Monday, May 23, 2005
Seasons in the sun
My second weekend here was spent at Doheny State Beach, where the Doheny Blues Festival was held. I’d always wanted to go to one of these, but somehow it just didn’t happen. Now that I’m here and master of my own time, I’m taking the chance to go to as many as possible. I’ve been to the UBlues Fest in Singapore, and I had to check out what it was like overseas. This one started off my blues festival frenzy on a high note, which hopefully will go even higher in time to come.
The weather was great. The sky was clear with nary a cloud in sight and the sunshine was relentless, yet the sea breeze blowing by was cool, almost chilly. This gave the effect of feeling the sun on your face without sweating, a wonderful sensation to have. Of course, rain was never a question. It felt good to finally get to wear singlet, berms and slippers without freezing to the bone.
The music was, without question, fantastic. Here’s a breakdown of the memorable ones:
David Lindley:
Great lap style slide player, used a whole lot of instruments like conventional acoustic guitars, Weissenborn guitars, the oud and a lute-like instrument. His melodies and rhythms are contemplative and enchanting, yet he approaches his music in a refreshingly light-hearted matter. With song titles like “Catfood Sandwiches” and “When a Guy Gets Boobs”, not much explanation is necessary. He had the crowd (and myself) in stitches, rolling on the lawn in laughter.
Eddy “The Chief” Clearwater and Los Straightjackets:
4 guys wearing masks worthy of WWE and playing shiny, colour-coordinated retro guitars don’t really look like they belong in a blues festival, but they did a great job of backing up their frontman. Raucous rock and roll was their specialty, with a good deal of surf thrown in. Eddy Clearwater is one of the old-timers who has recently gotten his overdue share of the limelight, and deservedly so. Being a left hander, he played his guitar strung normally turned the other way, ala Albert King. His tasteful chorded solos went down well with the happy crowd, ever eager for more rock and roll. His connection with the audience was palpable, and the energy level was upped another notch by his set.
Alvin “Youngblood” Hart:
One of the current generation of younger blues players, Alvin Hart brings it way back to the Mississippi Delta. His thumb plucked out hypnotic bass while he played lines on the upper strings to accompany his powerfully raw vocals. Not exactly easily listening for those not fond of old-school blues, but for junkies like me it was right up my alley. His set ranged from Skip James to Howling Wolf, all done in his own way.
Norwegian Guitarmageddon:
An orgy of 4 great guitar players, each bringing something different to the mix. Though the volume was a little overwhelming at times, they were as tight as a G-string and coordinated all their guitar work very well to prevent it from descending into chaos. Towards the end, they dove into a medley of surf instrumentals mixed with an unlikely partner of classical. Think Pulp Fiction theme mixed with “Mountain King”. The energetic, beer-laden crowd lapped up all the guitar heroics and cheered every solo.
James Harmon:
This guy has been a long-time inspiration for my songwriting. He writes with a mix of ironic humour, sardonic wit and downright slapstick, touching on topics ranging from serious to ridiculous. In his music, you will find incisive insights and silly anecdotes, sometimes in the same song. Within the context of traditional blues, he still manages to inject a fresh sound that is distinctly his. He shared the stage with Nathan James and Ben Hernandez, both of whom I caught on earlier trip to US. They did their thing, keeping the old country blues like Sonny Terry and Brownie McGhee going strong. Later, the rhythm section came on and with James Harmon on harp (blues slang for harmonica), they had the crowd on their feet, even though this was held at the smallest stage. An assortment of instruments like congas, African drums and many weird percussion thingies added even more flavours to an already savoury stew. Harman injected plenty of humour into his live set, interspersed with friendly banter. This was perfect for the intimate nature of the venue, and this is the way it should be.
This was the highlight of the festival for me, finally getting to see an inspiration live upclose. Regrettably, I had to choose between Harmon and The Blind Boys of Alabama, which I would have loved to see as well, but they were playing on different stages at the same time. I did see them at Womad once, but never fully appreciated the gospel they sang at that time. Perhaps another time.
On a general note, the atmosphere was carnival-like. People spread out blankets and sat in lawn chairs, well-prepared with shades and hats. Kids played on the grass while the rest lazed around in the sun. The crowd was predominantly middle-aged white, presumably one of the demographic groups with bigger spending power. The venue was right next to the beach and even though it was fenced off, the view of the ocean was a perfect setting for a music festival. White tents around the grounds sold all sorts of things like African craft, reggae paraphernalia, hippie clothes, festival merchandise, cigars, and hats. The food and beer was exorbitantly (though not unexpectedly) overpriced, but they had people at the gates enforcing the “no food or coolers” policy, so no choice there.
Babes were not abundantly present, but were there nonetheless. Unfortunately, the skimpiest outfits were worn by the least-qualified people. Sure, I’m there for the music, but while the ears get to feast, surely the eyes need to have something to look at right?
Now, time to search for my next blues festival.
Current beer in my fridge : Sierra Nevada Pale Ale
The weather was great. The sky was clear with nary a cloud in sight and the sunshine was relentless, yet the sea breeze blowing by was cool, almost chilly. This gave the effect of feeling the sun on your face without sweating, a wonderful sensation to have. Of course, rain was never a question. It felt good to finally get to wear singlet, berms and slippers without freezing to the bone.
The music was, without question, fantastic. Here’s a breakdown of the memorable ones:
David Lindley:
Great lap style slide player, used a whole lot of instruments like conventional acoustic guitars, Weissenborn guitars, the oud and a lute-like instrument. His melodies and rhythms are contemplative and enchanting, yet he approaches his music in a refreshingly light-hearted matter. With song titles like “Catfood Sandwiches” and “When a Guy Gets Boobs”, not much explanation is necessary. He had the crowd (and myself) in stitches, rolling on the lawn in laughter.
Eddy “The Chief” Clearwater and Los Straightjackets:
4 guys wearing masks worthy of WWE and playing shiny, colour-coordinated retro guitars don’t really look like they belong in a blues festival, but they did a great job of backing up their frontman. Raucous rock and roll was their specialty, with a good deal of surf thrown in. Eddy Clearwater is one of the old-timers who has recently gotten his overdue share of the limelight, and deservedly so. Being a left hander, he played his guitar strung normally turned the other way, ala Albert King. His tasteful chorded solos went down well with the happy crowd, ever eager for more rock and roll. His connection with the audience was palpable, and the energy level was upped another notch by his set.
Alvin “Youngblood” Hart:
One of the current generation of younger blues players, Alvin Hart brings it way back to the Mississippi Delta. His thumb plucked out hypnotic bass while he played lines on the upper strings to accompany his powerfully raw vocals. Not exactly easily listening for those not fond of old-school blues, but for junkies like me it was right up my alley. His set ranged from Skip James to Howling Wolf, all done in his own way.
Norwegian Guitarmageddon:
An orgy of 4 great guitar players, each bringing something different to the mix. Though the volume was a little overwhelming at times, they were as tight as a G-string and coordinated all their guitar work very well to prevent it from descending into chaos. Towards the end, they dove into a medley of surf instrumentals mixed with an unlikely partner of classical. Think Pulp Fiction theme mixed with “Mountain King”. The energetic, beer-laden crowd lapped up all the guitar heroics and cheered every solo.
James Harmon:
This guy has been a long-time inspiration for my songwriting. He writes with a mix of ironic humour, sardonic wit and downright slapstick, touching on topics ranging from serious to ridiculous. In his music, you will find incisive insights and silly anecdotes, sometimes in the same song. Within the context of traditional blues, he still manages to inject a fresh sound that is distinctly his. He shared the stage with Nathan James and Ben Hernandez, both of whom I caught on earlier trip to US. They did their thing, keeping the old country blues like Sonny Terry and Brownie McGhee going strong. Later, the rhythm section came on and with James Harmon on harp (blues slang for harmonica), they had the crowd on their feet, even though this was held at the smallest stage. An assortment of instruments like congas, African drums and many weird percussion thingies added even more flavours to an already savoury stew. Harman injected plenty of humour into his live set, interspersed with friendly banter. This was perfect for the intimate nature of the venue, and this is the way it should be.
This was the highlight of the festival for me, finally getting to see an inspiration live upclose. Regrettably, I had to choose between Harmon and The Blind Boys of Alabama, which I would have loved to see as well, but they were playing on different stages at the same time. I did see them at Womad once, but never fully appreciated the gospel they sang at that time. Perhaps another time.
On a general note, the atmosphere was carnival-like. People spread out blankets and sat in lawn chairs, well-prepared with shades and hats. Kids played on the grass while the rest lazed around in the sun. The crowd was predominantly middle-aged white, presumably one of the demographic groups with bigger spending power. The venue was right next to the beach and even though it was fenced off, the view of the ocean was a perfect setting for a music festival. White tents around the grounds sold all sorts of things like African craft, reggae paraphernalia, hippie clothes, festival merchandise, cigars, and hats. The food and beer was exorbitantly (though not unexpectedly) overpriced, but they had people at the gates enforcing the “no food or coolers” policy, so no choice there.
Babes were not abundantly present, but were there nonetheless. Unfortunately, the skimpiest outfits were worn by the least-qualified people. Sure, I’m there for the music, but while the ears get to feast, surely the eyes need to have something to look at right?
Now, time to search for my next blues festival.
Current beer in my fridge : Sierra Nevada Pale Ale
# posted by BloozeGit @ 2:29 pm 
