11.12.2011 - For many years the Blue Rose record label has been celebrating Christmas early with their musicians, fans and friends at the Blue Rose Christmas Party. Music lovers from all over Germany gather together in a friendly atmosphere to listen to some of their favorite artists from Europe and the USA. On Saturday, December 11, 2010, Switzerland's most popular roots rocker HANK SHIZZOE entered the stage in Heilbronn, Germany. He delivered nothing less than a rock'n'roll show of the highest caliber. Hank Shizzoe and his band were, simply put, on fire - and cheered on by the enthusiastic crowd. It turned out to be a fantastic set, much too good to keep it from the rest of the world - that's why it's out on CD now : Live At The Blue Rose Christmas Party 2010.
The concert was clearly a rock show dominated by rock'n'roll, blues rock, roots rock, Americana rock: In a simple electric trio format the Swiss trio needed only a few chords to get right into the hearts of the audience, displaying the entire range of their abilities and releasing spectacular fireworks. In contrast to The Directors, this trio featured an electric bassist in Felix Müller as well drummer Christoph Beck who has been the backbone of Shizzoe's band for many years. The stringmaster himself was in rare form, playing spellbinding slide parts as well as mesmerizing solo leads and delivering the songs with soulful, deep, charismatic vocals. Enhanced by three remarkable cover versions the set led through a wide spectrum of Shizzoe's career from his debut Low Budget ('Oh So Near', 'Caught Asleep') over 'Southern Movements', 'Arrows Through My Heart' to Directors material (" 'Mrs. Hippy', 'Hey Now Say Now' ) and 'I Still Want You' from Breather. That last one came as an 8-plus-minute jam including a fiery drum solo. The trio opened with "Shape I'm In", a blues-drenched rocker from Austin's cult band Arc Angels. Mid-set they played David Lindley's "When A Guy Gets Boobs", also spectacularly covered on Breather. And as an encore they played - custom-made for this gig - a bone-dry, slow-rocking take on ZZ Top's "Prettyhead". This was Hank Shizzoe & His Band at their very best, in the moment, in the pocket, water tight and having fun at work, connecting with the audience. Everyone who was there will certainly remember and everyone else can now witness this event with the help pf this formidable live album!
