Claude Hay

Claude Hay
One-Man Oz Band

is purveying the “one-band band” concept in a unique way with unique instruments. He played all of the instruments on his 2010 release, Deep Fried
Satisfied, and performs solo, relying on a homemade doubleneck guitar/bass
named “Betty.”

The guitarist/singer got into the idea “...purely because my band took a break,
and the bass player suggested I should go solo until we reformed. I love playing
solo, and in Australia, it’s a long drive between gigs, so from a logistical and
financial point of view it’s easier to tour as a solo artist. Once you get comfortable
being by yourself onstage, there’s no turning back.” Hay’s twin-neck instrument is interesting, conceptually and construction wise.

“Basically, the top half of it is a 251/2”-scale bass guitar,” he detailed.
“And the bottom is like a baritone. The body is an old kitchen bench top that I had
lying around – a nice piece of maple – but I kind of regret using it now because it
weighs a ton!” The baritone has Bill Lawrence pickups, while the top has pickups from an import bass Hay had shelved. “They’re nice and old – warm Fender copies from the ’70s.”

The instrument can emulate the sound of an acoustic guitar, thanks to a
L.R. Baggs piezo bridge with a built-in acoustic preamp. “I wanted as many sounds and options as possible, quickly, on the fly,” Hay enthused. “Though it’s a solidbody electric, when you plug in the piezo, you’d be hard-pressed to tell it from a Yamaha APX. It really does sound like an acoustic.” Another interesting instrument Hay uses on occasion was a true wall-hanger when he acquired it.
“It’s a half-sized sitar I scored from a party in the Blue Mountains,” he recounted. “It was hanging on a wall, so I picked it up and started playing slide on it. The owner said ‘No one has ever played that. You can have it.’ I was so excited to discover a new sound... new to me, anyway.”

He wanted to use the sitar live, so it underwent modifications including new
tuners and an EMG pickup. “It was originally a bulb-back sitar. But thanks to the dodgy-ass baggage handlers at airports, it was smashed, so I converted
it to a solidbody. I had to do a gig with it wrapped in gaffe tape, but it survived.
And now it’s a solidbody – better live than for recording.”
In the studio, Hay relies on a Maton 325 acoustic, but for live gigs he counts
on Betty and a Yamaha Silent Guitar. He also owns a Martin. While playing
live, his right foot controls his kick drum and snare, while his left foot controls the
hi-hat, tambourines, and looping. The title of Deep Fried Satisfied is
a nod to American fast food, and the music reflects an Americana vibe. As
might be expected from a one-man band, many songs have a “thumping”
beat, with slower tunes having a “front porch” style, while the faster-tempo
numbers comes across as borderline techno/ disco. The opening
track, “Get Me Some,” is notable for both its guitar and bass solos, played through
envelope followers. “I’m a big fan of envelope filters,” Hay said. “One of my fave bass players is Bootsy Collins – the envelope-filter king! He was a huge influence on me; the guy has funk oozing out of him.”

One of the more lyrically interesting songs is “Don’t Give Me That,” the shout-it-out chorus of which proclaims, “Don’t give me that s**t!” Hay clarified that it’s actually an outraged-consumer rip-off declaration, written to recall a used-car purchase gone bad.

The sole cover on Deep Fried Satisfied is a highly modified techno-rap version of
Queen’s “We Will Rock You,” which has an interesting vocal mix made to sound
like you’re hearing them through cheap radio speakers. “If I do a cover, I have to make it my own,” Hay explained. “If that means turning it inside out and upside down, so be it.” Hay toured Australia to promote the new album, and did a radio promotional tour in America in October of 2010. He is slated to return to the U.S. in March, and hopes to check out vintage instruments when he gets back to America.

“Boy, do the stores there have the most awesome collections of vintage amps and
guitars,” he enthused. “I have seen so many things I want that you just can’t get
here in Australia.” – Willie G. Moseley
- Vintage Guitar (May 2011)

Hailing from Australia's Blue Mountains, Claude Hay is the ultimate in "do-it-yourself." He built his own home, and customized his van with a kitchen and a recording studio. Plus, he even built his own musical instrument, a twin-necked fusion of slide guitar, sitar, and bass, and, with some electronic percussion, is the epitome' of a modern-day "one-man-band" on his latest release, "Deep Fried Satisfied."






Musically, he channels the energy and passion of the old-time bluesmen with the foot-stomping percussiveness of traditional blues, incorporating a funky, feisty, contemporary edge that will appeal to more than just hardcore blues fans. And, it's hard to believe that all the sounds on this set are coming from just one man, but it's true! There are eleven tracks of Claude's predominantly slide-guitar driven tales of ecxess, life on the road, and society in general.






Check out the leadoff "Get Me Some." It's his ode to one of his favorite things, namely, New-York-style pizza, and, on this cut, he's simply GOTTA have it! Society's obsession with gadgetry is the subject of "Hold On" and "How Can You Live With Yourself." Unscrupulous used-car dealers are taken to task on "Don't Give Me That," with a staccato, rap-influenced vocal. In "Heading Home," we learn that a road-weary Claude misses his cat, but the cat could easily be a metaphor for any loved one. And, the set closes with a poignant tribute to his mother, "Miss You So."






We had two favorites, too. The title cut is Claude's "tribute" of sorts to another of his weaknesses, which is his love of fast food and its tendency to "push the limits of my arteries!" And, Queen's "We Will Rock You" becomes a rapid-fire, slide-guitar tour-de-force in his skillful hands.






Claude Hay has captivated audiences the world over with his modern take on the time-honored, traditional delta blues, adding a fresh groove that makes for quite an enjoyable listen. Grab a big ol' platter of "Deep Fried Satisfied" and....ENJOY!!! Until next time...Sheryl and Don Crow.
- Nashville Blues Society

The music world is in for a rockin' good time with Claude Hay steering the ship. "Deep Fried Satisfied" is the latest blues smash to take the charts by storm, and they might be better off for it.

With equal parts Stevie Ray Vaughan and Eric Clapton, Hay is a star on the rise. Crafting tracks to remind folks why they love music in the first place, the singer is on the fast track to fame with the modern blues revival taking place.

The album's best track is "Friend," a song that needs to be heard. The lyrics could not be any truer, telling a tale of what matters most when people are in need. "In times of need you know who they are. They come out shining stand out like a falling star. The things they've done, things they do makes you feel like the world's not against you."

"Deep Fried Satisfied" is easily one of the best blues albums I've heard this year, and I think Claude Hay will be well known worldwide in a matter of months. Grab a copy of the latest from blues music's next superstar. You'll be glad you did.


Christopher Llewellyn Adams - Cashbox Magazine

Wood Wires and Whiskey, Country Folk and Blues Reviews

Releasing definitely one of the most entertaining blues-rock albums
of the year, Hay is a free-spirited Australian singer/guitarist known as
a one-man-band, for playing everything himself. Here, for instance,
he plays twin neck guitar, sitar, bass and drums, with female backing
vocals on the title track the only other accompaniment. He comes up
with a surprisingly full-blooded sound, featuring some fiery guitar and
good-natured vocals and lyrics. The tone is set with opening cut "Get
Me Some," a declaration of Hay's love for NYC pizza ("I hear a pizza
call, I'm gonna get me some of that"). The theme continues on the title
song, detailing his addiction to greasy fast food, while the funky "How
Can You Live With Yourself?" bemoans our dependence on disposable
technology. It's good to see Hay avoid clichéd blues themes. The only
cover is an almost unrecognizable, but fun, up-tempo take on Queen
classic "We Will Rock You." This will go over well at a boozy BBQ,
for sure. (Independent)

EXCLAIM! – TORONTO, ON - Exclaim! - Toronto, Canada - By Kerry Doole

BLUES IN BRITAIN

Claude Hay – Deep Fried Satisfied
Ingot Rock0006

Claude Hay is a blues/roots artist who, paradoxically, hails from Australia’s Blue Mountains – but
who delivers slide driven blues that take their inspiration from the Mississippi Delta and the Northern
Mississippi Hill Country, liberally laced with funk and 60’s blues rock, or should that be rocking blues.

Hay builds his own instruments – employing guitar, sitar, bass, drums and electronic percussion on this
set plus what he describes as loony backing vocals “in a loop-driven performance that invokes the best
of stomping traditional blues with a booty-shaking funk edge”.

Hay opens with “Get Me Some” which has a lowdown North Mississippi Hill Country feel with it’s
droning slide and hypnotic vocals, backing vocals and clapping. “How Can You Live With Yourself”
has a strong North Mississippi Allstars feel with vocals and guitar moaning in unison – this influence
being melded with elements of Canned Heat on “Deep Fried Satisfied” (a paean to fried food), whilst
recalling the classic “Tobacco Road” on “On Hold”.

If Freddie Mercury had been born and bred in Como, Mississippi, he would probably have sounded just
like Claude Hay does on this wild rendition of “We Will Rock You” – “Friend” has Hay sounding like
a “hill country” version of the Stones – “Two Zero Seven” melds elements of McDowell, Bongo Joe
and Mississippi John Hurt – “Don’t Give Me That” melds Burnside and Bo Diddley – whilst “Don’t
Forget” with it’s pulsing bass lines and slide recalls Canned Heat permeated with Ian Siegal.

That leaves “Miss You So” which has strong spiritual overtones, which with it’s humming sounds like
a Fife and drum recording (without the fife) and the drums permeated with shades of Sandy Nelson.

If you like Burnside, Kimbrough, North Mississippi Allstars et al then this set is for you.
(www.claudehay.com.au)
Rating 8

- Mick Rainsford - Blues in Britain - Mick Rainsford