Winter @ Swamp Water Bluz 19-08-2021
I was having one of those days where I wasn't sure what I was going to do. There were about 5 blog prospects that looked good and I still need to finish off setting up my office after my rather hasty departure from my last "employer", plus I had some RL that needed some time from me... so with all that pending, I did what felt right and went to Swamp Water Bluz, had a nice little chat about upcoming artists, ad board locations and just some shooting of the breeze with Mina, owner of the venue. I decided to stay and do a blog on someone I have seen a few times but never sat through a whole set: 11Winter11, commonly known as just Winter. It was quite a set....
Right off the bat I was caught with my "pants down" and I missed a bit of song info due to my own sound issues, but when I got that sorted out and began to listen in earnest, I recognized the tune so I knew there was hope. When that happens I usually start grabbing lyric phrases and keeping them to the side for research later, and it paid off again today as later I deduced that first song was Blue & Evil by Joe Bonamassa and Winter plowed right through it with no difficulty at all. That helped settle me down a bit and by the time Winter moved on to "Best of You" by the Foo Fighters I was in top form and my ears were loving what I was hearing.
Winter plays electric and acoustic guitar effortlessly, and his vocals are always in pitch, his dynamics are absolutely perfect and he has one of those sweet, smooth voices that can melt a stone cold heart. His acoustic picking is awesome and his electric work is true and precise. I loved his set and highly recommend checking him out at one of the venues he frequents.
Swamp Water Bluz is a good choice, as it can accommodate a good sized crowd with manageable lag, and the friendly, welcoming owners, Mina Weissbrod and The Gator Queen, Phyra (RL cousins) and Host MrPete will do everything they can to make your time there enjoyable.
Winter has an eclectic song list that includes about any kind of music you would like to hear. He seems to draw good crowds and there is always a lot of banter and today he had his "tiny-band" out on the stage with him, OldeSoul Eldemar, a diminutive kitten with a guitar... and an attitude... great fun!
Winter's offerings today included Neil Young's "Keep On Rockin'" and moved onto "Take On Me (Tweaked)" by AHA, and Survivor's "Eye of the Tiger." And also something I have not seen too often, a song of his own I am going to call the "Hello Song" as it it sung to every person at the set, saying hello and mentioning all their names... A unique and inclusive way to make everyone feel welcome and appreciated.
His eclectic song list really does have something for everyone and his set was one where you never get bored. It varied from offerings from Hard Rockers Nightwish (Over the Hills and Far Away), an acoustic version of Layla from Clapton (My favorite of the set), some Green Day (Boulevard of Broken Dreams), I was surprised with "Poison" from Alice Cooper and even more surprised with a request for "My Way" as done by Frank Sinatra, but with Winter's unique spin on it. The set ended with Lynyrd Skynyrd's "Simple Man, a rez day wish to Jenni: Shine Down by 45, and an overtime presentation of Bon Jovi's "Dead or Alive".
I had a great time this afternoon and if you are looking for an artist to appeal to a wide range of genres Winter is your guy!
THANKS WINTER
AND THANKS TO SWAMP WATER BLUZ!
Remember...it's HIP to TIP!