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The Rhythm Junks
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isaacullah
2733 posts
May 02, 2014
10:56 AM
Can't find any threads on these guys in the archive... But man, what a MODERN blues sound they've got. And the Harp player/ lead singer Steven De bruyn is the face of the new Hohner Rocket, so hes' got some serious cred with the company...

Here's some offical vids:





Here's a couple of live clips:





A great interview with Steven where he talks about his influences and career trajectory:




All in all, one of the most interesting harmonica-centric bands that I've come across in a loooong time.
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Last Edited by isaacullah on May 02, 2014 10:56 AM
rosco1
38 posts
May 02, 2014
4:50 PM
I couldn't agree more. They recently seem to a more stripped down band, still great....but the older stuff they did with the horn section really got to me. DeBruyn is great.
isaacullah
2735 posts
May 04, 2014
5:44 AM
@rosco: yeah, the earlier big band stuff from them is also cool... For some reasons, though, I really prefer this pared down teio sound: bass, drums, harp, and vocals. There is something special in that simplicity!
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rosco1
39 posts
May 04, 2014
3:57 PM
@ Isaac: Both are cool! The sad/weird/funny thing is, beside you and me - nobody seems interested.
cliffy
80 posts
May 04, 2014
6:30 PM
@ both of you.... Not everyone ignored your posts :)

I loved all of these clips and subscribed to their YouTube channel. I have been listening to it obsessively this weekend, to the point where my family wants to bludgeon me.

I could easily see a double bill with Hazmat Modine or the Mighty Calacas. I love blues and the whole old-dead-blues-guys thing as much as any of the guys on the list, but the Rhythm Junks is a creative breath of fresh air. This could play on college radio here, I think.

Thank you for posting about them. They're going to get a lot of plays in my car.
cliffy
81 posts
May 04, 2014
6:30 PM
@ both of you.... Not everyone ignored your posts :)

I loved all of these clips and subscribed to their YouTube channel. I have been listening to it obsessively this weekend, to the point where my family wants to bludgeon me.

I could easily see a double bill with Hazmat Modine or the Mighty Calacas. I love blues and the whole old-dead-blues-guys thing as much as any of the guys on the list, but the Rhythm Junks is a creative breath of fresh air. This could play on college radio here, I think.

Thank you for posting about them. They're going to get a lot of plays in my car.
isaacullah
2736 posts
May 05, 2014
7:39 AM
@cliffy and rosco: Well, I'm glad that you two, at least, are into these guys! :) You know, I find it "funny" sometimes that, for a forum supposedly dedicated to a modern approach to the Blues Harp, much of what is focused on here are decidedly un-modern approaches to the Blues Harp. I've made several such posts as this one, where I really think they are about as on-topic to the theme of this forum as one could possibly get, and instead of these posts garnering the attention I'd expexted, they fizzle and chirp crickets...
As you say, cliffy, I'm as much a fan of classic, down home blues as the next guy, but I must confess that I am sometimes flabbergasted how few of my fellow harmonicists want to explore past those sounds. They are great sounds (!), and there is certainly a lot to explore within them, but for me, they aren't enough. I want MOAR! :)

I don't let this get me down, however. It is enough for me to know that there is a small community of like-minded harp players out there, and I have been fortunate enough to get to know many of the people operating in this domain. I just had the chance to meet up with Dan Kaplan down in Austin TX, and we spent a great afternoon down by the lake blowin' some modern harmonica and talking about music. More than enough to keep my spirits up and my interest in pushing the harp forward fueled and running fine! The Rhythm Junks are just more fuel for that fire!
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Last Edited by isaacullah on May 05, 2014 8:13 AM
Komuso
309 posts
May 05, 2014
7:47 AM
+10
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Paul Cohen aka Komuso Tokugawa
HarpNinja - Your harmonica Mojo Dojo
Bringing the Boogie to the Bitstream
rosco1
40 posts
May 05, 2014
12:33 PM
Guys, the thing is, this is the stuff that can appeal to non-harmonica players - which is probably more important than reaching the .0001% of people who are blues harp players/lovers. There is not a lot of reaching out in blues harp land - lots of those folks HATE Popper, tolerate Jason, and don't get Howard at all, but fall all over themselves praising the 900th Walter clone. If you want to appeal to harp players, play blues with good tone and you're done.
Frank
4208 posts
May 05, 2014
6:39 PM
this is nice - can you hear harp in there :)
isaacullah
2738 posts
May 06, 2014
5:45 AM
@rosco1: "Guys, the thing is, this is the stuff that can appeal to non-harmonica players"

This is exactly the point! I wonder (and I'm just postulating here) if it's because the harp community is so relatively small (e.g., compared to guitar, keyboards, etc.) that we collectively tend to get very possessive and cliquish about "our" music? So we essentially don't want harmonica music to get "popular" (and thus out of our "control")? This would be a pretty big generalization, but maybe there's something of the truth to it? Just something to think about...

@frank, the second video by them that popped up in the playlist you embedded was really awesome! I could certainly hear where the harp could go!!!
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rosco1
41 posts
May 07, 2014
6:21 PM
Isaac - I think many blues players are a little threatened by players who 'extend' the instrument. It really doesn't take a lot of skill or practice to be a competent blues harp player....sorry, but it's true. It may be easier for those folks to identify with traditional blues guys, even the very good ones, and not 'get' what the people playing outside of 'pure blues" are doing.
nacoran
7724 posts
May 07, 2014
6:36 PM
Isaac, I would have sworn I commented on this already. Good stuff. :)

Maybe you need to be more trolly in your headlines. Our illustrious leader got a lot of debate going using some good old school trolling with, 'You must watch this video' (trolling for a higher purpose, sort of a Socratic engagement).

There is a theory that after a certain age we stop listening to new sounds. Anything after that point, for most people, is just noise. I'm probably past that age, in fact, for a while I was pretty set in my ways, but I think you can push through that if you make a conscious decision to listen outside of your comfort zone, at least part of the time.

Actually, it was when I heard about that theory that I made a decision that I was too young to be that old.

Now get off my lawn!!! :)

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First Post- May 8, 2009
Frank
4215 posts
May 08, 2014
5:28 AM
Also we need to keep in mind the fact that most harp players playing outside of 'pure blues' are hackish at best in what they try to present as music...

That naturally keeps the blues players disappointed by the poor quality of playing by the guys or girls trying to make "modern music" with the harp- since it ends up usually sounding awful and amateurish compared to the other instrumentalist in the band who actually sound like real musicians :)

Last Edited by Frank on May 08, 2014 5:32 AM
isaacullah
2752 posts
May 08, 2014
7:16 AM
There are always two sides to the story... On the one hand, those who would see the instrument progress into new contexts may hear the old styles as stale and boring. On the other, those who enjoy those traditional contexts hear the new sounds as jarring and inappropriate.

I've long learned that it's not fruitful to try to change minds; minds must change on their own - because they want to, not because they were out-argued. Regardless of where one falls on the spectrum of traditional<->progressive, one thing is clear: skill and talent in music is needed to make a good sound. All one can do to further one's cause is to provide exposure to such talent, and hopefully minds will change of their own accord.

I believe the Rhythm Junks provide a very good example of that talent, and perhaps will inspire some minds to change...

@nacoran: and THAT is why I don't use "trolly" thread titles! :)
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Last Edited by isaacullah on May 08, 2014 7:17 AM
Frank
4216 posts
May 08, 2014
8:25 AM
This could be adapted to harp :)
1847
1773 posts
May 08, 2014
10:13 AM
i like it, there has been quite a bit of great music here lately. this web site is the only place i am exposed to new music.

lets see...
david herzaft
flavio guirmeres
the Japanese guy from yesterday floored me
pomplamoose was way cool she looked like linda
sang like paul, wonder if she is an illegitimate daughter?
the clapton concert was exceptional
especially the first song.
i liked the way he did hoochi coochi man
and used the back up singers, singing
where the harmonica would go.
the video was so sharp, it felt like i was sitting in with the band.

just because someone doesn't comment
does not mean they do not like the music.

i quit listening to the radio
many years ago, when they quit playing music.
seems like it turned into talk radio
howard stern and others of that ilk.
i find that nauseating. no thank you.
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nyway"
rosco1
42 posts
May 08, 2014
6:13 PM
@Frank -you write " Also we need to keep in mind the fact that most harp players playing outside of 'pure blues' are hackish at best in what they try to present as music." What is your evidence? There may be some hacks out there but that's not DeBruyn, or Howard, or Popper, or Lee Oskar, or Bill Barrett, or PT Gazell, Jimmy Zavala, Sugar Blue, Mike Stevens, Jim effin Conway, Brendan Power, LD Miller, yada...yada....
1847
1777 posts
May 08, 2014
7:29 PM
offline land is spectacular!...
the video is nice also.
pretty cool maynerd.
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i get a lot of request when i play my harmonica
"but i play it anyway"
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i get a lot of request when i play my harmonica
"but i play it anyway"
isaacullah
2754 posts
May 09, 2014
6:35 AM
@1847: "just because someone doesn't comment
does not mean they do not like the music."

Thanks for reminding me of that. Of course that's true! And probably is a product of how much "baiting" is in the title of the thread. For example, Adam's recent thread on beatboxing essentially goated folks into responding. The title got their ire up, and were raring to go. This thread, on the other hand, merely introduced a band (albeit one with a very modern sound), and so folk maybe were thinking "hey, that's good!" or "meh, not for me.", but didn't feel like they especially had anything important to comment... I get that, but I also think that's why Adam's thread had fallen off the front page and this one is still on it. It's a slower stream of more thoughtful reflection, rather than a knee-jerk spurt of initial response.

Pesonally, I've had The Rhythm Junks on heavy repeat in my daily music playlists, and my appreciation for them has continued to grow. I listen to music basically all day while I work, and actively search for new music and try to suss out current musical directions. I discuss this with several like-minded friends and we share tracks and leads on bands. IMO, the Rythm Junks fit right in with much of the current music I listen to, and could comfortably tour with many indie and college bands that are garnering attention on the blogospheres.

I also just noticed that De bruyn has just been made the "Face" of the new Rocket harp by Hohner! Considering that the Rocket is the flagship harp of the newly rebranded "Progressive" line of diatonics, Hohner is sending a clear message that they believe bands like the Rhythm Junks have a prominent place in the future of the Harmonica, and that "progressive" harmonica playing is here to stay. I like that term, actually, much better than "modern", as it more clearly separates music that is pushing forward from music that is merely "contemporary". Perhaps it's splitting hairs, but I like the term. I'd certainly be happy to be called a "progressive" harmonica player! :)
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Last Edited by isaacullah on May 09, 2014 6:39 AM
Frank
4221 posts
May 09, 2014
9:37 AM
I duuno - our only true modern hope looks to me to be Alex Paclin, if he could make it to Nashville and find a foot in some how he could make some waves. Rob Paparozzi is doing all kind of great harpin on records all over the world - Rob is the connection to becoming a somebody in the modern world of music :)



Last Edited by Frank on May 09, 2014 9:37 AM
Pistolcat
619 posts
May 09, 2014
9:41 AM
I like it, too. It's not blues. I'd call it indie pop-rock. It's nor harmonica-centered to me. It's a full band-vocalist where one instrument happen to be harmonica. My two öre...
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isaacullah
2755 posts
May 09, 2014
12:21 PM
@Frank: Alex is certainly one of the hopefuls, but definitely not the ONLY one. Rosco listed many of the other hopefuls in his post (but I'll add Brandon Baily, Son of Dave, and Dave Ferguson, to the list, although I'm sure there are more). Interesting comments about Rob Paparozzi. I catch him on youtube from time to time, and he's certainly pushing the envelope, although perhaps in a more mature way (meaning that his music isn't perhaps 100% on track with the alt-hipster young people indie scene).

@Pistolcat: Sure, it's not really blues (and I'd basically agree with your overall genre assessment), but certainly there is much inspiration from the blues, and blues chops being used, no? I'm not sure I see the point about it not being harmonica-centric? IMO they use the harmonica with skill and musicality in their songs. It forms an integral part to all the songs, to the point where the songs would cease to be the same without the harp. And if you listen, he's also playing bass harp on most of the tracks too, doubling the basslines with the bass guitarist or playing counter to him too. Actually, I'm not sure how it could be more harmonica-centric (at least, without him noodling all over the tracks...). I think it shows restraint and thoughtfulness, and a careful use of our instrument as an instrument, which is something that I find preciously rare in the land of harmonica.
Or am I taking too much from your statement?
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Last Edited by isaacullah on May 09, 2014 12:24 PM
Frank
4223 posts
May 09, 2014
1:49 PM
Those guys mentioned may be considered dinosaurs by most agencies and their talent would probably be best used as mentors for some one like Alex who is still kinda young and seems to have a lot of the mandatory qualities to break into the mainstream. Rob - "knows MUSIC people" so if you can seriously excite him with your talent, then he may mention you to his circle of friends...after all, it is about WHO you know is it not? :)
SuperBee
1969 posts
May 09, 2014
3:58 PM
I can only post short messages on this thread.
Similar to page 1 of the beatbox thread, but not instant.
Dunno why. It appears to be an iPhone thing.
Dunno if it's time limit or character.
Frank
4227 posts
May 10, 2014
3:04 AM


War Bride WB MusicI Inc / Big Brave Music, ASCAP
Double Track Drums - Pat Petrillo
Slide Guitar - PK Lavengood
Harmonica - Rob Paparozzi
http://robpaparozzi.com
Hammond Organ - Plinky Giglio
Background Vocals - Nancy Sebastian
Bass - Glen Burtnik
oldwailer
1994 posts
May 10, 2014
10:02 AM
It's OK--but a little boring. And not blues.
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"Too Pretty for the Blues."


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