The Cobalt Rhythm Kings! 
The Cobalt Rhythm Kings!
Cobalt Hot Links
Use these to reach some of The Cobalt Rhythm Kings' friends, influences and other cool stuff!
Click here to visit The Cobalt Rhythm Kings' new MySpace page:
Click here to check out The Cobalt Rhythm Kings' electronic press kit:
Click here to visit www.tsunamibluesaid.com, the website for the Connecticut Blues Society's two 2005 tsunami blues benefits -- organized by Mark Zaretsky of The Cobalt Rhythm Kings -- which raised thousands of dollars to aid recovery from one of the worst natural disasters of our time. We've left the website up to commemorate the events. But it also contains some great photos of and links to some of Connecticut's top blues bands!
Some key blues organizations and resources:
Connecticut Blues Society
- clearinghouse for all things blue in CT
The Blues Foundation
- clearinghouse for all things blue -- period!
Barrelhouse Blues -- "The ultimate soul food . . . " This Boston-based blues site is a great resource for everything going on in the blues scene throughout New England and beyond. It's home some great band and Web links as well as to the New England Blues Calendar, among other things.
Dave Carpenter's The Blues Bus Depot -- an excellent collection of southern New England blues info.
The Blues Bus Concert Calendar -- detailed schedule of where to find blues in Connecticut and beyond.
Blues Web -- a very extensive and comprehensive collection of blues links!
Blues Revue -- The world's largest circulation blues magazine -- an excellent resource for information on both traditional and contemporary American blues with lots of cool reviews in the back.
Living Blues Magazine -- The grandaddy of blues magazines and still an excellent read. Living Blues has more of an emphasis on traditional blues as an extension of African-American culture and is afffiliated with the University of Southern Mississippi. It also has lots of cool reviews in the back.
Elmore Magazine -- This promising new magazine, published out of New York City, is all about American roots music, including but not limited to the blues. We like it. So should you.
Some of the best radio stations and radio shows we know:
Beef Stew's MegaBlues.com -- Beef Stew helps spread the gospel of the blues to huge numbers of listeners on the Sunday night blues show on WCCC, Hartford, CT's rock station. He also has tons of great stuff on his web site, including links to almost everything blue! - Sunday Night Blues, 6pm to midnight on 106.9 FM, WCCC, in Connecticut
UltraRadio.com -- great New Haven-based Internet radio station, which plays lots of local Connecticut music, has presented the Hard Drive Live local music series on Wednesday nights at Alchemy at College and Crown in New Haven and also organizes the city of New Haven's totally fun Blues, Berries and Jams summer outdoor farmers' market and concert series. Thanks guys!
WPKN -- a great, wildly eclectic college/public radio station in Bridgeport, CT. -- home to Bill Nolan, one of the longest-running blues, rock & roll and old school R & B DJs on Earth, as well as blues DJ Bob Shapiro, "music in shades of black" renaissance man Amir Rashidd, jazzman Phil Bowler and his partner in the WPKN Jazz and Blues Line, Janine Bujalski, among many others.
WNHU -- another fine, eclectic college station in West Haven, CT. Home to some great DJ's, including soul blues diva Rusty J, old time rocker Rockin' Richard and rockabilly/psychobilly and roots rocker Michelle Terranova.
Go Cat Go Radio -- WNHU DJ and roots rock music promoter Michelle Terranova has a killer web site that tells you all you need to know about rockabilly and psychobilly music and where to find it -- including listings and great links to find other great culture and music, including The Cobalt Rhythm Kings and many others!
WPLR -- New Haven's leading commercial station -- not much blues but they have a great local bands show on Sunday nights and the morning guys, Chaz & AJ, have had Mark on a few times to talk.
WXRT in Chicago -- one of the granddaddies of progressive FM stations and still one of the best! Tom Marker does a great blues show on Sunday nights!
Some great music venues we love and have played at:
Cafe Nine -- aka "The Musicians' Living Room!" Cafe Nine is one of our favorite music clubs in downtown New Haven -- home of a great Sunday night blues jam and birthplace of The Cobalt Rhythm Kings and many other bands. It's run by musicians, brings in some of the best American roots bands both from the neighborhood and off the road and is one of the friendliest, best-seasoned music rooms anywhere!
Toad's Place -- Connecticut's best overall music showcase club, known as the place "where the legends play." The Cobalt Rhythm Kings are pleased to have shared the stage at Toad's with a number of those legends, including the great Johnny Winter!, Debbie Davies, the Fabulous Thunderbirds, Roomful of Blues, Ronnie Earl and the Broadcasters and one of Connecticut's all-time great party bands, B. Willie Smith!
Chow Dim Sum Wine Bar -- Chow, one of downtown New Haven, CT.'s hippest restaurants and night spots, was Cobalt home base on Friday nights for a solid year in 2006 and 2007 -- and we still play there every month or two. Chow has awesome drinks, cool art on the walls and a great, Asian-influenced menu. It also is one of the few bars in New Haven to feature Gosling's Black Seal dark rum from Bermuda -- Mark's all-time favorite!
Cafe Atlantique -- Wonderful, French-influenced Bohemian coffee shop and crepe-sandwich-and-salad joint in the heart of Milford, CT. Occasional outdoor Cobalt performances in the summer. A true community arts center!
Black-Eyed Sally's -- Connecticut's best blues club, located in downtown Hartford -- home every year of the Connecticut Blues Challenge.
Some fine publications where you can read about Connecticut news & blues:
New Haven Register -- New Haven's daily newspaper and Connecticut's second largest, with an excellent Weekend section on Fridays. It includes a comprehensive local music calendar and a consistently interesting column by Patrick Ferrucci.
Play -- Greater New Haven's upstart arts and entertainment weekly. Full of cultural listings and articles about cool lifestyle things you didn't know you needed to know about -- but do! Nice music column by Nick Scalia. Owned by the same folks who own the New Haven Register.
New Haven Advocate -- Greater New Haven's longtime alternative news and entertainment weekly, with good local music and cultural listings in the center pages and cultural commentary by Chris Arnott, Kathleen Cei and others. Now owned by the same folks who own the Hartford Courant. Its parent company also publishes the Hartford Advocate and the Fairfield Weekly, among others.
Hartford Courant -- Connecticut's largest daily newspaper. The Courant has an excellent Thursday Calendar section with lots of club listings and well-written music columns by Eric Danton (rock) and Owen McNally (jazz.)
Connecticut Post -- Fairfield County's largest newspaper, based in Bridgeport. The Post has a fine Preview section on Thursdays with plenty of club listings and a good music column by Sean Spillane.
New Haven Independent -- Not much blues in the Independent, but this great new "hyperlocal" online newspaper does an excellent job of covering New Haven with very few resources. A good place to find stories that fill in the gaps between what you might find in the local daily and weeklies.
Some other folks who have supported us, who we support:
The Arts Council of Greater New Haven -- New Haven's arts central!
The Milford Fine Arts Council -- Milford, CT's arts central!
The Shoreline Arts Alliance -- Arts Central for the CT shoreline east of New Haven.
Norwalk Harbor Splash! festival -- This great street festival is put on the first weekend in June each year by the South Norwalk Business Association.
Connecticut Music.com -- a nice collection of links to Connecticut bands.
Tri-State Bands -- an excellent window into the Tri-State music scene.
Music Jam Central -- a similar window, except it's got bands from all over the U.S. and beyond!
ProBands.com -- a nice collection of links to bands, ,musicians, singers & songwriters.
Blues and other vintage style:
Leopard Lady Lounge -- Your online home for all kinds of cool vintage, retro and in many cases just plain hip stuff -- everything from vintage clothing and jewelry to Tiki stuff, Hawaiian shirts, lounge wear, bowling shirts, western wear and, yes, leopard and tiger print clothing! Check it out!
Some of our friends and cohorts in the blues and otherwise:
Arlee Leonard -- this NYC / New Orleans bluesy jazz singer, originally from Oakland with strong links to New Orleans and Detroit, has one of the best voices you'll ever hear! Seriously -- go listen now! She's also a good friend, fellow Banana Slug and occasional Cobalt collaborator.
B. Willie Smith -- B. Willie Smith was the hottest thing in CT blues in the late 70's and through the 80's -- and now they're back! Go figure! Go see 'em if you can -- and if you're REALLY lucky, The Cobalt Rhythm Kings will be opening for them as we have three times in the past three years!
Bluzberry Pi -- fine blues-rock band out of Wallingford, CT.
Camper Van Beethoven -- one of the original indie rock bands, originally hot in the 1980s but they're back now and better than ever! Not blues, but we love 'em and they're Mark's friends from way back when in Santa Cruz. Take The Skinheads Bowling, baby!
Dave Bernstein -- This awesome, extremely tasty San Francisco jazz and blues guitarist also was a good friend of Mark's since they both were students in the 'Cruz. Unfortunately, Dave passed away on May 3, 2008, way too soon, after a three-year battle with throat cancer. But his music lives on -- and you ought to know both him and his music if you don't already!
David Immergluck -- Sometimes it seems as if this great rock guitarist -- and college buddy of Cobalt harp player Mark Zaretsky -- is everywhere: lead guitarist for Counting Crows, co-leader of Glider, sometimes member of Camper Van Beethoven and Cracker, former guitarist for John Hiatt, former and sometimes member of the Monks of Doom. You get the idea. David is best known as a guitarist, but he's also an awesome mandolin and pedal steel player.
DW Armstrong and the Rent Party -- great, long-running New Haven, CT-based blues band. 2001 Connecticut Blues Challenge winners.
Garry and the Moodswingers -- one of Connecticut's longest running blues acts. Garry's got a great voice and is both a great blues harp player and guitarist. He recently moved down to North Carolina but we still love him and claim him!
INITY reggae band -- not the blues, but this is Cobalt bass player Wendell Jones' other band, also home to former Cobalt drummer Luke Rodney!
Mike Law and the Playboys -- one of Connecticut's coolest -- and youngest -- blues bands!
Rocky Lawrence -- this New Haven bluesman and onetime Cobalt guitarist does Robert Johnson as well as anyone, playing in blues festivals all over the world.
George Lesiw Band -- This excellent blues-jazz-jam fusion band is fronted by founding Cobalt guitarist George Lesiw and also features longtime Cobalt drummer Gil Hawkins Jr. on drums! Another fine member of the Cobalt family!
Mark Naftalin's BluesPower.com -- Mark Naftalin is a killer piano player and prolific producer with a historic role in music. Now a resident of Westport after a few decades in the Bay Area and a some high-profile years in Chicago, this Minnesota native pretty much has done it all: keyboard player for The Paul Butterfield Blues Band, host of Mark Naftalin's Blues Power Hour for years on San Francisco's KALW, 91.7 FM. He has presented scores of live shows on both coasts and played on such classic albums as Otis Rush's "Right Place, Wrong Time," Van Morrison's "Saint Domenic's Preview" no fewer than FOUR albums by John Lee Hooker and Brewer & Shipley's "Tarkio Road."
Tom Nagy -- This is the web page for former -- and still occasional -- Cobalt drummer Tom Nagy.
Ryan Hartt and the Blue Hearts -- 2003 and 2006 Connecticut Blues Challenge champs. You may think it's unusual for an East Coast band to specialize in West Coast swing -- but hey, when you swing you swing, and these guys do.
Dave Specter -- Delmark recording artist, great Chicago guitarist and one of the best we know of at walking the tightrope between blues and jazz-- and he knows where all the good corned beef sandwiches can be found!
Triple Threat Blues Band -- another of Connecticut's longest running blues bands -- always a great time.
XY Eli Band -- XY is the bomb! As someone once said, "XY Eli Band has taken the blues out of the Mississippi delta and sent it to Mars"
The HooDoo Band -- 2004 Connecticut Blues Challenge champs -- on hiatus last time we looked, but their website is still up and maybe they'll be back out sometime soon!
Some excellent blues links:
The Maxwell Street tribute page: Save Maxwell Street - Gregg Parker, Chicago Blues Museum
http://www.openair.org/maxwell/lcbm.html
A great blues links page, put together and maintained by former Paul Butterfield Blues Band keyboard player Mark Naftalin and his Winner Productions:
http://www.island.net/~blues/links.html
The Chicago Public Library's Chicago Blues Archives:
http://www.chipublib.org/001hwlc/vpablues/cba.html
www.americanbluesnetwork.com
Harmonica stuff -- places to learn about and buy 'em:
David Barrett's Harmonica Masterclass.com
Some Internet directories where you can find The Cobalt Rhythm Kings:
ArtDesy.net -- a directory of Art links
GuitarPlayerWorld
Learn & Play Guitar | Free Guitar Lessons Online
Lots more hot links coming soon . . .
For more information, to join the Cobalt e-mail list or to book The Cobalt Rhythm Kings, call 203-415-1670 or e-mail: info(at)cobaltrhythmkings.com
