The Middletown Press (Middletown, CT)
Musician to bring soulful, bluesy funk to city
Lindell at Cafe Nine, Copeland at Bridge Street Live Friday
NEW HAVEN — Soulful, bluesy New Orleans-Northern California roots musician Eric Lindell returns to Cafe Nine Tuesday night with a new album, “Revolution In Your Heart,” just released that marks his return to Chicago-based Alligator Records.
Showtime is 8:30 p.m. Tickets for the Fernando Pinto Presents show are $20 in advance, available at cafenine.com, or $25 day of show. Cafe Nine is located at 250 State St. on the corner of State and Crown in the Ninth Square section of downtown.
Lindell, who was raised in San Mateo, Calif., but has been steeped in New Orleans funk since moving to the Crescent City in 1999, went to Studio in the Country in rural Bogalusa, La., to cut his latest album, which was released on Sept. 8.
The album — Lindell’s 17th — was produced by Lindell and Benjamin Mumphrey and features Lindell playing almost everything on the album, including guitar, bass, keyboards, organ and harmonica.
The one exception was drums, which he left in the capable hands of Willie McMains.
The only other musician on the record is keyboard player Kevin McKendree, who has played with Delbert McClinton, Brian Setzer Orchestra and Tinsley Ellis. McKendree plays piano on “Millie Kay.”
An annual player at the New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival,
Lindell has appeared on Late Night With Conan O’Brien and National Public Radio’s Mountain Stage, among other outlets.
When not touring with his own band, Lindell performs with New Orleans supergroup Dragon Smoke, which also features Ivan Neville (of Dumpstaphunk as well as Neville family fame) and Robert Mercurio and Stanton Moore of Galactic.
⏩ Shemekia alert: While we’re talking about bluesy, you really ought to know if you don’t already that Lindell’s label mate, the awesome Shemekia Copeland, is performing on Friday night up at Bridge Street Live in the Collinsville section of Canton.
Copeland, the daughter of the late bluesman Johnny “Clyde” Copeland, is a force of nature — always well worth seeing. Believe it! Showtime is 8 p.m. Tickets are $25 for general admission and $40 for VIP reserved seats, available in advance at 41bridgestreet. com, also the address.