"Hugely entertaining, intelligently conceived and executed roots rock with a wickedly cool and otherworldly twist on tradition. Estrin’s harp work is masterful." – Living Blues
“You outta sight, boy! You got that sound! You play like a man!” Muddy Waters
The musically fearless, wildly entertaining, award-winning band Rick Estrin & The Nightcats consists of Alligator Records blues vocalist, harmonica master and songwriting legend Rick Estrin, multi-instrumentalist/musical mastermind/producer Christoffer “Kid” Andersen, keyboardist/organ wizard/bass player Lorenzo Farrell and endlessly creative drummer Derrick “D’Mar” Martin. Among the most entertaining and colourful showmen around, the band’s new album and sixth release, The Hits Keep Coming, packs a powerful punch with phenomenal musicianship and lyrics. The record captures the band’s chemistry and magic in what is certainly among their strongest, most urgent, and most cohesive releases so far.
Rick Estrin & The Nightcats have performed at festivals and concert stages from San Francisco to Chicago and New York and toured the United Kingdom, Norway, Belgium, France, Switzerland, Poland, Australia, Israel and Russia. The band won the coveted Blues Music Award for “Band of the Year” twice, with Estrin winning Blues Music Awards for “Song of the Year,” “Traditional Male Blues Artist,” and “Instrumentalist: Harmonica.”
When he was 12, Rick Estrin’s older sister gave him a copy of Ray Charles’ The Genius Sings The Blues and he became infatuated with the music. He got his first harmonica at age 15 and by age 18 he was sitting in at clubs around San Francisco. He first jammed with blues master Lowell Fulson and was immediately hired to open five shows for R&B giant Z.Z. Hill. At 19, Estrin relocated to Chicago and worked with some of the city’s best bluesmen, including the legendary Muddy Waters, who told Rick, “You outta sight, boy! You got that sound! You play like a man!” Estrin eventually moved back to the Bay Area, met guitarist Charlie Baty and formed Little Charlie & The Nightcats. With Charlie’s retirement from touring in 2008, Rick brought in guitar virtuoso Kid Andersen and formed Rick Estrin & The Nightcats, along with Lorenzo Farrell and Derrick “D’Mar” Martin.
VBS is excited to host Rick Estrin and the Nightcats on the Wicket Hall stage on Saturday, November 23. Doors open at 6:30 and the show is at 7pm. SEATING IS FIRST COME, FIRST SERVED. ADVANCE TICKET SALES: $35; AT THE DOOR: $40.
Opening for the Nightcats is pianoman David Vest. The son of an Alabama sharecropper, the longtime Victoria, BC resident is still going strong 50 years after he first stepped on stage with the likes of Big Joe Turner. Long revered as one of the great boogie-woogie piano players, Vest is a six-time winner of Canada's national Maple Blues Award for Piano Player of the Year.
He is also a prolific songwriter. He wrote the first songs ever recorded by Tammy Wynette, and his tunes have been covered by artists ranging from Paul deLay to the legendary Downchild Blues Band, whose cover of Vest's "Worried About The World" gave Downchild their first number-one song. Whether working solo, with his band or appearing in spectacular "pianorama" shows, he continues to bring audiences to their feet and to demonstrate why he has been called “one of the greatest living boogie-woogie piano players.”
Brought to you by the Victoria Blues Society
