Texas blues band

[jgcable]

Re: Texas blues band

I've never "lived the blues" so I am sure to be a total rip-off clone of SRV. I don't have my own style when it comes to blues. Its all a ripoff. I just love the licks and the freedom that playing Texas blues allows. Its like playing guitar with no rules except less is usually more.

[Endrik]

Re: Texas blues band

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would I get killed if I would play like Billy Gibbons? he is the first legendary white boogie man from Texas so it would be a sin right?

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I don't think as many people cop Billy's style as cop SRV's. I don't know who came first in terms of Texas White Boy Boogie...Billy or Johnny Winter. Either way, their styles are not as much of a cliche' as SRV's. I actually walked out of a Kenny Wayne Shepard show at the House of Blues in 2000, because although he had the chops...he was such a thief that it sickened me. Paid good money for that show, too.

Mike

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Johnny is older but Billy got the recognition first. I've never heard anyone who plays exactly like Billy or has the same tone. He was huge, a Jimi Hendrix' favourite guitar player, Eddie Van Halen and Billy Sheehan learned the tapping from him, Van Halen used his (ZZ Top's) songwriting structures and grooves, Billy wrote tons of hit songs and sold millions of albums but no one sound EXACTLY like him. That's kinda a weird.

[jgcable]

Re: Texas blues band

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would I get killed if I would play like Billy Gibbons? he is the first legendary white boogie man from Texas so it would be a sin right?

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I don't think as many people cop Billy's style as cop SRV's. I don't know who came first in terms of Texas White Boy Boogie...Billy or Johnny Winter. Either way, their styles are not as much of a cliche' as SRV's. I actually walked out of a Kenny Wayne Shepard show at the House of Blues in 2000, because although he had the chops...he was such a thief that it sickened me. Paid good money for that show, too.

Mike

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Johnny is older but Billy got the recognition first. I've never heard anyone who plays exactly like Billy or has the same tone. He was huge, a Jimi Hendrix' favourite guitar player, Eddie Van Halen and Billy Sheehan learned the tapping from him, Van Halen used his (ZZ Top's) songwriting structures and grooves, Billy wrote tons of hit songs and sold millions of albums but no one sound EXACTLY like him. That's kinda a weird.

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Agreed. Billy has a unique style.

[MBreinin]

Re: Texas blues band

Oh, Billy is great...a true master. For years I have noodled with Blue Jean Blues, and I could never cop all of the licks or the tone. In my opinion, Blue Jean Blues may be the greatest slow blues tune ever crafted. It is right up there, man.

On another note, I have seen Johnny Winter 3 or 4 times, and although a terrifying human being in appearance, man can he fucking RIP!

JG, you need to forge your own blues style. Take the licks of SRV and other guys you dig and meld them together. I play alot of SRV licks, but when I mix them with an Eddie Van Halen vibe, and a Gary Moore type of tone...it doesn't sound like SRV anymore....it could sound like ass for all I know...but I dig it. I try to use all this stuff in one style, my style.

Mike

[Chrisb]

Re: Texas blues band

You can do both, sometimes in the same song but as was pointed out you need the right gear. Thats the tough part. I think you would need to be very knowledgable about guitars, pickups, amps etc to be able to have gear capable of covering the spectrum successfully. The gear is out there, but finding it can be tough. You might need to rewire one of your guitars to give it the tonal versatility. Ampwise thats a tough one, I know alot more about guitars then about amps so I can't help you there but I think you would need to find a amp that can back off the gain and still get a nice raunchy warm sound. But part of what I was trying to achieve with my custom guitar was that tonal versatility I spoke of earlier. I looked at pickups, at combinations of them and woods and how they affect tone. So I wound up with a balanced guitar that should be on the warmer side, with a double pull, double throw to split and smooth out the custom and full shred. And a cool rail in the middle for some smoother stuff with less output. Obviously the guitar isn't done yet so I don't know how it will handle the texas blues but the guitar I am working on putting together now, I am trying to achieve that same versatility (the warmoth, ETA 7 weeks).

The point is that you don't need to completely divorce yourself of metal, you can do both.

[Endrik]

Re: Texas blues band

Billy is the shit. I remember when I was 10 years old I was in a huge rock festival with my family. The closing act was ZZ Top. It was the most incredible thing I've ever seen. They did a very long set, Frank Beard was drunk as hell but he nailed everything perfectly, he kept the time very well. The sound that came out of Billy's guitar is something I will never forget. After the show I knew that this is what I want to do. I was a serious rock fan since the age of 4 but after seeing ZZ Top I knew that I want to be on the stage myself.

I picked up the guitar at the age of 14, from the day one I only wanted to play the blues, I didn't care about all those classical pieces and whatnot. I started practicing all those bends and vibratos right away. It was a 40 year old Soviet 7-string acoustic with 6 strings. It had the highest action known to mankind. I've played blues all the time but there's always something new to learn. My blues style is some weird mix of Billy Gibbons, SRV, Albert King, Gary Moore and I also use a lot of funk tricks too. Billy's influence is dominant in my blues style. I use all those harmonics like a motherfucker and I'm a very rhythmic player, I'm all about the groove.

Billy never stops to amaze me. He always kills the other players with his badass attitude in my opinion. He is just there with his confidence and cool face laughing quietly into his beard and knowing that he is gonna nail all the chicks on the show and the other players will go home to eat pancakes wich their mothers made for them.
He is such a cool fucker, his playing always has that big Texas vibe and he has probably the most natural talent when it comes to playing grooves. And add a fantastic rhythm section: Dusty Hill and Frank Beard. Monster groov players, and Frank has actually pretty awsome chops too, I'm not kiddin' ya'. They have such a great vibe going on. Their music is very sexual. You just want to bone all the chicks around when you hear a ZZ Top tune. But it's not just that, hearing them makes you think that your in a small Texas bar and sitting in the dark corner legs on the table or you are outside when the sun starts to set and sitting on the wheelchair and thinkin' about the good times.

That's how good Billy is

[jeff300]

Re: Texas blues band

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Its like playing guitar with no rules except less is usually more.

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Hey, I trademarked that. [img]/images/graemlins/laugh.gif[/img]

[jeff300]

Re: Texas blues band

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Oh, Billy is great...a true master. For years I have noodled with Blue Jean Blues, and I could never cop all of the licks or the tone. In my opinion, Blue Jean Blues may be the greatest slow blues tune ever crafted. It is right up there, man.


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Yup! One of my favorite blues songs. Have you heard Jeff Healey's version? It SMOKES the original! [img]/images/graemlins/headbang.gif[/img]

[MBreinin]

Re: Texas blues band

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Oh, Billy is great...a true master. For years I have noodled with Blue Jean Blues, and I could never cop all of the licks or the tone. In my opinion, Blue Jean Blues may be the greatest slow blues tune ever crafted. It is right up there, man.


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Yup! One of my favorite blues songs. Have you heard Jeff Healey's version? It SMOKES the original! [img]/images/graemlins/headbang.gif[/img]

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No, I have never heard that version...I will check it out. His version of While My Guitar Gently Weeps is completely sick....

Mike

[hammer84]

Re: Texas blues band

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There are some awesome local blues players here in the Dallas Ft Worth area.Alot of different styles.Anyone attempting to sound like SRV is immediately cornhoed and razzed tho.Sometimes ive walked into a little hole in the wall club and have been amazed.Thats always refreshing.Ive got a usa strat with texas specials.I can thank SRV for that inluence purchase...

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Yeah, that happens in Texas with SRV. My friend, when he started out, played a strat and wore a hat. He had an SRV type of vibe. Then, he toured Texas. He came back hatless and stratless...and made some changes. [img]/images/graemlins/laugh.gif[/img]

Mike

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In Connecticut I could get away with traditional Texas Blues no sweat. The ultimate for me would be a 4 pc band.
drums, keys, guitar, bass.
I am certainly going to do some open blues jams. I should get picked up by a band because I can actually play believe it or not.

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I have done some open blues jams. Most place you just bring a pedal and your guitar.

Blues players are very clicky and it is hard to break into their circle. Having a strat will help with the first impressions, just be sure and drag it behind your car on the way to the jam. I have never been around a bunch of players were the crappier and more beat up your stuff is the better it is for the "blues" [img]/images/graemlins/laugh.gif[/img]