Bliss Blood
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Bliss Blood is a musician and songwriter from Houston, Texas. She moved to New York City, New York in 1996. She has recorded six albums from 1988-1995 with Houston noise rock band Pain Teens. She has also appeared on recordings with groups including The Melvins, Exit-13 and Angels of Light.
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[edit] Current projects
Bliss Blood writes songs and plays ukulele in the 1920s & '30s jazz-themed New York City group The Moonlighters, formed in 1998. She currently leads four other New York bands, Voodoo Suite (lounge/exotica), Cantonement Jazz Band (1920s jazz band, a piano, violin and horn section), Here's How (1950s cool jazz), and Delta Dreambox (Mississippi and Classic blues from the 1920s to '40s).
[edit] The Moonlighters
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The Moonlighters, a sexy, romantic 1920s style jazz string band, harken back to the days when bands didn't need a drummer to rock. Combining the hippest sounds and feels of the 1920s with modern songwriting sensibilities, they have created a unique style. They can swing hard and then dissolve into a tender romantic ballad or dark, mournful dirge. Their influences include aggressive art rock of the '80s and '90s, including Houston's PAIN TEENS, which featured singer Bliss Blood. Based around a core of harmonized vocal duets backed by acoustic instruments including Hawaiian lap steel guitar, ukulele, guitar and bass, they write unique yet nostalgic original compositions, and explore traditional and classic tunes with a romantic approach. Their original songs encompass many styles of 20th century jazz and pop including ragtime, swing, Hawaiian, country, blues, and be-bop.
They have released four albums on their ONLIEST RECORDS label, Dreamland in 2000, Hello Heartstring in 2002, Live in Baden-Baden in 2004 and Surrender in 2006. The band members include Bliss Blood, vocalist and ukulele player, who also writes the lyrics to their original tunes; Carla Murray, vocalist and acoustic guitarist; Andrew Hall on bass; and Mike Neer on National steel guitar and acoustic guitar. Mike replaced original steel guitarist Henry Bogdan in 2004.
[edit] Voodoo Suite
Voodoo Suite is a New York City jazz band playing exotica and lounge music from the 1950s. The band features Tom Beckham on vibraphone, piano, and electronic marimba, Matt Pavolka on bass, Yusuke Yamamoto on bongos, drums, percussion and flute, and Bliss Blood on vocals, ukulele, musical saw, xylophone and percussion.
They play songs written by Martin Denny, Les Baxter, Arthur Lyman, Robert Drasnin, Henry Mancini, as well as jazz songs originally sung by Billie Holiday, June Christy, Shirley Horn, Saloma, and songs by Tom Waits, the Kinks, and originals in the exotica style. They also play traditional Hawaiian tunes, jazz-style.
[edit] Delta Dreambox
Delta Dreambox is a New York City band which plays tenor guitar and sings, and featuring steel guitarist Mike Neer of The Moonlighters and pianist Timothy Dick. Mike and Timothy also contribute vocals. They play classic vaudeville blues originally performed by artists such as Ma Rainey, Bessie Smith, Victoria Spivey & Alberta Hunter, as well as Mississippi Delta blues and country blues by artists such as Charlie Patton, Robert Johnson, Mississippi Sheiks and Bo Carter, Blind Blake, Lil Johnson, Big Bill Broonzy, and Memphis Minnie.
[edit] Here's How
Here's How is a 1950s-style cool jazz band featuring Tom Beckham on vibraphone, Andrew Hall and Chris Pistorino on bass, Steve Little on drums, Jesse Gelber on piano, Michael Hashim on tenor & soprano sax, Sean Condron on guitar, and Eric Pakula on alto sax. They play classic romantic jazz tunes and torch songs for all occasions. Their debut was at the Brooklyn Museum for the "Pulp Magazine Cover Paintings" show in 2002. They play music of Billie Holiday, Dakota Staton, Chris Connor, Julie London, June Christy, Chet Baker, and others.
[edit] Cantonement Jazz Band
Cantonement Jazz Band is a New York City band playing music of the 1920s. They have performed around New York since 2001, and are the official band for Parkerfest, the annual tribute to author Dorothy Parker. The band was formed by vocalist Bliss Blood and features Sean Condron on banjo, Aya Kato on piano, J. Walter Hawkes on trombone, Tom Abbott and Chris Byars on clarinet & sax, Joe Exley on tuba, Chris Pistorino on bass, Skye Steel on violin, Albert Leusink on trumpet. They cover songs by many famous musicians including Bessie Smith, Annette Hanshaw, Ruth Etting, Duke Ellington, Fats Waller, Jack Teagarden, Al Bowlly, Ethel Waters, and Louis Armstrong.
[edit] External links
- Bliss Blood's official webpage and webpage for the Moonlighters
- Bliss Blood's myspace page
- Dewey Dell blog
- Mike Neer's Website
- Voodoo Suite webpage from Blissblood.com
- Delta Dreambox webpage
