Official Joe Bonamassa Thread

[Shifty]

[Maverick]

[Maverick]

From the Royal Albert Hall DVD

 

Stop!

[Maverick]

And here's a real treat, also from the Royal Albert Hall

 

Sloe Gin

[Maverick]

Joe's Facebook Message from December 31, 2010 -

 

"The BCC shows went so great this past week.. I have not had that much fun playing in a long time.. Thank you all for supporting us. Signing off for the year 2010.. Thank you to everyone for making this year epic for me. It was filled with such excitement and joy for me.. til tomorrow.. aka 2011 Be safe!"

[wrekinboy]

Yep, saw Joe with BCC in London last night - they were very, very good. He really ripped it up on DP's 'Burn'. Definitely check them if they play near you.

[Maverick]

QUOTE (wrekinboy @ Dec 31 2010, 07:04 AM)

Yep, saw Joe with BCC in London last night - they were very, very good. He really ripped it up on DP's 'Burn'. Definitely check them if they play near you.

Awesome! Thanks for sharing that. If these guys don't make it to the U.S. to tour, I hope they at least put out a DVD.

[Maverick]

From the album The Ballad of John Henry, here's something that'll get your blood pumping.

 

Last Kiss

[Maverick]

Apparently I screwed up the link for "Stop!" above, so I'll try it again.

 

Stop!

[Maverick]

Here's a little hard edged slide guitar.

 

[briremo]

OK, here's my opine on JB. Something about him makes me think 'canned, polished, country club poser."

 

I'm sorry, but although he's technically good (even great) he just doesn;t light my fire. I had a friend recommend him to me and I bought the Blues Deluxe album. There are some good songs on it, but to me he sat down and said, "Ok, I need one blues tune from each genre (Delta, Chicago, Texas, Swing, etc) and put them all on one record so I can prove I'm a blues man". To me it's uninspired. A collection of check list items.

 

His Aviator sunglasses and Perry Ellis shirts just rub me wrong. SRV. EC. Buddy Guy. Those guys are blues men.

 

Now BCC sounds like something more up his alley. The stuff I've heard sounds good. Look forward to it.

[Maverick]

QUOTE (briremo @ Dec 31 2010, 11:30 PM)

OK, here's my opine on JB. Something about him makes me think 'canned, polished, country club poser." I'm sorry, but although he's technically good (even great) he just doesn;t light my fire. I had a friend recommend him to me and I bought the Blues Deluxe album. There are some good songs on it, but to me he sat down and said, "Ok, I need one blues tune from each genre (Delta, Chicago, Texas, Swing, etc) and put them all on one record so I can prove I'm a blues man". To me it's uninspired. A collection of check list items. His Aviator sunglasses and Perry Ellis shirts just rub me wrong. SRV. EC. Buddy Guy. Those guys are blues men. Now BCC sounds like something more up his alley. The stuff I've heard sounds good. Look forward to it.

To each their own, right?

 

 

Blues Deluxe was recorded in 2003, the year the U.S. Congress officially declared "The Year of The Blues." So maybe it made sense for Joe to honor that year with an album of 12 songs (for 12 bars) that spanned the history and different schools of the blues.

 

He doesn't have to prove his blues credentials to anyone, especially by making an album like Blues Deluxe. He was gigging with Danny Gatton and Muddy Waters and he toured with B.B. King when he was 12 years old.

 

He's never claimed to be a blues man in the purist sense. If that's what he thought he was, or wanted to be, he'd never have covered songs like A New Day Yesterday, Had to Cry Today, or Sloe Gin.

 

He's been bashed by blues purists (who he refers to as The Blues Police) for years because of his affection for the British interpretation of American blues, and his harder, more rock oriented approach.

 

He loves the blues, and pretty much everything he does is based on the blues. He's described it as everything he does begins and ends with the blues, but he'll do whatever he wants in the middle.

 

I don't know where the hate is coming from for his glasses or his clothes. Was SRV dressed as a blues man when he wore that blue kimono, or some of those ridiculous outfits he wore circa '85-'86, including the hat with the white fox tail?

 

Do you know about his Blues In The Schools program? You should check it out.

 

BCC is a vehicle for him to explore hard rock, and even heavy metal. But as you know, both of those genres grew out of the blues, too. I'm glad you like that facet of this playing. If you like his more rock oriented side, I would highly recommend the albums A New Day Yesterday, So Its Like That, and Had To Cry Today. And the DVD Live from Rockpalast is simply incredible.

[TwentyOneTwelve]

Saw JB last year at his biggest ever show to date at the Hammersmith Apollo in London. Completely blown away. Sloe Gin that night blew the roof off the place with everyone singing along. Oh and Ian Anderson turned up. Which was nice!

 

One of the most invigorating live guitarists I've ever seen. And from what I've heard, a really nice bloke to boot.

[micgtr71]

QUOTE (TwentyOneTwelve @ Jan 1 2011, 07:52 AM)

Saw JB last year at his biggest ever show to date at the Hammersmith Apollo in London. Completely blown away. Sloe Gin that night blew the roof off the place with everyone singing along. Oh and Ian Anderson turned up. Which was nice!  One of the most invigorating live guitarists I've ever seen. And from what I've heard, a really nice bloke to boot.

He is. When someone says to him how good he is, he replies with a thank you.

Edited January 1, 2011 by micgtr71

[Maverick]

QUOTE (TwentyOneTwelve @ Jan 1 2011, 07:52 AM)

Saw JB last year at his biggest ever show to date at the Hammersmith Apollo in London. Completely blown away. Sloe Gin that night blew the roof off the place with everyone singing along. Oh and Ian Anderson turned up. Which was nice! One of the most invigorating live guitarists I've ever seen. And from what I've heard, a really nice bloke to boot.

Joe mentioned that gig in a Facebook post. He said there were upwards of 5,000 people. Must have been incredible. And then Ian Anderson being there to play along on A New Day Yesterday. There is video of that on YouTube. I'll try to post it later.

[briremo]

@ the oaks,

 

thanks for your reply. I think some of your message gets into what I'm trying to say in that he has other albums more rock oriented and Blues Deluxe was his "blues" album. Following the formula. Perhaps it's also because the guy who turmed me onto him praised him as the second coming of SRV and that got my hopes up so high.

 

I do see him as more of a rock guitarist however. I don't mean to detract from his obvious skills. You know as an older guy I have a vision or prejudiced for my blues "Gods" of SRV and EC. I saw his Royal Albert Hall show on Palladia and he looked like he was trying too hard with EC on stage, while EC was like "Go ahead Sonny, ham it up."

 

The sunglasses still irk me.

 

I'll scope out some more of the vids you've posted as well, I'm always on the look out for good tunes and you definately got some up there.

 

Peace!

[Maverick]

QUOTE (briremo @ Jan 1 2011, 11:43 PM)

@ the oaks, thanks for your reply. I think some of your message gets into what I'm trying to say in that he has other albums more rock oriented and Blues Deluxe was his "blues" album. Following the formula. Perhaps it's also because the guy who turmed me onto him praised him as the second coming of SRV and that got my hopes up so high. I do see him as more of a rock guitarist however. I don't mean to detract from his obvious skills. You know as an older guy I have a vision or prejudiced for my blues "Gods" of SRV and EC. I saw his Royal Albert Hall show on Palladia and he looked like he was trying too hard with EC on stage, while EC was like "Go ahead Sonny, ham it up." The sunglasses still irk me. I'll scope out some more of the vids you've posted as well, I'm always on the look out for good tunes and you definately got some up there. Peace!

Well the first thing that went wrong was your friend telling you that Joe was the second coming of SRV.

 

I think Joe was around 13 when SRV died. He had been touring with B.B. King and playing with other people, and you know how it goes: people want to know who is going to be the next SRV. Along with Kenny Wayne Shepherd, I think Joe was identified as someone who could fill that void.

 

Joe certainly could imitate SRV, and SRV was a huge influence on Joe. But joe cites Clapton as his main influence, along with Peter Green, Rory Gallagher, and other British blues guys.

 

What's actually funny (and a little sad) is that one of the reasons Joe stopped playing Stratocasters was because its almost impossible to play a Strat and NOT sound like SRV. Joe plays Les Pauls and Music Mans now. He did something like 10 guitar changes when I saw him in concert, and not one guitar was a Fender. There is also some bad blood between Joe and Fender, too, so I'm sure that plays a roll.

 

Of his first four albums, only Blues Deluxe is purely a blues album. the rest have some blues songs on them, but they are by and large blues rock and classic rock oriented. When Kevin Shirley started producing his records in 2006, he became more of a blues guy, but it was heavy blues.

 

If you really want a good blues album from him, check out "You and Me." I listened to it tonight for the first time in a while, and its got a rawer, grittier feel that Blues Deluxe did not have. Blues Deluxe had a lot of energy, but it was a very highly polished modern interpretation of the blues. You and Me is more of a throwback, I think. I like his tone better, his voice is better, and he does a version of Led Zepplin's Tea For One that is out of this world.

 

[briremo]

Sweet, I'll check it out.

 

I do think that BD was a bit polished but EC puts out amazingly clean albums that are very dynamic and I LOVE HIS STUFF. He has a way of making a great sounding record. From the Cradle being one of my favs.

 

Now I need to go stand on my Candlebox soapbox.

Edited January 3, 2011 by briremo

[Maverick]

QUOTE (briremo @ Jan 2 2011, 09:46 PM)

Sweet, I'll check it out. I do think that BD was a bit polished but EC puts out amazingly clean albums that are very dynamic and I LOVE HIS STUFF. He has a way of making a great sounding record. From the Cradle being one of my favs. Now I need to go stand on my Candlebox soapbox.

All Candlebox discussion will be held in another thread.

 

 

 

[summer_sky]

Have seen Joe Bonamassa perform 3 times, first time was in Florida circa 2004 when he opened for Peter Frampton. His playing totally blew me away.

Have had the opportunity twice to speak briefly with Bonamassa... each occasion he was very kind and humble. Joe is so masterful and powerful when commanding the stage and so soft spoken and down-to earth off stage.

 

I look forward to the treat of again experiencing his playing soon!

[Maverick]

Joe Bonamassa will release his new CD on March 21st in the U.K., and on March 22nd in the U.S.

 

http://i1239.photobucket.com/albums/ff508/blackcc/dustbowl_art_hires.jpg

[Shifty]

[jesse2112]

I goin to see him in Saginaw in March, Im really not familiar with a lot of his music but I like what I hear and I'm a guitar player so ill enjoy it no matter what Edited February 14, 2011 by jesse2112

[nebbish]

saw JB in Belfast December '09 - simply sublime

 

Called in for a pint afterwards at the Garrick pub and who comes walking in - JB and his band followed by Sandi Thom and her band (who were the support)

 

Got some nice pics with him (look at my avatar) - true gent and he signed the back of my ticket

 

Great night!!

Edited February 14, 2011 by nebbish

[sullysue]

QUOTE (nebbish @ Feb 14 2011, 12:49 PM)

saw JB in Belfast December '09 - simply sublime Called in for a pint afterwards at the Garrick pub and who comes walking in - JB and his band followed by Sandi Thom and her band (who were the support) Got some nice pics with him (look at my avatar) - true gent and he signed the back of my ticket Great night!!

Cool!!! I didn't know that was him in your avatar.

 

A friend and I are going to see him here on the 26th. I'm very excited!!!