Lewis Franco and The Missing Cats, the group that Robert Resnik of Vermont Public Radio calls the “swinging band that plays dynamic music that’s always fun to listen to,” is proud to announce the release of their new disc, "With Cousin Joe, Sonny Joe, & Grampa Joe." The album is the third for the group and the fifth for Franco. On their new CD, Lewis Franco and the Missing Cats build on their signature sound, creating memorable original tunes that blend improvisational styles such as swing, jive, bebop, Dixieland, western, jump blues, and jazz ballads. Vocal arrangements feature gorgeous three-part harmonies by The Brown Eyed Girls, and Franco’s well-crafted lyrics once again take us to fascinating and unexpected places, including the Island of Rhodes, where the cover photo of his great-grandfather was taken. Praise for previous Lewis Franco & The Missing Cats CD’s In his review of Swingin’ in Daddyland, Dan Bolles of Seven Days called Franco “a masterful songwriter,” praised The Missing Cats for “serving up some seriously hot swing,” and deemed the album “a rock solid swing record.” Of All in Stride, he wrote, “Franco proves he has depth to match his significant chops…both a gifted guitarist and delightfully likeable songwriter.” Rob Williams of Vermont Commons said, “Lewis Franco is one of Vermont’s best-kept musical secrets,” calling him “one of the Green Mountains’ most gifted musicians, a performer who is able to wrap well-crafted lyrics around catchy musical melodies, and possesses the guitar chops and musical sensibility to match.” Vermont Public Radio’s Robert Resnik calls Franco, “a brilliant songwriter – one of our very finest." Origins of The Missing Cats Lewis Franco has been playing with virtuoso guitarist and collaborator Dono Schabner since 2001, creating music influenced by Django Reinhardt, Nat King Cole, Fats Waller and others. In 2005, they were joined by the incomparable Will Patton on mandolin (and sometimes on upright bass, as on this new CD), naming their band “The Missing Cats” (an homage to The Cats & the Fiddle, an obscure vocal rhythm string group from the 1930s). The 2011 addition of harmony singers The Brown Eyed Girls (Franco’s daughter Louisa Franco, and their friend and neighbor Halle Toulis) and Clyde Stats on upright bass has rounded out the band and completed their unique sound. Lewis Franco and the Missing Cats have been performing together for over twelve years at venues such as The Brick Church Music Series in Williston, Tuesday Night Live in Johnson, Leunig’s Bistro in Burlington, and The Ripton Community Coffee House, as well as the Middlebury Festival on the Green, Valley Stage Music Festival, the Champlain Valley Folk Festival, the Burlington Discover Jazz Festival, and Franco’s favorite hometown venue, The Whammy Bar in Calais. About the Album Franco says the experience of recording the album is his favorite part of the songwriting process. “With the music we love there’s a lot of improvisation built into the songs, so it’s exciting to hear what choices the other musicians make.” Another thrill for Franco is recording with his cousin Joe Alterman, who is one of the top jazz pianists going and headlines at venues like the Blue Note Jazz Club in New York, The Kennedy Center in Washington, DC, and Preservation Hall in New Orleans. “I’m nowhere near the player he is, but we share a love of melodic jazz and a love of our family, and he seems to like my tunes. So I was delighted and honored when he said he wanted to do this.”