Brad Vickers & His Vestapolitans
Traveling Fool
Brad Vickers learned on the job playing with America's blues & roots masters: Now his own group, The Vestapolitans, offer a good-time mix of originals and covers spanning blues, ragtime, hill country breakdowns, and more great rock 'n' roots music!
Special guest guitarist Bobby Radcliff has this to say about Brad Vickers & His Vestapolitans and "Traveling Fool":
Sometimes I forget how much I loved those old albums from the ’60s: J. B. Lenoir and Lowell Fulson’s Chess recordings with the horns slightly out of key (which I adore)—not to mention all my old Blind Lemon Jefferson, Texas Henry Thomas, etc. albums on those funky 78-rpm-to-disc re-issue labels back then.
I can’t think of many artists today that can get the kind of raw, direct punch that was so evident in the “old masters”. For some reason, Brad Vickers does capture it. And the best part is that his music never sounds “manufactured to sound authentic”. Brad’s music doesn’t have the glossy high-tech veneer that too many artists utilize to “sound like the great artists of old”. This recording, his 3rd release on CD, is the obvious choice if you want to experience first-rate American blues/R&B music, and its related tributaries.
Brad’s vocal delivery always stays firm in a laconic, easy-going manner. I’m reminded at times of Fats Domino via Bill Monroe, but that’s an oversimplification. Brad is his own man both vocally and in his instrumental technique. Much of his guitar work is the direct result of his use of open E tuning rather than standard Spanish. This actually gives him a bit of an edge over some of his musical peers. I am always blown away by the unusual tone variations and colors he achieves. Believe me, as a practicing picker myself, you will not get certain odd inflections and subtle pitch/interval variations with standard guitar tuning. All of this adds up to some extremely nasty guitar sounds!
Of particular note, I should add, is the equal importance of his Vesapolitans line-up: Bill Rankin on percussion; Margey Peters, who adds her rich and sonorous playing on bass and fiddle; the great Jim Davis on clarinet and tenor saxophone; Matt Cowan on baritone saxophone; and one of my favorite guitar (and piano!) pickers, Arne Englund. The estimable V.D. King also makes an appearance with this fine ensemble.
I can’t say enough about Dave Gross’s production on this CD. As a guest myself on this session, I had the opportunity to observe him in the production/engineer capacities. All I can say is this: I had one of the best times in years being involved with the making of this recording. A great captain at the helm always gets the best out of musicians. I’d put him up with my favorites, Hammond Scott (Black Top), Peter K. Siegal, and Chris Matheos. All of this said, if you’re in the mood to spend some time listening and dancing—don’t forget, Mister Vickers is a rocker to the core!—to some downright incredibly hip music, then slap this in your favorite player and tear it up!
—Bobby Radcliff, January, 2011
Here's What Reviewers have said about Brad Vickers & His Vestapolitans' Other Great CDs:
“Brad Vickers & His Vestapolitans deliver another batch of honest, irresistible blues”
—Tom Hyslop, BLUES REVUE
“Gets better each time you listen.”
—Richard Thomas, BLUES MATTERS
“Plenty of instrumental sass by way of Vickers’ astute acoustic picking and sax man Jim Davis’ sonic strut…”
—Mark Uricheck, LIVING BLUES
“Intelligent, lofty, & very ‘30s Jazz-Ragtime!”
—Andre Hobus, SOULBAG
“Few bands can cover more than a half-century of blues styles and give each its own authentic reincarnation. This sets Brad Vickers & His Vestapolitans apart from every other blues band in the land.”
—Roger & Margaret White, BIG CITY BLUES
“Seduces you from the first songs, scores a direct hit!”
—Marcie Geukens, ROOTSTIME
“One of the most uninhibited, original works of these years!”
—Eduardo Fassio, IL BLUES
“New York based singer/guitarist Brad and his versatile group impressed me with their debut ‘Le Blues Hot’, they do it again with their new release”
—Norman Darwin, BLUES & RHYTHM
“‘Stuck With The Blues’ is another winner that will be welcome in any blues fan’s collection.”
—Graham Clarke, BLUES BYTES
“Several—make that many—replays were in order here…The disc closes out with an all-out jam called ‘I’m A Love You’. On this one, it’s Brad on top of his game with the guitar.”
—Peter ‘Blewzzman’ Lauro, MARY4MUSIC
“A CD by a fabulous musician!”
—Przemek Draheim, RADIO SFERA
“They are the real deal blues-early-rock-and-roll torch carriers...a consistent, danceable, boogie-woogie, foot-tapping, thigh-slapping cacophony on every track.”
—Belinda Foster, ILLINOIS BLUES BLAST
“Highest praise! 5 Stars!”
—Mladen Loncar, SOUNDGUARDIAN.COM
“Fresh-astounding-amazing and unusual!”
—Alain Mallaret, BIG BEAT
“A great sound, and a lot of fun, spirited tunes. It will get a lot of airtime.”
—Bill Nolan, WPKN/WPKM
“Outstanding musicians!”
—Vincent Zumel, L’HORA del BLUES
“Brilliant and wide-ranging, ‘Stuck With The Blues’ is a perfect sequel to the amazing ‘Le Blues Hot’”
—Roberto Rossi, RADIO PNR
“Would add magic to any party. The interpretations never lose their footing bringing genuine warmth and emotion to the rich mix of tunes.”
—Mik the Who, DUBLIN CITY RADIO
“One of my favorites of the year!”
—Olivia Greene, WWOZ
Blues: Rockin' Blues