the blue roots

From the SF Weekly April 2006: Deep Blue> Imagine if Bo Diddley had had a pretty lady playing washboard and you'd have the Blue Roots, a band almost too good to be true. Audiences of this stripped down, Delta gospel blues gang tend to hang their mouths open for awhile; later comes the joyous dancing, clapping, and hooting. Ripping through classics like "I'll Be Glad When You're Dead" the Quartets pair of lead singer/guitar players, Lech Wierzynski (also on trumpet) and Quinn DeVeaux (also on Harmonica) holler out the kind of tight harmonies some people thought were extinct. Nansamba Ssensalo plays the washboard and contribute a lovely alto vocal now and again. "Searching for new ways to tell an old story," as the group's web site puts it, the Blue Roots are the answer to your gravel-voiced, soul-soaked, folk blues prayers. -Hiya Swanhuyser