Drawing on the traditional jazz heritage of their hometown of New Orleans, the Hot 8 Brass Band are renowned for including elements of funk, hip hop, rap, and its local variation, “bounce” in their music. The collective earned a win in the 64th Annual Grammy Awards 2022 for their feature on John Batiste’s ‘Album of The Year', following the nomination of their ‘The Life & Times Of…’ LP for ‘Best Regional Roots Album’ in 2013.
Black Joe Lewis is the realest motherfucker there is. When Covid sidelined his touring this past year, he started laying concrete to help support his baby mama and his kid. That’s fuckin’ real. When Joe and his band, the Honeybears, popped onto the national stage over a decade ago, many critics embraced him but still, there were some that maintained that they hadn’t paid their dues. Joe’s still here. Still going. Still cashing checks and snapping necks. The dues of hard work; the delirious heights of the industry as well as the disappointments and low hanging fruit. Through this all, Joe’s only honed his mastery over gut bucket blues guitar and his true voice.
The James Hunter Six returns with their first album on Easy Eye Sound, delivering another dose of timeless rhythm & soul. British singer, songwriter and GRAMMY-nominated James Hunter has been a legendary fixture in the scene for over three decades with his gritty voice and sharp songwriting earning him acclaim around the world. This new record features a rare duet with longtime collaborator Van Morrison (‘Ain’t That A Trip’), marking a full-circle moment for the artist hailed by MOJO magazine as “The United Kingdom’s Greatest Soul Singer.”
In the 14th annual installation of Bedard’s History of American Music series, he will feature a tribute to rockabilly great Carl Perkins, including his classic songs “Honey Don’t”, “Blue Suede Shoes”, and “Dixie Fried”. He will also explore the year 1963, from rock’n’roll and surf music to country and R&B. The band will perform music by artists of many genres, including George Jones, The Surfaris, Otis Redding, Little Johnny Taylor, and Bob Dylan.
