March 25, 1997

Who'da thought the blues could be so much fun? I caught the Charlie Musselwhite show at the Junkyard on Friday night and despite some very emotional harmonica playing by Charlie, I was grinning like a Cheshire cat and stompin' my feet most of the night.

The band as a whole was the star of the show; all five members (Stu Blank - keyboards; Felton Crews - bass; David Rokeach - drums; John Wedemeyer - guitar; and Charlie Musselwhite - vocals, harmonica) were skilled musicians who seemed to have a real affinity for playing together. I've rarely seen a big name star like Charlie Musselwhite step back and let the band do its thing, but he did, and this added to the show immensely. In fact, when I spoke to Charlie after the show, he told me, "There are no egos in the band; we play as a team to make good music."

The types of songs in the two-set show ranged from blues to rockabilly to a very interesting Brazilian blues style. The latter of the three really got my attention. Charlie took a moment to explain the style, and this put me in the mindset to hear something new. And new it was; I've never heard anything like it. Though the style was obviously blues, a Latin influence changed the feel of the music. It was lighter than traditional blues, but I sensed a tragic story behind the tunes.

As icing on the cake, the sound quality was outstanding. The soundman - who had to deal with repeated interruptions from a drunken, spoons playing fan - handled the variety of music and the many solos smoothly. Hats off to the men and women behind the scenes.

J.D. Ashcraft Born in 1880 to a coal miner and an alligator wrestler, I came to Orlando after the great depression to take part in the new media revolution that was television. Now, some 50 years later, I am still active in new media via The Slant. Der wiesel ist in der flub!. Other Articles I've Written