Track Rat
Just Your Average Sized Member
Come on now. Us old white guys ain't ALL bad. Some of us have a LITTLE mojo.... 
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travelin travis
New member
Track Rat said:Come on now. Us old white guys ain't ALL bad. Some of us have a LITTLE mojo....
Yea, maybe a couple. Really though, I am very fucking picky about what blues tunes I let go thru my ears. I'd say that about only 10% of the stuff that I've heard will get another listen. I'll say this too, alot of SRV's stuff is shite! In Step? Crossfire? I can't listen to it. If anyone thinks that is what SRV is about, get a fucking clue. That stuff is the "lifeless white guy" blues. I have seen way too many of these guys with their custom made guitars / amps playing Mustang Sally. It pisses me off to be truthful.
Cephus man. Maybe you have'nt spent much time mixing with other cultures but I have. Blues is'nt just something that guitar players listen to. That might be so with the people that you tend to be around. I know or have met blues fans that have never touched an instrument but have dug alot further into the blues than I have. It amazes sometimes that some old white lady can be diggin on the same music as me but then I realize, blues is about emotion and any old white lady is just as capable of feeling it as I am.
When I was living in Florida, I lived in a primarily black neighborhood. On the weekend nights when I had nothing to do or no where to go, I'd get myself a bottle of what ever was cheap and just sit in my living room with my guitar and go at it. It was nice enough outside to leave the windows and door open to let the breeze in on alot of nights. A couple of old black guys down the street heard my guitar and wandered up my stairs to listen. I had alot of people wander up my stairs to have a listen and introduce themselves. They'd even give me beers, share bottles, weed if I wanted it, tell me stories of blues guys that used to be around. Alot of these guys listened to real blues and shared my opinion about how shitty most blues music is. My point is, don't say that blues is'nt followed by any one other than guitar players. It just may be that you tend to only be around easy livin, suburban, white folk.
I've also met more people at the beach than I can count that really dig blues. Every color, age, race, and economical status. I've sat and played from noon to nearly midnight with a young homeless guy on my right and an old doctor on my left and both guys were singin the blues (or tryin to) with just as much passion as the other. I'll agree that real blues seems to be enjoyed primarily by the broke or the down out but is'nt that what blues is really about? Venting the pains and frustrations of life? Poor people are full of those! It sure as hell is'nt about hand made pickups, a head full of music theory, and fancy hats.
I've met very few players with real mojo. One was an old black transient that had the most wicked strum you ever heard. He called him self "Sweet Daddy Love". I dropped money in his bucket every time I saw him and he even tried to teach me that wicked strum. Another was an old black guy that was infatuated with Bob Marley. He was probably the rudest mofo on the planet when it came to conversation but he had the coolest rhythm style that I've ever heard and a voice like a ghost. That guy gave me chills. I tried to play with him every chance that I got but he knew I was trying to learn from him and some times he'd go all day without playing just to piss me off. Some times he'd see me, come over and put his guitar down by me and disappear for hours. I hated that guy! Awwww!
cephus
Slow Children Playing
Yes I have lived a sheltered short life of limited experience.
You seem to be talking about busking and I am talking about working musicians. People often like something if they get it for free, but if they have to cough up a $3 door charge, they don't like it so much.
SRV "In step" is shitte. Clapton was way better when he was on drugs, too. I always thought texas flood was a good album because I read it was recorded essentialy live in the studio with scratch vocals and then overdubbed for the release. I like the way he goes back and forth between rhythm and lead. In step is 100% overdubbed guitar crap and the album has no soul because of it. It's like when I read in these forums about recording drums by themselves first and then adding all the other tracks. Nice way to get yourself a 45 minute album of soulless poo.
Dude, I would sit on your porch and play blues with you all weekend if we had nothing to do, but if you come down to my gig, we can play a couple in the last set, but then we gotta bring out the chuck berry to win back the crowd.
You seem to be talking about busking and I am talking about working musicians. People often like something if they get it for free, but if they have to cough up a $3 door charge, they don't like it so much.
SRV "In step" is shitte. Clapton was way better when he was on drugs, too. I always thought texas flood was a good album because I read it was recorded essentialy live in the studio with scratch vocals and then overdubbed for the release. I like the way he goes back and forth between rhythm and lead. In step is 100% overdubbed guitar crap and the album has no soul because of it. It's like when I read in these forums about recording drums by themselves first and then adding all the other tracks. Nice way to get yourself a 45 minute album of soulless poo.
Dude, I would sit on your porch and play blues with you all weekend if we had nothing to do, but if you come down to my gig, we can play a couple in the last set, but then we gotta bring out the chuck berry to win back the crowd.
Nick The Man
New member
blues is my favorite genre ........ well blues rock ... but i LOVE the blues
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travelin travis
New member
cephus said:
I'm also a working musician playing classic rock / blues (I was prodded into it). To tell you the truth, I'd rather be sitting with a few choice guys and just free jamming. The creativeness that comes out and the vibes that get going on are always alot more fun than playing bars for people that like stuff like "In Step".
If the group of guys that I'm playing with were'nt good friends of mine, I would have never agreed to play in a cover band. I still kind of regret submitting to the prodding.
Track Rat
Just Your Average Sized Member
That's the basis of the band I'm in. The only thing we "rehearse" are intro's and exits and we try to improvise as much as possible. So the performances are more "jams" than set tunes. All of us are pretty seasoned players and old guys. A big plus is or singer/keyboard player is an old black guy so we sound authenic when we do blues.
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travelin travis
New member
Track Rat said:
Hey now, don't get me wrong. I've witnessed a few old hippy rocker band's that flat out smoked once those got those old joints warmed up. I mean skeletal joints! One band I remember had a guitar player that looked just like Chong rockin out. Those guys were psychedelic as hell. It took me a few times watching them to pickup on their vibes. They went out pretty far some times.
What you're doing sounds like what I want to be doing.
Treeline
New member
I'm a 49 year old guy who has to wear a hat in the summer or my Celtic bald spot will turn to toast. I was born, raised and presently live in about the "whitest" state in the union, if you go by numbers and not attitude. I've never been beaten up (at least not since someone threw Michael Flynn at me in the sixth grade), never had my woman cheat on me, all that. I suppose I could pen some lyrics about my old SAAB Turbo that kept on melting valves and heads no matter what I did. Or what stress can do to a professional career. Not exactly traditional blues material. ("My Volvo got repossessed").
But I love that stuff - and particularly the acoustic blues. I'm not any kind of expert or even a particularly good student. But I get chills when I hear one voice and one guitar unleashing pure emotion. It's where I'm trying to take my own playing - "less" being "more". I'm slowly moving from "acoustic shredder / bluegrass flatpicker / whathehellwasthatanyway" to something involving fewer notes, more use of silence, greater use of texture, and as much emotion as I can muster.
Everyone has his own demon or two inside. I certainly have to live with mine. We also have our moments of grace and divine channeling. Getting to the raw emotion and finding a way to communicate it so I can connect with someone else means a lot. So, yeah. I like the blues. Just keep it out of the elevators.
But I love that stuff - and particularly the acoustic blues. I'm not any kind of expert or even a particularly good student. But I get chills when I hear one voice and one guitar unleashing pure emotion. It's where I'm trying to take my own playing - "less" being "more". I'm slowly moving from "acoustic shredder / bluegrass flatpicker / whathehellwasthatanyway" to something involving fewer notes, more use of silence, greater use of texture, and as much emotion as I can muster.
Everyone has his own demon or two inside. I certainly have to live with mine. We also have our moments of grace and divine channeling. Getting to the raw emotion and finding a way to communicate it so I can connect with someone else means a lot. So, yeah. I like the blues. Just keep it out of the elevators.
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guitarist_44
New member
Im only 17 years old, I have been playing guitar for 3 and half years, and I love blues guitar. Definitly my favorite of all genres to jam to.
TelePaul
J to the R O C
The Blues
The Blues is so important to what we deem modern day music. Its where the Irish met the Sengalese musically; The Stones took American rhythm and blues and invented rock n roll, Zeppelin took it further and kick started heavy rock. Think of how many songs today have a standard 12 bar resolution with a turn-around? Aerosmith, AC DC, Tom Petty, they've all used the conventions of delta blues to ply their trade. My brother often jokes that country music is blues in G, and so much country and honky tonk evolved from Blues-Rag artists like Robert Johnson. History aside, the blues is such a great genre to play. It covers many styles, but I don't think theres anything more satisfying than a 12 bar shuffle with some pentatonics and Blues scales; its just such a perfect harmony, no matter how many times you hear it. Buddy Holly, Rory Gallagher, Mark Knopfler, Clapton, all great players who play within and at times push the boundaries of the Blues to create perfect songs. And the Blues is so much about attitude, its a feeling and a passion. Im glad I can play it, its fun and meaningful. Thats from a 19 yr old.
The Blues is so important to what we deem modern day music. Its where the Irish met the Sengalese musically; The Stones took American rhythm and blues and invented rock n roll, Zeppelin took it further and kick started heavy rock. Think of how many songs today have a standard 12 bar resolution with a turn-around? Aerosmith, AC DC, Tom Petty, they've all used the conventions of delta blues to ply their trade. My brother often jokes that country music is blues in G, and so much country and honky tonk evolved from Blues-Rag artists like Robert Johnson. History aside, the blues is such a great genre to play. It covers many styles, but I don't think theres anything more satisfying than a 12 bar shuffle with some pentatonics and Blues scales; its just such a perfect harmony, no matter how many times you hear it. Buddy Holly, Rory Gallagher, Mark Knopfler, Clapton, all great players who play within and at times push the boundaries of the Blues to create perfect songs. And the Blues is so much about attitude, its a feeling and a passion. Im glad I can play it, its fun and meaningful. Thats from a 19 yr old.
G
ggunn
Crystal Flavolian
TelePaul said:
The Stones invented rock n' roll?
S
sweetpeee
New member
Treeline said:
Son House is not known as a great blues player as far as guitar.He's got a really hard right hand and almost beats the strings into submission. I have a DVD of him playing a tune and he's not strumming up and down, he's...welll, it's tough to describe. If you've seen bass players pop, you know what I'm talking about. Son is pulling the strings from the body of the guitar to get that sound. I've never seen anyone other than him play like that.
The way he sings the blues is chilling. "Death Letter" comes to mind. First few bars of that, the sound of the guitar...sheesh! Awesome.
J.P.
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sweetpeee
New member
The Blues is so important to what we deem modern day music. Its where the Irish met the Sengalese musically; The Stones took American rhythm and blues and invented rock n roll...
Yeah, I knew this one wouldn't go by without a challange
According to Chuck Berry, he invented Rock and Roll. Anyone familiar with T-bone Walker's licks as well as his showmanship (behind the head, doing splits) knows this isn't true. According to Little Richard, he invented Rock and Roll. Fats Domino maybe?
What do I think? I don't know who invented Rock and Roll and neither do they.
ggunn said:
Yeah, I knew this one wouldn't go by without a challange
According to Chuck Berry, he invented Rock and Roll. Anyone familiar with T-bone Walker's licks as well as his showmanship (behind the head, doing splits) knows this isn't true. According to Little Richard, he invented Rock and Roll. Fats Domino maybe?
What do I think? I don't know who invented Rock and Roll and neither do they.
David
New member
Track Rat said:Come on now. Us old white guys ain't ALL bad. Some of us have a LITTLE mojo....
I've heard your mojo sir...you still got it.
I went totally blind for four day's back in 1990; but I got my sight back, does that mean I can't be a true bluesman? ...oh yeah, and i'm poor too? 
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dirtythermos
New member
I'm 28, generally bored by the blues. When I do listen, it's to learn from guitar players like Robben Ford.
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sweetpeee
New member
cephus said:
SRV hat lol, which I thought he copped that look from Hendrix anyway.
About the large majority of small club blues people...At least they're playing live, not sampling something and calling it their own or singing through pitch correction like so many cookie cuttier teenie bopper stringy haired blondes.That must count for something.
J.P.
TelePaul
J to the R O C
The Bones
Okay, the Stones invented rock and roll as we know it today; I think Bo Diddley would even predate T Bone and Little Richard.
Okay, the Stones invented rock and roll as we know it today; I think Bo Diddley would even predate T Bone and Little Richard.
A
ahuimanu
New member
rory said:
I don't like [alternative, metal, deathmetal,country,rap,etc.]. Once you've gotten past the first track on the CD, what more is there?