– Buddy Guy –
I’ve been struggling on whether to write about a local band I heard last week or about the out of body experience I had listening to and watching George “Buddy” Guy play at the Granada Theater on Friday. I mean, this is a blog about the local music scene so I want to highlight the local bands but at the same time, there are artists passing through town who are too important to ignore or dismiss. So with that rationale… I’m sorry local band but it’s mother farging Buddy Guy!!!!
Buddyyyyyyyy……. Guuuuuy!!
OG blues man Buddy Guy!!
Damn right I’ve got the blues Buddy Guy!!
Polka dot guitar in ode to his momma Buddy Guy!!
Bucket list show for any guitarist! Or should be!!
A bluesman who will go down in history as one of the genre’s pioneers blessed us with his presence here in Santa Barbara for those lucky enough to have attended the show.
The same Buddy Guy Eric Clapton, Jimmy Page, and Jeff Beck would fly to see and listen to in Chicago and let his innovative guitar playing influence their soon to be popular sound here in ‘merica where black players didn’t become popular until the white musicians played their music (way to go human beings! So proud of you!).
The funkiest and most entertaining mofo blues player, in my opinion, to pick up a guitar and teach himself to play. He has more feeling and emotion in his left pinky than most guitarists dream of ever having. If you close your eyes while he plays, some notes will take you back to the womb and make you thank the universe you’re about to enter a world where the blues aren’t just a mood but a way of life. Buddy’s playing will have you making all sorts of weird faces when you’re deep into feeling the emotional toll of the notes. Just watch Sebastian of Rent Party Blues get in the zone and you’ll know what I mean… that kid was probably born with a black suit and tie, shades, and a trilby fedora hat. As one of my friends so perfectly put it, unlike jazz or other genres, the blues leaves no room for screwing up… you’ll get your ass called out if you can’t play. No Joke. Get off the stage. Buddy was never that guy.
Much like Big Worm so delicately put it in one of our generation’s most genius pieces of film, “playing with my money is like playing with my emotions!” Well, playing the blues is like playing with my emotions. I know I’ll get a ton of shit and haters for this but it’s what I feel Joe Bonamassa is lacking. Don’t get me wrong, I think he’s an insanely talented guitarist but he’s missing that je ne sais quoi, or as a bluesman would say, “da fuck?” which makes the heart want to explode with joy or cut it’s own arteries from the suffering and sadness a perfectly bent high D note can provoke (I mean, D minor is the saddest of all the keys).
I saw Buddy Guy last week and I will never forget it. He shaped the guitarists who shaped me. It was through their playing that Buddy reached me and it was through watching Buddy play and entertain the audience that I felt a rekindled connection to Santana, Clapton, Zeppelin, Stones, Beatles, Hendrix, and Stevie Ray Vaughn flow through my soul again.
Thank you Buddy Guy for all the beautiful and moving music you created.
Raul
PS – High five to those who got the Mother Farging movie references.