kelly joe phelps concert - 4/24/06

in case you haven't heard by now, kelly joe phelps is good. he's real good. it's a shame that more people don't know about this relevant but somehow not traditional blues artist. musicians know about phelps. steve earle certainly knows about him. bill frisell and tim o'brien know about him too. and monday night, a roomful (75) of kansas city musicians either knew about him, or were introduced to him at a 90 minute, 12 song, acoustic performance in the "parlor" of a local music store (mountain music shoppe).

phelps, accompanied by his guitar, a faulty capo, an electric tuner, and his unceasing percussion section (his left foot), played a selection of his own material, and a couple of his blues-folk-jazz-classical-singer/songwriter-country takes on some covers. maybe it is hard for him to gain a wider audience because he does not fit neatly into a category. his songs develop rich characters like those in a traditional singer/songwriter sense, they have angles similar to those found in folk music, they experiment with traditional blues themes and structures, and explore undeveloped scales like some of the greater jazz guitarists. somehow, his style maintains it's focus and allows the listener to just appreciate his eclectic voice without being overwhelmed by his influences. his voice is quiet yet forceful, and effortlessly slides the scales as fluidly as his fingers glide on the fret.

monday night, towards the end of his set, he was having an equipment malfunction with his capo. after toiling for a moment or two, one of the guys in the front row pulled a capo out of his pocket and handed it to him. phelps was grateful and used the borrowed tool. he tuned up his guitar, and then stopped. "i guess i'm a little surprised that you just had this with you," he said. hey kelly, don't be surprised. that's the kind of audience you should expect.

kelly joe phelps website

mountain music shoppe link