If straight ahead groove oriented rhythm and blues is what you need to get you through some tough times, good times or ordinary times then the new album by The Blue Mules is right up your alley.
Trent Schmiedge, Davidson raised guitarist, singer and songwriter for The Blue Mules, said the three-piece blues and funk band’s debut album, “Blues Ain’t That Bad,” came out a little over two weeks ago. He said the full-length cd was recorded over a period of a year at Earl Pereira’s Fame Machine studio in Saskatoon.
“We just recorded on and off when we had time because with his touring schedule and he’s touring all over and mine, we just kind of pieced it together,” said Schmiedge, noting Pereira is the driving force behind rock band The Steadies. “We had some fun doing it when we had the chance.”
Schmiedge said this is his first album where he has been in charge, but he has played guitar and contributed vocals on a few albums by other bands before. He said all the songs on “Blues Ain’t That Bad” are originals and he wrote the lyrics and music for the tunes.
“Most of them were just written in the studio,” he said. “There are songs that I had written a while back and never had a chance to get into a studio until last year. Some of these songs are 10 years old.”
The Blue Mules have been together for around two years, said Schmiedge, and “play now and then” for fun. He said Saskatoon’s Dale Ehman plays bass and Graham Templeman pounds the drums in the group.
Schmiedge said the band is hitting the road this fall to tour for the album. He said they would be playing clubs across Western Canada in November “after the Riders win the Grey Cup” including stops in Banff, Red Deer and Edmonton.
“That is the strategy,” he said. “Thebluemules.com is (our) website. We have dates on there and music.”
The cd can be picked up at Stedmans in Davidson and is also available on cdbaby.com for purchase and download. Schmiedge said if people are into Eric Clapton, B.B. King and Stevie Ray Vaughan, “Blues Ain’t That Bad” should make them as happy as it makes him.
“I’ve always wanted to put out a record like this,” he said. “I’ve played in rock bands and country bands, (but) my heart has always been in this style of music. We’re a very R&B band. That is the music I like and I wanted to try something different.”