“Blues music has always been about living one’s life and singing about the good and the bad experiences. We all have moments in our lives where we suffer and where we celebrate.”

Murray Kinsley: The Blues Of The Storm

Reviewers have described this Maple Blues Award-winning band as stripped-down, hellaciously rockin’ new blues with the distinctive voice and guitar-work of Murray Kinsley, and a rhythm section that swings with funky precision featuring Laura Greenberg on bass and Dave Tettmaron drums. Based in Ottawa, Canada, the band has delivered its innovative, original blues to venues and festivals across Canada, the US, England and Germany with great success and accolades. Murray Kinsley & Wicked Grin won the Maple Blues Award for New Artist/Group of the Year in 2014 while Laura Greenberg is a two time Maple Blues Awards Bassist of the Year. The act was a semi-finalist at the International Blues Challenge in Memphis, January 2019.

(Murray Kinsley / Photo by Peter Waiser)

Set for release on January 25th, 2025, new 6-tracks EP “Eye Of The Storm” is the band's fifth recording. On Eye Of The Storm, Murray Kinsley & Wicked Grin deliver five originals written by Kinsley, and a gritty swampy cigar box cover of Ray Wylie Hubbard’s classic "Snake Farm". "Dance With Me" is a rockin' blues song about the healing power of music, while "Dressed In Black" is a heavy cigar box boogie blues about love and the inequality between women and men. "Hold On" is funky horn heavy-blues talking about the erosion of women’s rights. "Friday Blues" is a funky Chicago-style blues love song. The E.P. closes with "Blues For Sorrow", an acoustic blues song about the innocent victims of war and strife.

Interview by Michael Limnios                     Special Thanks: Sarah French Publicity

How has the Blues/Roots Rock music influenced your views of the world? What does the blues mean to you?

Blues music has always been about living one’s life and singing about the good and the bad experiences. We all have moments in our lives where we suffer and where we celebrate. I think blues music has influenced my views of the world in a couple of ways. First off – the older blues explains and examines our past and the inequalities that existed and that still exist in present times. I also find that more modern blues can at times examine global problems and situations and remind us that some of the problems that existed in the past are still with us.

How do you describe your sound and songbook? What is the driving force behind your continuous support for your music?

Our sound is a hybrid I think. We weave elements of swamp, Texas blues, a bit of Chicago blues with country influences. I’ve always preferred a hard-edged driving sound. I want people to be moved and excited by what we do. A lot of the tunes in our “songbook” have a story attached to them and I like to talk about this when we perform live – the stories behind the tunes have always been important to me.

”I’m writing and playing music that is driving and not just the usual 12 bar blues progression. We concentrate on the groove. I also write a fair number of tunes that address modern social and political topics. We also make sure we’re having fun.” (Photo: Murray Kinsley & Wicked Grin)

Currently you’ve one more release with Wicked Grin. How did the idea of band and the name come about? Do you have any interesting stories about the making of the new EP “Eye Of The Storm”?

The name of the band comes from a line in the Tom Waits tune “2:19”. “With a hat full of feathers and a wicked grin”. Eye Of The Storm was basically a lot of good hard work. I played a lot of cigar box guitar on the CD and because of the nature of the instrument – it’s very simple with cheap parts, high action and crazy sound – there was a lot of “buzz” from it in the studio. I had to make sure I pointed it in a certain direction to avoid the buzz and of course I move around too much and never stay in one position so it took a bit of doing – almost had to nail my feet to the floor of the studio.

What´s been the highlights in your career so far? Are there any memories from gigs, open acts and studio sessions which you’d like to share with us?

One of the highlights was participating twice in the International Blues Challenge in Memphis – once making it to the semi-finals. Just to be part of that gathering of musicians from around the world is amazing. One of our CD’s - “Stormy Water” – was a semi finalist in the self-produced disc at the Blues Challenge as well. I guess, other than some great festivals and shows the main memories that I cherish from performing are the many wonderful places we’ve been able to visit – numerous Canadian and U.S. tours and twice to the U.K and Germany – and the many great folks we’ve met along the way – many of whom we’ve become great friends with and still visit in our travels.

If you could change one thing in the musical world and it would become a reality, what would that be?

That we are paid what we are worth – both for live performances and streaming.

”Our sound is a hybrid I think. We weave elements of swamp, Texas blues, a bit of Chicago blues with country influences. I’ve always preferred a hard-edged driving sound. I want people to be moved and excited by what we do. A lot of the tunes in our “songbook” have a story attached to them and I like to talk about this when we perform live – the stories behind the tunes have always been important to me.“ (Murray Kinsley, a Maple Blues Award winner / Photo by Peter Waiser)

What do you miss most nowadays from the music of past? What are your hopes and fears for the future of?

I guess it depends on how far in the “past” you’re asking about. I still listen to the older blues but it doesn’t resonate with me as much as more modern blues. If we don’t go too far in the past I think there’s less and less “realness” in a lot of the music I hear nowadays. What I fear – and not just in our genre – is that music is now cut and paste, auto tuned, computer generated and totally impersonal. I think AI is going to play havoc with the music industry as it relates to artists.

What are some of the most important lessons you have learned from your experience in the music paths?

Patience and a sense of humour when things don’t go right. Bad breaks / tough luck often makes good stories. Also, one of the most important things in life is to communicate and engage with all people wherever they’re from or what they believe.

What are you doing to keep your music relevant today, to develop it and present it to the new generation?

I’m writing and playing music that is driving and not just the usual 12 bar blues progression. We concentrate on the groove. I also write a fair number of tunes that address modern social and political topics. We also make sure we’re having fun.

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(Photo: Murray Kinsley)