JOE FILISKO & ERIC NODEN

The blues and roots music duo— Joe Filisko and Eric Noden make an unforgettable impression. Their jaw-dropping virtuosity enables them to create more layers of sound and feeling than most full bands can summon, and both are high-energy, ultra-rhythmic performers. The collective result— in both their live shows and their recordings— are charged, dramatic performances that are simultaneously powerful and sophisticatedly subtle.

“Two marvelous musicians who have captured not only the sounds but the emotional spirit of some of the richest bloodlines of American music.” — Kim Field, author of Harmonicas, Harps, and Heavy Breathers

“Joe Filisko and Eric Noden make a thoroughly convincing case that this music is the real deal and their spirited performances make it sound both fresh and contemporary.” –Dirty Linen

“Eric and Joe are possessed by the spirits of Howlin Wolf, Sonny Terry, Robert Johnson, Johnny Woods, Sonny Boy Williamson, Gwen Foster and transported listeners back to the 1920′s Delta.. We love Eric and Joe. Please send them back.
 —–Mickey Raphael, harmonica player for Willie Nelson

Just a few short years after their first meeting, Filisko and Noden are displaying their compelling musicality on the world stage. They’ve performed at the legendary Chicago Blues Festival, the Paramount Blues Festival in Grafton, Wisconsin (where some of the greatest of the early blues recordings were made); Sweden’s Eslov Blues Festival; and the Festival Ecaussines in Belgium. The duo also recorded the theme song for the “Sweet Folk Chicago” on the legendary Chicago radio station WFMT. Joe and Eric are expert practitioners of harmonica and guitar styles that defined the blues in its earliest days but are now all too rarely heard. Both of these standout performers also teach and make it a point to share the insights they’ve gained from two lifetimes of deep research into the history of the music. For several years the city of Trossingen, Germany—the home of the Hohner harmonica company—has invited Filisko and Noden to conduct master workshops, and the pair has also offered joint workshops and performances at Australia’s Playmakers Festival, the Harmonicales Festival in France, and at the Old Town School of Folk Music in Chicago.

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BILLY BRANCH

Billy Branch has followed a very non-traditional path to the blues. Unlike many blues artists, he isn’t from the South. Billy was born in Chicago in 1951 and was raised in Los Angeles. He first picked up a harmonica at the age of ten and immediately began to play simple tunes.

Billy returned to Chicago in the summer of ’69 and graduated from the University of Illinois with a degree in political science. It was during these years that he was introduced to the Blues. He soon became immersed in the local blues scene. He spent a great deal of time at legendary blues clubs such as: Queen Bee’s and Theresa’s Lounge; he learned from such stalwart harmonica players like: Big Walter Horton, James Cotton, Junior Wells and Carey Bell.

His big break came in 1975 during a harmonica battle when he beat Chicago legend, Little Mac Simmons at the Green Bunny Club. He made his first recording for Barrelhouse Records and began to work as an apprentice harp player in Willie Dixon’s Chicago Blues All-Stars. He eventually replaced Carey Bell and worked with Willie Dixon for six years.

During this time, Billy formed the Sons Of Blues (S.O.B.s) featuring musicians who where the sons of famous blues artists. The original S.O.B.s consisted of Billy, Lurrie Bell, Freddie Dixon and Garland Whiteside. They toured Europe and played at the Berlin Jazz Festival. Shortly afterward, they recorded for Alligator Record’s Grammy-nominated Living Chicago Blues sessions, and Billy has been a regular studio player appearing on over fifty albums.

Billy has recorded and/or performed with an incredible list of Blues legends including: Muddy Waters, Big Walter Horton, Son Seals, Lonnie Brooks, Koko Taylor, Johnny Winter, and Albert King. In 1990, he appeared with three harp legends:Carey Bell, Junior Wells, and James Cotton on W.C Handy Award winner, Harp Attack! His most recent recordings for the Polygram label are entitled The Blues Keep Following Me Around and Satisfy Me.

Billy is also passing on the blues tradition to a new generation through his Blues In The Schools program. He is a dedicated blues educator and has taught in the Chicago school system for over twenty years as part of the Urban Gateways Project. In 1996, some of his finest students opened the Main Stage at the Chicago Blues Festival which was broadcast throughout the U.S. on National Public Radio.

Blues producer, Chicago Beau has written, “Billy Branch has become a beacon, and model for his times; as an artist, and social/cutural activist… Billy Branch is a Bluesman; Billy Branch is the Blues.”

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HARMONICA HINDS & EDDIE TAYLOR JR.

Harmonica Hinds can be heard as a band leader. He can be heard as a duo being accompanied by a guitarist or he’ll do solo performances with guitar and harmonica. Sometimes he accompanies other musicians in their bands.

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