Mark Hummel
Wayback Machine
Electro-Fi Records
I love these old school records that promise “Living Stereo.” I always did prefer fresh stereo to the canned kind, and this earthy blues record takes us down to the cross roads for an evening of quality music, cheap beer, and a fight or two out in the parking lot.
While the tough guys are outside settling business, inside Mr. Hummel is making his own business. Hummel specializes in the harmonica (aka the blues harp) and when he’s not blowing the blues, he pounds out the gloriously sad lyrics that make getting dumped, broke, hungover, and jailed all sound like fun.
“Cut that Out” talks about “throwing a rock at a hearse.” I find that hilarious for some reason; peeing on someone’s grave is one thing, but stoning the undertaker is a new level of disgust. In “Play with Your Poodle “ Hummel takes some liberties with his girlfriend, and more liberties fall just a bit this side of the FCC rules and network standards of the 1950s.
It’s hard to find a song that’s not great, and even “Flim Flam Man” delivers the rocking sound of good times with friends. This guy may not be the most famous blues man around, but he’s got an impressive stack of albums and a whole range of awards from a Grammy on down. You can listen to this disc all the way through and not realize you’re tracking it for the fourth time.
This guy is a blues blowing delight.
Mark Hummel: http://markhummel.com
