Rose City Kings blends traditional blues with a modern twist to wide acclaim.
Portland, OR ? Feb. 13, 2006 - Rose City Kings have been on a roll since their birth in the spring of 2002. Since that time, the band has released three critically acclaimed records, won numerous awards, and created a fan base that expands outside the Blues. In 2005, Real Blues Magazine's ?Real Blues Awards? awarded them ?Best West Coast Blues~Rock Band? and ?Best Northwest Blues Band?. Their most recent live record - ?Holler Out for More? - broke into the Roots Music Reports top 50 in radio airplay this summer at number 30.
?I?ve been broadcasting blues music for almost 20 years?, says Bob Ancheta, of KINK FM 102 in Portland Oregon and host of one of the longest running Blues shows in the nation. ?I haven?t been this excited about a band in a very long time. They have a vision for their music, bringing an energy to each show that takes me back to the heyday of the Blues?.
Formed in the spring of 2002, Rose City Kings consists of San Mateo native Daniel ?Kingbee? Berkery on guitar and lead vocals. Berkery is no stranger to the San Francisco music scene having played in various venues, including Eli?s Mile High Club, since his late teens as a solo singer/songwriter and as a performer in other notable groups.
?Rose City Kings is a unique modern Blues voice that is comfortable within traditional Blues circles yet not confined to it,? said Berkery. ?While my heroes are artists like Howlin? Wolf and Muddy Waters, most Blues musicians tend to emulate these greats instead of risking something new. As a result, your potential for reaching new audiences is limited.?
Regionally, Rose City Kings were voted ?Best New Act 2003? and ?Best Contemporary Blues Act 2004? by the Cascade Blues Association and represented the Northwest at the 2005 Blues Foundation sponsored International Blues Challenge.
The band has enjoyed sharing the stage with Bo Diddley, Marcia Ball, Coco Montoya, Duke Robillard, Tommy Castro, Curtis Salgado, Tinsley Ellis and David Lee Roth. Rose City Kings has also appeared annually at the Safeway Waterfront Blues Festival, the largest Bluesfest in the West.
Joining Berkery are band members Roger Espinor on drums, Los Angeles native Ron Camacho on bass, Joe ?Super? Powers on harmonica and Jeff ?El Nino? Simonson on piano.
Added by queenbee on February 24, 2006