Rock, blues players make winning combo

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Rock, blues players make winning combo
May 21, 2011
By KEITH LORIA
The Stamford Times

When it comes to music, sometimes combining two different styles can create a sound that's as delectable to the ear as the mixture of chocolate and peanut butter is to the palate.

That's definitely been the case with the recent collaboration between rock keyboardist Ray Manzarek and blues guitarist Roy Rogers.

"I love the collaborative process. I think that you never know where that's going to lead," Rogers says. "I sat in with Ray one night and we looked at each other and we just sort of both felt it was right."

Best known as a member and co-founder of The Doors, Manzarek was introduced to Rogers five years ago by musical agent Steve Gordon.

"He suggested that we get together so I figured, let's give it a try," Manzarek says. "The very first time we were on stage, we had no expectations. We played at the Raven Theatre in Northern California and it was a really good set, and we both wanted to do some more."

"We just let it flow. We didn't define ourselves," Rogers adds. "When you are having a really good time, like we were, the music just flows much freer."

The two decided that they wanted to do more than just play on stage together and set out to work on a duet album. Last year, "Ballads Before the Rain" proved just how grand their musical partnership is.

"On stage is one thing, but with this album, it's a whole different thing. We wanted to make some original 21st century blues," Manzarek says. "We stretched the blues to its limits and taken it to another place. Some of it is conventional 12 bars, but most of it isn't. The album is a whole different beast."

The pair wanted the lyrics on their songs to be more than just "line, line, answer line" as conventional blues are. They wanted to make poetry and enlisted beat poet Michael McClure and even Warron Zevon to help with the songs.

"We set out to make the record as an extension of what we were doing on stage," Rogers says. "We wanted to explore that and create something different. It worked fabulously."

On May 25, the duo will be heading to the Ridgefield Playhouse to embrace tunes off of their new CD and play a few surprises as well.

"For the show, we play a little jazz, a little classical, a couple of Doors songs, some of Roy's blues, some of my tunes and a lot of instrumentals," Manzarek says. "Plus, we'll tell stories and have a grand old time as a duo."

You can expect Manzarek to wax poetic about his days with The Doors, and Rogers is sure to bring up some of his musical adventures as Sonoma County's own bottleneck slide guitar maestro.

"We've been traveling together, riding from one show to the next, playing these little opera houses and performance art centers. We have become great friends now," Manzarek says. "At this stage in the game, we have been doing this a while, so we are just following our muse. It's that simple for both of us."

Rogers and Manzarek plan to continue their collaboration process and will embark on a new album as soon as this tour ends.

"The partnership with Roy is unique," Manzarek says. "You will be seeing a unique performance and you probably have never seen anything quite like it before. I'm excited for it to continue."

Rogers agrees, and understands that the best thing to do to stay in the public's eye is to create good music and do good shows. He looks forward to many more of those shows with Manzarek.

At Ridgefield, just as they did playing together on that first night, you can expect a lot of excitement and fun coming from the stage and an equal amount from the audience.

"Expect to get down, get funky....and if you don't say that there were some good songs, great solos or great harmonies, than we haven't done our job. But I guarantee we will do our job and create an evening of intensity and passion," Manzarek says. "It's some kickass music."