Storytellin’: Singer-Songwriter Jeff Powers Makes Chicago Debut At The Elbo Room – Saturday, October 20

Shane | 3 October 2012 | Reply

“(Powers is a) poet, troubadour, emigre’ returning home with tall tales and hard-lived insights… from his Hendrix-like blues-based guitar riffs and sixties references in “13 Seconds 67 Shots (Kent State Massacre)” to the Buffalo Springfield-like “Gypsy Girl (Ode To Ani DeFranco)” to the folk simplicity of “Standing In The Rain,” the journey is well worth taking.”

Joey Alkes/ALL ACCESS MAGAZINE

“I know I will take some heat for this, but there are times on his self-titled disc that Jeff Powers sounds like Bob Dylan…maybe not in terms of how he approaches his vocals, but in lyrical content. On “15 Seconds 67 Shots” Powers conjures up the right amount of disbelief and angst over the happenings of that tragic day, and does so in a Dylan-esque manner.”

Chuck Dauphin/MUSIC NEWS NASHVILLE

(Chicago, IL) – Acclaimed Midwest singer-songwriter Jeff Powers makes his Chicago performing debut at popular live music venue The Elbo Room, 2871 N. Lincoln Ave., Saturday, October 20. 8-10 p.m. $5. Info: (773) 549-5549 or www.facebook.com/ElboRoomChicago

Powers combines vocals strongly reminiscent of Neil Young with the wordsmith abilities of Bob Dylan; as well as the passionate anger and love of the late John Lennon with some Eric Clapton-esque guitar work.

The thirteen tracks on his latest self-titled CD songs encompass elements of Americana, Roots, Blues and some Rock. “These are songs i felt I needed to put out first and they work or sit together, if you will, as a whole,” explains Powers.

Each song tells a story – “Wild Child (The Ballad of Brian Power)” is “a remembrance to an urban legend, someone I grew up with and knew very well… he was an exciting and very funny guy who was also crazy dangerous and deeply flawed.” “Gypsy Girl (Ode to Ani DiFranco) “was inspired by a radio interview with DiFranco that I happened to hear.”

Jeff Powers – Brief Bio

While living as an illegal alien and partying like a rock star in Mexico, City for 7 years, Jeff cut his teeth with various blues bands. Though he moved to Mexico City to perform and teach classical guitar, he soon dropped out of the cozy and well-paid classical world to live and play in the down and dirty clubs, jails and places at the end of dirt roads.

Barely eeking out a living, Powers would cross the entire city with guitar and amp in hand by bus and subway to get to a gig or rehearsal. During his years there he wrote over two-hundred songs and developed his own style of blues guitar based around his classical technique.

After returning to his home town of Cleveland, Jeff formed a blues band and started recording original songs and performing with the band and as a solo acoustic act. Powers has been playing in the Cleveland area for fifteen-plus years in Dead Guy Blues and Clarksdale and also as a solo acoustic artist.

Besides performing his own songs, Power’s sets include music by singer/songwriters like: Bob Dylan, Neil Young and Jeff Buckley and blues by: Stevie Ray Vaughan, Muddy Waters, Robert Johnson and Lightnin’ Hopkins. Jeff incorporates finger picking, slide and a loop station to stretch out on lead guitar and give his solo shows a lot of variety.

Mixed in with Power’s original songs some arranging highlights include: a Delta style version of “Voodoo Chile,” Jeff Buckley’s magnificent version of “Hallelujah,” the Stephen Stills’ classic “Treetop Flyer” and a Dobro slide version of Charlie Daniels’ “Long Haired Country Boy.”