Buzz Magazine October

David Julia: Simple Things
CD Review by Phil Traynor
I had a really big fight
with myself over this CD.
The two sides of my personality
could not come
to terms with one fluid
commentary, so we sat
down to listen and had it
out. I decided that the
only way to really reconcile
everything was to just
let you in on the conversation
between “Cynical
Phil” and “Optimist
Phil”.
: “OK, I
read the bio and we’re listening. Kid clearly spent some money
in the studio. His backup boys are pretty tight. Maybe a little
TOO tight, right? I mean it’s the blues - it should be mean,
greasy, and gritty. Shouldn’t it? This is kinda sanitary, almost.
The recording is pristine, you could eat off it!”
: “Wait, hang on. YOU are complaining that a
recording is ‘too clean’? YOU? Hypocrite. You don’t let a dust
speck near your own recordings. And besides, just relax and
enjoy it. They DO play, really well. The kid can blow. You
usually love a good clean recording and the band really is first
rate.”
“Yeah, okay, he can blow, but what about the writing?
That first song, for example; ‘Just a Matter of Time’, it kinda
made me think of ‘Mary Had a Little Lamb’, a little. You know,
Stevie Ray? And the lyrics and melodies are a little bit pat too;
not a lot of risk going on with the writing.”
: “Maybe just a little. But you know what? The kid is at least
writing his own stuff and everyone is a product of their combined
influences. Maybe he’s a SRV fan. He’s got a good
pedigree, he’s played with and taken classes with some pretty
heavy hitters. Besides, you could do a lot worse than be influenced
by one of the recognized masters. And so what about the
lyrics? If their worst sin is that they stoop to cliché a tad, I don’t
have a big problem with that. Besides, I think in this genre, and
with songs like these, the lyrics and the melodies are really just
a vehicle to get you from one solo to the other. They are the
appetizer, not the meat and potatoes. I think the kid mostly
wants to showcase his playing and it works well on that level.”
: “I suppose it does. What about the soloing? Seems a little
on the basic side and maybe even a little derivative, doesn’t it?”
: “Oh shush. Look, the kid is 15. Listen to how far he’s
come already. There is no shortage of skill, not for a moment.
You know darn well he plays a lot better than a lot of grownups
you know. If the solos themselves aren’t particularly risky, I
think they more than make up for that by being eminently
listenable. Did you hear even one bad note? No, you didn’t. I
know *I* didn’t. Each solo was tasteful and if I were making my
first recording, I might tend towards being a little
careful too. Can’t fault a guy for that.”
: “No, I suppose not. But I wanna go back to how
clean this is. I’ve heard a lot of blues cats that sound
awesome live and then they go in the studio and get too
careful and it takes away from the vibe just a little.”
: “Well, here, I have to agree with you at least in
theory. But look at it this way: This CD sounds plenty
good even as ‘clean’ as it is. And what that tells me is
that if David and the boys were all playing together,
live, with the energy that an audience gives you, they’d
probably burn the barn down. There’s just no substitute
for that love and energy you get from a live audience
and I’d be willing to bet that in a live setting, you
wouldn’t have any sort of sour puss on your face like
you do.
“Hmm. Maybe not. Maybe they would ring more
‘authentic’ in a live setting. One last thing, why bother
mixing a cover in an EP full of originals? Kinda takes
the CD ‘off-message’, doesn’t it?”
: “OK, had it with you now; it’s time for you to be
quiet. Listen up – Maybe it’s a song the kid loves.
What’s not to love, B.B. King was a god! And if you
listen to it properly, it really is the highlight of the
record - Mr. Julia is utterly fearless on this one. He feels
a LOT more comfortable and the guitar solos are
significantly busier, meaner, and full of life. You can tell
he had a lot of fun jamming on this one. I think it
shows how good this kid can be when he settles down
and figures out that he’s got it; he just needs to let it
come out and play more. I think that every day, he’s
going to get a little better, a little more comfortable
and a little more schooled. It’s not going to be long
before he’s truly a force of nature. And by the way,
Mr. Sour Puss; what do you know anyway? In this
genre, you’re nothing but a dilettante. I think the
blues community is gonna eat this CD up, I think they
are going to embrace their future, and I think the kid
has a superb career lying right there in front of him,
all he needs to do it grab it!”
Simple Things features David Julia on guitar and
vocals, Mark Telesca on bass, Chris Peet on drums,
and Albert Poliak on the Hammond B3 organ. It
was produced by Mark Telesca; recorded and mixed
by Eddie Perez, and mastered by Andrei Fossari at
Trunoyz Studios in Fort Lauderdale FL.
http://www.davidjuliamusic.com/
20 / BAYBUZZ.ORG / OCTOBER 2016