Beauty with the blues
For the younger audience, it is emo’s cranky grandpa. Sometimes nagging, yet often raw, true and reflective. Unlike emo that takes melancholy and plasters it with layers of distortion and for better or for worse, whining, the blues is a musical genre that is known particularly for its soulful narrative-style lyrics, expressive lead guitar playing and a repeated chord pattern serving as a canvas for the singer or guitar player’s overall musicality.
And yes, beer tastes better too with the blues. It’s bar science. B.B. King is widely considered a very influential musician inspiring countless blues guitarists and musicians over time. Born Sept. 16, 1925 in a little town in Mississippi, USA, King passed away very recently, on May 14, leaving musicians and fans alike mourning the loss. Oh, King must be smiling down on everybody now. He probably left fans something to sing about anyway.
If you’re a fan of the blues, you’ve probably gone around town here in Cebu and spotted a venue or two where you can pass a few hours listening to guitars wailing all night long. I remember the series of “Guitarfests” held at the old The Outpost a few years back, and oh, it was a celebration, all right. Sure, there were virtuoso performances that melted faces paying homage to Johnson, Satriani or Vai (was there a Malmsteen done?), but there was also a lot of blues going on.
I haven’t listened to a blues song lately, as I’ve been pretty much sorting through some ‘90s music in Spotify. But with news of the legend’s passing away, I’ve immediately turned to YouTube for some reminiscing. In fact, I recalled some of the artists in Cebu who are into the blues. These bands, I’ve come to love: Kingston Blues Project (that guitar tone is incredible), Cuarenta (talk about mastery of craft), Eve’s Garden (who I like for sometimes going into rock and roll territory), JRI (loud, proud and in your face) and a new and young group called Three Legged Men (which takes a more modern approach with the genre infusing a few elements of pop and jazz).
Sometimes, these artists do not only play, technically, the classic blues as theory would describe it. They can throw a little bit of reggae or funk in there during a gig. But that’s Cebu for you—we love flaunting creativity.
How can music that’s based on sadness actually make people happy? That’s the beauty of the blues for you, and Cebu is pretty good at it.