House Of Blues: January, 19, 1998

It seems like you see really young guitar players playing and singing the blues these days. Rejecting the alternative music of most of their contemporaries, these guitar players use the blues music of the past - along with rock influences - as a foundation for the music they play today. Josh Smith and his power trio (consisting of Josh on vocals and guitar, Mike Nadaoka on bass and Al Rich on drums) played a double set at the House of Blues Monday night to an appreciative crowd. Josh uses influences from Stevie Ray Vaughan, Jimi Hendrix, Albert Collins, Albert King, and others and mixes them with original tunes from his 3 CD's. His sound is so interesting because he doesn't just mimic his influences - he really understands the music (which I like to see, as the world does not need another Stevie Ray Vaughan clone). Josh is able to flow from heavy riffs to quiet delicate picking at the drop of a hat, smoothly changing the feel of the music and building on the reactions of the crowd. Mike Nadaoka, who has played in the same bands as Josh since he turned professional, provides a solid bass which allows lots of room for the guitar to work.

Josh, who hails from Fort Lauderdale, Florida, wants to make his mark in the blues arena. He has been playing professionally for over five years, which is not impressive - except that he just turned eighteen late last year. Since he was thirteen, Josh has shared the stage with blues players such as Chris Duarte, Jimmy Thackery, Matt 'Guitar' Murphy, Double Trouble, Lucky Peterson, Kenny Neal, and he is scheduled to open for B.B. King for several nights later this year. In addition, he has released three full-length CD's - the first when he was only 13! Josh just finished up a nationwide tour in support of his new CD, "Too Damn Cold", which took him to Texas, California, Washington, Colorado, Illinois, and New York, to name a few of the stops. He is scheduled to work his way up the East Coast next.

The band recently hired a new drummer to replace Al Rich, who is leaving the band to get married. The new drummer, Tony Peterson from New Orleans via Chicago, spent time playing on Bourbon Street in several bands. Both Tony and the band are really looking forward to incorporating new influences into the current sound.

The House of Blues, located at the Walt Disney World West End, is a good place to see a show. The the sound system is excellent and loud, the stage lighting is professional, and the sound people generally keep everything balanced throughout the entire evening.

Murf Murphy Murf is a registered professional engineer....(i.e. haircut and a real job) who loves to play guitar. Vist Murf's home page. He lives with (1) wife who wishes he would grow up, (1) teenager who wonders how his parents got to this point in their lives without his help, (2) dogs who sleep a lot, (1) ferret who attacks when not looking and (1) cat who is basically useless. Other Articles I've Written