Ask Travis Furlong, guitarist for the high-energy Moncton, New Brunswick-based blues-rock ensemble known as Glamour Puss, who his favourite Canadian blues artists are, and he has a simple reply.

"I admire them all," he says.

It sounds like a diplomatic answer but you know he's not merely paying lip service to his fellow blues musicians. There's a high degree of sincerity to his answer, one based on mutual respect for others on the scene, as well as a thorough knowledge of the industry.

"I'm particularly proud of the Canadian blues scene," says Furlong. "Pound for pound, I think we have more to offer than the States. I see a lot of U.S. blues artists at the festivals we play at and I find they can all be a derivative of a handful of artists."

Whoa! Those are powerful words. The United States is considered the cradle of blues and jazz as art forms. How can we even begin to compare ourselves to a country with 10 times the population, a nation with the socio-economic and cultural heritage conducive to roots music? Well, the evidence is compelling according to Furlong.

"If you look at us, we don't copy anybody," he says referring to Canadian blues musicians. "I can name just about every blues artist in Canada and I can point out why they are special. Fathead doesn't copy anybody. The Mumbo Jumbo Voodoo Combo out of Ottawa, they're just something else. There's Sue Foley who went to Texas when she was just a kid and learned the good ways and the hard ways. I have so much respect for her because she's an artist all her own. We have Rita Chiarelli who is amazing!"

What's also amazing is how Furlong can go on and on. But he's doing such an effective job making his case, why stop him while he's on a roll?

"There's Hot Toddy from the Maritimes and they've got an acoustic, blues, jazz sound that's just sweet. Then there's Carson Downey who's a bulldozer. His power is something else. You've got John Campbelljohn who is a slide wizard. He'll wrap you up in a warm blanket of different blues sounds. There's Isaac and Blewett. They're conjurers. They're dream weavers when it comes to their music. It's beautiful. I've jammed with them and their music washes over you."

By now, you get the picture. Furlong is excited about the Canadian blues scene. In fact, he seems thrilled about almost everything when it comes to discussing his musical passions. And if you have ever seen Furlong and his band mates in concert, that effervescence, that energy and enthusiasm also carries over on stage.

"They won't let me drive or drink coffee," he says referring to the other members of the group. "They let me sit in the back and listen to the music and write songs."

Glamour Puss has been described as a full-tilt party band, a unit that comes straight from the heart. Their infectious enthusiasm has had a profound effect on audiences throughout the Maritimes, across Canada, and in Europe. Consisting of five members (Furlong on lead guitar, Ron Dupuis on drums, Paul Boudreau on bass, Roger Cormier on piano and organ, Don Rodgers on saxophone), the group first came together in 1994.

"Ron and I had worked previously in a francophone band," recalls Furlong. "He and I would jam blues at sound checks and we'd listen to blues in the van. I'd bring some of my blues tapes and keep feeding his hunger. When that band came to a halt, Ron said, 'Let's do something blues. It would be fun for a while'."

Soon after, Cormier, who was a longtime friend of Dupuis', had signed on as did local Moncton bassist Boudreau. Phillip Lucy, the band's original sax player, rounded out the lineup and Glamour Puss set up shop as the house band at a newly-opened club in town. The year was 1995.

"We had a great local following," says Furlong. "It was fantastic. The intention for Glamour Puss was blues, cajun and zydeco, all different styles of blues. We started out playing different styles of blues to figure out which one we did best and we found if we played all the styles our way, it sounded like us. So it was the beginning of an honest sound."

According to Furlong, the fact that all the band members are veterans in the industry gives them a distinct edge, not only while performing on stage but also when it comes to taking care of business as a unit. There is no learning curve or unexpected surprises.

"Everyone has done it full-time," he says. "We're not just starting out with a dream. Everyone knows what it's like to go out on the road and help make the decisions and take some of the falls, share the reality and share some of the pain."

Furlong refers to all his band mates as "adrenaline junkies." Each member brings his own form of energy to the group providing a nice balance in addition to plenty of momentum. Three members can handle solo after solo all night long while all five are confident vocalists.

"Ron is the driving force of the band," says Furlong referring to drummer Dupuis. "He has a directional energy and he is the lightning rod that grounds everybody and points in the right direction. Roger is very atmospheric. At times, he's out there in the ozone but he brings that in musically and makes it magical.

"Paul is a straight-forward player and person. His bass playing matches his personality. He locks in with the drums and it's a good solid groove. Don is the loose cannon in the band but he's a cannon that fires confetti! He's a whole lot of fun on stage and I find him to be a great foil."

"For myself, I am totally immersed in the blues and that's what I like to bring to the show, whether it's T-Bone Walker playing the guitar behind the head or with the teeth, or Guitar Slim by wandering into the crowd. Me and the sax player both do that. I like to inject the show with as much raw blues as possible."

Furlong says given his current age (35), Stevie Ray Vaughan was an obvious influence and largely responsible for serving as the launch pad for a voyage of blues discovery. . As a teenager, he bought every album and even some of the same equipment Vaughan used. Furlong would also eagerly read everything he could on his guitar hero.

"I picked up every guitar magazine he was in because he wasn't giving hair tips or talking about how to wax your spandex like everybody else was in all that '80s crap. He was talking about all these blues guys. Through Stevie Ray Vaughan and B.B. King, I found who all the major blues players were and read everything I could about them and bought all their records. Then I found out who their influences were. They were lesser known but just as important."

Glamour Puss now has three CD releases and a fourth is in the works. The recordings include The Glamour Puss Blues Band (1997), Blues du Jour (1999), and Electric and Alive (2001). Furlong explains how each recording has served as a stepping stone in the evolution and success of the band.

© Copyright 2002 Feature by Baron Bedesky