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Theory Of A Deadman - Santa Monica

When the British beat boom struck in the mid 1960s, blues songs entered the repertoires of countless local bands, though many of the musicians barely realised the origins of the music they were playing. Distinguishing themselves from the more commercial, and less bluesy, sound of The Beatles... which had in turn been learned from black American blues artists. 

British blues bandleader John Mayall was promoting the music with an almost missionary zeal, drawing attention to its black origins in articles, interviews and liner notes and making converts like Marsden aware of the blues as a genre in its own right, not just a tributary of British beat music. Many others took up the cause... Local blues performers continue to emerge in the new century... And the old ones keep on going... blues remaining the foundation if no longer the sole ingredient of their music.

For the most part, though, New Zealand’s blues performers adhere to the music’s blue collar ethos, playing in bars more often than concert halls, more journeymen and women than superstars. On the upside, the genre they have chosen is an enduring one that has outlasted fads and fashions, and ensured long careers for its practitioners.


Theory Of A Deadman - Santa Monica
  • Written by: Dave Brenner, Dean Back, Tyler Connolly
  • Released on: Gasoline album
  • Released on: March 29, 2005

"Theory Of A Deadman includes traits of music styles, such as country and acoustic, in addition to their post grunge and alternative rock foundation. Nine of their singles have entered the top ten of the US Billboard Mainstream Rock chart, including four songs that peaked at number one."

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