Blue Line
Chicago, Illinois, United States | SELF
Music
Press
" "I love your CD!!! Every song is great! Thanks for the autographs too. I have been playing it so much since I got it on Saturday. Keep up the awesome work!""
- - Rev. Paul Panos
"Very Tight Original Sound. Good Stage Presence."
- BattleMania Judge panel
"BlueLine!!! Is.... "AMAZING MUSCIANS"!!! With.. The Feel of..TRUE ROCKIN"!! Blues!!,.. "ORIGINALS!! Start off!! With.. The Lead Singer!! Rick DaGrexican Martinez!!!! a Powerful!! feeling! Blues Vocalist!! with Controlled rasp!!, to The 2!!! "AMAZING GUITARIST's!!!, Dan Koby!!!!, and.. Mike Smith!!!!, Each Of Them!! Have a'.. GREAT!! Different Style of their Own!! with "GREAT FEEL"!! ,to the Bass Guitarist!!, Mike Arnold!!!!, Running up!! and Down!! of the Fret Board!! ,Filling!! Just enough!! to Make the Songs! Sound!! Full!!,.. GREAT!! Bass Player!,and Guido Z. Cameli!!!! Lockin'!! in With the Bass Guitarist!! and.. Doing!! GREAT!! Fills!! and Tempo!!, GREAT!! Drummer!! "
- Daryl Thomas Hayes, Let's!! ROCK!! TOGETHER!!
"I gotta tella ya....you guys have made it to the top of my list of all-time favorite bands to film!!! Every single one of you is a joy to watch and listen to!!! You have a magnificent stage presence! Gosh darn! I find myself wanting to relive that night of filming over and over again and luckily, I get to do it every time I watch your videos!!!"
- Lacy G - J Scott Films
"Great tracks! Awesome sound! Solid Band!!!!!!!
- Wayne VanSnick
"Blue Line is the best band I've seen in years!"
- Leslie Skully Taylor
"Can't wait to get some more shows booked with you soon! The last show KICKED ASS!"
- Hollywoods Promotions
"SO glad I finally made it out to see you guys tonight... YOU GUYS WERE AWESOME!"
- Jimmy Murphy
"Blue Line rocked last night at J D Muggs! Keep on rocking!"
- Paddy Padmanabhan
"I love how much fun you guys have up on stage! Not stiff & all serious. Its very comfortable for the audience & it brings them in to feel closer to a part of the band & the music!"
- - Dozer Mudshell Music
"Very Tight Original Sound. Good Stage Presence."
- BattleMania Judge panel
"BlueLine!!! Is.... "AMAZING MUSCIANS"!!! With.. The Feel of..TRUE ROCKIN"!! Blues!!,.. "ORIGINALS!! Start off!! With.. The Lead Singer!! Rick DaGrexican Martinez!!!! a Powerful!! feeling! Blues Vocalist!! with Controlled rasp!!, to The 2!!! "AMAZING GUITARIST's!!!, Dan Koby!!!!, and.. Mike Smith!!!!, Each Of Them!! Have a'.. GREAT!! Different Style of their Own!! with "GREAT FEEL"!! ,to the Bass Guitarist!!, Mike Arnold!!!!, Running up!! and Down!! of the Fret Board!! ,Filling!! Just enough!! to Make the Songs! Sound!! Full!!,.. GREAT!! Bass Player!,and Guido Z. Cameli!!!! Lockin'!! in With the Bass Guitarist!! and.. Doing!! GREAT!! Fills!! and Tempo!!, GREAT!! Drummer!! "
- Daryl Thomas Hayes, Let's!! ROCK!! TOGETHER!!
"I gotta tella ya....you guys have made it to the top of my list of all-time favorite bands to film!!! Every single one of you is a joy to watch and listen to!!! You have a magnificent stage presence! Gosh darn! I find myself wanting to relive that night of filming over and over again and luckily, I get to do it every time I watch your videos!!!"
- Lacy G - J Scott Films
"Great tracks! Awesome sound! Solid Band!!!!!!!
- Wayne VanSnick
"Blue Line is the best band I've seen in years!"
- Leslie Skully Taylor
"Can't wait to get some more shows booked with you soon! The last show KICKED ASS!"
- Hollywoods Promotions
"SO glad I finally made it out to see you guys tonight... YOU GUYS WERE AWESOME!"
- Jimmy Murphy
"Blue Line rocked last night at J D Muggs! Keep on rocking!"
- Paddy Padmanabhan
"I love how much fun you guys have up on stage! Not stiff & all serious. Its very comfortable for the audience & it brings them in to feel closer to a part of the band & the music!"
- - Dozer Mudshell Music
"Blue Line is the best band I've seen in years!"
- - Leslie Skully Taylor
"I gotta tella ya....you guys have made it to the top of my list of all-time favorite bands to film!!! Every single one of you is a joy to watch and listen to!!! You have a magnificent stage presence! Gosh darn! I find myself wanting to relive that night of filming over and over again and luckily, I get to do it every time I watch your videos!!!"
- - Lacy G - J Scott Films
"I gotta tella ya....you guys have made it to the top of my list of all-time favorite bands to film!!! Every single one of you is a joy to watch and listen to!!! You have a magnificent stage presence! Gosh darn! I find myself wanting to relive that night of filming over and over again and luckily, I get to do it every time I watch your videos!!!"
- - Lacy G - J Scott Films
"BlueLine!!! Is.... "AMAZING MUSCIANS"!!! With.. The Feel of..TRUE ROCKIN"!! Blues!!,.. "ORIGINALS!! Start off!! With.. The Lead Singer!! Rick DaGrexican Martinez!!!! a Powerful!! feeling! Blues Vocalist!! with Controlled rasp!!, to The 2!!! "AMAZING GUITARIST's!!!, Dan Koby!!!!, and.. Mike Smith!!!!, Each Of Them!! Have a'.. GREAT!! Different Style of their Own!! with "GREAT FEEL"!! ,to the Bass Guitarist!!, Mike Arnold!!!!, Running up!! and Down!! of the Fret Board!! ,Filling!! Just enough!! to Make the Songs! Sound!! Full!!,.. GREAT!! Bass Player!,and Guido Z. Cameli!!!! Lockin'!! in With the Bass Guitarist!! and.. Doing!! GREAT!! Fills!! and Tempo!!, GREAT!! Drummer!! "
- - Daryl Thomas Hayes, Let's!! ROCK!! TOGETHER!!
I happened to catch Blue Line's inaugural show last Friday at the Penny Road Pub (on Penny Road) in Barrington. Gotta say -- for a blues/rock band playing all original material, this was no first show. These guys are all rock 'n' roll lifers.
Actually I'm just guessing that. But frontman Richard Anaston is actually a good bar friend of mine (yes, that's a thing) from the days when karaoke was popular (and several days after, when it wasn't). Dude has been in every kind of band from a regular ZZ Top cover gig (Rough Boyzz) to Messin' With Texas to something called Soulkiss that seemed like more of a constant argument than a band (I empathize). If you don't know Ricky, ... I ... Really don't have a "then" statement. You just should.
Not to overdo the bro love, but Rick's natural rock energy, gruff-yet-malleable voice and ease with the audience really compels everyone in the room towards the show. They even out-shined the night's headliners, College Rock Dropouts, who were actually pretty good (anybody who plays Cracker is permanently filed-away on my good side).
Blues Line is beyond-capably filled-out by Mike Smith (guitar), Dan Koby (guitar), Mike Arnold (bass) and Guido Cameli (drums). And these guys are raucous. No weak links. Both guitarists nailed solos behind their heads, the bass was hopping and popping all night like a blues line should, and the skins provided the right energy and pace to keep the whole thing from spilling off the rails.
The "Most Interesting Man in the World" cutout in back, stage left, fit in perfectly with these dudes.
The music is just great. If you have any interest in blues, these guys keep it real while displaying an entirely unique sound. The mood is bright and rockin and focused on the talents of each member of the band. This may be the blues, but it's not woe-is-me. It's a celebration.
I had to pull Dan Koby aside after the show and tell him how much I dug his style. Dude gets so into his guitar solos that his glasses slide down his nose like the nutty professor of the axe (I, again, empathize).
When I had my own blues band in college a decade ago, we had to fill the setlist out with Sublime covers, STP, Marley, Miserlou and the Coconut Song. Yes, it was a truly legendary setlist, if you ask me and Old Booze (my accomplished co-guitarist who passed out on my apartment floor every night after working on it), but we were hardly a BLUES band ("Lyrics hard." "Drink more beer!" "No!... Now more hard").
All the guys in Blues Line put on a memorable show, and were cool enough to chill with their friends and mingle with the audience afterwards, making toasts, drinking a few cold ones and talking about their next pursuits. Gotta say -- I will catch this band again! -Dan Bradley - Chicago Now
Discography
Still working on that hot first release.
Photos
Bio
Blue Line was formed in the later part of 2011 by a group of musicians looking to expand their musical horizons. The members of Blue Line have, in the past, played together in various projects and know the strengths that each one can bring to the table. Blue Line is a group that has been in the making for a decade when Richard, Mike and Dan tried to bring it together in 2002. Due to current projects they were involved in at the time, Blue Line failed to take off. Now that the moons have aligned, Blue Line has formed and its members have gained strength in the past years.
Blue Line is influence by SRV, Jimi Hendrix, Allman Brothers, Rory Gallagher, Chris Duarte, Albert Collins, Albert King, Led Zepplin and many others!!
Blue Line is an active band on stage and incorporates pleasing harmonic content between instruments in every song.
Blue Line has just released their debut album, Off The Rails, now available through iTunes, Amazon, Reverb Nation and CDBaby.
Band Members
Links
