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Greg Hodde’s Blue Reign



Last Updated: 11/29/2009

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Status: Married
City: SEEKONK
State: Massachusetts
Country: US
Signup Date: 3/30/2006

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Sunday, October 25, 2009 

Current mood:  accomplished
October 25, 2009 - Sunday 

(Stick with me here folks, it will be worth it)

Well this weekend seeing Greg Hodde was like the tale of two cities. Before anyone groans that all I do is write about Greg... SCREW. Don't blame me if you haven't taken the time out to go see this native New England guitar master yet. I know what I'm seeing, and 2 to 4 nights a week, every week, you'd be able to go see Greg and his band Blue Reign playing for free at tons of area clubs and get more quality entertainment and frankly, better quality musicianship than you would knocking down $40 to $60 bucks at any of the major venues in the region. So get off your ass, go see this guy, and join the gypsy warriors like me and my other Hummingbird Hodde diehard's and steal the best entertainment you can before someone with the right connections does and blows the whole god damned deal for all of us. Because I'll be facing financial ruin after that when we all have to pay the $40 to $60 dollar ticket prices we should have had to pay all along!

Now back to this weekend....

Friday night was an abomination and an execution of a complete lack of class and rip off the I have seldom EVER felt in any club, or business for that matter. This was at Zincones "Bar & Grill" in North Providence. This place treated me, a patron (and Greg the entertainment) to $3.00 glasses of ice slightly colored with the soda I ordered, minus the lemon they were out of... This after telling me that the BLT I tried to order from their 10 item overpriced appetizer menu would have be minus the lettuce and tomato, they were also "Out of"? This is FRIDAY NIGHT. When the hell DO you stock the kitchen for Christ sakes? Greg played 2 sets to a completely oblivious "crowd of regulars" that never clapped or acknowledged his presence once, while the owner parked himself at the corner of the bar like a patron all night drinking with his big haired girl friend only moving occasionally to get up to collect a $3.00 cover. Mercifully Greg pulled the plug after the second set and was treated to further indignation by only being paid half of the agreed price despite having delivered 2/3's of the show. That's way too much of my time wasted on this pathetic excuse for a club. See you in the unemployment line soon Mr. Zincone.

But Saturday night Greg got his revenge, which was served sweet in a small place with a BIG HEART at the Portuguese Social Club in North Dartmouth Mass. Right from the beginning you could sense that this would be a different night. Arriving early the patrons and staff were eagerly awaiting Greg's arrival, and the staff could not have been nicer. The one woman bartending marvel named Lena, whose outgoing personality and patron attentiveness was the first clue this night would be different. She greeted us warmly and hit us over the head with an affable personality that reeked of mischief and fun spirit that never faltered all night as she single handedly kept up with the packed house never keeping a drink order waiting for a minute. I'm just saying, this woman deserves props!

When Greg managed to float in the door from the torrential rainstorm that briefly threatened to wash us all out to sea(?), the patrons excitement was suddenly palpable. This is a venue Greg's visited several times and he enjoys playing to. The nights line up feature the recent fill-in, job stealing additions of Trevor "Boom Boom" Hodde on drums, (slight relation) and George "Big Heart" Morse on Bass. These two additions have energized Greg's band with youthful exuberance that more than makes up for the journeymen experience of the regular pairing of Joe Downs on Bass and Dave Watson on drums, and the pair owes no excuses to anyone for their musicianship. They have EARNED the right to play with the virtuoso Sr. Hodde.

Trevor is a very talented, multi instrument percussionist drummer who can't deny the musical DNA coursing throughout his body, and is showcased with the recent addition to the song repertoire with the Edgar Winter classic "Frankenstein". Last night 'Boom-Boom' further slayed the crowd with a show stealing, dad matching, performance of what some may consider a drum cliché; a version of the classic drum feature "Wipeout". Any material is what you make of it folks and Trevor did his part to make sure everyone in that club KNEW he deserved to be on that stage.

In my opinion, George Morse has change this band.
While you get a sense from his polite unassuming but gregarious personality, that this one time student of Greg's is still trying to live up to the honor of getting a shot to play with someone of Greg's caliber, George demonstrates nothing but shear joy at performing with these guys, and is so into the show and rocking out that his enthusiasm is infectious and 'Big Heart"(ed) charisma unavoidable. As soon as these guys add a bass featuring tune or two to the line up that will also demonstrate HIS musical chops... well watch out, our wallets are going to take a hit!

These guys came out of the gate flying and apparently Greg was on a mission to purge his soul of every indignity the previous night had offered. He was IN THE ZONE and as I sat there bouncing in awe I knew a corner had been turned. The two rookies are pulling Greg into a comfortable place where he gets caught up with the youthful fountain of the love of a gig, and when Hummingbird gets comfortable and gets into this zone you just need seat belts to hold you down like the classic JBL speaker advertisement with the guy in the chair in front of his speakers and hair blowing backward at right angle.

So I'll say it one more time, don't come bitching to me that I write about Greg too much. Get of your ass and see these guys... THEN you can decide if you want to continue your moot complaint about what I'm apostleatizing; This guy and his band are the complete and total real deal, and I'm going to gloat once again that I'm a lucky spoiled bastard with a good ear just trying to let you all in on an entertainment bargain that can't be beat!

Rock on Hummingbird and the Boys!

Peace Always everyone.

KibbieR




Photos copyright 2009 Jack Keough & Kelsey Keough
Prints available thru www.artistJackKeough.com
4:45 PM 
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Friday, July 17, 2009 

Current mood:  okay
Category: Music
Setpember 5th 8:00 PM Interview worldwide from Alanta Georgia derekshapiroshow.com tune in.
4:57 PM 
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Thursday, June 25, 2009 

Current mood:  accomplished

Miracle men
Greg Hodde’s deep blue's
BY BOB GULLA

 

Greg Hodde and the Blue Miracles have been leaning into the local and regional blues scene since 1996. That was when Hodde, inspired by his years of experience working for other bands on the circuit, decided to strike out on his own. Since then, Hodde and his cohorts, drummer Dave Watson and bassist Joe Downs, have been logging serious miles and chalking up at least 150 gigs a years. That tally is not only a testament to the enduring power a sharp blues band wields in this area, but also a good indication that people are coming out to see these Miracles do their thing.
Well, Hodde and company finally have a CD to show for their efforts. Greg Hodde and the Blue Miracles is a great showcase for the guitarist’s substantial skills. He’s obviously inspired by a variety of six-stringers, from electric bluesman Gary Moore to Jimi Hendrix and Stevie Ray Vaughan. Hodde explains a few of the cuts on the album so guitarists in particular can appreciate them. " ‘Got Love’ is a fun swing tune with influences from Duke Robillard, Charlie Christian and Les Paul. ‘Link Dale’ is a tribute to the great Dick Dale and Link Wray. ‘Whose Life Is It?’ is very Santana, Gary Moore, and Eric Johnson. ‘What Goes Around’ is wide open with a hint of Alvin Lee and Johnny Winter."
Guitar playing isn’t the only feature of interest on the new record. Hodde peppers his songs with weighty issues as well, topics you don’t generally find in the cliché-prone idioms of blues and blues-rock. Chasing drugs and alcohol is the subject of "Just Can’t Lose." "I don’t mind saying," Hodde notes, "that I’ve been drug- and alcohol-free for 15 years. I lost a lot but still have music, friends, and family, and health, thank God." Elsewhere, "Roomful of Mirrors" is about "blaming everyone for problems that I or anyone created for themselves." "What Goes Around" is about paying for all the crummy things people do and then have to account for them. Hodde’s blues, as traditional as any in the electric sense, are rife with the concerns of today, and quite different than your average black snake moaner outta Chicago.
Not everything on the disc is uber-dark. Hodde thought it best to mix it up a bit because, after all, the blues knows how to turn bad feelings into a good time. "I didn’t want the whole record to be dark, so we put some fun stuff on there to lighten it up." Hence, the tribute to Dale and Wray and the familiar dashes of upbeat R&B. Throughout the disc, Hodde, Downs, and Watson keep it tight and focused, with the rhythm section reigning things in even while Hodde makes hot and frequent excursions on guitar.

 

5:27 PM 
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Sunday, June 21, 2009 

Current mood:  accomplished
June 20, 2009 - Saturday 
Greg Hodde Ripped the roof off of Chans last night
Current mood:  ecstatic



Last night Greg Hodde and his band Blue Reign tore the pagoda roof off of the esteemed musical mecca Chans Restaurant in Woonsocket RI. Blue Reign featuring Dave Watson on Drums and Joe Downs on bass got an extra dose of awesome with Scott Doyle sitting in on keyboards for what turned out to be an historic evening in New England's rich musical history as Greg Hodde unleashed a virtuoso performance comparable to ANYTHING by ANYBODY on ANY STAGE... EVER! It was like watching Stevie Ray Vaughn being born before your eyes and I am confident I have not committed blasphemy in that comparison

I'm a spoiled bastard. I get to see Greg play out a lot since 30 seconds into his first song on my first visit to see him about 2 1/2 years and 35+ shows ago. This gig was going to be special and Greg was out to make a statement. He Delivered! The clubs owner, the venerable John Chan was noticeably impressed throughout the evening as Hodde brought the crowd to their feet over 8 times with mid set standing ovations as he delivered blistering arrangements of cover songs and a deservedly unabashed mix of his own songs off of his album with the boys under their previous moniker Blue Miracles. The past few weeks as this gigs date got closer Greg had been tinkering with new additions and rearrangements including a fusion mix of Dylan's iconic All Along the Watchtower that paid tribute to the Hendrix and Vaughn versions but featured Hodde's own mix of Jazz riffs that would turn effortlessly to some of the most ass kicking shredding this side of Yngwie (Keeping in mind that Yngwie lives in a world that God only plays in every few centuries or so)

I now bestow on Hodde a new handle: HUMMINGBIRD since his hands are moving faster than a hummingbirds' wings, and everybody in that room last night knows in every fiber of their being... 

That Last night, Greg Hodde established himself... as a ROCK GOD

Peace to you Greg and Congratulations on a performance that will now live on in the pantheon of the absolute greatest moments ever on any stage in New England!

Peace folks.

Kibbie R

www.artistJackKeough.com 





Photo copyright Jack Keough 2009
  
5:51 PM 
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