Thrills and Chills With Rod Piazza and The Mighty Flyers

I first heard Rod Piazza and the Mighty Flyers doing "Night's End" on a Blacktop Records' blues instrumental compilation. I couldn't get enough of the song - the harmonica playing was uncomplicated but overpowering, the lyrics were fresh, and the song just had a late night, low light, end of the line feel to it - plus people like me who do radio shows like songs that mention radio shows. The next tune that caught my ear was Rod and the MFBQ playing "Mellow Down Easy", bringing out the contrast between Paul Butterfield's nimble harmonica playing as opposed to Rod Piazza's mouth harp on steroids, but his mastery of the instrument comes out full force along with the band on their latest CD "ThrillVille" available from http://www.deltagroovemusic.com/ .


The first thing that strikes you is how much music is being generated by just 4 people: Rod doing lead vocals and mouth harp, his wife Honey on piano and thunder bass (Named 2008 Pinetop Perkins Piano Player of the Year), Henry Carvajal on guitar and Dave Kida on drums. I also like the way they blend in a variety of styles, from straight up Chicago blues riffs to a hint of fifties bop and sixties rock with a West Coast flavor. The opening cut - "Hate to See You Go/Shake Your Hips" - shows off Rod's ability to switch styles from a penetrating Little Walter riff to Slim Harpo, sticking a little discography lesson in between, paying homage to past players while putting his own twist on their music. "Westcoaster" reminds me a little of this record my mother bought from Columbia back in the day by the Harmonicats, featuring the - to my little kid ears, anyway - "massive" sound of the chromatic, sometimes suggesting the accordion a la Lawrence Welk, or a saxophone, or a sort of harmonica orchestra - it's a big , smooth, soothing sound , a musical wave that carries you along nicely with a jazzy flavor.


Piazza's version of Junior Wells' signature tune "Hoodoo Man Blues" is flavored with hard core blues harp and sizzling piano runs, reportedly prompting veteran bluesman Billy Boy Arnold to tell Rod: "..Junior ain't never played it that good." That same harmonica/keyboard interplay lights up "Get Wise" , while "It Can't Be True" follows a more traditional R & B approach. "Stranded" gives Honey Piazza yet another opportunity to tickle those ivories, as well as on "Stranger Blues." "MFBQ" pays homage to James Brown and those gutbucket Stax/Volt rhythms, while "Sugar" sounds like a salute to the classic late 40s/early 50s crooners.


Every time I write about a bluesman who's relatively new to me, I realize how far behind the curve I am - after all, Rod Piazza's been recording music for over 40 years, has cut 25-30 CDS and played on 5 or 10 more. Check out "ThrillVille" - you won't be disappointed. As far as my lack of blues education is concerned, all I can say is : "Better late than never."


(PS: I've gotten some good feedback on "Mondegreens" which is great, but I forgot my most renowned examples - Paul Butterfield's singing on "Born in Chicago" . What IS he really saying on the chorus: "My first friend went down/ When I was seventeen years of age/ Best thing I can say about that boy/ (Mondegreen portion) "He got laid? He got brave? He got paid? "(Anybody know the answer?)