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THE FLIP TOPS EXPERIENCE
If you've caught Nick Moss and his band in action before, you're well aware of the ease with which they put on a musical chairs-style performance; each of the musicians is a well-established multi-instrumentalist. Those who haven’t witnessed it yet will be throroughly entertained as Nick Moss starts out on guitar... then passes the mic around to Gerry Hundt, Willie Oshawny and even drummer Bob Carter. The instrumentation changes accordingly too: Gerry will handle either harp or mandolin duties while Nick switches to bass, then Nick will switch to harp as Willie kicks the low end with his left hand and Gerry plays guitar; then Willie will play the 4-string as both Nick and Gerry pick up guitars; etc, etc... This LIVE Flip Tops performance that you’re listening to, like their countless others, resembles an old television variety show, full of surprises!

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NICK MOSS
Guitar, vocals, harmonica, bass
GERRY HUNDT
Bass, guitar, vocals, mandolin, harmonica, organ
WILLIE OSHAWNY
Piano, organ, vocals, bass
BOB CARTER
Drums, vocals
LURRIE BELL
Guitar, vocals
NICK MOSS traverses the electric blues guitar landscape effortlessly, without ever sounding like numerous others who appear to have lifted their licks off a dusty museum shelf. On Live At Chan's: Combo Platter No. 2, his inspired singing and steady flow of guitar ideas during the gritty "Try To Treat You Right" showcases vibrato-laden chording nods directly toward Sammy Lawhorn, while Moss solos over, under and around the groove like the mature and fully-realized guitarist he has become. Nick spent the first years of his career learning the ropes from legendary performers like Jimmy Dawkins, Jimmy Rogers and Willie Big Eyes Smith of the Legendary Blues Band. His study served him well, as he is now known as one of the premier torchbearers of Chicago Blues.
GERRY HUNDT, now in his fourth year as a Flip Top is a man of many talents, and he comes front and center with riveting mandolin work and expressive vocals on “The Whiskey Makes Me Mean”, which also features Nick's effortless harmonica playing. Catch Gerry's downright frightening similarity to the 1960s-vintage James Cotton harmonica tone on both “I Got All Kinds Of Love” and “Lonesome In My Bedroom”. While his sound may well pay tribute to a legend or two (Big Walter's presence is also heard), Hundt's playing is completely inventive and fueled with wonderful passion.
Veteran keyboard man WILLIE OSHAWNY sparkles on piano and organ while he tips his hat to past giants like Otis Spann and Sunnyland Slim with flourishes from their notebooks. He also tackles some of the bass chores here without missing a step. Oshawny's illustrious musical career has been highlighted by performing with many great blues artists over the years, including Jimmy Rogers, William Clarke, The Legendary Blues Band, Brian Lee, Willie Cobb, among others.
BOB CARTER sits comfortably in the background as the Flip Tops' drummer, tirelessly propelling everyone to superb heights with solid and driving backbeats that never falter. Blues fans will also be treated to Bob's exceptionally strong vocals, as he lends his talents to diversify the evening's reperatoire. Carter has performed with a virtual 'who's-who' of blues artists: Otis Rush, Sunnyland Slim, Lonnie Brooks, Lefty Dizz, The Mighty Blue Kings, and many others.
With the success of Nick Moss' first Live At Chan's CD he decided to up the stakes for this session by bringing in Chicago stalwart LURRIE BELL as a special guest. The son of harmonica legend Carey Bell, Lurrie offers three rugged and rough-edged vocals and delivers significant punch with his own crunching guitar work. The fireworks reach blistering levels during "Don't Lie To Me", "Five Long Years" and "I'm Ready," with Moss and Bell both sharing the spotlight by firing off solos that build and burn with intensity while never going into over-the-top heroics. Simply put, this is the work of mature blues musicians who know just how and when to speak through their instruments.

Visit Lurrie's website

Song clips coming soon! Or visit CDBaby! We encourage users to leave comments there once they've digested the music... it's a great way to gauge what we're doing!
[FROM THE CRITICS:]
“There may be no blues musician in Chicago under 40 who can match Nick Moss’s rock-solid fidelity to older ways of making music. Don’t read that as meaning ‘worthy recyclist’: Moss uses the devices and decorations of the ’50s and ’60s not to make replicas but to colour his own designs.”
-Mojo Magazine

“Moss and his Flip Tops, a blues supergroup if there ever was one, are every bit as exciting as the Paul Butterfield Band was during its heyday, an outfit brimming over with talent...”
-All Music Guide

“No young blues guitarist gets it off his chest so passionately and convincingly as Nick Moss...”
-Downbeat Magazine

“...After four acclaimed studio albums, Live at Chan's is the triumphant clamor of the Flip Tops landing on their first pinnacle."
-Hittin' The Note (on Live At Chan's, Vol 1)

“If you're uneasy about the future of the blues, you’ll find hope in Nick Moss. He maintains the finest in Chicago’s straightforward, gutbucket sound...”
- GuitarONE Magazine

“The band plays with an abandon that surely had the crowd at Chan’s on the dance floor flailing about as the boogies and shuffles connected to their hips and feet... This is one of the best live discs to hit my player in some time.”
- Jazz & Blues Report, on Live At Chan's VOL 1

“Moss’ approach to this music makes him arguably the most exciting young blues player on the scene today ... It’s a combination of talents that allows the best bands to transcend their genres, and that’s they key to Nick Moss & the Flip Tops’ appeal. They play with fire and fury but also with control, constructing a brilliant set that never gets boring.”
-Blues Revue

“The monster disc of the season...
76 minutes of pure happiness; apocalyptic sounds that send life-threatening chills with each new listen. This able student has absorbed the very essence of (the Chicago blues style) while breathing the freshness of his own personality and rare talent into it.”
- Blues & Co. (France)

“Fans have been after Windy City blues torchbearer Moss the past few years about issuing a live CD. Together with his top-shelf Flip Tops combo, he rewards their patience resoundingly with this potent outing.”
- Blues & Rhythm (UK)

“Nick Moss and his Flip Tops had to go ahead and torch the joint in a magnificent blaze of Chicago blues. What was ignited was one helluva live music experience that never let up until the final closing crashdown on the grease fire that’s ‘Move Over, Morris’.”
- Baltimore Blues Society

“From the start, the dynamic interplay between Moss’s explosive guitar work, and Willie Oshawny’s keyboard work harkens back to the feel-good days of Muddy and Spann, or Memphis Slim and Matt ‘Guitar’ Murphy.”
- Boston Blues Society

“From slow blues to shuffles to Boogie Woogie, this album just shines.”
- Colorado Blues Society

There's a lot of talk currently regarding the direction modern electric blues is headed in, and it's no wonder since much of what is considered blues today bears little resemblance to what the masters recorded just a few short decades ago. Then again, there seem to be accolades and awards handed out to bands and artists who sound like they spend far too much time trying to mimic what was being done during the golden era from the late-1940s through the mid-1960s. Nick Moss stakes out his own territory as a truly modern blues artist whose love and respect for the traditional approach remains close to his heart. That, my friends, is what truly sets him apart from his peers. He's no slave to imitation, doing pre-conceived three-minute renditions of tired old warhorses, nor has he strayed from the accepted parameters of blues for listeners to understand his music. Witness this smoldering club performance. It shows the perfect blend of an artist straddling the fine line between soaring, imaginative guitar efforts and traditional, firmly-rooted blues grooves.

–From the Live At Chan's, Combo Platter No. 2 liner note by Craig Ruskey

Find NICK MOSS & THE FLIP TOPS on:
www.nickmoss.com
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PAST QUOTES (new ones coming soon!)