THE WASHBOARD RESONATORS

Event information

The Washboard Resonators are Jack Amblin and Martyn Roper; hailing from Leeds they are described as sounding and looking like ‘a ragtime street band meets a Hollywood musical on a theatre stage somewhere around 1932’.

Formed in 2014, their reputation as fine purveyors of blues, jazz, folk, music hall and hokum quickly spread and has resulted in several UK tours as well as performing at major events such as The Great British R&B Festival and Upton Jazz Festival.

In 2016 they released their first album ‘The Washboard Resonators’, a collection of old blues and jazz numbers recorded in Jack’s shed. In February 2018 they recorded an album of original material; ‘Scrub That Thing’ using 1940/50s microphones and tape machines at ‘Sugar Rays Vintage Studio’ in Essex.

In May of 2018 they travelled from New Orleans to Chicago and feeling inspired by walking the streets on which the music they love was born, they went into the legendary Sun Studios in Memphis, Tennessee to record. Using a microphone that Elvis Presley had once used and standing on an X where not only Elvis had stood but also, BB King, Johnny Cash and Roy Orbison, their EP 'The Sun Sessions' was created.

'Jack Amblin has an extraordinary talent. In his hands, the washboard becomes an instrument of infinite possibility giving the music a unique sound filled with rhythm and power. Coupled with Martyn Roper, a guitar player of both substance and style the pair deliver a technically brilliant set full of foot stomping anthems. Classic tracks are interspersed with original songs. The audience love it and it’s easy to see why. The Washboard Resonators take the street corner music of yesteryear and serve it up for the delight of a modern audience'. - afterdark.com