(Dan Patlansky)
Dan Patlansky showed exactly how blues rock music should be played.
(Review by Keith Millar)
Appearing for one night only at the Barnyard Theatre at the Gateway
Centre earlier this week was virtuoso blues guitarist, Dan Patlansky. He showed
exactly how blues rock music should be played. Loud and proud and with
intensity, passion and consummate skill.
Patlansky is touring South Africa with his band, launching his latest
album Dear Silence Thieves. The album
is produced by music industry guru, Theo Crous, who has worked with South
African super groups Springbok Nude Girls, Parlotones and Prime Circle, amongst
others. Dear Silence Thieves is a 10-track
electric compilation of Patlansky’s own compositions which he describes as “….
just good, old-fashioned, modern blues, with no dilution.”
Playing with Patlansky are very talented musicians Clint Faulkner on
bass and Andy Maritz on drums. They create a solid and tight foundation for
Patlansky to weave his magic on his six-string Fender guitar. He is a unique
talent. His hard driving, relentless, passionate and powerful style, which
seems to verge at the edge of fury at times, gets the blood flowing, fills the
body with sound, and energises the soul.
The show was not restricted to music from Dear Silence Thieves. Included were items from his previous albums,
20 Stones and Wooden Thoughts, as well as covers of rock legends such as Led
Zeppelin. Of note were his two unaccompanied acoustic numbers. He demonstrated
his extraordinary ability at the finger-picking style of playing as well as
creating wonderful sounds with loop tracks.
Patlansky has a strong following in Durban and, as a result, the
Barnyard Theatre at the Gateway Centre in Umhlanga was filled to capacity.
The Barnyard is a good venue for live music performances of this type.
It has a laid-back, intimate atmosphere where patrons are seated at tables and are
able to enjoy food and drinks during the show. The sound and lighting are also
very good. Performers are up close and personal and the feeling is that of a
smoky blues club rather than a theatre.
If you get a chance to see Dan Patlansky live, don’t miss it. His music
will excite and move you and leave you breathless. However, try to see him soon
because with his burgeoning international reputation it can’t be too long
before he is performing at, and filling, stadiums worldwide.
In the meantime there are his albums to consider. They never disappoint.
Opening the show for Patlansky was a young singer/songwriter from Port
Elizabeth, Stuart Reese. Accompanying himself on guitar, and sounding a bit like
John Mayer, he produced an enjoyable set which warmed up the audience nicely
for the fireworks that were to follow. – Keith Millar
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