Here it is ladies & gentlemen; the long awaited new CD

by

Bob Stannard & Chris Kleeman

------------------------------------------------------

Made in Vermont

''Live Performances

from

Obscure but Popular Places"

To order your copy of "Made in Vermont" you need only to fill out the form below, cut and paste it and send it  to the address below the form.

Your Name:__________________________

Address:________________________

________________________________

E-mail: _________________________a

check or money order for only $20 (Includes $5.00 shipping & handling) made payable to Stannard Associates, Inc.

Stannard Associates, Inc.

117 Sleepy Hollow Dr.

Manchester, Ctr. Vt 05255

Attn:  NEW CD

______YES, I would like to have my e-mail added to Bob's "GIG GROUP" list so that I'll know when and where he's playing.  (Don't worry....your e-mail will never be shared with anyone, ever)

"Made in Vermont" reviewed by Vermont Public Radio host

 Robert Resnick:

"MADE IN VERMONT:LIVE PERFORMANCES FROM OBSCURE BUT POPULAR PLACES"

(Self-released CD Howling Frog Records #002)

The homes of Chester, Vermont, bluesboy Chris Kleeman and his musical compadre Bob Stannard, from Manchester Center, are separated by some of the tallest mountains in Vermont, but it doesn't seem to have gotten in their way, physically or musically. On their first joint album, Made in Vermont: Live Performances From Obscure But Popular Places, the two churn, choogle and sweat through an encyclopedia of blues styles. On this CD, 12 classics by Willie Dixon, Jimmy Reed, Robert Johnson, Chester Burnette and more are given loving treatment by two players with the knowledge and skill to make them work.

Kleeman can wail on an electric guitar, and really shines when he slides on his beat-up old National Steel. Stannard, who sounds like he came out of the womb armed with a blues harp, recalls the best of the Chicago blues harmonica players, melding passion with rhythmic riffs from the styles of Sonny Boy Williamson I and II, Sonny Terry and others. Throughout Made in Vermont, Kleeman and Stannard are backed by a number of pickup drummers and bassists. There are no lapses and the whole baby works.

The experience these guys bring to their music has been obtained from lots of road time. Kleeman and Stannard are both in their fifties, have been playing bars for decades, and are clearly not ready for AARP bus tours. From the energy and pump of the music, it sounds as if some of the "obscure places" mentioned in the title might be smoky roadhouses, so it's surprising to discover that most of the album was recorded live in such relatively sedate venues as the Riley Rink in Manchester and the Old Firehouse in Tinmouth. A few tracks were laid down at Southview Arts, a fine little studio on a hill above Middletown Springs, and at Kleeman's home studio. It's clear that Kleeman, who has played with many musical partners over the years, and Stannard have found that rare thing: a musical complement that really fits.

ROBERT RESNIK

© Seven Days Newspaper, 2004

Hear are a few clips from

"Made In Vermont"

Checkin' Up on My Baby

I Didn't Know

 Killin' Floor