Musicians' Corner ... Did You Know?

Posted by Blues Society of Western Pennsylvania - Maria K Saturday, April 7, 2012 11:15 PM

Ruby Red & the Dirty Devils is a new six piece electric blues band based in Washington, PA.  The band consists of lead singer Kim Lucchini, guitarists Dave Roth and Mark Heselbarth, Paul Kuzupas on bass, Jeff Kessel on keyboards and Murray Perry on drums.  The band performs most of its material as a full band, occasionally joined by guest back-up singers.  They also perform as a Quartet featuring slow blues and jazz.

Ruby Red & the Dirty Devils perform songs in a variety of blues styles as well as R & B and original material.  Their songs range from some of the earliest blues recordings of the original blues women to re-worked versions of contemporary blues and R & B standards.  The band takes pride in highlighting obscure little gems sung by such early blues Diva’s as Bessie Smith, Sippie Wallace and Memphis Minnie, as well as songs written by local and nationally known blues mentors of Miss Ruby.

Q:  How did you first get interested in the blues?
A:  Kim:  I first fell for the blues in the early 90’s while living in Chicago.  That’s where I discovered KoKo
     Taylor, Buddy Guy, Magic Slim & Son Seals.  Blows my mind to think that most of the time they were so
     close I could reach out & touch them…        

Q:  How did the band come together?
A:  Kim:   It’s been like a magic carpet ride…  A little over a year ago, I came back from a week of Blues Boot
     Camp at Augusta, Davis & Elkins College, where I met my Blues Diva, Gaye Adegbalola,
     and found my voice.  I knew Jeff was great on keys so we decided to start as a Duo.  One by one, the rest
     of the band just sort of happened by word of mouth until we had a 6 pc. band.  I never dreamed such
     accomplished musicians, singers & writers would want to play with me!  Somebody pinch me!    

Q:  What's been the biggest challenge in getting a new band started?
A:  Kim:  Balancing time.  As a new singer, it’s hard to balance my time between co-management of the
      band & building a repertoire from zero.  Then of course there’s the roller coaster of life…    
      Jeff:  Most of my playing experience was in high school & college.  Trying to coordinate practice &
      performance schedules is a lot more difficult when you’re older playing with people that have full time
      jobs. 

Q:  What makes your band different from other blues bands?
A:  Kim:  We have 4 singers and the ability to do some amazing harmonies. 
      Jeff:  We emphasize the history of the blues more than most bands.  We see part of our mission as
      educating our audiences about the blues while also entertaining them, particularly with respect to
      women pioneers like Bessie Smith, Memphis Minnie and Sippie Wallace, to name a few.    
      Paul:  The diversity of instruments we can play.  It’s always good to know we can switch it up.

Q:  At what age was your first live paid performance?
A:  Kim:  48 (Alberta Hunter set the bar when she reinvented her singing career in her eighties…)  
     Jeff:  15
      Dave:  18
      Mark:  18
      Paul: 15 (I lied and said I was 16 to get the gig)
      Murray: 15

Q:  What other instruments do you play?
A:  Dave:  Pedal steel guitar; claw hammer & bluegrass banjo; drums 
      Paul: Anything with strings; percussion; anything you can bang on…

 Q:  Who are your biggest musical influences?
A:  Kim:  Sippie Wallace; Ella; Gaye Adegbalola; Patsy Cline; Bonnie Raitt; Annie Lennox; Candy
      Kane
      Jeff:  The Rolling Stones; Hank Williams Sr.; The Velvet Underground
      Dave:  Tony Janflone Sr.; WILCO; Dylan; The Dead
      Mark:  Wes Montgomery; Django Reinhart
      Paul:  Ray Davies of the Kinks (his constant state of melancholy contrasted against his wicked little grin).
      Murray:  Ginger Baker; Billy Cobham; Gene Kruppa

 Q:  What’s the best advice you’d pass along to new musicians?
A:  Kim:  As Gaye always says, “sing your heart” & keep learning your craft (Augusta is a great start…)
    Jeff:  Just like there’s always someone with more money than you, there’s always someone who plays better  than you.  Don’t be intimidated – just go out & play.
      Dave:  Get a good teacher.
      Mark:  Practice, practice, practice!  And when you’re done, practice more!
      Paul:  Quit so there’s more gigs for us!
      Murray:  There’s no “I” in band.

Q:  What's your most memorable experience playing in a band?
A:  Kim:  Playing our first big gig at Moon Dogs to a packed house.  That was wickedly cool! 
      Jeff:  I sat in with a blues band in Chicago.  The drummer played with Muddy Waters & the bass player
      with James Cotton.
      Dave:  Closing my eyes & tapping into the music of the spheres… & then floating away.
      Paul:  Playing in a parade in the back of a flat bed truck that was moving when a guy fell off the roof,
      broke his leg and destroyed my amp.  Double ouch! 

Q:  Murray, you’ve been around the world 3 times drumming for a wide variety of well known artists, who
      impressed you the most and why?
A:  Murray: Tony Bennett.  A class act – both professionally and personally.

Q:  What’s next for Ruby Red & the Dirty Devils?
A:  Kim:  Short term:  Continue to improve our repertoire & overall performance.
                Long term: Compete in the 2013 BSWPA Blues Challenge.   (Woo!  Hoo!)
     Jeff:  Get more gigs in Pittsburgh now that we have a good demo CD & write more originals with Paul.