We were on a huge high from just finding out that our song had hit the Top 10 on Women of Substance Radio… and what better way to celebrate than with a gig at a place that is all about indie music! The Cyber Café was awesome as usual—but our gig definitely took some unexpected turns. From Mo breaking out his trombone on us for the very first time ever to our friend Tom Egan showing up with his harmonica and joining us onstage mid-song… there was never a dull moment!

A little background.… Mo has been telling us all along that his *real* instrument is the trombone, and we had all been talking about picking up some songs that would feature it, but we hadn’t gotten around to it. In fact, we had never heard him play the trombone at all. Not even one note. So imagine our surprise when he pulled it out onstage, in the middle of a set, in front of a completely, standing-room-only packed house, and said he was going to play it on the next song! Keepin’ it fresh and interesting for us! The song was I Shot the Sheriff—our version is based on Eric Clapton’s, and we do extended jams at the beginning and the end.  Mo started off on keys, and then picked up his horn… and from the first note we were all hooked. Yes, he was pretty much the Pied-freakin’-Piper, and we all would’ve followed him anywhere.

The next surprise came just a little bit later, when our friend Tom showed up. He has sat in with us before on both harmonica and vocals (check out “The Flood” tab above for a song we recorded with him last year), but he had a gig somewhere else that night so we weren’t expecting him. Well, when he showed up we were in the middle of our version of Got My Mojo Workin’, and when we hit the solo section he approached the stage and indicated that he had his harmonica with him and was ready to jump in if we wanted. I waved him up, and—to the surprise of the crowd, and without missing a beat—he joined right in with a rippin’ solo. Of course he played on several more songs with us after that, including Folsom Prison and Tore Down, where he and Mo traded harp and trombone solos back and forth.

A post on this night would not be complete without a shout-out to the crowd. It was, without a doubt, the most enthusiastic bunch we’ve ever played to. Maybe they were picking up on our excitement over our recent radio success, or maybe we were playing better than ever, or maybe it was something in the beer… but the crowd was going nuts, cheering all over the place, sometimes even after every line. We have to say—we could get used to that!

All in all, a fabulous night. Thank you Jeff and crew at the Cyber, and thanks to everyone who came out to spend your evening with us!

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We are up and running in our new configuration…  rockin’ and rollin’ all over the Southern Tier with several high-energy, fun gigs in the last few weeks (On The Roxx, Garlic Festival, Bike Night in downtown Greene, the Number 5, and Mickey’s Pub in Waverly, NY); next up is the Cyber Cafe on Sept. 28. Read about our recent activity below, on our blog page, and–if you haven’t already–come hear our new sound for yourselves!

As always, check the Tour Dates page for details on all our gigs. In the meantime, we will continue adding many new songs to our repertoire for your enjoyment. Feel free to drop us a line at voodoohighwayband@gmail.com if there’s a song you’d love to hear us play.

And finally… have you heard Voodoo Highway on the radio yet? “Don’t Go Lookin’ for Trouble” is on Women of Substance Radio (an internet/iTunes radio station) every Friday for at least the next few months between 5-6pm (Eastern). It will be part of a show called “Women Who Sing the Blues”. To listen to Women of Substance Radio on your iPhone/iPad/iPod, download the (free!) Live365 Radio app, then search for Women of Substance Radio once you’re inside the app. Please check it out, and give our song a thumbs up when it plays, to help us make it into the weekly top 10!

Peace, Love, and Live Music,

Voodoo Highway

Our debut gig at Mickey’s Pub in Waverly was awesome, if we do say so ourselves 😉 It was a sort of homecoming for Bob, who is from Waverly originally. At the beginning of the night, the crowd was a little thin, because there was a big, cross-town rival football game going on… but by the end of the evening the place was so packed that we stayed an extra hour to rock out with everyone. In any case, both when it was small and when it was big, it was a great crowd to play for—they really seemed to dig our eclectic mix, including our originals. The owners told us they want us to consider Mickey’s our home in the Valley, which sounds great to us. We can’t wait to go back (check our Tour Dates page)… that place really knows how to have a good time!

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It was a pleasure to be back at the Number 5, this time with Mo! There was a full house, which included people who had come from as far away as the Berkshires to rock out with us. We had quite the dance party going on, right from the first song. And everyone was rockin’ out so hard that there was even a spill or two on the dance floor… hey, sometimes you have to pay a little price to the party gods! It was all good. A big thanks to everyone who came out!

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Bike Night in downtown Greene was one of those near-perfect nights. You know, where everything just seems to fall into place. The crowd was, well, awesome. Such a great vibe! The venue–downtown Greene–was fantastic; they blocked off a side street facing the main drag, and that’s where we set up. So we had a perfect view of all the bikes and mustangs lining up, as well as of all the folks who were there for the fun. And the weather? It couldn’t have been better. Warm-but-not-too-warm, and literally not a cloud in the sky. (Our first Bike Night/Greater Greene Cruise-in was rained out, so we were very happy to see the forecast calling for a 0% chance of rain.) Our only regret was that it was the last Bike Night of the summer, so we’ll have to wait almost a whole year before we can do it again! A huge thanks to Big Wally from 99.1 The Whale and all the other organizers and attendees for what ended up being one of our favorite nights of the summer!

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We had a great time at our first gig at On The Roxx! Highlights included the debut of “The Reverend Mo Love Taylor” singing a special–if shall-we-say unorthodox–version of a classic hit like you’ve *never* heard it before. If you were there, you know what we’re talking about. If not, we don’t want to ruin the surprise for you of hearing it for yourself! It will be part of regular repertoire from now on, so you’ll be able to hear it at most of our shows. Other highlights included helping a certain Corey celebrate his 21st birthday in style, and also seeing so many friends come out to hear “the new us” at a new venue. Thanks, everyone!

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We loved playing the American Civic Association‘s Annual Garlic Festival! It’s such a fun event, and for such a good cause. People of all ages came out to support the ACA and to enjoy the beautiful day, the garlic-laced delicacies, various vendors, and–of course–the music. Pictures below.

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We were psyched to be back at the Number 5–and this time with slightly more advance notice 😉  We had a rockin’ crowd that was up and dancing from the first notes of the first song we played… and we were happy to have 3 birthday girls celebrating their evenings with us! We also had a particularly warm reception of our originals, and several people went home with our CDs at the end of the night. A big thank-you to everyone who came out, and also to the staff at the Number 5 for having us!

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Kicking off the holiday at Chip’s was a total blast. The bonfire was roaring, the dance floor was rocking, the beer was flowing, and we were feeling the love from the crowd! Chip’s is pretty much a classic-rock-and-blues-lovers’ paradise, and we love playing there. We also love how appreciative everyone always seems to be of our originals, and we were happy to finally be able to offer our CDs for sale. Fan Sarah Lee bought one and asked us to sign it for her, which of course we did–then she said she was going to take it home tonight and blast all her neighbors out with it. Party on, Sarah Lee–you rock, girl! We also loved playing a song we had learned by request for Jackie and her friends. And we were very impressed with the beer-can pyramid that was built over the course of the night (see the pictures, below). Anyway, as always, a huge thank-you to Chip and everyone who came out. We couldn’t think of a better way to get our Independence Day celebrations started!

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Our album has been getting quite the reception lately! In fact, one of our songs–Don’t Go Lookin’ for Trouble–has been chosen to be on an internet radio station (so, world-wide exposure!). And another one–I Land on My Feet–has been accepted by Whamzoo Entertainment for an eventual placement in a movie soundtrack (they loved the song and want to place it when a movie that is the right fit for it comes along). And “‘Cuz I’m the Man” was *almost* chosen for Tim McGraw! Even though it wasn’t ultimately chosen, we were happy to have gotten so close, and were really pleased with what they had to say about it:

“Well, it is very easy to understand why you submitted this song…. It is very well written and clearly demonstrates your understanding of commercially viable music. As a commercial publisher, we, here at Sweet Rosie Music, very much appreciate that. The demo is also very professionally done. Your song was advanced through several levels of approval but unfortunately, our final decision board felt that the hook of the chorus may not be strong enough to support the weight of a single in today’s highly competitive country marketplace. These types of decisions are so highly subjective that they are hard to articulate. We, of course, realize this is disappointing to you, but please do not get discouraged as writers. We can offer only one opinion in a world of many, and we can assure you that we have been wrong just as often as we have been right. That is the nature of the business that we are in. If anything, we would want to ENCOURAGE you and let you know that many professionals listened to, and discussed your work this week, and without exception, they were all impressed…. Thank you again for a quality submission.”

Not bad, considering it’s not even really a country song! We are in fact feeling quite encouraged, and are going to keep submitting our music to various opportunities as we find them. In the meantime, you can listen to Don’t Go Lookin’ for Trouble right here on Women of Substance Radio, every Friday for the next few months between 5-6pm,
on their show “Women Who Sing the Blues.” Rock on, people!!!