If luck is what happens when hard work meets opportunity, the union of Eddie Roberts & The Lucky Strokes epitomizes that adage. The New Mastersounds’ guitarist and bandleader has a knack for leaning into individual strengths and that sensibility is evidenced through his recruitment of Mississippi-based guitarist and vocalist, Shelby Kemp (Royal Horses), who brings a Southern rock grit and candid, nimble songwriting to team up with the Tampa Bay-based Galbraith Sisters who possess a simpatico rhythm section chemistry only found within a family bloodline. The project will release their debut single "Whiskey Makes Me Stronger" on April 14th ahead of a string of dates around Jazz Fest in New Orleans, Lousiana.
The quartet first teamed up to perform Cervantes’ Masterpiece Ballroom’s 20th Anniversary party in Denver, CO and recorded a full-length record at Color Red Studios the next day to further solidify the newly forged musical connection. The sound is an amalgamation of celebrated country lyricists such as Willie Nelson, Waylon Jennings, and George Jones mixed with the rhythmically driven aesthetics of James Brown and rounded out by honest rock ‘n’ roll. Powered by the urbane guitar playing and production of Roberts and you have a new tour de force ensemble that makes listeners stop in their tracks the same way Roberts did upon hearing the talents of Kemp and the Galbraith Sisters. “We’ve recorded this album super raw—it’s funky southern rock crunched to tape, in one take, just like it should be," says Roberts of the new collaborative project.
Whiskey Makes Me Stronger” is written from the point of view of a hard-headed man who is stewing over the behavior of his partner and just can’t seem to figure out how to tell them about it. Despite internal conversations and talking to his friends, things are worsening and he’s letting the whiskey do the talking for him. “The message, if there even is one, is to seek therapy from a professional, not a bottle,” reveals vocalist/guitarist Shelby Kemp.
The band will be performing the following shows at Jazz Fest featuring some of the brand new material recorded at Color Red Studios:
4/27 - Brick Yard (Mobile, AL)
4/28 - Blue Nile
5/1 - Maple Leaf
5/5 - Bayou Rendevouz
