just my luck
Posted on 07. Jul, 2011 by Carrie in play
words > CHUCK ROSS
photos > DAVE TURNER
Luck is a big theme in blues music – the archetype is of some old blues dog sitting on stage singin’ and pickin’ about how the hammer of God descended down upon him – getting him run out of town, stealing his rent money, and causing his wife to run off with some hoochie-coochie man.
Luck seems to be on the mind of hometown blues group the Terry Quiett Band with their new album “Just My Luck” – an album covered in its incubation phase in NakedCity’s April 2010 edition. Produced on the Lucky Bag label at Wichita’s Brickhouse Studios, the record has enjoyed 12 weeks on the Roots Music Report blues charts and received critical buzz – with adjectives like “gem”, “masterpiece”, “raw”, and “elite” being tossed around to describe it.
The band might feel lucky given that they hooked up with Grammy award winning record producer Jim Gaines – a legend who has worked with Santana, Stevie Ray Vaughan, Huey Lewis and the News, Journey, Steve Miller, and George Thorogood. But to say that it was all luck would be like saying that a Kansas twister formed without clouds in the wintertime. There’s that old saying about success being the combination of preparation and, yes, luck.
And prepare they have. The Terry Quiett Band is made up of Winfield natives Terry Quiett (vocals, guitar), Aaron Underwood (bass, backing vocals), and Rodney Baker (drums). Quiett himself has been churning out blues music for over a decade but formed his eponymously-named trio about three years ago. Since that fortuitous beginning, TQB has played hundreds of shows stretching across the country, been rotated on over 300 radio stations, and shared stage with Robert Cray, the Doobie Brothers, Edgar Winter and many other “lucky” musicians.
“Just My Luck” is balanced between your standard guttural blues, your foot-stomping jams, your beer-chugging cuts, and your euphoric offerings that leave you with that “damn, I’m listening to great music and the world is good” feel.
This is a unique opportunity for Wichita’s music fans. It’s rare for us to have access to a local band which has received the stamp of approval from big-time talent spotters. It’s doubly exciting to watch them make music as they’re gaining momentum. It allows us fans to say, one day, “hey I saw them; they’re from my town” and for that statement to actually mean something.
The Terry Quiett Band will be performing Friday, July 15th at The Orpheum. Pre-order tickets at www.theterryquiettband.com. They’re on sale for $10.50 + tax pre-show and $12.50 at the door. Doors open at 7. If you’re lucky, you might get a seat.
