Bad Temper Joe, born 1992, is part of a new emerging generation of the blues, writing and performing contemporary blues tracks at its finest. The German is a songwriter with sure instinct, and a performer who has an incomparable presence.
When it comes to blues from Germany, there’s no getting around the grumpy blues bard. The press calls him “rough, edgy, forceful” (Guitar Magazin), “a powerhouse that can hardly be tamed” (Kieler Nachrichten), praises his “rough, powerful vocals […] as well as his excellent fingerpicking” (Bluesnews) and his “slide playing that gets under your skin” (Jazz’N’More). But Bad Temper Joe has also already been making waves in the international blues scene, reaching – as the only European act – the finals of the 2020 International Blues Challenge in Memphis, USA. The British Blues Matters Magazine states,
“It’s hard to believe that the sounds of the Mississippi-Delta have relocated to Germany, but they have.“
Just recently, Bad Temper Joe released “One Can Wreck It All”, his seventh full-length studio record. The album rattles and buzzes with a unique intensity, as if everything is held together only by the heavy, aching groove and rusty strings of an old guitar. The sparse instrumentation develops a powerful and haunting sound. “One Can Wreck It All” shows BTJ’s relentless devotion to the tradition of the old blues singers from the Mississippi Delta, and is an example of blues craftsmanship at its best, while exuding a warmth and timeless elegance.
