THE SUITCASE BROTHERS AT TV. STATION * TV3 Catalonia*
Santos Puertas (guitar & vocals)
Víctor Puertas (harmonica & vocals)
Santos and Victor Puertas perpetuate through their music, the origin of the genre and make us fall in love deeply with it. Some of their biggest influence are the legendary duo Sonny Terry and Brownie McGhee also, duos such as Paul Rishell & Annie Raines and John Cephas & Phil Wiggins. After playing together for over 15 years, The Suitcase Brothers have developed a unique style, passionate and honest. It seems that their destinies were marked by the blues since they were born. Santos was born on WC Handy’s birthday, while Victor was born on Sonny Terry’s birthday. Santos Puertas started his first blues band, in 1996, called Blues Fourteen. A very young Victor Puertas was already collaborating with his brother and stood out as young virtuoso harmonica player in Barcelona. Soon after, the two brothers founded The Suitcase Brothers, a duo that has already seduced the blues audience worldwide. So far, they have recorded four albums: "Living with the Blues" (2003), "Walk On" (2006) "Getting 'Outta Town" (2011) and "A Long Way from Home" (2014), that features the great Jerry Portnoy and Paul Oscher. The Suitcase Brothers won the second place in the solo / duo category in 2013 edition of the International Blues Challenge held in Memphis, and came back again and play in 2014, being in the final among 100 artists for the second time in a row. In their latest release titled, ‘A Long Way From Home’, inspired in the current situation of the band, one can read: "we are a long way from home most of the time and we miss our loved ones, but we’ll keep making records and friends and having fun playing the music we love. " This album took us a lot of effort and a lot of work but also a lot of satisfaction, like being able to have special collaborators like Paul Oscher, Dave Biller, Alberto Telo, Eric Przygocki and Jerry Portnoy. Jerry Portnoy also wrote: "The music business is not a good thing to get into if you have an exaggerated sense of justice.
Victor Puertas - Harmonica - vocalist
¨If it were truly just world and only the greatest musicians received the greatest rewards in the form of public acclaim and the money that follows it, the Suitcase Brothers would certainly be drenched in fame and riches. The artistry, taste and virtuosity that they display in their music, across a wide variety of blues styles from Piedmont to the Delta to Chicago with´40s swing thrown in, has few if any equals and justice would demand they be properly rewarded. Just listen to the infectious exuberance of ¨You´d Better Mind¨ or ¨This is the Right Time¨ with their uncanny reincarnation of Sonny and Brownie or their take on the Louis Jordan classic ¨Knock Me a Kiss¨ featuring Santos´ sly relaxed vocal and Victor´s stunning, unparalleled harmonica genius. This cries out for JUSTICE!" Without any doubt, the Puertas brothers are the best acoustic blues duo in Spain, one of the best in Europe, and are gradually becoming an international benchmark. A famous legend explains that Robert Johnson sold his soul to the devil at a crossroads, to be accurate between current highways 61 and 49 in Clarksdale, Mississippi, in exchange of interpreting the blues better than anyone. Do not know if The Suitcase Brothers also sold their souls to the devil at some crossroad in Sant Just Desvern, the little town outskirts from Barcelona where they were born, but I'm sure that those blues for which they have sacrificed so much, will take them wherever they want.
Laura Novensà for Blues & Co Magazine, France.
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