Stompin' Dave - musician

CD Reviews

Blues In The South 

December 2022

Stompin' Dave & Lucy Piper

We Can Talk In Person

I have no idea how many CDs Dave Allen (Stompin' Dave) has made, I'm pretty sure he'd be hard pushed to be accurate on the number too! He is a singularly prolific artist who over and over goes the extra mile to deliver an outstanding show to his audience.

Dave is a skilled musician, playing guitar, fiddle, banjo and piano and if that's not enough, he tops it off with highly accomplished 'flat foot' dancing often while playing one or more of his instruments.

Lucy Piper is the daughter of the late bluesman Julian Piper who for most of his life WAS Blues Southwest. Lucy is no flash in the pan. She has worked hard learning the special skill required to be the percussionist for blues musicians. She has learned well and is firmly in the mould of Sam Below, Willie 'Big Eyes' Smith and Elgin Evans (Elga Edmonds).

Here we have fifteen (told you he goes the extra mile) original tracks featuring exemplary performances each of which comes with an added ingredient - 'authenticity'. In the 1950s and 1960s, those declared not to be authentic were cast to the four winds. Even Muddy Waters was castigated for his use of an electric guitar!

Stompin' Dave is replete with authenticity. His music brings to mind the hokum, jug and string bands of yesteryear and for me at least is a wonderful reminder of and tribute to the pioneers of blues and roots music who did not follow a model, but created it from scratch.

Get this album and sample it for yourself. It even comes with a bit of tap-dancing 

(a tap like listening to a ventriloquist on the radio). Great guitar work, fine singing and authentic lyrics and melodies. WONDERFUL!

Stompin' Dave the embodiment of authenticity! Lucy Piper BLUES drummer!

Ian K McKenzie

http://www.bluesinthesouth.com/ 

Blues In Britain Review

July 2022     

Stompin' Dave & Lucy Piper

Nothing But Trouble

Anyone who's seen Stompin' Dave Aen live will need no elaborate introduction: the tern "can play anything" is right on the money. Following recent albums of piano stomping, old time fiddle, rockabilly and acoustic blues, this latest is one mighty little gem. He not only shows what a superb musician he is but that he's a real Dorset man of the blues, this album beginning life in a small recording studio in Lyme Regis.

He's joined here by the awesome talent of Lucy Piper from Exeter on drums, formerly with The Junkyard Angels, who played on both 2019-2020 Ruf Blues Caravan Tours before more recently spending two years playing Mississippi juke joints. The sound is very much straight out of the Delta and, weather picking or on slide, Dave's guitar skills are in full flow: mainly acoustic and it rocks it rolls and delivers some great boogie and ragtime. The sound is authentic, with a richness that's as good as any of the best blues albums.

The title song "Nothing But Trouble" opens, with Lucy's stomping drums alongside Dave's full-on voice, before the steady rolling beat, finger-picked guitar and blues hollar of 'What Am I Supposed To Do." 'Sensitive Reaction' is slower, more a front porch song, but with a steady rhythm carrying it along nicely. 'One Of These Days' is an outstanding track, featuring a slice of slide smoothing the way, easy-paced but again with Lucy's steady rolling drums catching the ear. Without doubt, Dave has found an incredible young lady here, and together they blend perfectly, rocking the house (porch) down on, 'Money, Money, Money' before, to close the album, another great song in 'Don't Stop (I Just Got Started)'.

Pete Clack         

https://www.bluesinbritain.org/

Blues In Britain Review

June 2021

Stompin' Dave & Slammer Durrant

Old Time Fiddle

David Allen, alias Stompin' Dave, is one of the most gifted musicians and entertainers around. He hails from Bridport in Dorset and last year we did a full interview with him. His last two albums were one of piano blues and one of acoustic blues. Both were solo and proved what a varied and huge talent he is.

This time he's looked at Old Time Fiddle - in fact many blues recordings over the years have included fiddles, best know was Gatemouth Brown. 

Listening to this new album reminded me a little of those days, replacing piano with fiddle and it works an absolute treat. Slammer takes the guitar role, to which Dave add his vocals, and, yes his tap dancing, a key part of his live shows (his own rhythm machine).

Arranged and recorded by the man himself, three of the generous seventeen tracks are live at The Sidmouth Arms, Upottery, Devon, three more at home just outside of Bridport and the rest at St. Michael & All saints Church, Stockland, Devon in December 2000. These wonderful old stone built churches have superb acoustics, especially for acoustic music.

The sound throughout is excellent, and makes this whole set a listening pleasure. Dave's not usually one for covers but this time has gone for traditional tunes, arranged to suit his style.

Tracks include the opening 'Angelina Baker', through others such as 'Baby O', 'Say darling say', 'Brickyard Joe', 'Seneca Square Dance' 'Arkansas Traveller', and 'Shortnin' Bread'. The whole album is a real lifter, making you feel better and taking those stuck in blues away, offering some nice uplifting blues and swing tunes, as they say 'Just what the doctor ordered'.

Stompin' Dave , the musician with a usually pretty full live date listing, has made up for the lack of dates with one hugely well played and lively album. The fiddle rises again, and you can try your own tap dancing along with him (your daily exercise). Well, just go lift your day, lift your feet, and enjoy a big slice of music to bring life back again. Thanks to both Dave and Slammer for this cracking little album.

Pete Clack

https://www.bluesinbritain.org/

Blues In Britain Review

May 2020     

Stompin' Dave

Keyboard Blues

Are there any limits to this man’s incredible musical talents, it’s because whatever he plays he proves to be a master of it. From his Blues 3 to his recent rock n roll outing, then an outstanding acoustic blues guitar album. Now we have a solo piano set of all original songs, twenty two of them, and right from the start his piano playing takes him straight into the top league, Dave can play blues piano as well as the very best of them.

If we believe the song ‘The blues had a baby and they called it rock n roll’ well here is your answer, inspired by the piano music from New Orleans up to Chicago, we travel all the way, the styles of folk from Prof.Longhair, Memphis Slim, through Otis Span to Piano Red are all in there somewhere, but this is an entirely original piece of work. His live shows feature much of his piano playing alongside other instruments, he really does excel though on the keyboards. This is a blues masterclass of the acoustic piano blues. A very generous number of new  tracks, all self written and played by Dave. Some have been in his live sets, either solo or his duo with Sam Kelly or his Blues 3, but this is as it was the day he put them together. Rock n roll gets a mention because the closing ‘Your A Dirty Little Cheater’ is right out of the very best style of Jerry Lee Lewis. What is so unique here though he has absorbed all the best in piano blues, and made it his own.

At times he’s very much the Memphis Slim of today, the playing, the vocals, the ease he plays all comes out of the very best of its style. The opening ‘She’s A Beer Drinking Woman’ has been in his live sets for awhile, not always on piano though, even banjo got a look in on one version, but this is how it should sound, an anthem for the ladies who like a drink or three, before ‘Cunning Old Jack’ jumps in. There’s one thing when Dave plays country blues, as the cover art proves he gets his photos in the countryside, there’s something so real and gets a mile away from the heavily overproduced modern sounds.

You could walk into a bar and just sit and enjoy this blues, and Stompin’ Dave is truly a national treasure. Described by one writer as ‘Mesmerising and infectious’ another called him a ‘phenomenal artist’,Even Blues In Britain called him ‘a downright genius’. This new release is one anyone who likes piano blues played at its very best should not miss, it really is that good. This is an absolutely joyous trip through the world of keyboard blues, and when the awards come up surely best keyboard players he’s just got to be in there. 

One more aspect of him is his song titles, ‘Just A Joke’, ‘On Her Mobile Phone’, ‘Twice Out Of Sight’, ‘I Love To Say I Told You So’, yes! There are so many elements and styles of piano blues here, that it never wavers in the enjoyment given to listeners. Stompin’ Dave the one man music business with a talent a million miles wide, produces one of for sure the best blues albums of the year, the blues as it should be played and how!

Pete Clack

https://www.bluesinbritain.org/