Big B and the Magic Bullets

If you consider yourself or someone you know a fan of good music, particularly good blues music, you need to experience Detroit's Big B and the Magic Bullets. This six-piece band of standout musicians has been confidently and cooly earning a reputation as a "must see" live act. With the release of their debut effort "11 Shots" they may have also made the region's best original blues CD.

The band's leader, singer and guitarist Brian "Big B" Burleson, sums up their appeal this way: "We're a bunch of fun, down-to-earth cats who enjoy each other's company--and that's increasingly rare where flaky musician egos are concerned. We also have this mutual need, this itch, for being fulfilled as often as possible by playing music. There's not a guy in this band who doesn't live for the sheer enjoyment of expressing themselves through their instrument, and that only feels good when you're doing it well, at a level you've practiced hard at for years to make look and feel easy, the same way your idols and influences inspired you. Add to that this very honest, creative, emotional approach we have and it translates into some consistently genuine moments, moments that people enjoy as much or more than we do. We're proud of that."

Besides Big B (himself a nominee for three consecutive Detroit Music Awards as an Outstanding Instrumentalist), the band features vocalist and harmonica player Jezter (frontman for the Detroit rock bands Soot and Social Fever in addition to his work with Big B, all of which have earned him several recent nominations and an award as an Outstanding Vocalist), keyboardist Chuck Vermeulen (session veteran and member of the Detroit bands Rib and Moon Madness), bassist Doug Hise (a well-respected player and the producer/engineer/owner of Hise Sound Labs in Warren, Michigan), drummer Erin Pitman (a diversely talented stick man, formerly of the Detroit bands The Suicide Machines and Hemigod) and lastly the band's most recent coup, sax player Dave Daniele (also an awards nominee as a solo artist, instrumentalist and songwriter with his band The Sax Maniacs--a truly great player with a well-known reputation and history in the Detroit music scene). Put all these pieces together and you have a band that has wowed crowds at several area venues, blues showcases and festivals.

So what's next for this talented group? Big B has an answer for that as well: "It's all about our new CD, '11 Shots'. We worked long and hard on it and things have finally fallen into place--adding Dave Daniele's sax parts made all the songs even better. People have been asking us for a CD at our shows for a long time. If anyone is curious about our entertainment value as a band it's all right there on the disc. Classic and contemporary blues fans will love the way we switch up styles and sounds." Indeed, the proof is there: West Coast jump ("Be Cool") and Motown funk ("I Get It Now"), Texas shuffle ("Handed My Hat") and slow-burnin' 12-bar (the nine-minute live favorite "About To Get Evil"), Delta Dobro ("A Soul Ain't Worth A Damn") and Chicago soul ("Woman And The Devil"), smooth modern takes ("When You Gonna Tell The Truth", "Life's Too Short To Be Me"), all-out jams ("The Stunt", "Headfirst Slide") and lastly, a beautiful Stevie Ray Vaughan-inspired instrumental ("Big Hands"). 11 songs makes "11 Shots" a good, long listen that stands up to repeated plays.

"I believe that doing what makes you happy results in an authentic life and in our case, an authentic record. All I can say to people is if you like good music, check out our record and come see us live. We won't disappoint." With an invitation like that the decision to check out Big B and the Magic Bullets should be an easy one.