Nine Lives

Nine Lives

Product DescriptionA dizzying, energized blend of blues styles anchored by harpist/singer Rick Estrin's wry, witty lyrics and virtuoso harmonica and guitarist Little Charlie Baty's amazing, otherworldly fretworkWhen sold by Amazon.com, this product will be manufactured on demand using CD-R recordable media. Amazon.com's standard return policy will apply.Review...they take a healthy dose of blues, make it shimmy and shake with hip jazz and rolling retro-rock riffs -- New York PostFabulous jump blues; remarkable original material -- BillboardMarvelously entertaining and brilliantly played. -- The San Francisco ExaminerAbout the ArtistThe story of Little Charlie & The Nightcats began back in the early 1970s when Batya harmonica-playing UC Berkeley student, first met Estrin. With Rick already an accomplished harp player, Baty decided to switch to guitar full-time and the two formed a blues band. After relocating to Sacramento, Baty quickly reinvented himself as a take-no-prisoners, one-of-a-kind guitarist. With the addition of a drummer and a bass player, Little Charlie & The Nightcats were born.In 1986 the band sent an unsolicited tape to Alligator Records. Alligator president Bruce Iglauer was blown away. He flew to Sacramento to see the band perform and was sold. Their debut album, ALL THE WAY CRAZY, was released in 1987 to overwhelming success. Almost immediately they went from playing small Sacramento blues clubs to performing concerts and festivals around the country and around the world.The bands following albums, 1988s DISTURBING THE PEACE, 1989s THE BIG BREAK!, 1991s CAPTURED LIVE, 1992s NIGHT VISION, 1995s STRAIGHT UP!, and 1998s SHADOW OF THE BLUES solidified their reputation as one of the most adventurous and sophisticated blues bands around. 2002s THATS BIG! continued their success, with reviews and features running in The Chicago Tribune, The New York Post, The Washington Post, The Houston Chronicle, GuitarOne, Guitar Player and many other national and regional publications. The band also was featured in a 20-minute interview and performance segment on National Public Radios Weekend Edition.Guitarists, harp players, songwriters, fans and critics remain overwhelmed. Can anyone name a better guitarist than Little Charlie? asked Blues Revue. Who can out-tough Rick Estrin? Little Charlie & The Nightcats play some of the deepest blues out there. Little Charlie & The Nightcats constantly criss-cross the country to play hundreds of live performances every year, including major blues festivals in Chicago, San Francisco, Cincinnati, New York and Portland. Theyve played The Montreal Jazz Festival, San Diego Street Scene, Seattles Bumbershoot Festival and more recently at blues festivals throughout Russia and Turkey. Were good at putting on a show, boasts Estrin. People dont go out to see people who look like them. They want to see something special. I was schooled in this business to be a showman, and thats what you get when you come to see us.