Album Notes

"Interesting groove...sounds like the MGs meets the Ventures...I really like the guitar and I especially like the B3 sound. " -Steve Cropper, STAX guitarist/producer See our videos here: http://www.youtube.com/user/patrickbenfield The Austin/Memphis Connection: McLemore Avenue, from Austin, Texas takes its name from the street over in Memphis, Tennessee where STAX Records--a name synonymous with Southern soul music--once stood. It was home to a host of legendary recording artists including Otis Redding and Isaac Hayes, as well as Booker T and the MGs, who performed the double role of house band and solo act. Recent Accomplishments: Besides being voted Austin's number one instrumental band, their debut album 926 East was named an Austin Chronicle "Texas Top 10" for 2003 and declared "Fun, fun, fun!" by Living Blues Magazine, and is still receiving critical acclaim: "Rooting themselves in southern soul, they've made a modern record that plays with the excitement and feel of discovering a Stax classic." -Robert Gordon, author of It Came From Memphis Reviews of McLemore Avenue's debut album, 926 East: Being There Magazine- "That this instrumental outfit from Austin, Texas would name themselves and their album after the legendary home of Soulsville, USA is bold enough. That they actually made a Stax-worthy record without sounding like a pale imitation of Booker T. & the MGs is astounding. McLemore Avenue obviously have a great deal of admiration for that sweet 60s soul vibe that Stax made famous. But as ably as they play that Memphis music, these 11 original tunes have a unique and distinctively Texas twang to them that defy being defined as 'mere' homage. Not that you'd be blamed for mistaking several of 926 East 's tracks as covers of Booker T. originals. First of all, organist Patrick Barker-Benfield plays the B-3 like someone who's heard 'Green Onions' a time or twenty. He wrote or co-wrote all the songs, and the arrangements are all anchored around his organ (especially the very 'Onions'-esque 'About Face'). And then there's 'Tree-Hug-Her,'whose name obviously brings the MGs' 'Hip-Hug-Her' to mind (without ripping off its sound). But there are other influences at work here as well. Guitarist Landis Armstrong brings blistering blues and country licks to several of the tracks ('Texas Toast' and 'FUBAR'), not to mention surf guitar and theremin ('A Toy Robot!'). Eric C. Hughes and Chris Johnson lay down one solid groove after the next on drums and bass, respectively. They blend blues, jazz, swing, soul, funk, rock, and Latin rhythms with adroitness (check out 'Me Gusta' and 'FUBAR' to hear many of the above in one song). The band's ability to marry many styles together serves them well. The shortcoming of many instrumental groups in recent years has been a lack of variety. They may have one really cool sounding song, but too often that's all they have-the same song over and over. McLemore Avenue, happily, do not fall in this trap. While they are purposefully grounded in Stax-era soul, every track on the disc has a distinct sound. In this regard, McLemore Avenue reminds me a lot of modern groove/jazz combos like Medeski Martin & Wood or the Charlie Hunter Quartet. Those acts have managed to make subtle variations on their signature sounds so that things remain fresh from record to record. 926 East is a great pleasure to listen to, with a rich variety of sounds and textures that sound classic and fresh at the same time. Mr. Jones would approve." Mohair Sweets- "Wicked. A totally hot Booker T and The MGs, instro-soul, R&B and groove monster! Equally fantastic playing, production and tunes. Over the past few years there have been any number of combos trying to nail this vibe and McLemore Avenue has done it full stop. And not only without sounding like they're merely aping the style but by injecting life, energy and style into it as well