For
the past two decades, some of the best interpretation of prewar Delta
blues has come from none other than
the state of Iowa and Catfish
Keith. Keith can scare the heck out of an
audience with a bark as ferocious
as Blind Willie Johnson,
and get them moving with a foot-stomping romp like Bukka White rattling
off Sic 'Em Dogs On Me.
Keith's Live at the
Half Moon is his first ever live recording, but shouldn't
be his last. His Delta delivery is one of the best in
contemporary blues, and it's clear that he shines brightest on a concert
stage.Keith's unassuming and congenial greeting to the audience at London's Half Moon club in November of 2008 belies the hair-raising experience that the crowd was about to have. Keith soon tears into the hill country blast of Tell Everybody in Your Neighborhood, his manic palm muting of the strings creating a rigid homemade percussion while he yells out a forceful "hey" between verses. Logging in at over eight minutes, Jessie Mae Hemphill's Eagle Bird (first appearing on Keith's 1997 studio record Twist It, Babe!) is at once a catharsis and powerful visual statement of resilience. "I'm comin' down/you're going to spread your lonesome wings," Keith howls.
The
direct-to-digital audio tape recording provides crystal clear sonic
quality, and the silence of the crowd (seemingly mesmerized) lets every
note and foot stomp Keith hits be completely audible. On
Keith's original composition Roll
You in My Arms like a Wagon Wheel, he uses a slide/picking
technique that essentially doubles his sound, as if he's being
accompanied by another guitarist. Keith's theatrical
character also comes into play with a convulsive take on Rev. Gary Davis' You Got to Move.Keith calls down fire and brimstone with every lick on this emotionally charged performance.