The SoundLounge

Cass Eager and The Velvet Rope

Cass Eager’s sound travels the gamut from soul to blues, folk to funk and roots to reggae. Her distinctive pipes and guitar playing have drawn comparisons to everyone from Bonnie Raitt to Jack Johnson, Nina Simone and Ben Harper . . . with a hint of Janis Joplin always thrown in. Despite these comparisons, ‘soul sister Cass is no pale imitation’ (NDL). She’s been described as ‘one of Sydney’s most gifted singer songwriters, whose refreshingly honest, raspy, almost Joplin-esque like voice is hers alone, and whose eclectic songwriting will spellbind the listener.’ (Drum Media). On stage, Cass is armed with an acoustic and lap steel guitar, electric ukulele and stompbox.

Claude Hay

Hailing from the Blue Mountains Australia, Blues/Roots artist Claude Hay takes Do-It-Yourself to impressive limits. He builds his own instruments. He built his own house. He customized his tour van with a kitchen and a recording studio. And his musical approach is no different– you see only one performer, but the sound and music builds layer-by-layer until you have to wonder where the rest of the band is.

Hot on the heels of the Australian and US release of his second album Deep Fried Satisfied, Claude debuted on the Billboard Blues charts at #9, following the likes of Buddy Guy and John Bonamassa. His interview on Usa’s syndicated National Public Radio exposed him to millions of listeners which pushed the USA market interest not long after hitting #21 on the US Weekly Blues Charts.

Claude Hay fuses slide guitar, sitar, bass and electronic percussion in a loop-driven performance that invokes the best of stomping traditional blues with a booty-shaking funk edge. His fresh take on roots and blues draws in a wide spectrum of listeners, but still has the chops for the blues enthusiasts.