Paul Pigat's Diverse Roots Music

Roots-country guitarist-vocalist Paul Pigat would likely be classified in Americana if he was based in the States. Based in Vancouver he has two new CDs on Little Pig Records. One is as by Cousin Harley, Its a Sin, while the other is under his own name and entitled Boxcar Campfire. The two discs have very different flavors but are quite enjoyable in their separate fashion.

The Cousin Harley disc opens up with the rockabilly flavored Conductor Man, and listening to Pigat’s vocals along with his sizzling, twanging guitar, one might think of Pigat as a Yankee Marty Robbins crossed with the Johnny Burnette Trio as Keith Picot slaps the bass and Jesse Cahill kicks the rhythm around. The mood can switch to a bit jazzier guitar on the swinging “She’s Comin’ Back the old-style Western rocker, Sweet Little Angel, and scintillating instrumentals such as the swinging Beaver Fever, Swingin’ Life a Mofo, and Spooks. Cousin Harley will clearly appeal to fans of similar guitar masters with a similar country-roots base as Bill Kirchen and Deke Dickerson. Cousin’s Harley’ It’s a Sin is wonderful rocking music and terrific fun.

Pigat’s own Boxcar Campfire, is built upon a mostly acoustic quartet and has a folk-country feel with some blues tinges with Pigat on guitars and banjo, Tommy Babin on bass, Barry Mirochnink on drums and Paul Rigby on mandolin. The ambiance is more of what some might call “Americana,” ranging from the folk oriented Johnny’s Poorly, to the bluegrass flavored All Over Now. A reference point might be the great Leon Redbone, although Pigat’s recordings don’t have his dead pan humor. John Henry Part 2, with its dirge tempo, has Pigat on electric guitar and is an original lyric with this John Henry being an offspring of the hero, who never should have driven a spike on the line, being free with his knife and free with his gun.“ Corn Liquor has some nice finger style guitar with a Piedmont blues tinge, while “Nowhere Town,” is a reflective solo performance. Lonesome Whistle is a invigorating bluegrass-tinged treatment of an Hank Williams number rousing interplay between mandolin, acoustic guitar and steel guitar and followed by the amusing lyric of Sweet Tooth. Boxcar Campfire shows another side of Paul Pigat’s music and is the diverse performances are wonderfully performed and so very entertaining.

I received review copies from a publicity firm.

Some Outstanding 2010 Releases That Are Neither Blues Or Jazz

My final list of outstanding releases. These are recordings that don't fall with the rubric of blues and/or jazz.

Deke Dickerson Live at Duff’s Major Label/ Hep 400. A record for guitar freaks. “Plenty of country swing and twang with some jazz and blues accents added, like James Burton meets Duane Eddy with other genre hopping just like the backing band of the Modern Sounds whose approach may be rooted more in jazz and swing traditions, but provides a thoroughly compatible and sympathetic backing …”

Johnny Moeller BlooGaLoo (Severn). Presently guitarist with the Fabulous Thunderbirds, Moeller “has been turning heads with his raw, soul-funk blues guitar playing that comes across as a wild blend of Freddie King, Jimmy Nolan, John Lee Hooker and Frankie Lee Sims. … Fans of raunchy blues guitar mixed with heavy doses of funk, and rock’n’roll will certainly find this latest effort by Johnny Moeller much to their taste.”

Dwayne Dopsie and the Zydeco Hellraisers Up In Flames (self-produced). Accordion playing son of Rockin’ Dopsie, this is exciting zydeco in vein of the legendary Clifton Chenier. About the Zydeco Hellraisers I wrote, “Rhythmically they are tight and in addition to Dopsie’s accordion playing, saxophonist may be as good as sax player in an zydeco band I have heard since Blind John Hart was with Clifton Chenier and Rockin’ Dopsie.”

Ensemble Fatien Seguenon Presents Ensemble Fatien (Threadhead Records). I had the pleasure of seeing this marvelous african-jazz ensemble that includes Jason Marsalis on vibrophones, Margie Perez on vocals and Dr. Michael White on clarinet at the 2009 Jazz and Heritage Festival. This album captures the lively and enticing music of that performance.

Red Baraat Chaal Baby (Sinj Records). Led by Sunny Jain, Red Baraat is a brass band based in the music of the Indian subcontinent with a fresh take on the modern brass band.

Derek Trucks Band Roadsongs (Sony). The Derek Trucks is often labelled as a blues band which does not credit the originality of their music enough. As vocalist Mike Mattison states about the Trucks Band, “This was a multi-generational, multi-cultural, and above all, live band.” The music here ranges “from the bluesy “I’ll Find My Way,” and “Down in the Flood,” from Bob Dylan’s songbook; reggae with a gospel tinge on “Sailin’ On,” as a homage to John Coltrane on the Mongo Santamaria classic “Afro-Blues”…”

Deke Dickerson's Lively Night at Duff's

I came across guitarist extraordinaire Deke Dickerson as he served to organize backing bands for headliners at the Ponderosa Stomp in New Orleans. Often Deke would be used to accompany some of the rockabilly or country oriented acts, but he could also be heard behind a bluesman like Lazy Lester as well as a Dale Hawkins. The core of his music might be old time country guitar mixed with some surf guitar. Plenty of country swing and twang with some jazz and blues accents added, like James Burton meets Duane Eddy with other genre hopping just like the backing band of the Modern Sounds whose approach may be rooted more in jazz and swing traditions, but provides a thoroughly compatible and sympathetic backing as they did for blues and boogie woogie stylist Carl Sonny Leylard as I blogged last September, http://inabluemood.blogspot.com/2009/09/totally-captivating-piano-blues.html.

There is a great picture of Deke with a 4 neck guitar in the inside cover of the live recording by him and the Modern Sounds, “Live at Duff’s Garage” (Major Label/ Ventrella) and the material that ranges from honky tonk to rockabilly to country to jazz and blues includes such driving rockers as “Mexicali Baby,” a terrific rendition of Lazy Lester’s “I’m a Lover Not a Fighter,” (with Patterson on harmonica here) the rockabilly vocal on “Snatch It and Grab it,” a spirited rockabilly polka instrumental “Early American,” and the jazzy “Lover Come Back To Me” (and no he doesn’t evoke dinah Washington). Listening him introduce “Ain’t No Grave Deep Enough,” as a country song that pyschobilly fans seem to like reminds me of some of the material Commander Cody waxed three decades ago, while “Good Time Gal,” features Patterson on steel guitar. Then there are covers of songs from Porter Wagoner, Conway Twitty, and Willie Nelson number (introduced as if Otis redding would have done it if Otis Redding was .... (well I am not giving away all of his intros)). This is a live recording (as suggested by the title), and sound is really good which matches the music.

Anyway, listening to this makes me wish I was at Duff’s that night. This ain’t blues or jazz, but it is a helluva lot of fun to just put on. Hey I paid for this with my own money and give a big thumbs up. Oh for those interested Deke has a website, www.dekedickerson.com from which you can order this (as well as from better online retailers like bluebeatmusic.com).