By Denny Dyroff, Entertainment Editor, The Times
The Claudettes
The Claudettes are a Chicago-based band whose music spans a wide array of genres — jazz, punk, Chicago blues, pop standards and rock.
The Claudettes, who are driven by the music of founding member Johnny Iguana, combine the Chicago blues-piano tradition with the energy of rockabilly and punk and the sultry sound of ’60s soul-jazz to create a thrilling new spin on American roots music.
The band has performed all over Europe and in virtually every state in the Union.
Iguana, who grew up in Fort Washington, has brought his band to play in clubs and theaters in Philadelphia, at numerous venues all around the Philly suburbs and even northern Delaware.
Amazingly, the Claudettes – pianist/songwriter Johnny Iguana, bassist/singer Zach Verdoorn, vocalist Rachel Williams and drummer Michael Caskey — have never played a gig in Delaware County.
That will change on September 5 when the Claudettes make their Delco debut at Jamey’s House of Music (32 South Lansdowne Avenue, Lansdowne, 215-477-9985,www.jameyshouseofmusic.com).
“This will be our first time to play Jamey’s,” said Iguana, during a phone interview last week. “We’ve heard a lot of good things about Jamey’s so we’re really looking forward to this show.”
The show, which is the band’s only Philly-area show in two years and only one of 2024, will also mark the area debut of Williams. The previous shows featured long-time Claudettes vocalist Berit Ulseth.
On the band’s website, Iguana posted, “Hello, everybody. After three albums and an EP, spanning six years, Berit Ulseth has moved on to new chapters in life, away from the Claudettes’ van. We love and miss her. As you all know, Berit is simply magnificent. We were unspeakably lucky to hear that voice all those years, in our practice space, on our stages and on our records.
“We are also lucky to be able to look at a new future with a Chicago singer who already sang in a different band with our bassist Zach Verdoorn. Rachel Williams will be singing at all our shows and on some near-future recordings…we have been extremely busy in the practice space and will be breaking out TONS of new songs and wide-ranging covers…really, really, really wide…can’t wait for to see you all soon!”
Iguana offered this description of the band’s new singer, “We now have absolutely dynamite singer Rachel Williams (our own personal Annie Lennox, I like to say.) She’s a six-foot Texan with a big soulful voice, a mohawk and dynamic stage presence.”
The band’s most recent album is “The Claudettes Go Out!”, which was released via Forty Below in October 2022.
The title is a statement.
“We did a lot of shows in the Midwest this summer,” said Iguana. “Now, the Claudettes have a lot planned.
“Everyone in the band is getting along and is really inspired. We had some studio time last week and everyone was smiling.
“We have completed already more than an album’s worth of songs. We just recorded another song, and we have two more to go.
“We just put out two singles and we have a four-track EP that we’re selling at our shows.”
The Claudettes excel in the studio but really hit their peak when they perform live onstage.
“Our shows are really special,” said Iguana. “Touring is great. After what we went through with the pandemic, we don’t take anything for granted — including the van’s checkups and oil changes.
“I booked a lot of concerts this year. Curators at art centers know us. We kind of crept back in.”
Iguana wears many hats with the Claudettes. He is the singer, main writer, musical director, booking agent and spokesperson.
“The percentage of time I spend writing and recording is miniscule compared to all the other things I have to do to keep things going,” said Iguana.
“I spend a lot of time booking shows, arranging for our lodging, sending out posters, arranging promo for our shows and editing our music videos.”
One bright side about the band’s COVID-forced break from the road was it allowed time to work on their upcoming album.
“Later in 2020, we got together to make a new album,” said Iguana. “The new album was done in several sessions. Because of the lockdown, it was done piecemeal.
“I recorded piano to a click track. Berit did the vocals on her own. Michael and Zach practiced and came up with the right parts to overdub. We play together enough so we knew how to do it tightly.”
For “The Claudettes Go Out!,” the band completed two sessions.
The first was recorded and co-produced in Chicago by recent Grammy nominee Anthony Gravino (Kurt Elling, Charlie Hunter) and mixed in NYC by Grammy-winning legend Kevin Killen (David Bowie, U2, Elvis Costello).
The second session, in Chicago, was helmed by Grammy-winning producer Ted Hutt (Violent Femmes, Old Crow Medicine Show) and mixed in LA by Hutt and Ryan Mall. It was mastered by Joe La Porta at Sterling Sound.
Iguana is a prolific writer.
“I’m writing all the time,” said Iguana. “For us, new songs are the most exciting thing. I start with chords and melodies. I start with building blocks.
“And we record a lot of our shows. We listen to them over and over and learn a lot from listening.
“Writing music is a good expenditure of time – doing stuff you love.”
Iguana first gained renown as pianist for blues giant Junior Wells and as co-founder of punk-organ band Oh My God. He has toured or recorded with Buddy Guy, Otis Rush, Johnny Winter, Derek Trucks, Gary Clark Jr., Shemekia Copeland, Mick Jagger, Keith Richards, James Cotton and more. He has played on three Grammy-nominated albums and earned a 2021 Blues Music Award nomination for Piano Player of the Year.
“The Claudettes recorded their 2018 album, “Dance Scandal At The Gymnasium!,” with Grammy-winning producer Mark Neill (Black Keys, Old 97’s, J. Roddy Walston, J.D. McPherson).
A few years ago, Iguana released an album on his own – “Johnny Iguana’s Chicago Spectacular” on Delmark Records.
“It’s a Chicago blues piano album,” said Iguana. “I figured who would be good to sing on it. I got Billy Boy Arnold, who is 84 and played harmonica for Bo Diddley, and John Primer.”
Iguana also got musical contributions from Bob Margolin, Matthew Skoller, Billy Flynn, Kenny Smith, Bill Dickens, Michael Caskey and Lil’ Ed.
This was Iguana’s first blues album as a leader, and it’s not your typical blues album. That’s because Iguana is not your typical blues piano player.
At a time when bold originality is less welcomed in blues than it is in other music, Iguana stands out as an artist who has reached the apex of his craft but who has not allowed a strict definition of blues to limit his expression.
“It was produced by Matthew Skoller,” said Iguana. “I got the chance to play a 100-year-old Chicago-made upright piano.
“We recorded the album in January 2020. We didn’t realize then what was coming.”
The Claudettes’ have a strange history – and an interesting story behind their name.
“Michael Caskey, a drummer from Chicago, and I had a piano-and-drum duo,” said Iguana.
“We called a place called Claudette’s Bar in 2010 looking for a gig in between Chicago and St. Louis. Claudette booked us into her bar in Oglesby (Illinois) and fell in love with the band.
“So, she hired us as her house band and put them. That drummer’s wife had a baby, so we hired a new drummer and then expanded to a four-piece. Since then, we’ve done a ton of shows.”
The show in suburban Philly this week will be a homecoming for Iguana.
“I was born in New Jersey and grew up in the Philly area,” said Iguana. “I graduated from Upper Dublin High School and the University of Pennsylvania.
“Then, I moved to New York City where I worked in publishing and played piano. I began meeting blues musicians and playing in blues bands. I met Junior Wells in Chicago and played piano in his band.”
In addition to touring internationally and recording six albums with his cult-favorite rock band oh my god, Iguana has played live or recorded with Junior Wells, Buddy Guy, Otis Rush, Koko Taylor, James Cotton, Lil’ Ed, Carey Bell, Billy Boy Arnold, Lurrie Bell, John Primer, Billy Branch, Carlos Johnson, Sugar Blue, Dave Myers and Eddie Shaw.
As fans of the Claudettes know, the band has created its own genre.
“The Claudettes blazed a new trail masquerading as a blues/roots bands but it’s a punk band at its core,” said Iguana.
“We can play a punk bill as a rock band or a different bill as a blues band.We really put a lot of heart into our live show. We combine musicianship and humor.”
Video link for The Claudettes – https://youtu.be/Sb87i8s-nQo.
The show at Jamey’s on September 5 will start at 8 p.m.
Tickets are $25 in advance and $30 at the door.
Jamey’s House of Music will present Swing That Cat on September 6 and Debra Devi on September 7.Tickets for either show are $20 in advance and $25 at the door.
All three shows will be available on pay-per-view at $15 per show.
Over the last few years, Swing That Cat has emerged as one of the most unique, original, and engaging live acts in the Philly-NJ-DE area.
As featured performers at the City of Philadelphia 4th of July, Musikfest, The Sellersville Theater, and NoLibs 2nd St Festivals, Swing That Cat has earned their stripes at more than 350 shows in the Mid-Atlantic region, and on radio, podcasts, and streams around the world.
The City of Philadelphia office of the Arts has twice selected Swing That Cat as a Top 5 PHL Live in 2018 and 2022.
Debra Devi is a multi-talented modern woman. She fronts a blues/rock band, is an author and has composed music for film and television.
The concert is sure to be a pleasurable experience for both the band and the audience.
Jamey’s is one of the premier music clubs in the Philadelphia suburbs and Devi is one of the most talented young blues/rock guitarists on the East Coast.
Devi plays powerful blues-rockers and blistering psychedelic jams flavored with her soulful voice and expressive guitar playing.
Devi’s new live EP, “Jamification Station Vol. 1,” captures her Jersey City band at full throttle. The EP reached #5 on the Relix/Jambands.com Top 30 Radio Chart and then stayed on the chart for three months.
Devi, who has lived all over the country, has called Jersey City home for the last six years.
“I was born in Florida — in Jacksonville– and then grew up in Milwaukee,” said Devi, during a phone interview from her home in North Jersey. “Growing up in Milwaukee, I was exposed to a lot of Chicago blues.
“I went to high school in Milwaukee and then got a degree in economics at the University of Wisconsin in Madison.
“I always wanted to be a writer, but my parents wanted me to choose a more practical career. I had a journalism minor at the University of Wisconsin and then got into Columbia University for grad school where I majored in journalism.
“I put it to good use. When I first was living in New York, I was a little punk rocker in the East Village. I also played in different kinds of bands. I had been playing electric guitar for about six months.
“I always loved the blues, so I started writing and singing my own songs. It was more 70s blues/rock than punk.”
Devi’s self-produced debut, “Get Free” (True Nature Records/Redeye), received raves from Vintage Guitar, Jambase, Marie Claire (Italy) and Guitar International.
“My guitar playing is very influenced by Chicago blues,” said Devi. “The first show I saw was Son Seals and Koko Taylor at the Metropole. I try to do what Son does – not play a lot of notes but just play the right note.
“Blues has been a guidepost ever since. Blues taught me what I know about music.
“My band and I play blues/rock with improvisation – with jamming. We love to improvise. People love that spontaneity.
“What is exciting today is the jam band scene. They’re taking flight from improvisation. I’m one of the few females in the jam band scene.”
Devi has opened for Joan Osborne, Jesse Malin, Ana Popovic, Sarah Shook and the Disarmers, Uprooted (Michael Glialiki) and Marshall Crenshaw. In 2023, she co-headlined the Haverford Music Festival with Joe Louis Walker and The Bongos, and the East Pete Blues Festival with Greg Sover.
Gov’t Mule bassist Jorgen Carlsson joined Devi on her previous EP, “A Zillion Stars Overhead.”
“I released that album in April 2020 – not a good time to do that with the pandemic just starting,” said Devi. “My most recent album is ‘Jamification Station Vol. 1.’”
“Jamification Station Vol. 1” is a live EP culled from Devi’s livestream show, “Jamification Station,” hosted by American Blues Scene. Four tracks capture Devi and her band at full throttle, from catchy “Home Again” to a blistering rendition of Jimi Hendrix’s “Crosstown Traffic.” Also featured is a soulful blues-rocker, “Get Free” and uplifting Southern-rock tune “The River.”
The EP was released on June 20, 2022. Musicians on the recording were: Debra Devi – vocal, guitar; Kevin Jones – bass, background vocal; John Roccesano – drums, background vocal; and Martin Schmid – keys, background vocal.
All songs recorded live by Roccesano at Silver Horse Sound in Hoboken, New Jersey except “The River,” which was recorded live by Corey Zack at The Cocoon in Jersey City. It was produced by Devi and Roccesano, mixed by Roccesano and mastered by Fred Kevorkian.
“We did 27 Livestream concerts during the pandemic,” said Devi. “Right now, we’re mixing ‘Jamification Station Vol. 2’.
Devi is the author of the popular book, “The Language of the Blues” (foreword by Dr. John) which won the ASCAP Deems Taylor Award. The book is blurbed by Bonnie Raitt, Joe Bonamassa, Hal Willner, Ministry singer Al Jourgensen, Ed Sanders, Bob Margolin and Jimmy Vivino.
Devi composes and performs songs for film and television, including “Tenderness” (Laura Dern, Russell Crowe), “Getting Off” (Christine Harnos, Brooke Smith), “Driven-Tim McGraw” (VH-1), “Fight Like a Girl” (Maureen Shea, Kimberly Tomes).
Her screenplay “The South Bronx Entrepreneurship Club” is a Big Apple Film Festival semi-finalist, adapted from the book “Goodbye Homeboy: How My Students Drove Me Crazy” and “Inspired a Movement,” which she co-authored with former special education teacher and Network for Teaching Entrepreneurship founder Steve Mariotti.
Devi is truly a modern-day Renaissance woman.”
Video link for Debra Devi – https://youtu.be/WSWFDitPX2Q.
Every Sunday, Jamey’s presents “SUNDAY BLUES BRUNCH & JAM” featuring the Philly Blues Kings. On the second Sunday of each month, the featured act is the Girke-Davis Project which features club owner Jamey Reilly, Roger Girke, Glenn Bickel, Fred Berman and Colgan-Davis.
It’s tribute band time again at Uptown! Knauer Performing Arts Center (226 North High Street, West Chester, www.uptownwestchester.org).
The venue will present “A Brother’s Revival” on September 5, “80’s Revolution” on September 6 and “Italian Bred” theatrical comedy on September 7.
Kennett Flash (102 Sycamore Alley, Kennett Square, http://www.kennettflash.org) is hosting The Germ Side with special guest Chris Reuger on September 6 and “The Legendary Kennett Flash Open Mic Night” on September 8.
