BLUE BLOODS ED
DISCOVER THE UNDISCOVER
JON SLIDEWELL & THE REEDCUTTERS www.thereedcutters.co.uk
From the ashes of good time R&B band JP and the Razors comes the bar room swaggering old skool R&B and blues of Jon Slidewell and the Reedcutters. Between 2017-19 as JP and the Razors, they first released a 7 song mini-LP called ‘Let the good times roll’ that featured seven classic Blues and R&B covers by the likes of Willie Dixon, Elmore James, Muddy Waters and Bo Diddley – This release brought much positive attention from magazines like Blues Matters, Blues Blast and Rock n Reel. Then in mid-2019, they released an EP called ‘Four songs from the house’. All four songs were self-penned by Jonny and featured the lead guitar talents of the then 16-year-old Jake Poole. This release further raised the band’s profile and they were subsequently featured on a Rock n Reel compilation CD But then the combination of a rushed failed – never to be commercially released LP, then the sad tragic death of the band’s original drummer – Ross ‘Razor’ Crichton (RIP 24/12/19 – shine on soul brother x). Jake going off to university and of course, the ‘Pandemic’ – all left the band in a state of limbo... But vocalist/guitarist Jonny never stopped writing Blues related songs – and as a tribute to his old Drummer Jonny compiled and released a demo of 14 self-penned songs under the band’s old name - simply ‘the Razors’. This CD was meant to be a purely ‘one off’ demo release for folk who knew or had met 34
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Ross. But Blues Matters journalists – Stephen Harrison and John Mitchell picked up on it, and it received an unexpected great review in Blues Matters. This in turn spurred the band to get back together! Lead guitarist Jake agreed to help out when he could and the band invited old guitarist DB Williams back into the fold. Throughout late 2020 and well into 2021 Jonny ducked and dived in and out of the studio when possible, plus making full use of his old Tascam 4 track to record tracks ‘Low Fi’ In the late summer of 2021, the band played two sets at the Stockport Blues festival and went down a storm! After this Jonny and studio engineer Leigh Eaton worked hard putting songs together and along with the Tascam Porta studio recordings, there is now enough material for a full band LP. It will be called ‘One more for the Road’ and will feature 13 songs written by Jonny and one cover by Willie Dixon. They wear their influences on their hearts – The deep south of Son House, the cool blues of BB King, Muddy Waters and Howlin’ Wolf - The gritty slide of Elmore James and the good time R&B fun and menace of John Lee Hooker, Hound Dog Taylor and George Thorogood. Also not forgetting Lightin’ Hopkins, Buddy Guy, Rory Gallagher, Junior Kimborough and the Black Keys. Watch out for the LP in 2022!
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