John Heussenstamm Blues Band – Live – Orphan Boy
Self Release
9 songs time – 57:13
California native John Heussenstamm’s blues band were nicely recorded live at Our Place in California. John has a long list of music credentials, including being the lead guitarist in The Surf Punks and as a member of Denice Williams’ band. He is a top-notch guitarist, although a bit dry and dead pan in the vocal department. He has gathered three excellent band members in Jon Garner on harmonica, Dave Kaplan on bass and Bobby Breton on drums. John wrote four of the songs with the rest being cover songs. John’s production is crystal clear for a live recording.
The stars of the show are John’s unquestionable guitar skills, Jon Garner’s harmonica chops and the rock-solid rhythm section. They maintain a loose blues groove on “Retail Blues” with a unique guitar tone, first rate drumming and up front bass. It is kind of an unusual subject, but it is timely. The title song “Orphan Boy” is taken at a slow pace, giving the guys a chance to stretch out given it coming in at seven minutes and change. Harmonica moans over the guitar chording. After a bit of the vocal John launches into a virtual guitar class as his technique is on display.
“Hurried Laundry Blues” is an upbeat shuffle, although it is kind of an awkward subject. None-the-less the music saves the day as usual. “Funky Gene’s Tune” by written by Gene Dinwiddie is an instrumental featuring the uncanny interaction of guitar, bass, harmonica and drums. Country picking guitar meets-jazz-meets-blues in a seamless manner. Dave Kaplan lays down some funky bass lines that tie in perfectly with the drumming. Eddie Boyd’s classic “Five Long Years” is taken in a slower direction without the tension in the vocal and stretched out, allowing for creative soloing via guitar and harmonica.
The first thing I noticed on “My First Blues” was the snap of the snare drum. The song kind of moseys along, abetted by country-ish guitar fills. Freddie King’s “Sittin’ On The Boat Dock” wouldn’t have been my first choice for a Freddie King cover, although the instrumental portion is satisfying. What is a blues concert without including a Jimi Hendrix cover? It is interesting to have harmonica brought into it, considering it is usually a vehicle for guitar. It fits as it is a blues. That being said, John’s guitar skills are well represented. The guys boogie out with a variation of Canned Heat’s “On The Road Again”, this time called “On The Road Too Much”. John jumps right in with a brief biting guitar solo. It is not lost on me that his voice bares a resemblance to Alan Wilson, but not sour sounding. It includes a spoken section near the song’s completion.
Although the vocals lack blues energy, the music is the saving grace. The band is a well-oiled blues machine. After repeated listening, the vocals are a minor quibble. Enjoy some well executed live blues.
