Last night (Monday September 14, 2009) native New Yorker Popa Chubby, took the stage just after 8pm at B.B. King’s Bar & Grill in Time Square. The crowd was treated to a program of music titled ELECTRIC CHUBBYLAND, celebrating the work of Jimi Hendrix.Chubby opened the show with a dirty blues medley of Catfish Blues and Hear My Train Comin’ and he even threw in a few verses of Muddy Water’s You Need Love for good measure. The set continued with the massive guitarist riffling through Jimi’s greatest hits, including Foxy Lady, Wind Cries Mary, Hey Joe, Who Knows and Burning of the Midnight Lamp.
Clearly a veteran of the NYC club scene, the 49 year-old blues rocker seemed at home in front of the midtown crowd. His banter from the stage was entertaining and his friendly personality shined through nicely, causing the audience to feel like they were there simply supporting an old friend, as opposed to an internationally known blues recording artist. At times the length of his solos may have seemed slightly excessive, but his guitar playing overall was as always top notch; expertly straddling the line between wildly out of control and dead-on precision. Signature “Popa Chubby” licks and runs were in abundance and at times his leads took on a bit of a Brian Setzer-esque quality that is not necessarily surprising considering his most recent CD effort (and the album he has been out promoting for the better part of a year), VICIOUS COUNTRY, is a high octane country/rockabilly effort, that on occasion approaches the quality and style of The Stray Cats.
Midway through the set, Popa Chubby took a seat and briefly departed from the musical tribute to Hendrix and treated the audience to a preview of his upcoming CD, THE FLIGHT IS ON; with a mellow tune titled NYC 1977-2010, chronicling the guitarist’s discovery of rock music in the NYC club scene as a teenager.
A spirited version of Hendrix’s Red House followed, featuring some tasteful guitar work from a 17 year-old blues guitarist that Chubby discovered at Guitar Center’s King of the Blues Competition in Brooklyn. A lengthy and slightly original arrangement of the much covered Little Wing and a short, yet rockin’ rendition of Purple Haze closed the show and as the trio exited the stage, the appreciative crowd demanded an encore. More than happy to oblige, the band took to the stage once again and launched into a furious medley that included Voodoo Chile (Slight Return), Rock Me Baby, Killing Floor and a rendition Van Morrison’s Gloria that featured Chubby’s wife and sometimes musical collaborator, Galea, on vocals.
Monday is usually a tough night for NYC clubs, but every member of the not-quite-packed crowd left excited and happy. Popa Chubby and his rhythm section may have rocked a collection of familiar Hendrix tunes, but most importantly they made those songs their own. Chubby’s style and personality clearly shine through in his playing, which seems to be a rare commodity with guitarists today and he works the audience like only a veteran bluesman/rocker can. He puts on a great show and I strongly recommend checking him out when he is in your neck of the woods. I also recommend Chubby’s 2006 3CD boxset titled ELECTRIC CHUBBYLAND, which features all of the Hendrix covers mentioned above and many more. Copyright © 2009 - J. Blake. All Rights Reserved.
*Live Photo: Copyright © 2009 - Nelson G. Onofre. All Rights Reserved.
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