I haven’t made it to a show for quite a while, let alone a blues show, so I was glad to catch Trois Rivieres based one man band/ force of nature Steve Hill’s second set at the Slice, Saturday, Dec. 16.

 I arrived in time for “Don’t Let the Truth Get in the Way of a Good Story,” my favourite of his latest album “ Dear Illusion.”

 He has done a lot since playing Whoop Up Days in 2015.

Most of the set was new, pure unfiltered mostly original blues rock. Hill howled into the microphone like a man possessed.

 He stomped at a set of drums including a massive bass drum and a pair of snares set at his feet. He must have been playing bass pedals  for the bottom end, and even better, jerked and writhed while smacking a series of cymbals with a drumstick taped to the headstock of his guitar.

 He played some  deadly slide music, giving him a David Lindley feel.

 I only counted 20 people taking in this Juno award winner’s show, so counted myself lucky to be witnessing this tour de force of energy and off the hook musicianship from Trois Rivieres.

“ A few of the many ear bleedingly loud highlights were  “ Turns To Dust ” and another I think was called  “Devil’s Landmark ” for which he switched to a Gibson Flying V.

 He added a hot cover of Jimi Hendrix’s ‘Voo Doo Chile (Slight Return.)”

— by Richard Amery, L.A. Beat Editor