Fat Tony Stuff

The Fat Tony debut CD, "blues, swing & everything" was released in 2004. Blues fans, country music lovers, jazz heads, even punk rockers dig the sound of Fat Tony. You need one disc for your home, and another one for your office!

What's on it? Fourteen songs (close to an hour's worth of material):

1. T'aint What You Do
2. I'm a Ding Dong Daddy and I Come From Rock and Roll City
3. 4:20 Boogie
4. Bring out the Boogie
5. Swingin' With Fat Tony
6. Help Me
7. Unchain My Heart
8. No Condom Blues
9. The Manly Song
10. Can't Get the Blues
11. My Babe
12. Work Song
13. Route 66
14. Nobody Knows You When You're Down and Out

Your life is incomplete without a copy of this disc in your music collection.

Can I hear Fat Tony songs on the radio? You sure can. WFOS FM (88.7) in Chesapeake, VA, has played four or five of the songs, including "Swingin' With Fat Tony" on their weekday afternoon blues program. WHRV FM (89.5) in Norfolk, VA, has aired "I'm a Ding Dong Daddy" and "I Come From Rock and Roll City" and "4:20 Boogie" on Paul Shugrue's "Out of the Box" program. Paul played "4:20 Boogie" as one of his "Best Virginia Bands of 2004" selections during one of his December, 2004 shows, and played "Swingin' With Fat Tony" on his "Best Compilation CDs" show in December of 2005.

What have folks said about this disc?

Alan Kurzer (Norfolk, VA, area guitarist extraordinaire and writer) reviewed our CD in the January/February 2006 issue of Blues News, the Natchel Blues Network's newsletter. Here's most of his review: "Okay, so here's the deal folks. Take an American-made washtub bass and a snare drum. Throw in some Southside harmonica and a touch of tenor guitar and wailing sax. Add some rootsy vocals split four ways. Mix well with a tablespoon of humor. Here comes "Fat Tony" to swing your blues away. Chris Jones on washtub bass, Sandy Martin on harmonica, Chuck "Duck" Moebus on saxophone and guitar, Paul Mulcahy on tenor guitar, and Andy Rexroat on snare drum roar through (fourteen) tracks, including five originals. With "T'ain't What You Do," harp and sax swings like there's no tomorrow. Same results go for the shuffling "Ding Dong Daddy." The "4:20 Boogie" will bring you home with your toes tapping. "Bring Out The Boogie" swings with some nice country harp. "Swingin' With Fat Tony" is just that. The classic "Help Me" features more hot sax and harp. "Unchain My Heart" will indeed set you free. The ragtime number "No Condom Blues" is a hoot. "The Manly Song" works with rhythmic background vocals. Now if you "Can't Get The Blues", you've got some real problems. Willie Dixon's "My Babe" moves with a cool country swing feel. The instrumental "Work Song" works with a rich horn and harmonica arrangement. "Route 66" rocks with a down-home, rootsy groove. The slow blues "Nobody Knows You" slides with more great sax and harp. If you dig Fat Tony's disc, try to catch the band around the area. Live, well they're more fun than a barrel of ... you get the idea. These musicians prove that you can really get out there, play what you like, and get away with it."

Jim Newsom (Norfolk, VA area musician, writer, and bon vivant) - "It's a good-time party sound."

Bill Bass of Ninevolt Magazine (in the June 6, 2004 issue) - "blues, swing and everything is not only the title of the new CD from Fat Tony, it also describes the music the band plays. The disc features fourteen songs, of which four are originals."

Dick Cheney, Vice President of the United States - "I listen to this disc every day while in an undisclosed location."

Barry Obama - "When I hold a Beer Summit, this is what I listen to, dawg!"

A disc this great must cost a million dollars. Not really, just ten dollars (USD). At this bargain price, you can get an extra CD for Mom and Dad.

How do I get a copy? There are multiple ways to get one.

1. Go to the web page gig schedule, see when we're in your neck of the greater Norfolk, VA area woods, and get a copy at a gig from us.
2. You can also drop in and visit the fine folks at Birdland Music in Virginia Beach VA and buy one from them. Birdland (757.495.0961) is located in the Providence Square Shopping Center, at the corner of Kempsville Rd and Providence Rd.
3. You can get one by paying the band through PayPal, at ten bucks (USD) per disc plus an additional three dollars (USD) per order for postage, handling, etc. ... once I get a new email address off of the ground. For practical purposes, this way isn't the way, so go to the next suggestion, which is...
4. You can mail a personal check or money order to the band for ten bucks (USD) per disc plus an additional three dollars (USD) per order for postage, handling, etc., and I’ll have the United States Postal Service deliver them to your door. Make the check or money order out to Chris Jones, and mail it to: Fat Tony CD, c/o Moe's Music, 2923 Virginia Beach Blvd, Virginia Beach, VA 23452, USA. Again, make sure you include your complete mailing address so we know where to send it. NOTE: This is the address you can use if you want to drop us a line; it's slow, granted, but it is reliable, and it frees us from spam.

If you have any questions, e-mail or write us a letter at the above address.

A technical note about "blues, swing & everything" - it is a CD-R, so it may not play in older CD players.

In 2005, a track from "blues, swing & everything" - "Swingin' With Fat Tony" was released on the CD titled "cd4tc", a CD released in memory of long time Birdland Music staffer Tom Carroll. Proceeds from the sale of the seven song CD go to charitable activities that Tom had an interest in; get your copy at Birdland Music.

Look for a new Fat Tony CD sometime .... We'll record another discs if our mutual funds rebound from the recession.

More to come ... sometime .... C.J.

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