Doors: 7:00pm
Show: 8:00pm
Ages: 21+
Tickets: $15 Advance / $20 Day of Show
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Firebrand blues guitarist Chris Duarte dropped his sophomore album, Texas Sugar Strat Magik, in 1994, and it sold an excess of 100,000 units. It was a big success for a modern blues album. Duarte went onto win the highly coveted โBest New Talentโ in Guitar Playerโs Readerโs Poll, and he finished fourth in the magazineโs โBest Blues Guitaristโ category, behind legends Eric Clapton, Buddy Guy and B.B. King. He would go on to issue a string of critically-acclaimed blues, blues-rock albums, and experimental fusion-tinged albums. In the ensuing years, Duarte would also maintain an in-demand touring schedule both as a solo artist and as a sideman.
Throughout it all, fans have hungered for the ferocious blues stylist to dig into some Texas blues with his own unmistakable magic. For his 15th album, his first since 2014, he does just that: The Austin, Texas blues guitar slinger teems up with Texas Sugar Strat Magik producer-guitarist Dennis Herring for the first time in 22 years. The resulting album, the gritty and sexy Ainโt Giving Up, out September 2022 on Mascot Records, isnโt a calculated return to roots affair, though. Recorded live on the studio floor with vintage gear and with minimal overdubs, this is a raw and revved-up showcase for the blues virtuosoโs jaw-dropping chops; his mastery of the elusive Texas shuffle; and his deep love and commitment to the blues.
โI planted my flag with Strat Magik, and on this album I am pushing the music forward. Iโve explored lots of different facets of my playing, but this album says, โIโm here, and Iโm not giving up on blues or my career,โโ Duarte says. He continues: โAnd Iโm not playing it safe, eitherโthe solos were all tracked live.โ
Duarte has been known for his physical and athletic playing styleโhe often plays so hard his fingers bleed while heโs onstage (there are photos to prove this legend). Because of this fiery dedication, many fans and critics have playfully referred to his music as โpunk bluesโ or โrockinโ blues.โ โMy style is super aggressive and physical,โ Duarte affirms. โThese days Iโm a bit older, but I still put as much heart into my playing as I ever didโI still love playing.โ
The guitarist, singer, and songwriter came up as a force to be reckoned with in the 1990s Austin, Texas roots and blues scene. He rose to prominence in the wake of Stevie Ray Vaughanโs passing, and was noted for his muscular playing style; his jazz and rock nโ roll-infused blues solos; and his command of the Texas blues tradition. Because of these soulfully virtuosic qualities, Duarte was often compared to the beloved modern blues icon, SRV. โI wish I was the whiz people think I am,โ he says with a good-natured laugh. โWhatever skills I have, have taken years to gainโI practice a lot.โ He continues: โI still want to be great and make my mark. I listen to SRV, Jimmie Vaughan, and others, and I always get inspired to carry on the Texas blues tradition.โ
Since those early days, Duarte has carved his own niche through a series of beloved blues-flavored albums, and a calendar of more than 150 dates a year which includes performances billed as Chris Duarte and as The Chris Duarte Group. In both of these contexts, Duarte has headlined major festivals and clubs throughout the US, Canada, and Europe. A series of explosive North Carolina shows were filmed for the PBS television show, The PBS Project. Apart from his solo career, Duarte has performed with Julie Burrell, Diana Cantu, Bobby Mack, Tracy Conover, Indigenous, Omar & the Howlers, and the Americana band Beth Lee & The Breakups. Incidentally, Beth is Duarteโs girlfriend, and she co-wrote many tracks on Ainโt Giving Up.
Ainโt Giving Up siphons from the same spirit as Texas Sugar, but the new album is definitely its own monster. The album was tracked live as a trio with Texas Sugar drummer Brannen Temple, but it also features a rhythm machine with some raw, looped beat patterns Duarte plays over, much like the same funky groove stylings as on J.J. Caleโs iconic 1971 album Naturally. โThis album explores a wider spectrum of musicality,โ shares Duarte. โI love Muddy Water and Howlinโ Wolf, but also feel like itโs part of me to introduce some unexpected influences. For this album, I didnโt feel scared to explore beyond hard driving blues. I view this as expanding on the format that I love.โ
Ain’t Giving Up is intimate and gritty, but it also boasts pristine fidelity, as if we the listener are in the studio with Duarte and his buddies. The albumย is a reset for Duarte that shows his resilience and his undiminished love of the blues. โI am so grateful to be signed to Provogue and to work with Dennis againโitโs been a dream come true,โ Duarte enthuses. โI have been so fortunate to play music and do my thing for almost 30 years, and I couldnโt ask for a better life.โ
Website: www.duarte.rocks
A native of Santa Barbara, California and now residing in Austin, Texas Alastair Greene has ridden his Blues-soaked rock into the 21st century, traversing a constantly changing global (and musical) landscape. Heโs well-equipped for the challenge, carrying the diverse musical interests he developed at an early age, intrigued by his motherโs piano-playing and a record collection that included The Beatles, Stevie Wonder, and Elton John. His father introduced the youngster to the sophistication of Bach and Beethoven, yet it was Greeneโs grandfather, the late trumpeter Chico Alvarez- a member of the Stan Kenton Band in the 1940s and โ50s- who inspired him to pursue a life in music.
He received a scholarship to attend the Berklee College of Music in Boston, where he studied for two years, before returning in the early โ90s to Southern California. Greene formed the Alastair Greene Band in 1997 and subsequently released eight solo albums (including two live sets and a compilation record) over nearly 20 years. 2017โs studio effort, Dream Team, landed a four-star review and Best Album of the Year nod in DownBeat; 2018โs Live from the 805 was nominated for Rock Blues Album of the Year by Blues Blast Magazine, garnering inclusion on many โBest of 2018โ lists.
A much in-demand guitarist and vocalist, Greene traveled the world, touring with the legendary Alan Parsons Live Project from 2010 โ 2017, as well as stints with Starship featuring Mickey Thomas and, most recently, (2018-2019) Blues Music Award-winner Sugaray Rayford. His work with Parsons, in particular, sparked a conversation with renowned multi-instrumentalist and producer Tab Benoit at a Las Vegas blues festival. In 2019, Greene signed with Benoitโs Whiskey Bayou Records label and released 2 records, โThe New World Bluesโ (2020) and โAlive In The New Worldโ (2023). Greene toured the U.S. consistently in 2021 and 2022 opening over 100 shows for Benoit.
After running into Thomas Ruf on a tour of Germany in 2022 opening for Walter Trout Alastair signed signed with Ruf Records and released Standing Out Loud in May of 2024. Standing Out Loud was produced by Greene. 8 of the albums 11 tracks were recorded in Nashville, TN with JD Simo and the remaining 3 songs were recorded in Greeneโs adopted hometown of Austin, TX with Hunter St.Marie.
With a strong batch of original songs rooted in blues and southern rock traditions, STANDING OUT LOUD builds upon the momentum created by his critically acclaimed solo releases of recent years. โTeaming up with Ruf Records for this album feels like a natural and perfect fit for the progression of my career,โ says the California native and multi-charting Billboard artist that Blues Music Magazine called โa major talent in the blues-rock category.โ
With the album complete, Greene is itching to hit the road. His 2024 tour schedule included festival and club dates across the U.S. and over 40 European dates. โIโve toured Europe many times as the guitarist with the Alan Parsons Live Project, and Iโm excited to be bringing my music to the people.โ
Website: www.alastairgreene.com