Every time I surf the web, I end up stumbling across a fine player I've never heard of. This time it's a Wisconsin guy--a legend, I gather--named Westside Andy. His website is clean as a whistle, with some really nice sound clips. And, as his gig list makes clear, this guy is a working pro. He seems to stay close to home. But for those of you who are wondering what it takes to become a pro on this instrument: it takes this sort of steady gigging for about twenty years:
http://westsideandy.com/schedule.aspx
I have huge respect for guys like Westside Andy. They've paid the dues, put in the time. That's what it takes.
This is why, for all the excitement I take in the emergence of talented younger players--some of whom even contribute to this board--I never confuse that excitement, or that raw talent, with the fruits of long experience and dues paid.
Chops, per se, mean nothing. In the blues world, "great promise" takes you only so far, then drops you into the real world. The slow, steady application of effort; the slow, steady, exhausting accumulation of life experience, gigs, heartbreaks, and stories, is what pays dividends in the long run. It's what shows up as the sort of musical maturity and solidity that can't be achieved any other way.
I accumulated some portion of all this during my six or seven years in the spotlight with Sterling Magee and the four years on the streets before that, but there's a whole world of experience--week-in, week-out experience fronting great bands in local bars, building up a rock-solid resume, including more than a dozen albums--that I haven't had.
Guys like Westside Andy have my respect. Even if I'd never heard of him, or heard his music, until this evening.
Last Edited by on Apr 12, 2009 5:58 PM
I like this post Adam. It has some Very good stuff in it.
"The slow, steady application of effort" That's good. Sometimes I get down because I feel that I must improve "Prodigy Style".... and I feel like I'm not doing all that I can to get better when I don't improve "Prodigy Fast".... but I know that even though it isn't going to come "Prodigy Fast" I still make gradual improvements......
but the pressure still feels on....I keep seeing Guys like Brandon, 4 years playing doing pretty good. I get insane..... even though I have only been playing a little over a year, I still feel like I should be at that level. Which is crazy because I know it takes more years.
I want it now. Basically.... lol
Too Bad Andy doesn't do anything near southeast WI. ---------- ---Go Chicago Bears!!!---
Last Edited by on Apr 12, 2009 10:08 PM
Het Adam...don't be too upset that you've not heard of Andy before. I've just had a look at the Hohner harmonica endorsee page and out of a list of about 60 players I heard of 4 of them.
Guys...have a look at this list and see who you know!!
Eric Clapton, Stevie Wonder, and Little Walter were prodigies. All of them had made lasting contributions to the blues and r&b world by the time they were 21. (Clapton had finished his tenure with Cream by the time he was 23, if I'm not wrong.) And of course all of them went on to have remarkable careers that fully bore out the promise of those extraordinary early achievements.
It doesn't work that way for 99% of the people in the blues world. It certainly didn't work that way for me, or for Jason. We were late bloomers.
I've had a chance to see three blues-oriented child prodigies up close: 14-year olds, I mean. Buster Brody, Monster Mike Welch, and L.D. Miller.
Buster Brody was significantly over-hyped and I said something to that effect in print, once I'd had a chance to see him live at a festival. His mother got pissed off at me and wrote a nasty letter to the editor of the journal in which my article appeared. It seemed to me that when bluesboy's mothers were writing in on their behalf, I probably had a valid point. Shouldn't blues players speak for themselves, if they do nothing else? Brody is still around, but the prodigy element has evaporated; he's now just a talented 20-something who is, as far as I can tell, still accumulating the real-world experience (unspectacular gigs on the local Kansas City scene) that the blues life demands of us if we're to mature into players who have something to say.
Monster Mike, a guitarist out of Boston, was amazingly good when I saw him live at a festival in the mid-1990s. His singing wasn't very good--he wasn't Little Stevie Wonder--but his guitar playing was indeed something special. He felt things very strongly; it wasn't just about technique with him. I was impressed. So where is Monster Mike these days? He dropped the "Monster" tag for a while as he aged into a 20-something. Now I think he's using it again. But where is he? He's just one more talented blues guitar player. Has he made albums that we all know and talk about? He's certainly not a star in the blues world--a guy with the name recognition of a Clapton, or even a Jonny Lang. And he was a bona fide child prodigy. The blues life is tough.
L.D. Miller is the best-known of all three, thanks to his second-place finish in "America's Got Talent." He's had the advantage of playing in a family band for many years. He's got breathtaking speed that he deploys in a particular kind of way; it's impressive up close. He's also got an amazing amount of poise AND intensity on stage; for my money, he's a better blues singer, in terms of actual bluesiness, than he is a blues harmonica player. But in terms of long-term realization of remarkable promise? That remains to be seen.
I'm truly depressed by your confession, Miles. There's no pressure to speed up the process--certainly not from me. The one mistake I think developing players make these days is spending too much time on forums like these and not enough time crawling off by themselves to do the hard, long-term, out-of-sight work that it takes to transform themselves over time. I realize that my many videos have inadvertently contributed to this process. Someone who didn't know might assume that I learned how to play by spending all my time in front of a video camera. Nothing could be further from the truth. I'd been playing for 13 years--from 1975 until 1988--before I got a glimpse of myself on camera in RATTLE & HUM. And another 6 or 7 years went by before I saw myself actually playing blues on camera. Prior to that it was all about practicing by myself, playing gigs, working the streets, and occasionally spending time with a cassette recording of myself. This taught me to listen hard and to practice unselfconsciously, with full passionate investment in every note I played.
I wish everybody who reads this would stay away from MBH for an entire week, and stay away from the internet, and just listen to music and practice.
Last Edited by on Apr 13, 2009 4:39 AM
I saw a band named Reverend Raven and the Chain Smokin' Altar Boys.Their harp player was a guy named Madison Slim and he was smokin'! Wonderful player. During a break,I complimented him on his playing. "Man,you ought to be famous",I said."No,he said. I'm right where I want to be".I think there are quite a few of those guys scattered around the country,just happy to be making good music.
Last Edited by on Apr 13, 2009 8:44 AM
Here's one you may want to check out I just ran across and notice no mention in the other posts. Started playing on stage I think at 10 there are youtube vid of him at 15. Kyle Rowland
Ooh, yeah, Tuckster. Madison Slim IS a blues player deluxe. Great tone, great technique and great chops! Oh and yeah, since this thread started with Westide Andy--he's quite the journeyman, too, and paid his dues. Anyway--
Westside Andy also had a hand in designing a harp amp. I think it was a Holland called (duh) the Westside. My memory isn't as sharp as it once was-it could be another brand than Holland. Yes,JT. Slim is a bad a** harp player! LOL
Last Edited by on Apr 13, 2009 4:47 PM
You're absolutely correct about the amplifier. I think it was a 4x10 model Holland and maybe they did a 2x10 with the Westside name also. Pardon the Westside typo above. I think the Holland line ran into some problems and ended up going out of business. Anyway--
I think Kyle Rowland stands a good chance of being a truly fine player when he's twice the age he is now. (He's 15.). I mean that. But the blues life is a hard life; all kinds of things might happen before then:
Before I post Ive been checking the archives so as to not repeat and incur the wrath of the forum elders.
Low and behold Westside Andy got some props from Adam. I've always respected this guy and I'm going to see him play with Rev. Raven this afternoon.
I also just got a CD of Reverand Raven featuring Madison Slim. This guy is the real deal. Holy crap! I have a new favorite player= Madison Slim. I realize many of you know all about him but I never got to hear him until now.
I'll post some music by him if anybody is interested.
Westside Andy Linderman has indeed been around a long time. He's a great player with some solid chops and is quite highly regarded as a harp players player. I've been a fan of his for quite some time now. Nice to see him being mentioned on MBH.
"The one mistake I think developing players make these days is spending too much time on forums like these and not enough time crawling off by themselves to do the hard, long-term, out-of-sight work that it takes to transform themselves over time."
"I wish everybody who reads this would stay away from MBH for an entire week, and stay away from the internet, and just listen to music and practice."
Westside Andy has been around forever-he was an endorser for Holland amps-they even named an amplifier after him,and one was for sale on ebay two weeks ago. Monster Mike Welch is a monster player-after Paul Size left Sugar Ray and the Bluetones,Mike jumped right backin where he started-he's still touring with Ray now.
Last Edited by on Apr 17, 2011 12:23 PM
Madison Slim was a member of the Legendary Blues Band working with Pinetop Perkins, Willie "Big Eyes" Smith and Calvin Jones. All of those guys were former members of the Muddy Waters Band. He also toured with Jimmy Rogers. The last time that I saw him, he was sitting in with Billy Branch's Sons of Blues. He's been on some crticially acclaimed recordings. He has had a pretty solid career as a harp player.
"I wish everybody who reads this would stay away from MBH for an entire week, and stay away from the internet, and just listen to music and practice."
I have heard Westside Andy on you tube from time to time and will say the man has some nice chops and has paid his dues,more so on the local level. I had the opportunity around ten yrs ago to play through a Holland West Side Andy 2 ten tweed and the amp had magnificent tone,I believe 25 to 35 watts.I also remember the owner of the amp had told me that the company had some tech issues when folks developed problems,but with that said, the amp sounded great and I could understand why Andy endorsed the product.If I ever found one at the right price I would definitly consider one. As for unheard of child harp prodigys,back in the late 80,s there was a 14 yr old kid from Rochester N.Y whos family later moved to Oregon named Little John Christley.I don,t know if any of you had heard of this kid at the time but the kid tore it up on the harp and was touted to be the next best harp prodigy.As stated above things happen along the way,teenage yrs,pre occupations,3 inch patches etc.and they drop off and out of the scene. He,s obviously grown up now and still plays and is definitly worth a listen.He has more of a rock style now whereas in his younger days he played mostly blues with alot of the greats while they were out on the west coast.As said he,s worth a listen
I was turned on to Westside Andy by Dave Barrett when I was taking lessons from him many years ago. I have a few of his CD's and he comes up on the iTunes mix in the car all the time. He is a great player who both comps and solos well, and has the kind of tone I like. I've always wondered why he doesn't get more recognition but I suspect it is because he doesn't tour much. ---------- /Greg
I'm glad Adam started this thread two yrs ago and it is once again alive.
I saw Westside Andy play yesterday with Reverand Raven and the show was really really good. Sunday afternoon and the place was packed and people were dancing.......Cadillac Pete showed up and played.....He is a damn good player too.
Last Edited by on Apr 18, 2011 5:32 AM
If I'm not mistaken, I recently saw a post that Andy's wife is experiencing serious health issues and a benefit was held recently. I've heard Andy play live a coupla times in Madison, Wi.--his hometown-- and he's the real deal. He has both traditional and "modern" chops, and he's had the same basic lineup for over 20 years (with the possible exception of one younger guy). His band's tight. Also, there's not a nicer guy in the business. I sat with Andy's brother at one gig, and Andy joined us during breaks. He's a nice, funny guy.
Andy is a great guy and I never tire of listening to him play.his wife is not doing well and in my prayers.Another guy you should take a listen to is Patrick Hazel from Iowa.
Mike is a damn fine guitar player who plays in boston and tours a few times a year in Europe. He doesn't have much of a website so it is tough to find out about him. He plays a lot with Sugar Ray Norcia plus a number of other people. While he was a child wunderkind, he doesn't seem to dwell on it. As for the name, Dan Akroyd stuck that on him long time back. I think maybe you should listen to more of his stuff. He is a great harp accompanist.
Something Ray Charles said has always stayed with me: "There is 6 of me in every town I go to."
Last Edited by on Apr 18, 2011 10:28 AM
I think Westside Andy plays harp on Paul Black & the Flip Kings only album - "King Dollar" worth checking out if you like idiosyncratic slide guitar blues. That was a band deep in the pocket. Andy seems to have a thousand or more ways to work a blue third
I just saw Westside Andy (and Cadillac Pete) with my pal Rev Raven yesterday! What a great show! Westside and Cadillac are both great players! Here's some pics from the show:
Westside Andy has been around for ages and is a terrific player.
Monster Mike is still around and hosts the Sunday jam at Johnny D's in Somerville, MA whenever he's off the road as the guitar player for Sugar Ray & The Blue Tones. The two things that were a big weakness with him were his vocals and his rhythm playing, but both have improved quite a lot and I let him know about that. ---------- Sincerely, Barbeque Bob Maglinte Boston, MA http://www.barbequebob.com CD available at http://www.cdbaby.com/cd/bbmaglinte
I have been keeping an eye on Westside Andy for about 10 years now... he's a very exciting and toneful player.
I owned a Westside 35 (2x10) amp for awhile. Never was happy with the sound of it... kind of boomy, not very present, and more feedback-prone than a harp amp should be, but it did seem to work well for chromatic for some reason.
I notice that Andy is now using a Sonny Jr. amp - I don't blame him for switching.
Last Edited by on Apr 18, 2011 9:33 PM