THE BACKWATER BLUES BAND

Steve, Joe and I sat outside of Olde Club on a balmy May night, leaning back in the portico, sucking down what was left of a John Harvard's growler. Nick was inside the "magic room", ankle-deep in cigarette butts, mixing our recording of "The Same Thing". Once upon a time it had been a Muddy Waters song. Several beers and five guitar tracks later, we were debating whether we wanted to take the song in a Led Zeppelin or an Alice in Chains direction. It was out there, it was indulgent, but it sounded good.

We heard the song waft out of the window from the studio monitors as Nick played the song for the umpteenth time. All of a sudden, after the first chorus, the sound of a harmonica came soaring out of the basement. Kevin was laying down his overdubs, and the result was like a large slug of whiskey, it was like the first cigarette of the day. It was raunchy and nasty and beatific.

Playing with the Backwater Blues Band was one of the great honors and thrills and privileges of my life. The vibe that ran through the whole enterprise was the sheer joy of discovery, the passion for playing music, for drinking beer and cutting loose and having fun and turning the volume knob on the amp up just a bit higher. We weren't blues purists, we weren't dedicated to exploring and combining different genres of music. We just did what came naturally and played the music which we loved to play. The eleven songs which we recorded last May aren't necessarily blues songs, but they are definitely Backwater Blues songs. I think they are eleven of the greatest songs ever written.

I just wish that I had written some of them.

Like our concerts, this webpage requires your participation. Grab a bottle of your favorite Kentucky or Tennessee whiskey, turn the music up loud, and get your groove thang on. Four years of love went into this music; we hope you enjoy it too.

And to Joe, Steve, Topher, Kevin, Mike and Gil--thanks for everything. It's been a helluva good time.

Love, pride, and the blues,

Backwater Wayne Miller

  1. Baby What You Want Me To Do
  2. Have You Ever Loved a Woman?
  3. Love Her With a Feeling
  4. Baby I Love You
  5. Guilty
  6. Leavin' Trunk
  7. Goin' Down Slow
  8. West Texas Highway
  9. The Same Thing
  10. Stormy Monday
  11. Don't Think Twice, It's All Right


The Backwater Blues Band is:

Joe Scheier-Dolberg: Vocals, acoustic and electric guitar
Backwater Wayne Miller: Electric and acoustic guitar
Steve Dawson: 5-string bass
Topher Leinberger, Jr: Drums
Kevin Schlottmann: Harmonica, trumpet
Mike Duffy: Alto saxophone
Gil Jones: Baritone saxophone

Recorded and mixed by Nick Kourtides at the Olde Club, Swarthmore College, May 2000.

Direct questions to Wayne Miller.