Catfish

A rising force in the British Blues scene, international touring powerhouse Catfish is blazing its blues-rock trail. Their first release, So Many Roads reached #1 in the Independent Blues Broadcasters Association (IBBA) airplay charts, as did their next, Broken Man, comprised of mostly original material. The 2019 album, Burning Bridges, received excellent reviews in the UK and Europe and was the third most played by the IBBA in 2019. Nominated in five categories for the 2021 UK Blues Awards and winning the Best Instrumentalist for guitarist Matt Long, the same event in 2020 chose them as Band of the Year and again crowned Long Blues Instrumentalist adding to previous awards earned in 2016 and 2018. Will Carter, Two Finger Media. dubbed the band’s 2020 release Exile - Live in Lockdown, “A true lockdown masterpiece full of anger frustration, defiance, and hope.” Paul Dubbelman of PCN Magazine called it, “Quality, high-octane blues-rock, full of emotion.”  Regularly touring the UK and Europe, Omaha will be their only U.S. stop.

Exploding onto the blues scene in 2020 in the UK and elsewhere, the British husband and wife duo have an ever-growing online fan base and have been played regularly on BBC Radio 2. In 2021 it was the first band to win 4 UK Blues Awards in the same year and was Voted Best New Band 2021 by Planet Rock listeners. WRM’s unique harmonic vocal-led approach to songwriting, dirty electric guitar, slide resonator mandolin, and fiddle creates a uniquely distinctive and contemporary blues-rock sound that echoes 1970s classic rock with hints of the 1930s blues that inspire them. In 2020, the duo released their debut album We Fly Free to critical acclaim from the UK radio and media as well as reaching #1 in the Blues Album Charts on iTunes. Their sophomore album Saving Grace is nominated for a 2022 UK Blues Album of the Year, gained rave press reviews, and charted #2 UK Official Jazz & Blues Albums Chart, #5 UK Official Album Downloads Chart, and #6 UK Official Independent Albums Chart Top 50.

Harris James' sound is a kaleidoscope of deep grooves, atmospheric instrumental passages, harmonies, and poetic flashes in a musical terrain that ranges from acoustic old-time to amped-up Hill Country to electrified trance blues-rock. Chicago-based singer-songwriter and fiddle player Anne Harris has been crafting her unique sound and captivating audiences over countless performances in the US and abroad. Her collaborations range from Doyle Bramhall II to Jefferson Starship and Otis Taylor with whom she appeared in Omaha. BluesWax says of Harris, “She inhabits the music, or maybe the music inhabits her, but it is impossible not to be drawn under her spell.” Singer-songwriter Markus James recorded 5 critically acclaimed albums of original Blues-based music with traditional musicians in Mali, West Africa. (See August 13th bio.) Blues producer Richard Shurman says, “Between them, they make heavily blues-infused music, which is edgy, haunting, cinematic, compelling, soulful, and deeply rooted. ……thoughtful, exploratory, and evocative music with a memorable presentation, this is an alliance not to be missed.”