Having heard these gents a few times and being fortunate enough to have received a little "blues education" from bassist, Greg Beach, I can tell you that these guys comprise one of the top bands in the area. They will capture your attention and they’ll hold it. Each set begins with an instrumental and contains at least one original composition. Particular favorites of mine: Everyday I have the Blues, Rock Bottom Blues (an original composition and wonderful for dancing), Joyride, and the old standard, Love Me With a Feeling. The standard tunes sound fresh again when performed by this band. Vocals are crisp and clean. Almost all the tunes are danceable and there are a lot of swing tunes to enjoy. In fact, a friend and I made ourselves a spot in which to dance to a couple of tunes in a place where there wasn’t any dance floor. We had fun and the diners didn’t seem to mind. The band members appeared to find it amusing, too. The desire to dance is another reason to hear this band in a large room.

Mickey Bauer has wonderful diction- something I doubted at first due to a small room – (my apologies, Mickey) and his vocals shouldn’t be shut into a box. Greg also sings well – solos on a tune here and there and provides the harmony on a number of tunes.

Harold Tremblay provides the wonderful harp sounds. Oh, so mellow and easy to listen to. There must be a lot of experience in Harold’s background – he makes it seem far too easy. He also wanders through the audience on occasion and that helps to make the band approachable. Don’t be afraid to say hello.

Shawn "Too Blue" Wallin is quite a talented guitarist. He’s another guy who makes it all look very easy. Shawn has studied the styles of guitarists from the ‘40’s up through the current masters of the instrument and has learned his lessons well. He can rock, shuffle and swing with the best of them.

Mark Baker is that fella who hides in the back behind the drums. Very solid and quite talented, he appears to be very serious. Can’t remember seeing him smile while he’s playing. He’s also the only band member I haven’t met yet – gotta change that.

Last, but hardly least, is a dear friend and the bassist, Greg Beach. Solid, dependable, versatile and knowledgeable, Greg knows his way around blues music.

These five gents make up one incredible group of musicians. All are talented and versatile – they know how they want to sound, what they like to play and they deliver in spades. If you’re interested, check out their website, www.cooldisposition.com, for more information about the band!

This review is copyright © 2001 by Pam Lundgren, and Blues On Stage, all rights reserved. Copy, duplication or download prohibited without written permission. For permission to use this review please send an E-mail to Ray Stiles.