Solid Air
Penngrove, California, United States | Established. Jan 01, 1990 | INDIE
Music
Press
“Great Alterna-Country rockin’ band from northern California...Broughton warbles like a bird in one breath and rocks hard when the material demands it."
- Bob Cianci - River Reporter, New York
“Built around the songwriting-singing duo of Allegra Broughton and Sam Page... can breeze through sunny-day acoustic folk; and rock harder as a quartet, deepening the grooves and sharpening the bluesy edges. With Broughton's throaty vocals out front, the crisply produced CD's 10 original songs stand up well in the company of Johnny Cash's "Get Rhythm" and Bob Dylan's "You Ain't Goin' Nowhere," fitting into the same engaging alternative, country-tinged, folk-rock fold that embraces Lucinda Williams and Mare Winningham.” - Derk Richardson, SF BAY GUARDIAN ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT
“Somewhere between the We Five and 10,000 Maniacs” - Bill Frater - www.freighttrainboogie.com
“Soulfully incandescent vocals; an enormously gifted band” - Chris Garcia - Press Democrat
In the Americana music scene it's, without any doubt, one of the best releases for this year. "Tailgates and Subsitutes" includes 10 original songs and 2 beautiful covers. Let's start with the covers, because most of you will know them: "You Ain't Going Nowhere" (Bob Dylan). The title of the CD comes from this song and it has a shakin' mid-tempo version, sang with the artful voice of singer Allegra Broughton and her flowing 12-string guitar melting away. Johnny Cash's "Get Rhythm" has an intro that fits perfectly into "Lay Down Sally" and is more beautiful with the 3-voice harmony singing. Two times bingo.
Solid Air's own songs are even better than the covers of the grand masters and they are as good as the best writing of people such as Lucinda Williams (If You Took The Time), 10.000 Maniacs (In The Summertime, Taste Of Love), Gram Parsons (Whistle Of The Wheels) and Emmylou Harris. Also sounds of Richard & Linda Thompson are recognised (Old Salt Pail) and the last song (Wrap It Around Your Finger) reminds us to Chi Coltrain's (Go Like Elijah). For us, enjoyable references. For people who enjoy "Americana Roots Music", don't miss this one."Tailgates and Subsitutes" is a more than beautiful CD. Discover this band. - Dany Heyvaert - Roots Town Music Magazine. Belgium
“Solid Air comes in two configurations. There’s the original duet of Allegra Broughton on vocals and acoustic guitars, and Sam Page, who seems to be able to play anything that he can lay his hands on, and then there’s the band version; Local Color is a product of the band version, and it’s a winner. Stylistically, the disc ranges from the bluesy inflected “Troublemaker”, (nice harp by Norton Buffalo), “Borderline” with a Mex-type accordion line, a straight-ahead country-rocker like “Rockaway My Cares”, (great fiddle), “Sticks and Stones”, a traditional ballad, to my favourite, “Pioneers”, life on the ‘Great New Western Frontier’, an incisive bit of California social commentary.” - Don Grant, CANADA - www.freighttrainboogie.com
Solid Air is a Bay Area-based alternative folk-country rock outfit. The band's latest disc, Tailgates And Substitutes (Globe Records), is an unpretentious set of refreshing covers and originals. The country-rock of "Whistle Of The Wheels" and the more rootsy rock of "Take A Walk" are impressive, while "In The Summertime" evokes a good-time pop sensibility. The group also offers up a nice arrangement of Johnny Cash's "Get Rhythm," which features a good vocal from Allegra Broughton. - Mick Skidmore - Relix Magazine
"...writing is solid and unpretentious. Broughton & Page's voices blend and wrap you up like faded denim and leather." - - Performing Songwriter Magazine
"Folk-rock with splashes of country, celtic, and jazz. Smooth and breezy, familiar yet original."
AND "Melissa Etheridge meets Bruce Hornsby in a Nashville tupe of thing" - - Dirty Linen Magazine
Discography
Solid Air Discography:
1981 - Songs From the Heart (solo album/cassette/out of print/Allegra Records)
1984 - Slow Fire (duo album/cassette/out of print/Allegra Records)
1988 - Across the River (duo plus guests/cassette only/Allegra Records)
1990 - Stand Up for Love (duo plus guests/CD/Allegra Records)
1992 - Love and Desire (duo and band/CD/Allegra Records)
1996 - Heartbreak Town (band/CD/Globe Records)
1997 - Connections (Sonoma Co. artists compilation w/Charlie Musselwhite, more/CD/Jackalope Recs.)
1999 - Tailgates and Substitutes (band/CD/Globe Records)
2000 - Freight Train Boogie (Americana Music compilation/CD/Jackalope Recs.)
2004 - Connections 2 (Sonoma Co. artists compilation w/Tom Waits, others /CD/Jackalope Recs.)
2005 - Local Color (band/CD/Globe Records, w/special guests)
2007 - Nina Gerber: Good Music with Good People (with Jackson Browne, etc., CD/Goatscape Music)
2007 - Allegra Broughton & Sam Page (band/CD/Jackalope Records)
Photos
Bio
Solid Air is a music group based north of San Francisco, led by co-founders Allegra Broughton (vocals, guitar), and Sam Page (vocals, bass, baritone slide guitar), native Californians who have been performing for over twenty-five years at fairs, festivals, clubs, concert stages, wineries, coffeehouses and private events. Solid Air performs as a duo, trio and 4-piece band with high energy vocals, stellar musicianship, top-notch original songs and eclectic covers from jug band to cajun to classic rock ‘n’ roll for both listening and dancing, with references available. They have eight albums, including Grammy-nominated CD “Solid Air: Allegra Broughton & Sam Page” (Jackalope 2007); a song on Nina Gerber’s 2007 CD, “Good Music with Good People”, and the opening track (Norman Greenbaum’s Spirit in the Sky) on “Sonoma County Covers Project” double CD, (Jackalope 2015). Sam played bass on Lowell Levinger/Banana’s 2015 CD “Get Together - Youngbloods Classics”.
Highlights: 2005/2010 Kate Wolf Music Festival, 2010 Norton Buffalo Memorial Festival, 2011 Sausalito Arts Festival, 2012 Woody Guthrie Centennial, radio shows 2008 West Coast Live & 2011 KRSH-FM 501 Blues, KWMR’s 2007 “Sweethearts of the Radio”, opening for Suzanne Vega and Al Stewart at City Winery Napa (2015), for Loudon Wainwright III (2010) at Petaluma’s Mystic Theater and sharing the bill with Dan Hicks at the 2012 Armstrong Woods Old Grove Festival. Featured in Acoustic Guitar Magazine (Jan.’95 & Nov. ‘07); NORBAY Award nominees (2007-2009); international radio airplay and rave reviews.
Reviews: “One of the North Bay’s Brightest Gems”,Larry Kelp, KPFA-FM, Berkeley, CA
“Allegra has an extraordinary voice that is at once achingly sweet and remarkably
powerful”, Michele Anna Jordan, Dec. 2011, Press Democrat, CA
“Great Alterna-Country rockin’ band from northern California...Broughton warbles like a bird in one breath and rocks hard when the material demands it”,
Bob Cianci, River Reporter, NY
“Soulfully incandescent vocals; an enormously gifted band”, Chris Garcia, Press Democrat
SAM PAGE: vocals, fretted & fretless electric bass, EUB, acoustic bass, baritone slide guitar.
Sam co-writes many of the songs, and plays both fretless & fretted electric bass, as well as both stand-up acoustic and electric upright bass. Born in Bishop, California and raised in the San Francisco Bay Area and Oklahoma, Sam has been playing bass and guitar since he was a child, recording and performing in a wide variety of musical styles.
SOLID AIR - folk-rock/Americana.
ELVIN BISHOP - blues. 2004 Tour and "album "Gettin' My Groove Back"
RANCHO ALL-STARS - classic R'n'B. Featuring Angela Strehli, Mike Duke (Wet WIllie, Huey Lewis), with guests David Jenkins (Pablo Cruise), Earl Thomas, Annie Sampson, Carlos Guitarlos, Henry Butler, more.
JOE NEW - Americana. "West of the West" album. (Del McCoury)
BARRY MELTON BAND - psychedelic rock. (Country Joe & the Fish)
LOWELL LEVINGER ( BANANA from the Youngbloods) - bluegrass, old-time Americana.
NINA GERBER - contemporary acoustic/guitarist/producer.
CALIFORNIA ZEPHYR - country/folk/rock/world
NORTON BUFFALO - country boogie rock.
SARAH ELIZABETH CAMPBELL - original country folk.
LAUGHING GRAVY - acoustic rock/Americana.
ALLEGRA BROUGHTON: songwriter, vocals, acoustic and electric guitars.
Fourth generation Californian born in San Francisco, she had the good fortune to see the Beatles at the S.F. Cow Palace, which left a lifelong impression. She studied recorder, piano, and cello only to chuck it all for singing and playing guitar after Joni Mitchell appeared on the scene. She graduated from the School of Expressive Arts at Sonoma State University in 1982, studied voice with Bobby McFerrin, and has performed in a variety of ensembles as well as having an enduring commitment to writing songs. She is equally at home yodeling her way through Patsy Montana's "Cowboy's Sweetheart", belting out a Gospel song, crooning a sweet waltz in cajun French, or singing a heartfelt ballad of her own.
SOLID AIR - singer/songwriter - folk-rock/Americana.
WILD CATAHOULAS - cajun/zydeco dance band.
SOULJOY - Gospel R'n'B Revue.
LAUGHING GRAVY - acoustic rock, Americana.
COUNTRY ALL-STARS - vintage country & western.
Band Members
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