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The best kept secret in music
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Sunday morning, post-Oba Oba Brasil gig at Suba. I am drinking coffee as Ive managed to run out of virtually all food substances. Giant will be receiving a visit sometime this afternoon. We ate last night at Sammys, of $25 lasagna fame, but this time I checked out the menu before ordering and it would seem that the extravagantly priced lasagna was a myth. I had chicken rossano, extremely good. The food and service were excellent, though they placed us in the basement dining room, probably a function of our jeans. We tried to eat at Mangia Qui, which of course was where the gig was last night, but they were booked solid at 7pm and I, with my typically improvisational approach to life, had failed to make reservations anywhere.
The gig itself was very fun. A local blues / rock singer named Chelsea (SIC?) came up and sat in on a Latin version of Summertime, Gershwins timeless blues from Porgy and Bess. Chelsea was fantastic, with great pitch, dynamics and a flawless voice. She really went over well in spite of what must have been an anxiety-filled performance, sitting in with a Latin band which Im sure is not her practiced background. But she was a pro and she aced it. I believe Chelsea performs periodically at Suba in a duo with her husband Josh. Thats where I first heard her and even though I dont particularly care for that kind of music, I sat through several hours of it, admiring their sound. You can probably find future performances of theirs at www.mangiaqui.com.
- PennLive.com/midstate crisis blog
My girlfriend drove it back from Jackie Blue last night, where we had gone with my son to listen to Honey Clover. Name aside, the group is definitely worth a listen. It's bluesy, folky stuff, a genre I generally get ill listening to, but Chelsea is a fabulous singer, and the rest of the group does a great job of building a canvas for her to work with. Anyway, a number of drinks later, I thought it best to let her drive home. I'm beginning to believe she is the Devil, as for the next hour, she experimented with the voice system, trying to learn its capabilities at being evil. "Passenger temperature 40 degrees" I would hear, and the damn thing would comply. "Find ultra-conservative, Christian, XM radio channel", she attempted. Thankfully it did not comply when, after my protests at freezing and roasting, she instructed the car to "Eject passenger". - PennLive.com/midstate crisis blog
Discography
Honey Clover Band - Raw Honey
Photos
Feeling a bit camera shy
Bio
Honey Clover Band formed in 2006, after a short maternity leave from the music biz, to feature the original songs of Chelsea and Josh Bowman. Chels and I have both been involved in many projects over the years; Abalone Shell, Job's Tears, back up band for Carol Calloway and Ibrahim Samandi. We have played many venues; The Pyramid, The Lion's Den, The Bitter End, CBGB's to name a few. We have been influenced by some varied artists; Bonnie Raitt, The Beatles, Pat Benetar, Dylan(don't think I'm talking about Dylan Thomas, whoever he was)Paul Simon, Peter Gabriel, Louis Armstrong and Ella Fitzgerald, Otis Redding, Pink Floyd, and The Beastie Boys. We have had the priviledge of working with many fine musicians, sometimes all at once, like the ten piece gospel band that backed Carol Callaway. This time we decided to keep it simple. We stripped it down to the bare essentials; rhythm and melody, and man are we happy with the results. It's a young lively and fluid blend of roots, rock, rhythm and blues. Chelsea's sultry alto vocals flow seamlessly from pure and crisp to dark and gritty. Pop Sensibility? Naturally, but it's coupled with an unwavering commitment to artistic integrity. We hope you will come see us do what we do and do it soon.
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