Album Notes

"Steamroller" is the second CD recorded by Cadillac Pete and The Heat. This is a five piece, hot driving, hard rocking blues band. The band features Cadillac Pete on harp, the brothers Jim and Mike McCarthy, interchanging rhythm and lead guitars, and they are really monster guitar players. Billy Siebert offers precision percussion on drums and Carl Betz delivers a rock solid blues bass to round out the band. Jim McCarthy also writes songs and sings lead vocals. This CD will have your spine tingling, toes tapping, booty shaking and will definitely get your mojo working. Eight songs are originals, 3 written by Pete, 4 by Jim and 1 by Mike. All the band members have been playing professionally for over 20 years, they are accomplished musicians and veteran stage performers. They don't call them "The Heat" for nothing, because they are hot! Check out the first CD, "Turn Up The Heat" which is also available on CDbaby


CADILLAC PETE RAHN

Let’s get right down to the point. One of the first questions people always ask is how Pete got to be known as Cadillac Pete. Here is the story: Pete was dubbed “Cadillac Pete” by his fellow musicians for one very good reason. He is the top of the line in his field. Cadillac is the symbol of American excellence at home and abroad, known for legendary performance, second to none. That description fits Pete to a tee; hence the name, Cadillac Pete. Once you hear him play his harp, you will understand completely. He has been playing professionally for over 20 years, and has been playing the blues exclusively for 17. He learned his craft from his father, Walter, so he has actually been playing the whistles since he was four, and it shows. Pete is an international recording artist, having recorded most recently with his own band, The Heat. Previous to that, he recorded with Reverend Raven and the Chain Smoking Altar Boys here in Wisconsin. He was also a regular on Bourbon Street in New Orleans with the incomparable Bryan Lee, with whom he toured the U.S., Europe, South America and Canada. He also recorded several CDs with Bryan, which included work with Kenny Wayne Shepherd, Frank Marino and James Cotton.

Born in Winnepeg, Manitoba, Pete became a Wisconsin resident at the tender age of 2, and has since become one of Milwaukee’s favorite sons. However, technically he is actually a resident of West Allis, and if you meet any of his hometown fans they will be sure to make the distinction! He is a two-time WAMI (Wisconsin Area Music Industry) award winner for the best harmonica instrumentalist. You may have seen him at any one of your favorite blues clubs or festivals including, but not limited to the Montreal Jazz Fest, New Orleans Jazz Fest, Belgium Blues Fest, or our very own Summerfest, as well as Buddy Guy’s Legends, Luther’s in Madison, Absinthe Bar formerly on Bourbon Street, and locally at the Milwaukee Ale House or the Up and Under, to name a few!!

In addition to being a world-class musician, Pete is also a tool and die maker, as well as an inventor. Pete holds two patents. One patent is for a product called Tuff Scuff, which is a 2 in 1 joint protector and tip scuffer for pool cues. Pete is a bit of a pool shark himself. The second patent is for Cadillac Pete’s Harp Stand. You can see this product on stage every time you see Pete perform. It is a slotted tray to help organize harmonicas, with a universal mike stand adapter to fit both American and European stands. The harp stand is available in either molded plastic or solid ash. This product is fast becoming a favorite of professional harp players world wide. Tuff Scuff and the harp stand are marketed to distributors and individuals through Cadillac Pete Enterprises, Inc.

So come on out to hear him shake the shack, the one and only original Cadillac Pete!

Cadillac Pete Reviews

Appearing with Bryan Lee, Live Summerfest performance
….Local mouth harp sensation, Cadillac Pete Rahn, stole most of the show with his sizzling solos.
Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, July 1998


With Bryan Lee, “Live at the Old Absinthe House Bar….Friday Night” (CD)
…Cadillac Pete Rahn on harmonica is brilliant throughout. Listen to his big Little Walter sound on The Sky is Crying and his high burn wail on Going Down.
….Quint Davis, President
Festival Productions, Inc. of New Orleans
Producer/Director
New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival

With Bryan Lee, “Live at the Old Absinthe House Bar….Saturday Night” (CD)
…Cadillac Pete shines on harmonica…
Vintage Guitar, March 1999


With Bryan Lee, “Live at the Old Absinthe House Bar….Saturday Night” (CD)
…Lee delivers 10 energized tracks…..aided by Cadillac Pete’s magnificent harp work.
Blues Revue, March 1999

With Reverend Raven, “Slow Burn” (CD)
…Cadillac Pete Rahn has a big, bad harp tone…

Blues Revue, March 1999

(Pete made Blues Revue twice in the same issue!)

With Reverend Raven, “Slow Burn” (CD)
….the luminescent harp work of Cadillac Pete Rahn can be breathtaking. At last, something to remember Milwaukee for besides beer, brats and…baseball…
Blues Access, Spring 1999

With Reverend Raven, “Slow Burn” (CD)
…The way Cadillac Pete blows harp will have you experiencing the cold blues chill. He plays the kind of harp that sends chills down to your toes…(only) a few harp men can breathe that kind of life into that Mississippi saxophone and touch your soul instantly!
Blues Harp Magazine, July 1999

Cadillac Pete won the Wisconsin Area Music Industry (WAMI) award for best harmonica instrumentalist in 1999 and 2001. Recipients of the coveted WAMI award are selected by a voting process; ballots are cast by the general public, as well as industry members. This shows once again what both fans and fellow musicians alike think of Cadillac Pete, he is one of the best.