|
contents | blues | |||||||||||||
| Introducing the New Members of Rose City Kings Rose City Kings introduces a new lineup to its fans that includes three new talented musicians. Singer/songwriter Kolvane stated, "I am really excited about what's happening with Rose City Kings. It feels like we've been playing together for years. I can't wait to get this awesome new sound out to our fans." Joining founding member Kolvane are Louisiana native Steve Kerin on keyboard, Los Angeles powerhouse drummer Thom Sullivan, and Portland bassist Jonathan Chase. Keyboardist Steve Kerin began playing piano at the age of four. While Kerin studied classical music in college, he greatly developed his style when he discovered New Orleans greats Dr. John and Professor Longhair. Steve soon found himself playing regularly with Louisiana greats such as "Big Daddy" Harry Hypolite. In 2005 he played at the New Orleans Jazz and Heritage Festival alongside Randy Newman and the Black Crowes. New drummer Thom Sullivan is known for his thunderous Rock 'n Roll style. He also lays down a heavy jazz groove having studied with Bop legend John Tirabasso. In 16 years of playing the drums professionally, Thom has toured nationally and throughout Europe with Big Elf and The Lords of Altamont. To top the list off, Portland native Jonathan Chase started playing bass professionally in the Blues genre at only sixteen. Chase has nearly a decade of experience playing with many well-known Portland bands. He also progressed his skill while studying under the renowned bassist Victor Wooten. Chase, with his versatile ability and Portland Blues roots, completes the sound for Rose City Kings. Since its establishment in 2002, RCK has become a respected band in the Northwest Blues landscape. The band was voted "Best New Act 2003" by Cascade Blues Association and toured with Blues marvel Jody Williams as his personal band in 2006. RCK has shared the bill with music legends including Bo Diddley, David Lee Roth and Curtis Salgado. The group has also performed at the Safeway Waterfront Blues Festival in Portland annually since 2002. RCK has been hailed by Real Blues Magazine as the Best West Coast Blues-Rock band for their release Up On It. The band's 2005 live recording Holler Out for More quickly broke into the Top 50 Roots Music Report in the Roots Blues category. The album continued as the highest ranked self-released album on the RootsMusicReport.com chart for several weeks. RCK's two prior albums, Delta Hop (2003) and Up On It (2004), show the origins of their standing in the Blues domain today. All RCK albums contain original works by singer/songwriter Kolvane that win acclaim from the blues rankings, including the #4 post for the Blues CD category from Real Blues Magazine. write your comments about the article :: © 2007 Jazz News :: home page |