Some Voodoo Items Used in the Blues

Previously on the blog I wrote about Voodoo and it's relationship with the blues; check that post out for a brief history about it, along side some blues songs with voodoo references in them.

For today, I'll highlight some of the voodoo items that are mentioned in blues songs, to bring a more visual representation of the blues imagery to life, and some of their uses:

MOJO HAND

Or a mojo bag, used to create a magic spell or effect by combining several ingredients in it.

BLACK CAT BONE

Used to bring the bearer positive effects, even though the black cat is usually seen as a sign of evil.

americanbluesscene.com 

JOHN THE CONQUEROR ROOT

From the plant of the same name, given by legends of folk hero John The Conqueror; used in many combinations in creations of spells or curses. 

GOOFER DUST

From the old school term meaning to cast a voodoo spell, this dust is mostly made up of dirt from a graveyard, used to harm others when mixed in a mojo hand.

Two New Fender Artist Basses All But Confirmed

I always post rumors and sneak peaks for upcoming Fender guitars and basses. And today is no exception!

Chicago Music Exchange has posted 2 pics on their Instagram, but Fender has still not officially announced them:

DEE DEE RAMONE (of The Ramones) PRECISION BASS 

ADAM CLAYTON (of U2) JAZZ BASS

Not particularly interesting on Dee Dee's bass; it's just a white Precision Bass which every punk bassist in existence used (Paul Simonon, Sid Vicious etc). One can easily mod a P-Bass to look exactly the same. However it will be made in Mexico and therefore will be cheaper.

As for Clayton's bass, I really hate U2 with a passion but the bass itself is sweet; Sherwood Green is an awesome vintage color and matching headstocks are always welcome! However there is no neck binding which is strange for a Jazz Bass with block inlays!

What do you think of these upcoming basses?

10 Selected Chicago Blues Songs

By the late 1940's, the Chicago blues scene was growing fast; many of the migrating musicians from Mississippi and other Southern states started finding fame by bringing the blues to the big city. By the late 50's, it was set in stone and dozens of bluesmen made their mark on music history. The urban blues sound shaped rock music and the world was never the same again.

There cannot be a definitive top 10 list of Chicago blues, but I've come up with a list that should satiate your musical needs:

10 - I Can't Quit You Baby - Otis Rush

9- Hoodoo Man Blues - Junior Wells 

8- Sweet Home Chicago - Magic Sam

7- Juke- Little Walter 

6- Evil -Howlin' Wolf

5- Blues Don't Like Nobody - Otis Spann

4- That's All Right - Jimmy Rogers

3- Big Boss Man - Jimmy Reed

2- Too Wet to Plow - Johnny Shines

1- I Just Want to Make Love To You - Muddy Waters

Video of Snake Oil Blues - My Original

This song is an original of mine; you can download / stream the studio version [here].

Snakes and shit

This video is a low-res version of a snippet from the upcoming documentary called 'Heated Melodies' by Lebanese filmmaker Naseem Nakad.

Look out for more news on that subject soon, and I hope you enjoyed this spontaneous performance.

Whiskey Man Blues - Scrapper Blackwell

Scrapper Blackwell was an important bluesman, most notably accompanying Leroy Carr as guitar-piano duo in the 20's. 

This song fits with an article I wrote previously called 'Booze and the Blues: 10 Blues Songs About Alcohol' on Project Revolver.

Rare Find: Muddy Waters' Dr. Pepper Radio Ad

It's not unusual for jazz or blues musicians to be part of product advertisement; Miles Davis did an ad for Honda scooters many years ago, and John Lee Hooker was in an ad for Lee Jeans, but this is a new rare find... Muddy Waters doing an ad for soft drink maker Dr. Pepper!

It's strange to hear a 12 bar blues talking about drinking Dr. Pepper... but the discovery is still great!

Robin Williams (with Bill Bailey) Sing the Blues

RIP Robin Williams; to keep the content relevant to the blog here's Robin and Bill Bailey singing the 'Royal Birthday Blues', performed for Prince Charles' 60th birthday. It's brilliant as always.

'I Asked For Water (She Gave Me Gasoline)' - Howlin' Wolf

The Wolf with his band, including Hubert Sumlin

Chester Burnett , AKA Howlin' Wolf, was one of the main pillars of the Chicago blues, along side label friend/rival Muddy Waters. 

His vocal style, multi-instrumental playing and stage presence led him to be one of the top musicians of all time, being listed number 54 on Rolling Stone Magazines '100 Greatest Artists'. He is also inducted in the Rock n' Roll Hall of Fame and the Blues Hall of Fame, with several blues and rock standards under his helm.

This song from 1956, is one such standard, and it popularized the blues saying 'I asked her for water but she gave me gasoline'. 

ZZ Top to Release Album With... David Guetta?!

Apparently, ZZ Top, the bearded blues-rockers, will be releasing an album with electronic music DJ / laptop fiddler David Guetta.

According to NME, 'the unlikely duo met up earlier this year for a recording session in Ibiza and laid down ten completed tracks'. According to ZZ Top guitarist Billy Gibbons: 

"It's a far cry from what people might expect -- 'Gibbons and electronic stuff?' "But a lot of people have overlooked the fact that one of the things that made (ZZ Top's) 'Eliminator' so interesting was the opportunity to go into that experimental side of things and fool around with the coolest new toys that could be found in the recording studio. I'm always fascinated by that, so my time in Spain was very fruitful."

David Guetta found fame by teaming up with well-known pop stars; now it seems he's expanding genres. I'm very skeptical and while I'm a traditionalist, it might be worth checking for... reasons. 

My Cover of 'I Can't Be Satisfied' Is Now Up!

I hope you guys enjoy my cover of the classic Muddy Waters track 'I Can't Be Satisfied' which I wrote about earlier; the recording contains minimal production and each track was done in one take.

The guitar is tuned to open G to facilitate the slide.

Audio production by Abdulrahman Soofi
Video production by Bachir Najjar

It's up on Soundcloud here:



And you can watch the video on Youtube: