Setzer with his “titanium tonsils” was Ripsaw’s first recording artist with a 1976 45 (Ripsaw 209) and also its most recent artist with a 2015 album “Jukebox Bluegrass” (Ripsaw 224).
Louie’s affiliation with Ripsaw led to his winning the New York City Bluegrass Club’s 1977 Band of the Year Contest, knocking off the Yankee Rebels, who had won the previous five years in a row, and leading to a string of sold-out gigs at the legendary Bells of Hell in Greenwich Village. The members of his back-up band, the Appalachian Mountain Boys, have changed over the years, but Louie is still wailing the best hard-driving honky-tonk style bluegrass throughout the Northeast.
“King of Fools” – https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R03cCa1Ecls
“Christmas in Tennessee” – https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7wmHWLkL5yo
“Wood Smoke” – https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S5N6zgu7m-o
What They Say About Louie Setzer and “Jukebox Bluegrass” (Ripsaw 224)
“Setzer … plays the kind of bluegrass his fans have come to hear. Traditional, hard-driving, down-home bluegrass.”
Bluegrass Unlimited
“Louie Setzer… belts out classic bluegrass in an inimitable style, which has endeared [him to] fans over the years …”
Sing Out!
“Any student of the genre would be hard-pressed to find a more dynamic vocalist [than Louie Setzer].”
Bluegrass Music Profiles
“Jukebox Bluegrass” (Ripsaw 224) is “Hardcore bluegrass … Setzer [is] on the bleeding edge of … bluegrass on this album”
3rd Coast Music
“Setzer’s voice is an aural equivalent of a shot of strong bourbon or the first bitter wind of November. … the harmonies surge behind Setzer’s leads. … the instrumental playing is impeccable. … Jukebox has an honest, raw edge to it without being at all stereotypical. … You could call this “hillbilly music” and be dead right. This is the real stuff with the right stuff. Five stars.”
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“[Setzer is] a great singer [with a] stellar singing style. … The sound recording and production are fantastic. Check it out!”
Blue Suede News
“Jukebox Bluegrass is traditional bluegrass music, with great harmonies and cleverly chosen, varied song titles.”
Country Home (Germany)
