A short note of thanks for a fantastic arvo of music at Way Out West.
I mentioned that the band was one of the best 'kick arse bands" we have had at the club in our four years and I was not kidding. The next time we get the boys back I am sure that we will have a lot more Williamstown punters in the house due to word of mouth.

This album gives new meaning to the old adage "you can't judge a book by it's cover". Melbourne & New Orleans might have a lot in common but it sure ain't the rivers on which they're situated. Behind a cover pic of night time on the Yarra the Joe Galea Band's new CD oozes Mississippi mud as it updates a host of New Orleans rhythm & blues classics, some Memphis soul'blues gems and a rousing original. Fat sounding soprano, alto, tenor & baritone sax charts, arranged & played by Ken Maling, add muscle to Robert Davie's ballsy guitar, Peter Phillips' rolling keys, Barry Hills' solid bass & Rick Puchala's thundering drums. Galea's powerful pipes compare favourably with those of early U.K. bluesman Long John Baldry from whose songbook comes the title track.
From the opening bars of Denise La Salle's Wild Thang(All Night Long) to the closing strains of Lloyd Price's "Stagger Lee". nearly 50 minutes later, Galea's band keeps the pressure on through thirteen hard-rocking songs in the style created all those years ago in Cosimo Metassa's legendary New ORleans French Quarter studio. Clarence "Frogman" Henry's "Ain't Got No Home". Delbert McClinton's "Why Me". Rosco Gordon's "No MOre Doggin" Bobby Bland's "Who's Fooling Who" and Wilson Pickett's "6345789" are given fresh work-outs. Although some lyrics have been changed & Maling puts his own twist on Herb Hardesty's distinctive smoky sax solo, the Joe Galea Band's take on Fats Domino & Dave Bartolomew's "Blue Monday" stays true to the original. Full credit also goes to Galea for a bold attempt at Sonny Landreth's Crescent City anthem "Congo Square". Immaculately produced by David Briggs. "Midnight in New Orleans" demonstrates why the Joe Galea Band have become a crowd-pleasing festival attraction.

Bluesmen often improve with age, theirs being a genre of hard-won wisdoms and whiskey vocals. Australian scene vet Joe Galea is no exception to this rule, and his new band may be his finest yet. Galea's voice has worn to a deep husk, and his combo's juicy electric guitars, bayou keyboards, and throaty sax sound as if they've fought some battles too.

Joe Galea was injected with a blues, soul, and R&B phonograph needle when he was a Sydney teenager and became so addicted to the sounds of Otis, Wilson, Bobby Bland and others that no form of rehab could ever have straightened him out. For evidence of the sheer potency of Joe's narcotic influences... take a listen to Money Tree or Wash My Hands... I promise you... you ain't heard stuff like this since you first crossed over from vinyl to CD! The sheer collective musicanship of the Joe Galea Band is enough to make you drop everything to start a Joe Galea official fan site or stalk the guy into the Police arrive to find you screaming hysterically for anything that comes out of the man's mouth... even if it is a collection of Australian choice 'F' words! Interviewing an artist of this calibre is one hell of an honour.. the man exudes excellence and the band demands the utmost respect and appreciation. For the record... my Desert Island Discs would have to include the band's latest offering 'Midnight in new orleans... if you had any sense... you'd include it too!

Geelong - nicknamed “Sleepy Hollow” it is far from “Sleepy”! The Sleepy Hollow Blues Club holds it’s Sunday night Blues session at the Limelighters Club, held in the basement of the old T & G Building on the corner of two of it’s main streets - Ryrie and Moorabool Streets. As you descend the steps and pass through the quaint old 50’s style heavy glass doors the atmosphere of bygone days is ever present. The venue is open most nights of the week as a Club in it’s own right and used by the Blues Club on a Sunday evening.   Images of Blues/Rock artists, (created by Jesse - one of the partners of the Blues Club) adorn the lime coloured walls. As starting time approaches (6.00pm) the crowd is becoming ever larger, the band starts with “Ken’s Boogie” (an instrumental written by sax player Ken Maling), as Joe then takes to the stage the place is now packed and yet the people are still arriving! Not having played in the Geelong area before, most of the audience have not had the pleasure of hearing The Joe Galea Band, and are obviously pleasantly surprised to find that they are in for a great evening! As is his usual style - Joe includes the audience in everything that he does, whether it is walking to the nearest table to sing to one person in particular, or offering them the microphone for the chorus, the whole room feels that they are part of Joe’s performance. Those that like to dance are on the floor immediately when the guys play “Stagger Lee” an ever popular song that Joe has included on his next C.D. “Midnight In New Orleans” due for release in the next few weeks. “Congo Square” (also on the new C.D.) shows the brilliance of the band’s drummer Rick Puchala as he drives the beat along on this exciting number. At the end of the evening the crowd applaud for more and call for an encore which of course Joe happily obliges.
Whether it is the Bass Guitar intro to “Why Me”, the Sax and Keyboard solos on “Who’s Foolin’ Who” or the Guitar solo on Stagger Lee, Joe is extremely proud to have such top class musicians with him that make up - “The Joe Galea Band”

Friday night at Broadbeach, and the weather was reminiscent of Melbourne - the Festival on the Main Street stage was getting underway. Unlike Melbourne audiences the Queensland crowd have not had the pleasure of listening to The Joe Galea Band. As the guys are introduced and Peter Phillips tinkles on the keyboard the crowd show their interest by coming closer to the stage. Ken Maling warms up on his sax and now all eyes are on the stage. Joe starts the night with “Is It Alright” and the evening begins. After the first few numbers, we now have other bands - waiting to follow, watching from the side (very impressed!). In his usual style Joe has everyone up dancing - teenagers, toddlers, and the “more mature” members of the audience.
Joe is also joined on stage by friend and fellow musician Dirk Bowes playing harmonica (Dirk played bass, harmonica and didgeridoo with Joe in “Cross the Border”). Whether it is a bluesy “Who’s Foolin Who” or a rockin’ Stagger Lee the crowd are enjoying every number and interest is rising from prominent members of the audience. After the performance Joe and other members of the band are stopped in the street by people just wanting to show their appreciation for the great music that The Joe Galea Band has brought to this years “Blues on Broadbeach” Music Festival.

Full-tilt contemporary blues and R&B comprise the menu offered by Melbourne based Joe Galea and his houserocking hand of highly accomplished musicians, who all together sound like an Aussie counterpart of the Blues Brothers. Aa widely travelled entertainer, Galea grew up in Sydney where in his early years he took a shine to the records of Howlin' Wolf, Ray Charles and Little Milton, hence his strong, growling voice. After cutting his teeth in various Sydney clubs where he appeared alongside budding artists of the 60's era such as the Bee Gees, Billy Thorpe and Max Merritt, Galea's musical pursuits took him all over Australia and overseas, singing everything from rock to soul.
On this 45 minute CD Galea composed one song and co-wrote two others, which measure up well against the nonoriginals. "Money Tree" a riff-laden boogie, showcases some powerful harmonica from Harper, a player with a very busy schedule who breezed in for the session. "Ashamed to Say You're Mine" sits in a seriously funky groove, the title track echoes the soul-drenched slow blues of Solomon Burke. Other guests include Ken Maling on tenor, Gary Bracewell on guitar and slide and a trio of back up singers. Galea's sprightly band flourishes prodigiously in the mix with stinging slide/lead guitar by Robert "Bomba" Davie, and some mercurial keyboard-Hammond lines by Peter Phillips.
The relatively obscure stop-time swinger "Is It Alright" is a rousing opener. Well chosen covers include "Lonnie Brooks' rocking shuffler "I Want All My Money Back" the great Doc Pomus/Mort Shuman written Elvis Presley hit "Mess of Blues" (here entitled "Messa the Blues" and the 2/4 time Jimmie Rodgers classic "T for Texas" (credited here to Robert Johnson). Johnnie Taylor's soul standard "Who's Makin' Love, the Spencer Davis Band favourite "Gimme Some Lovin" and Jagger & Richards "Spider & the Fly" would be exciting to hear played by the band live. On record-like the music of the Commitments - their slick, updated presentation will potentially draw new fans to the genre but will probably have diehard rhythm & bluesers dusting off the definitive versions. Things Have Changed nonetheless stands its ground in the competitive world of modern conventional blues music with plenty of style, polish and professionalism.