Mad Dog Friedman chats with KGNU’s Joanne Cole about his upcoming show and new CD. Mad Dog will open for Joe Waters, a celebrated blues artist, at the Roots Music Project in Boulder on August 31. Mad Dog highlights Waters’ unique skills on both harmonica and guitar. He discusses his new CD All The Way, and talks about his plans for an upcoming live instrumental CD. (Interview date: 8/27/2024)
Joanne Cole: My name is Joanne. I’m joining the studio with Mr. Mad Dog Friedman. Welcome back.
Mad Dog Friedman: Oh, thank you. It’s great to be at KGNU.
Joanne Cole: So you are here to pump a new show and a new CD.
Mad Dog Friedman: We got a new CD. It features a guy that Sean and I met down in Memphis when we were doing the IBC, representing Malai Blues Society down there. In the room we were competing in, there was this guy, and as soon as I heard him – I don’t know, I’m partial to harp players, but there was this guy that played a harmonica on a rack like nobody had ever heard before, and when I listened to his set, he was just as good on guitar. I pretty much knew that he was going to win the whole thing, and he sure enough did.
Joanne Cole: What was the name again?
Mad Dog Friedman: Joe Waters was his name.
Joanne Cole: Oh, Joe Waters.
Mad Dog Friedman: The IBC this year in Memphis was literally a disaster area because of the snowstorm and the cold that hit during the time. The water mains froze. Some of the hotels didn’t have heat in the upper floors. Some of them left. The sprinkler went off in the lobby of the Holiday Inn. The opera and theater for the finals had outhouses in 10 degree weather.
Yes, it’s a contest, and people are competitive, but there was a different vibe down there this last year, where it was more cooperative. You made it down here, it was hard, let us help you across the ice, or whatever. Everybody was more cooperative. So we became friends with Joe, and Joe started touring with George Thorogood, so we talked to him to see if we could schedule some things while he was in the area.
We have two nights scheduled with him. Friday night at Avocado’s Number and then again at Roots Saturday night. The Roots Boulder is an incredible nonprofit. If you have never been there, you should go check out the venue. But this Saturday night Joe Waters will be in town doing his amazing solo blues act. Not only has he won the IBC this last year, he won the Telluride Troubadour Contest in 2022, which makes him probably the hottest blues solo act in the world right now, because those are two of the biggest contests in the world.
Joanne Cole: And he’s going to be right here with you Mad Dog, you’re opening up for him.
Mad Dog Friedman: Oh yeah, he’s a great guy.
Joanne Cole: On August 31st, which is what day? Thursday?
Mad Dog Friedman: It’s this Saturday night.
Joanne Cole: Saturday night. Yeah, Roots Music. So people who’ve never been there, it’s 4747 Pearl Street.
Mad Dog Friedman: They’re bringing great music. They’re a music incubator. They’re there to promote the music. They’re a non-profit. Their mission is to promote music. What better place to go hear somebody like Joe Waters.
Joanne Cole: Is Joe on this new CD?
Mad Dog Friedman: There’s a little story about it that’s really pretty interesting. He was coming out to play with George Thorogood in Denver at the Paramount and we were going to record the day before. His car broke down and he didn’t make it, so we had to schedule a whole different session. There’s a track on there called “Roadside Joe”, a little rib about him getting stuck. But it actually turned out really good as far as the way the CD went because we could get a couple extra players to come in on it and it just came out wonderful.
Joanne Cole: Yeah, on his Facebook page, he is chronicling his tour. He is in Fort Collins, as you mentioned, Boulder. Then he’s going to Las Vegas.
Mad Dog Friedman: And he’s coming off of the Durango train.That’s where he is, I think, today.
Joanne Cole: Oh yeah, the Durango train thing, something I’ve never done. Anyways, I’m gonna play your music, Mad Dog. This new CD is titled All The Way. And who else is playing on this? “Love Scared The Devil” is what we’re playing.
Mad Dog Friedman: Oh, that’s just the band. There’s no guests on that, so that’s Sean Bennight’s song, he’s singing. There’s Mark Kazarosky on guitar, Jeff Becker on mandolin, Clark Chancellor on stand up bass, and there’s myself on harmonica.
Joanne Cole: Here’s Mad Dog Friedman with his new release. Tell me what it’s called again?
Mad Dog Friedman: “Love Scared The Devil”.
Joanne Cole: “Love Scared The Devil”, right here on KGNU.
That’s lovely. That’s Mad Dog Friedman and friends, from his release, All The Way, Mad Dog Blues. That’s a love song.
Mad Dog Friedman: It is. There’s several love songs. And one of the reasons I was glad you picked that track is because it really shows the diversity that’s on the album. There’s something for everybody. We cover all the roots and we go back in time with all the roots on this album. So there’s something for everybody. That was more of the singer songwriter folky side of it. And then there’s some stuff that’s really hard blues and there’s stuff all in between, there’s jug band.
Joanne Cole: I’m looking forward to that jug band because there’s a lot of talk about kazoo in the press for this thing.
Mad Dog Friedman: Yes, there is.
Joanne Cole: So keeping the tradition of American music – roots, blues and the kazoo.
Mad Dog Friedman: The kazoo.
Joanne Cole: Yeah. On Saturday, you’ll be opening for highly lauded Joe Waters on the guitar.
Mad Dog Friedman: Yes. Joe Waters is gonna be in Colorado, and if you are a country blues fan and love acoustic blues, you should be there.
Joanne Cole: You really should be. As I said to you, I’m not a huge fan of the guitar, but he’s extremely talented.
Mad Dog Friedman: Yes. And he plays a harmonica just as good as anybody that would hold it and not play guitar at the same time. That’s very rare. The only other person I know that does that maybe is Johnny Hammond. And sometimes when he gets going, he reminds me of that Johnny Hammond solo album where he’s just such a monster. Joe’s a monster.
Joanne Cole: You’re going to have an opportunity to hear him. I want to give a shout out to my good friend Vernita, listening as always. Then our friend, Greg Schultz, AKA Baby G. That’s what I call him. He wrote back and he said that Johnny Blue Skies that I played in the last set is actually Sturgill Simpson under a pseudonym.
Mad Dog Friedman: Wow.
Joanne Cole: That’s why I liked it, Greg, because I do like me some Sturgill Simpson. It’s when I really step out and I probably have had a few drinks that I really love country music. Everyone that knows me can attest to that. Anywho, let’s play some of this Joe Waters. Besides this record, which I’m sure kept you busy, what are you doing in the future besides a CD? Cause I know this takes a huge amount of time and energy to create a CD like this.
Mad Dog Friedman: We’re working on our next CD actually. We’re planning a live CD. I think it’s gonna be instrumental. We had a lot of fun with the instrumentals on this one, so we’re thinking about just doing an instrumental CD live as our next project, and targeting that toward this winter.
Joanne Cole: In addition to opening for Joe Waters on August 31st at the Roots Music Project, which is huge, and we want you to go buy tickets, where are you going to be playing, and what else are you going to be doing?
Mad Dog Friedman: Sean and I are going to be trying to get back to Memphis with the Colorado Blues Society this year. It’s pretty much a blank slate. We’re just waiting to see what happens with the CD as far as new directions. But yeah, just check out our calendar at coloradocountryblues.com because there’s more dates than I can really remember.
Joanne Cole: Coloradocountryblues.com. Wonderful. Thank you again so much for coming and making the trek across the great divide to see us here. Our guest has been Mad Dog Friedman. You know him, you love him. You can find his music online at…
Mad Dog Friedman: There’s a maddogharp.com that has all my music on it. But Mad Dog Blues is at coloradocountryblues.com.
Joanne Cole: We’re pumping the show, Joe Waters Telluride Blues winner. Memphis International Blues Challenge winner.
Mad Dog Friedman: And an all around good guy. Can I tell you a story?
Joanne Cole: Sure.
Mad Dog Friedman: Joe, when he won the IBC, he did a solo jaw harp number at the IBC. When he came out, we used him on the jaw harp on the album. We gave him a chance to do a little solo thing that was supposed to just be an intro but got out of hand. And it was just amazing. I’d never heard anything like it. I said, “Wow, that was amazing.” And he goes, “Yeah, I just started playing that in January.” I said, “What? I saw you mid January at the Opera and Theater do a jaw harp solo that drove the crowd nuts. You mean to tell me you’ve been playing it for two weeks?”
Joanne Cole: Really great talent. And a nice guy.
