JOHN WEEKS BAND
DARK ANGEL
THE HOLE–THE BLUES JUST GOT MORE BLUE–CLOSER TO HOME–HOW CAN YOU LOVE ME–DEVIL IN MY HOUSE–IMPOSSIBLE–WHAT DOES IT TAKE–SIDE NUMBER–THE ONE–DARK ANGEL
John Weeks was born in France, and got his start playing guitar and singing in clubs in Paris. Keyboard man Danny Haynes is a veteran of the Austin scene who spent some time in Australia. Vocalist Stacey Turpenoff is a dynamite singer from St. Louis, and Stephen Whitfield, from Ohio, is on bass, and New Yorker Robert Fiorino is on the drums. This eclectic and well-traveled unit is the John Weeks Band, now based out of Denver. Their latest set is “Datk Angel,” and several of the ten originals herein were played live by the band during the selection process for the Colorado Blues Society, which has propelled them to Memphis and the IBC’s in a scant few months.
These cuts are pretty much an equal split of duets between John and Stacey, or with each of them taking the lead vocal. And, the subject matter predominantly deals with the fragility and ups and downs of male-female relationships, which makes for some quite interesting music for us fans.
The set starts in a most bizarre fashion, as Stacey’s vocals spin the deadly tale of putting her abusive spouse’s body in the back seat of her car, destined for “The Hole with your name on it, way down South in Mexico!” John’s snarling guitar and Danny’s organ take on a definite voodoo chile vibe in this one! Tracey’s torchy vocal is strong and sultry on a powerful story of a good lover “leaving much too soon,” as “The Blues Just Got More Blue.” John and Tracey strike a swampy, Excello-fied groove on “Devil In My House,” and hit on a mellow, Buckingham-Nicks vibe on the acoustic tale of two forlorn lovers, “Impossible.” The jumpin’ blues of “Side Number” is John’s humorous look at what happens when Lover #1 meets up with Lover # 2!
The set closed with our favorite. Tracey’s heartfelt, poignant vocals reach down and grab your soul in “Dark Angel,” a tune that allows listeners to make their own interpretation of the subject matter.
Strong musicianship and deep original material are just what the IBC judges look for. As such, we wish the John Weeks Band and “Dark Angel” the best of luck come January! Until next time…Sheryl and Don Crow.
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