In the southern Brazilian, port city of Itajaí, in the State of Santa Catarina, American blues music can be heard in a nightclub called the Butiquin Wollstein. A four piece band of young men are playing the languid Little Walter instrumental, Sad Hours. On this rain soaked Saturday night the sounds coming off of the bandstand conjure up dreams of an equally dark and crowded nightclub on Chicago’s South Side some seven decades earlier, where this particular brand of blues music was heard for the first time.   

These musicians from another millennium, in another hemisphere, on another continent are sharing these timeless sounds with a new audience. These folks have chosen to imbibe in music that consists of intoxicating rhythms, mesmerizing instrumentation and lyrics that confront the truth head on.

This audience travels this sometimes dark path led by the light of their torch bearers this evening, the Headcutters.

It is the same journey that both Sonny Boys, Jimmy Rogers, Elmore James and Muddy Waters traveled. If the Headcutters are intimately familiar with the road map, and they are, if they have practiced and studied this elusive art form, and they have, if they have the courage and the passion to play this music with authenticity, and they do, then as Little Walter Jacobs said, “Everything, everything, everything is going to be alright.”  

Enjoy an interview with the harmonica player and vocalist, Joe Marhofer of the Headcutters.    

David Mac (DM): When did the Headcutters start playing together?

Joe Marhofer (JM): We are all childhood friends and grew up together in the same neighborhood. We started playing together as teenagers. We still live in the same neighborhood.

DM: What kind of music did you start out playing?

JM: We started playing classic rock and roll. It didn’t take long before we migrated to the blues. We have been playing blues together now for thirteen years  

DM:  How did you start to play harmonica and develop your singing style?

JM: I developed my own style practically alone. I had contacts with some harmonica players at the time who taught me a few things. Most notably was when Bene Jr. taught me how tongue block. That changed my life. But basically I learned everything myself. I did this at time when there was no internet.

DM: So you had to learn by LISTENING; what a concept.

JM: That’s right, lots of listening and practicing. I have to take the same approach with my singing. The hardest thing to do in blues is sing. I still work very hard on both my harmonica playing and singing every day. We all work very hard at it.

DM: Since you guys grew up playing this music together you must have been like a little club. I am guessing not too many of your school mates were into blues. Let's talk about that.

JM: I guess you could call us this little blues gang. Yes, you are right. Very few friends in high school even knew anything about blues music. It is still that way.

DM: Let’s talk about this little blues gang.

JM: Well there is Ricardo Maca, our guitarist and other vocalist. Ricardo is the best guitar player in Brazil for traditional blues. Nobody can play like him. He has a classy style and has perfect time. He sings with the serenity and projects the attitude of the great masters of the past.

Arthur “Catuto” Garcia our bass player is a huge Willie Dixon devoté. He is one of the best bass players in Brazil. He is also a huge fan of Big Crawford. His passion for his instrument is fantastic. 

We also have an awesome drummer, Leandro “Cavera” Barbeta. He is a disciple of Fred Bellow. He keeps perfect time and can really swing.

DM: Do you remember a specific recording that led you to the life of a blues musician?

JM: I remember the first two CDs I bought. One was from Muddy Waters, the other Sonny Boy Williamson 2. It changed my life forever.

DM: Do you recall what it was in those recordings that had such a profound impact on you?

JM: It was the voices. They sound so entrancing. It was fantastic. There was something inexplicable that messed with me.

DM: Who are some of the other blues musicians that you started listening to that had an impact on your playing?

JM: The great masters like Muddy Waters of course, but also both Sonny Boys, Willie Dixon, Howlin’ Wolf, Little Walter and Big Walter Horton, Jimmy Rogers, John Brim and Elmore James. There are just so many.

We have also had the opportunity and privilege to play with many contemporary players when they traveled to Brazil.

DM: Such as... 

JM: Phil Guy, Eddie C. Campbell, Kim Wilson, Billy Flynn, Bob Stroger, Gary Smith, Billy Branch, Carlos Johnson, Joe Filisko & Eric Noden, J.J. Jackson, Lynwood Slim, Mitch Kashmar, Omar Coleman, Igor Prado, Blues Etílicos among others.

DM: Are there any other contemporary players who have inspired you? 

JM: Absolutely!  Rick Estrin, Junior Watson and Bharath Rajakumar come immediately to mind. 

DM: You mentioned that you have played with a pretty impressive cast of characters. There must be at least a modest blues scene in your part of the country.

JM: It is very modest, but there is the Mississippi Delta Blues Festival in Caxias do Sul. It seems to get bigger every year. We are always a part of that. We also play at places like Mississippi Delta Blues Bar, Greenwich Pub, Butiquin Wollstein, Magic Bus Pub, Bovary Snooker Pub, Rock Bar, The Basement Pub, Bolshoi Pub and other places.

DM: Let’s talk about your most recent CD, Back to 50s. How did you come up with the song choices?

JM: The choices came very naturally. We just chose the songs we were playing at the time. We also chose material that had a nice variety of beats.

DM:  When I first got the CD and read the back cover I saw the Little Walter, Sonny Boy 2 and Jimmie Roger’s material. I also saw that you were doing a Fats Domino tune and thought it seemed like it would be out of place. When I heard it, I realized that how you approached  this tune makes sense.

JM: That version of Fats Domino came from Dave Meyers. That’s the way he played the song, Please Don’t Leave Me.

DM: The CD closes with a Headcutter’s original.

JM: Oh yeah... the tune, T-Bonin is our tribute to T-Bone Walker who we love.

DM: You also have a ten song performance DVD entitled, Sweet Home Blues that you put out recently. The DVD has an entirely different set list from the CD, where you stick with post war Chicago blues tunes from the masters.  

JM: Yes, It’s all Chicago post war blues classics, but we try and play it our way.

DM: It is really well shot and edited. The entire film has a very cohesive concept throughout all ten performances.

JM: Thank you. We had help from some friends who worked with Leandro but the whole idea was ours. Ricardo edited and assembled the entire DVD from the first idea to the final art.

DM: On the back cover of the DVD it said it was recorded live direct to analog. It also said it was, “at the Blues Attic”. I assumed that was the name of a blues nightclub. It was shot on a set that looks like an attic.

JM: (laughs) It is an attic. It is in the home of Catuto. We didn’t change anything. That’s the way the attic looks. It is where the band gathers to practice and play. It is where we have band meetings and rehearsals. It is our office.

DM: Where can people go to purchase your CD and DVD?

JM: They are available through our record company, Chico Blues. People can visit their website and order right on line.

DM: What would you like to do musically that you haven’t done yet?

JM: Lots of things, but going to the United States and playing in the places where this music came from is at the top of our list. We feel stuck in time, away from the birthplace of the blues. Playing in America would be a dream, come true.

DM: What are the band’s immediate plans for the future?

JM: We are starting work on an album that includes some of our own compositions that should come out later this year.

DM: What would you like people to know about the Headcutters?

JM: We are four friends from childhood who are really passionate about the blues. We are not trying to be better than anyone. That isn’t the point. We are just sharing this music which comes from the bottom of our hearts.

DM: What is it about American blues music that you find so compelling?

JM: There is something so strong and powerful about this music that I adopted it as a lifestyle. I live it and breathe it. It is music that moves the listener. I am moved when I hear this music. This music speaks to real life. It speaks to truth.

DM: I speak the truth Joe when I say that, I really enjoy listening to your CD and DVD.

JM: Thanks very much Dave. That means so much to us.

DM:Obrigado, Joe. 

Editors Note: Since this interview, which originally took place in the winter of 2013, The Headcutters have released their second album on Chico Blues Records entitled, Shake That Thing.