Er zijn zo van die bands die eigenlijk enkele decennia te laat zijn opgericht én dan nog eens door allerlei omstandigheden héél wat jaren verliezen. Hoe zou deze Canadese band hebben geklonken in de jaren zestig, toen ze nog niet door o.a. de Rolling Stones beïnvloed konden zijn? Hun vintage (blues)rock&roll is natuurlijk verre van origineel, maar klinkt op deze single toch best oprecht en uit het hart. Zo'n stukske harmonica gaat er ook steeds in wat mij betreft.
Moving Along verschijnt op 8 november2024 via Cargo Records.
Luister ook naar: Shangri-La
Ter Info
Comprising the Brothers Kinnon (Chris on vocals and guitar; Jeff on drums), riff-master Sean Casey (guitar), and classically educated bass player Enzo Figliuzzi, the Canadian/California-based band has played with everybody from garage legends like the Dirtbombs to arena stars Kings of Leon, making SXSW best-of lists numerous times, and in between hanging out with the Rolling Stones’ legendary manager Andrew Loog Oldham. But putting integrity first had a cost: obscurity.
Lions in the Street began their career by signing and then walking away from the troubled TVT Records (NIN, Pitbull, Little Jon), Nickelback’s 604 Records (Carly Rae Jepson), and legendary manager Allen Kovac (Motley Crue, The Cars, Blondie, The Bee Gees), earning them a spot on the music industry’s blacklist. Years in the wilderness resulted—working as a garbageman for almost a decade, surviving cancer, serious workplace injuries, and almost deadly car accidents, and going back to school.
Yet, despite experiencing the best and worst of the of old music business—from hanging out with Todd Rundgren, Bob Ezrin, and R.E.M.’s Peter Buck, to seeing an A&R guy almost fired just for going to see them play—the band somehow kept going, releasing music piecemeal.
For example, Lions in the Street released an EP in 2013 on British legend Sandy Roberton's label. Roberton ran Blue Horizon, the English label that launched the 60s British Blues rock movement with John Mayall, Fleetwood Mac, and Rory Gallagher.
Now the streaming platforms revolution has given Lions in the Street a new life an audience, allowing them to release largely-unheard music—finally finished and remixed/remastered.
