George Bunnell: (Strawberry Alarm Clock)
"... really capture that Delta Blues ... reminiscent of the great masters such as Robert Johnson!"
Max Bangwell: (House of Blues Records)
"A taste of New Orleans & a nice tinge of Ray Charles. ... that
stripped down sound, to me that's the Real Blues"
John Sebastion (Lovin’ Spoonful,Woodstock , "Welcome Back Kotter" etc.)
"This guy is great. I love his new CD. He’s a real good singer, and his harp
playing is very good."
Jaime Brockett: ("Legend of the USS Titanic")
"He is an exceptional singer / songwriter and his live performances are thrilling."
Jackie Lomax: (Apple records & the Beatles played on his first album.)
" ...true spark of originality in the best tradition of the blues."
Big Bill Morganfield: (Muddy Waters Son)
"very cool, ... deep blues with new ideas. ... I want to sing a few songs on his next one. "
Billy Swan: ( "I Can Help"1974 #1 hit song)
"give this CD an honest to goodness listen... You'll love it. ... in Texas, when someone is so good that their music will withstand the test of time we call them "All Timers," and... Ed Vadas & The Heavyweights are definitely "ALL TIMERS"!"
Jon Gindick: (author of books & videos for blues and country harmonica)
"This guy is great. As a musician myself (30 years), my jaw is open and my hand is over my
heart. Ed Vadas has created a body of work that I think will eventually be discovered and
revered by blues lovers everywhere. It's that good.
As a performer, ... he could be considered a white blues-man as fresh, original and ahead of the
pack as Louis Armstrong or Ray Charles were in their youth. ... I might be over-enthused, but
Ed’s CDs have made me this excited. The songs and their execution are truly inspiring!
... Ed draws on everything I love about the blues and old funky rock yet, these songs are so
damned original. ... he's good enough to get me digging the blues again.
Ed's technically a good harp player, but the bigger story is that he uses the harp in really
inventive ways. There's a lot to learn from this guy, and I'm really glad these CDs are available.
I highly recommend the work of Ed Vadas to anyone who loves truth in music... This is the real
thing! "
Art Tipaldi (blues writer for "Blues Revue" and other publications)
"The cornerstone of his personal philosophy is create from within, never imitate. ... each (cover is) rendered unique .... "Reconsider Baby," Big Ed combines generous jazz chords that diverge into a single string lead. All this swirls against a tempo so deliciously unhurried, you can probably go the fridge between chords and notes.
His originals display a sense of wit and wisdom. "She Started Talking Again" is every
man’s nightmare. The energetic Texas shuffle shoots Viagra into Ed’s "Old Timers’
Boogie," where pretty young women lift old timers’ spirits. Smiles turn into nods with lines
like "If my life’s a whiskey bottle, then my heart’s been a broken glass" or his song
crafting Otis Spann’s line "Blues ain’t nothing but a botheration" into an editorial of
today’s blues. Each original shows-off Vadas’ dedicated writer’s eye.
Vadas responded to the recent passing of so many blues legends with his gritty
"Gone But Not Forgotten." .... By choosing an upbeat tempo instead of a funeral-like
dirge, Vadas celebrates the intimate spirit we all understand within music.
With his middle aged weathered voice, his harmonica virtuosity, the seasoned rhythm
section of Steve "Jr." Toutant on bass and Fred Hazelton on drums, Ed Vadas has
crafted an album that should reach beyond his regional fans. "
Bob Presthus: Blues On The Move KUFM Montana Public Radio The U. of Montana
" I have been doing my program for 17 years now and it seems like it is harder and harder to get
enthusiastic about new releases with so much "run of the mill" music being released. Your release is distinctive. "
Domenic Forcella: Blues Beat in the Herald for Oct 15,1998
" ... Taking control of guitar, harp, and vocals, Vadas roars through the CD. His voice reminds
one of the working class roots of the blues and his delivery brings it right to your doorstep.
Vadas puts his emotions into his work, ... He pays respect to the old blues masters. Puts their
touches and nuances in his music. And all the time he is willing to share with anyone who has
the interest. "
Steve Harvell: Blues Harp Magazine - Jan. 24th, 1999
"I was completely blown away as soon as I heard the first song. These dudes are the real thang!
As far as the harp-playing is concerned I give this cd my (5-Harp Salute) but I give it the same as far as the vocals,guitar and drum musicianship is concerned.
The tune "Gone But Not Forgotten" will hit you right between the eyes, ... you need
to have some of those been around the world and knocked on your knees blues to sing and play
these songs the way these guys do.
Ed blows some of the most soulfull harp that I have ever heard, great accoustic and electric
playing, top notch and one of my most recommended choices. "
Mark N. O'Brien - NY CD Blues
"... Ed's utter lack of pretentiousness, his unflagging genuineness, and his apparently singular devotion to expression through his craft, does indeed constitute something like style. It may be nothing more than gritty, unpolished, but sincere authenticity; but it's style nonetheless.
the rare situation where one finds a "real light under the national bushel." ... this fine first release from one of the Northeast's finest blues guitarist, vocalist, and most importantly, writer.
an hors d'oeuvres-like presentation of blues styles, from a slow grind on Don't Go To Cryin' , to a spanish flavor on Empty Pockets Blues, to a definitive Afro-Caribbean flavor on Start All Over Again, would be enough to recommend this release to the interested blues fan. Vadas on lead guitar and harmonica, backed by Santo Tomasine on bass and vocals, Patrick Lavery on drums and vocals, and Tom "Scooter" McClung on pi ano, are tight and "right on" the blues. No rock-n-roll here. But, with all of this wonderful music going on, I probably wouldn't have taken the opportunity to do this review unless it had been for Vadas' original tunes.
...Rarely have I seen a contemporary blues author speak as eloquently about the societal problems that have always been the roots of the blues.
Start All Over Again, done with a chant like back-up, pleads with the men of the world to end the violence against women and children. Please Mr. Bill, a jump tune, light as a feather but heavy on the message, demands action by the head man in the government - "I pray everyday that my children don't get sick. I can't pay the doctor, if I can't work a lick!" Everybody Gets The Blues is a slow blues that holds a bit of warning as to our mortality - "Your whole life's been a party but now they are lowering you in the ground. It was heaven on earth, but now you are going all the way down! What a shame, will your friends be prayin' for you? Saints and sinners, everybody gets the blues"
If the blues is the story of oppression, then Empty Pockets Blues is destined to be a classic. The old guidelines of racism and poverty need to be expanded to include a growing number of people who once had it not-so-bad. When you are no longer "young", job prospects and consequently a self supported living can become scarce. "I tried to get a job, but I can't! They say they need a younger man.... I used to think the people on the street were all drunks, addicts, beggermen and thieves! l look again what do I see? A lot of them look just like you and me. They all thought that they had payed their dues... How I hate these empty pocket blues!"
Although the messages are not light and airy, the writing is well done and, in fact, refreshing. After the recent L.A. riots, only a daring few put their feelings into their blues writing. For myself, I'd like to hear more blues writers in the Vadas vein, telling it like it really is, in a real world - not using well worn phrases (WWP) from an experience that took place some sixty or seventy years ago.
In a nutshell...
After Ed Vadas emceed his high school variety show, won a Southeast Asia talent contest, performed 80 shows in South Vietnam, played solo and band gigs at home, he decided to turn pro on May 15, 1970, and since then he has:
Essentially, East Coast Blues is kind of an amalgam of all the other blues styles, and even other music styles," says Vadas. "To me, East Coast Blues means I can play a Texas blues song in a Chicago blues style with my own words. I think of the East Coast as being kind of a melting pot, you know, we have so many diverse cultures here, so, it's that rubbing off of all the different types of music.
Vadas, who sings and plays the guitar and harmonica in his shows, is backed up by drummer Patrick Lavery and bassist Steve Toutant. While he has always had an affinity for blues music, Vadas says it is often difficult to achieve a similar feeling from his audiences. "The audience nowadays is oriented toward a lot of fast licks," he says. " The blues is an oral tradition, in which the words have meaning. This is what I consider really important, but what audiences often consider important now is how fast the guitar player plays."
"But, the truth of the matter is, the music (blues) is not designed to make anyone feel bad, but it's really one of release. ... Every night I try to make people cry, I try to make them laugh, I try to take people through a variety of emotions."
And, a man who's played 200 shows a year for the past 25 years shows no sign of slowing down. "I'm addicted to the music," he says. "Sometimes I wish I could stop playing, but I can't. ... Sooner or later, I'm going to die on the stage, playing music, 'cause that's my life and that's just it. I just hope it happens in a place where they like me."