Too Slim and the Taildraggers

Mark Pucci Media FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE January 13, 2009 Contact: Mark Pucci (770) 804-9555 / mpmedia@bellsouth.net TOO SLIM AND THE TAILDRAGGERS ARE OUT TO FREE YOUR MIND ON NEW CD, DUE MARCH 17 FROM UNDERWORLD RECORDS SEATTLE, WA - Underworld Records announces a March 17 release date for Free Your Mind, the new CD from Seattle-based Too Slim and the Taildraggers, with national distribution by Burnside Distribution. Free Your Mind was produced by Todd Smallwood and Timothy Langford and - as its title implies - showcases an impressive musical expansion from the band, which consists of Tim Langford (AKA Too Slim) on guitar and vocals, Dave Nordstrom on bass and Rudy Simone on drums. The new CD takes the group's blues-based music to new heights, adding rock and Americana influences that make the disc a joyous listen. All of its 11 songs were written by Tim Langford and demonstrate his growth as a songwriter and observer of the human condition. The CD's opening track, "When You Love Somebody," marries the heartland rock of John Cougar Mellencamp with the southern rock influences of Lynyrd Skynyrd for a rousing breath of fresh air; while the second track, "Last Train," is a slice-of-life song inspired by its author reading the crazy stories in the daily paper. ON the rest of Free Your Mind, the band stretches its musical muscles, with tough, sinewy blasts of Langford's crunchy guitar work and soulful vocals layered over a rhythmic framework of Dave Nordstrom powerful bass and Rudy Simone's kicking drums. With songs such as "Devil in a Doublewide," "Been through Hell," "Testament" and the anthemic title track, Too Slim and the Taildraggers take many twists and turns, but ultimately arrive at a journey well-worth taking. Langford's insightful songwriting owes a debt to Tom Petty on many of the songs, especially on "Bottle It Up" and "Throw Me a Rope," but remains true to his own muse. The album closes with the powerful gospel-influenced ballad, "The Light," which also features a strong guest vocal appearance by Lauren Evans and some beautifully evocative guitar work by Tim Langford, whose tones on both electric guitar and slide throughout the CD stake his claim as a major guitarist on the rise.   The band's last CD, The Fortune Teller, reached #9 on the Billboard magazine Top Blues Albums sales chart in 2007 and 2008 and was also nominated for "Best Contemporary Blues Album" at last year's Blues Blast Music Awards in Chicago. The band's also been voted "Best Regional Act" 11 times by the Cascade Blues Association, the largest organization of its kind in the US, and has won many group and solo awards from a number of other organizations and magazine readers' polls.   Too Slim and the Taildraggers have headlined theaters, festivals and showcase clubs around the country and have shared the stage with such diverse talents as Bo Diddley, Johnny Lang, Robert Cray, .38 Special, Jeff Healey, Los Lobos, Delbert McClinton, Blues Traveler and Junior Brown, among others. Too Slim and the Taildraggers will tour extensively in support of Free Your Mind, with booking and management by Nancy Langford of The 313 Agency (206-340-2622 / info@the313agency.com). For more information on the band, visit www.tooslim.org or www.underworldindierecords.com. In addition to his work in the band, Tim Langford and his wife Nancy are also the owners of "Essie's South American Style Sauce," a marinade described as part barbecue, part teriyaki and part Cajun that was initially developed by Nancy's mother in the mid-1960s at a restaurant/club the family owned in North Dakota. Essie's Sauce can be used on poultry, seafood, beef and pork and has been described by one magazine food editor as "the best sauce I've ever tasted." The sauce is distributed regionally around the US and is also available by mail order. For more information, visit www.essiessauce.com.

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JIM SUHLER & MONKEY BEAT TIJUANA BIBLE Thanks so much for your interest in Jim Suhler Bail Bonds. We'll be happy to help your convict in any way we - Oh, wait ... This is about Jim Suhler the guitar player. Sorry about that ... The thing is, listening to TIJUANA BIBLE, the fifth and newest CD by Dallas guitar hero Suhler and his veteran band, MONKEY BEAT, is so refreshing it's, well, it's even better than getting out of jail; or at least it serves as a fine soundtrack. After all, longtime fans of Jim Suhler & Monkey Beat have come to expect the finest in flamethrower-style Texas rockin' blues - and to plug TIJUANA BIBLE into your CD player is sort of like having Billy Gibbons, Freddie King, Johnny Winter and T-Bone Walker show up to paint your house. The house won't get painted - in fact, it'll probably be destroyed in the subsequent party - but you're gonna have a damned good time while it happens. First things first. You do know what a "Tijuana Bible" is, don't you? Because that sorta sets the mood for the CD. The "Tijuana Bible" is a name for an old-time pornographic comic book, typically "starring" famous politicians, film stars or sports heroes of the day. No one's really sure where they originated, but Tijuana, with its creative approach to All Things Entertaining, is certainly a good guess. And the Curious and Amused could certainly find them in many of the all-night stomping grounds in such well-traveled destinations as Nuevo Laredo, Matamoros, Reynosa and, yes, Tijuana. Suhler, whose endless-fireworks approach to lead, rhythm and slide guitar is beautifully complimented by his witty but devoted study to all forms of rock, blues, and Texas mythology, recognized the metaphorical value of a musical paean to such an art form. It's the sort of attitude and approach that has always sparked his fine live and studio work Monkey Beat - as well as with George Thorogood and the Destroyers, for whom he's played lead guitar since 1999. Jim's appeared on such GT&Ds CDs as LIVE IN '99, RIDE TIL I DIE, LIVE IN EUROPE and HARD STUFF. George and the Destroyers make fun of Jim because he likes the Dallas Cowboys. Jim does not remember any pro football teams in Delaware.   TIJUANA BIBLE contains 13 new Suhler originals - witty, literate, groove-basted barroom classics - along with finely interpreted material by such Jim Suhler heroes as Rory Gallagher ("I Could've Had Religion"), Elvin Bishop ("Drunken Hearted Boy") and AC/DC ("Up to My Neck in You"). And not only does Bishop guest star on the album, so do guitar master Joe Bonamassa and vocalist Jimmy Hall of Wet Willie fame. And of course, the Monkey Beaters, themselves, perform with the fiery charm that make them one of the finest touring bands around: bassist/vocalist Carlton Powell, keyboardist Shawn Phares, and drummer Jimmy Morgan. Their pre-TIJUANA BIBLE albums include RADIO MOJO, SHAKE, BAD JUJU and STARVATION BOX. Jim has also recorded LET THE DOGS RUN (with Mike Morgan), LIVE AT BLUE CAT BLUES (with Alan Haynes), and DIRT ROAD. Here are some other fun things to know and tell others about Jim. You may want to tattoo one or more of them on your bicep:     Jim and his wife were married in a ceremony presided over by ZZ Top guitarist Billy Gibbons.     Jim had Kinky Friedman bless the divorce papers of the aforementioned marriage's dissolution. Onstage, Jim has jammed or performed with, among others, Les Paul, Willie Nelson, Duke Robillard, Elvin Bishop, Steve Miller, Johnny Rivers, Lazy Lester, Joe Bonamassa, James Cotton, Doyle Bramhall, Hank Williams Jr., the Fabulous Thunderbirds, Lucky Peterson, Son Seals, Zuzu Bolin, Andy Timmons, Chris Duarte, and Dan Aykroyd and Adam Sandler (though not at the same time) Jim, a member of the Buddy Magazine Texas Tornadoes, grew up in Dallas and was the only member of his high school football team who loved Charlie Patton, Robert Nighthawk, Rory Gallagher, and Tampa Red. (And, no, those are not football players.) Jim once drank a beer while hanging out with Angus Young - who was drinking tea. He once talked with Robert Plant about Charlie Patton. He once got Jeff Beck and Neil Young to sign one of his guitars. And he has an autograph from the guy who played "Eb" on Green Acres. Jim's music has been utilized in major motion pictures and trailers including: SPUN, FAILURE TO LAUNCH, WALLACE & GROMMIT: THE CURSE OF THE WERERABBIT, and the PBS documentary LARRY V. LOCKNEY. TIJUANA BIBLE - your ears are gonna burn when you listen to this ... Jim thanks you for any attention or time you can give to TIJUANA BIBLE. JIM SUHLER & MONKEY BEAT - TIJUANA BIBLE - UNDERWORLD RECORDS RELEASE DATE: FEBRUARY 17, 2009 DISTRIBUTED BY BURNSIDE DISTRIBUTION WWW.JIMSUHLER.COM PUBLICITY CONTACT: MARK PUCCI MEDIA (770) 804-9555 / MPMEDIA@BELLSOUTH.NET