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Blues Views: John Nemeth's Name the Day

Artist: John Nemeth
Release: Name The Day Audio CD Blind Pig Records, 2010

With equal parts retro and postmodern on this release, Big Sky country native John Nemeth demonstrates his depth on one more facet of the blues idiom. Name the Day not only touches  the traditional R&B and Soul bases; Nemeth and company devour them and give you an end product that is recycling in it's purist form. A touchstone quality possessed  by this  veteran, author, artist and harpist is the innate ability  to transcend the past without sacrificing the debt that all millennium performers owe the blues artists that initially blazed the path.

Nemeth uses the language of diverse blues forerunners from T-Bone Walker to the Taylors (Johnny and Ted) and Otis Rush, with the Godfather of Soul and the background vocal stylings of TOP thrown in for everything but "good measure." Check out "Do You Really Want That Woman". With this fifth release, the tendency is to take Nemeth’s harp gymnastics for granted. As soon as you do he'll turn the page, and throw you into uncharted deep blue, and force you to place your indigo sensibilities where your ears are!

If this writer sounds like a believer, I certainly didn't need converting. As soon as I saw that Nemeth's first Blind Pig release was produced by blues icon Anson Funderburg, and players of the caliber and humor of Junior Watson, I knew I was in for a treat. With the release of Name The Day, the party and the treats continue unabated.

Shakin' Dave Hussong is a musician, businessman, writer and respected authority on vintage guitars. He's known to many people in this area through his work as lead guitarist for the popular band the Low Rent Blues All-Stars and is internationally known for Fretware Guitars, a vintage guitar business he started in 1978. Shakin' Dave brings you the blues, both old and new, Monday nights on WYSO.