Behind The Blues

While Nick Moss freely admits that blues dominated his band at their inception—he learned at the feet of Chicago blues luminaries Jimmy Dawkins and Willie “Big Eyes” Smith—these days, the genre serves as a jumping-off point for airy rock jams and free-form improvisational forays. Working with a platform similar to the Allman Brothers, Little Feat and Super Sessionera Michael Bloomfield, it was only a matter of time before Moss’ focus shifted. “I’m heavily blues-influenced, [but] I’ve reached this point where I don’t want to just play one music for one audience,” he says, explaining the newfound accessibility of his latest album, Time Ain’t Free (Blue Bella). Merging diverse influences—vintage soul to classic rock, psychedelia to jazz fusion—Moss offers plenty of space for his five-piece to create fresh-sounding compositions. “I want music that’s palpable, that I can feel, touch and taste, rather than something bottled,” he explains. That attitude transfers to the stage as well. “I don’t care how long the song lasts, let’s just have fun,” he says. “I get lost in the music sometimes and I think that’s the best part of it—for the audience too.”