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The Ivas John Band
East Side SlimBy East Side Slim

The Tate’s Hell Blues Band

Live From St. Louis @ The Big Muddy Blues Festival 2009 artist self-released, 2009

Ivas John is a young man based out of Carbondale, Illinois who is quickly developing into a very real blues talent, both on guitar and vocally. While Ivas is actually Chicago-born, he moved to Carbondale when he was 18 years old. There, he was able to learn first-hand by playing with Martin “Big Larry” Albritton (a past member of Big Twist and the Mellow Fellows) and Rip Lee Pryor (harmonica legend Snooky Pryor’s son.) Ivas backed those musicians, as well as others, for about 6 years, at which time he decided he wanted to form and front his own band. Keep in mind he was only 24-25 years old at this time. The Ivas John Band has now grown into a major regional band (playing in the neighborhood of 200 live gigs a year), known for its original and entertaining live shows.

Fortunately for us, the listening public, Ivas has a very real, very deep love of blues music – in all of its varieties. To quote Ivas from his website, “the first time I heard the blues, it was a discovery for me. What I discovered was the power of simplicity. It motivated me to start playing. I wasn’t a musician who branched off into playing the blues; I heard blues music and developed into a musician, because that’s what I knew I wanted to play.”

Concerning his appetite for variety and the many styles you will hear his band play on CD and at a live show, Ivas has this to say, “Avoiding the clichés (not copying other artists) is a conscious decision. I want the music to come across in that way, not just instrumentally, but lyrically as well. That’s the common thread that runs through all the songs - inspired words, inspired music.”

To this reviewer, that quote reads as an extremely mature statement from a musician who has a crystal-clear vision of what he wants from his music and his band.

The Songs: (songwriter listed in parenthesis)

1. Introduction
--this is a spoken introduction for the Ivas John Band’s set at the 2009 Big Muddy Blues Festival in St. Louis.

2. Stranger Blues - (Elmore James)
--This is nice take on the Elmore James classic, with Ivas supplying tasty slide guitar work. The drummer lays down a mambo-like beat and the piano playing of Brad Bell is right-on.

3. Better Off With The Blues - (Delbert McClinton)
--The band puts a jazzy spin on their version of this McClinton tune. Brad Bell’s ivory work is out front and sounds great, as does Ivas’ guitar work.

4. Whiskey Drinkin Mama - (Ivas John)

--This tune, an Ivas John original, is a rollicking take on the theme of a gal with a taste for hard liquor that is just too much for her own good – and too much for her man’s own good! Plenty of solo space is given over to the piano here, whose boogie patterns help propel the tune (along with the driving skins work from drummer Charlie Morrill.)

5. Don’t Do It - (The “5” Royales)
--Ah, this is a nice track, a mid-tempo groover from the days when soul was just emerging from its gospel roots. I love The “5” Royales, and Ivas’ band performs an extremely faithful take on this classic from Lowman Pauling and the rest of the Royales. Do yourself a favor and check into the music of The “5” Royales.

6. Crazy Country Woman - (Ivas John and Edward Joe Dambrauskas)
--This one is a more traditional blues with the pianist adding some organ to the mix, too. The song could have benefited from a great shuffle drummer, but it is still a good cut, showing off Brad Bell’s keyboard work and Ivas’ always tasteful guitar skills.

7. Lucille Lucille - (Ivas John and Edward Joe Dambrauskas)
--This contemporary sounding track serves as a platform to feature Ivas’ guitar playing, and was co-written by Ivas.

8. Blues Stay Away From Me - (The Delmore Brothers)
--How about that, a blues band covering a Delmore Brothers tune? It’s a gentle piano- and keyboard-based tune with some nice two-part vocals from Ivas and drummer Charlie Morrill. This is a pretty one, although the lyrics are a little more somber than the melody would have you expect.

9. Play On Lil’ Girl - (Ivas John)
--This a very nice effort from the pen of Ivas. It rides a Little Feat-like groove, kind of a funky mid-tempo loping song that makes you feel good hearing it, although the lyrics are not actually in-line with the “fun” melody. They are a little darker, basically about how women can be “players”, too, to the point where they can be given their walkin’ papers. See ya!

10. Neighbor Neighbor - (Huey Meaux / Alton Joseph Valier)
--Here’s a tune with a slightly Caribbean feel that has been recorded by 60’s Fame and Stax/Volt soul singer Jimmy Hughes and by Roy Head (among others), but Ivas’ version sports a differing and very nice arrangement. The song is a warning to all those gossipy neighbors out there, who best attend to their own business before they become the talk of the town themselves. Ivas’ voice works extremely well on this tune, where he can use it to convey the emotion and meaning of the lyrics. Also, he gets fired up during the guitar solos here.

11. Blue Light Boogie - (Louis Jordan)
--An old Louis Jordan tune, it is likely that many of you are more familiar with the version of the song recorded by Taj Mahal and his Phantom Blues Band in the 1990s. Ivas’ version has a lot in common with Taj Mahal’s version, which is just fine as it swings oh-so nicely.

12. Cruel To Me - (Ivas John and Edward Joe Dambrauskas)
--Well, this is just no good…the last tune on the CD has arrived much too soon. The band closes the CD with a slightly funky mid-tempo contemporary blues tune, something along the lines of what you might hear from Chris Cain. In fact, Ivas’ music reminds at times of that performed by Mr. Cain; in case anyone is wondering, that is indeed a compliment to Ivas John and his band.

The Verdict:

This live CD is a very nice representation of how the Ivas John Band sounds during one of their performances. Ivas seems to take his inspiration from the older B.B. King-school of blues, rather than the latter day influences of Stevie Ray Vaughan. Ivas will let it loose on occasion, but he primarily plays and sings to the service of the song – tasty is a word that definitely fits his playing and singing styles. Judging from the crowd’s reaction on this disc, they enjoyed the performance that day very much, as did I while listening to it on CD. Let’s rate this bad boy - STLBluesometer rating of 4.00 for the Ivas John Band’s “Live From St. Louis”.

For more information about the Ivas John Band, see the following websites:
http://ivasjohn.com
http://www.myspace.com/ivasjohnband
http://www.facebook.com/pages/Ivas-John-Band/191347719850

Lee Howland - aka "East Side Slim"

The STLBluesometer

      
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