“If you don’t like the blues, you’re listening to the wrong shi—” The phrase coined by GA-20’s drummer perfectly encapsulates the band's attitude towards making music. Draped in biting vocals and down-in-the-mud guitar riffs, GA-20 has made it their mission to drag the blues genre out from under the skeleton of uninspired ‘80s blues rock. Drawing inspiration from artists like Otis Rush, Junior Wells, and Howlin’ Wolf, the trio, made up of Matt Stubbs, Pat Faherty, and Tim Carman, skillfully delivers traditional, early electric blues in tight modern packages. The group's nonstop touring schedule has paid off, with their first three albums topping Billboard’s blues chart. Even still, genres like soul, funk, and traditional country have surged back into popularity, leaving blues to prop up the specialty bins at record stores. This does not sit well with GA-20, who are more than ready to spearhead the genre's return to the mainstream catalog. The band might do it with their latest album, Crackdown. Songs like “Easy On The Eyes” and “Fairweather Friend” exude the charisma needed for crossover appeal while maintaining the group’s authenticity. GA-20 recently played the main stage at the inaugural Flipside Festival in Garden City, Idaho. We spoke with the band’s co-founder and guitarist, Matt Stubbs, ahead of the festival to discuss his love for traditional blues, playing with legend Charlie Musselwhite, and the possibility of a major blues revival.

AM: Your latest album recently hit number one on Billboard’s blue’s chart. How does that make you feel?

Matt Stubbs: We feel good. It is our third album in a row. The last two albums also hit number one. It is pretty exciting that people are diggin’ it and buying the records.

AM: Does it feel like a confirmation for you?

MS: In some ways. We try to make records that we would want to listen to. It is cool that that is connecting with people.

AM: You describe your sound as traditional electric blues. When did your love affair with the blues start?

MS: Blues has always been the number one music I listen to. My father is a musician. I grew up with his band rehearsing in the house and going to his gigs on the weekend. I started playing guitar at thirteen and was obsessed with traditional blues music by fourteen or fifteen. I listened exclusively to traditional blues up until my mid-twenties. Now I listen to lots of stuff, but my early years and the foundation of my guitar playing are all ‘50s and ‘60s blues.

AM: What are some of the other genres of music you listen to now?

MS: Psychedelic rock, jazz, Cuban music. I have listened to garage rock for a long time. Also, R&B music, soul music, if it is soulful, I usually like it.

AM: Are you starting from the beginning with those genres the way you did with blues?

MS: I tend to gravitate towards the more traditional or earlier side of the genres. Most of the music I listen to is roots-oriented.

AM: You have spoken before about being focused on the storytelling aspect of your music. What about that element, specifically, draws you in?

MS: The music that I have always connected with, traditional music, is about telling a story. Modern blues is less about the song and more about getting to the guitar solo. We have lots of songs that do not even have a guitar solo. If the song calls for a solo or stretching out, we like doing that. But, I have always gravitated towards shorter two, three, or four minute songs. Again, it is because I was listening to ‘50s and ‘60s stuff that was originally released on vinyl. Shorter songs were the default for that medium.

AM: What story trope is your favorite to tell?

MS: I do not have a story theme that I gravitate towards. It is usually the song in general. The mood and the way the record sounds will catch my ear first. Then, I will listen to the story. Pat, our singer, writes most of the lyrics. I do most of the arranging and write a lot of the music, but the lyrics and the storytelling are more on his shoulders than mine.

AM: Genres like funk and soul have had a surge in popularity in recent years. That has yet to happen for traditional electric blues; why do you think that is?

MS: That is a tricky question. These days, blues has a bad PR problem. A lot of modern blues acts are about these long guitar solos and not the songs when they play live. There is less focus on the production of the record. When you listen to country artists today doing traditional country, their records still sound like those classic records. There are not a lot of blues acts today that are doing that.

AM: Do you think the rise of very obviously blues-inspired artists like The Black Keys has played a role in halting that resurgence in popularity?

MS: I think it started in the ‘60s with the British invasion. I like that stuff, but those bands were going in a much more rock direction, taking blues and doing their own thing with it, getting psychedelic. I think it has gravitated more and more from there. Now, a lot of people playing blues are not going earlier than Eric Clapton or Jimmy Page. That is the interpretation they are getting, which is fine, but now it is years later, and— it is kind of touchy. I do not want to sound like a dick; it has changed into a different thing. There are a lot of good modern blues bands and lots of successful ones, but that style of music is not our thing. When I hear the word blues, that style of music is not what I think. I think of Earl Hooker or Johnny “Guitar” Watson, guys that sound completely different from modern blues.

AM: Before forming GA-20, you played for a number of years with Charlie Musselwhite. How has that experience informed the way you make music?

MS: I still play with Charlie. GA-20 is so busy that I miss a few gigs, but this is my 15th year playing with Charlie. He is a huge influence. I started playing in his band when I was very young. This legendary and historic harmonica player who came up through the Chicago scene. He knows everyone. I have been lucky enough to meet two or three blues guys I look up to, but Charlie knows all of them. I cannot imagine sitting in a bar and talking to Muddy Waters, Little Walter, or Magic Sam. Charlie has a million stories with all of them. A lot of his influence comes from that. Hearing stories about what it was like to be on stage with those people.

AM: Are there aspects of the way music was made then that you wish were still present?

MS: We try to approach our performance in the studio like it would have been back then. We use minimal mics. A lot of bands will have ten or more mics on the drums; for example, we have four tops. We try to record performances instead of overdubbing with individual parts. All the early blues bands were just in a room playing together. It will always come out a bit modern because we live in 2022. A lot of modern blues bands, at least from what I hear, are not trying to make records in that style. There is a void in the blues world; not many younger cats are trying to make that classic sound. Everyone is trying to play it safe when they go into the studio. Making a record is so expensive no one wants to make a mistake, but the mistakes are what is charming about those older records.

AM: Is that why your album marketing is mainly spearheaded by touring?

MS: The thing I love most, and I think the other guys in the band are with me, is performing. Blues music is a live art form. It is playing for an audience and connecting with that energy. There are lots of awesome blues records, but all the greatest blues musicians were better live.

AM: What are some of your favorite moments from performing?

MS: I was out with Charlie Musselwhite a few years ago; we were touring with the legendary harmonica player James Cotton, and John Hammond Jr. Charlie’s band was backing them up too. To be on tour playing with those three guys every night was amazing. I never thought I would get to meet James Cotton, let alone play two feet away from him. I have also played some really cool venues with Charlie, like The Hollywood Bowl and The Sydney Opera House. I never expected to get to do stuff like that, playing blues guitar.

This article has been edited and condensed

GA-20 Does Not Care About Your 20-Minute Guitar Solos

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