The American music seeds germinated on this side of the world some decades ago. That old folk, blues, country, rock and roots music overview, the so- called “Americana” and all its stories about losers living to the edge, endless roads and sordid motels, took roots and served as a vehicle to many local artists to build up their own universe based on all this iconography.
Malacara & Wilson Blues Band is the singer and composer from Barcelona Alex Malacara and British guitar player Tony Wilson combination. Two well-known musicians from the Barcelona scene who released in 2013 “Blues vol. 1”. A true blues traditional masterpiece where they recreate traditional songs and pay tribute to the great blues artists. In 2015 they turn around their career by releasing “Hopeless Blues” produced by Mario Cobo (Nu Niles, Loquillo, Los Locos del Oeste) the original sound track from the theatre production “Cloaca” where the band enlarge their musical horizons exploding a great variety of styles and tendencies from the beginning by making clear the composition work without losing the blues spirit that accompanied the band right from their first release. In 2016 they edit “Fishbowl” a four song Ep signed by Malacara as the original sound track from the theatre production La Peixera and a prelude to this record as well.
“Summer camp blues” continues the path searching for the roots by Mario Cobo producing hands again and where the Barcelonan band formed by Xavi Malacara on vocals, Toni Wilson on the guitar, Saves “Joker” on drums and Maxi Moscardi on bass, after years of intense work, register a bunch of Songs half way between the poetry that graces each and every original song emerging along from different musical influences to the required tribute to classical blues music.
A blues piano plays in “The Bride” while Wilson´s country flavoured guitar through melody and arrangements makes us easily recognize a great song long before Malacara put words to lost bets and love at the edge. “Rats” walks into a country style direction while “Black Swan” border sound gives way to the blues with “Trouble in mind” an old classic from the 20´s powerfully reviewed by the band as a shuffle with Wilson own print on guitar. “Almost blues” signed by Malacara in minor musical key with a remarkable atmosphere work done by the band, dark and desperate blues takes us to another blues standard “Highway 49” through Howling Wolf´s filter and Wilson on slide guitar. Malacara makes a turning point in each song, a new story from the dark side the small jewel “Enemies”, the unclassifiable and full of details “Summer camp Blues” Or maybe the most far off from the traditional music but in any case brilliant “Fishbowl”, building up with every song a unique universe, an almost cinematographic one, that can only be carried out by a brilliant band with a very own sound and the knowledge of many different music influences always based on North American traditional music, The record ends up with the classic “Walking Blues” recreation.
“Summer Camp Blues” is a collection of great songs recorded and played by a great big band that draws from the sources, blues, country and folk music. Songs that talk about losers and desperate hearts, endless roads that goes nowhere and everywhere. They talk about dark poetry and names written in a bullet. Malacara & Wilson Band is much more than the so-called “Americana” although it´s seeds came from the other side of the world.