SHOWCASE APRIL 2004

LOCAL BLUES MUSICIANS MELT INTO NATIONAL SCENE

By Maesyn Strite
Sun Gazette Correspondent

Strong emotions have the ability to render a verbose man speechless. Under such circumstances, music is the closest thing the soul has to a vehicle of expression. And there is nothing more interpretively commiserate than the blues.

The blues tradition stems from the days of slavery. Music served as a liberating means of free expression between otherwise enslaved people. It allowed them to mourn their horrific circumstances and also liberate their entrapped spirits.

Passing from mouth to mouth, from generation to generation, the blues have evolved through time and splintered in many directions, ultimately influencing most major musical movements of the 20th century.

If the deaf could hear, they would listen with ears attuned to every shimmering aural nuance. If the blind could see, their vision would interpret a spectrum of radiant color. The removal of such imposed sensory deprivation would undoubtedly move a heart to the point of bursting.

Listening to and performing blues music allows for the temporary capture of this feeling; a simultaneous expression of misery and celebration.

And no one understands or appreciates this better than the musicians who play it.

In the making
A crowd of blues lovers filled the Genetti ballroom March 28. They ranged from young to old, from somber to jovial, from musicians to doctors. As one act after another graced the stage, the audience listened attentively and marked their ballots.

From the pool of talented musicians, one band would win first prize, as well as the prestigious honor of traveling to Memphis in January to represent the Billtown Blues Association at the National Blues Festival.

The competition was fierce, with many talented musicians demonstrating their abilities. When the smoke cleared, first prize was awarded to Williamsport's own Blind Chitlin Kahunas. And the rest - will be history.

Out of the can
"Music takes you somewhere where nothing matters except what you're doing at that moment," Kahunas guitarist, Chris Bovard said.
"It doesn't matter what problems you've got, what your day was like, you're just in another world. You're transported," added drummer Rod Bower.

Their particular version of the blues melds aspects of jazz interpretation and improvisation with a deep core of blues soul. While on stage, all three seem to get blissfully lost in a musical pocket where they feed off each other's energy and creative direction.

The blues tend to captivate a broader audience than other genres such as pop. Blues lovers also tend to remain faithful to the music throughout their lives, unlike the transitory nature of many modern artists and their fans.

Why? The music is not scripted or canned in the way of Top 40 radio. As each song progresses, the musicians make it their own, taking the basic skeleton of melody and chord structure and adding their own musical skin, flesh and features to create a fully formed body. While the songs are familiar, they are unique every time.

"You're flying on the edge, but everyone's locked in," Kim "Kimbo" Reichley, the band's bassist said.

At a blues concert, an audience member can observe the creative process at work, watching the band members react to each other's musical tangents and brainstorms. For this reason, blues becomes not only about the music, but also about the hearts of the artists creating it.

A musical menagerie
Such musical compatibility is not easy to achieve. It depends on the right blend of musicians who are sensitive to each other's musical nuances, and comfortable enough with each other to sense where the music is headed before it ever changes direction. In a band like the Kahunas, each member plays a key role in binding the musical webbing together. Finding that chemistry with musicians is what makes for a knockout band.

"This is one of the first times I've been in a band where I felt like I was really supported," Bovard said. "I can really depend on them. On stage when I play something they're right there. Without that, I can't do what I'm doing."

Bower explained the challenges of playing drums in such an improvisational setting. "My biggest struggle is keeping one ear on Kimbo (bass), who keeps the groove going, and one ear on Chris (guitar), who adds the spice.

"We give each other anchors to solo," they agreed. "Kimbo is home base. Rod's the bird dog, he wanders off but always stays close to home. Chris is the duck, he's always cruising around."

"Sometimes I'm in the moment," said Bovard, "and other times I'm thinking a few notes ahead. But I don't want to get too far ahead, because they might do something where I have to follow them. It's important to be in the now."

"We'll sometimes play on two songs for 40 minutes," Reichley said. "Whoever gets the best idea at the moment, everyone follows. Chris will go off on a solo. It's a matter of who wants to go for it, whoever feels the on-the-spot vibe."

Cover to cover
As within many modes of creative expression, artists find it difficult to exist financially based only on the fruits of their musical labor. While musical creation and performance are intellectual property, ours is a culture that places fiscal value on technology, and not on artistry. Yet our lives would be empty without it. How many of us go through a day without turning on the radio or listening to our favorite CD?

Society has come to expect music to be free for their entertainment pleasure. Not only do people download music for free off of the Internet, many gripe at the idea of paying a $5 cover charge to see a band perform. They ignore the fact that playing an instrument is a difficult skill, over which the musicians have labored for years and often decades.

Performing may be rewarding, but it is also time-consuming and creatively exhausting. Only the luckiest of musicians can actually financially support themselves by playing music. Most supplement their incomes with other jobs. Bower owns a construction company called EC Construction, and runs the sound board for other bands on the side.

Reichley owns a recording studio outside of Lewisburg, called Kimbo's Studio. I also teach guitar and bass," he said.

Bovard has worked at Robert M. Sides for more than seven years, and teaches guitar. They are working to write and record an album of their original music.

"We want to get it done before the Memphis trip," Bovard said. "Anyone can be a cover band. We want to show what we can do creatively."

Recording a CD requires a large investment of time and money, but hopefully its completion can help the Kahunas expose their skills to the masses. By gaining national recognition, they may be able to support themselves based solely on their music.

Out of the blue
The Blind Chitlin Kahunas' music finds its foundation in the blues, but also draws on swing and jazz influences. It is rare if impossible for any genre of music to escape being influenced by others. Every musician has been influenced by a smorgasbord of artists, all of whom have contributed in some way to what flow through his fingers.

Blues itself is an example of this musical morphing. Blues has been outwardly influenced and has developed tangentially within its own genre.

"There are two schools of blues camps," Bovard explained. "In one, you play the song relatively note-for-note, similar to the original recording, out of respect to the artist who wrote it. In the other, you take the song as far as it can go, which is also done out of respect for the artist. You take covers and twist them. That's the great thing about blues."

The group subscribes to the second, more progressive school. "I wouldn't want to do the songs the same way. They've done that already. There's no sense in copying. You're your own musician. When I first learn songs I try to learn them close to the original way it was played. Then when playing it live you go a different direction," said Bovard.

"The great thing about a trio is that you can leave a lot of space in the music," added Bower. "Then a few minutes later we're thundering and howling like a 24 piece band. Dynamics are the coolest part. You can build up the energy, stop, then come back into the song."

By building their music on an ever-fluctuating plane, the Kahunas keep the audience glued to their vibe, guiding listeners' ears in and out of the jam.

Another dimension
Many factors make a band multi-dimensional, including the technical abilities of its members, the dynamics they impart, and their improvisational skills. Perhaps most appealing to listeners is the voice of the lead singer. The band has uniquely wide breadth because not only are they strong on all instrumental fronts, they also have two fantastic lead soloists.

Both Bovard and Reichley take turns on vocals. Each has a very stylistically different sound.

"I've got the gravel driveway voice," said Bovard. "Kimbo has a much more disciplined voice. People say 'it's like butta.'"

A technique that both use to make their sound even more interesting is called scatting. "We both scat over our instruments," Reichley said. "Scatting is singing the notes that you're playing (in unison). I sometimes sing harmonies against what I'm playing. Vocal and instrumental improv just go with each other."

This technique is more difficult than it sounds. "The best way to learn to do it is to hum scales along with your guitar," Bovard said. If you can hum something, you can play it. Hear the note. Sing the note. After a while you can think as fast as you can play."

In the deep end
Williamsport is known for its surprisingly rich pool of local musical talent. Any given Sunday, people can enjoy top notch jazz at the Bullfrog Brewery. More and more people are beginning to take advantage of the wealth of cultural opportunities afforded by the Lycoming Valley's strong and burgeoning creative niche. But many are not aware of how many fantastic live shows are available to them.

The creative success of any artistic community requires not only the offerings of the artists, but also the participation and appreciation of members of the community. Musicians work hard at what they do. This effort is made worthwhile when people come out to show support.

"Playing music is the only time during my day that I feel like Michael Jordan. I feel like I can do anything," Bovard said. "When I'm playing I don't have to worry about anything." When you're listening, neither do you. Music transports you without your body ever leaving the room. What makes for a good show? "The tip jar being full," laughed the Kahunas. "When we're relaxed and the energy is there from a crowd, that makes it a good show."

Reichley added, "Even when there's no crowd, we always keep the fire burning, whether we're playing for 10 people or 200."

We may not live in New York City, but we in the Lycoming Valley have just as many opportunities to experience comparable culture and musicianship.

Soul support
It is important for the sustenance of the community that its members support local creators of art. Local musicians who are working hard to make their dreams tangible.

Choosing music to be the focus of a life is difficult struggle, but the rewards are reaped by all - the listeners and the performers.

The greatest pleasure for a musician is being able to reach out and touch someone with their music. As a listener, all that is required is to be in the room and let them share their gifts with you. That's the easy job. Take a few hours every week and go see your local musicians perform.

You'll never feel so full as when an instrument is conversing with your soul. "It's a legal high," Bower said.

More information about Kimbo's Studio is available by emailing Kimbo or calling 524-5596.

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