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Deb Callahan Band
Philadelphia's blues and soul drenched vocalist and songwriter, Deb Callahan grew up in the Boston area but has been a fixture on the mid-Atlantic music scene since the late 90s. During this time she has gained a reputation for writing creative blues, soul and roots influenced original music and using her powerful, emotionally expressive voice and engaging stage presence to deliver a unique, high energy live show. Debs 2002 debut CD If the Blues Had Wings, garnered her positive acclaim from the blues and roots community and was featured as the hot debut in the October/November 2004 issue of Blues Revue Magazine . Blues Revue referred to her as the next Bonnie Raitt and raved "Phillys Deb Callahan has the pipes, the songs and the raw talent to graduate to the next level". Deb she teamed up with Philadelphia producer and song-writer Chris Arms for her sophomore CD The Blue Pearl in November 2005 as well as the release of her latest CD Grace & Grit in September of 2008. The Blue Pearl is a well crafted, contemporary sounding CD with all the elements of timeless blues, soul and rock music. From the New Orleans blues/funk of the title track "Blue Pearl Moon" to the marriage of traditional and modern in the "Credit Card Blues ". Deb incorporates thoughtful and often funny lyrics to tell a modern day blues tale. In a review of The Blue Pearl, Living Blues described Deb as a gifted song-writer whose voice is matchless in the ring of sultry blues singers
Her most recent effort Grace & Grit was released in September of 2008 once again working with producer Chris Arms and featuring original music as well as a cover of one of her favorite Ray Charles songs Hallelujah I love him so and a few a capella snippets of songs sung by Nina Simone, Joni Mitchell and Aretha Franklin who have all been strong influences. One of the goals of this record was to go for a more live sound and capture the energy and spontaneity that live performance can bring. Thus all the vocal tracks were recorded with the band live in the studio. Grace & Grit has a strong blues base but brings in gospel, soul, rock and jazz elements and the thematic material ranges from songs about being a single mother trying to make it in America on Food on the Table to the humorous No Taxi Driver about receiving to many wrong number calls from people who are looking for a taxi.
"Callahan sings like Janis Joplin without the real rasp, and her band is as tight as any of the better blues ensembles. Deb Callahan is a fabulous Philadelphian who is enjoying growing regional success. Her sophmore outing, The Blue Pearl will undoubtedly be her breakout release, bringing her fame from sea to shining sea. While her voice will melt the cubes in any on-the-rocks cocktail as she covers Paul Butterfield's "Lovin Cup", she can easily apply her honey-coated pipes to the folk side of things in "Benny's Song," a sad and sweet reminiscence that Callahan turns into a sonic canvas a-swirl with striking images. In the end, it's her songwriting that makes the difference. Blues nuggests like "Blue Pearl Moon," "Livin Loud" and "Bull in a China Shop" all written with Chris Arms, manage to sound simultanously contemporary and classic, and they are the stuff that will stand the test of time." - Dirty Linen, 2007
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LocationElk Creek Cafe + Aleworks
100 West Main St
Millheim, PA 16854
United States
Categories
| Minimum Age: 18 |
| Kid Friendly: No |
| Dog Friendly: No |
| Non-Smoking: No |
| Wheelchair Accessible: No |
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