Blown away by the blues - Canadian Blues Foundations and Associations

Blown away by the blues
April 24, 2009
Tom Zillich
Surrey Now

Rod Dranfield, a co-founder of the White Rock Blues Society, responds to Tom Zillich's 10 questions:

WHAT WAS YOUR FIRST CONCERT-GOING EXPERIENCE?

"Summer of 1966 in Dorval, Quebec, a local promoter by the name of Donald K. Donald brought in The Shadows Of Night, who had a major hit with Van Morrison's 'Gloria.' There were a couple thousand people, all standing and cheering. The crowd encouraged them to play the song three times that night.... I realized nothing beats the real thing, live music. I think it was the only hit they ever had. Someone recently posted the tune on YouTube with a picture of the album cover. I still own the album."
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WHEN DID YOU FALL IN LOVE WITH BLUES MUSIC?

"In the summer of 1968 I attended an evening outdoor concert. The Paul Butterfield Band opened the show for James Cotton. I and my buddy Norm were taken by the music, as were the thousands in attendance. Everyone was dancing up a storm.... Montreal fans have always had a soft spot for the blues. I was hooked on the sound of the harp (harmonica) after that, and migrated to Slim Harpo and Jimmy Reed. Lately, it's been Charlie Musselwhite, John Lee Williamson and Watermelon Slim."

WHAT'S YOUR FAVOURITE ERA OF THE BLUES?

"The man that really turned my ear to the blues Texas-style was Johnny Winter. Our university student council booked Johnny into Place des Arts for our winter carnival. What a night. Johnny was guitar-dueling with Rick Derringer all night. I was captivated by the energy coming from the stage -- all that talent and incredible sound. The 3,000 audience members' response was deafening. Suddenly, blues was front and centre, with my generation's spin and energy added. But where was all this music coming from? Who was Willie Dixon, Muddy Waters, Howlin' Wolf? No one was telling us the history; there was no internet, no books and no first-hand information, but there was Rolling Stone magazine and its interviews with the likes of Mick Jagger, Keith Richards, Eric Clapton and Jimmy Page, who referred to the original blues greats. They kept telling us to listen to the originators, the creators of the blues and to go to their shows, buy their records and experience what excited them when they first heard the music, on records carried into the U.K. by merchant seaman or purchased in France, where the first European blues records were produced. God bless the French for their early appreciation and passion for the blues in the 1950s; they helped stimulate the British music invasion."

WITH THE SOCIETY, WHAT'S YOUR FAVOURITE GIG SO FAR?

"It's hard for me to pick one because I enjoyed each one so much for what they bring to the audience. I have but one measure of success: How many people are on the dance floor? We've had some amazing players perform for us. The 20-year-old Hank Shreve from Eugene, Oregon, was mesmerizing on the harp and vocals earlier this month at our first International Harmonica Showcase.... It was his first international gig, (on) our humble stage, and he really appreciated the response he received from the audience

WHAT IS IT ABOUT THE RHUMBA ROOM THAT MAKES IT WORK AS THE SOCIETY'S HOME BAR/CONCERT VENUE?

"It has the biggest dance floor in White Rock/South Surrey and our blues fans love to dance. It also has a Yale Hotel feel to it, long bar down the left side, some elevated seating at the back, elbow room for 250 people and it is attached to the Pacific Inn Hotel, which has two restaurants and reasonably priced rooms. We have people coming from Chilliwack, the North Shore and as far as Seattle, so they like to get a room for the night. Eric Steiner, the president of the Washington Blues Society, came up for a show in support of our society and he promotes our events below the 49th parallel."

DO YOU EVER GET THE ITCH TO GET UP THERE AND JAM WITH THE MUSICIANS?
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"Yes, but fortunately I know my limits as a harp player and reserve such behaviour for local blues jams and house parties. I have yet to play on the Rhumba Room stage. I do get a kick out of shooting some video of each show and have about 35 videos up on YouTube."

Finish this sentence: I'd rather stick a tuning fork in my ear than listen to...

"Rap music, and more than one Bluegrass tune."

WHAT'S THE MOST RECENT CD YOU BOUGHT (OR DOWNLOADED)?

"Floyd Jones' Trouble Monkey, from 1995, because he and his six-piece band are coming to town in June and I was told this was his breakthrough album. I always like to hear the bands we are booking, to become familiar with their sound."

CAN YOU DESCRIBE TROUBLE MONKEY HERE, IN 10 WORDS OR LESS?

"Driving, dancing beat, mellow ballads, clear vocals and a story to tell about love and life, because the blues, as Willie Dixon said, 'are the facts of life put to music'."

WHAT'S NEXT ON THE CALENDAR FOR WHITE ROCK BLUES SOCIETY?

"In Memphis, I was a proud Canadian watching MonkeyJunk, from Ottawa, perform as one of the final 10 bands in the 25th annual International Blues Contest at the famed Orpheum Theater on Front Street, one block from B.B. King's club on Beale Street.... The band plays the Rhumba Room on Friday, May 22 (and they) will blow you away."