When a Utah reggae band meets a Jamaican legend

Bludgeon Muffin was in the spotlight here three weeks ago after the Salt Lake City area reggae band played a post Mardi Gras party, and they rocked the place.  Last Thursday night (March 14), Bludgeon Muffin turned out to be the opening act for a Salt Lake City appearance at Liquid Joe's by Frankie Paul, one of Jamaica's best-loved dancehall reggae artists.

Jamaican reggae star Frankie Paul (All photos and videos by John G. Miller)

It turned into an evening to remember.

Having a couple of energetic connections with Bludgeon Muffin turned into a discussion about whether I'd be able to shoot photos and record video of the Frankie Paul show, and once that subject got the green light from Frankie's people, it turned into an opportunity for a post-show interview.

It turned into a golden opportunity, one that I wasn't about to waste.  And why not invite my friends along for the ride?  My friend Daniel Arellano -- Bludgeon Muffin's lead guitar player -- set the table for it all.  Before taking the stage himself to warm up the crowd with his bandmates for Frankie Paul, Daniel asked if I was stoked to be interviewing the Jamaican star, known as "The Jamaican Stevie Wonder."

Truth was, I wasn't exactly prepared for an interview with the prolific Frankie Paul.  That opportunity was a pleasant surprise.  But, yeah, I answered, I was very pleased.  But I wanted it to go a bit deeper than that.  I asked Daniel if he and anyone else from Bludgeon Muffin might like to take part in the interview themselves.

"Absolutely!" Daniel answered with a big smile.

Bludgeon Muffin took the stage and proceeded to turn in a killer set.  There may have been a touch of nerves coming from the stage a time or two, but it was plain to see that the band was pumped to be opening for Frankie, and the crowd responded in kind.

Then, it was Frankie's turn.  He and his band put on a rockin' show.

Frankie Paul

Frankie Paul gets 'em dancin' at Liquid Joe's in Salt Lake City March 14.

 

 Frankie's all about the music, and his vocal riffing was effortless.  Time after time he'd ease from a reggae tune into a classic tune from all over the place -- showing his "Stevie Wonder-like" chops with "My Cherie Amour," Billy Joel's "Just The Way You Are," "The Way We Were," "Somewhere Over The Rainbow,"  the theme from "The Flintstones," "It's Not Unusual," "Just Once" -- and come back to the original without missing a beat.

If you were paying attention, you'd hear an amazing setlist, and it was all delivered with a fun sense of passion from Frankie and everyone on stage with him.

The crowd ate it all up, from the first jam to the last.

When it was all over, it was time to gather up the members of Bludgeon Muffin so they could meet a reggae hero.

Daniel Arellano (left) and Nicolas Snarr of Bludgeon Muffin show off their autographed guitar and ukulele.

It's party time: Jammin' with Bludgeon Muffin

Daniel Arellano and Nicolas Snarr work together.  They also play together.  They carry small, soft instrument cases in to their day jobs as trainers at a Salt Lake City area customer service company.  On their break times, they can most often be found opening those cases and pulling out ukuleles while relaxing and feeding their faces.

Daniel Arellano (left) and Nicolas Snarr (right) play with Bludgeon Muffin.  (All photos and videos by John Miller)

They're not playing "Tiptoe Through The Tulips."  You could hear some Hendrix, some Zeppelin, some Bill Withers, some Michael Jackson.  Ask Daniel to play flamenco-style on his uke, and he'll do a bang-up job.

That's at their day job.

Rena Ripley, Misi Touhuni, Nicolas Snarr, Daniel Arellano

In their off-hours, they play together in a band called Bludgeon Muffin, along with lead singer/rhythm guitarist Misi Touhuni, backing singer Rena Ripley, bassist Bruce Kamai, and drummer Michael Bailey.  They play rock, blues, and hip hop.  What they play mostly, though, is reggae.  And they have a good fan base in the Salt Lake City area behind them.

Bludgeon Muffin's fan base is loyal enough that they packed The 19th Hole at The Copper Golf Club in Magna, Utah, on a snowy Saturday night for a big Post Mardi Gras Party.

DJ Misi's vocals are strong and smooth, especially combined with Ripley's voice.  Arellano shows a variety of influences on lead guitar, getting in some strong riffs.  Snarr plays a mean electric ukulele with some tasty effects.  Kamai and Bailey make up a solid rhythm section, and when Bailey is given time in the spotlight he turns in a dynamite solo on drums.

They had the party crowd at The 19th Hole doing some serious jamming.  The weather was ice-cold outside, upholding Utah's rep for the "world's greatest snow."

Inside, though, with the flag of Bob Marley decorating the stage, it was red-hot.

Check out Bludgeon Muffin's Facebook page at https://www.facebook.com/BludgeonMuffin?ref=ts&fref=ts

Misi Touhuni

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Rena Ripley

Nicolas Snarr

Part of an enthusiastic crowd enjoying Bludgeon Muffin's show.

Bruce Kamai

Michael Bailey

Jammin' at The 19th Hole

Daniel Arellano

Nicolas Snarr