Album Notes

2006 CAPE FEAR BLUES SOCIETY BLUES CHALLENGE WINNERS
Wilmington, North Carolina

2007 INTERNATIONAL BLUES CHALLENGE TOP 10 FINALISTS
Memphis, Tennessee

2007 Disc Makers INDEPENDENT MUSIC WORLD SERIES Finalist
as chosen by the editors of Billboard Magazine
Nashville, Tennessee

2007 CHARLOTTE BLUES SOCIETY BLUES CHALLENGE WINNERS
Charlotte, North Carolina

2008 INTERNATIONAL BLUES CHALLENGE SEMI-FINALIST
Memphis, Tennessee

2008 SOUTHERN FRIED BLUES SOCIETY BLUES CHALLENGE WINNERS
Asheville, North Carolina

2009 INTERNATIONAL BLUES CHALLENGE SEMI-FINALIST
Memphis, Tennessee

Now playing on SIRIUS/XM RADIO: BB KING'S BLUESVILLE channel 74

" If blues music grows and expands its audience over the coming years, it will be bands like WSNB leading the way. The WSNB sound flirts with swampy rock and roll and soul, while keeping a deep blues root running through its core. This ain't your mamma and daddies blues. The twin leads from guitarist Nathan 'Big Daddy' Brown and harpist Willie Shane Johnston create a signature sound that's topped off by vocals from Willie Shane that are as unique and soulful as the great Bobby Blue Bland. Rounding out the lineup is the rock solid rhythm section of Clay Ford on bass and Jason Gardner on drums. Two things jump out when listening to Jomo Swamp Root Boogie, the debut release from WSNB. First is the distinct musical sound. No other band sounds like this band. Second are the wonderfully written songs. In years gone by, blues was a music of protest, of heartache, of loss, of hope, of celebration. There was always a message in the music. In a time where most new blues cds are one cliche song after another, WSNB has put the message back into the song. Whether the songs are of protest (Honeywell), despair and anger over Hurricane Katrina (In A Bowl), stories of a Mississippi voodoo priestess (Casilla), or questioning love (3 O'Clock), there is nothing cliche about the music of WSNB."
Mike Dew
WNCW 88.7 fm
Spindale, NC

" You're sitting at the murky water's edge in a hot, humid bog. Sounds of frogs, insects, a faint breeze. Then, rising rapidly from the distance...? Music. A Mississippi saxophone. Complete with guitar, bass, and drums. Like a locomotive, WSNB is coming right at you. Jomo Swamp Root Boogie...sounds like its name. It has blues dripping from all 15 tracks. The lyrics are intelligent, occasionally witty, and about life's vicissitudes: love, lust, death, insanity, the war in Iraq. The music has that Delta/Chicago blues feel...Get a copy, or several. Enjoy its spell!"
Mike Caudle
WQFS 90.9 fm
Greensboro, NC

" This is modern blues at it's crunchiest with down and dirty guitar melodies and solos intertwined with raspy vocals. Amidst it's blues aura, the screaming jaw harp and rolling bass lines really make this album a real throw back to the blues of thirty years ago."
Greg Johnson
WYCE 88.1 fm
Grand Rapids, MI