Frank Raven Band

Frank Raven Band - Chicago Breakdown - 2005 - Frank Raven

A good Chicago style blues rock album from blues veteran Frank Raven and his experienced band. Don't expect any guitar heroics. Dave Menet's playing is concise with no wasted notes, but he gets the message across. An album obviously recorded for the love of the blues. The Frank Raven Band is just one of the many bands out there who's name you won't often see up in lights, but these bands are continually on the sidelines, and keeping the blues alive. They put their music before dollars and deserve more recognition. Buy the Raven Desmond Songs "Best Of The Blues" album and support these bands

TRACKS

1 Sunday Driver
2 Whatever Happened to Yesterday
3 Chicago the Blues Today
4 Good Old Days
5 Chicago Breakdown
6 Blues Attack
7 Missed Opportunities

All songs composed by Frank Raven & Jim Desmond

BAND

Dave Menet - Guitar
Fran Kondorf - Bass
Greg Campbell - Drums
Frank Raven - Vocals, Harp

BIO

THE FRANK RAVEN BAND have been blues rockin the Midwest music scene for the past 14 years. Originally known as the BLUE WATUSIS and later as FRANK RAVEN AND THE BLUE WATUSIS, they have appeared everywhere from funky bluesnightclubs to restaurants, cafes, concerts and festivals performing their killer original songs and classic blues favorites. Frank Raven, a veteran of legendary Chicago bands bohemia and Slammin' Watusis, is the founder and driving force behind this quartet of first-class musicians. Some of his earliest playing experiences on the Chicago blues scene include Blue Monday jam sessions with Lefty Dizz and Buddy Guy at the original Checkerboard Lounge on 43rd Street and a short stint with J. B. Hutto and the Hawks. Frank has studied music with Edward Wilkerson Jr. at the AACM School of Music and with Delmark recording artist Rich Corpolongo. His recording credits include 6 records with bohemia including a Billboard "Hot Pick", and 2 albums with Sony Epic recording artists The Slammin' Watusis. His contributions on blues harp, saxophone, and songwriting helped set these groups apart from the pack and transcend their rock roots to become true examples of "Chicago Style" music. His solo recordings include the highly acclaimed "The Sadness of Winter" and "This Dream's On Me". As a guest soloist he has played on countless recordings for groups such as The Insiders, The Juleps, Texas Rubies, Pat Hall & The Fat Guys, and Prong. Guitarist Dave Menet is a virtuoso picker who can be tasty and blistering, sometimes in the same breath. The interplay between Dave's guitar and Frank's harmonica is a highlight of the group's live shows as they trade licks back & forth and inspire each other to new heights of musical ecstasy. Dave's experience includes playing with I Speak Jive and Ronnie Baker Brooks. A guitar teacher at the Beautiful Music School of Music, his style has been compared to Peter Green and Michael Bloomfield, but in the end he is his own man. Switching off between electric and standup acoustic bass, Fran Kondorf is a veteran sideman and longtime Raven compatriot. His experience includes playing with The Juleps, The Fuzzbusters, Slammin' Watusis, Rude Guest, and numerous recording projects. Drummer Greg Campbell, the youngest member of the group, is an accomplished blues drummer having played with Nick Moss, The Chicago Blue Angels, and a series of gigs with Texas harp man Kim Wilson. This unique and exciting group of musicians has played such venues as Buddy Guy's Legends where they did a 2 year stint as the house band hosting the Blue Monday jam, Boulevard Cafe, Redfish, Harlem Avenue Lounge, The Slippery Noodle and many more. They were finalists in the Benson Hedges "Best Blues Band" contest and winners of the Sandstone Recording Studio "Best Unsigned Blues Band" contest. Their first album "Welcome to the House of the Blues" received rave reviews and nationwide radio airplay. Their 2nd album "Blues on a Stick", a mix of studio and live recordings, is out now, and a 3rd album "Bluesitis" is in the works. © 1996 - 2011 CD Universe; Portions copyright 1948 - 2011 Muze Inc. For personal non-commercial use only. All rights reserved.