GET IN TOUCHClick here to sign up for the mailing list or to send a message to Ted. BECOME OUR FRIENDGo to www.myspace.com/scissormen to sign up and join Scissormen's friends at Myspace. MP3s From Our New CD, Luck in a HurryWhiskey and Maryjane (5.4MB mp3) When our friend Dicky Barrett of the Mighty Mighty Bosstones took a shine to this song, we had to ask him to sing it. He did! Here along with Dicky, Ted and Rob are joined by their friends in the Devil Gods, Mark Sullivan and Bob Thayer. Rock it! Tupelo (5.0MB mp3) Striking a blow for psychedelic blues xylophonists everywhere. Trip on this. Mattie Sweet Mattie (6.2MB mp3) Ted rocks it old school with his friends Teo Leyasmeyer on piano and Dan Kellar on fiddle. The Devil is Laughing (6.2MB mp3) Based on a riff inspired by the great R.L. Burnside, here's a story of a bad man getting his satanic commuppence. Tupelo Video (20MB QuickTime) Shot by Alberto Robelest at Atlantic Works Gallery, East Boston, MA. Edited by Max Gotesman Go to www.youtube.com/scissormen for many more videos! UPCOMING SHOWS:
Order CDsLuck in a Hurry — 2008
When the Devil Calls… — 2006
Jinx Breakers — 2005
 Scissormen T Shirts T-shirtsScisssormen Jinx Breakers T-shirts are available — and they’re guaranteed to break any hexes or bad luck streaks. To order, write to dtuned1@aol.com specifying the quantity, sizes and styles you want. We have regular, girlie short sleeve and boy beater tank Ts in stock, in all sizes: S, M, L, XL and, in regular Ts alone, we’ve also got XXL. They are priced at $20 each, postage paid. We’ll write back with your order’s total and shipping time, and when you accept, we’ll invoice via PayPal to insure a secure transaction. What they say about Scissormen“Ever wonder what would have happened if Bukka White had discovered the Fuzz Tone? Or if Skip James had played piano with Antenna Jimmy and Drumbo from the Magic Band? Scissormen is acid blues for the 21st century.” “In the traditional arts, all artists of note take what came before them and make it their own, incorporating their own interests, personalities and innovations. Nowhere has that been more true than in the blues, where Robert Johnson, Muddy Waters, Howlin' Wolf, B.B. King, Junior Kimbrough, and hundreds of others have taken what they were given and filtered it through their own times, their own backgrounds, and their own DNA. Among the artists doing that today is blues guitarist Ted Drozdowski, whose blazing covers of Delta and Hill Country standards - as well as his own clever originals - have made him the unchallenged Arsonist of the Blues.The best way I know to enflame an unsuspecting audience - whether in a juke joint, a bar and grill, an urban lounge, or a gentrified blues club - is to set Ted loose for a 3-hour show with his high-octane young drummer Brian Dowd. Together, they are known as the Scissormen, and you haven't seen anything till you've seen Brian banging away for dear life as Ted goes strolling between tables using shot glasses, beer bottles, and even folding metal chairs as guitar slides, then winds up walking atop the bar like R&B honkers or rockabilly guitar slingers of old. If the Devil is still partial to red-hot Mississippi bluesmen, he has to be pretty darn happy with the two-man firestorm known as the Scissormen.” “Both on record and in live performance, Ted Drozdowski is a guitarist of spellbinding invention and intelligence. His slide playing shears the skin off your bones, and he can unleash roaring gales of sound. But lyricism and musicality lie at the heart of even his wildest moments. I have never listened to him and not been transported to a strange, beautiful place I'd never been before.” “Mind blowing shows…incredible slide guitar work…Luck in a Hurry propels the raw, ethereal sounds of Mississippi hill country blues into the 21st century with Scissormen's take no prisoners approach. Simply put, if you're a hill country or slide guitar fan, this disc will blow your doors off their hinges.” “Scissormen stand proudly with one foot in the tradition of raw Mississippi Blues and one foot in the edgy passions of today's challenging world. Their originality and style are delivered forcefully with just slide guitar, drums, and singing from a soulful heart and thoughtful mind.” “This ain't your grandpappy's Mississippi blues. When the dials are set just right, it's absolutely brilliant. Well worth a listen. And another. And several more.” “A two-man juke joint experience, Scissormen's blues is like pullin' a bottle of ’shine outta your pocket, takin' a long swig, and looking for some crossroads to sell your soul.” “That raw insistent quality has inspired Drozdowski to create a great, propulsive wall of sound on his ax.” “Not content to play with just a slide on his pinkie finger, Drozdowski climbed up on the bar and played with knives and forks; he got down on his knees on the floor and played with an empty ashtray; he interrupted someone's meal in the café next door to play with their dinner plate.” “Ted Drozdowski and his Scissormen may easily be a few miles ahead and their music is an out-of-sight anticipation of the Blues next-to-come.” “One guitar, a drum kit, two guys blasting through 100 years of music history to get to the future. If you see Scissormen and don't discover the roots of a classic song or a new favorite by them then check your pulse. They're phenomenal.” “Drozdowski is one of the blues' most distinctive and exciting stylists - a stalwart slide guitarist bringing some contemporary perspective and technical flamboyance to vintage sounds.” “Like the Black Keys, Scissormen leader Ted Drozdowski is a white guy raised in a depressed Northern city who's drawn to the haunting and primal sounds of the Delta. But while the sound of his hipster counterparts from Akron bears a certain retro fetishism, Drozdowski's music is a little more forthright and a little less, well, du jour. It's also raw, hypnotic and occasionally jarring.” “Powerful! Fierce! Emotional!” “An off the wall Ted Drozdowski pushed the limits [of] blues music. The vocalist and guitarist of the group Scissormen is audacious, a provocateur. Awesome. Who could ask for more?” “I listened and was taken back to the Delta. A very alive surprise. Some smart label should come along and sign them.” “It's rare that an artist can conjure both heaven and hell simultaneously, but the stripped-down Scissormen manage to summon the fire-and-brimstone fury of the blues while taking musical flight toward a custom-made heaven - a place where folks like Robert Johnson, Elmore James, and Junior Kimbrough still throw it down and pack the juke joint every Saturday night. Guitarist Ted Drozdowski's masterful slide playing carries the band's material as surely as if on steel rails: bending deeply here, swooping widely there, and yet constantly threatening, like a thrill, to come completely unhinged at any moment.” “One of the unwritten rules of the music industry is that Yankees can't write or sing the blues. But Scissormen have been able to successfully modernize the genre, and should rank somewhere up there with the All Stars and Black Keys as part of the new blood in juke joint inspired blues-rock.” “A sonic kaleidoscope of ringing, stinging and slashing slide guitar.” “Ted Drozdowski is a trippy guitar player.” “The Scissormen are a breath of fresh air on the blues landscape. Their music wades into the healing waters of ancient, elemental blues without flinching or apologizing, drawing inspiration from the same well that produced the earliest blues, even as their musical excursions compellingly stand on their own. This is intelligent, unadorned music for the contemporary common man.” “I did not know Ted Drozdowski as a musician until he invited me to a NYC club where Scissormen were playing. I went and wound up astonished! It's quite common that many music journalists are wannabe musicians, at best. Ted, however, is the real thing; a true musician with a very original and engaging guitar style. I would urge anyone to see Ted and Scissormen if they play in your area or, at the very least, buy their CD.” “The Spin barely made it across the river in time for the Scissormen set at Family Wash. We found transplanted Beantowner Ted Drozdowski running the blues through a sonic meat grinder, locking drummer Jason Frazier into two-man stomp grooves and bashing out "John the Revelator" like hell hounds were on his trail. With guest ringers (and Scene employee) Jack Silverman on guitar and Shannon Williford on daredevil blues harp, Drozdowski hopped onto the Wash’s narrow bar and started playing slide with anything in reach — beer taps, bottles, even the lighting fixture dangling from the ceiling — before continuing his wireless ramble out into the parking lot. He reappeared in the window, axe in hand, then strode back in without missing a lick like the badass he is. Here’s one Scissors you’d like to run with."”  photo by Leigh Hall Scissormen BiographySCISSORMEN: LUCK IN A HURRYRelease date: September 2, 2008 “This isn’t just a band — it’s a mission,” says Scissormen’s slide guitar demon Ted Drozdowski. “We believe the blues is as blood and guts vital and relevant as it was when the music’s giants walked the Earth, if it’s played right. So that’s how we play it — respecting the music’s roots, but not at the expense of its future.” If that sounds audacious, you haven’t seen one of the Nashville-based group’s live shows, where just a guitarist and drummer harness up the spirit of the Mississippi hills and make it sound like a juke joint armada. That approach has won Scissormen fans across the US and Europe, where they’ve played everything from jukes to coffeehouses to blues, rock and punk clubs to major festivals including Bonnaroo 2008 and France’s prestigious Cognac Blues Passions Festival. “Our gigs prove that the blues can reach everybody — including people who think its music only their parents or grandparents would like,” says Ted. “Of course,” he adds, “our music also reaches their parents and grandparents.” And Scissormen’s live audiences reach back, challenging Ted’s unique, fiery slide guitar approach by passing him, well, just about anything to play with: shoes, straws, martini glasses, keys, a lit blowtorch, full dinner plates, a machete, a 9-mm pistol. Critic Anthony DeCurtis (Rolling Stone, VH-1, etc) has proclaimed Ted “a guitarist of spellbinding invention and intelligence. His slide playing shears the skin off your bones, and he can unleash roaring gales of sound. But lyricism and musicality lie at the heart of even his wildest moments. I have never listened to him and not been transported to a strange, beautiful place I&’d never been before.” Now that place has a name: Luck in a Hurry. Scissormen’s first nationally distributed album packs the band’s inventive and exciting energy into 11 slide-powered songs including nine originals. The music knits the inspiration of Ted’s musical mentors and friends like R.L. Burnside, Jessie Mae Hemphill, Junior Kimbrough and Sonny Sharrock together with his experience as a rock-based improviser and songwriter. Scissormen’s guests on Luck in a Hurry include Morphine drummer Billy Conway, the late veteran blues pianist Teo Leyasmeyer (who was a sideman with Freddie King, Buddy Guy, Luther Allison, Johnny Copeland and G. Love), and Dicky Barrett, the powerhouse frontman for the Mighty Mighty Bosstones. Dicky applies a layer of vocal gravel to the defiant anti-anthem “Whiskey and Maryjane,” which also guests Ted’s former psychedelic rock band Devil Gods. Ted’s longtime musical foil Rob Hulsman, a vet of cow punk renegades 9 Pound Hammer, and Larry Dersch play drums. And Dan Kellar adds violin to two songs, including the guitar-violin-drums trio “Mattie Sweet Mattie.” Luck in a Hurry expands the sound of Scissormen’s previous albums, their all-duo debut EP Jinx Breakers and the solo acoustic When the Devil Calls&ellips;. “What these songs have in common are deep roots, great big guitar tones, and a lotta soul,” says Ted. “They were performed live in the studio so we could keep things raw and spontaneous — the way we like ’em. ” And that’s just one more reason why Luck in a Hurry captures the heartbeat of modern blues — and the pulse of its future. But the band’s story begins back in 1991. Ted was already a rock guitarist/songwriter and an internationally respected music journalist with a passion for blues when he was introduced to the sounds of North Mississippi’s juke joints by one of his mentors, the late musicologist Robert Palmer. “As a guitar player in punk, psychedelic rock and improv bands, I’d digested a lot of music by then, but when I heard R.L. Burnside, Junior Kimbrough and Jessie Mae Hemphill — thanks to Robert — they totally blew my mind,” Ted recounts. “Their music had the deepest spirit of blues as well as the transporting qualities of psychedelic rock. It was a sound I’d wanted to hear my whole life, without even knowing it still existed. “I’m just a guy whose family crawled out of the coal mines in Pennsylvania,” Ted continues. “I still can’t believe how lucky I was to meet and to be befriended by R.L., Junior and Jessie Mae, and to have R.L. talk me into trying to play his music. I resisted for three years, because I revered R.L. and his sound. But eventually I caved and after the first time I played with him on stage I guess I had the fever. It just took a while to spread.” Once it did, Scissormen began — with just two rules. “The first,” Ted says, “ is to always move ahead and blaze our own musical trail while honoring the musicians who’ve touched our lives and inspired us. And the second is to pack every gig we play with all the heart, soul and energy we can muster. Playing the blues for keeps is not a job for slackers.” LINKSwww.myspace.com/rlhulsmandrummer Say hi to Ted's more dapper half, Scissormen's fantastic drummer Rob Hulsman, and find out more about this mystery man's musical background. Heck, join myspace yourself and be his friend. Rob's a good friend! www.peterparcekband.com Here's the on-line home of one of the finest roots-inspired electric guitarists in America — whose latest album is being produced by Ted. Repeat after me: PETER PARCEK ROCKS! www.brendanhogan.net Brendan Hogan is a Zen warrior for the blues — a talented country style picker, singer, songwriter and performer who also happens to anchor one of New England's premiere blues radio shows, “Blues on WGBH” on Saturdays at 9 p.m. (89.7 FM). Check out his music now! www.biennialproject.com Turning the art world on it's generally lazy, unimaginative ass, these four Boston artists are showing daring - and fun - work as they lift a finger to the establishment. Down with the Man; up with Laura Rollins, Anna Salmeron, Charlene Liska and Eric Hess. happytaleshumane.com Happy Tales is a group of highly dedicated volunteers running a no-kill shelter for dogs and cats in Franklin, TN, just south of Nashville. It's also the one-time home of Sissormen's mascot, soulful Dolly the Dog, Empress of Bones - who has her own photo album at www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=42776&id=627983705 www.hi-n-dry.com A musical artists collective with more information on Scissormen and other great bands including Twinemen, Bourbon Princess, Session Americana, Rick Berlin, the Coots, Asa Brebner and plenty more. www.guitartemple.com Check out some of Ted's earlier musical projects. www.tomkeoughartist.com See the beautiful oil and watercolor paintings, prints and posters of Brooklyn-based artist Tom Keough, a friend of Ted’s since high school who truly knows how to find the beauty in city and woodland settings. His urban nightscapes are especially captivating. www.bluestrust.com A charitable Boston-based organization that sponsors the free Boston Blues Festival and initiatives for musicians. www.guitarplayerworld.com A guitarist's on-line playground with tips, tabs, lessons, reviews, and a lot more including links to great guitar artists. You can find them - including Scissormen - by clicking on “Resources,” and then “Artists.” http://www.flyfi.com/ Cool new site where you can discover independent music for free. FlyFi aims to build a community by providing an easy way for music lovers to discover new music and rediscover old favorites, and for artists to find their audience. Works great with iTunes. www.barrelhouseblues.com Get the lowdown on blues around New England and the nation from this Boston-based blues and fan site. You'll find Scissormen in the Route 66 section. BOOKINGUS, ASIA, etc.Crystal Crawford EUROPE
Dominique Cranshoff MANAGEMENTBarking Koala |
Packed with great
songs, blazing slide guitar and a lotta surprises, including our
friends Dicky Barrett of the Mighty Mighty Bosstones, Morphine’s
Billy Conway, roots piano wizard Teo Leyasmeyer, violinist Dan Kellar
and A.K.A. COD’s Larry Dersch. It’s Scissormen’s
finest album to date, 
Ethereal and full of down home vibe, this one’s Ted alone and
acoustic, personalizing classics like Muddy Waters’
“Rollin’ and Tumblin’ ” and concert favorites
like the title tune and “Unwanted Man.” Available at CD
Baby: 
Scissormen’s debut EP is the fresh blast of high-powered,
rockin’ Mississippi hill country influenced blues that first took
the band across the US and abroad. Available at CD Baby:
