny Ryan, bassist/singer/songwriter Jeff Bostic, guitarist Scott Sharrard (Gregg Allman, Levon Helm), keyboardist Bill McKay (The Derek Trucks Band, Leftover Salmon) and drummer/percussionist Eddie Christmas (The Black Crowes, Jon Cleary). Guest artists include tenor saxophonist Craig Dreyer (Keith Richards, Joan Osborne) and button accordionist Roddie Romero (Marcus Miller, Bobby Rush). Recorded at the historic Dockside Studio in Maurice, Louisiana, CREOLE SKIES was co-produced by Sharrard and JoeBaby Michaels (Ivan Neville, Bobby Messano).
Catch Johnny & The Mongrels live:
JUL 29 - The Audi Center, Broomfield, CO
JUL 31 - CD Release Full Band live-stream from Chimaera Sound Studio
AUG 01 - Halftime Sports Bar, Commerce City, CO
AUG 18 - FoCoMX Drive & Jive, Ft. Collins, CO
AUG 20 - Dazzle Denver, Denver, CO
ABOUT JOHNNY & THE MONGRELS
Johnny & The Mongrels is a high-powered, New-Orleans-influenced band that has been described as "the perfect combination of a funk-filled heart and a deep Bayou soul." Its founders, currently based in Fort Collins, Colorado, are singer/songwriter Johnny Ryan and singer/bassist/songwriter Jeff Bostic. The band has played many prominent venues and music festivals nationwide, sharing stages along with way with Scott Sharrard, George Porter Jr., Ivan Neville, Bob Malone (John Fogerty), Deanna Bogart, Shakedown Street, Samantha Fish, Honey Island Swamp Band and Bobby Messano (Steve Winwood).
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