Spanky and the Love Handles stay true to blues pedigree
Monday, July 13th, 2009
N'AWLINS DEMEANOR: Beth Vreeland (left), Bob Rice and Clark Vreeland
Spanky and the Love Handles. Free. 9 p.m. Sun., July 19. The Earl, 488 Flat Shoals Ave. 404-522-3950. www.badearl.com.
The sound is vintage Chicago blues with a New Orleans accent. But naming the band Spanky and the Love Handles made some doubt the local trio’s blues pedigree. When the members tried to join the Atlanta Blues Society earlier this year, they caused a flurry of e-mails from members questioning whether they belonged. “We hosted one of their meetings and everybody was floored,” says Spanky bassist Beth Vreeland. “They were like, ‘This is blues!’”
Spanky singer/guitarist Clark Vreeland spent nearly 15 years playing with Code Blue after moving to Atlanta from his native New Orleans in 1984. “Code Blue was more like a rolling poker game,” says Clark, whose musical resumé includes being mentored by and playing with legendary New Orleans bluesman Earl King, as well as Professor Longhair, Allen Toussaint and Meters man, funk bassist George Porter Jr. “Clark learned all the fundamentals of rhythm guitar from George,” his wife Beth chimes in. Clark says one of his fondest memories with Porter is when they performed the 1980 masturbation classic “Turning Japanese” by English punkers the Vapors live at Jazz Fest with Meters drummer Zigaboo Modeliste.
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(Photo courtesy Clark Vreeland)
