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Twin Town High (vol. 8) |
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Guy Davis: Close to the bone
Wednesday 15 November @ 13:36:54 |
 
BY DWIGHT HOBBES
Guy Davis is that rarity of rarities, a black blues artist. In his line of work- acoustic music- there’s Taj Mahal, Keb Mo’ and, well, that’s pretty much it so far as high profiles go. Black audiences have deserted the artform in droves, just as they have electric blues (at least outside of cities like Chicago and New Orleans). White audiences have appreciably picked up the slack, but, the profoundly gifted Davis is one of a dying breed.
Red House Records heralds Guy Davis’ newest, Skunkmello, as an “album that flows with the start-to-finish cohesiveness of a classic album.” And that’s the thing with him: Over the course of eight releases on the label since 1995 (and one on the old Folkways label), Davis has filled that bill every time out, his repertoire ranging from early country blues to today’s city sounds with the constant of down-home funk anchoring everything he sings. Speaking of which, he’s a fine guitar player and blows some sweet harp, but what nails you right away is an impassioned, raw-edged voice that epitomizes the blues itself.
 Skunkmello is a sterling addition to the Guy Davis catalog. This time, he showcases more songwriting than usual with only three covers—the venerable standards, “Po Boy”, “Maggie Campbell Blues” and Howlin’ Wolf’s “Goin’ Down Slow” - out of 14 cuts. He reprises the uproarious, enlightening gem “Uncle Tom’s Dead” from his Legacy album (National Public Radio named “Uncle Tom’s Dead” one of the best songs of 2004, citing Legacy as one of that year’s best albums. “Uncle Tom is Dead (Milk ‘n’ Cookies Remix)” features a guest appearance by Davis’ son Martial, who advances the premise, “ Rap is what’s happenin’ / Blues ain’t got nothin’ / Blues is old fashioned / It’s got no passion / It’s just on old box that I throw my trash in.” Guy counters, “Blues is your legacy / You don’t know history / You wear those baggy clothes on all your videos / Riding in a hummer full of gangsters and ho’s … You think rappin’ is new? / It started with you / and blues just for white boys to listen to?” Eventually, Martial gets so out of pocket Guy offers to whup his butt. It’ll have you laughing your ass off and thinking hard at the same time.
In Holland, finishing up the European leg of his current tour, Davis answered a few questions for Pulse of the Twin Cities.
Pulse of the Twin Cities: A few years back, between sets at the Cedar Cultural Center, you saw me and another cat and remarked, “Brown folk!” How do you, a blues purveyor, feel about working to scarcely black audiences?
Guy Davis: Close to one hundred years ago, Ma Rainey would pull her tent show out to a field somewhere, and sing black blues to black people who had assembled from miles around. Today, I’m lucky if one percent of my audience is black. When I perform for an audience, I gladly give everything I have, but every once in a while, when I see one little black face coming in the back of the auditorium, I’m happy that there’s someone there I can share a secret understanding with. When I perform at inner city schools, I tend to run into a lot of black kids.
Pulse: The lyrics to “Uncle Tom’s Dead” highlight the fact that Harriet Beecher Stowe’s character Uncle Tom was no tom at all. That integrity is about more than meets the eye. You not only put it across, but did so for more than one generation. How’d it feel to accomplish that, especially with your son taking part?
Guy Davis: I don’t know if I did actually accomplish anything. The music that I perform is no longer cutting edge. No kid has ever come up to me yet and said he liked that song. It’s just the rantings of an old guy trying to lecture a young one. Still, it’s probably good for young folks to hear their elders spouting rules and ethics, so they’ll know what to tell their kids when they become the elders. I wrote the song right in the studio. I thought my son’s voice was perfect for the annoyed kid. He was thirteen at the time and seemed to enjoy himself.
Pulse: By what process do you decide what material goes on your albums?
Guy Davis: Red House Records gets the ultimate say because they put up most of the money. I record songs that I like, and that feel good to me. I don’t go into the process of recording with a concept in mind. That leaves me much more free to create.
 Pulse: When you get up on stage and play, it seems like you’re having the time of your life. How’s it feel to do what you love for a living?
Guy Davis: I am having the time of my life when I play. I feel like the luckiest person in the world to be able to do what I love to do, and it feels like what I’m supposed to be doing.
Pulse: What prompted you to do it for a living?
Guy Davis: I do it for a living because I can. I wanted to be an astronaut, though. The main reason I do it is because I get to wear a hat indoors. ||
Guy Davis plays Sun., Nov. 19 at The Cedar Cultural Center. 7:30 p.m. $15/$18. All ages. 416 Cedar Ave. S., Mpls. 612-338-2674 ext. 2 or go to the cedar.org. For more info on David, check out his official website at guydavis.com.
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