Christine Ohlman & Rebel Montez

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I've always thought it a good idea to look back while you look ahead. The fans have their favorites on each of our four CDs, and I've got mine, but there's so much other material, too—alternate takes, live cuts, unreleased tracks. It was fun choosing a few of those to sweeten the mix. The alternate version of "Circle ‘Round The Sun" was the biggest surprise to me. It's such a kicker, and Eric Fletcher is just playing his heart out. We knew we had to include "Then God Created Woman," and I thought, "Why not a live version?" So we found this great, lunge-at-it take from 2005 at Arlene Grocery, a well-loved Lower East Side NYC hang. "Charmaine" is classic late-eighties Rebel Montez, all edgy guitars, and I love the version of Percy Sledge's "It Tears Me Up" from the time just before Larry Donahue joined us on drums, back when Michael, Eric and I were gigging around as a trio.

Of course Eric Fletcher's death in 2006 was such a terrible shock. We had a sold-out concert on Memorial Day weekend and when he didn't show, we knew something was very wrong. He was never even late for a gig. When the police called the venue that night to tell us they'd found him in bed, gone, there was a collective grieving, all of us together—the band and the audience—that still continues. These recordings are his legacy, as they are Doc Cavalier's, our brilliant producer who was my mate of so many years. Doc left us in early 2005, and I mourn his loss every day. The four CDs we cut together were Doc's babies as surely as they were mine. Re-Hive is dedicated to his memory. Our upcoming 2009 CD of new songs, The Deep End, will be dedicated to Eric's. I feel I honor them both by creating, by writing, and by performing. It hasn't been easy by any means. But friends and fellow musicians have been extraordinary in their generosity and support, and have lifted me up.

A joyous session in January of 2008 for movie soundtrack cuts yielded "Dimples" and "Killing Floor," both of which feature the very great Cliff Goodwin on lead guitar; I'm delighted to include these tracks on Re-Hive. Cliff has been such a perfect addition to the band. He's a guitar god, truly, and an inspiration on stage and in the studio. And that brings us up to the present…My thanks to the folks at HMG Records for their cool and ongoing support in making this CD possible. Hope you dig.

CD description:

HMG Records / HMG 1189
Release Date: November 18, 2008

Re-Hive, a retrospective of Christine Ohlman's recordings with Rebel Montez (Larry Donahue - drums, Michael Colbath -bass, Eric Fletcher - lead guitar) pairs classic titles with bonus cuts, including alternate versions, previously unissued tracks (a bone-chilling, unplugged version of the Percy Sledge soul barnburner "It Tears Me Up," for example, recorded in the early Nineties with the 3-piece incarnation of Rebel Montez often referred to as "The Amazing Drummer-less Trio"), and two brand-new studio recordings of Chess Chicago blues chestnuts that feature Cliff Goodwin on lead guitar (Goodwin, whose idea it was to title the disc "Re-Hive," replaced Eric Fletcher following Fletcher's untimely death in 2006).

Special guests include G.E. Smith (Bob Dylan/SNL/Hall & Oates); Charlie Giordano (Bruce Springsteen/E Street Band); Andy York (John Mellencamp); Brian Mitchell (Levon Helm, Rosanne Cash) and Leon Pendarvis (SNL).

Disc includes "The Hard Way," featured on the Lifetime Channel's original movie "Sex & Lies In Sin City."

Critics rave:

"The first thing you notice is her tough, rousing, sexy voice" - Charles M. Young, Playboy

"Musical treasures like this don't come along very often" - All Music Guide

"The Number-One Secret Weapon in America's Gal-Singin' Sweepstakes" - Stereo Review

"Wicked, wild, and wanton, full of heathen rock n'roll, crazed jungle voodoo, hillbilly hellfire, and sinful soul music. In a word, great" - Mark J. Cadigan, Syndicated

"Ohlman is out to rearrange your furniture" - Nine Volt

"Holy Shazaam!! The Beehive Queen meets Lucinda Williams and John Hiatt in a bar fight, and Christine wins!" - Jim Chapdelaine, Grammy and Emmy-winning producer

Track Listing:
1. Wicked Time
2. A Shot Of You
3. Dimples (prev. unreleased - January, 2008)
4. Sugar Melts
5. Turn
6. The Hard Way
7. When The Summer Goes (alternate version)
8. Bound
9. The Seventh Sons
10. Killing Floor (prev. unreleased - January, 2008)
11. Strip
12. Then God Created Woman (recorded live)
13. The Storm
14. Circle 'Round The Sun (alternate version)
15. Edge Of The World
16. One More Thrill
17. Charmaine (prev. unreleased)
18. It Tears Me Up (prev. unreleased)