[Harp-L] why do you want to play blues long

["michael rubin" <michaelrubinharmonica@xxxxxxxxx>]

I started playing the harp at 15 years old.  A year later someone gave
me a John Lee Hooker album with no harp on it.  I suppose from the
Blues Brothers I had some inkling that harp was connected to blues,
but I remember falling in love with John Lee and saying something
like, "I don't care if harmonica has never been played in blues
before, I am going to do it!"  So do I love blues because of the harp?
 Definitely not.

Then I went to the record store and was blown away by the amount of
harp records in the blues section.  I bought hundreds of blues
recordings, went to every blues show I could, formed blues bands etc.
I still listen to about one blues recording every day.

Around the time I was 19 I started getting hired outside of the blues
genre.  I loved all styles of music.  I found I was good at playing a
wide variety.

When I was 23, I wanted to move to another city.  While I loved
playing all styles of harp, I believed pro harp players were judged on
their blues abilities.  I decided to study blues more intensely.  I
moved to Austin and dove into the 1993 blues scene.  I spent 3 years
sitting in, gigging and supporting the live blues scene in Austin.
Some great players for sure.  In those three years I always got hired
for around 1 gig a week.  Then for a half of a year Seth Walker and I
joined up and played about 3 to 8 shows a week.  The band broke up and
I went back to my once a week gigging.  The bands needed money and so
the difference from a 3 piece without harp to a 4 piece with harp was
too great.  Economically I was a hindrance.

I put together a 2 piece 30's and 40's acoustic blues band.  We played
5 to 8 shows a week.  We put out an album.  We made money.  We did too
many drugs and alcohol.  I cleaned up, he didn't.  We drove each other
insane.

I got hired to do a Broadway show.  I moved to New York and played
music outside of blues and had a great time, getting paid.  I returned
to Austin and joined a band highly connected to the folk and rock
scene.  I went to the Kerrville Folk Festival.  Suddenly everyone's
awareness of my playing was exponentially greater.  I continued to
have fun, even though I wasn't playing blues.  I still do the
occasional blues gig, but just a few a year.

When I listen to blues, I think there are many great blues players.
When I listen to great blues, it is the pinacle of music listening for
me.  It really gets me excited and feeling.  Of course there are
players in all genre who get to on a deep level, but blues has the
most artists for me.

I also think there are many pro bands who don't have that great
feeling.  Listening to poorly played blues is one of the lowest
experiences of my life.  The difference between great blues and poor
blues is wafer thin, so I am always taking a chance when I go to see
or buy blues.

If I was in the audience I do not know if I would pass my own test for
great blues.  I think it would depend on the night and the other
players in the band.

So why do I want to play blues?  Because it is my favorite music.  Why
do I not play blues often?  Economics, work opportunities and the
realization that it is not always where my talent lies.

Michael Rubin
Michaelrubinharmonica.com