C.W. Stoneking
There's something about the music of the decades just before the arrival rock 'n roll that appeals to me. Genres such as jazz, folk and in particular the pre-war blues have something that is lacking today. It feels more natural and protrudes a greater sense of raw emotion than most forms of contemporary music.
One of my more recent discoveries has been the Australian bluesman C.W. Stoneking. He released his album King Hokum two years ago yet it seems more suited to a Depression era American south. The songs off King Hokum wouldn't sound out of place with all the old songs that get posted at Honey, Where Have You Been So Long?
Next time he tours nearby I'll have to make sure I go and see him perform.
C.W. Stoneking - Bad Luck Everywhere You Go (from King Hokum LP)
Buy King Hokum
12:13 PM
Saw him in Darwin with Paul Kelly. He sang and played guitar unaccompanied.
It was like listening to an old, scratched LP through a telephone.
Even the stage presence was like watching an old, badly preserved, black and white movie.
Totally unexpected, a little bewildering but completely enjoyable.
I wondered if he was American but eventually he started speaking "Australian".
Quite a contrast to the exuberance of the Kelly gang.