If theres one thing I want people to know about me, its that Im a
survivor, says Popa Chubby. Heres my story: My dad died when I was
seven. I was abandoned and raised myself. I moved to New York City when
I was 18 and started playing music. I got a huge heroin habit and ended
up strung out on the streets until I was in my early twenties. I started
playing again and got away from drugs and never went back, and then I
got into the New York blues scene of the early 90s, and here I am
today.
Here is at the forefront of modern blues-rock, where the mix of
intensity and integrity captured on Popa Chubbys Back To New York City
has made him one of the genres most popular figures. And hes an
imposing figure at that, weighing more than 300 pounds with a shaven
head, tattooed arms, a goatee and a performing style he describes as
the Stooges meets Buddy Guy, Motörhead meets Muddy Waters, Jimi Hendrix
meets Robert Johnson.
You get the picture. And if you dont, Back To New York City paints it
vividly. On the discs 11 nasty cuts Popa Chubby has flipped the
blues-rock label around, putting rock at the fore and the pedal to the
metal with fat, scalding guitar sounds and stories plucked from true
life. Some, like the rubber-burning title track and the pleading A Love
That Will Never Die, are autobiographical tales that channel whats
deep in his blood as well as the fevered pulse of the city Popa Chubby
has called home for 30 years. Others, like Stand Before the Sun and
his sweet n sizzling take on Johan Sebastian Bachs instrumental
Jesus Joy of Mans Desiring, chronicle his search for spiritual
enlightenment, which has led Popa Chubby to practice Tai Chi and Chi
Kung before his sweat-soaked concerts. And then theres pure shots of
fun like the chest-thumping Warrior Gods, which thunders along like a
long-lost Motörhead gem, and She Loves Everybody But Me, a
tongue-in-cheek hard-core Texas shuffle that purposefully nods to Stevie
Ray Vaughan in its skyrocketing leads and solos.
For the prolific Popa Chubby, who was born Ted Horowitz, Back To New
York City doesnt simply capture the fire and energy of his live shows
better than the previous 20 albums hes made since 1994 which is an
impressive accomplishment given his history of house-rocking discs. It
represents an entirely new level of his tempestuous, soulful playing.