Bees Deluxe

Garage Blues

Slapping Cat Records

Hell-bent on their mission, Bees Deluxe push the limits and color outside the lines of convention to bring the blues into the 21st century. They bend the genre to create a sound that is distinct, highly musical, and yet deeply respectful of the blues tradition. They are the winners of the 2025 and 2026 New Hampshire State Blues Challenges, and semi-finalists at the International Blues Challenge in Memphis in January 2026.

Conrad Warre was in a high school band with Paul Kossoff of the band Free. He toured Europe with Joe Jackson and the English Beat, and then moved from London to New York, where he became a fixture on the stage at the legendary CBGB. In Boston he formed Bees Deluxe to celebrate the music he fell in love with while touring and playing legendary London clubs like the Rainbow Theatre, Ronnie Scott’s, Dingwalls, the Music Machine, and the Moonlight Club. Before forming Bees Deluxe, he was the production manager for Rykodisc, the first music CD company in the States, where he worked directly with Frank Zappa, Yoko Ono, Richard Thompson, David Bowie, Mickey Hart, and others.

Fronted and founded by British guitarist Conrad Warre, the band’s repertoire includes addictive originals as well as fresh takes on tunes by artists ranging from Billie Holiday to Jimi Hendrix. Bees Deluxe have toured from Maine to Miami, winning fans, amazing audiences, and sharing the stage with headliners like Ronnie Earl, Joanne Shaw Taylor, Mike Zito, Walter Trout, Joanna Connor, Matt Schofield, and Mike Welch.

Carol Band is a classically trained pianist who was recruited while playing jazz in Boston’s club scene. She also writes tunes and wows audiences with her blazing harmonica solos.

The band includes Carol Band on keyboards, harmonica, and vocals; Conrad Warre, guitar and vocals; Diablo Mysterioso, guitar on one track; bassists Brandon Downs and Adam Sankowski; and drummer Paul Giovine.

On the opening track, “The Deep Blue Sea,” our vocal duo sings, “From the Coast of Spain to the Gulf of Mexico, there’s just one place those fish can go. I like sharks I like their teeth, I like swimming in the deep blue sea. It’s hard to breathe when you’re under the surf. It’s hard to float, when you’re wearing a coat, take off your clothes, throw away your shoes, I like swimming in the deep blue sea.”

On “10 Years,” Bees Deluxe chime, “It’s been ten years since we seen you, It’s been ten years since we seen you, and you haven’t changed. The more you’ve stayed the same, the more we’ve changed.”

“Your Sister” features our duo as they chant, “Each and every time I call, your phone’s engaged, and if I get through to you, your Sister says no. I sent you in the mail, a letter from a friend, he said I’m good for you, but your sister says no, your sister says no.”

On “Jenny Don’t Cry,” the Bees wail, “I don’t know but I’ve been told that the world, was resting in your charms. Every day the world that spins on its own, and then Atlas shrugs again, Atlas shrugs again. Jenny don’t cry, Jenny don’t cry, Jenny don’t cry, Jenny don’t cry. I don’t know that every word isn’t true, but the whole world’s upside down, even now as it spins in your dreams, the dreams were paved with me, the dreams were paved with me.”

“Your Perfect Mistake” features the Bees as they moan, “Someone, struck dumb, succumbed, to the rule of thumb, the unhinged, remember when, hinges were, their best friend. We hope you wake up soon, and realize your perfect mistake. Days come, and weeks go, Saint Fitzgerald, she don’t know. Covebt garden, cobblestoned, a tourist town now, and long gone. We hope you wake up soon, and realize your perfect mistake.”

On “Letter from Jail” (live at WUML), the Bees groan, “This is a letter from Jail, and I sent it to you, every letter begins, with each day is the same. I write on the wall, I write on the floor, I write on a piece of paper, and send it to you. This is a letter from Jail, and I send it to you, I don’t know where this will find you, but I should be there.”

“So Easy” features the Bees as they howl, “He said it’s so easy. It’s like watching paint dry. He said, said it’s so easy, like watching the trees grow, He’s thinking anyone can do this, anyone could fall in love today with this girl.”

On “Repo Man,” the Bees declare, “I hear you bought a car, lots of nice things for your friends, Here is something, you won’t enjoy, I’ve got news for you, everything you own is mine, I’ve got news for you, I’m a repo man.”

“Dead Man’s Shoes” features the Bees as they croon, “Smoke like a chimney, drink like a fish, when I’m out on the street, I do what I wish. I wearing dead man’s shoes, I’m wearing dead amn’s shoes, got nothing to lose, when I’m wearing dead man’s shoes.”

Also included are three instrumentals: “Don’t Feed the Bears,” “The Winding Plant,” and “Gee Whiz.”

What you have in your hands, Bees Deluxe: Garage Blues, is the result of miles of highway, broken strings, cold pizza, and a commitment to producing music by humans for humans.

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