Summertime Blues Band Picture Perfect CD

The band is the brainchild of Ted Carter (guitar, bass, vocals) and Zeek Bailey (drums, vocals), long-time stalwarts of the northern Indiana blues and rock community. Having played together, off and on, in bands of diverse genres since the 1970s, Zeek and Ted decided in 1999 that the time was right for a fresh new blues act. They recruited Bill Kolter (guitar, bass), at the time lead guitarist and founder of classic-rock outfit Curious George and the High Voltage Fence, in which Carter also played. The trio played for about a year before Bill "Big Willie" Gieras (harmonica, vocals) was asked to join in September, 2002, completing the current lineup. Bailey pushed the band to write original material, which was first showcased on the expanded demo, "Chaindawg Blues," released in April, 2001. The disc contained three original tunes and five covers, allowing the band to receive regional airplay. By October, 2001, the band had written twelve original songs and returned to the studio, emerging with its first full-length commercial release, "I Could'a Been." The CD was recorded in Syracuse IN at the T.Bush Record Plant by the gifted Tim Bushong, and released by Chaindawg Records, Inc. an independent label launched by Kolter, in January, 2002. Shortly thereafter, doors began opening for the band throughout the blues community. Within weeks of the CD's release, the band was invited to participate in major blues festivals, sharing lineups with such international stars as Rod Piazza and the Mighty Flyers, Little Charlie and the Nightcats, Big Al and the Heavyweights, A.C. Reed, Michelle Wilson, and the Chicago Rhythm and Blues Kings. Blues radio took notice, and "I Could'a Been" was soon receiving airplay throughout the United States, Europe, and South America. KSCU-FM in Santa Clara, CA listed the disc on its "Hot 25 Blues Releases" for four straight months, including a #9 ranking in June 2002. The song "Medicated Woman" was released on Blues Revue Magazine's CD sampler in October 2002, and was the #11 most frequently downloaded Contemporary Blues tune on amazon.com (October, 2002). Three of the album's songs reached #1 on MP3.com's Electric Blues Chart. The band is unique in that it is a true ensemble, featuring three accomplished lead vocalists. Kolter and Carter switch off on guitar and bass; Kolter plays what may be described as a Chicago style, while Carter's frenetic fretwork is influenced by Hendrix, Clapton, and Stevie Ray Vaughan. Coupled with Gieras's Big Walter-influenced harp playing, these interchangeable elements allow the band great versatility onstage and in the studioTheir follow-up CD, "Picture Perfect," released in September, 2003, demonstrates the band's maturity as songwriters and producers, featuring a more consistently rocking attitude, deeper arrangements, and guest musicians contributing saxophone, piano, and slide guitar for a fatter, more varied sound. The Summertime Blues Band is selling out shows throughout its home region, and is poised for greater recognition as a result of its songwriting strength, fluid musicianship and onstage intensity.