Joe Bonamassa - Royal Tea

Kilgore

IMO Bonamassa is to blues what Green Day is to punk. 

It's a pastiche. It's flawlessly played but it's still a pastiche. 

Loobs

At least Green Day can write a hook. 

Joe Bonammas is hoarding vintage guitars and taking them away from people who would actually use them and storing them in his 'museums'.

Kilgore

Loobs said:

 

Joe Bonammas is hoarding vintage guitars and taking them away from people who would actually use them and storing them in his fucking mausoleums. 

FTFY. 

EricTheWeary

TINMAN82 said:

Barnezy said:

A guy playing blues on a $300k LP does make me laugh.

Because blues as a genre isn’t worthy of an expensive vintage guitar? Is Kirk Hammet playing thrash metal on Greeny more deserving? Some chill required methinks.

TINMAN82 said:

I’m surprised he gets such a hard time (then again mabye not these days). I listen to a fair bit of blues/ blues rock and I don’t hear many modern acts that bring lots of new ideas to the genre. This stuff gets discussed on tfb frequently.

I agree JoBo delivers more as a live act than from records. I find his live work very compelling though...he’s a virtuoso player.  Have to say that for all the plaudits Kirk Fletcher and Josh Smith get in forums and magazines (great players, rightly so) they’re original songs are no more inspiring. I get that many don’t like the image and “product” but have yet to hear many recommendations for musically superior alternatives within the genre. Tough crowd.

There’s a bit of blaming JoBo for blues rock being boring on here. I’m fairly sure the entire genre isn’t his fault. 

I don’t know what musically superior would be. I’d certainly rather listen to Gary Clark Jr or Fantastic Negrito who are positioning modern blues within a context of black American music and have interesting vocal delivery, occasionally have something lyrically to say. The who can do the fastest pentatonic thing left me behind a long time ago. 

Just on Barnezy’s point - the history of the blues and it’s offspring musics is about getting above the ordinary, is often about being ostentatious. From Bessie Smith to Rosetta Tharpe to BB King to James Brown there was a lot of showing off, playing a $300k guitar seems consistent with the genre. The dungarees and beaten up acoustics were often brought out for white audiences who wanted it to be an ‘authentic’ folk experience. 

https://i.imgur.com/C4Ju2kg.jpg

Barnezy

TINMAN82 said:

Barnezy said:

A guy playing blues on a $300k LP does make me laugh.

Because blues as a genre isn’t worthy of an expensive vintage guitar? Is Kirk Hammet playing thrash metal on Greeny more deserving? Some chill required methinks.

It's just ironic. Blues was created from the hardship of life by ex-slaves and people from extreme poverty on instruments that matched that life. 

Now some privileged white geek tries to emulate the same music on a $300k guitar to middle-class white audiences.

I'm a fan of blues, just not of JB. Although his stuff may be technically good, I find it very souless.

Sassafras

He's never picked a bale of cotton in his life!

dindude

I think Blues moved on a long time ago from having to be a poor-man only requirement. I do think though that you have to have something to say, either lyrically or musically and that’s where I struggle with a lot of modern blues.

Joe is to blues what Micheal Mcintyre is to comedy.

Barnezy

dindude said:

I think Blues moved on a long time ago from having to be a poor-man only requirement. I do think though that you have to have something to say, either lyrically or musically and that’s where I struggle with a lot of modern blues.

Joe is to blues what Micheal Mcintyre is to comedy.

Agree. Clapton is a great example. He's a white middle-class Blue's player, but has had a life which he can channel in to his music to give the listener a feeling of emotion. 

JB is ultimately a geeky bedroom player, who got really good. His stuff is as dull as dishwater. Technically good, but no feeling whatsoever. 

LastMantra

I wouldn't call it blues. Blues-y, blues influenced rock maybe but not blues. He's as much a blues musician as slash. 

soma1975

That while clique of Blues cruisers are awful.

Josh Smith is an absolute virtuoso that makes terrible music.

Kirk Fletcher is a wonderful player with tons of soul but awful songs. His latest album is terrible. 

Eric Gales has hitched his cart to them but has it in him to be much more than that as he actually does something different. As it is he gets the same bland overproduced sheen. 

Phillip Sayce is a couple of steps removed from them all and does actually have a handful of great songs but still can only play at 200mph. 


Compared to modern players with taste and feel like Trucks and Doyle Bramhall they are way off for me. 

They all seem super likeable and are super talented but don't move me in any way. 

Sassafras

The only chain gang he's ever worked on is his signal chain.

UnclePsychosis

I'll go to my grave believing that the likes of Joe Bonamassa are proof that huge numbers of guitar players buy music based on the instruments being played rather than the sounds being made.

Its music for guitar collectors by a guitar collector. 

Loobs

Above guy nailed it. 

Skipped

UnclePsychosis said:

I'll go to my grave believing that the likes of Joe Bonamassa are proof that huge numbers of guitar players buy music based on the instruments being played rather than the sounds being made.

Its music for guitar collectors by a guitar collector. 

Does the Music Chat sub-forum support that claim?

Loobs

UnclePsychosis said:

I'll go to my grave believing that the likes of Joe Bonamassa are proof that huge numbers of guitar players buy music based on the instruments being played rather than the sounds being made.

Its music for guitar collectors by a guitar collector. 

On the other hand, you can be a guitar collector and have exquisite taste.

UnclePsychosis

Skipped said:

UnclePsychosis said:

I'll go to my grave believing that the likes of Joe Bonamassa are proof that huge numbers of guitar players buy music based on the instruments being played rather than the sounds being made.

Its music for guitar collectors by a guitar collector. 

Does the Music Chat sub-forum support that claim?

To the best of my knowledge I've literally never met anyone who likes Joe Bonamassa who wasn't a guitarist themselves. 

I mean, each to their own and all that but I genuinely think that (loads of) guitarists listen to things because it's "guitar music" as a factor above all else. 

Skipped

UnclePsychosis said:

To the best of my knowledge I've literally never met anyone who likes Joe Bonamassa who wasn't a guitarist themselves.

That makes more sense to me.

And I think that Joe could still step out of that straight jacket by teaming up with a great songwriter. (Who can sing).

I will say it again. Where is he based right now?

HAL9000

Barnezy said:

A guy playing blues on a $300k LP does make me laugh.

I don’t have a problem with that. He’s earned the money; he can spend it on whatever he wants. Doesn’t make him any less authentic. It’s the playing to his audience’s expectations that achieves that.

Loobs

Oh no, I think plenty of non-players like JB. Particularly those who grew up listening to Cream, LZ, Beck etc. He's almost like the modern-day Clapton, without the looks, voice or songs. 

soma1975

It HAL9000 said:

Barnezy said:

A guy playing blues on a $300k LP does make me laugh.

I don’t have a problem with that. He’s earned the money; he can spend it on whatever he wants. Doesn’t make him any less authentic. It’s the playing to his audience’s expectations that achieves that.

It's a bit naff to release theme park blues 'experiences' like this below when you're a multi millionaire Generation X honky that has never faced hardship. 



Distasteful bordering on cultural appropriation frankly.