Clarksdale

Would you pardon the Cricket for shamelessly plugging his friends’ band in this Chirp? You wouldn’t, would you? Clarksdale is the new blues rock sensation in Beat City The Hague, Holland. Guitarist Sander Kaatee formed Clarksdale late last year with drummer Rob Kramer after they both split from a previous formation. Sander has been playing guitar since he was eleven and from the age of seventeen has been performing with various bands, including Breathtaking Angels. Rob has been marching to the beat of his own drum for over thirty years, playing in various jazz formations and accompanying almost every Dutch artist on record or on stage for television or radio broadcasts. Sander invited Hans Kühbauch to take up bass duty in Clarksdale. Hans was already making waves with his bass at an early age, enjoying local success with The Davies and The Groovy’s in the 70s and 80s. Singer/songwriter Kevin Burns was soon added to Clarksdale, and he brought along his blues harps, and acoustic/electric guitars. As Sander is playing in Boris van der Lek’s Breathtaking Angels, it seemed only natural that Boris would return the favor and join Sander’s band. Boris is a renowned tenor saxophonist in his own right, who was played with greats such as Herman Brood & His Wild Romance, Golden Earring, Hans Dulfer, Frits Kaatee (Sander’s father), and Laura Fygi, and has made sixteen appearances at North Sea Jazz festival.

Currently, Clarksdale are working hard rehearsing for their first performances, with a try-out show this Saturday. In line with the city that inspired their name – Clarksdale, Mississippi, home of the blues – they are influenced by blues legends such as Robert Johnson, Blind Willie McTell, Elmore James and Muddy Waters. They add a deep appreciation for the Allman Brothers, the Rolling Stones, Taj Mahal, the J. Geils Band, the Black Crowes, Lester Butler, Tom Waits and Willy DeVille. Songs on their setlist presently include “Cross Road Blues,” “Got My Mojo Working,” “Not Fade Away,” “Statesboro Blues” and “Cruisin’ for Love.” The other day I was witness to a magical moment when Kevin started playing one of his own three-chord compositions. It sounded like a cross between acoustic country and psychedelic pop. Tentatively the other guys joined in and soon we were on J.J. Cale’s veranda watching the sun go down. Then unexpectedly, miraculously the whole thing turned into a free jazz rocker fusing Coltrane, McLaughlin and – one of Sander’s greatest influences – Derek Trucks. And bear in mind that no one in the band had ever heard Kevin’s song before! That’s the kind of exciting music you may expect from Clarksdale – blues as blues can get, but with a beautiful twist. Check them out, friend-request them on Facebook, visit their website, and come taste the band when they stop by your neck of the woods!