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Kenny Wayne Shepherd
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Vaughanabe13



Joined: 04 Feb 2005
Posts: 161

PostPosted: Tue Feb 22, 2005 10:00 pm    Post subject: Kenny Wayne Shepherd Reply with quote

Ok, so I'm sure many of you have heard of Kenny Wayne Shepherd, who was originally supposed to be the "next SRV" or whatever. I personally like his stuff but I was wondering what you fellow SRV fans think about him. I'm not sure I like the fact that he's so much like SRV, but he is atleast trying to go in a different direction (especially with his latest album, The Place You're In, which incidentally isn't my favorite). I've realized that there are two very different kinds of people: the blues 'purists' who think KWS is a hack, and the die hard fans who love him. You can check out the forum on his website for that group.

Anyway, I made this topic mostly to get peoples' opinions on KWS, but also because there hasn't been a new topic here for awhile and I'm trying to spice things up! Very Happy
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TTrahan



Joined: 06 Nov 2004
Posts: 287

PostPosted: Tue Feb 22, 2005 10:44 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

I'm a big KWS fan now that I've seen him live twice.

I thought he was a good player, and had good tone before I saw him live, but after I saw him it was whole different story. He has great presence, and really works the crowd well, not to mention that he's a monster of a player.

I don't know if I can put him in with the SRV clones, he plays very much like Stevie, but there is a whole new breed of SRV clones out there, and KWS is far from those guys now. These guys have the #1 replica, the clothes, the hat, the boots, the necklaces, they are just taking it way too far, IMO. They don't know where SRV ends and they begin. It's funny, most of these guys spend all the $ on the props, but don't have the chops/skills to back it up. If anybody should be doing an SRV tribute, it should be Kenny Wayne, Josh Kirkland, or Philip Sayce, not some of these hacks out there. Half of them can't play. Just because you can make faces like SRV and grow a soul patch doesn't mean that you can hold a candle to his legacy. Grrrrr....

Okay, back on topic Wink

I like his new album quite a bit, it's definitely not blues, but I dig it. Like you said, its neat to see him going in a different direction. Its hard to make strictly blues albums, because it starts to become redundant.
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UncleSalty



Joined: 08 Nov 2004
Posts: 79
Location: Ibaraki, Japan

PostPosted: Tue Feb 22, 2005 11:23 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

I never liked KWS when he first came out. I gave Trouble Is... a cursory listen (after picking it up in the cutout bin) and then dismissed him as a clone. Last year, the bass player in my band turned me on to his version of Oh Well, which I liked. Since then I've checked out his early stuff again and I've changed my opinion of him. He's never been shy about his great affection for SRV, but he's more nuanced than just being a clone. A lot of the 'hack' stuff is unwarranted.

When the first two singles from his new album came out simultaneously, I was quite interested to hear them, but ultimately disappointed. I don't really understand why he feels the need to sing. He's not a bad singer, by any means, but his regular singer (whom he refers to as 'family'), Noah, is much better. I never bothered to check the album out, but maybe I will after hearing Troy say how much he liked it.

One thing I will say about KWS, though, is that I've never understood why, of all the teenage prodigies that came out at the same time, KWS was the most successful. Jonny Lang, personally, leaves me cold (colder after his slobbering performance at the Crossroads festival) but, Joe Bonamassa is an awesome player, with a very distinctive style, and I've always had a soft spot for Eric Gales, despite his overt Eric Johnson influence. And then there's Derek Trucks, who stands head & shoulders above the others. I can't help thinking that it has more to do with marketability than anything else.
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TTrahan



Joined: 06 Nov 2004
Posts: 287

PostPosted: Tue Feb 22, 2005 11:39 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Salty,

I'm giving you a warning, the new KWS album takes someone very special ::cough cough:: to like it Wink LOL

No, I'm kidding. It is just VERY different. I just appreciate that he's trying to go in a completely different direction. I don't sit down and listen to it on a regular basis, by any means.

I think you've hit the nail on the head by saying KWS's success has alot to do with marketability. For one, and I'm not trying to be mean, KWS's image is alot more teenage/woman friendly then Derrick Trucks, if you see what I'm saying. Watching KWS for a non-musician is probably tons more fun than watching Derrick Trucks. Trucks might as well be dead while he's on stage.
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Vaughanabe13



Joined: 04 Feb 2005
Posts: 161

PostPosted: Wed Feb 23, 2005 1:29 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

UncleSalty wrote:
When the first two singles from his new album came out simultaneously, I was quite interested to hear them, but ultimately disappointed. I don't really understand why he feels the need to sing. He's not a bad singer, by any means, but his regular singer (whom he refers to as 'family'), Noah, is much better. I never bothered to check the album out, but maybe I will after hearing Troy say how much he liked it.



It is true, Noah is a much better singer. But according to Kenny, the reason he sang on this album is because of the fact that he wrote some very personal lyrics. For the past few years he has been recovering from his drug addiction, so many of the songs are based on his recovery, and a few are about the love of his life. He said it felt much too weird to have someone else sing the songs that were so personal to him. That's why he sang most of the songs on the new CD. Noah is still featured in two of them however.

Also, I would like to point out that Kenny's singing does not affect their live tour very much. They still play all the old favorites, with Noah on vocals (kenny sometimes does backup, such as Blue on Black). First and foremost, Kenny is a guitar player, and he knows that.
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TTrahan



Joined: 06 Nov 2004
Posts: 287

PostPosted: Wed Feb 23, 2005 2:04 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

Vaughanabe13,

Have you seen KWS perform his new stuff? If so, is it any good live?


Last edited by TTrahan on Wed Feb 23, 2005 3:15 pm; edited 1 time in total
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Vaughanabe13



Joined: 04 Feb 2005
Posts: 161

PostPosted: Wed Feb 23, 2005 2:59 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

Psst, no names on the boards please. Thanks. Cool

Anyway, yes, I went to a KWS concert this november at the Rave in Milwaukee, WI. The concert was great! He opened with "Be Mine" from the new CD, which is actually a really cool song live. The other notable tracks from the new CD that he played were "Alive" and "Hey, What Do You Say" (which had a great solo). Other than that there really weren't too many tracks from the new CD. He played a lot of old favorites, such as "Somehow, Somewhere, Someway," True Lies, " "In 2 Deep," and "Shotgun Blues." All of those songs featured Noah. He also played a few notable jams, including a very sweet blues jam (untitlted). As for Kenny's singing, it really wasn't bad. He seemed to be having some troubles with his earpiece during some of the songs, but otherwise things were good. He was in tune the whole time. My only qualm was the equalization. Kenny has a higher, more shrill voice by nature, and the EQ'ing really brought out the harshness in his voice. Noah's voice always sounds better through a PA system, because of his excellent balance and full sound. As for the conclusion, they played a riveting version of Blue On Black, Voodoo Chile (the original hendrix bluesy version), another blues jam, and Voodoo Child (slight return) with the extended Wah solo at the end.

All in all I was very VERY impressed at the concert. The only thing I didn't like was Kenny seemed very "stock" on most of his solos. The only time I really saw him express himself was on the blues jams and Voodoo Child. Otherwise he stuck to the studio solos (with slight variations). Also, the concert was LOUD! Like, bleeding in your ears loud! He had two Fender Twin amps cranked up full out to 10, and I was right in front of the stage. It was crazy loud. My ears were ringing for hours afterward.
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TTrahan



Joined: 06 Nov 2004
Posts: 287

PostPosted: Wed Feb 23, 2005 3:15 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Vaughanabe13 wrote:
Psst, no names on the boards please. Thanks. Cool


You got it, I apologize Master Wink

That concert sounds cool, but not too far off from the two times that I've seen him (before the new stuff).

The highlight of the two shows that I saw was when he played Come On (Pt. III)..
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Vaughanabe13



Joined: 04 Feb 2005
Posts: 161

PostPosted: Wed Feb 23, 2005 10:07 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

TTrahan, ever get the feeling that we're the only ones in the conversation? lol
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TTrahan



Joined: 06 Nov 2004
Posts: 287

PostPosted: Wed Feb 23, 2005 11:47 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Vaughanabe13 wrote:
TTrahan, ever get the feeling that we're the only ones in the conversation? lol


No kiddin'! Rolling Eyes

I haven't seen Blind Melon on hear in a while, and Salty is always on different times of the day, being that he lives in Japan. I haven't seen Voodoo for a while either, come to think of it. Those seem to be the most regular guys.

Oh well, we'll keep the ball rollin' until we get some more guys/gals in here.


Hideaway??? Where has she been?
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UncleSalty



Joined: 08 Nov 2004
Posts: 79
Location: Ibaraki, Japan

PostPosted: Thu Feb 24, 2005 1:42 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Hey, it's hard when you live half a world away!

(Relatively) Seriously, though, what do you guys make of the SRV clone to Kravitz clone accusations levelled at KWS about the new album? Do you think his heart's really in this new direction, he wants to sell records or it's a compromise between the two? Not having heard anything other than the 2 singles, I don't really think I can comment. SRV was definitely lucky in that he could basically play the music he wanted, sell it and enjoy his life. Most players don't get that.
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Vaughanabe13



Joined: 04 Feb 2005
Posts: 161

PostPosted: Thu Feb 24, 2005 3:40 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

While Kenny does share some similiarities to Lennt Kravitz these days I personally think he's leaps and bounds above him. Kenny is an AMAZING guitar player, and I'm sorry, but Kravitz pails in comparison. The vocals are maybe a little similar but hey, Kenny can't change the way his voice sounds! He's only using the talents God gave him.

Anyway, my take on this album is Kenny is just trying to get in touch with his rock roots. Even from his SRV days he was still a rock player. He's never been strictly blues, IMO. However, if you guys weren't aware, sometime this year he is releasing a blues documentary on DVD and CD of him touring the country and showcasing blues artists in their hometowns. This will definately be a hit for the fans of KWS's blues side.
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TTrahan



Joined: 06 Nov 2004
Posts: 287

PostPosted: Thu Feb 24, 2005 4:06 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Vaughanabe - He announced at the show last August that he would be releasing a blues DVD/CD thing, I personally can't wait for it to be released. Let us know if you find out anything!

As far as the Lenny Kravitz thing, I would say that they aren't even similar, IMO. Kenny Wayne's music is still largely based on guitar while Kravit'z is a pop rock, make the ladies squeal type of artist. When was the last time Lenny put out an instrumental?

I think DBII's music is more towards the Kravitz side of thing, because he writes songs that are actually songs, and not just platforms for cool guitar tones and solos. I love DBII, because he is what Kravitz wants to be, LOL.

Vaughanabe, when you saw him, did he play the Hendrix Strat (I think they call it the Woodstock Custom Shop or something) for the encore?

It looks like this





Its my favorite guitar behind SRV's stash of cool strats. I love the look of it for whatever reason.



If any body has any info on that guitar, could they contact me?

Trahan20@aol.com
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Vaughanabe13



Joined: 04 Feb 2005
Posts: 161

PostPosted: Thu Feb 24, 2005 4:38 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Yes, he played the Jimi Hendrix Monterey strat at his performance (for a few songs in the encore).

"Kenny's Monterey Strat is the prototype for all of the others made by the Fender Custom Shop. Not sure about the exact serial number but it started with KWS000001, or something like that.

It also graced the cover of the December 2004 issue of Guitar Player Magazine (along with Kenny). They state on the contents page: "Based upon the hand-painted, Fiesta Red Strat that Jimi burned at Woodstock, the Fender Custom Shop's Jimi Hendrix Monterey Pop Festival Stratocaster honored the 30th anniversary of the 'Summer of Love' with a limited edition of 210 guitars in 1997. Featuring graphics by noted Custom Shop artist Pamelina, the 'Pop' includes an alder body, a rosewood-on-maple neck, and Fender Vintage pickups. The '97 retail price was $6,999."

"All hand painted by the same person. When Pamelina H did the design for the Custom Shop Strat she deviated somewhat from the original (at Fender's request) and also added the "backstage pass" graphic, which certainly was not on Hendrix's guitar."
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TTrahan



Joined: 06 Nov 2004
Posts: 287

PostPosted: Thu Feb 24, 2005 6:06 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Thanks for the info.

There's a couple of them on eBay right now....damn. If I only had the cash.

Maybe I'll finish my unfinished strat and try to make a tribute of some sorts to the Monterey strat.

What color would look better for a solid Monterey Strat? Fiesta Red or Olympic White?
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