"Keepin' It Real" From Sydney To Hollywood

Some believe that to play or even appreciate the blues, the style has to be in your blood, you have to be born loving it or born with a guitar in your hand and the blues scale already a part of your DNA. However, Sydney-based singer, songwriter and guitarist Jesse Redwing, proves that this is absolutely not the case.  

"I grew up listening to punk music, and I still love punk," Redwing reveals, speaking from Hollywood. "I love a lot of different types of music. My family doesn't listen to blues, and I'm a white boy from Sydney. But somehow that spirit got into me. I was just drawn to it, I don't know why; maybe it's some affinity between Jewish people and black people - we both had to struggle. 

"I think [the blues] just suits my personality, I can be a bit of a depressive sometimes. But music just fixes everything." 

Ultimately, he feels that while the blues is still associated with African-American culture and sprang from the southern American plantations during the 19th century, it can be played and appreciated by anyone in this day and age. "There's no colour for the blues: you can be white, pink, green - you can be a tuna-fish sandwich and still play the blues!" he laughs.  

Blues-loving punters can check out Redwing's own unique take on the style when his debut album I'm Comin' On is released. As is so often the case, especially with the blues, there is a long and involved story behind the writing and recording of the record. "I couldn't be more psyched," he enthuses. "It's been two years in the making and I can't for people to hear it. 

"In fact, it basically represents the last five years of me playing in bars and pubs around Australia — just the culmination of that, playing with my boys for all those years," he goes on, "and all the songs that came out of it. By the time we got to the studio in '15 it was just all super-tight and came off like a dream." 

The songwriting and production on the album walks a sweet line between paying homage to the old-school sounds of the classic bluesmen of yesteryear while still maintaining a youthful exuberance. "We did most of it live. That's what I'm all about, keepin' it real, baby!" he quips. "I wanted to keep it real and live but still crisp and modern sounding, not necessarily intentionally retro." 

At this stage he has just two special showcase-type shows in the States, one in LA and one in New York, but he hopes the shows will lead to more extensive sojourns Stateside. "I'm a US citizen, which makes it much easier," he says. "So I'm trying to gain some traction over here at the moment, covering the west and east coast at this point with the hope of getting a foothold and getting back here within six months to a year to do a proper tour."