From teenage wunderkind to seasoned veteran

Damon Fowler was named “Best Guitarist, Best Lap-Steel player, Best Do-Bro player, & Best Slide player” by Creative Loafing Magazine in 2008. He has been touring the country, headlining and opening for some of the biggest names in the business, playing his blues since 2004.

His 4th album, Sugar Shack, was released in 2009 on Blind Pig Records.

On October 11th, I was pleased to welcome Damon onto Music On The Couch, my internet podcast featuring independent artists and artists signed to small labels. The following is a sampling of our talk.

You can hear the entire interview and three songs from Sugar Shack using the player at the end of the article.

VBM: Tell us the difference between this new album on Blind Pig Records and your first three which were self-published.

DF: Well, ya know, I think each record was its own thing. It started when I was younger…18 or 19 with that first record. It is a building process, ya have to have patience. Once we had signed with Blind Pig, there were a lot of publications that kinda give you more of a shot to review your records or give them a listen. It’s been good, a great learning process and Blind Pig has been very cool.

VBM: You got your first guitar at age of 10 and found the blues while your friends were hanging out listening to the song of the day…

DF: What struck me about it…first off, I liked all music…I’ve always loved all kinds of music and Rock and Roll at 10 years old, nothing was cooler than Guns N Roses and music like that. My uncle was in a country band…my grandparents owned a family business and I saw my uncle every day. He played acoustic guitar and he had a country band on weekends. He showed me some chords and stuff when I was about ten and I would go into the country bars…his son plays drums and now plays with me in my band and we’d play “Hey Good Lookin’”, we did whatever country songs they wanted to hear for maybe 4-5 songs and then the regular band would get up play and we’d get to hang out and watch them for a little bit and then our moms would come take us home.
The thing that I always really dug, the first tune was James Taylor’s “Steamroller Blues” and I liked the pattern of it. And I really liked the lyrics…the innuendos and stuff and I was like ‘that’s so neat’. And from there I completely fell in love with blues and roots music.

“If you start making a competition about your music you are going about it all wrong”

VBM: By the time you were 15 you were doing local gigs and opening for people like of Derek Trucks. I saw where you said you never felt competitive with Derek.

DF: No man. Music is a different thing and if you start making a competition about your music you are going about it all wrong. Music is an expression of ones self. I think the first time opening for Derek Trucks I was about 14. Here in Tampa there is a club called Skipper’s Smoke House, and its just the place people play when they come to town…Derek Trucks came through and they let us play and he was that amazing. He was almost as amazing as he is today. He was like 14 – 15 years old. It was exciting to go see.

MOTC: Is there someone you have not opened for that you are hoping to do so?

DF: Willie Nelson. I am a huge fan of Willie Nelson. I would love to even just meet him, he is great.

VBM: Out of the four (Guitar, Lap-steel, Do-bro and slide), which is your favorite to play?

DF: I really have been enjoying playing lap-steel lately. Ya know you have your times, sometimes you’re picking, I’ve always enjoyed playing slide guitar so I’ve been doing that and a lot of acoustic guitar at my home.

VBM: Thanks for sitting on The Couch this evening Damon. One last song from the album…let me ask, is there really a “James”?

DF: Yes. The last part of the song I made all up, that’s all fictional. But man it hit me one day, I was driving around the neighborhood and I saw some little kids and it reminded me about being in public school around 5th grade, 6th grade and there was this guy named James everyone just called “Dirty” because he was just a dirty kid. I was not brave enough to stick up for the guy or anything like that but I always felt terrible for the guy.

The entire interview can be heard by going to the podcast home page at Music On The Couch – Damon comes on at the 47:45

All Pictures courtesy www.damonfowler.com