Lou Wamp and Swing Shift "Wizards of Swing" 2006
produced by Butch Baldassari and Lou Wamp
Featuring
Lou Wamp, Lynn Wamp, Don Hopkins, and Chris Hopkins. Also featuring: Justin Moses, Tom Roady, and Butch Baldassari
Click on song titles for MP3 samples
Caravan
Hills Of Tennessee
Low Country Waltz
Handyman's Dream
Smoke, Smoke, Smoke (That Cigarette)
Red Haired Boy
Lou Wamp "ResOlution"
produced by Butch Baldassari
Featuring
Butch Baldassari, Jim Hurst, Byron House, Andy Leftwich, Justin Moses, Tom Roady, Jessica Lovell, Lynn Wamp » Read the Reviews
Click on song titles for MP3 samples
Spooky Pass
FireWoman Blues
Oldsmobile Brokedown
Panhandle Rag
Hymnal
ResOlution
Luigi's Revenge
Audrey's Last Dive
Wizard of Wicked
It's Not Too Late
While My Guitar Gently Weeps
STORIES BEHIND THE SONGS
SPOOKY PASS - "A deep, dark, forbidding cut in the reef off the coast of Roatan, a lush, Caribbean island of Honduras in Central America. We dove there and it was, indeed, spooky."
FIREWOMAN BLUES - "for Lynn - the gal who can start a fire in the mountains during a pouring rain."
OLDSMOBILE BROKEDOWN - "My resonator mentor and dobro legend, the late Gene Wooten, came to Nashville in his mother's old Delta 88. When he passed away, there were a few broken down Oldsmobiles in his front yard."
HYMNAL - "A series of related melodies for my grandmothers, who both loved the dobro."
RESOLUTION - "Title track - and my resolve to make this project happen."
LUIGI'S REVENGE - " A 'mafia hitman' picking number named by my buddy Tom Cotter during the first recording session."
AUDREY'S LAST DIVE - " A poignant story of love and obsession about world champion free divers, Pipin Ferreras and Audrey Mestre was on the cover of Sports Illustrated when we returned from Roatan. She died during a world record dive attempt in the Dominican Republic. The song unfolded that week and I knew it was for her."
WIZARD OF WICKED - "This is the song that evolved most during the recording sessions. Also subtitled by the band, 'The Wicked Wizard of Wackygrass'."
IT'S NOT TOO LATE - "written during Christmas, 2003, named by my son Daniel, then 6. A 'cradle to the grave' testament to our Redeemer."
REVIEWS (Click where underlined to read review)
Archie Warnock, III - Bluegrass Unlimited - May, 2006
"Lou Wamp's slide rules! Wamp is an exceptional resonator guitarist with his own unique new acoustic flair. Wamp's album starts with the sound of birds, an owl and Tom Roady's light percussion on an original "Spooky Pass" that allows all of his Nashville sidemen to shine (Byron House on bass, Butch Baldassari on mandolin, and Jim Hurst on guitar). Some of the other eight originals include Andy Leftwich (fiddle), Justin Moses (banjo, bass, guitar, fiddle), Jessica Lovell (violin), Lynn Wamp (arco bass), or Mark Howard (percussion). Talented multi-instrumentalist Moses played with Wamp in the band, Blue Moon Rising.
In addition to the originals are two covers - Leon McAuliffe's "Pandhandle Rag" and George Harrison's "While My Guitar Gently Weeps." The comfortable familiarity of these two pieces are relaxing and refreshing in the overall set of largely original music. Readily admitting that his music is not all traditional bluegrass, Wamp prefers to call it "artgrass," a moniker originated by Byron House to describe their jazzy, new acoustic, bluesy sound. The best example of their firework fingers is on "Oldsmobile Brokedown," a technically impressive piece written as a tribute to the late Gene Wooten. Featured on Volume 74 of "Prime Cuts of Bluegrass," this composition is getting good airplay, even as far from Nashville as The Netherlands.
Wamp has over 20 years in the music business, but he's also an architect, painter, archaeologist, and father to six kids. Besides being a sought after slideman sideman, he certainly has the skill to be a solo artist in his own right. Born in Ft. Benning, Ga. in 1956, Lou had plenty of music (from Elvis to Travis, Bach to the Beatles) around home while growing up. After piano lessons and playing guitar in his high school jazz band, a broken wrist encouraged him to take up resonator guitar. Gene Wooten became a close friend and mentor. Lou played on "Sidemen" nights at the Station Inn and was in a band called Hiwassee Ridge that performed at the 1982 World's Fair in Knoxville. Other bands he's worked with include James Monroe and the Midnight Ramblers, The Dismembered Tennesseans, Cowjazz, In Cahoots, The Cumberland Trio, Blue Moon Rising, and others.
With the release of ResOlution, Wamp's artistic and expressive playing and outstanding songwriting will take center stage and earn him even greater fame.
Wamp's dobro playing showcases his expert mastery of hand positions, pull-offs, hammer-ons, picking patterns, bar slants, rolls, and picking sequences. Produced by Butch Baldassari, "ResOlution" is an album that slides in an engaging musical groove." Joe Ross - Bluegrass Now