DANNY BRYANT'S RED EYE BAND
Exclusive interview for "Back to the Roots" magazine Belgium, by Eddy Bonte
PIctures left © Paul Webster ** middle and right © Michel Verlinden
Q1: Which blues song or artist first made you go ?/+*!&^§ and decide to pick up a guitar and play the blues? Can you also remember why or under which circumstances?
Danny Bryant: “I think that most people who know my music also know that my first influence was Walter Trout. I got the album "Breaking The Rules" and it had a song on there called "Reason I'm Gone". I was still at school at the time and all my study went out the window in pursuit of the blues! That song really made me want to become a guitar player, and ever since Walter has been a constant inspiration in my life and music. I've got to play with him many times and he has also written the sleeve notes to my first album, which is a great honour. He is a constant support and a true friend”.
Q2: Which other artist(s) deeply influenced you in terms of (a) guitar playing (b) singing (c) composing. Can you draw a few comparisons or quote examples?
Danny Bryant: “After I first heard Walter, I started searching for other guitar players to learn from. My next major influences were Eric Clapton: his album "From The Cradle" really taught me a lot about the history of blues and it lead on to my going back to the original source where I discovered players such as Freddie King, Hubert Sumlin, Buddy Guy and Albert King. More recently I've been greatly inspired by Luther Allison, especially his album "Live in Chicago". In terms of my song writing, I love artists such as Tom Waits, Bob Dylan and Bruce Springsteen”.
Q3: On stage, you cover Bob Dylan’s “Girl From the North Country” which is quite different from the fast guitar blues that is your trademark. Can you comment on and explain that choice? Does it disclose any Danny Bryant characteristics and qualities that your other blues songs don’t?
Danny Bryant: “As I previously said, I love singer-songwriters and we cover a couple of Bob Dylan ballads. They give me a chance to slow down a bit and concentrate on my vocals, plus it also adds variation to the set and breaks things down a bit. I never consider myself to be a straight-ahead blues artist as I think my album shows; I love ballads and story songs and I believe in the merit of a good song”.
Q4: Though some comparisons may be flattering, can you tell us which characteristics set Danny Bryant apart in terms of singing, composing, stage show or guitar style - even if you think they may need more developing in the years to come?
Danny Bryant: “I try to just get on stage every night and play from the heart and not worry too much about what’s correct and what isn't. If on a set night I want to play fast and hard or do a set which isn't particularly bluesy, then I'll do it as long as I know at the end of the gig I've been honest to myself. So maybe what sets me apart is that I'll mix a lot of different influences that might not always be found in blues music.”
Q5: What lies ahead in the near future in terms of musical development. Will you develop and refine your current style or are you already thinking of something else or of adding new elements?
Danny Bryant: I'm working on writing songs which stand on their own as songs, not just guitar workouts. Having said that, I live to play so you can always expect a lot of guitar! I always try to learn and improve and give the best I can”
ALBUM REVIEWS
-1 Danny Bryant’s RedEye Band: Live (Continental Blue Heaven CBHCD 2010
In 2007 Danny Bryant will play several important European festivals and cross the Great Divide. Should anyone over there ask for his business card, I’d simply hand over this recording. “Live” really is a model cross-cut of a Danny Bryant gig and on top of that the band was in top form when the tapes ran. So far for those in the know. For those not in the know: this British trio opens with “Heartbreaker”, a blend of own material (“Slow Blues”) and B.B. King’s “Sweet Little Angel”. That’s how Danny displays his trade mark: a “no compromise allowed” slow and mid-tempo blues; irresistible Chicago swing; longer numbers with loads of guitar. That guitar is so much in the spotlight one tends to forget – undeservedly so – his convincing and compelling voals. It’s been a long time I’ve heard a blues band play nothing but the blues. No fusion in Danny’s place, just straight and solid home-made stuff from the back-garden shed. But mind you, Danny does not mind crossing the street: he takes Dylan’s “Girl From the North Country” for a ten minute ride in Bryantland without forgetting to pay respect to the Master. He says hello to Albert King and pops in at Johnny Copeland’s. Danny Bryant grabs you and takes you with him like a blues man should. Also, he knocks at the doors of your conscience with his anti-war song “Last Man Standing”. And he does all that in one and the same gig.
Eddy Bonte (first published in BACK TO THE ROOTS, www.backtotheroots.be
Picture © Paul Webster
-2 Danny Bryant’s RedEye Band: Watching You (Blues Matters, BMRCD 2002/2)
Danny Bryant’s RedEye Band opened the 2002 edition of the Belgian rock and blues festival “R&B Harelbeke” and scored straight away. Not bad for a 21-year-old performing on the Continent for the first time. Danny admires Walter Trout and Walter Trout admires Danny, so one is not surprised to hear Danny’s guitar trespassing all speed limits. But there’s much more to this band than a fast guitar. A CD doesn’t show us Danny’s energetic guitar show and body language, but instead allows us to sit back and concentrate on Bryant the composer since he wrote all ten tracks on this album. The title track, for instance, is a melodic composition decorated with most subtle guitar lines. “Since You’ve Been Gone” symbolises Danny’s expertise in the field of slow blues rock. The acoustic bottleneck on “Dancing Girl” comes as a real surprise. We therefore forgive the band their Status Quo xerox “Crying For My Baby” and the American FM radio solos that come out of the blue and disappear into the blue again on “Follow On”. May I, on the other hand, draw your attention to Danny’s voice? Tossing and turning incessantly, it perfectly succeeds in capturing and mirroring all the songs’ moods and it is wonderfully equipped to express sadness, broken heart and all things blue. At the festival, Bryant bundled all his capacities to promote his guitar-based blues rock. But he also covered Bob Dylan and that achievement makes me anxious to know what he will come up with next time.
Eddy Bonte (first published in BACK TO THE ROOTS, www.backtotheroots