Pizza Bob’s gettin’ da bluez
By Lindsay Wilson
There’s not a lot Bob Collins, owner of Pizza Bob’s, hasn’t seen in his 33 years owning the neighbourhood pizza restaurant. Collins is just one of those guys who knew the restaurant industry was where he belonged at an early age.
“I knew I was in for the long haul,” recalls Collins. “We’re almost a landmark by now.”
Growing up in the northwest, many of Collins’ regulars are the same faces he went to school with, remaining friends for a lifetime. Staff members and patrons alike have come and gone, and all the while, the pizza has remained one of the finest in the city: thin crust, homemade dough sporting the freshest of toppings. If you haven’t tried it, that alone is enough reason to stop by and have a taste on the route between work and home.
And now, Pizza Bob’s is getting the blues. As a vendor at the Calgary International Blues Festival each year, Collins has long been a lover of the blues. Now, after years of sporadically bringing in a number of bands, he has finally decided to make the jump and see if Pizza Bob’s can become something of a blues bar.
Collins was approached by the frontman of Blues Connection, Joe Johnson, with the idea of bringing the music into his long-standing pizza palace. The idea was that Blues Connection, a relatively new band, would set up and play every second Saturday night, returning Sunday afternoons to play and invite jammers to get up and join in: practice time for the band and a new jam for northwesters.
“I had the idea and came to Bob with this. I knew he was a blues lover, and doing it this way gives us time to let this grow and take root,” says Johnson. “I think there’s lots of room to grow and Bob and I are confident this will take off.”
Eventually, the idea is to draw in a regular crowd on the biweekly Saturday nights and Sunday afternoons and start bringing in other bands on the Saturdays in between.
Blues Connection is made up of Joe Johnson (guitar, vocals), Gary “Zig Zag” O’Brian (drums), Bob Radiff alternating with Dave Ferguson (bass) and Jeff Orsten (harmonica). Finding time to get together and practice is a challenge for any band, and this group of players is really looking forward to having a house to practice in. So far, the crowd loves the Saturday night serenade. Even Collins has been working hard at learning the blues on mandolin, and likely will be sighted jamming with the boys from time to time.
Whether you’re craving a delectable pizza, are in the mood to jam, or you just want to come down on a Saturday night to kick back, have a bite and listen to da bluez – Pizza Bob’s is waiting for you.
Posted by Lindsay Wilson on May 05, 2010
The GUNN Blues Band
By Lindsay Wilson
For Greg Gunhold, guitarist, songwriter and arranger of GUNN Blues Band, putting a band together and getting into the Calgary music scene is about quality and professionalism.
After a lifetime behind the wheel of his axe, Gunhold took a break from bands and live performance until he felt he was at a place in his life when he could devote the time to pursuing his passion. He’s now put together a band that consists of seasoned pros who all shared the same goal: to play quality music, creative originals and unique arrangements that are a cut above the usual weekend warrior bar bands.
“We shouldn’t be like anybody else. A lot of people can’t categorize what we are – it’s like a blues band, but not like any other blues band. We’re a hot band who are really interested in playing with a high level of musicianship,” explains Gunhold, who describes GUNN as a concert type of act playing in smaller venues.
Each member of GUNN – Greg Gunhold (guitar, keys, composer, arranger, producer), Terry Kushner (female vocalist), Danny Zane (bass), Richard Allan (drums) and Brock Gillis (Hammond B3 organist) – has had a colourful background in music, and all have shared the stage with some impressive figures in the North American music scene.
As the newest member of GUNN, Gillis remembers having to turn down Gunhold when first approached to join the ranks over a year ago. After seeing the group perform at the Lord Nelson for a big bash birthday jam, Gillis dropped everything he had on the go and committed himself to being a hired GUNN.
“This is the band I’ve been wanting to join all my life. Their music lends itself to exactly what I do (the Hammond B3)… It’s blues with an edge,” explains an enthused Gillis.
Blues with an edge: there’s a lot of shuffling going on, a soft spot for classic blues standards with a tweak in the arrangements and a strong focus on originals. The use of the incomparable sound of the Hammond B3 organ adds a layer of instrumental depth to the band not found in a lot of five pieces on the scene these days.
What fuels Gunhold’s writing is the mish-mash of influences and experiences that each of the players bring to the table. Hugely influenced by bands like Genesis and artists such as Jeff Beck, Chick Corea, Scott Henderson, Quincy Jones and British sensation Imogen Heap, Gunhold takes in everything around him to put together tasty arrangements.
Gunhold also brings his extensive work as a producer and sound engineer to the forefront of GUNN. Through his own studio, Crueltea Productions, Gunhold has learned that the difference between simply entertaining an audience and bringing them back for more requires offering something a little off the beaten track.
“It’s a different trip. We’re just another offering for people to see beyond the Top 40,” states Gunhold.
With a steadfast stream of gigs, a creative approach and a strong level of commitment to producing quality music, Calgary’s GUNN Blues Band just might be here to stay.
Posted by Lindsay Wilson on May 05, 2010
The King Eddy will rise again
By Lindsay Wilson
It’s already approaching six years since the doors were slammed shut – seemingly for good – on Calgary’s legendary blues bar, the King Eddy. Much has happened in the years since, the most important being the announcement that the King Eddy is scheduled to reopen in 2012 under the expanding wing of the Cantos Music Foundation.
In preparation for reinstating blues in Calgary’s east end, Cantos, with the help of the Friends of the Eddy, have put together an all-ages blues jam, which is held at the Cantos Music Foundation the last Monday of every month from 7-10 pm. The intent of Blue Mondays is to foster the blues community in Calgary by connecting the pros on the scene with other musicians, music lovers and supporters of the King Eddy.
“We’ve developed a good core group of dedicated regulars and have been focusing on bringing in Calgary’s top blues acts for educational workshops and hosting. This has allowed us to introduce new audiences to Blue Mondays that can help develop emerging and seasoned musicians who are eager to learn. Blue Mondays has become a great way to showcase Calgary talent in an educational way,” says Andrew Mosker, the executive director of Cantos.
Cantos continues to look for suggestions from anyone who wants to get involved and support the new King Eddy.
“We are currently developing an overall master programming plan for the National Music Centre project and the blues will be an important part of the educational, exhibit and performance programming stream. We will continue to reach out to the Friends of the King Eddy and the blues community at large for some programming ideas about blues programming as we draft the master plan,” says Mosker, in regards to how the blues will be a core part of the new King Eddy.
In short, the blues will make it back to the Eddy, and it’s up to the blues community to become involved with Cantos and voice their opinion about how they want to see blues represented in Calgary.
To learn more about The Cantos Music Foundation, visit www.cantos.ca
Posted by Lindsay Wilson on May 05, 2010
Beatroute’s A Player of the Month: Darren Johnson
By Lindsay Wilson
It is no minor accomplishment for Calgary bluesman Darren Johnson to be held in such a high regard by fellow musicians twenty and thirty years his senior. Passing Johnson’s name around the Calgary blues community tends to drum up a standard opinion: a highly skilled, Delta-rooted singer-songwriter with a country twist and a smokin’ blues voice.
The most striking quality about Johnson is, without question, his voice. The startling dichotomy from his speaking voice to his singing voice – a low-register, raspy blues voice with a maturity of someone twice his age – is enough to turn heads on its own: think Tom Waits, Long John Baldry and Jimmy Rogers tossed into a blender.
“What sets Darren apart from other artists is the huge difference between his speaking voice and his singing voice. The latter is this huge, gruff, very bluesy baritone and the former is a high, squeaky kind of teenage voice – it really takes you back the first time you hear him sing,” remarks Amos Garrett, one of the most accomplished guitar players in this part of the country.
That, and he’s so damn tall. At an impressive 6”6’, his appearance has done him favours on the stage, but admittedly nothing on the dance floor.
“Tall people are klutzy. Our limbs are farther away from our brains,” laughs Johnson, in his typical comedic fashion that charms audience members both on and off the stage.
A partsman by trade, Johnson realized upon getting a guitar at 14, playing in bands for a number of years and beginning his ultimate quest of songwriting by 21 that music was all he really wanted to do.
When he walked off the job site some 10 years ago to commit himself to his music, he knew he was throwing caution to the wind. Despite the highs and lows that come with being an artist, however, he’s never looked back at what life may have been like had he not made the choice to enter the music world as a full-time gigging, recording and touring artist.
And, like most blues artists, he just walked into the music and knew he belonged there.
“A friend of mine owned a little restaurant out in Okotoks called Madison Avenue, and that was the first time I saw Tim Williams and (the late) Back Alley John there. Those were two moments that absolutely changed my life, and that’s when I knew I wanted to be a blues player,” reflects Johnson.
Johnson credits Calgary blues cats, bass player Suitcase James and drummer Kevin Belzner with bringing him into the scene, beginning in Turner Valley and reaching out from there. It didn’t take long for “the kid” to begin sharing the stage with some of Calgary’s finest musicians, such as Tim Williams, Bill Dowey, Back Alley John, Dylan MacDonald, Mike Clark, Tim Erickson, Amos Garrett and Steve Pineo, among others.
Other memorable acts Johnson has opened up for include the Blind Boys of Alabama, Jim Byrnes and David Gogo.
Ten years later, Johnson celebrates his upcoming fourth album, which is a collection of rootsy originals pending release this late spring, which certainly makes the idea of a summer Canadian tour and a European fall tour a likely possibility for Johnson. Armed with his favorite guitars – a 1935 Gibson L30, a 1927 Martin 2-17 and his 1940s Harmony with a DeArmond pickup – Johnson possesses a particular affinity for being on the road.
“The secret is travelling – which I do a lot of – and live performance. CDs are obsolete. We’re in transition and the best way to get through this is to keep playing live,” says Johnson. “The Grateful Dead had it right. They never recorded; they just played over 300 shows a year. I mean, that’s why we do it: to play live. We don’t do it to record albums and sell them.”
Even though the bluesman’s interest is piqued at the notion of putting a band back together, for the time being, Johnson is enjoying the solo (and sometimes duo) adventure he is currently riding on: himself, a hat and a guitar lighting up the stage; that, and his trademark barefoot appearance.
“I always wore flip-flops and they’d always get caught in the cords, so I’d end up going barefoot,” explains Johnson of the practicality that became a part of his act.
Red Deer’s jazz and blues saxophonist Claude Godin is no stranger to getting up on stage with some of North America’s premier musicians. Having played shows with Johnson, Godin loves the energy and enthusiasm the Delta player brings to the stage and lists Johnson as one of his favorite players to gig with.
“He’s a unique case in point, as he’s been known to appear onstage well-dressed and barefoot at the same time. He is very professional onstage – poised, as well as confident – and I’d have to say he has a lot of respect for his audience, as well,” remarks Godin.
However, confidence is something Johnson can’t say he was naturally born with. In fact, he admits to being highly embarrassed of his voice during his days of being a guitar player and sideman in bands.
“When I first really went out on my own, I used to be so embarrassed that I had to write myself a note and put it on the passenger seat in my car telling myself to ‘Go For It,’” remembers Johnson, who now finds himself focusing more on his songwriting craft than anything else.
All of Johnson’s albums are original material, sharing the stories of his life on the road, the people he meets and where he places them in relation to the world. Funny, poignant observations that reflect genuine human conditions are what make up the bulk of Johnson’s writing.
“Out of the four albums I’ve got, I think there’s at least two good songs,” quips Johnson, never really taking anything too seriously – even an interview.
To learn more about Darren, visit his website at www.darrenjohnson.net
Posted by Lindsay Wilson on May 05, 2010