Expressing themselves through music is what motivates three local acts

Independent musicians have a tough time making a buck. They tour constantly and have to schmooze with a lot of record and radio execs, and at the end of the day after a late night gig, there's usually no big profit.

So why do they do it? For most artists the answer's the same...it's all for the love of music. This is the story of the experiences three local acts have had in their quest to express themselves through music.

Stuart Bryant runs a martial arts school by day, but by night he's known as "Mojo Stu," West Chester's own "Black Belt Blues Man." Bryant has been in the music business since he was a kid playing in garage bands. After the breakup of his last band, "MOJO" he kept the name and began a solo career.

Bryant plays country blues like his old Delta blues hero, Robert Johnson; that means it's usually just himself and an old acoustic guitar.

He plays a lot of slide guitar on his Dobro and his 1967 Gibson Southern Jumbo. You won't hear him play to much Clapton or Stevie Ray Vaughn. He prefers the older blues styles that sprang up in the old South in the '20s and '30s, such as the Mississippi Delta and Piedmont styles.
 

Bryant says that artists must always remain creative and move forward, raise awareness of their work, and make a living at it. "The difference between music and other businesses is that there are artists involved in the music business," he says. "Right now I'm happy doing things independently."

Bryant is a blues player at heart. On his latest album, "Good Gravy," released in 1998 on his Mudbone Records label, he sings and plays with the spirit and sound of Muddy Waters. This karate teacher knows how to sing the blues.

Bryant is currently working on his follow-up to "Good Gravy." He says the new album will be very different from his earlier work, and he's excited about that. "We're making blues using the best of the old and new," he says referring to his use of drum-loops and hip-hop grooves on the new recordings.

He also donates a lot of his time to local children's groups. He teaches martial arts and music at special camps and recently finished working with the Chester Chorus. He's in the process of getting his "Peace, Love, and Sunshine Foundation" for children registered as a non-profit organization.

Bryant says he's planning a college and club tour of the Northeast this fall. "Playing music gives you the opportunity to travel," he says. "I love performing and writing with other musicians."

But he loves the freedom ha has as an independent musician. "With my solo work I'm in total control of the business. I can totally screw it up if I want to," he says with a laugh.

Mojo Stu performs regularly at the High Street Cafe in West Chester and the Four Dog Tavern in Marshallton.