The White Stripes and Black Keys rock the blues with a guitar attack. Like the Bad Plus, The Claudettes brandish a piano instead. But- The Claudettes have created their own fanatical fusion of blues and soul-jazz — like Ray Charles on a punk kick. Imagine an amped-up piano hybrid of Otis Spann, Ray Charles and Mose Allison, joined by a jolly madman drummer and conducted in gonzo fashion by Raymond Scott. File under: post-burlesque? Neo-vaudeville? Cosmic cartoon music? You’ve never seen a piano-drums duo like this.
And let’s not forget the strange but true story of how- The Claudettes came to be — starting with Claudette herself, an unhinged bar owner who hired the duo as her “house band” but works out deals to showcase them at other venues: traditional nightspots as well as unconventional locations including Blockbuster Video and Staples Center (literally; the center of a local Staples office store). To read more about the band’s bizarre history, see the detailed backgrounder: http://bit.ly/theclaudettesPR .
See The Claudettes, Live in the Studio:
- More details and streaming previews
- Official press release (PDF)
- CDs and downloads available for preorder now! Visit the Order page to get your copy.