Al Wood comes back, Soo gets the blues (10 photos)

"I'll be there watchin' the Crue with the rest of you, don't you worry. We just gotta go into a time warp once in a while," said Al Wood Saturday night at Loplops Gallery-Lounge.

The Sault-born blues/roots guru, harmonica king and creator of the A&PHL was accompanied by Lindsay Pugh (guitar), Frank Deresti (bass) and Cliff Alloy (drums) of the Rhythm Section for an evening of straight up, no-holds-barred, traditional, smokin' hot blues.

What the heck is the A&PHL?

It's three games of pick-up commencing at midnight on Christmas Eve in the Trunk Road A&P parking lot entering its 19th season.

But I digress.

Founding member of the locally infamous Rhythm Rats and Ottawa-based Red Wood Central, Wood is no fledgling in the blues and has been playing the style for more than twenty years.

Formed in 1989, the Rhythm Rats took Wood and Pugh to Montreal for the majority of the band's five year run although they frequently performed in Sault Ste. Marie to enthusiastic hordes.

After Montreal and a brief lay-over in the Sault, Wood moved on to Ottawa where he obtained gainful employment with the federal government and a new music venture with his significant other, Michelle "Red" April, creating Red Wood Central, who also appear routinely in the Sault.

It's only fitting that Wood be backed by the Rhythm section as he and Pugh have played on and off together for an estimated 21 years.

Their shared love of music and an intuitive knowledge of each other's patterns and style virtually eliminate the need for rehearsals, as one seems to read the other's mind to create an unforgettable blues experience.

Such was the case during their Saturday night performance as they traded turns at the mic, lighting a fire under every observer with their deep, resonating voices and stellar instrumentation.

But the room really came alive when Wood put one of his 13 harmonicas to his mouth and proved that skinny white guys from Northern Ontario have soul too.

For Wood, the blues is almost a religious experience.

"It's one way to alter your mind without substances."