BoPoMoFo

Artist Information

Biography

BoPoMoFo is a perfect example of the world-wide appeal of the Blues. We are an international band with members from 4 countries; the USA, Canada, Germany and Japan.
Our main source of inspiration is the highly-charged, electrified Delta sounds of Chicago-styles Blues played by Muddy Waters and exemplified by the Chess Records catalog but we also draw from the well-spring of other Blues styles - Jump Blues and Texas Blues, for example.

BoPoMoFo is not a copy band. We play what we feel and we feel what we play. That's the way it ought to be.

Instrumentation

DC 'deacon' Rapier - vocals, harmonica, tenor sax, flute, slide guitar, rhythm guitar
Klaus 'Mr Fixer' Tseng - keyboards, vocals
Aki 'the Flame' Ikeda - lead guitar, vocals
'Dafu' Daisuke Neishi - drums
Mike 'Steel-fingers' Tennant - bass guitar, vocals

Discography

'Hell Froze Over' recorded in Feb, 2007 at Sun Studio, Memphis

'Blues Grooves from Taiwan', an album of original songs and 'Live' cuts

Links

• BoPoMoFo Promo

Audio

• Blues Floozy
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• Back to the Scene of the Crime
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• Back Alley Angel
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• Her Name Was Ruth
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• You Done Done Me Wrong
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• Without a Reason Why
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• Empty
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• All I Do
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• Best Laid Plans
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• What Went Wrong
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Lyrics

• Back-Alley Angel
• Makin' My Ulcer Bleed
• Blues Floozy
• Empty
• Best Laid Plans

Video

BoPoMoFo at BeatClub, Japan #1

Photo Gallery

Press

• 'Hell Froze Over' CD review [+ Show ]
  

  A self-released CD recorded at the legendary Sun Recording Studio in Memphis , Tennessee . Blues, re...A self-released CD recorded at the legendary Sun Recording Studio in Memphis , Tennessee . Blues, recorded in Memphis by a band from Taiwan with an American singer with a deep, profundo bass voice leading the way. Okay. Who are these guys and where the heck did these guys come from?
  Adding to the mystique is front man DC “deacon” Rapier. Singing in his deep and profound bass voice, he is a real presence at the mic. He also fills in with the harp and rhythm guitar. Not a lot of deep basses front bands, especially blues bands (Sleepy LaBeef comes quickly to mind but not a lot of others who sing in the rich, lower ranges), so DC’s vocals stand out and get noticed. With every listen his vocals grew more and more on me. Aki “The Flame” Ikeda on guitar, Daisuke “Dafu” Neishi on drums, Michael “Steel Fingers” Tennant on bass and Klaus “Mr. Fixer Tseng on keys round out the band. They are a talented bunch who have put together a nice little CD.
  All of the guitar, bass and drum work was recorded live and all the songs except for the last one are originals. Rapier wrote 8 tracks by himself had his hand in another with Michael Rapier, and Tseng wrote the other tune. The tracks are predominantly a jump blues style with lyrics ranging from traditional blues topics to the whimsical. They begin with “Blues Floozy”, where Rapier laments about this hot woman who appears while he’s out with his main squeeze and he swears that “She’s just a blues floozy”. Apparently he makes out okay because the woman stands up to her and cold cocks the “blues floozy”, knocking her out. Rapier's vocals here and throughout are deep and distinct, whether doing slow blues like “Back Alley Angel” or rocking to tunes like “You Done Me Wrong”. His lyrics are interesting (eg “I’m going Biblical- I’m gonna swap you an eye for an eye” on “You Done Me Wrong”). Ikeda’s fretwork is understated yet equally interesting. He approaches this and the rest of the tracks with a fresh sound, using a few tricks and fuzziness here and there to add appeal. Tseng’s keys add a nice touch and his lead vocals on his song “All I Do” are a nice contrast to Rapiers’. William “Honeyboy” Janssen adds his sax on “What Went Wrong”, which blends well with Rapier’s vocal, Ikeda’s guitar solos and Tseng’s organ. Rapier’s harp is greasy and very authentic Chicago , highlighted on tracks like “Making My Ulcer Bleed”. His lyrics here again give a bit of a chuckle, with all the angst from the thing his baby does to him to make his ulcer bleed. They close with the Beatle’s “I Saw Her Standing There”; they turn this into a slow blues with a deep, driving beat provided by Tennant. It is quite the interesting take on a familiar song. The deep vocals, bass line and down tempo offer a unique and different approach to this song.
  At first I was unsure how I felt about these guys. The bass vocals are quite stark and different but between that and the often lighthearted lyrics it really grows on you quickly. Ikeda’s guitar is harnessed in and not overdone. The organ/keyboard work by Tseng fills in nicely and the back beat by Tennant and Neishi are tight and appropriate. It’s a cool production done by a talented set of musicians and as an initial offering from this band I have to give it a “thumbs up”! Check them out on line on Facebook and YouTube to see for yourself!
  

• BoPoMoFo Satisfies
  

  "No other band makes the blues feel as soul-satisfyingly good as BoPoMoFo."

• Don't Miss BoPoMoFo at BLISS [+ Show ]
  

  "If you saw BoPoMoFo last time at Bliss, I'm sure you'll want to see them again. If you didn't see t..."If you saw BoPoMoFo last time at Bliss, I'm sure you'll want to see them again. If you didn't see them, then don't miss out this time."

• Chicago-style Blues on Taiwan [+ Show ]
  

  "...a local act you'll definitely not be disappointed by is BoPoMoFo, a Chicago-style blues band unl..."...a local act you'll definitely not be disappointed by is BoPoMoFo, a Chicago-style blues band unlike any other here in Taiwan.
  Logan Paige - China Post
  

• Authentic Blues [+ Show ]
  

  "BoPoMoFo would be a hit in Chicago... we are very fortunate to have a band that can put out authent..."BoPoMoFo would be a hit in Chicago... we are very fortunate to have a band that can put out authentic blues sound, Chicago-style."
  
  

• Pure Chicago-style Blues [+ Show ]
  

  "BoPoMoFo is a multicultural five-piece grass roots blues band that plays pure Chicago-style blues. ..."BoPoMoFo is a multicultural five-piece grass roots blues band that plays pure Chicago-style blues. "
  
  

• “BoPoMoFo is packed with great musicians with a tight sound. [+ Show ]
  

  “BoPoMoFo is packed with great musicians with a tight sound. A very good experience for me.” Darrell...“BoPoMoFo is packed with great musicians with a tight sound. A very good experience for me.” Darrell Raines

Setlist

Our typical set is 45 minutes long. We have more than 4 sets of material - classic Blues, R&B standards and original compositions.
The titles of some of our self-penned tunes are 'Makin' My Ulcer Bleed', 'Blooze Floozy', 'Back-Alley Angel', 'Empty', 'You Done Done Me Wrong', 'Her Name Was Ruth' and 'Back to the Scene of the Crime'.

Here is a sample of the standard Blues tunes we play:
Baby, What You Want Me to Do?
Don�t Start Me Talking
I�m Ready!
Mustang Sally
I�m Tore Down
Hootchie Cootchie Man
HideAway
Key to the Highway
Luv Somebody
Boom! Boom! Out Go the Lights!
634-5789
Born in Chicago
Let the Good Times Roll
Domino
Little By Little
You Gotta Go
Good Morning Little Schoolgirl
Messin' with the Kid
I Just Wanna Make Love to You
Talk to your Daughter
Walking By Myself
But I Ain�t Got You
I Got My Mojo Workin�

Basic Requirements

Calendar