New Orleans has long been a melting pot of musical genres, but the Duane Bartels Band is carving out their own unique niche with their blend of California indie-rock and the sounds of the Big Easy. The band formed in 2016 when singer-songwriter Matthew Duane Bartels brought together a group of talented musicians to create a powerful sound that could only come from the combination of his voice and guitar with a tight rhythm and horns section.
After honing their sound in local New Orleans clubs and bars, the band released their debut album, The Ballad of Johnny Loveless, in 2018. The album was a collection of Americana songs with blues, country, and jazz influences that showcased the band’s songwriting and musicianship.
In 2020, amidst the COVID pandemic, the Duane Bartels Band entered the studio to work on their sophomore album, Electric Baby Carriage. The album, which was mixed, mastered, and engineered by Grammy award-winning producer Justin Armstrong, took the band on a journey of patience and perseverance through a hurricane, delays with COVID, the birth of a child, and many more setbacks. But the album was finally finished at the end of 2022 and showcases the band’s finely tuned electric sound and aptitude for songwriting with a multitude of genres and sounds.
The primary theme of Electric Baby Carriage is the notion of unrequited love, and the album’s energetic and driven composition effectively evokes each and every mood and common association linked with this overarching theme – longing, nostalgia, determination, and tranquillity.
The Duane Bartels Band commented on the album, calling it “a labour of love” and “a lesson in patience and learning to count your blessings.” With their unique blend of genres and their dedication to their craft, the Duane Bartels Band is sure to make waves in the New Orleans music scene and beyond.
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