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Cascade Blues Music ReviewsBig Lonesome Radio
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Cascade Blues Music ReviewsBig Lonesome Radio
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Music Review Reprint from the
February, 2003 BluesNotes
By Greg Johnson
By: Greg Johnson
Guitarist Mark Lemhouse originally grew up in Eugene and worked in coffee houses in Portland, but early in his career, he relocated to Memphis. Always fascinated by the sound of the Blues, he wanted to be nearer to the origin of the music. While making that city his home, he encountered many of those legendary musicians of the area that he had sought, spending time with people like Othar Turner, Robert "Wolfman" Belfour and Billy Lee Riley. The exposure paid off as Mark became a popular artist working in the Bluff City, developing a proficiency for the various musical styles performed around the Delta and mid-South. That musical schooling also helped as his band, The Handy Three, became a finalist in the 2002 International Blues Challenge.
This past year saw Mark making the decision to move back to the Northwest. Before he left Memphis, though, he laid down the tracks which make up this terrific debut recording. It's full of the authentic sounds he encountered, as well as a history lesson of the Blues in general. Lemhouse blends a fine mix that ranges from Charley Patton's early hit, "Pony Blues," and Yank Rachell's lively Jug number, "Tappin' That Thing," to Charlie Feathers' Rockabilly piece, "One Hand Loose," and Tom Waits' more modern, quick-paced shuffle, "No One Can Forgive Me But My Baby." It's quite obvious that there is no stone Mark Lemhouse isn't prepared to turn over and explore musically, nor is he afraid to work on just about any type of guitar handed to him either, as he takes on acoustic, steel-bodied, electric and even lap-steel on this disc.
It should also be pointed out that despite the conglomeration of artists that he takes on in covers, Mark Lemhouse possesses quite a knack for writing his own material, too. Four of the numbers are his own and they are every bit as breathtaking as any other selection found here. Tasty, crisp guitar lines, imaginative, expressive lyrics and a bluesy voice that makes him the full package. There is certainly a lot to be offered by this young artist who should fit right at home with the Northwest's best Bluesmen, if not beckoned away again by the enchantment of musical explorations. Let's hope he sticks around for good!
© 2003 Cascade Blues Association