Dear John, Tab celebrated a birthday today. He was born in 1967. You do the math. I interviewed him a few years back and he had a lot to say...and it wasn't all about the Blues. Our friend Leon J got in a serious wreck this week. I assume he's OK since his gigs are still listed. At least we hope so. Still a tad shy in the Out & About section but it's hard to fault anyone for taking care of themselves. Hope y'all are taking care of yourselves and staying safe. No huggee. No kissee. Make it a safe week. Sincer ely, Jim Crawford - PBS |
TAB by Jim Crawford Every day somebody is proclaiming the demise of the Blues in America. There's not much chance of that happening if people like Tab Benoit, Jimmy Thackery, Samantha Fish, Karen Lovely, Derek Trucks, and a slew of the next generation bluesmen and women keep stepping up to the plate and knocking it out of the park.Tab Benoit is a Louisiana native, so he comes by his Blues roots naturally, although he didn't know he liked the music until he was in his late teens.Born in Baton Rouge and raised in Houma, La., Tab was brought up on the sounds of the bayou, traditional Cajun music, as well as classic country and classic rock. The Delta has its own musical identity from jazz, Blues, and traditional Cajun music, and this diverse cultural backdrop surrounded Benoit as a kid. Tab says he can't really remember how old he was when he first picked up the guitar, but he learned the first three chords from a book and then "threw away the book.""Cajun music is not necessarily guitar driven music. It's usually horns, piano and drums," Tab says. "I kind of gravitated toward the Blues. I guess you could say the Blues chose me. After I first heard it I was hooked. It wasn't that it was cool or anything, it just fit me and my style. People asked me to start playing for them at parties and get-togethers and it sort of just went from there."It went from there indeed. Since his first solo album was released in 1992, Tab has recorded an impressive catalog of 17 subsequent albums with a "Best of" disc thrown in for good measure. He has developed into a highly acclaimed guitar whiz sought out both for his production talents as well as his masterful playing. It's a treat to catch one of his live shows.Another talent the usually modest Tab has is of an exceptional drummer, sometimes getting behind the kit at his shows and showing his prowess. He's also spent some time as a standup comedian."Yeah, people paid me to get up there and be funny," he says. "I kind of liked it because it kept me from having to get a day job." You can hear his humorous banter between songs at his usually sold-out shows.But if, in talking with Tab, you want to really hear where his passions lie, ask him about the systematic environmental destruction of his beloved Louisiana wetlands. He has taken on the preservation of these wetlands because to him the land is a special place that is being destroyed by big oil and ruthless developers.Having grown up in the South Louisiana oil patch, Benoit got his pilot's license at age 17 and flew pipeline patrols for oil companies while playing his music in the joints around Houma at night."I didn't learn about this from reading books or listening to scientists talk," he told Georgianne Nienaber in an interview in Roots World magazine. "I had a bird's-eye view of what's happening. I could see cypress swamps dying. Pipelines leaking. The beautiful swamp I grew up on is just open saltwater now. If it was killing my backyard, I was going to say something." Voice of the Wetlands, a nonprofit organization founded by Benoit is focused on protecting Louisiana's disappearing coastline in an effort to make the people of Louisiana and the rest of the world aware as to what was happening to the beautiful Louisiana coastlands.He recruited Dr. John, Cyril Neville, and Big Chief Monk Boudreaux to record two albums and stage concerts and donated the proceeds to conservation efforts. He has testified before Congress about the abuses witnessed and he launched the annual VOW Festival in his hometown of Houma. And as long as there are wetlands worth protecting, Benoit says he will fight for what's left. "We're all reliant on this land-not just for our jobs but for our lives," he told Dan Oko in another interview last year.Benoit believes the problems in his wetlands begin with government indifference and bureaucratic abuses."FEMA (Federal Emergency Management Administration) used to be a good organization," Tab recalls. "That was until they were taken over by (The Department of) Homeland Security. Then under the umbrella of 9/11 they took over all aspects of federal disaster relief. Homeland Security is the most dangerous organization we have now. When it was established it was the biggest loss of individual freedom we've ever seen. "Homeland Security is just not in the people business," he says. "They are a military organization. Mother Nature is not their problem. When they came along it completely changed how disaster relief is handled. FEMA used to be a good thing. You'd file a claim after a bad storm and they'd pay you right on the spot. Not any more. There was no more flood insurance after (Hurricane) Andrew. Before. you didn't have to worry about it. Now they go out of their way to try and not pay you."And the abuses are not limited to Louisiana Benoit says."It doesn't matter where you live," he says. "It continues to be a problem everywhere. We see this kind of thing happening all over the country every day. This is our country and we should still be able to be heard. It is our responsibility as American citizens to pay attention to what is going on around us. This is not a lazy man's government. Lazy people leave themselves open to dictatorships. Lots of people in other places wish they had the opportunity to voice their opinions like we have in the United States."All we can do is continue to bitch about how things are going and make Congress listen," he says, clearly fired up about his subject. "More people have to get involved if things are ever going to change. Emails and signing petitions isn't going to work. It only shows a lack of effort. We have to start at the top."The wetlands are a great example of what happens when a bunch of people sit back and watch the government do as the please," Tab says. "Everybody can be a part of the solution if they would get off their asses and get involved. I'm an expert on my backyard and I'm trying to fix it. I'm going to take my knowledge and fix the problem. Those goofy idiots in Washington are robots. They're not smart people. It's all about the best ass kisser. It's not going to get any better unless we all get involved."As an acre of Louisiana vanishes into the Gulf of Mexico every hour, lots of help is sorely needed in Benoit's part of America, which looks, smells, and feels like a foreign land, if it is to survive. Benoit used the metaphor of Atlantis and called out the oil companies whose man-made canals to the huge drilling rigs opened saltwater pathways that killed plants and root systems, destroying the anchors of the life-giving soil, Nienaber wrote in her interview with Benoit. But Benoit also thinks the engineers also bear responsibility for the damage. The needs of shipping interests required channels and levee systems that now choke the natural flow of the Mississippi. A delta is built by flowing water that deposits silt and forms protective marshlands. "You need the flow." Benoit told Nienaber. "If you look at the Atchafalaya River just west of here, you will see what can happen when the water flows naturally. Hurricane Andrew busted through the levees 17 years ago, and the water is flowing again. The land is green. You're gonna have to go take a look for yourselves. Google Earth is not up to date. The Atchafalaya is living, it is healthy, and it is building land. It's time to get moving; it's time to do something. Make a decision. If you see the problem, you will have to fight. If you don't, then you're gonna have to move. It's gonna take all of us fighting to stay here. That's the bottom line. I'm not making this up; this is real." Although Benoit has been encouraged to enter the political arena, he says things will have to change dramatically before he ventures into that world."Sure I've thought about it," he says. "But I'm not going up there until it's fair. I couldn't live with myself. The only way we're going to change things is by paying attention."After the initial excitement from his Louisiana audience wore off, Tab says his continued efforts lost some of its traction."(The) BP (oil spill) set us back years," he explains. "It's hard to get excited about the environment when you're looking for a job. But people still need to get involved, job or no job. Quit waiting on the other guy to do something. We'll never know if BP cleaned up all of its mess because they were given total control of the whole coast. But if we keep digging we'll find out. This is not the way our government was designed when the country was founded. We need to fix it."Back to the music. Currently Benoit is working on a collaboration with Elvin Bishop and vocalist Mickey Thomas (Jefferson Starship)."It's easy working with these guys," he says. "We're mostly using first takes. We just all get up there and play it. That's the way I like to do it. Keep it real."He has just finished producing an album for Southern Hospitality called "Southern Livin" on the Blind Pig label.The Voice of the Wetlands Allstars featuring Tab Benoit, Cyril Neville, Big Chief Monk Boudreaux, Johnny Sansone, Waylon Thibodeaux, Corey Duplechin, and Johnny Vidacovich celebrate the 2013 Wanee Festival in Live Oak, Fla. on April 18.Activism through music has been the band's goal beginning in 2004 with the Voice of the Wetlands All-star's debut CD on Ryko Disc. The band's tours and shows have been highlighted by their annual appearance and the New Orleans Jazz and Heritage Festival. Tab vows to keep on keeping on making his voice heard through his music to make people aware of not only his beloved Louisiana but their own back yards as well. He says we're all in this together."It's my job,"
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| Out & About Tuesday, November 10 Waiting out the virus: Cold Shott & The Hurricane Horns www.coldshott.com The Sugar Thieves www.sugarthieves.com Gary Zak & The Outbacks www.outbackbluesband.com Hans Olson www.hansolson.net Rocket 88s www.rocket88s.net JC& The Rockers www.thejukerockers.com Carvin Jones www.carvinjones.com Hoodoo Casters www.hoodoocasters.com Rhythm Room ÂÂÂwww.rhythmroom.com ÂÂÂÂÂÂÂÂÂ Nina Curri www.ninacurri.com Paris James www.parisjames.com Mother Road Trio www.motherroadtrio.com Blues Review Band Reverbnationbluesmanmike Mike Eldred www.mikeeldredtrio.com Big Daddy D & The Dynamites Facebook Cadillac Assembly Line Facebook Innocent Joe and the Hostile Witnesses Facebook Chuck Hall Facebook Pop Top Facebook Thursday, November 19 Hans Olson, 6 p.m., Handlebar, Apache Junction Mike Eldred Trio, 7 p.m., Kazamierz, Scottsdale Friday, November 20 Leon J, 1:30 p.m., DA Ranch, Cornville Saturday, November 21 BluZone Duo, 7 p.m., Founding Father's Kitchen, Chandler Leon J, 1:30 p.m., DA Ranch, Cornville Sunday, November 22 Leon J, 1:30 p.m., DA Ranch, Cornville Monday, November 23
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