Here in west Wales I’m busy preparing to put the Blues right through the little sticks of Tenby rock, ready for a finger licking good time at Tenby Blues Festival over the weekend of 14th-16th November.
Nevertheless, how could I not find time to head east this week, to Brecon, to the lovely Mid-Wales R’n’B Club, hosted by the equally lovely Angus? He has exquisite taste and programmes great music. Saturday was no exception, with the added bonus for me of the show featuring three people in these two small quartets who I’d seen ripping up a storm at Tenby, and a fourth who is heading there next month.
First up, Erin & Jim, a superb American Country Blues duo on the opening night of their current UK tour, displayed no sign of jet lag as they launched into a set of passionate, authentic, and joyful acoustic roots music. An unalloyed pleasure.
Erin is a talented and emotive guitar player who sings with feeling and soul, whether on Country Blues tunes exemplified by the likes of Mississippi John Hurt (who the pair cover on their latest album) or on songs by other great women of the Blues tradition such as Memphis Minnie or Sippie Wallace.
Comparisons (are they odious or signposts? Answers on a £20 note to the usual critic cad) could be made with Bonnie Raitt, Maria Muldaur, and Rory Block but Erin is very much her own woman with such an uplifting stage presence.
She’s aided and abetted by Jim on ukulele bass who, even when sitting down, rocks with energy, spirit, and fun. When introducing songs, his words are laced with a dry wit though in Brecon he does not repeat the mistake he made in Tenby of saying how pleased he was to be in England! The bruises still show.
Next up its Kas Leon (Kaspar Berry Rapkin) & Lucy Piper. Lucy, a much in demand drummer whose performance with the Southern Fried Groove Queens remains one of the most memorable of many at Tenby Blues and Kas, whose other band Kaspar and the Swamp Dogs is soon to be headed to that seaside town, have formed this duo. What a revelation they are. Despite only having played together a couple of times (though they first met by happenstance in Clarksdale six years ago) they soon lock into a delicious groove, laying waste to Hill Country Blues, Delta Blues, maybe 50 shades of Blues, from Muddy Waters, through RL Burnside, to Jessie Mae Hemphill and Kas ‘n’ Lucy Blues. Godammit, even the guitar and drums are blue too. Too blue. True blue.
Then it happened. One of the most enjoyable experiences I have ever had at a gig. Yes. And I’ve seen a few. The two duos came together for an ersatz reperchage, a spontaneous improvisation of rootytooting, bootyshaking, merrymaking, a fin de siècle, a hip shaking rolling and a tumbling, a let’s do it right here and now at the hop, a rambunctious rock ‘n’ roll riptide.
Such lovely people. And they’d never played together before. They will again.
Oh, and Kas said he was pleased to be in Wales. And Jim stood up for the finale.
PS. I believe Angus took a financial hit on this gig. That is such a shame. However, all small to medium size music venues are feeling the pinch right now. Why are people paying £500 or whatever to see the commercial rip-off that is, say, an Oasis reunion, and not popping (sic) along to their local music joint to have their mind expanded and their heart energised?
Yours twiddling his thumbs over his phone’s keypad,
BB Skone. TENBY BLUES FESTIVAL
Images as usual by Barry Hill
Massive thanks to all all those who help me run the club and all those who turned out and help make the evening a very memorable one —
Next up THE TERRAPLANES BLUES BAND on Nov 22nd at The Muse Brecon…
