The Skyla Burrell Blues Band

The Skyla Burrell Blues Band - Working Girl Blues - 2004 - The Skyla Burrell Blues Band

"Wake up people! The cool blues just walked in! And it’s coming from a hot band from Pennsylvania, USA that has a tight sound and a lot of soul. Hailing from the land of the brave and the home of the blues, they have an authenticity to their sound that doesn’t sway to a pop side that can usually ruin any attempt at being a good blues band. And with a female vocalist whose voice jumps out and grabs you by the blues, The Skyla Burrell blues band is the real deal in a solid package that stays true to the real meaning of their genre." - St. Croix Music Magazine

"Burrell and her three cohorts find virtue in professionalism. They deliver unpretentious, self described "Hard Drivin' Blues" in which strength and understatement unite in an easy, fluid balance without sucking up to rock." - Downbeat Magazine

"Skyla Burrell has a great vocal style and guitar chops to match. Catch the band’s CD and catch them live." - Alan Kurzer - Natchel Blues Network (Working Girl Blues)

"Working Girl Blues" is a good album of all-original, high-energy electric blues. Many good bands like Skyla's are in circulation around the USA. Skyla's band averages around 200 gigs a year, and Skyla (and Mark Tomlinson) deserve great credit for producing unpretentious original non-commercial songs. These are the bands keeping the blues (and real music) alive, seldom getting the recognition they deserve. Buy the band's "Livin' Day to Day" album and promote real music

TRACKS / COMPOSERS

1. Back To My Baby - Mark Tomlinson 2:53
2. Are You Kidding Me - Skyla Burrell 3:23
3. Bad Dream - Mark Tomlinson 3:47
4. Lover Man - Skyla Burrell 3:51
5. Working Girl Blues - Skyla Burrell 5:25
6. Before You Go - Skyla Burrell 6:18
7. Mean Woman - Mark Tomlinson 3:28
8. Gonna Be Mine Tonight - Mark Tomlinson 3:02
9. Love So Strong - Mark Tomlinson 4:14
10. Bad Luck Boogie - Mark Tomlinson 2:41
11. Looking Out For My Future - Mark Tomlinson 5:07
12. Satisfaction Guaranteed - Skyla Burrell, Mark Tomlinson 4:10

BAND

Skyla Burrell - Lead Guitar, Rhythm Guitar, Vocals
Mark Tomlinson - Lead Guitar, Rhythm Guitar
Randy Lippencott - Electric Bass
Jaime Hopkins - Electric Upright Bass
Butch "Funky Foot" Walker - Drums

ABOUT SKYLA BURRELL

Skyla Burrell was born in Los Angeles and raised in Orange County, California. Skyla formed her first band at the age of 13 and has been a working musician ever since. Skyla played with several bands as a teenager, working her way up and down Southern California. At 18 she recorded her first original demo with some help from Mike Campbell (Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers - she also later recorded backing vocals for Mike Campbell's first solo album) and Jerry Swallow (Tanya Tucker). Later that demo was re-mixed by legendary producer Dennis Sands (Whitney Houston). Skyla also had a brief stint on NBC's hit sitcom Wings and appeared in a Movie of the Week with Charles Bronson before relocating to the East Coast where she continued learning and growing from her musical experiences and eventually co-forming the Skyla Burrell Band. In addition to her singing, writing and guitar duties, Skyla also plays piano and bass. © 2004-2010 Skyla Burrell Band All Rights Reserved http://www.skylaburrell.com/default.htm

ABOUT MARK TOMLINSON

Mark Tomlinson grew up in Brooklyn and Syracuse NY. Mark's father played a huge part in shaping his passion for music as he was jazz drummer in NYC (working most notably with Stan Getz, JP Morgan and Kai Winding) and Mark was exposed to a myriad of the hottest musicians coming thru to jam at the house almost daily. Mark's own music career also began as a drummer, touring with John Lee Hooker, Bo Diddley, Big Time Sara, Katherine Davis, Bobby Radcliff, Mike Dugan, The King Snakes and Rick Derringer. After decades as a side man for some of the legends of the blues MT has now stepped out front, playing guitar and writing and arranging songs for the Skyla Burrell Band. © 2004-2010 Skyla Burrell Band All Rights Reserved http://www.skylaburrell.com/default.htm

BAND BIO

"Skyla Burrell's set for Lil' Ed was the most incendiary and pulse pounding opening sets I've ever heard." - Tom Cullen, President Bucks County Blues Society: The Skyla Burrell Blues Band is a full time, hard working traveling blues band. With co-founder Mark Tomlinson on lead guitar and Skyla Burrell on vocals and lead guitar, the band's live show consists of all original high energy electric blues. "Burrell and her three cohorts find virtue in professionalism. They deliver unpretentious, self described "Hard Drivin' Blues" in which strength & understatement unite in an easy, fluid balance without sucking up to rock." - Downbeat Magazine: In July of 2004 the band released their debut studio CD, "Working Girl Blues", containing 12 original songs - several of the cuts topping the charts on independent music websites and internet radio stations. "Working Girl Blues" received local, national and international airplay on blues and mainstream radio. The SBBB was a top 25 finalist in the 2004 Blues Idol competition and "Working Girl Blues" was selected by WTMD 93.7 as one of the top 5 blues releases in 2004. "With a female vocalist whose voice jumps out and grabs you by the blues, The Skyla Burrell blues band is the real deal in a solid package that stays true to the real meaning of their genre." - St. Croix Music Magazine: In 2005 the SBBB was invited to play the King Biscuit Blues Festival under the Emerging Artist Stage and was a semi-finalist in the 22nd Annual International Blues Challenge. Also in 2005 Mark Tomlinson received an Honorable Mention for his track from the Working Girl Blues CD, "Bad Dream" in the 14th Annual Billboard Songwriting Contest. "On stage, she's equal parts siren, blues goddess and ringmistress." - The Daily Times - Maryville, TN: In 2006 the band recorded and toured in Europe, and released their sophomore effort, "Livin' Day to Day" which received local, national and international air play on mainstream and blues radio and was featured on cable television's Rockin' Cookin' Kitchen show as well as being named one of the top 50 blues CD's released worldwide by Delta Art and one of top 10 Blues CD's by WTMD FM. "I am a huge fan of the blues, and the chance to view a musician of Skyla's talents that up close is a very special thing indeed. While the crowd was more of a younger crowd, there was also a sprinkling of the older folk (ME for one), but the one thing that everyone seemed to share that evening was a love for good rockin' blues."- National Blues Magazine: The band played 240 shows in 2006 including The Netherlands, Pennsylvania, Virginia, Maryland, Florida, New York, Delaware, Tennessee, Alabama, Louisiana, Georgia, South Carolina and Kentucky, Ohio and West Virginia and secured the #1 Top Booked Band slot on Sonicbids. "Burrell has a great growly voice sure to get under your skin." - Blues Review Magazine: 2007 saw the band keeping up their busy schedule (between 2006 and 2007 playing a total of 465 shows!) and expanding their tour radius to include the Mid West and New England. The band opened up for Lil' Ed and the Blues Imperials as well as Tab Benoit in 2007 and in the late summer shot a live DVD with the Digital Cafe Tour in NYC at the Baggott Inn with Sean Carney. In the fall the band went back into the studio to begin work on another all original effort producing 15 tracks. "Women blues-guitar players such as Bonnie Raitt, and more recently Susan Tedeschi, have paved the way for artists like Skyla. Many women in the blues have great voices and have made their careers singing the blues, but not too many can double it up, slice it, dice it and sacrifice it on the best Fender has to offer like Skyla can."- Music Monthly Magazine: In 2008 the Skyla Burrell Band signed with Blues Boys & Divas Talent and toured extensively in the South and South-East as well as up and down the East Coast. In July the band released their third CD of all original blues "Tough Luck" This time around the band worked with Todd Glazer promotions and cuts off of "Tough Luck" received airplay on over 150 blues stations in the US and abroad. "The Skyla Burrell band plays electric boogie blues that'll make your spirits soar." - Scan & Plan Extra NY: The Skyla Burrell Band also had the opportunity to play several Blues Festivals in 2008 including The State Street Blues Stroll, The Riverfront Blues Festival, The Frederick Blues Fest, The Winchester Blues House Festival, The Northern Neck Rocktoberfest and the Killer Guitar Thriller '08. "Burrell's voice is as deep and wide in range as the mighty Mississippi itself. Her voice has the same timbre as Bonnie Raitt with the soul of Billie Holiday and a little of Janis Joplin's strength for good measure." - Fly Magazine: In 2009 the band kept up their busy touring schedule covering the Mid-West, South-East and North-East regions of the US all the while writing tunes for a new studio CD set for an early 2010 release. The band also sold a track from "Tough Luck" to the producers of the new CBS drama "The Bridge, set to air in the fall line-up and in September Skyla traveled to Toronto to record vocals for 4 cover tunes to also be included in the show. The band also filmed a commercial for the Lazy Dog Cafe and a segment for the "The Straight Ahead Guitar Show." Opening for Marcia Ball was one of the high points for the band in 2009. "This band is on a path to greatness and fame!"- Bucks County Blues Society: In 2010 "The Bridge" aired over the spring in Canada and was the #1 rated drama, and made it's US debut in the summer. The band has kept up their hard working schedule of touring and has started work on their 4th studio release set for Jan. 1, 2011. As always, this new release will feature all original blues! Festivals for the band included The Riverfront Blues Festival, The Low Country Blues Bash, Blues by the Sea, The Gettysburg Wine & Music Festival, The Bayside Wine & Blues Festival as well as an appearance at the Rushville Concert Series in Indiana. "One of the most smokin' blues bands in the US" - Digital Cafe Tour © 2004-2010 Skyla Burrell Band All Rights Reserved http://www.skylaburrell.com/default.htm