Blues For Boston

By: TED DROZDOWSKI

Boston Phoenix 9/2006

Lloyd Thayer has carved a distinctive notch in the New England roots scene as a solo performer. He blends traditional blues resonator guitar - albeit played on his lap - with the wit, eclecticism, and freedom of contemporary improvisation. His personalized takes on Delta chestnuts and rechanneled rock and rap classics have made him a popular entertainer in venues like Club Passim, the Plough and Stars, and the subway. His third disc is billed as an all-blues affair but still boasts his usual range, zinging between a ringing variation on country blues giant Son House's "Walking Blues" that veers into Middle Eastern melodicism and a free-form interpretation of the Sugar Hill Gang's "The Message." Only a mother gila monster could love Thayer's gravel-and-mud voice, but it does project raw heart and experience with its rasp-and-howl tone - especially on the bitter, emotional protest number "Killing War." Best of all, there's nothing precious about Blues for Boston. Thayer understands that the blues is an old horse that must be driven hard to run its best.

 

FROM THE FEB/MARCH 2007 issue of BLUES REVIEW MAGAZINE, ....."Blues Bites" page 72

"Not surpisingly, given his Delta-influenced style, driving rhythms and supple leads characterize the resonator slide work of Lloyd Thayer. But the tradition embodied in covers of 'You Got To Move' and 'Statesboro Blues' tells only part of the story. Thayer's broad view of the blues
leads him to stretch both the material (he combines 'Killing Floor' and 'Masters of War', and he breaks down Grandmaster Flash & the Furious Five's rap classic 'The Message' to prewar essentials) and his instrumental approach (he inserts an East Indian interlude into 'Walking
Blues'). The self-released Blues for Boston presents an interesting view of a talented character."