Lazer Lloyd : Israel’s King Of The Blues
Lazer Lloyd : Israel’s King Of The Blues
Israel is a land of many wonders, both old and new . It is as ancient as the Dead Sea scrolls and as modern as it’s ground breaking development of cell phone technology. Blues guitarist Lazer Lloyd , although not born in the ” land of milk and honey”, has made his home there for the past 20 years and has become their ” Ambassador of the Blues .” Albert King in his classic ” Blues Power ” lets us know that ” everyone has the blues .” We devotees know that Blues music comes from deep down in our guts, or soul.
Lazer Lloyd has brought many people of different ages and backgrounds to Israel to hear “his” kind of Blues. In 2012 his recent , ” My Own Blues “ CD was crowned Israel’s “Blues Record of the Year ” which was filled with deeply inspired high energy electric blues . Lazer sent this CD to Memphis Tennessee for the annual International Blues Challenge , where his music caught the ears of many prominent blues musicians and producers from around the world . This interest led to his first U.S. release on the Blues Leaf label, a superlative collection of original solo acoustic Blues ironically titled “Lost on the Highway “. Listening to the title track ” Lost Highway “ he metaphorically searches for life’s meaning while traveling the path ” from the streets of Memphis to the streets of Tel Aviv. “
His journey on this “highway” began in the 1950’s in Madison, Connecticut . At home Lazer was surrounded by music as his father listened to the records of B.B.King and jazz guitarist Kenny Burrell. There was always a guitar around the house where his dad would captivate Lazer with traditional Folk music of the 60’s . Then, like many of those growing up in the 60’s , he was “turned on” to the “ Woodstock groove “ as Lloyd puts it. He immersed himself in the Rock and Roll / Blues Fusion of many bands such as The Jimi Hendrix Experience , Cream, Traffic, Santana and The Paul Butterfield Blues Band , which were among several of his musical influences . Lazer began ” cutting his teeth ” by listening to and playing guitar to music of traditional Blues masters like Robert Johnson and Blind Lemon Jefferson ..
During the seventies Lazer honed his guitar skills listening to “classic rock” while he played in many local bands . Lynard Skynard was a strong influence on his music as he attended Skidmore college . In the late 80’s Lazer formed a band called ” The Last Mavericks,” which played a blend of music inspired heavily by bands like Bruce Springsteen, Stevie Ray Vaughn, and Nirvana . Big things began to happen for his band as they played a demo session for Atlantic Records . Although they were interested in signing the band, they were taking their time in doing so. Ironically at this same time his guitar playing was heard by the world renowned Rabbi Shlomo Carlebach, also known as “The Singing Rabbi”. The Rabbi was famous for his inspirational story telling and his singing of sweet melodies in song. Carlebach was not a traditional Rabbi. He had a profound influence upon Bob Dylan and Pete Seeger while playing in New York City’s Greenwich Village coffeehouses with them . Carlebach’s influence has been said to inspire such modern artists as Soulfarm and Matisyahu. If Rap music has Matisyahu , then Lazer Lloyd is the “Matisyahu of the Blues “. Lazer was at a crossroads in his life at this time. He was deeply moved and spiritually inspired by Carlebach and he decided to go on tour playing with him in Europe.and Israel . Lazer was sure he had made the right decision and he decided to make Israel his home. He felt it was the best place to make music and to be at peace with himself .
Lazer Lloyd will be playing in Toronto on the evening of Thursday June 19th at the Cadillac Lounge and will be backed by the rhythm section of the Juno award winning band DOWNCHILD , Gary Kendall on bass and Mike Fitzpatrick on drums . This will be a power trio that should not be missed . Lazer is looking forward to playing with these high caliber musicians, and as Lazer says , ” these guys know musically where I’m at .”
Lazer Lioyd will also be playing in Chicago at the famous Rosa’s Lounge – with The
Chicago Blues Kings on Tuesday June 24th . He is also planning tours in the US and Canada in August and November( with James Cotton) .
In the past Lazer Lloyd has opened for such artists Johnny Winter and Prince. Lazer is in the studio working on a new album of completely new electric blues material and re mixing and re releasing , ” My Own Blues ” . Lazer ‘s real joy is in playing live shows where he can ” experiment with my music and bond with my audience , that is what playing music is all about for me – the unity of the soul with music.”
Ken Shankman – kishanken7@aol.com
Elmore Magazine / Ken-Do Promotions
For more information about Lazer Lloyd live events visit :
https:// lazerlloyd.com
Booking/ Management – Yocheved Seidman – 773-597-7690
