Any music that contains blues, R&B, funk, jazz, Western Swing, Delta & pre-war blues, Motown music, bottleneck slide, lap slide acoustic or electric guitars. Blues, rock, R&B and jazz singers have always been my heros! I also lean my songwriting ideas toward new age, gospel & metaphysical influences.
MY ACOUSTIC GUITAR & BOTTLENECK SLIDE STYLE:
For my resonator slide style... I'd have to say I play similar to Son House. I resonate a lot with Muddy's style of playing. As a lefty player that strings his guitars righty... fingerpicking is not my strong suite... that's why slide masters like Elmore James make sense to my own personal playing approach. And of course Albert King is my blues master lefty hero! In standard tuning acoustic guitar, Lightnin' Hopkins feels real natural to me.
ELECTRIC GUITAR STYLE:
I incorporate a few licks from Robben Ford, Albert King, Jimi Hendrix, to name a few. I'm pretty fond of playing swing and jump style tunes too in band situations. My bottleneck slide playing has been extending into my electric guitar applications a lot lately. Most recently, I'm doing a lot of lap slide guitar playing which I'm incorporating into my shows.
There's a million open tunings out there, but I primarily stick with two common tunings... open G & open D tunings. Because I use heavy string sets for a stiffer feel, I always use a capo on the 2nd fret when playing an open A or E tuning. That way I don't piss off my guitar necks because of higher string tensions! If I do use open A or E tunings, I always use lighter string sets on my guitars to keep string tension down. It's just good practice...
VOCALS STYLE:
I sound like me. But I draw my singing style I believe from the old pre-war masters. I sing a lot behind the beat.
Cole Prior Stevens... guitarist, singer/songwriter and bassplayer has been focused exclusively working his craft in the blues and country genre for nearly three decades. As a contemporary electric blues guitarist, Cole also draws his inspiration for bottleneck acoustic style from the pre war acoustic blues masters Son House, Robert Johnson and Muddy Waters.
While calling Louisville, KY home, his musical ideas and style were shaped and honed from his West Coast upbringing. Whether he is slinging his favorite Strat while fronting his own band or sliding a bottleneck solo across the fret board of his trusty old metal body National guitar, Cole has developed a definitive, cross-cut style of his own. Cole also fronts a Louisville blues band, called Cole Stevens and The People of Interest which he plays guitar & sings in.
Cole's music has been featured on internet radio since his 1997 CD debut Out of the Blue. His music has been downloaded by fans all over the world. In fact, Cole is a regularly featured artist on Whole Wheat Radio that broadcasts from Alaska. Neat people, great music! Become a Wheathead... go ahead I dare ya! You could use the fiber anyway! Right?
Cole's song-craft and lyrics are interlaced with personal philosophies about the fragile human experience, to which we all share a common thread. Listeners are gently provoked to consider the unique perspectives of what Cole is all about. He is inspired to carry his blues artistically into all other available musical dimensions. Cole performs our future's blues for audiences here and now.
hey Cole! nice to meet you tele pal! ... Yes Bob Wills is still the king, and I'm not sure he would really like what was on the CMA awards yesterday (except maybe for Paisley and the other king, George strait)...oh well... Take care. Ben
An a big ole Howdy back at you my friend!! Hope you're well and pickin much! Still want to catch a show let me know when you're out n about around town.
Good to hear from you, Cole! Haven't made up your way in a loooong time. I'm staying pretty close to home these days. Had surgery to remove thyroid 10 days ago, but doing fine. Even played a couple of gigs this weekend. Hope things are going your way these days. Take care, stay in touch!
Love the quote 'joy is an inside job'. Thank for adding us to your circle. Just a side note one of my myspace top friends (Joe Landes) has a real delta feel check it out.
