The Butanes and Willie's third collaboration sidesteps into the blues and contains 16 original tracks. 5 songs feature 10 horns and Michael B. Nelson's stellar big band arrangements. Special guests include 3 Hornheads, Bruce McCabe on various keyboards, Big George Jackson on harp and jazz pianist Mary Louise Knutson swinging hard on the title track. --------------------------- The quality of the program is so uniformly high that it’s a losing game to pick out highlights... [T]his recording, ...will surely rank among the year’s best blues or old-school soul releases. Jim DeKoster Living Blues (US) --------------------------- ‘How Long You Think You Got?’ was originally penned for a Bonnie Raitt project, it didn’t make the final cut, however with Obeda playing his trademark beer bottle slide and the backing femmes chanting the hook line, Willie does a super job on this deep soul number, it deserves to achieve classic status! Just why Willie Walker has not got a huge reputation is one of life’s mysteries, he really is a elegant vocalist capable of delivering the goods on timeless soul classics or punchy blues, ‘Long Time Thing’ comes strongly recommended to soul fans everywhere. I guarantee if this is your intro to his vocalising you will be seeking out his previous releases pronto, and that’s the truth partner. Phil Wight Blues & Rhythm magazine (UK) --------------------------- To bring these compositions to life, Obeda found the ideal interpreter in the person of Willie Walker. His voice has that warmth, this density that makes it appear to contact each of us in particular. One thinks of Bobby Bland, James Carr, the greatest stylists of Southern soul. Willie Walker clearly belongs in this category. JACQUES PÉRIN Soul Bag magazine (FR) LE PIED! (roughly translated: 5 of 5 stars, outstanding...OUT OF SIGHT!) Soul Bag magazine (FR) --------------------------- In this age of synthesized and formulaic music with false facade talents, it’s always a pleasure to hear strong singing backed by real live musicians, and that’s why this “real thing” CD is worth supporting. Heikki Suosalo Soul Express (FI) --------------------------- Highly recommended to every true blues and soul fan. RON Rootstime.be --------------------------- Butanes are the longstanding forerunners of a scene that found its unlikely roots in the West Bank of a river in the upper Midwest and continues to find new followers. City Pages • Best of the Cities BEST BLUES BAND - 2009 The Butanes Why do the Butanes consistently rule as the Twin Cities’ best blues band, despite plenty of legitimate contenders? Simply because no other band near the northern reaches of the Mississippi has a similarly encyclopedic knowledge of blues, classic R&B, and soul, nor the versatility to play virtually anything in that realm. The Butanes do it so convincingly that even natives of Memphis, New Orleans, or other hardcore bastions of essential roots sounds are incredulous that these guys hail from the land of the wind-chill factor. City Pages • Best of the Cities BEST BLUES BAND - 2008 The Butanes Curt Obeda and the Butanes have operated at such a high standard for so long—going on a quarter-century—that it might be about time to name the best blues band category in their honor and have them retire from the competition. City Pages • Best of the Cities BEST BLUES BAND - 2007 The Butanes The Butanes’ high regard in elite blues circles is clear from the lengthy list of blues and soul icons they’ve backed over the years, from Hubert Sumlin to John Lee Hooker and Bo Diddley. But even without the big names out front, they ignite a rippling array of blues, R&B, and soul with a distinctly Southern exposure, their gritty passion exuding genuine blues spirit. City Pages • Best of the Cities BEST BLUES BAND - 2006 Butanes There’s no shortage of bar bands out there sleepwalking through blues changes and soul covers, but a tight band of true believers is increasingly a rarity. The long-lived Butanes play blues and Southern soul for hardcore fans, and tend to convert some dabblers in the process. City Pages • Best of the Cities BEST BLUES BAND - 2005 The Butanes Over the years, guitarist Curt Obeda has exemplified the axiom that when it comes to the blues, if you can retain your passion and enough of your health, the older you get, the better you play. City Pages • Best of the Cities BEST BLUES BAND - 2002 Obeda’s Butanes --------------------------- A much shortened version of the liner notes from Long Time Thing's 16 page booklet: You could build a credible rhythm and blues record collection following the list of artists the Butanes have supported on stage: Gene Chandler, Sugar Pie DeSanto, Otis Clay, James “Thunderbird” Davis, Bettye LaVette, Johnny Copeland, Phil Guy, Percy Sledge, Bo Diddley, Lee “Shot” Williams, Don & Dewey, Fenton Robinson... They’ve made numerous trips to Europe, traveling with Earl King on a seven-country tour and again to the Vin Expo in Bordeaux, France. They backed Willie Walker and Laura Lee at the Blues Estafette in Utrecht, The Netherlands and performed again with Willie on a handful of shows at the Lucerne Blues Festival in Switzerland. Their travels took them as Far East as Japan and as near east as Wisconsin. The Jazz Festival, the Black Top Blues-A-Rama and other New Orleans venues were regular stops for many years. There were also ports of call in Alaska, the Virgin Islands and Puerto Rico. Wherever they were summoned, they have delivered some of the finest blues and soul. Their respect for their craft has made the cold climes of Minnesota a warmer place for visiting musicians, knowing they have a band of honor backing them in the Twin Cities. It was Butanes’ leader Curt Obeda’s veneration that brought many artists to the Twin Cities. While the Butanes were turning us on to guys like Dalton Reed, Dalton got to see something not very common in his hometown of Lafayette, Louisiana: a basement. Supporting an artist visiting the Twin Cities often meant more than playing along side of him on stage. Obeda spent most of 1982 in Chicago and came back to the Twin Cities from time to time with a musician in tow to play a gig. Hubert Sumlin, Chico Chism, Hip Linkchain, Sammy Redmond and Steve Arvey were all guests in the home of Obeda’s parents. Several times Jimmy Dawkins used the family’s well-outfitted garage to repair the band’s van in order to make it to the next gig.  Long Time Thing is a reflection of Obeda and the Butanes’ career in music. It travels across the same varying terrains of blues and soul the band has traveled over the years. It draws upon the music they’ve played, musicians they’ve encountered, legends they’ve created and truths they’ve lived. After almost thirty years in the business, it is safe to say that the band is still in a long-time thing. And they have taken no shortcut to achieve a short-term gain. Mike Elias - 2011 ------------------------ Willie Walker • Vocals John Lindberg • Bass & Vocals on track 15 Virgil Nelson • Hammond Organ Curtis Obeda • Guitar & Vocals on track 15 Robb Stupka • Drums Jim Greenwell • Tenor & Baritone Sax Michael B. Nelson • Trombone Bruce McCabe • Upright Piano, Wurlitzer and Clavinet Aisha Baker • Vocals on tracks 3, 4, 5, 7, 9, 10, 13 & 15 Deb Brown • Vocals on tracks 3, 4, 5, 7, 9, 10, 13 & 15 Brad Shermock • Trumpet on tracks 1, 3, 6, 8, 12 & 15 Steve Strand • Trumpet on tracks 2, 5, 7, 10, 11, 13 & 14 Kenni Holmen • Alto Saxophone on tracks 1, 3, 6, 8 & 12 Mary Louise Knutson • Grand Piano on track 1 Dave Jensen • Trumpet solo on track 15 Big George Jackson • Harp on track 16 Produced, Arranged and Mixed by Curtis Obeda at Haute Studio, Minneapolis, Minnesota USA All songs written by Curtis Obeda All songs published by Haute Music BMI Horns arranged by Michael B. Nelson and Curtis Obeda Mastered by Greg Reierson at Rare Form Mastering Photos by Doug Knutson www.knutsonphoto.com Assistance provided by: Chuck Anderson and Jeremy Johnson WWW.THEBUTANES.COM info@thebutanes.com -------------------------------