Morry Sochat & the Special 20s at Pour Bros. Craft Taproom Moline -- June 1.
Sunday, June 1, 3 p.m.
Pour Bros. Craft Taproom Moline, 1209 Fourth Avenue, Suite 2, Moline IL
Influenced by blues legends including Muddy Waters, Little Walter, Louis Jordan, and Junior Wells, the Chicago-honed talents of Morry Sochat & the Special 20s perform a June 1 set at Pour Bros. Craft Taproom Moline, this exhilarating afternoon of blues, swing, and 1950s rock-and-roll co-presented by the Mississippi Valley Blues Society.
As stated at the group's Special20s.com site, "Morry Sochat (pronounced Socket) moved to Chicago from Texas in 1990. He started playing harmonica in 2000, taking lessons from renowned teacher, Joe Filisko at the Old Town School of Folk Music. He played with The Shakes and Tongue & Groove before starting The Special 20s in 2005. Their first, self-titled release, recorded in 2006, was received with great reviews, taking the 20s from playing one or two nights a month to constant bookings all over the city. Morry has been playing around the city learning from the greats in Chicago, playing with Dave Specter, Willie 'Big Eyes' Smith, Billy Flynn and Barrelhouse Chuck.
"In 2007, Sochat took the next step and went out on his own. He hired some of the best musicians in Chicago to round out The Special 20s. In 2008, they returned to the studio to record a new CD. The recording Swingin’ Shufflin’ Smokin’ was produced by Nick Moss and featured Ted Beranis, Kenny Smith, Dave Ross, Nick Krebs, Shoji Naito, and Jim St. Marie. The CD was also met with rave reviews. This opened up doors for the band across the U.S.
"In 2010, Morry took the band back to the studio to release Eatin’ Dirt. The CD was produced by Jimmy Sutton, and features 10 original songs. The band has grown in both skill level and size, adding a horn section on a lot of the songs. Eating’ Dirt was a sound expansion for the band. It was the first CD that brought in the horn section. The recording featured the lineup of Marty Binder, Doug Corcoran, Shoji Naito, Chris Neal, Jim St. Marie, and Ted Beranis. It has special guests Billy Flynn, Dave Hererro, and Brother John on the CD. The sound is vintage with a modern feel." The recording Dig In followed in 2015, and with each release, the band has expanded its sound and lineup but continues to evolve while staying true to the feel-good grit of Chicago blues.
Morry Sochat & the Special 20s performs their Pour Bros. Craft Taproom engagement on June 1, admission to the 3 p.m. concert event is free, and a 50/50 raffle will also take place. For more information on the Mississippi Valley Blues Society presentation, call (563)322-5837 and visit MVBS.org.
