Kelly Joe Phelps- Crow's Nest

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Steven Swift

Steven Swift

Күн бұрын

Kelly Joe Phelps at the Artiste Sanctuary Concert Series at St. Jude's in Cedar City, UT
05/12/12
www.kellyjoephe...
It's as thin as the edge of a razor, the road separating Heaven from Hell, sin from salvation, redemption from despair. It's a lonely road to go down and like the old gospel says, you've got to walk it for yourself. Kelly Joe Phelps has been doing lot of soul searching since his last record, 'Western Bell' came out in 2009. Three years later, his journey has wound its way to a recording studio in Vancouver, and Kelly Joe has once again beaten a path to Steve Dawson's door with a new batch of songs tucked into his satchel that reflect both the new insights gained along the journey as well as things that have been dropped by the wayside. Together Phelps and the veteran producer embarked on a three day recording odyssey that marked their fourth collaboration since Dawson played slide on 'Slingshot Professionals', produced 'Tunesmith Retrofit' and released 'Western Bell after it proved too daring for Rounder Records. The result is 'Brother Sinner and the Whale', a record that may very well come to be recognized as the best of an already very impressive body of work.
Since his debut album 'Lead Me On', came out in 1994, the Pacific Northwest based singer and songwriter has written and performed some of the most compelling slide guitar based music ever recorded. Though he spent his early years playing free jazz, he has never strayed too far from the roots music world that has become his passion. "I'd spent all this time learning improvisational music, but I'd always had an attraction to folk based music forms. So, I was listening to a lot of Chet Atkins, Merle Travis and some of the newer people like Leo Kottke and John Fahey. My music is a reflection of all the music I loved and steeped myself in. There's a space and openness in rural music that makes sense to me." Playing a lap slide in a style that both evoked the sounds of the ancients and pointed towards new possibilities for the instrument, Kelly Joe's music seemed to originate in another time as he sang with the voice of an old soul, weary with experience, yet excited with all of the prospects that life brings.
After several years of exhaustively exploring the potential of his slide, Phelps' attention gradually shifted from instrumental virtuosity towards an emphasis on songwriting. "I wanted to keep moving forward, so I began to spend more effort thinking about my songs and not so much about the guitar because ultimately, I got bored with it because I felt that I had found all I could for myself within that sound. So, the work felt finished to me."
Phelps' inquisitive mind and restless spirit have always carried him forward to new forms of expression, but experimentation is not without its costs. When 'Western Bell' baffled his record company, puzzled some fans and failed to create new audiences for his work, Phelps pulled back from recording to search for a new direction. Unexpectedly, inspiration came through a re-¬examination of his Christian roots, and resulted in an unexpected flurry of creative activity that gave birth to a whole new set of songs and a reinvigorated approach to playing the guitar as Phelps opted to play bottleneck rather than his customary lap slide to achieve a sound that wouldn't have been out of place on a classic John Fahey or Reverend Gary David record.
With song titles like 'Talking to Jehovah', 'I've been Converted' and 'The Holy Spirit Flood', there's no escaping that something has grown and changed in Kelly Joe's world. Phelps' lyrics fuse poetry from the Book of Jonah and the vintage gospel blues of Mississippi John Hurt with aspects of the early gospel work of Bill and Charlie Monroe thrown in for good measure to create what surely must be the most literary gospel songs recorded since Bob Dylan's incendiary Christian albums came out three decades ago.

Пікірлер: 19
@christopherlevesque4494
@christopherlevesque4494 2 жыл бұрын
Revisiting as many KJP videos on KZbin as possible and reminiscing on the times I saw him live. Life changing music. The song is over, but the melody lingers on. Rest in Peace, Kelly.
@PattyAubin
@PattyAubin 2 жыл бұрын
So heartbroken by the loss of this amazing soulful man… RIP Kelly Joe and Thank you for leaving behind incredibly gorgeous music. ❤❤❤
@danielpstrawn5574
@danielpstrawn5574 2 жыл бұрын
Love his music
@kevinbarry7055
@kevinbarry7055 3 жыл бұрын
This has to be the finest performances of one of his finest songs. It just breaks my heart to know he doesn't perform anymore. I hope he is well and happy.
@petermurr3283
@petermurr3283 2 жыл бұрын
Oh my god, i can't believe he does not perform anymore! i had hoped to see him one day.
@55dwack
@55dwack 2 жыл бұрын
This is just astoundingly beautiful, thanks for sharing
@rogerdavis4840
@rogerdavis4840 Жыл бұрын
just realized he died. makes me sad quite a bit. ove his songs, especially those performed with corinne west. rest in peace, you´re one with a steady place in my playlists.
@nicklloyd9165
@nicklloyd9165 Жыл бұрын
Thanks for posting this video.
@melaniedunewald2763
@melaniedunewald2763 7 жыл бұрын
SOOOOOO BEAUTIFUL !!! Thx!
@mickeypopa
@mickeypopa 10 жыл бұрын
Amazing! Brings tears to my eyes!
@rohofmann
@rohofmann 12 жыл бұрын
Thanks for this videos, they look and sound fantastic! I wonder if I'll ever see him live, such a tremendous artist.
@gortagnan
@gortagnan 10 жыл бұрын
Soooo Beautiful...I would love to have the ability to play this.. Kelly, come back to South West England some time ..hopefully perhaps, I wont miss you the next time ...
@pharmerdavid1432
@pharmerdavid1432 7 жыл бұрын
Seven months later, this sounds even better! But what happened to Kelly Joe Phelps? Does anybody know where he is, and how he's doing these days...? Last I heard, he had tendonitis (totally understandable, considering his non-stop touring back then), and was laying low for awhile, but it's been many years now, so where is that precious man now? I had been hoping he would go back to playing lap-slide style, since he got tendonitis playing regular "Spanish" style (like in this video). When he began playing around here in Portland in the early 1990's, I had recently moved here to escape from southern California. The first time I heard his guitar at the Portland Saturday Market, I heard his lap slide playing before seeing where it was coming from. It drew me to it, like a bee to honey. I had never heard a more beautiful acoustic slide guitar sound before, and when I finally got to where he was playing, and saw he was playing lap "Hawaiian" style, then I understood how he got such a solid, beautiful sound, because getting that sound playing normal "Spanish" style wouldn't happen. I stood there watching him play one great blues song after another, with my mouth hanging open in awe, and digging it to my deepest soul depths. He mentioned names like "Son House", "Charlie Patton", "Blind Blake", and "Skip James", but said it was his interpretation of their tunes playing his own style. Previously Kelly had played Jazz bass, but got into the blues. When I asked him how he ever thought of playing an acoustic like that, he said in a shy voice: "I used to play dobro". I bought his first recording "Lead Me On" from him, and then got another CD later, which had additional songs added. Terry Currier, the owner of Music Millennium", had a recording studio back then, and he recorded it so freaking well, using analog, and placing the mic just perfectly, to catch every inflection of Kelly's brilliant playing. There are so many great musicians today, but there are none who have the heart and soul and technique and brilliance of creativity, with something divine added, like Kelly Joe Phelps. I sure hope to hear and see him playing again soon, but he will live forever in my heart regardless...!
@kotrin
@kotrin 7 жыл бұрын
He wrote a letter to his fans that was posted on his Facebook fan page back in December 2016 Hello everyone, I hope all is well and good for you folks, wherever this note finds you. I’m aware that there has been much curiousity regarding my lengthy absence from the music world. Fortunately, there is nothing to be worried or concerned about. My health is fine, and my hand-neuropathy issues seem to have gone away as well. Back in 2014 it became obvious to me that I needed and wanted to take a serious break from touring, performing, writing and recording, and live within other parts of my life that had been neglected for quite a long time. I had no idea how long that process would take when I started, and I have no idea yet when it will end. However, it still feels like the right type of journey for now, so I will be staying on it until some logical conclusion makes itself known. Be good to each other, look after yourselves, and I’ll try not to wait so long to say “hello” next time! All the best, Kelly Joe
@1599maybole
@1599maybole 2 жыл бұрын
He's just died 😢
@gortagnan
@gortagnan 10 жыл бұрын
Can anyone kindly tell me if this is in open tuning or standard (but using his fingering ability !)
@bonecracker23
@bonecracker23 9 жыл бұрын
Standard tuning
@gortagnan
@gortagnan 9 жыл бұрын
Bryanou Many Thanks ..that helps (a little anyhow ! ) Another 5 yrs should do it ...
@humanonearth1
@humanonearth1 3 ай бұрын
Tapped into something...
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