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BLUEPRINT
REVIEW - Axe and Cleaver, Boston 11. März 1999
Lincolnshire's oldest Blues club has brought many fine acts for
the people of Boston & the surrounding area to enjoy, yet
despite the quality of performers, many of whom appear at top
blues venues across Britain & also in Europe, audiences are
often disappointing, perhaps due to sport on TV, work the following
day, apathy or just a lack of awareness of the quality of music
that can be heard at the club.
All is not gloom though, certain musicians have won many fans
in the area, for their excellent musicianship & superb live
performances. One who stands out is Howard Smith, whose past performances
with The Razors & more latterly The Snake River Hornets surely
were partly responsible for the larger than normal audience (despite
football being on ITV), who turned up to see the debut making
BluesMove at the Axe last week.
Howard has recently teamed up with three other fine musicians
two of whom are based in the Leicester area where Howard comes
from. Its some 4 years since keyboard player Julian Grudgings
& bassist Graham Lacey have appeared at the club with The
Mick Pini Band, whilst the more observant of the audience may
have recalled Michael Hellier drumming for Wamma Jamma at the
Axe!
They have now combined their own remarkable talents in a band
that looks sure to become favourites with audiences the length
& breadth of the country. Last Wednesday's gig at the Axe
was just their fourth live appearance together, already the band
is positively tight. Interestingly its the first time than guitarist
& lead vocalist Howard has worked in a band with a keyboard
player, & in Julian BluesMove have an excellent player whose
fine work complements Howard's guitar work.
Currently the band's set consists primarily of blues covers, yet
perhaps one of the finest moments of the evening came in Howard's
self written & magnificent song 'Slow Train', coming from
Howard's time with the Hornets, as the first chords of Howard's
slide guitar rang out, a cheer of recognition came from the audience.
This was followed by another of Howard's songs 'Diplomat' also
from his Hornets period. Julian keyboard work was an important
feature of the evening's music, going from the delicate piano
on 'Five Long Years' to the full blooded Hammond Organ sound on
their thrilling interpretation of Keb Mo's 'Dangerous Mood'.Freddie
King's 'Burglar' brought the first set to a fine close, with luscious
lacings of organ from Julian.
There's plenty of guitar work to enjoy on songs such as Sonny
Boy's 'Get Some Insurance' notable too for some precise drum work
from Michael Hellier, whilst Graham's bass work provided an excellent
anchor for the songs swinging rhythm. For the BB King song 'Woke
Up This Morning' Julian took over the lead vocals.
Another of the songs that Howard has featured in his live performances
since his Razors days has been 'Take Me To The River'. Over the
last few years this classic has become standard fare for covers
bands, & like 'Mustang Sally' has lost some of its sparkle,
yet Howard with his passion filled vocals, coupled with the band's
funky reworking made this one of the highlights of the evening.
Aptly the band closed with a well deserved encore, Lucky Peterson's
'Good Thing Is About To Run Out'. To ensure a good thing doesn't
run out, make sure you're in the audience on Wednesday nights
at Boston Blues Club, cause one thing's for sure you guaranteed
some top class music.
Tom & Ali Beaumont
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BLUESMOVE
LIVE REVIEWS @ The Torrington, Darlington Arts Centre, and other
live reviews.
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It's
rare nowadays to come across a new band on the live circuit
that pleasantly exceeds your expectations. That's not to say
there aren't any good bands about. Generally speaking, the standard
on the live club circuit usually surpasses the context in which
it is being played.
And so it was that Blues Move made their debut at the Torrington.
Relatively unknown at the outset, but kings for a night at the
climax of their set, Blues Move is essentially half of Leicester's
Mick Pini band plus Howard Smith on guitar/vocals (late of The
Razors) and of course the brilliant Roger Inniss on bass (Ruby
Turner/Steve Gibbons/Climax Blues band). But before waxing lyric
about Inniss and his 6 string cricket bat bass, let it be said
that the whole band also comprising Julian "bithday boy"
Crudgings and drummer Michael Hellier were his musical equal.
As a unit Blues Move were tight, and as the first of two sets
progressed they slipped into the realm of the inspired.
Frontman Howard Smith comes on like a demented Wilko Johnson
figure, but confusingly plays guitar like a cross between Sonny
Landreth and Lowell George. "Get Out Of Jail" for
example had a New Orleans feel and Smith worked his Sonny Landreth
style groove to great effect on "Slow Train". With
JC offering some lovely keyboard embellishments and the railroad
rhythm section of Hellier/Inniss pumping to the max on the majestic
"T-Bone Shuffle", the band seemed to visibly go up
a notch as the audience roared them on. Blues Move may lack
what marketing parlance call a sexy angle, but as this gig demonstrated
there's no substitute for class. And Blues Move have it in abundance.
Oh and Roger Inniss? Well the inevitable bass solo when it came,
was simply spell binding, but subtle enough to carry the song
on to an extra dimension, before the band slipped back into
the groove.
Moments such as these were once the preserve of top visiting
sessioneers. In the context of this gig, Inniss's dexterity
was one of several spell binding moments on a memorable night.
Blues Move, Live at The Torrington
Sunday, 9th February 2003
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On The Road With: BLUESMOVE (Where
you editor risks run ins with 4-legged groupies down on the
farm) Buoyed up by jaunt around Scotland in glorious weather
the previous week - Steve Earl in Glasgow; Kilmartin Glen; Ardnamurchan
Point; Glencoe & Stirling - I fancied another weekend of
nonsense.
And what better way to spend it than by unofficially "road
managing" Bluesmove for 4 gigs in 2 days?
The usual line-up of the band has been interrupted by the long-term
absence of bass player Graham Lacey following the recent illness
and subsequent death of his partner Jill. In his place stepped
Roger Inniss, a veteran of Elkie Brooks, Climax Blues Band,
Steve Gibbons Band and countless other gigs. The band was putting
in a days ` recording at a studio in Hartlepool prior to their
late night drive to Aberdeen.
They arrived around 2:30am, found their way into my flat and
rested up before the early start involved in getting down to
and playing a lunchtime gig at The Lemon Tree. We meet up mid
morning and I catch up with Mike Hellier, Julian Grudgings and
Howard Smith and am introduced to Roger Inniss for the first
time.
He`s a joker with a playful sense of humour and I warm to him
straight away. The Lemon Tree is busier than usual for a Friday
lunchtime, partly because it is the start of the Easter holidays
but also because there are people here to see the band. "Big
Boss Man" opens proceedings and straight away the band
hit a groove and a level of volume that isn`t going to annoy.
The hour-long set is culled mainly from the "Beat `n` Trak"
CD, with Howard and Julian sharing the vocals and melody and
Mike & Roger starring as brothers in Rhythm.
I must say that Roger is one hell of a bass player but you have
to worry about his intelligence. I mean, someone sold him a
bass with 6 strings on! The gig is an ideal taster for tomorrow
nights` full length outing at The Blue Lamp. But before that
we have another 2 shows and around 300 miles round trip to put
in.
The van is loaded and we head off on the "killer"
A96 to Kinloss and East Grange Loft. We pull up at the venue
- a working farm - and are greeted by Lucy & Grigor Butler.
I have spoken to Lucy countless times on the phone over the
past 12 months and have heard Grigor`s imput in the background
but this is my first meeting with them.
In the year they have been open they have put on all sorts of
music and seem to be ticking over with a regular clientele.
The soundcheck is quick and painless, the lasagne very tasty
and the selection of bottled ales extensive and very much to
my liking. It`s going to be a good night! The venue is a converted
barn loft and with around 60 people in it is busy enough to
look good and to just about cover costs.
The band cruise through a first set which kicks off with "Big
Boss Man" and moves through "Get Out Of Jail"
and "Dangerous Mood". Next up is Julian`s "Rhythm
Of Life", which includes the ironic or cringe-inducing
lyrical coupling, "You`re my all things nice/you`re my
chicken and rice". How does he get away with it?
On "Slow Train", Howard`s guitar heads into Sonny
Landreth territory and "Diplomat" has been transformed
by Roger into his bass showpiece. "Remington Ride"
is a great romp to take the band to the break. The audience
reaction is great, there`s the obligatory idiot dancer and I
meet up with SBN reader Julia for the first time since Orkney
Blues 2002.
Michelle Shocked`s "If Love Was A Train" opens up
set 2, followed by two relatively new numbers, "Hit That
Highway" and "Hurry Up". The latter, in particular,
is beginning to evolve into a Little Feat-style tour de force
as it gathers pace, momentum and length. Howard`s "Brand
New Friend" squeezes out any emotion left unsqueezed and
the band close the set with "T-Bone Shuffle". They`ve
left "Burglar" and "Good Thing About To Run Out"
as encore numbers and they need them both tonight as the enthusiastic
audience won`t let them go. An absolute corker of a gig in a
great venue. After the show we load up the gear, have a wind
down drink and chat with our hosts and wander through a deserted
cowshed in the dark and on up to the farmhouse and bed. In the
morning Grigor prepares a full on breakfast which sets us up
for the day and the trip over the hills to Dundee. Edinburgh
may have the Caley Brewery Blues Fest; Glasgow may be in the
midst of a blues renaissance and Aberdeen has The Blue Lamp,
but Dundee is the blues capitol of Scotland.
And
Deacon Brodies is the longest running continuous blues gig in
Scotland. The band is set up and ready to play by 3pm but there
are only a handful of blues friendly faces around. Within 10
minutes the venue has filled up with blues fans, musicians and
recognisable faces. I had to reprimand Roger for his wearing
of a jazz t-shirt at an out and out blues venue which, I think,
made him and the band play another absolute stormer, with "Hurry
Up" going to new heights and lengths yet again and Howard,
in particular, pouring everything into his performance. And
even though it`s going to take them beyond the 5pm curfew, an
encore is demanded. I nip round to Rokstop where a difficult
empasse between Kloth Monkey and The Boogaloo Investigators
(double booking scenario) is being solved.
I then nip along to the Balcony Bar to catch a quick earful
of Crossfire before we head back north to Aberdeen. Yes folks,
that`s 3 blues gigs on a Saturday afternoon in Dundee and all
well attended.
The drive back is quick and I manage to catch up with Glasgow
based Django Reinhardt specialists Swing Guitars in The Globe
before catching my 4th Bluesmove gig in two days.
I arrive just after Julian`s "chicken and rice" line
(not deliberately!) and a reasonably full Blue Lamp responds
warmly to an evening of top quality blues. I thoroughly enjoyed
all the shows and the set is sitting pretty at the moment, although
inevitably new material and a new CD will need to come soon.
This line up of Bluesmove will be back in Scotland as backing
band/support for Sherman Robertson for two shows in August and
again (but with Graham Lacey back on bass) for dates with Steve
Arvey in late September. They are a band at the peak of their
form. Make sure you catch them soon.
Chris Simmonds Four piece blues outfit BluesMove are described
on their website as the band "on the cutting edge of the
blues." I wasn't too sure what that meant before the gig,
but I was about to find out!
From the moment they hit the stage I knew we were in for a quite
different night of blues entertainment.
It could have been the body language from guitarist and vocalist,
Howard Smith, who appears to be a bundle of nervous energy.
(He reminded me of a John Otway or Wilko Johnson type figure
who's inner most feelings burst through to the surface and come
out as expressive jerky movements.
He was quite entertaining just watching him!). Their music is
a delicious cocktail of blues, rock and r'n'b with added mixtures
of country, funk, swing blues; why, there's even a little jazz
overtone included for good measure! Julian Grudgings on keyboards
adds a different slant on the covers the band play.
His approach enhances these numbers with arrangements that have
been well thought out. Keb Mo's "Dangerous Mood" and
Junior 'Guitar' Watson's "Hit that Highway" are slow
burners that make you feel 'dirty and sweet' all at the same
time. The tinkering piano is low-down and sleazy but Howard's
guitar is passionate and inviting. Great shades of darkness
and light. Julian's self-penned "Get out of Jail"
is a real funky arrangement.
He includes honky-tonk piano as an intro before Howard's searing
guitar rips into a stunning solo. Julian's vocals are also well
delivered and sit in well with the funky bass line pounded out
by Graham Lacey's steady drivin' vibes. Howard's "Slow
Train" is a slow, building number. Mike Hellier, on drums
keeps the lid on nicely when required, then lifts the lid off,
to engulf us in a flurry of dynamic rhythms.
You can almost hear that ol' train a' coming in the distance!
On Julian's "Drinking song" the band are in 'blues-mode,'
with a sleazy guitar riff over a jazzy background piano. The
song does have a strangely intoxicating feel to it, and funnily
enough I found myself drinking quicker than normal while listening
to it!
The last number in the first set was an old Freddie King instrumental
called "Remington Ride". Howard's guitar being the
lead instrument and backed by a strong bass-line from the steady
Graham Lacey.
After Michelle Shocked's "If Love was a Train" had
kick-started the second set, the band played further self-penned
material that attracted the dancers onto the floor. Once there,
they stayed until the end of the show. Even when the band played
a real slow tune called "Brand new Friend" - which
reminded me of Tom Waite's material. [Howard's voice however
not delivered with a whisky-drenched rasp, but more of a Bacardi
Rum smoothness!], the dancers did an old fashioned 'smoochie'
instead. "Hurry Up" reminded me of Little Feat, with
its country-rock flavour mixed with honky-tonk piano.
Julian also adds a gospel-type groove before Howard's wah-wah
guitar solo is thrown into the mix. It probably looks a strange
concoction on paper, but this hybrid really works very well.
The dancers loved it too and the rest of us listened in awe.
T-Bone Walker's "T-Bone Shuffle" concluded the set
with an up-tempo nd hard driven rhythm section really belting
it out.
Mike and Graham have worked hard tonight, and are a strong and
reliable backbone for the two lead instruments to build on.
They haven't put a foot wrong all night, and must be a dream
for Julian and Howard to work with. The band return to the stage
for two encores, Freddie King's "Burglar" and Lucky
Peterson's "Good Thing is about to Run Out." Both
are again, well played with energy and eagerness.
The crowd tried to encourage more from the band, and I'm sure
they would have obliged, but the old clock on the wall said,
"that's all!" - and we had to go. After tonight's
performance it would be difficult to disagree with the bands
website statement, they are on the cutting edge of the British
blues movement, These guys don't play or sound like any other
band I've seen before, (and believe me; I've seen quite a few).
Long may they continue to be so inventive with their writing
and arranging. A thoroughly enjoyable nights entertainment from
BluesMove; and hopefully a night I can repeat again soon.
MIKE
PRENDERGAST
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This
outfit of accomplished and experienced musicians comprises of
Howard Smith (guitar), Julian Grudgings (keyboards), Graham
Lacey (bass) and Michael Hellier (drums). They performed two
full and varied sets, including several numbers from their excellent
"Beat'n'Track" CD.
There was something to satisfy all musical tastes - rock, funk,
slow blues and shuffles, swing stuff, even a touch of country,
but a list like that cannot begin to do justice to the special
quality they bring to each number. They are blessed with two
talented vocalists in Howard and Julian, who both really know
how to deliver a song. Their choice of material was excellent,
whether covered or self-penned.
Tight arrangements were coupled with superbly relaxed playing,
allowing the individuals within the band to shine. Basically,
this lot don't just do numbers. They thrash them to within an
inch of their lives.
They play with real intensity and fire that can leave you gasping.
Each number sounded genuinely different and there were some
real surprises, like the cool funk of "She's A Burglar"
and the agonised power of "Slow Train". We've seen
some great acts at the Runner in recent months and Blues Move
are right up there with the best of them. Hope you book them
again, Barry! I'll certainly be spreading the word so that the
next time the room is nearer to capacity.
If you couldn't make it, do yourself a favour and get down next
time and bring your friends, because I can't imagine ANYBODY
failing to have a good time!
Dave Kingsbury (The Running Horse, Nottingham 2002)
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I
have recommended, and still do, that you invest in Beat'n'Trak
the debut album from British four-piece BluesMove, it's a
truly excellent mix of originals and classic covers. But
if you want to experience the true force of the band then I
suggest you go and see them live, quite simply they exploded
on stage.
Just to put the icing on the cake if you can also catch them
in the windowless, intimate, slightly sweaty atmosphere of the
Barrels Cellar Bar then your cup is most definitely overflowing.
Experience tells in these matters and in Mike Hellier, Julian
Grudgings, Howard Smith and Graham Lacey, BluesMove boast a
wealth of experience. now that's not much use on its own, it
has to be backed up by talent and the band displayed theirs
to devastating effect.Right from the opening Big Boss Man they
were edgier and spikier than on CD, that's not a criticism more
a reflection on the way they twisted turned and ultimately revelled
in their set. With Mike Hellier on drums and Lacey on bass providing
the heartbeat of the band it was left to Smith and Grudgings
to add the flesh.
If you were to sit down with a blank piece of paper and design
a frontman then Smith would be the result, slim and dressed
in black he almost disappeared against the stone backdrop, that
was the only thing transparent about him. With a voice of pure
passion and a series of little guitar cameos played with such
skill that would have today's "stars" a weeping and
a wailing, rather like Old English Spangles you don't see quality
like this very often these days.
Alongside Smith was the rather more restrained Jonathan "Jools"
Grudgings, who injected a beautifully light jazz feel into the
likes of "Tore Down" and "Dangerous Mood"
the latter underpinned with a beat plucked lovingly from the
lexicon of the greats."Rhythm of Life" was the first
track taken from Beat'n'Trak and it brought Grudgings to the
mike, compared to Smith's rawness Grudgings is the sophisticate.
It makes for a pleasant and intriguing contrast.
Almost every track the band played was "extended"
by an instrumental conclusion that rather like Topsy just grew
and grew, it's a great thing to watch a band doing what they
love and loving what they do. Hellier told me afterwards that
it had been a conscious decision to draw back from the bigger
gigs they were used to individually and come together to play
for sheer enjoyment.
The remainder of the first half was an object lesson in the
fusion of jazz, funk and great rock. Diplomat's intro wouldn't
have been out of place in a Shaft movie and during Burglar we
discovered that every key on Grudgings keyboard worked.The first
half ended with Remington Ride and how the band indulged themselves,
now there's fun and fun.
The first is a kind of amateurish knockabout, the second is
the kind borne out of hard work and talent, guess which they
came up with?So to the second set and proof, if indeed proof
were needed that BluesMove are a working band working in synch
came with a thumping "If Love was a Train". If you
can get a showstopper at a blues gig then theirs was a stunning
reworking of "Take Me to the River", taking the definitive
Al Green version and adding a "blast of sound" but
the real strength came from a clear understanding of the music.Sometimes
on a night such as this what you initially hear is not all you
get, "Brand New Friend", the band's heart-tugger,
saw Smith undergoing physical contortions as he extracted every
last morsel from the song. The other three stayed in the groove
and at the end all received well deserved and hard-earned praise.
The moment was heightened by "T-Bone Shuffle" which
followed close behind and certainly caught the attention of
the guy trying to talk to me, and I suspect most of the others.As
a band you know you've got them when they begin to play along,
I counted at least three "extra" band members during
"T-Bone Shuffle" which also served as the intro and
proved that it's just a scurrilous rumour about bass players,
Graham Lacey didn't need a solo spot to prove his worth but
it all added to the fun.
Too soon came the encore and no reviewer worth his salt is going
to refuse a sitter as they launched into "Good Thing is
About to Run Out". They were, it was and sadly it did.
Until the next time at least, the band well satisfied with the
atmosphere, were already talking about a return.The perfect
night? I hear you ask. Hardly, the blues fans of Berwick did
themselves no favours, the audience were enthusiastic and appreciative
but sparse. Use it or lose it guys. Remember Old English Spangles!
Michael Mee
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SHERMAN
ROBERTSON - GIG REVIEW
Sherman Robertson & BluesMove – Aberdeen Lemon Tree 02/08/03
I
have to admit that this was a much anticipated show for me:
one of America`s finest contemporary blues guitarists backed
by one of the UK`s best contemporary blues bands.
Bluesmove
warmed up themselves and the healthy crowd with three numbers,
If Love Was A Train, Get Out Of Jail and Slow Train, with Howard
Smith on sparkling guitar and vocal form on the bookend tracks
and Julian Grudgings leading on the sandwich filler.
And
without further ado Sherman Robertson was up there with them.
He`s originally from Louisiana but is now resident in Houston,
Texas. His guitar sound and songs represent both and much more
besides.
From
the opening Guitar Man, you know you are in the company of greatness
– and he knows he is in the company of a well above average
pick up band. It is the last of three shows that also included
appearances in Newcastle and headlining the Edinburgh Jazz &
Blues Festival, and it is obvious that everyone on stage is
more than happy with the outcome. Outta Sight, Outta Mind keeps
things moving nicely, and once you have marvelled at Sherman`s
guitar playing (on a magnificent old Gibson) you can appreciate
what a fine voice he has too. The usual blues motifs of longing
(Driving All Night), depression (I Wonder Why) and rejection
(Am I Losing You) are all handled in a fresh way with depth
of song, skillful playing and Sherman giving the band plenty
of opportunity to contribute and shine over and above the call
of duty. Drummer Mike Hellier would say later that this is the
band he has waited all his life to play with, as he and bassist
Bugsy build the solid foundation from which this mighty sound
can be built.
Home
Of The Blues is joyous; Me & My Guitar, a thrill and Let`s
Go To Texas…it makes you want to do just that. The set
closes with Fall In Love but you know there`s more to come.
Mama Told Papa is pure ZZ Top Texan boogie (At the soundcheck
it made me feel instantly intoxicated!). The crowd responds
accordingly knowing that, apart from everything else, Sherman
has been on stage for far longer than anticipated – over
2 hours. The final song, Looking Up at The Bottom, is about
as inaccurate a song title as you could get. Sherman Robertson
looks out from the top at one of the truly great Lemon Tree
gigs in recent years..
Chris
Simmonds
(Scots Blues News)
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