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Mike Goudreau & The Boppin' Blues Band
"Boppin 15"
(Zeb Productions)
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CD Reviews Courtesy of CD Baby BOPPIN’ BLUES BAND turns 15… Bio Jazz & Blues Musician Born in 1965 in Newport, Vermont into a musical family with an English mother and a French Canadian father Mike Goudreau picked up his first guitar at age 14 and hasn’t stopped playing since. His early influences included the Beatles, Chuck Berry, Ricky Skaggs, Johnny Cash, Nat King Cole, Louis Armstrong, Frank Sinatra, and later, when he discovered the Blues - Albert King, Freddie King, Stevie Ray Vaughan, Powder Blues and Downchild - to name a few With such diverse mentors it helps explain why Mike is so versatile in so many musical genres – but especially jazz and blues. In the early ‘90’s Mike formed The Boppin’ Blues Band with a group of fellow musicians from Quebec’s Eastern Townships. Taking its name (and some of its style) from Vancouver’s Powder Blues Band the BBB blew on to the Canadian music scene in 1994 with the release of its first CD, independently produced & recorded in less than 35 hours, called “Sold Out”. It remains one my favourites to this day. 10 songs that run the gamut from solid bottom end Chicago blues to jazz influenced ‘40’s & ‘50’s swing/jump/shuffle with a few country and gospel tunes thrown in for good measure. The CD showcases superb guitar work and strong, soulful vocals from Mike with a great back line of drums, bass, piano, horns and harp. Excellent arrangements and production too - something else Mike is really good at. Upon hearing it Andy “Blues Boy” Grigg of Real Blues Magazine called them “one of the most talented bands in Canada”. I think that is still true. 6 more excellent CD’s – 3 blues, two jazz and a Christmas album - followed over the next 10 years: “I Dig My Job” in 1996 featured mostly original tunes including a couple en francais which was unique. There are very few (any?) bands out there that can play great blues in both official languages. Real Blues Magazine continued its love affair with the band rating it one of the 5 best blues CD’s in Canada that year and named them as Best Group in Eastern Canada for 1996 and 97. They were also nominated as Best New Artist at Canada’s Maple Blues Awards in 1997. And a California radio station (KKUP FM) rated I Dig My Job #1 of the Top 25 Blues CD’s of that Year! “Happy Go Lucky” was released in 1999 with 9 of the 13 songs originals. More accolades. Real Blues Magazine called it one of the 5 best CD’s of the Year and named the Boppin’ Blues Band Best Swing Band and Best Unsigned Band in Canada that year. It was also nominated for a Maple Blues Award as Best Album of the Year. The following year Mike indulged his passion for his other favourites musical genre – jazz – when he released “Stardust Memories” (2000) – a compilation of 14 classics including Route 66, The Lady is a Tramp, Don’t Get Around Much Anymore, etc. – making these old tunes come alive again with his unique arrangements, refined guitar work and soulful singing. In 2001 Mike receives the Research and Creation Grant from "Conseil du Québec" and takes a leap of faith and released “Nous avions rendez-vous” –12 original blues songs all en francais! Perhaps disappointed at the lack of recognition outside of Quebec he decided to focus on the large French-speaking market in his own province thinking it would gain him further awareness and gigs. Sales were not as forecasted however. It seems the Quebec blues fans preferred their blues in English after all! “My Favourite Time of the Year” – a Christmas album followed in 2004 with a nice collection of some of the old classics plus 3 original songs. Slip this CD on, sit down with a cup of hot cider and tell me if it doesn’t bring back fond memories of Christmas past. Over the past decade Mike Goudreau and the Boppin’ Blues Band have performed at some of the most prestigious Jazz & Blues Festivals in Quebec including a record number 6 appearances at the Montreal Jazz Festival, 4 times at the Tremblant International Festival de Blues, 6 appearances at Edmunston (NB) Jazz and Blues Festival. Festivals in Quebec City, Sherbrooke, Granby, Magog, Mansonville, Joliette, Jonquiere, Trois Rivieres, Drummonville, Rimouski, Riviere du Loup, Maximum Bleus de Carleton as well as some of the best in the Maritimes - Fredericton Harvest Jazz & Blues Festival, Saint John Jazz Festival, Festival by the Sea & Shediac. Their Shows are always enthusiastically received. When asked why he plays both jazz and blues Mike replied “I get bored doing just one type of music. I love jazz for its beautiful melodies, chord structures and improvisation. I love blues for its energy, soul and getting the most out of its three chord structure. I enjoy playing rock ‘n roll once in awhile too. But no matter what music I play it has to SWING!” That it does. Despite all the accolades and notoriety within Quebec (and to some extent the Maritimes) Mike Goudreau remains largely unknown in the rest of Canada. Hopefully the new CD “The Grass Ain’t Greener” (2006) will change that. On it Mike has moved away from the big band with horns style that characterized the Boppin’ Blues Band – thus the name change to The Mike Goudreau Band – and has stripped down to guitar, drums, bass, keyboards and some great wailing harp from Harmonica Zeke. You still get a great mix of rockin’, swingin’, up tempo, Chicago blues with a nice remake of Mike’s “Give It To The Lord” gospel tune included. 8 of the 12 songs are originals. The mix reminds me a lot of “Sold Out” – so the wheel has come round 12 years later! Let’s see if some dates in English Canada on the CD Launch Tour in February will help this multi-talented artist achieve more of the recognition he deserves but even if it doesn’t Mike won’t stop. “I love playing for people who dig and understand what I do. Achieving more recognition would be a nice bonus but I’ve already done more than I ever imagined. I thank God every day for the musical ability He has given me and for my health, my family and my friends”. Isn’t that a great way to look at life? Thank YOU for the gift of your music Mike. Play on, play on…. |