New subgenres mix with tradition at Doheny

B.B. King and Etta James kept it traditional, but Los Lobos and G. Love added new flavors to this year’s Doheny Blues Festival.

By CHRIS NIXON
Special to The Orange County Register

"Just throw your hands in the air, and wave 'em like you just don't care." It's a well-worn refrain heard at rap shows from coast to coast. Standard practice, really.

Take a closer look at the events unfolding in Dana Point on Saturday. The band: G. Love & Special Sauce. The locale: The Doheny Blues Festival.

Sporting a '70s wide-lapel lemon-yellow suit, lead singer Garrett Dutton strutted across the stage with hip-hop bravado while spitting rhymes in his thick Philly accent. In contrast, he also picked crunchy blues riffs and blew a mean harp (strapped around his neck John Lee Hooker-style).

G. Love & Special Sauce's performance at the 9th annual Doheny Blues Festival implied a sea change in the seaside festival's focus and scope, drawing the youngest crowd of the weekend.

Born on back porches in rural America, the blues has never shied away from embracing trends. Electric guitars, rock, funk and soul all have extended the genre's possibilities.

Event organizer Omega Entertainment knows this and Doheny 2006 reflected it, moving from strictly traditional blues to happy co-mingling with modern influences.

Blending new subgenres with time-tested favorites, this year's festival embraced both the blues and its musical progeny. G. Love's Saturday show provided the most obvious evidence, but other bands appeared willing to bust out of the 12-bar blues formula during the two-day fest at picturesque Doheny State Beach in Dana Point.

SoCal stalwarts Los Lobos brought some East L.A. flavor to the proceedings, tipping their collective caps to Long Beach's Brad Nowell with a cover of Sublime's mellow reggae tune "Pawn Shop."

David Hidalgo and the boys kept true to their Latino roots, busting a bit of cumbia in their Saturday set on the main stage.

Meanwhile, on the tiny Backporch Stage, James Hunter and his six-piece band blended soulful ska, '50s rockabilly and old-school R&B. With shows on both Saturday and Sunday, the English crooner turned in impressive performances with his great pipes and spot-on band.

Oakland's longtime funk and soul maestros Tower of Power dragged the definition of blues back to the era of disco balls and Studio 54. Ripping, chunky guitar riffs by Trey Stone (George Clinton, Bootsy Collins), David Garibaldi's quintessential funk drum lines and the soulful vocals of Larry Braggs gave new life to the band's classic tunes, like "What Is Hip?" and "Knock Yourself Out."

As the wind kicked up and the skies darkened on Sunday, John Hiatt - with his strummy roots-rock and country twang - jammed with the North Mississippi Allstars on the Renaissance Stage.

Blues originators also graced the bill, with Etta James headlining Saturday's festivities and the Chairman of the Blues, B.B. King, holding court on Sunday evening. King is celebrating his 80th birthday this year by doing what he does best: hitting the road and spreading the gospel of the blues. King - who won his 14th Grammy this year for his album "80" - closed out the festival Sunday with his trademark style.

As is tradition at King's shows, his veteran backing band warmed up the crowd with a couple of jams. Before B.B. (for "Blues Boy," a nickname he garnered as a youth in Memphis) picked up his beloved Lucille (his patented Gibson guitar), Dana Point Mayor Lara Anderson proclaimed May 21 as "B.B. King Day."

Though seated throughout most of his set, the entertainer showed why he's called "King of the Blues." The crowd adored him as he told stories and ran through a set of his signature tunes.

James - known for her ballad "At Last" and the R&B classic "Tell Mama," among many others - looked svelte and sexy during her smoking 90-minute set.

The singer is fresh off losing 200 pounds after stomach-stapling surgery. She seemed to enjoy her new frame by literally bumping and grinding through a selection of her songs and a couple of covers (Rev. Al Green's "Love and Happiness" and Otis Redding's "Hard to Handle").

As James danced with her young grandson onstage Saturday night, the 68-year-old singer seemed to make a point: The blues must respect its past while embracing rock, soul, funk and even hip-hop to ensure its future.

Even if it involves waving your hands in the air.

Chris Nixon is a music writer based in San Diego.

Ministry, Revco in the U-T

Ministry is still raging against the machine

By Chris Nixon
For the San Diego Union-Tribune
May 18, 2006

Pearl Jam and Neil Young may have their recently released anti-war albums, but when it comes to pure vitriolic revolution songs, Al Jourgensen and his industrial thrash band Ministry rails against George W. Bush like no one else.

Brimming with indignant rage, Ministry's new album, “Rio Grande Blood,” recaptures the revolutionary spirit of the band's heyday (see 1992's “Psalm 69”). Through 10 blistering tracks, Jourgensen and his crew rant on topics ranging from corporate corruption (“Fear (Is Big Business)”) to 9/11 (“Lies, Lies, Lies”) to U.S. military policy (“Gangreen”).

Jourgensen takes shots at Dubya at every turn, asking a question on “Lies, Lies Lies”: If the government truly has nothing to hide / Why are they afraid to answer a few questions?

Jourgensen incorporates an all-star team of musicians on the album and the subsequent tour (stopping at the House of Blues downtown Sunday night), including drummer Joey Jordison (Slipknot), guitarist Mike Scaccia (Rigor Mortis), keyboardist John Bechdel (Fear Factory, Prong) guitarist Tommy Victor (Prong) and bassist Paul Raven (Killing Joke).

“I think we represent the spirit of rebellion that has been very underground as far as music is concerned,” said bassist Raven. “I can't tell you what all these industrial bands and people like Trent Reznor are doing. I got into music in 1977 in the time of punk rock. Music and politics has been inseparable.”

“Rio Grande Blood” (a play on ZZ Top's “Rio Grande Mud”) also marks the third Ministry album since Jourgensen became clean and sober. After years of heroin use, the frontman finally confronted his addiction. Longtime friend Raven said it's good to have the old Al back.

“The post-drugs Al has come out of this with a renewed sense of vigor,” said Raven. “He's still as – if not more – creative than ever. He's got a sense of humor and all his marbles and faculties intact. A lot of people don't get to enjoy life a second time around.”

About the tour, Raven said: “We call it Ministry on steroids, because everyone says it's the best they've heard the band. We take our cues off of a lot of what the fans say. They get online after every show and dissect the show. We look at that in the morning and take it in.”

Chris Nixon is a San Diego music writer.