They Smoke Cigars; They Play the Blues
Cryin' Out Loud Release Official Music Video
press release
BAR HARBOR—"I Smoke Cigars and I Play the Blues," the first official music video from top Maine blues rock band "Cryin' Out Loud," marks a unique point of arrival on the national blues scene, as well as the point of embarkation for the next leg of an already remarkable journey.
The video is in many ways a visual culmination of their work with Grammy award winning prducer/guitarist Paul Nelson, who passed only ten days after the release of the band's album "Play Loud & Smoke Often." The album is the last completed work produced by Nelson, who may be best known for his work with blues legend Johnny Winter.
The band met Nelson through their mutual friend Paul Willams; he had booked Nelson to perform at his grass roots music venue in Scarborough, Maine called "The Brickhouse." At William's urging, Nelson met with the band, listened to a few of their songs, and agreed to produce their debut album.
They recorded with engineer Josh Small of New England School of Communications (NESCom) at Husson University, under the direction of Nelson, who helped arrange many of the songs on the album. By all accounts there there was instant chemistry and camaraderie between Nelson and members of Cryin' Out Loud.
"Working with Paul had a profound impact on all of us as musicians. Losing him ten days after the release of the album, during a time when the band should have been at our highest, I went through a period where I could even listen to the record because Paul's fingerprints were on every song," recalls Brandon Stallard, lead singer of Cryin' Out Loud.
Though he was not present for the filming of the video, Nelson's spirit was clearly felt by all in attendance.
“I recorded the solo on this track with Paul Nelson sitting right behind me, and I played the solo again in this video but with Paul’s Marshall stack behind me. The energy in this video reminded me of the good times we were having in the studio recording the album," said Ben Chute, lead guitarist of Cryin' Out Loud.
Nelson was also instrumental in introducing the band to the guys from Pilot Light Records, a Norwalk, CT-based record company. Pilot Light Records signed on to release the band's album, and has been spearheading their national promotion, with national PR and radio promotion by industry veteran Frank Roszak. The album reached the Top 10 on Roots Music Report Blues Chart, and continues to find new listeners.
Paul also introduced them to Factory Underground Studio, where they filmed their music video with ace videographer and director John Shyloski. It was produced by Marc Alan, Managing Director of Pilot Light Records, with additional production assistance by Ethan Isaac, Amy Holomakoff, and Jeff Willet.
The video begins with Stallard cutting the tip of a custom J Grotto cigar of Nicaraguan tobacco, rolled by the Alec Bradley cigar company, exclusively for Mr J's Havana Cigar Shop of Coventry, Rhode Island. Stallard smokes the cigar through the video. The cigar is more than a prop in the context of the video; it embodies Brandon's passion as a die-hard cigar aficionado.
"I remember going to my local cigar shop and sitting down with all the old-timers in the back. I learned the proper way to light and smoke them, and a bunch of other enrichments to the joy of smoking fine cigars. It's no mystery to me that cigars have been at the center of entertainment since man started lighting stuff on fire."
Cigars are both the ultimate solo relaxation, and the ultimate socialization. Either way, they're a two hour investment in time. If you are alone, you sit there and think about everything in your life. You solve problems, remember to do things, write songs, get ideas. If you're in a group, you guys are together for a while. You have great conversations, and you learn about people, and things from all walks in life. I've made life-long friends over a cigar," said Stallard.