LABEL: PUT TOGETHER MUSICRELEASE DATE: FEBRUARY 1, 2019
Kitchen Table Blues, Vol. 1 is a selection of five tunes from The Reverend Shawn Amos
’ 2016-17
YouTube series of the same name. Recorded live in his California kitchen, The Rev is heard
Says Amos, “Kitchen Table Blues was a chance for me to explore two of my favorite loves: food
and music. Both have such a unique way to create community. Both are so elemental. I loved the
idea of inviting musicians, friends, artists, performers over to my home, cooking for them and
then gathering around the table to share songs.”
The Rev cooked and sang songs at his kitchen table over 90 Sundays. During that time, he was
visited by Mindi Abair (who produced his 2015 release, The Reverend Shawn Amos Loves You)
famed soul singer, Charles Wright, L.A. blues singers, Lester Lands and Jean McClain, and New
Orleans brass band, The Mudbug Brass Band among others.
Here, Amos shares stories behind the songs on volume one.
“Ooh La La”
This has always been my favorite Faces song. Its melancholy and vulnerability are really lovely. I
have a fascination with reclaiming ‘60s and ‘70s British rock songs as blues songs. I say,
“reclaim” because even though I am indebted to the Brits for bringing back our music, I am
always a bit angry that the blues roots of these songs get forgotten underneath the rock
swagger. Kitchen Table Blues allowed me to explore these songs from my childhood and capture
them for myself.
“Hold On”
Alabama Shakes is one of the bands that keeps me hopeful for the future American live music.
The song is pretty greasy already, but I like the horns and ‘60s Atlantic Records vibe. I’ve always
seen our show as being the perfect opener for Alabama Shakes. This is our audition, I guess.
“Whip It”
Neil Young famously called Devo white plastic soul (or something like that). It really is a kind a
funk tune. This is from a stretch of Kitchen Table Blues episodes where we reinvented ‘80s songs
from The Clash, Elvis Costello, and others I’m forgetting. It was to get this tune dirty. We’ve
played it live a few times and it always amuses people.
“Have Love Will Travel”
This one has become a mainstay of our live show. Now that I think of it, a fair amount of our live
covers was born in my kitchen. It was originally recorded by a Washington state garage band
from the ‘60s called The Sonics. Theirs was pretty manic. Like most things around the kitchen
table, we slow it down.
“Jesus Gonna Be Here”
I actually discovered this Tom Waits song on a glorious album by the Holmes Brothers. They
were on my mind this morning in the kitchen.
Publicist: Betsie Brown, Blind Raccoon, betsie@blindraccoon.com
More at http://www.shawnamos.com/bio
