2006-10-19: David Honeyboy Edwards & Michael Frank (supp.: Hermann Posch)
Reigen, Vienna, Austria
You need a good reason to join a concert two days before your own event takes place. Such a reason, for example, could be a performance of David “Honeyboy“ Edwards. Born 1915, he is one of the last living links to Robert Johnson, and maybe the real last of the original acoustic Delta blues players. If his music is your first contact to the Blues, there are good chances you might be deterred because Honeyboy’s music is not for Blues beginners. Apart from that, listening to him makes you feel the dust of the south, the cotton fields he worked at, the places he played, and the fears he had and still has. If your blues taste is similar to Al Cook’s, Honeyboy is the real deal for you. Usually he plays together with his manager and friend, Michael Frank, who also wrote his biography “The world don’t owe me nothing“. This one is a MUST for any lover of the Delta Blues, you can’t get more of the Delta feeling. Honeyboy tells in his own words how he went on 70 years ago as a black man in the US south, and how he explored his musical possibilities. A real bluesman is also a professional story teller, so he is also speaking about long forgotten friends, musicians, and women. This book is worth reading for any Blues and music fan, it allows the reader to immerse in a long forgotten life but which is still present in our time.
The first part of the set was not Honeyboy but one of Austria’s finest Bluesmen, Hermann Posch from Styria. There are not many musicians in Austria sounding authentic when playing Delta and Country Blues but Hermann definitely is one of them. It’s not my intention to peg him on this, Hermann is perfectly aquainted with many styles of the Blues, but he made me feel this is his passion.
After a short break Honeyboy and Michael entered the stage. The songs they played sounded so similar and so different at the same time. As I wrote above, Honeyboy is not the real stuff for Blues beginners! Honeyboy played the chords much slower than in his younger days, also his voice sounded raspy but that’s the way the story goes, so who cares? He boils it all down to the essential and that’s what he performs. You can compare this to weird Jazz solos – if you can do anything with this – it’s an absolutely amazing experience. Michael blew his harp soft and suitable.
Later Hermann Posch entered the stage again and kept playing until the end of the concert (Honeyboy played about 1 hour, not too bad for 91 years) with Honeyboy and Michael, you really could feel the energy he received. So, if there will be another chance in the future to join these guys, I’ll definitely take it!
After the show Honeyboy was sitting around, signing some stuff the (too sparely) people had with them and talking easy going to everybody who asked him. Unfortunately their CDs already have been sold out before this gig, I’m sure that record producer Michael Frank (Earwig Records) won’t make this mistake again! Come back soon!
Songs played: West Helena