Blues Devils News

KENNY BOAG - Vocal/Harp

Where and when did you first meet the Blues?

I was interested from an early age - my brothers both liked Clapton and Led Zeppelin - I first discovered Muddy Waters around the mid eighties and then extended my listening through the Paul Jones show on radio 2 on a Thursday night. But my education musically really started when I met the guy who taught me to play harp. He still remains the best player I have ever heard both professionally and amateur. He used to blow harp in the car when I was training at the Cooncil and I just thought it was the coolest thing I had ever heard. He bought me my first harp and the Don Baker teach yourself pack and away I went. He also supplied me with regular tapes of Little Walter, Sonny Terry, Sonny Boy Williamson, Sugar Blues, James Cotton, etc. So after 6 months of playing 'Oh Suzanna' almost non-stop, I mastered single notes and bends and pretty much straight away started playing in bands ( all be it pretty badly as I have the demos to prove!).

Who's the big influence on the Boag style?

I love all of the original guys as listed above, but I guess the biggest influences on me have tended to be more modern artists such as Rick Estrin, James Harmon, Kim Wilson, Andy Just, Charlie Musslewhite and Paul Lamb. When we played the Burnley Blues Festival in 2007, I came off stage and bumped into Sugar Blue who had taken in our last few numbers. He looked me straight in the eye and said "Hey man, I love your sound - you guys are cookin'" - Kenny on cloud nine for the rest of the weekend ensued immediately!

What do you think the future holds for the Blues Devils?

Life is great just now we have become a really strong outfit that I think can hold its own in most company. We do need to keep setting ourselves higher goals because it would be easy to exist in a comfort zone that would be a great shame both for ourselves and our audiences. Festivals are the thing I really aspire to and after the ones we have played - I have totally got the bug and want more. I would also really like to record an album of all of our own work which I think we could do fairly easily if we set our minds to it.

What's the best piece of kit you've ever been forced to buy?

As all of the guys in the band will tell you I am a total tone junkie. I have spent a fortune over the years striving to get an affordable and reliable rig that will give me that classic fat Chicago sound. I've been through a few amps but have finally settled on a Fender Vibrochamp with a Grainger 1X12" extension cab. The Vibrochamp is a great little amp and has 15 voicing settings on it that really gives it punch and depth with little or no feedback problems. Up front I use either a green bullet or a JT30 mic depending on my mood and a Boss EQ pedal that allows me to dial up the bass notes. The overall sound is exactly what I have been striving for so there should be no more purchases in the immediate future, although..................

How'd You get in tow with the Blues Devils?

My first few bands were pretty much bedroom outfits in the main but after a while one of them emerged to be my first real gigging band, the Bluesville Express. We were a rockabilly blues band and in the main used to busk in and around Glasgow. We were pretty successful picking up a lot of press and gigs especially around the early nineties when Glasgow was European City of Culture and we managed to make it into the main picture advert for this that was beamed around the world! That band had a revolving door membership and eventually died on its feet when a number of us took up 9-5 day jobs. I continued playing mostly with rockabilly and blues bands but also did some work for a series of rock and folk bands (ouch - not many fond memories). I then formed Bogus Bob's Blues Band with an old friend and we started playing more serious blues. That was great and we quickly built up a strong reputation and held down 3 residencies in bars in Glasgow. Unfortunately, a tragic rock and roll ending ensued (a long story for another time) and I took a break for a few years. I then out of the blue I answered an advert in a music shop looking for blues musicians. I went to the first meet and greet and met and greeted one Bert Richard. We both quickly realised that the other guys were not serious about the music and we decided to go our own way and form the Blues Devils. A series of drummers and bass players came and went until Dave and latterly, Jim formed the final pieces in the Blues Devils puzzle. What makes this band such a labour of love for me is that for the first time I can say without qualification that I like and get on well with all of the guys. Music is funny - you join bands with guys who share a love of a particular type of music - invariably you find that does not garrentee that they are people you will get on with and that often leads to a difficult relationship hance so many band bust ups! However, apart from Bert's snoring, Jim's tardiness and Dave's anal fasination with perfection in all things other than haircuts - I can't say a bad word about any of them.

You're all Glasgow Boys, how come all your gigs are on the east coast?

The east costs loves da blues - Glasgow is a big disappointment in terms of live music - we used to play in a bar in the Merchant City on a Friday and Saturday night - there must have been upwards of 350 folk in there at times and it was just absolute torture - no feedback - no audience participation - nuthin'. Switch to Dexters in Dundee at 5 o'clock on a Saturday evening - 80 or so folks dancing their asses off and having a good time - no contest - next!

How many C harps have you destroyed?

Too many to mention - funnily enough - its mainly D and F harps that I mangle - I have got better over the years but maybe that's because I have less puff!