Liner Notes "The Single of the Month"

The Single of the Month Project 

The band was overjoyed. We had just secured a spot at the yearly Juke joint Festival in Clarksdale, Mississippi. A year before, we just barely had a little blues band that practiced in a garage. How did this happen? 

Back to the Beginning 

"Delta by the Beach" was supposed to be a one and done deal. The musicians were called to present a  show at the local performing arts studio, Namba Arts, in their home town of Ventura, California, up the coast and 50 miles from LA. 

 The show was to be a musical travelogue through blues history, presented in two acts, mixing more than 300 photos and maps with  live musical samples of the blues played by the band. 

For the show, Doc Ventura wanted the best blues players in the area. Milo Sledge, a regular solo performer around town, plays his guitar and harp with a vengeance and a rugged country-blues feel. Drummer Eddie Layman came with impressive credentials: stints on the Chitlin' Circuit, Jack McDuff, David Sanborn, Randy Brecker, Tal Farlow, the Pontiax, Coco Montoya and many others. 

We convened our first rehearsal in Milo's funky geodesic dome out in the woods. After that first show, we realized we were enjoying playing together, making music, hanging out, and generally having a good time. 

We began recording some things for the fun of it. The band determined to stay together. 

There was one big problem with having a new band at this time. 

The Covid pandemic closed all the venues, leaving most existing bands high and dry. A band with no backing and only the beginnings of a fan base would have no way to spread the word. There would be nowhere to go, nowhere to be seen and no gigs to promote. 

The Project 

We came up with a far-fetched idea: we'd write, record and release a new original blues song every month for a year. This was the ideal solution to our problem. We could stream a live mini-concert for record each to serve as our 'release party' and monthly live gig. We could promote our work, be seen on a reliable schedule and still remain in our Covid bubble. Best of all, it would cost $0 to get started! 

 Fortunately we had a good friend in sound engineer and award winning producer Filiverto Landeros. He cheerfully agreed to handle the sound chores, doing all the mixing and mastering and using his ear to guide us. 

Postscript 

We completed the project successfully, releasing twelve singles. We didn't even miss any deadlines. This album is a compilation of all the songs from The Single of the Month project. 

Now, a year later we can reflect on how far we've come: more than a quarter million Spotify streams, 35k YouTube watchers, and Ventura County Music Award nominations in three categories, including Best Blues Band. The project succeeded in allowing us to put the band in front of people. We are now getting offers from larger stages and even festivals. Now were an 'official' band. 

Ironic postscript: some venues opened by March of 2021 and we ended up performing 100 live gigs in addition to this project! 

We are very grateful to the many people that have supported us. We hope you enjoy the music and don't forget - we promise we won't - those Festival gigs we've booked for the coming Summer. 

Please join our mailing list so we can keep you up to date on our next record and our continuing story. 

DOC, MILO, EDDIE 

 

JOIN OUR MAILING LIST 

 

www.DeltabytheBeach.com

BACK COVER

1. You Did a Bad Deed 
2. 1000 Tears 
3. How Do You Treat Me Like You Do 
4. Tired of My Luck 
5. I Need Your Squeezin (Feat. Robert Kyle) 
6. Give Me Back My Tears 
7. Baby You Got What I Need 
8. You Made a Mistake 
9. Delta by the Beach (Feat. Flattop Tom) 
10. Wanted Man (Feat. David Gorospe) 
11. She Did It 
12. Very Best Christmas This Year 

Doc Ventura - Baritone Guitar, Electric and Acoustic Guitar, Harp, Vocals 
Milo Sledge - Guitar, Slide Guitar , Harp, Vocals 
Eddie Layman - Drums 

Songs by Timothy A. Schulfer  (except #6  by Michael John Sarver) 
Produced by Doc Ventura / Filiverto Landeros 
Coaching by Will Hanson 

Photography kala-k.com 

Copyright 2022  C Street Records 
Copyright 2022 Blue Acou Music (BMI) 

Join our Mailing List 
www.DeltabytheBeach.com