Cadillac Angels

~Mitch McDonald
It’s nearly impossible to avoid being
subjective when describing any artform,
but when Robert Plant, the frontman
of Led Zeppelin, describes a band
as “brilliant,” most of us will agree with it
by default. When it comes to a new band
I was recently introduced to, I second
Plant’s sentiments. For Santa Barbara,
California’s Cadillac Angels, the praise
of a rock legend is just one of their
many accolades. The rock trio of Tony
Balbinot, (vocals/lead-guitar) Brian
Fahey, (drums/percussion) and Mario
Barmosca (stand-up bass/vocals) boast
an impressive career that has spanned
19 years, 15 records, and over 1 million
miles of touring. Their credentials have
earned them shows alongside the
likes of Wanda Jackson, the Queen of
Rockabilly.
Following in the hallowed footsteps
of Buddy Holly, Ronnie Dawson,
(aka The Blonde Bomber) and Chuck
Berry, the Angels have gained legions
of fans who appreciate the nostalgia
of traditional blues-inspired, countryrock.
The Angels’ bring a fresh, unique
style to the genre, and have cemented
their place among the elites of the
Western music scene. Their take on a
proven formula will sound familiar to
most, but the Angels, who play under
Cracked Piston Recordings, ascend to
moments of heavier guitar licks and
more dynamic percussion than most of
their contemporaries can ever dream of.
“I’ll just try to dig a groove so deep
that a tractor could fall in it. Doesn’t
happen all that often, but when it does
there’s no better feeling,” said Balbinot.
They expertly exhibit this
quality during their enthusiastic live
performances, which have garnered
them appearances at music festivals
across the United States and Europe.
Despite all of the Angels’ successes,
they’ve refused to compromise the
integrity that has brought them this far.
Throw in one of their albums, and you
can tell the painstaking craftsmanship
that went into the recording process.
The tracks recall the glory days of rockand-
roll, without the over-production that is so evident in today’s music.
The band pulls influences from each
other’s varied tastes in music. Fahey is
more of a jazz fan, who enjoys listening
to Charlie Parker and Coltrane, while
Barmosca favors Lightening Hopkins
and old blues. Balbinot’s tastes fall
somewhere in the middle.
“If you lift the hood on that early
Chess Records stuff from Howlin’
Wolf and the like, and the Swan Label
recordings from Link Wray, you’ll find
enough magic and mystery to last a few
lifetimes,” stated Balbinot.
With their foot now firmly secured
in the proverbial door, the band has
turned their attention away from
themselves, and is geared to embrace
outside causes. The band’s front-man,
Tony Balbinot, makes an appearance on
the album Haunt this Guitar, a tribute to
Link Wray, a Native-American recording
artist that has been an inspiration to
Balbinot any many others for years.
“All of the proceeds from this record
go towards educational projects on
Hopi reservations. Let’s face it, schools
all over the country are hurting…
Music
schools out there on the reservation
are so isolated and unfortunately a bit
over-looked… they [children] can get
easily lost between two very different
worlds. Education, tolerance, love, and
understanding are basic human needs,”
added Balbinot.
The band hopes to raise $7,000,
which will improve the futures of
countless children. This is only one
example of the Cadillac Angels’ affinity
for helping worthy causes. They’ve
also donated their time and help to
organize fund-raisers for child-abuse
prevention, the Family Services Agency,
Planned Parenthood, the Boys and Girls
Club, along with AIDS, MS, and cancer
research projects.
Haunt this Guitar will also showcase
rock stalwarts the Ballistic Cats,
(featuring Mathew White) Freedom
Suite, and the Trailer Park Tornados.
The Tornados are a new project by
talented guitarist Steve Carter. Carter
is a former member from the now
infamous surf-band the Neptunes.
Haunt this Guitar is available at Cracked
Piston Recordings’ website, www.
crackedpistonrecordings.com, along
with complete tour schedules for all of
the label’s artists.
As the Cadillac Angels continue to
heavily tour California and much of the
West, area residents will have a couple
opportunities to track them down. On
Feb. 12th, they’ll be playing at Players
Sports Bar and Grill in Cottonwood at 9
p.m. Feb 13th & 14th at The Spirit Room
in Jerome from 2 to 6 p.m. Feb 19th &
20th at Pinon Pines Bar and Grill in
Prescott from 8 to 12 p.m. Finally, Feb
20th at the Grand Opening of Bikers
and Babes Motorcycles, Clothing, and
Accessories in Cottonwood 12 to 3 p.m. - Pop Rocket - Mitch McDonald...pge10

Mitch McDonald
It’s nearly impossible to avoid being
subjective when describing any artform,
but when Robert Plant, the frontman
of Led Zeppelin, describes a band
as “brilliant,” most of us will agree with it
by default. When it comes to a new band
I was recently introduced to, I second
Plant’s sentiments. For Santa Barbara,
California’s Cadillac Angels, the praise
of a rock legend is just one of their
many accolades. - Poprocket

01/11 PRESS RELEASE: THE CADILLAC ANGELS
2009/10 found the Cadillac Angels logging nearly one hundred thousand miles of touring throughout the Southwest of the U.S.A. and also performing at the prestigious Moulin Music Festival in the Netherlands. The summer of 2010, took the Angels to Cave Creek AZ. for a performance in a major motion picture. The film, a comedy entitled Queens of Country is scheduled for release in the summer of 2011. This year, Time Warner in conjunction with Rhino Records have partnered with the Cadillac Angels for three movie soundtrack projects which will include several of the bands original songs. January, 2011 also marks the release of the Cadillac Angels sixteenth CD! Entitled appropriately, Lonesome Traveler on the Cracked Piston label. The disc contains nine original songs plus their own rendition of the Woody Guthrie classic title track. The Cadillac Angels have been a mainstay on the Americana Roots Rock scene for nearly two decades and show absolutely no signs of slowing down. The trio consists of Tony Ridge/Guitar Vocals, Alex Schwartz/Drums and percussion Jamie Mather/ Stand-up Bass Contact info: Tony Balbinot, 805-687-8496 www.cadillacangels.com email cadillacangels65@yahoo.com Po Box 90554 Santa Barbara CA. 93190
- Cracked Piston Recordings