The Claudettes
Infernal Piano Plot ... Hatched
Yellow Dog Records
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They say sometimes in life that
truth is stranger than fiction and in the case of
The Claudettes that is absolutely true. There’s
no way that anyone in their right mind could develop
a story any more bizarre than theirs. You just can’t
make this sh** up. So, kudos to Mike Powers of
Yellow Dog Records for bringing this band to light,
and then next time I see you Mike, I need to hear
the story of how you came across the Claudettes!
So, picture this: a Korean bar owner
named Claudette, an amazing drummer who has played
with the likes of Koko Taylor, Marvin Hamlisch and
others in the form of Michael Caskey; the keyboard
genius of Johnny Iguana who has backed Junior Wells,
Buddy Guy, Otis Rush and a who’s who of Chicago
blues legends and Tatyana Prozorov, a Russian
immigrant and tenant of Claudette’s who owes her
landlord money. Stir the gumbo and you have a
fearless promoter in the form of Claudette who has
managed to stir up an amazing buzz around the
talents of Johnny and Michael while using them to
promote her bar talents with the help of Tatyana.
I’m amazed that Johnny and Michael
manage to function at all in this madness but they
do, and the result is their new disc, Infernal
Piano Plot…Hatched, on Yellow Dog that managed
to captivate my attention without a word spoken or a
lyric sung. This is definitely one of the freshest
discs that has crossed my listening ears in a long,
long time and one I would strongly suggest that
everyone pick up as soon as they can!
The entire disc is an instrumental
menagerie of tempo, pace and mood that left me
deeply impressed with the talents of Messrs. Iguana
and Caskey. I hope I do it justice. The first cut,
“Stumblin’ Home Satisfied,” is an upbeat sort of
jaunt through the neighborhood for me. Johnny’s
keyboard talents are very evident and Michael’s drum
work is the perfect complement to Johnny. “Big
Sucker Punch” is a tad more intense. It’s like
'Damn! I got caught! What do I do now?' And on
Johnny goes.
“Hammer and Tickle” is much more
dramatic than intense. I feel like I’m back in the
days of black & white movies with no soundtrack,
only the orchestra to set the mood. Johnny appears
to be up to no good and I’m wondering what it is!
Moving on to “Tide Pool,” I feel like I’m in the
ocean with the shark from Jaws. If I don’t get
swimming fast here pretty soon…I’m definitely a
goner! Ominous and pleasing at the same time, I
really like “Tide Pool.”
Up next is “Deep Soul for High
Society” and it’s an attempt at sophistication to
appeal to the upper class. Passionate, adventurous,
it’s another great tune! Our next adventure is down
south to “New Orleans Yard Sale (New 11-Bar Blues).”
Not quite Bourbon Street, our fearless duo is
somewhere in the Garden District, having a great
time. The title cut, “Infernal Piano Plot…Hatched!”
is next and it’s an upbeat, crazy tune that is very
melodramatic and intense. I can see Johnny in my
mind’s eye hammering the keys while Michael is
kicking the crap out of his bass drum. Definitely
the Claudettes at their best!
“Serenading the Clean-Up Crew” is
next and it’s a much slower tempo tune, thanking the
cleaning crew for cleaning up the house that Johnny
and Michael just tore down! “Tremblin’ Blues” is
another up-tempo tune that feels like Johnny and
Michael have woken up from a long night of raising
hell and have stuck their heads out into the
sunlight to see what the day will bring.
Our next cut, “Motorhome,” feels
like the boys are late for their gig and fracturing
a speed limit or two to get there on time. Claudette
fines the boys $50 each if they’re late for a gig so
I imagine they will get there on time if they can.
“Land of Precisely Three Dances” follows and it’s
another upbeat, frenetic tune that defies
description. We close with the defiant “Chin-up
Tango,” with a definite Argentinean flair and “Do
You See It Too?,” a tune that oddly feels like a
celebration. We’ve made it through to the light; can
see what’s ahead and it’s all good.
While Claudette ultimately lost her
bar, she kept Johnny and Michael on salary to help
her peddle her drink wares throughout Chicagoland.
While I have a hard time imagining LED promotional
signs on the boy’s lapels and Tatyana taking the
stage every now and then to plug a drink special,
it’s all true. I’m definitely not making this sh**
up!
Frivolity aside, The Claudettes are
an amazing new find and classic addition to the
Yellow Dog Records stable of artists. Grab a copy of
Infernal Piano Plot…Hatched from The Claudettes
at their website,
www.theclaudettes.com, and hit play. It’s almost
the most fun you can have with your clothes on,
trust me!
--- Kyle Deibler
The Claudettes are Johnny
Iguana (piano) and Michael Caskey (drums). That’s it
--- two guys, piano and drums. No bells and whistles
or special effects --- just two guys playing piano
and drums as if their lives depended on it. The duo
got their start as the house band for a lady named
Claudette, who owned a bar in Oglesby, Illinois.
When Claudette lost her lease, she took them on the
road and began booking gigs for them all over the
Midwest in other bars, or in places like Blockbuster
Video or the Staples center (not the arena in L.A.,
the actual center of a Staples office supply store).
The Claudettes wowed all of the ir
audiences with their incredible instrumentals,
usually consisting of frantic arrangements mixing
the blues with jazz and soul. As this went on,
Claudette had no idea that Iguana was a longtime vet
of Junior Wells’ band, played with Otis Rush, and
has recorded with Carey Bell, Lil’ Ed Williams, and
is a part of the esteemed band that made up the
Chicago Blues: A Living History recordings, or
that Caskey has played with Koko Taylor, Chuck
Mangione, Marvin Hamlisch, and has toured with the
Heritage Blues Orchestra.
Now The Claudettes have released an
album, on Yellow Dog Records, called Infernal
Piano Plot…HATCHED!
I would give you highlights, but I would just be
listing all 13 tracks. These guys play the blues,
with tracks like the opener, “Stumblin’ Home
Satisfied” or the Little Brother Montgomery classic,
“Tremblin’ Blues,” but they also play tunes like the
title track, a hyperspeed spy-flavored blues that
threatens to catch on fire, “Deep Soul For High
Society,” a greasy soul rocker that would put a
smile on Ray Charles’ face, and a manic,
breathtaking pair of tunes (“Motorhome” and “Land of
Precisely Three Dances”) that bounce around crazily.
Though Iguana and Caskey play their
instruments like men possessed, everything falls
together perfectly. Their sense of rhythm and timing
is impeccable and as impressive as it sounds on
disc, I’m sure their live performances leave eyes
wide and jaws agape.
I urge you to give The Claudettes a
listen. I promise that a) you’ve never heard
anything quite like Infernal Piano Plot…HATCHED!,
and b) you will want to hear more of it when you’re
done.
--- Graham Clarke