Spring Break
Pittsburgh's Strange Brew has the blues
Strange Brew - Blues Cauldron - Four Triangles
Emily Beaulac
Issue date: 3/12/04 Section: Entertainment
- Page 1 of 1
The name Strange Brew may have come from the 1960s band Cream, who took the standards of blues and added a touch of jazz. But this modern day band also produces a sound that is truly a "strange brew" of musical genres categorized as blues, rock and R&B.
Singer Marcy Eustice, who also plays flute and percussion for the band, has a background in bluegrass, country and gospel. Her vocals have been described as sassy, rueful, brassy and growling.
Playing guitar and bass and providing backup vocals is Fran Rifugiato, a former member of the bands The fingers and The Features who brings a touch of his early N.Y. punk scene influence into the music of Strange Brew.
Last but not least, drummer Peter Foy brings traditional blues elements, along with a taste of garage band influences to recreate an R&B sound. Non-band member, Al Snyder provides keyboards and backing vocals on the album.
The trio comes from Pittsburgh, Pa., and has put out one record previous to Blues Cauldron called Lost and Brokenhearted on Adelphi Records in 1997. These completely independent artists produced Blues Cauldron themselves with the help of CD manufacturer, Avete Living Arts, and released the album on Riff Records in November 2003.
The CD includes eight tracks, all of which have the typical blues sound - on tracks like "Grim Reaper," "I Better Stop Drinking" and "I'm a Fool" - or convey upbeat energy such as "Knock Knock," "Stuck in the Middle," "Stay Out of My Face" and "Boppin' the Jaloppin."
Eustice's lyrics range from topics of hurt, heartache, love, hate, and death and are captivating nonetheless.
Her voice has said to be too polished to sound like true blues and like Bonnie Raitt.
On this album, however, Eustice's voice sounds more like Candy Givens of the 1969 band Zephyr. Rifugiato's guitar style provides an aggressive blues sound and has been compared to Jimmy Page of the 60s band Led Zeppelin.
Foy adds a steady backbone to every song on Blues Cauldron, giving it the just the right sound no matter which one from the "strange brew" of musical genres this band brings together.
Singer Marcy Eustice, who also plays flute and percussion for the band, has a background in bluegrass, country and gospel. Her vocals have been described as sassy, rueful, brassy and growling.
Playing guitar and bass and providing backup vocals is Fran Rifugiato, a former member of the bands The fingers and The Features who brings a touch of his early N.Y. punk scene influence into the music of Strange Brew.
Last but not least, drummer Peter Foy brings traditional blues elements, along with a taste of garage band influences to recreate an R&B sound. Non-band member, Al Snyder provides keyboards and backing vocals on the album.
The trio comes from Pittsburgh, Pa., and has put out one record previous to Blues Cauldron called Lost and Brokenhearted on Adelphi Records in 1997. These completely independent artists produced Blues Cauldron themselves with the help of CD manufacturer, Avete Living Arts, and released the album on Riff Records in November 2003.
The CD includes eight tracks, all of which have the typical blues sound - on tracks like "Grim Reaper," "I Better Stop Drinking" and "I'm a Fool" - or convey upbeat energy such as "Knock Knock," "Stuck in the Middle," "Stay Out of My Face" and "Boppin' the Jaloppin."
Eustice's lyrics range from topics of hurt, heartache, love, hate, and death and are captivating nonetheless.
Her voice has said to be too polished to sound like true blues and like Bonnie Raitt.
On this album, however, Eustice's voice sounds more like Candy Givens of the 1969 band Zephyr. Rifugiato's guitar style provides an aggressive blues sound and has been compared to Jimmy Page of the 60s band Led Zeppelin.
Foy adds a steady backbone to every song on Blues Cauldron, giving it the just the right sound no matter which one from the "strange brew" of musical genres this band brings together.
