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Mike Wheeler Band – Turn Up!!
Delmark DE 845 (2016)


Faster than a speeding bullet, more powerful than a locomotive, able to leap tall buildings in a single bound. Look up on the stage. It’s SuperMike, who can change the course of mighty rivers, bend steel strings with his bare hands, and who, disguised in Chicago sports caps as mild-mannered average guy, fights a never-ending battle for blues, soul and the true funktified way. In 2012 Delmark released Self Made Man. In his Living Blues magazine review David Whiteis wrote, “Wheeler’s music virtually explodes with affirmation… Throughout, Wheeler’s solos resonate with the joy of exploration and discovery, as well as with emotional power.” This new album features 12 new originals including “You Won’t Do Right”, “Brand New Cadillac” and the burning title track, TURN UP!!


1 Sweet Girl 4:12
2 You Won't Do Right 5:07
3 Yeah! 3:42
4 Brand New Cadillac 4:21
5 Talking To Myself 4:19
6 Turn Up! 6:23
7 Nothing Last Forever 6:13
8 I Can't Do That 4:00
9 Living My Dream 4:19
10 A Blind Man Can See 6:45
11 That's What Love Will Make You Do 4:19
12 I'm Hooked 3:58
13 Sad State Of The World 7:50

Recorded at Riverside Studio on December 18 & 19, 2015 by Steve Wagner

all songs originals by Mike Wheeler (MWheel1 Music, ASCAP)
except #7 and #13 by (Wheeler/Williams/Cole/Vollriede, MLCB Music, ASCAP)
and #11 by Little Milton Campbell


Mike Wheeler - vocals, guitar
Larry Williams - bass
Cleo Cole - drums
Brian James - keyboards

Kenny Anderson- trumpet
Hank Ford - tenor sax

Mixed By – Dave Katzman
Producer, Mixed By – Steve Wagner

www.delmark.com
2016

Mike Wheeler embodies all that is today’s Chicago bluesman. Mike came on the blues scene professionally in the mid-80s, in a different generation than Muddy Waters and other Chicago giants. Leading up to that Mike was a huge fan of many styles of music including blues, soul, r&b, rock, rock and roll, funk, disco, all part of his music today. Mike has performed with many artists including blues legends B.B. King, Buddy Guy and Koko Taylor. He was a member in the bands of Nellie “Tiger” Travis, Big James & The Chicago Playboys and Jimmy Johnson.

The Mike Wheeler Band (MWB) was formed in 2001 though Mike was so busy playing guitar in other people’s bands that MWB was more of a hobby back then. MWB released their self-titled debut CD in 2003. I first really became aware of Mike in 2011 when I was making a series of live recordings around town for internet streaming. I recorded his band one night at B.L.U.E.S. and was impressed with his singing. Not only the timbre of his voice but also the soul and feeling. That live recording led to Mike’s 2012 Delmark album Self Made Man. In his Living Blues magazine review David Whiteis wrote “Wheeler’s music virtually explodes with affirmation - there’s no laughing to keep from crying bathos or macho strutting on display. Throughout, Wheeler’s solos resonate with the joy of exploration and discovery, as well as with emotional power.”

Mike is the hardest working man in Chicago blues. MWB plays every Monday at Blue Chicago, every Tuesday and Wednesday at Kingston Mines, and on weekends he can be found at other Chicago clubs including Buddy Guy’s Legends, Rosa’s Lounge, Harlem Avenue Lounge and House of Blues. And it’s paid off. MWB has developed it’s own sound and increasingly features more and more original material heard on Turn Up!! Twelve of the thirteen songs here are relatively new originals that they guys have been working on for the last couple years. The band was originally scheduled to record in autumn of 2015 but it was agreed to wait until after the band’s return from their month-long European tour ending in December.

“You Won’t Do Right” starts out moody and features some blazing guitar before the Santana-like vamp which has a positive-upbeat feel, letting us know that while he’s being mistreated SuperMike is always gonna win in the end. “Brand New Cadillac” is heavy-metal and Mike’s guitar is as heavy as it gets. “Turn Up!!” is almost seven minutes of funky r&b and it ain’t about turning your amp up to 11 though the solos WILL melt yo face. “I turn up when I’m with you. You turn me on, that’s what you do!” I’ve seen MWB work the crowd at the Mines into a dance frenzy with their seemingly never-ending funk medleys and I’ve seen them mesmerize hard-core blues fans with killer straight blues like “A Blind Man Can See”. The album goes out with a positive message on the new ballad-turns-rocker “Sad State of The World” ending with the positive message “We can change the world, change the world, LET’S CHANGE THE WORLD!!!!!” Go SuperMike!

Keyboardist Brian James and drummer Cleo Cole are both MWB original members and while Mike has known Larry Williams since childhood it wasn’t until years later he joined the group. Brian has played and acted as musical director for The Chi-Lites, The Drifters, Sugar Blue, John Lee Hooker, Chico Banks and Lonnie Brooks. Larry is an extraordinary bassist with unmatched stage presence and charisma. Larry has performed with B.B. King, Buddy Guy, Koko Taylor, Albertina Walker, Tyrone Davis, James Cotton, Jimmy Johnson, George Benson. He takes a baaad solo on “That’s What Love Will Make You Do”, the “Larry Williams feature” in the MWB’s live show. Cleo Cole has been playing drums since the age of 10 and he does an awesome job of driving the band on Turn Up!! Cleo has performed with Alvin Cash, Floyd Taylor, Zora Young, Maurice John Vaughn, Peaches Staten.

Look up in the sky! It’s a bird! it’s a plane! No, it’s SuperMike!

- Steve Wagner
Feb. 2016

All songs arranged by MWB
Horn arrangements by Brian James
Special thanks to all our family and friends. In memory of George Wheeler, Alice Mae Bradley, Brian Kemp and Eric “Guitar” Davis
Produced by Steve Wagner and Mike Wheeler
Album Production: Robert G. Koester
Recorded at Riverside Studio on December 18 & 19, 2015 by Steve Wagner
Mixed by Steve Wagner and Dave Katzman
Photography: Chris Monaghan, MoPhoDesign: Noah Adetunji
Mike Wheeler and Larry Williams use Elixir Strings.
Cleo Cole uses Vic Firth sticks.
Brian James uses Nord keyboards
.www.mikewheelerband.com

Other Delmark albums of interest:
Mike Wheeler, Self Made Man (824) Toronzo Cannon, John The Conquer Root (831) Leaving Mood (817)Omar Coleman, Born And Raised (840) with Mike Wheeler, Toronzo Cannon
Linsey Alexander, Been There Done That (822) Come Back Baby (838)Jimmy Johnson, Johnson’s Whacks (644) North/South (647)Syl Johnson & Hi Rhythm, Back In The Game (674)Robert Ward, New Role Soul (741)Junior Wells, Hoodoo Man Blues (612) with Buddy Guy Magic Sam, West Side Soul (615) Black Magic (620) Live (645)