Just wanted to let fans of amped-up harp know about something a little bit different that I’ve been working on recently. I’ve always loved Cream’s version of Robert Johnson’s “Cross Road Blues” (“Crossroad Blues” when Cream does it), especially Clapton’s remarkable-for-the-time refashioning of electric guitar into something larger-than-life. So I worked up a version of Clapton’s opening 12-bars for harmonica, and added a primitive foot-stomp sound by plugging a wooden block into my 1955 Bassman. Here’s the result:

My trio Satan and Adam is about to go on tour; this experiment worked out so well that we’re planning to add “Crossroads Blues” to our set. I get to turn my amps ALL the way up! This would make any harp player very happy.

About that tour: please visit http://www.modernbluesharmonica.com/personal_appearances.html for a complete list of gigs. We’ll be hitting South Carolina, Tennessee, West Virginia, Pennsylvania, New York, and New Hampshire.

–Adam Gussow