SKF NOTE: This is another excerpt from my July 9, 1982 phone interview with Fred Below. I am a great admirer of dynamics in music – rather than music played loud only. The Chicago blues artists recording for Chess were masterful at using dynamics to build tension and release in their songs. And my early exposure to Fred Below’s drumming was on those Chess records.

After mentioning my disappointment in how so many blues playing bands play that music LOUD only, with no dynamics, Fred Below shares his perspective on that phenomenon and gives some tips on how musicians and bands can avoid that trap.