Leon Laudenbach - Leon Laudenbach - NEWS 1/4/2012

The Hutch Sessions

Thu, 05 Jan 2012 00:00:00 -0800

I just upload a new disc to ITunes. There is a Tunecore player on the front page of this site. Please check it out. It is a collection of tunes that we used for the Head Water Blues Opry. Some of the songs did not make it in the musical because the script did not require them. With the help Of Andy Berg engineering the sound of these tunes are great.

New Years Eve

Wed, 28 Dec 2011 00:00:00 -0800

We are are cancelled for New Years Eve, our friends Preston and Paulsen will be playing the Pearl Lake Lodge, they are a great band. Check them out.

What is going ON

Mon, 05 Dec 2011 00:00:00 -0800

What’s Going On
It been a month of Sundays trying to figure out how the recording format that I purchased a while back actually works. I had a light bulb moment happen to me about three months ago. That would be the thought that I didn’t know what I was doing. This has a lot to do with the lack of any formal education with ProTools and the mystery of equalization. Well I studied hard (googled) and discovered a few things that needed to be put in order. With that being said I have three projects that are going to be released with one that will be delivered in a CD format and the rest online. The first is a project that Steve Shifsky and I worked on in 2009 that was recorded at Hutchinson Community College, with the help of Andy Berg engineering we came up with a selection of tunes that where going to be used in a theatrical performance that ran in the Summer of 2010. This will be titled Beggars Dance “The Hutch Sessions”. This turned out to a very dynamic set of songs that were recorded from older releases and a couple new ones that are added to it.
A project that we worked on during that same time was called, “Somebody’s is going get there Ass Whooped”. This went under the Sucker Punch band name. That was a very fun project with a friend of mine from St. Cloud, (Curt Blaising) helping us play a few gigs and giving me moral support. Getting back to the recording processes that I was able to somewhat get under control, these recordings came to life and I am excited to give this a proper release. The original idea was to record Steve’s tiny drum kit with slide guitar and Sparky Andersons harps. With the remix this stuff in my opinion is great. We recorded a couple covers to it; one is called Big Bijou that I first heard on a Ronnie Wood album that he released in the 70’s, and Walking with a Mountain, (Mott the Hoople) which has a bluegrass feel to it. This will be released under the Beggars Dance band logo also.
The Mother Pearls Love Letters audio book is in production with Randy Mickelberg, we are up to chapter 11 (sound's pretty ominous) I am doing the dialogue and Randy is adding the sound bed and effects to the story. We started this a long time ago but it is the most labor intensive to do. The book was finished in Feb. of 2011 but the time to make this come together was more than I thought. It will have ten tunes that will intersperse with the story. It is going to be very cool.
Along with that Willie West and I completed the project from Finland a retro soul album that will be released in 2012 on vinyl.
If this all sounds like I have ADHD, I probably do. I like the Beggars Dance logo so I will forever from this point on go by that when releasing new material. As far as a band name who knows it’s too late to try to make anyone figure that out. Right now we have been using the Leon Laudenbach band at the clubs we play in, sounds as German as you can get, let me know if anybody cares.

Mother Pearls Love Letters

Wed, 12 Jan 2011 00:00:00 -0800

The manuscript of a book I am writing is just about in the can. That is where people will read this thing sitting on the can. It will start as a audio book with songs that intertwine with the story. The music will come seperately as an audio Cd.

Lesson Of Love

Mon, 13 Sep 2010 00:00:00 -0700

Timmion records is preparing the release of a new Willie west single called Lesson of Love. The High Society Brothers from Helsinki wrote the music and we supplied the lyrics.

WILLIE WEST & THE HIGH SOCIETY BROTHERS
“LESSON OF LOVE” PART 1 & 2 Timmion#023
Written By: Willie West, Leon Laudenbach & The High Society Bros.
The tag of Soul Survivor may be over-used;
but it is well-suited to Willie West, another
gifted singer and songwriter from the New
Orleans area who has never gotten the breaks
he deserved or credit he was due, despite a
long and active career in music. Willie West
made some outstanding records with Allen
Toussaint for labels like DEESU, JOSIE,
WARNER BROTHERS and many others.
He even recorded a movie Soundtrack with
The Meters for the Blaxploitation film
“Black Samson” and toured heavily with the
band, but he never could get a career
established in the music business.
Nonetheless, he has never let undeserved
professional disappointments or relative
obscurity to the general public get in the way
of his ability and drive to entertain, and still
has faith that he can reach a wider audience.
Last year, Willie West & The High Society
Brothers recorded their first single for
Timmion Records, “The Devil Gives Me
Everything”. Its aching, melancholic vocal
delivery over a heavy downtempo rhythm
section with bounding beats and punchy
horns made an impact from the West Coast
low-rider scene to the UK “Deep-Soul”
circles and also turned the heads of the
younger generation. Due to the surprising
success of the first 7”, Timmion Records pushed Willie & the band back to the studio to cut another 45....and here they are with their new 7” single entitled “Lesson Of Love” part 1 & 2 (Timmion #023). This
fresh waxing from the frozen North lays down a lilting midtempo groove with a tremendous Southern feel,as long-suffering Mr. West laments the conduct of a fickle female who’s playing a wayward game with his heart. But although this Siren-like seductress blows hot and cold on the stormy seas of love, the Southside
Brother stays cool, navigating a rock steady rap before riding out through a maelstrom of tremulous organ and surging horns with his head held high. The lesson of love has been learned.

News what News

Fri, 27 Aug 2010 00:00:00 -0700

Thanks to everyone that came out to the Opry shows. It was a bucket list thing for me. We are planning more shows at different locations, and that part is a lot of fun. The work we put in it makes it easier now to refine the show and take less time to do it. I think John Mellencamp and Prince had it right when they say the internet is dead, There will be no more Mick or Keiths or Robert Johnsons just a bunch of useless megabits floating in cyberspace including mine. Oh yeh that's right, I forgot my coffee this morning.

Willie West with the Meters

Mon, 05 Apr 2010 00:00:00 -0700

Stearns Opry

Wed, 24 Mar 2010 00:00:00 -0700

I always wonder if putting your personal laundry out on the web to dry is a good thing. Its been a while so here goes, A Grand Old Stearns County Blues Opry is going in to production for this summer's opening. We dont have dates but we are shooting for sometime in June. Rex Veeder is putting together the script right now and that will be presented to a theater in St. Cloud. The premise of the story is how does a farm boy from Stearns County get heavily immersed in the blues. Well this time around it happens in a dream, where the boy encounters dream charcters that guide him good or bad, bad to worse to the final outcome. It will be all orginal music, Iron Cat beat poetry and soul food. What more would you need. Also I am working on an album (the old kind) with Willie West and a band out of Finland called The High Society Brothers. Its retro soul music right out of the early 60's. We are working on the next vinyl single that will be put on the full length album. I guess vinyl is giving CD's a run for the money. Who would have thought.

New CD

Fri, 11 Dec 2009 00:00:00 -0800

I worked up a bunch of songs for a disc called Beggars Dance. We will play some shows with that as the name of the group, solo, duo, whatever. Whatever works. I am also looking at booking a date for this Blues Opry that I have been working on called A Grand Old Stearns County Blues Opry. Its about a youg boy from Stearns County that gets heavily influenced by the blues in a dream (it certainly would not come from any where else) The premise of the musical would be that he encounters several beings in his dream that shapes his attitude and self worth to awaken to the realization that he is a white caucasion blues man. Some of the tunes that we recorded in Hutchinson are going to be released as the music that goes along with it.

Beggars Dance

Fri, 06 Nov 2009 00:00:00 -0800

Steve and I play duo gigs, drums and guitar; we will be going under the name Beggars Dance. Early part of Oct. we recorded 12 Tunes at the Hutchinson Community College that turned out great. We will have them at our gigs by December, please ask for one. These same tunes will be used in a musical that is in the making, called A Grand Ol Stearns County Blues Opry. It will consist of four singers that will share lead vocals for the characters they are playing. Plus a beat poet that ties the whole thing together. Hopefully by March of 2010 we will present it at a local theater.