But with an overwhelming amount of music these days being predictable to the point of nausea almost anything even a little bit surprising is like a breath of fresh air. /p p Although I had already heard the title track of a href= http://candyekane.com Candye Kane s /a 2005 release I White Trash Girl /I and enjoyed it immensely, listening to the entire album was an eye opener.
I already knew she was more than capable of singing big and brassy blues tunes, but what I hadn t foreseen was the diversity of song styling she was capable of rendering and her refreshing attitude towards life. /p p If you go to her website or buy her disc you can find out about her life in detail, but in a nutshell she s managed to raise two children on her own, find the courage to risk following her dreams, and retain a healthy understanding and respect for who she is and where she came from. If half the so-called celebrities who claim to be musicians had an iota of this woman s integrity, they might have enough respect for themselves and their music to be more than cogs in a marketing director s wheels.
/p p Her music reflects both her honesty about who she is and her amazing ability to laugh at herself while never once diminishing herself as a person. From the title track White Trash Girl , where she laughs at all the stereotypes about poor single women, to Work What You Got , an admonishment to her fellow women to make the best of their situations and the gifts they were given in, to her cover of Bull Moose Jackson s Big Fat Mamas are Back In Style where she glories in the fact that she s definitely not a petite. br/ But what I found most impressive about her, which was the pleasant surprise, was the variety of music she not only performs, but also has the ability to write.
She sites Jerry Lee Lewis as one of her old favourites, so Work What You Got being reminiscent of Great Balls Of Fire isn t too surprising. Her masterful delivery and timing during the song make it a whole lot of fun. It s her ability to do the non-traditional blues/rock and roll song that makes her disc much more interesting than the average disc of this type.
/p p It Must Be Love is a great example of her ability to do Big-Band/Show tune type music with more panache and style then I ve heard in ages. From the swing of the music, to the horn section, right down to the call and response of the background chorus of male singers, it sounds like it was written in another era. But she also makes it work as a contemporary piece with the lyrical content and the power of her personality.
/p p For those types of songs to work the singer has to be able to i sell /i it to the audience. They involve a lot more work than just standing up and making sure you sing in tune and on key. A singer has to be willing to perform the song like she was acting a role on stage, (hence the term show tune even if they aren t associated with a play), in order for it to work.
To be able to carry a tune like that off as Candye does is an amazing in and of itself. The fact that she also wrote the lyrics to work with the music is even more of an accomplishment. /p p It s an unfortunate reality that most ballads or slow songs today are ruined by the lack of sincerity in the performer s presentation.
They swoop their voices up and down the scales with no real attention to what they re doing other than trying to distract the audience with vocal pyrotechnics. On I Could Fall For You Candye shows them how it should be done, worrying more about the content of the song and ensuring the lyrics are sung with genuine feeling when it matters instead of beating them to death with a stick for the length and breadth of the song. /p p Of course she can also cut loose with the best of them, and on her barrelhouse type numbers like Misunderstood or her cover of Jerry Leiber and Mike Stoller s I Wanna Be More it s impossible not to get caught up in her enthusiasm for the music and the song.
Speaking of covers, she takes the old John Sebastian tune What A Day For A Daydream and makes it her own while preserving the original whimsy. /p p It s not often that we get performers anymore who have the combination of ability and strength of personality to carry off the types of songs and music that Candye Kane performs. Pick up a copy of I White Trash Girl /I and be pleasantly surprised by what you hear, and how much you enjoy it.
There s a lot more to this girl than just one dimension of the blues. br/
a href= http://www.billboard.com/bbcom/news/article_display.
jsp?vnu_content_id=1003438112 died last month at the age of 91 /a . br / br / Lockwood died of respiratory failure at a Cleveland hospital.
Lockwood was hospitalized after a November 3 stroke and died due to respiratory failure November 21, a href= http://www.billboard.com/bbcom/news/article_display.
jsp?vnu_content_id=1003438112 according to University Hospitals Case Medical Center spokesman George Stamatis /a . br / br / Lockwood, an Arkansas native, took early guitar lessons from a young Robert Johnson.
Johnson moved in with Lockwood rsquo;s mother when Lockwood was 11. The bond between the two was tight. Despite their close proximity in age, the elder Johnson became a father figure to Lockwood.
br / br / Lockwood never achieved the legendary status of his mentor but he worked as a successful sideman and solo artist from the time he was 15. br / br / As a sideman, he worked for Chess Records when they were the premier blues label. While there, he played on cuts by Little Walter, Muddy Waters, Sunnyland Slim, and many others.
br / br / Lockwood also played on a couple of terrific Otis Spann solo albums. Spann made his name playing piano in Muddy Waters rsquo; band and is one of the great blues pianists. Lockwood both played and sang on Spann rsquo;s i Otis Spann is The Blues /i and i Walking the Blues /i .
His playing on those two records displayed his ability to record authentic Delta blues and also showcased a light touch and some jazz-tinged chops. Lockwood set himself apart from the legion of other blues guitarists not only with the jazz elements of his playing but also by often utilizing a 12-string acoustic guitar, a rarity among pure blues guitarists. /p p Lockwood recorded a number of solo albums and was twice nominated for a Grammy.
His first solo album was not released until 1970 although he did record occasional one-off singles in the lsquo;50s. In 1982, 44 years after his death, Lockwood recorded an album devoted mostly to the music of his mentor, Robert Johnson (Plays Robert and Robert). His last studio album was i Delta Crossroads /i , released in 2000 but he continued to play live until his death.
/p div id= authorbio IMG SRC= http://www.djradiohead.com/GFX/DJR.
jpg height= 75 width= 75 style= float:left; margin:5px;border:2px solid white / DJRadiohead is a href= http://blogcritics.org/music/ Assistant Music Editor /A and hosts the A HREF= http://blogcritics.org/archives/features/bcradio.
php BC Radio Podcast /A . He is formerly an award-winning journalist and broadcaster. His podcasts and writing can be found at A HREF= http://www.
djradiohead.com DJRadiohead.com /A as well as a href= http://www.
themondoproject.com The Mondo Project /a . /div p Welcome to part two of the two-part interview that I conducted via email with Thomas Ruf, the force behind Ruf Records (read a href= /archives/2006/12/08/092354.
php part one /a ). In the past twelve years Thomas and his label have become one of the most active blues labels in Europe, if not worldwide. Even more important is the fact that unlike other labels, they produce new recordings of working artists instead of merely reissuing older back catalogues.
br / br / Aside from taking on established blues musicians from North America whose careers have been victimized by an industry that s more fickle than the weather, they have also helped to develop the careers of young European and North American players. What s even more impressive is their commitment to all the forms that the blues can take. From the harder edge of Walter Trout who only knows one speed other than fast -- faster -- to the internationally flavoured acoustic sounds of Bob Brozman and the amazing sounds he pulls from a resonator guitar, Ruf records proves the blues can be sung in as many ways as there are people.
br / br / The blues are an individual s means of expressing emotions through music, so it makes sense that different people will have different ways of getting there message across. That s the real beauty of the blues, and Ruf records. If one performer doesn t speak to you, that s okay, because there is somebody else waiting in the wings that just might.
br / br / b When did the blues start to become popular in Germany? I know that in countries like France they have a history of African-American musicians performing in Paris since the twenties and the thirties in the jazz clubs. Obviously that wouldn t have been the case in Germany during the thirties, so there is not the same history of having the music around and available for the population.
/b br / br / I am not too good with the historic stuff as I spend my time in the present and look into the future for new goals rather than trying to fight about the correct past re-calling with all the blues scholars hellip; there are other people that know more about the past than I do. I know there was an underground swing club scene during the German Nazi years. After the war the GIs started bringing in their music.
br / br / There were American radio stations in the 40s and 50s broadcasting in Germany. American popular music became popular after the war coming into the country along with the Marshal Plan. The blues was made popular almost by one single man in the early 60s -- Horst Lippman from Llippman Rau.
They started the American folk/blues festivals in, I think, 1962, bringing over American blues performers on a yearly basis. br / br / The artwork on their 60s tour posters itself is legendary. I highly recommend watching the two volumes of the American folk/blues festival DVDs.
They are in fact much better in my opinion than the Scorsese blues film series. Because they are more simple and authentic -- they just show great historic footage from all the performers -- from Sonny Boy Williamson to John Lee Hooker to Muddy Waters. br / br / They were all there during the 60s, filmed by German television.
And what the American folk/blues festivals did to kick off the British blues boom is a piece of music history. Mick Jagger loves to tell the story how Fritz Rau ndash; Lippman rsquo;s partner and a pretty hot-tempered guy ndash; kicked The Stones out of the venue when they tried to hang around during sound check and meet the performers that were their idols during the UK shows of the AFBF tour. br / br / Alexis Corner ndash; father of the British blues ndash; was probably more popular in Germany than in the UK.
The UK market is more trendy, Germany more conservative. Germany for many British R B singers is the last territory where they find plenty of work after their stars descended during the 70s when disco and the following eras drowned the British blues boom. People like Chris Farlowe, Long John Baldry, The Yardbirds, Eric Burdon still could get a gig in Germany during the 80s and 90s ndash; long after work dried up in England and the US for these guys.
/p p b Why do you think the blues seems to be more popular in Europe right now than in America where they come from? It seems like a high percentage of your roster are North Americans; are they signing with you because there just isn t the interest in their work back home or are there other reasons? /b br / br / Walter Trout could not get an American deal, nor find a booking agent.
He was on a Dutch label with a European-only career before he signed with Ruf and we developed his career on his home turf. br / br / Luther was out of a deal when I started Ruf Records for him. More popular?
I am not sure. The USA has more blues clubs and blues radio stations then Europe. The blues is part of the everyday music culture, I think.
And it rsquo;s not really a big deal when one of the performers comes through town. In Europe it rsquo;s more of a big deal, because not every act works over here; there are, in total, fewer bars and fewer US blues acts touring. Its more a concert event then a bar gig.
The artists get therefore treated better. I think overall it goes in cycles. br / br / The blues really had a bit of a comeback in the USA in the 90s ndash; right when Luther Allison came out there big time.
The US has a great blues festival circuit. It rsquo;s the baby boomers that keep the blues scene alive there. Since a couple of years now it rsquo;s changing again.
Bars close left and right or stop having live blues acts. Gigs are drying up stateside. The blues festival circuit in Europe is growing again.
Right now it seems stronger over here; but it goes in cycles. br / br / b There seem to be more and more women playing blues guitar these days, Erja Lyytinen from Finland for example, and you ve just come from a recording in Minnesota with three women. There have always been women vocalists, but is this something new for there to be women guitar players?
/b br / br / Bonnie Raitt, Sue Foley, Debbie Davies, Deborah Coleman were among the first ones on the electric guitar in blues. i The Blues Guitar Women /i CD gives a good overview of the current performers. It used to be a bit harder in the beginning for women, as the guitar was a man rsquo;s world.
Nowadays I think it s easier for women. There are in fact more and more coming up. Basically because there are just too many GUYs out there wanting to make a living playing guitar.
I mean thousands and thousands. And they are all good. More musicians than there is work.
br / br / b The English blues musician is nothing new, that dates back to the early days of the Rolling Stones, but now it seems like more and more Europeans aside from the Brits are taking to it. Is this a recent development or are we in North America just finally hearing about it because of the efforts of people like you? /b br / br / Well, I tried to promote a couple of European performers, but it does in fact not really work.
You can sell American and British blues in the USA, Germany, France or Japan. But you cannot sell a French blues artist in Germany, or a German artist in Sweden, a Swedish in Spain. It doesn t work.
There are hundreds of European blues bands and they are incredibly good, some of them truly original. br / br / The small country of Norway for example must have at least 200 very solid blues bands. There is a young blues player in every town.
Only you never hear about them, as they cannot be picked up by international labels. Erja and Ana are exceptions to the rule. They offer the press something of an exotic story, a new story to be told, paired with the right amount of sex appeal and pop appeal (this is the marketing guy talking now).
br / br / b What do you see as the future of blues music, and what role do you envision Ruf records playing in helping that become a reality? /b br / br / I used to use a crystal ball and got pretty good at it, until the market totally changed a few years ago. With the rise of the digital sales (downloads), the industry goes back to the early 60s, when the record labels produced single songs, not albums.
Why spend the money to produce a full album ndash; 12-14 songs ndash; when the consumer later on only picks one or two to download? The guy who used to spend 15 bucks for the entire CD might now only spend 99 cents with us through iTunes and download one song he likes. The existence of record labels per se in their traditional form as talent-developing and career-building service companies is changing.
br / br / So no, I haven t used my crystal ball too much lately. It s hard to predict. It s clear that the traditional stand-alone retail store with a true music mission - we carry any new CD of any genre and also deep catalogue - is history with the decline of Tower Records, the most prominent chain of this old school record store concept.
There are as few as maybe 200-300 record stores with a good full assortment of music around the globe. The rest is chains with selected limited stock (they carry hits, not blues), mom and pop stores for a specialist clientele ndash; many of them carrying second-hand - and the Internet. br / br / The future of the blues is in crossover and evolution rather then preservation.
The labels whose specialty was preservation of a traditional style are in trouble. I am not friends with those who constantly try to put blues music into a museum as an art form of the past. In general, the blues lacks performers that qualify as heroes.
We have many solid players, but few real star personalities with charisma. br / br / b One final question, twelve years ago when you started Ruf Records you must have had an ideal of how you wanted things work out. /b /p p No, sorry this is wrong.
I didn rsquo;t. I just did it because somebody needed to do it. And I worried about it later.
Which was good. If I had predicted what I was in for, I might have changed my mind early on (smile). /p p b Now twelve years later you have some the best known names in blues music signed with you from across three or four generations of musicians, playing all sorts of different styles and have just been recognized with the Keeping The Blues Alive Award for 2007 from the Blues Foundation.
You must feel some sense of, if not accomplishment (which you should, in my opinion you ve done wonders) at least vindication. Did you see any of this coming? /b br / br / My artist, partner and friend Luther Allison died very suddenly, one album short from breaking through the roof, receiving a Grammy and giving Buddy Guy and Robert Cray a serious run for their money.
br / br / At first sight, his passing stole the fruit we so long worked for minutes before harvest time. With time passing, I realized that actually the path was the way. It did not matter as much how long it lasted ndash; it was actually important that it happened while it lasted.
It s not about if we ever got there. br / br / It s about the quality between you and your fellows while you walk. I never had a similar, quite as close, trustworthy relationship with another artist.
And I consider myself pretty close friends with most of my fellow artists. But it kind of set a human standard that I will never want to miss, am grateful for and never will compromise, really. I don rsquo;t care how profitable a project potentially could be ndash; if it s not worth spending my personal precious lifetime working on it, it s a waste of time for me.
br / center ******** /center br / Well, that was the last question I posed to Thomas, and I can t think of a more appropriate place to end. It tells you a lot about the man and the label, and perhaps explains why they are having the success they are in signing quality performers. In 2007 Jeff Healy will be joining their roster as he makes his long awaited return to blues from his foray in jazz music, and we can look forward to new releases from Bob Brozman and Candye Kane and others as well in the new year.
br / br / I d like to thank Thomas Ruf for taking the time out of his hectic schedule to answer my questions and for putting such obvious thought into his answers. It s not often we get to hear from the people who are responsible for producing the music we love and even less frequently do we get such candid answers. br / br / If there were more people like Thomas Ruf working in the music industry, people who can remember that s it is about the music first, not about celebrity and fame, I think we d be hearing a lot more about the songs, and a lot less about divorces and who s sleeping with who.
Since that s not likely to happen in the near future I guess we should just be grateful that there are people like him still involved in the music industry. br / /p p Since the late 60s the name Allman has been synonymous with great music. The original lsquo;jam rsquo; band, the principle architects of southern rock, Allman Brothers Duane and Gregg took the world by storm when they arrived on the scene in 1969.
Now, almost forty years on, another Allman is set to do the same. /p p br / Raised in Corpus Christi, Texas, Devon fell in love with music at an early age, a love that was stoked by his relationship with his father later in life. Throughout his twenties he tried to sound anything but like his father, trying different styles and sounds to distance himself from the obvious comparisons.
However, now 31 years old, Allman has realized that the music is in his blood, and he should just play what comes naturally. /p p br / Devon Allman has a voice reminiscent of his father, Gregg, and a guitar style that conjures images of a young Carlos Santana, yet he blends his influences, and impressive musical heritage into a style that is unique. In his new band, Honeytribe, and with their aptly titled debut record i Torch /i , Devon is taking up the mantle of his forefathers and giving the name Allman a whole new meaning.
br / br / b Just to get us started, could you talk us through how and where Honeytribe came about? /b /p p br / Devon: Honeytribe came about originally in the year 1999 as a group that would be something of a throwback band, attempting to re-visit the vibe and feel of classic blues-inspired rock music. Growing up on Santana, the Stones, the Doors, Allman Brothers, etc, it was a pretty natural road to want to walk down.
We disbanded for a few years and came back together in 2005 to start Honeytribe s path as a career, making records and touring. br / br / b Where do you all come from musically within the band? /b /p p br / Musically I feel Honeytribe comes from the place that matters most, the heart.
From the bluesy guitar, back beat feels and rhythms and soulful vocals; we ve really tapped our sound from the source of what we grew up on and the type of music that makes us feel. It s not a cerebral approach at all. If the riff feels good, we work it.
If the song can t be sung from a soulful place, we pitch it. /p p br / I was driving with my drummer, Marko, one day and we were trying to think of names. A big part of the Honeytribe sound is dynamics.
We can be super smooth and delicate and also big, bad, and fierce. I told Marko that we really needed a name to reflect that dichotomy. First thing out of his mouth was Honeytribe?
, and I was like, Yeah! Sweet like honey, fierce like a tribe, it s perfect! /p p br / My parents divorced when I was an infant.
I actually got to grow up in a very normal suburban American existence. I didn rsquo;t meet him until I was in my teens, but we formed a bond instantly. Luckily, I didn t have to grow up amidst the insanity that they went through.
He is just one of many heroes of mine...
those who sing and play from the heart. Those who overcome insane odds to still do what they love to do. He really lets me do my own thing with no meddling.
br / br / b What effect did your family rsquo;s prestigious musical history have on you, musically? Did it spur you on or hinder you in anyway? /b /p p br / Musically I really found my own way in at age five listening to the Beatles and Kiss and kind of taking it from there later on to start to learn guitar.
Later in life, meeting my Dad and getting to see what was involved definitely inspired me to get better at my craft so that I could have my shot. br / br / b Although there are moments on the record where you could cite the Allman Brothers as an influence, it is very much your own sound. How did you go about honing this sound and making sure that you stepped out from the shadows of your family rsquo;s legacy?
/b /p p br / Once again it s a very natural approach. There was no making sure that it didn t or did sound like anything. The writing of the songs for this record was a totally organic flow.
At the end of the day I m really happy that the overall vibe, and tones of the record nod to the past while forging ahead into the future. Therefore it s a win/win situation for Honeytribe. I m proud of my heritage, but also proud that Honeytribe can make a record or hit the stage and totally hold our own.
br / br / b img style= width: 173px; height: 225px src= http://www.honeytribe.com/images/Solo/DevonAllman.
jpg alt= width= 173 height= 225 align= left / I know that originally you struggled, trying not to be compared, musically, to your father. On the opening track of the new album, you sing lsquo;I think I rsquo;ve found the right way to go rsquo;. Is this you finally accepting your roots and just playing what rsquo;s in your blood, and what comes naturally?
/b /p p b br / /b I know this direction and feel, playing and singing from the heart and soul is something I was always meant to do. It s the most effortless and organic version of my music I ve ever done. I have embraced my heritage along the way but I don rsquo;t feel that there is any cerebral connection to it.
I just do what I do now, with no thought process. If I feel it I do it, regardless of comparisons. br / br / b The album has been very aptly titled, as you are now carrying on the torch of your forefathers.
What exactly does this album symbolise to you? /b /p p Well really the idea of carrying the lsquo;torch rsquo; means a little more to me. In a world of corporations running the music industry, it seems there s less and less heart and soul music.
I d like to see Honeytribe perpetuate that music for the next 20 years. We have fans that come up and shake our hands vigorously and say Thank you! There is hope!
and they mean it. You can see it in their eyes, and that is one amazing compliment. br / br / b Talk us through the album.
For instance, where you recorded it, favourite tracks, img style= width: 180px; height: 180px src= http://myspace-912.vo.llnwd.
net/00748/21/90/748230912_l.jpg alt= width= 180 height= 180 align= right / what you hoped to achieve with it, the song writing process, etc? /b /p p br / We recorded the record in Memphis, Tennessee at Ardent studios.
This was the place where the ZZ Top and Stevie Ray Vaughn records were cut. With songwriting, I find every single time is different. I usually just sit with a guitar and riff and practice and sometimes something just comes.
Other times I ll get a lyrical concept in mind or hear a one liner that a lyrical concept can embody, it really just depends. /p p My favorite tracks on the record are Mahalo , When I call Home and Nothing to be Sad About . I love Mahalo because I always wanted to write an instrumental and never had a main melody that I thought was worth a damn.
The melody came to me literally in a dream, I called my cell phone and sang the melody onto a message to myself, then worked it up in the morning, the whole time saying Thank you . Mahalo means thank you in Hawaiian. /p p br / When I Call Home is just a really fun song to play lead guitar on, very much of a creeper song with great dynamics.
I like Nothing to be Sad About simply because I never really thought I d be able to write a simple, throwback, lsquo;old timey rsquo; song like that hellip; kind of surprised myself. The overall goal when we went into the studio was to make a quick record that would introduce Honeytribe to the planet. Hello, here we are, heart and soul based rock music is not dead and we d like to perpetuate it by burning the Torch for the new generations!
br / br / b What was it like to record in a studio as steeped in history as Ardent studios? For example, it rsquo;s where The Allman Brothers recorded i Shades of Two Worlds /i . /b /p p b br / /b Recording at Ardent was in fact an amazing experience.
If those walls could only speak...
I was actually living in Memphis as a teen when the ABB made that record there. I would come every day to watch them. I was enthralled, I remember Tom Dowd at work very well.
I remember taking my acoustic guitar into the atrium to work on songs and having Warren Haynes come out and tell me it sounded good. I swore I would someday make a record there. It s really meaningful to have come full circle and be able to make i Torch /i there.
br / br / b You rsquo;re obviously very passionate about the music, what is it that you love about music? What inspires you, both in and outside of the musical world, to create the music you do? /b /p p b br / /b Wow, that s deep!
I really don t know...
there rsquo;s melody, groove, rhythm, expression, the way it can make you feel...
there is just so much! I think life experience and emotion are at the forefront. Pain, joy, anger, epiphany, etc can get you in a head space to pull music and lyric from the ether and breathe life into them.
Hearing music from artists that play and sing from the heart and soul also inspire me...
but so does everyday life. /p p br / img src= http://myspace-830.vo.
llnwd.net/01288/03/83/1288743830_l.jpg alt= width= 300 align= left / b Although I rsquo;ve yet to catch the band live, I rsquo;ve heard great things about the band rsquo;s live show, and I know you spend a /b b lot of time on the road.
How do you approach a live setting differently to a studio performance, and do you have a preference of the two? /b /p p br / I equally enjoy making records and playing live. The obvious edge to playing live is the energy you share with the crowd.
That is the one thing that is like no other. You send out the vibrations and you get them back and there really isn t another feeling on the planet quite like that. /p p We tour a lot!
We are in the middle of our i Torch /i tour right now. We ve hit over 30 states in the U.S.
and are going well into 2007 and hopefully into Europe as well. Life on the road is fun for me..
. I love living out of a suitcase and being in hotels. The food sucks, but you learn to get around it.
The waiting sucks but it is made worth it by the 90 minutes on stage. It s a blessing to be able to wake up everyday and play music and I thank my lucky stars constantly. We just go out there and try to make those 90 minutes really count for something every single time we take a stage.
br / br / b The band seems to have come a long way in a relatively short space of time. What would you put this down to? /b /p p br / We rsquo;re a dedicated hard working group that decided it was time to go out and work every single night on this band, first and foremost.
Also it is attributed to a phenomenal team that I ve assembled around us. From our booking agent, to our record label, our publicist, and so on. Everyone working in the Honeytribe world is dedicated.
They feel what we are doing and are completely behind the band and for all the right reasons. They work just as hard in their offices as we do out on the road and on stage. br / br / b What rsquo;s been the highlight in the band rsquo;s career so far, and personally for you?
/b /p p br / The respect factor has gone way up! Even if the music isn t someone s cup of tea, you can t say we are here because of my family. We are here because we have busted our asses to be here!
Don rsquo;t get me wrong, we rsquo;ve loved every single minute of it. Having our first, sold out in advance shows has been a major highlight as well as the first time people starting to sing along to the lyrics of the songs. br / br / b Similarly, have there been any low points?
/b /p p b br / /b I m an optimist to the core...
it s hard to really pinpoint a low point. Running late and running ragged can be tough on the road, but we still look at each other with a lot of love and mutual admiration after a show and just go, Man..
. this band! This is a special band!
br / br / b You rsquo;ve said before that you rsquo;re in this for the long run. What are your plans for the future, both with Honeytribe and otherwise? /b /p p br / Honeytribe is a career band.
I have a 25 year outlook for this band. It is a marriage and the players in my band are my brothers and my musical warriors. We plan on making solid records at very cool and historic studios and playing live for the next 25 years.
Next step is album number two to be recorded at Compass Pointe in the Bahamas...
and it will have a totally different feel than i Torch /i . /p p We look forward to every step we take in our career. I rsquo;d like for the Tribe to someday be viewed in the same manner as the ABB or Santana or the Stones.
.. a long tradition of heart and soul music.
I try to just concentrate on what s going on right now. br / br / b One final question the. If there was one record that you could cite as the definitive recording that has influenced you and inspired you, what would it be, and why?
/b /p p br / Wow this is really, really hard. I guess I would have to go with the Derek and The Dominos i Layla /i record. Although it s not straight blues, it s obviously dripping with soulful blues guitar.
i Layla /i has always appealed to me because you can really really lsquo;feel rsquo; what Clapton was going through. That man was straight up in love. It brought out a burning passion in his throat and fingers that is undeniable, and it obviously soaked into the other players on the record.
/p p My uncle Duane just sounds like a bird on it as well! It has so much raw energy and passion that it sounds ultra fresh every time I put it on. Front to back, one of the few records that can bring me to tears if I let it.
br / br / img src= http://myspace-875.vo.llnwd.
net/00476/57/89/476859875_l.jpg alt= width= 300 align= right / b Thanks very much for all your time Devon , it rsquo;s been a real pleasure. I rsquo;ll look forward to meeting you for another chat, when you get over to the UK in the near future.
/b /p p b br / /b Man thank you for the coverage and the love! Long live the blues and rock..
. May the force be with you! /p p /p div id= authorbio Rhys Williams is a journalist and musician from Wales, UK.
He is a avid blues and rock fan and an authority of all things music. He writes for a number of magazines, including UK s Blues Matters . /div p Sometimes the best way to get to know a performer whose music you re not familiar with, is to buy a greatest hit package that spans the length and breadth of his or her career.
Ideally the package will reflect any and all changes and evolutions their music went through. After listening to the anthology not only should you have a good idea of what the person is capable of, but also be able to decide what if any other of his or her music you want to buy. br / br / This is especially helpful when you are dealing with an exceptionally prolific musician whose career has seen a good deal of changes.
Recently there has been an expansion on the way in which anthologies are used. They are now coming out as themed packages as well as retrospectives of a career. br / br / In the last couple of years there has been at least two discs that have focused on women in music; i Blues Guitar Women /i and i La Guitara /i which encompassed more than just rock and roll to include Jazz and Classical guitar women as well.
Although there was some duplication between the recordings they both managed to offer introductions to figures who on their own might not have received the amount of attention that the collections earned. br / br / Similar to those of the previously mentioned collections, combined with a desire to celebrate their twelfth anniversary, a href= http://rufrecords.de Ruf Records /a of Germany has released i Ruf Records Anthology: 12 Years Of The Blues Crossing Over /i .
This is a two disc set, a CD plus a DVD, representing the highlights of each of the twelve years of their existence. br / br / In his liner notes for the compilation, Thomas Ruf, founder of the label, says he wanted to select a song from what he considered each of the twelve years most significant recordings. Those familiar with the label will recognize some of the songs as being on releases they may have heard before but others represent some of the less heralded performers on the label who may have flown under their radar or some old favourites who have found new life across the ocean.
br / br / For instance, although the opening track on the CD, Working Overtime is from Walter Trout s highly successful i Full Circle /i disc (fifteen weeks on the Billboard charts and going strong) that features a duet between Walter and his new label mate Jeff Healy, the disc also includes such gems as White Trash Girl from Candye Kane s release of the same name. br / img src= http://blogs.epicindia.
com/leapinthedark/Candye%20Kane.jpg alt= Candye Kane.jpg hspace= 5 vspace= 5 width= 199 height= 278 align= right / br / Candye is larger then life with a voice like sandpaper mixed with honey that cuts like a chainsaw through all the shit that s not important.
If this song is anything to go by, she s blues in the tradition of the old style blues woman whose voice demands your respect, no matter what else you may think of her. Like Bessie Smith and Big Momma Thornton before her, she has presence so out of the ordinary that it is extraordinary. /p p br / Candye is not the only surprise gem on this disc.
The other one that astounded me was a href= http://www.kevincoyne.de/Music.
htm Kevin Coyne /a . This unassuming white haired guy looking for all the world like a high school English teacher, sings Whispering Desert taken from his year 2000 release i Room Full Of Fools /i . On first hearing I was amazed at the poetic flow of his lyrics with their almost stream of conscience feel.
/p p br / img src= http://blogs.epicindia.com/leapinthedark/Kevin%20Coyne.
jpg alt= Kevin Coyne.jpg hspace= 5 vspace= 5 width= 200 height= 300 align= left / While so many singers feel they have to moan and contort their bodies and voices in order to prove the sincerity or depth of their emotion, Kevin manages to carry the listener deeper into the heart of something on the back of his words. His voice rarely rises above a conversational level, but he is more convincing than most of those who appear to be making twice the effort.
br / br / It was no surprise to learn that Mr. Coyne is also a painter and a poet, but what did shock me was the fact that he had completely improvised the lyrics to this and all the other songs on his disc. I would be fascinated to hear the remainder of i Room Full Of Fools /i to hear whether or not he was able to maintain the quality of Whispering Desert for a whole disc.
br / br / If you ever had wondered where Omar and the Howlers and Canned Heat have gone to record, the answer is Germany. Although a Belgian re-release label, Music Avenue owns their back catalogue, anything that Canned Heat still holds the rights to or is creating new is being released by Ruf. The Song See These Tears is from their first disc with Ruf, the 1999 i Canned Heat Blues Band /i while this year saw a compilation disc i Instrumental: 1966 ndash;1996 /i released for the first time.
br / br / Omar and the Howler s contribution is from their first Ruf album as well, 2003 s i Boogie Man /i . The song White Crosses was not at all what I expected, much more subdued and thoughtful then I remember the band being, and an almost Latin undertone to the music. It was quite an interesting departure from the bar band blues that I had expected, and intriguing enough to make me interested in what else they are doing now.
br / br / Over on the DVD half of the anthology tracks have been lifted from a variety of concert discs that Ruff has released over the years. For me the highlights were seeing the three young musicians who made up 2006s Blues Caravan, Ian Parker, Aynsley Lister, and Erja Lyytinen playing All The Time . They are all kick ass guitar players, but they also show a nice vocal touch with some great harmonies at the end of the song.
There is also something truly infectious about the fun the three of them are having on stage together which didn t come across as much on the CD they recorded together. br / br / Having already watched the Bob Brozman concert DVD I knew what to expect, but if you have never experienced watching Bob, his performance of Rolling Through The World will leave you stunned. The sounds he is able to generate from his un-amplified Resonator guitar are astounding.
He epitomizes the labels adage of the Blues Crossing Over like few others do. The title of the song refers to the numerous genres of music he incorporates seamlessly into the one song. From the sound of the sitar to a taste of Spain, but always centered in the Blues, he literally crosses over continents and oceans while playing this one song.
br / br / Like the anthology, there s no way I can do justice to all the performers on the Ruf label. These two discs provide a sampling of what Thomas Ruf considers the highlights of twelve years of music. Of course no compilation from Ruf would be complete without cuts from Luther Allison, the man for whom the label originally was formed, and each of the discs ends with the old master s work.
br / br / Thomas Ruf says that he started the label as a response to Luther challenging him to put his money where his mouth is, (it s only fitting that the CD closes with Luther s song of that name) judging by this compilation disc one would have to say that Thomas Ruf has given answer to that challenge. br / /p div id= authorbio img src= http://static.flickr.
com/49/114463085_224d431d08_s.jpg style= float:left:margin:5px:border2px solid white: / p All during Blues Bash Month my modest contributions have covered strictly contemporary blues artists. For this ninth and last piece for the month dedicated to the blues genre, I m going to instead put forward a prominent member of blues royalty: Howlin Wolf.
br / br / It s not hard to imagine that Wolf, born Chester Arthur Burnett (1910-1976), was a man who was better known and made a greater impact than the U.S. president he was named after.
His influence is greater than any Chicago blues man save for friend and sometimes rival Muddy Waters and the homage to his music can be heard beyond the blues to the core of rock music itself. His commanding voice could range from blues yodeling to moaning to field hollering and often boomed like a shooting cannon. Wolf was by his own admission never a master musician, but he knew how to give listeners the true feeling of the blues.
br / a href= http://www.flickr.com/photos/66161950@N00/308336653/ title= Photo Sharing img src= http://static.
flickr.com/118/308336653_5e7b85ed64_o.jpg alt= Smokin_wolf.
sized title= Smokin_wolf.sized width= 250 align= left / /a Chess was his record company for almost his entire career, and through now-parent MCA, has released a box set of his better known works in 1991. There is also a nice shorter compilation of the hits called simply i His Best /i .
/p p But back in 1994, MCA Chess put out a 2 CD set, which the liner notes explains presents the 1951-1969 studio highlights from Chess not previously issued on MCA/Chess . It was a collection of outtakes, unreleased tracks, and recordings otherwise uncovered by the box set. Released under the Chess Collectibles series, i Ain t Gonna Be Your Dog /i had all the markings of a collection aimed only at the hard core Wolf fans.
br / br / On the contrary, this is an essential anthology of the genius of Howlin Wolf s music. br / br / The first third of the 42 tracks covers Wolf s pre-Chicago sessions in Memphis at the studio of Sam Phillips, who later discovered Elvis Presley and also oversaw the recording of the first rock n roll tune, Ike Turner s Rocket 88 . Wolf s music was evidently already fully formed by this time.
His signature howling-like singing and soulful harp playing is on display here, but there were other markers of the Howlin Wolf sound; Willie Johnson s distinctive, over amplified guitar provided inspiration for rock bands some twelve to fifteen years later. /p p Additionally, some of the tunes, like the talking blues of Look-A-Here Baby and Everybody s In The Mood swing hard for being blues. Jazz boogie wasn t so uncommon in blues at that time; T-Bone Walker and Louis Jordan rode that mix to great popularity.
But Wolf pulls it off without losing any of his Delta influence. There were a few other uncommon touches here and there, like the use of horns in a small group setting ( Oh Red ), and even a drum solo on the track Hold Your Money . br / br / The next phase of Wolf s recording career, the first Chicago years from 1954 to 1959, are covered from Come To Me Baby to My People s Gone .
This was a transitory period for Wolf with much of the Memphis sound still intact, but Johnson s guitar being increasingly replaced by a maturing Humlin Sumlin and the overall sound becoming more refined. The use of reverb increases and puts a very effectively haunting effect in the Moaning For My Baby alternate Midnight Blues . br / br / The four tracks that follow My People s Gone are during Wolf s early sixties peak, with three of those tracks penned by the Cole Porter of the blues, Willie Dixon.
While these tunes are less familiar than, say Wang Dang Doodle or Spoonful , Long Green Stuff and Mama s Baby were Dixon s chaff that still exceeded most other blues composers wheat. And it didn t matter anyway when Hubert Sumlin, a boy that Wolf took under his wing at just 14 years old in the late forties, had by then blossomed into one of the most formidable electric guitarists on the Chicago blues scene. His slinky lines on these and other Wolf sides have been copied and recycled endlessly over the decades, most notably by Robert Cray.
br / br / Even if the quality of material started to fall off a tad in the next five tracks representing the mid to late sixties, Sumlin s guitar combined with Wolf s still-potent vocals could be counted on to save the day, like on the otherwise humdrum I Had A Dream . The Big House is almost a dead ringer for Bob Dylan s Rainy Day Women #12 35 until Hubert cuts loose with a Keith Richards sound-alike solo..
. except that it s been Keith who was imitating Hubert all along. br / br / The last five tracks are 1968 recordings of Wolf alone with just an acoustic guitar stamping out the rhythm, with some casual talk about his musical roots mixed in.
Since he had been performing as a musician at least part time since the early 30 s but hadn t started recording until some twenty years later, this is a rare glimpse to what Wolf in his formative years might have sounded like. Woke Up This Morning is the best of this short batch, and here he displays the still-nimble acoustic guitar picking he learned first hand from such Delta luminaries as Charley Patton. br / br / After making the decision to hype this record I found out that I was lucky to have found it at the record store some 10 years ago; it s currently out of print and only available as an import (or, of course, used).
It s still very much a record to seek out for anyone wanting a solid bedrock in their blues record collection. You still want to start your Howlin Wolf collection with the Chess box set, but i Ain t Gonna Be Your Dog /i is the logical follow up acquisition. In the meantime, here are a cross section of tracks with which to whet your appetite: br / br / a href= http://download.
yousendit.com/F23D40ED6106F6EA Listen: Howlin Wolf Look-A-Here Baby /a br / br / a href= http://download.yousendit.
com/A60AE9343C919D3F Listen: Howlin Wolf Oh Red /a br / br / a href= http://download.yousendit.com/8E6A119D550CDB7D Listen: Howlin Wolf Midnight Blues /a br / br / a href= http://download.
yousendit.com/88B82D181B8D34B8 Listen: Howlin Wolf Tail Dragger(alternate take) /a br / br / a href= http://download.yousendit.
com/022245E9335C1066 Listen: Howlin Wolf I Had A Dream /a br / br / a href= http://download.yousendit.com/E7134B011DF9A1FE Listen: Howlin Wolf The Big House /a br / br / a href= http://download.
yousendit.com/9320F89845DC215C Listen: Howlin Wolf Woke Up This Morning /a br / br / br / i Note: Linked tracks are low quality rips available for only about a week. /i /p div id= authorbio A href= http://daslob.
blogspot.com/ Musical musings by da S~L~O~B /a (Saintsfan Lovers of the Blues), a trio from Louisiana, Alabama and a trailer park somewhere in Texas. But it ain t all about blues (even though we are, alas, Saints fans).
We mix in jazz, pop and baby-boomer rock, too.
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