There's a timelessness in the sound of real blues guitar. Whether it's
acoustic, country-style blues, rockabilly blues, electric blues Chicago-style,
fingerpicked or slide styles, the idiom conjures up the many ghosts of hard
times. The mantra was "Buddy, can you spare a dime?" The old O.V. Wright
classic "Nickel and a Nail" summed up what folks had in their pockets at the
time. But great blues guitar also wakes us up in the present. Shit, yeah, we've
got the blues. We have 'em now, and we had 'em before 9/11. They just feel a
little different now than they used to. You know what I'm sayin', right?
In the hands of a skilled blues guitarist, you can tap into those blue
emotions easily. Which is why the show this weekend featuring Duke Robillard
and Paul Geremia, two of the country's best blues players, will be such a
treat. (Remarkably, it will be the first time the pair have performed
together.) Robillard, whom I've never written about in this column, is an
internationally renowned guitarist, a vast receptacle of style and talent
respected as much for his knowledge as for his adroit work on the guitar. He
did, after all, establish Roomful of Blues' modus operandi of selecting obscure
R&B numbers and jacking them up to modern aural standards. Roomful still
abides by that MO.
Paul Geremia, another player I've never written about in "Local A," is equally
accomplished in the blues guitar field. Unlike Robillard, Geremia plays only
acoustic guitar (he doesn't even own an electric!), and has become a national
treasure on the instrument. If you haven't seen the gruff one play, you're
missing a veritable conduit to the past, a liaison between the deep souls of
the Delta blues and the sad-sack ghosts of the present.
Both Robillard and Geremia are endangered species. It may not seem so to you
here in Rhode Island, but American blues today is a dying art form. It sounds
more and more antique every day. Despite its popularity in Europe, where blues
fans are hungrily co-opting our most cherished musical legacy, blues performers
here are having to look outside the lines for gigs and cash. Which is why both
Geremia and Robillard are seeing some success and much more appreciation
overseas than they are at home. One of the reasons for the oversight is the
music industry's emphasis on other genres.
"I have to laugh when I hear the term `alternative rock,' " says Geremia. "I
mean, what's alternative about it? I'm the alternative! Millions and millions
of dollars are spent pushing bands like this into the mainstream. Is there
anything alternative about that?"
Robillard agrees that there is shrinkage in the blues world. "There are more
good young players coming up, but because of changing trends, there are fewer
places for them to play. I do worry about the fact that current pop music now
bears less influence to roots music than it ever has for the whole history of
American music."
It's true. Until the early '90s, most music you'd hear sprang from some
connection to the blues, however vague. Today's sound is radically different --
which is good in a way. But that departure has lobotomized the blues from the
consciousness of many young players. "Rock guitar doesn't have the blues
overtones that it used to," says Duke. "For the time being, at least, it has
ceased to affect pop music, which to me is really scary. At some point it
should reinstate itself, but if it doesn't, more and more people are in danger
of neglecting the blues as players and songwriters."
In Rhode Island, where there are scads of terrific blues and roots gangs, the
prospect of losing sight of the blues may be minimal. But in other scenes,
where the blues isn't as pronounced, Duke's fear may be justified. "I think it
should be mandatory to study the roots of music in school. Those styles deepen
the interest and appreciation of what music is about today and what we're all
about as a country. There's a real need for history to be studied."
Duke Robillard
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Rhode Islanders worth their musical salt have been studying the blues for four
decades now at the hands of Geremia and Robillard, Young Neal, Roomful, Dave
Howard, Jack Smith, Steve Smith, and many others. These are our teachers as
well as our entertainers, and it'll be a pleasure to see two instructors on the
same stage on the same day this Sunday at the RISDAuditorium.
"The scene here is still pretty strong," Robillard confirms. "There's a number
of great players and musicians in general; there has been a wealth of musicians
here in Rhode Island and throughout the region. Unfortunately, the clubs don't
number enough to support the blues, R&B, and jazz together. In the olden
days, it was hopping here with clubs everywhere that we all could play. Now
it's not that way and everybody's suffering a little."
Like Robillard, Geremia has been doing an insane amount of travelling. He,
too, has found an audience in mainland Europe. Both pepper a busy itinerary
with a few local dates before setting out to global sights unknown. Recently,
Geremia played a punk bar in Zurich and was surprised at what he found. "At
first, I had no idea what to expect. There were crazy-looking kids everywhere.
But when the show started, the place filled up with a whole diverse audience.
Some of the kids came with their parents. It ended up that you could hear a pin
drop when I picked up my guitar. They really zeroed in on the music. As long as
they're into it, I'll play for people of any age."
Word has it that Duke and Paul are planning a duet or two, which could be a
transcendent treat and worth the price of admission alone. Most folks into the
blues aren't lucky enough to see one of these guys in a year. But here we are
in blues-happy Rhode Island, able to see both of them in the span of a couple
of hours. It might even be enough to chase those blues of yours away.
Duke and Paul will perform on Sunday, November 11 from 2 to 4:30 p.m. at
the RISD Auditorium, South Main Street, Providence. Tickets are $20; proceeds
will benefit the Homeless Families Fund at Travelers Aid. Call 521-2255, ext.
23 for more information.
WANDERING EYE. There are some really intriguing shows this weekend that
deserve your attention and attendance. If you've picked up this paper early
enough, be aware that local faves Arab On Radar play tonight (Thursday,
11/8), at the Met Café. They'll be serving up some noise from their new
disc, Yahweh or the Highway. Check 'em out. On Friday, the Hoodoo
Brothers Trio, featuring Mike Dinallo, Tim Taylor, and John Packer will hit
the stage at Chan's. It's a last-minute show, so make quickie plans to get
there. On Saturday at Stone Soup, folkie archetype Tom Rush graces the
coffeehouse docket, only the show shifts to Tolman High School Auditorium, at
150 Exchange Street in Pawtucket, right around the corner from the usual
location at Slater Mill. Tom has been a big draw since the mid-'60s when he
helped usher in the Folk Boom. He's worth a listen, if you haven't seen him.
The show begins at 8 p.m.; tickets are $15 and can be purchased in advance at
the Slater Mill Gift Shop located in the Visitors' Center directly across the
street from the Mill. On Sunday, the Blackstone, an ambitious venue in
Cumberland with equally ambitious booking, features their alternative night.
Locals BOA and the Leroys will dig in with very original sounds,
while the Monsoons make the trek from Boston.
E-mail your most intimate music information to b_gulla@yahoo.com.
Issue Date: November 9 - 15, 2001
