Red Hot from Blue Rock CD and Reviews Red Hot from Blue Rock CD and Reviews In a Honky-Tonk Mood CD and Reviews The Lucky Tomblin Band CD and Reviews  CD/DVD Released at
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1. Honky Tonk Song (3:32) Lead vocals: Lucky Tomblin
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"If they awarded PhDs for honky-tonk, we'd be calling the members of the Lucky Tomblin Band Doctor" ... For those who like buckle-polishing music done with maximum finesse and attention to detail, it doesn't get much better than this."
— Wm. Michael Smith, Texas Music Magazine, Fall 2007
"Another surefire batch of songs with great pickin' by the amazing Redd Volkaert and John Reed, many of these songs fit into the honky-tonk heaven category... All are so good they make this a perfect listen... A bonus DVD lets you in on the recording process, and it's easy to see why the record is so much fun to hear - everyone is enjoying themselves."
— Vintage Guitar Magazine (December 2007)
"There are no fiddles or steel guitars on The Lucky Tomblin Band's third CD, Red Hot from Blue Rock, but that's about all that's missing from this classic honky-tonk collection. Neither are there many smooth-voiced modern country crooners; the six - yes six - lead vocalists here have pleasntly flawed, real voices - that's a compliment - that fit these songs to a T."
— From the review by Tom Geddie in the October issue "Buddy" magazine.
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1. I Done It Lucky Tomblin vocals An mp3 Player is required to listen to song samples;
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Here's the link to a great LTB review from the Rambles.net web site.
To those of us who grew up in another era, the phrase "country music" conjures up images and sounds like few emanating from Nashville's song factory these days. I'm sure we've grown into bores on the subject, in the manner of those old geezers who would annoy us in our youth with their tedious insistence that everything used to be better.
Read it all here.
The Lucky Tomblin Band
In A Honky-Tonk Mood – 2006 (Texas World)
Reviewed by Dan MacIntosh at Country Standard Time
If this Lucky Tomblin Band CD doesn't put you in a honky-tonk mood, there's either something wrong with you, or you're not really listening. These bar-ready performances are consistently excellent, due to this disc's studio-star presence of Earl Poole Ball (piano) and Redd Volkaert (lead guitar), among others.
Read it all here.
Check out the rave CD review of the LTB in Gritz Magazine
GRITZ MAGAZINE - APRIL 2006
The Lucky Tomblin Band,
In A Honky Tonk Mood
(Texas World Records)
Well, the sad news out of Nashville has been expounded on over and over again in recent years. Where the hell did real country music go?? The Nashvegas corporate types hijacked the genre sometime back, and I've been snooping around for some real honky tonk ever since. The good news is that time and time again the place to find some real country music is in the Lone Star State. From Billy Joe Shaver to the Flatlanders to Dale Watson to Asleep At The Wheel to Cory Morrow to Pat Green to Willie Nelson, Texas continues to produce great sounds and at the top of the list for me is the Lucky Tomblin Band.
Read more here.
There's a rave review of "In a Honky Tonk Mood" in the May/June issue of No Depression, just out & written by Mike Smith of Houston. Here's a sample:
"(Lucky) and his all-star band don't just dust off obscure Texas classics, they revive them, filling them with fresh energy and paying homage to key figures in the genre such as Floyd Tillman, Johnny Horton and Moon Mullican ... this set of deep-cut covers unfolds like an enjoyable honky-tonk history lesson."
The Lucky Tomblin Band - In a Honky Tonk Mood
from The Celebrity Cafe
This is a real "country blue grass get down funky tonk veteran" laden CD, with some edgy rocking swinging beats. The seven musicians, led by Lucky Tomblin, come straight from the heart of Austin, Texas. None is a stranger to the limelight or the country touring circuit.
The piano playing is phenomenal. The vocals and lyrics have some humor and emotion for they tell a story like most country songs. The music is a blend of swing, jazz and country, with an uplifting upbeat tempo throughout — pretty much toe tapping, line dancing, head bopping good fun — with an exception made for four slower songs. In a Honky Tonk Mood should not be undiscovered and would definitely excite the country music fan.
Reviewer: Erika Ellis
Reviewer's Rating: 8.5
The Lucky Tomblin Band - In a Honky-Tonk Mood
from Virginian-Pilot
The Lucky Tomblin Band's latest has the ability to transform any abode - no matter the dwelling or country - into a sawdust-on-the-floor, longnecks-chillin'-on-the-bar, sweaty Texas roadhouse..... And what a dancehall dust-up they create. The band effortlessly churns swing, country-blues,Texas two-steps and slow tear-in-beer waltzes... It's a true honky-tonk summit with twanging gee-tars, rollicking piano, lively singing from both Tomblin and the band and enough rhythmic energy to fuel a year's worth of Saturday nights.
By Eric Feber
The Lucky Tomblin Band CD and Reviews  |
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Purchase this and other fine Texas CDs at: |
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The Lucky Tomblin Band
Texas World Records, 2003
"Bob Wills did not set out to invent "Western Swing," but just wanted to have a swinging band and used the musicians ready at hand. Since Wills grew up loving country, jazz and the blues and it was natural for him to blend them all together. In just this way San Antonio, Texas native Lucky Tomblin has created a marvelous amalgam of swing, honky-tonk, and Texican. Masters of the piano and Telecaster pedal-steel and piano invigorate the understated vocals of songwriter Tomblin. His first public appearance was at the Grand Ole Opry special in San Antonio, where he shared the stage with Roger Miller, Little Jimmy Dickens and Ray Price." ---- True West Magazine, April 2004
“Lucky Tomblin …brings together a batch of country veterans to tour honk-tonks and broken hearts. With Redd Volkaert and Cindy Cashdollar on guitars and Earl Poole Ball on piano, this is a swinging affair, tight but casual. Much of it is classic honky tonk with Western Swing piled on top…Tomblin's plaintive vocals recall Lefty Frizzell, Lyle Lovett's lilt, and a bit of Willie…He pulls this CD off because the music has variety, emotion and some strong, sure hands at work.”
---- No Depression Jan-Feb 2004
The Lucky Tomblin Band's new self titled CD is one of the top 20 CD's of 2003!
– Barry Mazor, Senior Editor, No Depression
San Antonio Express-News January 23, 2004 Jim Beal Jr. - Lucky release
Lucky Tomblin grew up in San Antonio, where he worked his way through San Antonio College and St. Mary's Law School delivering ice. Tomblin also has long been part of various music scenes, winning a San Antonio edition of a Grand Ol' Opry talent show in the early '60s and, since then, doing things such as operating a recording studio and running a publishing company.
Tomblin has worked live and on albums with the horn-driven R&B/rock 'n' roll Lucky 13 and with his contemporaries, Augie Meyers and Doug Sahm. He also has a country side. Last year Tomblin and an all-star band released the country-flavored CD "The Lucky Tomblin Band."
Tomblin and company are finally getting around to celebrating the release of the disc. The first release party happens at 9 Friday night at Cheatham Street Warehouse in San Marcos. Augie will be a featured guest.
"The Lucky Tomblin Band," the CD and the band, are packed with talent. Tomblin sings. The crew includes Sarah Brown (bass, vocals), Earl Poole Ball (piano), Redd Volkaert (guitar), Cindy Cashdollar (steel guitar), Jon Hahn (drums) and Fire Station Recording Studio knob wizard Bobby Arnold (rhythm guitar).
When it comes to making music, Tomblin has long been an eclectic, and that eclecticism shows in the song selection on "The Lucky Tomblin Band." Tomblin penned several cuts, including "Dancehall Sweetheart" and "Out of Your Mind." He also covers hip selections, including J.R. Chatwell's "Never Slept a Wink"; Atwood Allen's "Rain Man"; "Deadwater" by Doug Fesler and Alex Morgan; Meyers' "Please Don't Tease Me"; and Peter Keane's "Illegal Man."
The songs run the country/Texas gamut from rave-up honky-tonk to the tender ballad "Soul in Time," written by Tomblin and Cashdollar. And, because a Tomblin Band show obviously isn't an everyday occurrence, Friday night's Cheatham Street party promises to be quite an event.
The Lucky Tomblin Band The Lucky Tomblin Band 2003 Texas World Records
With a band like – super guitarist, Redd Volkaert (Merle Haggard), steel guitar/dobro Cindy Cashdollar (Asleep at the Wheel, Bob Dylan), piano man Earl Poole Ball (Johnny Cash, Gram Parsons, The Byrds), bassist Sarah Brown (Buddy Guy, Albert Collins, Billy Bragg,), drummer Jon Hahn (Radney Foster, Joe Ely) and rhythm guitarist Bobby Arnold (Fire Station Recording Studio Engineer/Wizard) how can Lucky Tomblin miss? He doesn't! Check out their new self titled CD; one of The Shadow pick's for 2003
--- Lamont Real Music Guide of Austin
The Lucky Tomblin Band (Texas World Records) 11 suave country numbers "Ain't No Piece of Cake" and "Never Slept a Wink" honky-tonk with the best, tasteful guitar and steel interplay and Tomblin's lazy drawl draped over the top. What makes the album remarkable is the flawless playing and arrangements; check out the solo work on the bluesy shuffle "Out of Your Mind" and how it perfectly complements Tomblin's honeyed delivery.
- JERRY RENSHAW October 17, 2003 Austin Chronicle
Santa Monica Mirror January 7 -13, 2004 ...In a similar ballpark is Austin's The Lucky Tomblin Band. It's a lively barbecue where the spicy sauce is a tangy Tex-Mex mix of Western Swing, straight-up country and down home blues. It's hard to listen to an album like this without the ghost of Doug Sahm floating in with a beer in one hand and guitar in the other. His presence looms especially large over “Illegal Man” which makes sense, since Sahm's old pal Augie Meyers is playing accordion. Tomblin (who also used to play with Sahm) has done something to make that San Antone legend proud .
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Tony Peyser Mirror contributing writer
The Philadelphia Inquirer Record reviews The Lucky Tomblin Band The Lucky Tomblin Band (Texas World ***) Lucky Tomblin....has a hot band featuring some of Austin's finest musicians, including guitarist Redd Volkaert and piano man Earl Poole Ball. They get plenty of chance to show their stuff - but never show off - on a quite engaging set of traditional country that also touches on Western swing, blues and conjunto . Tomblin, who wrote or cowrote five of the 11 tunes, sets the inviting tone with his easygoing drawl. - Nick Cristiano
Get Lucky with the Lucky Tomblin Band By Jenifer Hanen, Editor, Barflies.net
The Lucky Tomblin Band, self-titled (Texas World Records)
There's country music and then there is good country music. Really, there is. I used to be one of those people who said, “I like all kinds of music, except country and hip hop.” Country music meant a lot of things to me: white trash, the South, bad hair and hats, bad lyrics and cheesy music. Basically all the shit that Nashville peddles. About five years ago, I heard CDs by Texas artists Dale Watson and Asleep at the Wheel and my opinion on country changed. These bands were damned good. How come the country music machine was not exposing my poor little ears to such tasty treats? Rat Bastards! Peddlers of pap! Pimps of such pop whores as Shania, Tim & Faith, Billy Ray, and Garth! Nashville has been depriving the world of good, real, authentic music since the early 1970s.
The Lucky Tomblin Band has delivered authentic, heartening country music on their self-titled CD. From Western Swing, Honky Tonk, to Shuffle, to Skiffle, heartbreak ballads, to God only knows what sub-category of country music it is, but the Lucky Tomblin band delivers. And delivers. And delivers. Lucky Tomblin, Redd Volkaert, Cindy Cashdollar (Asleep at the Wheel), and other Texas veterans comprise of the band, a veritable super group of who is who of Texas underground and mainstream country music.
The true treats of this CD is the songs, non-cliche lyrics and the instrumentation. Many times a band may have excellent musicians but the songs lack or vice versa. Earl Pool Ball's piano work pops out delighting the listener's ears, and Jon Hahn's drumming weaves in, weaves out, skiffles this way and wire brushes that way, making me want to dance around the living room with an imaginary tall, dark, handsome, good-dancing man.
The stand out songs among an overall excellent collection are “Ain't No Piece of Cake,” “In Love,” “Out of Your Mind,” and "Sense of Wonder." Be they slow or fast, honky tonk or ballad, the songs on the Lucky Tomblin Band CD are true gold, the real thing not the fools good that Nashville pawns off to the public.
Thank you, Mr. Tomblin and company. Five out of Five Stars
musicmisfits.com The Lucky Tomblin Band
“While this may be the first record for this band, the members are an all-star team of players, many legendary in country music. Lucky Tomblin himself toured with Doug Sahm. If you don't know Sahm, go hurt yourself. Tomblin also produced records for Joe Ely and Jerry Jeff Walker . This first record from his band swings and rocks at the same time, making for a damn good time. This is a record that will make you dance one minute, such as the Tex-Mex blast of “Illegal Man,” and move you a moment later, such as “Out of Your Mind.” And when was the last time you heard a country song set in Paris? The players on these songs include pianist Earle Poole Ball, who played with Gram Parsons and Johnny Cash , and Redd Volkaert, lead guitarist for Merle Haggard's touring band. If you're a fan of Asleep at the Wheel, the Sir Douglas Quartet, or Bob Wills , this album is for you. If you're a Ministry fan, you might want to keep moving.
~~ Record Roundup by Will
The Lucky Tomblin Band The Lucky Tomblin Band 2003 Texas World 
Album Review To those on the parameter, the no depression movement is represented by a handful of bands ( Uncle Tupelo , Whiskeytown ) and a limited style that crosses country and rock. In truth, however, no depression or alternative country is just a catch phrase for a plethora of bands and styles. Take the Lucky Tomblin Band. Its specialty is Western swing, that Texas-based style made famous by Bob Wills and featuring lots of fancy steel and electric guitar licks. Lead vocalist Tomblin and company add lively piano and eschew the traditional twin fiddles for a trim, muscular sound. This all works exceptionally well, the group ...turns in good performances and is sure to capture the attention of ardent Western swing fans.
~ Ronnie D. Lankford, Jr., All Music Guide
LUCKY TOMBLIN BAND
The Lucky Tomblin Band (Texas World Records)
Reviewed by Eric Steiner COSMIK DEBRIS EZINE
” Singer/songwriter Lucky Tomblin's band rivals the Flatlanders in their interpretations of traditional Texas music; they've helped me re-experience country and western music. This CD is pure old-time country, just like the Flatlanders play. Tomblin's recruited Telecaster wizard Redd Volkaert (Merle Haggard), dobro doyenne Cindy Cashdollar (Asleep at the Wheel, Leon Redbone), piano man Earl Poole Ball (The Byrds, Johnny Cash), bassist Sarah Brown (Bonnie Raitt, Buddy Guy, Albert Collins, Dr. John), drummer Jon Hahn and rhythm guitarist Bobby Arnold for a first-class CD. Lucky's also got some guests aboard this time, with Mark Kazinoff (Kim Wilson, Walter T. Higgs) on harmonica and Augie Meyers (Sir Douglas Quintet, Bob Dylan) on accordion. There's Texas swing, heartfelt ballads, uptempo two-step, and Americana aplenty on this debut CD from Texas World Records. “ © 2003 - Eric Steiner
“Lucky Tomblin creates an atmospheric, eclectic set that brings together elements of western swing, Tex-Mex, and blues with just a hint of '60s rock'n'roll. An equally potent contribution is made by former Sir Douglas Quintet co-founder Augie Myers, whose accordion work adds ethnic flavor to an evocative sympathy for undocumented workers anthem ("Illegal Man.") Yet it is Tomblin's understated vocal reminiscent of Lefty Frizzell that threads together such disparate styles as harmonica-laden drinking blues, philosophic Dylan styled rock and pining '50s honky-tonk. Tomblin elicits wisdom and road weary joy at nearly every rhythmic juncture. Moreover, many of the songs on this recommended disc provide a smart excuse for cheek-to-cheek dancing, Texas roadhouse style.”
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