“Voodoo Chile” - Ari Joshua casts New Spells on the Psychedelic Classic!
- Esther
- Apr 6
- 3 min read
If “One Dub” was a smoke-filled voyage through the roots of reggae and psychedelia, Ari Joshua’s return with “Voodoo Chile” is the full-blown electrical storm that follows. Last May, we witnessed Joshua bend genres and realities with dub-heavy atmospheres and modern textures. Now, nearly a year later, he’s back and this time, he’s not just experimenting with sound; he’s channeling something primal. As the powerhouse RAaR Trio dives headfirst into Hendrix’s “Voodoo Chile,” not to replicate, but to reawaken it. Recorded in a single take, this version isn’t just a cover, it’s a spontaneous séance, a high-voltage trip where every note feels like it’s being born in real-time. For those who’ve followed his sonic evolution, this is the natural and utterly explosive next chapter!
To call "Voodoo Chile" a cover feels inadequate. This isn’t about hitting familiar beats or note-for-note precision. It’s about stepping into the ether where blues, rock, and psychedelia collide and seeing what alchemy can be conjured in real-time. Ari Joshua (guitar, vocals), joined by Russ Lawton on drums and Ray Paczkowski on keys, both veterans of the Trey Anastasio Band, craft something that feels like a lost recording from the golden age of jam-rock, a séance with the past that’s completely unshackled from nostalgia. Captured in a single take by tracking engineer Ben Collette at Tank Recording, mixed by Jonathan Plum and Mat at London Bridge Studios, and mastered by Joe Lambert, the track is elevated even further by the swirling visual energy of Burgandy Viscosi’s illustration and the art layout by Monte Mitchel of Forest Shore Designs.
Joshua is no stranger to pushing sonic boundaries. A guitarist known for blending jazz, soul, and rock into sprawling musical landscapes, his approach to the song is both reverent and rebellious. The guitar tone is thick, rich, and dripping with cosmic blues. He bends and writhes through the melody, letting his strings cry out with an emotional intensity that feels raw and unfiltered. There’s a kinetic energy coursing through this track, a sense of urgency and looseness that can’t be rehearsed. That’s because it wasn’t. The RAaR Trio recorded this in a single take, allowing the moment to dictate the music. It’s a high-wire act where every musician leans into the unknown, trusting instinct over precision, soul over structure. “You don’t just cover Hendrix—you summon his spirit,” Joshua says, and that ethos is palpable. There’s weight here, an aura, as if the trio tapped into the very essence of "Voodoo Chile" rather than merely replicating it.
Russ Lawton’s drumming is the heartbeat of this track, and it’s a deep, primal throb that anchors Joshua’s wild guitar flights. He doesn’t rush, he builds, locking into an irresistible groove that feels both heavy and hypnotic. There’s a tight looseness here, a push-and-pull between control and chaos that’s essential to making this version breathe. Then there’s Ray Paczkowski on Hammond organ, and if there’s a secret weapon on this track, it’s him. He doesn’t just play the keys, he conjures a storm. His swirling, undulating chords don’t just fill the spaces; they warp them, stretching the song’s dimensions into something far more expansive than a standard blues-rock jam. His playing nods to the gospel-soul roots of Hendrix’s sound while also injecting a trippy, interstellar atmosphere that makes this rendition feel like a mind-expanding voyage.
This release fits seamlessly into Joshua’s growing discography of such exploratory jams. The trio’s improvisational DNA runs through all of it, but "Voodoo Chile" feels like a defining moment, proof that they’re not just paying tribute to the past but reshaping it in real-time. So go ahead, plug in, turn it up, and lose yourself in the storm. This isn’t just a tribute; it’s an invocation, a wild-eyed jam session with the spirit of Hendrix himself. Support Ari Joshua by signing up for music lessons online or in person at www.musicfactorynw.com and the RAaR Trio by streaming, sharing, and spreading the word, because this ride? It's too electric to keep to yourself. Listen below!
#AriJoshua #RAARtrio #RusselLawton #RayPaczkowski #VoodooChile #JimiHendrix #BluesRock #StonerRock #ClassicRock #RetroRock #Music #Seattle #US
Listen to "Voodoo Chile" on #Spotify here -
You can check out Ari Joshua’s website here -https://www.arijoshua.com
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