Tramp Tramp

A classic example of the whole not matching the component parts, Tramp featured several high-profile veterans of the British blues boom including Mick Fleetwood (drums), Bob Brunning (bass), Danny Kirwan (guitar), Dave Kelly (vocals), Jo Ann Kelly (vocals) and Bob Hall (keyboards). Hall, like Brunning, had earlier been co-leader of the Brunning-Hall Sunflower Blues Band. Tramp made their debut for Music Man Records in 1969 with a self-titled collection which lacked direction or convincing songwriting.

Although she was born and raised in suburban New Jersey, Sharon Van Etten's folk music evokes the open landscapes and lonely expanses of Middle America. A dedicated choir student during her childhood, she began writing songs on her guitar as a high-school student and, upon moving to New York, started playing them in concert. Van Etten signed with the Chicago-based indie label Drag City and issued her intimate, official debut, Because I Was in Love, in spring 2009, followed by the lush, more band-oriented Epic in 2010. Van Etten signed to Jagjaguwar in late 2010 and began working with the National's Aaron Dessner as producer for her third album, Tramp; it was released in early 2012.

Shadows of a past life creep into Mike Tramp’s lyrics on ‘Museum’ the second solo album that sees him explore more singer-songwriter oriented material like he did on last year’s ‘Cobblestone Street’, as he casually mentions the ‘Rainbow parking lot’ that well known haunt of rock and roll debauchers in the late eighties in the opening track.

Respected vocalist and guitarist Mike Tramp is back with "The Songs Of White Lion – Vol. II", once again the album sees Tramp re-imagining select cuts from his former band White Lion's. Tramp first came to prominence in the music world with White Lion, who formed in 1983. After signing to Atlantic Records, the band enjoyed great success with the release of their second album, "Pride" in 1987, which included the hits 'Wait' and 'When the Children Cry'.

Most long-time hard rock followers are well aware of MIKE TRAMP in terms of his legacy as the front man for 80’s platinum recording artist WHITE LION. Considering the fact that a ‘true’ reunion is out of the question, given guitarist Vito Bratta’s retirement from the scene, that doesn’t mean that Mike needs to lay his creative nature down and live in nostalgia. “Nomad” is the latest solo venture, a 10-song adventure that explores more of a softer, Melodic Rock terrain than his heavier, youthful years…

Billy Joe Shaver's first recording in six years is a stunner. Partnering with his guitar-slinging son, Eddy, Tramp on Your Street is a rollicking yet intimate ride through the world Billy Joe-style. There are smoking country rockers that are brazen, raw, and in-your-face, such as the sizzling remake of "Been to Georgia on a Fast Train" (which is now the definitive version), "The Hottest Thing in Town," "I'm Just an Old Chunk of Coal," and the blues-rock of "I Want Some More/TennTex Tear Down." There is the restless Bob Wills swing of "Good Old U.S.A." and the shuffling Texas stroll of "If I Give My Soul." And of course, in the title track, "When Fallen Angels Fly," and the Louvin Brothers-inspired "I'm Gonna Live Forever," there are the searing, completely naked lyrics of repentance, deliverance, and doubt that have been a part of Shaver's music form the beginning. Without them, the center would be missing. The big question for most is: Can Billy Joe rock at his age? The answer is that with Eddy beside him turning it up, he can not only rock, he can roll too. This is a partnership based on respect, tough love, and iconoclastic musical ideals. It's deep in the roots of the sill and even deeper in the Shavers' blood. Tramp on Your Street is a monumental return to recording for Billy Joe Shaver and a triumph of Eddy's musical direction and six-string skill.
All Music Review by Thom Jurek

May the 1st will see the release of “Second Time Around“, the new album from MIKE TRAMP. And while the ex-White Lion and Freak of Nature frontman is no rookie to releases in his own name, this time he does so with a special feeling.