Booze Monkey
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Booze Monkey

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Band Blues Acoustic

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"The Big Takeover"

Booze Monkey
"Good Luck Mr. Gorsky"
(Sanity Check)

BLUE is back with another album of swamp bucket blues with howling vocals, following his similar moonshine LP Something Borrowed Something. Only this time it's an acoustic duo with Joel Ludwig, former
bassist for BLUE's live band, BLUE & The JADED, entitled Booze Monkey. But you still imagine these Winchester, VA cats playing down the Louisiana bayou, dodging the alligators on the way to the gig on someone's front porch or to the Louisiana Hayride, opening for Elvis or Junior Parker circa 1955 Sun days. The busy bass and insistent
acoustic keep things lively, but it's BLUE's jarring voice and gonzo singing that make their mark, a distant cousin of the Cramps' Lux Interiour.

Check out "Cats are Rockin'." They are indeed! Best lyric:
"You're a jawbreaker baby/And I'm your everlasting sucker." Ha! (http://SanityCheck.net)

The Big Takeover
Issue No. 52 - Jack Rabid


"Splendid Ezine"

Booze Monkey
Good Luck Mr. Gorsky
Sanity Check Musec

Format Reviewed: CD

Drinking and music are inevitable bedfellows, and drinking and the blues are all but synonymous. Booze Monkey obviously have no desire to upset the treasured tradition with their acoustic-based white boy blues. Most notable and telling is the decision to fill Good Luck Mr. Gorsky's liner notes with drink recipes -- not just the ingredients, but the full fledged Bartender's Bible directions for preparing these selected (and apparently preferred) libations. The subject matter and cover art are no facade -- this is a band committed to living their name.

The spunky "My Drinkin'" begins with a list of individual liquors, and then claims that "my drinkin' will save your life". Consistently smooth blues licks delivered over precise bass lines recall the rural authenticity of a late night tent revival, and you get the distinct impression that Booze Monkey are speaking the (slightly inebriated) truth.

And if you need some late night preaching, who better than bassist Joel Ludwig and "BLUE" (we are assured that this is his real, legal and only name) on vocals, all things guitar and homemade stompbox? There are moments of pure grandeur here; Blue's ragged vocals are the perfect accompaniment to his various blues guitar styles, most notably his resonating slide guitar. In true blues style, many of the lyrics are focused on drinking and/or evil women, and all of them are laced with the loss and disorientation of a sad life; they just happen to be pretty damn entertaining as well! Give Good Luck Mr. Gorsky a few spins at high volume and before you know it you'll be one of the converted, ready to belly up to the bar and buy a round for the band.


-- Ryan Smith
- Ryan Smith


"Impact Press"

Booze Monkey • Good Luck Mr. Gorsky • Sanity Check Musec •

What a great band name! This duo from Virginia plays acoustic blues-rock that is damn good. Blues isn't my favorite style, but it's obvious these cats know how to jam. These 16 tracks are a kick-ass collection of blues tunes that are full of soul, will get your toes tappin' and your eyes tearing up (kidding, of course). (CM) - CM


"Amazon.com Customer Review"

With "Good Luck Mr. Gorsky" , Booze Monkey forge some serious new territory, ironically enough, with a time tested musical form- the blues.

The acoustic duo morph a variety of genres into a brand new sound.
What makes this album stand out is BLUE's shimmering production style. This CD glistens! The blues never sounded so clean.
But fear not, Booze Monkey will never stand accused of being alter boys! There is a heavy dose of dirty debauchery in these tunes. With songs like "My Drinkin" and "Surely Hang" these guys apparently mean business. You'll have to decide for yourself if this is cause for concern, or just a little monkeying around.
But you are sure to enjoy the ride!

Joel Ludwig's smooth-groove-bass provides impeccable support for BLUE's six string and vocal hi-jinx.
In a perfect world, BLUE could easily be the next Roy Thomas Baker, or Babyface. "Jawbreaker", for example, has that ridiculously catchy hook that could easily make it a hit. But, it could take a bit of good luck for Mr. Gorsky to move the masses.

Booze Monkey will probably find themselves a slightly more discerning audience.
Then again, they could very well re-define the blues for a whole new generation! - Kessongs


"Living Blues"

Booze Monkey
"Good Luck Mr. Gorsky"
Sanity Check Musec SCM-BM69001

Judging by the cover art (a half-empty bottle of Gorsky vodka flanked by a handful of picks and glass, metal, and ceramic guitar slides) and the drink recipes enclosed within (the Surely Hang, a combinatiohn of Crown Royal, Disaronno, and Grand Marnier sounds delicious), Booze Monkey definitely know how to have a good time. The Virginia-based group - a two-man band featuring BLUE on vocals, guitar, and percussive "stomp box" and Joel "Spyder" Ludwig on fretless acoustic bass - rips through sixteen raucous tracks, pulling as much from the alt-rock blues duo Doo Rag as from Delta blues king Charley Patton. Apparently, Booze Monkey is just the tip of the musical iceberg for frontman BLUE, who also leads the avant-garde Church Of Chaos, the experimental rock band METAL MACHINE, and other groups when not directing film shorts or fielding for the Booze Monkeys softball team. Definitely check this disc out. - Andria Lisle - Andria Lisle


Discography

BLUE released 8 solo records prior to forming Booze Monkey.

Booze Monkey released its' debut CD "Good Luck Mr. Gorsky" in March of 2003. It is available through all major record retailers.

"Run Linux Run!" is a 17 song, 72 minute live album recorded on July 3, 2003 at Goodfella's in Hampton, VA. It is only available via the Internet and Booze Monkey shows.

"Savannah Colors" is the second Live Booze Monkey CD, like "Run Linux Run!" it is only available in "fan circles", but will be available soon from CDBaby. It was recorded in a smaller venue and has an even more intimate sound, released December 31, 2003.

"Cool Side of the Pillow" is the second Booze Monkey studio CD and will be released in the Fall of 2004. "Cool Side of the Pillow" will also contain a DVD featuring live performances.

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Bio

Booze Monkey is a two-piece acoustic-blues band.

Former Sanity Check Musec, Inc. (SCM) solo recording artist/producer BLUE sings, plays guitar and a homemade "stompbox". Joel "Spyder" Ludwig plays a fretless acoustic bass and double-bass.

Prior to forming Booze Monkey with Joel, BLUE released eight independent solo records as well as two modern rock records with the band METAL MACHINE and two industrial dance records with his multi-media creation Church Of Chaos. BLUE is also an award winning filmmaker and the composer of many soundtrack works. He has worked in many musical genres over the years, however always found himself returning to the blues. With Booze Monkey, he has decided to stay there.

Joel Ludwig was the long-time bass player for BLUE's live band "BLUE & the JADED". The JADED performed live with many different artists in support of BLUE's solo records throughout the 1990s.

Joel is a graduate of West VA University, a published poet, a long-time radio broadcast personality and SCM remix artist. He has also acted in several short films produced by SCM.

The Booze Monkey bass parts are always written and arranged with great care; they are never an after-thought. They provide a very distinct and dimensional sound to Booze Monkey's music.

BLUE (his real name) switches between resonator guitars and standard 6-string, alternating between finger-style, bottle neck and flat pick techniques. As a long-time multi-instrumentalist, his influence on Booze Monkey arrangements is diverse and often complex, but the limited number of instruments prevents the music from becoming pompous or losing its' entertaining focus.

Booze Monkey's music, and in turn its' live show, combines components of jazz, rock, folk, country, americana, bluegrass and rockabilly into a package that is succinctly blues.

Booze Monkey's live set consists of songs from throughout BLUE's catalogue, a few traditional blues covers, covers of songs written by fellow regional artists, and new songs that are specific to the band.

Their show incorporates humor, assured musicianship, a relaxed confidence gained from decades of combined experience and most importantly a sincere respect for both the music and their audience.