CW Stoneking

Last Updated on Wednesday, 19 August 2009 09:33 Written by Dan Cole Wednesday, 01 April 2009 10:20

SWINGIN’ FROM THE TREES

CW Stoneking was born to Californian hippie parents in Katherine, NT. The year was 1974. Brisbane was underwater and Gough Whitlam was Prime Minister. The sounds of old-time juke joints were a world away and for the most part long replaced by pop rock and psychedelia. But thanks to his Dad's record collection, CW was able to unlock a diverse musical history and help a new generation relive the sounds of yesteryear.

“Some of the first stuff I always liked was Sam Cook, those sort of vocals groups and things like that out of the 60s,” CW's husky drover/old jazz cat accent comes down the phone long and slow, “and then I got in on Hendrix and things like that, got into some old blues as well. I used to listen to a whole different bunch of stuff. When I was about 19 or so, I got hangin' round with people who were into the 20s - 30s blues. I was pretty familiar with it from listening to it, but I had never really concentrated on playin' it exclusively, so I got into that a bit.”
His first album with the Primitive Horn Orchestra, 'King Hokum' was an exploration of dusty sounds from America's South. After receiving critical acclaim alongside cries of charlatan, he regrouped to punch out his equally controversial second release, 'Jungle Blues'.
“‘King Hokum’ is much more in the southern blues line. It goes around a different bunch of styles, there is a little bit of blend in there, but I think the 'Jungle Blues' record is more blended in the styles of music in the way I've written the songs. That's obviously more Caribbean and jazzy soundin'.”
Stoneking cites his influences from everywhere and nowhere, admitting that his musical inclinations aren't bound by history or culture.
“I just like the African American music in general - I like the Gospel stuff, rock n roll - whatever. I guess with the pre-war (music), you get all that stuff that came later plus it has a primitive tribal thing to it as well. It’s simple, I like the tribal sound.”
Some critics have coined his style as 'jungle jazz', a term that the man himself has trouble tying down.
“I don't know if that ever was a word. Duke Ellington and people like that, people used to call their music jungle music. It was usually the stuff that had a kinda eastern, sorta exotic sound to it, coupled with some of that crazy ol’ time drumming and things like that. People back in the 30s or so used to try and conjure that flavour, headhunting and stuff. I always liked that sound as well, that eastern jungly sound.”
'Jungle Blues' was a new adventure with some old friends, as Stoneking branched out from his bluesy roots to explore other styles close to his heart.
“(I’ve) been into the calypso music for a long time. Blues and calypso are probably my two favourite types of music. I wanted to make some tunes and writing lyrics for these calypso tunes is much easier than blues, you can get real wordy and just sorta roll shit out real long. With the blues if you do that it doesn't sound as authentic, it sorta pulls it sideways.”
For all his musical diversity, CW says he will always be a blues man at heart. “The blues, I see it more as a feeling you can put into stuff. Bessie Smith did some blues jams, but the most famous shit she has done was covers of things that were pop songs of the day, but she made it sound like blues. That’s more the thing that attracts me, I don't care about 12 bars or if it sticks to the blues guidelines but there is a type of spirit in it that is something which I like to work in. I never really branded myself hardcore blues anyway coz most of the shit that goes round called blues these days, I can’t stand it.”

CW Stoneking & his Primitive Horn Orchestra play the Tivoli April 5, The Boogie Shack, T’mba, April 7 and the Sands Tavern April 8. ‘Jungle Blues’ is out now through Shock Records.