The Blues According To...
Muirsical Conversation with Popa Chubby
Muirsical Conversation with Popa Chubby
Popa Chubby’s 2014 tour dates were billed as '25 Years on the Road,' a quarter of a century board-treading landmark that's celebrated with a new studio album entitled I’m Feelin’ Lucky.
The big man of the blues has been on fine form of late.
2013’s Universal Breakdown Blues was an incredibly strong showing from the native New Yorker but I’m Feelin’ Lucky manages to better it.
Everything you could want from a Popa Chubby album, or any modern blues album, is present and correct on I'm Feelin' Lucky.
There’s a positive and up-tempo title track that has its roots in 70’s funk; heavy blues take centre stage on 'Save Your Own Life;' Popa Chubby’s take on how to get on with life is explored on the blues shuffle of 'One Leg at a Time;' hard-pop soul blues feature on 'Three Little Words.'
But it was a select number of other tracks from the album that Popa Chubby (a.k.a Ted Horowitz) discussed with FabricationsHQ…
Ross Muir: I’m Feelin’ Lucky is a two-for-one celebration – it’s twenty years on from the first Popa Chubby releases and twenty-five years since your first started performing solo as Popa Chubby.
But does it seem like twenty-five years?
Popa Chubby: No; it feels like twenty-five hundred years! [laughs]
RM: Well perhaps that’s because you’re such a road warrior; you always seem to be on the road yet your back catalogue is extensive – well over two dozen studio and live releases plus a number of side projects.
And you’re still releasing around an album a year.
PC: For a long time I was putting out almost two records a year and that was because there was a market for it; I would put out a solo record and then a side project. But then the industry changed a little bit and now I put a new record out about once every eighteen months.
Creatively that’s been great, because it allows me to keep it going but also work at my craft as I continue to make records. And it helps economically because we’re not getting rich doing this but we all have families to support and stuff like that, so every little bit helps.
And when we put out a new record it gives me a reason to tour; you just have to make sure you have something new to say.
RM: I’m Feelin’ Lucky is one of your strongest ever releases. It’s a great collection of songs and comes complete with a couple of guest contributions from Dana Fuchs and Mike Zito.
It also sounds like it was a real nice project to work on and put together.
PC: Oh it absolutely was; both of those guys you mentioned are also good friends of mine and I’ve been looking for an excuse to work with them.
For me it’s all about making music with your friends and trying to make every record a better collection of songs than you did before. I’m Feelin’ Lucky is a record that tries to represent that.
RM: And it does; from start to finish. The opener, Come to Me, is a great slice of blues and Dana Fuchs delivers a fabulous Janis Joplin and Southern Comfort style vocal in duet with you.
PC: Dana Fuchs is as good as it gets, man. She’s an amazing rock and soul singer, she’s one of my best friends and I love her like a daughter. And I’m so pleased to see her career take off and start to get some of the attention she deserves, because besides from being a great artist she’s just a great human being.
The big man of the blues has been on fine form of late.
2013’s Universal Breakdown Blues was an incredibly strong showing from the native New Yorker but I’m Feelin’ Lucky manages to better it.
Everything you could want from a Popa Chubby album, or any modern blues album, is present and correct on I'm Feelin' Lucky.
There’s a positive and up-tempo title track that has its roots in 70’s funk; heavy blues take centre stage on 'Save Your Own Life;' Popa Chubby’s take on how to get on with life is explored on the blues shuffle of 'One Leg at a Time;' hard-pop soul blues feature on 'Three Little Words.'
But it was a select number of other tracks from the album that Popa Chubby (a.k.a Ted Horowitz) discussed with FabricationsHQ…
Ross Muir: I’m Feelin’ Lucky is a two-for-one celebration – it’s twenty years on from the first Popa Chubby releases and twenty-five years since your first started performing solo as Popa Chubby.
But does it seem like twenty-five years?
Popa Chubby: No; it feels like twenty-five hundred years! [laughs]
RM: Well perhaps that’s because you’re such a road warrior; you always seem to be on the road yet your back catalogue is extensive – well over two dozen studio and live releases plus a number of side projects.
And you’re still releasing around an album a year.
PC: For a long time I was putting out almost two records a year and that was because there was a market for it; I would put out a solo record and then a side project. But then the industry changed a little bit and now I put a new record out about once every eighteen months.
Creatively that’s been great, because it allows me to keep it going but also work at my craft as I continue to make records. And it helps economically because we’re not getting rich doing this but we all have families to support and stuff like that, so every little bit helps.
And when we put out a new record it gives me a reason to tour; you just have to make sure you have something new to say.
RM: I’m Feelin’ Lucky is one of your strongest ever releases. It’s a great collection of songs and comes complete with a couple of guest contributions from Dana Fuchs and Mike Zito.
It also sounds like it was a real nice project to work on and put together.
PC: Oh it absolutely was; both of those guys you mentioned are also good friends of mine and I’ve been looking for an excuse to work with them.
For me it’s all about making music with your friends and trying to make every record a better collection of songs than you did before. I’m Feelin’ Lucky is a record that tries to represent that.
RM: And it does; from start to finish. The opener, Come to Me, is a great slice of blues and Dana Fuchs delivers a fabulous Janis Joplin and Southern Comfort style vocal in duet with you.
PC: Dana Fuchs is as good as it gets, man. She’s an amazing rock and soul singer, she’s one of my best friends and I love her like a daughter. And I’m so pleased to see her career take off and start to get some of the attention she deserves, because besides from being a great artist she’s just a great human being.
RM: And then you have Mike Zito on the big sounding slow blues of Rock On Bluesman...
PC: That song is about life on the road; it’s dedicated to all my brothers out there because a lot of us know each other and have worked with each other. Mike has five kids – I have two – and when we’re on the road together usually the conversation ends up about how much we miss our kids and our families.
It’s a hard life man, it’s hard out there – just like the song says "snow is falling, through the night" but "you'd better rock on." You just gotta keep on doing it. And that’s exactly what we try to do.
RM: I’m Feelin’ Lucky also has a great Popa Chubby styled cover by way of the Delta blues classic Rollin’ and Tumblin’...
PC: I’m a big fan of covering great songs and when people say "why did you cover Rollin’ and Tumblin’?"
I say "because it’s the ultimate blues song!" And it really is.
It’s straight up North Mississippi, trance blues. There have been some great versions but the version I love best is R. L. Burnside’s, with Cedric Burnside on drums and Kenny Brown on guitar.
I’ve always wanted to cover that song and I just figured it was time!
RM: There’s another song on the album I want to touch on and that’s I’m a Pitbull, a song you dedicate to your "best friend" and about a much maligned and misunderstood breed.
PC: Yeah they really are – and it’s not the dog, it’s the owners.
RM: Oh absolutely. I know you are a devoted animal lover and my wife runs a dog lodging business where we take dogs in to our home as opposed to outdoor kennelling, so we can fully understand what you are expressing lyrically.
PC: Thank you man; I’m glad you understand it and feel the same way. There are lots of people out there who love Pitties, and love dogs in general, but there are also a lot of people who don’t understand the breed, so we try and raise a little bit of awareness. I’m a big proponent of Animal Rights and stopping animal cruelty.
And it’s been great; I work with people involved in Pit bull rescue and they work with the dogs and train them to be service dogs. It’s all been such a great experience.
RM: Fantastic; I’m pleased to hear you’re doing your bit for the breed. The Pit bull can be such a lovely dog and they have so much character.
PC: They really do; they are the sweetest and most loving, devoted dogs. We love our little boy, he’s the best guy in the world. And that’s great that you take dogs in to your home, I think that’s awesome!
RM: We started our chat about I’m Feeling Lucky by featuring the opening number but I’d also like to play a little of the closing track, The Way It Is. Musically, that’s a real nice soul-pop blues number but lyrically it couldn’t be any more blues.
PC: Absolutely man; it is just The Way It Is! [laughs]
PC: That song is about life on the road; it’s dedicated to all my brothers out there because a lot of us know each other and have worked with each other. Mike has five kids – I have two – and when we’re on the road together usually the conversation ends up about how much we miss our kids and our families.
It’s a hard life man, it’s hard out there – just like the song says "snow is falling, through the night" but "you'd better rock on." You just gotta keep on doing it. And that’s exactly what we try to do.
RM: I’m Feelin’ Lucky also has a great Popa Chubby styled cover by way of the Delta blues classic Rollin’ and Tumblin’...
PC: I’m a big fan of covering great songs and when people say "why did you cover Rollin’ and Tumblin’?"
I say "because it’s the ultimate blues song!" And it really is.
It’s straight up North Mississippi, trance blues. There have been some great versions but the version I love best is R. L. Burnside’s, with Cedric Burnside on drums and Kenny Brown on guitar.
I’ve always wanted to cover that song and I just figured it was time!
RM: There’s another song on the album I want to touch on and that’s I’m a Pitbull, a song you dedicate to your "best friend" and about a much maligned and misunderstood breed.
PC: Yeah they really are – and it’s not the dog, it’s the owners.
RM: Oh absolutely. I know you are a devoted animal lover and my wife runs a dog lodging business where we take dogs in to our home as opposed to outdoor kennelling, so we can fully understand what you are expressing lyrically.
PC: Thank you man; I’m glad you understand it and feel the same way. There are lots of people out there who love Pitties, and love dogs in general, but there are also a lot of people who don’t understand the breed, so we try and raise a little bit of awareness. I’m a big proponent of Animal Rights and stopping animal cruelty.
And it’s been great; I work with people involved in Pit bull rescue and they work with the dogs and train them to be service dogs. It’s all been such a great experience.
RM: Fantastic; I’m pleased to hear you’re doing your bit for the breed. The Pit bull can be such a lovely dog and they have so much character.
PC: They really do; they are the sweetest and most loving, devoted dogs. We love our little boy, he’s the best guy in the world. And that’s great that you take dogs in to your home, I think that’s awesome!
RM: We started our chat about I’m Feeling Lucky by featuring the opening number but I’d also like to play a little of the closing track, The Way It Is. Musically, that’s a real nice soul-pop blues number but lyrically it couldn’t be any more blues.
PC: Absolutely man; it is just The Way It Is! [laughs]
RM: You’re in fine form at the moment – your previous record Universal Breakdown Blues was a cracking little album and that record, along with I’m Feelin’ Lucky, are as good a back-to-back brace of solo albums as you’ve done.
PC: Thank you very much, I really appreciate that you’ve taken the time to really listen and understand my music – that means a lot to me.
RM: Well good music deserves the listening and the promotion – and you have such a solid back catalogue.
One of my favourite records of yours is How’d a White Boy Get the Blues, which also manages to tell us exactly how a white boy from the Bronx did get the blues…
PC: Exactly! The story is right there! I wrote that record as a kind of blues rock opera, really.
It was the story of a young white boy who gets bitten by the blues and then goes through the journey of meeting bad women – and bad guitars – and finally meets the old bluesman.
And he asks the old bluesman "how do I sing the blues?" and the old bluesman says "I don’t know – I just lost my leg and I just sit here and moan the blues all day!"
And that’s sort of the same story as The Way It Is – on that song I sing about a lot of stuff that we all go through as human beings and sometimes there’s no answer – all you can do is sit there and moan the blues.
And in an odd way it gives you comfort; if you just sit there and sing about and cry about it, it can make you better.
RM: Yes, it can be such a cathartic experience. Even those of us who listen to the blues can get comfort, or an outlet, from those that sing the blues.
PC: Thank you very much, I really appreciate that you’ve taken the time to really listen and understand my music – that means a lot to me.
RM: Well good music deserves the listening and the promotion – and you have such a solid back catalogue.
One of my favourite records of yours is How’d a White Boy Get the Blues, which also manages to tell us exactly how a white boy from the Bronx did get the blues…
PC: Exactly! The story is right there! I wrote that record as a kind of blues rock opera, really.
It was the story of a young white boy who gets bitten by the blues and then goes through the journey of meeting bad women – and bad guitars – and finally meets the old bluesman.
And he asks the old bluesman "how do I sing the blues?" and the old bluesman says "I don’t know – I just lost my leg and I just sit here and moan the blues all day!"
And that’s sort of the same story as The Way It Is – on that song I sing about a lot of stuff that we all go through as human beings and sometimes there’s no answer – all you can do is sit there and moan the blues.
And in an odd way it gives you comfort; if you just sit there and sing about and cry about it, it can make you better.
RM: Yes, it can be such a cathartic experience. Even those of us who listen to the blues can get comfort, or an outlet, from those that sing the blues.
In a remarkably consistent twenty-year recording career, Universal Breakdown Blues and I'm Feelin'
Lucky may well be the best back-to-back brace of solo studio albums from the big man of the blues.
PC: Can I ask you a question?
RM: Sure; shoot…
PC: Do you remember a singer called Frankie Miller?
RM: Yes, very well.
PC: One of the best soul singers ever, right?
RM: Without doubt; Rod Stewart once said Frankie was the only white singer to bring a tear to the eye. Fabulous soul-blues singer.
PC: I was asking because his name came up lately when we were talking about Willy DeVille.
RM: The late American singer.
PC: Right. We were saying Willy DeVille was the last of the great white soul singers until somebody said "with the exception of Frankie Miller!" He really was one of the greatest. How’s he doing?
RM: Well as I’m sure you know he suffered a near fatal brain haemorrhage twenty years ago but made a remarkable albeit slow recovery. He relearned to walk and talk and more lately has been writing songs again. Just a few months ago Spike, singer of British rock band The Quireboys, released a tribute album of unreleased Frankie Miller material with Frankie’s blessing.
So while he is no longer singing or performing, his work and music remains in the public eye – and ear.
PC: That’s great. An amazing soul singer, just amazing. And some great records, too; I remember getting them when I was a kid when they came over here as imports.
RM: He crossed so many genres. Whether you are a fan – or a player – of the blues, soul, rock or pop, so many people just loved Frankie’s voice and his body of work.
And what your favourite Frankie Miller song or album might be is still a great discussion over a coffee.
Actually over here it's more likely to be a discussion over a beer or three...
PC: Good one! [laughs]. I just wanted to find out how he was doing; thank you.
RM: Glad I could help. While I'm Feelin' Lucky is good news for your fans in Europe and the UK, not least because the first ten thousand copies of the European edition comes with a bonus CD of some of your earliest material, it's bad news as regards the anticipated UK gigs – I believe the dates scheduled for next spring have been cancelled?
PC: Yeah, we had a week of dates set up in the UK but the tour promoter hadn’t got back to us in almost a month. When we finally got him he told us the dates had been cancelled.
But we do have plans to come to Scotland. That's my favourite place to play in the UK; we love coming up there. We're going to try and come over at the end of March, right after the European tour dates.
RM: Scottish crowds have always had an appreciation for artists like yourself that give one hundred percent every night and of course you've played the famous Glasgow "gig on the river" venue The Ferry a couple of times.
PC: The Ferry is a great place to play and I really do want to get back up there man; it’s always a great time and they are just the best people.
RM: And the fans would love to see you back – but then you have that same enthusiasm and appreciation from the rest of your UK and European fans; countries such as Germany, the Netherlands, France…
PC: It’s been great over there. We just spent a whole month in Europe and we’re coming back for that big tour in the spring – but it’s really a shame because I was hoping to get those UK dates included.
But I know it’s rough over there; there’s a lot of economic stuff going on and it’s sometimes hard to find a good promoter. But we're going to keep on working on it and hopefully it will work out for later in the year.
RM: Well on behalf of your UK fans I hope that does indeed work out – and when you do get back over we'll continue that Frankie Miller discussion...
PC: Absolutely! Thank you!
Ross Muir
Muirsical Conversation with Popa Chubby
December 2014
For current and future Popa Chubby tour dates:
http://popachubby.wix.com/popachubby#!tour
Photo Credit: Jindrich Oplt; www.moreblues.cz
Audio tracks presented to accompany the above article and to promote the work of the artist.
No infringement of copyright is intended.
Lucky may well be the best back-to-back brace of solo studio albums from the big man of the blues.
PC: Can I ask you a question?
RM: Sure; shoot…
PC: Do you remember a singer called Frankie Miller?
RM: Yes, very well.
PC: One of the best soul singers ever, right?
RM: Without doubt; Rod Stewart once said Frankie was the only white singer to bring a tear to the eye. Fabulous soul-blues singer.
PC: I was asking because his name came up lately when we were talking about Willy DeVille.
RM: The late American singer.
PC: Right. We were saying Willy DeVille was the last of the great white soul singers until somebody said "with the exception of Frankie Miller!" He really was one of the greatest. How’s he doing?
RM: Well as I’m sure you know he suffered a near fatal brain haemorrhage twenty years ago but made a remarkable albeit slow recovery. He relearned to walk and talk and more lately has been writing songs again. Just a few months ago Spike, singer of British rock band The Quireboys, released a tribute album of unreleased Frankie Miller material with Frankie’s blessing.
So while he is no longer singing or performing, his work and music remains in the public eye – and ear.
PC: That’s great. An amazing soul singer, just amazing. And some great records, too; I remember getting them when I was a kid when they came over here as imports.
RM: He crossed so many genres. Whether you are a fan – or a player – of the blues, soul, rock or pop, so many people just loved Frankie’s voice and his body of work.
And what your favourite Frankie Miller song or album might be is still a great discussion over a coffee.
Actually over here it's more likely to be a discussion over a beer or three...
PC: Good one! [laughs]. I just wanted to find out how he was doing; thank you.
RM: Glad I could help. While I'm Feelin' Lucky is good news for your fans in Europe and the UK, not least because the first ten thousand copies of the European edition comes with a bonus CD of some of your earliest material, it's bad news as regards the anticipated UK gigs – I believe the dates scheduled for next spring have been cancelled?
PC: Yeah, we had a week of dates set up in the UK but the tour promoter hadn’t got back to us in almost a month. When we finally got him he told us the dates had been cancelled.
But we do have plans to come to Scotland. That's my favourite place to play in the UK; we love coming up there. We're going to try and come over at the end of March, right after the European tour dates.
RM: Scottish crowds have always had an appreciation for artists like yourself that give one hundred percent every night and of course you've played the famous Glasgow "gig on the river" venue The Ferry a couple of times.
PC: The Ferry is a great place to play and I really do want to get back up there man; it’s always a great time and they are just the best people.
RM: And the fans would love to see you back – but then you have that same enthusiasm and appreciation from the rest of your UK and European fans; countries such as Germany, the Netherlands, France…
PC: It’s been great over there. We just spent a whole month in Europe and we’re coming back for that big tour in the spring – but it’s really a shame because I was hoping to get those UK dates included.
But I know it’s rough over there; there’s a lot of economic stuff going on and it’s sometimes hard to find a good promoter. But we're going to keep on working on it and hopefully it will work out for later in the year.
RM: Well on behalf of your UK fans I hope that does indeed work out – and when you do get back over we'll continue that Frankie Miller discussion...
PC: Absolutely! Thank you!
Ross Muir
Muirsical Conversation with Popa Chubby
December 2014
For current and future Popa Chubby tour dates:
http://popachubby.wix.com/popachubby#!tour
Photo Credit: Jindrich Oplt; www.moreblues.cz
Audio tracks presented to accompany the above article and to promote the work of the artist.
No infringement of copyright is intended.