Holler and Stomp

Personnel: Joe Nosek (harmonica); Jimmy Sutton (upright bass).
Audio Mixer: Alex Hall.
Liner Note Author: Joe Nosek.
Recording information: Hi-Style Studios, Chicago, IL.
Photographer: Jimmy Sutton .
Joe Nosek fell in love with the blues when he was a boy, but it was vintage Chess Records singles and the blues 78s of the 1920s and '30s that captivated him. When the vocalist and harmonica player put together the Cash Box Kings in the early 2000s, he named them after a now defunct magazine that charted the juke box hits of the '40s and patterned their sound on the early blues records that captivated him. The music on Holler and Stomp pays tribute to the country sounds that influenced the blues in the early days of recording with a mix of originals and covers that sound like they're 50 years old. "That's My Gal" is a variation on Slim Harpo's "Scratch My Back," with Paterson's reverb-drenched guitar and Oscar Wilson's sly vocal contributing to the retro feel. Nosek's harp adds and Jimmy Sutton's standup bass support Wilson's tasty vocal on "Barnyard Pimp," a tribute to down-home cookin' with a lyric full of clever double entendres. Covers include a bluesy rockabilly-flavored take on Hank Williams' "Blues Come Around" with a laid-back vocal by Nosek, as well as Muddy Waters' classic country blues "Feel Like Going Home" with Wilson channeling Muddy's vocals and Paterson laying down some stinging slide guitar. Their primal version of the Rolling Stones' "Off the Hook" has a lyric that sounds as old-fashioned as the arrangement in these days of cell phones and texting. Holler and Stomp was recorded in 2011, but Nosek and group guitarist Joel Paterson produced the album with a lo-fi approach that mimics the early blues sides they love. The album captures the ambience of an old-time tube radio with uncanny accuracy. ~ j. poet