Dolly Says Woof/Hillgrass Hillbilly/VizzTone artist: Scissormen - Walking and Talking the Blues- New Release Review

I just received the new release by Scissormen and have listened to it a number of times. In fact, I listened to it a few times yesterday, watched the DVD which comes with the recording last night, and then listened to it again a few times today. I don't know if the cd accompanies the DVD or vice verse but I'll start with the DVD. The footage on the DVD is actually a 90 minute feature directed by legendary Robert Mugge [Gospel According to Al Green, Saxaphone Colossus (starring Sonny Rollins), Deep Blues and New Orleans Musicians in Exile]. I loved Deep Blues and this movie is every bit as captivating but for different reasons. It captures singer, songwriter, guitar player Ted Drozdowski along with drummer R.L. Hulsman reconnecting with the early primitive blues and the life that still exists with it. Drozdowski went to North Mississippi after seeing Mugge's Deep Blues and visited RL Burnside, Jesse Mae Hemphill and Junior Kimbrough. These interactions had a profound affect on Drozdowski. This new film documents the life of a musician turned North Mississippi blues player on the road and it is captivating to watch. The film takes place in a number of settings including numerous "Juke Joints" across the midwest and the Rock and Roll Hall of fame talking with regular people and just capturing the essence of his journey. Drozdowski goes into guitar tunings and explains how and why certain artists sound the way they do. He plays primarily on a heavily tattoo'd (autographed) tele with a humbucker installed in the neck pickup position but also played an old ES 345. Looked like he was playing through an Epiphone Junior amp. He was getting some terrific authentic sounds. The name of the release is Big Shoes referring to Drozdowski's acknowledgement that he is following some legends.

The cd portion is also terrific. It contains 15 tracks all of them great. Both cd and DVD capture the essence of that music genre that we love so much. The slidework all has the characteristic unpolished sound of the real delta blues (sometimes with a bit of delay). Specific tributes are made to both Hemphill and Burnside and if you know their work you know that'd be happy with it. This is a hot package of video and music and I highly recommend it.

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"Big Shoes" Trailer from Robert Mugge on Vimeo.