BILLY’S MUSIC
Monkey Junk Tiger In Your Tank
Like the blues, sizzling, lowdown and dirty? Give a listen to Monkey Junk’s Tiger In Your Tank and you’ll be captivated, because these veteran Ottawa bluesmen are the real deal. Think swamp music à la Tony White or Omar and the Howlers – gritty, driven and totally infectious. Starting with a series of Sunday
night gigs at Irene’s on Bank Street, Monkey Junk has been ascending into the blues stratosphere, winning legions of fans and critical acclaim on the strength of their cohesive playing, musical knowledge and respect for the genre. It’s paying off in spades. They won a whack of awards at the Canadian Blues Awards and recently pulled off a major coup by winning Best New Blues act in Memphis against an international field. They’re only the second Canadian act to accomplish this feat in 30 years, following the late, legendary, Jeff Healey. So you know they have the chops, the experience and the talent. It’s all displayed here on their debut album. Tiger in Your Tank crackles and
grooves from the start. Taking their name from the venerable blues legend Son House – yup, that’s him at the start of the Willie Dixon-penned title track: “I’m talking about the blues honey, ain’t talking ‘bout no monkey junk….” – the band cooks through originals and tasteful covers as if they’ve played together for years. Small Time Evil has all the
trappings of a blues classic. With a riff echoing the Hip’s New Orleans Is Sinking, great lyrics, a sweet guitar break and wicked harmonica by Steve Marriner, it’s emblematic of the quality originals throughout the album. Gusty has great organ and guitar anchored by solid
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drumming and percussion. The instrumental Beefy is another standout track with fine guitar/harmonica interplay and solos, reminiscent of Kim Wilson and The Fabulous Thunderbirds in their prime. Both these titles nicely describe Monkey Junk’s sound: tight, rhythmic and always in-sync. Guitarist Tony D, multi-instrumentalist and vocalist Marriner, and Matt Sobb on drums and percussion, create music that is modern while paying respectful homage to the roots. They cover Sam Maghett’s Give
Me Time and Otis Rush’s If You Were Mine with aplomb while marking each with their own distinctive take. Boogie Man, written by Chris Blackwell and Leon Russell, is a delight, showcasing their individual and collective talents over six minutes, while Blues For Anna has Diteodoro on vocals for a change and the trio in great form, as they are throughout. Leave the Rest To You channels classic Allman Brothers from the 70s, but, like everything on Tiger By the Tail, it has the band’s stamp on it. Monkey Junk is one of the
mainstays of Ottawa’s burgeoning blues scene, but they also put in the requisite time on the road building their fan base the tried-and-true way, one at a time, through their live shows. Somewhere in all the touring they’re closing in on releasing their sophomore effort. Check out Tiger In Your Tank,
be wowed, and you’ll be wanting the new one as soon as it hits the airwaves and stores. HHHH out of five
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BOUNDER MAGAZINE 37
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