Pull Up The Roots (The Berlin & Hotel Sessions) Boneshakers

• 1 Your Luck Won’t Last 03:19
• 2 Help The Poor 03:57
• 3 Pull Up The Roots 04:33
• 4 Eat A Peach 03:02
• 5 Fire On The Bayou 04:14
• 6 Fly On The Wall 03:21
• Total Runtime 22:26

Info for Pull Up The Roots (The Berlin & Hotel Sessions)

The Boneshakers return with Pull Up the Roots: The Berlin & Hotel Session, an intimate recording that strips one of America's most electrifying blues and soul bands down to its essence. Marking their second release for Gulf Coast Records, the collection favours raw performance over polish, capturing the chemistry, spontaneity, and fearless musicianship that have defined the group for more than three decades. Fronted by the unmistakable voice of JERRY LANGER and the soulful guitar work of Randy Jacobs - formerly of Was (Not Was) - the EP embraces honest, acoustic arrangements where every note and breath remains beautifully exposed.

Produced by Jacobs, Langer, and John Wooler, the project reveals a band confident enough to let the songs speak for themselves. Recorded primarily at Kaleidoscope Studios in Berlin, the sessions continued wherever the road allowed, with additional performances captured in U.S. studios and hotel rooms between shows. This wandering spirit gives the EP a sense of movement and lived experience.

A remarkable ensemble of collaborators adds depth throughout, including Holly Montgomery, Arthur Thompson, Joe Sublett, Mark Pender, Jon Gilutin, and Oliver Leiber. Across six tracks - bold reinterpretations and originals - the band blends Detroit soul, New Orleans groove, blues, and rock & roll swagger. Pull Up the Roots celebrates authenticity, proving that great songs and genuine soul need no embellishment.

The Boneshakers

The Boneshakers
The iconic band lead by world-renowned guitarist Randy Jacobs of Was (Not Was). The Boneshakers and members have toured and recorded with Bonnie Raitt, BB King, Buddy Guy, Seal, Keb Mo, Aretha Franklin, Elton John, Mindi Abair, Bootsy Collins, Tears 4 Fears, Bob Dylan, Stevie Wonder, Iggy Pop…just to name a few. A stirring blend of Detroit soul with Muscle Shoals-style R&B on full display every show.

Flashback to 1980 — During his maiden session for Don and David Was, Randy Jacobs meets Sweetpea Atkinson on a cold night in the Motor City at Sound Suite Studio (the recording home of the fledgling band Was (Not Was). The connection was immediate and a bond was forged between the two artists. Their combined talents would help Was (Not Was) become a successful act during the 80’s and into the early 90’s cumulating with the worldwide hit “Walk The Dinosaur” co-written by Jacobs.

After their European tour with Dire Straits in 1992, the Was Band went on hiatus and Randy started playing and recording with the likes of Bonnie Raitt, BB King, Seal, Paula Abdul, Kris Kristofferson, Ofra Haza, Tears For Fears, Warren Hill and others. Sweetpea was in Los Angeles adding background vocals to artists like Neil Diamond, Bonnie Raitt, Keb Mo, and Bob Segar.

Randy had been working with various singers looking for the right voice for his new band when Atkinson called to say that he wanted to be part of Randy’s brand new thing– and so the journey began.

It was Bonnie Raitt who inadvertently gave them their name “Boneshakers” while they were working on her “Longing In Our Hearts” CD. In 1996, the two were signed to Pointblank/Virgin Records and produced two CDs for the label: “Book Of Spells” (1997) which included Randy’s rockin’ swing arrangement of James Brown’s “Cold Sweat” and the powerful “Shake The Planet” (1998).

When Sweetpea stepped away to tour with Lyle Lovett, The Boneshakers released “Pouring Gasoline” (2001) on Bad Monkey Recordings label featuring Austin, Texas singer Malford Milligan (Storyville, Double Trouble) and the live in concert “Put Some Booty On It, Vol 1” (2002).

While working together on a session for former band mate producer Don Was, fate stepped in to reunite and bring Sweetpea back to the Boneshakers. They released “Put Some Booty On It , Vol 2″(2006) featuring their first live performance in San Francisco from 1997.

In 2017, Sweetpea released his solo CD produced by Keb Mo. Additionally, the band joined forces with sax queen Mindi Abair and released Live in Seattle on Concord Records. In 2018, Mindi Abair and The Boneshakers won 8 Independent Blues Awards including Artist of the Year, and an Independent Music Award for Best Blues Song Fan Award for “Pretty Good For A Girl” featuring Joe Bonamassa. They won the 2019 LA Critics Award for Best Holiday Album for All I Got For Christmas Is The Blues.

In 2020, the band suffered an unimaginable loss with news of the passing of Sweetpea.

In 2022, as The Boneshakers celebrated the 25th anniversary of their first release, a new energy and excitement emerged.

Producer John Wooler, who originally signed The Boneshakers in 1997, connected Randy and incredible vocalist Jenny Langer- a powerhouse singer who was inducted into the Virginia Blues Hall of Fame at the age of 28 and won the 2020 Int’l Blues Challenge (IBC) for Best Self-Produced Album. What started as a few tracks for her project quickly morphed in a new album with The Boneshakers featuring no-holds-barred funk, blues, and rock that marries the sounds and spirits of Detroit Rock City, Memphis, and Mussel Shoals.

Produced by Wooler, it is back to the original vision of The Boneshakers fiery sound, with the vocal dynamo Jenny Langer behind the mic and original musicians from “The Book Of Spells” Sergio Gonzales (Drums), Nathan Brown (Bass), Jon Gilutin (Keys), The Texacali Horns (Joe Sublett, Mark Pender, and Randy’s former band mate from Was (Not Was) Sir Harry Bowens on vocals.

One Foot In the Groove was released on Take It To The Bridge Records in Fall 2022 and immediately hit #1 on UK Blues Charts and #1 on US Soul Blues Charts. According to Blues Matters Magazine, “This is an album that every blues, funk, and soul music lover needs in their collection.”

In 2025, Gulf Coast Records (founded by Mike Zito and Guy Hale) signed The Boneshakers and released the band’s 11th album, Live To Be This. Released on July 18, 2025, the album debuted on Billboard Top 10, was featured in Rolling Stone Magazine, and ” is a veritable parade of mind-blowing grooves, sharp lyrics, and guest appearances that demonstrate the respect the Boneshakers have earned among the greats of blues and soul”.

This album contains no booklet.