Artist description If you like your blues the way it was born, on an acoustic guitar in the hands of one man ... you won't be disappointed with Brent Nielsen.

Music Style Acoustic Blues Roots

Musical Influences John Hammond, Muddy Waters, Rory Block, Son House

Similar Artists Eric Clapton unplugged ( never plugged in )

Artist History His '69 Firebird waits patiently in the parking lot. Inside, the club is dimly lit. The pre-show music on the p.a system drifts through the smoky haze. An acoustic guitar is on a stand beside a wooden chair. The Gibson J45 looks lived in. The sunburst tobacco finish is faded and has a few well worn scratches, like the lines in the face of an old friend. The pre-show music fades to nothing while the stage lights fade up. Brent Nielsen steps on stage, takes his seat and picks up the Gibson. His foot thumps out time like a heartbeat. He slides a bottleneck up the fretboard. The room becomes still. He makes the guitar sound like a broken hearted angel. He says his prayers through his guitar. It knows every dark secret he's ever had. The guitar and the man share the same soul. A low moan from his harmonica now ... pleading with the audience ... forgiveness, redemption, mercy ... and then he sings. At times growling at the unseen demons we all have. Other times so soft and warm you'd think he was singing to calm a frightened child. His black boot stomps the beat while his slide cuts through the smoky room. He throws rhythm change ups at the audience. From a frieght train no one could stop to slinky blues to something so sweet you could cry and back again. When its over, he packs the Gibson in it's case and loads it in the trunk of his car. He lights up the '69 Firebird. After a throaty roar it settles to a purr. He eases out of the parking lot like a cat lookin' for a scratch. He's been cleansed for the night, at least untill the next gig. Brent Nielsen is a singer-songwriter with blues roots from Regina, Saskatchewan, Canada. His first guitar was given to him for Christmas when he was 10 years old. “I couldn’t figure out the songs on the radio”, he recalls, “so I made up my own”. It’s been said that you don’t choose the blues the blues choose you. With clarity he remembers when he was chosen “I was about 14 years old at a folk festival”, Brent remembers, “John Hammond was onstage, just him with his harmonica and guitar”. Brent had never seen so much power come from one guy and his guitar. With a firm grip, the blues reached in and claimed his soul. “I became a bit obsessed after that”. The young teenager went on to soak up everything about the blues he could get his hands on. On this album (his 3rd) Brent pays homage to some of the bluesmen he couldn't get enough of. These 10 original songs dig deep into the fertile ground that is the blues. His "Broke Down" has the pounding feel of the Mississippi delta. The haunting slide guitar on "He Got Fever" shimmers in the delta heat. If you like your blues the way it was born, on an acoustic guitar in the hands of one man, you won't be disappointed with Brent Nielsen.

Group Members Brent Nielsen ... guitars, harmonica vocal.

Instruments guitars, harmonica, vocal

Location Regina, Saskatchewan - Canada

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