Juke Baritone & The Swamp Dogs
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Juke Baritone & The Swamp Dogs

Sydney, New South Wales, Australia | INDIE

Sydney, New South Wales, Australia | INDIE
Band Alternative Cabaret

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This band has not uploaded any videos
This band has not uploaded any videos

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"New Orleans style blues from Australia?"

New Orleans style blues from Australia? If only it were that simple.
With a swampy sound that refuses to get bogged down, this six piece
turns horn-heavy blues on its head, slyly clamoring through 9 tracks
of barely restrained cabaret-esque compositions that might just make
the perfect soundtrack to your next night of unbridled debauchery.
It's not that they're necessarily drinking songs, or that there's
anything inherently evil in the music; the songs just feel like they
should be surrounded by alcohol and semi-controlled raucousness, and
they bring to mind a dark cellar bar that maybe you haven't even been
to yet. With gravelly vocals and driving horns, you could compare it
to Tom Waits, but I think their own assessment of likening it to
"Screaming" Jay Hawkins may be a little closer to the mark. It's that
feeling of something brewing, the intangible element of impending
insanity that envelopes the sound. The tempos hit like a hard
heartbeat, knocking on your noggin while the horns almost force you to
sway with the beat. It's fun, but it's the kind of fun that might get
you in trouble. The best kind of trouble.
- CD Baby


"Who is this crazy person really?"

Who is this crazy person really?

Juke Baritone is the alias of Canadian-born Australian lad Brett Maverix. Or is Brett Maverix the alias of Juke Baritone? I get the impression Juke could be one of those drifter on-the-run-from-the-law forty-passport-seaman types that Tom Waits likes to sing about. Or even scarier and more poetic, he could be the mutated product of Waits’ imagination. Juke Baritone’s growling songs about love (the JB philosophy: love is all about getting in and out, getting high and getting laid) and the odd jibe at capitalism are dished out energetically by the jazzy Swamp Dogs ensemble. The Mr Baritone show pumps through the veins of this release and you can almost taste the stage show as paces of tempos quicken and each song crescendos, hinting at the drug experience JB openly serenades about. Juke Baritone calls it old world, swampy cabaret growlin’ blues; I call it suspicious.

ILI TULLOCH - Rave Magazine Brisbane


"Belgian Review"

Rare snuiter, die Australische Juke Baritone, of beter Brett Hewison, want dat is zijn echte naam. Zijn muziek is een combinatie van Tom Waits, Screamin' Jay Hawkins hoempa en cabaret, dat levert natuurlijk een niet zo licht verteerbaar geheel op. Beeld je de film "Cabaret" in, je weet wel, "Willkommen" en "Money Makes The World Go Round", dat soort stijlte, vervang Marlene Dietrich door een dronken Tom Waits en en een even dronken Screamin Jay Hawkins, met onze eigen Arno in het achtergrondkoor en je hebt zowat een beeld hoe de "Juke" klinkt. Zingen is niet het juiste woord, Juke is een shouter, maar dan in de letterlijke betekenis, niet zoals de bluesshouters. Met zijn hese stem schreeuwt hij, half declamerend, zijn teksten, tegen een meestal hoempa achtig, soms jazzy achtergrond. Het geheel blijft nogal cabaretesk, maar kan live best leuk en meeslepend zijn (zie clip). De live reputatie van de band is dan ook groot, hun shows zijn spektakels met verkleedparijen en een circus achtige sfeer. Met begeleiding van een vierkoppige band, en gebruik makend van diverse stijlen als ska ("Fade out"), jazzy Braziliaanse ritmes ("Oh Yeah"), bluesy soundtracks (het mooie dromerige instrumentale intermezzo "Under The Umbrella") maar zoals gezegd een soort hoempa backing waartegen afwisselend zijn parlando of half geschreeuwde teksten vertolkt worden. Zoals het absurde, maar wel grappige "Bill Hicks" opgedragen aan de overleden Amerikaanse stand up comedian. Origineel?... alleszins, .. Boeiend?.. misschien,... Goed?... voor degenen die houden van niet alledaagse muziekjes.
(RON) - Rootstime


Discography

The Last of the Kings - Radio Single 2009
Juke Baritone - Self Titled Album / Bag Lady Records 2007
Ya Said Ya Loved Me - single 2007
Juke Baritone & The Swamp Dogs - The Salted Man 2009

Photos

Bio

Juke Baritone and The Swamp Dogs underscore life with their bent mix of music, theatre and cabaret that's shaken and stirred into a dark cocktail of gypsy punk and pirate blues mayhem that has audiences prostrating themselves for more.

Like a drifter or a fugitive, Juke's growling songs about love and life are dished out by his raucous ensemble on the bacchanalian dinner table of his wild cellar bar.

There's a dirty sound reminiscent of a Louisiana gravel road coming from the organ and a tormented reverend is at the helm whipping his flock into a naked frenzy. He is laughing psychotically as he leads them through the dark and dirty corridors of hell...

Welcome to the church of Juke Baritone. Where raising hell has never been so much fun.

“People just lap it up.” says Juke, “I'm always surprised by the diversity in the crowd...apparently we cross some great divide in music where we've got heavy metal dudes screaming next to swing dancers next to gay couples, indie kids and hip hop heads...and they all love it!”

Not for the faint of heart, this intoxicating show has the tendency to turn ordinary people into raving fans and make others walk out in disgust as musical categories are bled to death on the dance floor.

“..it might just make the perfect soundtrack to your next night of unbridled debauchery... It's not that they're necessarily drinking songs, or that there's anything inherently evil in the music; the songs just feel like they should be surrounded by alcohol and semi-controlled raucousness, and they bring to mind a dark cellar bar that maybe you haven't even been to yet.. It's fun, but it's the kind of fun that might get you in trouble. The best kind of trouble.”
- CD Baby (USA)

“Who is this crazy person really? I get the impression Juke could be one of those drifter on-the-run-from-the-law forty-passport-seaman types that Tom Waits likes to sing about…”
- Rave Magazine Brisbane (AU)

“Juke Baritone sounds like everything I want out of The Dresden Dolls but never seem to get.”
-Pat Rondon (UK)

“I haven't seen a band like that in twenty years. They broke every rule I asked them not to but it was so worth it...”
Promoter (AU)

“With hard driving Australian Rock based influences and a dirty sound reminiscent of a Louisiana gravel road, lyrics that are naughty and sometimes crude they’ll probably never get airplay on American radio but hey, it’s the Blues. Add to that a real message and you’ll see why I like it.”
- The Blogging Poet

Watch some video footage: http://www.youtube.com/jukebaritone