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I have to give props to the honorary Southernness of (some) New Jersey folks. And, as we all know, I myself was born on the wrong side of the river. Hillbilly Water is a tight bluegrass band that has a Grandpa Jones sound with interesting harmonies to give their music texture.
These guys have played with greats like Peter Rowan and Allison Krauss – so you know they mean business. They’ve got all the traditional instruments going: guitar, mandolin, dobro and banjo.
For more information, check out http://www.myspace.com/hillbillywater. - Southern Fried Magazine
"Although the members of Hillbilly Water hail from NJ. They have immersed themselves in the Appalachian mountain traditions of the bluegrass genre and its founder Bill Monroe, but they also have an ear for more contemporary sounds as well." - Twin Boro News-NNJ
Hillbilly Water is H2O with a capital “H.” While hailing from eastern seaboard around New Jersey and New York, the spirited trio sings enthusiastically about the “Old Home Place,” and they hunker down for a rousing rendition of Bill Monroe’s instrumental “Come Hither to Go Yonder.” Featuring only mandolin, guitar and bass, however, the trio’s rustic instrumental sound just doesn’t give us the totality of a full bluegrass aggregation. Ed Rainey’s guitar work is supercharged with some strong flatpicking and rhythmic embellishments. He also plays some solid banjo on the album’s opener, “Rose-A-Lee.” When Loue D and Eddie are picking numbers like “Shenandoah Drive” or “Riffs on A,” I could imagine Hillbilly Water being served up to ebullient audiences in their local speakeasies and hooch houses. On bass, George Kapitanelis has been playing that instrument for twenty years. While his low-pitched tones sound accurate, their equalization on this short CD leaves a little to be desired. They could’ve been made more clean and crisp with some high-end EQ and compression.
Most problematic for hardboiled Hillbilly Water are their unrefined vocals that feature Louie’s leads and Ed’s harmonies. I’ve heard better recorded versions of Townes Van Zandt’s “Waitin’ Round to Die” and Peter Rowan’s “I’m Gonna Love You (Like There’s No Tomorrow.” These criticisms aside, “Have A Drink” is a debut album that will serve as a very good representative demo CD for the band to ply its trade and solicit offers to perform. After an appetizer of Hillbilly Water, I’m going to go grab a large shot of authentic West Virginia blackberry moonshine to wash it all down. George and Eddie also play in a honky-tonk-blues band called The Cosmic American Derelicts. (Joe Ross) - Bluegrass Now
Discography
Debut Cd-Have A Drink-2007
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Bio
Hillbilly Water have been performing together for over 6 years. Having gotten their start in '02. The band is an acoustic trio featuring mandolin, guitar & bass. Louie Demayo is the lead singer and mandolin player. Lou is a huge fan of Bill Monroe and bluegrass music in general. Louie D. as he's called by friends and fans alike has been playing mandolin for over a dozen years. He's had the pleasure of hanging out and playing with Del McCoury, Adam Stefi, Allison Krauss and a bunch of others. On guitar we have the unassuming Ed Rainey. Ed's been playing for as long as he can remember and was brought up listening and playing old time country and bluegrass songs. Encouraged by his dad, himself a great banjo/vocalist, Eddie learned to play all the bluegrass instruments; Dobro, Guitar, Mandolin and Banjo. He is quite a talent and must be seen to believe. Not only does he play real good but he sings great too. Helping Lou D. with the high harmony. Ed's played with many greats including Peter Rowan and Vasser Clements. Bassist George The Greek has been playing for over 20 years and his musical friendship goes back just as far with Ed Rainey. They have been playing in bands since high school and have created a dynamic groove and feel that kicks the band up a notch. George and Eddie also play in the Cosmic American Derelicts www.myspace.com/tcad69 , which plays honky-tonk-blues. These 2 guys live to play music. George has also played with some heavy dudes including, Buddy Miles, Vaser Clements, Terry Reid.
Now the band has just completed their debut Cd. "Have A Drink" The music off of "Have A Drink" is currently being spun on over 30 stations in the USA and abroad.
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