Now, if you’ve been frequenting this site over the past 12-18 months or so, you would have come across a handful of posts about the Boston-based bandleader, songwriter, composer and guitarist Matthew Stubbs. Stubbs has played in the backing bands of a number of legendary blues artists, including Charlie Musselwhite, John Hammond, James Cotton, Junior Watson and James Harman.
As a solo artist, Stubbs has released two instrumental albums — 2008’s Soulbender released through Vizztone Records and 2010’s Medford and Main released through Chicago, IL-based Blue Bella Records that drew from the Memphis, TN soul/blues sound. Over the past couple of years, he has received attention for leading his own band, Matthew Stubbs and The Antiguas, an instrumental rock act influenced by Duane Eddy, Link Wray, Booker T, B movie soundtracks and Afrobeat that features Just Lopes (organ), Chris Rivelli (drums) and Marc Hickox (bass).
Stubbs latest project GA-20 finds the Boston-based JOVM mainstay collaborating with his longtime friend Pat Faherty. Bonding over their mutual love of traditional blues, 50s and 60s R&B and the work of Lazy Lester, J.B. Lenoir, Earl Hooker, Buddy Guy, Otis Rush and Junior Wells the duo set out to write and record a modernized version of the blues — with the same passion and earnestness on stage and in the studio of the genre’s heyday. Their latest album Lonely Soul is slated for an October 18, 2019 release through Karma Chief Records, a subsidiary of Colemine Records. Album title track and latest single “Lonely Soul” is a stomping blues that’s one part Black Keys, one part Chubby Checker, one part old school blues — and while paying homage to the sound that has influenced all of the music we love, the song is centered by earnest intentions of bringing that sound to a younger audience, who may not be all too familiar.
The recently released video by Luke Boggia employs a familiar concept — the members of the band performing the song in a studio. But interestingly enough, it gives the listener a sense of the band’s live sound.
GA-20 will be embarking on a tour supporting their new album to close out 2019 and the tour includes two New York City Metropolitan area dates: December 19, 2019 at Terra Blues and December 20, 2019 at Ruthie’s BBQ in Montclair, NJ. More dates will be added but check out the tour dates below.
