Long John & The Killer Blues Collective - Heavy Electric Blues (2017)

The Band ..Long John Vocals/Guitar/Jules Fly Haffargee Bass/Vocals/ Pip Mailing Drums/Danny Page Lead Guitar/Rob Poyton Keys/Piano
Long John & The Killer Blues Collective are the result of inward journeys into Heavy Blues, Rock n Roll and alternative music over the past few years. The band have been through hell and high water along the way, with various line-ups and guests musicians and now with the final culmination of a permanent brotherhood of Long John, Jules Fly Haffargee, Pip Mailing, Danny Page and Rob Poyton the bands first album (HEAVY ELECTRIC BLIUES) has been released on Outlaw Records.
The album has been over 2 years in the making with 3 recordings in various studios including Czech Republic, London and finally Lost boys Studios Bedfordshire England. The Album has evolved along the way says (Long John) We began the journey with myself and Jules Fly aiming to create an original sound and vibe digging deep into our own Blues/Soul/Punk Blues backgrounds and tapping into vintage blues vibes and deep meditational thoughts, ending up with me going on my own personal lyrical Journey, leading me down the path of exploring my own inner demons and spiritual thoughts. You could say this album is spiritual, honest and straight from my soul. This being Long Johns first venture outside his own backyard of the Long John Laundry camp, It was a trip into the unknown he says. This album differs from the others as it's from my Spiritual heart and mind and I feel it naturally just flowed out of me, nothing was forced that's why it's taken time to evolve...
Joining Long John and making up a considerably high caliber of musicianship are Jules Fly Haffargee on Bass. Jules and LJ have been a long time partnership in writing and playing having both toured extensively in the USA and Europe in previous carnations including the Silver Brazilians and Long John Laundry. We knew we had too make a killer album and that's what this bands all about making good songs and delivering the goods says Jules, We have a lot more to offer we could have made a double album its been hard to pick out what's going out first.
Making up what was deemed as a critical part of this bands structure and backbone rhythm section is Pip Mailing on drums a versatile musician with great talent for kicking the arse of an arrangement into shape and a true understanding of music Pip has also the credibility of playing with some truly great bands and musicians including the Quireboys and James Burton. The band says Pip, to me needs to reflect all of our influences and as a collective and group we have made that happen we all bring something to the table each and every time we play is a great vibe and a brotherhood.
The Brotherhood has been complimented by what can only be described as a world-class guitar player in Danny Page. To say his style takes the songs beyond the mountain peaks to the heavens is probably an understatement. The style just seems to fit it did from the very start says Danny, I've played it clean (Rock) for many years and this just gave me a whole new view point its like deep blues on a journey or trip we don't stick to boundaries or borders it gives me space as a player and I new we could come up with some approach which would give us as group an identity and it has its powerful stuff.
To bring spiritual vibes and a bag full of soul via the Hammond Keys is Rob Poyton who has also a couple of decades of playing with some incredible live acts across the globe most
recently working with the likes of Brighton based Gary Clail . We wanted to make an album with conviction.. We have! We traveled to Czech Republic cut the album then decided its soul had not made the journey home so we set to with Nick Mailing an incredible producer and Bass player in the Quireboys at the Lost Boys studio in Bedford and 3 months later we had it in the bag. This band really works hard but it's a serious pleasure.
Additional musicians include the amazing soul sister vocalist Nicky Prince on backing vocals and some powerful soulful lead sections along with Lee Morley on Percussion and Osin Clancy on Harmonicas..
The Music..Blues ? Alternative? Punk? Dark Soul ..yes!
To call the Killer Blues Collective a Blues band just don't feel right! Says (Long John) my soul is full of Blues the only kind that can make you wanna write the Blues, I guess you've got to have been down in spirit and mind at some point to realize and be able to feel Blues music so that's just about everyone! This album has reached deeper into my own soul than I even thought, its been a walk through my past and touched on my beliefs and my demons within, some may say this is a Holy album reaching up to my maker but its not it's a play on my inner human feelings and my travels mainly as a young man in the United States. Soul is probably a better viewpoint for this album as I gave it a spiritual path and I stuck to it, this concept runs through the songs. Its Dark and its mysterious and you gotta work it out and that's just what I wanted. I found such a great sense of brotherhood with Jules, Pip, Rob and Danny we have taken the trip together..... its honest feeling!
We also felt a strong sense that we needed to represent this album so it did what it said on the tin, releasing it on Vinyl was the only option to bring back the magic of the art and music combination and so came along Johnny (Johnny Stingray) who created an image of the musical journey within the wrapper and captured the space and time of this particular record, I think a lotta people will be picking it up now and in the future because of the artwork, not many artists come to the gigs and spend the day in a recording session so they get it! IT! He is a true visionary and his style is original and darkly to the point.
While the album Heavy Electric Blues is the first out of the door for Long John & The Killer Collective many more songs remain in the vault, partly recorded and awaiting a future revival , our plans include more studio work and another dark walk towards our souls!
AJ .
Live the band offer an electric show stopping performance of powerful preaching vocals and screaming guitars held down by a strict and vibe soaked Drum and Bass powerhouse its different and refreshing! Quote: Great night with Long John and the Killer Blues Collective. If rather than simply 'listening' to a tune you like to be possessed from within the very depths of a riffed up blues attack on the senses then this IS the band for you. You don't need to pass Go..... You don't have to directly
proceed to jail..... You simply settle here sling back a large one and prepare to be rocked! Buy the Ticket and Take the ride!