There is this force of nature that goes by the name of Dave Arcari. If you’ve ever heard him play live then his hard drinking, face slapping performance style will be familiar to you. If you’ve never heard him play live then you have that to look forward to. In the meantime, both aficionados and newbies will find that use of his “Live at Memorial Hall” album will serve as either an aide memoir or as a worthy introduction to one of Scotland’s true treasures.
Now this is a live album but not really a live blues album as Dave Arcari is so much more than your average itinerant bluesman. For one thing, the blues is his style rather than just his choice of music and no matter where he walks – the standard “Trouble in Mind” or a twelve bar Burns reinvention like “Parcel Of Rogues” – he does so in his own way and, while his own way may seem to the uninitiated to be no more than a ragged beard and a resonator guitar, his confident stride reflects the truth that he brings to each and every note.
Maybe that is why he has survived as long as a gigging musician. His songs are the bullets in his musical gun and he never misses his target so this album therefore represents not just a live performance but also his very purpose. That purpose? Give them what they want but do it in your own style and that is why Dave Arcari will be living la vida loca for quite some time yet.
The album is also available on vinyl (which is a very good thing indeed).