They came for the music, the blues, Walter Trout style – raw, unabridged, pure rockin’ blues! The scene was the Minnesota Music Café on Payne Ave in St. Paul, August 26th, 2004. If you have never seen Walter and the Radicals, this review, while it may be interesting, will never portray the vibe and talent of these guys live. But, read it anyway, and then go visit the website, “ www.waltertroutband.com “ and get your tickets to the next show.
Walter took the stage at around 9:40PM and after a short 40 second interlude of fretwork, the band launched into a jammin’ blues tune that seemed to be a continuation of the finger stretches set to a moderate groove by the boys in the band. Walter’s raspy but pleasing voice singing over the top of his expert riffs and fills entranced a standing room only crowd. With a few tweaks of his Mesa Boogie, Walter’s fingers were dripping with tone, pure, saturated almost violin-like tone. I’ve heard Walter play in years past, but I have to say not only has his talent, and technique advanced greatly, but he can truly dial in the tone that all guitar players are so elusively striving to achieve. Not to downplay the venue, the Minnesota Music Café has got to be one of the best rooms to play, the acoustics, the sound system, soundman, everything is pristine! The sound is warm and embracing, yet it’s bright with a slight edge – the perfect equation for Trout style blues.
When Walter plays, he loves to talk to his audience and he always has stories to tell. Accompanied by his young 12-year-old son, Walter told us the story of a song he wrote a few years earlier for him. The story goes, that his teacher in school was reading a sad story and this made the young lad cry. When his schoolmates saw the tears, they teased him. That day after school, the youngster told his dad what had transpired. Walter, while first telling to tell his son to tell his classmates to go and f#@% off, also wrote the song, “Cry If You Want To” a very moving ballad that he then sang to the younger Trout, and to all of us. The chorus line, “you can cry if you want to” explains that it is ok to be sensitive and be in touch with your feelings. Walter also explained the hereditary nature of this, himself being sensitive to the point he could cry at Chevy truck commercials on television.
In his younger days, Walter spent some time as a sideman with the late, great John Lee Hooker. Impressed with his style and showmanship, Walter wrote a song that he hoped to give to Mr. Hooker to be recorded. While that never occurred, he did record it on his CD, Go The Distance and commenced to play it for us. Placed first on the CD, “Love So Deep” this very hypnotic drone and its solid groove mesmerized the audience. Walter’s tasteful fretwork was both delicate and screamin’ at the same time. Truly a crowd pleaser, a great song, and a masterful band, the place was rockin’!!!
After nearly an hour and half of a non-stop, all out assault with his beat up Fender Strat and several more songs Walter launched into “I’m Tired” off his latest CD, Relentless. Even the word relentless doesn’t approach the technique and raw in-your-face tone that comes from Walter’s fingers. As a boy growing up in southern New Jersey and leaving everything behind at the age of 15, Walter’s life experiences and talent for music are evidence of his place in this business we call entertainment. Walter and the Radicals are true showmen of their talent and huge talents in the industry.
Band members, James Trapp (aka Tiger Trap) on bass with Joey Pafumi on drums are the backbone rhythm section. James holds a steady solid groove and fills with some very tasteful fretwork. Drummer Joey is not only a marvel to hear, but truly impressive to watch. His crash cymbals are far above most human’s reach, yet Joey finds them with an effortless touch. Rounding out the Radicals is Sammy Avila on keyboards. Keyboard blues can be tricky, especially when you’ve got a man like Walter at the helm, but Sammy gets the job done. His B-3 sound is nothing short of perfect; you would swear there was an 800-pound solid maple B-3 sitting on stage. Sammy also knows the keyboard and just exactly which one of those black and whites to strike.
After a short intermission, Walter and boys treated us to another set of powerful blues and heart-stopping ballads. Another story to prequel the song, “Gotta Leave This Town” off his Go The Distance CD, Walter explains he wrote this song about another famous individual from his hometown. As a young boy, still living in Collingwood, NJ, a man by the name of Michael Landon had just been recruited to star in the TV series, Bonanza. The song talks about his getting out of town to pursue another life, a life of living and hope…. Staying will kill the dream and one must find the way out if one will survive. Walter plays an almost haunting guitar solo that truly captivates the audience along with some great vocals sung with the melody on his guitar. Sammy follows him up with an equally haunting and hard driving keyboard solo that ends with the Walter and Sammy trading some very eloquently mastered licks.
Launching into “ I don’t Want My MTV”, Walter shows us he’s a rocker too. The song a 50’s style 12 bar in the vein of JohnnyBGoode, talks about the fame and the music commercialization of the business of what one might find on MTV. After a couple more rockers, and ballads including “Doin’ Just Fine” and “Work No More” Walter completed his set and thanked his audience. As the crowd slowing dispersed, the words, “fantastic”, “incredible” and a few simple Wow’s were heard in all directions. Walter Trout has truly become the master of his blues, and his guitar. His upper register fretwork is a marvel to watch and to hear. His band is as tight as they come, and as talented as the business produces. If you’ve never seen them, you need to, then tell me if you think they are best in the business. If you have seen Walter Trout and the Radicals, you don’t need to tell me… we both already know!
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