9th Feb 2007, The Spanish Club, Melbourne, Australia
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Much has been made of C.W. Stoneking. ‘Genius, savant, treasure.’ The terms are thrown quick and fast and after hearing the response to his November shows, I was interested to see what the fuss was all about. The word limit of this review doesn’t allow me to go on too much about the support acts, but permit me this- Melbourne based Devil Goat Family String Band are definitely worth a listen, populated by classically trained muso’s who sure know how to play a banjo. Dressed in a black suit and hat, C.W. Stoneking enters the stage to rapturous applause. I was surprised to find that I couldn’t understand a word the guy said, no matter how hard I strained to hear. I got a sense that amidst his warbled diatribe and mutterings to himself was a man who exists in his own reality, and he was letting us in for a visit. If talking isn’t his preferred form of communication, music certainly is. It’s as if he was accidentally born 80 years too late, his brand of blues straight from the late 1920’s, where times were tough and the land was harsh. His style ranges from old jazz through to prison work songs, from hillbilly to calypso. He plays his guitar like a man who has nothing else and his vocal style is reflective and sorrowful. A side note: The Spanish Club, although beautiful is a disaster acoustically. It’s a long room that even a hard rock band would have trouble filling with sound. Many punters were getting irritated by the constant chatter from the back of the room but if you were at the back, it was like listening to a car radio, so talking was inevitable. Promoters beware. After a few numbers, C.W. bought on his Primitive Horn Orchestra, including a tuba, trumpet and clarinet and the atmosphere took on a party tone. The addition of the horns creates a kind of blues-Dixieland sandwich of sounds and foot tapping is a mandatory response. It was at that point that I knew I was seeing something truly unique as I watched many hip twenty-something’s attempt to dance the Charleston. It’s hard not feel completely unqualified when talking about C.W. Stoneking. His authenticity is like a slap in the face, exported from another time. It’s not surprising that he is getting noticed but at the same time, you feel as though it’s a miracle that he has been found. In another life, in another time he would’ve been a guy you knew, who sat on his porch and sang the blues to his dog and passers by. Genius, treasure, savant- the terms all add up because he is the real deal. |
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