Joe Louis Walker at Bluesville
by Rolf Olmsted
"It was a little village, too small to call a town, (2x)
I met this girl there, she saw me hangin' 'round."
Two guitars cry in the night, challenging each other, complementing each other, trading leads and licks. An established star and an emerging guitar master went at it to the audience's benefit at Bluesville.
At the Santa Rosa "Two Castro" show Friday I was told of an unadvertised Joe Louis Walker show with Levi Lloyd playing second guitar. Checks of bulletin boards and calendars showed no mention of the gig anywhere. But Levi was playing it for sure. Over the next sixteen hours a road trip got arranged. Down the Hwy 101 corridor to the Richmond Bridge and the East Bay to Oakland flew Mo DaBluesTraveller, Tammi James and myself. Talking blues, the musician's life, family life, odd stories, and generally life and the blues.
Parking in Jack London Square is easy because it's also the Produce district. Commercial buildings with corrugated iron roofs out to the curb. Early morning Produce activity put to bed at club hour.
Walking the block to Bluesville we passed Dotha's Juke Joint, located in the side/back room of the flagship Everett and Jones Barbeque on Broadway. Standing outside was Harp player, bandleader and traditional blues treasure Birdlegg! He and his show were playing Dotha's that night. We knew where we were going to be at the break.
Bluesville is a good old Bay Area two story two storefront commercial building with the ground floor converted to a club. It's a nicely fixed up juke joint with enough nightclub atmosphere to draw the general populace and enough 'juke' to hold the blues crowd. We were just early enough to get a table about twelve feet away from the bandstand.
Joe had a beautiful rosewood board Strat and Levi had his old worn woody and resonant black Les Paul. And they went at it. Levi as second guitar hung back for a couple of songs 'til Joe nudged him and then Levi cut loose. Joe was in great voice but there were problems with the PA, so Joe and Levi played a whole lot of great guitar.
'Star' on drums and Rob Watson on bass were playing superfine. Star is a favorite drummer of mine, simple and direct, holding steady like a rock. Rob Watson is a massive presence on bass, holding down so much space that the guitarists never have to think about where they are or worry about rhythm.
This allowed Joe and Levi to challenge each other. I had never seen this side of Levi before. Long lead lines and connected riffs powering through the songs. Crying and calling out, declaiming.
Joe would smile and meet Levi note for note and riff for riff. Joe was clearly moved by the energy and started having a good time despite the tech problems with the PA. This was the Joe Louis Walker I love and respect. Drenched in the blues and Gospel, crying out, suddenly playing softly, going way up the neck and screaming, declaiming and preaching. I hollered out involuntarily several times. Don't hurt me Joe. It was stunning.
About a third of the way through the first set Joe finally lost patience with the sound guys and their messing around with 'levels' and shaking their heads. Joe told them "Turn the PA all the way up, and the treble too, and we'll go from there." After that the PA worked well enough for singing, slight buzz be damned.
And Joe cut loose with songs. Drenched in soul with fabulous clenched throat tones. Moaning and hurting, moral fervor in every note. He did songs like his ladies' favorite "I'm gonna take care of you-Ain't that Love?" Women always scream over the line "I'm gonna get you a maid." I liked his new one "In The Morning (when I rise)".
In the morning, when I rise,
I shake the dust from my feets,
I wipe the tears from my eyes
I wipe the tears--
I wipe the tears
from my eyes.
In the morning
When I awake
I fall on my knees
And I pray, Yes I do."
Another fine one is "Leave That Girl Alone": "My heart says follow, but my heart says stay…."
And every song was graced with tons of guitar playing. Sometimes Creamy smooth, then searing, then hard as nails. A couple of times Joe and Levi made me laugh with country guitar quotes. On one song they played as quietly as it is possible to play and be heard. Lots of dynamic variation.
The dancers were going nuts. I danced little this night (sorry, Lucretia), I was in guitar heaven 12 feet away from two real players having a helluva fine night. My head went far away from the verbal and it was music, music, music.
At the break we went to Dotha's Juke Joint. It was the part of Birlegg's Revue when he has a soul-blues singer doing soul classics. I regret I didn't get his name, he was doing Little Johnny Taylor numbers really well and testifying. Birdlegg came on and we were treated to his non-stop energy and harmonica playing. Birdlegg has a wonderful old time style harking back 50 years. I don't know Birdlegg's age but it's clear he had schooling that younger guys didn't get. There's a touch of the old medicine shows that I saw when I was a kid downhome. Gotta see him again, he's got stuff nobody else in the Bay Area has now.
After the break Joe Louis and Levi came back on and it was lots more guitar playing. By this time Joe had switched to a gorgeous and resonant Les Paul goldtop with P-90 pickups that could scream or quack. I got even more inside the guitar playing.
Oh, Lordy, I just don't know how to say how much this was a guitar player's night, just two guitars go at it on top of a great rhythm section. It was so simple and direct that it was a masterpiece. And making the guitars have varied voices--Ah!. Blues and more blues. I wasn't 'lost' inside the music, it was always connected, but I was way inside.
I'm so pleased for both Joe Louis and Levi, it was what I wanted for both of them. Thanks Joe, thanks Levi, thanks Rob, thanks Star. A great night of the blues.