+ NL THE SPOONFULS & MAX MESER
The Spoonfuls are a young and tight, rocking blues outfit from Figueres, Catalunya (that’s northern Spain). Though named after the famous Willy Dixon song, they don’t restrict themselves to the Chicago idiom – in fact, they don’t mind rocking a bit and a psychedelic touch is never far off. Don’t simply expect a Best of Chicago, since band have written enough material to fill an entire set. It’s a mix that goes down well with their equally young audience (except yours truly), enthusiasm flowing freely onstage and front stage. The band features a most effective rhythm section. Isaac’s lead guitar never really takes over, grumbling humbly but continuously. Max is in charge of vocals and guitar, delivering sounds and words with equal conviction.
Meanwhile, their singer, guitarist and composer Max Meser is mapping out a solo career. At my age, one can’t help comparing Max to the folk and protest song singers-songwriters of the sixties. With his loose shirt, jeans and long hair - he looks like them to start with. Check out Antoine or Wally Tax of the Outsiders. And since he uses the same basic tools – a nasal voice, an acoustic guitar and a harmonica - he sounds like them too. When mentioning this to Max, he looks surprised, unaware of the parallels. That’s fine by me, because he has more to offer anyway: Max Meser writes his own songs and he constructs nice melodies, like ”The Shadow”. Every now and then, his nasal tone and undertempo remind me of the early Kinks – would you believe he wrote a song called “Sitting On my Sofa”! Mixing folk, country blues and balladry tied to lyrics that cast a most critical eye on today’s world and la condition humaine, I found Meser’s solo performance a real pleasure.
www.myspace.com/thespoonfulsmusic
TEXT and PICTURES ARE © EDDY BONTE
THE SPOONFULS LIVE AT THE "HOSTAL", SANT-LLORENÇ DE LA MUGA 22 JULY 2011: from left to tight ADAM CHALLANS (bass), ISAAC WANDSWORTH (guitar), NEL MAN (drums) and MAX MESER (voice, guitar).
THE SPOONFULS LIVE AT THE "HOSTAL", SANT-LLORENÇ DE LA MUGA 22 JULY 2011: BASSIST ADAM CHALLANS (left) and GUITARIST-SINGER MAX MESER
MAX MESER SOLO AT THE PLAÇA JOSEP PLA, FIGUERES, 3 AUGUST 2011