Walkin’ Blues: David Jacobs-Strain puts some youthful spin on the blues

The writing is on the wall – DJS can shred.David Jacobs-Strain sings the blues like he's personally experienced them and channels blues greats like Skip James, Charlie Patton and Tommy Johnson. His fingers slide effortlessly over the fret board of his guitar while he picks at the strings with rapid-fire efficiency. But Jacobs-Strain is only 25 and he grew up in Eugene. So, while he may not be the first image that pops into your head when you think blues, he's definitely leading the way for this generation's blues scene.
 
"I've always been drawn to the trance-oriented, heavier, Delta blues-to the driving, passionate, raw, distraught sound of somebody like Son House," said Jacobs-Strain in his biography. The young blues performer has just released his seventh - yes, seventh - album entitled Liar's Day, produced by legendary bassist and recording guru Kenny Passarelli. If the politically charged title track doesn't draw you in with its catchy melody and funky edge, you'll be enticed by "Rainbow Junkies," a track laved with driving steel guitar riffs and Eastern-sounding breaks.
The song "Walkin' Blues" showcases the artist's skill and goes well with his soulful vocals. "Alright, let's play the blues," says Jacobs-Strain towards the end of the song. He then proceeds to shoot off a succession of notes while strumming at Hendrix's "Machine Gun" pace before slowing back down.

Dang, the Melvins sure look excited to be here.Dale Crover is one of the fiercest rock and roll drummers of the last 20 years, but you'd never guess it by his supremely subdued demeanor as he chats from his home in Los Angeles. The thundering Melvins' beat keeper talks humbly about the band's new record, Nude With Boots, but seems more inclined to talk about the demise of analog tape, musical history, or likening a touring band to a Major League Baseball team.
 
After some discussion of sea-side Puget Sound fishing towns, we finally begin talking about Nude With Boots, an 11-track album that features a quintessentially big-and-heavy Melvins sound, that some critics have referenced as the band's 19th record. The number is impressive in its own right, but Crover says the figure needs some tweaking.
"I think it's more than that, actually. I kind of stopped counting after a while. It's been a lot, but I think we've probably made a record for every year we've been a band," Crover says of the band's 24-year career and corresponding 24th record.