New York (Top40 Charts/ Mark Pucci Media/ Landslide Records) - Landslide Records will celebrate the release of Sean's Blues, a 20-track memorial retrospective collection saluting the late Atlanta blues guitarist and singer, Sean Costello, with a special night of music at the Northside Tavern on Saturday, October 24. Performing that night in a special tribute to Sean will be all the members of his band: Paul Linden on harmonica and piano, Terence Prather on drums, Matt Wauchope on organ and piano and Melvin Zachary on bass. They'll be joined by a number of announced and unannounced special guests, including Dave Gross, Rod Hamdallah, Art Holliday (Soul Shakers), Jon Justice, Jon Liebman (Electromatics), Joe McGuinness, Bill Sheffield and Stephen Talkovich.
Music starts at 10PM and tickets are priced at $10.00. A portion of the proceeds from the show will benefit the Sean Costello Memorial Fund for Bi-Polar Research (https://www.seancostellofund.org). The Northside Tavern is located at 1058 Howell Mill Rd., NW, Atlanta, GA 30318-555. The telephone number is (404) 874-8745; web site: www.northsidetavern.com.
Rave reviews of the new CD Memorial Retrospective have been pouring in from all over the globe. 'Pulling out specific cuts here is ludicrous because, as a collection, this is just outstanding from top to bottom,' said All Music Guide in its review. '...it not only showcases a tremendous artist who was in full command of his gifts, but lets us know what we lost when he passed away. Sean's Blues is filled with great music from jump to Chicago to raucous primitive electric jazz blues; in addition, the sound here is incredible: it crackles with live energy and presence - Costello was a star to be sure, but he fronted a smoking live blues band whose members were true collaborators in his sound. All one can do after hearing this is say 'if only,' and hope there is a second volume.'
'Both his voice and his guitar playing were seasoned and practiced, revealing a deep passion and adoration for the music from a roots perspective. These are timeless blues songs, definitive and classic in style and sound, carried out in a passionate and exhilarating manner that's all Sean Costello,' said The Boston Blues Society. 'Though Sean left this world at too young an age, the silver lining is the awesome songs he left behind. Sean's Blues is the best blues compilation to be released in quite a while.'
Culled from his three commercial album releases from 1996 through 2001, as well as previously unreleased tracks including three live songs, Sean's Blues captures the essence of what made Sean Costello such a rising star in the blues world until his tragic death in April, 2008, one day before his 29th birthday. A portion of the royalties from the sale of the album will benefit the Sean Costello Memorial Fund for Bi-Polar Research (https://www.seancostellofund.org).
The album's liner notes include personal remembrances from Landslide Records President Michael Rothschild, who co-produced the compilation with Jeff Bakos and recorded two albums with Costello in 2000 (Cuttin' In) and 2001 (Moanin' for Molasses). Five tracks from those two albums are included in Sean's Blues. The CD package also contains several previously unpublished Sean Costello photos. Landslide Records is now independently distributed in the U.S. by Select-O-Hits.
Sean Costello was already a blues guitar prodigy when, at age 15, he won the 1994 Blues Talent Contest sponsored by the Memphis Beale Street Blues Society and later competed in the National Blues Talent Competition, which also featured Susan Tedeschi. The two met up again in 1997 and began doing shows together - first out of Boston and later Atlanta. Costello played lead guitar on Tedeschi's best selling CD, Just Won't Burn, while she participated in 1998 sessions with his band, two tracks of which are represented on Sean's Blues.
Sean Costello released his first album, Call the Cops, in 1996, from which three tracks were selected for the new compilation. They showcase an already mature blues player of uncommon sensibility and nuance well beyond his years, with an obvious command of blues, soul and R&B.
Throughout the 20 tracks on Sean's Blues, Costello is backed by his hand-picked band that was clearly in precise sync with what he wanted to achieve, both in the studio and in live situations. A telling example of that are the three live tracks, recorded in Chicago, Illinois and Marquette, Michigan, which show a band in perfect lockstep with its leader. Costello's performances on these tracks are astonishing, especially his transcendent guitar solo on 'Motor Head Baby.'
In 2002, Blues Revue published a cover story on Sean Costello, calling him 'the top contender to be the next blues star...and soon.' Sean Costello was still headed on that path when he was tragically taken away from his family, friends and fans at such a young age. Sean's Blues is a telling reminder of just how special Sean Costello was and how much timeless music he left behind as a lasting legacy.
