David Gogo: Old Soul-Bender

David Gogo: Still Has it Going on  

by Christine Leonard

29 September 2017

It’s not hard to tease a tantalizing tale out of David Gogo. The renowned Canadian blues guitarist has seen enough of the world from both sides of the curtain to bend your ear for more than an evening’s worth of fat-chewin’ entertainment.

It only makes sense that the charismatic bandleader spreads his talents as widely as possible. It’s a chore he makes tidy work of dividing his time between performing with his three geocentric bands and taking his storytelling to the stage as the consummate singer/songwriter soloist. 

“I just had the tunes cranked. That’s what I do,” Gogo begins. “There’s basically two things that I do. When I play with my band, and I actually have three different bands – a band in B.C., a band in Ottawa, and a band in Holland – that’s the basis of what I’m best known for, but I also do solo acoustic shows. When a lot of artists do their unplugged shows it’s basically the same songs, but without the band. When I do my acoustic show it’s completely different.” 

Whether he’s performing his latest compositions or paying tribute to the history of the art form, Gogo’s reverence for the past remains a constant in his exploration of guitar virtuosity, as demonstrated on his most recent LP, the gritty Vicksburg Call (2015). This balance of playful innovation and respect for what has come before is also reflected in the way he presents them to his audience. 

“When I do the acoustic show the two instruments I play are a 1930 National steel guitar, like a resonator instrument, then I have an old Gibson that was built somewhere in the late teens or early ’20s of the last century. So, that’s much more of traditional blues and roots sound; I do a lot of storytelling during that show,” Gogo elaborates.

“So, if I’m going to tell a story about hanging out with Buddy Guy or B.B. King, it’s easier to do [so] in front of a crowd that’s not distracted. But then when I play with my band we rock out a lot more, and it’s all electric instruments. I think out of the 14 albums I’ve made two of them are acoustic and a dozen were electric. I really like to rock out and crank up the old Les Paul guitar through the Marshall and get that going!” 

Looking back at his own road to professional musicianship, Gogo recognizes how fortunate he was to encounter the many personalities who encouraged him early on in his artistic career. It’s a legacy he hopes to perpetuate and celebrate as he prepares to bring his electrified blues-rock back to some of his favourite western Canadian haunts.  

“I try to remember how kind a lot of the musicians were to me when I was a young person. People like Stevie Ray Vaughan and Albert Collins were very encouraging to me and just were fantastic. I think about it now, and I must have been a real pain in the ass, but they kind of accepted me and let me hang out with them. So, I try to return that favour. For 14 years I was involved in a Blues Camp that made music on Hornby Island; there was a lot of mentoring and not just that, but seeing people who’ve gone from being students to becoming professional musicians, [Edmonton’s so-called ‘Queen of the Swamp Blues’] Kat Danser being one of them. It feels good to be able to give back whatever you can.” 

David Gogo performs October 5 (with his band) at Ironwood (Calgary) and October 6 and 7 at Shakers Road House (Edmonton).

Ron Rault : An All-Star Tribute to The Band

Another date with “The Weight”

A tribute to The Band returns to the Ironwood

by Christine Leonard


All Star Tribute to The Band
Ironwood Stage & Grill
Friday, February 15-16, 2013

The year was 1970, and young music enthusiast Ron Rault hadn’t really been up front at a rock concert before. He soon found himself pressed against the trembling barriers of McMahon Stadium as the legendary cast of the Festival Express Tour took to the stage, and he knew there’d be no turning back. Now an accomplished bass player and bandleader, Rault recalls being especially riveted by The Band’s masterful performance, featuring the late great drummer and composer Levon Helm. Helm, who passed away in April, remains as relevant as ever and was honoured at this year’s Grammys with a rousing rendition of one of The Band’s most popular tunes, “The Weight.”

“Being 10 feet away from those incredibly talented musicians was a life-changing and, dare I say, religious experience for me,” Rault, uncle to guitar prodigy Michael Rault, recounts.

Captivated then and now with the soulful reveries and bottom-heavy blues that distinguished The Band’s rustic rock anthems, Rault and his band, the Front Porch Roots Revue, have dedicated themselves to venerating what they consider to be some of the finest material to ever come out of Canada. When it comes to waxing nostalgic with seven-part harmony, you need look no further than The Band. And that’s exactly what Rault had in mind when he came together with a mandolin-slinging ensemble of like-minded musicians to pay tribute to Ontario’s original road warriors.

“I have a feeling that I’m speaking for everyone in Front Porch when I say we were deeply touched and moved by The Band’s music in a way that goes beyond genres,” he says. “They have had an indefinable influence on our musical upbringings, and popular music in general, much in the same way that The Beatles have. It was absolutely no effort for us to learn all these songs so quickly. We went back and studied the roots of The Band’s rough, roadhouse sound and found everything from country, bluegrass, gospel, blues, R&B and soul. You can’t put your finger on exactly what kind of music it is, but when I watch from my perch on bass I am thrilled with how our group immerses itself in every interpretation we do.”

Accompanying bassist and vocalist Rault in his recently reshuffled Front Porch Roots Revue are organist/pianist/accordion player/vocalist Ron Casat (Edmonton Folk Music Festival House Band), guitarist/mandolinist/vocalist Gord Matthews (The Reclines, Ian Tyson’s trio), Calgary’s prodigal son/singer-songwriter/pianist J.R. Shore, percussionist Thom Moon, vocalist/harmonica player Dave “Crawdad” Cantera and Vancouver transplant vocalist/rhythm guitarist Doug Andrew (The Circus in Flames, Shanghai Dog). Rault hopes their wiry and woody ensemble will be treated to the same warm reception they received at last year’s back-to-back performances.

“I was somewhat surprised when we sold out the Friday night show last year and had a very large crowd on the Thursday,” he recalls. “I think it’s interesting that this version of Front Porch has three members from Calgary and three from Edmonton, as well as one from Vancouver. It really is a remarkable collective of accomplished players and singers from the Western Canadian roots scene, and we all share such a great love and admiration for The Band."

“I never consider the songs we present for Up on Cripple Creek as being covers," he continues. "There are wedding bands out there that learn these songs note for note, but we have always asked our guys to take these classic tunes and make them their own. When you hear a young man like J.R. Shore pulling out such raw and deep pieces of Canadiana you gain a sense of the reverence and respect he has for the work; it simply transports you to another time and place.”