DATE: Wed, 05 Jan 1994 09:32:37 CST From: gran~rl.philips.nl Subject: Johhny Mars and Blues 'n' Trouble
Hi folks and a Happy New Year to you all.
Having just ploughed my way through the post-Christmas banter, I came across a reference to Johhny Mars. I saw him once in the beer garden of the Pear Tree House pub in Edinburgh, oh maybe 5 years ago (before the neighbours committee got outdoor gigs banned), and I was well impressed by his "unique" playing style. He had a little digital delay box attached to his mike, and by pressing a wee red button on it could sample a riff from his harp, which then played in a loop while he continued with the melody. This made for some very powerful blues and IMHO did away with the need for a second lead guitar in the band. He played the first gig in the week of the Jazz Festival in Edinburgh (which is HUGE these days) and being a regular at the Pear Tree I managed to get in for free for the whole week. Well I can safely say that there were more people at the Mars gig than at all the other Pear Tree events put together, and there was certainly no dancing around on the tables on any other night!
Having just been back in Scotland for the festive season, I heard about (but unfortunately coudn't get tickets for) a Blues 'n' Trouble gig in Preservation Hall (No, not in New Orleans, but an old church on Victoria St., Edinburgh). They normally play a sell-out audience in the PH at Hogmanay (Dec 31st) and I was obviously keen to get along, since I was there 2 years ago for the same event. As I said, this proved impossible due to lack of tickets, but I did get the information that they were recording a new, live album that night. They may also have had a guest harpist along, as they did a few years ago when to my great surprise none other than Lazy Lester 'played' with them. I put "played" in quotes since LL was at the time rather more keen on his "All-you-can-drink" offer at the bar than on his harping, and had to be helped to the stage, all of 5 meters away! To give him credit though, his T-shirt did proclaim the adage "Party hard or stay home", and I was glad he did the former. If I hear any more about B'n'T s new album I'll post it, and would love to hear from anyone else whose seen them on tour in Europe/US, since they usually cause a bit of fuss when they play. I used to work in the afore- mentioned Preservation Hall, and will never forget my first night there, when we had 11 (eleven) bar-staff to serve the mob that came along. It was a real baptism of fire in the job, and the most clear memory of a blurred evening is the pint glasses bouncing around on (and off) the bar surface due to the large number of blues-heads leaping around in time to the music!
All the best,
Goobs.
-- Grant, dr. D.M. Philips Research Laboratories Building WAY4 047, Prof. Holstlaan 4, 5656 AA Eindhoven, The Netherlands Phone: +31-40-742468 E-mail: gran~rl.philips.nl
