By Robert Duguay

In advance of a rare Fall River appearance, Matthew Stubbs and Cody Nilsen discuss recording with the harmonica master, choosing blues deep cuts, and building a set unlike either artist’s usual show.

The blues has always moved across generations, creating fertile exchanges between veteran masters and younger musicians committed to honoring the form. The latter encounters often generate new ideas along with discovering fresh possibilities in familiar standards. The album Blues Now, recently released by New West Records, does both, pairing the Boston blues-rock trio GA-20 with harmonica great Charlie Musselwhite.

The collaboration comes to the Narrows Center for the Arts in Fall River on September 26, as part of a brief run of shows celebrating the album. Musselwhite will join GA-20 guitarist Matthew Stubbs, vocalist-guitarist Cody Nilsen, and drummer Josh Kiggans for an 8 p.m. concert that promises an evening of high-energy, high-volume, deeply felt blues.

I spoke with Stubbs and Nilsen about the making of Blues Now, the process of choosing its material, and what makes the Narrows performance a particularly special occasion.

The Arts Fuse: For the making of Blues Now, how did you connect with Brian Charles at Rare Signals in Cambridge for the recording sessions? And what was the collective vision you had with Charlie going into the process?

Matthew Stubbs: We knew Brian from before because we did half of our previous record, Orphans, at Rare Signals. We’ve been working together for a couple of years, and we love that studio. As far as our collective vision and what we were looking to accomplish, I’ve played guitar with Charlie as his touring guitarist for about 18 years. When we started GA-20 and began putting out records, I was still touring with Charlie.

This was an idea I had for a while. I’d always wanted to produce a record with him, so I pitched him the idea a few years ago. He really liked it, but it took two years to line up our schedules and make it work.

AF: Along with one of Charlie’s songs, “Strange Land,” the album includes renditions of blues deep cuts: Willie Dixon’s “Crazy Love,” Elmore James’s “I Can’t Hold Out,” and Eddie Taylor’s “Stroll Out West,” among others. How did you choose the material? Was it a democratic process, with everyone bringing in songs and ideas?

Stubbs: It was all of us bringing songs in, but the concept I came up with and told Cody, Josh, and Charlie about was that I wanted to pick songs Charlie had a connection to during his career. He was in Chicago in the ’60s, around all these musical heroes of ours whom we didn’t get to see much of because we were a little too young. They were Charlie’s drinking buddies and friends he would jam with.

So I wanted us to pick tunes that had some connection to his career: either people he played with, songs he recorded, or songs he performed live. There were also a couple of tunes Charlie brought in because he liked them. He had never recorded them, but he’d always wanted to. The Tampa Red song “Big Stars Falling” is one example.

AF: You have played guitar with Charlie for nearly 20 years, in addition to your work with GA-20 and other projects. What stood out about this session? What made the experience different?

Stubbs: It’s different because of the different personalities involved. Charlie has been doing this for a long time, so being in the studio with him—and recognizing his career and résumé—can be intimidating in a way. But I’ve been playing with him for so long that he’s a friend at this point.

Cody might have a different take because he and Josh had never played with Charlie until this session. We booked the time and picked out the songs we wanted to do. Cody, Josh, and I rehearsed a little without Charlie, but they met him two days before the recording session. We had two very brief rehearsals, mostly talking through and playing the arrangements, before we went into the studio.

GA-20 and Charlie Musselwhite. Photo: Elizabeth Ellenwood

AF: Cody, compared with your work with Ward Hayden & The Outliers, Girls, Guns and Glory, and your solo material, what stood out most while making Blues Now? What left the greatest impression on you?

Cody Nilsen: I was very excited because, as a blues fan, Charlie’s name is synonymous with so many different blues heroes. When we got into that first rehearsal and he started playing harmonica, you knew it was different. He has his own sound.

He was really cool to us. Like Matt said, I met him two days—and two rehearsals—before we recorded. He’s a very cool, kind guy. When he talks, you listen, because he has a lot of great stories. He’s one of one.

AF: For the upcoming show at the Narrows Center for the Arts, what can people expect? And how has putting together the set list worked in terms of highlighting the songs on the album?

Stubbs: During the same week as that show, we’ll also be in Portsmouth, New Hampshire, at Jimmy’s Jazz & Blues Club, which is already sold out. Those are the only two small-venue shows we’ll do this year with Charlie; everything else leading up to them has been at festivals. That makes these two distinctive—and especially special. They’ll be the only shows like them, so anyone who attends can expect a one-of-a-kind experience.

As for the set, it will be a mix. If you’ve seen GA-20 before, you’ll hear some of our material with Charlie joining us onstage, along with classics and plenty of songs from Blues Now. So whether you’ve seen Charlie, GA-20, or both, this show will be completely different.

Rob Duguay is an arts & entertainment journalist based in Providence who is originally from Shelton, CT. Outside of The Arts Fuse, he has also written for DigBoston, Aquarian Weekly, Providence Journal, Newport Daily News, Worcester Magazine, New Noise Magazine, Manchester Ink Link, and numerous other publications. While covering mostly music, he has also written about film, TV, comedy, theater, visual art, food, drink, sports, and cannabis.