The new Redact Records release Don’t Hoodoo Me by Blood Fire and Rainwater is not singer-songwriter-guitarist Jack Rainwater’s first rodeo. The Seattle-based band, that also features drummer Tony Dauley, delivers raw and vitriolic blues-rock with road-tested bravado. Both Rainwater and Dauley have honed their craft in nightclubs and dive bars since the early ‘80s. “I knew Tony through the rockabilly and car club event scene,” says Rainwater. “I put out an acoustic album that had a traditional blues sound. But I wanted to get back to playing electric guitar. So, I asked Tony to play some shows with me. I was also playing with a rockabilly act that was coming to its end, so I was looking for something new to do.”
Rainwater partnered with long-time friend and Redact Records label head Christopher Haley. When he began recording tracks at Haley’s studio he had no idea what direction the music would take him. “I was going through a breakup and Chris said, ‘I bet you’ve got a couple songs in you. Let’s record a couple tracks,’” recalls Rainwater. “After we got about three or four songs in, it just kind of happened organically. We had a little money to throw at a record and so did he. So, it started as a couple friends working on a project and evolved into this band.”
Haley was so impressed with how the recording sessions were going with Rainwater and Dauley that he offered to debut Blood Fire and Rainwater as his label’s maiden voyage. With all the in-house promotion and full-service production from Redact, and distribution by Bungalo Records/Universal Music, the duo was on their way. There were, however, a few initial reservations. “I was very cynical when I first met with the Bungalo Records guy,” admits Rainwater. “In today’s world, why would they be better to handle distribution for us than ourselves? My last experience with a distributor in my previous band did not go so well. But the feeling I got from [Bungalo] is that they truly liked what we were doing and wanted to try something new.”
“I’ve toured in vans and sold merch at shows for years. But after a while you tend to play to the same people and top out. There’s got to be someplace else to go to reach new people and spread that love,” opines Rainwater on the decision to go with a major label. “I wanna get my music in the hands and ears of as many people as possible. All you really have in the music industry is your legacy, and what you create.”
Date Signed: Oct. 1, 2019
Label: Redact Records / Universal Music Group
Band Members: Jack Rainwater, guitar, vocals; Tony Dauley, drums, percussion
Type of Music: Blues/Rock
Management: N/A
Booking: N/A
Legal: N/A
Publicity: Amy B. Taylor, [email protected]
Web: redactrecords.com
A&R: Christopher Haley
