Welcome to Blues To Do TV with Marley Walker.
We are live streaming at www.seattlecommunitymedia.org
and podcasting at www.blues2do.com
Tonight we bring you footage from our live Blue Monday sessions at 88 Keys in Seattle from Wes Mackey and Blue 55.
Plus we bring you the latest blues news and blues to do.
The latest real music for real people. Blues To Do TV. Your connection to blues in the Pacific Northwest and beyond.
With a winner of over 27 blues awards and still singing the blues, Marley Walker.
Alright we're live at 88 Keys on a Monday night. Yes that's right we're here every Monday night with a new band.
And tonight we're doing our first five minutes of this week's show here at 88 Keys.
So yes it's been a few weeks we had a couple technical difficulties to get through in this first part of the year.
And it is the year of the dragon so use your power wisely.
We have a couple of deaths, a few deaths actually in the first part of the year.
I had to say a big loss in Etta James. That one hit me harder than I thought it would.
And it feels like there should be a button on the computer where you push whale and she'd be right there.
She called herself the female Johnny Guitar Watson. I was thinking about that and you know that just doesn't even do it.
She was so much bigger than life in terms of the comparison to Johnny Guitar Watson.
But nonetheless the work that she did will go on forever.
The lasting incredible at last security all the stuff with Eddie Cleanhead Vinson at Marley's memory lane.
I played like heck out of that stuff. We're going to miss you Etta.
Also Johnny Otis, great name in blues band leading.
Also brought a number of great players up in his band. Did some radio.
An incredible part of music as well Johnny Otis.
And the same is true about a man that we lost here locally.
Arnie Barton, an incredible figure in Northwest music history recording.
Many many great bands right there in his basement to the very end.
A mess but an incredible organic mess.
And they finally figured out that life comes from chaos.
Well that's where life has been given birth a number of times in Carney Barton's studio.
So going to miss all those folks.
Just today we also found out that we lost the bass player for Lady A and her baby blues phone band.
That's Gary Smith, a dear heart.
So we're going to miss him too.
Sad news to start our show tonight but we got through the good news is we got through the snow
and the freezing rain and the ice and the melting and all that stuff.
So we're past all that and we are a powerful people that's right.
One day dark Wikipedia and Google and made a difference.
One day after the Citizens United protest things were starting to boil up there.
The City Council in Boulder Colorado started things up.
Susan J. Komen took one day before they took that back.
You are more powerful than you realize so keep speaking up.
We are looking forward to the reason of the week for the blues.
This one, March 3rd at Kane Hall 7 p.m. it's a free gathering
and it basically is pulling the health care issue out.
Single payer health care is what we want, what we've said we wanted and they're still resisting.
Anyway Amy Goodman, Quentin Young, Teresa Mosqueda, also a representative Jim Adermott, lots of folks.
It's free for the general public, free parking at Kane Hall and that again March 3rd Saturday 7 p.m.
Get yourself some single payer health care.
Just speak up a little people. You are very powerful. More powerful than you realize.
Alright Mayor McShwin, hey did you know that that hour that the sun sets before the moon comes up
there's that blue hour, the moon comes up there's that blue hour they call it.
That's right it's called the blue hour and I love that time.
No wonder it's my favorite time of year.
Anyway look for the Jack Straugh New Media Gallery to have Jan Novak,
Blue Hour February 10th through March 30th, a showing of his artwork reflecting the blue hour.
Alright enough of my babbling let's get some of that blues to do calendar on.
It's an exciting time of year.
February is when the blossoms start coming out of the ground.
So we know spring is just around the corner no matter what that groundhog says.
Some tower of power this weekend through Sunday at Demetrio's Jazz Hall.
I've got some more news for you too but listen to a track of their new CD, DVD
and we might even have some interview footage who knows coming at you.
It's blues to do TV.
Come on to the night club!
Come on!
Come on! See ya! See ya!
It's Saturday night and I'm just hanging out looking for a place to party.
I show up, jump, take a ride and I get the road.
Close the zone, I'm on place to go.
Down to the night club.
Oh! Where the women be riding, ready everyday.
Where the film on, we go.
Alright more calendar here on the blues to do TV show.
The first five minutes we just got so much to talk about.
February 10th tonight also look for Nathan James over at Highway 99 Blues Club.
At the Sea Monster it's funky to death.
Saturday night look for Grinders having the Mark DeFrain band.
At Highway 99 Karen Lovely comes up from Portland and of course
more Tower of Power who you just saw and heard.
The new room, the Royal Room, yeah it's in Columbia City right in the corner
next to Tutebella about 5000 Rainier Avenue.
They've got a Hammond organ, a grand piano, Steinway and a drum kit
always set up for the musicians.
That's right it's a very music friendly room.
And they got a band called The Meter Mates every Saturday
doing the music of The Meters.
So if you like Norlans music I'm sure that you'll be very very happy there.
Alright this coming Monday Rafael Tranquilino is going to be our guest here at 88 Keys.
That's right a great session every single Monday night with a new band
and the Cody Rentus band going to back him up.
So we're going to have some fun with the Rafael Tranquilino band
and then a jam session with all of them up there. Look out.
Alright next on our blues to do calendar.
Yes it's Mardi Gras coming up so Mardi Gras weekend.
We got some new things happening.
C.D. Woodbury is at the central.
The new room up there in North Seattle, the Micho Can, the Micho Can I believe.
It's a Latin American term I'm still learning.
Anyway the Mark DeFrain band will be up there for Mardi Gras weekend.
It's also Presidents Day weekend so we get a day off.
In Olympia they're having a huge benefit at the Veterans Hall there.
Lots of great music and great bands for a wonderful organization.
I can't think of it right now but they do some great work with kids,
educational stuff. Again Saturday the 18th we're looking at.
And that's also the night for Soul Saturday.
Star Drums and Lady Keys are going to do the Oli Dance Studio in Everett.
Oli's Dance Studio 6 to 9 p.m. kind of recreating that old Alligator Soul feeling with the chef.
Former chef from Alligator Soul and Soul Food delivered fresh and hot from Chef Ryan.
Again Oli's Dance Studio for the 18th.
Ah yes and then we come up to, oh thank you, lovely stuff.
Nice food here at the 18th. I get a salad first.
And a benefit on Sunday the 19th, that's Presidents Day weekend.
We had to postpone it because of the snow but what a blast we're going to have
because we're going to stay up later this time.
And starting about 4 o'clock we'll have Elna Jordan, Jimmy Holden, A'Ron Jones,
and The Way. There's going to be theater, poetry, dance, dynamic speakers all to benefit Freedom Project.
They teach nonviolent communication in prison which is something we could all use.
And that is all ages again Sunday the 19th starting about 4 o'clock I believe.
Alright more on our Blues Studio calendar.
Yes these Swamp Dogs are going to be at the Central for that Tuesday, Fat Tuesday Mardi Gras.
Look for Jeff and the Jet City Flyers.
They're also going to be at the New Orleans Quirrell Restaurant that Friday night and also that Tuesday night.
And then they're going to have another party there on Saturday.
I think if I'm not mistaken it will be Mark Dufresne joins Jeff and the Jet City Flyers.
Anyway they have a dual party going on that evening on Tuesday and also on Saturday.
It's Mardi Gras week, it's going to be fun.
And also look for Lonnie Williams now at the J&M on Wednesdays I believe.
And then on Wednesdays we have a double triangle on Wednesdays has Jeff Haas and many of his friends too.
So great jam sessions joining us on a regular basis.
More Blues to Do calendar.
Oh yes we got a little bit of the Isley Brothers.
This is how I named my publication actually.
Blues to Do came from that work to do song.
You know I'm sure it did.
The Isley Brothers here on Blues to Do calendar with a date on the 25th at the Little Creek Casino in Shelton.
It is more coming at you here on Blues to Do TV.
Alright just a couple more calendar items.
We've got something at the Finney Ridge Lutheran Church.
That should be good.
Orville Johnson, John Miller and Grant Dermody.
They already did one CD together.
This is their second one.
And it's a CD release party.
Something having to do with the pork chop.
Anyway 730 PM Finney Ridge Lutheran Church in Seattle on the 25th.
And here's a sample of their first CD here on Blues to Do TV.
Alright live here in a Monday night.
At 88 Keys enjoying the food.
Just one more break, Dwight Black Cat Carrier and the Road Dog coming through town at the end of February here.
And look where the Swamp Dog is going to be on our show on the 27th right here at 88 Keys on a Monday night.
And I've got more.
In March Leroy Bell and his only friends at the Triple Door for two nights.
Look for Betty LeVette to come through town and Kent for one night.
It's also St. Patty's Day.
Jeffrey Broussard had to reschedule so he's looking at the 21st of March in Kent as well.
And Walla Walla has a guitar festival.
That sounds like a blast.
In March John Namath, Roy Rogers and the Delta Rhythm Kings.
We'll get it all together for you.
You can check it out always at blues2do.com.
Our calendar featured at that website.
Alright we'll see you down the road a piece.
I know I've got more food coming so I better go enjoy the music and our sessions tonight with West Mackey.
And a little bit of Blue 55 coming your way.
It is Blues2Do.TV. Thanks for watching.
Real music for real people.
Blues2Do.TV is sponsored by 88 Keys at Second and Jackson.
Presenting Blues2Do. Live sessions every Monday.
This Monday, February 13th, we feature the Rafael Tranquilino Band.
Followed by our Blue Monday Jam session hosted by the Cody Rentus Band.
You can find more out at blues2do.com or at ilove88keys.com.
That was okay?
Mm-hmm.
Okay that's all I need then.
I need that one.
I'm still saying that right.
Please put your hands together.
They call him static. His name is Mr. Wes Mackey.
Here is a session on a Monday night at 88 Keys.
Alright everybody, hello.
I'm a poor boy, I'm a long way from home.
Poor boy, long way from home.
Oh Lord, oh Lord, the world can't do me no harm.
I'm a poor boy, I'm a long way from home.
Alright my brother.
Oh yeah.
Baby, I can't take you along.
Oh Lord, oh Lord, you know the world can't do me no harm.
I'm just a poor boy, and I'm a long way from home.
Oh yeah.
I said baby, I can't take you along.
Baby, I can't take you along.
Oh Lord, oh Lord, you know the world can't do me no harm.
I'm just a poor boy, and I'm a long way from home.
Oh yeah.
I said baby, I can't take you along.
Baby, I can't take you along.
Oh Lord, oh Lord, you know the world can't do me no harm.
I'm just a poor boy, Lord, Lord, I'm a long way from home.
I'm just a poor boy, I'm just a poor boy.
Long way from home, a long way from home.
Oh boy, I'm a long, long, long way from home.
All right, everybody.
Thank you.
All right.
For 20 long years, my heart was in chains, serving as time for causing you pain.
I did a crime, and I paid my dues, I sentenced myself for giving you the blues.
I was a prisoner, and the guard at the gate was me.
I was a prisoner, and I owned a lock and key.
The day you forgave me, that's when I set my soul free.
I wouldn't let love inside of myself, because love couldn't live in all of that hell.
But in my defense, please let me mention, Lord knows I had no criminal intention.
I was a prisoner, and the guard at the gate was me.
I was a prisoner, and I owned a lock and key.
The day you forgave me, that's when I set my soul free.
Oh, yeah.
Oh.
I wouldn't let love inside of myself, because love couldn't live in all of that hell.
But in my defense, please let me mention, Lord knows I had no criminal intention.
I was a prisoner, and the guard at the gate was me.
I was a prisoner, and I owned a lock and key.
I could stand up and raise my hand, and swear I'm a liberated man.
All right.
Thank you, little Jim.
One, two, three, four.
Oh, yeah.
All right.
Yeah, when I was a young man, one day my father called me to his side.
He said, son, I want to talk to you, because I've been watching you.
Yeah.
You act like you have all the time in the world to do anything you want to do.
But he said, you know what?
I used to be just like you.
Oh, yeah.
Yes, I used to be just like you.
I once believed that time would stand still.
Now I know that it never will.
For the times he finds everyone, and he lines their faces with all the things they have done.
Lines of hope, lines of fear, lines that say the blues once lived here.
My face is my story, love, pain, and glory.
Read on.
Hand of time, waste for no one.
Just keep counting our days in the sun.
And one day he'll catch up with you and put lies on your face, too.
Lines of hope, lines of fear, lines that say the blues once lived here.
My face is my story, love, pain, and glory.
Read on.
Time marches on without a look.
But he left behind lines to add to our book now.
And before it slips away, you better write your masterpiece today.
Lines of hope, lines of fear, lines that say the blues once lived here.
My face is my story, love, pain, and glory.
Read on.
Your face is your story, love, pain, and glory.
Read on.
I said those lines you can't hide.
Wear them with pride and read on.
Oh, your face is your story, love, pain, and glory.
Read on.
Lines of hope, lines of fear, lines that say the blues once lived here.
In your eyes, I see a part of me haunted.
By the things they have seen.
Running hard out on your own.
Calling these streets your own.
See, son, I was just like you.
I had no one to look up to.
But I always knew about the day.
The day I took the time to say, be a man, boy.
Make a plan, boy.
Do the best you can, boy.
Just be a man.
In your eyes, there's a part of me haunted.
That you'll be like me.
Running hard out on your own.
And living like a rolling stone.
That's time.
Yes, it's time.
It's time we leave the past behind.
Well, it's time to start a new day.
It's time now to stop and say, be a man, boy.
Make a plan, boy.
Do the best you can, boy.
Just be a man.
All right.
Make a plan, boy.
Do the best you can, boy.
Just be a man.
Be a man, boy.
Make a plan, boy.
Do the best you can.
Just be a man.
Be a man, boy.
Make a plan.
Be a man, boy.
Make a plan, boy.
Be a man, boy.
on the Hammond Organ.
Next up, and you best hold on to your hats,
is Aaron Jones and the Way,
Seattle's hottest new young blues band
with a high-energy show you will not want to miss.
Also, special guest speakers, dance, spoken word,
a silent auction and more.
That is...
That is Sunday, February 19th at 4 p.m.
Hope to see you there.
Blues2Do TV is sponsored by Freedom Project,
teaching nonviolent communication in prisons for 11 years.
Freedom Project's 11th anniversary party starts at 4 p.m. Sunday, February 19th
at 88 Keys on 2nd and Jackson.
Featuring the powerful vocals of Seattle's own Elna Jordan
with the great Jimmy Holden.
Blues2Do TV is sponsored by Freedom Project,
teaching nonviolent communication in prisons for 11 years.
Freedom Project's 11th anniversary party starts at 4 p.m. Sunday, February 19th
at 88 Keys on 2nd and Jackson.
Featuring the powerful vocals of Seattle's own Elna Jordan
with the great Jimmy Holden on the Hammond organ.
Next up, and you best hold on to your hats,
is Aaron Jones and the Way,
Seattle's hottest new young blues band
with a high-energy show you will not want to miss.
Also, special guest speakers, dance, spoken word,
a silent auction and more.
That is Sunday, February 19th at 4 p.m.
Hope to see you there.
That is Sunday, February 19th at 4 p.m.
Hope to see you there.
Thank you, ladies and gentlemen. Miss Molly.
Another beautiful set of music here on a Monday night.
Yes, it is. It's a blues to-do session with the one and only
Wes Mackey, ladies and gentlemen.
And John Oliver featured on drums.
Yes, let's hear some applause for this duo.
Thank you.
John Oliver with the drumming.
And you two have met before, huh?
There's been some history between you.
So this is not the first time you've gotten John to drum with you, huh?
John played with me.
I want to put that on for you.
I'm going to get you to eat that mic.
Oh, it was at Highway 99 for a minute there.
And then we were in the same building, I mean,
it was a couple years ago.
Oh, fine.
Yes, and then we did the triple door recently.
Oh, great.
And your music does get to take you all over the world,
doesn't it, Mr. Mackey?
Yes, it does.
But you really had to make that happen.
That's been an intention of yours, isn't it?
Yes.
To travel the world.
Yes.
So for those of you who don't know his history,
he grew up in rural South Carolina,
learned from seasoned old players.
This is the phrase used in his bio.
And I'm going to ask you who these seasoned old players are
that you're naming.
Well, there were a lot of them, but there were a lot that wasn't known.
But the ones that were known, I played in bands when I was younger.
I played back to Muddy for a minute there,
and John Lee Hooker, and Jimmy Reed.
Then there was Stevie Wonder, we played in a band,
I backed him up a couple of times, a couple of shows.
So you were a youngster about that, huh?
Yes, a youngster back then.
And a bunch of other people, I can't remember the name now.
Seasoned old players, I like that phrase.
Yes, I've been around for a long time, yes.
Seasoned like good food, huh?
Yes.
Well, and this music kind of does that seasoning on your soul,
doesn't it?
Yes, yes, yes.
So 50 years as a professional, close to 50 years as a professional musician.
Congratulations on that, that's a big marker.
Thank you.
And in your bio it also says you're an honored citizen in Provence, France.
Did I say that right?
Yes, yes, Provence, yes.
It's the only language I know a little bit of on this side.
Excuse me, do you want to see me play?
See, he knows more than I do.
You spend a lot of time over there, don't you?
Yes, I play over there quite a bit, Francis.
Like half time, or?
Well, I say I go over there about five, six times a year.
Pretty frequently, yes.
Living in Vancouver, B.C. now, so in Canada.
But in the middle there you moved to Augusta, Georgia.
Yes.
Your first gig was 50 cents and a chicken sandwich.
Now it's just a chicken sandwich, right?
Yeah, no, yeah, just a chicken sandwich.
So you really didn't go to prison, did you?
I mean, that's a common story for a black man in America, unfortunately.
But you're talking about a prison of love in that song, right?
Oh, yes, that's what I'm talking about, a prison of love, yes.
No, it's not that I've been in prison, it's for a song that,
like I kept my soul a prisoner for a long time,
and things happened in my life, and I just, you know,
I was never in prison, but just my heart was locked up some things,
and I finally, but I owned a lock and key, I didn't realize at the time.
Oh, good one, good one.
Well, and your music makes people go, yeah, me too,
and that's when you got them right in the palm of your hand, huh?
Oh, yes, yes, yes.
And your music does do that to people, you really do capture the audience,
and get them rolling with you rhythmically and also musically,
and the messages, your original music.
Yeah, so you know, most of my songs are, they're about life, you know,
and it saved a lot about my life,
because I could only tell my stories, you know,
I take somebody else's song that I could relate to,
and I'll just make it mine.
Well, and you make it upbeat,
which is not always what people perceive as the blues.
That's right, oh yes, you know, some people think that blues is all sad,
but blues is not all sad, some blues lifts your spirit up, you know.
Amen.
I like that, yes.
You got somebody else out there going, telling your story,
and you're saying, yeah, me too, and that's when your spirits are lifted.
What is that, a trouble halved, I mean, a toll shared is a trouble halved?
That's the line I'm looking for.
Yeah, people say, oh, you did my story, and he's happy.
Yeah, I'm happy, man.
Well, now, do you find that that's universal in the whole world?
I mean, you've been to Russia, Malaysia, Hong Kong, Iceland,
Iceland, or everybody, is everybody the same worldwide,
I mean, when it comes down to it?
Yes, everybody's the same, you know, they like to,
they can feel, they want to feel, they want to feel you, you know.
Yeah.
You got to get out there, you got to tell a story,
keep it simple, and people go, although they don't,
a lot of people don't understand the language,
but they can feel the feeling.
Yeah, yeah.
You put the expression in there and tell stories,
and they can relate to the stories.
It translates, doesn't it?
Yes, it does.
Yeah.
It's amazing how music does that to people.
Yes, it does.
Now, you have a beautiful guitar.
Tell me about this, is there a story behind this Gibson of yours?
Well, no, actually, no.
No, no story, huh?
Not this one, when I did have my first guitar,
was a Fender Jaguar, and somebody stole it.
Oh, it sounds like a car, something to steal, huh?
Yes, and then after they stole it, I kind of,
I got this one to replace it,
because they had stopped making the Fender Jaguars.
So I got, so, you know, like I had some insurance,
so anyway, I got the Gibson.
But since then, they started making the Fender Jaguars again.
So I bought one, the first one that they made again.
That's the name right there.
Oh, good for you.
You didn't even play it, did you?
Not tonight, I didn't play it tonight.
I know he's angry right now.
Can we show it?
Yeah, play it.
Oh, it's so heavy.
Oh, my goodness, here, show that there.
Yeah, this is the Fender.
Ooh, that is pretty.
This is the one that I take around the world with me when I travel.
This one I use in smaller venues,
but not when I'm doing a concert.
The concert I take this Fender out.
What makes it unique?
What makes the Jaguar unique?
Well, I don't know.
Just the first guitar that I ever owned was a Fender Jaguar.
So yeah, it's a personal history to me.
I like the tone of it, the sound of it, and the whole thing, yes.
It is all about tone.
That was one of my questions.
Yes, yes.
How do you get your tone?
Where did you learn some of the stuff that gives you your tone?
I've played some blues, I've played some jazz, and I've played,
you know, I've copied a bit of West Montgomery, the old jazz player.
I've done him, and I just like his tone.
So I put that tone behind the blues.
Some people think that the blues got to be all just a twang, twang, twang,
but no, it don't have to be that.
It's got to be long to come from your soul.
You're feeling it.
It is the blues.
Well, and your tone is a part of your description, your definition.
I mean, it's part of your defining who you are,
so you really have to pick your own tone.
You have to define.
It takes a long time to get it to happen, you know.
It doesn't happen overnight.
Well, then go ahead.
You know, you've got to experiment with so many things,
then come up with, hey, I like this tone.
Then you hear other people say, oh, I like your tone, man.
Then you see, not bad, you know, just keep doing it, keep doing it.
Then finally you say, yeah, I like it myself.
Then once you start liking it,
it takes a long time to be honest with yourself now.
Sure.
You know, a line is several times.
And, you know, but it takes a long time, many years to find your tone.
Finding truth in your music, anyway.
Yes, many years.
So when did you start playing with the foot pedals?
Tell me about that story.
Oh, well, I was doing this about, I don't know, 10, 15 years now.
You know, because a long time ago I started, you know,
after I wasn't playing bands anymore.
I still play in bands, but, you know,
I had to make a living so I had to start playing by myself for a while.
And then, you know, I was watching someone,
I was watching an old video of VHS, you know.
A guy that I never heard about, his name was Jesse Fuller.
Oh, yeah.
And he has a homemade bass pedal, he called it a footadella, you know.
Right, right.
Oh, man, okay, so, you know, that sounded pretty good.
And then I realized that they started making the bass pedals.
So anyway, I bought a pair and there was this,
there was a jazz player I saw that also played,
he came to Vancouver, he was playing some bass pedals.
I liked him.
So anyway, I got him and I just learned how to do it.
That's a lot of multitasking, to have four limbs working at once,
two hands and two feet.
But, you know, I find that it gives me my own personal sound
because playing with your own bass line and your guitar,
it kind of, you know, it kind of, I forget the word,
it just works together.
Sometimes I feel a little, you know, sometimes,
sometimes I'll be playing, you know, and I feel.
You might want to just be playing something.
Just a little accent will make all the difference in the whole thing.
Oh, yeah, a walking bass line or an inverted bass line.
Yeah, you know, just one extra note there that,
working with a real bass player, I mean,
it's like somebody got to read your mind, eh?
But this way I can, I don't know, just.
You know where you're going already.
I'm going and the guitar and the bass line accommodate each other.
Oh, yeah, yeah.
Oh, yeah.
I may want that, and only I could do that if I wanted at the moment.
Makes you light on your feet, too, doesn't it?
Oh, yeah, very light on my feet.
I bet you're a good dancer.
Oh, I don't know.
Something tells me.
But anyway, you know, I love doing this,
and I do this all over the world when I go out.
I play at bigger bands, you know, when I'm traveling.
I still do the bass line most of the time.
Sometimes I just don't play bass on my front, you know,
doing the front man thing, pretending I'm BB King.
You bet.
Everybody wants to pretend they're BB King.
Oh, yeah.
All right, and CDs out.
Second Chance was your first CD.
Topped the charts and got great write-ups in Real Blues
and the Toronto Blues Society.
Oh, yes, it got quite a bit of write-up.
You know, sold quite a few copies online and to a lot of people, yes.
And then Mr. Blues?
Oh, yes, well, Mr. Blues did very well, too.
And then you followed it with the third CD, Beyond Words,
which includes eight originals.
Yes.
Tell me about that recent CD, Beyond Words.
Why did you call it that?
Well, Beyond Words is my story when I'm from the southern states
is that my grandmother, she was Cherokee,
and my grandfather was just at the end of slavery,
so they all got together, you know,
in a reservation type thing in the southern states.
So I decided to write this song called Beyond Words
because I wanted to mix the two cultures.
So I got a young lady.
She's First Nation, Sandy Schofield.
And so she sang it with me.
I did the blues part on the guitar, you know,
and like a slave in the field doing the moon.
Oh, yeah, yeah, yeah, oh, yeah.
And then she comes in with a chanting on top of it.
So mix it, mix, mix, you know, like the two cultures.
Oh, yeah, yeah, yeah.
Then she came in doing her part chanting, you know,
so I can't do that part.
I can hear it.
So it's like our lives without the words,
you know, without words to it, you know.
Yeah, it's all the overtones.
Yes, yes, yes.
Well, there's some great songs that you did for us
in the set tonight.
I wanted to ask you about Go Back to My Little Blues Shack.
Do you have a little blues shack somewhere?
Well, it's a little place where I was born in South Carolina
on the Combahee River.
We had a little house there, I call it my blues shack.
I got to go back to my little blues shack.
Do you ever want to go back home or want nothing to do with it?
No, no, no, I want to go home.
You know, I went back there about six years ago,
six, seven years ago, maybe.
I hate to say it, but I got to tell the truth.
First time in 40 years I went back to South Carolina,
and I got invited back for a blues festival.
So I went back and after the festival was over in Charleston,
I rented a car and I drove down to the where I was born at
on the Combahee River, you know,
and I drove back around there by the cemetery
with my father and mother buried and all that type of thing.
I went back there and the same blues shack was still living,
I mean it was still living, I mean it was still there.
And the fishing club house was still there.
I helped my father build a lot of those things down there.
And I went back on the river bank on the dock,
and I felt at peace.
I bet.
Like my life, I went full tilt.
I went back to where I came from and I was happy.
But someone told me, but I know this is not a good thing to say
and not such a good thing, but they said,
West you know, you came back home like a hero
and you can still read about it.
Oh yeah, yeah, you can still read about it.
Well put, well put.
Well, and yeah, that had to be an interesting feeling.
Sometimes people come back home and it's completely different.
It's been developed.
There's no mountain where there used to be a mountain,
whatever, you know, just changes.
But it sounds like it was really just left alone.
It was just left, it was just the same.
The community was, you know, well the only thing that changed
that they had built a lot of, they had built some highways,
a little, instead of dirt roads they had it paved.
And like the little community from there,
they had given all these little dirt roads and street names,
street names, street names, street names, street names.
And so it was a very, very interesting feeling.
And I think that's a very interesting thing to say,
because of the fire department, if you call the fire 911,
they won't know where you live.
You can't say, oh you go by that big oak tree
on your way down.
Right.
They don't want anything on that street address.
Big state road, what do you mean?
Just follow the smoke, right.
All the smoke, yeah.
All right, well beyond words, it's great to have you here, West.
I know we got one performance before,
but I appreciate it.
Thank you.
And hit song, Be a Man Boy.
Great to hear you do that again, really, really moving stuff.
It feels great to hear.
Thank you.
You know, there's a video on my site,
and there's one also on YouTube.
Just go to West Mackie, Be a Man Boy.
And that'll pop up, you know.
Getting more attention with your music.
Oh, yes.
I recently did a collaboration with a young hip hop artist,
like the old blues player and the young hip hop artist.
I'm the young hip hop artist, he's the old blues player.
Oh, yeah, sure.
Yeah.
But anyway, and we got a lot of good response from it,
and a lot of people want us to do a whole CD,
so right now we're working on a whole CD.
I bet you could do whatever you want, you know.
Do that hooker sound, and it takes me back to West Africa.
Do you ever study some of the West African music coming out of these days?
Oh, yes, yes, yes, yes, yes.
But this is great because it put the young kids in touch with the blues.
Exactly, the hip hop thing, right.
With the blues thing.
You know, so if you want to look up the video,
go to City Real, R-E-A-L, City Real, and the song is called Passing Me By.
You know, I hate to say it, but you know, because I'm in it,
but I can't tell a lie, it is a good video.
Oh, yes.
And man, and I'm looking good.
Oh, he is looking good, and sounding good, too.
Find out more at WesMackey.com.
Ladies and gentlemen, Mr. Wes Mackey here at 88 Keys on a Monday night.
Thank you, thank you.
Really nice session.
John Oliver on the drums, really great to have you here.
Really nice work together.
You guys want to do one more for us?
Okay.
We'll get you in the way, and then we've got our Cody Rentus jam session.
Kicking in after that.
So one more round of applause for Wes Mackey.
John Oliver on the drums.
It's an 88 Keys Monday night session here.
Wes Mackey, ladies and gentlemen.
Make it funky, John, okay?
The pedal's ticking.
Oh, yeah.
Can I get some more voice in the monitor?
I can't really hear myself too well.
All right, maybe that's probably a good thing, but anyway.
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