Holmes-style cooking

>> The Holmes Brothers are still playing the nightclub game

by GERARD DEE

"When I was a kid, I listened to all kinds of music," recalls bassist/singer Sherman Holmes who, along with brother Wendell (guitar/voice) and Popsy Dixon (drums/voice) make up the blues trio Holmes Brothers. "I still do. I love classical music, I love bluegrass. I just love music, as long as it's good."

That love for music so preoccupied Holmes and his brothers through much of their early years that they even made a game of it. "As kids, we used to play cowboys and Indians and all that. But we also had this special time, we would call it 'playing nightclub,'" he says.

When the brothers relocated to New York in the early '60s, they started working on making their game a reality. They played the city's club circuit and gained a reputation as a tight blues combo. But it wasn't until 1989, when a Rounder Records rep caught one of the brothers' gigs, that they finally got a record contract. Far from the normal reaction to attaining 'official' status, Holmes says they were wary of the label. "We were quite skeptical in the beginning, we didn't quite believe them. Even after we started touring, it took us a while to take it all in."

Touring has definitely helped the Holmes Brothers adapt to their recording career. "I love touring. I like to travel and I like meeting people. And I get to go to a lot of places I've only dreamed of going to, that I wouldn't get a chance to go to if I wasn't playing." The brothers have been on the go for three and a half decades now, and the last 10 years have expanded their horizons, bringing them to exotic international locations like Istanbul, West Africa and Spain. And they're quite familiar with the Great White North. "We've played Montreal, we've done Edmonton, Calgary... I've always enjoyed Canada, period," he says.

Holmes and family will bring their special brand of blues back to Montreal on Wednesday as part of a three-city Quebec tour.

Montrealers should be prepared for an eclectic blend of styles. "I describe [our music] as roots music of the American South," says Holmes. "We do spirituals, we do some country and western, some blues, some R&B, we do a sort of potpourri." So save your appetites, people, for some blues-based bouillabaisse served up Holmes-style.

At Café Campus, Wednesday, March 25, 8:30pm, $5