"Olde Soul" and "Bayou Whiskey"
Reunion 69 is Danny O’Brien and Mario Gagliano, cousins from New Orleans who have been making music together since December 1996. Danny is the lyricist and percussionist, while Mario plays guitar and bass; both lay harmonica. In 2012 they made "Olde Soul" and in 2014 they released "Bayou Whiskey" on Evergreen Records out of Atlanta.
"Olde Soul" consists of seven tracks and is electric with a rock vibe. “Blue Eyed Jesus,” track two, is a rollicking sing along with a powerful and catchy refrain. “Six to Nine,” track three, is an electric jam and an aural mosaic of the Crescent City. "Bayou Whiskey" consists of five tracks of raw acoustic blues guitar in the vein of Buddy Guy and Ali Farka Toure. Mario's guitar is intimate, and Danny moans hypnotically.
"Olde Soul" and "Bayou Whiskey" display Reunion 69’s range of sound and musicianship. As a vocalist, Danny’s soulful lines compliment Mario’s guitar riffs, and they possesses a familial ease. You would be well served to pick up "Olde Soul" and "Bayou Whiskey," and wait in anticipation for Reunion 69's next project.
Check out Reunion 69 at https://myspace.com/reunion69/mixes/classic-my-photos-375380.
Reviewed by Hardy Jones
Hardy Jones is author of the novel Every Bitter Thing (Black Lawrence Press, 2010) and the memoir People of the Good God (Mongrel Empire Press, 2015). His fiction and creative fiction have been nominated for Pushcart Prizes, and his creative nonfiction has been awarded two grants. His short stories were anthologized in the 2009 Dogzplot Flash Fiction Anthology, The Best of Clapboard House Literary Journal, Southern Gothic: New Tales of the South, and Summer Shorts II. He is the co-founder and Executive Editor of the online journal Cybersoleil (www.cybersoleiljournal.com), and he is the Flash Fiction Editor for Sugar Mule (http://www.sugarmule.com/index2.htm). Hardy Jones is an Associate Professor of English and the Director of Creative Writing at Cameron University (hjones@cameron.edu). His website is www.hardyjoneswriting.com and he is on Twitter @HardyJonesWrite. Hardy splits his time between Lawton, Oklahoma and Si Sa Ket Province Thailand.
