Blues prodigy

At 16, Forest Grove’s Ian Lindsay rocks the blues like an elder statesman — and he’s just warming up

By A.p. Kryza

The Forest Grove News-Times, Jul 14, 2010, Updated Jul 14, 2010 (2 Reader comments)

Chase Allgood / News-Times

Ian Lindsay is 16, but when he plugs in his Fender Stratocaster, his fingers tap out a blues sound belying his age.

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Some bluesmen take decades to establish their styles. Some are rumored to have sold their souls to the devil in exchange for the ability to shred like demons.

For Forest Grove High School student Ian Lindsay, it all comes from a love of the music, a keen ear and a lot of practice. And he gets to keep his soul.

During Independence Day weekend, Lindsay even achieved his dream of playing at Portland’s Waterfront Blues Festival.

At age 16, many kids are more concerned with high school sports, top-40 pop radio and mall food courts. But Lindsay’s passion is grounded in the backbone of American music, the blues.

“The blues just have more meaning to me. It has more purpose. It’s more than just me playing a guitar,” said Lindsay.

Lindsay’s style is in the mold of classic bluesmen. His fingers fly up and down the frets of his modified Fender American Stratocaster as if the baby-faced kid was possessed by Jimi Hendrix himself. His raw chord playing and crazy licks evoke Stevie Ray Vaughn, and his entire sound is grounded in the likes of B.B. King and Buddy Guy.

Not bad for a kid who has only been playing for about three years. But the young musician insists that he packed a lifetime of practicing into that short span to get to the level he’s reached.

“I didn’t do anything during the day other than go to school and play the guitar. An extended amount of time just practicing does wonders for your playing,” said Lindsay.

That practice gives Lindsay the sound that usually comes with age, and when he plays with his groups Bridgetown Underground and Band of Gypsies, it’s easy to imagine the musician making that guitar sing is decades older than the nimble-fingered teen.

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