Play It

rock'n the blues

Never a need to check the sound.
This spot, acoustical bliss.

A 'Muddy Waters' stage where,
red hot lights glow.

As rows of smoke mingle low.

Bourbon and beer line the joint.

Stale smells and kick'n sounds,
slowly spill across the crowd.

J.L. Hooker records play,
“Boom Boom”
rustic and loud.

As a new breed get ready to set the stage.

The scratchy record moans the blues.

“I’m In The Mood” sings so low.

The new crew is in the know.

While patrons order one more round.

The band decide against a hipster beat.

Shaking out “Hard Times”.

Cause some can still remember the day - his hands let the rift play.

Technicolor fades to a haze.

The second set burns like a fiery blaze.

A Morrison and Hooker, style of "Rock with Me" croons.

As dancers sway, singing "baby please don't go,"
and the smallest of harmonicas steal the show.

The new kids have taken hold.

Author's Note

i think i'm done

Reviews

[Einstein Noodle]

so nice to read a tribute to the blues ... seems i have read so few of them here at the Cafe' ..you've mentioned some of the giants and their music .. going to have to put on the vinyl today .. and have a blues Valentine Day ;)
E.
ps. especially heard the call of "bourbon and beer ....." nothing like a boiler maker to get the juices flowing ;))))

[Cherrie Palmer]

a few of those will help ya sing the blues

[Einstein Noodle]

ahahahah yes they will ... i haven't had whiskey in the house for a while ... i think i'll treat me self to some of my favorite Jameson :)

[Cherrie Palmer]

A little snort from time to time is good for complexion .

[Einstein Noodle]

pretty sure your right about that Cherrie :)

[Phill Oz O'fee]

Absolutely wonderful ... my favourite music genre ... love Morrison ... great to put on a track and settle down to listen to in a comfy chair and a glass of honey bourbon. Blues as a genre is also characterized by its lyrics, bass lines, and instrumentation. Great share my friend... :-)

[Cherrie Palmer]

Thank you I have to say honey bourbon goes with everything.

[Adam Adams]

Sounds pretty much more like a complexion - dual phase skin or may be, the complexion of heart. Interesting read, though. Looking forward to reading your work, shortly. Cheers.

[Cherrie Palmer]

Thank you Adams for the review and pov. :)

[Adam Adams]

pleasure's been mine to read your work.

[Robert Trakofler]

hey you got that spot on... i was seeing your words so clearly in my minds eye! Yes they are taking up the mantle for sure I have an open mic at my store and so many young folks are digging up the blues its kind of surprising:) what a nice scene you painted in here

[Cherrie Palmer]

That is cool to hear.
For me the blues is like that old denim jacket I've had since i was 15.
It always seems to fit and the feeling it gives never disappoints.

[Papaya]

yes, great feel here. takes me back to the days I regularly went to bars to catch live music.
nice atmospheric portrait you've painted

[Cherrie Palmer]

Thank you, it does pull the reader back in time.

[kentuck14]

Like the way you set the stage here. Can't honestly say I'm a hardcore blues fan . . . but I do like the occasional riff. A good poem Cherrie.
Tom

[Cherrie Palmer]

I'm not hard core either but it is contagious, and once its playing I'm all in.

[Tony]

Yea, I dig the blues. The blues is a lifestyle and the music is an outlet for that lifestyle.
thanks for the tribute. I enjoy all those musicians too.

[Cherrie Palmer]

Oh yeah, and the names of excellent choices are endless.

[Coyote Poetry]

I need this dance hall and song. Been to a few in my lifetime. I like all music, but good jazz and some soul. Make us know. We can be alright. Wonderful poetry shared dear Cherrie. made Johnnie want to hear some song and dance.
Coyote

[Cherrie Palmer]

Ya know I find blues pulls something from us. The audience can cry out and talk to the artist. Cheering him or her on.
It is one of the few styles of music that allows so many different people to feel on a, one on one, basis as well as feel united with those around you.

[Coyote Poetry]

I agree. Good jazz can take us to a better place.

[Paul Bell]

Think you just summed it up. The young kids on the block have changed the scene.
Mind you, everything is smaller now.
And the new kids on the block will be replaced by newer kids on the block.
But it's all still Rocknroll.

[Cherrie Palmer]

Yes a constant change of power. I think those bands that arw able or willing to plug i to the past shine just a little brighter.

[Paul Bell]

Yeah definitely, if you don't move with the times. You get stuck in the decade you started in.

[Cherrie Palmer]

Lol, You're telling that to a woman who is sporting the same hair I had in my senior picture.

[Paul Bell]

Lol. hairstyles always come back.

[Lorry]

Oh! Oh! Oh! Please miss! Me! Me! Me! :)
Being a big fan of the blues, I am a big fan of this piece, which gets to the bottom of why it infiltrates the mind, body and soul like no other music can.
Born from pain and suffering, it evolves by staying true to the basic need to play our troubles from the heart, entering the collective conscience of those disaffected by the vice like grip of being held down all their lives. There is no need for soundchecks when you've got a real story that needs told.
How else can you explain that this white boy from Scotland, who is usually unaffected by fame and overhype, turned into a jibbering pile of goo at his two favourite moments in life, meeting zBz.B. King AND Koko Taylor? I was like a little kid on xmas eve, who has just spotted a bike shaped parcel in the loft, along with 28 of his other favourite things.
I have also met a few more modern musicians, which was more of a "meh" situation.
Now, if you'll excuse me, B.B. At the apollo is calling me :)

[Cherrie Palmer]

I agree the blues is music like no other. Meeting B.B. in the loft, what a memory. :)