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BluesWax Sittin’ In With

Jimmy Hall

Part One

By Mark Goodman

I first saw Jimmy Hall and Wet Willie around 1974. They were opening for Bachman-Turner Overdrive at the Philadelphia Convention Center. B.T.O. was huge at that time, and went to see them. I wasn’t familiar with Wet Willie, they were just the opening act.

Well, you can probably guess who stole the show. From that time on, I became a fan. I enjoyed Wet Willie as a band, but was infatuated by Jimmy Hall’s stage presence and musicianship. There was energy about him, and it’s still there today, some forty years on. As a singer of Southern Soul, he is unmatched. Listen to his version of “A Change is Gonna Come” and it will give you goose bumps.

However, Wet Willie is so much more than a one-genre band. When you go to see them, don’t plan to sit back and listen; it’s impossible. You’ll spend the night on your feet. That’s a fact!

Mark Goodman for BluesWax: Jimmy, for the younger fans, tell me a little about your early career and the start of Wet Willie.

Jimmy Hall: Really, my recording career started with Wet Willie. It started when my brother Jack and I got our first group together, and really that group morphed into what later became Wet Willie. I mean, it was trial and error and getting some of the best players we could get our hands on. We handpicked guys and moved through some players. So Wet Willie got together in Mobile and then decided that was not going to be the city to help us achieve our goals. So in 1969 we were rehearsing, writing, and just getting our sounds together. In the early part of 1970, we were trying to look ahead and see where we wanted to seek our fame and fortune in this country. Where we might end up trying to get a record deal, or where we were going to move to further our career. After considering several cities, we decided on Macon, Georgia. We were listening to a lot of music back then and we had heard the Allman Brother’s first record.

There was so much good music out, but the Allman Brothers were a beacon to us in many ways. They had taken the southern sound, with some old styles like blues and jazz, and were reinventing them in certain ways. We decided that was what we wanted to do. Not copy them, but go from that town, go for that attitude, and get on their label.

So through connections that we had, we managed to get names and numbers at Capricorn Records. They were very open to the idea of us coming down for an audition. The audition went well, so in July 1970 we became the second band to sign with Capricorn after the Allman Brothers. After we signed, we started working on our first record, and when that was finished, we started touring some with the Allman Brothers.

So that really started our ten-year run with Wet Willie. It’s become much longer now, but the first ten years were the golden years for us.

BW: Wet Willie ended around 1980. When did you decide to get it going again, and what was the inspiration?

JH: In 1980, music had changed and the band was floundering as far as direction, and the record company was not as happy with some of the material which we had. Also at that time, I had been offered a solo deal with Epic. So we put Wet Willie on the side burner, not the front burner. I said, “Let’s just wait and see what happens with that [solo project] and maybe we’ll do another record down the road a bit.” So I did a solo album for Epic in 1980.

I didn’t want to break the band up. You know, I wanted to do both things but there were certain guys in the band that weren’t of the same mind. So it led to a split at that point. I did two solo albums, then moved to Nashville and got into working with Jeff Beck.

We reunited in 1992. There’s lot’s of reasons why, but you know it was like, what was good once was still good. So my brother Jack and I started talking to Richie Harris and some of the original guys about doing some more shows. There were lucrative offers that made it worthwhile, and we haven’t been apart since.

BW: After all this time, why did you decide to release a live record?

JH: We had a coalition with Hitting the Note magazine and their labels. Hitting the Note is the magazine for the Allman Brothers Band. Cohorts and friends, including Randall Bramlett and Tommy Talton had recorded for this label. They said, “You should consider doing something for them, their doing really straight-up honest work”. We were doing some concerts in an area of Georgia that made it convenient to record live and they said to us, “why don’t you guys record at these shows while you’re touring. We’ll see what we come up with; let’s just get it on tape”. Nothing ventured, nothing gained so we agreed on a couple of shows. Macon was one, but most everything came from the Woodstock show. We recorded two nights and took the best of what we got. We were gambling that we were going to get what we needed out of the two nights. Everybody was happy – we got what we wanted.

BW: Back in the ’70s, you took the Taj Mahal song “She Caught the Katy” and really made it your own. Considering your style of music at the time, what was it about that song that caught your ear?

JH: Well, some of it had to do with the Allman Brothers. They were a big influence for us and we were all listening to a lot of music. It was like, “What do you guys listen to? What’s been turning you guys on lately?” We’d all talk blues and I’d talk about harp players. About that time some of their guys were saying, “Man, you got to listen to some of this stuff.” So I got the Nacthel Blues album and two or three others, I can’t remember which ones, but it just hit me that I love country blues. As it turned out, the Allman Brothers recorded more Taj’s version of “Statesboro Blues” than [Blind Willie] McTell’s. Later on I got to do some shows with him, and hang around with him a few times. He’s been a lifelong influence to me and I told him that he was my hero.

BW: Siblings Jack and Donna [Hall] return in the current lineup, how many other original members came back?

JH: When we had the opportunity to put it all back together, we put feelers out to all the original members. John Anthony had been involved until about a year ago, maybe a little longer. Then for personal reasons, he decided he wanted to discontinue the roadwork, so we had to opt for a great choice in Bobby Mobley. Now Rick Hirsch, who was our original guitar player and co-writer on many of our songs, lives in Los Angeles. With him working out there, he was not always available. Plus, we were trying to do tours and shows and it was just not cost effective to fly him from L.A. Along the way we decided to go with a couple of other guitar players, one from the Hank Williams, Jr., Band. Also on guitar are Ricky Chancey and Rick Seymour, who’ve been with us for more than twenty years. T.K. Lively is the original drummer from 1976 when we “sort of” had to reorganize with a couple guitarists and new drummer.

BW: Even though Miles of Smiles is mostly up tempo, there are a couple slow burners, “Lonely” is one of those. Tell me about the song.

JH: “Lonely” is a song that I co-wrote with a couple of guys here in Nashville. A friend of mine who was into R&B and I used to get together and write. I don’t remember how long ago it was written, but I think it was back in the late ‘80s or early ‘90s. There’s a little story about the song that may be interesting. I didn’t cut it on another record until we did it live, but we had pitched it to B.B. King when he was in town doing some work. I can’t remember the producer that worked with the Crusaders, but he liked the song. They wanted to do a demo with a rough vocal using a friend of mine named Troy Seals. He’s the guy that wrote so many great pop and rock ‘n’ roll songs, like “Rock ‘n’ Roll Heart” and “Drift Away.” Then they played it for B.B. The word I got was it was too high for him, or he just decided it was going to be too rangy. For whatever reason, he said he couldn’t do it, but I still have a copy of it somewhere with Troy Seals singing. We have been doing it live with Wet Willie for a while and we loved the harmony on it.

To be continued…

Mark Goodman is a contributing editor and photographer at BluesWax.

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Blue Star Nashville

March 1, 2012

By Mark Goodman

Blue Star Connection has taken its show on the road. This charity, which is a passion for main organizer and founder John Catt, started out with the Blues From The Top Festival in Winter Park, Colorado. The event is used to raise money for the purchase of musical instruments for critically ill children.

Catt and associates have been using blues music as the stimulus to bring people together for this worthwhile cause. The children that receive the instruments usually have compromised immune systems and therefore can’t share items from, say a hospital’s music therapy room. When selected as a “Blue Star,” the instruments are theirs to keep.

Blue Star Connection now has its own festival in Littleton, Colorado, on August 4, 2012. This will be the second event of hopefully many more to come. As a volunteer at last year’s festival, I got a chance to see how Blue Star interacts with the hospitals to enhance their music therapy programs. After chauffeuring Deanna Bogart to Denver Children’s Hospital where she played in the lobby, we were taken on a tour of the music area. To show how much stock they put in the healing power of music, they have multiple music rooms and even two real recording studios.

Over the last few years, Blue Star has expanded it focus to other cities around the country. Their most recent event was in Nashville. Music City! There are a core group of musicians that have been involved with Catt and his events and the list keeps growing. Such well known names as Tab Benoit, Mike Zito, Jimmy Hall, Trampled Under Foot, Samantha Fish, Kate Moss, and Zac Harmon are only some of the artists that lend their name and talents to help improve the life of a sick child.

Blue Star Nashville featured a host of familiar names, as well as a few that might be new to blues fans. The familiar ones include Jimmy Hall, Samantha Fish, Zac Harmon, Kate Moss, and 2012 International Blues Competition finalist, The Bart Walker Band. The location was 3rd & Lindsley, a 500-seat club a short distance from downtown.

Jake Austin & The City Limits Band kicked off the show around 7 p.m. This band out of St. Louis released their debut CD in 2011, and features a “Red Bull” blend rock, blues, bluegrass, and country. Their tune “City People Need Some Country Love” was about how there would be much less violence in the city if they had a little more country ethics. Even though a bit of a rocker, its lyrics we’re poignant and true.

Following them was The Bart Walker Band from Nashville. First runner up at the 2012 International Blues Competition, Walker opened with “I See the Blues in Technicolor.” He then followed with “My Favorite Color Is the Blues,” at which time he challenged, “Tell me if you think this sounds like second place.”

Walker invited special guest Shaun Murphy, also a Nashville resident, up for a version of “Steppin Out.” It turned out that Walker had quite a few guests in the house. Next up was Tracy Nelson doing “Mother Earth,” followed by yet another Nashville denizen, Mike Faris. Faris might not be familiar to blues fans, but that’s our loss. This guy puts on an amazing, high-energy show with his own gospel revue-style band. Tonight he performed “I’d Rather Go Blind” by the late Etta James, and even she would have been satisfied. He followed up with a Hounddog Taylor tune before giving way to Walker’s final guest, Jimmy Hall.

Hall, started out with the title track from his solo release Rendezvous With The Blues. He followed that with another original slow burner, “The Long Goodbye.” He invited his oldest son up to replace Reese Wynans on keys for his signature tune, “Keep On Smilin’.” Originally recorded by Hall’s band Wet Willie, this song is considered by many to be one of the all-time southern rock classics. If you consider the bands that made up that genre in its heyday, that’s saying something.

This show featured a myriad of guests and local musicians that are too numerous for the purpose of this review. Some weren’t even on the bill, but wanted to be a part of the event, so other sets were cut short to accommodate them. Most weren’t obvious, except for the performance of Ronnie Fruge. The emcee abruptly walked on stage and said he was done so they could bring on local guitar favorite Jack Pearson. Fruge looked a little mystified and embarrassed, but handled it like the pro he is. The thing is that Fruge has worked with John Catt many times, but not so with Pearson. The emcee could have handled it a bit more respectfully in my opinion.

The only thing that was a disappointment was totally unavoidable. As a fan of Samantha Fish, I was looking forward to her set with Kate Moss as guest guitarist. Unfortunately, Fish had a terrible cold and could barely talk, much less sing. Bring on Jimmy Hall to the rescue. They worked out a set of standards right before the show and he took care of the vocals while Fish contributed her sizable guitar skills. If this had been any other genre than the blues, this probably wouldn’t have been possible; only in the blues are there such a number of songs that everyone can play along. Add the fact that Jimmy Hall is one of the most versatile vocalists around, and most didn’t even know there was a problem. During the set, Hall roamed the stage from one side to the other as if he couldn’t decide which of these stunning ladies he wanted to be next to.

You would never know that Samantha Fish has only been playing guitar for seven or eight years. She lights up the stage with both talent and personality, impressive even more for the fact she is only 23 years old.

Kate Moss has seen more and more stage time in the last few years and billed as guest guitarist with not only Samantha Fish, but also Ana Popovic. Long known as a bass player and graphic artist extraordinaire, it was only a couple of years ago that I even discovered she played guitar.

Being a photographer foremost, I was limited in the shots I could get due to low stage lighting except for a tiny spot at center stage (refuse to use flash). It was a small area of light so only those that chose that spot were photographed.

During a break before the final act, there was a presentation from Delaney Guitars to Blue Star Connection of a custom-built beauty. This will be auctioned to get the funds to buy multiple instruments for kids. That is the standard procedure when they receive a donation of real monetary value. This one instrument can be used to purchase a dozen in its place.

Zac Harmon came on to close the evening. The “birthday boy,” who was later presented with a cake, wasted no time in jumping right in with both feet. Harmon, an IBC winner himself, has crafted a solid career in the years since. Unfortunately, it was Thursday night and many had to work the next day. The crowd had thinned to about half capacity. Even so, the remaining fans let it show that they were getting their money’s worth.

I have no idea how much the event raised, but if the talent level and crowd response were any measure, Blue Star Nashville was a rousing success.

For more information about Blue Star Connection, please go to their website.  

To see some of Mark Goodman’s photographs from Blue Star Nashville, check out this week’s Photo Page.

Mark Goodman is a contributing editor at BluesWax.

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The Hank Williams Museum

Montgomery, Alabama

By Roger “Hurricane” Wilson

For me, a pilgrimage to Montgomery, Alabama, is no different than one to the Mississippi Delta, Memphis, or Clarksdale, Mississippi. It is there that I can feel the history wrap around me like Grandma’s quilt. From the Civil War to Civil Rights, the air is thick with history. Montgomery definitely brings out many feelings and many emotions. Much has changed since Jefferson Davis stood on the steps of the capital of the Confederacy, and since Rosa Parks was arrested for sitting in the front of the bus giving birth to the Civil Rights Movement. Gone are the days when Governor George Wallace and Martin Luther King, Jr. could stare each other down from their office windows facing each other from the Capital, just a block from the Dexter Avenue Baptist Church. The city is rising beautifully, with a new Riverwalk and a minor league baseball team.

Another part of the city’s glory days is its music history, which includes being the birthplace of both Big Mama Thornton and Nat King Cole. It is also where a large part of the story of the legendary Hank Williams takes place. There’s no doubt that Hank’s music has transcended the passage of time, not just nationally, but also globally. Montgomery is also where the late Cecil Jackson set out early in life on a mission to keep Hank’s legacy alive. When Cecil was eight years old, Hank bought him a coke at a small gas station located across the street from where he lived. This was the beginning of Montgomery’s interest in country music, and to hear Cecil personally declare it he would say, “I was Hankin’ ever since!” From then on he listened to Hank on the radio station WSFA in Montgomery. When Cecil was 11, Hank was appearing at the Lightwood Community in Elmore County for a show. He changed a tire for Hank that night, and later he dedicated a song to the Lightwood flat fixers. In 1952, one week before Hank Williams passed away, Cecil rotated and balanced the tires on Hank’s 1952 baby blue Cadillac. From then on, his love for Hank’s music grew into a dream of what is now the Hank Williams Museum. His dream finally came true on February 8, 1999, with the opening of the Museum in Montgomery, where Montgomery served as president of the Hank Williams Memorial Foundation Montgomery. 

Museum Owners & Operators, Jeff & Beth Petty with Roger Wilson

Cecil’s daughter, Beth Petty, became the museum’s manager in1999 because of her father’s influence and love for this great legend. She spent most of her life listening to country music, especially Hank Williams. In 1976 she realized a dream her father had while observing him sort through old records, books, and yellowed newspapers.  She and her husband, Jeff, have been operating the museum for the past thirteen years, and continue to do a magnificent job.

Hank Williams’ career began at the age of 14 by winning a talent show at the Empire Theater in Montgomery, Alabama, in 1937 with his original tune “WPA Blues.” The rest is musical history. Containing the most complete collection of memorabilia, the official Hank Williams Museum is located in downtown Montgomery, where Hank lived from 1937 to 1953. Hank’s first professional debut was in Montgomery and his final public performance was also there, at a musicians’ union meeting on December 28, 1952, at the Elite (pronounced E-light) Cafe on Montgomery Street.

Among many other artifacts related to Hank Williams, the museum houses the light blue Cadillac in which he was riding on the way to a show in Canton, Ohio, in the early hours of 1953. When the 17-year-old driver, Charles Carr, now a successful Montgomery businessman, was pulled over for speeding, the police officer noted the passenger in the back seat appeared deceased. When they rushed Hank to a West Virginia hospital, the singer was pronounced dead at 7:00 a.m. on January 1, 1953, at just 29 years of age. Hank Williams was laid to rest three days later in Montgomery with a record crowd in attendance. A statue of Hank stands across the street from the City Auditorium, where the funeral took place.

The Graves of Audrey & Hank Williams

There are also other special events at the museum and the gravesite at the Oakwood Annex cemetary, most notably the annual New Year’s Eve commemoration of Hank’s death and celebration of his life, as well as his birthday celebration each mid-September. For more information on The Hank Williams Museum, be sure to visit their website. No visit to Montgomery would ever be complete without a visit to the Hank Williams Museum.

Roger ”Hurricane” Wilson is a contributing writer at BluesWax. He is also a nationally-known singer-songwriter. His latest release is a live album with the late Willie “Big Eyes” Smith entitled Protected by Smith & Wilson. 

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Blues Weekend

Riverside Casino and Golf Resort

Riverside, Iowa

March 23 – 25 , 2012

By Phillip Smith

For three days in a row I trekked to Riverside, Iowa, future home of Captain James T. Kirk, to get barraged with some blues at the the Riverside Casino in eastern Iowa. It’s been two days since the Blues Weekend ended and I am still elated from all the wonderful music I heard. From the Friday evening show featuring Li’l Ed and the Blues Imperials to the finale show on Sunday, featuring guitarist extraordinaire Jimmy Vaughan, it was a joyous experience.

Making my way through the maze of slot machines and table games, I headed toward the familiar sound of slide guitar. Trolling around the backed-up line of spectators, I entered the show lounge to hear Li’l Ed playing “Nobody’s Fault But my Own.” Sporting a bright red shirt and a golden fez, with matching vest, Li’l Ed makes it pert’ near impossible to confuse him with anyone else. I wish I could sport a fez and look as cool. My ears perked up and my eyes widened as the band moved on to “Woman Take a Bow,” which has that oh-so-familiar-intro Edgar Winter uses in Frankenstein, but minus the keytar. When Li’l Ed performs, he really wants to make sure his audience is entertained. Breaking into a Chuck Berry-like duck walk while guitarist Mike Garrett took a solo, you can tell Ed still enjoys doing what he does. Judging by the huge smile on his face during “Hold That Train,” I think it’s safe to say that he got almost as much enjoyment out of watching the audience as they did watching him.

Janiva Magness took the stage next. I had never seen her perform live and was quite excited to hear her. Being that she is a nominee for Contemporary Blues Female Artist Of The Year just made the experience that more sweeter. Her sultry and sassy voice is perfect for singing the blues. I was quite impressed by her guitarist, Zach Zunis. He was on fire and played with teeth-clenching intensity. I had noticed there was a little cigar-box guitar sitting on the floor near the drums. After a short while, Janiva picked it up and played “Whoop and Holler,” a lively song fit for an old-time gospel-hour revival. This song is off her newest CD, Stronger For It, on Alligator Records. From that same CD, she also performed “There It Is,” one of my favorites, “Make it Rain,” and “Dirty Water,” a dark little song.

Returning back to Riverside for my second day of blues schooling, I caught George Thorogood and The Destroyers. Thorogood is one of those artists, whomI have been wanting to see live for a very long time, but the stars just never quite aligned right for that to happen. This time however those stars lined up like ducks in a row. This had to be my favorite show of the year so far. Thorogood performed with a very high level of energy. Early in the show, he played a powerful version of “Who Do You Love,” immediately followed by “The Fixer.” The beginning notes of “I Drink Alone” were played and the crowd went nuts. To put that in perspective, it was a sold-out show, so it’s a loud crowd. Thorogood strutted around the stage with undeniable swagger. The audience had not even had a chance to calm down and out comes an extended version of “One Bourbon, One Scotch, One Beer.” Sporting a devilish grin, Thorogood tells us, “Don’t drink and drive. Get your buddy to drive you home… Get your girlfriend to drive you home… Get your buddy’s girlfriend to drive you home.”

The “Big Chill” moment of the night occurred during a dedication to Johnny and June Cash. George and the Destroyers dusted off a rarely heard tune, at least not very often on the radio. I’m talking about “Cocaine Blues.” The band plays as a video homage to Cash displayed on a large screen above the stage. Thorogood played everything one would want to hear. The set included “Get a Haircut,” which was another favorite of mine. He also performed  “Bad to the Bone,” a crowd favorite, of course; “Move it On Over,” “You Talk Too Much,” and ended with “Born to be Bad,” proving that he was indeed born to be bad, still showing no signs of fatigue.

Sunday, I booked down to the Riverside Casino for the final day of Blues Weekend, in order to arrive early and stake out a prime piece of real estate to best watch Trampled Under Foot, a trio from Kansas City who has been blowing away everyone lately. I reviewed their Wrong Side of the Blues album for BluesWax earlier this year and I have to say, it was one of my favorites of 2011. The live show was beautifully performed. When Danielle Schnebelen began singing “Heart on the Line,” her soulful and silky vocals perfectly complemented the groove being created by her brothers, Kris on drums and Nick on guitar. This was definitely a crowd pleaser. The big cheesy grin on my face got even bigger as they started playing “Better Life.” I love the funky groove to this one, and it almost comes off as a Jack Johnson song. Later they broke into a very nicely executed cover of Johnny Cash’s “Folsom Prison Blues,” sung by Kris. It was good to see him get the spotlight as he has a good voice. He got the spotlight again a while later to commandeer a most impressive drum solo. And this wasn’t one of those mini drum solos, this one was reminiscent of the drum solos popularized in the 1970s. It was very cool indeed. Closing out their performance, they dish out some tasty treats in the form of a couple of Led Zeppelin covers. I’ve never heard “Heartbreaker” sung quite like that. As Danielle sung her heart out, Nick and Kris rocked everyone’s socks off. They then bless us with one more, “Rock And Roll.” No one left that lounge without a smile on their face.

The realization that this next show was the final one for the weekend made me kind of sad. The fact that the next act to see was Jimmy Vaughan, made the sadness dissipate. There’s a fifties retro rockabilly vibe in the air, and I like it. Vaughan take charge of most all the vocals for the first half of the show, hitting songs like “Dirty Work at the Crossroads” and “The Pleasure’s All Mine,” instigating an audience clap-along.

With vocals by the very talented Lou Ann Barton, they bust through “Shake a Hand,” “Come Love,” and “Scratch My Back,” with Vaughan playing harp on “Come Love.” Barton has such an interesting voice; it’s hauntingly smooth with a little twang. During “Scratch My Back,” she teased “I itch, but I don’t know where to scratch.” I’m sure Jimmy was thinking to himself, “It’s good to be the king.” “Boom Bopa Boom” brought the entire audience in for a sing-along as Vaughan decided that it was time to whip his guitar behind his back and play. He is the man.

Returning for an encore, Vaughan and Barton harmonized on “In the Middle of the Night.” This is what chasing the perfect concert all is about. I love it. Something else I loved was “Texas Flood.” Man, my heart fluttered and could tell everyone in the building was just soaking it all in. The concert closed with “Motor Head Baby,” and that was it. It was no surprise the show ended with a standing ovation.

I was very much impressed with the Blues Weekend event at the Riverside Casino, and if they continue to offer this event, I say, “Deal me in.”

For more information about the Riverside Casino & Golf Resort and their entertainment, including their Blues Weekends, go to their SITE at www.riversidecasinoandresort.com.

Phillip Smith is a contributing writer at BluesWax.

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South by Southwest Notebook

By Richard J. Skelly

Like the rest of central Texas, the annual South by Southwest Music Conference and Festival (SxSW), held every March in Austin, just keeps expanding. The Austin area has seen explosive growth through the 1990s and into the last decade, but one hopes that good musicians are not driven out of Austin by unaffordable rents. It would not be the first time or place such gentrification has happened.

The 2012 edition of SxSW included about 2,000 bands and solo musicians and 90 venues, both record-shattering numbers. What does all this mean for fans of blues, Americana, folk music, rockabilly, garage, and roots rock?

It means more of these bands as well, not only from Texas, but from all corners of the U.S., Canada, England, Europe, and the rest of the world. There were dozens of good blues and soul-blues bands performing at South by Southwest and, once again this year, the State of Mississippi presented a night of Mississippi music Saturday night at a unique venue, the 18th floor of the Hilton Garden Inn. The venue affords a panoramic view of Austin at night and is ballroom-sized, with plenty of places from which to view the performers. Last year, the venue hosted legendary blues pianist Joe Willie “Pinetop” Perkins, who came by to hear the music two days before he passed away at 97. This year, Mississippi tourism authorities presented music by Johnny Rawls, Shannon McNally, Johnny Mars, Eden Brent, Jimmy “Duck” Holmes, and Wooden Finger on Saturday night.

Here are some other highlights from my seven-day trip to Austin from March 12-19. I stayed at the LaQuinta Capitol on E. 11th Street in Austin, a mere five blocks from action in the club district on E. 6th Street and a short walk to the Austin Convention Center, which hosted all manner of educational panels, mentor sessions, and film screenings by day. As one who has attended this event nearly every year since 1993 — when all events were held at the Hyatt Hotel on Congress Avenue and there were perhaps twelve musical venues to choose from at night — I can honestly say, Bruce Springsteen was the most compelling speaker I’ve heard at South by Southwest since former Gov. Anne Richards [an avid live music fan] delivered her keynote speech at the Hyatt in ’93 or ’94.

Springsteen offered up some well-thought-out advice geared to up-and-coming musicians, as well as signed and unsigned bands. Springsteen pointed out that with his keynote speech slated for noon on Thursday, “Every decent musician in town is still asleep.” He also pointed out the subjective nature of musical tastes and how one person’s favorite band is not his friend’s cup of tea at all. He picked up an acoustic guitar on several occasions to show younger musicians in the audience how he borrowed riffs from the likes of Eric Burdon and the Animals and applied them to songs by the E Street Band.

“It is the power and purpose of your music that matters most,” he told a hushed crowd of several thousand, and his speech, which included a few well-chosen expletives to make his points, was also carried live on Austin’s public radio outlet KUT, as well as a number of other National Public Radio outlets around the country.

He regaled the audience with stories from his youth in Freehold, New Jersey and how the radio on top of the fridge in the kitchen fascinated him from the time he was a toddler. He recalled going to J.J. Newberry’s department store – “there weren’t record stores then” – in Freehold to get a copy of Meet the Beatles, and how, “to me, [Eric Burdon] and the Animals were a revelation,” he said, because they weren’t particularly handsome guys. He also revealed how black classic R&B and soul stars like Sam Moore and James Brown were influences. He pointed out that at the time of his 1972 deal with Columbia Records, when executives there and other industry types were touting him as “the next Bob Dylan,” Dylan himself was only 30 years old at the time and far from retiring from his own musical career.

Suitably, the end of his engaging talk, which lasted nearly an hour, brought a rousing standing ovation.

Other highlights included a Thursday night “Woody Guthrie at 100 Celebration” organized by representatives from the Grammy Museum in Los Angeles. Held in a church a few blocks from E 6th Street, Ruthie Foster, Shannon McNally, Ray Benson, Jimmy LaFave, and dozens of others offered up their takes on Woody Guthrie songs to an attentive audience. Suitably, Arlo Guthrie closed the show by joining LaFave and his band for a rousing version of “This Land Is Your Land,” with the original, unedited lyrics.  

Springsteen’s “unscheduled” performance at the Austin Music Awards Wednesday night was also a high point, as he joined Austin-based musicians Alejandro Escovedo and Joe Ely for perfect-sounding takes on “Midnight Train” and “Always A Friend.” He joined Brooklyn native Garland Jeffreys and Escovedo to deliver a raw, spur-of-the-moment take on “Beast of Burden.”

Private parties are always part of the deal for journalists and DJs at SxSW, and Friday afternoon Jimmie Vaughan and his soul-jazz trio played a set of groove-based, organ-based instrumentals at a party thrown by Billy Gibbons of ZZ Top. Gibbons, a quiet, thoughtful, self-effacing personality, threw the party to launch his own BFG brand of barbecue sauce. Naturally, drinks were on the house and there was plenty of beef brisket to sample both the mild and spicy versions of Gibbons’ new sauce.

As big as the annual SxSW music conference and festival has grown, the reality is this: no matter whether you are a fan of reggae or blues, Americana or pure Texas country music, you can pick your spots among the dozens of local and national showcasing acts and still have time to stray from your set schedule and see some other inspiring music, too. For me, that came Friday night at the Saxon Pub, where Ray Wylie Hubbard and Billy Joe Shaver and their respective bands delivered stirring sets of blues-inflected, real country music, topped by headliner Shooter Jennings and his New York-based band.

A last bit of inspiring music came about Sunday night at the Continental Club with Escovedo’s annual jam-packed closing party, where I heard garage rockers the Krayolas as well as veteran rock guitarist Lenny Kaye in entirely new contexts.

Patrons of SxSW can purchase wrist bands for the afternoon and evening club showcases. More information on the 2013 edition of SxSW is available online at their website at www.sxsw.com, or call the office (512) 467-7979 for a brochure.

Richard J. Skelly is a contributing writer at Blues Revue. This is his first article for BluesWax.

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The Sixth Annual Bonita Blues Festival

Riverside Park

Bonita Springs, Florida

March 9 & 10, 2012

By Larry Lisk

If springtime in Florida makes you think of sun, sand, spring-breakers, and strawberries, you are only half right. Springtime in Florida is the unofficial kickoff of the blues festival season and there are several choices, including the Clearwater Sea Blues Festival and the Tampa Bay Blues Festival, but don’t overlook one of the nicest little festivals you could pick to kick off your season. The Bonita Blues Festival in Bonita Springs in southwest Florida is the perfect example of the idea that bigger is not necessarily better. Kevin Barry and his staff have done this for six years and just keep getting it right. A beautiful site combined with a perfect mixture of locals, up-and-coming touring acts, and national acts make this festival a veritable diamond in the rough. The 2012 version of the Bonita Blues Festival, held March 9 and 10, was no exception.

The festival kicked off on Friday afternoon to a surprisingly large crowd, obviously playing hooky from wherever they were supposed to be, ready to get their blues fix. Mudbone with Rick Howard got the day started with a first-rate set of funky, New Orleans-infused blues. This is no garage band folks, these guys have the experience and chops to play with anyone as guitar/vocalist Mario Infante‘s regular tours with Grammy-winner Chuck Mangione will attest. Deb and the Dynamics were up next and laid down a very polished set. Deb is no stranger to the blues scene having toured internationally with Deborah Coleman for many years and appearing on several of Deborah’s Blind Pig recordings. Her dueling sax players were a big hit as they took multiple crowd walks, much to the delight of the audience. 

Florida favorite and Blind Pig artist Damon Fowler was next up and, as usual, did not disappoint. Fowler’s Americana-influenced, jam-style blues are always a big hit. He has become a master of the lap steel as evidenced by his “Best Slide Guitar,” “Best Lap Steel,” and “Best Dobro” awards. Fowler has emerged as one of the rising stars on the national scene and continues to impress with his superb playing and songwriting. After a brief shower, barely enough to wet the ground but just enough to make folks raise their umbrellas, Karen Lovely took the stage. I had heard Lovely’s music and was told about her mind-blowing performance at the 2010 International Blues Challenge, but had never seen her perform live. I was totally unprepared for her what I heard. In a word, her vocals are powerful. If the soundboard had taken a direct lightning hit and was totally inoperable, it would not have matteredas  she can carry the day. Mixing contemporary and old-school blues along with her original songs, Lovely is a performer to be reckoned with. Her band has to be good to keep up and they certainly are; this is not an act to be taken lightly, the lady belt out the blues! Anyone following KarenLevely might have been intimidated but venerable Alligator recording star Tinsley Ellis was not phased in the least. I spoke to Tinsley before his set and he volunteered that this was his first 2012 festival. If this set was indicative of what to expect in 2012, it will be a banner year for this six-stringer. Tinlsey flawlessly worked his way through his extensive catalog of recognizable material and pulled several lesser-known gems from his multiple releases to dazzle the crowd. Truly a master at his craft, Tinsley delivered yet another electrifying performance and solidifies his position as one of the most intense bluesmen playing today.

Partly cloudy skies and a small chance of rain did not deter blues fans as the Bonita Blues Festival kicked off Day Two with Gator Nate and the Gladezmen.  Gator Nate Augustus looks like he just stepped out of the Everglades so his swamp-a-billy sound was not unexpected. Nate’s slide work greased up the performance and his between-song stories set the tone for a fun day. Growling and prowling the stage best describes the front lady of the Kim Page Blues Band. With her long blond locks flowing, Page delivered a set of soul/jazz-tinged blues that had the crowd in a laid-back state of mind. Her band is top notch and kept the groove going her entire set.

Stringtown was up next and my guess is that the name came from lead man Rick Russell and his mastery of any instrument with a string attached. Mandolin, banjo, dobro, and slide guitar were mixed into a set of low-key, Americana-based blues. Skyla Burrell was scheduled next, but due to an emergency appendectomy could not perform. The blues spirit of helping our own came to the forefront as festival producer Kevin Barry announced that the band would be paid half of their fee to help defray Burrell’s surgery and a bucket was passed through the crowd and blues fans responded with another $961 dollars, which was sent to the band along with our good mojo for a speedy recovery for Skyla. This is what it’s all about folks, hats off to everyone who contributed. 

Mel Melton and the Wicked Mojos picked up the pace and turned the festival grounds into a old-fashioned roadhouse with their spicy mixture of cajun, zydeco, and  New Orleans funk-based blues. The house was rocking, the dancers were up and shaking their collective booties while Melton and the band kept the energy level at a fevered pace. This is without a doubt a serious party band! 

What can I say about Trampled Under Foot (TUF) that hasn’t already been said. Since winning the International Blues Challenge in 2008, this band has been on a meteoric rise to the top echelon of blues performers. Brother Nick Schnebelen displayed his Albert King Award-winning guitar licks, sister Danielle rocked the bottom with her stellar bass and put the vocals over the top while brother Kris kept everything in the pocket on the drums. There are many family legacy’s in the blues world, the Brooks’, Neals, and Allmans, to name a few, put the Schnebelens on that list, too, they’ll be there for a long time. Blues fans are a hearty breed and one of the heartiest was in Bonita specifically to hear a band he had not seen yet. Andy Kreinz traveled from Lampertheim, Germany, after hearing about TUF from a friend in Warsaw, Poland. That’s dedication, folks, think about that next time you don’t drive across town to hear the blues. It’s not that far to go; ask Andy. (In the photo below Trampled Under Foot uber-fan Andy Kreinz gets a little time with the band).

The legendary Magic Slim and the Teardrops capped off a great day with his signature Mississippi-to-Chicago-style blues. Slim’s groove was as infectious as it’s always been as he laughed and joked with the crowd that had packed up to the stage to be near the legend. Tight as ever, the Teardrops moved effortlessly from one tune to the next as Slim absolutely mesmerized everyone. Small wonder that they are one of the busiest and best loved blues bands around. 

Larry Lisk is a blues radio personality booking agent in Tampa, Florida. This is his first article for BluesWax.

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Experience Hendrix Tribute Tour 2012

Fox Theater

Atlanta, Georgia

March 10, 2012

By Gary Weeks

For a little more than two hours, Atlanta’s Fox Theater became the “electric church” in which Jimi Hendrix often sought to build a musical vision that never became fully realized due to his death at the early age of twenty-seven. So the music became the celebration of an artist whose legacy still grows and whose family endlessly unearths recordings that find their way into the public’s hands.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rXDUO7Cdw7Y

Of course the focus of the show was on the guitar players themselves. And for any Atlanta axe wielders sitting out in the audience, this must have been a dream come true. What was represented was the finest in the elite blues-rock corp.

An ensemble of bassist Billy Cox, guitarists Eric Gales and Mato Nanji, and drummer Chris Layton were a terrific opener, slamming down the Hendrix classic “Stone Free.” At seventy years of age, Cox can still lay down the rhythm and belted out vocals that belied his senior citizen status. And with a troubled past that looks like it’s clear behind him, Eric Gales relished his role in being a fiery axe man who can unleash Fender fire. He certainly was living it up trading fours with Dweezil Zappa in the furious, roughnecked “Manic Depression.” While Layton drummed a good majority of the show, Cox made only sporadic appearances while other bassists came and went.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B-Jp2_kKweg

Keb’ Mo’ came on the scene years ago as a blues artist steeped in acoustic traditions. Here he strapped on an electric guitar in the hopeful attempt of playing a rocker’s game. Certainly his rendition of “Catfish Blues” was satisfactory, but Keb’s portion of the show lacked the fire and fury the other axe masters were putting down. No question the guy can play lead, but it’s hard to follow other guitarists such as Mato Nanji, whose rendition of the obscure Hendrix chestnut “Hear My Train A-Comin” was letter perfect in delivery and execution.

Pedal-steel guitarist Robert Randolph took things over the top. With assistance from the members of the Slide Brothers, his version of “Purple Haze” was unique. Playing pedal steel on an acid anthem is uncanny but Randolph managed to make it work as he sprayed steely fire with fretboard gymnastics that blurred the lines of weirdness and bravado.

Having to endure of living in the shadow of the Toxic Twins, Aerosmith’s Brad Whitford showed the crowd he can play a mean lead or two when forced to do it. Pairing him up with Johnny Lang worked its wonders as the two of them jammed hot and heavy on the fantasy “Spanish Castle Magic.”

Elder statesman Buddy Guy was his usual self. Joking and making light of things, Guy is the consummate entertainer and can still teach blues-rockers how it’s done. The man can still rip notes and turn a fretboard into smoldering ash.

But it was Kenny Wayne Sheppard who stood above it all. With long-time vocalist Noah Hunt in tow, Sheppard turned in a set of blues-rock thats sole purpose was to give a listener a heart attack. Kenny earned the right to roam the stage and play the rock star. His channeling of Hendrix sent shivers in the coverage of the rocker “I Don’t Live Today” and the blues mojo of “Voodoo Child.”

Lasting a little under three hours, this was a guitar player’s dream. The biggest disappointment of this gig was that it just ended too soon. Surely it amuses Hendrix himself as he looks down upon this all and he must be pleased that his music appeals to generations across the globe. If this is what he meant by the “Electric Church,” than his dream was achieved.

Based in Atlanta, Georgia, Gary Weeks is a contributing writer at BluesWax.

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BluesWax Spotlight On

Mose Allison

By Charley Burch

Mose Allison’s performance in Cleveland, Mississippi, on February 15, 2012, was an event that was long in the planning by the State of Mississippi and Delta State University. Composer, poet, pianist, and vocalist Mose Allison appeared in concert at 7:30 p.m. in the Bologna Performing Arts Center on the Delta State campus. The concert was titled “DSU Welcomes Mose Allison Home” and was made possible by funding from the Delta State Foundation, Delta Center for Culture and Learning, the Bologna Performing Arts Center, the Tri-State Education Foundation, the College of Arts and Sciences, and the Mississippi Arts Commission. The performance was free to the public.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pCpekvOkwNM

Multi-Grammy Award-winning composer and pianist Mose Allison was born in 1927 in Tallahatchie County, where he was influenced by the bluesmen that lived and performed regionally and on his father’s farm. Allison has since lived in New York City and Hilton Head. He has been a major influence on musicians over the last 50 years and has been touring for at least that long. Allison has released 55 albums in his career. He has been a major influence upon many genres and his songs have been recorded by modern day popular artists, such as Van Morrison, The Who, Diana Krall, The Clash, Bonnie Raitt, John Mayall, The Yardbirds, Eric Clapton, and Elvis Costello. Bill Wyman of The Rolling Stones listed Allison as a major influence on his own career. Allison’s singular style, a unique blending of jazz and blues, and his profound lyrical wit mark him as a true American original.

The opening act was comprised of Jimmy Jarratt from Madison, Mississippi, on piano; Bret Pimentel (Assistant Professor of Woodwinds at DSU) on saxes; Paul Hankins (bandleader and Interim Dean of Arts & Sciences and Professor of Trumpet at DSU) on trumpet; Ben Arnold (Instructor of Percussion & Music Education – Mississippi Valley State University) on drums; and, Barry Bays (Instructor, Director of DMI Ensembles – Delta Music Institute, DSU) on upright bass (in a suit!). Their intro began magnificently with “Blue Soul” by Richard “Blue” Mitchell and segued into Juan Tizol’s “Perdido,” made famous by Duke Ellington and a later version with lyrics sung by Ella Fitzgerald. A dreamy rendition of Kenny Dorham’s “Blue Bossa” was next and they finished with John Coltrane’s complexly classic “Impressions.”

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=acoM3FGOAj0

Dr. Luther Brown then took the stage to “introduce Allison and welcome him home.” Allison took his seat at the Baldwin Grand and was accompanied by great Memphis friends and musicians Sam Shoup ( www.samshoup.com) on upright bass and Tom Lonardo (www.tomlonardo.com) on drums. “Mose always opens his sets with a long jam. This time it was an arranged intro “Chart” that sequed into “Dr, Jekyll & Mr. Hyde,” which had an imaginative musical theater-like intro that shifted into Allison’s signature witty storytelling technique. Not wearing glasses, as I was told he was supposed to, Allison had his charts and sheet music flat on the piano’s top while his rhythm section remained transfixed to their sheets which were angularly positioned on music stands before their eyes and required their constant focus. It was clear that Allison knew every note by heart and their necessary expression and selections were “in the moment” and executed with masterful precision.

Two works from early recordings cover the subject of his leaving the farm: “City Home” and “Goin’ To The City.” “If You’re going to the City…,” the Maestro gives us the first of many Southern Gentlemanly advice like lines straight out of a Mark Twain novel or Will Rogers quotations, “..don’t take money from a woman and don’t mess around with no dope.” He then challenged us to “Tell Me Somethin’ (that I don’t know).” All of these opening selections, as with much of Allison’s work, take you into the mind of the composer who is constantly questioning life as well as others who participate in its process. A sagacious man with much to teach us, Allison is clearly a part of something larger than himself and all listening have much to learn if they just take a moment to do so. The order of the maestro’s set list was clearly made on the fly and this was qualified by the audience’s appreciative laughter and applause when it took Allison around seven seconds to claim “This next song was written by……ahhhhh…..Me!” The song was a darkly playful “What’s Your Movie?” We question our existence on earth and purpose of being here with “Ever Since The World Ended,” followed by the evening’s first cover, “You Call It Joggin’ ” by the Tennessee songwriter John D. Loudermilk. Allison made note that this was one of hundreds that Loudermilk has written during his career. This song wonderfully qualifies how most peoples’ efforts are really not as important as they may perceive them to be.

Allison cued Shoup on bass that the next piece, “Your Mind is on Vacation (and your mouth is working overtime),” would be in Blues F. We next take an esoteric journey into the unknown with “Hello Universe,” followed by the duality between right and wrong in “I’ve Been Doin’ Some Thinkin’: Feels So Good.” In between his lyrical versing, Allison brings his songs to wondrous fruition by angelic bridges and turns that are as treacherous as a dead man’s curve for the average driver. In “Everybody’s Cryin’ Mercy” Allison stresses that “..they don’t know the meaning of the word” in a playful manner while incorporating incredible economics both lyrically and musically getting the melody and the hook out of the gate without audaciously long intros or mud stirring. Allison gives you the birth and not the labor. Even when nature happens or gravity works (as when a microphone fell out of its stand or his sheet music shifted out of place, Allison played through the piece with ease making nonchalant corrections and pulled it all together like a magician produces his rabbit from a silk top hat. Other selections that magical evening included “My Backyard,” “You Can’t Push People Around,” “Was,” “Ever Since I Stole The Blues,” “You Can Count On Me to Do My Part,” and “Stranger In My Own Hometown” by Percy Mayfield. The encore was from Allison’s latest release on Anti-Records (The Way of The World) titled “My Brain,” which is cleverly fashioned musically after Willie Dixon’s masterpiece for Little Walter “My Babe,” while encapsulating the songwriter’s incredible life and perspective lyrically as only he can do and inarguable ownership of a song even when it’s a cover or re-arrangement.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S0acTe0WYvs

Allison’s skills and influence have notably rubbed off on his daughter Amy, who unfortunately was not present backstage that night. Her most recent effort, Sheffield Streets, released on Urban Myth Records in 2009 and produced by drummer Don Heffington features Elvis Costello, Dave Alvin, Mose Allison, and Van Dyke Parks. as well as Leisz and other musical luminaries

Allison’s wife Audre told me afterwards that “Mose chooses what he’ll play based mainly on the musicality, the tempo, the key, because he likes to vary this. He does take into consideration the audience he’s playing for, but with so many songs to choose from, that is difficult.” When asked about his take on the evening’s performance, she stated, “I think he was a bit awestruck by the outpouring of affection… certainly more than he’d expected… and in his usual honest humility …more than he thought he deserved.”

Allison’s piano playing is like Bartok meets barrelhouse. Throughout the evening Mose was accenting his trio’s playing and other non-present instrumentation vocally with a fusion of scat and be-bop in undertoned breath. The technique was an evolutionary medley in styles ranging from Louis Armstrong and Cab Calloway to Sarah Vaughn and Betty Carter. This was further evidence of this maestro’s composition skills and understanding of his craft and these magnificent multiple instrumental arrangements. From time to time when he wasn’t singing lyrics, he would push the microphone away to avoid a bleed with the trio’s playing. This is something that was much appreciated as being still present in the mix because it took the listener in the audience on a fantastic voyage into this wonderful mind. Anyone who plays with Mose Allison better understand how to read music and notations or they are going to get very lost very quickly. Just when you think he is running off the rails or freely improvising, you better be on point or it’s all over for you. He will definitely be back there and online and you will slam into a wall or drift into oblivion, because he wrote everything down both on paper and mental valence or virtual H.U.D.. Allison reminds me of Les Paul in many ways. Both men disciplined students of classical and jazz music who with their master skill sets freed themselves and are known by most as great contributors to 20th century music. Allison and Paul are like the great master abstract painters Picasso and Dali, both of the Paris School, studied and mastered traditional formulas and techniques and later “freed” themselves and began movements of their own.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fue0yiXrQFw

The youth of today are in a dark ages musically and maestros like Mose Allison are their beacon of light. In an era of songwriters speaking from a heart limited in experience to musicians no longer learning how to read sheet music, Allsion reminds us that we must constantly be students of a craft that we might possibly never master (even if you are a wiz at Garage Band and Pitchfork digs your beard). I encourage both musicians and music fans to revisit this great artist’s vast body of work and mastering of the art form. More information at his site.

After his performance at Delta State, Allison was honored in Jackson where the Mississippi Arts Commission presented him with the Governor’s Lifetime Achievement Award on Thursday, February 16, at 1:00 p.m. at the Wells Memorial United Methodist Church. Alex Thomas and The Mississippi Blues Commission unveiled a marker on the Mississippi Blues Trail in his honor on Friday, February 17, at 1:30 p.m. at the Allison Mercantile Store in Tippo, Mississippi. A reception and program presented by CARE immediately followed the unveiling ceremony at the CARE building in Morgan Freeman’s home base of Charleston. Mississippi.

Charley Burch is a writer and producer in Memphis.

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Saskatoon Blues Festival

Saskatoon, Saskatchewan

February 23 & 24, 2012

By Amelia Belamy-Royds

Blue skies, green grass, cold lemonade, and warm sunshine: these are things I think of when I imagine a perfect day for a blues festival. So I was rather surprised the first time I heard of the Saskatoon Blues Festival, held in late February every year. After all, a warm February day in this Canadian prairie city is one where the temperature reaches above freezing.

But as there aren’t many other opportunities this time of year to catch a weekend full of top-notch bands, an accomplice and I hit the road last week to find out how the Saskatoon Blues Society has kept the festival alive in the dead of winter for the past ten years. The first secret, of course, is to hold all the shows indoors.

We arrived at the main concert venue — a downtown nightclub that could hold a few hundred people and was about two-thirds full each night — just after the first band started Thursday evening. Eddy Robertson & the Electric Blues Band were playing tight, toe-tapping shuffles that had a few early birds warming up the dance floor. The festival’s promotional material described the band as a long-time mainstay of the Saskatoon scene and it was easy to see why. This fact was emphasized when the second local band hit the stage and the same drumer was behind the kit.

Brian and the Promises relaxed the tempo of the evening, while still demonstrating tight playing. They started with electrified country blues, led by Brian MacAreavey on a National Steel. A few songs in, MacAreavey switched to a Stratocaster and the music switched to moody, atmospheric instrumentals before settling in to modern roadhouse blues.

Drummer Laurie Currie played triple duty, backing up Chicago guitarist Jimmy D. Lane for the next set in a guitar-bass-drums trio format. Perhaps it was out of desire not to throw off his borrowed rhythm section, but Lane’s show lacked originality. Known as “the son of the blues” after his father Jimmy Rogers (Muddy Waters‘ guitarist), Lane does not copy his dad’s style, but instead seemed a little too deferential to his musical forefathers: “Crossroads” sounded like Clapton, “Hey Joe” sounded like Hendrix. His technique was excellent, and the songs were well-received, but there wasn’t much evidence of personal style.

The headliner for the night was Nigel Mack, a Saskatoon boy now well established on the Chicago scene. The show was a debut for Mack’s new “large band,” with his usual four-piece Blues Attack lineup (guitar, drums and bass, plus Mack singing and playing guitar or harmonica) supplemented by a trumpet and tenor sax. The music may not have been “big band” but it encompassed a bit of every other style of electric blues. Hints of Texas and Chicago, West Coast and Motown, and even classic country in Mack’s vocals, were all smoothly blended into a unique sound that was both relaxed and energetic. “Relaxed and energetic” also describes Mack personally; he spent the set bounding across the stage with a huge grin for each of his bandmate’s solos.

On Friday and Saturday, competing acoustic and electric concerts forced a difficult decision to skip what I’m sure was a wonderful performance by singer Rita Chiarelli, who had also been in town earlier in the week to present the film Music from the Big House which documents her work with inmates at Angola Prison in Louisiana.

Instead, we headed back to the Odeon nightclub for the electric triple-bill starting with the band Boogie Patrol, regulars on the Edmonton, Alberta, blues scene. After five years together, Boogie Patrol demonstrated just the right blend of enthusiasm and experience in their all-original, funk-soul numbers. The five musicians worked as a cohesive whole, creating a layered rhythm and chord structure that could not be easily separated into its component parts. However, special mention should be made of drummer Jeff Lisk, whose high-tempo beats never felt crowded, and guitarist Yuji Ihara, who was equally adept at soaring lead guitar and funky rhythms.

Nonetheless, front and center was always lead singer and harmonica player “Rott’n Dan,” and his witty but not pretentious lyrics. In one song he uses the hockey analogy of “taking a dive” to describe ending a relationship. In another, he offers the following advice, over a classic ’50′s Chicago riff (think J.B. Lenoir doing “Talk to Your Daughter”): “Bathe with your woman, that’s what you gotta do; if you don’t bathe with your woman, I think you’re a goddamn fool.”

There were no hygiene lessons from guirarist Elmer Ferrer, whose band took the stage next. I’ve had mixed impressions of Ferrer from previous encounters. At his best, he uses flurries of guitar notes to create infectious grooves that cross the border between latin jazz and funk and then build into crescendos inspired by psychadelic rock anthems. However, he can also show off with lightning-speed licks that come on so strongly they remind me of Shakespeare’s line about sound and fury, signifying nothing. I was glad to find that the majority of the pieces in the set list fell into the former category, with Ferrer playing off a strong rhythm section of fellow Cuban expatriates. A female vocalist contributed on the rock numbers, but lyrics were always secondary to the instruments.

For the headline set by Tracy Nelson, in contrast, the vocals were the main attraction. Nelson’s rich, vibrating voice commands attention without swooping or soaring. The four musicians and one singer supporting Nelson played in a country-swing style, with sweet harmonies and a easy-going rhythm. It gave a new feel to the many traditional blues songs they covered, including Bessie Smith‘s “Victim of the Blues” — which Nelson admitted she chose partly because she wanted to use the title for her album — and an encore of Memphis Slim‘s “Mother Earth,” which Nelson introduced by wryly calculating how many decades it has been since she formed the band of that name.

During the day on Saturday the festival held some free musicians’ workshops, a “swapmeet,” and a showcase performance by the nine teenagers who’d participated in a Blues Camp that week. The camp, led by Nigel Mack and members of the Blues Attack, was a more-intensive version of the blues society’s Blues in the Schools program that had been happened in the weeks leading up to the festival. Although there were a decent number of people cheering on the young musicians, the one workshop I peeked in on had only two participants, likely due to a lack of advance publicity. Despite the blustery, snowy weather, there was much better attendance at the unofficial event for Saturday afternoon, the weekly blues jam at local bar Bud’s on Broadway, where jammers included both young Blues in the Schools participants and pros who were featured festival performers.

Saturday evening we opted to check out the acoustic venue, a hotel banquet hall set up in cabaret style. On the bill were two Canadian guitarists better known for their electric performances.

First up was an artist I was not very familiar with, Steve Strongman from Hamilton, Ontario. He started off softly, with a style of playing I’d describe as finger-picking folk guitar except that he used a pick. The music got a little louder when he switched to a twelve-string and added slide for a driving rhythmic blues, then increased beyond what one could normally expect from a solo guitarist with the help of a pedal-operated loop machine to layer rhythm and lead guitar lines on top of each other.

I’d known coming in that Strongman would be an impressive guitar player as he was named best blues guitarist in Canada at this year’s Maple Blues Awards. Equally impressive, however, was his vocal dexterity, with clear and confident notes swelling for emphasis, a slight growl when appropriate, and outbreaks of a somewhat-goofy falsetto.

The second act of the night, David Gogo of Nanaimo, British Columbia, I have heard perform many times, but not often in a solo acoustic setting. Without his whammy bar and reverb pedals (nevermind the rest of his band), Gogo mostly abstained from the big blues ballads and up-tempo funk-rock numbers that dominate his electric shows. Instead, working-class blues standards and his own more darker songs were propelled by intricate rhythm guitar and slide playing. Lightening the mood, Gogo told the attentive audience stories of life on the road, musicians he knows, the origins of his songs, and the history of the two instruments he was playing, a 1930s-era National guitar with palm trees etched on the back and an even older parlour-sized Gibson acoustic.

As the show was ending, organizers offered discounted admission for anyone who wanted to catch headliner Coco Montoya finish off the night at the other stage. However, we’d already made plans to head over to one of the city’s other regular live music venues, Vangelli’s Tavern, to finish the weekend the way we started, with the crisp licks of Eddy Robertson and his Electric Blues Band.

There was a festival wrap-up party and jam at Vangelli’s on Sunday afternoon, but we had a long drive ahead of us and more snow in the forecast. You can’t escape winter completely, after all.

This is Amelia Belamy-Royds’ first article for BluesWax.   

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Mavis Staples

Mahaiwe Performing Arts Center

Great Barrington, Massachusetts

January 22, 2012

By Eric Sutter

Soul/folk/gospel singer Mavis Staples performed an inspirational sound of good news and joy in a concert at Great Barrington’s Mahaiwe Performing Arts Center. Her voice always had a ring of truth to it and this night was no exception. Like the clang of a horseshoe hitting home, she began with the loud praise of “Wonderful Savior.” She eased into the traditional a cappella gospel song “Creep Along Moses.” Her band and she payed homage to contemporaries with the John Fogerty-penned “Wrote A Song For Everyone” and a tribute to her Last Waltz performance with The Band‘s “The Weight,” from the 1976 farewell concert documentary.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FAfMh_uLxvU

Next came the title cut from her Grammy-nominated Americana CD, “You Are Not Alone” by Wilco‘s Jeff Tweedy. This brought a hushed silence of wonder from the audience… the anticipation melted as the familiar strain of the Pops Staples song “Freedom Highway” gushed with heartfelt emotion as the relief from the audience was audible with a collective sigh and forthcoming singing. The memories from the 1962 Civil Rights era continued with her urgent plea vocal set to the socially conscious lyrics of the Dr. Martin Luther King’s favorite Staple Singers song, “Why? (Am I Treated So Bad). “We’re Going To Make It” turned into an old-fashioned ring shout of a cappella delight with Donny Gerrard, Vicki Randle and Mavis and Yvonne Staples harmony voices which climaxed with a ferocious electric guitar solo by Rick Holmstrom. Just as the gospel fervor hit it’s zenith, Jeff Turmes performed a cool slide guitar instrumental of “Go Down Moses (Let My People Go).” Rick Holmstrom mellowed the deep emotional impact further with his sweet, soothing challenge of a blues instrumental that cut through the messy condition of being human. Hallelujah!

“I Belong To The Band” brought forth more lovely harmony singing and a positive message of love to close.  They encored with the 1971 #1 hit on the soul and pop charts, the reggae-influenced groove of “I’ll Take You There.” Scout’s honor, the singing cheers were like the good vibe of a homerun hit in your favorite baseball park… except everyone was a winner.

Eric Sutter is a contributing writer at BluesWax.