To unearth just how deep singer/guitarist Rory Block's roots run with the subject of her latest tribute CD, Son House, one really has to go back& to the future.
Willie Brown's "Future Blues," that is. That's the tune a then-15-year-old says she summoned from her burgeoning repertoire when given the once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to perform before the blues legend backstage at a popular Greenwich Village nightclub one fateful evening in 1965.
"Son virtually radiated a golden light, and I will never forget his amazement as I played," she recalls. "He was asking people, 'Where did she learn to play like this?'"
Perhaps it was a mental block&but from there, Block's not really sure if House ever received an answer.
But she had hers.
The mere interest from the icon was all the affirmation she needed to embark on a career path that has since brought her countless critical kudos, five W.C. Handy (Blues Music) Awards and fans the world over.
With the recent release of Blues Walkin' Like a Man: A Tribute to Son House and a subsequent tour that includes a Jan. 9 Iron Horse stop and a Jan 10 Narrows Center for the Arts engagement in Fall River, Block's 40-plus-year journey appears to have come full circle. And, as perhaps evidenced by two more Blues Music nominations for "album" and "artist" of the year and the tens of thousands putting up and viewing her performances on Youtube, the "little white girl from New York" with the deep understanding of the Delta Blues is clearly at the top of her game.
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In other news, the second annual Happy Valley Showdown touches down at The Elevens this Sunday, Jan. 4, and continues for five consecutive Sabbaths with the notable exception of Superbowl Sunday. Kicking things off in the loosely-knit battle of the bands format are The Brass, Soul Summerset, Fiesta Brava, Ava Black, Friends of Yours and Garret Jackson. To monitor series results, check out upcoming participants, and more, kindly point your browser to mypace.com/indybattle.
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Last up… a rare chance to learn sumptin' from national recording artists Fear Nuttin' Band& or, more specifically, its guitarist and chief riff writer, Chris "Chris Tafari" Regan. Capitalizing on an equally rare FNB break in the action between recording and tours, Regan will be teaching a reggae class at Performance Music in Westfield for five Tuesday evenings beginning Jan. 6.
It's an all-ages, all-skill levels, all-instrument opportunity, he goes on to explain, with goals no loftier than breaking down the 'riddim' part of the culture and teaching students how to mix it up live.
"Reggae is really just a bunch of simple ideas blended together to form a larger whole," he concludes. "So, really, it's just a great introduction to playing in a group setting for those who are ready to take the next step from jamming with themselves."
Additional private instruction with Regan in the specific fields of rock, metal, jazz and reggae will also be available during the FNB hiatus. For more information on—or to sign up for—any of the Chris Tafari courses, call the store toll-free at 877-568-5383.
On the industry side, Regan reports that he has just finished producing tracks for two Suburban Noize Record artists—Big D and Potluck—and is continuing to plug away at a personal pet project wherein he produces beats and gets special guests to throw vocals over them. To date, members from Burndown Allstars, Soja, The Problemaddicts and, of course, FNB's own Roosta and Prowla have already lent their respective talents to the as yet untitled endeavor.
"Who knows when it will be done or how it will get out there?" its mastermind concludes. "Probably some sort of DIY compilation."
Send correspondence to Nightcrawler, P.O. Box 427, Somers, CT 06071; fax to (860) 698-9373 or email Garycarra@aol.com.
