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Give Me Back My Wig Band << 2 Press Articles

Local Spotlight Article - Give Me Back My Wig - Living a "blues evolution".

November Issue / Date: 11/01/08 / Volume 19, No.11, PG 20 / Southland Blues Magazine

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Taking their name from the classic “Hound Dog” Taylor tune, Give Me Back My Wig is a band that has experienced a true “blues evolution”—a gritty growth that epitomizes the street-level “learnin’ life’s lessons” aspect of the blues.

Six years ago, “Wig” was primarily a “guitar band,” relying heavily on straight-ahead Texas-style six-string punch, complemented by traditional Strat-powered slide.

The group’s blues evolution brought female vocals into to the mix. Then came horns, keys, and even an electrified fiddle. Texas-traditional expanded up into Chicago, down into the Delta, and out to the swing of the West Coast.

But then those “life lessons” crept in: the eventual 9-piece band became more like a bus than a Ferrari, with a bit too much concern about just who was on board and less focus on racing around the fun corners of the blues.

Things are different now.

Wig has settled into a powerful lean-and-mean lineup similar to those of George Thorogood and Tommy Castro. Anchored by seasoned (some say “grizzled!”) members Joe-Cocker-alumnus Glen Maiden on drums and biker-bar-virtuoso Bill Hayes on bass, the band is rounded out by veteran sax man Glenn Stacey; the band’s newest enhancement, Joe Campbell on guitar; and the strong and sultry Kara Turner leading on vocals.

Local Spotlight - Focusing on the best of the Southland blues bands.

Editor & Publisher - Dan Jacobson

Give Me Back My Wig

Living a “blues evolution”

The band still performs a wide variety of blues styles, but with Kara’s richness and power up front, the flavor of everything—from Beale Street to Bourbon Street, from Wabash Avenue to Austin’s city limits—takes on an especially sensual taste; one that is uniquely their own.

And the taste and essence of the blues has touched this band in more ways than one.

There is a timelessness to the blues, of course. And a tight-knit circle that makes the blues a family. Muddy Waters once said: “I rambled all the time. I was just like that, like a rollin’ stone.”

True enough.

But he never really “rambled” too far from the family that is the blues.

When it came time for Give Me Back My Wig to audition a new guitarist, they wanted someone from that “family”—someone with the feel, the experience, and the soul of the blues.

Auditions initially went pretty much as most auditions go—like somewhere between a court appearance and a root canal. There was the “diminutive metal guy” who had never heard of Kid Ramos but could reproduce everything Steve Vai ever played, note for note. Then there was the “suave European” in the wife-beater tank who had way more effect pedals than talent. And who can forget the guy dressed in full camouflage who came to the audition on the city bus because he didn’t have a car. Or an amp.

Finally the spirits of Stevie, Albert, and Luther smiled down, guiding Joe Campbell to the band. The circle was unbroken. Campbell was reunited with saxist Stacey, whom he had played with in high school. Now, instead of playing “Wild Weekend” at the sock hops with their suit-and-narrow-tied combo, The

Continentals, Joe and Glenn are enjoying their elder status as professionals in the family of the blues. And bassist Hayes still uses the ’69 P-bass that he bought in 1970 for 150 bucks. Yep, the blues is indeed timeless.

When the band’s evolution finally reached the recording of their first studio CD, “Last Minute Blues,” Give Me Back My Wig went straight to veteran blues musician and producer Rich Wenzel and his legendary Ardent Audio Productions studio—again keeping things in the “family.” Rich’s studio has produced a stack of world-class blues recordings over the past decades. Rich, too, has “that feel, that experience, that soul.”

With the recent airplay “Last Minute Blues” has received on jazz and blues giant KKJZ-FM, and the band’s consistency of gigs opening for top artists, Wig’s blues evolution is still rolling.

Muddy also said: “I been in the blues all my life. I’m still delivering ‘cause I got a long memory.”

Kara Turner, Joe Campbell, Glenn Stacey, Bill Hayes, and Glen Maiden share those sentiments. They’ve got long memories too. They remember where the collective and individual roots of Give Me Back My Wig came from. They’ve shared a very special evolution—rolling down the kind of tough road that is the blues. They, too, are “still delivering” and will be for a long time

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Cover Story - Give Me Back My Wig - "Like Whiskey after Midnight".

April Issue / Date: 04/01/09 / Volume 20, No.4, PG. Cover,4,8,19 / Southland Blues Magazine

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Give Me Back My Wig

featuring Kara Turner

"Like Whiskey after Midnight”

Cover Story

“When I’m singing the blues on stage and I see the smiling faces of our fans, I feel a real connection to the crowd. I know that they’re relating to what I’m saying and I’m evoking a positive—and always emotional—response. It’s such an uplifting experience to feel this charge of energy! The crowd has fun…the band has fun—it’s what I am most passionate about in life. I love it!”

The words and sentiments of Give Me Back My Wig’s extraordinary lead vocalist, Kara Turner, set the tone for all the band’s performances. This group prides itself on having that special “connection” with each and every audience. Whether opening for a major act like Robben Ford or Tommy Castro at an upscale dinner club or playing all day at a large outdoor biker event or taking the stage for four sets at a comfortable roadhouse bar, “Wig” always gives their all.

And Kara’s vocals are a giant part of that “all.”

Up front, with tunes that range from the classics by Muddy to Stevie’s Texas blues to the soul of Susan Tedeschi and Bonnie Raitt, Kara’s voice is an instrument of pure passion.

Nick Gerard, host of KKJZ-FM’s legendary Nothin’ But the Blues show, has described Kara as being “the real deal…awesome…with that little growl in her voice…like whiskey after midnight…outstanding!”

He’s right.

Kara is the real deal and her outstanding “whiskey after midnight” vocals have been heard onstage with Rudy Lewis (The Drifters), Rick Derringer, Lisa Zanghi, The Andy Walo Group, Jason Cooper, John Moss, and many more. Kara has fronted several bands from the Gulf Coast to the West Coast, including the Connie Reeves Band, Ricochet, PUSH, and Shed Illusion.

But when Kara joined Give Me Back My Wig a few years back, her talent rose to new levels. And the band—already in existence for several years—finally found its true, unique identity.

Give Me Back My Wig’s identity is found in the music it plays—the blues!—and in the five exceptional musicians who have so solidly blended into a musical “family”: a group with a lot more connection than just casual players who can all work off of the same three chords.

Joe Campbell is one of those exceptional musicians in the Wig family. His back-up and lead vocals complement Kara perfectly, and his lead guitar playing is flat-out sick! Joe is the best of the best.

Joe’s 35-year career has seen him play with the likes of James Burton, Johnny Lee, The Drifters, The Platters, The Dixie Cups, The Tokens, The Coasters, Johnny Thunder, Doug Kershaw, Cheryl Ladd, Dennis Weaver, The Diamonds, The Fortunes, Tommy Sands and Wilson Pickett—to name just a few. His recording credits include commercials for Pepsi, Motel 6, McDonalds, Holiday Inn and many more.

Joe’s work with country music singer Johnny Lee (“Looking For Love In All The Wrong Places” from the motion picture Urban Cowboy) led him to win The California Country Music Association’s 1994 Country Guitarist of the Year awards for the Orange County Chapter and for the State of California. In recent years Joe has performed at Disneyland and Universal Studios as well as holding down steady gigs in Las Vegas.

When Joe joined Wig, he teamed back up with his old high school band-mate, saxophonist Glenn Stacey—one of the first musicians he’d ever played with, decades ago, at Inglewood’s Morningside High.

The sound of Glenn Stacey’s brilliant sax has become a signature of Wig’s identity. Glenn is always a crowd favorite. If any musician in the world truly embodies that “blues guy” look and tone, it’s Glenn Stacey. There’s nothing cooler than a wailin’ sax, dark shades, and a leather jacket in a late-night bar full of blues!

Born and raised in Southern California, Glenn joined his first rock ’n’ roll band in junior high school to enter the local talent show: The band took home first place and Glenn has never looked back. His lifetime of experience playing in some of L.A.’s best rock, oldies, soul, and rhythm & blues bands shows up in every note that Glenn hits.

Wig drummer Glen Maiden nails the skins with the determination of a marathon runner. His drumming with Joe Cocker was unparalleled among the percussionists that Cocker has had during his long career. Glen’s work in the 1970s with Stuff, “the funkiest studio band in New York City,” and his performances with Cocker—including two world tours—led to Glen being an honored winner in Rolling Stone’s prestigious Reader’s Poll for two consecutive years.

Glen has also played with such diverse artists and performers as Stanley Clark, Bobby Bell & The Blue Notes, Mythology Blues Band, The Gap Band, Cecelia Noel, Stage Fright, XTC, Jesse Winchester, and Todd Rundgren.

The bottom end of the Wig family is anchored by Flea-like bassist Bill Hayes. Bill is an artist who has always appreciated—embraced—the primitive musical roots that wrapped around him early on, when he played with his first garage band in the ’60s while attending Redondo High School (a band he admittedly still jams with, “when the other surviving members can gather up their instruments along with their aluminum walkers and oxygen tanks!”). Those crazed early influences translate to Bill’s stage presence: wild, perpetual motion—a lot more reminiscent of Bootsy than of the staid Bill Wyman or John Entwistle types.

Bill is also a bestselling author, seen often on those “menacing” television documentaries about motorcycle clubs, and he co-owns a martial arts studio in Torrance, Old School Kenpo Karate.

While Bill’s Eddie Vinson–like head is seen by many to be the inspiration for the band’s name, Give Me Back My Wig, the truth is that the band “borrowed” the name from the classic “Hound Dog” Taylor tune. Taylor’s song has always epitomized the fun, power and timelessness of the blues—traits that Wig respects and strives to present at every show and in every recording.

When Wig’s new CD, Last Minute Blues, was released last September, it was a celebration of that “fun, power and timelessness.” Cuts like “Let Me Play with Your Poodle” provide the fun; heavy hitters like “Voodoo Woman” amp up the power; and the pure timelessness of the blues is evoked by “The Sky Is Crying” and “Let Me Love You, Baby.”

Last Minute Blues has received rave reviews in America, as well as throughout Germany where Michael Stein, the venerable editor of Europe’s most popular biker magazine, Easyriders Europe—and a true aficionado of American blues—has spearheaded a flood of new fans for Wig.

And thanks to DJ Nick Gerard, the Last Minute Blues CD has become a regular spin in the playlist of America’s strongest jazz and blues radio voice, KKJZ-FM 88.1.

When Kara Turner says of Wig’s gigs: “It’s such an uplifting experience to feel this charge of energy!” she’s not kidding. A very rare connection exists here, between the band and the audience and between the band members themselves.

Give Me Back My Wig plays at venues throughout Southern California, and beyond. If you love the blues, make it a point to be a part of that connection!

Visit the band on their website: www.givemebackmywig.net.

RELEASED ARTICLE - COVER STORY - CONTINUATION

Concert: The Legendary Rhythm & Blues Revue feat: The Tommy Castro Band, Debbie Davies, Kenny Neal, John Németh, Give Me Back My Wig & Third Degree

Price: $20.00 buy tickets Galaxy Concert Theatre, Santa Ana, Ca

Time: Doors at 6:00pm Show Starts at 8:00pm, Fri Oct 16

Tommy Castro Band

| www.tcband.com |

»» Tommy Castro is one of the most popular and creative roots artists to emerge in recent years. On his newest CD, Painkiller, Castro teamed up with producer John Porter, renowned for his work with a Who's Who list of artists such as Los Lonely Boys, Taj Mahal, Keb Mo, Santana, B.B. King, Elvis Costello, adn Buddy Guy. Said Castro, "When I started looking for a producer, I realized that John had produced some of my favorite records of the last ten years. After working with him in the studio, I understand now why that is. With John, everything just seems to be right; all the parts work and flow together."

Everything indeed just seems right about Painkiller. With the Tommy Castro Band anchoring the sessions, Porter has fashioned a most tasteful album from the many talented parts of Castro's patented rock 'n' soul music. Special guests Coco Montoya, Angela Strehli, David Maxwell, and Teresa James join the fun. more »

John Németh

| www.johnnemethblues.com |

»» John Németh is a rising blues star; a singer steeped in the tradition and reminiscent of B.B. King, Ray Charles and Junior Parker, and a harmonica player of riveting intensity and virtuosity. His decade long career has found him opening for Robert Cray, Keb Mo', and Earl Thomas. Performing major music festivals around the United States, Europe, Canada and Asia has brought him critical acclaim.

John's origins are an unlikely breeding ground for such an impressive blues talent. A thirty year old native of Boise, Idaho, he grew up singing in a Catholic church and started playing in local bands as a teenager. more »

Give Me Back My Wig

| www.givemebackmywig.net |

»» When blues legend, Hound Dog Taylor, wrote the classic tune, Give Me Back My Wig, he epitomized the fun, power and timelessness of the blues. When the band, Give Me Back My Wig, took its name from that great song, it also became representative of that fun, power and timelessness. Give Me Back My Wig Band brings a creative mixture of personalities and sound into a genre that serves as the perfect stage for their talent. “WIG” is fronted by the dynamic presence and soulful charm of acclaimed singer, Kara Turner. Comparisons in the world of musical artists are never really fair but Kara is Janis Joplin, Bonnie Raitt and Susan Tedeschi all rolled into one with the compelling stage presence of Stevie Nicks and Sheryl Crow. World-class guitarist, Joe Campbell, is the best of the best. His career has spanned decades and he has played with the likes of James Burton, Johnny Lee and everyone in between. Drummer, Glen Maiden, hits the skins with the determination of a marathon runner with solid intricate grooves. His work with Joe Cocker was unparalleled in Cocker’s long career. Enigmatic bass player, Bill Hayes, assaults your attention and the band’s bottom end with his constant onstage “get your ass movin’” motion. The sound of Glenn Stacey’s brilliant sax has become a signature of WIG’s entire blues persona. Glenn is a crowd favorite. If any musician in the whole world has that “blues guy” look and tone, it’s Glenn Stacey! The band's influences collectively range from traditional blues to contemporary rockin’ blues; from Chicago to New Orleans to the West Coast but the music they play is always their own! Layered with vocal harmonies and soaring instrumental breaks, Give Me Back My Wig Band has the seductive force to grab a crowd, bring them to their feet, and keep them there! more »

Galaxy Concert Theatre Press Release, OC, CA - July 2009

Press Release