The Nighthawks were formed in 1972 by singer/harp player Mark Wenner and guitarist Jimmy Thackery, quickly finding an eager audience for their high-octane mix of blues and roots-rock. They often performed in the Washington, D.C. area with kindred spirit George Thorogood, and in their early years the Nighthawks also recorded with blues legend John Hammond. Thackery left in 1986 to launch his solo career, but Wenner has continued to lead the Nighthawks towards their 40th anniversary, the band a constant club and festival favorite due to their electric live performances.
With the release of American Landscape, the band's critically-acclaimed 2009 album, the Nighthawks further cemented their reputation as one of the foremost purveyors of American roots music on the scene today. With Last Train To Bluesville, however, the band throws long-time fans a curveball with this acoustic set, recorded live in the studios of Sirius/XM satellite radio in the nation's capital. The ten-song collection of classic blues-and-rock classics features low-key, high-energy performances of songs by folks like Muddy Waters, Chuck Berry, Bo Diddley, James Brown, and Sonny Boy Williamson, among others.
The Nighthawks' Last Train To Bluesville
Considering that the Nighthawks have built their reputation on scorching, electrifying live shows, the ease at which they spin out these acoustic performances is more than a little surprising. The little-known Leiber and Stoller tune "The Chicken and the Hawk (Up Up and Away)" is provided a laid-back, almost jazzy vibe with Wenner's gruff vocals, a lively guitar track, and a jumpin' rhythm.
The underrated Muddy Waters treasure "Nineteen Years Old" is slowed-down and bluesed-up with Wenner's wiry vocals approximately the master's dynamic voice, and with guitarist Paul Bell throwing in some greasy fretwork to go alongside Wenner's Little Walter-inspired harp runs. The Nighthawks tackle one of Waters' signature tunes in "Can't Be Satisfied," adapting the Chicago blues classic to an acoustic format with some nimble guitarplay, veteran drummer Pete Ragusa's shuffling snare beats, and a little rollicking harp that, taken altogether, place the song close to its Mississippi Delta, country-blues roots.
Rollin' And Tumblin'
The Nighthawks, collectively and individually, cut their eye teeth on late-1950s blues and primal rock 'n' roll, so it's certainly no shock that they crank-n-spank Bo Diddley's classic "You Don't Love Me" with reckless aplomb. Attacking the song with a juke-joint spirit, bassist Johnny Castle's growling vocals are accompanied by a solid walking bass line, Wenner's icy-cold blasts of harp, and Bell's spry rhythm guitar. Another early rock 'n' roll gem, Chuck Berry's "Thirty Days," is provided a driving freight-train rhythm, nuanced harp work, and a steady drumbeat but it's Castle's soulful vocals, which mimic Berry's original meter, than take the performance into the stratosphere.
A cover of Sonny Boy Williamson's "Mighty Long Time" sheds a different light on the harmonica wizard's song, playing up the original's Southern twang with Wenner's high lonesome harpwork and a loping bass riff that picks up the pace to keep up with Wenner's mournful vocals. Bell's casual guitar strum, at times sending notes flying and at other times merely providing a solid rhythm, offers a fine counterpoint to Wenner's harp. Last Train To Bluesville closes with the third of the band's loving tributes to the great Muddy Waters, the Nighthawks tearing through a high-energy flamethrower performance of the song replete with hypnotic guitar riff, raging harp play, and an unrelenting bang-and-jangle rhythm.
The Reverend's Bottom Line
After nearly forty years toiling in the blues music trenches, the Nighthawks know how do play this stuff in their sleep. You won't find them sleepwalking through these performances, though, the band infusing each song with a joyful energy. Don't let the acoustic studio setting fool you, 'cause it's obvious that the guys were having a lot of fun revisiting these oldies-but-goodies, and they tear into them with the same zeal as they would any of their electric performances. (Rip Bang Records, released February 9, 2010)
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