Larry Kolker
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Larry Kolker

Cortlandt Manor, New York, United States | Established. Jan 01, 2013 | SELF

Cortlandt Manor, New York, United States | SELF
Established on Jan, 2013
Solo Blues Singer/Songwriter

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This band has not uploaded any videos
This band has not uploaded any videos

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Press


"Review of Awful Smart Man"

“…This 10 song will have you bopping in no time with his real sensual bluesy feel. The CD starts out with the title [song], AWFUL SMART MAN. This song will no doubt take you to the back country as if the bijou is right there with the stream, frogs and swamp things moving around about you… SEND ME TO THE LECTRIC CHAIR is another sweet bluesy song with some nice harmonica added in for some extra spice. This song is real sweet, as it bops back and forth between the beats and you can't help but to get into it. … COMES A TIME is a song about aging and what becomes of a person as the just flow through life. The song has a nice tempo and melody throughout the song, you can't help to enjoy it. STRIPPER is exactly what he talks about in this song. You can feel the sweat and grind in this song with it's funky flow. The harmonica is really in your face on this one, which is nice… Larry is really makes the rounds if you check it out. Please go out and see him play and let him know I sent you. I would like to THANK Larry for asking me to do this review...I'm honored and I hope he'll keep in touch with me. People check him out and buy this CD, you'll love it. - Jim Allford


"Larry Kolker - Awful Smart Man"

"[I]magine a concert with Dylan headlining, Loudon Wainwright III second on the bill and John Prine third, let’s say it wouldn’t seem at all strange if Larry Kolker opened the evening’s entertainment. He’s certainly an all-round talent. He’s a distinctive vocalist with songwriting chops to match ... “Awful Smart Man” is his second album ... and the results are well worth seeking out. Here he begins with the title track, and the simple voice / guitar arrangement sets the mood for a self-depreciating lyric, and a near-yodel. “Send Me to the 'lectric Chair” starts slow and folksy, but when the instruments kick in, in swings like an early jazz-blues standard. There really is no shortage of variety on “Awful Smart Man”. “Top Percent” grooves like a ‘70s jam band and the marvelous “Don't Tempt Irene” rocks and rolls in a most satisfying manner... [C]o-producer / engineer Fred Gillen Jr. ... provides just enough polish for Kolker to shine."
- Rob F., Leicester Bangs (Nov 15, 2012) - Leicester Bangs Arts & Music Blog


"Commentary from WEVL-FM"

“Nice work. You need to be down here [in Memphis], not up there! I hear Todd Snider, John Sebastian, Ms. John Hurt, and my old friend Dave Van Ronk. Will play 'Awful Smart Man' on Wednesday.”

Bruce Newman, host, "Bruce's Folksong Siesta" - WEVL Memphis 89.9 FM
- WEVL-FM, Memphis TN


"Review of Awful Smart Man"

From Cortlandt Manor, NY, Larry Kolker plays regularly in venues around the North East of the USA, where his style has been described as "urban country east-coast white-boy blues". That’s a lot to take in, and is really quite specific, so to make things easier, imagine a concert with Dylan headlining, Loudon Wainwright III second on the bill and John Prine third, let’s say it wouldn’t seem at all strange if Larry Kolker opened the evening’s entertainment.


He’s certainly an all-round talent. He’s a distinctive vocalist with songwriting chops to match; an accomplished guitarist and an in demand blues-harpist. As far as I can tell “Awful Smart Man” is his second album (“Long Island Slim” came out in 2002) and although his trips to the studio are far from regular, the results are well worth seeking out. Here he begins with the title track, and the simple voice / guitar arrangement sets the mood for a self-depreciating lyric, and a near-yodel. “Send Me to the 'lectric Chair” starts slow and folksy, but when the instruments kick in, in swings like an early jazz-blues standard. There really is no shortage of variety on “Awful Smart Man”. “Top Percent” grooves like a ‘70s jam band and the marvelous “Don't Tempt Irene” rocks and rolls in a most satisfying manner. Before I sign off, I should mention his collaborators; Sticks Levine keeps the beat, folk-popsters the YaYas supply backing vocals, and co-producer / engineer Fred Gillen Jr. plays bass, and provides just enough polish for Kolker to shine.
- Leicester Bangs music blog


"Long Island Slim - Larry Kolker"

"Most of these songs are skewed, acoustic folk, and the formal vocal adds to the dark humor when it’s singing words like 'Kiss my ass, spring, you know what I mean. The days are too long and there’s all this green.' … Funky and cool, taking folk and blues and veering off drunkenly into a dark alley behind a dive bar. Unstructured and spontaneous sounding with a vocal that’s anything but. Let this jar your expectations a little." - Jennifer Layton, indie-music.com - indie-music.com


"Larry Kolker @ Le Bar Bat"

"I've attended Larry Kolker’s one-man gigs at various clubs around the City and he has always delivered smooth performances, but tonight he was accompanied by an ensemble that included bass, lead guitar and a drummer backing his originals and a few standards (including a phat rendition of a Dylan’s “If You Gotta Go”). Larry (who is also known as “L.I. Slim”) was totally on point. His unique vocal flavoring with a hint of St. Louis-type blues style complimented by his superb, chordal/melodic acoustic technique and southern-fried, chain-gang harmonica output, gave pure pleasure to the nice-sized audience for this intimate venue. The band’s performances backed Slim’s songs with passionate fervor, and the lead guitarist threw in several well-balanced and controlled blues riffs & solos that greatly enhanced without overwhelming the songs." - MisterQ, homerecording.com - homerecording.com


"Larry Kolker @ Le Bar Bat"

"I've attended Larry Kolker’s one-man gigs at various clubs around the City and he has always delivered smooth performances, but tonight he was accompanied by an ensemble that included bass, lead guitar and a drummer backing his originals and a few standards (including a phat rendition of a Dylan’s “If You Gotta Go”). Larry (who is also known as “L.I. Slim”) was totally on point. His unique vocal flavoring with a hint of St. Louis-type blues style complimented by his superb, chordal/melodic acoustic technique and southern-fried, chain-gang harmonica output, gave pure pleasure to the nice-sized audience for this intimate venue. The band’s performances backed Slim’s songs with passionate fervor, and the lead guitarist threw in several well-balanced and controlled blues riffs & solos that greatly enhanced without overwhelming the songs." - MisterQ, homerecording.com - homerecording.com


Discography

Still working on that hot first release.

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Bio

Larry Kolker plays American roots music with an edge. His songs cross folk, blues, pop, rock, soul, and jam-band, harmonized by his distinctive voice. His music has been called the "urban country east-coast white-boy blues". A recent reviewer noted his "sensual bluesy feel."

"[I]magine a concert with Dylan headlining, Loudon Wainwright III second on the bill and John Prine third, let’s say it wouldn’t seem at all strange if Larry Kolker opened the evening’s entertainment. He’s certainly an all-round talent. He’s a distinctive vocalist with songwriting chops to match; an accomplished guitarist and an in demand blues-harpist..." -Leicester Bangs Music Blog 

Larry is based in the Lower Hudson Valley and has performed in venues throughout the Northeast. He opened for folk icon David Massengill on January 19, 2014 at the Borderline Folk concert series. Music festival appearances include the 2014 Tribes Hill Music Festival at John Jay Homestead, the 2103 Huntington Folk Festival, the 2013 and 2014 Borderline Folk festival, the 2012 and 2013 Montauk Music Festivals, the Millennium Music Conference in Harrisburg, PA, and the Bob Dylan Festivals at the Warwick Valley Winery.

Other shows since Spring 2012 include the BeanRunner Cafe, Tribes Hill/Common Ground Winter Solstice Concert, John Street Jam @ the Dutch Arms Chapel, Vista on the Hill Concert Series, Gizzi's Restaurant, Tarrytown Farmers' Market, Trail's End Restaurant, Coffee Labs Roasters, Black Cat Cafe, Peekskill Coffeehouse, Greenpoint Gallery, Beacon Theatre (in Beacon; Hope Machine Hootennany), Irvington's Got Music benefit, Terry Doyle Tribute, Crafts @ Lyndhurst, John Jay Homestead Farm Market, Sullivan Hall, Eleven 11 Grille & Spirits, MTK Tavern, Acoustic Thursdays at the High Falls Cafe, the Starving Artist Cafe, the Grand Victory, and the Folk Music Society of Huntington's Hard Luck Cafe. 

Larry organized the First Annual Tribes Hill Music Festival at John Jay Homestead and other grass roots musical events.  He is a Board member of the Tribes Hill musical community as well as the Borderline Folk Music Club.

Larry performs solo, with a percussionist, with singer-songwriter Judy Kass, with a blues-based trio or quartet, or as a sideman with other artists.

Larry's recent CD, Awful Smart Man, was co-produced with Fred Gillen Jr. at Woody’s House studio, and includes guest performances by pop folk trio the YaYas. The songs have airplay, among others, on WIOX-FM (www.wioxradio.org), WVKR-FM (www.vkr.org), WEVL-FM (Memphis 89.9) and www.musictogousa.com

Awful Smart Man IS NOW AVAILABLE for download at 
http://larrykolker.bandcamp.com (or iTunes, Amazon and others), or discounted FOR DIRECT PURCHASE (send $10 via paypal to Larry at kolker@whafh.com and include your mailing address in the message), or at www.cdbaby.com/larrykolker2.   Samples are available at www.reverbnation.com/larrykolker. His first CD, Long Island Slim, released in 2002, is available at cdbaby.com/larrykolker.  To contact Larry, please "friend" him on Facebook or email him at kolker@whafh.com.  

videos:http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W4H3Hx9UWzA  and http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5bTYGqcgI70

Band Members