Fifteen-year-old blues sensation Hank Green will be stopping by Queanbeyan this weekend.
WHEN you conjure up an image of a guitarist letting loose some searing, blues licks and meaning it, you might see an ageing African American bluesman with a wealth of playing experience etched into deep lines on his face.
When you think about 1950s rockabilly, it might be an image of a high-collared southern American white boy with hair slicked back and a devil-may-care attitude that springs to mind. Both these stereotypes are now over 50 years old, yet Maitland teenager Hank Green manages to pulls off both styles with flair and experience beyond his years.
A guitar prodigy of 15, Hank has been travelling the country with his dad, bluesman Johnny Green, for five years now and has lost count of how many rollicking blues and rock'n'roll shows he's played, and how many Australian towns he's seen.
He picked up the guitar at six, was invited to play the Byron Bay Blues and Roots Festival at 13 and is as familiar with the music of the 1950s as somebody five times his age. Hank said it was his father's record collection that first inspired him to pick up the guitar.
"My dad was right into it, and he had a blues band that I used to see," he said.
"And then I heard his record collection, all these old vinyl records of people like Howlin' Wolf and Muddy Waters and I just got into it."
Hank and his band, Hank Green's Blues, are coming to Queanbeyan this weekend to play shows at Hotel Queanbeyan (top pub) tonight, and at Eurotune Motorcycles on Saturday night as part of the store's 30th anniversary celebrations.
He said the band- which features himself and 'Grunter' on guitar, dad Johnny Green on bass, acclaimed rock'n'roll piano man Ezra Lee and Aussie blues legend Johnny ''Thunderbolt'' Gray on drums- is renowned for their fast-paced sets and dance-friendly grooves.
"It's blues and a lot of rock'n'roll and rockabilly as well. There's 50s R'n'B style songs in there as well, and yeah, it's mainly 50s music" Hank said.
"It's all good time music, and there's plenty of showmanship too. We get right into it," he said.
- Catch Hank Green's Blues at the Queanbeyan Hotel (top pub) tonight from 7pm (free entry), or tomorrow night at Eurotune Motorcyle's thirtieth anniversary celebration (BYO, barbecue food available for a small fee.) Phone Eurotune on 6297 8636 for more details.