Tag: features

Nashville’s Them Vibes hearken to the two-guitar teams of yesterday. Established by the songwriting duo of front man Brother Love and guitarist Alex Haddad, the band added second guitarist Kyle Lewis after the release of its debut album, Shine On. With the new Electric Fever, Haddad and Lewis display classic twin-guitar sensibilities.

“We have always loved two-guitar bands,” Haddad says. “When you have two guitar players that weave together, it becomes something bigger. Each of our parts is lending to the whole.

“I may come up with a verse, chorus, and main riff, and at that point it’s an open canvas for Kyle. On ‘Who Do You Love,’ Kyle and I finished the harmony riff together, and it becomes the hook. It’s the undisputable thing about having two guitar players.”

“All the harmonies you can do together; you hear that lick and it’s great, and then with the harmonies, all of a sudden it’s a whole new thing,” Lewis added.

“There’s something so glorious about that. You can get very orchestral and musical with it. We push each other and test each other in every scenario,” says Haddad.

Electric Fever was recorded close to home.

“We did a lot of the recording at Dave Kalmusky and Jonathan Cain’s Addiction Studios here in Nashville,” Haddad said. “They have an amazing place, with treasures everywhere. We had things like Sommatone amps and a reissue Tele with that classic chime you only get from that guitar.”

“I was all over the Tele,” says Lewis. “That through an Analog Outfitters Sarge with EL84 tubes. There was also a Gretsch Duo-Jet with a Bigsby I was using quite a bit and that was really hot and fat-sounding.”

“For the longest time, I had a stock Tele,” said Haddad. “Then I found a ’71 ES-335 that is just the sound of rock and roll. It ended up on a multitude of tracks. I also got my hands on a ’59 Les Paul they had at the studio.

“For amps, we used their old Silvertone, Fender Champ, and a ’56 Bassman 2×12 that was amazing. Dave Kalmusky’s dad got it new and there were only 100 made. You turn it up to get the tubes to break-up, then turn up the Bass, and it’s this bellowing noise that’s so warm and powerful. We also had a ’56 Gibson GA-40 brought down by the father of our drummer, Sarah Tomek. You turn that thing up and it’s the growl of the devil.”

Electric Fever also has some great acoustic moments.

“They had a beautiful old Gibson Hummingbird hanging in the studio,” said Lewis. “Alex and I both played it and though Hummingbirds always sound great, they can be hit or miss under a microphone. With this one, though, they struck gold.”

“It was very reminiscent of Beggars Banquet,” added Haddad. “It’s funny with a Gibson; sometimes you put it on your lap and it feels great while you play it, it sounds really good… then you put it on a microphone and you hear its dynamics and all the subtleties from the classic records.

“We also used an old Kay 12-string a friend got at a yard sale. It’s just magic when you mic it up.”

Lewis’ stage workhorse is a ’70s reissue Strat.

“It’s got a humbucker in the bridge, so it gets a really fat tone when needed, and I have an old Epiphone Les Paul set up for slide,” he said. “My rig is a Fender Deluxe on the dry channel, a Rat Overdrive, Boss delay, and a wah.”

Haddad’s live rig is built on a Fender Prosonic from the early ’90s. “I just love the thing. I bring that, my 335, and my Tele,” he said. “As for pedals, both of us keep it minimal because it’s about letting your hands, your amp, and guitar do the talking.

“Rock and roll is guttural music; it’s hand-to-instrument,” he added. “From Exile to Physical Graffiti and all of Angus Young’s tone, it’s just turned up, not overdriven or pushed by pedals – it’s actually kind of crisp and clean. The Beatles’ white album is one of the greatest guitar records ever made, and it’s just gnarly guitars and gnarly amps.”

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This article originally appeared in VG June 2017 issue. All copyrights are by the author and Vintage Guitar magazine. Unauthorized replication or use is strictly prohibited.

It’s hard out there for a ’70s guitar hero. With the struggles of keeping older fans happy verses the challenge of presenting new material, it can be an arduous battle between art and business. Former Thin Lizzy guitarist Scott Gorham has faced this challenge and stands victorious with Black Star Riders. The band’s third album, Heavy Fire, captures the essence of Lizzy while bringing something fresh and powerful to the stage. It’s a catchy musical recipe.

Black Star Riders’ personality crystallizes with each new recording.

After the first album, you kind of wonder how something is going to be received and how well the band will write together. We all thought that came out pretty good. On the second one, we’re all used to each other. The second one was a bit better than the first one, and now, into the third one, everybody’s comfortable with the writing style. We know what people can do, what they can’t, what they want to do, and what they don’t want to do. It’s become a better place to be.

There’s a stylistic familiarity that echoes your work with Thin Lizzy, but it’s different enough to stand on its own.

We’re finding our feet. There’s not so much reliance on the Thin Lizzy thing. Departing from Lizzy has freed us. Now we can comfortably take these different musical paths when we want to and not adhere to a certain sound. We can ratchet it up over here, or go left over there. 

Even in the Thin Lizzy days, you’d put an album out and you’d say, “What’s going to happen? Are people going to like this?” Each album becomes a personal thing. As soon as you hear criticism, it hurts. You can have a 100 great reviews but it’s always that bad one that you remember (laughs).

Is there a particular song you’re most proud of on Heavy Fire?

I’m proud of all of them, so it’s tough to choose one. A question I get is, “What is your favorite song to play onstage?” When I get to that song, it’s kind of a letdown for me after that. So I don’t have a favorite live song, and it’s the same way with the album. I find it pretty easy to go from track one all to track 10 and not really skip over anything.

Which guitars did you use on it?

My two main guitars are Les Paul Axcess models, one red, one black. I love them. I have a bit of a bad back from carrying heavy Les Pauls all those years, and the Axcess is chambered. They’ve also carved the top edge, so you don’t have that rib damage we all went through with regular Les Pauls.

Isn’t there a noticeable difference in tone compared to the Les Paul you played in Thin Lizzy?

I can hear it compared to my ’57, which I’m still in love with. Unfortunately, it doesn’t get much playing time because I don’t bring it out of storage. The Axcess is pretty close, and the big difference is in the pedals we’re using now. In the Thin Lizzy days, there wasn’t any… nothing any good, anyway.

I get a lot of people who say, “Man, how did you get that sound!?” I tell them, “Les Paul, Marshall stack, and an MXR Phase 90. That’s it. You don’t want to really go for that. Get something else (laughs).”

What are you playing through now?

I’m using a Marshall DSL 100 with two 4×12 Celestion Greenbacks. You can throw it down a flight of steps, get onstage, and it’ll play great. I like a smoother tone, but when it comes to putting a sting on there, it’s changed over the years. I like a high-end that’s more in your face. I use the Dunlop Jerry Cantrell Wah, a Boo Instruments Boost, a Strymon El Capistan Delay, and a Retro-Sonic Chorus.

Is performing still fun?

The stage time has never diminished. It’s the traveling that kicks your ass. And it’s not because of the age thing – traveling has always kicked my ass. You don’t get paid for playing the guitar. You get paid for getting there.

What’s next?

We’ll be touring Europe, then coming back to America and jumping on a tour. We’ll play festivals until the end of the year, ending in Japan. We’ll get lots of air miles (laughs).

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This article originally appeared in VG June 2017 issue. All copyrights are by the author and Vintage Guitar magazine. Unauthorized replication or use is strictly prohibited.

Ronnie Baker Brooks’ new album, Times Have Changed, is a Memphis soul fest blended with the unmistakable guitar sounds of the Windy City. The son of veteran bluesman Lonnie Brooks, Ronnie takes his musical journey to Memphis and Nashville, bringing together the legendary Hi Rhythm Section, Steve Cropper, Bobby Blue Bland, and producer extraordinaire Steve Jordan. It’s his first record in 10 years.

How did you get together with Steve Jordan?

I first met Steve back when he was in The World’s Most Dangerous Band – he did some shows with my dad in the early ’80s. We talked a little at the first Obama inaugural, where actor Jeffrey Wright, who played Muddy Waters in the Cadillac Records movie, put on a Chicago-themed show, but we really reconnected when Steve worked on a Big Head Todd and the Monsters record. I’m cool with those guys, and they asked me to play on a track. I told him, “I’m looking to do another record. Would you mind helping me?” That’s when it happened.

The album has a rich Stax quality.

Steve had that in his mind. He knew I’d recorded in Memphis before, and he loves it down there. The first thing he said once we decided on the songs was, “Put your pedalboard back on the bus. We’re going straight into the amp (laughs).” He’s a walking encyclopedia of gear and music. Once we established the direction, I just jumped in and rode. He has all these great musicians, and they know his work ethic and style. It was a great atmosphere to learn from. He said, “We got your back, just do yo’ thang.” I’m a better musician from the whole experience.

The late Bobby Blue Bland sings on “Old Love.”

We started recording in January of 2013, and Bobby passed away six months later. I was told this was the last thing he recorded. He and my dad were friends for over 50 years; I used to listen with a radio under my pillow when my mom was asleep. On WVON, they would play blues and R&B. I’d hear Bobby Blue Bland, B.B. King, Johnny Taylor, and Bobby Rush. I never knew I would get the chance to work with them.

When we were in the studio, Bobby came in and started talking to us. It was like school. Even Steve was quiet. It was surreal, and took me back to listening to the radio under my pillow. Right after that, he passed away, and it broke my heart.

What gear did you use?

I have a blond Gibson 335, a Les Paul Studio, a Les Paul Custom, and my first guitar – a ’67 SG my dad bought me when I was seven. My custom 336 is my main axe and I use an ’88 Strat Plus as a backup. I play through a Deluxe Reverb reissue. 

When I played in a power trio, I had a big pedalboard, but, I’ve cut it down to an Ibanez Tube Screamer, a Vox wah, a Fulltone OCD, and a Fulltone Fat Boost. When I want overdrive, I put on the Tube Screamer. When I want balls to the wall, I put on the OCD. With the blues, you gotta have dynamics. That’s what makes Buddy Guy the greatest of all time. He can go from a whisper to blasting, and he keeps your attention.

You invited rapper Al Kapone on the record. Are you concerned with blues purists?

I can’t sing about plowing behind a mule or picking cotton. I didn’t experience that. I grew up in Chicago, on the South Side, and was raised between Hyde Park and the Projects. I can’t talk about the things my father and Muddy Waters experienced. What I always wanted to do was be a bridge where that generation could feel what I’m doing, and relate it to young people, as well. That’s where Al Kapone and what he’s doing come in. I grew up when hip-hop started, and I still feel it. Al Kapone is deep, and he’s a musician. 

What I try to do is have an authentic feel, but current. It’s always been my philosophy from my first record. Be a bridge. If Muddy Waters had never plugged into a wall, the music wouldn’t have grown. My father always told me and my brother, “Write your own songs and create your own style.” We can always do “Got My Mojo Working” and “Sweet Home Chicago,” but we have to create our own songs, and that’s been my philosophy.

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This article originally appeared in VG June 2017 issue. All copyrights are by the author and Vintage Guitar magazine. Unauthorized replication or use is strictly prohibited.

No article on the late Tommy Allsup would be complete without the story of an unsuccessful coin flip saving his life – and that goes for this one, too. But the well-known story of Buddy Holly chartering a plane in 1959, and bandmate Allsup giving his seat to Ritchie Valens, avoiding the fatal crash, overshadows Allsup’s excellent guitar playing and impressive resume as session musician and producer.

In Tom Wheeler’s tome, The Stratocaster Chronicles, Richard Thompson cites the “nifty bits” Tommy Allsup played on Buddy Holly records. Actually, Allsup played on relatively few Holly songs – “Lonesome Tears,” “It’s So Easy,” “Heartbeat,” “Love’s Made A Fool Of You,” and “Wishing,” cut in the Spring of ’58 – but, as Thompson adds, “Great tone, great player.”

Allsup was 85 when he died January 11. In addition to Holly, his career ranged from playing guitar and bass on sessions with Johnny Cash and George Jones to producing “In The Year 2525” by Zager & Evans. In between, he did session work with the Everly Brothers, Kenny Rogers, Bobby Vee, Marty Robbins, Charlie Rich, Del Shannon, Earl Scruggs, Johnny Burnette, Don McLean, Doug Kershaw, Jerry Lee Lewis, Gene Watson, Dwight Yoakam, Leon Russell, Herb Ellis, Johnny Paycheck, Melba Montgomery, Charlie McCoy, Ernest Tubb, Ferlin Husky, and many others. And behind the console, he produced Willie Nelson, Warren Smith, Tex Williams, Johnny Bush, Slim Whitman, Hank Thompson, and four of Asleep At The Wheel’s first five albums.

The Wheel’s leader, Ray Benson, recalls, “Buddy Spicher, the fiddler, recommended Tommy as producer, and we were very lucky that he made the right call. Allsup was great because he let us do what we wanted, and just helped us do it.”

Asleep At The Wheel’s original pianist, Floyd Domino, says, “Tommy was like this genial host of a big party, and he brought us along for the ride. He opened so many doors to so many people – a giant circle of people that he knew and helped. He was completely laid back, and he had this kind of perpetual smile – calm and positive. When we did the first album, I played a solo on ‘Take Me Back To Tulsa’ – one of those mistakes, and I recovered from it – and he was just laughing, thinking it was great. He called it ‘falling down the stairs.’”

The band’s singer and rhythm guitar for many years was Chris O’Connell. “Tommy was one of the first to encourage me to play rhythm guitar, and he impressed upon me the necessity of steadiness and conformity in the string attack,” she says. “Tommy played the Eldon-Shamblin-style rhythm guitar with ease. I don’t think I ever heard anyone but Eldon and Tommy do that. Aside from Count Basie’s rhythm section, I’ve never heard such exquisite, unruffled time – tight enough to lend structure, but loose enough to swing.” 

Benson agrees. “He took Eldon [with Bob Wills] and added Tommy Allsup to that. When rock and roll came around, he adjusted very easily. He told me, ‘All I did was turn up the treble.’”

Allsup and the Wheel won a Grammy for the group’s 1999 album, Ride With Bob. But perhaps Allsup’s crowning achievement was producing 1973’s For The Last Time, by Wills and a cast of former Texas Playboys. Lead vocalist was Leon Rausch, who joined the Playboys in ’58. “Tommy never had much to say, but whatever he produced, his work came out in the result,” he said. “His heart was in it.”

In a 2009, the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame conducted an interview with Dion Demucci, who was also on tour with the 1959 Winter Dance Party, with Holly, Valens, and the Big Bopper. He disputed Allsup’s account, saying that Holly chartered the plane for “the headliners,” rather than bandmates Allsup and bassist Waylon Jennings, and that he, not Allsup, gave up his seat to Valens. Besides the fact the Dion waited more than 50 years to “set the record straight” (previously writing an autobiography that made no mention), his version is simply illogical. Holly’s drummer was in the hospital after the heater-less bus resulted in frostbite on his toes. Holly wanted to get himself and bandmates to the next town, to avoid the long, cold bus ride. The Big Bopper had the flu, so Jennings let him have his seat. And Allsup and Valens flipped a coin.

Allsup wrote an open letter, shooting numerous holes in Dion’s story and challenging the singer to take a polygraph test alongside himself. It’s unfortunate that in his later years, an event that had haunted him for decades was questioned. As Allsup told author Darryl Hicks in 2008, “It still bothers me. Just the fact that Ritchie lost his life and I didn’t, you kind of blame yourself in a way. It’s something you think about without wanting to. A lot.”

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This article originally appeared in VG June 2017 issue. All copyrights are by the author and Vintage Guitar magazine. Unauthorized replication or use is strictly prohibited.

One of the world’s foremost Djangophiles, Paul Mehling has for many years been at the forefront of Gypsy jazz in America. The new album by Hot Club of San Francisco exhibits his affinity for the Beatles.

On the cleverly titled John, Paul, George & Django, HCSF plays Beatles tunes arranged Gypsy-jazz style.

“When I was six, I saw them on Ed Sullivan,” Mehling recalled. “I was already deeply immersed in traditional jazz, though not by choice; my father was a serious record collector who liked only traditional jazz – Benny Goodman, Artie Shaw, Coleman Hawkins, Lester Young, Sidney Bechet, and Django Reinhardt were familiar to my ears. So, in my mind, I had to untangle the sound of Django’s guitar from that of the Beatles’ guitars. Growing up – maturing – meant understanding and confronting the gulf between ‘then’ and ‘now.’”

How did they devise arrangements?

“It was hard and fun,” Mehling said. “Picking songs was difficult. There were contentious rehearsals and tearful make-ups. We wanted to do a straight reading of some, some heavily arranged, and some in-between. We did not want to smother the compositions, but do them justice while leaving room for improvising without sacrificing the sing-along factor.”

The Beatles’ breakup played a role in Mehling’s career.

“I was devastated. I thought music had died and I wasn’t interested in anything on the radio. Consequently, I dove into traditional jazz and realized how great Django was. Then, as if the universe was trying to yank me into the present, I heard Dan Hicks and the Hot Licks. They were bringing Django and traditional jazz into the future; the lyrics were contemporary and the rhythms were swing! Dan was funny and profound, and the women singers were hot… remember, I was a teenager (laughs). It had everything I needed.”

In the later years of Hicks’ career, Mehling played with him and the Acoustic Warriors.

As a kid, Mehling tried electric guitar. “I took lessons, but I didn’t practice, so they cut me off. After that, I was self-taught [until] high school, when I had a girlfriend studying classical guitar with a jazz player. They both got me to seriously study jazz guitar.”

His primary guitar now is a Maurice Dupont MD30 he bought new in 1990.

“I ordered it because Raphael Fays played one. So, I wrote to Maurice, and I now have two Duponts and a very nice old Epiphone Deluxe – I think it’s a ’34.”

As for the very clever title of the album, Mehling says there was only one way to go.

“I’d been carrying the idea around and then, about four years ago, we were giving a lecture where we explain to audiences of all ages who Django Reinhardt was, who the Hot Club de France was, and why we’re called the Hot Club of San Francisco. During the Q&A, an elderly woman asked, ‘You keep talking about this Ringo guy. Why was he so great?’ And the big light bulb went off in my head. I almost forgot to answer her question, but I did turn to the band and say, ‘There’s our album title!’ And they knew it, too.”

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This article originally appeared in VG June 2017 issue. All copyrights are by the author and Vintage Guitar magazine. Unauthorized replication or use is strictly prohibited.

Albums by Kentucky Headhunters have a history of making guitar players shake their collective heads at the great sounds made by Greg Martin. The band’s latest, On Safari, is another collection of rock, country, soul, and other sounds that not only offer glorious tones, but songs that emit a sense of spontaneity.

“It pretty much made itself,” he said. “I honestly love going to the studio and playing as a reaction to whatever is going on around me. Just seeing what happens. I don’t like sitting there and picking things apart.”

Following the extended illness then passing of James Howard, father of Headhunters Fred and Richard Young, the album’s recording was a reunion, of sorts.

“We hadn’t been able to get together much,” Martin noted. “Then after their dad passed, Fred really wanted to get together to help us get through the grieving. There was a spirit in the studio that helped us along. It’s probably my favorite Headhunters studio album.”

Their approach was simple, which Martin appreciates in part because it creates a sound younger players try to emulate.

“I’m 63 and very comfortable being 63, so I’m honored anyone would think of me as a guy who has a style and sound that younger guitar players can appreciate. I don’t have a pedalboard. In fact, this may have been one of my simplest setups ever. I used my ’58 Les Paul Standard on all but one track and played everything through my ’50s tweed Deluxe  and ’60 tweed Champ chained together. It’s the first album where I haven’t used Marshalls, though I do use them on the road.”

Martin has become quite good at staying connected to fans. On Facebook, his “Licks From the Outhouse” posts are highly engaging and offer deeper glimpses of his command of tone and notes. They started as a joke – after all, why would anyone take seriously this guy who makes guitar videos in his pajamas and with a raging case of bedhead?

“I’ve done several at home, blowing through vintage Marshalls and Fenders, and I’ve done several from hotel rooms out on the road with The HeadHunters. Those are usually through a late-’50s Champ. Playing in a hotel is tricky; I usually stick the amp in the bathroom, for ambience, and use the door as a master Volume. The clips are just a fun way to share whatever I’m into that day, and demonstrate various guitars.”

Billy Gibbons has Martin send them via e-mail. “He seems to get a kick out of my sonic renderings and insanity,” Martin noted.

Other Martin clips can be seen on the Vintage Guitar Facebook page and at VintageGuitar.com. And, for the past 15 years, he has been hosting a weekly radio show on WDNS in Bowling Green, Kentucky. Broadcast (including via stream) on Monday evenings, it’s three hours of the music he grew up hearing, and interviews with some of the folks who played it.

The Headhunters are keeping busy, playing 60 to 70 dates each year. “We went to Sweden last year, and to the U.K for the first time,” Martin said. “It was a great experience. So, yeah, pretty busy for a bunch of older guys.”

When asked how he became the player he is today, Martin says the process just happened.

“I was never good at copying solos note for note, but got inspiration from lots of great players. Then, stealing a lick here and there helped me find my own sound. God gives each of us our own sound, it’s in our DNA and fingerprints. When people can recognize your playing by your tone, phrasing, and vibrato, you have arrived. It’s not about being the best, but being the best you can be, finding your sound, and passing it on.”

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This article originally appeared in VG June 2017 issue. All copyrights are by the author and Vintage Guitar magazine. Unauthorized replication or use is strictly prohibited.