How an American trio are changing the sound of blues
NEW Mexico-based blues trio Lonesome Shack are captivating blues lovers and making converts with its evocative, emotive take on the genre. By Paul Stewart
FOR those who love the blues, this could well be the album of the year. Seattle’s Lonesome Shack have called this More Primitive and nothing could be closer to the truth.
The trio has produced a raw, stripped-down album that explores the depths of boogie and country blues while having a modern sound. There are lots of people who “play the blues” these days – its kind of “hip” and there are the old timers, who still do it brilliantly and there are those who slavishly try to recreate what they had.
But there are a few blues musicians who are taking the blues forward to the 21st century. Make no mistake, they are the real deal but they plough their own furrow and move the musical genre forward. A prime example of this is new blues guitarist, Stephen Dale Petit.
Lonesome Shack are part of this rarified group. The trio’s sound is raw, immediate and engaging and Ben Todd’s introspective lyrics are in the American blues tradition but to a new level and show a desire to get to the primitive core of life.