The Electric Mudd

My guess was the e-mail from Six Rivers McKinleyville describing the Electric Mudd as a "Delta bluegrass" band was way off the mark. It might have been influenced by the fact that besides their Sunday night gig in McKinleyville they're playing Saturday night at the Bayside Grange with the Compost Mountain Boys, who definitely do play bluegrass. I found Electric Mudd guitarist Brian Ware at home in Cleveland, Miss., deep in the heart of Mississippi delta country. What's Cleveland like? "Pretty boring," he said, his thick drawl followed by a laugh. "Not much around here but fields and the Mississippi. We've got some mud.

"We took the name from an album by Muddy Waters," he noted. "He was a big influence on all of us. Growing up around here you can't help being influenced by the blues; by osmosis if nothing else."

But the music they play is a far cry from Muddy's blues. "The term we came up with to try to describe it is `delta swamp boogie,'" he explained. "Basically we take all of our influences and combine 'em. We're not trying to come up with anything too unique, or stray too far from what we grew up on, but we push it a little further into different areas." The band will actually be in Humboldt three nights: Friday at Six Rivers Old Town, Saturday at the Grange, Sunday at Six Rivers McKinleyville.
- the HUM by Bob Doran- May 13, 2004

Mississippi band plays its own brand of blues
By Ron Wynn, rwynn@nashvillecitypaper.com
April 28, 2006

Mississippi blues-rockers the Electric Mudd are among a group of contemporary Delta types who have altered and reshaped the music coming from that famed sector. Along with such musical comrades and compatriots as the North Mississippi All Stars and Kudzu Kings, Electric Mudd offers a 21st century variation of the hollers, moans, cries and stories that comprise the classic blues vocabulary.

What: Electric Mudd
When: 10 p.m. Saturday
Where: The Five Spot, 1006 Forrest Ave.
Cost: $5
Info: 650-9333
But fans who attend their Saturday night show at the Five Spot will also hear some current influences, and also see a group that’s undergone a number of major changes over the last couple of years.

“I’ll confess that there was a time there where I almost quit,” drummer Jason Boyles said. “It was really rough when Chuck (longtime keyboardist and sound manager Chuck Davis, who died in 2004) passed, and then we started having problems with bassists and rhythm guitarists. But David (lead vocalist and guitarist David Burchfield) and I made a pact seven years ago when we started that we would keep things together, and we kind of hung in there until we could finally get things right again.”

Boyles acknowledges that the 2006 edition of Electric Mudd integrates a bit more hard rock, maybe even some thrash and rap elements into the sound than the ensemble that began playing together in the beginning.

Burchfield, Boyles and Nick Sosebee then teamed with percussionist Jack McWilliams (still a member) to forge a rough, edgy brand of blues that represented their version of what they’d heard from veteran players like Cedell Davis and R.L. Burnside. But even at the beginning, they also included aspects of other sounds they’d heard, among them the slashing rock of Led Zeppelin (Boyles’ favorite band) as well the crunching motif of Chicago blues.

“The name represents both our adaptation of the ‘70s Muddy Waters album (Electric Mud) and the sound of David’s voice, which is real dark and muddy,” Boyles said in further clarifying the band’s arresting musical mix.

Fortunately, Electric Mudd’s roster seems set now, with the recent additions of guitarist Kell Kellum, bassist David Casiday, and keyboardist, flutist and harmonica player Levan Lortkipanidze. The group’s second CD, Back to the Deaden, will be released next week, and it features a number of songs composed by Davis, while also representing mainly music made by previous Electric Mudd editions.

“But we’re already working on some songs for the next release,” Boyles said. “We’re dedicating that one to Chuck, and also it will represent what we’re doing now and how we sound more so than anything that we’ve done to date, at least in the studio.”
- Nasville City Paper

*Bill Wright from Roadtrippin radio show in Annapolis, Maryland listed his "Top 40 CD's Of 2003", ranking "Call It What You Will" # 14. Bill had this to say about The Electric Mudd: 14- The Electric Mudd- Gumbo (Call It What You Will) Soulful Southern jam band from Mississippi soaked in the blues. Sometimes sounding a bit like Widespread Panic but leaving enough room to sound original and all their own. Songs like "Gumbo" and "Call It What You Will" make The Electric Mudd a band to keep your eyes and ears on. Visit the Roadtrippin website at http://www.roadtrippin.net - Bill Wright

With a dirt-embedded old work truck on it's cover, Call It What You Will, The Electric Mudd's debut disc is a bludgeoning whack to the head, a journey into their self proclaimed "Delta Swamp Boogie." Recorded, mixed, and mastered in Oxford, Ms by Jeffrey Reed, Call It What You Will drips with the authenticity of some of the most highly motivated and talented players to grace the southern plane of music in the last few years. A quick listen to the instrumental "Swamp Jelly" reveals a sound that couldn't come from anywhere other than Missisissippi.

With a dirt-embedded old work truck on it's cover, Call It What You Will, The Electric Mudd's debut disc is a bludgeoning whack to the head, a journey into their self proclaimed "Delta Swamp Boogie." Recorded, mixed, and mastered in Oxford, Ms by Jeffrey Reed, Call It What You Will drips with the authenticity of some of the most highly motivated and talented players to grace the southern plane of music in the last few years. A quick listen to the instrumental "Swamp Jelly" reveals a sound that couldn't come from anywhere other than Missisissippi.
Simple in structure with over the top embellishments on bass and guitar, "Swamp Jelly" brings forth the original source of the blues, compacted with the accompaniment of Chuck Davis' lush organ notes. A little number that crescendos into a mind-numbing climax, complete with Brian Ware's distorted riffs on lead guitar, "Swamp Jelly," reveals the rock 'n' soul musical heart of this young band. Call It What You Will will call up the inevitable comparisons to Widespread Panic. Songs like "Good Ol' Friend" venture into the same musical territory as Panic's take on "Henry Parson's Died," but Electric Mudd's visceral attack is so unyielding and full frontal that they also recall the revved up hill blues of The North Mississippi Allstars and Jorma Kaukonen's psychodelic blues stretches in Hot Tuna.
The scratchy rhythm playing of David Burchfield's guitar introduces the bouncy rave up, "John Higgins." Burchfield's lead vocals on "John Higgins" are striking, sounding raspy, twisted, and tortured, yet ultimately effective. Brian Ware's clear buzz saw tone cuts straight through the mix, exposing a fondness for sustained notes echoing over dissonant rhythm patterns. And, The Kudzu Kings' Robert Chaffe fills out "John Higgins" an expanding panorama of reverberation. Chaffe's New Orleans style piano boogie highlights "Whiskey Mama" with its pounding time structures and joyous interplay between Chaffe and Chuck Davis' stellar organ playing. Surely it won't be long before these boys will be on stage at Jazz Fest and Bonnaroo.
The funk filled swamp touches of "Double Quick Chicken" feature slicing, razor sharp soloing by Burchfield and Ware's wailing guitars. Bassist Nick Sosebee lays down a virtual wall of sound on the heavy acid rocker, "Rainbow Child." Influencing the rhythms with Santana-like accents is Jack McWilliams' expert percussion.
Call It What You Will is a stunning piece of work, blending the masterful blues and rock styles of the past with their own "Delta Swamp Boogie" of the future. A virtual guarantee to arrive on the year-end lists, Call It What You Will puts The Electric Mudd on the map with this visionary debut. -Bill Whiting An Honest Tune

An Honest Tune magazine recently published their editors picks for "Best CD Releases of 2003. Bill Whiting (AHT Contributing Editor) listed "Call It What You Will" in the top ten, ranking The Electric Mudd's debut album at # 6. He also had this to say about "Call It What You Will":

“Call It What You Will” The Electric Mudd. The sounds of the south rear up once again on this bludgeoning disc from one of Mississippi's best kept secret. A swampy mix of hard hitting blues and pounding rock and roll, Call It What You Will has the ability to transport the listener to Bayou country, and put them in a Jazz Fest state of mind.




- Bill Whiting

The Mississippi Delta region has long been known for it's being the birthplace of the blues, and rightfully so...but times change, things evolve and music certainly shouldn't be a static thing. While the legendary figures & icons of the blues will certainly be remembered, there are many musicians & artists today that have picked up the torch, added varying and different elements, and in the end have produced their own style of music...The Electric Mudd is certainly a fine example of this. Is it blues, is it rock, is it funk, is it r&b? Well, in my opinion, it's all of those & then some...much like Government Mule, Blues Traveler, or North Mississippi Allstars, it incorporates & borrows from many styles, yet somehow...manages to stand alone.

The first years saw them starting out as a three & then a four-pc act which was steadily developing a chemistry & sound that has continued to evolve. Releasing, Call It What You Will, in 2003, the band served notice that there was something new & different on the local scene & they would be a force to be reckoned with.

Featuring ten songs that were a cross-section of what you could expect to see at one of their shows, this album declares their direction & drive as a party/jam type band with rolling rythms & danceability...something that definitely goes over well in the college club/festival scenes in the deep south. Word quickly spread, and a fan-base developed rapidly.

With the death of their keyboardist, Chuck Davis, in '04, the band rededicated themselves to their music, added several members, and now functions as a 6-pc act. They've recently released their latest offering, Back To The Deaden, and have been busy touring & pleasing crowds all through the south.

Here's some observations of several of their 17 full--length tunes found on their streaming sampler from their website...these can all be heard in their entirety @ http://theelectricmudd.org/

Black Soul Woman- A rollicking, rolling rythm backed by a southern rock guitar line reminiscent of
the Allman Brothers Sound. Keyboardist, Levan Lortkipanidze, does a stellar job underpinning the entire song, and his solo is off the wall! Drummer
Jason Boyles, along with percussionist, Jack McWilliams engage in a percussive solo break that
is very satisfying. This is the type of song that will set the tempo, and have you looking for more!

Swamp Jelly- Jazz & Funk rythms woven into a tapestry of sonic enjoyment. Bassist David Casiday
displays a masterful competence at handling the many tempo changes and switching from rythm to lead bass parts with artful dexterity. This tune demostrates the depth of the chemistry between the members & provides each member ample opportunity to shine at their respective instruments.
This song has the capacity to evoke emotion, as well as excite the senses.

Rainbow Child- This song reverberates with a huge retro-rock feel, taking you back to the late 60's, early 70's type big rock sound. Repeating keyboard lines, tight rythym section, crashing cymbals...all connected together with strong, guttral vocals & intense guitar work, both rythm & lead.

Special mention: Bike Song, Ghost Jam,
Standing In A Bubble.

If you're into the jam band music scene, you'll most likely enjoy The Electric Mudd, I sure do!
- BluesDawg, senior reviewer for www.music-discussion.com