New York, NY (Top40 Charts) Grammy-nominated American
Roots band Victor Wainwright and the
Train embark on their 2021 'Memphis Loud' Tour (named for his Independent
Music Awards-nominated Ruf Records album of the same name), with a local performance at The Palladium at St. Petersburg College, 235 5th Ave. N, Friday, August 20. Wainwright is touring with his full six-piece horn band for all the August shows. See below for complete schedule.
The name of Victor Wainwright's band - and the sleeve image of their albums - is also the most fitting of metaphors. In music folklore, "The Train" might have associations with the freight-hopping blues-men of yore, but with this restless boogie-woogie innovator stoking the furnace, Wainwright is a charging locomotive - surging forward, crashing through boundaries of genre, sweeping up fresh sounds and clattering headlong past the doubters.
As the man himself hollers in the ivory-pounding track, The Train: "If you wanna boogie get aboard the train/Get yourself a ticket or get out of the way…" At a sweet-spot in his career, where most established stars would rest on their laurels, Victor Wainwright & The
Train instead rips up all that has gone before, pricking up ears in a sterile music industry and stretching the concept of roots in bold directions.
"I believe that for roots music to grow, and reach out to new audiences, we have to invite it forward," Wainwright explains. The result is original music that walks a tightrope between scholarly respect and anarchic irreverence.
You'll hear Wainwright twist boogie-woogie tradition on barrel-house thrillers driven by his visceral piano style. But you'll also hear him fearlessly explore the gamut of genre, from Latin flavors and New Orleans piano to near-psychedelia jam. It's a musical cocktail served up by Wainwright's inimitable gravel-flecked vocal.
In truth, Wainwright has always been an artist that sets the pace. Born into a musical family in Savannah, Georgia, the formative influence of his father's vocals and grandfather's rolling boogie-woogie piano compelled him into a life of music. By 2005, he'd announced his talent with solo debut, Piana' From Savannah, while his central role in Southern Hospitality and partnership with Stephen Dees in WildRoots has seen him ignite stages and stereos for over a decade.
Among his numerous accolades: Wainwright has won seven total Blues
Music Awards, charted #1 on the Top Ten in the Billboard Magazine, and was nominated for a 2019 Grammy for "Best Contemporary Blues Album" for Victor Wainwright & The
Train (Ruf).
"Looking back on your career is a tough thing to do," he says. "Challenges are many, and frequent, but when you get it together, it can also be extremely rewarding." A man of many talents, Wainwright could refer you to his original catalog of music that has repeatedly hijacked the Billboard Top 10, but rather than dine on past glories, this questing artist would rather you joined him for the ride ahead. "Of course, I still play and write songs that are just about kicking ass and taking names," he laughs. "But if you listen, what I'm really saying is, we got to get on the train and move forward with our love of roots music, together."
Victor Wainwright & The
Train "Memphis Loud" Tour Summer 2021:
Aug. 18 (Wed) - THE FUNKY BISCUIT - Boca Raton FL
Aug. 19 (Thur) - BUCKINGHAMS - Fort Myers FL
Aug. 20 (Fri) - THE PALLADIUM - St. Petersburg FL
Aug. 21 (Sat) - BANK AND BLUES - Daytona Beach FL
Aug. 22 (Sun.) - TYBEE POST - Savannah GA
