The HTF Blues Club (1 Viewer)

[Mike Witko]

Just wondering if there was a HTF Blues Club. I found the Jazz Club and I am going to join but I also love Blues music and I am wondering if anyone has started a club. If not is anyone interested in starting one up?

 

[Mike Witko]

Actually I meant to say. Would be anyone be interested if I started one up?

 

[Evan S]

Mike, if you love Blues and have a lot of suggestions to offer, perhaps you should be the founder. I'm sure there will be a lot of people here who can recommend plenty of suggestions.
If anyone is looking for GREAT, GREAT blues, that is very obscure...check out Jeff Pitchell and Texas Flood. Based in the northeast, they were recently signed to a major label (not sure which one) and have 4 independant releases. Jeff's band used to be a Stevie Ray Vaughn cover band (hense the name) but has now formed their own music and sound over the last 6 years or so. They have performed with Buddy Guy, Clarence Clemons and more. Great guitarist...simply awesome. You cannot get their disks via conventional means (amazon, etc) yet, but you can get them from their website at Link Removed
Check them out. This band has incredible potential.

 

[Jeff_A]

I would welcome a blues club. Great idea, Mike! I have enjoyed many artists in this field over the years. Just lately, however, I have come to regard Elmore James
as the greatest bluesman of all-time. Perhaps?

 

[Mike Witko]

I would not say I am an expert but I do love the blues. One of my favorite Artists is Chris Duarte. Great guitarist. I saw him live here in Boulder, Co and he just rocked. It was a small crowd because of a snowstorm but he still played for about 3 hours. My favorite Album is Texas Sugar Strat Magik. If you are a Stevie Ray Vauhn Fan you will love Duarte.

Evan,

Thanks for the recommendation. I will check out Jeff Pitchell and the Texas Flood.

I think the thing is how do we want to organize this forum. Should we make it a club where we take one album a month and really explore into it? Or should we just suggest albums and go into discussions about them? I actually like the latter where we are open to suggestions rather then just sticking to one album. I would really like to build my blues selection and I think a forum on the blues would be a great way to do it. Plus I would love to find out what others are listing to and hear there suggestionss. I am mainly a fan of the Blues guitar but I am always up for exploring into new areas.

 

[Mike Witko]

anyone know how to rename a thread? I would like to rename this HTF Blues.

 

[Patrick Sun]

Thread name has been changed as requested. Enjoy!

 

[Mike Witko]

Thanks for the help.

 

[Jeff Keene]

I'm all for it. I just joined Mr. Broadman's Jazz club, so why not?

I have a suggestion. Since different people have different source capabilities I suggest we choose titles each month that are available on CD, Vinyl, and a High Resolution format. That way, we can exclude no one and still have an excuse to buy an SACD or LP if we so choose.

 

[Mike Witko]

Sounds like a plan. The other thing I was thinking is we could do this like a book club. We can take turns each month on making a recommendation. I know I don't have the largest library of Blues and I would love to start increasing it. It is also always fun to find out what everyone else likes and get exposed to some different artists then just what I listen to right now. I will take the first step and recommend the first album. Need to do some research on what I want to recommend but I will try to have a recommendation posted by tomorrow.

 

[Samuel Des]

Say what do you know/There Slim Harpo.
Slim Harpo Rainin In My Heart
Also see...
Charley Patton - Anything you can get your hands on. Acheivement is likely greater than the more popularly known Robert Johnson.
Blind Willie Johnson -- Praise God I'm Satisfied
Muddy Waters Complete Plantation Recordings (Lomax Field Recordings)
Otis Rush Classic Cobra Recordings
BB King Live at the Regal

 

[Samuel Des]

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[Mike Witko]

Ok I will start the recommendations. For May my recommendation will by John Lee Hooker "Mr. Lucky". I am a big fan of John Lee Hoooker and if you have heard any of his greatest hits you can tell he has had a great influence on many current Blues artists. I suggested this album since it is available in many formats per Jeff's suggestion.
From Grove Press Guide to Blues on CD
John Lee, he of the mojo hand and wearing voice, says, 'Bad luck can't do me no harm." Certainly not with attendants named Robert Cray, Albert Collins, John Hammond, Van Morrison, Keith Richards, Carlos Santana, Johnny Winter, and Ry Cooder on hand to make him feel better. The highlight is "I Cover the Waterfront," wherein true believers Hooker and Morrison go deep into the mystic. See also Canned Heat and John Lee Hooker -- © Frank John Hadley 1993
Sounds interesting. I can't wait to give this a listen and hear what others have to say.
For the CD check out: http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/AS...284773-4216855
For the DAD check out:
http://store.acousticsounds.com/stor...1628&do=detail
For the LP:
http://store.acousticsounds.com/stor...6277&do=detail

 

[Mike Witko]

Samuel,

Great suggestions. I will also add these to my list to buy. I am a big fan of Robert Johnson and can't wait to check out Charley Patton. I have been meaning to add some Muddy Watters and BB King Live albums to my collection. Currently I only have Muddy Watters on some Blues compilations that I own and I want more. If you want to we can place Slim Harpo as the Disk for June. I guess we should start making a list so people can start creating a buy list for each month.

 

[Samuel Des]

I really loved John Lee Hooker Alone. Very raw.

 

[Jeff Keene]

If the suggestion for all formats becomes a limiter, then we can re-evaluate. In the meantime, I just ordered the "Mr. Lucky" DAD. I'm looking forward to this. I don't have any of his music, but his song is my favorite from the Blues Brothers movie and I have always been curious about him. This will be quite cool.
NP: Dave Matthews Band - Crash

 

[Samuel Des]

WRT to format, everything I recommended is available on CD, except maybe Alone. I've got that on vinyl, and can't remember seeing it on CD. Could be wrong.

 

[Mike Broadman]

Mike, great thread!
I humbly recommend the jazz club as a model for this thread. Pick one or two selections each month, using our suggestions and your own knowledge and us with a general overview of the style- acoustic, electric, older, modern, hybrid styles, female vocals, etc.
Having us all listen to the same things gives us something to discuss.
Also, while other formats are nice, CDs really should be the mainstay of this sort of thing, since it's the one format that I assume everyone can play.
I will certainly be participating, as my blues interest has stalled in the past couple of years and needs a swift kick in the ass.
NP: California Guitar Trio, Pathways, CD

 

[Samuel Des]

Hi Mike - I missed your post, above.

Currently I only have Muddy Watters on some Blues compilations that I own and I want more.

The amazing thing about his work is how well it music swings, regardless of era.



I'm drinking T-N-T/

I'm smoking dynamite/

I hope some school boy wants to start a fight/

I am ready.



Now THAT'S a party song!



His "country" and electric blues all rock. A truly great band leader.



A good contrast to the Lomax recordings I mentioned is Hard Again. Done with Johnny Winter, and has some real fire in moments. Not bad. There were two follow up albums before he died, which I didn't think were as good. BTW -- I can't recommend that Plantation Recordings disc enough. It's kind of cool to hear him discuss "I's Be Troubled" (which would become "I Can't Be Satisfied).



A fantastic reference for learning more about the blues is Deep Blues[/b]. I saw a copy sometime ago, and was surprised to see it at all.



You may also look into Chasin' That Devil Music. Contains a cogent explanation on the silliness surrounding Robert Johnson's Sold-His-Soul-To-The-Devil myth RE: "Crossroads." Talky book, quite readable.



The one thing I disliked about Chasin' is its insistence on a concept of "race" and difference. There is a description of Muddy Waters with "inscrutible oriental eyes." Some may apologize by contextualizing the writer in his time. Others may simply find it distasteful.

 

[Mike Witko]

Samuel,

Great suggestion on the group picking out the Album each month. I would love to pick up some more Muddy Watters and maybe that should be the artist for June. The reason I suggested the John Lee Hooker album was to get us started with this club. I just thought John Lee Hooker would be a good start with all the artists that he has influenced. Plus this album has some great blues artists that play along with him. Albert Collins for one is on the album and he plays a really mean guitar. IMHO I think we should start with the John Lee Hoooker album for this month and then in June try to decide as a group which album we want to listen. I just really want to get started and wanted to make the first jump at suggesting an Album.