Mojo Gurus

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

"The Mojo Gurus CD is a rough and rowdy traipse through some true Suthin' music. Every track sounds like it was borne screaming from the Bible Belt. This band is soulful....Hotter than a double dipped crawfish, rawer than steak tartar." - JAM Magazine

Singer Kevin Steele formed the Mojo Gurus in 1999 in Tampa Bay, FL. The band cut their teeth in Florida’s seedier rock and blues clubs and quickly earned a reputation based on their hot and nasty live performances. See, the Gurus play good ol’ American hoodoo voodoo, born on the bayou style rock-n-roll with a classic taste that makes most of today's alternative flavor of the month bands sound downright silly.

The band features the songwriting of singer Kevin Steele (whose eclectic influences and sardonic wit have earned him comparisons to a young Bob Dylan) and the riff hard rhythm and booze playing of new guitarist Doc Lovett. Drummer Tommy Weder and bassist Vinnie Granese lay down a rhythm thicker than mud from a Louisiana swamp. Together they mix all their favorite ingredients: blues, psychedelic, hillbilly, glam and gospel into one goat’s head soup of a sound served simmering!

The Mojo Gurus released their debut disc in 1999 to great critical acclaim. The bands video "Tiger Lily" received heavy rotation on Canadian music video channel Much Music and helped the band sell over 20,000 copies of their debut CD. This was quickly followed by “Drinkin’ TNT and Smokin’ Dynamite” which along with their powerhouse live performances helped the band build an impressive following around the world. The Gurus third release “Hot Damn!” enjoyed a six month success story on FM radio that included over one-hundred-nineteen FM stations playing “Hot Damn!” including sixty-five CMJ reporting "core" stations and three weeks on the FM Roots Rock Top 35 charts! Roots Music Report gave the band a five star review saying, “Hot Damn is right! The Mojo Gurus ‘Hot Damn’ is a fantastic roots rock release.”

The success of “Hot Damn” led to the band signing with Empire Musicwerks and recording a new CD entitled “Shakin’ In The Barn.” The bands hard work ethic continued to pay dividends when after a NYC showcase they were handpicked by Grammy award winning producer Jack Douglas (John Lennon, Aerosmith, NY Dolls) to be his next recording project. On “Shakin’ In The Barn” Douglas captured all the energy from the band’s amazing live performances. Jack Douglas said the following about the new CD, ”This CD makes me want to drive out on the highway ‘pedal to the metal.’ Pull over at a truck stop, hang for a while and play a game of Texas Holdem with a gang of bad bikers while Jerry Lee Lewis screams on the juke. Mojo Gurus writes and plays real deal American roots rock, all the fun and adventure included. Don't be surprised if you suddenly start off-roading in your Caddy SUV as the CD spins in your player. It was a blast to produce.” Always experimenting with many different musical styles the Mojo Gurus have refused to paint themselves into a corner. They are unique in today's music scene with intelligence behind their unbridled raw power, prolific songwriting and a mastery of the live performance that makes them one of America's greatest rock bands.