Joanne Shaw Taylor rolled up to The Basement in a very rock and roll fashion this past Friday night.
A white BMW motorcycle pulled up and disembarking from the pillion seat, and removing her helmet to let her long blond hair flow, was the guitar goddess who would soon grace the stage.
Unnoticed by just about all outside, this was the last time she would sneak under the radar of anyone who witnessed her epic guitar playing tonight.
The British-born Taylor, now based in the motor city of Detroit, was making her debut Australian tour and the crowd was filled with guitar geeks and fans of powerful rocking blues.
Comfortably dressed in jeans and sneakers and looking very relaxed, she launched into an electrifying version of “Tied & Bound” from her latest release Almost Always Never.
This caught everyone’s attention as her throaty singing captured ears and her fabulous fret work was impossible not to watch. Her powerful solos on this one song were worth the price of admission alone, but there was so much more to come.
When Taylor played Bluesfest last year, she was joined by the rhythm section of Ryan Van Gennip on bass and Jon Howell on drums. These two gentleman hail from Australia’s own Chase The Sun, and the choice of players once again certainly fit her style perfectly.
Their powerful playing on the burning blues rock of “Watch ‘em Burn” and “Jump That Train” invoked similarities of Stevie Ray Vaughan’s band Double Trouble. They were up to the task and the smiles she gave the band throughout the evening was proof that Taylor was pleased with the sound and grooves.
Any young guitarist worth their weight in guitar picks has to take on a Stevie Ray or Jimi Hendrix song; tonight Taylor took on the master of the Stratocaster’s “Manic Depression”.
Hendrix’s jaw would have dropped, along with most of the crowd, as she launched into this rock and roll classic. The thunderous drumming of Howell and the effortless solos of this guitar whiz were met with howls of approval throughout.
There are many technical guitarists who can ‘wow’ you (two that come to mind for some excellent technical grace are Joe Satriani and Joe Bonamassa), but only the truly great have that heavenly mix of soul and technical wizardry, and Joanne Shaw Taylor has an abundance of both of these qualities.
Her smile and radiant look on her face as she played illuminated a talent that was lost within the music and the world she was creating.
Her ability to shred the guitar, sing, and write memorable songs is a trifecta that will someday make her a household name.
With so few women on any top 100 lists of guitarists, you can be certain that Joanne Shaw Taylor will soon be popping up there; she may even do it before she reaches 30 years old. The opportunity to see her in a venue as small as The Basement was a treat that won’t be repeated very often in what looks like a long career.
