• 11/11/11  - Barrymore Theatre – Madison, WI [BUY TIX]
• 11/12/11 – Radisson Hotel – Green Bay, WI [BUY TIX]

Dynamic supergroup Bandallamas, along with some very talented colleagues will be taking center stage at the Barrymore Theatre on November 11 for their special “Power of Eleven” (11/11/11) showcase. Since 11/11/11 is Veteran’s Day, the group is partnering with Veterans For Peace in hopes that the music will bring us all together and allow the group to donate a portion of the evening’s proceeds to their cause (a scholarship foundation).

The concert begins at 8:00pm, following a 6:00 – 6:45pm meet-and-greet open to VIP’s, charitable ticket purchasers and sponsors that will feature members of the band as well as honored guests/distinguished Green Bay Packer Alumni (to be announced). Bandallamas (www.bandallamas.com) feel now is a perfect time to bring their inimitable spirit of sound and limitless musical soul to Madison, beloved hometown to several band members. Their diverse lineup of rock, blues and jazz vets includes Rob Wasserman, Richard Davis, Wally Ingram, Victor DeLorenzo, Pauli Ryan, Chris Aaron, Bobby Bryan and Lisa Bethke, as well as an impressive list of guest players – Clyde Stubblefield, Jim Schwall, Jimmy Voegeli, Tony Menzer and Annalee Scully.

“The Bandallamas are an eclectic group of rockers, blues and jazz vets who somehow found each other stretched across the US from LA to Denver, and Madison to Chicago. Their music incorporates tribal beats, reggae, blues, jazz, funk, rock, and more; transporting their audience through an all-embracing sound of an irresistible world beat. This eclectic group of artists transcends categorization (in the tradition of Traffic, Blood Sweat & Tears (Exp) and Steely Dan), while creating their own unique spirit of sound. These musicians are transporters of the vibe – through the legacy of the ages; the essence of musical spirit and origin – music’s very roots.” Rock and Roll Detective – November 2nd, 2010.

General admission tickets are $17.00 in advance, $20.00 day of show, and can be purchased at Sugar Shack, Star Liquor, MadCity Music, B-Side, Frugal Muse (Northgate & Junction Rd.), Strictly Discs, the Barrymore online at barrymorelive.com or call & charge at (608) 241-8633. Charitable tickets cost $35 and are available at the same outlets. A portion of the proceeds from the show will go to Veterans For Peace.

For event information, contact Lisa Bethke. General admission tickets are $17.00 in advance, $20.00 day of show, and can be purchased at Sugar Shack, Star Liquor, MadCity Music, B-Side, Frugal Muse (Northgate & Junction Rd.), Strictly Discs, the Barrymore online at barrymorelive.com or call & charge at (608) 241-8633. Charitable tickets cost $35 and are available at the same outlets. A portion of the proceeds from the show will go to Veterans For Peace.

– Diverse supergroup Bandallamas, along with some very talented colleagues will be taking center stage at The Radisson on November 12 for a special showcase. The group is partnering with Vets for Peace Chapter 25 Madison, in hopes that the music will bring us all together and allow the group to donate a portion of the evening’s proceeds to Vets for Peace. The concert begins at 8:00pm, following a 6:00 – 7:00pm meet-and-greet open to VIP’s, charitable ticket purchasers and sponsors that will feature members of the band as well as honored guests/distinguished Green Bay Packer Alumni (to be announced).

Bandallamas (www.bandallamas.com) feel now is a perfect time to bring their inimitable spirit of sound and limitless musical soul to Green Bay. Their diverse lineup of rock, blues and jazz vets includes Rob Wasserman, Richard Davis, Wally Ingram, Victor DeLorenzo, Chris Aaron, Bobby Bryan and Lisa Bethke, as well as an impressive list of guest players – Jimmy Voegeli, pat mAcdonald, melaniejane and Annalee Scully.

“The Bandallamas are an eclectic group of rockers, blues and jazz vets who somehow found each other stretched across the US from LA to Denver, and Madison to Chicago. Their music incorporates tribal beats, reggae, blues, jazz, funk, rock, and more; transporting their audience through an all-embracing sound of an irresistible world beat. This eclectic group of artists transcends categorization (in the tradition of Traffic, Blood Sweat & Tears (Exp) and Steely Dan), while creating their own unique spirit of sound. These musicians are transporters of the vibe – through the legacy of the ages; the essence of musical spirit and origin – music’s very roots.” Rock and Roll Detective – November 2nd, 2010

Well, that is the feeling I got recently when I checked out a new album by a group of veterans who call themselves Bandallamas. Syllabification: (band-a-llamas). Their web site (www.bandallamas.com) describes the band as “a diverse group of nomadic master artists, of the genus Lama; sometimes seen adorned in vibrant blue-fleece; musical modulations and vocalizations have been known to cause uncontrollable foot movement… as revealed by the ancient auricle at a gathering of seers, sages and soothsayers – now known as a jam session.”

The Bandallamas are an eclectic group of rockers, blues and jazz vets who somehow found each other stretched across the US from LA to Denver, and Madison to Chicago. Their music incorporates tribal beats, reggae, blues, jazz, funk, rock, and more; transporting their audience through an all-embracing sound of an irresistible world beat. This eclectic group of artists transcends categorization (in the tradition of Traffic, Blood Sweat & Tears (Exp) and Steely Dan), while creating their own unique spirit of sound. These musicians are transporters of the vibe – through the legacy of the ages; the essence of musical spirit and origin – music’s very roots.

Some of my favorite tracks include: I Love You (an amazing world beat groover); Sylvie (takes me on a ride to New Orleans in the style of Little Feat); Trout Fishing and Glissando (the coolest jamming since Derek & the Dominos, featuring the most amazing bass guitar duel ever recorded along with amazing percussion and drumming); Eye to Eye (the Grammy nominated future classic!); and the hilarious Dirty Bath Water (shades of Lonnie Brooks). This is the The White Album of R&B, blues, jazz and rock, and yes it is a double album with musical surprises hiding around every corner.

The Bandallamas album also features a plethora of guest artists as well. The album, which is entered for Grammy Nominations in the Rock category for Best Album and Best Song, features the following artists:

Chris Aaron is a rock and blues guitarist as well as a soulful singer, prolific songwriter, and masterful record producer.

Victor DeLorenzo has been in front of world audiences as both an actor and musician for over 30 years. He is a founding member of Violent Femmes. His works for other artists include: Moe Tucker, John Zorn, Leo Kottke, Eugene Chadbourne, Lou Reed, Louise Goffin, K.D. Lang, and more.

Jane Wiedlin stumbled upon the burgeoning LA punk rock scene in the 1970s, when she and Belinda Carlisle were inspired to form The Go Gos. Wiedlin continues to record as well as star in VH1’s hit TV series The Surreal Life.

Bobby Bryan has been captivating audiences with his brand of “urban blues” for the past 20 years. He is a well-seasoned guitarist who has played with the likes of Keb Mo’, Lowell Fulsom, King Ernest, Louie Bluey, Mickey Champion, Ray Bailey, Joe Houston, Zac Harmon, Deacon Jones, Finis Tasby, and Guitar Shorty.

Wally Ingram has been a favorite drummer of everyone from Sheryl Crow and Eric Burdon to Jackson Browne, Bonnie Raitt, David Lindley, James Taylor, Warren Zevon, Crosby, Stills & Nash, Bruce Hornsby, Shawn Colvin, Jennifer Warnes, John Trudell, Tracy Chapman, Crowded House, and was one of the members of the popular Grammy-nominated band Timbuk3.

Richard Davis is an international performing musician and Professor of Bass (European Classical and Jazz), Jazz History and combo improvisation at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. Some of his performance / recording credits include Sarah Vaughan, Frank Sinatra, Barbara Streisand, Miles Davis, Thad Jones/Mel Lewis Band, Dexter Gordon, Ahmad Jamal and a host of other notables.
Bassist: Homage to Diversity

Rob Wasserman’s daunting versatility has made him one of the last two decade’s most in-demand bassists. (That’s right this band has the two best bass players in the same band! Wait till you hear them duel on this CD!) Wasserman has lent his touring and recording versatility to the likes of Lou Reed, Van Morrison, and Elvis Costello. His longtime creative partnership with Grateful Dead members Jerry Garcia and Bob Weir have yielded a trove of fertile sounds. And don’t forget his solo works!

Ken Saydak has enjoyed a nearly forty-year career as a musician, writer, vocalist, and producer. His work as a pianist and organist on over fifty albums is well known to include collaborations with Johnny Winter, Otis Rush, Willie Kent, Lonnie Brooks, John Primer, Mighty Joe Young, Billy Boy Arnold, Sam Lay, Dave Specter, James Wheeler, Tad Robinson, Lurrie Bell, Johnny B. Moore, and more.

Last, but certainly not least, is my old buddy and percussionist extraordinaire, Pauli Ryan. Pauli Ryan, a “seasoned veteran”; has recorded studio tracks for such well-known artists as Garbage and U2, and has appeared live with Luther Allison, Michael McDonald (Doobie Brothers), Sun Volt, Clyde Stubblefield (James Brown) and Buddy Miles to name a few. You can read more about Pauli Ryan in an article I wrote about him in Musician magazine (see below).

In closing, if there is one “new” music CD to pick up or download this year it is Bandallamas! Just like in the good old days, you will be able to buzz to your friends that you have discovered the best new album and artists of 2010. Only now you will probably be using that new-fangled technology like texting and Facebook…

URL: http://rocknrolldetective.blogspot.com/2010/10/first-traffic-then-steely-dan-and-now.html

Aug. 12, 2010

Fox Valley guitar legend Chris Aaron is coming home with The Bandallamas! This supergroup is opening for Loverboy at Waterfest in Oshkosh Thursday, August 12th and you have a chance to party with the band!

You’ll meet Chris as well as Jane Wiedlin (the Go-Gos), Victor DeLorenzo (Violent Femmes), Rob Wasserman (Bob Weir, Van Morrison), Wally Ingram (Sheryl Crow, Jackson Browne, David Lindley), pat mAcdonald (Timbuk 3), Ken Saydak (Johnny Winter, Koko Taylor, Lonnie Brooks), Richard David (Frank Sinatra, Miles Davis, Steve Miller), Pauli Ryan (Garbage, U2, L7, Son Volt) and the incomparable Bobby Bryan.

Special Bandallamas V.I.P. packages are available now at the Rockin’ Apple rate of $105.70.

Packages include Waterfest admission, admission to the V.I.P. meet and greet at Beckett’s after the show, the new double cd from Bandallamas, access to a special pre-release download at Broadjam.com, a limited edition V.I.P. poster, a Bandallamas t-shirt, a Safe Ride ticket for those in Sturgeon Bay, Waupaca or Waupun plus two drink tickets and appetizers. Plus, $10 from each package sold goes to the Guitars for Vets program.

URL: http://www.wapl.com/concerts/chris_aarons_bandallamas_aug_12_2010/

By Jim Lundstrom
Mark that date down if you want to be part of an incredible music event at Waterfest. No, not headliner Loverboy, though certainly some people will show just to hear the Canucks do “Working for the Weekend.” (Wonder if lead singer Mike Reno still wears those red leather trousers…). The real show that night is Bandallamas, a veritable who’s who of musicians but featuring the Valley’s own Chris Aaron on guitar and vocals.

On stage with Chris:

Rob Wasserman, bass (David Grisman, Van Morrison, Lou Reed, Ratdog with Bob Weir, Elvis Costello, etc…)

Richard Davis, bass (Sarah Vaughan, Eric Dolphy, Frank Sinatra, Barbra Streisand, Miles Davis Thad Jones/Mel Lewis Band, Dexter Gordon, Ahmad Jamal, Igor Stravinsky, Pierre Boulez, Leonard Bernstein and many more).

Victor DeLorenzo, standup drum kit (Violent Femmes, Theatre X, Ash Can School)

Wally Ingram, drums (Timbuk3, David Lindley, Eric Burdon and the Animals, Sheryl Crow, Bonnie Raitt, and many more).

Pauli Ryan, percussion (Garbage, U2, Sun Volt, Buddy Miles, Michael McDonald, Luther Allison, and more)

Ken Saydak, keyboards (Johnny Winter, Otis Rush, Willie Kent, Lonnie Brooks, Sam Lay and more).

Bobby Bryan, guitars and vocals (The Mighty Balls of Fire, Keb Mo’, Lowell Fulsom, Louie Bluey, and more).

In short, many lifetimes of musical experience will converge on stage, all working to make Chris Aaron’s dream project a reality. It will also be a CD release for Eye to Eye, a new two-disc CD by Bandallamas, mostly recorded in a three-day period at a Madison studio in March 2009.

“The last year and a half has just been finding the funding to get it all edited and mixed,” Aaron said. “I did a lot of it myself, making sure everything is right. I’m really proud of this. The whole process has been a crazy long story.”

Aaron has been living in Denver since 2006 when his wife, Lisa Bethke, took a job there.

“I’ve been playing on a lot of records for other people this year and I’ve been working at a studio, and doing other things, like making sure my children are taken care of, macho house husband. Very important,” Aaron said.

Aaron and Lisa restimulate their Wisconsin roots every June by helping longtime pal pat mAcdonald with the annual Steel Bridge Song Fest, an event that brings musicians from around the country to Sturgeon Bay for a week of songwriting and recording before a weekend of live shows. It turned out to be a literal bridge for Aaron and many of the musicians he is now working with.

Aaron’s fiery guitar and blues-based music have always been pleasing crowds since the ’90s, and more than once it seemed he was about to bust out of the crowd and onto the national scene, but it just never happened.

It was his wife who suggested a change might be for the best.

“Lisa said to me a couple years back, you’ve been doing the same great music the same way for a long time. If you want to have different results, why not do the same great music a different way? I was like, yeah, I think you’re right,” Aaron said.

He mentioned the idea to his pal, percussionist Pauli Ryan, who thought it was a great idea. He called his pal, drummer Wally Ingram.

“So Pauli calls Wally Ingram and says, ‘Wally, let’s go to a Packers game in Denver’,” Aaron said. “That’s Wally’s weakness, Packer games.”

It was a Monday Night Football game (“Bret threw an 80-yard touchdown to win the game, it was great night!” Aaron recalls).  Ingram showed up in Denver two days before the football game, and as if it was meant to happen, they went out to see the band Banyan, with Stephen Perkins of Jane’s Addiction on drums, Willie Waldman on trumpet and Rob Wasserman on bass.

“We go down there and got talking to Rob for about an hour after the gig,” Aaron said. “I asked what he’d been doing and he said he was working on this Woody Guthrie thing. When Woody died, he left all these songs with no music, thousands of song lyrics. So the family has asked Rob to find artists that are cool to put music to Woody Guthrie lyrics.”

Wasserman asked what Aaron does. He replied that he’s a musician and added that for the last few years he had been working with the Steel Bridge Fest.

“I said I had the pleasure of working with all these great musicians. Jackson Browne is one of those,” Aaron said. “Rob goes, ‘Oh, I wanted Jackson Browne to do some Woody Guthrie.’”

Aaron connected Wasserman and Browne, and then thought he’d ask Wasserman if he’d ever be interested in doing some recording and maybe even some songwriting.

“I end up sitting in a hotel room with him and Wally Ingram in San Francisco for a week, and I wrote the music for the album with those guys. It was really cool. We recorded all the songs in November (2008) in a hotel room. Rough, not for the album, but all the ideas were on there.”

Then in March of 2009 the entire band was assembled in DNA Studios in Madison.

“We recorded about 70% of the record in three days. A double record, 18 songs, three days. It was pretty insane,” Aaron said.

He describes two of the songs as “epic jams” that feature Wasserman and Richard Davis, who has been teaching at UW-Madison since 1979 and had both Wally Ingram and Pauli Ryan as students at one time.

“If that’s not a one-two punch, I don’t know what is!” said Victor DeLorenzo of the two bass giants. “That was one of Rob’s dreams, to be able to record with Richard Davis. And for me, primarily being a real heavy jazz musician, I’ve got so many recordings that Richard Davis has been a part of, and he played a lot with my favorite drummer, Tony Williams. I have the utmost respect for him and when I was playing with him, I just had to keep pinching myself and looking at him, going, Oh, my god, I’m playing with Richard Davis! I have to thank Chris and the guys for that opportunity. It was really a pleasure.”

But he also recognizes he’s part of a pretty unique unit.

“I like playing with these guys because we have an added feature which is something different for what you consider to be a blues band, and that is that we have three world-class percussionists – this is, if I can include myself – playing in the group,” DeLorenzo said. “Pauli Ryan, who’s playing percussion, he’s played with Garbage and a whole bunch of people, and my friend, Wally Ingram, who’s playing sit down drum set. He’s played with all kinds of West Coast people, from Sheryl Crow to Jackson Browne. And I play a standup drum system. I have three drums that I play and cymbal. I kind of fill in the cracks of what Pauli and Wally are doing. It has taken on a cohesive shape in a short amount of time. I think we’ve only played live together three times. It’s always been a blast. It’s really fun to see this percussion interaction and how it affects what’s going on with the guitarists and bass players. Normally you have one drummer in a blues band, and that’s more than enough. Here you have three guys jumping around pounding on stuff. It adds a whole other thing to it. I’m hesitant to use that word jam band, but it does kind of come into that realm a bit.”

Aaron and DeLorenzo met at the Steel Bridge Song Fest, three years ago when DeLorenzo was working with singer/songwriter Danielle Gasparro. Aaron was working as a recording engineer for the songwriting recording sessions that take place during the fest.

“We went to a studio where Chris was working, and he did some overdubs for us. We started hanging out and talking and I realized he was an acquaintance of Wally Ingram. I’ve known Wally over 20 years or so. It was one of those things where one friendship led to another. We all talked about doing some recording together, and that yielded the recording session that we did in Madison. That has now presented us with a double album that is coming out. That got Chris interested in doing some live shows, and some promoters were interested in it.”

One of those promoters is Michael Dempsey, who runs Waterfest and wanted Bandallamas to be a part of this year’s 25th anniversary celebration.

“Chris Aaron is an automatic draw for Waterfest, much like Vic Ferrari and Road Trip,” Dempsey said. “Fans were always there. They would stand in the mud in the rain and rock to Chris. He always covered and then some. We paired him two times with Eric Burdon and that tandem was a killer show. So Chris has been part of the Waterfest Family for 20 years.”

Dempsey said he caught wind of Bandallamas “before Chris even coined the name.”

“Once we got on the phone and got just halfway through the Bandallamas roster we knew we had to find a way to make it happen for the Waterfest 25th,” Dempsey said. “Then we gravitated to opening act purgAtory hill (with pat mAcdonald and melaniejane) to open and set this experiment up for proper consumption.”

Even though Bandallamas is technically an opening act on this particular, Dempsey said they will be given a full concert set up to 90 minutes.

“We suggested that the event be captured on DVD to memorialize the assembled star power and provide a My Space/You Tube vehicle to help drive awareness and interest in the band and the new release,” Dempsey said. “There are bus loads of fans coming from all over the state and beyond to participate in the history of making the DVD and these musicians all on stage at one time. It is going to be a riveting performance. Waterfest is rooting for Chris and the highly ambitious Bandallamas project. The legacy continues to build in a big way.”

“This is a one-off for this summer,” Aaron said. “We’re booking for the fall, winter and next summer. I just wanted to bring it home. This is my home. I didn’t even know if the album would be out in time for Waterfest, but Mike Dempsey was like, man, I really want to do this. I talked to the guys in the band. Everybody seemed cool with it. And Waterfest is such a great gig. So we decided, if we do do it, let’s do it as our only Bandallamas gig this summer. We will be doing more, but this band is a behemoth to move around and not cheap.”

After the Waterfest show, the party moves down the street to Becket’s, where Bobby Bryan will host the house band with Bobby Evans on guitar, Mike Underwood on drums and Steve Smith on bass, while the rest of the Bandallamas meet and greet.

Anyone with a Waterfest wrist band gets into Becket’s afterglow and gets a free pint of beer and $2 drinks. A separate room in Becket’s is reserved for up to 75 VIP guests. For $105, VIPs receive a Waterfest ticket, a limited band poster, the new double CD, VIP lanyard pass with download card, Bandallamas T-shirt, two drink tickets for Becket’s, and, Aaron promises, “The coolest meet and greet and signing opportunity with all Bandallamas musicians performing at Waterfest – priceless!” Sign up for VIP status at http://www.bandallamas.com .