Welcome to BluesRow

A great interview with Bob Margolin on how he got started playing with Muddy Waters… and what he learned from the master. Gives a real insight into Muddy as a band leader, one of his many talents and one which he often doesn’t get enough credit for.

You can read the whole interview here.

An interesting article here about what happened to that generation of young blues slingers who were supposed to be “the next Stevie Ray”. Two of them are from Fargo, North Dakota (Jonny Lang and Shannon Curfman). All three were hailed in some quarters in the late 90’s as the logical successors to the blues tradition started by Stevie Ray Vaughan. None of them has turned out to be that. This article proposes some reasons why, including their age when they broke big, substance abuse, and unrealistic expectations.

Interestingly, the real “next Stevie Ray” might already be here, in the person of Derek Trucks. Maybe we don’t need another Stevie Ray. But that’s a thought for another post.

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It felt like Mississippi in Central PA, and I mean that in the best way possible. My friend Jim Phipps invited me to a jam put on by the Central PA Blues Society on Thursday.  I had gone to one other jam with Jim a couple of months ago and actually ended up performing.  I survived that and thought, “Hey, let’s try another.”

The venue was the 40 et 8 Club outside of Harrisburg, a private club.  I didn’t even know private clubs existed anymore!  It was a one-story building with a side porch.  We pulled into the parking lot (really just some gravel and grass) and saw it was packed with cars.  People spilled out from the club onto the porch, and you could hear (or feel) the blues groove from outside.  Shouldering our way in, which was the only way to get in, we found a loud, crowded, smoky blues club.  All kinds of people were there — old, young, black, white…   But everybody enjoying the music and each other.  Man, I felt like I had stumbled into a Mississippi juke joint!

Jim introduced me to George Bressler, the president of the CPBS, and I asked him where to sign up.  George, a real nice guy and a gentleman, indicated the clipboard up front.  Actually, I was asking where to sign up for the CPBS, and he thought I meant where to sign up for the jam.  So I signed up and then realized that I had just signed up to jam later.  Well, I had brought my guitar, but…  After about an hour of listening to the other musicians, I was ready to take my name off the list!  If you’ve even been an amateur among pros, you know the feeling!

One guitarist who absolutely smoked was Don Johnson.  He did a great set of blues and soul and totally ripped on his solos.  And he was a good vocalist as well, with a real soulful delivery.

I loved the atmosphere (except for the smoke) and was astonished to find so many blues fans out on a Thursday night.  So for those who think the blues is dead or dying, if you live in the Harrisburg area, come on out on a Thursday night!  It’s very much alive and definitely kicking.

Oh, and we had to leave before my set came up. *whew*  Maybe next time…

The temps climbed to a balmy 12 F today, almost time to shed the outerwear and break out the shorts. Actually, it just meant not worrying about dying of exposure on the streets at night. Because it was my last night, I wanted to make sure I packed in as much as I could. And I did, hitting 3 great clubs, hearing some great stuff, and meeing some incredibly cool people.

We started with dinner at Buddy Guy’s around 7. My two friends went for the aforementioned fish with whiskers, which they tell me was awesome. I’ll never know. I went for the Cajun meatloaf, collard greens and garlic mashed potatoes, all of which were tasty, though the loaf was not as spicy as I expected. During our meal we were entertained by someone playing acoustic guitar and harmonica with a driving delta feel. The harp sounded especially good, considering it was on a harmoica holder around the guy’s neck, so he coldn’t take advantage of any cupping or mike distortion. After his set, we heard his name: Harmonica Hinds! I’d heard about him but had no idea that’s who he was. We invited him to sit with us after the set and share a round, and while he doesn’t drink alcohol, he very graciously agreed to join us. What followed was a real lesson in the blues and life, as we peppered him with questions about his past and how he got to where is today. Hinds was born in Trinidad and spent time in Canada (I was excited to hear that he lived in Ottawa, which is near where we lived for 20 years). He told us of some of the greats that he played with and learned from: Little Walter, Big Walter, James Cotton, and others. He said that he learned a little bit from each one. But his philosophy is that you might take a particular technique from someone and incorporate it into our own your own playing. But what comes out is you, because what you play comes out of your own experiences in life. A great piece of advice to be yourself, not only in the blues but in life. He’s a well spoken, true gentleman who was a genuine pleasure to sit with and learn from.

The main act at Buddy’s that night was Byther Smith, an old school blues guy who plays in a suit and tie, looking like a preacherman with his grey suit and greying hair. Byther knocked out a set of old standards including some BB King stuff, but delivered in the Byther style. His keyboard player looked brand new, not only to Byther’s band, but to the blues. That took a bit of the shine off the performance.

After his set ended, we climbed in a cab and headed for B.L.U.E.S., the “world’s best blues bar”, according to Chicago Magazine. That’s what the sign said out front. And after 3 hours of non-stop raw blues in this packed and very “retro” bar, I’m inclined to give it my vote. It’s not faux retro, where everything is made to look aged and vintage. It really IS aged and vintage. There’s very little standing room, and the stage itself is tiny, with a plywood floor. It’s so small that the drummer has to enter from a small window/door at the back of the stage right next to the drum kit. The night’s entertainer was Peaches Statten, who we’d heard at Blue Chicago the last two nights. I continued to be impressed with her singing: she shifted easily from raw blues shouting to rock stylings to R&B a la Aretha.

But what really blew me away was the Chico Banks Band. Chico is the lead singer and guitarist. And I mean guitarist with a capital G. If you haven’t heard of him yet, my bet is you will soon. He’s a young Chicago cat, and he can burn it up. Obviously rock-influenced, he doesn’t stray too far from the blues, though traditionalists might quibble with the sheer number of notes. Technically, he’s a virtuoso whose solos were always fresh and surprising with impeccable tone. I’m a bit of a geargeek myself, so I noticed he was playing his Gibson 335 through an older small Mesa Boogie with 3 pedals: a Tube SCreamer, a Rat, and a wah (Dunlop, I think). He was backed by Pookey Styx on drums, who is a monster with outstanding tight beats and great dynamics. The band is rounded out by a great bass player, and a keyboards guy who played just the right amount. They’re on the summer blues festival circuit, and if you get a chance, you owe it to yourself to catch them. And Sammy Fender showed up and did a couple of numbers, too!

Then about midnight, we moved across the street to Kingston Mines, where we got in for free with our cover at B.L.U.E.S. The Mines is a larger establishment with 2 stages, and lots of seating at long tables and enough room down front to dance. The main stage was Linsey Alexander and his LABB (I think it’s the Lazy Ass Blues Band, which gets my vote for best band name on the trip!). Though Linsey was anything BUT lazy ass, working the crowd up close and personal with the help of his wireless guitar. He likes to get in your face and make damn sure you’re getting it. A great gravelly crooning blues voice and guitar chops to burn are his strengths. After he held forth for an hour, I went over to the next room, where Charlie Love and the Silky Smooth Band were setting up (honorable mention for next best name for a blues band). Charlie’s got a very R&B-influenced vocal style, but he also plays the Les Paul, trading solos with Doug on the Stratocaster (side gear note: Doug has the GREATEST Strat tone I have ever heard. Definitely silky smooth and jazzy, it had a fat tone with a bit of Strat quack to it. I told him afterwards what I thought, and he said it was all the amp: a Mesa Heartbreaker. I told him that really helps, but that kind of playing comes from the heart!).

Charlie invited all kinds of people to come up and play with him, including our tourguide and friend, Jim Phipps. Let’s see, they had 3 harp players sit in, 2 guitarists, 2 singers, and a bass player! Extremely generous, I thought. I bought their CD, which doesn’t even come in a cover, and it is very sweet. Look for a review of it later on BluesRow.com.

Then Linsey Alexander started the last set, during which he brought up Chico Banks, his bass player, a monster harp player named Russ Green, and several others. They jammed for an hour, including a roof-rattling version of the Stones’ “Miss You”, featuring Russ Green on vocals and harp. It just doesn’t get any better than this, folks. World-class musicians letting it rip all night, and I didn’t even notice what time it was till we spilled out into the street at 3:45 Monday morning. Wow.

I’ve got more to say to sum it all up, but I’ll save that for my next post.

Our tour guide Jim said Chicago is like Manhattan without the attitude. I think so, too. Everyone I’ve run into is friendly and helpful, from the waiters and waitresses to fellow blues patrons to people you meet on the street to the musicicans themselves. Maybe it’s a Midwestern thing. I don’t know, since this is my first time in the Midwest. But when you combine that with all the fantastic cultural opportunities you start to wonder who wouldn’t want to live here? I suppose some would say the winter is the deterrent, and with the temps in the single digits F this week, that’s a good point. But hey, I lived in Canada for 20 years. This just makes me feel right at home. I can finally wear my winter coat!

Food notes — we ate last night at the Weber Grill. If you’re a fan of BBQ and grilling, you owe it to yourself to eat here. It is the home of the world-famous Weber grills, and there’s even a giant one on the side of the building. The place was absolutely packed last night. In fact, we called around noon for a reservation and were told that they were all booked for the night. But if you don’t mind waiting at the bar for an hour or so, you can usually get a seat. That also gave us a chance to sample some of the local brews, including Honkers Ale and Blue Moon Wheat. The first was a darker ale, not to my taste but still good. The second is served with a slice of orange and actually was quite tasty. The burger was great, and others in our party got steak, ribs, and seafood. Everyone raved. Definitely worth a return trip. Tonight we’re headed to Buddy Guy’s for dinner, where I’m told the catfish is amazing. I will never know, as I find myself unable to eat a fish with whiskers. I’ll take your word for it!

Speaking of Buddy Guy’s, we dropped in and took a brief tour yesterday. Lots of blues memorabilia. I was particularly impressed with Guitar Shorty’s suit on the wall, as well as Jeff Beck’s Stratocaster next to the photos of Stevie Ray Vaughan and Eric Clapton. Tonight we’ll hear Byther Smith there, who I’m told is a real guitar monster.

Last night we hit Blue Chicago again to hear the Matthew Skoller Band and Peaches Statten. The place was SRO, and I thought the band responded with a higher level of energy than the previous night. Anthony Palmer on the guitar was particularly hot, mixing a blend of smooth jazz tones, stinging blues riffs, chicken picking country style, and in-the-groove rhythm. Skoller displayed his tasteful yet not overdone style. My friend Jim interviewed him between sets, so perhaps we’ll put the podcast up for you to hear. Peaches was in rare form, particularly on Got My Mojo Workin’, on which she played washboard and spoons with a Cajun abandon. One of the highlights for me was another old standard, Wang Dang Doodle, which she interspersed with several verses of Run Through the Jungle by Creedence Clearwater Revival. And oh yes, it fit like a glove.

Matthew Skoller also played some of his own blues songs addressing moderns issues like violence against women, war, and of course, cell phones. He mentioned his self-consciousness about doing this kind of stuff, and it’s true that you don’t hear much of it. But I really enjoyed it and was pleased to see an artist not only sing the blues about the traditional subjects, but also some of the more modern ones. I love the traditional blues but that doesn’t mean you can’t talk about what’s happening right now in your songs.

Unfortuately for me, I faded early last night (around 1:30am). So while the rest of the crew took off for Kingston Mines, I walked back to the hotel and turned in. Not used to these late nights, but I got enough rest today to make sure I last through the night tonight. We might even hit Blue Chicago for open mike night, and though I’m terrified at the thought of getting up on the stage, maybe I’ll give it a try. Stay tuned!

We hit the heart of the urban blues in bitter cold weather, as the thermometer plunged to single digits F. A 45 minute cab ride to our downtown hotel, a speedy check-in, and we hit the streets at about 11pm. Led by our excellent tourguide and bluesguy extraordinaire, Jim Phipps (leader of Blue Light Special; check out their website here), we first hit Blue Chicago on the 700 block of Clark.

Big Time Sarah and the BTS Express were cranking the tunes and moving the air there. Sarah is a “mojo mama” in the time-honored tradition of Koko Taylor. She’s a big woman with a voice to match who held court from a stool in the middle of her band, belting out some low-down and dirty blues. In between songs she chatted with the audience, warned them to buy her CD or else, and got them down front shaking and baking.

The club itself is a long room with a bar in the center, brick walls festooned with blues art, photos of the blues greats, and the inevitable T-shirts for the tourists like me (and yes, I bought one). The crowd was mostly young to middle-aged white folks, bopping and grooving to the blues and having a great time. I sat in amazement, drinking it in. Here I was, in the city of the blues, in one of the famous clubs. And the music is obviously alive and well, though not at the peak of its success. And I thought, do these people have any idea how lucky they are, that they can go downtown on any weekend night, hit one of many blues clubs, and hear this stuff?

My own connection to the blues goes back to my teen years, when a whole bunch of us white suburban hippy types were first introduced to the blues by musicians like the Paul Butterfield Blues Band, Eric Clapton, John Mayall and the Bluesbreakers, and all of those white blues guys who were taking the real blues and translating it to a new generation. They spoke our language, but we all knew that the real thing was the guys who had inspired our guitar heroes: Muddy, BB, Wolf, Albert Freddie, and the others. So we traded records of those guys too and tried to sound as soulful and tortured as our white suburban souls allowed. Although, to paraphrase Dave Barry, our biggest experience of the blues was getting a C- in PolySci…

Enough of the memory reverie. After an hour or so at Blue Chicago on the 700 block, we decided it was time to visit the other Blue Chicago, on the 500 block. That’s right, two great clubs within 2 blocks of each other, and you can visit both for the $8.00 cover charge of either one. We got our hands stamped, bundled up, and launched ourselves out the door and down the street. On a cold night like this, you learn to be grateful for the buildings that block that Chicago wind!

At the other Blue Chicago, we heard a set from Matthew Skollar and his band. Matthew is a harp player and vocalist who fronts a tight band of excellent, workmanlike musicians who all knew how to stay in the background and in the pocket. But they could definitely step out when called upon. Matthew’s harp style was tasty, a little jazzy, with searing licks and fills. The end of the set featured “Peaches” Stratton, a great female vocalist with some R&B-flavored stylings. She wrapped it up with an extended version of “Chain of Fools”. Great stuff.

Tonight we hope to visit Buddy Guy’s and then get back to Blue Chicago to interview Matthew Skollar. Hope you check back later for more!

Hard to believe that it’s only about 36 hours till we take off from the Philly airport. Weather outlook looks brutal. Here in PA, it’s going to be about 50 degrees tomorrow, then the cold weather sets in. According to Yahoo weather, they’re calling for “severe weather” in Chicago — sleet, snow, the whole deal.

I’m also learning about podcasting, so I hope that if I can get some interviews with some of the blues cats there, that I can link to them from here. I think people would enjoy that, no?