Christmas came a little bit early this year! My friend Shelli got me a table for four, front and center, at the cozy Decatur music venue Eddie's Attic to see Kelly Joe Phelps last night. Phelps is a singer/songwriter/guitarist that I discovered when I started getting into blues and folk artists a few years back. He showed up on many, many recommendations lists, so I bought one CD. Then I bought all of his other ones. Shelli and I saw him perform a few times at the Iron Horse Music Hall in Northampton, MA. The first time was an especially memorable experience. A strong summer thunderstorm had passed through the area and left Northampton without power. The show went on anyway, as a purely acoustic performance, and with the stage and tables illuminated by candlelight. The audience obliged by being especially quiet and we all had a great time.
Here is a taste of what a KJP show is like:
If you like it, support the artist by buying some of his stuff. Or better yet - go to one of his shows. He's headed back up the east coast to New England this week.
9 comments:
That's some totally amazing guitar playing! Guitar music is my favorite type of music, especially pure instrumental guitar music. Still, Phelps has an excellent voice, too. I will definitely search for more of his songs on YouTube and Deezer.
Now I'll share one with you. This is a video of my greatest guitar-playing hero of all time, Leo Kottke (you may have heard of him). In this video (from 1974; wow!), he plays two instrumental songs in a row. The first song is from what I consider to be his greatest album, Greenhouse. I even love the four vocal songs on this album, especially "Louise" and "Tiny Island" (his voice is an acquired taste and doesn't always compliment a song, but it is absolutely perfect in these two songs; the Amazon reviews say it all).
That Kelly Joe Phelps, he's damn good, ya.
I agree, if you like this sort of thing, you need to have some Leo Kottke. I have Ice Water and Chewing Pine, which are from around the same period as Greenhouse. The 70's were his most productive period, though he must have at least 30 discs out there. All of his albums I've heard have at least a couple of good tracks on them.
I've always been fond of Eric Johnson myself.
They make it look so easy too, don't they.
word ver: twinmac -- finally something that actually looks like a word.
Dr. Sardonicus, I also have Ice Water and Chewing Pine. They both contain some of my favorite songs (although I have yet to acquire an appreciation for the vocals on Ice Water). The first two Kottke albums I ever bought were Chewing Pine and Greenhouse. Prior to that time, I had heard only a small part of his famous 6 & 12 String Guitar on a music store's stereo system. I had been so impressed that I just had to take a chance on these two "unknown" albums when I found them in a 2nd-hand music store a couple years later (although I debated for several months before finally buying them). Of the ten Kottke albums I own (most being from the 1970s), Greenhouse is the only one that is nearly perfect, to the point that I am totally inspired by it every time I hear it. I have tried repeatedly to describe it in more detail in this comment, but the right words elude me.
The video to which I linked in my previous comment is great, but it doesn't do justice to his range and versatility. Here are two more videos (from 1993), that include some of his softer songs: Video One and Video Two.
Thanks for those links, everyone. It is fun to get recommendations to try out.
One thing Kelly Joe doesn't seem to do at his performances anymore is play slide guitar. I'm hoping one of these years he'll work back around to it.
Hi, Fermi. You're quick!
I forgot to say that I like the "Video Two" link a little better than the "Video One" link.
He's totally dissing Detroit, so I can't support him.
Wow, you're a blues fan? Me too, big time. Don't know why, but I am really drawn to it.
This guy's really good. And how cool that you had such great seats to see him! There's nothing like live music.
Love the blues! It was a great show. We enjoyed the cozy venue. Their food was excellent, and we had a good time.
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