10 Years Live

++ Available on CD and Double 180 gram Vinyl (with 2 bonus tracks ‘One Good Reason’ & ‘I’ll Play The Blues For You’. ++

KRIS POHLMANN announces new release, ’10 Years Live’, his long awaited first ever live album. Released by Black Penny Records on 18^th November 2016 the album features a mix of self-written titles culled from Kris Pohlmann’s previous 3 award-winning studio albums as well as a number of crowd favourite covers. ’10 Years Live’ was recorded during his highly successful Spring 2016 European tour and the release precedes an extensive 2017 European Tour celebrating a decade of live musical performances.

‘10 Years Live’ is the live album Kris Pohlmann has always wanted to release. “Over the years, a lot of fans have asked me to release a live album but I was never 100% happy with previous recordings. A live album has to capture the power and emotion of a Kris Pohlmann show. It has to have that special something, that spark, the way that 3 musicians gel and interact with each other and how the audience pushes the band to reach a higher level. When I put together the new band for the spring tour I knew I potentially had the right ingredients to make that live album. The right kind of shows and the right musicians… and thankfully I was right!”

Kris Pohlmann’s loyal fan base knows that his concerts are a guarantee for explosive blues-rock. His club and festival gigs are renowned for being high energy, sweaty and endlessly entertaining. Approaching the 10 year milestone Kris discussed recording a live album with his long term producer Thomas Hannes, who commented: “I’d heard the new line up practicing in our studio and it was obvious we had to record this band live – it’s his best ever line up. We decided to record most of the spring tour to ensure we captured the band in various settings, both in smaller clubs as well as in bigger venues”.

 That tour, promoting his 2015 release ‘Taylor Road’ – which was one of the year’s top 15 worldwide blues-rock releases (bluesrockreview USA) – included concerts in Austria, England, Germany and The Netherlands as well a special 10 year party & live session hosted in his own studio in Duisburg Germany. The very intimate setting proved to be an inspiration to the band, resulting in a truly electrifying performance. In fact, over half the album’s material comes from that one concert.

 The album features Janosch Brenneisen on drums and Jonas Bareiter on bass and backing vocals. “Having such a great rhythm section means I can totally relax and concentrate on playing guitar and singing. I don’t really have to worry about anything and that makes my job as front man even more fun. They’ve helped me become a better singer & guitarist. I love every single concert I get to play and there’s no better feeling than playing live. I couldn’t imagine my life without it.”

That passion can be heard throughout the album. Right from the opening of ‘Don’t Make A Fool Of Me’ and ‘Borrowed Time’ the band can be heard enjoying itself and joking with the audience between songs. The set list itself is a journey through Kris Pohlmann’s three studio albums featuring the pile-driving songs ‘Got To Be The Blues’ as well as a rousing ten minute version of ‘Fallin’ Down’ from ‘New Resolution’ which Kris regards as the best ever version of that song. ‘Used To Be’ and crowd favourite, ‘Taylor Road’, are amongst the ‘Taylor Road’ album songs that are captured live with even more power than the studio album versions. As with any Kris Pohlmann concert the blues can be heard in its purest form. ‘One Day Baby’ from the 2012 release ‘One For Sorrow’, as well as cover versions of Johnny Guitar Watson’s ‘Too Tired’, ‘I’m Tore Down’ written by Sonny Thompson and made popular by Kris Pohlmann’s favourite blues artist Freddie King, and Lowell Folsom’s ‘Reconsider Baby’ provide further album highlights. The captivating instrumental ‘One For Sorrow’ closes the album to rapturous applause.

“Releasing 10 Years Live is something I’m very proud of because so much has to fall into place to make a great live album. Music, for me, is about performing live with fellow musicians. It’s all about what happens when musicians get together on stage and play. This album is a celebration of 10 years of hard work and dedication to the music that is very much part of who I am. It’s a “thank you“ to my fans who have enabled me to perform live for a decade.”