greener by Mark Easton Limousine

and community radio, the band have been invited to play their first blues festival at the BROADBEACH BLUES FESTIVAL in May 2004.

REVIEWS

BOBTJE BLUES WEBZINE BELGIUM

Being a former hard rock and heavy metal lover myself, I gave quite easily in to the impulse to give the Australian (Sydney) blues rock band Mark Easton Limousine a closer listen. In November 2002 this trio released their first EP Coast To Coast. This mini cd was warmly received by the international blues press and now they are back with the fully fledged album Greener This disc, which will be released in February, offers gripping stuff close to the emotional sound of Dave Hole and the decisive slide sound of the late Hound Dog Taylor. But also influences of the arch fathers of heavy metal Led Zepplin are audible. Mark Easton Limousine do what I expected to. They serve a delicious, sometimes very powerful portion of white blues rock. Relentless enthusiasm and a lot of originality distinguish them from the more common blues rock bands. Just listen to the title track or to the heavy funk rock sound in 'You Want It All' or even to 'Nervous Breakdown' which has a dynamic drive that almost smashes you right up against the wall. Mark has a warm, soulful voice and plays an inventive slide guitar, two elements that rule this explosive album. Lovers of biting, ruthless slide guitar and blues rock, funk rock and hard rock are going to have the time of their lives. As to myself, I'm convinced that blues rockers all over the world will love this. As Mark would say 'Rock My World'!

Info: Greener / Plastic Donut Records / PD001

www.bobtjeblues.com

HOTBANDS.COM SEATTLE USA BASED WEBZINE

Mark Easton Limousine - Sydney, Australia

Greener - CD review

By Patrick Ferris

Coming from a background of hard punk, hard drugs and hard living, Australian punk bad-boy turned blues man, Mark Easton has cleaned up his life, pulled together a project he calls Limousine, and released his first full length CD entitled Greener.

A native of Southeastern Australia, Mark Easton gained notoriety in the '80s as a guitarist and front man for several regionally popular bands. His increasing drug use led to a spiraling career in music that crashed and burned in the early '90s with Mark leaving the music scene entirely and changing his lifestyle to save his life. Now, when most rockers his age are either dead or sitting behind mixing boards in studios, Mark Easton's 13 year 'hiccup' in music has him back with a new band and a new outlook on life.

If sobriety is a testament of performance, Greener shows that Mark has evolved beyond his hard rocking days into a mature blues sound that he naturally seems suited to play. Greener isn't a blues album...it's definitely rock with a blues influence, but Easton's trademark slide-guitar makes this an album that can appeal to both rock and blues fans. Greener's eleven tracks range from hard driving punk-a-billy to moving ballads and express the diversity that makes up the sound and personality of Mark Easton.

REVIEW by TONY JAGGERS RUMZA EZINE MARCH 2004

Mark Easton began his music career with his dads band & Eros Big Band but got the flick when the older players claimed he played too loud. What followed wasa series of bands from Suicide Squad thru to the Candy Harlots up until a burnt out Easton took off surfing and fell in love with the blues. But on this CD Greener Easton hasn't completely forgotten his roots....he's still playing loud and this blues ROCKS.

The title track opens with the jangling funk of the title track and then after 16 bars some dirty slide kicks in creating a striking contrast to the beginning. Easton has a great style, frantic picking one minute and soaring slide the next.

If this was a fair world the second track Butterfly would be a radio hit, a lilting slowie once again underscored by that gritty slide and some tasty harmonic work. Easton no slouch in the vocal department either with a nice feel for the lyric and a touch of falsetto.... This CD reminded me a lot of Rocks Push simply in the manner it was put together no fuss or bull *%#* just good players getting it down as they'd play it live. When I mentioned this to Easton he was fairly chuffed as Peter Wells has been an inspiration to him but rather than being a copy of Wells, Easton has developed his own unique style based on that inspiration.

Long Gone is a riffy , more blues based track without falling into the 12 bar trap with Georgeson laying down a foundation so solid you'd swear they'd been playing together for 3 years not just 3 days.

You Want it All sends Easton on a big vocal journey over a seemingly unrelated chord pattern snapping back for the titles hook.

Prison Cell Blues....this is what Jack Johnson would have sounded like if he'd surfed Bells Beach and drunk VB.

Gentle but still with balls.

Nervous Breakdown is just that.......a frantic shuffle that grabs some 60's trippy vocals for the chorus....it's a schitzo song that sums up its lyric content with its musical path ending with a maniacal laugh...

Next some tasteful playing that would probably satisfy the Eros Big Band. Tomcat Blues swings gently but always threatening to break out at any moment.

Rock My World does just that.....starting with a country feel via Georgeson it builds adding layers of guitars until before you know it you are no longer in Tamworth but Darlinghurst.

Spiritual Man is a standout track where Easton shows us his tricks....fat eastern slides, ragas and sitar style riffs

abound as this song builds. It's a very atmospheric piece that backs off for a droning vocal that matches the slide work that is underpinning it. Engineer Michael Petrou loved this song so much he insisted on playing on it and no wonder it's a highlight.

Fall from Grace is Eastons sensitive side again both musically and, I suspect, lyrically too. Easton also tells us a bit about his fall in the closing song How it Feels but this time a bit more forcibly with soaring guitar over another tasty shuffle and some very smooth fat power chords. This CD is set out almost like a live band set and if my hunch is correct this song would be the closer that had the crowd yelling for more. Mark Easton is still playing his guitar loudly but this time its aimed at the right set of ears!!

Note: Band personnel above are the current line-up....for this recording Bass was provided by Bob Baird and Mark Easton. More info at www.markeastonlimousine.com

http://www.rumza.com

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