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What stands out, at first, is James' complex country blues picking and Bob's slide guitar, which can be lyrical or blistering, or even blisteringly lyrical. Both men have fine voices and their harmonies are...well, harmonious.
Each contributed six songs to the collection. Bob's songs are, essentially, love songs told from the inside. James' songs purport to be observations from the outside and are as riddled with his famous irony as his discription of "The Last Last Call"...the song may actually be a hymn. On the other hand, it may be a simple song about a pathetic drunk."
Also on the other hand, James' observations are so detailed that the listener can't help sympathizing with the characters in his songs.
We're in blues country here: a land where we get over our hurts and disappointments by putting them in songs and singing them. We're also in entertainment country. Both of these guys are veteran bar and bar-band players. "A Lot To Win" is unabashedly hopeful and "Gone, Gone, Gone" is [a] good road-trip song...
- Rapid City Journal
Discography
CD: One Dollar Blues, 2009
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Bio
James Van Nuys was born in Whittier, CA, but has spent most of his life in Rapid City, South Dakota. James has a B.A. in music composition from Wilmington College (Wilmington, Ohio 1978). He has been involved in broad variety of musical endeavors ranging from Medieval and Renaissance consorts, Celtic, bluegrass, country and rock bands, and countless folk and blues solo gigs. James’s unique fingerpicking lead guitar style and witty lyrics have made him a favorite Black Hills performer since the mid 1980's.
Bob Fahey grew up in the Black Hills of South Dakota. An admirer of Elvis and the Beatles, he started playing guitar at the age of 12. He spent 15 years on the road with various touring rock bands before returning to the Black Hills in 1989 to raise a family. For the next twelve years Bob’s smoldering vocals and searing slide guitar were the driving force behind one of Rapid City’s most popular bands, “The Usual Suspects.” In 2005 he joined forces with his old friend, James Van Nuys, to form a powerhouse acoustic duo. He describes his music as “contemporary blues” and has been influenced by such artists as J.J. Cale, Robert Cray, and Robert Johnson.
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