Blues & Soul christmas show | ft. Georgia van Etten & Connor Selby

"John Mayall, Mike Vernon, Eric Clapton, Jimmy Page and Peter Green are amongst a small army of august names who helped shape and define the movement born shortly after the mid point of the last century. Since then a few contenders have come and gone, but, overall, there are conspicuously too few artists carrying that torch in today's industry, some 50 plus years later.  24 year old Connor Selby is far too modest to take on this mantle and welcome those comparisons, perhaps, but the reality remains that his self titled album released on the 10th September will surely secure his position as the emerging light of British blues. Voted the “Young Artist of the Year” for 3 consecutive years (2020,2021,2022) in the UK Blues Awards, the young bandleader-guitarist-vocalist draws on influences as diverse as Eric Clapton, B.B. King, Ray Charles, Free and Van Morrison, creating a soulful blend of hard-hitting blues and emotional, introspective song writing, which, at times, evokes a modern take on the best of the music that inspires him.

In 2022, Connor signed to Provogue Records, the Blues leg of the Mascot Label Group. His inclusion to a roster of some of the most prominent Blues artists of the 21st century including Joe Bonamassa, Eric Gales, Kenny Wayne Shepherd amongst others, solidifies his position as one of the brightest young talents in Blues. 

Although van Etten originates from Geelong, Australia, her first experiences with music oddly mimic that of a retro American movie, with her Father blasting folk and country music down long, barren highways and her Mother playing seventies Laurel Canyon tunes on the guitar to a tiny, captivated Georgia. It’s any wonder she developed an intense love (obsession) for singing at a young age, beginning her training in classical voice and moving on to front big-deal soul lineups by age fourteen. Her adolescent years saw her singing with heavy bands like King Gizzard & The Lizard Wizard, and writing with soon-to-be major artists including Alice Ivy.

Georgia’s childhood was abundant in creative experience, but she longed to pursue her own artist career and become emerged in a larger scene. Resultantly, eight years ago, van Etten packed one tiny suitcase and headed for the U.K. Since then she has built worthy respect among fellow musicians and wowed audiences globally playing the likes of Porretta Soul Festival (Italy), Falls Festival (Australia), Raadpop Festival (Netherlands), Montreux Jazz Festival (Switzerland), Ealing Blues Festival (UK) and headlining London Omeara. 

Her debut EP ‘Live at the Pool Studio’ had extensive BBC Radio 2 play with Jamie Cullum remarking “This really blew me away when I first heard it” and Blues & Soul Magazine UK declaring “Put simply, this is a damn fine EP”. The EP also sparked attention surrounding van Etten’s unique mouth trumpet impression, with a clip going viral on media giant UNILAD SOUND.

Recently signed to Canadian record label Birthday Cake, founded by The Bros. Landreth, Georgia continues to solidify her position on the international stage. Her debut album 'Deep Black Water' gained a feature in NME, music video on MTV, heavy rotation on SiriusXM North Americana (US), BBC Radio 2 play and a feature session on BBC Radio 4's Loose Ends. The album has been heavily praised in the folk and blues community and the release of a live EP, featuring tracks from the album is set to strengthen the record’s success in the coming months.

They have recorded with the 'who's who' from the international Jazz Funk and Fusion scene including legends like Fred Wesley, Alfred ‘Pee Wee’ Ellis from James Brown, Stephen ‘Doc’ Kupka, Lee Thornburg and Lenny Pickett from Tower of Power, Cory Wong (Vulfpeck), Eric Krazno (Lettuce), Stanton Moore (Galactic), drum virtuoso Benny Greb, Elliott Randall and Keith Carlock (Steely Dan), titanic saxophone players Rick Margitza (Miles Davis Band), Chris Hunter (Gil Evans Orchestra), Andy Snitzer (Paul Simon), Prince’s New Power Generation horn section (aka ‘The Hornheads’) and horn players from Incognito, Brand New Heavies and many more.

Their records have been released on Wooden Hat Records (USA), Pedigree Cuts/Universal (UK) and Stefan’s own label RSB Records. Their music has also been publicly performed by Big Bands in USA, Austria, Germany, Holland, Denmark and the UK.

Over the past two years the Funkestra rhythm section has also served as the studio house band for ‘The Masterlink Sessions’ and have fully embraced a broader range of styles, not least supporting a range of noted international vocalists. The has resulted in 100+ videos and album and EP recordings with US Grammy winner Mike Farris, Hamish Stuart (front man of the original ‘Pick Up The Pieces’ Average White Band, McCartney, Aretha, Chaka, Ringo Starr and many more), Sarah Jane Morris, Jo Harman, Australia's Georgia van Etten, Sam Tanner, Hollie Rogers, Jade Like The Stone, Portugal's Diana Silveira, Helena May, Orphy Robinson MBE, Laura Evans, Jools Holland vocalist Louise Marshall, Purdy, Connor Selby, Elles Bailey and many more.

The band has morphed, somewhat organically, into a zeitgeist equivalent of the legendary studio bands from Motown (Funkbrothers), Stax Records (Booker T & The MGs/Mar-Keys) and Muscle Shoals (‘The Swampers’) respectively, and are the studio/production house choice for very many respected artists at the elite end of the music business. With this, the band, whilst continuing to make their own successful records, has evolved into a highly respected mini-Nashville production house in the Surrey Hills, UK - a set up that seems destined to continue on an even larger scale as we move further into the new decade.

The intention is always to record 100% live in the studio, nodding towards the great studio bands of the ‘60s like The Funk Brothers (Motown), The Swampers (Muscle Shoals) and The Mar-Keys (Staxs). Capturing the energy and chemistry between the artist and the 'crack' studio band is at the heart of all their recordings, all videoed by film maker Leo Mansell, further reflecting the 'organic' nature of the proceedings.

So far, over 50 videos have been produced featuring artists such as Hamish Stuart (AWB, Paul McCartney, Ringo Starr), Sarah Jane Morris, US Grammy award winning Mike Farris, Jo Harman, Orphy Robinson MBE, Louise Clare Marshall (Jools Holland) and many more. Masterlink aims to not only feature some of the most established and respected names in the business, but also give a platform for emerging artists who truly have the talent to perform at the required level. Its 'A&R' advisory team includes BiGiAM Artist Services and other management organisations geared to supporting credible artists with like-minded values.

The studio house band (a.k.a. the Funkestra) generally runs as a small collective of international, yet UK-based world-class musicians (with CV's to prove it - think Bowie, Elton John, Annie Lennox, Mark Ronson & more) which, at its core, comprises:

Stefan Redtenbacher (bs, producer) Mike Sturgis (drs), Karl Vanden Bossche (perc), Mike Outram/Tony Remy (gtr), Ross Stanley (keys)

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