Beau Hall

Beau Hall and the Magnificent 7 at Fuzzy's

ATLANTA – If you saw Beau Hall and the Magnificent 7 perform at Fuzzy's Place last Thursday, odds are you had a good time. Beau and the gang make it tough not to enjoy oneself.

To start with, the band was tight as can be. They moved effortlessly from the blues to rock to pop. And Beau was always ready to bring the funk as well as the noise.

But Beau isn't just a guitar player. He's also part comedian, or maybe would-be comedian.

Beau seems like a pretty good guy. And I should know. Well, we don't
Beau Hall leads the Magnificent 7 through a night of blues, funk, rock and more funk. And humor. Is that Beau's "O Face" or is he just glad to see us?
actually talk much – we just send messages to each other's Myspace pages, which in 2007 is considered to be a form of intellectual conversation. Who knows, next we may end up discussing Kant's thoughts on the existence of reason, or my thoughts on the existence of "Tom" at Myspace's admin office. (Just call me a doubter of Tom, though I also doubt intelligent design when our Myspace page is screwing up.)

Beau acted as master of ceremonies during the Magnificent 7's journey through the genres. He kept up a steady, witty banter with the audience and his band members. He called himself "cracka." He also addressed everyone as "bitches," and it worked for him. We white guys usually sound corny trying to capitalize on such cool urban lingo.

Word up.

See? It sounds forced. Fer shizzle, dawg.

But Beau has comedic timing, and that makes all the difference. Beau feigns surprise that anyone actually shows up to see his little ol' band croon a few tunes. Some of his fans, the Beaudists, follow him from show to show. They aren't the Deadheads or the Parrotheads – yet.
Guitarist Derek" Derail" Carvotta goes off while sax player Louie Vallee and drummer Steven Walker wait their turn. When it came time to solo, Derek provided the yin to Beau's yang. Or something like that.

But they're an enthusiastic lot, these Beaudists. A group of Beaudists made themselves known at Fuzzy's Thursday. A couple of women in the audience kept requesting "O Face," Beau's song about the expression that men make during the throes of amore. It's great when the folks know your originals.

The band started off with some old cover songs, like Robert Johnson's "Love in Vain" and Jimi's "Are You Experienced?" But it wasn't long before Beau and the band got the funk out, with Prince's "I Would Die 4 U" and Joe Cocker's "Feeling Alright."

Beau and guitarist Derek "Derail" Carvotta took turns doing solos. The two have completely different, but very complementary guitar styles. Beau plays a lot of licks from the Jimi Hendrix and Stevie Ray Vaughan school, while Derek goes for the Pat Metheny meets Mike Stern jazz vibe. Beau gets more of a soulful sound out of each note, while Derek just plays some impossible-sounding guitar parts, if I can borrow a Frank Zappa liner note. Each kept up a skronking rhythm while the other did the guitar god thing.

Bassist Ed Wilson and drummer Steven Walker locked in and provided a platform for the six-string shenanigans and for the saxophone prowess of Louie Vallee. Louie laid down some screaming sax during the band's tribute to the late, great Godfather of Soul. During James Brown's "Sex Machine," Louie played a continuing line based loosely on the song's scant lyrics, and Beau scatted along with him, using both guitar and vocals to match or harmonize with the sax. Very cool.

Beau put everything he had into singing the lyrics "sex machine" over and over, and Beaudist women loved it.

The band turned things up another notch and jumped into "O Face" and "Super Hot Lady Cop." Most guys have dreamed about getting pulled over by a supermodel-quality female cop, one who asks if we'd like to work out an informal payment plan on the spot. "Super Hot" is our anthem. Sure, Red Hot Chili Peppers came close with the story of the horny she-constable in "Sir Psycho Sexy," but that song was just a tad too unbelievable.

Like any of us would have a shot anyway.
Louie Vallee blowin' hot at Fuzzy's. He can make his sax scream like a banshee or cry like a baby.

"She's Too Rich For Me" and "Can I Get Some Lovin'?" are a couple of Beau's other originals that stood out. How many of you guys have known right away that a woman had more money than you, and that you had no chance? Come on. Admit it. I never did figure out how a Coach purse can cost $500.

"Can I Get Some Lovin'?" is funny as anything, and it cuts right to the chase. That song is what it's all about when you're in a bar looking for love. I can picture Dwight Schrute using that line on "The Office."

The band puts on a hell of a show. Their extended jams are fascinating, and they don't go on so long that the audience gets bored.

And Beau is a trip. If he forgets the words to a song, he'll make sure that the made-up words rhyme. Whatever he does, Beau does it with tongue planted firmly in cheek.

Beau and the Magnificent 7 crank out some of the most fun funk, blues and rock that you'll hear. Check them out February 3 and 15 at Darwin's. - Gophertunes.com

Beau Hall’s fresh new release of funky, blues-driven pop opens with some soulful Hammond organ playing and sharp harmonica riffs. Unh! will appeal to listeners with crafty sense of melodic representation, instrumentally savvy up-beat song craft and passionate vocal phrasing and lyrics. “Whatchagonnado” arrives complete with the genuine blend of soul and spirit, not to mention a charming, original and well-thought out hook. Hall’s vocals and words are pure and full of heart stirring emotional resonance, seemingly always on pitch of each particular key. “I Wanna Be the One” features the hyperkinetic buzz of Hall’s acoustic guitars which played with a great sense of personality and bleeding with a percussive feel. The backing group of musicians consists of experienced artists who add an edge that keeps these acoustic songs from falling flat on the kitchen table, in terms of overall performance. “Superhot Lady Cop” has one regretful aspect. Although the lead guitars are good, perhaps the lead hook about the title lady should take on the role as the title of the song. (Self-Released)
- Shawn M. Haney - Southeast Performer

Beau Hall’s message is a simple one: “This is me! I don’t suck! I promise I don’t!”

A joke? Yes. An understatement? A resounding yes.

Hall, an Atlanta native, has made a name for himself with that same self-deprecating style. He’s a joker, but he’s also sincere; he knows he’s a skilled musician, but he rags on himself nonetheless. This comes as no surprise, since this attitude is a staple of the type of music Hall expertly performs — as he put it — “blues-rock that’s very funky.”

Indeed, through his renowned live shows and new album, UNH!, Hall has mastered the trifecta of funk, blues and rock. He performs tonight at Jake’s Toadhouse in Decatur.

Hall admits that despite learning three instruments as a child, he wasn’t an instant virtuoso.

“[Music] was never anything I excelled at,” he said. “So it’s almost like musicianship probably comes second to my passion for just digging on good music.”

Despite being a slow learner, Hall still had a passion for music.

“I probably started knowing I wanted to be a musician of some sort when I was probably 10,” he said. “It just took me eight years to start getting serious with it.”

Hall draws much of his style from the simplicity of the blues. But even a casual listen to his music reveals layers that extend beyond this sound — namely dance beats.

“I wanted to do funky dance music because I love to dance,” he said. “I’ve got to dance. And so with that combined with the Rolling Stones, I sort of felt this three-pronged passion for blues, rhythm and blues, and funk.”

This translates well into Hall’s live shows. Energetic yet laid-back, funky and groovy, Hall truly comes alive onstage in an intimate venue.

Hall said live performances give him a huge rush — but only if the crowd gets into it.

“I will play for free for the rest of my life if people get up and dance,” he said.

Hall’s performances are confident and self-assured — after all, he has had nearly two decades to hone his craft. And yet, Hall has managed to hold on to the awe of a musician just starting out.

“The first time that somebody was walking out of a bar at 2 in the morning singing one of my songs, I remember that moment because it was just like, ‘Holy crap. This is it. This has happened,” he said. “When you hear somebody remember your song, it qualifies what you’re trying to do.”

And with the recent release of UNH!, available on dynasonic.com, a larger audience has a chance to discover Hall’s music. He is optimistic about its sound, yet realistic about its chances for success.

“Everybody that hears it loves it,” he said. “I’m not even shooting for top 40. When and if that happens, that’ll rock my world.”

Originally, Hall planned to play all the instruments on the album. But when he discovered his drumming skills were somewhat lacking, he asked John McKnight — a man whom he described as “bar none, the greatest musician in this city” — to fill in.

Hall said McKnight’s contribution and the studio’s support and ambition were instrumental in the creation of UNH!.

Highlights of the album include his tip of the hat to Prince, “Super Hot Lady Cop.” Hall said that though some people may be offended by the song’s seemingly lecherous lyrics, he’s being tongue-in-cheek.

“There’s this guy thinking he’s God’s gift to women using all these hot pervo slang terms for how slick he is with a chick, and in the end she turns out to be freakier than him — it scares him,” he said.

But, UNH! is far more than just a few funny funk tunes. On tracks like “Sometimes I Cry,” which is about Hall’s high school girlfriend who died, he explores the darker, more painful side of his life. The song is deliberate, almost ponderous at times, with a simple melody that effectively highlights lyrics like, “As hard as it was to say goodbye / I always wonder what would have happened if you hadn’t died / Sometimes, I cry / Wishing you were still by my side.”

It’s a message conveyed in a deceptively simple way. Hall doesn’t add frills, and instead lets his sadness speak for itself.

Despite the personal nature of some of his work, Hall said he might try writing for other artists.

“I’ve had other people do my songs, and you sometimes are crazed because they’re not doing it the way you want,” he said. “But it’s kind of interesting hearing somebody else’s take on it.”

Regardless of whether Hall achieves commercial success, he said, he still enjoys playing music, and that will keep him young — as well as keep audiences entertained. After all, he said, he doesn’t suck. - The Emory Wheel