The blues have been around since the 19th century, but remain current.
During the G20 Cultural Celebrations, four bands will present a very different take on the blues and will create some truly innovative and creative sounds. One of those bands is The Royal Artillery.
Tell us a bit about yourself and The Royal Artillery?
My name is Zed Charles, I play guitar and sing in The Royal Artillery. We play rock & roll; it’s real blues but the delivery is heavier.
What is ‘The Blues. Used. Abused’ and what are the ideas behind it?
‘The Blues. Used. Abused’ is a free event coming up at the New Globe Theatre. Working together with Paul Robinson, we were awarded a grant to showcase Brisbane’s young, blues artists. There’s something of a generational divide in the local blues community, this one’s for the young dudes.
Is blues a musical background for you? Was it something you grew up with?
Yes and yes. My dad got me hooked on older music when I was a kid; the popular bands of the ‘50s, ‘60s and ‘70s wore their blues influences on their sleeve. I traced back to where those sounds originated from and learned a lot listening to the more traditional artists.
What were your main inspirations? Any notable Australian artists come to mind?
I took inspiration from everywhere. If it was listening to Jimi Hendrix or jamming with Matt Corcoran (a hard touring, Aussie blues artist) I’d take something away from it. I loved the Australian band Chain, but there are tons of great old-blues guitarists from different eras. Guys like Hendrix took a little bit from all of them while others have a certain style that defines them. Blues in a way is a universal language, there are lots of borrowed themes — it’s about listening, learning and shaping your own vocabulary, and then it’s about the delivery.
How do you feel the blues scene, or the perception of blues, has changed over the years, locally, nationally and internationally?
Big question. Blues was the basis of pop music all over the world between the ‘50s and the ‘70s. Now it’s more of a niche genre even though rock & roll is built directly from the blues. I suppose even rock is becoming a niche genre. Popular music today is dance music, electronic stuff, I’m not exactly sure I don’t really pay attention. Still, there’s a market for everything and blues is still going strong, it rolls along minding its own business while pop has a new face or trend every week and last week’s thing isn’t cool anymore.
Where do you feel it’s headed, has it evolved?
Blues has definitely evolved and with that comes two sets of tastes — traditional and contemporary. Some people prefer a particular era of blues, or more traditional sounds, and there are those who modernise the genre, mixing blues themes with modern sounds that keep the genre moving forward. Some people like both, bless ‘em.
Do you feel well-known modern acts such as Seasick Steve and The Black Keys have helped give blues a wider, younger audience?
Yep, that’s a perfect example of traditional and modern sounds. Seasick Steve really isn’t doing anything new, but he’s got a thing he does and has found a market. The Black Keys on the other hands, along with Jack White and The White Stripes came along with their fuzz and two-piece arrangements and shook up the genre with something a little different. I don’t know if I’m really into The Black Keys recent stuff with the synth and whatnot, but I like the idea of trying new things with old sounds.
How has the tour been received so far?
It’s been a really positive experience and we’ve had some great shows. We tend to play several shows in each area as opposed to one-offs; it helps to build your fan base and we’ve met some legends as well as caught up with old pals. You can’t win them all though, so it’s been a bit of a learning curve as well; we’re hoping to do a lot more miles in the near future.
Your second single from ‘Odds & Ends’ has recently been released, how has the response been along with the album?
‘Odds And Ends’ is a collection of different songs the band recorded over the years, all of my favourite moments. It’s a little weird re-releasing older tunes but it’s nice to give them a proper send-off and so far critics have been impressed.
Would you say you wear your influences on your sleeve?
Yeah, no doubt! A mate of mine, we’ll call him Dudeman, saw us play at Lefty’s recently and said “you’re like Hendrix, on a bad day”, so I guess it’s pretty obvious.
What do you guys have planned for the next year?
We’ve got a bunch of new songs on the go and will hopefully be in the studio around January, been talking to Magoo about getting him on board to produce us which will be cool. There are some new faces in the band (Brenton Page, Andrew Yeldham) and we’re looking forward to new releases and tours in the New Year.
The Royal Artillery will be joined by Brodie Graham, Deadweight Express and Dead Zephyr at ‘The Blues. Used. Abused’ event at the New Globe Theatre on Thursday 13th November.
