Find out more

about the Bands below!

GC & the Royal Blues

4:00 pm

Noah Wotherspoon

Band 6:00 pm

Sonny Moorman Group

5:00 pm

Tad Robinson 7:00 pm

The Sonny Moorman Group is a Cincinnati, Ohio based Blues/Rock band in the classic "power trio" format, consisting of Sonny Moorman—guitar & vocals, Marc Hoffman—bass, and Jamie Combs—drums & vocals. Sonny and the band are nine-time winners of CAMMY awards (Cincinnati Area Music awards sponsored by the Cincinnati Enquirer newspaper). The band was formed in 1994 and was signed to its first recording deal by 706 Records/Sun Studio at the 1994 Crossroads showcase in Memphis. Since then the band has played 300 nights a year and has performed at regional festivals and clubs and toured the US with Easyriders magazine, performing at all their events. MOST RECENTLY, the Sonny Moorman Group was picked as a Super Six finalist in the 97Xposure 2003 Music Competition (www.WOXY.com) and a winner in the Budweiser True Music Search 2004 (www.WEBN.com). Sonny has two prior releases on Sun Studio/706 Records—Telegraph Road and L*I*V*E—which received nationwide airplay and positive critical response. The Sonny Moorman Group has also released three CDs on the independent Atlas Records label that also received national airplay and strong regional sales. The Sonny Moorman Group is managed by William Perkins for Republic Artists Management. William Perkins was long time tour manager of The Allman Brothers Band and co-personal manager of their twentieth anniversary reunion. He was also directly involved for many years in the personal management of Gregg Allman, Stevie Ray Vaughan, Tinsley Ellis, and others through his association with Strike Force Management.

PRESS QUOTES "[Moorman and his band] take the blues ethos, plant it in the garden of their own experience, and let it grow into something which is natural, unforced, blues-drenched, and rocks like crazy." -- Bill Shute, BLUES-L

www.sonnymoorman.com

"Moorman plays guitar with precision, conviction, and a natural flow. The...songs [on Telegraph Road] are chock full of sinewy lyrics and hooks that sink deep." -- Tom Clarke, Hittin' the Note magazine

"Power Blues is an apt description for a trio that treads the territory laid out by ZZ Top, Stevie Ray Vaughan, and the Allman Brothers. Watch out for these guys." -- BLUES ACCESS magazine

"[Moorman] can blister through metal blues, get raunchy with heavy slide, cry like an Atlanta Brave after the World Series, and be delicate and precise..." -- Buz Morrison, GUITAR magazine

"The premier local blues-rock guitarist" -- Rick Bird, The Cincinnati Post

"Sonny Moorman...pounding, high-volume blues/rock that opens the throttle..." -- LIVING BLUES magazine

"Moorman's blazing guitar work is awe-inspiring, full of an overabundance of feeling, talent, and ingenuity." -- Mike Breen, Cincinnati CityBeat magazine

Noah picked up the guitar at age 11. In 97', at age 15, he formed Noah & the Stratocats with drummer Josh Johnson after a serendipitous meeting at the Canal St. Tavern's Dayton Band Play-offs. That night, the two jammed from opposite ends of the stage amidst a circus of unfamiliar musicians including 2

guitar players, a bassist (who would become original N&S bassist Clark Vanhorn), 2 drummers, a lapsteel, a rhodes, a sax, a poetry reader.....

N&S earned a reputation in town and before long, found themselves working legendary rooms like Gilly's. During bassist/junior high school friend Griffin Hussong's first stint with the band, N&S released a self-titled live album & in 98' played the Chicago Blues Festival at the Best Buy Stage. The band would be a main-stay there for the next 7 years in a row.

The next Stratocats line-up included Marty Romie on bass and within the next few years the band recorded for APO records in Salina KS. The album featured ex-Howlin' Wolf guitarist

Hubert Sumlin on two tracks and reached #10 on Living Blues Magazine's playlist chart. Over the years N&S shared bills with Boz Skaggs, Leon Russel, Henry Townsend, Alvin Youngblood Hart, Joe Bonamassa & performed from New York City to San Francisco.

www.noahwotherspoonband.com

In 04' Noah experimented with a number of band configurations and in August found the definitive line-up as a 4-piece featuring Matt Buehrle on keys, Griffin Hussong on Bass, & Josh Johnson on Drums.

Wotherspoon's unique & soulful songwriting is fueled by influences as diverse as Robert Johnson & Bob Dylan to contemporaries Elvis Costello & Elliot Smith. Noah's guitar work carries not only the Jimi & Stevie vibe, but is weaved with British-Invasion/classic blues & jazz influences like Beck, Page, Otis Rush, Buddy Guy, Danny Gatton, & John Scofield. This is all enhanced by Griffin's brand of jazz/funk/world bass work, Josh's creative, energetic, roots-oriented drum style & Matt's extensive jazz/pop background. The NWB is looking forward to a productive year in 05' and is kicking off the year with their new album "Reel to Reel", a collection of various studio/live/home recordings.

www.indystar.com- TheIndianapOlisStar- Friday,March5,2004- Weekend- 15

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Tad Robinsonpointsbluesto its vocal roots

T'

'

here

,

's,more to blues m,

usicthan a blazing electric gui-tar. Or an earthy acousticguitar, for that matter.

Tad Robinson will tellyou that a singer's voice conveysthe emotion within the passion-'ate style, and the Greencastle '

resident's new album makes aconvincing argument to supportsuch a claim." ,

"Did YouEverWonder?"will '

arrive in stores March 16,Robin-son"moving to Maryland~basedSevern Records aftedssuing twoalbums on Chicago's Delmark la"bel, says he's happy to havesingers Darrell Nulisch andSugar Ray Norcia as label mates.

"It's a throwback to a timewhen there were really heavysingers in the blues who all haddifferent styles," Robinson saysof Severn, which promotes itselfwith a slogan of "Roots Musicfor the 21st Century."

"Now that's all been overtakenby a lot of the more rocking gui-tar virtuosos." ,

Keyboard players who special-ize in the blues rarely find workas headliners, Robinson says.When they are hired, nightclubowners .often grumble about thelack of a guitar onstage.

"In some respects, Stevie RayVaughan did blues a disservice- not on purpose, because heloved really great blues and hewas a great blues player," Robin-son says. "But some people ageneration removed froq1 StevieRay have grabbed ahold of a car"icature of what he did."

Although Robinson, the firstwhite blues singer ever to signwith Delmark, delivers fiery lickson harmonica, he's primarilyknown for his understated, slow"burn vocal skills.

Otis Clay, the Windy City soulman who made a hit of "Tryingto Live My Life Without You"

, years before Bob Seger, suppliesguest vocals on a pair of "DidYou Ever Wonder?" tracks.

Clay adds a highly compli~mentary quote in the album'sliner notes: "When Tad Robinsondies, he's going to soul heaven

, RobGoebel/TheStar

TadRobinsonplansto perform200livedates_hisyear,expandinghistouringbasein the UnitedStates.

POPULARMUSIC owner David Earl for sugge~tinga nine-member horn section, theother dominant element heardon "Wonder." Arranger WillieRobinson went for broke, evenasking Robinson if it was OK toinclude a flute. '

"J said, 'Make it pretty. It'smusic,' " Robinson says.

The Indiana University gradu-ate plans to play 200 live datesthis year, highlighted by threetrips to Europe and one to Is-rael.

, Robinsonwill celebrate therelease of "Did You Ever Won-der?" at 5:30 p.m. today at the In-dianapolis Artsgarden and at9:30 p.rn. Thursday at ,the Slip-pery Noodle Inn.

Thanks to his new associationwith Severn, Robinson antici-pates an expanded touring basein the United States.

"I know the lay of the landarouJ;ldhere, but I haven't donea lot of work on the East Coast,"he says. "Now I'm talking withagents in Philadelphia and the

,Tad RobinsonWhen:9:30 p.m.Thursday.Where:SlipperyNoodleInn,372S. MeridianSt.Admission:$5.Formoreinforma-tion,call (317)631-6974., ,Listenin: Tohearselectionsfromhis'newalbum,"DidYouEverWonder?/' visittheonlineversionof this storyat www.indystar.com.

D.C. area."Robinson says his rendition of

"Too Late to Turn Back Now" isa crowd-pleaser wherever hegoes. The tune, which reachedNO.2 for family,act'CorneliusBrothers & Sister Rose in 1972,

, is a can't-miss feature of the newalbum. '

"Everybody knows that song,but the funny thing is that I'venever heard anyone else coverit," he says.

ContactStarreporterDavidLindquistat (317)444-6404or viae-mailat

david.Iindquist@indystar.com.

DavidLindquist

. .. a place reserved for a veryfew people."

Robinson considers the album--'- a mix of five originals(withlyrics written by Greencastleneighbor John Bean) and sixcovers - to be a hard-foughtvictory.

"Suffering With 'the ,Blues,"originally recorded by powerful1950s tenor Little Willie John,was especially rewarding.

"There's very little harmonicaon the record, so I chose songsthat stretched me in differentways as a singer," Robinson says.

The singer credits Severn