(Hameln, Germany) – Cliff Stevens is probably one of the hardest working Blues musicians around, he has just completed another gruelling 29 date European tour and is understandably ready for a rest. As Cliff came to explain, it may be a long haul but he wouldn’t have it any other way. I caught up with him prior to their show in Hameln, Germany.
You’ve been playing solo since 1997, almost 20 years, prior to which you were very much a tour musician. What gave you the push to go an do your own stuff?
“Going solo kind of just happened, there was no big plan. A record company owner was a buddy of mine and he used to come and see me play. One night he said he was putting an album together and asked if I had any original tunes I’d like to record. It was a compilation album called The Preservation Blues Review with a bunch of other artists, mainly from Montreal and two of my original tracks were recorded”.
“There were launches across the country with all the press and publicity, there was really quite a buzz about the album. I guess it went to my head as afterwards I decided to go out on my own”.
I read somewhere that you went to see Cream in the late 60’s. Did you realise at the time how big a deal seeing them live was?
“At that time Cream were huge. I remember I got right up to the front of the stage, right in front of Eric Clapton and watched the whole show. He was playing a Gibson Firebird 1 guitar, it was great. It wasn’t like an epiphany moment or anything, I guess it was kinda a big deal, I was around 11 years old at the time and we used to go and see bands almost every week, but you grow up and you move on. I saw The Doors the year after, The Beatles, I saw them in ’64……Now that was something”.
Johnny Winter, Albert King, Albert Collins amongst others, all played their part in the Cliff Stevens story, who would you say was your biggest influence?
“Probably Johnny Winter, When I saw Cream I had been playing guitar probably less than a year. I think I had seen Johnny Winter four times in 1970. I was a little older then and I was playing in bands and learning my craft. Yeah, he really introduced me to real Blues music”.
Yours is almost a classic rock n roll story. The drugs, alcohol, rock bottom, bounce back, relapse, sort your life out, get straight and here we are 20 years later…….
“For sure. A lot of my earlier stuff reflects my past, there’s a mix of positive and really deep, dark tunes. When you’re working in an environment where your audience has access to alcohol and, back in the day, harder substances, it’s easy to get sucked in. It kinda goes with the territory. Thing is, once your in it’s difficult to get back out. I know, I have been there twice! I was sober for over seven years before going to Morocco where I slipped back into it for three years. That’s when it got really bad. Thankfully I made the choice to get clean again. Having been properly at rock bottom it certainly makes me appreciate the good and the bad things in life. I have a better perspective with people I guess”.
You’re originally from Montreal, when you’re not touring you spend a bit of time in Morocco, What is the draw to North Africa?
Quite simply I was offered a house gig there. It’s been around 10 months since I last played there but I head back to Morocco at the end of this tour. It’s kind of a well kept secret. Morocco is one of the last bastions of live music although even there things are becoming tough.
What keeps you coming back to Europe?
“Being honest, I don’t only get to play music, I get to play my original music and there are not a lot of places left where you can do that. The audiences here actually want to hear original stuff. I play a different venue every night and that means I have to win over the audience every night, which is great. Your playing gets so much sharper. This is my third time in Europe and it’s great”.
What state is Blues music in at the moment.
“In my opinion Blues comes and goes in cycles. For maybe the last 15 years it’s been on a bit of a down cycle, but that’s changing. I’m seeing more and more young people at my gigs, even more so this time than the last tour, and the are really digging the music. Which is very encouraging. There are more younger musicians who are discovering the music and are playing it again. Blues in a good place at the moment”.
You are coming to the end of an extremely busy tour, what’s can we expect for 2016?
“The new album is due out this year, possibly this fall, definitely before the next tour. I have all the tracks together we just need to put the finishing touches to them. They will then be mixed and mastered back in Montreal at Mega-Rexx which is where my last album was produced. I’m kinda between titles at the moment. I haven’t decided if I’m gonna call it ‘Grass Won’t Grow’ or perhaps ‘Said The Wrong Thing”.
“I’m back in Canada in March for three days doing some work on a couple of tracks for the new album, I have a few more shows to do and I’ll probably be back home then until winter. At the moment I head back out on the road next January, I’ll be back in Europe then”.
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I have been fortunate enough to have experienced many Blues musicians live and their energy never fails to impress me. Albert Collins once said “Simple music is the hardest music to play and blues is simple music”. Cliff Stevens makes it look easy because it is the soundtrack to his life.
Anyone wishing to sample Cliff Stevens’ music can download two free tracks from his current album by visiting his web site: http://cliffstevens.com
Facebook: www.facebook.com/bluesguitaristcliffstevens
Cliff Stevens’ Band:
David Paul Neil – Drums
Dave Maclean – Bass
Studio Maga-Rexx
www.studiomegarexinc.com
Some says he is the santana of Germany but I dont compare him to santana he has his own skills I love it when he starts to play.