Just got back from a 2 1/2 week tour with Booker T that was one of the most enjoyable musical experiences I've ever had. Booker's a cool as they come. Do yourself a favor and pick up his new CD "Potato Hole" on Anti records, then go see his killer band that includes Troy Gonyea, Ronnie James Weber, Darrien Grey and newest addition Marc Ford. I had a great time filling in for Marc in between Mavis dates. Most people don't realize that Booker's a really good guitar player who plays in a deceptively simple and soulful style ala Curtis Mayfield, so whenever I had a doubt I handed my guitar to Booker and was lucky to get lessons for free! It was a blast to play some of the classic Stax tunes that Booker wrote plus also rock out on the new tunes. Ronnie James and I would look at each other and shake our heads and say: "Damn, we're playing with Booker T!" Go see him, you'll dig it.

Check out the live clip of Green Onions and the video of Native New Yorker posted below...

Check tour dates to see when the Rick Holmstrom Band will be hitting your town with the great Mavis Staples. In a few instances, RHB will also be playing sets at select festivals. During lulls in the tour schedule they'll also be playing some Southern California club dates, including regular shows at Cafe Boogaloo in Hermosa Beach, Liquid Kitty and Redwood Bar in Los Angeles, and anywhere else they're welcomed warmly and with pockets full of loot! 

" 'We've come tonight to bring you some joy, some happiness, inspiration and some positive vibrations!' Mavis Staples tells the audience at Chicago's Hideout club, a promise she stylishly fulfills in a set drawn predominantly from last year's Ry Cooder produced We'll Never Turn Back album of civil rights anthems and blues. There's not a dull moment in earshot,
whether she's personalising JB Lenoir's 'Down In Mississippi' with her own recollections of drinking fountain apartheid, engaging in a call and response workout with the audience on 'Wade In The Water', or leading them in sing-a-longs of 'Will The Circle Be Unbroken' and the Staples Singers hit 'I'll take You There'. Her voice's larygitic burr is extraordinarily potent for a 69 year old, and there's a frisson of hope discernible in the delivery of a song like 'Eyes On The Prize', a civil rights rallying cry lent fresh pertinence by Barack Obama's campaign for the US presidency. And major kudos to the guitarist Rick Holmstrom, who turns in a virtuoso performance completely concealing the sparseness of the rest of the line-up. 5 Stars."

-- The Independent (London, UK newspaper) September 11, 2008

To view more, please visit: www.rickholmstrom.com and hit BLOG.

Hello!

Here's a few songs from my upcoming CD that'll be out April 24, 2007. Might come as a surprise to some of you who anticipated the live record, but after months of record business twists and turns I decided to release a new studio CD instead. So we recorded, mixed, mastered and did artwork in a couple of weeks. Enjoy!

Rick

Hey now, I'm happy to report that Mark Carpentieri (of M.C. Records) has signed on to help out with all the stuff I'm no good at, which is a lot! Mark will be handling management and festival bookings. So if you want to book the band, call or email Mark. He's a good guy. Here's his 411:

Mark Carpentieri
M.C. Records
299 Main St. #7
Northport, NY 11768
631-754-8725
mc@mc-records.com