Bluesman Bob Petrocelli finds inspiration in Hurricane Katrina, John Coltrane
Written by Catherine Spencer
Bob Petrocelli’s catchy tunes bring one alive. His head-bopping tune “Blues-Blues” creates an aura of happiness and content. As honest as he sounds singing, he is even more honest with the way he plays his instrument. In his song “Get a Grip (Part 1),” it is clear that he wants you to get a grip of his style and of yourself at the same time: “get a grip of yourself, oh, whoa, whoa, whoa!” His album also has “Get a Grip (Part 2),” where he lays it down for you music-wise and does not let you let go of getting a grip of who he is
as an artist and of yourself. It’s a good thing we have Petrocelli to rely on when we are having a crappy, cloudy day at work. He brings us hope that we need to just get a grip and relax.
Catherine Spencer: Knowing that you have an extensive background in both roots and blues, who was your biggest inspiration?
Bob Petrocelli: I really don’t think I can say there was any one “biggest” inspiration. I was a little kid when rock & roll first hit back in the ’50s and just kind of absorbed all the new sounds I was hearing. I always gravitated toward the more bluesy-sounding artists, the New Orleans sound, stuff like that. Later on I started listening to Chicago and Delta Blues, then jazzier stuff, funk, some singer/songwriter. I guess you’d have to call me a musical sponge. Mostly these days I listen to older blues and R&B stuff.
Spencer: There seems to be a story behind “Hey Shellena.” Do you mind telling us?
Petrocelli: Some of my songs are autobiographical and some are fiction. Before I went back to playing music full time a few years ago, I worked a day job for some time. I had a staff member reporting to me named Shellena which I thought was a great “blues” name. I asked and received her permission to use her name in a song. All the rest is pure fiction. She’s not mean at all – a real sweetheart of a person. I just wanted to write a good time uptempo tune.
Spencer: When listening to “Gulf Coast Blues,” I can feel that there is a difference in the song’s aura as being a little bit mellower. What were you going through as a musician during the time you wrote this song?
Petrocelli: “Gulf Coast Blues” is a totally different story. I received a visit a couple months after Hurricane Katrina from a bluesman I had worked with a couple years prior to that. He had been living in New Orleans when the hurricane hit and wound up trapped in the Superdome. He was then bused to Houston and finally to Los Angeles. Beyond that, I’ve been influenced by the unique musical and cultural heritage of the city of New Orleans and have visited the city many times. So I guess the song is a combination of elements of the story told to me by my friend and my feelings about the losses to the city which has been one of the chief sources of American music for the last century or more.
Spencer: Growing up, every musician has one person that has greatly impacted their life one way or another. Who is yours and why?
Petrocelli: I suppose there have been a number of people who have had a major impact on my life at various times. On a musical level I’d have to say it was discovering the music of John Coltrane. The first piece of his I ever heard was “Spiritual,” and it really changed my way of hearing and thinking about music. It was as if his soul was directly piped through the saxophone. The effect was pure emotion. It was also freedom and discipline at the same time in terms of technique and the way the band played. There really is a spirituality to his music. I’ve been working on absorbing these lessons for years.
Spencer: “Lady With a Plan” is an honest song. Do you think every woman would agree with your lyrics and why?
Petrocelli: Lyrics are a funny thing in a way. Everyone draws out different interpretations of what they hear. I don’t think it’s really a question of agreeing with my lyrics or not. I was trying to create another uptempo fun song here. The subject matter is somewhat obscure here, though. While I can see that it might be seen as a description of a woman’s coquettish behavior, it’s really the story of a woman tending bar in NYC who has an immigration problem and resorts to a marriage of convenience to solve the problem. It’s based on the true story of a friend of mine. It’s not exactly your everyday jump tune but these songs take on a life of their own during the writing process and I let them go where they take me.
