Music
Press
by Mark Gallo
Cherri & the Violators have a winner in their self-produced “Processed American Blues Product:, a disc that will appeal to fans of rock and blues alike. As Cherri says, there are a few blues tunes, a few rock tunes, and a few cheesy pop tunes. This is decidedly a step up from the last disc. Cherri’s vocals are more confident and Tone Burke’s guitar work is a secret weapon that most bands would love to have in the arsenal. Rounded out by bassist Paul Bendig and drummer Hank Cupp, the band comes to win fans with this disc. “Traveling Shoes” showcases Burke’s guitar work to superb effect, and the band’s version of John Gorka’s “Bottles Break” has a folk blues feel on which Cherri and the fellas all show their gentler side. This qualifies as one of the pop tunes, but it’s a well structured and executed tune that does what a good pop tune does best, it has a killer hook that grabs the listener and doesn’t let go. “Too Much” (“too much sorrow make your heart break/ too much work make your body ache”) has a CCR intro that evolves into something more pop oriented. “The Same Twelve Bars”, all about “playing the same twelve bars in the same twelve bars”, is a tune that most blues players can get next to. The band does a fine bluesy version of Pat Benatar’s “True Love” before closing it out with a superp “I’d Rather Have the Blues”.
- Detroit Blues Society
by Mark Gallo
Cherri & the Violators have a winner in their self-produced “Processed American Blues Product:, a disc that will appeal to fans of rock and blues alike. As Cherri says, there are a few blues tunes, a few rock tunes, and a few cheesy pop tunes. This is decidedly a step up from the last disc. Cherri’s vocals are more confident and Tone Burke’s guitar work is a secret weapon that most bands would love to have in the arsenal. Rounded out by bassist Paul Bendig and drummer Hank Cupp, the band comes to win fans with this disc. “Traveling Shoes” showcases Burke’s guitar work to superb effect, and the band’s version of John Gorka’s “Bottles Break” has a folk blues feel on which Cherri and the fellas all show their gentler side. This qualifies as one of the pop tunes, but it’s a well structured and executed tune that does what a good pop tune does best, it has a killer hook that grabs the listener and doesn’t let go. “Too Much” (“too much sorrow make your heart break/ too much work make your body ache”) has a CCR intro that evolves into something more pop oriented. “The Same Twelve Bars”, all about “playing the same twelve bars in the same twelve bars”, is a tune that most blues players can get next to. The band does a fine bluesy version of Pat Benatar’s “True Love” before closing it out with a superp “I’d Rather Have the Blues”.
- Detroit Blues Society
Robert Downes
March 21, 2005
Blues, as rendered by Midwestern white people, tends to be a rote exercise of following down the same footpaths of chord structures hollowed out by generations of performers. And lyrically, present-day blues tends to be leaden with its lack of authenticity, which has been replaced with a fake cheer. It’s impossible for today’s performers to have the authentic experiences which gave birth to the blues: They weren’t raised in sharecroppers’ cabins, for instance; nor are they likely to be living on the South Side of Chicago as in Muddy Waters’ hey-day, snapping pistols in a rival’s face or knife-fighting over a woman. The cultural soil that made the blues great has all been plowed down to sterile ground and eroded away down the long Mississippi.
So the challenge for a band like Cherri and the Violators is to reinvent the blues and bring something fresh to the table. Happily, even triumphantly, the band has done just that on an album that manages to be both experimental in its reach while saying something new. The Benzie/Manistee County-based band labels their music “contemporary blues,” and you have to hand it to them: they have succeeded in slapping the paddles on the old zombie blues and reviving it as their own personal creation with songwriting that is exceptionally strong.
Vocalist Cheryl Bendig is nothing less than superb; her voice has an addictive flower child quality that recalls the great pop singers of the ‘60s: Linda Rondstat, Judy Collins, Petula Clark. She has a knack for vocal phrasing that takes a song on a gliding, twisting thrust to a wafting, higher level, transforming the music in a way that is inspiring -- even magical. This is especially true on “Time (Wait For Me),” which again, has the feel of something by the ‘60s Mamas & Papas or Spanky and Our Gang that transcends the blues in a way that might make the music popularly viable again. “Mirror Mirror” is another song where Bendig weaves some of that black magic woman spell. Then there’s the surprisingly fresh “Bartender,” which takes an old blues clichè and gives it a gentle kick to new heights.
Not every song is a success: “Musta Been Fun” is your standard yadda-yadda blues guitar riff dressed with some Jonny Lang attitude.
But no one can deny that Cherri and the Violators aren’t violating the envelope here, creating their own vision of the blues that is pleasantly pop-oriented and unexpectedly romantic. Bandmates Tony Burke on lead/rhythm guitars, Paul Bendig on vocals/bass, and Pat Eickenroth on drums/percussion serve up a powerful backdrop for Bendig’s vocals, never overplaying their hand. With “Empty Pockets,” they’ve managed to take the blues to higher ground. If nothing else, this CD will certainly make you want to catch the band live.
- Northern Express Magazine
Robert Downes
March 21, 2005
Blues, as rendered by Midwestern white people, tends to be a rote exercise of following down the same footpaths of chord structures hollowed out by generations of performers. And lyrically, present-day blues tends to be leaden with its lack of authenticity, which has been replaced with a fake cheer. It’s impossible for today’s performers to have the authentic experiences which gave birth to the blues: They weren’t raised in sharecroppers’ cabins, for instance; nor are they likely to be living on the South Side of Chicago as in Muddy Waters’ hey-day, snapping pistols in a rival’s face or knife-fighting over a woman. The cultural soil that made the blues great has all been plowed down to sterile ground and eroded away down the long Mississippi.
So the challenge for a band like Cherri and the Violators is to reinvent the blues and bring something fresh to the table. Happily, even triumphantly, the band has done just that on an album that manages to be both experimental in its reach while saying something new. The Benzie/Manistee County-based band labels their music “contemporary blues,” and you have to hand it to them: they have succeeded in slapping the paddles on the old zombie blues and reviving it as their own personal creation with songwriting that is exceptionally strong.
Vocalist Cheryl Bendig is nothing less than superb; her voice has an addictive flower child quality that recalls the great pop singers of the ‘60s: Linda Rondstat, Judy Collins, Petula Clark. She has a knack for vocal phrasing that takes a song on a gliding, twisting thrust to a wafting, higher level, transforming the music in a way that is inspiring -- even magical. This is especially true on “Time (Wait For Me),” which again, has the feel of something by the ‘60s Mamas & Papas or Spanky and Our Gang that transcends the blues in a way that might make the music popularly viable again. “Mirror Mirror” is another song where Bendig weaves some of that black magic woman spell. Then there’s the surprisingly fresh “Bartender,” which takes an old blues clichè and gives it a gentle kick to new heights.
Not every song is a success: “Musta Been Fun” is your standard yadda-yadda blues guitar riff dressed with some Jonny Lang attitude.
But no one can deny that Cherri and the Violators aren’t violating the envelope here, creating their own vision of the blues that is pleasantly pop-oriented and unexpectedly romantic. Bandmates Tony Burke on lead/rhythm guitars, Paul Bendig on vocals/bass, and Pat Eickenroth on drums/percussion serve up a powerful backdrop for Bendig’s vocals, never overplaying their hand. With “Empty Pockets,” they’ve managed to take the blues to higher ground. If nothing else, this CD will certainly make you want to catch the band live.
- Northern Express Magazine
On their second disc, Northern Michigan based Cherri and the Violators explore the glory days of the mid 70’s where songs that rocked were informed by the blues but were well removed from the Delta. That’s not to say that blues fans won’t find familiar sounds here. They will, but they aren’t the standard boogies and shuffles that fill all too many regional blues discs. Instead, the blues creeps in by way of the band’s self penned lyrics and the terrific guitar work of Tony Burke who sounds like he has spent equal amounts of time listening to Jimmy Thackery, Robin Trower and Johnny Winter. Stand out tracks include Bartender which features a “two ships passing in the night” style conversation between a bartender and a patron over a wah wah fueled guitar groove, Fretting for Nothing which is a rocking exploration of the jealousy/suspicion worm at work, Time (Wait for Me) which is a majestic, atmospheric number that could fit on a Clannad disc, Don’t Call Me Baby, which has a rockabilly groove, Mirror, Mirror, which sounds a bit like Ann Wilson of Heart taking on House of the Rising Sun and Up For Me, which is a rocking tune with clever lyrics about things not being quite what they appear. Also worthy of note is the irresistible, slinky acoustic reprise of the title cut. Lead vocalist Cheryl Bendig delivers the songs in a voice that has the raw power of Janis Joplin but the finesse of Ann Wilson. - Detroit Blues Society
On their second disc, Northern Michigan based Cherri and the Violators explore the glory days of the mid 70’s where songs that rocked were informed by the blues but were well removed from the Delta. That’s not to say that blues fans won’t find familiar sounds here. They will, but they aren’t the standard boogies and shuffles that fill all too many regional blues discs. Instead, the blues creeps in by way of the band’s self penned lyrics and the terrific guitar work of Tony Burke who sounds like he has spent equal amounts of time listening to Jimmy Thackery, Robin Trower and Johnny Winter. Stand out tracks include Bartender which features a “two ships passing in the night” style conversation between a bartender and a patron over a wah wah fueled guitar groove, Fretting for Nothing which is a rocking exploration of the jealousy/suspicion worm at work, Time (Wait for Me) which is a majestic, atmospheric number that could fit on a Clannad disc, Don’t Call Me Baby, which has a rockabilly groove, Mirror, Mirror, which sounds a bit like Ann Wilson of Heart taking on House of the Rising Sun and Up For Me, which is a rocking tune with clever lyrics about things not being quite what they appear. Also worthy of note is the irresistible, slinky acoustic reprise of the title cut. Lead vocalist Cheryl Bendig delivers the songs in a voice that has the raw power of Janis Joplin but the finesse of Ann Wilson. - Detroit Blues Society
Discography
First Offense - 2003
Empty Pockets - 2005 - Nominated for WYCE Jammie - best local blues album & best new artist!
Processed American Blues Product - 2007 - Nominated for WYCE Jammie - best local blues album!
Photos
Bio
Blues, as rendered by Midwestern white people, tends to be a rote exercise of following down the same footpaths of chord structures hollowed out by generations of performers. And lyrically, present-day blues tends to be leaden with its lack of authenticity, which has been replaced with a fake cheer. The challenge for a band like Cherri and the Violators is to reinvent the blues and bring something fresh to the table.
Northern Michigan based Cherri and the Violators recall the glory days of blues rock as practiced by the likes of Foghat, Cream, or more recently Jimmy Thackery and the Drivers. Like those bands the Violators rock hard but have a bluesy edge that keeps blues fans interested. Leading the sonic assault is guitarist Tony Burke who clearly spent as many hours soaking up classic 70's riffs by Robin Trower and Johnny Winter as he spent with the bedrock blues of Albert Collins, Albert King and Buddy Guy.
That's not to say that blues fans won't find familiar sounds here. They will, but they aren't the standard boogies and shuffles that fill all too many regional blues discs. Instead, the blues creeps in by way of the band's self penned lyrics and their terrific guitar work. Bandmates Paul Bendig on vocals/bass, and Hank Cupp on drums/percussion serve up a powerful backdrop for vocalist Cheryl Bendig, never overplaying their hand.
Bendig’s vocals have an addictive flower child quality that recalls the great pop singers of the '60s. She has a knack for vocal phrasing that delivers the songs with the raw power of Janis Joplin but the finesse of Ann Wilson. Bendig is also a fearless songwriter with topics covering everything from the monthly bouts that send men into hiding, PMS Blues, to the struggles of the unemployed, Empty Pockets.
No one can deny that Cherri and the Violators aren't violating the envelope here, creating their own vision of the blues that is pleasantly pop-oriented and unexpectedly romantic. You have to hand it to them: they have succeeded in slapping the paddles on the old zombie blues and reviving it as their own personal creation with songwriting that is exceptionally strong.
Links
