Debut Full Length Album “Searchin’ For A River” Available NOW.www.dustyroadsband.com

The Dusty Roads Band from Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada is a blues-rock quintet that positively sizzles onstage. Led by the hard-edged passionate vocals and intense guitar of Dustin Harder, this band has all the ingredients for a great night of live entertainment: Totally infectious tunes (covers and originals) that you can’t help but feel like dancing to… a tremendous high level of musicianship that commands your attention… and a stage atmosphere that is as much theatre as it is music. You can’t take your eyes off this band once they’re in a groove.

Early this summer, I had my first chance to see the band up-close-and-personal in an intimate, outdoor environment on the patio of Osborne Village’s Gas Station Theatre in Winnipeg. Previously, I had only experienced their show from a distance. That was impressive enough, but nothing prepared me for what I would see and hear while sitting just several feet away. Despite the modest setting and seating, and therefore a smallish audience, the band was totally focused and pumped right from the opening number.

The passion in Harder’s vocals and guitar work, especially on his outstanding original tunes, will leave you awestruck. He sings and plays with total commitment and confidence. His skill on guitar is tremendous – his vocals are perfectly suited for blues with an edge you can’t ignore. (Interestingly enough, I’ve also heard Dustin sing solo with material that lends itself more to folk – which just shows how versatile a composer and performer he is. And he doesn’t stop there… he has a couple of synthesized-guitar instrumental tracks on his MySpace Solo Music Profile that are ambiently captivating – so much so that I think of them as being part of some IMAX nature-documentary soundtrack. He humbly says he was just “noodling” when he recorded them. Some noodling!!)

“The Two Jakes”, as they are referred to fondly (Jake Stead on bass and Jake Bell on drums), provide a rock-solid foundation that you really must experience – their energy and physicality is jaw-dropping to watch. Bell is a demon on percussion… his entire body is moving as if he’s drawing on some deep, inner pool of energy to fuel his power-drumming. But as animated as he is while seated, add Jake Stead to the mix and you pretty much have physical theatre set to music. There were occasions when I mused that Stead was on the verge of breaking into “modern dance”… he doesn’t just interpret the music through his playing, but also through his body language. Bass and drums require necessary teamwork… “The Two Jakes” are totally in synch. They play off each other like actors. And there are times during instrumental solo breaks that Harder will join them – sending the energy level through the roof.

Jess Rae Ayre’s sirenesque singing and Graham Crellin’s scintillating virtuosity on guitar provide an essential balance. In particular, Ayre’s appealing presence and range of vocals create the necessary counterpoint to the often-frenetic male activity around her. An alluring pillar of stability, Ayre will nonetheless surprise with different vocal stylings – gut-wrenchingly soulful in a powerful piece like “Ocean Of Tears”… silky-smooth ‘n sexy in a jazzy little number like "Goin’ Away"… or letting it all hang out with some rockin’ blues such as in “This Dog” (her very own composition).

Crellin was new to me at this time, primarily because he was a new member of the band. The Dusty Roads Band was originally a quartet, bringing in guest musicians as needed for live performances and studio recordings. Crellin was one of the guest guitarists and the band soon took note of not only how well he fit in, but of the dedication he showed toward the music. Thus, he landed a full-time spot. This is a guy who can make his presence felt through his musicianship. Watch him play – the fingers of a master at work.

The Dusty Roads Band has developed the perfect stage formula to delight audiences, and they seem at home in any type or size of venue, playing before any size of crowd. And their formula extends to the music, as evidenced by the tracks on their debut CD – “Searchin’ For A River”. Blues is the motif throughout, of course, but there’s nothing even remotely repetitive from song-to-song… there’s blues with a gospel touch, blues with a jazz feel, blues with playful pop stylings, blues with a little bit country and blues with a lot of rock ’n roll.