“Music’s role in society is to bring people together through commonality/community, and the way to truly do that (in blues or any other genre), is to get back to basics and tell a solid, relatable story. I often introduce my guitar to the audience as a ‘life story machine,’ and it is. When those stories connect, it’s magic.”

Chris Vincent:

When The Saints Play The Blues

With his new release of the blisteringly honest title track “Good Crook,” New Orleans roots artist Chris Vincent and The Raw Deal continue their one-two punch leading up to the full album’s arrival on August 1. Early buzz surrounding the record is undeniable, with advance press already hailing it as “as real as the blues gets” and “at the top of the list of the best blues recordings of 2025.” Good Crook is a lean, live-wire track stripped to its emotional essentials—just Vincent’s hauntingly direct voice, his razor-sharp slide guitar, and the legendary Johnny Vidacovich on drums, recorded live in-studio without a net. There’s no filler here—just fire, honesty, and the kind of raw vulnerability most modern recordings shy away from. At the heart of the track is the unraveling of a relationship. Vincent cuts quickly with lines like, “I heard you the first time / Yelling don’t make it true,” a lyric that encapsulates his signature approach: economical, unflinching, and emotionally loaded. The result is a song that feels both intimate and universal—classic blues storytelling told with the voice of someone who has lived every word.                                                         (Chris Vincent / Photo by Joshua Timmy)

Much of that emotional weight is carried by Vincent’s 1947 Gibson L-7 archtop, affectionately named “Gloria.” The guitar isn’t just an instrument—it’s a voice in the conversation, pressed into hard service across the track. Vincent’s minimalist philosophy puts every note and syllable under a microscope, and the result is an immediacy that’s impossible to fake. Recorded at The Rhythm Shack with Grammy-winning producer Jake Eckert, “Good Crook” exemplifies Vincent’s mission to make “AI-proof,” hand-played music—gritty, unpolished, and undeniably human. With momentum building and the release date just days away, Good Crook is poised to cement Chris Vincent and The Raw Deal as one of the most important voices in roots, blues, and Americana music today.

Interview by Michael Limnios                          Special Thanks: Mark Pucci Media

How has the music influenced your views of the world? What moment changed your music life the most?

At its core, music is largely about approach, diversion, and ultimate resolution. Philosophically speaking, as a songwriter, it’s about finding a sense of balance between theme, lyrical content, and harmonic accompaniment. Sometimes, more often than not, simple works, much like life. Hearing Robert Johnson’s ‘Walking Blues’ for the first time as a teenager changed the game. I quickly developed a lifelong passion for playing slide guitar starting that afternoon. Once I picked the instrumental rudiments from untold hours of ruining record needles, I was off to the races.

How do you describe your sound, music philosophy and songbook? Where does your creative drive come from?

My sound/identity as a writer and musician has been influenced by blues, yes, but also by early jazz, swing, hard bop, even some early rock and roll. Philosophically, after largely putting down the guitar for almost 20 years during active alcoholism/addiction, music, specifically songwriting, has become a vehicle for making sense of  life on life’s terms, and the songbook reflects that. In some songs, there is redemption/forward motion in the face of adversity, like ‘Good Crook.’ In others, such as ‘Midnight After All,’ there are no knights in shining armor saving the day, and the bad guys win, as they often do. My creative drive comes from connecting with listeners over common adult experiences and combining an admittedly varied string of influences to create truly original music.                                            (Chris Vincent / Photo by Joshua Timmy)

“I never settle. I’m always writing, continually practicing—I find myself as somewhat of a mentor to younger players these days, and I lead by example. If anything, I’m someone who unapologetically presents original music. In the end, my work celebrates that originality and the lack of desire to follow trodden paths, and, humbly, that seems to be inspiring to more than a few.”

Why do you think that New Orleans music legacy continues to generate such a devoted following?

New Orleans is many things at the same time: sacred, profane, a lover, a fighter, a cruel mistress, a temptress, and a redeemer, often in the same day, and most certainly during a life lived here. The music of the city has always taken the many raw nerves of New Orleans and tempered them, sometimes in less than obvious ways. Regardless of hardships, New Orleans birthed jazz, and at the end of the day, there’s always a second line somewhere or Louis Armstrong…

Your work is known for creatively reimagining blues/jazz tradition. How do you balance respect for the roots with experimentation?

A respect for blues tradition is critical in the way I create music. The blues is life, plain and simple: an incredible way to tell one’s (or other’s) story. That being said, endless guitar solos that border on and/or are mimicry do little for me. In so much contemporary blues music, the song is very much secondary to a thinly veiled Albert King solo over a shuffle groove. King was one of the greatest guitarists ever, but if I want Albert King, I’ll listen to Albert King. In my music, I flip that script: the music is song centered, lyric centered, often with a reliance on jazz harmony and rhythmic syncopation. In the end, the music boils down connecting with the listener on somewhat familiar common ground with plenty of curve balls thrown in for good measure. In the end, language is universal, musicianship isn’t, and the lyrical content/theme of the songs are heavily focused on.

Are there any specific memories or highlights of your career that you would like to tell us about?!

Easy. “Good Crook” was recorded live in studio with legendary New Orleans jazz drummer Johnny Vidacovich. Johnny, with precious few others, literally wrote the book on New Orleans drumming and is a free jazz pioneer. He’s forgotten more about playing music than I’ll ever know. Being in the room and cutting the record live while he made chillingly perfect rhythmic choices (at times by simply remaining silent) was like being present as Matisse approached a large palette of reds only to choose the perfect shade for a single stroke that defined a masterpiece—that’s Johnny. There’s no one like him, and I look forward to recording with him again. Additionally, but far less artistically impactful, I woke up about two months ago to a version of “Snakes” going quite viral on social media with somewhere over 1.5 million views. It was surreal, humbling, and brought with it opportunity at the right time as we were getting ready to release “Good Crook.”  It also brought crazy requests, unsolicited marriage proposals, and a slew of inquiries that, even by New Orleans standards on Mardi Gras Day, were unfit for family friendly gatherings…

Why is it important to we preserve and spread the blues? What is the role of music in today’s society?

For me, it’s simple—the blues is hand-written, hand-played music. If it isn’t, it’s masquerading, period. AI has no place in the blues, very heavily produced music has no place in the blues, and the best blues (much like jazz) is best experienced live by artists who are true to themselves and refuse an all-too-common paint by numbers, cliched approach. Music’s role in society is to bring people together through commonality/community, and the way to truly do that (in blues or any other genre), is to get back to basics and tell a solid, relatable story. I often introduce my guitar to the audience as a ‘life story machine,’ and it is. When those stories connect, it’s magic.

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

I never settle. I’m always writing, continually practicing—I find myself as somewhat of a mentor to younger players these days, and I lead by example. If anything, I’m someone who unapologetically presents original music. In the end, my work celebrates that originality and the lack of desire to follow trodden paths, and, humbly, that seems to be inspiring to more than a few.

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

Practice, man, practice. Find the better players, open your ears, shut your mouth, and get to work. And, in the end, vibe conquers all.

Chris Vincent - Home

(Chris Vincent / Photo by Joshua Timmy)