First of all, I heard that Ed Coogan was a winner in one of the categories. Ed is deserving...excellent musician and has a unique way of playing chromatic...he may even do some custom reed work on his.
The guy that won "Best Style" is a musician that plays at a farmer's mkt where I have a gourmet food booth. Very nice guy...not an accomplished technical player, but plays from the heart. He told me he was intimidated by the dudes w/attitudes, but was encouraged to go up and just do what he felt. To his credit, he got on stage, told that Payne Bros Band to NOT PLAY and did a solo thang. Apparently, having that band stop playing worked to his advantage, as he created a lot of interest in what he did - enough for a win.
It was his first time at this (or any similar event). Sadly, as he recounted his exhausting experience of the day to me, it sounded very much like a carbon copy of last year's competition, with none of the problems or issues improved upon - especially the excessive volume and lack of ability of the back up band to support harmonica players (his comments to me regarding the Payne Bros).
Am interested in hearing from others that attended this event. ---------- The Iceman
"lack of ability of the back up band to support harmonica players"
Do you figure out how this lack manifest itself? I don't really understand, except in the case of excessive volume. Otherwise, are there specially required qualities to back a harp player up?
In this specific case, it was backing up harmonica players of all different styles and abilities for a competition, so the band should be incredibly open and sensitive to just about any approach given by the harmonica player.
If the band insists on playing at excessive volume levels at all times, a harmonica player can not hear himself on stage.
When backing up a harmonica player (or any other musician), if the job is to BACK THEM UP, the band must take visual cues from whomever they back up.
When backing up a harmonica player, the band must be listening while they play and adjust and/or adapt to what the harmonica player is playing - not steamroll over it. Their job is to get underneath the harmonica player and support him.
When backing up a harmonica player, space should be left in the sonic range of the harmonica - you don't need 2 guitar players wailing away along with bass, drums, etc.
When backing up a harmonica player, less is more is a valuable concept.
Some bands are better suited to playing at biker bars - you know, really loud all the time, lotsa guitar in your face all night, etc. These bands generally do not make good support bands for harmonica players (unless that harmonica player has a big ass amp and is kinda a biker character himself).
So, would you like to play harmonica along with "Born to be Wild" at a biker bar with their band, or would you prefer to play along with Doug Deming and the Jeweltones (Dennis Gruenling's favorite back up band) or with Little Walter's old line up of 2 guitars and drummer (no bass player). Which situation would give you the most room to "breathe" your music on harmonica?
I think Iceman’s comments are things a backing band need’s to consider when backing any artist. The job of a backup band is to make the lead look as good as possible. Generally the best way to do that is follow the lead when their strong and be there to guide them a little should they stumble.
I was at a jam a couple of weeks ago and had a local player really drive this home. It was another band’s jam and what is probably one of the best local guitarists came to support the jam. When he was invited up to play he could have easily cut all the heads on the stand…instead he played very tasteful solos and some of the best rhythm guitar I’ve heard in a long time.
The guest could have easily laid back but, instead he laid down such a solid and tasty rhythm that the house band and other jammers were able to go all around the grove and always find their way back home. The key was he would set the grove based on the style of the lead, sometimes funky, sometimes jazzy, sometimes soulful, but each time following the lead.
As a result it was the best I’d ever heard the guitarist for the host band sound or for that matter the host band in general. For those watching it was a master’s class in how to be a musician’s musician.
What it comes down to is something I keep telling you guys all the time and that it's all about the groove and it is absolutely NECESSARY that EVERY guitar player on the bandstand is a good rhythm player and plus the rhythm section has to be on the money 24/7/365, no excuses. Their time has to be dead on right, and when it comes to REALLY playing blues, the groove has to be played BEHIND the beat, not on top of it and absolutely NEVER ahead of it, which is OK for rock/punk/metal bands, but totally HORRIBLE for blues, and along with that, they are paying attention to you 24/7/365 and can work with dynamics and it's importance cannot be overstressed.
One of the main reasons why you seldom see a pro at the vast majority of open jams is because that's what you see sorely lacking and no matter how good the lead player may be, be it harmonica, sax, guitar, whatever, if the back up has a lousy rhythm section, plus made worse by guitar players who suck at playing rhythm, no matter how highly skilled the lead player is, they will ALWAYS make that lead player sound like crap.
What you see too often is the solos first everything dead last mentality that is just crap. The thing swwoerner describes is what a REAL pro does because good musicianship is more than just technical skills, and what he just gave you is an example of how important LISTENING skills are for good musicianship happens to be, and that means paying attention to EVERY single detail of what's happening around you 24/7/365, which too often in an open jam is NOT the case.
I'm sure it sounds like dissing to some people, but what I'm telling you is the brutally honest truth and I've observed these things not only from different times playing at jams, but hosting them as well and observing everything that's going on 24/7/365. ---------- Sincerely, Barbeque Bob Maglinte Boston, MA http://www.barbequebob.com CD available at http://www.cdbaby.com/cd/bbmaglinte
@laurent2015 --- Every single word of that is the truth and if you're saddled with a crappy band, you're doomed to make crappy music regardless of the genre you're playing and every word of what I'm telling you comes from experience far beyond open jams. ---------- Sincerely, Barbeque Bob Maglinte Boston, MA http://www.barbequebob.com CD available at http://www.cdbaby.com/cd/bbmaglinte
Bob is right on! I am pretty much a full time 1 man band because I got tired of keeping a good band intact. That became much more intense when I quit playing full time and moved away from a major music city. I prefer to keep things simple and the way I want than to be just plain frustrated with a backing band being too loud, pushing the beat, and playing way to much noise. Jams?? Jams today are not like they use to be. Blues jams use to happen on sunday afternoon into the evening and on mondays. The top pros and I am talking guys like John Lee Hooker, Lowell Fulsom, and that caliber, would be the performers. One had to spend years in the scene to get onstage for these jams. They were real music jams. Today it is - sign up, get your slot and make noise. If there is a hell and I am meant for it, sentence me to the jams of today :-) Todays music scene is going from pro scenes to amatuer baby boomers rediscovering their lost musical dreams that don't mind paying to play or play for free. That is a great thing but it is also very sad to see the pro music scene just about dead. People here will say that is not true and will cite shows by so and so's in their locale. That is not what I am talking about. I am talking about the pro scene from making a living from music. That is about dead. Pros today give lessons, seminars, make videos, etc. I read harp-l on occassion and it seems pros are trying to sell something there all the time. None of that replaces a in your face gig in a dedicated music club and the more one plays onstage the more natural it becomes. I have done more gigs than most of the newer generation pros and I haven't done hardly any gigs in the past 15 years. It use to be 200-300 a year. there was no time for harp-l, this forum, lessons, and such. It was called live music........ Walter ---------- walter tore's spontobeat - a real one man band and over 1 million spontaneously created songs and growing. I record about 300 full length cds a year. " life is a daring adventure or nothing at all" - helen keller
Bob's advice is, as usual, spot on. Note to Bob: please continue. It may seem monotonous but learning is discrete, meaning it's difficult know when/where/how actual understanding will emerge from experience. Keep trying. What you often point out is deceptively simple to hear and even assimilate but translation takes a lot of practice, and some luck. Luck meaning that you have the right conditions occur to maximize what you CAN know. Playing behind the beat creates a tension that the player can manipulate. Plenty of entertaining analogies available... :)
Last Edited by on Oct 27, 2012 9:47 AM
Waltertore touches on the truth for music beyond just blues...
The jazz scene also had jam sessions and lotsa small clubs for shows. As this died out in the late 60's, 70's, so many jazz artists jumped on the Jazz Education bandwagon, as colleges started to offer music degrees in Jazz and performance. Jamie Abersold proved that there was $ to be made in jazz education through study aids.
These guys had to make a living, so why not become a part of the college scene as a professor or artist in residence?
Too bad that Blues isn't recognized in academic circles for what it is - there could have been courses offered at colleges. Then again, blues artists were more "street" than what a college may feel comfortable with at the alumni parties and hobnob events.
Getting back to Florida Harmonica Championships, I sure hope that Farley takes note and tries to improve the event...one can always reference last year's extensive postings on this forum, in which solutions were offered, etc. Maybe next year some positive changes will be instigated.
I'd sure like to attend if it is improved - with the harmonica player's performances taken seriously.... ---------- The Iceman
I was at the Florida Harp Championships last Sunday and was also in attendance last year. Here are my observations.
The quality of the music was much better this year than last. Last year it seemed that a significant percentage of the participants/competitors were clearly harmonica enthusiasts with some degree of skill but were not, in any sense of the word, professional musicians. I am not a professional musician either so I really am not qualified to say whether or not the Payne Brothers Band is the ideal back-up band for a harmonica competition. However, consistent with the other comments that have found their way into this thread, the featured artist’s experience at and ability to lead a background band was a noticeable difference this year. Last year, we had far too many guys (and a couple of gals) who just got up and played as fast and as loud as they could. It often ceased to resemble music. There were some good acts mixed in to be sure but a lot of it was just noise.
This year, however, most, if not all of the participants/competitors, were pros. They are either front men for their own bands or played regularly with a variety of bands. All in all, the music was quite good. In addition, because of their experience they were able to give the Payne Brothers more direction to produce the sound the way they wanted. No doubt there are some whose opinion will differ from mine but I believe few would argue that the music was significantly more enjoyable to listen to this year than last.
The overall champion was a guy named Stephen Kampa. This guy was very low key, just wandering around kinda keeping to himself all afternoon. I had a vendor’s booth/tent set up so I had occasion to watch the entire crowd pass by several times during the day. Then he got up on stage and just blew everybody away. I haven’t been able to find too many videos of him on YouTube, but did find this one.
I spoke with him after the competition and learned that he is a school teacher and has a band that he plays with. He can sing and he can play – boy can he play!
---------- Tom Halchak www.BlueMoonHarmonicas.com
Last Edited by on Oct 28, 2012 12:47 PM
Pretty good player, that school teacher. He also OB's, but just a bit now and again. Nice space between lines, etc.
How about that band? They understand blues and how to back a harmonica player - especially that point where it builds during his solo, and at the obvious spot - with just a little look from Stephen - drum hits accent point and they all drop to a whisper. That's what I call a responsible back up band. A Blues Band.
What part of the country does Stephen come from, do you know, Tom?
I love discovering "unknown local heroes" off the grid of these discussion groups.
Last questions for you, Tom....were you able to talk w/customers while the band was playing w/out shouting, and at the end of that long day at the Florida Harmonica Championships, were your ears ringing? ---------- The Iceman
Iceman: Apparently Stephan lives in the New Smyrna Beach area or not far from it. That is what I gathered from our conversation plus when I searched for him on YouTube I found some other clips where he was mentioned in the credits but no harp playing. The location was Daytona Beach which, I'm sure you know, is right around the corner from New Smyrna. He is definitely someone worth following.
Was I able to talk with customers without shouting while the band was playing? Come to think of it, at times - no. It was too loud. My booth was positioned directly in front of the stage perhaps 100-125 feet away.
Were my ears ringing? No, but my feet were tired.:) ---------- Tom Halchak www.BlueMoonHarmonicas.com
