Altered Five Blues Band
Altered Five Blues Band | |
|---|---|
| Also known as | Altered Five |
| Origin | Milwaukee, Wisconsin, United States |
| Genres | Blues |
| Years active | 2002–present |
| Labels | Various including Blind Pig Records |
| Members |
|
| Past members |
|
| Website | Official website |
Altered Five Blues Band (originally known as Altered Five) is an American five-piece blues band. Formed in 2002 in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, United States, they have released six albums since 2008.[1][2] Their 2021 release, Holler If You Hear Me, reached number three on the US Billboard Top Blues Albums Chart. The current line-up consists of frontman Jeff Taylor, guitarist Jeff Schroedl, bass player Mark Solveson, drummer Alan Arber, plus the returning keyboardist Steve Huebler.[3][4]
Career
The group was formed in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, United States, in 2002 and originally billed as simply 'Altered Five'. Bluesified, their debut album composed entirely of cover versions, was released by Cold Wind Records in June 2008.[5] Cold Wind were based in Minneapolis, but the record label's head died and Altered Five were forced to move to another local distributor.[6] This led to the release of Gotta Earn It on Conclave Records (2012).[1] Their fortunes changed for the better with their next recording, Cryin' Mercy (2014). It was produced by Tom Hambridge and was the group's first release on OmniVibe Records. The record was deemed to be the 'Best Self-Released CD' at the 2015 International Blues Challenge.[6] As the band was effectively between percussionists at the time, Hambridge played drums on all tracks on the album, although Jeff Schroedl's brother Scott played drums on their YouTube videos, produced alongside the album's promotional release.[6] By now the band was well known as the Altered Five Blues Band and the band's members wrote every track on Cryin' Mercy.[7]
The group then signed to
Their next album, Ten Thousand Watts, was released on September 6, 2019, on Blind Pig Records and was again produced by Tom Hambridge, being recorded at
The band's members are not all full-time musicians. For example, vocalist Jeff Taylor's day job is as a principal of a school in Wisconsin. Guitarist Jeff Schroedl is concurrently an executive vice president of the
Altered Five Blues Band celebrated their 20th anniversary as a band and released their sixth album, Holler if You Hear Me on September 3, 2021, via Blind Pig. The album was featured in Guitar World. It was again produced by Hambridge and recorded within five days at Ocean Way Nashville. Holler if You Hear Me also featured a guest appearances by the harmonica player
Awards
- Cryin' Mercy (2014) was the 'Best Self-Released CD' named at the 2015 International Blues Challenge.[6]
- "Cookin' in My Kitchen" from Charmed & Dangerous (2017), won 'Song of the Year' in 2018 at the Independent Music Awards.[4]
- "Great Minds Drink Alike" from Ten Thousand Watts, won first place in the blues category of the International Songwriting Competition.[3][8]
- Altered Five Blues Band were nominated for a Blues Music Award in 2018.[4]
- Holler If You Hear Me received three nominations for a Blues Music Award, including 'Album of the Year' and 'Song of the Year'.[3]
The 44th Blues Music Awards nominees in 2023 for 'Song of the Year', included Altered Five Blues Band's "Great Minds Drink Alike" (written by Jeff Schroedl).[12]
Band members
- Jeff Taylor – Lead vocals
- Jeff Schroedl – Guitar
- Mark Solveson – Bass guitar
- Alan Arber – Drums
- Steve Huebler – Keyboards
Formerly
- Scott Schroedl – Drums
- Raymond Trevich – Keyboards
Discography
Albums
| Year | Title | Label | US Billboard Top Blues Albums Chart |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2008 | Bluesified | Cold Wind Records | – |
| 2012 | Gotta Earn It | Conclave Records | – |
| 2014 | Cryin' Mercy | OmniVibe Records | – |
| 2017 | Charmed & Dangerous | Blind Pig Records | – |
| 2019 | Ten Thousand Watts | Blind Pig Records | 10 |
| 2021 | Holler If You Hear Me | Blind Pig Records | 3 |
Singles
| Year | Title | Label |
|---|---|---|
| 2019 | "Great Minds Drink Alike" | Blind Pig Records |
References
- ^ a b c "Altered Five Blues Band Songs, Albums, Reviews, Bio & More". AllMusic. Retrieved August 28, 2022.
- ^ "Altered Five". Discogs.com. Retrieved August 28, 2022.
- ^ a b c d e f g "Altered Five Blues Band | Bio". Alteredfive.com. Retrieved August 28, 2022.
- ^ a b c d e f g Ehrenclou, Martine (August 27, 2019). "Review: Altered Five Blues Band 'Ten Thousand Watts'". Rockandbluesmusic.com. Retrieved August 28, 2022.
- ^ "Altered Five - Bluesified". Discogs.com. Retrieved August 28, 2022.
- ^ a b c d e f Wilcock, Don (July 27, 2018). "Featured Interview – Altered Five Blues Band". Bluesblastmagazine.com. Retrieved August 28, 2022.
- ^ "Altered Five Blues Band - Cryin' Mercy Album Reviews, Songs & More". AllMusic. Retrieved August 28, 2022.
- ^ a b c "The Altered Five Blues Band CD: Holler If You Hear Me (CD)". Bear-family.com. Retrieved August 28, 2022.
- ^ Warden, Jamie (February 23, 2022). "Altered Five Blues Band: Holler if You Hear Me Review". Bluesrockreview.com. Retrieved August 28, 2022.
- ^ Sharma, Amit (January 25, 2022). "Altered Five Blues Band's Jeff Schroedl: "With slow blues, take your time. Don't empty your magazine too soon"". Guitarworld.com. Retrieved August 28, 2022.
- ^ "Altered Five Blues Band - Holler If You Hear Me". Guitarsexchange.com. Retrieved August 28, 2022.
- ^ Ehrenclou, Martine (10 January 2023). "2023 Blues Music Award Nominees Announced". Rockandbluesmuse.com. Retrieved 19 April 2023.
- ^ "Altered Five Blues Band". Billboard.com. Retrieved August 28, 2022.
- ^ "Great Minds Drink Alike (With Horns) - Single by Altered Five Blues Band". April 22, 2022. Retrieved August 28, 2022 – via Apple Music.