[Bluesbob]

Some advice that was given to me - Always start the song in the simplest manner possible. There's always time later or in the middle 8 to rip off a lick or walking part. And always use dynamics, the more dynamic shifts the better, it would seem, at least from what I've been hearing lately.
But here's some advice I can give to everybody - I don't know if he's still got the same bass player, but when I saw Junior Brown, his drummer's kit consisted of high-hat, a snare and a crash-ride cymbal. That's it - no bass drum, no toms. The bassist covered the entire bottom portion of the frequency spectrum and he was great! I was amazed. If you can, try to catch this guy (and of course Junior himself - great music!), and really learn about "less is more". I know it sounds like Zen or something, but I'll never forget it. I try to remember to play like that as much as I can.
Sometimes I forget, but the guitarist always starts it!