Eat A Peach - Press Release
ILLINOIS ENTERTAINER - October 2000
WRITTEN BY - KEVIN TOELLE
CHICAGO, IL
Eat A Peach
"the members of Eat A Peach are all sterling musicians who ride dual guitar trips with ease. The soloists are all imaginative and energetic and play like they mean it on the boogie blues and blues-rock that dominates this disc..."
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HOMEPRIDE PRODUCTIONS - April 2000
WRITTEN BY - DAVID JOOST
CHICAGO, IL
Turbulence and Thunder
Eat A Peach - (independent)
Thank God…Southern rock is still alive and well…and living in Chicago of all
places. Whatever else you say about Eat A Peach, these cats can PLAY. Forget that
everything about this band makes them appear to be (although they’re not) an
Allman Brothers Band tribute. From their very name, to the warbling slide,
throaty vocals and dexterous Hammond B3 keyboard work, they make no secret of
their affinity for the first family of Capricorn Records.
Turbulence and Thunder covers pretty much the whole spectrum of Southern rock
traditions. You get solid riff-rock jams ("Long Time Comin’" and "Big Brown
Sound"), jazzy ballads ("Ballad of Chains"), bluesy stomps ("Lookin’ For a Rider"
and the acoustic dobro/harp instrumental "Hot Sauce") and classic Chicago-style
blues ("You Don’t Know").
The ax-masters of Eat a Peach - Greg Schleitwiler (Hammond Keyboard and Vocals),
John Voyak (Guitar & Slide that sometimes gets up into Duane territory) and Curt
Sanders (Guitar and Lead Vocals) - make their instruments speak. It’s this
instrumental voice that is a welcome change of pace from the surplus of
"alternative" rock (whatever that is) going on in Chicago. Make no mistake, Eat a
Peach have "live" chops to spare (they’ve opened for Santana at the World), so
catch their act if you can.
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THE TIMES - 1/15/00
SATURDAY SPOTLIGHT
WRITTEN BY TOM LOUNGES - TIMES CORRESPONDENT
HIGHLAND, IN
Life Peachy for Band After ‘Turbulence’
In the five years since guitarists Curt Sanders and John Voyak discovered a
mutual love of blues-inspired rock, they have gone from jamming in a garage
surrounded by cornfields and coyotes to headlining the Levi’s Stage at the World
Music Theatre in Tinley Park, IL.
After working through some membership changes and shifting its focus from being
an Allman Brothers Band tribute act to forging its own creative path, Eat a Peach
has become a tightly knit ensemble with a bright future.
Joining the founding guitarists in the band are drummer Mike Severence,
keyboardist/vocalist Greg Schleitwiler and bassist Glen “Tumbleweed” Schultz.
“The tribute thing might mean getting more gigs right now, but that’s not what’s
important to us. We agreed it was time to concentrate on our own music,” said
Sanders, who shares lead vocal duties with Schleitwiler.
“We all want to do more with music than just play local clubs,” said Severence,
“and we know nothing will ever happen if we don’t take the steps now to get our
own music heard.”
The members began establishing their identity by creating a four-song demo CD to
see if their original songs could ignite any interest. Chicago’s Jam Productions
was impressed enough to book the band at the World Music Theatre, where they
opened for Carlos Santana.
“That was awesome,” Schleitwiler said. “Even though we played early, a lot of
people were there to see us and the response was really strong.”
They anticipate an encore performance at the venue this summer. The group
wrapped up a yearlong recording project in October and released “Turbulence &
Thunder.” “We don’t know anything for sure, but they were talking about having us
come back,” Sanders said.
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LISTEN.COM
WRITTEN BY MICHAEL ANSALDO - ASSOCIATE EDITOR
"Eat a Peach are as rock as a slab of granite. This is the high living, 8-track
playing, Ford Camino driving, Southern-fried boogie rock that we children of the
'70s know and love."
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THE TIMES - 12/26/99
LOCAL SCENE
WRITTEN BY TOM LOUNGES - TIMES CORRESPONDENT
HIGHLAND, IN
Talent sets local bands apart from the pack
Trying to pick the top 10 local artists of the past year is not a task that comes
easily, as that means so many promising and talented musicians must ultimately be
left off the list.
Some of the artists that made my final cut are older and more established acts
and some are relative newcomers, but what they all have in common is that they
have impressed me in some way in the past year.
In no particular order, here are the top 10 local artists of 1999:
Eat a Peach
This past year has seen Eat a Peach go from being a top-rated Allman Brothers
tribute band to a top-shelf original rock/blues band. While there is still a
strong Allman-esque feel to much of the members’ own material, elements of Little
Feat and old-school delta blues can also be heard on their new CD, “Turbulence &
Thunder.” Stellar playing in the studio and on stage seems to be the trademark
of this exceptionally fine group.
Listed below is all of The Top Ten Local Artist Of 1999:
[all these artist were mentioned in the 12/26/99 issue]
Fatal Order
Tristen
Gravelbone
Steepwater Band
Motherload
Mindshaft
Inzane
Eat A Peach
Monkey Cocktail
Vivid
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BANDS OF DIXIE MAGAZINE
WRITTEN BY JOHN MOLET
NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 1999 ISSUE
FRANCE
Eat A Peach: Turbulence & Thunder (Eat A Peach Records - CDR)
(ENGLISH VERSION)
Eat A Peach, for many Southerners, is not unknown, for some it is evocative. Yes,
it is the title of one of the best albums (a gem) of the Allman Brothers. But,
we are not in the presence of a new album by Gregg, Dickey and the others. No,
simply another one of the numerous southern rock bands flourishing in the states,
but unfortunately somewhat unknown in France. By all the evidence, they have
borrowed the name from the group in the heartland of Macon. The musical
influences is evident.
And Voila, again you have what falls in the addictive, strong, won't lose it's
flavor rock style. Proving that all things have their place. Eat A Peach has not
failed to illustrate that deep heartfeltness, that it should be know that these
guys have merited well and the realization comes when you listen to the premiere
of 'Turbulence & Thunder'. They have a good southern sound, two guitars, one
keyboard, two singers (and what singers!) who don't visibly turn to milk. (French
phrase) The album begins with Long Time Comin' and it's riffs ring out like the
Doobie Brothers, at the time of Captain and Me or Stampede. Great!
Then the album goes to what I say is a little bit more Molly Hatchet with Big
Brown Sound, good rock and roll that just grabs you. Lookin' For A Rider is for
me the best part of the album, a great riff, from the same genre as Voodoo Lake
by Lynyrd Skynyrd.A good piece of music that temps you into the atmosphere of
Southern Rock. The rest of the CD presents the necessary ingredients - ballads,
bluesy, country, rock'n'roll, the best of the stages of good rock and roll.
I see one problem - how to get the CD? Why isn't it distributed in a big country
like France.
BANDS OF DIXIE actually has a solution for what has been forgotten here in music,
Have them tour France!
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THE TIMES - 11/26/99
LOCAL SCENE
WRITTEN BY TOM LOUNGES
HIGHLAND, IN
“This group’s full length debut, “Turbulence & Thunder”, is a thick, greasy slab
of outstanding southern-fried blues rock that is delivered with incredible
feeling and a real depth of playing. Rich, vibrant musicianship and emotive
vocals are coupled with production that is as crisp as an autumn morning. This
collection a dozen well-written and superbly arranged songs. Would appeal to
fans of the Allman Bros. and The Dixie Dregs.”
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THE STAR NEWSPAPER - 11/4/99
WRITTEN BY TERRY LONCARIC
TINLEY PARK, IL
“Eat A Peach has tapped into their strength - creating heart-felt music.
“Turbulence & Thunder,” a blues-drenched album of original tunes that rocks with
solid gospel, blues and even swamp pop rhythms.”
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THE MIDWEST BEAT MAGAZINE - OCTOBER 1999
CD SPINS
HIGHLAND, IN
CD REVIEW - EAT A PEACH - TURBULENCE & THUNDER
Solid production by Jeff Luif of Star Trax Studios puts the icing on the cake for
what is one of the more rock solid sets of original music released by a local
group in years. There is a lot of good talent in the Calumet Region, but the
overall quality of the songs presented here, the level of performance talent, and
the soulfulness that emanates from the speakers as this disc plays makes
Turbulence & Thunder my pick as homegrown album of the year thus far in 1999.
It’s really that good. Their sound is primarily Southern rock, but not the
stereotypical Molly Hatchet style dredge. This is heart-felt stuff with texture
and moving arrangements which draws a lot from the Allman Brothers school of
sound with it’s tasty twin guitar leads and the pumping Leslie organ. The shared
lead vocals of Curt Sanders and Greg Schleitwiler, while both emotive, are varied
enough in style and delivery to keep things sounding fresh as the disc rolls
smoothly from track to track. The groove of songs like “Another Day, Another
Time” and “Big Brown Sound” are instantly attention-grabbing with their
boogie-woogie rhythms. These are driven foot tappers with sweet guitars battling
tastefully with the keyboards. “Lookin For A Rider” is a bluesy power ballad
that is perhaps the best cut on what is an excellent disc. Leading into “Rider”
is a brief harmonica/guitar instrumental complete with multi-tracked foot stomps
and hand claps. “Ballad of Chains” is a sorrowful paean of loss and love with
churchy organ underlying the emotional lyrics. Sparse and forlorn, this is a
case where less really is more. An exceptional cut. While Allman-esque
throughout, Eat A Peach do manage to emerge with their own identity as the CD
progresses from track to track. Elements of Chicago blues (“You Don’t Know”),
progressive rock and arena rock (a la Yes and Boston) filter in from time to time
and add much flavor. Check out “SurReality” to best hear this melting pot of
influences. Closing the album with the acoustic instrumental, “Angelique,”
leaves the listener smiling and content after having their emotions pushed,
pulled and rocked in a variety of ways. Producer Luif has done an exceptional
job mixing this effort and the band gets kudos for creating a body of great songs
and even better arrangements. Turbulence & Thunder is really sweet stuff
deserving attention.
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DAILY JOURNAL - 10/19/99
WRITTEN BY JOHN STEWART
KANKAKEE, IL
Suburban band champions southern rock and blues...
”Eat A Peach, a Richton Park based band, has out a new CD of southern-style rock
and blues, that includes a couple of brief, acoustic guitar instrumentals. The
instrumentals alone might tell you that these guys favor certain schools of
classic rock: after all they are named after an album by one of the ultimate
boogie and southern rock bands, the Allman Brothers. The new CD features all
original material. The songs by guitarist/vocalist Curt Sanders tend to be more
rockin’, while the rest of the songs by keyboardist/vocalist Greg Schleitwiler
have a definite blues sound. Both songwriters know what they’re doing and so does
the rest of the band - bass, Glen Schultz, drums, Mike Severence, and lead/slide
guitarist John Voyak. The band and it’s songwriters aren’t afraid to branch out a
bit - playin’ in several styles of roots music. So they can’t be pigeonholed as
just a tribute band of some kind. Nevertheless, for those who like the same music
that these guys do,then you might want to check out their CD “Turbulence &
Thunder.”
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