Crystal Clear Distribution


With the April 11th release of their latest CD, Foiled, and the ongoing success of the first single, “Hate Me”, it’s easy too overlook the band’s catalog. Especially, 2005’s live CD & DVD, Argue With A Tree. This double-live CD & its companion DVD captures the amazingly symbiotic live relationship between the band and its fan. Their unique brand of intensity evokes an array of eclectic influences such as prog-rockers Peter Gabriel, Pink Floyd, Flaming Lips, U2 and Coldplay, attracting a hardcore following that not only relates, but ardently sings along on every song. You can hear Blue October's collective heart pumping, while it breaks, heals and breaks again in every note. It is a sound you won't soon forget.

With the new Los Lonely Boys album, Sacred, being released on July 18, this raw, honest, rollicking example of the band's early days is a must for all fans. Made up of live recordings from 2000, the sound, taken directly from the board, is as crisp as the best concert recordings. The boys charge through Tex-Mex blues-rocking originals and a few exceptional Stevie Ray Vaughan covers with an enthusiasm that gallops out of the speakers. With early versions of “Heaven”, “Dime Mi Amor”, “Senorita” and others, as well as the 11-minute slow blues jam “Cotton Fields and Crossroads”, Live at Blue Cat Blues shows a crackling, youthful energy of Los Lonely Boys that is barely contained and ready for prime time.

This Austin-based sextet has become one of the happening bands in a town where catching ears is no small feat. The Del Castillo brothers, Rick and Mark, play Spanish guitars, which gives the group a distinctive string sound, underwritten by a heavyweight rhythm section. "Brotherhood" features songs in English and Spanish, and includes Willie Nelson on a tune he wrote, "I Never Cared for You." Whether Del Castillo works in Spanish or English, it rocks righteously. The Spanish guitars' flamenco vibe gives a dramatic flair, abetted by Alex Ruiz's passionate vocals. They pull together Latin music's romance and rock's grit.