Kaspar ‘Berry’ Rapkin sits down with CloudwatcherUno to record a special live interview podcast and play two live tracks “Police Dog Blues” originally recorded by Blind Blake in 1929 and “Window Peepin’ Mama” from his self titled album “Kaspar ‘Berry’ Rapkin and The Swamp Dogs”. All of this was recorded at CloudwatcherUno Podcast HQ.
We talk about meeting at Long Road Fest earlier in this summer, a grrrrreat event full of americana artists. It was there we got to exploring Kaspar’s blues music and lo and behold here we are with this fabulous podcast.
“Police Dog Blues” from Kaspar ‘Berry’ Rapkin recorded for CloudwatcherUno Podcast
Kaspar’s blues journey begins with a guitar gifted to him from a family friend when he was 11 on the condition that Kaspar would learn how to play it. At the age of 12 he discovered Pride and Joy on Guitar Hero and quickly realised this was the blues. This would send him on a path of education and revelation to the blues as a genre and a life style.
Kaspar in action with his steel guitar.
Kaspar went to New Orleans to celebrate turning 18 where he performed in B.B. Kings Blues Club (and was discovered by Harold Marcho music producer). Harold invited Kaspar back to the states to record his first single Sailing. Kaspar is now performing with his live band, Kaspar & The Swamp Dogs around St Albans, London and where ever he may be invited to. The band consists of Seb Rejal on bass guitar and drummer Mia Casey.
Kaspar is the real deal, a musician who lives and breathes blues music.
Enjoy our conversation on the podcast from CloudwatcherUno featuring Kaspar ‘Berry’ Rapkin. Also streaming on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Google Podcasts, Podcast Addict or wherever you listen to your podcasts.
CloudwatcherUno sits down with Elles Bailey to talk about ‘Cheats and Liars’, from Elles new album ‘Shining in the Half Light‘ due in 2022, her musical career so far from touring and promoting her album ‘Road I Call Home‘ which is where I first saw Elles live in concert. Elles recently won The UK Blues Awards — where she was awarded UK Blues Artist of the Year 2021 for the second year running.
‘Medicine Man‘ by Elles Bailey
‘Medicine Man‘ is one of my favourite songs of Elles but the story behind it acts now as a warning sign about the dark side of the music business. Having invested all her money in travelling to Los Angeles for four meetings with record labels with an American producer it turned out that he was a con artist.
The situation became the inspiration for another song ‘Wild Wild West‘
‘You guaranteed I’d feel a blazing fire Sold me a dream so I showed you every scar Planted a seed and I let you take me higher Now here I am on Sunset Boulevard’
Elles managed to use that negative experience and turn it into some of her most popular songs.
‘Wildfire‘ by Elles Bailey
We talk about the story for the fan favourite song ‘Howlin Wolf‘ which Elles wrote in 2013. Vietnam, Cambodia and Thailand in tribute to the bluesy delta rock and roll music that was the soundtrack for backpack adventures with her father. The love for this song is so much that there is a facebook page from her fans called the Wolfpack.
‘Howlin Wolf‘ by Elles Bailey
Recently Elles played at the Empress Ballroom at The British Country Music Festival 2021 in Blackpool. The festival promotes the best home-grown, contemporary country and Americana artists from across the UK. This was the highlight of the fledgling return of live music to the British Isles. The experience of reconnecting with a live audience was amazing and showed Elles how much she had missed playing live.
‘Cheats and Liars‘ by Elles Bailey
Elles never set out to be a country artist or a blues artist what she is and wants to be first and foremost is a musician who makes killer music. ‘Cheats and Liars’ when it first came out enjoyed a world exclusive on ‘The Blues Show with Cerys Matthews’, on BBC Radio Two and was added to Planet Rock’s A List and was the most played track on Planet Rock in September 2021. The success of this single has meant the second single ‘Sunset City‘ got pushed back to make way for this huge first single.
Elles is the very first artist to be signed to peermusic (the largest independent music publisher in the world) via Under The Apple Tree (UTAT) (the label co-founded by music and broadcasting legend ‘Whispering’ Bob Harris), spearheading a brand-new, music publishing, joint venture.
The Lexington – March 2019
Photo: Alan Dunkley
Photo: Alex Berger
With Elles Bailey at The Lexington – March 2019
Photo: Adam Kennedy
Out of all of these achievements one of the closest to Elles heart has been the birth of her baby which has brought her closer to her family and with their support Elles will be able to go back to what she loves doing most in the world which is going back on tour in October and November 2021.
Click below to hear the podcast from CloudwatcherUno featuring Elles Bailey. Also streaming on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Google Podcasts, Podcast Addict or wherever you listen to your podcasts.
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