Anthony Puskus: drums, backing vocals, co-producer "Serious Man"
Photo: David Raggio
Zach Tate: vocals, guitar, harmonica
co-producer "Serious Man"
Photo: David Raggio
Lynn Raggio: lead and slide guitar
Photo: David Raggio
Zach Tate: vocals, guitar, harmonica, co-producer "Serious Man"
Tom Rivera: lead guitar, backing vocals
Photo: Gary Irwin
Gary Graham: keyboards
Photo: David Raggio
Chuck Cabler: Bass
Photo: Gary Irwin
Fans of the Zach Tate Band have come to expect the unexpected and “Serious Man”, their 5th CD, is no exception. With a new band line-up (except for keyboardist Gary Graham) “Serious Man” continues in the tradition of bar-room rock & roll that has kept ZTB booked in Texas Ice Houses and at the Lone Star Motorcycle Rally for the last few years, but also explores elements of jazz and R&B and folk. Additional instrumentation including saxophone, banjo, mandolin and two duets with folk singer, Rebecca Stoll (Grifters and Shills) take “Serious Man” deeper into territory touched on on ZTB’s previous album, “End Of Time “ (which also featured one duet with Stoll).
“Serious Man” was recorded and mixed at Houston’s legendary Sugar Hill Studios by Grammy-nominated Engineer/Producer, Andy Bradley The album is ZTB's 5th CD since 2007’s Texas Road and the 4th in collaboration with executive producer, Denis Pons. Tate, Bradley and drummer, Anthony Puskus produced the record that began production in late 2013.
Among the new musicians playing with Tate are Houston saxophone player extrodinaire Fred Linton (Funksion) who shines on the reggae-infused “Must Be Love” and blazes through the boogie-woogie, blues number, “Rattlesnake”. Linton acts as a one-man horn section, creating sax harmonies on the soulful, “I’m Gonna Travel”.
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Please contact Zach Tate directly for interviews, additional photos or any information regarding CD ordering, booking or other projects. Zach Tate: 281-881-5256
Native Houston rock & roll lead and slide guitar player, Lynn Raggio (Slide Effect), brought in half way through recording, compliments guitarist Tom Rivera’s jazzy, John Mayer meets Jimi Hendrix, style. Acoustic slide guitar on the sex-blues “River Song” is a nod to an older generation of blues artists and indicative of Raggio’s versatility as a guitar player. Rivera weaves his melodic leads in and out of “I’m Gonna Travel” and “Endlessly” and when layered with Tate and Raggio’s rhythms create a dynamic 3 guitar sound.
Seasoned keyboardist (and surfer) Gary Graham moves effortlessly between the blues, jazz and folk numbers and evokes moods and emotions that play off Tate’s frequently dark and metaphoric lyrics. Sex, religion, marriage, alcohol, and love laced lyrics are bundled up closely in the opening rocker, “Fishin’ Song” (released as a single and video in early 2014 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tpA0VAggqC8) and form the thematic foundation for the rest of “Serious Man”. From the optomistic, melancholy breeze of “Summertime” to the guitar chucking, modern romance angst of “Telephone” the album travels through the many states of relationship bliss and/or anxiety. Lyrical and stylistic stretches are further pushed by the band’s two bass players, Chuck Cabler and Rick Recckio, each bringing their own style to various tracks.
John Stoll returns from the “End Of Time” album on the mandolin and banjo along with his now-wife, Rebecca Stoll (formerly Ferguson), for work on “Good Run” and “In My Heart”. The Stolls have released several of their own albums as “Grifters & Shills” and “Westbound” in the Americana folk genre and lend a genuine roots music flavor to the ZTB sound. The same can be said for one of Houston’s best and most utilized pedal steel guitar players, Brian Thomas, whose work on “Good Run” and “Everybody Gets A Little Lonely On Christmas” is remarkable.
Strong backing vocals, arranged by drummer and co-producer Anthony Puskus are another key element to delivering the band’s richer sound. Puskus and Tate’s voices lend themselves to a number of call-and-response and harmonized backing vocal tracks. Puskus sings lead during a portion of “Telephone” as well, bringing yet another “voice” to the “Serious Man” CD.
"Serious Man" was officially released on CD in January of 2015 but select cuts were aired Thursday, December 11th at 12 noon on Houston's KPFT 90.1 FM (89.5 in Galveston) on Texas Music DJ Of The Year, Roark Smith's "Wide Open Spaces". KPFT can be heard live on-line at http://tunein.com/radio/KPFT-901-s20327/
Advance, signed copies of "Serious Man" were also availabe beginning Dec 11th from the band's website ZachTate.com
A CD release party and show took place Saturday, January 10th at legendary Dickinson, Texas bar, Ronnie's Ice House. The band filmed their 2012 video “Cowgirl” in Ronnie’s, a bar that is everything you’d expect from a Texas Ice House where motorcycles, tattoos and whiskey are enjoyed in abundance! Watch “Cowgirl”: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l3II9rrY5h8
A summer acoustic tour of France is scheduled for July 2015 (Tate toured France in 2013) as well as a few dates in southern Ontario, Canada in and around Tate’s hometown of Windsor.
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Zach Tate Band
Zach Tate - Lead vocals, acoustic and electric rhythm guitar, harmonica
Anthony Puskus - Drums, backing vocals on all tracks, lead vocals on bridge in “Telephone”, backing vocal arrangements
Lynn Raggio - Lead guitar on track 2 (bridge solo), 3, 6, 7, 9, 10, 12, 13 - Rhythm guitar on track 6, 7, 9, 10, 12, 13
Tom Rivera - Lead guitar on track 1, 2, 4, 8, 14 - Rhythm guitar on track 1, 2, 5, 8, 11, 14, backing vocals on track 1, 2, 5, 8, 14
Gary Graham - Keyboards, piano
Rick Recckio - Bass on track 3, 4, 6, 9, 10, 12, 13,
Chuck Cabler - Bass on track 1, 2, 5, 7, 8, 11, 14
John Stoll - Mandolin on “In My Heart” and “Good Run”, Banjo on “Good Run”
Rebecca Stoll - Lead and backing vocals on “In My Heart” and “Good Run”
Fred Linton - Sax on “Must Be Love”, “Rattlesnake” and “I’m Gonna Travel”
Brian Thomas - Pedal steel guitar on “Good Run” and “Christmas”
All songs written by Zach Tate
Produced by Zach Tate, Anthony Puskus and Andy Bradley
Executive Producer Denis Pons
Recorded at Sugar Hill Studios, Houston, Texas
Engineered by Andy Bradley
Mixed by Andy Bradley and Zach Tate
Mastered by Nick Landis at Terra Nova Digital Audio, Inc. Austin, Texas
Photography: Gary Irwin, Kim Taylor, David Raggio, Zach Tate
Manufacturing/packaging: Ultra Dot Media, Santa Fe Springs, CA
Zach Tate Band CD’s and Merchandise available at ZachTate.com