jbone
63 posts
May 11, 2009
4:25 AM
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This is an excerpt from the blog i did last night on our myspace page. definite harp content! we just got back from Clarksdale, MS, where we hosted a jam and did a set or 2 at Bluesberry cafe on saturday.
a little background on Deak Harp: he grew up in new jersey and at some point hooked up with James Cotton and sort of became his chauffer and harp student. Deak really learned the old blues style and is such i dedicated and killer harpman. i have seen him doing a one man thing on the street at fests, just him, a foot powered drum or 2, and his harps.
I happened to meet up with an old internet pal, DEAK HARP, who I had seen around but we'd never really got to talk much over recent visits to Cdale and Helena. This time we had some great conversation. He found out that that was JOLENE singing earlier, whom he'd heard from up the block, and he was really amazed and complimentary. Which of course made Jo feel 10 feet tall! And rightly so. I continue to know how very fortunate I am to have her as my partner in life, crime, and music!
So Deak and I chatted a bit about old acquaintences and about harps and amps and all. He was invited to sit in with Delta Highway, and when that happened- I had never seen him in action with a full band- I was just so blown away. For REAL. He would back Brandon's vocals, and Brandon would do a harp lead, then Deak would take one. I don't think i can adequately describe the scene on that stage. Imagine a bulldog, well dressed, smooth, debonair, but still a ferocious bulldog. Give him the end of a rope tied to a tree branch hanging just out of reach. He jumps up, grabs that rope, and will- NOT- LET- GO. Deak took hold of every note and played it to just the highest level of competence. He got to jumpin around in place on stage, twisting around, and basically putting his whole body into every note. (in fact, he was so animated the vibrations sent a p.a. main speaker to the floor- fortunately Fender made a great p.a. in the Passport 150, it never hurt it a bit!) And he definitely strung the right ones together! I think this may be the first time Jo ever said to me, "Those two guys are awesome- THEY are your peers)! Which I humbly respond, those two guys are just a bit above me on the food chain. But nicer guys you'll never meet. Deak once gave me a 30-minute harp lesson on the phone, having never met me in person, only in a blues chat room.
But now last night, Brandon and Deak gave me a huge gift. Respect. They invited me up for a turnaround on the last song of the night. And part of me had hoped they would, part hoped they wouldn't. I was pretty worn down after driving over 3 hours to get to Cdale, and all the stuff we'd done all day, plus having this cold or whatever.
Both of these guys have more precise technique than I have. I'm a notorious hip shooter as a harp man. And my mechanics are not so tight as either Brandon or Deak. But still, there's a part of me that is fearless and almost rabid for an opportunity to get on stage with guys of that caliber, and take a chance. Which I definitely did! It was like the red carpet was rolled out. Both guys had their bassman rigs and bullet mics on stage, and Brandon handed me his mic, stepped off and let Deak and me trade some harp work, then joined back to do vocals and lead the band, giving everyone a shot in the spotlight. It was over way too soon. But let me tell you, that sort of thing really gets me HIGH. REALLY high! It wasn't the meds that made my chest swell, it was pride and gratitude!
the other cat i need to tell you about is Brandon Santini. he fronts Delta Highway. i *think* these guys came up in either memphis or st. louis, either way they have taken on the challenge of doing real old school blues but with enough twist to keep the "younger generation" happy. up tempo, tasty, sparse in places and rich as all gitout in places, Delta Highway is definitely worth checking out. i don't know about you, but there are times i begin to think i'm a real harp badass. then i see a guy like Brandon or Deak and i have to face a few facts. i do ok and even well most of the time, and i could hang with guys like that, but i think i'd be real quick to learn from them and real quick to dig in and practice much more than i do!
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