"Stevie Ray Vaughan meets Santana, watching Pulp Fiction..." (AngelBear Records).
With musical influences drawn from American Roots Music to West Coast Swing, Gypsy Jazz, Latin, Surf Rock & Electric Blues, The BlackTails have been inspiring audiences with their high energy live show since their 2004 launch in NYC. Playing to sold out audiences at the world famous Iridium in NYC to rocking music festival stages across the country, The BlackTails have drawn a diverse following around the world from the U.S. to Europe, South America and Asia.
The soundtrack vibe of their first release, "Spy Lounge", drew The BlackTails into the film and commercial world with scotch whiskey company Dewars licensing the track "Off the Rack" and promoting the group as a featured band in their 2006-2007 national advertising campaign. Expanding on that vibe in their live show, The BlackTails reinvent classic Film Noir / T.V music themes from Henri Mancini’s "Peter Gunn" to Schifrin’s "Mission Impossible" with an updated twist and emphasis on improvisation.
On their latest recording, "Inside Man" (working title), The BlackTails have created a seamless fusion of covers and original material you might expect to hear over the credits of your favorite film. "Inside Man" marries standards like Duke Ellington's "Caravan" with vocal harmonies ala Jane's Addiction and Alice in Chains as well as paying tribute to Santana, Miles Davis and Dick Dale with original tunes, "Santa Anna", "Lou's Misery", and "Limes 'n' Cherries". If you're looking for something you know well enough to love but is just off-center enough to keep you listening for each next note, keep your eye out for The BlackTails newest invention, "Inside Man" (working title), scheduled for release in early 2010.
The international flavor of The BlackTails sound is drawn form the diverse background of it's source. Hailing from Argentina, Switzerland, the U.S. and the U.K., this group of players brings to the stage and studio over a decade of performing experience in all corners of the globe. They have shared the stage with blues giants like Muddy Waters and Clarence Gatemouth Brown as well as national acts Little Feat, The Spin Doctors, Blues Travellers, and more.
When not touring, recording or writing new material, members of The BlackTails write, arrange and produce music for film , television, dance, and Off-Broadway productions. Their work has appeared on dozens of nationally released recordings, as well as in numerous commercials and television programs in the US and UK for well known brands like Fuse Network and Virgin Media.
THE PLAYERS
David Blacker (Lead Guitar, Vox): David Blacker is founder of Blackermusic Productions and his guitar playing and composition havd been featured on multiple original albums, television shows and commercials. His playing and approach to music is deeply influenced by different styles of American Roots of music, and the blues in particular. He is mostly self-taught, having learned by ear, and following the roots of popular music backward to greats like Howling Wolf, Muddy Waters, Django Reinhardt, Charlie Parker and T-Bone Walker. He has studied jazz theory and improvisation with one of Ornette Coleman's "Prime Time" guitarists, Chris Rosenberg. David is currently a featured musician and instructor on Truefire.com where he has sold hundreds of downloads featuring original music and guitar instruction.
William Catanzaro (Percussion, Vox, Keys): William is an eclectic composer and multi-instrumentalist born in Buenos Aires and based in New York since 1989. He has several recordings as band leader on major labels with diverse musical groups and three independent editions of his theater and dance works. Mr. Catanzaro has composed musical scores for many world renowned choreographers, Off Broadway productions, and multimedia productions. His work has been presented nationally and internationally from NY to Tokyo, Berlin, Dublin, Copenhagen, Amsterdam, etc. He has received recognition and funding from the NEA, The Samuel S. Feld Fund, New York State Council on The Arts, Harkness Foundation, NYU Humanities Council, NYU Service/ Learning Fund. His most recent CDs “Percussion Works”, “Percussion for the Dance Technique of Lester Horton Volume I and II” and the afro jazz album with Victor Y. See Yuen titled “Evolution Suites” praised by jazz Masters Ron Carter and Sonny Rollins have been received with great acclaim and are available through www.cdbaby.com/catanzaro.
Mr Catanzaro is thrilled to be part of The Blacktrails, a band where musical skills, sense of humor and raw energy are keen.To that a toast !!
Peter Farrell (Keys, Guitar, Sax, Vox): Farrell brings an international sensibility to his music having been born in Puerto-Rico, raised in Tokyo (11 years) and schooled at traditional boarding schools in the UK. As a multi-instrumentalist he has toured and recorded all over the world with his first recording session at the age of 6 in Tokyo’s famous NHK studios. In the mid 1980’s he returned to the US and quickly became a member of the renowned Mercer County Symphonic Orchestra and the Youth of America, which toured extensively throughout Europe. In the 90’s one of Peter’s bands “Wooster Sang” became finalists to Music Magazine’s “Best Unsigned Band” contest sponsored by Atlantic Records. Peter’s work has been featured in commercials, film, TV and on over a dozen original releases, as well as, on over 30 nationally produced records as a guest artist. His record of jazz standards “Angel Ayes” was also picked up by SONY music for distribution in 2005. Peter graduated from Hobart & William Smith (Geneva NY) and spent 4 years driving 600 miles roundtrip every weekend to perform at clubs in NYC.
Derek Landel (Drums, Percussion): Hailing from the great state of NJ, Derek graduated from Syracuse University where he founded the band “Professor Spoon” which won the 1993 SAMMY Award for Best College Band. This landed him on an East Coast tour in 1994. At Berklee Derek performed with many notable up and comers including the John Dougherty Trio which went on to play with George Benson. His work has also been featured in Off Broadway musicals, TV Shows (“The Dave Tutera Party Planner”) as well as on the cruise ship “The Spirit of Boston” where he performed with keyboardist Alex Lacamoir (musical director of Broadway’s ‘Wicked”). He is a passionate board gamer and can be found every year at the World Board Gaming Championships in Lancaster PA!
Fredi Meli (Bass Guitar): Swiss national Fredi Meli spent many of his formative years, writing and touring throughout Europe before he came to the US to study at Berklee College where he built his American roots performing with notables such as Lionel Loueke (Herbie Hancock, Wayne Shorter), Akiko Grace (Ron Carter) and others. Over the years his work has been featured on TV, in Off Off Broadway productions and he is a regular at top session gigs in NYC.
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