Uncompromisingly, confidently, and boldly

Just like the way it used to be. Some chose to walk without compromise, taking a firm step forward with no shortcuts and no other excuse but to do so with elegance and style. Others chose the wilder, more untamed side, where class and the primitive go hand in hand.

The Donkey Riders feature three of the most renowned musicians in the local African American music scene. On the one hand, guitarist, singer, and composer Iker Piris has a career backed by prolific activity both as a solo artist and in projects such as The Románticos, Iker Piris and his Dual Electras, and The Wilsons Organ Trio. He maintains an intense live performance schedule, which has led him to collaborate with numerous international artists and established him as a prominent figure in the music scene. Guitarist Jon Aira has evolved from a promising young talent into one of Spain’s most notable guitarists, thanks to his work with the beloved Mojo Hand, his project The Fake Cousins with pianist Paul San Martin, and his numerous collaborations with bands like Noa & the Hell Drinkers. The band is rounded out by French drummer Andy Martin. He has spent the last 25 years developing his career on the Texas blues scene and has collaborated with artists such as Buddy Miles, Shawn Pittman, Lazy Lester, Johnny Sansone, and Preston Hubbard. He has also shared projects with Iker Piris in Iker Piris and His Dual Electras and The Wilsons Organ Trio.

The recipe for success outlined in their first album, Down Home Gumbo, features a trio of guitars and drums in the purest Down-Home style, cooked up with eight original compositions of raw blues, seasoned with ingredients like the most primitive R&R and R&B. A delicious dish, prepared with equal parts unusual ferocity and wisdom, and seasoned with the best essences of Texan blues, New Orleans, swamp blues, and other sounds that undoubtedly make up the most effervescent side of African American music. The outstanding work from American producer and guitarist Mike Mariconda and the collaboration of the legendary Mark “Kaz” Kazanoff on tenor sax, John Mills on baritone saxophone, and Al Gomez on trumpet, in other words, The Texas Horns, the veteran and prestigious brass section that has collaborated with artists such as Jimmie Vaughan, Earl King, Ronnie Earl, John Nemeth, Marcia Ball, Anson Funderburgh, and Curtis Salgado—make this album stand out from many others on an international level.

Recorded at Lezoti Studios in Guipúzcoa by Gorka Urra, Down Home Gumbo was mixed and produced by Mike Mariconda. This resounding record breaks away from the usual clichés with Iker Piris’s original compositions. Piris is an artist capable of writing true R&R singles with a Texan influence. Examples include the electrifying Rocking Tonight and the forceful, darker She’s Been Gone So Long, revealing band’s roguish side. Big Rumble is just a step away from wild rockabilly recalling Nick Curran´s spirit. The Donkey Riders take a darker, rawer path on Write Down Your Sins, an almost lysergic journey paved with incisive slide and baritone guitars. The album takes us by the hand to New Orleans on Ready to Die and shuffles the streets of Austin on Don’t You Leave Me, a song that could be part of the great Jimmie Vaughan’s repertoire, with the invaluable collaboration of the Texas Horns on both compositions. The high-octane, greasy blues track Ain’t Got Nothing, and the vigorous instrumental Donkey Boogie bring the record to an end.

Just like the way it must be, The Donkey Riders walk uncompromisingly, confidently, and boldly down the path where true class goes hand in hand with the primitive. Down Home Gumbo is a journey back to the real roots, the truthful, and the genuine.

News