On Saturday, February 17, 2007, The Kingston Blues Society hosted another explosive evening of magnificent blues music featuring London, Ontario’s Chris Chown and Toronto’s David Rotundo. 

I wasn’t expecting to be able to attend the 560 Legion for what I was sure was going to be a memorable music extravaganza with two infamous blues musicians who I had never really experienced before but had, of course, heard of.  However, my good friend Roseanne decided to come from Alexandria Bay, New York this weekend to visit and insisted that we go (on her) because her friend Trudy was also going and was raving about how great the night was going to be.  She was absolutely, positively right!

Now 27 years old, Chris Chown and his band took the stage shortly after 8:00 pm and immediately wowed and won the capacity crowd’s attention.  A regular fixture at The Slip during the annual Limestone City Blues Festival where it’s a challenge to get in to see him, Chris has been playing to K-town blues lovers since he was 16 when he released his first album “Stompin’ Grounds”.  About to release his third album which will be a rock record, Chris and his rich, clear and powerful voice has matured.  He opened last night with “Gonna Have A Good Time”, foreshadowing the atmosphere for the rest of the evening.

Roseanne and I took the dance floor by storm during the second song which was “Baby Scratch My Back” and continued dancing into the third.  Chris slowed things down after that with a very sexy waltz highlighted by his tremendous guitar solo and the prominent and most impressive drumming of Chuck Keeping that started the loins’ juices flowing!  The band totally rocked the socks off a groovy rendition of “Superstition” which was sung by bassist Ryan Spong.  Chris Chown and his super tight band of pros including Adam Thibert on guitar, played exceptional blues for almost two hours featuring John Lee Hooker’s “Got My Eyes On You”, “Everybody’s Doin’ The Dog”, a gorgeous version of “Sent By Angels” by The Arc Angels, Stevie Ray Vaughan’s “Cold Shot” (which packed the dance floor) followed by “Mary Had A Little Lamb/Let The Good Times Roll” and “The Shape I’m In” among other gems.  They finished the set with a dynamite climactic jam which included Chris’ favourite song, Jimi Hendrix’s “Little Wing” enabling Chown to showcase his astounding virtuoso guitar playing as well as his superb drummer and they were rightfully given a standing ovation that perpetuated the encore “I’m Too Sorry For You/Sweet Home Chicago”.  The astoundingly talented Chris Chown Band gave everyone a real big bang for their buck!

David Rotundo and his band launched into their vigorous set at 10:35 pm.  With his right leg shaking and reverberating up his whole body, the lean and sexy Rotundo blew his harp like it was the last night on earth!  There is no mistaking this Maple Blues Harmonica Player of the Year Nominee’s (2006) great passion and knowledge of the blues and his awesome band consisted of 2003’s Maple Blues Bass Player of the Year, Shane Scott who has also won numerous other awards, guitarist Dan Dufour who looks like someone who should be with Tony Soprano’s crew in his oversized bowling shirt, jeans and pork pie hat (and the man can play too!), and the brilliant and energetic Chuck D. Keeping came back to play the drums.

Rotundo, who cut his blues chops with the Jack de Keyzer band, has also played with Rompin’ Ronnie Hawkins and Muddy Waters’ one time drummer Willie “Big Eyes” Smith.  His debut album “Blowin’ For Broke” was nominated for Blues Album of 2001 by the Canadian Independent Artist Association and won the Maple Blues Awards Best New Artist of the Year for 2002.

David’s sex appeal comes from the fact that he owns the IT factor.  I, and I’m sure most of the women in the room couldn’t help but imagine the pleasure a woman could receive from a man who can blow an instrument like that!  Every woman knows that skinny white bluesmen are packin’!  Rotundo’s pal and fellow blues harpist Jerome Godboo, formerly of Toronto’s The Phantoms, is another example of what I’m talking about.  Rotundo’s energy is nothing short of phenomenal and his abounding bass voice, big brown eyes, dark complexion and curly black locks topped with an SRV style black banded hat, prove there’s nothing sexier than a blues harpist on a mission from God! 

David performed many original songs including “Stranger”, “Let’s Have A Good Time”, the sensual ballad “Worries & Troubles”, “I’m Into It”, and “Too Much Woman” to name but a few.  His music is high to the sky energy, jumpin’, twisting, dancing ‘til you drop happy blues.  Roseanne, Trudy and her daughter Holly and friends Joan, Karen and I all danced our asses off (and not one man asked any of us beautiful women to dance so what the hell is up with that!?) and had a most excellent time until I started fading around 11:30 pm as did a good portion of the audience who cut out before the end of the evening to head home in the falling snow.  At 11:50 pm David was invited back to the stage to take his encore and he literally brought the house down.  It was a night of the best of the blues and I am eternally grateful for being there to get bluesified.  Kingston will have another opportunity to see David Rotundo perform on Saturday, April 21, 2007 when he will be at The Merchant Tap House so do not miss him!

http://ca.geocities.com/cchown@rogers.com (a work in progress)
www.myspace.com/chrischown
www.davidrotundo.com

Christine Bode
c.bode@partyinkingston.com