Davy Knowles------In the Footsteps of Giants by Deborah Kennedy Luckily for Knowles’ Fans, His Career Robert Johnson and Rory Gallagher
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JAN. 26- FEB. 1, 2017 FACEBOOK.COM/WHATZUPFORTWAYNE • WWW.WHATZUP.COM • FACEBOOK.COM/WHATZUPFORTWAYNE ----------------------------- Feature • Davy Knowles ----------------------------- In the Footsteps of Giants By Deborah Kennedy Luckily for Knowles’ fans, his career Robert Johnson and Rory Gallagher. was really only beginning. In 2009, with Gallagher is probably, to American au- At 29, blues man Davy Knowles is a new band by his side (Fritz Lewak on diences anyway, the lesser known of those still as fresh-faced and unspoiled as he was drums, Kevin McCormick on bass, and Ben- three names, but he looms large in Knowles’ when he and his Isle of Man-based band, mont Tench of the Heartbreakers on keys) musical education. Gallagher was an Irish Back Door Slam, first broke onto the scene Knowles put out his first solo record, Com- bluesman from Donegal, Ireland who went in 2007 with their album Roll Away. There ing Up for Air, which, according to Josh on to form Taste, a blues-rock power trio have been some changes since then, obvi- Hathaway with BlogCritics.com, provided popular in the UK in the late 60s, before, like ously, namely that Knowles, launching a since 2009 he’s worked successful solo career. primarily as a solo art- Knowles has often ist, with Back Door stated that, from a very Slam backing him up young age, he always when he’s hit the road admired Gallagher’s with the likes of Buddy attention to and rever- Guy, Jeff Beck, Chick- ence for Irish folk mu- enfoot, Joe Satriani and sic, the way he artfully February 9 | 7:30pm The Rhythm Devils. blended blinding blues He’s also gone riffs with traditional HE RICE S from opening for some ballads to create a style T P I of the best guitarists all his own. in the world to being It has been one RIGH T LIVE considered one of them of Knowles’ goals as a himself, and on Friday, musician to carry that February 11 | 7pm February 3 at 8 p.m. torch and many fellow he’ll be at C2G Mu- guitarists agree that LEGEN D S FROM LOCALS sic Hall, treating fans Knowles has the right to songs from his four feet to fill those big OWN T HE INE album-deep discogra- shoes. D L phy, including his lat- In the words of est, Three Miles from British blues legend Avalon, which dropped Bernie Marsden, “Davy in October. Knowles continues to Knowles grew up amaze me – he’s still on the Isle of Man off so young and yet he the coast of Ireland. He plays, writes and sings was inspired to pursue with such maturity. the guitar after hearing DAVY KNOWLES He’s immersed himself the Dire Straits’ 1979 in the styles of many February 16 | 6:30pm hit “Sultans of Swing” while on a car ride 8 p.m. Friday, Feb. 3 great players and has emerged with his own with his father. Like so many young, aspir- C2G Music Hall brand, playing with a smile on his face. He’s ing musicians, Knowles took guitar lessons, 323 W. Baker St., Fort Wayne a rare bird, one I will continue to watch and DANIEL TIGER LIVE but he eventually gave those up in favor of study.” teaching himself. It was in high school when Tix: $15-$30 d.o.s, thru Neat After the release of Coming Up for Air, March 5 | 7:30pm he met his future bandmates, buddies Brian Neat Neat Record Store, Knowles embarked on a series of tours that Garvey, Ross Doyle, Adam Jones and Jamie took him all over the world. During that Armstrong, who would later, along with Wooden Nickel Music Stores time, he and the current lineup of Back Door GABRIEL IGLESIAS Knowles, become the first incarnation of & www.c2gmusichall.com Slam – PK on bass, Steven Barci on drums Back Door Slam. and Ty Bailie on keyboards – also put out a ON SALE NOW In 2004 the band experienced an un- an illuminating glimpse into Knowles’ Clap- live album and DVD. thinkable tragedy, losing Garvey in a car ac- ton-like charisma and ability. In 2014 Knowles documented his mu- Mamma Mia! ................................March 7 cident. Grief stricken, Back Door Slam broke “Elevating Knowles to godlike might sical influences in a film entitled Island The Texas Tenors ...................... March 17 up for a time, only to reunite in Garvey’s have a few of you ready to crown me the Bound. The film follows the global reach of Taizhou Luantan Opera .......... March 19 honor a few years later. In 2007 they put out High Priest of Hyperbole,” he wrote, “but Celtic and European folk music to the Brit- Roll Away, an 11-tracker packed with origi- Coming Up for Air is a musical baptism with ish colonies and beyond, delving into how Once ............................................ March 27 nals written by Knowles, and in 2008 they rare power.” He added, “This 22-year-old the genres ultimately influenced the devel- Jerry Seinfeld ................................. April 6 left their home of Port St. Mary to tour the phenom scorches and blinds with the heat of opment of Americana, rock and, of course, States for the first time, hitting, as young 20- a nova.” the blues. That same year he also released Pippin ............................................ April 18 somethings, all the major festivals, including The quality that wowed so many critics his third album, The Outsider, which, de- Under the Streetlamp ................... May 5 South by Southwest, Bonnaroo, Coachella at the beginning of Knowles’s career was spite the title, helped solidify Knowles’ spot Rent ................................................ June 13 and Lollapalooza. his undeniable maturity. His mastery and on a short and competitive list of true blues- During that initial U.S. tour, Knowles restraint were palpable, yet hard to explain. men. blew audiences away, gaining a reputation How was it that a 22-year-old came to make “Davy Knowles’ music may be fairly for being a phenom, an electrifying stage a record that sounded like it could have come new compared to the great sounds of Buddy Embassy Theatre presence and immense young talent. Then, from a performer twice his age? Guy and Muddy Waters,” wrote Rick Jamm 125 W. Jefferson Blvd. just a few months after having returned We might never know the answer to that of Jamsphere in a 2015 review of the album, home to the Isle of Man, he and his mates question, but some of the secret to Knowles’ “but his music will be timeless. His influ- Fort Wayne, Indiana made the difficult and wrenching decision to success lies in his humility and seemingly ences are apparent, yet individual, while split up to follow their own paths in music. endless desire to learn more about the art his sound is reminiscent, yet unique. This is ticketmaster.com All good things, as they say, must come to an form that has inspired him since he was a end. kid, listening obsessively to Eric Clapton, Continued on page 6 2 ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------- www.whatzup.com ------------------------------------------------------------ January 26, 2017 whatzup Volume 21, Number 25 ou have the folks at C2G to thank for the fact that for the second week in a row we are featuring on our cover an extraordinary blues guitar phenom, this week the Isle of Man’s Davy Knowles, a guy Fort Wayne Ymusic fans have come to know from his several appearances over the years. If you’re not one of those fans, we would strongly encourage you to buy a ticket or two and take advantage of your chance to see one of his generation’s great guitarists. It reminds us of those opportunities we had to see guitarists like Jonny Lang and Kenny Wayne Shepherd play some of this city’s smaller venues back in the day. We still treasure those musical memories, and we can assure you that seeing Davy Knowles perform in an intimate setting like C2G is going to be equally memorable. FEB. 11, 2017 AT 7PM Also featured this week are Remembering Anne, Fort Wayne Youtheatre and playwright/director Gregory Stieber’s homage to victims of the Holocaust; Three Cities, a band that made a huge impression at last years Battle of the Bands; and Jody Hemphill-Smith who, together with husband Mark Smith, has turned her West Central home into one of a destination for artists and art lovers from THE UNION PROJECT all over the world. DEEP PURPLE There’s much more, but we’re out of space, so we’ll just leave it at “read on, find some fun and tell ’em whatzup sent you.” inside the issue PHIL SCHURGER’S • features ROAD NOTEZ .................................. 13 SUN GATE FLIX ................................................. 16 BOB DYLAN La La Land DAVY KNOWLES .........................................2 In the Footsteps of Giants SCREENTIME ................................. 16 Women March, Men Go See Split REMEMBERING ANNE..................................4 An Homage to Anne Frank ON BOOKS ...................................... 17 Cruel Beautiful World SANKOFA WITH THREE CITIES ..............................................5 Carving Out Their Niche CURTAIN CALL ................................ 19 Failure: A Love Story JODY HEMPHILL-SMITH ...........................6 JARED ANDREWS Creating an Art Destination INXS • calendars • columns & reviews LIVE MUSIC & COMEDY ....................8 SPINS ................................................7 SOUL35 MUSIC/ON THE ROAD .................... 13 E, Neal Morse Band, Miranda Lambert PRINCE BACKTRACKS ...................................7 ROAD TRIPZ ................................... 15 Three Dog Night, Naturally (1970) ART & ARTIFACTS .......................... 17 OUT AND ABOUT ...............................8 STAGE & DANCE ............................ 18 Earphorik Home for Show Saturday THINGS TO DO ..............................