A FRIENDLY gesture at one of the first Winter Blues Festivals would prove a life-defining moment for Sean McConnell. And he was just four years old. But as CHARMAYNE ALLISON discovered, he can still recall sitting spellbound in front of band Salty Dog wondering where this marvelous music had been all his (albeit very short) life. Then the lead singer noticed the youngster, knelt down and handed him his harmonica - and handed him his future.
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Sean McConnell can still pinpoint the moment he fell head-over-heels for bone-rattlin’ blues.
He was just four years old and his family had trekked from their Barham farm to his first Echuca Winter Blues Festival.
It wasn’t long before a diminutive Sean wound up sitting cross-legged in front of festival old-timers Salty Dog, mouth agape as they created musical magic out the front of the Port chocolate shop.
And then came the defining moment.
The lead singer knelt and handed him a harmonica, nudging him to play along.
And as they say, the rest is history.
At 23, Sean is now one half of upward-bound blues duo White Lightning, singing and playing guitar alongside drummer and partner-in-crime Ben Gerrard.
Heavily influenced by traditional southern blues styles such as delta, swamp and Mississippi, the pair also brings a contemporary twist to the table, à la The Black Keys or The White Stripes.
It’s this infectious blend of blistering slide guitar licks and driving rock n roll rhythms (with a dash of Chicago-style crunch) that has seen the duo surge from strength to strength, with two albums already under their belt and another one on the way.
And this weekend Sean, now based in Melbourne, will return to where it all began to play six sets at Winter Blues.
It’s also where his nascent career first blossomed.
“After that first time playing with Salty Dog I came back every year doing little guest spots on stage,” Sean recalled.
“I played with Salty Dog for a couple years before they disbanded then played with the George McFloyd Blues Band as well when I was about 12.”
From harmonica Sean forayed into mandolin and, at 13, discovered guitar and singing.
Two years later he began attending the Blues Boot Camp, a regional mecca for budding blues enthusiasts.
“It can be tough to pursue music in regional and rural areas, so it was great because they offered incredible opportunities for rural musicians to learn from professional tutors,” Sean said.
Playing in a garage band throughout high school, Sean moved to Melbourne at 18 and formed White Lightning.
“(Ben and I) actually met in Echuca as well, introduced by a mutual musician friend. Benny plays in a band called Catfish Voodoo and they’ve been playing in Echuca for about five years,” he said.
“So when I finally moved to Melbourne we caught up and had lots of jams and eventually decided to put something together.”
In the five years since, White Lightning has been surrounded by its fair share of buzz.
They released their first album, Gone to Your Head, in 2015.
Followed in 2017 by independently-released sophomore album Mongrel Blood, which quickly sold out.
Not to mention the myriad festivals (and countless venues) they’ve played, including White Night, Australian Blues Festival and Bendigo Blues and Roots Music Festival.
Plus support acts for The Backsliders, British India and Chase The Sun.
And while White Lightning’s vast, energetic (at times frenetic) sound has ushered in droves of fans, Sean admits it’s been achieved thanks to plenty of blood, sweat and tears.
Literally.
“I have a memory of playing two years ago by the port about 11am on a Sunday morning,” Sean said.
“It was absolutely freezing.
“At the end of the show three of my fingers had been cut open at the fingertips and there was blood on the guitar. And I was visibly white as a ghost from the cold.”
But Sean’s battle scars weren’t only from the cold – but also the hurtling energy of the duo’s music.
Which, he admits, comes with its challenges.
“There's obviously a lot more work you have to do on stage as a duo – especially as we have such a large sound,” he said.
“We're trying to do a lot of the work a full band might do ourselves without going to the lengths of a looping pedal or anything.
“So I feel like we both have to work a little harder to fill a lot of gaps.”
Sean has developed a complex finger-picking style to achieve this full sound – playing the bass with his thumb and the lead/rhythm parts with his other fingers.
“I then run the guitar speaker through an octave rig that goes into a bass amplifier so we get that sub-sonic frequency that a bass player plays,” he said.
“And both Ben and I bring heaps of energy. It looks pretty wild on stage, but that's what a lot of people seem to enjoy.
“We really vibe off how the crowd is feeling and try to get it a bit rowdy.”
This year White Lightning will introduce guest bass player and festival performer TK Reeve to the mix.
“We’re looking at expanding the duo into a bigger sound eventually which will give us a lot more creative freedom,” Sean said.
In addition to traditional blues favourites, White Lightning will play a fleet of original songs, which span rock n roll blues to “smoky” acoustic tunes.
And in true blues fashion, their lyrics centre on human struggle.
“I wouldn't say I’ve endured many tear-jerker kinds of stories – divorced parents or a house burning down or anything like that,” Sean said.
“We largely try to capture the modern struggles of being a musician – which nowadays means you’re quite poor – as well as general struggles with addictions or relationships.
“We’re trying to take elements about the human condition from older blues songs – which are still relevant – but trying to tell that in a more relatable, modern way.”
As for the future of White Lightning, it’s looking bright.
“We're trying to move into the next stage of writing for our third album,” Sean said.
“Our last album was released two years ago and was pretty well received – we sold out of all the copies we printed and people have been asking for more.
“So this next album has been a long time coming.”
This weekend, White Lightning will play on:
Friday, July 26, 7pm - 8pm at Star Hotel
Friday, July 26, 8.30 pm - 9.30pm at Star Hotel
Saturday, July 27, 1pm - 1.45pm at Star Hotel/Gypsy Bar High St Stage
Saturday, July 27, 2.15 pm - 3pm at Star Hotel/Gypsy Bar High St Stage
Sunday, July 28, 3.30 pm - 4.15pm at Echuca Hotel
Sunday, July 28, 4.45pm - 5.30 pm at Echuca Hotel
Senior Journalist