Top Secret Downloads by The Strange Tones

These tasteful players swap rhythm licks and sizzling solos with crowd-pleasing stage dynamics. Raised on a steady diet of Jimmy Reed’s blues and Ike and Tina’s R&B, Guitar Julie’s incendiary solos light up the stage while her soulful vocals leave no doubt that every word she sings has got to be true. Suburban Slim, recognized as one of the Northwest’s top guitar players, brings to The Strange Tones’ sound a limitless repertoire of searing solos and rhythmic textures. From greasy blues to surf-a-billy madness his playing always entertains.

The big fat groove of The Strange Tones comes from one of the finest rhythm sections around. Bass player Andy Strange and drummer J.D. Huge lock in with a driving force that can only come from years of misspent youth playing together in bands. J.D. Huge propels the band with a steady hand, at times with a subtle shuffle, at others swinging like a man possessed. Andy Strange keeps the band firmly anchored in the roots with the deep throb of a Fender bass. Mr. Strange also spices up the mix with some lowdown harmonica, baritone and bottleneck guitar, and heartfelt vocals.

The band’s new CD Crime-A-Billy has reached the Top 20 Charts in Spain for Blues FM Radio, as well as the top 100 CDs recommended by Real Blues Magazine. Featured on National Public Radio’s Car Talk, the CD has been receiving national and international praise.

The Strange Tones produce an expert rendering of roots music that takes it out of the museum and moves it forward with their standout style. Whether it’s a smoky, down home roadhouse, a private dance, or a high profile festival performance, the Strange Tones deliver.

WHAT PEOPLE ARE SAYING

"...The band exudes an effortless and enviable sense of cool: vintage-suit cool, cheap sunglasses cool, sleep all day and twist all night cool." -PORTLAND TRIBUNE

“Deep within an undisclosed, secure hideout somewhere near a volcano in the Northwest lurks one of Oregon’s best rock and blues bands…it’s rockin’-bluesy-rootsy, double-agent tunes…on a surfboard…Grade A Entertainment” -CHRIS HAGAN, STATESMAN JOURNAL

“This stellar quartet lays it all out on their new CD with 14 killer tracks…the striking vocals of Guitar Julie, who sounds a whole bunch like the sultry Austin songstress Lou Ann Barton, are incredible.” -CASCADE BLUES ASSOCIATION, BLUES NOTES

“Crime-A-Billy may be their latest CD, but this music will live on to become classic Americana. This hard rockin', surf-blues-a-billy ensemble, with their no-holds-barred attitude, takes us as their prisoners and there is no escape.” -PORTLAND ROOTS MUSIC PROJECT

"Each performance is like boarding a runaway train racing you down the tracks, taking you on a wild, energetic ride into the future of the blues." -POSITIVELY ENTERTAINMENT

"Bluesy, rockin', raw, gritty, and oh so cool!" -TOM ADDIS, HOST OF KMHD'S

BLUES PALACE

"Crime-A-Billy is a richly entertaining album....great retro feel, whilst still sounding contemporary." -BLUES IN BRITIAN MAGAZINE

“...este producto, editado por ellos mismos, nos deje un grato y buen sabor de boca. Su estilo es personal, original y las influencias que se intuyen desde el primer tema, van desde las 'american-roots', pasando por el cruce del blues con el surf y el r&b...bueno!” -LA HORA DEL BLUES, BARCELONA

“The tough, sometimes in your face lyrical style of Julie Strange is punctuated by her own and Suburban Slim’s excellent guitar work.”

-THE WASHINGTON BLUES SOCIETY, BLUESLETTER

"This band has taken over their hometown of Portland like never before. The radio stations, the club owners and the blues fans all agree that the swing'n vintage sounds of this group will take them along way. And in 2006 their first festival stop is Untapped. With 'Guitar Julie' Strange on lead vocals and guitar you'll be running to get her autograph on their CD 'Stink-Bomb' or their newly released hit Crime-a-Billy" -EAGLE 106.5 FM

"I'm in the cult man, I'm in the cult! Guitar Julie, tell me when I drink the Kool-Aid!!! I've got eyes as big as pie plates behind this CD!” -THAYRONE-X, HOST OF THE BONE CONDUCTION MUSIC SHOW WAAM 1600 ANN ARBOR, MI

"Ripping guitars, excellent vocals, catchy songwriting, and killer tone make "Crime-A-Billy" a great original CD and one not to miss!" -BLOGGING THE BLUES

"Every song is a gem...The album is a tasty cohesive collection of tough, ready to romp tunes. Stellar performances on all fronts and great song selections all wrapped up as only The Strange Tones can do it."

-PORTLANDBLUES.COM

"The Strange Tones are a fine funky band that plays rockin' roots music with the fervor of true believers. Their sound is stripped of gratuitous flash because these guys know Jimmy Reed's secret, that one note is better than a hundred, especially if it's the perfect one." -THE OREGONIAN

“Right from the gate the Strange Tones were smokin’ as they rolled and rocked and swayed from one tune into another…if I could I would have them back each and every year.”

-CHOLO WILSON, TALENT MANAGER, WINTHROP BLUES FESTIVAL

"Wow! This one has a great feel to it - sounds like it just came out of Austin, Texas."-CASCADE BLUES ASSOCIATION BLUES NOTES

"Every note, every perfectly understated drum or guitar lick, every harmony, every honk of the harmonica, exists to further the songs." -THE OREGONIAN

"This is some great stuff. I've been really digging it!" -BILL RHOADES, HOST OF KBOO’S BLUE MONDAY.

“Fresh and vibrant. . . .‘Stink Bomb!’ is a real blast.“ -BLUES ON STAGE, MINNEAPOLIS

“This review runs to the deep rumbling rhythms of a fast moving train, overlaid with the sounds of fingers ripping through heated steel guitar strings and hard-driving vocals. It’s not about mainstream music, it’s about timeless music that rocks to the very soul. All artists are inspired by traditions. Artists blend, rebut, joke, reprimand, question and celebrate traditions. The trick is to find and stay true to their own signature voice and sound, to tell a story, while making the message uniquely their own and not just another cliché. The Strange Tones capture you with their unique music and rate as one of our best local bands hot on the scene today. The tradition-inspired melodies, beats, rhythms, harmonics and theories that affected the Strange Tones tunes are composites of a wide range of roots music drawn from and successfully melding a plethora of styles into one uniquely original composition. The basic structure of their music is orderly, repeating and finite, but the variations are infinite. Though based in traditional values, their lyrics are pandemic to the current human experience, creating twisted, modern and bizarrely funny images of pop culture today.

“Guitar Julie” Strange is a local poster child. In fact her bands' posters plaster the walls at most local clubs and they are wanted all over the northwest. Julie Strange plays a mean guitar and passionately belts out some of the most soulful, gutsy, twisted and funny songs in the lower 48. The Strange Tones fun lovin' band includes Portland's own “Guitar Julie” Strange; her husband, the get-down-and-funky bass player and vocalist Andy Strange. Andy also occasionally surprises his audience by refurbishing unusual instruments in traditional ways and traditional instruments in unusual ways. Burn-it-up-finger-picking-hands-on-fire guitarist and vocalist

Suburban Slim is rumored to be one of the most innovative guitarists in town. Suburban Slim is a fabulous singer with vocal tonalities that are powerful, pleading, lilting and smooth. Can you keep a secret? He plays trumpet sometimes too. Like a guitar player's dream come true, their straight-but-not-square man, the-take-no-prisoners, killer drummer JD Huge masterfully lays down their signature rhythm-within-rhythm beats. This guy creates the solid timing over which those guitar licks and vocals can really fly. Having this secure base to work with allows these three master guitarists to literally go to town, creating a dynamic combination of sounds that are guaranteed combustible. This traditional blues line up of three guitars and a drummer demonstrates a deep understanding of roots music's hard-core truths. This hard rockin', surf-blues-a-billy ensemble, with their no-holds-barred attitude, takes us as their prisoners and there is no escape. Their influences range from Screamin' Jay Hawkins to Lou Reed. There is a cool little video you can open in their website and get a sample of their music and road-traveled humor. The smiling is contagious as is the laughing and singing to the Strange Tones’ memorable lyrics. Their music is alive with stories. You can't help but sing them. Even their instrumentals are stories. Couched in these stories thrives the secret to successful life but you've got to decode it. To do that, you must check your daily self at the door, give in and get down. Be certain to check out their website for more info and a look at their cool video at: http://strangetones.com.

-ROWAN DESANTIS, PORTLAND ROOTS MUSIC PROJECT

"The Strange Tones turn in a rip roaring, label defying bunch of great tunes”

-PORTLAND BLUES.COM

"Best bass man I know."-SCREAMIN' JAY HAWKINS

"The CD kicks ass...what a recording...great lyrics, sound and most important, attitude!!!" -STEVE PRINGLE, HOST OF KMHD FRIDAY FREEWAY

BLUES

"This is an impressive Strange Tones new album performed in their own original way. They have combined blues with alternative rock, garage R&B, and neo-rockabilly music. The Strange Tones are a compact well-teamed band that deliver a hard ‘puunch’, so enjoyment is guaranteed for those of you who look for new forms and a different conception of black rooted music. Anyway, I love The Strange Tones because they do their own compositions with a cool simple bright style with the only purpose to give joy, good vibrations and pure electrifying music to the audience. Guitar Julie does excellent work on guitar and vocals and the rest of the band (Suburban Slim, J.D. Huge and Andy Strange) do an amazing work too. A special mention to the guest musicians and pay attention to Paul DeLay’s harp work... A terrific record!" -VINCENTE ZUMEL, LA HORA DEL BLUES, BARCELONA

“The Strange Tones have come out with another hard-driving CD…This Portland Oregon band has been dishing out the same mixture of down home blues, Rockabilly, surf, and R&B that they recorded on their debut album “Stink Bomb”. The Strange Tones take traditional blues, which they perform very well, and crank it up to another level with their own unique energetic sound. Sparked by good clean guitar work by “Guitar Julie” Strange this 14-song disc reminds me of their terrific live sets. One of the best cuts is “Pinto Squire” written by Tom Heinl and featuring harmonica giant Paul Delay. Another fun tune is “Burnin’ Heart” by “Suburban Slim” (Phil Wagner). My favorite is a sweet slow ballad “I Idolize You” by Ike Turner. Julie’s Vocals really shine here.”

“The theme behind “Crime-A-Billy” is the 50’s era private eye/gangster take and it goes very well with the tunes this quartet has chosen. Always notorious for live performances there is a good sample of their raw energy on this CD. You don’t have to commit a crime to own one. Just pick yours up at CDBaby.com. It’s an offer you can’t refuse.”

-MARLA FITZSIMMONS; WALLA WALLA BLUES SOCIETY; BLUES NEWS

“They’re one of the tightest and most economical R&B outfits You’ll Ever Hear”

-NEIGHBORHOOD EXTRA, THE OREGONIAN

“I got a call from Andy Strange inviting me to The Strange Tones secret hideaway to hear their new album, Crime-A-Billy. I gladly accepted the invitation, and Andy told me instructions would be sent via private courier. The next day I received two unmarked packages, one containing an encrypted message, the other with a secret decoder ring that would decrypt the message and provide directions to their secret hide out.

A few hours later, under the cover of night, I jumped in my car and headed up to the mountains. Shortly I found myself on a dark windy road leading me to the bands hideout’s secret entrance. Security forces met me at the entrance, and upon seeing the secret decoder ring on my finger, allowed me entrance. I was lead through long concrete corridors to the Tone Control Room where Andy and Slim were tinkering with their vast collection of vintage tube amps. Andy greeted me and invited me to the India Pale Ale Brew Chamber for a beer. Another series of concrete corridors lead us to the Brew Chamber where we met Julie. We sat down to sample the ale and listen to their new album Crime-A-Billy. The next few hours, and many pints of ale flew by, till I finally bid them farewell and headed back down the mountain with their new CD in hand.

Lock me up opens the CD with J.D. Huge pounding on the drums like a mournful heartbeat. When Guitar Julie cries “Whoa baby, lock me up”, you immediately understand the turmoil. A woman enchanted and desperate for her lover. All she wants is “more, more, more”. A tough woman, bleeding and shaking for her baby. Tough guitars dominate the track perfectly underscoring the agony of ecstasy. Actual Man is a rollicking plea for the physical presence of her man, with Andy turning in some Smokey bass fills on the breaks. Suburban Slim starts his turn at the microphone with Something Stinks. Slim cries “I hear the ringing when I pick up the phone, then I hear the clicking when I say hello” with a jackhammer guitar line highlighting the anguish.

Sweet Spot is guaranteed dance floor filler. Did my time uses a jail stint as a perfect analogy to a failed relationship. Julie and Andy share vocal duties on a fantastic cover of Tom Heinl’s Pinto Squire while Paul deLay delivers (as always) a sweet harmonica solo. Burning Heart is a lurching, painful confession written and sung by Suburban Slim. Red State swings like a monkey with skillful guitar solos and a nice Hammond played by Mike Walker.

The title cut Crime-A-Billy is a fascinating amalgamation of a swinging shuffle, throbbing surf influenced guitars and a tasty trumpet solo. The only problem here is the song is too short! How about an extended remix guys!?!? Crime-A-Billy belongs in the next James Bond movie."

-PORTLAND BLUES.COM

”Singer guitarist Julie Strange brings her lucky Strike sultry voice to accusatory blues rockers such as “who’s been here” and “look what you done to me”…”Andy and Julie trade some snarling husband-and-wife vocals on “Runaway Dog” a smoker that would do the Blasters proud, fortified by some sizzling slide guitar courtesy of former Duffy Bishop associate Henry Cooper.”…”Each and Every Night” is a creaky blues that features Julie getting good and riled while the band gradually ratchets up the groove into a soulful sprint.”…”There are plenty of highlights as The Strange Tones consistently deliver the groceries on strolls, shuffles and sneaky instrumentals. One gets the feeling that these cats could whip it up from sundown to sunup and never break a sweat, let a single strand of hair go awry or allow some drunken clown to slop guacamole on their threads – that just wouldn’t be cool.”

-JOHN CHANDLER, PORTLAND TRIBUNE

“Here they come to save the day!...Crime-A-Billy is more or less a blues album with a twist of billy, but it has a lot of the same giddy energy. The band combines blues, country, rock and bluegrass feel into a tightly controlled, expertly delivered package.”

-DAVE CONSTANTIN, EUGENE WEEKLY

FESTIVAL APPEARANCES AND AIRPLAY

Festivals:

Portland Waterfront Blues Festival

Blues by the Sea

Winthrop Blues Festival

Sunbanks Rhythm & Blues Festival

Untapped Blues Festival

Walla Walla Sweet Onion Festival

Hillsboro Market Street Fair

UFO Festival (McMenamins)

Paddy’s Blues and Brews Fest

St. Patrick’s Day Festival (McMenamin’s Edgefield)

Kalama Blues Festival

Portland Rose Festival

Spring Beer and Wine Fest

Oregon Brewers Festival

Stevenson Blues Brews and Barbeques

Oktoberfest (McMenamins)

Salem Art Fair and Festival

Airplay (partial listing):

“Sunday Night Blues Show” KINK 102 FM, Portland, OR

“Blues Palace” KMHD 89.1 FM, Portland, OR

“Friday Freeway” KMHD 89.1 FM, Portland, OR

“River City Juke Joint” KMHD 89.1 FM, Portland, OR

“Breakfast with the Blues” KRVM 91.9 FM, Eugene, OR

“Blues Power” KLCC 89.7 FM, Eugene, OR

“Blues Odyssey” KSER 90.7 FM, Everett, WA

“The Nowsville Show” KWVA 88.1 FM , Eugene, OR

“Car Talk” NPR (National Public Radio)

“Bone Conduction Music Show” WAMM 1600AM, Ann Arbor, MI

“Radio Golden Flash” Westerlo, Belgium

“La Hora del Blues” 96.6 FM, Barcelona, Spain

“Red Hot Blues” 107.3 FM, Girona, Spain

“Blanco Y Negro” 107.9 FM, Madrid, Spain

“Rock-A-Holics Anonymous” KBOO 90.7 FM, Portland, OR

“Blue Monday” KBOO 90.7 FM, Portland, OR

“10,000 Blues Show” CKIA 88.3 FM, Quebec City, Canada

“Midnight Special Blues Radio” Live365.com, Paris, France

“Good Times Blues” 93.1 FM, Buenos Aires, Argentina

“Down Home Blues” KPBX 91.1 FM, Spokane, WA

“Black Roots” 97.4 FM, Radio Holstebro, Holstebro, Denmark

“Mojo Dreams” 105.5 FM, Radio Sinaai, Zwijndrecht, Belgium

Average Customer Review: