Latest News


 


The Cadillac angels will have a New Disc out in July 2008 called Two Blocks Off Main

This CD features Brian Fahey on drums and Steve Carter on bass with new songs, originals and covers as well as a few surprises. The CD will be the first on Tony Balbinot's own new label Blood Brother Recordings.

Check out the June 08 issue of "Vintage Guitar" magazine (Steve Winwood is on the cover). See Tony from the Cadillac Angels on page 189 spotlighting Gretsch Amplifiers.  
The Cadillac Angels are delighted to announce the release of Haunt This Guitar CD, a poignant collaboration with several other groups to celebrate the life and work of the founder of Rock guitar, the late great Link Wray.

Haunt This Guitar features tracks for the Cadillac Angels, Ballistic Cats and Trailer Park Tornados.

The last track, Walk on Little Charlie comes from a poem by Willie Dunn relating the true story of Charlie Wenjack, who died in 1966, aged 12, running away from an Indian residential school near Kenora, Ontario trying to get back to his father and his people.

All proceeds from the sale of this CD will go to educational projects on the Hopi Reservation.  For more information click here


 
Hotly anticipated new film 'Ranchero' is set to have its official premiere at the Sacramento Film Festival on Saturday, March 29th, 4pm at the Crest Theatre.

The film's soundtrack features several  tracks from the Cadillac Angels

You can check out the film's page at the Sacramento Film Festival website.
 


Sharing the bill with Billy Gibbons, Dick Dale, and Jimmie Vaughn, the Cadillac Angels' recent performance at the Anaheim Convention Center NAMM show can be viewed at www.youtube.com - search for Cadillac Angels Frontline.

This event celebrated 125 years of the Gretsch Co. and was co-sponsored by the Fender Music CO.

Here is a picture of Tony with Connie, Ritchie Valens's sister, at the event. Watch out for Harmony Guitars reissue of Ritchie's guitar.

Check out the latest Cadillac Angels T-Shirt range. Visit our merchanise page to order your brand new T-Shirt right now.

Many congratulations to Michael Mann, a local singer/songwriter, who won a beautiful Gretsch Acoustic guitar raffled from the stage at the Cadillac Angel's recent raucous performance at Borders Bookstore in Santa Barbara.
 
A bunch of the boys were whooping it up in the Malamute saloon...and who could blame 'em when they've got the Cadillac Angels on the jukebox!

Tony Balbinot is a man who lives on his toes ...

Many thanks to the extremely talented Brad Reeder who has made the best music video you'll see all year!
Joe Carducci from Gretsch attended our performance at the Rhythm Room in Phoenix at the beginning of September 2007 and with digital camera in tow took some photos during the show, one of which will be featured in next year's Gretsch guitar catalog celebrating 125 years of this legendary instrument.
 
Here's a news flash!!   Our own Cadillac Angel, Tony Balbinot, has just received an artists endorsement deal from the Gretsch Guitar Company.  Over the years Tony has played many different guitars but always gravitates back to his Gretsch White Falcon and the Tennessean.  As part of this endorsement, the generous folks at Gretsch will be presenting Tony with a brand new Gretsch Executive amplifier.  WOW!! This puts Tony is a pretty cool group of other great musicians also endorsed by Gretsch such as Bo Didley, Duane Eddy, Brian Setzer, and the Reverend Horton Heat.  Congratulations Tony!!!
The Cadillac Angels will be performing on Good Morning Arizona on Channel 3 Phoenix AZ. Aug. 30th

The Angels will be performing some of their instrumentals for the early morning viewers. So grab a bowl of cereal and join the pajama party!

The Angels in collaboration with the several other groups will be putting out a Link Wray Tribute CD of all original material influenced by the founder of Rock guitar, the late great Link Wray. The proceeds of this record will be used to purchase school supplies for the Pine Ridge Indian Reservation. Look for this record sometime this fall.
 
Also some of our CDs are now available at cdbaby.com  For those of you who like to use credit cards to buy online this is a very, very, safe way to do it. CD baby has been around for years and is a top notch outfit. A big thanks to Matthew of the Ballistic Cats for making this happen for just a cup of coffee and a sandwich! 
Check out the growing number of videos featuring the Cadillac Angels on YouTube. We will try to bring a selection of these on this site. To see them all got to www.youtube.com search on cadillac angels and work your way through them!
Fantastic performance by the Cadillac Angels at the Spirit Room in Jerome, AZ on April 15,2007.


Brilliant video from VINDAWOP PRODUCTIONS of the Cadillac Angel's Sheila Shakes. Thanks guys, this is teriffic!


Look out for the upcoming release of the new Independent film; "Ranchero".

Most of the film was shot on location in the San Joaquin Valley and also in Los Angeles.

The basic storyline involves a young Mexican-American rancher {Ranchero} who tries his hand at "Big City" living.

The soundtrack features tracks from various Cadillac Angels' releases: Playin' With Fire, 16 Tons of Twang, Spanish Train and Buckin' the Odds.

More information to follow.


Here is video footage of the Cadillac Angel's Tony Balbinot playing with Gene Vincent's Blue Caps back in 2001.

Click here to view some related footage.


Tony Balbinot is currently in the process of compiling an anthology of his prose writing for publication. A vociferous writer, Tony has a unique view of the trials, adventures & characters from a life on the road.

Victim
I was sitting on a sway back bed in another run down motel changing strings on my Firebird, preparing for the next gig somewhere out there on the road.. The TV was on a local station and a very amateur reporter was interviewing bikers at some sort of motorcycle charity run. I wasn't paying that much attention, other than to occasionally smirk at the bumbling, fumbling interview techniques of another wannabe reporter. He asked the same questions of every rider; What's your name? Where ya from? What kind of bike do you ride? The guys would answer stiffly, usually looking in the wrong place for the camera. You know, we've all seen it. Anyway, I was just about done with the guitar when I heard a voice and a name from the TV that I hadn't heard in over 20 years." Kenny Williams" he said. I shot my eyes up instantly at the flickering image on the dirty screen TV of the man who helped me, inspired me, and launched me on my own musical journey. There he was... Kenny! Well sort of...

Kenny Williams was the first guy I ever talked to that was in a Rock and Roll band. He was tall, thin and gangly like me and played one mean guitar. Sort of a cross between Eddie Cochran and Chuck Berry, I once saw him switch guitars in the middle of a song without missing a beat. This trick was just one of many he would pull off on the small stages around town where I would watch him burn. Always in a black cowboy shirt and boots with tight faded jeans, his guitar slung low, he was the coolest image of a Rocker I had ever seen in the flesh, loud, rowdy and reckless. But this was not the guy I was staring at in disbelief on the smoke stained tube in my should be condemned motel room. 		No the man on the screen had a bloated face and stomach, a lousy beard and wore the corny: "I'm a biker" outfit that so many weekend wild ones are into these days . "I ride a Road King" he said as he looked straight into the camera like any veteran musician would do. He was looking right at me...Ah Kenny what happened to you? He looked tired and beaten down, with those hollow eyes that I've seen so many times before in the wounded and maimed from our ranks. "I work for Gieco" was the answer to the interviewers "What do you do?" More accurately would have been, "What have you become?"

Ten minutes ago I was feeling sort of sorry for myself because after some eighteen years into my career I'm still in ratty dumps like this, just making it each night on the shitty pay I may have to wrestle the club owner for. Yea that was ten minutes ago but now I'm staring at my fallen mentor, I feel like crying, I feel anger and I'm confused. What happened to you man? Where's the Cat who could get the hair on the back of everyone's neck doing a dance? Where’s the fire? Where's your guitar? Where's that man? I got up real close to the TV and painfully looked hard at this thing he had become. It was like looking into a burned out gutted building searching for something personal and precious and finding nothing.

It was time to go. I slid the Firebird into it's bag checked the beat up lock on room 112 and fired up my truck. So long Kenny Williams, I'd sure like to talk to you but I've got a date with another smoky bar.

- March 2007


We would like to welcome Alex Schwartz as the California drummer for the Cadillac Angels. Alex has performed with many big names, including Natalie Cole. See Upcoming Shows in California to see Alex in action.


Tony Balbinot of the Cadillac Angels will be making another trip into the recording studio, this time as a producer. Central Coast based Roots Rockers the Ballistic Cats are going to team up with Tony to make their first CD. The Ballistic Cats did several shows with the Angels last year and are now anxious to get some of their own material down on tape. Preproduction has already started and the new CD should be out by early summer. Good luck Matthew, Christopher, Lisa and Lissa of the Ballistic Cats.


On another note a new CD [well sort of] by the Cadillac Angels is due out this Spring. It will contain tracks from 3 out of print CDs; Feel Like Rockin' He's My Tiger and Playin' with Fire plus 2 previously unreleased tracks; Good Lookin' Woman recorded at Sutton Sound in the early 90's plus a live recording of "Please Give Me Something" recorded at the legendary Fitzgerald's in Chicago Illinois.

It seems some of the groups early out of print CD's [as the Roadhouse Rockers] are selling on EBay for big bucks so the band thought it would be a nice gesture towards loyal fans to make some of these recordings available again for only Ten Bucks! Take that EBAY!! The new Disc entitled Fool Me Twice is the brainchild of Executive Producer, Scott Leon and features wonderful artwork generously donated by long time fan and artist Celeste Goyer. Thankyou both.


Beginning in early February 2007 the Cadillac Angels will be providing the soundtrack for the new Independent film; "Ranchero". Most of the film was shot on location in the San Joaquin Valley and also in Los Angeles. The film will use Cadillac Angels songs for most of the film as well as some solo "Twangy" guitar work by bandleader Tony Balbinot. Scoring will take place at Painted Sky Studio in Cambria CA., where the Angels have recorded most of their CDs. The basic storyline involves a young Mexican-American rancher {Ranchero} who tries his hand at "Big City" living. No date has been set for release but the Cadillac Angel website will keep you posted.
Angels descend

Good Lord! The Cadillac Angels section on my CD rack just got one CD wider.

"I can't believe it myself," said head Angel Tony Balbinot. "Hell, I've put out more records than The Beatles!"

Sure enough, Men Don't Disco makes lucky number 13 for the Santa Barbara roots rock act, and damn if it's not one of the best records yet. As usual, it's a stripped-down little number filled with rootin' tootin' rockin' tunes. Tony's guitar continues to act as a second voice, and Tony's own voice has evolved into a '50s crooner dreamscape.

The CD kicks off with countryesque rockabilly number "Marie," a song that sounds like it could have been recorded in 1955. A lot of tunes on this record have a real country tinge old-school style, that is. "Cruel Game" could have been written and sung by Chris Isaak.

Tony turns up the heat on "Somebody," a driving rockabilly number with dark lyrics that match its muscular guitar riffs.

One of the biggest surprises is Tony's innovative take on Bruce Springsteen's classic "I'm on Fire," which the Angels totally make their own. Overall, this is a helluva good record, a collection of songs plucked from the American roots rock idiom, spot-on perfect!

- New Times, November 2006

A new full length CD entitled MEN DON'T DISCO is out NOW on Cracked Piston Records! Featuring all new material this CD sees the Cadillac Angel's recording debut of new bass player, Steve Carter. The new CD is a very diverse blend of Americana and Rock and Roll and is dedicated to all veterans, victims and casualties of war.

Possibly their best CD yet! A great blend of Americana Rock/Rockabilly and country. My favorite tracks include: "Marie", "Cruel Game", and the hard-driving, comical, "Truck Driver."

- Tom Hewitt, "The Mud Hole," New Orleans, LA.

Visit our merchanise page to order your copy of MEN DON'T DISCO now.
Check out recent press from the VC Reporter or visit our articles page to see this and other articles about the Cadillac Angels.




Brian Fahey is now drumming for the Cadillac Angels for most of their out of state shows.

Brian is best known for his years of service with the legendary Paladins. His main drumming influence is Gene Krupa.

His talents are a great asset to the Cadillac Angels and we're proud to have him in the line-up.
New Cadillac Angels T-shirt $15.00 includes shipping also available in women's "tank" top style for $18.00 includes shipping.

Visit our merchanise page to order now.

Recently unveiled: the new California Cadillac Angels line-up.

From left to right: John Palmer, Tony Balbinot, and Steve Carter.

Special thanks to photographer Bangkok Bill.

Check out pictures of the Cadillac Angels' recent encounter with Rock legend Robert Plant (ex. The Honey Drippers)

Here is a picture of the Cadillac Angels and Robert Plant talking about recordings and guitar tones!



Check out isound.com which is a great web-based source for all kinds of great music! The Cadillac Angels currently appear on isound Radio in the alternative pop and punk station ... and we were the feature Band on August 26/27.


Check out Port Halcyon - THE online town for vintage fasion, culture and lifestyle! Check out a recent review at Port Halcyon of last year's critically acclaimed CD release, Spanish Train.


Recent release LOS CADILLAXE, 16 TONS OF TWANG on Cracked Piston Records is a compilation of instrumental and vocal tracks from previous CDs that are no longer available: Jack the Ripper, Martinez, Caballo Blanco, Hangin' Ten with Tut, Little Girl and Rock it Little Mama, to name a few. For more information about Cracked Piston Records - check out the cool merch page for T-shirts, mugs, lunch boxes, trucker hats and much more ...


Dont forget that The Cadillac Angels are on TWO recent Surf compilations! TOTALLY TUBULAR the latest release by Surf music guru, Phil Dirt and HEAVY SURF on Reptile.