This Saturday Night was the epitome of where I long to be!

[bparham77]

This past Saturday night was probably one of the most inspirational and humbling experiences of my brief musical career. It was also a coming of age sorts for one of my favorite guitarists. I have seen the future of the blues and its a 23 year-old white boy named Matt Bennick, whom just so happens to be my ex guitar teacher. Now right now your probably thinking yeh ok its your guitar, sure right, whatever. So I will give you some background information on Matt. He has been playing guitar since he was six, he took five years of serious classical guitar study before the age of eleven. At that age he fell in love with the blues. At 13 he was playing SRV, Jimi Hendrix, etc dead on. Although he does play some hard rock guitar such as Steve Vai, Yngvie, Satrini for technical refinement his biggest influence today, aside from all the great bluesmen of the past, is George Benson. Now before Matt left the Wilkes-Barre\ Scranton area he was one of the top three guitarist in the area. He most likely being the 3rd best preceeded by my current teacher Teddy Young, which in turn is an extremely distant second to Clarence Spady. Teddy in his own right could be a star, thats how good Clarence Spady is. The guy is a good. He is blusey\ jazzy, George Benson, Mark Whitefield type player. Various blues magazines have named him as one of the top players in the world. He has won a handy and publication out of Europe named him as one of the 10 elite guitarists in the world today. If this guy didn't have seriously awful drug addiction problems he would be a star. Clarence does not even own a guitar. Therefore he never practices and I think he might even be homeless. The guy is truely living the blues. He has played at the biggest blues festivals and legend has it, Clarence has even blown Buddy Guy off the stage. Matt is the only local musician that has ever taken lessons off of Spady. The two musicians frequently play the most happening New York City clubs together, etc.
I have seen Matt play with Spady on a number of occasions and its obvious that even for Matt its a humbling experience. But this Saturday night was different. Matt has recently moved to Florida, locked himself in his room, and does nothing but play guitar all day as his hero Benson has done. He came back home this weekend to sit in with Spaddy at the River Street Jazz Cafe and it was magical. At about 1 Am, Spaddy broke a string and had a enough of the guitar so he calls Matt up. By this time people are leaving, those that are there are plastered, and no one really gives a damn about the music. Clarence kicks the keyboardist off stage and takes over. Needless to say he hits this crazy keyboard groove and Matt follows his lead. After some serious in the pocket grooving people start to notice. Clarence then takes over the drums. The guy could do anytyhing. He finally gives Matt the go ahead to show what he has learned. And after 3 notes of his first solo the place stops dead. I hear nothing but whisper, everyone is wondering who the hell is this kid. I have to feel that Clarence himself is blown away by this point. They improvised for the next 20- 30 minutes with some of the most soulfull blues and jazz that I have ever heard. I truely have never seen anything like it. At that moment I realized that Matt is going to be the next big thing. If everyone is in the Miami area check him out, I garuantee you will leave with the same impression. He will be moving to New York City because as he has told me that is where its at. I only wish each one of us has a moment like this, where time stops, people become transfixed, where the crowd can't take their eyes off you for a second, where true music of the soul is on display. It was almost depressing, I am wondering how the hell I will ever get to that point. And if anyone gets the chance do some research on Spady, he plays all over, check him out. He is amazing.

[LarryJ]

DO YOU MEAN THE CLARENCE SPADY????????

THE SAME ONE FROM THE SCRANTON AREA???



-sorry. I just had to laugh at that. no disrespect meant.
:p

[bparham77]

Yes I do. Killer. How do you know of him? Where are u from?

[snufeldin]

I've had a moment like that... it was when I saw Joe Bonamassa for the first time. Another young blues player. Unbelievable. He opened for BB King at age 8. His story continues... but basically he's just awesome. I recommend that you check him out.

[LarryJ]

I'm sorry, I was joking, because I'm assuming nobody has ever heard of the guy, especially since you claim he's homeless. Sarcasm doesn't work well on the internet, but as I mentioned above it was just joke, it wasn't intended to upset/make fun of you. Thats cool you had such an experience, I recently had a bit of an epiphony myself when i saw steve vai on the g3 tour.

I am familiar with JB and KWS thogh, they are two blues prodigies you might want to check out. Again, sorry for the confusion, i sincerly hope you dont take it as an insult.

[Spin 2513]

Originally posted by bparham77
This past , thats how good Clarence Spady is. The guy is a good. He is blusey\ jazzy, George Benson, Mark Whitefield type player. Various blues magazines have named him as one of the top players in the world. He has won a handy and publication out of Europe named him as one of the 10 elite guitarists in the world today. If this guy didn't have serious problems he would be a star. Clarence does not even own a guitar. Therefore he never practices and I think he might even be homeless. The guy is truely living the blues. He has played at the biggest blues festivals and legend has it, Clarence has even blown Buddy Guy off the stage. Matt is the only local musician that has ever taken lessons off of Spady. The two musicians frequently play the most happening New York City clubs together, etc.
I on Spady, he plays all over, check him out. He is amazing.

Hey BP .
Is this Spadey Guy on any albums , or any thing ? Where do they play in NYC , at the" Terra Blues Club"?

[bparham77]

I actually have a copy of a live album that he cut. Simply amazing. I would be more than willing to file share a couple of songs with ya.

[Spin 2513]

Thanks BP,

i don't know how to do file sharing but i did find the album , it's called," Nature of the Beast" i bet he got a better deal than , Robert Johnson.


Nature CD (http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/B0000014QB/qid%3D1071639182/sr%3D11-1/ref%3Dsr%5F11%5F1/002-9485350-9378421)

[Bizarro]

Jonny Lang is the same way, but he can sing like nobodies business too.

I saw him when he was 16 and it was devastating!

There are so many great musicians around that it is sometimes depressing to be a mere mortal. :)

[snufeldin]

Fortunately for us mere mortals, other mortals want to hear something they can relate to.

[Spin 2513]

I've always liked Rick Derringer's "Back to the Blues " Album , my self. He played with Johnny Winter for most of his career , and really puts it together for me as a Bues/Rock Guitarist.
Johnny Winter never really used a Keyboardist , exclusively , so that "New Orleans Style " your partial to , is a bit different,and more Jazzy. .
There arn't too many unknowns ,i particularly, gravitate towards, anymore.At one time, i may have.
At some point a local guitarist told me , hey, don't listen to me listen to Johnny Winter , he plays through the changes , better than anybody.
As far as musicians being homeless , i don't know.If they are touring , it's a Nomadic lifestyle , anyway , isn't it? I guss if you have a job where your traveling all the time , you still call someplace home . Even if you just rent out a $100 a month closet ,with a cot in it, at you friends house.
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- Each according to thier ability , Each according to thier needs.

[Empath]

I don't think he's homeless and I'm pretty sure he owned the guitar I saw him playing at Black Eyed Sally's in Hartford CT over the summer. But ya never can tell...

The man had a pick up band. First time in months with the organist Mark Hamza, first time ever with the drummer who he directed with the head stock of the guitar for the entire evening and as if that wasn't enough a guy walked in off the street said hey remember me from NY and Clarence had them bring him a microphone and he whipped out a sax and sat in too. They did the most amazing version of Just My Imagination I have ever heard.

I've seen a lot of acts but none as good as Clarence. When I say a lot I mean a lot. I've seen Bonamassa (carried on a conversation have an autographed CD his bass player is off the wall), Greg Piccolo and Heavy Juice (gives a whole new sound to Somewhere Over The Rainbow), Roomful of Blues(with the ultra souful Mac Odham singing), Walter Trout (you think other people can make their guitar wail and talk, they're trying to be as good as this guy is), Rod Piazza and the Mighty Flyers (mad harp and piano boogie), Rick Holmstrom (on his own after spliting from the Mighty Flyers also a phenomenal guitarist with a style all his own), Coco Montoya (not as impressive as you might think), Kenny Wayne Shepherd (all that and a bag of chips I tell ya), Shamekia Copeland (voice to die for and Arthur Nielsen plays a mean steel guitar), Duke Robillard (the man can play, the band is tight, the lyrics are suggestive, what more could you want from a blues show), Doug James and friends (mostly x-roomful members quite the night it included Sax Gordon Beadle, Jerry Portnoy who played harp for Eric Clapton on the European Tour in ''96, and several songs with Sugar Ray Norcia lending his vocals), speaking of Sugar Ray and the Blue Tones featuring Monster Mike Welch on guitar they are something to see especially live on the beach, I've even had the pleasure of seeing Kim Wilson and he didn't even do one song from his Fabulous Thunderbirds days.

Like I said a lot of shows but the musicianship that Clarence has, the inate talent, that something you can't learn no matter how many lessons you take you matter how many weeks you lock yourself away with your guitar. The man is a musical genius. He broke a string in the middle of the song and retuned the guitar on the fly so he could finish without the other string...

I've seen Lucky Peterson, the "heir apparent" to BB Kings throne if you take the reviewers as gospel and he has nothing on Clarence.

[LarryJ]

I'll have to keep my eyes open for him then. Does he play here in CT often?

[Empath]

Well....I've been waiting for him to come this way but no such luck. He did make a one day stop at Sally's in December but that was six months after I saw him there the first time.

From what I can see there is a place in Plains PA where he is a regular and even hosts open mic night on Tuesdays. For better information you should check out his official site and e-mail his booking agent who I'm sure would be able to give you better information than I.

[LarryJ]

I thought he was homeless? Does he have a website and all that?

[Empath]

I believe its: http://www.spadyblues.com
If you type him in at google or yahoo as a search engine you can get quite a few hits and most have some sort of biographical blurp. A lot are actually posted by places where he's performed.