GA-20 Covers Dolly Parton

Dolly Parton's "Jolene" is a perfect song. It's completely iconic and it's virtually impossible to hear a bad version of it. When I saw that GA-20 was releasing a cover of it, I knew it was going to be great. And it is. GA-20 turn it into a laid back blues jam while still keeping the intensity and desperation of the original. (Ok, maybe not all of the intensity of the original, but this is Dolly Parton we're comparing it to after all.) The obvious comparison for this one is The White Stripes' blistering blues cover. GA-20's version isn't quite that intense and is a lot more straightforward blues. This is a great version of a truly iconic song that you're going to want to check out.

You can watch the live video of GA-20 covering "Jolene" below. For more on GA-20, check out the band's website. Upcoming tour dates are below the video.

APR 20 WED Loco Club @ 8:00pm Valencia, Spain

APR 21 THU Fun House @ 8:00pm Madrid, Spain

APR 22 FRI WHISKEY BAR PEAKS @ 8:00pm Liérganes, Spain

APR 23 SAT Hell Dorado @ 8:00pm Vitoria-gasteiz, Spain

APR 25 MON Norwich Arts Centre @ 8:00pm Norwich, United Kingdom

APR 26 TUE The Druidstone Hotel @ 8:00pm Haverfordwest, United Kingdom

APR 27 WED The Lexington @ 7:30pm London, United Kingdom

APR 28 THU Foxlowe Arts Centre @ 7:30pm Leek, United Kingdom

APR 30 SAT Roots & Roses Festival 2022 @ 1:00pm Lessines, Belgium

MAY 1 SUN Mezz @ 8:00pm Breda, Netherlands

MAY 3 TUE Cultuurreel Dorpscafe De Djoelen @ 8:00pm Oud-turnhout, Belgium

MAY 4 WED Burgerweeshuis @ 8:00pm Deventer, Netherlands

MAY 5 THU Bevrijdingsfestival Zeeland @ 8:00pm Vlissingen, Netherlands

MAY 6 FRI Luxor Live @ 8:00pm Arnhem, Netherlands

MAY 7 SAT Moulin Blues Festival 2022 @ 1:00pm Ospel, Netherlands

MAY 8 SUN Roots Of Heaven 2022 @ 5:00pm Haarlem, Netherlands

MAY 11 WED Kulttuurikorjaamo - Kulturgaraget @ 8:00pm Kokkola, Finland

MAY 12 THU Ravintola Klubi @ 7:00pm Tampere, Finland

MAY 13 FRI Verstas Moottorikahvila @ 8:00pm Nakkila, Finland

MAY 14 SAT Apollo Turku @ 8:00pm Turku, Finland

MAY 15 SUN Pub Ettan @ 8:00pm Mariehamn, Finland

MAY 16 MON Malmitalo @ 7:00pm Helsinki, Finland

MAY 18 WED Musikforening @ 8:00pm Ronneby, Sweden

MAY 19 THU Medley @ 8:00pm Malmö, Sweden

MAY 21 SAT Hamar Bluesklubb @ 8:00pm Hamar, Norway

MAY 27 FRI River Jam @ 7:00pm Charlotte, NC

JUN 10 FRI Billtown Blues Festival 2022 @ 7:00pm Hughesville, PA

JUN 15 WED Abilene Bar and Lounge @ 7:30pm Rochester, NY

JUN 16 THU New York State BluesFest 2022 @ 7:00pm Syracuse, NY

JUN 19 SUN The Palace Theatre @ 7:00pm Greensburg, PA

JUN 22 WED Keswick Theatre @ 7:00pm Glenside, PA

JUN 30 THU The Peach Music Festival 2022 @ 7:00pm Scranton, PA

JUL 8 FRI Levitate Music Festival 2022 @ 7:00pm Marshfield, MA

JUL 9 SAT Johnnie Johnson Festival 2022 @ 7:00pm Fairmont, WV

JUL 15 FRI Winthrop R&B Festival 2022 @ 12:00pm Winthrop, WA

AUG 19 FRI White Mountain Boogie N' Blues Festival 2022 @ 7:00pm Thornton, NH

AUG 25 THU The Big Blues Bender 2022 @ 7:00pm Las Vegas, NV

GA-20 - "Two in the Ground"

With Boston's GA-20 having recorded four albums worth of material in 2020, they're just sitting on an insane backlog of material right now. The second single from this abundance of music is "Two in the Ground." The new song is a slow, groove filled blues jam. Sure, there are more blues revivalist bands kicking around right now, but GA-20 are the best of the best. "Two in the Ground" will show you why. It's not a pure classic blues throwback, it's not blues by number, and it's not an amped up version of the blues. GA-20 take classic blues and modernize it while making it sound classic. Plus, they're ridiculously talented musicians, which certainly isn't hurting.

You can listen to "Two in the Ground" below. The song is currently available as a single via Karma Chief Records, and can be downloaded here. For more on GA-20, check out the band's website.

GA-20 - "No No"

Boston's GA-20 have had a ridiculously busy year. They're currently sitting on four album's worth of material, and they're just starting to let it out. "No No" is the first single, and it's great. Like... really great. I spent far too long trying to figure out who was the original artist, because it just sounds and feels like classic blues. However, it feels like a modern take on classic blues. It's just amped enough to sound modern and fresh but not so amped up it crosses into JSBX territory. We've been fully on the GA-20 bandwagon for a while now, and "No No" is going to keep us firmly onboard. If you haven't connected with GA-20 yet, this one is sure to suck you in.

You can listen to "No No" below. The song is currently available as a single via Karma Chief Records/Colemine Records here. For more on GA-20, check out the artist's website.

GA-20 Cover Otis Rush

One truly great thing about Boston's GA-20's recent string of classic blues covers is that it gives me a reason to delve into a musical past I'm embarrassingly unfamiliar with. The latest cover is Otis Rush's "Sit Down Baby." Otis Rush is one of those classic blues artists I think I've heard of before, but I'm really not positive. Once you hear GA-20's take on "Sit Down Baby" you're going to need to check out the original, which is guaranteed to send you down an Otis Rush rabbit hole for the rest of the day. GA-20 do a completely faithful version of the original, but they can't match Rush's vocals. Picture a silky smooth 50's crooner doing blues, and that's Rush. Once again, GA-20 is here to give us a fantastic musical history lesson.

You can listen to GA-20's version of "Sit Down Baby" below. The song will be available as a single via Colemine Records/Karma Chief Records on November 17. For more on GA-20, check out the artist's website.

GA-20 Covers Mel London

Photo by John O'Donnell

I'm completely unfamiliar with Mel London, but if GA-20 are going to cover him I should probably correct that. As part of their upcoming live EP, the Boston band have released a video for their cover of "Cut You Loose." It's a blues song with a groove that you can't help but to move to. It's a classic blues sound with a vintage rock base, but updated just enough to sound modern and fresh. The song, and especially the video (which was recorded live at State Park in Cambridge, MA), are going to make your aching for live music that much worse.

You can watch the video for GA-20's take on "Cut You Loose" below. GA-20 Live Vol. 1 will be out September 18 on Karma Chief/Colemine Records. You can pre-order a copy here. For more on GA-20, check out their website.

GA-20 Covers Jimmy Reed

This summer is undeniably horrible, but one thing we can look forward to every week is Colemine Records's Brighter Days Ahead singles series. Thanks to this series we've discovered some great neo-soul bands we had never heard of, like Dojo Cuts, The Harlem Gospel Travelers, and Thee Sinseers. Last week's single was from a band we do know: Boston's GA-20. Since GA-20 throw back to traditional blues, it's quite fitting that they're covering Jimmy Reed's classic "I Ain't Got You." How faithful is GA-20's version? Jimmy Reed's original is two minutes, sixteen seconds. GA-20's is two minutes, seventeen seconds. This isn't so much a cover as a loving tribute. It's the kind of cover that will make you immediately go check out the original and then fall into a Jimmy Reed wormhole for an afternoon. And, yes, I'm speaking from personal experience.

You can listen to GA-20's version of "I Ain't Got You" below. The song is available as part of Colemine Records's Brighter Days Ahead series with Karma Chief Records. You can get your copy here. For more on GA-20, check out their website.

GA-20 - "Lonely Soul"

Photo by John O'Donnell

GA-20 are a Boston based band made up of Pat Faherty and Matthew Stubbs (of Charlie Musselwhite's band and Matthew Stubbs and The Antiguas). The project is a modern version of traditional blues, R&B, and early rock 'n' roll. Their new single, "Lonely Soul," is all of that. It's very heavy on blues and soul, but they also throw in early rock 'n' roll, making "Lonely Soul" very reminiscent of bands like ? and The Mysterians and The Box Tops. From the opening scream, you know this song is going to be a lot more rock 'n' roll than most neo-soul songs out there today.

You can listen to "Lonely Soul" below. Lonely Soul the album will be released October 18 on Karma Chief Records/Colemine Records. You can pre-order the album here. For more on GA-20, check out their website. Current tour dates are below the song.

Sep 06 - Strange Brew Tavern - Manchester, NH 
Sep 07 - Tree House Brewing Company - Charlton, MA
Sep 25 - ONCE Ballroom - Somerville, MA