'Cosmic cartoon music' careens through Chicago blues, soul-jazz, Vince Guaraldi impressionism and Minutemen punk energy.

The White Stripes and Black Keys rock the blues with guitar. Like the Bad Plus, The Claudettes brandish a piano instead. ButThe Claudettescreate their own fanatical fusion of blues, jazz, soul, space-echo and punk energy. Imagine an amped-up hybrid of Otis Spann, Ray Charles and Mose Allison, joined by a jolly madman drummer and conducted in gonzo fashion by Raymond Scott. File under: post-burlesque? Neo-vaudeville? Cosmic cartoon music? You've never seen a piano-drums duo like this.


Pianist Johnny Iguana and drummer Michael Caskey know what they're doing. Johnny has toured with Junior Wells, Otis Rush and his own prog-pop group oh my god and has recorded with Buddy Guy and James Cotton; Michael has played with Koko Taylor, Chuck Mangione, Marvin Hamlisch, John Sinclair and Balkan fusion group Eastern Blok. But Johnny and Michael didn't know what they were getting into when they called a place called Claudette's Bar in 2010 looking for a gig in between Chicago and St. Louis. Not only did Claudette book them into her bar in Oglesby, IL, but she made them her house band and put them on salary.


'Claudette started paying us weekly,' Johnny says. 'These days, as a musician, if you've got a chance to have regular income, you take it.'
Claudette didn't know that Johnny and Michael were musicians of note. But she saw that the duo -- which she named 'The Claudettes' -- kept her bar packed. When she lost her lease in 2011, she moved to Chicago and began working out deals with other bars wherein she could sell beers from their stages while her traveling house band entertained her customers.


Onstage, Claudette's drink specials scroll across LED displays on the band's shirts. How degrading it feels to hone one's craft for years and tour the world only to wind up wearing flashing beer promotions. But The Claudettes still get out there and tear it up because they love this music -- and because Claudette will fine them $50 if they are late or complain.

Media

Track Listing

• Stumblin' Home Satisfied
• Big Sucker Punch
• Hammer and Tickle
• Tide Pool
• Deep Soul for High Society
• New Orleans Yard Sale (New 11-Bar Blues)
• Infernal Piano Plot...HATCHED!
• Serenading the Clean-Up Crew
• Tremblin' Blues
• Motorhome
• Land of Precisely Three Dances
• Chin-Up Tango
• Do You See It Too'

Additional Details

Label: Yellow Dog Records

Genre: Blues

Language: English

Run Time: 39:39 mins

Region: 0

Release Date: 10/01/13

UPC: 823800206522