“To me, playing with soul, feeling it, is more important than technique. Naturally, you've got to have some chops in order to pull this off, but a technical performance without feeling would sound bland.”

Al Lerman: Country-Fried Blues

Veteran Canadian Bluesman Al Lerman is cooking up country-fried blues with his new album “Country-Fried Blues” will be released on April 5th, 2024. Al Lerman is a veteran bluesman with highly personal musical style. Possessing a great knowledge of the blues tradition on both harmonica and guitar, he brings that sensibility to songs that he’s written about his own contemporary life and times. For two days, he and an amiable group of A-list musicians hunkered down in an 1830s farmhouse, which had recently been converted into a studio known as the Ganaraska Recording Company. They hung out, laughed, played, and carried on into the wee hours. That joyful mood made its way onto this recording. The songs were recorded live-off-the-floor, with minimal overdubs added in one final session.

(Al Lerman / Photo by Nick Harding)

Acoustic instruments prevail here - a nod to the early rural blues styles, while a rock-steady rhythm section keeps things moving with modern vitality. Multi-instrumentalist Jimmy Bowskill shines throughout, colouring the mix with mandolin, fiddle, and guitar. Al’s guitar is sometimes plugged into a tremolo effected amp, conjuring up swampy, aural imagery. It may surprise listeners to learn his fluid harp work was played on a rack while simultaneously playing guitar. Over the years, Lerman’s masterful prowess on the harp has earned him several prestigious Maple Blues Award nominations for Harmonica Player of the Year. Produced by Alec Fraser, Country-Fried Blues features nine greasy-good original songs peppered with a handful of covers bearing Lerman’s unmistakable stamp.

Interview by Michael Limnios            Archive: Al Lerman, 2019 & 2011 Interview

Special Thanks: Al Lerman & Sarah French Publicity

How do you think that you have grown as an artist since you first started making music? What has remained the same about your music-making process?

There's nothing like longevity to make one feel very confident in what they are doing. I've always had a passion to play music and that hasn't diminished. It drives me to play, to get better, and it inspires me to continue writing.

Why do you think that the acoustic sound continues to generate such a devoted following?

lt's a pure and organic sound. Songs written and played on an acoustic bring it down to its most basic level. Adding to that is where the fun starts!

Do you have any interesting stories about the making of the new album “Country-Fried Blues” in Ganaraska Recording Company?

I've lived out in the country for the past fifteen years, and going to GRC was a very comfortable fit. Alec Fraser produced, and I always have a ball working with him. He's a great player and really understands what makes my stuff tick. Along with Jimmy Bowskill, Chuck Keeping and Steve O'Connor, we played all day and into the night. We weren't watching the clock. I'd played quite a bit in the past with Chuck and Alec, but never with Jimmy or Steve. Playing with new people seems to invite some spontaneity. The vibe was very positive and everybody was into it. There was lots of laughing and carrying on too. It had been a long while since I stayed up to 4am, but it was so much fun, nobody wanted to go to bed. I think that funky, old farmhouse somehow contributed to the mood of this record as well.                     (Al Lerman / Photo by Drew Monrad) 

There's a song that says "I feel so damn good, I forgot that I have the blues". I've been with the sweetest woman in the entire solar system for thirty-seven years! We live in a beautiful secluded spot on a river. I'm happy, and that's how I feel when I play. That's how I hope people will feel when they hear me.“

What has been the hardest obstacle for you to overcome as a person and as artist and has this helped you become a better blues musician?

Early on, I developed a thick skin. As a musician, you get a lot of negative things coming your way. It's a very competitive business where everybody wants those best gigs. Trying to solicit work for yourself, you'd hear the word "no" more than anything... if you heard anything at all. I realize as a career musician that there are ups and downs. As far as "has this made me a better blues musician?", I don't know. It certainly keeps me humble. I think the years spent playing is really the thing that has made me a better musician.

What's the balance in music between technique and soul? Why is it important to we preserve and spread the blues?

To me, playing with soul, feeling it, is more important than technique. Naturally, you've got to have some chops in order to pull this off, but a technical performance without feeling would sound bland. It wouldn't move you. Some of those old blues recordings might be considered crude, but man, they had something going on! Robert Johnson had soul AND technique! Guys like him, Ray Charles and BB King, possessed both soul and technique... that's genius.

Blues music has been changing since it was first played, and that keeps it current. Genres have to evolve, or you are just repeating licks. I try and do my own take on things, but I'm sure the blues will always influence my music. It was the music I've been listening to and studying for decades. In my younger days, I got to sit in with giants like Muddy Waters, Willie Dixon, and would hang out all day with Carey Bell learning how to play harp. Those guys encouraged me and inspired me. I hope I might inspire somebody to dig deeper and check out the pioneers of this great music.

Life is more than just music, is there any other field that has influence on your life and music?

There's a song that says "I feel so damn good, I forgot that I have the blues". I've been with the sweetest woman in the entire solar system for thirty-seven years! We live in a beautiful secluded spot on a river. I'm happy, and that's how I feel when I play. That's how I hope people will feel when they hear me.

Al Lerman - Home

(Al Lerman / Photo by Drew Monrad)