BillWelcome Home Studios Posted April 7, 2006 Share Posted April 7, 2006 Last night I went out to Sloppy Joes in Mount Washington. My friend Wili was back from visiting California, and his band was playing with his band, the Bluescasters. The usual suspects were playing. Harry on Bass, Freddy on drums. Gil Snyder from the Mystic Knights was on keys, Jimmy on guitar. Former "Kingdom Come" guitarist Danny Stag was in from California and waiting for his chance to play. Former Bluescaster Berne Bloom was waiting to sit in. Some guy with a piccolo trumpet showed up.... probably from one of the theater orchestras, since he was in the typical required black suit. And Wili did what he always does... he sang about what had happened in his life recently. He made it into compelling poetry, extemporaneous free verse. He lead the players and the audience in a travelog of real life, news, jokes, and some really wonderful and killer harmonica playing (harmonica, for me, lies just under the Bagpipe and bodrhan on the annoyance scale. But Wili is an artist.) Fantastic night. Nothing to do with scales or other trips. Just a guy singing about his life. Due to daytime commitments, The Rock and Roll Girlfriend and I had to leave way too early. I'll have to check with those who stayed for the end result. But when we left, the house was rocking, and that was only the first set. Which is why another rendition of "Dust My Broom" by 5 old white guys holds no appeal for me. Honesty? Passion? a real life lived and told? I don't know. Maybe it is just the difference between watching a porno and making love. Hard to say. But the one is compelling and enveloping, while the other is... well... not. Bill "I believe that entertainment can aspire to be art, and can become art, but if you set out to make art you're an idiot." Steve Martin Show business: we're all here because we're not all there. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dr. Ellwood Posted April 7, 2006 Share Posted April 7, 2006 Well how about another rendition of "Dust My Broom" by 5 old black guys? would that do it for you? OR how about a Dust my Broom rendition by a skinny white albino guy from Texas, could that work? http://www.thestringnetwork.com Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kramer Ferrington III. Posted April 7, 2006 Share Posted April 7, 2006 I think you're both right, actually. I always get sick of watching white guys in Australia or Europe and so on go through all the blues motions, up to and including the bad grammar and the "Ahm'ah goin' ter Mississippi!" lines. I hate it 'cause you jusy KNOW they're not going anywhere Mississippi in the foreseeable future. Those guys should try and come up with something that's (at least lyrically) theirs. The guys they are copying did that very thing. Now, can white albino guys in Texas do a worthwhile version of Dust My Broom? Sure. But there's a lot of white guys from TX to Siberia playing crap versions of it too. One swallow doth not a Summer make. Band MySpace My snazzy t-shirt empire Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bbach1 Posted April 7, 2006 Share Posted April 7, 2006 All I know is this skinny midwestern white guy has got to do a rendition of dust my room pretty soon. I do get what you are saying Bill. Lifes experiences can add to the feeling and blues is all about feeling. So the debate is, can someone who hasn't lived it still feel it? bbach Beauty is in the eye of the beer holder. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BillWelcome Home Studios Posted April 7, 2006 Author Share Posted April 7, 2006 Originally posted by ellwood: Well how about another rendition of "Dust My Broom" by 5 old black guys? would that do it for you? OR how about a Dust my Broom rendition by a skinny white albino guy from Texas, could that work? I think that we are back to the 'covers' verses 'originals' question. Where I appreciate a good cover band, I just don't seem to appreciate a 'blues cover' band... no matter WHO it is or what color or age they might be. When I was in school, a local college, the University of Pittsburgh, used to have a blues festival every year. I saw a lot of the greats while they were still alive. And throughout my travels I've seen quite a few of the 'blues heroes'. I don't know if this affects my point of view or not. But -something- makes the blues cover band unbearable for me, and exposure to an artist like Wili only sharpens the point. Bill "I believe that entertainment can aspire to be art, and can become art, but if you set out to make art you're an idiot." Steve Martin Show business: we're all here because we're not all there. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dr. Ellwood Posted April 7, 2006 Share Posted April 7, 2006 Yeah, you don't appreciate it, fair enough, you don't but allot do, so I guess thats a pretty good ratio. http://www.thestringnetwork.com Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Trucks Posted April 7, 2006 Share Posted April 7, 2006 Originally posted by Bill@Welcome Home Studios: Last night I went out to Sloppy Joes in Mount Washington. My friend Wili was back from visiting California, and his band was playing with his band, the Bluescasters. The usual suspects were playing. Harry on Bass, Freddy on drums. Gil Snyder from the Mystic Knights was on keys, Jimmy on guitar. Former "Kingdom Come" guitarist Danny Stag was in from California and waiting for his chance to play. Former Bluescaster Berne Bloom was waiting to sit in. Some guy with a piccolo trumpet showed up.... probably from one of the theater orchestras, since he was in the typical required black suit. And Wili did what he always does... he sang about what had happened in his life recently. He made it into compelling poetry, extemporaneous free verse. He lead the players and the audience in a travelog of real life, news, jokes, and some really wonderful and killer harmonica playing (harmonica, for me, lies just under the Bagpipe and bodrhan on the annoyance scale. But Wili is an artist.) Fantastic night. Nothing to do with scales or other trips. Just a guy singing about his life. Due to daytime commitments, The Rock and Roll Girlfriend and I had to leave way too early. I'll have to check with those who stayed for the end result. But when we left, the house was rocking, and that was only the first set. Which is why another rendition of "Dust My Broom" by 5 old white guys holds no appeal for me. Honesty? Passion? a real life lived and told? I don't know. Maybe it is just the difference between watching a porno and making love. Hard to say. But the one is compelling and enveloping, while the other is... well... not. Bill Absolutely man.... I never understood the need to cover blues songs... Kind of loses all the feeling. I was watching a blues DVD last night (not quite as cool, but hey) and one of the artists looked like he was in so much pain singing it... then when he finished there was such a look of releif on his face, like a tonne had been lifted from his shoulders. Now thats what the blues is all about. Soundclick Myspace Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tone Taster Posted April 7, 2006 Share Posted April 7, 2006 The thing is, though' is that alot of the "originals" played by blues artists were "covers" of other people's stuff but just slightly mutated lyrically/musically. Doo you think Robert Johnson played only just his own tunes? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Trucks Posted April 7, 2006 Share Posted April 7, 2006 To be honest dude I have no idea. When your working on a I IV V its pretty much all covers I think if you mutate it then it becomes your own anyway. Its the near enough word for word note for note copies that just bore me shitless. And lets face it there arent many of us evil whiteys that can pull off the blues convincingly anyway. Soundclick Myspace Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dr. Ellwood Posted April 7, 2006 Share Posted April 7, 2006 "then when he finished there was such a look of releif on his face, like a tonne had been lifted from his shoulders. Now thats what the blues is all about." Yeah, it can happen, I bet ya one thing though, there was no pain and in probably 95 percent of the blues "performance" there is no pain at all. Not a popular opinion I know, but when bluesmen are honest and you really know them, they will say - mostly the stage appearance is for the show (not a bad thing at all) the pain is for the audience to see. http://www.thestringnetwork.com Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Trucks Posted April 7, 2006 Share Posted April 7, 2006 I think the pain may have come from the fact the top part of his index finger on his fretting hand was missing But no i know what your saying leewood, this guy seemed pretty convincing and i dont spose there is anyway of ever knowing if it was real or not, he may have pulled the wool over my eyes but ive not yet found any recent blues artists that give me the same feeling when you see them play. Soundclick Myspace Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dr. Ellwood Posted April 7, 2006 Share Posted April 7, 2006 Well don't get me wrong here, it's not pulling any wool on ya, it's the act, the performance and it's expected. If he where doin jump blues, and the subject was his kids wedding, getting a little high with his buddies having a great time, he would have showed that too with expression. Physical expression is as much a part of performance as the music you are making. Both products from you are for the audience..show biz has it's own rules. http://www.thestringnetwork.com Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Trucks Posted April 7, 2006 Share Posted April 7, 2006 Yeah I know what your saying, i wasnt using pullin the wool as a negative term... I just talk in riddles sometimes Soundclick Myspace Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BillWelcome Home Studios Posted April 7, 2006 Author Share Posted April 7, 2006 Originally posted by yZeCounsel: The thing is, though' is that alot of the "originals" played by blues artists were "covers" of other people's stuff but just slightly mutated lyrically/musically. Doo you think Robert Johnson played only just his own tunes? You miss the point. Joplin's cover of "Summertime" that Lee brought up in another thread is a prime example..... it is nothing like the original, yet it has a huge life of its own because of the wonderful interpretation. With the majority of the blues cover bands that I see, the verses and lyrics seem to be obligatory seperators between the chances for someone to masturbate... er... solo. I'm more than happy to admit that these are just my opinions. Though I'd be really happy to go and see Lee play any of the cool old rock and roll songs that his band might do, I'll pass on the blues shows. Bill "I believe that entertainment can aspire to be art, and can become art, but if you set out to make art you're an idiot." Steve Martin Show business: we're all here because we're not all there. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Justus A. Picker Posted April 7, 2006 Share Posted April 7, 2006 Originally posted by ellwood: "then when he finished there was such a look of releif on his face, like a tonne had been lifted from his shoulders. Now thats what the blues is all about." Yeah, it can happen, I bet ya one thing though, there was no pain and in probably 95 percent of the blues "performance" there is no pain at all. Not a popular opinion I know, but when bluesmen are honest and you really know them, they will say - mostly the stage appearance is for the show (not a bad thing at all) the pain is for the audience to see. It's entertainment! To be a successful performer/musician in any genre takes a bit of acting ability. I've met B.B King, he isn't a perpetually sad person but he can convey the emotion of feeling pain very convincingly on stage. Punk rockers aren't all anger and angst in real life but their job dictates that they portray that character for the 90 minutes they're on stage. Harrison Ford is not Indiana Jones. http://www.smokedsalmonband.com/exile/exile1.jpg Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PBBPaul Posted April 7, 2006 Share Posted April 7, 2006 Originally posted by Bill@Welcome Home Studios: Originally posted by yZeCounsel: The thing is, though' is that alot of the "originals" played by blues artists were "covers" of other people's stuff but just slightly mutated lyrically/musically. Doo you think Robert Johnson played only just his own tunes? You miss the point. Joplin's cover of "Summertime" that Lee brought up in another thread is a prime example..... it is nothing like the original, yet it has a huge life of its own because of the wonderful interpretation. With the majority of the blues cover bands that I see, the verses and lyrics seem to be obligatory seperators between the chances for someone to masturbate... er... solo. I'm more than happy to admit that these are just my opinions. Though I'd be really happy to go and see Lee play any of the cool old rock and roll songs that his band might do, I'll pass on the blues shows. Bill Bill, I feel your pain. I play in a "Blues" band made up of three old white guys and one old black guy. To me, it's all about the honesty of what you're trying to say. I refuse to adopt a "goin' to Loosianna" attitude because it's not who I am. I don't wear goofy hats or suits because it's not who I am. I play and sing the way I do because it is who I am. We cover lots of songs but they always end up sounding like us because above all, we are honest about who we are and we play what we like. Frankly, we've been largely disowned by the local Blues "purists" but I don't care. Honesty is the key and it's all about effectively communicating with your audience at a subintellectual level. That's what makes a good Blues band a good Blues band. IMHO of course. Our new and improved website Today's sample tune: Lonesome One Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dr. Ellwood Posted April 7, 2006 Share Posted April 7, 2006 "Harrison Ford is not Indiana Jones." HUH! Yeah right!....I hope your kidding now http://www.thestringnetwork.com Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Eric Iverson Posted April 7, 2006 Share Posted April 7, 2006 I may not adopt a going to Louisiana attitude... maybe a "going to Des Moines Iowa" attitude since that's where I'm from. Not a bad place to grow up, and no, not the blues capital of the world, but there are a lot of people there that like that kind of music, and some pretty good blues guitarists. Seriously, I don't think anybody needs to pretend to be someone they're not.. if you don't play what YOU feel, who is going to be moved by it? Even if you break a convention or two. Eric PS But maybe I'll go walking to New Orleans.. at least they're still playing and doing Mardi Gras in spite of everything, God bless them! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BillWelcome Home Studios Posted April 7, 2006 Author Share Posted April 7, 2006 Originally posted by Eric Iverson: But maybe I'll go walking to New Orleans.. could be the sequel to "Walking in Memphis" (which I think is an excellent song, by the way...) "I believe that entertainment can aspire to be art, and can become art, but if you set out to make art you're an idiot." Steve Martin Show business: we're all here because we're not all there. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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