WINNER OF THE 2014 WCMA BLUES RECORDING OF THE YEAR Billy Bop review, Belgium: 5 out of 5 stars Good blues can be found everywhere! The Perpetrators are hailing from Winnipeg, Canada and by all means, the blues is living there as well. Having played tons of gigs as back-up band the time was there to throw in a recording of their own and boy are we lucky. On “Stick ‘Em Up” the band has only one intention! To raise the souls of Muddy Waters or Hound Dog Taylor and they succeed in doing so. The band delivers ten tracks full of dirty, gritty and greasy blues that is made especially for you! From leading track Sweetgrass”on they bring you steaming blues and blues-rock. “Smokes ‘n Chicken” is a hard pounding alt.blues track that makes us think on theJohn Spencer Blues Explosion. “Who’s it gonna be” is one of the lesser interesting tunes on this album, but that’s quickly forgottenonce the boogie sound of “Shake it” is set in. Think Canned Heat! “Bad Man” is standard electric blues as is “Tried of Trying To Keep My cool”. “I must be Crazy” veers towards the blues sound of the “Alabama Shakes” and on closing track “Take You On” the opening riff takes me immediately to the sound of George Thorogood. A greasy and dirty blues album that will without doubt please tons of people! A simply must have album. Mr. Blue Boogie Winnipeg Free Press review: BLUES The Perpetrators Stick 'Em Up (Independent) Just when it looked as if popular music was getting a little too serious -- what with its endless debates about the sexuality of Miley and Robin or the sincerity of Kanye and Jay Z (all of which are necessary, but also kind of exhausting) -- along come the Perpetrators to remind us that this music thing is supposed to be fun, damn it. Fronted by guitarist extraordinaire Jay Nowicki, the Winnipeg trio (rounded out by drummer Ken McMahon and rotating bassists John Scoles and Ryan Menard) is a meat-and-potatoes, blues-based roadhouse band that knows full well that kick-over-the table, full-tilt boogie is the perfect soundtrack for release at the end of a day. That's not to say Nowicki and Co. can't be keen observers of life and its foibles. Among these 10 bloozy tracks on the vagaries of love, travel and getting paid, the trio offer up a tune that can proudly take its place alongside One Great City as a quintessential Winnipeg song. To the backing of a rollicking shuffle, Smokes and Chicken is a talking blues tale of two small-time, strong-arm robberies, one downtown and one in Transcona. The premise is almost comic, until the tune picks up intensity and Nowicki's refrain of, "Get the gun outta my face, I spent my money on smokes and chicken," becomes an aggrieved howl. It's a stunning piece of work, delivered with requisite anguish. And, of course, the grin and wink of a survivor. **** (4 Stars) DOWNLOAD THIS: Smokes and Chicken -- John Kendle Ok people. Some of you still like the Blues. Some of you hear old ZZ Top or Houndog Taylor, or Howlin' Wolf or Magic Slim... and it moves you. Some of you think you don't like the blues but you like the White Stripes and the Black Keys... or whatever... Canada has a blues/rock and roll (no, not Bloozehammer) band that can hold its own with the best of the best and they have finally made a record that might reignite the faithful. This sh*t is heavy. Jason Nowicki is the deepest blues guitar player this country has ever heard (ok... Brent Parkin is still pretty great) and the record sounds killer (recorded in Winnipeg at Len Milne's Bedside studios). The record is called Stick 'em Up. Crazy good. The band is called The Perpetrators. - Luke Doucet From Steve Marriner (Monkeyjunk): People!!! You must get your hands on The Perpetrators' new album, Stick'em Up! It's greasy, lowdown, sexy and makes you want to move about. Most importantly, it is ORIGINAL MUSIC FROM CANADA! Jason Nowicki and his cast of awesome Winnipeg musicians ( John Scoles , Ryan Menard , Ken McMahon) are kicking a** and taking names! Enough names to make their own personal directory of freshly-whupped-a**. In fact, they routinely drive from Winnipeg to the surrounding environs just to ensure that all the a** in Manitoba has been properly kicked. The Perpetrators "Stick'em Up." Buy this record dammit.