Tops.
tops, tops! Simply the Best! If
I have the program right you were watching a Perth group called John Butler
Trio who played ahead of John Hammond. The JBT had their own groupies following
there every location, and they were one of more popular bands with the younger
set. Now a small snippet from Bridgetown Blues Festival.
I'll start off with my outright favourite of the weekend, and that is Buzz & the Blues Band, from Qld. He was superb, especially with the slower style numbers, and I'll tell you what "shut your eyes" and it was Joe Cocker up there on stage! On several occasions he was called back for an encore and then an encore to the encore. I hope somebody here in WA can find a way to get him back for a tour. Rating (five stars)
Barbara Blue, supported by the outstanding Bob Patients Blues Band lived up to her reputation of belting out some of the bets blues I've ever heard from the Lady from Memphis. Barbara was tireless and continued her same powerhouse material through out the weekend, with total disregard to the whether which was slowing down the locals, but not this diva! The fans just kept on getting her a cold beer and she just kept right-on singin' the blues! Rating (four stars)
Perhaps
the best of the groups would have to have been "Mojo's" from Melbourne,
with 4 highly talented females out front on Harmonica, keyboards and with
Fiona Boyes on guitar, with a rich deep blues voice leading the way. She did
a midnight slowy that simply made you want to pash your neighbour, and Kaz
Della Rosa can work that harp as good as any of the best! Rating (four stars)
Not far from the same accolades would be another Perth group, Blue Shaddy. Another band who put 2 ladies up front, Sandy keeping the rhythm on base and the other lass going for a hard duelin [banjos] sax run with Jim McClelland on lead guitar. Without a doubt I am sold on great Sax work, the young lady was not posted on the original bill of 4 muso's, so I am with out a name. Belly McClelland on harmonica can not be described on paper, you simply have to see it to believe it! Rating (four stars)
Rick Steele and the Common Man Band, Perth Blues Club Showcase, Lil' Fi and
Friends, Steve Tallis w/- Suicide Ghosts, and Ivan Zar & Jungle Kings
provided us with some of the finest Blues to-date, and these guys are the
essential back bone of Blues in WA. Thank you all for shearing with us your
love and passion for the finest music in the world to day, thank you for shearing
the Blues. For each artist and each band. Rating (four stars)
Finally, in this
return mail, blues fans were treated to one of the show stoppers at the Bridgetown
festival. The self styled "Universal Blues Band".
Somebody with the know, please please get to know these guys, they deserve
to be discovered! Their youth does not betray their musical talents. Many
of the numbers they performed were from the "Masters of Blues" many
of whom were no longer with us when some of these young guys were born! The
inclusion of a larger brass section in the group took me back to days gone
by when a young American group shot to fame with a similar band make up. They
went on to produce legendary hits like "Spinning Wheel," "When
I Die" and "God Bless the Child. This group "Universal Blues
Band" played to packed houses wherever they went and literally stopped
people in the street with their talents. Oh, one of the other things that
may have stopped the crowds was Loong and Jalla the 2 young Asian musicians
who put a whole new meaning to "Universal". However I don't really
think that was the case, because when Jalla is belting out a song and the
band is backing every emotion filled note, I think that the audience is just
blown away by the whole bands sheer talent.
Rating (five stars)
The entire weekend gets five stars!
