Sunday, February 14, 2016
Saturday, February 13, 2016
Wednesday, February 10, 2016
Monday, February 8, 2016
Tuesday, February 2, 2016
Saturday, January 23, 2016
Thelonius Hank does Elvis @castroslounge
via Instagram @brianblain
There's going to be a new blues festival in town - it's called the Cold Weather Bluesfest and I had dropped by Castros in the beaches to speak to the owner Anthony because he's organizing the festival. I had seen Thelonius Hank once before but Mike Daley was subbing on guitar. I couldn't resist asking for "Round Midnight" and sure enough he knew it. I've been working on that tune myself.
Wednesday, January 20, 2016
@EricBibb & MJB @HUGHSROOM
via Instagram @brianblain
Everybody who was there will tell you this was one of the best blues shows of the year. Eric Bibb is a bona fide blues star and Michael Jerome Brown is no slouch either. Together it was quite special - and that was the best acoustic guitar sound I've ever heard at Hugh's (thank you, Ann). Had a chance to visit with MJB after the show and reminded him about an impromptu recording we did on the last day of the "Overqualified" sessions in Montreal. I had this chord change and we just jammed on it - he played slide and mandolin. He didn't remember doing it, so I've dug it up here and Michael, if you're reading this, take a listen...
I call it my Tai Chi Timer because it lasts exactly 10 minutes and has the perfect rhythm for my Tai Chi set which, when done at the correct speed, should last about ten minutes. So if I end before the music, I know I was rushing. The images are from a lovely walk with Harry Manx in a park on Saltspring Island.
@Sugarbrownblues @tobluessociety hump day @jazzbistroTO
via Instagram @brianblain
Sugar Brown is an artist I've admired for a while. He was pretty rough around the edges when I first heard him but I always thought he was "official" (as Professor Piano used to say). I was a little shy to come down and see him at the Bistro because I had sat in with him a couple of times recently and the last time I have to say that I was not "in the pocket" like I usually pride myself. In fact I had bugged Michelle Josef, his drummer, to get me a shot playing bass with Sugar and had even said to Sugar himself that not many people would be able to follow him but that I was one who could. Well, WRONG! Maybe I was just having too much fun. Anyway he was a real gentleman about it (I kidded with him that he was a "scholar and a gentleman" because he is actually a college professor with a PhD.)
Monday, January 18, 2016
Wednesday, January 13, 2016
@24thstreetwail @TObluessociety Hump Day Blues @jazzbistroTO @sugarbrownblues next wed
via Instagram @brianblain
The Jazz Bistro blues series (Hump Day) kicked off its 2016 season with the 24th Street Wailers and that band continues to grow since I heard them when they were just starting out. Their new guitar player, Mark Doucet, has that official Texas sound and fits in very well. I had been quite knocked out by the guitar player that joined after Emily Burgess. He was American – I forget his name (Elliot??) but I remember telling him that he had a really distinctive sound and that nobody around here sounded like that. Mark is more of a "Classic" player, and that works great for the band.
Wednesday, December 16, 2015
Doin the Rounds in December
The holidays are approaching and I even heard a Christmas song tonight at the Tranzac where I dropped in to see Bob Cohen, David Woodhead and Doug Wilde (aka 3-Ring Circus). I was with my old buddy Allan Fraser and we both got up and did a couple of tunes. I couldn't resist pulling out an old chestnut of mine that I recorded in 1972 - Don't Forget Your Mother - because Bob Segarini was in the house and had just performed a heartfelt Stormy Monday Blues and I remembered when he pulled me aside at the Black Swan when I was newly arrived in Toronto and told me how that song had been a bit of a soundtrack to a rather stormy chapter in his life. We were both recording at André Perry's Studio (the original one in downtown Montreal) where Bob had a "meeting of the eyes" with one of the girls who was singing back-up for me, the beautiful Laurel Massé who was part of Manhattan Transfer at the time. It turned out to be a meeting of more than the eyes as they tucked themselves away in the small booth that overlooked the studio and kicked off a long, intense bi-coastal love affair. All while they listened to take after take of "Don't Forget Your Mother" being put together. Bob says that song still drifts into his consciousness once in a while - so Bob, here's a link if you want to hear the full production. Anyway, I did perform it at the Tranzac - though I fumbled some words - and we all had a wonderful trip down memory lane. Quentin Meek, a great recording engineer from those days in Montreal was also in the house and did a couple of tunes on...wait for it...autoharp! There were many great musicians in the house - I met Fergus Hambleton for the first time and Ed Roth and Franki Hart and a new friend - a great fiddler called Tom Hamilton (I hope I've got that right) who sat in with me when I played the Vino Rosso "salon" last Saturday. See a clip of Allan performing Northumberland Straits" below:
Sunday, December 13, 2015
Sunday, December 6, 2015
On Blues Nicknames
I think I have a new blues moniker (as if I didn't have enough already). Joel was calling me "Two Lane" Blain - a reflection of my driving style, I guess. It has a good ring. When I was starting out in music (50 years ago) The Kreklo brothers used to call me "Nappy". When I was a little kid, my father called me "Butch." Other kids called me "Bucky. "When I got into the blues I picked up the nickname "Colorblind". "Buddha of the Blues" was a short-lived moniker. Now Stringbuster is my new "brand" - it'm my ambient electronic persona. Watch this space for upcoming podcasts and vlog posts.
Saturday, December 5, 2015
Thursday, November 26, 2015
Thursday, November 19, 2015
Matt Andersen Talks Road Gold
Quote of the day from Matt Andersen: "I believe I’m in an industry that you get out of it what you put into it."
How true it is.
Matt Andersen Talks Road Gold
How true it is.
Matt Andersen Talks Road Gold
Wednesday, November 11, 2015
Saturday, October 17, 2015
Friday, October 16, 2015
Thursday, October 15, 2015
David Owen CD launch @jazzbistroTO
David Owen drew the biggest crowd yet for the Toronto Blues Society's "Hump Day" Wednesdays at the elegant Jazz Bistro. An upscale setting for some down-home country blues. The "quiet policy" of the Jazz Bistro was flaunted this night but it didn't bother David a bit and the usually sedate room was transformed into a roadhouse party - it didn't hurt that the Blue Jays had just won a big home game on their way to the World Series. The evening (and the CD) is peppered with authentic flavours from Jimmy Bowskill on mandolin, fiddle, slide and more. Brush/bass-meister Alec Fraser provides a solid foundation and the sparse production by Gary Kendall makes it all the more official. An honest, heartfelt recording.
Wednesday, October 14, 2015
Always get a kick out of going to Rdio.com and listening to the Brian Blain radio station that they generated. They are using some kind of algorithms to determine what songs listeners would enjoy if they already like Brian Blain. So far it's led me to Willie Big Eyes Smith with Kim Wilson, Jimmy Bowskill, Granine Duffy, The Heritage Blues Orchestra and an artist I never heard of, Alex McElcheran who plays a mean 12-string.
Wednesday, October 7, 2015
Saturday, October 3, 2015
Friday, October 2, 2015
Saturday, September 26, 2015
Monday, September 21, 2015
On Competition
The last time I was ever in any kind of musical competition was when I was 14 or 15 and playing with my first band, the Regents. We were a raggedy ass high school band with pathetic equipment (two of us had Regent guitars, thus the name). We entered a battle of the bands in a neighbouring town (Magog) and when we got there I was quite flabbergasted to see a band (mostly brothers) who had brand new Fender guitars and amps. It was impressive and I think they won the contest. All I know is we didn't win and the fact that I remember this so well, and practically nothing else of those days, must mean that it made a big impression on me.
Now fast-forward 50 years and today I find myself playing with Larry Kurtz at the "Road to Memphis" challenge in Kitchener and once again, shut out.
I have always steered away from contests and award programmes, though I've been a judge in the Blues Talent Search, the Aboriginal Music Awards, The Song From The Heart contest, a couple of JUNOs and more than ten years judging the TTC Subway Musician Auditions.
I did receive one award for my music – A Porcupine Award – and I was pleased as punch to get it. Then there was the award I got for "Best Industrial Ad" for a Firestone ad back when I was a junior copywriter at an ad agency. Anyway, if I never get another one it's fine with me. And it will be another 50 years before I enter another competition. I just can't take the rejection L
On the way home from my big loss, I stopped by the Casino to appease my best-ex, Linda, who was good enough to come along and support me at the . She got a head start into the slots and I just sat down at the first machine I saw, put in 10 bucks, pushed a button and watched it turn into $247 (apparently if I'd pushed the "max" button it would have been much more). I guess I'm just not a gambler at heart because I cashed out my $247 and didn't play anymore and spent the rest of the time keeping Linda from spending it. I was thinking as long as we make enough to pay the gas and food, I will have at least not "paid to play", or should I say "paid to lose"…
Congratulations to the winning band was The Smoke Wagon Blues Band, from Hamilton (here's a little clip took) and the solo winner was Jay Pollman. Corey Lueck and Smoke Wagon have been plugging away on the blues scene as long as I've been observing it and they deserve the recognition. Both winners had more traditional approaches than Larry and I, so I think that's a reflection of the judges' taste. I wish them well in Memphis – where it must be very hard to stand out from a large pack who are playing at the highest level.
I don't mind wearing this defeat (blame Blain) because I had just seen the Harpoonist and the Axe Murderer and convinced Larry to play as loud and as hard as he could and we both cranked our amps and I think the judges would have been more inclined to Sonny Terry and Brownie McGhee. Oh well…