Wild T & The Spirit

Wild T & The Spirit - Fender Bender - 2008 - Jazzhaus Records

Toronto guitar master and Trinidadian born Tony Springer has been referred to as "Canada's Hendrix." He has played with one of David Bowie’s touring bands, and has been cited as one of the late, great Jeff Healey’s major influences.“Tony and his band, Wild T & The Spirit had some commercial 1990's hits including "I’ve Got the Rhythm," “Midnight Blues,” “Loveland” and“Freedom Train". "Fender Bender" is the band's sixth album, and is less "commercial" and more in the real blues rock style than some of his previous work. Tony Springer has stated that "blues stuff is easier to write, it’s the other stuff that’s kind of hard. We are still getting the odd gig for that. They’ll pay us a bunch of money and we’d do it. I’d be Whitney Houston if they wanted me to be. It’s all about entertainment. It’s about doing what puts a smile on their faces.” "Fender Bender" is nothing like Whitney Houston, but it is great blues rock with tremendous guitar and keyboard work and great jamming. Try and listen to Wild T's "I've Got The Rhythm" and "True Bliss" albums

TRACKS

Let's Go
The Best That I Can
Secrets
Life Goes On
My Next Ex-Wife
Finders Keepers
Buried Alive
I'll Play The Blues For You
Why Why Why
Keepin' It Real
The Hard Way
Twilight Zone
Now & Zen

All songs composed by Tony Springer and/or Guenther Kapelle except "My Next Ex-Wife" by Rick Estrin (Little Charlie & The Nite Cats), and ‘I’ll Play The Blues For You’ by Jerry Beach

MUSICIANS

Tony "Wild T" Springer - Guitars, Lead & Background Vocals
Guenther Kapelle - Basses, Background Vocals
Herve Bassett - Hammond Organ & Fender Rhodes Piano
Enzo Lapadula - Hammond Organ
Steve Koven - Piano
Chris Lesso - Drums
Al Lee Bahba - Tambourine, Cow Bells
John Bouvette - Background Vocals

REVIEWS

It didn't take long at all for Wild T & The Spirit's newest CD "Fender Bender" to quickly become one of my favorite discs, so far in 2008. It's gut wrenching infusion of hard driving blues rock guitar is just what the doctor called for and is just the right medicine to cure all those of you out there suffering from lack/of/psychedelic/blues/rockitus, a condition that there really hasn't been a cure for since Jimi Hendrix left the scene. Don't try to compare Wild T & The Spirit with anyone else out there, especially in Canada, as he is truly in a special league all his own, as he gets down and dirty with his guitar and leaves all other pretenders in the dust. "Fender Bender" is not for the faint of heart. It ain't your back porch sing - a - long and it ain't your daddy's Chevrolet, what it is though is some of the most gripping blues/rock guitar I can guarantee many of you haven't heard in years, if not decades. In fact the best way to listen to "Fender Bender", is to get yourself into a dark quiet room, throw on the headphones, slap on the seatbelt and prepare to take a ride, because once you get started listening to Wild T & The Spirit, you ain't going to want to stop. "Fender Bender" is my Top Ten Canadian Released CD for 2008, so far. Review by & © John Vermilyea (Blues Underground Network) December 12, 2008

Tony Springer has been a mainstay of the club scene here for many years now and it’s a pleasure to welcome a fine new album. Many of our players do better in Europe than they do here and this disc’s German origins are testimony to that phenomenon. However it got here, you should get one. It’s the bluesiest effort yet from the man many wanted to portray Jimi Hendrix on film. (The fact that Tony is right-handed is an obstacle, of course.) There are several Hendrix-inspired songs here, but there are also fine versions of Rick Estrin’s “My Next Ex-Wife” and of the Albert King hit, “I’ll Play The Blues for You”. Of the originals, from the opening instrumental, “Let’s Go”, to the power ballads “Life Goes On” and “Finders Keepers”, to the new blues “Keepin’ It Real” to the ambitious, eight-minute “Twilight Zone”, there’s much to enjoy here for Tony’s fans, new fans and fans of string bending, Fender or otherwise. Wild T is well supported throughout by Guenther Kapelle on bass and Chris Lesso on drums. Three keyboard players help out on various songs, Herve Bassett, Enzo Lapadula and Steve Koven. Mr. Kapelle also supplied a song, “The Hard Way” and co-produced. The recorded sound is of demonstration quality. The release party was at Jeff Healey’s Roadhouse on February 2nd, but if you don’t see this in time you can still go to www.wildt.ca. It’s an attractive, full service web site. Review by & © John Valenteyn, jvalenteyn8724@rogers.com John Blues Picks http://www.torontobluessociety.com/0802johnspicks.htm

Wild T & the Spirit have been receiving rave reviews from fans & press all over the world for their stellar musicianship blended with a dynamic live show. Wild T & the Spirit released their CD "Fender Bender" on Germany 's Jazzhaus Records last year. The album covers the whole spectrum with blistering guitar ripping' blues rock, soulful melodies and psychedelic super jams a la Jimi Hendrix, an artist that Springer has emulated on many occasions both in guitar dexterity and appearance. The late Jeff Healey used to say "I followed him around like he was the Messiah... Tony has been my idol for years”. Also, when David Bowie hand picks you to be his guitar player from a glimpse of a Wild T & the Spirit video, you just might be recognized as a top player. © 2006-2009 Blues-Finland.com / BluesWebzine.com

Wild T & The Spirit come as something of a pleasant surprise. For having expected some over-cooked post Hendrix fare, 'Fender Bender' offers a surprising depth of variety to the material as well as some fine singing and above all a real band album topped by Tony 'Wild T' Springer's excellent guitar playing. There is of course a core Hendrix vibe to the whole project, but it's the way 'Wild T' searches out new ways to lend expression to his playing that is impressive. In many respects the title of the album 'Fender Bender' is a tad misleading. For while guitar fans will enjoy the various inspired guitar workouts, there are enough strong songs here to set the band ahead of most of their contemporaries. The story of 'Wild T' is that of a Trinidadian native Tony Springer who has made a name for himself in his adopted Canada and who aside from being championed by Jeff Healey now finds himself signed to the prestigious German Jazzhaus label. Throw in recorded appearances for the likes of Davis Bowie and you quickly realise this is a guitarist of some substance. But perhaps the biggest accolade that can be extended to this album is that 'Wild T' stamps his own personality on proceedings. 'Fender Bender' is nicely topped and tailed by impressive two guitar led instrumentals and the remaining eleven tracks consist of strong self penned songs and well chosen covers. Of the original material there's an undoubted Hendrix feel to 'The Best I Can Do' - complete with a sinewy guitar solo and plenty of wah wah - and there's an acoustic guitar/piano break down and a strong melody line on the impressive 'Life Goes On'. 'T' then goes on to explore some low down blues on 'Finders Keepers'. Perhaps the two contrasting ends of his expansive style are best exemplified by the juxtaposition of the lovely mellifluous groove of 'Keepin' It Real' with the altogether brasher psychedelic wah wah of 'The Hard Way'. Musically the latter comes close to the muscular playing of Eric Gales and is one of the few occasions on which 'T' slips into lyrical cliché, as in 'drinking whisky on the bad part of town'. 'T' also adds some Albert King style licks on a cover of 'I'll Play The Blues For You' and the band works up a fine groove on Rick Estrin's humorous and well chosen 'My Next Ex-Wife'. Overall the material is strong and refreshing and the band is anchored by the well marshalled rhythm section of Guenther Kapolei on sumptuous bass and the deft touch of Chris Lesso on drums. 'Fender Bender' is a good album and for those of you as yet unaware of Wild T & The Spirit', a fine introduction to a cracking band. Review by & © Pete Feenstra READY TO ROCK... - Neston, Cheshire, UK [from http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=2375297261]

An apt title and name as this contains some heavy, high-energy blues-rock with guitar playing by Wild T that frequently does border on the wild. On this CD he works chiefly in a power trio format – there are some guest keyboards players but they are very much in supporting roles – and the overall sound is sometimes similar to Jimi Hendrix, sometimes to Led Zeppelin, and sometimes very original. The songs are indeed almost all Wild T or bass player Guenther Kapelle compositions or collaborations except for covers of ‘I’ll Play The Blues For You’ (most often associated with Albert King) and Little Charlie & The Nite Cats’ Rick Estrin’s pointed ‘My Next Ex-Wife’. It is also good to see a little humour creeping in: ‘The Pink Panther Theme’ crops up on the tour-de-force ‘Twilight Zone’. Tony Springer a.k.a. Wild T is a dread-locked Trinidadian raised in Canada who was inspired to take up the guitar after hearing Steve Howe from progressive rock superstars Yes. Hardly the stereotypical background for a powerhouse blues-rocker but listen carefully and you will hear slight traces of jazz, funk and even reggae, giving this a little different twist from the norm. Very interesting indeed. Review by & © Norman Darwen BLUES & ART JOURNAL Mar/Apr 2008 - Vienna, Austria

BIO

''Wild T & The Spirit' (fronted by guitarist Tony 'Wild T' Springer), is a powerful blues-rock jam band based in Toronto, Canada. The band has released 5 Cd's and is currently touring all over Canada and Europe. The band has built up a strong & loyal fan base of musicians and music loving fans over the years with it's powerful live show! Jeff Healey said, "I followed him around like he was the Messiah...Tony has been my idol for years!" Strong songwriting and musicianship has made 'Wild T &the Spirit' a very in demand act! Originally, the band came together in 1990 with guitarist Tony 'Wild T' Springer, drummer Danny Bilan and bassist Nazem Lakay. The band was signed to Warner Music Canada and released 2 albums (Love Crazy 1991,Givin' Blood 1993). "Givin Blood" was nominated for best hard rock album at the 1994 JUNO (Canada's Grammy) awards. In 1993, 'Wild T & the Spirit' was also hand picked to perform on a 14 city tour across Canada opening for Bon Jovi on the "Keep The Faith Tour". During this time, guitarist Springer was also asked to tour & record with David Bowie. "A absolute delight to work with...a lyrical, lilting take on Hendrix" says David Bowie. A Springer appears on the CD "Back Tie, White Noise" and performed with Bowie in concert all over the US. After the tour with David Bowie, Tony continued to tour Canada & US with his band. However, frustrated with the lack of effort by his record company at the time, Tony decided not to renew his contract. Tony then left for Chicago, USA where he continued gigging as a sideman with many great blues bands. For a short time, he also had a Chicago based version of 'Wild T & the Spirit' that toured throughout the mid-west & Texas. One of the highlights during this period, was opening up a string of concerts for "Deep Purple" in places like Detroit, Chicago & New York City. But, like all great blues songs, there were a few disappointments in the "Windy City", so Tony returned to Toronto and by late 2002, the band 'Wild T & the Spirit' was reformed by Springer and bassist Guenther Kapelle. (Kapelle had spent many years gigging and recording in the Los Angeles music scene and had toured all over Canada, USA and Europe with 'The Blazers' and other top acts). With addition of drummer Brian Lass and veteran Toronto keyboardist Peter Nunn, the group recorded the CD "True Bliss", which was released in Canada, USA and Europe by Bullseye/Taxim Records in 2004. "Wild T Springer is building a reputation for himself as the next premier guitarist to emerge from the Canadian music scene!" says Tom Richards of the Michigan Blues Society about the "True Bliss" CD. The band then began a relentless tour schedule of Canada and Europe with drummer Andre Tellier and keyboardist Robert Angelow, playing in all sorts of venues and at some of the largest festivals. This kept the band touring throughout 2004 & 2005. A compilation CD of the first two 'Wild T & the Spirit' albums called "I've Got The Rhythm" was released in 2005. In August 2005, drummer Boris "The Russian Rocket" Andranov joined the band just in time for their 2 month, 7 country, European tour. This also included a stop at the BBC studios in London, England to perform live on "Paul Jones Blues Show" on BBC Radio 1. But in March 2006, the band made a few changes by recruited powerhouse Toronto drummer Chris Lesso and returned to the power trio format minus the keyboards. The band kept touring and ended up up on some of same stages with Jeff Healey, "Canned Heat", Roger Hodgson of "Supertramp", Mick Taylor of "The Rolling Stones" & Joe Bonamassa to name a few. This line up of Springer, Kapelle and Lesso is the best yet, and have been receiving rave reviews from fans & press all over. The combination of blistering guitar blues-rock, stellar musicianship, soulfulmelodies and psychedelic super jams, have made their fans in North America and Europe go crazy for there live concerts! Tony Springer - Tony "Wild T" Springer has hung with the best of them. David Bowie, Jeff Healey, Bon Jovi, Deep Purple, Jay Leno, David Letterman and Arsenio Hall are just some of the musical acts and personalities that have been blown away by Wild T's guitar. Wild T is originally from Tunapuna, Trinidad. Though one may find similarities to Jimi Hendrix, ironically it was T's first exposure to Steve Howe and classic Yes that inspired him to take up guitar. Moving to Toronto, Canada, T quickly gained a reputation on the local club circuit. Since then he has recorded two albums (Love Crazy 1991 and Givin' Blood 1995) with his own group, Wild T and the Spirit for Warner Brothers. He has also recorded an album (Black Tie, White Noise) with David Bowie and has appeared with Bowie on The Tonight Show with Jay Leno, Late Night with David Letterman and the Arsenio Hall Show. He has toured with Bon Jovi and Deep Purple throughout North America and has performed thousands of club shows. In '99 he was asked to portray Jimi Hendrix in Daydream Believers - The Monkees Story because of his resemblance and showmanship. Guenther Kapelle - Guenther Kapelle is originally from Kelowna, BC, where he grew up in a musical family. He has been playing the bass for over 20 years. He has recorded and performed with blues artists Jimmy O and Code Blue. Chris Lesso - Chris began to study music on the piano at the age of 7, and received his Grade 8 in classical piano through the Royal Conservatory at age 12. He began drumming at 9, and has never looked back. After gaining much experience performing & writing in various bands in the local scene, he sought out and took lessons from many world-renowned artists such as Dom Famularo, Ed Shaughnessy, Jim Chapin and Jim Blackely. Chris’s unique blend of hard rock, jazz, improvisation and world flavored rhythms can now be heard in ‘Wild T & the Spirit’ live show, as well as his own original instrumental band ‘The Factor’, which performs regularly in the Toronto area. © http://www.bluesundergroundnetwork.com/Wild_T_&_The_Spirit_CD.html