"We wanna whoop your ass," says Handbag, lead vocalist of The Groove Hogs. "Musically speaking, of course," he adds with a grin. As a 10-piece band that includes five horns and a full rhythm section complete with a vintage Hammond organ, musical intensity is never in short demand at their shows. Handbag's comments reflect not only the band's live attitude, but also reveal what The Groove Hogs have captured on their newest CD, No Small Feat.
As their sophomore offering, No Small Feat reflects the blues-branded rock 'n soul style that the group has come to be recognized for. >From the opening track "Tall and Proud" to their remake of The White Trash Band's "In and Out of Love," it's a raw mixture that captures the energy of what the band spends most of its time doing - performing live. It's 130 nights a year of in-your-face music.
Formed in the winter of 1994 as a four-piece blues outfit, the band was initially meant to be a side project. Guitarist Pat Kiel relates, "A few of us were working together in a full-time band playing clubs, weddings and corporate gigs. That got old real fast, so we decided to form The Groove Hogs as a musical release." The band wrote some originals and covered material by Robin Ford, Delbert McClinton and Tab Benoit, to name a few.
As the band's ambition grew, so did their size. In early 1996 they added a four-piece horn section, expanding to eight members. Shortly after, they added a trombonist to the lineup. The large addition gave the Hogs a means to expand upon the blues-based music they had been playing. It was also evident that their new sound was just as appealing to their audience as it was to the band itself. By this time the local buzz was loud; loud enough that all members quickly realized this 'part-time project' deserved their full attention. All other musical projects were disbanded.
The band turned its attention to more songwriting. Of course, putting nine musicians with varied backgrounds together under one common roof creates the chance for either mass chaos or great opportunity. Fortunately for the band, opportunity won out. This is evident on their first recording. The exploratory collection of music contains an eclectic mix of blues, pop, funk and Latin influences. Released in 1997, this self titled disc produced two singles: "I Want You," a swinging jump blues track written by trumpet player Pat Phalen, and the pop ballad "Dreaming of You," penned by saxophonist Adam Plamann.
The spring and summer of 1999 saw The Groove Hogs continuing to tear their way through a steady diet of live performances. Sharing stages with acts such as Blues Traveler, George Thoroughgood, Edgar Winter, Papa Chubby and Brian Lee, their shows became the proving ground for much of the material that was selected for No Small Feat . It was also at this time that the band found blues/soul vocalist Ron "Handbag" Hanson and added him to the mix. Handbag's whiskey smooth vocal approach solidified the growing focus of the band to ground itself in the blues-branded rock 'n soul approach they had found.
With the addition of Handbag and the release of No Small Feat , the band continues to work throughout the Midwest under their ever steady philosophy: "One new fan, one new venue, one new market at a time." Besides touring, they are currently working on new material for their third release.
Here Are some of the recent reviews of No Small Feat
The Toronto Blues Society" Back to top
The Groove Hogs No Small Feat GH 600
Room for one US indie this month and this Fox Valley, Wisconsin-based horn band gets the nod. They sound like a gutsier Blood, Sweat and Tears crossed with Delbert McClinton as opposed to say, Roomful of Blues and wow, do they rock! They're a ten piece: five horns, a B3, bass and drums with Ron "Handbag" Hanson on vocals/harp and Pat Keil on guitar/vocals. While the guitar is very prominent in the mix, the horns are in your face with very good and innovative arrangements by the band. They write all the songs themselves and are handled by 10 Pigs Management - seems like quite a democratic bunch! Song highlights are the opener, "Tall And Proud" and "Don't Sweat The Small Stuff" (This song is a very good one, lyrics are provided) . Visit www.groovehogs.com.
- John Valenteyn, jayvee@ican.net
"Blues Bytes" Website Back to top
Coming out of (make that, roaring out of) the rock and soul tradition rooted in classic Tower of Power and White Trash, The Groove Hogs are one of the baddest horn bands to shoot through a pair of speakers in many years. No Small Feat qualifies as the best indie release of the year for these ears, and will certainly make my Top 10 list for 2000.
Front man Ron "Handbag" Hanson sings with passion and power, at times reminding of early Edgar Winter minus the Bobby Blue Bland-isms. He also plays a crisp, tight harp that will cause many an ear to stand up and take notice. Brian Grussell's Hammond and piano work is flat-out wicked. Paul Kiel's scorching guitar work at times calls to mind original Chicago guitarist Terry Kath --- at least for its seeming contrast to what the horns are laying down, while actually complimenting each tricky turn in the well-crafted charts. And those horns! These guys cook with hi-test gasoline. All this musical merriment is anchored by pocketmeisters Robbie Maertz on bass and drummer John Stelzer.
Looking at the cover, one might assume these guys don't like being taken away from the work/play at hand. There are some pretty surly looks gazing back out. Fortunately, it doesn't describe the musical mood. This is joyful music from a ten-piece that obviously revels in the groove (natch). Pat Phaelen (trumpet), Chris Anderson (alto), Steve Johnson (tenor), Tom Vanden Avond (trombone), and Adam Plamann (baritone) comprise the power source. Each is a monster, and the charts are nothing less than brilliant. The listener is not only not met with rote clichés at every corner, but is treated instead to tonal combinations and phrasing --- punchy to dissonant, almost like BS&T in sections --- as catchy as they are fresh.
All but two of the assembled ten numbers are from band members Keil, Anderson, Plamann or Grunnelle. Count that among the band's strengths, as well. These are solid, well-crafted songs. "Tall & Proud," "It Takes Two" (Not the Marvin and Tammi hit), "Don't Sweat The Small Stuff" --- there's nothing here not to like.
Handbag's vocal delivery is top-notch and the band that he floats atop is a singer's dream. "Suzanne's Song" has a stark trumpet intro followed by Hanson and company delivering a 50s-style balladic love song. To highlight their versatility, the hogs follow it up with the mid-tempo funk of "Any Better Than This." The groove doesn't get any better than that represented by this song.
These Groove Hogs deliver world-class little big band blues. They don't just hog the grooves, they re-invent the greasy groove and make it their own. Unless you live in Wisconsin, you're not going to find this. Check out their website (www.groovehogs.com) and send those cards and check-bearing letters today.
--- Mark E. Gallo
Read more...