Location: Ljubljana / Cankarjev dom / Slovenia
Date: Saturday, 24.03.2018
Prismojeni profesorji bluesa hardly need an introduction. In recent years the tireless quartet has played practically every hole-in-the-wall out there, and they’ve racked up plenty of shows abroad. After years of persistence, the band even made it onto the stage at Ljubljana’s Križanke. Two years ago their debut Family saw the light of day. Despite its success, the guys decided not to rest on their laurels like many Slovenian bands that put out a debut and hope for world fame. What followed was the live record “Križanke – Live”, packed with new material. But their minds were already on the next studio album, which got its first public airing at the Cankarjev dom show, where the band also marked 10 years together. So, two reasons for this one to be something truly special.
Before the show the band let it be known that they’d be joined by plenty of guests, so a routine gig was not on the cards. It’s also well known that Prismojeni can play for three hours or more, and they billed the Cankarjev dom show that way on purpose, so people could sit down and give themselves over to the music, even though this wacky epic demanded serious live stamina. Music came first: no bar, no smoking room, just Prismojeni and their guests. A risky move, since blues can get pretty heavy going, but the way Prismojeni package it, blues is anything but dry.
The band kicked off their long set with the new tune Poorboy, then went back to the debut and played a few songs from it. It didn’t take long before they called the first guest to the stage, Andraž Mazi, who played a rather specific instrument, the pedal steel guitar, which gave Prismojeni’s music an extra dimension and added to its uniqueness. After Mazi, the guests kept rotating. Domen Gracej joined on trumpet, Jasna Kmetec on saxophone and Andrej Tomazin on congas, and together they played a run of songs, and also threw in a few covers, which is standard practice for the band. Aleš Uhan’s keyboards added yet another shade to the performance. The band touched on every genre imaginable. You could hear British-style blues rock and, on the flip side, Delta blues too. Blues may well be the foundation, but there were real detours into soul, funk, country, psychedelic rock and whatever else you can think of. With guest musicians and extra instruments, Prismojeni showed just how open blues really is, knocking down quite a few stereotypes along the way.
Of course, there was no getting around covers this time either. Hendrix’s Voodoo Chile has become a staple, and it was played with remarkable precision and authenticity. Guitarist Julijan Erič has studied practically every move of the guitar legend. But it would be unfair to say Julijan was the only one shining. Prismojeni work as a single entity, and every member nails their part. Above all, the communication between the members and how tightly locked-in they were deserves praise. Miha Erič was once again assured on harmonica and vocals. He also sat down at the lap steel guitar, adding even more color to an already colorful repertoire. The rhythm section impressed throughout. Drummer Zlatko Đogić helped out on vocals the whole time and won over the crowd with his jokey banter, and in a good three hours he took just one short break, when it was time for Miha Ribarič’s bass solo, which got an extra twist by rapping N.W.A’s Fuck the Police. In short, Prismojeni truly have no limits.
There were quite a few guest musicians. On a few songs they got help from guitarist Grega Smola Crnkovič, who also helped record the band’s current album. If Julijan Erič wowed with his Hendrix style, Crnkovič wowed with a Stevie Ray Vaughan style. The soloing from both guitarists was a real treat for fans of guitar virtuosity. The saxophone had been covered earlier, but Lovro Ravbar added more, showing off his command of the instrument in a virtuoso spot of his own.
The program was undoubtedly rich, but for quite a few people it was too long, which showed after two and a half hours when some of them headed for the exit. Toward the end the band started to realize it was slowly time to say goodbye. But there was one more surprise in store, and it earned the loudest applause of the night. Pero Lovšin came out on stage and sang “Na svoji poti” with the band, which put the cherry on top of the show.
Despite the long show, after three hours the band was called back to the stage. After the introductions of the members and guests, one last “jam” went down, and so the long epic came to an end, the one that introduced the new album “Wacky Blues Professors”.
With their Cankarjev dom show marking 10 years together, Prismojeni profesorji bluesa once again proved an incredible originality and authenticity that has no equal in Slovenia. The band is full of unexpected twists, it can be serious, and it can crack a great joke too. It can offer something simple or something more demanding. There are no limits here, and there’s a progressive mindset that will take them far, as long as the band sticks to this path, of course.
author: Primož Novak
