Greg Izor & The Box Kickers - Close To Home (2013)

A mash-up of Louisiana grit, Austin soul, and low-down Chicago heat, blues harmonica powerhouse Greg Izor is on a roll.
Izor’s music is grounded in a deeply rooted traditional sound and shaped by the influence of the harmonica masters, as well as Louisiana blues, southern soul, swamp pop, early jazz, and R&B. His playing is evidence of the records he’s gotten his hands on and the greats he has played with over the years. Izor’s songwriting and playing are not to be missed, and his newest record, “I Was Wrong” is described as “filled with swinging, deep-fried fat back licks.”
A Vermont native and an old soul, Izor moved south to New Orleans to get his hands dirty. He fell in with one of today’s harmonica greats, Jumpin’ Johnny Sansone, who mentored young Izor and helped him develop his style. Izor became a Bourbon Street regular, earning a nightly residency at the Funky Pirate Club and playing around town in New Orleans’ clubs, from the well known Maple Leaf Bar and Tipitina’s to the funky neighborhood bars, and the clubs on the now legendary Frenchmen Street. His weekends were spent venturing to swampland juke joints, playing steamy gigs that lasted well into Sunday morning. During his Louisiana years, Izor played with Eddie Bo, Jerry “Boogie” McCain, Henry Gray, Wolfman Washington, Oliver “La La” Morgan, and Clarence “Gatemouth” Brown – even earning a spot in the all-star house band at Gate’s barbecue joint in New Orleans.