Blues 2019: the new golden era

Iamnobody

For me blues is more about spirit. 12 bars and noodling is fine if that’s your thing but it’s stale.

Just a few off the top of my head but the songs below to me are blues. They aren’t  constrained by what is an accepted blues structure though.

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=dEYYI1ii0AU

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=qHy1RKAavVw

JDE

Iamnobody said:

For me blues is more about spirit. 

Word. 

This is is absolutely Blues: https://youtu.be/7dBfwGX_3I8

Lewy

57Deluxe said:

I like my Blues, loud, rocking and electric and no hats...

Wis’d for anti-hat sentiment. Too many CHIMPS...Convinced Hat Improves Musical Performance

Fifty9

57Deluxe said:

I like my Blues, loud, rocking and electric and no hats...

Gary Clark jnr wears a hat. 

Lewy

Fifty9 said:

57Deluxe said:

I like my Blues, loud, rocking and electric and no hats...

Gary Clark jnr wears a hat. 

But he’d wear it down Tesco’s too...that’s my main criteria for the acceptability of blues hat wearing....

darthed1981

JDE said:

heavyrocker said:

There are some outstanding players around nowadays. Where they are lacking imo is on the songwriting front. None of them has written anything that’s even approaching the same league as Clapton in his heyday.

Hard to get your heart broken when your groupies are too busy taking photos of your pedalboard 

...and are all male.

bobblehat

Th4fonz said:

It seems a Tele playing the blues is trend these days also

And long may it continue!    Can't stomach anymore of the sickly strat blues tones of the 80's and 90's. Tele players seem to have more individual tones.  

Philly_Q

57Deluxe said:

I like my Blues, loud, rocking and electric and no hats...

Try Philip Sayce, although he's probably too rock for a lot of blues fans.

And he does seem to have taken to wearing hats recently... maybe his hair's on the way out.

TINMAN82

Talking about JD, here he was supporting Tommy Emmanuel in Perth last night. Mighty fine player and singer. We had pretty decent seats too!

https://i.imgur.com/8Rp9FJr.jpg

JDE

I need to get to the London Simo gig. Been listening to the new record a lot this week.

Phil_aka_Pip

some of you guys are worried about the WORDS?? 

c'mon, the vocals are the wasted space between the guitar solos!

btw 2 words on guitar tone: Henrik Freischlader. he seems to make heavy weather of his picking (it's all downstrokes from what I've seen) but his tone is to die for!

downbytheriver

Lewy said:

Wis’d for anti-hat sentiment. Too many CHIMPS...Convinced Hat Improves Musical Performance

Steady on old chap! 

Jalapeno

Lewy said:

Tenebrous said:

Anything more along the lines of Jack White & that dirty blues style of The White Stripes that people can recommend? Not too much of a fan of Mayer/Bonamassa, but I'm always down for some genuine attitude & emotion.

Get hold of a compilation album. from Fat Possum records called “Not The Same Old Blues Crap”. 

Lewy recommended The Black Keys to me years ago as "sonic filth" - especially the early stuff - Thicfreakness and Rubber Factory.

HandwrittenHero

AlexC said:

Dan Patalansky is worth checking out too. South African by birth. Great singer as well. Greats a really dirty thick strat tone.

Agreed. Really good player, entertaining and skilful - definitely one to appreciate as a guitarist.

Mainly dropped into the thread to mention Joanne Shaw Taylor though...great voice, tasteful guitar player and decent songwriting talent. Well worth a listen if you like your blues dirtier or based in rock. Saw her touring her last album, Wild - which was excellent. New album out this month.

EricTheWeary

HandwrittenHero said:

AlexC said:

Dan Patalansky is worth checking out too. South African by birth. Great singer as well. Greats a really dirty thick strat tone.

Agreed. Really good player, entertaining and skilful - definitely one to appreciate as a guitarist.

Mainly dropped into the thread to mention Joanne Shaw Taylor though...great voice, tasteful guitar player and decent songwriting talent. Well worth a listen if you like your blues dirtier or based in rock. Saw her touring her last album, Wild - which was excellent. New album out this month.

...and like all the best things from the Black Country  

She tends to be a bit more melodic than a lot of the current technical players so it’s stuff I can listen to rather than just admire from a distance. I’ve seen her live a couple of times and well worth seeing, quite humble stage presence between songs then let’s rip. 

zepp76

clarkefan said:

Boromedic said:

Nice to see some JD love, I hope he tours as well again. 

Amen.  Saw him in Bristol 2 years ago, he is proper proper quality, there's something special about his playing.  He could only play a short set but it was plenty.  

+1 I saw him a few years ago in a small venue in Southampton and he blew me away, he gives every song his all and never lets up. Just magic.

rsvmark

Surprised no one mentioned Chris Buck. Great (young) talent, along with Lawrence Jones....off to see Josh Smith in a week or so and very much looking forward to that

springhead

Seeing JD and Tommy Emmanuel in London later this month.  I've seen JD a couple of times.  First occasion was in the tiny Bar Fly in Camden.  1960 Les Paul into a JTM 45, no pedals, didn't touch the amp all night but excellent variety of tones from pickup selection and tone/volume/fingers.  He sings well too and the songs were good.  top night out!

Lewy

rsvmark said:

Surprised no one mentioned Chris Buck. Great (young) talent.

I need to check out some of his actual music making as opposed to just his Instagram videos, because I find his OTT phrasing on those a bit grating...but I imagine he could be quite different when there’s a song to serve. Any recommendations? 

MagicPigDetective

bbill335 said:

Lewy said:

Tenebrous said:

Anything more along the lines of Jack White & that dirty blues style of The White Stripes that people can recommend? Not too much of a fan of Mayer/Bonamassa, but I'm always down for some genuine attitude & emotion.

Get hold of a compilation album. from Fat Possum records called “Not The Same Old Blues Crap”. 

Yeah defo a good start point with the Fat Possum stuff. Junior Kimbrough, RL Burnside, Bob Log III, indie brummie heroes Black Mekon. The Sunday Nights album (a tribute to Junior Kimbrough) has the Stooges, Black Keys, Jon Spencer on it but some lesser known guys too. Heartless Bastards do a particularly killer "Done Got Old".

Check out RL Burnside’s grandson, Cedric. His album Benton County Relic is excellent. No flashy chops here, his playing style is similar to many African players, Tinariwen etc. This live session is great: 

https://youtu.be/HuLEAB_kzaQ