Gimme 5 - Mississippi bluesman Robert Connely Farr is our latest musical travel guide

Born in Bolton, Mississippi, and now resident in Vancouver, Robert Connely Farr's ass may be in Canada, but his heart remains in the South.  A champion of the Bentonia blues tradition maintained by famed juke joint owner Jimmy 'Duck' Holmes, Farr is a purveyor of spooky, soul-searching stripped-back blues, typified by his latest album Pandora Sessions, released in October 2023.  So what's the music and who are the people who prick up his ears when he's not hanging around the crossroads at midnight, waiting for the Devil to give him inspiration?  Tell us, Robert!

Gimme 5 songs, old or new, that have been on your radar recently.  [Click on the links to listen to Robert's selections.]

 

‘02.02.99’ by That Mexican OT:  “I came across That Mexican OT on YouTube, I have an insatiable desire for all things Southern, including Southern Rap. This guy is actually out of

Robert Connely Farr - "Are you looking' at me?"

Pic by Rustin Gudim

Houston and brings a lot of Latin influence to his music & style – which I find really intriguing. The beat and his delivery are incredible, in my opinion.”

‘Dylan Phase Again’ by We Found A Lovebird:  “We Found A Lovebird is a band out of Vancouver and their single 'Dylan Phase Again' really stuck out to me when it was released. I downloaded it right away and been playing it daily – I love it when a song hits like that.”

 

‘Heritage of Arrogance’ by Adeem The Artist:  “This whole album by Adeem the Artist is a real kick to the gut, in a good way in my book. I believe I originally heard of them through YouTube in one of my many wormholes looking into new artist. I really enjoy the vulnerability and spirit of conviction in this album.”

 

‘Outlaws’ by Lee Bains III & the Glory Fires:  “Another band out of the South that I’ve immense respect for.  Lee Bains is a prolific and accomplished songwriter with political views that seem very similar to my own.  ‘Outlaws’ is an incredible song that speaks to an important job for those who wish for a better America and South.”

 

‘Burn In Hell’ by Junior Kimbrough:  “Junior Kimbrough is the man. Hands down. And this live album is a great example of why. ‘Burn In Hell’ is killer, how the song comes in – eerie and abrupt – 7 minutes of juke joint hill country blues y’all. I love the “train going down the tracks and never gonna stop” vibe to this one.”

 

Gimme 5 artists or bands who have had a big influence on your work.

 

Jimmy Duck Holmes:  “Hands down changed the trajectory of my music career. His teachings and mentorship brought music home for me.  After a decade of searching for my sound, he showed me it was at home - quite literally in my backyard. "  [Check out the Blues Enthused review of Jimmy's 2020 album Cypress Grove.]

 

Mac Pontiac:  “A Vancouver songwriter and troubadour who passed away a few years back. His songs and public performances were breathtaking, as tragic as he was. He helped a lot of people in need, myself as well in some of my darkest moments – encouraging me to keep on keeping on.”

 

RL Boyce:  “His smile and his energy were infectious. He recently passed away, but damn could that man play!  I remember at the 2023 Bentonia Blues Festival he asked me to join his set. I
remember telling him “Ain’t no way I can hang with you RL!!!”  But he pulled me on up to the stage and hollered “I’m gonna show you how”.”

 

Jimmy 'Duck' Holmes plays host in his Blue Front Café

Neil Young:  “He was really the first songwriter that I remember influencing me, not so much how I played, but how I wanted to write - songs that were critical and asked hard questions.” 

 

Drive-By Truckers:  “I’ve been seeing ‘em live since ’98 and I’ve been blown away by their work, convictions and live performances since. To this day, one of my favourite bands/songwriters out there.”

 

Gimme 5 guests you’d love to invite to your ideal long lunch.

 

My brother:  “He makes the best Angus steaks you’ve ever had. He’s my best friend in this world and one of the best men I know. And I don’t get to see him near enough. Any time I get to spend with him – hell, just thinking about it brings a smile to my face.”

 

Jimmy Duck Holmes:  “He’s like a grandfather to me. I love his outlook on life. We both grew up on the same stretch of the Big Black River. And some of the best fried catfish I ever ate came out of the kitchen of his juke joint the Blue Front Café.”

 

Jason Isbell:  “I look up to that fella. His vulnerability and honesty are hard to stomach sometimes – mostly because it’s a reflection of myself. His process and perspective are very encouraging to me.”

 

Charles M Blow:  “The author of the book The Devil You Know: A Black Manifesto, which is a hard and unflinching look the state of race relations in America. I have a deep respect and

admiration for his work.”

 

Country singer-songwriter Margo Price:  “I’m a long-time fan of hers. I appreciate her story and what she stands for.  It seems like she’s always fighting the good fight – I like that.”  [Margo Price was a new name to me, so here's a link to her song 'Been To The Mountain'.]

And what would be the first album you'd put on as background music?

"That would have to be Most Things Haven't Worked Out by Junior Kimbrough - a huge inspiration to me and my drummer pal Jay Bundy Johnson over recent years!"

 

Finally, just one track – pick one of your tracks that you’d share with a new listener to introduce your music.

 

“I’m going to pick ‘Getting’ Tired of Getting’ Old’.  This song just came out of nowhere one day.  I totally remember sitting on my couch, thinking I needed to do something productive but being tired as shit! I grabbed my 12 string Gibson and the song just fell out of that ol' thing right into my iPhone voice recorder and the rest was history. It’s a blend of the Bentonia Style that Jimmy’s been teaching me and the Hill Country style that the late RL Boyce was encouraging me to implement into my playing.”

Jimmy "Duck" Holmes - Cypress Grove

It doesn’t get much more authentic than this, the latest album from Jimmy “Duck” Holmes, the Mississippi bluesman who owns the Blue Front Café, one of the most famous juke joints still on the go in the South.  Now, Jimmy is 72 years old, so not the oldest wheel on the blues train – Buddy Guy is 83, after all.  But Cypress Grove sounds like blues that has been discovered in a time capsule and dusted down for the present day.

At the heart of the album are two things.  First, there’s the groove Holmes imparts with the riffs he plays, whether on acoustic or rhythm guitar.  And second, there’s his voice, which has an ancient blues quality.  The two elements are there, virtually unadorned, on the opening ‘Hard Times’ – spare strumming and picking, and a low moaning vocal, often wordless – that set the tone for what will follow.

Jimmy "Duck" Holmes - down, down deeper and down

There is a bit more elaboration across the rest of the album, mind you, as producer Dan Auerbach and a handful of other musos add subtle accents to that central groove.  But it’s done in the most simpatico fashion imaginable, so that ‘Devil Got My Woman’ is still centred on Holmes’ haunting vocal melody, amid subterranean bass, shimmers of cymbal, casually scattered acoustic chords, and brief guitar licks.

Yeah, ‘Catfish Blues’ features a guitar break that winks at Hendrix, who of course also recorded the song, but in its styling the solo still seats itself in the contemplative vibe created by Holmes, along with earlier sparks of electric guitar, and subtle percussion from Sam Bracco, who here and there puts bongos to good use in addition to an everyday drum kit.

The subtlety is such that listening to Cypress Grove is akin to being hit over the head with a gold brick wrapped in thick velvet.  The version of ‘Little Red Rooster’ is simply magnificent, with a scratchy guitar opening and more bongos leading into a wonderfully simple descending riff – the kind of thing Jimmy Page might once upon a time have been inclined to pocket when no-one was looking, and later turn up to 11.  Another guitar tickles away in the background while Holmes patiently tells his tale, then some sax from Leon Michels slides into the mix, snaking around the groove, and some tasteful guitar notes float around – and then it fades out.  Three and a half absorbing minutes, job done.

‘Goin’ Away Baby’ is all pitter patter drums, ticking guitar and what sounds like Jew’s Harp, conjuring up a trance-like vibe into which a few stabs of tough, mid-pitched guitar are injected.  ‘All Night Long’ develops a different, almost Latin rhythm, anchored by a three note bass line from Eric Deaton that’s right in the pocket, creating a laid back feel over which Marcus King delivers a woozy slide guitar outro.  And Deaton's mastery of the nagging, insistent bottom end is apparent throughout, not least on the title track, to which Auerback adds a creepy electric drone in the background while Holmes sings about "When your body starts aching, and your body starts to get cold".

The album closes with ‘Two Women’, which is topped and tailed by a classic blues riff, and in between lopes along on an offbeat rhythm, with brushed cymbals and bursts of acoustic guitar, and a spiky, minimalist guitar break bringing a dash of modernity to Jimmy’s relationship musings.

Cypress Grove is not about catchy tunes or earworms.  It’s not about guitar showmanship either, so devotees of blues rock shredding should look elsewhere.  Jimmy “Duck” Holmes is an inheritor of the Bentonia, Mississippi blues tradition, and Cypress Grove mines that rich seam - elemental minor key stuff that’s shaped into mesmerising Delta grooves.  These roots go deep, real deep.  Close your eyes, pin back your ears, and follow ‘em down.

Cypress Grove was released by Easy Eye Sound on 18 October 2019.

Blues Enthused Christmas Stocking 2019 - Part 1

Santa’s checking his list by now I reckon – probably checking it twice.  Been naughty or nice, people?  Okay, I’ll believe you.  And to prove it here’s the Blues Enthused Christmas Stocking, a selection of treats to whet your musical appetite.

The first thing I’d say about 2019 is that it’s been an absolutely stellar year for blues and roots music, judging by the albums I’ve been able to lay my hands on, and some of the gigs I’ve seen.  Seriously, I think it’s the strongest year I’ve witnessed since I started on this caper.  You’ll no doubt have your own highlights, but here are some of mine.

Albert Castiglia gets heavy

My favourite album of 2019 has been Masterpiece, by Albert Castiglia.  I’ll be honest, although I knew the guy’s name this was the first time I’d actually been confronted by any of his work.  And right from the off the album grabbed me by the scruff of the neck and demanded my attention, with its combination of stomping, visceral ruff’n’tuff blues, and more thoughtful songs like the title track, ‘Love Will Win The War’, and this one - the rippling slow blues of‘Heavy’.  As someone perceptively put it, “Masterpiece is raw and primitive, down to earth and defiant, emotional and honest.”  Oh wait – that was me!

Also coming out of the States were a number of albums showcasing different blues styles in bloody marvellous fashion.  Late in the year Toronzo Cannon came up with a belting example of up-to-the-minute, forward looking Chicago Blues, in the form of The Preacher, The Politician And The Pimp – lyrically intelligent and witty, and with great arrangements, guitar and vocals.  Cop an earful of the title track.

The North Mississippi Allstars came up with a wonderful celebration of their Hill Country musical upbringing in the form of Up And Rolling.  But in the last couple of days I’ve also been listening to the recently released album Cypress Grove by Bentonia bluesman Jimmy ‘Duck’ Holmes, and I can tell you it’s the real deal when it comes to deep Mississippi blues.  I’ll be reviewing Cypress Grove soon, but in the meantime here’s Jimmy performing ‘Catfish Blues’ in his own Blues Front Café juke joint.

The soul-blues album that had the biggest impact on me was Sugaray Rayford’s Somebody Save Me.  Sugaray, a hugely entertaining live performer, collaborated with writer/producer Eric Corne to come up with a Grammy-nominated outing that knows its roots but still sounds modern, as on ‘I’d Kill For You, Honey’.

Going way down south, for me the rootlingest, tootlingest collection of original Texas blues came not from Jimmie Vaughan, much as other people praised his Baby Please Come Home, but from Rosie Flores, with her marvellously engaging Simple Case Of The Blues.  Honestly, if you liked Jimmie’s effort you should give Rosie a listen – and you can start with this performance of ‘Drive Drive Drive’.

Nine Below Zero - the boys are back in town!

Then heading back up north, like waaay up north and out of the US, Canada’s Matt Andersen came up with a stunning example of laid back, semi-acoustic roots music.  Call it soul, call it blues, call it what you will, Halfway Home By Morning is a gorgeous album, just about the best backing vocals you could dream of, courtesy of the McCrary Sisters.  And here he is with his pal Amy Helm, on the delightful with'Something To Lose'.

Meanwhile, back here in Britain, the year started with an adventurous album from Wille And The Bandits, Paths.  Are they blues?  Possibly not.  But with their album Paths they served up modern blues-inflected rock, with an inclination towards world music which sets them apart from the pack.  They’ve just gone through a major line-up change, and here are the new outfit performing ‘Make Love’.

We also had a new album from those R’n’B/soul veterans Nine Below Zero, with Avalanche.  The suitably updated NBZ band are a fun proposition to be sure, but they’re also capable of covering a number of bases to great effect.  Here they are with 'One Of Sour, Two Of Sweet'.

And, lastly for now, this year had a some kinda wonderful excursion into rootsy Americana territory by Geraint Watkins.  Being honest once again, like what I like to be, I’d never heard of the guy before his album Rush Of Blood came my way, and knocked me out with its rootsiness, its musical charm, and its romance.  Here’s our Geraint playing live in London last month, with a rather different take on ‘Johnny B. Goode’.

Merry Christmas folks.  Keep on rockin’, and Blues Enthused will be back with the second part of the festive package before New Year!

You can read Part 2 of the Christmas Stocking here.