A BluesBurgh weekend

Well, BlueNotes had himself a fine time listening to blues over the weekend. Friday and Saturday nights were packed with good music from local bands, with guests from as far away as France, and even Delaware.

First things first. Friday night, Billy Price brought his soulful band to a packed Thunderbird Cafe in Lawrenceville, with guest Fred Chapellier, a French blues guitarist whose playing is reminiscent of his inspiration, Roy Buchanan, one of the greatest unheralded American blues guitarists. (Check their myspace page).

Chapellier is in town to work on the CD he's recording with Price at Bonedog Records in McKeesport, to  be released on the French DixieFrog label. The two performed together a few months ago, but I missed that show, so this was my first shot at seeing the French bluesman.

I'm sorry I missed the first -- he's an excellent guitarist, and added a bluesier note to the band, which seemed to be in high spirits for two crackling sets. I got the feeling that Chapellier's passionate solos lifted the intensity level of the band a notch or two. It was one of the best Billy Price shows I've seen.  

Billy ran through a lot of his standards, but showed off some fine new stuff, including what might well become the title track to this new CD, "Night Work" -- a tasty, soulful blues. As usual, BlueNotes goes to these shows more as a fan than as a real journalist, so I don't write down much -- and I probably should.

But a few of the things I liked best were one of Billy's staples -- the always fun, always salacious "Bump and Grind," the already mentioned "Night Work," "She Left Me With These Blues" and just about everything else. Billy's band always gives great horn, and this show was no exception, Everything felt like it was running in overdrive all night.

Chapellier's guitar work is smooth and fluid, but without losing any of its sharpness or edge. If you've ever heard Buchanan's guitar, the inspiration is obvious, but it's far beyond mere imitation. I'm looking for to a CD full of this combination.

Nothin' But Trouble on Saturday night

On Saturday night, Moondog's in Blawnox hosted the two winners of the Blues Society of Western Pa.'s International Blues Challenge, who will represent the society at the finals in Memphis in February --  Bubs McKeg of Pittsburgh, the solo/duo winner, and Nothin But Trouble, the sharp little blues band out of Delaware that cranks out a full-frontal attack on a variety of blues styles.

With two guitars (Chris McAfee and Joey Fulkerson), bass (Greg Haughey) and drums (Billy Meyers), plus some harp from both guitarists, the they manage to sound like a band about twice their size as they swap leads, share the vocals and occasionally create a blues guitar conga line (see picture at left).

Both guitarists make tasty use of the slide, and the bringing them out together adds to the intensity. And each adds a swampy harp where needed.

They craft their own blues and cover some of the best (Hound Dog Taylor comes to mind), and neither suffers as they work their way through a set. What I like about them is their unflagging enthusiasm -- they were as sharp at the end of a long night for about 20 appreciative fans as they were at the beginning. They said they're working on a new CD, and based on their first, and their club work, it should be worth a listen.

McKeg is also a pleasure to watch -- and hear. He's an accomplished writer of blues that capture little slices of the world around him, sung only to his own guitar accompaniment -- which one can imagine is one of the purest forms of blues expression. 

One of my favorite lines is: "How in the world did the world get away from me..."  Bubs seems to be like good whiskey -- he seems to get better with age, each time I see him.
(Photos by Jim White.)