SLASH CELEBRATES THE BLUES AT THE SOUND
by John Johnson, photos by Chaz Dykes of Chaz D Photography
With an impressive lineup of talented musicians, a setlist of biting blues covers and deep cuts, guitar superhero Slash flexed his musical muscles Saturday night at the The BayCare Sound in Clearwater. The stunning outdoor venue, albeit hot af, was a perfect backdrop for an evening of heavy tinged blues. The giant manta-like canopy provided much needed shade to the congregation and the superb staff at Ruth Eckerd’s waterfront boutique amphitheater were sensational as usual. In celebration of his new record, the Grammy winning Slash curated an all-star Blues lineup to join him on his S. E. R. P. E. N. T. festival. S. E. R. P. E. N. T. being an anagram for Solidarity, Engagement, Restore, Peace, Equality ‘N Tolerance, was a spectacular event that exceeded my expectations. Pedal steel guitar legend Robert Randolph, and his Family Band, kicked off the steamy evening at around 6:30. With a five member backup band, including his impressively coifed sister on occasional vocals, they sufficiently set the mood. Especially the cover of Hendrix’s “Foxy Lady”, that he wrapped up his 5 song set with.
Zsuzsanna Eva Ward, known better as ZZ Ward took to the stage just a little after 7, and her short but sweet 30-minute performance featured a razor sharp rendition of “Put the Gun Down.” Her straight platinum hair was in striking contrast to her black cowboy hat, knee-high boots, camisole and lipstick. Which was surely smeared by her harmonica, when she broke out the instrument on a very touching original called “Mother”, that she endearingly dedicated to her two young daughters. The third act of the night was the phenomenal four piece from Nashville, Larkin Poe. The Atlanta born Lovell sisters, Rebecca on lead vocals and guitar, and Megan who handled harmony vocals and lap steel guitar, quite simply blew me away. After their performance I did my due diligence, and discovered that the group takes their name from the sisters great-great-GREAT grandfather Larkin, who is a distant cousin of the writer Edgar Allen Poe. Thundering on to the stage at around 8, with all four members dressed in some variation of blue denim, the young troupe proceeded to melt faces. Even more than the Florida humidity had already attempted.
Megan’s slinky lap steel guitar, perched on her hip, fuzzy bass and banging drum back end, along with precise power chords from lead singer Rebecca’s strat, were only slightly outdone by her own powerful pipes. Her singing is devastatingly good. From almost sensual whispers to guttural screams, the Lovells and crew left it all on the stage. I had heard a few of their tunes over the years, but after Saturdays bombastic set I had to check out their entire catalog. Catch them live if you can, their on stage energy is infectious and is only topped by their deftly delivered songs.
The sun had been down for nearly an hour, and the night was beginning to cool, just as Slash was preparing to heat things back up. Slash, renowned for his iconic guitar work with Guns N’ Roses, brought his signature style, trademark leather tophat and sunglasses to the stage. Born Saul Hudson, 59 years ago, the hard rocking guitarist from the 80’s and early 90’s premiere rock band GnR, has created a festival to showcase his somewhat softer side. His Blues Ball (giggity) bandmates from 1996, Teddy “Zig Zag” Andreadis on vocals/keyboards and bassist Johnny Griparic, were joined by drummer Michael Jerome and singer/guitarist Tash Neal, and are all a top tier cast of players. The assemblage of heavy hitters kicked off their set with a Bukka White tune “Parkman Farm Blues” from his impressive album Orgy of The Damned, his second solo album which came out in May.
The setlist for the evening was pulled mostly from that stellar new collection, with highlights including Booker T’s “Born Under a Bad Sign”, the Temptation’s “Papa was a Rolling Stone” and my personal cover for the evening, Fleetwood Mac’s “Oh Well”. Slash appeared to be a seemingly shy performer and perhaps preferred to let his guitars be the focus of attention. And he had quite the stellar supply of six strings to do his talking, strapping on a new guitar for nearly each and every song. Judging by the amount of Fender and Gibson t-shirts I saw, Mr. Hudson’s arsenal of guitars must’ve impressed the onlookers almost as much as his ability to proficiently play them. His mastery of blues guitar riffs were on full display, with each solo resonating with raw, emotional intensity. He was joined for one last number by Robert Randolph, as they traded licks and ended the night appropriately with Hendrix’s “Stone Blue”.
From gritty, soulful numbers to more upbeat, angsty tracks, the festival catered to blues aficionados and casual listeners alike. The Sound provided excellent acoustics and a comfortable viewing experience (in spite of the heat), allowing every nuance of the festivities music to shine. Although personally, Larkin Poes performance was the highlight, Slash consummately reaffirmed his place as a guitar legend, whether it be hard rock or the blues.
