Travis "Moonchild" Haddix - I'm Afraid To Ask (2018) / Texas Toothpick (2020)

► Get the album at the usual place...

Dangerous Haddixion

Seducing soulful husky voice or hoarse roaring vocals, elegant guitar style without any overdoing, interesting arrangements, with horns or without, rolling mid-tempos, groovy R'n'Bs or tender soul songs, “Moonchild” Haddix has everything to be a top-selling blues artist. Except probably a big label and the right manager. How to explain otherwise his underrated reputation despite about two dozens releases since his 1988 debut, several awards and great press reviews. A bluesmen's bluesman. Fortunately some blues fans' radars didn't miss the light radiating from the Moonchild. About time, the man is no child anymore, he's now 84 !

These are his two latest opuses to date. “I'm Afraid to Ask” (2018) is a studio album featuring 10 new songs, “Texas Toothpick” (2020) is a superb compilation of some of his best studio and live work published by his own label Wann-Sonn Records founded in 1995, after his former long time company Ichiban Records went down.

► “I'm Afraid to Ask” (2018)

Halfway between Chicago Blues and Memphis Sound, Ohio based Haddix and his band deliver a clean, cool and appealing style of blues that can turn funky at times (on “They Said It First” for example). Haddix's guitar is always subtly elegant, his kind of rusty vocals have a seducing soulful flow, while the constant presence of the horn section brings a nice Memphis touch.

On the lyrics side, Haddix deals with ordinary situations of daily life, often with a good dose of humor. Musically, most of the tracks on this album have a rather classic blues structure built on mild, often intimate tempos, but featuring a solid guitar playing by Haddix, reminding his teens' idol B.B. King many times : “I'm Afraid To Ask”, “More Me, More You”, “Piece Of My Mind”, “Warped Sense Of Humor”, “Sad On You”, “Too Much Sadness”, “The Long And Short Of It”.

Some, like “They Said It First”, “Can't Start At The Top” or “Cover Puller”, raise to a more lively level, but when the tenth track fades away, the word that sticks to your mind is  undoubtedly “cool”.

► Texas Toothpick” (2020)

This excellent 17-track compilation gather (not in chronological order) tracks from Haddix' Wann-Sonn releases “A Big Ole Goodun'” (1994, #5-8), “Signs of the Times” (1998, #9 & 10), “Milk & Bread” (2001, #14-17), “Mud Cakes” (Live in Germany) (2005, #11-13), and “Daylight At Midnight” (2007, #1-4). The title of the compilation in no way indicates that Haddix plays Texas blues, it's just one of the songs selected from the “A Big Ole Goodun'” album.

The 17 tracks unveil other facets of Haddix style : romantically soul on “Little Sister”, but most of the time livelier and grooving much more than on the studio album. This is obvious from the start on “Word A Lie”, “Nine Behind”, “Daylight At Midnight”, “Blues Leftover”, on the funky “Big Ole Goodun” and “Enough Is Enough”, on “Texas Toothpick”, on the two R'n'B “You Can't Have Your Cake And Eat It Too” and “You've Got Another Think Coming”, on the muscular “Problem With That”, the mid tempo organ-driven “Milk & Bread” (or the art of transforming a cooking recipe into a Memphis blues !), the very “horny” R'n'B “Your Fingerprints”, and the final “Ode To The Bag Lady”.

All these tracks are highly enjoyable, but the three outstanding live ones, boosted by the audience response, shine even stronger like a full moon on Moonchild : “Dance To The Blues”, well deserving its title, the 10-minute long “Mud Cakes” featuring Haddix as a thrilling guitar hero and story-teller, and the hot'n'heavy “Acute Blues Syndrome” nicely adorned with the extra sound of piano in the back.

On these three numbers, Haddix puts out powerful gritty vocals and catchy guitar, and really gives a thrilling outline of his talent. A great compilation from a very appealing bluesman !

It's said that he worked for a long time as a postal worker : I wish my postman was like him. “No mail for me today? No matter, just come on in and play a blues for me Mr Postman…” Much much better than getting an ominous certified letter from the IR service, your banker, your landlord or your boss ! ■

► Live videos... are better than long speeches

► Docs
● Travis Haddix Tribute, Cleveland Blues Hall of Fame, 2010, a short illustrated bio : https://youtu.be/GxdUQxSkx1c
● Interview with Hazel Chapman, 2013 :
→ #1 : https://youtu.be/24W0AhsbBkw
→ #2 : https://youtu.be/YPwpNo2vuFY
→ #3 : https://youtu.be/R13JDXjXm3M

► The shows

● With J.K. Hellum & The Hooters Blues Band, 2007 : https://youtu.be/2IahI0Qf_lM
● Chicago Blues Festival, 2009 : https://youtu.be/I2QEtAoUuxM
● Live in Cleveland, OH, 2010 (full show) : https://youtu.be/fz_oWE9WfYk
● Cognac Blues Passions, Cognac, France, 2010 :
→ "I've Got A Secret" : https://youtu.be/xLdOCC4pwLM
→ “Tuesday Morning” : https://youtu.be/se-01op-J9Q
● Riverfront Blues Festival, Wilmington, DE, 2011 :
→ “Good Job” : https://youtu.be/LCi9Y2yvA9M
→ “Tuesday Morning” : https://youtu.be/fsh1PBq9C58
● Hawaiian Brian's, Honolulu, HI, 2012 :
→ https://youtu.be/y6iRGDmwGII
→ https://youtu.be/Ho4bupj1dNQ
● With the Live Bleeding Fingers band, Aarhus, Denmark, 2014 : https://youtu.be/h27P5SdoGcM

● The Music Box, Cleveland, 2014 :
→ “Too Many Irons In The Fire” : https://youtu.be/vTWM-ZahLgo
→ “Tuesday Morning” : https://youtu.be/ppclKVNu0Yg
→ “Caught In The Middle” : https://youtu.be/pfYFTvJEMwk
→ “One Half Right” : https://youtu.be/FnZwB3H7cqY
→ “I've Got A Secret” : https://youtu.be/vqSAvdOtTEY
→ “Winners Never Quit” : https://youtu.be/FFjoTbvtBKA
→ “Good Job” : https://youtu.be/gPtbQxTewOQ
→ Unknown title : https://youtu.be/VBq0JT3O6yY
● With Tony Fortunato (baritone sax), 2014 :
→ “Knock On Wood” : https://youtu.be/gn97sqKZSAM
→ “Winners Never Quit” : https://youtu.be/qYvRIs0zNa4
→ “Caught In The Middle, No No No” : https://youtu.be/JFi9sRm9koY
→ “Good Job” : https://youtu.be/II0TcTQC9xA
→ “Tuesday Morning” : https://youtu.be/f3sViy7hCd8
→ “Memphis Underground” : https://youtu.be/2tj5cbwQfgs

● The El Dorado Bar & Grill, Scottsdale, AZ, 2015 : https://youtu.be/U3tCV9AzTLQ
● With Tony Fortunato, The Music Box, Cleveland, 2015 :
→ “Love Coupons” : https://youtu.be/iYzMQHHnrII
→ “Tuesday Morning” : https://youtu.be/6C79y9ceZ-o
→ “I've Got A Secret” : https://youtu.be/-XbRhFA59ug
→ “Word A Lie” : https://youtu.be/G-sT1RWimqk
→ “Two Heads Are Better Than One” : https://youtu.be/xJ-C35w_1Po
● The Music Box, Cleveland, 2016 :
→ https://youtu.be/DdOFQ8rLwjA
→ https://youtu.be/yZJjBtE1EkI
● At Ely Guitars, Cleveland, 2016 :
→ https://youtu.be/-hCXsBNMlFY
→ https://youtu.be/XTOW910VS9o

● "Instrumental Intro", The Music Box, Cleveland, 2017 : https://youtu.be/-9vc-7DDnjw
● Canton Blues Fest., Canton, OH, 2017 :
→ https://youtu.be/1_NVsbVyfuk
→ https://youtu.be/V_7NqO6X7KQ
● At Robert Lockwood Jr. 102nd Birthday Celebration, Beachland Ballroom, Cleveland, 2017 :
→ https://youtu.be/m8EF6qAkOMk
→ "Stinkin' Thinkin" : https://youtu.be/h_f2qe8k90Y
● Bergkamen, Germany, 2017 :
→ Introduction : https://youtu.be/Zdn2e4idGac
→ “I'm A Winner” : https://youtu.be/K5UPyDpcWN8
→ “Tribute To B.B. King” : https://youtu.be/7zsndkuw8Q0
→ “I Can Never Do Wrong Right” : https://youtu.be/LfwOWxa9ro8

● With The Shuffle Kings, Switzerland, 2019 :
→ https://youtu.be/zY4JUV_83hA
→ Final jam : https://youtu.be/iKPfCk0Ee7U
● Tribute to the late saxophonist Norm Tischler, The Music Box, Cleveland, 2019 : https://youtu.be/iUrsSfHTGnQ
● “Strokin'” (with Tony Fortunato), The Music Box, Cleveland, OH, 2019 : https://youtu.be/NY0Kf3nwuxw
● Waterfront Blues Festival, Portland, OR, 2019 :
→ “I've Got A Secret” : https://youtu.be/_EfgNhRAl3o
→ “Good Job” : https://youtu.be/v1XpHLiXlp0