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Third Place Winners at the 2006 International Blues Challenge! Jill West and Blues Attack, a Pittsburgh based blues band play their own style of hard edged blues with a guitar blast, in the tradition of the Vaughn brothers, B. B. King, and Muddy Waters. Lead by the dynamic vocals of Miss Jill West, Blues Attack has been igniting audiences all over the tri-state area as well as opening for many national acts. Mark Cholewski's rhythmic and melodic guitar is a perfect balance to the often unpredictable Gregg Krupa, a veteran of the Pittsburgh blues scene. With "The Hammer" Hank Raffetto keeping it stong and straight ahead on the bass, and Nicky 'No Shoes' Crano sendin' that beat to the floor right to your feet, Blues Attack is a band to be reckoned with!!!
With the release of their second album, Faceful of Blues, Blues Attack won praise from Tom Hyslop of Blues Review. He writes about the "two-guitar onslaught" that inspired the band's name: "The stop-time 'Four Letter Word' is a gem of a performance, with nuanced delivery from West."
Rege Behe of the Tribune Review writes: "West is Pittsburgh's version of Koko Taylor, a superb blues vocalist who wraps herself around a lyric like few others." And Phil Harris calls West the "Queen of Pittsburgh Blues" in Pittsburgh Magazine as he writes: "Known for her great voice, Jill West lives the blues and is evangelical about this American form of music." You won't find her singing about throwing herself off a bridge because her man left her. She says: "I'm gonna sing, 'My man left me and I'm gonna throw him off a bridge.'"
Over its ten-year history, Blues Attack got their blues education playing the steel city's smoky bars and sharing the stage with greats like Koko Taylor, Buddy Guy, Bo Diddley, and B. B. King.
The 2002 release of Faceful of Blues features fourteen tracks of almost all original music. The band puts its own stamp on the blues with the more contemporary feel of songs like "The Other Woman" and "Beggin Song". Blues Attack plays covers of Tyrone Davis and Screamin' Jay Hawkins in addition to the ten original tracks on the album. Whether it's Jill West's straight-ahead version of Davis's "Change My Mind," or her heated rendition of Hawkins's "I Put a Spell on You," she spans the bridge from soulful to low-down moaning blues.
Blues Attack continues to pay their dues in the smoke-filled bars of Pittsburgh - where they like it best - but are ready to take their sound on the road.
For information on bookings and appearances:
Please contact Hank Raffetto at: 724-758-9612
www.jillwest-and-bluesattack.com
Discography
Code Blue - 1997
Faceful of Blues - 2002 |
