Like so many music fans out there during the pandemic and subsequent shutdown that closed venues and tragically sidelined the music scene , I was on-line working with the incredible folks behind " Can't Stop the Blues " . Like so many folks out there , sitting by their laptops and by their phones , enjoying live music through the means of social media , especially on FaceBook , " Eddie 9-V " was one of those artists showcased to millions of enthusiastic fans throughout the world by live streaming platforms . Thanks Eddie for keeping us in great company as we all tried to keep our spirits raised high during the darkest of days . You certainly were a bright spotlight in the darkness . We had great fun watching you perform , and enjoying conversations and hijinks with you on the live chats .
Eddie 9-Volts highly anticipated 2023 release , " Capricorn " , is named after Capricorn Studio's in Macon , Georgia and is known for having recordings with the Allman Brothers Band and with Otis Redding . " Capricorn follows " Little Black Flies" which was voted as one of the Top 20 Albums of 2021 by Blues Rock Review -
“Coming off a straight blues record, I wanted to show people we’re more than that,” says Eddie. “I was listening to Muscle Shoals and soul, a lot of music recorded at Capricorn in the late ’60s too. So we spent way more time crafting the new tunes. Each song took a week to write, instead of five in one night like Little Black Flies.”
The first single, “Yella Alligator” has been released. A bayou blues imbued with pure classic rock energy, Eddie says he was listening to “a bunch of Leon Russell and Little Feat when I wrote that.”
“I was doing an interview down in Macon and the DJ was like ‘you wanna go see Capricorn (the studio)?’ I simply walked in and felt like I was transplanted right in 1972. Nothing had changed. I was in awe. I was scouting some studios to do this new album, like in Muscle Shoals, Royal Studios in Memphis… But this made so much sense being in Macon, GA so close to home. Musically it’s definitely a direction I intend on heading more toward.” In December 2021, the 26-year-old finally put his thumbprint on the studio's mythology, corralling an eleven-strong group of the American South's best roots musicians to track his third album. "There was overwhelming excitement at being in such a legendary studio," he says, "But we hugged and got right to work. Everyone was joyous, loving, and flat-out playing their asses off." Eddie brought his bandmates into "Capricorn" “with hit memories stained on the walls. You pair that with some Budweiser and pizza you get a bunch of happy dudes playing their asses off. Yeah, I could sit around and record drums, bass, and all the guitars, but that’s not fun to me. I kind of took a back seat with guitar on this album. Sure there are some fun solos I do but majority of the slide and terrific playing is Macon’s own Dusty McCook. When I make records, I make ‘em fast. I don’t see any point in wasting time on sounds. Get an old drum kit, a few mics, vintage fender amps, and damn good players and it’s hard to make that sound bad. All in all we had 11 musicians, I think. They were the ones who shaped the album.”
"We made this record," Eddie considers, "the way they would have done in 1969...." He burst onto Atlanta’s live blues and roots circuit, and went on to albums Left My Soul in Memphis (2019) and Little Black Flies (2021) which received wide critical acclaim. Eddie celebrates Atlanta's hometown’s scene - “I love Atlanta! There’s so much more than rap here. After touring the country for years I’ve realized Atlanta has such a vibrant music scene. There’s so many good players here. It’s kinda crazy. It’s like when people say ‘nobody’s making this kind of music anymore, when there’s somebody at a neighborhood pub doing it. Just have to dig up every stone. Atlanta has it all.”
The New Year , 2023 , looks to be another exciting chapter in Eddie's skyrocketing career - “Since the last record, we got new management and new booking. They have thrown us all over the country, hell even the world now. Opening up for Tedeschi Trucks, at the Fillmore in San Francisco… 2023 looks like it’s already going to be an amazing year. Touring is our bread and butter. It’s funny. I’ve been home for two weeks now and all I do is play video games, drink, and make food. It doesn’t make sense, but we’re somehow healthier out on the road.”
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