Two for the Road

Tim Lothar & Peter Nande The duo Tim Lothar & Peter Nande brings an entertaining, spontaneous approach to the country blues. The music is the real stuff. Lothar and Nande explores the gamut of rural Mississippi and Piedmont blues traditions, armed with guitar, drums, harmonica and washtub bas. Lothar plays drums and hi-hat with his feet as he sings. It’s fascinating to watch, but what you’re likely to remember is the voice – a dusty, lonesome hobo moan, a voice with mileage, from a man with stories to tell. Nande shares Lothar’s passion for country blues, but also brings a lively blend of post-WWII electric “juke joint” blues and boogie to the show. Known as a vocalist and harp player, in this setting Nande also plays washtub bass, spoons, washboard and various percussion instruments. Put these two gifted musicians together and the result is a compelling mix of blues styles and a loose, natural vibe. Tim Lothar and Peter Nande love this music and are completely at ease working together. They’re having fun onstage, and they’ll bring the audience along for the ride. Expect humorous storytelling, impromptu jamming, and honest music done well. About the musicians: Two of Denmark’s finest blues artists, both Tim Lothar and Peter Nande are recent winners of the coveted Blues Artist of the Year Award at the Copenhagen Blues Festival. Lothar won in 2008, Nande in 2007. After 25 years as a drummer, including more than a decade in the band Lightnin’ Moe, Tim Lothar began a remarkable career renaissance, shifting to country blues guitar and setting out as a solo performer. Lothar has since toured nine countries as a solo artist. He released the CDs Cut to the Bone in 2006 and In It For The Ride in 2008. The latter won Danish Blues Album of the Year in 2009. As leader of the Peter Nande Band, harmonica ace Peter Nande has been a force on the Danish and European blues scenes for the last decade. He founded Nande & the Big Difference in 1998, releasing a CD in 2002. When the group disbanded in 2005, he connected with renowned American blues artist and producer James Harman. With Harman as producer, the Peter Nande Band released Big Boy Boogie: California Sessions Vol. I (2006) and Jelly Bean Baby: California Sessions Vol. II (2008). Each earned a nomination for Danish Blues Album of the Year. About the new CD, Two for the Road: In 2008, Lothar and Nande began playing gigs as a duo, laying the groundwork for their CD release, Two for the Road. Guided by producer and guest artist James Harman, the CD showcases the pair’s songwriting gifts (on nine original songs), instrumental fluency and love for country blues. It’s an impressive introduction to what this duo is capable of right now, and hints at what it just might become in the years ahead.