Blain, Brian - Overqualified for the Blues
Ever since his 1973 recording, »The Story of the Magic Pick«(Good Noise/Polydor), Brian has been providing his wry commentary on the music scene. On this album, »Blues is Hurting« is Brian’s take on the blues scene today and “One More Weasel” is a cynical swipe at the music industry from this otherwise mild-mannered Buddhist bluesman.
On »Hi-Tech Blues,« a song about his trials and tribulations with computers, Brian is backed up by the rhythm section of Canada's premiere blues band, Downchild. West-coast blues phenom Harry Manx plays on the anthemic “Peace” and invited Brian to open for him on three Ontario tours. Montreal-based multi-instrumentalist
Michael Jerome Browne is featured on five tracks including »No More Meetings«(surely the first blues song to rhyme “decorum» with “quorum«).
Brian's biggest boosters have always been the musicians he's come to know both on stage and behind the scenes. It was bassman extraordinaire Victor Bateman who convinced him to demo some of his original tunes after they jammed together at Brian's 50th birthday party. This led to the 1999 release of his indie CD »Who Paid You To Give Me The Blues?« Now, as he approaches his 60th, Brian is determined to spend less time in front of a computer and more time playing guitar.
Since arriving in Toronto from rural Quebec in 1990, Brian has been performing locally as a solo artist, occasionally teaming up with Scott »Professor Piano« Cushnie, Suzie Vinnick or Paul Reddick and he even had the opportunity to play gigs with blues luminaries Gene Taylor of the Fabulous Thunderbirds and the late Long John Baldry. For special occasions he's assembled a full-blown blues revue called »Colorblind Brian and the New Blainettes« featuring the all-star backup band from Toronto's Women's Blues Revue. His year-long residency at Toronto's Tranzac Club featured a succession of Canada's greatest blues artists, Morgan Davis, Michael Pickett, Carlos del Junco, Madagascar Slim, Papa John King and many others. His after-hours blues jam at the 2005 Toronto Downtown Jazz festival had jazz stars Antonio Hart, Russell Malone and Roy Hargrove sitting in.
On »Hi-Tech Blues,« a song about his trials and tribulations with computers, Brian is backed up by the rhythm section of Canada's premiere blues band, Downchild. West-coast blues phenom Harry Manx plays on the anthemic “Peace” and invited Brian to open for him on three Ontario tours. Montreal-based multi-instrumentalist
Michael Jerome Browne is featured on five tracks including »No More Meetings«(surely the first blues song to rhyme “decorum» with “quorum«).
Brian's biggest boosters have always been the musicians he's come to know both on stage and behind the scenes. It was bassman extraordinaire Victor Bateman who convinced him to demo some of his original tunes after they jammed together at Brian's 50th birthday party. This led to the 1999 release of his indie CD »Who Paid You To Give Me The Blues?« Now, as he approaches his 60th, Brian is determined to spend less time in front of a computer and more time playing guitar.
Since arriving in Toronto from rural Quebec in 1990, Brian has been performing locally as a solo artist, occasionally teaming up with Scott »Professor Piano« Cushnie, Suzie Vinnick or Paul Reddick and he even had the opportunity to play gigs with blues luminaries Gene Taylor of the Fabulous Thunderbirds and the late Long John Baldry. For special occasions he's assembled a full-blown blues revue called »Colorblind Brian and the New Blainettes« featuring the all-star backup band from Toronto's Women's Blues Revue. His year-long residency at Toronto's Tranzac Club featured a succession of Canada's greatest blues artists, Morgan Davis, Michael Pickett, Carlos del Junco, Madagascar Slim, Papa John King and many others. His after-hours blues jam at the 2005 Toronto Downtown Jazz festival had jazz stars Antonio Hart, Russell Malone and Roy Hargrove sitting in.
Skrivet av Håkan Olsson
