Is Joe re-defining the modern day Blues? (Page 1 of 4)

From a younger persons perspective I would definitely say he is re-defining the blues! Joe has made blues music enjoyable to listen to  for me. Of course I love the greats like BB King, Peter Green, etc. But, I would rather listen to Joe's versions of songs than say the originals he covers from. The way he does it appeals to me more. Even going to his show in Louisville I saw quite a few people my age (women included)! I think people my age are starting to catch on to him and not only for his musical talents, but also that he doesn't seem like that egotistical superstar singer that's all over the news. I foresee Joe only getting more popular, and I couldn't be more happier for him! Just my two cents!

Yes...he is the virtual definition of the term...John Mayer is a srv ripoff artist, but Jack White is quite impressive, even though a tad sloppy....

This is an interesting question and everybody who has contributed so far is from the USA, so I’d like to give you a personal, but British perspective. It’s clear that Joe’s current tour is getting a much better reception in the US than it did in Europe and it begs the question as to why that is the case. If Joe really is successfully redefining the blues, why was the European tour not quite so successful?

Although there are obvious differences between the tours of Europe and North America – full acoustic band and slightly shorter electric set in North America – that can’t be the only reason why the set was somewhat less well received in Europe.
I think the difference comes down to musical heritage. The great British and Irish blues rock that Joe cites as his main influence had a profound effect on British music and was hugely popular, but it only lasted for a very short period of time – mostly the late 60s and early 70s – and so the window of opportunity to see the great blues rock guitarists playing that particular type of music live on stage was relatively small, even if you were old enough at the time (which I wasn’t). By the mid 70s, that window was pretty much closed: Paul Kossoff was dead, Peter Green was a recluse, Eric Clapton was playing stuff like ‘I shot the Sheriff’, Peter Frampton had gone down a more pop route, Jeff Beck had gone weird, Mick Taylor had left the Stones and disappeared, Jimmy Page had joined Led Zeppelin and only did a relatively small number of big gigs and Gary Moore went off to play rock and do a lot of awful stuff before rediscovering the blues many years later. Only Rory Gallagher was still keeping true to his roots. The curtain had basically come down on that particular brilliant musical movement, and many people really, really missed it or regretted not having been around at the time.

So when Joe came along and took the very best of that particular movement and not only played great blues rock live, but played regularly and added his own great songs into the mix, it was like the perfect storm for the British blues rock fans – finally an opportunity to regularly see somebody play all the great stuff we never really actually had much of a chance to see live in the past. And as well as being a brilliant guitarist, he was modest, humble, professional, hard-working and really cared about his fans (all still true). What more could you want? This is one of the reasons why Joe initially built his reputation and fan base predominantly in the UK – he was playing ‘our’ music, and not only that, he was playing it brilliantly and regularly. By the time he reached the RAH in 2009, he had what one reviewer at the time described as ‘the perfect set’ – great blues songs, great solo guitar playing and a sprinkling of superb rock numbers. Many fans, especially in Britain, still think of that particular DVD as being when Joe was at his very best.

In an interview some time ago, Joe said he could always pretend that it was still 2009 and keep playing the RAH set, but fortune favours the brave and he wanted to challenge himself and his audience. Fair enough - and over recent years Joe has clearly expanded his skills and interests as a guitarist, branching into other areas: rock (BCC), funk (Rock Candy Funk Party), acoustic (Vienna band) and soul (Beth Hart) while continuing to keep true to his blues rock roots with his solo band. But by keeping these different musical ventures largely compartmentalized, fans could choose what they wanted to listen to both at home and live and there were no compromises.

However, this year saw the demise of BCC and therefore Joe’s obvious rock outlet. By recruiting Derek Sherinian and playing a set that owed a lot to the arrangements of the Hammersmith Odeon rock set, the lines between Joe’s different musical interests seemed to have become slightly blurred and the fans in Europe and in the UK in particular, didn’t really all buy into it. Some fans celebrated having ‘50% of BCC’ on stage, but they seemed to be in the minority. Talking to British fans who saw the Fall tour, there was an almost palpable sense of loss – a feeling of ‘here we go again – just when you think you’ve finally found the great music you’ve always wanted to hear and see live, it’s disappearing again’. The feeling was that the curtain might once more be coming down on another brief but glorious period of great blues rock.

And this I think is the key issue here. By 2009 Joe had the formula just right, from a British perspective - he had captured the blues in a way that tapped into our cultural heritage and really struck a chord with the fans.  The problem with changing a successful formula, as Coca Cola found out to their cost, is that you have to replace it with a formula that is as good if not better than the original. And I think for a lot of British fans the new formula Joe is just not quite as good as original formula Joe, especially live…

All the songs he played on the Fall Tour are fine songs, but somehow just not quite as good as some of the earlier songs. Watching Joe strumming chords while DS plays extended prog rock solos just isn’t quite as good as watching Joe play those great blues rock solos. Driving Towards the Daylight is a fine, fine song, but played live it just isn’t quite as good as say Blues Deluxe or the Great Flood. And the same can be said for Dust Bowl or Dislocated Boy – great songs, but played live they just don’t quite have the same impact or emotion as So Many Roads or Last Kiss or Asking Around For You, etc.

Nobody expects Joe to just stand still musically and nobody really expects to hear exactly the same gig year after year, but my feeling is that if Joe really has redefined the blues or taken it to a new level during his career, then he did it four or five years ago, and in attempting to redefine his music again, he hasn’t quite reached the level he had before. Is some ways I think he’s had a slight but perceptible dip in form rather than an improvement (live, I mean, not in his recorded work). Kevin Shirley says that there will a new version of Joe in 2014 and I’m really hoping he finds the right formula again.

As an afterthought it is interesting to note that while the reviews in the USA have indeed been mostly positive,  the electric songs that have so far received the most individual praise are Sloe Gin, Midnight Blues and Mountain Time…so maybe people still really like original formula Joe in the US too…

All of the above opinion is based on my personal feelings and feedback from other British fans. This does not mean that I claim to be speaking for all British fans or even the majority and many may well disagree.

Big post Bluemac, but I really understand where you are coming from.

I'm in the UK and when I started seeing Joe, 8 or 9 years ago, his music helped fill a void that existed for a lot of 40+ year old rock and blues fans.  I have very eclectic tastes so I was never short of gigs to see, but a whole generation that had grown up on 70's classic rock and blues were starved of anything new. 

Of course a lot of our heroes were still touring, but Joe was a breath of fresh air and a very exciting performer.

I understand that artists have to evolve and change, but no matter how much I like the newer music, it was the fire, balls and excitement that attracted me to Joe in the first place and I agree that it has been diluted somewhat.

I know how important Kevin Shirley is to Joe and Roy, but I see some homogenisation of the electric work and I would love to see what a different producer could do with Joe

Maybe that's why I love the side projects so much.  They aren't as 'corporate' as the solo career has become.   Smaller clubs, jeans and a t-shirt, more improv etc.

Think I'll go watch Rockpalast now !!

A lot of effort to express your opinion Bluemac and you did extremely well communicating it. You did make a claim that the UK shows were not well received. Not being on the ground there I can't dispute that but I do suspect that it may be true in your mind and circle of fans.

As somebody that has been around awhile and watched Joe's progression as an artist I have learned to never second guess the man as he morphs and makes subtle changes to the band lineup and set lists. Over time the changes appear to be more drastic as you look back and yes all the way back to 2009 to today it is a totally different band and set. I applaud his willingness to not settle in a formula at this point in his career.

The question here is Joe re-defining the modern day blues? I say not only is he re-defining blues he is re-defining modern day music and the modern day music industry. I don't long for him to settle into a blues based niche' ala the Shepherds Bush set I'm happy with him doing so for a night and capturing it on DVD. Now that he is touring a more high energy rockier set those that missed the edginess of the power trio should rejoice as some fans didin't like the more homogenized RAH 2009 period. I personally saw that as my favorite period but just as I am slow to embrace change I'm willing to remain open minded enough to embrace the subtle changes as he grows. I thought the Spring 2013 tour as one of my all time favorite and it was basically the Hammersmith DVD set which is what the UK fall tour was with Derek on keys.

I'm going to see this lineup and tour which again is the RAH 2013 show with Derek replacing Arlan. I'll let you know what I think about this recent subtle change in band lineup. But it doesn't change the fact that Joe is changing modern music as he bridges the gap between our generation and the following generations take on blues and blues rock. I can take any young music lover to a Joe show and have him walk out a changed music fan. He will be exposed not only to blues but to the classic rock genre at it's best not the same lame stuff you here on classic rock radio but something new and fresh. I answer the posed question with a resounding yes.

GMac   got it right!  "but at least he's never boring!".  I like what Jim said and agree with him that Joe is redefining the music industry.   I don't want to pigeon hole Joe by saying he is only a blues rock guy.  I describe Joe as the best guitarist I have ever seen with one of the sweetest voices I have ever heard.  I am not a music professional. I am merely a fan and  I am a newer fan. But I  have gone back and revisited all Joe's work from the beginning. Granted I have only seen him live in 2012 and 2013 but thanks to Youtube have been able to revisit back ten years.  I like all Joe's stuff. The reason  I like it, it is never the same.  I think that is what attracts me to him.  When I saw him two weeks ago here in the US,  I saw several genre's of music.  I  think the first question that was asked is a hard one to answer, Is he redefining modern day Blues?  Maybe or Maybe not.   All I know is that He appeals to us all for different reasons.  What ever you call it I like it and I hope he keeps changing. I think he has only scratched the surface.

Quote, I absolutely love Joe, but I couldn't put him on the same level of influence as Robert Johnson & Muddy Waters.  I also can't imagine Joe himself disagreeing.  Again, I love what Joe is doing musically, and his own unique spin on blues, but those guys created the sounds that generations have played since.  As has been mentioned, Joe does a lot of rock also.  He's not a pure, straight blues player, although he can certainly play blues as well as anyone.

The other part is that music has changed - how much influence can one artist have over generations these days?   There is so much media, so much competition for peoples' time, and relatively little interest in music as a "cultural force" that I don't think anyone can have that kind of impact.

All great responses. To Bluemac, I'm exactly the guy you were speaking of, except being from the U.S. instead of the U.K.
I was in high school and college in the late 60's and 70's when I developed my taste in music. The first two albums I ever purchased were Cream and Jimi Hendrix.  I continued on with Jeff Beck, Alvin Lee, Stephen Stills, Jimmy Paige,. on and on with the best electric guitar players of the generation.  That has been my style of music ever since.  So the first time I heard Sloe Gin I got "goose bump" and the second time and the third time.  I was an instant Joe fan and could not get enough.  Fast forward to last weekend.  I intentionally did not watch Tour de Force and read any write ups about Joes's current tour.  I did not want any preconceived ideas.  My first reaction as we walked into the hall was disappointment.  There was a sign that said that the first 45 minutes would be acoustic.  My thought is I do not want Joe to waste any time on acoustic, I want Sloe Gin and the rest.  Even Woke up Dreaming is not my favorite.  I understand him playing it, because it shows off his unbelievable talent, but again, bring on the electric.  From the very beginning of the set I was amazed.  It was different than anything else I had heard.  It was as pleasurable to me as electric, but somehow in a different way.  That is why I'm thinking he is taking Blues to another level.  I wonder if people in the 50's realized that Muddy Waters was changing the Blues.
My only complaint about the show was Derek.  His playing was fine, a little on the Progressive side, but, very talented.  His arrogant, tough guy persona is distracting and un-necessary.  My wife probably said it best when she said she did not buy his attitude, "I just do not see the Hell's Angel's gathering around Derek and his piano and singing Christmas carrol's."

To this point, Joe was the greatest guitar player I have ever heard.  Now I also see his tremendous talents in arrangement, composition and production.  To me he had changed the Blues and music in general more that anyone in my life time.