Doc MacLean spreading the gospel of the blues and the road

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Southern born, Toronto based delta blues man has spent the last 10 years exploring all corners of Canada and the  U.S.
 He will be bringing the spirit of the blues and a lot of the tales of his travels when he  visits the Lethbridge Folk Club  Wolf’s Den at MJs Cycle for the first time on May 22.Doc MacLean returns to Lethbridge, May 22. Photo by Richard Amery


“ This is the tenth anniversary of my National steel tour where I’ve been playing all 10 provinces,” said MacLean, getting his car washed in Nelson.


 He noted the  tour, like any tour, has had its highs and lows.
“There’s been an impact on venues. There’s been fewer people at the venues.  And B.C has new drinking and riving laws and people who are folk and blues fans don’t want to stay out as late,” he observed.
“But I’ve had a lot of solid shows as well.  It’s been good,” he said.
He noted  this is the first time he’s played for the Lethbridge  Folk Club, as he usually plays the Owl and the Slice, but couldn’t get into either of them this time.


“ I missed a few anchor shows and I’ve been spending a lot of time down south,” he said adding he is enjoying getting to see  place in the furthest reaches of the country.
“ I’ve got a bucket list of places I want to play, so I’ve been playing a lot of them,” he said.
“My community is the community of the road,” he said adding he is seeing a lot of familiar faces from the past 10 years at his shows.

 He is enjoying the tour.
“I’ve got three guitars with me— two National Steels and an old Spanish acoustic guitar. I’ve got some new original songs, some borrowed songs and lots of songs about death and dismemberment,” he said.

 


“ I’m gearing up to record a new album. So I have to plant the seeds  of the new songs live, then let them grow, then harvest the good ones for an album,” he rumbled in his big deep, gravelly voice.


 In addition to playing the shows themselves, he is enjoying the country itself.
“ I like to explore graveyards and old house and spooky old gas stations that don’t serve a lot of people. And I  found the  best voodoo shrine in Canada,” he said adding he discovered that while wandering through the woods of New Brunswick.
 He is excited to record his first new CD in 10 years.


“I’ll go down south and record in three studios in Mississippi , Nashville and Louisiana. It’s a matter of getting everybody’s  schedule together. Larry Taylor is busy with Canned Heat and Steve Hodge plays with Mavis Staples, but they have to get off the road some time,” he said.


 He plans to have the CD out before Christmas.
“ But with me, I don’t put them out  very often, so there’s no hurry. I just finished paying for the last one. Now I have to pay for the next one,” he said.


 Doc MacLean plays the Lethbridge Folk Club Wolf’s Den, May 22 at 8 p.m Tickets are $25  for members, $30 for invited guests.

— By Richard Amery, L.A. Beat Editor
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