New York, NY (Top40 Charts) Atlanta-based Ragtime/Dixieland/Gypsy jazz artist Blair Crimmins and his band The Hookers will release their new album You Gotta Sell Something! on February 17th via New Rag Records. Their fourth studio release following 2013's Sing-a-Longs, this new album delivers more of their signature sound of supercharged Ragtime and Swing while also reaching into some new territory with Gospel and Soul. Today, they released the video for their lead single "Top of the Class", premiered on Glide Magazine, which addresses one-night stands, gender stereotypes, and bee endangerment.
"Since my wife gave me the song idea, it seemed fitting that she play the main character of Doug the Bee, a sad bee that needs a little pollen action," Crimmins told Glide. "Also, I think the gender bending aspect helps make it relatable to people of all genders and sexualities. We were inspired by videos from the 80's by Cindy Lauper and Huey Lewis. They were always colorful, fun and without pretension. Since we had a bee as the star of the video, it seemed fitting to add a link at the end to The
Honey Bee Conservancy so people can learn about bee keeping and some of the current concerns about the bee population. Overall, I hadn't seen a video with a dancing bee in it since 1992 and it was about time someone did it again!"
With the premiere of the track last week, The Boot raved "Fusing jazz, Dixieland and the blues, Crimmins and the Hookers are known for old-school tunes with a heavy sprinkling of snark."
Blair Crimmins and The Hookers combine a unique blend of 1920's Dixieland jazz, ragtime, swing, gypsy guitar, stride piano, rapid strumming banjo, and a New Orleans style horn section that keeps the joint jumping while Crimmins sings in his clever lyrical style which is both humorous and sincere. It's a sound that is at once modern while deeply rooted in the past, yet influenced by Crimmins' time as guitarist/frontman for alternative rockers Bishop Don. A multi-instrumentalist and a music academic, Crimmins has claimed in jest to be "possessed by a ghost who makes me play ragtime music."
A growing force in the Southeast US since their inception in 2009, Crimmins and his 7-piece band have played hundreds of shows all over the country and opened for artists such as The Preservation Hall Jazz Band and Mumford and Sons. They've released three albums as well as written the musical score for the independent film Old Man Cabbage. Crimmins was the critics pick for Best Songwriter of 2013 by Creative Loafing who raved "If he caters to any genre, it's one that's entirely his own, and that's something a lot of guys with pens and guitars either don't know how to do, or don't have the guts to do." His debut 2010 release The Musical Stylings Of became a college radio sensation on WRAS Atlanta making him the most requested band on the air. His last album Sing-a-Longs went to #21 on the EuroAmerican radio chart and earned him a nomination at The Georgia
Music Awards for Best Jazz Artist.
Track List:
01) You Gotta Sell Something
02) Beautiful Thang
03) Top of the Class
04) I'm Gone
05) Hot Damn!
06) Wandering Joe
07) In The Neighborhood
08) You're a Pain
09) Passed Around
10) Gypsy Lullaby
