Cafe R&B
Encyclopedia
Cafe R&B is a five-piece band from the Los Angeles
area consisting of female singer Roach, guitarist
Byl Carruthers, keyboardists John "JT" Thomas, Harry Cohen and Stevie Utstein, bassist
Bobby Pickett, and drummer
Don Swanson and Adam Gust.
Longtime music fans may remember lead singer "Roach" from her days fronting Los Angeles' "Roach and the White Boys" in the early 80s. Critics in the U.S. and Europe have compared her hard-rocking vocals to the likes of Etta James
, Tina Turner
and Aretha Franklin
. HITS Magazine declared: "Imagine Etta James riding a Harley out of an active volcano, and you'll have some vague inkling as to the vocal power..." Her producer/husband, Byl Carruthers, does amazing guitar work and writes the band's original material. When not producing music, he also produces and directs television shows - his credits include "Oprah," "Spy TV," and others. He’s also known as a walking encyclopedia of the blues, and has written liner notes for several blues compilations.
Cafe R&B has passion for gritty, hard-hitting early blues and R&B. For the past ten years, Cafe R&B has honed their legendary live performance skills at venues and blues clubs throughout the U.S., such as the House of Blues
and "Buddy Guy's Legends," the legendary San Francisco Blues Festival
in 2005, Fire on the Mountain Blues Festival in '05, 06, and '07, and the Long Beach Blues Festival, Chicago Blues Festival 2010 just to name a few. In Europe, they have performed at jam-packed and sold-out residences in London, Barcelona and Paris. In May 2010 they headlined the 19.Grolsch Blues Festival in Schoeppingen/Germany and the Jazz Festival in Cloppenburg/Germany.
In Oct. 2009 and 2010 they performed on the Legendary Rhythm & Blues Cruise.
http://www.eastbayexpress.com/music/rebirth_of_the_blues/Content?oid=285943
Los Ángeles
Los Ángeles is the capital of the province of Biobío, in the commune of the same name, in Region VIII , in the center-south of Chile. It is located between the Laja and Biobío rivers. The population is 123,445 inhabitants...
area consisting of female singer Roach, guitarist
Guitarist
A guitarist is a musician who plays the guitar. Guitarists may play a variety of instruments such as classical guitars, acoustic guitars, electric guitars, and bass guitars. Some guitarists accompany themselves on the guitar while singing.- Versatility :The guitarist controls an extremely...
Byl Carruthers, keyboardists John "JT" Thomas, Harry Cohen and Stevie Utstein, bassist
Bassist
A bass player, or bassist is a musician who plays a bass instrument such as a double bass, bass guitar, keyboard bass or a low brass instrument such as a tuba or sousaphone. Different musical genres tend to be associated with one or more of these instruments...
Bobby Pickett, and drummer
Drummer
A drummer is a musician who is capable of playing drums, which includes but is not limited to a drum kit and accessory based hardware which includes an assortment of pedals and standing support mechanisms, marching percussion and/or any musical instrument that is struck within the context of a...
Don Swanson and Adam Gust.
Longtime music fans may remember lead singer "Roach" from her days fronting Los Angeles' "Roach and the White Boys" in the early 80s. Critics in the U.S. and Europe have compared her hard-rocking vocals to the likes of Etta James
Etta James
Etta James is an American blues, soul, rhythm and blues , rock and roll, gospel and jazz singer. In the 1950s and 1960s, she had her biggest success as a blues and R&B singer...
, Tina Turner
Tina Turner
Tina Turner is an American singer and actress whose career has spanned more than 50 years. She has won numerous awards and her achievements in the rock music genre have led many to call her the "Queen of Rock 'n' Roll".Turner started out her music career with husband Ike Turner as a member of the...
and Aretha Franklin
Aretha Franklin
Aretha Louise Franklin is an American singer, songwriter, and pianist. Although known for her soul recordings and referred to as The Queen of Soul, Franklin is also adept at jazz, blues, R&B, gospel music, and rock. Rolling Stone magazine ranked her atop its list of The Greatest Singers of All...
. HITS Magazine declared: "Imagine Etta James riding a Harley out of an active volcano, and you'll have some vague inkling as to the vocal power..." Her producer/husband, Byl Carruthers, does amazing guitar work and writes the band's original material. When not producing music, he also produces and directs television shows - his credits include "Oprah," "Spy TV," and others. He’s also known as a walking encyclopedia of the blues, and has written liner notes for several blues compilations.
Cafe R&B has passion for gritty, hard-hitting early blues and R&B. For the past ten years, Cafe R&B has honed their legendary live performance skills at venues and blues clubs throughout the U.S., such as the House of Blues
House of Blues
House of Blues is a chain of 13 live music concert halls and restaurants in major markets throughout the United States. House of Blues first location was in Cambridge's Harvard Square. It was opened in 1992 by Isaac Tigrett, co-founder of Hard Rock Cafe, and Dan Aykroyd, star of The Blues Brothers...
and "Buddy Guy's Legends," the legendary San Francisco Blues Festival
San Francisco Blues Festival
Debuting in 1973, the San Francisco Blues Festival is the longest running blues festival in the United States. Tom Mazzolini, the event's producer, founded the blues festival to educate the public about the history and evolution of the blues...
in 2005, Fire on the Mountain Blues Festival in '05, 06, and '07, and the Long Beach Blues Festival, Chicago Blues Festival 2010 just to name a few. In Europe, they have performed at jam-packed and sold-out residences in London, Barcelona and Paris. In May 2010 they headlined the 19.Grolsch Blues Festival in Schoeppingen/Germany and the Jazz Festival in Cloppenburg/Germany.
In Oct. 2009 and 2010 they performed on the Legendary Rhythm & Blues Cruise.
Selected discography
| Year | Title | Genre | Label |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1999 | Black & White | Blues-rock | It Works Music |
| 2002 | Blues and all the Rest | Blues-rock | It Works Music |
| 2005 | Very Live | Blues | It Works/Redroom |
http://www.eastbayexpress.com/music/rebirth_of_the_blues/Content?oid=285943