Live Review
James Solberg
Legend's Bar and Grill - St. Cloud, MN
December 29, 1999
by Dave "Doc" Piltz
Photography copyright © 2000 by Dave "Doc" Piltz, all rights reserved
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1999 KBA Award Winner Achievement for Blues on the Internet Presented by the Blues Foundation
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It had been about two years since I last saw James Solberg and so I was looking forward to seeing him at Legend's in St. Cloud, Minnesota. Given my anticipation, I was somewhat concerned when I arrived at Legend's and noticed that the band had arrived with no sign of James Solberg. The music started at the usual time (7:00 p.m.) with a three piece band comprised of Butane's guitarist, Curtis Obeda and bassist John Lindberg, along with drummer Mike Velasquez (a.k.a., Taco). During the short 40 minute first set, I found out that Solberg was late and was still scheduled to appear with the aforementioned backup musicians. Sure enough, at 7:40 p.m. James Solberg appeared and the band took a break to give him an opportunity to set up. As it turned out, this was the only break that Solberg and company took the entire evening! From 8:00 p.m., until a few minutes past 11:00 p.m., the band played almost continuously; occasionally stopping to introduce songs, but just as often moving seamlessly from one song to the next.
The 3+ hour long show included songs from each of Solberg's recordings, "See That My Grave Is Kept Clean," "L.A. Blues" and "One Of These Days"; as well as songs from Solberg's upcoming CD on RUF Records, scheduled for release in February or March of 2000. Despite the fact that Solberg was a co-writer of many of Luther Allison's later recordings prior to his untimely death, the band did not venture much into the Allison songbook during the evening. In addition to Solberg originals like "Wally World USA," a rocking tune from "L. A. Blues," Solberg's play list included covers of tunes by Muddy Waters ("Rock Me Baby"), Bob Dylan ("Like A Rolling Stone") and Jimmy Reed ("Let It Roll").
Nearly every song during the evening involved extended solos by Solberg and/or Obeda. The guitarists played off of each other very well, trading solo after solo, with Obeda demonstrating his skills as a slide guitarist on several songs. Solberg left the stage on "Easy Baby" for an extended walk around Legend's for a solo tour that included some interesting guitar by the assistant sound technician, Mike, playing Solberg's guitar as he stood behind Solberg. Even more amazing was the stamina of the band, especially drummer Mike Velasquez, who literally never stopped playing after Solberg started his blues "assault" on the audience at Legend's.
Although Solberg's appearance at Legend's started late, no one was cheated out of a full show since there were no breaks after Solberg arrived. In fact, the single long set seemed to be OK with the band and it didn't stop the audience from still asking for one more song as Solberg finished his performance. If one indicator of a musician's success is their ability to leave the audience wanting more, then Solberg was a sure hit at Legend's in St. Cloud.
This review is copyright © 2000 by Dave "Doc" Piltz, and Blues On Stage, all rights reserved. Copy, duplication or download prohibited without written permission.
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