The word on John Primer

 BlueNotes is finally up and running with Roadrunner, the cable internet service in St. Pete, Fla. He is overjoyed with two things: John Primer lived up to his great blues rep, and two (not one, but two) loyal commenters took time to share their thoughts. I liked 'em so much, I'm gonna put them up here.

First, from the intrepid Bill H. of Elizabeth

John Primer & The Real Deal Blues Band more than lived up to their name at the Thunderbird Cafe, Sunday 3/15.  They put on an alomst perfect evening of ensemble driven Post War Chicago style Blues.  The windy city veterans waded deep into the groove from the outset and mined gold from within throughout.

This is essentially the same unit that last played the T-Bird in February of '06 save for Matias Beltran taking over the harp duties from Dan Beaver this time out.  The biggest difference musically between the two shows was that the overall vibe last night favored Primer's one time boss Muddy Water's classic rolling thunder approach more so than his longtime mentor Magic Slim's  funkier, off the cuff feel that was more evident three years ago.

The veteran rhythm section of drummer Vernon Rogers and bass player Michael Morrison drove the engine at a loping pace that allowed space for the strong but never overwhelming keyboard work of Dave Ross. Beltran added horn fills that kept things swinging.  He traded off between using a bullet style mic for the more overblown post war sound and playing straight into his vocal microphone to get that classic Sonny Boy Williamson I sweet tone.

As well as the the backing band played together, they couldn't overshadow their leader.  IMO Primer seems to entering his prime(pun intended).  Folks from the Chicago area who have seen him much more often than we get the chance to here say that his recent shows are among the strongest of his solo career.  The combination of chops, maturity and an almost encyclopedic knowledge of songs, no doubt a remnant from his days with Magic"the human jukebox"Slim, have all converged to make him a performer that's hard to get enough of.

There were a few tracks from his most recent release ,All Original(Bluehouse Productions) on the setlist including "Add A Little Touch" and "Everyday Brings By A Change" that don't break any new ground, but cover the familiar sound with passion and grit that allows his individuality to show through.  The covers all worked well no matter how often we've heard them.  "Shake Your Moneymaker" from his Elmore James tribute record Blue Steel payed homage to the slide master while still retaining the band's swinging chemistry.  An off the cuff, "She's Tuff," brought wide grins to the audience and making me chuckle at the glee with which it was played.  To me it felt more like the song's  originator Jerry McCain than The Fabulous Thunderbirds more studied sounding attempt from their debut album.  The equal parts swagger mixed with awe of the woman beheld was palpably apparent.

There was never the moment throughout the more than two and a half hours of music when I didn't feel the muscians were enjoying playing together which made their wonderful noise all the more joyful sounding.  The evening's only drawback was a somewhat less than expected crowd in comparision to Primer's last visit when I felt shoe horned in on the main floor.  Was the turnout affected by the economy, the Western PA Blues Society gathering that same evening or just because it was Sunday night?  I certainly don't know enough to even guess.  I do know, however, that the crowd was enthusiastic and appreciative and that Mr. Primer and co. feed off that, making for a memorable night of music that will stick in my head for sometime to come.

As Bluenotes mentioned last week, Nick Moss & The Flip Tops featuring the great Lurrie Bell will be at the Thunderbird in a little over a week on March 26th.  The show was a hot topic of discussion amongst more than a few in attendance last night and lets hope that leads to more bodies in the seats.  Folks like John Pergal go to great lenghts to bring in the cream of the current blues scene and they need the help of we the blues freaks and freakettes to be able to keep doing so.  See you then.

Humbly submitted by Bill from Elizabeth, Bluenotes cub reporter at large

Next, the prolific Bluzer:

The best time I ever had in my life...only TWO of us were there!!

Sometimes a show is more enjoyable when the place ISN"t packed as I have mentioned somewhere else. You can sit down and relax and enjoy the show. Of course, it's not a situation that the club-owner appreciates but what are ya gonna do? Luckily, the clubs that book Blues bands in Pittsburgh are run by Blues lovers.

Did you expect anything less from John Primer? Often the evenings success (or lack of) depends on the band that backs up the 'star'. Where would Bo Diddley have been without Jerome and his maracas!! Or Rod Piazza without Honey? It's usually a team effort that leads to a great performance and good teams tend to stay together which is often a rarity with Blues bands..

For years I've wondered why some shows are well-attended while crowds at other shows are sparse. At this point, I've quit worrying about such things. You can lead a horse to water but you can't make him drink. The unfortunate thing. if I understand what you wrote, is that John Primer played to LESS people this time than when he was here a couple years ago. That's not a good sign.

It's funny. Sometimes a band will draw well in the depths of winter perhaps because there haven't been a lot of shows and people miss a 'Blues Night Out'. Currently, with so many choices on the horizon (and don't forget it was the tail end of St. Patricks Day weekend), maybe folks were being a little restrained. With cover charges at 15 or 20 bucks a pop it begins to get a little pricey when you start trying to see every band that shows up.

Jorma is at the Club Cafe this Saturday....I'll wager a guess that he'll do well (as far as turnout) and that it'll be a great show. I recently heard him on NPR and he sounded fine...he played 'Embrionic Journey' solo acoustic!! Do I want to deal with South Side on a Saturday night? It's only Monday....let's see how the week goes.

www.youtube.com/watch

Thanks, guys. Almost makes me wish I wasn't where the sun always shines ... the land that gives new meaning to the phrase, "Later, gator..."