Press Release - Blues Duo Preserve Authenticity in New Recording
listen to a sample from the album while you read!
From the top of blues highway 61 in remote northwest Ontario comes an album whose roots stretch as far south as the highway itself. "Canned Heat" by Thunder Bay's "Blues Duo" was named after the album's first track, written by blues forefather Tommy Johnson. It introduces an unknown bluesman guilty of preserving authenticity, paired with an award winning performer. The raspy and well-controlled torch vocals and harmonica of Tracy K are sure to please her dedicated fans and draw in many more new ones alongside secret weapon of the north (no, not the black fly) Jamie 'Snakeman' Steinhoff. Steeped in Blues tradition, not a lot of people know about Jamie, but ones who do will be quick to boast his talents. From the foot-stompin title track, to laid back front porch blues to rollin' and rompin' rags, "Canned Heat" weaves five traditional acoustic folk blues gems with five contemporary acoustic originals about love, longing, stealing apples, and joy. The tracks are laden with Jamie's masterful fingerstyle and slide guitar work of Piedmont and Delta styles, with the addition of banjo and his gritty bass vocals. Tracy K's skills shine with melody-rich harmonica in the acoustic tradition of the early blues harp masters and confident, seasoned vocals. Recorded at Thunder Bay's cutting edge 'Dining Room Studios' by award winning engineer David Angell, much care was taken to keep the authentic raw edge of the music, sparsely arranged and gently produced by Tracy K. Guest musicians include David Angell on bass, Stuart Green on snare drum, and Tracy K's daughter Emily Kohne on the last track singing harmony. The finishing touch is the appropriately fitting cd art with matching T-shirts, hand drawn by Tracy K with a whimsical vintage feel that reflects the package contents. There's Tracy K's "stolen apple jelly" (true story, with an original song of the same name on the cd that tells the story) and Snakeman's "canned heat" salsa with T-shirts to match, again with designs hand drawn by Tracy K.
" 'Canned Heat' with an honest realism does a very fine job of taking us back to the simpler times of the Blues, and masterfully so from these immensely talented artists. For old time Blues and Beyond, done right, I give 'Canned Heat' my highest rating of 5*****" - John Vermilyea (Blues Underground Network)
"..pre-war blues and originals highlighted by excellent rapport & expert playing. Their vocals are assured & confident. The originals more contemporary or not, are excellent songs, sung beautifully." - J.Valentyn, Toronto Blues Society/Maple Blue Magazine, 2011
"From the foot stompin title track to the laid back front porch blues to rollin and rompin rags, 'Canned Heat' weaves an interesting tapestry of music. Laden with masterful guitar work, harmonica and rich vocals, 'Canned Heat' is an enjoyable cd." - American Blues Blog.co
BLUES DUO - BIO
When Tracy K asked Jamie Steinhoff what they should call their CD, he said "Brian". A humble, funny-guy by nature and chef by trade, when he's not cookin' in the kitchen he's cookin' on guitar. Ms. K pulled him out of the kitchen and stuck him on the stage and now they cook together! Their 2011 release Canned Heat introduces an unknown bluesman guilty of preserving authenticity paired with an award winning performer. Known internationally for wailing on harmonica and beltin' out the blues with her Right Hand Band, Tracy K's desire to form a specific kind of acoustic duo was fulfilled after to Thunder Bay, Ontario in 2004 where she met Jamie "Snakeman" Steinhoff. Woodshedding for over twenty years, Steinhoff’s dedication to folk & blues from the 1920s to 40s is revealed in his swampy Delta slide and Piedmont finger style guitar work and gritty soulful vocals. The duo's steamy blues and lively rags, contemporary originals and vintage gems in the blues-folk tradition make up their sound. The acoustic tracks from Tracy K's repertoire find a home in this show amidst song choices unheard in her electric set, and some of Jamie's clever originals. Jamie recorded Tracy K's award winning songs from her 2007 release Old, New, Borrowed and Blues.
Tracy K is compared to many raspy-voiced singing stars. She's earned awards as a performer and songwriter, and her incredible Right Hand Band was nominated as Best Electric Act by Winnipeg blues.com and performed in two Los Angeles movie productions. Tracy K grew up in the tiny prairie town of Beausejour, Manitoba, Canada where she wrote her first song at age eight. Raised on sixties radio and sibling's records, her musical interests developed with the British Invasion and psychedlic era. Citing Sonny Terry as her first influence, Tracy K started playin' harp while backpacking Europe in 1982 on a harmonica given to her by a Canadian soldier in Germany. She spent the remainder of that decade in Toronto, Canada as part of the bustling music scene. A hiatus was prompted by motherhood and Tracy K began a solo career in Winnipeg, Canada in 1998. Tracy K has been selected to perform at the Toronto Blues Society Blues Summit, their Harmonica Workshop, and their Women's Blues Revue. She was a featured vocalist with the Thunder Bay Symphony Orchestra and has performed at countless music festivals and concerts across mid-Canada.
Together Tracy and Jamie have been recorded by CBC Radio’s “Bandwidth” and “Canada Live”, gave a private performance in the Carribean, and co-wrote an epigrammatic tribute for Jowi Taylor’s Six String Nation Guitar tour. They've shared stages and billings with artists like Bill Bourne, Fred Eaglesmith, John Sebastian and Matt Anderson. Supported by Canada Council for the Arts they showcased at Ontario Contact and the Manitoba Arts Network. One buyer claims that "they produce a memorable show you’ll carry long in your heart"!
Tracy K has been awarded with:
2007 Ontario Independent Music Award for "BEST BLUES"
2007 International Songwriting Competition Finalist in BLUES
2007 International Songwriting Competition Finalist in PERFORMANCE
2007 Toronto Blues Society Talent Search First Runner Up
2006 WinnipegBlues.com HARMONICA PLAYER of the Year
2006 WinnipegBlues.com FEMALE VOCALIST of the Year
2006 WinnipegBlues.com Best Electric Act Nomination
"Tracy K and Jamie Steinhoff performed for THEOP's cabaret in January, 2010. Their easy rapport with the audience, the amazing harmonica playing and the terrific, gutsy renditions of blues classics as well as their own compositions captivated the audience and made for a great evening out." - Katherine Myers, THEOP, Deep River, Ontario, 2010
"Yes I declare I am a fan. That is what motivates me as a promoter to book Tracy K to audiences of 30,000 people; and most recently, Tracy and Jamie to an intimate evening at the Assiniboine Conservatory. They brought a passionate charm to their blues tradition and know what it takes to move an audience.” - Marv Terhoch, President, Terhoch Associates, Winnipeg, Manitoba 2008
"We are thankful to Tracy and Jamie for performing and sharing their music with us beyond our expectations. AWESOME! How wonderful to 'feel' the music with Tracy K's amazing voice and performance! And what a treat to be in audience with Jamie Steinhoff singing classic blues tunes with grit and soul like the original blues' masters themselves! AND Tracy and Jamie, your original songs are fantastic!" - Marianna & Jeff Keller, Saba, Dutch West Antilles, Carribean 2006
CONTACT: 807-344-0643 EMAIL: tracyk@tracyk.ca www.tracyk.ca/bluesduo.htm
DISCOGRAPHY
2011 - Album - Blues Duo featuring Tracy K & Jamie Steinhoff Canned Heat
2008 - Single - Science of Being Distant with Jamie Smith for CBC Radio One's Bandwidth
2007 - Album Old, New, Borrowed & Blues
2003 - 3 Singles for Prairie Fire Project, Canadian Diabetes Foundation
2002 - Single - Rock This House, licensed to Zernick Von-Sertner Films, L.A.
Album “Welcome to my Fantasy” ©2000