Robben Ford Discussion

[BlueRunner]

So here are 10 things you need to know before you go hear Joe.

First, as he’s often said in interviews, his mom raised him to respect his fans, his concert promoters and his crew by being punctual. Last night at the Crest the house lights went down, and from the darkness to stage right Joe began unleashing pure thunder from a baritone/ standard double-neck, at precisely 8:00 o’clock. A lot of folks who were still milling around in the lobby missed one of the great show entrances on the circuit today.

Second, even though he’s from upstate New York (he says he’s from L.A., but that’s just his professional base for a grinding schedule of over 200 dates a year; he grew up in, and still calls “home,” the Utica area), Joe sure knows how to coax the Delta and Southern swamps out of his guitars. Everything from dirt to sublime, with a million watts of energy in every note.

Third, be prepared to see a virtual parade of great axes. Lucky for Joe, his dad Len is the owner of venerable Bank Street Guitars in Hamilton, New York. (It was Len who introduced his young son to the guitar gods that are still Joe’s idols, English bluesmen like Eric Clapton, John Mayall and Rory Gallagher.) Hope Joe gets a discount, because just for last night’s show I counted (from the Gibson roster) five different Les Pauls, a Firebird, a Korina Explorer, a 355 and a Flying V, plus (from the Ernie Ball team) two Music Mans (Music Men?) and the double-neck that opened the show. And that doesn’t even count the Alvarez acoustic that Joe shredded solo for about 15 minutes toward the end of the show, bringing the crowd to a frenzy.

Fourth, Joe and his crew are prepared, prepared, prepared. While he’s definitely a tone geek (four amp heads into two custom cabinets, specially miked behind a Plexiglas screen to avoid cross-talk with the other instruments on the stage, plus a rack of pedals larger than the stock at most Guitar Centers), once the show starts there’s no pedal-stomping, dial twirling or switch-throwing. He’s put the hard work into the set-up before the show, so what you hear is coming exclusively from his hands, and his heart. (And by the way, that little metal stick thingie-dingie that was on the stand to stage right is called a “theremin.” Invented in Russia in the 1920s, the antenna senses the proximity of the player’s hand to control pitch and volume. Joe’s is made by Moog, and when he runs his guitar signal through it and waves his hand near the antenna, pure magic comes out.)

Fifth, Joe attracts super musicians to tour with him. Aussie Rick Melik was on the Hammond B-3, run through one of those Holy Grail Leslie rotating speaker cabinets. Brooklynite Carmine Rojas (who’s worked from everyone from Rod Stewart to Carly Simon) was on bass. And South Carolina native Bogie Bowles (who now lives in L.A. and teaches at the L.A. Music Academy) rocked on the drums.

Sixth, while he may be only 32 years old, Joe’s music is fully matured. (Joe started picking at guitars in his dad’s shop as an infant, and before his teens was gigging with well-known musicians. One story has it that then 12-year-old Joe was lectured by his homeroom teacher for fabricating his “what I did last summer” essay, in which he described a performance with B.B. King. But when Joe produced his backstage pass and photos of the concert, his teacher quickly changed Joe’s grade from “F” to “A-Plus.”) Don’t let the boyish good looks fool you.

Seventh, be prepared for a great set list. Among my favorites of Joe’s hits last night: “Sloe Gin” and “So Many Roads.”

Eighth, be prepared to get your money’s worth. Two hours and five minutes of uninterrupted music. And it went by in a flash.

Ninth, know that Joe walks the walk. He’s one of the most generous musicians out there, and a huge supporter of the Blues Foundation’s “Blues in the Schools” program. Working with the Sacramento Blues Society, earlier in the afternoon he put on a great clinic for over 350 Sacramento-area high school students. If there’s one thing that’s important to Joe, it’s “giving back” to the musicians that supported him on his way up by sharing the music with the next generation.

And finally, No. 10: Get your ticket early. Last night’s show at the 975-seat Crest was sold out.
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- BlueRunner

[roadwarriorfortheblues]

Thanks, BlueRunner ! That was a good read

I try to see Joe B. everytime he comes to town. "Slow Gin" (the song) is one of my favorites, too.
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Travelling by train of thought

[JohnnyZ]

Yeah, what RW said. :-)
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Soul on Eleven

[FatTeleTom]

Great review!

I just got Joe's Royal Albert Hall DVD the other day. Good stuff.

I really like the breadth of material Joe's doing. Steeped deeply in the blues, but with a strong taste for big, dramatic tunes. A consummate performer.