Suitcase Records presents...
The Suitcase Brothers
A dynamic country blues duo formed by two brothers: Pere Puertas, guitar and vocals, and Victor Puertas, harmonica, piano and vocals. When these two talented brothers get together, they create magic on the stage. Their feelings and skills generate an athmosphere of fine communication among the audience in every song they perfom, being a great experience for everyone who loves the blues.
Tracklisting:
01. Gettin' Outta Town (Big Walter Horton) 3:00
02. That's All Right (Jimmy Rogers) 3:15
03. Love No More (Dave Bartholomew) 4:24
04. Low Down Rounder (Peg Leg Howell) 2:36
Arranged by John Koerner
05. Careless Love (Traditional) 4:33
06. Sarah Jane (Bill Jazz Gillum) 3:13
07. I You Wanna Go (Rowdon-Cobo) 3:39
Arranged by The Suitcase Brothers
08. Good Morning Little School Girl
(John Lee 'Sonny Boy' Williamson) 3:17
09. Treated Wrong (S.Terry-B.McGhee) 3:31
10. Action Man (John Cephas-Phil Wiggins) 2:39
11. Cigarette Blues (Bo Carter) 3:04
12. I Want You (Bill Jazz Gillum) 2:24
13. Trouble in Mind (Richard M. Jones) 2:59
14. Can't Help Falling in Love
(G.D.Weiss-H.Peretti-L.Creatore) 3:43
Total time: 46:17 min.
Personnel:
THE SUITCASE BROTHERS:
Pere Puertas (vocals, acoustic, electric & resonator guitar), Victor Puertas (harmonica).
Special guests:
Big Dani Perez (tenor sax on #3), Bernat Font (piano on #10), Artur Regada (upright bass on #3,13,14), Reginald Vilardell (drums on #3,13).
Recorded, mixed and engineered by Santi Garcia & Mike Mariconda at Ultramarinos, Sant Feliu de Guixols, Girona, Catalonia, Spain, in January 31, and February 1 & 2, 2011.
Mastered by Mike Mariconda at The Sonic Boom Boom Studio
Produced by The Suitcase Brothers.
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Pere was born on W.C Handy's birthday (November 16th) and Victor was born on Sonny Terry's birthday (October 24th), so it looks as if these two brothers have been predestined to dedicate their talent to the blues.
They have been exposed to music since an early age, because their mother used to sing Spanish songs at home with a lovely voice. Their granddad sang some different sort of Spanish and English folk tunes too.
The Suitcase Brothers have been elected by 32 Blues Experts (Radios, Blues Festivals Directors, Blues Critics, Presidents of Blues Associations and Musicians) as the Best Acoustic Blues duo to represent their country, Spain, in the first European Blues Challenge (EBC) in Berlin, Germany, in March 2011.
PERE PUERTAS, the elder brother, got his first guitar at the age of 12 although he didn't pay much attention to it until high school. He formed his first band in the mid 90's, and soon invited his 14 years old brother to play harmonica with his band. Two years later Victor was playing all Gary Primich songs and solos on harmonica.
Pere has a powerful and soulful voice, and a deep knowledge of fingerpicking guitar techniques, particularly the Pre-War and Piedmont Blues styles. His main inspiration comes basically from recordings by Sonny Terry and Brownie McGhee, Paul Rishell and Annie Raines and John Cephas with Phil Wiggins.
VÍCTOR PUERTAS, is a powerful harmonica player, who also plays piano, Hammond organ and guitar. Nevertheless, harmonicas are his love at the first feel, and he plays them with deep emotion and sensibility. He is one of the top five favourites in Jerry Portnoy's, Annie Raines and Joe Filisko's list.
How can two brothers who are born in Barcelona, Spain, sound like two fellows from the deep south of the USA? It is easy to understand as they have been listening to blues records all day long since they were young and they have travelled and lived in the U.S.A for a period of time. Victor lived in Washington DC, and Pere in Austin, TX. They learned their skills playing with some of the best musicians in the blues scene, such as: Jerry Portony, Joe Filisko, Gary Primich, John Cephas and Phil Wiggins, Steve James, James Harman, Paul Rishell and Annie Raines, to name a few.
When these two talented brothers get together, they create magic on the stage. Their feelings and skills generate an athmosphere of fine communication among the audience in every song they perfom, being a great experience for everyone who loves the blues.
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"It comes to mind when you slap on this record by The Suitcase Brothers that this thing called "The Blues" isn't really a genre in music, but a vast form of communication, a separate language, which thankfully, is accepted by only the few who understand it. And not only understand it-FEEL it.
Inside you will find The Suitcase Brothers moving with different moods, textures and feelings that, like all great music, take you to a different time and place, and one that is probably better that the one you and I are living in right now.
Speaking as a first hand witness, the recording of this record was about as pure as it gets. Completed in 3 days, with no overdubs, click tracks, editing or manipulation, it captures 2 brothers (and sometimes a few friends) recorded live at a moment in time, sitting on the stairs in the entranceway to Ultramarinos Studios in pleasant Sant Feliu de Guixols, Cataluña. (Maybe not the Mississippi Delta, but certainly just as beautifully haunting). They were having a good time. I was there also, and in a few minutes, you will be, too-digging the REAL folk blues.
-Mike Mariconda (Gijon, 2011)
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"The Suitcase Brothers tienen ese algo inexplicable en la música, quizás el término que más se acerca es la solera. Logran comunicar a través de su música. El hecho de tener un amplio vocabulario musical no garantiza que un músico pueda llegar a los oyentes; no solo no lo garantiza, sino lo pone más difícil muchas veces. Así que a pesar de, y gracias a, su avanzado vocabulario musical, estos dos te llegan. Los dos lo han comprobado en Austin, Texas, donde los conocí, con algunos de los músicos de blues mejores del mundo."
-Michael Linder
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"Thick resonant tone, perfect attack, lovely vibrato and a beautiful flow of ideas that are just right for the song you're playing. You've really got it and, by the way, your brother plays great guitar too."
-Jerry Portnoy
