GOT A BLACK CAT BONE..GOT A MOJO TOO! by Mike "The Nighthawk" Floyd "Well, I'm a Crow Bar, Baby..Gonna Pull Out All Your Nails Well, I'm a Crow Bar, Baby..Gonna Pull Out All Your Nails Gonna climb aboard Your Boat, Put Some Holes in all Your Sails.."      - Crowbar by Link Wray, 1971
	There is absolutely no doubt that a young North Carolina hepcat named Matt Hill is doing just exactly what he was cut out to do in his life..and that's storm on stage, grab his small, danelectro guitar, throw the switch and slam some of that good ol' down home devils music, the blues, and rock 'em on down for all he's worth.  This Greensboro-based blues artist is not only a fierce performer but also is one of the hottest, most talked about and most overwhelming stage personalities there is, any-damn-where.  All you have to do is catch him live one-time and you'll know the why and what for.       Recently, the 22-year old Hill brought his amazing Rockabilly band, The Buzzkills, to Bronx Boy Bagels, upstairs, here in downtown Danville for a wild show.  The three set episode was classic Matt Hill...filled with powerful blues, rockabilly and even some old Ernest Tubb stuff ("Driving Nails In My Coffin").  Hill staggered the modest and somewhat stunned audience with his raw and completely uninhibited playing, singing and sometimes incoherent commentary for the full 3 hours.         Supported by the brilliant Max Drake on lead guitar and noted drummer Wes Johnson, Hill ripped through song after song and at one point claimed he was the grandson of Carl Perkins which brought a huge response out of those of us who knew who-in-the hell he was talking about.  "You can slander my name all over the place, do anything that you wanna do..but uh, uh honey, lay off of them shoes" (Blue Suede Shoes, Carl Perkins)  Yeah man.  Perkins wrote it, but Elvis made all the dough off it.       Hill's versatility is displayed by the fact there is the Matt Hill Blues Band (Sheila Klinefelter on bass, Terry VunCannon on guitar and Chuck Cotton on drums,) and of course, The Buzzkills, the anything is possible band.  Hill also teams up with another young blues musician Matt Walsh ("My brother from another mother")  and together they perform an acoustic/electric duo that plays frequently up and down the North and Southeast.  If that's not enough, he is much in demand as a sideman by other regional blues artist and just recently returned from an Albuquerque to New York City road trip in just that capacity.  Add to that he and Max Drake will be opening for blues superstar, Robert Cray, in High Point in several days and you start to get the picture on how this guy's career seems to be taking shape.  Yeah, that's right.  Big time and pretty soon.       Those of you that know blues and many of its more famous artist would probably be familiar with Elmore James and his slide guitar work during the 50's and 60's.  Matt hill does his covers, "Dust My Broom" and "Shake Your Money Maker" on his cut down Danelectro guitar that Hill accurately replicates, and I mean exactly, the raw sound of Elmore's studio cuts from 55 years ago.  He also favors and plays the styles of Jimmy Rogers, Muddy Water's old sideman, North Mississippi legend the late R.L. Burnside ("hypnotic, juke joint extended dance tunes"), Robert Nighthawk, the great Link Wray and some Hollywood Fats west coast, 80's swing stuff like "Rock This House."       "My biggest influence? That would have to be The Howlin' Wolf (Chester Burnett).  He's my complete, utter hero.  You look at that span of time (mid 1950s) when the blues was gettin' hit real hard by rock 'n roll, even people like Muddy were having trouble gettin' gigs.  But, during that time when no one else was playing, he was playing everywhere because he was such a good showman.  No matter what age the audience was, he could get their attention and if it means crawling along the floor to do it, I guess if it was good enough for him then it's sure as hell good enough for me.  Besides it's a good way to shake people up if they're sitting there watching me, semi-listless in a coma!  Gonna be none of that at any of my shows,"  commented Hill from a "sleazy, flea-bag" motel room somewhere in Camden, South Carolina, two weeks ago.       But, where does a kid this young (Howlin' Wolf dies in 1976) learn and even hear this vintage stuff, first hand, around here?  You can thank veteran blues guitarists Bob Margolin and Max Drake for most of that.  At age 18, Matt Hill sat in with Margolin down at the famous Double Door Inn (Charlotte) at a gig and there was an ignition.  Margolin, a member of Muddy Waters band in the 70s, specializes in the sounds and techniques of classic Southside Chicago electric blues.  That means strong, driving rhythms, slide guitar and usually amplified harmonica.  The well-known song, "Hoochie Coochie Man" is a Water's classic and defines Chicago Blues with it's stop-time, boasting sexual metaphors and instrumental-dynamics.  Hill wolfed all that stuff down.       Drake, who put on a downright blues guitar clinic at the Bagel boy, has a huge personal library of blues recordings and footage of many, many legendary performers with which to take notes and learn from.  He also can pick some great country blues on his mandolin, which believe it or not was utilized be many early musicians in pre-war recorded blues.       I remember sitting in Max's house in Walkertown several years ago and he was playing a Lightnin' Hopkins song over and over trying to get the notes right and the note progression figured out.  After about 30 minutes, he nailed it down and that certain lick went into his already huge playing capabilities and no doubt Hill has access to it if he needs it.  Cool huh?       "Max is a huge influence on me.  I started hanging out with Max because I felt I had all this stuff inside me and then I met Max and he started encouraging me to let all my darkness and sickness come out.  Just like Bob (Margolin), Max is an encyclopedia of blues guitar but he's also a hooligan and encourages me to the notes that I'm holding on to.  Playing onstage wih Max is just natural and we don't really think about what we're playing.  Nothing is forced or planned but it takes care of itself.  I'm definitely more at ease and a better performer when he's there," says Hill.       Yes, folks, it does the Nighthawk's heart such good to watch these two hooligans roar through the cover of AC/DC's "Hells Bells" - which is the Buzzkill's customary take-it-to-the-break slam down number.  Chuck Berry/Keith Richard chords and rhythms just a mule-skinnin' your ears and watching Max, in his 50s, double-up toe-to-toe with young Matt.  Ah, as it should be boys and girls.  These guys remind me of one of the first bumper stickers I ever saw over 40 years ago.  It read: Don't Laugh.  This might be your daughter riding in this car with me...       Crowds usually go wild when hill pulls out his little Fender lap steel guitar and goes into some wild slide guitar number a la Robert Nighthawk who popularized a song, "Gonna Murder My Baby"...but it just doesn't stop there.  This boy might jump up, whip out a Marine Band harmonica and tear right into a Howlin' Wolf number, "Howlin' For My Darlin'" gyrating his hips like he's twirling a hula-hoop 100 miles and hour.       The next song might be "Matchbox" by Carl Perkins and sometimes F.J. Ventre, the Buzzkill's upright bass player, will take over on vocals, spin his big upright bass and twang it up, vocally pretty good too.  Chuck Cotton, who is the Buzzkills regular drummer, also handles plenty of vocals himself.       But eventually Hill will go into his ritualistic finale where he pleads and begs the audience and metamorphs into his Ernest Angley fire-and brimstone floor exercise, usually pouncing onto a chair or table, or will low crawl along with his guitar moaning, winding up in the fetal position while the crowd is making a hasty decision on whether to flip, flop or fly and look around to see if anyone else is worried, too.  You know what though?...most of it is not an act.  Lots of old blues guys used to do it, create tension in the crown and get everybody worked  up all together.  Schtick?  Maybe.  Effective?  You bet.   Matt Hill will work a crown, ladies ands gentlemen, believe me.       With a long performing future certainly looming in front of him, Hill insists on staying with his deep blues roots.  "We're into all kinds of music but blues is going to be at the heart of it all.  That's what truly matters but we throw in a little Carl Perkins here and there, baby.  Ol' Carl there, he had that good ol' country-boy, honky-tonk, simple chicken-pick-en' just completely hillbilly sound.  Yeah, we really like doin' his stuff and been known to do a Carl Perkins medley," says Hill with a laugh.       "I've done a couple of Link Wray tunes (known as the Father of the Power Chord, google his bad ass sometime and read the article by Jimmy McDonough on him) and we will probably throw some more of his stuff eventually.  Link's stuff is complete attitude.  I was riding around the other day, listening to some 50's pop, teeny-bopper stuff and it dawned on me how really rough and raw Link was and no wonder it made people go into a riot,"  Hill adds.  The song, "Rumble," a freakin' instrumental, was banned from many radio stations, back then, because of its suggestive street fighting connotation and, yes, you could call it a fight song for the streets!  Just to think..the attitude of one guitar chord would incite people to gang-fight or summon up aggression would seem to belong on a Buzzkills playlist.       "I'm happy where I'm at right now.  I'm having a lot of fun playing with different people and playing out but I love North Carolina.  I like my home and I'm pulling my own shop, handling all the business and booking the bands.  I'm the web designer and songwriter and I'm doing all the things I need to do to keep bringing in the cash so I can continue playing guitar.  That's why I enjoy going out as a sideman with guys like Matt and Gina Sicilia (Blues and R&B singer out of Philadelphia)... I don't have to worry about none of that mess...just show up, go out and play.  I try to carry the least amount of equipment as possible to make it less complicated too."       My advice to you people reading this article is to go to Matt Hill's Myspace website and check out this guy's thang.  It's got his touring and booking information, lots of great photos and usually four of his best live recordings that will give you a taste.  In person and live is best and he is usually around the Triad area so it's worth it to make the drive.  More importantly, if you ain't got any wild hairs left on you, go ahead and absorb some of young Dr. Hill's Rocabilly and Blues Oil and that right there will sure enough make 'em start to grow back.