Hooray For Another Day

A peripheral but nonetheless important figure on the East Village folk scene of the early and mid-‘60s, Max Ochs was a member of the small cadre of blues obsessed guitarists who introduced New York’s revivalist scene to the more authentic playing styles of Mississippi John Hurt and Skip James. By the late ‘60s Ochs, along with artists like the Fugs, the Holy Modal Rounders and others was beginning to push the boundaries of traditional blues and folk. Where the Fugs and the Rounders adopted rock instrumentation and caustic satire Ochs helped pioneer a more meditative brand of fingerpicking that blended traditional blues patterns with elements of minimalism and Eastern modalities. Though he cut some material for John Fahey’s Takoma label his discography remained frustratingly small until recently. Hooray for Another Day marked Ochs’ first release of new material in 37 years and the majority of the record is filled with marvelous examples of Ochs’ still thrilling guitar work.