Save The D8; It's so Simple

Who is the guy with the shades and harmonica?

What’s up readers? I’m the Sir, of the blues/rock duo Mr. Young Man and the Sir, and guest writer of This Week’s Tempo. Rock and Roll owes its due to the blues, so why not express it in a resurgence of rock blues? While blues has never completely left the atmosphere, it has faced times of hardship. (No pun intended) Underground rock/blues has started to surface, especially in the past decade. So for the breakdown of this rock/blues article is to call attention to some great bands who have kept simple guitar riffs, pocket drumming, and soulful singing in style.


1. The White Stripes.
Jack White is genius, pure and simple. Watch the movie “It Might Get Loud” for a peek inside his mind. Also check out Seven Nation Army, Instinct Blues, You Don’t Know What Love Is, and Icky Thump for some of the music that graced us.

2. The Black Keys
Dan Auerbach on guitar and Patrick Carney on drums, simple as it gets.
Some singles to check out – I Got Mine, Next Girl, Thickfreakness
Their newest album is Brothers, buy it.

3. The Dead Weather
While not completely rock/blues, Jack White’s newest band captures the essence of the organ, guitar effects and soul. I Cut Like a Buffalo and Treat Me Like Your Mother are among my top 10 Jack White songs of all time.

4. John Mayer Trio
Not fitting in on this list at all is the media whore John Mayer. He may not be able to control his mouth, but thankfully he also cannot control his beast-like ability on the guitar. After writing as many female crooning songs as he could and before writing the Grammy award winning Continuum, John Mayer formed the John Mayer Trio with the grooviest studio drummer, Steve Jordan and studio bassist/beast Pino Pallidino. Strictly following the oldest rules of the blues, the John Mayer Trio covers essential artists (BB King, Ray Charles, etc.) while also creating soulful music. Some tracks to listen to – Everyday I Have the Blues, Who Did You Think I Was?, and Vultures.

And just for fun, download CC Adcock’s “Ya’ll Think She’d Be Good to Me,” for a great swamp rock blues experience. That’s all I have this time, hopefully I’ll get to make another guest spot on This Week’s Tempo for an even deeper underground rock/blues experience.