Poppa Chubby at Knuckleheads, a Stan Koron Favorite
By El Dormido

New York City blues capo Poppa Chubby carries a certain magnifico-destructo punkblues-guitarshredder cachet for me. He evokes a sleazy, gritty vision along the lines of the Fugs “Slum Goddess.”

Somehow I ended up with Poppa Chubby’s 1995 release, Booty and the Beast, with the Freddy King tune on it, “Palace of the King”, plus the 1998 release, One Million Broken Guitars.

The Freddy King cover surprised me because the dude does not look like a blues acolyte but someone who would fit in at a Ramones' wake at CBGBs. Not far off since he at one time backed Richard Hell of Voidoids fame.

I was up for a Thursday night match with the Bronx Bomber at Knuckleheads.

Anyway, I like Knuckleheads. I feel comfortable at Knuckleheads. They let me in the door at Knuckleheads.

Not to mention there is the inevitably familiar assortment of the impassioned, the jaded, the faded and the perennial: KKFI’s Bill O’C as MC, Lady D lighting up the place, my favorite friendly redhead emanating party favor, Herb chillin’ like a civilian, Shannon taking the night off from the Rhythm Kings. Comfortable like that at Knuckleheads.

Chubby had spent April in Europe and was in the middle of a 4 date swing entitled “Electric Chubbyland: Poppa Plays Hendrix.”

Chris Reddan, the drummer, squeezed into our table, and bummed a light. Just out of high school, he was a hyper puppy ready to go. He joined Nicholas Dimatteo on bass to fill out the band for Chubby.

Now, as to Poppa Chubby, besides the quasi-a sinistre aura, he carries solid credentials. He records for Blind Pig Records and produces sessions for them, including Magic Slim’s CD "Blue Magic”. Reddan mentioned Chubby had just finished producing a session for fellow New York bluesman Bill Perry.

But as to Hendrix night at the saloon, Chubby starts with “Spanish Castle Magic.” He takes off after the first chorus, inserts a sonic texture, that space-church sound, reminiscent of Hendrix’ coda to the Woodstock ‘Star Spangle Banner” improve,. He continues with crystalline shimmers, playing through the song structure with facile improvisation. He throws in his own touch, his own twist, while never losing the essence of the tune, demonstrating that he knows the music from the inside but is no slavish imitator.

“Axis Bold as Love” is given a sure and certain reading through all those intricate passes. “Fire” is done with a controlled, modulated fury. “Foxy Lady” is a churning, hard working effort, Chubby using the song’s rhythmic figure as a springboard for his own explorations, returning and departing repeatedly from the familiarity of the tune.

Chubby slips in the Chick Willis “Stoop Down, Baby”, and it gets dancers out on the floor. He follows with “Back Door Man”, supercharged finger picking, a little slide to sweeten the pot, and a twisting, turning solo that demonstrates how Chubby molds and shapes the music into different forms, making the song over into a completely different piece of music than from what he started. A funky “Sex Machine” comes next and showcases bass and drum solos.

“Voodoo Chile”, and Chubby gets into tone, a little feedback, and a lot of Poppa fingering the guitar into ecstatic utterance. “Hey Joe” gets a traditional reading, and “Little Wing” follows me out into the night air as I reluctantly make my exit.

Yeah, I had to leave before the first set was over but it was a good 2 hours by the time we hit the door. Substantial. You know when a guy gives you that much straight out of the box, he ain’t gonna stop for nothing.

Poppa Chubby works out. His extended solos are eminently listenable. The music changes shape as he progresses through inventions assembled on the fly, rhythmically and melodically. He doesn’t overplay but is forceful, wielding his sure technique with power, not to blow you away but to carry you with him.

His masterful and sure technique makes anything he does worth listening and dancing to. While this Hendrix extravaganza was not a typical show, Poppa Chubby represented as a blues instrumentalist that needs to be heard again by all concerned.