Howard Glazer and the El 34s
Brown Paper Bag
Random Chance Records
no fun records
Brown Paper Bag marks a personal highpoint in Howard Glazer's storied musical career - a full-length album consisting of self-penned material. The son of a pair of musicians, the local bluesman picked up the trumpet as a child, and played his first bar gig as part of a backing band when he was only 13 years old. From there, Glazer bounced between a series of punk, rock and jazz bands, finally settling down as a member of locally based, international touring act Harmonica Shah in the 90's.
Eventually, Glazer got the itch to write and record his own material, so he split the Shah and pulled together a rhythm section dubbed the El 34s (after a power tube used in Marshall amps). While Glazer cites Buddy Guy and Johnny Winter as his main guitar influences, Brown Paper Bag feels like a Detroit Rock City interpretation of Stevie Ray Vaughn and Double Trouble (pre-rehab, thanks to the various references to whiskey and the wacky weed).
As far as the Vaughn comparisons go, Glazer doesn't whip out lightning-quick jangle licks or throaty vocal wails. Still, the overall Double Trouble vibe oozes from the band courtesy of Bob Godwin's deep, rolling basslines and Charles Stuart's restrained drumming. The swanky "Going to Chicago" and the swinging title track are great showcases of the rhythm section's prowess, though all of Godwin and Stuart's performances are strong and sound effortless.
Much like SRV, Glazer's not afraid to show off his lead guitar chops - dragged out solo-laden bluesers "Sad Situation" and "The Dogs They Bark at Midnight" are fine evidence of that fact. Vocally, the man's not a singer as much as he is a rough talker, which adds a fog of bar-smoke-and-drinking-done-fueled-my-blues to the slower tunes (*ahem* - "Smokin' and Drinkin'," anyone?). Admittedly, the upbeat songs suffer a bit for the vocal maladies, but it seems that Glazer himself would be the first person to point out that Brown Paper Bag is structured to highlight sentiment and the band above everything else.
All in all, Glazer's got an enjoyable power groove going here. While there is an obvious blues influence over the album, Brown Paper Bag will probably sit best with a rock audience (a la, the styles of SRV and Jimi Hendrix). For those so inclined to check out the chops live, Glazer's got a residency going over at the Old Miami every Thursday night - check out his website for more details.
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