Late For the Sky – Italy

Chico Finn, composer, bassist and singer, is the leader of the Esquela quintet (school in Spanish). He grew up listening to Merle Haggard and Buck Owens; later he discovered Rolling Stones, Ramones and Creedence Clearwater Revival, eventually arriving at Bruce Springsteen, The Band, Replacements and Todd Snider. He played in minor bands for about ten years before forming Esquela in 2008 with his friend Keith Christopher (who later left the band). In this adventure, which has already produced three albums including Canis Majoris, he is accompanied by the voice of Rebecca Frame, born in North Carolina, by the guitar of his partner Brian Shafer, who grew up listening to heavy metal and jamband bands, by the drums of Todd Russell. , influenced by the love for classic rock and rhythm and blues and by the guitar of Matt Woodin, passionate about The Band, Grateful Dead and Motown. This assortment of musicians is led by the expert hand of Eric “Roscoe” Ambel, a New York-based guitarist and producer who boasts collaborations with Steve Earle, Nils Lofgren, Del Lords, Bottle Rockets, Blues Mountain and many more.

Canis Majoris is an energetic, passionate, deeply American roots rock album that mixes various influences: from the Doo-Wop of It Didn't Take that opens the album, to the traditional Irish of Need Not Apply that tells of the difficulties of the first immigrants, from Valentine's Day pop-rock to Gold Digger's seventies rock that makes use of an excellent vocal performance by Rebecca, to close with the only cover, the gritty Blue Canoe by Blue Mountain in which the voices of Chico and Rebecca alternate , while the lead guitar is noticeable in the jammed ending. Of note is the non-secondary contribution of the keyboards of the guest Brian Mangini and of the pedal steel of Mark Spencer.