John’s Blues Picks June 2017 – Gary Cain
Gary Cain is a Kitchener-based guitarist who, as it says in his press release, has done very little else in his life. But it has led to a guitar style recognized by none other than Lee Ritenour, Cain placing as fourth unsigned blues guitarist in his Six String Theory guitar competition last year, judged by Joe Bonamassa, Ry Cooder and Joe Satriani, among others. The CD title pretty much sums up that style and it’s important that the ‘twang’ is first. He plays as a power trio, with Tom Nagy on bass and Donnie McDougall on drums and they provide sterling support. Cain’s songs are not merely excuses for fancy guitar playing although there certainly is a lot of that. “Pipes and Spoons” is an effective anti-drug song. “No Foolin’” has an attractive stop time arrangement for a song about a liar who’s called out. “Twang Strut” is an impossibly fast blues instrumental and you might well recognize many of the quotes. “Got Me Where You Want Me” should be released to radio, with it’s driving groove. It’s also one of the few songs without a processed vocal. A serious vocal chord injury from which he has recently recovered may have led to the decision to alter the vocals. The album concludes with another instrumental, a much slower one called “Faith Healer”. His web site is www.garycainband.com. It shows he was at The Linsmore Tavern on May 28 but otherwise mostly sticks to southwestern Ontario. Too Bad.