 By
East Side Slim
 Jason
Ricci and New Blood – Done With The Devil
Eclecto Groove Records, 2009
Just in time for spring is a new release from Jason
Ricci and New Blood. Jason has become the heir-apparent
to the throne of harmonica king over the last few
years (although Dennis Gruenling is still in the
running), and his talents are on full display on
Done With The Devil. Jason is one of the hardest
working musicians in the country, and it’s
been great to see good things continue to come his
way – he’s earned it through sheer hard
work (sometimes enormous talent isn’t enough
– but that usually takes sheer hard work,
too.) This CD is the 2nd release for the band on
Eclecto Groove Records (a subsidiary label of the
Delta Groove blues/music concern), and with it the
band continues to expand their sound. Where their
previous CD, Rocket Number 9, was a darker, more
rebellious affair, the new CD is brighter, and more
accepting. It is still chock full of fire and passion,
as would be any release from Jason and the band,
and it is a treat for the ears – especially
if those ears are connected to musically adventurous
minds. If you’re stuck on 3 chords and a cloud
of dust, you best move on.
A few notes about the band members would seem to
be in order. Jason has been mentioned already, but
a couple other facts should be thrown out there.
Ricci is among the most technically proficient harmonica
players in the world (even if he doesn’t want
to admit it). He’s a master of the difficult
overblow technique. I have to admit in fairness
that I am not a huge fan of the sound overblowing
produces on harp (I’d rather hear a good chromatic
harp player – overblowers sound to me like
they are de-tuning their harps). If you’re
not familiar with overblowing, the end result of
a player being able to combine overblowing of notes
with bending of notes is the ability to play a diatonic
harmonica in a chromatic fashion – the bending
and overblowing “make” the notes missing
from the diatonic scale for that key appear. It’
really magic, but you didn’t hear that from
me…
Shawn Starski has been Jason’s guitar foil
for several years now. While he used to exist as
almost a secret weapon for the band, that is definitely
not the case anymore. Once you get featured in Guitar
Player magazine your abilities have become very
well known. Shawn has the ability to slip in to
and out of many musical styles, always playing with
great taste, tone and emotion, regardless of the
style required by the song (hmm… playing to
the song; what a novel idea…) Simply put,
Shawn is the real deal!
Bass man Todd “Buck Weed” Edmonds has
been with the band a couple years now. He is a highly
skilled player (jazz trained?) who has the ability
to follow Jason and Shawn wherever they choose to
go musically. I call him bass man because on this
CD he plays electric bass, upright acoustic, sousaphone
and even bass harmonica. Drummer Ed Michaels is
the newest member of the band, joining in time to
be able to record this CD with the band. He contributed
one song, too, singing on it as well. Ed is also
a player of great talents, and does an amazing job
of supplying the beats to the wide array of song
styles found on this CD. He works his backside off
during a live show, that’s for sure! Speaking
of live shows, Jason Ricci and New Blood are regular
performers in St. Louis, having found a home away
from home at B.B.’s Jazz, Blues & Soups.
In fact, the band is scheduled to play there again
on May 27, 2009.
The
Songs: (primary credited songwriter(s)
listed in parenthesis)
1. Done With the Devil – (Jason Ricci,
Shawn Stachurski)
--The title song of the CD kicks things off with
a jolt of rockin’ Mississippi Hill Country-influenced
blues. If you took some Junior Kimbrough, then mixed
it with some vintage Get Your Wings-era Aerosmith,
you’ll have a very good idea of what this
track sounds like. Jason spent a year or so as a
young man living with and learning from the Kimbroughs,
Burnsides, etc… and it’s actually nice
to hear him mix some of this style into his recordings
again. This just might be one of the coolest Aerosmith
songs that Aerosmith never wrote.
2. Sweet Loving – (Jason Ricci, Shawn
Stachurski)
--You might not be used to hearing a gentle, almost
Memphis soul-styled number from New Blood, but that
is pretty much what you have here. There is definitely
a less “violent”, almost sweeter, theme
to this entire CD when compared with Rocket Number
9 (the band’s previous release.) This tune,
Sweet Loving, is a love song. You the listener can
decide to whom it was written. You better go out
and purchase a copy of this CD so you can figure
that out…
3. Holler for Craig Lawler – (Jason
Ricci, Shawn Stachurski)
--The band is pretty firmly in jam-band territory
here. That style isn’t one of my favorites
in general, but that’s not to say that some
of the songs aren’t a lot of fun. This is
a long one (over 6 minutes), giving each of the
band member to stretch out with some solo space.
The tune is a little long and a little loose for
my tastes, but Jason absolutely tears it up on harp.
There couldn’t have been anything left of
his harps but pieces when he finished this performance.
4. Broken Toy – (Todd Edmunds, Jason
Ricci)
--The tempo is brought way back down with this song,
which is based on a slow bluesy riff. It’s
got a bit of a Tom Waits feel, due to its melancholy
mood and due to Jason’s vocal delivery. The
lyrics sound very much autobiographical to Jason
life, and to the lives of other men who have come
out to the world-at-large as gay men. I haven’t
yet mentioned the guitar playing of Shawn Starski,
and I need to correct that right now. While he spends
most of this tune chording, he throws a solo out
there near the middle of the song that is simply
stunning.
5. Ptryptophan Pterodactyl – (Todd
Edmunds)
--When was the last time you saw either of those
words in a song title? The song itself is a sort
of jazz-fusion excursion, and reminds me very much
of some of the music performed by The Rippingtons,
or maybe even some of Lee Oskar’s jazzier
work. While it’s definitely jazzy in nature,
there’s a pretty melody in place that never
gets lost among the soloing. This sort of thing,
if not performed well, can leave be kind of cold.
However, the melody is solid, the playing phenomenal
and the song structure tight. This tune will grow
on you; I promise.
6. I Turned Into A Martian – (Glenn
Danzig)
--You turned into a what?! Wow, talk about a jarring
juxtaposition of song styles… From the style
of Tom Waits, to The Rippingtons, to a shot of punk
rock a la The Misfits. The only thing going on here
is a punk rock party (check all guns and knives
at the door…), although played by incredibly
skilled players. This is a cool track, and probably
the most aggressive cut on the CD. Even so, it’s
not really dark (probably due to the oh-oh-oh background
vocals), at least not in comparison to many tracks
on Rocket Number 9.
7. As Long As I Have You – (Willie
Dixon)
--Its rare when New Blood performs a hard blues
cover on a CD anymore, but that’s exactly
what they do here, taking on this classic Willie
Dixon tune. This cut is pure blues, with Jason blowing
acoustic harp, Shawn playing Chicago-style blues
guitar, and an organ gurgling along under it all.
This was a treat for a blues-head like me. Thanks
boys!
8. How It Came to Be – (Shawn Stachurski)
--This is the 1st cut on the CD where Jason doesn’t
handle the lead vocals. Guitarist Shawn Starski
handles the vocals this time around, acquitting
himself well. The song follows the lead of the previous
tune, as it’s also firmly in the blues camp.
This one is stripped down, played with acoustic
instrumentation (including Dobro) in a delta blues
vibe.
9. Life Of Denial – (Todd Edmunds,
Jason Ricci, Shawn Stachurski)
--Life of Denial moves the band back into more familiar
territory (familiar for the listener that is), motoring
along a rockin’ bluesy road this time around.
When Ricci really cuts loose on harp it sounds like
he’s turning those things inside out (which
he almost literally is when he starts overblowing).
10.
Afro Blue – (Ramon Santamaria)
--Jason Ricci and New Blood take you on a jazzy
instrumental excursion on this track. He plays the
tune with only diatonic harmonicas, although he
plays them chromatically via the extensive use of
both bending and overblowing. Jason is an amazing
technician on harp, as well as a very soulful player
(the two traits do NOT always co-exist in the same
player.) Listen carefully to this song in order
to hear examples of his overblowing technique. Also,
do not ignore Shawn Starski’s jazz-based guitar
work. I enjoy bluesy jazz-styled guitar chording
immensely (Kenny Burrell anyone?), and Shawn shows
off a few props here. This is a killer cut!
11.
Keep The Wolf From My Door – (Ed Michaels)
--New Blood drummer Ed Michaels wrote this tune,
and he takes the lead vocal as well. It’s
basically a mid-tempo hard blues, with sousaphone
(this is the big horn you stand inside of; it’s
the marching band version of the tuba) used in place
of electric bass. The tune has a cool, funky feel,
and the fact that Jason isn’t singing allows
him to blast-off on harp. Ed’s voice fits
this type of material well – look for him
to possibly do more singing with the band on their
more traditional blues material. And, once again
Shawn’s guitar work is incredible, as it throughout
this CD. He is no longer Jason’s secret weapon
in the band – the word is definitely out considering
the guitar skills of Mr. Starski. Before I forget
to mention it, there’s the added bonus of
Shawn Kellerman also playing guitar on this song.
Check him out next time he plays St. Louis @ Beale
On Broadway (or at a venue near you.)
12.
Enlightenment – (Sun Ra)
--Well, this brings us to the end of the set. The
band goes a completely different direction here,
tackling a Sun Ra instrumental composition. It starts
out in full carnival/sideshow vibe (which I’ve
always found musically rewarding, if a little twisted…
most anything in a minor key works for me.) Anywho,
those of you with adventuresome and/or eclectic
tastes will definitely dig this cut. The song moves
back to a “middle ground” for awhile,
before going back to the carnival for the last section
of the tune. If you like the music of Kevin Breit
or Carlo Del Junco, you will have an idea of what
this sounds like – and you’ll like this
tune! This is one of my favorite songs on the new
CD. The guys brought out a few musical tricks for
the song, too, including: chord harmonica, polyphonia
harmonica (look it up!), bass harmonica (played
by bass player Todd Edmunds) and accordion. I think
some of Jason’s best, and most soulful, harp
work on this CD is found in the middle movement
of this song. That’s my own humble opinion
and you are free to purchase the CD and form your
own opinion (hint, hint – buy this CD!)
The
Verdict: The
music contained on Jason Ricci and New Blood’s
new CD Done With The Devil is quite a departure
from the music heard on their last Eclecto Groove
CD. That’s good for a couple of reasons. The
first reason is: why would you want a duplicate
of the previous work? That’s kind of boring,
for the band and for the listener. The second reason
is more personal… I felt the last CD (Rocket
Number 9) was very dark, very rebellious in tone
and in theme. At times that made it a difficult
listen for me, even if at the same time the musicianship
was amazing. Rocket Number 9 was conceived and recorded
during darker times among the band members’
lives, and it showed in the final product. Done
With The Devil seems to have been put together during
happier, more positive moments (hence the CD’s
title, DONE with the Devil) – and I really
dig many of the songs here! Don’t take away
the feeling that this release isn’t tough
and full of fire – it is full of both. If
you had trouble getting your head around Rocket
Number 9, give Done With The Devil a spin or two.
You could end up being well rewarded for the effort.
As always, Jason and Shawn show the technique and
soul that fans have come to expect (hopefully not
take for granted) and admire from them. Additionally,
the other members of the band, Todd and Ed, are
more fully integrated into the band’s creative
processes. Jason’s singing voice is likely
never going to be his strong suit, but he’s
working constantly on his singing, leading him to
become a good vocalist. And as fans of the blues
know, you don’t always have to be able to
sing like a canary in order to be a great vocalist.
A lot of being a good, or great, vocalist is about
what’s in your soul; Jason has plenty of soul.
Time to rate this bad boy - STLBluesometer rating
of 4.00 for Done With The Devil from Jason Ricci
and New Blood
Lee Howland
- aka "East
Side Slim"
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