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Ride in My
Cadillac || Hot
in the Hole - Live at Hole in the Wall || Cruisin'
Dallas Observer Music Awards
You voted. We counted. It's your favorite
local acts, amplified.
Published: Thursday, April 15, 2004
The Silvertones—2004 Best Blues Band
 They
say history forgotten is doomed to be repeated.
But, with the blues at least, history forgotten
just seems to be forgotten. The blues has become
like adult contemporary with a Southern accent,
something created by and for the middle-aged
and older. Maybe it's because young folks don't
have the hardscrabble lives of Blind Lemon
Jefferson and Robert Johnson, men who lived
fast and died young, making their furious mark
on the burgeoning blues track, with its depot
in Deep Ellum. Or maybe it's because Stevie
Ray Vaughan is a guy kids hear about but never
actually hear. But now—finally—a
club called Deep Ellum Blues has brought blues
back into Deep Ellum. And that's good for everybody—fans,
bands and anyone willing to listen. The Silvertones—winners
of this award three out of the last four years—are
excited about this club. A new venue, a new
crowd, a new opportunity. The band plays all
over town, from Hole in the Wall in Dallas
to Up in Smoke in Keller to Tap Inn in Grapevine,
spreading the blend of surf rock and traditional
blues they've recorded on Cruisin', a studio
album, and the live recording Hot in the Hole.
The Silvertones—co-founders Randy Ball
(drummer-vocalist) and Brian Wicker (stand-up
bass player), eight-year member Leo Delavega
(a left-handed guitarist who plays a right-handed
guitar upside down) and guitarist David Smith
(who replaced longtime member Walter Delesandri,
who died of a heart attack in June 2003)—are
completing another album, but they don't have
a label or financing yet. Maybe now they have
a better chance. —Shannon Sutlief
Ride
in My Cadillac
A. Grigg, REAL BLUES Magazine, Issue No.
30
If you’re not familiar with The Silvertones
out of Dallas, Texas, they are your typical
Texas Blues Band i.e. they play REAL BLUES,
have loads of grit and groove and play-to-the-dance-floor,
a mandatory requirement for any decent band
out of the Lone Star State. I reviewed one
of their CDs several years ago and it was one
of my favorite shit-kicking Indie releases.
This disc follows their ‘keep-it-real/keep-it-honest’ I.D.
with “Ride In My Cadillac” the
title cut, jumpin’ out at you with drummer/vocalist
Randy Ball sharing the vocal chores with guest
Joanna Ramirez.
The Silvertones feature lots of ‘old-fashioned’ guitar
pickin' and strummin’, the way it used
to sound on 1960s Excello and Goldband Records
recordings. No screaming leads with dozens
of effects pedals…BUT, if you dig the
vintage guitar of Guitar Jr. and Ray Sharpe
you’ll love this stuff. And, it’s
not someone trying to recreate a bygone sound
or era; this is The Silvertone Sound – always
has been. (I’d like to mention that on
the CD jacket there is a tribute to a long-time
Silvertone, Walter Delesandri, recently deceased,
who helped create The Silvertone Sound.)
“Down By The Coast” is another
catchy example of the distinctive sound of
The Silvertones and the thing I need to point
out is that their ‘keep-it-simple’ sound
is anything-but-simple to execute. They’re
all veteran players who’ve grown-up on
Freddy King, Jimmy Reed and Slim Harpo and
their ‘Classic’ sound has become
increasingly rare. If I were to mentor a young
Blues band I’d give them The Silvertones
CDs along with the first two Fabulous Thunderbird
albums and, of course, a mess of Excello, Chess
and VeeJay 45s.
 “She Told Me” is a real nice chuggin’ hip-shaker,
a dance-inducer with an understated guitar
solo leading up to a real nice ‘burner’ solo. “Let
Me Be” has a swingin’ jazz feel
to it while “Cayetano” is a Latino-Blues
Rhumba instrumental that gives everybody room
to groove. Randy Ball is certainly one of Texas’s
best Blues drummers. “My Baby Ain’t
There” is a rompin’ number that’s
guaranteed to pack the dance floor and “Texas
Girl” is more of the same, pushed-up
a notch; a real hip-shaker with that sweet
Chuck Berry/Freddy King hybrid guitar. “Tired
Of Crying Over You,” the Jimmy Rogers’ number,
gets ‘Texafied’ while “World’s
Apart” has that nasty Bo Diddley flavor. “People
Think I’m Crazy” the closing number,
is a slow one that scores large with its 1957
spooky organ and lots of biting guitar (plus
Ball sings his ass off).
This is a wonderful recording by a band that
has my utmost respect – they ‘do
it’ perfectly…this is Blues Purity
from Texas, and Thank God For Texas Music/Musicians.
You won’t find phony-balony Blues comin’ out
of The Lone Star State and The Silvertones
could give lessons in Mojo Power. Five tall
sweaty ones for a CD that delivers the Low-down
Blues. And, it sounds even better every time
you listen to it…a sure sign of Righteousness.
Tom Hyslop, March/April 2006 Blues Revue
Magazine, Issue #99
Dallas, Texas’ Silvertones offer upbeat
Texas blues stamped with the clear-toned lead
guitar of Leo De La Vega and the bouncy, almost
rockabilly rhythms of Linn Roath. Drummer Randy
Ball is an engaging lead vocalist whose stick
work is crisp. “Let Me Be” and “Don’t
Seem To Listen” lean toward jazz, “She
Told Me” is a country shuffle, and Ball’s
slow blues “My Baby Ain’t There” and
the Latin-tinged “Cayetano” stand
out on the well-paced Ride in My Cadillac (Deep
South Productions). Smokin’ Joe Kubek
lends his estimable guitar talent to three
tracks.
Mark Waterbury, March 2006 Music Morsels
Dallas' Silvertones throw you back to an era
of carhops and crew cuts, but have a very subtle
punk soul that snags you. Deep rooted in Texas
blues but edgy enough to sneak into the rockabilly
category. Silvertones seem like a rawer Paladins
influenced by Buddy Holly and maybe a bit of
early Iggy Pop and Stray Cats. The music is
honest, solidly performed and written, and
a lot of fun.
Peter "Blewzzman" Lauro, © March
2006
If you're playing The Silvertones' new CD,
Ride in My Cadillac, while you're ridin' down
the road in your Cadillac, or any other vehicle
for that matter, be careful when the title
track comes on. It's a real hot, fast paced,
good old Texas Blues tune that will not only
get your motor runnin', it'll get it speeding.
When I finally realized it, I was flying down
I-95 with both hands rapidly banging on my
steering wheel. Fortunately for me, there were
no state troopers in my vicinity or I would
have been pulled over and found myself having
to say....... "But Officer "......which
by the way, is the name of the very next song,
which just so happens to be about getting pulled
over. Hmmmmmm.
Before I get into any more about this hard
drivin' disc, I'd like to mention the very
talented players responsible for Ride in My
Cadillac, which features ten originals out
of twelve very strong tracks. On drums and
most of the Vocals, is Randy Ball; on guitar
and some Vocals is Leo De La Vega; also on
guitars (Electric/Baritone/Slide & Steel)
and background vocals is Linn Roth; and Mr.
Bass-man would be Brian Wicker. Riding shotgun
are special guests: Joanna Ramirez, Vocals;
Smokin' Joe Kubek, Guitars; Michael McGuire,
Guitar; Darrel Rash, Tenor Sax; Rachel McIntruff,
Piano and Organ; Michael Ball, Bass.
Other particularly favorite tracks of mine
were many. The Balls, Randy and Michael, team
up very well on the rhythmatic "She Told
Me ". This all too short toe-taper also
features lots of great guitar from Smokin'
Joe. The rhythm section, which is The Silvertones'
strong suit, continues to shine on "Let
Me Be " - this time it's Randy and Brian.
Not to be slighted, Leo tears it up a bit on
guitar as well.
The only instrumental of the lot, and sadly
the only track to feature Tenor Saxman Darrel,
is "Cayetano". On this one, everyone
is in a very laid back, but nevertheless, very
tight groove. I could have taken more of this.
At the risk of sounding redundant, I gotta
say it. Once again, the rhythm section absolutely
blows me away on "Texas Girl "—and
this time they have help—with Rachel
adding fuel to the fire on piano. Leo gets
his share of smoking guitar licks in as well.
As a result of hitting replay, this three minute
song took me fifteen minutes to listen to.
This one rocks. There's no question that when
this one's played live, in front of what I'm
sure is a hopping crowd, it's the hottest track
of the set.
"People Think I'm Crazy"—no,
I'm not talking in the first person, that's
the name of the last track—happens to
be my personal favorite on this wonderful disc.
It's blues the way the Blewzzman likes it -
raunchy and scorching hot. The vocals are incredible,
full of soul and sung with a lot of heart,
and the guitar just screams out the blues.
It doesn't get much better than this.
I'd like to backtrack a bit here and mention
that, in spite of my picture painting of the
title track—"Ride in My Cadillac —I
never did mention Joanna. She's definitely
responsible for some of the track's heat.
This is a band that will no doubt be around
for a long while, therefore I'm sure I'll be
hearing more from them—and that's a good
thing.
Hot
In The Hole—Live at Hole in the Wall
Pete "Bootlegger" Barbeck, June
2002 Southwest Blues
 Capturing
a band live can be a tricky thing. Sometimes
the live energy that an audience experiences,
doesn't translate to tape. On Live - Hot In
The Hole, recorded at the Hole In The Wall
in Dallas, this is not the case. Recorded on
a hot Texas summer night, Tthe Silvertones
blast away from the git go, and show why they've
been voted one of Dallas' best blues bands.
Few things go together as well as hot blues
and cold beer when it's cooled down to a nice
91 degrees at night. Showing off their strength,
The Silvertones slip from one tune right into
the next. A number of the cuts are in medley
format, with the CD ending up in a 23-minute
bluesfest. At the start of the show is "Silvertones
Stomp" an upbeat boogie instrumental that
warms up the crowd as well as the hands of
the two-guitar attack of Mark Scott and Leo
De La Vega. With different, but complementary
guitar styles, they bring the dynamics up and
down, until slipping right into the classic
shuffle of "Sugar Mama". Moving through
a number of blues styles, "Hucklebuck
Jimmy" (jump blues), "Let Me Be" (minor
jazz blues), the band gets right with the program
of the evening and keeps things interesting
and moving. In the middle of the CD is a great
minor blues original "I Got Troubles" written
by drummer and vocalist Randy Ball, that really
gets to the nitty gritty of low-down blues
and gives the guitarists an opportunity to
set a dark mood and show off some great chops.
Throughout, every cut is anchored down by the
solid rhythm section of Randy Ball on drums
and Brian Wicker on the upright bass. The acoustic
bass gives each cut a full sound of authenticity.
Recorded by Bill Cornish of Gemtone Productions,
all of the instruments come through with clarity,
punch and good balance. This CD gives a great
indication of why The Silvertones are one of
the busiest bands in the DFW area, and a definite
crowd favorite. If you like to see what a band
can do when it's on the line, live - with no
frills, then you will want to pick up a copy
at a performance and enjoy some great blues
as hot as the night it was recorded on.
Cruisin'
Bill "BoneDaddy" Barnett , August
1999 Southwest Blues Magazine Blues Review
Jump meets swing in this extremely tasteful
inaugural release from The Silvertones. A powerful
rhythm section featuring Brian Wicker on that
big ol' upright doghouse bass and Randy Ball
on the skins with some dynamite vocals. Add
in Chris Zales on guitar and vocals, and Leo
DeLaVega on guitar, and you got yourself a
whale of a piece of Swingin' Jump Blues. Your
attention will be demanded throughout each
tune from the first note. These guys lock together
tightly and complement each other extremely
well. A sultry guitar entry and we're launched
into "Sugar Mama"- ooowee baby—it'll
have you swayin' all the way through. "I
Don't Care" has a swingin' tempo that
personifies the swing feel of the group! Then
it's on to a very complimentary cover of Jimmy
Reed's "Big Boss Man." "7 Nights
To Rock" is gonna have you rockin'! Whether
it's cuttin' a rug at the old dance hall, at
home, or driving down the road. They'll let
you unwind a little with "Sneakin' Round
Town." Next is an instrumental "Cruisin'" which
just about puts you on the beach in the '60's
again. Then it's a 1-2-3 punch of swing again
with "On Down The Road", "Give
Me A Break" and "Treat Me This Way." A
late '50s touch in "Don't Make Me Cry" makes
me wish I were slow dancing on a gymnasium
floor somewhere with the prom queen. We catch
the band singing to a bottle of whiskey on
the last cut "Whiskey On The Shelf" and
how true their words are! Although guitar/vocalist
Chris Zales is no longer with the quartet,
his spot has been more than adequately filled
by the guitar virtuoso, Mark Scott, who plays
with a fiery vengeance and has the ability
to keep an audience captivated with his every
note. If this is any indication, these fellows
will be around for a long time, swingin' their
way into a lot of top nights spots and music
stores. Get a copy!
 Dr.
B. Lee Cooper - University of Great Falls,
Montana
"Sugar Mama", the initial track
of Crusin', illustrates the fresh, vibrant
guitar lick and spectacular vocal savvy of
Chris Zales. The energetic Silvertones rock,
roll, shimmy, shade, and swing ("7 Nights
to Rock") in a fashion that echoes Bill
Haley and his Comets crossed with the Fabulous
Thunderbirds. The bluesy " Sneakin' Round
Town", featuring vocalization by drummer
Randy Ball, is a spectacular model of fire
and ice guitar work: the bouncy "Give
Me a Break" is a familiar roadhouse plea
for female attention, performed in jump time;
and the sensitive ballad "Don't Make Me
Cry" is a mellow appeal for romantic redemption.
These four Texas troubadours are terrific!
Ed Ivey, Blues Bites - Blues Review Magazine
The Silvertones hit a great roadhouse sound
on Crusin' (self-released), with a pumpin'
string bass, strong traditional sounds and
the lead guitar wizardry of Leo De La Vega.
A perfect swirl of rockabilly and blues styles.
Chris Zales twangs his Danelectro guitar and
sings gruff, greasy lines; drummer Randy Ball
has a more polished crooning style. Best Cut:
the driving instrumental title track, full
of smokin' guitar action!
Andy Grigg, Real Blues Magazine - Canada
Obviously big favorites with the low-riders
and Chicano R&B audience, Randy Ball and
The Silvertones have perfected a gritty guitar-driven
groove that is certainly a treat to listen
to and probably even more fun to dance to.
Propelled by Ball on drums (and vocals on four
tunes) and a repertoire of strong originals,
the two guitarists, Leo De La Vega and Chris
Zales, display an uncanny interplay that make
one think back to the days of Lockwood and
Tucker of even Lawhorn and Madison with the
1960s Muddy Waters Band. Both are exceptional
and imaginative and the ability to complement
each other with trade-off fills and rhythm
work will have guitarists the world over going
gaga over this disc. Even on the few covers
they tackle they've got a knack for transforming
them completely into their own sound. Ball
is a fine shuffle drummer who obviously has
studied his craft from the West Coast/Texas
perspective, and standup bassist Brian Wicker
provides solid pulsing bass throughout. This
independent release will make you wish they
(The Silvertones) were playing right down the
street. Easily one of the best independent
blues releases of the last year or two, Crusin'
is one to seek out. Five bottles for the creme
of California blues-a-billy.
 Chad
Huffman, Entertainment Chronicle - Denton
This week's winner for best new release is
by local blues outfit The Silvertones. Crusin',
the group's debut, honestly took me by surprise.
For the past year and half I've assumed The
Silvertones were some silly blues cover band
that plays every so often at Leon's Place.
But, we all know what happens when you assume.
The shiny new disc hops in and out of the various
styles of blues music, sometimes swinging hard,
other times riding the well-known back -and-forth "blues
riff" and other times taking moments to
jam on of the many blues scales. All in all,
Crusin' is a pretty smoking disc from this
Denton-based four piece. The vocals seemed
to be mixed a little high, but maybe that's
me cranking it up too loud. Whatever the case,
Crusin' is a cool CD and I won't be so quick
to judge bands by the venues they regular.
Kathleen Ludlow - San Antonio Blues Society
You have to wonder about a band with a return
address that reads, "The Colony," Texas.
Being a relative newcomer to Texas this is
an anomaly that I had not yet encountered.
If the Colony has any more bands like The Silvertones
it may just be a cool place to hang out. In
Cruisin', these fellows play a varity of original
and cover music that runs through an interesting
range of musical styles. To give you an idea
of what they do with the cover material, let's
just say that the only cover I was able to
recognize immediately was Jimmy Reed's "Big
Boss Man," and that was only after reading
the list of song titles. Personally I prefer
originals to cover music. But The Silvertones
don't just rehash the same old songs. They
have taken covers, added their own style and
made them sound similar yet very different
from the original versions. The CD includes
several original tunes that run the range from
blues swing to a sound similar to that of Roomful
of Blues. The players are Randy Ball on drums
and vocals, Bryan Wicker on bass, Leo De La
Vega on guitar and Chris Zales on guitar and
vocals. Songwriting honors go to Randy Ball,
with an honorable mention to Chris Zales for
penning track number two, "I Don't Care." Ball
wrote the three other original tunes on this
disc which are "Cruisin'" on track
six, "On Down the Road" on track
seven, and "Treat Me This Way" on
track nine. The Silvertones have really only
played together for the past year or so. The
original band was Killer Kyle and The Silvertones,
but time and personnel changes honed things
down to these four players at the time of the
release of this CD. Now, as of the writing
of this article, guitarist Chris Zales has
moved on and newcomer Mark Scott will be filling
the guitar slot. This is one of those CDs that
I like to put in a changer, set it on shuffle
and let it roll all night long! I do hope that
this band can hang together to make at least
another CD or two in the near future. I'd like
to see/hear an all original playlist from them
sometime soon.
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