Johnny Feds & Da Bluez Boyz
Johnny Feds & Da Bluez Boyz
June 10, 2010
Smokin’ Bull, Valley Cottage, NY
Sometimes the best things come along when you least expect it. On Friday night my husband & I decided to grab a bite to eat at a pub in Valley Cottage called the Smokin’ Bull. We were delighted to hear from our waitress that a live band was scheduled to play that night. With a mechanical bull, stage coach booths and cowboy boots as far as the eye could see we were expecting a country band. My husband, an avid country music fan, was thrilled! When the band arrived and started setting up it was obvious by their smooth black clothes and beret’s instead of Stetson’s that it wasn’t country we were gonna hear but blues. Hey, all great music has it’s roots in blues so while my husband was a little disappointed he quickly got over it. Johnny Feds & Da Bluez Boyz were pure blues & pure magic (www.johnnyfeds.com). A fantastic multi-talented five man band including drums, bass, keyboard, sax/harmonica/vocals, guitar/vocals. With the bull as a backdrop they began to jam and they sounded sooooo good. The acoustics were amazing, the sound clear and not too loud, vocals were great and best of all the band played well together and were having a genuinely good time! The songs were well known tunes such as Crossroads, Pride and Joy and Hoochie Coochie Man. My husband said the song was an old Allman Brothers Band song and I said it was from Eric Clapton. Turns out Hoochie Coochie Man was written by Willie Dixon in 1954 and was first performed by Muddy Waters. The song has since been covered by no less than 25 artists including the Brothers and Clapton. Johnny Feds & Da Bluez Boyz gave the song its due and played a kick ass version of it. The coolest thing about this band is that they play “Chicago Style” which they explained means that anyone from the audience could join in. If you can play the guitar, sax, sing or whatever. An amazing woman joined in on the harmonica and played along with the band. Jeez that woman can play! Unbelievable!. So if you play the spoons or possess any other musical talent stop on in at a Johnny Feds set and play along. They’d love to jam with you!
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