My NEW CD and Joe Bonamassa fall tour 2016

Hi folks,

It's been a slow and enjoyable summer for me back in Los Angeles. I had a good long run with Joe Bonamassa followed by a good 3 1/2  month break. Lee Thornburg and I actually did go to Red Rocks to close out JB's summer tour, but, for the most part, I've been in LA.

My band Groove Legacy did a couple shows on the east coast including a killer show at the Syracuse Jazz Fest. We blew the roof off the main stage!!

The big news is.....*****DRUM ROLL PLEASE*****......my CD is being manufactured! I have some really fantastic guests on the record, including Joe Bonamassa, Larry Carlton, Kirk Fletcher, Trevor Menear, Bill Steinway, Lee Thornburg, James Gadson, Eddie Wakes and Terra Naomi. This record sounds really great. I think I have 10 really strong songs for this record. I will have an official CD release party scheduled for October 23rd!! Tell EVERYBODY!! It's gonna be an absolutely packed house that night at Joe's in Burbank. So make your plans and get there early for a seat. I will have some special guests for sure!

This Sunday we start rehearsals for the fall Bonamassa tour. We'll be going to Australia and New Zealand the after a few weeks off doing a North American run that will close out the year for us. It has been an excellent opportunity to play with JB and the fellas. Getting to be in a horn section with Lee Thornburg is such a great learning experience. It's also a GREAT hang! The other guys in the band are not too shabby either. Reese Wynans, Michael Rhodes and Anton Fig, not bad company to be keeping. 

I hope to see some of you out and about on these upcoming runs! Be sure to say hi.

~ Paulie

Red Rocks, here I come!

I've been off tour for a bit from Joe Bonamassa's band and have been relaxing, writing, practicing and just enjoying being home. Lee Thornburg and I were supposed to be off until the September run to Australia and New Zealand, but we got the call to come to the Red Rocks show with Joe on July 19th. I hope to see some familiar faces there. It'll certainly be a blast!

My group, Groove Legacy, which I co-lead along with dear friends,  Bill Steinway and fantastic bassist Travis Carlton. Bill is my writing partner on this project. The self-titled CD is available now. It has been getting very good airplay around the country and has been incredibly well-received by many jazz writers. We recently headed to Syracuse to perform at the Syracuse Jazz Fest. We blew the roof off the place! The band is really incredible. Special thanks to my good buddy, Joel Eckels, for making it out to run sound for us, he rocked it!! Andrew Lippman is a stand-out on trombone and the rest of the band is utterly smoking hot! It was a real blast to take that band out to do a couple shows and see the response we got. To hear Bill proudly quote Randy Brecker as we walked off the stage after our show, "we have no business following you guys. You should be playing festivals all over the world." Pretty high praise from an iconic jazz figure! Try to catch a show in LA if you can or help us come to your town. You can help us out by going to our FB page at https://www.facebook.com/groovelegacy/?fref=ts and giving us a big, fat "LIKE"

I also finished mixing my new CD and I'm looking forward to getting the packaging done and getting it out to my peoples around the world! It came out GRRRRREAT!! I have 10 songs. Nine of which are original, one instrumental and a cover of the classic Ray Charles tune, "Hard Times" which I also wrote a reprise for.

I had the pleasure of having some of my favorite musicians in the world on this recording. At the core was Billy Haynes on bass and backing vocals, Sam Meek on guitar, Bill Steinway on piano and organ and Alvino Bennett on drums. Some special guests include one of my favorite musicians and people, Mr. James Gadson on drums and backing vocals. Also featured prominently is my horn section partner in the Bonamassa band, Lee Thornburg. I seem to never be at a loss for fantastic guitarists and this record is no different. Larry Carlton plays beautifully on a ballad and Kirk Fletcher lays down some great work on two songs while Joe Bonamassa plays fantastically on four songs. I was lucky enough to book the recording session just before Kirk left for Europe, but was sadly out of luck to get he and Joe B. on two songs together, as Joe had a show booked on the east coast. Then, the day before the session, Joe called and said, "hey Paulie, my show was cancelled on the east coast. Do you still need a guitarist to over play on your tunes?" Joe has a great sense of humor and is very comfortable with his own playing and his abilities. So I was able to get he and Kirk on two songs together! They burned it up, too! Also of note is a wonderful slide solo by Trevor Menear. Sam Meek contributed great rhythm playing throughout along with some very fine solo work, as well. What a joy to make music with all these great players. Two songs were recorded at Red Star Studios by David Kalish. The rest were done at King Size Studios engineered by Dennis Moody and Celso Estrada with horn overdubs done a Par3 Studios. A special debt is owed to Alvino Bennett and Billy Haynes. They really put their whole heart into this record and MADE IT HAPPEN! They are flat out swingin', Gates! Look for it to be finished very soon. I will announce a release date soon.

I hope everyone is able to enjoy their summer. Take it easy, eat well, take care of yourselves, be kind, spread love and always remember to get out and catch some live music. Don't be one of those folks who watches a whole show on a tiny phone screen while making a video of the show. Take some pics, maybe a short video, then put that thing away and experience the music with your entire self! I know you may want to share it with your friends....but they should've gone with you!

Please, if you haven't yet, go to my page https://www.facebook.com/Paulie-Cerra-318515778171354/  and give me a LIKE as well.

I hope to see you soon!

Joe Bonamassa Spring Tour 2016 and other goings on!

Hey everyone,

I hope your year is off to a roaring good start. Mine has been pretty busy, thus far.

I did the Delbert McClinton Cruise in January along with Lee Thornburg. We played for Teresa James. It was a blast as usual.

I revisited an old idea of doing an B3 organ group with Ty Baille. It was an absolute blast to play in that style! Great guitarist, Josh Smith and fantastic drummer, Kerry Griffin came along for the ride. Ty, who for the last year or more has been touring with Katy Perry, and I had planned and plotted to do this music about 4 years ago when a finger infection put a sudden stop to that only a week before our debut gig. Subsequently, I nearly had my finger amputated. Damaged, but still with finger still attached, we dove into the situation with reckless abandon. It was a ton of fun. We will definitely be revisiting this group from time to time!

I have also been working hard to finish up my next solo recording. It is coming out FANTASTICALLY WELL!! I hope to finish it up and package it by April. I can't wait to get it out there. I'm very proud of this project. I have some great songs written and a stellar cast including some fantastic guests. Larry Carlton, Kirk Fletcher, Trevor Menear and Joe Bonamassa all guest on guitar. Some highlights include two songs with Kirk and Joe both playing great! The core rhythm section is Alvino Bennett on drums, Sam Meek on guitar, Bill Steinway on piano and organ and of course the remarkable groove and energy of Billy Haynes on bass. Billy and Alvino are just a wrecking ball of infectious groove! James Gadson also plays drums on two cuts. James and I along with Billy Haynes and Eddie Wakes laid some terrific backing vocals on one song. A very personal take on my oldest brother's passing. I'm still pondering the name of the record. I have it widdled down to three, so maybe I'll let you guys vote on it. We'll see.

In February, we headed off to Miami to start the new year with Joe. His new tunes are just kickin' ass! Joe is really hitting his stride as an artist who, after 25 years in this business, is still on the rise. All of his success has been hard-earned and deserved. The slow steady climb is remarkable. I believe his story of success along with business partner in J&R Adventures and manager, Roy Weisman, will make a remarkable Hollywood story someday.

After a week of rehearsal, we headed to Joe's Keeping the Blues Alive at Sea cruise. We performed two shows with JB and one show backing Beth Hart. Lee Thornburg and I also backed Whitey Johnson aka Gary Nicholson on a show. Overall, it was a real treat.

Then we headed directly to Germany and are in the middle of this run through Germany, UK and finishing in Australia. The show is really rockin! Be sure to catch a show if we come near you, you will LOVE IT!!

See you on the road!