A regular nominee (and winner) in British Blues polls Wayne Proctor has established himself as not just a drummer in demand, but also as producer – with a CD for Oli Brown (‘Here I Am’) already under his belt behind the mixing desk and others in the pipe-line. I managed to get a few minutes to find out about how he got to where he is, and where he plans to be going in future. Here’s the interview.
My first memories of Denis Palatin come from a review I did of Ana Popovic at Cafe Hahn in Koblenz some years ago. I remember he was at the bar with Ana’s then bassist Fabrice Ach after doing the early evening soundcheck and it struck me that he was still tapping his fingers on the bar counter in between sips of coffee. Even taking a break he seemed in search of rhythm it seemed. I’d jokingly asked if his neighbor’s were relieved whenever he went off on Tour – living next-door to a drummer must be Hell I suggested, unless you’re deaf, and even then it must be unpleasant when the plaster jumps from the ceiling. Maybe, I pondered,it was one of those neighbors who in a search for peace and quiet gave Thomas Ruf a call and suggested Denis would make an excellent Road drummer for RUF’s Touring Show the Blues Caravan? Or quite possibly Mr Ruf saw Palatin, with his congenial temperament and adaptable drum technique, as the perfect man for the job. After asking my first question in 2006 it seemed time for another, and following the Show at Bonn Harmonie I asked it, and another…
The name Ben Poole has cropped up on my radar continuously when talking to UK Blues musicians over the last couple of years. Usually in the context of guitar playing. Do we really need another guitar hero? Got to be my mental response to that. As a result, I was expecting to hear some serious guitar histrionics on Poole’s first full release – and, if I was lucky, some half decent songs to fit them into. It turns out I was wrong. What we have on ‘Let’s Go Upstairs’ is the expected excellent guitar yes, but in addition, a very unexpected level of songwriting and arranging – some of the best I’ve heard in a while in fact. So what happened?
Time once again for the RUF Records Blues Caravan to hit town. It would be easy to say ‘What again’ except that every year Thomas Ruf seems to find a new batch of musicians and stir them together to create a hot and tasty Blues Soup for Harmonie visitors to savor. This year saw the return of Joanne Shaw Taylor and Jimmy Bowskill, with the Bonn debut of Tennessee born Bart Walker.
Young readers who play in Folk/Ethnic/World Music bands in the Bonn area might be interested in a music competition taking place in Hürth.
Organized by the Landesverband der Musikschulen and the Landesmusikrat NRW, the initial show takes place on 20th April in Hürth and entries have to be in by 22nd February.
There’s a winners final concert and also prizes to be won. .
For more details check HERE The age limit for entries is 27 years old.
Werner Krotz-Vogel
So what do you do when you run a Folk Club and your main act cancels at the last moment? ‘Keep Calm and Carry On’ of course. In the case of Bonn Folk Club’s second meet of 2013 the problem wasn’t so much who to add as replacements but more the problem of who to leave out.
Still unsure if it’s worth heading out to the Troisdorf Blues Club in Heimbachstrasse on 15 Feb? Here’s a taster from King King’s upcoming CD to nudge you out the door even if it’s raining…
NEW TRACKS FROM KING KING
There’s also an interview with Band leader Alan Nimmo coming soon on this site, so stay tuned!
Tickets are now onsale for Carlos Santana at the Kunst!Rasen in Bonn on 15 July.
BOOKING DETAILS HERE
