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The Rick Welter Band "I'm All Yours"

“The first time I saw Rick play I thought to myself this man has done his homework. This is a player!”---Curtis Salgado


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Hailing from Albany New York and currently based out of Portland Oregon, Rick Welter spent some time in Chicago and the San Francisco Bay Area. He and his band have been giving a legion of fans heaping helpings of timeless “American Roots Music” for years. Over the course of his career he has played with such luminaries as Charles Musselwhite, Big Walter Horton, Mitch Woods, Junior Watson, John Nemeth, Paul Delay and many, many more. He has also appeared on numerous music festivals throughout the USA both as back-up guitarist/vocalist and as a headliner. This award winning R&B guitar man combines the raw energy of the Blues with the soulful feel of 50’s and 60’s R&B!

CD Review

Remember those cheesy surf movies of the 60s where out of nowhere there is a band on the beach who plays some really cool music that gets everybody up to dancing in their swim-suits? For some reason I can picture the Rick Welter Band being one of those cool outfits performing on the sand. Their music fits right into that danceable atmosphere, with its classic full-bodied guitar sound and grooving backbeat. If labels like Ace or Specialty, who released some of the finest R&B numbers of the 50s and 60s, were still going strong, they could make a living off of Rick’s calm, rich vocals and guitar tone. And they could’ve probably taken Rick’s new disc, I’m All Yours and placed tracks into the hands of deejays and right into the charts. It’s the type of music that is all about feeling good. Instantly likeable, it makes you want to shuffle your feet, snap your fingers and sway your body along with its rhythm. How can you possibly go wrong with that?

But it’s all about song selection. Rick knows what works well for his style and nails it home every time. Along with carefully chosen covers by the likes of Earl King, Jimmy Liggins, Lou Pride or Earl Hooker, Rick also penned four of the numbers himself and they fit the mold perfectly, be it funky, soulful or just plain jumpin’. Rick has his own flair and in his hands all of the covered songs sound like they were written just for him.

It’s also about having the right people working with you and Rick has a stellar crew along for the ride. Recorded on a mobile system at Duff’s Garage in Portland by longtime friend Dave Keefer during dates in March and October 2008, Rick is more than ably backed by the skillful Tom Royer on drums with bass duties split between John Neish and Steve Lindsey. Throw in harmonica ace Jim Wallace on a couple tracks as well as percussionist Bradly Scott and you’ve got yourself a winning combination that makes the music come to life, giving it that feel good sensation.

But though I have compared Rick Welter with music of the past, make no mistake he is no throwback in time. This is a band that sounds as fresh as any working today, maybe even more so than a good many of them. I’m All Yours is a disc that will be enjoyed for a long time to come. It just has that quirky, good-natured approach that never goes out of style.

By Greg Johnson
Cascade Blues Association
Portland Or.


Sixteen Strings at the Woodshed.
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Bryan Kostors: Pictures and Family


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Bryan's latest solo work, “Pictures and Families,” is a collection of 15 folk songs about life, death, travel, money, love, murder, cheating, and redemption – all the usual aspects of our time spent here on Earth. Recorded while living in Los Angeles, California, Bryan played all the instruments on the recording, from guitars and drums to tin flute and kitchen knives. The record travels from modern folk to hints of bluegrass, from Native American-inspired sounds to break beats on acoustic instruments. It is eclectic American Music with a troubadour's spirit, winding its way through old and new generations, up and down the western coast.
The songs were all recorded in Bryan's living room. The CD was mixed and mastered by Dave Keefer at the Spare Room using Analysis Plus wire systems.

ON MUSIC IN GENERAL...
"I got stuck in a sand dune in the middle of the Mojave Desert once," Bryan tells. "I was alone, and my truck was waist-deep in sugar-fine sand. Running out of water, I hiked to a dilapidated desert shack with spent bomb shells out front, looking for help. Then over a hill came Junior, Paco (who held close a bottle of Cuervo), and an unnamed woman smoking cigarettes and talking like a sailor. I think music should be like that day in the desert. A great story, restless and rambling."

Whether the song retells a California mishap, love lost and returned, or life out in the west, Bryan's music is an exploration. It is folk music in its truest sense - music about folks.
Untapped Blues Festival 2004 Live!


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This CD is a compilation of some of the best performances from the 2004 Untapped Blues Festival. The Untapped Blues Festival is one of the best one day blues festivals in the north west and never fails to delight and surprise us with the quality and variety of talent that is presented each year.


Sixteen Strings "Live at the Ally Cafe."
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Recorded live at the Ally Cafe in Leavenworth, Washington. You get a front row table for over 60 minutes of dinner jazz. Recorded exclusively using Analysis Plus cable for the highest fidelity possible in a red book CD.
Meet the Blues Cousins


Visit the Blues Cousin's site in Russia

"The best blues band in Moscow, Russia!" That's what I was told when I saw them on the list of bands for the 2004 Kettle River Blues Festival. When they got up and played, it all made sense. The crowd went nuts! The Cousins play a “turned up to the max” power trio version of the blues that rocks audiences from Europe to the USA. In their 13 years together, The Blues Cousins have been named the most popular blues band in Russia. In 2000 they were awarded “best band” among 57 bands at Blues Sur Seine Festival in France. The band’s leader, Levan Lomidze, has been officially named among the top 10 guitarists in Russia. During what was their second trip to the USA, I was given the opportunity to record the Blues Cousins. This recording comes from the 2004 Sunbanks Blues Festival, their last outdoor festival performance before returning home to Russia. What you see is one of their dreams come true. The Blues Cousins first CD recorded and produced in the United States of America. We home you enjoy it.


-Dave Keefer
Jazz Steam / Bluestopia Records




Jazz Stream Records and Bluestopia are proud to announce that we exclusively use Analysis Plus cable systems when recording, mixing and mastering.






© 2003 JazzStream Records