soulwell
Villa Rica, Georgia, United States
Music
Press
Crank up the volume when you slip this one into your CD player. Blues Messenger [first incarnation of SoulWell] made their debut and soured through rain laden clouds on the sonic wings of Neil Howell's guitar.
Black Jack and A.J. Tuesday hosts for Good Morning Blues WRFG 89.3FM Atlanta 2005 - WRFG FM. RADIO ATLANTA
T. Lounges Entertainment Editor:Fledgling local label, Power Plant Records release, "Quadrivium" by Tom Lentz Fusion is a well recorded indie instrumental offering that wanders a bit but has strong points also. Those strong points are the accurate and powerful drumming of Tom Lentz [alumnus of Percy Sledge band], and the breath taking, other worldly electric solos of guitarist Neil Howell [formerly of B.B. King band], who sounds here like a bluesy Alan Holdsworth. Nite Rock gives Quadrivium 4 out of 5 stars. Not bad, guys!
- Nite Rock News:NorthWest Indiana
Discography
NEIL HOWELL DISCOGRAPHY:
CD ENTITLED WHAT ARE YOU THINKING 2005 RELEASE BY GOOD MORNING BLUES IN CONJUCTION WITH WRFG- ATLANTA/89.3FM
LIVE IN LONDON CD ENTITLED YES LORD: DAVE MARKEE BAND [FORMER BASSIST FOR ERIC CLAPTON] CLAYTOY RECORDS 1996
CD ENTITLED QUADRIVIUM: TOM LENTZ FUSION BAND INDIE RELEASE 1999 POWER PLANT RECORDS.
Photos
Bio
NEIL HOWELL
GUITARIST / VOCALIST / SONGWRITER Having entered the blues scene through Donald Kinsey and Albert King, Neil toured 3 years with Little Milton following the release of two hits on the blues charts “Behind Closed Doors,” and “If You Talk In Your Sleep.”
During those tours he also preformed with B.B. King and Denise LaSalle. More recently he has been active in the Gospel/ Blues-Rock field, performing and recording with Dave Markee; former bassist with Eric Clapton.
In 2005 his band Blues Messenger was picked by WRFG Radio in Atlanta to record on their compilation CD” What Are You Thinking.” The music was broadcast over 61 stations internationally, to a unanimously enthusiastic response.
With his current band Soul Well a newer more cutting edge sound has emerged, combining influences from iconic groups of the past such as Led Zeppelin, Jimmy Hendrix, Eric Clapton, Pink Floyd and Jeff Beck with current influences like Alice In Chains, Audio Slave, Sound Garden and Jeff Buckley. Combining this new direction with the foundation influence from Blues icons like BB King, Little Milton, Albert King, Soul Well has developed a new and unique hybrid sound that addresses a wide spectrum of musical tastes.
To accommodate this broadening musical direction, Lead Vocalist/Guitarist/Songwriter, Garrett Howell, son of Neil Howell, joined as lead singer and guitarist, to complete the vocal and musical core of the band. Drawing on influences like Chris Cornell, Jeff Buckley and Robert Plant. Garrett brings a unique feel to both his songwriting and his role as frontman.
Georgia native Brian Ridley, is a classically trained multi instrumentalist with a diverse array of experiences ranging from a school music teacher, to musical director for a rap record label, to backing up jazz legend, Buddy DeFranco, Brian holds a Bachelor of music degree from Berry College, a Master of Music Performance from The University of West Georgia and an Education Specialist degree in Educational Leadership from UWG. He has written and arranged music for many schools and professional organizations including Valdosta State University, the University of West Georgia, and the Atlanta Tuba Patrol. He also has published numerous articles on the subject of Jazz pedagogy. His works for wind band and string orchestra are published internationally through C. Alan Publications. As a commercial musician, Brian performed and toured with BRS recording artists Deeper, and recently completed a 10 year stint with a West Georgia icon, Ghost town. His list of performing credits includes Apple Scraps, The Clock tower Jazz Ensemble, and southern big band legends, The Georgians. He also stays busy as a freelancing sideman, teacher and session musician. He lives in Bremen, Georgia with his wife and their five children.
Links
