Soulshine Interviews Eric Bibb

22 April 2009 by Richard Wilson

Now with about half a dozen trips to Australia's shores under his belt, including his fourth appearance at Bluesfest, Eric Bibb, a New York native who has spent much of his adult life residing in Europe sat down with Soulshine to talk about the roots of his now burgeoning music career. His latest performances had Bluesfest's director Peter Noble proclaim Bibb "[has] risen to the level of a major blues artist." Noble himself could be seen taking in the gospel, folk and rock soaked blues from side-stage at both of his Byron Bay performances -- not a bad tick of approval from a guy whose job is to assemble truly world-class music offerings from all corners of the globe and present them each Easter at the festival.

Eric Bibb's performances at the Byron Bay Bluesfest represent just two dates on his recent nationwide tour. At a point in his career where he could comfortably settle for half a dozen capital city theatre shows and be done with Australia for another year, Bibb instead spent nearly two months touring Australia, including many regional shows that wouldn't normally make the schedule for an international artist's touring schedule.

"Having been here a few times -- this is my fourth or fifth time in Australia -- and having a team of people behind my tours who are really the kind of nutritious, supportive people that an artist really longs to be associated with. They've really followed the development of my fan base and realised that there are people in the hinterland that also be happy to hear what I'm doing -- that was their sense -- and they took a gamble and started booking me into some more out-of-place venues. I've been up to Darwin for the first time this trip around and to Cairns. And discovered a community of people who were not only happy to see me and hear me, but were also aware of me. So it was a really good call. I'm really happy to be spreading it."

Pulling flavours from blues, folk, gospel, soul and rock music, it comes to the surprise of many that Bibb has in fact spent most of his adult life residing in Europe. Despite growing up in New York City in the 1950s and 60s -- the epicentre of the folk revival -- with a musician father calling the likes of Pete Seeger and Bob Dylan friends, it was his experiences in Europe that put him on the musical path he now travels.

So where would Bibb be had he remained in the USA to launch a music career?

"I'm pretty sure I would have been drawn towards perhaps somewhat more commercial genres. I grew up listening to folk music but also AM radio and I love all this stuff -- the soul music and the folk-rock I was hearing. So I think leaving the States at that definitive turning point as a young adult gave me a chance to actually remember stuff that I probably would have been moving too fast to really take on board in the way that I have."

On this rediscovery of American roots music in Europe as a young man in Europe, Eric says that it was the distance from the American scene that gave him this appreciation.

"I think what it's given me is some space and time to actually really rediscover the music that first touched my heart and soul growing up amidst a huge folk music revival in New York City. It's probably partly to do with some nostalgia but I think it also has to do with just having less distractions from an ongoing fast American culture that would have probably pulled me in some other directions had I stayed and developed my career there. Meeting Europeans who have this incredible appreciation for this American roots music -- particularly blues -- being very knowledgeable and having great record collections, has really helped me to stay focussed on this rich tradition that I'm just happy to be a part of."

"I was always focussed on music -- that was always my passion, the driving wheel you know -- pursuing music was what it was all about," Eric says. But his folk/rock/gospel-tinged blues sound was not the goal from the start.

"I had periods where I was mad about the new Brazilian music I was listening to, people like Milton Nascimento. I experimented writing by those influences. Certainly more pop oriented, soul material was what I was investigating."

It was his lack of success with such music that eventually led him to where he is today.

"In frustration, not making the kind of breakthrough I wanted with more popular music pursuits, I returned to the music of my formative years, and discovered and rediscovered where I really needed to make my mark."

Indeed, with his current success -- his Saturday night slot drew a larger crowd than headliner Lucinda Williams -- Bibb is free to craft a show each night that he thinks will best convey his message. Recent touring in the USA saw him play in all manner of venues, from theatres to churches. Despite the wide variances in audiences from night to night, he is confident in his song selection.

"You know what I want to share with people anywhere is basically the same thing. I choose songs I think are going to make a connection to the people very quickly. But I don't change my set drastically from venue to venue. I've chosen the kind of material I think is going to work across the board. I'll add new songs and keep old songs in the mix that I know will really make that connection."

2004 saw Eric Bibb release his "Friends" album, a 15 song album chronicling just some of the musical friendships he has made along the way. Some of the collaborations were with everyone from peers like Ruthie Foster or Guy Davis, to legends like Taj Mahal or Odetta. When asked if this is a project he'd like to revisit down the track, a resounding "Absolutely!" is the answer.

Are there any new collaborations he has in mind?

The first answer is the natural response: "There are so many people -- the list is so long." Mulling it over Eric then mentions gospel legend Mavis Staples, before coming up with Victorian bluesman C.W. Stoneking.

Stoneking, who only in the past year or two has really burst onto the scene -- since Bibb's last tour back in 2007 -- must be a relatively new discovery by him then?

"No no! You know the first time I came to Australia I played the Port Fairy Folk Festival. I was walking through the streets of Port Fairy with my friend Guy Davis and we saw C.W. busking in the street and we were flabbergasted by this amazing talent who looked to me like a very pale reincarnation of Blind Blake. We had a chance to catch up [at Bluesfest], I said hi and we'll probably see each other out on the West Coast later next weekend."

Eric Bibb's 2009 Australian tour has now wrapped up. His latest album "Get Onboard" is out now.

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