Popa Chubby – Live at G. Bluey’s Juke Joint NYC
Popa Chubby – Live at G. Bluey’s Juke Joint NYC
Format: CD
Label: Gulf Coast Records
Release: 2023
Release date: September 8, 2023
The label debut live double-CD set from New York City-based blues guitar slinger Popa Chubby (aka “The Beast from the East”).
The new album was recorded at G. Bluey’s Juke Joint in Long Island City, New York, on October 24 and 25, 2022, and features Popa Chubby (guitar and vocals), backed by his all-star “Beast Band,” which consists of Mike Merritt – bass (Conan O’Brien, Billy Gibbons); Mike DiMeo – keyboards (Johnny Winter, Tommy James); and Stefano Giudici – drums.
“This record is a reunion in a lot of ways,” stated Popa Chubby. “Rejoining with my long-time ally and bassist extraordinaire Mike Merritt and recording in my old Manny’s Car Wash engineer Glen Forrest’s studio. The icing on the cake was Mike Dimeo on keys. Add the Centurion Stefano Giudici on drums and you’ve got some heavy blues rock! It’s a live best of for the ages!”
“In the early ‘90s, Popa Chubby was the house band at New York City’s Manny’s Car Wash,” says the man, himself. “I hosted the jam every Sunday that saw everyone from the Allman Brothers, Stephen Stills, Joe Sample, Odetta and many more pass through. The apprentice Soundman was Glen Forrest. I had a small recording studio in the West Village and I hired Glen to work for me. He proved himself beyond my expectations and with great vision and perseverance set out to create the ultimate recording environment. He landed in Long Island City, New York, where he holds court over three floors of a building which house the studio, lounges, art galleries and warehouse. We recorded the record there because it gave us a great vibe, sound and an intimate live in the studio setting.”
Born Ted Horowitz, Popa Chubby is a long-time, New York City veteran blues rocker, who also produced and mixed his upcoming new album. He’s been hard-rocking the blues in his fierce and soulful way for more than 35 years. Over the course of his career, he has been a force to be reckoned with on the guitar, and his tempestuous, soulful playing has never been more powerful. An imposing figure with a shaven head, tattooed arms, a goatee and a performance style he describes as “the Stooges meets Buddy Guy, Motörhead meets Muddy Waters and Jimi Hendrix meets Robert Johnson,” Popa Chubby is an endearing character who has become one of the genre’s most popular figures.
Website: https://www.popachubby.com/
Tracks:
CD1
01. MOTORCYCLE MAMA (6:51) – Neil Young
02. ANOTHER TEN YEARS GONE (6:56) – T.Horowitz
03. HEY JOE (9:14) – Billy Roberts
04. DIRTY LIE (8:02) – T. Horowitz
05. 69 DOLLARS (7:16) – T. Horowitz
06. GODFATHER THEME (Speak Softly Love) (2:50) – Nino Rota
07. DIRTY DIESEL (3:50) – T. Horowitz
08. GROWN MAN CRYING BLUES (13:58) – T. Horowitz
09. OVER THE RAINBOW (8:48) – Harold Arlen
CD2
01. IT’S A MIGHTY HARD ROAD (5:10) – T. Horowitz
02. I DON’T WANT NOBODY (7:04) – T. Horowitz
03. I CAN’T SEE THE LIGHT OF DAY (7:56) – T. Horowitz
04. EMBEE’S SONG (5:50) – T. Horowitz
05. STEEL HORSE SERENADE (6:57) – T. Horowitz
06. HALLELUJAH (10:39) – Leonard Cohen
07. HEART ATTACK AND VINE (4:05) – Tom Waits
08. SWEAT (4:19) – T. Horowitz
09. NOBODY WANTS YOU WHEN YOU’RE DOWN AND OUT (5:35) – Jimmy Cox
10. SYMPATHY FOR THE DEVIL/CHUBBY’S STORY (10:25) – Jagger/ Richards / T. Horowitz