No Blues Shortage Here: Thank Tom Mcfarland

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The Tom McFarland Blues Quartet featuring Jay Mabin, tonight and tomorrow, Baba Louie's Sports Bar & Grill (was Lahaina Louie's) 15740 Redmond Way, Redmond. 9:30 p.m. Information: 883-4852. -----------------------------------------------------------------

Guitarist Tom McFarland, still a young man, has been writing, singing and playing the blues for about 35 years and he doesn't figure on stopping anytime soon.

"I look at my datebook and it may not always be full, but there's always a gig or two a week and I have my students, so I'm makin' a livin'. I know it's better than one I'd make in an auto-parts store, so I can't complain," he said.

Over the years, McFarland has released a score of albums and played all over the United States, either headlining or opening and/or backing Charlie Musselwhite, Albert Collins, Lightnin' Hopkins, Big Walter Horton and Charles Brown to name a few.

Most recently he opened for and then backed the rock-'n'-roll legend Bo Diddley at Jimmy Z's in Everett.

McFarland, a softspoken man, quickly brightens when asked about Bo Diddley.

"He was a total gas, a real pleasure to work with. It was the first time I'd ever gotten a chance to really see him . . . He's a hard-working man, and a great band leader. He'd turn to us, let us see the strings he was on so we'd get the keys right, all of that. We did all kinds of mini versions and changed versions of his songs. At one point, our drummer didn't have the rhythm quite right to a song, so Bo slid in and played the drums. After that (drummer) Todd Zimberg had no problems at all. Bo taught him how to do it on the spot."

McFarland's band is currently made up of longtime partners Zimberg and Jay Mabin, former bassist who is now strictly the band's harmonica man. Bill Freckleton, formerly of Dave Conant's band, took over the bass spot to free Mabin for the harp.

"He's a great harmonica player," said McFarland. "He can take a standard 12-note blues harp and make it sound like a chromatic." The chromatic can play flat and sharp through the use of a slide. "I've heard him start a little tune out on one harmonica and then completely change keys on the same harp." (Blues harmonicas are set up in one key. It takes an enormously skilled player to bend and blow notes in a multi-key fashion.)

McFarland has always been considered one of the Northwest's most prolific and gifted song writers. He released his last originals album, "Voodoo Garden," in 1990, although his "Just Got In From Portland" was re-released last year. He says he has more than 20 strong songs ready to go.

McFarland has also recently discovered the wonderful world of computers.

"My wife got one, and I'm pretty old-fashioned, not much of this stuff makes sense to me. But it has a music program in it and I started composing this song on it. Well, it took me four days to get the song done, but after four days, I pretty much had that computer figured out."

While he may have something of a handle on the new cyberspace, he still takes everything else a day at a time, including the gigs. Sometimes though, they're still a surprise.

"I didn't even know there was a Baba Louie's. Hell, I live in Tacoma."

Told that in actuality, there was a chain of Baba Louie's on the Eastside, this latest one in Redmond currently making the change from Lahaini Louie's (the revamped restaurant is still waiting for its official sign), McFarland lets out another low chuckle.

"Well, that's fine with me," he said. "Maybe I can start working the Baba Louie circuit."