Who are the good new blues players?

[Mr Perch]

Originally Posted by gypsyseven

Don´t really know what you´re talking about...Shred?!

Originally Posted by elihu

+3 Gary Clark Jr.
Didn't Zappa also say that the blues guys sit on one note and go squirm, squirm, squirm?

Probably. I don't like Zappa's own guitar playing, although he's a great impresario.

I liked the Gary Clark Jr. at the White House performance, although I must say that Obama is hilarious. "Camera on me... must bob head and smile."

[bek]

Sean Costello

[Televised]

Joe Bonamassa's..String bending?...."Talk Backs"?...Pentatonics?....equals "shred" and does not equal "Blues"?

[Mr Perch]

Originally Posted by Televised

Joe Bonamassa's..String bending?...."Talk Backs"?...Pentatonics?....equals "shred" and does not equal "Blues"?

His machine-drill-like phrasing and gazillions of redundant/superfluous notes. In blues, the guitar tone and phrasing emulates the human voice. Joe's tone is nice enough, but his phrasing is more like an auctioneer who just drank a couple of Red Bulls.

[BMusic]

Originally Posted by Mr Perch

I liked the Gary Clark Jr. at the White House performance, although I must say that Obama is hilarious. "Camera on me... must bob head and smile."

I'm hilarious when I listen to good music, too. Sometimes I move other parts of my body in rhythm, as well. A real laugh riot.

[Radspin]

Not exactly a "new" player, but, Kenny Neal. He also plays a Tele...

[Mr Perch]

Originally Posted by Radspin

Not exactly a "new" player, but, Kenny Neal. He also plays a Tele...

He's new to me, and I like him. His tone and style are a bit like mine, so I'm prejudiced in his direction. I also recently learned about this guy:



He occasionally crosses the line into shredding, but he's generally a very tasteful and jazzy player.

[Breen]

Originally Posted by bek

Sean Costello

He's pass away quite awhile back. But yes, he was young.

Matt Schofield

John Mayer

Gary Clark Jr. as above

Dan Auerbach & the Black Keys

Seasick Steve - He's not young but rather new to most people. A true modern blues story.

Some shouts for Tomo Fujita, Enrico Crivellaro, Derek Trucks. Derek's still very young on a scale vs his talent, which should be aged at 147 years old.

[Breen]

Originally Posted by BMusic

I'm hilarious when I listen to good music, too. Sometimes I move other parts of my body in rhythm, as well. A real laugh riot.

[dman]

Big +1 for Matt Schofield. I've seen him live twice and he always brings the goods. And he's a helluva nice kid to boot. (Yes, I said kid...anyone under 40 is a kid to me!)

More in the blues/rock vein, but I think Mato Nanja's an exceptional guitarist.

[Mr Perch]

Originally Posted by Breen

John Mayer

I like John Mayer's playing. He's not a newcomer, though -- he's big enough to play at Crossroads (so is Gary Clark Jr.)

[sax4blues]

This group may be new enough for you. Singer/guitar is 19, Bass 17, Drummer 13. Dad is on the harmonica. I bought their CD 10 minutes after hearing them and I really enjoy it.

[simonc]

Johnny Lang

[ROUNDOAK]

Originally Posted by Mr Perch

Back in the 60s, one guy that tried to play gazillions of notes and call it blues was Alvin Lee. I remember reading a commentary by a guy that said he would rather hear one expressive note from BB King than 10,000 notes from Alvin Lee. It's a perennial problem. Joe Bonamassa could play real blues, but he chooses to shred instead.

I remember Alvin Lee singing, "I'm Goin' Home" which was a classic blues lyric, and then he ripped a tasteless, ten thousand note lead that was a real stretch to be defined as blues. (The Yardbirds with Jeff Beck were much closer with HEART FULL OF SOUL in 1965)

Of course, it could be argued that most if not all British (and American) Caucasian guitarists were attempting to rip off the art form, with varying levels of success.

These days Americans such as Coco Montoya, Michael Burks (who is African American) and Pete Anderson (who was quite the Tele kat playing for Dwight Yoakam, especially his killer solo on "Little Sister" in the 80's) are playing killer blues.

When I was a kid a local "blues singer" said, "You'd be a great blues player if you'd stop playing all that... (black deux deux)", which I found ironic since he believed that the only blues artists were Paul Butterfield and Mike Bloomfield, Canned Heat, etc.,. (He didn't like Otis Redding, The Isley Bros and other soul stuff I played along with Hendrix, Cream, The Rascals and Top 40 stuff) That critic was a dilettante that I felt comfy ignoring and I never saw him play a live gig before or after that chat while I turned pro for over 20 years.

Except for early 'Stones' albums I found that few Brit artists met my definition of blues players. ("Lord, I swear, your perfume girl, smells like turnip greens...and every time I kiss you, girl, it tastes like pork an' beans"...Jagger)

I still don't look to Europe for BLOOZ KATZ. Ireland's Gary Moore (deceased) and UK-born Australian David Hole are notable exceptions- both monster players in fact.

For my money Americans like Tommy Castro and Pete Anderson are two great blues guitarists-players who aren't presumed to be "culturally predisposed" to the art form. Heck, I'd rather be kicked by Montoya, Burks, Castro, or Anderson than knighted by The Queen of England! Those boys musta signed contracts in blood with 'Ol' Legba at the Crossroads!

[elihu]

Some scattered thoughts there, ROUNDOAK.

I consider Ten Years After to be a rock band that was blues influenced because that's how it was marketed to me here in the States. Over in England it was likely marketed as Pop (as in the BBC's long running program Top of the Pops). So for TYA to be judged as blues seems a bit like comparing apples and oranges. I remember as a kid being excited by the solo in I'm Going Home because of it's speed. But because of it's lack of content (for me) it had no staying power. I soon moved on to something else. But i still like Alvin's soloing in I'd Love to Change the World because it's melodic and appropriate-reminds me of Mick Taylor. They both used too many notes sometimes imo.

I think there's more merit in your "Caucasian guitarist's ripping off the art form" statement. Nobody can deny the genesis of blues as being a product of the Black experience in America. And the institution of slavery up to the 1860's is a huge part of that. But the British vs. American thing? It's my opinion that no white guitarist could touch Peter Green in 1969. That was the year Fleetwood Mac sold more albums in the UK than the Beatles and the Stones combined.

Totally agree with you on Michael Burks. He was a very talented guy who unfortunately passed away this year. Let's make him better known-spread the word. He deserves not to be forgotten. Coco Montoya is a great player too. I watched his replacement in John Mayall's Bluesbreakers grow up. Buddy Whittington's style is now too busy for my taste but when he settles in and plays the stuff he cut his teeth on his guitar suddenly cuts a path straight into me. Wish my tele sounded like this.



Has anyone mentioned Rick Holmstrom yet?

[Mr Perch]

Originally Posted by sax4blues

This group may be new enough for you. Singer/guitar is 19, Bass 17, Drummer 13. Dad is on the harmonica. I bought their CD 10 minutes after hearing them and I really enjoy it.

Nice. But what are those things they are playing? Mufflers?

[Mr Perch]

Originally Posted by ROUNDOAK

Of course, it could be argued that most if not all British (and American) Caucasian guitarists were attempting to rip off the art form, with varying levels of success...

Except for early 'Stones' albums I found that few Brit artists met my definition of blues players. ("Lord, I swear, your perfume girl, smells like turnip greens...and every time I kiss you, girl, it tastes like pork an' beans"...Jagger)

I still don't look to Europe for BLOOZ KATZ. Ireland's Gary Moore (deceased) and UK-born Australian David Hole are notable exceptions- both monster players in fact.

Actually, I would tend to denounce Gary Moore for the same reason I denounced Joe Bonamassa -- they go into a high-speed machine mode that is more appropriate to an 80s hair band than to blues. And I saw a video with Gary Moore that made me cringe, where he had BB King sit in with his band, and he hardly let BB play. BB just sat there while Moore played some awesomely terrible ****.

There was a PBS special on British blues. Some of it was embarrassing -- after all these years, Jeff Beck still can play some godawful tasteless crap. But the big revelation to me was Lulu -- do you remember "To Sir With Love"? -- she is a damn fine blues singer.

[mistermullens]

Cool thread! I was just about to start a similar one, but not blues specific. Love the Alvin Youngblood Hart stuff. Never heard of him. Can't wait to check out some of the other stuff.

Been a Gary Clark Jr fan for a couple of years now. He's the man. Still haven't been able to see him live, but I can't wait for the next time he comes to Atlanta. Missed the last two.

[elihu]

Alvin on acoustic...a 1930's O sized Stella he bought for $62 at a flea market in Oakland. I put him up there with Taj on this stuff...



and i just like this...primal in the best way.

[straightface]

I think AYH is (or was) a member here. Motivational Speaker and Starts With the Soul are great records. Don't really know about any of his other stuff.