“I think it’s really important for musicians to listen to a bunch of different stuff to expand their ears and knowledge - be a sponge and learn something new! As much as I absolutely adore guitar (the greatest instrument ever, in my unbiased opinion), I’ll find inspiration from tenor sax players, drummers, ambient music, Irish trad music, even old-school hip-hop.”

All Night Boogie Band: Rock Blues Echoes 

Shut Your Eyes And See (2026), the new album from All Night Boogie Band, brings the group's sonic vision more firmly into focus than ever before. In just over five years, and now with three full-length albums under their belt, the band has crafted a sound that touches on everything from the Stax/Muscle Shoals/Motown side of classic rock (circa 1966-'68), to second line NOLA grooves, Exile On Main Street grit, and all the nooks and crannies in between. They don't so much blend genres together as they put them on a demolition derby figure-8 track where a head-on collision is as likely as a calm pass along the back wall. But rather than leaving everything up to chance, their songs are tight, well-worked, and take you on a complete journey from beginning to end. "I would consider myself a voracious listener as much as I'm a songwriter," says guitarist Brendan Casey. "To this day, and this pre-dates the band, I lean toward writing songs that don't necessarily fit a sound but are songs I'd want to listen to as well." "We wrote the first songs for this record back in 2023," adds singer Jess Leone, "but writing is a neverending learning experience; the further you go down that road, the more you see what you can do to make each song better."

(Photo: All Night Boogie Band)

Shut Your Eyes And See is more than finessed songwriting, it's a masterclass in dynamics as the band leans heavily into the groove on every track. "I've always been of the mind to work songs out in front of a crowd first," Casey notes, "let them grow and come into their own. Those dynamics aren't just from all the time we spend rehearsing, it's almost equally from feeling out those things live and having a symbiotic relationship with the crowd. As much as we're taking them on a ride, they're helping us choose the route. Sometimes we stretch it out if we're feeling it and they're feeling it." "We're not a jamband though," Leone comments, "we're a band that can jam but, at the end of the day, our music is still rock and blues."

Interview by Michael Limnios                  Special Thanks: Larry Kay(Night Train PR)

You have a background in jazz, but you sing the blues with incredible grit. How did your jazz training shape the way you control your powerhouse vocals today?

Jess: Singing jazz in middle/high school and studying it in college absolutely helped me with control and precision, as well as my general understanding of music. I didn't really find my grit until I started singing the blues seriously. When I was younger (11-17ish) I would always say that I was still searching for my voice (literally and metaphorically - I was shy!) and I knew there was more inside of me but I just hadn't found it yet. I think singing jazz, blues, and rock, listening to/studying vocalists that inspire me, playing with a band that I feel comfortable experimenting with and finding that body/soul/sound connection helped me find my true voice or my "grit". I'm still learning and finding new parts of my voice though! I just started experimenting with those high notes at the end of "I Think They Called It Peace" in 2024. I had no idea I could sing that high until recently. I call it my scream therapy.

You are deeply steeped in blues history. When you first met Jess on Orchard Terrace, how quickly did you realize that her voice was the perfect match for your guitar style?

Brendan: I’m a total obsessive music nerd - absolutely love music, learning how it’s made, who played on what, what label they were on, etc. I’ve always loved history since I was a little kid, minored in it in college, etc. -  so it makes sense.

And I actually met Jess in high school - we went to different schools but were introduced by a mutual friend of ours, and even went to Senior Prom together! We started dating before we ever started the band, so our relationship was already there. Music was certainly a huge bonding point.

I think the way that both of our musical backgrounds (a lot of the music we love, listen to, and like to play) align just makes the match natural. We share that same language, in a sense.

We’ve had a lot of people who’ve seen our band for the first time come up to us after and ask if we’re together because they can just tell from the energy, which is always funny to us.

“I think singing jazz, blues, and rock, listening to/studying vocalists that inspire me, playing with a band that I feel comfortable experimenting with and finding that body/soul/sound connection helped me find my true voice or my "grit".” (Photo: All Night Boogie Band)

You mentioned this song is deeply personal and dedicated to someone struggling with mental health. How does it feel to share such a vulnerable, emotional message with your audience?

Jess: "If You're Blue and Lonesome" has a message that I think everyone can relate to in some way. At first, performing it definitely felt vulnerable, but now I feel grateful to be able to have a space to share this song with people who might be struggling in their own way. I hope that when they hear this song they're able to recognize and feel the love and support they have in their lives. We've created a very special and welcoming community with this band and I hope our music and live shows can be a form of support for anyone who needs it!

You've described this track as what rock & roll is "supposed" to sound like. What is the core ingredient or guitar tone that gives a song that timeless, gritty feel?

Brendan: ‘Keep on Rolling’ musically has a lot of elements that I think are definitive to rock & roll - and a lot of that carries over from blues music. Slightly conflicting rhythms, certain elements caught between straight and swung, etc…there’s actually a great video of Steve Jordan analyzing and explaining these concepts - and they’re all crucial ingredients to rock & roll.

If you listen to a lot of the early Chuck Berry records, on tunes like “Sweet Little Rock N’ Roller”, “Sweet Little Sixteen”, and even “Johnny B. Goode”, the drums are pretty swung, but Chuck is playing a pretty straight shuffle rhythm - it’s not something you immediately realize because it blends so well, but it’s felt more than heard. 

On “Keep on Rolling”, that was our intention. I also just love the rawness, and the pedal-to-the-metal full-tilt feeling it has. Strong rhythm guitar, thumping bass, the drums as I mentioned, jangling keys up top, the horn section ripping it up - obviously the vocals paired with an anthemic sort of chorus…it’s exciting stuff. All ingredients to the recipe you can’t go wrong with, in my opinion.

The band is really firing on all cylinders.

Your lyrics often balance pain with a sense of resilience. Where do you usually draw your inspiration from when sitting down to write a new song?

Jess: For the lyrics on this record, Brendan and I drew from a lot of topical themes like mental health, politics, war, homelessness, climate crisis, power of community, long distance love, etc. We normally pick a topic that's been on one of our minds a lot lately, something we just can't kick, then sit down and bounce lines and verses back and forth until we have something. We try to balance the painful topics with resilience because it's important to have the space to recognize the struggles of life but it's just as important to find the motivation to carry on and try to make a better world. Recently, someone came up to us after a show and said our song "I Think They Called It Peace" gave her space to process all the awful things going on in the world without feeling overwhelmed or experiencing the existential dread that comes with it. She said it felt like we were sharing the "message of the masses" and that meant a lot to hear. I actually used to feel so light headed by the end of singing that song because of how difficult it is to sing physically and soulfully. I'm used to it now, but at first it really teared my soul into pieces. Not always in a sad way though. It was more like how exercising tears your muscles to make them stronger. I guess that's like our songs too: acknowledging the pain to grow stronger and more resilient.                             (Photo: All Night Boogie Band)

“I think the way that both of our musical backgrounds (a lot of the music we love, listen to, and like to play) align just makes the match natural. We share that same language, in a sense.”

Your studio albums perfectly capture the raw energy of a live bar performance. How do you manage to translate that authentic, late-night gig atmosphere into a recording studio environment?

Brendan: For me personally (I know it’s different for every band member), going into a professional studio to record with a team of people and playing guitar and trying to get the best out of your songs - trying to capture some lightning in a bottle - is exciting enough for me. I’m always super stoked to record and get down to it.

I always loved the stories of the guys at Chess playing their bar/club gigs till late and then going straight to the studio riding that adrenaline with a little buzz on to record their tracks - we’ve never tried that, but hey, maybe next time.

Leading a high-energy blues/soul band requires a massive stage presence. How do you prepare yourself mentally to bring that raw, commanding energy every single night?

Jess: I used to rely on the crowd for my energy, but I realized that they're relying on us. There's a sort of symbiotic/mutualistic relationship between a band and a crowd. If we feel good, so does the crowd, and vice versa. Sometimes it's easy for me to find the energy within me and sometimes I have off-nights where I have to fake it 'till I make it! I'll force a smile and dance a little and then that, the music, the band, and the shared energy with the crowd is all I really need. If I'm ever struggling I remind myself how lucky I am to be able to play music with my best friends for people who truly appreciate our art. It's a surreal feeling and always wakes me up or snaps me out of a bad mood. Everyone deserves to see our best show, even if there's only one person listening, so we always say "play every show like it's MSG".

You mentioned that "Stuck In The City (You're Not Alone)" is a track where every band member's "voice" shines. As a composer, how do you balance giving everyone space while keeping the groove tight?

Brendan: I think “Stuck In The City (You’re Not Alone)” embraces an improvisatory spirit.

I love jazz and certainly the way jazz and improvisation rubbed off on rock bands like The Allman Brothers and the Dead - so there’s a lot of sonic space for each of us to speak to each other, musically. We’re all pretty good listeners and typically in a live show you’ll hear us all comping off each other, even when we play something like a jump-blues, so it’s not unnatural to us at all. It’s incredibly fun for us.

At the same time, there’s got to be a level of taste, intention and restraint as players to keep it tight, and I believe we accomplished that.

The band features powerful trumpet and saxophone arrangements. How do you position your voice so it cuts through and duets perfectly with the horn section?

Jess: I think it's the opposite actually! Sam Atallah, the trumpet player on all 3 of our albums, writes all of our horn arrangements after we finished writing the songs. Brendan and I give him direction, some songs more than others, and then Sam weaves the horns between our melodies so well. Hopefully soon the horns will be touring with us full-time so everyone can see them live! It's truly electric when we have them join us.

“I think our secret is having a good time on stage: smiling, laughing, expressing our gratitude to the audience, and above all dancing. Monkey see monkey do! If the crowd sees us dancing and having a good time they're going to feel comfortable to dance and let go as well.” (Photo: All Night Boogie Band)

Your playing has a beautiful, soulful edge. Who are the guitar legends that influenced you the most when you were developing your own signature sound?

Brendan: Thank you! Like I said before, I’m an obssesive listener to music, so I’d say the list is very long and it depends on what day of the week you ask me - but some of my favorites are: BB, Freddie, and Albert King, T-Bone Walker, Johnny “Guitar” Watson, Clarence “Gatemouth” Brown, Otis Rush, Jimmy Dawkins, Keith Richards, Cornell Dupree, Pete “Guitar” Lewis, Mike Bloomfield, Eddie Taylor, Peter Green, Duane Allman, Dickey Betts, Jerry Garcia…the list goes on.

For some contemporary guys, I really dig Kirk Fletcher, Sean “Mack” McDonald, Matt Stubbs (GA20), Ronnie Earl, Dwight Richter (Dwight & Nicole), my late friend Dennis Willmot, Eddie 9V, Jubu Smith, Ira Kaplan (from Yo La Tengo), Nels Cline… I could go on forever.

I think it’s really important for musicians to listen to a bunch of different stuff to expand their ears and knowledge - be a sponge and learn something new! As much as I absolutely adore guitar (the greatest instrument ever, in my unbiased opinion), I’ll find inspiration from tenor sax players, drummers, ambient music, Irish trad music, even old-school hip-hop. 

In your eyes, what is the secret to making a modern audience completely let go, connect with your lyrics, and start dancing to the blues today?

Jess: I think our secret is having a good time on stage: smiling, laughing, expressing our gratitude to the audience, and above all dancing. Monkey see monkey do! If the crowd sees us dancing and having a good time they're going to feel comfortable to dance and let go as well. We have serious/angry/heartbroken songs that require a different type of energy and emotion that are just as powerful, but we always try to start and end the set on a positive note. Fun fact: listening to music, singing, smiling, and dancing all release dopamine and other feel good chemicals in our brains! 

From your debut Taste These Blues to your second LP Angel of the Airwaves, the sound grew into new stylistic frontiers. Where do you want to take your guitar work and arrangements in the next album?

Brendan: I think as a songwriter, you continue to grow. It’s a tale as old as time, and to truly embrace one’s creative artistic freedom, I think growth and change is natural and healthy. When I started All Night Boogie Band, the sole intention was to strictly play blues covers. Obviously we’ve grown so much since then, and I love how we sound and how we’ve evolved as a cohesive unit. The goal is to continue to carve out a true original sound, but I always want to retain that emotional, raw blues energy in everything I write.

As I guitarist, I’m always playing around with alternate tunings and stuff like that. Sometimes you just hear things differently - the relationship between notes and droning and all that - so I’d love to dig into that stuff some more. I should probably also practice slide some more.

Long story short, you’ll just have to listen to the next record to hear where we go!

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(Photo: All Night Boogie Band)