Blues Pinoy

A sad, sad day for Blues fans all over the world. Farewell, Gary. We still got the Blues for you! 

Who says that Blues is nonexistent in Cebu? Here's deltaslim and the harp guy doing a slow Blues number during the Cebu Guitar Festival 2010. Enough said - just listen and appreciate this excellent stuff. Video courtesy of Sir Junx/The Outpost.

Another great night of Blues in Cebu! Here's deltaslim, Kento Ido, Noli Aurillo, (i think) one cool dude doing the Blues harp, and the rest of the gang doing an upbeat number during the Cebu Guitar Festival.

With the passing of NU107's Crossroads comes the next generation of Pinoy Blues artists - and they're getting younger every minute! Here is 14-year-old IdoKento with Manny Amador of The Breed fame doing a Jimi Hendrix classic at The Outpost, Cebu. More info about the band on my next posts.

Blues guitar need not be difficult as explained by - no, it's not James Taylor, it's Associate Professor at Berklee College of Music, Michael Williams, showing minor blues progressions for the rhythm guitar in the style of BB King's "The Thrill is Gone." So go now, get your guitar, and play!

Here's gotmojodante's interpretation of the classic Gary Moore tune, Still Got the Blues. A little tight in the beginning but gets it all going in the mid and later parts. A true example of the adage, "less is more" where emotion rather than speed, matters.

Some good old rockin' blues by 'gotmojodante' in preparation for his upcoming solo live gig. Here he shows the variety of licks he has in store, with his trusted Les Paul.

B.B. King gets it done once more with Lucille. "Merry Christmas Baby" is an R & B Christmas standard written by Lou Baxter and Johnny Moore. It has been covered by many artists including Otis Redding, B.B. King, Chuck Berry, and Hanson.

This is what Blues guitar is all about! A playful albeit short display of Blues guitar licks from the Pinoy guitar god, Perf De Castro. Boys, observe and learn from the master! From YouTube: "Rare live video clip of Philippine power trio TriAxis, performing at the 1997 Sony Music Showcase at the Hard Rock Cafe, Philippines." TriAxis are: Perf De Castro - guitar/vocals; King Baldoz - bass; Wendell Garcia - drums

"Practice - Blues in A sharp" Praktis pa lang yan ha! Just one of a series of videos by my 'friend' gotmojodante from YouTube. Listen to the wailing sound of his guitar...

Have a treat with this classic Blues number by Cuarenta, the best Blues/Blues-rock band in Cebu City. This song was written by Willie Dixon and first recorded by Muddy Waters. Cuarenta: On vocals, Kay; lead guitars, Arnold Ang; 2nd guitar, Henry; 3rd guitar, Randy; bass, Lyndon; and on drums, Juel. I was lucky to have the chance to jam with them when I resided in Cebu a few years back. Really a bunch of down-to-earth, extremely talented, and fun group to hang out with.

"Here's my blues attempt. I titled it Grayscale Blues for some random reason. hahah. I hope y'all enjoy it! Long live the blues! keep pickin'!" - Ken Estioko (www.talk.philmusic.com) Ken exhibits his variety of Blues chops in this video - from the classic slow licks to the fast SRV to Jimi's wah accentuated solos, the kid's got it all!

The classic tune by Gary Moore. Not your typical 12-bar song most commonly associated with the Blues but the emotions, you can almost hear the guitar cry. Very nice guitar tone. Gary Moore (born Robert William Gary Moore, 4 April 1952, Belfast, Northern Ireland) is a Northern Irish guitarist and singer.

Cebu's Jimi Hendrix? See for yourself. This was taken during last year's Cebu Guitar Fest featuring the living legend Sammy Asuncion, Benjie Rigor, and Randy Pages. On bass is Lyndon of Cuarenta. "...and if my baby don't love me no more, I know her sister will."

Most of us identify The Beatles with catchy rock and roll tunes, ballads, and later psychedelic rock (Sgt. Pepper's) songs. I bet most Pinoys don't know that the band had a 12-bar blues song too. Yer Blues is from The Beatles album (popularly known as the "White Album"). It was recorded in 1968 with John Lennon on vocals. A trivia: John Lennon wrote this in India while The Beatles were on a retreat learning meditation with the Maharishi.

August 12, 2009 was a sad day for Blues fans and guitar players all over the world. It was the day Lester William Polsfuss, more popularly known as simply Les Paul, returned to his Maker. Still, his name will continue to be associated with the Blues, with the guitar he designed, the Gibson Les Paul. Among the notable artists who have used this axe are Eric Clapton, Joe Walsh, Slash, Trent Reznor, and many more. Of note, Bob Marley also had one especially made for him.