Mob mentality

Michael Hill's mastery of New York City blues

by Don Fluckinger

There's no such thing as "New York blues" in the sense of "Chicago blues" or "Delta blues." So Michael Hill's Blues Mob may not be the harbinger of a new regional blues movement; but the band's sophisticated electric blues definitely draws upon realities of New York City life.

Musically, the city's diverse soundscape offers exposure to different folk and ethnic influences. And there's plenty of lyrical fodder for a blues singer in the street life, politics, and poverty of the Big Apple -- enough to provide poignant source material beyond the usual "My baby left me" stuff blues singers draw from. To the Bronx-born guitarist/singer Hill, the guys who rush out to your car at stoplights to wash your windows not only need a voice, but they're more interesting to sing about than romantic relationships that have already ended. His tunes are not terribly far from the urban story songs that Curtis Mayfield and Marvin Gaye told, but they've been updated with imagery from today's world.

Even the Hill tunes that do deal with romance reflect the immediacy of city life. "Long Hot Night," the steamy, Robert Cray-smooth opener to the Mob's new CD, New York State of Blues, talks about temptation being "just a room away." "Soul Doin' Time" lands the listener squarely in the middle of a relationship on the brink of break-up -- or just beginning, depending on how you interpret the lyrics.

"When you talk about the blues being about life," says Hill who appears this Saturday at Gilrein's, "the blues was about people being lynched, it was about police brutality. But it was also about sex, it was about love and lust, people stepping out -- just life, period."

On the stylistic side, Hill paints his urban landscapes against a hard-rocking, expansive electric blues sound, and -- on some tunes -- he adds other musical elements to spice things up. He's used elements of reggae, funk, even Nigerian highlife in different tunes -- styles he's familiar with, having grown up in a culturally diverse setting. This is his New York blues, and he's not catering to the typical blues fan who wants to hear the same old songs being performed by a self-proclaimed guitar hero.

"I respect anybody's choice of what to do with the music, and there will always be a lot of people basically playing straight-up versions of what's been done," Hill says. "You can honor the traditions and always maintain the spirit of the masters, but at the same time you can do what they did, which is bring their own thing to it. As an African-American, I especially feel that it's important to respect the tradition enough to try to bring something fresh to it and take it seriously."

In the '60s, Hill saw guitar titans such as Jimi Hendrix, Buddy Guy, and Mike Bloomfield play live, which also sculpted Hill's sensibilities. Hendrix's performances did more than inspire Hill to pick up the electric guitar and play the blues, however. His mastery of singing, songwriting, and guitar playing inspired Hill to be more than just a guitar player, he wanted to develop his own songwriting skills and stage presence as well.

Almost three decades later, Hill still plays the electric blues, and along the way he's incorporated the social consciousness of the great soul singers. The band cover the Temptations' "Papa Was a Rollin' Stone" on the new CD, which may not seem such a revolutionary strain of blues. But, in fact, it's a far cry from the standard good-times blues band. That's a difference that some fans -- and the decision-makers in the industry -- find difficult to understand.

"Since our first album came out in 1994, we've really been underbooked in the United States and in a lot of the festivals. At the same time, we get a lot of acclaim for bringing something special to the table and for taking songwriting and the lyrics seriously," Hill says. "But there are people who book blues festivals who condescend to the audience and think, `Well, people won't get it, it's too heavy.' People don't understand, I've been told, the African print vests we might wear. It's kind of sad. It's an interesting thing, and I anticipate that there will be a breakthrough, primarily because of the audience response we get -- people respond to the music." n

Michael Hill's Blues Mob play at 10 p.m. on January 30 at Gilrein's. Tickets are $8. Call 791-2583.