ST. PATTY'S DAY @ THE BEACH & IN NEW ORLEANS!!!

On St. Patty's Day, we were off so we spent most of the day out on the beach and hanging at the Flora-Bama. That night we cruised down to New Orleans to meet up with some friends and watch The Rebirth Brass Band at the Maple Leaf Bar. A big shout out to our bud Stew, Rebirth's manager for hooking us up. It was a killer show and we even ran into the actor Steve Zahn jamming out.

HTB BEACH WEEK!!!

Night one of our beach adventure we played an early show at the Hangout in Gulf Shores, AL. It's a really cool venue and a big shout out to Jimmy for having us back! Good times hanging with you this weekend.

Here's the sound man from the Hangout. This guy was so miserable at running sound it was funny. The power went off almost 3 times during our first set. He was drunk the whole show and he kept talking about "hiding the weenie" with all the older ladies in the crowd...pretty ridiculous.

Night two...down the road for three nights in a row at one of the last roadhouse bars still alive...the legendary Flora-Bama!!! 

Here's a pic of the beach house they put us up in across the street.

A pic from one of the shows.

After the first night at the Flora-Bama our buds from New Orleans, the Revivalists dropped in for the late night.

SEE HIGHTIDE BLUES @ SXSW!!

So, after the run of spring break shows, we're off to Austin for SXSW (with a pit stop in New Orleans for St. Patty's day). This will be our first trip to SXSW and we're looking forward to 5 days of parties, meeting folks, and playing shows. We're playing 3 parties on Friday and Saturday:

Fri Mar 20, 2:30pm: Aussie's

306 Barton Springs Road

Fri Mar 20, 9:00pm: High Five! Party Party! II @ IONA Private Compound

701 Tillery Street

RSVP at http://www.rsvpit.com, the code is "HighFive"

Sat Mar 21, 1:00pm: SXPF Flyers @ Doc's Motorworks

1123 South Congress Avenue

Upcoming: 3 Nights @ The Flora-Bama

We'll be back at the coast for a 4-night run of spring break shows, with Friday night at The Hangout in Gulf Shores, and Saturday, Sunday, and Monday nights Mar 14-16 at the famous Flora-Bama. These were some of the funnest shows we did last year, and we hope to see everyone down there for spring break at the Flora-Bama!

Flora-Bama

17401 Perdido Key Drive Pensacola, FL 32507

www.florabama.com

Hightide Blues @ 9:30pm

Ages 18+

OH YEAH...THE ATL!!!

So we're back in ATL. We played a cool spot called Vinyl. One of our favorite places to play in town. Before we loading in, we hit up a NPR radio spot in town. Good ol' Georgia Public Broadcasting. Big shout out to our new friend Rickey Bevington for having us on the show. You're incredible!!! Here's a funny story...If only we were 10 minutes earlier to the radio gig we would've ran into DOLLY PARTON!!! She was the interview right before us...so whenever we signed the autograph book we signed it right next to her. haha. pretty cool. Later that night we rocked the Vinyl @ Center Stage. It was slammed out and once again our good buds Simplified played on the bill along with another excellent band from Birmingham called the White Oaks.. check them out. Really cool stuff. Here's some pics from the day. Later this week we're heading to the BEACH, New Orleans, and then out to SXSW in Austin, TX. It should be fun. We'll keep you updated.Rocking Georgia NPR's new online show "The GPB Office Throwdown"

Only minutes away from Dolly Parton....we could've scored some lifetime passes to "Dollywood" DAMNIT!!!

Vinyl @ CW Midtown with Simplified and The White Oaks

Dale Jr's Bar in Charlotte, NC

Yo! So we just got back from a crazy weekend in Charlotte, NC. We jammed up there with our buds Simplified. The place was pretty cool...reminded me a little of Club La Vila in Panama City Beach haha. Strobe lights and all. The coolest part is we got to open the show for our buds and then hang out with everyone. Little did we know we would party a little to hard and end up riding Dale Jr's mechanical bull. HELL YEAH BROTHER!!!! Here's some pics of us being idiots.

Dale Jr. rockin the Whiskey River

Good times.

Cragon about to bust some serious ass.

the ShamROCK

We just got done playing a benefit show for the Auburn Honors Congress in our home town.  Good stuff. Good music for a good cause.  Here's a pic with a few folks after the show.  Check out JP's face (top left). It's pretty funny stuff. THANKS AU.

New Acoustic Tracks

So we've been working on some new tunes recently. Whenever we're off we try to write as much as possible. Last night we finished a new song called "Please Believe Me" and recorded an acoustic take at our place. Hopefully we'll have a version up for you guys to listen to soon.

Subject: You guys truly rock!! Please keep putting it out.

Here's an email from a new fan in Colorado who saw us on our Texas/Colorado tour back in January, had to share this one, it pretty well sums up what we're about at this point in getting our music out there and winning over new fans. Pretty cool:

Subject: You guys truly rock!!  Please keep putting it out.

Hey guys.  I just had a chance to see you play the Walnut Room in Denver on Saturday night.  What an absolute pleasure it was.  You guys gave us a great show.  Good jams, skilled musicians, great stage presence and music as it should be…well written, well performed, rocking and raw.  And please know, I say raw in the best of ways.

I had a chance to talk to Paul for a little before the show and briefly with Jonathan afterwards.  Sorry Scotty!  My company was pretty toasted and it was time to take folks home!  It was nice to meet some hard working, talented musicians who were unassuming and outgoing.  The free CDs were another added bonus but you guys screwed yourselves out of some well deserved cash!!  I would have gladly paid $10 and $15 for each of them.  I told Paul, with your permission I’d like to burn them and send them out to friends from Idaho, Wyoming, North Carolina, Pennsylvania and New York.  Anything to help you guys build a name and to try and prime the pump for some future shows.  All five people who hit the show with me were blown away and completely sold on your band.  It was all we talked about on the ride home. 

I won’t eat up your time since I know you’re enjoying this beautiful state for the first time.  I just wanted to tell you how much I believe in your music.  You guys are doing the right things, you have access to your tunes online, your touring out of your local area and you truly have a great stage presence.  It really took me back to see how much you put out in a small venue with 50 people in the crowd.  You could have easily pulled it off in a crowd of 10,000.  No shit. 

I told Jonathan after the show that I’m just you’re average guy who loves music and plays a fair guitar.  I can’t sign you to a major label or offer you riches and world tours.  But I’ve done the band thing and what I do know is this.  It isn’t the execs that give you success.  It’s ordinary people like me that you move with your music.  We’re the chumps that will gladly dish out $50 to see some great musicians like you, with the fire and passion every time you come to town. 

Keep up the great work.  I’ll be following your progress closely and I already can’t wait for the next time you guys come to the Rocky Mountain west.  Thanks again for a great show and the killer CDs.

Snow in Auburn and new HTB Reviews.

HTB's sweet pad covered in snow. We woke up yesterday morn and this is what was going on in Auburn.

Recently a bunch of folks have been reviewing HTB, the band and the records. Here's the one's we got this week. Check them out.
Almost never does an indie band come along that surprises to the point that you can't imagine they aren't signed to a major record deal. It is possible that with the current state of the music industry, however, that a band like Hightide Blues can put out such an excellent collection of tunes without that type of backing. A mixture or funk, jazz, rock, and blues, this album mixes all the mentioned style in such a way that each song is familiar, yet not redundant, and you don't find yourself listening to the same cookie cutter sound that you're used to. This album is a promising foreshadow of a music career that will be prosperous. The world is waiting for this generation's great bands to plant themselves firmly in the soil and begin to grow. You can rest assured that Hightide Blues has managed to create that album that will shine a light on themselves that will no go dim for some time.

Key Tracks: "Dreamin' Alone"; "Let It Roll"; "Merle's Last Stand"

Rootstime is one of the biggest Blues- and Roots websites from Belgium & The Netherlands.Here's the translated version of the review from Rootstime...

HIGHTIDE BLUES "LOVE COME EASY"
Music with its roots deep in the south, that brings this young band from Atlanta, after their debut EP "Tired Of Leaving" two years ago, it was now time for a full album, already that is well an overstatement, for with its eight songs, and only takes the thirty minutes from now, is this album totally not so long. We call it thus their second EP. But I must admit it is useful spent, the half hour. Hightide makes a kind of rootsrock-Americana with a sound, that by finished and closed does think of Black Crowes, by chance a title of one of the songs on "Love Come Easy". Only also as much as with Ryan Adams, their music shows sometimes what resemblances. They played last year even on the prestigious Bonnaroo festival. Frontman singer guitarist Paul McDonald has a characteristic voice, raspy, and in the softer numbers at the same time unctous and sweet. The other guitarist Jonathan Pears is the man that sees to the rock contribution, Jimmy Page meets Mark Ford. In "Merle's Last Stand", he can let self be gone completely and furnishes that real Southern fireworks. "Black Crows" is one of the most beautiful songs on this plate, a slow, penetrating song. The softer "Dancing With The Angels" has been dedicated at one of theirs 's largest and most faithful fans, Meg Ingram, that at cancer passed away and for which Paul this song wrote in the night before her funeral, where he also sang. A moving number takes "Love Come Easy" off to close. Because the boys also sent their debut "Tired Or Leaving" from 2007, as said an EP that 5 songs contain, we also have that to undergo a splendor test. The same "Southern rock marks alt. country" here, is what's self-evident, but at least five strong numbers, these boys are clear on the principle of "all killers, no fillers" and bring EP' s rather than full CD's that for the half with weaker numbers filled be. Winners here are: "4.15" and the title song" Tired Of Leaving", really a great song. Hightide Blues is a beloved band, that the Southern rock in what sends out tempered form a new direction.