By "trick them" do you mean you have to play other stuff too? You're probably right.
John Mayer is a marvelous guitar player, writer and singer - I've been in awe of his skills even before I heard this. Young whipper snapper, him. What a pleasure to hear him play some blues - nicely, I might add. Blues influences most musicians one way or another. Is their playing blues just because they play other stuff a bad thing? I don't think so.
If all you want to play is blues that's cool - but your chances of commercial success, whether it is a world tour and record contracts, or simply getting a lot of repeat gigs in your own area - go way down. And frankly, 3 hours of straight I IV V is boring as hell unless it is played by absolute cream of the crop musicians.
Sometimes I think some us get a little crazy - like blues is so special nobody can play it unless they've had the blues and devoted their life to playing it. Just because you can doesn't mean you have to, and just because you don't doesn't mean you can't. Blues "purists" (none of whom can define what is and isn't pure blues) irritate me. I believe in making music that moves me and hopefully moves others. Period.
Michael, I'm truly not sure what, if any point you were trying to make so please understand I'm not trying to start an argument. For some reason I started to reply and this is what came out. And I enjoyed the video - thanks for putting it up. ---------- /Greg
I have heard John play blues before. He admits to making music that pleases the masses, but says his true love and what he plays for his own enjoyment is the blues.
I wonder if a lot of top musicians of "popular" music are also blues lovers.
When I saw Clapton in Nashville a couple months ago, he brought bluegrass guitar player Vince Gill out as a surprise guest. He proceeded to blow everyone away with some killer acoustic blues guitar. I thought he was better than Clapton.
Clapton is hard to beat...doesn't surprise me. A certain amount of acknowledgement and respect of other styles is cool. Especially when done well. There are a lot of folks (audience)who appreciate that ability...And the I IV V sure does drive em away. That's why I like a Humble Pie, Savoy Brown, Rory Gallahger, and a host of British cats who kept the blues fresh and unpredictable. And in some ways, unacceptable, to the blues purists. A trait I noticed in Kim Wilson harp playing long ago. He made me an instant fan. I was awe struck at his fresh bold approach. Amazing... What say you?
I will never understand how a person could not play the music they really love and play some other kind to make a buck. For me, the music I play has to be me. To play stuff that isn't my passion would be less fun than working at walmart. I know many well known musicians that play music that is not their love. I guess they look at music as job. I don't think I will ever be able to do that and will be eternally thankful to feel this way. Walter
PS: If people would just have the faith/courage to play what is really thier passion, we would not only have a lot better music out there, but people would be able to make livings playing what they love. Now the way the music business is set up, the first compromise in making it is not playing what you love. I have experienced this first hand from small clubs to major recording contracts. How can an artist not do what is burning to come out? This is a very sad situation for what the world calls "art". I call this mess "control". The business is driven to control the artist to feel a sense of purpose. ---------- 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
Walter - you answered your own question: to make a buck.
Do you think John Mayer would be able to support himself playing blues alone? No way - he never would have captured such a huge audience. He says it is the music he loves. He is now probably wealthy beyond his wildest dreams. And he did it playing music. Is that so wrong? ---------- /Greg
Here are a few of the offers I have had that could have possibly put me in a John Mayer type scenario: Robbie Robertson wanted me to do the soundtrack for the color of money, an album offer with original members of roomfull of blues backing me (al kopely in particular), backing Mose allision on a tour, an offer to play on asleep at the wheels tribute album to bob wills, the president of BMI hounding me to sign with them that included a major label deal.
There have been a bunch of other offers like this have come my way over the past 35 years. With all of them I was told right off I couldn't do spontobeat and would have to do it the way everyone else does a record, soundtrack. Mose Allison's manager wanted my band and I said no because his music was beyond what we could do justice to. Anyway, I have been in the position of making some serious money for playing what I don't call my true passion, even though at all these times I was struggling to get by and often did manual labor to help with my end of bills. Going with those offers made as much sense and playing flat/out of tune/stuck holes/ dollar store harmonicas at ones biggest gigs.
I don't judge people that make making money their priority with music. I am just not able to comprehend it in my make up. People told me, at the times of these offers I had, that I was nuts to say no. they claimed it would open doors to my music that I could never come onto on my own. I said that is a good point if it was true. Not one of the offers ever said, ok lets do a spontobeat album after we finish this project. That approach was not in their musical vocabulary. To each their own. What I don't respect is someone who whines about how they love blues but "have to" play these other musics to make a living. there are a million ways to make a good living in jobs that spark your passions and your music can be as pure as you want it. 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
As Eddy Clearwater once sang about playing Blues, "it's a hard way to make an easy living." I don't think people have to be tricked. It's out there. It's easy to find. Either you love it or you don't.
I can listen to a great player like Magic Slim, grind out 12 bar, 1-4-5 Blues all night long. I grew up listening to that kind of stuff. To me, it isn't boring. I really like the energy.
To me, there are few things as musically good as listening to a guy like Byther Smith kick off a slow, string squeezing Blues. It's a study in emotional manipulation using techniques like dynamics and tension and release. He couples intimacy with his instrument along with a haunting voice. It's amazing stuff. To me, it's never tiring.
