GA-20 is dropping the third single, “Stranger Blues”, from their upcoming EP, VOLUME 2. The new track is available NOW worldwide.
“Stranger Blues” is the first opportunity for GA-20 to showcase the virtuoso slide playing of new guitarist/vocalist Cody Nilsen. Slide guitar has been a mainstay of GA-20’s repertoire from the very first single, “Naggin’ On My Mind,” which featured guest Luther Dickinson of the North Mississippi Allstars. On "Stranger Blues," Cody and the band dig in with a hard driving, urgent sound that pays tribute to the originators.
VOLUME 2 features new members – vocalist and guitarist Cody Nilsen and Joshua Kiggans on drums – along with guitarist and founder Matthew Stubbs. This dynamic trio is poised to advance their artistic vision with a renewed focus on their interpretation of traditional song-based electric blues. The full EP will be released April 29th.
Since 2018, GA-20 has been at the forefront of a traditional Blues revival. The dynamic throwback trio have long been disciples of the place where traditional Blues, Country and Rock ‘n’ Roll intersect. “We make records that we would want to listen to,” says guitarist Matt Stubbs. “It’s our take on the song-based traditional electric Blues we love.” Stubbs, along with guitarist & vocalist Cody Nilsen and drummer Josh Kiggans, strive to bring traditional Blues to the front lines of the modern roots music scene. “The focus for us has always been on the story, the melody, and on creating a mood,” Stubbs continues. “Traditional Country and Soul have all had these massive recent revivals. We want to be part of doing that for traditional Blues music.”
GA-20 has drawn inspiration for their old-school sounds from the music they love by artists such as Otis Rush, J.B. Lenoir, Howlin’ Wolf, Junior Wells, Hound Dog Taylor, Earl Hooker, Johnny ‘Guitar’ Watson and so many others. Performing with what feels like reckless abandon, GA-20 brings a timeless immediacy to every song they play with a sound that continues to grow and evolve. The band uses vintage instruments and amps to produce their authentic sound, and favors traditional recording techniques, like recording live off the floor together in one room, to help recreate that energy and sonic connection.
In their short history, GA-20 have been 3x #1 Billboard Blues chart toppers, 4x Boston Music Award winners for Best Blues Act, and have received multiple wins and nominations at the Blues Music Awards, Blues Blast Awards, New England Blues Awards, and have ascended streaming and radio charts at home and internationally. Medium.com has appropriately declared, “This is the kind of music that travels through time while taking from the era where it was born and turning it into something fresh. Dirty and raw…timeless and modern.”
