Go to Blazes

Go To Blazes is a country-soaked rock band highly lauded in Americana and alternative country circles. No Depression, an alternative country music bimonthly, puts them in a league with artists like Steve Earle, Son Volt, Freakwater and the Bottle Rockets. Formed in the D.C. area in 1987 by college buddies Ted Warren, Tom Heyman, Christopher Horner and Keith Donnellan, GTB recorded and released their self-titled debut, a revved-up rockabilly LP, in 1988 and quickly moved north to Philadelphia. Many boozy nights playing in all kinds of places in Philly and New York City (alternative clubs as well as old-man alchy bars) toughened up the band considerably. Their 1991 follow-up, Love Lust and Trouble (produced by Ben Vaughn), was light years ahead of their first release. With almost any hint of rockabilly behind them, the band just got tougher and tougher, finally hooking up with producer Eric "Roscoe" Ambel. From there things took off. The addition of Ted Pappadopoulos on bass solidified things, and a deal with roots rock label ESD led to 1994's Anytime, Anywhere, their classic. With Ambel once again in the producer's chair the band followed it up with the quieter GTB...And Other Crimes, also a winner. The album was mostly cover tunes and was recorded in one night. The band had developed a good following in Germany and toured there extensively. Glitterhouse released most of their catalog there as well. In 1997 the final disc, Waiting Around for the Crash, was released on the about-to-go-under ESD. It marked continued improvement in sound and songwriting, but still didn't top Anytime, Anywhere. GTB held their "final clearance sale" in 1997 and is sadly missed, at least in Philadelphia and on the lower east side of NYC. A posthumous release, Almost a Decade (the title is a tribute to their hero, Neil Young), combined unreleased demos, live tracks and B-sides. "They played a style of diesel-fueled cow-punk, steeped in hillbilly blues that blew the doors off of the Philadelphia scene like a blast from some nitro-charged prairie wind." - Bruce Langfeld Edward 'Ted' Warren - guitars, lead vocals Tom Heyman - guitars, background vocals Keith Donnellan - drums, background vocals Ted Pappadopoulos - bass, background vocals (since 1992) Christopher Horner - bass (1988 - 1991) Aldo Jones - bass (1991). Read more on Last.fm. User-contributed text is available under the Creative Commons By-SA License; additional terms may apply.