Good Morning Bill, Skye, JT, Julia, and all the Blues crew from Austin Blues Society and the bands that competed so well the last few weeks in the Heart of Texas Blues Challenge. It was a pleasure to be a part of the whole program and we had a hard time finding the winners to go to Memphis this year. As a traveling troubadour of some 3 decades myself and someone who has had the chance to not only share the stage but also interact with some of Americas finest Blues musicians, Id like to address a tail end of a conversation that sort of went unfinished last night. I felt as a judge and I know some of my other colleagues agree, the hardest part of our job was identifying enough Blues in the mix of music to pick from for the IBC competition. Many of the acts if not most, were not playing music with Blues elements in them. Very little story telling was going on, most of the tempos were like rock blues and did not live with a heart beat.Blues is an African Rhythm. It has a downbeat. The heart beat is the basis for the blues rhythm we all know and feel when we hear it. Be it rock blues, folk blues,country blues funk, blues electric blues, acoustic blues, the pallet is wide and the well is deep, but dont call a dentist if you need a plumber. Something is absent from the Austin landscape and the cultural understanding or definition of blues has changed and moved far from the components that make up this American musical stew. Space, silent notes, not rushing the vocals are all subtle things to be learned. Just because you play a Lighting Hopkins song does not mean your playing the blues unless you play it as a blues tune. Just because it has 12 bars, doesnt make it blues. I remember Stevie Ray Vaughn once saying early on to an interviewer, when someone has to play the blues you need to listen real hard. Its like being an artist if you draw a tree dont use your mind to assume every oak leaf looks the same, look at every oak leaf and youll see that they can all be different. Blues is about space and feeling and communication. Slow down Austin and learn from the history and living examples around you. I have the Blues because there isnt a lot of blues here. It got washed away like a Texas flood and put in one little box. Dig deep and youll know when you feel it. take chances and reach for the heart. Play with your Heart and not your head. That was our difficulty. That is our challenge as we seek to support the culture of this music and keep it alive. Keep it growing. Its like hearing the Peterson Brothers do a Freddie King song versus a rock band do a Freddie King song. We feel the difference instantly. It is a language of sorts and needs to be respected and done correctly. Dont play rock and tell me its blues. Nothing wrong with rock. Dont play country and tell me its blues. Nothing wrong with country. Well done Austin. But you gotta keep reaching. Its not a costume or a Strat. Its down home and makes you feel. Everyone has them and we always will. As long as there is man ( and Woman ) there will be blues. It comes from within. One Love Ben
Posted on: Tue, 05 Nov 2013 13:59:04 +0000
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