Skipper's Smokehouse presents Jimmy Thackery
Article published on Monday, Oct. 15, 2007 |
TAMPA - Blues guitarist Jimmy Thackery and The Drivers fuse hot licks and cool blues on a new CD Solid Ice. Thackery and his band perform live at Skipper's Smokehouse on Friday, Nov. 2. The Trio takes the stage at 9 p.m.
Advance tickets are $12 and $15 at the door. Skipper’s is located at 910 Skipper’s Road in Tampa. For more information or tickets call 813-971-0666 or visit skipperssmokehouse.com.
For more than three decades, Thackery has crossed the blues circuit worldwide with a multi-layered style that pays homage to every spectrum of the blues experience from the Delta masters to Jimi Hendrix and Stevie Ray Vaughan. Thackery takes a break from living his life on the road to result in the May 22, 2007 release, Solid Ice.
After three highly successful solo albums on Telarc – We Got It in 2002, True Stories in 2003, and Healin’ Ground in 2005, along with two synergistic collaborations with fellow axemaster Tab Benoit – Whiskey Store in 2002 and Whiskey Store Live in 2004 – Thackery kicks back during a six-month break from the road with a four-track recorder and sufficient time to conjure his muse. The result is the May 22, 2007 release Solid Ice, an 11-song set with bassist Mark Bumgarner and drummer Mark Stutso, which provides a snapshot of Thackery on the road less traveled.
Solid Ice opens with the rocked-up “Hit the Big Time,” an angry ode to those who climb the ladder of wealth and success at the expense of everyone around them. The immediate followup track, “How Long” takes on a midtempo honky-tonk sensibility, although still rooted firmly in the rock camp.
After the grit and fire of the two opening tracks, Thackery down-shifts with two instrumentals – a Texas-flavored 12-bar shuffle called “Hobart’s Blues,” followed by the easygoing and melodic “Daze in May.”
The second half of the set gets under way with the comical “XXX Wife,” a tongue-in-cheek take on marital (and post-marital) angst with spoken-word lyrics and some silky guitar lines.
The final three songs are instrumentals “designed to run in your imagination like a triple feature at the local theater,” says Tipaldi. The edgy title track relies on a Wes Montgomery octave melody, while “Blue Tears Reprise” is a second take on a soul-wrenching ballad that appears earlier with lyrics. Thackery’s take on Jimi Hendrix’s “Who Knows” – the sole cover on the album – is every bit the psychedelic and fiery kaleidoscope that the legendary electric guitar innovator intended more than a generation ago.
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Article published on Monday, Oct. 15, 2007
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