Eric Green album well worth the wait

It’s no secret that we here at “Rockin’ Out” are big fans of Eric Green’s brand of down ‘n’ dirty blues rock. And when we last checked in with the guitarman this summer, he was hard at work laying down tracks for an album. Now, fellow swampy blues fans, the wait is over: “Hot All Day” is here.

While the album isn’t the first recorded effort by the Frankfort singer-guitarist, Green says it is the first he’s truly pleased with. And he should be.

Recorded at Bangor’s Nightcrawler Studios last summer and this fall, “Hot All Day” doesn’t stray too far from what Green brings out live: a Big Easy-style sonic gumbo of rootsy blues, rockabilly, vintage country and funk well-seasoned with spoonfuls of fuzzed-out guitar and tongue-in-cheek humor.

Standouts include: “Super-Elastic,” a G. Love-style hybrid of blues and hip-hop; “Space Girl,” a raucous tale of extraterrestrial love; and “Chicken Lick’n Hiway,” a rockabilly scorcher with a lyrical feel somewhere between Hank Williams Jr. and Bob Seger. Sure, the album is a little rough around the edges, but that mostly works in favor for Green’s overall sound and vibe.

Green says that he’s already at work on a follow-up, and he’s also busier than ever gigging around Maine these days. At 7 p.m. this Saturday, Green and co-conspirator Josh Small will rock The Kave in Bucksport as part of a blues showcase. Later that same night, the duo will appear at Bangor’s Sea Dog Restaurant at 10 o’clock. You can also catch Green with his new backing band, the Frozen Swamp Choppers, at 9 p.m. Wednesdays at the Waterfront Bar and Grill in downtown Bangor. They’ll hold down the weekly gig until January, when Green and the guys will head south for a two-week tour that will take them all the way down to Green’s “second home” – New Orleans.

Copies of “Hot All Day” are available at Bull Moose Music stores, at gigs, and eventually through Green’s new Web site, swampsound.com. For more about Nightcrawler Studios, log onto www.nightcrawlerstudios.com.

George Bragdon can be reached at gbragon@bangordailynews.

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