Daily Egyptian - Arts & Entertainment - Carbondale, Illinois
What's the buzz about Delta Fuzz?
Brandi Jones
While fans sit at the bar drinking Budweisers and puffing Marlboros, the eclectic sounds coming from the stage cut through the clouds of smoke and tipsy patrons Thursday night at Tres Hombres.
Delta Fuzz, whose musical style centers on the blues, performed three sets of energetic and matured compositions that caught the toughest critic's attention. While Ivas John, the band's lead guitarist did his best to fix unexpected equipment problems, Dave Gene Smith (lead singer/guitarist), Mark Moreno (bass) and Wayne Goodwin (drummer) continued to set the stage with relaxed and calmed looks on their faces.
"Man, there's always something," Smith said. "You never know what to expect." Ironically, performances are as unrehearsed and surprising as a shortage from John's guitar cord to the speaker on the night of the show.
"Not practicing is almost synonymous with the blues," John said. "It's so improvisational and from the heart that there's nothing you can really do to practice. What you feel at that moment when you're playing is what you're going to play."
Due to the band's hectic schedules and the lead singer living in Kentucky, Delta Fuzz does not hold regular band practice. Smith said that the band might meet before a gig at Quatros and learn a new song, if there is one, but usually they just meet at the spot. Once there they decide what songs to perform, however, not practicing does have its disadvantages. Smith said that pausing for too long in between songs, knowing when to start and stop and writing and learning new material as a group are some of the drawbacks of having a long distance band.
Smith, who happens to be one of the more experienced band members, believes Delta Fuzz musicians are talented enough to not practice regularly.
"Mark is awesome," Smith said. "He's probably one of the best bass players around. He is really a phenomenal talent, the best I've ever seen."
Smith also says that Wayne Goodwin is a very well respected drummer. He practices constantly by doing gigs with other bands. Smith said that Goodwin has really made a name for himself. Smith also said that John's guitar playing reminds him of someone who has been in the industry for a while.
"His guitar playing is buttery, it's raunchy, poppy, it's all over," he said, "I've never really experienced it quite like that. It's rare."
John said that he's never taken guitar lessons and playing the instrument was actually an accident, so to speak.
"I inadvertently fell in love with the blues when I was 15 or so," he said. John's father sent him a copy of "Somebody Loan Me A Dime" by Fenton Robinson and John listened to it from start to finish and back again.
"It changed my life. I will never forget that day until I die," he said. Listening to the blues was John's gateway into playing the guitar.
"I felt like I had a natural ability for it."
For Delta Fuzz, playing the blues is a profession as well as a hobby. At this moment, Delta Fuzz is not financially supported by its performances but still take them seriously. Each of the musicians has a day job, but can't imagine not performing on a regular basis. Smith said that after playing in various bands for more than 20 years, he couldn't fathom doing anything else.
Although John hasn't been playing as long as Smith and Moreno, he loves playing the guitar. During the day, John teaches guitar lessons to adolescents and by night, practices guitar for fun. The only out-of-pocket expenses for the band are the equipment.
Besides blues, the band also plays some country and bluegrass and 50 percent of their material is original. While they do not emulate anyone in particular, Smith says that "Big" Larry Williams is his hero and they "worship" Muddy Waters. They said they can play Muddy Waters music to the "T."
Smith, John, Moreno, and Goodwin all agree that playing the blues is a wonderful experience. For Delta Fuzz, no other genre allows people to express themselves the way the blues do, so performing is a phenomenal experience.
"There's a moment when you're on stage and there's this magic," Smith said. "It's unexplainable, it feels great."
John said that the most important part about performing is remaining calm and having fun.
"It's a positive feeling," he said. " You retract into yourself so much that everything around you disappears."
John also said that when you worry about how well you're doing, you end up isolating yourself. He said it's a very personal time even though he's on stage in front of so many people.
The SIUC alums said their favorite city to perform is Carbondale. They've performed at Hangar 9, Booby's, Tres Hombres, and private parties. They said they greatly anticipate every performance.
"The most important part about playing the blues is connecting with your audience," Smith said. "When you don't connect, that's a big loss. It's like you did it for the money and free beer, instead of doing it because you love it."
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Last update: Thursday, November 11, 2004 at 5:33:38 AM
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