“I Am Entertainment Magazine Review of "South New York" May 2011 PART 1...The Michael Louis Band is a good old fashioned rock-and-roll band with a blues undercarriage. The bands newest release, "South New York", is some of the best music available in the genre so you don't want to ignore it. One of Michael's best songs is "Shade Tree". The tune embodies a great blues roots vocal performance, while the musical performance provides a high octane rock-and-roll backdrop. You'll find yourself singing along with Louis, but try not to get too excited because You'll wake up the next day without a voice trying to match this guy's amazing vocal range. ”
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Reviewer: Senseitional, I Am Entertainment Magazine
“I Am Entertainment Magazine Review of "South New York" PART 2...I also grew quite fond of the song "Ramblin' With That Woman" where Michael Louis talks about losing everything he's got, including his desire to care about the stuff that used to matter, after dealing with a trouble making woman. This time the band's musical production provides an expressive Blues/Rock sound that fits the message in the song perfectly. Out of the 13 songs + 1 interview on the album, there's more than enough great music to enjoy, so check it out.
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Reviewer: Senseitional, I Am Entertainment Magazine
"South New York" Michael Louis Band CD REVIEW (Part 1)
Brooklyn’s Michael Louis Band is a hard working, big sounding and righteous power Blues trio that cuts to the chase and drives on. Louis has found the Seger boogie and the sublimely rocking profundity of Cream. These guys may be from the 3rd city but here, North is definitely meeting South. These sessions were recorded across Dixie in Memphis, Muscle Shoals and Tupelo, MS. And, to show how they were received, Roland James said “you guys may be from New York but it must be South New York.” These recordings really got the “stank” they were seeking. This disk is rife and full with soul, funk, country, Southern rock or even what we LIer’s call “psychedelta.” The band of Eric Kalb (D), Andrei Sebastian (B) and Michael Louis (G,V) have lots of back and experience and together, they crunch.
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Mark Gresser, Dr. Blues Regional CD Reviews
"South New York" Michael Louis Band CD REVIEW (Part 2)
Guests include Travis Wammack who produced and played some axe and Wayne Chaney who did well hitting things along with Sonny Burgess and Billy Lee Reilly of Sun Studio fame. Feedback and fuzz, sliding and grinding and rapid fire axe share time with soulful stretching out like in opener “Ain’t That Kinda Man.” “Shade Tree” pops and funks like it has no backbone. Allman Brothers imbues “Let It Go”, “Molly” is an acoustic Ragtime tribute to a certain kind of lady and “Cause of Us” Cissily struts like Nocentelli, Batiste and Porter. Heavy is all you need to know about “Reasons and Seasons.” Probably the coolest cut to flow across my tympanic membranes in a while is a deep North MS take on “I Fought the Law”! These guys bring it from the woods to the city. Krang! - Mark Gresser
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Mark Gresser, Dr. Blues Regional CD Reviews
"South New York” The Michael Louis Band CD REVIEW (PART 1)
Blues-rock has been written off more times than Jimmy Page. Yet every once in a while there’s a record with one foot in bellbottomed past and one in the present, reminding music heads that rattlesnake riffs - when paired with soulful songs -.are always in style. “South New York” is one of those platters. Brooklyn guitarist Michael Louis is an absolute tone pimp. The album’s toothy guitar sounds hold their own against those by better-known revivalists such as Marc Ford and Derek Trucks. The freakout fuzz on “Shade Tree” echoes “Truth”-era Jeff Beck, but Louis’ technique has modern sophistication, a la Warren Haynes. As jaw-dropping as Louis’ solos can be, he always plays for the song and his whiskey-throated vocals are supported throughout by the muddy propulsion of drummer Eric Kalb and bassist Andrei Sebastian.
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Matt Wake, MORE SUGAR MAGAZINE
"South New York” The Michael Louis Band CD REVIEW (PART 2)
On “Ain’t That Kind of Man,” greasy bottleneck weaves between garage organ blips. “Shade Tree” is soaked in New Orleans grit. There’s also stoner sway (“Saturday Night”), high-cholesterol interludes (“Let It Go”) and ZZ Top scuzz rock (“Let Me Love You”). The album’s grits-n-gravy looseness is no accident. The 13-song set was tracked at Tuscumbia, Ala.’s MSMM Recording, Tupelo, Miss.’s Hi-Ridge Recording and Sam Phillips Recording. Although “South New York” includes brief detours into 12-bar shuffles, it spends most of its time highlighting what Louis does best: unearthing new classic rock gems. (M. B. Wake)
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Matt Wake, MORE SUGAR MAGAZINE
“ Neither masked nor caped, this Brooklyn 'n' bread guitar slinger cops the hero pose behind some tasty blues, rock and funk. Guitar players watch and wish while the dancers dance and the joint starts to jump. - Frank De Blase
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Frank De Blase, ROCHESTER CITY NEWS
“Michael Louis is a jukebox mixing and Mish-mashing styles at a whim. His originals are a groovy amalgam of whatever you could want. The band played an inspired set playing well off one another with Cheshire grins. - Frank De Blase”
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Frank De Blase, ROCHESTER CITY NEWS
“Brooklyn, New York born Michael Louis grew up listening to the rock 'n' roll music that his parents loved, and so, for this release, he and his band travelled south to record in Memphis and imbibe the feel of those 50's and 60's greats. Co-produced by Travis Wammack, himself a 16-year-old prodigy in the 60's, this trio have forged a CD that is heavy on rhythm, riff, distortion and rock - all interspersed with lighter moments of funk (Shade Tree), country (Country Girl) and southern rock (Saturday Night). "Let It Go" is very reminiscent of early Allman Brothers, with some pleasant slide playing. In "Super Directional", Louis has nailed a superb rockabilly track. The final song on the album is perhaps the real reason that Louis and the band travelled south. "Memphis Sound" is very much a tribute to those early rock 'n' roll pioneers, played in the spirit of those times, and with Sun Records legends Sonny Burgess and Billy Lee Riley singing on the track. ”
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Merv Osborne, BLUES MATTERS MAGAZINE (U.K.)
