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MP3 Jay Gordon and the Penetrators - Gold Rings Silver Bullets
16 MP3 Songs
BLUES: Electric Blues, ROCK: Classic Rock
Details:
GOLD RINGS, SILVER BULLETS LINER NOTES
It is sometimes said by those who do not follow the
scene very closely that the evolution of the blues is
near its end, with the last blues innovator being the
late Stevie Ray Vaughan. It can sometimes seem that
way since a countless number of so-called blues bands
grind out the same unimaginative repertoire (how many
more versions do we need of “Stormy Monday?”), ideas
and frameworks in predictable fashion night after
night.
Jay Gordon stands far apart from the crowd. There is
nothing predictable about his music and his playing
does not sound like anyone else’s. He is inspired by
such masters as John Lee Hooker, Muddy Waters, Stevie
Ray Vaughan, Jimi Hendrix, Johnny Winter and Buddy Guy
but has his own distinctive style, extending and
pushing the blues tradition ahead. He infuses the
blues with the sound, power and fire of rock and
creates consistently fresh ideas. “The blues is about
the struggles of life,” says Gordon. “It is filled
with emotions, both good and bad. The blues make you
feel happy and to me the blues is life.”
Born in Charlotte, North Carolina, Gordon grew up in
Chicago, the center of the blues world. He began
playing guitar when he was nine and within three years
was performing in bars. “When I was a teenager in
Chicago, I was lucky enough to be around Willie Dixon,
Muddy Waters, Luther Allison, Hound Dog Taylor and so
many others. They planted the seed inside of me to
always want to play the blues.” Since moving to Los
Angeles in 1985, Gordon has recorded nine CDs, toured
the world and gained a worldwide reputation, being
particularly well known in Europe. He was one of 50
guitarists picked by Eric Clapton (who was very
impressed after hearing one of his CDs) to perform at
the Crossroads Guitar Festival, sharing the bill with
such greats as Santana, Jeff Beck, B.B. King and Buddy
Guy.
Gold Rings, Silver Bullets is Jay Gordon’s finest
recording to date. The performances are concise and
make every moment count, Gordon’s guitar playing is as
passionate as ever, his vocals are both intense and
personable, the material is new, and his lyrics tell
meaningful stories. “We used a lot of different
grooves including rock and roll, funk and boogie, with
the blues always being a large part of the music.”
A very good place to start is with “Six String
Outlaw.” “Being a traveling blues musician, it is easy
to feel like an outlaw, always on the road.” Eight
thuds on the bass drum precede Gordon’s wailing slide
guitar. His vocals talk about the blues life and the
role of the guitar as a six-string outlaw. It is
immediately obvious that he is a true original, both
as a guitarist and as a singer.
On Gold Rings, Silver Bullets, Jay Gordon is joined by
his longtime trio of bassist John Schayer and drummer
Ric Daly. Schayer remembers, “Ten years ago, I played
in a group that opened for Jay. While sitting at the
bar on a different floor, I heard what I thought was
Jimi Hendrix on the radio, and then I thought it was
John McLaughlin. Finally I realized it was Jay playing
upstairs. He was blazing so much that I thought he
would blow out his speakers. I immediately gave him my
phone number and told him that I was his new bass
player. A week later we were playing together before
250,000 people at an all-star concert in Sturges,
South Dakota.” “John is a great player and we groove
together,” says Gordon. “Ric Daly I have been playing
with for five years, and it’s the same thing. All
three of us really connect together.” The three
musicians with Jay Gordon in the lead consistently
think as one, driving the music to the edge while
remaining true to the blues.
The music on Gold Rings, Silver Bullets includes songs
about overcoming heartache (“Blue Hearts”), being an
outcast (“Black Sheep”), partying (“Juke Joint”) and
starting relationships (“Thing Going On” and “You’re
Driving Me Wild”). “‘Picking On This Piece Of Wood’ is
autobiographical. It is about how I was brought up,
where I was raised, and about how people I knew early
on went on to other things but I’m still picking on
this piece of wood, refusing to give up on my dreams.”
Gordon’s singing on this set is as powerful as his
intense guitar, and his lyrics are well worth
listening to closely. Other performances include the
explosive “Fire & Brimstone Boogie,” the intense “Let
It Ring” (“about love, death and just making it
through the madness of life”), a lowdown “The Original
Sin,” the hard-driving rock song “Freight Train,”
“Lost In Time” (about being oneself without fear),
“Pain,” the socially topical “Propaganda,” an
emotional “My Heart Is Heavy” and “Love’s Emotions”
(“the battle to be loved”). Every selection on Gold
Rings, Silver Bullets is memorable in its own way with
Gordon contributing not only his remarkable technique
and creativity to the music but his life’s
experiences. One has to live the blues to really be
able to play the blues.
Jay Gordon looks forward enthusiastically to the
future. “With the release of this record, I plan to go
back on the road and have the music be bigger and
better than ever. One day I may stretch out and record
a jazz or a fusion album but the blues is always where
my heart is so I plan to stay rooted in the blues and
rock & roll for many years to come. Music is a journey
and, no matter how good you get, you can never be good
enough. My goal is to take it as far as I can.”
Scott Yanow,
Author of nine books including Jazz On Record 1917-76,
Jazz On Film and Bebop
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