Night of blues, rock & soul

It is a new year and a new look for local favorites Renee and The Derelicts who will perform two sets of classic and original blues, rock and soul tunes at the P&G Cafe on Manhattan’s West side Saturday, Feb. 12 beginning at 10:00 p.m. with no cover. The Café is located at 380A Columbus Ave. (78th Street) (“B” or “C” subway to 81st St.)

Fronted by Renee Flemings, the band featuring Paul Bauman (guitar) Grant Jarrett (keyboards), David J. Wasserman (bass) and Sal Carolei (harmonica) trace their roots back to 2005 when Renee – an actress and accomplished playwright, showcased her bluesy vocals in her autobiographical one-woman show, “From The Front Porch” in Manhattan.

I’ve always listened to a variety of music from Aretha, Sarah Vaughn and Billie Holiday to Aerosmith; so it was that mix of styles that influences the way we do the music – and the original songs we create, because most of the band share that same sensibility,” states Flemings who hails from Louisville, Kentucky.

The Derelicts began developing a repertoire of blues covers and Delta-inspired originals, weathered a few personnel changes and began performing at New York’ City venues occasionally backing blues legend Floyd Lee. Next stop was the P&G Café in 2009 where they became a popular weekend draw. and were joined onstage for a memorable moment by rock legend Steven Tyler of Aerosmith & American Idol fame.

Having taken some time off to regroup and to write and record material the group, which now features Michael Fox (drums) (hence the Redux) fans can expect to hear new tunes from a forthcoming EP as well as the single – “Bourbon & Whiskey.” “We’re still going to explore a variety of styles from straight ahead blues to a mix of blues, rock and even a little country flavor,” Flemings added.