Big Trouble delights swing dancers, roots music fans, and blues lovers alike with a combination of swinging guitar, rough hewn vocalizing, swinging shuffle grooves, and pulsing horns.
Big Trouble sounds both retro and modern -- danceably fun but still bluesy and deep.
We've evolved from a harmonica dominated Chicago blues band into a jump r'n'b band with one of the best horn sections on the East Coast. We mix a healthy dose of swing, be-bop, and even rockabilly into our style.
We started Big Trouble in 1992 as an alternative to all the bands that have given blues a bad name. The ones who do nothing but the most predictable cover songs, that can't swing, that have no real grounding in the music's
history, and make no effort to reach out to new audiences. You know who you are!
The members of Big Trouble have shared stages with James Cotton, Little Jimmy King, Smokey Wilson, Robert Jr. Lockwood, Johnny Rawls, and Bobby Radcliff and have made many friends along the way.
Terence McArdle's CD, You Better Believe It!, featuring many editions of the band Big Trouble, is here and good to go!
Terence McArdle and Big Trouble are based in Washington, D.C. and cover songs by:
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Sunday |
Bluebird Blues Festival
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Terence McArdle and Jumpin' Tonight with three horns and special guests Caz Gardiner (vocals) and Arthur "Big Boy" Berry (piano). Come early and stay for the entire great day as this is one of the area's finest annual blues festivals. |
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Saturday |
Private Party
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Terence would love to play yours also -- e-mail him at tmcardle1960@yahoo..com |
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Sunday |
Wedding Reception (Private)
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Terence McArdle and band can play yours also -- Sam Hill Bands |
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Wednesday |
LaPorta's Restaurant
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Arthur "Big Boy" Barry Trio featuring boogie woogie and blues pianist Arthur Barry with Terence on guitar. Show starts at 7 p.m. |
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Wednesday |
LaPorta's Restaurant
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Arthur "Big Boy" Barry Trio featuring boogie woogie and blues pianist Arthur Barry with Terence on guitar. Show starts at 7 p.m. |
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Friday |
Dad's Pub
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Caz & The Commotions groovin', rockin' and swingin' in Terence's stomping grounds, Rock Creek Village. Caz and Terence do classics by Ruth Brown, Sam Cooke, T-Bone Walker, et al with some new tunes and even a special Christmas song or two (and no, it won't be Deck The Halls). Terence invites all alumni of Rockville High, Earle B. Wood and Montgomery College to stop by. Show starts at 9 p.m. |
Check back often to see our future shows.
If you would like to see Terence McArdle and Jumpin' Tonight (AKA Big Trouble) or Caz and The Commotions at your favorite beer joint, or gathering place, just give us the info and we'll run with it. Then you and your friends can call that place until they get the message! While we perform for people from all educational levels, we take no responsibility for your choice of words. Just get the point across -- and be sure to tell them to pay us.
BTW, here's just a few of the venues we've played:
The CD is here! Terence McArdle - You Better Believe It! (Barkwood Records BW 1001)
featuring the members of Big Trouble with Big Joe Mayer of Big Joe & The Dynaflows,
Alan MacEwen and Chris Watling of the Grandsons, and Arthur Big Boy Gerstein of the J Street Jumpers 100 %
Jumpin' R'n'B with a touch of Chicago Blues and Bugalu from D.C.'s premier Jump blues singer and guitarist
Terence McArdle. 14 great tunes including Irene, Boogie For Pee Wee, Sound The Bell, Comin' Home Baby,
Sloppy Drunk and more.
(Click here to sample cuts from our CD, You Better Believe It!)
The price is $15 at our shows or send a $15 (includes $2 s&h) Personal Check or Postal Money Order to:
Terence McArdle
PO Box 6548
Silver Spring, MD. 20916-6548
Yes, we also accept credit card purchases!
(Visa, Mastercard, American Express, Discover)
Also, the CD is available at these great record stores:
(Call to check stock first and tell them that Terence sent you!)
In D.C.:
Melody Record Shop
1623 Connecticut Ave NW
Washington, DC 20009
Phone: (202) 232-4002
In Rockville:
Joe's Record Paradise
1300 East Gude Drive
Rockville, MD 20850
Phone: (301) 315-2235
Here are some sample cuts from our CD, You Better Believe It!
Just click on each song below to listen:
~ Tell Me What's The Reason ~
~ Baby, Don't Do That ~
~ Boogie For Pee Wee ~
~ You Better Believe It! ~
Terence McArdle:
Vocals and guitar. I remember the era when Chicago blues from the West Side community was
broadcast live on the radio - an era before the music became part of
the
tourist trade. As a child, I stayed up late listening to Chicago's WOPA
broadcast Howlin' Wolf and other blues greats on Big Bill Hill's
Copacabana
Club show. Growing up in Washington, D.C., I dug the real rockabilly,
blues, and swing music of such legends as Danny Gatton, Tex Rubinowitz,
and
Billy Hancock at neighborhood bars like the Psychedelly and the Takoma
Tap Room.
Bobby Parker cast a spell over a club called Bogie's when I was 15 and
I've never forgotten it. And I'll never forget hearing Otis Rush wail with a
young Jimmie Vaughn at the old Antone's in Austin, Texas. Those two
cemented my determination to be a blues guitarist and singer. With so
few gigs available for blues bands in Washington, I worked in oldies bands,
blue eyed soul bands, and local bar bands. I even ducked a few flying
bottles and chairs at the legendary "knife and gun club", Nick and
Fred's in Chillum, Md. Constant work as a sideman culminated in my national
tours with D.C.'s jump blues legends, The Uptown Rhythm Kings in 1996 and
1997.
My idols include Gatemouth Brown, Pee Wee Crayton, Guitar Slim, and
T-Bone Walker as well as rock'n'rollers Jerry Lee Lewis and Chuck Berry.
Jerry Queene: Saxophone. An Uptown Rhythm Kings alumnus, Jerry makes his tenor soar dramatically from breathy whispers to ominous roars. An accomplished jazz musician, Queene, like many of his generation drew much inspiration from John Coltrane. He can also take his funk and be-bop back to its source in the blues, citing Gene Ammons and Red Holloway as major influences on his music. Queene's other credits include the funk band, Natural Transition, and section work in the orchestras of Motown legends The Temptations and The Four Tops.
Michael Powell: Trumpet. Also a former Uptown Rhythm King, Mike derives many of his ideas for phrasing from the great jazz singers and he uses both the mute and open bell to great vocal effect. Powell is equally schooled in the hard bop of Freddie Hubbard and Miles Davis and the classic swing of Louis "Pops" Armstrong and Jonah Jones. His other credits include the go-go band, Hot & Cold Sweat.
Louie Newmyer: Upright Bass. Louie's one hell of a bass player with an astoundingly checkered career in the music business. In past lives he's played rock in Europe with Nils Lofgren, r&b with Tommy Lepson, roots rock with the Hard-Core Troubadours and most recently, rockabilly with The Peashooters and J.P. McDermott & Western Bop. When not slappin' the doghouse Louie can be found cruisin' flea markets in a '59 Chevy that reeks of Armand's pizza.
Fred Hillyard: Drums. A Washington DC native, Fred rounds out one of the area's tightest rhythm sections. In fact, Fred still has the first buck he ever made on a gig! Heavily influenced by the great Swing Era drummers of yesteryear, his uncluttered, yet diverse traditional drumming style keeps the groove going strong. Fred has performed with many top regional swing/blues acts, including Johnny & the Headhunters, Lips Lackowitz & Tough Luck, Bad Influence, Dave Sherman & the Nightcrawlers, Little Ronnie & the Grand Dukes, and Roger Edsall's Top Dogs.
Some friends and favorite hangouts of Terence McArdle and the band Big Trouble: Gotta Swing: Our friends Tom Koerner and Debra Sternberg have kept the dancers swinging and book a lot of great music. Bertha's: A Baltimore institution famous for its mussels,
beloved bartenders, and great selection of imported drafts. We often play in the front room right by the door Friday Night Swing Dance Club: Our good friend Chuck Alexander keeps the DC/Balt area dancers swinging in some of Baltimore's finest dance venues. DC Blues Society: From the early cozy jam sessions in Archie
Edwards' barbershop to the big September festivals of today,
these folks have been always down for the blues in Washington, D.C. Baltimore Blues Society: D.C. Blues' counterparts in Charm City; a relentless posse of party animals
who have booked some of the best shows I've ever seen (and one of the best I've played). Let's do it again.
Right On Rhythm: A great website that carries all the best local D.C. blues, jazz, and r'n'b recordings.
And I'm in their hierarchy of the guitar! (Of course, I had to look up the word hierarchy.) Swing Out DC:
Where to go for swing dancing, often to great live music -- swing, jump blues, and rockabilly. Bobby Parker: The king of the blues singers and guitar gangstas in D.C.
The man who gave us Watch Your Step, Blues Stay Off My Shoulder, and that new thing, Splibb's Groove. Just ask Chuck Brown. J Street Jumpers: A great "little big" band in the Kansas City and Harlem traditions anchored by the blues piano and guitar stylings of my good friends,
Arthur "Big Boy" Gerstein and Rusty Bogart. Robert Lockwood Jr.: He learned to sing and play from Robert Johnson and went on to teach B.B. King.
His guitar built Chess Records. The Iguanas: These N'awlins gents bring together cumbia, swamp pop, bugalu, zydeco,
and second line into one infectious groove. Even if you don't dance, you won't stand still. The Grandsons: Alan McEwen and Chris Watling look like they won the high school science fair.
But they rock, taking in everything from surf to cowboy songs along the way. J.P. McDermott and Western Bop: Rockabilly and honky tonk country are a lot closer to the blues than that little trip Elvis took across the tracks.
D.C.'s finest honky tonk singer does real working man's music. Nick Moss: Among the younger blues singers
and guitarists, Nick Moss deserves special praise for his devotion to the straight, no b.s. sound of Chicago southside blues. While still a teenager, he
worked with the late Jimmy Rogers, and believe me, you can hear it in every note. R.J. Spangler: Drummer R.J. Spangler works with everyone who is anyone in the Detroit blues, jazz,
and r'n'b scenes. One of his hippest projects was the Motor City R'n'B Pioneers, a reunion of three great doo-wop era soul brothers, Stanley Mitchell, Joe Weaver,
and Kenny Martin, who paved the way for Motown. If you're in the Detroit-Ann Arbor area, find out who R.J. is working with. It is always good, bluesy,
swingin', and soulful. Nick Curran: Now touring in the Fabulous
Thunderbirds, the young gunslinger with the steel vocals chords (and outrageous fashion sense) remains one of the most exciting performers of the jump
r'n'b revival. Jackie Payne and Steve Edmondson: California's finest touring Blues, Soul and Old School R&B band
features the soulful showmanship of former Johnny Otis vocalist, Jackie Payne, and the live
wire guitar stylings of Steve Edmonson. Ruthie & The Wranglers: WAMA award winner Ruthie Logsdon sings and writes country songs in the classic style with a decidedly modern twist.
Check out the guitar virtuosity of string wrangler Phil Matthieu.
Here are some of the many fine radio programs that have featured selections from You Better Believe It! I don't have time to list all the show times but many of these shows are simulcast and even archived on the internet so it is worth your while to check them out. These disc jockeys play blues, swing, and classic r'n'b. They fight the good fight for music that is real!
In the USA:
The Gator: WPFW 89.3 - Washington, DC Doug Carlisle: "Houserockin' Blues" -WRQR, Wilmington, NC Jim Carty: "Blues and Beyond" - WMFO 91.5FM, Greater Boston - Saturdays 1 - 4 p.m. EST Jon Norton: WGLT - Peoria, Ill. Rich Gordon: Sunday Morning Blues - WYHY 95.3 FM - Rockford, Ill. Dave Johnson: Blues Deluxe, a great blues and roots show from Arlington, Tx. (down in the Rio Grande valley) Norman Thompson: WUCF, 89.9FM, Orlando, Florida, the Smokestack Lightnin’ show Blues Break: Mark Halverson Monday - Friday 11:30 to Noon KMSU 89.7FM and KMSK 91.3 FM - Mankato and Austin, Minnesota respectively J.D. Esquire and Angel Child: KDVS 90.3 FM Davis, California; The Front Porch Blues Norm Rosen: WICN 90.5FM, WICN, Worcester Massachusetts, Blue Monday with Norm Rosen Gil Anthony: WJRL - Blues Power Monday..6-11 PM Crossroads: Sat. 9am-12pm, WVBR-FM 93.5, Ithaca, NY Gary Erwin: WCOO 105.5 FM. Charleston, SC "Blues on The Bridge", with Sundays 9-11 pm And overseas!:
Henry Prokop: Honky Tonk Blues - 101FM ~ Brisbane, Australia Ton Ton Erick (Grenoble): FM 97.1 in Grenoble, France Ton Ton Erick (Bordeaux): O2 Radio 91.3 in Bordeaux, France Ton Ton Erick (La Rochelle): Radio Terre Marine 94.8 in La Rochelle, France Gustavo Rozenberg: FM 93.1 Fenix; Buenos Aires, Argentina Al Kirkcaldy: CFFF 92.7 FM (95.3 cable), Peterbourough, Ontario; Blue In The Face Tuesdays 7 pm to 10 pm Simone Bargelli at
www.rocknbluestoday.tk and
www.radiorcc.com in Perugia, Italy and on the net
Our radio promotions are handled by:
And finally, I particularly want to thank:
Jon Norton at WGLT at ISU in Normal for putting us in heavy rotation for two weeks. I hope to include the Peoria-Normal area in a Midwestern swing. Jim Carty, an old friend who used to hang out at City Blues in Washington. We did an on-air interview Saturday 3/27/04 on Boston's WMFO. And Henry Prokoff at 101 FM in Brisbane. Henry taught me a lesson in the power of the internet when he found my website and gave my MP3s some unsolicited airplay this summer. He then e-mailed me his playlist. My word, we're reaching Australia! A most pleasant surprise.
"If Washington-based bluesman Terence McArdle set out to demonstrate
his
taste and talent on his debut CD, mission accomplished. "You Better
Believe It!"
covers a lot of ground with its tributes to Rosco Gordon, Pee Wee
Crayton, Roy
Milton, Paul Gayten and other significant blues and jump artists, and
it does
so with plenty of road-tested assurance. Though McArdle's guitar
playing is
focused and unfussy, it points to a wide variety of influences: West
Coasters
Crayton and T-Bone Walker, a slew of Chicago axemen, including Chuck
Berry and
Otis Rush, and some of their Texas brethren. ...Clearly, McArdle has
his vocal
work cut out for him here, given the range of stellar influences and
the
horn-powered charts. But he holds his own as a vocalist, delivering
most of the
songs with the spirit and confidence to make you a believer."
-- Mike Joyce, The Washington Post
"Are you a jump blues lover ? Don't forget this name: Terence McArdle
from
D.C. He is a brilliant young guitarist in the tradition of the great
swing blues
masters. Terence has a great touch with a refined groove; he plays in a
dynamic way, never intrusive. His sound has true respect and passion
for the
classics that made history. This album is a cool tribute to them! So
YOU BETTER
BELIEVE ME!"
-- Simone Bargelli, disc jockey, "Rock 'n' Blues Today", Perugia, Italy
"Terence's guitar playing is strong with some ideas and licks that make
you
wonder out loud where that one came from."
-- Chuck Nevitt, The Dallas Blues Society
Our Favorite Links
Radio Program Links
Todd Glazer Promotions
P.O. Box 230531
Anchorage, AK 99523-0531
Phone: (907) 279-8546
Email: toddg@gci.net