There are certain bands that sound like someone wrote on the wall, “for a good time, call…” and the hot jazz band Barrelhouse Wailers is one of those, which is what we all need more of. Vocalist Karen Parkhouse has the perfect mix of moxie and charm, teamed with “Skabone” Stan Middleton/tb-voc, John Webb/sax-cl-fl, Diamono Andreo/dr-washboard, David Leoncavallo/b, Drue Chermak/tp, Todd Temanson/banj and Jim Wade/tuba. What sets this So Cal collective apart from other trad bands is that they write almost all of the material, bringing Tin Pan Alley up to the 21st Century.
Parkhouse is streetwise and savvy on the bouncy two steppers like “Bad Luck Blues” while belting it out like Bessie Smith on “Leon’s Lament” . Middleton’s trombone slides like Rickey Henderson into third with a hook on “They Don’t Know My Name” and gives some earthy vocals himself on “Gonna Find Some” . Webb’s licorice stick is burning on “New Man Blues” and Chermak rides the boogie beat on a frantic read of “After You’ve Gone” . The horns plunge lower than Kim Kardashian’s neckline on “When You Look Like That” and the singers do a fun call and response on the title track. As hot and spicy as sweet and sour pork.
This band is usually found once a month playing at The Grape Ventura, so check them out, and you don’t even have to worry about Prohibition, as they serve drinks there.
http://www.thebarrelhousewailers.com