Reviews

Patrick Vining and his band play blues with some bite

by J.A. Dunn (Staff Writer)
From the Star Banner Paper (Ocala, Florida), December 31, 1999

Patrick Vining said good-bye to country music after hearing one song by blues legend Muddy Waters.

"I started playing the blues about 10 years ago," he said. "I was messing around with country music, and then a friend of mine played me a song by Muddy Waters. I loved it and bought everything Muddy Waters ever did."

After a steadfast diet of the blues, Vining started his own group, Patrick Vining and the Blue Sharks.

Blues fans will get to see Vining and the Blue Sharks at Mr. Pub tonight and Saturday. Music starts at 1pm. There is no cover charge.

Vining, who lives in Austell, GA., right outside of Atlanta, said the group has been playing four or five dates a week. He said the group is awaiting their first record, 'Blues With Bite,' on Wild Dog Records, due out October 13.

Accompanying Vining in the band are Keith Otterbeck (bass guitar), Lee Plemmons (drums) and Shane Pruett (guitar).

Vining said there is a combination of songs on the album. "I do some writing and, of course, we do some cover tunes. It's hard not to," he said.

"It's hard not to like blues," Vining said. He pays homage to blues, saying without them, there would be no rock 'n' roll as we know it today. The blues is something everyone has in common, Vining said. "The lyrics are everything. It's something everyone can relate to in life," he said. "The blues are generally about everyday life. It's nothing where you have to sit down to figure it out."

Bill Sharpe, owner of Mr. Pub, didn't have to sit down and figure out he wanted Vining and the Blue Sharks to play at his establishment. "A couple of the members of the group played with singer Kelly Williams, and I found out they had gotten off the road with her. I said I'd take them because I heard them play, and they were good," he said.

The band's lineup changed about six months ago. He said the current lineup of the band is just as good, if not better.

"We tour the Southeast a great deal," he said. "We played in Florida about seven or eight months ago. We are absolutely looking forward to coming back. Florida is one of our favorite states."

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