Brisbane’s Blues Arcadia Set To Release Debut Self-Titled EP

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Fresh out of Brisbane, Australia, comes Blues Arcadia, whose eponymous debut EP is set for release on Monday 14 November.

The blues infused band will especially appeal to fans of blues and soul legends such as Wilson Pickett, Otis Redding and Freddie King, but everyone will enjoy Blues Arcadia’s signature blend of Motown and Stax soul, combined with the strong heat of Chicago and Memphis blues.

Blues Arcadia came together at the start of 2016, with their members including the powerhouse songwriting team of vocalist Alan Boyle and guitarist Chris Harvey, who formerly collaborated on their award-winning project, The Bella Reunion (TBR). They bring to Blues Arcadia original TBR bassist, Jeremy Klysz, as well as Parmis Rose on keyboards, and Steve Robin on drums.

The EP was recorded live to tap at The Barn Studios, in Plainlands, Queensland in July this year, and was engineered, mixed and mastered by Mike “Beachy” Wild.

The seven track EP is slow and sultry, featuring honky tonk piano, blues guitar, tenor and baritone sax (performed by Shaun Ballagh and Joseph Roberts respectively) and Brad Esbensen on trumpet. Our favourites are opening track, ‘Corner Girls’, and the very 60s sounding ‘Miss Lonely’. ‘Here Comes The Rain’ is also a very beautiful track which showcases Alan Boyle’s considerable vocal skills. This last song reminds us of ‘You Weren’t In Love With Me’, which was a number 1 in Australia back in 1981, by another Aussie blues singer, Billy Field.

Blues Arcadia wanted to push their own boundaries and capture the energy of their live performances, and as a result of this desire they set up in a converted heritage-listed barn in the middle of the quiet Queensland countryside, recording live to tape. The band described the process as both nerve-wracking and liberating:

“It was really important to us to create something that represents where we’ve come from as musicians and songwriters, and to pay our respects to some of the incredible artists who’ve inspired us. Making this record was a joy, and we’re really proud of it.”

‘Blues Arcadia’ will be available from Monday 14 November from all digital stores.

You can find Blues Arcadia online on their Facebook page, Instagram, and their official website.

Catch them on tour at the following:

SAT 12 NOV – Lefty’s Old Time Music Hall, Brisbane QLD

FRI 18 NOV – The Walrus Club, Toowong QLD
SAT 26 NOV – Sonny’s House Of Blues, Brisbane, QLD

FRI 02 DEC – Sonny’s House Of Blues, Brisbane QLD
SAT 03 DEC – The Walrus Club, Toowong QLD
SAT 10 DEC – Lefty’s Old Time Music Hall, Brisbane QLD
SAT 31 DEC – The Royal Mail Hotel, Goodna QLD

Blues Arcadia - Corner Girls (Live @ The Barn Studios)

About the author

Lisa has been writing for over 20 years, starting as the entertainment editor on her university newspaper. Since then she's written for Popwrapped, Maximum Pop, Celebmix, and ListenOnRepeat.

Lisa loves all good music, with particular fondness for Jedward and David Bowie. She's interviewed Edward Grimes (Jedward), Kevin Godley, Trevor Horn, Paul Young, Peter Cox (Go West), Brendan B Brown (Wheatus), Bruce Foxton (The Jam), among many many more. Lisa is also available for freelance writing - please email lisa@essentiallypop.com

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