There is someone you ought to know way up in Canada. He’s a living testament to the transcendental nature of the country blues and the universality of music, a cultural anomaly and an unusual character – Alex Yiqi Wang, a Chinese-Canadian in Toronto. So far, he plays the old time acoustic blues in his bedroom only. No gigs, no tours, no recordings, no musical interaction or jams with other musicians. Yet, seemingly everyone knows him because he is, for now, a Facebook musician. That new status is a modern day cultural phenomena that has catapulted this 20-year old music student into the forefront of social media cultural exchange. He knows just about every country blues player worldwide from online blues forums, and they all know him to be a serious student of the African American roots blues. He’s part of the acoustic blues community by virtue of connectivity. His homespun postings are his only connection to the blues community, and that is seemingly enough. It’s a beautiful thing, really, considering that in the past he would been completely unknown.
Some will wonder why he is worthy of a full feature on thecountryblues.com, as he does not even play locally. He pretty much stays in his bedroom. There is just one thing: He can really play. He works hard at it and he plays with a natural ease and fluidity, a swift virtuosity that makes it abundantly clear that he is a rising star, a youngblood, one of the up and coming hotshots who will carry the music into the future. His interpretations of the old traditionals are played with eloquence and gentle subtlety, no harsh attacks or fierce rhythmic thunder. In many ways, he plays more elegantly than passionately, if anything a little timid more than thunderous. His style reflects the alternating bass fingerpicking of John Hurt and the Piedmont pickers.
He immigrated five years ago (2015) with his family from Shanghai in mainland China to Canada. In China, he had played guitar for two years and once in North America he became infatuated with the traditional blues. If anyone wants to question if a Chinese-Canadian immigrant can actually relate to and understand the blues, one listen to his technique and styling should answer that question unequivocally. Yes! He does. Yes, he can play, and how.
Alex Wang is currently a music student with a major in Community Music (not blues). This young muscician is using every available path to seriously study. He eventually plans to be a full-time professional musician. Someday soon, expect big moves by this young kid who loves Mississippi John Hurt, Bo Carter, Mance Lipscomb, Willie Brown, the Rev. Gary Davis and a long list of old-time players.
thecountryblues.com caught up with the young guitarist by phone.
“I used to focus on the instrumental aspects of the music. The guitar styling. Now I realized the importance of the lyrics in the song, and that is what I am focusing on now… I hope that more young people will be interested in this music, no matter where they are from and what background they have. I am not really from the culture, as the music itself, but I am really into it and I really feel it. After I played it for five years, I hope more people will be aware of this music. It is really a treasure, no matter what culture you are from.”
He does not perform this music for his friends and not even for his family. Right now; he is private about it – except for the vast, wide acoustic blues world on Facebook and social media. He is a gentle, passable singer with a slight Chinese accent, which makes him even more idiosyncratic in the blues world. There is just nobody like him.
Keep your ears on this young man as big things are coming. Wouldn’t John Hurt just love this rendition of Richland Woman Blues?
