Nightcats Bring Top Blues To Coeur D’Alene Hotspot

Quintessential blues guitarist “Little” Charlie Baty and harmonica player-volalist Rick Estrin will kick out the jams with their band the Nightcats at the Waterin’ Hole in Coeur d’Alene tonight.

For two decades, Little Charlie and the Nightcats have been at the forefront of West Coast blues. The bands has churned out a battery of albums praised for seamless ventures into Chicago blues, Texas swing, rockability, R&B and even surf rock. The band’s arsenal of styles enables them to be among the more infectious blues bands on stage.<

In the mainstream, Baty is an unsung guitar hero. Estrin is also not a huge name, but his song-writing skills bolstered the albums by some bigger names, such as Koko Taylor and John Hammond. In fact, Estrin wrote songs for a Hammond album that drew a Grammy nomination.

Little Charlie and the Nightcats are presently signed to the stalwart blues label Alligator Records. Their latest album is called “Straight Up!” and features several guests, including keyboardist Jimmy Pugh (Robert Cray Band) and sax player John Firman (Johnny Nocturne).

Showtime’s at 8 p.m. Tickets are $12 at the door.

, DataTimes