THE OFFICIAL BLUES BROTHERS REVUE Receives Critical Praise During Fall Tour; Will Hit Over 30 New Cities Through Spring 2014

DT:      DECEMBER 5, 2013

FM:      BARI LIEBERMAN, MSO PR

THE OFFICIAL BLUES BROTHERS REVUE
RECEIVES CRITICAL PRAISE DURING FALL TOUR

WILL HIT OVER 30 NEW CITIES THROUGH SPRING 2014
STARTING THURSDAY, JANUARY 16

“…a raucous, fun-filled evening of great songs. If you want to smile and clap your hands for nearly two hours, I can’t think of a better way to do it than with “The Official Blues Brothers Revue.”
–Scott Itter, POSITIVELY NAPERVILLE (10/10/13)

THE OFFICIAL BLUES BROTHERS REVUE—produced by Dan Aykroyd, Judith Belushi and original Blues Brothers musical director Paul Shaffer—recently wrapped a 31-date fall tour to critical praise. Adjectives such as “excellent,” “astounding,” “fun,” “terrific,”  “outstanding,” “knock-out” and “entertaining” have all been used to describe this fun for all-ages show.

The tour will resume in 2014 with another 31 shows kicking off Thursday, January 16 in Idaho Falls, ID. From there, they will stop in various cities throughout Montana, Washington, Illinois, Indiana, Texas, Louisiana, Tennessee, Connecticut, New York, North Carolina and Florida among others before wrapping mid-April with stops throughout California. See below for full tour schedule. Look for more dates throughout the remainder of the year to be announced.

The live concert show combines the comedy and hit songs from the original 1980 hit film as well as the five iconic albums released by John Belushi and Dan Aykroyd. Featuring Wayne Catania as Jake and Kieron Lafferty as Elwood, THE OFFICIAL BLUES BROTHERS REVUE and their eight-piece intercontinental rhythm & blues revue band including erstwhile background vocals from Precious and Ebonie Taylor, the niece and grand niece, respectively, of the legendary Koko Taylor, pay homage to the humor, music and mayhem of the Blues Brothers and to Chicago’s rich musical history of blues, gospel and soul music. The show features all the Blues Brothers classics including “Soul Man,” “Rubber Biscuit,” “Sweet Home Chicago,” “Rawhide” and “Gimme Some Lovin’” among many others.

What the media is saying about THE OFFICIAL BLUES BROTHERS REVUE 2013 tour dates:

“This is a show that maintains every ounce of the original band’s integrity…[Wayne] Catania is excellent as the more emotional and outspoken Jake, and [Kieron] Lafferty is astounding as the straight-faced and rigid Elwood…it was almost like the real thing. The suits, the dancing in unison, and all of the camaraderie that made the original couple so special was all here. Catania’s Jake had great energy and strong vocals, and Lafferty seemed to be channeling a place where “tree” is a number. He had Elwood’s South Chicago accent down perfectly, and played a mean blues harp like he was born on the streets of the city. The bottom line here: Have no fear, the fun is here. The absence of Belushi and Aykroyd didn’t overwhelm the fun feeling of this show. The absence of the classic band members didn’t prevent this band from presenting a raucous, fun-filled evening of great songs. If you want to smile and clap your hands for nearly two hours, I can’t think of a better way to do it than with “The Official Blues Brothers Revue.”

       –Scott Itter, POSITIVELY NAPERVILLE, 10/10/13

“The Blues Brothers and the eight-piece piece Intercontinental Rhythm & Blues Revue Band delivered a knock-out performance…Wayne Catania, who played Jake Blues, and Kieron Lafferty, who played Elwood Blues, delivered strong performances throughout the show…In all, it was a terrific evening of foot-stomping, hand-clapping fun punctuated by two gorgeous backup singers and strong performances by everyone.”

            –Robert Boyer, NEWS HERALD (Morganton, NC), 9/25/13

“As soon as the band started playing, my jaw hit the floor. They rounded up an insanely talented group of musicians…they blew me away!…the actors who played Jake and Elwood really studied Aykroyd’s and Belushi’s mannerisms and movements. Sometimes, I actually had to remind myself that I WASN’T watching the original Blues Brothers! Very nice!”

            –Katie Followell, CENTRAL KENTUCKY ENTERTAINMENT, 9/24/13

“Friday night’s Blues Brothers Revue at Sturges-Young Auditorium was quick to pump up the energy. Combining video and audio to recreate scenes from Blues Brothers past, the blend was a delight to both eyes and ears, offering all there is to absorb from the Blues Brothers. With super, stereophonic sound and high definition clarity, the group rolled from one famous tune to the next, giving viewers the feeling of what it must have felt like to have the original Blues Brothers – Dan Aykroyd and John Belushi  — in front of you…Offering the same attitude, animations and body language as the original Blues Brother duo, it was very easy to forget that you weren’t watching the real thing. Elwood was most especially in complete character – from head to toe to cheek – all the way down to the signature gum-smacking, harmonica playing and dead-on vocals. Jake appeared visually in near perfect doppelganger to the late Belushi, though not as physical — no flips, cartwheels, etc. However, he looked, and sounded near to the real McCoy as you will likely get, given that Belushi was so ‘one-of-a-kind’.”

            –Laura Kurella, STURGIS JOURNAL, 10/21/13

“A great night of music filled with audience participation…Wayne plays a really good Jake Blues and that is helped by the fact that he bears a striking resemblance to the original. Last but certainly not least is the exceptional harmonica playing of Kieron. It really completes the package.”

            –David Stroth, THE GLAICER, 10/18/13

“The Official Blues Brothers Revue lit up Pfeiffer Hall’s stage with an entertaining performance that took the audience back in time to John Landis’ 1980 film…The show included classic Blues Brothers dance moves, as well as tributes to musicians such as Cab Calloway, who played a mentor to the Blues Brothers in the 1980 film, and to the original Blues Brothers, Dan Aykroyd and the late John Belushi…Between the vocals and the outstanding use of a harmonica, [Wayne] Catania and [Kieron] Lafferty do not disappoint. These two former Las Vegas performers were chosen to represent the Blues Brothers for a reason. With the accompaniment of a great band behind them, the characters of Jake and Elwood Blues were brought to life on stage with the exact personality and musical abilities of the original actors.”

            –Kevin Jackman, NCCLINKED.COM, 10/18/13

“As Elwood Blues, Kieron Lafferty stole the show with his harmonica solos, while Wayne Catania, as Joliet Jake brought the crowd to their feet.”

–Elizabeth Evans, THE BATTALION (Texas A&M), 10/23/13

 Catch THE OFFICIAL BLUES BROTHERS REVUE in the following cities:

http://bluesbrothersofficialsite.com/
http://bluesbrothersofficialsite.com/p-9892-the-official-blues-brothers-revue.html

https://www.facebook.com/pages/The-Official-Blues-Brothers-Revue/325726449158

Press Releases & Assets:

http://www.msopr.com/n/client-roster/official-blues-brothers-revue/

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For more information on THE OFFICIAL BLUES BROTHERS REVUE, please contact

Bari Lieberman
MSO PR
818-380-0400 x222
blieberman@msopr.com