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Back pOrchEstra Press:
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Back pOrchEstra Press:
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"A group of just phenomenal musicians -new album is kinda bluesy, Americana, country, rockin', ..check out "I'm Wild About My Lovin'" .. I love how the fiddle is used on this track"
- Payton Burdette, Real Roots Radio, Xenia, OH
The gloriously named Back pOrchEstra feels very much like a labor of love. That very name suggests a group of friends sitting on a porch, perhaps drinking something boozy or perhaps not, but certainly chilling in the warm air and enjoying each other's company while rattling through some rootsy tunes for no one's pleasure but their own. The songs only serve to solidify that image. "Ever Think About it" and "What Does Your Heart Say?" are fun swing-alongs; catchy, honest, and earthy, but also skillfully composed and not at all cheesy. The production is a bit rough, but you can't have everything. - Brett Callwood, Music Connection 7.2, American Roots, Indie Rock, Americana "Rock'n'Soul rhythms usher Back pOrchestra into their latest release wondering "Do You Ever Think About It". Questions continue as they pointedly ask "What Does Your Heart Think About It?" and face reality on Don Dixon's "Oh Lonesome Me" as the band stare out the windshield for the highway song in "Dusty Road I'm On" and put "Holiday from the Holiday" on their wish list. If anyone senses a theme on the album, you are correct, as the album title proclaims Stories in the Heart. Back pOrchestra utilizes its Northern California geographical advantage to stock A-List band members. Tim Eschliman (Commander Cody & His Lost Planet Airmen, Etta James) on vocals and resonator guitar, Candy Girard (Delaney Bramlett, Tanya Tucker) on fiddle, and Gary Potterton (New Riders of the Purple Sage) are a part of a top shelf band that lead the songs through Zydeco ("I Ain't Ever Slowin' Down"), grooving Blues ("I'm Wild About My Lovin'"), touches of Tex Mex ("Stop the World and Let Me Off") and Folk Rock "Sail Recalls the Wind". Back pOrchestra are the guides across multiple musical landscapes on Stories in the Heart, putting a vintage groove underneath the curiosity that becomes "Calling All Ancestors" while a Rock'n'Roll Boogie wraps around Back pOrchestra as they surf the "Jet Stream". Powerful guitar strums put rhythm underneath the island breeze accents the drifts over the seasonal story in "Carolin'". - Danny McCloskey, The Alternate Root Vince's Hot Picks (Best of 2026): "Back Porchestra returns with Stories In The Heart, a warm, mostly unplugged roots record that blends country blues, New Orleans swing, Tex-Mex, and soul. San Francisco roots collective Back Porchestra returns with Stories In The Heart, a warm, road-worn album that leans into rich acoustic tones while freely bending genres without ever breaking the feel. Built around a mostly unplugged framework, the record draws from country blues, roots rock, Zydeco, Tex-Mex, New Orleans rhythms, Motown soul, singer-songwriter traditions, and even Brazilian textures, all woven together with an easy confidence that sounds earned, not assembled. At the core is Tim Eschliman, whose seasoned vocals and resonator guitar bring gravity and grit shaped by years sharing stages with artists like Etta James and Commander Cody & His Lost Planet Airmen. He's surrounded by a Bay Area roots dream team: Bowen Brown on drums, Candy Girard on violin, Beau Beaullieu on bass, and Gary Potterton on guitar and dobro. Together, they give Stories In The Heart its loose swing and lived-in chemistry, favoring feel over flash and letting the songs unfold naturally. The album's extended cast adds even more depth. Guest vocals from Kathy Kennedy bring a touch of classic soul lineage tied to Smokey Robinson, while percussionist Vicki Randle, known for her work with Jay Leno's Tonight Show band, adds subtle rhythmic color. Piano from the late Austin de Lone and additional percussion from Mingo Lewis Jr. round out a sound that feels expansive without ever getting crowded. What sets Stories In The Heart apart is its sense of balance. Resonator guitar, violin, bass, drums, percussion, dobro, and Telecaster create a flexible, roots-forward palette that allows Back Porchestra to move between styles fluidly. The songs echo traditions without reenacting them, keeping one foot in the past and the other firmly planted in the present. As Americana Highway's Jeff Burger observed, Back Porchestra evokes artists across decades and genres, sharing DNA with bands like Dan Hicks and His Hot Licks and Asleep at the Wheel. With Stories In The Heart, they prove that roots music still thrives when it stays curious, collaborative, and grounded in the simple power of great players trusting the song."" - NRN, New Releases Now Stories In The Heart – Back Porchestra (Globe Records). I've been a fan of Tim Eschliman for over 40 years. Throughout his storied career as a member of The Moonlighters, The Christmas Jug Band, The Commander Cody Band, Rhythmtown- Jive and The New Copasetics, to name just a few of his notable musical associations, Mr. Eschliman has proceeded to leave a substantial musical legacy in his wake. Stories in The Heart by Back Porchestra is a wonderful continuation in this rich musical odyssey. From the opening cut of "Ever Think About It," Back Porchestra sets the stage for a wonderful landscape of Americana Music stylings. Mr. Eschliman's original compositions; "Dusty Road I'm On," "Call Our Ancestors," and "Sail Recalls The Wind," showcase not only first-rate story telling but with wonderful musical accompaniment that includes some great guitarwork by Eschliman, but also by violinist Candy Girard, and guitarist Gary Potterton that make Stories in The Heart an amazing musical journey and sonic wonderment throughout the LP's 12 cuts. The music is as welcoming as the scent of bacon in the kitchen. Along the way Stories In The Heart explores a vast highway of musical stylings; Cajun, Folk, Tex -Mex, and good ole Rock n' Roll. Call me nostalgic for the good old days because I just love the two tunes with the Christmas Jug Band; "Carolin'," and ""Holiday from the Holiday," which brings me back to a different time and place which echoes with some of our friends who have moved on up the river; namely Dan Hicks, and Austin deLone. That said, it's sure comforting to know that the music of that wonderful era of music is in good hands with the Back Porchestra. And yes, Tim, I can hear the sea gulls crying. - J.C. FLyer There are numerous bands and musicians who have been active since the 1960s yet remain largely unknown to the general public. Tim Eschliman is one such figure—a multifaceted, exceptional, and highly talented musician who has spent a lifetime working alongside a host of stellar musicians from the West Coast and beyond... His previous album, *Voices In My Head* (Globe Records, 2022)—described as belonging to the "Whiplash" genre (romantic jazz)—broke into the Top 100 Alternative Country charts. Now, his new release, *Stories In The Heart*, follows in those footsteps, retaining the same charm inherent in this "retro" sound—music that feels more relevant today than ever before—and serving as a testament to the richness of the musical community in San Francisco and the Bay Area. Above all, the album confirms his mastery of a wide array of genres, effectively serving as a musical roadmap of American music... spanning blues, Americana, country, rock 'n' roll, and rock—but even more so with their indie, rockabilly, Tex-Mex, 1920s-style Cajun, zydeco, New Orleans, Western swing, and neo-Motown sounds. The lineup forming Back pOrchEstra consists of: Tim Eschliman (acoustic and electric guitar, double bass, bass, lead vocals, percussion), Candy Girard (violin, vocals), Gary Potterton (guitar, dobro, vocals), Beau Beaulieu (Fender Jazz bass), Bowen Brown (drums), Kathy Kennedy (backing vocals), Mingo Lewis Jr. (congas, percussion), and Vicki Randle (congas, percussion). They present 12 tracks, including just a couple of covers and about ten original songs composed by Tim Eschliman himself. "Ever Think About It" is a track characterized by a fast, driving, and lively rhythm—described as Neo-Motown, yet in reality evoking the atmosphere of Levon Helm and The Band—along with a dash of Cajun flavor, featuring Girard's violin work reminiscent of Jeb Puryear and Tara Nevins' band, Donna the Buffalo. "What Does Your Heart Say?" (Eschliman–Girard) is a ballad featuring lead vocals and, once again, Girard's violin. "I'm Wild About My Lovin'" is a traditional tune (arranged by Tim Eschliman) featuring a striking rhythm section and consistently spectacular violin playing. "Oh Lonesome Me" takes its title from the song—and the debut solo album—by Don Gibson (the renowned country singer), while "I Ain't Ever Slowin' Down" (written by Al Anderson and Stephen Bruton) is a highly energetic country-rock track. The two ballads featuring The Christmas Jug Band are truly splendid: Austin De Lone on acoustic Steinway piano, Gregory Leroy Dewey on washboard, Paul Rogers on accordion, Ken Jacobs on tenor sax and clarinet, and Blake Richardson on backing vocals—namely, "Carolin'" and a closing remix of "Holiday From The Holiday." These are magnificent songs with a vintage, retro flair, featuring excellent compositions characterized by fluid lines that never lose their rhythm and evoke vivid imagery. With this new album, The Back pOrchEstra (the orchestra on the back porch) achieves—in perfect style—a homespun, familiar ("downhome") sound that reconciles us with the fine music of a bygone era. (translated from Italian) - Aldo Pedron, Mescalina.it, Pensieri Liberi e Creativi Back Porchestra'a "Stories In the Heart": The opener, 'Ever Think About It' is a Motown flavored Northern soul-styled stomper, though the violin solo is a little unexpected. The vocal is just a little low in the mix too but maybe that just adds to the feel. No, this hasn't come out of some obscure Detroit basement studio; these guys are from the San Francisco Bay Area! Perhaps less unexpected then is the imaginatively-rearranged version of Jim Jackson's 'I'm About My Lovin' bringing to mind Dan Hicks And His Hot Licks, from the same area and who played a wide variety of rootsy music (mainly) from the '20s to the '40s. Back Porchestra make things even more eclectic adding a couple or later decades and a global base to the formula. 'Carolin'' has strong Brazilian touches - this is one of two tracks that has leader Tim Eschliman with the Christmas Jug Band. Country standard 'Oh Lonesome Me' has a chugging, slightly Cajun flavour, which is even more pronounced on Blg Al Anderson / Stephen Bruton's composition 'I Ain't Ever Slown Down', transformed into an appropriately driving more or less straight Cajun number, with Candy Girard's violin playing really rather wonderful (as it is throughout). Candy also sings lead on the effective Tex-Mex arrangement given to 'Stop The World (And Let Me Off)'. "Jet Stream is an original though strongly vintage-sounding bluesy rock and roll instrumental, violin and some twangy guitar taking the lead - nice! The other number with the aforementioned Christmas Jug Band, "Holiday from The Holiday - Remix" closes this enjoyable set that combines just about all the musical elements mentioned so far! - Norman Darwen, BITS - Blues In The South, March 2026, Exmouth, UK "...The guitars slam like saloon doors, the violin traces lines that oscillate between melancholy and jubilation, the rhythm section moves forward with a tranquil groove that never rushes but never falters... Back pOrchEstra delivers a luminous, earthy, profoundly human record. An album that makes you want to sit on a porch, watch the sunset, and let the stories do their work...." (translated from French) - Fred Delforge, Zicazine "Not pretentious music. Great songs with nice instrumentation, violin, bass, dobro, washboard and lots of percussion... "Ever Think About It," ...immediately enjoyable! An intro like a 1960s Tamla Motown hit, a beautiful interplay between violin and guitar ...like you've wandered into a Rolling Stones song, a pleasant opening track ...the convivial atmosphere is paramount, and that's why I have a whole bunch of favorites: "What Does Your Heart Say?" ...A violin intro that would perfectly suit Van Morrison, Beautiful (backing) vocals ...a bit like Magna Carta in the Blues Café in Apeldoorn ...very catchy. very beautiful!, "I'm Wild About My Lovin'", "Carolin'", "I Ain't Ever Slowin Down" (!), "Stop The World And Let Me Off", "Sail Recalls The Wind" (seriously beautiful!) - Gerard Haarhuis, Bluestown Music "San Francisco roots collective Back Porchestra returns with Stories In The Heart, a warm, road-worn album that leans into rich acoustic tones while freely bending genres without ever breaking the feel. Built around a mostly unplugged framework, the record draws from country blues, roots rock, Zydeco, Tex-Mex, New Orleans rhythms, Motown soul, singer-songwriter traditions, and even Brazilian textures, all woven together with an easy confidence that sounds earned, not assembled. #Music #Americana #Indie" - UbuntuFM World Radio "Voices In My Head (Genre Whiplash)...everything from alt. rock to cajun, to country, to Brownie Ford era Western Swing. But the thing that keeps this set together is their excellent songwriting full of smooth never-miss-a-beat lines and vivid imagery. It's a studio album but it sure does have a back porch jam band feel to it" - Calvin Powers, WHUP-FM, americanamusicshow.com, |
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| Back pOrchEstra: Roots Rock, Americana, Country blues, Western Swing, Cajun, Pop-Rock, New Orleans, singer-songwriter and folk... The band draws from new original material as well as reworked classics by Hank Williams, Taj Mahal, Dan Hicks, Big Bill Broonzy, Bob Wills, Bobby Charles ...even Christmas Jug Band tunes |
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Contact: P O BOX 750112 PETALUMA CA USA - 94975
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