Photo by Mike Wagner
 Vegas Blue CD A whole new set of citygrass goodness! $ 9.99 If you can't afford the full price of any of my CDs, just send me an email with the ones you want listed and your mailing address, and I'll put them in the mail. If you can donate anything at all to help with expenses, just click the button below. If you can't afford anything, accept the music as a gift!
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Also Available
 Blue York (Full CD with extra bonus track!) Bonus track not available on iTunes or Amazon.com. Also, if you buy it directly from me, you can pay whatever you like. $8.99 is just the asking price. If that's too rich for your blood, just email me and I'll send you a copy the old fashioned way. $ 8.99 |
Special Thanks
Vegas Blue would have never happened without the help of this fine bunch of folks.
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BLUE YORK reviews
author: susie fryett
Ear Candy! Wow, what a grand ride this album is, I discover something new each time I hear it. Great songwriting, wonderful vocal leads and harmonies, creative instrumental licks, this has it all. A fine project from start to finish, it is a must have!!
author: AshBrooke Grace Music
I can't take this out of the CD player. The melodies are memorable, the hooks abound, the musicianship is quality, and the lyrics are intelligent and capturing. Here's hoping for major airplay.
There's a new band in town, and the town's not Nashville. . .it's New York City. Singer/Songwriter John thomas Oaks has come out with an incredible debut bluegrass album. I wasn't sure what to expect when this was first recommended to me, but I can honestly say that it's the best 'newgrass' release I've heard all year. These songs have been playing non-stop on my iPod for the last week, and I don't see that changing anytime soon. Whether it's the fire-friction banjo of "Goin' Up to Harlem," the stirring nostalgia of "Blue" (which one can assume inspired the excellent cover art), the catchy tune and down-south vibe of "Roseangela," or the edgy groove of "Liberation," you can drop your iTunes needle anywhere on BLUE YORK and listen to a gem. This album gets an easy five stars, and watch out for John thomas Oaks. . .I'm willing to wager he has a bright shiny new career ahead of him.
Blue York is a great blend of bluegrass with a very hip twist. John thomas Oaks is a master with words. You have to really pay attention because his style of writing is from a real thinker's point of view. Not just your ordinary bluegrass album!!
author: Michael L. Browns
Host of "Deep Cut Bluegrass" on The Bluegrass Mix
John Thomas Oaks and his band Grand Central are definitely at the forefront of the contemporary Bluegrass music scene.
Their current independent label project, "Blue York" is filled with sixteen.... that's right sixteen tracks.... of Bluegrass songs telling stories of living in the "Big Apple".
While they are a solid contemporary Bluegrass band, it's easy to find traditional Bluegrass music values in their music.
Their Bluegrass has been called, "Big Apple-achian Citygrass Music" and that definitely describes their style. They use traditional Bluegrass instruments... guitar, banjo, mandolin, upright bass, Dobro and fiddle for the most part but on occasion they incorporate a harmonica and piano.
All the members of the band are excellent musicians and singers... they have great harmonies and solid solo voices as well.
According to the band's Facebook entry, their musical influences are Mindy Smith, Alison Krauss, Tom Waits, Del McCoury
The band leader, John Thomas Oaks has a very impressive resume.
- Bachelor of Music in Studio Music and Jazz from the University of Tennessee
- Composer, Lyricist, Pianist, Music Director
- Worked in Film, Television and Radio Broadcasting
One more thing to JT Oaks' credit, he's a trusting and generous man. Here's what he has on his web site about buying the new CD... "Also, if you can’t afford the full price, we can send you a copy of the CD that has 10 of the songs on it for whatever you can afford (even if that means nothing!). Just send us an email, and we’ll pop one in the mail to you!"
The most unusual track on the CD is the last one, "All The Way Back Home To NYC" as they use a banjo and believe it or not, someone is playing a saw! The song begins with the band sitting around discussing the finishing touches on the lyrics of the song.
I am thoroughly enjoying this CD and will definitely be playing several of the tracks on my show over the next several months.
Ear Candy! Wow, what a grand ride this album is, I discover something new each time I hear it. Great songwriting, wonderful vocal leads and harmonies, creative instrumental licks, this has it all. A fine project from start to finish, it is a must have!!
author: AshBrooke Grace Music
I can't take this out of the CD player. The melodies are memorable, the hooks abound, the musicianship is quality, and the lyrics are intelligent and capturing. Here's hoping for major airplay.
There's a new band in town, and the town's not Nashville. . .it's New York City. Singer/Songwriter John thomas Oaks has come out with an incredible debut bluegrass album. I wasn't sure what to expect when this was first recommended to me, but I can honestly say that it's the best 'newgrass' release I've heard all year. These songs have been playing non-stop on my iPod for the last week, and I don't see that changing anytime soon. Whether it's the fire-friction banjo of "Goin' Up to Harlem," the stirring nostalgia of "Blue" (which one can assume inspired the excellent cover art), the catchy tune and down-south vibe of "Roseangela," or the edgy groove of "Liberation," you can drop your iTunes needle anywhere on BLUE YORK and listen to a gem. This album gets an easy five stars, and watch out for John thomas Oaks. . .I'm willing to wager he has a bright shiny new career ahead of him.
Blue York is a great blend of bluegrass with a very hip twist. John thomas Oaks is a master with words. You have to really pay attention because his style of writing is from a real thinker's point of view. Not just your ordinary bluegrass album!!
author: Michael L. Browns
Host of "Deep Cut Bluegrass" on The Bluegrass Mix
John Thomas Oaks and his band Grand Central are definitely at the forefront of the contemporary Bluegrass music scene.
Their current independent label project, "Blue York" is filled with sixteen.... that's right sixteen tracks.... of Bluegrass songs telling stories of living in the "Big Apple".
While they are a solid contemporary Bluegrass band, it's easy to find traditional Bluegrass music values in their music.
Their Bluegrass has been called, "Big Apple-achian Citygrass Music" and that definitely describes their style. They use traditional Bluegrass instruments... guitar, banjo, mandolin, upright bass, Dobro and fiddle for the most part but on occasion they incorporate a harmonica and piano.
All the members of the band are excellent musicians and singers... they have great harmonies and solid solo voices as well.
According to the band's Facebook entry, their musical influences are Mindy Smith, Alison Krauss, Tom Waits, Del McCoury
The band leader, John Thomas Oaks has a very impressive resume.
- Bachelor of Music in Studio Music and Jazz from the University of Tennessee
- Composer, Lyricist, Pianist, Music Director
- Worked in Film, Television and Radio Broadcasting
One more thing to JT Oaks' credit, he's a trusting and generous man. Here's what he has on his web site about buying the new CD... "Also, if you can’t afford the full price, we can send you a copy of the CD that has 10 of the songs on it for whatever you can afford (even if that means nothing!). Just send us an email, and we’ll pop one in the mail to you!"
The most unusual track on the CD is the last one, "All The Way Back Home To NYC" as they use a banjo and believe it or not, someone is playing a saw! The song begins with the band sitting around discussing the finishing touches on the lyrics of the song.
I am thoroughly enjoying this CD and will definitely be playing several of the tracks on my show over the next several months.
Buy the BLUE YORK album on iTunes. . . |
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Blue York Music Videos
Go to the VIDEOS page for more.
Fan video on YouTube from the Blue York project
Last year, Sutton Foster won the Astaire Award for Best Actress in a Musical, the Drama Desk Award for Outstanding Actress in a Musical and the Outer Critics Circle Award for Outstanding Actress in a Musical. She also recently won a Tony Award for Best Leading Actress in a Musical for ANYTHING GOES. If you're in New York, beg, steal or borrow to catch her in a show!
STAR QUEEN is probably coming to a city near you soon!
We do our Queen Esther musical STAR QUEEN more than any of our other shows. Check our CALENDAR page to see if we're doing it near you any time soon. If not, we'd love to come to your town and present this fun two-man version of one of our favorite Bible stories. More info on the MUSICALS page.
