Big Papa and the TCB - ( Rock N Roll Industry Magazine Archives, August 2011)

Once again, I found a gem that needs to find its way to my readers,so I'm reviving an artcile once published for RNR magazine. I hope you enjoy it!

I.E. Blues and Roots Festival, Fender Museum

Last year, I  attended the first annual Inland Empire BluesFestival at The Fender Center and I must say that I had a blast! The performers included Rod Piazza and the Mighty Flyers, Big Papa and the TCB, Jumpin’ JackBenny Blues Band, Kelly McGuire and The Cold Comfort Blues Band.  There were many highpoints of the show, one of which was during Rod Piazza’s set when his wife, and piano player, Honey, performed a ten minute boogie woogie duet with drummer Dave Kida.  However, the real star of the show was Chris “Big Papa” Thayer, front man and guitar player for Big Papa and the TCB. In addition to putting on one hell of a show, Big Papa ,along with his cohort and fellow bluesman Kelly McGuire have worked tirelessly behind the scenes to make the I.E. Blues Festival happen – so I recently sat down with Chris to discuss the event. Here’s what he had to say:

ROCK ‘N’ ROLL: The IE Blues Festival was a resounding success. How does it feel to put something like that together?

BIG PAPA: Exhausting. It was a helluva lot more work than I had imagined. And it wasn't big stuff, but a million little details. But it was pretty amazing to see it be as successful as it was.   

R’N’R: What was the highlight of the event for you?

BP: That's tough to answer. I was running around like a crazy person, so I can't really remember much. Just kidding! Actually, it was pretty cool sitting down with the Mighty Flyers back stage after the whole thing was over and talking about different events we had all put on or been a part of over the years. It was also really cool to have Rod give Kelly and I props from the stage for putting together such a cool festival. All of the bands were very gracious.

R’N’R: What inspires you to play the blues?

BP: Life. My life is pretty amazing now, but man I did more than my share of living before I got married and filled up a vault with bad experiences, bad decisions, and bad relationships. I have plenty of blues in my past to draw from for at least another 10 or 11 records. I learned early on that you have to do some living before you can do any real writing. We've all seen the 10 year old kids who can play any blues lick you throw at them, but when they get a little mileage under their feet, then their blues will be sincere. 

R’N’R: Who are your biggest influences as a musician?

BP: Robert Cray has always been a big one. Louis Jordan is, especially for BPTCB. But I gotta say, Rod Piazza and Jumpin’ Jack Benny have both been real life influences on me. I knew I wanted to play blues as a kid when I went to see Rod and the Flyers down at Carlos O'Briens in Riverside on a Sunday afternoon. They tore that place up, and I learned what it meant to put on a show by watching them. Then I met Benny, and he took me to what I call "blues school." Working as his sideman I learned HOW to rock a house and put on a great show. What is so great is that I was able to give back a little bit by putting on a festival where both of them could come and get some exposure and new fans.

R’N’R: How did BP & TCB come about?

BP: Honestly, it started as a side gig to make a little extra dough. I was doing the singer/songwriter thing, and as I did every so often, I called up Steve (Brown) to do a last minute gig. We had been playing together off and on for almost 20 years. I found this young guy to play drums and got an email from a keyboardist a couple weeks later. It was just a means to make some cash, but it took on a life of its own. I guess deep down I knew it was where I was supposed to be, musically, but it took finding the right guys to make it stick.

R’N’R: What is your overall impression of the I.E. Blues scene?

BP: There is a wealth of immense talent in this area, but a lack of opportunities. That was the whole reason for putting together the fest, to give local players, like BPTCB, a chance to share the music they love with the people who love it. There used to be a ton of clubs in the area that had blues bands play, but they all seemed to get greedy and stopped taking care of the acts that financially took care of them. They started looking for the big paydays, and booked crap bands who could sell tickets. Pretty soon, no one wanted to go there because the bands were awful, and the good bands refused to play there anymore because they were tired of being treated like second class citizens. It's clubs like Patrick's II in San Diego or the Hip Kitty in Claremont that stay true to the bands and understand that if they treat the musicians with respect and pay them well, then they will work hard to make sure that the clubs stay busy, and everyone wins.

R’N’R: So what advice do you have for the blues scene?

Do it yourself. Create the venues that you want to play in. Find the clubs and restaurant owners that are open to having live music and make sure you promote the hell out of the shows, so that everyone will benefit. Play YOUR music. Play YOUR blues. There's a difference between learning from and incorporating your influences and copying your influences. When your blues is honest and YOURS, then people will respond. And work together. That's what we did with the fest, and I know that is why it was successful.