Ben Hunter & Joe Seamons with Phil Wiggins album drops July 28th

“A Black & Tan Ball” will be released in the U.S. on 28th July. This new album by the Seattle songsters features the playing and singing of harmonica master Phil Wiggins, whose storied career has included performances at the White House with his long-time musical partner, John Cephas as well as decades of teaching.

While most murder ballads seem to revolve around sadness and tragedy, this song takes its time savoring the various possibilities of the violent act. We're excited to present this new single "Do You Call That A Buddy” over on American Blues Scene today.

There’s a duality to the music of Ben Hunter & Joe Seamons; the same duality that lies at the heart of the blues. It’s the dichotomy between the weight of history that hangs over black America and the lightness of these old folk songs, which are meant to uplift and charm, to trick away danger, to fool authority, to squeeze a person out of harm’s way, but also to assert a subtle sense of worth and dignity. These songs brought black Americans through the darkest years of our country’s history, and they have an unsettling amount of currency in today’s world, where saying that the blues is black music or even saying that the life of a black person matters are both controversial statements.

The music that renowned Seattle roots duo Ben Hunter & Joe Seamons are making on their new album, A Black & Tan Ball, is not just blues music. The better term is a new and important one: Black Americana. To make this music, they’ve recruited good friend and touring partner Phil Wiggins, an eclectic legend of American blues harmonica (who received an NEA National Heritage Fellowship this year). By pulling together the many threads of black American roots music, and demonstrating the underlying meanings behind the black experience in folk music, Ben Hunter & Joe Seamons are showing another side to Americana that can help expand the genre’s boundaries.