JOHN BLEK & THE RATS

John Blek & The Rats

The fantastic new album ‘Leave Your Love At The Door’ available to pre – order on iTunes from April 26th and in stores May 3rd.

www.johnblekandtherats.com

http://breakingtunes.com/johnblekandtherats

John Blek & The Rats are a six-piece folk and country group from Cork City whose infectious brand of American influenced balladry has travelled up and down the roads of Ireland, the UK and Europe for the last 2 years.



The debut album ‘Leave Your Love At The Door’ was recorded in Monique studios under the watchful eye of producer Christian Best. The band also steered clear of normal routes of play and opted for a more make-shift approach to recording in front man John Blek’s home.

Armed with only a handful of microphones, the group took over John’s living-room and kitchen, The Rats embraced the ramshackle approach to this style of recording, emulating the records of old and capturing the truth of a group in a live setting. These late night recordings can be heard in the likes of the boisterous “Lord Don’t Leave Me”, where a blatant assortment of hand claps and whiskey bottle percussion can be heard alongside unruly group vocals and dueling piano and violin.



With sessions lasting well into the early hours, the dawns break captured a more reflective John Blek. It was here, in the living-room with the curtains closed and the sun rising outside, that the band cut the title track “Leave Your Love at The Door”, an atmospheric ballad of coming to terms with a forlorn hope of love, in an endeavor to avoid repeating the same mistakes, over and over.



Throughout the sessions for the album John Blek & the Rats also completed an Irish and UK tour and appeared at festivals throughout Ireland. The Cork band gathered many favorable reviews and a growing anticipation for their debut release along the way.



“Kilkenny Roots Festival isn’t about the big moment. It’s about stumbling around town between deep drafts of local brew Smithwicks, hearing a bluegrass or rockabilly or folk or jug band seeping through the doorways of minuscule bars. It’s about discovery of bands like John Blek & The Rats” MOJO



“Not since BOB LOG III’s Clonakilty Guitar Fest debut have a band created such a feverish buzz of anticipation!!. . . get ready for some insanely debaucherous footstompin’ lunacy” De Barras.ie
“John Blek & The Rats brought a charming Americana folk sound to the Circus Tent on Friday for one the music highlights of the weekend.” 2 U I Bestow, Knockanstockan 2012



‘Hand On My Heart’ (Track 7) is out April 7th. ‘Leave Your Love At The Door‘ out May 3rd