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NEWS & REVIEWS
The 15th annual Kaslo Jazz Ect. Festival on the August long weekend was the biggest yet with around 5000 attending. Holly and Jon and The SoulShine Band rocked the crowd on Saturday evening.
The Valley Voice August 16th, 2006
Your new album is a gem. Quality songwriting and a great production. Your first album was good but this is very good.
Paul Henriksen, Royal Blues
Nelson, BC.
Enjoyable. You’re in good voice on there Holly. Thank you so much. Good stuff!
Doug Lang. CFRO Radio,
Vancouver, B.C.
Great Album!
Brant Zwicker, ATC Blues
Network
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Record Review
By journalist/poet/author, Art Joyce
HOLLY AND JON ARE PURE “SMOKESTACK LIGHTNING”
To steal the title of a classic Howlin’ Wolf number, Holly and Jon are pure “Smokestack Lightning” - at their best when they’re cutting loose with Jon’s blues-rock pyrotechnics and Holly’s voice soaring from deep inside the well of Aretha Franklin and Eva Cassidy.
Judging by the thoroughly professional debut of “Big Wind on the Way”, this father/daughter duo is set to make big ripples on the Canadian music pond.
In his biography guitarist Jon Burdon cites Freddie King, Dickie Betts (of Allman Brothers fame), and Jimi Hendrix as major influences. Yet, Jon’s precise, fluent solos are equally reminiscent of rock legend Mark Knopfler of Dire Straits - consistently intricate, clean and intense. Holly Burdon’s soulful blues vocals pick up where legendary stylist Eva Cassidy left off. Holly’s honest, gutsy vocals are a refreshing tonic in an era of limp- throated Wal-Mart divas cranked off of the corporate assembly line.
Holly’s vocals kick off the album on “One Desire”, demonstrating the seemingly effortless ease with which she can propel a song with her honey-rich vocals and fat-bottomed bass guitar. Saxophones by Rick Lingard add a nicely integrated R&B groove to the song, which is a natural for radio airplay. Jon showcases his Dire Straits chops in the inventive lick that drives “Blood on the Trax”, with appropriately Dylanesque lyrics.
“I’m a Woman” is pure soul-blues gold, and has already received well-deserved airplay. Jon’s minimalist guitar styling beautifully compliments Holly’s, pile driver, blues mama vocals and bump n’ grind bass line. “Slushy Blues” smacks of big band Chicago blues, with a sashaying rhythm, horn section punctuating the stops, and Holly’s savvy, sexy, “Honey, take me where it’s warm” refrain. Jon’s Stratocaster mastery in “Train Wreck Blues” brings to mind not only Clapton but another legendary, often forgotten king of blues guitar – Albert King. Holly positively smolders here in slow blues mode – definitely part of the Holy Trinity of Holly’s Blues, along with “One Desire” and “I’m a Woman”. She’s just as gutsy in “Human kindness”, counter pointed by a jazzy sax riff to keep things hot.
Having seen Holly and Jon perform live numerous times, this reviewer can say there’s more and better to come on the heels of “Big Wind on the Way”. The paint peeling guitar intensity of original songs like “Hair of the Dawg” that didn’t make it onto the CD prove that Jon Burdon easily has the ability of Clapton and Hendrix in their heyday. I await their next album eagerly..
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The following is an excerpt from a full colour, center spread magazine interview published in Jan. of 2006.
Q: A father/daughter duo sounds like fun, but it must have been somewhat difficult at the beginning. Can you describe what that was like?
JON: It wasn’t hard at all. You’ve got to know that Holly had music played to her even in the womb. At age four of five she started humming along to the chords I was playing. I changed the key to see if she could follow and she kept right on changing and following with me. At that point I knew she was a natural.
HOLLY: I’ve been around music all my life so this wasn’t a very big jump. I’d go to all my dad’s gigs and there was music constantly playing around the house. Most of my relatives play too. I was totally surrounded by music. It was really cool and it felt very natural to get into it.
Q: Your latest album “Big Wind on the way” has a wide range of music on it. How did you choose which songs to put on it?
JON: We thought we’d record all of our original tunes – blues, country, folk. Actually we thought it would be cool to have blues and country on the same disc. For all we know we could turn someone on to a different type of music. I love to turn people on to music they may have never heard before. If a country fan who buys our album enjoys the blues stuff we do, then goes out and buys a Robert Johnson record, I have done my job.
Q: What’s been your best experience?
HOLLY: Anytime we’re playing where the people are involved. All the festivals are good. It’s all about playing where people listen. We had the honor of opening up for Leon Russell back in 04. He used to say to the audience, “I’ll put on a show for you, if you put on a show for me”. He was referring to the energy transference that takes place between performer and audience. On a good night, that’s what happens and that’s what it’s all about.
Interview conducted by Brian Coombs/Kootenay Carnival
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