Many blues artists quietly slip back and forth between genres, from soul to country and rock.
But no other artist shatters the sound barrier between rock and blues with such frequency, intensity and calculated dexterity as Anthony Gomes.
The Anthony Gomes band first appeared in Thorold at the 2017 Canal Bank Shuffle Blues Festival. It’s an understatement to say that many regular fans had never seen anything like that performance. His legions of followers knew what to expect but others were introduced to an artist who boasts peace and love, but more importantly, loud guitars - the title of his newest album.
Gomes, originally from Toronto, will be returning to Thorold on April 7 and the ThoroldNews spoke to him from his St. Louis home.
Along with his guitar mastery, he is blessed with a voice reminiscent of Paul Rodgers or Rod Stewart.
"I sing with the voice I was given but Rodgers, Stewart and Steve Marriott are my favourite singers," he noted. "And Jeff Beck is my favourite guitarist. I can't think of a better combination than Beck and Stewart (The Jeff Beck Group)."
Film producer Jon Fusco says that conflict is essential to great film making, and Gomes brings that attitude to his music.
In fact, Gomes in an absolute master at deliberately creating a conflict in his compositions that pit his blues lyrics and titles against the decidedly rock-based music they accompany.
"Yes, I think that conflict is important. It's like living in Montreal, where everyone speaks "Fringlish," a mix of French and English. It's sort of what we're doing with the blues. We've got a new song with the line, 'Muddy Waters broke the news that rock and roll is the child of the blues, but just because a generation has passed don't mean that daddy can't kick some ass," he proclaimed.
Gomes continued, "The whole idea is that rock and roll is a child of the blues. I've learned from my father but I've also shown him some things, too, and by that analogy, rock can inspire blues, but it's still blues. People like to dissect where that line is, but artists like to blur the line and stimulate some discussion and hopefully make some good art in the meantime."
Gomes said he consciously tries to engage a younger audience than traditional blues artists.
“Absolutely, I try to get young people involved. The real challenge is that taste makers in the blues don’t want it to change from what they feel is the ideal blues. They’re stuck in the golden era, everything before the album Westside Soul by Magic Sam (released in 1967),” Gomes observed.
“We live in different times of high energy; everything is more rocked up from classical to country and the blues should respond to that. But there's a lot of resistance in the industry to this. We don't want blues to be a period piece like ragtime. Nobody plays ragtime anymore; it's not a living, evolving, breathing genre. And if blues is not careful, it's going to end up just like that,” Gomes argued.
"The blues is marketed in the wrong way. We say (in a condescending tone): 'All right, kids, you gotta listen to the blues; it's very important.' It's like, 'Kids, you gotta eat your vegetables.' What we should say is, 'Kids, do not listen to the blues; it's the devil's music. Robert Johnson went to the crossroads and sold his soul. It will corrupt you and make you into a bad person. If we told that to kids, records would fly off the shelves," he mused.
"I feel there's a nice real renaissance of rock and blues. Larkin Poe, The Struts, Rival Sons, and The Record Company are bands playing rootsy music but it's exciting, hip and now."
Appropriately, the Thorold show will have young local artist Riley Michaels opening for Gomes. The 2018 Niagara Music Award winner, Blues Artist of the Year, Michaels also likes to push the genre.
But make no mistake, Gomes remains deeply rooted in the blues.
"I am a blues guy. That's really what's in my soul. But I bring some different things to the party that are going to widen the net, not for commercial success but for the growth of the music."
He continued, "BB King is my guiding light; the North Star for me. I can't lose that connection to that man and his music. And he told me personally that blues are like the laws of the land - they need to be amended to the times we live in. He was very supportive of pushing the genre."
“There is no king today, just a kingdom,” he contends.
And what can Thorold fans expect when he appears Holy Rosary Hall, on April 7?
"They can expect a high-energy, powerful, dynamic, guitar face-melting extravaganza - not to oversell it," he laughed.
For additional event information, please visit here.
Anthony Gomes with Riley Michaels
Sunday, April 7
Doors 4 p.m. | Show starts at 5 p.m.
$15 Advance | $20 at the door
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