Todd Partridge

Since picking up the guitar at age 18, Todd Partridge has spent most of his adult life making his own music. First with the band Black Light Syndrome then Salamagundi, then with critically acclaimed King Of The Tramps for 5 albums and 10 years of shows in the U.S. and Europe. Most recently he has released two solo albums; the folk influenced “Autumn Never Knows” and the dirty blues record, “Desert Fox Blues”.

With 11 albums of original music under his belt, Todd has proven that he has a unique voice. What kind of music is it? Wandering Music. Whiskey Gospel. American Roots music. Borrowing from the blues, American folk and country, classic rock and Americana, the music in Iowa has a unique flavor and feeling. Todd grew up in the raw, agricultural, midwestern prairie, surrounded by old barns and cornfields. Where hard working Irish, German and Scandinavian immigrants elbowed out the french and Indians for a chance to cut farm ground out of the wild prairie. Iowa is often called the middle border because it separates the busy East from the wide open West and the cold North from the sweaty South. “I guess we don’t feel like we belong to any American cultural region, and have had to cut our music out of the same prairie fields.” Todd said.

“I grew up listening to my mom’s Bob Dylan, Beatles, Blood Sweat and Tears and Santana records and watching the Grand Ole Opry on television every Saturday night. My dad played trumpet in a big band, and he had jazz records around the house. The soundtrack for my youth was ACDC, Rush and Led Zeppelin, and for a couple years, in inner city Milwaukee, WI, a healthy dose of Parliament Funkadelic, Chaka Kahn and Ohio Players”. But, eventually all roads lead to roots, folk and the blues. As a boy, his family traveled a lot. “My parents were born in Iowa, but moved us to California for opportunities, then Oklahoma, Milwaukee and finally back to Iowa. We moved 12 times before I was 12 years old, I guess I never got to throw down roots, until we ended up back in Iowa.” Todd said. “I guess I’m just the wandering kind”.

The Todd show is a foot stompin’, hand clappin’ rock and roll gospel, with lyric-forward, heartfelt ballads and sing-a-longs. Reviewers said about the recent record: “Desert Fox Blues” resonates with raw authenticity, capturing the essence of the human experience while inviting the listener to immerse themselves in varied soundscapes. The combination of Partridge’s voice, acoustic and electric guitars, and percussive elements creates an atmosphere that is both introspective and dynamic. (Malone Di Mano – Inside the Canyon). Comparisons are as varied as Todd’s music; Van Morrison, Mick Jagger, JJ Cale, Steve Earle, Jimmie Dale Gilmore, Jon Spencer and Black Keys.