One For The Blues Lovers

[chris_b]

Too many blues bands in the UK seem to be playing ideas from the 50's. Based around lead guitar and limited interesting grooves and arrangements.

Listen to some of the US guys touring Europe, like Lucky Peterson, Sherman Robinson, Coco Montoya, Bernard Allison.

[url="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=alzAG7rCAQA"]https://www.youtube....h?v=alzAG7rCAQA[/url]

[url="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Mhr36kVaDoc"]https://www.youtube....h?v=Mhr36kVaDoc[/url]

[url="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=atr73gUUn5Q"]https://www.youtube....h?v=atr73gUUn5Q[/url]

[url="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X7UdvncZAtw"]https://www.youtube....h?v=X7UdvncZAtw[/url]

[No lust in Jazz]

Some great points here, we recently tried to negotiate with the horn section from a local blues band for a couple of gigs, they said no as they, didn't want to learn learn new songs.

[AntLockyer]

[quote name='chris_b' timestamp='1427453963' post='2730517']
Too many blues bands in the UK seem to be playing ideas from the 50's. Based around lead guitar and limited interesting grooves and arrangements.

[/quote]

We got round that by having a drummer who has no idea about the blues

[pfretrock]

[quote name='louisthebass' timestamp='1427309375' post='2728741']
Thanks for the heads up on this show - TBH I didn't even know it existed, I'll give it a listen :-)
[/quote]
Just noticed Teamrock radio also do a 2 hour blues show at 22:00 weekends. Just tried the on demand thing and got Muddy Waters. But again a small already converted audience. These DAB online stations have less than 1% each of total radio audience.

[blue]

[quote name='chris_b' timestamp='1427453963' post='2730517']
Too many blues bands in the UK seem to be playing ideas from the 50's. Based around lead guitar and limited interesting grooves and arrangements.

Listen to some of the US guys touring Europe, like Lucky Peterson, Sherman Robinson, Coco Montoya, Bernard Allison.

[url="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=alzAG7rCAQA"]https://www.youtube....h?v=alzAG7rCAQA[/url]

[url="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Mhr36kVaDoc"]https://www.youtube....h?v=Mhr36kVaDoc[/url]

[url="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=atr73gUUn5Q"]https://www.youtube....h?v=atr73gUUn5Q[/url]

[url="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X7UdvncZAtw"]https://www.youtube....h?v=X7UdvncZAtw[/url]
[/quote]

My band played with Coco at The Waukesha Blues Fest a few years ago. He has a lot if talent & ability.

Blue

[louisthebass]

Just to kick some life back into this thread... This kid has a promising future ahead of him:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hzyUz1DzZcM

[rjs1909]

I don't think the blues will ever die out. It had a revival in the 90's with Gary Moore and acts like Joe Bonamassa are keeping it alive today. There are a number of Blues and Roots festivals in Australia, in fact, the Byron Bay Blues Festival is on right now.

[gjones]

I've played in Blues bands since the early 90s. Most of the bands I play with are still playing the same, tired, old songs to an aging, balding and rapidly thinning audience. The Blues is great but when I play festivals it's rare to see anyone under 50 in the crowd.

My brother in law is the programmer for The Edinburgh Jazz & Blues Festival and he's well aware of the problem with ageing Blues acts performing to ageing audiences.
At the moment he's over in the States checking out acts for next years festival. He's primarily looking for young talented acts that can bring the blues into the 21st century and appeal to a younger audience. He'll be travelling all over the states from San Francisco to Florida, taking in Clarksdale [size=4][font=arial,helvetica,sans-serif][color=#545454]Mississippi [/color][/font][/size]on the way.

This is one of the guys he'll be bringing over this year.

Castro Coleman (Mr Sipp) won The International Blues Challenge final, held in Memphis in 2014.

https://youtu.be/aDvVQxMY67M

[Mykesbass]

[quote name='gjones' timestamp='1428234427' post='2739361']
I've played in Blues bands since the early 90s. Most of the bands I play with are still playing the same, tired, old songs to an aging, balding and rapidly thinning audience. The Blues is great but when I play festivals it's rare to see anyone under 50 in the crowd.

My brother in law is the programmer for The Edinburgh Jazz & Blues Festival and he's well aware of the problem with ageing Blues acts performing to ageing audiences.
At the moment he's over in the States checking out acts for next years festival. He's primarily looking for young talented acts that can bring the blues into the 21st century and appeal to a younger audience. He'll be travelling all over the states from San Francisco to Florida, taking in Clarksdale [size=4][font=arial,helvetica,sans-serif][color=#545454]Mississippi [/color][/font][/size]on the way.

This is one of the guys he'll be bringing over this year.

Castro Coleman (Mr Sipp) won The International Blues Challenge final, held in Memphis in 2014.

https://youtu.be/aDvVQxMY67M
[/quote]
Nice gig for the BiL! Will check Mr Sipp out properly later on.

[blue]

[quote name='jonnythenotes' timestamp='1427360054' post='2729234']
I am certain that people respond to the visual of a band giving it big licks, just as much as they respond to the safe and familiar feeling they get from songs they know all the lyrics to. Some venues thrive on pure blues, or very blues influenced music....check out The Blues Bar in Harrogate..... but by and large, you won't get a look in at a lot of venues, private parties, weddings etc if you smell remotely of blues...you have to sneak it in the back door. Then it's a simple case of dropping in a few more of the right songs that lean it a bit more towards a R n B set list.[/quote]

Agreed, We call ourselves a [i]"Blues/Rock"[/i] band ( 9 years and still going ). Before I joined the band decided that consistent paid gigging was the direction they wanted to go. They already had a young female BL who is also our lead guitarist and lead vocalist so the [i]"back door"[/i] method was an easy transition. We kept a lot of the cooler more progressive Jeff Beck type stuff, however we added stuff like "People get Ready", [i]"Son Of A Preacher [/i][i]Man","Them Changes"[/i], Nancy Sinatra's [i]"Boots Are Made for Walking"[/i], Robin Trower hits ect. We stayed away from the traditional 12 bar blues progression stuff. Thing is it worked and the band was able to get gigs other blues bands couldn't.

And were still having fun.

Blue

Edited April 5, 2015 by blue

[pfretrock]

[quote name='louisthebass' timestamp='1427376207' post='2729546']
Have just checked out some of her videos, really like her playing and singing - thanks for the heads up!
[/quote]

On tour this autumn

[url="http://www.joanneshawtaylor.com/#!touring/c12n5"]Joanne Shaw Taylor tour dates[/url]

[EliasMooseblaster]

[quote name='pfretrock' timestamp='1429012708' post='2746966']
On tour this autumn

[url="http://www.joanneshawtaylor.com/#!touring/c12n5"]Joanne Shaw Taylor tour dates[/url]
[/quote]

Anyone else going to Ramblin' Man this year? She's playing the blues stage on the Sunday (she and Camel were my main motivations for getting a ticket)

[JTUK]

Local blues acts are doing fine around here, but you have to have something special otherwise you are just another
'blues' act in a pub.
Recently saw a local act who are doing well with attendances but aprt from quite a female contingent, which I suspect
contributes to their appeal, they really need a better extra edge. By the same token, I saw Bad Influence who were a class
apart with Dickie Hayes on gtr. To me, that is what you have to try and do... get that extra classy edge otherwise the band
is limited to 12-bar City..

[Mykesbass]

[quote name='JTUK' timestamp='1429013359' post='2746977']
Local blues acts are doing fine around here, but you have to have something special otherwise you are just another
'blues' act in a pub.
Recently saw a local act who are doing well with attendances but aprt from quite a female contingent, which I suspect
contributes to their appeal, they really need a better extra edge. By the same token, I saw Bad Influence who were a class
apart with Dickie Hayes on gtr. To me, that is what you have to try and do... get that extra classy edge otherwise the band
is limited to 12-bar City..
[/quote]

Bad Influence are great, all top musicians with Pete Stroud (Mybass on here) on bass usually.

[phil.c60]

......which is my kind of town (although not exclusively), even if it's not yours, JTUK. And we're booked pretty well 'till the end of the year with no problem getting repeats, so even if it's not your bag, it certainly floats quite a few peoples boats. Oh, and we don't have lights, either. Or smoke. Or foam. Or explosions - we just do what we do as well as we can.

Edited April 14, 2015 by phil.c60

[Mykesbass]

[quote name='phil.c60' timestamp='1429014867' post='2747015']
......which is my kind of town (although not exclusively), even if it's not yours, JTUK. And we're booked pretty well 'till the end of the year with no problem getting repeats, so even if it's not your bag, it certainly floats quite a few peoples boats. Oh, and we don't have lights, either. Or smoke. Or foam. Or explosions - we just do what we do as well as we can.
[/quote]

which is fine, and in my original piece I am not criticising this. I am worried though, that in the UK and what I hear from the US, the lack of development means that the Blues will become a diminishing, ageing, museum piece, because even the youngsters are playing the old stuff to older audiences. Happily, according to someone with recent experience in Europe and Scandinavia, there is a wider mix of styles and a better audience age range.

[JTUK]

[quote name='Mykesbass' timestamp='1429014856' post='2747014']
Bad Influence are great, all top musicians with Pete Stroud (Mybass on here) on bass usually.
[/quote]

He wasn't on the gig as they used local guys... presumably to keep the money in check.

[louisthebass]

[quote name='pfretrock' timestamp='1429012708' post='2746966']
On tour this autumn

[url="http://www.joanneshawtaylor.com/#!touring/c12n5"]Joanne Shaw Taylor tour dates[/url]
[/quote]

Thanks for that - Shoreham looks like the most doable for me even though I'm closer to London .

[louisthebass]

[quote name='Mykesbass' timestamp='1429014856' post='2747014']
Bad Influence are great, all top musicians with Pete Stroud (Mybass on here) on bass usually.
[/quote]

Good band who vary the Blues / Rock thing, have seen them a few times - always a good night .

[ezbass]

[quote name='Mykesbass' timestamp='1429014856' post='2747014']
Bad Influence are great, all top musicians with Pete Stroud (Mybass on here) on bass usually.
[/quote]I used to go and see them at The Cartoon in Croydon when they had Chris Childs on bass, what a player! Years later my band supported them at Club Riga in Southend.

For all of those with reasonably easy access to London, the brilliance that is Robben Ford is play the O2 Islington on the 29th of this month (it's a Wednesday), tickets aren't too spiteful at £28ish.

[The Admiral]

[quote name='Len_derby' timestamp='1427358734' post='2729205']
.
As for Skank's accurate observation that a middle-aged white bloke in a waistcoat singing about the chain gang can be ludicrous; well, doesn't the singing of a song usually involve a degree of make believe? Some acting is convincing, some less so.
[/quote]

The folk scene went through a big issue with its traditional aspects and The Folk Police, with plentyof examples to support Billy Connollys famous observation about folk clubs being full of "4 civil servants in matching pullovers, singing The Wild Rover - the wouldn't know a f***ing wild rover if he bit them on the arse."

Thankfully, it moved on from that with the advent of the wave of new artists who have, and continue to, come through. That said, the folk scene has the advantage of a great small club, and particularly, festival circuit. A common theme us the family atmosphere, which encourages participation, with lots of workshops for kids, run by very well known players. I was at Shrewsbury last year, and you barely saw a kid without an instrument of some sort, and in the beer tents and picnic area there were stacks of people, of wildly varying ages, sitting down together and just having a jam. Plenty of kids playing traditional instruments too - not just acoustic guitar.

Ive been considering starting up my old Folk, Americana and Blues nights again after a 7 year hiatus, if only to get some decent live music in my local area. It's either pub rock covers or old guys doing their party piece at an open mic around me. Wears a bit thin after a while. The trouble is, it takes time and money, and I'm not convinced I'd get an audience, so I'm waivering, but I might try a one off and see if it takes. No shortage of great acts.

[The Admiral]

[quote name='pfretrock' timestamp='1429012708' post='2746966']


On tour this autumn

[url="http://www.joanneshawtaylor.com/#!touring/c12n5"]Joanne Shaw Taylor tour dates[/url]
[/quote]

Interesting to note that when she was looking for a deal, more than one record company wanted her to either give her thruppenies and legs a bit more of an airing to 'sex it up a bit', or go the Avril Lavigne route, and sling her guitar round her ankles and be a it more shouty. Thankfully she didn't listen, but it shows the mindset of a lot of A&R guys.

[Mykesbass]

[quote name='The Admiral' timestamp='1429115494' post='2748211']

Ive been considering starting up my old Folk, Americana and Blues nights again after a 7 year hiatus, if only to get some decent live music in my local area. It's either pub rock covers or old guys doing their party piece at an open mic around me. Wears a bit thin after a while. The trouble is, it takes time and money, and I'm not convinced I'd get an audience, so I'm waivering, but I might try a one off and see if it takes. No shortage of great acts.
[/quote]

That's probably how the Blues should be positioned now, to be part of, and develop with the Americana movement. I'd love to go to that sort of night - fancy putting one on down in Sussex?!!

[The Admiral]

[quote name='Mykesbass' timestamp='1429121538' post='2748294']


That's probably how the Blues should be positioned now, to be part of, and develop with the Americana movement. I'd love to go to that sort of night - fancy putting one on down in Sussex?!!
[/quote]

Not that hard. Happy to give you some pointers. Toughest think is bums on seats, but I suspended my nights before the advent of Facebook, and that would be a godsend. I got up to about 80 to 100 tickets when I had the time, and at £7 a go, that meant I could books some interesting artists. I had a guy over from Dublin a couple of times, and some touring US acts too. One of the best nights was with Clive Gregson, who was over from the states seeing his mum, and played solo acoustic. Not many people have talent that can fill a room with just them and a guitar, but he's a great songwriter and performer - and a bit of a cult hero with his band Any Trouble.