43
Puns are intended with bluesman Howard Stith
By John Benson
In Poor Howard Stith’s world, blues music hasn’t evolved since WWII, and puns – mostly so bad they’re delightful – are the way to go.
After enjoying a warm receptiont earlier this year in Youngstown, the New Hampshire-based artist returns to the scene of the crime for a Saturday show at the Lemon Grove.
“I play barrelhouse blues,” said Stith, calling from his New Hampshire home. “I play acoustic 6- and 12-string blues, sort of the pre-war style we call it, before 1940. There’s no one else in the area really doing that style. Last time at the Lemon Grove, there was a very strong reception there for it. It seemed to be one of those spots where there was a listening and intelligent audience. So I pulled out some of the odder and off-the-wall puns, and they got them. I’m also a horrible punster, I have to admit.”
Musically, Stith cites Leadbelly and Sonny Terry as influences, as well as blues artists “Snaker” Dave Ray. Even though he’s toured for decades, the Kansas City native has only two CDs to his credit, 2008’s “Lonesome Road Blues” and the recently released live concert “Cultivated Blues,” which was originally recorded in 1986. A new album featuring himself and a harp player is scheduled for release by mid-2011.
In the meantime, Stith continues to tour as a solo artist with his old-school songs and his, well, horrific puns. He said he likes to include shaggy-dog stories — longwinded jokes where the punch line often doesn’t match the audience’s expectation — in his live show.
“I tend to use shaggy-dog stories to introduce some of the songs,” Stith said. “There was a car that swerved in the middle of the road to avoid a box that fell off the truck. The police pulled him over for reckless driving and he said, ‘I just swerved to avoid that box.’ The cop hadn’t seen the box fall off the truck, so he went back to check it out, and it was a box of carpet tacks that had broken open and strewn carpet tacks on the road. So the officer went back to the driver and said, ‘I’m going to tear up the citation for reckless driving, but I have to take you in for tacks evasion.’ That sets up a song called the ‘Sales Tax Boogie.’”
Stith said his music carries the tradition of Depression-era blues artists by commenting on the plight of the everyday man through tough economic times. He often does this by playing rather obscure covers by Leadbelly and Robert Johnson. It’s not a stretch to say there’s a connection between those tunes and the current situation in the Rust Belt.
“I think in this economy, some of the themes of the songs sort of bring that back around again,” Stith said. “I’ll make references to the economy in the show, too. For example, as a benchmark for the economy on the East Coast I’ll use the Boston Marathon, because how many people can you get to run 26 miles for a $5 T-shirt?”
Sure, Stith is a throwback to another era; however, there are hints of his music — the roots of blues — in not only classic rock but the modern rock-radio scene. Nevertheless, he feels blues aficionados would best be served by attending his Lemon Grove return.
“Really, just blues fans, even if they’re thinking of Chicago blues,” Stith said. “It’s an up-tempo blues I do for the most part rather than the slow ballad-y type. And even though it’s acoustic, it kind of rocks. It’s your grandfather’s rock ’n’ roll.”