When I got word that Tom had recently joined the Italian metal band Rhapsody of Fire, I thought that it might be a great time to catch everyone up on how things are going with him. And, fortunately, Tom was able to make time in his busy schedule to answer a few questions for me. So here we go!

Guitar Noise: Congratulations on your summer’s work with Rhapsody of Fire. How did you hook up with these musicians in the first place? And how did they approach you to become a member of the band?

Tom Hess: Thanks. I’ve been a fan of the band since the first moment I heard them back in 1998. It was by chance that a
guitar student of mine dragged me into a heavy metal CD shop (I never was in such a shop before nor since), and as we walked in, the opening tracks of the Rhapsody album Legendary Tails began playing.  I heard the music and thought, “this is very cool!” Then I heard Fabio (the singer) sing the opening lines and I was completely and totally blown away. I said to my student, “Well, I’ve just found my new favorite singer!” I went to the clerk and bought the CD.

From 1998-2001, I studied every aspect of Fabio’s vocal phrasing and learned every one of his vocal lines on the guitar, trying to match perfectly his phrasing and vibrato. His vocal phrasing became a huge influence on my guitar phrasing and vibrato.

In 2003, I wanted to compose a new vocal album for my band HESS. I researched the band’s management and sent an email (with some of my music) asking to hire Fabio to sing on this album. I got a phone call a few days later from the president (Joey DeMaio) of their record label (Magic Circle Music) at the time. The record company instead invited me to play guitar for a new band (HolyHell) already signed to the same label.

I joined HolyHell that year, recorded guitar for the debut EP and LP and in 2005 went on tour. HolyHell was the opening band for both Rhapsody Of Fire and Manowar in North America and Europe. So in 2005 I was able to spend a lot of time with the band. In 2007 the three bands toured together again, so again there was more opportunity for us all to get to know each other. There was a great feeling all the way around, and later both Alex and Luca approached me about joint venturing in some instructional guitar/music lessons and programs. Luca’s http://www.neoclassicalrevelation.com website is one of them.

Through our mutual business together the relationship grew further.  Alex and Luca understood that I have been a big fan of the band for many years and they also liked my guitar playing and compositional skills in my band HESS and felt it was a good match.

A few days after Christmas 2010, Luca contacted me and said that he and Alex Staropoli want me to join Rhapsody Of Fire. I said yes! Of course!

Three days later I was given the music to immediately begin recording the new album From Chaos To Eternity. There was no time to really learn the songs, I had to begin recording the very next day. I was reintroduced to the word “pressure,” but in the end the result was a great experience and a killer album.

GN: Can you tell us what went into preparing for being part of Rhapsody of Fire? How much work did you do before joining the band? And once you all got together how did you practice for the summer shows?

Tom: I already knew how to play many of the songs (but only the vocal lines!) So I had to learn all the guitar parts. I
practiced alone at home in three alternating phases:

Phase 1 – performing the songs

Phase 2 – learning to play the songs

Phase 3 – memorizing how to play them

Planning out various aspects of performing the songs was what I focused on first, before I actually learned the parts. Although I never get nervous about playing live, what makes me nervous are all the little things like remembering when to make program changes on my midi controller, where I need to be standing on the stage during specific moments of the show and all the little cues that have to happen with all other members on stage. Stuff like that makes me nervous if I’m not 110% prepared for it in advance, so I always begin with those things first, visualizing the concerts in my mind even before I have any clue what I am playing. I just listen to the live versions of the songs and go through all the non-guitar playing things that I need to think about and remember. Once I feel good about that stuff, learning the songs becomes easier because I have removed the most stressful part for me.

We got together in Italy for two days and played through all the songs exactly two times as a full band, then we went on to play the festivals.

GN: With your online teaching program and private students, not to mention your solo recording projects, you’re a pretty busy guy. How did you manage to find time to put in all this effort?

Tom:  Over the years, I’ve learned three things about time management:

1. Don’t waste time (no matter how small!)

2. Choose what matters (stop giving time to the things that don’t carry you forward)

3. Surround yourself with a great team of people who can help you get stuff done. The little things that others can help you with will save you a lot of time. With that saved time I reinvest it back into music, playing, recording, teaching, mentoring other musicians, etc. … plus I have gotten pretty good at multitasking.

GN: Rhapsody of Fire originated in Italy and has band members from Germany as well. On top of that, you toured in the Czech Republic, Hungary, Germany, England and Sweden and all over. How do you deal with the multi-language scenarios that you and the band inevitably run into?

Tom: It’s pretty simple actually, we speak English and in most places in Europe (and elsewhere in the world), people under
the age of 30 or 35 have learned at least some English in school. So it’s generally not a problem.

GN: After a long and successful career, Rhapsody of Fire is essentially splitting into two bands. Alex Staropoli (keyboards and one of the founders) is going on with you on guitars, Fabio Lione on vocals and Alex Holzwarth on drums. Are you working with a bass player? And what are you doing to prepare for your upcoming shows in France and Spain this fall?

Tom:  Although there will be an upcoming world tour, no specific dates or locations have been confirmed at this time. There of course will be a new bass player in the band, but we have not announced the name of this special person yet. We are all very excited and eager to begin the next chapter of Rhapsody Of Fire history together!

GN: Is this new lineup of Rhapsody of Fire working on any studio recordings? If so, what are the songwriting process and the recording process like? As the relatively new member are you finding yourself an active participant in the process?

Tom: The main focus right now is preparing for the upcoming tour to support the new album From Chaos To Eternity. Although we did play five super awesome festival concerts in Europe this summer, we have not yet toured to support the new release. So this is our next priority. After the upcoming world tour the band will get to work on the next album. On the last album I was just brought into the band and all the music was already composed with the exception of the three guitar solos I had to compose and record. Beyond that, my role was primarily to record all the rhythm guitar parts. It’s likely that my role in the next album will be a bit more (certainly I’ll be responsible for all the guitar parts at least).

GN: It’s easy to fantasize that touring the world with a rock band is all fun and music, but what is a typical day really like?

Tom: Well, sometimes it’s what you make it. Festivals are different from normal touring. Typically, you arrive at the next venue sometime between 10:00 am and 3:00 pm, depending on how far away the new venue is from the show the night before. Once the bus arrives to the new venue that’s often when I’ll wake up from sleeping on the tour bus. After we arrive, I head for the shower, then to eat something small. Depending on how much time is available before the show we may or may not have time for a meet and greet signing session and/or interviews with the music press. There is a sound check, sometimes meetings, personal time to call home, check emails, etc.. Then it’s time to eat something small again. We also meet with the crew when necessary to discuss any problems, challenges or address other important details. In the dressing room before the show, we typically warm up for some time while also talking, laughing and having fun to keep things relaxed and relieve stress. Often there is not time for all of those things, but we squeeze as much in as we can.

Next is to arrive at the stage. We warm up and loosen up for a few minutes before our introduction music begins playing. When we hear the roar of the crowd, excitement and adrenaline fills the veins and then the show starts.

After the show, it’s shower time (again), talk about the night’s performance, meet with the promoter or other important people at the venue. Then eat a full meal. After that there might be more activities going on, but usually we are all on our own (the only true personal time is at this point). I typically make time to go back out near the crowd outside the venue for those who are still hanging around hoping to meet someone from the band, take some photos, etc.. I’ll usually spend some time there with them before heading back to the bus, turning on my laptop and teaching my online guitar students.

It’s a great experience overall and I do my best to enjoy every moment of it all. This is a great band, with great fans, and a fantastic crew, so having fun is pretty easy!

GN: In addition to your gig with Rhapsody of Fire, what other projects do you have for the future?

Tom: Beyond my time with Rhapsody Of Fire, I’m still composing and recording new music for my other band HESS.  In addition, I invest a lot of time running my online guitar lessons business and teaching guitar players at http://tomhess.net

… I love everything I do, which is why I still do it even if I do not have to anymore.

Life is good…

very good!

An Interview with Tom Hess was written by David Hodge for Guitar Noise. A good guitar player you will be if you visit the above site. © 2012 Guitar Noise

Todd has been doing a series of free concerts to honor his friend for six years now. FODfest has grown from a musical get-together between Danny’s friends in Todd’s back yard to an International touring show. Additionally, 2010 has seen the start of the “FODfest in the Schools” program, designed to keep the wonder and power that is music going long after the show has finished.

The concert format of the shows themselves is intricate and intriguing – part “song circle” with local singer/songwriters/musicians bringing original material to play, part “jam session” as the participants also serve as back-up band for each other, and then there’s the whole live concert aspect of it. These shows are nothing short of magical. Not only are they a fitting tribute to Daniel Pearl, they also serve as a testament on the power of music to bring people together.

Todd is currently gearing up for FODfest’s next great leap forward – a series of  shows and school visits in Israel and the West Bank region of the Middle East. Busy as he is, Todd graciously took part in this short interview, exclusively for the readers of Guitar Noise.

And I hope that if you live anywhere near a venue where FODfest will be visiting, you take it on yourself to go see a show. Sharing the joy of music, letting its power bring people together – that’s what FODfest is all about. You’ll not only have a great time, you’ll also be inspired to go out and do the same.

GN: Five years ago you held the first FODfest in your backyard. Last year you brought FODfest to Taiwan and now you’re going to be taking it to Israel and the West Bank for a lot of October. How did this Middle East tour come about and how are you feeling about bringing the FODfest program to this part of the world?

Todd: We’ve been kicking around the idea of taking the tour to the Middle East for a while now, but I don’t think we were quite ready for it until now.

It is a huge undertaking planning these tours.  We are still a very small, grassroots non-profit and we pretty much do it all ourselves, relying on contacts and partnerships in the places that we are going.  The same is true even for tours here in the States.

This tour, like all our others, started with the idea to do it and exploring the contacts that we had in Israel and beyond.  Things spider out and before you know it, you’ve got more on your plate than you can do. Our Board approved the idea of a tour to the Middle East last December.  We’ve been working on it ever since.

We are excited to bring the tour to the region.  Perhaps more than any other place in the world, it is an area where the seeds of community that we plant via our concerts and school visits can really result in creating positive change on some level, no matter how small it may be.  We go with no agenda, no political motives, no expectations.  We go only to do what we do and that is to provide a platform for people to come together.  From there, anything is possible.

GN: The format of FODfest shows has also evolved a lot in the past two years, moving from a kind of acoustic “song circle meets jam session” to including choirs, drumming groups, multicultural dancers and even whole jazz bands. What can one expect to see and hear at the Israel performances?

Todd: I think the music will be reflective of the diversity that exists within the region.  We will have everything from western-rooted music like folk, blues, rock, and jazz to more traditional Israeli and Arabic music and instrumentation.  It should be a beautiful mix.

GN: In addition to the shows themselves, FODfest has also started a “FODfest in the Schools” program. Could you take a moment to describe how that works and also mention how someone who might be interested in participating in this program could get involved?

Todd: We are so excited about this program.  As FODfest and the scope of its mission have grown, I’ve started to feel a sort of disconnect after the concerts.  Not that they aren’t still magical, but more a desire to take that magic, that micro-community and build it into something longer term.  That’s what the FODfest in the Schools program does.  And who better to do it with than youth, the future of our world?

Essentially what the eight-week program consists of is a collaboration between students to write songs.  This provides an environment in which they must learn to listen to one another, share ideas, and work together.  At the end of the eight weeks, at least one of their songs is professionally recorded and performed for their school group.  The recording of their song is then shared with other FODfest in the School groups in other parts of the world.  This becomes a way of interconnecting kids from different areas and provides a tool for them to learn about what another. Those groups then add parts to each other’s songs as a way of furthering the collaborative component of the program.  It’s like a musical chain letter or being musical pen pals.  Our first round of programs finishes up this fall.

The FODfest in the Schools program is open to all students, regardless of their musical background, in the schools / communities where it is being presented.  Schools that are interested in bringing the program to their community can contact us at info@fodfest.org to learn how they can arrange to do so.

GN: Speaking of getting involved, none of these FODfest events and programs takes place by itself. How do you go about finding volunteers, what do you look for in those volunteers and what can a musician (or non-musician) do to help FODfest promote peace and harmony through music and communication?

Todd: Well, as essentially an all volunteer organization, finding and organizing volunteers is our bloodline.  Simply put, we could not do what we do without them.

Our volunteers come to us through a variety of means.  Often it is somebody who has recently attended one of our community concerts or perhaps read about us or heard about us from friends or on the web.  We rely heavily on word of mouth and grassroots promotion.  Sometimes we are doing targeted outreach to individuals with a specific skill set we are in need of, as is the case with a lot of our filming and multimedia work.

Regardless of how we get our volunteers, the number one thing we look for is a passion about and commitment to the work we are doing.  It’s sort of a no-brainer.  The reason people come to us or the reason professionals we approach agree to work with us pro bono is because they are passionate about what we are doing and it resonates with them in a way that moves them to get involved.  That counts for everything!  So, regardless of experience or skill, we encourage people who feel connected and aligned with our mission of community building to get involved.  There is a form on our website that folks can fill out to do so.

GN: You’ve already been quite busy and brought FODfest further than ever in 2010. Are there any plans for more concerts before the end of the year?

Todd: We will be doing a short east coast tour from November 16-24, leading up to Thanksgiving.  Dates for that tour are starting to get posted on our website.  We will close out the year with a mid-west tour in the first half of December.  Plans are in motion for a January 2011 tour of Haiti.

FODfest 2010 – The Middle East and More was written by David Hodge for Guitar Noise. A good guitar player you will be if you visit the above site. © 2012 Guitar Noise

As I got to know Todd better I also got to know bits and pieces of his history. Before moving to the Berkshires, he’d been in the Atlanta area, playing the music scene. One day a man answered an ad Todd had run in the paper looking for a fiddle player for a band he was putting together. Todd and the fiddler hit it off immediately and became close friends as well as band mates. The fiddle player had just moved to Atlanta as part of his new job, reporting for the Wall Street Journal. His name was Daniel Pearl.

In one of those odd twists of fate, Todd eventually ended up moving to the Berkshires, where only a relatively short time earlier, Danny had been living and working for the local paper. Danny had also been very active on the Berkshire music scene, playing in a number of bands.

Four years ago, Todd organized the first “FODfest,” “FOD” being an acronym for “Friends of Danny.” These concerts sought to celebrate not only Danny’s life, but also his music and his belief in the power of music and words to break down barriers and create harmony in the world.

This year’s event will tour both coasts and involve well over two hundred musicians, many of whom only knew Danny by reputation.

I’d like to thank Todd personally, not only for taking the time out of his incredibly busy schedule, but also for inviting me to participate in this magical musical event. You can find this year’s FODfest schedule up on the “News” page of the Guitar Noise Forums.

Q: FODfest is now in its fourth year and certainly has evolved quite a bit from the very first one. Can you take us back to 2005 and tell us a little bit about your initial ideas? What motivated you to do all this in the first place? Did you envision, even back then, the growth of FODfest from a single, local event to the nationwide tour it’s become? How did all this happen so fast?

Todd: Well, 2005 and 2006 were both very last minute, very informal backyard concerts at my house.  I had been doing stuff for Daniel Pearl World Music Days from the onset with my radio show and it just took me a few years to get around to doing something live.  It was always in the cards.  I just never had the time.  But four years ago, I said to myself “screw it.  I HAVE to do this and there’s never going to be a good time”.  So I just called up a few friends, emailed a bunch of folks, and three days later had a party.  The next year I planned a whopping two weeks in advance.  And then my friend Dave Keehn, who was Danny’s good friend too (we all played in a band together) flew up from Atlanta to be there for it, even with just two weeks’ notice, and that’s what sort of sealed it for me, what made me take that next step.  If Dave was willing to come up on a moment’s notice for this thing, I figured there must be something to it.  Something that needed to be shared on a broader level.  It was always in the bigger picture, but its one thing to talk about doing something and another to actually do it.  So in January of 2007, I started planning the first FODfest tour, which would take place that October and include seven cities in eight days from Atlanta to Memphis and up the east coast.

But what really motivated me to do this goes back way before 2005.  Back to the day Danny was murdered. Ever since I was a kid I’ve been allured as much to the power of music as the music itself.  This was something Danny and I used to talk about – music’s power to bring about change.  People like Bob Dylan, John Lennon, Woody Guthrie – they were all proof in the pudding.  And when Danny died, I vowed to myself that I would harness that power so that nobody ever forgot who he was and the things that he stood for. From the get go, even as last minute and throw together as it may have been, I envisioned FODfest as a BIG event.  Bigger than it’s been, and bigger than it is now.  FODfest is about connecting people through music, regardless of their walk of life.  I want it to reach as many people as it possibly can.  Sure, its happened fast, but it still has a long, long way to go.  We’re going to be here for a long time.

Q: Logistically, FODfest must be quite a challenge. As producer, how far ahead are you planning? Is FODfest 2009 already being worked out? When do you get a chance to sit back and enjoy all of this?

Todd: Well, logistically, this thing is really a nightmare, to be perfectly honest.  This year’s tour will include up to seventeen shows in seventeen days on the east and west coasts and involve upward of two hundred and fifty musicians.  The performance format is unique combining elements of a jam session, song swap, and concert into one in an acoustic setting.  It’s not one that everybody understands right off the bat, musicians and clubs alike, and so it takes some explaining.  Early on I realized the importance of recording and filming the concerts so people could see it in action even if they’d never been to a FODfest show.

FODfest has become a full time job for me, and an unpaid one at that.  I started working on this year’s tour in November, three weeks after last year’s tour ended.  Plans are already in motion for FODfest ‘09, and booking will start in January and hopefully be completed by the end of March to allow us to have a full six months to coordinate musicians and properly promote.  As for the fun, sure it can be stressful especially the few months leading up to the tour, but seeing the way folks respond to what we are doing makes it all worth it.  That’s the fun part.  That’s the rewarding part.

Q: As a performer whose toured more than his fair share of miles, does touring with FODfest make you at all nostalgic? Do you get the desire to get back out on the road as a touring musician?

Todd: I was pretty young when I started touring.  That was a long time ago.  Before kids, before there was a business to run, all that.  Sure I miss it.  Do I miss the long, late nights, the driving in the wee hours of the morning, the crappy food, and sleeping on strangers’ floors?  Well, okay, maybe a little.  But not enough to get out there in the same way at this point in my life.  I’d love to start touring again, but it would have to be more in line with where I’m at in my life these days.

Q: What have been the highpoints of FODfest to you? Any particular standout moments?

Todd: Caroline Aiken, Malcolm Holcolmb, the Ottoman Empire reunion, getting to play with Michael Lorant & Sheila Doyle of Big Fish Ensemble.  Finally getting into Elvis’ birthplace in Tupelo, Mississippi.  But most importantly connecting with people and connecting people with one another through music.  That’s what FODfest is all about.  It’s what music is all about.  And it’s what Danny Pearl was all about.

Q: And, on top of all this, you’re finishing up your latest CD! Can you tell us a little about it?

Todd: Well, actually it’s been done since May.  Mixed, mastered, the whole nine yards except for the packaging of it – a testament to how all consuming FODfest has become.  Ironically, this is a very dark album.  Easily the darkest thing I’ve ever done, which is in contract to the uplifting vibe of FODfest.  The new CD is called “The Thirteenth Step”.  It’s a theme album, essentially.  And the theme is addiction, something that strikes very close to home for me.  What I’ve learned about addiction is that there are really only two possible outcomes of it.  Either you truly kick your habit for the rest of your life and you go on living.  Or you don’t, and it kills you, be it by overdose or just long term abuse catching up with your body.  That’s the thirteenth step, either one of those definitive outcomes.  Musically, the CD is different from anything I’ve done, too.  It’s very layered, which I’ve done a lot of before, but in a completely different way, building mostly from a dense forest of electric guitar tracks.  I put a great band together for it and I’m really pleased with the way it came out.

Q: As a songwriter, you’ve certainly written songs that cross over many genre lines. Is that something you do naturally? Does producing and recording other artists inspire your own work?

Todd: Mixing up genres is something I’ve always done, but never really set out to do.  I think it’s more a result of my own varied musical tastes.  I love bluegrass and the blues and jazz, but I could never be a bluegrass, blues, or jazz head who listens to nothing but those styles of music. I’d just burn out on it. Producing other artists probably does inspire my own work, but in a more subtle way.  As producer, you tend to find yourself injecting your own style into an artist’s sound, so in that sense I don’t think the role allows you to be influenced by their work.  But the trick is to not get trapped in that mindset and to keep yourself open to what you can learn from the artist you are producing.  I am working on an album right now by a fantastic songwriter and I am really learning a lot about my own writing from producing her songs.

Q: You are someone who has lived in the music business pretty much all his life. What words of advice would you give to someone who says he or she wants to make a living in music?

Todd: Well, as somebody who didn’t heed the advice of others who told me not to quit my day job, I suppose it would be hypocritical of me to say “don’t quit your day job”.  But I will say this, having other skills that you can bring into the picture can help immensely and better your odds at really making your living at music.  I am lucky enough to have strong organizational skills, a must to survive in this business, but a lot of musicians don’t possess those.  I suppose it’s a right brain/ left brain kind of thing.  It’s okay if you don’t.  Just figure out what your strengths are.  Maybe you’ve got a good eye and can do your own graphic design work.  Not only can you create your own marketing materials, but you could start doing it for others and earn some money in the process.  Or maybe you are good with people and can start teaching to help generate some dollars.  The key is you’ve got to have your fingers in a lot of pies to make it work, and you’ve got to be willing to work your butt off more than the average person who goes to a day job and works for somebody else.  The large majority of us are not going to be the next Jason Mraz or Norah Jones.  So you’ve got to be creative in how you bring the dollars in a way that still keeps you in music.  And the bottom line is never stop believing in yourself.  Anything is possible if you believe it is.  And just keep at it.  I’ve been doing music since I was eighteen, and as far as I’ve come, I’ve still got a long way to go.  It never ends, but if you just keep your eye on the prize you get there little by little.

Todd Mack Interview was written by David Hodge for Guitar Noise. A good guitar player you will be if you visit the above site. © 2012 Guitar Noise

“I’ve been around the world three times with various artists, played in front of royalty, and have been on several television programs including Letterman and The Tonight Show with Jay Leno,” says Caldwell from his home in St. Louis where he’s busy working on projects and caring for his daughter.

Caldwell also has written thousands of songs, produced dozens of recordings, and has helped develop several custom basses, including the Benevente 11-string Al Caldwell Signature Bass with midi.

As unique as his sound and contributions are now, as a young man in the late ’70s, Caldwell worked hard to sound like the top bassists of his day: Jaco Pastorius, Stanley Clarke, Marcus Miller, Bootsy Collins, Larry Graham and by the time he was 23 he could emulate all of them. “I put in a lot of work to be called another man’s name,” he recalled.

Caldwell credits bass legend and father of the extended range bass Anthony Jackson, (Jackson conceived the first six-string bass in the late ’70s) with helping catalyze the search for his own voice. “Anthony suggested I stop trying to be the best bass player and start being myself.”

Caldwell shares another Jackson jewel: “There are a 100 ways to play quarter notes. If the drummer isn’t dictating the phrasing, it’s up to you. They’ve given you all that power. It’s up to you to see the chart in a musical sense and bring your wisdom to it. If you’re establishing a hump in the music, the drummer can do less. But then it’s up to you to bring something to the conversation.”

But Caldwell is most passionate when it comes to the topic of learning and coming up with original bass lines and inventive solos.

“It is important to first connect the brain to the mouth, rather than brain to hand. When you connect brain to hand, all you have is muscle memory. You can work on a lick for two weeks and maybe you’ll remember it, or maybe not. Sing what it is you want to play, then teach it to your hands. This is the key to finding yourself, your voice, and is the key to transcending your current ability.”

Now that he’s teaching, Caldwell sometimes gives his students this exercise: He tells them to imagine their individual dream concert, consisting of 90 minutes of music, played with any musicians they want. Then he asks them to tell him what happened. He says “Sing me your grooves. Tell me what your first song was and why you picked it.”

“Music is a language,” Caldwell emphasizes. “Emotionally challenge yourself to create something true and honest. What comes out of your mouth is honest.”

The bass is merely a tool, another alternative to the human voice, says Caldwell, and by going through this process, “You realize what you really like, because nobody told you.”

That said, Caldwell suggests all bassists study key songs from the 30-40 bassists that have strongly influenced the sound and evolution of the bass. Just a few of his suggestions are: Chuck Rainey: Theme from Sanford & Son, Until you Come Back to Me, I Want You from Marvin Gaye. Stanley Clarke: School Daze, Silly Putty, Upright: Song for John. Jaco: Continuum, Portrait of Tracy, Punk Jazz. Anthony Jackson: Naughty, Money,Money,Money (which he co-wrote with O’Jays and played with a pick), House Without a Home. Larry Graham: The Jam, Can You Handle It?, Release Yourself. Marcus Miller: Run for Cover, A Tear for Crystal, TuTu.

“Just learn three to start to identify what makes that person special. Three is all you need to start to understand.”

Today, Al Caldwell possesses many very distinctive ways to express what he refers to as ‘those twelve tones that western music has given us’. He plays, at last count, 28 instruments, and is able to replicate the sound of all of them and more on his Benevente 11-string bass (tuned C#-Eb) which is equipped with midi.

Caldwell wanted a way to express his feeling and knowledge and voices of these instruments and more, without having to put down the bass. “Midi enables me to sound any way I want, without having to change – or carry extra – instruments.”

What’s next for Al Caldwell who already has numerous recordings and tours to his credit, including a long tenure as bassist with Vanessa Williams’ band? He’s planning a tour with his band The Travelin’ Black Hillbillies, where he plays banjo, an instrument he loves almost as much as the bass and he’s working on his first instructional DVD.

For more information about Al Caldwell go to his websites: 9stringbass.com, and Travelin Black Hillbillies.

Bassist Al Caldwell on Being Yourself was written by Helena Bouchez for Guitar Noise. A good guitar player you will be if you visit the above site. © 2012 Guitar Noise

“It’s mostly about chemistry – and about enhancing and supporting the others on stage,” says Doug Wimbish, while chilling on the well-worn sofa after an afternoon recording session at Island Recorders studio in Chicago.

“If the template is there, and you are working within the role that is designated, you can use your talents to create a sense of enhancement without overstating the point.”

Doug tours a lot, with Living Colour and various other projects, such as Tackhead and Head>>Fake. Playing the same material show after show, how does he keep it so fresh?

“Some songs have room for continuous growth,” said Wimbish. “It depends on the original components. Also, some projects take a complete turn, doors open, creating new opportunities.”

As for drummers, Wimbish has played with the best of the best including; Will Calhoun in Living Colour, Keith LeBlanc, Dennis Chambers and Terry Bozzio. When asked his opinion about the relationship between the bassist and the drummer, he likened it to the relationship between the center and quarterback in football.

“The center has to get the ball to the quarterback so the play can happen. It’s that combination that creates the play.”

Wimbish explains. “The drums create the rhythm, but it’s the bass that governs that rhythm by presenting sonic ideas and tying in time between rhythms and notes. The bass and drums create one vehicle. Each must find the median – based on the space in the song. Bass and drums should help enhance each other. It’s natural. It depends on the space that’s created by the mindset of the individual musician.

The success of the relationship is defined by how you think and how generous you are – how willing you are to put the music first. It’s best if the two people are not selfish and have respect for the music. If you can park the personality and come to the stage or session with respect for the music and each other, you’re automatically a 50% better player.”

Bassist Doug Wimbish on Playing Well with Others was written by Helena Bouchez for Guitar Noise. A good guitar player you will be if you visit the above site. © 2012 Guitar Noise

Eager to help, Bailey offered to jump in a cab and take it to be fixed. Pastorius took it from him and proceeded to make the bass sing. Bailey says he realized that Jaco knew every aspect of that bass; including every dead spot, every buzz, and every place he needed to dig in to get the sound he wanted. Not only did Pastorius know how to play that bass, he knew how to make good music with it.

“A lot of people are into playing, but not as much into music,” says Bailey, who is known for his solo records, playing on over 1000 recordings as a studio musician, and on numerous tours with pop mega star Madonna, and of course, succeeding Pastorius as bassist for the jazz/fusion group Weather Report. Weather Report keyboardist and co-founder Joe Zawinul remains one of Bailey’s mentors. He explains, “Zawinul was never concerned with how much chops someone had, it was always about the quality of the music. There’s a big difference between playing and making music.”

Bailey says he’s seen some phenomenal players do unbelievable things on the bass when they are on stage by themselves, but notices that in many cases he doesn’t see them as part of a rhythm section. Bailey remarks, “A lot of guys are amazing players, but don’t necessarily make quality music. The most important thing all the time for me and the people I work with is that the music feels and sounds good.”

“In order to make music that sounds good, you don’t necessarily have to be the most technically advanced player,” says Bailey. He says an overall musical sense and concern for the quality of the music can be much more important than virtuoso performances in many cases. Bailey advises, “Use what you have to make something interesting. There are plenty of musicians out there that may not have the most chops, but they know how to command the stage – and rock the house. Guys who can do that AND have lots of talent, knowledge and ability, now those are my kind of guys!”

If your goal is to be a first-rate player like Bailey, however, he says it’s absolutely essential to know what you’re doing. “You have to study your instrument until it’s second nature. When you hear chord changes and modulations, you can’t be guessing – you have to know where to go without hesitation. Anything that’s put in front of you – you need to be able to handle – immediately! That’s what separates the top players from everyone else.”

Bailey should know. He played his first gig three weeks after he got his first bass – he was 15. “I’ve always been a studious person. I came home from school and spread my books out and did my homework before I went outside. I read the encyclopedia. When it came to music, I wasn’t satisfied just knowing the bass line; I also wanted to know the chords and harmony. My dad, a master composer, arranger, producer and saxophonist, had a jazz collection of guys like Oscar Peterson and Ray Brown and I used to ask him, ‘Why did Ray Brown play this note?’ and he’d tell me, ‘Well that’s a flat 9.’ I’ve always been inquisitive, and I’m still that way, to this day. There are still a whole bunch of things I think I could do better.”

Bailey notes that even after 30 years of playing, if he doesn’t touch the bass for one day, his flow isn’t the same. “I noticed that if I play for just 10 or 15 minutes per day it keeps me connected to the instrument. If I don’t stay in touch with the bass, it might take me a whole set before I feel my flow is good. Practice gives you a natural connection to the instrument.”

When Bailey practices, he says he plays a combination of things; solo studies (currently, he’s working on a Bach piece) then he may groove for an hour, then maybe do some bebop soloing, or play some old R&B or rock bass lines. “I’m always trying to improve the quality of my playing – the sound, touch and feel. I’m always thinking about feel. As I’m playing the bass line, my head is moving to the groove – just as much as if I’m on stage. I’m thinking, ‘How long do I hold this note, should I leave a space? Should I play them perfectly even, or play one note with vibrato, and the next with no vibrato’?”

That said, Bailey acknowledges that depending on what someone wants out of playing the bass, it may not be necessary for them to practice all day, every day. He says players should determine what they want to be, and do what it takes to get there.

“I once taught a woman who ended up playing bass in a big rock band. I played Stanley Clarke’s School Days for her and she said, ‘I don’t want to play like that.’ She spent all day working on music – but it was writing songs. She wanted to be good enough to write good bass lines and to not have to search around all day to figure out where the song was going. She was very clear on what she wanted out of it, and I think that’s key.”

And most importantly, Bailey advises, don’t give up. He says developing skills takes time and consistent effort. Again, Bailey should know. He recalls a recent gig he played in New York, on Long Island. After the gig, a man came up to him, said excitedly, “Wow I really like how you play the bass – I’ve never heard anyone do what you’re doing. You should really stick with it, you really have a future in this business.”

Victor Bailey recently completed a new CD with the trio CBW – with Larry Coryell and Lenny White. Bailey says the new CD, recorded for Chesky Records, will contain jazz, rock, funk, fusion, “a little of everything.” Keep an eye on VictorBailey.com for details of upcoming concerts and tours.

Bassist Victor Bailey on Making Good Music was written by Helena Bouchez for Guitar Noise. A good guitar player you will be if you visit the above site. © 2012 Guitar Noise

Whatever the reason, the lack of awareness of some of the great female guitarists is something that needs to be corrected. There have simply been too many fabulous women guitarists for at least a few of their names to not be household names.

The four women I choose to highlight in this article are just the tip of the iceberg of great players and I hope that by learning these few names, you can find your way to other great guitar goddesses – there are many to enjoy!

Sister Rosetta Tharpe

Why Ray Charles is credited with crossing Gospel with Blues has always been a mystery to me. Sister Rosetta Tharpe was doing it while Ray could still see. She was born Rosetta Nubin in Cotton Plant, Arkansas in 1915. She toured with her mother, playing her guitar on stages and at church functions from as young as five. She had a healthy dose of Southern blues and jazz, and then her family moved north to Chicago, where her musical education continued with the Chicago blues and jazz scene of the 20′s.

Her style was unique to the period. A combination of finger picking and jazz voicings gave her a sound all her own.

She married Wilbur Thorpe, who later changed their name to Tharpe, in 1934 and moved to New York City. It was here that she was discovered by the Decca label and began making records.

Backed by a jazz orchestra, her songs caused an immediate uproar within the evangelical community, but the public loved them. She was soon appearing with bandleaders such as Cab Calloway and Benny Goodman, to mention a few.

During WWII she was one of only two gospel singers to record “V-discs” for the troops in Europe. During this period she became the first gospel artist to break into Billboard’s “Race Records” Top Ten.

After the war her popularity continued to grow. She gave a performance to a crowd of 25,000 people in celebration of her third marriage in 1951 in Washington, D.C.

She continued to perform until her death in 1973, of a stroke, on the eve of yet another recording session.

Sister Rosetta Tharpe’s legacy is immense. She was the first American Gospel act to tour Europe. She was a huge influence on modern music in many respects, both for her guitar playing and her blending of gospel, blues and jazz. Johnny Cash claimed her as his favorite singer.

Many of her recordings have been reissued in CD format, including several live performances. My personal recommendation is to pick up the box set entitled The Original Soul Sister, it’s a bit hard to find, but the discs’ one hundred and two tracks give a very good picture of her entire career.

Maybelle Addington Carter

Maybelle Addington was born in 1909 in southern Virginia. She grew up playing guitar and autoharp. When she was seventeen, she married and moved to Poor Valley.

Her unique stylistic twist was to pick out the melody on the lower (D, A and low E) strings while strumming the rhythm on the upper strings. This was one of the first uses of the guitar as a lead melodic instrument in American music. Playing with her brother-in-law and his sister-in-law she quickly became famous for playing at fairs and church events.

The “Original Carter Family” was signed by RCA-Victor in 1927. They made numerous records – many quickly became bluegrass and country standards that are played by bands and artists to this day.

By 1943 the group had broken up, but Maybelle reformed the group and continued to perform with her sisters through 1948.

Johnny Cash appears in this story as well, as he married Maybelle’s daughter June. Maybelle appeared several times on stage with Johnny as well as on the Johnny Cash Show of the 1970′s. But it was her playing in the ’40s that merits mention.

The Carter Family’s records were being played on Mexican “super stations” broadcasting to almost all of the lower 48 states. Chet Atkins recalls being influenced by Maybelle’s playing, as did Wayland Jennings. Quite a number of her songs became standards to be covered by singer-songwriter and country artists through the ’70′s.

The CD Can the Circle Be Unbroken released by Legacy in 2000 provides a great look into this important guitarist.

Liona Boyd

Often called the “First Lady of the Guitar,” Liona Boyd’s career has covered an amazing range. A classical guitarist of the first order, Liona also plays pop and Latin pieces. Her grandmother comes from the same town as Segovia, giving Liona a personal connection to the heritage of her music.

In her teens she took up the guitar after hearing a Julian Bream concert. She managed to study with a number of great classical artists, including Segovia. Segovia is said to have predicted she’d have a “magnificent” career.

She’s considered a first rate composer as well as a performer with few peers. She’s performed with nearly every major orchestra in the US and Canada, as well as having had private shows for numerous heads of state and royalty.

Her numerous gold and platinum albums and musical awards testify to both her talent and the accessibility of her music, but make it exceedingly hard to recommend one disc. However, if pressed, I’d have to say that her CD Baroque Favourites is probably my favorite.

Leni Stern

Leni Stern was born in Germany and has been playing in bands out of the New York area since the mid-1980′s. Her combination of jazz and rock is slightly reminiscent of Jeff Beck, but has a sense all it’s own. Her guitar playing is precise, gutsy and filled with emotion.

She has nine instrumental albums to her name, and each is a joy to listen to. After demonstrating such perfect understanding of modern jazz guitar, Leni expanded to songwriting and singing on her records in the last few years. She’s obviously an experienced artist, and the jazz singer-guitarist mold fits her like a glove.

Listening to a Stern performance, you get the sense of a performer perfectly attuned to her instrument, her audience, and her band. She spent some time studying with Bill Frisell, and learned to master loops and effects in a similar way to Frisell. The result is exceedingly deep guitar lines that layer up on each other to build to something greater than the sum of their parts.

Her musical style is incredibly varied and hard to define. Tracks that are tinged with elements of Northern African musical traditions meld with Django Reinhardt licks all wrapped up in an Hindu folk melody all with an ever so slight and appealing light rock sensibility.

Any of her discs are worth a listen, but my personal favorite is the wonderful 1998 release Recollection.

Guitar Goddesses was written by David Wagle for Guitar Noise. A good guitar player you will be if you visit the above site. © 2012 Guitar Noise

As his new line is launching, I got in touch with him and asked him to answer some questions for us as far as building guitars goes.

Guitar Noise-When it comes time to design a new model, how do you go about it? What elements do you think about?

Alan Garcia-Torre-The elements are first of all a question of price range. Where do we want to be? After that we decide on the look we want. That also depends on one’s own construction capability. The sound quality is something else, it comes from the choice in harmony table.

GN-Could you take us through the overall process of constructing a guitar?

AGT-First is the choice of woods, that’s very important to position oneself at the level one has chosen.

Then comes the construction of the neck, molding on the shape of the sides, building of the bottom of the body, of the table with the gluing of the bars and the rosace, gluing of the neck on the sides, gluing of the table and the bottom onto the sides, installationg of borders, gluing of the fretboard, installation of the frets, of the neck.

Then the shooting of the varnish in fine layers with drying and sanding between each layer (at least three) and polishing.

There’s also the hand varnish, reserved to high-end guitares because it’s so long to do. It’s a varnish that penetrates better, but is, unfortunately, more fragile.

GN-How long does it take to construct one guitar?

AGT-Serial or not, it takes between three weeks and a month.

GN-From the moment when you decide to make a new model until it’s ready to ship, how much time has passed?

AGT-It’s quite variable. I’d say between six months and a year.

GN-Is there a lot of (if any) trial and error in the construction of a new model?

AGT-Yes, there are many trials to do to get what we want, but there again it’s quite variable. For my guitars, there were 12 trials.

GN-Please explain the importance of the woods used to construct a guitar.

AGT-The first thing is to have dry wood. Apart from some high-end luthiers who still have ancient woods, current woods are kiln-dried, which is certainly not as good, but indispensible for serial construction. It allows still to limit humidity to 5%. The wood of the table is primordial; it determines 90% of the sound of the guitare. We generally use Spruce or Cedar which each have their qualities and their problems, it’s a question of a person’s taste.

For the body, a nice pallissandre is generally appreciated.

For the neck, we use cedro or mahogany (rarer) and for the fingerboard, ebony. It’s possible to use other woods for lower-end guitars, it’s always a question of price since in the end, you have to sell them!

GN-A Classical guitar and an guitar (for metal strings) have

different constructions (different size necks, etc.) Why can’t a classical guitar be designed like an acoustic and vice-versa?

AGT-A guitar with steel strings and one with nylon strings exert a different tension; the table must therefore be reinforced differently, these guitars are therefore not interchangeable.

GN-One thing I’ve always wondered about: the shape of acoustic guitars. Except for cutaways, the basic model, shape, width, etc. is always the same. Would it be possible to construct an acoustic or classical guitar with a radically different shape that would still sound good?

AGT-It’s all in the definition of ‘good sound’. If it’s the sound of good modern guitars, you can’t change anything. Any modification in shape or material brings on a change in sound and that perturbs guitarists quite a lot (I have 15 years experience dealing with that problem!) It depends a lot also about celebrity guitarists playing a particular model.

GN-Since the early 20th Century, when the modern guitar came about, what have been the major innovations?

AGT-The modern guitar dates back to 1860 (the first Torres). It’s mostly in improvements of existing techniques. Construction remains, basically, the same as it was back then. I’m of course not talking about the electric guitar.

There was also the creation of polyurethane varnish and nylon strings around 1940, an important progress with previous strings.

GN-Considering the scarcity and price of good quality woods nowadays, where do you look to for materials to replace woods? Are you satisfied with them?

AGT-There’s a whole series of new materials possible for constructing guitars, but does it please guitarists? Maybe if you cover them with wood (which is already being done). But wood remains the most appreciated material for construction.

For satisfaction, it’s once again a matter of individual taste.

GN-When do you consider a guitar finished?

AGT-When the strings make it vibrate!

GN-With new guitars you construct, do you “lose” a few? mistakes in construction, bad wood, etc.

AGT-There’s no loss, at least not in small series. I’m not really familiar with factory building. The woods are well-known and there’s little difference between one guitar and the next withing the same category. The adjustment of the bridge for height and tension on the strings is extremely important for the fell and for the volume level.

Editor’s Note: Please accept in advance any mistakes I’ve made in either writing out the French or goofing on the English translation! And those of you with good bilingual skills, please feel free to write me and let me know what to correct! – David

You can find the original French Q&A here.

Making Guitars – An Interview with Alan Garcia-Torre was written by A-J Charron for Guitar Noise. A good guitar player you will be if you visit the above site. © 2012 Guitar Noise

Guitar Noise staffer Alan Green managed to get Dave to take a little time to answer some questions about his new CD, Songbook, songwriting in general and the influences different artists have had on his writing.

GN: There is a definite Joni Mitchell feel in the opening track, and some Beach Boy harmonies later. What were your early influences and have they changed as a result of your studies?

DS: I got into Joni Mitchell pretty late (in the late 1990′s), picking up vinyl copies of her albums at car boots and record fairs. She’s one of the greats and I’ve tried to make up for lost time by listening to her a lot. However, I can’t say she is has been an influence upon what I do necessarily (even though I’m delighted if someone might think she could be!).

Beach Boys. Well, again…I like the album Smiley Smile. I suppose if they’ve had an influence on me. This has been the result of being influenced by a band or artist who have been influenced by them first! 10cc, for instance.

My very early influences would stem from the music played in the house by my parents and older sisters. Beatles, Led Zeppelin, Stones, The Who and Pink Floyd to name a few although I’m simplifying it a great deal there as you can imagine. I was a strange kid at school. I liked Chic and Earth, Wind and Fire as much as The Police and The Stranglers. It’s quite acceptable for kids to like anything now but in my day, the seventies, you were seen as a poof if you didn’t just like the same heaviest, nastiest band that all the other kids liked. Later, I got into bands like Rush. Then heavily into Frank Zappa. Then a little later I caught up with XTC’s back catalogue. Those are the ones that spring to mind today. Although there was so much else I could have mentioned (as with anyone’s love of music).

I don’t think my influences have changed as a result of my studies. Though, I know my approach to working has!! I’m far more disciplined than I was…put it that way!

GN: With Muse increasingly prominent these days, a lot of attention is being focussed on the West Country. How strong is the music scene there?

DS: I’d like to think there’s more focus and more opportunity for people in the West Country to be heard. I remember the buzz around Muse before they jumped up a rung or two and made it big. And Joss Stone seemed to just appear out of nowhere.

Generally, things progress rather slowly down here but I’ve come across (and personally know) some very talented people from round these parts. So it’s only a matter or time before there are more stars and starlets from the area.

GN: How many instruments do you play?

DS: Piano is my first instrument. In the past, my role in bands has always been ‘the keyboard player’ and rightly so while there were people like my good friend, Arthur Cook, to play guitar!

All the songs on Songbook were made so purely for guitar (deliberately so to maintain the same sound world throughout) but I’m currently making up for it by working at the piano again for the next album.

I still intend to do a lot on guitar though. Steel-string, nylon-string…also the Nashville tuning which really proved effective on the recent songs.

I love playing bass. Just bought a new Yamaha five-string and the Bass Pod so I’ll be using those on the next album, I should think!

I’ll sit behind the drums if the seat’s free and there’s no other drummer about. But I wouldn’t say I’d join a band to sit there full-time or anything like that! I have about three different patterns I can muster reasonably.

GN: What would be your typical stage setup?

DS: Well…an answer to this could prompt a long sober reply if I’m not careful. Suffice to say, I’m not gigging any of the material on Songbook. I wouldn’t even like to say ‘watch this space’ because I don’t plan on doing it. Now, this could be like shooting myself in the foot with a view to getting the songs heard and selling copies of the album. BUT, as well as having misgivings about my own live performance these days, it’s evident to anyone who listens to the album that so many compromises would have to be made to produce it live. I didn’t make the album with any plan to play it live afterwards. I wanted it to be heard as it is on CD (and still do!). I know this is not a common or shared view amongst musicians but that’s the way I see my own work these days. I’ve never played or sung to my best in a live situation. I much prefer recording, getting it right with no pressure and with a nice hot cup of tea to sip from after a good take.

GN: What’s your approach to songwriting?

DS: I’d like to think there’s more going on in my head than just ‘here’s the verse, here’s another, now a chorus’ etc. I’m sure, for instance, my sidestep into composing concert pieces has had some impact somewhere upon my approach to songs.

I’m going to have to go back in history for a moment.

As a child, I started at the piano by dabbling, like so many do, without any intention of writing ‘songs’. I’ve still got recordings of about thirty or so pieces from that time (precious only to me, I suppose). Some of them are still the best things I’ve ever done (maybe I should give up now!).

Anyway, I remember all of those pieces developed by just playing, playing and playing…leaving it, coming back later, and adding the next bit.

Later, when I took along some notated pieces to a composition tutor at an interview for a music course, I was asked, “do you compose at the piano?” (er, yes) and “do you make it up as you go along?” (er, yes, again). While I studied composition there, I tore myself away from the piano to compose once an idea was taking shape. Also, I got into drawing up plans for pieces and an altogether more adult way of composing, or so it seemed. Composing a longer work for orchestra got me into the idea of using film structure as a template. That intrigued me for a while.

When recently, say in the last five years, I got back into writing on guitar and I found songs would just start forming naturally. A chord structure would suggest a melody, a melody would suggest certain vowel sounds to be sung, those vowel sounds would become words, and so on. That’s pretty much the way the songs on ‘Songbook’ have come together.

I’ve always been a ‘music rather than lyrics’ fan so yes, it’s the music first!! I wouldn’t come up with a poetic gem like Joni then put music to it. That feels odd to me. But, having said that, I won’t settle for any old words and I worked very hard on the lyrics for the songs on ‘Songbook’. In fact, I’ve said so much about what I really think of things (rather than going ‘ooh baby, I wanna love you all night along’) that I’m not sure what I have left to say for the next album.

Something’ll come along, I’m sure (that’s been the basic approach up to now!).

GN: “I was asked, “do you compose at the piano?” (er, yes) and “do you make it up as you go along?” (er, yes, again).”

A number of our readers – me included – will be thinking “so, what’s wrong with that?”. If there was just one tip you could share about composing a song or an instrumental piece, what would it be?

DS: Composing at the piano suits me fine, of course. But when the benefits of working away from an instrument were introduced to me it made a lot of sense. If I’m writing something for piano I’ll pretty much stay sat at one for the whole process BUT it’s when you’re writing for orchestra, string quartet or wind quintet (you name it) of course, that it makes sense for me to sit elsewhere and extend the ideas with a pencil and paper with a violin (or whatever it is) playing in my head instead. It’s so easy, otherwise, to get stuck on the piano enjoying its own distinctive sounds when you’re meant to be writing for an instrument for a completely different sound world. Plus the lines you compose for an instrument (other than piano, of course) end up just playing the notes that fit comfortably under the composer’s fingers on a piano. Oddly enough, there are plenty of examples in the orchestral repertoire that show evidence of this…famous chunks of Stravinsky’s ‘Rite Of Spring’ for instance…but, it’s healthy to have an orchestra operate differently than that sometimes!! So, I had to get used to it and allow the sound of a string quartet playing REAL pizzicato in my head rather than plonk around on a keyboard using Bank 1 Preset 14: Pizzicato Strings or whatever the patch would have been.

I’m not sure that’s the most important tip I can think of…but it’s pretty important, that one. You feel liberated when you do all that and get an exciting result. Mind you, that’s writing for orchestras and ensembles for the concert hall!

An Interview With Dave Sanderson was written by Alan Green for Guitar Noise. A good guitar player you will be if you visit the above site. © 2012 Guitar Noise

Guitarist Mark Summers agreed to share his thought on the album and on his own career. Mark is a great guy and has a lot of interesting things to say. So, rather than go on and on about him, here is what he has to say:

Guitar Noise: First off, Let me congratulate you on an excellent album. Tell me a bit about it.

Mark Summers: Well, Thanks for the kudos. The album was just released a couple of months ago and we have had some really nice reviews and some pretty good sales thus far. We tracked it in a matter of about 8 months if memory serves me correct. We titled it REDEMPTION because of the the fact that there are some tunes on here that were written quite a while ago that we felt needed to be recorded the way they were intended.

GN: Was that 8 months straight recording?

MS:No. If you put it in consecutive days I would guess we had about 2-3 weeks of recording and a week to mix. We pretty much had an idea of arrangements and what we were after before we ever mic’d anything up. We took our time, knocking out a couple at a time after all the drum tracks were thrown down.

GN: I hear mutiple tones on the disc. What amps/guitars did you use for the sessions?

MS:For amps I used my 100 watt Marshall Dual Reverb, my 50 watt VHT, my Fender Princeton Stereo Chorus for some clean tracks, and of course my Randall RM100. They are going through either a 4×12 Marshall bottom or Randall 2×12 cabs w/ Vintage 30s. For guitars, it’s one of the following: My Strat, Les Paul, Wolfgang or an old Melody Maker that I used on a couple of rhythm tracks.

GN: Quite an array of guitars. Do you use them all live?

MS:No. Basically my main guitars are my Wolfgangs. I have 2 first year Wolfs. A Tobacco Quilt and a black one. Both Archtops.

GN: Why 1st years? Are they different?

MS:To me they are. I’ve played a boatload of them and they are the best ones produced. Not that the quality slacked off…. I just think they play better than the others. The USA Peavey Wolfgang is the best production guitar on the market in my opinion. Lo and behold, it looks as though that’s coming to an end now if everything I hear is true with Ed and Peavey parting ways. That figures… anyway I also play my Natural Ash Strat, too. It’s a great playing Strat …. but not the one that’s on the disc. Those are basically what I use live.

GN: I’ve read that you cite some influences as EVH, Pat Travers and Kim Mitchell. Quite a mix.

MS:Yeah, PT has been a huge influence on my playing over the years. I saw him when he 1st came over the pond after PUTTIN’ IT STRAIGHT came out with Mars and Tommy Aldredge. What an awesome 3 piece band. I’ve gone to see him about 15-16 times over the years. He’s probably the most influential person you’ll hear in my playing. Well maybe Ed, too. You have to realize that I was a sophomore in high school when the 1st Van Halen record was released. How it could it not be an influence on someone at that time. And Kim Mitchell, what can you say other than he’s such a phenomenal player. It’s just too bad he never really toured the states and got the recognition he so deserved.

GN: Describe your set-up. Does it stay the same?

MS:It used to change moreso than it does now. I pretty much keep the same live set-up. The RM100 with an outboard multi-effects unit, a tuner and a gate to keep it quiet, especially in the studio. I also use a Morley Bad Horsie Wah on the pedalboard. Pretty basic.

GN: Did you record anything direct or mic’d?

MS:Everything on this album has a mic on it…. a Shure 57 positioned a little off-center right up on the grill cloth. Is there any other mic to use on guitar?

GN: How did the Randall endorsement come about and what gear are you currently using from them?

MS:No big secret. I sent a letter to Randall with a bio and some different projects I’ve worked on. They took a listen, checked my credentials and the rest is history. Doug (Reynolds) and Dave (Karon) have always been there to help. That’s the only endorsement I’ve gone after, for I was so impressed with the amp. I should probably go after a string deal… Hey Mr. Markley…

GN: With the RM100, you have your choice of changing pre-amp modules, correct?

MS:Exactly. It was designed for Randall by Bruce Egnator and the simplicity of it is a major advantage. I currently use the PLEXI, BROWN and TOP BOOST modules although I have others that I throw in quite often. A lot of people associate Randall with the heavier type of music, but this amp is definitely for the versatile player. All tube and midi capable.

GN: Your session work is quite varied. Will you do anything?

MS:Anything… no. A lot of things… yes. I usually talk with a client before committing to get a feel for what they expect and what they’re after. I’ve turned away from things that I could’ve done simply because either the client didn’t have a clue what they were after or I didn’t feel I was the right man for the job. The studio is a very demanding environment and you are usually under the gun to get it right and get it right fairly quick. I know my limitations and I don’t get into situations that are unfair to me or the client. On the other hand, being under the gun sometimes draws things out of one’s self that you didn’t think you had in you. I just like to enjoy what I do if I can, enough said…

GN: Do you enjoy the studio as much as live playing.

MS:No way… Live playing affords you the luxury of making a mistake and it’s gone forever. Not so in the studio. That’s one reason I appreciate the session players who do it all the time. Guys like Dan Huff (applause). He’s finally gotten some long overdue recognition outside of the people “in the know” that he so deserves.

GN:Your solos all seem to flow in and out of the rhythm passages nicely. Do you work them out ahead of time or do most of them come off-the-cuff?

MS:It just depends. Sometimes I’ll have something in mind and it works out fine. Other times it might not come off as I had hoped it would and we have also cut some tracks where I just said to push the button and see what materializes. Sometimes that’s a very refreshing approach. There’s actually quite a few of those types of tracks on the disc.

GN:When did you first start playing? Was guitar your first instrument?

MS:Oh, yes. I was about 7 when I got my 1st guitar. It was a 3/4 scale Gibson acoustic. I still have it, actually.

GN:You used to be a radio DJ, tell us about that.

MS:That was during a time when I had suffered a severe finger injury on my left hand. It just kept me close to music.

GN:Have you had formal instruction in theory or playing?

MS:No, unfortunately I am self taught. If I had it to do over again, I would have gone to school for some basic understandings of theory. It would have saved me a lot of head scratching over the years.

GN:Yes, believe me, I know what you’re saying. What is your take on the some of the players today?

MS:There’s just so many great players today. It’s really quite refreshing after going through the dark ages… you know, the late 80s and 90s. The guitar just kinda got lost in the mix. Leads were non-existent in a lot of work, if there was a guitar at all.

GN:Who are some of the players that you admire now?

MS:I am just a huge fan of Joe Bonamassa. The guy can do it all. There are so many great players out there today that it’s hard to pick. I am just a huge fan of good music (and great guitar playing). Johnny Hiland just smokes, too. And John Petrucci ….

GN:How do you define success?

MS:Are you doing what you want to do? Personally, I am in a great situation. Our singer (Todd Joos) owns Cellar Records. We write and record our own music, we have our own publishing and distribution. What more can you want in terms of artistic freedom. Am I rich doing this? No. If it was about the money, I would never have chosen this occupation.

GN:If you were only allowed to have 5 Albums or CD’s on a deserted island, which 5 would it be?

MS:It wouldn’t matter anyway …. the batteries would go dead and there I’d sit with my favorite Cds and no way of listening. Just let me have my wife and an acoustic guitar with extra sets of strings. And some soap, toothbrush, toilet paper…

An Interview With Mark Summers was written by A-J Charron for Guitar Noise. A good guitar player you will be if you visit the above site. © 2012 Guitar Noise

Sheryl just got back from Europe this past week and was kind enough to answer a few questions for us at Guitar Noise. I think that you’ll find her insights into jazz and songwriting to be both helpful and enlightening. Be sure to check out our reviews of The Power of Three as well as Bull’s Eye, her latest release and keep up with all her shows at her own website, www.SherylBailey.com.

GN: I hope you don’t mind my starting with two questions you’ve probably heard way too many times! First, why did you take up guitar in the first place and then why jazz guitar? Who were your influences and role models starting out? How about now?

SB: Like most 13 year olds, I wanted to be a rock star – I was into “classic rock” and heavy metal: Black Sabbath, Cream, Hendrix, Robin Trower, Van Halen, AC-DC – I had a basement band, and I would teach everyone the parts to the songs and sing ….Today I still love all of those bands and my friend and mentor, Jack Wilkins, Johnny Smith, Grant Green, Wes, and of course Pat Martino.

GN: Following in that vein, what sort of education, if any, did you have in this field?

SB: I was self-taught until about the age of 16, when I started studying with a jazz guitarist, John Maione – he taught at Pitt University – we worked on Joe Pass solos, Charlie Christian, Jimmy Raney, Carl Kress – really the foundation of jazz guitar – later I studied with Mark Koch, then one year with Joe Negri – after that I went to Berklee College of Music in Boston, and studied with a whole bunch of great cats up there; Brett Wilmott, Jon Damian, Bruce Arnold, and Ed Tomassi

GN: People are, of course, going to ask about your equipment. What guitar are you favoring these days? Amp? How do get that wonderfully clean tone you use on your CDs?

SB: I play a Yamaha SA 1500 – a pygmy 335 -Yamaha gave it to me when I was on tour in Japan with Richard Bona – it’s a proto-type, it’s quirky and I love it. I just started using the Clarus 2R by Acoustic Image, w/ a 12″ Raezor’s Edge Extended Range cabinet, which I’m also digging because it’s soooo clean, loud and it doesn’t color your guitar’s natural tone….on my discs I used my old workhorse Tech 21 Trademark 60….my tone comes from my right hand technique, not so much the gear – I’ve developed a feather-light touch that let’s the strings ring out and get the most sound and dynamic.

GN: The Sheryl Bailey 3 seems to be an incredibly empathic group. You, Gary and Ian work so well together. How did the group form and what did it take to get to the level of playing together you all share today?

SB: I had been hearing an organ trio setting in my head that I wanted to write for, but I didn’t have the right players – I wanted to extend the Grant Green/Larry Young/Elvin Jones path – not go on the groove organ trio path, but the modern jazz organ trio path. I met Ian by playing some far-out trio gigs with tenor sax genius, George Garzone (no bass!), and I knew Ian was my drummer (he even studied with Elvin as a kid). Gary had just moved to town, and I had heard of him from everyone – I put together a session, shortly after the tragedy in NYC – as a form of healing, I guess – the chemistry was instant, so I got on the phone and started booking rooms in the city. I try to book the band once a month, so we keep in rapport, and keep the momentum going – we rehearse maybe twice a year, mostly we just let it happen on the gig. I believe that we all feel time in the same way, so we have a natural way that we phrase together – also, we have listened to and admired a lot of the same music coming up, so we have a common ground to improvise with each other on. I really want to produce a live-in-a-club record next, because the stuff we do on the bandstand is so heavy!

GN: How important is that empathy, the ability to listen to each other, to take a musical idea, add your own little twist to it and then pass it on? How does one go about learning to develop this skill?

SB: Listening is everything to improvising. Ultimately, you want to hear the band as if you’re floating above it, listening to how each part blends – there’s no ego involved – you do what the music asks of you – nothing more, nothing less. There are lots of conceptual ideas to work on listening deeper, but a simple place to start is meditation away from your axe, just learning how to clear your head of your ego and thoughts, and just hear how much sound there is in silence.

GN: Could you take a moment to talk about songwriting? What goes into the writing of one of your pieces? How much of it is a set idea and how much of it springs from group improvisation? How do you decide what makes a good song, that is, one worth working on and getting played and recorded?

SB: All of the tunes on my records were written in one sitting – anywhere from 15 minutes to 2 hours – that’s my rule, open your ears, your heart and start writing, no judgment – those are always the keepers. I write constantly, and not everyone of them is a keeper – for me the ones that stay in the book are ones the are easy to play – the melodies and harmonies have a natural flow, even though the forms might be odd – the listener and the players should be enjoying themselves, not concentrating on how difficult the music is. I’m not attached to the outcome of the tune, so if it’s not a strong tune, I toss it and keep moving – that what seems to work for me.

GN: How did you get hooked up with some of the folks you’ve been working with lately like David Krakauer, Richard Bona, Gary Thomas and KJ Denhert? What types of influence have they had in your recent work? And what sort of influence do you think you give them in turn?

SB: All of the cool gigs I’ve ever gotten came to me, in a funny way, just by being out there and trying to play my best. I love all types of music, and I love the challenge of trying to play in the Klezmer style, or African 6/8, or scream on a fusion/funk vamp – music is really a language, so it’s just trying to get with the different accents and nuances of style, just like you would learn to speak different languages. I’m often surprised at the variety of artists that call on me, but I know they are seeking my jazz ears to lend to their music, so I am always humbled and honored to lend my style to their unique musics.

GN: Some of our readers may have met you as a teacher at the National Guitar Workshop, among the other places where you turn up as an instructor. What things do you feel are essential for someone aspiring to play jazz to learn? Besides your own book (and please do mention it!), what other sources do you recommend?

SB: The most essential quality in a jazz musician is one’s sense of groove – time. Listening to a lot of jazz is also important to get the “sound of jazz” in your ear, and also, your heart. If you treat jazz as a science experiment, it will always sound like that – falling in love with the music is the key to open the door. That being lesson one – jazz challenges one to understand harmony and how harmony relates to melody. I’m a bit fanatical about harmonic clarity – meaning, really making the changes clear in your melodic line. A great line is one that can stand on it’s own, and the harmony accompanying it is clearly understood. Bach and Bebop are based on the same principles. The Bach Inventions are simply melodic lines that generate harmony – that’s what the jazz line is all about.

My book has come from subjects I’ve worked on with students, mapping out II-V-I arpeggios, simple re-harm studies, drop two voicings, some ideas for altered dom7 voicings and lines – it’s certainly not the ultimate guide – I’m always developing it too. I think the essential books are The Charlie Parker Omnibook, Joe Viola’s Technique of The

Saxophone, Brett Wilmotts’ Chord Voicing Book, The Barry Galbraith Comping Series, and Mick Goodrick’s Advancing Guitarist.

GN: Speaking of books, I’ve read that a transcription of your solo in Old Blues New Blues will be part of a new book from Hal Leonard. How did that come about and how do you feel about the honor of being included in the book?

SB: It will be a part of Mel Bay’s Anthology of Jazz Masters vol. IV – it features nine other contemporary guitarists – a cd and transcription. This was another situation I basically walked into. It will be interesting to see what I played transcribed – I probably can’t sight read it! It feels good to start to get included with my colleagues – hopefully the beginning of more fun stuff!!

GN: What other projects can we expect from you in the upcoming year?

SB: I just returned from France with David Krakauer to record his upcoming disc for Lable Bleu, and we will be touring though out the year – CD release at Joe’s Pub in April, and at Citte de la Musique in Paris in May. I’m working on booking a tour in Europe for myself, and the West Coast with “The Three”, and I’m putting together a book on reharmonizing II-V’s for Mel Bay – mostly, I’d love to start working on producing a live DVD of the band for the next outing – I already have the music written – I have a prayer out that someone with vision will be interested in taking the production out of my hands on this one, for a change – either way, it’s a project I know will be killer and successful!

GN: And finally, any last words of advice for the fledgling jazz guitar player?

SB: Keep the faith and belief in what you are attempting to do. Being an artist in these times is more important than ever – we are the peace makers and innovators, and therefore not a part of the force of destruction and ignorance that is seeking to destroy human culture and life on this planet. Thanks for this wonderful opportunity to share my thoughts with you and your audience!

Peace

-sb

An Interview With Sheryl Bailey was written by David Hodge for Guitar Noise. A good guitar player you will be if you visit the above site. © 2012 Guitar Noise

Even if you’re not a fan of Jethro Tull, this is one guitarist you want to get to know; a very nice man who took time out of his busy schedule to talk to us. Read and learn. Learn from the best!

Guitar Noise: You joined Jethro Tull on their second album.

Martin Barre: Yes. I replaced a guitarist called MacAbrahams. That was in December 1968.

GN: So it’s been quite a long ride. Do you still enjoy it?

MB: Well I enjoy playing and that carries me through everything. It’s a good job for a guitar player; there’s a lot of interest there, there’s a lot to get your teeth into. The music is always challenging. It’s a good gig for a guitar player.

GN: With a lot of guitarists, you notice that as they grow older, their playing seems to suffer. For some guitarists, it’s just the opposite; it just keeps on getting better. After seeing you on stage last year, I can say that you fall into the latter category. Your playing blew me away.

MB: There’s a passion there and I think it would be pretty hard to disguise if it wasn’t there; I’d have to be honest with myself. If I wasn’t playing better every year, I would stop doing it. I would hate to be up there and not offer something to the audience that wasn’t better than what I was doing the year before.

For some, they’re just paraphrasing what they did in the past. I wouldn’t want to do that. I have to have the confidence to be up there doing my best and nothing else will do, really.

GN: You know, I would pick up my guitar and play Aqualung and think I had it pretty well. Until I saw you play it… There are lots of barre chords in there.

MB: It’s not hard to play…

GN: After seeing you play it, I’m not of that opinion anymore…

MB: (laughs) As guitar playing goes, it’s not a hard gig. It’s not normal music because it’s being written from a whole different approach; there’s a very un-guitar approach to it, the chords are different, the voicing is different, the scales are unusual. It’s not predictable. It’s good because it’s not what you’d call guitar-band music.

I make sure that I’m in top form (laughs). I want to be up there playing all the time!

GN: Yes, well the whole music scene has changed. Musician’s aren’t performing the way they used to be when you started.

MB: It’s very competitive now. Everyday of your life you’re competing with a whole bunch of people. Thirty years ago, there weren’t that many people to compete with. Now there are a lot of talented guitar players out there and every day you’re competing for your job and you’re competing for your reputation and your place in the market with all these other players.

It gets harder and harder so I practice every day; there’s no way I could afford not to do it. All the young players have lots of energy, so I work on my energy and I work on my fitness, mentally and physically. I believe you have to have an edge.

But then again, I love playing, I love the instrument. I don’t have to work incredibly hard because I have all those years experience and that counts for a lot. But then again I still make sure that I’m in the best position.

GN: You’re not one of those guys who are thinking about retiring next year…

MB: Noooo! Not at all. I will never stop playing, whether it’s my own music or Jethro Tull or something else. I’m very broad-minded. I can adapt to anything, so ultimately I’ll keep playing, whether it’s in clubs, auditoriums, big stages, it doesn’t matter to me. As long as I’m able to write music and to record music, I will fight very hard to do that.

GN: I’m glad to hear that! I was wondering, in regards to such tracks as Aqualung and Thick As A Brick – without considering what the fans want to hear, do you still like playing those songs or would you like to go out and just play new material or songs that you’ve basically never played live?

MB: Sure, I would. Some of the songs are unusual and are not played very often because of the reaction. And the whole thing about playing live is the reaction of the audience. You have to have that; the musicians are feeding the audience. If you play all the music that you love but that the audience doesn’t love, (laughing) it’s going to wear pretty thin… So it’s always about the compromise and the balance. There’s always a better performance of Aqualung. I never get tired of playing it; there’s always a more precision-performance to be done. I sort of go different places in the solo to make it fresh every night so that there’s no feeling of repetition night after night after night. I try to approach it on a one-off basis. Every night I play it as if it were the first gig (laughs) or the last gig. You have to be that way.

GN: I think that’s the right attitude. Some people go on night after night and just play automatically.

MB: I couldn’t do that. I think there’s a lot to be said about simplicity. I get a lot of pleasure out of playing in a simple manner and that can be more demanding. You take Thick As A Brick, that’s very easy to play for me, but I get a lot of enjoyment out of playing such a simple piece of music, and playing it well. That can be very demanding.

GN: In Jethro Tull, you’re in a rather unique situation playing with another soloist who isn’t a guitarist. How do you manage playing so that he can get his flute solos in and you can get your guitar solos in?

MB: It works out rather well. The area the flute plays in is different from the area the guitar plays in. I have a lot of space and I quite like it. I saw Matchbox 20 a few weeks ago. That’s a band I quite like and I focused on the guitarist, and everything he did, he did really well. Everything from playing the solos to playing really good rhythm guitar. He did it really well and I could appreciate that.

I think that’s kind of like my role. Whether I’m playing a difficult chord or a very rhythmic part, then that’s as demanding as a solo would be. I never let up and I take pride in every note I play.

GN: That’s a very healthy attitude and probably why you’re still one of the great names out there.

MB: It’s the way I look at music. I like to listen beyond the top line, I like to listen beyond the solo. You can listen to one piece twenty or fifty times and there’s always something new because there’s so much in there.

GN: I apologize for this question, but I enjoy asking it… If you were offered the “big” contract, short 3-4 minute commercial songs, no more long, difficult songs. Would you sign?

MB: And not be allowed to do anything else? (laughing)

GN: Exactly.

MB: I can do anything and I do a lot of things where I don’t get paid any money at all. I go out and play with local bands, I play on other people’s albums and I don’t ask for any money. So I wouldn’t do it for the money, but I’d probably do it just to do something different. I would actually like to be in Faith Hill’s band.

GN: Okay…

MB: Not because there would be a lot of money (laughs), although that would be quite nice, but because it would be quite challenging for me to do. If I were offered the chance, I would do most things, as long as there’s a lot for me to do. If it were a demanding job, I would do it for that reason.

GN: It almost makes me want to ask you to play on my album…

MB: Did I say that I do things for free? (laughs)

Money isn’t the criteria. On the one hand I have to run a household, maintain a family. All these things cost money. But playing music is what I love doing and being paid is just a bonus.

GN: It’s the reality of living, that’s all.

MB: Yes, but it doesn’t interfere with what I love doing. The big pay is just a bonus. Sometimes we go out on the road and we’ll play India or South America or Israel or Turkey or Russia, we make very little money; barely enough to cover expenses. But we love doing it. We just go out and say, “Let’s have fun! Let’s play for some people who’ve never seen us before.” And generally they just really appreciate you being there.

And then suddenly you get subsidized for the big North American tours and the big European tours… It all sort of flattens out. You don’t have to make money. If we get offered a gig that sound fun or exciting, we’ll just go out and do it. As long as we don’t lose money.

It’s something we always did which is different from other bands. We like to do unusual things. We’ll go out and play territories where other people can’t be bothered to play because there’s no money. Like Moscow…

GN: It must be a different reaction over there?

MB: Yeah. It’s nice to meet different people and to see their attitude. And traveling is a bonus too. You get to see places you wouldn’t normally go to.

GN: There was an article published in Montreal last year from a popular journalist who said that rock music should only be played by twenty-year olds. That musicians in their fifties and sixties should retire because they have nothing important to say. He specifically mentioned a few bands that should retire. One of them was Jethro Tull. What would you answer to something like that?

MB: From somebody who’s a journalist, that’s an incredibly naive statement. It sounds like something you would have read thirty years ago. I don’t think anybody who would’ve read something like that would’ve taken any notice of it. I think he’s doing himself more harm than the people he’s talking about.

The Stones, Peter Gabriel, Dire Straits, The Eagles… there are so many bands from my era that’re still on the road, and people still enjoy them. I think nothing more need be said.

GN: Are you happy with your new album?

MB: Yes, but I don’t want to say too much. I want you to listen to it and say… whatever…

(*Note: Please read the review of Martin Barre’s Stage Left here.)

I read the comments on my website (www.martinbarre.com). Obviously they’re all buyers, but the comments are all quite positive.

It’s quite centered on the guitar, but I left space for everything, that way it’s not too guitar…

An Interview With Martin Barre was written by A-J Charron for Guitar Noise. A good guitar player you will be if you visit the above site. © 2012 Guitar Noise

If you are not familiar with Adrian Legg, allow me to describe to you what kind of player he is. First of all, he is unlike any guitarist you have ever heard. He uses various tunings and quite often changes tunings mid-song. He may be described as a finger style player, meaning he chooses to use his fingers rather than a pick. He generally plays solo. When I saw him back when I was teaching in LA he played an Ovation acoustic but now he plays a guitar that has the harmonic characteristics of an acoustic guitar but is really an electric guitar. He is one of the few guitarists that you could describe as a technical wizard but still has the uncanny ability to write tender and touching music, definitely a lost art. Adrian has been Voted “Guitarist of the Decade” by Guitarist magazine and also was the winner for Best Acoustic Fingerstyle Guitarist for 1993, 1994, 1995, 1996 in the Guitar Player’s Reader’s Poll.

Let me share what I learned from Adrian with you as we traveled around Japan together. These are some of the answers I got to the many questions I asked along the way from Tokyo to Fukuoka. Oh yeah, I should warn you, this interview is in retrospect so you will have to replace my New York vernacular with his British one for his answers to get the full gentlemanly effect:

Chris: You use various techniques like the Banjo roll and artificial harmonics to get some interesting effects. What’s your view on technique?

Adrian: Technique is just like a bicycle. It simply gets you to your destination.

Chris: How often do you practice?

Adrian: I tend to practice a great deal before recording a new CD and before a tour and take it easy after the fact. I took a year off to fish once.

Chris: Who would you suggest the aspiring guitarist listen too?

Adrian: Listen to the other stringed instruments. When I started out, I was mostly listening to the Banjo and Pedal Steel players. I also absolutely love the Bach double violin concerto.

Chris: Your guitar is one of the most unique guitars I’ve ever seen. It looks like an electric but sounds like an acoustic. It has a small soundhole, not on the front, but on the treble-side cutaway. Can you tell me a little about the guitar?

Adrian: There are several reasons I got away from the typical acoustic guitar for touring: One reason is The Boeing 777. It has an overhead bin of only 37.5 inches making it impossible to hold a guitar. I needed a guitar that would fit in the overhead bin. The other reason is that amplification can create serious problems with straight acoustic guitars. I had the sound chamber considerably reduced to work at the kinds of levels needed for live performances. The soundhole is in the treble-side cutaway, and is flared to maximize the out of phase coupling of the sound chamber. This lifts treble response and opens out the high end harmonics very attractively. The body is made of swamp ash and the neck is Black Walnut, which worked so well for the Ovation Adamas. The fingerboard is ebony. The bridge is a standard Ovation bridge in black walnut, and the pick-up, also an Ovation.

Chris: Who made the guitar for you?

Adrian: Bill Puplett in England.

Chris: Who makes the Banjo tuners you use?

Adrian: They are made by Bill Keith at the Beacon Banjo Company in Woodstock, NY, USA. The Banjo tuners allow you to change tunings quickly between or during songs. Guitarists are always amazed by the mid-song tuning changes but Banjo players have been doing it for years.

Contact Info:
Bill Keith
Beacon Banjo Company
PO Box 597
Woodstock
NY 12498

Chris: You use open C, G, and D tunings quite often, are there any other tunings that you are particularly fond of?

Adrian: I also like the DADGAD tuning. Although not a typical Celtic tuning, it lends itself to Celtic music quite well. Not having either a minor or major 3rd in the tuning, it has an ambiguous tonality that I like.

Chris: Is there any history behind the DADGAD tuning?

Adrian: I did a workshop at a Canadian folk festival a few years ago with John Renbourn. He told the story then that I’ve heard before; the story is that Davey Graham went to Morocco, and hung out with some of the local oud players. He found that the only way he could play along with them was to tune his guitar to DADGAD. He brought the tuning back to England, and it’s been around ever since.

Chris: What exactly is an oud?

Adrian: The oud is an interesting instrument. It’s a round back fretless cousin of the lute, and its fretlessness allows those gorgeous Arabic scales.

Chris: Other than getting fed some of the strangest food I could think of, how did you enjoy your brief stay in Japan?

Adrian: I was utterly charmed by the Japanese people and was very happy there. I found it creatively stimulating. I’ll be looking forward to next year.

Examples and Exercises to try

These are a few examples of Adrian’s techniques taken from some of the songs from his newest CD, Guitar Bones.

The Banjo Roll - Typically used in Bluegrass music, the Banjo Roll is a right hand fingerstyle technique usually used by Banjo Players. As well as using it to get a typical bluegrass effect, Adrian also uses this technique in ballads. Check out the first four bars of “St. Mary’s.” Your thumb should play the bass notes on the 6th, 5th and 4th strings plus the 3rd string notes. Your index and middle finger will play the 2nd and 3rd string notes. Keep in mind, although a ballad, you have to arpeggiate the notes at a pretty good tempo to get the effect. To get this technique down, keep repeating the following four bars slowly and gradually get it up to the proper tempo. Let the notes ring out as long as possible:

Open Strings – The next example from the opening cut, “Uncle Adrian” on the “Guitar Bones” CD shows how Adrian incorporates open strings into various phrases. As in the previous example, let the notes ring out as long as possible to get the desired effect:

Pedal Steel Effects – Adrian mimics a pedal steel in “Old Friends.” The notation may be a little difficult to understand without a good idea of what the song sounds like. I would suggest a good listen first:

If you are not familiar with Adrian Legg’s music yet, you don’t know what you are missing. I don’t know too many solo players that can hold an audience’s attention for a whole concert and Adrian is one of the few, a true guitar pioneer and a gentleman.

Check out these related links:
Adrian Legg: http://www.adrianlegg.com

Oud: http://www.kairarecords.com/oudpage/Oud.htm

Until next time…

Conversations with Adrian Legg was written by Chris Juergensen for Guitar Noise. A good guitar player you will be if you visit the above site. © 2012 Guitar Noise

GN: You’ve been in the music business for forty years…

JI: I know. Frightening, isn’t it?

GN: While a lot of people looking to get into the business tend to look at “success” as being like some chart topping diva, you prove on a daily basis that there is indeed a way for the thoughtful songwriter/performer to be a success as well. Does this surprise you?

JI: Frankly, it surprises me that I can still earn a living doing something I love. It astounds me that old fans have hung in this long.

But I think a lot of it has to do with how a person defines “success.” When I was a kid, that meant having a hit record. Now it means earning a living without having to compromise.

GN: Do you feel that many people don’t realize that there are a lot of ways to be involved in the music industry?

JI: I don’t know that that many people care about becoming involved in the music industry in the first place!

GN: What do you feel are the best ways for young hopefuls to find out more about getting involved in aspects such as sound engineering, producing and tour work?

JI: That’s three separate questions. For engineering, there seem to be a lot of schools cropping up – but my experience, and that of most of the lead engineers I work with, is that all most of the schools teach you is software usage. That can’t take the place of knowing where to put a bass mic. If I were an engineer starting out, I’d apprentice at a studio; sweep floors, work the desk, do whatever.

For a producer, there are a lot of different roads; a lot of great producers come out of engineering. Jeff Balding and Marc Moreau, who co-produced my next studio album with me, are both first and foremost engineers – but in addition to great ears and great chops, each has the ability to focus on the whole picture. You can also get into it by having a small home studio and offering to “produce” and record anyone and everyone you can shove in there. Or you can go the songwriter route, again with a home studio, and make demos so good that people start asking you to produce.

For tour work, there’s nothing like coming up through the ranks. Depending on your goal (road manager? sound engineer? performer?), you’d start by hauling equipment, or doing monitors, or whatever you could get.

GN: As a songwriter, you’ve covered a wide range of styles (I think most people are stunned to find you had a number one disco hit!). When you’re writing, how do you determine what sort of song you’re going to write?

JI: I don’t even think about it, frankly, unless I’m on assignment. Obviously, if I’m writing a song for a motion picture about surrealist painters, I’m probably not going to write a country song. But I usually let the song dictate what it becomes. I’m a big believer in the marriage of talent and craft; Stella Adler always said “Trust your talent”, and I do, infinitely.

But I also trust my craft to see me through the rough spots.

GN: Your writing has always been very personal and thought provoking. Do you feel that there is a place in the music industry for writers such as yourself?

JI: There must be, because I make a better living now than I did ten years ago…

GN: What advice would you give to fledgling songwriters as to how to make their own voice and then bring that voice to an audience?

JI: I think that’s a two-fold problem:

1. If you’re going to survive in the arts, you have to have your own voice, be it as a painter, singer, actor.

2. The entertainment industry doesn’t like anything too different from what’s currently successful.

So the issue becomes: do you want a long-term career, or a short burst? For long term, you’ll need your own style. For short term, you won’t.

HOWEVER… I’m not sure you can create your own “voice”. Every singer I know with a distinctive sound, one where you immediately go “Oh, that’s Ella!” or “Oh, that’s Dylan”, didn’t do a damn thing to create it. You’re either born with it, or not.

I do notice that most of us with distinctive “voices” started out imitating people we admired, but we couldn’t do it. Same with guitar playing – I once complained to Chet Atkins that I couldn’t play like everyone else, because my hands weren’t big enough. He chuckled and said “Honey, that’s why you’re a unique guitarist. No one else on earth plays like you – and that’s because you never were able to play like them!”

GN: For most of the eighties, you actually stopped recording and instead worked on becoming a better writer. Can you tell us what led to that decision and how you got yourself back to a place where you were happy with what you wrote?

JI: The decision was easy, though in retrospect it was probably stupid as well. I don’t know if I did the right thing; if I had stayed on tour, doing 200 dates a year, my writing would have continued going down the gurgler. And I’ve always protected my writing, first above all. But I probably could have taken less extended time off, and kept up my monetary value to promoters and record companies. Then again, I’m not sure I would have known how to juggle both lives back then.

I decided to stop because I wasn’t writing well. I spent the next five or six years studying other arts – things that wouldn’t require me to be front and center. Took ballet, which was good because I’m awful at it; it was healthy for me to do something I loved but would never be good at, just because I loved it. People tend to forget that art is not just for professionals; the purpose of art is to delight, to allow us to enjoy ourselves. That’s why I encourage people to play, just for the fun and satisfaction of it.

I took acting with Stella Adler, and script interpretation, which opened up new worlds to me as a songwriter. Did a lot of imagination exercises, a lot of body work, which gave me more confidence when I played. Ditto studying directing with Chao Shao Lin (Peking Opera Company) and Jose Quintero – that allowed me to see the stage from without, for the first time. Not as a performer, but as a director. It vastly improved my own stage show, even solo.

I “got myself back” by stepping outside my box; turned a right angle to everything I’d ever done, and went to Nashville to co-write. I probably learned more about songwriting in 6 months of co-writing here than I had in the previous 20+ years. And I began writing songs I loved, like “Some Peoples’ Lives”.

GN: While a lot of people are familiar with songs like “Society’s Child” and “At Seventeen,” few people are aware of the incredibly humorous side of your writing, such as songs like “Boots Like Emmy Lou’s” and “Cosmopolitan Girl.” Does it delight you to perform songs like these? How do you react to your audience finding a whole new unexpected side of you that you always knew was there?

JI: I obviously enjoy performing humorous songs, in part because audiences don’t expect them. Flipping into something like “These Boots Were Made for Walking” as an encore puts a nice capper on the evening. And funny songs are very, very hard to write; you can’t settle for just one funny bit, it has to continue and build on itself, over and over again, until you reach the final funny bit.

GN: In the liner notes of your latest album, Janis Ian Live: Working Without A Net, you make some very poignant comments concerning “performing.” How did you develop this perspective?

JI: I guess it just came with the years. I really don’t know. I try to stay balanced; that’s about it!

GN: Speaking of performing, I also suspect that very few people are aware of what an incredibly talented guitarist you are!

JI: I think people (guitarists and guitar magazines included) tend to discount women, first, and acoustic players, second. I solo so outside the box, for an acoustic guitarist, that there’s really nowhere for me to fit.

GN: Was this always the case or have you been constantly working at getting better at the guitar?

JI: I took a quantum leap about 10 years ago, for two reasons: I injured my left hand and can no longer play piano, which forced me to spend more time with the guitar, and I began performing without a band, which forced me to take more solos.

GN: Do you feel it’s important for a songwriter to be fairly adept at her (or his) instrument of choice?

JI: I think it’s important to be able to play what you write, what you hear in your head. Beyond that, I think for young songwriters it’s actually dangerous to become too adept; you begin writing for the guitar part, not for the song. The song has to lead.

GN: From your very insightful articles on Internet downloads (which can be found at JanisIan.com) it seems that, although your position is justified, it is also at odds with the rest of the industry. Do you think more artists feel the way you do but might be afraid to offend the powers that be?

JI: I KNOW they do, because they tell me so. I’m also very encouraged by the emergence of iTunes and E-music, which I think is a huge step in the right direction.

GN: Do you think there is a way to get artists to pool their resources and force the labels to change their policies?

JI: Unfortunately, I don’t think so. There are always a dozen artists standing behind you, waiting for your slot, and we’re all aware of that. It would take someone of great, great dedication to organize a songwriter’s union, for instance, or a recording artist’s union that would solely deal with the problems of recording artists. I haven’t seen anyone like that emerge.

GN: What projects are you currently working on?

JI: Well, this year we created the live double CD, we just finished mastering and finalizing the artwork for the new studio album, and I co-edited a book of stories by famous science fiction writers based on my lyrics… so it was an intense year!

Right now we’re working on the annual holiday website sale, where we knock all the CD’s we can down to $5.00, and the proceeds go to charity.

In early January, we’ll be posting a massive effort we’re calling “The Making Of An Album”, which will walk fans through the creation of the new studio album. We’ll be putting online everything from draft versions of the songs – both written and in MP3 format – to rough mixes, studio chatter, and worktapes.

Then in February we leave on the road, and that’s pretty much where we’ll be for the rest of the year. We’re covering the US, Europe, and hopefully Japan next year.

GN: Finally (at least for now), how do you feel about bringing your new (or relatively new) songs to people? Everyone comes, I’m sure to hear “Jesse” and “Stars” and such, but you’ve got such great new songs on your albums like “Hunger” and “god & the fbi.” Are you pleased when people request the new songs as they do the older ones?

JI: I’m pleased by both. Honestly, I really am amazed that anyone at all would come to my shows. That they’d know some of the songs is just icing on the cake! And I’m old enough now to understand that over the past decades, I’ve created a nice body of work – so it doesn’t much matter to me any more whether the songs are new ones or old ones. They’re all my songs, after all.

An Interview with Janis Ian was written by A-J Charron for Guitar Noise. A good guitar player you will be if you visit the above site. © 2012 Guitar Noise

I caught up with Roine, a man very much concerned with the beauty of music and asked him a few questions which he kindly answered.

Guitar Noise: Foremost on people’s minds, I think, when they hear of the Flower Kings is where did the name come from?

Roine Stolt: It was back in 1993 and I had a strong urge to record a prog rock album again, just like I did in the late 70′s, and perhaps to start a prog band. I was writing down a list of names I liked and “The Flower Kings” was simply the best of them. I like it because it sounds so positive and have a slight flavor of the Hippie era around 67′.

GN: The Flower Kings started from your solo album The Flower King. Could you expand on this?

RS: We were asked to play a festival in Sweden on August 20th 1994, just two months after the album was released. I accepted and asked a few friends to join me, including drummer Jaime Salazar from the album.

My brother Michael joined on bass, long time friend Tomas Bodin on keyboard and two other musicians playing guitars on a few tracks. The gig wasn’t that bad . . . or it seemed like we could actually pull off some sort of show with the material so we continued slowly.

Then after the next record we started getting more gig offers. So that the snowball effect was unavoidable we realized after Retropolis that we sort of struck gold and Flower Kings became one of the pioneers and main attractions of the new wave of prog. It slowly became a “business”.

GN: Sweden seems to be producing many great artists lately, is there something in the water? What is, in your opinion, the reason why so many great new artists are coming from Sweden?

RS: It’s probably just because we have good music education and the standard of living permit parents to help buy synths or guitars for their children or just send them to piano or flute lessons. Also we have access to lots of music on CD and on the radio and TV plus there have been fairly much of live music in clubs.

GN: Tell us of your own background. What is your musical background? (Training, formal lessons, etc).

RS: I have NO formal training. I just started listening to records and copy phrases from guys like Hendrix, Peter Green, Carlos Santana, George Wadenius, Robin Trower and others. Then I have learned from listening to ALL kinds of music. I have a good feeling of analyzing music and details so hat has helped me tremendously.

GN: How old were you when you started playing?

RS: I started picking up the guitar at 13. I learned a few chords from a friend and then moved on rapidly churning Deep Purple riffs, then over to Zappa and Robert Fripp.

GN: How old were you when you wrote your first song and why did you start writing your own songs?

RS: Must have been around 14 or 15, I simply hated the idea of writing because everybody else did and besides I loved creating all those weird LP sleeves with imaginary group names.

GN: When did you decide you wanted to be a professional musician?

RS: I never had a realistic plan on being a musician; I could never imagine that when playing in School bands. I sort of stumbled into it, when I was 17 and met a drummer who was in “Ura Kaipa,” a Keyboard based trio that was to be Kaipa when I joined and we rapidly became a full working unit that toured more than 120 gigs a year, plus national radio and TV live shows, recording on the DECCA label.

GN: Do you view recording an album as work or as pleasure?

RS: Both !!

A pleasant work perhaps, but it can get a bit boring when there is all those tiny details that just GOT to be trimmed to perfection. And the rat race trying to outdo ourselves or to outdo our contemporary progfellows.

I think I enjoy most the initial basic track recordings plus the mixing. The in-between things can get boring.

GN: Why is it, do you think, that major labels don’t pick up on a band like the Flower Kings when it’s so obvious you’ve built a huge fan base?

RS: They cannot see the potential. They would probably not recognize a new U2, Sting or Bowie if they walked by. They cannot see basic things like songwriting potential or “quality.” the way I see it.

Flower Kings could never get big as in the 70′s but I’m sure we could easily reach ten times more audience if we had a proper backing from a major label. In a different field, just look at Eva Cassidy and the fact she never got signed by a major label, it’s ridiculous and a f ng crime.

GN: The Flower Kings are famous for the long songs (and thank you very much for doing these!). In all honesty, if a major label wanted to sign you, would you be willing to stop making these long songs in order to “fit” into their own criteria?

RS: NO, we’d probably just cut them into pieces carefully, label it as shorter songs by doing minor cross-fades or such. So then they will have fifteen songs instead of four on a CD and everybody will be happy.

I’d be happy doing shorter songs and hitting a more catchy tone, however we’ll never trade the variations, quality and the fantasy, that’s our trademarks. I DO want to reach out, but with dignity.

GN: When one goes to the Flower Kings website it seems that the guys are always touring or involved in some project or another. When do you find time to record albums?

RS: We just start in a good period and then go on until everyone has done their overdubs etc. It’s not a big problem. We all have computer-based studios, working on EMAGIC software and can work independently.

GN: Do you tend to write and arrange the albums ahead of time or is a lot of it done directly in the studio upon recording?

RS: Both. I write new music to fit the idea of what a new album should be, but also I always have a bank of unrecorded songs or ideas, I just scan to see what would fit the selection and the path we’re going.

If it doesn’t fit Flower Kings if may go on a Transatlantic CD or a Kaipa CD or the other way ’round.

GN: It seems that the sound of the band has been evolving quite a bit. Space Revolver sounded to me like a cross between Genesis and XTC while Unfold the Future, although still has that Genesis like quality, sounds like the album Yes are dreaming of doing. One wonders upon listening to it if Jon Anderson might actually be angry at you for doing what Yes seem unable to do anymore. What is your ultimate goal in the Flower Kings sound?

RS: Thanks, never heard anyone compare us to XTC; that’s cool. About Unfold . . . Well people think like you, that this is what YES should be doing; daring music with much complexity AND beauty. In a way I agree but I fear they are on another path and I still think they do great music and Magnification had a great production too, so had the Symphonic Live DVD.

And I cannot possibly see why Jon Anderson should be “angry” at Flower Kings for making the music we do, maybe just a bit tired of all the fans that want to give him or other Yes member Flower Kings CD’s.

I think Yes are perfectly happy with what they do, on the other hand I’ve many times joked about that I’d love to produce a YES record for them in a “true 70′s style” and I mean true progressive, not The Ladder type of production, although I liked it.

For the Flower Kings the goal is to make the ultimate entertainment and excitement, a record filled with the ultimate in complex polyrhythm, riffing and the absolute beauty in melody and symphonic arrangement.

We’re working on it.

GN: About Transatlantic. Now that Neil Morse is busy on non-music quests, does that mean that Transatlantic is finished?

RS: Transatlantic is on ice right now, we still have a DVD and Live CD release later this year. “Live In Europe.” I’d be happy to do another CD with Transatlantic but I think it’s up to Neal as we hardly can do it with a replacement, he’s such a big part of the overall sound and his voice cannot be replaced.

GN: I have to ask about the guitars (we are Guitar Noise). The guitars Daniel (Gildenlöw of Pain of Salvation who was accompanying the band) and you had during the Montreal show had a distinctive shape. What brand are they?

RS: They are Parker Fly guitars; they’re made in USA in the Boston Area. They are extremely light- weight guitars made of selected wood with a carbon layer to strengthen the neck and back of guitar.

They have a carbon fret board and stainless steel frets. In addition to the designed DiMarzio pickups there is a Fishman bridge piezo system for a total non feedback acoustic system and an active mixer for magnetic and piezo.

They have designed a tremolo bar that’s quite good. All in all an expensive but very good guitar. The other guitars I use in recordings are basically old Gibson guitars and Rickenbacker for 12 strings. My amps are Vox,Tech 21 Marshall, with Marshall 4×12″ cabinets.

GN: What are your thoughts about these guitars?

RS: They are friiikin’ awesome!!! And for free.

An Interview with Roine Stolt was written by A-J Charron for Guitar Noise. A good guitar player you will be if you visit the above site. © 2012 Guitar Noise

Indigenous drew critical acclaim in 1997 with their independently released debut CD titled Things We Do. Since then, they’ve grown their following through steady touring and recording, releasing five CDs in total. Their most recent CD, simply entitled Indigenous, was released in 2003 and is their strongest recording to date.

Mato’s scorching lead guitar work and soulful deep-pitched vocals are showcased on every tune and can evoke a wide variety of emotions and intensity. His soloing is particularly impressive, demonstrating his complete command of the wah-wah pedal’s power to infuse melodic phrases with a stunning vocal-like quality. He extracts a wide pallet of tones from his Fender Stratocasters. His chords range from chime-y clean, through medium grit, to full-on crunch during rhythm work and his single lines can howl with power tube saturation, quack with a pronounced mid range, or purr with silky smoothness.

Mato graciously agreed to chat with Guitar Noise contributor Bill Cozzo to talk about recording the band’s latest CD, his guitars and amps, playing live, and aspects of the band’s career from early beginnings to playing with legends.

Bill Cozzo: Congratulations on the latest CD. I know that you recorded it mostly ‘live’ as opposed to building up the songs one instrument at a time. Did you set aside time to write and rehearse for it?

Mato Nanji: Thanks. Yeah, we had a couple of songs written already so we went in and kinda broke the ice a little bit and recorded those right away. After that, we had a bunch of other ideas, so we sat down and worked out the rest of the songs with our producers the Davey Brothers. They ended up co-writing a few of the songs with us too.

bc: Do you write when you’re on the road?

MN: Yeah, yeah. A lot of times when we’re doing sound check I get different ideas for songs, or even when I’m playing live, once in a while I get an idea from something I’m jamming.

bc: How do you pick covers that you decide to do, like “Shame, Shame, Shame”?

MN: That was actually our producers, the Davey brothers’ idea. They wanted us to do a cover of something like an old blues track. It was something that we haven’t done in the past, so we decided on that track because it was one that everyone liked. I’m a pretty big Jimmy Reed fan.

bc: Do you ever see yourself getting into instrumentals in different styles like Stevie Ray Vaughn or Eric Johnson?

MN: We’ve done a little bit of that, we did a couple instrumentals on our first two recordings but on this record we strictly went for just songs. I’m not quite sure how that happened. (chuckles)

bc: What are some of your thoughts about recording layer-by-layer versus keeping it mostly live ?

MN: It’s cool both ways. When you do it layer by layer you can get a great drum track and layer over it until your happy with it. When you go in and setup like we do live and just basically jam it out, it’s a lot of fun.

bc: Talk about working with your co-producers, the Davey brothers. What did they bring to the process?

MN: I think a lot of getting that live feel was them coming in and helping us capture that vibe. I really like the way Jesse Davey captured the guitar tone that I got on the record. In the past, it was kinda hard for me to capture the guitar tone that I wanted and he really helped me out with that. Basically, what I did was just set up the way I do live. Well, maybe with a few more amps than usual (laughs). We went through every amp and got a different tone and mixed them. A lot of times, (the final sound) was mixed all together.

bc: The first single from the new CD, “C’mon Suzie”, has mixes a cool, modern vibe with the more traditional blues rock sound of the other tunes on the CD. How did that come about?

MN: Actually, that song was written by an English Band that I met the Davey brothers through, called the Hoax. They’re a really great blues rock band. They had written the song but never got a chance to release it. I really liked it, so I thought “Shoot we can cover that. It’s one of my favorite songs that they did, so I thought we could give it a shot”.

bc: A lot of Guitar Noise readers are relatively new to guitar. Talk a little about how you learned from your father. Did he show you chord fingerings and scale patterns and finger exercises and stuff?

MN: yeah my dad basically taught me how. Actually, when I first started out trying to play guitar the hardest thing I had a problem with was trying to keep it in tune, you know? (laughs). That was the toughest thing for me. After a while he kinda got me through that and showed me the simplest way to tune it. Then he started teaching me more chords. He was really into a lot of different kinds of music – some jazzier stuff, and blues. He could go to a song that I was trying to learn and listen to it once and be able to play it. Just like that, pick it up right away. With me, even now, it takes me a while to kinda pick up on things (laughs)

bc: What are your thoughts on learning to read, write, theory, scales modes arpeggios, etc …

MN: I haven’t really learned that way. I never really learned to read music or write it. I just learned it all by ear. That’s kinda the way my dad taught me. I think it’s a little more of a different vibe if you learn it that way. You get a lot more of the feel, I guess of what’s goin’ on. At least, that’s what I’ve noticed. He also said “If you learn it that way, you’ll never forget it. (chuckles) It’s in your blood”.

bc: Tell me about some of your early gigs. Were you playing for large groups of people? Where you playing mostly covers or originals??

MN: I think the very first gig we did was mostly in front of families and friends.. we did mostly covers back then. We did some Santana, some Hendrix. Actually we even did a few Ventures songs. We did all kinds of stuff. We did some Lonnie Mack. It was a pretty wide range. Back then, when we first started doing the shows, my dad told us right from the beginning to start writing our own stuff. One of the first songs I ever wrote was “Things We Do” back when I was 17 or 18.

bc: Tell me about what it’s like playing with family. What does it bring to the recordings and the lives shows as opposed to guys who just form up a band with people they meet, or friends?

MN: Yeah, I’d say that it’s a lot different. Even from the beginning when we were just first starting out playing together it felt really comfortable right away. A lot of times when you play with other people you have to build that comfort together. From the beginning, there was something there, you never could see or explain what it is, but you can feel it. Even now when we go out to play we never have a set list we just get up there and kinda go with the flow.

bc: What are some of you favorite memories of playing with superstars like BB King, Carlos Santana, Dave Matthews. Besides the thrill of it that any fan would feel, what is the experience like on a musical level?

MN: It’s just totally awesome. Just being able to see B.B. King every night, getting the chance to get on the bus and talk to him a little bit was really great. His thing that he always said was “Just stay high on the music. That’s what it’s all about”. And then playing with Santana was really awesome. Realizing that this is one of the guys I grew up listening to, and learning from, and then seeing him right there, trading licks with him back and forth was a lot of fun.

bc: Let’s talk “tech” a little bit. Are your guitars and amps modified or stock?

MN: My Strats are modified a little bit. I’ve been swapping out different kinds of pickups, trying them out, trying different tones. Right now I have Texas Specials, which I think are pretty cool. Who knows, I might try something else (chuckles).

The amps are all stock. I’ve got an old Fender 75 that’s one of my main amps. It’s an amp head and I play it through a Matchless cabinet with four 12″ speakers. It sounds pretty awesome. It’s one of my favorites. I think the guy who made that amp only made it for one year, and then he went on to make Rivera amps. I still have the old Super Reverbs and the new Vibroverb that they modified after Stevie Ray Vaughn’s Vibroverb. I really like that, with the 15″ speaker. I also use a Mesa Boogie once in a while for the clean sounds. I’ve been using a new Marshall JCM 2000 and I really like it. Sometimes I use it for an in between overdrive sound, and it also sounds real good on the clean channel too. I like to try out different amps to see what kinds of different tones I can get out of them.

bc: Talk a little about singing and playing at the same time.

MN: (starts laughing)

bc: Does it come natural for you or does it take practice?

MN: (still chuckling) It takes a lot of work for me. I’m still working at it. For some of these newer tunes, it was tough in the beginning to get ‘em down. Of course, in the studio, you just lay ‘em down live then you go back and do the vocal track. But even now, it’s a real job … (laughs) to keep that rhythm going and to sing.

bc: Are you mindful of that when you’re writing, to not put a lick in the middle of a verse that you’ll have to sing over?

MN: yeah, I try not to get ‘em too intertwined so I won’t have to (laughing)

bc: Do you use the Internet much for things related to music?

MN: A little bit. I’ve been getting into it a little more lately. My sister (Indigenous’s drummer, Wanbdi) has really got it down way better than I do so a lot of times I’ll just go to her and she’ll look things up for me. I’ve bought some pedals over the Internet and on E-Bay.

cc: Do you have any thoughts on music sharing across the Internet?

MN: Yeah, it’s a bit tough because I see both sides of it. You have musicians like us, just like everyone else, who want to go out there and make a living. But in a way I think it’s also kinda cool to get some new fans that might be interested in what we do. So while it’s good to get our music out there, we’d also like to make a little something out of it. Hopefully they’ll come up with something that works for everybody.

bc: Talk a little about the differences for you in playing smaller clubs, larger concerts, and outdoor festivals?

MN: Well, I like the outdoor stuff when you get a good festival going on and a lot of people there. You get a pretty cool vibe. But on the other hand, I also really like the more intimate clubs with 200 to 400 people packed in there all jamming together. I like both ways actually (chuckles). Each kind of show has its own kind of energy that I like to take in and then turn around and give right back through my playing.

bc: About 20 yrs ago, David Bowie tapped Stevie Ray Vaughn, who was then relatively unknown, for a recording and tour sideman gig that set SRV on the path to superstardom. If some multi platinum star offered you a similar gig today, would you do it?

MN: I guess it would be fun to play with them on the record. But I really dig playing with my family. It’s a lot of fun and it feels like we’re really starting to get going, especially with the new record. It’s getting released in Europe, which is the first time for us. So for right now, this is what I want to do for as long as I can. But maybe if I get a little older and somebody decides they want me to hang around (chuckles) and play with them a bit it’d be fun.

bc: If not music, what career path would you have taken?

MN: (pauses and then chuckles) I don’t really know. Maybe something weird, like a lawyer (laughs). I probably would’ve gone to school.

bc: Well that wraps it up. Thank you very much for taking the time to talk today. Best wishes for continued success with the latest CD and tour.

MN: Thanks a lot

Mato is a very easygoing guy to talk to. He is generous with his time and he had no hint of a ‘rock star’ attitude. With his skills, dedication, and positive attitude, one can only hope that the future holds wonderful things for, and from, this rising star of the guitar world. Guitar Noise readers are heartily encouraged to catch Indigenous live this summer on their tour dates throughout the Midwestern USA, to check out their website, and have a listen to their CDs.

An Interview with Mato Nanji was written by Bill Cozzo for Guitar Noise. A good guitar player you will be if you visit the above site. © 2012 Guitar Noise

GN: Can you describe how the songwriting process works for you?

J: For me, in most cases, I hear melodies first, and the challenge is often to capture them, either by singing them or playing them on piano, and then to be open to what they are communicating lyrically. I’m someone who hears a lot of music streaming through and it’s a matter of receiving it. (I do a lot of humming — it probably drives people crazy.) I’ve heard other songwriters talk about being the recipient of songs that seem to be swirling through the ether. It seems like the songwriter’s task is to take dictation — and stay out of the way — or maybe let yourself be run over by it, smack dab in the way! Some of my songs were poems that I set to music, like Breathing Underwater and 2 Days in July. Other times, Brad (Brad Allen is producer, guitarist, songwriter) brings me chords and I listen to them over and over until I discover a melody that seems to be lurking with them, as with Good Thing. Or he’ll have full-blown songs, finished entities within their own right, that I add my own melody lines on top of, and write lyrics, such as with Intersection. Sometimes I’ll sing or play a melody for years before the words come, as with Meet You There, based on a poem by the Sufi poet, Rumi.

GN: Have you ever dealt with a time when you just couldn’t find the inspiration to write? What did you do about it?

J: I can only think of a few instances where I had to force myself to write — usually if someone requests a song for a certain occasion or something like that. Art on demand. I don’t enjoy that kind of writing. I normally don’t worry if I go through a period where I am not writing. In fact, it seems to come in waves. Sometimes, I’ll have a half-dozen songs in various states of being, written in my notebook. At other times, I’m just living, which is a necessary step in the writing process. John Prine once said “pain writes”. For me “love writes” and so if I’m lucky enough to be living and feeling deeply, especially with love, then the faucet is more easily turned on.

GN: You have an interesting mix of instruments in a lot of your numbers: violin, mandolin, all sorts of percussion, acoustic/electric guitar and keyboards. Does this affect your songwriting? I mean do you think of the final sound in the initial stages of writing a song?

J: I think Brad thinks about it more than I do, since, for one, he is a multi-instrumentalist, but also because he is the primary producer. When we are working on a song in the studio, we both hear particular instruments or sounds that seem to want to be a part of the song. But because I primarily hear melodies, or feel my way around the piano, and think in terms of the meaning of the lyrics when writing, I don’t think that much about instrumentation, at least not initially.

GN: I see you write as a team on a number of your songs. How does that work? Or is this a Lennon-McCartney thing, (or is it McCartney-Lennon now)?

J: The more we write together, the more we seem to be writing together! What used to be clear cut — I’ll write the lyrics and melody, you write the chords, or something like that — is now more of a merge. There may come a point where we do the Juskus/Allen thing (or is that Allen/Juskus?). On our first project, mostly because I was so shy, working with such an accomplished musician as Brad, and because the writing process is so personal for me, I had to be alone to write. Brad and I live about 35 miles from one another, so there’s that long drive home — on the Washington Beltway, which can be quite a journey! I’ve written several songs, notebook in my lap, on that Beltway! Or he’d give me a CD of something he was working on and I’d play it in my car or at home, working separately, and then go back into the studio and share what I had come up with. It’s been interesting watching the evolution of our writing process. I think we are a lot more comfortable with each other now, and we really like what each other does, what we each offer the music.

GN: I was trying to classify your musical style and the best I could come up with was Alternative folk/jazz -Mediterranean- Middle Eastern- Flamenco – American Indian influenced music. There must be a better description than that. Do you have one? Where the heck will they put the CD at Tower Records?

J: We have CDs in Tower Records! In the Pop section! Right there with Britney Spears and Michael Jackson. Classifying music is getting more and more difficult, which is probably not a bad thing. There is a lot of fusion going on, and with it, the potential for more interesting music. Record company executives don’t always see it like that though! When describing our music, I often call it “Progressive Folk”, mostly because we end up playing a lot of “folk” venues, but we often hear the comment that our audiences are surprised by our jazzy sound. They don’t expect to hear the variety of influences that show up in our music. This probably comes from the fact that Brad is a jazz-based player, as is Willard Morris, our violinist, both well-schooled, as well, in progressive rock. I was influenced early on by folk and classical music, because that’s what was played in my home growing up. And all three of us have had interest in eastern philosophy, oriental cultures, and such. So our sound is a merge of all these factors.

GN: So how do you write music for so many different flavors and styles?

J: I have to say that, most of the time, that is the farthest thing from my mind. I usually make no attempt to have a certain sound on a particular song. I have one song that has not yet been released — one of the first ones we recorded together — that is about addiction, but the piano part sounds sort of Chinese! There is no connection, at least not consciously, at all. It just rolled out that way! On the other hand, Within Your Fire, was inspired by the Hindu god Krishna, and I wanted an Indian sound. Brad was able to bring that about — teaching himself tablas and fooling around with sitar sounds. The result was exactly what I envisioned — and more.

GN: Joanne, forgive me for the list, but here is some of the recognition you’ve received:

Never Be the Same finalist in Women of MP3.com’s “Song of the Year” contest

Birthday Silver Prize Winner, Adult Contemporary Music, Mid-Atlantic Song Contest.

Washington Area Music Association, “Wammie” Award Nominee “Best Contemporary Folk Vocalist”, “Best Contemporary Folk Duo/Group” (Near Oblivion), and “Best Debut Album”.

..and to top it off, the Washington Post just picked Birthday as one of it’s top 10 MP3s of 2002.

So do you ever find yourself prone to fits of giggles, pinch me if I’m dreaming kind of stuff? How do you follow up on a list like that?

J: I’ve been very grateful for the attention we’ve gotten. I try to make sure it’s not really about that, though. We write because we love to write; we feel compelled to write. When people like it or are inspired by it, then that is an added bonus. It feels great to share what we do and have it well-received. The reality, though, is that you have to go after those accolades. Especially now, when there are SO MANY musicians vying for performance opportunities and record contracts and public attention. We do work hard in the PR department!

GN: Joanne, Who are your vocal influences?

J: At the top of my list of influences — both in songwriting and vocally — is Joni Mitchell. And one of my favorite vocalists is the British/Indian singer Sheila Chandra, who has an amazingly open and natural voice and who does quite a bit of experimentation, which I admire. I love the old folkies Judy Collins and Joan Baez, and used to copy their singing styles when I was barely old enough to talk! My biggest vocal influence right now is my vocal coach, the wonderful bluegrass singer Dede Wyland.

GN: You all have played some big venues, like Merriweather Post Pavilion here in the DC area. We often get questions about dealing with stage fright in our forums. For our readers just venturing out into the world of open mic, do you have any words of wisdom? Do you all still get stage fright? How do you deal with it?

J: Stage fright used to be a big problem for me, and it kept me from performing for years. There were a couple of things that helped. There is a book called The Confident Performer by David Roland. And the comedic-folk singer Christine Lavin has some great tips about performance in general on her site (http://www.christinelavin.com/tips.html) that helped me as well. The most useful thing for me is making sure I center myself before I perform, stretching and relaxing and breathing and remembering this isn’t about me! If I don’t take the time to get grounded, I can really feel the difference. The best remedy is doing lots of performing. Even if I go a few weeks without a performance, I can feel the difference; some of the momentum is lost. Eric Clapton is quoted as saying that “To play sober, to play straight, is like going to the dentist.” He said that you may be extremely nervous until the actual thing is taking place, and then you call on some reserve inside you which is just waiting. Once you get past the first couple of songs, you’ve broken the ice for yourself and everyone else. (He said this in 1994, even after years of performing!) It’s also true that a little nervous energy can be fuel for a good performance.

GN: So what’s next for you?

J: We are working on our second CD and I’m very excited about that. It is our intention to have the CD out before the end of 2003. We continue to perform, expanding now beyond the DC/Baltimore area, playing more in New York and other areas, and playing more festivals. In the future, we’d also like to add some visual components, multi-media kinds of things, to our shows. It would be nice to have our performances be more than just an auditory experience. We did a show called “Sound & Vision” at the Knitting Factory in New York recently that combined visual art, poetry and music. I’m also working with a new songwriting partner — a Swami in California! We are taking his poetry, and works from some ancient Indian devotional poets and putting them to music, as well as taking some of the many gorgeous Bengali and South Indian devotional tunes and creating new English translations for them. Brad, Willard and I recently did our first performance with the Swami at an Interfaith Center to much acclaim.

If you’d like to find out more about the Joanne Juskus Band, go to:

http://www.joannejuskusmusic.com/

Don’t miss the Guitar Noise review of Joanne Juskus.

An Interview With Joanne Juskus was written by Nick Torres for Guitar Noise. A good guitar player you will be if you visit the above site. © 2012 Guitar Noise

Anyway, one recent lunch break found me doing some innocent dreaming among the high-end guitars. “Hey, what is that? Think I’ll give that one a try.”

About 45 minutes of Zen guitar later I realized I did still have a job and if I wanted to keep it I better get back. You know I’m rarely at a loss for words, but playing this guitar did it. It’s truly an emotional experience. If you want to know why people buy high end guitars, just go play a Huss and Dalton. You won’t be able to describe it to anyone else either, but at least you’ll know.

So I looked up the amazing guitar I was playing on the Web that afternoon.

http://www.hussanddalton.com

You can see it right there on the home page. Much to my surprise I also found out that Huss and Dalton is about two hours south of me in Staunton, Virginia. Don’t pronounce the “u” or they’ll have you pegged as an outsider. It’s Stan-ton.

I called up and spoke to Jeff Huss. We set up an appointment for some Q&A and a shop tour.

Heading down through the heart of old Shenandoah isn’t so much a trip of distance as it is of time. No, not to settler days. But maybe roll back 40 or 50 years off the odometer.

After 45 minutes of driving from Alexandria, Virginia, civilization quickly fades from view. Before you notice what’s happening, the road stops being flat and starts to undulate like the little kids’ roller coaster at the amusement park. You are entering the foothills of the Appalachians.

Out the driver’s side window, (the left one here in the U.S.), the mountains start to rise like a giant room divider. All the junk you don’t want your guests to see is stored behind it. You begin to feel separated from your recent past.

Through the other window you see in the distance the green checkerboard of pasture, with the occasional sprinkling of tiny dots of all black cows. Barns so old their wooden skeletons show through holes in the skin, replace fast food restaurants.

A stream meanders up beside the road and runs by what’s left of the stone walls of a mill. Its waterwheel is long since gone, no longer able to supply grain to the trains that no longer stop there anyway. The train tracks keep me company for a while, tracing the highway, or maybe the highway traces them. I get the unpleasant feeling of watching your own demise; long ago the highway was mocking the train tracks, knowing 18-wheelers would soon replace the train. Still, the tracks run on to nowhere in particular.

Grain silos pop up now and then like giant metallic mushrooms after a spring rain.

Now the mountains are on both sides of you, protecting and guiding you forward, blocking out the rest of the world. You have arrived.

Huss and Dalton guitars are made in a non-descript brick building just south of Staunton.

From the outside there’s no hint of the majestic guitars built inside.

Jeff Huss greeted me at the door and after getting settled we get to the questions.

Guitar Noise: When did you start building guitars?

Jeff: I started out building banjos for Stelling, for about nine years. I built my first guitar there on nights and weekends. After Geoff Stelling heard it, he wanted one. So I built one for him. A customer heard Geoff’s and wanted one. So I started building guitars for Stelling. Then I decided to build them for myself, so I left Stelling and set up shop in my garage.

GN: You started building guitars as a hobby. Now that you build them for a living, is the thrill gone?

Jeff: No. Pretty much the same feeling seeing a guitar completed

GN: How many different models of your guitars do you sell?

Jeff: Currently we have about 15 different models with many options available.

GN: How many guitars do you produce?

Jeff: We make about 20-25 a month now with about six in production at a time.

GN: Do you use computers in your construction?

Jeff: Just this here (at the front desk), which keeps track of inventory and invoices. The guitars are all hand made.

GN: How do you decide what new features you incorporate into your guitars? Do you do research and development, so to speak?

Jeff: Right now our efforts are concentrated on being efficient while making the same consistently good guitar.

GN: I hadn’t thought of that, but if someone hears one and likes it, they want to be able to buy one that sounds just like it.

Jeff: That’s right. It’s a trade off. You want to make your own guitar, but you don’t want to be too unique or people will say, “That doesn’t look

like my dad’s Martin.”

GN: But you do have a unique feature that I really like. Tell us about the radiused top.

Jeff: The top of most “flat top” guitars is under a lot of stress from the pull of the strings. This pull pre-stresses the top and can deform the top. Our guitar bodies, bracing and top are radiused to take advantage of the strength of the dome and to reduce the pre-stress.

GN: And that makes for a better sounding guitar.

Jeff: (laughing): It makes for a different sound. A Martin sounds like a Martin because that’s the way it’s built. Our radiused tops, besides being stronger, get a significant boost in mid-range tones and that makes a more balanced guitar.

GN: What is the most time consuming aspect of building your guitars?

Jeff: The finishing takes probably 30% of the construction time. You have to be able to hang a Huss and Dalton on the wall next to high end Martins and Breedloves.

GN: Does building in the Shenandoah’s have any drawbacks?

Jeff: Perception is a hard thing to change. We get reviews that say the Huss and Dalton is a great, driving Bluegrass guitar, and it is. But it’s more than that. It’s like saying the Lowden is good for Celtic music because it’s built in Ireland.

GN: You are about to make guitar number 1,000. Do you ever step back and shake your head in disbelief?

Jeff: (laughs) All the time.

GN: What’s the latest and greatest in guitars now? What’s the thing to look for?

Jeff: Australian Blackwood.

GN: Why’s that?

Jeff: One of our guys says it’s like Koa with balls.

GN: Last question. What do you play?

Jeff: (laughs again) A factory second.

For more info on Huss and Dalton, their unbelievable guitars, and where you can buy one, go to:

http://www.hussanddalton.com

To see Acoustic Guitar Magazine’s review “Ten Top Flight Dreadnoughts,” which includes the H&D D-RH:

http://www.acousticguitar.com/issues/ag107/feature107.html

Let me just say as I close, if you are in the market for a high end Martin, Taylor, Breedlove, etc. you owe it to yourself to track down a Huss and Dalton before you make your choice.

An Interview (and tour) at Huss & Dalton was written by Nick Torres for Guitar Noise. A good guitar player you will be if you visit the above site. © 2012 Guitar Noise

Behind the console, he produced Pendragon’s masterpiece The Masquerade Overture and the upcoming album by John Wetton. I haven’t heard that album yet, but rumour has it that it’s Wetton’s best solo album and that it rivals with some of his albums with Asia and King Crimson. I’m sure Karl Groom is at least partly responsible for this.

Guitar Noise: The first time I heard of you was on “The Masquerade Overture,” which I still think is one of the greatest albums ever made.

Karl Groom: It seemed to be a very popular album for some reason. It doubled in sales any other Pendragon album. There must be something on it (laughs).

Nick (Barett of Pendragon) was pretty happy with it. We had a long time to do it. Our albums, you know, lower budget, we spend six months making them. We simply don’t care how long it takes. We just want to make a good album.

Pretty often, the bands that I produce, they have a budget and they have to finish in six to eight weeks. There’s nothing wrong with that, but at the same time it doesn’t give you the satisfaction of getting it just right.

I really enjoyed making that album and in the end; there’s the result.

GN: One of the things that really amazed me with that album is that with the quality of the musicians and with the quality of the material, it would have been very easy to go overboard and put layer upon layer of useless tracks.

KG: I can remember in the mix stage actually taking things out. You’re probably right there (laughs). It’s usually keyboards. With Progressive music you tend to build songs by sequencing keyboards and rehash them together. It makes it a lot easier to listen back and know what you’re doing. As a result, when you’re putting those together, you tend to put more keyboards than it needs because there’s no guitars there or vocals there to fill the space.

Too often in Progressive music you get layer upon layer of pads and no room left over for anything else. Keyboards are a very important part of that music, but too much of them and it just becomes one great big pad. I made the mistake myself! (laughs)

GN: Live and learn!

KG: Yeah! Well you have to make a few albums before you start making a good one.

GN: That’s a great comment. It’s a fact, but I think too many people don’t realize this.

KG: It’s quite easy to study the technical aspects and figure out what you’re doing. But it’s not just a technical thing, it’s really a judgement thing. I’ll take an album and before I put it on CD I’ll take a week off and see what I can do to change it. Out of the studio environment, it becomes much more obvious what mistakes you’ve made, what things need to be changed. When you sit there for hour after hour of mixing, after a while it just becomes a wall of noise. If you take it away and put it in a cheap system in the car or at home you often find out immediately which things stand out and make a judgement then.

GN: How does producing your own album compare to producing somebody else’s?

KG: I think it’s a lot harder when it’s your own baby; you work too hard at it. And the best production ideas come from other people’s music, rather irritatingly! (laughs) It’s the reason why in Threshold, Richard works with me as well. I’ll maybe take some time off while he’s doing some vocals and keyboards and we can make better judgements that way. When you’re working on someone else’s music, you can sit back and make a good call while when you’re recording yourself and listening to yourself, you can’t make the best call.

It’s all a case of experience. Every time you do an album, you think “Well, I could of done this or that better.” You always get new ideas for how you can improve the next album.

GN: The Threshold albums I’ve found have been evolving from one to the next.

KG: I think the writing’s been improving. And the equipment for recording’s been getting better as technology goes forward. And I think since we’ve had Mac in the band, we’ve found a sound which is our own. The last three albums stand out for me as being more complete. We’ve weeded out the songs that didn’t work on albums and gone forward and hope we haven’t wasted a slot for a good song on an album.

Before, we couldn’t always agree with each other and would sometimes include a song just to keep someone happy. Now we got a very focused idea on what we want to do and the album has to hold together as a whole, a collection of songs.

And we structure it so that the dynamics of the album follow from the beginning to the end and we don’t think about it as: “Here’s a song and it’s just one of the songs on the album.” We think about the album and how it goes from beginning to end.

GN: I have to admit that at first, when I received Hypothetical, I didn’t give it a fair listen, thinking it was just a heavy metal album. The review copy I received had no credits on it, so I didn’t know who was in the band. My review of it was, thinking back, unfair as I didn’t listen to it enough. But since Psychedelicatessen and Critical Mass (note: this is the latest release from the band), I’ve taken it back out and I’ve been playing it almost daily. It’s almost as good as “Critical Mass”. It has a lot of great material, in particular “Narcissus”.

KG: Long song! (laughs) A lot of work in the arrangement process.

One of the problems in this area is that there may not be a media. Because the songs are complex and it takes a few listens to get into it and that may be why it’s not so mainstream and people can’t immediately latch onto an album.

From my point of view that’s an advantage. I usually find that the album’s that take me a little while to get into are the ones that will last me for years. Whereas music for the media comes and goes. You find that after a few months you put it away and never listen to it again.

Like you said, too many metal bands lack melody. Once you’ve heard the production, you’ve heard two songs and you put it away. You never get past the first couple of songs.

GN: That was the case with bands like Iron Maiden; seemed you were always listening to the same song. It gets pointless.

KG: Yeah and it’s one of the reasons I got into music like Genesis when I was really into metal. Because the melodies kind of weave in and out and the arrangements are complex and there’s obviously a lot of thought that goes into the music. That’s what we decided when we started the band; we liked these two different styles and we were going to blend them.

There wasn’t any thing called Progressive-Metal when we started and we didn’t think we would get signed. We didn’t think anyone would be interested in it. So when GEP signed us at the time, we were flabbergasted! (laughs) It wasn’t something we planned on doing. Then, all of a sudden, this whole thing came forward. Queensryche became more popular and Dream Theatre became public and they had to find some kind of phrase to name the media. But Threshold were the first to do this kind of music. Before Dream Theatre and all the others.

GN: I don’t like the term Progressive-Metal myself.

KG: No, but they have to have some kind of sign to hang over it when handling the reviews. I also think, like you say, that Progressive-Metal doesn’t necessarily indicate what the band’s about.

GN: Yeah. You get a band like Pain of Salvation who are classified into the same category as you guys and there music sounds nothing like yours. (Note: this is not intended as a sour note toward Pain of Salvation who are a great band in their own rights.)

KG: Especially their first album… It’s kind of half-Funk, half-Metal. We’ve done quite a lot of stuff with them. We were in America with them last year. We did a whole European tour with them three years ago also. Friendly guys. Very nice guys, like to have a good time.

GN: Any plans to tour North America?

KG: We were in South America last year and that went really well. We plan on going back there. We were in North America last year and we thought we didn’t have any sort of real fans in America, but there were 1,500 people there and we were absolutely amazed!

You never really know what to expect and we thought… (laughs) this could go over really badly, but it went over fantastic. I think the guys at InsideOut America are trying to organize something.

GN: One question I’ve always wanted to ask a British Progressive musician. Historically, there has never been a famous British composer. There were good composers like Walton, but no famous ones. As Progressive Rock has its roots in Classical music, how is it it’s the British who keep coming up with this incredible music?

KG: I think of Progressive music as a way to freely compose, so I guess it is linked, but I never really came from that background. I learned to play the piano really early then stopped playing. I wasn’t really interested. Then just started listening to Rock music.

I just see the Progressive thing as a real freedom to express yourself because there’s no limitations on the arrangements. The length of the song can be two minutes or it can be twenty minutes; you can just go wherever you want without the confines of strict arrangement lines. It’s something that really appeals to me.

But I still wanted the kick of metal, something to give it some real aggression when you need it.

GN: As a guitarist, your gear is rather basic?

KG: I’ve got a lot of gear in the studio, but it just tends to get in the way. I find that when people buy new gear they tend to program it or adjust it to make it sound like their old gear. So I figure I just bust a valve now and again… (laughs)

A lot of it’s in your head and I just keep trying to come up with new ideas in terms of playing. Once you’ve got the tone that you’re looking for I don’t think it’s logical to start changing it.

I’m really interested in the playing and coming up with new ideas. And I’m not a great one for practicing. I find when I sit down to practice, like before a tour, I end up writing more songs instead… (laughs) I get really bored with that sort of thing…

GN: Upcoming for Threshold is the new acoustic album?

KG: Yeah. We finished all the recording, I’m getting down to the mixing now. It’s basically a fan club album. It’s something we wanted to do and the label lets us do things like that every now and again. We can’t do it opposite a studio album, but we can do things like the odd live album and now this acoustic sessions thing.

It’s something we wanted to do because the singer we have now wasn’t on the first three albums. So half the songs are from the first three albums and we reworked them. It’s when I saw Bryan Adams doing an acoustic performance on MTV I thought why should acoustic be just acoustic guitars? Why can’t you have acoustic drums and acoustic bass?

We always fancied having a go at something like that because you can do it with different arrangements. And the acoustic sound is fresh and it gives it a different dimension.

It something we wanted to do. Obviously it won’t sell like the studio albums but we had a chance to put it across so now we’re there.

GN: You never know, it could become huge.

KG: (laughs) We’re not allowed to distribute it. We can only sell it from the website according to the terms of the contract. It’s a fan club album really.

Note: Stay tuned to Guitar Noise as we’ll let you know when it becomes available and we will have a review of it. You can also check Threshold’s website for more information.

Karl Groom’s gear

’80′s Sharpell Guitar, Marshall Amp with Quattro-verb, Marshall 4 x 12 cabinet

A Conversation with Karl Groom was written by A-J Charron for Guitar Noise. A good guitar player you will be if you visit the above site. © 2012 Guitar Noise

Rebekah and Victoria graciously agreed to answer a few questions to give us some insight into how they do what they do.

Guitar Noise – Can you describe how the songwriting process works for each of you?

Rebekah – I’m a relatively new songwriter and so far I have found my process to be consistently inconsistent. The first few songs I wrote were just lyrics and then I tried to put a tune to them. I find it very easy to write lyrics that way but very difficult to wrap a tune around it. I suppose in the beginning I had so much I wanted to say that the lyrics were most important. Now, although I still have something to say, I find I alter the method. Some of my better songs came when I imagined just one phrase of words and music together in my head and built a song around them. Sometimes I’ll just noodle around on the guitar or piano and find chords that sound interesting. Usually when I do that I start singing random sentences. It can be as obscure as “The dystrophy of you is inevitable now” or as ridiculous as “where’s the mail, where’s the mail, where’s the mail”

Victoria – Most of the time, it starts off with me trying to practice the guitar. Then I find some new chord or progression of chords that I’ve never played before. The sound usually evokes some sort of emotional response and a lyric line comes into my mind. More lyrics come, I can usually write the first verse or chorus fairly easily. Then I leave it alone for a couple of days. I think about what it is I want to say, I clarify it in my mind and work on it bit by bit over the next few days or weeks. A few songs took me a few years to finish.

GN – Have you ever dealt with a time when you just couldn’t find the inspiration to write? What did you do about it?

Victoria – I’ve encountered those times on several different occasions. It’s usually because my life is too busy and hectic. I don’t force myself to write during these times. I find that when there is more time a whole bunch of ideas come out and I go through a writing frenzy for a while. My dry spells have been known to last for 2 years at a time, but I don’t stress about it because I know that the floodgates will open again.

Rebekah – Yes. And again, yes. It was really starting to bother me until I heard an interview of, I think it was, Trace Atkins and he said “Not every song is going to be a home run. Sometimes you just have to get up to the plate” That really calmed me down. When there is REALLY no inspiration I go to a huge pile of half written songs filled with half written lyrics and see if I can find anything worth working on. The problem is that I usually only come away with poems that way. Victoria and I sort of made a pact that we would only write when something meaningful came to us and we’ve kept to it so far. If we really get stuck, I think we’ll try writing together and see what happens. In any event, I find that a good long commute home on a sunny day will always lead to introspection and eventually something resembling a song.

GN – So you just got back from the Kerville Folk Festival in Texas and you’re off to the Falcon Ridge Festival in July, do you still get stage fright? Do you have any words of advice for our readers who might be going to an open mike for the first time?

Rebekah – I am a very nervous performer. I am never fully at ease before a show or on stage. The two things that unnerve me the most are mike/amplification fears, and not being well rehearsed enough. These are the two pieces of advice that I can relay to open-mike singers. If you are very well practiced, you will feel much more at ease when you get up on stage.

Practice a lot more than you think you should. When you’re playing your song and you forget a guitar chord or two, being well rehearsed will allow you to find where you are and correct yourself instead of completely loosing it.

Also, take your time before you start your song. Are you REALLY comfortable? Is the mike too high or low, are you in tune? Take your time making sure that you’re set up well and you will be more comfortable. In general, open-miking is one of the hardest things I’ve ever had to do but it’s the only way to move ahead. It’s like pulling off a band-aid. Just do it! I find that if you are real and honest with your audience “Wow this is out of tune…” they will respond with interest.

Victoria – The day I stop getting stage fright will be the day I die. It’s my way of knowing I’m alive.

For my first open mic, I didn’t let anyone know that I was doing it. I figured that if I totally bombed then at least it would be in front of people that I’d never see again. It took me 10 years of playing in my bedroom before I got the nerve to play out in the public…I wouldn’t recommend this though to other aspiring singer songwriters, just get out there and give it your best shot, you have nothing to lose. Who cares if a whole bunch of people you’ll never see again laugh at you and you never know they may not laugh; they may clap!

GN – On your website you write “Where has the melody gone?” Can you elaborate a little on what you mean by that? And while you’re at it, what do you think makes a good melody?

Victoria – It just seems that the trend in music for the past ten years has been to have one melody line that is repeated over and over. I try to let my emotions come out in different ways throughout a song. I can’t say what makes a good melody for everyone. For me, it’s just a tune that sticks in my mind and makes me hum it when I’m doing the dishes or whatever.

Rebekah – The trend in music now seems to be finding a phrase or a chord progression and repeating it often. More like speak-singing. A lot of trills, a lot of embellishment, a lot of really great vocal riffs. Songs today seem to be more like that than the long languid songs of the seventies a la Carpenters, James Taylor, Carly Simon, Jim Croce, even some of the power ballads of the eighties.

Our songs seem to be a little more melodic and reminiscent of an earlier time. I think what makes a good melody is a lot of variation. Some notes high (Victoria is really good at that) and some low. Most important, it’s a song someone can hum a few seconds, hours, days after hearing it. A song someone can sing well who doesn’t have such a great voice.

GN – What happened to “Arrabella York?” (a song they performed). I really liked it, especially the rhythmic quality of the verses. Why wasn’t it included on the CD? How did you make that decision?

Victoria – We decided to save “Arrabella York” for our second CD, which we are presently recording. It is part of a trilogy of songs that I wrote and so we chose not to split them up.

GN – What’s next for Molly Pitcher?

Rebekah – More of the same. Documenting life and love melodically, recording it for posterity, finding people who enjoy it and singing for them. We will be going on a tour of the northeast this summer so we’re really looking forward to that. Mostly, we just feel grateful to have found each other and we probably will bask in that till we’re old and gray.

Victoria – We’re organizing a mini tour for this summer and like I mentioned before, we’re recording our second CD.

GN – Any parting words or suggestions for our readers?

Victoria – Don’t sit in your room for ten years.

Rebekah – All songs are valid. Some of my worst songs have gotten recognition, and some of my best ignored. Just be honest. It takes real courage.

A Few Words with Molly Pitcher was written by Nick Torres for Guitar Noise. A good guitar player you will be if you visit the above site. © 2012 Guitar Noise