Young Neal and the Vipers
Walking down a lonely city street after dark, the empty calm envelops you. Then the moaning wail of a ’58 Fender Stratocaster tears out of a dimly-lit nightclub and into your ears. Suddenly you’re hooked by the siren call of that screaming six-string and hauled, flopping, into the bar.
It could be any one of 200+ nights a year the fierce blues-rock machine called Young Neal & the Vipers plays out from coast to coast. Eight days a week, the group delivers what fans and critics alike agree is a “pounding shock wave of noise that howls with all the intensity of a hurricane throttling itself up to a full-blown gale.” (Worcester Phoenix)
Frontman and lead guitarist, Neal Vitullo honed his reputation playing with the greats. At the Benson & Hedges Delta Blues Museum Tribute, Vitullo shared the Madison Square Garden stage with Joe Cocker, Bonnie Raitt, Albert Collins and Greg Allman and the man of the night, John Lee Hooker. Vitullo has performed with Jimmy Vaughan, ZZ Top, and Willie Dixon. He has also wowed crowds overseas, gaining disciples in Belgium, Germany, France, Italy and the West Indies.
Neal Vitullo has evolved from a guitar slinger to a singer and songwriter, and the best front man any band could boast plugging in for. The lineup for the Vipers is the best knock ’em down, drag ’em out rockin’ blues band this side of the Mississippi. Banging his heart out, keeping the back beat behind the drums is Mike LaBelle, and on bass, the big bad bald man himself, Hub O’Neil.
From the back of the roadhouse, Neal Vitullo’s energy electrifies the crowd. Stylistic and musical influences fuse into his own brand of showmanship. “Live and on record, Vitullo hammers his guitars with punkish energy, combining the fl avor of post-war blues masters with rockabilly twang and the heady power of ’60s icons like Jimi Hendrix and Jeff Beck into a guitar orgy.” (Worcester Phoenix)
With the kinetic fusion of supremely talented musicians, Young Neal & the Vipers is a well-oiled rock ‘n’ blues machine that delivers a knock-out performance punch. The multi-talented Young Neal & the Vipers are ready to take on the world and leave crowds from the East Coast to Europe begging and pleading for more.
