The Chris Duarte Group has a wonderful new album out called "Blues In The Afterburner",
be sure and get a copy (Chris Duarte talks about the new album HERE). He is currently in the process of putting together a new band to take out on the road. Chris recently collaborated with Mama, a group out of Denver, Colorado (see below).

Please write a review and take some photos and send them to
the address below and I'll post them here - thanks!

E-mail reviews and photos to: cdgfans@ix.netcom.com or mail them to:
Chris Duarte Group Fan Club, 939 Revere Street, Aurora, CO 80011

BLUESONALIA FESTIVAL
Konin, Poland
11/11/11

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Here's some live clips posted on YouTube from Chris Duarte's "Bluesonalia" show in Poland: CLICK HERE

THE CHURCH OF ROCK & ROLL
Denver, Colorado
8/26, 8/27, and 8/28/11

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In August, Chris was in sort of a weird lull. His booking agency dropped him, the drummer left to go to school, the bassist split, and all this while he had a brand new album coming out in early September! At the same time, here in Denver, Colorado, an on-again/off-again band called Mama suddenly coalesced and were ready to record tracks for their album "Toxikinesis". I knew one of the members, Jonny Barber, and asked him if he might be open to having Chris Duarte possibly record some tracks with them. He flipped his wig and had been a big fan of Chris for quite some time. I sent Chris Mama's cool first album "Bayoutopia" and told him about Mama. Chris loved what he heard and not only agreed to do some tracks with them, he actually flew out to Denver and jammed with them for three days. For more photos and to get the full story, click here

Insert shameless plug here: Chris Duarte and Mama recorded several songs together. Three finished studio tracks from these sessions can only be found on "This, That, and The Other," a brand-new fanclub cd that is available here This limited-edition release wll make a great little stocking stuffer and helps support the cost of maintaining this website. So hurry, before supplies last!

CLUB TAVERN
Middleton, Wisconsin
4/23/11

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These psychedelic photos were sent in by Steve Pulley...

THE ZOO BAR
Lincoln, Nebraska
4/20/11

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Sidetracked / Scrawl / Turn Your Lights Down Low
Ridin' / Cold, Cold Day / Big-Legged Woman
Letter To My Girlfriend / Let's Have A Party
Still I Think Of You / Waiting On You
Screenwriter's Blues / It Comes To Me Naturally
Dreamin' For Tomorrow / Pop Song
The Best That I Can Do / Leave Her Be
I'll Never Know / Satisfy / Free 4 Me
Crazy / Paper Dolls / My Way Down
Hideaway - Peter Gunn Theme

It's been 53 weeks since Chris made it down to Lincoln, but we were ready! Despite some confusion, like Chris' Facebook page listing the start time as 7:30 instead of 6:00 and the Zoo Bar posters advertising Bluestone, the place was full and ready to rock! I was down at The Zoo a few hours before showtime to ensure that I snagged my favorite table and was glad to see that Tracy from Iowa (unfortunately without husband Tony) made it down. Karen Tyson was there to sell the band merchandise; we'd never met before, so I was glad to make her acquaintance and add her to the table. There was also a new member in the band, Jack Jones on drums. Chris Burroughs had left March 5th and already his replacement was more than earning his keep from his spot at the back of the stage. Despite his short tenure of three weeks (so far), Jack kept up without any problems, switching gears when the guitar solos began to get interesting and laying down a solid foundation for the auric edifice that Chris was building. The sets were solid, very disciplined, at the same time showcasing Chris' guitar acrobatics. The solos were "just right" to quote Goldilocks, integral parts of the songs rather than a separate entity (as guitar solos sometimes are). The setlist was pretty eclectic. There were some covers thrown and I had to check with Chris to make sure that I had the song titles correct. I did miss one that I didn't recognize, one that I'm calling "I Can't Quit It" for want of a better alternative. The band started the show with a cover of "Sidetracked" by Freddie King and ended up with King's "Hideaway", mixed with a generous portion of "The Peter Gunn Theme". There was also a great version of Hank Ballard's "Open Up Your Back Door". "Dreamin' For Tomorrow", originally done by Bluestone while they were still Savoy Truffle, was also part of the first set. "Screenwriter's Blues" was performed in a funky syncopated style and the next-to-last "My Way Down" was incendiary. Overall a great show that was smooth, exciting, and full of surprises. By the way, check out my "trick shot" below…I am on my belly on the stage behind the drummer shooting Chris through the drum kit!

-review and photos by Thomas Joyce

MARION HIGH SCHOOL AUDITORIUM
Marion, Illinois
4/15/11

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Phil Powell, a guitar teacher at Marion High School in Marion, Illinois, invited the Chris Duarte Group to come play for his guitar class (photo at left). The band was set up in the auditorium for an afternoon performance with a crowd of around 150 students and teachers. Chris and the boys played and talked and took questions for an hour or so. They were gracious as always and, along with plenty of Walt's pizza (a local favorite), helped make this event a rousing success!

-photo by Phil Powell

HOG'S BREATH SALOON
Key West, Florida
3/28/11 - 4/3/11 (a seven-night stand!)

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This seven-night stand of shows was a good chance for the new drummer, Jack Jones, to get more familiar with the Chris Duarte Group catalog. Jack had only been playing with the band for a week so staying put for a week to practice, rehearse, and play was perfect timing for the band. There were several covers performed at these shows, stuff Chris and the drummer knew, plus some more-obscure and rarely played songs as well. Chris Duarte said he was really happy with Jack's shuffle playing (Jack is from Louisiana where it's in the water). Just a few of the songs played during these shows included:
Sidetracked / Turn Your Lights Down Low / Let It Shake / Never Will Change / You'll Be Mine / Hideaway
Screenwriter's Blues / Paper Dolls / Let's Have A Party / Watch Out / It Comes To Me Naturally
Crazy / Scrawl / Pop Song / Bb Blues / Sunshine Of Your Love / Drivin' South ...and many more!

Generally, if you start a roadtrip to see Chris play at several locations, there can be travel distance of one to four or five hours between shows. Now imagine this: Seven days, one location, excellent weather, plenty of things to do during the day, free admission every night, and a ten-minute walk/bike ride back to a place to crash. Sound too good to be true? Well, it was too good but it was all true. Seven days in a row! Ten minutes from our rented condo. Kay-ron Harvey and myself decided to do the romp down to the Keys, get a little sun, have some fun, and support our family band! We got in on the 28th, just eeking past a $100 late check-in fee. We quickly unloaded the car, got ourselves somewhat settled (we threw everything in the rooms), changed and headed to the first show. It started to rain. And rain. It rained so hard that it was pretty useless to try to stand under awnings for cover - so we gave up, continued walking to the Hogs Breath Saloon, and got there during the break after the first set, drenched to the bone. Had a blast dancing and meeting up with people. Each show was different, with Chris pulling many old tunes out of his hat that hadn't seen the light of day in years. (Alas, no "Monkey Food" or " Purple Gloaming" ...sigh.) Jack Jones (the new drummer), only playing for about a week before hitting Key West, was incredible. He handled pretty much whatever Chris threw at him, with a style all his own. Major kudos go his way! And speaking of kudos, major kudos also go to Matt Stallard, who tore it up on his bass. His solo on "One More Cup of Coffee" had folks howling in appreciation. Actually, it seems every time I see him he gets into it more and more -- adding his own signature and style to songs and improving on them all. (See guys -- I told you so....) And, of course, Chris was just Chris as usual. He even had the jaded bartenders and wait staff impressed (on monday I had overheard one of them say, "Well, he's supposed to be some bad-ass from Atlanta, but we'll see how he does." By friday, this guy was singing his praises!) There was a band "tip" jar...which Chris and Tomomi set up for donations for the earthquake victims in Japan. I saw one guy throw in $50. Hopefully they got a decent amount to send along. Chris is going to continue to request donations until all the people in shelters have been relocated to places of their own. So if you see the "Help Japan" collection box at a show, please make a donation. All proceeds go directly to the hardest-hit places. Ran into old friends and got to meet some really cool new friends. Patricia M. was there and stayed over our condo one night, until Karen Tyson arrived (she couldn't get out of her hotel reservation, so they stayed at her hotel the rest of the time.) Imagine our surprise when we walked in that first night to find that THE GADDIS FAMILY was in town as well!! Hadn't seen them since the last ESP show, many, many moons ago. Gaddman, Gaddgal and Codyman were all in attendance. Met new friends Brock and Samantha from Kansas, John and Linda from Rochester, NY, Chris and Mike from Colorado Springs, and even a couple of women who heard Chris wailing from down the road and came to see what the commotion was all about. They stayed 'til the end of the night!) Got to hang with Tomomi a bit as well. Cool woman for sure. Of course there were the usual drunks who thought it was "request night" and kept shouting out for Hendrix and SRV tunes. Chris handled them quite diplomatically (me myself, I would have told them to sod off.) Met Captain Dave, who kindly took us out snorkeling, way cool guy. Aside from that, we went swimming, tanning, bike riding, chilling, and took in the sites -- like the guy dressed head to toe in a spiderman suit playing sitar on Duvall Street - only in Key West. Didn't do much barhopping - we were too busy listening and didn't want to miss a note!! It was a great experience, one I hope will be repeated in the future. I'm saving my pennies so that if it happens again, I'll be ready to partake again!!! Y'all should, too!!

-review and photos by Julianne Gilmer

THUMBS UP
Yokohama, Japan
1/9/11

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Ridin' / People Say / Satisfy / Cross My Heart / 396 / Chattahoochie Side / Shiloh
The Best That I Can Do / Sundown Blues / Hard Mind / Kohima Ridge / Killing Time
Cold, Cold Day / My Way Down / Cleopatra - Like Eric
Encores: Silver Horse / Valle Colorado / Blues Jam

This was the first tour in Japan for Chris Duarte collaborating with the band Far East Psydelia (formed by former bassist of Bluestone, Yoshi Ogasahara, who has played a lot with Chris before). Far East Psydelia was backing up Chris Duarte for a week-long tour throughout Japan. During the 2-hour soundcheck, they tried 18 tunes among a setlist of 20. Right from the start the guitarist and drummer of Far East Psydelia both looked like they were under a lot of pressure. But Chris cheered them up by saying, "Everything will be alright! Take it easy, men!" Thanks to these words of encouragement, things did go well. When the doors opened, many in the audience wondered how this new collaboration was going to work out. There was much expectation and anxiety waiting for the curtain to go up. The show started and Chris Duarte's guitar rocked us with "Ridin'" from the new album "Infinte Energy"! This musical collaboration was very successful, the music they played onstage was not like the soundcheck at all! It was alive and kicking! Far East Psydelia and Chris Duarte had an intense interrelationship through their playing that deepened the music. They communicated through the music with their instruments. We were knocked out! The most impressive tune played that night was "Killing Time". It was more than 10 minutes long with Chris playing like Jimi Hendrix. He was using his guitar like a gun, like a hammer, and like an axe to hit our brains and ears. I have never seen him like this. The 2-1/2 hour non-stop show came to an end much too soon, leaving the audience begging for more. We will wait and hope for Chris to come back to Japan soon.

-review by Kazuo Utamura

THE TOAD TAVERN
Denver, Colorado
12/18/10

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Ridin' / Satisfy / Scrawl / Sundown Blues
Letter To My Girlfriend / Let's Have A Party
City Life Blues / Cross My Heart
Turn Your Lights Down Low / Tailspin Headwhack
I'll Never Know / One More Cup Of Coffee
Stratus / 101 / The Best That I Can Do / Leave Her Be
Crazy / Still I Think Of You / Do The Romp
Shakespeare / Live For Tomorrow / Paper Dolls
Watch Out / Killing Time / RU 4 Real? / My Way Down

This show, being the last stop of the tour, and a Saturday night, was one I was really looking forward to and it was likely to have some fireworks as well. Hooking up with CDG oldtimers Rick Shaw, Rev. Bob Johnson, Mike Tomaskovic, Julianne Gilmer, Chris and Karen from Colorado Springs, Karen Tyson, Chris Crowley and others we set up our recording gear and awaited the first note when Chris walks onstage and plugs in. And sure enough, the band riffed on some notes as they plugged in and then kicked off into a manic "Ridin'" from the superbad "Infinite Energy" album. They were all rested, relaxed and ready to rock and were enjoying every song together. It was the culmination of a long tour that zigzagged across the western United States as if they were booked by a sadist. But lucky for the sold-out Denver crowd, the tour ended up right here at the Toad Tavern where we got to witness one of my all-time Top-5 bestest shows evah! The band played as if they were jamming in a garage and we weren't even there. They took extended jams and bounced all kinds of musical pingpongs at each other, creating psychedelic, jazzy medleys that took the scenic route through your brain. Or they simply took a chainsaw and cut your table in half, depending on the tune. Chris Duarte was a madman on the frets, and even brought out the revered '63 Strat for several songs - her clean, bossy tone recognizable by the grizzled ears of this veteran fan and bootlegger. We got a splendid cross-section of the new album including faves such as "Sundown Blues", "Cross My Heart", "City Life Blues", and "Killing Time", all of which were performed live with a much heavier rollicking Hendrix vibe than on the album (which, by the way, was first considered to be called "IMIJ"). Matt Stallard's jovial red-rimmed eyes oversaw the beat and his bass had a nice warm and fuzzy fat tone throughout the show. Another hat tip to soundman Mike Tomaskovic by the way. He is a longtime fan and soundman of the band and knows just how to dial the band in perfectly. He, like me, is a big fan of the bass prominent in the mix. To me it gives Chris a nice spongy musical trampoline to play on. Matt also contributed backing vocals here and there which was a nice touch. This was a 3-hour+ show (not counting the break) and many in the crowd were first-timers like this young couple (left and below) - their eyebrows, eyelashes, and hair being the first to go as Chris's guitar changed their perception of reality, followed shortly thereafter by skin crisping to a parched drumlike shroud under the sonic fury of this bone-crushing power trio! But they had a great time fo sho! Drummer Chris Burroughs played Hard with a capital H all night long, driving some songs, hanging in rhythm with Matt on others, and on a few turning into Kool-Aid and smashing through walls and kicking over tables - "Ohhh, yeeaah!" The second set was a blast-and-a-half of spontaneous, free-form improv that changed color and mood constantly - a blinding, pulsating orb of musical energy that was the temperature of lightning and the color of the wind. As someone who has seen the band for twenty years or so, this show was one of the greats!

-photos by Rick Shaw, review by Craig Keyzer

CRYSTOLA ROADHOUSE
Crystola, Colorado
12/17/10

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Ridin' / Letter To My Girlfriend / Sundown Blues / Scrawl / Cross My Heart
Turn Your Lights Down Low / Tailspin Headwhack / Let's Have A Party
City Life Blues / Live For Tomorrow / Free 4 Me / Crazy / Purple Gloaming
Leave Her Be / The Best That I Can Do / Satisfy / I'll Never Know / What Can I Do?
Do The Romp / People Say / Just Kissed My Baby / Killing Time / Like Eric
Azul Ezell / I've Been Abused

Me and my road-trippin' co-pilot Rick Shaw went "Drivin' South" from Denver to the northern side of Pikes Peak to see CDG at the Crystola Roadhouse. Unfortunately, being Denver on a Friday, it was a bit more like "Stop-n-Goin' South". That, combined with an early start time, caused us to arrive midway through the second song ("Doh!"). As the name implies though, this was definitely a roadhouse! It was very old (late 1800's) and all wooden, so the band sounded electric and warm. It was a toasty-warm, packed house on this cold Colorado night and the locals were cuttin' loose and kickin' up dust out on the dancefloor. CDG responded to all of that frenetic energy and delivered a rollicking, bawdy, dance-oriented show with some new stuff and surprises thrown in. Right off the bat I noticed how perfect the sound was and glancing over at the soundman I noticed it was Mike Tomaskovic! Coolsville! Mike is a longtime fan of the band and knows their sound and how to get it (having mixed sound in all kinds of toilet bowls, I mean venues). The band was in tip-top shape and the new material sounded great, having been roadtested for a couple months now. I especially dug "Purple Gloaming", "Killing Time" and the big surprise of the evening, a crunchy "Azul Ezell". During "Azul" I chuckled at the dancers vainly flailing around, unable to dance to the polyrhythmic subtonalities of this jazzy, bossa nova psychedelic workout (but in the ballpark nonetheless). Teddy Roosevelt once travelled to this area and declared that the scenery bankrupts the English language. That's kinda' what Chris and the boys did tonight at the Crystola. It was a superb wind-up pitch to the next night's performance in Denver, one of those rare events - the last show of the tour!!!

-photo by Rick Shaw, review by Craig Keyzer

KNUCKLEHEAD'S
Kansas City, Missouri
11/5/10

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1st Set: The Best That I Can Do / Satisfy / Ridin' / Sundown Blues / C-Butt Rock (with Anthony Gomes)
Letter To My Girlfriend (with Anthony Gomes) / Crazy / Big-Legged Woman / Still I Think of You
Let's Have a Party
2nd Set: Slapstack / Purple Gloaming / Leave Her Be / People Say / Shiloh-Something Wicked
One More Cup Of Coffee / Cold, Cold Day / My Way Down

As Bluto Blutarski, played by the late John Belushi, would say, "Road Trip!!!" Due to the vagaries of the touring schedule, the Chris Duarte Group didn't make it to my neighborhood of Lincoln, Nebraska, so Ben (eldest son and heir to the fortune) and I headed down the interstate to Knucklehead's in Kansas City. After navigating the back streets of a warehouse and factory section of KC, waiting for a long train and backtracking a bit, the bright neon lights of Knucklehead's appeared. We didn't know about it until we arrived, but the bar was celebrating its seventh anniversary with a three-band lineup including Uncle Lucius and Anthony Gomes, followed by our favorite guitarist Chris Duarte. The place was packed and the joint was rockin' as CDG took the stage. Compared to previous shows, the band seemed tighter than I've ever seen them. Chris' solos seemed more planned out. Spontaneity is great, but sometimes it leaves the rhythm section trying hard to keep up. A definite plus is that Matt Stallard and Chris Burroughs have been with Chris for well over a year and have recorded a CD with him. Speaking of the new CD, I picked up my copy 2 weeks ago. I was looking forward to hearing some of the new songs live and Chris delivered four, including the instrumental "Cold, Cold Day". The band played it close to the end and worked in a long solo that featured Chris Burroughs on some heavy, heavy drumming. Anthony Gomes, whose band preceded CDG, joined Chris onstage for "C-Butt Rock" and "Letter To My Girlfriend" during the first set, which really charged up the crowd. Another new feature was Matt Stallard contributing backing vocals on quite a few numbers. Overall, a good solid show and worth the three-hour drive. Thanks to all the Knucklehead's regulars who made us feel at home; look me up whenever you come up to Lincoln and The Zoo Bar!

-photos and review by Thomas Joyce

MOJO KITCHEN
Jacksonville, Florida
10/14/10

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Chris was great! New short haircut and all. Chris had Jim Hamilton of Hamiltone Guitars (who made the famous "signature" Hamiltone guitars for both Stevie Ray Vaughan and Chris Duarte that have their names in pearl inlay on the neck) refurbish his old '63 Strat, which Chris played for the whole first set. It still has it's wonderful tone quality. It was a small, but lively crowd. As usual, CDG played their "asses off", including three songs from the new cd "Infinite Energy". Two of the new songs were very Hendrix-esque, both instrumentally and vocally; while the third song was very "quirky" (as Chris described it), but I liked it. Unfortunately, no copies of the new cd were available, as it was three days before the release date.

-photos and review by Rob Holland

BULL RUN
Shirley, Massachusetts
9/10/10

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Here's some photos from the Bull Run show sent in by Brian Douglas...

THE HUNGRY TIGER
Manchester, Connecticut
9/9/10

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Here's some great photos of the band on their exciting "Infinite Energy" album tour. The '63 Strat is back after a fret job and Chris played with gaffer tape on two fingers at this show and the Bull Run show the next night. Overall, good shows with new material that I liked.

-photos by Brian Douglas

FLYTRAP MUSIC HALL
Tulsa, Oklahoma
7/30/10

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Here's some photos of Chris when they began touring in support of the new (to be released in October) album "Infinite Energy" which was recorded the previous month in June. This show featured the debut live performances of "Sundown Blues" and "City Life". Also, Chris had just cut his hair short for the first time in probably 30 years or more!

-photos by Patrick Kurz

SAXON PUB (last show of the "Sweet 16" reunion tour)
Austin, Texas
5/29/10

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1st Set: C-Butt Rock / Scrawl / Letter To My Girlfriend / Big-Legged Woman / Leave Her Be
One More Cup Of Coffee / Drivin' South / Shiloh - Something Wicked / Do The Romp
2nd Set: Slapstak! / What Can I Do? / Just Kissed My Baby / Hard Mind / Borrowed Love
Midnight Jam / Stratus / My Way Down Encore: Star-Spangled Banner / Killing Floor

OK...so it's on to Austin for show #2 for us, the #8 and final show for the tour. We rented a car, and hit the road, getting into Austin around 5. After we got our rooms, we headed off for a quick car tour of Austin, checking out 6th Street and the SRV memorial, and grabbing dinner at some rundown little trailer (recommended by John Jordan) dishing out awesome BBQ. This was an unplanned pilgrimage for me...my first trip to Austin, seeing Chris Duarte and John playing at home, checking out some of the musically historic sites, etc. It's too bad it was such a short visit, but the show more than made up for it! We got to the Saxon Pub and they were between shows. We had no idea there were two shows there that night, and were about to find out that we had just missed a great double-header. We're walking up the parking lot and one of our crew spots Tommy Shannon sitting on a bench outside the club. An "only in Austin" moment I figured...but it turned out Smokin' Joe Kubek and B'nois King were the 8 o'clock show, with Shannon on bass and FROSTY! on drums. We looked at each other with what can only be described as a "WTF!?!" look, as we realized what we had missed. ARRRGGGHHH! So we headed into the already pretty full club and unbelievably found a table for 4 right up front. It was hot as hell in there, but the perfect venue for the hot show we were about to see. The place was packed with a very vocal crowd, and judging by the number of people coming up to Chris and John with a hug, many of them were friends and family. The show itself was phenomenal...opening with a ripping "C-Butt Rock", and they kept that intensity going all night. "Drivin' South" was great, as was the first set ender, "Do The Romp". They came back on after 45 minutes or so, and launched into "Slapstak", then "What Can I Do?". Chris broke a string and switched to a guitar none of us has seen before...a white Strat-looking guitar that I couldn't get the make of (it had a short stage presence though). The next song up was "Just Kissed My Baby", and while JJ did his thing, Chris changed the broken string. They finished the song, and Chris mentioned how hard that was to finish the song, as he had put the wrong string on! "These 15's are tough" he joked as he changed to the correct string. It was a pretty funny moment. During this time someone yelled out that John should get more solo time. Chris laughed and said, "Nope...can't let his head get too big!", busting John's chops with a huge smile on both their faces. I missed this part, but one of my friends told me later that while Chris was doing his pre-show mic check (Shakespeare of course) JJ was mouthing the exact words Chris was reciting, acting it out as Chris recited it. I've gotta' tell you, it was really great to see these two onstage together again, and they were totally enjoying it as well...lots of smiles and some serious playing. They wrapped the night up with a long Hendrixian jam (it might have been Jimi's "Jam #292"...not positive about that) that was just a flat-out guitargasm. Chris and JJ at one point both crouching down, totally absorbed in the music, Brannen pounding away behind them, tons of feedback...just an incredible jam that had the entire place going ballistic! They finished out the show with "My Way Down", the came back to close out the tour with a touching encore of "Star-Spangled Banner" followed by a funky "Killing Floor"...not the hard-driving balls-to-the-wall version I've seen Chris do before. And just like that the tour, and my musical vacation, were over. People milled around for a while, waiting their turn to greet the guys. We just sat at our table and waited, then got a chance to chat with them a bit. We had to be back on the road to Houston at 7:30 am to make our planes home, so after saying goodbye to the guys, it was back to our rooms for a few hours sleep. Thanks to Chris and the guys for making these shows happen and thanks to my fellow traveling crew for being my friends and keeping me out of trouble (lol). I also met a new CDG friend (and friend of Craig's) who sat behind me, Karen T. Nice meeting you Karen!

-review and photos by Mark McKay

DAN ELECTRO'S GUITAR BAR
Houston, Texas
5/28/10

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1st Set: Scrawl / Letter To My Girlfriend / .32 Blues / Hard Mind / What Can I Do? / One More Cup of Coffee
Drivin' South / Shiloh - Something Wicked
2nd Set: Leave Her Be (on raffled guitar) / Slapstak! / Just Kissed My Baby / Do The Romp
Stratus / My Way Down Encore: Star-Spangled Banner

WOW! What a weekend: the last two shows of the "Sweet 16" Reunion Tour; spending the weekend with great friends; making my first trip to Austin with a built-in tour guide - what more could you ask for? After meeting up with my friends and getting fed and watered we headed to Dan Electro's Guitar Bar for what we thought would be our only show. We were talking to John Jordan before the show and he asked if we were going to Austin. When we said probably not he told us, "You guys have gotta' be there...we're pulling out all the stops!" so we quickly decided to make that trip. Dan Electro's is a good-sized place with great sightlines and a good sound system. The style of the place is awesome...guitars hanging all over the walls and a huge brick patio out back that looked like a tropical garden. There was a decent-sized crowd and they sure got their money's worth. From the show-opening notes of "Scrawl", the band was just foot-to-the-floor good! They were really on and it was so nice to see JJ again, especially after his accident, and he looked like he was having a blast! He sure hasn't lost anything off his playing since I saw him last, and seeing/hearing him do his thing on "Just Kissed My Baby" never gets old! It was my first time seeing Brannen and he was pretty impressive. It seems to me that his reputation is well deserved. One of the funny highlights was the raffle. They had a guitar to auction that someone donated for a $5/ticket raffle, the proceeds to help pay off JJ's medical bills. They would do one song with it and then all three would sign it. So just before the start of the second set, Chris comes up and announces that it's time to raffle off "this dog, er, I mean fine guitar" which had everyone laughing. They then did a very loose version of "Leave Her Be", signed it, and pulled the winner's ticket. Another funny incident involved Brannen's bass drum. He put the pedal through it during "Wild Thing" and tried rolling it so he wouldn't hit the hole with the pedal. But when that didn't work he stood it on end and tried to play it with the stick. He finally got disgusted and stood up and ripped the skin from the drum while someone from the club brought up the house drum which he finished the show with (2 more songs). I'm not too sure he found it amusing, but we sure did! Highlights music-wise included a scorching "Drivin' South", ".32 Blues," a tune not played live all that much. The show ended with Chris playing the "Star-Spangled Banner" which was highly appropriate given it was Memorial Day weekend. It was a great night with lots of happy fans...and one more TSSM reunion show to go!

-review and photos by Mark McKay

MOJO KITCHEN
Jacksonville Beach, Florida
5/21/10

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1st Set: C-Butt Rock / What Can I Do? / Big-Legged Woman / Scrawl / One More Cup Of Coffee
Letter To My Girlfriend / Drivin' South - Shiloh-Something Wicked / Leave Her Be
2nd Set: A Short Song / Hard Mind / Just Kissed My Baby / Borrowed Love - In A Silent Way - My Way Down
Encore: Everyone's Having Fun

My guests and I arrived early in order to get a good table and enjoy some tasty barbeque prior to the show. We were seated about 20 feet from the elevated corner stage. The six of us, all multiple CDG repeat-offenders, were very excited to be part of the original "Sweet 16" Reunion Tour. However, as we ate, a feeling of dread silently grew inside me as the dinner crowd slowly exited the premises, leaving a half-empty house. Then at 9:30, much to my relief, the concert crowd began to arrive and filled all the tables and booths before showtime. A few minutes before 10:00, the CDG entourage filtered into the building. It was a cosmic convergence of the CDG faithful; first, “merch” girls Karen and Patricia, then video/soundman Arthur, all travelling far and wide to be there (Georgia, Ohio and Minnesota). Next came bassist John Jordan as drummer Brannen Temple mystically materialized on stage, quickly followed by the spry Mister Duarte. My anticipation swelled during the brief soundcheck as Chris quickly and efficiently tuned four guitars (his teal Xotic, brown Getto, well-worn ’63 Fender Stratocaster, and exquisite Hamiltone). The Hamiltone had "Chris Duarte" pearl-inlayed on the neck. Chris proudly told me, “It’s just like the one Stevie Ray played and made by the same guy.” Brannen barely warmed up, while John appeared to be meditating: hands clasped-eyes shut-standing still-massive bass strapped on and ready to go. Stepping to the mike (no Shakespeare, “test, test” or “1-2, 1-2”) Chris informed the enthusiastic, applauding crowd, ”This is the group that made Texas Sugar/Strat Magik, one hell of an album!” and adding with a chuckle, “It’s all been downhill since then, but we’ll play it all!” He also encouraged the audience to keep track and “remind us if we miss any” (in fact they did manage to squeeze in all nine TSSM songs). Chris also mentioned that they would be “raffling off a cheap strat signed by the group” later in the evening. Then at a few minutes past 10:00, Chris emphatically proclaimed, “We are the Chris Duarte Group and we are here to play our asses off! Thank you very much!” Setting the mood for the evening, they blasted into the rocking instrumental “C-Butt Rock,” immediately followed by “What Can I Do?” I remember noticing during these initial two songs what a full, meaty sound John’s 7-string Conklin bass added to the trio as Chris wailed on the Hamiltone guitar. Next, Chris strapped on his teal Xotic (which he played for the next 8 songs) and ripped into an intense “Big-Legged Woman”. By this point, only the third tune of the evening, it was obvious that Chris and his bandmates were energized by this regrouping and the superlative musicianship of this original cast was quite evident. It was a delight to sit back and listen, soaking in the band’s interaction. Their knowing smiles, focused eye contact, musical interplay, especially during extended solos, all coupled with a heightened awareness and anticipation of each others next move. Brannen wiped off his sweaty brow as they launched into “Scrawl”, complete with a group bobbing-of-the-heads-in-unison solo. An instrumentally haunting, vocally soulful, and stylistically varied (due to strategic footpedal usage) “One More Cup Of Coffee” elicited a standing ovation accompanied by lots of whoops and hollers. After a Texas-shuffle-infused “Letter To My Girlfriend”, CDG commenced an extraordinary 30-minute medley of “Drivin' South - Shiloh – Something Wicked” with a funk-filled dance intro. As the medley progressed musically through many moods, so did Chris physically. He nodded his head in time, crouched while still playing with intensity, roaming the stage like a caged animal - or he'd be standing still with his head thrown back staring at the ceiling, bobbing his entire body like a metronome - or he'd kneel on one knee feverishly handtwirling footpedal knobs. Approximately 20 minutes into this mesmerizing musical maelstrom, John’s bass line seemed to reach out and pull Chris back to earth, suddenly replacing the echo and reverb with slow, lilting chords and individual vibrato notes, accompanied by the gentle “ting-ting-ting” of Brannen’s high-hat cymbal. During this soft lull a fan shouted “Welcome home!”, fully expecting Chris to be wrapping the song up. In typical Duarte-style, Chris responded by engaging a foot pedal and revving off into an incendiary progression of rapid-fire, strumming chord changes. After about ten more minutes of mid-solo adrenaline yelps, tippy-toe hopping, and more head bobbing, Chris finally wrapped up the “Shiloh - Something Wicked” medley, leaving me breathless. The 1st set ended with an upbeat “Leave Her Be” that caused a commemorative t-shirt hanging from the speakers to pump to John’s driving bass line like it had a heartbeat. Chris intently stomped his Converse-clad foot to the same beat. At halftime all three musicians signed anything placed in front of them, basking in the crowd's warm approval. It was apparent that both the fans and band alike had made a real emotional investment in this "Sweet 16" Tour. The 2nd set started with Chris strapping on the right-out-of-the-box auction strat and playing what he described as “A Short Song”. Lucky Number 329, a very happy guy in a floral Hawaiian shirt and shorts, won the autographed auction guitar. Next Chris proudly proclaimed, “Old “63 is back!” while holding aloft his fourth guitar of the evening. He added that was the guitar played on the Texas Sugar album and the band Texas-boogied into “Hard Mind”. On the next song, “Just Kissed My Baby,” John went to one knee to fix a broken string. Chris and Brannen didn’t skip a beat, boogeying bassless for several minutes and actually prompting inspired listeners to hop out on the dance floor. Restrung, John effortlessly re-joined the groove and finished the tune in style. Chris then strapped on his Getto (#5 guitar) and the band delivered a dazzling tour-de-force 31-minute medley of “Borrowed Love”, Miles Davis’ “In A Silent Way”, and “My Way Down”. This 3-part song started as 1.) a sweet delicate, twangy swing-tune with lots of extra vocal feeling and intonations, then morphed into 2.) a spacy, instrumental middle segment that progressively got louder and more aggressive, incrementally adding feedback and echo through the use of footpedals and handtwirling of knobs on bended knee, and finally settled back into 3.) a very comfortable, recognizable bassline and familiar rhythmic, thumping beat. It seemed only appropriate to end the 2nd set with "My Way Down," the TSSM song that Chris often describes as “Our big hit!” After much whooping, clapping, whistling, footstomping and tablepounding, CDG returned for an encore. Chris strapped on his teal Xotic guitar, strummed it once and jokingly asked, “How about some untuned Rock & Roll?” He then introduced his bandmates to rousing applause. He quickly tuned up, adding an additional compliment that he didn’t sound worth a damn without this band. John stepped forward to the microphone (a rarity), cleared his throat and said, “If I may, Chris Duarte on guitar.” Lots more applause ensued and then they ended the night with a rollicking rendition of B.B. King’s “Everyone’s Having Fun.” And I contend, unequivocally, that everyone present did have fun. I know I sure did!

-review and photo by Rob Holland

PLAZA THEATER
Orlando, Florida
5/20/10
(the opening show of the "Sweet 16" reunion tour
featuring John Jordan on bass and Brannen Temple
on drums. Earlier in the day, the band did an in-store
performance at Guitar Center in Winter Park)

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C-Butt Rock / Letter To My Girlfriend / Scrawl / Just Kissed My Baby
Leave Her Be / Big-Legged Woman / Shiloh-Something Wicked / Hard Mind
Drivin' South / My Way Down / Borrowed Love / What Can I Do?

Chris Duarte - John Jordan - Brannen Temple - this was the band that recorded the legendary "Texas Sugar/Strat Magik" album which also earned Chris the "Best New Talent" award in Guitar Player magazine’s 1995 Reader's Poll! This was the first night of the "Sweet 16" Reunion Tour, commemorating 16 years since the release of TSSM. There was a great buzz in the air as showtime neared. John Jordan smiled broadly as the band launched into "C-Butt Rock" and the band sounded tight and fresh, like they'd been playing since '94 without interruption. The only time I thought I sensed anything different was at the beginning of "Hard Mind"(which was "I've Been Abused" back when John and Brannen were in the band). I wondered if Chris had mentioned the changes to them or not and if he now had to make a last-second decision whether to go with the old version or to plow through with the new one. He chose the latter and the band pulled it off without a hitch. Patricia M. is one of the CDG Merch Ladies and meticulously keeps notes and a setlist of every CDG show she has seen (hundreds). She designated tonight's version of "Drivin' South" as "The Best Version EVER!!" (nobody ever disagrees with her assessments and this night's version was indeed an eighteen-minute thing of beauty).

That's where the review ended, he might've became speechless after "Drivin' South", but he did continue after he regained his senses later back home...

Well I'm back and man-oh-man what a thrill! Where to begin....I missed the beginning of the in-store in Winter Park, got there during the middle of "Big-Legged Woman"...I'll start with surprises......"Shiloh" was a cross between the old "Shiloh" and the more current "Something Wicked", with lyrics at the end...... It was done at the in-store as well........."One More Cup Of Coffee" was played in Jacksonville - an outstanding version.........Patricia Mohar officially sanctioned the "Drivin' South" in Orlando as "The BEST Version Ever!!".........Both evenings featured every song from "Texas Sugar"........The highlight of the Jacksonville show was a very lengthy medley of "In A Silent Way"..."Shh"..."Peaceful"...and "Bessie's Blues" (I myself would have titled it "The Holy F@ck#ng $h&t Transcendental Mind Trip!!!"). That's all I can think of for now...

-review by Arthur Creech, photos by Adam Kranchuk