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After show chat with Ronnie

Ronnie Earl and the Broadcasters

I hate to be so dramatic but when we walked into the room, I stopped dead in my tracks. We arrived about 10 minutes after the show started—the show was at The Bull Run Restaurant, a favorite venue for many entertainers for many years. The place was packed, maybe 150 people or more and it was dark everywhere except for one light on the guitar player. The sound of his guitar and his passionate expression caught in that light was spellbinding and filled the room.

I’d only heard Ronnie Earl once on a CD that a friend lent me and I liked it right away. But this took me by surprise. The entire concert was kind of like that. Tons of raw passion and spirit in a dark room with music that kept you engrossed.

And it got me thinking…How much of my experience is the auditory and how much is the setting? As I think back on my recent experiences as an audience member, so much of what I experience is the room, who’s in the room, what’s on the walls, the feel of the tables and chairs, the enthusiasm (or lack thereof) of the crowd, the acoustics, the lighting especially, that always gets me. As I said, I’m all about drama and listening to live music is a total sensory experience for me. And then, other things, like my state of mind, who I’m with, how hungry I am, the look of the artist, and I think another quality that has come up recently: the passion of the artist, if they get lost in their music. That makes a difference to me and to my experience.

I recently attended a concert where the lead singer behaved like a carnival announcer, trying to corral people, manipulate people into thinking this is a great experience. He was dressed for the part—in fact, too dressed for the part, and he lacked passion. I felt manipulated and despite some pretty good music, it was a “flatliner” experience for me. I was not inspired.

Now Ronnie Earl. That was different. And I love the backstories: He was celebrating 20 years of sobriety. And the birthday of his wife, who he’s been with for 21 years. He dedicated one ballad to Eddy who “beat cancer this year.” (The piano solo was beautiful.) Then Ronnie was joined by Tim O’Conner, a young guitar player who played in the same style as Ronnie—very talented. At one point, when Ronnie was cueing Tim as they prepared to play a song, Ronnie laughed and said to Tim, “You afraid of these songs? Well, you’ll have to learn sometime….!” (And he did just fine!)

And just around the point when I felt myself longing for some vocals, Ronnie was joined by Fred Griffeth, a Boston-based entertainer who sings with a doo-wop group and two other dance bands. His version of “Every day I get the Blues” was stunning, however, and reminiscent of Joe Williams. Other memorable songs for me that night was a great arrangement of Bobby Timmins’ Moanin’ and “Rock Me Baby, ” made famous by BB King and Muddy Waters.

And let’s not forget the other guys in the band – wonderfully talented:

§ B3 Hammond organ – Dave Limina

§ Drums – Lorne Entress

§ Bass – Jim Mauradain

I love how all these blues musicians are sewn together by one big spool of thread—connections everywhere. Ronnie Earl let on that he played in Roomful of Blues 21 years ago. Half of the musicians I’ve heard in the last month or two have played in that band at one time or another…

I have been exposed to blues a lot over the last two months but this night I felt like I’d never heard the blues before. To quote Guitar World Magazine, “Few blues guitarists generate as much intensity and electricity as Earl does night after night…Ronnie plays each performance as though it were his last night on earth.” I think that about says it…

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