Blues Brothers: Woodie Alan gets the band back together

After moving back to the States following a three-year stint in the capital, American writer and musician Alan Paul returns to town this month to perform with his Beijing-based blues band Woodie Alan. We checked in with him last month to talk about the band’s upcoming CD release, Beijing Blues, life back in the States and ZZ Top guitarist Billie Gibbon’s fascination with “Chinese blues.”

What’s the story behind the band?

I barely touched my guitars during my first year (2005) in Beijing and on a summer visit back to the US I had several great jam sessions, which reminded me of what I was missing. I bought a new guitar to inspire me and pledged to get back into playing and hopefully form a band upon my return to Beijing – only to find the headstock of my guitar had snapped in transit. I started looking for a repairman in Beijing, and Adam Pillsbury, editor of the Insider’s Guide to Beijing, recommended Woodie Wu of Purple Buzz. Woodie not only fixed my guitar, but also turned out to be my musical soulmate. When I realized I had found a Chinese guy who played killer lap steel guitar and had a tattoo of Stevie Ray Vaughan, I knew I was onto something special.
The owners of the Orchard are friends and they asked me to host an acoustic open mic, so I asked Woodie if we he would perform with me. We planned on doing six or seven songs, but when we started rehearsing, we clicked and ended up working up two full sets. I had jammed a couple of times with saxophonist Dave Loevinger and thought he was great, so I asked him to join us for a few songs. He ended up playing virtually everything. We all agreed that we had something special percolating and started looking for a rhythm section. After playing with a few different people, Woodie brought in Zhong Yang and Lu Wei and everything took off.

How would you describe your sound?

Our music is blues based but with strong folk and rock leanings. I really don’t think we sound like anyone else. I play acoustic guitar and the primary solo voices are Woodie’s 8-string lap steel slide and Dave’s saxophone. Zhong Yang also sings several original Chinese blues.

What have you and the rest your band mates been up to these days?
I moved back to Maplewood, New Jersey in late December and have continued writing “The Expat Life” [for the Wall Street Journal], a column focusing on repatriation issues, which are just as real if not as exciting as day-to-day life in Beijing. I have also picked up my work for Guitar World and Slam and am working on some longer-term projects about my time in Beijing and with the band. Now that the CD is out I hope to book some US shows.
Woodie Alan has continued to play since I left – they added guitarist Paul Butler and Woodie Wu has taken over some of my singing duties. Saxophonist Dave Loevinger is too busy to play outside the band as he has a rather important day job – he is the U.S. Treasury Department representative to China. Bassist Zhong Yang is always busy, playing in a variety of bands, and drummer Lu Wei is becoming one of the most in-demand guys in town, touring and recording with several different people. They are truly one of the best rhythm sections in town.

What are your favorite bands/musical influences?

Music has been a huge part of my life for as long as I remember – inspiring me and helping me feel like anything is possible in life. Many, many blues and jazz greats shaped my vision of what music should sound like and how it should make you feel. I want music to move my mind, body and spirit; it has to hit all three to do it for me. Some of the guys I have listened to the most are Albert King, Freddie King, Buddy Guy, Otis Rush, Katie Webster, Johnny Copeland, Albert Collins, Son Seals, Cannonball Adderley, John Coltrane, Miles Davis, Cleanhead Vinson, Wynton Kelly ... I also love Bob Dylan and the Band and some of their Americana and singer/songwriter offsprings, like Ryan Adams and Ray LaMontagne. I also like a lot of African music, especially Ali Farka Toure and Tinariwen and old school reggae, especially Toots and the Maytals.
The Allman Brothers Band has been my longest source of musical inspiration – they really lit a fire inside me when I was just 12 or 13 years old and sent me exploring so much other music which influenced them, including jazz, blues and country. I have gone through many musical phases, but the Allmans have been a constant. One of the first things I did upon my return to the US was write an 8,000-word oral history about their 40-year career. It is the cover story of the July Guitar World magazine.

What’s the back-story behind recording the album? Who produced it?

We recorded in several different studios with different engineers, producing all the early tracks ourselves. But the CD really came together when we started working with Jean Ismirlian. We recorded quite a few tracks in his home studio – everything we needed to finish – and he mixed and mastered everything, including remixing four or five early songs that someone else had done and we were unhappy with. He is the producer. The CD would not have been completed without him.

What are some of the standout tracks on the new album? Are they all originals?

Eight out of ten songs are originals. The other two are “Will the Circle Be Unbroken,” a traditional American song we worked into a blues, and Bob Dylan’s “You’re Gonna Make Me Lonesome When You Go,” which we radically rearranged. It’s hard for me to pick and choose between the six songs I wrote but I am particularly proud of the title track “Beijing Blues” – here’s a video I made of it, where we worked Zhong Yang’s guqin into a minor blues. I also love his two Chinese songs, “Wo De Baobei” and “Anjing Shenhuo.” I think these three tracks are truly unique.

The CD jacket has a compliment from Billy Gibbons of ZZTop (“Best Chinese blues band I ever heard, who knew?”). How did he get to hear the album? Did he have any other insights?

I interviewed Billy backstage at the Beacon Theatre in New York when he appeared with the Allman Brothers and gave him a CD. I was, of course, very proud that he liked it and was willing to publicly endorse the music. He loved Woodie’s slide playing and was just blown away by the whole concept of a good Chinese blues band. You’d be surprised how unique that still seems over here.

Any other Beijing bands you like?

I didn’t get out as much as I’d like because we gigged so much that if I wasn’t playing I was usually chilling with my wife or running around with my three kids. But I really like Ziyo, LSD and Slap, which also features Woodie and Zhang Yong. I understand what Carsick Cars and a lot of the other D-22 bands are doing, but it is not my cup of tea – I never really cared much for Sonic Youth. Still, I think it’s a vital scene and wish them all the best. I support any Chinese bands touring outside the country because I really believe in the power of music to build bridges, which I think are more important than ever.

Woodie Alan performs 9pm Thursday, May 21 at the Stone Boat; 8pm Friday, May 22 at The Orchard; and 9pm Saturday, May 23 at Jianghu Jiuba (6401 4611). More info on the shows can be found here.