[LAU] Music Made With Linux - Rated Blue EP Released!

[Glen MacArthur]

Hi fellow LAU's

As some of you may or may not know (or care) AV Linux has been on "pause"
since last spring so hopefully this will explain some of my absence...

I'm very happy (and relieved) to release our Rated Blue band EP on my new
(and very small) Indie label Bandshed Records..

Album cover image:
http://bandshed.net/images/album_art/RatedBlue3WD-320px.png

I've copied and pasted the Album notes below if anyone is interested in
more detail, but first, links:

Stream/Listen: https://soundcloud.com/rated-blue/sets

Download/Purchase: http://www.cdbaby.com/cd/ratedblue (physical CD's will
also be available in a day or two)

* Coming soon to Spotify, Deezer, iTunes, Amazon etc.

Quoted Album Notes:

'Three Walls Down' is the first EP by 'Rated Blue' a bluesy,
soul-influenced power trio from southwestern Ontario Canada. The EP
collects 7 songs by guitarist and vocalist Glen MacArthur written over a
period of more than 20 years. Three Walls Down is a collaborative effort
with a very unconventional lineup bonded by ties of both family and
friendship, MacArthur's son Connor (only 16 at the time of recording)
contributes focused, powerful drumming with intuition far beyond his years
and longtime friend and musical partner Pete Cox provides trademark
propulsive, inventive, in-the-pocket bass playing as a perfect complement
to the song arrangements. The band is unabashed about celebrating their
early blues and power trio influences citing such revered artists as
Freddie, Albert and B.B. King and classic trio lineups like Cream and The
James Gang as inspiration for their powerful, uncluttered and direct
sound. Contemporary luminaries like Big Sugar, Gov't Mule, The Black Keys
and Gary Clark Jr. also provide inspiration even though many of the songs
on Three Walls Down were written prior to their success.

Proudly self-produced, Three Walls Down betrays a zealous enthusiasm for
classic analog and tube gear and the sonic palette includes naturally
overdriven swampy baritone guitars, warm n' fuzzy bass and thunderous
Zep-approved drums. The DIY ethic was extended even further by using the
Open-Source Ardour workstation software to record the album on a
Linux-based OS that MacArthur himself does development work on. The album
opens with 'Day of the Blues' a joyous warp speed jump blues and switches
gears into the seismic sound and fury of 'Four Months on Tuesday' a slow
blues in 6/8 time. 'Frank Underwood Blues' is a swampy, heavy half-time
shuffle roasting any crooked politician you can think of and 'My Face' is
a minor-key soul ballad with a fiery conclusion that highlights the
improvisational interplay between band members. The title cut 'Three Walls
Down' pushes loudly and proudly into power-trio territory with a visceral
guitar solo and the plaintive 'Understanding' changes things up with it's
itchy reggae verses and soul-influenced choruses. 'Waiting' the final cut
is a unique blend of rootsy country and soul influences and leaves things
on an empathetic and encouraging note for anyone weathering hard times.

Three Walls Down is certainly not just another garden variety blues trio
album, the combination of band chemistry, powerful impassioned playing,
songwriting and authentic, immediate production should set it apart as a
definite album of interest for fans of raw rootsy blues and soul music.


This was recorded with a combination of FLOSS and Commercial Linux
software, my very sincere thanks to all of the hard working developers
here who bring all kinds of amazing Audio software to the Linux platform!

Comments and Critiques are welcomed, thanks for taking time to listen :)