Rick Fowler

Rick Fowler - Back On My Good Foot - 2008 - Jammates Records

British blues rock with a raw soul reminiscent of early Johnny Winter and an aural suspense akin to Robin Trower. © http://www.cdbaby.com/cd/rickfowler2#

Fowler grew up listening to British blues cats like Robin Trower and Kim Simmonds and the Texas blues of Johnny Winter, and brings plenty of rock & roll attitude to his music. He's been playing since he was 12, and has a checkered career behind him including film scores, prolific work as a sideman, and a famous benefit concert for Tourette's Syndrome that featured R.E.M.'s Bill Berry on drums, who guests here on "Road to Nowhere." Fowler obviously likes his blues low down and dirty and despite its uplifting title, Back on My Good Foot is crammed with tales from life's darker side. Fowler sings with an understated intensity and his playing isn't showy, but brims over with a dark soulful power. On the title tune Fowler sings "I know I'm gonna be all right," but the music belies his optimistic forecast. His solo here is measured and deliberate, contrasting neatly with Tim White's big Hammond B-3 which conjures up storm clouds and lightening. White is the album's secret weapon, sharing the solo spotlight with his boss and adding his own foreboding aura to the proceedings. Fowler's also a superior songwriter, and while his scenarios are unremittingly bleak they're also imbued with a self-effacing humor that keeps things from getting too grim. The opener, "Infected with the Blues," likens the blues to a fatal disease. Fowler's observations on his condition here mirror the lives of many as he sings "I'm worried 'bout the future, I'm haunted by the past, ain't crazy 'bout the present, I pray that it can't last..." His solo is full of fire and brimstone that belies his protestation of helplessness. On "Preacher" Fowler smacks back at religious hypocrisy, telling the Reverend that he'll find peace in his own way. White's B-3 soars to the heavens while Fowler's slashing guitar keeps things anchored to the earth. "Road to Nowhere" is another ode to alienation and despair, again marked by Fowler's deadpan wit. A screaming solo full of bent notes and long sustains segues into White's easy rolling organ solo, suggesting a car cruising down an empty highway at midnight. "Skeletons in Your Closet" is a spooky country-blues thang with Fowler's slide guitar adding icy accents. Guest player Randall Bramblett takes the tune home with a brief churchy organ solo. A cover of Savoy Brown's "Hellbound Train" closes the album on a suitably desolate note. The playing stays subdued throughout, all tension and no release until Fowler breaks out with a growling volley of blue notes near the tune's end, but the fury quickly subsides to close with an almost meditative bass solo by Michael C. Steele. © 2011 Rovi Corporation. All Rights Reserved http://www.allmusic.com/album/back-on-my-good-foot-r1340257/review

Good album of raw and sometimes dark blues rock. Rick Fowler is a much underrated vocalist and guitarist. There are shades of the early Groundhogs, Johnny Winter, The Allman Brothers, Eric Clapton, and many more bluesmen throughout the album. The lyrics are good (Eight of the tracks were composed by Rick Fowler or Harl Baggett and Rick Fowler). There is a potent ten minute long cover of Andy Silvester and Kim Simmond's (Savoy Brown) "Hellbound Train". All round musicianship is first class by artists including Tim “Drawbar” White and Randall Bramblett on Hammond, bassist Michael C. Steele, and Gerry Hansen on drums. The album is HR by A.O.O.F.C. Listen to Rick's "A Chase Of Smoke" album, or better still, buy the album and support real "down to earth" blues rock

TRACKS / COMPOSERS

1 Infected with the Blues - Rick Fowler 4:17
2 Skeletons in Your Closet - Harl Baggett, Rick Fowler 4:07
3 Feel So Much Better - Jonathan Dorsey 5:47
4 Back on My Good Foot - Harl Baggett, Rick Fowler 3:49
5 Preacher - Rick Fowler 6:01
6 Walk Softly - Rick Fowler 6:11
7 Running from the Truth - Rick Fowler 3:17
8 Road to Nowhere - Rick Fowler 4:08
9 Hitchhiking - Harl Baggett 5:33
10 Hellbound Train - Andy Silvester, Kim Simmonds 9:57

MUSICIANS

Rick Fowler - Guitar, Vocals
Michael C. Steele - Bass, Acoustic & Resonator Guitar, Background Vocals
Jonathan Dorsey - Backing Guitar
Tim "Drawbar" White - Hammond Organ
Randall Bramblett - Hammond Organ on "Skeletons in Your Closet", & "Running from the Truth"
Gerry Hansen - Drums, Percussion
Bill Perry - Drums, Percussion on "Road to Nowhere"
Sherry Joyce - Background Vocals

REVIEWS

"Georgia resident Rick Fowler pulls no punches on this fine blues-rock album. It is aptly titled, suggesting some sort of recovery, or perhaps returning to something he does best. His best is very good: a superior riff-based collection of songs, which combine lyrical maturity and attitude in equal measure. This veteran of many local bands, and opening act for many a Stateside star, has accumulated a wealth of experience and know-how, and has produced an emotionally credible recording. There is a complete lack of pretension to his work, and though he is clearly influenced by English rock of the '60s and '70s, there is an originality and substance to his work. Mention must be made of his fine band, apart from his own excellent guitar playing and strong vocals, he is backed up by a sympathetic group of musicians, especially the brilliant Hammond organ virtuoso Tim “Drawbar” White. Fowler supported a local charity benefit to raise awareness of Tourette syndrome, and even enlisted the recently retired Bill Berry (REM) in that enterprise, and he drums on “Road to Nowhere.” I was struck by the clever paradox “She makes me feel so much better/I look forward to feeling bad” in the slow blues “Feel So Much Better.” Elsewhere, he covers Savoy Brown's “Hellbound Train,” which thematically fits the mood and is a worthy conclusion."...Blues Matters! Magazine, July 2009

"As a writer, Rick Fowler pens songs that reach out and literally grab the listener by the lapels. Add to that his stinging guitar attack and a red-hot backing band, and Back On My Good Foot makes for a highly-recommended listen!!!" ... Don Crow - The Music City Blues Society, Nashville, TN

“Fowler sings with an understated intensity and his playing isn't showy, but brims over with a dark soulful power. Fowler's also a superior songwriter, and while his scenarios are unremittingly bleak they're also imbued with a self-effacing humor that keeps things from getting too grim. The opener, "Infected With the Blues", likens the blues to a fatal disease. Fowler's observations on his condition here mirror the lives of many as he sings "I'm worried 'bout the future, I'm haunted by the past, ain't crazy 'bout the present, I pray that it can't last" His solo is full of fire and brimstone that belies his protestation of helplessness.” ...Billboard.com, All Music Guide

“It won’t take long for Fowler’s third solo release to move you. His songs are sharply written bursts of swampy blues that never overstay their welcomes while leaving space for sincere talk-sung vocals and liquid-metal guitar lines. There’s a sense of restraint, unusual for blues-rockers, that brings a noir-soaked atmosphere to songs such as the dark, brooding “Feel So Much Better” and, especially, a remarkable 10-minute cover of Savoy Brown’s “Hellbound Train” that rides an ominous groove. Songwriting is generally where adherents to this cluttered genre fail. But with cutting-edge lyrics on songs such as “Infected With the Blues” and “Preacher” (the latter a scathing indictment of clergymen who use funerals to push their religious agendas), Fowler brings maturity and intelligence to his craft. “Running From the Truth” comments on the political climate but still finds room for a scorching guitar solo. It might have taken some time for Fowler to get back on his good foot, but judging by this release, it was worth the wait.” ... Hal Horowitz, Blues Revue Magazine

“Rick is a strong songwriter and above all a storyteller. His texts are as important as the excellent music that he plays, just listen to "Preacher" en "Running For The Truth", in which he slashes down the hypocrite religion and politics. Rick Fowler proves with this "Back On The Good Foot" that not all blues rock comes from Stevie Ray's closet.” ... Rootstime, Belgium

"Athens, Georgia's Rick Fowler is a midnight stalker on guitar, steady when called for, but fearless when he rips into the moment. As a vocalist he's spooky-smooth. Randall Bramblett, along with a few others, mixes up tasty blues/rock cocktails behind Fowler on Back On My Good Foot. There's a distinct Brit-invasion vibe to several of the songs, but the production and the deft, exciting performances root the album firmly in the here and now. “You've got skeletons in your closet; well mine's out walkin' 'round; and when that jawbone starts to rattle; it spreads the news all over town.” That line alone, on top of a stomping beat, distinguishes Fowler as one hell of a writer. The timely political outrage in “Running from the Truth” and the chic blues in “Walk Softly” are two more cases in point. As a perfect conclusion to the album, the band all but one-ups Savoy Brown in ten agile minutes of sheer “Hellbound Train.” ... Hittin' the Note magazine

"His lyrically and melodically sharp, swampy songs are sung with a dusky, husky edge and his guitar solos stay taut and sharp. He sounds infected with the blues, as one of his tunes is titled, and he's ready to spread the disease." ... Creative Loafing

"With so many blues guitarists aping the Vaughns, it's refreshing to hear somebody wear his British blues influences on his sleeve. . . Fowler achieving a fat sound that would do Kim Simmonds proud. . . Road to Nowhere and the Strat-y Walk Softly are good, old-fashioned, unadorned blues." ... Dan Forte - Vintage Guitar Magazine

“The kind of cat that knows his stuff, doesn't make a big deal out of it and lets the good times roll. Fun stuff for blues guitar fans ready to let it rock." ... Chris Spector - Midwest Record, Chicago, IL

“The thing I loved the most about this record is the subtlety of the playing. Understated, but yet still able to deliver a king hit without you even realising you're being set up for a sucker punch! Though this is a guitar rocking album, take nothing away from the lovely Hammond organ playing of Tim 'Drawbar' White (great nickname!) and Randall Bramblett. Sometimes to be effective, you don't have to display ample amounts of flash. It's the complete honesty and tradition of the style that is important, and without doubt, Rick Fowler has that covered easily." ... Glory Daze magazine, New Zealand

“This is an incredible recording from this singer, songwriter, and guitar player from Georgia. “Infected with the Blues” starts out with a strong bass line from Michael C. Steele before Rick Fowler terrorizes you with phenomenal guitar licks. “Skeletons in Your Closet” has a very cool with resonator guitar that moves a toe-tappin’ blues song and Randall Bramlett lights it up with his Hammond organ. “Feels So Much Better,” a Jonathan Dorsey song, has Rick playing haunting guitar and merging powerfully with Tim “Drawbar” White on Hammond. “Back on My Good Foot” features more tasty licks and smokin’ organ. “Preacher” is a pedal-to-the-metal song with great lyrics (“Preacher, don’t try to save no souls when I die”). I think the guitar riffs in“Walk Softly” sound a lot like Mark Knopfler, which really works for this slow ballad. “Running from the Truth” has a country-western feel spruced up by a wah-wah pedal. “Road to Nowhere” starts out with a juicy rock riff, then plows into a heavy metal blues solo mixed with killer Hammond organ. Michael Steele’s acoustic guitar permeates “Hitchhiking,” a Harl Baggett ballad. “Hellbound Train,” by Kim Simmonds of Savoy Brown, is excellent cover song. Every musician on this one does an impressive solo—it blew me away. Rick Fowler wrote or cowrote all the songs except the ones stated. He is truly a talented musician, one I hope to from a lot more in the future.” ...Holler Magazine, Colorado Blues Society

“Power chords and blazing guitars blues from the speakers right from the opening track, the blues rocker "Infected With The Blues;" but there were some surprises in store with the subtle guitars on the slow organ driven of "Feel So Much Better" with the verse "she makes me feel so much better, I look forward to feeling down." The title track is a mid tempo shuffle, and "Walk Softly" is a slow blues with a veiled warning for his lover to not do him wrong that has some really nice lines on the guitar. Some tracks are straight up blues, and other have more of a rock edge to them; but instead of over-analyzing this CD, the proof is in the listening: the more times I listen to Back On My Good Foot, the more I like it.” ...Washington Blues Society, Seattle, WA

“This is some of the best British blues rock you are going to hear without going back to the late sixties early seventies bands. Raw blues rock, strong guitar base, never boring, or over indulging solos. The music is always the focus, with good lyrics that tell easy to understand stories. Adding to that authentic sound is the Hammond Organ always giving the songs more depth. Back On My Good Foot starts off with "Infected with the Blues," a great song you should already know if your radio station is doing their job.”...A1 Blues.com, St. Louis, MO

“The guitar is unmistakably Claptonesque, slow and methodical, soulful and hypnotic. Fowler's husky vocals mix with the rich blues rhythms perfectly.”...NORML Magazine

“Fowler shows off his graceful feel on the slow burn of "Feel So Much Better." Tim "Drawbar" White adds some superb Hammond Organ here and throughout the entire album, save for one which Randall Bramblett takes the keys for. Fowler's guitar work can border on blasting off into superhero rock guitar but just before you think he's crossed the line, he comes back and shows why he's suited for a blues audience. "Preacher" seethes with guile for the religious zealot hypocrite. Fowler rips them up with his lyrics in one hand while smacking them with the fury of Hell with his guitar in the other. The song, though more of a hard-driving blues-rock, is one of the high points on the disc for Fowler's all around attack. "Walk Softly" is one of the other high points on the disc with a slow-burning blues-rock murder ballad that would almost be better suited in a Southern Rock songbook than it would blues. This song is here again another example of Fowler's excellent songwriting and storytelling abilities." ...Juke Joint Soul

BIO

"When I play a note on my guitar and it sustains just right -- for a few seconds, I have everything I need in this world." - Rick Fowler. This quote sums up the attitude behind the music of blues-rock guitarist-vocalist Rick Fowler. His musical honesty creates an unsurpassed morphic resonance between him and his listeners. With Rick, it's never about notes-per-second, phony emotion, or conjured-up glory; it is a true elation shared by both musician and audience.With a raw soul reminiscent of early Johnny Winter and an aural suspense akin to Robin Trower, Fowler and band deliver the energy, joy, anger, and often deep torment found in the very best of blues-rock. Superb musicians and a record label that puts the music first helped Rick capture this magic on tape with his new CD Back on My Good Foot. The disc embodies both raw blues at its core and British-style blues-rock at its most powerful. Audiences immediately lock into the depth of Fowler's live performances and absorb the veracious delivery that can only come from a soul truly destined to play the blues. Rick has been playing guitar and singing in bands since the age of twelve. He learned to play primarily by listening to early British blues/rock guitarists and American blues players. He has performed with some of the world's top musicians and toured much of Europe and The Mediterranean. Although he has played a number of musical styles with various artists, his deep blues roots can always be clearly heard. Fowler's earlier bands included Ziggurat, Deacon Little, and Fortnox. Fowler also recorded with pop singer Bertie Higgins, whose hit single Key Largo reached platinum sales in several countries. In 1982, the Fortnox song "Storm Inside My Head" went to number 44 in US Airplay and the band's video reached the top 20 on MTV. The band toured non-stop for a year in support of the record, headlining medium venues and performing in stadiums as the supporting act for top rock acts such as Aerosmith, Cheap Trick, George Thorogood, Joan Jett, The Ramones, The Outlaws, Johnny Van Zant, April Wine, Pat Benetar, and dozens of others. In 1984, Rick's band Bombay recorded an album with legendary British producer Eddie Offord (of John Lennon, Yes, and Emerson, Lake, and Palmer fame) supported by the MTV video "Rumble Tonight". Rick moved to Athens, Georgia in 1991 after months of touring overseas with the band Bad Fun. He began performing with a number of Athens-based artists, including Ralph Roddenberry, Redneck Greece, and The Lonely White Boys (a band he formed with Drivin' N' Cryin guitarist Buren Fowler, Dreams So Real drummer Drew Worsham, and Normaltown Flyers bassist Greg Veale). He also regularly played guitar in side band projects with Bill Berry (R.E.M.), Dave Schools (Widespread Panic, Government Mule), Randall Bramblett (Traffic), and a number of other top musicians from the area. With a desire to create a musical endeavor to help support a good cause, Rick put together a band of well-known musicians to perform the first rock concert benefit for Tourette syndrome awareness. Bill Berry, who was at the time retiring from the mega-star band R.E.M., made the show his farewell performance, allowing his drums to be auctioned off for charity at the end of the night. The event received international coverage including MTV, CNN, VH-1, AOL, Rolling Stone, Spin Magazine, and a number of other music news outlets. Welcome Companions, a CD recorded by the benefit concert band, was released by Polyglot Records under the band name Rick Fowler and Friends. In recent years, Rick played guitar on dozens of CD projects, performed hundreds of shows spanning three countries, and produced and performed the music track for the Sundance Film Festival award-winning movie Dirty Work. In 2006, he got a chance to record with one of his earliest influences; Roland Janes (guitarist for Jerry Lee Lewis and other 50's hitmakers) in Memphis, TN at Sam Phillips Recording. Rick signed with Jammates Records in 2007 and recorded the CD Back On My Good Foot. With the CD's release in early 2008, Fowler is currently performing in support of the record. © http://www.cdbaby.com/cd/rickfowler2#