Reviews
"...
But boy oh boy do these boys know how to play. In
Roger Ferris (Bass) and Ali Van Ryne (Drums) you
have a rhythm section of the very highest quality
and Phil Mills, guitar
virtuoso,
harp player and singer par excellence - and I defy you
to find a
more passionate performer than Phil - Smokestack are
the musical equivalent of E=mc² - the perfect equation
or, perhaps, a force to be reckoned with.
They told me earlier in the day that their favourite kind of gig is the Festival gig. Why? I asked. The answer is simple; at Festivals you have a whole bunch of people who come together for one reason - live, Blues right there in your face and these blokes love the blues, they like jazz but they just love the blues.
So, unenviable as it was to follow Guy and Slim, Smokestack were more than up for the task and the quality of their musicianship was both unmistakable and, for the well-past-midnight crowd, hugely, satisfyingly enjoyable."
RADIO AIRPLAY
As well as the bands BBC session for Radio 2, and Airplay
on Jazz FM, a number of BLUES PROGRAMMES in the USA have
played selected tracks, these include:
KJLU (Missouri)
WUCL (Florida)
WRFG (Atlanta)
BLUES FESTIVALS
Smokestack have played at the now legendary Bishopstock Blues
Festival.
Also at:
Brighton Jazz and Blues Festival
Isle of Man Blues Festival
Film and Music Festival,
Abbeville (France)
Bude Jazz Festival
Crawley Blues and Roots Festival
PRIVATE FUNCTIONS & CORPORATE EVENTS
Smokestack have performed at a number of private corporate
events, these include:
Triumph Motorcycles
Arsenal FC
American Express
Borders Books and Music
Brighton Bears Basketball Team