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Wildly fun, musically fearless blues masters Rick Estrin & The Nightcats will release their new Alligator Records CD, Groovin’ In Greaseland, on Friday, August 18. Overflowing with talent and bursting with bravado, Rick Estrin & The Nightcats have created one of the blues’ most instantly recognizable sounds and no-holds-barred styles. With the world-class talents of harmonica master, songwriter and vocalist Rick Estrin, guitar wunderkind Chris “Kid” Andersen, keyboard wizard Lorenzo Farrell and dynamic drummer Alex Pettersen, Rick Estrin & The Nightcats serve up sharp and incisive original blues and gritty roadhouse rock ‘n’ roll.
With his wily and unforgettable original songs and his hipster, street-smart vocals, no one on the blues scene writes or sings like Rick Estrin. No one looks like him either, as Estrin is always dressed to the nines, sporting his trademark pencil-line mustache and pompadour haircut.DownBeat says, “Rick Estrin sings and writes songs like the brightest wiseguy in all of bluesland and blows harmonica as if he learned at the knee of Little Walter.” Live, the band is simply unbeatable. They deliver a high-energy show capable of bringing any audience to its feet. According to Living Blues magazine, they play “captivating, powerful blues and roots rock with a wickedly cool and otherworldly twist on tradition….intelligently conceived and executed…hugely entertaining.”

The Twisters

Founded in 1994 by David Hurricane Hoerl, The Twisters are  a hard swingin’ blues quartet that has recorded 5 well received albums. Led by Hoerl’s dynamic harp playing (endorsed by Hohner) and co-leader BrandonYukon Slim Isaak’s guitar skills, The Twisters were blowing up a storm across the country at music festivals and at the rapidly disappearing blues bars/haunts. In 2005 tragedy struck when the band was travelling to Prince George. Bassist, JW Taylor was killed outright and drummer Matt Pease was seriously hurt in a horrific car crash.

After much soul-searching The Twisters returned in 2006 with their acclaimed album Come Out Swingin’which took the band to a better recognition and to a new level until tragedy hit the group a second time. Mid 2014 on the eve of his debut solo album release David Hoerl suffered a massive, life-threatening stroke. The prognosis was not great but with a lot of love & help from medical staff, friends, fellow musicians David has made it to where he is today. Sadly his warm vocals are still missing but as Yukon Slim remarked “He will be up on stage blowing his arse off.”

December 1st at The Rio will be a special night for Hurricane as he will share the big stage with his long time mentor and fellow San Franciscan, Rick Estrin of The Nightcats. Estrin is considered one of the best harp blowers in the world today. Both Estrin and Hoerl are from the same root whether it be 50s Chicago Swing or 50-60s West Coast Jump laced with a touch of blues-a-billy.

Surely a night to remember for all fans of The Twisters. Note, that this will be The Twisters first Vancouver appearance in almost 4 years.

For more info visit www.canadianpacificblues.com