For the past year, Nervous Turkey has been blowing up venues like Skipper's Smokehouse in Tampa and across the Gandy Bridge at Dave's Aqua Lounge with a dangerous juke-joint blues and jam concoction sold with Howlin' Wolf-sized panache by frontman Ernie Locke, one of the most charismatic singers in town. Organist Mark Cunningham and drummer Aaron Fowler join the proudly rotund vocalist/guitarist/harmonica player both on stage and on Nervous Turkey's freshly minted debut full-length, Fat Boy Likes to Roll. The disc, which features originals and blues standards such as "Sittin' on Top of the World," does a fine job of capturing the grit and sweat that make the band such a popular live act. Copies of the disc will be on sale at their CD Release Party in the cozy confines of New World Brewery this Friday night. Really, this is an ideal match. Few bands provide a better beer-drinking soundtrack than Nervous Turkey. Fri., Aug. 8, w/ Big Jef Special. 9 p.m. doors, 1313 E. Eighth Ave., Ybor City, $6, 813-248-4969, myspace.com/nervousturkeyband.
This article appears in Aug 6-12, 2008.
