Kit Holliday & The

Photo by Caroline Alden Photography

Kit Holliday's no-longer-new blues project features Monster Mike Welch on guitar and vocals, Jesse Williams on bass and vocals, Chris Anzalone on drums, and Jeremy Parker on keys, plus a cast of dozens... The band, sometimes known as the Ominous Vultures, has several names, all of them silly. They're known to play a mix of music rooted in traditional blues and funky old soul, which they take very seriously. New to this musical endeavor, but seasoned professionals, the Ominous Vultures have all worked together in various other projects, have devoted fans in all of them, and are looking forward to the expansion of this exciting collaboration. Kit Holliday is a veteran of a thousand psychic wars, formerly fronting the Matthew Stubbs Band and working with Ricky "King" Russell in the blues world, holding down the lead vocals and music direction of local Boston dance/disco/funk favorites Booty Vortex, and singing funk & soul with the Nephrok Allstars. More recently you can see her out with the Boston Horns Allstars, Wayne Jones & The Associatz, or occasionally guesting with the Duppy Conquerors, No Static, Soul City, or Pink Talking Fish. She and Lydia "The Lovely Singer" Harrell also work together as backup singers The Lady Parts, supporting such acts as Ryan Montbleau, Albert Cummings, Laura Vecchione, and Zap Mama. Monster Mike Welch is one of the East Coast's best-loved blues guitarists and a veteran of the international blues scene. As a frontman, as the guitarist for New England blues legends Sugar Ray & the Bluetones, as one half of the powerful and gripping WelchLedbetter Connection, or as a respected sideman, Mike has toured North America and Europe multiple times. He has also produced and played on several acclaimed recordings, including the Blues Music Award winning Right Place Right Time, with Mike Ledbetter and Laura Chavez. In 2016, 2017, and 2018, Mike has been nominated for Blues Music Awards in the category of Instrumentalist-Guitar. When he's not playing with the Vultures, Mike tours supporting The Connection, and lends his talents to many of the hottest acts in blues today. When not touring or recording, Mike can usually be found finishing Kit's sentences, often incorrectly. Jesse Williams started his career cleaning a bar at 4:30 am after they closed, mopping up beer and vomit for 15 bucks. Since then he has backed up legends in several genres including Susan Tedeschi, Marcia Ball, Ruth Brown, Johnnie Johnson, Al Kooper, John Hammond Jr, Maria Muldaur, Bucky Pizarelli, and others. Jesse is also a music educator and derives a great deal of inspiration from teaching lessons and ensembles. Chris Anzalone plays with everybody in Boston and is most well-known for his work with Johnny Hoy & the Bluefish and his cat pictures on Facebook. Lately he has taken the drum chair with Roomful of Blues and when he's not on tour with them, or with every other band in Boston, he plays with the Ominous Vultures. Chris is also a 3rd degree mauve belt in some unspecified martial art (or arts), and does a killer Katharine Hepburn impersonation. In the 2 years since this band's inception, Chris has yet to attend a single show, but is looking forward to the reunion tour. Jeremy Parker is largely a mystery to all of us, but he currently plays some amazingly funky stuff for the Boston Horns, and leads his own trio: Organ In Orbit. He also builds experimental music gear in his spare time, and has a home self-built studio that is truly amazing. We're pretty new, and some of us are on tour right now, so our media offerings are limited at this time. However, MoeJoe caught a video of our first shake-down run. Check it out here. More coming after April 1. :)

 

Page last modified on 2019.04.08.

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