The Hawkeye

Issue date: 11/11/09 Section: Freestyle

Media Credit: April Kelley Toby Traylor and Craig Bostick play the blues at the Portico.

Toby Traylor and Craig Bostick brought the Blues back to Monroe on Thursday night, with renditions of illustrious tunes and authentic compositions. They played at Portico Bar and Grill, with no stage and no fancy gimmicks.

Traylor was a multi-tasking musical genius, equipped with an acoustic guitar, a glass slide, a tambourine strapped to the bottom of his left foot and a gruff, bluesy voice. Bostick had his electric guitar, a slide, four guitar pedals and the tiniest maraca I have ever seen. He was adequately prepared to play his guitar in his Steve Vai-esque way.

Together, they put on a show jam-packed with blues, rhythm, mad guitar riffs and feel-good lyrics.

They covered several well-known songs including "Keep Your Hands to Yourself" by Georgia Satellites, "Cocaine Blues" by Reverend Gary Davis, "Traveling Band" by Creedence Clearwater Revival, "Some Kind of Wonderful" by Grand Funk Railroad, "I Got Loaded" by Los Lobos and "Take It to the Limit" by the Eagles. All of these songs were magnificently captured with a much funkier, more bluesy sound.

"I just like to take classic wedding tunes and twist them up," Traylor said.

Bostick said, "With that voice, he [Traylor] makes everything sound bluesy."

One song they covered was the Bob Dylan tune, "Don't Think Twice, It's Alright." Their rendition was extremely impressive simply because they remembered every lyric. It's very rare these days to hear someone cover Bob Dylan and not mess up or leave something out at one point.

They also played an equal number of original songs that seemed as if the duo came straight out of the North Mississippi Delta, where the blues began, or at least from Beale Street in Memphis.

The clashing of Traylor's deep voice and constant undeniable rhythms with Bostick's intense guitar genius, his fingers dancing wildly around the entire neck of the guitar, created music with real feeling and real emotion.

It is the kind of music that reminds a person why music is so amazing in the first place. In one of its oldest and purest forms, it speaks to the soul more than anything else. It carries the listener, lost in the sheer simplicity and beauty of the sound, with it from beginning to end.

One disappointment of the show, however, did occur. It seems that most people did not appreciate the amazing music being created. There were a few who cared for the music, but not many. The rest were oblivious to the music that is so rarely heard nowadays. Drinking and socializing, in this case, were deemed more important.

Well, shame on them. They missed out on something uncommon and extraordinary. And on this Thursday night, in a bar and grill chock full of overly dressed folks, the blues came, and it was amazing.

See for yourself. They play regularly in Monroe. Sometimes they play together; sometimes, with other bands. Sometimes they play solo. Either way, Traylor and Bostick are two musicians that you definitely do not want to look over.

Check out their myspace pages (http://www.myspace.com/craigbostick and http://www.myspace.com/rolyart3) and look for upcoming shows.
In the meantime, keep an open ear and an open mind. You never know what extraordinary things you could discover.

Page 1 of 1

Article Tools