T. Rogers

Artist Information

Biography

T. ROGERS is a hell of a joyful 7 pieces blues band from Hungary.
Allright, but who's T.Rogers ? The leader of the band ? How come he doesn't bear a Hungarian name then ?
Well, there is a little trick about this very name. Yes, it's true, T. Rogers does sound anglo. Ferenc Kovács, who happens to be the actual leader of the band, sings in English. So our Hungarian musicians figured they needed an English, "americanish" name for the band. Now, in Hungary as in most countries of westerner culture, there are 2 kinds of
artists : the stars, who are adored by the crowds, those the people worship when they watch them on TV or hear them on the radio. And then there are the others. Those who are NOT world known stars. And in our westerner culture, in such a case, most people will translate "artist" to "bum". Tramp. Good for nothing. People without a care in the world. And how do you call people without
a care in the world in Hungarian ? Troger. That's right. Troger is the Hungarian word for it. So there you go, here's T.Rogers.
Yes, but who in the world is T. Rogers ?

T. Rogers started in 1999. Despite the average age in the band being 25, each musician has at least 13 years of musical experience under their belt. The
mixture of familiarity between players that have played together for 11 years and flare brought on by newer members makes T. Rogers a tight, engaging and exciting band that mostly plays electric blues. The initial project starts early in 1998 with self-taught musicians Ferenc "Ferci" Kovács (born in 1976, started playing guitar at age 14; founding member of T.Rogers in 1999) and Zsolt "Eper" Szatai (born in 1977; started playing guitar at age 15; switched to bass one year later; founding member of T. Rogers in 1999. (Eper is hungarian for strawberry).
The two guys run this project in parallel to their loud rock band "The Villains". As a spin-off of this project, they play blues covers in various pubs throughout Budapest. While the Villains disband in January 2000, the acoustic blues they have kept on the side now leaps to the forefront and lives on under the new label of T. Rogers. The original
line-up is soon augmented by more musicians. Vince Széll (born in 1977; played cello for 8 years, switched to guitar at age 16, then to percussions when T. Rogers started, founding member of T. Rogers in 1999, ex-Villains guitarist) is the first one to just to add percussions to the band's sound. The trio grows into a quartet when they convince long-time friend Pál Sturmann (born in 1978, started guitar at age 15, joined T. Rogers in 2000), a recently graduated student from some Budapest music school, to supply additional rhythm guitar and fills. As Vince decides to temporarily move to the U.S., Bela Baráth (born in 1976, started drums at age 15, joined T. Rogers in 2003) - a good friend and classmate of Pál from the music school - steps in. Béla brings his drumkit to the first concert and stays with the band. He previously performed in a number of professional bands as a full time drummer and with him, the band moves on to the realms of electric blues, yet keeping and further expanding their acoustic repertoire. Shortly afterwards, Vince, the highly skilled percussionist returns from the States to help the band reach the signature sound they have always been seeking.
They are now a full time blues band. All they need is a harp player. And that's when Miki steps in. Miklos "Miki" Toth (born in 1979; started saxophone at age 14, then switched to harmonica at age 17, joined T. Rogers in 2004) has been playing sax for the past three years and the band doesn't know he can play harp too, except for Béla, as they played together earlier in their prime. On a cold december night, Englishman Tom Quilliam (born in 1984, started saxophone at age 9, joined T. Rogers in 2004) walks in the Fregatt pub, the band's resident bar, carrying his saxophone. After a talk with the band, he sits in, playing the blues with T. Rogers. Tom ends up moving to Budapest and
permanently joins T. Rogers. The line-up is now complete. So today T. Rogers is based in Budapest, Hungary, and has a regular gigging schedule in pubs and clubs around the city. The founders of a new sound that could be called 'Joy and Blues', they are attempting to spread this easy going, captivating yet contradictory music to the masses. Or whoever wants to listen to it....

Since the 2006 release of their CD 'Driven By The Blues' that has been aired by blues radio shows in the Netherlands, Belgium, Luxemburg, Denmark, France, Estonia, Argentina, Portugal and Hungary, they added blues festivals and clubs around Europe including the Gouvy Jazz & Blues Festival in Belgium, Augustibluus Bluesfest in Estonia and the Luxembourg Blues & Jazz Rallye to their usual schedule, to the enjoyment of many Europeans
music lovers known as some of the most serious blues fans today.
The success they meet everytime they perform somewhere proves they are not tramps anymore.
Since 2006 the band is working with the Bluebridge Network artist agency. During the summer of 2007 they recorded their new album titled: Wear Your Soul, which became a CD at the end of the year. However Miki Tóth left the band at the end of 2006 he is playing on the new record, along with Krisztián Magi another old friend, on hammond.
Wear Your Soul has been aired in many countries and radio stations, the band was playing it live across Europe. In April 2008 one of the new songs "Goin' Home Train" made it to the finals of the International Songwriting Competition and "Liftin' Walk" was also chosen in the semi-finals. The next year Goin' Home Train was finalist at the International Acoustic Music Awards. In May and June the band was backing the legendary Louisiana blues man Mem Shannon on his European tour. The same year Stew Hay joined the band. His first appearance with T. Rogers was on the International GastroBlues Festival in 2008. This line up recorded a live cd in 2009 which was released at the beginning of 2010 and getting good reviews from all over the blues world. T. Rogers is now on its way to a European recognition, hopefully leading to an even larger one soon.

Instrumentation

Béla Baráth : drums
Stew Hay : harmonica
Ferci Kovács : guitar, vocal
Tom Quilliam : saxophone, penny whistle
Pál Sturmann : guitar
Zsolt Szatai : bass
Vince Széll : percussion, guitar

Discography

Driven by the Blues /2006/
Wear Your Soul /2008/
Live From Home /2010/

Links

• MySpace
• Facebook

Audio

• Wear Your Soul
  Listen  
• Everyday
  Listen  
• Goin' Home Train
  Listen  
• Driven by the Blues
  Listen  

Lyrics

• Wear Your Soul
• Everyday
• Goin' Home Train
• New Home Blues

Video

Photo Gallery

Press

• Driven by the Blues review by Andres Roots [+ Show ]
  

  T. Rogers - Driven By the Blues Independent http://www.trogers.hu This 7-piece Hungarian blues ...T. Rogers - Driven By the Blues
  Independent
  http://www.trogers.hu
  
  This 7-piece Hungarian blues band with a British sax player has no problems covering anything and everything from Robert Johnson to Robben Ford and doing it all in their inimitably cheerful jazzy style - yet the true crowning achievement of their debut CD is its self-penned title track, "Driven By the Blues".
  
  But let's meet the band: the one & only Ferenc "Ferci" Kovács - vocals, guitar, graphic design, powerful folk medicines & other mojos; Pál Sturmann - guitar; Tom Quilliam - saxophone; Zsolt Szatai - bass; Miklós Tóth - harmonica, Vince Széll - percussion & Charlie Watts-size smiles; Béla Baráth - drums. Yes, I know Hungarian is supposed to be a kin language to Estonian and Finnish, but trust me - I couldn't pronounce those names either!
  
  To start it off, I must say I'd buy the rhythm section a pint any time. Béla's jazz-tinged drumming packs enough punch to rock any audience; in combination with Zsolt's fluid bass runs and the Swiss-watch accuracy of Vince's (hey, that I could prounounce!) shakers, tambourines and other assorted weapons, this is the firm & funky foundation the music stands on.
  
  The guitar interplay between Ferci and Pál is a pleasure to listen to: not rhythm-plus-lead, but rather two guitars as one, playing off each other just the way it oughta be done - the way it best serves the song. To quote the influences I can hear in their fretplay would take up way too much space, so let's just say there's plenty of everything from T-Bone Walker to Gary Moore.
  
  Superimposed on top are the harmonica and the sax, both vital to the big sound T. Rogers creates, both more jazz than rock'n'roll. The tube-amplified-but-clean sound of the harp especially may take some getting used to, but Miklós obviously knows what he's doing: not every harp player would dare to cover both Charlie Musselwhite and Sonny Boy Williamson I on the same album.
  
  For some reason, I can't help thinking 'Memphis blues' in connection with this CD, even though it's by no means an accurate description - there's traces of Texas, Chicago and many
  other places in the music; yes, and of Budapest, too. Recorded live in the studio, the infectious joy of playing really shines through on every song on the album, with the improvised title track leaping highest and furthest of them all. This is good-time foot-stomping music; by all accounts, these boys will be appearing in a venue near you before you know it.
  
  Andres Roots

• Driven by the Blues review by René Malines [+ Show ]
  

  T. Rogers Driven By The Blues Selfproduced 2005 (56’07") T. Rogers isn’t a bandleader’s name, b...T. Rogers
  Driven By The Blues
  Selfproduced
  2005
  (56’07")
  T. Rogers isn’t a bandleader’s name, but this hungarian group’s instead, which is comprised of 7 members : Béla Baráth
  on drums, Zsolt Szatai on bass, Vince Széll on percussions, Tom Quilliam on saxophone, Miklós Tóth on harmonica,
  Pál Sturmann on guitar and Ferenc Kovács on guitar and vocals. Their music? Somehow classical electric blues, and
  yet... This is not your CD that you heard a thousand times by switchable bands. Not at all. What makes it special?
  First the obvious pleasure they’re having, but also top notch musicians, tight as can be, with a devastating swing, and
  most of all that communicative joy one doesn’t hear that often in this musical genre. This is most obvious on Charlie
  Musselwhite’s Make Me Getaway that starts the album, and totally enthusiastic on Driven By The Blues, only original
  by T.Rogers/ Ferenc Kovács, that ends it. According to "Ferci" Kovács, this number started as a jam in the studio. But
  it came out so well that the boys decided to keep it and add it to the CD. And right they were : it’s pure pleasure to the
  listener. But make your own opinion by paying their website a visit at www.trogers.hu : 8 songs can be heard entirely,
  including this infectious Driven By The Blues, so happy it’d fill a death-watch with joy. And if you find the experience
  convincing, you’ll be able to order the album for a mere 10 euros from the same website.
  René Malines (Virus de Blues, fanzine militant, n° 7, printemps 2006)

• WEAR YOUR SOUL review by René Malines [+ Show ]
  

  Wear Your Soul Autoproduction 2007 (79'57") Back to Eastern Europe with Hungarians T.Rogers 2n...Wear Your Soul
  Autoproduction
  2007
  (79'57")
  
  Back to Eastern Europe with Hungarians T.Rogers 2nd album. From the very
  first bars, one understand why they have been called a "Joy & Blues
  Band". For if their approach is often of the blues-rock kind, Ferenc
  Kovacs and his septet's music is quite different from way too many bands
  in that named style for instead of standing like showoff's with no other
  purpose than to display their velocity, it is totally dedicated to
  pleasure celebration. Pleasure to play, to share, to seduce and to have
  fun together with each bandmate as well as with the audience. All of
  them very good musicians, indeed our 7 guys know how to make jump out of
  your seat and dance as soon as a few notes only are played. Some rock,
  some funk, a lot of blues, solid arrangements despite the jam band like
  feel, and, again, a highly contagious real joy. One can only enjoy the
  fact they were signed by BlueBridge Networks, hoping that Georges and
  Ray, BB N agents, finds them gigs somewhere close enough to us. Some of
  us could enjoy them 2 years ago during the Luxemburg Blues & Jazz Rally
  when they actually arrived directly from Hungary after driving long
  hours in an old bus without a chance to rest or eat before their gig.
  This CD lets us imagine what it must be like to witness them take over a
  stage after a good meal and enough rest. Hoping such an event happens
  soon, their two albums can still be enjoyed in the meanwhile, knowing
  that Wear Your Soul has nothing to be ashamed of compared to Driven By
  The Blues, their previous and 1st album that had us find out about them.
  Two CD's anti spleen guaranted.
  
  René Malines
  Virus de Blues

Setlist

20-25 songs, more than 2 hours.

Basic Requirements

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