REVIEWS & ARTICLES

Winsick's Winsome Blues
Jeff Miers
The Buffalo News, May 24, 2002

As the Rolling Stones launch into yet another tour, the usual list of handy cliches make their rounds, referencing the band's age as a clarion call for its retirement. Keith Richards, never one to mince words, responded with typical alacrity in the latest issue of Rolling Stone. "I'm just doing what I do," spat Richards.

This raises an interesting point. Pop stars use their 15 minutes of fame up rather rapidly, precisely because celebrity is the yardstick by which they're measured. Musicians rooted in the blues, however, aren't bound by the typical life span expectations of pop stars. After all, if the music is what you're all about, then you'll play the music as long as you can, for as many or as few people as are interested.

Guitarist Mark Winsick, a veteran of the Buffalo blues scene, knows what Richards is talking about. He's been playing the blues in our neck of the woods for a long time, and gone from the festival circuit to the intimate club scene and back again as a matter of course many times over the years. His latest effort, "Straight Up," captures The guitarist-vocalist and his stellar band - bassist Jim Whitford, keyboardist Kevin Murphy and drummer Ray Hangen - in an intimate club setting, where the ensemble truly shines.

"There's no substitute for a live band rockin' out in a club," says Winsick, and one listen to this set, recorded in Buffalo's Sportsman's Lounge, proves him right. Perhaps more than any other art form, the blues needs an audience to reach its highest highs; there's nothing quite like grabbing a cold one, heading for the dance floor and watching a first-rate band laying down its interpretation of this timeless, tried-and-true idiom. Winsick and his band specialize in the sort of Chicago blues that fans of Muddy Waters will appreciate; lithe, supple, ratty, swinging and shuffling, the Winsick Band tears the roof off the Sportsman's as it tackles Winsick originals like "Shufflin' for Blue" and "Grew Up Lonely," as well as a handful of covers, most notably, an icy rendering of Albert Collins' "Backstroke."

Throughout, Winsick proves himself to be a guitarist of considerable chops, searing tone and a whole lotta soul. His solos on "Dirty Low Down and Bad" ricochet off Murphy's rollicking boogie-woogie accompaniment, while Whitford lays down a rock-solid walking bass line, and Hangen drops his stick on the tail end of the two and four of each measure, ensuring the music retains a laidback sense of swing.

Winsick's tremolo-laden Les Paul lays down a thick, swampy backdrop for the bittersweet ballad "What Can I Give You," a bittersweet blues that recalls Julie London's "Cry Me A River," believe it or not. "High Lonesome Blue" is a tour de force, a showcase for Winsick's Texas-inflected licks.

Winsick is a journeyman blues guitarist of the first order. He'll play a release party June 1 for "Straight Up" at the Lafayette Tap Room, 391 Washington St. Tickets will be available at the door.

"CD release parties are often rather ordinary affairs, but some inventive musicians manage to make them into something of a special event. Three Buffalo Blues artist recently set themselves apart from the crowd...

....Another goodly-sized crown enthusiasticaly greeted Mark Winsick at the Lafayette Tap Room for his CD release party on Saturday, June 1st. Mark displayed his great range and versatility as one of the area's finest string benders from the first tune, an instrumental, and on such numbers as Are You Ready, Standin' at the Station, and a rockin' arrangement of the classic You Talk Too Much. Assisted nicely by bandmates Jim Whitford on bass guitar, Kevin Murphy on keys, and Mike Phelps on drums, the full rich blues sounds of this foursome had the dance floor filled early on. His CD, titled Straight Up, recently featured by Jim Santella on his weekend shows on WBFO radio, also showcases Mark's songwriting abilities. By the way, Mark's press kit is by far the most professional we've ever received from any artist in these parts. Very impressive!"
– Rich Schneider

"Long known as a tone master supreme among Buffao guitarists, Mark Winsick comes front and center with his own band and some original songs. The opener is a fresh instrumental, Shufflin' For Blue, – fine piano courtesy of Kevin Murphy, fine concept realized by Mark. Anoter original with beautiful soaring melodic lilt is titled What Can I Give You. There's a superbly delivered version of Joe Cocker's rhythmic rocker, High Lonesome Blue and an instricate jazz inflected one of Albert Collins' Backstroke. Ray Hangen on drums and Jim Whitford on bass keep the bottom focused and steady. The CD was recorded live at the Sportsmen's Tavern right here in Buffalo.
– Sharon Schneider