This page is
part of the Watertown Riverfest 2007 website
Friday
August 3
One of Wisconsin's most adventurous and accomplished blues guitarists lives right here in Jefferson County - Aztalan to be exact. And Paul Filipowicz
said this week he is excited to be making his Riverfest
debut Aug. 3.
Although some of his neighbors might not even be aware of Filipowicz's aptitude for blasting out hard-driving blues,
a core of fanatics around the world track his every musical move. He has been a
mainstay in the radio charts of the internationally published Living Blues
magazine for years and is the subject of a profile in the current issue of
Detroit's Big City Blues publication.
In recent years, Filipowicz has
brought his slashing guitar, anguished vocals and original compositions to
clubs in Milwaukee and Madison, as well as Buddy Guy's Legends in Chicago. He
has recorded numerous studio albums in his more than 35 years in the music
business and his first live album is presently in the works.
Filipowicz fell in love with blues music when
he first heard the legendary Howlin' Wolf and Muddy
Waters in the mid-1950s as a child growing up just south of Chicago. He learned
to play the guitar and in the ensuing years Filipowicz
traveled the country, absorbing blues styles from different regions, in
particular Texas. To this day, he incorporates the Lone Star influences of
T-Bone Walker and Albert Collins into his unique alchemy.
As a youngster, Filipowicz relied
on AM radio as his source for blues. Eventually he was able to accumulate money
to buy records by Lightnin' Hopkins, John Lee Hooker,
Wolf and others. Today, his well-worn vinyl record collection is a myriad of
classic postwar blues, including Luther Allison, Otis Rush, Magic Sam, Jimmy
Dawkins and others he deems deities in the history of the art form.
The west side Chicago guitar icons Dawkins and Sam are among
Filipowicz's greatest influences and a listener can
readily hear their stinging attacks and hypnotic tones coming through in his
playing. Freddie King and Albert King are found in his mix, as well.
Although a solo artist for decades, Filipowicz
has shared the stage with many blues greats, including Hound Dog Taylor,
Allison and Dawkins. Amazingly, his encounter with Dawkins came at a concert at
Jefferson's Cap'n's Corner one day in the early
1980s.
Filipowicz this week finished mixing his
inaugural live album, which was recorded July 7. Coming on the heels of his
critically acclaimed studio disc "Chinatown," the live CD is
scheduled for release on Big Jake Records in early September. Filipowicz noted he is pleased with the new recording,
which captures his three-piece band grinding it out on a sweltering summer
night at Cuda Cafe, a converted barn/club in
Deerfield.
"It sounds good," Filipowicz
said. "It's a solid album with a guitar savage up front."
Although he occasionally packs Watertown clubs such as Don's
Bar and Huggy's Hideout, Filipowicz
said he is looking forward to being exposed to the large crowd that always
gathers at Riverfest.
"I'm honored and excited to be playing Riverfest," he said. "The people who come to see
me play on a regular basis will know what to expect and the others will be
pleasantly surprised."
Filipowicz takes the stage at 6:30 p.m. Aug.
3. For more information on him, visit his Web site at www.paulfilipowicz.com .
Steve Sharp of the Watertown Daily Times staff