Winterville

"Winterville are in a league of their own. Brooding, soulful and downright menacing" - Rocksound July 2005

Since becoming the youngest performer ever to appear at the venerable Stanley Blues Festival in 2000 at the tender age of 15, Winterville frontman Peter Shoulder has acquired a formidable reputation as one of the countrys leading exponents of the electric blues guitar. Indeed one critic who saw that now legendary performance was moved to comment: -

"I saw Clapton at 17 and this guy is better".

His precocious talent also led to recognition in the US where in 2003 young Peter was asked to write and perform on 3 songs for what tragically turned out to be the final record in the long career of Blues Hall of Famer Little Milton. The album "Think of Me" was released in May 2005. Shoulders work on the album was subsequently recognised in late 2005 when along with his co-writers, he was nominated for a Blues Music Award for song of the year.

Along with drummer Mario Goossens and bassist Joss Clapp, Shoulder formed Winterville in September 2003.

The band have deliberately and studiously avoided jumping on any of the prevailing musical bandwagons, and instead have set out to remain true to their beliefs whilst exploring all of their musical influences whether it be the blues boom of 60s, the classic rock of the 70s, the Seattle sound of the early 90s or indeed contemporary alternative music from both sides of The Atlantic. As a consequence both their recordings and their live shows demonstrate an unusual and eclectic mix of styles, that is nonetheless rooted in Classic British Blues Rock.

Right from the beginning, the band hit the road, and they have been rapidly building an army of devoted followers ever since. Their live shows too have garnered some serious plaudits, as the band have followed a policy of turning up anywhere, anytime and with anyone who will have them, playing with artists as diverse as Old School rockers "Thin Lizzy" through Indie darlings "The Future Kings of Spain" to punk rockers "The Dogs".

"One of the best bands Ive ever seen? Yes. A band that gets better everytime you see them? Yes. The next big thing? I certainly hope so". - Powerplay July 2005

Refreshingly, Wintervilles awesome live reputation is based not on their ability to wear the right clothes, nor do they follow the current vogue for shambolic musical incompetence at live shows, rather their incendiary musical performances hark back to the classic British bands of the 60s and 70s, with echoes of Black Sabbath, Cream, Led Zeppelin, Free and their contemporaries.

These influences were noted by Metal Hammer in the bands first major magazine feature:

"The legacies of such classic artists as Led Zeppelin, Deep Purple, Cream and Black Sabbath seem to have been all but forgotten by the very country that spawned them in the first place! Enter young Durham based trio Winterville, who are single-handedly making a bid to put the UK back on the heavy rock map" - Metal Hammer - June 2005

From the opening sledgehammer riff of "Breathe", through to the haunting and affecting Jeff Buckleyesque closer "Someday Soon", Everything In Moderation is that rarest of finds, an album made not to please a hungry marketing machine nor to fit neatly into current radio formats, but a record made by young people who thrill in the joy of challenging themselves musically, and who seek to delight and captivate the listener, neither patronising nor boring them. Out and out rockers like "Shotgun Smile" and "Nobody" sit easily alongside the percussively accoustic "Nothing", the bluesy sleaze of "Last Legs" and the rousingly catchy "My Angels".

Winterville - The next Great British Rock 'n' Roll band. It's about time.

Taken from www.myspace.com/winterville