Nothing ever exciting happens on Anglesey (unless you count someone at work spotting Prince William in the local supermarket!) other than that it's a very quiet but beautiful part of the world.
So imagine my suprise when i open my local newspaper to discover Muddy Waters' son Mud Morganfield and his Dirty Aces are going to be playing my local pub which is 5 minutes from where i live.
I had never heard of Mud before so I googled him and he sounds just like his Dad,the harp player sounds tasty aswell.
This may seem like trivial infomation to most of you on here but where i live there is a Zero Blues scene.
I would love to be able to catch gigs like Satan and Adam, James Cotton, Jason Ricci or maybe Mark Hummels Blowout etc...but its just not gonna happen where i live.
There are maybe a handful of local rock bands but there are no regular gigs in town what so ever.
Anyway rant over, just thought i'd let you all know:o)
http://www.youtube.com/user/fiendant?feature=mhum
Last Edited by on May 01, 2011 7:33 AM
If it's the Dirty Aces backing him the harp player will be Giles Robson who well knows his way around a harp & Chicago style blues.
Though West Weston has backed Mud on many occasions around UK & Europe, along with Big Joe Louis on guitar.
The band featured in the video would appear to be a Chicago based line up, featuring Tom Holland (farthest Left) & Rick Kreher on guitars. Rick was in the last line up of the Muddy Waters band with John Primer, Mojo Buford & Lovie Lee
Last Edited by on May 01, 2011 8:12 AM
@ant he does sound very much like his dad you play pretty good harp yourself I think you could play on a couple of numbers and do quite well have a great time
Miles - you ought to do a bit more listening and reading about the blues scene. There is a lot of information online. Even if he wasn't Muddy's son, you ought to take a listen and make up your own mind. The Blues is filled with people heavily influenced by others.
Big Daddy Cade is a big time BB impersonator. It doesn't matter much, he can play.
Forrest City Joe did a very nice tribute to John Lee Williamson. He kicked ass.
Joe Carter was a played a lot of tunes in the style of Elmore James. He's worth listening to.
Wild Child Butler was considered by many to be a disciple of Rice Miller. He was a bad ass player who issued several critically acclaimed albums.
LC McKinley was considered by some to be a Robert Jr Lockwood clone. Would that make him a poor guitarist? No. He was very well respected around Chicago in the 1950s. People were still talking about him 30 years later.
There were a multitude of Howlin Wolf imitators in Chicago. One of them, Tail Dragger is a fantastic singer and song writer. He's an amazing entertainer. The others were not chumps.
Many people called BB Odom, BB King Jr. He was a bad ass singer. He was bad to the bone. He came up a gospel singer. He recorded with John Lee Hooker, Earl Hooker and several others. He was not a poser.
Some believe that Kim Wilson is a Little Walter imitator. Barrelhouse Chuck plays paino in the style of his mentors like Sunnyland Slim, Little Brother Montgomery and Jimmy Yancey. Billy Flynn plays like damn near everyone. Is he a poser?
Steve Bell (son of Carey Bell) and Rip Lee Pryor (son of Snooky Pryor) both play a lot like their fathers. Does that mean they suck? If you think so, you probably never saw them.
Blues is a folk music. It evolves. It's passed from generation to generation. Sometimes, the fruit may not fall far from the tree, but that doesn't mean the fruit is bad?
thanks man, i would love to play with Mud ,that would make my day. I think i would be a bit too scared to ask though.
I guess i can dream:o)
Actually i am hoping to talk to the harp player as i've never spoken face to face with another serious harp player before( no one but me plays harp around here, at least that i know of)
5F6H mentioned it was Giles Robson that plays with the Dirty Aces, i put his name i youtube and a few vids came up, i'm looking forward to see him play:o)
Man up, Ant! Tell them you're a local harp player, and see if it's unheard of for you to sit in. You've got the chops. I think you might be pleasantly surprised at their response...IF SO, VIDEO OR IT DIDN'T HAPPEN!;-) ---------- Todd
Last Edited by on May 02, 2011 11:03 AM
"Ant, the worst thing they can say is 'no',"...which they most likely will. Don't get me wrong, West Weston is very friendly & likeable guy, he'll gladly tell you anything about how he plays, his harps his amp etc., it's just the etiquette on this one is a little more complex. It's Mud's gig, not West's...conversely Mud probably won't be inclined to give you the nod when it means you'll have to use West's gear & he'll have to sit out a number.
Chat to them betwen sets, let West know you play...(if you're very lucky indeed, you might be offered the chance to sit in - that being the point, I'd wait for the offer, rather than ask - be warned though, I can count on one hand the number of players that West has invited to sit in with him/his band, they have all been of the highest calibre, so if it doesn't happen don't take it personally) if they're staying locally you might have time to chew the fat after the gig...
I'd be more inclined to just kick back & enjoy an act of this quality. West plays at the Bodelwyddan resort from time to time, that's not too far from you, probably a better, more relaxed environment for you to hang out & show off your chops.
Personally I wouldn't dream of asking to sit in with someone I didn't previously know, unless at a jam, or a residency where the odd sit in was a regular event.
Last Edited by on May 03, 2011 6:18 AM
I meant to go about it in a tasteful way, of course. I would never suggest that you boldly force your way into their gig-but DO bring some harps, just in case. Ya never know. If nothing else, make friends with the band, or at least the harp player. Network, network, network. You deserve to be discovered. ---------- Todd
Last Edited by on May 03, 2011 7:04 AM
