Biography
The Alan Marcus Blues Project - Kicked Around Blues
All ten songs are written by Alan Marcus. Marcus sings and plays guitar (1979 Les Paul 'Custom', 1969 'Fender Twin' amplifier. David Maxwell on drums (Art Steele, Tupelov; and 'legendary' Jerry Ellis on bass (former Arista Recording artists The Elevators, Ray Mason, Mark Nomad, Jim K.
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This CD is the Winner of several CD release awards in Western Massachusetts as well as received acclaim from local radio stations and audience feedback.
Alan Marcus's blues-guitar work was influenced by listening to guitarists such as B.B.King, Jimi Hendrix, Eric Clapton, Johnny Winter, Carlos Santana and Wes Montgomery and to Brazilian guitarist Lanny Gordin.
In the late 1980's and early 1990's Marcus performed with his Brazilian blues trio, the Blue Jeans, on Brazilian national TV, at Blues Festivals and Brazilian venues, on radio shows and in an award-winning MTV video: "O Cachaceiro".
REVIEWS:
THE RECORDER
Greenfield, MA
Excerpts by Sheryl Hunter 08/01
Singer/songwriter/guitarist Alan Marcus, bassist Jerry Ellis and drummer David Maxwell, have only been making music together for a year, but in that short time they've made a strong mark on the local music scene. The trio recently released their first studio effort, "Kicked Around Blues." The 10 tracks on "Kicked Around Blues" were all written by Greenfield resident Marcus and include a mix of vocal tunes and instrumentals.
At the core of this disc is Marcus' impressive guitar work; while his playing always sizzles, Marcus is not one of those guitarist's who rely on flashy, overblown solos to get their point across. Throughout the disc, Marcus' stinging breaks are restrained and never lose sight of the songs at hand. The songs here are a memorable bunch that are rooted in tradition. Marcus' smooth but plaintive voice conveys the full array of emotions that we've come to expect from the best of the blues. The duo have proved to be the perfect rhythm section for Marcus, providing the strong yet subtle support his music requires.
The Blues Project has been building up a solid fan base by getting out there and playing their hearts out. They can even count Kurt Vonnegut as a fan. The famed author commented on how impressed he was with the band when he happened upon one of their shows at Mulino's in Northampton earlier this summer.
Biography text from Last.fm, available under CC BY-SA.