Big Apple Blues - Manhattan Alley (2018)

In 2015, Big Apple Blues released the album ENERGY, which described day in a life of New York City. Boasting entirely original material, ENERGY marked a departure from the well-trodden blues genre towards a fusion of instrumental blues, soul, funk, and rock. Unable to assign the album to a pre-defined genre, the critics labeled it as the “Big Apple Blues Sound.”

This journey into terra incognita with ENERGY was a smash hit, receiving worldwide airplay and rave reviews. Peeter Fenstra of The Blues Magazine concluded: “A glorious melange of blues fusion, from New York’s finest. Unreservedly recommended”. Dan Forte of Vintage Guitar: “Big Apple Blues has put together a set of originals listenable enough for you not to miss the singer!” Merv Osborne of Blues Matters exclaimed: “This CD has taken over my life! Brilliant and could end up my album of the year!” ENERGY was both a turning point and a break-through for the band; over a million digital distributions sold and incredibly well-received live shows from USA to Europe to Asia.

MANHATTAN ALLEY builds on ENERGY and presents more of the feel-good Big Apple Blues Sound. As with previous releases, MANHATTAN ALLEY was tracked live in one big room. A band of brothers. All together. The recording took place at Sear Sound studios in Manhattan, bringing the music to life with an old-school, real-time, no studio-trickery approach. Like its predecessor, MANHATTAN ALLEY tells its own story, aiming to draw from a well of energy and philosophical, utterly positive reflections on life and creativity. It is inspired by New York City itself - NYC with a nod to Tin Pan Alley - the collection of New York City music publishers and songwriters that dominated popular music in America in the late 19th and early 20th century.

The old saying still rings true: You gotta start somewhere! Even as your head is floating in the dizzying ether of ideas and you're borne aloft on the wings of inspiration and anxious to get going, planting both feet firmly on the ground and taking that first step can be an act of will as challenging as moving mountains. But despite the uncertainty, you feel compelled to press on. There’s something in you that seeks to be unleashed, unshackled. It may take two or more attempts before your vision crystallizes, but once everything is set in motion, watch out! Finding companions on your journey who share your drive and vision is a must (like our dear, prematurely departed friend, SDW)!

Changing the world is not something you can do alone. Get the right people by your side to get things going your way, and you're Happy, creative, and engaged in some serious Deep talkin'; with that force that binds us all together. Some call it soul, others the universal consciousness. Whatever it is, you've got it on the line, baby, and you're super bad, effortlessly lifting off the hard, cold ground and flying like the Hudson breeze, airborne and unstoppable. Whatever the hurdles, you're a Steamroller, but you're not making the world flat and dull… Nah, you're adding depth and dimension, shadow and light, zooming left and right, focused and tight, like a needle in the groove on a funky LP. This is the process of creation in all its mysterious glory, this is the Subway rumble, the hustle and bustle, leaving that cocoon for the moon, your voice joining with the voices of millions rising up, hearts beating and striving, bodies and minds and desires coming together, beautiful and harrowing and visceral, all melded together to form that thing we call love; at least Love as I know it. And when that happens all you can do is hold tight and Rock on!

Track List:
01. You Gotta Start Somewhere 02:46
02. Happy 04:29
03. Take Two 03:47
04. Sdw 03:28
05. Deep Talkin' 04:02
06. Hudson Breeze 03:27
07. Steamroller 03:44
08. Subway Rumble 03:57
09. Love As I Know It 04:57
10. Rock On 02:35

Line-Up:
Zach Zunis - Guitars
Admir Hadzic - Bass
Jim Alfredson - Organ, Keyboards
Anthony Kane - Harmonica
Barry Harrison - Drums

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