Kenny Wayne Shepherd
Buster's Billiards & Backroom
08/21/2012 08:00 PM EDT
$25.00 - $28.00
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Supporting Acts: Ben Lacy / Bob Bryant Duo
Kenny Wayne Shepherd
There are few artists whose names are synonymous with one instrument and how it's played in service to
an entire genre.
Utter the phrase "young blues guitarist" within earshot of anyone with even a cursory knowledge of the
modern musical vanguard and the first name they are most likely to respond with will be Kenny Wayne
Shepherd. Still barely in his 30s, the Louisiana born axeman and songsmith has been selling millions of
albums, throwing singles into the Top 10, shining a light on the rich blues of the past and forging ahead
with his own modern twist on a classic sound he has embodied since his teens. He met Stevie Ray
Vaughan at 7, shared the stage with New Orleans legend Bryan Lee at13. As an adult, he continues to
create genre-defining blues-infused rock n' roll.
Kenny Wayne Shepherd's How I Go not only serves as a strong reminder of the chops that caused Guitar
World to place him right behind B.B. King and Eric Clapton on their list of blues guitarists, but it's the
strongest indication yet of his gifted songwriting talent. The album pairs Kenny's deeply soulful and
impassioned takes on classic material like Bessie Smith's "Backwater Blues," Albert King's "Oh, Pretty
Woman" and The Beatles "Yer Blues" alongside the strongest writing and co-writing of his career thus far.
Let's not forget that Kenny co-wrote "Blue on Black" very early on. The song was #1 on the Rock Charts
for 17 consecutive weeks. All of the accolades heaped upon his playing are well deserved and well earned.
But there is so much more to offer.
"At this point, most people who know about me know I can play guitar," Shepherd says. "As far as my
approach to guitar on this record, it's not about showing people how much I can play. It’s about really
choosing the right notes and playing them at the right times so that every note penetrates people, and they
feel it inside and it’s not just some fleeting thing that just goes right by them.
"I wanted to be conservative, and selective, and tasteful in the solos that I did," he adds. "I wanted to
concentrate on the song as a whole: the vocals, the arrangements, so every instrument that is being played
contributes to the song and takes it to a better place."
Where Ledbetter Heights (1995) was a little more bluesy; Trouble Is… (1997) offered more blues based
rock; Live On (1999) took a turn to more blues based rock; The Place You're In (2004) went straight
ahead rock and the 10 Days Out (2007) documentary exemplified the best of straight blues, Kenny says
this one "falls right down the middle between blues and rock."
"Never Lookin' Back" is a rocking song that sets the tone for album, with lyrics about moving on and
rolling with life's punches. The song "Cryin' Shame" has that straight Texas shuffle longtime fans love to
hear from Kenny and his band. "Show Me The Way Back Home" is a powerful blues ballad for the ages.
"We hit a really great balance," he says of the album, which he co-produced.
"Who's Gonna Catch You Now?" is a very personal song. "I've become a father over the past couple of
years. It's about a parent accepting what it's like to be a parent and having to accept a certain degree of
powerlessness. It's just learning about acceptance. If you're a parent, it will pull on your heart strings for
sure."
The hard-rocking, blues-based, guitar-driven album sounds young, it sounds fresh. Yet it has that
distinctive energy and vibe drawn from the deep heritage of the genre. Kenny Wayne Shepherd is growing
as a songwriter, musician and producer. Which isn't to say he's not proud of his past. "I don't have any
regrets, other than maybe a couple of outfits that I wore on stage," he laughs.
"My approach from day one was that I was not going to record anything that I couldn't completely wrap
my mind around and that I wasn't prepared to play for the rest of my career. As a result of that approach
and not letting anybody talk me into doing anything that I didn't want to do, and nobody forcing me to
record anything I didn't want to, I've got a body of work that I'm proud of. I still enjoy playing all of the
songs off my first album. They are as much fun to play today as they were in 1995 when that album came
out. I'm not one of those guys who doesn't want to listen to his own music. I don't go around listening to it
all the time, but, my thing is, if I'm making music that I don't want to listen to, then why am I making
music? I enjoy what I do. I have a lot of stuff that I'm proud of. Every album that we've done I've tried to
do different things. I've never wanted to be an artist where people could predict what was next."
The name "Kenny Wayne Shepherd" is absolutely synonymous with "young blues guitarist" but that
phrase isn't the totality of his person.
"Blues player is definitely one of the labels I've accumulated, because I'm a huge blues fan and I love to
play the blues," he says. "But if you listen to my music, especially over the course of my career, everything
that I do is not blues. It's the foundation of what I do, but my stuff has a lot more of an edge to it. It's a
little more contemporary. And there's a certain youthfulness to what I do. I started writing and recording
music when I was a teenager and that energy has been consistent throughout my career."
Last year's Live in Chicago! captured epic performances from Kenny and an assemblage of living legends
in the blues world. Kenny's incredible presence and perpetually giving performances, designed to get
every person in the room on their feet and to leave them smiling, are all of the evidence one needs to
determine that he'll continue to do this for decades to come - just like his heroes.
"I’ve got a lot of a career left ahead of me and a lot of records left to make," he says. "I’m hoping to be
playing music when I’m in my 80’s like B.B. King. I’ve got a lot more songs left in me to write and record.
My fans want to hear new music, they want to hear new albums, and then when they hear a new record
they want to come out and hear us play that stuff live."
Kenny Wayne Shepherd is very cognizant of the emotional role music can play in the lives of his listeners.
He's in awe of that responsibility and works hard to bring happiness to people with his considerable gifts.
With that said, he's bound and determined to be remembered as a guy who just straight-up kicked a lot of
butt. "I get up on stage every night to play my heart out and to try to turn people on their ear, man. I want
to bring light into people's lives with my music. If I can make people feel good for an hour and a half to
two hours and forget about whatever might be stressing them out, then I'm doing my job."
Venue Information
Buster's Billiards & Backroom
899 Manchester St
Lexington, KY 40507
http://bustersbb.com/