Bentley's Bandstand
The first thing a lot of listeners might ask is, “who is Redd Volkaert?” That’s before they hear the guitarist play. Once they do, the next question is usually, “where in the hell has this man been hiding?” Volkaert has actually been hiding in plain sight since he got a 1958 Fender Esquire guitar at the start of the ‘70s when he was 12 years old. It was like he’d been waiting his whole life to start playing, and once he did, it didn’t take long to hear what a huge gift he had for it. First at bars in and around Vancouver, British Columbia, and then Alberta, Los Angeles and Nashville, the cult of Redd Volkaert was expanding exponentially. His fluid style--based in country but with slashing elements of the blues and the freedom of jazz--quickly had music aficionados buzzing like bees. The Canadian’s reputation was cemented when he joined Merle Haggard’s band the Strangers in 1997 without even having to audition. That just doesn’t happen. Those were great years, a time when Redd Volkaert got to play in concert halls and on television shows everywhere. Audiences were intrigued by the guitarist’s almost magical ability to make his Telecaster talk. Soon enough, a cult was born that exists to this day. Reddhead shows why. There is such a mastery of different styles it’s impossible not to be astounded. From the electrifying Buddy Emmons instrumental “Raisin’ the Dickens” to a funkied version of the Boxtops’ “The Letter,” there is a range that most guitarists wouldn’t even attempt, much less pull off with such fire. Vocally Redd Volkaert gets the job done with a ballsy baritone, but instrumentally he torches the joint and walks away smiling. There are a ton of great guitarists alive right now, and this is surely one of them. Hear why right here.
