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A driving force has emerged on the Canadian blues scene. Marshall Lawrence,the "Doctor of the Blues", is taking traditional blues styles and infusing them with a raw, fiery energy. Marshall's adrenaline-driven sound is a fierce combination of funk, rock and soul, a wild ride he calls "acid blues".

Marshall Lawrence is a dynamic and unique blues performer who has experienced many phases in his life and music.

The Blues has long been recognized for its healing properties, but not a lot of Blues players are actual doctors. Marshall Lawrence is called 'The Doctor of the Blues' for good reason -- he's a bonafide Ph.D, holding a doctorate in psychology. "Ironically, a fan laid the nickname on me, but he didn't know that I actually have a doctorate," says Marshall.

His first album,'Where's the Party' is a reflection of his journey through the Blues that culminates in those same healing properties. "My original reaction to the Blues was strictly visceral," he explains. "I'd been through Jimi Hendrix and rock and funk, but the Blues is what grabbed me inside."

"And it took a while to settle on it, too. I went through a lot of performing styles before I thought it all through and decided on the Blues -- almost like it was an intellectual process."

As a result, Marshall has matured into a performer who brings a variety of influences to his stage show. Energy is perhaps the most recognizable element, and one of his styles lays in his 'speed guitar' technique that includes influences derived from mandolin work. "I picked up a mandolin when I was at the University of California and couldn't find any blues players, so, I hooked into bluegrass. The technique has had an influence on my blues playing," he says.

Marshall includes that same technique in his acoustic playing, which will be prominent on his newest soon to be released album 'The Morning After'. "I put 'Where's the Party' together as the first of a blues duo," he says. "The Morning After is all acoustic material, and features more original material."

Both approaches work for Marshall Lawrence as he summons up the Blues to fix whatever ails you.