‘Izzie’s Caravan’ return after 6 months to release their rocking harmonica drenched vibrant ‘Small Faces’ meets ‘Zeppelin’ Blues rock sound on the warm classic fresh ‘On The Pull’
‘On June 17th, 2020, International Blues Rock band Izzie’s Caravan released “On The Pull.”
It is their third EP in just six months. It follows their December 2019 debut, “Leo’s Guitar” and February 2020’s “Zephyrs.”
The latter features their current single, “South Of Yesterday,” which has been receiving worldwide airplay and thousands of Spotify and Youtube streams.
Enigmatic lead guitarist and vocalist, Izzie says of the new EP: “This one is a definite back to the blues record…it’s an identity record for us. I think this is where we’ve defined ourselves, as how we perceive ourselves as artists and musicians, and where we want to take this musical journey from here on. When writing these tracks, I really dug into the old Johnny Winter catalog, and that has become a reference point for me personally; to develop a sound that channels that rock and blues merger.”
“Drownin’ Man’s Blues” is the first single off the new E.P ‘On The Pull’.
‘Izzie’s Caravan’ return after 6 months to release their rocking harmonica drenched vibrant ‘Small Faces’ meets ‘Zeppelin’ Blues rock sound on the warm classic fresh sound of ‘On The Pull’ – Discover Blues Rock UK
Izzie started his musical journey by forming a 3-piece band in 2004. The Deep Impactors included two future (and now former) members of the Caravan, Sim and Ray. After becoming disillusioned by the music industry, Izzie took a decades-long respite from guitar, eventually returning to the instrument he loved, just a few years ago.
Referring to himself as a “poor man’s Buddy Guy or Lightnin’ Hopkins,” Izzie cites bands like Led Zeppelin and Aerosmith as early influences, followed by later guitarists like Izzy Stradlin and John Frusciante.
Izzie’s Caravan consists of:
Izzie – Guitars, Vocals, Bass
Rob McLean – Keyboards, Hammond
Sim – Vocals, Rhythm Guitars (former member)
Ray – Bass (former member)
But, it was the blues of Stevie Ray, Eric Clapton, John Lee Hooker, Johnny Winter, Muddy Waters, and of course, Buddy Guy, that inspired Izzie’s return to music.
ONLINE:
Official Website: www.izziescaravan.com
Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCHJqGlX2pIpAbae3jGlaYFQ
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/izziescaravan/
More about Izzie
Izzie’s Caravan is a blues-rock outfit with an international flair, that can trace its roots directly to Dire Straits’ massive hit, “Money For Nothing.” Guitar and vocalist, simply named, “Izzie” recalls: “Those powerful drums followed by that insane guitar riff had such a profound effect on me, after that, I always knew that guitar would have some part to play in my life.”
Izzie started his musical journey by forming a 3-piece band in 2004. The Deep Impactors included two future (and now former) members of the Caravan, Sim and Ray. After becoming disillusioned by the music industry, Izzie took a decades-long respite from guitar, eventually returning to the instrument he loved, just a few years ago.
Referring to himself as a “poor man’s Buddy Guy or Lightnin’ Hopkins,” Izzie cites bands like Led Zeppelin and Aerosmith as early influences, followed by later guitarists like Izzy Stradlin and John Frusciante. But, it was the blues of Stevie Ray, Clapton, John Lee Hooker, Johnny Winter, Muddy Waters, and of course, Buddy Guy, that inspired Izzie’s return to music.
In December of 2019, Izzie’s Caravan released the EP, Leo’s Guitar, followed by the February 2020 EP, Zephyrs. Izzie’s next EP, titled On The Pull was released on June 17, 2020 with MTS Records.
Izzie says, “This is one is a definite back to the blues record…and already I can tell it’s just going to be a very, very raw, very dirty record, and I really want to try and push the boundaries a bit in terms of the lyrical themes as well. I’m already getting excited about it…”
THE FULL STORY OF IZZIE
Rewinding time to when I was growing up, I think ‘culture’ was a lot more defined and less fragmented as it is today.
So having those definitive memories of watching Star Wars as my first movie or listening to ‘Money For Nothing’ by Dire Straits as a very young child, was always a traceable origin point that has consistently defined my identity. Those powerful drums followed by that insane guitar riff had such a profound effect on me, after that I always knew that guitar would have some part to play in my life.
It was around 2004 I believe when I started a 3-piece rock outfit called The Deep Impacters along with Sim on vocals and guitar and Ray on bass. Of course that era was characterised
more by naïveté, the excessive love of inexpensive beer and camaraderie as much as the music was. Needless to say, that didn’t go anywhere although it could have. After that, for good or for bad, I actually fell out of love with music in general.
I was very disillusioned as to where music was headed and the commercialisation of the guitar where I actually didn’t pick it up for over a decade. Fast forward, and maybe a couple of years back I got the encouragement from some close friends and I figured “Why not?” If nothing else, it could be an interesting therapeutic exercise in mid-life. And from there one thing led to another, a rediscovery of authentic blues, ‘Leo’s Guitar’ comes out in Dec 2019, ‘Zephyrs‘ in Feb 2020…and here I am today. In terms of sound, I can see myself as a poor-man’s interpretation of Buddy Guy and Lightnin’ Hopkins :).
Honestly though, most of the confidence I got to do this came from listening to Lightnins records. To me he was the complete artist where had the words and the sound and he performed them in this fearless way which was really captivating. Having had that rubbed off on me, I’ve really tried to keep the guitar and bass playing as raw and gritty as possible. I generally don’t like the over-polished sound…I much rather prefer searching for notes in that moment and capturing that in my recordings.
I think part of the ‘fearless’ aspect was to free myself from the limitations we have nowadays where somehow the guitar has ended up being a competitive sport and the endless debates on speed and technical proficiency. I just feel playing with this level of freedom lends to a more natural ‘conversational’ sound and feel to the song which is perfect for blues playing. In terms of tone, I’m a Fender fanati and the hardest part is deciding which Strat or Tele to use on the day. To my ears at least there’s something so appealing about their tone and even when recording it’s as if this constant process of trying to ‘tame’ the strat which really keeps you on your toes…it’s just so much fun!!!
I actually consider myself very fortunate as far as influences are concerned. Growing up it was of course listening to the likes of Aerosmith and Led Zeppelin and just being in awe of the phenomenal musicianship coming out of these bands. And growing up a few decades back, as a fan I’d really get invested in the lives off these musicians so somewhere I started
really getting drawn to band members who weren’t in the spotlight…guys like Izzie Stradlin and Brad Whitford Whose personalities aligned with my introvert personality…Later on John Frusciante was a huge influence…JJ Cale as well.
The great thing though is rock n roll is always a journey, and when I started reverting back to the roots more and more, particularly when I picked up the guitar again, discovering the blues artists was such a life-changing experience.
Going though hours and hours of records and live performances of Stevie Ray, Clapton, John Lee Hooker, Johnny Winter, Muddy Waters… its as if there was this world beyond the macro-world, full of these great musicians. But the one guy that really changed everything for me was Buddy Guy…‘Stone Crazy’ enough said!
Honestly, after I released ‘Zephyrs‘ I was thinking it might time to take a break from recording. But that all soon changed when I started practising and playing around in
general. I had a bunch of ideas lying around so that’s now got me working on the third EP which is titled ‘On The Pull’.
This is one is a definite back to the blues record…and already I can tell its just going to be very, very raw, very dirty record, and I really want to try and push the boundaries a bit in terms of the lyrical themes as well. I’m already getting excited about it because it’s reverting back to form after ‘Zephyrs‘ which was such a shift in gears. Hopefully I should have it done and available by May this year.
Personally, song-writing has to be an introspective experience, so to speak. It has to mean something to me more than anything else! I don’t have the ability to write a generic song because I wouldn’t know how to construct the lyrics to it. I’ve always believed that the experience of writing a song has to be built around trying to capture human experiences based on realism…honest human stories…
If we take the Leos Guitar EP, ‘Two In The Bush’ and ‘Lightnins-a-Howlin’ are just basic commentary on the advantages that the elite possess and how to get by on a day-to-day basis by playing the blues, while ‘Dorian’s Lament’ is my personal experience of keeping grounded to my roots while dealing with a world that’s socially and technologically evolving at a rapid pace.
Sometimes it seems most of my lyrics and song-ideas end up coming from just watching the news.
Finally,I’d really like to send out a message to musicians and artists who are dealing with a lot of online ‘trolling‘. It’s sad that there’s such harshness out there sometimes and that can
be a deterrence to young musicians learning their craft, or even great artists who may just choose not promote themselves… Be yourself! As a severe introvert, it has always been difficult for me to publicize or promote my music.
But once you realize that it’s your own creation and it’s something you will carry with you forever, own it and be proud of what you’ve accomplished.
We live in a world of arbitrary are irrationally harsh, but it’s important to believe in what you do and what you create!
ONLINE:
Official Website: www.izziescaravan.com
Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCHJqGlX2pIpAbae3jGlaYFQ
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/izziescaravan/