By: Maggie Griffin
We Have The Beehive Queen of Saturday Night Live’s Band, CHRISTINE OHLMAN on a GPS Signal!
There’s nothing like the Beehive Queen – Christine Ohlman – and Rebel Montez new CD “The Deep End”. Her Rock n’ Soul is wizzing, winding up her fans when she is live in concert. Moving forward at the speed of light……Below this clip; read the Beehive’s Trip
Thursday August 5, 8 pm CHAKOUR FAMILY & FRIENDS/ MAJESTIC THEATRE W. Springfield, MA; 131 Elm Street (413) 747.7797 Christine guests with her musical soul brother Mitch Chakour, the super-talented Alex Chakour (guitar) and Alecia Chakour (powerhouse vocals), along with friends Cliff Goodwin, Wolf Ginandes, Steve Bankuti and Deric Dyer for their annual family-flavored concert at this wonderful, jewelbox performance space. For more info and directions, log on to www.majestictheater.com
Sunday Aug. 8, 1 pm CD Signing BORDER’S BOOKS & MUSIC Meriden, CT (inside the Meriden Mall) 470 Lewis Ave. 203.237.5510. Join the Beehive Queen as she meets, greets, and visits, all in support of her latest, “The Deep End”. Shop ’til you drop, then come on over to Borders and add to your collection of Christine Ohlman & Rebel Montez CDs. See you then!
FACEBOOK NEWS….BEEHIVE QUEEN FAN PAGE up and running….Christine invites you personally to log on below, click the “Like” box at the top of the Fan page, and you’re in, for news, free downloads, advance concert info and so much more from the world of The Beehive Queen & Rebel Montez CLICK HERE for Beehive Queen on Facebook
Order “The Deep End CD at HorizonVU Music: www.HorizonVUMusic.com
Check Out What EVERYONE else is saying, writing and raving…
THE DEEP END HMG RECORDS (HMG 2009)
Fourteen songs of life and love tempered by loss from the Beehive Queen of blue-eyed rock n’ soul, in a style SIRIUS/XM’s Dave Marsh calls “Contemporary Rock R&B.” Co-produced by Andy York (John Mellencamp) with Rebel Montez: Cliff Goodwin (guitars-Joe Cocker/Robert Palmer); Michael Colbath (bass), and Larry Donahue (drums). Featured are duets with Dion, Ian Hunter, and Marshall Crenshaw, plus guest appearances by Levon Helm, G.E. Smith, Big Al Anderson, Eric “Roscoe” Ambel, Paul Ossola, Catherine Russell, Shawn Pelton, the Asbury Juke Horns w/ Mark Rivera, Mitch Chakour, Jeff Kazee, and Vic Steffens.
It is Ohlman’s first CD of new work since 2004’s “Strip”; her recording hiatus followed the deaths of both longtime mate and producer Doc Cavalier and Rebel Montez guitarist/founding member Eric Fletcher (a pristine radio air shot of Ohlman with Fletcher is one of the CD’s bonus cuts).
The critics rave…..
“There are so many ‘wow’ moments”- Dave Marsh, SIRIUS/XM Radio personality / Rolling Stone editor emeritus “Whatever she touches becomes soulful and passionate. Ohlman always sounds like her born-to-be-bad self, belting out songs like the spitfire she is. It’s that swagger combined with tenderness that makes her so compelling…the perfect balance of raw soul and gutsy rock. Perhaps the most powerful and potent moment is the title track, a gospel-infused swamp ballad that seems autobiographical, especially when she sings that she’s ‘hard to handle, the excitable kind/take off runnin’ when I could’ve walked.’ Ohlman never flinches from the hard stuff and throughout The Deep End, she dives in like the classic soul kings and queens she idolizes.” – Hal Horowitz, The All Music Guide
“Ohlman and Rebel Montez concoct a Soul atmosphere as thick and palpable as a humid Southern night. Ohlman’s voice is a dusky, supple thing of dark Soul beauty, like a gene splice of Dusty Springfield and Delbert McClinton. She sells the album’s handful of covers with aching authenticity, from her duets with Marshall Crenshaw on the Marvin Gaye/Mary Wells classic “What’s the Matter with You Baby” and with the incomparable Dion on “Cry Baby Cry.” But the standouts on The Deep End are Ohlman’s stunning originals, which blister and soothe in equal measure.”- Brian Baker, Cincinnati CityBeat
“The husky-voiced singer is a full-package talent, a dynamic rocker who draws on soul and blues in ways that give her music a classic feel even as it pulses with her own personality. Make no mistake: If Ian Hunter, Dion DiMucci, Marshall Crenshaw, Levon Helm, G.E. Smith, Big Al Anderson, and Eric Ambel draw you into The Deep End, it’s Ohlman who ends up making the biggest impression. As in: ‘Wow’.” – Nick Cristiano, Philadelphia Inquirer (syndicated)
“As a singer, Ohlman makes each song sound like a prime cut on a jukebox in a Memphis barbecue joint. Hit(s) the sweet spot, straight and true.” –Vintage Guitar Magazine
“Expect this album to pepper a few best-of lists in December. The songs on The Deep End draw as much upon gospel and urban doo-wop as they do blues and Americana. “I surrender to the rhythm in my blood”, Ohlman sings in ‘Like Honey’. Me too, Christine, me too.” –Bill Holmes, www.popmatters.com
“Christine Ohlman and her band Rebel Montez have just released their sixth studio album, The Deep End, to what will undoubtedly be rave critical acclaim. Let it begin here. It’s staggering!” – Reb Landers, www.thealternateroot.com
“The record, like any good bit of love, has layers: not so much warning as honest admission – or perhaps understanding – of love’s varied means and ends. In fact, the blues isn’t always about being sad, but simply allowing room for the myriad reaches and complexities of emotion.” –Kim Ruehl, NoDepression.com
“Don’t let the beehive hair or glammed-up persona fool you. Christine Ohlman can deliver the goods. With a delivery that carries all the joy of early rock and roll, Ohlman owns the voice of choice for every style from edgy blues to tender R&B to sweet country to bittersweet singer-songwriter”. – Blues Revue – June/July 2010
“There’s a wondrous familiarity and traditionalism in Christine Ohlman’s old-school, rough-hewn, Southern-soul roots rock..(she) is loyal and true to her roots while setting herself audacious new challenges: deeply impressive.” – Chris Arnott, The Advocate, New Haven, CT
“On her latest record, seasoned R&B chanteuse Christine Ohlman writes and sings about human interactions, from irresistible sex to true love and, ultimately, unbelievable loss. There’s never a doubt that Ohlman is singing from an experienced heart.” – Kay Cordtz, Elmore Magazine
“[Ohlman] sings in a gutsy rock ‘n’ roll voice edged in soul and blues, part Bonnie Raitt and part Genya Raven, with an element of Van Morrison’s early wildness. Her throwback sound combines the romanticism of Brill Building pop and horn-fed Stax muscle (courtesy of the Asbury Jukes’ Chris Anderson and Neal Pawley) into a potent rock ‘n’ roll stew. Ohlman’s band is similarly road-tested (the bass of Michael Colbath is particularly notable).” – www.hyperbolium.com
“If you give “The Deep End” a spin, you’ll be an Ohlman fan for life. (4 stars)” – The Daily News, McKeesport, PA (Pittsburgh Metro)
“The “Beehive Queen” is a hard rocking Memphis soul fueled dynamo, and The Deep End may be her finest album yet…absolutely beautiful.” – Michael Buffalo Smith, Gritz Magazine
“In its original form, rock n’ roll was a blend of blues, country and gospel. Christine Ohlman practices rock the old-fashioned way. Like the music she makes, Ohlman seems timeless.” – Eric Danton, The Courant /Hartford, CT
“‘Cry Baby Cry’ (a duet with Dion) ought to be blasting out of a ‘55 Chevy radio on a hot summer night” – Wayne Blesdoe, Knoxville News-Sentinel
“I do have a favorite, however, and it’s another example of the cache that Christine Ohlman carries within the music world… enlisting the services of rock legend Dion DiMucci to sing with Ohlman on the gospel-tinged ‘Cry Baby Cry’ is a great touch.” – Reb Landers, www.thealternateroot.com
“A perfect concoction of musicianship and road weary soaked vocals….making the disc a solid listen is the wonderful group of musicians, Rebel Montez, who really add an exceptional backing groove to these 15 tracks and gives it an A-plus sheen. The Deep End is a diamond in the rough.” – Carl Cortez, iF Magazine
“Ohlman exudes rock and soul authenticity from her wailing vocals to her beehive hairdo..a confident, cool and street-savy diva.” – M Music and Musicians (successor to Performing Songwriter)
“The Beehive Queen has never sounded better”- Andrew Loog Oldham, Producer, The Rolling Stones / SIRIUS/XM Radio personality
UPCOMING DATES
Monday, August 16 6:30 pm “MUSIC ON THE RIVER” at the GOODSPEED OPERA HOUSE / SUMMER CONCERT SERIES East Haddam, CT 6 Main Street 860.873.8668 Christine Ohlman & Rebel Montez close out the 2010 Summer Concert Series (on the lawn adjacent to this venerable historic landmark) with a beehivin’ bang. Nestled on the banks of the Connecticut River, Goodspeed is world-renowned as “The Home Of The American Musical.” The series is presented by the East Haddam Parks and Recreation Department, and although the concert is free, there will be a chance to donate to support next year’s series. Note: In the event of inclement weather, the concert will move to: Nathan Hale-Ray High School / 15 School Drive/ Moodus, CT 06469
Sat. Aug. 21 7 pm stage time (Event runs 6-9 pm) Pittsfield, MA / WordXWord Festival Kickoff Event / “Gala Rooftop Party” atop the Greystone Building, 440 North Street /Pittsfield, MA Mark your calendar and plan to make the scene in the Berkshires to support this sweet summertime fest. The Beehive Queen & The Montez Boys will torch this kickoff fundraiser party, together with Boston DJ Ryan Brown, who will spin before and after Christine’s set. Tasty Tapas provided by Mission, and wet your whistle with ‘Gansett tall boys and a selection of Spanish wines. Tickets are limited, so get yours…or be forced to evesdrop on the fun from the street! Individual tix $35, available at Mission Bar+Tapas and The Market. FESTIVAL PASS HOLDERS GET INTO THE EVENT FOR FREE!
Thurs. Aug. 26 9 pm The Hi Hat Providence, RI 3 Davol Square 401.453.6500 It’s the Queen’s first time at this venerable Providence dance club, and she and The Montez Boys plan to bring on the hip-shake, big time! Come early for dinner, and dance the night away to the sounds of Beehive Rock. Directions and info at: www.thehihat.com
Fri. Sept. 3 8 pm (show time details to follow) The Nancy Marine Studio Theatre (part ofThe Warner Theatre complex) 69 Main Street Torrington, CT / PARTY ‘TIL THE END OF SUMMER WITH THE BEEHIVE QUEEN… LABOR DAY ROOTS ROCK BLOWOUT!!!! Join Christine Ohlman & Rebel Montez and the concert opener, The Bonesmen ( www.thebonesmen.com) at this state-of-the-art, 300-seat black box concert venue for an Americana-tinged night of soulful roots rock n’ roll to get your holiday weekend going, in high style! MORE DETAILS TO FOLLOW
Sat. Sept. 11 9:30 pm BLACK-EYED SALLY’S/ Hartford, CT 350 Asylum Street 860.278.7427
As fall kicks in, spend a warm evening at the Capital Area’s Home Of The Blues with the Beehive Queen and the Montez Boys as they throw down on Sally’s big stage. Fab Southern cuisine is also the order of the night at Sally’s. Log on to www.blackeyedsallys.com for directions & menu.
Sunday Sept 12 3 pm Storrs Downtown Council Annual Festival / Storrs, Connecticut. Christine guests with David Foster & The Mohegan Sun All-Stars (James Montgomery is also slated to appear) for this yearly autumn festival that’s filled with good food, good friends, and, as always, hot rock n’ soul, played All-Stars style. Come and celebrate on a warm afternoon as summer rolls out and fall rolls in!
Sunday, September 26 4 pm (Sunday fest schedule begins 11:45) WESTPORT DOWNTOWN MERCHANTS ASSOCIATION PRESENTS THE 3RD ANNUAL BLUES, VIEWS AND BBQ FESTIVAL (SEPT. 24-26) Westport, CT Christine guests for the festival finale, “The Uptown Horns Revue, featuring Christine Ohlman, Debbie Davies and Joe Louis Walker.” It’s a dream-team of a lineup, guaranteed to rock your world!
For more info, log on to: www.bluesviewsbbq.com
Sat. Oct. 2 10 pm Cafe Nine/New Haven, CT 250 State Street 203.789.8281 It”ll be an Autumn hipshake at the Beehive Queen’s fave hang for original music, seven nights a week. The Nine is always a place where new songs get played and old favories get appreciated. And now there’s FREE (yeah, you read it right!) PARKING behind the club. Rock on over to www.cafenine.com for all the news.
Friday, October 15 one show- 8 pm The Turning Point Music Cafe Piermont, NY 468 Piermont Avenue 845.359.1089. Christine Ohlman and Rebel Montez make their inaugural appearance at this jewelbox of a club that has justly earned its reputation as one of the premier showcase destinations for touring bands on the East Coast. Reserve early for seating (the club holds 70 and has a strict “no standing” policy) and plan to get down deep in the Beehive! Pre or post-show dinner can be had right upstairs at Tequila Sal Y Limon (call 845.680.6740) For info, reserve advance tickets and directions, log on to: www.turningpointcafe.com
Thursday, October 21 7 pm “ONE NIGHT BAND” WITH BAND TOGETHER- TO BENEFIT NEAR & FAR AID/ The Fairfield Theatre Company (Stage One), Fairfield, CT 70 Sanford Street 203.259.1036 Christine joins the great artists of Band Together along with fellow soul diva Giselle Jackson and soul man Frank Simms for a fab night of music spotlighting the great dance tunes of the Seventies…all to benefit a great cause. Tix are $75 and avail at FTC Box office or by mail. Log on for more info: www.bandtogetherct.com and www.fairfieldtheatre.org To learn more about Near & Far Aid: www.nearandfaraid.org
Sat. Oct. 23 9 pm The Knickerbocker Cafe Westerly, RI 35 Railroad Avenue 401.596.4225 The Queen’s premier show at the Knick this spring was a fab, fab night….and we invite our Connecticut AND Rhode Island fans to do it all over again on a sultry Fall evening. Beehivin’ is easy at the The Knick, with its rich rock n’ blues history, its superb kitchen (try the fish!!) and big, big dance floor. For directions, menu and info: www.theknickerbockercafe.com
Fri. Nov. 26 9:30 pm BLACK-EYED SALLY’S/ Hartford, CT 350 Asylum Street 860.278.7427 Make the post-Thanksgiving scene with the Queen. Throw the leftover Turkey in the fridge and come on down to Hartford’s Home Of The Blues for some Southern-fried, non-turkey cookin’ and some great Beehive rock! Log on to www.blackeyedsallys.com for directions & menu.
“STRIP” REVIEWED IN THE ALL-MUSIC GUIDE…
“Like a female Bruce Springsteen or Southside Johnny, she uses her encyclopedic knowledge of soul, blues and swagggering leader-of-the-pack 60s girl group pop to texture her mini-dramas that exude a distinct urban sensibiity. Ohlman’s originals dominate the album, shimmering in a backstreet glaze of moody, drizzle-drenched shadows…” – Hal Horowitz
And don’t forget Re-Hive, the 2008 career retrospective (HMG 1189), featuring choice cuts from the Christine Ohlman & Rebel Montez catalogue. Cliff Goodwin comes on board on guitar, big-time, for brand-new Chicago blues classic covers “Killing Floor” and “Dimples.” Re-Hive includes seven alternate takes (including a live version of “Then God Created Woman”) and previously-unissued versions of the Percy Sledge soul classic “It Tears Me Up” and eighties-era dance floor raver “Charmaine.”
Check out the January/February 2009 issue of Elmore Magazine, with its timeless mission of “Saving American Music” for Christine’s cover story on the queens of the genre known as Deep Southern Soul, as well as a review of “Re-Hive”, the new compilation CD by Christine Ohlman & Rebel Montez. Excerpt below…
Want more? Log on to www.elmoremagazine.com to grab your very own copy!
QUEEN OF HEART AND SOUL by Christine Ohlman ELMORE Magazine
Jan/Feb. 2009 / cover story excerpt:
“When Aretha Franklin sprang, full-throated, out of obscurity at age 14, sitting down at the piano in her father’s Detroit church and banging out “Yield Not To Temptation,” caught for posterity on a reel-to-reel tape recorder, she was years away from Soul Queen status. She’d still have to run the gauntlet through a stint in New York City on Columbia Records, where she’d record off-the-mark songs like “Rock-a-Bye Your Baby With a Dixie Melody” for Mitch Miller. That deal eventually went south and so, wisely, did Franklin, landing in Muscle Shoals, Alabama in 1967 with producer Jerry Wexler and the cream of the FAME (Florence Alabama Music Enterprises) studio band behind her…”
Drummers gone wild!!!!!! Pix from the last session for tracks for “The Deep End” with the legendary Levon Helm on drums and Christine’s sit-in with Jaimoe & his Jassz Band at the Blender Theatre, NYC are posted on www.christineohlman.net and on MySpace at www.myspace.com/christineohlmanmusic
ALSO CHECK OUT PHOTOS from the “Celebrate Brooklyn Bill Withers Project,” where Christine shared the stage with Nona Hendryx, Jim James of My Morning Jacket, Angelique Kidjo and the legendary Persuasions and Cornell Dupree.
“The Hard Way”, that good-girl-goes-bad theme song of Christine’s very first CD, got major tube action on the Lifetime Channel’s made-for-TV flick “Sex & Lies In Sin City.”
The Deep End made the list of Top 50 Songs Of 2009 on North Fork Radio!
SOUTHERN TOUR NEWS….The Beehive Queen spent a funky & fabulous week in New Orleans, ending up in Muscle Shoals, Alabama, on stage with the super-gritty Paul Thorn. Also in the house–some of the great session cats of Southern soul music, including Spooner Oldham, David Hood, and Jim Hall. Check it all out on YouTube
IAN HUNTER’S “SHRUNKEN HEADS” (ON WHICH CHRISTINE GUESTS) WAS CHOSEN BY THE NEW YORK DAILY NEWS AS ONE OF THE YEAR’S TOP 20 RELEASES.
FOR FULL CALENDAR AND TO PURCHASE CDs, visit: www.ChristineOhlman.net
e-mail: info@christineohlman.net
If it’s electronica/pop/rock you’re looking for – and a lot of fun – we have the answer ! We recently caught up with R-mione in Paris and spent some time over coffee catching up with our good friend. In fact, R-mione’s music covers a wide range. It can be very upbeat and driven and/or very soothing – mellow often owing to the artful use of electronics. We have to tell you that in addition to being extremely talented and energetic – R-mione is absolutely delightful and the when you talk with her the time flies by!
I started playing the piano and studying music theory. I can’t say I was a great student and early on I found I was interested in rock music and bored by music theory! Some years later, when I was fifteen, I moved to Lille in the north of France and started taking guitar lessons.
We scored music for the cinema-like “Electron Libre” movie by Marie Donnio. Also we did “Petite Copine” by Frederic Defenthal. We also worked with Game One TV.
By: Maggie Griffin
Dylan’s 30th Anniversary bash at The Garden with George Harrison and Chrissie Hynde. Christine, the queen of blue-eyed rock n’ soul , also made her special appearance at the 2009 Obama Inaugural Gala in Washington, DC, The Lincoln Center “American Songbook” series with Sting and Lou Reed. That’s not all. Christine Ohlman’s performances with many others in the music industry, draws her fans to her like a magnet. Christine will tell her audience, “I’ve come here to set your souls on fire”. With Christine’s Saturday Night Live “Swine Fever”, Raves for Re-Hive, interviews with the New York Times, this Beehive Queen also Rocked Elmore Magazine. Shall I mention Rolling Stone as well? She is everywhere.
