L-R: Christian Botta, Dave Gerstein, Daryl Cozzi. Photo by Andrea Fischman
As the name implies, Saints and Sinners is a band with more than one flavor. There’s the down and dirty blues of our Chicago and Mississippi inspirations, the hedonistic excess of ‘70s rock and funk, plus the here and now – trying to create something new and stir things up.
Guitarist and lead vocalist Christian Botta is an experienced player whose melodic lead excursions and slide guitar rave-ups have entertained blues audiences from Memphis to Budapest. Bassist Dave Gerstein is a NYC cat whose fat groove and impeccable taste don’t get in the way of his need to rock. Drummer and vocalist Daryl Cozzi hails from Wisconsin and plays a deep pocket inspired by Stax, Muscle Shoals and like powerhouse timekeepers.
Saints and Sinners formed a year ago in NYC. Having played together for years, Chris and Dave were introduced to Daryl through a friend and immediately began gigging – The Shrine, Bar Chord, American Trash, Bowery Electric – always with an eye towards making a record. The tunes below represent a sneak peak of what promises to be a fun and danceable slab of blues and rock & soul. The tunes were recorded at Virtue and Vice in South Williamsburg and Jeff Cook’s Underground in Bushwick. Click to listen:
Kicking it off is the Muddy Waters tune, “Going to Main Street” a song that inspired Chris when he heard Levon Helm kill it at a Hubert Sumlin birthday bash. Saints and Sinners take the song into the Rockabilly zone, with a raw twang and swinging beat provided by Cozzi, also a Levon devotee.
Chris wrote the original “Door to Door Blues” when he was selling wine on “The Street,” as it’s known in the trade. A notoriously difficult business, there are some perks however. They reveal themselves in the third verse.
The band’s cover of Robert Johnson’s “Malted Milk” is a full transformation, from quiet and pensive to celebratory, from Sunday morning back to Saturday night. The slide guitar gets free rein and the rhythm section is smooth and strong through the multiple meter changes that support the reworked melody. Chris even tries on a hint Robert Johnson vocal devilry.
“San Ho-Zay” is a Freddie King instrumental that the boys give a tough spin and a modern sound. The synergy of the rhythm section is on display as Chris plays a couple of Freddie’s choruses and then a couple of his own.
Look for the full Saints & Sinners LP this summer!