"I think people just worked harder in general back in the 60s and as a result, were able to create some great stuff, including music. As time went on, everything has gotten easier. You no longer have to devote years to your craft if you don’t want to. It’s easier than ever to create, record and release music and as a result, there’s a lot more poor quality music out there."

Mojo Minefield: Blues n' Rock Steps!

Southern Ontario’s Mojo Minefield is an aggressive three-piece blues rock group carrying on the power trio sound that came to be in the 60s and 70s. With gritty vocals and cranked up guitar tones, they dance around the line between full throttle, psychedelic garage rock and in your face blues and roots music.  Mojo Minefield Blast onto the Blues-Rock Scene with new album “Watch Your Step!” is set for release on September 6th, 2024 . “This album was a long time coming. It’s our own unique take on blues rock. Kind of a Black Keys vibe, but heavier. Like Radio Moscow. When I heard those guys a couple years ago I thought, “this is it, this is the sound I’m trying to create.” Blues rock with just the right amount of face melting added in”, says Fry. Lead vocalist/guitarist Tyler Fry cut his teeth in the local music scene in Kitchener, Ontario, regularly attending blues jams and learning from the seasoned veterans in the area. The rhythm section is made up of Scott Carere on bass guitar, and drummer Ethan Meyers, better known by the fans as Big Geno, who loves to get the crowd going and keep the energy high.

(Photo: Mojo Minefield are vocalist/guitarist Tyler Fry, Scott Carere on bass, and drummer Ethan Meyers)

After forming for a show in Mississippi in 2018 in memory of local blues man Mel Brown, Mojo Minefield stuck with it and has been spreading that southern hospitality around the Kitchener Waterloo region ever since. Watch Your Step! features 10 high-octane originals with an abundance of sharp lyrics, heavy grooves and a myriad of emotions. If musical face melting were an Olympic sport, Mojo Minefield would bring home the gold.

Interview by Michael Limnios                    Special Thanks: Sarah French Publicity

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

I never grew up with a lot of rock music, but I got into it as my older brother would share stuff with me. A lot of Ozzy Osbourne at first. When I was 18, I was on a camping trip and I smoked a joint and heard Led Zeppelin’s You Shook Me for the first time. I was astonished. I never knew music could be so good. After that I went off the deep end with zeppelin, listening to the albums front to back, and all the live concerts and bootlegs I could find. It was after that I started looking into where this music came from, and started diving into the blues. Delta blues, Chicago blues m, anything I could find. I loved to see how it evolved, and how new generations took it further and further.

Currently you’ve one release with Scott Carere and Ethan Meyers. How did that relationship and idea of band come about? What is the story behind band’s name: Mojo Minefield?

The three of us have played together since 2018. I went to high school with Scott, and Scott and Ethan met in university. Originally, we played in Scott’s indie/folk rock band, Young Pilot. He did lead guitar and vocals, and I played bass. Somewhere along the line I hijacked the group, Ethan started drumming with me in 2018 and Scott joined on bass later on.

Mojo Minefield is a name I’ve had tucked away for a long time waiting to release some music. I have a deep love for delta blues, and all kinds of blues, and I always loved learning about the history. I wanted a name that ties back to those Roots somehow, and the word Mojo does just that. Our band has all kinds of mojo, so in turn, it’s like a minefield. You better watch your step, there’s mojo everywhere.

"It’s important that we preserve the blues, as that’s where so much of our modern music was inspired from if you follow it back the trail. To me it’s one of the truest forms of music and it allows you to go wherever you want with it. Music brings people together. It gives people from all over a chance to relate with each other. It can be a real community builder." (Photo: Mojo Minefield)

How do you describe band’s sound, music philosophy and songbook? Do you have any interesting stories about the making of the new album “Watch Your Step”?

I describe our sound as blues rock with a bit of an edge. On the line between full throttle, psychedelic garage rock and in your face blues and roots music. Our catalog stretches further than that, getting into some folky and almost R&B territory.

Why do you think that the Blues Rock music continues to generate such a devoted following in Canada?

I think blues music attracts dedicated musicians who are determined to master their craft, and set on expressing serious amounts of soul. You find people that have truly mastered their instruments and are given the freedom to flaunt it, maybe more so than in some other styles of music. I think people appreciate the authenticity and even the spontaneity you find in a lot of blues music.

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

I think people just worked harder in general back in the 60s and as a result, were able to create some great stuff, including music. As time went on, everything has gotten easier. You no longer have to devote years to your craft if you don’t want to. It’s easier than ever to create, record and release music and as a result, there’s a lot more poor quality music out there. I hope that in the future we still see large amounts of people mastering their instruments to the virtuoso level and being successful with it. That’s an element completely missed by electronic types of music.

Are there any specific memories or highlights (gigs, jams, open acts) that you would like to tell us about?!

We played our first gig in Mississippi and that’s what finally kicked me in the ass to get a band together. Mel Brown was a big part of the music scene in Kitchener, but he had passed away before I came around and got the chance to meet him. His wife Miss Angel is still a regular part of the scene, and after meeting her at a local blues jam one night, she liked what she heard, and invited me down south to play a show in memory of Mel. I was honored and of course I said yes, but this gave me just under two weeks to assemble a band, learn some material, and make the 1600km journey. It ended up being quite a small show, but the experience was once in a lifetime. After that I finally had a band and began gigging locally.

"I think blues music attracts dedicated musicians who are determined to master their craft, and set on expressing serious amounts of soul. You find people that have truly mastered their instruments and are given the freedom to flaunt it, maybe more so than in some other styles of music. I think people appreciate the authenticity and even the spontaneity you find in a lot of blues music."

(Photo: Tyler Fry of Mojo Minefield)

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

It’s important that we preserve the blues, as that’s where so much of our modern music was inspired from if you follow it back the trail. To me it’s one of the truest forms of music and it allows you to go wherever you want with it. Music brings people together. It gives people from all over a chance to relate with each other. It can be a real community builder.

Let’s take a trip with a time machine, so where and why would you really want to go for a whole day?

I would have to go back and see a Zeppelin show when they were in their prime. I think they reached musical heights that no one else has. Maybe January 8, 1970 at the Royal Albert Hall.

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